“How are Dogs that use magic such a big deal?" Veronica asked. The wastelanders had met up with the commander on one side of the training fields, along with Clarion Call.
“Dogs with natural magic are an oddity,” Call explained. “The rarer the number of natural magic users in a species, the more powerful they tend to be.”
“And they’re intelligent. Not saying the rest of the Dogs aren’t, but the magi make the rest of them look like slobbering animals. Typically, though, they’re simply limited to geomancy.”
“Geo-what?” Veronica asked.
“Means magic to do with rocks or dirt,” Dom explained. “Makes sense, from what you’ve told us.”
“The use of the word ‘typically’ worries me,” Thomas muttered.
“At least one of them was slinging lightning,” Clarion grumbled.
The three humans blinked. “That does not sound normal.”
“It isn’t. Which leads me to believe that the Dogs are being helped.”
Not long after, Thomas and Veronica were making their way to where the Courier’s assailant was being held, led by an earth pony.
“Veronica, are you sure about this?”
“Oh yeah, I’m sure.” The Scribe cracked her knuckles and put on her helmet. “That sack of shit hurt you.”
“You know I’ve been through worse,” Thomas replied, trying to calm the angry woman. “Let me deal with this.”
“Oh no, you’re not talking me outta this,” she said as they went down the stairs to the interrogation room. “I’m gonna get some damn answers.”
“It’s what Grimfeather said, isn’t it?”
“How are you not worried, Thomas? Someone is trying to kill you, damnit!” Veronica yelled angrily, her helmet slightly muffling her voice. “And I don’t want to lose you!”
“Whuh? Veronica, what do you mean by that?” Thomas was shocked. “Am I really that important to you?”
“Since I left the Brotherhood, you’re all I’ve had. Whenever you were off, doing whatever it is you did, I was so worried.” She stopped for a moment before turning around. “I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you,” she said, grabbing him in a big hug.
“I didn’t know you cared so much,” he replied after a moment, returning the hug.
“Of course I do.” Her anger had faded. “We’re practically family.”
“So no fucking?” Thomas asked in mock disappointment.
“Grow some tits and lose the dick, then we’ll talk,” the Scribe replied cheekily as she let go.
“But I like my dick!” he protested as the power-armoured woman opened the door.
The grey pegasus sat there for a moment, staring at the two figures occupying the doorway in shock. “No!” he exclaimed, half a second before he tried to run past them. Unfortunately for the stallion, either Veronica had expected something like this or her reflexes were too great, for the sound of his skull clanging against her leg echoed throughout the small room.
“Well that was sad,” the Scribe said as she picked up the pony, his eyes spinning around in their sockets.
“Put him back in the chair,” Thomas said, closing the door behind him.
Veronica plopped the dazed pegasus down and took a step back. “You better start talking.”
“T-talk?” he asked, looking around in fear. “No, no, I won’t say a thing to you daemons! You’ve fooled the Princesses, but you haven’t fooled me! You will bring nothing but death and ruin to Equestria! You - ”
“Cut the crap, we know you were paid,” Thomas said flatly.
“Paid!?” the stallion asked indignantly, fixing the man with what was meant to be a threatening stare. “My only payment is removing your taint from - ”
“You getting sick of this?” Veronica asked. “Because I’m getting sick of this.”
“We can do this two ways, buddy,” Thomas said, glancing at the pegasus. “The easy way, or the fast way. Trust me, I prefer the fast way,” he growled as he leaned forwards menacingly. “But,” he added as he leaned back with a smile, “I’m a good man, so I’ll let you choose.”
“Fuck letting him choose, I wanna get some fucking answers!” Veronica yelled angrily back at her friend.
“I was not paid!” the stallion repeated nervously, eyes darting about as he searched pointlessly for a way out.
“Look, I know a liar when I see one,” Thomas told him, making him gulp. “So, do us all a favour, and tell us who sent you.” When the silence returned, he added, “And we won’t have to find out if my friend can punch your wing off.”
“I bet twenty caps I can,” Veronica commented cheerfully.
“You’re on,” the black man replied, sounding deadly serious.
The stallion stared between the pair, not knowing what to think. Up until that moment, he was sure he was seeing some bizarre take on the ‘Good Cop, Bad Cop’ routine. With those last two statements, though, it would’ve been more accurate to label them ‘Bad Cop, Worse Cop’.
“You know what’s funny?” Veronica asked, leaning down behind the pegasus so she could whisper into his ear. “I’m the nice one.”
“And you know what’s funnier?” Thomas asked loudly. “You’ve been released into our custody, which means we can do whatever. We. Want.” He looked over at his power-armoured companion, who nodded. It felt good to have someone who could play along. “Are you going to talk, or are we going to have to administer some Wasteland Justice?”
Those last two words sent a shiver up and down the stallion’s spine. The information he had been given was that these individuals were incredibly dangerous, with the one with brown skin the most deadly. He didn’t want to know what his idea of ‘justice’ was. “Okay, I’ll talk, I’ll talk!” he screamed desperately. “Just let me go!”
“Who sent you?”
“Ididn’tseetheirfacebutitsoundedlikeamarebutshehadclawslikeagriffonoraDiamondDogshejustgavemeabunchofgemsandthecrossbowandtoldmetokillyouatthepressconference.” The words came out in a complete jumble, leaving two confused humans.
“Can you try that again? With, y’know, spaces?” Veronica asked.
The stallion took a few deep breaths and tried again. “I didn’t see their face but it sounded like a mare. But she had claws like a griffon or a Diamond Dog. She just gave me a bunch of gems and the crossbow and told me to kill you at the press conference.”
“Great. They’re paying civilians to kill you,” Veronica deadpanned.
Thomas stood there in thought for a moment. “I’m gonna need my ranger gear.”