Two dozen pairs of eyes belonging to the solar and lunar royal Equestrian guards respectively trained on him as soon as he opened the door. The room was wall to wall ponies in armour and spears, with an additional four onyx-armoured ponies of the Enclave Viceroyalty's Black Guard regiment for good measure. There was also the Captain of the city guard, mail hauberk, grey cloak, and armoured half helmet. There were also the two familiar ponies he recognised as the spooks Jacques had brought him to meet weeks ago, the hooded pegasus and the dark-eyed earth pony. And in between them all was the flustered-looking lord mayor. Voluminous sable robes devoured him as he wrung his hooves together, a too-large, puffed hat on his cranium with a comically-undersized, singular white feather at the top. A chain of office, a mixture of blue-gold and silver, rested about his withers. His various bureaucratic attendants were cowering in the corners, against the walls and behind their desks, trying their best to not make a damn sound.