94: Questions to be Answered
Oblivion was silent as Sasa mewled next to him and he opened his eyes as the sun filtered through the dark curtains. He said nothing as she pushed against his back and he could hear her thick fur rubbing against the fabric. The Witcher remained silent as he thought over the facts of where he was and what he needed to accomplish. He heard a deep sigh from Sasa as she also laid awake.
“Are you awake Chosen?” She finally asked after several seconds.
“Yes.” He replied and said nothing further to her.
“What are we going to do?”
“We need to meet up with Luna and Celestia to start the questioning of the ponies we have in custody.” He replied, his voice quiet.
“Oh glorious.” She replied her tone snarky as he nodded. “So are we going to question the lower ponies or just the leader?”
“I think Celestia wanted to question the lower ponies first.” He explained. “While I don’t think that will go anywhere I can see her reasoning.”
“Which is?”
“If I had to guess she is thinking that there may be information that the leader imparted to the ponies with him or that they were told behind his back.”
“Oh. I see.” She replied as she rolled to lay on her belly. “Do you think there is a chance that they have info that he doesn’t?”
Oblivion snorted as he pushed the comforter off of his body and he slid off the bed. “I doubt it. It’s possible but I greatly doubt anypony would risk the information getting out past those that can keep their mouths shut.”
“And you think their leader, Lock was his name right?” Oblivion nodded at her question and she went on. “Right. And you are thinking that there is no way he would have spoken to them about more than their goal?”
“Exactly. The odds are he told them that they were after something I carried but there is no chance he would tell them more than that.” Oblivion explained to her as he ruffled his feathers and stretched out the wings to their full height. The joints popped and he groaned as the muscles stretched.
Sasa yawned and jumped off the bed to stretch as he moved to the bathroom to brush out his mane and tail. His magic flowed as he picked up the brush and a wave of azure flame flowed over his fur as it was smoothed out and the fur gave off a shimmer of health as the flame faded. Sasa purred as he brushed out his mane and tail and set the brush back on the counter. He sighed as a flash of magic went to the band on his leg and his wings vanished from sight. His claws clicked on the polished floor of the room as he let them remain out as he moved toward the door. He lifted his hooves and his claws flexed and slid back into place within the bottom of his hooves. Behind him, Sasa purred and bumped his hip and his magic opened the bedroom door. He closed his eyes for a moment as he focused on finding the Alicorn’s and moving toward them. He walked past Blue Bloods door and toward the dining hall where the two Alicorn’s seemed to be.
“Are they nearby?” Sasa asked him as he moved through the door and out into the main hallway.
“Yes. They’re not too far. I think it’s the dining hall if I recall the design of the castle right.” He replied.
Oblivion didn’t say anything further to her as he led her through the hallways toward the dining room. He could see the spirits of the mares getting brighter as he neared them. The Witcher could see the open doors of the dining room ahead of him and he walked into the brightly lit room and he could see the two mares as they both smiled at the sight of him.
“Good morning Oblivion. And to you as well Sasa.” The white Alicorn said to them as they drew upon the table.
“Morning.” He replied and Sasa purred loudly in reply to them as he sat down in a chair across from the sisters and Sasa sat down next to the chair. “What is the plan for questioning them?”
“Take a moment Witcher. Enjoy a warm breakfast and then we will discuss what we think.” Luna said to him as she leaned forward in her chair.
He said nothing for several seconds before he nodded and waited for the meal to be brought to him.
Breakfast finished and Sasa nosed her plate into his hoof and he lifted it onto the table and leaned back in his chair, waiting for them to speak. Sasa was quiet beside him as she watched the Alicorns. Under their illusion, his wings flicked as he leaned back in his chair and watched as a servant came back into the room and took the plates and cups into their magic, and left them behind.
Celestia suddenly chuckled and leaned into the table in front of her. “You have been more than patient Witcher. I can see that you’re not one to dawdle.”
“I’m used to acting instead of waiting for things to happen in front of me.” He replied with a nod.
“I can see that. I should have known you would wish to act quickly. You acted even quicker when it came to your contracts with us. How would you have done things if it were your choice?” Celestia questioned.
“We would have questioned them the moment they arrived here.” He replied.
“Very well.” She giggled. “I am thinking that we will be questioning the lower ponies instead of the leader that you captured as well. Or do you think otherwise?”
Oblivion said nothing for a moment before he shrugged. “Questioning the lower ponies is an option but I don’t think they will be able to give us anything vital. Our focus should be on Lock.”
“I see.” Celestia nodded and looked away from him for a moment. “If the lower ponies do not give us anything after a couple of them then we will switch to him.”
Oblivion said nothing in reply and simply went along with her choice. “We captured four lower ponies and then we have Lock. While I disagree I will go along with your choice.”
Celestia and Luna both chuckled as he spoke and Celestia tipped her horn toward the door. The Witcher slid out of the chair and Sasa moved to allow him to move ahead of her. Luna trotted in front of him to lead him out of the dining room. Celestia was silent as she moved to go past the Witcher as he tipped his horn toward her younger sister. She moved past him and he fell in behind her with Sasa at his hip. He looked past them as they weaved through the hallways of the castle in a direction that he recognized as the same path they took before. He recognized the doors to the dungeon from before when he had come to question the pony from the attack on Canterlot.
“Do you wish to go first or are you okay following?” Celestia asked him and he tipped his horn to tell her to keep leading. “As you wish.” She chuckled and her magic opened the door ahead of them.
Oblivion said nothing as he looked through the bars at one of the ponies that he had captured the day before. The pony looked nervously between the three ponies ahead of him and then his eyes fell on the feline at their side.
“I’m not sure who he looks more afraid of, you, me, or them?” Sasa chuckled to him.
“Hard to say.” He replied to her. “They hold the strings to his fate so it might be them.”
Sasa growled and the pony cringed in his chair and Sasa chuckled in response. Oblivion looked to the Alicorn’s and he could see Celestia’s expression of compassion in comparison to her younger sister's more intense glare. His eyes fell on the Witcher and Oblivions blank expression seemed to unnerve him even further. He tried to make himself smaller in the chair as Celestia stepped forward and the two guards backed up in response to her presence.
“Hello, my little pony.” He said to him, her tone sweet. “I trust I do not need to explain to you why you are here.”
He nodded in response to her and Luna glared in silence as Oblivion stayed with her.
“Thee need to explain thyself.” Luna bellowed.
Oblivions ears were pinned at her volume as her voice echoed in the hallway. “Luna.” He said to her, his voice barely a whisper. “You don’t need to shout.”
The mare looked uncertain for a moment before she cringed and nodded. “We forgot.” She admitted.
He nodded in silence and his attention went back to the pony in the cell. Oblivion said nothing as Celestia began to speak to the pony further. He listened to her ask her questions and he could feel a bit of annoyance biting at the back of his mind. The Witcher took the weight off his right hind leg and he was silent as the questioning stalled and the Alicorn mare was fell quiet. The Unicorn was quiet as the white mare turned to look at him and he could see the frustration in her gaze. The answers they had been getting were not as detailed as what they had been hoping for. The information she was getting was basic at best. He knew the names of his teammates and precious little else.
“Next one,” Celestia said and moved to the cell next to the first pony.
Oblivion tuned it out and he waited for her to grow tired of getting the same basic answers that she was getting. Sasa leaned against his hip and he leaned back against her. He sighed as an hour ticked past them as the pony in the cell tried to give them what they know even though it was barely anything at all. All they knew was what little Lock had given them when they were called on to hunt down the Black Unicorn. Celestia gave a loud sigh and looked at the Unicorn behind her.
“You were right.” She finally breathed out and Oblivion gave a noise in reply. “We need to focus our efforts on their leader. You were right I just was hoping there was more that they could offer. Do you think asking the other two would help at all?” He shook his head and she sighed in reply. “Well, then I will lead you to him.”
“Well that was time wasted,” Luna growled as she fell in behind her sister.
“It’s never wasted time when you’re hunting for scraps of information, Luna,” Celestia said to her. “But I agree that we need to question their leader and see what he knows. And you are allowed to gloat if you wish Oblivion.” She giggled.
“No need.” He replied. “You already know I am correct, so there is no need for me to rub your snout in it.”
He heard her chuckle and several minutes passed as they reached a separate section of the dungeon and went through a separate set of doors and into a deeper section. The Witcher was quiet as they reached a set of guards that were looking at the group of them and they bowed their heads to the Alicorn’s as they reached them.
“Thank you for watching over him,” Celestia said to them and they nodded in reply to her. “You can take a break for a little while, we will take over from here.”
They bowed their heads once more and headed away from them. Oblivion watched as the pair of them vanished up the hallway and out of sight. His ears flicked and he could still their hoof steps but they were growing faint and finally faded to nothing. Celestia approached the cell and inside Lock was watching them. Oblivion could see that he had been pacing the room due to the dust trail in the room. He had been pacing the front of them by the bars, waiting for somepony to come to see him. Now he was watching them as closely as they were watching him. Oblivion could tell that look of a caged pony and he was fairly sure he knew how he would act. Lock moved to the back of the cell and pulled a chair up to the front and sat down to face them. Sasa grumbled at him and the pony’s eyes fell on her for several seconds before he trained his eyes on the Alicorn’s.
“Well, here we are.” He said to her. “You have my attention.”
“I am going to ask you to tell us what we want to know,” Celestia said to him and he sighed. “I trust I do not need to explain what we want to know.”
“No. I’m pretty sure I know what you want.” He said to her and his eyes fell on The Witcher. “But I’m pretty sure he knows I’m not going to tell you anything.”
Celestia looked over her shoulder to the Witcher and he was quiet as she watched him. “You do have a choice to talk to me though.”
“I know.” He replied to her, his tone easy and unhurried. “I am well aware that I can talk to you. I‘m just not going to tell you anything.”
“You have a choice,” Celestia said to him as she walked a couple of feet closer to the cell.
Lock chuckled and sighed. “Yeah, that’s what you don’t get, Princess. I really don’t.”
“Why do you think that?” She asked.
“Experience.”
Oblivion looked at the pony and his spirit was calm and unworried. He flicked his ears to listen as Celestia went on trying to convince the captured pony to talk to them. Oblivion took the weight off one hoof and cocked his hip as the questioning went on.
“So far this is a lesson in futility.” Sasa growled through their connection.
“I agree. But we can’t move in until they are ready for us to act.” Oblivion replied and he could see frustration leaking into Celestia’s spirit.
He glanced to the side of Luna and he could see anger and aggravation flowing over her spirit. The younger Alicorn shifted on her hooves and she sighed as the time went by. He watched the pair of ponies ahead of him and he could see Celestia losing her patience with Lock. It was a slow decline in her patience but it was happening and he was ready for her to break. Time slipped past and he leaned his weight onto his rear legs and Celestia finally gave in. A deep sigh escaped her as she looked over her shoulder to the Witcher.
“Okay. Your turn.” She sighed and backed up to allow him to approach the cell. “He’s all yours.”
Oblivion nodded to her and he passed by her and he approached the cell and Lock watched him approach. He could see the stubborn set of the ponies jaw and he seemed to stiffen as the Witcher stood outside of the cell. His horn lit and lashes went up from the ground and lashed the pony into place in the chair. Lock looked nervous for a moment before he stared at the black Unicorn, his jaw set. Sasa stayed back with Luna and Celestia and he could feel her gaze on his back. Oblivion gave an audible sigh and his horn remained lit as his aura surrounded the lock on the door. The door clicked open and he lifted the bound pony and the chair and set it down in the middle of the room to allow him to move to stand in front or on the side of the chair.
“So you’re lowering yourself to acting in their stead?” He sneered.
“Is that how it looks?” Oblivion replied, his voice low. “Is that what you think just happened?”
Lock looked past him to the Alicorn’s and then back to the Witcher. His eyes fell on the great tiger beside them and Oblivion heard her snarl from behind them. The pony looked away from her and back to him.
“Who is making the rules then?” He asked, his voice hesitant.
Oblivion looked at him for a second before a rare smile crossed onto his muzzle and he let his gaze fall into malice as he stared back at him. Lock leaned back into the chair at the Witchers expression. Oblivion leaned his head down until his mouth was next to the pony’s ear.
“I am.” He whispered into his ear and he saw Lock shudder in response.
Oblivion pulled his head back and waited as the pony stared at him. He could see Locks eyes dart to the Alicorns behind the Witcher. He flicked an ear back as he heard one of them shift their hooves.
“What did he say?” Luna whispered to her sister and he heard Celestia make a noise in reply.
He heard Sasa chuff quietly behind him. He stood in silence as he pony contemplated the situation he was now in. His mind went to the World Spirit as he felt it shift around him as the pony in front of him shifted as well. He could see Lock’s spirit shift as well and he found himself trying to decide whether to use it or not. His mind went over the ramifications of using it or trying to interrogate him on his own. As he considered it the idea of upsetting the Heart of the World crossed his mind as well. He remembered the look on her face as he spoke to her about using it. He cast a glance back to the Alicorn’s and then to Sasa. The feline raised her head slightly and her aqua eyes stared back at him, bright in the dim light of the hallway.
He closed his eyes for several seconds as he went over his options. His eyes snapped open as he decided not to chance to damage the World Spirit. “Not worth it.” He thought so Sasa as she tilted her head slightly at his words.
“Chosen?”
The Witcher raised one hoof and his orange eyes locked eyes with the pony in front of him. He stomped his hoof and a white aura surrounded Locks's head and the pony's eyes went wide for a second before they went slack and he stared straight ahead.
“What was that? Witcher?” Celestia asked from behind him.
“A skill called Axii.” He said as he looked over his shoulder at her.
“Good choice Chosen.” Sasa praised as he looked back at her for a moment. “Equestria would approve.”
“That’s one reason why I chose this.” He admitted to her.
“What is Axii?” Luna asked as he looked back at her.
“It’s a Witcher skill, a very minor magic that we Witchers are taught. It’s designed to charm or influence the minds of those it’s used on.”
“Meaning?”
“It affects the mind and can calm ponies when they are hysterical or even control the minds of some.” He replied as Celestia’s eyes went wide as he spoke to her. “The way I use it is to get answers from stubborn ponies.”
“So it is mind control?” Luna asked as she looked past him to the pony in the chair.
“I suppose that’s one way to think of it.” Sasa said to him.
“That is one way to look at it. It’s not incredibly potent but it varies in power depending on who it’s used on. Some ponies are more susceptible to its power while others aren’t.” He informed them.
“This is not the same method as you used before? Is it?” Celestia questioned.
“No. Last time I used the Element itself.” He replied.
“Why would you change your method?”
“The Element can only be pushed so far and I am choosing not to strain it.” He said to her, keeping the truth veiled with her and she nodded in understanding.
He turned his head back to Lock and the pony’s eyes had faded and Oblivion could tell that he was well under its power. The pony looked up at him and seemed to be waiting for the questions to be tossed at him. He breathed in a breath and held it for a second before he released it and focused on the pony.
“What is your full name?”
The pony did not immediately reply and Oblivion could see him trying to fight off Axii’s effects. Oblivion knew it would hold despite the pony’s attempts. Behind him, he heard Celestia make a curious noise and he looked back over his shoulder to see her leaning forward into the bars.
“Can he break free from that skill?” She asked, her eyes uncertain.
“It’s possible.” He replied. “If he had a strong enough mind he would not have been affected by it, to begin with. If his mind was able to shake it off all it would have done was stun him for a few seconds and we would be trying a different method.”
“I see,” Luna said to him and she looked past him to Lock. “So he can’t break free of it?”
“If he hasn’t already then no.” The Witcher responded and turned to face Lock once more. “Once again. What is your full name?”
“Lockpick.”
“How did you know where to find me?” He asked and Lock focused on him as he spoke.
“A noble pony informed the ponies ahead of me in the organization and I was tasked to bring the Element back so they could sell the entire set.” Lock informed him, his tone neutral and bland. “He leaked the information to us in exchange for something.”
“Which noble gave you the information?”
“I don’t know. I was given the information second-hand.” Lock quickly spoke in reply to the Witcher's question.
Oblivion looked over his shoulder and he looked at Celestia. “Does Blue know which noble was given which rumor?”
She nodded. “He knows the exact information each one was given.”
Behind him, Sasa purred as he turned back to Lock. “Leave the details out for now. When we need to we can question it further through Blue Blood.” Sasa said to him and he nodded slightly in reply to her.
“Where have the other Elements of Harmony been stored?”
“I have no idea.” Lock replied. “I was told to find the missing Element and then I would be told where to take it to get it with the others.”
Sasa growled quietly as Oblivion leaned back on his heels. A low sigh escaped him as he considered where to go with his questioning. He waited for a moment as Lock stared toward the front of the cell but his gaze did not fall on anypony specific.
“Who is paying you?”
“My boss pays me once the job is done.”
“How much?”
“The fee was Five thousand bits to retrieve the missing Element from you.”
“How are you paid?”
“The bits are transferred through several local and foreign banks to avoid suspicion.” Lock replied quickly.
Oblivion looked over his shoulder and Celestia looked disturbed at the information from the pony but she nodded to him, asking him to go on. The Witcher was quiet as he went over what he had learned so far.
“How many do you work with?”
“You killed most of my team but typically there are twenty ponies.”
“What is your position in the organization you work for?”
“I am a sub-leader under Hazel.”
“Where were you meant to go once you had the Element?”
“I needed to take it to Canterlot.”
“Where in Canterlot?”
“There is a bar in the red sector that we use as a meeting place called the Rusty Horseshoe. That’s where I needed to go with the Element.”
“What time were you scheduled to meet up there?”
“There was no time frame.”
“Was there a sign you were to give to signal you had it?”
“No, I was just going to show up and go into the back to use the secret entrance. That’s where we meet upon the completion of an assignment.”
“Oblivion.” Luna suddenly called to him.
He looked over his shoulder and the smaller Alicorn was motioning for him to come to them. He spun on his heel and walked the four steps toward the Alicorns. He reached them and they both leaned their horns down to nearly touching his to allow them to be closer to him to speak.
“I trust you're going to take this questioning somewhere?” Celestia asked.
“I had planned on finding out more about this organization that he is in. So far we know nothing about it outside of the bits Shining had originally.” Oblivion informed her.
“I see. I am sorry to have interrupted you.” Luna said to him.
“No harm done. I can refresh Axii any number of times to continue the questioning.” He said back to her as he spun once more and went back to the bound pony. “How many branches are in your organization?”
“Four.”
“Who leads them?”
“Hazel, Sky Star, Penny, and Trapper.”
"What is the name of the pony they answer to?”
“There is no pony.”
His ears flicked as the sound of grinding teeth caught his attention. A quick glance back told him Luna was grinding her teeth and glaring. His ears flicked back to Lockpick and he realized that he needed to change his wording to get an answer.
“What leads your organization?”
“An Abyssinian named Secret.”
He glanced back as Luna relaxed at another quick look from him. “Who leads what section?”
“Hazel leads the military, Sky Star oversees the storefronts, Penny watches over the Treasury, and Trapper is the leader to the research sector.”
“Is there anypony or anyone else that the ponies answer to?”
“Sunder.”
“And he is?”
“He acts as the intermediary between everypony and Secret. Anything that Secret needs to know goes to Sunder first. He watches over the four factions and reports back to Secret about them or anything else he observes.”
Oblivion fell silent as he processed what he had been told. He had learned about their organization and he knew that he had most likely run close to the time that Axii would wear off. As he considered the timing Lock shifted in his seat and the Elder Witcher looked back at him as he kept going.
“Will your group be missed if you do not return with the Element?”
“We were told to bring it back within one week of leaving Canterlot.”
“How much time remains?”
“Four days.”
His ears flicked as Celestia grumbled under her breath. He watched as Lockpick shook his head and his eyes focused on the ground for a moment and he seemed disoriented. He wavered in his chair and he seemed to have been knocked off his hooves and Oblivion moved back to the cell bars and the two Alicorn’s that waited. Sasa purred as he approached and he said nothing to her as she moved to join them.
“Now we know what the time frame we have is,” Oblivion said to them.
“I have no idea what we are going to do now,” Celestia admitted and her head hung slightly.
“Now we know who they are and we can track them down that way. We know where they meet and when they need to be back. I will see if I can get with Twilight and see if we can track down the case the Elements are in.”
“Explain?” Luna said to him, her expression inquisitive.
“Basically the case has not been broken into since they were stolen. The lock that had been placed on it by Twilight is still sound. She is the link that I can use to track the Elements themselves. Her magic is covering that case and I can use a spell I found in Starswirls book to track her magical signature.”
“I know that spell,” Celestia said to him. “But it is not designed to track the way you’re describing.”
“I have modified it slightly to work the way I want it to. It’s been modified but the basic plan is for it to track her magic and the signature of her aura. I should be able to track it.” He explained.
“Okay, so you’re going to use Twilights magic to track the magical lock she placed on the case itself,” Celestia asked him and he nodded. “Using Starswirls magical detection method?” He nodded once more. “But it’s not designed for long-term tracking so you have modified it to track long-distance so you have modified it to do just that.”
“Correct.”
Celestia looked away from him for a moment before she looked back at him her gaze intense. “I trust you know that we need those Elements back with their Bearers?” He nodded. “I am placing my faith and trust in you and my student to track them down now.”
He gazed back at her and gave a simple nod in response. “Using Twilights magic we should be able to track the Elements down. I think I might know where they are.”
“Oh?” Luna asked as her head gave a slight tilt.
“I don’t think the Elements are outside of Canterlot. I think they are inside the bar or close to it. If they are not inside the bar they are within the underground tunnels beneath Canterlot and that bar. The red sector is in the lower end of Canterlot correct?”
“Yes. It’s the other name for the red light district in the lower end of Canterlot. It’s not a large area but it does have many shady places inside of it. It’s patrolled by the guards sparingly but they don’t go in there unless they are needed.”
“So it regulates itself for the most part?” Oblivion asked her and she nodded. “All right so magic is easy to use there and we will have to see how Twilight and I track the case.”
“Please be careful with my student.”
“She is determined to help out in some way. I doubt I could stop her even if I tried.” Oblivion informed her.
“That’s true. She has nothing to make up for or prove to me. I am just glad she was not hurt by the thieves.”
“You and I can tell her that till the day we die but that will not stop her. I will do what I can but do not think she is too weak to defend herself.” Oblivion advised.
“Well said.” Sasa praised as he moved to leave the cell.
“Now we need to move forward. We have four days until they know their team has failed. Once that day passes then we are out of luck and they might move the case and the Elements will be more difficult to track.”
“I agree. What are you going to do now?” Celestia asked him as he left the cell.
“Now?” They both nodded. “We move forward and bring the Elements back to where they belong.”
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Sasa's talking, should be coloured.
feels less horsewords man.
I had to get gboard because the android long press bullshit was pissing me off.
I cannot believe the plot is getting this thick even before the wedding getting any start.
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I'm glad you're enjoying it.
Ive just finished chapter 60 and im questioning how much longer can he hide his wings lol btw love the story i shall continue to work on getting cought up
I am now caught up and want more i love this story
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I'm working on the next one now that I have time to myself. Lol.