Chapter One Hundred Forty

Stalwart Stance really wasn't liking what he was seeing before him at the moment.

He currently stood atop the rooftop of a very high building, leaning against a safety railing set up to prevent anypony from toppling over and plummeting to their death, as he took in the cityscape of Manehattan was currently laid out before him, in a state of complete and utter desolation.

Black smoke wafted up in the distance, obscuring his sight of the reddish orange skyline as the buildings before him were either smouldering, burning, or otherwise reduced to charred hulls of their former glory. Down below were all manner of sounds of chaos as everything burned or was otherwise laid ruin to.

Making it all worse, was the simple fact that this wasn't the first time he'd been here and seen this particular 'scape on display for all its horrific glory. Nor would it likely be the last time he ever saw it, either.

When one went into police work, sleepless nights and bad dreams was all just part of the price that was paid in the line of duty. That was really all there was to it, and there wasn't a darn thing that could be done about it, other than learn to live with it.

"Your mind is unusually troubled tonight, my little pony."

And then he heard the soft voice from behind him. A voice that he hadn't had the pleasure of hearing in quite some time.

"That's one way of putting it, Princess," he replied and huffed, "please excuse me for not bowing at the moment. Even in here, I'm a little too tired to manage it right now."

"Oh, now, none of that," Princess Luna replied dismissively as she approached him, until she was standing next to him. Able to take in the same scarred sights that he was. "There is no need for us to be standing on formality here and now."

"I suppose not," Stalwart replied and let out a long sigh. "Princess, do you mind if I ask something? I'm sure there was good reason for it, but why wasn't I told about my brother's death?"

"I am... not certain that I understand your question," she admitted.

"Why wasn't I told about the circumstances? That he was murdered by Nightmare Moon?"

At this, he saw her brow furrowing in response.

"When the letter was sent out, informing you of his passing, we genuinely did not know about her involvement; such details did not come to light until weeks later. And by that time, we had much bigger issues to try and manage," she eventually explained.

He said nothing in response, opting instead for a simple brief nod. It certainly made sense to him, even if he didn't exactly like the idea of simply being forgotten about in the shuffle.

"Now, if I may ask a question in turn? How exactly did you come to know about Nightmare Moon?"

"The Espada told me when he showed up," he replied.

"The Espa-" she stuttered in surprise, sounding like she was tripping over the words in response. "The Espada?"

Stalwart nodded. "Tall guy, pale, dresses in white and carries a sword, walks bipedally on two legs, has all the emotional range of a doorknob."

"Hmm. Yes, that is certainly him," she replied and nodded as she huffed. "Then Ulquiorra Cifer is presently in Manehattan?"

That was a question that Stalwart hadn't expected.

"You mean that you didn't know about it?"

She shook her head in response. "I was under the assumption that he was simply keeping to himself in the palace library at the time. He tends to do that when he does not have reason to be out and interacting with others."

Stalwart really didn't like the sound of that.

"Then he didn't come to help us find and stop Tirek?"

"Stop Tirek!? He is on the loose!?" she asked, sounding utterly shocked. But she quickly shook her head vigorously, as if trying to physically clear her mind. "There is too much context missing here. Please start from the beginning. I wish to know exactly what is going on here."

The more Stalwart heard, the less he liked about all of this. But at the moment there really wasn't much that he could do about it, except keep going and hope -and pray- for the best.

"We've been having a rash of random assaults going on here, Princess. All over in Manehattan, from one corner of the city to another. Ponies being sucked utterly dry of their magic like a boxed juice drink, with no indication about the how or the why behind it. We've been at our wit's ends, trying to get to the bottom of it all; everypony's nerves are like kindling at this point.

"A couple of days ago the Espada showed up in town. And, Princess, it goes without saying that he's a really weird looking entity. And in a setting like that, it didn't take long for him to get noticed, cause a panic, and get arrested in the process. He was brought in to our precinct for questioning, and the first words out of his mouth was telling me about Ready's death. Which, granted, I appreciate, but I'm pretty sure the only reason he told me was because of pure coincidence alone.

"Princess, he waited until after he was locked in the interrogation room before he ever spoke up. He undid the cuffs through physical strength alone. He knew we were all there watching, like he could see through the two-way glass and picked us all out by positioning and species; it was like the walls weren't even there at the time. That's... quite the way to make a first impression on others."

Luna's only contribution to the whole exchange was a nod of the head.

"After that and we let him out, because we really couldn't physically keep him contained, he briefed us on what he knew about the situation. About how you had intel about this Tirek character being in Manehattan, how he was responsible for the assaults we've been facing, and how he was there to stop him. How he was best qualified for the job, due to not having any magic that could be stolen," Stalwart continued. "But going by your reaction, I'm guessing that's not actually the case? I mean no offense or anything, Princess, but you're not exactly acting like a mare who knows what's going on around here."

"I suppose that I am not," Luna admitted. "I will not deny, I have no knowledge of what you are talking about. Until you brought it up, I did not even know that Ulquiorra Cifer had left Canterlot. But Celestia is not always in the habit of telling me everything that is going on around us; a millennium of having to do everything on her own is not exactly the sort of habit that can be easily broken overnight. I will check with her in the morning when she awakens, but it is entirely possible that she is the one who dispatched him to resolve this matter while I was still asleep, due to time being of the essence."

"And... if she didn't?" he asked hesitantly. "Princess, when he showed up, he didn't have any sort of official documentation with him, indicating why he was even there in the first place. If he was sent to help us, wouldn't he have at least a letter or something, so the whole arrest thing could be avoided?"

"That-" Luna started, but paused in thought. "I will admit, that does sound a bit unusual, now that you mention it. Unless 'Tia is deliberately trying to keep the whole matter quiet for some reason, a mission of this sort of magnitude and importance would at least warrant a forward notice of his impending arrival, and coordination between the two parties to ensure a smooth transition."

"Then... can we actually trust the Espada, Princess?" Stalwart asked. "Is this Tirek character even real, or are we being played?"

"I am afraid that Tirek is very much real, Captain, and possibly the greatest foe that Equestria has ever faced in over a millennium. And with my history, this is something that I do not say lightly," Luna explained in a very serious tone of voice. "As to the matter of Ulquiorra Cifer? He and I may not always see eye-to-eye on how best to resolve certain issues when they arise, but I can say with absolute certainty that he can indeed be trusted. In fact, I would go so far as to say that I trust him with not only my own life, but also that of my sister, our friends, and our subjects. Without hesitation."

"High praise, indeed," Stalwart commented.

Luna nodded. "Though he is unorthodox in both his appearance, and his approach to addressing matters, I believe he ultimately has the best interests of everypony at heart. And if he is hunting down Tirek, he will not stop until he has found him, and neutralized the threat that he poses to everypony. Even if it means killing him."

"Killing?!" Stalwart asked, caught off guard by just how casually that'd been thrown out there like it'd been nothing at all. "Princess, I know that sort of thing happens; it's sort of part and parcel with what you see in law enforcement. But to hear you say something like that, like it's just one of those everyday things... would he really do something like that?"

Luna nodded solemnly. "If he concludes that such is the best course of action to avoid innocents being harmed, then he will do so with extreme prejudice, without an ounce of remorse or a moment of hesitation, and with all of the skill and efficiency of a surgeon performing a delicate operation."

The casual manner in which it'd all been said, had been far more chilling than Stalwart had been prepared for, and left him feeling a cold shiver working its way up his spine. Even with factoring in some of the stuff he'd seen and heard over the years on the job, this was a whole different sort of disturbing. To have one of their nation's leaders visit him specifically, and lay all of this at his hooves like she was reading him a laundry list, was just too surreal to be anything but unsettling.

The only thing more unsettling, was the situation they were all in, back in the waking world.

"Right now we can't really afford to be too picky about who -or what- we get help from," he admitted, "there's a lot of ponies here who don't have much time left. And anycreature who can work straight through the night without getting tired is invaluable to us, killer or not."

"I am sorry, I do not think I understand. What do you mean they do not have much time left?" she asked.

"The ponies that we think Tirek has been sucking dry? They're dying, Princess. It's not a pretty picture. Empty husks of themselves, lingering on painfully as their bodies just completely shut down one organ/system at a time. Seven to ten days is the longest that any of them has lasted, and there's nothing the hospitals can do except wait, and try to keep them comfortable," he explained solemnly.

"DYING!?" Luna asked in utter horror, her eyes going wide as she spoke. "They are actually dying? Why... why were we not informed of this when it first began occurring? Why are we only learning of this just now?"

At this, he could feel his expression darkening.

"Politics," he grumbled in a resentful tone. "The powers that be who run this city have refused every request we've made for assistance. They're vehemently opposed to the idea of having a bunch of uniformed Royal Guards trotting about and giving the impression that something might actually be wrong enough to warrant their presence. They're far more concerned with maintaining the appearance of everything being alright, than with doing what might be necessary to actually fix the problem at hoof. All while chewing us out for not being able to work miracles with nothing."

Luna let out a snort of disgust in response, muttering something that he couldn't decipher, but knew it was something in a very old and probably arcane language.

"So typical," she eventually growled in a much more coherent tone. "It would seem, whether they be nobles or elected officials, vanity simply does not change. I am sorry you found yourself in such a hopeless situation, there is no excuse for that sort of incompetence."

He contemplated telling her about the meeting between the Espada and Mayor Fetlock in his office, but ultimately decided against it.

"But the idiocy of those fuckbrains aside, what you have told me about ponies dying is very concerning," she continued. "Captain, I admit that I do not know what is going on over there, but ponies should not be dying in the manner that you have mentioned. Tirek has a great many evils attached to his name, but he never killed anypony through draining them during his original reign of terror. Yes, they were in a very weakened state, but they were still alive even after an extended period of time. This is... this is something new, and that in itself is very troubling to hear."

He nodded in agreement. "Like I said, Princess, the Espada's proving himself invaluable to us, by being able to work around the clock without tiring like the rest of us. He's more or less been combing his way through mountains of reports relating to the attacks, and every piece of paperwork relating to the city's infrastructure to try to narrow down where Tirek might be hiding.

"He's calculated out some sort of formula related to the minimum amount of square/cubic inches that something about the size of your sister would need to move about freely and undetected, and is systematically eliminating everywhere that's more than ten percent below this minimum threshold. Several of my officers have even joined in on the mapping process, using his formula to try and shrink the size of the area we'll need to search."

"... On the one hoof, I am glad to hear about the teamwork and camaraderie that is currently taking place between everypony," she stated. "But on the other hoof, I am confused. While the method being used sounds scientific, it also sounds incredibly mundane for Ulquiorra Cifer. He should be able to zero in on wherever Tirek may be hiding with great ease; the same ease as he demonstrated in the interrogation room."

"He actually mentioned something about that. If I remember right, he doesn't know what a centaur should "feel" like, whatever that means, and he can't be certain if all of the stolen pony magic is serving like active camouflage. He's about as clueless as we are right now, so he's having to do it the old fashioned way," he explained.

"Oh dear. Yes, that would certainly be a problem. I had not even thought of that being a possibility," she admitted in a tone that was bordering on being sheepish. "I am so used to him so thoroughly trouncing us in matters such as this, it seems odd to hear about him not being able to do it, and actually brought down to our level for a change."

That really hadn't been comforting to hear. But that was to be expected when the experts were about as clueless at everypony else. And right now there was only one way he could think of to do something about that.

"Princess? What can you tell me about the two of them? The Espada and Tirek? If my city is going to be playing host to these two entities, then I'd like to have some idea of what we're dealing with, what we can expect, and how we should respond."

She contemplated this for but a moment before nodding.

"I will certainly tell you what I can about them. Starting with what is perhaps most relevant to your current situation. Ulquiorra Cifer is not an individual who is motivated by a desire for fame, or recognition, or even praise for the work that he does. In truth he could care less about such trivial matters. If at any point during his investigation, he advises you or the others to stay out of his way and let him proceed alone? He is doing so purely to try and protect everypony who may be caught in the crossfire due to their proximity to him at the time.

"When Nightmare Moon made her return, he advised us to let him tend to the matter on his own, arguing that he was the only one who possessed the mental fortitude to do what was necessary at the time. But at the time we were arrogant enough to believe that we were fit to stand toe-to-toe with him against her. We learned the hard way, just how wrong we were in that assessment.

"Had we simply listened to him at the time, and heeded his words rather than allowing our arrogance and frustrations to guide our actions, a great deal of pain and suffering on the part of so many innocents could have been avoided, and she would still have been within fifteen minutes of making her presence known. I pray that you will never find yourself put into the same position that we were at the time..."

Author's Note

This isn't how I wanted this chapter to go, especially with how long it took to actually write. But what I was trying for, was proving to be unworkable. So I had to improvise and go with something that could actually be done, while trying to figure out how to rework what the original plan was.