//------------------------------// // The questioner // Story: Forsaken // by Iron_Hooved //------------------------------// It seemed as if time had stopped back in Canterlot. Perhaps it was just an impression that the sun stood still for the past twenty minutes, but since the interrogation had started the needles of the clock seemed to have come to a complete stop in the D.A's office. There, eyeing from across a long metallic table sat a couple of ponies, or rather a pony and a zebra, the first of which was D.A. Silver Tongue and the latter an inhabitant of the Everfree Forest: Miss Zecora. The D.A. wiped the sweat of his brow for the umpteenth time, his hooves fumbling with his checkered red-and-blue tie trying to undo the knot on his snow-white shirt. He browsed through the folder in front of him in the hopes of making a new discovery or some data he had perhaps overlooked, but quickly gave up: two pages wasn't something he could work with. He glanced at his guest and opened his mouth to speak, but it was her who spoke first: "Of Twilight's whereabouts I know not, perhaps you should look in another spot?" she suggested calmly, as only she could under the strenuous circumstances. The D.A. frowned and gave her an appreciative look, trying to arrange his thoughts into what he hoped could be a leeway into a polite interrogation. "Miss Zecora, you are a current inhabitant of the Everfree Forest, are you not?" asked the D.A. as he levitated a crimson quill and a notepad in front of him. "In the forest I reside, to this question I have already replied." reminded him the zebra, her hooves resting on the table. "How long have you lived there?" "I believe it's been three years, though it might have been longer, according to my peers." "And what exactly do you do for a living?" "I gather ingredients to prepare herbal cures, of their effectiveness I can certainly assure." "And these ingredients, are they all found in the forest?" "Some of them yes, some of them no, for the missing ingredients to Ponyville I go." "How often do you visit Ponyville for ingredients?" "Once every week, I'll go around and have a peek. Always on Monday, into Ponyville I'll make my way." "Is this how you met Miss Twilight Sparkle and her friends? During one of your visits?" "That is correct, it was thus I came to know these ponies I love and respect." 'Well at least she admitted she was fond of Twilight and her friends. She was being awfully cooperative, perhaps the lack of a guilty conscience? Or maybe some clever ruse to fool him into a false sense of confidence. This was far from over' he thought to himself as he scribbled on his notepad. "Yet it seems you haven't been seen hanging around them much. Why is that?" "My friends often find the opportunity to work themselves up into a riot, that being said I prefer the calm and quiet," 'Ah! But do you now? Maybe it's time I started sharing the information I've gathered on your behavior Miss Zecora' piped a nasty little voice inside his head. "However you came out of the forest during the Nightmare Night Festival, as described by Miss Mayor Mare of Ponyville." Zecora, however did not lose her composure, she merely looked at him and calmly answered his query. "I don't isolate myself during celebrations, I always come out to improve my relations." The unicorn stretched his neck, pushing himself partially off the table as he leaned back on his chair. He'd hit a dead end in one of his theories, a discouraging prospect but one that only helped strengthen further propositions. If she hadn't participated in the attack, maybe she'd helped Twilight evade capture. He looked back at the zebra and resumed his interrogation. "About these ingredients you gather in the forest, are they all near your hut?" "Some of them near my hut sprout, but most of them are scattered throughout," "How far are they scattered around your hut?" Zecora looked at him quizzically."This question I can't quite understand, perhaps if you made another demand?" "Certainly. I meant to ask how far do you often travel, be it in miles or traveling time, through the forest in search of these ingredients?" She didn't know what the D.A. hoped to accomplish by asking such an irrelevant question, but she guessed he must have his reasons. "For simple tasks, like collecting flowers, I don't have to walk for more than half an hour. For trickier ingredients the forest poses many trials, forcing me to travel roughly eight miles," For a moment Zecora thought she'd seen the shadow of a smile on the D.A. face, but then she thought she must be imagining things when the D.A. continued in his polite and pleasant tone. "I see, and at what time during the day do you usually venture out into the forest to look for ingredients?" "I usually travel from daybreak till noon, but some herbs must be collected under the full moon," "In other words from five to twelve a.m. on normal days, and during the night once every month, correct?" Asked the unicorn adding two and two like was accustomed to. "You're quite good Mister D.A., it's a shame this job has turned your hair quite gray," "Thank you, I guess. But now I must ask you about an inconsistency I've found on your statements," "Ask what you must, lest I give you a reason to distrust," "Earlier you said you ventured no more than eight miles away from your hut, yet that doesn't seem a distance so significant you'd need seven hours of your time, from five to twelve am, to cover it. Care to elaborate on that?" "Herbs and plants don't sit in a perfect line, I hope you understand this just fine. More than eights miles I've never traveled, and with this I hope the mystery is now unraveled," "Hmmm that makes more sense," said the D.A., the gentle scratching of his quill against the paper the only noise that could be heard. After having finished scribbling those last bits of information he finally set down the quill and the notebook on the table, he looked into the zebra's eye and she looked into his, calmly smiling at him. She thought the interrogation was over and leaned back on her chair lowering her defenses, lured into that false sense of calm that preceded the eye of a storm. A mischievous smile flickered across the D.A's face, suddenly betraying his true intentions. He leaned forward and placed his forelegs on the table, the sole of his hooves touching each other. His calm and relaxed look suddenly vanished as it was replaced by a serious-looking frown. The pleasantries had finally come to an end, it was time for the real interrogation to begin. "Miss Zecora, what were you doing the morning of June the twenty-first, at precisely ten a.m.?" Zecora was taken aback by the question and the sudden change in Silver Tongue's attitude. She fumbled around with her hooves before answering: "Why, I must confess I remember not, perhaps I was picking ingredients around my hut." Silver Tongue tilted his head to the side, squinting at Zecora with faked curiosity "Picking ingredients during the Summer Sun Celebration, one of the most important festivities in Equestria? I thought you never isolated yourself during celebrations...." "My best friends had left on a trip to Canterlot, therefore I had no reason to come out of my hut, or so I thought." "Why not go with them?" "Cities and towns one cannot hope to compare, though I like the hustle I prefer clean air," "Miss Zecora, what were you doing on Tuesday the 24th of June, from five to twelve a.m.?" "Why I was gathering herbs around my hut with haste, making sure none of them went to waste," "Did you see or hear any unusual activity during that day?" "Not that I recall, the Everfree Forest is no shopping mall," He finally had her. It was time to turn on the pressure and make her crack. With any luck she'd be giving out her confession within the hour. "Let me get this straight: you spent seven hours moving around in a radius of eight miles from your hut, located somewhat deep into the Everfree Forest, and you didn't see or hear anything, despite the fact that a hundred imperial guards went thundering through the forest, in pursuit of a fugitive who also happens to be your close friend?" He asked with the unmistakable tone of skepticism in his voice. He'd hit the bullseye. Zecora was no longer able to keep up with the pretense she'd used during the whole interrogation. Her eyes skipping from the walls, to the table, on to the one-way mirror behind the D.A. were all too familiar to the unicorn who was used to handling and exploiting contradictions. "Perhaps they were too far, thus I wasn't able to witness anything bizarre," she finally managed to answer, though not sounding entirely convincing at all. "Miss Zecora, when exactly did you hear the news about the attack on the Princess?" The question hit her like a ton of bricks, she had not fully prepared for such an interrogation. She tried to answer as quickly as she could, without betraying a hint of nervousness. "It was on Wednesday during my usual drill, when I went to gather herbs back at Ponyville," "So basically a day after Miss Sparkle vanished into the forest. Well isn't that convenient?" Pondered the unicorn out loud so that his guest could hear him. "Are you suggesting I lie?! Perhaps you should ask again and look me in the eye," replied the zebra angrily as she leaned forward and slammed her hoof on the table. Anger. A common reaction he witnessed on dozens, if not hundreds, of ponies when they were cornered. Perhaps they thought if they acted indignant enough they could convince him of their innocence, but he knew better than to overlook such a blatant defense mechanism. Silver Tongue got up and slowly started pacing around the table. "Well, I just find it curious how you claim to have learned about the attack on Wednesday, after you supposedly visited Ponyville for ingredients." Zecora followed his every move as he made his way toward her, his forelegs crossed behind his back. "Yet, correct me if I'm wrong, didn't you say earlier you usually visit Ponyville on Mondays?" Asked the unicorn casually looking at the ceiling. She had not retort for this. She opened her mouth to speak but words wouldn't come out. The D.A. noticed this and continued pacing around. "Not to mention that nopony saw you come out of the forest, despite the fact that we had a hundred guards stationed right outside." Her stomach gave an unpleasant lurch. She clearly hadn't thought of this before she answered his question. But the D.A. wouldn't stop there. "There's also the fact that we had to come get you from your hut, meaning you actually went back to you hut after learning of Princess' Celestia's fate and what Miss Sparkle had done." She was now sweating buckets, she tried to explain herself as she turned around to look at Silver Tongue who was now right behind her, but words failed her. He leaned forward so that his head was on level with hers and whispered in her ear. "I don't know about you Miss Zecora, but I find that such a story doesn't sound the least bit convincing or logical. Should I perhaps remind you that harboring a wanted criminal and obstruction of justice are both punishable offenses?" Zecora gulped down hard, closing her eyes for a second. She felt lightheaded as she turned back and opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted in the form of a slim palomino pegasus wearing a fancy mustache and a long black mane that had been combed backwards. "Stop right zere messieur! This interrogation shall not continue without my consent or that of my client!" said the newly arrived pony accompanied by a white stallion sporting a similar mustache and dressed in a black tailcoat, and a white filly with a neatly arranged purple mane. The D.A. looked at the intruders and quickly recognized them to be attorney Tour de Langue, followed by Mister Fancy Pants and Miss Rarity. He facehoofed himself wondering why he'd signed her release papers the night before. He had been careless to forget that Miss Rarity was an acquaintance of Fancy Pants, one of the most influential ponies in Canterlot. "District Attorney Silver Tongue, how charming to see you again my friend. I hope the job's treating you well?" commented Fancy Pants as he approached the D.A. and shook his hoof. "Better than I could hope for Mister Fancy Pants, the pleasure's all mine," replied the unicorn trying to sound as polite and as least annoyed as he possibly could. "Marvelous old boy. I say, I expect you've already met my good friend Miss Rarity?" he asked while looking casually at the filly standing in the doorway. "We've met," replied the unicorn briefly. "Why, when I heard from Miss Rarity here that one of her friends had been taken into your custody I was just baffled you know? So I gave a call to your friend Tour de Langue here and asked him if he might accompany us to check up on things. After all we know each other of old, and we know how obsessive you can get with your work. I hope you weren't scaring the poor lass now, were you Silver?" It was all well played: he couldn't find a way to respond to this intrusion and continue his interrogation in the presence of that insufferable couple. Nor could he do it now that they'd hired Tour de Langue to pull her out of there. He'd have to get a warrant and in the meantime the infuriating pegasus would coach her into avoiding his questions. This was a tremendous setback. "Silver Tongue, I trust you will up'old the law and allow me to escort my client out of 'ere," said the palomino pony, placing his foreleg on Zecora's shoulders. "Go ahead." "Very well, if zere's somet'ing you need just contact me at my office. Ozerwise, I t'ink we'll be on our way. Bonsoir, mon ami," he added as he gave a short bow to the D.A. and escorted Zecora through the door, shortly followed by Fancy Pants and Rarity. Zecora raised her head and looked at Rarity, her chest swelling with gratitude. "You come with impeccable timing, a minute later and I would've stopped rhyming." "Oh there's no need to thank me darling. I would've felt just horrid if I'd left you by yourself in that dreadful place," said Rarity as they exited the building, where 5 fillies where waiting for them at the end of the stone steps. One of them, a skyblue pegasus with a peculiar rainbow-colored mane took of from the ground and approached them. "So, did he manage to make you spill the beans?" She asked the zebra. "No, but he was very close, and despite my lies, I think he knows." "So? What are we waiting for? We best get out of this here city before we get thrown into them stuffy old cells again!" Suggested a second orange colored filly with freckles, and a long blonde mane tied in a ponytail. "Uhm... but what are we gonna do about Twilight?" Asked a third yellow-colored filly, with a pink mane combed over her right eye. "Don't you worry your pretty little mane over the details. We're going to go looking for her before that big-meany-pants D.A. finds her!" interjected a fourth bright pink pony with a puffy mane, bouncing on her hooves. "But before that, we have to go and leave some flowers at that white house-thingy. The ponies there seemed so sad to see me go: they were all screaming out of loneliness!" They all marched down the road to the train station, completely unaware that a certain unicorn was silently watching them from his office window. "Miss Light Hooves?" He called over his shoulder, as a pink filly with glasses and lime green mane tied in a bun approached him. "Yes sir?" It didn't matter whether Tour de Langue had interrupted him. He had been close to uncovering the truth for a minute there. These fillies, despite what they might say knew more than they were letting in on, and he wasn't about to let them go just like that."Call the intelligence department and let them know that the suspect's friends are on the move. Arrange to have them all followed."