Visible Shadows

The room was dark, illuminated only by a small lamp in the corner of the room; I could hear the bosses discomfort at the events before this unexpected meeting: she cleared her throat and as she did, the rest of the lights came on, illuminating the table I sat at along with 7 other ponies including the boss on the far end.

The room was filled with various tables much like the one we sat at; only smaller and mostly containing a vast amount of either beer, weaponry, or pool balls. The only thing that wasn’t fitting with the design was the dirt colored walls and ground where the wall paper and rugs didn’t quite fit, which made sense in the rush of making this place.

"Do you know why I called this meeting?" Our deep blue coated unicorn boss asked, receiving silence. Uneasiness grew in the room like a wildfire. "any pony?" again, nothing. "I’m sorry I just thought since... you know; one of you ponies here snitched about our old hideout, they would come forward and at least tell us why. No matter, we have all night"

The cute and frightening boss started to pace around the table looking at all of us, intently waiting for some pony to crack; i was the first one she decided to talk to though.

" Did you, do it?" Immediately, I felt confused about why she had chosen me of all the others who sat at the table, then I realized I was not only the youngest member, but I was also the newest.

"n-no boss." I stammered, sweat forming atop my brows as she looked like she didn't buy it, and after a few long moments of staring, she went to some pony else asking the same thing. Again, the same response but with a whimper when her gaze locked, and a sigh when she left. She kept staring hard at everyone trying her damnedest to force one of us to crack, but no one dared even venture the thought. Could it have been a misunderstanding?

As time passed, the ponies around the table seemed to grow either tired, scared, or just annoyed from the holdup of their daily lives. Still, from how long we sat there, we weren't going anywhere until the culprit was captured, and that was not going to happen anytime soon.

With the failure of many different scare tactics, I had only then realized this has been going on for hours. Ever since Moonlight Glitter, the boss, found out a pony had snitched about the hideout in ponyville, but surprisingly not about who was running it.

Now as we sat in one of the various underground hideouts Bloom has made near ponyville, we were all being interrogated on who had done this.

"My question for every pony is why" Moonlight's voice boomed snapping me out of my thoughts. " Why would some pony rat us out? The question 'who' seems to be unanswered but anyone could answer 'why'. Now you" She pointed at a pony next to me and for once since this entire fiasco went down, I was relieved. She started to interrogate him and ask him various questions.

As this distraction came, I let my mind wander to think about who had done it. I wasn't thinking of who only cause i was expecting the pony to snap by now, but with the failed attempts to capture the culprit, my curiosity decided to take hold and allow me to finally think.

Some other members were called and just when she seemed defeated, I heard her call out "You, Silverstring, why do you think someone ratted us out?" and just like that, everypony turned.

My hooves went numb as i tried to think of a reason, Moonlight was always nice to her family so there was no problem there, a rat from another family maybe? no that would be too-

"I mean now, SilverString!"

"Uhhh.... m-maybe someone snuck in from a d-different family? They could of planted a mole to gather intel..." No sooner had i said it was she grinning, then it hit me. I was the newest, and most untrustworthy besides Broken Wing who might have let it slip during a conference of sorts. Which means my stupid idea just got my into a whole heap of trouble.

"Well, that would be a reasonable answer but that would point all hooves to you, now wouldn't it." She smiled with a borderline mad-pony stare "Gentle Ponies? I think we found who did it'

I watched as everypony whom i trusted turned on me with disapproving eyes. At first i kinda chuckled as if this was a big joke and I fell for it big time, but as I stared on i started to worry. Oh goddesses, they weront serious, were they?

They had to believe i did it! They really think I'm the rat, that's the only reason why this is happening. i was freaking out in my head and losing it even more with the lack of sound as if to let it sink in for a moment. I was filled with so many emotions i felt like i was just going to break down and cry at any moment, but no tears shed. My stance at the table did not falter. Instead i stood up, looked twilight dead in the eyes, and went to say something, wings tight at my sides. All i could get out was a "you-" Before I was levitated off the ground, and the world spun around me.

After a few moments of being up there, which seemed like an eternity of spinning; i stopped midair, facing the boss upside down. Almost comically her grin was completely upside down, causing her to frown in my eyes like a mother scorning her child. I would of laughed if i wasn't about to die a oh so horrible death.

" I didn't do it" I finally managed to get out, though my body seemed still frozen from the disbelief, or the magic. My mind was racing everywhere trying to piece together who did it, what was going to happen to me, why there were two ponies smiling in the room, like a filly who knew a secret. With a lack of time and seeming disapproving odds of winning this fight, i gave up and closed my eyes only to hear the twisted sound of Moonlight's voice ring out one final time,

"Goodnight, Silverstring" As i plummeted into the table, headfirst. The last voices in my head dying down to a whispered, "I'm Screwed."