While my household continued our journey to Ft. Trotterdale another pony was going nowhere fast in my Equestria dreamscape.
 
Gravel glared at the stout locked door. Outside the small, locked room the earth pony mare could occasionally hear the muffled sounds of the main Fillydelphia police precinct where she was being held. The only other sound was of a pendulum clock clicking away on one of the walls.
 
The mare sighed and looked down at the heavy, locked, hobbles on her legs. The bottom hobbles had their chains now secured to a stout steel ring affixed to the stone floor. The clock, a small table with 3 chairs, Gravel occupied one of them, made up the rooms bland decor. Illumination came from 4 glow lamps. One in each corner of the room.
 
Gravel had been sitting in this stupid room for the last hour or so. She’d been brought in a day ago on charges of extortion, assault, blackmail. All of the charges were true. Not that she’d admit any of that to the police. She was one of a dozen enforcers the Red Snow Association used extract bits from stubborn, resistant ponies. This wasn’t her first run-in with the law and she figured it wouldn’t be her last, but in her mind it was just part of the cost of doing business.
 
The ponies at the precinct had been trying various methods intimidation and persuasion to get her to talk; all with no success. The slate blue-grey mare chuckled. Fools! She thought. Like she’d ever roll over and betray her Association! Besides turning on them would be liking signing her own death sentence.
 
The police seemed to be trying the bore her to death method now. She’d just started to yawn when the lock on door to the room clicked and the heavy, iron door swung ponderously inward. Opening one eye she stared at the bone-white unicorn mare standing the doorway. The mare knew in a instant that this newcomer wasn’t part of Fillydelphia police.
 
Gravel had injured enough ponies and been injured herself enough times to have a very good idea of how much a damage a pony could take before they died. This pony should’ve died at least a dozen times already. The enforcer’s eyes settled on the deep, recent, angry scar encircling the newcomer’s neck and shuddered. This one had an aura of violence and death.
 
The newcomer had a rough, messy mane and tail of brownish black. They wore an extensive tactical harness festooned with numerous pockets, pouches and scabbards. The mare stared at Gravel with these strange goggles with swirling iridescent lens. Sitting on the floor next to this ominous mare was a large, full burlap sack. The mare levitated the parcel into the room with them and then closed and the locked the door again.
 
Normally Gravel would immediately sling some insult at the pony or ponies interrogating her when she first laid eyes on them. She remained silent this time as the unknown pony sat down across from her. The unicorn set the burlap sack on the ground next to them. Their horn flared and folder floated out of the sack and on to the table. She opened the folder and stared at its contents for a few seconds. Gravel realized it wasn’t a standard Fillydelphia police dossier. In fact it had the seal of the Royal Court on it. Who was this pony?
 
The newcomer looked up from the dossier as if they’d read her mind. The unicorn’s horn flared a little and the goggles rose up and rested on her head. Icy carmine red stared back the enforcer. In raspy voice the newcomer spoke.
 
“Well now. You’ve made yourself quite reputation for being a tough piece of shit in these parts.” The newcomer didn’t sound impressed.
 
“My name is Phoenix. I’m a Scale Bearer of the Royal Court. Normally I don’t bother my time with little fish like you, but I’m looking for a bigger fish. Rumor is that you might know where that fish is hiding. Your Association is letting them swim in your pond. That’s who I’m really interested in, and my sources say you know where Blind Eye is.
 
So what do you to say about that?”  
The earth pony leaned forward and looked into Phoenix’s carmine red eyes with her own silvery grey ones. “Fuck off.” She said with a heavy Fillydelphia workers accent. Then slowly she leaned back causing the chains on her hobbles to clink.
 
Phoenix pursed lips and nodded her head. “You know.” She paused as her horn flared and out of the burlap sack a rough, stained chopping block floated up and settled on the table.
 
“I’m here in town for the next few days. I could’ve hunted you down myself, but the local authorities were so kind to bring you in and spare me the time. That means I can spend more time with you.”
 
The mare’s horn flared again and from the sack a large, well used, and very sharp looking kitchen knife floated up and settled upon the chopping block.
 
“And I told the police I’d take care of your questioning from here on out. They said I can use this room as much as I want. It’s nice, out of the way, and very, very private.”
 
As she said this Phoenix’s horn flared brighter and suddenly all the muffled sounds of the precinct faded away. the Scale Bearer looked back at the locked door and then at enforcer. “There.” She purred. “We can spend our time together without anypony eavesdropping. Isn’t that nice.”
 
Gravel felt her body tense but she kept up her act. “Fuck yu! Yu think I’m a gunna fall fur sum fucking cheap scare tactic! I’m nut saying anything!” She then turned her head and looked at the clock.
 
Phoenix grinned. “Oh! Well! If this going to take awhile I guess I should get started on my next project then!” Once again a pale aura sheathed her horn and from the burlap sack floated into view a large onion. Gravel looked at it out of the corner of her eye.
 
“Wut the fuck is that duing here?”
 
The Scale Bearer looked at it and grinned. “It’s an onion. Don’t you recognize an onion?” She floated it toward the mare who pulled her head back away from it.
 
“I knuw what it is! It’s a fucking uniun! Whatz duing here?!”
 
Phoenix slowly twirled the onion with her levitation. “Welllll…I am very happy for the police letting me spend this time with you. So to show my thanks I’m going to make everypony in the precinct Redmare Soup. They’re even going to let you use precinct kitchen to cook it. You ever had Redmare Soup?”
 
The enforcer glared at Phoenix. “Nu. I haven’t had Redmare Suup!”
 
Phoenix grinned at the suspect. “Ah! We’ll have to fix that! It’s a soup from the mountainous regions around Canterlot. Very popular with miners and other rustic folks. It has several ingredients, but the primary one is onions. Lots, and lots of onions. You like onions Gravel?”
 
“Can’t stand the fucking things!”
 
The Scale Bearer gave a look of feigned surprise. “Really?” She looked at onion. “But they’re so good for you. That’s why there the main ingredient of the soup.”
 
The unicorn’s horn flared and dozens of onions levitated up and then tumbled onto the table. “I’ve got 10lbs of them I need peel and slice if I’m going to make Redmare Soup for everypony here.”
 
Phoenix began peeling and slicing one of them. She paused and looked back at Gravel. “The smell of onions doesn’t bother you does it? It doesn’t give me any problems.”
 
The earth pony’s eyes were already starting to water as the smell of onions started to fill the tiny room. She could hide many things with a mask of hardness, but not her eyes were which were now tearing up.
 
Phoenix glanced up and smiled. The unicorn had learned in her hunt for Gravel that the enforcer was allergic to onions. Looked back down and resumed slicing. By the 3rd onion Gravel was finding it difficult to breathe.
 
Out of the burlap sack Phoenix levitates the final object. A large metal pot which she deposited the sliced onions into. She looked back at Gravel. “Now. Let me tell you what’s going to happen you sad piece of shit. I’m going to finish these onions.” She made a sweeping gesture with a front hoof at the piles and piles of onions. “And I’ll comeback tomorrow with more onions and the day after until either you tell me, or I find Blind Eye by another way. And I’m going to make sure you’re served Redmare Soup everyday!”
 
Phoenix levitated another onion and gave Gravel an evil grin. “So Gravel. Where’s Blind Eye?”
 
To be continued.