Emerald's Recording

I also asked her to leave out anything that would implicate her by name or association. She was preoccupied staring around for roughly 4 minutes, either something was in there that I couldn't see or she was just worried. Not sure which one it was, it's hard to tell what earth ponies are thinking or feeling when they aren't moving.

When she asked to speak in a more private location I gave the mercenaries and Guard ponies our usual "don't come to me" signal, then took her to the firing range. No one else was around to hear, so she talked. A lot. -Emerald

-P.S.: who keeps leaving futons out on the range? At least put them back in the Arena when you get done

-P.P.S.: Jeff, if you read this I'm going to need some serious training on how to handle mares in the future. They're clingier and much more awkward to deal with than I thought

-FAIR WARNING: don't EVER rub an earth pony mare's chest that you aren't bonded with. Don't ask why, just don't do it

 

"I... suppose that I can speak for a while, yes. At most I have two hours until I must return, after that a search for me will commence and I am likely to lose my reservation at the broth- err.. ..nevermind. Hmmm.. In return, all I ask of you is a.. a hoof massage, please. I have encountered few beings with such dexterous motions before, save for a few pegasi but feathers are most ticklish.

However, be warned that what I speak will in no uncertain terms destroy some of the very safety and security Razorback may have thought it once had. Is there a more private place we may take this conversation to? There are pegasi and batponies flying overhead often.

That is not to say I do not trust them, only that their ears are quite sensitive. I do not wish to anger them as several are sure to ponifally know victims of a certain black pegasi's criminal nature, and the mercenaries on the Isle do not need to suffer further.

But, I will speak as we walk. After you?

 

To be blunt, you must first understand my position. I cannot and will not apologize for what we do not know from Razorback. Your kind have not spoken abroad, which has forced us to rely on Shanis for information of certain events. She is an excellent intermediary, fair, honest, and intelligent. Above all, she is absolutely trustworthy, but her.. situation is quite grim. I will not speak behind her withers, she and her kin still long for the day they will march back into Stalliongrad to reclaim their ancestral rights.

To continue, the emotions and opinions of humans mean nothing to the whole of Stalliongrad, a city whom hates the crimes committed against it. This of course does not bode well for our own hidden criminals. What accusations have been leveled upon humans must be countered with facts, and only facts.

Until absolute proof shows otherwise, the vast majority of earth ponies consider your species amongst their mortal enemies: slightly below Lucky, slightly above blizzards, and equal with the Queen of Rape. Which is to say, death on sight.

 

Much better now. The air is crisp, the Moon.. I can still feel it behind the clouds, yet it is a good night. I will begin with the easiest problem to explain. Whichever version of Lucky's 'stories' she has shared about how Stalliongrad has long victimized Las Pegasus, or that hers is a city falling apart under the weight of black market rivals, or whatever else she has imagined up this time are far, far more skewed than you would have possibly known otherwise.

Like her father, she is an incomprehensibly compulsive liar, much worse than an angry, jaded filly found with her snout in the cookie jar and covered in crumbs. Should humans desire full proof of this claim, send one, and I do mean only one, to seek out Tactician Beaulacour and Nightblade Winter Touch in the Dragonspines. Most likely they will be working at Ridgetooth Mining Station, the first under the name Nastiscio of Mareminee, Prance, the second usually going by Crystal Stamp. I know, I know, a rather poor choice of a cover name for a pegasi, but you will understand when you see her. That and her Mark is quite amusing to see.

Both will have more than enough evidence to show Lucky's ill doings and wrongs in court, though I cannot state how they will respond at this time.

 

This is quite a strange archery range.. there are no minotaurs here. Ah well, no matter.

Now then, I will explain all that I can, and I will start off with this: during the first Las Pegasus-Stalliongrad War years ago, many of Stalliongrad's pegasi chose not to take part in the assault with us, that is, the Councilierge and the Watch Guard. They had ample, honorable reasons not to do so. Contrary to popular belief, one would have known why should a pegasus of Stalliongrad been asked: they were torn between the compatriotism of pegasi and their pride as Stalliongrad citizens.

A number of mercenary pegasi were the ones whom discovered Lucky's father and his lethal-equipped Rogues breaking into the Vigilite Mausoleum. They collected a number of Watch Guard from close by followed them in, only to be slaughtered.. ..to the last. Due to the speed and the shock from the overherd at sensing such brutal deaths, little could be done to prevent them from making off with hundreds of Stalliongrad relics and artifacts.

No pony could have predicted the startling sight of pegasi raising hooves against their distant sisters that night, nor that such a violent act would ever take place between winged in the modern era. This was the first open provocation to war, barring the Juggernaught, of which I know little outright. Speak to Shanis should you wish to know more.

 

That event caused the first great division in Stalliongard. If our pegasi had attacked Las Pegasus in such a manner it would have provoked great and unholy retributions from the Canterlot, potentially even the Sun herself, and although the chance is small, Cloudsdale too may have responded.

If Canterlot took action, Neighvada would have as well, they depend upon weather teams from Canterlot to offset their poor harvests, extreme desert conditions, and long growing season. Cloudsdale is of course close to Gozka and deeply allied with the Minotaur Hegemony, to which the Primus Council announced they were not sure they could give their blessings to face fully prepared Rangers and mystics in open battle.

In all, twenty Watch Guard, seventy or so pegasi, and three Vigilites, one of which was a revered follower of the Archmare whom had survived the Late Dynasty, died that night. Pegasi across Stalliongrad seethed in fury over being betrayed by the Rogues and their bastard leader.. that is until Linara was assigned there, but I will get to that bitchmare in due time. Yes, of course, do as you may.

 

Oh.. oh my. Your hands are quite.. quite warm.. they feel most.. divine.. err, well, forgive me, you are a bit.. nevermind, I will continue as best as I am able, have no worries. Now then, where was I?

Ah. Those pegasi whom humans have encountered in Stalliongrad did not feel you to be a threat. First and foremost, they hated Lucky, her family, and the Rogues most of all, remaining with us until their forceful eviction by Stream Lark's orders.

We now know thanks to three mares whom defected to the Tower Guard that he paid extremely implausible bribes to many senior officers of the Watch, so high that no three others combined could match what he offered. Pear Blossom, my own patron, was for a long time a useless, hedonistic, doddering old fool whom only craved substances with which to revel in the exultation of the overherd.

How she managed to join her mind with us I cannot even begin to speculate on. In short, she was nothing more than a rich, spoiled brat, an easy stepping stone for a considerate, enterprising mare such as myself.

That is, she was controllable.. until Stream Lark made her an offer to usurp the Ruling Council's authority, making themselves impossible to touch in open law. This directly ties in to why many in Canterlot are disgusted with or uncaring for Razorback due to the alliance with Lucky.

 

Had an in depth search been done by your own they would assuredly have found she is a more notorious criminal than her father in Canterlot. As I understand it, the Moon has not once tolerated her presence, but if the Lunar Alicorn nor her children could not so easily find trial worthy evidence of criminal acts against a Matron.. you see the issue at hoof here.

Half a year or so before Razorback arrived upon Tallus, Lucky dispatched approximately ninety of her hoof-picked Rogues to pillage Canterlot museums of all relics they could take on an overnight excursion, several of which they even attempted to covertly sell back to Canterlot, and us, later on. It is claimed that a few were sold to Razorback, but as records were never kept and the unicorn whom was Lucky's second in command has gone missing it would be difficult to single them out.

Requesting a cessation of standoff hostilities, several ponies of the Honor Guard and two Nightblades accompanied one of our Tacticians and her team. They intercepted and recovered some of was taken during a shipment to Neighvada. This shipment to be sold in the Gold District of Canterlot, including one rather jarring relic. I do hate to admit that we even retained a Seal of the Empress, yet as it is a part of history I am at a loss what else we would have been done with it.

Regardless, many years ago the Sun herself gifted Stalliongrad a number of large yellow spheres which emitted a great deal of warmth and soothing light.. ..what were they called? Ah, yes, sunorbs. Our foals and many mothers were most fond of them. Shanis claimed some were taken and used by the Tyrant somehow, but destroyed soon after. The details are still puzzling to me.

 

That matter aside, with the sunorbs in Stalliongrad we were long safeguarded against the merciless blizzards off the plains, so to best honor the Sun's immense kindness, three of the Ruling Council and a Grand Foalguard cadre from the Tower Guard ponifally delivered that Seal, amongst other precious relics of earth pony history, to her at Canterlot Palace.

We were making amends then, so in return for our aid, Nightblades Fankil and Hodch began a covert study of the Canterlot nobility for ties to our problem causers amongst the Councilierge, along with our Kinosach, a revered silver colored mare from Saddle Arabia. We had to vote in her title as it is a foreign one, though since Saddle Arabians are descendants of the desert dwelling earth pony nomads long, long ago, it was highly acceptable.

That is neither here nor there though. With their own actions taking place outside of ours and with nopony besides us the wiser, we thought a noose to be drawn around necks. That is, until our relations were flayed apart from an unexpected, fully unwanted source.

 

To be blunt once more, Lucky abused Razorback's trust to the fullest. Paying cut rates and promising a net of safety that did not in reality exist, she used humans as her own disposable assets.

Hm? How? It is quite simple. From what the Sun spoke before Razorack's arrival, all humans would arrive without a single family member. Lucky fully expected that any human whom died would not need be compensated for since they were not of Tallus. Even to some of the older, far more traditionalist earth ponies, that is a screaming outrage. While mercenaries are indeed exposed to danger in the course of their work, what she swayed your species to do on her own behalf caused much of the current anger Stalliongrad has towards humans, all the while keeping Razorback blind to her own motives.

Though I do not know what her agenda, or agendas, were, she turned the pegasi of our city against Las Pegasus, turned Razorback against Stalliongrad, and may have even aided in the death of Nightblade Fankil, all the while.. ..somehow, she kept her hooves clean. This is why I suspect Shanis slowly began to send many Stalliongrad pegasi to Las Pegasus. Spying on her biggest enemy, that being Lucky, also kept her own and Razorback, whom she usually speaks as comrades of, safe.

A lesser known fact is that Shanis managed to collect nearly every mercenary in city, both pegasus and earth pony, as her mother was held in great honor by three of the Councilierge, two of whom even directly aided her. Many earth ponies under Shanis or our silent decrees died so that Razorback and Tartarus survives to this day. Any human which dares to cast suspicion over earth ponies living upon Tartarus Isle forfeits their rights to speak, and to be heard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

REQUIRED VIEWING INTERLUDE, watch this before reading anything more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwmeH6Rnj2E

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adding to this, the rumor mill of those few earth ponies whom live within the Empire believe Rebirth allowed Lucky and her Rogues to assail the Circle of Wards, but kept the matter secret.

This would have two purposes: the first is to grind both of their forces down, internally and externally. This has been accomplished for some time now; the pegasi whom heeded Lucky's call have turned their saddles upon her disgraceful purposes and left her with what Rogues still live after their initial assaults.

The second I suspect was to exhaust their meager resources, bleeding both dry of Bits and goods to trade for provisions, alchemical supplies, and whatever else they would need. The moment those ruling butchers of the Wards are killed or captured, and Lucky's forces depleted, I have no doubts that damnable black whore will be taken bound, gagged, and chained as a criminal should be.

The free Wards are not complicit in the neigh blasphemous actions of their Circle, but for now they are either kept in the Spire away from prying eyes or have been ordered to remain outside the Empire until such a time that Rebirth declares they may return. This I know to be fact. Four months ago before a meeting with Shanis, I met a beautiful Ward, a delightful mare with a shimmering coat like green beauty grass, her mane a silken white, transparent as a Crystal pony and just as charming. She traveled Equestria freely under her own ideals, safeguarding all whom ask of her protection in return for a kiss.

As she would not take a single Bit I was quite eager to accept her price. Suffice to say I was not disappointed in the slightest! While we traveled I was careful in my questions, Suspecting she knew of the situation in the Empire, I was proven correct, but she admitted little freely. When the meeting with Shanis concluded I requested the lovely mare to speak at length openly, as I do now.

Upon her revelations of the acts committed by the ruling Wards, I implored her to seek grace with Her Majesty. I shall never state what I willingly oath-bound to her in order to acquire her willingness to seek justice; suffice to say her cost was.. most high.

 

No, no. She did not, could not, agree at first. Her concerns were only towards those ponies whom have no choice but to suffer upon poorly maintained roads in regions where portal stones are either so rare as to be unable to be counted on, or nonexistent. Eventually she did accept after much.. pleading, swearing to stand in trial at Spire against Lucky and the ruling Wards when the time was right.

Why is this important? For one, a member of the Councilierge backed the ruling Wards, accepting and pushing for further 'experimentation' on living beings. Whatever ends and purposes could be had are unknown, the results, if any, always ended in death or crippling injuries. There can be no good to come of doing so, save for discovering the usage of questionable or lethal means to deal with ponies of certain species. That knowledge alone will anger every pony whom hears of it, but now is not yet the time for anger to resonate once more.

For two, some earth ponies still to this day harbor a deep seated grudge against Crystal ponies. Crystal ponies are descended from of a rather large earth pony tribe that once roamed the Northern Reaches, what you would now call the Southern Empire Lowlands. Crystal ponies are seen as fragile, unbalanced, wholly weakened kin whom serve a denier of the earth, an alicorn with a heart both sharp and cold as glass.

These same fools believe that they should be retaught the 'proper' ways. Amongst the learned this is a call for usurpation of a sovereign and her kin. Rebirth's grace is boundless, her heart pure of purpose, and to deny the love of a divine being for her chosen daughters and sons is blasphemy of the highest rank.

As such, there is great resistance to this idea, particularly since it only took a small cadre of Wardens and Conclave warriors to halt a ten battalion advance. Then again, earth ponies do not enjoy the cold, thus it was easy to stall the Watch Guard's progress. I have heard that they were treated most well, save for the few obnoxious, loud-mouthed among them.

I do wonder what Rebirth ordered of those ones.. toiling in the crystal mines for the rest of their lives would honestly be too good for them.

 

However, that is but a small diversion. Roughly one and a half years ago, a single squad of humans in Stalliongrad killed a Vigilite of Dawn and her eighty listeners with the use of a large explosive, not at all similar to manabombs. It was covered in a uniquely round sheet of steel the likes of which Stalliongrad has never made, which caused us to suspect humans.

We do not know whether that particular Vigilite had ascribed to the current politics associated by the more problematic in the Councilierge or was merely speaking on her own, though we do know that during the inspection of debris, copper wires insulated by a hard rubber-like substance were found. This substance has only been found after being left behind in the city before by humans. I cannot adequately describe the hatred poured upon Razorback for that event, nor can I forgive it even should the reasonings be clear.

Before the final collapse of the Dynasty, the Vigil fought alongside our ancestors to banish those Undead whom inhabited the ruined city which would eventually be known as Stalliongrad after it's rebuilding. Without her grace Archmare Regoliche and the few but devoted sisters whom followed her there would be no place for free earth ponies to live on the Equestrian continent.

As such time has passed I do not think the Archmare will ever forgive humans for that act, thus I can offer no advice on what should happen were she to come for your heads, but I digress.

 

Many of Razorback should know this event by now: a reviled and hated minotaur mercenary, carrying a distinctly human styled weapon virtually the same as the common black ones, though much larger than most, slaughtered a company of Stalliongrad's pegasi. Two-hundred pegasi, all loyal citizens, dead with only one witness. I will explain that later. Their deaths only furthered our anger.

When the report came that Bigmaw was dispatched, many of us were relieved as we did not want to be faced with the potential that more of our own would turn against us. However.. that was when the first snowfall got kicked down the mountain. It was uncertain then whom killed him, yet, at long last it was concluded the presence of human weaponry was not in use against our pegasi. Those tiny darts of copper and lead do not match the steel spikes retrieved from some of our dead.

Some of the spikes we eventually pried free were much like railway spikes, though different in a number of manners. First, they are perfectly round with no cuttings to better grip into wood. Second, the points were serrated in a manner that would not have aided being embedded into wood and would cause significant injury to flesh. Third, the steel used was of unusually high purity and resilience. The spikes were.. it is hard to adequately describe this, but they were springy, capable of bending a small amount, then snapping back into place without any damage caused. Fourth, close to two hundred in all were recovered, as were a number of bronze tubes which had been cut by what we suspect to be a file.

All the spikes that were possible to recover carried the Stalliongrad Metalworks insignia, which is controlled by three other Councilierge in a cooperative ownership. I do not think all of them are directly involved, yet it can be no coincidence.

 

Regardless of that, I will continue. Pear Blossom was the first to claim she knew nothing, followed by Moren`Ise of the Lodges, then Kinosach Lejura. Since the first two were busy exploring new alchemical creations they did not have connections to this event, this I know to be truth as they rarely left Pear Blossom's mansion. As for our Kinosach she was in attendance for a social dinner at her mansion in Saddle Arabia, accompanied by two Brutes and a Primus, all of whom are inviolably honest.

Then, the Tactician Council brought in several captured pegasi agents. Under interrogation they revealed they were from Las Pegasus with direct connections to Lucky, speaking openly for all to hear. They had been blackmailed or extorted to spread word of Razorback's unique weaponry across certain influential mercenary networks, claiming them to be the finest of all weapons on Tallus. This of course drew the ire of a number of minotaur mercenaries often working throughout Stalliongrad.

Ten or so mercenary pegasi with no affiliations were dispatched to acquire examples of human weapons, from which I hear two were successful, though Hunter, a quite capable thief of some note, was eventually captured and tortured.

Adding to this, a mare whom had witnessed the deaths of those pegasi hid herself in the underworks labs, yet under rather.. extraordinary circumstances she claimed the Executioner-General, Twisted Wing the Burning Pegasus, and a much smaller pegasus, likely a Ferron, raided the complex, taking every piece of paper they could find while at the same time Razorback's squad had engaged Bigmaw in combat.

Until this last month she swore upon her rights as a mare that the Burning Pegasus looked her in the eyes, yet left without so much as a single word. The trauma she underwent was severe and she could no longer function. Under advisement, she was willingly relocated to the Isle as nopony felt capable of searching her memories, the risk of doing so was simply much too high.

Less than a week later, Kinosach Lejura spoke she may have stumbled upon information that it was Stream Lark whom ordered the execution of that company, partly to repay them for a rather common slight about his stallionhood. Once the word spread of this, Lark dispatched Bellepheron to execute the Kinosach, though he must have failed since no proof of her death has been established, and I have heard nothing of her fate.

Since then five of the Ruling Council, myself now included to make six, have pledged to find her, or at the least obtain the evidence she collected. As of late, two more Councilierge have pledged tacit support amongst the more neutral Councilierge.

..I do wonder where my friend Tacit left to. His seat on the Council has been vacant for.. three years now. Perhaps even a little more than that. ...it is hard to confront each day without seeing his face. Wherever he is, I hope he is well. I know I am off track, Miss Emerald. The pain, the emotions I am feeling at the moment are.. intolerable. Allow me some time to think.

 

...mm, yes, I am ready to continue. I was going to speak of. Lark's.. 'goals' for a united Councilierge, and Stalliongrad. A more pathetic, inbred joke I have never heard. Had it not been for Lucky's intrusion and his own corruption, Stalliongrad would likely have made full amends by now. To continue, if what our esteemed Kinosach Lejura did find is the truth of his ambitions, Lark would have achieved precisely four goals.

The first of these would have been to control the number of mercenaries in Stalliongrad. Due to their sheer numbers, the pegasi of Stalliongrad formed into hundreds of mercenary companies over the past nine-hundred years, the smallest numbering twenty, the largest one close to six hundred. This made it rather difficult to organize them for the city's defense, yet due to them being spread out across the city as a wide net, the risk of losing many in a single assault becomes negligible.

The second goal, perhaps the simplest, was to sever many held long lineages in Stalliongrad, including those whom occupied the most prime homes around the sunorbs and where the High Residential District was built over. That was formerly hundreds of pegasi homes. Since our separation from the Dynasty, pegasi have served valiantly and proudly alongside and within the Watch, yet as they were not in the overherd some questioned whether or not they were worth the expense.

Lark used this to his advantage after obtaining Pear Blossom's support of an earth pony revivalism the sort that not even the Queen of Rape dared to suggest even in the most strict of means, partially by sending ever more complex alchemical substances to further commit her mind to hedonism, and partly by promising vast enrichment via selling great numbers of pegasi slaves, whom she hated for having homes which were, I quote, 'higher in the world than hers'.

As pegasi are descended from Cloud, Sun, and Rain, unicorns of the most ancient and bitter ways such as her despise them with such passion that it is best not spoken of in this most modern of days. The second ties in to the third by this manner: all militaries and guard forces need barracks, but mercenaries do not.

 

Put simply, another party whom Lark had convinced to back him did so during the removal of all pegasi and earth pony mercenaries. Significant plots of farm land, homes, and other vital buildings in Stalliongrad were acquired for such meager costs and under restrictive, illegal permanent contracts, placing their ownership under whomever that party is and removing them from the overherd's use.

Unlike other city-states, no matter where one lives in Stalliongrad, each year of a home or other building is paid for up front at a considerably reasonable, easier to afford cost compared to others such as, say, Prance or Buzzard's Rest. This made families with homes and large farms more worthwhile to keep happy: a large family easily paid for an entire generation's use at a time, which meant that the owner of the land was always in a state of appreciable work, keeping their tenants happy made them happy as well, the cycle ever continuing.

Some earth ponies however, young, single mares, do not tend a small garden of her own as food was usually rather cheap during summer and fall. This meant that larger homes have bigger growing plots on their land, offsetting part of the cost for living there and contributing to Stalliongrad as a whole.

Up until.. perhaps twelve years ago I believe, we were still sending food shipments north to Manehattan, and even towards the Moors. This.. ties in with the fourth and last.

 

Lark's fourth goal is much darker than the first two. Stream Lark wanted to send a message to those detractors in the lesser ranks of the Councilierge itself, notably members of the lower royalty in Canterlot. They thought him weak for being unable to deal with the Rogues for many years, calling him a soft-hooved, ignorant, blind fool with aspirations that he could never achieve. At one time, those insults were correct.

At the beginning of his rivalry with Stream Lark, Lucky's bastard father held the entire black market in a diamondine encrusted hoof. Since he could not legally deal in contract servants due to Equestrian law, he could not rake in Bits as easily as Lark could, which meant that he turned the Rogues from an honorable Circle to a criminal base with which enrich himself.

Adding to this aggravation, Stream Lark's legally ambiguous and highly ambitious guild hall in the Outer City began selling more and more prime ponies for steadily larger prices. As time went on most of them became pegasi, then, the majority became sold as lifetime slaves, not contracted servants as per norm. This caused all whom were still in the good graces of pegasi to question where exactly he was acquiring them from, and if the reports Kinosach Lejura found are true, what he did, while clever, is perhaps the greatest usurpation of the Councilierge yet.

The bribes to, and protection of, the newly bought off Watch allowed him to order them into the causing of acts which ruined many families. This immediate destitution to many pegasi and earth ponies forced more and more families to begin sending their daughters and sons to work in one of the servant's guilds. While working in a servant's guild, the families would be sent back eighty percent of their earnings and the servant would board for free.

However, with fewer young ponies to tend farms and garden plots, Stalliongrad was no longer producing a massive surplus of food. Further complicating matters, because Stream Lark ran the third largest servant's guild, it was rather easy for him to.. what is the term? Ah, yes, 'cook the books' as the unicorns say, on just how many young ponies were being broken into slaves.

I suspect, but have no proof, that the Moon herself is as aware as I am of how deep this corruption runs, but in her position.. ..there is nothing she could do that would not be declared an immediate, vile act of war. Now I would not dare think that I could begin to imagine the emotions of a revered being such as the Night Princess, but I can imagine her blood is little more than burning ice seething through divine veins.

 

As for Linara.. our hatred of her and Lark shall never end. Lark kept her under oath-bound word and high pay until being loosed upon Las Pegasus, but some time within the past five years she attained a.. a voice, one that could sunder many defenses, especially those of the mind. This voice forces a single listener to do her precise bidding, but not exactly outright. It takes for the mind to be overwhelmed and if she applies too much pressure too quickly her listener will be stricken unconscious with insanity.

A Primal Psion such as myself can resist it for a time, which indicates that she willingly pledged her to a Wild One. Forgive me, but of them I will not speak. There are others whom may do so.. for a cost. Which Wild One and for what reasonings she allowed such a corruption of her spirit we cannot know, such contracts are unspeakable, unholy.

Much of Linara's stake in Las Pegasus was to show servitude to Lark's 'benevolence', and for this reason Nightblade Fankil believed she was but one of several mind-broken slaves besides the Juggernaut.

Unfortunately many of those whom know what Linara did in Las Pegasus are either dead by a Ward's hoof, or imprisoned in the Empire. In regards to this several of ours made way to Saddle Arabia, pleading with the the Assassin's Circle to just once aid us in removing Linara and Stream Lark. It is unfortunate they remained quiet, but I do understand why.

Had Lucky become too powerful, an assassin could have easily sought the Sun's blessing against her criminal acts, killing her without causing infuriation of Canterlot. After all, many of the best weather teams first came from Canterlot, upon whom Las Pegasus essentially stole their companies and diminished Canterlot's worth greatly. This would have earned favor among those that knew her role in Las Pegasus and elsewhere.

On the other hoof, had we won and killed Lucky, Stalliongrad was never at war against pegasi, the ponies of Las Pegasus whom have nothing to do with and did not support the Rogues were never our enemies. They would have been left alone from then on out with justice served, and no more blood would be spilled. Doing so would have let that gryphon Rogue.. his name escapes me, and Isiet take control of Las Pegasus.

At the time of our original meeting, either option would have allowed Nightblade Fankil to operate more freely.. were he not assassinated by Bellepheron and another whom we still have not uncovered. I suspect that if Kinosach Lejura had not pled her case to the Moon, Nightblade Hodch would not been ordered to covertly watch over Razorback, but then he too would be dead.

Hm? No, no, I cannot state I felt.. love for Fankil. He was kind towards me, forthright and honest as a good pony always is. Perhaps if I had met him a few more times, there could have been love, but I.. I cannot think of that now. Even when I forced myself to march against Luna's villages to best keep my affairs silent, it was for his kindness to me that I seek to purge my city of criminals, regardless of their origins.

 

...I thank you for letting me share all this. The relief I feel now is.. ..it is so very hard to express. Farewell Miss Emerald, I pray we should never meet again, but if Razorback should find itself in more peaceful times and are no longer mortal enemies with Stalliongrad, a very certain pony would like to formally welcome you all to come visit us on the Marines. It is a lovely isle a bit south of Prance, surrounded by calm oceans and all the gentle comforts of nature a druid would die to see.

But, I must leave now, much time has passed and it will take me the night to explain what has occurred here.

 

Ah, before I forget, if you should meet the Queen of Rape, tell her this: many of 'her' daughters this night do not seek glory in debauchery. The loving bonds of holy maretrimony are worth more than merely killing time."