New Trottland Yard Case 06 - Silver Cross and a new beginningby VisualPonyChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 1Silver Cross and a new beginning Chapter 1 Forty-eight stallions and mares, twenty-four of each, held a discussion in the grand council chamber in Canterlot. All of them had read the reports the New Trottland Yard had recently hoofed in, and it got all of them worried. Some were of the opinion, that Gruff Tone had finally lost his marbles, and was to be replaced. An Earthpony wielding the power of the legendary Alicorns? That was just impossible in their opinion. Others, however, saw a great threat in what the superintendent had reported. They were those who believed what the reports said, and the only ones who had actually bothered to watch the footing of Silver Cross displaying her powers. These few were a minority in the council however. Most of them were of the opinion that, if the stories were true, this mare had to be subdued and put into preemptive custody. “She is a danger I tell you! What if she decides that she is not too happy with our rule anymore? If even only half of what the eyewitnesses say is true, she could barrel in here and kill all of us without breaking a sweat! No matter if they are exaggerating or not, this mare has to be taken out of the picture!”, a golden Pegasus stallion shouted from his seat in the council. “Please listen to what you are saying Gold Light. Silver Cross has served the Yard loyally so far. There is absolute no indication that she would turn on us, even IF her powers were real, which I doubt they are.”, an Earthpony mare said, waving a dismissive hoof. “Don't you all forget something crucial? Inspector Cross has warned us about a great danger. As per request of this council, I took a closer look at it, and I found out that many Changelings have been disappearing recently. As if that wasn't enough, we have also recovered the body of a Changeling who died in a firefight with the local authorities in Baltimare. It's eyes were sparkling, just like Inspector Silver Cross claimed. None of our magical analysts have been able to explain the sudden physical change. We should try and support her in repelling that “Nightmare”. It's in Equestrias own interest to do so.”, another Earthpony mare explained desperately. Forty-eight cloaked figures pondered those words for a while, until the council leader broke the silence. The slim Pegasus mare stepped into the single light of the circular room, and brushed back the hood of her cloak to reveal her face. Her red eyes scanned the darkness all around herself as she addressed her fellow council members. “Mares and stallions of this Council, I am the leader you yourselves have elected for times like this. I shall now propose a solution that should be satisfactory to all of you. Then you may vote. If we can not come to a conclusion, the mare is to be left alone. She will be allowed to continue her work for the Yard, but her life will not be interfered with otherwise.”, she said, and a murmur of agreement soon replied from the darkness. The lavender mare made her proposal to the council, knowing full well that most of them would not agree with her. She herself did not believe that the stories about Silver Cross were true. It was just another urban legend, like the legendary Alicorns themselves. No excavation had ever proved their existence, and none ever would. The council had more important things to do, than to discuss about such trivial matters. They should just leave the mare alone. Thinking that, she almost fell over when her proposal was accepted with only one negative vote.... OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO “You get down here THIS instant young lady!”, I shouted, leaning out of my window as far as I could, without falling five stories to the street below. Sweet Potato chuckled cutely and continued to observe my attempts at getting her down, while sitting on the very edge of a small cloud. This was the eighth time this week that she had pulled that trick on me, and I had yet to find an effective way to get her down from places like that. My neighbor, and ex-coltfriend, had helped me out the last seven times, since he was a Pegasus. Due to him being on deployment since yesterday however, I had to try and get her down from there myself. The sun was already setting, when a lavender Pegasus mare swooped down onto my daughter, scooped her up in her forelegs and deposited her in mine, before I could even blink. Sweet was equally surprised, looking up at me dumbfounded. “You have no idea on how to raise a Pegasus probably, do you?”,the mare that was now hovering in front of me asked in a slightly angry tone of voice. For a moment, I didn't recognize the mare. When I did, my eyes widened, and I almost dropped Sweet Potato in shock. “C...C...C...Council elder Berry Wing?”, I stammered, turning around quickly to put Sweet down inside the apartment, before bowing to the mare. She sighed at my pitiful display, while slowly coming closer. “Yes, that's my name. Look, I was just on my way to your boss when I heard you shouting at that filly from five blocks away! Let me guess, you have no idea why she keeps perching on top of clouds, instead of sleeping in a normal bed?”, she asked and I shook my head. This was one of the most powerful mares in all of Equestria, and she was giving ME a scolding for not knowing on how to raise a Pegasus... That hurt... Without saying another word, the mare flew up into the sky, only to return to me a few seconds later. Elder Berry Wing was pushing a small cloud in front of herself, gesturing for me to step aside. I did so, even though I was more then uncomfortable that such a high ranking Pony was entering my small four room apartment. As soon as she saw the cloud Sweet, who had been pouting behind me, jumped up onto it. “We Pegasi are creatures of the sky. Especially the young ones need to learn how to sleep in beds that were made for earthbound Ponies such as yourself. Some never shake off that habit and keep a cloud in their home to sleep on. Others never come to the ground and prefer to stay in the big cities in the sky.”, the Council elder explained to me, while hovering only an inch away from my nose. That, at least, explained a lot. But there was one big question coming up in my mind, that I just could not ignore. “Ehm.. what about rain? I know that Pegasi can make it rain if they want to, and I don't really want my apartment flooded.” “That's no problem. This isn't a raincloud. But if you'll excuse me now, I have an urgent meeting with superintend Gruff. I suppose we will meet again soon enough.”, the mare said, darting past me and out of the window. What the buck had just happened? Had the council elder herself really just explained how to raise a Pegasus filly to me? Why did she even do that? And what did she want with boss? I just hoped that I was not in trouble for anything. Seeing that I was still on vacation, and would be until the end of next week, I didn't see why I would be in trouble for anything... Suddenly something bopped me on the head, and I noticed a distinct wetness all around my head. “Gahwww... Get that cloud off me, Potato!”, I cursed, as the little Pegasus filly giggled at my wet maned, pouting face. OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO Fifteen minutes later, elder Berry Wing stood in front of Gruff Tone, who sat behind his desk. It was quite obvious that he was uncomfortable with her being here, but she didn't care. She usually had that effect on other Ponies, since she was the only Pony in the council who ever had revealed her true identity to the public. It had been a mistake, but one she couldn't remedy anymore. “You can't be serious, Council elder. What you are proposing is more then unconventional. It's unheard of and outright strange. I don't think my subordinates would stand for it....”, Gruff began, but got cut off by Berrys authoritative voice. “What is so hard to understand, superintend? Your reports have caused quite the stir amongst my fellow council members, and they want this matter investigated as soon as possible.”, she said, glaring at the stallion. He didn't flinch, which was a new one for her. Usually, being faced with THE most powerful mare in Equestria, Ponies began to bow before her, even though she told them not to. What surprised her even more, was that she herself flinched a moment later when he returned her glare. “As I was saying, before you interrupted me, this will cause a lot of problems for yourself, and for Inspector Silver Cross. Have you talked with her about this matter? She should at least have a say in this.”, he said, leaving no room for argument. “She has no say in this. If she is a danger for the council, then she will have to be dealt with.”, the mare argued nonetheless. “Oh, be my guest! So far none of my special agents would even spar with her anymore. I've seen her fight before she could use any of her crosses powers willingly. Believe me when I say that she would kick the rump of every officer you could sent to subdue her.”, Gruff chuckled. “What if I ordered her to hoof the cross over?”, the mare asked coldly. “That would be a death sentence for her and whoever got custody of it. Her reports state that the creature known as “Nightmare” is after all four crosses. Inspector Silver Cross already has two of them. Several soldiers were unable to stop even ONE of it's agents. What makes you think that you could stop whoever comes to get it?” “We would keep it in the EIS headquarters. Nopony has ever successfully broken into it's vault.” A sense of dread overcame Gruff Tone, as he thought about that. Silver Cross was surely unwilling to just hand over her cross, no matter who ordered her to hand it over. He shook his head, and pointed out his trump card. “Simple Heart. Special Agent Simple Heart of the EIS was killed by a single agent of the Nightmare. From what I could find out about her, she was an experienced fighter in both magical, and melee combat, as well as an exceptional investigator. No matter what you say, Elder Berry Wing, the safest place for that artifact is with Inspector Silver Cross.” Berry sighed. She already knew all of this. Then there was only the original plan left, which she had proposed to the council in the first place. When she told the stallion behind his desk about it, his jaw dropped onto the desk.... Chapter 2Silver Cross and a new beginning Chapter 2 Sweet Hoof snorted. All these Ponies that came to the New Trottland Yard these days were really annoying her. None of them was even bothering to answer her questions, as to why they were here. They usually just looked her up and down, before moving on. The lot of them were doing something in the basement, where the special holding cells were. And their smell.... When she arrived in the morning, these Ponies were already there, and they were still there when she called it a day. Just what were they doing? Sweet Hoof could only imagine that they were building something, since they had brought in several wagon loads of construction materials. Were they maybe expanding the cells? But if that was the case, then why didn't they just tell her about it? She was the superintendents private secretary after all. The worst thing for a mare who had everything organized like herself, was that there was absolutely no paperwork either. Not a single form was in the files that could have told her what the buck was going on. Even the superintendent had stonewalled her... “It's none of your business Ms. Sweet Hoof. Now, where is that report I asked you to bring to my office an hour ago?”, he had said when she had asked him about it. “Curiosity killed the cat”, they said, but she just couldn't resist the temptation. On the third day after these Ponies had showed up, she decided to go downstairs and have a look. Sweet Hoof followed one of the Ponies who seemed to work down there as the stallion passed her office. It proved to be quite easy for her to follow him, since the stallion didn't even seem to take notice of her. All that seemed to matter to him, was the sheet of paper he levitated in front of him. OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO Only a few minutes later she had reached the basement floor. It was surprisingly easy, considering that whatever they were doing, was supposed to be secret. She watched the stallion disappear behind a curtain that had been put up on the far wall of the basement. Whatever was going on here, was going on behind it. Of that Sweet Hoof was sure. But just as she wanted to step through it, somepony bit down on her tail and pulled her back. Sweet Hoof looked back indignantly, prepared to give whoever had dared to touch her tail a piece of her mind, but her words died in her throat. Four masked Ponies were staring back at her, all of them Unicorns. She took a step backwards, her ears drooping. “Ehm... I... I got... lost?”, she stammered, forcing a smile. The four Unicorns just continued to face her, one of them shaking his head. It was the moment when all of them surrounded her, that she knew she was in serious trouble.... OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO “Oh come on....”, I moaned, as I stepped out of the tenth public school in the Canterlot area. All of them had refused to take Sweet as a student so far, due to her special needs. Having a picture of me with her at all times being only one of them. Only two schools were left on my list, one of them being a school for mentally impaired foals... I seriously didn't want to put her in there. She had problems understanding what others told her, and she was a little slow from time to time, but she was still a pretty smart little filly. Just the other day she had managed to fill out all of my tax forms correctly although, I myself was not understanding a word they said. She had even calculated every bit I paid, in relation to my income, resulting in me getting a massive tax return... A Pony just needed to have some patience with her. I loved the little troublemaker, but all of this was not only a strain on me, but also on my bank account. Even with the tax return I had only managed to get my bank account out of the red. The doctors I had to take her to were expensive, and my health insurance just didn't cover that. In addition to those, a whole bunch of therapists were screaming for a piece of my earnings as well... If this went on for any prolonged period of time, I would have to give up my apartment, and move back in with my parents... It wasn't that I was regretting my decision to adopt her, but it was really hard to get by with my kind of pay.... A tug on the leather band around my neck shook me out of my melancholy. Sweet had, once again, spotted something interesting, and was now trying to get there. Ponies on the street were looking at me funny, but the harness she was now wearing was the only choice I had. If I didn't have her in that harness, which was bound to my crosses leather band with a leash, she was really hard to control. I looked into the direction she was trying to get to, and spotted a familiar lavender Pegasus mare. Berry Wing was just coming out of a store, not spotting me as it seemed. Taking the leash into my mouth I slowly started pulling my daughter towards me. She wasn't happy about it, but relented once I put her on my back. Sweet could fly and walk just fine, but whenever I put her there, she just seemed to fall asleep... OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO Berry Wing watched Inspector Silver Cross trot down mainstreet, with that Pegasus filly on her back. She couldn't help but chuckle a little as she shook her head. “You really have no idea on how to raise a Pegasus....”, she whispered, making her way back to the New Trottland Yard Headquarters. While trotting through the small crowd of Ponies, who were up early to get some shopping done, she remembered her own foalhood. Her mother had always carried her on her back, whenever she had been unable to keep flying, due to exhaustion. The place between her mothers wings had always felt like the safest place in the world for her... OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO Three days had passed since I had spoken to the last school principal. The last public school had refused to take Sweet in as well, so the “special” school had been my last option. Principal Frozen Heart had seemed pretty competent, but Sweet had refused to go anywhere near him. She didn't come up from behind my head during the entire conversation, and the prices for tutelage at that school would have been a killer for my bank account. Two thousand bits a month.... That was not only pushing it, but that was simply insane! I, as an Inspector, could be considered a well earning Pony, but even I only got one thousand a month. If I wanted to pay that kind of bits, I would have to take up Quickies offer, and start working at the licker again.... Not that I didn't like the place, after having spent some time there and getting to know the boss, but I doubted that it would be a fitting place for a filly to grow up... I sighed as I trotted into the New Trottland Yard building. My vacation time had ended yesterday, so today was my first day back at work. Wondering if my boss had any new cases for me, I checked my inbox on the way to my office, only to be surprised by it's absence... “What the...?”, I cursed under my breath, as I looked the row of mailboxes again and again. I dismissed it after I saw that another Inspector couldn't seem to find his own inbox either. Maybe somepony was playing a prank? The next shock came, when I reached the door to my office. The black writing on the glass window in the door, that had said “Inspector Silver Cross”, had been replaced with “Inspector Red Glow”. OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO The door to Gruff Tones office flew open, and fell off it's hinges just before I charged in, with Sweet riding on my back. “What's the matter with this, Superintendent?”, I screamed at him, with Sweet watching him intently from over my shoulder. “I don't know what you mean. Oh, and you will have to pay for that door, thank you very much.”, he replied, turning his attention back to the documents in front of him. “Oh you know exactly what I mean! My inbox is gone, my office is now occupied by a new transfer Inspector, and the accountants told me that my pay has been canceled. So if you want to fire me, at least tell me the reason!”, I demanded. I was furious. I had always known that the boss didn't particularly like me, but I had never thought he would just kick me out. His casual answers didn't do anything to calm me down either. “The... I'll pay your fucking door, just give me a straight answer. Why did you fire me?”, I demanded again. A tinge of desperation crept into my voice, as I realized all the expenses Sweets special condition caused would be left unpaid if I lost my job. “You're not fired. You've been transferred. Report to the basement level for your new assignment.”, Gruff deadpanned, without looking up again. The basement? The only thing down there was the special holding cells... And the only guys working there, were the Ponies guarding the prisoners.... A penalty transfer? That was just uncalled for, but at least I would receive a steady pay check... The only thing I wondered was, why the accountants had said that my pay had been canceled... OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO As I stepped out of the elevator to the basement, my jaw hit the ground. Instead of the entrance area to the special cells that I was used to, the whole floor was now one big atrium with walls made of white marble. Massive marble pillars stood in regular intervals to both sides of a red carpet that led right up to a reception desk. A bored looking stallion sat behind it, watching my every move as we approached him. “You're late.”, he said, after casting some kind of spell on me. He looked very satisfied with it too, even though nothing had happened. “Ehm... I'm sorry... It's just been such a shock to be transferred here...”, I responded, hanging my head. “No worries, mam. I was out of line. It's just that I have an appointment in half an hour, and I would have been late if you had taken any longer. Just wait, somepony will be here in a minute to pick you up and give you the big tour.” My head shot up as he stood at attention and actually saluted to me before leaving. A few minutes passes, before a hidden door on the right side of the desk opened, revealing a long white hallway. What surprised me even more however, was the lavender Pegasus mare that stood there, her red eyes fixed on my blue ones. Chapter 3Silver Cross and a new beginning Chapter 3 “What's going on?”, I asked, startled to see the council elder come to get me. Sweet, who had tried to tackle her to the ground for a hug the other day, took the opportunity of me being distracted to do just that. At least she tried, but elder Berry Wing was just to fast for her. Dodging my little fillies attempt to hug her, and returning her to my back pretty quickly, she once again had a surprised Pegasus filly stare at her. “Well... isn't that unusual. I don't remember anypony ever bringing her foal to work.”, she chuckled, dodging my question. “Ehm... I don't want to be disrespectful, elder Berry Wing, but I would really like to know what going on here, and why I was demoted.”, I asked, and elder Berry Wing blinked in surprise. “Demoted? Try promoted, Special Agent.”, she deadpanned. Now it was my time to blink in surprise. “Wha..Why... Special Agent?” “Yes, Special Agent. Come on, I'll show you around and explain everything to you.”, Elder Berry Wing said, and led the way into the long white hallway that the secret door had been hiding. On our way to an elevator on the other end of that hallway, she explained to me that the Unicorn stallion at the frost desk cast a revelation spell on me, to check if I was a Changeling. All I could do during our, surprisingly short, walk was nod in dumbfounded agreement. Sweet on the other hoof had taken to climb completely onto my head to have a better vantage point. When we rode the elevator, I just couldn't help but ask a few questions. “Say... ehm... elder...”, but I got cut off by the mare next to me, who rolled her eyes and waved me off with one of her wings. “Cut the elder thing already. First off, I'm only two years older then you. Secondly, I may still be with the council, but being here and having an eye on you is my new main job. I wouldn't have thought they would agree to this, but it seems they are quite happy to be rid of me for a while...”, the mare grumbled, and then added, “Berry is just fine.” “Ok... ehm... Berry... So what is this all about?” “Didn't you guess it already? The council was in turmoil because of your reports. We had a big council meeting about a week ago to decide what to do with you. Many wanted to just lock you up and be done with it, in case you ever turned against the council.”, Berry explained, and just talked over me when I wanted to protest. “No need to say anything. I know you wouldn't. I've read your service record, and you don't seem to have a single anti-council bone in your body. That's why I proposed such a ridiculous solution, that I was sure they would regret it and leave you alone for good.”, she sighed, turning her face to me. “But it looks like I was totally wrong. Well, as of today....”, she started, as the glass cylinder that was the elevator, broke free from the rock that had surrounded it up to now, and gave me a look at the biggest library I had ever seen. Dozens of Ponies were sitting at tables, reading the books and making notes, while others seemed to go through everything the reading Ponies had written down. Berry must have noticed my wide eyed expression, and Sweet almost falling off my head as she tried to take in everything at once, since there was a smile forming on a face. “Welcome to the new department of the New Trottland Yard and the Equestrian Intelligence service. Welcome to the office of Nightmare affairs.”, Berry said, waving a hoof in a wide arc. The elevator went down several more floors like this, but each of them was different. On the second floor, there was a giant maneuver area, where Ponies were training in different simulated areas. The third floor looked like the information processing center of the Trottland Yard building upstaris, only much bigger. There were hundreds of Ponies working on terminals, taking calls or filling out reports. The fourth underground floor however, was what took the muffin for me. This was where they had put the living quarters and briefing rooms. On the far end of a long hallway, there was a wooden door with golden lettering on it. “Special Agent Silver Cross, Office head”, was written on it. Had my eyes gone any wider, I would have looked like one giant eye on four hooves. We had left Sweet in the living space that was assigned to us, since it would have taken a considerable amount of time to get her out of there again. The two floored “living space” only had one floor I could use. The other one was made entirely out of clouds... “What... the... buck?”, I mouthed, speechless. “Glad you like it, Special agent, it took a great amount of Bits and magic to built all of this in only one week after all.”, Berry chuckled. “But.... But... What is this department supposed to do? I mean, the name is kind of obvious, but I want to hear it from you.”, I stammered. “It's simple. I am here to have an eye on you, and to accompany you on your missions. I'm to judge your truthfulness about that Nightmare creature. The research division of this office is checking ancient texts for any signs of the Nightmare and it's weaknesses. Not to mention the history behind the creature. The analysts above are checking every case from our land and beyond, that could be labeled as supernatural or abnormal for signs of it's activity. The soldiers assigned to this office are training upstairs in case we find the Nightmares base of operation. I have watched the security footage of the day that one Changeling killed fifty of our finest soldiers, and how you fought it later on. I'm quite aware that the soldiers may not be of much use, but they would at least be able to keep the runts off your back, while you take care of the Nightmare itself. Oh, and we have arranged for private tutelage for your daughter, and the best medical care you can find in all of Equestria.”, she explained, smirking all the while. I didn't want to endanger anypony, but she knew she had me with that last part. Right now I could cover the walls of my apartment with the bills from doctors and therapists, and I just didn't have the bits for a spot in that school for foals with special needs.... I couldn't help but ask nonetheless. “So what's the pay?”, asked, already knowing that this was an offer I just couldn't refuse. “Ten thousand an month, plus hazard pay if we confirm that your mission had something to do with the Nightmare. Don't get me wrong though. This pay is by no means normal, even for a Special Agent. If what you say is true, then that creature is a threat to the whole world. That kind of pay is only to serve as a motivator for you. And now, let's go in and meet your team.”, Berry said, opening the door to my new office. OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO In the vast office, that was full of filing cabinets, a big mahogany desk at the rear wall, and smaller desks along the way to the big desk, stood five Ponies. All of them wore the traditional outfit of an EIS agent. Meaning I couldn't see an inch of their bodies... Oh this was gonna be fun....
Chapter 1Silver Cross and a new beginning Chapter 1 Forty-eight stallions and mares, twenty-four of each, held a discussion in the grand council chamber in Canterlot. All of them had read the reports the New Trottland Yard had recently hoofed in, and it got all of them worried. Some were of the opinion, that Gruff Tone had finally lost his marbles, and was to be replaced. An Earthpony wielding the power of the legendary Alicorns? That was just impossible in their opinion. Others, however, saw a great threat in what the superintendent had reported. They were those who believed what the reports said, and the only ones who had actually bothered to watch the footing of Silver Cross displaying her powers. These few were a minority in the council however. Most of them were of the opinion that, if the stories were true, this mare had to be subdued and put into preemptive custody. “She is a danger I tell you! What if she decides that she is not too happy with our rule anymore? If even only half of what the eyewitnesses say is true, she could barrel in here and kill all of us without breaking a sweat! No matter if they are exaggerating or not, this mare has to be taken out of the picture!”, a golden Pegasus stallion shouted from his seat in the council. “Please listen to what you are saying Gold Light. Silver Cross has served the Yard loyally so far. There is absolute no indication that she would turn on us, even IF her powers were real, which I doubt they are.”, an Earthpony mare said, waving a dismissive hoof. “Don't you all forget something crucial? Inspector Cross has warned us about a great danger. As per request of this council, I took a closer look at it, and I found out that many Changelings have been disappearing recently. As if that wasn't enough, we have also recovered the body of a Changeling who died in a firefight with the local authorities in Baltimare. It's eyes were sparkling, just like Inspector Silver Cross claimed. None of our magical analysts have been able to explain the sudden physical change. We should try and support her in repelling that “Nightmare”. It's in Equestrias own interest to do so.”, another Earthpony mare explained desperately. Forty-eight cloaked figures pondered those words for a while, until the council leader broke the silence. The slim Pegasus mare stepped into the single light of the circular room, and brushed back the hood of her cloak to reveal her face. Her red eyes scanned the darkness all around herself as she addressed her fellow council members. “Mares and stallions of this Council, I am the leader you yourselves have elected for times like this. I shall now propose a solution that should be satisfactory to all of you. Then you may vote. If we can not come to a conclusion, the mare is to be left alone. She will be allowed to continue her work for the Yard, but her life will not be interfered with otherwise.”, she said, and a murmur of agreement soon replied from the darkness. The lavender mare made her proposal to the council, knowing full well that most of them would not agree with her. She herself did not believe that the stories about Silver Cross were true. It was just another urban legend, like the legendary Alicorns themselves. No excavation had ever proved their existence, and none ever would. The council had more important things to do, than to discuss about such trivial matters. They should just leave the mare alone. Thinking that, she almost fell over when her proposal was accepted with only one negative vote.... OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO “You get down here THIS instant young lady!”, I shouted, leaning out of my window as far as I could, without falling five stories to the street below. Sweet Potato chuckled cutely and continued to observe my attempts at getting her down, while sitting on the very edge of a small cloud. This was the eighth time this week that she had pulled that trick on me, and I had yet to find an effective way to get her down from places like that. My neighbor, and ex-coltfriend, had helped me out the last seven times, since he was a Pegasus. Due to him being on deployment since yesterday however, I had to try and get her down from there myself. The sun was already setting, when a lavender Pegasus mare swooped down onto my daughter, scooped her up in her forelegs and deposited her in mine, before I could even blink. Sweet was equally surprised, looking up at me dumbfounded. “You have no idea on how to raise a Pegasus probably, do you?”,the mare that was now hovering in front of me asked in a slightly angry tone of voice. For a moment, I didn't recognize the mare. When I did, my eyes widened, and I almost dropped Sweet Potato in shock. “C...C...C...Council elder Berry Wing?”, I stammered, turning around quickly to put Sweet down inside the apartment, before bowing to the mare. She sighed at my pitiful display, while slowly coming closer. “Yes, that's my name. Look, I was just on my way to your boss when I heard you shouting at that filly from five blocks away! Let me guess, you have no idea why she keeps perching on top of clouds, instead of sleeping in a normal bed?”, she asked and I shook my head. This was one of the most powerful mares in all of Equestria, and she was giving ME a scolding for not knowing on how to raise a Pegasus... That hurt... Without saying another word, the mare flew up into the sky, only to return to me a few seconds later. Elder Berry Wing was pushing a small cloud in front of herself, gesturing for me to step aside. I did so, even though I was more then uncomfortable that such a high ranking Pony was entering my small four room apartment. As soon as she saw the cloud Sweet, who had been pouting behind me, jumped up onto it. “We Pegasi are creatures of the sky. Especially the young ones need to learn how to sleep in beds that were made for earthbound Ponies such as yourself. Some never shake off that habit and keep a cloud in their home to sleep on. Others never come to the ground and prefer to stay in the big cities in the sky.”, the Council elder explained to me, while hovering only an inch away from my nose. That, at least, explained a lot. But there was one big question coming up in my mind, that I just could not ignore. “Ehm.. what about rain? I know that Pegasi can make it rain if they want to, and I don't really want my apartment flooded.” “That's no problem. This isn't a raincloud. But if you'll excuse me now, I have an urgent meeting with superintend Gruff. I suppose we will meet again soon enough.”, the mare said, darting past me and out of the window. What the buck had just happened? Had the council elder herself really just explained how to raise a Pegasus filly to me? Why did she even do that? And what did she want with boss? I just hoped that I was not in trouble for anything. Seeing that I was still on vacation, and would be until the end of next week, I didn't see why I would be in trouble for anything... Suddenly something bopped me on the head, and I noticed a distinct wetness all around my head. “Gahwww... Get that cloud off me, Potato!”, I cursed, as the little Pegasus filly giggled at my wet maned, pouting face. OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO Fifteen minutes later, elder Berry Wing stood in front of Gruff Tone, who sat behind his desk. It was quite obvious that he was uncomfortable with her being here, but she didn't care. She usually had that effect on other Ponies, since she was the only Pony in the council who ever had revealed her true identity to the public. It had been a mistake, but one she couldn't remedy anymore. “You can't be serious, Council elder. What you are proposing is more then unconventional. It's unheard of and outright strange. I don't think my subordinates would stand for it....”, Gruff began, but got cut off by Berrys authoritative voice. “What is so hard to understand, superintend? Your reports have caused quite the stir amongst my fellow council members, and they want this matter investigated as soon as possible.”, she said, glaring at the stallion. He didn't flinch, which was a new one for her. Usually, being faced with THE most powerful mare in Equestria, Ponies began to bow before her, even though she told them not to. What surprised her even more, was that she herself flinched a moment later when he returned her glare. “As I was saying, before you interrupted me, this will cause a lot of problems for yourself, and for Inspector Silver Cross. Have you talked with her about this matter? She should at least have a say in this.”, he said, leaving no room for argument. “She has no say in this. If she is a danger for the council, then she will have to be dealt with.”, the mare argued nonetheless. “Oh, be my guest! So far none of my special agents would even spar with her anymore. I've seen her fight before she could use any of her crosses powers willingly. Believe me when I say that she would kick the rump of every officer you could sent to subdue her.”, Gruff chuckled. “What if I ordered her to hoof the cross over?”, the mare asked coldly. “That would be a death sentence for her and whoever got custody of it. Her reports state that the creature known as “Nightmare” is after all four crosses. Inspector Silver Cross already has two of them. Several soldiers were unable to stop even ONE of it's agents. What makes you think that you could stop whoever comes to get it?” “We would keep it in the EIS headquarters. Nopony has ever successfully broken into it's vault.” A sense of dread overcame Gruff Tone, as he thought about that. Silver Cross was surely unwilling to just hand over her cross, no matter who ordered her to hand it over. He shook his head, and pointed out his trump card. “Simple Heart. Special Agent Simple Heart of the EIS was killed by a single agent of the Nightmare. From what I could find out about her, she was an experienced fighter in both magical, and melee combat, as well as an exceptional investigator. No matter what you say, Elder Berry Wing, the safest place for that artifact is with Inspector Silver Cross.” Berry sighed. She already knew all of this. Then there was only the original plan left, which she had proposed to the council in the first place. When she told the stallion behind his desk about it, his jaw dropped onto the desk....
Chapter 2Silver Cross and a new beginning Chapter 2 Sweet Hoof snorted. All these Ponies that came to the New Trottland Yard these days were really annoying her. None of them was even bothering to answer her questions, as to why they were here. They usually just looked her up and down, before moving on. The lot of them were doing something in the basement, where the special holding cells were. And their smell.... When she arrived in the morning, these Ponies were already there, and they were still there when she called it a day. Just what were they doing? Sweet Hoof could only imagine that they were building something, since they had brought in several wagon loads of construction materials. Were they maybe expanding the cells? But if that was the case, then why didn't they just tell her about it? She was the superintendents private secretary after all. The worst thing for a mare who had everything organized like herself, was that there was absolutely no paperwork either. Not a single form was in the files that could have told her what the buck was going on. Even the superintendent had stonewalled her... “It's none of your business Ms. Sweet Hoof. Now, where is that report I asked you to bring to my office an hour ago?”, he had said when she had asked him about it. “Curiosity killed the cat”, they said, but she just couldn't resist the temptation. On the third day after these Ponies had showed up, she decided to go downstairs and have a look. Sweet Hoof followed one of the Ponies who seemed to work down there as the stallion passed her office. It proved to be quite easy for her to follow him, since the stallion didn't even seem to take notice of her. All that seemed to matter to him, was the sheet of paper he levitated in front of him. OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO Only a few minutes later she had reached the basement floor. It was surprisingly easy, considering that whatever they were doing, was supposed to be secret. She watched the stallion disappear behind a curtain that had been put up on the far wall of the basement. Whatever was going on here, was going on behind it. Of that Sweet Hoof was sure. But just as she wanted to step through it, somepony bit down on her tail and pulled her back. Sweet Hoof looked back indignantly, prepared to give whoever had dared to touch her tail a piece of her mind, but her words died in her throat. Four masked Ponies were staring back at her, all of them Unicorns. She took a step backwards, her ears drooping. “Ehm... I... I got... lost?”, she stammered, forcing a smile. The four Unicorns just continued to face her, one of them shaking his head. It was the moment when all of them surrounded her, that she knew she was in serious trouble.... OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO “Oh come on....”, I moaned, as I stepped out of the tenth public school in the Canterlot area. All of them had refused to take Sweet as a student so far, due to her special needs. Having a picture of me with her at all times being only one of them. Only two schools were left on my list, one of them being a school for mentally impaired foals... I seriously didn't want to put her in there. She had problems understanding what others told her, and she was a little slow from time to time, but she was still a pretty smart little filly. Just the other day she had managed to fill out all of my tax forms correctly although, I myself was not understanding a word they said. She had even calculated every bit I paid, in relation to my income, resulting in me getting a massive tax return... A Pony just needed to have some patience with her. I loved the little troublemaker, but all of this was not only a strain on me, but also on my bank account. Even with the tax return I had only managed to get my bank account out of the red. The doctors I had to take her to were expensive, and my health insurance just didn't cover that. In addition to those, a whole bunch of therapists were screaming for a piece of my earnings as well... If this went on for any prolonged period of time, I would have to give up my apartment, and move back in with my parents... It wasn't that I was regretting my decision to adopt her, but it was really hard to get by with my kind of pay.... A tug on the leather band around my neck shook me out of my melancholy. Sweet had, once again, spotted something interesting, and was now trying to get there. Ponies on the street were looking at me funny, but the harness she was now wearing was the only choice I had. If I didn't have her in that harness, which was bound to my crosses leather band with a leash, she was really hard to control. I looked into the direction she was trying to get to, and spotted a familiar lavender Pegasus mare. Berry Wing was just coming out of a store, not spotting me as it seemed. Taking the leash into my mouth I slowly started pulling my daughter towards me. She wasn't happy about it, but relented once I put her on my back. Sweet could fly and walk just fine, but whenever I put her there, she just seemed to fall asleep... OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO Berry Wing watched Inspector Silver Cross trot down mainstreet, with that Pegasus filly on her back. She couldn't help but chuckle a little as she shook her head. “You really have no idea on how to raise a Pegasus....”, she whispered, making her way back to the New Trottland Yard Headquarters. While trotting through the small crowd of Ponies, who were up early to get some shopping done, she remembered her own foalhood. Her mother had always carried her on her back, whenever she had been unable to keep flying, due to exhaustion. The place between her mothers wings had always felt like the safest place in the world for her... OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO Three days had passed since I had spoken to the last school principal. The last public school had refused to take Sweet in as well, so the “special” school had been my last option. Principal Frozen Heart had seemed pretty competent, but Sweet had refused to go anywhere near him. She didn't come up from behind my head during the entire conversation, and the prices for tutelage at that school would have been a killer for my bank account. Two thousand bits a month.... That was not only pushing it, but that was simply insane! I, as an Inspector, could be considered a well earning Pony, but even I only got one thousand a month. If I wanted to pay that kind of bits, I would have to take up Quickies offer, and start working at the licker again.... Not that I didn't like the place, after having spent some time there and getting to know the boss, but I doubted that it would be a fitting place for a filly to grow up... I sighed as I trotted into the New Trottland Yard building. My vacation time had ended yesterday, so today was my first day back at work. Wondering if my boss had any new cases for me, I checked my inbox on the way to my office, only to be surprised by it's absence... “What the...?”, I cursed under my breath, as I looked the row of mailboxes again and again. I dismissed it after I saw that another Inspector couldn't seem to find his own inbox either. Maybe somepony was playing a prank? The next shock came, when I reached the door to my office. The black writing on the glass window in the door, that had said “Inspector Silver Cross”, had been replaced with “Inspector Red Glow”. OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO The door to Gruff Tones office flew open, and fell off it's hinges just before I charged in, with Sweet riding on my back. “What's the matter with this, Superintendent?”, I screamed at him, with Sweet watching him intently from over my shoulder. “I don't know what you mean. Oh, and you will have to pay for that door, thank you very much.”, he replied, turning his attention back to the documents in front of him. “Oh you know exactly what I mean! My inbox is gone, my office is now occupied by a new transfer Inspector, and the accountants told me that my pay has been canceled. So if you want to fire me, at least tell me the reason!”, I demanded. I was furious. I had always known that the boss didn't particularly like me, but I had never thought he would just kick me out. His casual answers didn't do anything to calm me down either. “The... I'll pay your fucking door, just give me a straight answer. Why did you fire me?”, I demanded again. A tinge of desperation crept into my voice, as I realized all the expenses Sweets special condition caused would be left unpaid if I lost my job. “You're not fired. You've been transferred. Report to the basement level for your new assignment.”, Gruff deadpanned, without looking up again. The basement? The only thing down there was the special holding cells... And the only guys working there, were the Ponies guarding the prisoners.... A penalty transfer? That was just uncalled for, but at least I would receive a steady pay check... The only thing I wondered was, why the accountants had said that my pay had been canceled... OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO As I stepped out of the elevator to the basement, my jaw hit the ground. Instead of the entrance area to the special cells that I was used to, the whole floor was now one big atrium with walls made of white marble. Massive marble pillars stood in regular intervals to both sides of a red carpet that led right up to a reception desk. A bored looking stallion sat behind it, watching my every move as we approached him. “You're late.”, he said, after casting some kind of spell on me. He looked very satisfied with it too, even though nothing had happened. “Ehm... I'm sorry... It's just been such a shock to be transferred here...”, I responded, hanging my head. “No worries, mam. I was out of line. It's just that I have an appointment in half an hour, and I would have been late if you had taken any longer. Just wait, somepony will be here in a minute to pick you up and give you the big tour.” My head shot up as he stood at attention and actually saluted to me before leaving. A few minutes passes, before a hidden door on the right side of the desk opened, revealing a long white hallway. What surprised me even more however, was the lavender Pegasus mare that stood there, her red eyes fixed on my blue ones.
Chapter 3Silver Cross and a new beginning Chapter 3 “What's going on?”, I asked, startled to see the council elder come to get me. Sweet, who had tried to tackle her to the ground for a hug the other day, took the opportunity of me being distracted to do just that. At least she tried, but elder Berry Wing was just to fast for her. Dodging my little fillies attempt to hug her, and returning her to my back pretty quickly, she once again had a surprised Pegasus filly stare at her. “Well... isn't that unusual. I don't remember anypony ever bringing her foal to work.”, she chuckled, dodging my question. “Ehm... I don't want to be disrespectful, elder Berry Wing, but I would really like to know what going on here, and why I was demoted.”, I asked, and elder Berry Wing blinked in surprise. “Demoted? Try promoted, Special Agent.”, she deadpanned. Now it was my time to blink in surprise. “Wha..Why... Special Agent?” “Yes, Special Agent. Come on, I'll show you around and explain everything to you.”, Elder Berry Wing said, and led the way into the long white hallway that the secret door had been hiding. On our way to an elevator on the other end of that hallway, she explained to me that the Unicorn stallion at the frost desk cast a revelation spell on me, to check if I was a Changeling. All I could do during our, surprisingly short, walk was nod in dumbfounded agreement. Sweet on the other hoof had taken to climb completely onto my head to have a better vantage point. When we rode the elevator, I just couldn't help but ask a few questions. “Say... ehm... elder...”, but I got cut off by the mare next to me, who rolled her eyes and waved me off with one of her wings. “Cut the elder thing already. First off, I'm only two years older then you. Secondly, I may still be with the council, but being here and having an eye on you is my new main job. I wouldn't have thought they would agree to this, but it seems they are quite happy to be rid of me for a while...”, the mare grumbled, and then added, “Berry is just fine.” “Ok... ehm... Berry... So what is this all about?” “Didn't you guess it already? The council was in turmoil because of your reports. We had a big council meeting about a week ago to decide what to do with you. Many wanted to just lock you up and be done with it, in case you ever turned against the council.”, Berry explained, and just talked over me when I wanted to protest. “No need to say anything. I know you wouldn't. I've read your service record, and you don't seem to have a single anti-council bone in your body. That's why I proposed such a ridiculous solution, that I was sure they would regret it and leave you alone for good.”, she sighed, turning her face to me. “But it looks like I was totally wrong. Well, as of today....”, she started, as the glass cylinder that was the elevator, broke free from the rock that had surrounded it up to now, and gave me a look at the biggest library I had ever seen. Dozens of Ponies were sitting at tables, reading the books and making notes, while others seemed to go through everything the reading Ponies had written down. Berry must have noticed my wide eyed expression, and Sweet almost falling off my head as she tried to take in everything at once, since there was a smile forming on a face. “Welcome to the new department of the New Trottland Yard and the Equestrian Intelligence service. Welcome to the office of Nightmare affairs.”, Berry said, waving a hoof in a wide arc. The elevator went down several more floors like this, but each of them was different. On the second floor, there was a giant maneuver area, where Ponies were training in different simulated areas. The third floor looked like the information processing center of the Trottland Yard building upstaris, only much bigger. There were hundreds of Ponies working on terminals, taking calls or filling out reports. The fourth underground floor however, was what took the muffin for me. This was where they had put the living quarters and briefing rooms. On the far end of a long hallway, there was a wooden door with golden lettering on it. “Special Agent Silver Cross, Office head”, was written on it. Had my eyes gone any wider, I would have looked like one giant eye on four hooves. We had left Sweet in the living space that was assigned to us, since it would have taken a considerable amount of time to get her out of there again. The two floored “living space” only had one floor I could use. The other one was made entirely out of clouds... “What... the... buck?”, I mouthed, speechless. “Glad you like it, Special agent, it took a great amount of Bits and magic to built all of this in only one week after all.”, Berry chuckled. “But.... But... What is this department supposed to do? I mean, the name is kind of obvious, but I want to hear it from you.”, I stammered. “It's simple. I am here to have an eye on you, and to accompany you on your missions. I'm to judge your truthfulness about that Nightmare creature. The research division of this office is checking ancient texts for any signs of the Nightmare and it's weaknesses. Not to mention the history behind the creature. The analysts above are checking every case from our land and beyond, that could be labeled as supernatural or abnormal for signs of it's activity. The soldiers assigned to this office are training upstairs in case we find the Nightmares base of operation. I have watched the security footage of the day that one Changeling killed fifty of our finest soldiers, and how you fought it later on. I'm quite aware that the soldiers may not be of much use, but they would at least be able to keep the runts off your back, while you take care of the Nightmare itself. Oh, and we have arranged for private tutelage for your daughter, and the best medical care you can find in all of Equestria.”, she explained, smirking all the while. I didn't want to endanger anypony, but she knew she had me with that last part. Right now I could cover the walls of my apartment with the bills from doctors and therapists, and I just didn't have the bits for a spot in that school for foals with special needs.... I couldn't help but ask nonetheless. “So what's the pay?”, asked, already knowing that this was an offer I just couldn't refuse. “Ten thousand an month, plus hazard pay if we confirm that your mission had something to do with the Nightmare. Don't get me wrong though. This pay is by no means normal, even for a Special Agent. If what you say is true, then that creature is a threat to the whole world. That kind of pay is only to serve as a motivator for you. And now, let's go in and meet your team.”, Berry said, opening the door to my new office. OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO In the vast office, that was full of filing cabinets, a big mahogany desk at the rear wall, and smaller desks along the way to the big desk, stood five Ponies. All of them wore the traditional outfit of an EIS agent. Meaning I couldn't see an inch of their bodies... Oh this was gonna be fun....
