Had everything worked in Fluttershy's favor, she wouldn't have been stuck kneeling in an empty room with a thin piece of metal stuck to the side of her face. Magical restraints prevented her from moving, and an annoyingly bright lightbulb was placed between her eyes, held to her face by a headband. Fluttershy's eyes were forced to remain closed, her arms were pulled behind her back, her ankles were tied together, and any time she jumped forward her restraints took a whole lot of her energy away. No magic she could try using would allow her to escape, so she evaluated her situation.
I'm trapped on solid ground. I don't know how to escape. My magic is not completely in control. It must be night time. No, wait... I may not be able to control my magic but I don't feel any power coursing through me. I've been restrained. It must be day time.
"First question. Why have you and your kind invaded our peaceful country?" a voice asked through a speaker.
Fluttershy kept her head down and did not answer.
Is it late in the day? No, it must be morning. If they had knocked me out before my transformation, I wouldn't have changed and exhausted myself enough to sleep for too long. I woke up in my regular form so that must be the case. These restraints keep me stuck to this wall and this dumb light prevents me from seeing where I am. I can't use my power with it here.
"Why have you invaded our country?" the voice repeated more firmly. Fluttershy ignored the question.
I have to take out the light. It's the only option.
"Hey, you idiot, answer me!"
I just need to figure out how-
Fluttershy almost jumped as the sound of a door being slammed open reached her sensitive ears. She heard heavy metallic boots march towards her, stomping his way over to the pegasus who helplessly backed herself further into the wall.
"Answer us when we speak to you." The voice was robotic and unclear.
A voice changing mechanism? Most likely magical, but could it be technological? How advanced is Ponyville? This could serve to be problematic... she analyzed.
"I will ask once more," the voice droned.
Fluttershy continued to think of a way that she could escape. I need to have one look at the room-
"Why have you come here?" it asked her.
-so that I can see where I am-
"To attack our royalty?"
-and use my power. Come on-
"To destroy our civilization?"
-think!
"To kill us one by one as you have been doing so far?" The person grew angrier as time went on and Fluttershy still refused to answer the questions. Fluttershy needed more time to think. She needed to stall.
"Will you hurt me if I answer your questions?" the pegasus asked.
"No," the armored person answered irritably.
"W-Will you leave them alone if I answer your questions?"
"Yes," the figure lied. The person didn't need any clarification as to who "they" were and had no reason to tell the truth to a demon.
"Can you take this light away from my face and just put a blindfold on me instead? This is starting to really burn."
"No."
"Okay then, I won't answer your-"
"I'll kill you if you don't!"
Fluttershy sighed. "I can only tell you that Ponyville's in danger. I have information on the danger but I will only share this information if you do two things for me."
The armored guard angrily raised his fist. He was about to punch the demon until a different voice spoke through a speaker on a wall to Fluttershy's right.
"What are your requests?"
"You're actually going to listen to this piece of-"
"Officer, you are dismissed."
The aggravated officer stomped his way out of the room.
"Demon, what are your requests?"
Fluttershy replied instantly for fear the voice would change its mind. "One, I will tell any and all information I have on the danger to Ponyville and the rest of your land only to Twilight Sparkle. Two, this stupid light will be taken off of my face and never placed there again. Ever."
There was a long pause before Fluttershy received a reply.
"Why do you wish to tell the information you have only to Twilight Sparkle? Is she a target of yours?"
"I do not trust you, your leader, nor any of her friends with the information I hold. The pink one would keep what I will say to herself in her blind form of protest, the blonde and the white horned unicorn would only accuse me of crimes I am incapable of committing such as brainwashing, and I doubt they would let me talk to their sisters regardless of the information I hold. Therefore, Twilight is my only option."
"Very well, demon. The meeting will be arranged."
"My name is not 'demon'. My name is Fluttershy," she said before the sleeping gas took ahold of her.
~The Next Day at 2:00pm~
"Surrender now, demon! We have one of your kind already!"
"There's no hope for you!"
"Clearly, you are no match for us!"
Rainbow Dash was livid. They chased her the day before, made her kill people again, made her lose track of her sister, caught her best friend, and insulted her ability to survive! If only she didn't have to hold back, Rainbow Dash would show them what true strength was. She would destroy them all.
However, if Rainbow Dash destroyed Ponyville, there would be no where she could run. The pegasus that killed the guard in the mountains and the assassin she found in the forest were probably one in the same, and destroying another demon's interest- no, destroying an assassin's interest was just asking for torture worse than death.
A rock to the back of her head took Rainbow Dash out of her thoughts. Right. Running from a mob. Again. I need to find Scootaloo. She's most likely with Apple Bloom or Sweetie Belle, but how do I get to her without bringing half of Ponyville with me?
"Get captured, demon!"
"Forfeit your freedom to cleanse our land!"
"You all are so annoying!" Rainbow Dash shouted before she stopped running.
In front of her was a mob of angry vendors armed with rotting food. One of them spoke up, "You must've tried to poison our food that day, demon! You're hood is always up to protect you from the daylight, but we'll knock it right off!"
The new mob threw the food, but Rainbow Dash realized the group chasing her all morning still had more rocks to throw. From the rooftops above, five unicorns made their horns glow as brightly as they could to make the demon burn away for good.
In the middle of all of the chaos was an angry Rainbow Dash.
A very angry Rainbow Dash.
Persistant little-UGH! Just don't lose control, Dash. Don't lose control.
Rocks and pebbles tore at her clothes. Her face was cut briefly before her regeneration abilities kicked in.
Don't lose it. Don't lose it. Don't lose it. Don't lose it. Don't lose it-
Pelted by rotting food and sometimes even utensils, Rainbow Dash stood in the center of all of the anger.
Don't lose it.Don't lose it.Don't lose it-
The hatred.
Don't lose itDon't lose itDon't lose it-
The madness.
dontloseitdontloseitdontloseit
She reveled in all of it. The wonderful feeling of chaOS AND HOSTILITY AND LOATHING-
Rainbow Dash gasped and put her hand to her aggressively beating heart.
I had almost turned insane in front of everybody. I can't lose control no matter what! Breathe...
Despite all that was going on around her, Rainbow Dash sat down on the dirt road and meditated to keep herself calm. No amount of rotten foods, rocks, or utensils moved her from her spot, and once the crowd ran out of items to throw, they resorted to shouting even louder than before.
At this rate, my ears will start bleeding. Focus, Dash, focus. You can ignore them. They can't hurt you. Do. Not. Lose. Control.
Rainbow Dash's plan worked for a while, but the growing mob did not let up. Eventually, those who finished their shifts at three o'clock in the afternoon had joined, children threw their school supplies at her (mostly because they wanted an excuse not to do their homework), and guards showed up soon after the mob had grown to be made up of a few hundred people.
Luckily, Dash had enough time to calm herself down before she lashed out. When the guards walked up to her, she stood up.
"Hey demon, over here!" a kid laughed while clapping his hands.
"Watch out, guards! It'll attack," one man yelled.
The guards heroically stood tall in front of the pegasus, impressing the crowd of people.
Idiots. They think that just because they have a bunch of weaklings to fuel their egos, they've suddenly become heroes.
"Demon, surrender to the Equestrian Royal Guard. If you do not surrender peacefully, we will take you by force," the white horned guard's voice boomed.
Rainbow Dash scoffed. "As if! I'm not here because I want to be here. I just have no where else to go. Do you know how hard it is to get a mob to stop chasing you?" Especially when you're holding your powers back to keep everyone around you alive. I mean, come on! I can't even use my speed without losing control! This is so frustrating!
"Nonsense! You deserve all the misfortune that comes to you!" the black haired guard to the right said.
"Seriously," Rainbow Dash sighed, "do you even know what you're trying to arrest me for?"
The guards scowled. "Of course we do! You are under arrest for the murder of Sapphire Star and Midnight Hero, the disappearance of multiple other soldiers, and the attempted murder of Twilight Sparkle!"
Dash was genuinely confused. "So what? I killed a few guards, who hasn't? Plus, they threatened me. I defended myself. End of story. Also, I didn't almost kill Twilight. She was the idiot who decided to try and fight a demon."
The crowd gasped and the people whispered amongst themselves.
"What?" Dash asked. "Have you never been in a battle before? Everyone has killed someone at some point in their lives."
The guards pointed their spears at her. "We've been ordered to take you in," the black haired guard said, "and now that you have admitted to ending people's lives on multiple occasions, we have no reason to continue this conversation. Come with us peacefully, or we'll take you to Princess Celestia the hard way."
Rainbow Dash glanced up. If I plan this correctly, I could get to Fluttershy and break out during night time. Poor Scootaloo, I wish I didn't have to keep leaving her...However, this may be my only opportunity to get Fluttershy out without fighting too many people. Plus, that assassin is still lurking around and I can't take him on my own, so getting her out is a priority. Scootaloo will have to manage...But I'm worried the assassin may attack before I'm able to reach Fluttershy. What do I do? I don't want Scootaloo to be in danger. Well, it is supposedly a peaceful country, so that means fighting may be unnecessary...
After a few moments, Dash finally spoke. "I'll go with you, but only to talk, so don't try and tie me up. But first, I need to give a message to someone."
"We do not permit you to do so. Now follow us." the unicorn guard said.
"I wasn't asking for permission." Suddenly, Rainbow Dash jumped into the light being cast above her by the five unicorns that thought they were somehow weakening the pegasus. When the crowd and the guards tried to keep sight of Dash, they were temporarily blinded by the light, giving the pegasus enough time to escape.
First, I'll make sure Scootaloo has a safe place to live. Then, I'll rescue Fluttershy.
Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were being walked home from school by their sisters. They stayed an extra hour every day as one of the many parts of their punishment for helping the pegasi hide. Sweetie Belle had "proved her repentance" by giving away Scootaloo's possible location, but she was still not off the hook for everything she had done prior.
They walked ahead of their sisters, just out of earshot.
"Ah hope Scoots is okay," Apple Bloom whispered. "What if she gets caught, too? She has no where to hide."
"Aw don't worry Apple Bloom, we'll find a place for her to stay. Maybe with Pinkie Pie," Sweetie Belle suggested.
"Ah don't know if that's a good idea. Pinkie Pie has gone crazy, too, but in the complete opposite way that our sisters have. Pinkie's been doin' all kinds of stuff to prove that demons are misunderstood, but Ah'm afraid she'll tell the whole world that Scootaloo is with her to prove some point."
"Well Pinkie Pie may have gone crazy, but she wouldn't do that...right?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Well, it is always good to have a back up plan. If Pinkie Pie is too crazy, where could Scootaloo go?"
Apple Bloom thought for a few moments. "Probably wherever she is now, Ah guess. She hasn't gotten caught so she must be safe."
The Carousel Boutique had come into view, and the pairs of sisters were preparing to say their farewells for the day. However, the sound of objects falling to the ground and repeated sounds of hissing, scratching, and meowing came from inside, the group rushed in to see what the commotion was about.
"Opalescence? Was that you causing all this ruckus? Opal!" Rarity called. The hissing and scratching only intensified in response.
"Come on ya'll, she's upstairs!" Applejack said as she bolted to the second floor of the boutique.
"Opal are you-" Rarity gasped. Droplets of mud dirtied the floor of the hallway, and the door to Rarity's room was cracked open. From inside, Opal meowed angrily.
Before they walked in, the group heard something large scurrying away. What they did see when they walked in almost gave Rarity a heart attack. Mannequins littered the floor, some in one piece, others broken. Her supplies were thrown around her work area and her bed had been covered in muddy shoe prints. Opalescence scratched at Rarity's closet door, looked towards the owner, and scratched again.
"Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, stay back. There's an intruder..." Applejack whispered as she and Rarity cautiously walked towards the walk-in closet. Opal, tired of scratching and assuming her owner could handle the situation, scurried out of the room.
With a charged horn, Rarity slowly opened the closet door.
"Nothing's here..." Rarity whispered wearily.
"Maybe Opal's chasing a mouse or some-MPH!" Applejack was interrupted when two hands covered her and Rarity's mouths and they fell onto the floor. Applejack tried to yank the hand off of her mouth, but the intruder's arm didn't budge at her attempts.
"You don't mind if I borrow a few things, do you, Rarity? I need stuff for a mission."
When the intruder removed her hand from Rarity's mouth, the fashionista screamed at the top of her lungs.
"RAINBOW DASH?! HOW DARE YOU BREAK INTO MY HOUSE, DEMON!"
"Aw come on, Rarity, don't be like that," Rainbow Dash said as she placed her hand back on the unicorn's face. "If it'll make you feel better, I'll answer a question or two as a thank you for letting me borrow clothes. Besides, all of us should get to know each other more if we're going to be running into each other all the time." Dash took a moment to think about what she would need. She also used this moment to acknowledge the two children in the room.
"Hey Apple Bloom! Hey Sweetie Belle! Do you two have any idea where Scootaloo is?"
"Erm...No...Do ya mind letting our sisters go, though? Ah don't think they like being stuck on the floor like that..." Apple Bloom replied.
"As long as they promise not to attack me or call for Twilight," Rainbow Dash said as she glared at them. After a few seconds of intense staring, Rarity gave a muffled huff and Applejack rolled her eyes. Dash was satisfied with those reactions and released them.
The unicorn and farm girl stood up and quickly put space between themselves and the pegasus. While they were regaining their composure, Rainbow Dash held up two fingers. "I'll answer two questions. We'll start with..." Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and spun around three times. She stopped and pointed to whoever was in front of her. "Sweetie Belle!"
"You leave them out of this! You have no right to talk to our sisters! Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle! You should get out of-" Rarity was interrupted by Rainbow Dash digging through her closet. "Hey! You can't just-"
"I'm waiting for the question, Sweetie Belle. It can be about anything you want to know." Rainbow Dash pulled out a pair of black pants and threw them to the side.
The small unicorn blinked. She eventually realized that Dash was talking to her and hesitantly spoke, "Uh! Sure! Um...W-Will you ever stop...um...killing people?"
"Probably not, but you shouldn't worry about me killing average citizens..." Rainbow Dash pulled out a long-sleeved black shirt and threw it with the pants. "Well, not unless they piss me off."
Rarity was fuming, and she attempted to use her magic to contact Twilight. However, before her magic could connect to Twilight's, a red glow appeared around her horn and her magic fizzled out.
"What the-"
"I told you, Rarity," Rainbow Dash said as she pulled out black gloves and black socks. "No calling for Twilight."
While Dash was distracted looking through clothes and scolding the angry unicorn, Applejack cautiously inched towards the door of the fashionista's room. However, as she was about to take her third step towards safety, her legs stopped responding. Applejack fell to the ground, and the two children ran to her side.
"Are you okay, Applejack? How did ya fall?" Apple Bloom frantically asked her sister.
A wide-eyed Applejack looked at her unresponsive legs. "Ah can't feel my-"
"She fell because she tried to run away and get help," Rainbow Dash interjected. "So I took it upon myself to cut of her brain's connection to the nerves in her legs."
"YOU WHAT?!" Everyone except the pegasus screamed.
Rainbow Dash found a pair of completely black sneakers and set them next to the clothes she had previously set aside. "Don't worry. She'll regain feeling when I withdraw my magic from her body. Anyway," Dash glanced at a roll of fabric lying on Rarity's design table. "you still have one more question." She cut a large piece of the black material from the roll; it would make the perfect mask.
Applejack and Rarity had had enough of Rainbow Dash. "Get out of my house!" Rarity screamed. "Get out before I call for guards! They'll arrest you and Scootaloo! They already have-"
"'one of my kind!' Blah blah blah, I get it. Whatever. I have what I need so I guess I'll go." As Dash let Applejack gain feeling into her legs and gathered the clothes she threw on the ground, Apple Bloom blurted out, "Why are demons scared of us?" The ten-year-old immediately covered her mouth after asking, hoping that she hadn't angered the pegasus with the question.
Rainbow Dash abruptly stopped what she was doing. "What?" she whispered.
A short pause took place before Apple Bloom realized that everyone was waiting for her to continue. "U-Uh...It just...um..." Under the harsh stare of her older sister and the side glance the older unicorn gave her, Apple Bloom seemed to be unable to find her words.
Thankfully, Sweetie Belle helped the struggling girl. "When Scootaloo showed us her wings, she told us she was scared of us. The only reason she was mean to us in the forest was to protect herself, not to pick a fight with us."
"But if ya'll are a whole lot stronger than us," Apple Bloom began to ask, "why are ya'll always runnin' from us like we could hurt you?"
Rainbow Dash stood up and faced the two children. "Let's get one thing straight," she said firmly, "I'm not afraid of you. None of us will ever be afraid of you." She faced Applejack and Rarity, who were glaring at her. "No matter how strong you think you are."
The light shining into the room turned from a bright yellow to a calming orange color. The warm rays illuminated the two children, making it seem as if they were shining. The two older sisters were covered by the shade provided by half closed curtains, but spots of orange slipped through holes in the curtain, courtesy of Opal's attempt to claw Rainbow Dash. The other side of the room was completely dark, and the slight glow that had appeared in Dash's eyes put everyone else on edge.
Damn it. Rainbow Dash thought as she heard people trying to find her. They're at least five miles away. I hope I make it out.
"What we're really afraid of are ourselves," Rainbow Dash muttered. Applejack could have sworn that Dash's eyes got redder as she spoke, but the pegasus closed her eyes before the blonde could be sure. Control it, Dash. Control it.
"How are you afraid of yourself?" Sweetie Belle asked. She then remembered what happened to Scootaloo when they took her to the clubhouse. "Wait, does this have something to do with the time Scootaloo had that headache?"
Alarmed, Rainbow Dash opened her now red and slitted eyes and took a step towards Sweetie Belle. "When did she have a headache?!"
Applejack and Rarity walked in front of their sisters defensively. Dash took a deep breath and calmed down. Her eyes became magenta again and she spoke again. "Sorry. But still, when did she get a headache?"
Apple Bloom answered, "When you went lookin' for Fluttershy. We went to the hide out and found her. By the time we brought her back to the clubhouse, she was in a lot of pain."
"Did she go all night like that?"
"Well," Sweetie Belle said, "she almost did, but then she asked us for something fireproof. We gave her our science project and then..." she trailed off. I don't know if I should mention her powers around our sisters. "Then she got better."
Dash sighed. As long as she didn't go all night without using her powers. That could've ended really badly. She focused her power on her ears and listened out. The amount of people looking for her had increased, and they were getting closer.
"I really need to leave now." Rainbow Dash gathered the clothes and headed to the window. However, when she looked out, she saw that the area behind the boutique was crawling with guards. Oh shit, now I'm trapped with four people and it's going to be night time soon...How did I not hear them? I don't understand...
The pegasus turned towards the group of four and saw their confused faces.
"I might be stuck here for the night," she sheepishly admitted.
Rarity stomped her foot down and screamed, "No, you are not! You will leave right now!"
"You see, if I did that, I'd get into a bad situation. I said before that I wasn't afraid of you, and I'm not, but I will probably lose control if I go out there. I feed off of negative energy and gain power with everything those people say or do to me. If I lose control, all of those people will die."
"Since when have you valued anyone else's life?" Applejack viciously muttered under her breath.
"Since I was eight," Dash responded, much to Applejack's bafflement. "If we had known we'd end up killing people, we wouldn't have come here. Everything is so chaotic now, but all Scootaloo, Fluttershy, and I wanted was to explore."
"Why? Did you get tired of harassing some other town?" Rarity spat. "Or are you lying and you really wanted to ruin Equestria's peace to prove some sort of sick point?"
The pegasus sighed. "I've only known how to mess life up for others. That's what I've been trained to do. None of us meant to screw everything up, but it was inevitable. It's one of the curses of being a demon, I guess." Rainbow Dash looked back at Rarity and Applejack with a serious expression on her face. "I'm not here to try to get pity or something. But since you're listening to me, I need to tell you that Ponyville- or I guess Equestria- is probably going to be attacked by another demon. However, this one isn't as friendly as us, if you get what I mean."
"Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle. Ya'll might have to step out for this conversation. Ah don't like where it's goin'."
"Huh? But-" Sweetie Belle began.
"No buts. You and Apple Bloom go to your room right now." Rarity said, not once taking her eyes off of the demon as the two girls grumbled and closed the door on their way out.
Once the door to Sweetie Belle's room could be heard shutting, Applejack spoke up. "So you're saying that we're in danger because of another one of you?" Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes at this.
"Seriously, do I have to spell everything out for you?" she asked exasperatedly.
"Do tell," Rarity interrupted, "how exactly you found this bit of information out? Were you-"
"Will you quit accusing me already!" Rainbow Dash snapped. "You aren't helping anyone with all this distrust and anger! How am I supposed to keep my powers in check when all this town ever does is give me more to feed off of?!" She held her head and sat on the floor. A moment passed before Rainbow Dash calmed herself down. "I was trying to find Fluttershy the day after she almost suffocated Twilight and I found a guard dead. When I got closer, I saw the demon standing over the body, talking about taking the land for himself."
"If you were supposedly trying to not cause trouble, why didn't you stop him?" Applejack asked.
"I agree! A demon should be able to fight another demon!"
Rainbow Dash deadpanned at the two friends. "If I told one of you to fight Twilight, would you be equally matched?" Applejack and Rarity got the message and backed off. "Later on, I heard some people talking about how Fluttershy was captured. I have no doubt that the person who killed that guard is the the demon I saw."
"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Applejack questioned.
"I have no reason to lie. I hate that guy as much as you're eventually going to, but just know that he's really really powerful. He can and will kill you just by looking at you, so don't try to fight him. I'd suggest packing your things, taking your family, and getting out of here. Speaking of family," Rainbow Dash turned to closed door, "can you find Scootaloo for me? I'm really worried about her."
Rarity and Applejack immediately ran to the door when they heard tiny footsteps running away, but when they opened it, no one was there.
~The Same Day, also at 2:00pm~
"Thank you again, Miss Sparkle, for showing up on short notice," a female guard with a grey horn and fair skin said. Twilight was being escorted to the room where Fluttershy would warn her of an incoming danger. On the way, she passed by various soldiers marching to where they were supposed to be stationed for the time being.
"It's no problem, Lieutenant Lunar Rose. I've been waiting for an opportunity to hear about what these creatures have been up to. Can you tell me more about the setup?"
"We've removed the light from its face. There's a slight burn mark, but not any more severe than what would appear on a normal person. It refuses to speak to anyone, so we're assuming its waiting for you and you only. However, two guards, one anatomist, and one psychologist have been cleared to be in the room with you. Outside of the interrogation room will be eight guards, one magic specialist, another psychologist, and myself," Lt. Rose explained. "The magic specialist and anatomist will be studying the demon after the interrogation, so they were allowed access in order to gain background information."
"Alright, then. How is her current state of mind?" Twilight asked. Will she try to kill me again?
"There's no way of knowing for sure, but so far it has been stable and mostly responsive. We can not decipher any emotions from it unless it speaks, however."
"Why is that?"
"It hardly shows any emotion on its face. When the door to its containment room slammed open, it didn't flinch. When it spoke, the emotion was in the voice, but no visual signs were given that it felt anything," the lieutenant concluded.
"Very well then. Thank you for all the information," Twilight said as they reached the monitoring room. As Lt. Rose described, almost a dozen guards were waiting for them to arrive, and once Twilight walked through the door, three scientists stood up and greeted the unicorn.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Sparkle," the magic specialist began. He had long, cherry red and ginger hair that was tied back into a low ponytail. His dark brown skin contrasted with his marigold horn, and his fiery orange eyes glinted with a passion for understanding all types of magic. "My name is Dr. Mystic Comet, and I am the magic specialist. I must say, I am quite excited to study this demon, and, as a fellow expert in magic, I'd like for you to join me in testing the demon's limits after the interrogation."
Twilight shook his hand and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, but remember that I am here only to get information, so I have to politely decline. Any tests that you wish perform on the demon will not involve me, but I would love to hear about the results."
"Very well, Miss Sparkle. I look forward to the interrogation."
The two psychologists introduced themselves next. "Hello, Miss Sparkle," the grey haired man began as he shook her hand. "We are the Neuro-Twins. I am Dr. Psychic, and this," he gestured to the darker grey haired woman standing beside him, "is Dr. Psyche. We look forward to working with you." The twins had pale skin, curled hair, and freckles. Dr. Psychic had neck-length hair that was greased back, and Dr. Psyche had shoulder length hair that was styled into a bun.
"I will be accompanying you," Psyche began, "while Psychic will be taking notes in here."
"Wonderful. I can't wait to work with you, Dr. Psyche," Twilight said as she shook the doctor's hand. When the twins walked away, a woman with a pearl white horn and red eyes entered the room and glanced at the purple horned unicorn. Twilight internally winced as the woman walked up to her; the sound of her heels annoyed Twilight to no end.
"Well, well, well, Miss Sparkle. It's a pleasure to meet you." The young woman with a slight accent asked. Twilight could not pinpoint what place the accent suggests the woman is from, but she determined that it couldn't be a place she has visited. Twilight also noticed that the woman was noticeably more different than everyone else in the room. The guards and scientists all looked to be about forty years or older, but the woman could not have been any older than twenty five. The other scientists were wearing business formal attire (and a magic proof lab coat in Dr. Comet's case), but the woman was wearing a white button up crop top and black pants. Her two inch heels shone with the gloss it was covered in, and Twilight assumed they would most likely squeak if they were ever rubbed together. Over the woman's right arm was her lab coat, and in her left hand was a briefcase. On top of her messy, long brown and black hair were strange looking silver goggles.
"Erm...It's nice to meet you, as well Miss..."
"Humerus is my nickname, so you can call me that." Humerus walked away to dump her stuff on a nearby chair, and Twilight looked over at Lt. Rose.
"Trust me," she mouthed. Once Humerus was settled, Lt. Rose cleared her throat. "Ahem. Everyone has arrived, so we should proceed with the interrogation. Everyone, please go to your designated spots while the demon is retrieved."
When she awoke, Fluttershy still could not see a thing. However, she was grateful that the annoying light from before had been replaced with a blindfold.
As if that stupid light could weaken me! It annoyed me, that's for sure!
As Fluttershy continued to grumble to herself about the light, the door slammed open for the first time that day. A heavily armored guard stomped over to her and undid her restraints. Before she could use any powers, she felt him clamp on a pair of handcuffs; however, Fluttershy noticed that he left her ankles untied. The guard pulled her up by her hair and dragged her through a long hallway. Eventually, they reached a new room and he let go of her hair. The guard led her to a chair, made her sit down, and stomped away.
Geez, what's his problem? He must be the same guy that had the voice changing technology.
Fluttershy tried to break free of her restraints, but found that the handcuffs also prevented her from using magic.
If my hands are disabled, I can try sensing with my feet.
Fluttershy began taking off her shoes when she heard Twilight speak.
"Don't move. You will be restrained more so than you are now."
Fluttershy complied and sat still. She tried redirecting the small amount of magic she could access to her senses.
"So what is it you wanted to say, Fluttershy? What type of danger have you brought with you? What lies will you pass on to me?" Twilight angrily asked.
Fluttershy sighed. "Look, I didn't mean to almost kill you-"
"You held me up by my neck! That's not an accident!" Twilight took a deep breath. "That isn't the point. Tell me what you wanted to say about the possible threat."
"I'm going to get to that, but you really should know that I didn't want to hurt you..." Fluttershy hesitated and sniffed the air. Something's off... "Twilight are you alone?"
"What? That has nothing to do-"
"Twilight." Fluttershy asked firmly. "Are you alone?"
"...No, I'm not. But you still have to tell me about the threat." Twilight did not know why she told the truth. Fluttershy was blindfolded and the scientists and guards sitting behind the demon were so quiet that even Twilight would have forgotten that they were there if she couldn't see them. However, she couldn't lie. It just felt wrong to lie.
"I will tell you if everyone else leaves. If you want them to stay, I will only tell you if you take my blindfold off," Fluttershy bargained. "But I will not tell you a thing right now."
Twilight's eye twitched in frustration. When she looked to the two scientists for advice, Dr. Psyche gravely nodded while Humerus arrogantly smirked and put her goggles over her eyes. Twilight took Fluttershy's blindfold off, and the guards tensed up, ready to spring into action.
Fluttershy was elated to be able to see again, but she quickly realized that she hadn't missed much when the blindfold was on. She was in a completely white room. Twilight sat across from her in a black chair, but Fluttershy couldn't figure out how many other people were there.
"Everyone must be behind me," Fluttershy commented. "I will keep my word and tell you what you need to know."
Twilight glared at Fluttershy, refusing to break eye contact with the demon.
"He's an assassin. He'll show mercy to demons, and he'll surely throw your life away with one move. Rainbow Dash told me that she saw him after he killed a guard in the forest, but ignored her. What that means for us is unclear, but for you, it's bad news. He's able to wield a multitude of weapons, and he knows how to defend himself with and without his hands. It's nearly impossible to catch him off guard, and if you do, his reflexes are incredibly quick." Fluttershy found that withholding the truth from Twilight proved to be more difficult than her mental barrier training in Pegasopolis. It's as if telling the truth would solve all my problems. Why am I doing this? Am I... trusting her?
"Why do you think he's here?" Twilight questioned.
"He might've followed us. Or he had the same idea as us-"
"Which is?"
"To see what's on the other side of the forest."
Twilight stared at the demon. Fluttershy stared at the interrogator.
"I won't say anymore, Twilight." There are too many people watching.
"Fine. Then we're done talking." Twilight said despite no one moving to leave.
"Yeah," Fluttershy whispered with a hint of disappointment. "We're done talking."
Eventually, Twilight got up and left the room. One by one, the scientists and guards followed. Only Fluttershy was left.
All alone...with her.