Illegal Heritage

by ZhaoZoharEX

Rating: teen
Tags: Photo Finish, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe, Other, Romance, Original Character, Twilight Velvet, Slice of Life, Hoity Toity
Length: 36395

My name is [NAME CLASSIFIED]. I used to belong to a powerful organization that effectively controls Equestria, albeit unofficially. Then I was approached by a journalist. Heh. Why not? I feel the need to get this off my chest.

My name is [NAME CLASSIFIED]. I belong to a powerful organization that effectively controls Equestria and to a further extent, the entire globe, albeit unofficially. My life has always been a constant learning experience. I accomplished many things, and now I live happily with a stallion I married and had children with.

Then I was approached by a journalist, a conspiracy theorist of sorts. He had heard rumors of my past and requested an interview with me. What does he want, I wonder? Only one way to finds out.

EDIT: This was originally the first story in a now cancelled series, so some details end up not leading anywhere. Just a disclaimer, I apologies for any confusion.

Published 2013-11-19 00:00:05 UTC
Last updated 2014-02-28 17:34:11 UTC

File 01

Author's Note

Originally, this project was meant to build up to the reveal of the narrator's identity. Keep that in mind as you read this, even though now it's pretty obvious because of the tags and the cover art.

File 01

AUDIO SURVEILLANCE, [NAME CLASSIFIED] FILE R01 (MONDAY, 10:02 AM)

***
***
***

"Thank you for agreeing to do this."

No problem. So what do you want to talk about first?

"I was wondering what your connection to the rumors are? You being part of this organization I've heard about."

The Order of the Four Clans yes? For as long as I can recall, I have been part of this organization.
An order dedicated to three goals:

One: The regulation of nobility and political stability the nation we live in, by any means necessary

Two: Establishing union of nations and races worldwide.

Three: The search and acquisition of treasures our ancestors crafted for a specific purpose.

My family has served one of the four clans that lead this organization and has been a driving force in the search for its treasures. I lived a sheltered life for much of my youth, away from public eyes, for I was born from a taboo that would bring shame to the clan if brought to attention. My parents kept me in the dark from the family’s true purpose; for my own safety of course. I learned early, however, just how easy it is to commit those same taboos.

When it was time, I came under mentorship of the clan’s head. My talents proved…. extraordinary. I caught the eye of the order’s Grandmaster, who decided to give me a position as his personal protegee. He told me I had a gift, a blessing if you will. I wanted so much to believe his words… So I did. Foolishly, I will admit.

“So what made you doubt his words Mrs-”

Please! Do not address me by that name. Not here at least. I do not want them to hear me.

I will tell you, but I think we should start at the beginning. It all started when I met the heads of the four clans…

“Mentor? I need to ask you something.”

“Speak, and I shall answer with the best of my ability.”

“I was wondering, why out of all the other agents out there, you chose me? I may have this powerful magic, but there are many agents far better suited for this job, far better trained and with far more experience.”

“You don’t seem to comprehend my choice in you. I chose you because you are inexperienced. I have a job I wish for you to take and when you complete it, you will understand.”

I didn’t quite know what he meant at the time, but as he was the Grandmaster and I did know him fondly by this point, I had no real reason to question him. We were heading to a large meeting room in the headquarters of the order. The control center of our agents stationed around the world. Within were several other agents, a few ponies, a changeling, a minotaur, and a griffon. The room looked like a large corridor with stained glass windows depicting the four clans. At the end of the hall was an altar with several pedestals lined around it. I found myself staring at the altar for who knows what reason.

“You like?”

I turned around to see the source of the voice. It was a light cerulean Earth mare. She had a white mane and had an air of authority about her. I could see from the crest on her sleeve that she belonged to one of the families, not just serving them like my family did.

“I just had them installed not four hours ago. My father’s request from the Grandmaster.”

“What… are they for exactly?”

“The treasures once they are found. So far we have none yet to occupy them with. My name is [NAME CLASSIFIED] by the way. What is yours?”

“Can’t say.”

“No? Why not?”

“My mentor told me not to tell my real name to anyone, even within the order. At least not right now. Sorry.”

“Oh I see. Well, what could I call you for now?”

“I go by my alias Pandora. It’s what Mentor calls me.”

“Ah! Exhilarating! Very well I shall go by Aperture then.”

“Why that name?”

“You’ll see soon enough.”

I chuckled out loud at this point. She was quirky and strange, but somewhat pleasant to talk to. Because of my upbringing, I wasn't allowed to socialize with anyone outside the clan. As a result, I wasn't much for making friends. That changed when the mentor took me under his wing. He encouraged me to talk to everyone I met. I still didn't do much though. Heh, old habits die hard I guess. Others walked into the room and it was time to begin whatever it was that was to be done.

“All rise!” said the Grandmaster standing at a large circular table. He then picked up a clipboard. “Let us take roll call! Headmistress Aroma, Cardinal House?”

“Present,” the tall gray Earth mare stated.

“Headmaster Sundowner, Polar House?”

“Yes,” the Griffon stated.

“Headmaster Monsoon, Torrent House?”

“Aye,” the Changeling admiral said

“And Headmaster Bastion, Luster House?

“Check.” The Minotaur replied.

The clan heads took their seats, their assistants standing next to them. Mentor also took his seat and gestured me to stand beside him. It would seem that Aperture was assistant to Headmistress Aroma, meaning she belonged to the Cardinal House. I myself belong to that Clan but since Mentor took me in, I'd lived within his mansion and didn't communicate much with anyone else. I had never seen Aperture before that day. That aside, the Heads gave their salute to the Grandmaster, who saluted back.

“Now then, let’s carry this meeting. I trust you four have this planned out?” the Grandmaster said.

“Our clan’s agents have discovered another of the order’s treasures. It appears to be the Lion,” Monsoon said emotionless. “It looks to be within the castle walls, within the inner sanctum of the royal court.”

“I see. It may prove difficult to retrieve it without setting off alarms. Do we have any inside agents?”

“We have none, I am afraid,” Aroma interjected. “But I don’t know how much help they would be anyway. If we could wait longer, perhaps we can inform the rest of the clan of the tactics needed to take it.”

“We can’t afford to wait!” Bastion said, pounding his fist on the table. “If they find out just what the Lion is capable of, they won’t hesitate to use it for their ill purposes. Especially with ‘him’ in their ranks.”

“Who do you mean by ‘him’?” Sundowner questioned.

“The rogue agent of course! Have you not been updated in the last meeting? He was one of yours!”

“This was not brought to my attention, Sir Bastion. I fear our couriers were lost during the last assignment.”

“Your excuses do little to put me at ease, Sundowner. How long until your best agent is ready to work again?”

“I do not know. He nearly lost a wing during the last confrontation. What about everyone else here? What about your agents?”

“My son is a rather influential figure in Equestria. I’m sure he would be a good start to obtaining the Lion,” Aroma stated.

“Our prime minister is being uncooperative. His insubordination is going to complicate things. His son isn't faring much better with serious illness,” Bastion snarled.

“Our queen is trying to multitask with the responsibilities of her royal duties, her assignments of our order, and the newly born Princess Chrysalis,” Monsoon sighed. “With so much stress on her, I will not burden her more than she already is.”

The clan heads went back and forth with talks of politics and assignments while Mentor and I observed. This was a rather dull discussion to me, but Mentor listened patiently. He finally stood up after a few minutes.

“Why don’t we send a spy in the midst? Someone can work to within court ranks and gain knowledge of the layout.”

Aroma sighed. “We have agents in Canterlot already. Wouldn't it make more sense to use them?”

“No. If they were caught, they could be traced back to you. That would be damaging to us as well. No, we need a blank slate. And I have a good candidate.”

“And he chose you?”

In a matter of speaking. He didn't tell anyone outside of that room. Only the clan heads and their assistants knew of his choice. Most of those weren't pleased, myself included, but I did have a friend who would go with me to Canterlot.

“Aperture?”

Precisely. She was a very friendly pony and having her as a partner made things fun. Of course, we had to assume identities while living here.

And it appears our half hour is up. Come back tomorrow and I will tell you more. This has been liberating.

***
***
***

AUDIO RECORDING END (10: 28 AM)

Later that evening…

“Jess? Vat do you vant?- Oh it’s you!”

“Hi old friend. I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

“No no no, not at all! Come right in! I alvays make time for you my dear friend!”

“Thank you.”

“Would you care for some tea?”

“No, I won’t be staying for long. By the way, I noticed you dropped your accent just now.”

“Yes well, it’s just us at the moment. I have no reason to use it around you. So what do you need?”

“It appears we have a rodent running around. If you have the time, I would like for you to notify the other houses in the city.”

“Oh? What kind of rodent?”

“The journalist kind.”

“Yes, I can see where that would be troublesome for us. Would you like for us to trail him?”

“If you can. If he is working alone, we can deal with him right then and there. If he is working for someone else, we will have to plan this carefully. He does not seem to know my current position within the order. Nevertheless, use prudence when looking into his profile.”

“What about you? What will you do?”

“What else? He wants to interview me, whether it be for profit or evidence. So I will give it to him. If he continues his interviewing style, he won’t have the chance to submit his tapes.”

“Are you sure that’s wise?”

“Honestly, I don’t know yet. But if he is after what I think he’s after, this may prove to be the most efficient way of uprooting his plan.”

“If you are willing to go through with this, then I shall support your idea. Anything else you need?”

“Yes actually. I wanted to give you this. You did need a new camera, didn’t you?”

“You are too kind! What do I owe you?”

“It’s a gift. For your career. It does have a special feature too, but I will teach you to use it tomorrow. For now, have a good night, Aperture.”

“Please. Call me Photo Finish.”

File 02

AUDIO SURVEILLANCE, [NAME CLASSIFIED] FILE 02 (TUESDAY, 8:50 AM)

***
***
***

My apologies for calling you back here on such a short notice this early in the morning. Please understand that I have an appointment later with an important client that takes priority over your interview. I won’t have any time later in the day for this.

“I understand. I’m honored you took the time to meet with me at all.

I shouldn’t complain.”

Now then, where shall we start today?

“Well, I was wondering what the first year of life in Canterlot was like for you? Did you know anyone here?”

No. Other than Aperture, who herself was new to the city, I had no friends to speak of when I relocated here. I did, however, meet a couple agents during my first week who helped me set up my new home. Among them was a Pegasus stallion; one who would later become an important chess piece in our operation. Over the course of my stay, he became what I would consider my first outside friend.

“How did your meeting go?”

He was informed by the Head Mistress that I would be arriving with Aperture so he came to find me. I expected him to be professional and courteous, just like the agents of the clan are taught to be. I didn't expect him to be so friendly and charitable.

Aperture and I rented an apartment on the outskirts of the city; we wanted to keep ourselves away from our target until we had a sensible MO. She and I were going undercover as students studying abroad, her in fashion and me in writing; with my antisocial behavior at the time, it was easy to pass me off as a grouchy student. To an extent, this was actually true; I always had an interest in writing and wanted to become an author sometime down the road. But the mission came first.

After we moved our essentials into the apartment, I decided to take a look around the city. You know, surveying the customs and plan accordingly.

“Going for a walk Pan?”

“Yeah, I just want to stretch my legs after that train ride.”

“Okay. Can I count with you for lunch?”

“Maybe. If I’m not back by noon, just go ahead without me.”

I took my time drinking in the sights. Some of the architecture was actually interesting all things considered. Sure, it’s nothing impressive now, but when you’re just seeing it for the first time, it was pretty interesting. I must have been too focused on the castle as I walked because I bumped into a guard.

“Sorry.” I said with a monotone.

I looked up from where I had fallen and the stallion offered me a hoof.

“It’s alright. You must be new here? Taking in the sights?”

“Yes, thanks.”

He was an interesting pony. A lavender pegasus with a rather…. interesting mane and tail, for a guard at least. He was strong and intimidating, but I could tell from the sound of his voice that he had a soft heart. I have to admit, I was kind of attracted to him at first, but I wasn't going to let that get in the way of why I was in Canterlot. After the mission was over, I expected moving back home.

“You're a student I see. College?” referring to my uniform.

“High school. I just moved here from, uh, Manehattan.”

“Manehattan eh? That’s quite a distance. I’m from Cloudsdale myself, but I moved here to become a royal guard.”

I ended up making small talk with him longer than I wished. I didn’t realize at the time that he and I were one in the same, members of the same clan. Looking back on it, I’m not surprised; I wasn’t the most social of ponies so it’s not like I would have cared if he did know. Not once during the entire conversation did I ever think to ask his name, though if he was an agent, he wouldn’t be using his real name anyway so I guess that’s kind of moot.

Nevertheless, I managed to pull myself away and continue my site seeing. My walk seemed longer than it really was as by the time I got back to the apartment, they were still moving stuff in. Aperture was chatting excitedly with a rather bulky stallion who I could tell that I was going to hate him just by looking at him. Guess what? Apparently, I can predict the future.

“Hey Pan, you’re back already? Great timing, we were just about to get some lunch, wanna join?” she said to me out of earshot of the stallion.

I didn’t really want to bother with them, but my stomach had other plans.

“Sorry to interrupt you but I don’t really need to hear every detail. I would rather hear some more important parts of your life if you don’t mind.”

Ah fair enough. Shall we just skip ahead a tad then?

“What was it like attending a public school in Canterlot? Did you ever see that guard pony again? Did you ever find out his name?”

Yes, I did see him again and I did indeed find out his name, but for the sake of his family, I’m going to be referring to him as “my guard friend”. In fact, he helped me deal with a very annoying fly that wouldn’t buzz off.

During my first year attending the school, not much really changed for me. I was still the same antisocial mare I had always been. Whenever somepony tried to make friends with me, I always shrugged them off rather callously. I wasn’t overtly mean or anything, but I did not want to make friends because I intended to move away again once everything was over. I did make an exception for that guard pony though. He seemed to be the only one, besides Aperture, that seemed to like me and I, in turned, befriended. I would always see him on patrol after school hours were up and I would chat with him before walking home. Not long chats mind you, he was still on duty.

At some point, it was clear to me that I had a suitor in school. That same bulky stallion I saw talking to Aperture on the first day. His name was Jetstream, but I just called him an assortment of words that I wouldn’t dare repeat in front of my children. He was a suave, self-important ass who I could compare to a certain prince. Anyway, around the Fall Formal Dance or whatever it was called, he decided to ask me, out of all the other mares that would go with him in a heartbeat. I wasn’t impressed though and I gave a very blunt response that was clear and straight to the point.

“No. Go away.”

He was expecting a different answer than what I gave him. He just wouldn’t take no for an answer so he tried again…

“No.”

And again…

“NO.”

And AGAIN….

“What part of ‘no’ don’t you understand?”

I finally got fed up with it and decided to try a new tactic.

“You know what? Fine. If it will get you to shut up then I’ll say yes!”

“Good. I knew you’d come around. Pick you up at eight then?”

“Whatever.”

I never planned on going, as you could probably guess. I just wanted to make him stop. So around the eight o'clock point, I snuck out of the apartment and tried to pay a visit to my guard pony friend, which I would have done anyway regardless of the dance as I had no interest in going in the first place. He was off duty at a donut shop, a rather nice one by the way if you ever get chance to visit it, and he apparently was expecting me since he reserved a seat right next to him. As the days went by, we made that place our regular hangout, that is the guard pony, Aperture, and myself.

“Hey glad to see you Pandora. Have a seat, take a donut.”

“Don’t mind if I do.”

“App not with you tonight?”

“No, she’s at the Fall Formal with another stallion so it’s just us.”

“Oh. Well I suppose that’s not so bad. Cheers to friends then?”

“Amen to that!”

Of course, it didn’t last long as someone at the dance seemed to have tipped Jetstream off as to where I went after school each day. He walked through the doors with a fake grin on his face, but it was clear he was either mad or embarrassed about being stood up.

“Yo babe! What’s the deal?” he said trying to keep the anger out of his voice while still trying to sound cool.

“Who is this?”

“Just some punk with a damaged ego.”

His eye seemed to twitch in anger. “Come on hot stuff, we got a dance to go to. Or, perhaps we can skip that and go to my place instead?”

“How about you turn around and walk out of here? The young lady clearly doesn’t want to be with you.”

“Buck off man! She agreed to go with me,” he said dismissively, unaware he was talking to an off-duty guard.

“Actually, if you recall, I just said I’d say ‘yes’. I never agreed to anything.”

“Ooh, a mare with an agile tongue. I like that. But there’ll be time for that later.”

At that point he tried to pull me out of the shop, but he was smacked away by the guard. Even though Jetstream was an Earth pony and physically stronger, he could not take on an elite royal guard. That didn’t stop him from foolishly trying though. He threw a haymaker which was effortlessly countered and the guard had him pinned on the ground. The guard was eventually thrown off, but there was little Jetstream could do against the guard’s superior martial arts. I swear, he had to lacked a brain because with how many blows he took to his head, it would have splattered across the wall. He was able to get a lucky hit which disoriented the guard and he thought he got the upper hoof. It was a good thing no one else was at the shop. What happened next, we wanted to keep quiet about.

“You must have one hell of a death wish!” I shouted as I decided I had enough.

This distracted Jetstream momentarily enough for me to activate my magic. His confusion turned to fear as his entire body was lifted off the ground. The guard got up and alerted other guards while I just held him in place in the air.

“Put me down this instant you stupid bi- AGH!”

Anytime he tried to talk or insult me, I simply used my magic to choke him. At one point he struggled so much that I choked him for a long time. Once he was almost out of air and about to pass out, I loosened my grip. He seemed to understand I was perfectly capable of killing as he started pleading with me to let him go and that he wouldn’t bother me again. But I had other plans for him…

“Uh… I… What did you do with him?”

Oh! Look at the time. Seems it’s almost time for me to meet my client. If you don’t mind, I’m ending this session today. Talk to me later and we will schedule another appointment.

***
***
***

AUDIO RECORDING END (TUESDAY, 9: 24 AM)

One hour later…

“Enter. Well, if it isn’t my favorite former guard pony.”

“Long time no see Pandora. How’s your husband doing these days?”

“Very good Mars, very good. He’s every bit as sweet as the day we married. What about you? How have things been since your wife died?”

“I think we’ve been able to move on now. It was hard, but we can’t be tied down by it.”

“I see. So anyway, what did you want to meet about?”

“Well you see, my daughter was recently involved with a stallion of her own. A member of the Wonderbolts if you can believe it. He asked my permission to date her.”

“Yes? What about it?”

“I personally have no problem with it. He makes her happy and he seems like a nice enough fellow. However, I know the rules of the clan and want to make sure you’re okay with it.”

“Is he an agent?”

“Yes. My daughter is unaware of the order and I thought it was for the best if she was kept in the dark about it. He has not told her anything.”

“Well, I suppose he can’t cause any trouble. If anything, him being romantically involved with your daughter would probably boost his morale and make him a more reliable agent. Just one question: Which Wonderbolt is he?”

“I believe his name is Soarin’, wingpony of Captain Spitfire if I’m not mistaken. He and my daughter met at The Best Young Flyer Competition.”

“Let’s see, Soarin’.... Soarin’.... Ah here we go…. Yes, he is a dependable agent. No offenses to speak of, has 2 successes under his belt, and certainly him dating the Element of Loyalty would prove useful in the future. And if he fails to meet our expectations….”

“Yes I know. He will face a whole…. ‘Spectrum’ of punishments.”

File 03

AUDIO SURVEILLANCE, [NAME CLASSIFIED], FILE 03 (SATURDAY, 2:19 PM)

***
***
***

Sorry it took so long to arrange another meeting. With the preparations and hosting of the Grand Galloping Gala, my schedule has been quite hectic.

“From what I understand, the Gala didn’t go so well this year.”

Well, the Gala is always quite mundane, nobility notwithstanding, but this year it was a disaster. While it was admittedly quite hilarious, the unexpected antics of the Elements of Harmony disrupted last night’s event and caused us to shut things down early for repairs. Thankfully, nopony was injured during the event, but the whole ordeal was still disappointing; for me at least. Anyway, what’s on today’s agenda?

“Yes, alright. Does the Grand Galloping Gala have anything to do with the order?”

Yes and no. While it is hosted by the heads of the Cardinal Clan, it really serves no purpose other than a get together among invited nobility and star guest. It was created with the intention of analyzing certain nobles and rooting out the corrupted or those hostile to the order. With the royal family taking over the events though, that idea was eventually dumped out.

“Do you ever attend? As in, invited?”

I was an agent. I was required to go. We may have discarded the original intention, but we still monitored the event. That, and some of our agents are high profile authority figures which make the idea of the event more attractive; who wouldn’t want to meet a celebrity after all? Me; I never liked the events. They were always so boring to me and, not to sound like a broken record, but I just wasn’t a social pony to begin with. However, for how much I complain about them, the first time I went was very memorable for a couple reasons.

Aperture always talked about going ever since she received a ticket for the event. Actually, let me rephrase that: she always talked about finding a date for the event. Of course, I was encouraged to go by Mentor and was given a ticket by the Cardinal Head Mistress’s son. For this interview, let’s refer to him as Spotlight. Spotlight himself was also the date that Aperture eventually went with. I ended up going with no date, but I did have an escort: my guard pony friend. Unfortunately, he had to be on active duty for the event so I was alone until I met up with some other agents, one of them being Aperture. Among them were Spotlight, a rising figure in media - we’ll call her Serenade - and a young couple from Ponyville, who I will be referring to as the Edens.

“Eden? Why does that name sound familiar?”

Don’t interrupt me when I’m in the middle of talking, or I’ll end this interview right now and confiscate your tapes.

“Uh! Sorry. Please continue.”

Now then, I said the event was memorable for a few reasons. First off, this was the first time I’d been to such an event which, even though I didn’t care for social gatherings, was something new. The experience was neat at the time, but it lost its charm with repeated attendance as the years went by. Secondly, this is where I met some close friends that I still hold dear to the present day. But most importantly, this is where I met the stallion who would later become my husband. And I can almost guarantee you, if not for that stallion, none of my accomplishments would have been possible and we would not be sitting here talking about them today. For the record, I will be referring to him as “my future husband” during these interviews; even though you already know his name, I don’t want him to be mentioned in these tapes.

And yet despite our future engagement, despite the bond we now share, would you believe that I did not like him when we first met?

“Is that so? What made you change your mind?”

I really couldn’t tell you why I disliked him in the first place. I guess I was just prejudging him like I did the other nobles there; once you’ve seen one stuffy or pompous noble, you assume all are like that. Anyway, I was approached by Aperture after an hour of wanting to bang my head on the nearest wall out of sheer boredom listening to stuck up nobles; from what I could gather, Unicorn supremacy was common, much to the chagrin of the Princess and a few other “normal” nobles. But I digress.

“Hey Pandora dear? I have somepony I’d like you to meet,” she said with a hint of glee.

“Woohoo…”

She escorted me to the gardens where I saw a suave stallion alone.

“Good evening again, Aperture, is this the friend you were talking about?” the stallion said.

“The one and only. We call her Pandora.”

“And how are you today, milady?”

“...Okay I guess.”

“I have to say, you’re every bit as beautiful as your friend said. Such an elegant curly mane. It really compliments your white coat.”

“Oh, uh… thank you.”

Admittedly, my face went from white to red at that comment. I was still skeptical about the stallion though. I have been approached by many others who have tried to sweet talk me off my hooves. I’m not sure if their intentions were pure or if they were really interested in me, but regardless I never gave them a second glance. There were many other things I’d rather be doing than to be cuddling with a stallion. But this one seemed different. He seemed… genuine. There was something about the way he talked that made me feel at ease. Even now, I couldn’t really tell you what it was.

Then there was his appearance. He was refined just like many other nobles at the party, dressed in a custom tailored suit and a top hat. He carried himself with such… dignity? I’m not sure that’s the right word for it, but whatever the word I’m looking for is, what made him stand out from the rest was his willingness to bump elbows with any social class. He didn’t care if you were a commoner or another noble, if you showed him respect, he would show you the same.

I’m not sure what Aperture’s intention was when she introduced us to each other, but in the present day I find myself constantly thanking her. However at that time…

“What were you thinking App? What if he finds out about our identities?” I spoke in a hushed whisper.

“So I’m guessing you like him then?”

“You do know we have a mission to uphold right?”

“Yes, but you didn’t answer the question.”

“Please concentrate.”

“I take that’s a yes?”

“Look would you just-! Even if I did, which I’m not saying I am, we are going to leave the city after we find what we’re looking for.”

“Oh, uh about that…”

That last bit caught my attention. She sounded devoid of her usual enthusiasm. Instead it was replaced with a grim tone as she spoke.

“Okay, what’s up Aperture?”

“Well… the Head Mistress spoke with me this morning in her office and she told me to give you this message. What I’m about to tell you… won’t be easy for you to hear. But we need to go somewhere private.”

We made our way to a secluded part of the castle gardens. If I wasn’t so worried about my friend’s message, I would have taken the time to admire it. True to her word, what she told me wasn’t easy to hear.

“You mean… Grandmaster [NAME CLASSIFIED], my mentor, is… terminally ill?”

“I’m sorry Pandora. I know I should have told you this before we came to the Gala. I just didn’t want to dump this on you on a night that was supposed to be fun. I was going to wait until we got home to break the news to you.”

“I… I understand. I don’t blame you for trying to lighten things. But Mentor… Zebras are usually strong and he was very healthy.”

There was a long drawn out silence. Aperture understood my situation and allowed me to take the information in. The more I thought about Mentor, the more I had to fight back tears. Due to the circumstances surrounding my birth, I was kept away from my parents as much as possible. I eventually fell into the care of Mentor and he was the closest thing to a father I knew. For seventeen years, I learned from him, looked up to him, and studied under him and sought his guidance whenever I needed it. It was with his help that I earned my cutie mark and learned of my special talents. In his teachings, he would always tell me that information learned is more valuable than information given, that significance comes not from a single act, but from the context in which it is performed, from the consequences borne of it.

I stood there for awhile, trying to think of what to do. I was understandably conflicted. I wanted so much to see Mentor before he dies but at the same time, he gave me a mission which I wanted to see through to the end. But with Mentor gone, what will happen when I leave Canterlot once the mission is done? I didn’t want to stay here, but I would have nothing to return to. I was brought out of my deep thoughts when Aperture suddenly hugged me.

“So what do you plan to do now?”

“I don’t know yet. Part of me wants to see him during his last days on the planet, but I know I have to complete the mission he gave me.”

“I understand if you want to see him. Just go ahead with it already.”

“But the mission-”

“Will be handled by myself and the others until you get back. Please Pandora, he needs to see you one last time. You need to let him know how much he means to you.”

“Aperture… Could I possibly have some privacy? I need to think.”

“Of course. Take as much time as you need dear.”

At that point, any attempt to not break down and cry was pointless. As stoic as I like to be, I was helpless to the power of emotion.

“What did you do after that?”

What do you think? I made plans to visit Mentor. After my breakdown, I decided it was best for me to go home and go to bed; I had a long day and I thought some sleep would do me well. Aperture stayed behind to inform the Head Mistress of my next action and well, she liked Spotlight. No surprise that later they became partners in more ways than one.

“What about the other agents?”

What about the other agents? If you’re talking about Serenade and the Edens, I didn’t get to know them until later in my life. As for everypony else? I refer to my broken record statement. I know that’s getting old to keep hearing that. I will try to cut back on using that excuse. No promises though. Anyway, they really had no reason to think me any different than them, had no reason to think Mentor was anything more than a supervisor to me. So why bother with them?

When I woke up the next morning and went through my morning rituals, I packed some things that I would need for a few days and bought a train ticket to the Frozen North.

“The Frozen North? I thought you lived in Manehatten.”

No, I said I was from Manehatten. I told my guard pony friend that because at the time, I didn’t know he was a fellow agent. Either way, I wasn’t quite lying. I WAS born in Manehatten, but I wasn’t raised there. I’ve said before I was kept from my parents as much as possible and taken in by Mentor. Well, he owns a property up in the North where he both lived and worked. It has since been abandoned, but that’s besides the point.

Anyway, as I was saying, I bought a ticket up to that point. It took about two, maybe two and a half days to travel up there, but when I finally arrived, I was greeted by Mentor’s servants. They escorted me to his room and there I saw him for the first time in almost a year. He was very sick, though I suppose when you’re as old as him, it’s to be expected. He was in bed and I could tell he didn’t have much energy as he just barely pivoted his head and spoke weakly.

“Hey Pandora, you are looking well.”

“I wish I could say the same to you.”

“Aha, yes I suppose I’m not in the best of shape. How has your task gone?”

“We haven’t made much progress in all honesty. We know the Lion is located in Canterlot, but we just don’t know where. We’re working on a hunch it’s within the mountain itself, possibly underground.”

“I see. Not to worry. I trust in you and your friends.”

“Friends?”

“Friends. I’ve heard about Aperture and the others from other agents.”

“You’ve… heard about my antisocial tendencies then?”

“Pandora, I have the utmost confidence in you and I trust you most to do the mission I gave you. But I also want you to make some friends. You have been doing just that, but I feel you are putting your certain priorities before others.”

"I'm sorry."

“Don’t be, my child. I applaud you for being so dedicated. But please, I want you to learn to be a mare at times. Trust me, dedicating all your time to work will lead to a lonely lifestyle. You’ve learned from me how to do many things. I have set an example for you in what to be. Now, I want you to learn from me what NOT to be. Please, I don’t want to see a beautiful young mare like you waste your potential. I know you will make some good friends, both within and outside the Order, and I also know that one day, you will make one lucky stallion very happy.”

“Mentor…”

“I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly. I have also perceived that this was also but a chasing of the wind. For in much wisdom is much grief. And he who increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow.”

His words really got to me that day. As much as I didn’t want to meet new friends, I knew he was right. He had a point. I’ve known him to throw himself into his work and often spend several days back to back trying to get things done. I would see him go without sleep just to provide help to me or other agents that needed his assistance. When I was learning magic, he showed me much patience. When I got into trouble, he showed me discipline. When I was lost, he showed me guidance. And above all, he showed me love. He… He was smart. He knew I would want to follow in his footsteps and take after him. But he also knew that would mean becoming solitary and bitter later in my life. He didn't want me to be like he was when he was young. To forego pleasures and relationships, sacrificing them to lead a worldwide organization.

“Are you okay, miss? You’re starting to cry?”

I’m sorry… It’s just painful to talk about him. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of how much I loved him. He was so proud of me, not just as a final apprentice. I was his child essentially. Without him, I would not be where I am today.

Anyway, over the course of the week I was there, I tried to make the final moments with Mentor last as much as possible. We reminisced the days we met and began my lessons, the days I spent with him, when I got in trouble, and when I got my cutie mark and started my magic training. Looking back on those days, it seemed like he was conditioning me for something. It turns out I was correct but that is for later. Then there came the day before his passing. I came into his room when one of his maids informed me that he wanted to talk to me.

“Pandora. Dear,” he said in between coughing fits.

“Yes Mentor?”

“I… I remembered something I wanted to give you before I leave this world. Something that only you should know.”

He mustered as much strength as he could to lift his hoof up. In it was a small white velvet box.

“Since I took you in, I… knew you would do many great things. Your talent for magic and guile has confirmed it. I want you to take this… It’s a family heirloom that I want to pass on to you. However, you have to promise me this: I want you to wait until your twenty-first birthday before you open… this box. Can you do that? Wait four years?”

“...Yes Mentor, but why?”

“It has been a tradition in my family to pass on what’s in this box to our next of kin. Once you see what is inside, you will understand.”

“I’m your next of kin?”

“Why of course. You are family. In fact, I want you to know that in all my ninety-eight years, I have never quite met a pony that I’ve grown more attached to than you. You… are like a daughter to me. No… You ARE my daughter.”

“I… I don’t know what to say.”

“You have to understand though. I have high expectations for you in the future. Can I trust you to live up to them?”

“I promise I will… dad.”

“That is the first time I’ve heard you call me that. I can die happy knowing how proud I am to hear it. I… Have no regrets.”

Those were the last words I heard from him. The next morning, he was announced deceased. The news spread quickly among the order and his funeral was held three days after his passing as he was buried in a cemetery within Vanhoover, the nearest city to his manor. Agents from across the globe mourned his loss and many showed up to his funeral, the Head Masters among them. I still had the box he gave me and I intended to keep the promise. I would not open it until my twenty-first birthday. I did not know why he wanted me to wait, but he gave me one last decree and I wanted to honor it. I wanted to make him proud.

“Goodbye dad. I’m going to miss you.”

Hey uh listen. I’m getting too emotional to continue today. Let’s end this here. I have a lot of work I need to tend to later tonight and I don’t want to be tearful during so.

“Okay. I understand. Thank you again for agreeing to do this.”

***
***
***

AUDIO RECORDING END (SATURDAY, 2:50 PM)

Evening that night…

“Enter. Photo Finish? I didn’t expect you tonight. How are you, my dear friend?”

“Not bad at all. Mine vork took some time to complete vut I can now say the repairs are done. Und I even brought mien liebchan.”

“Miss Finish, must you really use that accent when we are in private? I can understand your need to be fancy but both Pandora and myself know who you really are.”

“Aw, vut I thought you liked mine sexy voice, Spotlight.”

“I never said I didn’t.”

“Alright you two. What’s up?”

“Ve have been vatching over that boy you told us about. You know, the one conducting the interviews? It vud seem he is vorking for someone else and not alone.”

“We don’t know who he is working for yet though. From what we could gather, it is apparently someone with deep pockets.”

“I see. If he is working for another, we will have to be careful with how we handle this. If word gets out to them, it would make our quest much more difficult than necessary. We have seen what that kind of danger can do to ponies.”

“Jess. And ve don’t vant another accident like vat happened to the Edens. I fear the rest of their family in the Sweet Apple Acres will never quite recover from it.”

“That reminds me. Spotlight, could you have someone deliver payment to Miss Granny Smith for her contribution? I would do it myself, but today has been insane. First the repair work and then the interview; one deteriorated me physically and the other emotionally.”

“Yes, I’ll get someone on that after this.”

“Oh and before you go, I want to congratulate you two on your new fashion lineup. I’m glad to see a close friend of the family contributing to it.”

“Ah Miss Rarity yes? I had my doubts about her at first, but her talents prove to be a marvelous success! I see great things in store for her in the future.”

“Jess if only that idiot Blueblood could understand. Did you see how he treated her at the Gala. Bah! Such disrespect! If I were her, I vould destroy him just like he destroyed her vonderful dress.”

“From what I heard, you didn’t exactly pay much attention to her when you took her friend as a model.”

“Vell… I’m not as you say, focused as much on clothing as you are. We split our career teamvork you know: you find the clothes and I find the models to wear them.”

“In any case, I will make sure that Blueblood learns his lesson. In the meantime, I want you two to carry on with your task. Spotlight, I want you to go on with the payment like I asked, then inform the other agents to be on a look out for this journalist if you haven’t already. Tell them to be ready for my command.”

“Right away.”

“And Photo? When you get the chance, tell our ‘brilliant’ Prince to meet me here the next time immediately.”

“Ugh. You better give him the scolding of his life.”

“I will do so and more. By the way Finish, it was great talking to you and your husband again after awhile of work. You seem to know how to keep Spotlight in line at the Gala, heh heh.”

“Jess vell, he doesn’t really like the name Spotlight so much after I called him that so much, especially during vork. He just prefers the name Hoity Toity. Quite fits him really!”

“I can hear both of you talking about me, you know!”

“Hahaha, ah. Well, I shouldn’t keep either of you from your work. We should really catch up tomorrow over lunch. Until then, I will be waiting for that Prince.”

File 04

Author's Note

This chapter would have been more appropriate if it were posted around Christmas but oh well.

File 04

The next morning (Sunday, 9:01 AM)...

Pandora had woken up early that morning and came into her office. After removing unnecessary paperwork off her desk and organizing her “In” pile, she prepared a meeting with a member of the Equestrian royalty. After ten minutes of filling out reports, a knock at the office door notified her of their arrival.

“Come in,” she said without looking up.

A tall white unicorn stallion walked in, shutting the door behind him.

“You wanted to see me, ma’am?”

At this point, the mare stopped her scribbling and made eye contact.

“Well, well, well! If it isn’t our brilliant prince.”

The prince grinned proudly. "Heh, I wouldn't say brilliant."

Pandora’s face went from a smile to a scowl in less than a nanosecond.

"Neither would I.”

The prince gasped before biting his lip. He knew from that simple comment that she was NOT happy.

“Tell me something, prince,” the mare began nonchalantly, “What made you think it was a good idea to act the way you did at the other night's gala?"

"Ex… cuse me?"

"Let me reiterate. Your attitude at the gala was.... how to put this? Atrocious? Yeah that works."

"I... did nothing wrong."

"Oh really?! Very well then, enlighten me on your vast knowledge on proper royal etiquette of which is obviously superior to mine. Oh and while you’re at it, can you explain to me why you did not apply this during your evening with the Element of Generosity?"

"...."

"I asked you a question."

"I.... She wasn't even a noble."

"Oh and I suppose that makes it okay to use a national hero as a shield from a flying cake. I hope you are going to mend that mistake the next time you see her then? After what she has done for the nation-"

"Look, all I di-"

"HOLD YOUR TONGUE, PARASITE! Lest I rip it from your very jaw! Say something!"

"I-"

"Shut up!"

The prince found himself reeling from pain as Pandora backhoofed his face. Hard.

“OW! Y-you can't do that to a prince! It's so uncouth."

"Noooo, uncouth is when you fart in a bathtub. You’re a prince in name only. All you do is lounge around, drinking up in the wealth and fame- and I use that term loosely- while others do your work for you. You are the epitome of useless as far as I’m concerned, as is the case with all of the other royals in this forsaken city. You are GOING to be punished and NOPONY is going to care!” She was raising her voice gradually. “But you are right in a way. What does it mean when I have to resort to physical violence to keep my subordinates in line? Then again, WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN I HAVE TO CLEAN UP THAT SAME SUBORDINATE’S MESS?”

"I.... I didn't mean...." The prince was visibly intimidated at this point.

Taking notice of this, Pandora let out a drawn out sigh. “Tell you what. I will go easy on you this time since this is your first real offense. I expect you to help pay for the damage from the Gala out of your own pocket; not like you’re doing anything useful with it anyway. And you will be required to apologize to that mare you disrespected the next time you see her. I am putting you under probation for sixty days to monitor your actions. During that time, I EXPECT you to contribute to society; maybe you can fund an orphanage or something, I dunno. The punishment for your second offense will be more severe as you will spend another 60 days in solitary confinement, only being allowed to bathe and eat once a week. And should you fail to live up to my exceptions a third time...."

"A third time?"

"Well, you are so proud of your royal blood, right? Do you see that white wall over there?"

"Ye-yes?"

"Well, should you fail me again, your 'royal blood' will be all over that wall. I could use some new point for it, maybe you’ll live up to your namesake. And I will personally see to it that your organs, and... well, just about everything will be put to better use in donation banks. The hospitals I know could use them better than you. Do you understand?"

"Yes...."

"Speak up!"

"Yes!"

"Yes I....?"

"Yes I completely understand and promise to act better!"

"Good. Oh, and the next time you see your aunt, tell her I need to talk to her about the damages, among other things. Now then, make yourself scarce. I have an appointment in about twenty minutes to talk to my children. I don’t get to see them much anymore nowadays.”

“Y-y-yes ma’am.”

“Oh and before you go, Blueblood?”

“Y-yes?”

“Remember: Many eyes, many ears...”

“And many arms, yes. Good for silencing those who say too much. You won’t have to worry about a thing…”

“For your sake, you better be right.”

A few months later…

AUDIO SURVEILLANCE, [NAME CLASSIFIED] FILE 04 (THURSDAY, 4:17 PM)

***
***
***

I want to start off by apologising in advance for any rude attitude or any curses that may slip during this interview. You kind of caught me in a bad mood today and I highly doubt you’ll see me giving a fuck otherwise. And I’m not exactly at my most sober right now.

“We could do this some other time if you want to. I have no problem putting this off.”

Nah, we’re here right now, so we might as well. I think this will help blow off some steam. I have had to deal with all kinds of crap during the Hearths Warming season and the months leading up to it, which is why it took a long time to set this meeting up. Gaaaaah! I hate the holidays. I really hate them. A stupid and incompetent worker got me pretty agitated this morning and it’s been going downhill ever since. I wish I’da just stayed in bed. At least there, I have a pony who I like.

“I see.”

As much as I love it here in Canterlot, I swear, the ponies here are insane around this time. It’s always “Hearth’s Warming Eve” this and “Hearth’s Warming Eve” that, presents, gingerbread, yada yada yada. UGH! I get it! And then we have to set up for the pageant. It’s times like these I enjoy the wine at our gatherings a little too much. My husband isn’t a fan of alcohol though. Anyway, what’s on today’s agenda? What do you have in mind to talk about? I just want to get this day over with and go home. My family is holding a gathering in a few days. I’m finally able to see my children since the Gala and my in-laws are dropping by as well. My husband’s parents and brother are ponies I don’t get to see often.

“How about we talk about your family then? Your family is practically legendary across Equestria. Your status says a lot. Considering you were a loner in your youth with no immediate family to speak of, how did you connect to your husband after you met him?”

Ah yes. I owe good old [NAME CLASSIFIED] a great deal of gratitude for everything he did for me. I love that stallion…. Well, where should I begin?

Each year, we hold gatherings about a week before the usual holiday parties; sort of a way of celebrating the Order’s founding along with the nation’s. It was at one of these gatherings where I truly met my husband again.

After Mentor died, I kind of barricaded myself from most forms of social contact, only coming out of it to eat, spar, and continue school. Needless to say, my friends caught on to this. Aperture was supportive all the way, but she always wanted me to reach out. She was starting a relationship herself with Spotlight who she got to know better after meeting him prior to the Gala. I kept to myself most of the time because I wanted her to be able to focus on said relationship. I was happy for her, yes, but I began to feel kind of empty whenever I saw how lovey dovey they always were.

Well, about four months had gone past since Mentor’s passing. I was in the last year of my high school studies and would be graduating soon. I made it quite clear though that I didn’t want to walk during the ceremony. I didn’t want the publicity and I certainly didn’t want the praise from my classmates or teachers. I know some would be disappointed from not seeing me there, but I didn’t fucking care. But then I started to rethink that when I went to a party.

One week before Hearth’s Warming Eve, I got a visit in the late evening from another pony who would become a close friend of mine. We will call her Serenade here, but I have a feeling you will be familiar with whom I’m talking about.

“Pandora, honey!” she said with such a friendly attitude.

“Hi Serenade. To what do I owe the visit?”

“Darling, our clan is holding this year’s celebration at the Cardinal House manor and the Head Mistress would just LOVE for you to show again this year. She just adores you, honey.”

I didn’t really want to go, so I tried to think up an excuse. Even though I was invited by the Head Mistress, I just didn’t feel like socializing. But Serenade has this way of making you smile no matter how hard you try not to. You could be a brick wall and you’d smile at her friendliness. I tried though, no matter how futile it would be, not to go.

“Uh, Sera? I just don’t think I can show up. I have a lot of studying I need to do for exams and-”

“Pandora dear, I know it’s been hard for you since your mentor died, but you can’t just become a recluse for your entire life. One of these days, you’re gonna want to find something or someone to fill that void. If you just stay inside all day, you won’t find it.”

I frowned at that. “I know, I know. But I just don’t feel like doing that. I don’t even like talking during lunch time, let alone going to a party.”

“I understand your situation better than you think.” She placed a hoof to my shoulder. “I lost my mother recently and it’s been very hard. But I had some great friends who helped me move on, you being one of them. That’s why I want to help you with your loss. I know this gathering isn’t your thing, but please give it a chance. You might just find something that will lift your spirits.”

I knew she was right but I still had this lingering doubt in the back of my mind. I sighed and simply accepted, not really wanting to linger further. She was an excellent singer and her voice had a way of cheering you up when you were at your lowest. I heard she was singing at the party so I figured I would go, if not to socialize then to at least be there for her performance. She gave me a warm hug, something she did a lot to other ponies but especially her friends, and left.

“What did you do next?”

I went to find a proper dress. This kind of gathering is semi-formal and I needed to wear something appropriate. Since I don’t like to go to these events, I didn’t own anything of the sort. I decided to wait for Aperture to come home so she would be able to help me; I knew that when she found out I would be going, she would get excited and help me without a second thought. Unfortunately, she was out for the night with Spotlight. I knew how far their relationship went and after glancing at the clock, I realized that knowing her, she would be sleeping with him at that point. I sighed and decided to take a walk through the city and see if I could maybe talk to my guard pony friend…. Okay, you know what, let’s just call him Mars from now on. The phrase “guard pony friend” is a little cumbersome to say.

I did manage to catch up with him. He had just clocked out for the evening and we went to our usual hang out at the donut shop. We talked a bit and he actually told me he had a fiance. I was surprised because the last time we really had a proper conversation was before I went to the Gala. I was happy for him, but now it felt like everypony I knew was finding love while I was just left in the dust. My mind started to drift to the stallion I met at the Gala. Even though I only talked to him for one moment at the there, I would see him from time to time when I was out and about. Everytime I saw him, he would try to get me to talk and carry a conversation, regardless of whether or not I would actually respond.

The next day, I met with Aperture after she got back from her coltfriend’s home and I told her about what I planned to do. Just as I thought, she was ecstatic. She was a fashion major so it was only natural she would design a dress for me. Heh heh, ooooh my was that a pleasant experience. Please note sarcasm.

“How bad was it?”

It really wasn’t bad per say, but she likes to experiment with different styles, different types of fabric, and so on. I was more annoyed with how much fun she was having using me as a test subject. I was annoyed because she had the audacity to make me laugh, hehe. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t having fun with it myself. I’m not one for style as you can probably tell by looking at this simple scarf I’m wearing right now, so it wasn’t something I did very often.

“Did you do it again after that?”

Haha hell no! Well, okay that’s lie. I did it only once more, but that’s for another time. Anyway I’m getting off track here. We eventually settled on a dress that both of us were satisfied with: a rather simple, yet elegant, purple dress with white velvet trim and baby blue accents. On the day of the party, Aperture enlisted the help of Serenade’s sister- who is a stylist and would later be employed through her frequently- to help me with my mane. At the time, my mane was normally unkempt and curly. Not that I’m saying that’s bad, but the girls wanted me to at least look cleaned for the party, or as Aperture put it, “You absolutely MUST look dashing!”.

“Haha.”

Yeah, she’s hammy like that. Well, the result from their work is present in my mane to this very day.

“Really? What made you keep that style?”

My husband thought it looked nice and I decided to keep it. Well, it was time to go to the party. Serenade escorted me; it was her idea, so she felt it was only fair she kept me company. Aperture and Spotlight would meet with me at the party sometime after we arrived. Once there, Serenade and I talked with each other a bit before she was called to sing. For awhile, I pretty much desired to try out the food. Much of it was pretty high class and tasty, but I wanted to wait until I had somepony to enjoy it with. My wish was half granted when I saw Aperture walk in with two stallions; one was her lover Spotlight and the other was [NAME CLASSIFIED], the stallion I knew from the Gala. I was confused because I knew he wasn’t part of the Order, until I remembered that this social gathering wasn’t exclusive to the Order; the way Serenade worded it threw me off. There was an inner circle within the party yes, but I just wondered why him of all ponies showed up here. He walked in my direction as the couple stepped out for awhile and I learned later that Aperture and Spotlight went to talk to the Head Mistress about their engagement. I also realized that Aperture was working with Serenade to hook the two of us up.

With that said, it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, just annoying that they had to keep me in the dark about it. But to be fair, I probably wouldn’t have gone if they did tell me. Anyway, I tried to act like I didn’t notice him. This kind of backfired because I lost sight of him in the crowd and I really DIDN’T notice him when he approached me.

“Well hello there, Pandora. I didn’t think I’d see you here,” he said with a smile.

“Um, hi.” I was starting to regret my new mane style because before, I could have just hidden my red face behind my hair. With new style, I couldn’t do that and my blush was on display for all to see. I didn’t know what was wrong with me but every time I saw him, I would always become meek and shy. Well, more shy.

“Are you here by yourself?”

“Kinda. I mean, I came here with a friend and I’m waiting for two more.” I tried not to make eye contact with him. It would have just made things awkward for me. Not that it wasn’t already.

The two of us just kind of stood there watching Serenade’s performance. I don’t think either of us knew what to say right there, or I didn’t at least. After Sera’s first song, he spoke up again.

“So… would you like a drink?”

“Uh sure.”

“Is wine alright with you? If not, I have seen some non-alcoholic cocktails being served as well..”

“No, wine is fine.”

I just want to point out that I was technically old enough to drink wine at that point, but I’ve never had it before in my life. I could have said no and I’m not really sure why I didn’t. The last thing I really needed was an alcoholic beverage. I suppose when you’re infatuated with someone, you just can’t help yourself sometimes. I know that kind of behavior can get a mare into messy situations, but I was lucky enough to get someone nice.

“Here you are milady. I hope this is alright.”

“This would be my first time trying wine actually.” I took a sip. My first impression was… interesting.

“How is it?”

“Oddly satisfying. It’s kind of sweet like a juice. I don’t really get to drink this stuff. I’ve been pretty buried into my studies.”

“Oh? What do you study?”

“Literature. I’m looking to be a writer sometime down the road, preferably in narrative fiction. Though to be honest, most of the books I’ve read at the school’s library are really boring. I get more satisfaction out of reading a textbook.”

“I’m not much of a reader myself. My major is in science and politics. My brother is in the royal guard and my father suggested I try it out for myself. I tried out in the academy for a week.”

“And?”

“It wasn’t for me. I took to pursuing a position in research.”

I kind of giggled there. I don’t know if it was from him or the wine- probably both -but I started feeling pretty relaxed. I was actually having fun and that was something I never thought I’d say at the time. We carried a conversation about ourselves when Serenade started her next song. Jeez, I felt like she picked that particular song on purpose.

“Would you like to dance?” he said offering his hoof.

Without really thinking, I accepted. I was very clumsy with my dancing, but he was a very patient stallion. We shared the dance floor with other couples, but the other dancers either didn’t notice or didn’t care. After the song ended, he accompanied me to the sidelines.

“I guess I’m not much of a dancer huh?”

“Your dancing is lovely, dear.”

“You wouldn’t mind walking with me, would you?”

“I would be honored.”

I was a bit tipsy from the wine, getting enraptured in the moment, and I was getting a headache from the noise of the party. So I figured some fresh air would help. We walked to the gardens outside and sat down in an area free from the snow, watching the stars.

“You know, when I was just a little filly, I used to lay under a clear night like this with Mentor after a hard days work.”

“Mentor?”

“Err, my father pretty much. I called him Mentor because he took the time to teach me many things, even when I didn’t know it at the time. By all accounts he is… or was my father.”

“Was?”

“He uh, passed away a few months ago. Actually about a week after I met you at the Gala.”

“Oooh… I’m sorry that had to happen. I’m sure he was a great stallion.”

“He was. I’m glad I was able to be there for his passing though. He had no regrets in knowing me and I have none with him.” I still had some pent up pain and it was starting to show. “I just miss him.”

Then to my surprise, he wrapped his hoof around me and pulled me close to him. I wanted to say it was because of the cold snow that was floating down, but I knew that wasn’t it.

“I can’t pretend to know what you’re going through right now, but if you ever want to talk about anything, I’m willing to listen.”

“...Why ARE you doing this?”

“Hm?”

“I mean, why me of all mares would you want to talk to? What makes ME so special to you? How do you tolerate me?”

“It’s because I care. I talked to your friend and she told me you were in a lot of emotional pain, but she never specified why. When I first talked to you at the Gala, I could just feel something mysterious about you. The way you kept to yourself most of the time, something just intrigued me. I wanted to see if I could make you happy or at least get you to come out of your shell. I don’t really know why, I just wanted to. But I had no idea how deep that pain went. I’m… I’m so sorry if I seemed insensitive or annoying.”

“Well… I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy you talking to me. I’ve never been one for socializing, so the fact that anypony was willing to talk to me, even though I would never respond, just made me nervous… To tell you the truth though, I uh… always really kinda… you know, liked you.”

“Oh? How so?”

“Are you really gonna make me say it?”

“Heh heh. Relax, I get what you’re saying.”

And like that, any tension that was between us just melted away. It was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders as I rested my head against his. It was a feeling of warmth I hadn’t felt since, well, when I young and slept by Mentor’s side while he was working. I felt safe and secure. As much as I was content with it though, I could feel the eyes of my eager friends spying on me from afar. I just rolled my eyes before I trained them on Aperture who giggled as she left us be. I would have to talk to her later, but for now, I was lost in the moment with the gentle floating snow only adding to it. After a good twenty minutes of sharing this intimate moment though, we stood up and started to walk back..

“It’s starting to get a bit cold. What do you say we go back inside and warm up? I’m sure your friends will be looking for you by now.”

“Uh, yeah I suppose you’re right. But um..”

He stopped when he heard my hesitance.

“What is it, Pandora?”

My heart started to race and my face went red at the question I was about to ask.

“Well, I was wonder if… maybe I could possibly um… I don’t know... kiss you? You know, before we go inside.”

He smiled and took my hoof in his, which I took as a “yes”. As he leaned in for my request, I tightly shut my eyes out of embarrassment and puckered my lips. Then I felt it. The warmth of his breath before our lips made contact. I lost myself in this feeling and loosened the tension on my eyelids. I don’t know how long we spent like that, but it was official: we were a couple. He reluctantly pulled back, much to my disappointment.

“How was that?”

“Unbelievable,” I said in a lovestruck daze.

“First kiss, I take it?”

“Mhm.”

“I rather enjoyed it myself. I wouldn’t mind going on more dates like this with you.”

“Well, maybe we can arrange that,” I said with a coy expression.

“I do hope it won’t be that long from now.” he said equally as coy. “Would you by any chance like me to escort you home?”

“If you insist.” I giggled softly. I wasn’t shocked at myself for saying that at this point. It just felt good being with him and I wanted to make it last. For the first time in my life, I could honestly say that I was in love.

“You seem quite happy now. And to think you started this an hour ago irritable and grouchy. Err, no offense, Miss Pandora.”

Ah, non taken. Recalling such a happy memory is kind of what I needed. He’s such a good stallion. It’s hard to believe I could find someone so passionate. He really turned my life around and made me feel special. I’ll have to make sure to give him an extra special Hearth’s Warming gift this year. Speaking of which, I better get my paperwork done before I go home and meet with the family, so I’m ending the session here.

***
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AUDIO RECORDING END (5:11 PM)

Thirty minutes later…

“Yeah, come on in.”

“Yo boss!”

“Oh it’s you. Don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re the last pony I expected to see right now. So what do you want?”

“I was just in the neighborhood and I thought I’d drop this off.”

“Oh wow! Is that what I think it is?”

“Eeyup. The one and only Snake. I found this during my trip down to the Badlands. Just so happen to run into a couple o' blokes who wanted me to give it to em'. So I did… I gave it to em' good alright.”

“You're one to talk, covered in bandages, Raptor. You really need to stop being so violent.”

“Oh hi Kettle! Name’s Pot, have we met?”

“I- Ugh, whatever. I’m in not really in the mood to argue right now. So, how much do I owe you today?”

“Oh, how does five-hundred sound this time?”

“Really? That’s half of your usual price. Why so little this time?”

“I may be a mercenary hired by you to search for these artifacts, willing to kill on a whim if needed, but that don’t mean I’m immune to that classic Hearth’s Warming spirit-”

“You’re working a side gig, aren’t you?”

“Well… yeah. But that don’t mean I haven't the spirit.”

“You are a very strange mare at times. Anyway, here’s your check. Try not to spend it all at once. Happy holidays.”

“To you as well, boss. After all, tis the season.”

Briefing

It was late in the evening as Pandora walked within the Clan manor, heading towards a secluded meeting room. Three days earlier, she had written and sent letters to key members of the Cardinal Clan, several of which were located all across Equestria. She had called for a priority meeting at the manor, meant to take place later the night of the royal wedding. Unfortunately, due to the recent Changeling invasion, she had to postpone the meeting for repairs of the city. She was still hot off her berating to the princess and had a throbbing rage headache.

After walking through the foyer doors and checking the clock, she knew it would be awhile before the briefing would take place, so she decided to make herself some tea in the kitchen to calm herself. She boiled a pot and once she had a cup, she sat down at the table and cracked open a fresh copy of the recent Daring Do novel.

“It’s still going to be some time before we start. I might as well check and see if those editors know how to do their jobs.”

She only got a minute of reading before she heard the doors open.

“Excuse me, Headmistress?” a sophisticated voice called out.

“Ah, Juno! You’re early, I wasn’t expecting anyone for half an hour.” She closed her book before taking a sip from her cup. “Come on in, I haven’t seen you since the Gala. Would you like some tea?”

“If you wouldn’t mind.”

Using her magic, Pandora levitated another cup and poured some tea for her visitor, who sipped from it elegantly. “So, how can I help you tonight?”

“I know we have a meeting to attend in a bit, but I wanted to discuss my induction into the position. I have some things I need to call attention to.”

“Proceed.”

“Well, what are the terms of this title first off? Will I need to learn anything specific before I’m to be promoted?”

Pandora took another sip from her cup. “I’m glad you asked. I want you to learn how to determine how to analyze certain situations and decide the best course of action accordingly. To do this, I want you to start traveling across the nation and conduct inspections for the Equestrian Games. I will have agents stationed in each city that will help you with this test. They will tell you what I want you to see and how to see it.”

“Okay. Anything else you need to tell me?”

She took another sip. “My position can be very stressful sometimes. For the most part, it helps to remain unbiased when issuing and enforcing commands. Most of this job is paperwork. Lots and LOTS of paperwork. Considering your job, I assume you are well accustomed to paperwork?”

“Yes, that will not be a problem for me. But if I may as, do you ever have trouble with it?”

“All the time dear. Comes with the job. There are going to be times when you just want to pull your hair out with how frustrating this job can get. I hope you can handle it better than I do.”

“I will certainly try my best. So what will I be tasked with once I assume the position?”

Yet another sip was taken from the cup. “Well, you will effectively be in charge of the nation, pretty much. Most ponies in this position take on official roles. The Head Mistress before me, Madam Aroma, was a member of the Canterlot court. Your position should provide a decent cover, but otherwise, steel yourself. Not only will the clan’s agents answer to you and seek guidance when they need it, you will also be tasked with keeping the royal family in line. And let me warn you, I find the royals here hard to deal with at times.”

“Yeah, I hear you don’t like Princess Celestia.”

Pandora gave a sigh before taking a big sip from her cup. “That’s putting it mildly, but yes. She just grinds my gears sometimes. I just find the whole family kind of pointless with us around. We effectively govern the country more. She plays billiards with the sky, and everypony loves her. I don’t much care for Luna either, but I can at least tell she is putting up a genuine effort and I can respect that. The rest of the royal family… Well, other than Cadance and Shining Armor, I don’t have much respect for them. All they do pretty much is stand idle and drink up the celebrity lifestyle, contributing next to nothing to society, although I will admit Blueblood is becoming more tolerable. That in itself is saying quite a lot.”

“So what is your issue with the princess anyway, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“...There are many reasons I cannot stand her, but I think the biggest one would be the influence she has over my family. My children and husband like her quite a bit, but I personally hate how much she milks that relationship. The worst part about that is I don’t think she realizes she’s doing it…. Look, I know she has good intentions and I want to be able to like her, I really do, but her constant ignorance and perpetual disobedience makes it hard to hold a conversation with her without being so condescending. I hate her guts and I would say that to her face; only when we are alone though, not in front of my kids.”

“Oh of course. I wouldn’t want my girls to see me badmouth their friend in front of them.”

Pandora raised her cup to take another sip, only to realize the cup was empty before placing it back down. “Speaking of which, how have they been in recent weeks? I saw two of them performing at the recent garden party.”

“Aren’t they great? I absolutely adore their talent in music. The sisters have always been a pleasure to have around since I adopted them. I even hear they each have a special somepony.”

“Ah, you don’t say. Are they happy with their stallions then?”

“They, uh, aren’t with stallions, you see.”

“Oh. Well, are they content regardless?”

“The twins are. Fiddlesticks is involved with a mare named Beauty Brass, another musician here in Canterlot, not of noble blood. She’s a dear, I tell you. Well-mannered and respectable, yet talkative and willing to voice her opinion when it matters, a quality I like very much. Symphony has a long distance relationship with a mare in Ponyville, she hasn’t told me her name yet and thus I haven’t met her yet. But young Octavia on the other hand, I want to say she has sort of a love-hate relationship with her roommate. She denies it adamantly, but I can tell a sexually confused mare when I see one. It actually took a long time before she introduced her to me, either because she wasn’t sure about herself or she thought I wouldn’t approve of a DJ. I have to admit, I was a bit deterred at first, but once I got to know her friend, she was actually quite likable.”

“And I assume you are okay with their choices then?”

“While I do love them with all my heart, I do still have to be a strict mother. I brought them up to be polite, knowledgeable in etiquette, and well educated, but it’s up to them to decide how they want to live after moving out. That said, I will remain supportive and give them the opportunity to grow. For what it’s worth, I think they have a bright future ahead of them.”

“That’s all I need to know. I think we should head on down to the meeting room. The other agents I called forth should be showing up soon.”

Juno looked at the clock. “Wow, is it really that time already? Time sure went by fast.”

Once all were situated in the meeting room, all served tea or coffee, they began by giving the traditional roll call.

“Veteran agent Aperture? Check. Veteran agent Spotlight? Check. Veteran agent Serenade? Check. Veteran agent Mars? Check. Elite agent Minerva? Check. Elite agent Andromeda? Check. Elite agent Juno? Check. Elite agent Ceres? Check. And Secretary-General Mandragora? Check. All are accounted for, the meeting will commence now. You might be wondering why we have called you here. This meeting has been called to address a possible opportunity to apprehend a certain traitorous agent that we’ve been hunting for over two decades now. As some of you well know, I have been interviewed by a journalist seeking to document my life, for what reason I’m not quite sure yet. Aperture, what of the information you and Spotlight have collected over recent years?”

“Right. We have been tailing that journalist you’ve been interacting with and we’ve discovered he has a connection with the criminal underground. From what our informants have told us, he has often been seen traveling outside of the border. This wouldn’t be so suspicious, but what makes this odd is that we don’t know where he gets the funds to travel so often. No journalist would spend that much money without some other reason.”

“Ah dunno,” Ceres said. “Ah’ve seen some strange reasons to spend money that are completely benign.”

“But you have to keep in mind the circumstances of this kind of spending,” Andromeda added. “My ex-husband works with money and if Ah’ve learned anything from him, even benign purchases can have malicious intentions.”

“Indeed. If he does have a connection to the criminal underground, this is somewhat suspicious,” Minerva said.

“Now this alone isn’t enough to warrant investigation,” Aperture continued. “But considering he somehow knew Pandora was involved with our Order, not to mention the existence of the Order itself, this could mean we either have a security leak or he was told by somepony with possession of sensitive information. Either way, I have reason to believe a certain pony is involved.”

“Agreed. He is definitely being paid for something and more than likely, it’s by the same stallion who’s led the systematic killings of the Order’s leaders,” Ceres declared.

The agents went back and forth for twenty minutes with conversations and updates on the subject as Pandora and Mandragora observed and listened, all while sipping from their cups. After hearing the opinions she needed, Pandora spoke hers.

“I believe we can use this journalist to snare our clever friend, use his own asset against him so to speak.”

“Go on,” Mandragora spoke.

“He has been interviewing me for some reason. I suspect it is to locate something, possibly something of ours to steal. If we can set up a trap, I believe we can kill two birds with one stone.”

“Interesting. How do you propose we do this?”

“I’m going to feed him false information. I want to act as if I don’t have the slightest idea he is deceiving me. To gain his trust and in the process, deceive him. While I do this, I want you to determine a time and a location to lead him. Once we determine his goal, we can use that greed to counter his boss.”

“Hm… This has potential, but we must plan further. We will need a plan B if this doesn’t work or if things go sour. We are dealing with a notoriously dangerous traitor here and MUST do this right.”

“Yes Secretary-General, I know. Everyone? For the next few weeks, we will be discussing further elaborations on this tactic and until we have a definitive plan, we are not to discuss it to anyone outside this room. I would rather not risk an information leak.”

“Agreed,” all attendees nodded.

Mandragora stood up from her seat. “Very well then. I hereby declare this meeting adjourned for the time being.”

With the gathering done, all participants made their exit from the building, with Pandora being the last to leave having needed to record the details of the meeting for future reference. Once she got that done, she hauled herself to her home, where her husband was waiting for her.

“Hi there sweetheart,” he cooed as she walked in. This made her smile as it normally did. No matter how rough her days were, she was always happy to talk to the stallion she loved.

“Good evening dear. How’d your research go tonight?” she said as her spouse kissed her.

“Not terribly productive I’m afraid. It took all day to fix the study and reorganize the library after the attack. I only just finished cleaning up. How did your work go tonight?”

“Aside from the wedding, it was pretty half and half. The princess should count her blessings,” Pandora stated as they sat on the sofa, with her rubbing her temples.

“Now now. I know you don’t see eye to eye with her, but she has good intentions.”

“I know, but I still find her to be a nuisance at times. But whatever, I’m sick of thinking about her. What’s for dinner tonight?”

“Oh I haven’t had a chance to start dinner. I’ve been trying to get everything back on track. If you want I can fix something for us really quick.”

“That’s alright, I’m not really that hungry anyway. Just really stressed out.” The tired mare laid her head on her lover’s shoulder.

Her spouse leaned in and whispered into her ear. “You know, I learned something from a recent study that might be able to relieve some of that stress.”

“Really now? Maybe we oughta test that. You know, for science.”

“Right, sciiience.” the stallion responded with mock sarcasm, warranting a playful giggle from his wife.

“Oh just shut up and meet me in the bedroom in about fifteen minutes.”

Meanwhile in Ponyville, Photo Finish and Hoity Toity departed from their ride from Canterlot. Though they intended to be back the previous few days, the invasion forced them to stay in Canterlot for longer than they wanted due to the trains being shut down to repair damaged tracks. But finally, they were back in their modest home in Ponyville where they lived for twelve years. Once inside their bedroom, the tired couple prepared for a good night sleep and for awhile, laid beneath the covers with nothing but the moonlight emanating through the window. Hoity Toity had closed his eyes the instant his head collided with his pillow. His wife on the other hand couldn’t get to sleep. She was too tired to sleep, as much as that concept just didn’t make sense to her.

“It was quite a week, hasn’t it?” Photo finally spoke up, not using her normal accent.

“Mhm.”

“Our fashion line was quite a hit. Miss Rarity’s wedding dress was quite nice as well.”

“Mhm.”

“It’s a shame things had to happen the way they did.”

“Uh huh.”

Her mind drifted off to a memory she had a hard time stomaching. The invasion that happened reminded her all too well of a tragedy that made them move to Ponyville in the first place. Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t bring herself to suppress said memory. There was a practical reason behind this, as well as a personal reason.

“Hey Hoity? Are you asleep yet?”

“Unfortunately not,” he grumbled.

“I was wondering… What do you think ever happened to Sirocco?”

Hoity’s head turned to her with a bewildered look. “You’re brining this up now of all times?”

“I’m sorry, I just can’t help it. That invasion just reminded me of the kind of missions he did. He worked to prevent war and wanted to promote peace. I… I miss him so much.”

Hoity pulled her in close and held her tightly. “I miss him too, love. But our son knew the risks of his job and he proudly put others before himself. In many ways, he was the ideal example of our Order: practical, courteous, diligent; it was hard not to like him. If only he’d introduced us to his marefriend. He talked about her so much and had nothing but good things to say about her.”

“I don’t know how much longer we can keep all this from Silver Spoon. One of these days, she’s going to learn about her brother AND the Order. She just isn’t ready to hear about either yet.”

“You’re absolutely right hon. She will find out sometime down the road. I hope by then she can clean up her attitude some. Her little friend really isn’t helping it.”

“We have to do something. I’m tired of having to lie about where we go all the time. At least she has a place to spend the night over at her friend’s house. I’m weary about leaving her home alone.”

“Well, we aren’t completely lying. Half of our work is traveling. Our careers provide a good excuse for that. And well, I think we make a good team.”

“Yeah… We’ll talk about it later. Maybe we can take a vacation somewhere with Silver Spoon. One of these days, I want to take her to Manehattan.”

“Maybe. We have a lot of work ahead of us though. We can worry about that vacation after we have the traitor in custody.”

“Mhm…” Photo kissed her husband and gently closed her eyes. “Well, goodnight. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Author's Note

There is no need for me to include artwork in this chapter. It's short and does not need it for what it is for. It should be obvious who Juno is right? I don't have to explain it?

File 06

Four months later, (Friday, 12:00 PM)...

Another boring day for Pandora as she sat in her office filing paperwork, something she’d been doing a lot in recent days. Fortunately, the tedium was set to end soon. Today was a short day for her as she had big plans for later. Just one more hour and she would be home free. However, her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.

“Enter.”

The door opened and in walked two mares. One was a light pink unicorn with a ribbon in her mane, a saddle, and a scroll for a cutie mark. The other mare was a blue earth pony with a light yellow mane which was worn in a beehive style. Her cutie mark was a lyre and she also had a hoof ring indicating she was married while the other was not. To the normal public eye, both ponies appeared to be of snobbish high society who spend their time going to events and social gatherings. To an extent this was true. The two best friends did often go to such events to have fun or to meet other ponies. However, their traveling had a larger purpose to it.

“Elite agent Minerva, captain of Disciplinary action.”

“Elite agent Diana, lieutenant of Disciplinary action.”

Both mares gave their salutes, which Pandora returned.

“What do you two have for me?”

Minerva levitated an envelope from her saddlebag. “I’ve talked with my men and we have created a plan that Diana and I think works best considering our target. I would like for you to skim through it quickly and give your opinion on it.”

Pandora took the envelope and opened it, taking the file out from inside. She spent a few minutes reviewing it, reading it twice to make sure she had a thorough understanding. “It seems acceptable. The location bothers me though.”

“Would you like for us to change it?”

“No. No, it’s just my nerves talking. It is a remote enough location. I will brief the others on this as soon as I can.”

“Actually,” Diana began. “I can do that if you wish. You’ve been working your flank off for awhile and while the SG appreciates your efforts, she wishes for you to take your time.”

“If you insist. I was actually planning on meeting my husband for dinner tonight anyway. It’s our anniversary.”

“Anniversary huh? Have fun with that,” Diana said with a grin. “I need to pay my husband in Ponyville a visit soon. I’ve been quite busy myself.”

“What’s it like to be married?” Minerva said out of the blue.

“It’s hard to explain without you being in a relationship yourself. Why?”

“Nothing Headmistress. It’s just I’ve not had the time to date much and I’m looking for somepony outside of our Order. Don’t get me wrong, I will forever remain loyal to it and the friends I’ve made within it, probably till the day I die. But after the incident that happened with Sirocco and the Edens… I don’t want to lose my love through something like that.”

At the mention of her fallen friends, Pandora hung her head low. “Yes. It was a sad day when they died. Tragic as their deaths were, they allowed us to exterminate a large nest of those Etherealists. I just wish it didn’t have to end like that, but we mustn’t dwell on the past. We have a job we need to do and we need to play our cards right.”

“Very well then.” The two mares turned to the door. “Inform us if things go wrong. Like the SG said, we need to formulate a plan B if things go awry.”

“Copy that.”

Pandora watched as the captain and her lieutenant left to their own accord. She took a quick glance at the clock to check the current time.

“Welp. It’ll be that time in fifteen minutes.”

AUDIO SURVEILLANCE, [NAME CLASSIFIED] FILE 06 (SUNDAY, 12:17 PM)

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***

So, have you had a chance to visit the Crystal Empire that reemerged yet? I hear it’s quite stunning.

“I haven’t yet, but once I get the opportunity, I want to go there and see if I can get an interview from the locals. I could learn some interesting things.”

Might want to tread carefully boy. I doubt they will be able, or willing, to just hand out that kind of information.

“I have to try though. In the meantime, I will settle with this interview.”

Right then. Let’s cut to the chase, what do you want to hear this time?

“You’ve talked an awful lot about your husband. Why don’t we talk about your children for a change? How were the pregnancies during your time in the Order? Was it hard to cope with and how did your duties differ during gestation?”

Oi, I was wondering when this would come up. Well, why don’t we start with my first son and his conception, except for the actual, you know, conceiving bit. I like the rating where it is.

As I said before, we spent our honeymoon in my home city of Manehattan, specifically a seaside resort, first class courtesy of my mother-in-law. Mare had taste, I had to say. Well once we arrived, we setted into our bridal suite and spent the morning sightseeing. Now even though I was born in Manehattan, I didn’t, and still don’t explore that town. In fact, after getting married I didn’t travel much, at least not casually. It’s not that I didn’t have the time or money to travel. Believe me, money is NOT an issue with us. It was because I was just too comfortable with Canterlot that I really didn’t leave the city much. You know how it is, I didn’t want to leave my safe zone. But I digress.

We spent a week in Manehattan and had a very nice first day. After we went sightseeing, we spent some time out on the beach before having a nice evening dinner. Great food by the way, fantastic pasta and the deserts to die for. Overall, it was a pretty good day, made even better as my husband showered me with affection which I was more than happy to return. But the day had to come to an end so we headed back to our suite. I didn’t look around much when we arrived in the morning because I was eager to go out into the city, but it was a cozy suite with a single bathroom, a king sized canopy bed, and a balcony with an absolutely gorgeous view of the ocean. We watched the remainder of the sunset out on that balcony, a really romantic view.

“How was our first day as husband and wife, my dear?” my husband asked.

“Memorable, romantic, fun.”

“You know, the night is still young. We can make more than just a memory.”

I could tell by the tenderness in his voice what he was implying and he did such a damn good job of putting me in the mood. How could I resist that handsome stallion? I gave him a gentle kiss as we crawled into bed.

Now I won’t go into detail of what happened that night, but it doesn’t take a genius to figure it out. We were newlyweds who were madly in love with each other and we both already talked about having a foal once we would get married. I decided that if I wanted to marry this stallion so badly, I wanted to experience parenthood with him as well. But we held off doing anything… of that nature, until we actually married. He was a real gentlecolt. He made what is normally a painful experience for mares into something very euphoric and memorable. It was a level of intimacy I’ve never felt before.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this giddy before.”

Err, sorry I kind of rambled there. Talking about him just does that to me, hehe. He’s the love of my life and I wouldn’t want to spend my life with anyone else. Anyway, after the initial consummation, we became increasingly more, uh, intimate as the week went on, in an active effort to conceive. Some time later we got our wish.

As much as I loved our honeymoon location, I kind of wanted to be back in our home in Canterlot. When we got back, I had some help from my friends and new family moving my belongings into my husband’s house; you’d think I would’ve done that BEFORE the marriage, but I had other things that held my attention. Besides, I didn’t own much anyway and I didn’t keep all of it. What I did keep was mostly clothing and other essentials. Since Aperture got married to Spotlight, I had the apartment to myself for awhile and now that I myself got married, I had no use for it. I’m getting a bit off track here though. Sometime after we got back home, I went to our physician with nausea and stomach pains. As you might have guessed, I was pregnant. So I went home and gave my husband the news.

“That’s fantastic,” he said as he cuddled me rubbing my stomach.

The next day, we broke the news to our family and friends. Aperture was ecstatic as I expected, as was Serenade and everyone else.

As happy as I was to be with my husband’s child, I had a job that I needed to do. As you might recall, the Headmistress put me in charge of the Etherealist purge, but now that I was pregnant, she asked me if I wanted to put someone else in charge. I declined. The job was considered important enough that I didn’t want to put it on hold. I still remembered what happened the night my husband proposed and I did not want to bring our child into the world with those monsters running about. Other mares would normally go on maternal leave with such a job, I decided to tough it out.

But alas, it probably would have been wiser from me to wait until the purge was complete before conceiving a child. I didn’t realize how debilitating pregnancy could be. My son was a big boy, even as a fetus and would kick, shift, and demand tremendous amounts of nutrition. That combined with the exhaustion, mood swings, pains, and general impeded movement made my job more complicated than it should have been. I don’t know if you would ever understand it because well, you’re male, but trust me, eleven months of that was one of the most excruciating things I’ve had to go through.

However, during the hunt I came to appreciate my son already and not for the reason you might expect. I would say I was about five months into my pregnancy when I was with a few other agents. We were ambushed by a group of desperate Etherealist and since I was both pregnant and the head of the hunt, I was the target. While the other agents took down most of them and I still had use of my magic, one of the Etherealist was a unicorn who shot powerful, lethal bolts of magic. Well, a stray bolt was headed my way and I thought for sure I was going to take a hit. As the inevitable collision came close however, it vaporized into nothing. The cultist was neutralized and I just looked around in confusion. I recognized the vaporization as a type of barrier magic, one that I was not fluent in. I wondered if one of my colleagues casted it in last second to protect me, but when I asked them, they didn’t know what happened.

Then I felt a tingling in my stomach, not the nausea kind, not a kick, but a kind of fizzy feeling. It took me awhile to realize it, but my unborn child seemed to have casted a spell which protected me. That was twice I cheated death thanks to my husband, though this time it was indirect.

Well, that ambush gave me a bit of a scare and for the sake of my precious cargo, I decided to take it easy and stay behind a desk. It was getting to be that far into the pregnancy anyway were physical activity was next to impossible. All throughout my pregnancy, my mother-in-law would always drop by to see how I was doing. I really liked her, she seemed like the kind of pony you would want as an in-law and she was very good with offering advice for managing my trimesters. Plus she was just so sweet. My brother-in-law was great too. He and my husband were pretty close already, but now that I was married, our families would often have each other for dinner or get togethers. It was during one of these get togethers at our house when I felt the first contractions of labor. At first I just wrote it off as normal pain since I wasn’t due for another few days, but the contractions got more frequent and it got worse as the evening went on and I knew things couldn’t wait any longer as I felt a wet sensation run down my legs.

“Honey?” my husband asked worried about my sudden frightened state. “Is something wrong?”

“I think… I think my water just broke.”

“But you’re not due for about a week!” he suddenly got worried.

“Well I’m pretty sure the baby is the one who gets to decIIIDE!” I felt a sudden jolt of pain.

“Oh dear! Ultraviolet, I need your help. We need to get her to the hospital!”

“Of course. Aurora! Could you go pick up North Star from the foalsitter’s? I need to get her the help she needs,” Ultraviolet firmly said to his wife.

She nodded in response and I was carried to the hospital as fast as possible; in my state, I could barely stand, let alone walk. Once there, everything you hear about mares giving birth pretty much happened. I can still remember shouting just about every swear I could think of as I was giving birth, even going so far as to make up my own. Never to anyone in particular, just shouting out of pain. Childbirth is up there with being one of the most painful things I’ve ever had the pleasure of going through.

But it was all worth it.

I had given birth to a healthy and rather large colt. He was taken for postnatal care as I just lie in that bed exhausted from my experience. Everyone there was telling me how great of a job I was doing. Fuck that! Give me a moment of relief! I didn’t want to do that again!

After some time, I was able to see my new beautiful baby boy. He had quite the set of lungs on him. Not too long after that, the family came in which consisted of my husband’s parents, brother and wife and daughter.

“Congratulations little brother. You too little sister-in-law,” Ultraviolet said as he smiled at his nephew.

“He’s so cute!” my mother-in-law exclaimed.

“North Star,” Aurora said to her daughter. “Meet your new cousin.”

The shy four year old filly climbed onto the bed and looked at the sleeping foal. “Hi.”

“So what are you going to call him?” my father-in-law asked.

“We’ve thought about it for some time and I think we have a perfect name for him.”

You know the name of my son already and you might be able to guess why I called him that. After a few days of observation, my son and I were discharged from the hospital and we went home. Not long afterwards, I introduced him to my friends and you know the rest.

“You said you didn’t want to go through all that again. What made you change your mind with your first daughter?”

Alas, unplanned pregnancy can happen even in marriages. I’ll get to that soon, but my second child wasn’t born until my son was about seven years old.

In between that time, Aperture and Spotlight had their son, when mine was about three. Aperture came to me asking for advice for her pregnancy and our kids were friends after her son was born. Well, the Headmistress called me into her office after her grandson was born.

“Good morning, Pandora.”

“Good morning, Headmistress Aroma.”

“Now then as you know, I am getting older and slower in my age. It’s getting to be that point where I need to name a successor.”

“Yes?”

“Now with my grandson being born, I think now is that time to choose the next pony to take my place. I have asked around our clan house and such. Just about all of our best agents have recommended and further agreed on one single mare: you.”

“Me? But why me?”

“Your actions during the Etherealist hunt has led to many of them being wiped clean from Equestria. I have also heard from the Captain of Disciplinary Action that you are a more than capable leader. I like you a lot dear, and I feel you would be best suited out of anyone I know to take my place. Of course if you choose to accept, you will receive coaching on what to do and what to expect in taking the helm. I have nothing but the utmost confidence in you and putting you in charge of the hunt only furthered that respect. I can think of no other. What do you say?”

“This is a lot to take in. But if everypony thinks I’m capable, than I suppose I can give it a shot. Yes, I accept your offer. But if I may ask, how long will it take to prepare me to take your position?”

“Mmm, about a year, two at the most. There is a lot to teach, this isn’t some overnight deal. I still have a task myself that I need to finish before I pass on the torch.”

“Take as long as you need. I’m in no hurry.”

“That makes one of us.”

I don’t remember exactly how long after I talked with the Headmistress and shared that knowledge with my husband that I started to notice a change in my metabolism. Apparently, so did my husband when we were cuddling one night.

“Dear, is it just me or are you getting a bit pudgy?”

“Being a little bit blunt, don’t you think?”

“Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind it. I think you’re quite lovely as a matter of fact. But didn’t you say you needed to be in top shape for your job?”

“Well… Yes. I suppose when you put it like that. Ooh, ow! The hell? Pudginess isn’t supposed to fight back… Wait.”

The thing about my second pregnancy is that I didn’t go through most, if any of the complications that I did with my first one. As a result, I did not notice I was pregnant until several weeks in and it still took a trip to the clinic before I could confirm it. Needless to say, this made my conditioning a bit more complicated than it should have been. Thankfully, this pregnancy was less stressful and my baby girl was much smaller than my son, thus the birth was less painful. I can still remember the joyful expression on my son’s face when he found out he was going to be a big brother. Quite a happy sibling he is.

Alas, the birth of my first daughter also carries a darker memory. Not for me necessarily, but for the entire organization. You see, not even a year after she was born, one of our own agents committed several acts of treason to the point where his name easily became one of the most notorious rogue agents ever to be associated with us.

His name was Howitzer.

He had been systematically murdering the leaders of the organization before he was found out. Before we could apprehend him though, he escaped and we’ve been on an active search ever since. When we did find out he was doing this, we just nearly saved Headmistress Aroma from being his latest victim. He had a habit of using a garrote wire to kill his targets, not unlike how I was almost strangled on my birthday. Aroma made a full recovery as we were able to avert the crime in time, but it gave her a tremendous scare. Now that we knew he was doing these things, he wasn’t going to risk being caught by doing it again; he was treacherous, but he wasn’t stupid.

After that attack, Aroma retired. She didn’t want to leave this world yet, not while she had her grandson to look forward to. So I took her position earlier than I was supposed to. I was determined to sniff out this traitor and wipe his existence from the face of the planet.

“Interesting. Well I think that’s all for today. Thank you again for taking the time to do this.”

No problem.

***
AUDIO RECORDING END (1:01 PM)

The next morning…

“Enter. Well, hello there, Mars. Fancy seeing you here.”

“Good morning to you too, Pandora. How was your anniversary?”

“Great as always. I don’t think I will ever stop loving that fine stallion. What brings you to this wretched hive of wonders?”

“I actually dropped by the castle training grounds to see what my old colleagues have been up to. We have many promising recruits joining the guard.”

“Any of our own?”

“A few in fact. One in particular though caught my eye. I’ve seen him before, a shy introverted colt whenever I saw him. I’m actually quite surprised he joined the guard.”

“Oh? Member or associate?”

“Associate.”

“What is his alias?”

“Ordinance.”

“And you are telling me this why exactly?”

“I see potential in the young stallion and wish to include him in the operation. He seems dedicated and was very eager when I talked to him about it.”

“Why?”

“He didn’t tell me, but he holds a grudge against the rogue traitor and would like to see him captured.”

“Yeah, who doesn’t these days.”

“There is also the fact that he is her son.”

“Her who?”

“The contractor.”

“Oh, her. Interesting… If that’s the case, I’m starting to see where you are coming from. Alright, I will see what I can do. I want you to inform the boy that I will consider it, but I can’t make any promises until I hear from the CDA and the SG.”

“Roger that. As usual, I will be participating in the annual cadet training. This year will be particularly interesting. With Captain- or rather Prince- Shining Armor in the Crystal Empire, I have to keep an eye on the new captain of the guard. He is not one of us so I have to make sure he has been chosen well and that he is responsible. I would also like to observe the boy.”

“Where would the royal guard be without you, Mars? Always dedicated, even after you retired. Well then, is there anything else?”

“That would be all.”

“Very well then. Oh, and give my regards to Rainbow Dash, will you? I hear she tried out for the Wonderbolt academy.”

“Yes, she was recommended by Soarin’ after the royal wedding. She told me things didn’t go quite as they were supposed to. But if I didn’t know any better, I’d say she stayed to get closer to Soarin’. Their careers make it hard for them to see each other nowadays. Still, I am happy the two have maintained a healthy relationship and I applaud Soarin’ for putting up with my rash daughter.”

“Yes well, we both have some work to do, so we will talk later.”

“Agreed. See you later.”

File 07

As the plan of attack was being formulated, Pandora went about her business as usual. She couldn’t help but get a feeling of tension lately as the day the plan was to be set into motion. She tried her best to ease the stress, but this recent assignment had been taking up a lot of her time and she was unable to make time for her family and friends. Everyone involved with this project could fully understand and shared that feeling; this was to capture the most notorious rogue traitor in the Order’s entire history. Who wouldn’t be tense?

She was so agitated that she practically jumped from her seat when she heard a knock at the door.

“Enter.” Pandora said with her heart pounding. It started pounding even harder when the Secretary-General walked in. “Mandragora ma’am!” She stood up and saluted, which her superior returned.

“Headmistress Pandora, I won’t be long. I simply wish for an updated file on the plans.”

“Yes ma’am. Here.” Pandora actually walked over with the file. In the presence of the Secretary-General, Pandora felt it would be too informal to use her magic.

“Ah yes. Thank you. Now before I go, I have a favor to ask.”

“Yes?”

Mandragora reached into her bag and pulled out an object wrapped in cloth. “I want you to lock the contents of this package inside the manor vault. Level three security to be precise.”

“Level three? Is it that important?”

“It’s not so much important as it is dangerous. I saw its effects first hand and let’s just say that we are lucky the pony who used it wasn’t experienced enough in her magic. Once I got ahold of this, I studied it to the best of my ability, but my results where inconclusive. Until further notice, this is to be kept under lock and key.”

“I understand. Anything else?”

“I’ve gone over that request you sent me regarding the new agent and I am putting him under your responsibility. Whether or not you decide to include him into the plans is up to you. You are the clan leader so he answers to you.”

“Very well.”

AUDIO SURVEILLANCE, [NAME CLASSIFIED] FILE 07 (TUESDAY, 2:11 PM)

***
***
***

I have to admit, I’m rather surprised with the turn of events in recent days. First Discord of all folks is reformed and now the Crystal Empire is hosting the Equestria Games. I’m sure the princess is ecstatic right now since things actually seem to be working out for everyone involved. For once, I would have to agree with her. But let’s get down to business; what’s today’s subject?

“Well then, what was life like after being promoted?”

Really, not that different. After the incident with Aroma, Howitzer kind of fell of radar. He was good at covering his tracks and every lead that we traced turned out to be a dead end. The case went cold for awhile.

However, we did gain a decently reliable ally. A pegasus mare by the name of Raptor.

We don’t normally hire outside help like mercenaries or privateers, but this mare is certainly a… unique case. She was fairly young, I believe about eighteen or nineteen, who used to be a sailor in the Royal Navy. Though young, she was very tough and very vocal. Anyway, we met her after Howitzer’s little stunt. She was caught trying to break into the clan manor’s vault, probably to steal something of value.

I was working on some paper work when this intruder was brought into my office by the Disciplinary Action agents. She had a greenish-orange kind of coat and a grayish-brown mane which was messy and noticeably dirty. It seemed like she put up quite a fight because both her and the guards that brought her in had cuts and bruises across their bodies, mostly their faces. One of the guards even had a black eye. When they brought her in, she had her muzzle tied so she couldn’t talk and all I could hear was angry grunts and muffles.

“Well what have we here?”

“We caught this mare snooping around the vault. We had to subdue her.”

“I see. And how exactly did she get in here?”

“We aren’t entirely sure. We’re checking all possible security vulnerabilities, but we haven’t found anything.”

“Hmm… Lock her up in the cells for now. I will interrogate her myself later.”

“Understood Headmistress.”

It took about an hour to finish my paperwork, but when I did, I payed a visit to the intruder. I could already tell this was going to be difficult. We have a sort of jail located in the sub basement levels of the manor so that if a prisoner does manage to break out of their cell, it’s harder for them to escape, especially if they are a pegasus. It’s not easy to break past security if they do, but what bothered me is that I didn’t see any guards stationed around the entrance. My instincts told me to be on my guard and I erected a barrier around myself to prevent attacks from behind. It’s a good thing I did too as it stopped a swing from a baton that would have severely damaged my skull.

Somehow, this mare was able to escape from her cell AND knock out the guards that were standing watch without alerting anyone outside. As much as I hate to admit it, I was actually quite impressed by that feat, though that really didn’t say a lot about security. She still tried to fight me with every intention of escaping, even though I’m pretty sure she knew she wasn’t going to. She fought pretty well, but there was no way she was going to break through my barrier and after she tried time and time again, she exhausted herself to the point where she couldn’t really struggle. After restraining her with my magic, I heard her talk for the first time and I noticed she spoke with a particular accent.

“Lemme go ya wretched winch!”

“You really should learn how to pick your fights more carefully..”

“At least I do fight and not hide behind a fucking barrier like a lil’ coward!”

“Big words. And not very convincing ones considering you have no energy left from your constant punching. Quite arrogant if I might add.”

“Oi! Put me down and I’ll show ya arrogant ya lil’ bi-”

I had enough of her mouth so with a swift motion, I slammed her against the steel bars of the cells. I guess I slammed her a little too hard as she passed out right then. I made sure she was properly restrained putting on hoofcuffs, tying her wings, and placing a muzzle mask to keep her quiet. Then I gently tossed her back in her cell. I called for security and medics to tend to the knocked out guards and I made sure to have several active guards take their place. After making sure everything checked out, I came back down later after she regained consciousness and began a proper interrogation. She remained defiant regardless of being surrounded by dozens of guards. I had to respect that.

“Who are you working for?”

“Meself.”

“How can I be sure you’re not lying to me?”

“Why should I care what ya believe?”

“Then what was your reason for breaking into the manor?”

“Greed, pretty much. I’m down on my luck right now and just wanted to find something I could sell.”

Those of us that perform interrogations, including myself, are trained in lie detection. Most of that involves paying attention to facial features and voice: we do certain things involuntarily when we lie like looking away from those we talk to, twitching our eyes, straining our voice, and so on. In the case of pegasi and unicorns, we pay attention to even the slightest movement in the wings or even the smallest sparks of the horn, which act out of nervousness or arrogance. And yet, as I interrogated her she displayed none of the tell-tale signs of lying. Either she was extremely good at controlling herself when lying, or she was telling the truth.

“You said you were down on your luck. Might I ask how and why exactly?”

“And just why should I tell me life story to the likes of you?”

“Because if you don’t, you won’t get fed.”

“Oh for fu- Fine! I used to sail with the Royal Navy, okay? Worked for a year before I quit just awhile ago. Jus wudn’t quite I thought it was. Happy?”

I raised my eyebrow at this new piece of information. “Royal Navy you say?”

“Aye,” she said with a smirk. “Always been a dream of mine. Ever since I was a lil filly, I always had an interest in sailing across the ocean.”

“What made you quit?”

“Like I said, wudn’t what I thought it would be. I was enticed by the stories me grandpappy told me about his days out at sea, hunting pirates, serving the nation, and all that jazz. He’d always take me out ta sea on his schooner and sometimes let me take the helm. But… The actual Navy didn’t live up to my expectations. Mostly had me doing other stuff grandpappy never talked about like cleaning. Didn’t pay well either. For every bit I earned, the capt’n made a hundred more, that ain’t no way to make a living. Capt’n ‘imself was bit of an arse too.”

“How so?”

She just glared at me before she answered. “I don’t wanna talk about it too much, but let’s just say he wudn’t a very good capt’n. One who wasn’t above fraternizing with his female crewmembers, treating ‘em like objects. ‘Sea is no place for a mare’ my arse.”

“I think I see now. Look, I have something I want to discuss with my colleges. I will talk to you again tomorrow.”

She glared at me again, gritting her teeth. “So wot you goin do with me, huh!? Just gonna leave me in this cage like some dirty animal!?”

“With that kind of attitude, that’ve very tempting. But no, I have something else planned, something that might benefit us both.”

Her ears perked up. “Keep talking.”

“Like I said, I will talk to you tomorrow about it once we have come to a decision. Until then, just try to relax here. You will be fed in an hour and your restrains will be laxed a bit. In exchange however, you will have to behave a bit because I don’t really like your tone right now and if you try to escape again, I will give a much heavier penalty. The only reason I haven’t already turned you over to the authorities is because I have an idea for you that, like I said, may benefit us both.”

After glaring at each other for a few seconds, she sighed and laid back in her seat. “Fiiine. I’ll be good for now, just hold up your end of the bargain.”

I spent some time talking with a few of my fellow agents about the idea that I had and while some were reluctant, they were willing to give it a chance. The next morning, I came back down to her cell to discuss my offer. True to her promise, she’d behaved the entire time I was gone and I think she calmed down a bit since. When I found her in her cell, she was simply snoozing.

“Wake up!” I shouted, banging on the bars.

She grumbled and got off her cot as I had the guard unlock the cell. I gestured her to come out of the cell, which she did confused. The guard escorted us through the manor and into the kitchen.

“So uh, wot we doin?” Raptor asked concerned.

“Brunch. I had an appointment today that got cancelled last minute so I decided to use this to discuss our arrangements. I don’t suppose you’ve ever had gourmet cooking?”

“Nah, I can’t say I have.”

“We have some excellent chefs here. Please have a seat. Care for some tea?”

“Uh, sure.”

Once we were settled down and had our food brought to us, I talked about what I had planned.

“A hired hoof you say?” Raptor said in between bites.

“Yes. I have to say that I’m thoroughly impressed with how you handled yourself and remained strong despite the predicament and since you didn’t cause too much damage, I’m willing to overlook your charges. In exchange, I would like for you to do some work for our organization. As a former sailor, I trust you know how to fight and are used to traveling?”

“Uh huh.”

“We are looking for special artifacts, very special relics that are extremely valuable, yet are not worth a single bit. The problem is we have our hooves full with other arrangements and these artifacts are not easy to find, let alone bring back. If we have you do it, then we can focus all our attention of the current matters.”

“Wot you gettin at?”

“Seeing as how you’ve traveled the ocean, I would like for you to seek these artifacts and bring them to us.”

“Wot’s in it for me?”

I tossed her a silver bit, which as you know are worth about fifty common bits.

“Keep talking…”

I then used my magic to hand her a small bag, full of silver coins worth up to five thousand bits. I could practically see her drool as she gaped like a little foal with her new toy.

“And there’s plenty more where that came from. The better job you do, the better you get paid.”

“Yep. I’m sold.”

She turned out to be quite useful and quite reliable with the high priority jobs. For the first twelve years or so, she did jobs isolated in Equestria until she saved up enough money to purchase a ship of her own: a frigate which she sails proudly with a crew she gathered to this very day. Here, she extended her work to privateer business and worked for the Order internationally, not just in Equestria and therefore broadened her work range.

“Have you ever had any problems with her jobs? Like say, did her cover ever get blown?”

I guess in a manner of speaking, early in her privateering she brought back an important shipment for us and she met with me, saying some other ponies looked at her with strange looks. That they were suspicious of her cargo as it didn’t match what was normally carried. I remedied this by suggesting her writing a famous book series starring a character based off herself, only more idealistic and romanticized. I think you know the one. Anyway, this had the benefit of putting my long time writing skills to use AND throwing suspicion off of her. See by doing this, anypony who sees her with her shipments and cargo will think she is just a fan who is taking her fan antics a bit further.

I do believe our time is up today. Come back another time and we will discuss more.

***
***
***
AUDIO RECORDING END (2:39 PM)

Four hours later…

“Enter.”

The door to Pandora’s office opened and in came two mares.

“Ah as much as I love the ocean air, It’s nice to take a break at land once in awhile. Hey boss.”

“Hello Raptor. And Serenade! Haven’t seen you since that time at the Gala, you big pop star you.”

“Yeah, the tour took a little longer than anticipated. Nice to see you, old friend,” Serenade said giving Pandora a big hug.

“So, what’s the occasion?”

“I’m here on business right now actually. First off, I learned from Ceres that we’ve got a positive identity on our journalist friend and, well, it’s interesting to say the least. I also just got an update from Andromeda that we may have a possible hideout location for our target.”

“No fooling?” Raptor exclaimed raising an eyebrow.

“I can’t confirm this info however and by now, it could be abandoned. You know how Howitzer operates.”

“That I do,” Pandora replied. “Still, we should consider it. This piece of information is too juicy to ignore. We can catch up later, but right now, I would like for you to inform Minerva as soon as possible if you haven’t already.”

“I can do that right now. By the way whenever you have the time, there’s a new restaurant that just opened up not that far from the castle. You should bring your husband too.”

“I might do that, thanks.”

Serenade took off to do her job as Raptor remained in the office, taking out a package and putting it on the desk.

“Another one?” Pandora grinned.

“Aye. This one was pretty tough to get back. Had some trouble with Griffon Armada on the way back. Good ol Valkyrie handled herself like a champ as usual, but I will need a little extra for repairs this time.”

“How does thirty-five hundred sound?”

“Reasonable I guess.”

“By the way, I didn’t know you had a son,” Pandora said writing the check.

“Uh, how’d you come to that conclusion?”

“Personal friend told me when he found out. So what else are you not telling me?”

“Look, I would rather not talk about it. My son and meself aren’t really on talking terms. Personal matter.”

“Alright fine. I was just curious is all. Here you go.” Pandora handed the check to her business partner.

“Aye, many thanks.”

“What’s your next plan?”

“Probably goin back to Manehattan to celebrate with the boys a bit before picking up my next assignment.”

“I see. Well, have fun. When you have the time, be sure to talk about that Armada skirmish. Could be useful for your next novel.”

File 08

The day of reckoning was drawing ever closer. Many months of careful tracking and planning were about to be put to use. Nopony said anything as they did not want to jinx it; tensions stretched high above the clouds themselves.

Pandora was well ahead of schedule with her paperwork, her mind running on autopilot the whole day. She just finished the last few pages in the final stack, yet she did not leave her office afterwards. No, she was waiting for a visitor, one she wanted to talk to before her day was over.

After patiently waiting, a knock finally echoed through her office door.

“Enter,” Pandora simply ordered.

The door opened and in came the pony she was waiting for. The young stallion, a royal guard, stood with proper military posture. Yet underneath that stoic exterior, Pandora felt a sense of nervousness and uncertainty, if only by the small beads of sweat running down his muzzle.

“You sure took your time, boy.”

“My apologies ma’am.”

Pandora stood up and looked out the window behind her desk, gazing at the evening sunset as its golden rays illuminated the recently cleaned room.

“Ordinance, right?” she asked without turning around.

“Yes ma’am.”

“You seem jittery, boy. Then again I guess given the circumstances, that’s not exactly rare in this manor.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“I understand you wanted to become a part in this operation.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Is that all you can say?”

“Uh..”

“Nevermind. Look, I normally would dismiss your kind of request, especially since you’re a novice agent with little more than a few weeks under your belt. However, in light of a certain piece of information, I am willing to see if you can add anything to this operation. Have you been briefed on the mission specs?”

“Several times and I’ve gone through the tactical layout enough to sharply remember the details. If I have to I will go through it again as many times as you see fit.”

“Hm… then I will have to have a serious talk with our tactician about maintaining secret information.” Pandora glared. “Do you know the target by any chance?”

The young guard hesitated and swallowed a heavy lump in his throat before giving his answer. “Unfortunately, I believe I know him better than anypony else.”

His answer made Pandora raise an eyebrow in curiosity. “I see. Perhaps we can use that to our advantage.”

Ordinance’s ears perked up, having not expected what he heard.

“That’s all I need, Ordinance. You may go now.”

“Yes ma’am.”

The stallion turned and was about to walk out the door, but before he touched the knob, he was stopped by his boss.

“Hold on a second, boy.”

“Uh, ma’am?”

Pandora turned around. “I want you to understand that I am taking a chance with putting you on this operation. I know you are determined to see this through, but you absolutely MUST be sure that you can take the chance when it presents itself to you.”

“Yes ma’am, I will-”

“But understand this also: If you are against us, remember…” Pandora used her magic to levitate the assorted decorative weapons from her wall. “We have many eyes, many ears, and many arms, good for silencing those who say too much. If I you decide to betray us, I will personally skin you alive and mount your wings on my living room wall. Am. I. Clear?”

Ordinance quickly nodded nervously.

“I want to hear it from your mouth. Am. I. Clear?”

“Y-yes ma’am!”

“Good.” Pandora placed the decorative weapons back where they belonged. “Forgive me if I seem overly hostile. This operation hinges on the decisions I make and I do not want to fuck this up. I am taking a decent risk adding you to this, you are a possible liability, but I feel it will be rewarded in the long run. I’m putting a lot of trust in you, boy. Do NOT make me regret it.”

“I have no intention of it, ma’am.”

“Excellent. Now that said, get some rest. We are going to be very busy tomorrow and we’ll all be needing the energy.”

AUDIO SURVEILLANCE, [NAME CLASSIFIED] FILE 08 (FRIDAY, 7:00 AM)

***
***
***

I have to admit, I’m kind of lethargic this morning, and not because it’s earlier than I’m used to waking up. I’m dealing with a touch of flu as of the recent week. *coughcough* Sorry.

“I’m just going to stand back a bit if that’s alright.”

That’s fine. I don’t blame you. Ugh, I don’t know where I got it from but geez. So, what’s today’s subject?

“There’s something I’ve been wondering for awhile. I was wondering if your organization had anything to do with the banishing of Nightmare Moon. I used to believe that story around her, but after hearing all these things from you, I’m not so sure anymore.”

Is that so? Well, *coughcough*- scuse me- as a matter of fact, there was something I can tell you. I’m afraid I don’t know the full story as this was back in the Order’s early days and we didn’t have an organized record system. I will try my best though.

I’m not going to lie, I’ve never liked the royal family very much, Celestia especially. It’s no secret among my inner circle. Sure, she is a mother to her subjects. But I take issue with the way she rules, not to mention her questionable influence on my family.

And yet, I can’t help but appreciate the tragedy concerning that incident with her sister. I actually do feel kind of sorry for her.

Back then, the Order only consisted of Equestria, and a limited number of Zebras. We didn’t start expanding our horizon until much later. Princess Celestia allowed us the castle in the area that is now Everfree to use as our base of operations. At the time, only our kind and certain others were allowed into their castle. Our protocols were new, but our members were only semi trained. We simply didn’t have the personnel to monitor everything that happened and in the end, we had to trust Celestia to handle her sister’s problems.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t prepared for what was to come.

Things eventually became very heated and we had to give her a choice. Either she regulates her sister’s behavior, or she punishes her. If she did neither, we would have to do it. And you may or may not know that our methods are less merciful.

“You mean they would…”

We had no desire to go that far, but like I said in our first interview: we regulate and maintain nobility and political stability of the nations we live in. By any means necessary. It sounds cruel yes, but you understand the reasoning behind it. I know you’re not an idiot.

“Please, you give me too much credit. So where do the Elements of Harmony fall into this?”

They don’t, at least not directly. It’s not clear what happened exactly, but it is commonly believed that Luna had access to one of the artifacts within the castle. Our first Grandmaster brought it back with him from his overseas travels. If I’m not mistaken, we never did find out what happened to it after the castle was abandoned. I believe it attributed to the growth of the Everfree Forest and the unusual behavior of it.

“Reeeally. This was the same castle where Nightmare Moon was defeated recently, right? I don’t suppose you know anything about the castle ruins? You know, for further reference.”

Of course I do. Though, I wouldn’t bother going there. Not much of value is left there and whatever was there is likely gone thanks to scavengers. Though strangely, the ruins are in unnaturally good state, despite being one thousand years old. I hear there’s even a library in perfect condition too. One of these days, I’d like to go there myself to see it. No particular reason, just want to see what it was like. *coughcough*

“You seem a bit too sick right now. Maybe I should come back some other time. You should see a doctor.”

Yeah, I’m thinking I should as well.

“Before I do go, I would like to ask one more question: Did you ever consider quitting the Order or your job?”

Many times. When I got married, when I had my children, when the Edens died, many things made me consider it. I love my family and I thank them for everything I’ve done.

“What keeps you going?”

You know, I don’t really have an answer for that. I suppose when you do something for as long as I do, you just can’t get used to the easy life. I always get started on a big project, saying I’m going to quit right afterwards and then… I dunno, I never do.

But you know what? That’s life…

***
***
***
AUDIO RECORDING END (7:14 AM)

Several hours came and went as Pandora sat tense in her office to hear about the operation’s status. Her wish was granted when Ordinance walked in the room with a look of anticipation.

“Ma’am? Your presence is requested in the cells.”

She nodded and followed him to the sub basement levels. Once she was directed to the cells, she grinned when she saw a familiar face. Her journalist friend was restrained and waiting behind the bars.

“Well now, I can’t believe you actually fell for that! I thought for sure you would’ve seen that coming.”

“I… I have no idea what you're talking about,” the journalist responded nervously.

“Don’t be coy. Despite how easily you fell for that trap, you’re smarter than this. As a former agent yourself, you should be well acquainted with the likes of us.”

The journalist looked up in surprise. “H-how did you-”

“Please. I’m in charge of this nation essentially. I know the in’s and out’s of everything this wonderful organization has to offer. I also know that your real name is Khamsin, or at least that’s what it says on your record. Now, why don’t you get out of that ridiculous disguise, changeling.”

Pandora’s horn erupted with a bright light, and in a twitch of pain the unicorn journalist’s true colors were revealed.

“I’m not going to lie,” Khamsin began. “I had a feeling this would happen from the day we began. So tell me, what tipped you off?”

“I’m a magic prodigy, remember? I could sense your magic was different and I knew just from seeing you the first time that you certainly weren’t a normal unicorn. I didn’t actually figure it out until our sixth interview. After the little incident with the changeling queen, it wasn’t hard to figure things out although I didn’t confirm it until just recently.”

“So you’ve known for a long time? Interesting. I guess I’m not as sneaky as I thought. By the way, you’re not really sick today, are you?”

“Correct, that was an outright fabrication. You seemed to have picked up on that fairly quickly. Might I ask how?”

“Heh. At the start of the interview, you said you picked up the flu during the week. Yet, our last interview was less than four days ago and you were perfectly fine.”

“So it was my own tongue that slipped. I’ll have to work on that.”

“Now let me guess. You’re going to execute me for committing treason, right?”

“Not exactly. You may have committed such an offence, but I’m willing to make a plea bargain with you. Information in exchange for a lighter sentence.”

“Information? On what?”

Pandora frowned before opening the cell door and went inside, Khamsin still restrained and unable to move. She leaned down and placed her face frighteningly close to his with the most menacing look of seriousness she could muster.

“A location…”

It was late in the evening the day after Khamsin was apprehended and interrogated. With a careful timing and precise planning, Disciplinary agents stormed inside a place all too familiar to Pandora: her mentor’s old manor in the Frozen North. Their coordination was put to well enough use and their targets could not escape. While many of the suspects were taken away to face trial, one in particular was led to the foyer of the rundown manor.

In this room, Pandora and her posse waited for him. Upon seeing him escorted in, Pandora noticed her young companion Ordinance staring daggers at the stallion. She didn’t have too long to dwell on it though as she had to speak up to the traitor that stood before them.

“Well, by the stars themselves! Howitzer, is that really you? You’ve grown so old since the last time I saw you. How very awful to see you again, you’re looking grotesque as usual.”

“And you’re acting bitchy as usual.”

“Hmmp! Say what you will, but the fact remains that you’re caught. And there’s nowhere to run.”

Howitzer grinned. “Is that so? Well, may you should che-”

Before he could finish, Howitzer was pinned to the ground by Pandora’s magic. As he was forced down, he dropped what he had in his hoof: his trademark garrote wire.

“Come now Howitzer, I’m not going to fall for that same trick again. I’ve improved since the last time we met and that smokebomb fakeout has lost its effectiveness.”

Pandora held him in place as other agents placed restraints on his wings and cuffs on his hooves. They also placed a steel chain around his torso and bolted it to the ground. Once they were certain he had no way to escape, Pandora slowly, yet ominously walked up to Howitzer and stood tall and proud before him.

“I hope you're well aware that you won’t be making it out of this building. Normally we hold a court trial for somepony of your kind, but we’ve all agreed that you’re as guilty as they come. You are hereby charged with seventeen counts of first degree murder, one count of attempted murder, and high treason.”

Pandora leaned closer to the accused and held the most frightening scowl she had in her arsenal. If it were anypony else, her target would cower in fear as to what she was going to do. However, Howitzer defiantly grinned.

“I also have a personal vendetta against you. You see, I happen to know that you are fully responsible for the death of my mentor, my beloved father figure. His terminal illness was the direct result of chronic poisoning via a specific amount of arsenic administered during certain intervals. A coroner’s report discovered a specific isotope of Thallium only found in the water in, and around Horseshoe bay. And what do you know? You’re the only navy captain I know of who regularly went boating in that specific area.”

“You can’t-”

“Prove that? Of course I can’t, but you can. See, the funny thing about thallium poisoning is that hair loss is a common symptom. You suffer from premature balding for your age, not just in your mane and tail, but you are missing patches of your coat. Likely from repeat exposure to the Thallium no doubt. You seem to have a reputation of coating your garrote in the stuff too and if you want hard evidence, during your attempted murder of former Headmistress Aroma, her neck gained an irritated rash from such exposure. Lab tests proved it was indeed that specific isotope of Thallium. And I’m willing to bet that if we run test on your hair, we will see the built up of the toxin. While it passes through the blood and urine, heavy metal toxins like Arsenic and Thallium can be found in the hair. Shall I go on?”

“You seem convinced about this.”

“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t be.”

“How about this?” Howitzer spat on Pandora’s face.

Everypony was expecting her to start beating him to a bloody pulp right then and there. She certainly had the justification and reason to. But instead she simply wiped her face of the spit with a wet hoofkerchief.

“You know, I could very well kill you right now. I really would like to, trust me. Buuut…” she gestured Ordinance to step forward, causing Howitzer’s eyes to grow wide and lose his defiant grin. “I know somepony who wants in on this.”

Pandora stepped to the sidelines and left the young stallion to his business with the traitor. Howitzer lost his defiant nature and confidence and stared face to face with this royal guard.

“Well, Ordinance, is it? I see you’ve been busy.”

“I guess you can say that,” Ordinance said sourly.

“How have you been the past two decades?”

“Just fine, not thanks to you… dad.”

At that last word, most of the heads in the room turned to Ordinance. Hushed whispers started among the agents and Pandora raised an eyebrow at the revelation.

“Father huh? I figured as much,” Pandora said to nopony in particular. “But if that guy is his father than that would mean Raptor… I see what this is about. Good grief, what have I gotten myself into.”

Ordinance calmly picked up his father’s garrote as he continued his talk with him. “You know, dad? I’ve put up with so much thanks to your actions. After everything you did, what’s coming shouldn’t be a surprise.”

“Look, everything I did was to make sure you were brought up disciplined and strong.”

“Oh? Discipline? What do you know of discipline? You didn’t grow up with so much social stigma from your peers, being judged by something your family did. You know what you are? A hypocrite, that’s what.”

“Think rationally here boy! If you do this now, you’ll be all alone.”

“I’ve been alone for the past twenty-one years! I’m not as dumb as you think I am. Even as a small colt, I knew what you were doing and I knew it was illegal. You just up and leaving to go on the run didn’t help me at all. How dare you write that off as ‘tough love’! If you really cared about me or mom, you would’ve thought your actions through and been more a part of it! But no, you only care about your greed and bloodlust. Why else would you systematically murder the leaders of the Order?” As he talked with his father, Ordinance had the garrote clutched in his right hoof circling around him like a shark ready drag its prey deep under. He eyed Pandora, his eyes pleading for permission to finish things. The mare in question gave a slow nod.

“And now you’re going to kill me because of this? Now who's the hypocrite? You talk about me killing out of pettiness and yet you seem perfectly willing to disregard this for your own revenge!”

“Not revenge,” Ordinance said stretching the wire with his hooves. “Justice.”

“Really son, don’t you think this is a bit much? What do you honestly expect to accomplish here?”

“Other than the false sense of satisfaction, not much…”

Suddenly, Ordinance wrapped the wire around Howitzer’s neck and criss-crossed his hooves tightly to maximize the choking. Howitzer could only try to cough and frail as he lost breath, trying to get free. But to no avail. Not long after it began, Howitzer became nothing more than a limp body, having been strangled by his own son with his own weapon. After making sure he was dead, Ordinance released his grip on the wire and let the limp body drop.

“...But for now, it’s enough.”

Debriefing

(Play Debriefing while reading this chapter)

All agents across Equestria, and indeed the globe, rejoiced with the news that the most infamous traitor in their organization was not only captured, but dead. Some cleanup was necessary before leaving the abandoned manor, but Pandora was satisfied with the success of the operation. Many agents who worked with her applauded her for her patience and coordination, saying she deserved to be rewarded for her part in the mission. While she was flattered, Pandora wasn’t sure she cared as much as they did. At the moment, she had several things on her mind, but one thing stood out to her. Something she wanted to do before she went back home.

During the trip back to Vanhoover where their train was waiting, she paid a quick detour to the cemetery, purchasing a bouquet of flowers on the way. In no time at all, she found herself at the grave of a close family member that she’d missed for quite some time.

“Hey dad,” said to the grave. “I know I haven’t visited in a long time, but so much has been going on in the past thirty-something years. I’ve gotten married to a wonderful stallion who does nothing but love me and he even gave me beautiful children, whom I just adore and they’ve gone on to do amazing things. If only you were still alive so you could see them all, you’d love my husband. It’s been painful since you left us, but he’s so caring and nice. And you were right. I did make him very happy. I miss you, really I do. I’m sorry I can’t stay long but… I can’t thank you enough for everything you did for me, Mentor. I love you.”

Pandora placed the bouquet gently on her Mentor’s grave and sluggishly walked away, wiping tears from her eyes before boarding the train to Canterlot.

The next week, Pandora was called into the clan manor for an important meeting by Secretary-General Mandragora herself. Once she walked inside, she was amazed to see the Headmasters of the other clans had traveled so far to see her. Mandragora smiled as all agents present saluted.

“I see you are here Pandora. How does it feel knowing you organized the most important successful mission in our modern history?” Mandragora asked.

“Not that different than usual to be honest. Though I am relieved to be done with it.”

The current Headmaster of the changeling Torrent Clan, Neptune, stepped forward. “No need to be so modest. We have deported Khamsin back to our nation to be tried for his actions. Since he accepted the plea bargain, he will avoid death, but he will likely receive a minimum of twenty years for treason and conspiracy.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“Indeed,” Mandragora interjected. “Today, I have an offer I would like to make you. You have proved yourself time and again to be a capable leader and organized enough to lead a nation. Now, I’ve been observing you since you came into the position of Headmistress. I have talked it over with the other heads and I would like to offer you a much higher position.”

“What? You mean…”

“Yes. Headmistress Pandora, I am offering you the position of Grandmaster of the Order of the Four Clans. This is a heavy responsibility, but I do believe you will not disappoint. What do you say?”

Pandora’s jaw dropped. What would she say? She didn’t know what to say exactly. It was a prestigious opportunity that very few were offered. However, it came with some drawbacks that didn’t quite sit well with her.

“I appreciate the offer, but I may need some time to think it over before I make my decision.”

“I understand. Take your time, but I will need an answer by the end of the month.”

The rest of the morning, Pandora’s mind was a jumbled mess as she thought about the kind of things she would have to do in her new position. Her husband noticed her distressed state that night in bed. When asked, Pandora told him everything that happened, seeking his advice.

“The thing about this new promotion, I can’t just quit if I accept. Grandmaster is a title that I will have to carry until I die. It’s not like Headmistress where I can retire if I get to that age.”

“Well, how do you feel about the opportunity?”

“I feel amazed that I’m offered it. Not to brag or anything, but I see why I was offered the title. Part of me wants to accept it, but at the same time I’m worried about us. About our children.”

“Do you want to take it?”

“Kinda.”

“Then I say go for it. I understand your worries about the family, but our kids are all grown up and living lives of their own. I want what’s best for you, sweetheart. If you feel this opportunity is worth it, then don’t let it pass by.”

“You really think I should?”

“If you feel strong about it, you have the support of me and everypony else. I married a strong, capable mare and I know you will be a strong, capable leader. You wouldn’t be offered the job if you weren’t.”

Pandora kissed him passionately. “Thanks for the advice, dear. And thank you for helping me get this far.”

In the ceremony hall in the manor, agents from around Equestria and major agents from the other nations gathered in anticipation for what was to come. Mandragora, dressed in her formal robes, stood in the center with Pandora knelt down in front of her.

“We are gathered here today to fill the emptiness of the passing of our beloved Mentor left in our Order, appointing a new Grandmaster. She may not be typical of such a title, but nonetheless she has more than earned it. Headmistress Pandora of the Cardinal Clan, I hereby dub thee Grandmaster Grimoire. May future generations benefit from you.”

Of all things to be concerned about, it was the new name that she was going to have a hard time adjusting to. All well and good however, she raised her head up high, proud in her accomplishments. Everyone applauded as she stood at the podium. She cleared her throat before speaking what she had to say.

“I’ve applied my life to know purpose, and to expose madness and folly. I have perceived this is but a chasing of the wind, for in much wisdom is much grief. And he who increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow. These are the words my mentor taught me throughout my time with him. I stand before you today to say that I would not be standing here without such grief or wisdom, for to deprive us of one would rob us of the other. The passing of Mentor filled us all with grief, but in the process it opened way to new wisdom. I guess what I’m saying is without grief, we cannot define what wisdom is. I believe you truly appreciate a reward much more if you earn it. Throughout my life, I have done many things, many of which I care not about and many more I wish I could do over. But it’s the ability to learn from mistakes and adjust to them, that makes a life experience. Many of us are born with a purpose. My purpose is to lead, yet how can I lead something I know nothing about? I have to learn from experience what makes a good leader, for information learned is more valuable than information given. And the information I’ve learned in the past years, is that I would be nowhere without my friends and family. They made me who I am, and today I don’t hesitate to say that if it weren’t for them, I would not be standing here giving this speech. Thank you, and I will do my best to lead us forward.”

That evening, Grimoire was in her new office on the top floor of the manor. She was furnishing it with her belongings as she awaited a certain visitor that she’d called. A knock at the double doors indicated his arrival.

"Come in. Ah, there you are Ordinance. I trust you had a good rest?"

"Yes ma'am."

"You did a good job, better than I was expecting. I must apologize though. Had I known Howitzer was your father, I would have asked somepony else to execute him."

"It's... no problem ma'am. To tell you the truth, I never saw him as a father. He took away husbands, wives, siblings, and offspring from others. How could I call somepony like him father? Besides, he was a full grown adult. He knew perfectly well what the consequences of his actions would be and he still proceeded to do them."

"Oh? Do you still show him sympathy then?"

"No ma'am. Those who make a fetish out of murder deserve no sympathy."

"Good. That's exactly what I wanted to hear. Now about your file. I have heard that you are a promising fighter and a loyal recruit. I believe that you have proved your loyalty to the Order by killing one of the most notorious traitors in our midst, despite knowing your relation to him. As for your skill, I've have seen you in action. You have potential, but you lack experience. You are sloppy in your strikes and slow with your defense. However, you are intriguing enough that I would like to take you on as a protege of my own."

"Uh, really?" Ordinance said confused. “Not that I’m questioning your judgment, but why me? I’m a terrible candidate for that kind of thing.”

"I am not going to lie. You are fairly low on the list of agents that I could choose from. I do not mean to dishearten you, but you are lucky I came to you at all. Your father has caused so much trouble that I am amazed you had the courage to stay in the Order. No doubt other agents hardly give you the time to prove yourself."

"That is correct, ma'am. Ever since I was just a colt, I was pushed aside and disregarded no matter what I did. My accomplishments all ignored, my mistakes got more punishment than called for, no matter how small, and I have thought countless times about just running away or just ending my life. All because I was Howitzer's son."

"Ah but you see, that is why I have interest in you."

"What?"

"Did you know that I too come from a similar background of taboo? I was born from incest. My biological mother was also guilty of adultery with her brother, my biological father. I was kept away from any possible opportunity just because of that. I wasn't even allowed to see my birth parents. But then my Mentor came to me. The previous Grandmaster saw potential in me and did not want to see it go to waste. And now look at me. Taking the helm myself. I was drawn to you because you remind me a lot of myself as a youth. My Mentor saw the negative consequences of alienating a child because of their parents’ actions. Now, I want to do something similar myself. So you see? Cut from the same cloth, you and I."

"You are seriously considering this? Thank you Grandmaster."

"It’s going to take some time to get used to that new title. Oh and, you can just call me Mentor. By the way, what is your real name?"

“I, uh… Why?”

“Well, your name will make it easier for me to find you should I need you again.”

“Err, my name….”

“Out with it boy, I don’t have all day.”

"....Flash Sentry, ma'am. I'm... not really fond of it. My father gave it to me as a joke."

"I see. Well Flash Sentry, I hope you can prove to me that you are not your father. I'm hoping that you have your mother's talent instead and the manners of somepony else entirely. I certainly hope you have the will to survive my training. I will not go easy."

"I wouldn't want you to ma'am. Considering what I’ve gone through, I am not afraid of hard work."

"We'll see how things turn out. I will talk to you tomorrow on your first assignment. If you will excuse me though, I have to attend the upcoming coronation. The Princesses are expecting me with the others." Grimoire looked in the large mirror in her office while holding a photo of the new princess-to-be. She looked at the frame and smiled as tears started to well up in her eyes.

"Um, ma'am. Are you... crying?"

"Hm? No, no. Of course not. It's just.... Well, I don’t normally get so emotional about these kind of events but this case is special. I guess you could call it… Liquid Pride."

“Though my story has ended, my new apprentice has many things in store for him. I hope he will make me proud. I look forward to it…”

Signed

Twilight Velvet

The End...

Author's Note

And that's the end of that chapter!

So what do you guys think? For those of you who liked this, I have not one but two sequels planned. I will release a blog post with details once I am ready to upload them.

Till then, there is Ein Sof Zealotry.

File 05

Earlier the previous day...

“Geez. Of all the ways this could have happened, why did it have to go this way? Can I ever get one day of peace?”

*Knock knock*

“Ugh, I guess that’s a no… Come in. Oh Cadance! I wasn’t expecting you, come on in. How is the wedding planning going now?”

“We are making record time, thanks to Twilight Sparkle.”

“I see. That’s good. Considering everything that happened in the last few days, I’m glad to see everything turned out okay. Chrysalis was quite out of line when she did all this.”

“By the way, what’s going to happen to her now? She’s… not going be killed or anything, is she?”

“You needn’t worry about it dear, you should concentrate on your wedding. Though I must say, for you to be put through all this and still maintain mercy for your captors, quite frankly, surprises me. I don’t know whether to applaud you for your compassion or call you naive for it. If you really want to know though, I would imagine she will be hunted by the Torrent House and brought back to the Changeling nation where she will be most likely put in solitary imprisonment for an extended amount of time. I’m not entirely sure, the Secretary-General has not come to a decision on her sentence yet. Her acts didn’t cause large enough damage to go so far as to execute her, no matter how much I would like to see that be done. But alas, she is not under my jurisdiction, so I do not have the authority to influence that conviction.”

“I see. Even though she did many things to me, it’s not in my nature to hate. I just can’t, no matter how wrong it feels not to.”

“Of course, she is not the only one to be punished. I will have to have a talk with that incompetent aunt of yours later.”

“Could you please go easy on her this time? I mean, she did try to protect her subjects.”

“Yes, she did, but had she been more cautious, we would have not been in this mess in the first place. Look, you’re a great mare and I love you to death, but I cannot say the same for the rest of the royal family, Celestia especially. Maybe if she starts to live up to the standards we’ve set for her to follow, then MAYBE I will ease up a little... Maybe. Until then, I will call it like it is.”

“Oh… I guess I’m not really in the position to complain, am I?”

“Don’t worry about it. I am happy to talk to you whenever I can. Still, I will also have to talk to your husband-to-be about the security issues. But I don’t really want to dishearten either of you on your wedding day. I’m happy this is happening at all. What I heard from the guards about the rehearsal was troubling... I’m surprised miss Sparkle can even still call them friends after that. Hell, I’m surprised she even agreed to show up to this wedding at all after that.”

“She is a good mare and has a hard time feeling hatred. I talked to her in between the planning and she told me that she was the one that wanted to apologize.”

“What?”

“She said like how she acted and thought about what would happen if she was wrong about the fake me.”

“Even if she was wrong, that was no excuse for her so-called friends to walk out on her like that. Hell, even her mentor, the princess she looked up to for years, gave her the cold shoulder. She gave me yet another reason to not like her. No offense, Cadance, but your aunt just rubs me the wrong way. And I know everything that happened with her that most would be kept in the dark. Just the way she deals with things makes me explode with-”

“Ma’am, remember your blood pressure.”

“Yeah, yeah I know. I just can’t stand her. I would rather deal with Blueblood because his blunders are at least manageable. And recently, he’s been surprisingly productive, hell even tolerable at times. Did you know he actually built two new schools for orphans? I was kind of kidding when I said to contribute to society, but I have to give him credit, he did very well. I don’t know if he did it out of genuine generosity or out of fear of me, but either way it means he’s at least trying to take my talk with him seriously. He still has a long way to go before I find him as pleasant as you, but he is at least improving. Celestia however… Ugh, have I said it enough yet? I don’t like her. I don’t care much for Luna either, but I can at least tolerate her. She has an excuse for being hard to deal with.”

“Not to imply anything, but since I’m marrying Shining Armor tomorrow, that would technically make him a member of the royal family too, as would Twilight Sparkle.”

“Oh don’t worry. I know for a fact they will still be pleasant and effective. Shining Armor has some questionable moments as Captain of the Royal Guard, but I always want to see him move up in the world. He has put quite a deal of effort in his success and it really shows. As for Twilight Sparkle, she is probably the only thing about Celestia I like, and that’s only because she is improving her life as the years go by. That’s one thing I have to give Celestia credit for, she at least makes a decent teacher. Still, I think the sooner she leaves Celestia behind, the better. Never the less, try to keep them in the dark about the existence of our Order for as long as possible, alright? I don’t want them to be involved and with Shining Armor becoming a prince, it’s only a matter of time before the clan starts ordering him around just like the rest of the royals. Thankfully, I’m in charge for the time being so I can control when and how that happens.”

“I’ll try my best to keep them out, but I can’t make any promises. It just feels weird to already be withholding this from my new husband and sister-in-law. Granted it’s for a legitimate reason, but I still don’t like doing it.”

”Trust me, I know how you feel. In this case though, I think they are better off not knowing.”

“I know…”

“I just want to say congratulations and I hope that you and Shining Armor will be very happy together.”

“Thank you ma’am.”

“Oh and Cadance?”

“Yes?”

“I will be showing up to wedding tomorrow somewhat late due to a small meeting I need to attend, but I should be there in time for the ceremony to start. I’ve never been one for large events, especially ones with so many attendants, but I look forward to seeing you and the groom unite. Trust me, if he is anything like my husband, you will be very happy. Oh and it’s alright to call me by my name you know. From you, I would much prefer that.”

AUDIO SURVEILLANCE, [NAME CLASSIFIED] FILE 05 (WEDNESDAY, 4:17 PM)

***
***
***

It’s been one hell of a week, hasn’t it? I have to admit, I never really saw that invasion coming. Talk about crashing a wedding. Literally!

“I wasn’t present during the invasion. How bad was it?”

I don’t think it was as bad as it looked. For all that happened, there was surprisingly little collateral damage and virtually no physical injury. Thankfully my house was spared save for my husband’s greenhouse. That stallion has been mourning the loss of his hard work, haha. Poor guy.

“He has a greenhouse? Err, HAD rather?”

Yes, you could say he’s a scientist of sorts. He studies different subjects from time to time and his recent subject has been botany. Last month it was neuroscience, the month before it was astronomy, before that it was genealogy, and before that it was… well, you get the idea. He is a very intelligent stallion. Not to mention a handsome one.

Now then, I am invited to the wedding later today, so we can’t make this interview too long. My husband has been quite excited about it as well. Now that I think about it, it’s starting to remind me a lot of our wedding. Minus the Changelings of course.

“From our last interview several months ago, I could really tell you love him a lot. So why don’t we talk a bit more about him? When and how did you two get married? What was it that made you decide you wanted to be his wife?”

Well, to be honest, it took us about… I dunno three- Yeah, three years before we got engaged. You might be wondering why it took us that long. Well, he was studying for a Master’s degree, in what I don’t really remember, while I continued my work in the Order.

In the weeks following that magical night we kissed, I’ve begun to be a little bit more outgoing as a result of my coltfriend’s affection and him taking me out on more dates. He was a gentlecolt each time, he really knew how to make me feel like a lady. Just everything about him made me crazy about him, the smarts, the courtesy, how he combed his dark blue mane like that, ah those were some great memories. It also wasn’t long before my friends noticed my own changes too. As I said before, I kept the manestyle that Aperture did for me. It had a more professional look to it than my old unkempt hairdo. And I dunno, I guess I grew pretty fond of it overtime.

“It is a lovely look for you.”

Everyone says that, but thank you. I figured I might as well roll with it. Back then, I couldn’t really care less about what other ponies said about my looks, but something about [CLASSIFIED] just kinda brings out a feminine side of me that I didn’t really know existed. I dunno, he just has this charm about him that made me want to look my best around him. Boy lemme tell ya, that first week when we started dating was probably more complicated than it needed because I was just so indecisive on how to look. As time went on, I gradually grew more relaxed and figured out he really wouldn’t care so much about how I looked, just that we were together. I mean, sure, we have our occasional disagreements. Doesn’t every couple? But I can’t really remember one worth mentioning, not that I would.

A couple years later, there was a night I was preparing to meet with him for dinner. It was my twenty-first birthday and each of our friends were getting together at my favorite restaurant. So naturally, I wanted to look my best. I wore an evening dress that Aperture and Spotlight made for me, now married and working in the fashion industry. A very fine piece by the way, but that’s besides the point.

As much as I didn’t want to, I had to make a stop by the Headmistress’ office before meeting everyone; she needed my update report before the next day, but she also wanted to wish me a happy birthday. On the way there though, I just so happened to run into my coltfriend who was running an errand of his own.

“Fancy meeting you here! You look divine tonight, dear.”

“You say that everytime we go out, silly.”

“Well, it’s true. Listen I’d like to stay and chat, but I have something important I need to do before I meet you at the dinner.”

“As do I. My boss needs to talk to me about something. I will see you in half an hour.”

“By the way, my parents and brother will be joining us tonight. Ultraviolet should be getting of his shift soon. Till then, my love.”

He planted a quick kiss before we went about our business. As I walked away towards the clan manor, I got a strange feeling. That intuition that says something bad was going to happen to me. Ever walk alone at night and find yourself in an unfamiliar part of town? It was that kind of feeling. Well without realizing it, I started to hasten my pace in an urge to get away from whatever it was that threatened me. I got to the front door of the manor and practically slammed the door behind me, breathing a sigh of relief now that I was some place safe.

“Pandora? What are-”

“Ah!” I yelped at that sudden voice that startled me.

I looked back at the source of the voice. It was one of the housemaids, one I would talk to from time to time. She was really nice, but kind of a doormat.

“Cinnamon! Don’t scare me like that, you nearly gave me a heartattack!”

“Oh, um, sorry. I just thought you would’ve been off work by this time of the night.”

“I am actually. The Headmistress gave me today off since it’s my birthday.”

“Oh well happy birthday!”

“Thanks. Now where is Headmistress Aroma?”

“She’s not here right now.”

“...What?”

“Uh, she said she was picking up a package and that she would be out for the night.”

“Great… She calls me to talk about something and then she leaves.”

“Um, sorry. She said it was kinda urgent and I guess she didn’t have time to tell you about it.”

I let out a frustrated grunt before lightly stomping my hoof. “Well, don’t worry about it. It’s not your fault. This just means I wasted a walk here when I could have walked with my coltfriend. Guess I might as well go to the dinner everypony has planned for me. I’ll talk to you later.”

I walked back out through the door and as I walked out of the gates leading outside the property, I felt a hoof on my shoulder which made me jump.

“Woah there birthday girl. It’s just me.” My coltfriend stood by me.

“Geez, first Cinnamon and now you. What are you doing here anyway?”

My coltfriend held out a familiar envelope with his magic. “You dropped this awhile back. You were gone before I noticed it so I tried to catch up with you.”

After checking my saddlebag to confirm I didn’t have the envelope containing my report, I took it from him, blushing a bit with how careless I was. “Thanks. I would be in trouble if I didn’t have this. Though I guess it matters little right now since my boss is out for the night.”

“Well, perhaps you can walk with me then. You can meet my brother before we go to dinner.”

“Sounds good.”

As we walked away, I glanced back at the manor out of paranoia and I noticed a pony trotting away and he dropped something. While my love wasn’t looking, I used my magic to pick it up.

It was a knife with a certain symbol engraved into it. I didn’t know what it was at first so I kept it in a secret pocket in my saddlebag, so that nopony would see it should they happen to look there; I would mention it during my talk with the Headmistress later. Nevertheless, that pony had ill intentions for sure and I came very close to becoming his victim. It’s a good thing I dropped that envelope.

“I think you’ll like my family. Ultraviolet is pretty excited to finally meet you.”

“Oh? How come I haven’t seen him around here in Canterlot? He is a royal guard, right?”

“Yes, but he has his own family too. His wife and daughter like to travel with him whenever they can, so he is often out of the city during his days off. Of course, today he has a special reason to drop by.”

“He doesn’t even know me, is my birthday really that important?” I said with a grin.

“You don’t know the half of it. When my parents found out I had a marefriend, I never heard the end of it. They just got so excited. Who could blame them? Growing up, I didn’t interact with many mares and those I did were never anything more than friends or acquaintances.”

“So I’m basically your first marefriend? Kind of a strange choice don’t you think?... Says the lone wolf mare.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. Tonight is going to be a night for you to remember.”

We eventually came to the castle where his brother was just clocking out. Other than having the same blue mane and a slightly darker coat, I really wouldn’t have been able to tell they were brothers. His cutie mark’s colors were more green to my coltfriend’s yellow and he was definitely larger in stature, as is typical for most royal guards.

“Hello lil bro! Ah and is this who I think it is?”

“Indeed she is. Pandora, this is my older brother Ultraviolet. Ultraviolet, Pandora.”

“Hello,” I said with a smile.

“Nice to meetcha, little lady.” He held out his hoof for me to shake, which I accepted. “My little brother has said so much about you, it’s good to finally see you in person.”

“Likewise.”

“Listen, do you two think we can make a quick stop over to my house so I can change out of this armor and into more acceptable attire?”

We both nodded. His house wasn’t that far away from where he worked, a simple five minute walk. Even though I was now in the company of two stallions, one a trained royal guard, I still couldn’t shake the paranoia. As a result, I walked a lot closer between the two brothers than I normally would, fidgeting a bit.

Once we got to his house, Ultraviolet invited us inside. My coltfriend needed to talk to his brother in private so I waited in foyer. Even though they were in the next room over, I was more distracted by a rustling outside. I decided the noise outside was more important than the conversation the two were having so I cautiously opened the door to check outside. Out on the porch, I didn’t see anything at first. Nothing in the bushes, nothing in the sky, it all seemed perfectly normal.

Then it happened.

My eyes were blinded by dirt as I was pinned against the wall. I felt a thin rope or something against my throat and I had a hard time breathing as I tried to struggle free. Due to the sudden attack, I didn’t have time to use my magic. Hell, I don’t think I had the room to use it, I was just trying to survive as this guy was trying to asphyxiate me. However, even though I was a skilled magic user, I didn’t have the physical strength to complement it, something that I made sure to fix later in my life. I was very close to blacking out and thought for sure I was going to die.

“GET AWAY FROM HER!”

I was suddenly freed from the grasp of death when my assailant was tackled by my coltfriend. I started coughing and wheezing as his brother rushed to help him. I wiped the dirt from my eyes and saw my attacker was subdued by the two brothers who knocked him out. I saw my attacker was the same stallion I saw running away from earlier; the bastard turned out to be Jetstream, the stallion who pestered me a few years earlier. I had intended to scare him the first time so he would leave me alone, but it would seem he held it against me.

“Pandora, are you alright?” My coltfriend helped me to my feet.

“I think… I think I’ll be… alright.” I said between coughs.

Ultraviolet alerted some nearby guards who came and took away now unconscious attempted murderer. I was quite startled by the incident and the adrenaline made it hard to calm down. I don’t know if you’ve ever had a near death experience, but trust me, it’s scary.

“Who was that punk?” Ultraviolet asked.

“I think he was.. stalking me. I saw him awhile ago when I left my workplace.” I left out the part about the knife due to the symbol on it. That was a question I needed to ask the Headmistress.

“Well, you’re safe now. He won’t be bothering you anymore. Seems my brother here saved your life.”

“And I’m thankful for it.” I hugged my coltfriend.

We spent a while at the house before we left for the dinner. The two brothers talked to each other in private again before we left and during the walk, I said I didn’t want them to mention this to anyone else. I didn’t want to make them worry today of all days. We got to the restaurant and everyone we knew was there, Aperture and Spotlight, Mars and his wife, Serenade, and my coltfriend’s parents.

“There you are. We were starting to think you weren’t gonna show up,” Serenade said as her usual perky self.

“Sorry, we kinda got held up,” we said as we sat down.

“So, you’re Pandora huh? I’m [NAME CLASSIFIED]’s father. He’s said so many good things about you,” he said while shaking my hoof enthusiastically.

“One of the things he said was how pretty you are. Looks like he wasn’t exaggerating,” the mother added.

“He’s really nice. I’ve never met anypony like him” I said blushing.

Our dinner went pretty well. His parents were really nice, his brother was quite likable, and each of my friends got me different gifts. In addition to the dress Aperture and Spotlight gave me, Mars gave me a novel collection, and Serenade sang a new song for me. It was a fun hour of talking, laughing, and sharing stories. I was having a great time, something I really needed after being attacked like I was earlier.

“Everypony, may I have your attention please?” Ultraviolet stood up and said. “My brother here has something he would like to say.”

My coltfriend stood up. “Right then.” He took a small breath. It was clear he was nervous. He cleared his throat and turned to me. “Pandora, the last few years I’ve spent with you were some of the best I’ve had in my life. I know we haven’t been able to see much of each other sometimes, but I want you to know that the time I was able to spend with you, I would not trade for anything.”

This raised my eyebrow. I had a feeling as to where this was going, but I still couldn’t believe it.

“I want to do this in front of everypony. You’ve told me how much you love literature. Well, I would like to write our own happy ending tonight. All I need is for you to answer one question.”

He reached into his jacket and brought out a velvet box and he knelt down. My friends could already see where this was going and anticipated the result. The parents looked on expectantly and his brother just smiled; I knew now what they were talking about in private those times. As I thought, he opened the box revealing a gold ring with a set of diamonds encrusted into it.

“Pandora, will you marry me?”

Everyone went silent. They were excited to hear my answer, so much so that my friends failed to realize the inner conflict I had. You see, I wanted nothing more than to say yes to his question. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with this beautiful stallion, I wanted raise our children with him. But I feared what he would think if he found out about my part in the Order and after that attack, I was scared to think something could happen to him. A major rule in our clan is that we need to ask permission to marry someone. We need to make sure that who we are intending to marry could not cause any problems. We had a protocol we needed to uphold. But… In the heat of the moment, I just couldn’t help myself.

I hugged him tightly. “I would love nothing more than to be your wife.”

We gave each other a kiss and everyone clapped and applauded. I would have to talk to the Headmistress the next day, but that moment was probably the best birthday gift I ever got.

“So how did it go over with your Headmistress then? You kind of broke protocol there.”

Well, yes. I had many things I needed to address with her. She was a very understanding mare though. And as Aperture’s mother-in-law, I think she knew me well enough. Of course, she still had to talk to me as my boss.

“Come on in, Pandora.”

I walked into her office and closed the door behind me. I was quite sleepy because I got up early to revise my report to include what happened the previous night. “Here’s my update report ma’am. You weren’t in last night so I wasn’t able to give it to you.”

“I understand. Cinnamon told me you dropped by. My apologies for standing you up at the meeting by the way. It’s good you dropped by this morning, I actually need to talk to you about something. Have a seat, this is going to take awhile. Help yourself to some tea if you wish.”

We got ourselves situated. Cinnamon came in with tea and poured me a cup while Headmistress Aroma looked over my report.

“Now then, from what I understand, you were attacked and almost killed last night. Am I correct?”

“Yes ma’am. It turns out I knew the attacker. He was a former classmate who was harassing me. I turned down his advances and it would seem he took it too seriously. Before the attack, he dropped this.”

I took the knife out from my bag and gave it to her. She examined it and made note of the symbol.

“I see… We may have a problem. Pandora, have you ever heard of the Etherealist cult?”

“No, I haven’t ma’am.”

“Well, let me try to explain. The Etherealists were a supposed extremist cult. Their origin and purpose is highly debated to this very day but it seemed their actions are solely dedicated to causing lawlessness or unrest. They have been the Order’s nemesis for as long as either organization has existed. They were thought to have been quelled for many centuries, but now it seems like they are going through a sort of revival. The symbol on this knife, the alchemic symbol for ether, is their chosen insignia.” She placed the knife in an evidence bag. “About that stallion that attacked you. We did some digging and found out this guy has been involved in Etherealist activity for a long time now, I’d say for about as long as four years now, maybe slightly less.”

“That’s around the time I rejected his advances.”

“I find it highly likely he had other intentions with you than just trying to get you into his bed. From what we have dealt with in the past, these cultists take part in ritualistic murders using victims that they take hostage. For what, I don’t really care to find out. Now if he is indeed a part of the cult, we will have to revive the hunt for them.”

“Hunt?”

“These demons use violence as their primary tool, so violence is the only language these demons will understand. It is safer for everyone if they are simply killed because if we don’t, they will kill us. It may seem harsh but-”

“No, I understand. I experienced it first hand. It’s them or us and the way I see it, might as well be them.”

“Good. With that, I would like to appoint you at the head of the hunt.”

“Me ma’am?”

“Yes, out of all the agents, I feel you are the most qualified to coordinate the hunt. Over the years, you have shown great potential, just as your mentor said. I will admit, I had my doubts, but when I saw where you were going with it, I could see why the Grandmaster was so adamant about you. So, I would like to present to you an opportunity to prove your worth.”

“Thank you ma’am. I’ll try and do my best. But um, listen.”

“Hm?”

“I have to ask you about something.”

“This is about your new fiance right?”

“How did you-”

“Aperture told me. Look, don’t worry about breaking the protocol. I’ve already looked ahead of time into your soon-to-be family and they have no negative records to speak of that would be considered hazardous. If you want to marry him, go right ahead. All I ask is to be the officiant at your wedding.”

“Oh with pleasure! But I have one more thing I need to ask you.”

“Yes?”

“I… I’m afraid that if he finds out that I’m part of the Order that he’s not going to want to be with me anymore. I don’t think I can lie to him forever.”

“So you’re asking for permission to inform him then?”

“He saved my life twice last night. I think he deserves at least that much.”

She took a moment to ponder. “Whether or not you choose to inform him is completely up to your discretion. If you want my opinion though, I probably would tell him, just to see what kind of husband he would be. If he backs out then, he shouldn’t be worthy of you anyway. Personally though, if he was willing to put his life in danger to save yours, I don’t think he will be so cowardly. Like I said, it’s completely up to you. We will talk about this more later. Now for the time being, I’m suspending the search for the artifacts until we will have suppressed the cult.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Now uh, I think you have something to talk to your fiance about.”

I left the office, trying to absorb what I was told. As I walked though the manor towards the gates, I was congratulated by servants and other agents with my engagement. Even though I was glad to see they took the time, I still thought it was a bit too early to celebrate. I had a complicated task ahead of me and no idea how to do it.

I went home to prepare what I was going to tell my fiance. It took till about noon before I got up the motivation to go to his house and just get it over with. I savored the warm daytime breeze during the walk over- man, I seem to be walking a lot these past few interviews huh?- and when I got to his door, I knocked on it. I waited a couple minutes before knocking again. After a bit, I was contemplating leaving to try again later when the door opened.

“Sorry about the wait, I got caught up in something. So what’s up?”

“Hi honey. May I come in? I need to talk to you about something.”

“Oh, of course. Come right in.”

I have to point out that I’ve never actually been inside his house before this point, partly because he had just kind of moved into it. He led me to the living room.

“Can I get you anything? A cup of tea maybe?”

“No thank you, I’ve had enough tea today. I won’t be long either.”

“Oh? What is it you wanted to talk about?”

“Well, I have some concerns about our engagement.”

He froze a bit in worry. I guess he was afraid I wanted to call it off or something.

“No no no, I still want to marry you. It’s just that… I have to tell you something before I do.”

With that, I started to tell him everything with me and the Order. I decided the best way to tell him was direct and straightforward; I mean if we were going to be married, we would need to be open with each other anyway. He listened to everything I had to say, only interrupting once in awhile to confirm something. I was surprised how well he was taking it. He didn’t at all react with the surprise or shock like I thought he would. Instead he nodded and smiled.

“This explains a lot actually. I’ll admit, when I first saw you, I felt something different from you. To tell you the truth, I was kind of fascinated by that fact. I guess that mysteriousness just drew me in.”

“You had suspicions? For how long?”

“Since you mentioned your mentor. I didn’t want to ask about it because I knew it was a touchy subject for you and that it wasn’t any of my business.”

“Oh… Well I understand if you want to call off the engagement now. Are you sure you want to get involved with something like this?” I said bracing myself for rejection.

“Well of course I still want to get involved.”

My eyes widened with surprise. “Y-you still want to get married? You don’t hate me?”

“Hate you? Why would I ever hate you? I poured my heart into that proposal. I said I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you and I meant every word of it. I understand your reasons for keeping this secret and respect your honesty for revealing it to me. If I could be blunt for a second, I would question more if you DIDN’T keep it a secret. You were just trying to stay alive. I could never hate you. Sure, we may go through tough times from this, but you won’t be doing it alone.”

“Thank you. That makes me so happy to hear. But listen, before I can marry you, there is one last thing you need to know.”

“What’s that?”

“My real name.”

My eyes welled up as he embraced me right then and there. I was overjoyed with this result and I was glad he was so understanding. But then something came to my mind, something else that I had been neglecting for the past day. I remembered the last thing left behind from my mentor that I kept inside my saddlebag: that white velvet box. I decided then was a good time to open it to see what was in it, in front of my fiance so he could see too. I reached into my saddlebag and took it out. What I found inside melted my heart.

A necklace of pearls with a note from Mentor.

“Was it the same necklace that you wear every time I see you?”

The very same. It’s my prized possession along with my wedding band. Both are a reminder of the greatest stallions in my life. What was interesting was what the note said:

“I know you are saddened by my passing, young one. While I am glad to see I will be remembered, I want you to move on. I will see you again in the afterlife, but for now, I want you to enjoy your current one. If you are reading this, I know well what your life has in store for you. Whether you continue your work in the Order or settle down and have kids, please do everything in your power to never stop growing.I wish you and your new husband a happy and fulfilling life.”

“How did he….?” I was confused with how he knew I would be getting married about four years after his death. Then again, he was a zebra. They know many things that we ponies don’t, Mentor especially.

“Seems your father was a very smart stallion.”

“Well, he was ninety-eight when he died. He was at least wise. So uh, about those wedding plans?”

Our engagement went for a month before the wedding came. Normally, a wedding takes a lot of time to plan, but for us, there really wasn’t much to do. Plus I had friends that work fast. The wedding itself was being held in the clan manor. We had decided to hold it there since it was where we first fell in love and the Headmistress was more than happy to oblige. My friends of course played a large part in the wedding.

Spotlight made the clothes for everyone, including my wedding dress. I didn’t want it too fancy, but he still put his own touches on it, even incorporating the three components of my cutie mark into my veil. I wore my pearl necklace too, so that Mentor could be a part of the wedding like I believed he would want to. Serenade, of course, had to sing at my wedding; who else was I going to get to do it in all seriousness? The Edens provided the food, including a masterpiece of a wedding cake. Their son and his grandmother were invited too, and Mrs. Eden was pregnant with their second child at the time of the wedding. And Aperture? She was my maid of honor of course. She also did my mane and styled it into elegant curls that complimented the streaks in my hair. Ultraviolet was my husband’s best stallion and his niece was the flower girl. Like any bride, I had some pre-marriage jitters. Nevertheless, I was excited.

“Are you ready milady?” Mars said to me before walking through the doors.

“Yeah. I’m ready. It’s time for me to get married.”

Mars was doing the honor of giving me, the bride, away since I had no father to do it. He didn’t mind, he was flattered I chose him to do it. The large doors opened and Serenade started the wedding march. We walked down the aisle, my bouquet held with my magic, and once we got to the altar, I gazed into my husband’s caring eyes.

“Fillies and gentlecolts. We are gathered here today to join these two loving ponies in holy matrimony. If there is any among us that objects to this union, speak now or forever hold your peace… Now with that, the bride and groom have prepared their vows.”

As we gave our vows to the other, I have to say, I was getting pretty teary eyed. I’m such a dork, I get emotional about these things even now. Once the vows were said, the Headmistress continued the ceremony.

“Do you, [NAME CLASSIFIED], take Pandora to be your lawfully wedded wife, to live together in matrimony, to love, honor, comfort her and keep her in sickness and in health, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, to love and cherish, till death do you part?”

“I do.”

“Do you, Pandora, take [NAME CLASSIFIED] to be your lawfully wedded husband, to live together in matrimony, to love, honor, comfort him and keep him in sickness and in health, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, to love and cherish, till death do you part?”

“I do.”

She smiled to the both of us. “Then by virtue of the power vested in me by the state, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Rings please.”

The best man handed us the wedding bands; we went with larger hoof rings instead of horn rings, simply so that we could look and reflect on them for years to come.

“You may now kiss the bride.”

We embraced in a long, passionate kiss as everyone cheered. Then came the cutting of the cake, our first dance, throwing of the bouquet, everything that makes a wedding reception. It eventually came time for us to leave on our honeymoon, which was scheduled by my new mother-in-law to take place in a secluded resort in Manehattan, the city I was born in. As we were leaving, I stopped to talk to Aperture who was escorting us to our mode of transportation.

“Aperture, I have to thank you. If not for you introducing us, I never would have felt what this was like.”

“No problem Pan. I hope the two of you will share many happy moments together. Maybe the two of you will even have beautiful children, eh?”

“Most likely. The private resort his mother set for us will provide many opportunities to do more than cuddle.”

The two of us chuckled and before I knew it, I was on my way to begin my new life, one that I would never want to spend with any other stallion.

“That’s quite a story there. How has your marriage been since then?”

Well, we’ve been married for over twenty-seven years now with two full grown kids and with no signs of slowing down. You tell me. All this talk about weddings is reminding me more and more that I have one to attend. If you don’t mind.

“Of course not. I understand you want to attend this one. I look forward to the next interview.”

***
AUDIO RECORDING END (4:55 PM)

Later that night...

"I am NOT impressed with you, Princess Celestia Apollo von Equestria. This may be a victory for the city, the Elements of Harmony, and certainly for the bride and groom. But YOU have some serious explaining to do about why you couldn't tell the difference between premarital stress and a dangerous doppelganger. I just can’t…. Ugh, you know? When I woke up this morning… I didn't want to be a jackass. But you… You just pushed my jackass button.”

"I just-"

"STAY. YOUR. TONGUE. Unless I give you leave to use it. Not only did you fail to prevent a full scale invasion, but you betrayed the trust of your 'faithful student' who also happens to be one of my favorite mares in the world. She looked up to you and wanted nothing more than to earn your approval and yet I saw how you tore her heart in an instant. Your captain of the guard is no less guilty either, but at least he had a valid excuse for his actions. I cut him a break not just because it was his wedding day, but he is also a favorite of mine. And then of course there is the matter of Cadance, the only royal in the Equestrian territories that I actually respect AND like. That doesn't say a lot for the royal family who I have seen getting constant praise that I don't think they deserve. And what does that say about you?"

"If you give me a chance to expla-"

"No! You will sit there until I am finished speaking! I have been surprisingly lenient with your actions over the time I have been in position. I have dealt with your presence for more time than I care to. Now this one event comes and I give you ONE, count it ONE, simple task of overseeing the wedding of Shining Armor and your niece Cadance. I watched Shining Armor grow up, I've seen him idolize the royal guard that serves your pathetic ass- why he would want to join them, I don't know, but I supported his choice nonetheless. And your niece, whom I've also watched grow since you took her in and gave her a crown and a horn, and whenever I saw her, she would always try to bring smiles and love to those around her. With me, she would always succeed. And then there is the matter of Twilight Sparkle. When you took her in as your student, I started to worry. When I think back to her in that entry exam, I had mixed feelings. On one hoof, I was more than impressed to hear her do the impossible and actually HATCH a stillborn dragon egg. That's not something even I could do. I wanted her to progress with her magic. On the other hoof, she would do so under your so-called guidance... Oh yeah, because so many of your other students turned out to be so successful and would go on to do SOOO many great things. How is Sunset Shimmer by the way?"

"She tried to-"

"What about Moxie, remember her? The one who committed suicide after you scolded her on... whatever it was you scolded her for, I can't remember what. She was so committed to you because you built her up to trust you and want love from you. She has gone so far and you eventually gave her wings, a crown thingy, and brought her into the family, which she was happy to accept knowing it would bring her closer to you. Then ONE time she screwed up, what you attempted was a simple light lecture. Instead it turned into a heated argument and one thing lead to another you told her that if she couldn't get her act together, you couldn't teach her anything. From what I recall, she was found the next morning in her room with a note clutched in her hooves and a pharmacy’s worth of medication in her stomach. And let's not forget how much her family cried at her funeral, one which Moxie herself barred you from attending in her suicide note. Some aunt you turned out to be! Or what about dear old Clear Water just a few years after Nightmare Moon was banished? I seem to remember hearing about quite a bit of tension between the two of you in the last few years of her apprenticeship. What was it about? Something about a marriage and coronation she didn't want? Were you thinking about her then?"

"I didn't want it to happen either..."

"And yet you said nothing to object to it. But okay, in your defense, that's not something you had any control over at the time. I understand that, and therefore withdraw my statement. Either way, they would have a child which would later marry one of your first few children and then nearly a millennium later BOOM, your questionable excuse of a nephew Blueblood was born. And now that Twilight Sparkle is your current student, you would do the same to her! In all honesty, if it were anypony other than her, I wouldn't give a damn. She may be forgiving on the outside, but I know how much it hurt her when she was abandoned at that rehearsal. Sure, what she did wasn't exactly the right way to do it and quite frankly, I can understand why one would walk out on her because of how she acted. Do I like what they did? Fuck no! But I can't exactly blame someone for thinking that way. You, on the other hoof... While I understand Shining Armor to berate her due to his situation and her so-called friends to turn around due to a past experience, I EXPECT you to take it upon yourself and console your 'faithful student' and calmly explain to her why things happened the way they did and to give her a shoulder to cry on when she knew she failed. You are her teacher and secondary mother figure, you had an obligation to be there for her in her time of need, regardless whether what she did was right or not. INSTEAD, you verbally backhoofed her with such coldness of the Frozen North."

"I..."

"I gave you ONE task. ONE. And what do you do? YOU SCREWED IT ALL UP AND THEN SOME! You know, Celestia? Let's draw a comparison here. When you take in students or other loved ones, making them nephews or nieces, whatever, you build them so high and you say that you love them and nurture them. You give them wax wings so to speak. You are the bringer of the Sun and you bring your loved ones close to you. Now use your brain on this one: What happens when wax wings get close to the Sun, hm? When you lose your students, they get too close to the sun. Their wax wings melt. And then they fall. Is it any wonder why I have such contempt for you? Whenever you take in a student or adopt a new family member, it troubles me."

"It seems everything I do troubles you."

"Reflect on that, only do so on your way back to your quarters. Oh, and Celestia?”

“...Yes?”

“The only reason I've tolerated you thus far is because my children and husband see you as a close friend. Be grateful to that because this time that connection saved your life. You also might want to consider reevaluating your relationship with your ‘most faithful student’. If that’s how you’re going to treat her after everything she’s done, she might not stay with you for much longer. If it were up to me, she would have left a long ago. Just... I'm sorry princess, truly I am. I really want to be able to like you. You are a decent, approachable ruler, not to mention an alright partner for the most part. But you constantly fail to give me any reason to see you as a true acquaintance. There are things you have to be called out on, especially the recent blunders with-”

“I’m… I‘m sorry, Pandora.”

“That’s Headmistress to you, Princess. For what it's worth, I'm sorry for really ripping you a new one. I know I really have no right to bring up those nasty things, I'm just mad. Now just... Just go. I really don't feel like yelling anymore.”