Chapter 5: Interrogation
The Elements and their prisoner were running towards the fort. On the east side of the fort was a small forest and the ponies went that way. When they entered the eastern gate there was a pair of elite pegasai with wing blades, ready to escort the prisoner.
"Mission accomplished." said Rainbow Dash giving a salute. The commander landed in between the pegasai.
"Not quite yet, now we need to interrogate it." said SkyJak giving a deathly glare toward the yellow Changeling. Fluttershy was next to it tending to some bruises that it gave itself trying to break free. SkyJak gave her an annoyed look, he never could understand why she's so caring to everything, even something as vile as a Changeling.
"That's probably why she's the element of kindness." SkyJak thought to himself. he waved his hoof toward the Changeling ordering the elite pegasai to take it to the fort prison.
"Be careful with it, it's hurt." Fluttershy said to the elites. One of the pair rolled her eyes and mumbled to herself. SkyJak walked toward Twilight and took off his helmet.
"Thank you princess, I knew that you wouldn't fail." He said bowing.
"Your welcome commander, but I have to ask how do you plan to get the information you need?" replied Twilight looking at the elite taking the prisoner toward a stone structure, presumably the prison.
"I plan to sit it down and ask it and if it gives us the info we need, I won't execute it." he said looking at his own pair wing blades. Fluttershy gasped and ran to the commander.
"You can't kill it, it hasn't done anything wrong, even if it did you still can't just kill it." she said staring at him dead in his eyes. SkyJak scoffed.
"Well if it gives me what I need, I won't have to and if it doesn't, well Equestria is still technically at war with the Changelings."
Fluttershy wouldn't let up "Yes, but this one is not from Chrysalis's hive, I think, I mean hers had a turquoise tint and this one's yellow." SkyJak shook his head.
"I'm not going to argue Fluttershy I have to go get information that could save Equestria." and with that he trotted off toward the prison.
"He's changed a lot since flight school." Fluttershy said with a frown. Rainbow put a wing over her shoulder and sighed. "I mean he was so quiet in class and in practices."
Twilight trotted up to them. "Don't worry Fluttershy, it's just a stressful situation, he's probably never dealt with this sort of thing before considering Equestria's hasn't been in a war since early Griffon Wars, after the Princesses took the throne from Discord." Fluttershy nodded and slowly flew back to her quarters.
"Ugh, I'm going to go talk to her, Twilight would you go watch the interrogation?" asked Rainbow.
"I kinda have to, it's one of my jobs while I'm here." said Twilight with a smirk, and with that Rainbow gradually flew to Fluttershy's side. Twilight looked at her remaining friends, shaking. "A-anypony else want to come?" Rarity looked at Applejack and she at her.
"Of course Twi but why d'ya sound nervous?" asked the orange mare. Twilight looked at the prison with a look of grimace, then back to her three friends.
"Ahem, well I've read a lot of crime novels and I always hated the ideas of some of the interrogation techniques I've read." replied Twilight, Applejack and Rarity rolled their eyes.
"Darling those are just stories and I don't think the Commander would do anything like that." said Rarity trotting over to her friend.
"Yeah! She's right Twilight, books aren't real, just comics, sometimes, if their magic or cursed, which...wait is cursed and magic the same thing?" said the pink earth pony, Applejack chuckled while Pinkie continued with her ranting.
"Don't worry your lil' royal head about nothin' " Applejack reassured Twilight, who seemed to be calming down.
"Ok girls lets go watch the interrogation." said Twilight.
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Back at the Colt Ranger Quarters, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were chatting with their new friends.
"Hey Miracle, what's your cutie mark mean?" asked Applebloom. staring at the pink filly's flank that bared a leaf surrounded by sparkles.
"Oh, it shows that my special talent is that I can grow plants and things of that nature from virtually nothing." she said looking at her cutie mark, then at Applebloom. Appleblooms looked intrigued as she had her hoof under her chin, thinking.
"So you could grow a daisy right here?" asked Sweetie Belle pointing at the concrete floor in their room.
Miracle nodded "Yeah, you wanta see?" she asked.
"Of course I do" replied Sweeite. Miracles horn started to glow cyan and she tilted her head down to the floor. After about five seconds a daisy grew in full bloom.
"Whoa that's so cool!" exclaimed Scootaloo.
After Applebloom seen what Miracle just did she asked "How long will it live, since it's in concrete?"
Miracle wiped her brow and replied "Not long since there's no sunlight and no soil for the water to be absorbed, so about a day or two." Miracle looked at her brother and called him over "Hey why don't you tell them what your special talent is?"
Sparrow was lying on his cot reading the latest Daring Do book. "Fine let me just mark my page." after he put a bookmark shaped like Daring Do, he got up and trotted over to the fillies and sat down. Sparrow's cutie mark was a plow over dirt.
"What does it mean?" asked Scootaloo.
"It means I have extra ordinary strength, and it's a plow because it appeared when I pulled a plow for the first time." he said with a smirk.
Applebloom was confused "Wait, you could pull a plow at what age?" asked the farm pony.
"Seven." replied Sparrow.
"Seven? My older brother sometimes has trouble pulling a plow, but you can pull one with ease? asked Applebloom.
"Yeah, pretty impressive isn't it?" Sparrow said.
"Why do you plow, do y'all live on a farm?" asked Sweetie.
Miracle nodded "Sort of, our grandparents owns the Golden Wheat Farms south of Las Pegasus and we go to help out on weekends."
"Grandpa really likes me over because he can't pull the plow most days." Sparrow added.
For the rest of the evening the three of them discussed their families and friends.
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"Get it up." ordered SkyJak. "It's time to ask it some questions."
A pony in dark gray armour lifted a keyring off of the desk next to the cells and opened the cell door. The Changeling struggled abit while two soldiers were lifting it off it's stone bed. Once the soldiers got it under control they pushed it toward a metal door which led to a large, empty stone room where it fell on it's knees, SkyJak followed and shut the door behind him.
"Ok beast, I'm going to ask you some questions and your going to answer them." said the commander
The Changeling finally spoke "And if I don't?"
"You know beast, now my first question is why are the Changelings mobilizing in the Badlands?" asked SkyJak. The Changeling was silent.
In a room next to the interrogation, Twilight and friends had just arived in the prison. A guard pony bowed in presence of Twilight.
"You came just in time my liege."
"Great." replied Twilight.
"I'll give one more chance before I do something you'll regret, why are the Changelings mobilizing?"
"If I tell you will I be set free?" asked the Changeling.
"After I can confirm what you say, I'll let you go."
The Changeling was silent for a bit then spoke up. "The Changeling hives from this region have a meeting every ten years called the Meeting of Queens."
"Why?" asked SkyJak.
"It's sorta what you ponies would call a 'Royal Summit', the queens of the Changeling Hives in this region come together every ten years to discuss new lands to conquer, any war that a hive started that is still going on and other official matters." explained the changeling. SkyJak pondered what it said, then it hit him.
"Is Chrysalis still alive?" he asked heatedly.The Changeling thought for a second.
"Yes, but very weak." he told the commander.
"Hm, we'll finish this later beast." he waved hoof while walking out of the room to signal the elites to return the Changeling to it's cell. Twilight looked a the commander and followed him out of the building.
"So SkyJak what will you do now, since it is confirmed that Chrysalis is alive?" asked the princess.
SkyJak stopped and rubbed his head with his right hoof and groaned. "She must have told the other Queens about Equestria, unless they already knew, I think the best course of action is to reinforce our army, that might mean we'd either have to recruit as many ponies as possible, or we'd have to hire mercenaries, in defense of an attack, would you accompany me to Canterlot to inform Princess Celestia on the situation?"
"Of course commander."
"You better tell your friends we're leaving, but may I suggest you asking them to remain here?" said the commander.
Twilight was puzzled "Leave them here, why?" Asked the purple alicorn.
"Even if your friends aren't elite soldiers, they can be here to boost morale and aid the troops if the Changelings attack while we are gone."
Twilight pondered this for a moment. "I guess your right, ok I'll ask them." replied Twilight in a sad tone.
"You should tell them now, after I put my second in command in charge we'll be leaving." said SkyJak.
Twilight flew to her friends quarters, where she expected hem all to be at this hour. She landed in front of a wooden door and she could here her friends chatter.
"Hey girls." said Twilight as she entered the door. Her friends turned to face her.
"Hey Twilight." said Rarity.
"I have to ask you all something." said Twilight in a somewhat sad tone.
"Oh mah gosh, what is it?" asked Applejack
"It's just that the commander wanted me to ask y'all to stay here in the fort while me and him go to see Princess Celestia in Canterlot." replied Twilight.
"Hold on a moment, why are we staying here?" asked Rainbow hastily as she gave Twilight a glare.
"SkyJak thinks if you all stay here it'll keep the morale up in case of an attack." explained Twilight. Her friends faces all had a look of despair and surprise.
"What do you mean an a..attack?" asked Fluttershy in her timid, yet terrified voice.
"Well the Changeling we captured said that the large gathering of Changelings we saw back in the Badlands was like a royal summit, where they tell each other lands that they could invade. Since we know Chrysalis is alive there is no doubt she told them of Equestria, since Chrysalis's hive is the first known confrontation between the Equestrian nation and the Changeling species." said Twilight.
"So you and SkyJak are doin' what now?" asked Applejack.
"We're going to tell Princess Celestia and suggest we reinforce the army." said Twilight.
"Well I think we should stay." said Rarity.
"Me to!" exclaimed Pinkie.
"Uuugh, I guess I'll stay to..wait! If we get attacked while your gone what should we do?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"You do what you think is best, but let's hope it doesn't come to that." said Twilight, sadly.
"Princess! We're leaving!" called SkyJak from across the yard.
"I'm coming!, stay safe girls." said Twilight as she flew to SkyJak. They both hopped onto a carriage being pulled by two elite pegasi, and then they flew towards Canterlot.