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Animal, Vegetable, or Mineral?1,656 words
Does it need to sleep?1,514 words
Does it have any friends?1,524 words
What is it after?1,498 words
How many holes does it have?1,312 words
What is his job?1,377 words
Does it know any nursery rhymes?1,298 words
Where is its Queen?1,623 words
Who?1,842 words

What is his job?

"Once again, you changelings surprise me."

Edward sits bound in his chair in the interrogation room. The interrogator sits across from him and Needler stands in the corner with a neutral expression. The interrogator continues his thought. "I thought that even given a steady supply of love energy, it would take at least a week before you'd be healed enough to come back in here. Yet here you are and not three days have passed, how remarkable."

Edward glares at the interrogator.

"I'd imagine, your ability to kill others is only dwarfed by your own resilience to being killed." The interrogator says, glancing at him.

Edward doesn't move. The interrogator sighs. "I checked with the librarian and several custodians in the Canterlot Library and the Canterlot Archives. There were no missing star charts."

Edward and Needler exchange glances. Edward smiles. "It looks like you got me."

The interrogator shakes his head no. "I don't believe you were lying at all. I don't think you were referring to star charts but instead something else. 'A book of stars,' a book about constellations perhaps? No. Why go to such trouble to steal something anypony could have simply checked out of a library?"

Edward laughs. "I don't know if you've noticed but we changelings aren't exactly able to check books out of libraries."

The interrogator eyes Edward, skeptically. "I assumed you would shapeshift to look like a regular pony."

Edward shrugs. "Just any 'regular' pony? You said yourself we can't just make one up. Who would I change into?"

Now it's the interrogator's turn to laugh. "Oh, that's very good. However, we're talking about this 'book of stars,' not meaningless questions with useless answers."

Edward tilts his head. "Here I thought that all you dealt with was meaningless questions with useless answers. You're going to have to get rid of these contradictions if take your filly to work day will end with any success."

The interrogator's smile disappears to be replaced with a frown and an icy coldness enters the room. "Tell me what the book of stars is," he asks.

Edward smiles. "I'll give you a hint: it's worth far more than I am."

The interrogator laughs. "The hay fries I buy down the street are worth far more than you are."

Edward smiles. "Then you'd better start looking."

The interrogator sighs. "Needler, let's begin again."

Edward's eyes dart to Needler as she trots toward him,

And they begin again.

(*)

The interrogator slams his hooves down on the table. "I've looked everywhere; 'Skywatcher's history of the stars,' 'The parable of Nightmare Moon,' 'Binder's lexicon of star magic,' 'Spyglass Zoom's expanded lexicon of star magic,' star charts, star history's, a fashion book on star designs, and they're all still there. They're all exactly where they're supposed to be. I'm beginning to think your 'book of stars' is no more than a book of scapegoats."

Edward shrugs. "If you're so sure I was lying then why are you still looking?"

The interrogator brushes a bit of mane that fell over his eyes away. "Because I know you weren't lying. The changeling's found and retrieved this 'book of stars' during an attack on Canterlot. I know it exists; I just don't know where."

Edward shrugs. "Technically you don't know where, what, or when for this book you suppose exists."

The interrogator sighs. "I suppose not."

An uncomfortable silence follows.

Edward closes his eyes and links with Needler. What's the status on Jill?

Needler stands up slightly straighter, trying not to be noticed. Last I heard, she was still trying to get in.

Edward clenches his teeth. Useless Striker, what's her plan if Awakening happens early?

Needler shrugs. There's not much chance of that.

I thought they trained her to be able to get in places like this. Edwards twists in his bindings.

It's a bit more complicated than that; this place is sealed up like a drum and they're expecting changelings Striker's job is exactly as important as yours is, don't demean her. Needler snaps.

Each for us, changelings all. Edward repeats.

Exactly.

"What do you know about alicorn ascension, Edward?" The interrogator asks.

Edward opens his eyes. "Two eggs, a cup of sugar, a-"

The interrogator cuts him off. "Very amusing but I wasn't talking about that. I was talking about alicorn ascension. What do you know about it?"

Edward leans over and gasps as a wound opens, seeping blood. "I know everything about anything you don't want, and nothing about everything you do."

The interrogator stands up, trots over to Edward, leans over, and smiles. "Leave the needles in this time, Needler."

(*)

Where's Jill? Edward almost screams through the link.

Needler ignores the question. How do you feel?

Edward clenches his teeth. Through my nerves, where's Jill?

Needler hesitates. I don't know. I've lost contact with her. I thought you could try to link with her, see where she is.

Edward bites his tongue. Why do you think I asked where she was? I can't feel her anywhere.

I've worked with Jill before, she's a bit young but she's good. I'm sure she'll be fine. How do you feel? Needler persists.

It only hurts always. If I can't link with her then she's not here. Where did she go if not Tartarus?

I don't know.

"What's the matter, Edward? Not feeling too well?" The interrogator's voice breaks Edward's concentration.

Edward opens his eyes and glares at him.

"I didn't think so. Tell me about alicorn ascension." The interrogator states.

Edward starts to move but winces back to where he was. "You seem quite keen to find it. Lost hope of finding the book of stars?"

The interrogator's eyes light up. "Actually, that's exactly what I'm doing. How do you think the Canterlot Archives and royal library are structured? Stupid question, I'm sure you already know. Suffice to say it was much to my surprise to find that there actually were some books missing, but not taken by changelings." The interrogator stands up and starts furiously pacing. "One of the books I was looking through for a clue mentioned another book, one about an artifact known as the Alicorn Amulet. I checked the files and it said that several years ago it was collected and placed in the libraries, but it wasn't there." His pacing gets faster. "I finally thought I had found a lead to this book you would risk your species to get but I was summoned by the Princesses. According to them, the book wasn't missing at all but instead was in their private possession as was any book referencing alicorn ascension, or actually alicorns in general. So I'll ask again: what do you know about alicorn ascension?"

Edward grins, wincing again as he does so. "When a mommy alicorn and a daddy alicorn love each other very much,-"

The interrogator cuts in again. "Another lie, you must know quite a lot, don't you?"

Edward shrugs, moving just as little as possible. "We changelings deal in ponies, wouldn't you like to know all you can about what you're dealing with?"

The interrogator smiles. "Why do you think I'm here?"

Edward remains silent.

He continues. "I'll ask again: what do you know about alicorn ascension?"

Edward's grin grows wider. "More than you'll ever know."

The interrogator turns toward Needler. "Why don't you get some magnets?"

(*)

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