The Inquisitor

(OOC: (This RP is going to be slightly difficult for most ponies to enter.
The reason for this is where it takes place. In the Canterlot Palace.

The main goal of this RP is character development, and entertainment. I was hoping to incorporate a overarching mystery theme among all my RP topics, both ones I make and ones I join, so keep that in mind while posting on this topic.

Here's the current RP order. If you wish to join, post OOC below or send me a PM.
-AlcheirShy as (Alcheir)
-Intelligent Design as (Elegance Design)
-Rozencratz as (Thunderclap)
-
-

Here's the RP information now. It will be updated based on the RP itself, and I'm going to change it to meet the standards of the current RP when it progresses.

Setting:
-Location: Canterlot Palace
-Time/Date: 10:00AM 10/03/xx
-PreSetting: Alcheir knew that his memories would probably be better revealed if he went back to the place where he re-discovered his tap-magic memory. He also knew that if he attempted to go back and waltz in, that he'd be sent to the dungeon for eternity. Therefore, being the somewhat-intelligent pony he was, he decided to disguise himself as a guard by sneaking in The Stable late in the night, and take a guard uniform.
This disguise clearly helped him. After donning the uniform, he was immediately assumed to be a guard by another guard who entered the room. He was sent to the infirmary for sleep after that guard saw him, and Alcheir slept well that night.
Alcheir woke up the next morning and ate breakfast in the mess hall, then left and made his way to the palace. From here, the RP begins and he's ready for everypony in the palace. Or, at least he hopes he is.
Events: To be specified later.

Plot:
Plot: Alcheir is to enter the palace and look around. From there, after meeting with various ponies and attempting to maintain his disguise, Alcheir will travel throughout the palace and eventually find a book. This book will have the title, 'A traveler in disguise' and will catch his attention. As he reads the book, another guard will catch him off duty and get suspicious. From there, Alcheir will leave in his disguise, trotting towards the stable. He will be temporarily stopped by (a) princess, and will regain a memory in the princess's presence. In the stable, he will take off his disguise and attempt to escape. Will he be successful? That's what this RP is all about.
Plot Information: It's a pretty straightforward plot, so I don't think much information is necessary. Alcheir's disguise is a standard Canterlot Guard uniform, mostly bronze with a bit of copper and silver for stylizing. Standard issue to patrol guard unicorns. His uniform is special, however, in that it's horn-plate completely covers the section where his horn should be, successfully hiding his broken horn.
Plot Twists: The people who enter this RP will probably twist the Plot more than enough. Feel free to make your own changes to the RP, so long as it doesn't impede the flow of the plot I laid out too severely.

Plot-Changeable Aspects:
Location: Canterlot Palace, wandering around the west commons area(near the dining hall)
Dangers: Guard Detection, Enprisonment, and Vandilization.
Character Interaction: A few guards. That's it, honest.

[I...huh. Well. This is different. Not completely sure how to feel about it, considering such strict, predetermined plot rails may discourage RP outside your planning, and such may dissuade posters from joining. As someone who has many schemes for Canterlot as well, I really can't tell you not to have any.

However, it is a convention in this forum that canon characters, especially those of prominence, should not be controlled directly by us, unless in very special circumstances. Referenced to, yes. Being a source of character motivation, yes. Having a major role in the plot, no. So I'm afraid the princess thing will either have to be off 'screen', in very minor passing, or avoided completely.

That said, Elegance Design has been idle recently, and is fretting over the construction of the Midnight Palace. Maybe some strange masquerader can put her mind off things.]

Intelligent Design wrote:

[I...huh. Well. This is different. Not completely sure how to feel about it, considering such strict, predetermined plot rails may discourage RP outside your planning, and such may dissuade posters from joining. As someone who has many schemes for Canterlot as well, I really can't tell you not to have any.

However, it is a convention in this forum that canon characters, especially those of prominence, should not be controlled directly by us, unless in very special circumstances. Referenced to, yes. Being a source of character motivation, yes. Having a major role in the plot, no. So I'm afraid the princess thing will either have to be off 'screen', in very minor passing, or avoided completely.

That said, Elegance Design has been idle recently, and is fretting over the construction of the Midnight Palace. Maybe some strange masquerader can put her mind off things.]

"Not completely sure how to feel about it, considering such strict, predetermined plot rails may discourage RP outside your planning"
-Predetermined plots are how I roll. I generally like to observe how other RPers guide the RP. I think about RPing from an outside-of-time point of view. You can have as many people from as many places as you want in one point in time, but the same event is going to happen. That's how I like things. Nice and organized.

"...and such may dissuade posters from joining."
-When I made this topic, I was very sure that very few people would post on it. In fact, I'm pleasantly surprised that you even bothered. Therefore, this is my first idea of an RP on this site. I'm going to make another if I feel like it, but this is to get even more familiar with the clockwork of this site.

"...it is a convention in this forum that canon characters, especially those of prominence, should not be controlled directly by us, unless in very special circumstances. Referenced to, yes. Being a source of character motivation, yes. Having a major role in the plot, no. So I'm afraid the princess thing will either have to be off 'screen', in very minor passing, or avoided completely."
-I understand that it's a 'convention' that canon characters not be controlled directly, but that makes the entire pony world stupid. What's the point of RPing in Equestria if there's no Twilight Sparkle or Celestia? I understand that we aren't cannon ponies, but every other site I've been too allowed control of cannon characters for general plot development.

"That said, Elegance Design has been idle recently, and is fretting over the construction of the Midnight Palace. Maybe some strange masquerader can put her mind off things."
-I don't really understand this comment. If Elegance Design is your character, then okay, but if it's another user/admin, I'm just confused now. If that's your cue to join the RP then by all means make your first post. Either way I'm intrigued as to the purpose of this part of your comment.

Quote :

I understand that it's a 'convention' that canon characters not be controlled directly, but that makes the entire pony world stupid. What's the point of RPing in Equestria if there's no Twilight Sparkle or Celestia? I understand that we aren't canon ponies, but every other site I've been to allowed control of canon characters for general plot development.

[A good question. RPing in Equestria with no Sparkle or Celestia is what this site is all about. Playing out the multitude of tales and adventures of this fantasy world that do not happen to the characters we know. The other stories about the other ponies. We do not play the characters in the cartoon because their adventures are, well, in the cartoon. This site differentiates itself from the other sites by forcing its members to look beyond the main figures and seek stories in the details, fleshing them out. The various one-episode species. The locales only mentioned by name. Going to the old standbys is boring, and done.

It cannot be denied that the canon characters do have influence on large swaths of ponies, and that is why referencing them, or meetings with them off screen is allowed. But the last thing we want is arguments over whether a canon character is OOC or not, an issue most of us find with other RP sites. If they allow control of canon chars, good for them. We do not.

TL;DR This is a site for OCs and their stories. We do not wish to interfere with canons.]

[Btw, Elegance is one of mine, but I might start later.]

Intelligent Design wrote:

[A good question. RPing in Equestria with no Sparkle or Celestia is what this site is all about. Playing out the multitude of tales and adventures of this fantasy world that do not happen to the characters we know. The other stories about the other ponies. We do not play the characters in the cartoon because their adventures are, well, in the cartoon. This site differentiates itself from the other sites by forcing its members to look beyond the main figures and seek stories in the details, fleshing them out. The various one-episode species. The locales only mentioned by name. Going to the old standbys is boring, and done.

It cannot be denied that the canon characters do have influence on large swaths of ponies, and that is why referencing them, or meetings with them off screen is allowed. But the last thing we want is arguments over whether a canon character is OOC or not, an issue most of us find with other RP sites. If they allow control of canon chars, good for them. We do not.

TL;DR This is a site for OCs and their stories. We do not wish to interfere with canons.]

[Btw, Elegance is one of mine, but I might start later.]

-When you put it that way, this site makes far more sense. Please put that in the rules for extra specification in the future, because I wasn't aware of that. Well, at least that makes this RP easier. Less stress on matching a vague characterization.

I'll edit my first post. How distant in the future does 'later' refer to, exactly? A span of time, or a span of posts on this topic?

Canterlot Palace! First bourne in the mind of Design the Magnificent for the welcome of the Solar Princess when she finally decided to make the City of Magic her home. It had been modified and adjusted through the centuries to reflect the changing times, but the heart and soul constructed by Elegance's distant forefather was still present.

Now, she planned to equal, no, she planned to better Magnificent's feat. But it did no harm to take some tips from your elders, if only to deconstruct them, and rebuild them in a superior form. Pausing to think for a moment, she raised her pencil and continued sketching the structures that made the entrance hall. The book she drew in was already littered with previous sketches, all carefully detailed and annotated. This was, technically, her down time, walking through the city and drawing the structures she saw. It was a habit of the family. It was continually a fruitful well of inspiration, sometimes from the unlikeliest of places. After all, her brother was doing just that when he witnessed the examination hall being destroyed by an unholy combination of magic and dragon. That event eventually led to his cutie mark.

Now, Elegance's sketching strolls never were as dramatic as that, but it was relaxing, in a sense. Being allowed to stroll through the palace due to her royal project was simply a bonus. It was fascinating to compare and contrast what she saw with what was in Magnificent's original blueprints and plans. Her sketches were prettier, for one.

Of course, she couldn't just gallivant everywhere in the palace. There were some 'restricted' areas where she would have to get a guard to escort her for security reasons. Luckily, she had a special royal document to wave down any guard she encountered for that purpose. It was convenient with all the perks the Midnight Palace provided. She would have to wave own a guard soon, she considered, the 'restricted' areas of the palace called.

Chapter 1:
-Elegance, Treachery, Innocence and Apathy
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Of the two hundred and fifty guards in the Canterlot Palace, only one was a fake. Which one was it? What was his name? What was he doing in the castle, and how did he get there? Does anyone know who this stranger is? Is he dangerous? Alcheir wondered whether anypony around him actually knew that he was there.

As Alcheir trotted around, he wondered just which exact questions the ponies around him could ask themselves about him. Alcheir knew that he had the disguise, but he didn't have the physical strength of a guard. He had the horn-helmet that completely hid the fact that his horn wasn't there in the first place with a sheet of metal, so obviously no pony was going to note his lack of a horn straight off the bat.

Alcheir walked towards a window on the supposed west wing of the castle, where the dining areas were kept in the highest of cleanly conditions. Alcheir saw a beautiful view of a garden as he looked out the window, but quickly lost interest in the sight as he remembered his task.

The reason this spy was wandering about the castle was simple and honest. All Alcheir planned to do was search for a spell-book, or anything that looked in any way familiar to him, and to try to find a memory. That was his only real goal in anything he did as of the current time. His food supply was well restocked from his visit to this castle, but he'd only reap the benefits of having those supplies if he made it out of Canterlot successfully.

Alcheir didn't feel the need to leave anytime soon. As he walked around the room he was in, he searched for anything to take with him to snack on during his patrol. He had only just eaten breakfast a few minutes before trotting into the current room, but he still found that he'd likely be hungry soon enough anyways.

After spending about fifteen minutes in the room searching for crumbs, Alcheir found a dinner roll and stuffed it into the pouch on his uniform. He then made his way over to the door and left the room, heading towards the entrance hall. He originally planned to evade that general area, but decided that he wanted to see if there was a familiar face in that area, just in case.

Alcheir left the dinner area and patrolled through the hallway, looking the part of a guard by searching anything suspicious or new-looking in the hallway. There were many suits of armor lining the walls, and plenty of torches as well. The pristine look of the palace made it look more like paradise than an actual building. Right as Alcheir thought this, he heard metallic hoof steps.

As a guard passed by him, Alcheir saluted in the most relaxed way that he could, and got a salute in response, with a slight smile of gratitude, from a pegasus mare guard. Alcheir continued on his way afterwards, enjoying the silent conversation he just had. Conversation was always fun in silence. Plus, he was almost in the entrance hall now.

Right, thought Elegance, that was the entrance hall done. Yawning, she packed her sketching material away as she thought of where to go next. Gardens were done, the various galleries and hallways.

"That should be all the public areas done," she muttered as she examined her mental checklist, "So that means I am going to have to get hold of a guard. Preferably one that isn't busy of course."

Retrieving the form from her pockets, she checked the royal permission slip that was given to her for such purposes.

Quote :

This Royal Permission Slip provides the bearer, Royal Architect Lady Elegance of the noble Design bloodline, permission to relieve a palace guard of his/her duties in order to act as an escort around the restricted areas of the palace for research on the proposed construction of the Midnight Palace

Elegance had insisted, despite reassurances that the palace guards would probably just agree to go along with her. All she knew was that if she was in the middle of a job, any pony interrupting her better had a good reason for doing so. Thus she had the slip.

All that was needed was a guard, she thought to herself, as she started striding towards the door...

(OOC : (This sure will be sad if no one else joins this RP. I guess it's a waiting game right now.))

Chapter 1:
-Elegance, Treachery, Innocence and Apathy
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alcheir continued trotting towards the entrance hall when he remembered something. When he looked at the map in The Stable, the map of the castle patrol line, he remembered that his supposed 'assigned patrol' didn't have the entrance hall in it. Alcheir frowned slightly as he continued trotting. Would anypony notice? He sure hoped not.

Alcheir wanted to see if he could find somepony familiar in the entrance hall. Maybe not the pony he encountered the time he woke up in the castle itself, because that would kill his disguise, but somepony he may have met before losing his memory.

Alcheir saw a door in the distance and grinned. ~...almost there...~ he thought, grinning. The armor plating he wore had a carbon-titanium mesh attaching the steel-alloy plates together, which allowed for near-silent movement and easy strength enchantment through magic. He could still hear a slight grind as he moved due to the pressure between the breastplate and the shoulderplate, but it wasn't that annoying.

As he reached the door, he stopped, debating whether or not he should go through the door or not. The chances of finding a familiar pony were good, but the chances of finding a pony who would kill his disguise was much, much better. He decided against going through the door, and immediately turned around. There would be other opportunities to find memories, but this opportunity was much too risky.

Besides, Alcheir didn't want to get caught by any famous ponies either. A princess or important guest would easily be able to tell where guards were and were not supposed to be. As Alcheir trotted back in the way he originally came down, he heard hoofsteps behind him. The door hadn't opened yet, but he swore the steps were getting closer, and closer, and closer.

He didn't want to turn around just yet, so he continued, unmoved by the advancement behind him. Guards weren't easily fazed, and he didn't want to be either. Then again, if he was a guard, and the princess was behind him, wasn't he supposed to salute? Alcheir heard the hoofsteps approaching closer and closer, and finally, he turned around.

To his surprise, the door was only just opening. The hoofsteps he heard were echos in the headpiece of his armor. He rolled his eyes and watched as the door opened, wondering who could possibly be entering the west wing. Who would enter the passage to the library and the night-wing other than a princess or another guard? Alcheir was about to find out.

(OOC: I would like to join this RP if at all possible. I will be using my character Thunderclap, who recently discovered his noble heritage and is visiting the palace to learn more about the high life of Canterlot.

Now, should I jump in now, or wait for Intel to post?)

Rozencratz wrote:

(OOC: I would like to join this RP if at all possible. I will be using my character Thunderclap, who recently discovered his noble heritage and is visiting the palace to learn more about the high life of Canterlot.

Now, should I jump in now, or wait for Intel to post?)

(OOC : (...I'll adress your individual points separately below...

-You may join this RP. Welcome. :D

-You may jump in, but your post may not include interaction between Alcheir or Elegance Design. That way you can set yourself up for a more smooth transition into the RP on your next post after Intelligent responds. I'd advise you to not begin your post with having a position inside the areas of the palace where Alcheir or Elegance were in previously, as that leads to 'Awareness Paradoxes' which are annoying.

...In either case, post at will. I'll add Thunderclap to the posting-order immediately...))

(OOC: Alrighty!)

Thunderclap stood in a large hallway, thinking about how he found himself here. Him, the poor son of an even poorer farmer, who, only weeks ago, would feel nothing but disgust about being anywhere near the palace, let alone a guest in it. His grandfather, still quite the influential pony, had managed to get him into the palace, to tour it at his own leisure. "Feel the history, the culture." His grandfather told him, "Get to know the elite of Canterlot. Since you will be living here, it is best to know the surroundings."

Of course, he was not a guest of incredibly high importance. The princesses could not be bothered to even greet him, probably too busy with royal business. Nor did the guards pay him much attention. They mostly left him alone, only stopping every once in a while to ask if he needed help, or to tell him not to enter a room.

Thunderclap walked down the hallway, examining the suits of armour and oil paintings that lined the walls. The armour reminded him of the old suit that sat in his grandfather's study, and another suit that sits in the corner of his bedroom. The armour made him feel exposed, although he was wearing coshes for the first time in quite a while, his sword was not hanging by his side. Obviously, weapons are not welcome by the guards of the palace.

Thunderclap's ears perked up as he heard some noise. The large blue pegasus craned his head behind him, trying to find the source of the sound. Not noticing anything out of the ordinary, he turned his head back forward. Probably just a guard, he thought, nothing to be worried about.

(OOC: Should I reply? Maybe? Erm...)

"You there! Guard!"

What luck, she thought, as she closed the great doors behind her. Pulling out her slip, she strode towards the guard with the manner of a general or Princess. The effect was somewhat diminished by her small stature, but Elegance made the most of what she had.

"I have here royal permission to request an escort through the restricted areas of the palace." She stopped in front of the guard, head held high. "And you seem to be the most available choice."

The most important thing was to believe what she was saying, because if you didn't, how were you to expect the pony you were talking to to? She cast a critical eye over the guard, noting small...details that were a little bit off. It was those little details that one noticed, Elegance knew. Big flaws could be intentional, whilst small flaws simply looked like carelessness. She made a mental note of this to examine later.

"This slip," she said, showing it to the guard, "Officially relieves you of your duties so you can act as my escort, so you don't have to fret about reprisal later. Now, as stated on the slip, I need to access the restricted areas for research for a royal construction project. The first area I need to go to is..." She paused to check her mental list. "...the Royal Private Gallery, which is close to the hall of noble family trees. You will accompany me as I take notes on both."

Chapter 1:
-Elegance, Treachery, Innocence and Apathy
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"...You there! Guard!..." a -description of color- -description of race- mare shouted, closing the door behind her as she trotted towards Alcheir.

Alcheir couldn't have possibly felt more angry and stupid. Of course, right as he tries to escape attention, it comes sprinting towards him. Just his luck. Alcheir rolled his eyes and watched as the mare approached, opening his mouth as if to speak. Unfortunately, before he got the chance, he was pre-interrupted as the mare started to speak again.

The mare was still walking right towards Alcheir when she started speaking again. "...I have here royal permission to request an escort through the restricted areas of the palace..." She stopped in front of Alcheir, trying to look professional for whatever reason, and continued "And you seem to be the most available choice..."

Alcheir's jaw was left open after this point. The most 'available' choice? He sure hoped he didn't look stupid or out of place as a result of her observations when she pointed that out. Either way, he assumed it was just the fact that she assumed he was on patrol, not doing something 'important' and that that was the reason the mare observed his status as 'available'.

Alcheir felt the prying eyes of the mare as she paused, closing his gaping jaw so as to not look to stupid. He didn't say anything, knowing that any normal Canterlot guard only would talk when addressed with a issue requiring vocal interaction, or social interaction between one guard and another.

After the mare stopped examining him, Alcheir could see in her eyes suspicion. As she started talking again, Alcheir formed a story in his mind about how to get around whatever she might possibly ask him in the future.

"...This slip,..." the mare said, pulling a piece of paper out from somewhere and showing it to Alcheir, "...officially relieves you of your duties so you can act as my escort, so you don't have to fret about reprisal later. Now, as stated on the slip, I need to access the restricted areas for research for a royal construction project. The first area I need to go is..." then she paused.

Alcheir was staring right at the mare's eyes, not even bothering to read it as she talked. He understood that he was supposed to escort the mare to restricted areas, and he was perfectly fine with that. He wasn't sure as to where he wanted to go to next anyways. Alcheir did notice a reflection in a suit of armor as the mare paused, however, and as he turned his head slightly, he noticed another pony in the hallway.

Alcheir turned back to the mare as she started talking, however, and focused mainly on her as she continued on. "...the Royal Private Gallery, which is close to the hall of noble family trees. You will accompany me as I take notes on both..." the mare stated, finally done with her talking.

Alcheir grunted a quick, affirmative, "...yes ma'am..." and turned to face the opposite direction. Alcheir observed a map the previous night and remembered most of it, and from the map, he remembered that the private gallery was next to the royal library near the west section of the night-wing. Alcheir immediately started walking after imagining the route in his mind, and started on his way.

Alcheir's armor glinted in it's half-shined glory as Alcheir passed under a torch on his route. The armor Alcheir had chosen was simple, but still unusual. Most guards had either bronze or steel armor, but Alcheir's specific armor type was more of a chromium-molybdenum steel. That specific style of armor was really easy to shine, and difficult to un-shine, but Alcheir's suit seemed to have not been cared for recently.

Among the various failures to care for his armor, Alcheir also forgot to brush his hair and clean some of the dust off of the chain-mail mesh under his armor. All in all, there weren't too many noticeable flaws, but a professional would be able to notice his carelessness without a seconds thought.

Thunderclap continued his inspection of the halls. It was a whole new world to him. A far cry from the old farm house where he grew up, the wilderness where he spent a year of his life, or the music and loved filled house of his best friend in Ponyville. Still, living in this kind of place felt almost natural to him. It was weird. In the past he detested the rich and high class lifestyle.

Thunderclap turned and walked down the long, stretching hallway, the large blue pegasus stopping every once in a while to look at a painting. His teal eyes carefully scanned the art with a discerning eye, one that he had learned through the work with his grandfather. Any ponies passing by would think he was too close to the painting, and a guard would most likely pull him away. But luckily for Thunderclap, there were no guards in this hall, or so he thought.

Thunderclap continued walking down the hallway when he came across a guard who seemed to be escorting a small mare. Thunderclap approached the two, easily out sizing the mare, and still slightly larger than the guard. He quickly examined the two, focussing on the mare. Why was she here? Was she a guest like him. the guard was just another guard, nothing noteworthy, he had seen a lot of them.

The pegasus cleared his throat. "Excuse me" he said, not knowing the proper way to address Canterlot ponies. "I seem to be quite lost here in the palace. I have been given permission to explore, but it seems like a guide would be a good idea. So far I've just been seeing hallways and hallways." He said, and let out a slight chuckle.

Something about the guard's armour seemed off. It caught Thunder's eyes, if just for a moment. Thunder brushed it away. The armour he was used to seeing was of military origin, and this was a palace guard. It seems to Thunder that the armour would obviously look different, being made for two different positions.

The young unicorn's critical gaze snapped to the newcomer when she heard the voice. A frown formed and her lips formed a straight line as she took in the pegasus' words.

"Unfortunately, sir, I am in the middle of a task dictated to me by the Lunar Princess herself, and do not have the time to be a tour guide for a...visitor such as yourself. "

She did not recognise the large pegasus, which was a rather big concern. She hoped that she could recognise everypony important, and she didn't like to be interrupted by ponies that were not important, or had nothing important to tell her.

"In any case, unless you have explicit royal permission, you cannot accompany us to the Private Royal Gallery, and only those of the classical noble birth can enter the hall of family trees, so I apologise greatly, but you cannot accompany us to those locales," she continued, not sounding sorry at all, "Though I must ask, what exactly is a pony like you doing in the palace in the first place, if not for official business?" Her frown deepened. "Surely it would be better to dilly-dally in a place where you won't get in the way of those of us with an actual job to do."

Her gaze intensified. "Who are you, anyway? I don't seem to recognise you from any function, nor my books. If for the minutest chance that you are from the noble families, though I doubt it, you can make yourself useful."

She looked over at the guard, "That is allowed, am I correct? Those with a place on a family tree can enter the hall without guard status?"

Chapter 1:
-Elegance, Treachery, Innocence and Apathy
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alcheir frowned slightly as he noticed a large blue pony begin to follow him and the priveleged mare, but he left the stallion to talk for himself. Guards only asked vitally necessary questions anyways.

"...Excuse me..." the pony said after a long silence. "...I seem to be quite lost here in the palace. I have been given permission to explore, but it seems like a guide would be a good idea. So far I've just been seeing hallways and hallways...." he finished, his glance quickly shifting from the mare to Alcheir for a few seconds.

As the mare started speaking, the stallion's gaze shifted back to her. "...Unfortunately, sir, I am in the middle of a task dictated to me by the Lunar Princess herself, and do not have the time to be a tour guide for a,..." she then paused, thinking of a term to use for a split second, "...visitor, such as yourself..."

Alcheir rolled his eyes after hearing the mare's blithering, but shielded this action through closing his eyes to avoid suspicion, should the ponies off-hoofedly look his way as he did it. As the mare continued talking, Alcheir tried to drown out the sound with his own personal thoughts, planning as he trotted along the hallway.

"...In any case, unless you have explicit royal permission, you cannot accompany us to the Private Royal Gallery, and only those of the classical noble birth can enter the hall of family trees, so I apologize greatly, but you cannot accompany us to those locales,..." the mare said, her voice sounding more bossy and arrogant than apologetic.

Unfortunately, at least in Alcheir's perspective, the mare continued talking, "...Though I must ask, what exactly is a pony like you doing in the palace in the first place, if not for official business?..." the mare asked, frowning with disdain at the large blue pony next to her. "...Surely it would be better to dilly-dally in a place where you won't get in the way of those of us with an actual job to do..." the mare mused, seemingly insulting the pony's mere existence with her words.

"...Who are you, anyway? I don't seem to recognize you from any function, nor my books. If for the minutest chance that you are from the noble families, though I doubt it, you can make yourself useful..." the mare continued blithering out, her questions burning Alcheir's consciousness like wildfire.

Alcheir took a deep breath and quickly changed mindset after hearing the mare's former statement. He didn't want to seem annoyed in any way, so instead of thinking of the mare as a 'snob', he started to imagine her as a highly important figure.

Luckily, the next thing the mare spat out was directed towards Alcheir, lucky in the sense that he had succeeded in changing mindsets. "...That is allowed, am I correct? Those with a place on a family tree can enter the hall without guard status?..."

Alcheir continued walking along, not changing his movement pattern in the slightest to acknowledge the question. As he answered, his voice sounded clear and professional. The guard who had talked to him the previous night had luckily given him a run-down of the various rules he needed to be aware of, and Alcheir remembered them well.

"...Ma'am, the only ponies permitted in secure areas are renown nobles, relations of nobles, guards, and invited guests, ma'am..." Alcheir said, his words relayed carefully and quickly as he recited the exact words he remembered the guard recite to him.

Thunderclap was shocked on how he was treated, for what seemed like no apparent reason. Now he remembered why places like Canterlot used to repulse him. The very word "respect" seemed to be lost upon these ponies. Still, Thunder did not want to stoop to the same level of this pony, so he replied with kinder words. "I'm am sorry if I interrupted something important. And it seems like I did not introduce myself properly. My name is Thunderclap." He said, bowing his head slightly in apology.

Thunder whined slightly. The attitude was too much to handle. Well, almost too much. Thunderclap did handle worse, although that time it did not end very well. He looked down at the small mare. Even if he does not get respect from her because of social status, he should at least get respect for age and power.

"Why am I here?" He repeated. "Well, that is a very long story, longer than I bet you would care to hear. Let me just just say I am here to get acquainted with the area."

A smirk then crossed Thunder's face. A small one, barely noticeable, but still a smirk. "You doubt my nobility? But m'lady, what would one be doing inside the royal palace if one was not of the proper class? I am Thunderclap, son of Puresteel, son of Lord Steelwing, former General of the Equestrian Army and current Royal Adviser for both the Military and he Royal Guard." He said, bowing slightly, "At your service."

He smiled when the guard spoke. "Well, then it is decided. I shall accompany you to the hall. Besides, it is not like you could stop me." He said, and laughed slightly.

"Puresteel," Elegance said flatly, "The stallion that chased everypony in a dress. His dress, if I recall correctly. I sincerely hope you take after more of your grandfather than of him. Of course, Lord Steelwing did disappoint us all recently with the changeling fiasco." The last two words brought a darkened expression to her features and were practically spat out.

A 'hmph', followed by a turning of the corner, "I suppose only a noblepony or an outsider would have the idea of just blathering about in the public halls, where all ponies can go to, but none can loiter, and you happen to have the unfortunate distinction of being both. I can probably deduce your story from what little you have said, so you made the right decision of not bothering to tell me more. Now, please do not bother me further."

This was finished by the small mare coming up to a large pair of metal doors with a inscription of a giant detailed tree. Elegance's frown was dispelled by a look of wonder as she admired the beautiful work of art wrought by ponies from long ago.

"Here it is," she whispered in awe, "The hall of family trees."

The doors swung open with just the slightest touch of her hoof, revealing only darkness within. With a small smirk, Elegance got out her book and pen, then strode into the shadows.

When all three had entered, the large metal doors swung shut behind them, letting no light follow. Three seconds were spent in complete darkness, then...

WHOOSH

It was more of a round chamber, than a hall, really, the giant central bonfire revealed. It burned with the intensity of a sun illuminating the many trees that surrounded it. The shadows cast by the silent oaks were lined up perfectly with the stone inscriptions on the wall, heralding names that had been forgotten by recent memory. Noble families were strung together by the shadows of branches, every count, duke, and princess. The floor was also exquisitely marked, too, carefully carved by artists long gone. The ceiling stretched high, high above, promising many future generations to come.

Elegance looked with a happy smile around the place. Illuminating her book with magic, she started to sketch the details of the room. Her eye caught her family tree, standing tall, and her name perched on one of the topmost branches.

Chapter 1:
-Elegance, Treachery, Innocence and Apathy
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alcheir had been trotting along for awhile now, and the hallway, as he remembered it, was supposed to end in about two hundred feet, followed by a corner, another fairly long hallway, and the large metallic doorway to a room which only permissible guests were allowed in. Of course, Alcheir didn't know for sure where the mare wished to go, but he judged that it was what she was talking about when she described her need of escort.

"...I'm am sorry if I interrupted something important. And it seems like I did not introduce myself properly. My name is Thunderclap..." the blue stallion continued, making a slight bow as he continued trotting, the likes of which Alcheir noted through his hearing, and not by sight.

"...Why am I here?..." Thunderclap asked, rhetorically repeating the primary question of which the mare had asked, "...Well, that is a very long story, longer than I bet you would care to hear. Let me just just say I am here to get acquainted with the area..." Thunderclap started, looking over to the mare.

"...You doubt my nobility? But m'lady, what would one be doing inside the royal palace if one was not of the proper class? I am Thunderclap, son of Puresteel, son of Lord Steelwing, former General of the Equestrian Army and current Royal Adviser for both the Military and he Royal Guard..." The Thunderclap stallion, now sure that he had made a bold, noteworthy introduction, bowed to the mare again as he continued trotting along, "...At your service..."

"...Well, then it is decided. I shall accompany you to the hall. Besides, it is not like you could stop me..." Thunderclap added randomly, trotting alongside the arrogant mare as they both followed Alcheir.

"...Puresteel,..." the arrogant mare said flatly, frowning ahead of herself still, "...The stallion that chased everypony in a dress. His dress, if I recall correctly. I sincerely hope you take after more of your grandfather than of him. Of course, Lord Steelwing did disappoint us all recently with the changeling fiasco..."

Alcheir couldn't help but grin slightly at that description. One of noble blood rarely insulted another so blatantly, especially one with the need of hiring an escort. Alcheir knew through the experience he had earlier that morning that this fact was true. Unfortunately, this mare was more than a bad example of a noble as she continued talking on.

A 'hmph' sound was made as Alcheir led the ponies around a corner, and the mare continued, "...I suppose only a noblepony or an outsider would have the idea of just blathering about in the public halls, where all ponies can go to, but none can loiter, and you happen to have the unfortunate distinction of being both. I can probably deduce your story from what little you have said, so you made the right decision of not bothering to tell me more. Now, please do not bother me further..."

Alcheir didn't even bother to think negatively about the mare's comments any more. He had now grown accustomed to her sharp remarks and decided not to pay heed to them. His guard-like personality was growing in accuracy as his experience grew. Silence followed for a few seconds after the mare's later remark as the huge, polished iron doors of the hall of family trees approached.

Alcheir stopped immediately and stood at attention right next to the door as the ponies approached it behind him. He stood facing the wall opposite to the door for a few seconds as the other two approached, and waited as the mare remarked, "...Here it is, The hall of family trees..."

After that, the mare set her hoof on the door, and the mechanical effect of the door sensed the light pressure. The engineering behind the door then set into motion and shot the two heavy doors open with no effort at all on the mare's part. Alcheir would have secretly enjoyed watching the mare attempt to open the heavy iron doors unassisted, but he ignored the thought as he trotted into the temporarily dark room behind the Thunderclap stallion.

After Alcheir entered, the door slammed shut. Following standard procedure, he stood at attention at the right-hoof side of the door and stared blankly straight ahead, showing no emotion as he waited. That was what the friendly guard of the previous night reminded him to do should he be assigned to guarding a room.

Alcheir followed this procedure flawlessly, so far as he was capable of. Every now and then he couldn't help but move around a tiny bit to keep his blood flowing. The armor he wore wasn't familiar on his fur, and it stopped circulation every now and then if he stopped moving due to the few tight points on his shoulders.

As the arrogant mare finally shut up and waltzed around, taking sketches of the room, Alcheir thought about the words that the noble mare had spoken. It gave him a memory of his past, some mare had spoken words which smarted like them before, but the words were echoed dully and inaudibly in his mind, the memory as foggy as eroded, stain-glass windows.

Thunderclap frowned slightly when Elegance spoke of his father. That was definitely a part of his father's life no pony in his family had bothered to tell him about. All he knew his father was as a farmer and blacksmith, dirt poor. Then again, knowing this pony, all of this could simply be slander. Talking down about his family to make hers seem better. He did not put it above her. He was starting to regret joining her and this guard.

"And as for my grandfather, he did not fail Canterlot. He has retired from active duty. He simply acts as an advisor. His word is respected, but not law. Actual deployment is left up to Captain Shining Armour and the Princesses." He said in defence of his family. He remembered exactly what his grandfather thought of what they decided for deployment of the guards on the wedding day.

Thunderclap said nothing as they entered the room. He looked around at the family tree, all the branching paths connecting a whole matter of ponies. Thunderclap did not even bother looking for himself. The circumstances of his birth probably left most of the noble ponies unaware of his existence or not wanting to muddy the family tree with his commoner mother and his commoner self.

At least, now that they were in the room, the snooty unicorn was finally quiet. "Finally. I couldn't stand any more of her snobiness." He thought in relief. "If all the ponies in Canterlot are like this, I mitt as well pack up my stuff and move in with a pack of timber wolves. At least they don't make my ears bleed." He thought, and smiled quietly to himself.

Thunder noticed the guard out of the corner of his eye. Something still seemed off about this pony. He should ask his grandfather about this when he returned home. Also about this mare. This mare who was so rude that she did not even find Thunder worthy of an introduction. Thunder felt disgusted. "No wonder father left."

Elegance noted Thunderclap's defense of his grandfather, but said nothing. She really did not want to continue discourse with the pegasus. She had no idea why he wanted to follow her. She had made it quite plain that the last thing she needed was tagalongs, behaved in such a way to avoid useless baggage. It was bad enough that a guard had to escort her, did a meddling pegasus have to come along too. You would think he would have a better use of his time.

Prench runes surrounding the fire, keeping it burning strong and, most importantly, bright, causing the shadow effect. The question, of course, was how they kept the trees alive in here yet let no light in. Hmm.

Elegance checked the around the doors. They were operated by a combination of Classical Runes and machinery operated them. She would have to write to her older brother about the details of the runes. The mechanisms were also easy enough to understand.

She realised that even if Thunderclap wanted to leave, he had would have no idea. Well, tough for him. He wanted to follow, he would have to wait.

Now, the doors were not the only mechanisms in the room. Far from it. After all, some of the trees were very tall...

Walking over to one of the walls, Elegance looked about for a familiar name. One that she was well acquainted with. There, at the very base of a tree, was the name:

Design the Ambitious

Pressing a hoof to the name, the inscribed bloodline glowed a pale blue, and Elegance felt pressure against her feet as the immediate floor beneath her rose. As she ascended, her eyes caught many names that only existed as a memory. Design the Practical, Civil Design, Abstract Design, until finally, at the very top, there were two names:

Intelligent Design Elegance Design

Elegance then took note of the platform she was standing on, trying to get the detail about how it worked. It appeared to be purely magical, no mechanisms at all. She shivered as she took this down. Despite the bonfire, it was surprisingly cold.

Apart from the crackling of the fire and the scritching of her pen, it was completely silent. Perfect.

Chapter 1:
-Elegance, Treachery, Innocence and Apathy
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As Alcheir continued his thought, the Thunderclap pegasus interrupted the two-second silence that ensued after the doors closed behind them.

"And as for my grandfather, he did not fail Canterlot. He has retired from active duty. He simply acts as an adviser. His word is respected, but not law. Actual deployment is left up to Captain Shining Armour and the Princesses." Thunderclap said, his final sentence said.

Alcheir waited for a response from the Elegance pony, but she gave none. As time went bye, silence ensued yet again. This time, the silence was longer and more peaceful. Alcheir finally made out the face in the memory as he continued attempting to do so, and frowned. The face was from the night he woke up in this very palace.

He recognized the face of the mare as one of the various visitors, but one whom of which revealed to the guards in a very obvious and attention-grabbing manner that Alcheir wasn't supposed to be in the palace. His memory ended there. He knew what went on after that, because he still remembered.

Alcheir also knew that the entire palace was fancy to no end, and that nobles were probably infecting the building more prominently than guards were themselves. Unfortunately, this meant that Alcheir wasn't going to get much time for himself, especially with the arrogant mare using him as an escort.

As Alcheir realized this, he frowned. Maybe his disguise wasn't such a good one after all. He uncovered one memory so far, but that was one of which he found after waking up a second time. He needed pre-amnesic memories, not post-amnesic ones. If he didn't get at least one memory in the hour or two, he decided to book it the hay out of the building.

Then again, two hours was a very long time, and Alcheir assumed that at least something would surface in that time. The entire room he was in simply exploded with magical energy. The trees were sustained by magic which synthesized photosynthesis, the fire was crackling with a never-ending source of fuel made by magic, hay, even the door's mechanical system was powered by runes.

Alcheir only noted what the arrogant mare looked at, however. His head didn't shift, and his eyes were fixed. Alcheir's peripheral vision was very keen, and he was capable of making out the fuzzy objects with some level of detail as he stood at attention. The Thunderclap pony still seemed suspicious of him, but Alcheir knew there was nothing that he was doing wrong besides existing.

Thunder stood quietly, taking in the whole scene. He was not quite sure about what to think of the room, so he just observed. One thing he felt was odd was the amount of magic being used in the room. Magic still seemed strange and alien to him. He never saw it growing up, and rarely saw it the rest of his life, even living in Canterlot. All he really sees is levitation, not anything as complicated as this.

Thunder kept his mouth shut because he had nothing to say. His eyes scanned the many branches of the trees, attempting to find his family line. He smiled as he thought he spied his lineage. Not trusting the magic platforms or the runes, he took of using his wings higher and higher. He saw his grandfather, then his father, then something that struck him. Thunderclap saw his name. It must have been his grandfather's insisting to get his name on there. "I wonder how long that has been there?" Thunderclap thought aloud.

He stayed up there for a few moments, still finding it weird that his name was on the tree. He still found it weird to be nobility at all. He slowly touched down on the ground, smiling in satisfaction.

...has that been there...that been there...that been there...

The acoustics provided a lot of echo for even quiet voices, Elegance noted, as she glared at the pegasus. It made the crackling of the flames particularly noticeable in the otherwise quiet environment.

"They provide excellent attention to detail," she muttered, "The trees grow, and mark anypony born of noble heritage, no matter if they were bastards, out of wedlock, or even stillborn."

...stillborn...stillborn...

The trees, obviously magical in nature, were something special, but it was somewhat neat the way they marked the names. They couldn't mark the trees themselves, of course, but using their shadow on the wall...

Elegance noted down to experiment with shadows and light when building the Palace. It especially needed to be a place of darkness during the day, yet come alive when the night came, reveling in Luna's majesty.

Elegance continued her notetaking and sketching, somewhat amused that only she had both the knowledge and the ability to get out of the room. It was a bit of a hassle, yes, but it really did enforce the 'nobles only' rule.

In order for the room to let her leave, she would have to place her hoof to her name, then trace the bloodline as the platform descended, all the way back to the founder. Then the fire would extinguish, and the doors open. Each noble had a different bloodline, so it was all unique and bounded deeply with blood, a stark reminder of who you were, and where you came from.