As a musician, I never had an interest in what garbage the mainstream media spews out nowadays. Most of it is synthetic sounds, sampled audio, computerized drums, arpeggiated sequences placed in a four-chord structure, layered with a catchy-hook and some auto-tune. Kanye West was no exception when it came to his hit-song 'Power', which to me at first seemed like nothing more than him spewing out garbage, obscene lyrics, and underhanded call-outs to the cast of Saturday Night Live.

And this morning, I find that song miraculously stuck inside of my head.

I didn't know why it popped up in my head this morning, but it did. Of course it didn't help that the song was always played on stations around Austin, three times within the hour. So being that I was on a college campus full of people who took in what the media gave them, I heard that song on repeat. Even the marching bands at some colleges started playing arrangements of it in the stands. Over and over and over I'd hear this song, it's lyrics perpetually worming itself into my ears and slithering directly into my brain. Even now, when the song has aged past four years, I can recall much of it's lyrics.

So as I took my shower this morning, I started to think more of what the grand scheme of the song was. I couldn't help but notice that the verses of the song had actually started and ended on the same mainstream bullshit that everyone seemed so infatuated with; parties, sexual references in regards to women, how he could splurge on you, and─again─underhanded call-outs. But as far as the middle of the song, where everyone seems to forget the lyrics if it's not catchy enough, he starts to convey his thoughts in a concise manner, using vocabulary otherwise unused by those in much the hip-hop industry.

Ultimately, he started to explain how his ideas and views were kept under lock and key, silenced by the very media who made him famous. And if he wanted to keep making money to support his family, he had to keep his more controversial thoughts to himself. Not only did he have thoughts of the world around him, he had thoughts of the very medium to which he belonged to that, if spoken, could unveil a much darker truth to the world about the media and how we are all portrayed.

Not that some of us weren't already aware of it.

And it had me thinking: His arrogance was actually a sign of the frustration from the industry that sold out the art that once conveyed messages of deeper meaning, even expressing graphic truths, made a mockery and paraded around like a rainbow flag in San Francisco on gay pride day. He possessed an intelligent message that the media didn't want him to convey. So rather them lauding him on, they call him a condescending asshole who acts as if he's better than anyone, all because he doesn't want to play along. And being that he wants to support his family and lifestyle, the truth of the matter is that he's has become a slave to his own industry, and a frustrated one at that... Much like how I was bound by this world's politics when Twilight decided to take a chance on me.

...Then again I could be over-analyzing some music that I personally don't like too much.

Since yesterday, I've been thinking about the the risks involved, and boy were they gaudy. According to the parliament, since the law was 'sanctioned' by Princess Celestia herself, they made it perfectly clear that going against her was pretty much a big no-no. To keep it brief: we were doing some really serious shit that could put us out of a job, and then some.

It's funny how they chose to use her name to justify their law, yet refuse to listen to Celestia should she want it removed.

Politician logic makes no sense, but at the same time it makes all the sense in the world. No side is right, but no side is wrong either. But there is a definitive thing about this law of approval: it's violates the rights of those who seek happiness. I've only gotten hints and bits of how the Equestrian Constitution is set up, and it's similar to the one back at home. The only difference was that there was no judicial branch to check the two powers in place. Instead, there was a proceedings committee consisting of 'those that represent the will of the citizens'. And if you haven't noticed, those individuals have been making the laws as they go along. So it's automatically two against one.

I proposed to Cadance a few things from my world and thought that it would be a sound idea to revamp some of the parliament's power. I proposed that a judicial branch of power to be established for the purpose of eliminating this power gap. Not only would they keep the royals accountable in fair proceedings, but also reviewing the laws established by the parliament to ensure that they are fair and just.

But campaigning for this much change would definitely set off some alarms in the minds of the parties within the legislative branch, mainly because they would be deprived of the one weapon they had against Celestia. So amending the constitution here would be a bit of a struggle. Not to mention it would also take from some of the powers that Celestia, or anyone in a position of high authority. So I know that this idea would be challenged on both fronts.

And as Cadance stated to me, this system was easier proposed on paper than practiced.

I don't blame her, it's been a thousand years since the parliament has had any kind of reform. And a complete overhaul of power would probably get shot down the moment the bill landed on the podium. Not to mention that the process to pass laws would take significantly longer. But in my defense, it's better to have a third party to help regulate rather than leave it out of balance as it already is. And if I couldn't get these guys attention, I could always find ways to get their attention. But for now, I needed to gather my thoughts before heading out to Canterlot today.

Yeah, it turns out that I'm going up there two days early.

Later at Canterlot...

I fucking hate trains now. I just realized this on the way in that I wasn't too fond of riding the rails all the way towards Canterlot. As we had gotten closer to the bridge, I felt myself growing all the more anxious. And despite the bridge being completely repaired, I couldn't seem to stop myself from replaying the incident from five days ago.

I could still picture the large gaping hole that led down into the craggy ravine below. I could still see the flames from the engine car mushrooming from the explosion caused upon the impact. I could still feel my muscles tense up from all of the changelings I had to plow through in order to get to the front of the train. I could remember the close encounter that should've resulted in much worse circumstances. And yet I was going through that same area, crossing that same bridge while everyone else seemed to treat it as a daily experience.

So when we finally stopped, guess what I did? I ran the fuck off of that train for stable land, that's what I did.

Despite the uncomfortable ride here, I remained somewhat calm while eagerly making my way out of the station. When I walked outside, there was a guard holding my name on a sign and another flagging me down. Of course, I walked over to them and asked what was the quickest route to the castle. With a nod of approval, they pointed me in the right direction while offering to provide me with escort.

The reason there were guards waiting on me was because Cadance said that she had some business to attend to today. I asked her why Rainbow Dash couldn't come along, she also said for explicit reasons was why I couldn't be seen with her. She also noted that Rainbow somehow grabs the attention of a certain orange pegasus who would stop at nothing to chain me to her bed. So she assigned me two guards to guide me through the city.

As we walked, they asked me questions pertaining to the changeling invasion of Ponyville four days prior. And after that, they started to ask more on how I fought off more than fifty changelings on my own. Funny, I don't remember fighting that many. But then again, I faintly remember there being a few observers refraining from joining in. I guess they saw that I had my hands full as it was and proceeded to simply watch from afar. Cowards.

As we continued to walk, they continued to bombard me with more questions of how I became Captain of the Royal Guard so quickly. I guess word of my promotion traveled faster than what I had originally anticipated, but that only led me to wonder how it was possible.

"♪Yoo-hoooo!♪"

The three of us turned our heads around and tried to figure out who was catcalling whom. We saw quite a few ponies looking at us, or me to be more specific. Assuming that it was nothing more than a misdirected call, we proceeded to walk down the cobblestone street.

"Dear captain!" The voice called out once more. "Over here!"

Now I know that was directed at me. I looked around and saw nothing but the colors of ponies walking up and down the streets while I continued to question where that voice originated from. Suddenly, I felt a force tug at my shirt. Looking down, I saw a pink aura pull me towards a specific direction. As I finally faced the focal point of the magical snag, I caught a glimpse of a white unicorn mare with a blonde mane waving at me from across the street.

"Dear captain, would you come hither? Please join me for tea!"

I squinted at the mare, trying to identify who she was for her to call me over as if she and I were acquainted. Looking back to the guards, they shrugged and proceeded to walk over. Not wanting to feel left behind, I slowly trailed behind them. By the time we had crossed the street, the mare had gotten out of her seat and pulled me to her table.

"I'm so glad that you're here! I've been very much expecting you."

Seriously, who the hell are you? "I'm... flattered?"

"Oh don't be! I was just sitting here, hoping that you'd come along to talk with me. So I hear that you've been quite busy-"

"Uh... first off, can I get your name?" I questioned before she decided to talk up a storm.

The white mare gasped with surprise and pouted as she folded her forelegs. "Why I never! How could you forget who I was? We've met before."

"Have we?"

"Of course! We were in the palace at the time and you were eating your breakfast."

"..." I only held out my hand as I shrugged, still confused as to what she was going on about. My jaw hung slightly ajar as I crooked my head forward and gave her a confused expression.

"I'm Blueblood's fifth wife. We've met before."

"Oh..." I said, pretending to know who she actually was. But the only thing that seemed to ring a bell of any sort was Blueblood. So this is one of his wives? "I guess now that I actually see you, I know what you really look like. Though I still haven't gotten your name."

"You haven't?" She asked with a tiled head and an eyebrow raised.

"Blueblood didn't introduce me, nor did any of you introduce yourselves to me. If anything, I'd probably remember the time you all were very critical of my diet."

"Oh." She said, letting her head drop with guilt. "Terribly sorry about that. It's just that we don't usually see... well... meat-eaters at their work."

"And no, I don't just eat meat. I eat fruit and vegetables as well."

With that bit of information, her mood suddenly swung from remorseful to giddy. "Oh... well then I do have good news for you, the chef here does have an extensive knowledge in preparing meat-based dishes should any griffons stop by. I'll have to request that he comes to the table."

"Sure!" I hope he does a mean steak, I could really go for a juicy t-bone with sauteed mushrooms and mashed potatoes. I'm drooling at the thought.

"Oh... um... would you gentlecolts... errr..." Suddenly, she seemed a bit nervous as she looked at the two guards standing beside us, seemingly uninvited to the meal. "I don't mean to be rude, and I'm terribly sorry. But I would really appreciate that you'd leave us to our conversation."

I tried to vouch for the two guards that got me here. "Uh... they're kinda my guides-"

"Nonsense! Nopony knows the town better than I do! I can name you all of the stores around the city that has some of the best clothes that a mare could ever wear! I even know where the finest jewelers are, the best restaurants, the most extravagant clubs, landmarks, and areas known only to those of the finer influence! I could easily guide you through the town, provided you give me a... service..."

I didn't like how she said the word 'service'. "Um... Service?"

"Well I can't speak unless these prying ears were to be dismissed from our presence."

I looked at the two guards and cringed at what could go wrong should I happen to get lost. One of the guards spoke up as the other proceeded to walk away. "Sir, we understand that you need your private time. We'll dismiss ourselves."

With a salute, he turned around and trotted over to his comrade, leaving me alone with the unusual mare. Though I did find myself thinking out loud about his choice of words. "Private time?"

"Oh, thank Celestia that they're gone. And now we can get down to business." She said as she picked up her cup of tea via her magic. "Now the service I would like you to perform..." Oh boy, here it comes. "Is to provide me with conversation throughout the course of my meal."

...What? "Seriously?"

"Of course. I need somepony to talk to since the others are quite busy with their own vices. I'd much rather you stay with me and speak."

As she said what she said, a pink unicorn mare with a scarf covering her mane sat down directly behind me. Immediately, I knew that there was something up. Perhaps a trap? "So... What do you want to talk about?" I asked with suspicion guiding my eyes to the mare behind me.

"Well I want to talk with you just to get to know you. And since you don't know me too well, then I suppose I should start from the beginning. *ahem* You see, I was born right here in this very city-"

I'm going to get talked to death, aren't I.

"Psst..." The mare whispered to me. "Nondis, it's me Cadance."

...No seriously, what in the chronological fuck is going on here? "Say what?" I asked quietly, trying to get a glimpse of her. But my glimpse was cut short by a magical force turning my head back to the mare in front of me. Of course it was the wife of Blueblood who used her magic to regain my attention.

"-And I could easily say that I was the most gifted child out of my four sisters! In fact, father always used to-"

Obviously, she was just here to provide noise. Meanwhile, the disguised princess whispered to me. "Don't turn around. Keep your head forward, nod at what she's saying, and listen to me carefully."

I find that listening to the both of them was going to be a daunting challenge. "Ooooohh... kay?"

After hearing something that sounds like newspaper behind me, the princess proceeded to speak. "You know that many of these politicians will try and have you sent out as soon as word gets around that you're here. But since you have brought weapons from your world, this works out to your advantage. You have the ability to subdue your enemies from quite a ways away, so you going hunting for a changeling shouldn't be too difficult."

"And even my mother says that my looks would be quite a distraction to many of the stallions here in town. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Yeah, I think so too." I said, answering both mares simultaneously.

"See? Even you would admit it. But even then, my older sisters would always-"

This was difficult as hell. Meanwhile Cadance continue to speak. "But aside from that, both she and I are apart of an underground movement involving us the royals, a few sympathizers, as well as some politicians who work on the inside. We have important resources that are to remain safe and untouched, any word of this getting out and our whole operation goes downhill. Do you understand?"

"And even then, I'm actually more than happy that Blueblood married me. Don't you think we'd make a good couple?"

"Yeah!" I answered to the both of them. "I really do!"

"Wow! So you do understand! I can't wait till you actually see our wedding portraits, we had some of the best artist from across-"

Cadance flipped the pages of the newspaper and proceeded to talk. "So being that you now have exclusive rights to much of the criminal database, I expect you to be a resource as well. Shining used to have that privilege prior to our marriage, but since he's been ordained as prince, the politicians have limited his access to certain files. Your job is to find out any information pertaining to some of the key members of the parliament that continues to hold the law in place. If you do that, then we can start cutting away from their support by subtracting their numbers."

So she was asking me to find some information that could lead to arrests. And the more I arrest, the less of a support system the law has in place. So if we can wipe out the members who were championing the law, the sooner we can challenge it and push it out of existence... That sounds easy enough on paper.

"After that, we can start to convince some of the moderates to our cause. That would give us a foundation to stand on while we continue to eliminate those who opposes. We only need to detain them long enough for there to be a bill created, voted on, and signed. And once Celestia's name is on the dotted line, they won't be able to challenge it any further. But after you partake in some refreshments, report directly to the castle. She'll lead you in the back way. Are we clear?"

"So I told Nightingale that these plastic glasses that they use for some dinner parties really leaves a bad taste on the drinks. So I was wondering what kind of glass would you recommend?"

"Crystal." I'm still amazed how this mare can talk up on cue to allow me to answer Cadance. Obviously they must've had some practice.

"Crystal! That's my favorite kind of glass-"

Ugh... No offense to the mare in front of me, but this forced conversation really makes her sound like a bit of a dunce. But it was obvious that she was smart enough to play the role of the bumbling fool while allowing Cadance and I to exchange information. Meanwhile, the disguised princess continued to speak.

"As far as why we were talking like this, I can only say that the streets have eyes and ears. And if I was to show up as who I am, it would cause suspicion among those who would spy on us. Even now, we are being observed. I only asked you to keep your head forward because you would appear to give your undivided attention to the mare in front of you. But again, get yourself some tea, chill out for a bit, then make your way to the castle. Star will give you some much-needed conversation while you wait. See you at the palace."

The incognito princess rose from her chair and walked away, leaving only me and this 'Star' to talk for a bit.

"Oh goodness! I can't believe no one has come up to ask if you needed anything, I'll call a waitress over."

Of course that would leave me to listen to the other half of her life story. I guess it would be wise to order up a meal or something to get me through the conversation. "So... your name is Star?"

"Actually, it's Gleaming Star. But I prefer for acquaintances to call me either Gleam or Star, depending on how I feel about you. And you sir, I want you to call me Gleam."

She's already making things more difficult than it needs to be. "Gleam, okay. So you said that you know every bit of Canterlot?"

"Yes I do!" She cheerfully confirmed.

"So, would it be possible that you'd know another way into the castle?" I questioned, mentally discounting the caves below the city.

"Actually... I wanted to take you to someplace else. It's en route to the castle, so we won't really lose that much time."

Great, now she has me playing escort. Goody. "Okay, so where to?"

She continued to cheese at me while giving off an eerie vibe that made me feel as if I was going to regret what she had in mind. "Well..."

After a long conversation, she and I proceeded to make our way back out to Canterlot Castle. Thankfully, she knew shortcuts that would lead us to the grounds in a significant amount of time in contrast to navigating our way through many of the crowds across the city. And when we had arrived at a wall in a desolate area, she looked around to see if anyone had followed. I took note that the surrounding area had looked long abandoned rather than the mostly updated city around it. It almost looked just as depressing as a street in a forgotten city. After confirming that the alleyway was clear, Gleam lit her horn and cast a strange barrier around the two of us, though it appeared that it did nothing to us.

"I am the mare who arranges the blocks." She whispered quietly.

"Say what now?" I questioned the mare as she continued to keep her eyes locked on the wall before us.

I turned my head quickly to where the sound came from. But before I could even say anything the wall began to dismember itself, brick after brick folded back until there was a large gaping hole in the wall. I stood silent while my jaw hung wide open, my mind trying to process what had happened and why. I knew that there was secret passages that lead out of the castle, but not once did I ever consider that there was one that lead in. Once more, I heard the familiar sound of bricks clattering against each other, this time creating a frame over the opened space. Then there was this bright flash of light, and not too long after, there was a watery curtain that lead into the palace.

"Okay, in we go." Gleam said as she began to push me inside.

"Wait a minute, what is all of this?" I questioned, trying to keep my voice low.

Before I could get an answer, my body phased through the curtain and I stood inside of someplace that looked like it wasn't the castle. In fact, it looked like I was in some sort of secret corridor. I turned around to see the watery curtain dissipate into a wall. I placed my hand on the wall trying to see if it was some sort of disguise, but all I felt was solid rock.

Apparently the only way I had to go was through here. And it also seemed like I would have to travel alone.

Feeling around my waist to assure myself that both my gun and sword was on me, I slowly trekked through the hall. After a single step forward, I had noticed that torches on each side of the hall lit up with blue magical flames, giving off an unusual cobalt glow. Though I didn't like the idea that I was walking in someplace that seemed to have automatic lighting, I just took a mental note of it and took caution while advancing down the hall.

After a little ways, I found myself in what appeared to be a miniature library, complete with dusty desks and shelves in a state of disrepair. Books slouched over lazily as the wood beneath buckled down from what appears to be moisture in the air. Then again that was to be expected when you have a mountain that has a waterfall on the side of it. Of course, spiders seemed to have called it home as their webs endlessly line against the ceilings and corners. It appeared to have three other corridors going into different directions, also lined with books and scrolls. And along the walls, I also saw cabinets filled with glasses and jars of... unmentionable items.

You know, degraded floating eyeballs, decomposed hearts, anything that had something to do with sixth-grade biology in Lucifer Middle School.

The air was quite stale, indicating that this place must have been sealed off for quite some time. But I did take notice of the floor that showed some signs of being recently walked upon, meaning that this place has been frequented. Looking at the ceiling, I could see all sorts of diagrams written in an unknown language as well as some old magical equations.

Apparently, whoever was here had done some serious experimentation. And judging from the jars of unmentionables, I'd say that they were dabbling in areas that shouldn't have been discovered.

The sound emanated from the central hall. "Who's there?" I called out, placing my hand on my sword. After a brief period of no response, I drew my weapon in preparation to defend myself.

"Put it away, you. It's bad enough that you decided to come around, stinking up the place." A snobby male voice called out to me. Thankfully, I was already accustomed to knowing who it belonged to.

"Blueblood?" I asked while putting my sword back into it's sheath. "Is that you?"

"No, I'm the representative from the land of Saddle Arabia-Of course it's me!"

I take it that he isn't much for greetings as much as he is for sarcasm. "So how you doing, jackass?"

"It's not a matter of how, but more of whom. And the answer to that is your mother."

Oh, so you got jokes? "Sorry, my mom doesn't associate with eunuchs."

"Enough of it, both of you." Another voice called out from another corridor. This one belonging to Princess Luna. "The last thing I need to hear is the two of you exchanging insults at one another."

"Well, Shining Armor says that this is how he communicates with Nondis." Blueblood argued. "I figured that since they appear to have a bit of fun spouting vulgarities and insults at one another, I took it as a human method of greeting."

Well he's not that far off... if we were talking about New Jersey. "Well a chip-cheerio to you too, Prince Blueballs."

"Any who," Luna said, cutting herself between the both of us. "It appears that you have come with the intention of joining our cause. Cadance filled us in last night when she paid us a brief visit."

Yeah, in speaking of which... "Where is she now?"

"She'll be here shortly. As of now, she is explaining things to Princess Celestia and the ideas you had in mind."

"And let me tell you, those old-timers won't have it if you should bring in a third branch of power, depriving them of their judicial abilities over us. We'll have to work it in somehow come the next meeting." Blueblood stated.

"A third power to keep us all in check is a risky idea, yet we could profit from it. At the very least our struggles with the parliament would come to an abrupt end." Luna said with cautious optimism.

"But then there's the matter of a certain law that I don't really find necessary." I added, bringing us to the main subject of my interest.

"Ah yes, Processu Approbatio." Blueblood groaned angrily. "I had to go through that process a grand total of three times. Do you know how hard it is to manage three separate waiting periods for obtaining wives?"

Three times? Damn. But that does leave me with an intriguing question. "Um, I just wanna ask. How did you get seven wives and only go through the process a total of three times?"

"Polygamist ceremonies. I married two my first round, another two on my second, and three on my third. All seven years apart. Should've been eight now, if it wasn't for a certain mare who decided not to pass my little test and get cake all over my pristine white coat. Pink frosting leaves a stain in white and it's not easy to get out."

"What made you try and go after her?" I asked.

"I know it may sound shallow, but an element bearer as a princess rang in my head quite nicely. And plus she was quite beautiful, stunning beyond compare... with the exception of my fifth wife. Now she's a vixen, but hard to get her to come to the bed."

Gee, I wonder why. Well at least I've narrowed down who it was he was talking about. "Let me guess, you have to bribe her a bit-"

"Could we talk on this another time, boys?" Another voice shouted out from behind me, belonging to none other than Cadance. "Sorry, Nondis. I'll have to give you a more in-depth explanation of what we do and our history at a later time. But this is the only time we have available to us to discuss our ideas with one another."

"Princess Cadance, any news from Celestia?" Blueblood questioned as he walked to her for a greeting.

"Nothing much. But I do have some good news for Nondis in regards to his investigation. Flash and I have managed to get one of our changeling prisoners to cooperate with us."

"Which one?" I questioned, feeling appreciative that my job had become slightly easier.

"The one that seemed to have all that bravado until you shoved that weird-looking device against his head. Remember, he spilled on the invasion of Ponyville?"

"You mean the one that was captured off of the train?" Luna asked.

"That one. He says he'll tell everything he knows, but he's pleading to go back to the hive after he tells us everything he knows. Something about 'his queen' and how he wants to help her. Personally, I think we should keep him for future negotiations."

"How long have you been interrogating him?"

"Since Shining and I had gotten back from Ponyville. When I had left, I placed him in capable hooves... Of course, those hooves nearly broke the guy in two."

"No amount's too much if you can get him to talk." I stated boldly. "It may seem cruel, but I needed to get this information out of him immediately. I guess this puts me ahead of the curve."

"You can interrogate him after our meeting. But for now, we must induct our newest member of the inner circle." Cadance said as she placed a hoof on my shoulder.

Blueblood nodded with false approval. "Ah yes, induction. How do we know we can trust him?"

"He has his reasons, many of which involve an unnamed pony and how stressful his relationship has become."

Luna placed a hoof to her chin as she glanced back at me. "Hmm... I don't remember Shining Armor undergoing so much personal strife prior to your vows, Cadance. Should there be something more that we're not aware of?"

"I can't tell." The pink princess confessed. "His heart has a strange haze clouding over it. It makes it hard to see what his true intentions really are. But I managed to use an alternate method to see if his heart was truly in it for our youngest member of the royal family. And from that bit of exposition, I've managed to come out with solid conclusive evidence that he would be willing to fight alongside with us."

"Did you tell him that we could be losing more than our jobs?" Blueblood inquired. "If things go south, we could be losing our freedoms as well as our wings and horns."

"You don't have wings." I called out to Blueblood.

"Yes, but I am still a prince. So my crown would be forcefully abdicated should my name be discovered for this 'sanctioned coup'."

"Sanctioned?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Princess Celestia has given us the go-ahead to remove this law by whatever means necessary. And since a most recent issue, she's been willing to play dirty... to a certain extent. She's pissed over what she had to do to spare a certain somepony their title, so now she's going all-in."

"Personally, I don't think she should've punished them. She could've simply said that she had the unmentioned pony punished and let them go with a warning." I said, voicing my disapproval with Twilight's punishment.

Blueblood rolled his eyes as he interjected himself back into the conversation. "Oh enough with the incognito already. Yes, youngling Twilight still received a warning because of you in a prior circumstance-"

"And I'd still prefer that we'd keep her name anonymous." I argued strongly in her defense.

Blueblood looked at me with a devious smile on his face. "Oh, and if you're wandering if Shining Armor found out, then let me tell you of the massive fit he threw when he found out that his younger sister had to get her wings clipped-"

"Don't listen to him, Nondis." Cadance said as she placed a hoof on my shoulder. "If anything, he's just trying to ruffle you up for laughs."

"Well I don't think it's funny." I didn't show much change in emotions, but I did manage to feel my heart jump back into place at the mere mention of Shining Armor. He was already a hard fight the first time and beating him a second time would take some work, especially if he was operating on anger.

"Well I don't think it's fair that my sister would have to deal with such a prudent bunch. Isn't there a way we can just simply remove these individuals from their power?" Luna asked as she walked over to a nearby bookshelf.

"That's the problem, they've grown too strong financially to allow someone to challenge them." Blueblood concluded.

"Why not investigate these key members who fight to keep the law in place? Cadance told me that she would like for me to begin an investigation on them, checking for any blemishes on their record. They're politicians, they had to have done something illegal to get where they are." I stated while looking to the princess who gave me the suggestion.

"That's the problem." Blueblood retorted. "You take one out, they have several of their lackeys to take their place. It's like trying to kill a hydra via decapitation. Cut one head and two grows in it's place, and so on and so forth. And even if you were to stack these charges against them, then what?"

"The media finds out, then he's hung out to pasture. The moment a controversy comes up, the citizens would be eager and willing to crucify the accused... even if somehow he was to be found innocent of the charges. And should that happen, he would be so caught up in it that he would have no other choice but to step down later on. It's how the system works in my world, so I know it's the same here."

"Your world has a third branch of power, ours does not." The blond-maned prince factually stated. "And from what information Twilight learned of the human world, you also have a media base so powerful that information travels within the tick of a second. Not only that but it's so broad that even those of different countries could find out what was going on seconds within the news breaking. Consider our media base in contrast to yours. We have newspapers and radio waves to spread our information. And say that we'd use these radio transmissions, they would still be limited to a certain area before the signals fall off."

"Then how about the newspaper?" I inquired. "If the media has any integrity-"

"Which it doesn't. It never had any integrity and it never will. History has only been written by the ones who stood on higher ground. You don't hear the history of the nations long conquered in order to create this land, nor do you hear from the accounts of those fallen and shamed leaders who names are often referred to as a stain in the fabric of time. You hear only what the victors want you to know. And if the parliament wanted history to be rewritten to speak of their account, then all it takes is a little bit of financial persuasion to get the presses to release a different headline."

Dammit, here too? "Well why don't we make their records public? At that point, they wouldn't be able to hide if they wanted to."

"It would backfire on us. Who's to say that they don't know a thing or two about us? They have ears and eyes down low, they have finances capable of-"

Then let's flip the script. "Then if they want to play corrupt, we can play too. Why can't we-"

"That would mean we'd stoop down to their level. And at that point, we'd be no better than they are." Cadance intervened. "And Celestia has clearly stated that she wants us to-"

You know, I think I know the reason why they can't seem to get shit done. "If she wants to go all-in, she can't quit halfway. You can't just run into a bloody battle and blue-pill your way out. If she's really pissed as you say she is, then she would know what it takes; to cut loose all morals and political-correctness while doing whatever is necessary to win. That's the objective here. You can't win politics by taking the moral high ground, there is no such thing. And even those who did have done so while playing the game as how it's played, dirty and full of corruption. This is the only way our ends will be met. Enough of this bureaucratic nonsense and political red tape, it's time for action."

"Then how do you suggest we start?" Blueblood asked as he started to walk towards me.

"We start by exposing these criminals for who they are and what they've done. There's no time to accuse one of being hypocritical. We are all hypocrites by our own standards, whether you want to admit it or not. If you want something done, then you would risk more than your job here. If anything, we should be risking our lives for a freedom that they─and everyone else─have in this world. Why should we adhere to a law that was created by a jealous group of aristocrats from one thousand years ago?"

"Sir captain, you have proven yourself to be passionate of what you stand for." Luna said quietly. "But know this, the systems of your world are not promised to run as smoothly in ours. It is true that I too desire retribution for those who exacted a punishment far too severe upon my beloved sister. I even vowed to exact revenge on Celestia's behalf. But the legacy is what we wish to kill, not the individuals within the system."

"I understand that. But we have to come up with a plan to-"

We all put our conversation to a screeching halt as we turned to the hallway that lead us here. The torches along the walls lit brightly as the female figure approached us at an expeditious pace. As she came closer, I immediately recognized her face.

"Bad news." Gleam said with worry set in her voice. "The parliament members have placed their meeting on halt due to some new information being brought in."

"What information?" Blueblood asked as he turned to his wife.

"They now know that the human has come to town. And they wish to speak with him in regards to his assignment."

"So word doesn't get around that quickly, right?" I recounted while turning to the blond-maned prince.

"To be fair, they always have loyal spies all over the city and messenger hawks with every last one of them. And just like Blueblood stated, they have eyes and ears down low. Not only that but you kinda stick out like a sore hoof, with being the only human and all." Luna retorted.

Great, that means I would have to leave this one early to listen to a bunch of idiots trying to yell in my ear over matters of 'national security'. Being told how to do your job by a bunch of assholes who probably haven't even donned a set of armor not once in their lives, doesn't that sound like fun?

At least I openly admitted to it.

"So I guess I'll have to go see what these guys want, right?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Gleam answered with a nod. "They called a summons notice for you. And once you get one of those, you really can't do too much but answer."

I began to scratch an itch on the side of my neck as I spoke. "And should I refuse?"

"A pony... erm... individual of your position would be considered as an insubordinate member of military rank, meaning that you'd face a rather large fine and/or imprisonment. It's the equivalent to going AWOL."

Shit. That means I have to go... *Sigh*... "Okay. Just tell me where I need to go to leave this place."

"Out this way, please." She said as she walked back down the hall.

I groaned with frustration as I looked back to the royal ponies standing around the room. "So, I guess we'll talk later?"

"I'll keep you updated on where we'll meet next time." Cadance said with a soft smile. "But for now, just keep them entertained."

That shouldn't be too hard, considering that I'm the only human around. I'm literally a walking attraction, so I'm sure their childish wonder would surface eventually. "Okay. I'm out." I called back while I began to walk down the hall.

"And remember," Blueblood added. "Don't let them antagonize you too badly."

"Seriously, it's a bunch of wrinkly, horny, stuck-up, old ponies who's in desperate need of chilling out and getting with the times. I've dealt with that once before." His name was grandpa. "I can handle a few more."

As I continued to walk down the hall, I could hear Blueblood's voice faintly as he spoke amongst the others.

"Well, he's confident, I'll give him that."

One hour later...

...Yeah, it's not as bad as I had originally thought. It's actually ten times worse.

"We demand action!"

"You are the captain, do something!"

"Threats are looming over our city and yet you do nothing but lounge around!"

"Shining Armor made quite a miscue in assigning you your position!"

"A captain who is so irresponsible!"

"One of your ilk would only prove to the other nations that we have become frail and weak!"

"This is your responsibility!"

"Did he even come here with the investigation in mind?"

"He's probably been holed up with that purple brood!"

...That's just to recall a few of the responses I had received upon entering the room. And they didn't seem to hold any punches when it came to me being different from what they are. One even had the courtesy of throwing me a banana and calling me a hairless ape.

And here I thought that these were the brightest and most civilized minds in all of the land. Go figure.

"ORDER!" Celestia called out angrily. I guess she didn't like the 'purple brood' comment too much. "WE WILL HAVE ORDER!"

I only rolled my eyes as the members of the parliament began to lower their voices. But as they did, one stood up to speak, pointing his hoof at me. "Your highness, this is our Captain of the Guard?"

The white alicorn scowled fiercely at the pony who stood to mock me. "Yes, and he is more than capable of fulfilling his mission."

"He doesn't look any stronger than the average pony, in fact I can recall that you personally offered this creature a handicap when it came to the completion of his final evaluation for the E.U.P. Is this not true?"

"As you can see, his speed would not be on par of that of an equine due to the fact that he is a biped. So I only provided a fair and just change for such a biological disadvantage. However, his agility and wits have become something that has yet to be seen from many a guard at our service." Celestia answered clearly. "Now remain silent. Your antagonizing the very individual who holds the position of protecting you is most absurd and unbecoming."

I looked back to the princess and gave her a solemn bow. She signaled me to rise and gave me permission to speak. "If I may, your highness?"

"By all means, captain."

I walked away from the podium on the floor and made my way towards the greenish-yellow banana on the ground. After picking up the fruit, I decided to amuse them even further by peeling the yellow treat and taking a taste of the fruit. "Mmm... This is pretty good! It's sweet, fresh, has a good texture-"

"Would you like another?" One of the older ponies from the right wing called out. A few of the other members in that area proceeded to stifle their laughs and nudged at one another.

"Actually yes, I haven't had much sitting in my stomach since I arrived here."

One of the members threw yet another banana, similar to the one that I had just finish scarfing down. So I picked that one up and continued to eat it.

"At least you know your place, human!" One of them said loudly. "Now if only we had a cage to put you in, you would sell quite well at our local zoo."

While I took another hardy bite of the banana, I turned to the stallion that remained standing. "Okay, let's play a little game. If you can answer a question correctly, I'll eat another banana. However, if you can't answer the question correctly, you would eat a banana instead. Now here's the catch of it all, incorrect guesses may be reused while correct ones cannot. If you use a correct answer─or anything that resembles it─after it has been used, you will be charged with an incorrect guess. Okay?"

I have my older brother to thank for this one. He used this game to screw me out of so much shit when I was a kid. Of course, I've grown to call the game as it actually is: Bullshit.

After much silence and my garbling down the second banana, I cleared my throat and proceeded to initiate the game. "Now, let us speak for a moment, shall we? I hope that you don't mind that I took a moment for self-indulgence. But now I believe it is the time for me to speak what I have to say. And what I have to say is this, since I know my place, and that I am capable of eating fruit as many of you all do, then allow me to ask you this: How is it that this 'hairless ape' has entered into your world, trained with your forces, stood victorious over one of your best soldiers, and became a high-ranking military official within a matter of days after his graduation?"

"That fool Shining Armor-"

"Actually... you couldn't be anymore right. Shining gave me this position as a battlefield promotion. But riddle me this now, how is it that you have forces incapable of turning the tide of a changeling invasion without the intervention of those of the royals? And yet I stand here before you, alive and in perfectly good health, where you were probably guessing that I'd die on the first day of the job. So how do you summarize my ability to make it this far, since I am of an inferior species?"

The stallion opened his mouth to speak but withheld his answer. Immediately, his face contorted into an ugly frown as he stared back at me. Obviously he was too proud to admit that I had some sort of skill when it came to fighting. "...You got lucky."

"Wrong answer." I called back to him with a big smirk on my face. "Guess again."

"You had royal intervention!" He screamed.

"Ehhhh... no."

"But it's true! You, Princess Cadance, Prince Shining Armor, and Princess Twilight Sparkle were there to cleanse the area. Without them, you would be well on your way to being dead. You're lucky enough that Princess Twilight had even saved you from that situation with the train."

I held up a finger, offering to provide some facts to his clearly bogus statement. "Actually, Princess Twilight assigned me to that train despite my insistence to go along with her. So stay, I did. But Twilight didn't even show up until the train had stopped short of the ravine, an event that still has my name and face planted on every newspaper in all of Equestria. And if you're so smart, then you should've seen that at your table every morning for breakfast for the past few days."

I could see the redness in his face form as he continued to argue me down. "But there's still the matter of the attack in Ponyville."

"Princess Cadance had assisted us in the retaking of Ponyville you know that much. But there was another pony who actually led the effort, one by the name of Rainbow Dash. If anything, Princess Cadance was ordered to protect the young corporal as she rallied the reinforcements from Cloudsdale. Princess Twilight and Prince Shining did nothing more than protect the civilians. I was assigned to rescue operations, saving the civilians who were still wandering about or in danger of being abducted. My wounds were from that very operation."

"But Princess Cadance admitted you into the hospital-"

"Actually, another pony did. A civilian fashionista who lived probably just seconds from where I fought, found me in my condition and stood up for me. And since I had to provide the correct answer for you, that leaves you three down from all three of your incorrect guesses. And as of now, I've grown bored of the game since you have shown nothing but incompetence. You obviously aren't smart enough to play, let alone win. So you can feel free to scowl at this ape while you reclaim your seat, you inferior-minded ass. I'm sure that your colleagues would rather you remain silent instead of continuing your being bested by that which you considered as the 'inferior' species, who currently stands over your nations security... Need I go on?"

If anything, my older brother also had a way with words that would make you feel even more stupid.

The pony trembled with anger as he sat back down. He also looked defeated since I combated every single guess he made. If there was anything that I liked, it was the fact that my older brother's nonsensical game did play out in my favor.

"Now allow me to explain something to you in front of all of your colleagues while I'm at it. The same 'hairless ape' you mocked has bested you in a game of pride and honesty. If you had any pride in what you are, which you do, you wouldn't admit to the fact that an alien species had managed to usurp a prominent military position for his own taking, has actively defended two cities against changeling attacks in two days, only for you to throw bananas at the very 'hairless ape' that has challenged and bested one of the best soldiers you had to offer... and a prince, no less. In fact, if I was to carry out this investigation, I would find answers, strategize wisely, create a team, and carry out this mission within the matter of two weeks."

"That's preposterous!" Another member from the right side of the hall shouted as he stood up. "Two weeks is too little time for you to travel across all of Equestria to find that information! You would need months of reconnaissance and planning to provide a solid operation in order to apprehend the fiend!"

I walked back to the podium as I started to face Celestia. "...Do you know why it took me a while to get here since the summons were made?" I asked loudly to the stallion.

"Perhaps you were busy taking your time!"

"You're right, actually. But I took my time for a logical reason. You see while we were on the train, we managed to successfully capture a changeling. Our interrogation of him began the day after his capture. So since then, the investigation was already under way with the interrogation of the changeling prisoner. And just recently he decided to talk, giving us some rather useful information as to what was going on and the intentions of this changeling commander. He even gave us their location of their primary base of operations, should they decide to regroup and attack again. And let me tell you they're not just right under our noses, they are literally nothing short of a booger hanging just outside of the nostrils of Everfree."

Gasps and awes sounded throughout the chamber, even heavily emanating from the right side. Many of them began to speak amongst themselves as they tried to comprehend how they were so close to us, yet there was little to no sign of them being in the immediate area. Honestly, even I was surprised to find out that they were just a travels away from Ponyville. I continued my explanation.

"He also confessed the reason why they were hanging around the southern region, just inside of that large clearing within the forest. He explained that there were plentiful resources in that area, also snagging up some unsuspecting travelers for the consumption of their love energy. It's easy to access if one was to take the path from Rumbling Rock Ridge. There are creatures within the forest that will do much more to travelers, providing them with only one safe way in, and that's through the ridge itself. It also proves to be a funnel for any incoming armies to march into. And as you already know, that would do nothing for those who'd be on the offensive but provide an easy way of wiping out your own forces."

"But why there? All there is is a ruined castle over in those parts." One young politician asked from the upper-mid section. "Nothing about that seems attractive."

"Actually, that gap is the reason why Luna and I decided to take refuge there." Celestia added. "It is that very funnel we saw advantage in using against those who would dare challenge us. Not only that, but we allowed the creatures of the forest to become our protection from any unseen threats. It was a risk in placing a capital there, but it was one that paid off for many years. And it is that same reason for why they would probably hide themselves there..."

"Where they can see who's coming in." I finished. "They're good and holed-up inside of that clearing. And it doesn't sit low either, so they can definitely see who's coming in or going out."

The politicians continued to mumble amongst themselves as they continued to sideways glances at me. Celestia paid them no mind as she spoke with me. "How soon do you think this will be done?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Again, two weeks. One if you're really gunning for it."

Celestia was struck surprised as she tried to process the time period I provided. The frown on her face showed much insecurity of my plan. "Why so impatient? I value the lives of my-"

"If you think I'm going to be doing this by the means equines would believe to be conventional, then you are very much mistaken. Since this is an interspecies matter that requires a special kind of attention, then I would expect you to see me as your ace. The method of apprehension you have in mind would take months of reconnaissance and planning, that point I will acknowledge. But the way I'll run it, this will be planned within a week, finalized in a few days and executed within an hour."

"You don't intend on doing this on your own, do you?" The princess asked quietly.

...You know, I might be stupid enough to try.

Wow, this took a while to release. I guess I was kinda busy this past week. I had gotten sick again (nothing serious, but it didn't help my concentration. Of course there was one thing that prevented me from posting this chapter sometime on Wednesday. I had a wedding to play at in New Orleans that I had to learn music for.

List goes as followed:
Chain of Fools
You are the Sunshine of my Life
Respect
Sweet Thang
Proud Mary
Superstition
Ain't Too Proud to Beg
All I Do
What's Going On
This is How We Do It
Mustang Sally
Stand By Me
Happy
Purple Rain
Shout
Drunk In Love
Love em All
Partition
Rock Steady
Uptown Funk
She Came to Give It to You
Crazy
Stay With Me

P.S.S.: I got commissioned for two more weddings and three funerals... So it looks like I will be a little delayed.