Thundershock

"Oh please!" the guard shouted before Fantasy could respond. "Any pony could fake failing a test like that! Smell her breath, for pony's sake! Actually, step aside, I'll do it myself!" The guard moved to push North out of the way and indeed do it himself.

North pushed back, being slightly bigger than most normal guards. "Fine then! Guess we won't do this by the book." He'd lean down towards Fantasy's muzzle, whispering quiet enough so only she heard him. "Hope you can fake your breath..." He'd breathe in through his nose for a moment, trying to smell any alcohol on her breath.

Fantasy gave an incredulous look. How was she supposed to fake alcohol in her breath? "Is there a drug in Pegasopolis that causes confusion? And anxiety?" Fantasy asked, keeping her lips as still as possible.

North would whisper back "Hmm... you're in luck." He'd lean up, looking her over for a moment before he looks back to the guards. "You notice something? She's not drunk... She's high off her flank on Rainbow Dust!" He'd let out a short laugh at this before continuing. "Not an outsider, though probably about as useful as one."

"And how do you figure that?" the guard asked. "She seems lucid. Dumb, but lucid."

North would motion to Fantasy again as he speaks.  "Well, look at her.  Now, maybe it's just because you beat her up a bit, but she's been shaking like a leaf and hasn't looked too good.  She's also small, even by mare standards.  Incredibly pale looking, possibly hasn't eaten in a long while..."  He'd look over to her, a quick look of apology flashes across his face before he looks back to the guards and continues.  "The confusion probably caused her to not answer the questions right, or the massive anxiety problems the drug causes did her in.  Either way, I think she's just down on her luck, but not our outsider."

"She doesn't look anxious, to me." one of the guards said.

"No, but she does look confused." another added, "Heck, she didn't even fight back!"

"She looked bored on the flight to the castle-"

"She is thin..."

"-aside from when we hit her."

"I've never seen a healthy mare that thin. Other than teenagers."

"We only have visual evidence to go off of." the one guard spoke above the others. "This could very well be the outsider... however, we don't know for certain. Perhaps it would be best to keep her locked up until whatever drugs she may have in her system have time to wear off." The other guards nodded. "Thank you, Northern Wind." The guard nodded. "Continue your search, in case this is indeed not the mare. We will take this one to the prison benches."

North would nod to them before interjecting. "Actually I'll lock her up. Only one guard is really needed for this junkie. The rest of you would do better to get back out there. We don't have much time left."

The guards seemed ready to object to North's suggestion until they heard the last part. "What do you mean 'we don't have much time left'?" the guard asked, his tone critical as it was wary.

North would tilt his head at them, looking around for a moment before speaking. "You guys don't know? We fail, the Thunderbird is going to be sent out. That's why I'm saying you guys should get back out there, I can handle this junkie real fast then I'm going right back out."

The guards immediately burst into panicked murmur, until the one guard shouted, "Enough!" He looked North in the eye. "We'll continue the search right away. You take the junkie- er... possible junkie up to the prison and put her in the waiting benches. Then continue the search."

The guard took to the air without another word, the others following close behind for a short distance before they all dispersed.

Fantasy looked at North. "Now what?"

North looked to her before looking off towards the other guards as they flew away. He'd walk over and attempt to place her onto his back. "Now we get you out of here. I don't know where though..." He'd sound incredibly worried, seeming to shake a bit as he lifts her onto his back.

Fantasy thought for a minute, opening her mouth a couple times but then deciding against whatever idea she'd come up with. "How about we go to Mane Street- hair mane, not Main main -and... get me another disguise?" She wasn't sure how that was going to work without expert rebels helping her every step of the way. "I need another disguise anyway, Chocolate Caramel is supposed to be on her way to jail.

"Maybe we could ask the earth ponies for help." she suggested. "Copper and Shrubbery, I mean. I don't know any other earth ponies." Aside from the one with the cutie mark. Wonder if I could find her again. "Although it's just a matter of... finding them. They're rather elusive, at least when you don't know their schedule or one inch of the city."

North would growl lightly at the thought of asking Earth Ponies for help. He'd try to think of a better idea before sighing, knowing they don't have any other options. He'd think for a moment. "Maybe we can find their schedules. Or, maybe I can, but I need a safe spot for you. Mane Street is too crowded this time of day, and if we run into those guards again, we're dead. You don't know any way to get your Earth Pony friends in the open?" He'd begin to take flight as he finishes talking, wanting to get the both of them someplace less conspicuous.

"Not really." Fantasy replied, shaking her head. "I barely know them." She wondered if she could hide in the bushes of one of Unicornia's gardens, but decided against it. "You probably could find their schedules, if you know who to ask. Do you know who to ask?"

North would be flying close to the tops of nearby buildings, high enough from the ground to not be super noticeable, but not high enough to be spotted by other flying guards. He'd think for a moment as he flies randomly. "Yeah, I know, but the problem is that asking about random Earth Pony schedules during an outsider hunt is rather... suspicious. I'd have to find their schedules written somewhere. Right now we need to worry about where we're hiding you."

"Well, copper is a mail carrier, and Shrubbery trims hedges and shrubs." Fantasy said. "You could probably work from that. Not sure where you could hide me, though. You know the city better than I do, so I'm looking to you for suggestions. Or do pegasi not know this- these parts of the city well?"

"We mostly stick to Unicornia and Pegatropolis. Very few guards are assigned to the Earth Pony District, and the only times we go there in force is for busts and raids on rebel hideouts. Right now though, it and Unicornia are being searched thoroughly so..." He'd sigh, an idea popping into his head that he dislikes. "Honestly the best place to hide you right now might be my place."

"Your place?" Fantasy asked, her shock rather slow to the draw as it climbed up rather than shot. "...isn't your place made of cloud?"

North would nod. "Never said it was easy, just it'd be safe... Just need a way to keep you from falling through it."

"Well, unless somepony knows a cloudwalking spell, that ain't gonna work." Fantasy said. "Unless you could put me on a box or something. Is your table made of cloud? Or your bed? Anything that can bear my weight? Without sinking through the house?"

North would come to a quick stop mid-flight, causing Fantasy to slide forward. He'd tilt his head back, seemingly confused and slightly worried. "Cloud walking spell...?" He'd seem to have not hear the rest of what she said past that point, or, at least, not paid attention to it.

"Oof!" Fantasy slid forward and bopped her muzzle into the back of North's neck. She pulled her head up and looked at him. "Uh, yeah? Oh, right, you guys must not have that. That'd be a huge advantage to the unicorns. Crippling for the power hold of the pegasi."

North would growl quietly at her remarks, though he doesn't try to refute them this time. He'd continue flying, though seeming to have a destination in mind now instead of flying randomly. "I'm not sure where you'd learn that spell here, if you ever even could, but I think my bed could support you. So my place is possibly our best hiding spot right now."

Fantasy's ears turned away at North's growl. Perhaps she'd been a bit tactless? "I probably couldn't learn that spell myself, no." she admitted, "So your place is probably the best bet." Then it dawned on her. "Harboring a fugitive... oh my god, dude."