The silence of the foals

“I’d like some context, please”. Luster was standing in front of Van Coat and Ursa. They were in the meeting room of the Fillydelphia Ponice Department. Van Coat exchanged glances with Ursa, who was to his left. Then he lowered his head, looking down. “Commissar, I’m embarrassed to say…” He looked up at Luster. “De crime happened just a block away from here; in an alley west of de Eastern Stable Penitentiary”. He had raised his forehoof and pointed west. Then, he lowered his hoof.

Luster closed her eyes and sighed. She nodded once. She opened her eyes and looked at Van Coat. “When was the body found?” She exchanged glances with Ursa, who was softly pawing the floor. She looked back at him. Van Coat cleared his throat. “Around two in dis whinniesday morning, an indigent pony came to de station to report de dead body of a changeling”. He inhaled. “So we, as a precaution, arrested him. Den we went to de place he had told us; which was, like I said before, in an alley a block away from here; in de west”. He said. Luster and Ursa had their eyes on him.

“Then, what did you find there?” Luster asked.

“We found an actual changeling; a dead one, of course”. He chuckled. “Even in dese wartimes it’s hard to find one”, he commented. Luster, in front of him, quickly batted her eyes for a second. She looked down and sighed. Then, she looked forward back at Van Coat and Ursa. “What was the state of the corpse?” she asked.

Van Coat looked up at the white ceiling. “Well…” He raised a forehoof and rubbed his muzzle. He looked forward back at Luster. “It seems dat changelings haff green blood…” He said and lowered his hoof. Luster nodded energetically twice. “…I mention dat because dere were green stains on de sidewalk; and de trail of blood led to de alley”. He cleared his throat. For a second, he turned his head to the left towards Ursa. She was looking down at the chess design floor. Her ears were perked up; the right one pointing to the right at him, and the left one pointing forward at Luster. Then, Van Coat looked forward back at Luster. “Anyways, commissar, de broncoroner determined de body had a hole in its back because a magic laser beam struck it. It had magical burns all over its back. At two in de morning, de body was already dead for fife hours”.

Luster nodded once. She closed her eyes and frowned. “This pon-, this indigent pony you arrested…” She opened her eyes and looked at Ursa. “… Was it one of the few we found down the sewers, Ursa?” Luster asked. Ursa looked forward at Luster. Van Coat opened his eyes wide and turned his head to the left towards Ursa. “Um…” She expressed. She exchanged glances with Luster and Van Coat. She was softly pawing the floor with a forehoof. She looked Luster in the eye. “Yes, commissar, if my memory serves me right, he was in de sewers when we explored dem. Besides…” She looked down; her nostrils flared for a second. “He smells dat way”.

“Is the indigent a unicorn?” Luster asked. Ursa looked forward at her. “No, commissar, he’s an eard pony”, she answered. Luster frowned. “So he couldn’t kill the changeling. Unless…” She looked at Van Coat. He nodded. “Dat’s right, commissar. As you can imagine, we also believe he could be anoder changeling”.

“Alright, take me to him”, Luster ordered.

Luster, Van Coat and Ursa were walking down the corridor of the Fillydelphia Ponice Department. They had left the meeting room seconds ago. Van Coat was leading the way, with Luster and Ursa behind him. When they reached an intersection of hallways they turned right. Then; after walking for ten seconds, passing by a couple of doors on both sides; they took a left turn. They reached a dead end, on the ground floor of the building. They approached the last door, which was made of beige steel. Next to it; at the end of the hallway; there was a unicorn before a desk. He looked at Van Coat and the others and got up from a pillow. “Good morning!” He saluted.

Van Coat approached him. “Good morning, sergeant. We need de indigent to go to de interrogation room”, he said. The sergeant turned to his right and walked to the door. With his magic, he turned the knob and pushed the door. He crossed the threshold. Luster and the others, who were a few legs away from the open door, could hear yelling and neighing coming from the inside; atleast ten different male voices.

After two minutes, a strong stench started to invade Luster, Van Coat and Ursa’s nostrils. The gagged and coughed. Followed by the sergeant, an earth pony came out of the room. His coat was brown but his lower legs were stained black. Just like his hindlegs, his forelegs were chained to each other. As soon as he got in the corridor his eyes fell on Luster, who was between Van Coat and Ursa.

The sergeant closed the door behind him. He seemed to be holding his breath; with the indigent pony next to him. He raised a forehoof and shook it. Luster, Van Coat and Ursa stepped to a side towards the west wall. “Move”, the sergeant ordered, looking to his left at the indigent. They started to walk down the hallway. When they passed by Luster and the others, they followed the indigent and the sergeant. They all were walking down the corridor. Luster, with her magic, had taken a cloth out of her saddlebag and was covering her nostrils with it.

After a few seconds, they turned right on the intersection. They walked a few more seconds and then stopped in the middle of the corridor before a door on the north. Before the door was opened by the sergeant, Luster read what was engraved on the metal plate on it: Interrogation Room. The sergeant pushed the indigent inside and went after him.

Van Coat, who was in front of Ursa and behind Luster, raised a forehoof and put it on Luster’s shoulder. Luster turned her head to the left and looked behind at him. “We’ll be in de next room”. He said. He took his hoof off her shoulder and pointed at a door to the west of the interrogation’s one. Luster nodded and then looked forward. With her magic, she put the cloth back in her saddlebag. She stepped into the interrogation room. Van Coat and Ursa headed to the other door.

Inside the interrogation room, there was a metal table in the center of the room. Although, there weren’t pillows around. West of the room, there was a rectangular mirror-like glass. Luster closed the door behind her and stepped forward towards the table. With her telekinesis, she took her saddlebags off her back and put them on the floor next to her. She sat before the table, opposite to where the indigent pony was sitting. Luster turned her head to the right towards the sergeant, who was looking at her. “You may leave now, good sire”, she said.

The sergeant nodded and turned to his left. He headed to the doors. With his magic he turned the knob and pulled the door. He crossed the threshold and closed the door behind him. Luster and the indigent were left alone in the room.

Luster turned her head forward, towards the indigent earth pony. Just like Luster, he was sitting on his haunches on the white tile floor. He was looking at her with wide eyes. She inhaled and then coughed loudly. Her nostrils flared every few seconds. “Okay…” She exhaled, looking the indigent in the eyes. “First of all, sire, what’s your name?”

The indigent pony lowered his head, looking down. “No remember”, he said. Luster batted her eyes quickly. “Alright, a horse with no name”. She raised her forehooves and rested them on the silver-like table. She cleared her throat. “How about I call you, uh, anonymous, huh? No, how about Anon?”

“Dunno …” Anon said, looking up at Luster. A fly came out of his ear. He raised his chained forehooves and with one of them he scratched his ear. Then he lowered them on the silver table. The chains only allowed him to separate them no more than a leg from each other. Luster sighed. “Anon, we need to talk about the dead changeling you found early in the morning”.

Anon opened his eyes wide, he started to shake his head. “No, no, no, not me!” The chains on his forelegs clanged against the table, just like the ones on his hindlegs did against the floor. “Easy there!” Luster said. She lowered her forehooves on the floor and stood up. Anon stopped moving. She looked him in the eyes. “I just need to know how come you find him before anypony else”, she said and sat back down on the floor.

“Uh, dey kick me out de sewers! Movin’ ‘round city. Was just lookin’ for place to sleep! Got to an alley. Cha-changelin’ was dere!” Anon explained. He took his forelegs from the table and put them on the floor. Luster stared at him.

They were in silence for a few seconds. Luster sighed. She looked up at the white ceiling. For a second, her eyes were lost in the square beige metallic vent in the center. Then, her eyes fell back on Anon. “So, you were purely lucky to find him? Or her? Whatever its gender”.

Anon nodded energetically. Luster stood up. With her magic, she lifted her saddlebags and put them on her back. She started to walk. Anon followed her with his eyes. She was heading to the door. When she got before it, she turned her head to the left and looked behind at Anon. “You, sire, deserve nothing but a long hot shower” She raised a forehoof and shook it back and forth. “Come with me”, she said. She lowered her hoof. Anon, slowly, stood up and walked towards Luster. She looked forward and, with her magic, opened the door. Anon was next to her. She stepped aside. She raised a forehoof and pointed outside. “After you”.

Anon crossed the threshold and got out of the room, followed by Luster. Van Coat and Ursa were in the corridor, looking at them. “Commissar, what are you…?” Van Coat said. Luster, who was next to the indigent, turned her head to the right towards Van Coat. She raised a forehoof. “You two can go and have lunch. I’ll deal with this”. She turned her head to the left towards Anon. “Follow me”. She stepped forward and then turned her body to the left. She started to walk. Anon followed her. At every step he took, the chains on his forelegs and hindlegs clanged against the floor. They were getting away from Van Coat and Ursa; who stood in the middle of the corridor, looking at them.

Luster and Anon crossed the intersection of hallways, heading to the east side of the Fillydelphia Ponice Department. On their way, stablo agents stared at them and coughed and gagged after Anon walked past them. After walking for ten seconds, they turned left and got to a dead end. On the left hoof there were two doors. Luster, who was next to Anon, raised a forehoof and pointed at the furthest door. “That’s the male showers. Go there and wash yourself, okay?” She looked at Anon.

Anon nodded. He stepped forward, his chains clanging against the floor, and headed to the door. He reached the door and put a forehoof on the knob. He turned his head to the left towards Luster. “Danks”.

Luster smiled. “Don’t thank me yet. Take your time. After your shower, we’ll talk. I have a mission for you”