Five Score – A Prench Tale Vol.1

by Alsey

12 – Law and Disorder

Amber's View

I don't know how Violette does it...

Between the stench of cheap detergent and the lingering reek of bodily fluids, I haven't been able to get any real shut-eye, yet she snoozed on the cell's hard bench without problem despite how much she whined about getting dirty last night. And now that it's morning, she's calmly using her magic to comb her mane, as we wait for our captors to decide on our fate...

Her first reaction, when the cops locked us in here? 'Oh, this place is really not up to code!'

...

Who cares!?

Her second reaction?

'To think that there's an hotel room waiting for us... I will have to check their refund policy.'

This mare has a really weird sense of priorities..!

I should stop listening to her and do something to get us out, seeing how my cellmate seems to be so dead-set on following the rules and behaving like a model prisoner. Doesn't she realize that they could do anything to us and get away scot-free? Last night she insisted that she knew how perilous our situation could be, and that we shouldn't blindly trust the authorities, but clearly it was only to placate me! You can't fight a system by playing by its rules, especially when they're stacked against you and nothing forces your oppressors to follow them!

How can I get us out of here? The door could be opened, if the lock isn't too complex. I have a fairly good mental picture of how they led us here, so I should be able to guide us back through the station towards an exit. But I've also noticed the cameras, and how tense some of the policemen seemed to be... If I manage to open the door, they'll know it instantly. I can barely see where the camera is through the door's dirty glass panels, and even if I could take it out that wouldn't afford us much more time. How would they react to an evasion? Would they just shoot us like rabid animals..? I tried to focus on 'a way out', but until now every attempt only yields the same route, which would certainly involve a dangerous scuffle... Circumstances may have put them against us, but these guys are only trying to do their job, misguided as it can be, I don't want to harm them if I can help it. I will if I have to, though.

I'm sure there's an optimal way, I just need to find it...

Maybe Violette knew from the start that we wouldn't be able to get out on our own so easily... But that doesn't make it less unnerving!

And I can't even pace properly in this tiny cell!

I buck the wall in frustration, even if the only thing it does is make my hooves hurt..!

“Please calm down Amber,” Violette sighs, “acting rowdy won't get us anywhere in this situation. It'll be all right, once we establish dialog I'll have this mess cleared in no time.”

I snort at what I feel is very misplaced confidence: “What kind of 'dialog' are you expecting now..? They weren't listening when they put us in here, and since then they didn't do anything but taking turns ogling at us!”

“That was... quite unpleasant, I admit. But this is an unprecedented situation, it's only natural that it would cause some trepidation.” She abandons her mane for a moment, pulling me towards her with her magic to pat me on the shoulder: “We just have to be patient, don't worry.”

Her attempt at reassuring me doesn't work, mainly because of this fake-looking smile plastered on her face. It's the same she's been sporting since we've been arrested, and just like the ones I could use myself while at work. If she really weren't worried, she wouldn't have to fake it so hard! Maybe she wasn't even really sleeping that night, just pretending!

I think that's what really upsets me, even more than the situation itself: the way she tries to make it sound like everything's all right and that she's in control! Because it's not, and she's certainly not either!

“We've got every reason to worry..!”, I huff, getting away from under her hoof.

“Amber, stop it; this kind of attitude won't get us anywhere.”, she answers curtly. Of course, as stern as her voice is, she's still looking the picture of composure and calm...

“Well acting like we're happy to be here won't help either! We're locked in a cell, we're completely at their mercy! Why don't you let me try something!?”

“For the last time, you will stay put. This has nothing to do with these 'Brigade' kinds you ranted about, or the person who pretended I'm a terrorist; we're dealing with policemen here, they're the good guys. Where does this tedious paranoia of yours come from anyway? I thought you were supposed to be the 'optimism pony'...”

“I'm optimistic, not stupid.”, I shoot back. “Maybe that should tell you something that even I think we're in real trouble!”

Finally, I begin to see some cracks in her façade: “Amber, that's enough!”, she scolds me as if I were a misbehaving foal. “What has gotten into you? I will not permit any accusation of uncooperative behavior! There's just too much in the balance, we have to be upstanding!”

“Fat lot of good that's been doing for us 'til now...”, I grumble.

Violette cups my snout in her magic, forcing me to look her in the eyes. I don't like being marehandled like this, but I'm growing weary of clashing with her, and at least she looks more concerned than angry: “Please..! You came with me on the condition that you wouldn't put yourself in danger, and acting belligerent in front of armed men definitely counts as putting yourself in danger! I understand your frustration, believe me I do, but for now I need you to trust me, and do what I tell you to do!”

I frown, not liking one bit how condescending she acts, but our ears turn towards the muffled sound of steps coming from the other side of the door, and my comeback dies in my throat.

I don't really think as I scuttle, following Violette's lead in sitting on the floor like the obedient ponies she wants us to be. “Smile and behave like a good filly, all right..?”, she whispers.

The door's viewing slot is unlatched, revealing the face of a young olive-skinned man: “Uh, good morning..?”, he ventures.

Oh! With his voice now I recognize him: he's one of the policemen who, er... arrested us last night.

Violette doesn't skip a beat: “Good morning sir!”, she greets him with saccharine cheerfulness. “What may we help you with? I would prefer if our already overextended stay didn't have to last more than necessary.”

“I, uh...”, he hesitates, visibly taken aback, “I'm not qualified to answer this question, Madam..?”

“I am Raphaël 'Vita Violette' Inquimbert, and this is Amber Spire.”, she declares. “To whom am I speaking?”

'Amber Spire'..? It has a nice ring to it, I'll admit, but where is she getting these names from?

And wait...

Did she just tell him her name is the same as the one of the guy they think is a terrorist!?

“Just 'officer' will have to do, I'm afraid. I—”

She doesn't let him begin his next sentence: “All right, then could you please tell me what time it is now, officer?”

“Well, that would be a quarter past eight, more or less.”, he answers, clearly not expecting to be the one being questioned here.

Violette barely contains her smirk: “Then not only did you not let us contact a family member, but we have largely exceeded the legal four hours you could keep us here to confirm our identity. If we are officially in custody, then you failed to tell us what crime we are suspected to have committed.”

“Uh, well,” he stammers, “that would be criminal association in relation to a terrorist undertaking.”

“Which is preposterous, if not unexpected, and still you didn't ask us to sign any procès-verbal.”, Violette states matter-of-factly. “Now what is the real reason, officer?”

Mr. Officer stares at her in disbelief: “Well the 'real' reason would be that you're a tiny purple talking horse, and we have yet to draft official procedures for your specific demographic...”, he snarks.

“Granted.”, she nods. “That's why I allowed some leeway, in regard to the novelty of the situation, but I think we are quite past that now.” She drops the colloquial tone: “Please tell your superiors that I demand to have my rights respected. My legal name is Raphaël Inquimbert, I know you have my ID card as well as a full backpack of official papers, and you will let me call my lawyer, if we are truly under arrest and this is not an awful case of police abuse.”

He chuckles nervously: “The thing is, uh... Sir? Madam..? See, that's kind of our first problem here, how are we supposed to check if you're really who, or what, you're claiming to be?”

“Then let me make some calls, and I will prove it to you without the shred of a doubt.”, she says, her amiable smile returning fully. “I want to collaborate, but you have to give me the chance to do it in the first place. As of now we're treated no better than convicted prisoners, if not worse; that single dog bowl of water last night was more insulting than anything... Would you please move us from this little cell to at least an interrogation room, as a gesture of goodwill?”

Violette's speech doesn't have the expected result, the policeman looking quite uncomfortable as he moves closer to the viewing slot: “I... I will relay your requests, but I can't promise anything. Some say we should just call animal control and get rid of you, with the real terrorists still at large – including one who, for some reason, is also named 'Raphaël Inquimbert'... Something tells me there's more to this story, isn't it..?”

“You didn't come to see us under orders, did you..?”, Violette whispers slyly.

“I don't see what you mean,” he winks at us, “this is just a regular check of cells. Say, you wouldn't be 'My Little Pony' ponies, by any chance..?”

“You guessed correctly, as far as we know.”, she confirms. “Are you familiar with the toys or the show?”

“Just looked them up this morning. I tried to bring it to my superiors' attention, but discussing children cartoons isn't their priority right now, and neither are you... I... I'm not sure it'd help anyway. The best you can hope for is waiting for all the craziness to die down...”

“That is not acceptable.”, Violette frowns. “Beyond the dreadful accommodations, we are expected at the Tribunal de Grande Instance tomorrow morning.”

He looks sorry for us, leaning even more against the door: “Like I said, I'll try to see who would be willing to listen to you and do something about your situation... But most people in this building would rather forget you're even here in the first place, I'm afraid.”

“Well it's not our fault we're here,” she remarks dryly, “you arrested us.”

“After you attempted to flee a police patrol... If you hadn't maybe we wouldn't be in this situation.”

“Oh, I suppose then that you and your colleague would have just wished us goodnight and left us be..?”, I mutter, Violette casting me a reproving look.

“Okay I admit,” he chuckles, “we probably would've arrested you anyway... You have to admit, you look pretty suspicious, you're, what, aliens? Novelty pets? Real magical creatures?”

“Get us to an interrogation room, and it'll be my pleasure to enlighten you to the best of my ability.”, she declares with a smile.

“Eh... Like I said, I'll see what I can do. But I have to make sure... Are these documents you carried really yours?”

“Absolutely.”

“So you admit that you really are, somehow, Mr. Raphaël Inquimbert, born May 3^rd, 1995?”

Please don't answer that..!

“The very same, even if I know my ID picture should be updated.”

... Dang it.

“Just my luck, huh?”, he smirks wistfully. “I capture the terrorist menace that has all the station in a frenzy, and she turns out to be a talking pony that freaks out everyone. Honestly, it'd be easier for all of us if you didn't claim to be this man, you know..?”

“I am who I am.”, Violette insists stubbornly. “What I am not is any kind of terrorist. This is pure libel, probably spread by an individual who tries to prevent me from getting to the TGI. The only person who should be in this cell right now is the one who lied to you and your colleagues!”

“You want me to believe that someone would've orchestrated all this... just to prevent a pony from getting to the Tribunal? What are you even going to the TGI for?”

“An audience to prove I really am myself, as it turns out. Please officer, have someone take a look at the folders in my backpack. They unambiguously detail my current medical condition, as well as what I have been up to these past few days. I know that my criminal record is empty, and I'm an upstanding citizen. I am just in the middle of an unusual situation, and someone is taking advantage of it to cast me as a criminal. Let's clear these baseless accusations of me being a terrorist, so that everyone can go back to their peaceful routine.”

He stares thoughtfully at us for a moment. “I want to trust you...”, he begins. “But like I said, what happens to you isn't up to me. I'll try to get things moving in the right direction, but in the meantime, I'll get you some breakfast, okay? Do you have, uh... Special dietary requirements?”

“As long as it isn't dog food, I think we're good.”, I quip.

“Alright,” he snickers, “be back in a minute.”

He closes the viewing slot, and as soon as I feel he's far enough, I turn to Violette:

“Why did you tell him you're who they're looking for!?”, I hiss! As if this wasn't complicated enough!

“Because I can't let them keep my backpack.”, she answers simply. “It'd probably be considered evidence, as there's my ID card inside, so we have to clear this mess before we walk out of here.”

The way she phrases it... “Wait... We could just 'walk out of here'..?”

“Being unable to prove one's identity isn't a crime, and they only had these four hours to try to identify us; past that, it was either letting us go, or charge us with a crime and place us into custody. As we still haven't been presented with a procès-verbal accusing us of any crime, despite that mention of 'criminal association', technically they have no right to keep us here.”

“So why giving them cause to suspect us in the first place!?”

She rolls her eyes like the answer's obvious. “They found us in possession of my ID card, thus we are already suspects in this terrorist case, as nonsensical as it is. I have no doubt that it's the sole reason they haven't shipped us to 'animal control' yet, and that our officer, as kind and helpful as he is, was also fishing for information, even if it was on his own initiative. His superiors' mistake is to refuse to treat us like real individuals, because by bypassing proper procedure they have invalidated any legal standing they could use against us.”

“I still want to point out that all your legal stuff only holds water if they choose to play by the rules... Which you just admitted they weren't doing already!”

“Those who choose to 'not play by the rules' are called criminals, Amber.”, she lectures. “Which we aren't, and most people aren't either, including police officers. By following the rules, we have society itself on our side, so even if right now some of these policemen may think they can get away with acting so rude, they'll come to regret it soon enough, you understand?”

Ugh... I hate how she talks down to me like this..!

We're again interrupted by the officer, who this time opens the door fully, and I can't help but try to discern ways to take advantage of it. He's holding packs of crackers and two little cartons of orange juice under his arm; I could make him trip into the cell maybe? But that plan's scrapped, as another policeman has joined him to watch us from the corridor; taking out two at a time is a little too risky.

I curse under my breath as Violette takes hold of our paltry breakfast with her magic, revealing fully our only ace in the hole! Both policemen draw back in surprise at seeing the food levitating in the air, and the one in the corridor immediately goes for his sidearm!

Fortunately for us, 'our' officer interposes himself: “It's alright Chris, they're not dangerous.”

'Chris' doesn't look too convinced: “Did you just see the same thing I did!? What are these things!? That just wasn't natural!”

“That's above our paygrade, that's what it is.”, our officer shrugs. “Let's just get this door closed and get back to work.”

“Yeah well, if they cause any damages with this... whatever it was, it'll be on you, Barry!”

'Barry'? That's a pretty unusual name, though it doesn't really suit him in my opinion.

They shut and lock the door, one set of steps drawing away before the viewing slot is reopened by Barry: “Sorry for that, everyone's been a little on edge...”, he whispers. “Lots of guys had to be called for the operation last night, and yet we didn't catch any of the terrorists we were looking for... Well, except for you.”

“We are not terrorists of any kind!”, complains Violette. “I told you, this is malicious and even criminal slander!”

“Yes, yes, I got that, calm down, it's just that we were looking for something, and we're still not quite sure what we've found. Now I've heard that the mayor's breathing down our neck to know why we didn't do our job properly, and the journalists are already claiming that this was all just a big waste of resources... So, I know that's not what you want to hear, but you'll have to hang in there just a little while longer, until some heads have the time to cool down a bit and look at the situation.”

“It's definitely not what I want to hear,” she grumbles, “but I understand that your hierarchy may have other priorities for the moment...”

“I promise I'll relay what you told me, and that I'll do my best to quicken things up. Just bear with it until then, it'll be alright. I have to go catch some sleep now, but I'll be back.”

He smiles at us, looking sorry to not be able to help more, and closes the viewing slot before walking away.

We're left to our breakfast, and the confines of our cell. I still don't know how I'll get us out of here, but at least it looks like we have a potential ally in the place...

---

Sweetchard's View

“... The city center was reopened to traffic at around six this morning, after the police confirmed that several suspects were taken into custody.”

The radio personality switches to the local weather. I don't think we'll have any more info on this 'foiled terrorist plot' or other possibly relevant news for now. I guess it's kinda encouraging that there wasn't any reports of 'strange ponies sighted' or 'captured' or worse, but at the same time we're still left in the dark...

We didn't notice anything amiss until less than a quarter-hour ago. Amber wasn't on her cot, when Crispy and I woke up. According to Rafale, the filly was with Violette last night, so we didn't worry. I even joked about what shenanigans the two unicorns could've been up to in Violette's room, much to Rafale's dismay. We started our day like usual, until we were all together in the kitchen – except for the two unicorns. Amber's reputation as a sleepyhead is well-earned, but Violette's usually a morning mare according to Bilberry. We waited for a while, until Sassie just had enough of staying still and barged into Violette's room.

It was empty. Rafale combed through the house, but they just weren't inside. She rushed to the orchard with Alex, through the rain and the wind. For our part we tried to find a way to call Violette's family, but both her laptop and her phone had disappeared with her, none of us had their contact info, and our search was fruitless. For now we can only wait for the food delivery guy, see if he knows more than us.

We all jump as the French doors slap open, and two soggy pegasi walk inside, Rafale leaning against Alex. I help her to one of the kitchen pillows; knowing her, she must've overexerted herself...

“Any news on your side..?”, she grunts, clutching at her left shoulder.

I shake my head. “We got Violette's last name from some papers, but the only 'Inquimbert' we could find numbers for were a 'Sandrine' and a 'Raphaël', and neither picked up on their landlines. And you?”

“They weren't in the outbuilding, or in the orchard... We went around the property, and I think the old metal door on the other side has budged slightly – they could have went out through there...”

“Yeah, but, why leaving in the first place?”, I question. “Maybe someone got in, saw them during their stroll, and took them away..?”

“I wouldn't be surprised if Violette left of her own accord.”, Crispy counters. “She was incensed at how the humans have cut the ground from under her hooves regarding the audience. Under these circumstances, she may have acted rashly, and decided to get to the High Court by her own means.”

She's got a point... “What about Amber then?”

“Come on Sweety, Amber's following Violette around like a lost puppy. She probably stuck with her.”

Rafale nods, looking grim: “I agree, that's our most parsimonious and likely option...”

“Then... What should we do?”, I ask. Last time one of us went missing outside, well... it was me. Can we really set up a rescue mission like Amber and Rafale did for Crispy and me..? Do they even need saving?

Everypony's ears turn as we hear a car parking in front of the house.

Bilberry gets up: “That must be the breakfast delivery. Could you help me, Sweetchard?”

“Oh, sure.”

I follow after the young earth pony to the terrace, kinda relieved to leave the planning to the others for now, though this relief's quickly tempered by how windy, humid, and chilly it is outside. We get to the large wooden gate in the outer wall, unbolting the heavy latch, then pulling open the panels just long enough to allow the gray delivery van to enter the yard.

The driver exits his vehicle and comes towards us. He doesn't look frightening at all, with his goofy logoed polo shirt and his friendly demeanor, but I can't help but still feel a little tense in front of this unknown human...

“Morning guys!”, he greets us in a thick Toulousian accent. “The flower lady isn't here today?”

“Hey Frank,” Bilberry greets him back, “about that... We don't know where Violette is, you wouldn't have heard anything from her folks by any chance?”

He shrugs. “Afraid not... I usually deal more with her than with them, but I can write you their number on the receipt, if it can help?”

“That could help a bunch yeah, thanks!”

“Good, good... Now let's get back to business!”, he claps his hands, going for the back of his van. “I've the usual breakfast fare for y'all.”

He unloads two big containers filled with pastries and jugs of orange juice, putting them directly on our backs. It's the first time I've carried heavy objects like this, and I need an instant to learn how to balance the container, but it turns out to be pretty easy. We get the breakfast to the kitchen, and carry the emptied and cleaned lunch and diner containers back to Frank. As promised he scribbles a phone number on the receipt, and after wishing us good luck we see him out. If I understand the process correctly, he'll come back with our other meals later today.

The others have started prepping the kitchen table for breakfast in the meantime, except for Rafale. As soon as Bilberry gives her the receipt, she relocates to the salon with her phone. We begin eating and drinking, but I can see that we all have at least one ear cocked towards the other room. I can only catch low mutterings though, and when Rafale finally joins us back a good five minutes later, she's looking a lot more somber than usual.

I discard my croissant, trotting to her: “Hey, what happened?”

She stares at me, and even if her face's a glowering mask, I can see the real concern in her eye: “I managed to get Vi's mother.”, she states tonelessly. “According to her, last night Vi and Amber met with Vi's sister, who drove them toward Toulouse. She was arrested by the police though, while Vi and Amber escaped into the city. She couldn't tell me more, and asked us to stay put for now.”

“Wait, 'escaped'? 'Arrested'!?”, Crispy cries out. “What have they done!?”

“Could it be linked to this terrorist stuff they talked about on the radio..?”, Bilberry proposes. “Maybe it was like, wrong place, wrong time?”

“Or they could be the 'terrorists'!”

“Hey, what's all this talk about terrorists?”, Sassie interrupts. “What happened?”

“Violette and Amber left for the city willingly, and they did something that has the police looking for them now!”

“We don't know that for sure.”, Rafale, uh, denies I think. “Like Bilberry said, it could just be a coincidence. I doubt either Vi or Amber could do something so drastic it would be referred to as 'terrorism'...”

“Funny you'd say that,” Crispy glares at her, “considering that's the exact same excuse my father used to search for us after we escaped! And what about that sister, who is in custody? Why would she be taken into custody in the first place if the police didn't have a good reason?”

“I... I don't know, I wasn't given more details.”

“This could be catastrophic! If Violette's sister knew where to pick them up, then she knows where we all are! It's only a matter of time before they come for us!”

“Hey, English please!”

“Violette's sister will lead the police here!”, Crispy exclaims.

“Would you please stop translating only the bits that we're not sure about?”, Rafale squints at my mare, before turning to a worried Sassie: “We only know that Vi's sister has been arrested, nothing more. There is no 'the police is coming'.”

The American pegasus frowns, clearly not convinced: “Yeah but you don't know that for sure, do you?”

“We don't know either way, that's all.”

“Well lucky us then, we shouldn't worry 'cause we just don't know! Seriously, couldn't you have done something to prevent this!?”

“Uh?”

“Oh don't play coy!”, Sassie growls, zeroing in on Rafale. “Who let them go without even trying to stop them, huh!? What did you expect, letting them both go out in the middle of the night!?”

I don't understand everything Sassie's saying, but I know I don't like her tone. Alex must share my opinion, because he pulls her away from Rafale, and they start arguing together on their side. Meanwhile Crispy's trying to convince Bilberry that we should pack and be on the lookout. I'm not sure what I can do, in this situation... I think maybe Crispy has a point, and I am worried, both for our two unicorns and for us, but I'm not sure we should start panicking either. I want to try to reassure her, but she always needs a little time to cool down before she can be reasoned with, so...

Wait, where's Rafale? She's usually the one who puts us in order. Looking around, I notice that the French doors have been reopened, and I go after her. She's standing on the terrace, anger etched on her face as she stares towards the city, pawing at the flagstones.

She turns to me as I get closer, the anger fading a bit from her features: “She's not wrong, you know... I should've been more attentive, it was so painfully obvious!”

“You mean, Violette and Amber running away?” I sit next to her. “Honestly neither look like the kind of mares to act like this.”

“And yet they did! Anything could've happened to them since they left! I should be out there, looking for them..!”

I try to touch her, but she shies away, predictably. “Yeah but we wouldn't be able to find them just like that in this big city, you know. At least Violette knows the place, right?”

“True... Amber is familiar with the city too, and they both have magic to help them...”

“Exactly.”, I nod as she slowly calms down. “We have to trust them for now, be pragmatic, yeah?”

“Indeed...”, she smirks. “Crispy isn't completely in the wrong either – even if Vi's sister doesn't talk, our location could still be found, especially if Amber and Vi try to come back here. Being more vigilant and preparing ourselves is pertinent in this regard.”

“Alright, how can I help?”

She smiles slightly now: “Calming down Crispy could be a good start. We all need to discuss what we should do.”

Eh... I guess I'm the best suited for this task! “Right away, Sarge!”, I salute.

Her squint doesn't completely erase her smile, but it'd be a bad idea to push my luck any further so I just walk back to the kitchen to try to see what I can do with Crispy.

---

Amber's View

Barry hasn't come back yet, and it's already the beginning of the afternoon. The policewoman who brought us our lunch was kind enough to get us a couple magazines to pass the time, even if she didn't look like she really believed what she was seeing. Though it was silly tabloids that Violette seems to somehow enjoy and a six-year-old Le Chasseur Français that made me slightly uncomfortable, it was still a welcome distraction.

Otherwise, it seems our situation is... 'stable', to try to put a positive spin on it..? I don't know what these humans are thinking, if I came face-to-face with a new friendly lifeform I wouldn't be able to contain my excitement! Granted, we're not exactly 'new-new', being equines and former humans, but we're still very friendly, that should count for something!

Violette's good manners are slowly beginning to wear themselves out, after so long in this tiny cell: I'm pretty sure the Violette of this morning wouldn't have sanctioned current-Violette's ongoing redecoration of our prison with flower prints from floor to ceiling. I admit that there's some satisfaction to be found, in the fact that her holier-than-thou, haughty front is starting to let her irritation show. Maybe that's not very nice of me, but at least it doesn't leave me with the impression that I am the one reacting out of all proportion...

Our attempts at killing time come to an end when we catch the sound of multiple sets of steps going down the corridor in our direction. We get back into our 'good ponies' pose in front of the door, waiting for the viewing slot to be unlatched, but this time I'm surprised to see the whole door opening right away!

Four humans are standing on the other side, garbed in dark blue: three policemen and a policewoman, though apart from maybe one who I think I remember from the initial rounds of ogling last night, none that we've already met. They're all armed, of course, and carrying the same black blankets Barry and his colleague used to conceal us when we were brought here. 'For avoiding undue attention', they said at the time... Not like we had much of a choice in the matter anyway!

What is definitely new, though, is the pair of leather muzzles and leashes they have with them, as well as a regular plastic bag.

“Your request for transportation to the Tribunal de Grande Instance has been authorized.”, says the policewoman, staring us down with her piercing blue eyes. “Please follow our instructions and come with us.”

“Ah, now this is excellent news!”, Violette beams. “Must I conclude from this that all charges against us, if there were any in the first place, have been dropped?”

As is common when humans interact with us for the first time, they all look a little unsettled as soon as we start talking back. Maybe it's seeing human expressions and a human-sounding voice coming from a non-human face? Their reactions range from squeamishness for one man, to deep frowns for the other two, while the policewoman hides her own quite well: “Yes, and we are sorry for the inconvenience.”

She says that, but she doesn't look contrite in the least. I suppose that's the best we can hope for from our proud Police Nationale...

“I understand that the situation is unprecedented. If we are cleared, could I have my backpack please?”

The policewoman shakes her head. “Your belongings will be transferred along with you, but unfortunately you will not have access to them until you are delivered to the Tribunal's security service.”

“Oh, and whyever is that?”, scoffs Violette. “I demand that my backpack be returned to me this instant!”

“This is not part of the deal.”

“What 'deal'? I didn't agree to any 'deal'! What kind of condition is this!?”

“The deal is pretty simple: follow our instructions, and we get you to the Tribunal. We must still ensure that you are not a danger to the public, this is non-negotiable.”

“Oh, and beyond depriving me of my belongings for some obscure reason, what does that entail exactly?”

Hehe, I like 'assertive Violette' a lot more than the 'agreeable doormat' version!

“You will have to wear these muzzles, and—”

“'Muzzles'!? This is ludicrous! Who do you think you are!?”

“We are improvising.”, the policewoman scowls. “Handcuffs aren't long or sturdy enough to serve as hobbles.”

On this she's not wrong. They tried to 'hoofcuff' us last night, but we could barely shuffle like that, so in the end they had to carry us.

“This kind of restraint is completely unnecessary in the first place!”

The woman crosses her arms firmly. “Like we said, non-negotiable.”

Violette fumes, and for good reason: this is really insulting, we're not feral animals! And what are they even trying to prevent by muzzling us?

But what choice do we have right now..?

Violette seems to come to the same conclusion: “I accept your conditions, but I want to see my backpack.”

The burliest man of the lot opens the plastic bag he's carrying, letting show the straps of what looks like Violette's backpack inside.

“May I check the content?”

They clearly didn't anticipate this demand, seeing how they're glancing at each other. “You may...”, agrees the policewoman after an instant. The burly man comes closer, keeping the bag close to his chest as he opens it wider, but he jumps back with a high-pitched yelp when Violette uses her magic to fish her backpack out of the bag! The other three humans step back too, and one of the other men, the one with a goatee, actually pulls his gun, aiming it right at Violette!

Time seems to stop, as I replay in my mind how to perform the 'laser beam' spell, and instinctively evaluate which way I should fire it to put this man out of commission, permanently or not.

What saves him, and us too probably, is the policewoman putting her hand in front of her colleague, obstructing his line of sight. That disturbs his deadly focus on my fellow unicorn, and after an awfully tense moment, he lowers his weapon.

The woman whispers something I can't quite catch to him, before turning back to us, enraged: “What do you think you're doing!?”

“I'm only looking inside.”, Violette answers calmly as she brings the backpack closer. I don't think she even flinched when the human menaced to shoot her, this mare has some guts!!

My eyes stay on the policeman and his friends as Violette search through her stuff. I want to be ready to retaliate at the slightest hint of hostile intent.

“Where is my wallet?”

It's the second time that the woman, who acted so self-assured up to that point, hesitates before giving an answer: “It will be kept here... Until you can deliver an official proof of identity, that is. It's just procedure.”

I don't like this... If it were 'just procedure', she shouldn't have any reason to be so uncertain all of a sudden.

And what did she whisper to her colleague? Why did she have to whisper anything in the first place?

But Violette seems to buy it: “... Very well. I will come back tomorrow to claim it. Now please take good care of this.”, she says, levitating veeeery slowly her backpack to the burly man, who takes it as gingerly as if he feared to have his fingers burned, and quickly hides it in the plastic bag.

The man carrying the muzzles, mister 'squeamish', comes forward with the ugly things, and starts fitting Violette with one. He's quite deft with his fingers and works quickly; I suppose he's used to this kind of device, maybe he's a dog handler. The 'finishing touch' is securing the front of the muzzle with a leash, then the man moves towards me. I don't stop glaring at him, gritting my teeth as the smelly leather is strapped to my face and the leash clicks into place. He has the decency to mouth a quiet 'sorry' when he's finished, at least.

He now unfolds the blankets, and covers Violette completely; she must be barely able to see her forehooves! As my turn comes, I give a pointed glance to the camera in the corridor. I hope they're recording this, because once Violette will have us recognized as full citizens again, it'll be prime pony-rights scandal material!

Most of my vision is obscured by the blanket falling over me. I really don't like this... I know our eyes are comparatively large, but are they that freaky-looking that they insist on hiding them from view?

Let's be honest, this is all suspect as heck! I'm still following Violette's lead here, but maybe I shouldn't... After all these hours with no change to our situation, is she latching onto this suspicious 'deal' just to get things moving in some direction?

What proof do we have that these four humans are really on our side..?

Dang it, I should've said something earlier! Why do I become so passive when I'm around her!?

“Violette,” I manage to whisper through the constricting muzzle, “I've a bad feeling about this, we shouldn't follow them..!”

“Don't worry,” comes her muffled voice, “I've noted their collar numbers, so they better think twice before abusing their authority!”

“That's not what I—”

“Be quiet now,” the policewoman orders, “and follow us.”

I hear Violette's hooves clicking on the floor as she's being led out of the cell. What should I do!? I can't let them take her away!

“Move you!”, says mister 'burly' as I feel myself being tugged forward by the leash. I try to resist, but he's a lot stronger than I am, what could I do?

Oh, I know!

I crouch, then let myself fall limply on my side.

“What!? Get back up!”, barks the man still pulling at the leash, the straps painfully biting into the back of my ears!

“Amber..?”, Violette asks, worried.

The man just drags me on the tiles at first, enough that it gets the blanket away from my face. I can see now how the humans glare angrily at me as I'm putting a spanner in their plan, and I smirk at their ire!

Violette lifts the front of her blanket with a forehoof. “Amber? What are you doing!? Get back up immediately!”, she commands with her muted voice.

“No!”, I manage to get out, the muzzle still preventing me from speaking up as much as I'd like to. “We can't trust them!”

“They're police officers! I don't like their manners any more than you do, but they're still helping us! Don't make it harder than it already is!”

“Will you both be quiet!?”, yells the policewoman as she pulls the blanket back over Violette's face, before turning to mister 'burly': “Just grab it if it doesn't want to walk, we don't have all day!”

The man grunts but does as he's ordered, lifting me up almost effortlessly and constricting my body between his left arm and side, my hooves dangling in the air. The woman gives me one last look of utter contempt, before getting my blanket back in place.

Dang it, why do I have to be so small and light!?

I can't see much more than the floor sweeping away under the man's feet as they lead us through the station. The way he's holding me is painful, I can hardly breathe, it makes it hard to follow exactly which turns and bends we're taking..! I'm pretty sure this is not the same path we took last night though. I really want to share Violette's conviction that they're truly here to help us, but the way they're dealing with us is not inspiring confidence, and is even a far cry from how Barry and his colleague acted with us! So what, is it just because these four are white, young-looking police officers that they'd automatically be on our side!?

Both the luminosity and the temperature shift as we get out of the building. At least now we're outside, we could try to slip away, and—

“Hey guys, what are you doing with the ponies?”

Oh it's Barry's voice, I recognize it! What took you so long to come back!?

“Moving them out to a more secure location.”, the policewoman answers curtly. We don't even stop walking.

“What? I thought we were waiting on any word from the higher-ups? I haven't been informed of any change.”

“It's been dealt with. Chief's orders.”

He didn't know...

He should have known! He's been involved since the beginning, he should've at least heard about it if these 'orders' were real!!

I pray for Barry to try to stop them, to challenge their flimsy excuse, but he doesn't! I try to call for him, but muzzle and blanket cover my voice, he's now too far to hear, and the man carrying me squeezes me even tighter in response! I have to do something!!

A way to draw Barry's attention, that's what I need right now! Quick Amber, think!! If only I didn't have this stupid muzzle, I could scream!

That's it, let's get rid of this thing! I hope our captors don't notice my hornglow, between the blanket and the daylight, as I feel along the straps to reach the buckle behind my head. I work as fast as I can, pulling at my mane in the process, but it works! Now if only my lungs weren't so constricted..!

Well, only one way for that!

I wait for the man to lift his foot, I encase his ankle in my magic, and I push it away as far and as strongly as I can to the left!

He curses as he loses his balance, and his grip lessens just enough for me to twist away from under his arm! I barely manage to cushion my fall on the hard pavement but I don't care, I finish removing that nasty muzzle and cast the blanket away!

I find myself in the middle of a narrow parking lot, sandwiched by buildings on all sides, the only ways out being either to the right behind us, towards what looks like to be the main courtyard of the police station, or directly to the front, behind the vehicle gates. The policewoman just opened the back of a black civilian van, but I won't let us get inside this deathtrap!

“Help!!”, I shout as loudly as I can! “Barry, help!!”

I see stars as I receive a violent kick right in my snout, and another kick in my barrel makes me whiz and cough..!

“What have you done!?”, roars the man standing over me as he readies another kick!

“Please excuse her officer!”, Violette shrieks; she must've removed her muzzle too, even if she's still under her blanket. “She's been really stressed out, she didn't think!”

I use the distraction to crawl away from my attacker, blood dripping from my nose. Where's Barry, he should've heard me! Oh please don't tell me he's already inside!

“You stop right here, monster!”, the man with the goatee sneers at me, as he pulls out his gun...

... And points it right at Violette's head!!

“Thinking about it, we really only need one of you..!”

“Shut up you idiot, not so loud!”, the policewoman complains, but she doesn't hold him back either!

What should I do!? Now they can see my magic, and they're surrounding me!

I catch Violette's ears folding back under the blanket, still oblivious to what's happening: “Then take me if you have to, but please don't hurt her!”

“No! He has his gun pointed at you!”, I scream!

“What the hell's going on here!?”, comes Barry's voice from behind us, at long last!!

“Just a prisoner causing trouble,” the burly man growls as he's moving closer to me, “that's none of your business!”

“By aiming right at their head!?”

“I said that's none of your business!”

Barry's hand goes for his belt, and his radio, but in response the burly man moves to get his gun!

He's too distracted by Barry to stop me from wrenching the gun out of its holster with my magic, and I scamper away from him with the weapon levitating right beside me, before pointing it at the goateed bastard holding Violette hostage: “If you hurt her I'll put a bullet right between your eyes!”

The confident sneer leaves his face, but he doesn't stop threatening Violette.

“Please pony, don't do that..!” I glance at Barry, and I shiver as I see that he's now getting both his radio and his own gun! “I don't want to have to shoot you.”

Oh not you too! You're supposed to help, not betray us! “I'm only doing what I'm forced to do!!”

“You should listen to your 'friend'!”, calls the policewoman, as she too starts pulling her gun out of the holster.

I notice the little flick of the thumb she gives to the side of the weapon though, and I immediately do the same with mine. All the humans freeze completely at this; it must've been the security lever.

“Even if you fire, you won't be able to get us all..!”, snarls the man with the goatee.

“Maybe not, but at least one of you will still bite the dust, 'cause believe me, I won't miss!”, I counter, the adrenaline in my veins making up for my utter lack of any kind of plan. “Violette! What are you waiting for for getting out of this stupid blanket!”

The mare finally sheds the dark fabric, and recoils in surprise when she finds herself on the wrong end of a gun's barrel. “Amber, what have you done!?”

How is it always my fault, darn it!? “I'm trying to save us!” Casting quick looks around, I think I recognize the building, and where it sits in the city. “All right Violette, if you get through these gates you can try to take the subway, it's just half a dozen stations before the Tribunal, you can make it! I'll delay them as long as I can!” Once I'm sure she's gotten away, I'll just have to go around the humans, some way or the other, and—

“No.”

...

“What, 'no'!? Are you crazy!?”

And would you please stop finding all-new reasons for me to get angry at you!?

Gosh, as if I wasn't tense enough already! I can see that the humans are watching intently, just waiting for a chance to act! And now, instead of going for the gates, Violette's walking back towards the station, and Barry! My only little relief is that he isn't pointing his weapon at me in the end, just keeping it at the ready. I don't have much choice now, I'll have to trust Barry, so I slowly back away in his direction too, exposing my back to him. I still keep the gun trained on all these armed jerks, daring them to try something!

“It's too late Amber; the cat, or should I say the pony, is out of the bag...”, she sighs once she gets to my level, and we both draw back at Barry's side. “What would you have us do? We can't be fugitives for the rest of our lives. We have to deal with humans on their level now.”

“You can't tell me you'd still go with these guys!?”

“Of course not, and... You were right. I was too quick to trust them, just because they're wearing a badge and uniform doesn't mean they... That they can't wish us harm, too..!”

“Then why the heck to you want to stay!?”, I hiss through gritted teeth.

“Because even if some of its constituents are rotten, I still believe in the institution itself, and its ideal of justice. Yes, this definitely proves that there is real, dangerous opposition against us, but I won't back down on my beliefs; that would be admitting defeat before the fight has even started!”

I would facehoof if I didn't need both eyes wide open right now..!

“I won't stop you if you want to go, though. But... Please stay with me Amber, for your own safety, and... And for me..?”

That's tempting. Oh-so-very tempting! To just leave this madmare to her delusions, to not have to deal with her harebrained plans, but...

Well, bad decisions must come in threes, 'cause... I can't just leave her. Couldn't let her go alone, couldn't abandon her in the city... and can't walk out on her when the truly hard part begins...

I must be really stupid myself, right..?

Anyway... It's not like I could've escaped so easily, during her mini-speech I heard a bunch of humans coming behind us, certainly from inside the police station. Not surprising, with all the racket we caused. At least that discouraged our would-be captors; even if they still hold their weapons in hand, they point them towards the ground now.

*sigh*

I switch the security lever back on, and levitate the gun to Barry.

“You did the right thing, pony.”, he tells me, visibly relieved.

Yeah... I hope you're right...

“I think the time for waiting is over.”, Violette states. “Could you please retrieve my backpack, Barry? It's in the plastic bag this individual is carrying.”

“Yes ma'am.” Our friendly officer snatches the bag away from the burly one, looking quickly inside to confirm its content. “Well, threatening unarmed prisoners at gunpoint, and tempering with material evidence... You guys really dug your own hole here.”

“That they did.”, nods Violette. “We should meet with your superiors without delay, Barry.”

“After what just happened, I don't think they would've it any other way... Come on, let's get you both inside.”

Barry holsters his gun, and leads us back towards the building. We pass through the little crowd of police officers and paper-pushers who came down to see what was happening, being gawked at openly. 'Out of the bag' indeed...

This time we forgo the little cramped cells, fortunately, and arrive in a large lounge. I make a beeline for the old greenish couch in a corner, collapsing on its coarse fabric. After a night with practically no sleep, and now with the pains in my snout and in my ribs more salient as my heart isn't beating a kilometer a minute, I feel drained..!

Buuuuut this day clearly has it against me, because no sooner are we here that the policewoman who tried to abduct us and her goateed crony join us too, staring daggers at our little trio.

“These beasts are dangerous, they should be back in a cell!”, she scowls. “They could've killed us!”

“And you tried to kill us too, so I'll say we're even..!”, I grumble, though Violette shushes me.

“Well what I saw was an officer holding an unarmed prisoner at gunpoint,” Barry glares back at the woman, “while another officer had beaten the second unarmed prisoner, who only reacted in self-defense when she feared for her life and that of her friend's... Sounds pretty clear to me who are the real 'beasts', here...”

Hehe, yeah, take that!

“You shouldn't play this kind of game...”, the policewoman threatens our ally. “You never know how it may burn you down the road.”

“Could someone tell me what all this goddamn mess is about!?”, comes a thundering voice, as a middle-aged, mustachioed fellow barges into the room. From his more elaborate insignia, I'd bet he's the Chief.

“These animals have tried to escape, sir!” the policewoman is quick to assert, of course...

“Actually, sir,” Barry interjects, “these two prisoners were taken out of their cell and led outside by four of our officers, who proceeded to threaten said prisoners with deadly force. Oh, and they also stole evidence from the 'Inquimbert' case.”

The Chief turns towards the woman first: “How did they escape?”

She looks taken aback, maybe not expecting to not be trusted on her word. “Well sir, we... We're not sure, but these hoofed monsters are dangerous, we can't let them loiter here without taking every necessary precaution!”

Hmm... 'Hoofed monsters'. Where did I hear that..?

Oh, yes! “Hey,” I call to the woman, who glares at me, “you wouldn't be a member of the Brigade by any chance?”

It's like I've slapped her in the face, and it carries to her friend with the goatee. Right on target, it seems!

“Quiet, prisoner!”, the Chief grumbles before turning to Barry: “Now what's this 'stealing evidence' business?”

He pulls out Violette's backpack from the bag. “This, sir. You may recognize it.”

“I do...”, the Chief frowns. “Where did you find it?”

“One of the four officers had it in his possession. I presume they took it away from the evidence room at the same time as they tried to get away with the prisoners. We have multiple witnesses, by the way.”

“Is it why all the cameras in the building have suddenly gone offline?”, the Chief asks pointedly to the policewoman.

She's at a loss for words, but her friend isn't: “We only acted under orders from lieutenant Baptiste, sir!”

Yeah... Well you really didn't look like you disagreed with your orders..!

“... So you confirm the version of officer Bahri?”

“I, uh... Yes, sir...”, he mumbles, while the policewoman looks like she wants to strangle him!

“I see... Then ask lieutenant Baptiste to meet me in my office, because we seem to have a lot to talk about! After that, and until I decide how to deal with you, you're consigned to the mess hall, you two and any of your other accomplices. Am I clear?”

“Yes, sir...”, they both mutter, before leaving the room.

Well, I would've put them in a cell right away!

“Now, as for you,” says the Chief as he turns towards Barry, “you're to watch these two, uh, 'individuals' until we can get rid of them. We've been called by a suit who'll know how to deal with this madness, hopefully...”

So that's their solution to the problem, palming us off to someone else..?

I suppose it could be worse... Though that'll depend on how that 'suit' wants to deal with us.

Barry lets himself fall on the couch next to us after the Chief has left, sighing deeply: “I doubt all this story will be very good for my career...”

“Oh I'm not so sure, Barry.”, muses Violette as she uses some tissue to clean my bloody nose. “If my audience with the Tribunal works like it should, you could be a little part of an historic event.”

“And what kind of 'historic event' would that be, exactly..?”

“Well, the official recognition of a new sentient species on this planet, of course!”, she smiles.

That makes him chuckles: “Really? Well, if it's for posterity's sake, please take note that my full name is Amine Bahri. My parents would kill me if their son was remembered as just 'Barry'!”

The three of us begin to chat amiably, my energy levels boosted back to 'functional' levels once Barry, well, once Amine has the glorious idea of getting us some coffee. I think it's almost an hour later when that 'suit' person finally arrives...

They turn out to be a blond man in his mid-thirties who, beside looking pretty handsome for a human, is obviously quite smartly dressed: “Good afternoon to you three.”, he greets us in a warm baritone. “Please excuse me, I couldn't be here sooner, but I didn't hear about your case until late this morning.”

Amine gets up, standing between us and the man: “And you are, sir?”

“Oh, where are my manners? I'm Antoine de Cerdan, I work for the Ministère de l'Intérieur.” He extends his hand. “Officer Bahri, was it?”

They shake hands, though Amine still doesn't look too convinced: “Yes. What are you planning to do with these ponies, if you don't mind me asking..?”

“To take them wherever they want to go, really. At least until their audience at the TGI tomorrow.”

That sounds suspiciously easy, after all the mayhem we had to go through until now!

Violette is all smiles though: “It's all right Amine, I'm sure we can put all our trust in this man.”

Said man turns towards the unicorn, a strange look on his face: “'Miss' Inquimbert..?”

“In the flesh!”, she giggles.

“That's... Well, we will have some important things to discuss tonight.”

“I look forward to!”

... Okay, is it just me, or did she just forget everything we went through during the last twenty-four hours!? You can't just trust any random human just because he sounds nice!

“Excellent. Well officer, I think I'll take care of your two charges now. I really want to thank you, in the name of our country, for your admirable service. I can promise you that your actions will be positively remembered.”

“Yeah, that's what I heard...”, Amine mutters, before turning towards us: “Are you really sure about this?”

I want to utter a big resounding 'NO!', but Violette is quicker than I: “Absolutely sure. Thank you for your help, I don't know what would have happened otherwise.”

“Don't I have at least a little say in the matter..?”, I grumble.

“You can trust him Amber, he's a friend.”

“Really..?”

“Yes, really! Come on, we've inconvenienced Amine far too much as it is.” She then turns to the policeman: “I hope we will meet again, take care of yourself in the meantime!”

That Antoine guy is already on his way out of the room, Violette hot on his heels, when Amine and I exchange a tired look. “Well”, I sigh, “I suppose I should better go with her, try to keep her out of trouble and all that...”

“You do that. And, please... Stay away from handguns in the future.”

“Er, yes, I will, you can count on it. Thank you for saving us, and for not treating us like animals.” I extend my right forehoof. “See you next time?”

He crouches, and shakes my hoof, smirking: “See you next time, pony.”

---

Antoine unlocks the room, and we all fill inside. Violette clearly didn't expect to be accompanied when she booked it, we're a bit cramped here... Still, leagues better than our smelly cell!

I'm a little more inclined to trust this guy, after he gave Violette her backpack back along with her wallet and phone, and brought us to her hotel in a fancy car with driver and security service. It at least feels official.

“So, ladies,” Antoine declares, putting special emphasis on the word, “you shouldn't be disturbed tonight, except for your meal's delivery. All the same, we will only keep the place under light surveillance, so I would ask you to not try to leave the room. All right?”

“Of course.”, Violette nods. Seriously, I wouldn't be that surprised if she'd literally eat from the guy's hand!

“Before I leave, though... I feel there are important matters to discuss, concerning the audience tomorrow, and the wider context.”

“Like how we're suddenly treated like foreign dignitaries..?”, I ask, eyebrow raised.

“You could say that.”, he replies with a slight smile as he takes place at the foot of the bed, where we soon join him. “So... First off, let's get you up to date, shall we? One week ago, on May 7^th, the European Council had an emergency meeting and issued a special directive for all its constitutive members, until a dedicated commission is created to determine the EU's official policy on the pony situation.”

“So there really is a 'pony situation'? How many of us are there?”, Violette wonders.

“We don't have numbers yet, unfortunately, but just in the southern half of the country we have found around two dozens ponies, including you.”

“And what about this special directive?”

“Well, we're talking EU politics here...”, he groans, his pretty-boy façade eroding a bit. “That directive's the exact sort of half-assed, poorly thought-out reaction we really don't need right now... In short, it exhorts every EU members to keep the ponies a secret from the general population, and if possible contain them, as humanely as possible, until the light's made on their origin and nature...”

Seriously? “So what, you're gonna round us up and throw us into camps..?”

“We know that this is what's happening in some countries unfortunately, yes... We aim to do things a little better here, but that'll also depend on the consequences of the directive on national politics.”

Violette nods grimly. “They could've just issued an official statement, instead they went on to create their own powder keg...”

“Got it in one. Far-Right movements feed on the most trivial mistakes of their ruling governments and the EU, and now we're creating the wildest scandal imaginable out of a hasty cover-up of what's really happening to an untold number of EU citizens. That's basically the worst kind of ammunition we could give them. The truth will break out, and the longer they wait until they come clean the more they're just digging their own grave...”

“As well as ours...”, I mutter. “These guys from the 'Brigade' almost killed us once already, and I'm sure the officers who tried to abduct us were part of it!”

“That's what I was afraid of... I'll deal with them. Even with these bastards out there, and even if the Élysée didn't know what to do and just went along with the directive, I promise you there's still good people on your side in the government, like Amine Bahri and myself. We're doing our best to move at every level, to slowly bring awareness of the issue to officials across the country.”

“That why you're so interested in my audience, right..?”, Violette smiles slyly.

“What you're doing here, even if it's still kept a secret officially, it's a major step in the right direction. It'll prove to the higher-ups that they can't just keep their heads in the sand, and, I hope, push them into recognizing your situation for what it is. You know”, he says wistfully, getting up, “of any...pony, I'm not surprised it'd come from you... So good luck, Miss Inquimbert. I sincerely hope we will meet again soon.”

He smiles, and Violette does so in kind: “So do I!”

“Amber, it was a pleasure meeting you. Now try to unwind and take some rest you two.”

And so Antoine leaves us... What stayed, though, is the beatific grin on Violette's face, so more heartfelt than any of the pseudo-smile she may've used today.

“So... What's the deal, between you and him?”, I ask her.

She looks a little embarrassed: “We... Kind of dated, back when I was in second year of law school. Just eight months and a half, but we parted on good terms, and we've been friends ever since. We didn't really talk recently though... It was good seeing him, even given the circumstances...”

Wait, I didn't know Raphaël was interested in men... I suppose we can't ever fully know someone, right?

Violette is still smiling, in any case. I don't know why it sounds so awkward in my head, but seriously, this is just too cute:

“... Still got the hots for him, right?”, I say with a teasing wink.

Okay, it also sounded really awkward out of my mouth, but for this radiant tomato-level blush, it was totally worth it!

“Well, uh... I must admit, it always felt like a missed opportunity... Back then I told him he could do better... That we could never build a future together anyway, and that it was just better for his career to opt for a healthy woman as a partner; his parents would agree wholeheartedly I'm sure. And now that I'm not sick anymore, and that I'm female, I had to be a pony... I suppose that's kinda hopeless, but, well, a mare can still hope anyway, can't she?”, she giggles.

“Eh, why not? After all, after your audience, it wouldn't count as bestiality anymore!”

“Oh hush you!”, she laughs, hitting me with a soft pillow.

I snicker and let myself fall on the bed... A real good bed! Gosh, after this veeeeery long day, that's the most awesome prize I can think of!

---

Sweetchard's View

We all let out a big sigh of relief when Violette finally called to say they were both alright. That really was the only piece of good news we had all day, and the best we could hope for – even Rafale has been comparatively jolly since then, after she spent half the call berating the unicorns for all the risks they took.

In any case, it's making dinner all the sweeter! I like so much more to see our table sharing laughs than arguing... Crispy's still a little tense as I help her cut the stuffed zucchini in her plate, but I understand that Violette's tale of dirty policemen wouldn't assuage her worries about humans in general. She's also holding her foreleg a little tighter to her chest tonight, hence why I'm helping her; the injury didn't appreciate the time she spent on the shared patrol turn with Sassie.

Patrolling wasn't a concept that Rafale liked very much, as she believed that it could draw unwanted attention. I convinced her that it at least allowed us to do something about the situation, instead of just waiting for things to happen. It also had the added benefit of splitting us up into two-pony groups, giving a bit more space to the four that were in the house and allowing the two outside to get some much-needed fresh air... Even if the air was often a bit too fresh for my liking!

It was interesting, to patrol alongside Rafale. We didn't have an opportunity to talk for a while, just the two of us. She's still not really chatty, I admit, but she's the kind of mare you have to learn how to read. I think it'd do her good to embrace a little more her pony side, instead of refusing to adapt; it'd be less painfull. I guess it's better if she does that at her own rhythm, in the end...

Dinner draws to a close, everypony's belly full of good food. Our two Americans take care of the dishes tonight, the others moving to the salon, where music's playing on the old radio. For my part, I volunteer to carry the full garbage bag outside, in front of the gate; we'll ask the delivery man to bring it to the dumpster tomorrow morning.

Gosh it's still so chilly..! Let's not waste any more ti—

I stop, ears alert.

What was that..?

I'm pretty sure I heard something, and it wasn't coming from behind the gate, and not from the house either.

The orchard looks ominous under the darkening cloudy sky. Anything could hide under the shadows of the trees. The only movement is the cold, humid wind blowing through the leaves.

...

Maybe I'm just imagining things? I should get back in the house.

I walk briskly, but as my hooves land on the terrace, my ears jump again at the thudding noise. It came from the outbuilding, and I can't act as if it was nothing now!

Probably only a mouse or something like a draft rattling a door, right? Nothing to concern myself about!

Another thud, like something hitting wood.

...

Oh come on Sweetchard, are you a stallion or what!? You're not gonna piss yourself just because of a little noise! Snorting, I change direction, right towards the outbuilding. I've had enough of feeling afraid!

I push the door open, and look around. Our tools and stuff haven't moved from when we stopped working here...

... Except for these bags of potting soil, sand, and cement, that have been stacked against the door of the room we finished renovating, the one with the small windows.

What happened here..?

I step towards the door, and just then the thud rings out again – something's banging against the door, from inside the room, and it's way bigger than a mouse!

I'm an idiot, I should've asked Alex or Rafale to come with me! I should just—

“Hey, someone's here?”, a muffled feminine voice calls from behind the door.

She sounds young, and afraid. What the heck is she doing here!? All the more reason to alert the others! I turn to get out of the building—

“Please don't leave us!”, she begs. “Please!”

I bite my lips, unsure. I doubt she's a pony, or I would recognize the sound of hooves when she hits the door. What is a young human doing here? I must definitely warn the others, but the fear and desperation in her voice... If she's really blocked in there, it wouldn't cost me anything to at least try to reassure her, right..?

She keeps striking at the door as I get closer, like she's trying to signal her position. “Are... Are you okay in there..?”, I ask.

“Oh please help us!”, she exclaims. “We're locked inside!”

We didn't put the bags next to the door, that couldn't have happened on its own... “How did you get in there?”

“We've been attacked by this crazy bug-eyed horse, it forced us into the room and locked us in!”

What!? “What are you talking about? And who's 'we'?”

“Me and my brother! Please, I promise we didn't want to steal anything, we were just looking around!”

“Are you a horse too, mister?”, comes a second voice, of a boy who can't be much more than ten!

“Of course he's not a horse dummy, horses don't talk!”, his sister chides him. “Sorry sir, he's just a bit stressed out. Please, can you open the door? It's cold and dark and we're hungry...”

I don't know who did this, but we can't hold children hostage like that! I huff, pushing a first bag of soil out of the way, then going for—

“Sweetchard? What are you doing here?”

I turn towards Crispy, who's standing at the building's entrance; seeing her brings a relieved smile to my face: “Ah Crispy, you're right on time! Please, give me a hoof here!”

“A 'hoof'..?”, the young girl echoes out loud.

Oh darn it, I don't want to frighten them more than necessary! “Oh, uh, I meant 'a hand', of course! So stupid of me, why would I say 'hoof', 'cause we have hands, of course!”

“Sweety, stop that.”, Crispy asks as she pushes me away from the stack of bags.

“I'm just trying to reassure them..!”, I whisper. “Come on, help me getting these bags out of the way.”

“No.”

I blink, confused: “'No'? What do you mean, 'no'?”

“They stay in there.”, she says coldly.

“Come on honey, you're joking, right?”

Her frown deepens.

“Right..?”

She sighs: “They saw us. They can't come out.”

I...

I must have a hearing problem or something, that's the only explanation! “What..?”

“This is the only way to protect us, we have to make sure. We know the Brigade and their allies are here, we can't take the risk of word getting out.”

I stare at her, hoping for a sign, anything, that she's just going to giggle and say 'gotcha!' and that this is just one big sick joke, but instead she's getting that pleading expression:

“Please, Sweety..?”

The bag I pushed away makes me trip as I step back, and I land on my rump, stunned.

No..!

Oh no Crispy, no!!

Why did you have to do something like this!?

Comments

[anima draconis]

Ok, this was really, really tense.
And yeah, both sides are digging their holes in some way or another... What have you done Crispy?

[Aremna]

Is Crispy a changeling? Or was that Bug-eye more referring to big eyes...abduction for their own safety will definitely cause trouble down the road... Really would like to see more non-traditional equine species. Interested to see how the court case will go and all. Thanks again for another chapter.

[Alsey]

9652895

The 'bug-eyed' bit was in regard to the eye size rather than any overt changelinginess, in that specific case.

[Venerable Ro]

Hey look! More knee-jerk reactions to complicate people's lives. Was Crispy like this with every random griffon or zebra or whatever?

[Alsey]

9653881

We'll see how Sweetchard reacts to her drastic actions – Crispy certainly needs to explain herself on that one!