> Day 18
> 0700 hours
 
> Luna looks back to you hesitantly.
> “Are you positive this is the only course of action?”
“I can show you the papers again.”
> Luna sighs and looks back through the magical window.
> “Anonymous, I may be much more pragmatic than my sister when it comes to these types of things but I do have a line.” She gives you a hard look. “You’re at the brink of crossing it.”
“The ends will justify the means, just watch.”
> “How do you know that? What can you give me other than your well educated guess that I am doing the right thing?”
 “From a moral standpoint, you’re not doing anything ‘right’ per say. However, your motivation is to stop the slaughter of your subjects. So which is more important, your subject’s lives or your line?
> She turns back to the window.
> “We cannot fathom what kind of school it would take for someone to begin thinking like that.”
“Wet work colors everyone differently. I just so happened to be gray.”
> “I really must know Anonymous, how do you do it?”
“Do what?”
> “Remain so composed when faced with wretchedness such as this.”
“It’s a learned skill. One I wish I never had to learn.”
> She nods.    
> “Do whatever you deem appropriate…within reason…” She trails off. “The questioning will be recorded by my scribes…”
“Not going to oversee yourself?”
 
> “Absolutly not!” She blurts out. She then looks at you awkwardly. “I mean, I have many more things I must attend to…royal duties you see.”
> You nod.
“Expect a report on your desk by sunset.”
> She nods and quickly leaves followed by her guards.
> You look over to the three unicorns who silently await you to begin.
> You never liked interrogations, especially when it came to THESE kinds of interrogations.
> Being the recipient of enhanced interrogation was quick to change your perspective on its use.
> Not to say you wanted it stopped, but used responsibly.
> Looking down at your facemask, you pull it over your head.
> It was time to work.
> You look down at the records the scribe has in front of her.
> Interrogating officer: Anonymous
> Subject has been awake for twenty nine hours, no rest permitted.
> No food and only a minimal amount of water administered.
> Has been forced to remain standing for the past five hours, no movement permitted.
> Psychological preparation has been administered by agents 34 and 23.
“Well, let’s get started.” You say as you stand.
> A guard opens the door and you walk into the room.
> Inside, a stallion sits chained to a metal chair with his back facing away from you and towards a table.
 
“Shining Gem…” You say aloud as you walk towards him.
> You picked the room specifically for the acoustics, your heavy footsteps were echoing in the room.
> The stallion visibly tenses.
“Owner of Trade Winds shipping company, from a long time and well to do family of Celestia’s court…”
> You stop only inches behind him.
“…Your dad know you’re a traitor to your nation, son?”
> A few tears fall and hit the table.
> You frown a bit and place your head right next to his ear.
“I guess not.”
> He remains quiet, but the tears start to flow quicker now.
> You could faintly hear him muttering something to himself.
> A prayer to Celestia of some sort.
“She can’t hear you in here kid. In fact, no one can hear you in here.”
> He starts saying the prayer faster.
> You chuckle and pat his head with your gloved hand.
“No one can hear you in here kid. It’s just you and me.”
> He trembles at your touch.
“So tell me Mr. Gem, did you really believe that you would get away with it?”
> “G-g-get away with what?”
> The stupid treatment huh?
“Well, I did expect someone of your status to recognize an educated man. However, you insult my intelligence with your coyness.” You reach around and pull out your combat knife.
> You throw it onto the table in front of him and it clatters against the tabletop.
 
“Now, allow me to make you a deal. You’re a savvy business owner so I think you will find this proposal in your best interest. You will answer all my questions honestly and in return you will be returned to your home and none of this will ever have happened. If not well…I have methods of extracting answers from you…so go ahead and make a choice. I don’t care which one you chose, but I would much rather not have to wash blood out of my clothes later tonight.”
> “I can’t answer your questions! Do you have any idea what would happen to me if I answered your questions?!”
“Do you have any idea what is going to happen to you now if you don’t answer them?”
> You pick the knife up and run the edge of the knife down the length of his foreleg.
> Then, as you reach the end, you nick him slightly.
> He winces at the small cut, his breathing grows rapider, and he starts to cry again.
> “Don’t do this to me! I never wanted to do it! They forced me to!”
> Now you were getting somewhere.
“Now you’re speaking my language.”
> You put the knife away and walk into his field of view.
“Sorry about the cut, but I just had to be sure that you understood what you’re dealing with. Take a few deep breaths and pull yourself together, would you like some water?”
> He nods. “Water would be nice…”
> Minimal water.
“Okay then, I will give you a minute to calm down and come back with water. Okay?”
> He nods again. “Thank you so much…”
> You stand and walk to the door and then outside.
 
“Someone get us a pitcher of water. With ice if possible.”
> One of the scribes nods and leaves the room.
> “A rather unconventional method of approach.” A voice speaks up behind you.
> You turn to see a night guard officer.
“You are?”
> “Captain Silverlight.”
“Anonymous.”
> “Tell me, other than the small cut you gave him, what are you planning to do to him?”
“Want the honest truth?”
> He nods.
“Nothing at all.”
> He gives you a quizzical look.
“He was afraid from the start. If he’s not resisting, why torture him? The mere threat of torture is enough to break him.”
> “Reasonable enough, but you ordered such strict behavior towards him earlier. Why?”
“Because I want to be his friend.”
> Another quizzical look. “I don’t follow.”
“For now, he knows that I hold the power of life and death over him. He also has associated your armor with pain and deprivation. I want him to associate me with survival. If he does that, then I can get him to tell us anything.”
> “I had to see it to believe it. You are cut from a very different cloth than most of my colleagues.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment Captain. What can I do for you?”
> “I was sent by Princess Luna.”
“That tells me a lot.”
> “I can tell you the details later once the others show up, for now I am just observing.”
“Watch all you wish then Captain.”
 
> The water arrived along with two glasses.
> You open the door and walk in with the water.
“Sorry about the wait, I had to make sure they put ice in it.”
> You set the pitcher on the table along with the glasses.
“From the report I read, the Captain was very harsh towards you. I must admit, I admire your fortitude though. Typical stallions would have broken a long time before.”
> You say this as you pour the water into the glasses.
> Little did he know that his ordeal was because of your orders.
“You must understand however that treason at this level must be met with severe punishment.”
> His relatively calm face suddenly filled with worry again.
“Don’t worry, I’m here to offer you a way out.”
> You fill a glass full of ice cold water and pull it towards yourself.
> You repeat the same process and begin to push it towards him.
> However, you make sure the glass falls.
> The water spills out onto the table and the glass falls and shatters on the floor.
“What a shame.” You muse as you look down to your glass. “Now, you’re afraid to answer my questions because of what ‘they’ will do to you. Who are they?”
> He shifts uncomfortably in his seat.
> He opens his mouth but immediately shuts it.
> “I can’t…I just can’t do it!”
 
“I have been nothing but reasonable with you, and this is how you repay me?”
> You lean back in your chair and exhale loudly.
“Let me give you some advice about getting caught kid, it’s not fun when you piss your captors off. You’re on my line, and I have full authority to do whatever I wish to you. Think about it.”
> He cringes at the words.
> “I…” He seems torn.
“Your protecting someone Gem, they obviously don’t care enough about you to protect you. So you may as well be dead to them, but here you have a chance to avoid the death penalty, jail, and help your home remain safe.”
> He hangs his head and some more tears begin to flow.
> “My family.” He says in a low tone. “My entire house is plotting against the royal court.”
> The answer takes you aback.
> Interesting.
> It explained why he was afraid to turn his folks in.
“Why exactly would your family go turncoat now?”
> He sighs. “Ever since my grandfather died and his inheritance was passed down, my dad and brothers have become very influential in the court and among other houses. They have lost their minds…they need to be stopped…”
> Full cooperation.
“I see.” You reach into your pocket and pull out the shackle key.
> You quickly unlock his hooves and push the glass of water towards him.
“Please, drink. You sound thirsty.”
> He immediately downs the glass of water and pushes it towards you again.
> “Can I have some more?”
“In a second. Who in your house specifically, and why?”
> “I suppose to explain I would have to start from the beginning.”
 
“I have all night. I’m here to help you do the right thing.”
> He nods. “It started a few months ago; my father began keeping the company of an odd unicorn mare calling herself Lady Diamond. I never saw her much except a brief introduction by my father, and fleeting glances of her and my father. My mother however seemed unalarmed by the ordeal, so I confronted her about what was going on. She said she was a very important business partner to the family and I let it be.”
> You push another full glass of water towards him.
> “However, a month ago my father began asking my brothers and my sister for help in a special project of his. That’s when I found out that they were slowly losing it. My dad had consorted with Lady Diamond, and however many of her friends, to overthrow the throne. My father being the primary conspirator, he would speak at the private parties for The Coalition as they had come to call themselves. He would speak of how the nobility and aristocratic families were the reason Equestria was so powerful, not the princesses. I never truly believed him, but everyone else would cheer and ask him to speak again.”
“So you’re a loyalist.”
> He nods.
“Then why did you allow them the use of your company assets for this?”
> “I had no choice…” He says shakily. “My father threatened to disown me and my brother…”
“What about him?”
> “He runs a mercenary company and he threatened to have me disappear if I ever turned against him or if I refused again.”
> His hands were tied.
 
“So you did it out of self-preservation. That fair to say?”
> “I certainly didn’t do it for the money. I actually lost more money doing them favors than I ever did as a startup company.”
> You could feel the gears turning in the back of your head.
“Let me ask you this. What are they planning as of now?”
> He gulped. “An assassination at the Royal Heartswarming eve play…a week from now.”
“Who’s the target?”
> “The Princess. She asked my father to accompany her in her private box along with two guests. More than likely two of my brother’s hired blades…”
> He was ratting on his own family.
> Yet, he was not overtly saddened.
> He understood what it all meant for them.
“Do the Elements of Harmony also attend the play?”
> “Attend? They are the actors…why?”
> You knew enough about them to know they were a serious threat to Discord.
> You also knew Rainbow Dash was one of them.
> So if you can kill a princess, why not kill two problems in the same day?
“Would it be possible that they would target The Element wielders as well as the princesses?”
> He considers the idea for a moment.
> “I don’t see them having a problem doing so.”
> Now your plan just needed to be set into motion.
“Well, I need to ask a favor of you Mr. Gem. Well, more a deal for your consideration.”
 
> His ears perk up.
“Your information lacks solid proof, and if it is true I would need more detail.”
> “That’s all I know. I just wanted to distance myself as far from it as possible.”
“I understand, but let me finish my proposal.”
> You get up and unlock his leg chains.
> He stares at you a moment, unsure of what to do.
“I’m going to let you go and drop the charges against you. In return, I want you to find every scrap of information about this that you can get your hooves on. I especially want more about Lady Diamond, find out more about her. A list of the traitor’s names would also be helpful, so do try to get one. Once this is all said and done, I will assure that all your family assets will be transferred to you without incident.”
> He stares at you wide eyed.
“All I ask is that you arrange for any information you find to be sent back to the castle by a means which will not compromise you. Now it’s your choice, do you accept my offer?”
> He hesitates a moment.
“If you understood the forces at play here, then maybe you would know why I am so desperate for help but you don’t. You never will. But you can help stop this before it starts. Think about it, do you really want to be responsible for the slaughter of your countrymen?”
> “I’ll do it.”
 
===Hours later===
“So if Gem was acting as a front for conspirators to transport explosives…”
> You draw a line from Gem to the bubble representing the aristocratic conspirators.
“Who work in tandem with Lady Diamond…?”
> You put the chalk down and sit down in front of the large chalkboard.
“It all should lead back to X and Discord.”
> You stare at the large red circle in the center of the map.
> The closest thing you had was Lady Diamond to them, and if they were being careful then you would have to peel back who knew how many more layers to get to them.
> So far, you knew the connection between the Diamond Dogs and Discord was there.
> You also knew from the documents you stole, and the interrogation that the aristocracy could be involved with Discord as well.
> A knock came from the door and echoed in your room.
“Come in.” You say without turning.
> The door opens.
> “Whoa. What’s all that Anon?”
> Rainbow Dash, as you expected.
> You stand and stretch out a moment.
“It’s a map.”
> “To where exactly?”
> You tap the red center bubble.
“The center of it all.”
> “Interesting…” She says. “Anyway, I was going to go back home to Ponyville for a few days. I talked to Luna who said that you could take a few days off and come with me...if you wanted…”
 
> You eye her incredulously.
“Take a break? With everything that is going on? Are you feeling alright Rainbow?”
> “You’re asking me? Have you looked in a mirror lately?”
> You raise your brow at her question.
> “You look like you haven’t slept since Manehatten.”
> You curse inwardly at yourself.
“It’s hard to get sleep when you have so much to do. There never seems to be enough time in the day.”
> “Which is why you should take a break! C’mon Anon, you can save the world later.”
> You sigh at her insistence.
“You don’t understand what I’m dealing with right now.”
> “You’re always so vague about things. Why is that Anonymous?”
“Because it’s critical information and the fewer people that know, the better off we are.”
> You were already worried about telling Luna about the assassination.
> If you told Rainbow…
> Well, who knew what would happen if she got a few drinks in her and blabbed to her friends?
> You also leave out the part about Discord having people in the castle.
> That was one card to keep close to your chest.
“As much as I would love to, I have to decline. I have duties to perform here.”
> She sighs and looks defeated.
> “Maybe another time then?”
> You nod.
“I promise.” You say with a smile. “Besides, it would be nice to actually visit a town when I’m not on business.”
> She seems satisfied with the answer.
> “Anyway, I have to get going or I won’t make it back home before nightfall. I’ll be back in a week for the Heartswarming eve play.” She suddenly stops.
 
>“Are you going to go to the play at least?”
> You smile.
“Bet on your life I will be there.”
> “Maybe we can hang out afterwards. Anyway, see you later Anonymous.”
“Take care Rainbow Dash.”
> When she exits the room, you let out a sigh of relief.
> A week.
> Quick inventory.
> An even lower still supply of ammunition and equipment.
> A Rainbow Pegasus with a drinking problem.
> A plot by the aristocracy to overthrow the thrones.
> And a week to make it all work.
> You look to a stack of parchment.
> Better get started.