BridgeWorld

[994AB Day 264]
"I'm here to see my employee, Jackie Valentine. How is she?" Big Joe asked.

"Sorry, sir, but she's still screaming her head off," the disinterested earth pony desk officer muttered as he kept his focus on writing something in his log. "You'll not be able to see her at this time."

"Why hasn't she been taken to the hospital!?" the unicorn stallion demanded.

"Medical checked her out and found nothing medically wrong with her," the desk officer replied.

"And what has she been charged with!?" Big Joe demanded.

"Sir, she is a material witness to an attempted robbery and attempted murder of one of Equestria's prominent government contractors," the bored desk officer said, finally looking at the pony addressing him.

"Which 'prominent government contractor'?" the unicorn demanded.

"Thomas Mane, of Mane Industries," the desk pony intoned after taking some time to look down through several entries of a ledger.

"But she's not been charged with any crimes, now has she?" he asked.

"No, sir."

"So, why is she in jail!?" Big Joe yelled.

"For her protection."

"Right," Big Joe scoffed. "Then why is she not being protected from the likes of you!?" he spat before walking out.

"…Intriguing," Alfalfa said to the person on the other end of the phone call. "Yes, he'll be happy to hear the news. Thank you," she said before hanging up.

"Oh, Mister Thomas!" she called out to her employer passing in the hallway. "You'll be pleased to know we found your mystery cat."

"What? Oh, really?" Thomas inquired.

"Yes, she was seen in the Griffon's Way Restaurant as part of their live entertainment band a couple days ago," Alfalfa told him. "And she's evidently an accomplished songwriter, to boot. Her name is Jackie Valentine—"

A knock at the front door interrupted Alfalfa's report.

"That's odd. We're not expecting anypony, sir," she said, frowning in confusion.

With Thomas standing off to one side in the foyer, Alfalfa answered the door.

"Yes?" she inquired of the unicorn stallion waiting there.

"Good afternoon, ma'am. My name is Big Joe, I'm the owner of the Griffon's Way Restaurant," he announced. "I need to speak with Thomas Mane."

"…I don't believe the Manes have ever eaten at your establishment, sir," Alfalfa said, unsure as to why he was here. "Not that they have any animosity toward Griffon fare—"

"It's in regards to an employee of mine," Big Joe cut in. "She was apparently involved in stopping an attempted robbery and murder of the Manes several nights back. Two days ago, she was taken in as a material witness by the Equestrian Guard, but something's happened to her and they're not giving her any medical treatment. They're torturing her!"

"I'll take it from here, Alfalfa," Thomas said, stepping out from where he had been listening. "Won't you come in, Big Joe?" he invited.

[994AB Day 265]
"Thomas Mane and Big Joe of the Griffon's Way Restaurant in Manehattan, to see Princess Celestia," Sharp Quill announced during Court.

Princess Celestia glanced up from the documents she was looking over between petitions.

"Tom?" she muttered, curious as to the visit. Usually, he made appointments in advance when he wished to see her. And she didn't know of the other pony who was accompanying him. "Yes, please, show them in," she instructed.

"Good afternoon, Tom," she greeted them as they came in and bowed to her. "This is an unexpected surprise, but perhaps fortuitous for both of us, I suspect."

"Apologies for coming on such short notice, Your Highness," Thomas said to her. "We are in need of your assistance. Big Joe, here, has an employee in protective custody, a bipedal feline, named Jackie Valentine. That creature happens to have been the one who saved my family and myself from a unicorn who tried to rob us a week ago."

"Is your family okay!?" Celestia exclaimed.

"Yes, thank you," Thomas replied. "As I said, Jackie saved us. But then she was picked up from Big Joe's restaurant three days ago, and the authorities won't let Big Joe see her. I tried to help yesterday, and they wouldn't let me see her, either."

"Your Highness, Jackie's being tortured!" Big Joe spoke up.

"TORTURED!?" Celestia demanded.

"Yes, Your Highness! They did something to her that set her to screaming when they came by my restaurant, and as they were taking her away, she was holding her head, twisting and flailing about the shield spell in which they held her."

"Both of you, come with me!" Celestia commanded, getting up from her throne. "Where is she being held!?"

"In the Manehattan Equestrian Guard jail, Sixteenth Precinct, Your Highness," Thomas replied, falling in step with her as she led them toward the side doors, followed by Big Joe. "We each tried to see her yesterday to check on her condition, but they won't let either of us in to see her."

"Sharp Quill, please inform the rest of the petitioners that Court is adjourned," she ordered as she led them out.

"Yes, Your Highness," the aid sighed.

"I have an issue to speak with you, as well, Thomas," Celestia said as she calmed down a bit. "I received a report this morning from the Manehattan Detachment of the Royal Guard, evidently a discovery some of your employees supposedly made of a major drug operation going on in Manehattan. Tell me, why didn't you inform the local Equestrian Guard?"

"I had reason to suspect someponies in the Manehattan Equestrian Guard are corrupt," Thomas explained.

"That's a very serious charge to level to make, Thomas," she admonished him.

"I agree, Your Highness," he said. "However, it was when my people witnessed the local Guard of just walking right by the very unicorn who tried to rob me and my family that I began to harbor my suspicions. It got worse when they happened to see the unicorn duck into a warehouse, and they saw there him meet a mare who was mixing a huge vat of magic mushrooms with poison joke—"

"WHAT!?" she yelled, skidding to a stop to glare at him. "The report I got from the Royal Guard said nothing about that! They said they found nothing at all in the warehouse!"

"…" Thomas was stunned to hear. "When did the Royal Guard say they entered the premises?"

"Last night, in fact," Celestia replied.

"… I personally made the call to the Royal Guard two nights ago, Your Highness!" Thomas told her after getting over his own shock. "I also let them know that accomplices to the criminals discovered my employees had overheard them, and those in the warehouse would be scrambling to move their goods as soon as it would be possible for them to do so. If they took that long to respond and investigate—then I fear that it is not only the local Guard who are compromised, Princess!"

"Be careful, Thomas!" Celestia warned him. "You're already making serious allegations—"

"Your Highness, I have proof!" he interrupted. "They're on recording crystals that was collecting data during field testing of the night vision and enhanced hearing projects you personally requested. I made copies before turning the originals over to the Royal Guard."

"…" Celestia paused. "I will want to see them as soon as we're finished looking into the matter about this Jackie Valentine," she said, resuming her march.

"Of course, Your Highness," Thomas grimly replied.

She led them to where her chariot was parked with a team of pegasi Guards waiting on standby.

"Please don't be afraid of heights, my little ponies," she said stepping into the chariot. "It's perfectly safe."

"Not my usual mode of transportation," Thomas muttered, hoping it was too low to be heard. It wasn't. Big Joe heard him, but silently agreed. Celestia heard him, too. She just smiled.

"We'll be going to the Manehattan Equestria Guard facility, Sixteenth Precinct, Sergeant," she said to the leader of the chariot team.

"Immediately, Your Highness!" the lead pegasus replied, saluting.

"Princess Celestia to see the creature in custody known as Jackie Valentine," Thomas Mane loudly announced as they entered the front door.

"Y-Y-Your Highn—" the desk officer stammered in shock.

"Now, if you'd please," Celestia coldly commanded.

"Of—of course, Your Highness!" the desk officer replied, hesitating only for a moment for him to get his brain back into gear again. "Right this way!" He led them into the holding area and to the cell that held the bipedal feline.

Jackie looked up fearfully at their approach, and Celestia could see from her posture that this was a broken creature.

"On your feet, cheetah!" the desk officer yelled. "You're in the presence of Princess Celestia!"

"Ch-chee—cheetah!?" the creature exclaimed, suddenly looking down at herself. "I'm a cheetah!? EYYYYYYYAAAAAGHHH!!!" she immediately began screaming and clutching her head while flailing about on the bed. She soon hit the floor as she tumbled off, continuing to scream.

"What did you do to her!?" Celestia angrily demanded of the Guard.

"Th-that's the way it's been since being brought here, Your Highness," the desk officer stammered.

"And you never sought the advice of a physician!?" she shouted.

"Medical checked her over and cleared her of any medical issues, Your Highness," he explained.

"Cleared her of only medical issues?" Celestia inquired, clearly not impressed. "Were there no attempts to find any other causes that might not be just medical?" she pressed.

"Um—I—I don't know," he admitted.

"Leave us!" she ordered in a tone that brooked no question from him. "And leave me the keys!"

"Yo—" he began, but the glare she snapped toward him instantly shut him up. "Y-y-yes, Your Highness," he finished, hoofing over the keyring to her before departing.

"Will she be okay, Your Highness?" Big Joe anxiously asked as Celestia used her magic to unlock and open the cell door.

"That depends upon what is ailing her," Celestia grimly said as she entered. Jackie was still screaming, seemingly unaware of Celestia's approach.

She enveloped Jackie with her magic and gently lifted her, then after closing her eyes, she began going through a number of scanning spells to try finding out what the problem was. Thomas and Big Joe silently waited for her to conclude the examination. After several minutes of watching Jackie being levitated, still flailing her limbs, writhing, and screaming, they saw Celestia's eyes snap open.

"Ah! Just as I suspected!" she exclaimed. "Took a bit to find it, though. It was cleverly hidden and had me actually second guessing myself for a while!"

"What is it, Your Highness?" Thomas ventured.

"A very tiny sliver of Dark Magic," she said sighing in resignation, "Barely a flea's whisker in thickness, but it's threaded throughout her brain. The tough part now, will be to pull it out without doing any more harm than has already been done to her. Please wait outside and don't permit us to be disturbed."

When they left the area, Celestia looked grimly at the bipedal feline as she tightened her telekinetic hold on Jackie to keep her from thrashing about.

"I'm so sorry," she said to the still screaming and unaware creature. "This isn't going to be pleasant for either of us."

Once Celestia started the process of removing the strand, Jackie's screams immediately doubled in volume, and the screams only got louder as she progressed. But once started, Celestia couldn't afford to stop, for Jackie's sake. And as delicate as the operation was, it took time—too much time—and the screams only got louder.

Jackie's eyes snapped wide open, and she was pissing herself. Still, Celestia couldn't let up on her….