The Lulamoon Files

The Lulamoon Files

Chapter Twelve: Broken Trust

Written by TheCrimsonDM

Now that the dragon’s cage was safely away from Rider, and with the one pony that I surprisingly trusted to take care of it, I was able to calm down. Just enough to realize that the truck was still driving, and that Spike hadn’t stopped for anything. I lowered myself back onto the flatbed and sat down. With my wand I tapped the back of the glass on the truck.

Spike didn’t even flinch. He simply stared ahead. His eyes were glossed over, and his movements were a little sluggish. It was odd to say the least. If I had the ability to use the Sight I would have loved to see what was actually wrong with him. Still I could tell something was very wrong.

In the lane behind us I saw a familiar black car with a diamond for a hood ornament. The front bumper was still missing. The truck was finally slowing down as we approached a dock. It slowed down to the point that when it was turning off the main road going to a private dock I jumped off onto the sidewalk. Rarity pulled her car up to the side of the street and threw open the door.

“You,” she said with cold fire burning on her words. “Get in.”

I nodded and got into her car. We drove away at a normal pace. For several long minutes nopony talked, the radio played some jazz music and I listened to it wishing I was on a dance floor as opposed to in the car. At least I can communicate with dance.

Finally as we pulled into a brightly lit street leading closer to Ryhmes Square Rarity decided to end the silent treatment. “Do you know why I’m mad?”

“I broke your car,” I said lamely. “Sorry.”

Rarity growled. “Try again.”

“Uh… I… I don’t-“

“You almost died!” Rarity snapped.

I couldn’t really respond to that. It was a legitimate concern that I hadn’t expected from her. She cared about me. Part of me had thought, no it had hoped she was just using me to work on a new article. I was wrong, and ashamed of myself for thinking so. Of course she cared about me.

“I’m sorry,” I said.

“No you’re not. You’d do it again in a heartbeat and we both know it.”

I lowered my head. “I had to free the dragon.”

“Oh and where is the dragon now? In the middle of the street for someone to just grab and run off with?”

“No, Twilight has it.”

“Who the Tartarus is that?”

I swallowed. “Um, not important.”

“I think it is.”

“Rarity, I c-“

“No, listen to me,” Rarity said, her voice was warmer than I expected. “I was worried about you. This was crazy, and I’ve never done something like that before. In all my years of investigating I have never once been in a car chase, or at least not one like that. I… do you remember that painting of Ponyville that I was staring at in my apartment?”

I nodded too afraid to speak.

“I… that’s where I grew up. I didn’t have a lot of friends growing up. There’s this forest there, illegal to enter, guards are posted all along it, but as foals we’d push one another with tests of courage to go into the Everfree Forest. Most foals get caught and in trouble, I… I didn’t. I got in the forest, I went deep into the forest. Inside that place, do you know what’s in there?”

I stared out the window, the streets were all packed with ponies leaving a movie theater. “Yeah, it’s a monster preserve. Protected to keep magical creatures alive, we can’t let them roam the countryside, but killing them off would be both bad for business and immoral.”

“So you can guess at what I found in there?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” Rarity let out a sigh. “Once I realized that monsters were still alive, and that ponies were lying, or just plain stupid, I decided to try and get the information out there. To investigate, and report the actual truth. Nopony really wants to hear the truth though.”

“No, they don’t. They're comfortable in their lies of safety. If ponies knew just how dangerous the world really was, and who really ran it, they’d-“

“They’d freak out.” Rarity finished for me.

“Yeah…” And hence the reason I haven’t told anypony about the unicorn side of things. My world had looked the truth in the face and found power in the ugliness. I didn’t want to share that with anypony.

“So,” Rarity said carefully. “Now do you understand a little bit more about me?”

I nodded.

Rarity threw her hat off her head. Her magnificent mane was beautiful, full, and curly. I had once thought that only a fellow unicorn or a pegasi could really attract my attention, but this earth pony was truly stunning. I wish she’d show her mane more often. Rarity gave me a sideways glance. “Trixie, I am going to take you home. But I want you to know, I still like you. So long as you promise to at least take my feelings into consideration next time we go on a date, I’d love to do this again.”

“Can we just go watch a film instead?” I asked.

“Where’s the excitement in that?”

We shared a laugh. It was short, sweet, and full of promise.

Just as we arrived at my place Rarity reached into the backseat and pulled out my straw hat. She gave it to me with a smile. “Don’t go losing your head, darling.”

After getting out I waved my farewells as she went out again. Mom’s pocket watch told me that it was a little past nine. With Spike gone for twenty four hours, I had precious little time to figure out what to do about this warlock murdering ponies. But at least I was sure of one thing. I had just survived a date with Rarity.

I went inside and got dressed into some more familiar clothes. My trench coat and fedora. I packed my stave, wand, healing potion, and my last smoke pellet. Everything was ready for me to go back out there. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, but I had that key and that was something. Still I felt like my leads were understandably short, except for one. That private dock that Rider’s goon had turned off to, it had to be important. I just couldn’t figure out what for.

Just as I got to my car and was about to head back to my office to grab that key I saw a police car show up. It parked out front and I watched as Applejack and Caramel Apple got out. I stood there as they both shot dirty looks at me.

“Look, AJ,” Caramel said casually. “I need to get home to the kids. Let’s make this quick.”

“Shouldn’t take much time,” she replied.

I watched as they both approached me. There was a stiffness to their movements, tension in their muscles. It looked like they were prepared for a fight, not just an argument. But who were they going to fight?

“Applejack,” I greeted. “How are you doing?”

“Good.”

I looked at Caramel. “Hello, Caramel.”

She glared at me. “Shut it.”

My instincts were telling me to run. I wasn’t sure why, but I didn’t like the look either of them were giving me. Nothing too bad could happen. We were friends after all, well me and Applejack anyway.

“Trixie,” Applejack said, there was something in her tone, something dangerous. “Do you know either Flitter Bell or Scythe?”

I nodded. “Yeah, Flitter is a client of mine. Scythe is a jerk.”

“Client? How so?”

“She asked me to investigate something.”

Caramel gave her a sideways glance. “See, what did I tell you?”

“Not now, Car.” Applejack looked me up and down. “That’s a lot of stuff, you going somewhere?”

“Still investigating. Why?”

“Investigating what?” Applejack asked

“The case.”

“What were you doing at the auction house?”

“Investigating.”

“Ah need details.”

I narrowed my eyes. “I can’t give you details.”

Applejack glared at me. “That sounds an awful lot like obstruction to justice.”

“Applejack, this is part of my world, I can’t give you those details without endangering both you and m-“

I expected a retort, or a glare, or any of the above really. What I had not expected was for Applejacks’ hoof to hit me right in the nose. Pain flashed across my face as I fell back onto my haunches and rubbed at my nose. There was blood, but I didn’t think it was broken.

Applejack’s eyes told me she was on the edge of something, and that I didn’t want to know what that something was. “You can’t decide what’s safe fer me or not! Ah am not some damsel in distress, Ah am a police officer. Trixie, you are stuck up, arrogant, and getting in my way. Ah think you’ve done more harm than good so far and Ah think you need a time out.”

I blinked at her. “Applejack, what did I do?”

Caramel stepped up. “What did you do? How about murder? There was Cloud Bounce and his girl, they were getting in your business right? Then we have the murders of both Flitterbell who had your card on her, and Scythe the pony that some of our officers reported you going to meet only a half hour before his body was found.”

My eyes widened. “Dead? How?”

“How do you think, you keep murdering them. Turning them into a pile of meat,” Caramel snapped.

Applejack nodded. “Ah’m sorry, Trixie. But if you didn’t do it, yer still getting in the way. Yer coming with us.”

This was not good, really, really not good. Between Twilight trying to murder me, and now one of my friends trying to arrest me I was going off the deep end and quick. I was pretty darn sure that Rider was involved somehow too, but if I told them about my interactions with Rider and the clues I had, they’d only think worse of me. I still wasn’t willing to tell Applejack about the wizards, the houses, wardens, magical crime syndicates or pretty much anything. She still believed that her world was ruled by the EUP, when in truth the EUP were only in charge of mortal affairs. The unicorns were in charge of the rest.

“Put Yer hooves up,” Applejack demanded.

Caramel moved in with a pair of hoof cuffs. I had no way of getting out of this, not easily. I couldn’t hurt Applejack, and though I didn't like Caramel I couldn't exactly harm a mortal. I needed a quick way out, as well as a way to clear my name. Without any more murders happening.

Without much of a choice I closed my eyes tightly. As tight as I could. My wand slipped out of my saddlebags. I heard Applejack gasp, about to tell her partner to stop me, or watch out. I was quicker on the draw, I shouted the power words to this spell, “Brilliant Flash!”

A blinding white-purple light lit up, bright enough to rival that of the sun. The entire street was lit up, every shadow was vanquished in that light. It only lasted a second, but that was enough. I heard both Applejack and Caramel scream. That was my cue. I spun around got to my car, threw my crap onto the passenger seat and started the engine all in one quick motion. My hoof slammed on the acceleration and I was driving off with Applejack slinging curses my way.

That spell did leave its mark on my horn, a dull ache. It was a move that didn’t do any damage, but was a great temporary distraction. They were not going to be able to see properly for at least five minutes. The downside to this spell was that shutting your eyes defeated it, and thus it was a wonderful one trick wonder, but a one trick wonder it was.

I had only two places I needed to go, and with Applejack now after me I was sure that my office was being watched. So that made my choice pretty simple. I was going to that dock, and I was going to find out what Rider was doing with a dragon, and how he was connected to this warlock. I was sure that there was connection there, one that I was missing, and since I didn’t really have much else to lose at this point there was no sense in dragging out this one out.

I drove towards Rider's warehouse on the docks.