“This is not my first time,” Perez said, slipping bits of fruit under the front of his mask to eat, rather than revealing the face underneath. There were other ponies in the shop, though none close enough to overhear. Perez had asked for a private table. “Every dictator does the same shit when he takes over. Every occupied state is the same. Goes through different phases as the bastard gradually unifies his powerbase and replaces old institutions. Storm King already started with that, but it takes a long time and he doesn’t have many men. He’s going to need a lot more collaborators first.”