Fire.
It was the only thing Cherry could remember. Except, of course, the changeling with the spell... Dear Celestia, what happened to her? The police officers had been very nice about the incident, filling in everything they could over the past few months, but she still didn't know anything substantial.
Her parents had visited the day before. Sugar & Spice and Brilliance were extremely careful about mentioning the house, which was very considerate but just made Cherry feel even more helpless, and a little bit insane. One of these days, they'd just stick her in a padded cell...
She shook her head, banishing the idea. Snap out of it, kid, she thought. Nothing good comes from sulking. It was strange; ever since she'd woken up in the hospital, she found herself catching flaws that she wouldn't have noticed before.
She sighed, lying back into the lounge chair. "That's it. Just like the last time."
The therapist nodded. "Understood. Are you absolutely sure, though? I can't imagine any large events would come to mind, but I think this time it would be helpful to look for any details."
Cherry gave him a wan smile. "I know. I just don't think it'll help much. I mean, he could've altered them anyway." She thought back to the changeling, who had been caught three days after the fire.
The therapist frowned. He waved a hoof, prompting Cherry to continue anyway. The pegasus-turned-earth pony sighed again before quickly reprimanding it. "Okay, okay. All I know is that he said he was sorry and started crying. I really don't know why they would send a spy like that, if he was so overdramatic..." She trailed off, think about the gap in her memory. There she was, falling into an inferno, then she was on the roof getting her mind wiped.
She'd gotten over the fire; that was long over. She'd also learned how to live without wings, though sleeping on her stomach was still uncomfortable. Cherry had adapted surprisingly well... Which just made her sister even more nervous in comparison. Most ponies would have curled up in a ball and died, but Cherry...
In the hall, Lemon Drop sat down sadly. The changeling was in a prison cell now, but it wouldn't say anything - not a word since it was captured. The therapist refused to let the mares meet it, as it may make the memory loss worse. Even if nothing happened as far as magic, it could still try to attack.
She drew in a long breath. She would find a way to help her sister. Whether the therapist liked it or not, Cherry would meet the changeling. Lemon already had permission from everyone else. Besides, spells didn't work the same as amnesia or the like - they only worked once per casting.
She bit her lip. Maybe this wasn't so smart...
Lemon jumped as the door popped open. Her sister stepped out, her right eye twitching. These weekly sessions were always frustrating. Clear Mind was a good listener, but sometimes he was a bit more... Persistent than would be appreciated.
Cherry waved a hoof passively, already trotting down the hall. Lemon dutifully followed. They walked through the office in silence, which they both hated but didn't particularly want to break. A single word out of place could set the staff on edge - Cherry's case had become locally famous, despite the police department's best efforts, and they were afraid the spell had altered her instincts or something.
When they finally escaped the concrete building, the pink mare heaved a sigh. Lemon noticed the shine of sweat on her forehead. Cherry quickly wiped it away, a scowl painted on her face. "That stallion doesn't know when to quit... Well, at least we're making progress now, huh?"
Lemon's ears perked up suddenly. "You remember something? That's great! What -" She was silenced by a sharp glance from the younger mare, who wanted to wait until they got home, or rather to her new apartment - in the reconstruction, her house had been changed enough that the familiarity was gone. The three rooms that had burned had been two bedrooms and a memory room. She'd agreed to sell it and had bought a small two-room apartment close to the police station and therapist's office.
Lemon brushed back a strand of green hair, trotting after her sister with a hopeful smile. A new memory hadn't appeared in months.
♠
The prison cell was dark, lit solely by a shaft of moonlight. A haze drifted through the barred window as well, making the small space even more ominous. Past a set of steel bars laid a staircase, at the end of which a guard stood. To top it all off, a thin sheen of liquid had been delicately pulled across the entrance - a magic null.
Strangely, the most off-putting thing about this place was the humidity. To Silver Lining, it was like someone had stretched an REM chamber's worth of water through the already stifling air. But at least it wasn't smoke.
The changeling rolled onto his stomach, letting himself sink into the cot. Fabric being used for bedding was much more comfortable than a chamber, although if these ponies knew how to construct any he probably would've been put there. He sighed, hoping they would wait a while longer before his next interrogation. Maybe he could stay here, if he played his cards right...
A sharp noise at the top of the stairs silenced that thought. The faint clicking of plastic keys, a door opening. A quick shuffle of the guard's metal-clad hooves and a more prominent sound of someone walking. The warm fizz of a torch.
The "specialist" stepped through the null, already examining Silver. It was a pegasus this time, a blue female with a light gold mane and tail. The changeling immediately noticed her dark red eyes.
What he didn't want to notice were the specialist's wings. They were transparent, but looked much more similar to a bat's than any changeling's he'd met. The ponies in charge of these interrogations had been sending in more and more of these, creatures that they thought would make him comfortable. They thought he was being quiet because he was afraid of "perfects", as they called themselves. They thought he believed he was "imperfect." It was just like ponies to assume these things, he knew, but it was just offensive at this point.
The mare smiled, pulling out of her pocket what looked to be a camera. She sat down close to the bars, tapped the camera gently, and nodded in Silver's direction. "Alright, where do we start... Oh, the identity. Okay then. What's your name?"
Silver stayed silent. He rolled over with his back to the specialist.
”Ah. This is going to be one of those days, huh? I understand, but you're going to have to speak up sometime." She tapped the camera again. "Here's the deal. You can ignore me like the others and spend your life cooped up until they just throw you out. Or you could give me some information, off-the-record, and I'll figure out how to tell the others that won't raise any red flags. I personally like the second one better."
Silver's ears inadvertently perked up, squashing his hopes of looking indifferent. The mare's smile widened. "I see we're making progress."
The changeling curled up slightly, raising his hooves to his face. "I thought deals were against the rules."
He instantly regretted the decision to speak when the mare suddenly laughed. "Aha! I told them, it would be better to send me in earlier, but hey! Better late than never, right?" He turned around to see her smiling like a maniac. "See, I don't exactly have rules. They know it's useless."
The mare stood up, trotted over, and pushed her hoof through the cell bars. "I'm Harvest Moon, but my, ahem, clients call me Harvey. I'm what they call a black jacket. Ever heard of me? 'Course you haven't, I'm too good. But anyone who's been behind bars knows my kind." She chuckled quietly. "So, what, we've got a deal?"
Silver rubbed his forehead. "I still don't know what's going on." The bored look on Harvey's face looked oddly out-of-place.
"New to prison. Got it. Basically, when the interrogators can't get anything outta ponies, or changelings in your case, they call me. It's my job to get information, but in exchange my client gets a few... Favors. You name it, I'll do it."
His eyes widened. Favors for information... He got up, still weighing his options. After a few seconds, Harvey frowned. "Haven't got all night, kid."
Silver shook his head, ashamed of himself. "Fine. I'll follow along."
"And what's your price?"
He sighed and stepped forward. "I just... I need to talk to someone."
Harvey nodded, already running through the request in her head. "That's tricky, but I can do it." Silver raised his hoof, hesitant. Still, it was too good to pass up. He shook her hoof, sealing the deal.