//------------------------------// // 18.1 Mint Tea and Interrogation // Story: Prey and a Lamb // by Lambs Prey //------------------------------// Someone had been in the bunk room while they were gone. 'There's no need to panic,' Prey told himself, ' This doesn't necessarily mean anything. It could've been anyone, a palace worker, a laundry maid, another Night Guard.' Statistically, those were far more likely possibilities than some unknown stalker, who might or might not have left a sign in Rocky Bed's room. It wasn't going to be any of those, Prey just knew it. "You coming in or not Prey?" Gloom asked with a hint of exasperation as he held open the door, wishing impatiently that Prey '-would hurry up so we can finally go to sleep-'. "Yes." Prey said, finally following the impatient thestral through the door. The fact that Gloom and Crimson hadn't exploded in a rain of gore stepping inside greatly helped to increase Prey's confidence it wasn't a trap. That didn't mean there wasn't one, just that he hadn't found it yet. But a glance around the room revealed no obvious signs, nor could he feel any magic at work in the room. Gloom made straight for his bed, already pulling off bits of armour. Crimson was standing at the foot of his bunk, apparently patiently waiting for something. 'Still no explosions or horrible death. So far so good.' Prey thought, following the path Gloom had taken over the floor boards until their paths diverged and he headed for his own bed. The black shadows under the bed weren't helping as he cautiously approached. A pony could fit under there. Or something else. There was a clatter almost making Prey jump. It was just Gloom shoving his armour into his hoof locker. Crimson hadn't removed his yet Prey noted. "Sir," Crimson cleared his throat. "Yes Crimson?" Gloom asked, eyes locked onto his soft bed. He didn't even notice Crimson's insistence to stick to protocol and keep calling him sir. "Last night, you said that every night we must have something new to say. I mean, to share, sir." Crimson prompted, with all the inflection of a dead tree branch. Prey was only half listening himself. Slowly, he approached his bed, coming in from the side to avoid the most direct route that someone might've expected him to take. Still nothing. He couldn't smell anything and his magical perception, while admittedly not perfect, wasn't picking up anything either. "Prey." "What?" He responded, not taking his attention off his task. "Share and tell time, and you're up first. Tell us something about yourself, or about the day." Gloom said. "No. We already did that in the mess hall earlier." Prey said. "Nope, that excuse isn't going to fly. Come on, it doesn't have to be too serious, anything will do." Gloom said. "If it's not serious, what's the point? Besides, it's late and and we're all tired." Prey returned, scrutinising his bunk intently. Was that a tiny lump under the blankets? "Yes it is late, so stop stalling. I said we're going to do this every night. Right now, not looking like my best idea I'll admit, but it's a good one in principle so we're going to persevere. I'd prefer not to make this an order." Gloom insisted. He sounded like he was getting annoyed, so Prey decided not to push his luck. He hadn't forgotten who was really in charge here. 'Just testing the boundaries though.' "Fine. Here's my two bits for the day; the train services are majorly under-utilised both within Canterlot and outside in neighbouring towns. The rail service seems to be mainly just for passenger use. Many farmers could use it for mass transportation of crops, but most just use normal carts instead. Whether this is due to lack of desired destinations to sell at, exorbitant tariffs, or simple reticence on the part of the farmers to change isn't readily apparent yet." Prey said, rattling off the first observation that came to mind. Wait a minute, that was a lump under his blanket. There was silence, and then a cough from Gloom, "That's, err, certainly something." Gloom hedged. It was apparent that he didn't have a clue what Prey was talking about. Neither did Crimson probably. "You asked for something I wanted to share. Well there you go." Prey said, gaze fixed on the foreign lump of something just under the blankets edge, almost hidden by the pillow. "Well, thankyou for sharing Prey." Gloom said a bit lamely. "Crimson you're up." He said turning to the waiting pegasus. "Personally sir,-" "Just Gloom. You're sounding like me and the kid, I-mean-Prey." "Gloom," Crimson repeated slowly, "My observation. Ponies will do ill considered things for family, even when they know they are in the wrong. Turf Apple broke the law, and lied. And his brothers family too." He stopped speaking there. "That is all." Crimson added, when Gloom politely waited for him to finish. "So you don't sympathise with them in the least?" Gloom prompted neutrally. Crimson paused, "They shouldn't have lied. Lies are what caused all their problems." He decided. "But can you understand why they told them, yes?" Gloom pressed. "They shouldn't have lied." Crimson insisted. "Would you understand if they were your family?" Gloom asked. The pause while Crimson thought was longer this time, "I have no other family." "That's not- Alright," Gloom decided, "We'll shelve that discussion for now. It's late." He said, moving to his bunk and slumping down. "Today was busy, and it looks like tomorrow is only going to be busier. Don't let today get you down, we did the best anypony could've expected of us, and even if we didn't find Rocky Bed, our investigations will help the next Guards." Gloom reminded them, stifling his largest yawn to date. A truly intimidating sight. "The Royal Guard will find Rocky even if we don't. They must." Crimson stated, like there was no other possible outcome. Or at least no other outcome he would accept. "Yeah, they'll find him. It won't be long until he's back with his mother." Gloom affirmed, lying back and starting at the bunk above him. '-and somepony somehow figures out how to get Tulip's memory back-', He added to himself, thoughts of their recent success in capturing Pebble Mill fading when compared to the still missing foal. Prey suspected that Rocky Bed could well be dead right now. Or worse. But he kept the likely hood of that statistic to himself. Gloom gave himself a shake, stopping himself before he drifted off, '-c'mon, can't fall asleep just yet. One last thing to do-' "Right, grimness aside, quick overview for the plan for tomorrow; interview our guest in the cells. Then go back to Hay Steam and put a stop to whatever's been causing these riots. Simple. How hard can it be..." Gloom snorted softly to himself, before raising his voice to address them again, "Think we can manage all that?" He asked, only half joking. "Yes sir." "Off duty, remember Crimson?" Gloom said with another jaw cracking yawn. "Yes. Gloom." "Prey?" "Yes, sure, whatever." Prey responded, only half listening as he studied his bed from all angles for a possible trap or trigger. "I'll hold you to that." Gloom mumbled, eyes struggling to stay open, "That's it for me, I don't think I can stay conscious any longer. I've set the alarm clock for seven, you hear that Prey? No need to jump this time." Prey twitched his good ear, but didn't otherwise respond, too busy peering into the almost impenetrable shadows beneath his bed, trying to pick out in the darkness, like a wire or a string. He didn't care if he looked like a child checking for monsters underneath his bed, there was no way he was touching the bunk until he was sure it wasn't trapped. He wished he could see in the dark like they could. "Night watch over you." Gloom said by way of goodnight, dragging the covers over his head, "Blow out...lamp when you're done...Crimson." He mumbled, the Sargent's mind already submerging towards slumber. Prey slowly let out his breath. He couldn't find any trap, poison or trigger, and if it was magical in nature, it was higher than his ability to detect. Only one thing left to try. Prey took a moment to close his eyes and steady his nerves. It didn't help. Nervously, he used the very tip of his hoof to gently draw the blanket away from whatever it was that'd been placed under it, ready to leap away at any second. In the shadowy lamp light, a small lump of cotton with something wilted and yellow half wrapped around it was revealed. No, Prey realised with a nasty jolt, that was a scrap of wool, not cotton. And that piece of yellow, that was a flower petal. A tulip petal. A tulip petal from the very flower bed he'd passed this morning in fact, he was sure of it. Prey licked his dry lips. There was now no doubt whatsoever. Someone was stalking Prey, and they were letting him know it. It was almost certainly the same person who'd kidnapped Rocky Bed. There was only the slimmest possibly of it being someone else who wasn't part of all this, who merely wished to remain anonymous but still leave a message. No, that was irrationally optimistic. He'd only been in Canterlot for three days. Yet now he'd confirmed without a doubt that someone, who could enter the Palace at will, was targeting him. 'How much do they know? Or suspect? What is it that they hope to get from me?' Prey asked himself. For assuredly they wanted something from him, and they meant to take it. What did he have though that someone might go to such lengths to obtain? 'I have nothing, except my mind. And unless it's an alicorn, no one can take that from me. I won't let them. No matter what, never again. I'll feed their minds to the deep.' Prey swore to himself. But that didn't solve his problem here and now. Who was it that was after him? Was it possibly someone seeking revenge? If so, they were going about it in a very convoluted fashion, so no, probably not revenge. Besides, out of everyone alive, none were supposed to be able to remember him. So what were they after? No one ever took any interest in Prey unless they either wanted him dead, or wanted something from him. Prey looked at the scrap of wool and petal. Was there a specific message this was supposed to convey? Was the kidnapper telling Prey he was next? Or it might be a boast, challenging Prey to try and rescue Rocky Bed. If that was true, they would be disappointed that their efforts had gone to waste. Why should Prey care for some random foal he'd never even seen outside of a photo? He certainly wasn't going to be blackmailed or threatened into anything over the foal's fate. Perhaps it was actually an invitation to join them? Betray the Night Guard and join this kidnapper? As intriguing as that sounded, it wasn't an option. The golden bonds placed upon his legs insured he couldn't run. There were just so many things this message could mean. This did tell him something about his opponent though. First, whom ever they were, they were confident enough to sneak into a Guard's barracks to leave this. Or they were desperate. Second, they were still in Canterlot, and hadn't fled with their captive, Rocky Bed. Thirdly, they were either an expert at disguise, or stealth to get in here. Possibly they were actually a member of the Guard. Teleportation was blocked within the Palace, so that option was out. And lastly, they were interested in keeping their visit quiet. If they'd meant to make a statement, they could've left something obvious in the middle of the room for all the ISND to see. Like a bouquet of tulips, or, for slightly more shock and awe, something like Rocky Bed's severed head. No, they were interested in Prey and Prey only. That didn't fill Prey with reassurance. 'I must make preparations.' Prey thought, 'Whomever they are, they could return, and most likely will. Possibly tonight even, but more likely tomorrow.' He couldn't rely on his mind abilities to help him when the time came, because this adversary had clearly demonstrated they possessed advanced mind magic of their own. He might have beaten Night Watcher in Vanhoover, but so what? That hardly guaranteed future victory. Fighting was like swimming. You might be able to stay afloat, but unless you find land, eventually you're going to sink. How to avoid drowning? Don't get in the water in the first place. But Prey had a trick up his wool. The rune he'd placed on the door hadn't been noticed by the kidnapper. Which meant they wouldn't notice more runes. And since he hadn't met his death at the hooves of the Lady of the Night, that meant she likely either didn't know or didn't care either. Now he just had to wait until he was unobserved and he could begin his preparations. Time was the crux of the matter here. Prey looked away from the message on his bed to find that Crimson was still, inconveniently, awake. The pegasus hadn't blown out the lamp as Gloom had instructed, and neither was he in his bunk. No, Crimson was going through that same warrior kata from last night, a light sheen of perspiration already on his brow. The light click of armour on armour accompanied his mock strikes and kicks, Crimson having not removed it before he began. Prey bet if asked why, Crimson would have answered something to the effect of; "My lack of experience fighting in armour is an affront to the name of the Night Guard, thus I'm taking steps to correct my failure." "Why are you doing that again?" Prey asked bluntly, but quietly so as not to reawaken Gloom. "To train." Crimson answered equally bluntly, not breaking from his rhythm. "I meant, aren't you tired? Missing one night isn't going to make any difference." Prey pointed out. "Yes it will. I would loose an edge, an edge that I might need, however small. And training while tired is good. The most effective actually." Crimson said. He was not breathing overly heavily, although it was clear that the addition of armour wasn't making his brisk exercise regime any easier. Prey hid his scowl, wishing that Crimson would just go to bed so he could begin placing runes. But now Prey was the one obviously standing around instead of retiring for the night. Prey would've liked nothing more than to climb into another bed, (not his bed, that one had been tampered with), and just go to sleep. He was really tired. But safeguarding himself came first. "Well I'll see you in the morning." Prey said reluctantly, wishing he didn't have to wait for Crimson to finish. He gave a last lingering look to the message lying on the bunk. 'Whomever you are, you will regret giving me warning. A mistake you won't learn from, because I will not return the favour.' Prey chose another bunk at random, then chose a second one just in case his choice had also been predicted, and after double checking it, climbed up with only minimal scrabbling and leg kicking, ignoring Crimson's questioning look. He refused to explain himself, especially not to the person currently stalling him. 'If you thought someone might've filled your bed with poisoned needles, you wouldn't be so keen to sleep in it either.' Prey thought. That was something he'd once done to some poor Boarder Guard. He'd pushed rattle fish spines into the camp bed mattress, so that the barbed points lay just below the surface of the sheet. You wouldn't notice anything just by looking at it. However the moment you climbed in, and the weight of your body bore down on the poisonous spines, the points would puncture through the mattress and into your flesh. Prey imagined it had been a terrifying spectacle to witness. A tired pony slumping on to his or her bed, then screaming in pain and trying to push themselves upright, only to cause even more agony as they tried to push away. Not to mention, the barbed spines would hook into the flesh, effectively anchoring the victim to the mattress as they tried to peel themselves off. Prey knew rattle fish poison was a particularly painful way to go. Not lethal in small doses, but he'd packed that mattress full with spines. It hadn't been the worst way he'd killed someone. Not even close. Or the most painful. Or even the most inventive. It'd simply been a trap he'd employed in a small Border Guard campsite he snuck into while they were out patrolling, or to be more accurate, out hunting for him. Prey felt no joy in their death, whomever the unlucky pony had been. They wouldn't have died well. Or quickly. That had been before they'd stopped sending out Border Guard sweeps in anything less than eight pony strong patrols, and they'd grown wise to all his horrible little traps. 'And that's why I always check my bed before I go to sleep in it.' Prey thought. Why he always checked under the bed was an entirely different story. With those grim thoughts in mind, Prey lay down and pretended to sleep while he waited for Crimson to finish his kata and retire for the night. What was it Gloom had said? Ah, yes; "Night watch over you." Prey said. "You .Too. Prey." Crimson replied between taking quick breaths, "Lady night. Guide your. Dreams." 'By the Deeper Green, I hope not.' ---:-:-:--- Night can be a strange phenomenon. It stands in complete contrast to its preceding opposite; day. The temperature drops, plants cease to grow, there is no light, and many animals and even people go into a short hibernation until the return of the brightly shining life giver. Few choose to willingly remain awake during this period of lesser productivity. So for those that do, their reasons can be interesting and varied. Prey was making a runic array to flash fry a pony in their skin for instance. Actually, that wasn't quite true. He was going to make that array, just as soon as he finished making this first one. The array to kill someone via ninety percent skin coverage of second degree burns would come later. But first, he needed to be sure of what the golden shackles placed on him by the Goddess of the Moon did. Runic arrays were sensitive affairs, requiring precision, perfect rune combination, energy, and time to set up. A unicorn might cast a spell in as little as five seconds. It could take five hours to set up a combination of runes to achieve the same result. Not to mention it was slow, hard, tiring work. As much as Prey appreciated the fighting chance his craft gave him, being his only leverage against anyone bigger or stronger than him, (so everyone) it still only came a far second compared to the gifts of unicorns. Prey was using the blanket for his work surface. While it did matter what materiel runes were placed on, these particular ones weren't picky. He sat there in the dark, breathing deeply, forcing runes into existence across the fabric. First came the outer focus ring, slowly building it up, next came applying primary command runes along its circumference. Next, moving onto adding interlocking inner rings, making sure to contain each array separately to prevent spillage. It was a simple array, but a decidedly complicated creation process, and if he got it wrong, either it would end up as a useless, inert mess, or something that might accidentally kill him. Hardly the outcome he was aiming for. Prey was confident in his rune work though. He'd had fifty-seven years to study, plan, critique, ponder and otherwise analyse his extensive mental library of all the old runes he knew. In the endless abundance of solitude and nothingness of Dreverton, he'd advanced and then perfected his theory craft. Indeed, the array to flash fry a pony he was going to build next was one such design he'd thought up while locked in that inactive volcano prison. Prey had a whole repertoire of arrays stored in his head. From how to change the colour of a leaf, to the plans for an impenetrable-null-magic-deconstruction-force-repulsion-anti-flight-zone. So Prey didn't have the best naming sense for his arrays, but so what? They were designs known only to him and he definitely didn't plan on sharing, which made picking an inventive and relevant name rather obsolete. ------ Prey took a moment to catch his breath and give his aching hooves a shake. He could barely keep his eyes open. If he'd merely been tired from today, then he was now exhausted from his extensive rune work. The constant worry that Princess Luna might somehow notice his work and burst in at any moment didn't help, but so far no news was good news. A glance at the sleeping forms of Gloom and Crimson, no more than black shapes in the dark, reassured him that his work hadn't roused either of them. Prey stood up on his bed and tugged the covers straight, so the new array he'd built, (invisible to the naked eye), was fully laid out. He allowed himself one second of nervousness, another for double checking, before he stepped into the circle and activated the trigger rune. --- Five minutes later, Prey reopened his eyes and sagged, legs giving out under him as he almost collapsed onto the bed. He didn't even bothering to move out of the now deactivated runic array. Not all of it was from tiredness. His fears were confirmed. Prey glared down at the gold bands around his legs. 'I'm just a piece of property, a dog on a leash.' Essentially, that's what the bands were. A leash. From all the information and magical data he'd gathered with the array, he'd discovered that these bands were both a tracking device, and a controlling mechanism. If Luna wanted, she could track him accurately to within half a yard, no matter where he was. He wasn't certain how, but it seemed to have something to do with the position of the moon. The magical tracking signature emitted from the device was powerful, unique, almost intangible, and with almost no way to disable or even temporarily mask it. Worse, there were at least two powerful backup spells that Prey could detect, which would alert Luna if the nature of the enchantments were tampered with or the bands removed. The enchantments were layered and intertwined around one another, each forming the lock for the previous once, so it was impossible to alter one alarm spell without triggering the second. There might even be more alarms hidden under them that he couldn't even detect. From what Prey could read, Princess Luna could also, at any time that it took her fancy, render him unconscious. Prey had expected to find this, but to have it confirmed filled him with hot rage bubbling in a mix of cold fear. And last of all, there seemed to be another unknown type of magic on these cursed things. It was subtle whatever it was, yet powerful. It's purpose seemed undefined, but wide in scope. It was meant, in some way shape or form, to fight him if he ever attempted to destroy his magical shackles. Prey didn't know how it would do so, just that it would. The form of almost independent will the spell possessed was staggering. And terrifying. 'Alicorn magic.' Prey thought, shuddering in revulsion at how the things were now permanently attached to his legs, wishing for nothing more than to rip the foul things off and melt them in a furnace. Prey squeezed his eyes shut, 'I can manage this,' He thought, resting his head on the soft covers as his ears flopped out to the sides. 'I can manage this, just like I always do. It's easy. Bow down, eat the manure, pretend I don't know it, and keep living.' Prey opened his eyes. Yes. He could do that. Easy. 'I can manage this.' Nothing had changed, in fact all this proved was that he needed to work harder. Prey was persistent. He would find a way free, no matter how long it took. More complicated arrays, different angles, higher tier runes, he would not give up. Prey was patient, he could wait. There was one loop hole, one point of relief. These bands didn't track what magic the wearer cast, probably because Luna had created them for a sheep and a pegasus, who didn't posses magic. Or maybe they just didn't pick up on non-standard forms of magic. Regardless, it gave Prey something to work with. There'd been a griffin in the resistance, one of the more fanatical ones, who'd said something once. 'They broke my wings but forgot I had talons. I can still fight.' With a force of will Prey pushed himself up before the softness of the mattress could claim his exhausted body. Prey still had work to do, and he could function on four hours sleep for almost a week before he crashed. Rest would have to wait, lest he find himself enjoying the final rest. Just as silently as the night before, Prey slunk step by silent step across the dark floorboards until he once again stood before the door. Yet this time, he wasn't interested in placing a rune on the looming door frame. No, this time he was more interested in the floor. Right where someone would step as they came through. Prey knelt down, cleared his tired mind of anger and hate, and once more began to force runes into existence. ------ The shrill ringing of the alarm jerked Prey harshly awake, and he only just overrode his instincts to run as he recalled where he was. It was a split second reaction, and a split second counter reaction. So to anyone who might've been watching, it looked like Prey had merely experienced a mini fit in his bed. As a small mercy, there was absolutely no chance of Prey hitting his head on the top bunk. Because runt. Gloom groaned aloud from his bunk, heaving himself upright and flailing around his bed side floor for the horrible alarm clock that continued to grate in Prey's ears. Why did it have to be so loud? After far too long spent fumbling for the alarm clock in Prey's opinion, Gloom finally managed to turn the obnoxious thing off. Gloom sat on the edge of his bunk and rubbed his fetlocks across his eyes, trying to effectively wake himself up. '-I hate sleeping through the night-' "Prey. Crimson. You awake yet?" He yawned, then finally opened his eyes. "Oh." Prey and Crimson were already up, the latter putting on his new armour in preparation for the coming day, meaning it was actually Gloom they were waiting for. Prey stood at the foot of his bunk and smiled that big, beaming, innocent smile. '-that would be adorable if I didn't know you-', Gloom thought, immediately followed by, '-Luna's Mane, I'm never going to tell him that. He'd keep doing it on purpose-' Prey endeavoured to make his smile even wider. "What is the plan for today sir?" Crimson asked, tightening a buckle. "Oh, and good morning sir." He added, then further added, "Oh, and good morning to you Prey." "I think the qualifier in that statement very much depends on what Sargent Gloom's answer is." Prey replied, still smiling at Gloom. A smile, even a mockingly fake one, made a good mask. It let you hide and worry behind it. Like about whether his runic preparations would be enough. Gloom was up and pulling out armour from his hoof locker as he answered Crimson, "First breakfast. Then we go straight and interrogate our prisoner. There's a lot of questions he will be answering. Then we're off back out to Hay Steam, along with a squad of Royal Guard. Lieutenant Starry Wing said he'd coordinate with lieutenant Swift Arrow to get it to happen. Once we're all in Hay Steam...We'll go from there." Gloom finished. "So we're just improvising again." Prey stated. "Only slightly. I'm sure that we'll find something in Hay Steam that we'll need. I wasn't joking when I said I'm getting a feeling from my mark." Gloom answered, pulling his armour on. "Well sir, if on route to following this path your destiny has laid out for us, might it take us past the medical station?" Prey asked with mock seriousness. "Huh? What for?" "I would like a fresh bandage for my ear." Prey said flatly, dropping the joking attitude. "Oh, oh yes of course. It's no problem Prey." Gloom hastily said, "It's not been bothering you has it?" He asked with a touch of concern. "No, in fact it's healing nicely. Barely hurts now." Prey shrugged. "A qualified doctor could help make sure...?" Gloom left the offer hanging, cocking an ear at Prey expectantly. "No." Prey said, standing firm in his refusal to let anyone near him. "Well I'm not going to force you." Gloom shrugged. '-as long it's not life threatening anyway-'. "What about all the outstanding paperwork still in our office, sir?" Crimson asked, joining in on discussing the day's coming events. He was standing at attention, all suited up and ready at the foot of his bunk. "We really need to get an official room designation aside from 'the office'," Gloom commented, attaching his shin guards, "And we'll work on that when we have time. Later." '-hopefully much much later. Or never-' Prey heard the thestral think. "Either way it's going to be another busy day." Gloom ran a hoof through his long mane and grimaced in distaste, "Might even be time to shower tonight this time around. If we're lucky." He added, picking up his helmet. "Right, breakfast." --- Much like the morning before, they made it into the increasingly familiar mess hall early. Guards were just starting to trickle in, or out in the Night Guards case. Gloom snag a tray and dropped it onto the counter, Crimson copying him. Once again, the pegasus had picked up an extra tray for Prey along with his own. Gloom slid his tray up to the hatch, and Cookie dumped a scoop of mixed salad onto his plate, dolled out from a large serving trough that Prey could've comfortably swam in. The serving spoon she used looked more like a spade too. Evidently, when feeding as many ponies as the Guard held, think 'Big'. The food was always plentiful, if not good. "Here." Cookie grunted, shovelling a side serving of hay on to go with the salad, and tossing a pear from the barrel by her hoof in too with a practised flick, just so that it nestled in the hay rather than bouncing onto the floor. "Next." She ordered without breaking rhythm. "Hello miss Cookie." "Who-? Oh it's you dearie, how are you doing?" The mare asked, delightedly looking over the counter at Prey, who was dangling from it's edge with that big smile in place. "I'm doing good miss Cookie. Lots has been happening, and I'm meeting lots of new ponies. Are you doing well miss Cookie? Did you sleep well last night?" Prey asked in his innocent lamb voice. But he listened carefully to her thoughts as he asked. "Oh I can't complain Prey dearie." Cookie said. '-if Gerald's fixed that door before tonight, if he knows what's good for him-'. Prey didn't spot anything amiss in Cookie's mind, just the shape of normal fore thoughts generated by his question. Well, it'd been a long shot, but the possibility that this stalker was a pony within the Palace hadn't been forgotten. But whoever they were, they obviously weren't Cookie. "Now, I suppose you'll be wanting your breakfast, yes?" She asked him with a smile. None of the others in the line had gotten a smile. "Yes please miss Cookie." "Coming right up dearie," She said kindly, '-always so polite-', "And here's yours." The mare said flatly, shoving Crimson his food. "Thank you, ma'am." Crimson replied just as flatly. "Yes, thank you miss Cookie. Have a nice day." Prey said cheerfully. "You too dearie," The cook said, all smiles again, "And you can drop the miss, it's just Cookie." She added with a little wave as they left. Prey's happy smile lasted until they were out of sight and then vanished as fast as a quarry eel down its burrow. There still weren't many Guard ponies here for breakfast yet, which helped cut down on the headache inducing background chatter within Prey's perception range. There were still enough catch the drift of the opinions as he passed. He picked up a couple of things. For one, apparently the novelty of a lamb still hadn't quite worn off yet. '-what is the Guard coming to? Foals running around in here?-' That, and the normal assortment of Royal Guards with some derogatory thought towards Crimson, partly because he was a Night Guard, but mainly because he had stuck up for thestralkind on his first day. Most of the Royal Guards didn't really care though. Crimson was still a pegasus, and therefore a normal pony. However, because he was also a Night Guard, it balanced him back out to neutral. If the pegasus wanted their friendship, then he'd have to go to them, not the other way around. Prey didn't notice any glances or thoughts that lingered overly long upon him, which indicated the infiltrator wasn't one of these here at breakfast. Hopefully. "The cook will learn you are just putting on an act eventually." Crimson suddenly spoke, low enough not to be overheard as they headed for their table. "Almost certainly. But while it lasts she's happy. Not worth spoiling it for her, is it?" Prey replied. Crimson blinked methodically and "Hmm'd." "And thank you for carrying my tray." Prey thought it wise to add politely. "Hmm'd." --- The salad was a rather plain mix of foliage, tomato slices, cucumber and daisies. It must've taken effort to achieve such a bland outcome with such ingredients. Really, everything that had come out of the mess hall kitchens somehow conctrived to be just a step above tasteless. As always, Prey didn't care in the slightest and wolfed it all down with impressive speed. "Slow down kid, you'll get a stomach ache." Gloom commented with a touch of sarcasm. Since Gloom had meant it mostly as a joke, Prey didn't contradict Gloom's poke at him being a 'lamb' and not a 'kid' again. "Do you fear that somepony will steal your food unless you eat it as fast as possible?" Crimson questioned with his usual, methodical blink. "Are you hoping yours will take root and multiply if you don't?" Prey returned with his usual, innocent smile. "No, it would be impossible to regrow this." "I was joking." Prey sighed. "So was I." Crimson stated blankly. "I am getting better at this humour." He added after a moment. Prey studied him for a second, "Was that also supposed to be serious, or another a joke?" "I'll leave that up to you to decide." Crimson replied with a rare flash of levity, and another attempt at one of his smiles. Unfortunately, it just came across as slightly manic. "So close, and yet so far." Gloom mumbled to himself around a mouthful of hay, a smirk tugging at the corners of his own mouth. He swallowed, "Prey does have a point for haste though, we have places to be." Gloom said, biting down on the last of his hay and picking up the pear. "Yes sir." Crimson said, dutifully speeding up. "Technically, until breakfast is over we're not on active duty, only...Prey, is something wrong?" Gloom asked, switching his attention to Prey, who'd gone stiff, a rictus of a grimace on his face. The whispered answer, "yes", went unheard under the cheerful greeting of Honey Topaz, the large earth pony mare from the other day. "Aww, you not planning on running off again this time without saying hello are you?" Topaz Honey announced, looming up behind Prey and enveloping him in an enormous hug. "-On't 'ouch 'me!" Prey struggled futilely in the mares firm embrace. His desperate efforts weren't even noticed. "Topaz Honey." Gloom said with a small, polite nod in greeting. "Good morning Sargent Gloom," Topaz replied with a big smile, "We missed you yesterday, only caught sight of your tail leaving breakfast in a hurry." She addressed this to Crimson as Prey continued to thrash, almost hyperventilating. "Already called away on duty?" Topaz's unicorn friend, the same one from before, asked, joining Topaz Honey in saying hello to the ISND. He also didn't seem to notice Prey's efforts were in earnest rather than just childish annoyance. "Yes." Crimson answered simply. Then he blinked and looked at Topaz, "I do not think Prey likes your hug." "He's just like my little nephews he is, always trying to squirm away." Topaz chuckled, rubbing affectionately between Prey's ears, "They love it deep down, but foals these days." She cooed. Two days ago Gloom had laughed at Prey in the exact same position, and even Crimson seemed to have found the sight of the lamb getting a surprise cuddle amusing. Now, Gloom only found it slightly funny. Having been around the lamb for a few days had already skewed his perspective on treating Prey like one. "Alright, I think he's had enough. You can let him go now, Private First Class Honey." Gloom said, deciding to take mercy on Prey. It was a good thing he did. Prey had been nearing the end of his self control and wasn't far away from destroying the mares mind. Rationality had nothing to do with it. He'd held out longer than the day before, having experienced Topaz Honey's attack once already. But that was like saying if you rolled around in a Fire Thorn patch often enough, you'd get used to it. Stupid, misguided, unrealistic, complete torture, and quite possibly fatal. Prey dashed under the table the moment Topaz released her grip enough for him to squirm free. She chucked again, thinking nothing of it as she shifted her attention to Crimson. "Crimson wasn't it? Nice to see you again, and in armour too. You'll fit right in to the Guard I can see." She complemented him, sitting down next to her unicorn friend who'd already taken a seat. "Topaz Honey." Crimson greeted blankly, then to the unicorn, "What is your name? I do not recall it from yesterday." The unicorn thumped his chest, struggling to hurriedly shallow his food, "Bound Codex, and hello again. Not your fault, forgot to introduce myself. I'm usually on the day shift." He supplied. Why he thought that was relevant to include wasn't clear. "Hello." Crimson answered. "When are you on rotation? I mean, what shifts are you pulling?" Topaz asked Crimson. "For now, day shifts. Things are busy." Gloom said, answering for him. The Sargent's attitude towards the Royal Guard's was fairly neutral. That was just the way things were. Gloom glanced up at the big clock above the mess hall doors, "Sorry, but we'll have to cut this short. We have an appointment with the holding cells to keep. Crimson, Prey." He called, standing up. "Ooooh, already made your first collar? You almost beat my record." Topaz complimented Crimson. "Thank you." Crimson lowered his head to look under the table, but didn't spot where Prey had got to. He blinked and sniffed, eyes tracking left to another near by empty table. "We are leaving." He announced to the table legs at large. After a moment, Prey slunk out. He refused to meet anyone's eyes. Topaz Honey and Bound Codex wished them a good morning and waved as they left, "Catch you some other time when you're not on duty." Topaz called. '-don't hold your breath-' Gloom thought, '-we're always on duty. Maybe some night though-' ------ They exited the lower palace and trotted out into the bright morning, heading for the Guard Compound, passing other Guards either coming or going from said destination. The Guard Compound was just a short trot away, and although access to it was possible from Canterlot city, (the front entrance being situated outside the palace walls), it wasn't accessible to the general public. Access was only for Guards, or occasionally, a lowly convict destined for the overnight holding cells. Beyond the wall lay Canterlot, the sharply steepled mage towers rising above the decorative ramparts and shining in the sun. Crimson's attention stayed on Prey all the way there. He kept his eyes forward, but his ears were tilted in Prey's direction as he followed along in Gloom's wake. Prey still wasn't meeting anyone's eyes. Crimson might have been going to say something, but if so, he waited too long, because they arrived back at the overnight cells from yesterday without the silence being broken. "Sargent Gloom, Night Guard, here to interrogate the prisoner we brought in last night." Gloom announced to the bored looking warden behind the desk. As there was only one prisoner currently being held, the warden didn't need to ask who they were after. "He's still got five minutes for breakfast, then I'll take you to interview him. Regulations and rights." He shrugged, casually flipping a coin up and down on his hoof. Gloom thanked him curtly and returned to Prey and Crimson, who were waiting off to the side. "Here's how we're going to approach this interrogation," Gloom instructed them in an undertone, "Prey are you listening?" Prey was sullenly watching the warden flipping his coin, "Yes, I'm listening. I take it you want me to pull out everything he's hiding in his head?" Prey responded flatly. The irony of a mind leech asking the question was lost on Gloom and Crimson. "No, you're going to be option B Prey. He doesn't like you, after that little trick you pulled with his money last night, so I think it would be better if me and Crimson do the talking." Gloom said. "Me and you were the ones that beat him up last night sir." Crimson pointed out. "Okay, so he probably doesn't like us either. But you forget, I was wearing the Dusk Pony amulet at the time, so he shouldn't recognise me. I'll be the one to offer the carrot, you use the stick. He shouldn't have a personal grudge against me. Yet." Gloom explained. "Are you sure he will not remember you, sir?" Crimson asked, his expressionless face managing to look dubious. "One Night Guard is much the same as another Night Guard. Besides, even if I sound and act similar to the pony he remembers from last night, I'm now a thestral. Everypony knows a pegasus can't turn into a thestral." Gloom said. "Or he could react like the majority of the pony populace and revile you simply because you are a thestral." Prey spoke up, not looking away from the warden and his all engrossing coin toss game, "Just saying." He shrugged when they looked down at him. "Or that." Gloom reluctantly admitted. '-wonder how the kid would've reacted to a thestral? A normal kid anyway. Hmm, now that's a headache I'm glad not to have-' The warden caught his coin and tucked it into the front of his uniform, clearing his throat yo catch their attention, "I'll go and take your suspect to the interview room. You'll have to wait till Minty turns up before you can start though. She should have been here ten minutes ago." He gave another careless shrug, like he wasn't bothered either way. "Minty?" Gloom questioned. "She part times as a junior legal councilmare. Can't interrogate a suspect without legal council present. Regulations. Did you forget that?" He asked lazily. "I haven't forgotten, I know the rules. I just assumed it would be you." Gloom answered coolly. "Nah, I never took that extra course. Minty's stationed here on Thursdays, and stands in if we ever need a representative. She also cleans the cells." The warden added helpfully. "Then we'll wait for her. If you could go get the room set up?" Gloom asked politely, hiding his annoyance. '-why are all the Royal Guard's trained to be a pain?-' "Already ahead of you, but sure, I can do that." Came the drawled answer as the warden strolled into the next room. "He's more capable than he lets on." Prey said quietly as he watched the stallion leave, "He's just lazy." "Do you think?" Gloom asked, shooting a glare after the departed warden, '-so he was being deliberately annoying-' "That is not a trait to be admired. He is in the service of their Royal Highness's. Sloth is for ponies with no will power." Crimson stated in his usual blunt manner. He sounded like he was reciting from some script, probably his fathers words. "During the interrogation," Gloom began, recalling them to the topic at hoof, "Let me do most of the talking, but don't hesitate to ask a question if you think it's important. Our focus is to get him to reveal what he was doing in Hay Steam. Secondary is finding out about his family and their role in aiding him. Remember, we only have thirty minutes until we need to leave and meet up the with Guard detachment for the first train to Hay Steam. Oh, and an important rule of interrogation is to never answer any questions. We are the ponies who do the asking. They do the talking." Gloom added. Crimson nodded, "I will follow your lead sir." "Prey?" Gloom prompted after a moment. Prey sighed and finally looked up, "Yes I hear you. I'll keep quiet and stand in the corner unless otherwise called upon." He said with a sardonic smile, expression and visible temperament back to normal. On the surface. Gloom took Prey's words as a sarcastic joke rather than sourness. Good. That's what Prey had been going for. He was fit to interact again without worrying about either turning a certain hated Earth pony mare into a zombie, or screaming and running away. He refused to give anyone the excuse to call him a crybaby. Prey hated being scared of something as simple as touch, but after sixty one years, his irrational fear was here to stay. Prey cocked his head, good ear angled towards the outer door. "Here comes our legal councillor for Mr-The-Right-to-Remain-Silent." Prey announced. A few moments later, just as Prey had said, the light green earth pony mare called Minty hurried through the door. She was a bit flustered to see two members of the Night Guard waiting inside (and a runt lamb) and became even more so when she found out that it was her that they were waiting on. Minty apologised and mustered up a hoof full of excuses for being late, while digging through a locker to find her legal representative documents and simultaneously trying to brush down her rumpled uniform. "I'm so sorry, but nopony told me we had a suspect who needed to be interviewed." Warden, that was actually his name, Warden Rows, strolled back in. "Your stallion's waiting in there. Now Minty's here, you can see him." He drawled, waving a hoof vaguely back down the hall. "You left him unattended?" Gloom asked sharply. "No, I locked the door. Standard procedure. I don't have to stay in there as long as he can't get out and isn't a danger to himself." Warden shrugged, sitting back at his desk and pulling out the coin. "The key then please. We're already late." Gloom requested holding out a hoof, just the slightest edge creeping to his voice. "No can do. Regulations." Warden replied. Before Gloom could snap a reply, or indeed Crimson who's wings were slowly starting to bristle, Warden tossed the key to Minty. She yelped and did a bit of hoof juggling before finally managing to bite ahold of it. "Catch," Warden said, a bit late. "Minty can borrow a key. Regulations. No pony interviewing a suspect without a legal Rep. in the room. I'm a good multi tasker. Now you can both be in there at the same time." Warden said, leaning back and beginning to flip his coin, their presence apparently forgotten. Minty looked embarrassed and asked them if they would like to follow her so they could begin the interview without delay. --- The interrogation room was remarkably similar to the one they had left not twenty four hours ago back in Pebble Mill's old home of Hay Steam. A table in the middle and a chair on each side, the one with its back to the door already occupied by the stallion in question. Pebble Mill, although the others still didn't know that was his name, had to twist in his seat to see who had come in. A minor mind game. A scowl of recognition at Crimson crossed his features, which flashed into nervousness at the sight of Gloom, a thestral this time around, "Who're all you? Somepony mind explaining what's going on?" He demanded. Just then he spotted Prey at the back of the group, and the scowl returned in force. But he kept his mouth shut. Prey gave him a smile that was especially big, just for him. Pebble Mill's scowl increased in size. Minty shuffled her papers, and, clearing her throat, began to read her script, only making a couple of mistakes, "Sir/Madam, you have been detained on the authority of Her Royal Majesty Celestia's Guard, gosh they need to change that now to Royal Majesty's now don't they? Err, I mean, at the time of your arrival, were you made aware of rights, given a written copy of your rights, or had somepony read them to you?" Minty paused expectantly for his answer, the papers she held up blocking her line of sight of the prisoner. "Are ya' a lawyer?" Pebble Mill asked cautiously. "Oh, no, I wish. No I'm just acting as your legal councillor. You don't need a lawyer unless you actually get charged with something. I mean, you can hire one if you still really want to, but they're expensive. I should know, even their course fees are more than I can afford, even if I wasn't renting." Minty rambled, but she saw the look Gloom was giving her and hurriedly got back on track. "Right right, err. Ah, here we are. In accordance with the civil rights act section 15c, during these sessions, you are allowed to ask me to explain any of the questions these Guard's ask you, you don't have to answer anything either. But it would be really helpful if you could please, mister... Err, sorry I don't remember your name." She said, obviously waiting for him to give it. Nothing. "Umm...right, well, I'll be in here the whole time, so if you need to ask anything..." Minty offered, shuffling out of the way. Gloom and Crimson stepped up to the table, but neither took the other seat, another minor mind game. Pebble Mill didn't allow himself to be intimidated, repeating his plan to himself in his head, completely unawares that Prey could hear it. "Alright, I have better places to be, so hopefully we can make this brief. Let's start simple, what is your name?" Gloom asked, his voice brisk but not overly aggressive. A small frown flitted across Pebble Mill's brow and his ears twitched, '-why does he sound familiar?-' But he didn't say anything in response, just folded his hooves. "Keeping silent instead of confessing will only make your punishment worse." Crimson stated. "I ain't done nothing and you know it. You ain't going to charge me with anything." Pebble Mill replied immediately. His voice and posture were sure, a good actor, but Prey could hear his thoughts racing, '-punishment? Punishment? It's not that bad yet is it? All I did was run...And resist arrest a little. Even if I get sentenced, it'll just be a fine or something. Right?-' "Look, let's cut to the chase," Gloom started, gesturing between himself and Crimson, "We're going to Hay Steam to investigate today with a warrant. We will find what we're looking for, the Guard is the best at what it does. Were merely asking you as a courtesy to give you the chance to come clean. We'll discover everything anyway, so you might want to cooperate now while we're offering you the chance." Gloom said with conviction. "Turf Apple has no authority anymore, he cannot protect you. And I do not think you want to make anymore trouble for Seed Apple and his family than you already have." Crimson put in stonily. That brief description probably didn't do Turf Apple's dire situation the justice it deserved. When the ex-sheriff finally brought out of jail and before the judge, he was likely going to be harshly tried under martial law. Or whatever constituted harsh for ponies when punishing their own. Crimson was a tad off in the timing of his threat, Prey would've given Pebble Mill a bit longer to sit and worry first. Actually, Prey wouldn't have been doing this at all. Mainly because he could pull the answers directly from the stallions brain. Prey hadn't needed to glance at Pebble Mill's surface thoughts for more than five seconds to figure everything out. 'Come on its obvious,' Prey chided Gloom and Crimson, 'He's a rabble rouser, been stirring tensions in Hay Steam because he's unhappy with some pony. But he's not the source, he's being directed and he probably doesn't even know it.' Annnnd he'd been ordered to keep quiet, so Prey couldn't even direct this conversation to hurry it along to its inevitable conclusion. He did seem to be getting dragged into a lot of interrogations lately. Pebble Mill was alarmed by the confirmation that Turf Apple had been stripped of his position as sheriff, and also at the news that they would be returning to his cousins farm with a warrant. He kept his expression firm and his ears up, but his eyes gave him away. Gloom saw his moment of weakness, and Pebble Mill knew that he had. "I've decided I don't want to answer any questions. Make them leave me alone." Pebble Mill said turning to Minty, looking for assistance. Minty shook her head, shuffling in her seat, "Um, I'm just here as a legal representative. And they can ask you any questions they want. You don't have to answer of course, but, um, they can still ask." "Some use you are. Aren't you supposed to be helping me?" Pebble Mill demanded. "No, and it's us you are talking to." Crimson said loudly. "Minty here is to explain your rights and make sure you are aware of the legal process, nothing more I'm afraid. It would be best if you just answered the questions. Now, what is your name?" Gloom asked, the rasp in his voice commanding. Perhaps it was the tone, or because of the fangs, or possibly the slitted pupils, but Pebble Mill's eyes dropped and he stopped trying to get assistance from Minty. "Pebble Mill. There, I answered your question. Are we done yet?" "What were you doing in Hay Steam?" Crimson asked instead of answering, just as Gloom had instructed. "Nothing. Just seeing family." Pebble Mill said quickly. "What have you to do with the riot that took place two days ago?" Gloom demanded. "What? Nothing of course. I mean, I was in town when I heard the fighting, but I had nothing to do with starting it. If'n you want to arrest me for being there, why haven't you arrested every other pony as well?" He defended himself. It was a reasonable excuse, but nobody was fooled. "Pebble Mill, lying to a Guard is a serious offence, especially in subverting them from performing their duty." Gloom told him. Prey caught the light kick Gloom gave Crimson's hoof under the table to signal the pegasus to pick up where he left off. To be fair, Crimson managed it quite well. "Turf Apple covered for your wrong doings, because you were family. He admitted you should have been in jail. What you did must have been no small thing. What did you do to cause, or help cause, the riot?" Crimson demanded to know. "I haven't done anything." Pebble Mill repeated. His eyes darted to Minty, his only chance for outside help, but she avoided his gaze. Her only job here was to mediate. "Ponies were injured, some very seriously. The fault for their pain rests squarely on your withers. Do you feel nothing for what you've put those ponies through?" Gloom asked seriously, applying more pressure. "Well of course I feel bad that ponies got hurt, I'm not inequine, and I hope they'll get fit and hale again soon, just as anypony would wish. But I didn't have a thing to do with the riot, and I didn't do anything to them." Pebble Mill said earnestly. His honeyed lies were good, his voice pitched just right to express sincerity. But Gloom trusted in his instincts and in his talent, which was telling him the path to solving this crime lay through this interrogation room. As for Prey, he could see the stallions thoughts; '-change can hurt, but it's worth it in the long run. And Yellow Turn deserved everything that bastard got-' Pebble Mill thought. Gloom let out a long, put upon sigh, "If you're just going to waste our time by continuing to lie and show no remorse, then we're done here. Don't worry though, this is far from over. We'll be back tonight to continue our discussion after visiting Hay Steam. I want you to take this time to think about how much worse it's going to be for you if we have to do this the hard way." Gloom told Pebble Mill coldly, making for the door. "You can only hold somepony for 24 hours, I know that. I read my rights, you can't hold me all the way till tonight unless'n you have something to charge me with." Pebble Mill blurted out. 'Ah, so that's his hope. He thinks he has a way out.' Prey smirked. "Actually we can. Putting aside the resisting arrest and assault on a Guard, we can still hold any suspect for up to 48 hours in serious cases, or even 72 hours up to a week in extreme cases. I think we can say a riot constitutes an extreme case. Destruction of the telegraph, damage to the rail road, and other government properties. Definitely 'extreme'. So as I said, we'll see you later." Gloom repeated, smiling grimly at the shocked Pebble Mill as he signalled for Minty to unlock the door. '-I shouldn't taunt a suspect, but Luna knows he's been asking for it-' Gloom thought with satisfaction. "But-you can't do that!" Pebble Mill almost shouted. "We will be picking up exactly where we left off tonight." Crimson said by way of response. His emotionless expression and baleful yellow gaze was perfect for reinforcing a sense of inevitability onto Pebble Mill, as if them uncovering his crime was a fore gone conclusion, and they were merely going through the motions before convicting him. Pebble Mill stared at them dumbly as Minty fumbled the door open, evidently eager to get out of there, '-no no no this ruins everything!-' "We offered you a chance, but I'm afraid you've wasted it." Gloom said, stepping through the door and turning around to face him. "We will be seeing you again soon." Crimson told him. Gloom gave him one last pitiless look from bright Amber eyes, all helpful Night Guard Sargent gone. Crimson's own yellow pair were disturbing and out of place in the pegasus's face, and Prey grinning like a manticore from behind them just added to the atmosphere of 'You're Done For No Matter Where You Turn'. Pebble Mill was struck with indecision. To talk and give in? Or to hold out and pray for a miracle? His choice was irrelevant, he was out of time. '-Oh Celestia, oh Celestia, what do I do now?!-' Prey caught just as the door swung shut on Pebble Mill's panicked gaze, locking the lone prisoner inside the interrogation room with a *ka-click'*. Gloom wasted no time, "To the train station. The Royal Guard squad will already be there." He ordered. "Thank you for your time." He added to Minty, who smiled nervously but wasn't able to meet the thestrals eyes. "Yes sir." Crimson said. Prey sighed, in for another long day of hard walking, "Yes, sir." And he still hadn't gotten that fresh bandage for his ear. ---I--- [[[Concept Art - What runic fire might look like]]] https://imgur.com/KLMsGvv