“Stupid, overly stupid,” Dandelion Blossom muttered to herself. The Augmented Reality text of an excerpt from the Knight Errant Public Relations specialist flickered in her vision, proclaiming that justice would be done, the mad bomber who had so casually destroyed a forensics van and team would be caught.

Another queued article described the events at the storage facility. Suspicions of an inside Job were noted, Rust Butter, the manager of the facility, was being sought. Not that he would ever be found, Dandelion Blossom had no reason to become him again. There was nothing to be gained in that role, and the changeling who called her Tisiphone had someone far better to be at the moment, namely Dandelion Blossom.

Still, the ever-present realization that the fracas surrounding Rust Butter had been all so unnecessary haunted her.

Another stallion came up to the table she had all but camped out at for the last several days. Her currently satin white hooves flicked through a few AR buttons. The data search came back, an aspiring actor, Dazzling Mirage, and no pony of note. She silently looked at him, met his best winning smile with a look of utter disinterest and slowly her hoof traced a circle in the air above the table. The command to turn around and walk away beyond misinterpretation.

“Oh don’t be that way,” he began to protest.

“And I suppose, this is where you start telling me about all the important ponies you know, except of course how they prefer to keep it on the down-low,” Dandelion Blossom noted with a saccharine dusting of insincerity. “If you came looking for something other than a pony ride, by all means, continue, otherwise.”

Dazzling Mirage took a step in retreat before backing away. Dandelion Blossom watched him go and brushed a lock of vibrantly yellow mane back behind an ear. She didn’t doubt that the huddle of stallions in the corner was probably consulting on how they were going to defrost the icy mare who held their aspiring affections.

She didn’t much care for the disappointed stallions, but on the other hoof, this exercise in revenge was becoming costly from a time perspective. She had quickly been forced to acknowledge that completely taking on a new form wasn’t as easy as she had made it look for Emerald Mist. It was tiring. Brutally effective, but tiring. She couldn’t simply juggle multiple interwoven roles, it wore her out too fast. She couldn’t be Dandelion Blossom, Glass Darkly, and some washed-up starlet reduced to working for Silver Screen Dreams in short succession. She needed to resolve this first, but so far Speculum hadn’t cooperated.

Show business was an annoyingly circular place. You needed to know some pony, but without knowing some pony you were beneath notice. And so she ran around in figurative circles. Not that unlike what she had inadvertently managed recently.

She managed a wan smile, she had made a setback her own mini-test, and in the moment of judgment, she had passed. The Knight Errant forensic squad never suspected it was not Rust Butter to whom they spoke at Butter's apartment. The memory still sent tingles up her spine. Her first deception as a Queen and she had deceived a Knight Errant detective. Still, so very, very pointless. Vixie getting shot, Split Klaw destroying the van. Her assuming Rust Butter’s place. So many steps had been necessary just to get back to the status quo. In order to avoid a potentially difficult impersonation of Blue Field, she had orchestrated a three-ring circus involving an even more difficult impersonation of Rust Butter.

In a larger sense she also felt like she was running in circles on the power cores. She had half of another data set, courtesy of the delay she had suggested in turning in the data bricks stolen from the storage facility. Not that she knew what the exabytes of data meant. Then there was the question of which core the data source was from, and who Blue Field had been offering that data to.

Still, she had been paid, and the lessons learned were useful. It was clear that Gwynn's stint as a pseudo hacker could not continue. She also needed a backup for when subtlety went out the window and mages on mage combat was the only answer.

She checked on her order with Friendly Finn, one clandestinely re-weaponized ostensibly de-weaponized Doberman, oh the irony. Her currently retracted, morphed fangs ached just thinking about how many more vials she was going to need to fill with venom to keep the poison reservoir in the drone full. As she looked up, a smile lit her face, the stooge had arrived. Her encounters with Buster Goodmane had rarely gone well…but then again in those earlier bouts she hadn’t been wearing a form designed to appeal to Buster’s basic instincts.

She checked her mane and slid out of the booth. It was showtime for the Queen.

--

“Mr. Goodmane? Would you have a moment for a fan? I would be ever so grateful if you would please talk to me about my career.”

Dandelion held up a hoof as one of Buster’s groupies moved to block her way. She had put laced just enough power into her voice, but she could already sense that her inexperience with Dandelions' voice had weakened the force. It had been a mediocre command and to her chagrin Buster stopped and rubbed his head with a hoof.

Dandelions’ ears heard the soft question Buster asked.

“She worth the time?”

Dandelion Blossom did her best to be both alluring and insecure in the same pose. The feeling of the gaggle of stallions eyeing her over palatable.

“Nine, nine and a half,” the whisper returned to Buster who slowly turned and started to eye her with a suspicion that would have been unwarranted save for a faintly remembered dream where the pony before him had eaten a part of his magic in another guise.

"I've been a big fan of your work, as one pegasus to another."

Dandelion Blossom rubbed one foreleg on the other and worked to suppress a faint blush, playing up the part of a mare a bit overcome by the presence of an action star stallion.

"I heard that getting as nova hot as you are takes the right connections, would you, uh, consider introducing me? It would mean so much to me."

She gave the best approximation of the smile Lavender had used to melt Buster.

The appeal to his vanity was sufficient at least to diffuse Buster’s subconscious concern that a thought not his own had skittered over his mind.

“Uh yeah, I mean I can mention it if someone’s looking for talent,” Buster shrugged, “What’s your name?”

“Dandelion Blossom,” she gave her best-excited smile, though she was sure the promise was as empty as Silky Sheet's heart was of empathy. She transmitted an AR card with a few of the more traditional industry headshots, though the quality wasn’t the best, she had used her drone rather than an actual trid studio.

She retreated to a far corner of the lounge, finding at least a little mirth that Buster had been in bucking distance of her and had absolutely no clue that he was addressing the same mare that had promised his doom as Emerald Mist and earlier threatened as Dante Haze. She wasn’t done though, she listened in with her directional microphone and timed her spell.

“She was cute, usually it’s the ones that an agent knows won’t pan out that resort to the 'notice me' tactics. You could at least tell her to stop wasting her time and get an agent,” a groupie noted.

“From Calfree according to her bio, may not have an agent here,” another groupie noted.

“You sure you feeling okay Buster, you could have smiled at her and had some quality trailer time.”

“Eh,” Buster began, “I’ve been hanging out with Winning Smile, and as lovely as Miss Blossom was, you don’t give up the opportunity to get in tight with a mare that brings home a million nu-bits per trid.”

In the corner, Dandelion Blossom watched out of the corner of an eye. Around her green eyes a slight flash of amethyst flashed so fast that if one blinked they would miss it. Her lips moved fractionally as a mental suggestion was woven.

“I should mention Dandelion Blossom to Speculum Shine, he might have some use for an attractive mare looking for work.”

Back at the table.

Buster blinked, and then lifted a hoof to his chin.

“You know I think I’ll mention her to Speculum at least, she’s easier on the eyes than most. Worst case, she can’t act, and Speculum can stick her in the back ground of the next trid that has a pool scene. She'd look good in a skimpy saddle.”

Across the room, Dandelion Blossom smiled, progress had been made.

-- Later

“Dandelion Blossom,” Limelight coldly intoned, her manner frosted with a general dislike, “Mr. Shine will see you now.”

“Thank you,” Dandelion graciously nodded.

The office was the same, the last time she had been here, she had been forced to fall on her figurative sword in order to ensure the success of her other more lucrative job.

“So you’re the filly Buster was so enamored of, what exactly do you want?”

Dandelion Blossom gave her best winning smile and spun a tale of a hopeful actress looking for her big break. It was a decent attempt, but Speculum’s eyes narrowed, Tisiphone had seen too much, done too much, killed too many times for her ingénue act to be totally genuine. She was shading the truth and Speculum was fairly good himself at recognizing it.

“You’re definitely gilding that lily Miss Blossom, it’s a nice story, but I sincerely doubt that if you get scratched that you’ll bleed Calfree sunshine.”

Dandelion Blossom knew better than to deny, instead she circled the accusation, and played to Speculum’s pride.

"They always did say that rushing art is unwise. Still I see why they say that Speculum Shine is THE stallion to talk too for a hopeful young filly. You are incredibly perceptive. No wonder they say you have a good number of directors wrapped around your hoof. I bet you run circles around most of the movers and shakers in the industry who can barely do more than yell at whatever pony is assigned to bring them soykaf. Given that, can you blame a filly who's worked so very hard to get where she is, sacrificed so much for a chance just to get in front of the right ponies, and who couldn't bear the thought of going home empty hooved? I would be so very grateful."

The ingénue act shifted towards a more assertive pose. Dandelion acted the part of a mare who knew what she wanted and was willing to do anything necessary to get it.

Speculum shifted as well.

“I do dislike mares that think they can play me,” Speculum half growled.

A string of half promises, verbal hooks, and contractual traps came forth. Tisiphone knew most of the tricks, and a back and forth of venomous courtesy was issued and parried by both.

“If these arrangements are not to your liking I can keep you in mind in the future, but I’m not in a position to be overly generous to aspirants.”

Dandelion knew that promise was worthless, if she walked out the door then this plot was done. She went in hard after Speculum’s pride.

"Oh, well, I guess if that's the best you can do. I mean with all the talk of how nova hot Speculum Shine is, how he's bound to get a big role in Hollywood any day now, how he's the mover and shaker around here, I mean everyone was using Buster Goodmane as an example what you could do. I figured...well... No...It’s okay, I hope to hear from you, would you know if….”

She rattled off a number of other industry movers.

Speculum looked her over silently.

“I don’t just suggest ponies for roles to the directors I know…, at minimum I would need to see an example of your work to ensure I’m not setting myself to look like a fool.”

Dandelion didn’t flinch.

“So you would need a private audition…to confirm I can perform at the appropriate level?”

“Something like that…,” Speculum gave a practiced disinterred look in reply that said volumes.

“That would be perfectly acceptable,” Dandelion coolly acknowledged.

“Then that will be all, I will let you know through Limelight, when I have the time and can make the arrangements.”

“I thank you for your time,” Dandelion gave a slight appreciative bow, turned, and left. Halfway across the parking structure, the full ramifications of what she was agreeing too slowly sunk in. Of what might be necessary if she went through with this plan. Her hatred of Speculum would make it difficult she knew, but it was also her burning hatred that pushed her forwards.

Her mother, Alecto, had led what was likely a suicide attack into the teeth of the most heavily armed ponies the earlier age had seen, largely to distract from the small squad that had snuck Tisiphone to safety. Her current anxieties paled against that knowledge. She would succeed. She needed more. More cash, more favors to trade with The LinkMan, and the knowledge that she had avenged herself of the insults heaped upon her old alter ego.

Passing beyond observation, the feigned smile on Dandelion Blossom’s face melted. She knew what she intended. She was going to build her hive, and she was going to do so on the shattered wreckage of Speculum Shine’s career, reputation, and wealth.

Author's Note

Game Notes: The team is hired to steal a set of data bricks owned by the pony Blue Field, a rumored independent spy, from a mid-tier storage facility. Given the not insignificant security at the facility the decision is made to go after one of the security managers at the site, Rust Butter, with the intent of replacing him and using his security access to bypass the various security countermeasures.

The attempt to ambush Rust Butter goes sideways and Vixie (PC) is badly injured. Knight Errant is summoned and the residential block goes on lockdown in response to a security alert from the gunfire. Deciding that escape is unlikely. Glass Darkly (PC, POV) impersonates Rust Butter while the rest of the team hides in the basement. The Knight Errant officers are convinced that Rust Butter drove off his attackers but they nonethless collect a great deal of Vixie's blood as evidence. Later Split Klaw (PC) will ambush the KE van and destroy it with a rocket launcher while it is on enroute back to the station.

Glass Darkly then checks in as Rust Butter at the facility, but given events. Rust Butter is not allowed full reign. Thus a second fight occurs. After another battle, victory and escape. The team hides out, giving Glass Darkly time to examine the data bricks that are the target. He discovers another data set which he manges to half copy.

Elsewhere, Glass Darkly is working to setup a scandal that will destroy his rival Speculum Shine by appearing in the guise of a hopeful actress. Glass Darkly is trying to steal secrets for sale to the Link Man an information dealer to fund the rare magical resources needd for a powerful summoning ritual.