//------------------------------// // XXXV - Interrogation // Story: Mortal Coil // by Reeve //------------------------------// “It really is an impressive city,” Fluttershy said again as we looked out over Port Mule. “Remind me why we can’t just go in.” “Because we have no way of sneaking in,” I explained, looking through my spyglass at the eastern entrance where the guards were still waiting. “And the moment those guards see me I can say goodbye to my head.” “It’s so… wrong that you’re being punished for something that isn’t even your fault,” Fluttershy stated in a huffy voice. “Tell me about it,” I murmured back, still not taking my eye off the gate. We were some ways off from the city wall, lying on our stomachs so as not to be spotted by the guards. We had been waiting for about half an hour for the guards to leave their posts, the second they did we would make a dash for the gate. “Now remember Sugarcube,” Applejack said to Fluttershy. “Once we get in here, you’re gonna half to resist the urge to go sight seein’. Once we’ve gotten Rarity safely to the barge, then I’ll show you about.” “I know,” Fluttershy acknowledged. “Work, then play.” As soon as the words left her mouth, I saw the guards all look back at something on the other side of the wall before charging after it. “Stranglethorn’s got their attention,” I announced, standing up and putting my spyglass away. “Let’s go!” We galloped straight for the gate, wary that Stranglethorn could only keep them busy for so long before he would have to make a run for it himself. As we reached the gates, we were glad to see that none of the guards had returned from their chase yet. Once we were through, we were able to mingle in with the crowds, so that even if they did come back it would be harder to spot me. To help matters, most ponies were so intrigued by the sight of Fluttershy that I pretty much became invisible standing right next to her. “Um, girls…” Fluttershy whispered, standing in between us. “Everypony is staring at me.” “You’re probably the first sister of the Celestial Sisterhood they’ve ever seen outside the Bask,” Applejack reminded her. “You might have to get used to these kinds of looks.” “I don’t like the sound of that,” Fluttershy whimpered. We were rather lucky not to run into many patrols on our way down to the harbour, and any we did run into, we were able to slip by unnoticed, or switch to a different route. The only thing that gave us trouble was Fluttershy occasionally stopping to stare at a building or a boat, despite what she had promised before we entered the city. It didn’t take much persuasion to get her moving again, and it didn’t take that long to reach the barge. Rather than follow me up to barge itself, Applejack and Fluttershy split off before we even stepped onto the jetty, promising they’d be back in a couple hours once Fluttershy had had her fill of the city sights. Trotting down the wooden jetty and up the gangplank, I made straight for the cabin door without even thinking to knock. What I got as I walked through without announcing myself was pulled into a very familiar hold with a sword pressed up against my neck. “Seriously?!” I gasped. Sufferthorn released me, sheathing her sword and rolling her eyes at me. “Sometimes it’s like you’re trying to get yourself killed,” she chastised me. “Sometimes it’s like you’re looking for an excuse to kill me,” I retorted. “I am,” Sufferthorn admitted simply, leaving me feeling a little crappy about my come back which seemed much weaker now. “He’s down stairs, the boss is out and so is your friend. Refrain from using names while he’s in earshot, the boss wants him cracked by the time he gets back.” “Hang on a second,” I cut in as Sufferthorn made her way to the ladder. “I thought you were at Pivot, what about the Children of the Earth?!” “Gone,” Sufferthorn revealed. “There wasn’t even a battle, they most likely heard we were coming and flew the coop back to Cragsburg.” “And the ponies in Pivot?” I asked nervously. “As fine as you would expect,” Sufferthorn replied. “I will tell you more later, but right now you need to get your head in the game.” “Alright, alright,” I said quickly. “Lead the way and we’ll get started.” As I made my way down the ladder after her, I found the room below the deck to be very dark, I could vaguely make out the shape of a pony tied to a chair in the centre of the room. He appeared to be slouching forward, breathing heavily; I wondered if Sufferthorn had already got started before I arrived, and if so, what approach she had taken with the prisoner. “Alright scum,” Sufferthorn greeted harshly. “My friend has just arrived, so now you’re in twice the amount of trouble.” I had to resist the urge to laugh at her use of the word ‘friend’. “I should warn you however,” Sufferthorn continued as she fiddled with the lamp hanging over him. “This mare’s the only pony to tangle with Typhoon and walk away after.” The pony in the chair began shaking slightly at that and I started wondering if I should appear more threatening than I actually was when questioning this guy, but then Sufferthorn got the light working and I lost my train of thought. Behind the dried blood and purple bruises I could still make out the pale grey coat and the darker mane and tail of the pegasus, and although his blue sailor jacket was gone, I still recognised him. “Feather Duster?!” I exclaimed with a mixture of shock and anger. “R… Rarity?!” he replied, his own shock mixed with fear. “You know this guy?” Sufferthorn asked curiously. “Well at least we now have his name; the little shit wouldn’t even give me that he’s so tight lipped.” “He was one of the crew members on the Siren,” I explained to her. “He was also the one I followed back to that safe house, I didn’t want to believe he was involved in this, but I guess I didn’t know him as well as I thought I did.” “No Rarity, please!” Feather Duster begged. “I’m not involved in this, I swear. Whatever she’s telling you is a lie, she’s insane!” “I’m actually not,” Sufferthorn informed us both in a casual voice. “Well if you really are innocent, then you’d better start talking!” I shouted at him, reaching forward and grabbing his chin so he looked me in the eye. “You can start by telling us exactly why I saw you going to that safe house… twenty days ago… give or take or a couple days.” “And you were doing so well,” Sufferthorn whispered to me when I stood back up, sounding amused. “I don’t know anything about a safe house!” Feather Duster insisted. “I was just here… visiting… a friend.” “You were ‘visiting a friend'?” I repeated sceptically. “Have you poked your head out the window recently? Does the name ‘Liberators’ mean anything to you?” “T… they’re the guards, aren’t they?” Feather Duster replied in what he probably thought was a casual voice, but only came off as trembling and untrustworthy. “Alright, I’ll humour you,” I stated, reeling back my anger. “What is the name of your friend?” “Sundial!” Feather Duster replied quickly before blanching. “I mean… no, that’s right, Sundial.” “Am I to take it this is a different Sundial from the captain of the Siren?” I asked venomously, to which he nodded rapidly. “Sure, plenty of ponies have same or similar names, now where does Sundial live?” “He lives…” Feather Duster began; clearing his mind was hard at work trying to make up an address. “Hang on, I’m not from here remember, it’s hard to remember street names and stuff.” “But you have been here for about three weeks at the very least,” I reminded him. “So are you telling me that you haven’t learned your friend's address after staying with him for three weeks?” “No, I remember it now,” Feather Duster said, his voice sounding more determined now. “He lives in number six, second street, Home District.” “You sound very sure,” I pointed out. “So if we send some ponies around there, you’re sure we’ll find a pony named Sundial living there who can confirm you are his friend?” “Sure,” Feather Duster replied, his voice brimming with false confidence. “Just, don’t be surprised if he’s not at home. He said he was going to visit some family in Timber today, you might have already missed him.” “I see…” I breathed, getting a little bit tired. I walked over to where another chair sat, dragged it over so in front of him and sat down on it so I was only a foot from him. “Feather Duster,” I began in a tense voice. “I do not believe you’re being entirely honest with me, that’s… disappointing. Now I can see my fri… associate has already made things difficult for you before I arrived, but if you don’t start telling the truth, I might just have to let her step back in. So why don’t we start with why you’re here in Port Mule… despite the fact that the Siren dropped us off at Daybreak Landing intentionally, because they knew the Liberators controlled Mule and would pose a risk to any Equestrians if they came anywhere near.” “I… I…” Feather Duster stammered, breaking out into a nervous sweat. “Rarity, you have to believe me when I say I didn’t know what they were up to. I thought I was just being hired for a simple job, sail here and sail back; it wasn’t until I was on the boat that I found out the truth.” “So you admit to being part of it now?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “Part of it?!” Feather Duster repeated in shock. “No, I’m just an errand boy. They have me fetch food and deliver messages, I don’t know what they’re really up to, they don’t let me in on it.” “Is that why you were making notes on the bank when we caught up to you?” Sufferthorn asked from behind me. “Did your employers ask for a sandwich, a cup of coffee and a plan for the largest bank in Port Mule? I’ll leave you to come up with an excuse for that, right now Rarity and I need to have a word.” I stood up and followed her over to the ladder; she didn’t make to climb up it, instead waited at the bottom to whisper to me. “You’re doing great, you’ve got way more out of him than I have all morning,” she complimented, which took me by surprise. “But the way he’s going, I’d say he’ll keep this lie up all day.” “Are you sure he’s lying?” I asked. “I know this guy; I find it really hard to believe he’s any kind of agent. A low level errand boy might be exactly his speed.” “Strangle was the one to bring him in,” Sufferthorn explained. “He believed this guy is way more involved than he’s letting on right now, and you should know my brother’s instincts are the only evidence you need in a situation like this.” “So what do you suggest? Because beating him up didn’t get you anywhere the first time,” I reminded her. “No, no, I’m leaving this to you,” Sufferthorn said calmly. “You know this guy; you might be able to get under his skin.” “I don’t know him that well, but…” I drifted off as I remembered how I had once believed he was attracted to me. “I might be able to manage something, but I’ll need to be alone. Can you still listen in from upstairs?” “There’s a vent I can use,” Sufferthorn replied, before turning and climbing the ladder without another word. Taking a deep breath, I turned and made my slow way back to Feather Duster, retaking my seat opposite him. He looked up at me fearfully, but faltered when he saw the sad look in my eyes. “We’re taking a break for a bit,” I lied, punctuating it with a long sigh. “Feather Duster… what are you doing?” “Rarity… I…” Feather Duster tried to say, but couldn’t seem to find the words. “I know three weeks isn’t exactly a long time,” I admitted. “But I really thought we’d become friends in that time, but knowing the things you’re involved in, and that you’d sit here and lie to my face about it…” “No! I’m not,” Feather Duster insisted, but his voice was really cracking now. “Feather, please,” I begged, clenching my eyes to hide imaginary tears. “I’m not stupid; don’t treat me like I am.” “Rarity…” Feather Duster began before letting his head bow in resignation. “You don’t understand, the Solar Empire… they aren’t what you think. It was Captain Sundial who approached me, I’d worked under him for years, he’s a good pony, all the agents I’ve met are. This Rebellion… they can’t help Panchea, they can only drag it further into chaos, only the Princess can restore it to the way it once was.” “And you speak for the Princess?” I demanded, frowning at him. “Never!” he declared, sounding insulted that I would even suggest such a thing. “Princess Celestia cares about all ponies, sometimes to a fault. She would never seize control of Panchea against the will of the ponies living here, even though they’ll suffer without her leadership. That’s why it’s up to us to do what she cannot, to get our hooves dirty so she won’t have to.” “Is that what the sleeper agent plan was?” I asked, glaring slightly at him. “The Solar Empire getting their hooves dirty?” “You… you know about that?” Feather Duster replied in a weak voice. “Rarity I am truly sorry, I am. I believe in what the Solar Empire is trying to accomplish… even if its methods make me uncomfortable.” “They make you uncomfortable?!” I shouted at him, causing him to flinch. “How do you think I felt when I had control of my body ripped away from me?! How do you think I felt when I woke up and discovered I was almost killed after being made to attack one of the most powerful ponies in this city?!” “What?!” Feather Duster exclaimed, his eyes wide with shock. “They… they used the spell on you?! And they made you attack somepony?!” “You mean to say you didn’t know?” I asked bitterly as some real tears started to fall. “When we parted ways at Daybreak Landing, you didn’t look back because you knew what they had done to us and wanted to warn me?” “I did know,” Feather Duster admitted in a pained voice. “And I wanted to tell you… but they promised me those spells wouldn’t be used for a long time, and when they were you wouldn’t be put into any danger. Sundial promised me you wouldn’t be hurt.” I frowned at him, he definitely sounded genuine, and his eyes shone with honesty. “You really didn’t know that they made me attack Typhoon?” I asked once more. “Typhoon?! The leader of the Liberators?!” Feather Duster exclaimed, looking as if he had taken a small heart attack. “Rarity I swear I had nothing to do with that, I never would have let them get away with it if I had known.” I refrained from laughing at that, it was sweet, but the idea that Feather Duster of all ponies was going to tell his superiors what they could or couldn’t do was ridiculous. “So what exactly do you do for them?” I asked curiously. “Your friend already knows I was drawing up plans of the bank,” Feather Duster pointed out. “Me and several other agents, all crew members of the Siren, have been tasked with mapping out the entire city and its major locations. I think there are teams in all the major cities doing the same job, we pass our findings on to Sundial and he… well I don’t really know. I imagine there are other leaders of the Solar Empire who he’s in direct contact with, ponies working directly under the Princess, but I don’t know who they are.” “And you never questioned what you were being asked to make those maps for?” I asked in disbelief. “What if your superiors were using those designs to launch attacks or planting bombs… or finding out where important figures are so they can send assassins after them?” “I’m a fool, I know that I am,” Feather Duster whined. “But I really believed we were doing what was right, and I trusted Sundial when he said we would do it in the most peaceful way possible.” “Feather Duster…” I began; he looked back up at me with a miserable expression. “I believe you.” His eyes widened, shining with hope. “Don’t get the wrong idea,” I warned him quickly. “You’re still in trouble, but I believe you didn’t mean any harm… or at least not too much.” “Your friend has been listening in this whole time, hasn’t she?” Feather Duster stated in a voice heavy with resignation. “I don’t mind... I don’t know much, but I’ll tell you everything I know.” “Thank you Feather,” I responded appreciatively. I was going to leave then, but I stopped a moment and let him drink out of my water canteen, he looked like he needed it after the whole ordeal. When I did get back up into the cabin, I found Maverick sitting at the table and Sufferthorn standing waiting for me. “Impressive,” she said, nodding in approval. “You got him singing like a song bird.” “I knew he couldn’t be more than a low ranking agent,” I reported, taking my own seat while she pulled a third one up to the table. “He’s no harm to us, but nor will he be a lot of use. We should see about getting a hold of Sundial, Feather Duster might be able to help us with that much, but it could take a bit of convincing.” “What should we do with him once he’s told us what we need to know?” Maverick asked Sufferthorn while reading over something. “Well you know me, normally I kill off enemy agents,” Sufferthorn replied casually. “But like Rarity said, he barely even qualifies as an agent. Plus, since she got the info out of him, I figure she should decide.” “Me?” I repeated, once again taken aback by Sufferthorn’s attitude towards me. “Well I don’t think he should be hurt anymore, he’s played ball, so we should treat him fairly. We can give him to Twilight Sparkle and she can take him back to Equestria to be charged. Where is Twilight by the way?” “She went off, back to her ship and crew to check in,” Maverick explained. “She should be back this evening, she can collect the boy then.” “Let’s go see about Sundial now,” Sufferthorn suggested. “Strangle should be back soon and I want to know if we’re setting out tonight or not.” As we stood up and made our way back to the ladder, I caught a glimpse of what Maverick was reading, he appeared to be comparing two lists of names. It didn’t take as much persuasion as I had anticipated; it seemed any resolve Feather Duster possessed had been broken when he learned what happened to me. While I didn’t like the idea of abusing his obvious feelings for me, I couldn’t argue with the results. He explained that every week they meet Sundial at a different location to give him their compiled findings, that was what he had been going to do the day I first followed him to his safe house. When presented with a map of Port Mule, he was able to identify the place where he was supposed to be meeting Sundial that very night. It certainly was a massive convenience, but I wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Once Stranglethorn returned, Maverick instructed him on where to find Sundial and he was back out the door in minutes of his arrival. Sufferthorn escorted Feather Duster away from the barge, blindfolding him before taking him away to one of the Rebels' own safe houses. “Please don’t hurt Sundial,” he begged me before he was taken away. “I’ve known him my whole life, he’s an honourable pony. Anything he’s done, he’ll have done because he believes it’s right.” “I’ll try my best,” I told him, it was the best I could offer. I didn’t believe that Sundial, the middle man would be quite as naïve as Feather Duster. With nothing to do until Stranglethorn could get Sundial back to the barge, I made my way onto the deck where Applejack and Fluttershy were sitting chatting. “How was your day?” I asked them, mainly Fluttershy though. “It was wonderful!” Fluttershy replied delightedly. “I feel like I’ve done more in one day than in my entire life.” “I wish I could have come with you,” I said a little forlornly. “Did you get anywhere here?” Applejack asked. “Yes actually,” I admitted. “The guy they captured turned out to be somepony I knew, it wasn’t too difficult to get him talking. He didn’t seem to know anything about what they were really up to or even what they had tried to make me do, but he helped us locate his boss, who Stranglethorn should be bringing in soon.” “What will you do when he gets here?” Fluttershy asked. “I’m not sure,” I answered, stroking my chin thoughtfully. “With Feather Duster it had been easy, Sufferthorn had already tried the hard way before I got here, which I think loosened his tongue more than she realised. After that I just had to break through his defences on a more… personal level, but I was able to do that because we had been friends… sort of. But this guy I barely knew, even when I was on his ship for three weeks.” “Do you want some help with him?” Fluttershy asked, although she sounded like she was hoping I’d say no. “It’s fine, I couldn’t ask you to do that,” I replied before looking over at Applejack. “I thought you’d be heading back to the farm.” “Nah, ah figured ah’d stick about and wait for you,” Applejack replied, lying back on the deck. “Besides, who’s gonna keep Shy company while you’re off bein’ a part time spy?” “Well I hope I won’t be too long,” I began. “Chances are Maverick will want to take some time to plan his next move after we crack this guy, so we’ll get some time off then.” Captain Sundial it turned out, was a very tough nut to crack. “You!” he exclaimed upon seeing me. “You’re supposed to be dead!” I glanced over at Sufferthorn; she seemed to share my surprise. We had literally just descended the ladder below deck and approached him as Stranglethorn continued to tie him up, he looked straight up at me and that was the first thing he said. “Well I suppose we should start by saying thank you,” I began. “For what?!” he replied in a snide tone. “Well you basically gave away that the Solar Empire is responsible for Rarity being turned into a sleeper agent,” Sufferthorn pointed out. “We had pretty much figured that out, but it’s always nice to have someone confirm your suspicions.” Sundial swore and stomped his hoof, although his tight bonds prevented him from stomping it very hard. “Well enjoy that little reveal,” he spat. “Because you won’t be getting anything more out of me.” He hadn’t been lying, we tried every tactic we had and never got more than insults from him. We tried flattery, we tried bribery, we tried trickery, none of them got us anywhere. I even tried to use Feather Duster to break him, presuming that since Feather Duster respected him so much, that he would care about him in return… I was very wrong. “Kill the lad, what do I care?!” he retorted to my empty threat. “He betrayed us when he dared to open his mouth to the likes of you; he’s already dead to me.” After that, Stranglethorn and Sufferthorn moved onto more aggressive tactics, thankfully I was allowed to take a step back while they did their stuff. They tried threatening him, they tried hitting him, they tried cutting him, and still he did not break. After a while, Sufferthorn made her way over to me where I stood by the ladder, fuming with anger and exhaustion. “Nopony has ever stayed silent this long,” she muttered darkly. “You should sit down, both of you,” I told her. “You look exhausted.” “If I’m exhausted, then imagine how he’s feeling,” she pointed out. “He’ll break soon enough.” “He’ll die before that at this rate,” I said, looking over at the wreck of a stallion, Feather Duster would not be happy about it when he found out. “We need to try a different approach, perhaps if we act like we know more than we do.” “No good,” Sufferthorn said flatly. “If that was to work, we would need to have done it from the start.” “But we still haven’t mentioned Blueblood,” I reminded her. “For very good reason,” Sufferthorn hissed back at me. “Right now Blueblood is just our best guess, but we don’t know for sure. If he’s not involved in this, and we plant the idea that we think it’s him in this guy’s head, he’ll play along with it to send us in the wrong direction.” “But what if it’s not one of us who mentions him…” I began, Sufferthorn’s eyes widening as I explained my plan. I sat in the cabin, waiting patiently by the vent Sufferthorn had used to listen in on me and Feather Duster. I could hear her still talking away, Sundial occasionally retorting with something, Stranglethorn occasionally punching him in the stomach when he did. Fluttershy and Applejack crouched behind me, listening closely while Maverick made do from where he sat at the table; none of us were making a sound. After the pretend interrogation dragged on long enough, I glanced over to the ladder and nodded to the pony waiting there. She leapt straight down into the room below the deck and there was an explosion of sound as fighting broke out. Amidst the sounds of swords clashing and spells blasting, I heard two bodies hit the floor. When the battle was finished, the figure made their way over to where Sundial was tied up, every hoofstep slow and deliberate. “T… T… Twilight Sparkle?!” Sundial stammered in a mixture of confusion and utter terror. “What are you doing here?!” “I’m here to make sure you don’t talk,” Twilight replied in calm voice, brimming with hatred. “We don’t have use for weak ponies who get themselves caught.” “Wait… you don’t mean that…” Sundial uttered, a hint of excitement in his voice. “Lady Sparkle I had no idea you were one of us, you must forgive me, and I assure you I have not revealed a thing to these pests.” “And you expect me to take that risk?” Twilight asked in a dark tone. “Although… even if you had told them anything, they’re dead now, they won’t be reporting back to their masters. There were no others I take it?” “None at all Lady Sparkle,” Sundial lied as Twilight cut him free. “Very well then,” she said slowly as if contemplating the situation. “We must hurry and leave this place, hurry and hold on to me, I will teleport us to safety.” A moment passed in which there was the sound of magic flaring, when it died down the voices started back up. “Thank you for rescuing me Lady Sparkle,” Sundial simpered. “And for showing me mercy, I am forever in your debt.” I had to hold my breath to stop myself from bursting into a fit of laughter, looking around I saw Applejack was in the same boat. While Sundial may have thought Twilight teleported him away from the barge, she simply created an illusion of her own safe house around them… I just realised there are a lot of safe houses in Port Mule, in fact, are there any normal houses at all anymore? “Your debt is only to Princess Celestia, not to pawns such as ourselves,” Twilight chastised him. “Or… would Duke Blueblood have you think differently?” “Of course not Lady Sparkle,” Sundial insisted. “The Duke is eternally loyal to the Princess, that is after all why he brought us together to carry out this task for her.” “Indeed he has…” Twilight began, her voice brimming with joy, but not for the reasons Sundial would have thought. “It’s lucky you rescued me when you did,” Sundial carried on before Twilight could reveal that he had been duped. “I am due to meet with him tomorrow night to discuss the completion of phase one.” “You will be meeting with him?” Twilight repeated her, her authoritative tone slipping slightly. “You mean, face to face?” “Yes, weren’t you aware?” Sundial asked. “I assumed you must have both travelled over together.” “No, I have been here for a while now overseeing matters on his behalf,” Twilight improvised, now sounding a little weaker that she hadn’t rehearsed those particular lines. “But the Duke so often fails to keep me updated with these matters, where is this meeting taking place? It would be a convenient opportunity for me to report to him as well.” “It’s on the beaches,” Sundial informed her, and us by extension. “Some miles east of the city, I am due to meet him at midnight and I would be more than glad to have you travel there with me.” “Tomorrow, midnight, on the beaches east of the city,” Twilight repeated, loud and clear for us to make out. “You know what Sundial, I would be most glad to take you up on your offer.”