//------------------------------// // CH2: Getting Answers // Story: Escape from Madness // by Templar22 //------------------------------// “What happened to your voice? By Celestia, please tell me it’s temporary.” Noteworthy said to the mare sitting across from him. The letters on the slate held by her magical grasp quickly rearranged themselves. I’m afraid it isn’t… Noteworthy leaned back, the news hitting him like a physical blow. “What… what happened to you?” his face suddenly grew fierce. “Did somepony hurt you?!” he started to pull himself up, making as if to go attack the one responsible. He was stopped by a warm pink glow pushing him back against the box where he had been resting. There is nothing you can do about it. In the dim lighting it was difficult to discern whether she was still sweating or had cried a tear or two. Noteworthy leaned his head back, his eyes closed, only to bolt upright again eyes wide. “S-song?! Why… why was I in prison!? Why were they, Courser, even Courser WAS AFTER ME!? What the BUCK!? WHAT IN TARTARTUS HAS HAPPENED!?” Song was at first taken aback and more than a little frightened by his sudden outburst. She quickly brought her slate up, almost in a defensive position as the letters seemed to roll across it’s surface with no real direction. fearscaredpleaselistencalm she took several breaths to regain control as Noteworthy sat staring at her. A hard look in his eyes. “Why the BUCK can I not remember anything!?” he was met with silence, from both Song and her slate. “I can’t remember anything since the- by Faust the siege!? What happened! Did the army finally show up!? Did they break through the shield?” The anger on his face was replaced with concern. “Did they break through the shield?” he asked again. Song looked uncomfortably away before levitating her slate. The shield was broken through. “How… how in Tartarus… how bad was it?” he asked, all signs of anger gone from his face. He felt a strange sensation in his right flank. Ignoring it he continued pressing his sister for details. “How did they break through?”. He grabbed her writing slate and began reading it like a newspaper as words wrote themselves across the surface. Noteworthy… there was a traitor in Cairnhoof. Noteworthy physically flinched as he read that. The feeling in his side became more pronounced with each word he read. He was able to tear a sm-… are you alright? she asked, noticing his growing discomfort. The sensation in his flank had developed into physical pain. Desperate for answers, Noteworthy set his jaw and ignored it, he motioned for her to continue. “Who would betray all of us!? By Monentius, tell me it wasn’t one of the guard!” Before Song could answer, the pain in Noteworthy’s side flared anew. With a grunt, the blue stallion fell to the floor of the train car. “Song!? What in Faust’s name is wrong with me!?” As a response, Songbreeze’s horn flared to life, filling the car with black light. Approaching the downed Noteworthy, she enveloped his head in her magic. As she did so, Noteworthy heard a familiar voice in his head. ”-spells wore off.” “S-song?” Noteworthy managed to get out before his vision tunneled, and the world turned sideways. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Captain Back Track sat inspecting his front hooves, his rear hooves up on the desk in front of him. He was humming a happy marching tune to himself, feeling nostalgic for the good ole’ days. Ah, the life of a real soldier. Out in the field, fighting for the glory of the empire. Those were the da- “I already told you I won’t talk!” Back Track was interrupted from his musings by the pegasus bound to a chair seated in front of him, a thin trickle of blood dripping from his nose. Back Track leaned closer to him across the desk. “That remains to be seen.” Getting up from his seat, the crimson pegasus stretched and swept his gaze around the room. “Nice office you have here.” “Oh you can cut that out! Your friend over there already beat me up.” He said as he jerked his head in the direction of Courser, who was standing in a corner. “You’ll have to try harder than the good cop/ bad cop routine.” Walking around the desk, a small smile on his face, Back Track brought himself face to face with the green stallion. “Would you like to know a secret?” he leaned in close, and said in a whisper. “He’s the good cop.” The train pony looked at him, his eyes going wide. “The-the good cop!?” he managed to stammer “B-but tha-” “Yes, that makes me the bad cop.” After looking over the stallion’s various cuts and bruises, Back Track continued. “I assure you, I’ll do worse things than what your co-workers will do when they discover you talked.” The train worker didn’t respond as he mentally weighed his options. Seeing his indecision, Back Track laid a large knife on his desk, stroking it fondly. “I’ll give you a minute to think about it, then we start with your ears.” … “What do you want to know?” asked the trainpony, slumping in his seat. “You will tell me where prisoner 2460, and the mare that aided his escape are headed.” Before the stallion could respond he added “Their final destination, not where that train is headed.” The look on the pony’s face told him that was exactly what he was going to tell him. He didn’t respond at first. Seeing his hesitation, Back Track picked up the knife and walked around the desk. “Canterlot… they’re headed for Canterlot.” “How soon?” Having already betrayed them the train pony saw no reason to continue covering for them. “They’re due to arrive tomorrow after switching trains in Galloptown.” Back Track leaned in closer with the knife. “That’s all I know I swear! They’ll probably be picked up by somepony in Canterlot but I don’t know who I swear!” “Oh, I believe you.” The train pony relaxed slightly. “However, there is still the small matter of you accepting a bribe to aid two criminals escape Tevachia.” The color drained from the green pegasus’s face as he realized what was coming. “Please! Wait! No-no” He struggled against his bonds as Back Track seized him by the lapels of his vest. “You know the law.” He grabbed his left ear. “Let Tevachian justice be served.” With that, he severed a large part of the appendage with one flick of the knife. The stallion screamed as blood ran down the side of his already bruised face in a thin river of crimson. Without bothering to check his handy-work, Back Track turned on his hoof and headed for the door. “Courser, assemble the others, we have to stop them before they cross that border!”