“I dunno what the hell you’re expecting to get out of me.” Rat chuckled, sitting down across the table from Stronghooves. “I only met her a few days ago. I dunno shit about where she lives or anything…”

“You misunderstand.” Stronghooves shook his head, holding up a hoof to silence the other unicorn. “I’m not here to interrogate you or force you to do anything. I’m here to offer you amnesty.”

Rat’s expression flickered from defiant to intrigued in a heartbeat. “Er, come again?”

“Amnesty, freedom, the ability to walk down the street every day for the rest of your life without having to worry about the guards chasing you. You know, the best present a burglar could hope for.” Stronghooves smiled softly, patting Rat’s forehoof.

“Seems to me that you could’ve given me that without the song and dance.” Rat said suspiciously, narrowing his eyes. “What’s the catch?”

“Not so much a catch as a condition.” Stronghooves shrugged. “I’m willing to give you freedom and total amnesty, and all I want from you is a few minutes of your time, for you to listen to me, hear me out and understand something very important.” He sat back, putting his hooves together. “Sound good?”

“This...isn’t one of those reality show deals, is it?” Rat asked doubtfully.

“Nothing like that, no. Again, a few minutes for me to explain something, then you can ask any questions you please. After that, you’re a free stallion.”

“This is sounding way too good to be true.”

“It is, really.” Stronghooves agreed, nodding. “However, as you listen, you will come to understand why I think it’s so very important that you hear this. Obviously, letting a burglar loose in my city without a bounty has certain risks attached to it, so you might say we’re both taking a gamble here.”

“Get to the point, Captain.” Rat rolled his eyes, smiling. “I’m a busy stallion.”

“It’s about Sky.” Stronghooves sighed, slumping back in his seat a little. “Look, I know you’re working with her and you’re trying to deal with the whole Rolling Thunder thing. I just feel that you ought to know a few things about the pony you’re working with.”

“And how the hell do you know jack-shit about her?” Rat asked, crossing his forehooves.

“I’m her older brother.” Stronghooves replied evenly.

“She never mentioned a brother…”

“Nor would she. Sky and I have fallen out, if you want to put it lightly. I want to fix that someday soon, but for now I just need you to understand a few things about her…”

“How do I know that you’re not just trying to bullshit me?”

“How do you know that she isn’t, too?” Stronghooves raised his eyebrows, giving Rat a long look. “She’s been keeping things from you, Rat. Important things, I might add.”

“What kind of things?” Rat sighed. Might as well let Stronghooves get his spiel over with.

“You and Sky have a certain something in common.” Stronghooves said slowly, getting to his hooves and pacing around behind Rat. “You each have a younger sibling who was involved in a tragic horrible...well, “accident” is perhaps the wrong word for it.”

“What, the carriage thing? What’s that got to do with Sky?” Rat cocked his head, one of his ears flopping down in confusion. “She wasn’t even in the city when that happened.”

“No, you’re right.” Stronghooves nodded. “Fox Chaser, your little brother, was critically injured in the pile-up. I imagine that the events of that day are still quite difficult for you to think about.”

“Look, it was a rough job and a lot of shit went wrong that day, but trust me Captain, it’s no fur off of my back.” Rat said, waving a forehoof dismissively. “It was a close one, but we both got out okay in the end.”

“I see.” Stronghooves frowned, unconvinced. “Well, just a month after that accident in Manehattan, something happened in Canterlot. Two burglars, both of them pegasi, tried to break into the Palace and steal the Elements of Harmony.”

“Ambitious.” Rat nodded. “That was Sky and Shadow, right?”

“Right.” Stronghooves nodded. “Of course, there were complications. I got a tip-off from one of the ponies in the Underground that they were going to be running that job, so when they arrived in the Vault they found a whole platoon of my best and brightest waiting for them. Security crystals, bat ponies, the works.” He didn’t look proud, speaking matter-of-factly as if it was just another day on the job. There’s even a hint of regret there.

“Yeah, well they clearly got out, so it wasn’t that great of a trap.”

“I didn’t want to pursue them.” Stronghooves shook his head. “I pulled the guards back as soon as the two of them ran from the scene. However…only one of the two sisters made it home alive that night.”

Rat cocked his head, frowning. “Wh...what the hell are you talking about?”

“Rat, let me ask you a personal question.” Stronghooves sighed, leaning forward. “What is Fox to you?”

“He’s my...my little brother. What’s it to you?” Rat shrugged, trying his best to keep a neutral apathetic expression.

“Do you know what Sky’s little sister is to her?” Stronghooves said quietly. “Everything. Her whole world, Rat. She loves that little pony more than life itself.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t blame her. You’ve gotta love your family. I get that.” Rat nodded. “So what the hell’s the big deal?”

“Shadow didn’t make it home that night.” Stronghooves shook his head mournfully. “She got caught up fighting a rival burglar, and she was fatally stabbed. Sky was seen fleeing the scene a few minutes later with the little pony over her back.”

“She wasn’t fatally stabbed, buster.” Rat frowned. “She’s alive. Hell, I’ve seen her.”

“Yes.” Stronghooves nodded. “And so does Sky. She still sees her, talks to her, hugs her and loves her like a good big sister should. The trouble is...that’s not Shadow, Rat. Heck, that…thing she’s gotten so attached to isn’t a pony at all.”

“What, you trying to say that she’s got a changeling following her around or something?”

“No, Rat. She’s got...nothing.” Stronghooves shook his head mournfully. “She hasn’t got a sister, she hasn’t even got some chitinous parasite leeching off of her love. All she’s got left is...a memory, and a bad memory at that.”

“How do I know you’re not just bullshitting me?” Rat growled doubtfully.

“Because this is starting to make sense. There’s a picture of her and Shadow standing together in that diary of hers, dated five years ago. That was taken three days before they broke into the palace.”

Rat’s frown deepened. “Fuck...that’s...that’s fucked up.”

“You’ve got no reason to believe me, and no reason to stay. I understand that.” Stronghooves nodded sympathetically. “For the record though, Rat, I think she really needs ponies like us...especially you. You’re closer to her right now than I’m ever going to be again.”

“I just met her a couple of days ago!”

“Exactly.” Stronghooves said sadly. “Look at me, Rat. Do you think I’m the kind of pony that Sky even wants to look at anymore, let alone have help her?”

“I still don’t trust you.” Rat glared.

“Nor should you.” Stronghooves shrugged, trotting over to the cell door and pulling it open for him. “I think that what you find out for yourself will be far more telling than anything I could say here and now.”

“Yeah, I think you’re right.” Rat said evenly, getting to his hooves and taking a few careful steps out of the interrogation room. “What if you’re wrong about her? Shadow’s still alive, Stronghooves. I’ve seen her.”

Stronghooves bowed his head diminutively, holding out a hoof to show the burglar to the exit. “I think it’s about time you stopped listening to what ponies have been telling you and form your own conclusions. If you’re right, then what of it? You get to keep hanging around Sky and her adorable little sister. However, if I’m right, then you do realise that she’s going to need help...and you’re the stallion to give it to her.”

“I sure am!” Rat snickered, before putting on a very serious face again. “I mean, erm...yeah. Look, I’ll...find out for myself.”

“Good thinking.” Stronghooves nodded. “I’m sorry that we couldn’t have met under better circumstances. Sky means the world to me, Rat. I just want to make sure that she’s all right.”

“Well maybe you ought to do something about it yourself if you think it’s such a big deal.” Rat shrugged. “Sit her down, talk to her, shit like that. Don’t just go spewing cryptic shit at some guy who’s only known her for a couple of days.”

As Rat trotted away, Stronghooves sat back on his haunches. True to his word, he let the unicorn go with no further fuss, not even holding out a hoof to address him. Rat was right, of course. Stronghooves frowned to himself, running his forehoof in little circles

He’s right, of course… He thought to himself. Rat barely knows a single damn thing about her. He doesn’t know what happened to her, why she hates me so much, why she’s so broken because of what happened to Shadow...still, perhaps he’ll take my advice and look into it himself. She’s got to have documented it somewhere. Her diary, perhaps.

Stronghooves was jolted out of his pensive state as he heard a door slam open down the corridor, followed by a series of wet thuds as someone galloped down the hallway, covered in all kinds of horrible muck.

“SHOWER SHOWER SHOWER SHOWER SHOWER!” Daybreak shrieked as she galloped by, darting into a bathroom and slamming the door behind her.

“You didn’t really go into the sewers after them, did you?” Stronghooves called out, trotting over to the bathroom door and cocking his head.

“SHUT UP!” Came Daybreak’s voice from within, echoing over the sound of rushing water as she desperately tried to clean herself off.

“Sky got away, then?”

“Yeah, she did!” Daybreak replied. “Your little sister’s more slippery than a bar of fucking soap...damn…” There was a little thud from just beyond the door.

“Did you drop it?”

“I said shut up!” Daybreak barked.

Stronghooves chuckled as he sat down, patiently waiting for his marefriend to finish up. After what seemed like an eternity, Daybreak emerged from the bathroom, absolutely sopping wet and very grumpy indeed.

“Did you at least catch Rat?” She asked, sitting down next to him.

“I did indeed.” Stronghooves nodded. His horn lit up as he conjured a hair dryer out of thin air, starting to dry Daybreak off. “I had a talk with him, then I let him go.”

“You did what?”

“I let him go. I explained the little sister problem to him and sent him on his way.” Stronghooves replied evenly.

“You let a convicted criminal go? What the hell?” Daybreak did her best to glare at him, even though her back leg was twitching a little as he blow-dried her neck.

“Daybreak, listen.” Stronghooves smiled a little. “Sky’s going to come knocking on our door soon enough when she tries to get those crystals back. She’s going to run into me again, much sooner than she thinks. If I can’t convince her not to fight anymore, then it’s going to be up to Rat to give her the help she needs.”
“But...you’re her brother...she...eeee…” Daybreak gave a tiny little squeak as he blow-dried her ears.

“I know. I’m the one who’s going to be responsible for her at the end of the day, but Rat’s closer to her than anypony else right now. She needs him, and he needs her, too.” Stronghooves nodded sympathetically. “Don’t worry, Daybreak. I’ll have her as my sister again before you know it, and everything will be alright again. You’ll see.”

Daybreak flopped onto her back, her hooves twitching as she stuck them up in the air. “You’d better...better be...ri...right…”

“Captain!”

Stronghooves glanced up, banishing the blow dryer as a guard runner came trotting up to him.

“What is it, soldier?” He asked with a little irritation. Daybreak was pretty cute when she was on her back like that.

“We’ve just gotten word from our guys in Manehattan. Rolling Thunder’s coming back in a few days’ time. He’ll be attending the wedding before relocating to the facility to meet Silver Tongue.”

“Good.” Stronghooves nodded. “Check to make sure that he’s not bringing too many unusual or exotic items with him, and keep me up-to-date on his movements.”

“Yes sir!” The guard threw a salute before galloping off.

“Are we going to get him at the wedding?” Daybreak asked, rolling onto her front and sighing.

“No.” Stronghooves shook his head. “That’s too public. It’d be a PR nightmare. Let’s get Shield into that machine so that he can get the enhancements, too.”

“We’re going to break back into the facility again, huh?”

“Yeah.” The captain grinned. “And when Rolling and Silver come back from that wedding, we’re going to be waiting for them both.”

And I’ll bet anything that Sky will show up at around that time, too. He added to himself. This is going to be the best night ever…