Jacked Up

-{Chapter 6: "I Have a Message."}-

~~~~~

Sunday, May 20th, 1005 ANM

Manehattan, Equestria

MHPD Headquarters

A young unicorn colt in a police uniform sat across from a changeling prisoner, sharing a laugh with the insect-like creature.

"Alright," the Kid snickered, "remind me again: how much of this story is you just messing with me?"

"Absolutely none," the changeling, Rally Cry (or was it really Denise?), deadpanned, smirking slightly.

"No way."

"I'm serious!" she laughed, "It's all true!"

"Sure it is."

"Ah, screw you."

The two said nothing for a moment, chuckling at the absurdity of their situation.

"Okay, one quick question," the Kid said, pausing a moment, "What was with that whole rant on theology earlier?  I mean, I respect the beliefs of others and all, but I didn't think you'd be the type to believe in just one god."

"Why?" she grinned, "Because I'm a changeling?"

"Well, when you put it that way..."

"Racist."

The two laughed some more, thouroughly enjoying themselves.

"Ah... But seriously, It's actually a common thing for humans.  One god and all that."

"Really?"

The Kid still didn't believe the prisoner's story, but was interested nonetheless.

"Yeah.  I was never that into it back home- didn't have much reason to, besides having someone to blame for all the stuff that went wrong in my life.  That kinda changed after I got here, though..."

"How?" the Kid asked, "I'd think that if anything, you'd start believing in other gods."

"Yeah, you'd think," she sighed, "Thing is, I might not have been that interested in religion, but monotheism is what I was raised on.  Naturally, it's what I fell back on when things got rough."

"Rough?"

"Yeah.  Remember what I said about me and morphine?"

The Kid nodded, listening.

"Well, I may have had a new body, but I still had all my old problems..."

~~~~~

Thursday, May 1st, 1002 ANM

Canterlot, Equestria

Upper Canterlot, Pillbox's Pharmacy

Pillbox yawned, taking stock of his store.  It was still early in the morning, and it would be some time before any customers arrived, but he was an early riser.  Better to tackle the day head-on than laze away in bed, that was his motto.

"Morning, Pillbox!"

A cheery, female voice caught his attention.

"Ah, good morning, Dewdrop!"

His younger employee smiled, wordlessly starting to help him take inventory.  She had always been a hard worker, and it showed.

"So, we're getting those new herbal medicines from Ponyville today, right?" she asked, trying to start up conversation.  Dewdrop was a talkative pony, and Pillbox enjoyed the company.  The young mare always managed to make him smile, even on the worst of days.

"Yes, they should be here around noon.  I tell you, that zebra- Zecora, her name is- she is a miracle worker.  Why, her brews sell so quickly, I'm starting to have trouble keeping them on the shelves!"

A thought popped into his head.

"Oh, that reminds me- I need to write a letter to the shipping company.  Do you think you handle things out here?"

"Sure thing, Pillbox!" she replied with a grin.

Pillbox smiled, heading to his office to compose his letter.  That mare was something else...

Several minutes later, he heard a knock at the front door of the pharmacy.

"Dewdrop?  Could you get that?"

There was no response, and the knocking continued.

"Dewdrop?"

Nothing, save for even more knocking.

Rolling his eyes, he stood up to head to the door.  Dewdrop must have been too involved in her work to hear him- no matter.  He could get the door.

Opening the door with a smile, he was greeted by-

"Dewdrop?"

"Hey, Pillbox," she said with a nervous chuckle, "Sorry about the ruckus- I forgot my key, and the spare I keep under the rock was missing."

"What...  If you lost your key, how did you get in the first time?"

"First time?" she repeated, confused, "Pillbox, I just got here."

"But... But I just..."

Meanwhile, a purple, black-maned unicorn walked down the street, saddlebags filled with stolen morphine.

~~~~~

Thursday, May 1st, 1002 ANM

Canterlot, Equestria

Garden District, Fancypants' Mansion

Denise sighed, stuffing her new supply into the bottom drawer of her dresser in Fancypants' guest room.  It was where she kept any morphine she... 'came across' throughout the day, usually from first-aid kits or the back rooms of pharmacies.  She never took everything- just what she needed.

Needed.  That was the key word.  She didn't deny it- she was an addict.  May as well have had a death wish.  But she was holding on- she didn't like her situation, but it was manageable, and that was good enough for her.  If she had been a crackhead, she'd have died from withdrawal within a week of arriving in Equestria.  Better that it was something simple and common, no fancy chemical blends, designed by junkies, for junkies.

Denise looked out the window- it was still early.  She didn't dare shoot herself up during daylight hours- the last thing she wanted to do was bring this to her hosts' attention.  She waited until the dead of night, when her only companion was the darkness, both literal and metaphorical, that she was so intimately acquainted with.

A knock at the door.  Denise shut the drawer, quickly and quietly.

"Come in."

The door swung open, and Fancypants stepped into the room.

"Ah, there you are, Denise," he said, smiling.  The stallion had taken to calling her by her human name- not that she minded, "I've been meaning to speak with you.  You recall I mentioned having heard of your kind?"

"Yeah," she replied, "why?  Did you find something?"

"Indeed I have," he smirked, "and I must say, it's quite the find."

He lead Denise down the hallways of the mansion to his private study, a tastefully decorated hideaway filled with bookshelves and various exotic objects of interest to the noble.  Fancypants had a particular interest in Zebra culture, apparently gained from a tour of duty in the royal guard when he was young.  He had spent quite some time in the Zebrican Isles, and had grown endeared to the locals, having spent a good deal of time learning their language and customs.

"Now, where was it?" he muttered, telekinetically sifting through various old-looking books, "Ah!  Here it is!"

He lifted a large, worn tome from the shelves, setting it down on a podium he had placed in the center of the room.  Flipping through the book, he settled on a page, turning to speak to Denise.

"Right here, in this collection of ancient Equestrian myths.  Many of these predate even the formation of the three tribes- that is, the first organized pony governments, one of each race.  Now, this particular piece dates back to the Paradise Valley era, when ponykind was still a primitive race.  It recounts a race of otherworldly beings known as 'humans', supposedly sent as emissaries of the gods to bring about great changes to the world- vanquishing demons, uniting ponies, that sort of thing."

Fancypants turned back to the tome, leafing ahead several pages.

"Now, what really interests me is this particular passage.  It says here,

'Humans were believed to be shapeshifters, similar to changelings, but only able to take a single, permanent form.  It was said that before they were sent into the world, the gods would decide the form their Human emissary would take, releasing them to do their bidding in a body more suitable to the world they would now inhabit.'

The book rationalizes this as early misconceptions regarding ponies encountering changelings, but with you here, I think we can safely debunk that theory."

"Assuming I'm not insane and making this all up," Denise smirked, "right?"

Fancypants let out a chuckle.

"I doubt that.  Your story is far too detailed and well-thought out to be the product of a deranged mind.  Unless, of course, I'm mad as well, but somehow I find that unlikely."

The two shared a chuckle.  They had gotten along well in their time together, and Denise was thankful he was the one to find her and Con after they crawled out of that sewer.  Speaking of Con...

"Have you told Con about this yet?"

"I tried to, but Carbon wasn't quite as interested as you seem to be," he explained.  Con had preferred to be called by his chosen name, at least by the ponies.

"Honestly, I think he's far more excited by the whole prospect of being here.  It must be a dream come true for him, being able to experience a whole new world.  What I wouldn't give to feel that kind of youthful wonder," he sighed with a nostalgic smile, "It'd be like the Zebrican Isles, all over again."

"Yeah, something like that," she sighed, with a roll of her eyes.  In reality, it was less wonder and more fanboyism that was responsible for Con's high spirits.

"Where is he, anyway?  I didn't see him this morning."

"Oh, Fleur took him sightseeing," Fancypants explained, returning the book to its place on the shelf, "I think she's taken a liking to the little fellow."

Denise, raised an eyebrow, smirking.

"Jealous, Orion?"

Fancypants let out a chortle at the comment.

"Hardly!  Carbon may think he's a charmer, but I get the impression that Fleur's interest is more... maternal than anything."

"Lord knows he needs someone to keep an eye on him," Denise chuckled, as the pair left the study.

Fancypants raised an eyebrow.

"'Lord'?"

"Er... Turn of phrase.  Religious implications... My point is, he's a damn child."

Fancypants smirked.

"Well, I can't argue with that."

~~~~~

Thursday, May 1st, 1002 ANM

Canterlot, Equestria

Upper Canterlot, City Market

"Alright, I'll have a strawberry cupcake, and... two sodas."

The earth pony mare behind the counter smiled to Con, currently in his unicorn disguise.

"That'll be five bits."

Con returned the smile, levitating five golden coins from his saddlebags and placing them on the counter of the market stall.

"Have a nice day, sir!" the mare thanked him, nuzzling his bag towards him.

Con gave a wink and a lady-killer smirk back to the mare, who in turn let out a quick giggle and a blush.  The food should have cost six bits, but Con was a shrewd businessman- and had a way with the ladies.

Con trotted over to Fleur, who was walking along with her own bag of shopping.

"For the fine lady in pink," Con smiled, offering one of his sodas.

Fleur couldn't help but giggle at his antics.  He was clearly smitten by her looks, like many a stallion, and she hardly blamed him.  He was more tolerable than most- perhaps it was his childish nature and polite charm, but she found herself enjoying the changeling's company.

She accepted his offering, more out of politeness than anything (she had no desire to break her strict diet, no matter how insistent Con may have been), and placed it in one of her bags.

"Oh, this is brilliant," Con mumbled through a mouthful of cupcake, "I mean everyone- sorry, everypony is so nice!  Nothing like home- couldn't go down the block without hearing someone throwing around racial slurs like it was 1920."

Fleur smiled gently.

"Well, we ponies pride ourselves on our kindness- especially in Canterlot."

"I can see that," he sighed, "Wish Denise could just get her mind out of the gutter long enough to enjoy it- I swear, fate has not been kind to that girl."

"How so?" Fleur asked, "She always seems so distant, but she doesn't talk about why.  She doesn't talk about her past at all, really."

Con frowned, looking to the ground.

"Honestly, I'd rather not say too much.  A lot of it's personal, you see...  I can tell you she spent two years in prison."

Fleur gasped- prison?  She could tell the girl was troubled, but she had never taken Denise for an ex-criminal.

"It's a shame really," Con sighed, "She deserved it, in the sense of how the law works, but when it comes to the morality of it all...  Well, after all she'd been through, I'd say she was justified."

Fleur gave a worried, but curious expression.

"Justified in what?"

Con remained silent for a moment.

"I... She wouldn't want me to say.  Like I said, it's a very personal matter."

The two walked along in silence for a moment.

"Well, let's not dwell on that," Con spoke up, "Let's focus on happier things- we were gonna go see the castle, right?"

"Oh, yes," Fleur picked up, smiling once more, "There's a public tour at noon, so we still have plenty of time to browse the market."

The pair smiled, turning their thoughts to happier things.

~~~~~

Fancypants' Mansion

Denise walked down the halls of Fancypants' mansion.  She was preparing to head out shopping- for real, this time, not just scavenging for morphine.  She slipped on a red down jacket the same color as her eyes, purchased earlier that week as gift from her host.  With a burst of magical flame, she shifted into her disguise, slipping her saddlebags onto her back.  In addition, she slipped a small object into her pocket- a purchase of her own.  A small zip gun, with a single, miniature bolt loaded in it. Denise didn't like to go anywhere unarmed- a paranoid habit she had gained in Newark, and one that had saved her life on more than a few occasions.

Suddenly, she heard a tapping at a nearby window.  Instinctively, she retrieved the primitive gun and whipped around- coming face-to-face with a terrified-looking yellow pegasus.

Cursing herself for her impulsiveness, she began to lower her weapon- only to be interrupted by the pegasus' terrified yelp.

"W- Wait!  Don't hurt me!  I- I know who you are, I was here last week!"

'Last week?'

"... You're one of the bastards that tried to rob Orion, aren't you!"

"O- Orion?  You mean Fancypants?"

Denise scowled.

"I- I mean- yeah," he squeaked, "M- My name's Picture- Picture Perfect. Look I- I'm just passing along a message, alright?  I don't want any trouble!"

Denise raised an eyebrow at this.

"A message from who?"

~~~~~

"Psst."

Conrad's ears perked up.  Fleur was browsing a stall of imported jewelry, while he stood waiting nearby.

"You.  Come to the alley."

Con could tell the voice was directed at him, but who was calling?  He frowned, following the voice to its source- ready to defend himself if necessary.  Something felt off.

'Of course something feels off,' he mentally chided himself, 'it's a bloody mugging, dumbass!'

Still, he was curious, and he was confident he could handle a single mugger.  Probably.

Slowly, an adolescent pony stepped out from the shadows, dressed in a black, hooded cloak.

"Are you Carbon Copy?" the stranger asked.

"What's it to you, kid?"

Suddenly, a blue-green flame erupted around the pony, dispersing to reveal a young, blue-eyed changeling- shorter than Denise, even, but still not quite a child.

"I have a message."

~~~~~

"Elder M- Morpheus," stammered Picture, "He sent me- said he wanted to meet you, an- and your friend!"

Denise frowned, still aiming the zip gun at the disguised changeling.

"Who the hell is Morpheus?"

~~~~~

"He is the head of our clan, and the high shaman- I am his apprentice, Swap-Out."

"Right," Con nodded, furrowing his brows, "what does he want with us?"

~~~~~

"He wouldn't say- told me he'd explain after I delivered the message!  Swap knows, too- but he won't tell anyone unless Morph gives the word."

"Why should I trust you?" Denise growled.

~~~~~

"I have no reason to lie," the young changeling explained, frowning, "and if Morpheus wanted you dead, I would have killed you already."

"If you don't have a reason to lie," Con snarled, "why aren't you telling my why he sent you?"

"Because the Elder wishes to explain it to you face-to-face- and as his apprentice, I must respect his wishes."

~~~~~

"Look, I don't like this any more than you do," whimpered Picture, "but I don't have a choice!  Morph's the only thing standing between us and the guard, and as much as the old bug gets under my skin, I gotta do what he says!"

Denise stood her ground, pondering.

~~~~~

"If you want answers, go down to the sewers and wait for us to come to you.  We'll lead you to our sanctuary from there."

Conrad perked up at this.

"Answers?  What are you talking about- how much do you know?"

Swap furrowed his brows.

"Enough."

With that, Swap shifted into his disguise once more, leaving the alley and disappearing into the crowd.

~~~~~

"... I'll think about it," Denise snarled, "Get the hell out of here."

"Thank you!" squeaked Picture, darting off into the distance.

Denise watched as he disappeared into the city, pondering he significance of what had just occurred.

"Denise?"

She turned to the side, finding Fancypants staring at her from a doorway.

"Why do you have that out?" he asked, gesturing to her zipgun, "What's going on?"

She turned back to the window, tucking the weapon back into her pocket.

"... I think I might finally be getting some answers."