Looking through the cell bars, Shrouded Armour studied the strange part-tiger-part-human creature. Questions raced through the unicorn’s mind, questions that the creature had thus far refused to answer. Having used all of his usual interrogation tricks, Shrouded found himself at a loss. He had begun to toy with the idea of doing something a bit more drastic, but he was unsure how the princesses would feel about such actions.
“Something the matter, captain?” a melodic voice called out, interrupting Shrouded’s train of thought.
“No, Stargazer, everything is fine.” Shrouded said without turning to face the newcomer. “Why are you down here anyway?”
“Just bringing our esteemed guest his food.” Stargazer replied in an over emphasized and sarcastic tone. She brought forward the wooden plate and bowl she was holding onto with her magic. “Only the finest in day old bread and tepid water.”
Stargazer carefully levitated the items through a small opening in the bars and into the cell. “Enjoy.” she said with a smirk before she turned and left.
“I’ll be back after you’re done eating,” Shrouded said, his eyes narrowing. “When I do, you’ll wish that you had talked when you had the chance.” Turning to leave, Shrouded hoped that he came across intimidating, and that the creature wouldn’t call his bluff.
Luna slowly turned the small straw doll over in her hooves. The mute pegasus filly, Quiet Breeze, had told her that the doll helped ease her fears when she was held captive by the diamond dogs. The night princess found herself amazed at how a small amount of woven straw could accomplish such a task. No enchantments, no magic; just the filly’s belief in what the human had told her. Luna was about to dismiss the whole idea as nonsense or superstition but something stopped her. She turned the doll over again, this time finding the idea of letting something else do all of her worrying for her a little appealing. The alicorn smiled as she recalled the griffon’s story and what Hunter had done. Using nothing more than hoofful of straw, he had given them the courage needed to face their captors. She tucked the doll away and made her way towards the dungeons.
As she rounded the last turn, Luna found Shrouded Armour standing outside the heavy door that lead into the dungeon. Shrouded was busy pacing back and forth, mumbling to himself, on occasion he would look at the door but he would quickly shake his head and go back to pacing.
“Is something the matter, captain?” the alicorn asked, seeing the clearly distressed unicorn.
“Princess Luna!” Shrouded saluted, quickly coming to attention. “No, not really; it’s just that I may have made a rather... bold statement to the prisoner and now I’m not sure how to follow up on it.”
“What statement did you make?” Luna inquired.
“I may have implied that his noncooperation would be met with some kind of punishment...” Shrouded confessed. “But now I’m not really sure what to do. If I go in there and don’t do anything to it, the prisoner will see me as weak or a liar and refuse to deal with me. On the other hoof, if I go in there and follow through on what I said, what kind of pony does that make me? Is it right to use violence and torture if it means stopping a group bent on murder?”
“There was a time when we would be willing to extract the required information at any price.” Luna said sympathetically. “Over time, as peace began to rule over Equestria such actions became less necessary, disfavored and eventually abandoned for other means. The use of force to coerce cooperation is a difficult subject. At what point are the ends no longer justify the means to reach them. Tell me, captain, why did you make such a claim?”
“I’m... I’m not sure, your highness. Maybe it was out of frustration from its continued silence. It could have been desperation, I’ve exhausted every trick I know and nothing to show for it. Or maybe it was anger, angry at it for using my friend’s face as a mask to kill the pony I swore to protect.”
“I see.” Luna said, raising a hoof to her chin and mulled the situation over. “I am assuming that you do not wish to use such methods but are unable to find any other way of retrieving the information you require.”
“Correct, Princess; when I confront it, it just laughs at my attempts. It’s already in the most unpleasant cell we have. I’ve cut its food down to old bread and water, and only once a day. Other than actually starving it or trying to beat or torture the answers out of it, I’m at a loss. I know how the others see me; the stern captain that doesn’t take anything from anypony, but the idea of actually torturing that creature, even if it is to protect somepony does not sit right with me.”
“Perhaps then, the solution is to have a different pony speak with the creature.”
“Are you sure about that, princess? Wouldn’t it just weaken my position?”
“Not if the second pony gave credence to your claim.” Luna explained. “If they suggest that you are preparing some... nefarious method of extracting the information and the only way of escaping such a fate is to reveal what it knows, prior to your return.”
“Are you sure that will work?”
“It may. The creature might believe itself strong enough to withstand it, or it may believe that we are bluffing. On the other hoof, it may not believe such things. It would all depend on the pony delivering the message.”
“What pony would that be?”
“Myself.”
“You, princess? Forgive me, but that sounds like a terrible idea.”
“Oh? I would have thought that a princess telling the creature that her captain of the guard is preparing something sinister would add validity to the claim.”
“I suppose that it makes a certain kind of sense.”
“And if it fails, we may be forced to utilize a more direct method of questioning. However, all that we can do is make the attempt.” Luna steeled herself and entered the dungeon.
The alicorn projected an air of confidence as she made her way pass the first few empty cells before reaching the sole occupied cell. Peering through the bars, Luna studied the strange creature. “Why?” Luna demanded. “Why did you try to kill me? What are you after? What are you?”
The creature laughed. “You don’t know who I am? You don’t know what I am?” It wrapped its strange hands around the bars. Its face twisted and warped until it was a perfect mirror of Hunter’s. “Ask him. He knows. It is why he stays away. Why he hides. He knows what will happen if he comes to face me.”
Luna’s eyes narrowed as she began to channel magic into her horn. “Do not toy with me, monster.” she threatened. “I am in no mood for your games. If you will not tell me what I want to know, I will have the captain extract it by force.”
“The pony princess cares for the human.” the creature mocked her. “If I had known that, I would have done more than just hug you, princess.”
The alicorn’s horn flashed as Luna discharged her magic, launching the creature into the far wall of its cell. “I warned you about trying to play me.”
“Hit a sore spot, did I princess?” the creature laughed as it stood back up. “You have feelings for the human, don’t you? You want him to hold you; to caress you. But he can’t. Or he won’t.”
“It appears that you still haven’t learned your lesson.” Luna said as she changed magic into her horn.
“Room full of ponies and you are the one he avoids. That sounds like fear to me.”
Luna launched the creature into the far wall for a second time. “I will not stand here and listen your lies!” she yelled, stomping on the ground. “You arguments will not sway my opinion of Hunter.”
“But they should, Princess. After all, it is his fault that we are after you.”
“Explain.” Luna demanded, her voice taking on a dangerous tone.
“You are the target; but he, he is the prize.”
“Prize? I don’t understand.”
“We all know about the human. We all know the stories about them. Not your stories, our stories; and everything from rakshasa to manticore, hydra to changling will be chasing him. He calls himself the hunter, but in truth, in this world, he is the prey.”