//------------------------------// // — Chapter Forty-Three — // Story: Finding Friendship // by Kamen-Zero //------------------------------// --- Black Hoof Blackmail --- If someone were to ask, spending a night in a jail cell wasn't Twilight's idea of a good night. Even less so when she was morally obligated to give up the lone bed for the sake of her son's wellbeing, thus dooming her to a night of sleeping on the cold concrete floor. Yet after the excruciatingly long day that she had gone through, she'd be lying if she said that her night hadn't been a restful one. Maybe it was the whole day of running around and losing her mind, maybe it was the fact that she didn't get much sleep before hoof, but either way, Twilight had been rewarded with a relatively painless session of sleep. Was it perfect? Absolutely not, she had still spent the night sleeping on a cement floor after all. But, all things considered, it could have been far worse. Even her dreams were dull and mundane, free of any spiteful interventions from the Mare in the Moon. And as the morning sun came to greet her through the barred window of her cell, Twilight found herself so enraptured by her rest that she wasn't imminently roused from her slumber. The warm rays of the sun seemed to be encouraging her to continue sawing logs like a fat lazy cat. But the sound of someone tapping their hoof against the metal bars of her temporary residence, while not extremely loud, was irritating enough to stir the slumbering pony enough to open an eye and look towards the intrusion. A unicorn guard she didn't recognize stood on the other side of the barricade, a mare younger than Twilight who looked like she was trying her best to not gawk at the literal alicorn in the room. A reaction that Twilight was starting to grow accustomed to, as much as she hated to admit it. And at least the latest pony to gaze upon her wings was at least trying to be subtle about it. Small victories. "I, uh... was sent to get you..." The guard began, her voice caught somewhere between the official tone expected of her position and the meek jitters of a nervous filly. "Your... situation's been sorted out..." "Awesome," Twilight half growled through a yawn, her body slowly stirring to life and getting her hooves under her. She took the time to stretch her stiff joints and muscles as she rose to her full height, already feeling the ramifications of sleeping on the cold hard surface that was the floor. Despite the ease she had rested with, she was sore from her undesirable sleeping arrangements. It wasn't anything detrimental, more irritating than anything else, but it was noticeable. Her neck popped loudly before she turned her attention back to the guard. "Hey, do you know what time it is?" The guard blinked a few times at the question. "I think it's almost three... Did you not wake up at all?" Utterly bewildered at just how late she was able to sleep in with the conditions she had to endure, but it was quickly written off as a side-effect of her rather-exhaustive experiences the previous day. Out of the corner of her eye, Twilight was greeted to the sight of two ignored trays of food—lunch from the looks of it, their neglected breakfasts must have been picked up when they were brought their next meals. Glancing over further quickly showed that Spike was just as tired as she had been, the little long dragon still fast asleep upon his temporary bed. He looked so peaceful and calm as he snoozed away through the sunlight, a sight that made Twilight's heart flutter. But even though she didn't want to disturb him right now there was business to be done, and the last place Twilight was going to leave him alone was in a prison cell. "Spike? It's time to wake up," she gently cooed as she nudged at his side, "We're leaving." A low, rumbling growl came from deep within the reptile's throat. "I don't wanna... comfy..." Twilight lowly growled back in responce to this, frustrated by her son's disobedience. No matter how much she loved him, she didn't exactly have time for this little game of his. Thus, she looked back to the guard with a sly grin. "Could you go get a bucket of water?" Spike reacted instantly, shooting up like a rocket as his eyes struggled to open. "I'm up! I'm up! It's fine!" "Whoa, he can really talk..." The guard murmured under her breath, now entranced by Spike rather than Twilight. "I guess I owe Fleetfeather eight bits..." Ignoring the childish side-comment, Twilight simply aided Spike in fully waking up before helping him down from the bed. From there it was easy enough to catch him up on the very few events he had missed while sleeping before she calmly trotted over and gently pushed the door open. And as she and Spike stepped out of the cell to follow the guard to where they needed to be, the young mare to escort them took on a look of appalled shock. "W-wait, was that unlocked the whole time?" The question wasn't an outrageous one, given how Twilight was meant to be in custody at the moment. "It didn't really matter if it was," Twilight's reaction was equal parts humorous and straightforward in intention, "Alicorn, remember?" "Oh... Right... Let's just go..." The dejected guardsmare didn't say much else after that. She simply gestured for the two to follow her before making her way down the long hallway of holding cells. And it didn't take much else to convince Twilight and Spike to pursue her to their shared destination, though Twilight did spare a single moment to check up on Knox Onwud before moving along. The sarosian was also making use of the opportunity to catch up on his sleep, lightly snoring away within the confines of his own cell. And needless to say, it wasn't anywhere near as an appealing sight to behold as Spike soundly slumbering. The way the elderly stallion was sprawled out over his bed with mouth hung slack open as he lightly snored was almost grotesque in some way. It honestly felt more like looking at a corpse than at another breathing pony, but it was a sight that Twilight didn't linger on for long before moving to catch back up with her escort. Their stroll through the precinct wasn't a very long one, and the odd stares that Twilight received from the passers-by were equally short. Most of the town guards at least seemed to know about her existence by now, and the most excitement she caused was the subtle turning of a few heads. Even if she would have preferred to have not been exposed at all, it was nice that the people around her were adjusting to the sight of an alicorn walking around. It was liberating in a sense to be free of that heavy cloak upon her back as well. Regardless, it didn't take long for the young unicorn to lead the two to where they were needed, and it just so happened to be the very interrogation room where they had been dumped into last night. Though unlike the previous evening, they wouldn't be left alone for hours on end. As the guard opened the door and gestured for them to enter, Twilight was astute in noticing the person waiting for their arrival. Sitting with a dull expression strewn across her face was Rainbow Dash, looking far less tired than she did last night. Though while the sight of the unamused technicolor mare was one thing, Twilight was far more interested in the layout of the table that divided them. Dash had with her a pile of papers, likely relevant to the business that was about to go down, alongside a long rectangular box accompanied by a stack of napkins and three beverages. Two of them were the familiar white paper cups with plastic lids used to hold coffee-to-go, while the other was a very kiddy-looking disposable to-go cup filled with what looked like apple juice. The top of the box was made up of cheap clear plastic, putting the delectable donuts held within on full display. A baker's dozen, by the looks of it. "Perfect timing, you two," a half-smile came across Dash's face, "Your coffee was getting cold." Spike knew the sight of a box of donuts when he saw it, and the promise of food was enough to get him to scamper into the room with feverish vigor. He situated himself into one of the chairs and locked his sights on the container of sweets, displaying a great deal of patience by not simply digging in right then and there. Twilight, on the other hoof, took a short moment to cautiously take in her surroundings and what was being presented before her. While it would have been easy enough to guess that this was simply an act of kindness on Rainbow's behalf, Twilight couldn't help but feel like she was being buttered up. Some attempt to get her to be more cooperative than she already had been. It was enough to earn her suspicion and caution if nothing else. "What's the occasion?" Twilight slowly followed Spike in and shut the door behind her. "Pinkie Pie. She insisted that you get some half-decent food in you," Dash's answer was dry and blunt, instantly washing away any doubt Twilight held about the situation. " And she wouldn't let me leave until I agreed. It's her treat, you can thank her later." "So you're the one who talked to her?" Twilight sat down without looking away from the pegasus, magically lifting the box's lid and promptly drawing forth two of the sugary donuts from within. Another pulse from her horn served to deliver the confections to Spike—alongside a few napkins and the apple juice that was clearly meant for him. He began eating as soon as Twilight's magic vanished from his feast. She herself settled for the cup of coffee closest to her assuming it to be hers. Dash didn't object, so she took a quick drink. "Didn't that blow your cover?" "I'm also technically a Wonderbolt, remember? That part's not a secret." Dash adjusted her posture with a grunt before taking another swig of her own coffee. She sighed in satisfaction after the sip of dirty bean water before half-crushing the now empty cup betwixt her hooves and depositing it on the table. "And Wonderbolts are always on-the-clock, even on vacation should the need arise. And, well, the need arose. Perfect cover story." The pegasus laughed to herself for a moment before looking at Twilight with a cocked brow. "How is it that I'm better at keeping secrets than you?" "Professional training, maybe?" Twilight shrugged. "So... what's the damage?" "Damage might not be the best word if I'm being honest," Dash broke eye contact in a not so subtle manner as she meekly admitted that. It didn't take her long though to recover her professional demeanor, tapping a hoof upon the table to draw emphasis to what she was going to say next. "But before we do anything else, I gotta know. You talked to Knox last night, right?" "That's one way of putting it..." "I'm surprised you didn't hear about his crazy yelling," Spike felt the need to add, "Scared us half to death." "I've been busy," Dash's explanation was almost dismissive in nature, the pegasus clearly wanting to get back on track. "So did you get anything useful out of him?" The room was filled with the resonance of Twilight's downtrodden sigh as she mentally went back to that conversation. There wasn't much of a need to think it over for very long, there wasn't much in that discussion that could be called "useful." The idea of this "encore" might be something, but just knowing about the final stages of whatever Knox and his allies had planned didn't mean much if they didn't know where to find the rest of the group. But there was one thing that still stood out to Twilight, a thought that prompted her to gaze worriedly towards her son for but a moment. And while the reason she held this information in high significance was mostly personal, she was hard-pressed to think up anything else to satiate the agent's thirst for information. "Not exactly... but I might have a lead. Do you remember that mare from the other night? When we were sneaking into Golden Oak's?" For a time, Dash didn't look like she knew what Twilight was talking about in the slightest. That was, until, the metaphorical light went on in her head and it came to her all at once. "You mean Starli—" "Don't say her name." Twilight's command came with far more authority than she had any right to hold given her current status. A fact that wasn't lost on the pegasus she was glaring at from across the table, who returned the intense expression with one of confusion and borderline irritation. Quick as a flash, Twilight's eyes were made to subtly point towards Spike to convey the meaning behind the alicorn's motivation. "I just... don't want to hear her name again..." That excuse was solely meant for Spike's sake, as the brief exchange had earned the dragon's silent curiosity. It was obvious enough that this most recent part of the conversation had raised at least one question within his mind, one that Twilight had managed to extinguish before it could lead to a reprisal of his reaction from last night. So, instead, Spike returned his attention to the sugary feast that had been provided for his and Twilight's sake. The memory-altering magic that was so widely used in this town was sketchy at best, and the last thing Twilight wanted to do was cause Spike any more unnecessary pain. Now, the exact reasons for these actions were lost on Rainbow Dash, but the Black Hoof seemed to at least catch onto the fact that there was a reason behind keeping this one mare's name unspoken. And a quick, subtle nod served as the sign that she at least caught the message. Maybe not the reason behind it, but enough to know that Twilight didn't want that name said out loud. "Okay... so you got something on crazy cultist number two?" It took Dash longer than it probably should have to come up with a substitute for Starlight's name, and even then it wasn't even the most creative. "On the contrary, I think she might have something on me," Twilight grimaced, "She basically used Knox as a tape recorder. Left a message saying 'we need to talk.'" "Wait, is that what got him so worked up?" Spike worriedly injected himself back into the conversation, no doubt looking back on last night's turbulent events. "... I can see why you don't wanna talk about it..." Rainbow Dash was in much the same boat as Spike was, musing over this new information like a sour piece of fruit. It wasn't pleasant, but it also wasn't hard to consume. After a short few seconds of silence, Dash let out a low whistle. "Dang. That's... not what I was expecting." "Welcome to my world for the past few days," Twilight said in jest, her half-joke triggering her to look back at the events that led her here. All of this started in earnest when Starlight Glimmer showed up at the library on that Friday, a day that felt like months ago by now. And from that point on, that unusual mare had continued to show up again and again, undoubtedly a part of this whole mess, but her role in it all was still left up to speculation. Up until now, Twilight had just assumed she was one of Knox's associates in his occult dealings, and there was evidence enough to support that theory. But there was no denying that Starlight had her own agenda to attend to, and it seemed to revolve around Twilight, uncomfortably enough. The mare had gone out of her way to keep Knox from discovering Twilight and Dash's hiding place the other night, and she went even further out of her way to tip Twilight off to Spike's whereabouts just yesterday. And then there was that note that had led the alicorn to investigate the Everfree—which, looking back, was more than likely Starlight's doing as well. And who could say for sure what else that unicorn was doing behind the scenes? Well, Spike did at one point, but that information was currently inaccessible, much to Twilight's frustration. And Twilight made it a point to bring up these findings and her concerns about them as well, making sure to leave out Spike's involvement as to not cause another of those unpleasant memory relapses. "Dang... you're really in a sticky wicket, huh?" Dash let out a short, slightly anxious chuckle. "So... I'm guessing you're going to go get some answers?" "That depends. Am I free to go?" "Uhh... what?" There was a moment of legitimate confusion on Dash's behalf as Twilight's question was left unanswered. All at once though it caught up with the pegasus and she lightly gasped, seemingly surprised by the information she should have already known. There was a short awkward pause after that before she chose to speak back up. "Right... almost forgot about that." "That's rude," Spike scoffed in response. Rainbow Dash seemed to take offense to that. "Well, they didn't exactly come up with some grand mastermind plan to deal with egghead here. It was kinda hard to remember that she's technically a felon right now." And this, in turn, earned Twilight's undivided attention and paranoia. Whatever fate had been decided for her wasn't going to be good, that much was for certain, and it was only now, after the point of no return, was she feeling the slightest bit of regret about laying her crimes bare for her to be judged. It didn't help that yesterday's actions had encouraged Rainbow Dash to inform her superior officer of Twilight's interference in the investigation of Knox's lair—among other things, no doubt. The only shred of hope Twilight could hope to grasp at was the idea that willingly admitting and accepting her fate would help soften the blow of the hammer of justice. It also didn't help that she had been insisting to Spike that everything would turn out okay, only very briefly considering the possibility that it wouldn't turn out for the best. "And what exactly are they planning to do about that?" Twilight asked perhaps a tiny bit too loud, "Well, in about two weeks, you're going on trial. Makes sense considering your list of accomplishments. Assaulting and threatening officers of the law, reckless endangerment of two civilians—" Rainbow Dash took on a particularly bitter look as she mentioned that last part, making it very obvious that she wasn't very happy about the conversation Twilight had yesterday with Pinkie and Rarity. "And interfering in Black Hoof affairs. And in two weeks, the big wigs are gonna decide what to do with you." Spike made his concern known with a stifled whimper and a heavy gulp. "And what are they gonna do with us?" "You? Probably nothing. You'll just get shipped up to egghead's parents or something like that." There was an almost kind disinterest held within those words, not exactly dismissive but also not entirely cruel. If Twilight had to guess, she'd say that was Dash's attempt at comforting the young reptile, and that attempt was appreciated. But that appreciation was lost when Dash turned back to the alicorn with a much more stern expression. "But you, on the other hoof... well, it depends on your actions in these next two weeks." Needless to say, Twilight found herself intrigued by Dash's choice of words. "And what kind of actions are we talking about here?" "Well, I was talking with my boss up in Canterlot—we have ways to talk over long distances, don't worry about it—and like I said last night, I brought you up by name. Because you don't get to act like a lunatic and expect to be rewarded for it. Anyway, when I told her your name, she had... a reaction." Dash leaned back in her chair and gazed up at the ceiling, taking the time to ponder what she was going to say next and how she was going to say it. She looked back to Twilight with a neutral look that was difficult to read. "Well, you already know we have a file on you." With everything that had happened, Twilight had almost forgotten about that upsetting detail. "I really wish I didn't." "Well, your history with a few select ponies of power, and a few ideas I pitched on your behalf, has earned you a tiny bit of leeway. Not much, but a bit." Deciding that she needed to draw this out further, Dash took the time to stretch her forelimbs over her head with something akin to a yawn. "It's not enough leeway to get you out of this mess entirely. But if a certain someone were to, say, help clean up this Choir-related mess in these next two weeks, then another someone might be willing to sweep some of the messier accusations under the rug. If you catch my drift?" "So I'm being blackmailed?" There wasn't a single second of hesitation on Twilight's behalf. "Hmm... Yeah, pretty much. It's like you said, having an alicorn help out would be a benefit— my boss certainly thinks so. Besides, 'black' is half of our namesake, did you think we were above blackmailing someone?" Dash couldn't stop herself from chuckling at her own joke, "But, to be fair, you wanted to solve this mystery anyway. And now you get to. And you get to stop yourself from being labeled an enemy of the state. Really, I'd say you got the better of us on this one." It didn't really feel like she was getting the better of anything, though. In Twilight's honest opinion, she felt like she was being given preferential treatment due to her past and her connections. In fact, that's exactly what Dash had described it as. And that preferential treatment had earned her the right to be used as a criminal asset to solve the seemingly endless list of problems that she had stumbled into a few days ago. A criminal resource, that's what she was right now. Someone to be utilized for the sake of the nation as a form of repentance for her misdeeds. It might not have been the severe punishment she had been expecting, but at least they hadn't just absolved her outright. Twilight still had to do something about it. Surprisingly enough, Twilight almost felt relieved that she actually had to work for it. "So... we're gonna be okay?" Spike's cautious optimism was enough to draw Twilight out of the funk she had put herself into, and his unknowing act of kindness earned him a smile from his parental guardian. "Well, I told you we would be, didn't I?" Twilight's mood had changed significantly, practically on demand. "I wouldn't call being blackmailed by one of the highest legal authorities in the country 'okay,' but whatever floats your boat." There weren't many ways that Dash could have made that sentence any less blunt, but it was obvious that she didn't even try if her tone of voice was anything to go off of. It was enough to turn Twilight's chipper mood right back to where it had been when this conversation had started. "You're not exactly wrong... But I can fix that." Twilight grumbled as she stood up, stretching for a few seconds before turning back to Rainbow Dash with a small sigh. "Speaking of, where do you want to start?" "That lead of yours seems promising," Dash answered as she too stood up, "Might be able to get some useful information out of her." Twilight couldn't agree with that plan any more than she already did, making that very clear as the group began getting ready to head out. The remaining donuts were collected for later consumption, Dash took the time to make sure she had all of her belongings, and Twilight made sure that Spike hadn't missed anything whilst cleaning the donut residue from his features. This was going to be the third time he'd be seen in broad daylight after all, and Twilight figured he'd need to be at least somewhat presentable. Most of the anxieties around that particular tidbit had been dealt with the previous day, thankfully, but it still wasn't going to be easy walking around town anymore. But Twilight chose to keep these feelings to herself, for the time being. There were far more important things at stake than her own anxieties right now, and they needed to take center stage. There would be time enough to deal with these feelings at a later date but for now, the situation at hoof demanded far more attention. And like that, they were off.