Chapter 1
Las Pegasus.
It was a very lively city, according to those that live there. It was very popular for tourists for many reasons. Besides the Applewood Production company, centerpiece of Equestria’s film, television and radio industry, it was home to many landmarks and vacation sites. And in the recent decade, it had become famous for a particular young celebrity.
Within the city, a small earth pony filly was snug in her bed, inside her family’s penthouse. It was very late in the evening and she was already late for her bedtime so falling asleep did not require much effort on her part. However, she did not stay asleep for too long and she got out of bed in a groggy daze, intent on acquiring a glass of water. Once her thirst was adequately parched, she trudged back in the direction of her room. However, a shadow in the moonlight caught her attention. Present near the rooftop pool out on the balcony was a silhouette of some sort. Upon further inspection, the curious filly saw it was the figure of a stallion, wearing a white cloak and tophat. Overcome with an urge to get a better look, the filly stepped closer, opening the screen door and tiptoeing out onto the balcony.
“Um, excuse me?” the little filly shyly said.
The stallion pivoted his head to the sudden voice, attention caught but with no concern. He was wearing a red mask with playing card motif and a black rimmed monocle over his left eye. Of all the things that could have happened to this naive filly, he simply smiled and turned to face her entirely.
“Why good evening, young lady,” he said in a sophisticated low voice as he presented himself with a bow. “Did I wake you up from your night’s sleep? My deepest apologies about that.”
He spoke with a suave tone, his windswept cape adding to his air of class. Such a regal image easily enraptured the young filly. “Um… Uh…”
The stallion bent down and held her hoof in his own. “No need to be afraid; I am but a humble pigeon resting after a long flight. Soon, I’ll be a thing of the past…” the stallion paused to kiss her hoof, causing her to blush. “Milady.”
Not two seconds passed before the balcony was lit by an extremely bright light, the source of which came from a searchlight attached to a helicopter that suddenly appeared behind the stallion. The luminosity from the searchlight quickly became too much for the filly and she had to shield her eyes.
“ATTENTION PSEUDO FACADE! THIS IS THE LPPD! YOU ARE UNDER ARREST! PUT YOUR HOOVES UP AND SURRENDER IMMEDIATELY!”
The stallion stood back up, chuckling as he shook his head in an amused manner. “They just never learn, do they milady? Well, it appears as though I have to cut my little rest short. Ciao!”
And with that, he ran and leaped over the edge of the building. In a panic, the filly rushed to the edge to look down, only to see the stallion gliding away from the building with a pair of wings, seemingly hidden under the cape. She could only observe as the helicopter chased after him, wide eyed and giddy from the encounter.
“Wow…”
The news of the latest theft spread across the city as a lone griffon dressed in his police uniform waited within the large train station. With him were two other officers, a light brown pegasus mare and a gray unicorn stallion. While it wasn’t terribly uncommon to see officers in this large terminal, they were waiting for a few particular passengers to arrive. With an unexpected delay however, all they could do was watch the video monitors playing the news reports.
“Good morning, Las Pegasus!” a khaki earth mare news reporter exclaimed onscreen. “I’m Meryl O’Knette and welcome back to LP Local News. Todays top story: Pseudo Facade has struck again! Last night, the Jack of Clubs successfully stole the Locus Brooch, an emerald which is estimated to be worth around seventy-thousand bits. How exactly did he give police the slip? Apparently with soap and water! Eyewitnesses report seeing a mass of foam pour from several open windows of the Monumental Building, during which the culprit made a clean getaway in more ways than one. As usual, no civilian casualties were reported and aside from the suds, no damage was said to have occurred. Police have yet to respond for a comment on the investigation. In other news...”
The griffon wore a scowl as he continued to watch the news reports on the screen. He felt no form of contentment today and his two subordinates would be remiss if they didn’t know why.
“Boy, Inspector Gavroche sure is pissed after last night’s failed operation, eh Mounty?” the unicorn officer whispered.
“Can you really blame him, Bobby?” responded the pegasus officer. “That’s the fourth time this month that Facade made us look like idiots. He’s is making a fool out of the LPPD and Gavroche is the face of the investigation. He’s facing a lot of pressure, not to mention rage.”
“Yeah. Kinda makes me glad I’m just an officer so I don’t have to put up with that bullcrap.”
“You and me both. And now we’re getting a new superintendent. I heard from Noncom that his son is supposed to be taking charge of the investigation since Gavroche is moving to the homicide division.”
“That so? Know anything about the Slewfoots?”
“Other than the son being engaged, not very much. I do know that he was recently promoted to Inspector before transferring.”
“No kidding? Well, at least he has experience. I wouldn’t know how to feel if they put a newbie in charge or something like that.”
“We were all newbies at some point, weren’t we? I remember when you were still in the academy?”
“Heh, yeah. In any case, this should be interesting.”
The trains then arrived right on schedule and eventually came to a complete halt. The patrons waiting on the platform either boarded the train, or searched for particular friends, family, or acquaintance to disembark. The police trio stood patiently until eventually another trio of ponies exited the train with the staff aiding with luggage. All three of them were unicorns, two male and one female. The bespectacled mare was light blue with a blonde mane that was tied back in a bun. The older stallion was dark violet with a lean build and a short combed gray mane and mustache. The younger stallion was a grayish azure with a dark blue mane.
“Good morning, Superintendent Sentinel Slewfoot, Mrs. Brass Slewfoot,” Gavroche addressed the older stallion with a salute, prompting the other two officers to mimic his gesture.
“Ah, Inspector,” Sentinel said as he returned the salute. “Son?”
“Good morning, Inspector Gavroche,” the younger stallion joining in the salute.
“We at the Las Pegasus Metropolitan Police Department welcome you aboard. We would be more than happy to help you with your things.”
“Your help is most appreciated, Inspector,” Brass said popping her neck, stiff from the long train ride. “Though I do hope you expect my dear son is expecting a pickup of his own.”
“Yes, we spoke with Falsetto. We have two separate carriages waiting outside. He would also like me to tell you, Superintendent Slewfoot, that he will drop by when you are settled in.”
“Very good. Bobby and Mounty, would you help Sleuth with his things while the inspector works with Brass and myself?”
“Yes sir,” both officers said in unison.
While the parents, mostly Brass, had many bags to load into their carriage, Sleuth had surprisingly few of his own, not enough to worry about space but enough to require help. Though they were thankful for a substantially less workload than they expected, the fact that he had so little with him stumped both the officers. Once all belongings were safely secure in the back compartment, the three occupied the carriage and sat down before the ponies pulling it started heading for their destination.
“Uh, excuse me, Inspector Slewfoot?” Mounty asked hesitantly.
“I’m technically off duty, you can just call me Sleuth.”
“Err, very well, Sleuth. If I may ask, I noticed you packed very lightly. You are moving, shouldn’t you have more with you?”
“Most of what’s in those suitcases are clothing and some personal belongings. See, I’m marrying Mr. Falsetto’s daughter and he’s insisting I move in with them.”
“Hang on,” Bobby interrupted. “Mr. Falsetto’s daughter as in Soprono Serenity? THE Soprano Serenity, LP’s biggest actress and Equestria’s number one sweetheart? Heh, you really know how to pick em’.”
“I guess so, why?”
“Whaddya mean ‘why’?” Mounty asked incredulously. “How did a police inspector get engaged to a famous teenage actress?”
“Betrothed, technically. Both of our father’s are old friends and our parents played matchmaker, therefore we came to an agreement to like, or at least tolerate, each other. Though I will admit, the prospect of marrying sompony almost ten years younger than me is a little bit… weird.”
“Oh please,” Bobby said nonchalantly. “Trust me, there have been far weirder things in this city.”
“Like that famous thief, right?” Sleuth said shifting the conversation away from his fiance. “Can you tell me what you know about this Facade? I would like to gather what little bit of intel I can about this criminal.”
The officers shrugged and Bobby pointed to a poster on the wall behind Sleuth. It depicted a stylized drawing of the thief resembling a playing card, specifically a court card. “It’s weird but the citizens of Las Pegasus seem to celebrate him. Well, a majority of them do anyway, some of the upper-class don’t seem too fond of him.”
“I can understand that,” Sleuth said examining the poster. “The guy’s stolen many expensive things and the rich just love their conspicuous consumption.”
“We’ve always identified him from the clothing he wears,” Mounty said. “That hat, that cape, the mask, he’s not exactly difficult to miss.”
“And yet he hasn’t been caught,” Sleuth said with a frown.
“We’ve tried, Sleuth. We really have. To be honest, I just don’t think Inspector Gavroche was up for it in the first place. He keeps saying he’ll double his efforts to apprehend the guy, but it never happens. I think he got fed up with it after all these years.”
“Hm… I have heard Facade is a master of disguise. Can you confirm this?”
“Oh definitely! Bobby and I have been working the case for a long time and a majority of the cases involved a disguise of some sort. His impersonations are almost flawless.”
“Have you noticed any kind of pattern? Like say, a connection between those he’d impersonated?”
Bobby and Mounty pondered for a moment. “Well,” Mounty started. “I’ve noticed the thefts always occur between one and two weeks after he sends the letter.”
“Letter?” Sleuth said with a raise eyebrow.
“Yeah, letter. From day one, he almost always sends a letter directly to the intended victim detailing the object he intends to steal and the time he intends to strike.”
“He’s got balls, I’ll give him that,” Bobby conceded.
“This is shaping up to be an interesting challenge… I think I’m gonna enjoy this.”
The grin Sleuth gave was a clear indication of his anticipation. This confused the two officers; the Pseudo Facade investigation was notoriously difficult to be involved in and even more infuriating when attempts to thwart a heist would continue to fail. Why is this new guy so excited to work? Was he aware of what he was getting himself into?
They would have to find out later as the carriage approached the gates of a luxurious villa, no doubt the home of Mr. Falsetto. Once through the gates and stopping at the front of the house, the occupants of the carriage and the stallions who pulled it carried the luggage in through the doors. On the other side was a plump yellow earth stallion with a graying mane, tail, and mustache. The white suit he wore was accented with the pair of brown framed glasses adorned across his eyes. Above all else, he wore a welcoming boisterous smile.
“Welcome again, Sleuth dear boy.”
“Good morning, Mr. Falsetto. My father should be by later today.”
“Yes, he has quite a bit to do today, hasn’t he? Settling into a new home and office. Really though, we all really need to get together over dinner again, hohoho!”
“Daddy? Who are you talking to?” a young baby blue mare said coming down from the stairs. “Is it the in-laws? Oh, and it looks like the dogs are here too,” she asked with a hint of condescension aimed at the two officers.
“Now now, Alto. There’s no need to talk like that, especially to Sleuth here. You’ve meet him before and he’ll be part of our family soon.”
“Whatever. I’m going to take a nap, don’t wait up for me, ‘kay?”
Alto huffed away back to her room as Mr. Falsetto shook his head. “You’ll have to forgive Alto. She’s not in the best of moods today."
“Not happy about her sister getting married either,” Sleuth added. “She hardly quiet about that.”
“Ah, she’ll warm up to you. Anyway, I will have somepony carry your things to the guest room. Would you two like some coffee or tea, maybe something to eat?”
“As tempting as that sounds, we really need to get back to the station,” Mounty said, stopping Bobby from speaking first.
“But--”
“No buts, Bobby. We’re on duty and you really don’t need extra caffeine. C’mon, let’s go.”
“Ugh, fine. We’ll see you later, Sleuth. Make sure to stop by the station, we’ll help you settle in.”
Sleuth smiled as the doors closed behind the officers before he yawned with a tired breath. “Mr. Falsetto, I think I’m going to take a nap of my own if that’s alright. I couldn’t sleep very well on the train.”
“Hm? Oh yes, I understand. If you are interested, I’m taking your father to see the Kicker at the Lucky Lag. You should come with my dear Soprano, it would be a good opportunity to catch up with her over dinner.”
“Kicker? Sure, why not. I really need to see her again.”
The evening came and the nightlife buzzed with activity. While there were many businesses that thrived under the moon, one of the highest grossing was the casinos, in particular the Lucky Lag. Not only was it the biggest in the city, but it offered more than just craps and poker. The main floor did bring in a lot of money, but the hotel resort and entertainment wing helped to further this profit. On top of that, it was a prime location to mingle amongst the rich and famous.
For corporate giant Mr. Falsetto, this was practically a second home. He was a regular patron and an acquaintance to the Bounty family who owned the business. Two members of said family was the dealer at the poker table Mr. Falsetto was sitting at, a young white coated earth stallion by the name of Bluff, and his mother Ante who decided to play a few rounds herself. Besides them, the only other pony at the table was a stallion who was having a hard time keeping up the two high rollers.
“I’m… I’ma call,” Ante said placing chips into the pot, a purple and two blacks.
“I’ll see that and raise you eight hundred,” Falsetto said sliding eight black chips.
“Geez guys,” the third player said folding.
“Better luck next time, sir,” Bluff said as he burned the top card of the deck. “It’s pretty hard to compete with them. Here is the flop.”
Bluff laid down three cards which were the queen of clubs, the eight of clubs, and the ten of hearts. As the third pony left the table, no longer interested in trying his luck, the remaining two took a look at their hands. Ante was a professional player and kept an A grade poker face despite her excellent odds of winning with the cards she had. Mr. Falsetto however took prolonged sips of his drink, a subtle tic Bluff identified as him being nervous.
“I’m going to raise a thousand,” Ante said placing more chips into the pot before taking a sip of her own drink.
“I’ll check.”
Bluff burned the next card before laying the fourth community card, the four of diamonds. “Here’s the turn.”
“I’m going to call.”
“I’ll raise fifteen hundred.”
Bluff’s eyebrow raised a bit with intrigue. Mr. Falsetto was more confident in this bet, meaning the turn card was one he needed. Bluff burned the deck again and laid out the last card, the jack of clubs. “And the river. My lucky card too.”
Ante smirked at her son’s comment and took a sip of her drink before placing two thousand into the pot. “Raise.”
“I’ll see that.” Falsetto placed twenty-five hundred.
“Ooh, it’s getting real now,” Bluff remarked.
“Fine. I’ll go all in.”
Falsetto swallowed. Was she bluffing? And if so, did he dare call it? In the end, he decided to go for it and went all in as well.
“Time for a showdown. Let’s show our hands.”
Both ponies revealed their cards. Unfortunately, Falsetto’s risk was not well spent as Ante’s ten and nine of clubs trumped his two aces. A straight flush is difficult to beat. It wasn’t as if he lost a huge chunk of his cash anyway, not with his income.
“Jack of clubs is the house’s lucky card too,” Ante chuckled.
“Ah well, better luck next time. Say, how about another round of drinks?”
“DADDY!” yelled a pink earth pony standing behind Mr. Falsetto. Her mane, an icy white, was pulled up into an elegant bun, and she was dressed in an elegant blue satin dress and orange sandals. Aside from some light eyeshadow, the only thing she wore on her face was an irritated frown.
“Oh, Soprano. You're here early--”
“Don’t give me that crap! You've been gambling again. And just how much have you been drinking tonight? What would mom say?”
“Nice to see you too, dear,” Falsetto chuckled, as did Bluff and Ante. “I don’t suppose the you being here means the Slewfoots are as well.”
“Of course you change the subject… Fine, yes they’re here. Sleuthy and his parents are in the dinner theater. You weren’t there so I went to look for you. Guess how long it took.”
“Uh, five minutes?”
“Six minutes?” Ante snarked.
“Six minutes, one second?” Bluff also snarked.
“Your closest without going over,” Soprano said to Ante. “Let’s go, they’re waiting and the show is going to start soon.”
“Ah, I suppose I should go. We really should do this again, Ante--”
“Daddy, no!” Soprano clutched the collar of her father’s firmly with her teeth and pulled him away from the table, the middle aged stallion surrendering at this point.
“Have fun you two, say hi to Mezzo and the kids for me,” Ante smiled in a singsong voice. Once she lost sight of the two ponies, the mare stood up and yawned. “I suppose I should take go and see if Kicker is ready. Bluff deary, why don’t you prepare to punch out. It’s been a long day for both of us.”
“Sure, let me close up the table.”
Back in the dinner theater, Soprano and her disappointed father found their seats and joined with the rest of their families. The parents of each group all shared a larger table while their offspring held two different tables. One was occupied by Alto and her coltfriend Baritone, a suave khaki pegasus that spoke in a slight Prench accent. The other was taken by Sleuth with a seat reserved for his fiancee.
“Glad to see you didn’t get lost,” Sleuth said as a flustered Soprano sat down beside him. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, just a little mad at my daddy,” she responded with a huff. “Caught him gambling again.”
“It is a casino, Soprano.”
“And a theater, a hotel, a restaurant, I could go on.”
“Okay, okay. Just take a deep breath. We’re here to have fun tonight.”
“Yeah, yeah. Anyway, have you ever seen The Kicker before?”
Sleuth took a sip of his wine. “I can’t say that I have. Why?”
“No reason,” Soprano giggled.
The house lights dimmed in the theater and the stage spotlights focused on the center of the curtains. “Fillies and gentlecolts, the Lucky Lag is once again proud to present, all the way from Vanhoover, the magician with the most kicks, Theeeeee Kicker!” Everypony applauded as the curtains parted to show a zebra dressed in a maroon suit and top hat emerging from block of false ice, jumping through as if shattering it. The applause continued as he landed on his hind hooves and stood up, throwing his front hooves in the air and bowed to the audience.
Kicker then brought up a hoof, gesturing for the applause to stop, which it did after a couple seconds. He then walked nearby to a small table with his props, stopping just short of being within hoof’s reach. He then took off his top hat to reveal a spherical object balancing on his head before flicking his hat onto the table. After using his hooves to take the object off his head, he displayed it for all to see, revealing it to be a bowling ball. Then, as if to dispel any doubts, he dropped it to the ground, which caused a loud bang one would expect from a heavy object.
“I don’t know what they’re putting in the hair gel to cause that to happen.” A small chuckled emitted from the audience. “Well, it’s good to be here in Las Pegasus again. Good to be back in familiar territory. I’ve been traveling across Equestria for most of my career, and I’ve met many different folks and just about all of them were amazing. However, there was one that stuck out in my mind, we talked a bit and she started helping me out with my act. She came up on stage with me for the first time and displayed a little talent of her own, I was impressed, we’ve been a team ever since. Fillies and gentlecolts, please help me welcome the lovely Soubrette!”
The crowd applauded yet again when a blonde scarlet pegasus danced from backstage and curtsied when she was right next to Kicker.
“How you doing tonight, Soubrette?”
“I got a new dress,” she responded pointing to the sparkly green dress she was wearing, being noticeably bouncy on her hooves.
“Oh, yeah I see that. You seem a little jittery tonight, though.”
“Sorry, I was trying out my new cappuccino machine. Got it as a gift along with some flavors, which I ended up having a cup for each so I’m a little hyped up on caffeine.”
“Ah. How many flavors did you get?”
“Seventeen.”
Kicker opened his mouth, but paused as though his mind tried to process his next words. This beat got another chuckle out of the audience, as did his odd expression when he did a double take at Soubrette’s prancing in place.
“Well… I think we’re switching you to decaf next time.”
“They were all decaf.”
“...It’s not worth questioning,” Kicker said, speaking to the audience. “How about we put all that energy to good use? Now Soubrette here is going to go into the audience to pick out a volunteer. In the meantime, I’m going to pick up this deck of cards here and give it to these stellar young ladies in this front table here. I would like for you three to check to make sure it is a plain, ordinary deck, shuffle it and make sure it’s random.”
Kicker and Soubrette continued their routine, pulling a volunteer from the audience. The card tricks performed were fairly standard and simple, being a staple gimmick for many illusionists, but they still managed to get a laugh and even a small wow from the audience. Or at least most of them as Sleuth was wearing a bored expression on his face.
“What’s the matter, Sleuthy?” Soprano whispered as she looked over to him. “Not enjoying the show?”
“I wouldn’t say that yet. It’s only about five minutes in. But I feel like I could be doing something more useful than just sitting here. No offense to you or your family of course.”
“Do you have something on your mind? Is something bothering you?”
“Probably has something to do with the phantom thief, am I right?” Bluff approached the table, still in his casino uniform. Sleuth glared the dealer’s grin, not sure about this unfamiliar stallion.
“I feel like I’ve seen you from somewhere,” Soprano said to Bluff. “Did we meet before?”
“No, not really. But I did see you earlier when you picked up your dad.”
“Oh… Oh yeah.”
“Name’s Bluff Bounty by the way,” Bluff said running a hoof through his curly brown mane. “It’s a pleasure meeting you, Miss Serenity.” Bluff flashed a grin and winked, causing Soprano to blush a little with a smile, further annoying Sleuth.
“Excuse me, buddy,” the police pony growled through his teeth. “but is there a reason for why you are standing there, flirting with my fiancee?” He put more emphasis on the word ‘fiancee’ than he normally would in the hopes that Bluff would wise up and stop bothering him. However, it didn’t deter him much; if anything, Bluff saw it as a challenge.
“As a matter of fact, I have two reasons,” Bluff said without losing his grin. “First, the young lady here dropped something of her’s back on the floor.”
Soprano’s ears perked as Bluff reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a heart shaped locket pendant. The four quarters of the heart consisted of a different gemstone: a ruby, a sapphire, a citrine, and an emerald. These gemstones were held together with polished platinum, onside of the interior being a mirrored compass. The other interior piece was a space where a photo was intended, although it was currently empty. For such a fancy locket, the neck string was a fairly cheap looking leather strap.
“Need to be a little more careful with your jewelry, young lady.”
“Y-yeah, thank you. Um, please excuse me, Sleuth. I need to go talk to my father really quick. I’ll be back in a bit.”
Soprano stood up and while carefully hiding the pendant, walked over to the table her parents were sitting at. Sleuth couldn’t help but feel a little suspicious at how elusive she was being then, but more so towards the smug bastard that was taking an unoccupied chair at the table.
“You weren’t given an invitation to sit here,” Sleuth said intensifying his glare.
“I won’t be long. But anyway, I did say I had a second reason for being here, besides that piece of gaudy jewelry. I overheard you saying you couldn't concentrate.”
“That is not your business.”
“Isn’t it? Inspector Slewfoot?”
Sleuth’s eyes shot open wide in surprise. How did this suspicious stranger know who he is? He had only been in Las Pegasus for less than a day, he didn’t know anypony else besides Soprano and her family. However it was possible, it was enough for Sleuth to put his guard up, not that it wasn’t already.
“How do you know me?”
“Your future father-in-law told me during his poker game. Guy is really talkative about his daughter, you know. Of course, when you do what I do for a living, you meet all kinds.” Bluff chuckled as he slouched in his chair. “I suppose the same can be said for you. Especially with that phantom loose. I mean, you are marrying into money. What’s to say you won’t become a target in the future?”
“And you aren’t, Mr. Bounty? I know who you are as well. Your family owns and operates the Lucky Lag and its resort.”
“That doesn’t surprise me.” Bluff picked an orange from the decorative wax fruit bowl at the table and started fiddling with it. “My mother and Mr. Falsetto are associates after all. One of our best customers. It only makes sense you would know. But you are right, Slewfoot: we’re both targets.”
Bluff took out a handkerchief and covered the wax orange with it before removing it to reveal it was now an apple, completely genuine and edible. This raised an eyebrow of the inspector, out of amazement though he would never admit it to Bluff.
“The only difference is I actually applaud the thief,” Bluff said as he polished the apple on his vest and taking a bite. “You’re clearly new to LP affairs, so let me fill you in a bit. This city may be pretty and nice for most of the time, but it also has a dark side, as most big metropolitan cities do. You would be surprised how easily some criminals get off because of their status, money, or connections. Even our last mayor had mafia connections. Facade? I promise you a good fifth of big name criminals wouldn’t be convicted if he didn’t expose them. He is a thief, not a monster.”
“And in the process, he is making the police look like buffoons for his own crimes,” Sleuth countered.
“Eh, the police were already buffoons before he came in. At least now, they’re learning to coordinate more efficiently. He is bringing them together in the name of what the police should be doing: upholding the law and keeping peace and justice.”
Sleuth stayed silent. As much as Bluff was getting on his nerves, he did have a point. He knew even before entering the city that LP’s finest were lacking in that reputation, in no small part because of Pseudo Facade. Even fellow officers Bobby and Mounty spoke to him about the decline in nine-one-one police services simply because nopony was trusting the authorities anymore.
He then started to ponder a bit. What if he could catch LP’s phantom? Give ponies a reason to seek help again, get this guy off the streets and jump start a reformation of the law? The more he thought about it, the bigger his smile became as it would not only improve his new home, but it would greatly boost his own reputation. How would it look in the papers if he was able to defeat the undefeated?
“Well, it’s about time for me to go. Enjoy the show, Slewfoot.”
Sleuth barely noticed the stallion leave and was still well in thought when Soprano came back to the table, looking a little flustered.
Kicker’s show eventually concluded and the audience cheered as he and Soubrette took their bows and left the stage. Once back stage, Soubrette gave the zebra a kiss on the cheek before heading to her dressing room. Kicker himself wished the next performer good luck before going to his own dressing room where he found Bluff and Ante.
“Well? How was it tonight?” Kicker asked in confidence.
“It was a real kick, as usual,” Ante winked.
“Oh, you flatter me senorita. And how is the master doing?”
“Delivered the pendant and spoke with the new inspector,” Bluff said reclining in the seat in front of the mirror. “I don’t know why you’re worried about this guy, though. The new inspector doesn’t look like he will offer much.”
“Perhaps not. But a good magician has to be well prepared for his act.”
Heart of Stained Glass ~ Chapter 1
Chapter 2
The nightlife of Las Pegasus was what made the city prosper. The clubs, the casinos, the entertainment industry, there were many reasons to be active after dark and many found it more appealing than the mornings and afternoons. However, the crepuscular and nocturnal lifestyles weren’t all fun and games for some. It was also when the criminals often came out and when the cops would have to be more alert.
In all fairness, the more simple crimes did not pose much of a problem for police, especially on a good night; dumber crooks were easier to catch. Besides the resident thief, it was the organized crime ring that was a bigger issue. The collective underground knew their turf just as well as the authorities did and then some. Above all, the crime lord of Las Pegasus was among the most feared ponies out there.
This was a thought that Professor Cherub held in his mind as he walked in from the evening rain into the Viceroy Hotel lobby. The albino unicorn took the time to dry off his raincoat before folding it and placing it into his bag, afterwards walking to the front desk.
“Hi, how can I help you today,” the mare at the desk greeted.
“I was supposed to meet the executive manager here in one of the reserved offices. My name is Professor Cherub Mannequin, Las Pegasus University.”
“Okay, give me a moment to find your name.”
The clerk flipped through the pages of her book, scanning ever so carefully for the scheduled appointment. Every second spent made the professor more nervous. Truth be told, he did NOT want to be here. Though the zodiac motif of the lobby gave off an intriguing vibe, he felt various degrees of pressure building. His heart was pounding so hard that he feared it would burst out of his chest at any given moment.
“Ah, here it is. Hold a moment,” the clerk pressed a button on an intercom located near the book. “Mr. King, your seven o’clock has arrived.”
~”Good, send him up.”~
“Right away, sir. Okay Professor, your office suite is on the twenty-seventh floor and it’s room eighteen B. Would you like me to hold your belonging?”
“No, thank you.”
Cherub picked his bag up with his magic and headed towards the elevator. As he ascended the building, he tried his best to calm himself. He did not want to give his client a bad impression, not when he was offering so much money. At the appropriate floor, he stepped off into the hallways and looked for his room number. It was the very last one on the south side and as he approached it, he saw four stallions in gray coats, sunglasses (which were all in their breast pockets), and bowler hats.
One of them, a muscular crimson stallion, halted the professor with a rather disinterested glare. “Have you seen the full moon tonight?”
Cherub took a small breath before lightly stomping the ground twice. “It casts a glow worthy of her majesty’s reign.”
The red stallion glanced back at the others and all three ponies, a white unicorn, a black pegasus, and a pale green pegasus, each nodded. The first stallion gestured the professor to follow them inside the room.
He was greeted to a spacious office with windows that gave a fantastic view of the city. The room itself though was very dimly lit by only the light of the moon and the sickly green light of a lava lamp on the desk where a couple other ponies were sitting. One of them was a pegasus who appeared to be in his thirties. It was difficult to tell what the color of his coat was from the combination of his charcoal suit and the lighting of the room, but the mint green shade was easily made out once he stepped forward and offered a hoof shake.
“Professor Cherub. Thank you for meeting with us here tonight. We apologize for the inconvenience, but I pray you understand.”
“Jade King II,” Cherub responded accepting the hoof shake before sitting at the empty table side. The remaining ponies, besides the suited stallion, was an older mint green stallion with long bleach blonde mane, and a celadon colt who appeared to be between ten and thirteen years of age. Neither the colt nor the younger stallion intimidated him very much.
It was the older figure in the center and his menacing glare at him that increased the pressure in his chest, especially with the non vegetarian plate set to his side.
“So, professor,” the elder stallion began in a quiet, deep voice. “I understand your major is engineering.”
“Yes sir.”
“You have handled volatile materials, have you not?”
“Yes sir.”
“Then allow me to be straightforward. Do you have the know-how on building explosives?”
Cherub choked back a gasp. He did indeed know how to engineer such devices and could easily craft them if given access to such materials. But he knew who these ponies were and what they did. If they are asking him to do such a thing, he could only shudder at their purpose. There was no possible way out of this now though as if he were to deny, he would likely never leave the building.
“Y-yes sir, I do.”
The old stallion glared, as if to burn deep into Cherub’s mind that he should be thankful for being so merciful. He then stood up and walked over to the large windows to look out into the city. “Good. Junior?”
“Yes, father. Now, we have information from an informant that somepony among us is working against us. The problem is we don’t know who, our source was only able to gather that he had a white coat, and some blonde in their mane.”
The colt slid a folder towards the professor along with a vial. “This is a strand of hair one of our guys recovered from the target’s last location. May not be your specialty, but I’m sure that as a scientist you can find ways to analyze DNA. We suggest starting there.”
“Where do the explosives come in? And why are you asking me of all ponies to hunt down this pony? Couldn’t you send one of your guys after them?” Cherub asked incredulously as he took the folder and vial.
“You’d think, but we don’t want to draw attention from the feds,” Jade King II responded. “My father is not exactly a ghost to the law and my son is simply not fit for it. Besides, he was one of us. He’ll recognize our regular men. We need somepony outside the ring to ice him.”
“Like say a struggling professor,” Jade King III interjected with a smirk. “And we can easily compensate. Do this job, and you’ll be able to pay off your bills and then some.”
“And if you don’t,” Jade King I said looking back with one ice cold brown eye. “I’ll be holding a feast for the family later.”
Cherub gulped. He wouldn’t…. Would he?
“Now for the explosives part,” Jade King II said clearing his throat. “We not only want to roast the bastard, but we also wanna send a message. Nopony. Betrays. The Jade Kings. Do you understand, Professor?” Cherub nodded nervously as he stood up. “Good. We want to go over a few things with you later. We’ll place an ad in the entertainment section of the paper tomorrow. Make sure you read it, meet our guys there, they’ll tell you what you need to do.”
After backing up into one of the guards and being escorted out, the three generations of the Jade Kings were left to discuss amongst themselves. “So, you think it’ll work,” Jade King III snickered. “Think he’ll go through with it?”
“He will,” Jade King I responded without turning away from the window. “A pony like him is too cowardly to face his own demise. If all goes according to plan, he’ll be gone and so will the Jack of Clubs.”
“Do we really have to get rid of him, dad?” Jade King II pleaded.
“The professor has owed us much and has yet to-”
“No no, I was talking about Facade. Do we really need him gone?”
“...Oh. Not necessarily, but we don’t need him around either. Not with his MO. He’ll expose us if we give him too much leeway. Besides, he damaged my hotel the other day with that whole soap and water thing. I outta throw him off the roof.”
“That’s my grandpa, cold and ruthless as ever,” Jade King III grinned.
“Yeah, joy,” King II responded sarcastically. “Are you going to need anything else tonight, father? Soubrette is going to be finishing up her gig soon and I gotta be there to pick her up.”
“Go on then. You too, boy. I need to finish up here. Say hello to your mother for me.”
The early morning in the villa was fairly quiet when Sleuth woke up from a rough slumber. In the previous night, he had been trying to get settled into his new home, albeit in a temporary room. Though arranged to marry, he felt sleeping together before the wedding was a faux pas, especially considering the bride’s age. With a glance at the calendar, marked off the previous day before looking further at a circled day.
November twenty-seventh, the sixteenth birthday of his future wife, as well as the day she would be old enough to marry.
That was still seven days away however and there would be other times to think about it. For now, he needed to get ready for work. The precinct would be expecting the new inspector and he would be remiss if he was late on the first day of work in Las Pegasus. After taking a shower and putting on his uniform, he stepped into the kitchen to retrieve a lunch bag he had prepared the previous night and placed it into his satchel before munching on a plate of sandwiches on the counter, set out for him by the staff. Once all set to go, he walked out the door where a stallion and carriage was waiting to take him to work. As he wasn’t yet used to the route, he would have to learn it.
Arriving at the station, he disembarked the carriage and thanked his driver before walking inside where he was greeted by a unicorn officer.
“Good morning sir. Officer Constable. Let me escort you to the war room.”
“Lead the way, Constable.”
The room Sleuth was lead into was populated by a few other officers, among them Bobby and Mounty along with Gavroche. Items in the room itself all related to the city’s thief, such as a photo album with pictures of his loot, a map of the city with circled parts he had struck, and a billboard of sketches depicting his possible appearance based on past cases.
“Good morning, Inspector,” Officer Mounty saluted, as did the other officers with Sleuth returning them.
“Shall we get down to business? What’s the itinerary for today?”
Gavroche pointed to an opened letter on the desk behind Sleuth, who used his magic to pick up the letter and read the typed out words.
On the twenty-second, the Mirage Knight’s Medallion shall mimic its master’s fate under the silver windswept currents. With the new inspector joining us this time, I am curious to see what he can bring to it. I sincerely hope he will provide more of a challenge than the mature bird.
~The Jack Of Clubs
“Egotistical bastard. The Museum of Mythic Arts received this letter and as usual came to us,” Gavroche grunted, chewing on the end of a pencil.
“I thought you transferred out of the case,” Sleuth inquired.
“I did. But since you’re new around here, I want to spectate a bit. This guy is cocky, but he’s pretty good. I’ve been chasing him ever since I was assigned to the case over thirty years ago. Practically spent half my career just trying to nab him. After the last time, I had it.”
“Thirty years, huh?” Sleuth pondered. If that’s the case, this Facade would probably be somewhere between his mid forties and early fifties. If he’s been doing this for that long, then he’s got to be both bold and smart to be able to outwit the police and still be free.
“This is a little weird though,” Gavroche continued. “Just about every other time, he would always send his note within two weeks of his heist and would always strike on the promised day, no earlier and no later. Yet now, he’s given both us and himself two days to prepare and the letter was a lot less elaborate this time around. That’s not like him.”
“Yeah, I found that kind of odd too,” Officer Bobby added.
“I believe he wants to make things clearer because of me joining the hunt,” Sleuth said sitting down in a chair, still analyzing the note. He had subtly switched his magic to use an analysis spell used by many forensic scientists, checking for any aura residue or DNA traces, none of which were found. “Like Inspector Gavroche said, he is cocky. This note is clearly a challenge to me specifically. Somehow, he knows about my presence. Well, if he wants a battle, we’ll give him a war.”
“What do you propose we do, Inspector?” Officer Constable asked.
“First off, I would like to go to the museum to record its layout so I can plan accordingly. I would also like to talk to the owner and staff, as well as obtain a record of any visitors and maintain constant surveillance for the last forty-eight hours. I want everypony to keep a close eye on any patrons that come in during that time, especially during the red hours.”
“Yes sir, I will notify the security as soon as you give the word.”
“And I want you to do a full body search on the staff as well, including security. We need to rule out a possible inside job. We don’t know yet if Facade is using any accomplices and if he is, we can cripple him a bit at the very least by taking away that advantage.”
“Roger.”
Constable left the war room to inform other officers of this part of the plan. Sleuth went on to detail and explore several options with the other officers. By the time the day of the heist would come, he would be ready to capture him. But part of him also wanted to see the legend in action. Part of him wanted to see the impressive escapes he was famous for.
Alas, he was an officer of the law. It was his job to capture criminals and bring them to justice. Even if Facade was the occasional Robin Hood, he was still a felon. Sleuth was confident in his abilities. Maybe he wasn’t as experienced as his father or Gavroche, but he made up for that in eagerness. He was confident that somehow, he would catch the uncatchable.
And he would smile when that time came.
A museum wasn’t usually a place most teenagers would choose to spend their Saturday off from school. Most would prefer the malls or other places where they could hang out with friends. While that was fun and all, Soprano took an interest in a particular section recently, thanks to her own work. And of course, the museum gained several visitors that day because of this.
Over the course of her career, Soprano gained an appreciation for the relics that withstood time itself. Some of the stories surrounding them held more importance than her demographic really cared for. The artifacts themselves also had a very archaic feel to them that appealed to her materialistic side, something that she can’t seem to feel in jewelry or fashion trends lately. What she was concerned with most today was the exhibit of the Mirage Knight, the armor of said Knight in a display case along with the glossy medallion that gave off a gorgeous shimmer from which Soprano could not look away.
“Oh my,” Soprano said thinking aloud. “To think the prop guys have to make a replica of this. I only wish I have the real thing.”
“Oh my gosh! Soprano? Soprano Serenity, is that really you?”
The young actress pulled her eyes off the exhibit and looked in the direction of the voice who addressed her, belonging to Officer Mounty with Officer Bobby standing near. Instantly, Soprano assumed her appropriate posture, not wanting to look unladylike in the face of company.
“Why hello there, officers. How are things today?”
“Soprano Serenity!” Mounty squeed before Bobby pulled her to the side.
“Sorry about that, Miss Serenity. You’ll have to forgive her, she’s a huge fan.” Geez, Mount. This is why nopony takes the police seriously anymore.
“Hey, it’s quite alright. I meet many fans on a daily basis. Trust me, you get used to it.”
“Yes, I’m sure you do. Err, we’ll just continue about our business. Come on Mounty, Inspector Slewfoot needs us running the perimeters.”
“Wait, Sleuth is here?” Soprano asked at the name Slewfoot.
“Uh, confidential business. Not at liberty to give away details-”
“Let me guess. Facade?” Soprano grinned.
“Uh… Well, we… Err.”
“It’s alright, guys,” Sleuth said walking into the area. “I’ll take it from here.”
Bobby snuck one last glance at the mare before practically dragging Mounty away, taking note of how much prettier the celebrity was in person. Damn, Slewfoot. How did you ever get so lucky?
“So, may I ask what brings you here today?” Sleuth asked his fiancee in a subtly annoyed tone, a tone which Soprano identified right away.
“If you must know,” Soprano said with a huff. “I came here to do a little research, thank you very much.”
“Is that so?” Sleuth responded as he removed her straw hat from her head, exposing the bun tied hair underneath.
“Hey! What, may I ask, are you doing?” Soprano responded irritated.
“Checking to make sure you aren’t Facade or an affiliate. I wouldn’t put it past him to disguise himself as you to slip right past me.”
“Ugh! The nerve, accusing me as being that hunk- THUG! Yeah, thug is what I said. Totally.” Soprano blushed a little as she tried to recover from her verbal slip, growing a scowl as Sleuth adopted a grin as if he was about to laugh. “Shut up! How do I know you aren’t Facade.”
Soprano pulled on Sleuth’s cheeks as she attempted to check for mask. “You don’t hath to pull sho hard,” Sleuth slurred with his speech affected. He retaliated by tickling the armpits of the offensive mare, sending her into a laughing fit. Both were thankful no other patrons were around, lest the embarrassment be unavoidable.
“No fair,” Soprano said in a mock pout but still giggling from the ‘security check’. “How do you know my one weakness?”
“I looked after you, remember? I still remember things from six years ago. Besides, we’re to be married soon.”
“Oh shut up. Anyway, was I right earlier? Is all this going on because of Facade? He’s going to strike here, isn’t he?”
“I’m not at liberty to say either, Soprano. Confidential information.”
“Oh, okay then. At least I know my soon-to-be husband likes to keep secrets from me. That’s a great sign right there.”
“Dammit Soprano. Fine. He plans to steal the Mirage Knight’s medallion. Happy?”
“Quite… You do know I was only kidding, right?”
“Quite, but you do bring up a point. I suppose I can’t keep everything from you. But I hope you understand when it comes to top secret information. I can’t go around telling it to everypony.”
“Yes, yes. I will tame my lips for now.”
“Well, I do need to go to lunch soon. Maybe we can go together?”
“I’d love that, Sleuthy. Let’s.”
After informing the others over radio of his lunch break and putting Officer Constable in charge for the leave, Sleuth followed Soprano to a small diner across the street. Thankfully for Sleuth, there were few other ponies dining, aside from a few elderly stallions who either didn’t know of their celebrity company, or didn’t care.
“So what kind of research are you doing?” Sleuth said as he picked up his menu. “Another project?”
“Yep. I’m staring in a musical adaptation of The Mirage Knight’s Hour and I wanted to know a little bit about the story behind it. I’m playing the Duchess Oasis, you know the royal who tamed the rowdy warrior. I was also kind of curious to see what the historical armor and stuff looked like.”
“Armor and stuff, huh?”
“I don’t know what the word for it is.”
“Paraphernalia. I’m not actually familiar with the story by the way. Would there be any reason Facade would be after that little medallion over everything else? I mean, the armor I can understand but…”
“That medallion is sort of a symbol for our city. The Mirage Knight was a real historical figure who played an important part in the founding of San Palomino Province and was indirectly involved in the founding of Cloudsdale too. Basically, he was a pegasus warrior named Fata Morgana who had a perpetual rage and thirst for blood. One day, he wandered into a city, the precursor to Las Pegasus, and entered a tournament. He because the champion and he was approached by Duquesa Vidrieras, the duchess of the city. The warrior eventually became her partner in politics, military, and in overall life.”
“Oh? Wasn’t he supposed to be a brute? How did he get that far?”
“You would be surprised how powerful love can be, romantic, platonic, or otherwise. See, Fata Morgana never had a family or any friends to speak of. He was called Mirage Knight because he blended in with his surroundings, both in environment and society. An optical phenomenon was even named after him. Duquesa Vidrieras was kind of his first friend and he adopted her as sort of a sister figure. It really says a lot when you devote yourself to a pony you love and respect. ‘I weep for my passing yet I gladly discard my future as I vanish under the silver windswept currents to ensure yours.”
Those words caught Sleuth’s attention. “Silver windswept currents? Does that have any significance now?”
“According to the modern version, it’s an archaic term for the common nighttime winds the city gets. Fata Morgana supposedly died on ten o’clock exactly under a full moon, but his body was never recovered. It was like he just disappeared like he was a mirage. All that was left was his armor and his medallion, the prize he won in the tournament that was said to bring him luck in all his major battles.”
Ten o’clock. Full moon. Windy. Sleuth made a mental note of these details. Perhaps he would do some more research, but those particular things stuck out to him as it wasn’t just a poetic setup for a story, it was also a possible condition for a crime to be committed. Facade said that the medallion would mimic its master’s fate under the silver windswept current. If the Mirage Knight vanished at ten o’clock, perhaps thats when Facade will strike. It’s just a hunch but it’s worth checking into.
“Sleuth? Hello? Sleuthy, say something. You’ve been a little too quiet,” Soprano said irritated.
“I just thought of something that I need to inform my men about. I’ll be right back.”
“What? Wait, Sleuth!”
The blue unicorn rushed out of the diner, oblivious to the waitress passing by with the food he had ordered. Soprano remained seated at the table with a scowl decorating her face when the waitress place her food on the table.
“And daddy wonders why I question the whole marriage thing...”
On the night of the heist, the officers were all prepared for the arrival of their target. The surrounding blocks were closed and a patrol blockade was set up to prevent foot entry into the area surrounding the museum. In the air, a police chopper hovered with its spotlight lit and scanning. The interior of the building was tightly secured with SWAT level officers, patrolling in teams of four in strategic areas. Aside from the museum director who was given a thorough body search, the entire area was occupied with law enforcement officers and only they were given clearance to be there.
“Radio check,” Sleuth said into his walkie upon entering the building.
“You’re clear, Inspector,” Bobby responded.
“Good. Constable, what’s your status right now?”
“I’m at zero point with Popo and Noncom, sir.”
“Mounty, how about you?”
“On Overlook A. Bobby is en route to Overlook E with a beanbag rifle.”
“Actually Mounty, I need a pegasus with me to run a quick check of the building. I want you with me, I’m going to have Centurion take your place at Overlook A. Do not leave your current position until he gets there.”
“Ten-four.”
“All other units, stand by.”
Sleuth passively observed the preparations until Mounty flew down from the second story balcony in the exhibit room. The inspector gestured for her to follow from higher in the air while he took the ground level. When in the halls, Mounty took to covering the rear while Sleuth’s observant eyes scanned for anything suspicious. At some point, the duo reached the roof of the building.
“Looks like the place is clean for the time being. It’s almost that time though, do you want me to stay by your side or do you want me to go back to zero point?”
“I’m going to stay up here for a few minutes, I have a feeling he’ll break in from the roof somehow. If you can offer it, I would appreciate your presence just in case I need back up.”
“Roger that. I just hope Bobby can handle my absence this time.” Mounty knelt down to the side of the door and place her rifle to her side.
“Worried about Bobby? He is an adult and an officer, I’m sure he’ll be fine.”
“I know, but I can’t help it. Big lug and I have always been close friends, like brother and sister. Heck, we lived together for awhile after graduating college, that’s how close we are. It’s a little hard not to be concerned for each other’s safety.”
“Interesting. I do see you two together a lot, come to think of it. Still, he is an expert shot from what I hear.”
“He always was the better markspony. Being a police officer has been his dream since he was a colt. Me? I always wanted to try out for the Wonderbolts, but I didn’t do very well at the academy.”
“And you became an officer after that?”
“Well, the police force has military characteristics and I could go though the police academy with my best friend, so it seemed like the next best thing. I ended up liking the idea of serving and protecting. What about you, Inspector? What made you join the force?”
Sleuth sat down beside the pegasus, fairly relaxed despite the impending deadline. From the information gathered, he was sure neither he nor Mounty was in any physical danger, but he still maintained an awareness of his surroundings just in case. “I’m kind of half and half. My family originally hails from Canterlot where my father was a Captain in the CPD. At some point when I was growing up, I had this fascination with the idea of catching bad guys and I always wanted to be the hero who saves the day. Now that I’m older and have gone through the experience, I realize how childish that sounds. But all the same, I want to restore the former glory of the police department.”
Mounty raised an eyebrow as she listened to her boss speak. Perhaps he and Bobby aren’t all that different. “So glory motivates you? That’s a little vain, don’t you think?”
“In my opinion, it really depends on how you look at it. Sure maybe it is a little foolish, but if I can help some people in the process, then I take pride in that. We both know that this job is never routine, but it’s also never boring. Most of us work hard to earn our living. That is what separates us from the crooks we apprehend.”
“Um, okay. I guess.” Maybe ‘glory seeker’ is a bit extreme.
Sleuth stood back up while glancing at his watch. “Get ready, it’s almost time.”
“Indeed it is.”
The deep voice startled the two officers with its abruptness. Mounty quickly got to her feet with her rifle ready while Sleuth pulled his revolver from its holster. Both looked all around the rooftop for the source of the voice, but nothing yielded any findings.
“All units, we have a possible sighting of the Jack of Clubs on the roof. Please stand by and be on guard,” Sleuth ordered into his radio.
It wasn’t until the chopper’s spotlight illuminated the roof that the shadow of a cloaked figure stood in front of Sleuth, the feet of the shadow converging with a silhouette standing above the door. It was here that he saw the infamous pony with his own eyes.
“Pseudo Facade…”
