Mystery on the Mareish Moors

Chapters

Part 1: Highland Call
Part 2: Shamrock Day
Part 3: Rebels
Part 4: Going Wrong
Part 5: Search and Rescue
Part 6: In the Mud
Part 7: The Mareish Spirit
Chapter notes

Part 1: Highland Call

This was Bon Bon's favorite part of the day: the few moments when the morning has just begun and wakefulness was slowly spreading across her mind. Awareness dawned on her, and she felt the mattress sinking beneath her weight and the blankets embracing her body.

She also felt a foreleg draped over her chest and a warm, furry barrel against her back. She felt her mane rustled by a slow, steady breath and smiled. This was why she loved this time of day. In these hazy moments of dream-like floating on the edge of the world, there was nothing else in the world, but the sunlight streaming down onto her face and the comforting warmth of her wife cuddled against her...

"Mom! Mama! Wake up, wake up, wake up!"

The door burst open and a surprisingly heavy weight leapt up onto the bed, jumping up and down excitedly on the mattress.

"Mom, come on! Mom!" Tootsie Flute complained, shaking Bon Bon's shoulder.

"Your daughter is awake," Bon Bon groaned to her wife.

Lyra let out a little snort. "Before noon, she's your daughter," she mumbled in reply.

"Come on, mama!" Tootsie Flute cried, turning her attention to Lyra. "Tomorrow's Shamrock Day, we gotta get going!"

As soon as Tootsie said "shamrock," Lyra was wide awake. She bounded out of bed with a great leap and bounced downstairs. "Come on, Bonnie! We've got a breakfast to make and a train to catch!"

With a groan, Bon Bon surrendered to the call of the morning, pushing the covers up off herself and climbing out of bed slowly. "I swear, I'm living with two children," she muttered to herself. Following her two girls down the stairs, she trotted into the kitchen that lay behind the main shop floor of Bon Bon's Bonbon's. Lyra was already at the grill, standing up on her hind legs while she prepared toast, hay bacon and eggs. Her voice eagerly joined Tootsie's in song:

"And it's no, neigh, never,
No, neigh, never, no more,
Will I play the wild rover
No never, no more!"

The sight reminded Bon Bon why she put up with the hassles of having two fillies in the house and a smile spread across her face. "Lyra, honey, careful. You're gonna scorch the toast."

"Well, you'd better take over then," Lyra replied with a grin that warned everypony what was coming. "Or else breakfast will be toast! Get it?"

Bon Bon collapsed against the countertop in helpless laughter. She should have developed a resistance to her wife's ridiculous puns by now, but no matter how bad they were, they always made her laugh. "You're ridiculous," she said, shaking her head as she replaced her at the grill.

"And you're beautiful when you smile," Lyra replied, kissing her on the cheek.

A few minutes later, breakfast had been consumed, the dishes washed up with Tootsie's help, and Bon Bon and Lyra went back upstairs to prepare themselves for the rest of the day.

"Will you be wearing your special dance dress?" Tootsie asked Lyra, excitedly bouncing up after them. "Will you be dancing with everypony else? Am I old enough to drink cider at the party?"

"Yes, yes, and no," Lyra answered, ruffling her daughter's mane. "Now, make sure you're all packed. Our train to Trotterford will be leaving in about an hour." Tootsie pranced towards her room to collect her things.

"She gets more excited every year," Bon Bon said, running a brush through her mane and coat.

"So do I!" Lyra squealed, bouncing up and down excitedly with a huge smile glued onto her face. "Shamrock Day seems to come later every year!"

"I know what you mean," Bon Bon answered, trying to brush Lyra's mane but failing due to her inability to sit still. "You know, you'd better try your dress on, just to make sure that it still fits."

"Ooh, good idea!" Lyra skipped over to the closet and flung it open. From the selection of hanging garments, she selected a dark green and orange dress decorated with clovers with a flat, pleated skirt. Slipping the dress over her head, Lyra pulled it down over herself, pulling her forelegs through the shoulders and smoothing out the skirt. The dress fit perfectly, as Lyra proved to herself when she looked in the mirror.

"You always look beautiful in that," Bon Bon said, taking the opportunity to smooth out Lyra's scruffy mane.

"I look beautiful in anything," Lyra smirked. "Including nothing!"

"Mmm, that's true," Bon Bon cooed, leaning in and kissing Lyra on the cheek. Lyra purred happily and turned to her wife, leaning in close to kiss her on the lips, becoming intoxicated on the scent of candy that always stayed in Bon Bon's mane.

"Mom, I'm ready!" Tootsie called from the door, dropping down her bags in the hallway.

Bon Bon sighed as she pulled away, internally reflecting that it wouldn't surprise her at all if their daughter earned her special talent in ruining the moment. "Great, sweetie. We'll be ready in a little while. Somepony forgot to pack just like last year, didn't she?" she added, giving Lyra a sideways look. Lyra's smile became nervous and she chuckled softly, suddenly becoming very interested in the opposite wall.

An hour later, the trio was standing on the platform of the Ponyville station. Lyra and Tootsie were, of course, bouncing up and down in excitement, while Bon Bon internally rolled her eyes at them.

There was a whistling from the distance. "Here it comes! Here it comes!" Lyra squealed, watching as the train approached. With a rush of steam and squeal of brakes, the train trundled up to the platform and the doors opened wide.

"All aboard!" the conductor called, summoning everypony onto the train. The family carried their luggage onto the train, squeezing through the crowds of boarding ponies.

"Careful, Tootsie!" Bon Bon called after their daughter, who had run off ahead. "Don't go too far!"

Tootsie turned to reply and bumped into another pony, who grunted in surprise and dropped his suitcase. Turning, the pony looked down at Tootsie. He was a pale green-coated unicorn with a light brown mane and mustache. His blue eyes sparkled with kindness and his cutie mark was a suitcase with a couple of gold bits.

"Careful, there, sweetie," he said in a rumbling voice, smiling. "You might hurt yourself, running off like that."

"Okay," Tootsie smiled back. "Are you going to Trotterford, too? What's in the suitcase?"

"Tootsie!" Bon Bon called from their seats. "What have I told you about talking to strangers?"

"It's all right," the unicorn grinned, picking up the suitcase and watching Tootsie returning to her parents, leaping up onto the seat beside them. Cute kid, he thought as he returned to his seat. That was the thing that he loved about Ponyville; lots of kids, not all of them under the eyes of their parents, and gullible enough to try his product. Make them a customer early, and they'd be customers for the rest of their lives.

Finding a seat, the unicorn set his suitcase up on the luggage rack above him. The bits inside jingled with their beautiful music. With a smile, the pony settled down onto his seat and pulled out a novel, preparing for the long journey ahead.

If he had looked around, he might have noticed another pony sitting on the opposite aisle from him. A pony with a dark brown coat, black mane and wearing a green vest. He appeared to be looking out of the window, but his storm cloud gray eyes were focused on the reflection of the pale green unicorn in the window.

With a start, the train pulled away from the platform and began to carry its passengers away on their journey up north.

Author's Note

And so begins another adventure in the Phillip Finder series, this one taking place in Mareland, the land of magical mystery.

This will be a lighter, funnier story than the past adventures, starring everypony's favorite "best friends." I hope you're looking forward to more!

Part 2: Shamrock Day

Several hours later, the train pulled into Vanhoover station with a squealing of brakes. Tootsie leapt off the train onto the platform almost before the train had stopped moving.

"Tootsie, hold on!" Bon Bon called, chasing after them. "We still have plenty of time to catch the ferry, there's no need to rush. Not that I'm looking forward to being cooped up with you two for much longer," she added beneath her breath.

"It's only a hop, skip and a jump to Mareland!" Lyra said, demonstrating each action as she bounded out of the train. "I can smell the clovers already—whoops!" she cried out as she bumped into another pony, knocking them both over. "Sorry!" Lyra squeaked, reaching to help her unintentional acquaintance back up.

"That's all right," the green-coated unicorn said with a smile, recollecting his suitcase. "I should have been watching where I was going. Say, I couldn't help but overhear," he added. "Are you headed for the ferry to Mareland?"

"We are!" Lyra said.

"Oh, good; so am I! We could share a cab," he suggested.

"Can we, Bonnie?" Lyra asked.

"All right," Bon Bon replied, hailing a large cab. "As long as he agrees to split the fee."

"No problem," the unicorn said as he followed the trio onto the cab, taking a seat next to Lyra. "I'm Coin Toss, by the way. I'm visiting Mareland on a business trip."

"You picked the best time to come!" Lyra said energetically. "Tomorrow is Shamrock Day!"

"Shamrock Day? Can't say I've ever heard of it," Coin Toss said as he set his suitcase in the trunk of the cab.

"It's a national celebration of the Mareish culture," Lyra explained as she helped her family pack their luggage into the taxi. "Families all gather together in cèilidh, special gatherings where everypony sings and dances, for three days. If the celebrations go off without a hitch, then it assures good luck for the rest of the year."

"And if the celebrations go badly?" Coin Toss asked as he followed the trio into the cab.

"We try not to think about that," Lyra said softly, sitting down next to him.

"To the docks, please!" Bon Bon called to the cab driver, who tipped his cap and hurried away down the street. The travelers began to chat amongst themselves as a group of acquaintances might.

None of them noticed the stallion in the gray hat and the green vest standing on the curb behind them, waiting for a cab of his own.

Less than half an hour later, the cab pulled up to the ferry dock. A large white ferry flying the green, white and orange flag of Mareland sat in the water of the North Luna Sea, waiting for passengers to board. In the distance, through the ever-present fog that hung over the water, the green mountains of the island region of Mareland could be seen.

"So what's in the suitcase?" Tootsie asked Coin Toss as they boarded the ferry. "Is it a secret?"

"It's the best kind of secret," Coin Toss replied. He dramatically looked around, then softly asked, "Would you like to know what kind of secret?"

Tootsie nodded eagerly. Coin Toss leaned in close and hissed into her ear: "It's a secret!"

Bon Bon and Lyra both laughed. Tootsie frowned and blew a raspberry at the chuckling Coin Toss as they boarded the ferry. Soon after they boarded, the ferry cast off ties and set sail, trundling across the choppy waters to the island. Standing on the bow, Lyra placed her front hooves on top of the railing and lifted herself up, watching the shores of her homeland approaching. The wind tossed her mane about wildly.

"Almost there now, girls," she said to Bon Bon and Tootsie. "Just smell that sea air!" She drew her head back and closed her eyes, inhaling deeply through her nostrils. At that exact moment, however, the ferry crested a wave and splashed down hard, tossing up foam. The result was that instead of breathing in the sea air, Lyra inhaled a significant portion of the sea. She doubled over the rails, coughing, while the others laughed at her misfortune.

"Maybe we can smell the sea air away from the rails, hon," Bon Bon said, guiding her away from the rails to search for a towel.

Thirty minutes later, the ferry bumped against the docks with a shudder. "Welcome to Trotterford, ladies and gentleponies!" the pilot called out over the PA. "Please be careful disembarking and have a wonderful visit!"

"We're here!" Lyra and Tootsie cheered in unison, hurrying to collect their luggage. The family joined the outgoing passengers and exited onto the dock.

Coin Toss, still holding his suitcase tight, paused at the gangway to allow them to go first. "Well, enjoy your trip," he called after them.

"Bye!" Tootsie waved cheerily at him as they departed, and he smiled at her in return as he walked the opposite way from them, disappearing into a waiting taxi carriage.

Bon Bon, Lyra and Tootsie paused on the street outside. Trotterford, the main port of Mareland, sprawled out before them. Red brick taverns, apartments and shops stood before them behind rows of street lamps like the front lines of an army; behind them, skyscrapers and steeples reached up towards the shining blue sky. Groups of ponies, many of them dressed in green to mark the three-day celebrations, smiled as they walked by. A Mareland Guard, adorned in shining green and orange armor and wearing an emerald beret, saluted as he walked by.

"Where are they?" Bon Bon asked, scanning the crowds of ponies. "They said they'd be here."

"Don't worry, they..." Lyra paused, her eyes widening at the sight of two ponies waiting on the other side of the cobblestone street. "Ma! Dad!" she shouted, racing over and leaping into her parents' embrace.

Lyra's father was a plump unicorn with an emerald green coat and a reddish mane, goatee and tail, and a cutie mark of a four-leaved clover. He was wearing a gold-trimmed vest and a bow tie. Raising himself up onto his hind legs, he wrapped Lyra up in his forelegs and twirled around in place, spinning his daughter through the air. "How've you been, sweetie?" he asked her in a gruff voice, tussling her mane affectionately. "Seems that Shamrock Day comes later every year!"

Lyra's mother was a small, pale blue unicorn with blue-white hair and emerald green eyes and a cutie mark of a pair of black dancing shoes with a rose. "Good to see you again, dear," she said, kissing Lyra on the cheek before turning her attention to her granddaughter. "Come here, you gorgeous filly!" she cooed, lifting Tootsie up and into her embrace. "Look how skinny you are! What are your mothers trying to do, starve you?"

"We feed her just fine, Rose Jig," Bon Bon sighed, greeting her mother-in-law with a hug. "Although I'm sure she's been looking forward to some of your cooking."

"So have I, I'm starving!" Lyra's father declared, setting Lyra back down.

"Ah, you're always hungry, Clover Step," Rose sighed, shaking her head. "I swear, your daughter is exactly like you!"

"You say that like it's a bad thing!" Clover grinned in reply. "Come on, girls. While we're walking back, I can tell you about that leprechaun we saw in the garden last week."

"A leprechaun?" Lyra and Tootsie squealed simultaneously, hopping after the other two ponies, enchanted by their tale. Bon Bon followed, rolling her eyes with a broad smile.

Meanwhile, half a mile away, Coin Toss exited his cab outside a two-story building with a hanging wooden sign over the door that displayed the green silhouette of a bull. Paying the cabbie with a smile and a couple of bits, he entered the bar. The bell above the door jingled as he crossed the threshold.

The tavern inside was well-lit with chandeliers of candles hanging from the walls. Crowds of ponies huddled around the tables, talking loudly as they guzzled down cider from tankards. The Mareish flag was hung up on the wall, surrounded by black-and-white photographs of regular customers. Coin Toss headed for the bar at the head of the room.

"Coin, me boyo!" the blue-bearded bartender greeted him with a broad grin, washing out a tankard with his magic. "The usual, mate?"

"Definitely," Coin replied, sitting up at a stool and dropping some bits on the bar. The bartender plunked down a tall glass filled with a clover green liquid topped with bubbling foam that dripped down the sides of the glass. The bartender also gave him a napkin with a wink. "I just wiped this down, so don't go messing it up, right?"

"Of course," Coin replied, taking a long sip of his drink as he unfolded his napkin. He quickly examined it, then wiped off the foam around his frowning lips.

There'd been a small change of plans. The meeting would have to be delayed a couple of days. In the meantime, he should lay low and wait for further instructions.

With an annoyed sigh, Coin Toss finished off his drink and asked the bartender if there were any rooms available at the Green Bull.

"Welcome home, Lyra," Clover Step said as they passed through an iron wrought gate. The grounds of Heartstrings Manor sprawled out before them, fields of grass and clover shaded beneath ancient oak trees. Sitting imperially atop the hill before them, crowned by the afternoon sun, was the manor proper, a tall brick building with two wings that spread out wide open like they were waiting for an embrace.

A crowd of ponies milled on the grounds outside. Adults sat on benches while foals and fillies chased each other through the trees. Mouth-watering smells wafted towards the newcomers from the sizzling grills.

"Ah, just in time for brunch!" Clover licked his lips, heading for the grills. Rose Jig rolled her eyes at her husband. Tootsie ran off to play with some of her cousins.

Lyra grabbed a couple of green-colored ciders and gave one to Bon Bon as she guided her to one of the oak trees. This particular tree was her personal favorite: it had been planted by her ancient ancestors, the founders of Trotterford. As a filly, she had always imagined that the tree was tall enough to touch the clouds, and she had injured herself a number of times trying to climb to the top. An old swing, placed by her grandparents, dangled from one of the lower branches. Lyra sat down on the creaking swing and pushed herself back, allowing herself to swing in the breeze.

"It's always good to come back here," Bon Bon sighed, sitting up against the base of the tree and sipping her cider while she watched their daughter chasing her cousins around.

"You said it," Lyra said, continuing to swing back and forth gently. "Being here always makes me feel like a filly again."

"You are a filly, Lyra," Bon Bon said.

"Eh, growing up's overrated," Lyra shrugged. "Push me!"

Bon Bon raised an eyebrow at her. "What's the magic word?"

"Please push me?" Lyra simpered, pouting.

"Oh, all right," Bon Bon sighed. She got up and stood behind her wife, gently pushing her on the swing, smiling at her delighted laughs that joined the chorus of joy.

Author's Note

The second chapter, and this story is well and truly underway. What do you guys think so far?

Note: cèilidh is pronounced like "kay-leed"

Part 3: Rebels

The next morning, the rising sun shone through the eastern windows of the Heartstrings Manor, peeping through the curtains of one of the guest rooms on the third floors. Awakened by the warmth of the sun's rays, Lyra opened her eyes to behold the sight of her wife curled up against her on the queen-size bed. "Morning, love," she cooed, nuzzling Bon Bon to wake her up.

Bon Bon yawned and stretched, slowly stirring. "You're never awake this early," she grumbled, smacking her lips.

"First one out of bed gets dibs on the pancakes!" Lyra replied, bounding out from beneath the covers. Bouncing over to the window, she opened the curtains wide to let in more sunshine, welcoming the morning. Looking out into the grounds, she allowed herself to become lost in the nostalgia of being in her childhood home again. She remembered climbing every tree on the grounds, and helping her mother with her rose gardens out in the western patches, and...

Hmm. She didn't remember her father ever taking visitors this early in the morning. Nor did she ever remember him being so angry. Peering closer, Lyra saw that Clover Step was standing in front of the grounds, talking to a group of three ponies, spittle flying from his mouth as he shouted. The visitors, all of which were dressed in darker coats, only smirked at him in reply.

"What is it?" Bon Bon asked, seeing Lyra's tension in her stance.

"I don't know," Lyra said. Hurrying out of her room, Lyra ran out of the manor and onto the grounds, standing some distance behind the arguing group.

"For the last time, you're not getting a single cent from us!" Clover shouted at the lead visitor, a tough-looking unicorn with matted straw-blonde hair and a broad, snake-like smile.

"You really should reconsider your position," the unicorn replied, his smile never faltering. His two friends leered over Clover, whose tail trembled slightly, betraying his fear. "A generous donation to a charitable organization could do much to ensure the legacy of the Heartstrings family."

"Ah, piss off and go stick some thorns up your arse!" Clover snarled. "The Heartstrings will never support you!"

A dark look passed over the unicorn's smiling face. "You'll pay, my friend," he hissed. "You'll all pay, one way or another."

And before anypony could do anything to stop him, he turned and fired a spell from his horn, striking the oak tree from which Lyra's swing hung. Instantly, as if it was struck by lightning, the entire tree burst into flame, crackling furiously as it burned.

"No!" Lyra and Clover shouted simultaneously in horror. The trio of visitors turned and hurried away while they were distracted.

Thinking quickly, Lyra raced back to the manor, grabbing a bucket in her magic, then sprinted down to a nearby creek. Filling up the bucket with water, she hurried back to the tree and dumped the water onto the burning tree. The fire hissed angrily at her and flared up again as if in defiance.

By now, the entire house had been roused. "What happened?" Bon Bon asked in alarm, flinching away from the fire.

"Form a line and help me with this!" Lyra shouted, passing the bucket to her. The group of ponies quickly formed a line between the tree and the creek, passing buckets back and forth in an attempt to fight the fire. It took almost a half hour of work, but the fire was eventually put out. But it was a hollow victory: the tree was fully scorched, smoke rising up to the sky and snapped-off branches falling to the ground. All that remained of the swing was a couple of burnt ropes and a blackened board. Lyra slowly held it up in her magic, her lip quivering at the sight of one of her favorite childhood memories destroyed. Tootsie walked up and hugged her leg to try to comfort her.

"It's over, everypony," Clover said, his head hanging low. "Let's get back inside." He slowly trudged back into the manor, with Rose Jig at his side. The others followed slowly, Lyra still holding the destroyed swing in her magic. When he entered the main dining room, Clover dropped down onto a stool in front of the kitchen bar and sat there with his head in his hooves.

Rose sat down beside him and began to gently stroke his back. "It was them again, wasn't it?" she asked softly.

"It was who?" Lyra demanded, slapping the swing set down onto the bar. "Who were those ponies?"

Bon Bon paused at the kitchen threshold. She had never seen Lyra this serious before...nor this angry.

"Mom?" Tootsie asked, hovering next to her. "Why is Momma Lyra so upset? Is it because her tree got burned down?"

"Yes, but it'll be all right, dear," Bon Bon replied, gently shooing her daughter away. Her motherly instincts told her that whatever was about to happen, it was not for the ears of fillies.

Clover Step and Rose Jig looked at each other, then back at their daughter, who stared back, jaw clenched and eyes narrowed. Finally, Clover sighed and sat up straighter.

"They're members of the Mareish Mob," Clover explained. "They've been extorting most of the old families in town for money, threatening to destroy their homes and businesses unless they pay up."

"Why didn't you tell us that before?" Lyra almost shouted, her tail trembling in fury.

"We didn't want you to worry, hon," Rose replied. "We just didn't want to ruin Shamrock Day for you."

"Can't the Guard do anything?" Lyra asked.

"You think we haven't called them?" Clover burst out. "The Guard is doing everything they can, but the Mob is three steps ahead of them, every time!" He lowered his face onto his hooves. "Oh, what are we going to do?"

"We fight back is what we do!" Lyra shouted in reply, banging her hoof against the table. "The Heartstring family founded this city, and we are not going to bend over for some crooks!"

"Lyra—" Rose Jig started to protest, but her speech fell on deaf ears; Lyra was already storming out of the room, moving past Bon Bon, who could only stare in disbelief. If this was enough to make Lyra angry, it could not turn out well for anypony.

"And you're sure this is where you dropped him off?"

"Course I'm sure," the cab driver told his passenger, giving him a queer look. "I've never forgotten a face in seven years of driving."

"Thanks, mate," the pony in the green vest said, tossing the cabbie a small gem for his trouble.

"Say, what do you want with this bloke anyway?" the cabbie asked.

"It's nothing bad," Phillip Finder reassured him with a small smile, stepping out of the taxi carriage and onto the street opposite the Green Bull. "He's just an old friend that I'd like to get reconnected with."

The cabbie shrugged and trotted off in search of a new customer, leaving Phillip alone on the sidewalk outside the tavern. So his quarry had come all the way from Ponyville to here. Why? To find a room to stay? For a meeting with his supplier? Or just to get a drink?

He wasn't going to find out standing outside, that he knew. Confidently, he pushed open the door and entered the bar. The bell above the door announced his entry, causing the patrons to turn their heads toward him, the chatter quickly stopping at the sight of this stranger in the gray hat. With a respectful nod, Phillip headed for the bar and dropped down on an empty seat.

"Welcome! What'll it be, mate?" the blue-bearded bartender asked with a friendly smile.

"What's your best glass?" Phillip asked, pitching his voice low to try to hide his accent. Internally, he smiled; friendly bartenders were among his favorite ponies in the world.

"Let me show you," the bartender replied, ducking beneath the table momentarily and retrieving a glass. He filled this with a foaming, clover green liquid and slid it into Phillip's waiting hooves. "Shamrock cider, just the thing to break the ice."

"Cheers," Phillip said, gladly taking a long sip. The foam made his tongue tingle, then the drink itself followed with a comforting chill that washed down his throat and into his stomach. Licking the froth from his lips, he gave an approving nod. The chatter resumed as the other patrons accepted his presence.

"Ah, that's the stuff," Phillip said, setting the glass down with a clunk. "My friend told me I should drop by this place while I was visiting."

"Your friend's a very wise pony," the bartender agreed, wiping down the bar.

"He and I are in the same business, down in Ponyville," Phillip continued. "Actually, he came to town just yesterday for a business meeting, but he left behind something."

The bartender's hoof slowly stopped its circular motions across the table. "Oh, did he now?"

"Yeah, something important. I came after him to try to return it, but I don't know where he's staying." Phillip reached into his vest and pulling out a photograph. He handed the picture to the bartender. "Have you seen him? His name is Coin Toss."

The bartender examined the photograph closely. Phillip watched his face carefully for any reaction. Could he suspect that the picture in his hoof had been taken two years ago, when the subject had been arrested and charged unsuccessfully with dealing cocaine? And did he know that by "business," Phillip meant dealing drugs to the younglings of Ponyville? His stomach twisted at the thought of that poison seeping through his town.

"Nah, sorry, mate," the bartender replied, handing the picture back. "Haven't seen him recently."

"That's all right," Phillip said, putting the photo back into his vest and finishing his drink. "I'll do some looking around for him."

"I don't think he is here, mate," the bartender replied. "He always comes here whenever he visits; in fact, he's a regular." He pointed at one of the black-and-white photos on the wall, which showed a cluster of ponies hanging around the bar. The blue-bearded bartender was standing next to a young, mustache-less Coin Toss, who was raising a glass to the camera with a grin.

"Trust me, if I haven't seen him, he's not here," the bartender said, cleaning out his glass. "You should head back home and try to contact him."

"You sure?" Phillip asked.

"Sorry, mate," the bartender shrugged. "I'm afraid you've wasted your time coming here."

Phillip shrugged. "Well, I got a good drink out of it. Thanks anyway." And with a final nod, he stood up and left the bar, the bell jingling to announce his exit.

As soon as he had exited, the bartender scurried out from behind the bar and headed up a staircase to the second floor. Pausing at one of the doors, he knocked loudly. The door opened and Coin Toss peered out fearfully.

"What is it, Tankard?" he asked.

"You know a bloke with black hair, gray eyes and a magnifying glass cutie mark?" Tankard asked.

Coin Toss' eyes widened. "Phillip Finder! He found me!"

"No, he hasn't," Tankard quickly answered. "I sent him off on a wild goose chase. He has no idea you're here."

"He wouldn't have come here if he didn't know I was here!" Coin replied, pacing the room in a circle while he frantically thought. "Oh, bugger, if I back out of this deal, I'm bucked..." He continued to pace in a tight circle, muttering indistinctly to himself while he ran a hoof through his mane. Finally, he slowly came to a stop and spoke.

"Contact the mob. Tell them I need that meeting moved up, as soon as possible. I have to get what I need and get out of here."

"Lyra, you don't really think that you can stand up against armed crooks, do you?" Bon Bon asked in concern, watching as her wife rummaged through clutters of junk in the basement of the manor.

"I came here to enjoy Shamrock Day with my family," Lyra replied through her teeth, tossing aside a stack of old books with her magic. "And I am not going to let some thieving gobdaws ruin...ah, found it!"

Slowly, she lifted out a three foot long thick black stick with a knob on the end and a strap around it. "My old shillelagh!"

"Shill-what?" Bon Bon raised an eyebrow.

"Shillelagh," Lyra repeated, turning the stick over in her hooves. "It's a traditional weapon. My uncle taught me how to fight with it." She gripped the stick in her hoof and swung it through the air a few times. Bon Bon noticed that a hole had been drilled into the knobbed end and filled with lead to give it additional weight.

"Lyra, you're not going to try to fight them!" Bon Bon protested.

"No, I'm not going to fight them," Lyra answered, tossing the stick around her shoulder and tightening the strap. "I'm going to chase them off if they come back."

"Are you sure?" Bon Bon asked.

"Don't worry, Bonnie," Lyra answered, stroking Bon Bon's cheek. "If those wankers come back, I'll give them a Shamrock Day they'll never forget!"

Author's Note

I actually managed to tap this out within a week of publishing the last chapter. This took a while to plan out, but I'm finally satisfied with this chapter.

So there's one Mareish mare going up against the Mareish mob, and with Phillip tossed into the mix, it can't end well. More soon...

(By the way: "shillelagh" is pronounced "shill-lay-lah")

Part 4: Going Wrong

For the rest of the day, Lyra kept the shillelagh strapped tight around her body and glanced out the window every so often for any sign of the returning mob. Under Rose Jig's encouragement, the festivities for the first Shamrock Day continued, although a dark cloud hung over everypony; though most of the family did not know what had happened, anything going wrong on Shamrock Day was cause for concern.

But by the late afternoon, everything else had gone off without a hitch and the ponies were starting to relax. A round of afternoon tea and chocolate biscuits for dunking went a long way towards improving everypony's mood.

"Now this is more like it," Bon Bon said, licking crumbs from a chocolate biscuit off her lips and watching Tootsie chase some of her cousins around the crabapple trees. "I really need to ask your mom for the recipe for these."

"I know what the secret recipe is," Lyra said slyly. She looked around to make sure that nopony was nearby, then leaned in close to Bon Bon's ear and whispered: "It's a secret!" She doubled over in laughter at her own joke, with her wife soon joining her amusement.

"Hey, Clover!" somepony shouted from over the ridge. "Some ponies here that want to talk to you!"

Instantly, Lyra tensed up. Pushing herself out of Bon Bon's embrace, she hurried over the ridge after her father. Sure enough, the trio of mob ponies was back, with the straw-maned unicorn at the front, still smiling his snake-like grin.

"I suppose you've had the time to think over our offer?" he asked Clover as he approached.

"There's nothing to think about!" Clover shouted. "You're not getting anything from us!"

"Mate, it's a simple matter of economics," the unicorn said, his grin growing wider and his horn sparking threateningly. "A small payment now could save you a lot in property damage later...or maybe medical bills."

Clover's eyes widened and he stepped back a half-pace. "Maybe he needs a stronger demonstration, lads," the straw-maned unicorn grinned. His two partners, a broad-shouldered mud brown pegasus with a red stripe in his black mane and a tall, reed thin light blue unicorn a scraggly brown beard, stepped forward, smiling wickedly as they began to scan the crowd.

"Or maybe you need to learn some manners!" Lyra shouted, swinging the shillelagh off her shoulders and gripping it on the thin end. "Get off our property!"

The thugs crowded around her, casting her in their shadows. "Who's gonna make us?" the pegasus sneered at her.

The next moment, the sneer was wiped from his face when the knob of Lyra's shillelagh was jabbed forcefully into his chest. Lyra followed up with an upward strike underneath his chin, then across his jaw, rising up to stand on her hind legs as she did so. Taking advantage of her enemy's momentary surprise, Lyra moved to the third thug, knocking his legs out from beneath him with a horizontal strike and kicking him in the jaw as he fell. Turning to the leader, she struck at his head, but he ducked beneath the blow and countered by charging forward with a haymaker punch. Dodging back, Lyra struck the offending hoof with the knob of her stick. Grunting in pain, the unicorn swung his other hoof at her, but Lyra countered by striking the inside of his foreleg and smashing him on the temple. The blow sent the thug sprawling.

"All right! Way to go, mom!" Tootsie shouted, having been attracted by the yelling. The other ponies gathered close, cheering Lyra on.

The pegasus got back up and charged at Lyra from behind, punching wildly. Dodging around him, Lyra gripped the shillelagh with both hooves and hit back, striking from multiple angles and forcing her opponent to cover himself with his forelegs. Faking a high blow, she then struck horizontally at his ribs, causing him to flinch, then hit him on the top of the head to stun him.

"Behind you!" Bon Bon warned. Ducking, Lyra struck backwards with the thin end, striking the skinny unicorn in the chest and stalling his attempt to grab her. She followed up by thrusting at the pegasus, but he swatted her attack aside and charged forward with a punch to her face. Lyra sidestepped, allowing the punch to miss her face by inches, then hit him with the knob of shillelagh on the back of the skull. The pegasus staggered under the blow, crashing into his partner and causing them both to stumble over each other.

"You blighter!" the straw-maned unicorn snarled, channeling magic into his horn in preparation for a spell. Lyra spun around, her eyes widening in shock. But before the attack came, a crabapple flew out of nowhere and struck the unicorn on the head, knocking him flat.

"Take that, you big meanie!" Tootsie shouted, throwing more crabapples with her magic. The unicorn yelped as the apples struck him, doing his best to protect himself.

"We're outmatched, lads!" he shouted, getting up and hurrying away. "Let's get out of here!" His two partners ran after him back down the hill, tails between their legs. The Heartstrings family cheered at their retreat.

"And don't come back!" Lyra taunted, thrusting her shillelagh into the air victoriously. "This day belongs to the Heartstrings!" Cheering, her family crowded around her and lifted her up onto their shoulders, tossing her up into the air in celebration.

"That's me girl!" Clover shouted in pride. "Three cheers for Lyra, and for Shamrock Day!"

The triumphant huzzahs carried down the hill to the ears of the three mob ponies, who were tenderly rubbing their wounds. The sandy-maned unicorn growled quietly. "Oh, this is not over, mate. Not by a long shot."

Coin Toss trotted down the Green Bull's stairs into the serving area. A number of couples were entering the tavern, drifting to the candlelit tables in search of a meal promised by the tantalizing smells from the kitchen.

"Oh, there you are," Tankard greeted him from behind the bar as usual. "I've been holding a table for you." He gestured to a corner booth that had a folded newspaper sitting in the chair, apparently left behind by a former customer.

"Thanks, Tankard," Coin said, trotting over to the table and scooping up the paper. Opening it up, he discovered a note hidden inside: "Corner of Oak and Main, 7:00." Memorizing the message, Coin crumpled the note up and dropped it beside him before calling a green-clad server over and ordering some potato soup and soda bread. A few minutes later, his supper was delivered to his table. The scent of his potato soup lifted Coin Toss' spirits: Tavern's meals weren't his grandmother's cooking, but it was definitely good for his soul. Taking a spoonful and slurping it down, he allowed the warmth to fill his being, dispelling the stress of his journey. All would be well: the mob would take care of him. He was one of their own, just as his grandfather and his father had been before him.

The sun was setting, casting reddish hues across the Trotterford sky. Bon Bon and Lyra sat on the hill, watching the sunset. Tootsie was curled up at their hooves, worn out from playing.

"Who taught you how to fight like that?" Bon Bon asked.

"My uncle," Lyra replied, holding her shillelagh up in her magic. "He always told me that the Mareish really know how to stick it to our enemies! Get it?"

Bon Bon snorted with laughter, shaking her head. "You think you could teach me how to fight like that?" Tootsie asked, eyeing the weapon with curiosity.

"When you're a little older and bigger, sweetheart," Lyra replied, tussling her daughter's mane affectionately.

"Girls! Supper's on!" Rose Jig called from the kitchen window.

"All right!" Lyra cheered, leaping to her hooves and bounding towards the kitchen door. Lifting Tootsie up onto her back, Bon Bon followed after in a more sedate pace. Suddenly, she heard running hoofsteps behind her and turned just in time to see a pony clad in black with a ski mask covering his face bearing down on her. The next moment, a hoof struck her underneath the jaw, knocking her to the ground.

"Get her!" the intruder shouted. Several more ponies, similarly clad, raced up the hill and tackled Lyra. The shillelagh fell to the ground as Lyra struggled futilely against her attackers in panic. Two burly kidnappers seized her and started dragging her away. "Help! Help!" she called.

"Mama!" Tootsie shrieked in dismay. Bon Bon, paralyzed with fear at the sight of multiple kidnappers, curled herself protectively around Tootsie Flute. Behind her, the kitchen door burst open and three Heartstrings ponies burst out to see what was going on. One of the masked kidnappers whipped out a large black pepperbox revolver and fired twice. The two thunderous gunshots echoed off the walls of the manor, causing Tootsie to cry out in terror and forcing the would-be rescuers to retreat.

"No! Let me go!" Lyra screamed, still kicking uselessly. The kidnappers began to hurry her back down the hill. "Bonnie, help!"

Spurred to action, Bon Bon chased after the kidnappers, hurrying back down the hill to the edge of the manor grounds. Up ahead, she saw the kidnappers loading Lyra into the back of a carriage. Desperately, she put on speed, but was forced to stop suddenly when a gunshot struck the ground in front of her, causing dirt to fly into her face. By the time her vision recovered, the carriage was already speeding away down a side street. Panting, Bon Bon tried to sprint after it, but her legs burned in protest as her stamina failed her, collapsing like wet noodles after only a few yards. She struggled to crawl back to her hooves, but all her efforts were in vain, and she could only watch while the carriage and her wife disappeared around the corner.

"Nooo!" she cried out in agony, furious tears falling from her eyes.

Meanwhile, Coin Toss exited the Green Bull out the side door. Taking a breath of the cool evening air, he tightened his magical grip on his suitcase, causing it's contents to jingle slightly, and looked around. There was nopony in sight, save for a silver-maned beggar with a scraggly beard and squinting eyes huddled up in a tattered coat, leaning up against the wall of the building opposite.

"Spare some change for an old fool?" the beggar asked in a croaky tone, holding up a battered tin can. With a smile, Coin Toss flipped a couple bits into the tin, which rattled happily. "Thank you, and a long life to you," the beggar thanked him.

"To you, too," Coin replied, turning and going down the alley. Oak Street was not far from here, and these alleyways would provide a good cover for him to shake off any pursuers. He would be safe here.

But if he had cared to turn around as he left the alley, he would have been quite surprised to see the old, wrinkly beggar suddenly stand up and with an agile leap, grab onto the ledge of a window over his head. Climbing hoof over hoof, the beggar lifted himself up onto the roof of the building, tossing off his wig and coat as he did so to reveal a green vest and a graying black mane. Phillip Finder began to silently follow his target across the rooftops, leaping across alleyways directly over his head. Not once did Coin Toss look up. Nopony ever looked up if they didn't have a good reason to.

Coin Toss zigzagged through the narrow alleys, completely unaware of his pursuer, until he emerged at the intersection of Oak Street and Main Street. He paused beneath the street signs, looking up and down the cobblestone roads for any sign of any pursuer. He did not think to check the roof of the barbershop behind him, upon which Phillip perched, watching his target with an hawkish gaze.

Distantly, a steeple clock struck seven o'clock. As the final chimes died away, an earth pony with a silver-blonde beard, reddish coat and a cutie mark of an iron safe trotted up to Coin. "Hey, mate, would you happen to know the way to O'Barn's?" he asked through the paper bag in his mouth.

"I was born there," Coin replied, repeating the memorized code phrase. The earth pony dropped the paper bag onto the ground. With a relieved sigh, Coin reached out to take the bag, attempting to exchange it for his suitcase, but the earth pony held the package back.

"You're sure you weren't followed?" he asked gravely, giving Coin a serious look.

"Of course I'm sure," Coin replied, offended. "I did everything you taught me."

"You'd better," his contact replied. "The last thing we need is Phillip Finder following you here."

The sound of that dreaded name made Coin Toss shiver with fright and he glanced around in dread. "Don't worry, mate; we look out for our own," his contact reassured him. "Head back to Ponyville as soon as you can. We'll help you take care of—" He stopped suddenly, struck by a sudden realization, the feeling of being watched. Whirling, he looked up at the rooftop. His gaze locked onto Phillip.

Damn. With a snarl, Phillip leapt off the rooftop, tucking and rolling as he hit the ground and charging right at Coin Toss, who turned just in time to see him coming. His eyes widened in horror and he managed to shriek out half of a terrified curse before Phillip struck him down with a right cross to the jaw. Whirling, Phillip reached out to grab the messenger, but the earth pony deflected it to the side. "Wait!" he cried.

Undeterred, Phillip elbowed his foe in the face to make him stumble, then swung his other elbow at his jaw. The messenger blocked the attack and tried to shove him back, shouting, "Wait a min—!" His protest was cut short when Phillip grabbed his forelegs, pulled him into a knee strike to the gut and dropped him onto his back with a takedown. As he fell, the earth pony knocked over his paper bag, causing its contents to spill out: five thick bundles of brownish powder wrapped in clear plastic. Pinning his captive down with a knee, Phillip seized him by the neck and squeezed. "Where's your boss?" he snarled in his deepest voice, perfectly pitched to sound like distant thunder.

The messenger glared at him, struggling beneath his grip. "Stop...stop!" he choked out. "You bloody gobdaw! I'm with the Guard!"

Phillip did not loosen his grip. "'They say it might rain,'" he growled.

"'Hopefully not until Tuesday!'" the other pony snapped back.

The recognition flashed through Phillip's mind: the phrase was known to all Royal Guard Investigators, one of a number of methods used to recognize undercover agents. He froze for a moment, then slowly released his grip and stood up off the undercover Guard, the weight of his mistake pressing down on his back. The earth pony sat up, rubbing his throat and glaring at Phillip. "Months of undercover work...all gone arseways thanks to you!"

Phillip winced a little at the accusation. Well, mate, this is another fine mess you've gotten yourself into.

Author's Note

Indeed, this is a rather fine mess we've all gotten ourselves into. The question is, how do we get out of it?

I've gotten pretty good at keeping regular updates with this. Hopefully, you won't have to wait too long to see what comes next!

Part 5: Search and Rescue

"I really am sorry, Lieutenant," Phillip apologized again an hour later. "If I'd known that that was one of your boys, I would've—"

"It's all right," Lieutenant Yellow Ford reassured him from across his desk. He was a tall pegasus with a watery green coat and a sunshine yellow mustache, although his advancing age was indicated by the deepening crow's feet extending from his violet eyes. "It was an honest mistake. Though, if you'd told us that you were coming, we'd have appreciated your help. The Mareish Mob has been a pain in our collective arse for months now."

"I honestly didn't realize that Coin Toss was part of the Mob," Phillip explained. "He's been the primary drug dealer in Ponyville for months now: flooding my town with his poison." He hissed softly in disgust. "I was just trying to follow him back to find his supplier. Speaking of whom, has he said anything?"

"Yeah," Yellow Ford replied with a scowl. "He said he wanted a lawyer. And until he gets one, we can't ask him for the time of day."

"Great," Phillip muttered, standing up. "But there are other ways of finding information." Exiting the office, he trotted down the hallway, turning over his next move in his mind, considering every option and what he might lose and gain from every decision.

But then he heard a name, spoken by a familiar voice, from an interview room next to him that caused him to pause: "—Lyra." Pausing at the door, he peered through the small crack and saw Bon Bon, her mane disheveled and her eyes streaked with red, sitting in front of another Guard. "I tried to chase after them, but they were too fast! Those mob ponies took her, and I couldn't do anything about! I..." She broke down into tears, lowering her head onto the table.

Phillip's stomach turned over in his chest. He pushed the door open and entered, immediately moving to Bon Bon's side. Sensing his presence, she looked up and blinked at him through her tears. "Phillip? What are you doing here?"

"What happened?" he asked quietly, reaching out to touch her shoulder. Bon Bon sniffled and began to explain the whole story, from her first encounter with the extortionists, to Lyra's brave stand to the kidnapping. Phillip listened in silence, never allowing himself to react externally save for asking an occasional question, but with every word, the coldness in his chest grew, extending down to his hooves. When Bon Bon had finished her story, he sat in silence for a few seconds, allowing the cold fury inside him to percolate into his brain, filling himself with icy resolution.

The solution appeared before him. Rising, he looked Bon Bon in the eyes and spoke calmly: "I'm going to get her back. I promise."

"Where are you going?" the Guard asked.

"The Green Bull," Phillip replied. "The bartender there lied to me. He probably knows more than he pretends."

"Good luck to you, mate," the Guard replied. "We've been trying to get something out of him for years, but he's locked up tighter than the Canterlot Vault."

"Any vault can be opened," Phillip answered, pausing at the door. "You just have to find the weak point."

"Let me come with you," Bon Bon said, rising up. "I might be able to help."

Phillip thought for a moment, then nodded and continued out. "Come on, then."

The familiar bell jingled to announce Phillip's entry into the bar. As before, every head turned to face him, some with curiosity, some with surprise, a few with open hostility and anger. The blue-bearded bartender's eyes widened when he saw him. "Oh, hell," he muttered.

"G'day," Phillip greeted him with his quietest, most carrying whisper, approaching him with a measured pace. Behind him, Bon Bon followed closely, glancing around nervously at the patrons who followed their path with owlish gazes. Subconsciously, she reached up and tightened the strap around her shoulder that held Lyra's shillelagh to her back, just to reassure herself that the weapon was still there.

Tavern glanced around nervously, as if trying to find an avenue of escape, but was pinned behind the bar and could only watch as Phillip approached, leering into his face.

"You lied to me about Coin Toss," Phillip growled. "So now you're going to start being honest."

"You just asked me if I'd seen him before you came," Tavern protested. "He arrived in town and showed up here after you'd left."

Phillip's eyes narrowed and darkened. "I happen to know that is a load of horseapples, because I know he arrived in Trotterford yesterday and was dropped off here by taxi. You want to try that again?"

Immediately, Tavern changed mood, a deep scowl crossing his face. "I don't particularly see how it's any of your damn business, snoop. And you'd best be wide about insulting me in me own bar."

Phillip was silent for a moment, glancing behind him to check the patrons for any potential threats, then turned back to Tankard. "I want you to meet somepony, mate. This is Bon Bon." He gestured for Bon Bon to step up. She trotted forward a half-pace, nervously meeting Tankard's glower. "Her wife, Lyra Hearstrings, was just kidnapped by the Mob," Phillip continued. "They're both good ponies, friends of mine. If you know anything about it—"

"I don't," Tankard cut in. "And it's none of my concern. I guess she'll just have to find some other wagon to get her hole in." He curled his lip at Bon Bon. "Unnatural little freak." And with that, he hocked and spat right into Bon Bon's face. She winced as the little goblet struck her in the cheek, slowly dribbling down her neck. A few of the patrons laughed out loud at the sight.

Phillip snarled and moved forward, reaching out to grab the bartender by the neck, but a hoof stopped him. Bon Bon held him back, slowly reaching up to wipe her face off with a tablecloth. "Let me take care of this," she said softly. Before Phillip could do anything to try to stop her, she stepped forward and bravely faced down the bartender, who seemed bemused by her sudden boldness.

"I don't care what you think of me," Bon Bon said softly. "But I'll have you know that I love my wife. She and my daughter mean everything to me." Suddenly, she snapped her hoof forward, grabbed the bartender around the neck and pulled him into her face, her eyes suddenly burning with malice. "So if you know something about her and don't tell me, then I will ***************** you ********** in the ********** like a ************! Got that, you ***********?!"

Complete, stunned silence fell over the tavern. Everypony, including Phillip, stared wide-eyed at Bon Bon, who glared right into Tavern's face. Sweat trickled into his blue beard as he considered his limited options, his throat convulsing like he was trying to swallow a rock. Finally, he burst out, "The Blackwater moors! Their headquarters is somewhere in the Blackwater moors! They've probably taken her there!"

"Thank you, dear," Bon Bon smiled, patting Tavern on his sweaty cheek gently before shoving him back against the wall.

"C'mon," Phillip said, taking Bon Bon by the foreleg and quickly guiding her back out the door. Every head followed them as they left, dozens of eyes searing into them right up until the door shut behind them. As soon as they were safe outside, Bon Bon let out a quivering sigh and began to tremble slightly, her body finally betraying her inner fear and anger.

"You should go back to the manor," Phillip advised her. "Tell Tootsie that I'll bring Lyra home. I promise I will."

Bon Bon took a couple of deep breaths, slowly bringing her shaking back under control. "No," she said, her voice determined and her eyes narrow. "I'm coming with you."

"Bon Bon, it's too dangerous," Phillip insisted. "You saw what some of those ponies were like in there. The actual mobsters are going to be worse."

"I know. But if I go back to the manor, I'll have to tell my daughter that I know where Lyra is. And she'll ask me why I'm not looking for her." She closed her eyes in shame. "And the only reason that I'll have for her is that I'm a coward. Tootsie deserves more than that." She opened her eyes and glared right at him in defiance. "I'm coming with you, like it or not."

Phillip considered her for several seconds of silence, then finally nodded slowly. "You stay near me. I'll keep you safe."

Bon Bon nodded slowly and gave a weak smile, following him back to the Guard station. "By the way, where'd you learn that kind of language?" Phillip asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

"My father was a sailor," Bon Bon replied.

The makeshift cell was really a storage room for the mob's main "product." Stacks of white and brown powders wrapped in plastic lifted themselves up to the ceiling of the underground cave, adding their stink to the odor of wet dirt and rotting wooden reinforcements that hung in the air. Two mobsters stood at the threshold, leering at their prisoner; the dim light from the lantern hanging from a chain from the ceiling cast their faces in eerie shadow.

Lyra trembled as she looked back at them from the back wall. The ropes around her legs were beginning to ache, and she shifted to try to keep the circulation going: the raw, reddening burns in her skin reminded her that struggling was futile. At least her kidnappers had removed her gag and blindfold.

"Don't look so nervous, love," a red-headed unicorn sneered, revealing his yellowing teeth. "We just want to be friends, give you a warm hospitality."

"Real warm," laughed the skinny rat-faced pony next to him.

"Stay away from me!" Lyra shouted, attempting and failing to put some courage into her voice. Both of her guards laughed, leering in closer. Her heart leaping to her throat, Lyra pressed herself up against the wall in a desperate attempt to get further away from them.

At that moment, a series of booming footsteps could be heard approaching. The two mobsters immediately halted and turned, their faces blanching in terror as they snapped to a position of attention as a pony stormed up to them. This was a huge dark green earth pony, taller and wider than Big Mac himself with a flaming red mane and beard. His cutie mark was a coal black shillelagh with a huge knob on the end, not unlike the one that he was carrying in a sheath on his back, and his burnt orange eyes blazed with fury as he looked down on his two superiors.

"What exactly is she doing here, you blighters?" he growled nasally. Lyra noticed that his nose was twisted unnaturally, as if it had been broken several times and never repaired itself properly.

"We...she embarrassed us, boss!" the rat-faced pony whimpered. "She took down three of our boys back at the Heartstrings Manor, humiliated us in front of her whole clan!" Lyra grinned to herself.

"We had to strike back! Save face!" the red-headed unicorn explained. "We can't let the Mareish Mob become a laughingstock!"

"We also can't afford to get the whole Guard coming after us!" the boss snapped back. "And now that you idiots have just kidnapped a prominent citizen and brought her here, that's exactly what's going to happen!" With one movement, he withdrew the shillelagh from the sheath on his back and brought it down onto the unicorn's head with frightening speed, stopping just short of striking him. The thug went as still as stone in fright.

"I'll be teaching you your lesson later," the boss said coldly, slowly withdrawing the weapon. "It turns out that it's not as bad as you might think." He looked over at Lyra. His fiery gaze sent shivers up and down Lyra's spine and she curled up to try to make herself smaller, as if to try to avoid the gaze of a dangerous predator.

"The Guards can't find you here," he told her, a sneer crawling up his face. "And your family will pay a hefty ransom to get you back, little lady. Sure as my name's Blackwater Thorn, you're not leaving this place in one piece!"

"You see anything?" Bon Bon asked for the fifth time in the past half hour.

"Yeah," Phillip answered, peering through his monocular as he scanned the muddy marshes of the Blackwater moors. "A lot of grass and bushes, and not much else."

Bon Bon sighed and sat down on the wet grass beneath her. "Oh, this is hopeless," she moaned. "We're never gonna find her!"

"We definitely aren't going to if we give up," Lieutenant Yellow Ford told her, taking off his beret to wipe sweat from his brow. "Take heart, Bon Bon. If your wife is a Heartstring, then she's a strong one. We will find her."

"Promises, promises!" Bon Bon snapped at him in frustration and fear. "You keep saying we'll find her, but when?"

"Lieutenant! This is team four, we found something!" a voice called over Ford's radio. "We're flashing a signal mirror to guide you to us." As he spoke, a light began flashing on the horizon, guiding the searching Guards towards them like moths to a flame.

"Copy, on the way," Lieutenant Ford replied. "See? You just gotta stick with it!" he grinned to Bon Bon as he pursued Phillip across the moor towards the moors.

"Wait for me!" Bon Bon panted, jogging after them as they raced off without her. When she finally reached the light, she found several Guards gathered around an abandoned carriage that was stuck in the mud. Phillip was crouching near the wheels, examining the ground for any clues.

"Bon Bon, is this the carriage that they used?" he asked without looking up.

Bon Bon had to catch her breath before answering. "Yes. Yes it is, I'm sure."

"It's empty. Looks like they got stuck and had to abandon it." Lieutenant Ford whistled through his teeth. "Well, that's a fret, isn't it?"

"I got tracks here," Phillip reported, bending over a trail of hoofprints on the ground. "At least eight ponies. This one's tracks are the deepest; I think he was carrying Lyra." He started to follow the tracks, bending hound-like over the marks. The Guards followed close behind; Bon Bon brought up the rear, clutching a cramp in her chest as she did so. Over hill, over dale, the group followed the hoofprints across a half-mile of moors and up a rocky hill. At the top of the hill, the group paused to catch their breath and gather their bearings. On the other side of the hill lay a valley. Settled into the valley was a small village constructed of stone cottages.

"The trail leads into that village," Phillip said, already starting to descend, but then stopped, looking around. "Where's Bon Bon?"

One of the Guards looked back, peering down the hill. Bon Bon lay several feet below them, panting heavily. "Little help?" she called up. Shaking his head, Phillip walked down the hill, lifted Bon Bon up onto his back and carried her up and over the hill. The troops marched down into the village, trotting down packed dirt streets. Dozens of stallions, mares and foals paused whatever activity they were doing to watch the parade, eyes wide in surprise. When Phillip passed, still carrying the humiliated Bon Bon on his back, the titters of their observers followed them.

A wide-shouldered dark brown earth pony with a scruffy blue mane and a generous gut approached the group. His cutie mark was a tall glass of milk and a hunk of cheddar cheese; mud stained his forelegs almost up to the elbows. "Well, it's been donkey's years since we've had the Guard down in our humble abode," he said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I'm Skim Milk; you could say that I'm sort of the head of this little town of ours. What can I do you for?"

"We're looking for a kidnapped mare," Lieutenant Ford replied. "We've followed the trail of her kidnappers to this village. Have you seen anything strange recently?"

Skim blinked in apparent surprise. "No, I haven't heard of any kidnapped mares here." Towards the back of the group, Phillip set Bon Bon back down on the ground, his narrowed eyes focused on the farmer.

"We're going to have to take a look around your village and question some of your neighbors," Ford answered, signaling his Guards to spread out.

"I'm sure you'll find that there's only honest ponies here, sir," Skim Milk replied. "If you need me, I'll be at me farm." He tilted his head back towards a farm slightly removed from the rest of the village before turning on his tail and walking back to the farm.

Bon Bon looked around the village, at the dozens of faces staring back at her. Not a single one looked familiar, and her heart sank in her breast. "What do we do now?" she whispered, more to herself than anypony else.

"We keep looking," Phillip replied, walking into what looked like a small pub in search of both a drink and some information.

Author's Note

Bon Bon's got a very...interesting vocabulary. And wow, there's a lot of Irish slang in this chapter.

I'm simultaneously juggling this story and three writing assignments (the smallest of which is five pages at minimum), and I had to battle through a bad case of writer's block to finish this chapter. But I did it. I hope you're all enjoying and are looking forward to the next!

Part 6: In the Mud

Ordinarily, the occupants of the Heartstrings Manor all had smiles on their faces as they went through their daily life. In a house occupied by a family that valued the joys of friendship as highly as they did, it was almost impossible to be unhappy within those great walls.

Yet today, every single one of the Heartstrings languished in their various rooms, each and every one the image of unhappiness and concern. Clover Step and Rose Jig sat in the main sitting room; Clover was nursing a shot glass of hard cider at the bar, his head in his hooves. Rose was sitting at the table, holding a rosary in one hoof and a photograph of a filly Lyra sitting on her favorite swing set in the other.

"Please, God, please bring my baby home," she whispered, her grip on the necklace tightening. The sunlight streaming through the window caught the silver dove medallion, making the purple gem in the center sparkle.

Her prayers were interrupted when Tootsie Flute trotted up, holding a dish of fresh-baked oatmeal cookies. "Here, Grandma," she said, pushing the plate over to her. "Momma Bon Bon taught me how to bake these. She said they always make ponies feel better."

Rose wiped at her eyes and managed a watery smile. "Thank you, dearie," she said, accepting a cookie and biting into it. The cookie was warm and sweet tasting, and her spirits lifted involuntarily at the taste.

"Don't worry, grandma," Tootsie cheerily declared. "Bon Bon will find Lyra and bring her home safe, I'm sure of it!"

"Oh, honey, I wish I had your faith," Clover moaned, lifting his head up to reveal his red-streaked, joyless eyes. Tootsie floated a cookie over to him, but he dropped his head back down into his hooves and ignored the treat.

Seeing Rose's rosary, Tootsie's smile fell rapidly. "Grandma, should I pray?" she whispered.

"Yes, dear," Rose said, lifting her granddaughter up into her lap. "You should pray very hard."

The Guards had set up an impromptu command center in the village square, from which Lieutenant Ford ran their operation, marking up a map of the village with a pen. The villagers were questioned throughly for any statements, but so far, nopony could tell them anything encouraging.

"This is pointless," Bon Bon complained as she followed Phillip out of the milliner's shop. "At this rate, we'd get more information out of those ****ing cows over there than these ponies!" She jerked her head back at the pastures of Skim Milk's farm in the distance, where a collection of cows could be seen grazing.

"Careful," Phillip said, nodding towards a small foal sitting outside a cottage, watching them with wide green eyes. The boy was a unicorn with turquoise coat and a scruffy straw mane that hung down over his eyes. Bon Bon cringed at her outburst, quickly smiling at the young colt. "Hi, there, little guy," she said to the youngling. To her surprise, the colt flinched away from her, averting his gaze as though ashamed.

Bon Bon frowned. "Hey, it's okay," she cooed, crouching down so that her head was at the same level as his. "You don't have to be scared of us."

The colt glanced at her with a fearful expression. "Boss Milk says I shouldn't be talking to strangers," he mumbled.

"Boss Milk?" Bon Bon asked in confusion.

"I think he means Skim Milk," Phillip explained. The colt nodded quickly.

"Well, he's right," Bon Bon answered with a reassuring smile. "It's not safe to talk to strangers normally." She took a slow half-step forward. "My name's Bon Bon. What's your name?"

The colt examined her for a few uncertain seconds. "Hay Barn," he answered.

"Nice to meet you, Hay," Bon Bon said. "See? Now we're not strangers anymore." She smiled warmly at the youngling, who hesitantly smiled back. "Listen, Hay, maybe you can help me. We're looking for my friend. Her name's Lyra; she's my best friend in all of the world."

"I have a best friend," Hay Barn said. "His name's Shamrock."

"If Shamrock went missing, would you want ponies to help you find him?" Bon Bon asked. Hay Barn thought for a moment, then nodded. "Well, we think Lyra was brought here, but we don't know for sure. I'm really scared for her; I want to make sure that she's safe, just like you'd do for Shamrock." She affixed Hay with a pleading gaze. "Please, Hay Barn, can you help us find her?"

Hay Barn licked his lips, his eyes darting to and fro as he thought. Finally, his eyes settled on Bon Bon's face. "Boss Milk and his friends would know," he spoke softly, nodding towards the milk farmer's cow pastures.

"Why do you call him 'Boss Milk?'" Bon Bon asked.

"That's what he tells us to call him," Hay Barn answered. He glanced around, as if to make sure that nopony was watching, then beckoned Bon Bon closer. She leaned in and allowed him to whisper into his ear. "He and his friends are bad, bad ponies. Everypony in the village is scared of him."

"Well, we're not scared of him," Bon Bon lied through a fake reassuring smile. "Are we?" Phillip nodded in reply.

"Thank you for the help, dear," Bon Bon thanked Hay Barn, reaching into a small bag around her shoulder. She plucked out a candy wrapped in rainbow-colored paper and gave it to the colt. "Your favorite flavor's caramel, right?"

"Wow, thanks!" Hay Barn cried in delight, plucking the candy with his magic and admiring the little sweet. But almost immediately, his face fell into creases of worry and he hid the treat guiltily. "Don't tell Boss Milk I told on him," he whimpered.

"We won't, I promise," Bon Bon patted him on the head reassuringly. "And don't spoil your dinner!" she called after him as he ran off, clutching his reward.

"Well, let's go take a look around," Phillip said, leading Bon Bon towards Skim Milk's farm. Passing through a low wooden fence, the pair proceeded across the pastures towards the flock of grazing cows. One of the larger cows looked up and smiled in greeting, swallowing back a mouthful of cud.

"Watch your step, dearies," she cautioned. "We try to keep most of our, er...indiscretions in one place, but they have a tendency to spread around."

"We'll keep that in mind, thanks," Phillip said. "Where's Skim Milk?"

"He's in the barn, doing some repairs," the cow answered.

"Thanks," Phillip said, turning and heading towards the rickety brown barn nearby.

"You have a plan?" Bon Bon asked him, hurrying up after him.

"Working on it," Phillip answered, pushing the barn door open. The dark, musty interior of the barn was filled with hay bales and stacked crates of dairy products prepared for shipping out of the village. Various tools hung from pegs on the walls and the wooden floor creaked beneath their hooves. The sound of a hammer striking wood guided the two ponies towards Skim Milk, who was hammering a board into the wall.

"G'day," Phillip greeted the farmer from a distance. Skim Milk turned and recognizing them, greeted them with a nod. "Can I help you?" he asked, bending to retrieve another nail.

"You run a tight ship here," Phillip complimented him. "These villagers are some of the friendliest ponies I've ever met, and they all seem to think pretty highly of you."

Skim Milk grinned at the praise. "Well, keeping them all in line can be tough," he admitted, plucking out another nail and setting it in place. "But it's not that different than taking care of the cows. Just gotta know how to talk to 'em."

Couldn't agree more, mate. "Those are some nice horseshoes you've got there, mate," Phillip continued, looking down at Skim Milk's hooves. "Perfect for mucking around, eh?" He could feel Bon Bon behind his back, staring at him as though he'd gone crazy.

"Eh, they're not much," Skim said, lifting up his right front horseshoe to examine it. "I get 'em from Pint O'Gat, the smithy down the road from here. Ossified all the time, but he knows his way around an anvil."

"Too right," Phillip agreed. "This seems like a small village; it'd be easy to spot any strangers coming in, right?"

"Pretty easy," Skim Milk shrugged.

"You sure you haven't seen anypony new in town recently?"

"Besides you? Nah," Skim said, returning to his hammering. "But kidnapping is a dead serious thing. As long as you're here, we'll be more than happy to—"

Exactly what the villagers would be happy to do was to remain unknown, however, because at that moment, a loud, pained mooing could be heard coming from outside. "That's Blue-Eyed," Skim said, dropping his tools. "Sounds like that calf is coming early!" He rushed out of the barn, leaving Bon Bon and Phillip behind. As soon as he was gone, Phillip bent low and began examining the hay-covered floor of the barn.

"What the ******* was that all about?" Bon Bon asked him in furious bewilderment.

"Needed to stall him so I could take a look around," Phillip answered without looking up.

"What do you mean?" Bon Bon raised an eyebrow.

"You see his horseshoes?" Phillip replied. "Wide base, well-worn, two nails recently replaced with square-headed ones. That was one of the tracks we followed here. G'day," he muttered, pausing to examine a faint square outline in the wood. Digging his hoof underneath the faint line, he slowly lifted the false floor up, revealing a dark underground tunnel beneath. For a moment, the two ponies could only stare at their unexpected discovery.

"Great," Bon Bon said, glancing up at the barn door to make sure that Skim Milk wasn't coming back. "We can go get the Guards and then we—" She turned back just in time to see Phillip's tail disappearing into the tunnel. "Or we can just go right in. Why the **** not."

Phillip paused, then turned around in the tunnel to look back up at her. "I'm going to recon ahead, see if I can't find Lyra," he explained. "You go back and get the Guards to—" He stopped suddenly, looking towards the barn door. It took a moment, but then Bon Bon heard it too: rapidly approaching hoofsteps. Before she could blurt out a startled curse, Phillip grabbed her tail in his teeth and yanked her into the tunnel with him, closing the door behind them. Both of them held their breath as hoofsteps clomped on the floor above them, then a heavy weight dropped right onto the trapdoor.

"Deep breaths there, sweetheart," Skim Milk's muffled voice cooed to the panting cow. "We'll take good care of you, now." The cow's reply was to let out a loud moo of pain as another contraction hit her.

"Now what?" Bon Bon hissed.

Phillip fished his flashlight out of his vest and clipped it to his shoulder, turning it on to it's lowest setting. "Stay here. I'll be back."

"Oh, hell no, you are not leaving me alone down here!" Bon Bon hissed furiously, chasing after him. Phillip looked back at her, but did not argue. The two began to walk down the dark tunnel, the mud squishing beneath their hooves and the rough, cold stone walls brushing against their coats. The thick air stank of mold and filth, becoming harsher with every step so that the two had to fight the stench to make their way forward. Eventually, the tunnel began to climb upwards at a steep pace.

"We must be going up into the hills around the village," Phillip whispered.

"Great," Bon Bon grumbled, tightening the strap of Lyra's shillelagh around herself as she began to climb. "As if the mud wasn't enough—ow!" she cried out as she bumped into Phillip, who had suddenly stopped.

"Shh!" Phillip hissed. Up ahead, a slow, rhythmic rumbling sound could be heard. Tiptoeing forward, Phillip peeked over the crest of the tunnel. The tunnel mouth opened into a small cavern, lit by a lantern hanging from a chain on the ceiling. The rumbling sound was coming from a sleeping pegasus sitting at a chair next to the tunnel mouth, drool dribbling from his gaping mouth as he snored. Spread across the table in front of him was an open flask that smelled of cheap whiskey, a wrinkled pornographic magazine, a box of tissues, and a bottle of hoof lotion.

Carefully, Phillip crept up to the guard. "You awake?" he whispered into his ear. The sleeping guard's response to snort, turn over and resume snoring even louder. "Wanker," Phillip snorted. Gesturing for Bon Bon to follow him, he crept down the cavernous hallways, silently trekking through the wet mud as he darted around corners and hid behind stalagmites. Bon Bon stayed close behind him, doing her best to stay out of the lantern lights. The shillelagh slapped against her back with every move she made.

Suddenly, there came the sound of voices up ahead. Instantly, both of them fell back, pressing themselves up against a stalagmite as a pair of mobsters walked around the corner up ahead. "You see that little bird we captured?" one of them asked his companion, passing him a hoof-rolled cigarette.

"Sure did," the thug laughed, lighting the cigarette and sucking on it. "Pretty little thing, isn't she? Green as a shamrock."

"Bet she's a screamer," the first one chuckled. "Too bad the boss won't let us touch her."

Realizing who they were talking about, Bon Bon growled quietly and almost leapt at the passing thugs, but was stilled by Phillip's hoof. The mobsters passed by, never noticing the two intruders. As soon as they were out of sight, Bon Bon and Phillip continued down the cave. The two of them continued to sneak down the twisting tunnels of the cave, turning left, right, left, left again, passing by several more caves filled with cots, weapons, stockpiles of food, chemical labs...everything that an army would need to hide out from the Guard. More than once, they had to hide behind stone formations or crates as roving thugs passed within inches of them.

They entered a wide-open cavern. Phillip peeked around a corner to another tunnel, then held up a hoof to stop Bon Bon. Up ahead was a pair of bored-looking mobsters, leaning against the wall outside another cavern entrance. Signaling Bon Bon to stand back, he whistled quietly. The sentries looked up in confusion at the voice. "I'll check that out," one of them said, pulling out a serrated knife and heading down the tunnel towards Phillip. As soon as he was within range, Phillip grabbed his arm and swung him around to smash him facefirst into the stone wall, then knocked him out with a kick to the jaw when he collapsed.

"Hey!" the other guard shouted, running up only to receive a baton strike to the temple. Moving past the unconscious bodies, Phillip and Bon Bon hurried over to the cavern entrance. Inside was a tied up mint green unicorn sitting on a stack of packages of brown and white powders. Her eyes widened in delight when she saw them. "Bonnie!"

"Lyra!" Bon Bon cheered, running up and hurriedly untying her wife. As soon as she was free, Bon Bon swept her wife up in a hug.

"I knew you'd come for me!" Lyra said.

"Of course I wouldn't leave you," Bon Bon said, hugging her back.

"Come on, we gotta get out of here," Phillip urged them, moving ahead to clear out a path back to the exit.

Bon Bon swung the shillelagh off her back and handed it to Lyra as they followed. "Thought you'd want this back."

"Thanks, hon," Lyra said, taking the shillelagh and swinging it a few times. A tingle traveled down her foreleg, as if limb and weapon were rejoicing at their reunion. "Now those gobdaws have really—"

Her boast was interrupted by the sound of a hard blow. Phillip flew back down the tunnel, skidding across the ground for several feet before coming to a stop at the mare's hooves. Several mobsters flooded into the cavern, all of them armed. Right behind them came a huge dark green pony with flaming red hair and burnt orange eyes blazing with hatred, thumping the knob of his huge shillelagh against the floor with every step. Bon Bon's eyes widened when she saw this giant and her lips formed a curse, although no sound escaped her lips.

"Well, lads, looks like we've got visitors," he sneered, glaring at Phillip.

"And whom do I have the honor?" Phillip growled, rubbing his jaw as he stood up.

"Blackwater Thorn," the thug leader introduced himself. "I lead the Mareish Mob here, and what I say goes." He lifted his shillelagh and pointed the weighted end at the three friends. "And I say that none of you get out of here alive."

Author's Note

It's the first day of spring break, and to celebrate, here's the next chapter of the story, in which our intrepid trio finds themselves cornered.

Will they be able to fight their way out? Stay tuned!

Part 7: The Mareish Spirit

"Anything?" Lieutenant Yellow Ford asked his gathered Guards.

"Nothing, sir," his master sergeant replied, shaking his head and mopping his head with his beret. "Apparently, nopony in the village knows anything."

"Or at least isn't saying anything," a corporal added, glancing suspiciously over at the house she'd just visited. There was a flicker of movement in an upper window, like somepony ducking back behind a curtain. "Something's not right here, boss."

"I agree," Lieutenant Ford muttered. "Has anypony seen Phillip Finder or the mare he was with?"

"No, sir," the master sergeant answered. "Nopony's seen 'em for at least a half hour."

"Damn," the lieutenant grunted. "Where are they?"

"Excuse me," a timid voice spoke. Everypony turned to see a small colt with a scruffy straw mane looking up at them with wide, fearful eyes. In his hoof was a rainbow-colored candy wrapper.

Three mobsters rushed Phillip at once from all directions. He kicked the one coming up behind him the chest to knock him down, then ducked to the side to avoid a knife slash to his head. The thug cut at his face again, but Phillip grabbed his foreleg and swung him around, smashing his elbow against a stone stalagmite with enough force to break his arm. Simultaneously, Phillip stunned another attacker with his baton and shoved him into the one with the broken arm.

"Be careful!" Bon Bon warned, crouching in the corner behind Lyra, who was holding up her trembling shillelagh in a guarding position. One of the mobsters turned his attention from Phillip to the two mares and began to approach, grinning as he shook a length of chain threateningly. Bon Bon squeaked in fright and curled up in a tighter ball; Lyra pointed her weapon at him, determined to at least try to make a stand.

But the would-be attacker had only taken two steps towards them when a spinning boomerang caught him in the back of the head, knocking him down. Lyra quickly seized the opportunity to knock him out permanently with a blow to the temple, but while Phillip was briefly distracted with catching his boomerang, one of the mobsters ran up and tackled him from behind. He rolled over and pushed the thug off him, but found himself cornered by more enemies.

"He needs help," Lyra said, more to herself than Bon Bon, and hurried over despite Bon Bon's attempt to pull her back. With a brave shout, Lyra swung her shillelagh through the air, knocking one attacker out with a heavy blow to the back of the head. She turned to another opponent, striking with confidence down at his head. Turning just in time to see the attack coming, he ducked beneath the blow and grabbed her shillelagh, pulling her in close. Yanked off-balance, Lyra had little opportunity to avoid the incoming counterpunch. In that moment of panic, all her training seemed to vanish from her head, burnt out by her fear. Desperate, she used her magic to shove her opponent away, trying to regain some distance; but no sooner had she managed to push him away than she was struck from the side by a powerful kick. Staggering back, she turned to face her new opponent, but was caught in the side of the head with another blow. The attacks came from all directions, giving her little chance to defend herself. Panicking, Lyra scrabbled away, swinging her shillelagh with abandon to try to force her attackers back. Phillip tried to rush over to help her, but a burly unicorn trapped him in a bear hug.

Blackwater Thorn let out a raspy laugh. "That's it, lads! Beat 'em down, one blow at a time!"

Bon Bon hid behind a large wooden crate on the floor, fearfully watching the one-sided battle. There would be no rescue; after everything they'd gone through, all they'd fought for, all three of them would die down here in these caves. The Guards didn't know where they were. Phillip was helpless. Lyra was helpless.

Which meant it was up to her.

The image of Tootsie Flute flickered into her mind, a horrified, confused, pained expression on her face: the face of a child who has just been told that her parents are not coming home. Determination flooded her body, pushing aside her cowardice. Her eyes narrowed and she focused on one of Lyra's enemies: a laughing pegasus that she recognized as the sleeping sentry from the entrance. Without thinking, without pausing to remember that she was one mare up against an army, she rose and ran right at him. The pegasus turned towards her, his eyes widening in shock as Bon Bon rise up two stand on two legs, drew back her right hind leg, and snapped it forward with a shout of "MotherBUCKER!"

Her hoof connected solidly with the pegasus' groin, hard enough to lift him off his hooves. He promptly collapsed to the ground and curled up into a ball, whimpering in a high octave.

Taking advantage of the distraction that Bon Bon had provided, Lyra knocked over another mobster with a sweeping strike to the legs and broke the jaw of his partner with an upward jab. Bon Bon rushed in and swung hard, connecting with a solid right hook that sent the thug sprawling. She stared at her hoof in amazement. "Wow. I guess those kickboxing classes really did do some good!"

"They get a real kick out of us!" Lyra grinned. "Come on, Bonnie!"

Working side by side, the two mares began to carve their way through the Mareish Mob. Taking on the mobsters one at a time, they singled them out and took them out in combined assaults from Lyra's shillelagh and Bon Bon's hooves.

"Bon Bon, catch!" Phillip shouted, pulling something out of his vest and tossing it to her as he dodged away from an attempt to tackle him. Catching the object in his hoof, Bon Bon saw that it was a black spray bottle. A second later, a unicorn carrying a knife leapt at her. Instinctively, Bon Bon sprayed the bottle's contents right into her attacker's face. The unicorn shrieked in pain and clutched his face, blinded by Phillip's homemade pepper spray; the next moment, he was knocked out by a hook-cross-uppercut combination to the jaw. With aid from Phillip, the mares began to gradually turn the battle in their favor, striking down one enemy after another with simultaneous strikes that punched through every defence.

Bewildered at this sudden turn of events, Blackwater snarled and reached up to unsheathe his enormous shillelagh. "Stand back, lads!" he shouted. "I'll take care of 'em myself!" With a bellow, he ran right at Phillip, who dived out of the way just in time to dodge the huge weight coming down on his head. The impact of the heavy knob against the ground carved out a small crater into the ground.

"Leave him alone!" Lyra shouted, jabbing at Blackwater's ribs. Spinning around, he deflected her attack with his own weapon and countered with a swing at Lyra's head. She ducked, but Blackwater pulled back and struck again almost immediately, forcing her to block sloppily. She managed to avoid any damage, but the impact knocked her off-balance. Blackwater then spun around and punched at Bon Bon's head, forcing her to jump back. Simultaneously, he parried Phillip's baton strike and forced him away with a quick swipe.

"You maggots think you can beat me?" he boasted, faking a low strike at Phillip then striking him on the crown of his forehead, kicking Bon Bon in the face and punching Lyra across the jaw. "I've beaten a hundred ponies just like you! Nopony's ever beaten me, and nopony ever will!"

"Kill 'em, boss!" one of his thugs shouted. A chant started amongst the watching crowd: "Kill' em, Thorn! Kill 'em, Thorn! Kill 'em, Thorn!"

Bon Bon slowly got up, blood dripping from her nose as she glared at the mob boss. Noticing a sizeable rock on the cave floor, she picked it up in one hoof. "I'm not going down to you," she growled. "I'm not letting anything stop me from getting home to my daughter!" And with a shout, she charged right at Blackwater, who stepped to the side and swung right at her gut.

But at that moment, Lyra appeared out of nowhere and knocked his shillelagh down, blocking his attack. At the same moment, Bon Bon struck Blackwater across the jaw with the rock. With a grunt, he knocked Bon Bon aside and turned his attention to Lyra, jabbing at her with the thin end of his stick. While he was distracted, Phillip ran up, spun around and bucked him hard in the back, knocking him off-balance. Blackwater turned towards him, parrying Lyra's counterattack, but was struck in the chest by Bon Bon's thrown rock. Momentarily distracted, the mob boss was hit in the back of the knee by Lyra's spinning strike. Bon Bon rushed in and tried to spray him in the face, but he raised his foreleg to block it, leaving his side open to Phillip's elbow strike. Growling in pain and fury, Thorn swung his shillelagh at Bon Bon and Phillip, forcing them both to dodge back.

"Stand back, you two!" Lyra shouted, rising up to her full height and gripping her shillelagh in both hooves. Her horn lit up and she surrounded her weapon with an aura of golden magic. She glared at Blackwater Thorn, who snarled back, sliding his jaw back and forth. "He's mine!" Lyra declared.

Phillip gripped his baton tighter and started forward to help, but Bon Bon held out a hoof and stopped him. She recognized the look in Lyra's eyes: the look of a determined mother.

"ÉIRINN GO BRÁCH!" Lyra bellowed, sprinting right at Blackwater and attacking. He parried the blow and counterstruck, only to miss completely as Lyra ducked beneath him, hitting him in the gut as she darted past. Blackwater struck again and again, but missed almost every time: Lyra's smaller size and speed worked to her advantage, and with her magic enhancing the power of her attacks, she slowly whittled him down, blow by blow.

Panting heavily, Blackwater swung at her head. Lyra ducked beneath the blow, striking down at his hoof, then immediately swinging upwards and knocking his shillelagh up from beneath. The weapon flew out of his grip and up into the air. "Now!" Lyra shouted, jumping back to avoid his attempt to grab her.

At his word, Bon Bon and Phillip sprinted forward. Seeing Bon Bon coming, Blackwater raised his foreleg to guard his face, but the spray of pepper spray came from Phillip: they'd traded the weapon right before they'd attacked. Blinded, Blackwater swung his hooves wildly towards Phillip. Bon Bon wound up and kicked him as hard as she could in the chest to double him over, then in the thigh to drop him to a kneeling position. Phillip ran past him, kicked off the back of the cave wall, and swung around, hitting Blackthorn in the back of the head with a flying elbow, somersaulting away as he touched the ground. A split second later, Lyra raced in and swung her shillelagh upwards as hard as she could, her war cry echoing off the cavern walls. The magically-enhanced blow was hard enough to lift Blackthorn right off his hooves; he flew back and sprawled to the floor, knocked out cold. The three victorious warriors stood over his vanquished form, all of them breathing heavily.

For a moment, there was complete, stunned silence: the Mareish Mob was unable to comprehend what had just happened. Their boss, their undefeated champion, had just been taken down by an gray-maned private detective and two mares! But gradually, their confusion was replaced with anger. With one movement, the remaining mobsters moved forward to attack. Lyra, Bon Bon and Phillip stood back to back, ready to fight to the end.

"EVERYPONY FREEZE!" Like a flood of green and orange, City Guards rushed into the room, their swords drawn, and quickly formed a protective circle around the civilians. Heavily overmatched, the Mareish Mob had no choice but to surrender.

"You three all right?" Lieutenant Ford asked, his face a mixture of concern and astonishment.

"About bucking time!" Bon Bon snapped at him, wiping sweat off her brow and grinning.

"We're all okay," Lyra said. She picked up Thorn's large shillelagh and smirked at it. "I guess you could say that these guys got the wrong end of the stick! Get it?"

Lyra and Bon Bon both laughed, mostly out of sheer relief. Everypony else just groaned and rolled their eyes.

The next day, the sun sat in a clear blue sky over the Heartstrings Manor, providing the perfect setting for the final day of the Shamrock Day celebrations. The entire clan was standing out in the warm grounds, which smelled of fresh food and shamrock shakes. The rapid beating of a drum sounded through the crisp air, quickly joined by the merry singing of flute and violins. Encouraged by the music, stallions wore brightly colored vests and sequined pants and mares adorned in intricately decorated dresses that floated on the air swarmed onto the wooden dance floor that had been set up.

Among the dancing couples was Lyra and Bon Bon. Lyra wore her favorite green and orange dress, while Bon Bon wore a more simple blue and gold dress decorated with rainbow swirls. Standing on their hind legs, the two circled one another, beating out a fast rhythm against the wood with their hooves, occasionally leaping into the air to click their hooves together.

"You were so brave, love," Lyra said, expertly swinging Bon Bon around.

"So were you," Bon Bon replied, scuffing the floor with her hooves. "Even though this whole mess was entirely your fault."

"I know," Lyra said, hanging her head a little bit and slowing her movements in shame. "I'm sorry, Bonnie, but the thought of those gangsters pushing around my family..."

"I understand," Bon Bon said, patting her wife's cheek reassuringly. "But from now on, no more messing with organized crime!" She paused for a moment, then added, "At least, not without my help."

Lyra grinned and took her wife around the waist, eliciting an excited squeal from the candymare and eagerly whirled her into the next move.

Clover Step and Rose Jig watched happily from the edge of the dancing floor. "You know, I worried so much about her when she dropped out of college and left Mareland," Rose said, nestling against her husband. "But seeing her now...I couldn't be more proud of her."

"Me neither," Clover agreed. "She's our little Irish rose, and she's blossomed into a fine, strong flower."

"With a family of her own," Rose added.

"Our family," Clover said, taking Rose by the hoof and pulling her onto the dance floor. "Which is what this is all about!" The couple began to dance, giggling like the younglings they had once been.

Amongst the chattering and smiling crowd stood Phillip Finder, hovering near the edge of the crowd as if unsure if he was supposed to be there, despite having been invited by Lyra and Bon Bon. The Heartstrings had been delighted to have their daughter returned safe and sound, and insisted that he join the celebration. He thoughtfully swirled the glass of cider in his hoof, looking out towards Bon Bon and Lyra with satisfaction and, perhaps, a slight touch of envy as his mind wandered to memories of parties on the Sydneigh beach...of standing on the stage with his father and the band, saxophone reed between his lips...

"Uncle Phil?"

Phillip looked down and saw Tootsie Flute standing in front of him. "Are you all right? You look kind of sad."

"I'm fine, little sheila," Phillip replied. Tootsie Flute sat down next to him and gently hugged his foreleg, much to his surprise.

"Thank you for bringing my moms back," she said, smiling up at him.

He smiled back and tussled her mane. "No worries."

Tootsie grinned and began tugging on his foreleg, trying to pull him towards the dance floor. "Come on, let's dance!"

"But I don't know how to," Phillip protested, reluctantly following.

"I'll teach you!" Tootsie declared eagerly. "You gotta dance; it's Shamrock Day!"

"But I'm not Mareish," Phillip pointed out.

"Of course you are!" Tootsie declared. "You're family!"

Phillip paused, a sudden lightness spreading through his chest. With a genuine smile, he happily followed Tootsie onto the wooden dance floor, joining the other couples.

The music and dancing continued long into the night, until everypony was too tired to celebrate anymore. As they dispersed to bed and prepared to return to their homes the next morning, all of them—including Phillip—agreed that it was the best Shamrock Day that they had ever had, and that they couldn't wait until next year.

Coin Toss sat up in the cot of the jail cell, staring forlornly at the wall. It was all ruined: the Mareish Mob was crippled, forced to retreat underground to escape the relentless, merciless Royal Guard. The thought of his people, his family, being rounded up like sheep and locked away made his blood boil.

Damn Phillip Finder. Damn him! This was all his doing! He had torn him apart and left him to rot! And if it took him until the the day the sun and the moon went out, he would see him pay! Of course, there was the small issue of his being in jail...

"Hello, mein freund."

Coin Toss whirled around. Standing in front of the bars of his cell door was a smiling unicorn with a tan coat and walnut hair, dressed in an expensive suit and smoking a goldleaf cigarette. The unicorn's eyes were as a deep, empty black, focused directly upon him. His cutie mark was a black king chess piece.

"Who are you?" Coin asked.

"My name is Zugzwang," the unicorn said in a voice as cold as ice water and as slick as oil. "I'm here as a visitor, to make you a proposition."

Coin's ears perked up and he walked over to the cell door. "I'm listening."

"We have something in common," Zugzwang continued. "We both hate Phillip Finder. He tried to destroy us; he took away our lives, everything that we hold dear, for no just cause."

Coin Toss gritted his teeth. "I'll kill him for what he's done to me," he growled.

"Good," Zugzwang nodded happily. "That's what I want you to do. I can give you that chance, but I will need something from you."

"Anything you want, I can get," Coin said, his hate-fueled heart pounding in his ears.

"I need an army," Zugzwang told him. "Dozens, hundreds of well-trained, vicious soldiers at my command. And the Mareish Mob is filled with such soldiers. And you can help me contact the Mob." He stepped closer to the bars. The empty black eyes filled Coin Toss' vision. "I can restore the Mareish Mob to it's former glory and take them beyond. I can give you what you've always wanted: an independent, free Mareland. But first, I need their help to kill Phillip Finder, to do to him what he has done to us." He puffed on his cigarette, blowing smoke rings into the air. "Help me do this, mein freund. Let us save the Mareish Mob. Let us take vengeance. Do this for me, and I will make you a king."

Coin Toss greatest dreams, his most desperate hopes that had been implanted in his heart by his grandfather and his father, danced before his eyes. It only took him a second of consideration to make his decision. "I'll do it," he said.

Zugzwang grinned and reached a hoof through the bars. Coin Toss took it and gripped it tightly.

"Tiocfaidh ár lá," Zugzwang whispered, his Mareish pronunciation perfect.

"Tiocfaidh ár lá," Coin Toss repeated the oath. Our day will come, brothers, he promised to himself and to his family. We will make it over Phillip Finder's dead body.

Author's Note

Happy Saint Patrick's Day, everypony (well, what little is left of it anyway)! Yes, I totally meant to wait until today to release the last chapter of this story! It was completely intentional!

Anyway, that'll wrap up this story. I hope you enjoyed the latest edition to the Phillip Finder series and are looking forward to the next one!

Chapter notes

Part 1
—"Before noon, she's your daughter": reference to The Lion King.
—The idea of Shamrock Day is obviously inspired by St. Patrick's Day.
—"And it's no, neigh, never...": lyrics based off of a popular English folk song titled "The Wild Rover." Of course, the original wording was "no, nay, never," but I couldn't resist the pun.
—Lyra's dress was inspired by this comic cover.
—Trotterford, Mareland: play on Waterford, a major port in Ireland.
—Character note: Tootsie Flute is very sociable and friendly, even to complete strangers, and curious about everything.

Part 2
—cèilidh: pronounced "cay-lee." A Scottish or Irish social gathering with folk singing, traditional dancing and storytelling.
—The flag of Mareland is obviously the same as real-life Ireland.
—Character note: Lyra is essentially a child in an adult's body, and takes pride in it.

Part 3
—shillelagh: pronounced "sheh-lay-lah." A traditional Irish stick-fighting weapon, usually consisting of a long stick with a knob on the end. Sometimes a hole was drilled into the knob and filled with metal to give it additional weight. The shillelagh is considered a symbol of Irish people: for instance, the mascot of the Boston Celtics carries one.

Part 4
—"blighter": British insult for someone who is regarded with contempt.
—soda bread: quickbread made using baking soda instead of yeast (no, it's not made with soda). A traditional Irish treat.
—pepperbox revolver: an early type of revolver with several individual rotating barrels, so named because of it's similarity to a pepper grinder.
—Character note: Bon Bon is a little out of shape (too much candy sampling, not enough exercise), a serious flaw that comes up several times in the story.
—A common tactic between spies is to greet each other by using a series of passphrases that could be passed off as regular conversation. This chapter provides two examples.
—"gobdaw": Irish slang, "idiot."
—"gone arseways": "gone wrong."
—"this is another fine mess you've gotten yourself into": reference to comedy duo Laurel and Hardy. Straight-man Hardy's catchphrase was "Here's another fine mess you've gotten me into."

Part 5
—Yellow Ford's name is a reference to the Battle of the Yellow Ford, a key battle in the Nine Years War.
—Word of advice from a criminal justice student: if you are ever in trouble with the police, even if you are completely innocent, the first thing you need to do is ask for a lawyer. You are entitled to representation at all times, and the police legally cannot question you without counsel present.
—Notice that even though the bartender of the Green Bull isn't intimidated by the Guards, he's scared of Phillip: evidence of the reputation Phillip has amongst the Equestrian underworld.
—"be wide": Irish expression, "beware," "be careful."
—"some other wagon to get her hole in": "wagon" is an unattractive woman. "Get his/her hole in" is slang for "have sex."
—Character note: Bon Bon has a very wide vocabulary, and curses like a sailor whenever she's extremely upset or angry.
—"that's a fret": Irish expression of surprise.
—Over hill, over dale...: reference to the song "The Army Goes Rolling Along."
—"donkey's years": Irish slang, "a long time."

Part 6
—Universe notes: Equestria does have organized religion, with monotheistic religions similar to Judaism/Christianity/Unitarian Universalism being the most popular. As I've mentioned in previous stories, the alicorns are not viewed as or worshipped as deities. However, organized religion does not have the same cultural entrenchment in Equestria that it does in our world.
—It took me a while to think of a suitable symbol to use in place of a cross. I eventually selected a dove, as it is known as a symbol of peace and hope.
—Bon Bon is very, very good with children, a trait that she exploits here. She's also good at guessing other ponies favorite flavors as part of her special talent.
—"ossified": Irish slang, "drunk."
—Considering that "wank" is a slang term for masturbate, Phillip's trademark insult is very fitting.

Part 7
—Headcanon note: Bon Bon is kind of a coward and gives up pretty easily, but is still willing to step up if she gets her back up against the wall.
—It took me a while to think of a fighting style that fit Bon Bon, but then I decided on kickboxing since it made sense to me that she might have taken it as a form of exercise at one point.
—Recall back in Siege of Clovenworth that Phillip mentioned that he needed to start carrying pepper spray himself. His homemade version is a lot more potent than the commercially-made pepper spray.
—"ÉIRINN GO BRÁCH!": Irish, "Ireland forever!" Pronounced "ey-rin go brack."
—Music: Congress Reel, a traditional Irish reel or folk dance.
—"Uncle Phil?": Tootsie Flute considers her family friends to be part of her family, assigning them affectionate familial titles. This also emphasizes that Phillip sees his friends as akin to family.
—Whatever Zugzwang needs an army for, it can't be good.
—"Tiocfaidh ár lá": Irish, "our day will come." Pronounced "chuck-hee awr law." The unofficial slogan of the Irish Republican Army, which was a partial inspiration for the Mareish Mob.