Interview with an Unexpected Mage

by musicluvr1974

Chapter 5: Litigation Part II: Perquisition and Preparation

"Omygosh omygosh omygosh... Fluttershy!" Rainbow shouted, but due to the speed of her new flight capabilities, her friend was already out of earshot. Rainbow zoomed for the nearest window, scattering papers like tree leaves.

"Your Highness, wait! I need to explain--" but Rainbow was no longer there. Quick Type sighed and began using her magic to restack the scattered documents. She was interrupted, however, by the sudden appearance--literally; they teleported--of Twilight, Rarity and Applejack.

"Consarn it, girl, what'n the sam hill's goin' on here?!" Applejack accused. "How come Rainbow took off like that?!"

"Because Princess Fluttershy did first," admitted Quick Type shamefacedly. "It was my fault--I suppose I shouldn't have pressed her like I did... She was actually very reluctant to participate in the review of the brief I've put together, though I don't know why she would be that timid about it. You are all Princesses and alicorns, after all."

Applejack suddenly understood what the matter was. "Sugarcube, one thing ya gotta understand about Fluttershy is that she's always been timid, an' gainin' a fancy new horn an' stronger hooves ain't gonna change that, any more than Twilight here stopped bein' a panicky bookworm when Celestia's involved just 'cause she got wings. Bein' an alicorn doesn't mean ya quit bein' a pony--it just means ya got extra power and the responsibilities that come with it. Obviously Fluttershy reared shy o' that an' ran off. We need ta find 'em, an' if I know that gal, Fluttershy probably headed out somewhere there's lots o' nature to simmer down some. Anywhere nearby like that?"

"Well, there's the geyser a few miles outside of town. Old Magical, we call it, because it sustains life in a spot where some ponies really think it shouldn't happen. There are all sorts of creatures who gather up around there to eat the grass and other plants that grow where its waters hit the ground. Maybe she'd go there?"

"That's a distinct possibility," Twilight responded. She focused on sending Rainbow a message. Rainbow, come back! We think we have a lead on where Fluttershy is! She then focused on listening for a response. One came back, rather thinned out, as if its sender was a great distance away.

That you, Twilight? Still sorta new to hear you talkin' in my head like this... Did you say you think you know where Fluttershy is?

Excitedly, yet urgently, Twilight sent back, Yes! Look for a place around the outside of town that looks like an oasis--lots of plants, with maybe a pool or lake of water at the center. She should be somewhere around there. If you spot her, let us know where she is, and go stay with her until we get there, okay?

Oddly, the next thing Twilight received through her mental link was the feeling of a salute. Will do, she "heard" Rainbow say. Come quick, okay? The link faded, and she turned to the other ponies.

"I've told Rainbow Dash what you said, Quick Type, and I believe it's narrowed our search area considerably. Thank you for your help," Twilight told the unicorn secretary.

Quick Type blushed. "You're welcome, Your Highness, but all I did was answer the question you asked. Sure, I know the area better than you may, but you did most of the work."

"Which direction is "Old Magical" from here?" asked Rarity. "Poor Fluttershy must be exhausted. Are there any towels or blankets close at hoof I could borrow for a time? We may need them."

"The closest place to get blankets or towels, I think," replied Quick Type, "is the jailhouse back at Sheriff Silver Star's office. They keep a stock of them for the prisoners' use. And Old Magical is about fifteen miles east of here. I hope you can find Princess Fluttershy, your Highnesses. We still need to look over the brief I've transcribed." She turned toward the break room. "I could use some nourishment after all this stress..." Her voice trailed off as she walked down the hall.

"While Rainbow's looking for Fluttershy, let's go back to the sheriff's office and get those blankets and towels you mentioned, Rarity," said Twilight. "Then we can catch up with Rainbow." The three princesses galloped for the door of the law offices, only stopping to retrieve Pinkie, who was busily scheming to raid the main floor's vending machine.

---

"Sheriff, Quick Type said you had blankets or towels you could spare. May we borrow some of them? Fluttershy's missing, and we may need to dry her off and warm her up once we find her." Twilight's brow furrowed in worry for her friend.

"Why, sure, yer Highness. I hope y'all c'n find her. Take as many as ya need... we just need them back eventually."

"Thank you, Sheriff. We won't forget this," Twilight said gratefully. Each of the four alicorns present picked up two blankets and two towels, then they all proceeded back down the hallway from the laundry room, happening to pass by Jason's cell door on the way. Curious about what the four of them were doing with the textiles, Jason called out, "What's going on, ladies, Sheriff?"

"Ain't none o' yer business, ya riotin' varmint--" Silver Star began to retort hotly, but Applejack overrode him with just a touch of the Royal Canterlot Voice. "Ahem. Sheriff, I know ya mean well, but I've started thinkin' Mr. Clavoli's story is purty close ta the actual facts o' what's gone on here lately, so if'n ya don't MIND...!" Gaping and mildly embarrassed, the lawpony closed his mouth, silenced.

"Now then, sugarcube, the story is that Fluttershy got kinda overwhelmed at the thought o' helpin' the rest of us organize yer defense, an' she's done gone an' run off. Rainbow Dash is out lookin' for her, an' the rest of us were about ta go an' join her in the search. Wanna come along, or...?" she paused, a subtle, yet penetrating look coming into her eyes.

"I truly wish I could, Princess Applejack," Jason replied. "But my main purpose in coming here was to discuss something important with Princess Twilight, and breaking jail would certainly interfere with that. It would give the prosecutor more ammunition to use against me at my trial, which would possibly result in a stiffer sentence, and thus a delay in our discussion. I can't afford that, so I'm staying here. Please convey my deepest apologies to Princesses Fluttershy and Rainbow once you locate the two of them." He stood to his feet and bowed from the waist, crossing his left arm over his chest diagonally.

"That's jest what I thought ya'd do, Jason!" Applejack exclaimed, breaking out in a brilliant smile. "If ya had agreed ta come along, despite the rules against jailbreaking, I'd'a known ya were the kinda critter who was most likely capable o' whatever charges Appleloosa's levelin' against ya. Now, though, I c'n say I'll be pleased as punch ta testify on yer behalf at that trial! Yee-haw!" She reared onto her back legs, waving her cowfilly hat in the air joyously.

"It was... a test, then? A hidden test of my character?" Jason looked briefly taken aback; then, an amused expression sparkled in his eyes, emerging onto the rest of his face in a grin. "You ponies have been hanging around Princess Celestia too long...!" he laughed, shaking his head. "Know that my thoughts and prayers will go with you for Fluttershy and Rainbow's safety, however. I wish you a safe journey and a quick return, your Highnesses!" Jason said, waving goodbye from where he was seated on his cell's bunk. However, this was a bit premature, as Twilight turned back and returned to the cell door, apparently for a private word with Jason.

"If you want to talk, I'm listening," she said in low tones. Jason's features flashed to an instant or three of startlement at the offer, but he shook his head.

"Not now, your Highness, and not here. You have other things to concern yourself with, and besides, the walls of any public place have ears. What I have to give you is too serious, too special for casual eavesdroppers to get their horns, wings or hooves on it. We need to discuss it somewhere you have absolute say in who overhears it and who doesn't." The human smiled suddenly. "And, speaking for myself, I'd just plain like it better if I could tell you back at Books and Branches. Somepony's home has to be better for that kind of chat than some drafty old jail cell, right? Go find the Bearers of Loyalty and Kindness, and deal with their problem. I'm not going anywhere--I'm certainly not leaving Equis' dimension before we have this talk. See you soon, Princess Twilight." He waved as she broke into a canter to catch up with her friends.

---

As the four friends set hooves at the edge of town, Applejack turned to Twilight. "Sugarcube, if'n you can communicate t'Rainbow mind-to-mind, why didn't ya try that with Fluttershy in the first place?"

Twilight facehooved. "Why didn't I think of that?!" She focused on sending Fluttershy a message. Fluttershy? Where are you? No response came back. She extended her magical senses eastward, "looking" for Fluttershy's emotional signature. She still didn't detect her friend, but in that direction, right about where Quick Type had told them Old Magical stood, she sensed a strong miasma that "smelled" of despair. Just as she released her grip and returned back into physicality, she "heard" Rainbow shout, Found her, you guys! She ducked back under the surface of her magical font and threw out a line of communication to Rainbow. I spotted her, too! I'll tell the others! Stay with her! We're on our way! She whirled to Applejack and Rarity. "Rainbow and I found her, but there's something seriously odd going on. To Old Magical, girls! There may not be a second to waste!" Touching their horns together, they once again charged up Twilight's teleport spell. Twilight focused on both Rainbow's location and the location of the cloud of despair she'd detected, and flashed all four of them to a spot roughly halfway between both.

Rainbow Dash, spotting them, came zooming in for a landing. "There's something really weird going on here," was what she greeted them with. "Flutters has been sitting out here for the last hour, or so she told me, crying her eyes out over every cutie-mark-related failure she's ever had in her whole life. I've tried to get through to her, but when I put a hoof on her shoulder in support, I started remembering the Best Young Fliers' Competition when I wasn't feeling so hot about my chances... remember that day in the locker room at the Cloudiseum, Rares?"

"I certainly do, Rainbow Dash." Rarity dropped her eyes, sudden shame causing her face to redden for how she'd treated Dash that day. The others heard her mutter to herself, "How could I? Not a proper lady...! Impostor..." as she winced, tears filling her eyes.

Pinkie opened her mouth to tell Rarity to cheer up, but closed it abruptly, tears filling her own eyes as her usually-bouncy curls deflated like a pricked balloon. "Not one of you liked my after-birthday party for Gummy..." she muttered. "And who am I to talk to other ponies about breaking Pinkie Promises since I've done it myself?! Oh, Rainbow, I'm so super-duper sorry... Poor Cheese, I should've let him do your birthiversary--he's better at this than I am anyway...!!" She too burst into tears, collapsing onto Rainbow's withers as she flung a foreleg around her friend's neck and wailed.

Applejack reared. "Now, wait just an applebuckin' minute, here, y'all! What's goin' on here...?!" She began trying to reason her friends out of their sudden sorrowful mood, but stopped and began mumbling to herself as well. "Made the entire town throw up... nearly lost us all the Acres... almost got Granny killed at that dern-fool high-dive competition...who'm I to talk? Honesty?!" She chuckled bitterly to herself. "Not likely, ya bloomin' idjit... runnin' out on my own family over some blue ribbons--they're better than I deserve," Twilight heard her whisper as tears began to slide out of her green eyes and trickle down to drip off her face.

Twilight suddenly realized that the cloud of despair she'd "seen" with her arcane sense before they arrived must have affected her friends as well! She opened her mouth to tell them what was going on, but unfortunately inhaled a bit of it herself as she began to speak. "Girls--" Suddenly she found herself remembering her own failures: her near-disastrous entrance exam at the School for Gifted Unicorns, the Want-It Need-It spell causing all of Ponyville to go insane over her stuffed study-buddy Smarty Pants, her unsupported accusation of Cadence at her brother's wedding (along with Celestia's stern glares at her during both incidents), even how she'd swapped her friends' Cutie Marks and destinies with Starswirl's incomplete ascension spell. You, a magician? Ha! Don't make me laugh, she heard herself think... at least, it sounded like herself. "Wait--no!" She coughed deliberately, seeking to hack up the odd gaseous substance that had infiltrated her lungs--and her mind. "This isn't true! Girls, don't listen!" she cried to her friends. "Whatever this thing is, it's some kind of magically-transmitted lie! We didn't fail, remember?!" She struggled to make her friends hear her. "Open your eyes and look at one another! We made it through those failures, eventually, and we did succeed in the end! We wouldn't be alicorns now if we hadn't! Girls!" None of them appeared to hear her, lost as they all were in their own pounding repetitions of condemnation. Desperately, Twilight charged her horn. If she couldn't get them to listen, she'd do the next best thing...

In a brilliant purple flash, the six alicorns vanished from Old Magical and reappeared on Appleloosa's main thoroughfare. Twilight's horn and wings (1) glowed brightly as she conjured a number of consecutive stiff gusts of wind to clear the yellow (2) gas from her lungs and those of her friends. Breathing deeply, all of them blinked as if just awakening from nightmares, and looked at one another.

"What in tarnation--"

"What the hay--"

"was that thing?!" Applejack and Rainbow Dash finished in unison.

"Some kind of magical cloud intended to induce self-recrimination in whoever inhales it, apparently," Twilight said, between gulps of fresh air. "I'm not sure what's going on. Let's get back to Sheriff Star's office. Oh, by the way, that reminds me--Fluttershy, are you all right physically?" She looked over at her friend with concern in her eyes.

"I think so. Why?"

"We brought these towels and blankets for you, if you need them. I was wondering if you do," Twilight replied, gesturing with her horn at the loads she and the others were carrying.

"I don't need the blankets. Pegasi and alicorns don't feel temperature extremes the way other ponies do," Fluttershy said. "But thank you all for thinking of me--and I think we could all use those towels." She looked around her at Twilight and the rest of her friends, most of whom were either stained with sweat (in Twilight's case) or drying tear-salts.

"You're right. Let's go in, freshen up a little, then get these back to the jail's laundry room," replied Twilight. Matching actions to words, they proceeded into the office's public restroom.

---

After returning the borrowed cloth items to the jailhouse's laundry, the six mares returned to the law office. Quick Type bolted to her hooves as she saw them enter.

"Your Highnesses!" She bowed deeply, nose brushing the carpet. "You were gone an awfully long time. Did something happen?"

"We're... still trying to work out the details," Twilight hedged, not wanting to panic the secretary over something that might be none of her business at present. "I do want to make a royal recommendation to your mayor after we get through here, however. What about this court brief you were wanting us to look over?" Quick Type motioned with her horn.

"Over here, Princess Twilight." She gestured to a neat stack of white legal paper with typewritten characters on it. "As I said, all of you are welcome to look it over." The secretary smiled at the six alicorns.

"Heh, don't look at me," Rainbow sheepishly cupped her right hoof around the back of her own head. "Closest I ever get to this stuff is renewing my city weather license every year back in Ponyville."

"Same with my public solicitation license that lets the Apple Family sell our apples in the market square," Applejack replied. "But I reckon I had to pay a mite closer attention than you, Rainbow Dash. Lemme have a gander at it." She used her magic to rifle through the pages. "Not sure if it's set up right, but what's in it looks like the facts o' how this all went down, so at least it's fine as far as all that." She set the brief back down on the desk and stepped back as Twilight levitated it over to herself.

"All right, let's see here..." Twilight pulled a page labeled "Table of Contents" free, separating it from the rest of the bundle, and began looking back and forth as she compared it to the parts of the document it spelled out. "Title, case number, court of jurisdiction, respondent identification, originating court, name and address..." she began to mumble to herself as she recited the parts of the brief. After several minutes of this, she put the brief back onto Quick Type's desk. "This is good work. I'm impressed, Quick Type. The brief is well-constructed. The conclusion neatly summarizes everything we've told you happened. And the arguments are as well-organized and concise as any I've seen come up in front of Celestia's Day Court." She blinked. "With this kind of talent and utilization skills, why aren't you working in Canterlot?" she asked, her surprise evident on her face.

"Two reasons, your Highness," Quick Type responded seriously. "First, everybeing deserves an equal representation before the law, no matter how many legs they stand on, who they are, or where they live. Secondly... I like the climate out here better. The dry air suits me, I suppose..." The unicorn mare grinned suddenly, an impish twinkle flaring briefly in her eye. "Plus there's enough of it to breathe, unlike up on mountains like the Canterhorn." She grumbled mock-seriously under her breath, "Idiotic pampered weatherpony softies..." Then she winked at the mares standing before her. "Thank you for the glowing praise, your Highness. The mayor's office is just a couple of blocks to the left of here. I'll see you next Wednesday for the trial!" she said, rising to escort the alicorns out of her reception room.

"Very well, and thank you for your patience, your hard work--" Rarity started to say, but was interrupted by Pinkie Pie.

"Oo! And the drinks, don't forget the drinks! Mine was super-delicious!!" She grinned and threw her forelegs around a startled Quick Type in a sudden hug before whirling around and galloping out after her friends.

"Pinkie Pie, honestly, did no one ever tell you it's rude to interrupt?!" Rarity frowned severely at the party filly.

"Yah-huh! Why do you ask?" Pinkie replied, grinning brightly.

Rarity started to say, "Because it-- oh, never mind...!!" She broke off her statement exasperatedly, rolling her eyes. They continued walking toward the Appleloosa Mayor's office.

Author's Note:

"Perquisition" means to find and recover something that was lost. (In this case, somepony--Fluttershy, to be specific.) Thank you , Internet thesauri!

(1) Her horn for summoning, and her wings because it was weather magic.

(2) Invisible to the naked eye, but in her magical senses, it "looked" that color.

Enjoy! Questions, comments, complaints... squeals of delight? Post them below, please.

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[musicluvr1974]

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