A little while later, Traveler and Suncloak were in the latter’s office again, sitting in the same seats as before.
“I’ll make one thing clear,” Traveler said, “and it’s that I’m only doing this out of necessity. You’re insane, and I don’t want to work with you, but you’re forcing me.”
Suncloak nodded. “Seeing as you probably want to get out of exile, I can understand that. So, who are you?”
“I’m #5,” Traveler said. “Of Her Majesty’s personal elite.”
Suncloak let out a sharp whistle. “Whoa. Her Highness must’ve had a very good reason to exile you. What’d you do to deserve that?”
“You should know all about this next part,” Traveler sneered. “During a mission I was in charge of, the Evershifting Stone itself was stolen.”
“What?!” Suncloak’s eyes went wide and he reeled back in surprise, nearly falling out of his chair. “How did that happen?! Why are you here?! Who did it? You don’t think I did it, do you?”
Traveler narrowed his eyes. “You’re a suspect. The Stone was stolen by ponies. Royal guards to be precise.”
Suncloak, still reeling, opened his mouth to say something, though it seemed like he reconsidered. “Wait, that doesn’t make any sense,” he said after a few seconds. “Nothing changed about the rules regarding the Stone. Not a single pony should be aware of it.”
“Right,” Traveler said. A flimsy excuse, if any.
“You have to believe me!” Suncloak said. “I have no reason to steal the Queen’s—” He let out a startled gasp. “Oh no! Who knows what she’ll do if she thinks I stole it!” He jumped out of his chair and started pacing around. “But this is impossible! Are you sure they were royal guards?”
“Definitely,” Traveler said. “I don’t recall any changeling scents on them, and one of them put me to sleep with a sleep spell. I don’t know any changelings who can do that.”
Suncloak’s pacing became more and more frantic. “Okay, okay, just gotta figure this out. Some ponies must’ve found out about the Stone, somehow. But the only way they could’ve found out is…” He paused, his eyes becoming even wider.
Traveler raised an eyebrow. He’d only seen someling panic this badly when they were absolutely sure they had incurred the wrath of Queen Chrysalis. Which, considering the situation, was a very good description.
Suncloak suddenly bolted to one of the bookcases and pulled out a rather hefty binder, then smacked it on the desk in front of Traveler. “Read this, see if you can find anyling who was involved in your mission!” he blurted, speeding towards the door. “Stay here! I have everything under control, I just need to… Uh, I need to water my lobsters!”
Suncloak quickly went through the door, slamming it shut. “Make sure he doesn’t leave,” he told the two changeling guards. “I need to go see the princesses.” Without waiting for a reaction, he went into the castle halls again, making his way towards the throne room at full speed.
After a few minutes of sprinting, Suncloak burst through the doors leading to the throne room, skidding to a halt in front of the princesses, who were currently talking to some very official-looking, monocle-wearing pony. “I…” Suncloak gasped for air. “I think I need to work on my condition.”
Princess Celestia didn’t seem phased by his sudden entry at all. The tall, white alicorn simply sat in her throne, her pink, green and blue coloured mane and tail lazily drifting in a nonexistent wind. “What seems to be the matter, Ambassador?” Like always, she sounded gentle and patient, though that did nothing to calm Suncloak down.
“Big emergency!” he shouted, flailing his front hooves about. “Everything going wrong! Bad stuff happening! Need to talk to you!” He looked around the lavishly decorated room, spotting the multitude of pony guards and the lone official, who was sputtering something about ‘great injustices’ under his breath. “Um, in private,” Suncloak added.
Princess Luna tapped a hoof on her chin. While she wasn’t as tall as her sister, her dark blue colours and star-filled mane were more than enough to make her look equally imposing. “You know, if the supply closet is out of toilet pa—”
“This isn’t about that again!” Suncloak shouted. “That was only one time! This is serious! Really bad news serious!”
The two princesses looked at each other and both raised an eyebrow. “Very well,” Princess Celestia said, turning to their earlier guest. “I’m sorry, sir. We’ll have to continue our chat some other time.” She turned to the room at large. “Guards, I’m going to have to ask you to leave as well, for the time being.”
A few moments later, the room was empty, save for the princesses and Suncloak. “Now, what is it you had to tell us, Suncloak?” Princess Celestia said.
Suncloak sat down and twiddled his hooves. “Well, um, this is a little bit complicated, and I probably should have mentioned it earlier.” He paused for a moment. “Have you ever heard of the Evershifting Stone?”
“I don’t think I have,” Princess Luna said, glancing at her sister.
“Neither have I,” Princess Celestia said. “What is it?”
“It’s the most powerful changeling artifact there is,” Suncloak said. “It’s to changelings what the Elements of Harmony are to ponies, I guess.”
“Why only bring this up now?” Princess Luna asked.
“Well, all changelings are kind of expressly forbidden to talk about it.” Suncloak cowered a little bit. “The Queen put big punishments on it. I didn’t tell any ponies about it, nor did I change any of the rules surrounding it, because I don’t really want to find out what the Queen would do if you knew.”
“That’s understandable,” Princess Celestia said, giving a warm smile.
Suncloak took a deep breath and sighed. “The Stone is what makes Queen Chrysalis a queen. Without it, she’d be just like any other changeling. But with it, she’s powerful, immortal, and rules over all changelings by right of ownership.”
“Interesting. What, exactly, is this Stone?” Princess Luna asked.
“Noling really knows,” Suncloak said, shrugging. “It’s really weird. Every time you look away, something about it changes. That’s why it’s called the Evershifting Stone. We don’t know what it is or where it came from, just that it’s there, and that it’s really powerful.”
“Nothing?” Princess Celestia raised an eyebrow. “No records, no research?”
“Changelings don’t really do either of those,” Suncloak said. “Besides, research is pretty much useless. The Stone changes all the time, and it’s completely random. Noling can agree on its past, either. Everyling has a different story, almost like the Stone keeps changing its own history. But that’s impossible.” He paused for a moment. “I think.”
“But why tell us now?” Princess Luna asked. “Did something happen to it?”
“Um, yes.” Suncloak stood up and took a step back. “There’s a changeling in my office, an exile. He’s one of Her Highness’ elite, and he’s here because it was stolen.” He took another couple of steps backwards. “By your royal guards.”
“What?” Princess Luna traded looks with her sister. “That’s not possible.”
“Oh thank goodness!” Suncloak blurted out, quickly clasping a hoof over his mouth. “Sorry,” he hissed after a second. “It’s just…” He put his hoof down again and started pacing around. “Not a single pony should know the Stone exists. On top of that, it was stolen during a mission, and considering the Queen keeps anything regarding the Stone top secret, not a single changeling living here could’ve known about it.”
His pacing became faster and faster, more and more frantic. “There’s no reason any pony should know about it, let alone any royal guard. But right now, I’m the most likely suspect, and I bet Queen Chrysalis will take any excuse to force all changelings to serve her again! I should’ve told you but I didn’t and I’m so sorry and everything I’ve done will—”
“Suncloak!” Princess Luna shouted, magically amplifying her voice and scaring the living daylights out of the panicked ambassador. “Calm down and take a deep breath.”
Suncloak stared at her for a few seconds, his heart stuck in his throat. “B-But I…” The following glare coming from the Princess of the Night made him carefully consider his next words. “O-Okay.” He took a deep breath, and miraculously, it made him feel a little bit better, though not by much.
“Good,” Princess Luna said, switching over to her warmest smile. “Panicking like that isn’t very becoming of an ambassador, now is it?”
Suncloak meekly nodded.
“Since this is changeling business, what do you suggest we do?” Princess Celestia asked.
After a few seconds of silence, Suncloak looked around. “You’re asking me?” He raised an eyebrow and pointed at himself.
“Of course,” Princess Celestia said. “You’re the one who’s the most knowledgeable about this.”
“Oh.” Suncloak tapped a hoof on his chin. “Okay… The Stone is pretty much useless to ponies, so we don’t have to worry about that. Though someling needs to have told those guards, or whoever they were, about the Stone.”
“Could they wish to use its power for something?” Princess Luna asked.
“I think so,” Suncloak said. “But not for long. The Stone operates under very strange rules. The only one who has access to its powers permanently is the Queen herself. Any other changeling can use it, but only for a short while. Half an hour, tops, I think. Could be shorter.”
“Maybe Queen Chrysalis herself is involved,” Princess Celestia said.
“No way. If she was involved, she wouldn’t exile one of her own elites,” Suncloak said. “Those guys are good. Really, really good. I’m absolutely sure she’s serious about this.”
The three of them remained silent for a while. “Then… which options remain?” Princess Luna said.
“I don’t know,” Suncloak said. “But one thing’s for sure: there’s someling, with some kind of scheme. A big scheme. They wanted to lure Chrysalis to the city, seeing as the Stone was stolen by royal guards. Or look-alikes. And I don’t think they counted on us finding out about the theft.”
Suncloak rubbed a hoof over his head for a second. “I think we should let the exile, Traveler, continue his search. Send someling with him to accompany him, make sure he doesn’t do something he’ll regret. Or something I’ll regret. I’ll help him as much as I can, while pretending nothing bad’s happening. Don’t do anything that might scare the Stone’s thief into using it.”
“We wouldn’t want the equivalent of Queen Chrysalis running rampant through the city, even if it’s only for half an hour,” Princess Celestia said. “You’re right. Subtlety would be our best bet. Any word of this getting out to the public wouldn’t create a favourable situation.”
“Alright. Ambassador, inform the exile of our plans,” Princess Luna said. “We’ll find a suitable escort for him.”
Suncloak bowed. “Of course, Your Highnesses. Right away.” He left the throne room at a slightly faster pace than was appropriate, heading back to his office.
A couple of hours later, Traveler found himself in the castle’s lobby again, as requested by Suncloak. His search through the changeling register had been completely useless, as none of them had anything to do with the Stone’s move. After that, Suncloak had returned and told Traveler his plan. Which he didn’t like one bit, not at all.
But he had no other choice. It was either go along with the Equestrian government, or get locked up. Though walking around the city with an escort wouldn’t be much different anyway.
Speaking of said escort, they were late. Suncloak had said that it wouldn’t take long to assign a guard to escort Traveler, and considering a few hours had passed, this meant that said guard had to be incredibly lazy.
With a sigh, Traveler looked at his scarf. The Garb of Shame. Stupid thing. If it wasn’t for this, he might as well have been out in the city already, looking for clues without any guard watching his every step. If it wasn’t stuck to his skin, Traveler would’ve burned it already.
But no, fate had decided something different. Fate wanted him to walk around a Canterlot that might as well have been an entirely different universe, with changelings being friends with ponies, changelings being friends with changelings, and generally having no idea at all of how the world was supposed to work. And on top of that, fate wanted him to spend way more time around these ponies and changelings than was necessary.
Hardly a suitable job for one of Her Highness’ favoured elite. He was one of the best of the best! He shouldn’t be mucking about with this nonsense! He was above this! The Queen only reserved the hardest missions for ones such as him. Whether it was a high-profile infiltration mission in some faraway country, or a long stakeout in some inhospitable location, Traveler could deal with it.
But in the end, all he could do about it was complain and grumble. While it wasn’t the way he had intended, this was the only way he’d find the Evershifting Stone right now.
A unicorn guard, a stallion, approached Traveler, pulling him out of his thoughts. “Excuse me. Are you Traveler?” he asked. Like the guards that had assaulted the changeling convoy, this one had a white coat, blue eyes, and wore gold armour with a blue crest and tail, hiding the pony’s mane, tail and cutie mark underneath.
Traveler nodded. “You’re my escort?”
The guard nodded and smiled. “Yep! The name’s Bravery. I’ll be keeping an eye on you while you’re in the city.” He held out his hoof in a friendly greeting.
“Really? Any particular reason?” Traveler glared at his supposed escort.
Bravery put his hoof down and shrugged. “Not really! I like helping ponies, and changelings I guess, so I volunteered!”
Traveler snorted. Right. It’s never that simple.
“We should go,” Bravery said. “It’s getting late, and from what I can tell, you’ve been busy all day.”
“Finally, someling with a sensible idea,” Traveler said. “I suppose the ambassador, or one of the princesses supplied you with some information on where to start looking?”
Bravery raised an eyebrow. “Uh, no. They told me some stuff, like what the thing you’re looking for is, but not more than that. I was hoping to form a plan first thing in the morning.”
“Morning?!” Traveler exclaimed. “Then what am I supposed to do for the night? Walk around aimlessly?”
“I was actually hoping to get some sleep,” Bravery said. “My house isn’t far from here, and there’s a guest room where you can get some rest, too.”
“No way,” Traveler said. “I’m willing to do a lot of things, but I’m not going to sleep in the same house as one of my suspects.”
“Oh, right.” Bravery tapped a hoof on his chin. “I was told your Stone thingie was stolen by royal guards. What’d they look like?”
“The exact same as you,” Traveler sneered.
“Well, that doesn’t help at all,” Bravery said, lifting his helmet with his magic. As he did, his eyes turned green and his coat a few shades darker. It also revealed a scruffy orange and yellow mane. “Some of our sets of armour are enchanted. You know, for official events where all guards need to look uniform.” He put his helmet back on again, disguising his features again. “It could’ve been any guard. Plus, a bunch of sets have gone missing a while back.”
“So, you’re saying any pony could be the thief?” Traveler asked. “Amazing! Just great!” He threw his hooves up in the air. “That means I’m back to square one!”
“Not entirely,” Bravery said. “At least it’s likely the same thief was responsible for both.”
“And do you know who that is?” Traveler asked. “Any clues, hints, whatever?”
Bravery sighed. “No, nothing. Not even any signs of break-in.”
Traveler growled. “Some help you are.”
“I’m sorry,” Bravery said. “Let’s just go to my house, okay? Get some sleep, and we can start the investigation properly first thing in the morning.”
“Do I even have any choice? If I choose not to, and go look around on my own, you’ll just report me to the princesses,” Traveler said.
Bravery shrugged. “I guess I’d have to. No offense, but I’d just be doing my job.”
Traveler sighed. “Fine. Lead the way.”
Bravery set off, with Traveler following suit. It was starting to feel like this following thing was going to be a regular occurrence. Just as well, because Traveler didn’t even know the city all that well. And even though he didn’t like to admit it, he was feeling tired. Sleep would probably do him well.
Like Bravery said, his house wasn’t far from the castle. It was fairly well-hidden, in a secluded, quiet part of the city. Once there, Bravery pointed at the front door of the comparatively bland house. “There it is. Not all that big, but big enough for me and my wife. And the neighbourhood’s pretty calm, too!”
“You have a wife?” Traveler asked.
Bravery nodded. “Yep! I could tell you how amazing she is for hours and hours, but I think I’ll just let her speak for herself.” He opened the door and stepped inside. “Honey, I’m home!”
As Traveler stepped inside, he noticed that Bravery’s house was remarkably… boring. It was just like any other pony house, with boring floors, boring walls, a boring ceiling, boring everything. There were pictures of friends and family strewn throughout the hallway.
The living room the hallway lead to was pretty much the same, as was the kitchen. Though there was a rather tall, slender pegasus mare with a gold-yellow coat, a long, light green mane and tail, matching eyes, and a dress for a cutie mark setting a dinner table in the kitchen. As soon as she saw Bravery, she walked over and kissed him. “Welcome home, honey,” she said, glancing over to Traveler, her face lighting up in the process. “Ah! You must be our guest.”
“Yep!” Bravery said. “Glitter, this is Traveler. Traveler, this is Glitter, my wife.”
“Yeah, okay,” Traveler said. “I was told I could get some sleep. Where’s the guest room?”
“It’s ready and made upstairs,” Glitter said. “But I actually wanted to invite you eat dinner with us!”
“Oh. That’s…” Surprising, to say the least. But even though Traveler just wanted to start his investigation as soon as possible, he had to wait until morning. So he might as well take these ponies up on their offer of free, tasty food. “Sure, a few bites won't hurt.”
“Great!” Glitter said, a wide smile on her face. “Let me just finish setting the table, and you two can take a seat.”
Traveler took one of the chairs and sat down, while Bravery took off his armour, revealing a cutie mark of a side view of a lion’s head, and sat diagonally across from him. In absolutely no time at all, Glitter had put down an enormous number of things on the table: plates, bowls, cutlery, and most importantly, salads, loaves of bread, and even two pots of soup.
“Take whatever you want,” Glitter said, sitting down next to her husband, which placed her directly across from Traveler. “I didn’t know what you’d like, so I just got a little bit of everything.”
Traveler stared at the huge amount of food on the table. “I… see. You two sure eat a lot.” And they weren’t too bad at staying in shape, either. It was to be expected of a royal guard, but Traveler had no idea how Glitter could stay so slender. Maybe she exercised a lot. Or maybe she just drank a lot of prune juice.
Bravery chuckled. “Oh, no. I sent a message ahead so Glitter had enough time to prepare. But like every single time we have guests over, she’s coddling you. Told you she was great!”
Glitter grinned and elbowed her husband in the side. “Were you bragging about me again?”
“Hey, I can’t help it!” Bravery held his hooves up in mock defeat. “It’s not my fault I married you!” After a pause, he added, “Well, I guess I could blame my rugged good looks and roguish charm.”
Traveler rolled his eyes as he took a chunk of bread. The incredibly sweet scent coming from the two ponies in front of him was overpowering anything coming from the food. It’d be nauseating if it wasn’t so appetizing.
Glitter giggled. “Well, enough about me. Can you tell me something about yourself, Traveler?”
Traveler paused in between bites. “Me?”
“Of course!” Glitter said. “You know, what kind of job you have, or your hobbies, or something like that.”
Traveler raised an eyebrow. “I’m one of Her Majesty’s elite. I take on the most dangerous tasks she has in store. That’s it.”
“Really?” Glitter said, serving herself a bowl of soup. “No hobbies, or friends you have fun with?”
“Changelings aren’t supposed to have friends,” Traveler said. “I didn’t do anything besides my job. That’s what the Queen demands.”
“Oh.” Glitter gave Bravery a very awkward glance.
“At least, um… That scarf looks good on you,” Bravery said. “That’s something.”
Traveler grumbled. Stupid scarf. The fact that it apparently looked good on him was just adding insult to injury. He pushed his chair back and stood up. “I’m going to bed.”
“Of course,” Glitter said. “You must be tired from your long day. Come on, I’ll show you where your room is.” She stood up and led Traveler to a staircase in the back of the house, leading up. Once upstairs, she showed him a rather simple room containing just a bed, a closet and a wall-mounted mirror. There was a window, but the curtains were drawn. “It’s a little bit bare, but you’ll be okay, right?”
“Of course,” Traveler said, heading inside the room as quickly as possible and shutting the door behind him.
Finally, some peace and quiet.
Traveler took a moment to look at himself in the mirror, though his scarf only reminded him of things he didn’t want to think about. The faster he was done in this city, the better. He couldn’t stand all this mushy stuff ponies were so fond of.
Though there was one advantage to this: at least sleeping in a bed was better than sleeping in the streets. And it looked pretty comfortable, too. As Traveler tested the bed with one hoof, he scrapped that last observation. It felt really comfortable.
No, he couldn’t sleep just yet. Some planning was needed. Like what locations he wanted to check out tomorrow, and who were his most likely suspects.
On the other hoof, his bed did feel really comfortable. A quick nap wouldn’t hurt. He’d just close his eyes for a few minutes, clear his mind. Yeah, that sounded like a good idea.
Traveler slipped under the sheets. Normally, he’d never be envious of ponies, but beds sure did beat the tough rocks of the changeling hives. It was the only luxury he’d ever consider importing, though it’d probably turn some changelings into outright slackers. Not Traveler, though. He was a light sleeper, and usually took short naps.
Though this time, he fell asleep almost as soon as he closed his eyes.
I like this couple. I hope we see a lot of them.
Also... and it's early for a theory, I know, but...
#5/Traveller is going to find the Evershifting Stone, return it to Chrysalis, then leave the hive and go to live with Glitter and Bravery.
Yay, more Traveler's Exile!
oh yeah I've seen the 'enchanted armor' thing done a couple of times, not used to often as an explanation actually. though that might be because no one ever brings it up. I'm rambling now so good job.
"I have to go water my lobster."
Pretty much the greatest excuse ever.
As always I am enjoying this! keep up the good work.
Another great chapter, but one thing irks me, and that's Bravery's cutie mark. I know that's a symbol firmly rooted in western society, but lions are many things, but brave isn't one of them.
By chance, is Bravery's cutie mark a reference to the wizard of Oz?
Anyway, awesome story so far. Keep it up!
Poor Traveler... He's gonna get force fed the "magic of friendship" and he won't even realize it till it's to late. I only wish Bravery and Glitter had a filly that could have hit Traveler with a barrage of weaponized cuteness.
3248271
I was honestly expecting that :3
I'm liking Bravery and Glitter already.
Was anyone else really expecting Glitter to be a changeling?
I hope Traveler doesn't get fat from all the love in that house...
Now how is he going to ask about the stone:
"Hey! Have you seen a stone around here? I, uh, lost it."
"What does it look like?"
"Well, uh, it isn't white, and doesn't look like it used to."
"Um..."
I will imagine what happens inside #5's head about this if he's such an "elite" guard. Time to get some Sherlock Holmes up in here.
The clues:
A: Object stolen is a shape shifting stone that is useless to ponies, but can grant the power of a Queen to a single changeling for a half hour.
B: Enchanted armor is stolen from the Guard Quarters in Canterlot that makes Guards Ponies look uniformly the same.
C: A group of a half dozen un-hypnotized ponies attacked a changeling caravan carrying the Stone, wearing guard armor.
Assumptions:
+Primary suspects are the whole of ponydom and the changeling species. So 10's of thousands to millions of creatures. Not good odds.
+The princesses don't have a solid motive to steal the Stone since it's useless to themselves. Even if they want to use it against Chrysalis, the princesses would have been trying to prepare an army. Something that Chrysalis' spies would tell her and try to sabotage. With a population of Friendly changelings in their capital, it would be unwise to go against Chrysalis for fear of riots\rebellion for going to war against their 'brothers\sisters' in their homeland.
+Chrysalis couldn't have sabotaged it because there's no reason to when the Stone's power is permanently tied to her. Unless there's a rule for taking away her power... It was her that ordered the Stone to be transferred to another Hive for safety.
+The Stone has to be hidden from view at all times because, out in the open, it would be very suspicious when a stone shape shifts into another object when someone isn't looking.
+The one responsible to the caravan attack has ties to a group of skilled ponies who are a tactically coordinated group aimed in combat. Either mercenaries, independents or real Guards.
+This also presents that the one responsible is in a position of wealth and power to hire said ponies.
+The one responsible is a changeling wanting power for a short period for something nefarious or a pony with a close, loyal changeling at his beck and call to transform into a Queen
+The armor was stolen from a heavily guarded and fortified area from Canterlot Castle. Multiple suspects were involved in the theft since the armor must be under lock and key normally since it's very unwise to leave out expensive armor\equipment in the open. Since Guards go home with their armor and take them off like personal working uniforms (thanks Bravery), there would be no report of stolen equipment if the attack was done by actual Guards.
+It would take multiple trips to take out piles of armor and weapons for the attack on the caravan if done by one person, would have to be highly skilled in order sneak it all past, or use powerful teleport magic.
+Since the attack wasn't done by actual Guards, they were most likely a mercenary group.
Conclusion: An unknown, but sizable group of changelings and ponies within the area between Canterlot and the Changeling homeland are set for a quick surprise assault against a creature, property, or authority. They are small, but organized with access to weapons and combat spells with intent to carry out an imminent attack with a single changeling taking on the power of Queen Chrysalis, who will be similar in strength to Celestia herself. Canterlot has an abundance of love for the temporary Queen to feed from that are common as dirt to make it more powerful in the meantime during the transformation.
If it isn't one of these 3, the actual target is unknown. Raiding a building, property, or going after someone would be something a small militarized group could do, but not involving a temporary Queen for it. It's going to be a BIG target.
Possible Targets:
+The Ambassador and the Changelings. The ambassador is weak and flimsy in nature despite the power he has over the changeling populace in the capital. An ordinary changeling or two could take him on, but it wouldn't be worth it since his position can easily change to someone else wanting his power. The Changelings are much more nourished, even if they are getting soft with a civilian lifestyle. They most likely still know combat\swarm tactics for a group. The ponies would likely come to their aid under Celestia as promised protection to them as her citizens. Terrorizing the pony populace wouldn't need an order to the capture of the Stone.
+The Princesses and Canterlot. The princesses are very powerful, so taking them down and draining both Celestia and Luna of power, the group would still have to attend to Cadence and Twilight. So 4 Alicorn Princesses versus 1 temporary changeling Queen would be an unfair fight. Also, there's the entire new changeling Hive that's bolstering the capital's population now and would likely aid the ponies in the defense of their current home.
+Chrysalis and Her changelings: She is essentially King Jong Un of the pony verse now. Really full of shit with a weakened army compared to the Canterlot wedding with much of her Hive having left. Still, it's a very militaristic organization that would put up a much harder fight and last for longer than a half hour.
Chrysalis is the most probable target out of the group, especially if its a surprise attack and close to her.
If it's nothing like this and the Guards were a feint, we're dealing with someone that's either 'Light Yagami and L from DeathNote' levels of genius, or 'Charles Manson' levels of criminal insanity.
Shit is getting real.
Steps to take:
+Subtly interrogate the guards related to the break in and related documents concerning it, as well as any way of tracing\identifying them.
+Hand select private investigators, mages, and changeling infiltrators to tail and investigate the guards within the capital, report back with findings about their target, and any contacts he\she might have had.
+Research into any radical group, mercenaries, gangs, or organization that might corroborate with the assumptions above. Especially Nobleponies and wealthy changelings.
+Keep guards on high alert for any suspicious activity that come and go throughout the city and the region, especially exiting the capital.
yay Traveler has a new friend :D
i am dieing to see the next chapter! X3
3248856
What if there is no "big target," what if it's someone who stands to profit from rising tension between ponies and changelings? use the fake Guard to harass the changelings, the fake queen to harass the ponies, and let the rest happen by itself?
3248503
Yep.
3249034
Hmm, a valid argument. Make tensions rise between the ponies and changelings. It would get to a point where fights would break out in the city on sight to the point where changelings have to go into hiding again. This would do well to keep the two species apart and for Chrysalis to be put into rule again by sowing the seeds of doubt and discontent, showing the changelings that things were better under Her command. Subterfuge might be something she's very good at.
3249124
great, now i have the old spice guy's various "look away now look back, now it's this" lines coming to mind.
3247689 I'd like to see this lampshaded at some point, with a story in which the royal guard selects recruits purely based on their colouring.
3248856 Holy Bananas that's some good Sherlock investigation there. Now all we need is Watson to congratulate that theory of yours.
Well done Holmes!
It's always the Evil Chancellor (Warning: TVTropes - you will lose time if you click that link), and the advisor did know the colour (now shown to be enchanted) of the royal guards...
I think that the whole "sow the seeds of war" thing is likely to be the plan, maybe to make the ponies suspicious of the changelings again?
3249113 This is why my gut says that Chrysalis is a key suspect and perhaps the only relevant suspect we have met so far. The threat of war with the changelings may be enough to force the deportation of Suncloak's refugees. As Chrysalis does not approve of Suncloak's ways, she might manufacture such an incident. Further, she is the only one to have a motive to know of Traveler's mission to begin with. Add that the fallen changelings were deliberately expendable and that Traveler was spared despite his obvious competence and I wonder that the entire attack wasn't for Traveler's benefit.
3249124
I wonder how long it takes before traveler starts thinking like a pony.
Suncloak's reaction is great when he hears the stone has been stolen.
3249982
That's my theory too. It might (MIGHT) be a coup attempt by her also-suspicious advisor, but I'm betting the whole attack was a farce to manufacture an excuse to get #5 into Canterlot.
Man, whatever Chrysalis's plot is, it's really staking everything on everypony acting like she expects her own changelings to. In this case, it could unravel in a second if Traveler so much as asks, "Hey Bravery? Can I try on your helmet for a sec?"
I'm just going to throw an obviously wrong idea out there right now.
The mastermind is Discord because he thought it would be amusing.
Some other reader: ...
Me: *gets run over by a train*
3249967 Really ought to put a warning if you're linking to TVTropes. I'm gonna have to start going to TA meetings again, now.
3250113
A very good possibility, but doubtful. 2 reasons: One is that #5 said he couldn't smell the guards being changelings, though that's some powerful lye soap\scent mark\illusion if it can fool an acute sense of smell. The other is the enchantment on the uniforms may not be powerful enough to do anything to turn a changeling into a guardsman. Turning their coats white\grey maybe, but not all the uniforms are enchanted. Meaning that the enchanted ones are special\expensive and were specifically targeted, most likely an inside job by someone who knows where they're stashed.
3249982
Very logical and astute. That, and the fact that the only changelings that should have KNOWN about the Stone were the ones picked at last minute, and the organizer of the caravan since it was TOP SECRET.
So the list of suspects have been drastically narrowed down:
Either Nobleponies or some of other creature in a position of great power that want the changelings gone for good by any cost.
Or it was a ruse planted by Chrysalis with another secret unit of her own guards, as well as bribed ponies, to carry it out.
Which brings the frightening question if she did. Why did she let one of her own Elite guards take a fall with such a ruse and let him go? He's a lynch pin in her plan if their ever was one. She could start causing chaos without the use of a false raid on #5 and he wouldn't be for warning the ponies\changeling refugees now.
Final possibility is one that was brought up due to sheer bold faced suspicion and possible lazy forsight\writing. The Evil Chancellor did it.
Something big is going to happen and only the author knows what will happed
Still loved the reaction of suncloak
3250671 New thought: we're barking up the wrong tree. The true motivation was to send #5 to spy on Equestrian changelings without knowing his own motivation. After all, he isn't intending to spy on Equestria, rather he intends to investigate a dangerous criminal and searching for the criminal requires access to sensitive information. Besides, Suncloak's political opponents could provide the pony muscle; both they and Chrysalis want changelings out of Equestria.
Now that I think about it, #5's recovery is suspect. We don't have the details of how far the Stone was being moved, how long the trip would take, or how long #5 was unconscious but I'm curious how the team's absence was noticed, a search party was launched, found him (away from the main conflagration), and brought him back before he could wake up.
3250838
An unintentional spy... Very amusing and something that I wouldn't have thought up. It reminds me of North By Northwest by Alfred Hitchcock.
Though it brings up the question of HOW she's going to use #5 since he's beyond her control at the moment. He's on a mission as an obedient tool of her regime to find a missing object with a garb signifying "FAILURE" around his neck. It's doubtful other ponies would let him near very sensitive information since everyone knows he still owes allegiance to Chrysalis. It makes him a prime suspect in being a spy for wanting to get back into the graces of his Queen anyway. It's obvious to others and they'd be wary of him. It would also mean that almost every bit of information that he found that wasn't specifically about finding the Stone would be tossed into a mental waste bin.
It would be an awesome mystery to dive into with all the backstabs, double spies, and intrigue. I don't think it'll happen here with the Comedy going on.
No one can resist a comfy bed!
3248856
Wow, that is one thorough analysis. I can tell you a few things:
Even though Traveler is an elite, he has not thought things through to this level. He's clever, but he's no Holmes.
On top of that, remember that changelings are good at making complicated schemes, and they're stone-faced liars. Plus, we haven't seen every clue yet.
3251421 Suncloak's a terrible liar, so it's a safe bet he wasn't involved. Ponies, guards especially most likely wouldn't lie, and Bravery is actively helping, and accommodating. So far honest and doesn't seem like he has a good pokerface. Safe bet he's clear, too. Other than that, we haven't brought down the suspects enough.
My best guess is the Canterlot Tea Party member (Reference to the Tea Party group that raised Hell in Congress a while back with their idiotic schemes), Prince Blueblood. We know he's wealthy, doesn't like change, and has a decent pokerface when he wants one. Take the Evershifting Stone, turn some random Changeling and make them powermad for a little while, and the guards crack down on changelings, ejecting them from the country again. In theory. This couples with the ponies' mild fear of Celestia, considering the whole "sent to the moon" fiasco, which Celestia still has yet to live down.
The only problem with that is how to get Chrysalis to move the stone. Easiest way to do that is to have spies. Double agents within the Changeling hives, that warn Chrysalis of a small assault, a raid for the stone, specifically. She moves it, the spies tell Blueblood's mercs where and when.
Again, this is wild speculation and the point of view of a politician with minimal actual view of the world.
3250200 Have I mentioned that I like trains?
When Suncloak rushed into the throne room, this is all that I was seeing in my head:
ponybot.net/pix/1304.gif
3251421
No one will expect that the Spanish Inquisition did it!
What I want to know is how they stuffed a rock into a scarf. Well, at least with it stuck to him, he can't loose it, and it does give Cheeselegs that political edge of stolen property to wage war over...
3248856 I think my mind just exploded.
Ugh, the part about falling asleep immediately. It's hard enough to stay up late and now I'm reading about someling passing out in a comfy bed!? Bluh
Anyway, great chapter. I think I'm gonna go lie down.
So when will it be revealed that Chrysalis has the stone the whole time?
I am so looking forward to where this is going to go. After all, now something is really at stake here and it's not just played for laughs.
*pant* I finally... *pant* caught up to this fic... Great work so far! Glad to see Suncloak hasn't changed one bit.
3249034>>3249113>>3249967
Aye, the one who benefits most from the war is the one who sells the bullets and the bandages.
...I can't remember what that's a quote from...
3251001
That's what fan-made spinoffs are for.
3251421
0: Let me guess Bravery and Glitter are two of the thieves, Bravery is a spy who heard what Suncloak said to the princesses, and he knocked out the real guard who was to be #5's guide and took his place. If I'm wrong I'll hunt you down and give you a dollar.
Hmmm...new information to consider...
Gives me a few new hunches to consider on what the scheme in stealing the Evershifting Stone is. I'm convinced though that there has to be at least one changeling involved, seeing the stone seems to be so useless to ponies.
I have a feel, a gut feel. Blueblood is somehow involved with all these shenanigans.
3247964
That is not solely a Western trope.
Many far-eastern cultures and religions use similar symbology as well.
(Though I certainly agree with you about lions' (mis)characterisations. They are absolutely nasty bastards.)
3259907
Not Chrysalis, but her advisor.
Suncloak has been spending too much time with Lyra.
You know, I think I like that excuse...
Watering your Lobster...
It seems to have worked well for Suncloak, the two times we know hes used it.
I mean, who knows how many other awkward situations hes been in and used that excuse to get out?
I, for one, think its genius!
Though I dont own a lobster, I am now thoroughly aware that they need to be watered from time to time.
I think Ill use this is my go to, get out excuse.
If noling minds that is...
What a brick joke.