"Listen Pinkie," Twilight said, the mild annoyance and exhaustion in her voice growing more and more palpable, "I know normally that you like to throw big parties for guests in Ponyville, especially if they're emissaries from Canterlot, but we need to keep this quiet."
"Are you sure?" asked Pinkie, bouncing in place with excitement, over what was anyone's guess."After all I've got enough balloons, streamers, and candy in my emergency party kit for a real doozy."
"I'm sure you do," Twilight sighed, "but Princess Celestia made it very clear, no one other than the six of us are to know about this."
"Fine, but can we have a party when he leaves?"
"Sure, but what for?"
"How about a party celebrating the use of my emergency party kit?"
"I guess. Pinkie I've got to go, Spike's been swamped the past few days working on the arrangements."
"Okey-dokey-lokey, see you when you're done with your super secret special meeting."
Twilight trotted out of Sugar Cube Corner and let out a sigh of relief. Celestia bless Pinkie but she was best digested in small intervals Maybe Twilight could write a letter on dealing with your friends annoying ticks, that'd be 'a real doozy'. She chuckled at her internal monologue and went on her way, not noticing the solitary gray pony with a brown mane and a covered cutie mark skirting the edges of the streets and ducking in and out of alleyways. No matter how hard she had worked, Twilight couldn't have possibly kept this big of a secret quiet, and sure enough it had a few in Ponyville whipped up into a fervor.
Maneard peered out from the shadows at Twilight as she passed in the moonlight. Ever since she had taken down that Ursa Minor he'd been careful to avoid her bad-side, and that caution had been reinforced after what happened to Discord. Most of the other ponies took her actions as reasons to trust her, Maneard didn't, a few fabricated crisis's and 'miraculous' rescues weren't enough for him. Once Twilight was well out of sight he darted across the street and ran as fast as he could to the Everfree Forest, and the meeting with his brothers in conspiracy.
"You see anyone that looked like they might be the emissary?" hissed a dark blue unicorn with a chisel and diamond cutie mark on his flank once Maneard got to the edge of the forest.
"No, just Twilight Sparkle roaming the streets. I think she was trying to keep Pinkie Pie from letting the news get out." Maneard whispered back, stopping at the treeline to take one final look back. "We sure Zecora's on our side?"
"I think she's solid, nopony talks to her really for anything other than business, doubt she has any love for the Princess."
"Like any of us do, love isn't the point, the will to stand up for something is."
"We'll never know unless we take a chance, can't exactly keep meeting in the swamps with that hydra, now can we?" the unicron asked, leading Maneard into the forest.
"No, I suppose we can't. I just don't like bringing someone new in, especially with this government representative coming tomorrow."
"What'd the guy who helped us get in contact with the NLR say before we left?"
"Without trust the revolution will crumble and scatter, just like the efforts of our ancestors." Maneard sighed, twisting to pull burs out of his loose mane.
"Exactly, Luna man, I keep telling you to get that thing taken care of." the unicorn snapped, turning around to help him.
"Yeah right, like I'm about to have mine styled like yours. Sorry Gladstone but I'm just not that kind of pony."
"So you'd rather get burrs in it every time we do anything?" retorted Gladstone, giving up and trotting off.
"Yeff, least I don't haff to bruff i' every damn morning like youff." said Maneard, his teeth clenched around a burr.
"Like brushing is difficult or painful at all."
"Maybe not for you and your damn witchcraft, us earth ponies don't have that luxury." he spat.
"The other ponies don't seem to have trouble with it."
"Fine, I'll be sure to ask Doctor Whooves next time I see him how he keeps his mane so immaculate, 'til then can we just drop it and focus on getting through this damnable forest and to Zecora's."
"Sure, go ahead and focus all you want, don't think it'll do much good though." Gladstone replied condescendingly.
"Why the fuck not?" Maneard shoutted, his patience had run out with the burrs and he was tired of pretending to be amiable.
"'Cause we're already here." he said as he pulled back the shrubs to reveal Zecora's hut, the condescension in his voice was enough to make Maneard contempate stabbing his life long friend. Instead he settled for slipping a few burrs into his perfectly kept golden mane.
Maneard opened the door to Zecora's hut grinning broadly, suppressing a laugh from Gladstone's clearly audible swearing. Inside several ponies sat huddled around the table, clearly having just stopped a bout of intense whispering, who all stared up at him when he entered. Most were younger than Maneard, they were just teens going through a rebellious phase probably, but a few were older shop-keeps tired of over taxation. Zecora entered the room bearing a tray of odd-looking fruits and hoof carved cups. Not wanting to seem unfriendly, Maneard took one of each and sat at one of the few open seats, and stifled another laugh when Gladstone entered.
"I hope you are of positive temperment, for that glare could burn a hole through the thickest parchment." Zecora rhymed at him, setting her offering of refreshments on the table.
"Don't worry, Maneard's the only one I'm upset with." Gladstone reassured, sitting across from him and continuing his glare.
"Why are you upset with him, I hope it's not based off a selfish whim?"
"It's just a prank that I'm still sore from, literally, it'll be OK."
"That is good to hear, I would want nothing to get between friends so dear." She said, taking her place at the table.
"Good now that we're all here, let's get down to business." Maneard began, clearing his throat of the surprisingly coarse and sweet fruit.
"But first let's all thank Zecora for letting us all meet here." interrupted Gladstone.
"Yes, thank you Zecora." said Maneard, shooting Gladstone a dirty look. The other ponies muttered thank yous and other various compliments.
"Oh it was no trouble, where I come from we know the importance of the right to rebel."
"Which is why I knew we could trust you." Gladstone muttered, leaning forward to grab a spiny fruit.
"As I was saying," Maneard resumed, "we all know that Celestia is sending an emissary to 'check up on Twilight Sparkle's progress on studying friendship'. We know better than the official story though, we know that he can't possibly be here by coincidence when we have our greatest period of activity and recruitment. We know that he's here looking for us-"
"And just how do we know all this?" interjected one of the other ponies, Maneard recognized them as the quill and couch salesman, he made a mental note to ask him about the relation between his stock later.
"Because paranoia combined with a little logic and knowledge is the perfect recipe for deduction." Maneard said simply. "Now, unless anypony else has pointless questions I'll continue. No? Good. Right, now because of the obvious need for discretion during this time, we'll be shutting down the NLR broadcast system we've set up 'round here. This means we'll be operating in the dark for at least 48 hours while the agent searches Ponyville for any evidence of us. I know this is scary. They find us there's no way we'll get any support or be able to alert our contacts, but it's they only way."
"We'll be distributing escape routes and emergency kits tomorrow afternoon while Maneard makes his rounds." said Gladstone, gulping down a cup of what smelled like tree sap. "Don't open those packets until you're sure we've been found, and once you've committed the route to memory, burn it and leave. This way we can avoid any worries of the destination and routes being revealed to Celestia's men. It's crucial you do this, act like you're being followed at all times because you likely will be. I'm sure I don't need to tell you not to act like we had this meeting or are planning anything."
"Now, any questions?"
The table shook their heads unanimously, Zecora's hoops jingled lightly. Everypony looked terrified. They had all volunteered, but none seemed to think of the cell as an actual rebellion. Maneard admitted to himself until now it had felt more like a cross between a tea party and a PTA meeting, not a 'terrorist' cell. Seeing the meeting was done Maneard stood and walked out. Gladstone followed silently, save for bidding Zecora a goodnight.
Their trip back to Ponyville was much quieter than the one in. They only broke silence to swear at the gnats eating them alive or to huff the forest's infinite supply of spiderwebs out of their faces. When they exited the gloom of the Everfree Forest and entered the crisp clarity of the fields that surrounded Ponyville, Gladstone split away from Maneard, waving a silent goodbye. Maneard stood to watch his friend walk in town before leaving to the old mill where he lived.
The mill sat alone on a hill on the outskirts of Ponyville, and on a night like tonight it stood out as a lonesome silhouette against the sheen of the moon. The only neighbor was Sweet Apple Acres and they seemed content enough to let him alone to his various eccentricities long as he left them to theirs. The only time he'd even spoken to Applejack since they were kids was when his antennae had fallen off and he'd gone over to mend fences. He remembered wistfully when he was a young colt and only had eyes for her, the farm girl next door, such a cliché. Still he coudn't help but let his mind wonder to her as he washed the muck off his coat and stared at her barn across the way.
He entered his house and shook himself of his wishful thinking. He reminded himself that she was the enemy and couldn't be trusted, let alone cared for. He had to remind himself a dozen more times before he was finally in bed and soundly asleep. Though his mind still didn't take the hint it seemed, as his dreams were of her.
Maneard stared at himself guiltily in the mirror in the morning, he remembered his dreams and couldn't deny enjoying them. He sighed, resigning himself to his flaws and went back to getting the emergency orders ready. He'd gotten up early to dismantle his broadcast array and bring the last of the logs up from the chop-field. How a wood mill managed to get set up next to a damn apple orchard was a mystery to him. He made a mental note to ask Granny Smith if there was ever any tension over having a tree butcher next to them next time he saw her.
By the time he was done mapping out a dozen different different routes to the same location for the rest of the cell it was midday and he'd have to hurry to avoid suspicion. Sure he could've made up an excuse for being late but anything that even remotely sounded like a poor excuse would tip them off. He stuffed the packets in his wagon underneath the bundles of firewood and set off into town. He spent the walk in trying to find the right balance between casual, hurried, and stressed by the special visitor. After fifteen minutes of this he gave up, deciding he just looked like a prat with something to hide.
"Spike, our guest is here." called Twilight, hurrying down the library steps to greet them.
Outside stood a full five wings of pegasus ponies, flanking one unicorn in a flowing velvet cloak. The unicorn stepped off of the gilded carriage and removed the cloak. Her entire body was the same shade as her cloak, her tail and mane cut harshly short. Twilight took a step back in shock, clearly this emissary wasn't the nice intellectual type she'd been hoping for. No, this was a military mare and that meant two days of being barked around.
"Hello you must be Celestia's emissary," Twilight said, extending a hoof, "I'm Twilight Sparkle, and you are..."
"Eager to get started on my inspection." the unicron said curtly. " Is that what Celestia called me, an emissary?"
"Yes. You are, aren't you?"
"More of an inspector. I've been led to believe you here have got a problem with Lunatics."
"I don't know about that," stammered Twilight, following the unicorn as she walked to the town square, "sure everypony enjoyed her visit last autumn but I wouldn't say anyone's trying to make her ruler."
"Maybe not, hell you probably don't, most Lunatics are in the more liberal and industrial areas anyways." she said, taking a bite from an apple she levitated from the stand as she walked by, leaving Applejack mumbling angrily, "My job isn't to go off maybe though, my job is to search everypony from top to bottom. I'm going to be open with you Twilight, that way hopefully I'll be done more quickly, I'm going to be interrogating and searching the homes of everypony I flag as suspect. This could be sped up if you gave me a list of suspicious ponies from the get go."
"List of suspicious ponies?"
"Oh come now, they said you were intelligent." sighed the mare through a mouthful of apple, apple which she seemed to plan on washing down with some stolen tea from the street-side cafe. "You've lived in Ponyville for what a year now, and can't think of anypony? Think, somepony whisper every time your around, never in town when Celestia is, or doesn't celebrate the Summer Sun Festival? Even the smallest detail could be enough. If anypony is a traitor round here they'll either be overly reckless, which isn't likely considering your presence, or highly paranoid and cautious. Despite their caution though most let something slip and that's the thing that leads to an entire cell being unraveled."
"I suppose there's one pony who might..." mumbled Twilight, watching the harsh mare glug down the tea.
"Who?" spat the mare, dropping the cup and letting it shatter with excitement.
"Well, I'm not sure but..."
"Spit it out dammit! We haven't got time for your hesitation."thundered the mare, she was staring at Twilight crazily now, almost hungrily.
"The salesman at the Quill and Sofa store, he's always grumbling about Celestia's taxes on store-owners and how much he hates the whole tribute system for businesses." Twilight said as quickly and fervently as she could, wanting to get it all out before the mare jumped her.
"Good, we have a lead. I'll have my men take him to the library, we've already set up a little interrogation chamber in there."
"You what?" squeaked Twilight.
"We need privacy and quiet for what we do, and what better place for than that than a library?"
Maneard hoofed out the firewood at his last stop as quickly as he could. The agent had been causing quite a stir in the square from what he heard, she clearly wasn't playing things close to the chest. His first thought was that just made it easier for him, his people would see her coming and have the good sense to burn anything incriminating. His second thought was that his people would see her coming and crack from the sheer intimidation factor, and as much as he hated it, that was the more likely option. He was on his way home when it happened. First the deep boom of the mare blowing open the store then the pleas of the buck as they carted the him off. Maneard's blood went cold, no way was he going to stay quiet, everyone would panic. The mare had forced his hoof.