And now we see through a Glass Darkly (See OOC)

[Lux]

Night Watcher stood intently at the stage while wondering where and what Swift was doing. She knew that the stallion had a deep set thought that Mr. Glass was up to no good. She still was not quite willing to judge just yet until she had more evidence to make a decision. Mr. Glass seemed amused by the response that neither of them were real but then revealed that both were real and not at the same time. As the Illusionist explained Night happened to look up at the rafters to see Swift perched as if poised to attack the two Glasses if need be. But then suddenly the lights went up, blinding the audience including Night Watcher. As she struggled to regain her sight, she heard the crowd call out, "CHANGELINGS!!!"

"No way,"Night said as she tried to clear her sight. Was it Mr. Glass that was a Changeling in disguise, one who slipped into the crowd or a hoax. As the guard pony finally gazed at the situation she could see that the two illusionists were still on the stage. But the biggest surprise was seeing two changelings, one where Flux stood on stage and where Spring Breeze sat near her. It was clear to the mare, she had been played by these two, and this made the Pegasus furious.

"Halt Changelings" Night said in her commanding tone, forgetting all about Glass, "I am Staff Sergeant Night Watch of the Lunar Guard, and you are both under arrest!"

With that the mare took flight and flew to the door where the changelings exited, hoping to catch them before changing forms or disappearing into the city.

[Ciraxis]

"Gah!" stallion grunted, when all of sudden, lights mounted just below him shone with full power. Of all the times when Swift could use his sunglasses, it was today he decided to not wear them.
When his sight returned, swordpony gazed down, only to see audience in panic. And a changeling - and as he had his fair share of meetings with their kind, by the built of it's body he could say it was female... Swift fell something odd with his companions from the start, but he dismissed it as only bigger then usual quirkiness of his companions.
Well Flux was still quirky even for a changeling. It's wont change the fact however that he will feel stupid for the rest of the day.

Wait..... the scream used plural term. Sure enough other one, who could be no other then the 'Spring Breeze' buzzed her way through the air, to her kin on scene.
"Oh for the love of...."

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Naj judgment proved correct, the door she choose was designed for artists, not spectators and since Glass disappeared rather suddenly it was empty too. Both changeling's rushed forward, too focused on escaping outside, and Night Watcher in hot pursuit to notice the loud crashing sound from the floor above.
But they surely noticed that what followed.
Out of sudden they weren't in air anymore, thrown down by the rain of bricks, board fragments, dust and other debris. Before they could see anything thought the cloud, both of them could hear some kind of fizz, followed by wet, sticky feeling on their wings and backs. Only now they could notice the silhouette of stallion next to them.
"No flying for both of you. This gel will hold you wings and back together for 60 minutes." said Swift Squall - for it was him that crashed down form ceiling above - as he put back the can of mentioned substance back to his belt. His cape was now open and finally both girls could see what hid behind it. What he wore was apparently some sort of body armor, both not metal one. It resembled kevlar but it wasn't it either. It was much darker, black actually but without any sort of reflection that would otherwise appear from the sole surviving lamp above them. The only exception was silvery emblem on his chest, depicting a wave crashing against a rock shooting above the sea waters, resisting the aquatic element valiantly. The closer inspection would reveal that the suit had a barely noticeable honeycomb pattern, thin lines running all over the suit. Would reveal if the changeling's were focused on it instead then arsenal the was hanging around. Throwing knives, escrima sticks, mysterious gadgets hanging from the utility belt. Oh and drawn runesword, now levitating beside the Squall, can't forgot about it.
"We have to..." Swift started, but desperate leap of Naj interrupted him. Before she could get to far, stallion swung his cape at her face. To the drones surprise, she was hit rather hard. Apparently the tips of the cape had weighted, and the impact momentary stunned her. Just at this moment, Night made her way through still lingering dust cloud. Squall made a slight not at her direction before lifting both changeling's by the necks, with his magic.
"As I said we have to talk. But not here." he glanced around before noticing the door. The telekinetic push smashed it open, raveling the garderobe. Rows upon rows of costumes were hidden inside, both more importantly it was both lacking ponies inside and windows.
Noblepony unceremoniously pushed both drones inside, before closing the door behind them. Just in time. Few ponies apparently shook the panic already and were searching for the creatures.
Swift Squall gave Night Watcher the look that basically said 'Let me handle this'. Imminently after more ponies walked through the dust.
"Where are they?" said the earth pony, who was apparently school janitor. He also had both impressive mustache, and physique of body builder.
Squall shook his head with false sadness "I have experience with changeling's so I tried to surprise the from above. They cast some strange spell however and I blacked out for a moment. They escaped through the hole I made and apparently are on their way to the roof tight now."
"Curses! Alright, to the roof, quickly!" said the muscle stallion, and the group turned around. Swift gave a slight nod to the black mare and both of them entered the room he put drone girls into.
Unicorn gave both now undoubtedly doubly confused changeling's a piercing glare. His word levitating beside him as he pondered what to do next.
"I have plenty of questions for both of you...but not here. But alas one I had to give you, where are the real Flux and Spring? And I advise to answer...honestly. the runic longsword flew a little closer to the pair for extra emphasis.

Before any of them could answer, Squall leaned towards the Night and whispered "I know what you thinking, but let me do it my way. Something is still off. Don't you find it odd that Glass gave us so-much-convenient scapegoats?"

[DerpRavener]

Escaping Night Watcher, at least for the moment, had been easy enough. The pair were through the door before sheIf the pegasus thought that merely invoking the lunar guard and threatening them with arrest wasn't going to stop Naj for running, she had the wrong idea entirely. Naj couldn't afford to get caught, there's no way she'd be able to get the sustenance she needed while rotting away in a dungeon cell. If anything, the threat only made Naj work harder to escape.

What she hadn't been expecting a good chunk of the ceiling to cave in on top of her. Disoriented by the falling debris, Naj was caught completely flat-hoofed when confronted by Swift Squall, who made the surprising decision of attacking her from the floor above. He started to say something, but caught off guard as she was Naj fell back on instinct, and expecting aggression she tried to counterattack.

For her efforts she got a sore nose and bound wings before, still dazed, being shoved unceremoniously into a convenient storage closet. Finally given a moment's peace, she was able to collect herself and consider her situation.

Well, she had to give Swift some credit. He was more prepared than she was expecting, and he was certainly spirited. He didn't seem very disciplined though, if this was any indication, acting on the spur of the moment and ignoring the consequences. Though she couldn't see it from the dark room, she looked ruefully towards the spot where she knew there was now a gaping hole in the ceiling. Somehow she doubted that the school would appreciate Swift's 'help' when they learned of it. Unless of course he blamed it on her and Flux...Naj shook her head. She couldn't be worrying about this for the moment, she had to focus on methods of escape. And besides, it's not like a little random property destruction would change what would happen to her anyways. Speaking of the other changeling, she hadn't considered Flux's state in all this. “How are you holding up?” Naj asked, though Flux didn't have long to answer before fragments of conversation could be heard from the other side of the door.

Naj frowned as she listened, a little confused. She couldn't make out too much, but from what she was hearing Swift Squall was sending some other searching ponies the wrong direction. It was an odd way to capture a fugitive, sending other pursuers away. She didn't have long to wonder about it however, as the stallion himself entered into the room, wielding a sword. He tried for an intimidating glare in their direction, though while she was feeling cautious Naj so far wasn't impressed, feeling mostly annoyance at the moment.

"I have plenty of questions for both of you...but not here. But alas one I had to give you, where are the real Flux and Spring? And I advise to answer...honestly."

Naj didn't respond to the question right away. Catching a glimpse of the damage to the ceiling, and the debris around it on the floor, she whistled. She contemplated some snide remarks, had she ever tried a stunt like that back when she was a soldier well, she didn't want to think about what would have happened to her. She bit her tongue back for now though. Swift evidently wanted to say something, and Naj felt she should at least hear him out before she started antagonizing him or making a move.

“Well I don't know why you ask when you wouldn't trust anything I say but, I am Spring Breeze,” she said, looking right back at Swift. “Though it might be better to say, I've never heard of a 'Spring Breeze' that wasn't made up. As for Flux,” She looked over at the other changeling for a moment, before her gaze returned to Swift. “Do you really think 'Flux' is an Equestrian name?” Any more than that, Flux would have to say herself.

Naj doubted that Swift would be satisfied, but there wasn't any lie she could tell that would help her case. For now she'd just have to bide her time. Sooner or later they'd have to move through the outside to get her into any sort of prison, and that would be the best time to act. Hopefully, ponies would assume she was largely incapacitated without her wings.

[PyroBlaze]

Well, that was fun... Sorta... Flux sighed as her wings were trapped by some substance from Swift, then unceremoniously thrown into an adjoining closet. Oh well, at least she had a changeling buddy now, so that much was good. Flux looked over at Spring as she asked her question, then smiled at the mare before responding.

"Oh I'm fine." She said, stopping as she was distracted by the voices outside the door. Swift was leading the other pursuers away? Why would he do that? Flux tilted her head in confusion, not moving until Spring had finished answering Swift's question. Flux looked at the stallion with an unamused look, staring directly into his eyes and seemingly ignoring the floating sword.

"Yeah, I made the name up after I woke up outside Ponyville one day, with no memory of my past besides how to use my magic and my abilities. In other words, I am the real Flux. Changelings don't have to replace somepony, you know. We can create our own personas too." Flux said, her gaze never leaving Swift's eyes.

[Lux]

Night flew through the corridors of the school, searching for the two treasonous changelings. As she searched her mind flashed back to that moment in Canterlot, a day that was supposed to be a joyous celebration of the marriage of two ponies only to result in the near destruction of the city, no, even Equestria. She vowed that she would not in her lifetime ever see that happen again and would pursue any changeling and bring them to justice. She then heard a loud crash and entered the costuming room where she found both Spring Breeze bound and confined with Swift Squall standing there before them. She heard a noise oon the other side which she guess was Flux restrained. Looking up at the hole in the ceiling, she knew Swift made his attack that way. Maybe announcing who she was could have been ignored but usually this tactic gave her time by putting fear into the perpetrator.

Night was about to just grab the two and march them to the nearest Lunar Guard barracks where it would be her place to interrogate when Swift intervened.

"I know what you thinking, but let me do it my way. Something is still off. Don't you find it odd that Glass gave us so-much-convenient scapegoats?"

"Fine, you can deal with them as you wish, but I might have questions of my own for these two. As for Glass, I do not know how he knew what these two were, but I have a few theories. Either these two are working with him to be a distraction, or that Glass has an ability to see things as they truly are while distorting reality around him. You don't think that Glass is some changeling that through some means can distort himself and others?"

Waiting to see what would happen she looked at Spring Breeze who tried explaining that she did not steal another pony's image.

"Let me explain what is going to happen here, and listen carefully as I will only say this once. Swift Squall will asking you and your friend some questions, and then I will. How you respond will determine your sentence but mark my words justice will be served."

[Ciraxis]

"Do you really believe that these two could be a 'distraction'? By themselves? No Night, the girls here were as surprised as we. The true mystery indeed is how Glass was able to see through disguise. His abilities, combined with his exit makes me think that this whole show was some kind of a 'test run'. Apparently he wanted to try out his powers, which in turn leads to conclusion they were acquired recently. I don't think he was changeling himself either. He's so creepy that he should die from starvation long ago in such case." even with two changeling's beside them, Squalls thoughts were not far from mysterious magician.

Still, they weren't distant enough for him to miss the replay of both Naj and Flux. He glanced at them, his calm exterior bringing to mind the judge pondering over the verdict.

Finally he leaned over the Naj, but his first words were aimed to Night "They speak the truth. Those are not the eyes of the lairs." he said, before shifting his attention back at 'Spring'.

"You speak about lack of trust like somep....someone who didn't got much of it. Which I found odd coming from a soldier." he drawn back himself back to the upright position.

"And yes, I can tell that you are a soldier. I had enough encounters with your kin to tell the difference. And taking in account that you aren't infiltrator and the Flux here..." he gave a quick glance at the other female "...is amnesic, this makes you a renegade or outcast, correct? You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

Then, Swift allowed Night to have her part. Seeing that she got a little fired up, he put a calming hoof on her shoulder.

"Both of us have many questions indeed and you correct that justice shall be done, but don't be too hasty with passing judgment Night. A while ago, I would agree with you but since then I learned both that things aren't as black and white as I expected, and that anger - no matter how justified - is bad advisor. Such things lead not to fairness, but vengeance and zeal. Put yourself in the place of average drone, one knowing nothing but the word of their Queen, told that evil is good, and good is evil. Given no options for survival others then approved by Her, would you be different? If there would be a decent hearted soldiers, given under command of the bloodthirsty general, and forced to carry a horrible order, who would you judge? No Night, there isn't one justice fit for all, in a way there is one for each living creature and we need to chase and search it continuously. We can't condemn many because of the sins of the one, even if this one is root of all evil that poisons the rest."

Unicorn voice was calm, but there was no mistake that there was passion in it. His words could make hims sound like devil's advocate, but again it was conviction in it.

"That said..." he focused back at the changeling's "...please don't give me a reason to hurt you. I broken more bones of your kin then I would wish, and you can't win, even if Night would be on your side." Squall warned it, but without this tone that normally came with a threat. No, it was that kind of confidence that made him present it not as a boast or a warning, but as a matter-of-fact.

"...We won't handle you to REA hooves either....well to be precise you already in them..." another quick look at the black mare "But Night here will be all Army company that would be necessary. Not that we allow you to get scoff free either."

Unexpectedly, two bracelets flew from under his came, steered by his magic. It was clear that his intention was to clasp them around their front legs.. Each of them had socket with a large blue jewel in it.

"As you can expect, those are magical." noblepony explained while putting the third bracelet around his armored leg. Unlike the previous, the jewel in this one was orange.

"As long as you were those, if you wander farther then 100 meters from me, your will experience the full body paralysis. Aside from breathing and heartbeat that is. This condition will hold until I and I only will say a release word, and you can't the bracelet off either without th either one, unless you willing to hack you limb off." swordpony continued his exposition, even if it sounded a little morbid. Before any girl in the room could ask the obvious question, he proceeded to answer it as well.

"It's amazing what you can get if you own a few billion bits. I would ask you not to worry, but I am a realist. But I can give you a word of the Squallcoast that no harm shall be done to you, at least until you answer the questions I and Night have for you. But we wasted enough time for words already. REA will be here and we need to get out of here without suspicion. Both of you, transform...just....into something else then you previous appearances, they are not that naive. That and...."

Squall looked around the room. It didn't take him long to find what he needed.

"This look good enough." Squall levitated the pair of prefect replicas of REA uniforms.

"Put those on. I can't guarantee they will be a perfect fit. Night, you have you badge, aren't you? We can run into situation when you will need to flash it. We going into one of my safe-houses. Yes, of that kind. And it's even better prepared then the one I showed you in the Canterlot."

[DerpRavener]

Night's attitude hadn't changed much, though she seemed at least a little receptive to Swift's desire to ask questions. While somewhat relenting for the moment, the pegasus was still trying to fix the pair of changelings with a piercing glare, though Naj was in no state to be intimidated at the moment.

"You speak about lack of trust like somep....someone who didn't got much of it. Which I found odd coming from a soldier."

Naj stared at Swift Squall for a moment, seeming to size him up just as he was her before she sighed. “No...well, maybe a little. I guess I just get a bit fatalist when I'm this close to catastrophe.” She sat in silence as he continued his analysis, wondering how he'd picked her out for only a moment before realizing that she hadn't really been subtle with her escape plan. It still left her to wonder just how Squall had gained such a familiarity to recognize it, but that was hardly a major issue at the moment and that was one less mystery to deal with.

Night Watcher said her piece, after which Swift pulled her aside and tried to get the pegasus to settle down by explaining his understanding of the situation. Which Naj thought wasn't far from the truth, as he at most missed the character of a couple things.

With that done Swift, turned back to the changelings and suggested it would be better not to resist, suggesting that fighting would end badly for them. Naj just laughed, finding it rather obvious advice. “If I hadn't figured that out, I'd probably be dead months ago.” Regardless of whether or not she could take either of them in a fight, all that would do was tire her out for when the rest of the guard showed up. It didn't preclude the possibility of trying to escape, but it wouldn't benefit her to bring them any harm.

Swift suddenly brought out a pair of bracelets and, grasping them with his magic explained what they were as he tried to attach them to Naj and Flux's legs. Naj instinctively recoiled, catching the bracelet on the flat of a hoof and grunting in pain as it tried to clasp through her leg. It wasn't hard enough to draw blood, but it still hurt.

Naj waited until he finished his explanation before replying. “If it's all the same to you,” she said, eyeing the bracelet before looking back at Swift, “I'd rather not follow the plan that leaves me paralyzed on a whim. I'm not expecting you to abuse it, but even still there's too much that can go wrong. You're REA, so you could be called away or find a lead at any moment, leaving me stranded. Or maybe you're simply better than I am, and even if I try to help I end up slowing you down anyways and you leave me behind.” It was equal parts truth and an attempt to play on his ego. “Or, hay, we're up against a pony who might be making portals. What if you walk through one and end up on the other side of Equestria?” She paused for a moment to emphasize the point, before moving on.

“Still, it wouldn't be fair if I didn't give you something in return. So how about this: I'm in Ponyville most of the time, where number of ponies know me as Spring Breeze and I live in an abandoned house near the Everfree Forest. I have a couple contacts in Manehattan-” she fixed Night with a glare as she stated the next point before looking back at Swift, “who are NOT changelings or sympathisers, and then I spend time regularly in Stalliongrad.” She paused again, the give some time for the information to sink in. “There. Now you know where I tend to be. I'm sure a pony like you,” she pointed a hoof at Swift, “could easily use that to track me down or starve me out with that information. Is that good enough?” She was a little uneasy about giving that information away to Night and to a lesser extent Flux as well, but it sat a lot better with her than being so directly at anypony's mercy. Now she just had to hope Swift could as easily tell she was speaking the truth now as he did earlier.

It took Naj a moment figure out just what just what Swift had in mind when he told the two changelings to disguise themselves while pulling out a pair of guard costumes which resided in the closet. Naj nodded, and then with a flash of green fire in her place stood a slightly gaunt, grey earth pony mare with a short, dark green mane and tail and bright green eyes. She spoke. “Think this'll work?”

[PyroBlaze]

Flux was silent through the whole ordeal, though she did tilt her head to the side in confusion when Swift talked about her being an amnesiac or something like that, followed by saying she was either an outcast or a renegade. How was she supposed to know? She had no idea what had happened in her life before that day she woke up outside Ponyville. She simply continued listening as the others continued speaking, Swift attempting to calm Night down.

"You know, Night, just because we need love to survive, doesn't mean we don't work to get ponies to give it willingly. Maybe that sounded weird, but the point is that I don't replace ponies to steal love, I earn it from my friends for being myself." Flux said, giving her a look, holding back the bracelet with her magic as it tried to attach to her foreleg.

"And about your little jewelry there, it looks nice and all, but I'd rather not." She said just before Spring went into her explanation of where she could typically be found. It was interesting and all, but it wasn't really something she cared about. Still, it was nice to know where she could find her new friend after all this was over.

"Ah, well, I can't quite give you information like that. I kinda wander around Equestria, going wherever I feel like really. Although I might be settling down in Manehatten if things go well." She said, still holding back the bracelet. She tilted her head again, not quite understanding the plan at first, though she understood once she saw Spring transform into an earth pony mare. After a moment, Flux transformed herself into a strong-looking, red coated unicorn mare.

"Spring, I'd say if we're going to be dressing up as guards, you should look a bit stronger than that." Flux said in response to Spring's last question.

[Lux]

"I din't think that they were part of it, but that was an option on my mind," Night replied while keeping a close watch on the captors,. "It was interesting indeed to cause this much chaos only to leave. Maybe this is part of his plan to watch ponies tear each other apart in panic while he watches safely behind the scenes. Now that I think about it, he couldn't be a changeling as they have been known to impersonate only one pony at a time rather than create such complex illusions and indeed his reclusive nature would harm him in the long run should he need love to survive. Seeing the panic he caused I think that he certainly was not looking for an audience to feed on as he had them all mesmerized until springing this revelation."

In a strange twist of irony, Night was glad that Mr. Glass revealed who Flux and Spring Breeze truly were. Better to reveal the truth than to be trapped in a lie.

"They speak the truth. Those are not the eyes of the lairs."

"Yes the do, don't they," she replied as she looked closely at them. Before her mind was fixed on capturing them before any more damage and panic could be done but now that she had time to calm herself their eyes did appear truthful. This would make things easier for her and Swift, but she still had to be on her guard as they were still not ones to be trusted. They did appear to be odd even in Changeling statuses like lone wolves. The worst came when Night got a lecturing of right and wrong from Swift Squall. She felt like an older filly back in Basic Training being lectured by a drill sergeant, and it made her seethe with anger.

"Don't talk to me like I'm some green hoof private Swift. I know that in justice there are grey areas, but I have seen what was done by drones following orders under a harsh Queen and how it almost destroyed Canterlot, even Equestria in the process had Shining Armor and Princess Cadence not intervened. Nor can you say that this is some elaborate revenge scheme for me to undo what was done in the past. What I am trying to do is to make sure it will never happen again as long as I live and breathe and that meand capturing as many changelings as possible, questioning to see what they know and then using this to determine their fate. I am a soldier of justice but I do temper it with mercy, and when mercy is shown it will be given. But I must be tough first and then temper it."

Hoping this was enough to quell any misconception in the unicorn's mind, Night set back to finding out about the two Changelings.

"...We won't handle you to REA hooves either....well to be precise you already in them..." another quick look at the black mare "But Night here will be are Army company that would be necessary. Not that we allow you to get scoff free either."

Night grumbled at hearing Swift mention not being put into the REA's hands but she decided that they were not ones to fight yet. Still she was going to keep an eye on them. When Swift produced the magical hoof cuffs, the Lunar Guard felt felt unprepared. She had no cuffs, no artifacts for neutralizing magic, she didn't even have her armor to protect herself! Well she at least had her strength, observational skills, and knowledge and that was enough.

"I do not care for this idea impersonating an REA official, but if this is a way to get us out of here safely without much chaos then we can do so. And yes I have my badge and will say that we are on patrol."

Night heard Naj explain that she didn't want to fgo along with the plan and rattled off a list of places where she could be. She could see the looming fear that the changeling would be abandoned while cuffed and taken but the REA.

"You know that this won't work. What confirmation do I have that you will be at those places when Swift or I come looking for you? No, Naj, for your safety and for others as well we need to take you, both of you to this safe house."

"You know, Night, just because we need love to survive, doesn't mean we don't work to get ponies to give it willingly. Maybe that sounded weird, but the point is that I don't replace ponies to steal love, I earn it from my friends for being myself."

"Are you leading me to believe that you have no ties to Queen Chrysalis or her commanding officers? Did you at any time think about making friends to feed off of their energy?"

She watched as the two became forms of REA guards, still unsettling how changelings could be anypony.

"An REA officer doesn't have to be extremely athletic but they can't look like they never trained either."

[Ciraxis]

"We don't know if he was even there. In body that is." Squall said before rubbing his chin as he pondered"We should return here later. Check the room he was using in preparation of this 'lecture'. Glass's sharp but he seemed in hurry back then. If he left something behind...." Swift left the conclusion hanging.

When his friend however got a little roused Squall shook his head.

"And I seen what they did in Ponyville. But I also witnessed the opposite, from other changeling's, both there and later. We shouldn't..." Squall started but stopped. He realized that it wasn't a best moment to argue with the black mare, especially that they had already hooves full of problems as it is. Starting the clash of world-views, that could potentially develop quarrel was the last thing they needed.

"There will be time for discussion about philosophy later. Let's get the finishing touches and get out of here." noblepony expressed his opinion.

He still wanted to have this talk with Night, but preferably while sitting in the armchair and sipping cocoa.

Nd there was both Naj and Flux reaction about bracelets.

Squall paused, looking at both changeling's, then Night, back at the drones and after that at the enchanted items. Finally he sighted and pulled the two bracelet's back under the mantle.

"She has a little point Night. There are still to much variables. Aside from his character we got nothing on Glass. And if indeed he has capabilities of portals, along with the skill of opening them wherever he wishes...Well he can just drop us into volcano and be done with it." he gave a shrug as if possibility of perishing in lava was simple occupational hazard for him.

"But then again Night is right as well. To pull it that way 'Spring', what we have aside from you word? I can see in those eyes of your's that you telling the truth again, but we can ask 'What if'?" he asked, before pausing, as he considered something.

"Yet, as you said yourself, things should be fair. That's why, after all of this rubbish, I will come with you, and confirm this little story myself. And yes, to all those places if I have to." unicorn announced, and from his tone, it was clear he wasn't joking.

"As for you Flux....well I will leaved decision for this to Night. Regardless we will go to this safe house, that's not up to negotiations....but without the bracelet's." he said loudly. After this however, he leaned towards the Night's ear and whispered.

"Besides, they can transform their body but not their clothes, so 'armor' will be still on. The glue on their wings will still hold for at least another hour, and my bag of tricks is still deep in case they would attempt escaping." he said as quietly as he could.

Swift gave nod, to nopony (or changeling), and headed towards the door, confident that drones would take believing that drones would take proper appearance. Yet, he stopped before pressing the handle.

"But..." he started, wondering "You said 'we' Breeze. You still implying to go after Glass? What it is in for yo...." swordpony stopped mid sentence as realization hit him. "Ahhh I get it. Back then, a few minutes ago, it was just curiosity...but now it's...personal, right? To get even for the trouble he put you now, isn't it?" he theorized. It may be a wild guess, but Squall was pretty sure it was a correct one. Normally and changeling would get out of the dodge about being exposed, but it wasn't really the option anymore for 'Spring' and Flux. So why don't try and take a shoot at punching Him to the face for pulling them into the quag?

"Also, two more thing's. First, Night. The patrol bit would not work. Dean could recognize you if he happens to be close. But you fetching reinforcement's? Like, meeting those two just outside, on the patrol?" unicorn dropped a suggestion. He was sure that Night, being a professional soldier, will be able to word the believable excuse if necessary.

"And 'Spring'...I am not in the Army, unlike my pegasus friend here." Squall baritone, turned a little warmer, at the 'friend' part.

"Not all who follows the path of justice have to belong to the force." he explained.

"Alright. We going to my place so I am leading. You to after me, with Night'y closing the march. Try to not move to quickly, or they find us suspicious."

Unicorn dropped one lats tip, before opening the door. Luckily, the corridor was still empty, but the commotion could be heard from the other points of the building. The group moves quickly towards the door leading outside. As they stepped into the back alley.

[Blueblood]

Much of the building had by then been evacuated, with most of the lecture audience milling about on the street outside. While the initial panic had died down, the crowd was by no means an orderly one. There was the usual student rowdiness on any occasion like this, but it had an edge of suspicion and fear about it. Changelings were in their midst; they'd seen two, but were there more? Were... you one!?

On the other side were voices pleading calm, among them the Dean, who maintained that it was all part of the show. They were hindered by the fact that Mr. Glass was nowhere to be found to confirm or deny their proposals, which in turn let even wilder theories spread among the student body. Eyes roving wildly, the professorial pony finally spotted Swift emerging from the alley. "Oh, thank Celestia!" He trotted over, frazzled in every degree. At some point, he'd lost the buttons off of his jacket, and now he kept clutching at his lapels, trying to keep the right one over the left.

"I don't know what's going on any more. There's no sign of changelings on the roof. Personally, I think it was all one of that Glass fellow's illusions. He's quite good with them, but-" He broke off into a exasperated neigh. "He must have an undergraduate's sense of humor! Oh, hello, are you from the REA?" The Dean indicated Night Watch and the two other ponies with her. "Reinforcements, excellent, excellent. Could you do something about... this?" He waved a hoof helplessly at the madding crowd. "They've gotten quite beyond me."

[DerpRavener]

"You know that this won't work. What confirmation do I have that you will be at those places when Swift or I come looking for you? No, for your safety and for others as well we need to take you, both of you to this safe house."

Night apparently took issue with Naj's response, though it seemed like the pegasus had either misheard or misunderstood. Naj just gave her a look at first, as she sorted out the fake armour which had been passed to her. “Oh, I wasn't planning on going anywhere else. I just want to get their under my own power, instead of having to be carried. And all the risks involved with that.” The mere thought of what might happen to her if she were paralyzed and found by other ponies made her shiver a bit.

There was a brief back and forth between Night and Flux, in which the former questioned the idea that the latter acquired food through friendship, rather that Queen Chrysalis' methods.

“Not only have I thought about it, it's how I survived for a while,” Naj chimed in, “Even if I wanted to, you think somepony like me would have the capacity to replace a pony?” She shook her head. “That and Ponyville at least has a fair amount of 'unattached' love just floating around.”

Naj was just starting to adjust the fake helmet when Swift was mentioning that at some point after this whole Mr Glass situation was resolved he would be following her the locations she'd mentioned to investigate. Having settled the helmet, Naj put a hoof on her own chest and spoke with mock offence. “Why Swift, I'm shocked,” she said, breaking out in a grin as she continued, “here I was certain you'd do that without letting me know!” Her face became serious once more. “Though I will need a favour. I have no problem with you investigating, but I ask that you don't expose me to anypony. Most ponies don't know the 'real me' and informing them will just make my life hard and cause a panic.” Of course, she thought to herself, it may not matter in a couple weeks, though she didn't feel the need to bring that up at the moment. They had a job to do, and the last thing they needed was yet another distraction.

Swift Squall took a guess at Naj's motives, noting her use of 'we' rather than 'you'. Naj regarded him for a moment. He wasn't entirely wrong, but he had the wrong angle on it. “...Not exactly,” she said eventually. “In another situation, I would probably run the other direction as fast as I could, and you'd never hear of me again. Glass is way more trouble than he'd be worth to me along.” She looked briefly toward the door, thinking about her failed chance to escape, before looking back at Swift and continuing. “But, up until now I hadn't even been sure he was dangerous, just a curiosity. Now he goes and causes a panic, and I might be in a position to do something about it. Do you have any idea how long it's been since I've done anything like proper guard duty?” Of the things she missed from her time in the hive, using her skills for a clear purpose and protecting others were chief among them. “So, yeah, I guess it is personal. But it's not about revenge.”

Doing her best to interpret the advice of Flux and Night, with a brief flash of green Naj adjusted her disguise to appear a bit more muscular and less frail. With a few last second adjustments to the fit of her armour, Naj was ready to face the public.

It didn't take long for the group to approach the exit, but they were stopped. To Naj's relief, it turned out that it wasn't out of suspicion, though the reason could easily cause its own complications. The school's dean was hoping to enlist their help settle the crowd, and by the sound of things he hadn't asked a moment too soon. Seeing a potential way out for both her and the group, Naj essentially agreed and muttered "sounds like this 'Glass' character made a very in-poor-taste prank," to the other three before looking to Swift and Night. Both in and out of character, to her it was their call, and so she waited to see how they wished to handle the situation, ready to follow their lead.

[PyroBlaze]

Flux gazed over at Night as she questioned her involvement with the changeling society. Really, hadn't they been over this? She didn't remember most of her past. In fact, she had no memory of even seeing the queen of the changelings. Flux shook her head slightly, putting on the fake armor as she let Spring have her say on the matter of surviving off friendship.

"Yeah, they're friends first. I really only take small amounts of love from each, never enough to cause harm though. As for connections to Chrysalis, I don't remember most of my past. As far as I know, I've never even seen her." Flux said, looking at the guard mare. Thankfully, Swift had since given up on the bracelets, simply putting them back in his cloak. After they both donned the fake armor and Spring adjusted her disguise to be more fit-looking, they all left the room. It wasn't long before they were asked to help calm the crowd. At least the disguise worked.

That'd probably be Night and Swift's call, so Flux remained quiet, looking over the panicking ponies and sighing quietly.

[Lux]

Night felt things spin out of control with the chaos in the film school, the two Changelings that now she was in charge of protecting rather than arresting, and now Swift who seemed at odds with the way she operated.

"We don't know if he was even there. In body that is." Squall said before rubbing his chin as he pondered"We should return here later. Check the room he was using in preparation of this 'lecture'. Glass's sharp but he seemed in hurry back then. If he left something behind...."

"I would be surprised in the commotion that Mr. Glass covered his tracks entirely, still he does have a strong alibi in claiming that this was a demonstration and that having Changelings in the audience was just a surprise as it was for others. And if he wasn't even here, well that makes things even harder."

Swift began mentioning something regarding the changeling attack in Ponyville during Nightmare Night, an event that while Night did not attend heard many reports about. It was no surprise trying to attack a town that had fewer defenses than Canterlot and at the same time one where the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony resided. But to her relief the town did hold their ground long enough for the REA to drive them off. But what did Swift see there that she did not from the reports? Well this would have to be put aside for later as there were bigger problems taking place.

"Right we will discuss this later. Right now we need to get these two out of her then we must return to the scene of such panic to look for clues."

The Changeling Naj did mention that nothing was known about Glass other than what the four saw on the stage. It made Night think about the events and go through what was known.

"She has a little point Night. There are still to much variables. Aside from his character we got nothing on Glass. And if indeed he has capabilities of portals, along with the skill of opening them wherever he wishes...Well he can just drop us into volcano and be done with it."

"Well what is known currently is that he has a high degree of portal or at least illusion magic to dispel any enchantments like those that you Spring Breeze and Flux use to conceal your true forms. As for transporting us to another area, that is still a possibility but again I'm not sure what the extent of his magic is. This act could be a warm up to bigger things."

A debate continued as to whether to keep the two Changelings restrained It would look awkward keeping two REA guards cuffed if they were assisting her and the Changeling's abilities were limited to only themselves and not in disguising restraints as something else like armor. Swift opted to accompany Spring to validate her claims which although hesitant Night trusted the swordspony with the sense that he could handle her. As for Flux who was now in her charge Night had to ponder. As a rule she didn't like negotiating with the enemy but this left her with no choice as they were in a tight situation as is in pulling off getting the two to safety. Still the unicorn, ever fresh with new tricks assured the black mare of a decision.

"Fine, no restraints. But when we get to the safe house I will be needing more answers from you Flux and I don't want to see any signs of you trying to do anything to jeopardize my trust."

To her surprise Night noticed the two Changelings willing to face Mr. Glass after their cover was blown. It was no surprise as if they were telling the truth their safety and the security of living with ponies in peace was now shattered. But before she could do anything the four moved out to start their plan. While making their escape Spring Breeze spoke about not wanting revenge but still wanting the justice. Again Night could understand this and the fact that Naj didn't want her cover blown to others. Well, she was Swift's change now so he would need to taking care of it. Flux chimed in mentioning that she did use love to survive but she didn't remember her past. She did remember Queen Chrysalis, but what pony hadn't remembered her?

The four were almost out when the Dean Approached Night with a plea to quell the crowd.

"I don't know what's going on any more. There's no sign of changelings on the roof. Personally, I think it was all one of that Glass fellow's illusions. He's quite good with them, but-" He broke off into a exasperated neigh. "He must have an undergraduate's sense of humor! Oh, hello, are you from the REA?" The Dean indicated Night Watch and the two other ponies with her. "Reinforcements, excellent, excellent. Could you do something about... this?" He waved a hoof helplessly at the madding crowd. "They've gotten quite beyond me."

"Yes, I am staff sergeant Night Watcher of the Lunar Guard," the mare said in her commanding tone, "And these are my reinforcements from the Manehattan barracks who heard about the incident at this school. We are investigating the matter carefully I can assure you, but based on my analysis of the demonstration I saw this was indeed one of Mr. Glass's illusions and not an actual threat. I will address the crowd and help calm them down."

She strode to the building as she saw the madness and hysteria unfold.

"Alright, Swift you stand next to me, you two stand at attention one at Swift's side and one at mine. Swift and I will answer questions that the crowd may have."

The mare then marched to the steps of the school where she stood at a higher ground over the crowd.

"Citizens of Manehattan and visitors to this city," she shouted in her most commanding tone, "I am Staff Sergeant Night Watcher of the Canterlot Lunar Guard division. The rest here are members of the Manehattan barracks who came to my aid after hearing the incident. we are aware that you have seen what appeared to be two Changelings fleeing the auditorium during Mr. Glass's demonstration. Let me be clear, there is no cause for alarm. Our sources indicate that there is no threat for invasion nor are there any lone drones occupying the school. It is our belief that this was one of Mr. Glass's illusions done in poor taste to scare the audience. I admit I too was convinced until I learned I was only chasing shadows. Understand Mr. Glass will be repremanded for his actions of enticing a panic and justice will be served! Until then I ask all of you to return to your residencies without fear and know that by the authority vested by the Royal Sisters we will uncover the truth. Thank you."

[Ciraxis]

While the Naj was dripping with sarcasm, Squall in turn kept a straight face.

"Yes I could do that, and you wouldn't be any wiser. But as was said, things should be fair. And the decision of keeping your secret will be left...until the very end." he assured her. When he was walking past her, towards the door he added "Although in your place I would ponder which is 'real' you."

When the group emerged from the alley, they were almost immediately approached by the Film School Dean. He didn't seemed like he recognized the Night, but Squall was identified by him on spot. Squall recalled that they will have to revisit the school later. Perhaps if he will make Dean like a part of some secret, he will be more favorable in their request of searching Glass garderobe. It may be undermine Night position, but when ponies feel they are trusted, they are more cooperative. As such Squall shook his head in her assurance that Glass display was an illusion.

"It's alright Night, I feel that Mister Dean is one to be trusted. I will be honest with you Sir, we doubt that it was an act of illusion. Apparently Glass used some kind of sorcery to swap our friends with those two changeling's. I have seen similar dark arts in Unyasi years ago. And he didn't do it for giggles either, although I agree that his sense of humor is poor." unicorn said, concurring to the words of the Naj. Maybe Night would berate him later about lying about the ponynapping and undermining her, but swordpony felt that the former would be just one of many little sins that Glass will collect before this will be over.

"We ask you to keep it for yourself Sir...aside from the school staff that is. As you mentioned the situation is quite serious. Serious enough that I was asked to act as a civilian consultant in investigation because of my experience with such matters. We are to determinate if he have connections to the Hive, as well what kind of powers are at his disposal. At least we can exclude full scale invasion." unicorn kept feeding school official with false information. He himself was surprised how smoothly it came to him, to give believable lies. Nothing to be proud of, but it was something that needed to be done.

"And we are certain that those insects fled the school as well Sir. They took the wing undoubtedly. Since they also posses ability of changing their appearance at will, we afraid to admit that their trail was lost. There is no one capable of searching they sky after all." he explained.

Only now Squall noticed Dean's ruined jacket.

"Did you got hurt Sir?" he asked before shifting his gaze at the panicking crowd of students "Did anypony got hurt? If necessary, we can provide assistance with a first aid." this time Squall expressed authentic concern. Dean may acted like a jerk earlier, but it was no reason to do the same.

"But first we need to defuse the situation." he added before following Night Watcher. As she gone on with her speech, nobelpony leaned slightly towards the Dean and whispered.

"Sadly this lie is necessary. Further panic is least that is needed right now. This will stop the rumors from spreading, at least for the time being." Swift said before standing upright again, awaiting questions from the student body. Night certainly was right. Justice will be done.

[Blueblood]

The other two "guards" seemed content to let their staff sergeant do most of the talking. Under the circumstances, Night Watcher's words were probably the best calculated to keep the hubbub from metastasizing into a full-blown panic. The students who agreed that the whole thing had been an illusion gave a more-or-less collective "See?" to those unconvinced. Those who just enjoyed the rush and novelty of it were more inclined to sympathize with Glass, and actually booed the sergeant's statement that what they called "the good sport" would be brought to justice. Those still convinced that changelings were about heckled, "Hey, how do we know you're not changelings?"

But, the truly dangerous moment had passed, and the Dean blew a sigh of relief. It proved to be premature, however, as Swift drew him aside for a private conference. "What, you mean he did replace somepony!?" He looked startled and panicky at the first mention of the idea, but by the end of the unicorn's explanation, he was inclined to scoff. "You'd be wasting your time pursuing that. What sense does it make? If he wanted to insert a spy, he wouldn't have made it so obvious and public. If he wanted to cause a panic, he could do it without spending all that energy on transport when illusion would do. That's what special effects are for." It seemed that the Dean's own experience didn't lead him to believe that the unicorn's tale was as plausible as Swift thought it to be.

He shrugged, looking back down at his jacket, down on the tears on the left lapel that marked where the buttons used to be. "There weren't any serious injuries, just bruises and the like. Anyhow, I do have the address to his hotel, you might find a clue or two there." And he handed him a slip of paper.

[DerpRavener]

Naj, who reminded herself that she needed to come up with a name for this disguise, listened as Night Watcher spoke to the crowd in an effort to get control of the situation. Listening to the speech itself, she had her doubts. A crowd in the midst of a panic attack might not listen to reasonable information. Naj was about to step in and try and lend her voice in support, but held back realizing that she wasn't familiar with how best to manage Equestrian civillians.

Her patience was rewarded as the crowd seemed to calm down. Though there still seemed to be dissent from the crowd, even the more doubtful among them had shifted from potential concern to just heckling the authorities. So, still doubtful, but the attitude was moving in the opposite direction of panic.

With the crowd seemingly under control, 'Sure Strike' (she just thought of the name) turned her attention to the conversation between Swift Squall and the dean. Overhearing him contradict Night's statements, it took a moment for her to catch on to what he was attempting. Unfortunately, the limited attempt at bringing him into the loop (or at least the appearance of it) didn't seem to be working, as the dean simply didn't believe the 'truth'.

She took a few steps to join in the conversation. “If I may speak frankly sir,” trying to show as much deference as possible, as she would basically have to contradict him to make his plan work, “we don't know that for certain.” She turned to the dean, and kept her voice low. “The truth of the matter is, we're not entirely sure what happened. Right now, there is a lot of contradictory information we're working with. We can't say for certain that any actual changelings were involved, but we can't safely rule it out either.” It had the advantage of being not too far from the truth. They didn't really know what was going on yet, and couldn't rule much out. Technically they knew changelings were involved, but the nature of that meant it didn't make much clear. “With that said, this is an ongoing investigation, that we should probably get back to as soon as possible.”

Fortunately, perhaps for the both of them, while still unconvinced of the situation the dean was at least more inclined to help. He passed Swift the name of Mr. Glass' hotel on a piece of paper. 'Sure Strike' nodded to him in thanks, before looking around the room one more time. “Looks like everything's under control here, is there anything else that needs to be done or can we continue the investigation?” The question was directed at both of them.

[PyroBlaze]

Flux stood at attention with the others, mimicking the guards she had seen around various towns. Her expression remained stoic as she looked over the crowd, which seemed to calm down. They were still rather suspicious, but they were calmer than before. She didn't like this Mr. Glass anymore, he was a big meanie. Judging from the way Swift talked about him, he had always been that way, but Flux was the type to not judge ponies until she knew them firsthand. Now she had eperienced Glass, and he was mean. His illusions were pretty fun though.

Eh, he was still a meanie that needed to get punished before he started doing stuff to others. Swift and Spring were talking to the dean, who handed over the address of the hotel Glass was apparently staying in. They should probably get going, but she was going to wait for the others. Even if Night was in full captor mode with her.

[Lux]

Night's eyes went wide as Swift Squall revealed the truth about the changelings. Still he entrusted that the Dean would keep the information secret as the group continues their search. After concluding his private conversation Night nodded in agreement as she waited for the reaction of the others in the crowd. Most seemed convinced that is was all an illusion but there would always be dissenters in the crowd combined with the unconvinced. This was no exception as she heard a few boos and some who still believed that one of the ponies around them were changelings.

"Mares and stallions, I know some may be upset when I mentioned that Mr. Glass being put to justice, but no show or stunt should be to cause a panic. We are a society that lives in harmony with each other. But when somepony or creature threatens this harmony they must be found. Mr. Glass has upset the harmony of what could have been a lecture on illusions, and he willfully chose this. For this reason I and the others with me must pursue him if nothing more than to discover the reasoning behind his decision. But now we must continue with our investigation and hopefully the truth will be revealed."

Satisfied with her explanation, Night turned from the few remaining ponies and went to the Dean. Spring Breeze was very good in explaining that the investigation was not yet conclusive and as such more time and effort was needed.

"Thank you for the information sir. We will be speaking with Mr. Glass soon. Before we depart is there anything that you can tell us about Mr. Glass such as how he approached you to do this show and what he said he required to have this ready? The more we know the more we can understand what took place."

[Ciraxis]

Well dean didn't bought Squall explanation. At least not wholly. It mattered little in the end as Naj seemed to got this. Instead he focused on another of Night speeches. When she finished he put his hoof on her shoulder.

"Let it go Night. It's like fighting the hydra. The more you try to explain yourself, the more suspicious crowd will be." he said to his friend.

"....At least you bought us some time before the rumor will spread." he whispered "Until the local REA would start to be interested at least. How high is your authority as Lunar Guard anyway? Could the Manehattan branch relegate you from the investigation?"

This one a genuine question. For all his army experience, Squall had no idea how much authority Luna Guard possessed. He was sure it was bigger the the former formation - the Night Guard - but was it as high as Honor or Royal Guards?

As the Night and Naj attempted to get additional information from the dean, Squall and left out Flux checked out the paper.

" 'Under Conker Shell'? That's....completely unremarkable place. Aside from it's history. Still if I wasn't been born here I wouldn't know how to get there. Actually it's on of the city oldest hotels, but it never got famous like 'The Plaza' and now is forever stuck at three stars. The Glass is careful....if he took out the penthouse in some five stars place or the cheap motel we could deduce something about him. But this?" unicorn shook his head in resignation. He was speaking as much to himself as towards the Flux.

When Night and Naj were finished with the dean he turned towards him.

"We will be going now. But we can't give the promise we won't be back later." he said before giving the nod towards the girls, and the group got moving. Squall lead the way, and when they disappeared behind the street corner he noticeably speed up.

"Change of plans. We going to this hotel ASAP. If Glass is attempting to get out of city, it may be our only occasion to catch him." he explained before speeding out even more, and going into gallop. Apparently he either wasn't minding or no longer cared that the two of his companions were changelings anymore. Swift was in full pursuit mode, and apprehending Glass was all that mattered.

[Blueblood]

The crowd was dispersing, and the Dean looked rather eager to join them. His answers were brief, and curt. "I knew Mirror Glass, that's his full name, from an earlier show I saw him do once. When I heard he was in town, I asked him to do a guest lecture on the nature of illusion and special effects in film. I don't know him personally, and after this, I don't wish to. Is that all? Goodnight." And that academic briskly exited the scene.

The most interesting thing about the Under Conker Shell Hotel was its name. It wasn't a part of a chain, but it looked like it. There was something either calming or depressing about the utter lack of distinction in the lobby and the halls. It wasn't ugly or tasteless, but there was nothing that stood out. It wasn't even creepily symmetrical, since there were just enough little doodads on the desk, pictures on the wall, and plants on the floor to give an atmosphere of normalcy about the place.

The receptionist looked like he'd been given the job because he was the proprietor's son. He was chewing gum and reading a magazine, apparently not expecting either visitors or customers. Boy, was he in for a surprise....

[DerpRavener]

For all his faults, never let it be said that Swift Squall was an unmotivated pony.

As they made for Mr. Glass' former hotel room, 'Sure Strike' was having some trouble keeping up. She couldn't tell whether it was the armour weighing her down, or that she just wasn't as passionate about catching this particular opponent, but she was having trouble keeping pace with Swift. Maybe if she saw the same need for haste that he did, but for the moment it seemed like rushing in would only cause them more problems. Awareness and care would be more useful than speed right now.

As they neared the hotel itself, a thought struck 'Sure Strike'. Presumably Mr. Glass knew they were coming. And he's the planning sort, so chances were either he'd laid a trap or evacuated. Possibly both. She doubted Swift could be changed from his course at this time though, so she put voice to her thoughts she brought it up as something for open discussion. “Think Glass has organized any other shows we should be looking into?”

They didn't have much time for discussion however, as they'd reached the entrance of the hotel. Under Conker Shell wasn't particularly impressive, though at the same time it nothing stood out as a problem either. It came across as entirely unremarkable. In fact, if 'Sure Strike' had to say, she almost thought it was calculated to be that way, though whether that would be relevant or just coincidence had yet to be determined.

She followed Swift inside, saying nothing for the moment. She guessed Swift had more experience running the investigation, and of their little band he was the one ostensibly in charge for the moment, so she thought it best to let him start the investigation of the place.

[PyroBlaze]

Flux tilted her head as she read the paper and listened to Swift's words. Well, maybe there was something to be found in his room, since there was apparently nothing to be found from the choice of hotel. Soon enough, the group was leaving, and Flux kept pace with Swift as best she could while they headed to the hotel.

When they entered the hotel, she looked around a bit, a little put off by its lack of distinguishing decorations or anything like that. She sighed slightly, not really appreciating the blandness. This place needed to be a bit more exciting, but that could wait for another time. She spotted the pony behind the desk and approached, knocking on the desk to grab the pony's attention. When and if he looked up, she would give him a friendly smile.

"Hey buddy, I'm with the REA. Don't ask for my badge, forgot it back at base." She said, leaning in a bit more. "Man did I get chewed out for that!" She said quietly before backing up again. "Anyways, we're here investigating a Mister Mirror Glass, who we've been told had stayed at this hotel. We need to see his room." She looked at him for a couple seconds before continuing.

"If you don't believe me, and I can't blame you if you don't, you can take it up with my CO over here." She said, jerking a foreleg towards Night to indicate that she was her supposed commanding officer.

[Lux]

"Let it go Night. It's like fighting the hydra. The more you try to explain yourself, the more suspicious crowd will be." he said to his friend.

"....At least you bought us some time before the rumor will spread." he whispered "Until the local REA would start to be interested at least. How high is your authority as Lunar Guard anyway? Could the Manehattan branch relegate you from the investigation?"

Night nodded as to leaving, knowing that what she said was enough to quell most of the chaos. Anything else would only stoke the fires again and that was the last thing she wanted to do. She did feel relieved that she was able to stall things further.

"I am a Staff Sergeant and lead a group from Canterlot on patrol. As such I would have authority over anypony under the rank of Staff Sergeant. However, should a REA patrol be on their own mission by a Staff Sergeant I would need to negotiate with the pony. I doubt that anypony higher than a staff sergeant would be involved in a case such as this as this was a small scale event, not city wide like others that I was involved in back in Canterlot."

"I knew Mirror Glass, that's his full name, from an earlier show I saw him do once. When I heard he was in town, I asked him to do a guest lecture on the nature of illusion and special effects in film. I don't know him personally, and after this, I don't wish to. Is that all? Goodnight."

"Yes, that is all. Thank you sir," Night said seeing how upset the Dean was to bring Mr. Glass to his school and thus bring chaos with it. The Dean never knew the full extent of the illusionist's ability and seemed to hire him just as any guest lecturer would be. For this reason Night didn't see him as a suspect aiding Glass. Still she still needed to be on her guard.

" 'Under Conker Shell'? That's....completely unremarkable place. Aside from it's history. Still if I wasn't been born here I wouldn't know how to get there. Actually it's on of the city oldest hotels, but it never got famous like 'The Plaza' and now is forever stuck at three stars. The Glass is careful....if he took out the penthouse in some five stars place or the cheap motel we could deduce something about him. But this?"

"An unassuming hotel to make him seem unassuming, What about its history Swift besides its age? Anything we can tie to Glass?"

Night was flexible and when Swift decided to go to the hotel Night agreed. The Changelings showed no sign of fleeing and had complied with her and Swift's actions. This wasn't to say that Night was about to forgive and forget as she still had some questions to ask before making her decision about what to do with the two.

“Think Glass has organized any other shows we should be looking into?”

"I don't think he would do too many other shows as the more he reveals himself the more suspicious others would be. He is a showy pony but not careless and certainly not that vain from what I can see. Maybe there will be a clue as to where he was before this even and where he will go next."

The hotel was very bland in its appearance but still held its own charm as she and the others entered. The receptionist didn't look very warm and welcoming, doing anything but being attentive. Flux instantly surprised him with revealing she was REA. It was a little much to reveal, but it would at least wake up the stallion.

"Yes, as she had said, we are from the REA. I am Night Watcher, and we need access to the room where Mr. Mirrored Glass was staying as well as when he checked in and checked out. Is that clear?"

[Ciraxis]

"Well then we better avoid any 'negotiations'. Things are complicated enough already as they are." Squall commented when Night explained degree of her authority within the Army.

"But it still too soon to say whatever it will be the city wide or bigger incident, or not. Some thing start small. Remember when we talked about November 22 assassination attempt in Aquelia? At first it seemed like a revenge scheme of a single griffon, made so much dirt come into light that half of the Aquelia Cabinet was replaced. Big problems tend to start small"

"About it's history...nothing that any other building in city didn't do better. It started as part of the hospitality company, but soon it was sold when it became clear that expenses were bigger then profits. It changed ownership about six times after that in 200 years before being purchased by the current owner. He is actually the first one that happened to make money from this estate. He lowered the standards a little but also the prices. Nothing special isn't it?" Squall gave a rehtorical question, indicating it's all he got.

“Think Glass has organized any other shows we should be looking into?”

"I don't think he would do too many other shows as the more he reveals himself the more suspicious others would be. He is a showy pony but not careless and certainly not that vain from what I can see. Maybe there will be a clue as to where he was before this even and where he will go next."

As the group come closer towards the hotel, more concerns surfaced.

"Still, he may have one more ready for us, in our destination. We should proceed with care, I rather overestimate him then opposite. After all..." Squall turned his head towards the changelings "...this is the first time I ever heard for anypony to see through disguise of your species. In literal meaning that is. That would be one of - if not the most - powerful true-sights in the world. Unless he would spy on both of you but that's impossible. Even you didn't knew that each other is your own species isn't it? What's the chance that two of your kind meet by chance like today?" Squall theorized.

When they arrived, both Flux and Night took the initiative with asking questions. Noblepony stayed silent, until - by chance - his sight fell on Night Watcher wings. Of course...

"One more thing. Which windows are his?"