//------------------------------//
// Chapter 13: The Interrogation. 
// Story: The Chronicles Of ARTIMUS: Book One 
// by AlkapwnZ 
//------------------------------//

	Twister opened his eyes, surprised to find that he had fallen asleep.
Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Twister observed his surroundings; he was in the Appleloosa hospital waiting room. What am I doing here?
Suddenly, it all came back to Twister; the paramedics took Braebirn in, and Applejack had insisted on following. Unable to change the cowfilly's mind, the whole group had come along with her. Even though the doctor kept telling AJ that he would be fine, she refused to leave the hospital. This annoyed Twister greatly; Fluttershy was kidnapped and in danger, and he needed to find that Key Shard before his time was up!
Braeburn would be just fine; Fluttershy wouldn't. Twister wanted to just leave the hospital, but on the other hoof, if he did, then who knows what trouble the three mares would get into?
It's not like Twister could do anything yet; he was still waiting for Leo's report. He had ordered his old friend to go out and find information on The Key Shard, and the griffin was keen on fulfilling it. Twister didn't doubt his friend's abilities, but he didn't have much to work with other than the word "Key Shard". It wasn't likely they would learn anything on the first day.
What time is it? Twister looked at the clock hanging on the wall opposite him, and it said it was 9:14 PM. It was already dark outside, so this wasn't surprising. Twister pulled himself up as he tried to remember where the mares were.
Ah. That's right....he had gotten sick of waiting with them in the emergency room, and had gone out to the waiting room for some shut-eye till Leo returned. If they weren't deciding to be stupid today, then the mares should still be in the emergency room.
Twister pushed the door open as he trotted into the hallway. He had to get back into the emergency room to check on the three. As he moved through the hall at a slightly faster pace than normal, Twister observed his surroundings.
The hall's walls were a pale white color, and the floors were made of a polished marble similar to the building lobby where Fluttershy had been kidnapped. Doors leading into other rooms where sick patients rested lined up across the hall, and Twister could hear the patient's and their respective doctors either doing operations, or making noises relative to their sickness or pain. The hall smelled that same eerie clean smell hospital's always had.
Twister grimaced as he thought back to his little chase in Ponyville hospital. He wondered what happened to that poor assistant. She was likely being charged by now for assisting an assassin, if they had discovered the syringe's contents like good guards would. She didn't know what she had gotten into, but she still helped a potential murderer. She wouldn't get off lightly.
Twiswter started checking for the right room number; he was on the floor Braeburn's room resided. Twister counted each room as he got closer to his mark, and felt a small amount of relief wash over him when he found the room number he was looking for.
Twister pushed the door open and found exactl what he had been expecting to see; Braeburn was still unconscious on his bed, bloody bandages covering his chest where he had been shot. The doctor said Braeburn was lucky; if the paramedics hadn't gotten there sooner, he would've died. Good thing Leo was a fast flier.
Twister turned and looked at the other mares; Applejack had fallen asleep in a chair next to Braeburn's bed, her eyes swollen red from crying. Twister's heart went out to the cowfilly; seeing a treasured friend or family member get hurt was never easy.
Twister turned to check the other side of the room, and found that Rainbow Dash and Twilight were in similr positions to AJ's; they had both fallen asleep in chairs, and they each had a book in their laps. Twilight had been reading something involving magic qualities of certain crystals, or something like that. Only a hadnful of ponies would find that entertaining.
However, it was Rainbow's book that had caught Twister's attention; it was the first book in Daring Do's series of adventures, Daring Do and the Saphire Stone. Twister chuckled when he remembered granny's reaction to the book. She told Twister it was "An over-fantasized lie to the truth!" True, Daring HAD gone on an adventure for the Saphire Stone, but there wasn't any wild cats or Whats-his-name mythical villain trying to get it first. In fact, Daring told Twister that she had no problem's getting the saphire stone, other than a few traps in the temple. The only reason it was ever mentioned was because it had been Daring's first successful adventure.
Twister shook himself out of the past; he needed to focus on the present! Twister walked up to the cyan pegasus and shook her awake. "Grah-what? Wasgoinon?" Was her garbled reply.
"Get up. We got things to do, and not enough time to do them." Twister pulled Rainbow's book out of her lap and placed it back on the bookshelf. As the rainbow-maned mare struggled to pull herself up, Twister turned to Twilight and shook the lavender unicorn awake as well.
"Mmmmhuh? What is it...?" Twilight's eyes fluttered briefly, then she fell back into her sleep. Annoyed by this, Twister shook her again, a little more aggressvely this time. "GET UP. NOW." Twister growled irritably as he shook her. Finally, Twilight woke up and looked around the area, as if she was confused as to what was going on. Then she had a dawning look cross her face, and Twister turned away from her as she pulled herself up. Now all that was left was Applejack.
Twister walked toward the cowfilly, feeling a small amount of guilt rise as he shook her awake. She deserved to be left alone, after all that's happened, but unfortunately, there wasn't any time for that. "Huh? What dya need?" AJ rubbed her eyes as she awoke, and Twister realized she looked more tired awake then she did asleep.
"It's time to go. All of you, say your goodbyes to Braeburn now, but we have to go now." Twister turned and left the room, waiting for the mares to pull themselves out of the room as they fought their sleepiness. Twister thought back to what Leo told him...."Meet me in the alleyway behind City Hall. I'll have your info there."
City Hall...Twister remembered being told that that was the building where he had met up with Leo, and where they got attacked by those suited colts. It certainly looked like a city hall, that's for sure. But what was Leo talking with Braeburn about there?
As Twister paced imptiently outside of the emergency room, he suddenly sat down and opened his satchel to ensure he had everything; Switchblade, check. Emergency bits, check. Map, check. Gun, check. Twister remembered Leo explaining what that horrid weapon of those colts was after the battle. Apparently, it was called "A gun", and it fired tiny projectiles at blinding speeds, piercing the bodies of enemies instantaneously. Sounded painful. After seeing it in action, Twister deduced that it probably was. While the mares might not approve him using it, (Niether would the authorities, come to think of it) it would likely prove invaluable in his adventure.
Twister closed his satchel, hiding his gun as he heard the door open, and the three mares tepped out of the emergency room. Applejck's eyes looked redder than when she woke up, a sign she probably cried more tears for Braeburn as she said her goodbyes. Twister hated putting this mare through all of this, but he needed her to stay focued on the task at hoof.
Rainbow and Twilight looked equally exhausted, and Twister wondered how long they had slept. Did they fall aslep recently? Or did they sleep just a few minutes after Twister first left? Twister rolled his eyes in annoyance and disgust at himself. Like that detail even matters!
Twilight shook herself a little, and looked back up at Twister with that same inquisitive, intelligent look. "What are we going to do now?" Twister looked side to side, deciding that it wouldn't be safehere to talk. He looked back at Twilight and grumbled "Not now. Just follow me, and I'll explain when we get there." Twister turned and took off at a brisk pace, to the surprise of the mares.
Twister heard them scramble to catch up, nd Twister deduced from their stumblings that they were still pretty groggy. Well, they'll just have to learn to keep up. Twister moved towards the stairway, and began his decent to the bottom floor, and back to the waiting room where he had woken up.
Looking back behind him, he saw that the mares had finally woken up completely, and were already catching up to him, soon stopping at a smooth stride just a couple of feet behind him. Twister turned back to look forward, and saw that he wasn't far from the front door.
Twister pushed the door open, and stopped at the edge of the sidewalk where the curb met the road. Glancing from side to side, Twister scanned Appleloosa for it's City Hall. Finally, after looking back towards the right, Twister saw the fancy building siiting near thre center of town. It simply stood there, as a building should, and the lights coming from the two windows on it's top floor gave it the appearance of having eyes.
Twister shuddered at the thought of it being alive, and watching everything that went on in the darkened town, simply staring like Slendermane would. Twister scolded himself for this; such thoughts were childish. He couldn't honestly believe it would be alive, ucth less believe he hd compared it to Slendermane
Twister took off at the same brisk pace as before when the three mares finally caught up with him, not looking back as he approached the building. As he got closer, Twister saw the entrance to an alleyway slowly turn to his view, and Twister made a turn into it and hid behind one of the walls. He waited for the mares to catch up, and when they finally did, Twister took off again, moving deeper into the dark alley.
Finally, Twister was able to stop for real and rest in the area Leo had agreed on; here, he could explain his plans with Leo to the mares, without fearing somepony overhearing. "Okay, what's going on? How are we going to get Fluttershy back?" Rainbow Dash had suddenly fired these questions away at Twister, before he could even think of a place to begin. Thankfully, the cyan mare just gave it to him,
"We're going to find the Key Shard, like they asked, and use it to get Fluttershy back."  Twilight raised both of her eyebrows, her eyes widening with surprise. "You really think they'll just give her back to us? Just like that? Weren't you the one who said that nothing was sacred to these ponies?" Twister turned to the unicorn, impressed with her memory and logic. "No, I don't think they'll give her back in return. They just want the Key Shard, and they'll say anything to get it back. They won't release Fluttershy; she'd likely become a loose end if they did. She would'v seen their faces, who they are, and they can't rsik anypony finding out. No...they'll just keep her."
Applejack scowled as Twister finished this sentence, but she didn't seem to be scowling at him. "Then what's keepin' 'em from killin' her?" The cowfilly asked this question slowly, obviously dreading Twister's answer. Twister sighed. " They won't take any chances; until they're certain that I have the Key Shard, they won't lay a hoof on her."
"How will we find them, once we have it?" Twilight suddeny piped up, her inquisitive look not changing. "We won't find them; they'll find us. Simple as that." Twister grunted in reply. He was started to get antsy; Leo had better be here soon. They needed to information now.
Twilight piped again, her questions beginning to annoy Twister. "Then what's the point of finding the Key Shard if they'll just kill her when they get it?" Twister turned back to the lavender mare, purposefully giving an egdy tone as he replied. "They'll send a few representatives in to secure the Key Shard. We kill them hen they come, we gather their information, and find their hideout. When we do, we bust Fluttershy out, and she's both safe, AND I'll get to keep the Key Shard. Anything else?"
Twilight seemed satisfied with this answer, but her eyes suddenly lit up as she barraged Twister with a dozen more questions.

"What does the Key Shard look like?"

"I don't know."

"Where do you think it is?"

"Best guess is that it's somehwere out here, in the mild west, like the map said. But I'll need some more specific info than that."

"Why are you trying to find The Artimus?"
Twister was caught off guard by this last question. He hadn't been expecting her to ask that....why was he trying to find it? Twister decided to settle on "So...so that they don't get it first. Y-you know how that works!" Twilight raised her eyebrows again, but lowered them when she suddenly asked another question.
"How did you and Leo meet?"
Twister grimaced as he thought back to his foalhood. Sure, it was when he met Leo, but it was also when he met Nightshade. And Silver...they were bittersweet memories. "I'v known him forever. Simple as that." Twister was starting to get uncomfortable with Twilight's questions.
Twilight didn't seem satisfied with the answer, but quickly dropped it when she asked a new question.
"Who was that black pegasus you attacked?"
Twister felt his old anger stir as he thought of Nightshade. That damn traitor..."A liar, a cheater, and a coward is what he is. That's all you need to know." Twister growled at Twilight, unable to prevent the intense anger welling up inside from leaking out.
Twilight seemed to realize it was a touchy subject, so she finally fell silent. At last. Sweet silence....and it was all ruined when he heard the familiar flap of griffin wings. Twister knew they were griffin wings, because they were putting more force into their flaps than a pegasus' wings would. It could only be Leo.
Twister turned to where he heard the sound of the wings, and found his assumption to be correct. Leo soared through the sky, landing just a few feet away from Twister as he stumbled on his talons. Leo blinked his eyes sleepily, and yawned. "Hope this info is worth it, Twist. Took me all day to get it."
Twister was glad his friend was here, but he couldn't wait any longer. "Unless it's in a folder, then you'd best tell me everything. Now." Leo flinched at this, and grumbled, "Fine, I'll give ya the skinny, hardass..." Skinny? Who said that anymore? "Look, there're rumors going around that a couple of thugs got their hooves on a yellow crystal of some kind. Very valuable to somepony. If it's description is correct, it's probably the Key Shard."
Twister felt adrenaline begin to pump through his system. Finally, somepony he can hit. "Where are these thugs? Tell me now, Leo!" Twister yelled this last part when the griffin hesitated. "Look, I don't know where these thugs are.." Twister felt his disappointment and rage at his friend begin to build, but it all died down when Leo added," But I know somepony who does."
"Where are they? Enough with the dramatic pauses Leo, I need ANSWERS!" Twister could feel his excitement get the better of him, but he didn't care. He was so close to finally finding the Key Shard, and he needed to know NOW!
Leo raised his talons up in defense, surprised by Twister's eagerness and aggressive tone. "Calm down! He's going to be in the saloon tonight, but-" Twister didn't wait for what Leo had to say next. Twister spun around, not caring if the others were following him or not. He had to get to the saloon!
Twister stepped out onto the sidewalk again, stopping just at the curb as he scanned the city again for the saloon. He remembered going there to give Fluttershy a place to rest, but he didn't remember where it was. Appleloosa had gotten bigger since his last visit, and it was easy for him to get lost and confused by the similar-looking buildings lining down the main street.
Twister stepped onto the road, feeling the cold, dark asphalt sending shivers up his body, all the way from bis hooves. This road was unnatural....but it wasn't his concern. Not right now. He could worry about changes to the world later, but right now, he had to find that pony!
Twister approached the front porch section of the saloon, seeing light come from it's windows, the sound of ponies partying the night away, and the sharp smell of alcohol hitting the roof of his mouth. Twister shuddered; he didn;t have a very high threshhold, evidence to the last time he drank...
Twister shook himself back into reality. As long as he just stayed away from any of that alcohol, he'd be fine. He just has to worry about finding that pony. Twister was about to step in, when he felt talons grab his shoulder. "I didn't tell ya what he looked like, now did I?" Leo's deep voice whispered into Twister's ear, and Twister gave himself an imaginary facehoof. He needed to be careful about this...he had only one shot. He couldn't screw it up!
"Fine. Gimme his description." Leo shook his head. "Not here. No time. I can point out to ya which pony it is, but you'll have to pay close attention." Twister nodded, and he turned back to step into the saloon when he heard Rainbow Dash's voice. "Hold on Twister; what're we going to do?"
Twister turned back to the cyan mare, feeling frustration begin to pulse through him. "I'm going to interrogate him. YOU three," Twister gestured to them with his single wing." Get to wait outside with old uncle Leo, once he tells me who it is."
Rainbow glared at Twister, making herself stand erect to match his height. A stance of open defiance. "I'm not gonna let you have all the action! I want to help!" Twister snorted. "Like you know anything about interrogating." Twister turned away, prepared to enter the Saloon, when 'Dash spoke up again.
"I don't need to. I can be pretty intimidating when I want to be. Besides, if it can help get Fluttershy back, then I want to do it!" Twister spun back around, using a great deal of self-control not to yell as he explained. "I'm not giving you the option. You're staying out here, with the others, while I handle this." Rainbow Dash scowled, getting in Twister's face as she hissed. "I'M DOING IT." Twister mirrored her position as he growled. "NO, YOU'RE NOT."
Leo threw his talons in the air, letting out an exasperated groan. "Guys, we don't have time for this! Either stay outside, or come on in, but we have to move NOW!" Twister turned to his friend, and nodded hesitantly. "Fine." Twister turned back to Rainbow Dash. "You can come on in and help, but stay out of my way." Rainbow nodded, still wearing that same defiant scowl.
Twister turned around, and pushed open the doors that lead into the Saloon. The horrid stench of alcoho got stronger, and Twister felt his eyes begin to water. Like the noise coming from within had suggested, there were ponies laughing the night away, drinking until they knocked themselves cold. It was a pathetic sight.
Leo nudged Twister, and the griffin sat at an empty table not to far from where they stood. Twister followed him, sitting just from across. Soon, the mares followed, and Twister found Rainbow Dash and Twilight on either side of him, with Applejack sitting next to Leo.
"Alright, Leo...point him out to me, and I'll take care of this." Twister felt like groaning when Rainbow piped up, "And what about me, huh? I said I wanted to help, and I'm going to!" Twister turned to the rainbow-maned mare, feeling his blood boiling in frustration. "You get to be the comic relief." Leo suddenly widened his eyes, and whined, "Wait! I thought I was the comic relief!"
Twister was starting to get fed up with Leo's jokes, and Rainbow's constant interventions. "FINE. YOU'RE the comic relief, and Rainbow gets to be the distraction!"Twister didn't want to waste any more time than has already been wasted. "Now point the pony out to me bfore I lose my temper, Leo."
Leo finally seemed to start taking this seriously, and started to scan the saloon for said pony. After a few seconds of this, he leaned over and muttered,"There." Twister looked where Leo pointed, and was surprised to see he was pointing at an old colt with a familiar blue mane.
"That's the con-artist we dealt with a few days ago." Twister snarled. So, it looks like this colt has turned out to be the most unlucky pony in history by being Twister's enemy TWICE. Not once, but TWICE. Leo realized this, and mumbled, "Oooh, dis gon be gud." The griffin gave a dark chuckle, and Twister leaned in to whisper to Rainbow.
"Look, I need you to distract him." Rainbow widened her eyes. "Distract him? Won't he recognize me?" Twister grunted. "You said you wanted to help. I'm giving you the chance to help. I never asked you to trick him, either. I said I wanted you to distract him. By recognizing you, he'll be distracted. Use your intimidation to force him into a room upstairs. GOT IT?!" Twister hated it when he had ti expain everything bit by bit to other ponies.
Rainbow raised her hooves in a defensive position. "Hey, I was just wonderfing.." "Then get moving." Twister growled unsympathetically at the pegasus. The mare quickly got herself up, glaring at Twister as she approached the colt. Twister turned to the other mares. "Stay with Leo, and don't get involved. Got it?" Twilight nodded quickly, obviously dreading how this situation would unfold. Applejack nodded less energetically, looking down at the table, staring out into space.
Twister moved up the nearby stairway, fishing out his gun from his satchel. After ensuring nopony could see, Twister strapped the contraption onto his right hoof and moved into position on the balcony. This was only a precaution; if Rainbow did this right, he wouldn't need to use the gun.
Twister observed the scene unfold between the two ponies as he sat there. waiting for the moment she got him out. Rainbow stepped up to the colt, and tapped on his shoulder. The colt was alone, so Twister didn't think they'd have to worry about thugs jumping them. Yet.
The colt definitely recognized 'Dash, but she grabbed his shoulder aggressively and whispered something into his ear before he could run away. The colt's eyes widened, and he nodded slowly as Rainbow pushed him towards the stairway. Twister wondered what she said, but he dreaded the possibilty that it wasn't a threat.
It didn't matter now. The con was on his way up the stairs, and he wouldn't be prepared for Twister's ambush. Wait for it....wait for it... Twister jumped out of the shadows, and pinned the old con down with his gun pointed at his head. The colt almost cried out,  but Twister had struck his throat before he could say anything.
Twister yanked the colt onto his hooves by his mane and dragged him into one of the empty rooms. Twister shoved him into a wall, and heard Rainbow close th door as she followed. Twister galred at the colt dead in the eye. "Alright....I'v got questions that need answers. If you don't answer them, I'll blow your kneecaps off. Got it?" The Colt nodded his head rapidly, his eyes wide with fear at facing Twister again.
"First; why are you here, and who are you working for?" The old colt gulped, and answered quickly. "Look, after our lil' skirmish back in town, Ah needed ta find other work. Ya can't blame me for needin' a job!" Twister snarled. "And your employers?" The colt's eyes widened. "Look, Ah can't tell ya. They'll kill me if Ah do!"
Twister's eyes narrowed. "And I'll kill you if you don't tell me. What's it gonna be?" The colt's eyes fell, and he sniffled. Twister shook him violently, yelling, "WELL?!" The colt squealed, and sputtered, "F-fine! Ah'll tell ya! Jus' stop it!" Twister stopped shaking him, and held him against the wall again. "Talk fast."
""Kay, look, theres these collectors in Canterlot, y'see? They heard about this pretty yellow stone 'round here called 'The Sunstone', and they hired a bunch of mercs to nab it! Ah'm one of 'em!" Rainbow gasped. "So you ARE innocent, Twister!" Twister still held him against the wall, not showing any signs of releasing him. "Keep talking."
The colt suddenly started sobbing."Look, that's all Ah know! Ah swear! Ah don't know what their names are!" Twister pushed him against the wall harder, pressuring him. "What does this 'Sunstone' look like?" The colt swallowed, struggling to hold his tears back. "It's yellow, and shaped like a sun, but that's all Ah know! Ah didn't see it in person!"
Twister turned to Rainbow. "Thinking what I'm thinking, Rainbow?" Rainbow nodded. "That the Sunstone is the Key Shard?" Twister nodded. "That's most likely." Twister turned back to the colt. "Where is the Key- I mean, where is the Sunstone?!" The colt started sobbing again.
"Ah don't know! Ah jus' helped 'em nab a bunch of equipmemnt to smuggle it out!" Twister knew he was lying. He could see it in the way he said this. "You don't know it's specific location, but you do have an idea where it's at. Spit it out, before my pistol does it for you."
The colt swallowed again, failing to control his sobs. "It's on a train. Train 17-BE. That really is all Ah know!!" The coltclosed his eyes, his tears streaming down his cheeks. Twister nodded, satisfied. Twister dropped the colt, and he looked up hopefully. "So...can Ah go?" Twister glared at the colt, then turned to Rainbow. The look he gave her told her what he was going to do, and she didn't like it one bit.
"NO! Twister, you can't-" Rainbow didn't have a chance finish her sentence. Twister had grabbed the colt and held him down on his throat, preventing him from making any kind of noise. "I gave you the chance to leave and do something good for yourself once, and you blew it. Your too involved now...I won't let you leave here."
The colt let out a strangled cry, but before he could struggle, Twister had grabbed the colt's neck and twisted it 240 degrees. Twister pulled himself up, abandoning the lifeless body. Twister turned to Rainbow, and the marfe was giving him a look of pure horror. "You...you just.." "Killed him? Yes, I did." Twister finished her sentence for her, and pushed past her. Twister felt himself pulled back, however, when Rainbow yanked onto his mane.
"Why did you do that?! You can't just kill somepony after you say you'll let them go!" Twister faced the mare, straight at eye level. "I did it because he would'v told somepony about me before I had a chance to get the Key Shard. I can't let that happen. And I already gave him the chance to live a better life, and he wasted it." Rainbow looked furious. "And that means he deserved to..to..."
Twister shook his head. "Nopony deserves to die. Yet it still happens. Once you learn that life isn't about what you deserve, you'll be much better off." Rainbow looked tearful for just a moment. "Then why did you kill him if he didn't deserve it?" Twister gestured to the lifeless corpse of the con. "Because, he would'v just given his employers info about me in exchange for his life. I know how this system works, Rainbow Dash. You don't. THIS is why I wanted you to stay behind. I'm the one who has to do the dirty work, not you. So think before you volunteer for something next time." Twister turned away, not wanting to look at Rainbow Dash anymore. This was the part of his job he hated the most.
Rainbow suddenly spoke up." What do we do with the body?" Twister turned to her again, hating having to see her tearful, pained gaze. "Leave it. Where we're going...we'll be long gone by morning. And they'll never track me down. I promise you on that." Twister turned aay again, pushing the door open and letting it shut as Rainbow passed. She didn't look at him. Twister felt guilt wash over him. She was an innocent mare! He should have tried harder to keep her from getting involved with that!
Twister sighed and closed the door, thinking what Daring would have said. you did what you had to do, kid. Nopony could have asked for anything more. Twister shuddered. He's killed ponies before, but that horrid feeling in his chest after executing it never changed.
Twister walked down the stairs to meet with the other mares and Leo.  Don't think about it right now. You'v got a train to catch.

~Hope you enjoyed this chapter guys! Chapter's will be published by Sundays at the latest from now on, since I hardly have any time to type this stuff down during the weekdays. Next chapter will be up by the next saturday-sunday! I promise! Thanks for reading!~