Esquestria: The House of the Sun - A pony cultist experience

[DelightedOne]

Second, since you guys want something to think about. The next two updates already exist in my mind, they just need to be written. There's a short something that will happen now, then we have your "followers' reports" for everything else which will end the turn.

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Yay! But I'm also scared of what you consider a "short something"(I think that is what you used to talk about the Master's surprise visit in turn 18).

Following that, we will have a "in-between turns" vote to decide on three things:
-Biedde's contract;
-Moods of Mareinette;
-Whether to summon Forge Name or not.
All three choices will have to be bundled into a single plan.

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Huh. Might as well start on this already.

Biedde- I hate him, the moment I discovered he couldn't be befriended I was suspicious and though at first I was willing to let it go and try to at least get a working relationship but the way he killed Comet Feet in that "In Which", that "it is what you don't know that kills you" thing he said and now Steppes... I don't want him near Velvet.

On the other hand, we need him, and I would be a fool to not know how valuable a Name is.

Mareinette- I really don't want to take her Sacrament so I guess I want her to go to Cadance, where with our guidance she will grow strong enough to resist the monster and either redeem or slay her for good. But if there are more options for her Moods I'm willing to switch.

Forge Name- Fuck yeah.

And the Fleeting Opportunities for Turn 22 (which you will be told in order to make an educated decision for the in-between turns vote) will be:
-Soft's request
-Uncle Steppes wants to give you something (NOT picking this FO will still give you the goods, but PICKING this FO will give you more options to "customize" it, which means not picking this FO is still a valid strategy).

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Softy is a definite yes for me.

Steppes is a strong maybe, it is really tempting to be able to "customize" his gift and with the amount of Bits spent in the Forge Name I doubt we would have too much to do with 1 Velvet action.

 

[Nevermort]

@OurLadyOfWires Does restoring Shining horn still on the table? I mean now that Cadance is aware about Lores can we inform her about ritual and conduct it? It is mainly forge ritual so Forge Name likely would not have any problems with it.

 

[Sveta08]

Yay! But I'm also scared of what you consider a "short something"(I think that is what you used to talk about the Master's surprise visit in turn 18).

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Oh. Uh, good odds are not being either a talk with Beyond Reproach, or an update with Spoiled.
Given we've not heard back from any of the bureau actions so far, I kinda want to lean it being towards the talk with Reproach? But, that's my guess at least.

Edit: oh, especially since we got to see our Fleeting Opportunities for turn 22, and he's not shown there.... Despite having infiltrated the estate this turn.

 

[ses]

Biedde- I hate him, the moment I discovered he couldn't be befriended I was suspicious and though at first I was willing to let it go and try to at least get a working relationship but him letting Velvet almost die, the way he killed Comet Feet in that "In Which" and now Steppes... I don't want him near Velvet.

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Man, Biedde literally saved our lives. Full stop. Narrative creating a post-hoc explanation for how the dice fell during a fairly rolled open room brawl (which is how QM confirmed that he handles assaults on our home) doesn't mean he didn't behave exactly as the statblock we were given when he summoned him. Yes he "held back" narratively because Names are in-universe way stronger than a "mere" super strong summon. But just because he didn't "give more" that we didn't deserve, and didn't give us a QM-given extra break, doesn't mean he didn't give one inch less than we were promised and we absolutely would have fucking died if we hadn't summoned him and taken his Edge influence. Our dancing with death was not Biedde's fault. He's already been many times more useful and powerful than edge Names are in the canon CS game. He has [Terrifying Opponent] right there on his sheet saying mortals won't aggro him if they can help it. He didn't have any way of "doing better" on the guard action without the QM giving us a free cookie.

Edit: oh, especially since we got to see our Fleeting Opportunities for turn 22, and he's not shown there.... Despite having infiltrated the estate this turn.

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I dont see why Reproach would be a Fleeting Opportunity regardless? We already have standard options to deal with him, and one of our potential Commissioner actions is entirely just "talk to Reproach". What Opportunity would be Fleeting in this case? Just because a normal action might be more or less advised than it usually would be isn't the bar for being a Fleeting Opportunity, the things we'd do to deal with the Reproach Question isn't particularly unique to this turn even if our perception of its urgency might change.

 

[DelightedOne]

Our dancing with death was not Biedde's fault. He's already been many times more useful and powerful than edge Names are in the canon CS game.

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True, going back to read the combat showed he priorized the Windigo as the greater threat, I'll correct my statement then. Comparing CS with this Quest is a bit out there though, a card game with set limits is completely different from a game like this.

 

[Sveta08]

I dont see why Reproach would be a Fleeting Opportunity regardless? We already have standard options to deal with him, and one of our potential Commissioner actions is entirely just "talk to Reproach". What Opportunity would be Fleeting in this case? Just because a normal action might be more or less advised than it usually would be isn't the bar for being a Fleeting Opportunity, the things we'd do to deal with the Reproach Question isn't particularly unique to this turn even if our perception of its urgency might change

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Eh, it's a little hard to explain my thought process for it, but will try.

Fleeting Opportunities are both the chance to do something that will pass away and the chance will be lost and to touch something before others make their own decisions. At least,x that is how they have felt in the past. That's the definition I am thinking with.

From there, would Reproach constitute a Fleeting Opportunity?
He already knows something happened with the bodies that attacked Velvet, was presented a nation spanning conspiracy against the crown, now has heard that Velvet herself helped as head in taking down a Wendigo... And this turn he "acted" of his own accord and infiltrated her home. He very clearly is trying to make sense of a fairly impossible picture. So, he is trying to make up his mind on what he has found.
Velvet stepping in, touching that potential and swaying it before his mind is made up feels... Appropriate.



Then there is the, well, structure based approach? Looking at the whole story as a story, how it has historically been structured, and how that structure is used to tell a more cohesive narrative. Namely, the Bureau.

For most turns, the Bureau actions and their results are shown fairly early in the turn. They help set the tone of the turn after all, as they are the most visible impact on the world in the story. They give context that the rest of the turn might need. This turn, despite including the "Getting out Affairs in Order" part of the turn, it wasn't included there. Fairly obviously, as the big focus was on Axe this turn, and the Sacrament. Trying to set a large tone piece before that would make the narrative feel jumpy, hopping from this world to that one, and back again.

But, it wasn't included directly after the Sacrament either. The tone was still wrong as it was still focused on Axe and Silky. That much could be anticipated though, so it would need to come much later in the turn. So how then do you anchor it?
Given the Everything that Reproach has been exposed to, he was obviously going to look into Velvet. But when in the turn? Well, OurLadyofWires knew that the wendigo was going to crop up, with the only realistic time it would make sense being after the Sacrament (as people would cry foul a thousand times over if Velvet was wounded and thus unable to do something in the sacrament) so that meant they either had to cram it all in at the end, or work to lead it in.

And, well, creating buildup is a more fun and engaging story.
So, Reproach snoops around, sacrament happens, Wendigo happens, and when handling the mundane (ish) affairs of Velvets job, Reproach pulls her aside, or gets a meeting of sorts. It creates a nice short narrative arc.

It could be, of course, that Reproach wants more... things that point to Velvets impossibility, and thus he will keep snooping around places for the next turn or so. But, if I have to guess, if there is a "Something" that will happen before all the remaining follower actions... Just kinda made sense that it might be that.

Might not, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was Reproach.

Edit: Whoops. My bad. That was a lot more words than I expected.

 

[ses]

The point being that's not a Fleeting Opportunity. Important story moments happen with good timing. Important story moments aren't incompatible with the "normal options". Saving Jade from the Wolf wasn't a Fleeting Opportunity.

EDIT:

But, all that aside, think I deviated us from the topic at habd-ish. Names and decisions about them.

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I'm becoming more partial to doing edge sacrament this turn. It's a risk but it'll be very nice to get it off the checklist, and it also means that Biedde's action can never go below "an edge lesson" in usefulness. A level 5 scrap is certainly worth more than 60 bits in a vacuum, and a level 5 scrap plus the Guard action would make paying his fee go down much more smoothly. We'd really only need to find one or two Edge studyables to hit Edge 6 before the Malleary.

 

[Sveta08]

Shrug!
Something along the lines of pulling Reproach aside and telling him you knew he snuck into the estate and talking with him feels like it would be a Fleeting Opportunity to me. The fact OurLadyofWires didn't include it made me think the thing coming up might be a talk with him.

If you don't feel it's a Fleeting Opportunity, fair enough! I'm working on guesswork and estimating here. I ain't sure on a lot of stuff here. Just got my suspicions is all

But, all that aside, think I deviated us from the topic at habd-ish. Names and decisions about them.

 

[Shaper47]

Oh, and as an aside... On the chance we will need a captive instead of of Spoiled for the Grail Sacrament, might I recommend we consider using Biedde to make Jade's house a small prison of sorts? I'm certain it's up his alley.

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I doubt he'd mind. Biedde doesn't strike me as the prideful sort.

Biedde is not particularly better at building prisons than any other names, though.

Actually, the FORGE Name would be the best one at it... but then again, we have far better uses of THEIR time than Biedde's right now.

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Given that it requires around 3 people stuck on guard duty for a prisoner and they still have a chance if escaping a prison is pretty much mandatory.

Basically we need the prison made turn 22 if we're planning on getting the Grail Sacrament Turn 23.

So having him go on a long hunt isn't ideal.

Really though if people wanted to pay him they should have picked the bits gaining choices.

We didn't and the consequences of that are us either not paying him or lowering Velvet's chances of success with the world at risk.

 

[Flaregamer82253]

I... have had a very busy couple of months to say the least. But I'm now somewhat free enough to return here and actually play the quest.

I'm gonna need to review things since the Foggy Mirror, but I was happily surprised to see some Mareinette love with Cadance, and if we want to move forward on the Grail and Moth sacrament within a turn or two, I'd be happy to support that. On the Biedde side of things, I'm actually really excited to see where this goes, as I've made my thoughts on Biedde clear a while ago. I'm very sad that I wasn't available for the Steppes vote seeing how it's turning out. On the side of a Forge name, I'm gonna need to think about it a little more, but I'm considering how much the funds may interfere with our Baldomare LV7 book expedition plans, so I'm unsure at this time.

Lots to catch up on and consider, but it feels good to be back.

 

[Talon Tiger Dino]

I am definitely opposed to Mareinette Socialing Spoiled into Leash into Moth Sacrament into Grail Sacrament. Leash into Moth was established as especially cruel by our QM, and following things up with the Grail Sacrament is rapidly escalating into rank evil without even a shred of nobility to things.

 

[Sveta08]

I am definitely opposed to Mareinette Socialing Spoiled into Leash into Moth Sacrament into Grail Sacrament. Leash into Moth was established as especially cruel by our QM, and following things up with the Grail Sacrament is rapidly escalating into rank evil without even a shred of nobility to things.

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That's fair and reasonable!
... Might I still offer the cruelest kindness to try and sway you? Will take some time to make, but....

 

[Talon Tiger Dino]

That's fair and reasonable!
... Might I still offer the cruelest kindness to try and sway you? Will take some time to make, but....

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I have no idea what you are talking about about.

 

[Sveta08]

An omake!
I must have been arguing with one too many Wolves lately. I had a beautiful and terribly painful idea of how it might end up after all was said and done. Too agonizing to feel good, but too perfect to leave to die.
I plan to make it either way. Maybe it will sway you to consider that path. Leash and Moth and Grail.

 

[OurLadyOfWires]

A quick catch-up so I can write in peace.

@OurLadyOfWires to clarify: is this referring to "they will be bound to your orders, and will give you 1 action a turn"?

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It means "despite the unusual circumstances this is still a summoning ritual, and you won't be bitten by whatever comes out".

@OurLadyOfWires Was there some change to original plans? I thought we were supposed to find instrument to kill Outsider first. We already knew that it should be in Mallery.

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No, you misunderstand. You the players knew the Malleary was there. Velvet didn't.

Now she does.

I never understood why everyone thought the juicer would be a portable item.

Actually @OurLadyOfWires I'm slightly confused: Couldn't she have used a passage through the Concursum instead? Supposedly there's plenty of paths leading EVERYWHERE in the Mansus through it... or do they all converse at the doors?

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This is a bit of a theological difference that this quest is based on.

In canon CS, you would (most likely) be right. Because in Canon CS, each Door is a separate entrance to the Mansus. Each Door can, technically, lead into the house and give you a passage to Glory. In fact, all the relevant victories in CS only need you to perform the requisite ritual, and you don't need (say) the frangiclave to narratively cross the Peacock Door. You reach the Triscupid Gate regardless.

But here in this quest, the Mansus is more "linear". The doors are successive challenges instead of individual doors that can be accessed from the outside. And the only entrance to the Mansus is, indeed, the Blank Door, which can be accessed from the Woods.

So, here, anyone climbing the Mansus would have to cross the Mirror Door to reach the Triscupid Gate. The Concursum (which today is a broken mountain of glass) was just another "level" of the Mansus. It might have connected to other places, and I always thought of it as a "hub" where the Histories connected (or, since it was a giant spiderweb of glassy bridges, that it was the "refractor" through which the light of Glory reached all Histories). But today, as far as you know, it is broken, so all you can do is use it as a stair that leads up.

First of all great chapter. Secondly @OurLadyOfWires I think you used 'her' in Velvet Covers response before Velvet Steppes clarifies which pegasus he meant so shouldn't it be 'them'?

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This is actually delightful.

Let me preface this by saying that my writing is filled with typos, and by no means every little detail you read is intentional.

But this in particular was an intentional typo.

While writing, I too noticed Velvet didn't know who Steppes was talking about, so at first I wrote a neutral "he" (which is the proper neutral term in portuguese, so it's what I mostly default to). But then I realized the majority of the important pegasi in Velvet's life are female (that is, the two Silky and Soft versus the one Stormchaser). So I made her freudian slip default to female, since this was an unknown pegasus she was talking about.

This is a tiny detail. But given how all details are hand-crafted by the writer, it is actually delightful that you noticed it! It's like a game developer seeing someone stop and stare at a pebble by the road, and thinking "I placed that pebble there".

@OurLadyOfWires if we choose "Get our Hoofs Dirty" for our Commissioner action, does that mean we're forced to spend AP to join the Tall Tale expedition if the constables go to Tall Tale, or is that covered by our commissioner action spent?

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No. That will kind of happen "for free".

If you had all the time in a month, you would technically have eight action points. But the Bureau eats up four, now. So, getting your hoofs dirty is just using the action points that are already being dedicated to the Bureau to accompany your agents.

...this makes me wonder...

@OurLadyOfWires was this confession from Steppes supposed to be a "Great Secret Of Betrayal"?

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Nah. The idea of a great secret of betrayal has metaphysical weight to it, sure. But we can't assume that any small secret kept by a person would amount to it, just because a Colonel-aligned agent is involved.

@OurLadyOfWires why did she not mind actually? I thought she hated staying in the desert, all alone.

And does she STILL not mind? Even if she came back to STAY with Silky?

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But her main body is... not in the desert anymore?

EDIT: Oh, wait, didn't notice the past tense. So, before she didn't mind because (mechanically) she is a summons and this is still a game, so I preferred to allow you all to use her as a regular minion anyways, and (narratively) because she couldn't "show weakness" by insisting on staying in the Wake to keep searching. Can't give her prospective summoners an inch, and all that.

@OurLadyOfWires now that Axe is "friendly", I don't suppose she'd tell us WHAT Knock 6 does? You know, to judge if it's worth using... 6 of her actions to reach it in time for All In.

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No.

Because "Knock 6" doesn't do anything. You are trying to finagle what "Lore Level 6" does. And I don't have any more reason to tell you that as I had to tell you about the levels that came before.

@OurLadyOfWires Question: can Risen prepare AotL rituals for us? Specifically for Edge.

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I'm refining the rules on "follower-given AotL". Will answer later during the followers turn.

DoA didn't bring the Frangiclave back with her (@OurLadyOfWires pinging you just in case to make sure that is true)

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You are correct. No Frangiclaves were surrendered to you upon Axe's return.

Luckily the Forge Name does NOT require a ritual circle... I'd like to summon them in Rarity's boutique, as if she's gone for a commission it would be left empty, right @OurLadyOfWires ? "repairing/reassembling" the FORGE Name in a place of CREATION (where Rarity makes her dresses) seems narratively fitting. And mechanically it costs us nothing.

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Names are characters I take great care in setting up. Leave the narrative fluff to me, for now.

@OurLadyOfWires Does restoring Shining horn still on the table? I mean now that Cadance is aware about Lores can we inform her about ritual and conduct it? It is mainly forge ritual so Forge Name likely would not have any problems with it.

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You didn't pick the "focus on the repairing ritual" option, so that's not going to happen right now.

But it is still on the table in the broad "Velvet has her eyes on it" sense.



That seeeeems to be all.

I hope you are all doing well! And please let me know if I skipped a ping, a question or an omake.

I'll go get busy.

Cheers

 

[Talon Tiger Dino]

An omake!
I must have been arguing with one too many Wolves lately. I had a beautiful and terribly painful idea of how it might end up after all was said and done. Too agonizing to feel good, but too perfect to leave to die.
I plan to make it either way. Maybe it will sway you to consider that path. Leash and Moth and Grail.

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I sincerely doubt it will sway me.

 

[Pittauro]

I never understood why everyone thought the juicer would be a portable item.

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I always assumed it would be a location. for some reason I did NOT assume it would NECESSARILY be the Malleary though, which is actually weird of me.

Nah. The idea of a great secret of betrayal has metaphysical weight to it, sure. But we can't assume that any small secret kept by a person would amount to it, just because a Colonel-aligned agent is involved.

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Well, from Steppes' perspective this was NOT a "small" secret.

That said, due to our vote Velvet did NOT consider it a "great" secret, and the "betrayed's" opinion is the only one that really matters here.

but if we chose to hate him for it? Then it would have made a lot of sense.

But her main body is... not in the desert anymore?

EDIT: Oh, wait, didn't notice the past tense. So, before she didn't mind because (mechanically) she is a summons and this is still a game, so I preferred to allow you all to use her as a regular minion anyways, and (narratively) because she couldn't "show weakness" by insisting on staying in the Wake to keep searching. Can't give her prospective summoners an inch, and all that.

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ok, that makes sense.

...damn, if we DID use her like that, I could imagine you writing a tear-jerking update about it...

You are correct. No Frangiclaves were surrendered to you upon Axe's return.

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...can we ask her for it? I mean, she USUALLY doesn't even have a need for it, her Knock 6 would make Frangiclave redundant except for the one special lock she was trapped by.

Then again, I suppose she'd see it as the last gift of Parsharka... so nevermind.

or maybe she'll give it to her extended family instead. I could see her using it to sustain new wards to protect them if/when she ever leaves them.

 

[ses]

...can we ask her for it? I mean, she USUALLY doesn't even have a need for it, her Knock 6 would make Frangiclave redundant except for the one special lock she was trapped by.

Then again, I suppose she'd see it as the last gift of Parsharka... so nevermind.

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"Can we ask her for the key to her eras long imprisonment that she probably never lets out of her reach for a single second out of fear the chains might come back one day"?

Yeah in hindsight it makes perfect sense we dont get to keep it.

 

[DelightedOne]

I never understood why everyone thought the juicer would be a portable item.

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Can't say why everyone else thought that but the existence of Heirlooms made me think that we could take things from the Mansus then my brain went "guess the juicer is the Forge Heirloom or something".

Edit: There is also the matter of that already being possible in both CS and the Quest(Amaranthine Nectar) so it is not that out there to imagine it.

 

[ses]

I certainly didn't expect we'd have to bring the Discord statue into our bed for however many weeks or months it takes us to beat the Malleary Expedition. I'm not sure how we're supposed to keep it hidden once Celestia realizes there's been a containment breach if we fail our first attempt. Also the fact that there's a true final dungeon after the expedition named "All In" wasn't exactly expected, and a portable juicer would have been needed for All In to be the final dungeon.

 

[DelightedOne]

Also the fact that there's a true final dungeon after the expedition named "All In" wasn't exactly expected, and a portable juicer would have been needed for All In to be the final dungeon.

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Maybe All In is the final dungeon because it triggers an event that kills Velvet if she doesn't get to Glory soon? Like Daybreaker scouring Equestria with Lantern eyes or something?
That would fit the "do this and we get to the final part of the game" vibes, it gets so dangerous you either win or die.

I can't help but be happy Glory will take longer though, more chances to at least equal the amount of Wolf in Velvet with some Harmony and also for Discord to break out over our employees arguing over nothing, his bindings must be so weak with the Sons acting in the Wake that almost anything can set him off now.

 

[Greymere]

Maybe All In is the final dungeon because it triggers an event that kills Velvet if she doesn't get to Glory soon? Like Daybreaker scouring Equestria with Lantern eyes or something?
That would fit the "do this and we get to the final part of the game" vibes, it gets so dangerous you either win or die.

I can't help but be happy Glory will take longer though, more chances to at least equal the amount of Wolf in Velvet with some Harmony and also for Discord to break out over our employees arguing over nothing, his bindings must be so weak with the Sons acting in the Wake that almost anything can set him off now.

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We're fuuuuucked if Discord gets free, so no thanks on that front.

 

[DelightedOne]

We're fuuuuucked if Discord gets free, so no thanks on that front.

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Not necessarily... as long as Celestia is restored of course.

If she can get to Twilight- Great. Elements unite and a variation of "The Return of Harmony" happens.

If she can't get to Twilight- We have 3 Alicorns(and also a bunch of Names who would gank an Outsider if we asked), 2 of which wielded the Elements before and theorically could do it again. Coincidentally 6 is divisible by 3 so each could get 2.

What? The Elements changed once, why wouldn't they be able to change again especially if we are talking about Alicorns being the bearers as intended before Luna got Worm'd.

And it would be quite interesting to see Bird's "Chaos" mechanic.

 

[Talon Tiger Dino]

>Discord gets free
>Discord strolls into the Mansus
>Tosses a leg into the Juicer (they grow back, it's fine)
>ASCENDS UNTO GLORY
>Hour from Nowhere of shenanigans and shake-ups flexes endlessly on Velvet while thanking her for both tearing down Mansus Doors and breaking down Harmony's Bonds, he couldn't have done this without her
>Drinks glass in celebration

 

[OurLadyOfWires]

You are Iron Button.

And right now, you are-

"… fuck."

-well, Reproach's muttering has it about right.

You are Iron Button.

And you, and your partner, are both fucked.

"Language, Mr. Reproach," your wife tells him, before turning your attention back to you. "Anyways, what should I tell her dear?"

And your dear wife, bless her innocence, apparently hasn't noticed how your expression just went pale.

"Just… just to make sure I got it right," you say, very carefully, even as Reproach begin pacing around the room. The two of you being so tired that he isn't even bothering to hide his stress. "Who did you say is at the door?"

You ask that, and your wife narrows her eyes a little bit. She is already used to your partner's antics, even though he has been learning how to be a good visitor. But still, you figure she is picking up on the fact the news she just brought isn't exactly great.

"Well, there's this pegasus mare on the door wearing the uniform. I checked her badge like you taught me, and everything looks alright. She said her name is Drummer Clap, I think? Well, she told me that you two are being called back at the Bureau."

She says that and you… well, you don't even have it in you to properly react.

Because Drummer Clap, notorious Drummer Clap, is quickly becoming a well-known name within the Bureau. Not because she was hoof-picked to be one of the Commissioner's bodyguard, although that is quite the career achievement for a guard-oriented pony. But still, the pegasus mare has become notorious for something else.

Namely because, as far as you heard, she has become the living embodiment of the inside-joke that what the Commissioner wants, she gets.

You already heard stories about doors being kicked out, court orders being torn into pieces, several cases of "collateral damage", and even about a kidnapping. All because the Commissioner wanted something done, and Drummer Clap had been picked to do it.

So, given that Drummer Clap is here because you and Reproach are "wanted" in the Bureau, can only mean that…

"Oh, also, she had a bit of a frown on her face, dear," your wife says, almost as an afterthought. "It looked quite serious."

… well, it means that you should be thankful the mare didn't walk over your wife, and dragged you and Reproach out through the front door while your children watched.

"Thank you dear. Could you please tell her we will be outside in a few minutes?" you say, to which your wife answers with a nod. "Actually, tell her we are coming out as soon as possible. And that we, uh, were painting a wall, and need to clean off our coats," you quickly correct yourself, immediately realizing that even asking for her to wait a few minutes might be too much. At least, if you are to believe the stories.

"Sure… But I almost turned her away. I mean, have you looked at the time? And this is your off-day, too. Now, I know you told me this job didn't have fixed hours, but still!" your wife says, more to herself than anything else, as she turns around and goes towards the front door.

Leaving you and Roach in your office room, quietly thanking the stars that your wife didn't do what she just said, and that she came to tell you about this impromptu visitor instead.

But still.

Still…

"Fuck," Beyond Reproach says again, as he paces around the room. "We are fucked, plain and simple."

He says that, and you can't help but agree. Because…

"Do you think she is onto us?" you ask, feeling your own trepidation rise inside of you. Spreading through your body like a crawling chill.

"What the hay do you think? Of course she did," he says. "We always knew this could happen. In fact, I think we both expected to draw heat at some point. I just… didn't think it would happen so soon."

He says that, and then he looks around at everything you two have accomplished so far.

You two are currently in your home, in Canterlot. In a Bureau-given house that you received when you and your family moved in to the Capital for your job.

In particular, you two are in the place that is, or could have been, your office. This house has plenty of room for your family, and even with your foals getting rooms for themselves there was still a room left to spare. So, your wife let you turn it into an office of sorts.

But here's the thing. You never really brought much work back home. Or at least you didn't plan on doing so… until Reproach told you certain things, and you two started working together on a project of sorts.

And now, everywhere you look, and covering most of the walls of the room, you can see how far you have come. Everywhere you look there are pictures, charts, newspaper cuts and documents old and new, many of them connected by strings of different colors. And all of them about the one pony you two have been investigating so far.

That pony being the Commissioner herself.

This "thing" you two have been working on started… not long ago, all things considered. Because you see, ever since you were paired with Reproach as an investigation pair, he has been telling you about how "something didn't feel right". You thought it was just his eccentricities acting up, at first. After all you knew nothing about the stallion, and it wasn't strange for ponies in your line of business to say their cutie marks were itching. Especially when you work on high profile cases, of which the Bureau has no shortage of.

At some point, Reproach "realized" (as he said) that the focus of his misgivings and suspicions seemed to be centered around the Commissioner herself. You pushed back against the idea, at first, because it wouldn't do for him to think that about a pony chosen by the Princesses for the job.

But then, day in and day out as you listened to his mumblings and theories… well, some of it started to make sense.

Some of it started to make sense, and it only added up the more you looked into it.

At first, you thought Reproach was just going mad. Until you started agreeing with him.

So, you two did what you do best. You started looking into it. Checking small leads, at first, whenever it was convenient to do so. And following up on your discoveries whenever possible.

But the problem was that... well, the more you searched, the more things you found. To the point that, this far into your investigation, the Commissioner's story just doesn't make sense. And it got to the point that your investigations turned into one of you juggling your usual duties, while the other went off to chase yet another lead, sometimes for several days in a row.

The more you two dig, the deeper this hole gets. And for all that you two haven't reached the bottom of it yet, the picture that you have painted so far is… bad. Very bad. Because the only piece that fits all of this together, the only way that all the evidence you found makes sense, is if…

…

Well, it doesn't sound like you two will get to the bottom of it anyways, so what does it matter?

"So, what do we do?" you ask. Because although you two discussed the possibility of being caught early, neither of you thought it would happen anytime soon. And all your contingencies depended on some future safety net you would build, probably by having more ponies from the Bureau brought into this once you had enough evidence to convince them.

"Well, scramming doesn't sound like a good idea," Reproach says, looking around at the room, and then out through a gap on the window shutters. "Medium to long term she knows where our families live. And short term, she brought a pegasus to fetch us to begin with. And I don't fancy our chances against that Drummer mare, even if we jump her."

You purse your lips, only slightly surprised by how your partner immediately jumped to the most gruesome of the alternatives.

But still, he is right. Reproach is not a stupid pony, even if he is cynical. And if the Commissioner is calling for you two, at this time of the night and during your off day, then your only alternative would be to run and go dark.

That is, if you were willing to leave your family behind, which you are not. And if you were able to outrun a trained pegasus, which you don't think you can.

"So, we do the only thing we can," he says, letting out a rare and stressed neigh. "Time to pay the piper. And hope to the sun and moon that this is just a social call, and that if we keep appearances well enough we might come out unscathed."

You feel another wave of cold, damp dread rushing through your body. But even now, you know he is right.

After all, if your "suspicions" about the Commissioner are correct, then she has other ways to deal with you two that are much more convenient than calling you like this. So, the best thing you can do is hope against hope, and act like nothing is wrong.

But if you are wrong…

"Alright, let's get this over with," you say.

And with that, the two of you get out of your office, locking the door behind you as if that would make any difference. And then you go outside to meet the Commissioner's messenger.



- - -



The worst thing that can happen tonight is an execution. The worst day this night can end is with you and your partner either dead, or locked so deep underground the Bureau that it doesn't make a difference if you are alive or not.

The best thing that can happen is that the Commissioner is just calling you two for some sort of briefing, or because she wants your input on a delicate situation that just came up. After all, although the investigative teams are officially under a loose hierarchy within the investigation department, you and Reproach have been conspicuously "closer" to the higher ups than the rest of the teams. And it is not unusual for you two to be called, by the Deputy or some other higher-up, for brass meetings.

And as the two of you enter the Lunar Bureau, following Drummer Clap through the familiar entrance hall and being greeted by the guards on night shift, you can't help but think that…

That you have no idea of where this night is going.

Because this doesn't look like an execution. Everypony feels perfectly normal, if tired after a day of work. And when you reach the top floor, the Secretariat looks busy as ever.

But the sight of secretaries and scriveners going to and from the Secretariat, carrying books and scrolls and hurried whispers about what changes need to be done, certainly doesn't evoke the idea that this is going to be an ambush.

Beyond Reproach is eerily quiet next to you, as the two of you stand at the end of the corridor while waiting to be called. He is quiet, and you can't see any of his nervous ticks. Which means, you know, that he is intentionally restraining himself. He is nervous, you are sure of it, but not enough to try anything erratic.

So, you suppose you should do the same.

The long corridor, or the "Command Corridor" as some of the guards call it, stretches out before you. At the very end are the large double doors that lead to the Director's office, kept closed and unused for now. Close to the middle of the corridor, to your left and right, are the Commissoiner's office and the Secretariat, their doors right in front of one another. And you two can only watch as a white mare, her dark mane and tail tied into buns, goes from one door to the other with all the indications that she might as well be the busiest pony in Equestria right now.

You two wait, and you wait, and then you wait some more. Until finally…

"The Commissioner will be seeing you two now," the mare says, and you look up to see the secretary mare standing in the middle of the corridor, looking at you two expectantly. That is, until you give her a thankful nod, to which the mare answers by rushing back into the Secretariat and closing the door behind her.

You hear a few voices coming from the closed door, which sounds like a trio of ponies discussing what they had to do next. But you were too busy following Reproach as he makes his way to the Commissioner's office.

"Well, tonight feels like business as usual. Plus, we passed by plenty of witnesses," Reproach says under his breath, as you two walk down the corridor. "Doesn't feel like bad news to me."

"Except, of course, for the fact that Equestria is riddled with shapeshifters," you say, mirroring his tone.

And the slow, grim nod he gives you doesn't make either of you feel any better.



- - -



Your heart is beating inside your chest.

No, it is hammering in there.

You have been here before, yes. Currently, you and Reproach are sitting in the Commissioner's office. And the mare herself, the subject of your current… investigation, is sitting behind her desk, looking at you two.

You don't feel like you are in danger. Not in immediate danger, at least. However, you are still worried. For two reasons.

First, because although you don't think you are in danger, the Commissioner doesn't look normal either. There isn't anything wrong about her, of course. However, her expression as she looks at you is…

There is no other way to describe it. The way she is looking at you can only be described as smug.

And the second reason why you are so nervous is because-

"These are the two I've been telling you about, Cadance."

"I see, I see. It is a pleasure to meet you two, and I apologize for only being available this late at night."

-because there is a Princess here with you. The Princess of Love, Cadance herself, is sitting by the side of the room, with a calm smile on her face. Floating a cup of something sweet by her seat as if she was just chatting with the Commissioner before you arrived.

No wonder the Secretariat was abuzz with activity, even at this hour. There is an alicorn in the building with you mere ponies.

To be honest, you are so tense that the best you can do right now is nothing at all. You are doing your best to not shake on your seat, and to not say something stupid, and to not sweat from the sheer weight that is pressing down on your back.

You do your best to look absolutely normal, or at least like a regular pony who has just walked into a room with a Princess, as you wait for what comes next.

And to your surprise, you hear Reproach clearing his throat, as he somehow musters the courage to speak up.

"You asked for us, Commissioner. And we wouldn't dream of taking up a Princess' time. So, what do you need us for?" he asks.

To which the Commissioner answers with a slow nod, still with that strangely amused smile on her face, as she looks towards Princess Cadance. The two of them sharing a glance that you can only guess the meaning of.

"Well, let me begin by saying that Princess Cadance is here at my invitation. This is a meeting that I called for, so I'm afraid you two aren't here because the Princess of Love needs us to do something for her," she says. "However, for all that I called her here to listen into this meeting, she is also here because… well, I wanted you two to act like there is a Princess in the room. And what better way than having one where you can see her?" she asks.

Her tone is sharp, but still somewhat amused. And you get the sinking feeling that she is somehow toying with you two.

You swallow something dry.

"And the reason I called you two here is because, well, I would like to discuss your recent activities! Maybe clear the air a little bit. And what better way to do something as transparently as possible than with a Princess in the room?" she says, leaning back on her chair, as if making herself more comfortable. "I mean, there is no better judge to what is right and wrong than a Princess, no? So, if it happens that I am in the wrong, this would definitely be the ideal setting to let any hidden cats out of their bags, no?"

Your throat goes entirely dry, now. And you can almost hear Reproach grinding his teeth inside his closed mouth.

Because this can't be a coincidence anymore. What she just said, and the way she said it, makes it abundantly clear that she is onto you two.

So why did she call for this meeting? To toy with you two? She couldn't possibly be thinking about ousting herself. But, as she said, having a Princess in the room is… well, it's abundantly stupid for anypony who is not in the right.

Unless… unless Princess Cadance is on her side, somehow?

The recent past, of Princess Luna herself being impersonated by a shapeshifter, comes to mind. And for all that everything suggests they can't do something like that anymore… well, you could always be wrong about that.

"Velvet, please. I'm not infallible," Cadance says, casually rolling her eyes and letting out a chuckle.

"Oh, hush you, Mrs. Perfect Wife," the Commissioner answers, as if that was an inside joke of theirs.

And suddenly, you don't feel much safer or confident about Princess Cadance's presence.

Although this still doesn't feel like an execution… you think.

You hope.

"Now, back to the topic at hoof. You two are, without any need for modesty, my two best detectives. And your performance has been nothing short than stellar. However…"

The Commissioner says that and then she lights up her horn, floating towards her desk a pile of documents.

And of course, you immediately recognize those documents. They have your hoofwriting all over them.

After all, they are the reports you have been writing these last few weeks.

"However, I couldn't help but notice you two have been getting slower, while doing your job. You two are still ahead of every other detective, of course, but your work has definitely slowed down when compared to your initial pace."

She suddenly cuts off her magic, letting the piles of report fall on her desk with a loud thud.

"And of course," she says, laughing a little as if she is delivering the punchline of a joke. "Of course, I also couldn't help but notice Iron Button has taken to writing all of the reports. Now, this could just be you two finding a balance, and I could believe it if you said Iron is just better with the paperwork, and this is an agreement you two reached when it comes to workload."

She narrows her eyes as she says that, looking at you, and then at Reproach, as if trying to read something that is written on your faces.

And you only realize you haven't taken a breath in a very long time when your lungs scream at you that you need to breathe.

"But something tells me that's not it. Something tells me you have been using your spare time, or whatever time you could spare, to investigate something else. Something so important and so secret you couldn't tell the rest of the Bureau. And that you certainly haven't been sanctioned by any Princess to do. Something tells me that you have been looking into… me, the Commissioner of the Lunar Bureau," she finishes.

And for a moment, albeit a very long moment indeed, the air around you is so heavy you feel like you are being buried alive.

Part of you thinks this is it, that this is the part she just jumps you, or that shapeshifters burst out of the very floor to finish you two off. Another part of you thinks it is Reproach who is about to jump the Commissioner, yelling at the Princess what you two have discovered so far, and hoping that she is not one of them.

But that moment never comes.

And instead, the tension in the air bursts, almost like a bubble, when the Commissioner brings her two hoofs together and-



-Clop!-



-lets out a loud clop of her hoofs as her metal horseshoes collide.

Followed by, of all things, an amused giggle. As if nothing in the world was wrong right now.

And then, with a tone that sounds almost jovial, she leans forward in her desk and asks.

"So, what did you two find out so far?" she asks.

But for a moment, you were so certain that this was it, and you were so certain that you two were done for, that you don't even know how to react. Because even if she was toying you, and even if this was all her trying to gloat before making you two disappear, this has already gone too far. The time to strike has come and passed, and she… and you two…!

"Do you think this is a joke?!" Reproach says, throwing caution to the wind and almost standing up as he slams a hoof against his chair.

You are surprised. By the sun, you can even see Princess Cadance jump up in surprise. But the dam holding back Reproach's nervousness seems to have finally broken, and it appears he is ready to be done with all of this. Even if it ends with you two getting killed captured or killed.

However, once again, the Commissioner seems completely unphased. She looks unphased, and still amused.

And her response to Reproach is very carefully worded, perhaps even delicate, despite the clear threat behind it.

"Yes, Beyond Reproach. I do think this is all a joke," she says, very slowly. "Because the alternative of me thinking this is a joke, is me taking this seriously. Which means turning this chat, with a Princess as my witness, into a disciplinary hearing, where I will be forced to punish you two for acting without permission, wasting Bureau resources on an unauthorized investigation, and breaking and entering into my estate while my family was asleep."

You finally feel your forehead breaking out with sweat. Yes, this confirms it. She is onto you, and apparently she has been onto you for a while now. And as you speak, there are probably ponies breaking down your front door to confiscate all the evidence you two collected so far… that is, if she even feels the need to collect anything from you two.

Because… well, because Reproach was the one who sneaked into her home, and he's the damn quietest pony you ever met. Plus, you two are sure none of her bodyguards noticed him. So, if she knows about that, then she certainly knows about everything else.

And besides, the threat behind her words is crystal clear. You two are on the knife's edge, and even Reproach backs down after she said that.

"So yes, Reproach. We will resolve all of this in a civilized manner, because it would be rude to do anything else in front of a Princess," she says, the edge once again disappearing from her voice as she leans back on her cushioned chair. "So why don't we… yes, why don't we play a little game?"

She says that, and her words just hang in the air for a while. Until finally, once she realizes neither of you will speak up, she continues with a small sigh.

"Well, I understand why you two are nervous. But let me explain what I have in mind," the Commissioner continues. "I know you two have been looking into me, and it reached the point my two best detectives are now concerned about this, which is in turn affecting your official work. So, we are going to play a little game here. We are going to take turns asking questions, and the other side has to answer them. Simple, no?"

She looks at Reproach expectantly, as if hoping for some kind of answer. But when none arrives, and he all but glares back at her with a hard expression, she rolls her eyes and turns to you.

And you… give her the smallest nod, that you understand.

"Wonderful. Now, here's the kicker, I promise to tell the truth. You two have been investigating me, right? So, ask away! You get one question, and then I get one in return. What would you two like to know, that could help with… whatever it is you discovered so far?"

She asks that, and then she waits.

She waits, Princess Cadance gives her a curious glance, which she answers by shaking her head as if to say "everything is fine". And then she waits.

And you… you two have no idea what to do next.

Because everything she said, everything she accused you two of doing, is right. You two have been investigating her, and you two have found out a pile of things about the Commissioner that just don't add up.

Well, it all adds up if she is somehow one of the monstrous shapeshifters. But that is something you can't prove yet, and that is also something you two dearly hope isn't true.

There are also other, less likely explanations, that would at best paint the Commissioner as yet another corrupt noble. And the things you discovered about her family don't make that any less likely. But still, the itch in your cutie marks tell you two that this is not a simple case of corruption and power-grabbing.

So, given your strong suspicions that the Commissioner is one of the shapeshifters, it is very easy to say that…

… well, that neither of you expected to be in a situation like this. In her office. With a Princess present. Playing a "game" where she claims she will be telling the truth.

It just doesn't make sense, no matter how hard you try to put a frame around this picture.

However, before you can even get a hold of yourself, Beyond Reproach speaks up.

And almost immediately, he gallops towards one of the biggest problems you two have faced thus far.



"What does your cutie mark look like?"



He asks that. He immediately asks that.

And the Commissioner answers… with a smile.

"Ah, curious. Very curious indeed," she says, slowly, thoughtfully, as if chewing down on what his questions actually meant.

Because sure enough, one of the biggest problems you have faced so far, and one of the first things an investigator is taught to discover in a case, is that you don't yet know what the Commissioner's cutie mark looks like.

No, you really haven't even found out that, yet.

Nopony has ever seen her without a dress or a uniform, and you two certainly don't have access to her personnel file… if such a file even exists to begin with. So, when you agreed to join Reproach in this mad quest of investigating the Commissioner, one of the first things you tried to figure out was what her cutie mark looked like.

Even if only for the sake of having an image of it in the ad-hoc file you were creating on her.

But you never managed to find out what it is. There are no images, no pictures, no eyesights or reports.

And when you two dug deep enough, you actually discovered that…

"Are you asking this because you want to know, or did you two… find out about my scar?" she asks.

And just like that, she kicks down Reproach's attempt at secrecy as if it was a wall of glass.

Because yes, she is right. When you and Reproach dug deep enough, you found out why the Commissioner is always dressed like she is.

It took digging into the medical files of an old pediatrician, one that already passed away and used to provide his services to nobles, in a discrete, quiet and very expensive manner.

But eventually, you discovered that the Commissioner suffered some kind of accident, when she was very young. One that her family went to great lengths to hide, successfully, but that apparently turned the Commissioner into a regular customer of that doctor for several years.

There were no pictures in her file, and it was identified by name rather than by cutie mark. But still, the description of the wound itself used the words "disfigurement," "crippling" and "irreparable".

And what is more, the moment Reproach asked his question, you knew he wasn't truly interested in her cutie mark. Instead, he wanted to check if the Commissioner sitting in front of you has that scar to begin with.

"I suppose you two think I am a changeling," she says, speaking to herself as if thinking out loud. Waving a hoof at Princess Cadance as the alicorn lets out a gasped what? "You two think the real Commissioner was swapped, at some point. Especially given how she didn't have bodyguards until very recently. So yes, it would make sense to see how faithful this swap was. After all, if I were a sloppy changeling, I would have just copied her outward appearance, dress and all, and not realized her flank was damaged."

Yes, that was Reproach's idea, you think. He was hoping to use his question as an excuse to verify the Commissioner's cutie mark, and instead check if her flank is scarred like the medical reports said.

"But if I know this much about the Commissioner's flank, then I also know about her scar, and I would have copied it if I were a changeling," she concludes, reaching the same inferences you had also reached the moment she started speaking. "So I'm afraid this wasn't a useful question for you to ask."

You can hear Reproach let out a low grunt, next to you. And you also feel somewhat frustrated.

Granted, you are more worried about how this feels like you are playing a board game, with your life on the line. But still, you can't help but share in his frustration.

"Also, did you really just try to look up a married mare's skirt? Shame on you Detective Beyond," she says, jokingly. "And also, I promised to answer your questions truthfully, not take off my clothes. So here is your answer: My cutie mark looks like an open book, with blank pages, with a butterflies flying around it."

You answer her with… a slow nod.

Because on one hoof, that is important information. If you leave this place alive, that is.

But on the other hoof, well if this is a "game" then this is the part where the Commissioner asks her question.

And you have no idea where this is going.

Is she going to ask you something sadistically cruel like "how would you like to die?"

Is she going to ask you for details about your investigation? If so, then why? She has enough authority to make you two disappear, and she already knows about the break-in into her own house. So, you can't imagine her not knowing about everything you two uncovered so far.

So what in Equestria is she going to ask…?

"My turn," she says, her voice almost sounding excited as she speaks. "So, for my question I want to ask… What is your favorite number? No, no, let me rephrase that. Pick a number between ten and twenty," she says.

And you… your mind goes blank for a moment.

Because what kind of question is that?!

Your mind blanks, but you can feel Reproach's body heating up next to you. He thinks, you are sure, that she is just toying with you two now. And he is about to do something stupid.

So, you speak up before he has the chance to do so.

"Seventeen," you say, almost raising a hoof to push down against Reproach's shoulder. But you continue to speak before he can act.



"And for our next question. You… you were attacked, recently. What was nature of your attackers?!"



You say that, almost blurting it out, to keep Reproach in check.

But deep down, you also asked another thing that had been stumping you two for a long time now, in your investigations.

Because according to the reports, the Commissioner was attacked. The public story was that there was a single assailant, and the less public story is that there were four, which she fought off on her own.

However, the details of how their bodies were found, and the evidence you found around her mansion… coupled with a certain incident that just happened in Manehattan, made you and Reproach think that…

"Ah… good, good, you are picking up on this game well, Iron," she says, giving you a satisfied nod.

She then looks towards Princess Cadance, and the Princess nods back at her as if confirming something.

"Very well. No reason to beat around this bush, and the rules are the rules," she says.

And then she brings her hoofs together under her chin, looking straight into your eyes as she answers.

"My house was attacked by four armed ponies… and one of the ice-made creatures we have classified as a Windigo."

Her expression is serious, as she says that. But for some reason, you can't help but see excitement in her eyes. Almost as if she is waiting for something to happen.

Almost as if she is hoping to catch the moment something crosses you mind, and bleeds down to your expression.

But the only thing you can feel right now is…

"You have got to be kidding me," Reproach whispers next to you.

And you agree.

The only thing you can feel right now is horror.

Because you, and everypony else in the Bureau, knows what it took to kill the one creature, the one Windigo, that was found in Manehattan.

And yes, that does tie up more loose ends. That confirms that the Gardeners were the ones who attacked the Commissioner, and it explains why they had one of the beasts stored in Manehattan but didn't send one after the Commissioner. And the answer to that is that they actually did.

But… how could the Commissioner have defended herself on her own?

There are too many possibilities for you to consider right now. None of them good.

But still, if she is telling the truth, this answers several questions you two have been floating around for a while now.

Your blood, once again, begins to run cold.

Because what else could be sitting in front of you if not a monster? What else could the Commissioner be, then, if not one of the shapeshifters? That would certainly explain, well, everything. Her resources, and her ability to do what she did, and so on.

But that, in turn, also means that…

"My turn," she says. "What time is it?"

She asks that, and once again you have no idea where she is trying to get with this.

Is this her species' idea of gloating? Is this just a long, drawn out session of her playing with her food? Are you two just missing something?

"It's late," Reproach answers, clearly as unhappy as you are about all this. "And we don't know the exact time, so that's the truth. And your rules said we just need to tell the truth, and not that we need to give a correct answer."

Another giggle from the thing that is pretending to be the Commissioner, nodding to herself as if proud of Reproach's answer.

"Very good! Very good indeed. Now, my next question will be my last. Three for each sounds more than enough. So, what will your last question be?" she says.

And you don't even try to pretend that her words just now weren't ominous.

You can feel one of your hindlegs trembling under you.

You can see several veins popping up on Reproach's neck.

And you almost jump up in surprise when your partner just turns and looks at you, as if asking for your help, or maybe your permission, to ask something.

Still, you look into his eyes, and you can see that…

Ah, but of course.

This is obvious.

In fact, this should have been your first question.

Yes, you can see in Reproach's eyes exactly what he wants to ask for your next, and last, question.

So, you give him a nod.

And you watch in muted dread as he turns back to the false Commissioner, and speaks up.



"For our last question then… Who are you?"



He asks that.

And you two watch as the Commissioner… narrows her eyes.

She narrows her eyes, and then she looks at Princess Cadance (who you don't even know if she is a real Princess anymore), and then she looks back at you two.

And then, she gives you and Reproach a slow, and strangely noble, nod.

As if somehow, you two had passed some sort of test.

"The answer to your question is, also, the answer to my final question. What a coincidence, I say," she says.

She says that, and then she lights up her horn.

But to your surprise, she doesn't float up the reports on her desk, or any other items, and she doesn't use her magic to lock the door or anything threatening like that.

Instead, she just opens the nearby window, revealing the night sky outside.

"So, I asked you for a number, and you gave me seventeen. I then asked what time it is, and true to your word, it is indeed late. The night-sky is already up in its full glory," she says, getting up from her chair, and making her way towards the window.

She takes a second or two to look outside, as if appreciating the clear and shiny stars in the sky.

And then she turns back to face you two.

"So, my final question is… who could do something like this?"

She asks that.

And before you can ask what the hay she is talking about, she raises a hoof.

She raises her right hoof, and less than a second later she brings it down to the ground.

Clip​

The sound of her metal horseshoe hitting the ground echoes through the room, for a moment.

But before either of you can react, she lifts her hoof again, repeating the same movement from a moment before.

CLOP​

And this time, when her horseshoe hits the ground, something happens.

The moment her horseshoe hits the ground, a shooting star races through the sky. Flying through the dark firmament, right behind her, as if the sides of the open window were the frame of a painting.

You… you are not sure what just… well, it was a strange coincidence, but you have no idea what this has to do with anything and…

… and then she raised her hoof again-

Clip-CLOP​

-and another shooting start scratches a line of white through the dark of space.

You feel something twist inside of you. Another shooting star, another impossible coincidence.

Clip-CLOP

Clip-CLOP

Clip-CLOP​

She raises her hoof and strikes it down on the floor, like a metronome. And with every second hit, like an instrument player following a maestro, another shooting star races through the sky.

The twist inside your chest turns into a block of ice. Your mind is completely blank. Or at least the conscious part of your brain is.

But the rest of your brain, that subconscious part of you that is always working, always linking clues and evidence together to form the big picture, it is working. More than just that, it is racing.

Clip-CLOP

Clip-CLOP

Clip-CLOP

Clip-CLOP

Clip-CLOP​

You feel your back straightening.

You feel the fur of your coat standing on its end.

You feel the sheer, stone-cold paralysis that is surrounding both you and Reproach like a tomb, tighten its grip.

And almost as if in cue, your mind reminds you of something she said at the very beginning of this meeting.

She wanted you to act like there is a Princess in the room.

Clip-CLOP

Clip-CLOP

Clip-CLOP

Clip-CLOP

Clip-CLOP

Clip-CLOP

Clip-CLOP​

And in less than half a minute, precisely seventeen shooting stars have graced the night sky. One after the other. Like disciplined members of a marching band following their leader.

But you… you…!

You have no idea what to think. You have no idea how to react to this.

Because shooting stars… they are not miracles. They are not an impossible sight. In fact, ponies with cutie marks related to stars are able to predict when they will happen, sometimes.

But still, they are rare enough for there to be stories about how they can grant wishes.

And what is more, you don't know much about the night sky, but you have never, ever heard of shooting stars behaving like this. Falling from the sky one after the other, with perfect timing, on the same spot, like a line of musicians following the direction of a maestro.

There is… there is only…

There is only one pony in all of Equestria who could ever do something like this.

And when you finally understand it, when it finally hits you, your mind reels back, in embarrassment or perhaps even fear, as you remember how you have been acting thus far.

Because, as she said, you haven't really been acting like there is a Princess in the room here with you.

"Now, I understand how you feel. And to be very clear, I am not disappointed or mad that you two started investigating me behind my back," she… the Commissioner begins to say that very calmly, as she makes her way back to her seat. "In fact, I was hoping something like this would happen."

She sits down on her chair, all to big for a mare of her size, but still comfortable.

And throughout all of that, she continues to speak.

"Because yes, the timeline doesn't make any sense. Several months ago, the castle gets attacked by an unknown source and… Princess Luna disappears. She disappears, a nation-wide search begins, and it ends when a false Princess Luna is located."

She says that, and you nod. You nod as she speaks, and you realize a few seconds later that Reproach is doing the same.

Because this timeline, this story she is telling you, is one that you and Reproach have already repeated to each other to exhaustion, while you slaved away in your office trying to fit the evidence you gathered so far.

"During the search, an unknown, and by all accounts disinherited, noblemare comes to prominence. She somehow makes her way to the heart of the search efforts in Canterlot. And after the false Princess Luna takes over the castle, she attempts to break in with one of Celestia's former apprentices."

Yes, the break-in attempt. That was another thing you two never managed to make sense out of. That as another piece of the puzzle that just didn't fit, and one of the few things that spoke against the idea of the Commissioner being a shapeshifter.

Because why would a shapeshifter work against the false Luna? Why would she attempt the break-in like she did?

Unless of course, that break-in was the moment the noblemare was swapped out. But even that felt unlikely.

"Fast forward to today, that same noblemare nopony is… well, sitting in front of you, wearing the cap of Commissioner of the Lunar Bureau, and trusted as one of the few ponies who can act without the oversight of anypony but the Princesses themselves."

She says that, and then she… smiles.

She just gives you two a soft, understanding smile, as you two try to recover from your shock.

"It doesn't make sense, does it? Of course not," she says. "How could this same noblemare also have time to investigate the Greenhoofs? How could this same noblemare survive an attack against her home, all on her own? How could this same noblemare gather a team of agents, of witnesses, and fight another Windigo while everypony watched? Well, it makes sense if I am not who I say that I am. And given the dangers we are fighting, I would be offended if you didn't think I was a changeling."

Another smile, another short pause.

She looks at you two, and then at Princess Cadance, and then at the open window that leads to the night sky.

"But what if I am also not a changeling?" she asks.

The implications of her words being more than obvious.

"Because think about it from this perspective. After the first attack against the Royal Castle… Princess Luna disappeared from the public eye. But what if… what if she wasn't really gone?"

Your mind is finally recovering itself from the shock. And yes… yes. Yes!

Now it all makes sense.

Now all the pieces come together.

And now, all you can ask yourself is how you could have been so blind.

Because what if the first disappearance was… well, not nearly as long as you were all told? What if… what if Princess Celestia had found Princess Luna almost immediately?

Well, in that case you would have Princess Luna away from the public eye, working from the shadows, and the entire country stirred up into a frenzy while looking for her.

And it would be simple, even trivial, for Princess Luna to take the guise of some random pony. A noblemare would do, to give her some authority and power, but still it would be better to pick somepony who lives in isolation so nopony thought much of her new disguise.

And the reclusive noblemare called Velvet Covers would be the perfect pony for that. Because what kind of pony would not do whatever a Princess asked, even her request was for you to hide yourself while she took over your identity?

"A search of that level would be perfect to search for dangers we already knew were lurking around. And when did the searches end…? Ah, of course. When we found a creature who was powerful enough to impersonate a Princess."

That also makes sense now. It all fits together.

Because how could the noblemare "Velvet Covers" think to break into the Royal Castle, when everypony else was fooled by the false Princess Luna?

Who could have possibly suspected that the Luna that was found was false… if not the original herself?

You feel like an idiot. You feel like an idiot, and you feel like you should bow down and apologize for everything that happened so far.

Because what were you thinking? What kind of madness were you under, to try to investigate somepony like her?!

"The Catastrophe was a… tragedy, yes. And something nopony wishes had happened. But now, we can only try to make the best of this situation. We have the shapeshifters on the backhoof, and we have finally organized ourselves to ensure something like this will never happen again. Which also explains why… well, why a recluse noblemare like my would be given the title of Commissioner."

She says that, and you…

You…

"But why… Well, why all of this? Why did you let us invest… actually, did you let us investigate you?" Reproach asks, somehow finding a way to say the questions that are now roaring inside your mind. "Why? A-and… and what next? What should we do next? What would you have us do?"

But even to that, the Pr-… the Commissioner raises a placating hoof, as if all was well.

"I did this… because I need ponies I can trust. And because I need ponies who are the best at what they do. And every day I do this, every day this goes on, is another bread crumb I leave behind. Still, for all the breadcrumbs that I left, so far you two were the only ones to get here."

She waves a hoof around her office, as if to say that "here" means this night, at this place, having this conversation.

As if to tell you two that anypony, anypony who got this far into her charade would be brought into her secret. But still, for better or for worse, you two were the only ones who did it so far.

You two were the first.

"But I am a firm believer that the right ponies, in the right place, can make all the difference. So, I am trusting you two with this. I am trusting you two with this secret, and… and I have a task for you two. A job that I will trust entirely into your hoofs, because you have proven to me not only that you have the requisite skills to do it, but also that you have the determination to see it through."

You were investigating your own Commissioner, after all, she says with a smile.

And then, the mare who leads the Lunar Bureau gives you two your next task. An additional, secret mission, that she expects… that she needs you two to perform, on top of your regular duties.

Find the ponies in the Bureau who I can trust. The ones who I can trust to follow me even before they follow Princess Celestia. Bring them to me. And I will give them, and you, the tools to fight against the darkness.

She gives you that missions, and she tells you a secret, and then… she lets you two go.

You and Beyond Reproach give the two mares in the room your deepest bows, before you leave.

"My Princess," you two say, almost in unison, before making your way out.

Neither of you specify to who you said that.

And you think that was her intention all along.





"Princess Luna is the Director of the Lunar Bureau." That phrase has started to be whispered a lot more frequently, within the walls of the Lunar Bureau. To some that is just a catchy saying, which carries with it some hope, and also some wistfulness. But to others, those ponies who answer that phrase with a knowing smile, it means something else entirely. Like a code word or a secret hoofshake, used by those in the know.

You have established a cult within the Lunar Bureau. It is not a "cult" in the true sense of the word. And it is not a "cult" as you were supposed to be a part of in the beginning of this quest. But still, a number of ponies in the Bureau have become privy to a secret, and are being educated in the ways of the Lores. And that number is slowly, but steadily, growing thanks to the efforts of your diligent "lieutenants".

You have reached the maximum "loyalty" you can reach with the Lunar Bureau. For that, you have automatically "converted" it to your use, and started to secretly spread the use of the Lores among its ranks. You may no longer spend Commissioner actions to "ingratiate yourself with the Bureau", because there is no need for that. However, you also (currently) cannot "speed up" the process of bringing more Bureau ponies into the know.

Narratively, your "lieutenants" will slowly bring more Bureau ponies into the know, and into your grasp. Mechanically, for all intents and purposes, you have converted "The Lunar Bureau" in its entirety. Although problems can still appear depending on your actions.

You can now "Create institutional knowledge" for free, once per turn, during your Follower's phase. "Institutional Knowledge" is a level 1 manuscript that will "introduce" the Bureau to the selected Lore, giving them access to your Library on the relevant Lore as well. You may create an additional piece of "Institutional Knowledge" by using your Commissioner's Action for the turn.

And for now, you will let the slow process of introducing the Lores to the Bureau to happen at its own pace.

Spoiler: Right after...

"Are you sure this worked?" Princess Cadance asked, as she got up from her seat.

"No better way to convince a smart pony then making him think it was his idea," the noblemare answered, shrugging as she did. "They were convinced something was wrong, so I just threw another bait. It was a coinflip chance if they would go for it or not. Besides, this was not my idea…"

She said that, and then she lit up her horn, opening a nearby closet.

And instead of a pile of documents falling out of it, the open doors of the closet revealed a filly, sitting on a cushion.

"Are you alright, dear?" she noblemare asked, concern written in her voice. "I was so worried you wouldn't be able to breathe properly in there and…"

"I'm fine, mom. It's alright," the filly answered, jumping out of the closet. "Hello there, Princess Cadance."

"Oh, hi Sel… I mean… Princess Luna? By the sun, I still don't know how to act around you. Oh, and how did you manage to do your magic... from inside the closet, while looking like that?" the pink Princess said towards the filly.

"Speaking of acting, Selene dear, are you sure about this as well? I mean, the Lunar Bureau is… this is all yours. Literally. Are you sure you want them to think all of this about me?" the noblemare asked, this time voicing another concern.

"Yes, I do. I thought this over, mom. I don't have the time to foalsit the Bureau, and you are doing a great job. And this way, they get the morale boost of working for a Princess without me having to learn how to… run all of this. Everypony wins," she finished with a confident smile. One that didn't look nearly as mature as she hoped, and much cuter than expected, on a filly her size.

To which the two mares answered the only way they could.

"If you say so, Princess Luna…"

"Whatever you want, Selene dear."

 

[Greymere]

Haven't read the update since it obviously just happened but...

Bird: "oh there will just be a small something that happens before Follower round up "

*Gets notification, looks inside*

It's an 8.8k word update. "Small something", sure Bird.

 

[OurLadyOfWires]

Haven't read the update since it obviously just happened but...

Bird: "oh there will just be a small something that happens before Follower round up "

*Gets notification, looks inside*

It's an 8.8k word update. "Small something", sure Bird.

Click to shrink...

I will be the first to admit this may have spiraled a little bit out of control. But it's a price to pay when the story writes itself.

And hey, I already heard some game developers who underpromise and overdeliver to be referred to as "my favorite liar" by some commentators. And that is not a title I would object to having

Also, I recall an omake that was about this same situation. I am glad I was finally able to show my proposal for this scenario!

 

[LieutenantSpirit]

I can't believe it. The Lapdog is actually going to be useful.

 

[Greymere]

Lol, Moth is gonna Moth right until the very end, huh? But hey, all that effort in building Bureau loyalty absolutely paid off.

You can now "Create institutional knowledge" for free, once per turn, during your Follower's phase. "Institutional Knowledge" is a level 1 manuscript that will "introduce" the Bureau to the selected Lore, giving them access to your Library on the relevant Lore as well. You may create an additional piece of "Institutional Knowledge" by using your Commissioner's Action for the turn.

Click to shrink...

Also, woo! Make that Lore number go up faster! So we can introduce two Lores per turn, effectively. Lantern seems like an obvious choice, considering Changelings. We already have Edge. Secret Histories, perhaps? Lantern + SH is pretty much the wombo combo for finding things that don't want to be found, as Baldomare can attest. Or maybe Forge, to get the ball rolling on FR.

Anyway, with this, we basically got all the upsides and none of the downsides of both Lore-Champion (even though we didn't pick it) and Evidence-Burn.

So @OurLadyOfWires, how long until we can start training some people up as a Cadre?

Edit: On the one hand, yay Bureau Lore! On the other hand, cries in Velvet AP. Sacraments and writing manuscripts and doing Name things! Does the to-do list never end?! (of course it doesn't, not in this quest ) I really, really want to Confidant Cherilee now. Save us from having to write a bunch of stuff Teacher Pony! I'm still holding out hope you can do something with manuscripts!

 

[spiderhellian]

Oh my gosh, my excitement when I saw the title and the 8.8k words.

Loved it. Absolutely loved it. Love the characters — including poor, glorious, Drummer Clap. Loved seeing Velvet from the outside, and she really was fittingly scary here. Loved the path they went down, and where it took them.

Also, I recall an omake that was about this same situation. I am glad I was finally able to show my proposal for this scenario!

Click to shrink...

And absolutely loved this 'proposal'. It was brilliant to have them think Velvet is Luna… it's so damn fun, such a good scene, gets us our cult, and elides the issues of having Selene in charge.