//------------------------------// // Initial Interrogation // Story: The Dark Ones // by Snake Staff //------------------------------// ++Astropathic Choir Intercept ZX951, Kyne’s Fury 3.612.873.M39++ ++Message to Inquisitor Tas Rovini++ ++ Transcript Appended++ Thought for the Day: The wise man learns from the deaths of others. My Lord, I have completed the preliminary interrogation of xeno specimen #2891. Hereafter referred to as “Twilight Sparkle”, the creature’s self-designation. Transcript, amended by my notes, and preliminary conclusion to follow. ++Interrogation the First++ Setting: Cell 59XBA. Cell is kept at maximum lumination at all times. Light levels enough to cause pain and irritation in unaided human eyes. Xenos does not show discomfort. Cell is bare save for a wall-mounted cot and a set consisting of a pair of metallic chairs and matching table. Xenos is resting on cot. Twilight Sparkle: Oh, hello! It’s great to see you again. Thank you so much for saving me, Ms… Uh… K: Kylara. You may call me Kylara. [I am initially attempting to extract information via persuasion, as harsher methods risk destroying the mind of our only specimen.] TS: Ms. Kylara. That’s a nice name! [The xeno once again employed humanlike gestures. Genuine cultural artifacts or telepathically-aided attempts at intentional mimicry?] K: Thank you. TS: Umm, if it’s not too rude, can I ask why you’re wearing those funny things over your eyes? [I was wearing protective goggles at the time, to compensate for the lighting.] K: Because I need them. It’s so bright in here. Perhaps if we turned it down a- TS: NO! Don’t do that! They’ll get me if it’s dark! They’ll get me! Don’t let them get me! Promise you won’t let them get me! K: Twilight, there’s no one in here but you and I. You’re safe. TS: Gone. All gone. Darkness. Screaming. DON’T LET THEM GET ME!!! [Apparently the wings are not as vestigial as I previously believed, as she used them at this point to get directly into my face.] K: Twilight…Ms. Sparkle… Twilight? [The creature continued to scream and hold me throughout this process.] TS: My fault… My fault… [It continued to repeat this for almost minute.This is why I fear using harsher methods to start. A subject this unstable may not retain enough mental coherence to speak after torture.] K: Twilight, listen to me. We’re alone. We’re safe. Look around. There’s no darkness in here. You’ll be fine. TS: You promise? K: I promise. TS: Did you… Did you need something? K: I just wanted to ask you a few questions. TS: Alright. I’ll tell you anything. K: Shall we sit down? TS: Alright. Both K and TS sit down on chairs. TS demonstrates no difficultly or unfamiliarity with doing so. [This creature demonstrates uncanny knowledge of human behaviors. Was its culture really so similar to ours, or is it truly that good a telepath?] K: Now Twilight, let’s start with something easy. TS: O-Okay. K: What is your name? TS: Twilight Sparkle. K: Where are you from? TS: Equestria. Specifically, Canterlot. [The creature apparently sought refuge in its place of birth.] K: What species are you? TS: I’m a pony. More specifically, I’m an alicorn. [There’s that name again. I swear I recognize it from somewhere.] K: There is more than one kind of pony? TS: There… there were… K: Stay with me. Can you tell me more about these subspecies? TS: There were four kinds. Earth ponies, pegasi, unicorns, and alicorns. K: And were you the only sapients on your planet? TS: No, there were many others. Gryphons, donkeys, horses, d-d-dragons… [Interesting, if true. Dragons appear to hold a particular emotional attachment for the xeno.] K: Keep calm. Tell me more about your pony subspecies. TS: O-Okay. Earth ponies… didn’t have any wings or horns. They were the strongest of us, good with the earth. That’s how their magic expressed itself. Pegasi had wings and controlled all the weather. That was their magic. Unicorns had horns, and unlike the others could consciously perform magic. Most only used it for telekinesis though. Alicorns… like me… have both wings and a horn. They can do the most magic. They were the royalty. [Astounding. If this creature is to be believed, its entire species was at least latently psychic. If this is so, such disaster as befell their world is only to be expected.] K: So you were royalty? TS: Y-Yes. K: What was your title? TS: Princess. [A human title on many worlds. Another similarity.] K: And were you the ruler? TS: No. [Still more human-like gestures were used.] K: Then who was? TS: Princess… Princess Celestia. And Princess… Luna... No, no please! Don’t take them! No! No! NO! Don’t… Don’t leave me… K: Twilight, you need to- TS: They took them! They took them! K: Twilight, it’s- TS: They took them! They’ll take me! They’ll take me! They’ll take me! Don’t let them take me! K: Twilight, you can’t- TS screams incoherently. K: Stop this at once! TS rolls on ground, screaming. K: For the love of the Emperor... TS continues incoherent screaming and sobs. K: Fine, have it your way then. TS continues screaming. K: Emperor damn this. ++Interrogation Ends++ ++Preliminary Thoughts++ My Lord, though the meeting was unproductive in many ways, I did learn several things about our xeno prisoner. When it is lucid, it appears perfectly willing to cooperate and even grateful for being removed from this “Canterlot”. It seems a bit curious as well, judging from its response to my protective goggles. Despite this helpful attitude, the xeno experiences what appear to be extremely traumatic flashbacks and consequent mental breakdowns with alarming ease. I question what use it may be if this proves a continuing phenomenon. If it is as psychic as it indicates, these breakdowns may be a reaction to the psychic imprints left on its homeworld by whatever event consumed its species, and thus may lessen or even fade away as we travel further from its home system. Exterminatus-level events have been known to leave similar psychic impressions on the minds of even Sanctioned psykers in the past. If this does not prove to be the case, I intend to allow Porthis to attempt to simply tear what information he can straight from its damaged mind. I will not allow my time to be wasted on such a wretched creature indefinitely. Unless that is your will, of course, Lord Rovini. Despite the creature’s severe mental instability, it did tell me several things of value about its species. First and foremost is the fact that, if it is to be believed, the entire race was psychic and apparently at least somewhat regular in the use of such power (as inferred from the pegasi controlling “all the weather”). This apparently unregulated use of the Warp would handily explain why what appears to have previously been a pleasant world became rotationally locked and why its satellite insists on defying the laws of physics so. Still, it does not explain other phenomena we found, such as the lack of recent bodies or natural-looking state of the land. Daemonic incursions are not known for leaving a light footprint. Another valuable clue is that this “Equestria” appears to have been caste-based. I can only speculate on the specifics for now, but the fact that the species was ruled entirely by one subspecies with the most psychic power indicates a certain degree of worshipful reverence of witches. This is hardly a phenomena unknown to the Holy Inquisition. The subject’s prior swearing by Celestia, now identified as the society’s ruler and an alicorn, in a manner similar to a human swearing by the Emperor, suggests even deific levels of reverence for witchery. The idea is reinforced by the apparently particularly extreme horror with which the xeno appears to regard their being “taken”. If indeed the case, this would explain a great many things. Perhaps this Celestia or Luna is responsible for how the moon hangs in a static position above Equis III? If the naming conventions of the species were consistent with our own, it seems most likely that Luna would be responsible for such a state, bearing as she apparently did an identical name to the satellite of Holy Terra. The oddity here is the use of identical titles for the society’s apparent diarchs and a lesser royal individual. I have yet to concoct a feasible explanation, save perhaps that the title in their language conveys absolute superiority, and was meant primarily for the consumption of lesser castes rather than the alicorns themselves. Perhaps the diarches bore different titles among whatever alicorn social groups existed? In that case, I, as a non-alicorn and thus lesser being, would not be entitled to hear their real titles. I shall investigate this line of reasoning in further interrogation sessions, if possible. Another nugget of data worth mentioning is the presence of multiple sapient species on the subect's homeworld. It further appeared to place some special significance on the species called "dragons". Perhaps it had a personal relationship of some kind in the past? Or perhaps this was a societal attitude. As we did not find any non-equine remains in our search, another question arises: what became of these creatures? Finally, there remains the most pressing question: are this xeno’s multiple humanlike behaviors – speaking Low Gothic, shaking hands, using chairs, calling someone princess – truly artifacts of its culture? Or is it possible that it is somehow using telepathy to glean those behaviors from our minds and mimicking them in some sort of attempt to cultivate familiarity? Either explanation is troubling. In case of the latter, I have ordered its cell be guarded by servitors rather than men. These should be immune to telepathic attack. If it is the former, then we must consider the possibility of human contact in the species’ distant past, and the implications thereof. I will send more when I have it. Your servant, Interrogator Kylara ++Message Ends++