Chapter 6: Questions and answers
Chapter 6
“Damn I’m tired.”
“Out of the spa and come with us,” the gravelly stallion ordered, no longer posing it as a question. He moved forward menacingly, the action filling Dinky with fear, and Noah and the Spa Ponies with apprehension.
Noah saw the transformation of Dinky from bubbly to frightened, saw how her bottom lip quivered slightly, and saw her eyes dart across the faces of all of the ponies present. Noah also saw that the guard had not seen the reaction of the filly, but that his unicorn counterpart had.
With a slight sigh of exasperation Noah place a caring hoof on Dinky’s neck, gently stroking her mane in an effort to calm her down. In the same instance he raised his other hoof in the air, calling the stallion to halt before dropping it back down into the water.
“We can do this the easy way, or the hard way,” Noah said, projecting his voice to all instead of directing it to the guards in front, his eyes searching wistfully around the room. The unicorn guard stiffened slightly, the glow on her horn deepening as she readied a second spell for quick successive casting.
The scowl on the stallions face deepened further and with teeth gnashed together he ordered one word, “What!”
The atmosphere in the room chilled, not a sound was made except for the rolling bubbles of the spa. Noah stopped his goalless gazing and turned his stare on the stallion that ready to attack in front of the spa.
“We can do this the easy way, or the hard way,” Noah stated again, as the guard moved to speak once more, Noah held his hoof up again for silence, a solemn look covering his face. “If you’re going to be all intimidating you need give a suspect the choice of an easy way out, that and the line is so cliché that it begs to be used.”
The guards faltered, the scowling faces dropping slightly in astonishment, Lotus and Aloe had undergone a similar transformation at Noah’s actions. Only Dinky remained slightly fearful, Noah’s caring caresses of her mane soothing her anxiety.
Upon seeing the filly for the first time, the guard before Noah stood back from his low stance. “Will you come with us quietly, or do you prefer kicking and screaming?” He asked stoically.
A smile drifted across Noahs face, “Now you’re getting it, but back to the matter at hand, am-
“Don’t you mean hoof?” the unicorn asked.
“Hmm, oh right sorry slip of the tongue, back to the matter at hoof, you want to take me in for questioning concerning a couple of assaults, are you arresting me?”
“Well we just wanted to question you, but we were trying to do it without confrontation.” The mare shot her partner an angered look.
“And why can’t you just ask me the questions here?”
“Protocol,” spat the stallion, “We follow protocol to the letter and protocol says that we talk at town hall.”
“And if protocol was ignored just once?” Noah asked innocently, waving his hoof casually around.
“Impossible. It doesn’t happ–”
“Hypothetically speaking,” Noah interrupted, “Would there be any problem with you asking your questions here?”
“Ye-” started the stallion.
“No, no problem at all,” the mare interrupted, rubbing a hoof across her brow in exasperation.
Noah turned to Aloe and Lotus. “How much of a tab have I run up so far?” he whispered.
Aloe looked downward thoughtfully, mumbling numbers to herself, “So far with the two massage and spa packages you’ve accrued a one hundred and twenty bit tab.”
“Hmm, and how much extra would it cost to have these two relax while they ask their questions so that I can enjoy the rest of the spa?”
Lotus took over counting in her head, “Umm two standalone massages will cost another eighty bits all up.”
Noah looked thoughtful for a minute weighing the options in his head. He could cut his treatment short and go with the guards for their ‘questions’ or he could stay and enjoy the spa while they asked their away to their hearts desires.
“Alright,” Noah started, “You want to ask me questions, but I don’t want to get out of the spa. So it seems we have a little bit of a problem.”
“There will be a problem if you don’t get out of the spa and follow us,” the stallion replied, he received a quick rap on the back of his head by his partner.
Noah held a hoof up again for silence, “As I was saying, we have a little bit of a problem, so here is my solution. You can each get a massage and ask me the question here, that way you’re happy, I’m happy and Dinky doesn’t have to do anymore walking.”
The stallion opened his mouth to retort, but was quickly hushed by a tactically placed band of magic over his mouth by his unicorn partner. “We’ll be happy to accept your offer,” the mare responded with a bright smile. Whispering to her partner, “I don’t get to have a massage every other day so this is a treat for me, so you play nice, ask your questions and enjoy your massage or so help me I’ll kick your flank into next week,” she said with a snarl.
The stallion grumbled under his breath for a moment, “You know what,” he exclaimed out loud, “No I will not enjoy a massage, I will do the stallionly thing and take this guy in for questioning. At. Town. Hall.”
“What’s wrong,” Noah said sweetly, his eyes narrowed and a small sneer curled at the edge of his lips, “Too much of a coward for a massage, not brave enough.”
The guard looked at him through slitted eyes, “no-pony, NO. PONY. Calls me a coward-,” he started.
Noah quickly interrupted with a deadpan look and a flat voice, “Well then do the brave thing and get the massage, I’d hate to think what the rest of the guards would think of you when they found out you were too scared to get a massage.”
Four mouths dropped to the floor, Dinky was an exception, trying to hide her breakout of giggles behind her hoof. The stallion stood there, eyes wide at the mistreatment, sputtering in astonishment. “Told you, you should have just accepted the massage,” the unicorn whispered smugly.
“Shut it,” he grumbled back, “Fine you win, I’ll get the damn massage and I’ll do so with pride and bravery,” he exclaimed out loud with a proud look upon his face, more for his own benefit than anyone else’s. Strained smiles crept onto the faces of all the other ponies, grimaces at the pain of the stallion’s emasculation.
Noah nodded once the turned to Aloe and Lotus, “If it’s not too much hassle you wouldn’t mind seeing to these fine guards,” he said in a voice full of sincerity, “Make their troubles melt away whilst they ask their questions.”
The two nodded, Lotus motioned the guards over to the changing room whilst Aloe reset the massage tables. The spells the unicorn was charging were dropped, and the aura around her horn disappeared in a fizzle. The stallion holstered his spear across his back and followed his partner, his head hung low and he grumbled as he plodded behind her.
Returning not a minute later the two guards took up prone positions on the massage tables, each turning to face Noah dead on. “So down to business, what did you want to ask me?” Noah casually enquired.
“First of-oooooh,” the unicorn’s question drifted into contentedness as her massage began, her smile now emulating Dinky’s from before.
“First off,” the stallion took over, “Did you attack Tiger Lily earlier this hour?”
“No,” Noah’s response was hard and to the point, not wanting to dance around the subject.
“And did you attack Cherry Blossom at the hospital?”
“Was that her name?” Noah absently enquired, “No I did not.”
“Then do you want to explain to me how these two sisters both filled complaints of assault against, and I quote, ‘An unknown black behemoth of a bug pony.’” The guard had produced a small notebook and was flipping through the notes relevant to the investigation.
“Without any context, I was trying to get them to shut up,” Noah stated matter of fact, the unicorn perked up at his explanation, her ears swivelling to pay more attention whilst the rest of her body went on holiday.
“And with some context,” the mare asked, not wanting to jump to conclusions.
‘With context,” Noah thought for a moment, “With context they were doing a wonderful job at frightening poor Dinky here into tears and it is most heartbreaking to see such and adorable thing cry.”
At mention of her name and the role she had played Dinky rested her head over the side of the spa, looked the two guards straight on and began pouting as though she were about to cry. Three mares melted at the sight and the stallion felt his heart begin to crack. Only Noah was unaffected simply because he was behind her.
Noah gave a short laugh, “I swear, if you could weaponize that look, it would take down armies at a time.”
The two guards mulled over this new information, the unicorn seemed certain that Noah was in fact innocent and the flower sisters had been overreacting again, but her partner needed more convincing.
“It’s obvious the sisters were overreacting as usual,” the mare whispered, a rolled of her eyes accentuating her remark.
“No I don’t buy it, even when they are exaggerating they usually just run down the street screaming their heads off,” he whispered back.
“Well you have to admit he is very big.”
“Well yes.”
“And rather scary looking.”
“Yes, there is that.”
“And apparently rather quick as well.”
“I suppose, but I still don’t buy it.”
“Alright role play,” the mare stated, her tone of voice conveyed her displeasure to her partners bull headedness, “Something almost as big as a princess, covered in a bug like armour that is as black as night, comes rushing at you as you’re screaming and the only things that you see are those scary long fangs, deep blue eyes as big as saucers, and a blood red frill of a mane. Imagine that and tell me you wouldn’t be scared, even a little.”
The stallion had his eyes closed as his partner regaled his imagination, Lotus had stopped her massage of a moment and looked down at the pony, and the stallion was visibly quaking under her hooves.
His eyes flashed open, the fear that had filled them slowly was replaced with calm, he took a big gulp of air, “Alright, I concede that may be a little scary, fine you win, they overreacted.”
The mare pumped a hoof in the air in victory and turned to Noah, “Alright after a little deliberation we accept that the sisters may simply overreacted. Is there anything else you would like to add?”
“Well to be honest I did put my hoof in one of the sisters mouths, Cherry Blossom I think, and I may have done so a little too roughly, but I wasn’t trying to attack her.”
“Okay, we’ll add that to the report, and we will also need to interview anypony who saw that incident.”
“Oh um, Nurse Redheart would be able to help, she saw the whole thing.”
The unicorn nodded in acknowledgment before turning to Aloe and Lotus, “We will also need to take statements from you two, shouldn’t take too much longer.”
The Spa Ponies voiced their agreement. The guards took their statements one at a time as the massages went on. Noah and Dinky relaxed further into the spa, any worries, any troubles, all were left to float away as relaxation took hold.
Once more Noah found himself drifting in his thoughts, the sphere from before still remained elusive, but its burst of emotion was still evident. In his mind he floated above the hallway, looking down at the passage that housed his memories, he imagined himself rolling over and looked upward at a sky that felt familiar.
He could hear the echoes of four voices, two female and two male, their words could not be comprehended but it sounded like an informed discussion. Noah took no effort in attempting to decipher their words, instead basking in the relaxation. Before long the voices grew still, and above the silence two of voices came through clear, ‘A life may well be ruined,’ ‘This is of necessity, it has been decided.’
“Excuse me,” Noah came out of his semi slumber abruptly, the unicorn mare now redressed in her armour stood before him, “I said it has been decided, we need you to come with us to finish of this paper work.”
Noah looked towards Aloe, “How long have I been asleep?” he asked blearily
“Long enough,” Aloe responded, “You’re approaching the hour limit for the spa, any longer and I’ll need to start charging you again.”
“Well I suppose I should finish up now,” He turned back the guards in front of him, the stallion had finished in the change room as he was speaking, “Let me finish up and you may lead on. Dinky, will you be coming too?”
A soft yawn was all the response Dinky could muster, her eyes were falling shut at the levels of relaxation she had been subjected to.
Noah led the band of ponies into the change room he walked behind a privacy screen and threw the cloak back over his head. “Um, a little help here please,” came his cry not a moment later, Lotus gave a small sigh and rolled her eyes before helping out.
As he finished up all six made their way back to the reception, Dinky taking up a spot on his back behind his neck. “So how long is this going to take?” Noah asked absently, “I should probably get Dinky home soon.”
“It shouldn’t take too long,” the stallion replied, “We just gotta take down your details and finalise your punishment, shouldn’t be too heavy, just a public apology to Cherry for smacking her.”
“You shouldn’t worry about Dinky,” his partner said, “Her mother works out of Town hall as the mailmare she can take her home after her rounds.”
“Well sounds like a plan, just let me finalise the tab here and we can be on our way. Lotus how do you want to handle this?”
“Standard debt, pay it off over the course of a two months or sooner if you can and no hard feelings, just need a name,” She replied from behind the counter.
“You know what, I’ve given this name to just about everyone, sorry, everypony else. Put it down as No One, I don’t really know who I am.”
“No one huh, Mysterious. Well it was nice meeting you. See you soon.”
“See you soon Lotus, you too Aloe,” Noah called out, “Alright my guard ponies. Lead on.”
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Nice
It is a good story, Just keep up the development and I will be appeased :3
3607791& 3607396 i thankyou for the confidence
Nice story, will be following it
i wonder how the main six will react when they see him in town?
3611165 that may take a bit of time, my affinity for short chapters means I still have a bit of more minor conflict to get through before they meet. All in good time.
3612275 I thank thee. This is my first posted fan fic, let alone fimfic, so I was a bit apprehensive about how it would be recieved, especially with a human changeling tag.
3612302 Well, I like it. That's for sure.
Loved it!!! This is good for a first attempt at a story. I like stories like this. Could you perhaps add a bit more comedy please. Anyway you got a like and fab. Please update soon.., Thanks
3614250 I can't make any promises, two great sayings are
"you can't please everyone," and "Trying to please everyone often leads to pleasing no one,"
I will attempt to inject more humour, but I am not going to try and force it, otherwise it may seem to contrived.
On another note I may use those quotes in story some time.
After all that time avoiding to go to jail, he had to go there anyway, I hope there's no ambush.
So, an electrical engineer where all the machines run on unicorn magic. Which of course, the Pegasi don't have. But what the Pegasi do have is an excellent way to generate electricity. Which means Noah here can make a lot of cash if he plays his cards right.
6168517
rainbow factory?