A Clash of Magic and Steam

by law abiding pony

47: Interrogation

Rarity stepped into the illusion to find it was perfectly crafted to her designs. She seemed to walk out of a small wind-worn gray shack that stood near a mountain cliff. Wind gently tousled her mane while a biting cold wrapped around her. Mottled and uneven rock met her hooves, with bits of green and dead brown moss clinging to various surfaces. The sun shone through thick cloud cover, drawing the eye to the forested valley below. It was a rough approximation of Matterhorn Valley only without the urbanization it possessed.

A pleased grin fell over her at how even the rocking of the boat was masked by a suggestion that she was simply dizzy. The proper ward protected her senses, but the prisoner would be left wondering just how bad his condition was.

Glancing back into the ‘shack’ Rarity saw it was unfurnished, and just as grim on the inside as it looked outside. She set down a bowl of salted pork, hardtack and a mug of beer. Finally, she magically removed his restraints and set them all down within arm’s reach before dismissing the sleep spell.

The name-stripped griffon roused slowly at first, but when he moved enough for her, she spoke with a serene tone. “Awake at last, Mister Climes?”

The ex-soldier jumped out of shock, then took a moment to realize he was unbound and alone with a strangely dressed pony. Then he saw the sheer drop into the valley below, and the promise of death’s embrace. Ignoring Rarity entirely, he ran for the cliff, but his starved and injured body could only accomplish a clumsy scrabble. He reached the edge, seemingly without the pony interfering, and jumped to his death.

He did not make it even an inch to the masked floor when Rarity's sapphire magic locked him in place. She turned him around and pulled him back to his original spot. “I understand you are under duress, but ignoring a guest is incredibly rude.”

She gently placed him down, worried she might cause injury to the already broken tom. “Please, I would prefer that you ate and drank rather than let gravity have its way with you.”

“No, no, not another pony.” Whatever pride he once held as a soldier had been stripped from him. And he started sobbing in front of her as flashbacks of that terrible night screamed in his mind. “Please just let me die.”

“I am not your executioner, Mister Climes.” Rarity hesitated with her usual interrogation. If she pressed too hard he could clam up entirely. “I am here to ensure justice is satisfied.” She stood up and started pacing slowly, each step carefully measured. “To do that, I need to know what happened that night.”

“But it’s all true.” Climes nervously grasped his head, his claws inadvertently splitting feathers apart. He could still see the missionary struggling against his beak, the taste in his mouth. “I did it. we did it,” he barely said above a whisper.

Fearing a calm approach was off the table, Rarity instead tried to press her authoritative voice. “And I am here to find out why.” Rarity watched him carefully, but the tom wasn’t listening. The nightmare kept repeating in his head over and over. His claws dug past the feathers and started cutting into his skin, and Rarity was a hair’s breadth from forcing his claws off of him. “Gregory Climes! she yelled sharply, drawing his eyes to hers. “You are no assassin. A poisoned blade, a confounded pencil I could believe. But no assassin eats their target.” She pauses a bit, trying to gauge his reaction. “I can pull important strings, Mister Climes. Answer my questions, and your fate need not be oblivion.”

His beak quivered, but he managed to loosen his grip and nod weakly.

“That’ll do,” Rarity said with calm command. “Now, tell me what happened before you went on duty that night.” Now that she held control, Rarity loosened her tone to a warmer one.

“We were…” Climes blinked repeatedly, his eyes darting across the ground. “The six of us went to the sentry mess to have dinner. Tales was going on about how much ‘sense’ Harmony made. No one listened, but we’d all heard it before. Since we had training early in the morning that day, and it was chicken dumplings night, we got the scraps, but there was some cold bread left.”

Rarity hummed aloud. Good he’s talking. Now I just need to keep him at it. “Did the bread or dumplings have an unusual taste, by chance? Too sweet or having a bizarre flavor to them?”

The topic of food kept dragging up memories of the attack. Climes was assaulted by the sickly taste of pony in his mouth.

Rarity saw the panic attack building. She thought of some placating words, only to be taken by surprise by him screaming bloody murder. Climes suddenly slammed his head onto the ground with a crash. An act that would have killed him had the ground been actually stone.

Instead, Rarity picked him up with her magic and quickly carried the unconscious griffon out of the illusion. “Call the medical officer, and have him checked out.”

One of the marines near the doors was already halfway to her side and claimed the limp griffon. Once the prisoner was on the way out, Rarity dusted herself off as if it was business as usual, and turned to Fluttershy and Sweetie Belle. “Well that was illuminating. Sweetie, care to explain what we learned?”

The young mare finished scribbling in her notebook and slotted the pencil behind her ear. “He’s clearly in a broken state. I can’t imagine him being an assassin.” She started sweating when Rairty gave her a disappointed eyebrow. “At least not an intentional one.”

Rarity nodded her approval. “Go on.”

Getting flustered a bit, Sweetie Belle pressed on. “I believe it is fair to say he remembers the attack quite vividly. It rules out drink and other sorts of mental control magics as the victim typically has no recollection of events.”

“Very good, Sweetie.” Rarity looked towards her second. “And what of you Fluttershy?”

The druid grit her teeth out of nervous habit. “I… would not focus on magic so readily here. If what Novos and Summer told us is true, what griffons lack in magical prowess, they make up for with impressive alchemy. I say they were drugged by something.”

“I agree, well done. Prince Gallus, do you know of any illicit substances that could cause such a thing? Something smoked or eaten? A topical item perhaps.”

The young prince was still shaken up by the whole scene, and felt at odds with how blasé the two unicorns were taking it. Only Fluttershy seemed to share his discomfort. He turned away to think, but nothing was coming to mind. It wasn’t helping that he was exhausted, having gotten little sleep the night prior. “The seers use something called Sky Sight. It's a powder that helps connect them to the will of the ancestors. But outside of that - I can’t really think of anything. I am no expert on the matter though, but…”

A long pause elapsed where Gallus said nothing, only looking off into the distance. Eventually, Rarity grinned just a touch before speaking. “Something clicking into place, perhaps?”

Grimacing, Gallus dug hugs claws into the deck in a small attempt to keep focused against his fatigue. “The only ones I can think of who would know more about anything that could lead a bird to act in such a way would be the spymaster, and she was left behind in Griffonstone.”

“Perhaps a seer is all we need,” Fluttershy said with a cautious tone. “Surely your father came here with one or two.”

Slowly, Gallus’ eyes drifted to one of the other sleeping prisoners. He was caught between honoring his father’s proclamation of guilt, and the growing possibility he was wrong. “You may not need to go that far just yet. The one who was called Steel Heart was studying to be a seer. He might have read something.”

Rarity looked to the waiting illusionists who had been listening in. She jerked her head to the prisoner and they went about readying the next prisoner and set him in the same spot as before. “A student is hardly ideal, but one can not argue with the convenience.”

“Justicar.” A gruff voice called from the door. In came a marine followed by a griffon jane in a pale red jacket. She had a heavy leather satchel slung across her back that rattled with glass jars. “The doctor as requested.”

The haggard looking jane had just flown with the heavy satchel and was still recovering her breath. She was a brown feathered bird with tan fur. The neutral center expression she started with morphed to one of veiled concern upon spotting Rarity and Sweetie Belle. She gave a loose salute to Gallus. “Doctor Marigold, at your service, my prince.”

Every move the heavily breathing doctor made was joined by one or more clinks of disturbed glass. Rarity tilted an ear at it and a disappointed eye at Fluttershy. The druid in turn was more concerned about Gallus taking notice of the noise, but the tom seemed more focused on appearing wide awake.

“Much appreciated.” Gallus replied, quietly glad to have another griffon around him. The missionaries were a welcoming bunch, but there was a subtle hint of fear he felt about the ones surrounding him now that made him realize how much of a true believer Faithful Hymn had been.

A sneaky idea popped into Sweetie Belle’s mind and she pulled her pencil back up to the notebook and approached the doctor as she laid the heavy bag onto the floor. “Doctor, I thank you for coming.”

Fluttershy shared an expectant look with Rarity, yet the older mare allowed her sister to take the lead.

The tired looking jane flexed a sprained wing, and only gave Sweetie the barest minimum of respect. “I go where the emperor commands.”

Sweetie came close to brushing off her stiff mannerism, and managed to keep her tone polite. “Our last prisoner was hysterical. Could you give the rest of them something to calm their nerves?”

The doctor’s face became unreadable, much to the justicars’ annoyance at their own inexperience. “Yes, I’ve been using an opium derivative to make them jovial enough to keep from harming themselves. Admittedly with unreliable results, the drug is still new you see.”

Gallus grumbled as recent memories sapped his already flagging spirits. “It has proved to be a necessary precaution thus far.”

“I noticed.” Rarity and Sweetie Belle stepped aside to let the doctor approach the prisoner that was placed inside the illusion. Gallus tagged along to speak with the doctor further with Fluttershy going as well to keep an eye on them. The delay gave the elder sister more time to reflect on the matter. “I smell foul play. I say these soldiers were set up.”

“I’m more worried about how he didn’t think to mention doctors or pharmacists.” Sweetie Belle had to resort to serious self control to keep from groaning at poor witnesses.

Rarity squeezed her eyes shut in shared pain, but ultimately the royalist in her pushed Rarity to be more diplomatic. “Perhaps there is a cultural distinction we’re not privy to.”

Even with their time apart, Sweetie Belle was still well versed in reading her sister. “Or there is a good reason he was chosen to be the fool.”

Sighing, but not willing to voice a counterpoint, Rarity decided to move the conversation along. “Perhaps, but that is neither here nor there. If this Steel Heart fellow does not provide insight, she will.”

The sisters heard incoming footsteps and turned to see the two griffons and Fluttershy return.

“This prisoner seems to be faring better than his fellows,” Doctor Marigold began with emotionless candor. “I’ll still need to apply something for the pain though.”

Gallus was more than happy by the news, but it was blunted by a massive yawn. He coughed halfway through to try and recompose himself. “Doctor Marigold, did you happen to bring any coffee with you?”

It was only for a second, but an odd look crossed her face. “I’m afraid not, my prince. But I do have a family recipe for wakefulness if that would serve you better.”

He had a feeling it would be a long day, and Gallus didn’t want to bring shame upon himself by nodding off. “Anything you can give me would be welcome, thanks.”

He watched her retreat to her satchel and start mixing some medications together. His mood dipped as memories of the last month irked him. He cast a sidelong look at Rarity. “I have to thank you for doing this investigation. Since they were excommunicated, speaking with them is forbidden without my father’s approval. I never had much of a chance to ask any questions.”

Of the three, Sweetie Belle was almost insulted. If there was one thing she latched onto after the inquisition was rolled into the Justicars, it was the pursuit of truth. “Why? Shouldn’t questioning the suspects be the first thing you do?”

“Sweetie Belle,” Rarity chastised curtly, causing the younger mare to back off. “Remember who you’re speaking to.”

Wilting only a little, Sweetie Belle was still incensed over the failure of basic investigation. “My apologies, Prince Gallus, but I stand by my point.”

Gallus did not take it as a personal insult, but that directed to his people. “It is a criticism that is well deserved. If you listen to my sister, half the blame falls on Luna. With everyone scared half to death of her dreamwalking, my father felt any delay in punishment would be seen as proof of guilt on his part. So they were sentenced to discommendation. You might understand it better as being excommunicated.”

“So that’s the rub.” Rarity smirked a bit, wondering if the players involved were just that skillful or were playing it by ear. “You couldn’t interrogate them, but we can. Can’t say I approve of slapdash diplomacy though.”

“Sometimes that’s all you can do.” Gallus was left uncomfortable in how much he could say to them.

When he failed to say anything further, A prolonged silence fell over them, enough of one that the illusionist team came up to them and looked to Rarity. “Ma’am?”

Finally having something to smile at, Rarity nodded at the rather fetching stallion. “Yes, Lancer?”

“The illusion should be stable for half an hour. Is there any chance the boys and I can break off for lunch?”

Rarity instinctively looked to the sky, only to be met with the wooden deck above. Smirking at herself, she ultimately nodded at the hungry mage. “Oh my, where does the time go? But of course, Lancer. Could you bring the rest of us a bite to eat when you get back? I’m feeling a bit peckish myself.”

“I hear Cookie was whipping up something nice for the talks, I’ll get something choice for you.”

With hungry anticipation, they watched him leave as the doctor weaved in between them as she returned with her prepared medicines. She had two filled syringes tied to her coat and a filled cup in one claw. “Here you are, my prince. It may not taste the best, but it is sure to get your blood pumping.”

Taking the tin traveling cup, Gallus was instantly repulsed by the fowl green sludge that moved like syrup with unidentifiable chunks floating on the surface. “This - ah - do you have anything less horrid?”

Although Gallus missed it, Fluttershy saw a brief dark smile pass over the doctor’s eyes and a subtle click of her beak. “I’m afraid I only planned on medicating the condemned, sir, so I didn’t bring any flavoring.”

“I see.” Sweating nervously, but trying to put up some measure of resolve in front of the ponies, Gallus kept his cup close to the chest. “Thank you kindly.”

“Glad to be of help, sir.” With a bow, the doctor slid around the three of them and pressed on to the prisoner sleeping in the illusion.

Fluttershy watched her go until she crossed over the array before turning back to see Gallus trying to work up the nerve to actually drink the vile green swill. He kept opening his beak, only to clamp it shut again when the smell became too much. “Um, your highness, I could have some coffee or tea delivered if you prefer.”

It wasn’t, but at this point Gallus felt he was in too deep now. “Perhaps later. I’m not sure just how potent this is.” He tried to sound adventurously excited, but even he knew that was unconvincing. Taking a deep breath, with the cup far away from his nostrils, he downed the whole thing with furious abandon. Fluttershy and Sweetie Belle watched in morbid fascination as Gallus’ eyes watered and his beak quivered with the aftertaste.

“Ahh, should I get you some rum or something?” Sweetie Belle asked, feeling vicarious disgust from his face alone. Yet the young griffon shook his head as he hastily grabbed his canteen and started chugging water.

Glory be that no pony doctor would ever try to push something like this on me. I’d throw them in jail for it. Sweetie Belle shivered as she too was repulsed by the smell alone. “Now that we are all freshened up, it seems the good doctor is done helping the prisoner.”

Rarity used a bit of magic to fix a few stray locks of hair. “Very good, let’s continue shall we?”

Before she could take more than a step, Sweetie Belle came forward. “Instructor,” she started with so much formality it gave Rarity pause. “May I do this interrogation?”

If she was going to be confronted by a formal request, then Rarity would match it. She stood a bit taller and studied her sister’s face closely. “This is no mere street thug or slaver. Are you sure you’re ready?”

It wasn’t a denial, and that made Sweetie Belle’s confidence surge. “This is what I trained for.”

Pride swelled within the older sister, and she gave a nod. “Then you best get to it.”

Grinning with empathic pride from Rarity, Fluttershy almost joined her friend as the two unicorns walked up to the illusion. Instead she paused long enough to watch the doctor quietly walk past them with barely a nod of acknowledgment to the ponies as she made her way for the remaining prisoner. Her moving gaze brought Fluttershy back towards Gallus.

As if catching something out of the corner of her eye, he looked… off. Like something familiar was suddenly more pronounced. As to what it was exactly, she couldn’t put her hoof on it. “Is something wrong?”

Gallus was jittery to the point of having a mild tremor. “I think the doc made that stuff a bit too strong. I feel like I could fly to Griffonstone and back again.”

“Is that normal?” Fluttershy’s hair stood on end as the possibility of poisoning came to mind, but she tried to tamper it with caution.

Gallus on the other hand did not look all that concerned and nodded vigorously. “No idea. But I should really find out the recipe. Just need to improve the flavor.”

Giving him an unconvinced smile, Fluttershy eyed the doctor as she went about injecting the last prisoner. The druid had not lasted this long as Rarity’s second without a sense for trouble. Calling upon her druidic senses, she scrutinized the increasingly jittery prince. His heart is racing. Without making it obvious, she checked his eyes, ear holes, and beak, yet no signs of blood or other fluids, and aside from the fact that he was pacing and fluttering his wings, he seemed fine-ish. Perhaps griffon alchemy should be avoided. Even as she thought it, Fluttershy wasn’t entirely convinced he would be alright. However, Sweetie Belle’s command voice pulled Fluttershy’s attention away before long, although she kept one eye on Gallus all the same.

The up and coming justicar stood alone with Steel Heart on the illusionary mountainside. “I asked you a question, soldier,” she stated with iron force.

Unlike the previous prisoner, Steel Heart was crouched low and dangerous, close to a pouncing stance. “I don’t answer to ponies.”

With Rarity standing just outside of the illusion, Sweetie Belle stood alone. To the griffon she looked like a young mare that was barely filling out. Only her self-assured poise kept his claws at bay. “You had better answer me if you want to find redemption.” Her stance may have been firm, but her thoughts were reeling. She had expected timidity or fear, not the razor focused tension she found herself in.

“Redemption?” Steel asked as if he only partially understood the word. His eyes darted around, checking to see if any other ponies might be close by, and found none. “Are you alone?”

“No.” Sweetie’s bravado started to slip. Why is he so aggressive? Shouldn’t he be terrified like the last one? Sweetie wasn’t even sure she could rough him up to get answers out of him. “Now you’re going to tell me why you attacked the missionaries.”

Steel started growling, his wings slowly flaring out. “I was sleepy. Then I was hungry. I am hungry.”

Sensing the danger, Sweetie used her magic to twist a foreleg to a compliance hold. “I don’t care for your attitude.”

Steel seemed to ignore the pain and only grew angry. He wrenched himself free of her grip with frightening strength and let out an ear piercing screech.

Sweetie Belle recoiled in pain, and even Rarity flinched from it. Steel launched himself at Sweetie Belle, his claws flashing and beak open.

He moved too fast for magic, so all Sweetie could do was lift a shielding foreleg to keep his beak off her throat.

He tore into her leg, but she managed to avoid one claw while the other left her with a shallow gash on her chest. Falling back on her training, Sweetie spun to allow the crazed bird to slide past her, using his own momentum to pull his beak off her leg.

Rarity answered by grabbing him with her magic, attempting to lock him in place. “It seems you are not as repentant as the last one.” Rarity stepped through the illusion to confront him face to face. She tried to split her focus to check on her sister, but the prisoner’s squawking only got louder and more guttural. His veins bulged and his feathers rose up. Rarity’s magical grip seemed to waiver as it boiled on his skin. She redoubled her hold on him, even as Steel thrashed wildly and let off more ear splitting shrieks.

“How in the…!” Fluttershy heard a thump to her right, and turned to see Gallus had fallen to the floor and was clutching his chest. His beak was wide open in a soundless scream while blood was trickling out of the corners of his eyes. Her gaze darted to the doctor who was in the middle of unlatching the third prisoner from the floor. “Stop right there!” She commanded with her wings flaring.

“I’m afraid it’s too late for that.” Marigold looked to the growling, wild eyed prisoner and whistled as if she was giving commands to a dog. The prisoner focused on her, and she pointed a wing at Fluttershy. “Feed.”

Marigold stepped away and started to make her way for her bag while the enraged prisoner prowled towards Fluttershy. Not waiting another second, Fluttershy belted out a loud cry. “We shall beat to quarters!”

The warship itself came alive with traces of blue magic that rapidly spread throughout the floor and ceiling and spread her words to every room and sailor. “We shall beat to quarters!” Her words echoed loud enough to make her instinctively flatten her ears, and distracted everyone in the room. A crisp military drum beat came from the decks above and the sudden thunder of stampeding hooves quickly followed.

Marigold abandoned trying to reach her bag and bolted for the exit. The prisoner cawed a feral challenge and charged at Fluttershy. Calling upon her connection with the Green Mother, Fluttershy’s eyes glowed solid green as she spoke with her full authority over the wilds. “Παύση!” He surprised her by stopping so frantically with a fearful look overtaking his keen predatory eyes. That should have just given me a second to move away from Gallus. But he’s acting like a- Following a hunch, she pointed at an empty corner of the room. “Πήγαινε εκεί και μείνε να γλείφεις τις πληγές σου.”

Cowing away from the imposing druid, the prisoner obeyed and fled to the corner.

Having to act fast. Fluttershy cast a glance back inside the illusion, Rarity has magically forced Steel against the wall and Sweetie Belle was reapplying his restraints, but did not seem to notice the alarm Fluttershy had started. The illusion. She can’t hear the alarm.

A seed of helpless panic threatened to trap Fluttershy. She looked at Gallus, and her druid’s hearing could now sense his heart was trying to beat its way out of his chest. “She’ll know what she gave you!” Fluttershy took Gallus’ discarded tin cup and threw it as hard as she could through the illusion where it hit the ground and rolled to a stop against Rarity’s back hoof. Trusting the justicar to get the message, Fluttershy shoved her panic aside and sprinted for the exit, jumping over the bag Marigold had left behind.

She did not need to go far. Upon bursting into the gundeck, she found two marines standing at the top of the stairs and several sailors with swords and pistols drawn had cornered Marigold not even ten meters from the door.

“The justicar commanded me to go to the top deck, clear the way.”

“Bollocks to that,” the marine countered sternly. “All ‘guests’ are to remain where they are when we go to quarters. Now go back-” he looked over to see Fluttershy rush into the room.

The door had barely slammed into the wall when Fluttershy pointed a hoof at the doctor. “Assassin! Seize her!”

Reacting first, Marigold reached into her coat and threw down a small jar that exploded into blinding light. She grabbed the closest sword by the blade and yanked it free of the unicorn’s magical grip. Taking the sword into her other claw, Marigold sliced the rope locking the nearby gunport.

With a grunt of sharp pain, she shoulder-checked the panel to open it, but was too slow. A sailor had recovered and sliced her flank wide open with his saber.

“No, we need her alive!” Fluttershy ordered as she too ran to stop the assassin.

The command caused the sailor to hesitate. Marigold used her claws to slash at his chin, pushing him back. Before anyone else could act, she threw herself out of the gunport.

Fluttershy was given room to leap through the gunport first with the two pegasi sailors following after her. The druid looked all over, to the skies and the horizon looking for her quarry. A loud splash brought her eyes to the sea below.

“What is that daft bird doing?” A sailor exclaimed with bewilderment.

But Fluttershy knew. “She’s an assassin who doesn’t want to be taken alive.” Knowing she could never reach Marigold in time, let alone drag her back to the surface without drowning herself, Fluttershy inhaled more than just air. Spreading her senses, she could feel beyond the ship and its sailors, down into the water. She could sense Marigold still pushing herself deeper and deeper still. But Fluttershy could also sense hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of fish all around the drowning griffon.

Summoning as much authority and magic as she could, Fluttershy shouted with all her might. “συγκλίνουν και ανεβαίνου!” She first spread her forelegs out wide to encompass as much of the sea as possible, and then clicked her hooves together before motioning her forelegs up in one long sweeping motion.

By the thousands, fish closed in on Marigold, and by their sheer mass, pushed the griffon back up to the surface with such speed, that she was thrown a foot into the air. The sea roiled with fish fighting and jostling to keep the now half-drowned jane above the water.

Knowing her countrymen would be hesitant to approach such a bewildering sight, Fluttershy swooped down and struggled to pull her out of the water. Once she had a good grip, she willed the fish away. As soon as the fish vanished beneath the water, the stupefied crew snapped out of it and two stallions descended to help Fluttershy pull Marigold to the deck.

“I need a medic!” She half yelled, almost completely out of breath herself.

One had already been close by and shoved his way to stand over Marigold. The unicorn rolled the griffon onto her side. “Get back, all of you.” With a magical jolt, he targeted her lungs. Marigold’s chest spasmed and she coughed up sea water. He jolted her again, and she shook from the force of her cough. The second one was enough and Marigold’s body betrayed her as she woke up and coughed and hacked up the rest of the water from her lungs. The ordeal was too much and she collapsed.

---

Marigold awoke with a start. She leapt to her feet and her heart sank. She was standing on the rock face of the illusionary mountainside, staring down at the forested valley below. She tried to reach into her coat, only to find it missing. Fearing someone would restrain her at any second, she bent over and flexed her right hind paw to pluck at the false middle claw where she saved some poison. Her blood ran cold when she saw the whole talon was missing.

“So glad you’re finally awake.”

She spun about to find Rarity sitting at a small table with some wine and cheese. There was a dagger sunk into the wood of the table and a filled glass floated near the mare’s head. The barest hint of a cold grin colored Rarity’s face as she pulled a stool out from the wooden shack. “Sit, and the last thing you will taste will be wine, and not steel.”

“You think I am afraid to die?” Marigold asked with clear mockery.

A short laugh escaped Rarity’s lips before she carved a small square of cheddar. “Oh you’ve clearly demonstrated you’re not.” She popped the cheese into her mouth and chewed on it while using the silence to unbalance the griffon. “But I’d imagine the manner of your death is of paramount importance. A poisoner such as yourself should be no stranger to the art of death. Slow, fast, agony, peaceful, and so many other flavors. Tell me, Marigold, what do you want to taste when the end comes?”

It had been a question the assassin had asked herself many a time in the past. It was something she never spoke of, even to her warlord. But here, at the end of her career, nothing held her back. Dark delight brightened Marigold’s eyes. “I wish to burn from within. To feel the candle of my life turn into a bonfire so that I may meet my ancestors wreathed in flames.”

If the admission unsettled Rarity, the justicar made no show of it. Instead, she sipped her wine and magically pulled a small purple vial from her trench coat. “I assume that’s what this will do.” She floated it closer to Marigold, but kept it frustratingly just out of her reach.

It was the vial from her missing talon. It looked intact and Marigold could see that the fluid within moved as expected. “It is.”

Rarity pocketed the vial once more. “Answer my questions and it is yours.”

For a long moment, Marigold studied Rarity very closely. Yet she was as much of a disadvantage as Rarity was. The mare’s ears and mouth alone seemed to emote differently than a kirin, let alone a sphinx, and Marigold had barely visited their lands as it was. The only saving grace was Rarity’s large eyes that spoke of easy confidence. It was time to see if that confidence was well founded.

Marigold closed in and claimed her stool and sat at the table. She eyed the dagger, unsure if it was just another illusion, or if it was a display of control on Rarity’s part. If it was the latter, Rarity had her respect. “Ask away, Justicar.”

“From one professional to another, that poison you used on the prince was quite a grizzly affair. Pray tell, what was it?” Rarity sounded genuinely impressed, as if she were appraising a piece of art.

“Why does it matter? He should be long dead.”

“You don’t honestly think the Justicari and our predecessors have never dealt with such things before so you?” Rarity looked almost insulted. “He suffered terribly, and quite slowly at that. I know my order could use it for our own dealings.”

Marigold laughed bitterly at the praise. “It is not a new one. We call it Treant’s Revenge on account of the trees we harvest the sap from to make it. Two wrap around each other to make it look like a minotaur. I’m sure someone of your talents can figure the rest out on your own.”

Flashing a thin smile, Rarity nodded her appreciation. “Naturally. Now. Were you the one responsible for the missionaries' deaths?”

“Afraid not, sad to say.” Marigold sighed wistfully as she recalled first hearing about it. “That particular elixir is ordinarily forbidden. Not that such trifles would stay my claw from using it, but without the…” Marigold briefly considered saying she served the emperor, but decided against such an obvious lie. “Warlord’s approval, the punishment is a steep one. Only they and the emperor’s inner circle can order its use without discommendation.”

“Strange…” Rarity used the dagger to carve two wedges of cheese. This time from the small wheel of Gouda, and offered a piece to her. Marigold plucked it from the air, but held onto it for now. “Because if it was well known enough for the emperor to give approval, he’d have to know of it. And if he did, he would have told us the prisoners were not themselves.”

“Come now, justicar, you know as well as I do how old laws can be all but forgotten, yet still be on the books. It wouldn’t matter if the Master Seer tried, my soul is safe from discommendation.” A smirk crawled over Marigold’s face. She looked past Rarity and into the shack behind her. Marigold could only imagine who was standing outside of the illusion, but she hoped it was Geraldy himself.

“All wrapped up in a blanket of security. Being beyond the reach of your betters is always a fantastical comfort, isn’t it?” Rarity sipped her wine, taking a moment to inhale the pleasant aroma. “I’ve seen it a hundred times. A criminal thinks they have successfully hidden stolen goods, or managed to wipe a crime scene clear of evidence, or think they know the law better than I.” Rarity produced a pistol from the other side of her trench coat and placed it heavily on the table. “You won’t look so smug with a hole in your head. They sure didn’t.”

Snorting derisively, Marigold popped the piece of cheese in her mouth, and chewed it slowly to annoy Rarity. “You forget, Justicar, I only want my poison for the death of my choosing. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter how I die. Your threat means nothing to me.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” Rarity tapped her hoof on the pistol grip. “See, a few years ago I was introduced to a fascinating artifact called the Tain. A necromancer of significant skill created it to house thousands of souls. The bullet was made from a fragment of the Tain.” She paused to take a calming breath as the memory still gave her shivers. “Tell me who your master is. Who ordered the attack on the missionaries, or Terra help me, you will never see the ancestors.”

Finally, a current of genuine fear crossed over Marigold, but she was quick to bury it in disbelief. “Quite the convenient story, but that is all it is. Nothing can trap a soul like that.”

Rarity claimed the pistol, and opened the breach to withdraw the bullet. Unlike the usual brass or lead Marigold was familiar with, this bullet was made of corroded steel and carried the barest hint of a dark purple light. Just looking at it made Marigold feel dirty, like the bullet tugged on her very soul. What made it even worse was that Rarity’s magic seemed to bend and warp around it, as if touching the thing was a danger. Rarity slotted the bullet back into place and closed the action. “I entered the Tain once, you know, thankfully the necromancer was kind enough to make it only a temporary affair. You, however, will have no such luck.” With the pistol floating beside Rarity’s head, she carved a piece of cheddar and took her time to eat it while Marigold’s imagination ran out of control. “Just imagine it. Forever trapped in the shattered remnants of an amphitheater. All alone in the dark with not a soul to speak to. I think I will give the bullet to Emperor Geraldy once you’re inside. I’m sure you would make quite the centerpiece of conversation.”

Marigold’s feathers were quivering, but she wasn’t a wreck yet. “You made your point.” Marigold made a show of mulling over the threat before huffing distastefully. “Warlord Valgretho. He gave the order for the missionaries and my own.”

“Ahh. Char’s biggest supporter. How obvious.” Without so much as a shrug, Rarity pointed the gun at Marigold and fired. The jane barely had time to even see the muzzle flash, but the bullet did not strike her. Instead it grazed her cheek, and seemed to slow to a crawl as it pulled on her face like she was falling down a well.

The sheer force of it was enough to throw her to the ground, and Marigold was left utterly terrified and hyperventilating. The sound of a second round sliding into the pistol caused her to whip around to see Rarity leveling the pistol at her once more. “That was a warning. Lie to me again, and I’ll take another fragment of your soul.”

Marigold’s mouth ran dry. Disbelief and the still fresh feel of her face being pulled by the bullet. For a long moment she couldn’t speak even if she wanted to.

“I grow tired of waiting, Doctor, and I can just as easily puzzle out your master’s identity through your belongings alone.” Rarity leaned forward, the pistol briefly pointed away. “That satchel of yours is quite exquisite. Triple stitching using two threads of sinew with plant fiber for the center line. Not a choice of necessity, but of style.” Marigold began to sweat even harder. “The button on the inner pockets are of particular interest. The same style of wolf’s head with the sun on one side. Practically a signature in of itself. The number of hidden pockets means it was custom made for your line of work, but the real prize was fading used in the leather’s interior.” Rarity genuinely smiled the more she remembered. “It all looks like weathering to the untrained eye, but it all bore a master tanner’s touch.

“And then there are the plants and dried animal pieces. Lost on me, but not my druid friend.” Rarity brought the pistol square in the center of Marigold’s forehead. “So spare me the effort, and give me the correct name, or spend eternity alone in a void. Your choice.”

Painfully false bravado made Marigold grimly laugh. “Fine then. With the Prince dead, war will follow. Nothing quite makes one forget a larger threat than the promise of the imperial throne. Lilja is my master.” She hoped the extra information was enough to get her vial back.

“Lilja…” Rarity pulled her pistol away and sipped her wine again. “A minor player in the north. Seeking to grab more land during a civil war? No. I think not, she doesn’t have the strength to hold it. You see, your hippogriff allies are quite close with you. Shared prowess in battle only offset by your better equipment and doctrine if I heard correctly. Common ground breeds familiarity you see.”

Rarity put the pistol down and once more pulled the poison vial out and inspected the liquid death within. “Lilja’s only conduct of note is serving as a useless diplomat with the Emerald Horde.” A dangerous grin cleaved her face. “Your master took exception to that, am I right?” Marigold said nothing. Even now her loyalty stayed her tongue. “Your face says it all. Here, as promised.”

Marigold almost didn’t catch the vial when it was thrown at her. It bounced from claw to claw before she finally managed to hold it tight. She checked it over again in the off chance Rarity slipped her a different one, but the glass had the proper rough texture, the liquid looked the same, and the weight was correct. She held it up to her face with growing anticipation. “Ancestors, welcome me home.”

Marigold cracked the vial open and started to drink, only for the vial to completely break apart into a swirling mist of gray magic. “What is this?!” Her claws stiffened before turning to stone. “You lied!”

“I did nothing of the sort.” Rarity stood up as Marigold’s forelegs solidified and floated her food and weapons along with her. “I never said that was your poison. I’m afraid the vial is proof of a professional’s hoof in this attack, and I still have need of it.”

Marigold tried to jump on Rarity, only for her to stumble as her hindlegs turned to stone. “You honorless sow. You better hope and pray I never get free!”

Rarity ignored the threat and tipped her hat at the assassin. “It’s been a pleasure, Doctor. I hope you don’t mind being neighbors with the prince until we hand you over. When the emperor frees you to stand trial, if by some miracle you escape with your life, you would do well to stay well clear of pony lands.”

Marigold screamed her rage as Rarity walked through the shack which the petrification silenced as she stepped outside of the illusion.

Standing on the other side was the entirety of Rarity’s retainers along with the Lunarians. Rarity fostered her food and wine onto Lockstock. “The rest is yours, my treat.”

Taking a big bite out of the cheddar, he nodded his gratitude. “You always have the good stuff, ma’am.”

Rarity passed by Lyra and handed over the dagger and pistol. “Worked like a charm, Lyra. I’d put you in for a promotion were it possible.”

“Extra pay is always welcome,” Lyra replied while stowing the weapons onto her person.

“We’ll discuss it later.” Rarity took a short detour to the left where her sister had a mana driven recording pen serve as an automatic stenographer. The young mare was currently reviewing the pages it had written down. “Did you get it all?”

Sweetie Belle punctuated her completion by stabbing the last period. “Yes, ma’am. I’ve annotated all the facial expressions.”

“Marvelous, darling, compile three reports, one for us, the Lunarians, and the emperor.”

Giving her magic a bit of a rest, Sweetie Belle tucked her paper away while slotting her pen in a pocket. “I’ll get the griffon one done first.”

“Very good.” At last, Rarity stepped over to the Lunarians. She gave both of them an appraising look. “I believe that settles the matter of who the guilty party is.”

Twilight shivered a bit at the whole ordeal. “You were taking it easy on me all those years ago.”

Laughing behind a modest hoof, Rarity flashed a careful grin. “Twilight my dear, I never stopped.”

“I guess you did alright,” Rainbow Dash gruffed with begrudging praise, even though she fearfully hoped to never be on the receiving end of Rarity’s tender mercies. “This confession probably wouldn’t fly for a judge, but as far as the common pony is concerned, they’re going to want double payback for trying to toy us.”

“In spite of somepony’s lack of faith in the judicial system,” Twilight added with an unamused snort. “The nobility will not stand for this.”

Pinkie Pie didn’t like all the negativity floating about, and the interrogation already sapped her flagging spirits. “I’ll relay this to Luna tonight, but I fear with Gallus in the state he is in, we don’t have the luxury of waiting that long. It doesn’t look good to hold onto the statue of a prince for the sake of convenience, and Luna won’t be watching out for me for at least another twelve hours.”

Rarity nodded with a solemn expression. “So what will you do?”

Pinkie Pie closed her eyes to think for a few seconds. When she opened them again, she held Rarity’s gaze with conviction. “Request that the emperor return as his earliest convenience, we’ll simply have to play it by ear.” Mustering a hopeful yet thin smile, Pinkie Pie looked to her friend and sister for strength. “My favorite way to play.”

Author's Note:

Peace is an ever elusive things is it not?

Comments

[Hillbe]

Sweetie do you have my copies ready?
Sorry I got a paper jamb, Can you jiggle my hoof?

[M4Tiger4014]

Good Fluttershy! Scary Rarity. And a case study in why you always bring your own doctors.

[goranxii]

Well I hope what happened to Gallus won't lead to war, or if it does, that the war won't be between Lunaria and the Griffons.

[Snowkitsune]

11624059
First I agree and second that is the cutiest go Fish aka Blackjack I have seen

[YewUnicorn]

Holy shiznet, Rarity is GOOD.
Also Fluttershy, once again you show scary power at being able to speak and command nature itself.

I hope Geraldy takes the ponies at their word/Sweetie's report. Was hoping he actually was there to see it all himself...