A Matter of Interest

by PhycoKrusk

Interlude - A Finding Along the Road

Afternoon
Roadside, Lipizza-Teague Provincial Border
Twenty Second of High Summer, Anno Concordia 2067

Trench Broom stood in the road, flanked to one side by Second Glance, and the other by Modus Tollens, facing down the truest enemy there ever was to an expedition without a destination: A fork in the road. The trio looked down the left fork, and saw miles of provincial moorland that eventually gave way to farmland, as reported by pegasus scouts. They then looked down the right fork, and saw miles of provincial moorland that eventually gave way to farmland, as reported by pegasus scouts.

Needless to say, when they looked back to the left, and then right, and then left again, their path did not become any clearer.

"Well," Broom began. "Which way did he go?"

"That, Lieutenant, is an excellent question." Without missing a beat, Second Glance's notes appeared in the air around him, and while Broom was left at a loss for exactly where they had come from, Tollens had by that point learned not to question this sort of occurrence. With his notes accessible, the Investigator’s research began in an attempt to divine the Prince's location.

"He went down the right fork," said Tollens, not bothering to even think on the last notes he'd written about the Prince.

There we're several moments of uncomfortable silence that passed before Broom finally turned to face Tollens and asked him, plainly, "Are you sure?"

The response was prefaced with a brisk nod. “Absolutely."

Second Glance maneuvered around Broom to voice his own question. "How did you reach this conclusion?"

"Well, the Prince is going west. Every town, village, or whatever he passes through, he always leaves to the west, or along whichever road eventually will take him west. Wherever it is he's leading us, it's to the west. Unless I misremembered our maps, the left fork turns south after several miles, while the right will take us northwest for a few hours and then continue due west, eventually to the Marches.

"The Prince is going west, he has unerringly gone west so far, and the right fork goes west, therefore he took the right fork."

After a moment of consideration, Broom decided that wasn't an adequate justification. "How can you be absolutely sure? Suppose he wants to lose us, and took the left fork?"

"He didn't."

"How do you know?"

"Because we've been following him since Tawlee, and Second Glance has since Ponyton, and he knows this.” Tollens immediately raised his hoof, silencing Trench Broom before she could voice her disagreement. "The Prince is not a fool. Even if we accept that his 'uncanny' insights into changelings are the result of being a changeling himself, he's nevertheless extremely intelligent, and clever too. He slipped away from the cohort by walking right through the ranks, and he knows enough about reading others to earn their trust, calm their fears, and even convince them that he knows what's best for them. For the Princesses' sakes, he convinced an entire village, in the throes of mob hysteria, that a changeling was a model neighbor, when they had every reason to think otherwise.

"If he didn't want us following him, he would have lost us a long time ago, and he certainly wouldn't be making all these stops while traveling, leaving ponies with fond memories of a stallion whose face they can't remember. He wants us to follow him, maybe to eventually catch him. He's been going west, he will continue to go west until he gets to wherever he's going, and he won't do anything to make us lose his trail until he finds whatever it is he's looking for."

Again, Trench Broom observed Tollens quietly for several moments, considered his response, and then finally turned her attention to Second Glance. "Investigator?"

Second Glance himself was silent for a moment. "His argument is sound," he said at last. "His hypothesis is well-grounded in evidence, and his evidence is as complete as possible, for the most part. I don't know why, exactly, he's fixated on this idea that the Prince is looking for something, but in light of everything we've learned and observed, I see know reason not to follow my colleague's advice."

In the next moment, the only thing to widen more than Tollens' eyes was the smile on his face. Broom looked back to him, then to Second Glance again, and finally back to Tollens before giving a firm nod. "The right fork, then," she said before moving back towards the cohort, calling for her sergeants and a map. As she left, Second Glance approached Tollens, although he did not share the latter's enthusiasm.

"You're sure about this?" he asked. "Absolutely, unshakably sure?"

The earth pony's smile faltered instantly. "No." The response was scarcely more than a whisper. "The evidence fits everything, but I know I have to be prepared to be mistaken, even when I'm staking everything on being right. Especially when I'm staking everything on being right. If I am wrong, I won't ever be an Investigator, and I'll probably be out of the Guard too." That prospect was unnerving, to say the least, and enough to drive his gaze down to the ground.

At least until he felt a hoof on his shoulder, and looked back up to see Second Glance, although not smiling, not unhappy either. "Sometimes, it isn't enough for our deductions to be correct," said the senior Investigator. "Sometimes, they must be bold as well. Maybe you aren't sure, but are you confident?"

Once again, Tollens smiled. "Yes. Confident enough to stake what reputation I have on it. And, thank you, for your support. I don't think I can explain how much it means to me."

"I have an idea how much, Tollens. The right fork is your recommendation, but I'm the one who approved it. If we hang, we hang together."

"And now I'm just brimming with hope that even though I may hang high, I won't hang alone. Even though I'll still hang. Thanks for that, Second Glance."

With a smirk, Second Glance departed and joined Trench Broom over the map, and within minutes, the cohort was underway again. As Tollens had stated, the road they rode took them northwest, and then curved sharply west, seeming to stretch that way forever, moorland as far as the eye could see even as Lipizza gave way to Teague.

Hours later, as the sun was about to set, they came upon a run-down, deserted roadhouse, likely an inn or a militia post at one point. Trench Broom detached several unicorns and led them to investigate the ruin, returning after a minute or so with no excitement. At least, not until she returned to Second Glance and Tollens, when her face lit up with an uncharacteristically bright smile. "Corporal," she said, "I believe you have finally found what you were meant to do in this world. Go and have a look."

With a questioning look to Second Glance, who replied with a shrug, he and his partner separated from the other ponies and walked to the house. With some trepidation, Tollens pushed open the front door. As soon as he did, both he and Second Glance grew smilies to match Trench Broom's. In the dimming sunlight against the back wall floated a single balloon with a vaguely changeling-looking face drawn on it, giving them a happy wink. What truly captured their attention and made them smile, however, was the note attached to the string, bearing two words that told them everything they needed to know about their current path:

Getting warm.

-PoP

Author's Note:

Aside from my recent moving of residences (again) making me decide to reorder some future chapters, and distracting me from actually writing them (thus the Interlude), I have reached the following conclusion:

I need a damn pre-reader.

Looking back over the last chapter revealed to me a number of basic and exceptionally embarrassing errors that I'm a little bit surprised nobody called me on. With that in mind, any takers? Send me a PM if you're interested.

Comments

[Inquisitor M]

Your story has been recommended for consumption. Tremble, mortal!