The Secrets of Caduceus

The group of mares in front of me trot into the fancy clothing store, and I follow blindly once again.

A very clean and tidy store. That's surprising, considering the part of city we're currently in. Various neatly folded clothing articles are lined up on shelves and display counters. Suits, dresses, shoes, and hats surrounded me as I trotted through on the lightly coloured wood flooring. Nopony seems to be handling the cashier, so I decide to take more detailed look around.

It's harder than it looks, trying to find a suit that fits your style. Browsing the racks of clothes, I just can't seem to find something that I like.

*DING*

It seems somepony has rung the service bell at the cashier desk. I suppose I'll meet with the owner of this store and ask him to find something for myself.

"Come on Blue, we don't have all day." Ace shouts at a door behind the cashier desk.

Nopony makes a sound, and no reply is heard.

"If you're scared of Thorns, I'll have Dove hold her back if you want." The skin coloured earth pony shouts again.

Out of the darkness of the back room, a white unicorn with a blonde glossy mane slowly inches his head out of the doorway. He looks rather frightened, specifically by the silent blue lollita earth pony.

"C-Can I help you?" He asks timidly.

The blue earth pony turns away, and trots to where I'm standing. She seems to be taking a liking to me, or maybe she just doesn't like the cashier worker.

"We need something that can get us into the Diamond Glass. Classy, but not too flashy. Got it?" Ace demands.

The unicorn worker suddenly changes his attitude and tone, "Ah, I see... I'm sure I can find something for you all." He says, as he makes a full trip around the store.

His horn begins to glow and pulsate, as clothes from the racks and shelves hover behind him. He takes care to avoid me and the blue mare beside me.

Although, I don't blame the guy. If I were to be afraid of any of these mares, it would be the silent one. In fact, I've never heard her speak before. Not a sound, not even a cough.

"So do you know him? Why is he avoiding you?" I whisper to her.

She nods.

I sigh, swallow, and then ask the question I've been wondering for a while, "Excuse my abruptness in asking this but... Can you speak?"

She nods.

I guess she just prefers to remain silent.

"Here you go ladies, the finest of my store. And for the colt..." The white stallion begins to speak, but is soon cut off by an unfamiliar voice.

"I shall pick out his clothing."

The beautiful voice comes from beside me. Everypony in the room snaps their heads towards me. I slowly turn around, and realize that the blue earth pony had been speaking this whole time.

I step back, "So you can speak."

She nods.

Everypony's jaws hang open in disbelief, and that includes the white stallion.

"Who knew she could speak? This is the first time we've heard her voice!" Strings exclaims.

Thorns sighs, and then pulls my arm towards the stallion's clothing section of the store. I look back, and see everypony glancing at each other before dispersing around the store.

The blue earth pony holds up suit after suit in front of me. But she doesn't seem to be looking for something that I like. Rather, she's looking for something that she finds attractive.

Eventually, she picks out a striped black and white suit that I seem to enjoy myself.

"There" She says, "Now you look like your father did... When I first met him."

Now I see. And yet, I still don't understand her motives.

"Looking good kid." Ace says, as she steps out from behind a changing curtain.

She looks beautiful, and so does the slick black dress wrapped around her body. Although, her cowboy hat does stands out quite a bit. Strings soon follows after, and a long green dress follows with her. The flower in her mane seems a bit out of place as well.

"Yeah, you too. I guess...?" I respond vividly, not wanting to sound flirtatious.

Everypony in the room has a piece of formal clothing that should get them into the Diamond Glass. That includes Thorns, who seems to already own a dress similar to Ace's. But then I notice the green pegasus at the back of the store looking bored.

"Aren't you--" I begin to ask, but I'm immediately cut off by the same pegasus.

"No way! I'm not getting in one of those. I'll stick with the jacket thank you very much!" She responds.

Ace steps in, "We've got a special outfit for her. It's something that isn't too 'girly' for her. But it'll still keep suspicion away from her when we're inside."

Dove loudly lets out a breath of relief, as she rejoins the group.

"Thanks for your help Blue, the head of S.I.R.T. can send you the money we owe you. See you around." Ace says blandly, before walking out of the store.

I quickly trot after her, and soon catch up, "So who is the head of S.I.R.T. Anyways?"

She turns to me and responds with a chuckle, "That would be Black Blizzard himself."

Everypony re-enters the limousine, and we immediately begin driving again. Speedily, we drive down the empty street illuminated by street lamps.

The 'whirring' of the limo's motor comes to a stop after about twenty (20) minutes of driving. The one thing I noticed while driving was the change in colour around us. Only a few minutes before we had stopped, the buildings and streets around us were all occupied by drug addicts, alcoholics, and gang members. All of which were either coloured black or something relatively dark. Now I see white buildings and streets filled with futuristic looking devices, most of which are hovering in the air by some magic.

I peek out the window, and I'm met with a giant colossus of a building. But instead of the regular ivory white buildings we've been constantly passing, the restaurant slash hotel is coloured an elegant light blue. The architect, whoever he was, seemed to focus more on the height of the building rather than the width or length. The building towers above everything else in the area, but it seems rather slim to be a restaurant and a hotel at the same time.

"This is our stop. Welcome to the Diamond Glass." Ace says, as she pulls the keys from the ignition.

Strings is the first to exit the vehicle, "You all wait in the courtyard, I'll get us all a way in. Well, except you Dove. You'll go around through the back. You know what to do when you get there..."

The pegasus nods, and then flies off into the darkness.

I can hear the chattering of ponies already, they seem to be coming from the ground floor that's just past the courtyard.

The white unicorn tosses a golden harp on her back and then trots off gracefully through the two automatic glass doors that lead into the building.

"Is this really a hotel and a restaurant all in one? It seems kind of... Slim." I ask.

The earth pony in the cowboy hat explains to me that there is, in fact, an entire hotel behind the building I'm staring at.

"S-S-So... This entire building is the restaurant portion?!" My words stutter, as I'm both baffled and overwhelmed at the same time.

Ace starts speaking again, "There's been a slight change of plans by the way. Only one of you will be confronting Aura."

What?! Didn't we just talk about the fact that she's a powerful psychic that can take out an individual in a matter of seconds?!

"And that one will be our one and only Apollo Coronis." She says, pointing towards me.

Now this I understand. Strings had put some kind of protective spell on me earlier. So naturally, I'm the one they would pick to go up against Aura.

I adjust the tie that came with my suit, "So what are you guys going to do?"

"Myself? I'm going to get ahold of Tailor Velvet. Then, Strings will get you Aura's room number from said Tailor Velvet. After that, Thorns will escort you as far as the front door of her suite. We're expecting the guards to let only you in, Thorns you'll be his backup. If anything goes wrong, protocol Seduce and Slay is authorized."

As soon as she's done explaining, a white unicorn comes galloping out of the building's front door, "I have the tickets!" Strings shouts.

Already?! Just what did this mare do in there?!

"Great work. And in record time too." Ace compliments her, as she hands out each individual's tickets.

"And Dove? What will she be doing?" I ask.

Strings giggles quietly before replying, "You mean Dive?" Her giggle turns into a slightly louder laugh, "I'm sorry. It's just that... The thought of turning Dove into a boy seems quite funny to me!"

This is one side of her that I've never seen before. That seems to be the theme of this night.

Wait... A boy?!

"Oh we're not actually changing her gender, that magic is far too advanced for me. And besides, we need her to be as quick and nimble as can be. But we've tied back her mane to look like a stallion's, and on top of that we've dressed her up as a waiter as well!" The unicorn tries hard to hold in her laughs.

"That's great and all... But that doesn't explain what she'll be doing..."

Ace interjects into the conversation, seeing as Strings can't seem to hold her sanity together, "She'll be harbouring our guns. My 'Five-Card Stud' and your 'Viper' are going to be hidden in her room service cart. We'll be using these communicators to tell her where we are, and where to deliver the firearms." She says, as she tosses each member an earpiece that conceals with ease.

I slip my communicator into my earlobe.

The skin coloured earth pony continues, "Dove has her own gun, Strings doesn't fight, and Thorns keeps her 'Roseblades well hidden. She doesn't like other ponies touching her blades. Now, any other questions?"

Nopony replies, and the leader of our group commences operation ShatterGlass