Strider

by Olakaan Peliik

Tall Tale VII

The Cage. Probably the most depressing part of the compound. Also the deepest, three underground levels of jail cells, with three sublevels of solitary confinement cells. One way in and out. No guard liked going in here, least of all me. Grey cement walls, iron bars, and creepy magic canceling runes etched into the walls to prevent magic from being used. Cramped and dark. This is not a place for a pegasus like me.

I entered the security checkpoint with Nyx and Sergeant Arrow. One of the sentries on duty, one of the only unicorns able to use magic in this section, cast a spell to see if we were carrying any weapons. I wasn't, as I had left my service sword in Sergeant Arrow’s office. All I had with me was my armor, and the file KG, Arrow, Nyx and I built against Whitefeather.

On the other side of the checkpoint was the warden of the section, Staff Sergeant Pain. He was a large brown earth pony with a dark green mane and wore an instructor's hat.

I moved through the checkpoint once being cleared and saluted Sergeant Pain. Nyx merely stood beside me, while Sergeant Arrow shook Pain’s hoof.

“Arrow, I understand you’ve been put in charge of this interrogation?” Pain asked.

I stayed silent and followed, while Arrow and Pain talked as we started through the section. “I have, but I will not be participating in this one, only overseeing,” Arrow replied.

“I would expect nothing less. Just here,” Pain turned and started toward another hall. “I gave Whitefeather some coffee. He's already in the room waiting for you.” We turned into a dead end hallway with a pair of doors on one side and a row of seats on the other, a single guard was standing at the end of the dead end.

“We will be watching from the other side of the glass,” Pain explained. “Nyx is here if any kind of legal hurdle comes our way.”

“Yeap, that’s my job,” Nyx nodded. They entered the observation room, leaving me in the hallway.

I took a deep breath and entered the interrogation room. Black walls, a two-way mirror allowing a view from the observation room, and a table that was bolted to the ground. The seats were little more than cushions. Sitting there in the seat farthest from the door was Whitefeather.

I sat down. “I didn’t do it!” he blurted.

I froze and stared at him. “You could wait till I accuse you of something before claiming innocence. Okay, pal?” I finished getting comfortable in the seat and started pretending to sift through the file.

His wings shifted uncontrollably. “Um, what is it you think I did?” he asked.

“Oh, I’m glad you asked, but let’s start with what we know you did, shall we?” I started pulling the pictures of his prior offenses and setting them on the table in front of him. “Let’s see here. Your first crime, you stole a fairly expensive statue from a newlywed couple that were away on their honeymoon. Clean getting in, clean getting out. Pawned it without a hitch.”

“I don't see what you're getting at,” Whitefeather cut in, trying not to look at the photographs.

“Give me a minute, I’m getting there.” I moved on to the pictures from the second heist that he pulled. “Oh, yeah, then there was that time you broke into a safe, stealing over two hundred bits worth of gems, all while the homeowner was out getting groceries.”

Whitefeather stayed silent. He was forcing himself to stare at a spot in the wall a bit over my head. I could almost audibly hear his confidence breaking.

I leaned forward a little, resting my forelegs on the table. He instinctively looked back at me. “Do you know what the difference is from these two heists you pulled are?”

Whitefeather raised a brow. “What?”

“The first was careful, safely executed, and had a near zero risk of being caught. The second was almost the opposite. The pony who owned the safe could have returned anytime. Why did you go after that safe?”

He shrugged. “It seemed like an easy heist,” he told me.

I gave him a look to let him know that I wouldn’t be buying any of his horseapples today. “Nope, I don't buy it. I think you wanted higher risk, the rush. That is why you got caught pickpocketing that business pony. You like the rush.”

Whitefeather averted his gaze, but I could see his brow furrowing as he silently fumed.

“Which is why I completely understand why an adrenaline junkie such as yourself, fresh out of jail, would take a job…” I started laying out the pictures of the evidence we found in his room, and pictures of clues Arrow found in Vanhoover. “Breaking into a military compound, way out of your league, to steal crates full of military weaponry, accompanied by at least one orange pegasus with a now mangled wing,” I finished.

Whitefeather stared at the table of evidence with wide eyes, his throat convulsing as he tried to speak. “I—”

“We already have written statements by several hospital workers in Vanhoover that put you with the pegasus that broke into the warehouse. And you were dumb enough to sign the hospital forms with your own name.” I paused. “At this point, you can only try to help yourself by telling us what we want to know.”

I watched him look over the pictures, weighing his options. I remained silent while he thought; I was starting to worry he was gonna ask for a lawyer. Whitefeather finally sat back and sighed.

“I want a deal,” he said.

I had to suppress a smirk. Gotcha/ “I'll see what I can do,” I told him. I gathered up the evidence and walked out of the interview room, closing the door behind him. He remained sitting where he was, breathing heavily.

Nyx, Arrow, and Pain came out of observation. “How did you do that? He didn't even ask for a lawyer!” Arrow asked dumbfounded.

“I thought he would ask for one when he got scared in the middle there,” I admitted.

Pain piped in. “Well, now he wants a deal. What do we do?”

Nyx cleared her throat. “That is why I'm here.” She started for the door to the interrogation room.

I opened it for her and followed her in. Whitefeather looked up, blinking at us as if he’d just woken up from a deep sleep. “Who are you?” he asked Nyx.

“I’m an attorney with the city,” Nyx explained, pulling out the chair and sitting down. She placed her front hooves on the table and looked evenly at Whitefeather, her demeanor now entirely business-like. “We are prepared to offer witness protection in exchange for what you know about these criminals. We know of some unicorns that can change the colors of your fur and feathers so you’ll be less recognizable and can set up an entirely new identity and past for yourself in another city. Whoever you are afraid of, they would have no chance of finding you.”

“Where would you send me?” he asked.

“Any city in Equestria you wish, but you will have monthly check-ins with the local Guard,” Nyx said.

Whitefeather stared at the table, his eyes darting from one side to the other. “Can I think on this?” he inquired looking up at us.

“You may. But while you think, just remember that lives rest on you telling us what you know. Including possibly your own,” Nyx said in a tone that conveyed the gravity of the information he was holding.

Nyx turned and signaled me to follow her outside the room. I followed, closing the door behind me. Arrow and Pain were already there, waiting for us.

“Well, not much to do now until he makes up his mind,” Arrow sighed, running a hoof through his mane.

“I can notify you when he does. We’ll keep an eye on him.” Pain said, signaling the guard at the end of the hall to retrieve Whitefeather from the Interrogation Room and take him back to his cell.

“We’ll be waiting for the update,” Arrow said, starting to leave. Nyx and I followed him out.

We made our way back over to Arrow’s office. I noticed that the sun had set, which meant that Aurora was likely already in her apartment. Knight Gaze was waiting for us outside the office.

“How’d it go?” he inquired.

“He wants a deal. Once he gets a deal, he’ll tell us everything he knows. But he’s thinking about it. So all we have to do now is wait.” Arrow looked up at a nearby clock. I followed his gaze, ten-fifteen. “Go get some rest, boys. We won't be hearing anything tonight.”

Nyx gathered her things and strode over to KG, her hips swaying and a flirtatious smile returning to her face. She leaned in and whispered something in his ear that made him turn a hilarious shade of red. He quickly saluted Sergeant Arrow and followed after her. I chuckled at the sight and saluted Sergeant Arrow as well before leaving.

---

I was relaxed. Aurora had fallen asleep in my forelegs, her breath brushing against my chest fur. I stared at the ceiling of her bedroom. I couldn’t help but wonder if the answer to this case was just under our noses. Sitting there, taunting us. Smugglers don't hire thieves, mercenaries do. But mercenaries don't do anything, much less hire somepony such as Whitefeather, without being hired themselves first. Also, why would somepony hire a thief to steal military weapons and ammo when they could get a decent set of weapons from a civilian store at much less risk? And how did they know which warehouse to go into? Unless—

I needed to go over the evidence again. Carefully I slid out from beside Aurora; she mumbled in her sleep, then snorted and rolled over, fortunately not waking up. I walked out into her living room, where the file that contained all our notes sat waiting on her coffee table. Bringing work home, I know. I’m obsessive that way.

Flipping it open, I spread out each of the pictures and the notes that went with them, using my hooves and wingtips in unison to get them in place. I looked at everything, allowing the images to flow in front of my face.

“Whitefealter’s portfolio on the warehouse heist and...” I mumbled in thought.

I looked back at a picture of the envelopes I had found just before the crossbow in Whitefeather’s closet. They all had the same addresses, and there were just as many letters as there were envelopes; they must be from who gave Whitefeather the instructions and the intel on the warehouse.

I stood up and paced around the couch. “It has to be somepony who either had or is in contact with either the Guard, the Navy, or the Army.” I started going through the rankings in my mind. “I doubt it'd be one of the third class guards. KG and I are the only two-second class guards here, and I’m pretty sure I didn’t hire these mercs.” I paused. “Maybe Knight…?”

A second later, I had to fight down a laugh. “Heck, no. He’s incapable.” I shook my head and resumed pacing. “It has to be a guard with Sergeant ranking or up,” I said to myself. “It’s not Aurora...it just can’t be. Not Arrow, either, and I doubt Sergeant Pain gets out much. Pepper is too busy to be a turncoat.” That didn't narrow down the list much. Still had the warrant officers to go through.

“Hey,” I heard Aurora mumbling. I turned around to see her leaning on the bedroom door frame, rubbing her eyes and yawning. “What are you doing up? It's the middle of the night,” she asked.

I stopped pacing on the other side of the coffee table. “It's just this case. Something is whispering at me that I missed something, but I can't understand it. It's bugging the heck out of me.”

She came over to me. “Maybe you could understand it better if you got some sleep. Come on, I want my heater. ” She tugged me along with her back into the bedroom.

“Oh, is that all I am to you?” I asked jokingly, getting back into bed with her.

She snuggled up next to me. “That, and very good company,” she giggled. She kissed me on the nose. “Just try and get some sleep. I'm sure the answer will be there in the morning.”

I got comfortable again and let her fall asleep against my chest. I put the case out of my mind as best I could, and then followed her lead and fell asleep.

---

The next morning, I was with Sergeant Arrow and KG in First Sergeant Aurora’s office, giving her an update on the case. Arrow was doing most of the explaining, KG and I were merely filling in the smaller details.

“—and now we're just waiting for Staff Sergeant Pain to inform us that Whitefeather made a decision,” Arrow finished.

“It sounds to me like things are well in hoof right now,” Aurora nodded looking at the written report in her magic. “Any theories on who or what this ‘H’ character might be?”

“I suspect Whitefeather knows,” Arrow commented.

“I know you suspect that. But what do your young protégés think?” She looked at KG. “Knight Gaze, what are your thoughts?”

“I was thinking somepony with a military background like an ex-army or navy pony, possibly even Griffon Military,” Knight reported.

I nodded in mild agreement. A griffon that is ex-military would know how to train others to use military weaponry, but it doesn't explain how they knew exactly which warehouse to hit.

“Strider?” Sergeant Aurora said getting my attention. “You definitely look as though you have a theory.”

I definitely did. “It has to be somepony in the guard, or army,” I started. “And I think the return address from the envelopes we found in Whitefeather’s closet is the key to finding them.”

“Return address?” Aurora looked at Arrow, expecting an answer.

“Yes, there was a box of envelopes in Whitefeather’s closet when Knight Gaze and Strider went to search it.”

“Can I see the address?” Aurora inquired.

KG wasted no time opening his copy of the evidence file and producing the photos of the envelopes.

Aurora took the pictures in her magic and examined them one by one. she read off. Then her expression changed to confused. “I've seen this address before. Yeah, just a few months ago when the commander’s mail got mixed up with mine. He—” She paused, her face changing to angry. “Son of a…” she mumbled the last bit under her breath.

She dropped the pictures on her desk stood and walked out with determination. Arrow followed and Knight Gaze and I did the same. She stormed down the Sergeant’s hall out the door and Into where the Commander’s office is. The door must have been locked because when Aurora tried to open it it just clicked a little bit.

“Arrow, Strider. Break it down!” she ordered with fury, backing away.

Not wanting to disobey her at the moment, Arrow and I did exactly that. Backing up to the door, we kicked our hind legs against the door. My side of the double doors merely flew open, but Arrow’s actually broke off the hinges. That’s earth pony strength for you.

Aurora didn't even wait for the door to finish falling, she rushed into the office and made her way around the desk. She tried to open a drawer on the desk, but her frustration grew when she discovered that a magic-proof padlock was on it. She didn’t wait for us to help; she just kicked it herself repeatedly until she broke it completely off.

KG gave me a look with raised eyebrows. I gulped. I really, really hoped that I never did anything to piss her off.

With the lock off, Aurora opened the drawer and rummaged through it.

“First Sergeant, not to speak out of turn, but breaking into the Commander’s office is a big offense,” KG said, sounding worried.

Aurora pulled an envelope from Halberd’s desk and looked at intensely. “Halberd is no longer in command,” she stated and turned the envelope to where we could see it.

“‘Commander Halberd. 4838 Yellow Rock Road Tall Tale, Equestria’,” I read off, the realization suddenly dawning before my eyes. “He’s ‘H’.”

“Send word to Canterlot.” Aurora started, the anger in her voice rising. “If I have my way, I’ll see that mercenary scum hang!”

Author's Note:

I'm curious as to how many of you saw that coming? I only really made the decision for this arc's villain once I wrote the (now former) commander. I never like my villains, with one accepttion. But honestly Halberd is like level one when compared to the next villain I have in mind. Although she doesn't have a name yet, and is modeled after one of my favorite criminals of history.

V.2

Comments

[Fistfire]

Enope

[Golden Rule]

Nyx merely stood beside me, while Sergeant Arrow shook Pain’s hoof.

That almost sounds like a metaphor.

My side of the double doors merely flew open, but Arrow’s actually broke of the hinges. That’s earth pony strength for you.
Sometimes referred to as "don't piss off women" strength

I don't know any historical criminals...does Moriarty count?

[Golden Rule]

She didn’t wait for us to help she just kicked it herself and broke the mechanism. With the lock off she opened the drawer and rummaged through it.

And just like that, the sales of padlocks plummets when they realize that literally any pony can break them at will

[Nobody Nick Particular]

Aurora took the pictures in her magic and examined them one by one. she read off.

Um, huh?

“ ‘Commander Halberd. 4838 Yellow Rock Road Tall Tale, Equestria',” I read off, the realization suddenly dawning before my eyes. “He’s ‘H’.”

FINALLY! And he only had to get smacked in the face with it. An investigator you ain't, son.

[Amos Anon]

I started suspecting Halberd two chapters ago. The fact that he was going on "vacation", and the fact that the Mercs seemed to know who strider was when they tried to kill him rose my suspicions, but the moment the story turned to military compounds being broken into, and the many letters with "H" on them, I was pretty sure about it.