//------------------------------// // 30.2 Gloom settles on us // Story: Prey and a Lamb // by Lambs Prey //------------------------------// "We," Gloom began, "Need a plan." Gloom rapped his hoof sharply on the house door. *Thack-Thack-Thack* "This is the Night Guard. We're here to speak with Mr. Prime Miles." The three of them waited on the porch steps. They were in Lower Canterlot, and it was approaching six in the evening. They still had a good couple of hours before Celestia lowered the sun. Not that it would make any difference to Gloom and Crimson. Prey's stomach was complaining it had not gotten breakfast, and his legs were telling him they'd done far too much running around trying to keep up, and his head was topping them all, whining that it wanted to sleep. Too bad none of that was going to happen any time soon. 'Well, at least Gloom and Crimson likely feel almost as bad.' Prey thought. Or even worse. It was only this morning they'd discovered the mangled remains of the quadruple murders. That kind of thing tended to stay with you. Like a scar. Gloom knocked loudly again, "Open up, this is the Night Guard." Prey glanced sideways past Crimson up and down the narrow street. There were still a few ponies going about, but not half so many as there had been only an hour ago. "This is the correct address sir." Crimson reaffirmed, looking at the house number. "Yes, thank you. But perhaps he's out." Gloom said. "No, he's definitely in. The curtains aren't drawn, and someone's recently watered the lavender." Prey said, nodding to the lone pot plant which could be seen on the window sill. "He's just being slow in answering the door." Gloom and Crimson looked at where Prey'd indicated, seeing what he'd pointed out. Gloom knocked a third time, even louder. "Mr. Prime Miles, this is the Night Guard. Open up." Gloom was usually a very patient person. With what had happened to day, being polite and patient were the last things on his mind. However it became apparent why it'd taken the house's sole occupant so long to answer their front door when he finally opened it. The unicorn Prime Miles, the one who'd been beaten up two, now three days ago and who hadn't been able to identify his attackers, stood before them in the doorway. He had two black eyes, the right already turning yellow under marine blue fur, and a split lip. The attackers hadn't stopped with roughing up his face, he had wrappings around each of his legs to help brace them, and horseshoe shaped bruises decorated Prime Miles barrel and flanks. He stood bracing a leg against the door, hunched over in a way to no doubt alleviate one pain or another. Prey ran an experienced eye over Prime Miles. 'No bones broken, at most a cracked rib. No lasting harm inflicted. No deep tissue damage either it seems. I estimate full recovery time at three weeks if he takes it slow.' And currently, he was was staring wide eyed (well, as wide as you could with two black eyes), at Gloom. That was not what Prey was currently interested in. The fear normal ponies held for their thestral brethren was old news. The ISND were here because they thought Prime Miles might be able to provide them a tip off about the salt dealers, but the answers Prime Miles might provide wasn't the cause of Prey's attention either. What Prey was very interested in knowing, was how Prime Miles had been overpowered and systematically given this warning beating. Prime Miles was a unicorn. "Yes?" Prime Miles tried, then cleared his throat and tried again, "Yes?" He repeated nervously, sounding as rough as he looked. Prime Miles hadn't noticed Prey yet, as the lamb had angled himself behind Crimson for precisely that reason. In return however, Prey was studying him very closely. 'He's a unicorn. How did he end up in this state?' It made absolutely no sense to Prey, for a very simple reason. Unicorns had magic. Defending himself should've been child's play for Prime Miles. There were a variety of stunning spells that could be learnt by any unicorn with practice, plenty of which weren't even attribute restricted. Prey could not conceive that someone given such a powerful gift like magic would not learn such offensive spells. It would be the very first thing Prey'd do if he had a horn. "You are Mr. Prime Miles, who was assaulted and hospitalized in the Canterlot General Hospital and released two days ago, correct?" Gloom asked, getting the formalities out of the way, even if the answer was plain for them all to see. "Yes. That's me." Prime Miles answered, ears flattening. Prey was still privately considering the unicorn, like he would a puzzle piece that didn't fit. 'His horn's intact, nor is he a magical cripple, because he used magic to open the door.' Even if there were a retarded unicorn who'd delayed learning any offensive spells, or who'd been taken by surprise and didn't have the time to cast one, every unicorn had telekinesis. That alone should've been sufficient for Prime Miles to defend himself with. 'Ah, that's why. I'm being stupid,' Prey realised, 'The group that beat him up obviously had a unicorn too.' That explained it all. One unicorn to counter another. That's how they must've overpowered Prime Miles. Unicorns were dangerous, so of course they would've brought one of their own. "May we come in? We have some questions that you need to answer for us. I don't think on the doorstep is appropriate." Gloom said briskly. Prime looked very reluctant at the idea, but he could hardly say no to a Guard, "If, if we must." He said, shuffling aside. '-why're they sending another vampony to me? Disgusting cat eyes make my fur crawl-', Prime Miles thought, shuddering. None of the ISND moved to step inside however. Gloom stood there on the doorstep until it dawned on Prime that they were waiting for him to lead the way into his house, so they could follow him in. They weren't letting an unknown get behind them, and they would close the door after themselves, not him. It wasn't a declaration of mistrust, but more just another one of those thestral precautions. Prime however was from a completely different society, and he interpreted it as one. His ears drooped further, "Ah, er, do come in then. Follow me." He said, limping backwards. Gloom gave a single nod, "Thank you. Prey, shut the door behind you." Prime Miles nearly fell over as he spun around, eyes bulging. "What?" He cried, having completely misheard. '-he's here to drink my blood, he even said it!-' Prime found three pairs of eyes blinking at him, two yellow and one sky blue, halfway through the door. "Ah, a sheep?" Prime Miles mumbled as everyone else looked at him quizzically. "This is Prey," Gloom said slowly, "That's his name. He's with us." "Uh, I, was just, uh..." Prime Miles mumbled and shuffled his hooves in embarrassment, before he gave up trying to find an excuse and just led them into his sitting room. The room was a mess. Crumpled newspapers, marine blue coat fur on the floor cushions, discarded blankets. It was evident that Prime Miles lived alone and had a bad habit of leaving everything right where he dropped it. "Er, just push whatever off and take a seat." Prime said, not looking anyone in the eye. "We'll stand." Gloom said. "Oh um, sorry about, about the mess then." Prime Miles apologised, now not even sure if he was allowed to sit down in his own house, or if he was supposed to now stand too. "Take a seat." Gloom told him. Prime Miles ears fell again, "Right, right. Sorry." He said, lowering himself onto the only unlittered cushion seat with a stifled groan of pain. The stallion was laughably scared of offending the thestral by saying the wrong thing, but then again, he'd been beaten a few days ago. He had the right to be skittish. "I'm, er, I'm assuming that this is a follow up interview?" Prime asked, not meeting either of the other ponies yellow eyes, and trying not to stare at the completely out of place lamb either for that matter. "No actually, it's not." Gloom said bluntly. He was not being the 'good Guard' today. Prey could practically hear the unicorns heart speed up at Gloom's words, which made Prey very alarmed. Scared people were liable to lash out. Prey focused all his attention onto Prime Miles horn. If the unicorn showed any hint of planning to attack, Prey was out of here. "So, so what's this about then?" "My name is Sargent Gloom. You have something the Night Guard needs. You're going to give it to us. Sound simple enough?" Prime Miles gulped at Gloom's flat tone, his mind going unbidden to the fact that, '-these vamponies serve Nightmare Moon-'. "What do you mean?" He asked, trying (and failing), to put on a brave face. "We want the name, location, and contact method for your salt supplier." Gloom said bluntly. Prime Miles jerked, "I-I, I don't know any drug dealers. And I'm not a salt user." He protested. "Don't lie. You've all the obvious tells. Skittishness, thin stature, twitches, unkept appearance, untidiness and loss of hygiene. Need I go on?" Gloom asked, casting a judgemental eye over the living room full of its clutter and unwashed dishes. "No no, that's not it, I'm hurt, that's all. This is just a general state of things until I get better and get back to cleaning." Prime hastily said. "You don't need to bother lying Prime Miles. You're broke, and you've no bits. You spent it all on your salt drug habit. Look at all this mess, do you even have any food in the house?" Gloom asked. "I just haven't been out shopping recently, that's all it is." Prime Miles felt the need to protest, despite the fact none of the ISND had actually been around to check his cupboards and prove the validity of Gloom's claim. "Let's try something else then. You were beaten by the drug dealers because you couldn't pay. I want to know who." "I don't know, I already told the you guys. I have no idea who they where. I've never seen the ponies who attacked me before in my life." Prime Miles said. "Then they were merely thugs from some other part of the salt operation." Gloom shrugged, "Give us your dealer's name instead." Prime Miles almost slipped up and answered on reflex, but he managed to stop himself. "A-I'm not buying salt from anypony. I don't know anypony like that either." He said instead. "You're wasting our time. We put the evidence together and it's obvious. You were given a warning beating because you couldn't pay your debts to fund your salt habit. There is a far bigger crime going on, and frankly, I don't have the time to deal with you. Just admit it, so we can get on with doing our job." Gloom said impatiently. "But I don't know any-" "Shut it. Look, I'll be straight with you. I haven't slept more than thirty hours in a week. I have just finished convicting the leader of the Crop Sharers, I've had to deal with idiots getting in the Night Guard's way on a nightly basis, stubborn farmers, corrupt sheriffs, riots, and many other things which I am not at liberty to discuss, but if you knew the details of, you'd cry. I am not in a patient mood. Let's skip the bit where you try to deny your guilt and I'll skip the bit where I prove it." Gloom said flatly. Prime Miles ears went flat. It looked like he was agonising over giving in, but then he winced and rubbed the bruises across his barrel, "I don't know anypony." He said, looking at the dirty carpet at his hooves. "Don't lie!" Gloom stamped a hoof, hard, and Prime Miles jumped. "I'm going to give you one more chance. If you lie to me again, we're going to arrest you and take you before Princess Luna. Let's see you try and lie to her face. And yes, it's that serious. You'll be going before the Princess." Gloom bluffed at the horrified look on Prime Miles face. Seems Gloom had somehow picked up on the unicorns fear of the Night Guard and the recently reformed Nightmare Moon, and was using it to his advantage. Although really? It wasn't much of a deduction. Almost all ponies were scared of Luna and the Night Guard. It just varied to what extent from pony to pony. "N-no, I'm sorry but I can't help you. I don't know anything." "He's lying sir. I hate liars." Crimson said, face blank of any emotion. "I know. Alright, arrest him. Her majesty's Night Court starts in an hour and a half. We can put him first in line." Gloom ordered. "Yes sir." Crimson stepped forwards, just as expressionless as ever. Prime Miles gaped. "W-what?" "Did you think I was bluffing? I gave you your chance, and you wasted it." Gloom said coldly, unmoving as Crimson roughly pulled Prime Miles to his hooves with no consideration to his injuries. "Ahh, Ow! No, you can't do this." "Prey, get the door." Gloom ordered, turning to leave, "It's a long walk back to the Palace. If he collapses halfway there, you and I can drag him between us Crimson." That more than anything else convinced Prime Miles this wasn't a bluff, that Gloom really was going to follow through, and that this really was indeed happening to him. Prey listened as Prime Miles thought about how far it was to the Palace. How bad his legs were. How Gloom and Crimson would drag him if he collapsed. How much it hurt to even stand. And who he was going to have to face at the end of the road. Prime Miles was not a brave person. Perhaps he had been before the beating, but not anymore. Prey had already pointed out the opportunity this presented before they'd knocked. If Prime Miles was a salt addict, he likely had next to no will power to begin with, and second, he was very unlikely to be brave enough to call any bluff. They knew this was the first time Prime Miles had been beaten, because he hadn't ended up in hospital before. So before this, Prime Miles had thought he could continue to get away with defaulting on his debt, naively believing that the people he was dealing with wouldn't follow through on their threats. No one believes it'll happen to them. And then he'd been cornered and beaten. A beating did one of two things to a person. Either it made them more stubborn and rebellious, or it broke them and made them give in. A beating was painful, the bruises lingered visibly for weeks where all could see. Prime Miles most likely pissed blood when he went to the toilet. He probably couldn't sleep or lie down properly either. Any false self-image of invulnerability Prime Miles had held was destroyed two nights ago. Prime Miles would likely never be the same stallion again. He wasn't someone who could mentally shrug off what had happened to him. The mental effects of being so helpless would linger for the rest of his life. Beating was a crude but very effective strategy. Whether Prime Miles had tried to cheat the drug dealers, or simply been unable to pay, the results of their warning would be the same. Next time the salt dealers came knocking, Prime Miles would be much more humble and willing to deliver. Prey had summed it up quite simply. "Right now, Prime Miles is shaken and scared. Any threats or intimidation we use will be incredibly effective on him." Gloom's face hadn't changed, but he'd been so angry at Prey's logic that he'd punched the closest warehouse support beam hard enough to make it vibrate. Prey had kept his head down on the trip here, and not complained even once about the fast pace. 'I'm not the one who beat this guy up, why's Gloom so angry at me?' Prey had silently fumed the whole way. At least Crimson had understood his point without overreacting, even if Gloom hadn't. Well, actually, now that he thought about it, Crimson still hadn't looked at Prey since the warehouse. But now, Gloom had gone ahead and acted on his advice anyway. 'So what was the big fuss even about? Hypocrite.' Prey thought, as Prime Miles began to panic. "No, I'll-wait, listen, I'll talk I'll talk!" Prime Miles knew he was condemning himself, but he was convinced there was no way out. He bowed his head in shame, "There's a pony, his name's Amber Beach. He, he sells salt." Crimson stopped pulling Prime Miles towards the door as Gloom waved him down. "Who is Amber Beach and where do you meet him? Earth Pony, unicorn, or pegasus? What coat colour and cutie mark?" Gloom demanded. He didn't act surprised that Prime Miles had confessed, like he'd known all along he would. "There's a meeting place. If, if you go there at four o'clock, on Fridays and Saturdays. He's only there for ten minutes if you want to f-find him." Prime Miles still hadn't yet been able to bring himself to verbalising an admission of his own personal involvement. Prime said 'he sells salt' and 'there's a meeting place', not 'I buy salt' or 'where I meet him'. The shame was too much to admit it seemed, even after he'd been caught. "What type of pony is Amber Beach and what does he look like?" Gloom pressed. "I, I don't know." "What do you mean you don't know!?" Prime Miles cringed, "He's always wearing a long coat and hat! He could be an Earth pony or pegasus or even a unicorn, but I'm not sure. His cutie mark is always covered too, but I do know his coat colour, he's yellow. Like a pale yellow. And his mane's brown. And and, his eyes are also brown, I think." He hastily said. "How old is he?" Gloom asked. "Uh, I don't know." Prime Miles looked at the floor again. "Then take an educated guess." "T-thirtyish maybe?" Gloom grunted, "That's very little to go on. We don't know if Amber Beach is even his real name. Friday and Saturday are too far away to wait for, and no way to find him before then." He said, mostly speaking to himself. Gloom glanced up sharply, "Do you know any other salt dealers or have a way to get in contact, or is there anypony else you know who uses salt?" "I, um, I don't. It's just me. I'm sorry." Prime admitted in a small voice. Gloom and Crimson shared a look. It said, 'This gives us nothing'. "What about the people who administered the beating? We might yet be able to find them, sir." Prey spoke up. Making helpful suggestions would hopefully get Gloom's off his back. Prey suggestion was a good idea. If this Amber Beach wasn't going to turn up until Friday, four days from now, then perhaps they could identify someone else instead. "Good point. Prime Miles," Gloom asked, turning back to the hunched unicorn, "What do you remember of the ponies who attacked you?" If Prime Miles had been nervous about informing on his salt supplier, he was now doubly so about identifying his attackers. 'A reasonable, if misguided fear.' Prey thought. Out of the two parties, Amber Beach was not the one who'd beaten Prime Miles. As a result, Miles was more scared of the thugs. He somehow hadn't drawn the connection that it'd been Amber Beach who'd likely gotten the beating arranged in the first place. "I, I don't, I don't know who they were. It was dark, and they wore masks." Prime answered, eyes darting away. "Oh come now, they must've told you something." Prey said, smiling innocently at Prime. He didn't want to speak to the unicorn, but it seems he had no choice. Best to not seem like any type of threat while he did so then. "...Uhhh." Not for the first time since they'd gotten here, Prey heard Prime Miles wondering, '-what in Equestria is a little filly being lead around by these Nightmare Guards for?-' How he'd forgotten Prey was a ram, not an ewe, in less than ten minutes was beyond Prey. Perhaps the beating had done more damage than the doctors had realised? Prey increased the width of his smile, "They said something, didn't they?" He asked again. Gloom stopped what he was thinking about to pay close attention to whatever Prime Miles was about to answer. Prime Miles glanced uncertainly at the Gloom and Crimson, but found them both watching him intently for his answer. He ducked his head again rather than face their yellow eyes. "...Yes, they did say some stuff. But why's that important?" Prey tapped his hooves innocently together and looked up off towards the ceiling as if thinking how best to explain something complicated. "Well, I don't think they'd just silently beat you up. That wouldn't make any sense. They were there to serve as a warning to pay on time in the future. Otherwise, there'd be no point if you didn't know why they'd been sent." Prime Miles gaped for the second time. Gloom's muzzle twisted and Crimson's own wings twitched at Prey's performance. Once, they would've simply dismissed it as harmless mockery, if snide. Now they saw his performance as a mask and were wary of what it covered. 'Who do they think they are to judge me? They're covering secrets with their own masks too.' Prey thought. "So, what did the thugs say?" Prey asked brightly, not getting distracted. "They, I mean when I was, when they..." Prime Miles voice dropped with shame, "...Beat me up, they said that I should think twice before I try to tell them no. I even said I would have the money, and they still kept beating me!" Prime Miles protested at the unfairness of it all. "What were the exact words they used?" Gloom asked. "I, it's a bit hard to remember. I think, I think what he said was; 'We don't like ponies who don't keep their promises. This is a just a warning, you don't want us to come back if'n you don't have Beach's gold next time.' That's what he said." Prime recalled with a shiver. '-oh Celestia, how am I going to get that many bits by Saturday?-' "Was this pony the only one who spoke?" Gloom asked him. "No, just...they said a few things to each other when they were..." Primes voice dropped again, "Beating me. I don't remember clearly. It's hard to, to... Yeah." "How many attackers where there?" Crimson stepped in to ask. "Three. But I think there was another one at the end of the street as a lookout. I think." "So four total. Please describe everything about them you can remember." Gloom said. "It was dark. But they were big, and strong, I know that." "How about a lisp or accent? Any defining features you can remember?" Gloom asked. "Yes, actually, now that you say that. One of them had a strong Trottingham accent." Prime Miles admitted reluctantly. "Where they all stallions?" Gloom asked. "Um, yes?" Prime said uncertainly. "Any idea what pony race where they?" Prime Miles actually had to stop and think about that one for a second. Prey would've thought it'd be one of the easiest details to remember. "I don't know about the look out. If he was a look out, I don't know if he actually was-" "The three that you did know then." Gloom broke in impatiently. "Uh, one was an Earth pony, he's the one that spoke, with the Trottingham accent. The other two were unicorns." Prime Miles answered. 'I knew it! They did bring unicorn back up.' Prey thought, vindicated. "Good. Anything else you can tell us? This could deeply affect the next few days of your future. I advise you to think carefully." Gloom warned him. Prime Miles' face screwed up, his bruised black eyes standing out as he tried to find something else to satisfy Gloom with. But he was eventually forced to admit; "No. I can't think of anything else." '-this trip was a complete waste of time-', Gloom thought. It wasn't really, they'd gotten a tip off about this Amber Beach, but understandably that time frame wasn't soon enough for Gloom. "Come on Prey, Crimson. We're leaving. There's nothing more we can learn here." Gloom said. "Wait, what about me?" Prime Miles protested, staggering upright on wobbly legs. Gloom regarded him as Prey and Crimson continued moving towards the door, "What about you?" "W-what am I going to do? I told you all that, s-so what's going to happen to me?" Prime asked, desperation in his tone. "That's not our problem. Now that you've confessed, the Guard will be over early tomorrow morning to pick you up. For your sake, you'd better be here." Gloom said coldly. The unicorns legs gave out and he sagged back onto the floor cushion, "But, but..." "Did we promise you anything? No. You made this storm cloud and now you've got to ride it." Gloom said, looking down at him. Prey approved of Gloom's words. They didn't have time to be wasting on this pony. "But..." Miles protested weakly one more time as the ISND got ready to leave. Gloom let out a long groan and rubbed his eyes, his conscience digging at him. "Seriously, if you know what's good for you, be here tomorrow. This is an opportunity to turn over a new leaf, don't waste it. Clean this place up, get better, and get clean. If you have family or friends, tell them what's going on. Join a recovery program. If you have any salt, throw it out tonight. You can do it if really try. You have a chance, but nopony but you can take that first step." Gloom told him. "But I don't know if I can-" "Tough. Stallion up. Nopony else is going to do it for you." ------ They left Prime Miles scared, bewildered and possibly feeling like he wanted to cry, but Gloom hoped that they'd also left behind at least a, '-small chance he'll take the plunge and fix himself. There's not much else good that can come out of all this-' For the second time that day, they made the trip back to the Palace in grim silence as dusk approached. En-route, they went past a number of both Lower and Upper class bars which were exceptionally full. The pony occupants of Canterlot were out in force, celebrating the "Glorious defeat of the dragon". What defeat? There'd been no battle. Again, Prey felt nothing but contempt for these ponies who hadn't done a thing to defend themselves. They'd merely been saved by their Sun Queen's existence. How had the dragon been driven off? No one had seen fit to tell the ISND yet. The walk back did nothing for Gloom or Crimson's temperament either. It just gave them time to dwell on the cellar again and let the murder scene darken their thoughts. It even dragged heavily enough upon Crimson's mind to lower his mental walls briefly once again, although Prey didn't overhear anything deeply insightful. '-was that only this morning we found the trap door? Already it feels days have passed-' Gloom's own thoughts were rather predictably back on; '-little eyes in lamp light. I hate rats-' --- From inside the hall, came the rowdy sound of Royal Guards laughing over the dragon. Gloom looked at the mess hall doors. "I don't know if I can do this." He muttered to himself, thinking of all the ponies they would have to face inside. "We need to eat sometime." Prey pointed out. Gloom's teeth clenched, then relaxed. Prey's words were merely practical, and, '-what else did I honestly expect Prey to say?-' It may seem heartless, but he knew Prey was right about the ISND needing to eat. Captain Nighthawk had even said as much himself. '-if not Prey might get sick again. It was only yesterday the trial happened-', He thought. Guilt settled in Gloom's thoughts on top of the anger, exhaustion, hunger and stress of the day. '-sick one day then I'm dragging him off to a murder scene the next. Luna's mane, how did I get us all into this?-' Prey was right. Not eating would just make them all feel worse. "In we go then. No point stalling." Gloom said heavily. --- If the Royal Guards prideful attitude had been obnoxious from outside the mess hall, it was all the louder and more unpleasant once inside. Their attitude was an exact copy of the citizens inhabiting the bars the ISND had passed on their return. Looking, Prey saw no sign of Scenic Paint or Quick Draw among their ranks. Those two must've been sworn to silence though, or else the Royal Guards probably wouldn't all be celebrating like this. 'It's only a matter of time until it leaks out though. Ponies are appalling at keeping their mouths shut.' Crimson only managed to clear half his plate, and Gloom hardly touched his own food. Prey ignored Gloom's sick look as he continued to wolf down his own food as fast as possible. 'Starving yourself isn't going to bring them back. Life continues on, and we all have to cross the river some day.' Gloom abruptly pushed his tray away and stood, "Enough. Captain Nighthawk and the Lieutenants are waiting." ------ Captain Nighthawk was tapping his hoof on the desk again. *Tap. Tap. Tap* Screech, Starry Wing, Gloom and Crimson stood silently around the crowded table, silently waiting for their captain to speak. Prey stood a little further back, on top of a stool so he could see. His head still only just poked up above the table top. The honour it was to be included in such a high profile, secret meeting with the three highest ranking Night Guard officers was rather lost on this occasion. Nighthawk's hoof finally came to a rest with a final *Tap* as he broke the silence. "We need some way into this salt trade. Without inside information, the best we're doing is taking shots in the fog. And there are traitors in the Royal Guard." Four pairs of reflective yellow eyes and one sky blue watched the Night Guard Captain in the light cast by the single lamp. No one responded. It hadn't been a question. When Nighthawk wanted their opinion, he'd ask for it. "Sargent Gloom, you said the beating victim couldn't tell us anything further. How likely is this Amber Beach to be a real pony, or just an alias?" Nighthawk asked. Gloom stirred himself, pulling his mind back to the present. "The dealer exists, certainly. I doubt that's his real name though. The name doesn't match anypony with a criminal record we know of, and his physical description is too limited to go off of." "Same for the thugs profiles who attacked Prime Miles." Nighthawk finished with distaste, "Even so, we will be on the look out for any large Earth ponies with a Trottingham accent." The Captain looked to Screech next, "What did Corporal Humming turn up?" 'Yes, what did she turn up?' Prey thought leaning forwards precariously on his stool, since this was an answer he was interested in hearing. He would've preferred to go straight to the source and rip the information directly from Humming's mind, but this would have to do. Screech double checked the sheet of paper he had in front of him, "The warehouse is named Warehouse 7B. It's one of a number owned by a company called Simple Storage Solutions who rent the properties out to other businesses. They own warehouses in Fillidelphia and Manehatton too." Nighthawk looked to Gloom. The ISND were the ones heading this murder investigation, so Nighthawk was ceding the initiative to Gloom to ask the questions. It took a moment for Gloom to recall himself and catch on, but only after a long moment of the Captain looking at him. Hurriedly he asked, "And who rents out Warehouse 7B here in Canterlot?" Screech checked his sheet again, "From the records Corporal Humming seized, it has been rented out by a lot of different businesses importing or exporting goods. Right now, space is currently being rented by three different companies. A company dealing in refined copper, one for piping and plumbing, and one which sells bathroom towels." "Towels. That's fabric." Starry Wing said. "Like we suspect were in all those crates we found, yes." Screech nodded. "How long has that company, what's their name? Been renting at this warehouse?" Gloom asked, before Prey had to. Again Screech checked the summary he held, "Luxury Linen. And for roughly two and a half years." Gloom had already explained to the assembled officers about how Prey had 'found' some salt in one of the crates, and how the ISND were almost certain this was how the drug dealers had been smuggling salt in. Prey had found no such thing, he'd merely been pretending to get Gloom and Crimson on the right track, because the best chance of success came if they were working off the same page. Thus why Prey'd made an act of tasting salt on his hoof. However that wasn't what Nighthawk and the others were interested in. The salt trade was a problem yes, but it was completely secondary to these murders. That was the real focus of this meeting. "It seems that to catch this griffin, we will have to first bring down the whole salt trade." Starry Wing said summed up, a grim tone in his voice at the prospect. "That sounds like our best, and possibly only chance." Screech agreed, "Sargent Gloom, how do you want me to proceed that'll best support the ISND?" He asked, shifting the attention back to Gloom. "Oh, uh," Gloom shot a quick glance to Prey and Crimson. "Uh, well, obviously somepony in this Luxury Linen is working with the salt dealer to smuggle the salt in on these crates. I think that should be our next avenue of attack." "Prey? Crimson? What else?" He asked, searching for advice from his subordinates. Prey didn't let his nervousness show as all the officers attention turned to them. Lieutenant Screech was looking at him with particular focus, currently thinking about what he'd seen Prey argue with Gloom about earlier today. '-he argued to be let down into the murder cellar to help. A girly ribbon wearing foal shouldn't be able to convince you to allow that-', Screech thought, brow furrowing. 'Well that's just perfect.' Prey thought. Now Starry Wing was the only person here he somehow hadn't disturbed. People didn't trust what they thought unnatural. Prey purposefully didn't meet any of the yellow thestral eyes as he answered, trying to seem demur. "I think the salt dealers will shortly be abandoning Luxury Linen and starting a new smuggling route in to Canterlot, if they haven't already. The operation we found had clearly been shut down. Those four were killed either because they were loose ends, or were no longer trusted. Or both." "And what does that mean for us?" Nighthawk asked gruffly. Prey hesitated on how knowledgeable he should appear. 'Oh well, in for a tooth, in for a claw.' He thought. They didn't trust him, and never would anyway. They already knew Luna had pulled him from prison. "The salt dealer boss is tightening up their operation. He or she is smart, they've been avoiding getting caught or loosing any major subordinates up until now. It's only recently that you-I mean we, have become aware of how wide spread the salt trade is. This boss is not becoming complacent. They've carefully controlled their growth and not been greedy." Screech and Starry Wing's ears were focused forwards in interest as they listened to a lamb analyse the situation. "And what do you think this means for us?" Nighthawk asked again. "Not much." Prey said with a small shrug, "We still need a way in. Catching this griffin and his helpers isn't going to happen until after this salt smuggling ring is cracked open. This boss gave them the kill order, and if they're loyal enough to kill for their boss, then they're also important enough for him or her to protect them. I don't think we'll find anything on the griffin until after we're inside." "You're saying we should abandon the murder investigation, and focus entirely on the drug dealers solely." Starry Wing said pointedly. 'Yes you idiot, that's your only hope of getting anywhere.' Prey thought. He debated whether he should further defend his reasoning. "Unless we can get more information, that is the only way forwards I see." Prey settled on reiterating. 'It'll also hopefully keep me safe and out of this murderous griffin's way. If it's a choice between the thugs who beat Prime Miles, and the ones who slaughtered four ponies, I know which one I'm taking.' Prey thought. "Unfortunately," Prey then added, clearing his throat, "I think it's at best a fifty fifty chance whether this Amber Beach will even be there on Friday. If the salt dealers are smart and keeping an eye open, they'll know about Prime Miles being arrested tomorrow. They'll guess he told us everything he knows, and stop Amber Beach from going in Friday." Prey raised another good point there, and the Night Guard officers around the table took a minute to consider it. "We have not yet arrested Prime Miles, correct?" Nighthawk checked. "No sir. There was no immediate need to." Screech answered. "Then we will not arrest him straight away. Send a Guard around first thing and tell him he's been granted a reprieve, but is forbidden to leave Canterlot. Tell him he has a week to prove himself through good behaviour and to not cause trouble. We can arrest him after Friday either way." All of the Night Guard officers nodded, not in agreement but to show they'd received Nighthawk's ruling. It meant more or less the same thing in the end. "Moving on. The salt smuggling. Who has any ideas?" Nighthawk asked. Crimson spoke up for the first time, "They may have moved their operation out of Luxury Linen, but it's not soon enough. I mean, we can still probably still catch somepony if we go there after them, sir. They didn't predict we would find out about Luxury Linen this quickly." "You're right, this was a just lucky tip off. They won't be expecting us to be investigating Luxury Linen. They thought they could just quietly close down this avenue of their operation and nopony would notice. But we did." Screech agreed, canines showing in a sharp grin. '-they don't know it yet but it's their first step towards ruin-' "How do you want to proceed Sargent?" Nighthawk asked Gloom again. Gloom was feeling the mounting pressure. His wings kept shuffling, and he also kept half raising a hoof to scratch his chest scar, before remembering he was wearing armour. Nevertheless, he squared his shoulders and spoke clearly, "I think...The ISND should try and catch the mole inside of Luxury Linen. There's a definite chance there. Somepony working there is in on the salt smuggling. It might even be the owners of the business." "Could it not be the warehouse owners, Simple Storage Solutions?" Screech questioned. "Maybe, but I don't think so sir. If that were the case, why transport the salt in the Luxury Linen crates at all? They could cut out the middle pony and bring it in themselves. No, this linen towel company is probably it." Gloom said, sounding much more confident than he felt. His logic was sound though. He continued; "And, if you approve sir, I'd like for the Night Guard to start combing through any more old or condemned houses near warehouses in Canterlot. It's unlikely it'll turn up anything, but it's worked once, so if nothing else, it could at least rule those out. Also, start pulling any records from the Trade Guild department's about who rents the warehouses and if anypony new has hired the buildings out. Will that be okay sir?" Gloom asked. "Your last plan worked fine, I am confident this time will be the same. It will be done Sargent." Nighthawk said. Prey saw how that additional pressure settled in Gloom's thoughts like a toad in a hole. '-something's going to go wrong, and it's all going to be my fault-', Gloom thought discordantly, but there was nothing he could do but give it his best shot. "Thank you sir." "That just leaves the question of these traitors in the Royal Guard." Starry Wing said. Out of all the Night Guard officers, Starry Wing was probably the best 'people's person' Prey had observed. The Lieutenant was quite adept at directing conversation and generating good will, putting on a smile and getting goals to align. This also made Starry Wing the officer Prey liked the least out of those present. Now though, there was no trace kindness in the thestral's eyes. '-traitors are unworthy of their families name-' "I will decide the approach on this one," Nighthawk said, "It is my duty as Captain, and I will bear any responsibility for this choice." All ponies present dipped their heads to their Captain. Prey did the same, but only when Nighthawk's eyes moved to his seat. "There are to be no Royal Guards involved in this investigation. Tell them nothing. As far as they are to know, we have no leads. It's unfortunate those two Royal Guards were present at the murder scene, but there's no helping it now. Shining Armour has reluctantly sworn them to silence." Nighthawk snorted, "Those milk teeth will keep quiet for a week at best." "Sir, if I might ask a question?" Screech spoke up. "Go ahead Lieutenant." Nighthawk allowed. "What does Captain Armour intend to do about the traitors in his ranks?" Again Nighthawk snorted, "Nothing. Mayhaps he does not believe me, or just feels there is nothing he can do. No, it will be up to the Night Guard to uncover these traitors and force Shining Armour to face the facts." Prey didn't think Nighthawk was viewing things clearly. Prey despised Shining Armour, but he knew Celestia wouldn't have appointed a fool with no backbone as the Captain. Under that outgoing and professional appearance, Shining Armour could no doubt be as cruel and ruthless as Fire Strike when the situation demanded it. It was far more likely that the Royal Guard Captain simply had no leads to go on. The Royal Guard was far bigger and more diverse than the Night Guard, with members from unknown backgrounds. Which raised another point. Prey wasn't going to raise it himself though, as it wouldn't be well received. He could however get someone else to ask it for him. He just needed to give them the right prompt. Prey looked around the table and considered. Who should he get to ask? It wasn't a hard choice. Although the Sargent had distanced himself from Prey today, Prey still felt he knew how Gloom thought the best. Prey delicately cleared his throat, catching Gloom's eye. "The Royal Guard may be compromised, but their assistance could still be useful. Getting a couple of unicorn Guards on loan who know scanning spells might be worth it, sir." He suggested. Gloom blinked tiredly and thought about that, '-scan for salt. But then we've got to trust Royal Guards to work alongside us without them letting slip what it is we're doing...hang on-', Gloom stopped as he realised the obvious point Prey had been prompting him towards. '-ahh... How am I supposed to say this to the Captain?-' Nighthawk was just getting ready to call this meeting to a close when Gloom decided to bite the arrow. "Captain, there are the Royal Guards who were transferred into the Night Guard when we first set up. How are we to treat them?" It was not an easy thing to tell a Captain that his Guard might already be compromised. Admittedly, the ponies in question weren't thestrals, so Nighthawk probably didn't care as much, but they were still his Night Guard, and so he might not take well to the suggestion. Much as Prey had expected, Nighthawk didn't, but his displeasure had nothing to do with Gloom. "Yes, I had almost forgotten about them. I did not trust them to begin with, they were never prepared to stick it out. Now I am certain they are untrustworthy." Nighthawk said, his eyes narrowing as he thought of his non-thestral Night Guards. 'Oh, how surprising. The discriminated pony race in the minority is racist against the majority. Horseshoes on the other hoof now, isn't it?' Prey thought. The thestral officers looked to their Captain, waiting for him to make a decision on the matter. "For now, I'll change the shifts and schedules to ensure the transferred Royal Guards won't be anywhere near this investigation. Do not let them get involved either. Do not trust them." Screech wasn't one hundred percent comfortable with that decision, but; '-Nighthawk is the captain-' Starry Wing however had no issues with Nighthawk's decision. From where he sat on his stool, Prey found it interesting to observe the difference when you bore in mind their clan origins. Starry Wing and Nighthawk came from the same clan, while Gloom and Screech came from the second. And Crimson of course, the only person from clan Myrrdon in the whole city. Not that Prey knew what he was thinking. But regardless of what they all thought; "Yes sir." "Yes sir." "Yes Captain." Nighthawk rapped his hoof decisively on the table, bringing the meeting to an end, "You have your orders. We infiltrate the salt drug ring first. Keep the Royal Guard out of this. If Luna wills it, Gloom will uncover who the traitors are at the same time we bring this salt trade down. Come Friday, we will also capture Amber Beach if possible. Night Guard patrols will start combing Lower Canterlot tonight for anything." They all stood up, or in Prey's case, got down. "Dismissed." --- As always happened, once you no longer had anything to distract you and you finally stopped running, the reality of death caught up. Whether you chose to look back over your shoulder it or not, its shadow still stretched out ahead of you. --- Crimson sat, staring unseeingly at his Blood Fern pot between his hooves. He'd been sitting there for the last ten minutes. Prey looked over from the low burning lamp to check the red pegasus. 'No, still unmoving.' He thought, slowly folding up his ribbon and tucking it under his pillow. Prey didn't begrudge Crimson that. It was something he'd learnt, surviving the Resistance back in the Deeper Green. Sometimes you needed to sit, sometimes you needed to move. Sometimes you needed to laugh, sometimes you needed to scream. Everyone dealt with death differently. Seeing it as opposed to dealing it out was better, but only slightly. Whatever personal rituals someone held to get through it was up to them. Prey turned his head slightly, just enough to see what Gloom was doing in the silence. The thestral was simply lying unarmored on his bunk, every so often scratching the ropy scar covering his chest, eyes heavily ringed. For just a moment, Prey felt like spitting on them. It was pathetic. Why did they feel they had a right to such melancholy when they hadn't even known the victims or done the deed? Then Prey smothered the anger and went back to grooming his ears. Death was something horrible to see. 'They do have a right to feel this way.' Then Prey remembered Gloom's earlier anger. 'Actually you know what? No, no they don't. Why should they get to be angry at me?' Why had Gloom gotten so angry with him? He hadn't done anything wrong. He hadn't exposed the thestral clans secret or broken any rules. Gloom could take his misguided anger and eat it. Those dead ponies only had themselves to blame. Prey stopped smoothing the fur of his ear out, frowning at his own hoof like it'd betrayed him somehow. 'What am I doing? I'm not guilty either. At most I indirectly influenced those ponies to make a stupid choice, but they still got themselves killed in the end.' Prey thought, letting his ear flop. That was nowhere near the same level of culpability as killing someone himself. Prey lay down and rolled over, putting the lamp and the other two to his back. There would be no conversation of any kind tonight. Good. He felt heavy and itchy with tiredness, and there was nothing he wanted to hear from Gloom or Crimson anyway. If they knew what was good for them, they would quickly re-center themselves and get some sleep. 'Four murders is nothing.' Fifty seven years had changed nothing. It was still exactly the same story. Just one more mental scar to toss onto the pile. 'Really...that cellar doesn't even rate a four on the scale.' Prey thought, closing his eyes. --- Nevertheless, that night, Prey dreamt of Torment gutting a Border Guard with her bare talons as the Resistance held the pony down. ---The Past--- The ponies screams had gone so high pitched they were silent to even Prey's ears. The angry hissing of Torment as she worked and the grunts of the goats and deer holding the thrashing Border Guard down made up for it. The humid air was gritty, heavy, angry. There were no hard laughs or jeers as Torment took out her fury on the Guard. Not now. Not after they'd just lost a patrol of four Resistance fighters and all they'd gotten in return was this one Earth Pony. The firestorm on the hill had burnt their camp out. And the Resistance was losing ground every day. 'Rats fighting for scraps.' Blood soaked into the churned up leaf mould under their hooves, making a sticky pitch of foulness. Prey felt sick. His eyes hurt they were so wide behind his crude mask. But it was okay. This was okay. He was okay. Because this wasn't him. This was the mask. He wasn't Prey behind the mask. He had to watch this, this horrible torture, he had no choice or Torment might- A tingling of a far off presence swiftly approaching, like a fast blown cloud across the night. Approaching? Approaching where? Here? What was this presence which he didn't know? But he did know, it was alien and he'd felt it before. Twice before. This was... Prey's consciousnesses roused itself as cold fear flooded his mind. This wasn't real, nor was it a dream. This was a memory. And Luna was coming. 'But she promised!' Prey thought in panic as he suddenly came into existence in his lower mindscape, deep blue water everywhere, 'She promised to stay out of my head unless-!' Unless she detected him having a nightmare she'd said. This wasn't a nightmare. This wasn't even close to one of Prey's real nightmares. 'No no no no! This is just a memory, not a nightmare!' But it was shortly about to become one. If Luna learned this was actually a memory, it would be worse than any nightmare. 'No!' --- Mere dream moments before Luna's unseen presence arrived, Prey awoke, eyes snapping open back into the real world. His blanket felt too heavy and blood pounded under his skull, exhaustion washed away in panic. Prey had seen four bodies mangled and chewed upon by rats today. He'd sat and coldly discussed murderers and drugs. He'd woken to the sky blotted out in dragon smoke. But none of that'd left him lying shivering in fear. That didn't mean he hadn't been afraid or horrified, because he had. But this... Now Prey did shiver. The threat of Luna directly invading his mind scared him like nothing else could. What if he hadn't woken in time? What if she'd gotten inside? What if she'd found out? Prey's head jerked around as he heard movement. A pair of yellow slitted eyes blinked at him through the darkness. "Prey...?" Gloom asked thickly, barely understandable. Prey stared back, his mind blank. "Oh..." The eyes blinked again as Gloom gained some measure of awareness, "Oh..." "So you had the nightmare too?" Gloom whispered. He didn't clarify what nightmare he thought they were both referring to. Prey couldn't see any of Gloom's features aside from the thestral eyes in the dark. "I'm fine..." Prey finally managed to mutter, bringing a hoof up to rub his throbbing head. The eyes took on a knowing look of realisation, "I see. I see it now. Under it all, you're still there..." Gloom mumbled to himself. Prey glared, "What's still where?" He hissed. Gloom's head gave a small shake, "That's good... It's still in there." The yellow orbs narrowed, "Deep, deep down there. Even if you yourself don't realise it." 'What's he blathering about?' Gloom sighed in the dark, "Never mind. Try and go back to sleep. Princess Luna will help with the nightmares." Prey gritted his teeth rather than spit out how that's exactly why he was afraid, instead just rolling over. "And...Sorry Prey. I was not fair on you today. It wasn't your fault something like this... Never mind. I should've apologised before we slept, should never sleep on anger. I was being too harsh." Prey heard a huge but almost silent yawn behind him. "Try and get some sleep..." Gloom muttered, now barely audible. "...I'm trying to do the same..." Prey felt like Gloom's anger at him was diminished. Not gone, but diminished. Something in the last thirty seconds had affected the Sargent enough to change his attitude, even if Prey didn't know the reason why. Gloom really had been a walking contradiction of mysteries today. Oh well. Gloom's change of heart would help get through tomorrow. Prey pulled the blanket tighter in a vain effort to try and sooth his tiredness generated headache, waiting for sleep to come back. 'This time however,' He thought, 'I won't let it drag me so far under that I can't notice the approach of an alicorn until it's almost too late.' Prey shivered again. ~~~{{#{#}#}}~~~ The Canterlot Express - Afternoon Edition: Rake Wake reports: On the morn of this very day, the stalwart citizens of Canterlot were subject to a blatant, if indirect, attack from a dragon elder. This incident came hot on the hooves of the shocking and scandalous trial of the leader of the Crop Sharer movement, Wheat Plow. All who were there will recall the choking smoke that coiled through the streets of our fair city while weather teams fought valiantly against the smog. As a humble reporter, I cannot but speculate about what the state of affairs might've been if Her Royal Majesty, Princess Celestia of the Rising Sun, had not taken swift and decisive action in dispatching ambassadors to the dragon's stolen mountain. And who could possibly be better than the six brave mares who put a stop to the villianess, Nightmare Moon, the Elements of Harmony themselves? Under the lead of Princess Celestia's personal student, these courageous six confronted the dragon without hesitation. Through the efforts of well reasoned persuasion, wit, and the assistance of a highly trained and skilled pegasus veterinarian, the dragon elder was left without a hoof to stand on and was successfully driven off. Was this an unprovoked incursion by the ruler of the mysterious Dragon Lands? Or a lone incident? Many are calling for new and immediate sanctions to be made against the dragon who so callously endangered ponies, but with the beast fleeing the scene, justice, for the moment, but only the moment, has been stalled. One thing is clear however, Princess Celestia has guided the Elements of Harmony to save the day once again! Rake Wake reporting. ~~~{{#{#}#}}~~~ Prey wouldn't read the newspaper article until some time tomorrow, but when he did, he gave it a long hard look. Celestia really was pushing this whole deception about the Elements of Harmony, wasn't she? Was she laughing at the whole world behind her hoof? Is that what painting a target on these six mares to act as bait was all about? The Sun Wolf was cruel, and cunning. Prey could only guess at the deeper games she played at on the board of centuries. Prey would stop reading the newspaper at that point and toss it aside. He'd have other things to worry about. ---I---