A Tale of Two Suns, Book 2: Mysteries Across the Mirror

Chapters

Prologue
In the Shadows
Manehattan Nightmare
Investigations
On the Trail

Prologue

It was late afternoon in Ponyville as Starlight Glimmer walked into Twilight's private library. She had a letter to Sunburst that she needed to mail. They'd been corresponding ever since Starlight's trip to the Crystal Empire. It felt... good to talk to him again, to have him back in her life. It honestly surprised her how much she'd missed him, and that eagerness to reconnect had resulted in her bypassing the regular post in favor of dragon fire spells.

Twilight was, unsurprisingly to Starlight, or any other pony for that matter, surrounded by books. Spike sat off to the side, engrossed in his comics.

The alicorn looked up. "Oh, hello, Starlight. Did you need something?"

"I need Spike to mail this," she replied, floating her letter over to Spike.

Looking up from his comics, Spike let out a puff of green flame, and the letter vanished, transported off to its destination.

"Thanks, Spike," That done, Starlight looked back to her mentor, and noticed the crystal outlines on some of the books. "Are those from the Crystal Empire?"

Twilight nodded. "I got to borrow a few while we were there last time. You know, I'd only gotten a glance at the history and culture of the empire when I first saw it, but it's really fascinating. And their studies of gemology and mineralogy are really fascinating," she proclaimed, pointing at her current book, a study of gemstones.

"I'll take your word for it," said Starlight, not really all that interested in gemology herself.

Suddenly, there was a humming noise, and the journal sitting near the large full-length mirror began to glow and shake. "Excuse me," said Twilight, lowering her current book and bringing the journal over. Opening it up, she scanned the pages, and a soft smile spread over her face. "Oh, thank goodness."

"Something good happen?" asked Starlight.

"Hmm?" Twilight looked up from the journal. "Oh, yes. My friend Sunset Shimmer had some good news to share."

"You made a friend from a parallel universe?" She knew that book, whatever it was, was connected to the machinery that made the mirror portal work, though in truth, she was still trying to wrap her head around the existence of parallel universes.

"Yes and no," responded Twilight. "Sunset is originally from this side of the mirror. She was Princess Celestia's student before me. She," the alicorn hesitated, "she ended up running away there a long time ago. I don't know all the details myself, but not long after I became an alicorn, she tried to steal the Element of Magic."

Starlight's eyebrows shot up, and Twilight gave her a summary of the incident, and a basic explanation of how the mirror portal was meant to work, and how her machine worked, how it bypassed the limitations of Starswirl's design.

"So... let me see if I have this straight," said the unicorn after Twilight had finished speaking. "On the other side of the mirror is a world where these... hu... mans... who are more like monkeys, are the dominant species, there's no natural magic, and the portal is located in front of a high school where Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are principals? And Sunset Shimmer is still living there along with duplicates of your friends?"

"Doppelgangers," said Spike, lazily turning a comic page. "Mine and Twilight's doppelgangers are there, too, but mine is a dog."

"Spike," said Twilight in pleasant surprise, "Where did you learn such an advanced word?"

The little dragon pointed to his comic.

"Is your doppelganger a principal, too?" asked Starlight.

"No, she's a student."

Starlight tilted her head. "Why is she younger than you?"

Twilight shrugged. "I have no idea. I've been wondering myself, but I haven't had the time to properly investigate the age discrepancy."

Starlight sat back on her haunches. To say that she was both extremely dumbfounded and impressed by Twilight's technical and magical achievement was an understatement. To say that she was fascinated and awed by the description, however brief, of an alien universe was also an understatement.

But more than that, she felt a sense of connection to this Sunset Shimmer. Like her, this was another magically gifted unicorn looking for redemption, and one who may have found it with a new group of friends.

Starlight pointed at the journal, now even more curious to know about this pony across the mirror. "So, what was the message about?"

"Well, Sunset's had some problems lately," explained Twilight. "Some time back, somepony, reported her to their equivalent of Foal Protective Services as a minor living alone. The agent that came to investigate was... unpleasant, or so I've been told. Very unpleasant. She insisted on sticking Sunset with a family that lived far outside of the city. The distance would have been bad enough, but Sunset also wasn't all that happy at the idea of living with them in general."

"Why not?" asked Starlight.

Twilight hesitated for a second, then flipped back a few pages in her journal, and pointed to an entry. Starlight read it over, a description of the intended foster sister, and grimaced. What an airhead. She wouldn't have wanted to live with them either. In fact, she'd probably have jumped off a cliff first.

"Of course," continued Twilight, taking the journal back. "I didn't know anything about it at the time. We were in Horseshoe Bay when this happened. But it was all very tense for a while."

"How'd she get out of it?"

"That's the surprising part," said Twilight. "Princess Celestia stepped in and pretended to be her mother."

Starlight's mouth fell open. "Really?" Then, the unicorn paused. "Wait... Princess Celestia hasn't gone anywhere lately. How did she...?"

"Some form of duplication spell," answered Twilight. "A rather fascinating one at that. It's on my list of new spells to try."

"Number ninety-seven," added Spike.

It was then that Twilight looked rather sheepish. "It also turns out that she was using the mirror portal while we were home. She was that light you thought you saw in here."

Starlight tilted her head, not believing what she'd just heard. "Why would she need to do that?"

"It's... rather personal, but it's been resolved." The alicorn flushed. "But I see your point about having a lock. Spike, could you put that on the list of things to add to tomorrow's list?"

"Already done," said the dragon. He rolled his eyes. "You should have done that after Starlight broke in."

Starlight suppressed an 'I told you so'. "So, what was in the latest message?"

Twilight smiled. "It seems Sunset had another run-in with Pearl and things actually turned out quite well. Better than expected. In fact, it looks like her problems may be over." Gingerly, Twilight floated the journal back to its resting place. "And not soon enough. I was stressed just reading about everything."

Considering how Twilight had panicked when she'd caught up on her missed messages, Starlight knew that was an understatement. Turning to look at the wall clock, Starlight jumped to her hooves. "Is that the time? I need to get going. Rarity wanted me to help her work on some gown she's designing, said I'm close to the right size. I need to meet her in five minutes."

Giving a quick goodbye to Twilight and Spike, Starlight headed out the doors of Friendship Castle toward Carousel Boutique. While she walked, her mind turned over the idea of the world beyond the mirror, and the unicorn so like herself that lived there. One day, perhaps, Starlight would get to meet her. What kind of conversations could they have, about their own lives, or about magic itself?

But for now, Starlight was simply happy to know that Sunset's troubles were over, and everything was back to being peaceful over there. And hopefully, things would stay peaceful over here, too.

Author's Note

Those of your reading this from 08/01/19 and onwards are probably wondering why this is suddenly here, as it hadn't existed before today. Well, I got a comment recently that said this story really could have used a prologue, a little recap of the first book.

I thought it over, and realized I had an idea for one that would work just fine. Additionally, if a little prologue would further help to smooth things over between Book 1 and Book 2, well, I was all for it. I know things have been... rough, shall we say.

YES, I'm still working on chapter 3. I know many of you probably wish to strangle me with your bare hands over it, and I can't say I blame you. I'm not happy about it either. But I can promise you that it will indeed materialize.

ALSO: I posted something new on my blog here. It's a very important announcement for me as a creator on this site, so please read it.

In the Shadows

Chapter 1: In the Shadows

Equestria, the recent past...

Sawtooth trotted along the now empty roads of Grand Oaks. It was a small place, a quiet community nestled deep in the forest, with the closest thing to a tourist attraction being the abandoned settlement of Hollow Shades about twelve miles away, though not many went there beyond historians and archaeologists.

The sun had gone down, and the crickets were out in full force, singing to their hearts' content amidst the moonlight. The burly mahogany-colored earth pony took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the cool night air as he headed back home after a long day of logging.

As he moved past the little houses interspersed with patches of trees, a pony came darting out from around a corner. Sawtooth reared back, barely avoiding a collision by inches. "Watch where you're going!" he scolded. "What if you smacked into this?" He pointed a hoof at the axe strapped tightly to his back.

The pony was a dark blue unicorn, a stallion given the size and musculature, but with a mare-like quality to the structure of his face, which stared at Sawtooth with an expression of pure panic and desperation.

"Help!" he screamed, not even registering the reprimand. The stallion's head turned to look behind him at the dark forest. His long mane, colored a deep, solid black and tied behind his head, whipped through the air. "You've got to help me!"

"Now hold on there, kid," said Sawtooth, placing a stabilizing hoof on his shoulder. "Just calm down and tell me what's wrong."

"I-It's my sister. She's hurt!"

Sawtooth frowned. "What happened?"

"I think... I think it was some berries she ate. I told her it wasn't a good idea, but she didn't listen and just popped them into her mouth. We kept on walking, b-but then she... she looked sick all of the sudden and then she slipped and fell down this hill."

Sawtooth’s frown only deepened. The dense forest surrounding Grand Oaks was full of a variety of poisonous berries, with symptoms ranging anywhere from digestive pain to hallucinations. Some were even fatal. Combining that with a fall... "Where's your sister now?"

"Still in the woods," replied the unicorn, pointing with a hoof. "It's not too far in. Please, you have to help me. I... I can't get to her."

Sawtooth turned to follow the stallion's hoof, presumably where he’d come from. The opening in the forest was shrouded in darkness, flanked on each side by a formidable and ancient tree. In the dim light of the waxing crescent moon, it looked every bit like the mouth of a cave.

"Show me the way," he said, already moving forward. "We've got a clinic in town. I'll take her there myself." Soothing Herb lived next door to her workplace, and Sawtooth knew for a fact that she was still up at this time of night.

"Thank you so much," said the unicorn gratefully.

Sawtooth waved a forehoof. "No problem, kid. But I expect both of you to do your reading if you want to wander out here. You should know better than to just eat the first thing you see."

"Yes, sir," replied the unicorn with a sullen nod of his head. The pair began their trek into the woods, hooves splatting into the damp earth and fallen leaves. The unicorn took the lead as instructed, his horn attempting to pierce the encroaching darkness, created as much by the lack of a moon as it was by the dense foliage. A heavy root caught his leg mid-step. He yelped in surprise, crashing into the dirt.

Sawtooth pulled him back to his hooves. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," he groaned, reigniting his horn. He jumped as an owl hooted high above them. "C-come on. We need to keep moving."

Silence fell over the pair as they continued to make their way through the forest. They passed by countless lower-hanging branches, looking almost like claws in the darkness.

As a colt, Sawtooth had been terrified of being in these woods at night, convinced that all sorts of ghosts and monsters dwelled here. He knew better now, of course. He wouldn't call it safe, but it was no Everfree Forest. No monsters roamed here in the dark, only the usual animals. Besides, he was ten times larger now, and strong enough that he could fight off any wild beast that threatened him.

"What were you two even doing wandering the woods at this time of night?" asked Sawtooth, deciding to fill the silence.

"We're traveling," answered the unicorn. "We thought we'd cut through the woods and hitch a ride on a train to Fillydelphia. Sis didn't want to wait for morning."

Sawtooth let out a little snort. "No offense, kid, but so far your sister sounds way too impulsive for her own good."

Rather than being offended, the stallion simply chuckled. "That's my little sister. It's why I stick by her, to try and be her voice of reason." His gaze lowered to his hooves. "Doesn't always work," he added with a frustrated mutter.

"Why didn't you just levitate her back up?"

The unicorn blushed. "My magic's not great, and I, uh, I'm not really good at lifting heavy objects. Not that she's fat or anything, but—"

"It's fine, kid," reassured Sawtooth. "I'm not judging you."

The unicorn gave what sounded like a thank-you under his breath before stopping, his eyebrows knitting together. The path before them forked. "I think it's this way," he decided finally, taking the path on the right.

As they walked along, Sawtooth noticed a glimmer of light. His eyes settled on the single earring perched in the stallion's right ear. He'd never really understood the trend among some of the younger colts and stallions to wear earrings, even single ones. But then, he figured it didn't really hurt anypony, so he let it slide without comment.

What really caught his attention about this one, though, was the material. It was a sort of gold color, but even in the lower light, he could tell that it didn't look like actual gold. If anything, it was sort of reddish, too. Bronze, maybe? But who wore bronze jewelry?

Not that he was an expert on metals or anything. His mark was in logging. But the father of his first marefriend had been a metallurgist. Going over to her house and spending time with her and her family had made Sawtooth intimately familiar with what various metals looked like, from iron to gold, to even fool's gold.

The apple hadn't fallen far from the tree, either. Auri had been incredibly passionate about precious metals herself, always wearing a pair of gold earrings that she polished every day. It was the sort of passion that went beyond superficial beauty or monetary value, and it had only made Sawtooth love her all the more.

An internal sigh blew through his broad chest like a cold wind. The two of them had broken up so long ago, and then Auri and her family had moved away. Old Green Leaf owned their house now, sitting at the end of that pine tree-lined path.

Her dad had told their neighbors the move was because of his work. But Sawtooth couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, if he and Auri hadn't broken up, she'd still be here. It was his fault things ended the way they did. He'd screwed up, forgetting her birthday, brushing her off more and more as he became obsessed with work, finally compounding it by just letting her walk out of his life.

Was Auri still single, even after all these years? Or had she found somepony else? Did she have foals, a little filly that had her mom's bright, perfect smile, or her soft golden mane?

He'd had a number of marefriends in the intervening years, but none had ever stayed. None had ever been like Auri. It had been so long since he'd even allowed himself to think of Auri, and now it was like an axe of pure pain thrust into his heart.

Tomorrow morning, he was going to look her up. That was a promise. One way or another, Sawtooth had to know.

The pair came to a halt at the top of a hill. Peering down the other side, Sawtooth saw that the rainstorm in the late afternoon had turned the soil into a wall of thick, slippery mud. And in the light of the unicorn's horn, he could see a trail where somepony had slid down.

Moving his eyes down to the base of the hill, he could just barely make out the body of a mare, legs splayed out on the grass. From that vantage point, Sawtooth could also see a semicircle of thorn bushes stationed around the base, blocking all access to the mare other than the hill itself.

"Sis!" the unicorn called out. "Sis, I'm back! I got help!"

"Big brother?" rose the weak reply. Sawtooth thought he saw the mare's head move a fraction of an inch, before settling back down in the dirt.

"Stay here," instructed Sawtooth, placing his axe on the ground. "That mud looks pretty unsteady. I can make my way down, but if you follow you might hurt yourself."

The unicorn didn't argue, only calling down to his sister again, telling her to light her horn. A faint blue light flickered below in response.

Setting his jaw, Sawtooth made his way down the muddy hillside. Slowly, step by step, he descended, careful to keep his hoofing. The last thing the poor mare needed was him slipping and crashing down on her. As he finally reached firmer ground, the mare's form came into better view.

She had a lemon-yellow coat and a short, dark green mane that fell long over the right side of her face in an asymmetrical fashion. Her saddlebags lay askew on her body, while patches of dark, wet mud clung to the rest of her, most of it residing on her hindquarters, obscuring her mark and almost burying her cropped green tail. She wore a metal choker around her neck, made from the same material as her brother's earring.

There was a large, pony-shaped splotch of mud on the tree behind her. Had she crashed into it on the way down?

"Who're you?" she asked, amber eyes only half open. Her cheeks looked flushed, though she didn't appear to be sweating.

"Name's Sawtooth. Your brother got me to help you. Can you stand?"

The mare tried getting to her hooves, but only ended up dropping back to the ground. "Don't think so," she groaned.

If she couldn't move, then he'd have to carry her back up the hill through the mud. It wouldn't be too hard for a pony like him. He bent down, moving the mare onto his back, and letting her head rest on his left shoulder. She looked at him with those same half-lidded eyes. "Thanks," she muttered. "Felt so dizzy. Hit the tree, and maybe... some rocks, too."

Sawtooth’s face fell again. The spot where she’d lain had several large rocks. She could have broken something, or even have a concussion. Soothing Herb will have her hooves full with a patient in this state.

He trotted toward the hill, placing his hooves on some firmer spots, ready to make the climb back up, when he felt the mare on his back tense up. "Wait," said the mare, practically whimpering. "Please wait."

"You okay there?" asked Sawtooth, looking over his shoulder at her pained expression. An idea clicked in his head. "Your brother said you might have eaten some poisonous berries. Is your stomach in pain?"

"I... I-I'm..." her body began to shake. "I'm..."

There was a flash, and the unicorn stallion stood before him. "Hey, what—" Sawtooth began to say, right before a dome of pink magic closed over him. “What do you think you’re doing?!” Sawtooth smashed a hoof against the dome. For a pony who wasn’t good at magic, this thing felt pretty solid. “Your sister needs help! Let me out of here right now!”

The unicorn didn't respond, only staring straight ahead, a wicked smirk on his face. Sawtooth pulled back his foreleg to strike again. If this brat thought he could hold him, he was dead wrong.

"—gry..."

The sound stopped Sawtooth cold, and he felt the mare's forelegs wrap around his torso in a tight, suffocating embrace. “Hey, are you okay?” He twisted his head to look at her face. “Don’t worry, we’re going to get out of—”

The eyes that stared back at him now had changed. Amber was replaced by pitch black, pupil and iris blending together into a solid mass that had expanded to such a size that the sclera was rendered nonexistent, while flecks of menacing red light were peppered across the dark surface.

"Hungry," she whispered, her voice distant, before transforming into something deeper. A voice that belonged to neither a mare nor a pony, but to something else. A voice that sounded alien to anything natural or living. A voice that shook with such power that Sawtooth felt it in his very bones.

"Hungry!"

Sawtooth screamed. He screamed and screamed, and screamed, but his voice never penetrated the dome. Not a single sound was heard as all around them, the dark forest settled into silent, blissful tranquility.

Pages turned in the grip of yellow magic, crimson eyes drifting silently over the words. The moon was out, and the night birds had begun their chorus. The lone unicorn grabbed at another page, ready to turn it, when the faint sound of wheels made her ears perk up. They were finally back.

Setting the book down, she made her way to the back of the house. The front boasted a long stone driveway, but the back had more cover, lines of sight blocked by collections of trees and bushes. It was a certainty that they'd be there.

A dark-colored cab was coming toward the house, pulled by a stout, thick-faced earth pony with a heavy five o'clock shadow. She ducked back inside the doorway. An unknown. Grabbing a blue cloak from the nearby rack, she wrapped it around herself, pulling up the hood. Better to play it safe.

The ropes of the driver's harness went slack as the wheels finally stopped. "Here at last," he sighed happily. "Good thing, too, my hooves are killing me. No offense, you two, but that stuff you got is heavy."

The cab doors swung open, and two ponies stepped out, a dark blue unicorn stallion with a single earring, and a lemon yellow unicorn mare with a gleaming metal choker. "None taken," said the stallion.

The earth pony examined the dark, towering exterior before him. "Say... this looks like the back of this house to me. How come you wanted to go in the back way at this time of night?"

From her hiding place, the cloaked mare took a few steps backwards, retreating further into the safety of the hallway. As she did, her flank bumped against an overstuffed umbrella stand. She turned, letting out a cry as the lightweight container fell over with an even noisier thud.

The cabbie's eyes narrowed in her direction. "Hey, is there somepony over there?"

"It's just your imagination," said the unicorn mare, anxiety rising in her voice. "There's nopony there, okay?"

Unfortunately, the pony wouldn't be dissuaded. He grabbed a lantern from the front of his cab, setting it on the ground before him. "Whoever you are, come on out!" he shouted, his voice echoing off the walls of the house.

The cloaked unicorn cursed under her breath. If this loudmouth kept up, he'd attract attention for sure. Only one thing to do. Stepping out into the night, she trotted toward the group.

"W-who are you?" asked the cabbie, taking a small step backwards. He looked around at the group accusingly. "What's going on? You three up to something fishy? I heard all about those smugglers they busted at the harbor. Are you three in on it? Is that why you had me coming in the back? If it was, I swear I'll..."

The earth pony continued to talk, asking more questions, stating how he wasn't going to be involved in anything illegal, on and on. She gritted her teeth, annoyed as much by his questions as his volume, the latter ever increasing, which only made him even more irritating. They just had to pick a mouthy cab driver, didn't they?

Sparks of yellow magic flowed from her horn. If she had to shut this idiot up, then so be it.

Before she could do anything, however, the blue stallion got between them. "Hey, now. Just relax," he said to the cabbie, shooting her the barest of glances, a sign that he was addressing her as well.

Looking back at the earth pony, he offered an easy, charming smile. "There's been a big misunderstanding here. This is our friend. She's the new owner of this house, you see. Her luggage had to be sent separately, so we," he gestured to his traveling companion, "went to get it for her."

The cabbie relaxed, just a bit, but the look of wariness didn't leave his eyes. "What's with the cloak? And why'd you want me coming in the back?"

"She's a celebrity," the other stallion answered smoothly. He pointed at the rows of grand houses. "Wouldn't you expect that in a neighborhood like this?"

"I... guess so," relented the earth pony. "But why is she—"

"Going incognito. We're all new here, and we wanted her arrival to be a big surprise, especially to the neighbors. You know how gossip can spread in this town."

He turned to give her a look, and in that moment, an alien thought passed through her mind. She grimaced in disgust, but understood it. Moving closer to the cabbie, she let the soft material of her cloak brush against his fur. Close enough for him to feel her body heat.

"I'm so sorry," she said, willing her voice to be as soft as possible. "I really didn't mean to scare you. But you understand, don't you? I just want this to be a surprise."

The earth pony’s cheeks turned a hot scarlet. “U-uh, y-yes ma’am,” he stammered. “I, uh, I guess a surprise ain’t much of a surprise if somepony finds out and starts blabbing.”

The yellow mare bounded next to him. “Exactly! And you wouldn’t want to spoil her surprise, would you?”

The still red-faced cabbie glanced at the mare next to him, then back down at her, still pressed against him as she was. He shook his head. “No, ma’am.”

“Here,” said the unicorn stallion, pulling the cabbie away with a hoof. “Let me sort out your fare.”

The cabbie looked at him in surprise. "Shouldn't I help you get the luggage out?"

"Thanks, but I've got it," said the yellow mare, lighting her horn and removing the first of several cases and trunks. She floated down the first few with ease, but nearly dropped the heavier ones on her head, forcing the two stallions to jump to her aid.

As she watched her friends unload the cab, one case caught her eye. It was large, several feet long and two feet wide, the sturdy-looking wood painted forest green. But what made it stand out the most among all the other cases was the heavy padlock fixed to the lid. The sight of it made her smile.

“Take this too,” said her stallion friend when they finished unloading the bags, sporting a smile of his own. He levitated a small bag of bits over to the cabbie. “A little extra for all your help.”

The earth pony looked inside, eyes widening. “Twelve bits? That’s too much for a tip.”

“I insist,” her friend told him. “You have no idea how valuable some of these things are.” He turned to her. “Isn’t that right?”

“Oh, yes,” she replied, finding herself laughing at their private joke. “So very valuable.”

The two stallions talked a bit more, something she couldn’t quite make out, and then the earth pony was on the road again, his cab lighter, but his wallet heavier.

The minute the driver was gone, a scowl spread across her face. “You couldn’t have just stolen a cab?”

“There were a lot of cops around,” said the yellow mare. “Some VIP was arriving.”

“There weren’t a lot of openings, anyway,” added the stallion. “It was the best we could do.”

“Fine,” she huffed, pulling back the hood of her cloak and allowing her voluminous curls to spring free. “You’re going to deal with him, right? Even if he believed you, we can’t have any potential loose ends if we can afford it.”

He scoffed. “Don’t worry. I talked him into meeting me tomorrow night for a game of poker all the way in town. Trust me, I'll make sure he won't say anything."

Nodding in satisfaction, her eyes moved to survey the pile of boxes. “You took a lot longer than expected.”

"Sorry about that," apologized the yellow mare. "We had to leave the train early to pick up a midnight snack."

She nodded. "I felt it." She'd known the moment it happened, felt the sensation run through her entire body, lighting up every nerve and waking her from a sound slumber. What they were now, what they were doing, it had bound them closer than ever before. All because they'd gone to that place, because they'd met...

Her crimson eyes moved back to the lone stallion of the trio. "How did it go in Fillydelphia, Decepticolt?"

Decepticolt grinned. "It was easy. I got us in the door like that," he said, clapping his hooves together. “Then Zappityhoof took her down.”

"Uh-huh," said Zappityhoof. "I used lightning. It was barely more than a strong static charge, but she was down for the count in one shot. Couldn't even put up a shield, just wham!" She gesticulated wildly, bouncing on her hooves like a filly as she let loose a round of mocking, high-pitched laughter. "Pretty pathetic for a unicorn if you ask me, Goldcap."

Goldcap’s mouth twisted into a smirk, but she turned back to the business at hoof. "What about her neighbors?"

"Won't be a problem," replied Zappityhoof. "The old nag was right. She was the quiet type, kept pretty much to herself. Most of the tenants didn't even know she lived there."

"I convinced the landlord that she was moving," explained Decepticolt. "Nopony will question her up and leaving like that."

"Perfect." She looked down at the box that had caught her eye before. "Take her upstairs. I set up a room for her while you were gone. It's just like the other one, with a barrier spell and security charm." Summoning a key with her magic, she gave it to Decepticolt. "I'll come up soon."

The two nodded, carrying the box inside together. Zappityhoof took a step, then looked back at her friend. "Uh, one thing, Goldcap. You might not be too happy when you get a look at her."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she snapped. She shook her head. "Nevermind. Just get her secure."

"Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you."

She trotted back to the room where she'd left her book. She only wanted a moment to relax, a moment more before they undertook the next big step in their plan.

Her eyes were drawn to the large set of bay windows. Outside stood rows of elegant mansions just like this one, a neighborhood for those Manehattanites wealthy enough to afford it. Glimmering in the distance was the city proper, a bustling, vibrant cultural melting pot, the envy of much of the nation.

To the west, stretching far beyond what she could see, was mainland Equestria, with brilliant Canterlot standing high above all the other cities, and little Ponyville tucked into the valley below.

Red eyes narrowed at the thought of both, bitter memories rising up and stinging like salt in a pair of wounds, one old and personal, the other new and shared. But things were different now, they were different. Now, they would succeed. This time, nopony would be able to stop them.

Turning away from the window, she headed toward the stairs, ready to greet their new guest. “Soon,” she muttered, letting the words act as a balm against her anger. “Soon, we’ll show them all.”

Manehattan Nightmare

Chapter 2: Manehattan Nightmare

It was night in Manehattan, and Valencia Orange was working her way through the room.

Gilded Hooves, socialite extraordinaire, had organized this party to show off the newest additions to her art collection, a mix of modern sculptures and paintings. Valencia herself had never found the appeal of modern art, but a party was a party, and one had to make appearances for the sake of society. Normally, her husband Mosely would have been there with her, but he'd been too busy going over the books.

Now, the earth pony was simply trying to find her hostess among the crowds of ponies. Valencia had been hoping to talk privately before Gilded brought out her collection. Their business needed more investment ever since that parasprite infestation devastated two of their orange farms.

She turned her head left and right, failing to spot Gilded Hooves. As she walked on, several ponies offered her greetings, and Valencia gave them a bright smile in return. She passed by a group of ponies, a small island in a sea of talk.

"I still can't believe I'm talking to Cee Rockefeather's niece!"

That caught Valencia's attention. Celesta Rockefeather, known to all her friends as "Cee" due to how often her name was misheard as "Celestia", was a major Manehattan businessmare and philanthropist. Valencia had seen her picture in the newspaper a hoofful of times, but had yet to meet her face to face. They didn't run in the same social circles. In truth, the only reason Valencia and Mosely got invited to Gilded's parties was because she adored their oranges.

Abandoning her search for Gilded, Valencia turned to peer through a gap in the assembled ponies.

The mare they were all focused on was a young unicorn, a bit above average in height and of a sturdier build. Her coat was amber, though it was mostly concealed beneath an elegant gown of dark green silk.

Her head moved back and forth as she addressed the circle of ponies, allowing the tips of her straight vermilion mane, adorned with jewel-encrusted accessories and woven with braids, to swish across her shoulders where they rested. Her eyes were hidden behind a pair of expensive, diamond-studded glasses, a reflection of light just touching the lenses.

Valencia had never heard of Cee Rockefeather having a niece, but this mare bore a strong resemblance to the photos in the newspaper. She was quite pretty, too, in Valencia's opinion. And from the way two of her admirers were looking at her, they thought so too.

"Oh, stop," laughed the unicorn, ducking her face behind her mane. "You're making me blush."

"It's such a shame Cee couldn't be here." The voice snapped Valencia from her thoughts. She turned to see Gilded Hooves, tall and elegant as always, striding up to the group, the ring of ponies parting before their hostess. "I missed her terribly at the charity auction last week. She would have liked it, too; I saw a Neighson-Tithe fountain pen go for only sixteen thousand bits."

"It couldn't be helped," replied the unicorn. "Auntie's on a long business trip. She didn't share all the details with me, but I'm sure it'll prove to have been quite successful when she returns." She smiled a little wider. "Until then, she left managing everything in my hooves."

"That's an awfully big responsibility." Valencia took a few steps forward, seeing an opportunity to join the conversation. "I hope the pressure isn't getting to you." She knew how difficult managing a business could be, even with Mosely there with her, and could scarcely imagine running something the size of Cee Rockefeather's all by herself.

The mare turned to face her, and Valencia saw that her eyes were a deep shade of crimson. Those eyes flashed with a look of contempt, as if the earth pony’s statement had deeply offended her, punctuated further by a slight downturn of the mouth.

Valencia was about to apologize for whatever offense she’d caused when the look vanished, and the unicorn’s face shifted into a friendly smile. “Oh no, I’m perfectly fine. Miss…?”

The earth pony extended a hoof, feeling more at ease. It must have been her imagination. “Mrs. Valencia Orange.”

“Harmony Song,” replied the mare, shaking Valencia’s hoof.

"Valencia is in the orange business, dear," said Gilded. "The food at her shop is to die for. I know you're still getting used to Manehattan, but you should make sure to stop by and try them." Gilded glanced at Valencia. "And I'm sure you wouldn't mind the business," she added with a laugh.

"No, I most certainly wouldn't. Actually, Gilded, I needed to speak to you about—"

"Oh dear, look at the time." Gilded stared up at the clock on the wall. "I need to get ready to reveal my collection. Please excuse me."

By now, Harmony's admirers had been pulled away to their own conversations, leaving the pair stranded, and Valencia more than a little discouraged. Glancing at Harmony, she realized she was forgetting her manners. "I'm feeling a bit parched. Would you like to join me at the refreshment table?"

Harmony smiled. "Certainly."

The two mares made their way through the crowd to a nearby table. Valencia poured herself a cup of punch, taking a sip and letting the fruity flavors wash over her tongue. It was a delightfully sweet mixture. She'd need to compliment Gilded for it later, if she managed to get in a conversation amidst all the other ponies.

Frankly, a part of her would have preferred orange juice, but nopony but her immediate family ever drank it outside of the morning. Why, she had no clue. In her opinion, oranges should be enjoyed any time of the day or night, not just at sunrise. Some ponies just had the strangest ideas.

"So," she began conversationally, "From what Gilded said, I gather you're not from Manehattan?"

"Oh no, I was living in Fillydelphia until just recently," replied Harmony, taking a sip of her own cup. "Auntie Cee had been pestering me for months to move here, and I finally just caved." She laughed. "That's Auntie for you, once she wants something, she won't stop."

Valencia joined in her laughter. "That's probably why she's so successful. What were you doing before you came here, if you don't mind my asking?"

"I was dabbling in songwriting," answered Harmony. "Music has always been a passion of mine."

The earth pony's mouth opened in shock. One of the most powerful businessmares in the city, if not the nation, had left managing her business in the hooves of a songwriter? "And you're sure you can handle things?"

She regretted the question immediately. Would Harmony take it as a personal insult, or an insult against her aunt? Valencia flashed back to that look of contempt she still wasn’t entirely certain she’d witnessed. The absolute last thing she needed right now was to accidentally slight a member of the Rockefeather family.

To Valencia's great relief, the unicorn took the question with a smile. "I'm perfectly fine," she assured. "Auntie trusts me, and there are so many ponies I can consult if I need help."

Valencia let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. Crisis averted, and feeling the weight of sudden awkwardness, the earth pony fumbled for a new topic of conversation; and found one wrapped around the other mare's foreleg. "Oh, what a lovely bracelet you have," she said, pointing to the piece in question.

Harmony held up her foreleg, allowing Valencia to get a better look at it. "Thank you very much. It's very special to me," she chuckled, as if laughing at some inside joke. "I never take it off."

It was a funny piece of jewelry, not elaborate like Valencia's own necklace, or most of the other jewelry she and other Manehattan mares tended to wear. Instead, it was a wide metal band, lacking any kind of inlaid jewels or decoration. In shape and design, it might as well have been a manacle.

And yet, it was most certainly jewelry. The metal, though unadorned or sculpted, was, Valencia found, surprisingly beautiful to behold. It looked like solid gold, but sparkled brilliantly in the light with a strange reddish tone as well.

She nodded appreciatively, and looked to its owner; but before she could even begin uttering a compliment, Harmony's expression fell, and she lifted her glasses in her magic to rub the bridge of her nose. "Ugh," she muttered in obvious irritation.

Valencia blinked, lifting a curious eyebrow. "Are you alright, dear?"

"I'm fine," replied Harmony, her voice almost snappish as her glasses dropped back down on her face. "My glasses just bother me sometimes, that's all."

"Oh, have you not had them long?"

Harmony attempted to glare at her glasses, and only succeeded in looking cross-eyed. "No."

Valencia nodded sympathetically. "I understand, believe me. My husband Mosely's brother had to get glasses a few months ago for the first time, and he hated wearing them. Oh, the rants he went on. But it couldn't be helped since he was so near-sighted."

"Valencia!" called a voice over her shoulder. The earth pony turned her head, spotting Grape Vine, an old school friend. "Valencia, darling, will you be at my place for lunch next week?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Grape Vine was quickly whisked away by a rather charming-looking stallion. Most likely he'd be her new beau. Valencia smiled knowingly. Grape had always been a horrible flirt. She gave her about a week before she'd start rubbernecking for another one.

She turned back to Harmony, ready to continue their conversation; only to see the unicorn clutching a hoof to her forehead, eyes squeezed tightly closed. Her food and glass of punch lay forgotten on the table surface.

"Are you alright?" asked Valencia with concern. "You look like you're in pain."

Harmony blinked, her gaze unfocused for a moment. Her crimson eyes darted around the room before she locked onto Valencia. A smile spread across her face. "I'm fine. Just a little headache. I get them sometimes. Maybe it's my glasses."

Valencia frowned in worry. "Have you seen an optometrist? I could recommend you to the one that sees Mosely's brother."

Harmony shook her head, her vermilion mane swinging around her shoulders once again. "It's fine. But now that I think about it, maybe I do need some extra business advice. There are so many stallions on the board and they're all so much older than me. I..." she hesitated, moving in closer to whisper. "I have to admit, Mrs. Orange, it's rather uncomfortable for me."

The earth pony gave a silent nod. That sort of environment could seem so intimidating. She'd felt the same way the first time she'd gone with her father to the store where he and Mosely's father worked. They'd been business partners for years, and it was always a little scary, being so young and surrounded by so many strange older ponies.

But that was how she'd met Mosely, and that one meeting was worth every bit of anxiety. Even if she and Harmony were in different arenas and social circles, she could offer the poor dear some tips on how to handle herself among all those ponies expecting her to make decisions.

"In fact," added Harmony, her voice carrying the tone of one who'd just had a wonderful idea. "Mrs. Hooves said you sell oranges, right? What if you and I made some kind of deal?"

Valencia had to fight the urge to jump with joy. An opportunity to make a business deal with the Rockefeathers? Was she dreaming? No, she was fairly sure she wasn't. She'd only been hoping to help recoup the losses from the damaged farms, but this could net their business a huge boon. "I'd be delighted."

"Wonderful." Harmony hooked a foreleg around hers, pulling her along with a tangible excitement. "Come on, let's find a quiet place to talk. Auntie Cee always says you need privacy for these sorts of things."

"Now?" asked the earth pony in surprise, but still allowing herself to be led through Gilded's ballroom. "Why don't we schedule a meeting for later this week? Mosely would love to meet with you."

"He still can. I'll have to have some of the other ponies at the company go over everything, but why wait to start planning things out?" answered Harmony, voice filled with impatient energy.

Valencia wanted to protest, but simply shrugged. If Mosely was here, he'd probably be telling her to just go along.

Finally, the two came to a small guest room. Gilded never did leave all her doors locked during these get togethers. Ushering Valencia inside, Harmony shut the door. Her horn lit up, spreading a yellow magic over the walls. "It's a soundproofing spell," she explained, seeing Valencia's questioning stare. "It's pretty useful when you live in an apartment and you're trying to compose. And this way, we won't be overheard."

It seemed a bit excessive to her, but who was she to judge? There were more important things to think about, like what they could do together. Valencia took a moment to try and remember some of the things the Rockefeathers had a hoof in. "I seem to recall your aunt owning a few restaurants. Mosely and I would be happy to supply some new dishes," she offered. "We have some wonderful new dessert ideas we've been meaning to try at our store."

"I'm sure you'll be delectable," muttered Harmony.

"I beg your pardon?"

The unicorn turned to face Valencia, removing her glasses and flashing a smile that frankly made the earth pony uncomfortable. "I'm afraid I told a fib, Mrs. Orange. You see, it's not so much that I'm interested in you, as my employer." Her face contorted. "Really interested in you."

Something in the back of Valencia's mind was screaming at her now, and she took an instinctive step backward, tail brushing against an old dresser. "I don't understand."

"He's very hungry," said Harmony, matching Valencia's step, "And unfortunately for you, you're on the menu." She looked down at her foreleg, closing her eyes. "Let me introduce you to him."

A glow filled the room. The reddish sparkle of Harmony’s bracelet, so beautiful before, even mesmerizing, was exchanged for a self-produced light. Soft at first, it quickly transitioned into a bright, angry red, making the band look as though it had been pulled straight from the depths of a blazing furnace.

Wisps of magical energy flowed from the shining metal, twisting in the air, while others traveled up Harmony’s foreleg, highlighting veins and arteries as they raced under her skin, passing through her heart and up her neck. Convulsing violently, she staggered across the room, leaning against the frame of a bed for support.

While this went on, Valencia found herself unable to do anything but stand and stare, mind reeling to comprehend the spectacle unfolding before her.

Once upon a time, she’d been invited to a seance. She considered it nonsense, but her friend had insisted. The medium had spoken in an eerie voice, made objects fly around, and, possessed by a guest's relative, answered questions he shouldn't have known.

It had all been quite convincing, until one of his tricks literally fell apart and crashed onto the table. Now, transfixed in horror as she was, Valencia wondered if this, too, was some sort of trick. Was she the victim of an elaborate prank?

And then, it all stopped. Harmony's body relaxed, the glow from the bracelet fading away as she opened her eyes again. Except they weren't hers. The eyes that stared out from inside Harmony Song's face were as black as coal, red light scattered over the dark surface. They were the eyes of... something else.

The medium hadn't done that.

Those eyes blinked a few times, before finding their focus, and zeroing in on her. "Hungry." The voice wasn't Harmony's either, deep and rumbling. There was no way a pony like Harmony Song could ever produce a sound like that. It didn't even sound like a pony at all, more like some great and terrible beast. A beast Valencia was in the same room with.

Harmony inhaled deeply, sniffing like a dog that had picked up a scent. "Food." She stepped toward Valencia, a slow, lumbering gait, reaching out a foreleg.

The unicorn had come within inches of Valencia when the earth pony finally snapped out of her daze. Adrenaline pumping in her veins, Valencia bolted to the side and dashed past her.

The unicorn's foreleg came down on the dresser with a forceful slam, wood cracking and splintering underneath it. Suddenly unbalanced, Harmony toppled forward with a bellow of indignant rage that made Valencia’s insides quiver in fear.

She grabbed the door handle in her mouth, twisting and pulling until her teeth felt like they would be ripped from her gums, but it refused to budge. Locked. Harmony must have locked it. She was trapped.

The earth pony pounded against it with all her might. "Gilded! Anypony! Can you hear me?!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, but no answer came. The soundproofing spell was too strong. She bucked at the door, but it remained solid, magic flashing at the impact. "Somepony please let me out of here!"

A growl drew her attention. Harmony was getting up. She glared hatefully over her shoulder at Valencia, red light glowing even brighter in those horrible black eyes. "Hungry."

Valencia's back pressed against the door as Harmony approached again. "Stay away from me!" The doorway was flanked by small tables, each with a vase of flowers. Valencia flung one of the vases with all her might, then the other.

Each one exploded against Harmony's body, pieces flying everywhere. A normal pony should have at least been stunned, but the unicorn just continued forward, undaunted. "You... will... feed... me."

"No!" Valencia dashed to another side of the room. There was a window. If she could get it open, she could escape. Her hooves moved faster than they had in ages. In a few more steps, she'd be there.

Her hoof slipped on one of the vase shards, and Valencia crashed onto the hardwood floor. Stars danced before her as she tried to get up again, only to come face to face with a pair of black eyes.

A foreleg reached out for her, and Valencia's world erupted into pain.

Harmony Song panted heavily as the last spark of magic faded from her horn. Taking a deep breath, she looked around the room, then spat out a curse.

"Just great," she glowered. As necessary as it had been, it didn't change that this little feeding session came at the worst possible time. Outside, the party beckoned for her to rejoin, but inside the room? Crimson eyes spared a glance at the pony laying on the floor. "Now what am I going to do?"

Seeing no alternative, she closed her eyes, focused her mind, and reached out across the city.

Decepticolt, Zappityhoof, we have a problem.

"Harmony, there you are!" Gilded Hooves trotted up to her guest. All around them, ponies were admiring over a dozen pieces of newly displayed artwork. "I've been looking everywhere for you. I unveiled my new collection five minutes ago! I was afraid you'd miss it."

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Hooves," apologized the unicorn quietly. "I... um... I was trying to find the bathroom and I got a little lost." She laughed like an embarrassed schoolfilly. "I guess I'm still not used to houses this large."

"It's Gilded, dear," corrected the pegasus, chuckling to herself. "And I understand." She looked around, scanning the crowd of ponies. "By the way, have you seen Valencia? She seemed to want to speak to me earlier." Valencia was always a joy to talk to, and Gilded felt a stab of guilt for ignoring her so long.

"We were talking for a bit," answered Harmony. "But then she said she needed to head home. Something about speaking to her husband about their business."

Gilded's expression soured. "Really?"

"She told me to offer you her apologies," replied Harmony. Turning her head, she pointed out the window. "Oh, there she is now."

Gilded turned to look in the direction Harmony was pointing. At the curb outside of her house, she saw a mare with an orange updo standing before a waiting cab. The pegasus took to the air and glided out the window to her porch. "Valencia!" she called out.

Valencia turned her head ever so slightly, offering a little wave. Or at least Gilded thought she did. A small embankment of fog lay across the entire length of the street, obstructing her view. But Gilded could just make out the glittering outline of Valencia's favorite necklace as her friend moved.

"Valencia, dear, you could have at least given me an apology to my face before dashing off." She flapped her wings again, ready to catch up to her friend, when the earth pony suddenly hopped into the cab and let it speed off.

"Of all the nerve," huffed the pegasus. She shivered, wet wisps of fog tracing their way across her coat. "I don't remember any fog scheduled for tonight."

"Perhaps it was some kind of error," suggested Harmony as she joined Gilded on the porch. "You wouldn't believe how many times that happened back home. Rain clouds on one street when it was supposed to be dry, fog in the wrong places, it happens."

"I suppose you're right, dear." Gilded looked in the direction the cab had gone, feeling more than a little hurt. "I can't believe Valencia just left like that," she muttered.

Harmony followed her gaze, staring into the distance. "I'm sure she had her reasons."

Inside the speeding cab, Zappityhoof yanked the wig free from her head, rubbing a hoof along her horn to soothe an itch. The wig fell beside her on the seat, followed by the gold necklace that had been draped over her choker.

Sticking her head out the window, she looked back at the house. The fog bank, her fog bank, totally obscured her face even as Decepticolt pulled them farther and farther away.

Zappityhoof grinned, sticking out her tongue. "Sucker."

It was the early hours of the morning, and Blueberry Curls was traveling down the streets of Manehattan.

She was also hopelessly lost.

The season was wrapping up, and she'd been ecstatic to land an at-home interview with a hot new avant-garde designer, and a very handsome stallion to boot. Of course, it was possible he'd just agreed in order to flirt with her. He did seem quite smitten when they'd spoken the night before. But she'd dealt with flirty subjects before, and she'd get a story out of it nonetheless.

However, her fortune had taken a downward turn, and for one very big reason: Her interviewee had lousy hoofwriting. She'd gotten prescriptions that were clearer than the address he'd written out.

She looked down at the piece of paper again, contemplating it as if it were an ancient riddle. "Is that a five? Or is that a two?" she wondered aloud. "Is this even the right street? Maybe this is northeast and not northwest?"

As she passed a pair of buildings, a noise caught her attention. It was slow and drawn-out, like a groan. "Hello?" she said, peering into the cramped alley. The groaning came again, louder this time. Taking a few steps forward, and balking at the heavy layer of garbage on the ground, she called out again. "Is somepony there?"

Deep at the end of the alley, a pile of garbage moved. A pony's foreleg rolled into sight, and then a body. The instant it did, Blueberry let out a mighty shriek, staggering backwards onto the street, interview totally forgotten.

"Police! Police!"

Princess Twilight Sparkle walked out the front doors of the hotel and onto the street. Above her, the sky was a clear blue, and all around her, the citizens of Manehattan were already up and busy, traveling to and from a thousand different places. It was far louder than she was accustomed to, but still, the sunlight felt wonderful against her fur.

Rarity trotted up beside her. "My, what a lovely day," said the fashionista, echoing Twilight's own thoughts.

"It's sort of a shame we have to leave," said Twilight. "This is perfect weather for sightseeing."

"Oh, I know, darling," agreed Rarity. "But I simply must get back to the boutique. Rarity For You will need more inventory before very long, especially if it continues to do as well as it did last night." She adjusted her saddlebags, and Twilight heard the faintest sound of coins from inside the fabric. "I must say, last night was probably my most successful opening to date."

"You earned it, Rarity." The unicorn had a point, however. Twilight knew they all needed to get back to Ponyville. They'd done enough traveling lately as it was, and Twilight wanted to check in on Starlight and Spike.

"Hey, y'all should know," said Applejack as she walked out the doors. "The bellcolts just finished loadin' the bags on the trolley, so we're ready to go." The farmer gave a small huff. "Still can't believe they're bein' so darn fussy about it."

"I think it was because of me," admitted Twilight sheepishly.

The hotel manager had insisted on not only having members of the staff take their luggage for them all the way to the train station, but he wouldn't even let them put the bags on the trolley. "The princess and her friends deserve our best treatment," he'd said. It wasn't the first time that sort of thing had happened, and it certainly wouldn't be the last, and yet, Twilight still felt embarrassed whenever it did.

"Back to the train!" shouted Pinkie Pie as she bounded out the doors. "I've got a great new traveling song!"

"But Pinkie," interjected Fluttershy, "the attendants got so mad on the way over."

"Let's just go," insisted Rainbow. "I want to stretch my wings before we get on."

"Don't worry, Rainbow," said Twilight. "You'll have plenty of time before the train leaves." She took a few steps forward in the direction of the train station, and immediately smacked face first into another pony.

Applejack was next to her in an instant. "Are you okay, sugarcube?"

"I'm fine," said Twilight, rubbing her sore nose.

"I'm so sorry," apologized a worried-looking stallion. To Twilight, he seemed vaguely familiar. "I—" He stopped short, eyes suddenly widening in realization. "Applejack, is that you?"

Applejack met his gaze, smiling brightly. "Uncle Orange?"

"You two are related?" asked Twilight. "I don't recall seeing him at your family reunions." Even still, she felt like she'd seen this pony somewhere before.

"I couldn't get away from work last time," said the stallion, turning his attention back to her. "I... Princess Twilight?! Oh, I'm so sorry!" He made a quick bow. "I didn't mean—"

"It's fine," interrupted Twilight. "Believe me, I've had worse. And please, you don't need to bow."

"I'm sorry," he apologized again.

"Don't you worry, Uncle, Orange, we're all used to it," Applejack chimed in, chuckling good-naturedly. "This 'Equestria's Heroes' nonsense's brought more ponies with cameras and pens on us than timberwolves in Zap Apple season."

"I imagine so," said the stallion with a little laugh. "But what are you doing here, Applejack? I hardly expected to see you here today."

"I was helpin' Rarity here with openin' her new store," replied Applejack, before turning to the others. "Gang, this is my uncle, Mosely Orange. I stayed with him and Aunt Orange for a short spell."

It was then that Twilight remembered, she'd seen this stallion in a photograph in Applejack's house. This was the pony Applejack had stayed with around the time she'd gotten her cutie mark.

A quick round of polite introductions followed. "You should stop by my boutique," offered Rarity with a polite smile. "I'm sure I could find something your wife would adore."

At Rarity's invitation, Twilight observed a curious change come over Mosely. When he'd run into Twilight, he'd seemed worried, which faded as he was distracted by the conversation. Now, the worry had returned. No, more than simply worried, he looked haggard, like a rock that had been eroded by the oncoming tide.

Applejack picked up on it, too. "What's wrong, Uncle Orange?"

The stallion let out a long sigh, sounding like a deflated balloon. "Valencia went to a party last night by herself, and she didn't come home at all."

"Are you sure?" asked Twilight.

Mosely nodded his head. "I was working so hard last night I must have nodded off, so I didn't notice until this morning, but I've checked. There's no note, no breakfast dishes, nopony at the store has seen her today. I even checked with Gilded Hooves, she was hosting the party. She swears Valencia took a cab home. I just..." his shoulders sagged. "I'm worried."

"I'm sure she's fine," said Applejack, offering a comforting hoof.

"I hope so," sighed Mosely. "I was on my way to the police station to file a report."

"That's not a bad idea," said Twilight. "Though they won't be able to act on it until more time has passed."

As if in response to the statement, a stallion in a police officer's uniform walked up to the group. "Excuse me, Mr. Orange, I—Princess Twilight." The stallion quickly saluted, then fumbled into a bow.

"Please stop bowing," sighed Twilight.

"I know you," said Mosely. "You come to our store, don't you?"

"Yes sir," said the officer, before his expression fell. "I... uh, Mr. Orange, it's about your wife, sir."

Mosely snapped to attention, hooking a hoof tightly on the other stallion's shoulder. "You found her? Where is she?!"

"Somepony else found her, sir. I was just one of the responding officers." stated the stallion succinctly, managing to push Mosely's hoof off his shoulder with some effort.

"Is she alright?" begged the older stallion. "Please, tell me, is Valencia alright?"

"She was being rushed to Manehattan General Hospital, sir."

"But is she alright?!" repeated Mosely. His eyes locked firmly onto the officer's face. "What happened to her? Was she attacked? Is she sick?"

"I..." The officer hesitated, swallowed hard, and pressed his lips together. "Mr. Orange, I really can't—"

"Now you listen here," growled Applejack, giving the other pony the darkest look Twilight had ever seen. "I don't care if you're a police officer. You spit it out right now and tell us what happened to my Aunt Orange, or so help me, I'll buck you so hard, you'll land in Coltifornia."

"I can't really say, ma'am," said the stallion with a grimace, making Twilight think that perhaps it wasn't so much that he couldn't say as he didn't want to. He rubbed one foreleg with another in obvious discomfort as he turned his attention back to Mosely. "I'd only been sent to inform you, Mr. Orange. But," the officer's eyes softened, "I'd go to her as soon as possible."

"Now hold on a darn minute!" protested Applejack. But the officer didn't respond to her demand. He simply whirled around, his body jerking as he did so, and walked hastily off, presumably toward the police station. A cold gust of wind punctuated the words left unspoken by the stallion's tone: Before it's too late.

A small shiver ran down Twilight's spine, and she immediately visualized the maps of the city she'd seen before, working out distance and direction. "AJ," she told her friend, "Manehattan General is on the other side of town. If you want, I can teleport you and your uncle there."

"Thank you, Twilight," said Applejack, looking back at her with green eyes turned soft and moist. The farmer then put a hoof on her uncle's shoulder. "Uncle Orange, Twilight here can teleport us straight to the hospital."

Mosely, who had gone into some sort of daze, gave a slow, confused blink. "What did you say?"

"Twilight's goin' to teleport us to the hospital," repeated AJ. She then turned her attention to the others. "Y'all go on ahead and get on the train. Tell Granny Smith I'll be back as soon as I can."

"No way," protested Rainbow, crossing her forelegs in defiance. "If you think we're just going to go home after hearing all that, then you've got another thing coming. We're going, too."

"I have to agree with Rainbow Dash," said Rarity. "As much as I would like to return to Ponyville, I couldn't do so in good conscience while leaving you here."

"Neither could I," said Fluttershy.

"Me either!" declared Pinkie Pie.

Applejack looked like she was on the verge of crying, but managed to rein in her features, wiping her face with a foreleg. "Girls, I—"

"Um, what are we supposed to do?"

All eyes turned to look at a pair of young bellcolts awkwardly shuffling their hooves by a trolley filled with suitcases. Twilight gave them a polite smile. "Tell your manager to hold onto our suitcases. We'll come get them later. Is that understood?" An unusual request, but considering how much effort the pony had put into accommodating her, Twilight knew the manager would agree.

The bellcolts ran inside with the trolley, and Twilight brought her attention back to Applejack and her uncle, the latter still in a state of shock. "Ready?"

Applejack lowered the brim of her hat, eyes set with determination. "Ready."

Twilight closed her eyes, horn surrounded by a corona of magic, and in an instant, all seven ponies disappeared in a purple flash.

The alicorn heaved a breath as the group popped back into existence in front of Manehattan General Hospital, a tidal wave of dizziness crashing down over her. She almost toppled over, only to land on a cushion of pink curls.

"You okay, Twilight?" asked Pinkie.

"Thanks, Pinkie. I'm fine, I'm just not used to teleporting this many ponies at once."

The second they arrived, both Applejack and Mosely were off like a pair of racers, galloping straight through the doors of the lobby. Even in the rush, Twilight noticed the elegant design of it. There were two curving staircases on each side of the room, making it look like it had once been a hotel. On the room's opposite wall, sitting between the sets of stairs, was an information desk.

Applejack charged up and slammed her hoof against the wood, startling the unicorn receptionist into meeting her frantic gaze. "Where's my aunt?!"

"Her name is Valencia Orange," added Mosely, his gentler tone barely masking the wild panic in his eyes. "She's my wife. Please, where is she?"

"I-I'm sorry," said the mare. "I don't recall a patient by that name." Upon seeing Applejack's angry glare, she moved backwards, using her desk like a protective barricade. Twilight didn't blame her. If she was face to face with a pony that angry, and she wasn't as proficient in magic as she was, she'd have done the same thing.

"But she's supposed to be here," insisted Mosely. "The police said she was brought in today."

"Let me check my records, sir." She walked over to a filing cabinet, and levitated out a list. Several tense seconds later, she turned to Mosely with a look of apology, "I don't see her here."

"Don't give us that hooey!" growled Applejack, slamming her hoof on the desk again. "My aunt was brought here, so tell me where she is."

The desk went from barricade to shield as the startled mare ducked underneath it. "I-I don't know!"

Applejack swung her foreleg back, ready to slam on the desk a third time, but Twilight restrained it in her magic, a not-so-easy feat. "Applejack, stop."

"Yes, darling," admonished Rarity, "you're frightening the poor mare out of her wits."

"A-And me, too..." muttered Fluttershy, now being comfort-hugged by Pinkie Pie.

"Look," suggested the nurse, still refusing to relinquish the safety of her desk. "If she's just arrived, then my list may not be up to date yet. If your aunt was rushed here and you really want to find her, why don't you try the ambulance entrance? It's on the east side of the building."

"We'll do that, thank you," said Twilight. She looked up at Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow, you go ahead and see what you can find out. Maybe there's somepony you can talk to. We'll be right there."

"On it." With a salute, Rainbow vanished, zipping out the door and around the side of the building.

That done, Twilight led the group, slowly, back outside. "I know you're upset, Applejack," she said soothingly. "But you're not going to accomplish anything by yelling at everypony."

The anger faded from Applejack's eyes, replaced by worry. "I know. I'm sorry, y'all. I'm just scared."

By the time they reached the overhang which marked the ambulance entrance, they found Rainbow in a heated argument with a deep brown pegasus stallion in a white uniform.

"I told you, you can't be here," said the stallion. "Go around to the front like everypony else!"

"We tried that already!" Rainbow fired back, wings flared in ever-growing annoyance.

"Excuse us," said Twilight.

The stallion whirled to face her, and immediately moved backwards. "Princess Twilight, I, uh, what can I do for you?"

"My friends and I are wondering if an ambulance brought an orange earth pony this way," she told him, suddenly grateful for the effect her title tended to have. "She's my friend's aunt," she added, gesturing to Applejack.

The blood drained from the stallion's face. His mouth opened and closed a few times like a gasping fish as he struggled for an answer. "I... uh, yes, Your Highness. They just brought somepony like that in here a few minutes ago."

Twilight leaned closer. "Where were they taking her?"

"I-Isolation Ward C," replied the pegasus. "B-But you really shouldn't go there. Doctor Red Cross won't be happy, and—"

Whatever protests he had were promptly ignored as the group moved forward through the doors. Following the signs at a steady pace, Twilight allowed herself to ruminate on their destination.

Isolation Ward C. It didn't make any sense. If Valencia had been hurt, the most logical places to take her would have been intensive care, the emergency room, or simply a section of the hospital dedicated to a specific form of injury or illness, depending on what was wrong with her. But an isolation ward was used to house patients with highly infectious diseases, and Twilight hadn't read of any outbreaks in any of the newspapers she subscribed to.

As they got closer to the ward, they began to pick up on the frantic sounds of medics at work. But it wasn't that sound that forced Twilight from her thoughts, or made the entire group stop dead in their tracks. It was another sound which rose above the others; a horrible, agonized scream.

"Aunt Orange!"

"Valencia!"

At once, Applejack and Mosely went rocketing down the hall, forcing the others into a run as well in order not to lose them. "Slow down, AJ!" called Rainbow, which would have been hilariously ironic to Twilight if her own body wasn't flooding with adrenaline.

A few orderlies popped their heads out of adjacent rooms at the thundering beats of their hooves on the tile floor, each calling out how the group weren't supposed to be here, and ordering them to stop running.

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do!" snapped Applejack, nimbly leaping over one of them with practiced ease. Mosely, who lacked any of his niece's rodeo training, chose to simply barrel straight through the orderly in his way. As the group passed by the now confused and dazed ponies, Twilight registered Fluttershy offering them some apologies.

The agonized screams got louder as they approached, becoming more and more abhorrent with every utterance. Finally, they all came upon a group of uniformed ponies gathered frantically around a gurney.

"Keep her steady!" cried a unicorn stallion in a long white coat. "Watch that leg!"

Mosely, in a surprising effort, bolted ahead of Applejack. "Valencia!" He raced up to the gurney, then skidded to a stop. "What in Celestia's name?!"

The middle-aged mare on the gurney was most certainly the pony Twilight had seen in the photograph at the Apple family farm, going by her coloration, cutie mark, and general facial structure. But even in the face of those solid, undeniable facts, the alicorn found it hard to believe that this was the same mare.

Her long orange mane lay totally disheveled around her, barely holding any semblance of the elaborate style it might have once been arranged in. Her face was deeply flushed, eyes glazed over as she lay moaning on the gurney. And where the mare in the photo had possessed a healthy glow to her complexion, the one laying before them had a sickening, malnourished discoloration to her skin, unusually slender limbs that seemed mismatched for the rest of her body, and the barest shadow of ribs cast on her abdomen.

Not that those things were easy to notice. Her entire body glistened in the light from a thick layer of sweat. It was like a second coat, one which darkened the padded surface of the gurney, and dripped constantly onto the floor below.

"Mosely?" croaked Valencia, turning her head in the direction of her husband, eyes still unable to focus. "M-Mosely?" Her breathing was shallow and ragged.

"I'm here," he said, already at her side.

"It hurts," she moaned. A hoof reached out for him, trembling like a leaf in a hurricane. "It hurts. It hurts." She started to sob, but no tears came out. "Mosely, make it stop. Please, Celestia, make it stop." Her body seized, and her next words rose up from a plea to a ghastly wail as she thrashed violently on the gurney. "MAKE IT STOP!"

Driven by instinct, Applejack pushed her way around a nurse, grabbing hold of Valencia's flailing foreleg. "Hold on, Aunt Orange, we're here." But the minute Applejack grabbed her, there was a snapping sound, and Valencia let out another ear-piercing scream.

The nurse pushed back, reclaiming her position. "Be careful!" She examined the limb. "Doctor Red Cross," she said gravely, turning to the unicorn stallion in the coat, "I think she just broke a bone."

Applejack took a step back, staring at her hoof in horror. "But I... I didn't... I wasn't even tryin'."

Red Cross swore. "Get the X-ray team ready, we need to see the extent of the break!"

Beside him, another unicorn, a nurse, cast a diagnostic spell. "Her temperature's a hundred and five and rising."

Twilight paled. A few more degrees and her brain cells would literally start to cook

"Bring her into the ward with the others! Get her head on ice, stat!" Red Cross commanded, allowing the team to push Valencia into the room labeled "Isolation Ward C". He locked eyes with Applejack. "You need to stay out of the way."

"Not until you tell us what's going on," said Mosely, glaring at the unicorn. "That's my wife you're treating."

"And my aunt!"

"Fine," relented Doctor Red Cross, before he turned his attention to the other ponies in the group. "You, however, can leave. I doubt you're relatives as well, going by the look of you."

"We're AJ's friends," piped in Rainbow. "And we're staying."

"That's right!" said Pinkie, somehow managing to bounce angrily in place.

Red Cross scoffed. "No, you're leaving. Hospital guidelines say that only family are allowed access. End of discussion."

Annoyance surged up in Twilight. She'd had her fill of reluctant and uncooperative ponies this morning. "Then how about we start with a different discussion?" she said firmly, stepping forward so Doctor Red Cross could get a good look at her for the first time. "I'd like to know what's going on," she said. "What did you mean when you said 'the others'?"

The unicorn doctor looked down at the floor, muttering, "an angry princess, just what I needed." He sighed, shoulders slumping. "The truth is, Your Highness, Mrs. Orange isn't the first pony we've had like this." With great resignation, he let the doors to the ward swing open, revealing row after row of beds filled with sick, invalid ponies.

"She's only the latest."

"You have a good day, too!" said Harmony pleasantly as she ushered the stallions in suits out the front door. "Send word when the deal goes through. And I'll be sure to send Auntie Cee your regards."

The minute she shut the door, Harmony whirled around, yanked off her glasses, and massaged her face. "All that work fixing my eyes, and I still have to wear these stupid things!" she spat, hurling the glasses at the floor. "That stupid mare just had to start wearing them, didn't she?"

"Hey," called Zappityhoof, coming out of hiding in another room, magazine floating in her magic. "Watch it with those, Goldcap. They're expensive."

Goldcap scoffed. "It's not like 'Harmony' can't afford new ones."

"I think we have bigger things to worry about." From another door, Decepticolt walked into the room.

Zappityhoof bounded over to him. "What's up, Dee? Something happen in town?"

Decepticolt grimaced. Only Zap called him 'Dee', and Goldcap knew all too well how it annoyed him. That was probably the reason Zap did it. "I was checking out the hospitals, you know, in case anything happened with the latest snack." His grimace deepened as he looked to Goldcap. "Turns out that mare you got last night has a niece named Applejack."

Goldcap lifted an eyebrow. "And this is a problem... how?"

"Because," said Decepticolt, "Applejack is one of Twilight Sparkle's friends."

Goldcap's jaw clenched. Twilight Sparkle. "That stupid little goody two-horseshoes princess?"

Some time ago, the three of them had crafted a plan to become alicorns, to raise themselves to the places they belonged. Goldcap had created the spell herself, a formula for a magical potion that, when ingested, would allow a pony to grow their own wings. All it required were the wings of another pony, dissolved into essence.

They'd chosen Rainbow Dash as their "donor". According to Goldcap's research, the quality and strength of the wings produced by the potion would be dependent on the quality of the ingredients. Thus, the wings of a champion racer like Rainbow Dash were ideal.

It all would have been perfect, had Rainbow Dash and Princess Twilight not found them. It was the latter who'd ruined their plans, who'd robbed them of their victory when they'd been so very close. If it wasn't for her, the three of them would've been alicorns by now, and not hiding from the law.

"She was at the hospital, Goldcap," said Decepticolt flatly, though she knew, even without the mental bond they shared now, that he was as furious at the alicorn's presence as she was. "She and her friends barged in there. Turns out that Orange mare got found and identified sooner than we expected."

"If that purple pest messes with us this time," interjected Zappityhoof, nostrils flaring, "I'll feed her to the boss. He'll gobble her up like my brothers when they see a tray of my mom's cumulus cookies," she said with a wicked grin, miming a pony shoving cookies into their mouth.

Goldcap smiled. Oh, if only. If ever there was a mare she was more than happy to let him devour, it was Twilight Sparkle.

Still, Twilight's involvement was bad, and that knowledge sobered Goldcap from her gleeful thoughts. "We may need to slow down," she told her friends plainly. "He needs to know."

Going into an upstairs room, Goldcap opened up a large iron box. Inside sat dozens of pieces of reddish-gold metal, some raw ore, others sculpted and marked, brought along in case they needed them. But only one interested her, one that stood out from the rest: a perfect metal sphere, six inches in diameter. Lifting it in her magic, she brought it back down the stairs and placed it on the floor in the center of the room.

Gathering around it, the three unicorns began to cast a spell. Magic flowed around the sphere, causing it to float freely in the air. Then, they stopped, and a new energy took over. As one, the trio closed their eyes, concentrating as the objects they wore glowed red, power flowing from them to the sphere. It glowed brighter and brighter, until there was a final surge of power, a bright red flash from within the sphere itself.

Goldcap felt it in her core, felt the air turn heavy. Their individual connections to him were now channeled through this single object, allowing them to speak to him together.

Two large eyes of red light formed on the surface of the sphere. "Why... you... call... me?" The voice rumbled like thunder, every syllable slow and careful, a speaker unused to and unskilled at speaking.

"We have a small problem." said Goldcap. "Do you remember the pony we mentioned, Princess Twilight Sparkle? She's learned about the last meal we gave you, family to one of her friends." Goldcap took a careful step forward, making sure to keep her posture low, almost bowing before the sphere, their master.

She hated it, hated being subservient to anypony or anything. But with him, disrespect was a very bad idea, and Goldcap, while prideful, was not an idiot. "She's dangerous to our plans, Master. We may need to slow down in feeding you."

A feral growl rumbled from the sphere, and Goldcap let her words rush out faster. "At least until her attention is distracted!"

"Yeah," added Zappityhoof. "If we keep going like this with her watching, she could find us, and then it would be a lot harder to feed you."

"We're only thinking of your best interest," begged Decepticolt.

The growling didn't stop. "Pony... not... get... in... my way," said the voice. "I... will... BREAK HER!"

"There's another danger with her," said Goldcap. "If she's involved, she could bring Princess Celestia and Luna into this, and that would be even worse."

Their master went silent for several moments, a tense silence. "Who... are... they?" he said at last.

"Celestia and Luna?" For a moment, Goldcap was at a loss. It was not often that one asked who Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were, especially if they weren't a foal. It was like asking what the sky was. But then, he knew nothing of Equestria, and they'd only ever told him about Princess Twilight. "They're alicorn princesses, like Twilight Sparkle, with horns and wings and muscle."

"They're the oldest alicorns in Equestria," added Decepticolt. "They're the primary rulers here."

"Yeah!" followed Zappityhoof. "See, Princess Celestia controls the sun, and Princess Luna controls—"

Their explanation was halted by a cacophonous explosion of sound and pain. A furious roar shook the entire room, causing the chandelier above them to swing wildly. The trio screamed as well, falling to the floor as a wave of horrible agony lanced through them. If their skulls had been the bars of a cage, then some massive and terrible animal had suddenly lunged against them with the full force of its strength.

"BRING... HER... TO... ME!" roared their master again. Red energy whirled around the sphere, twisting and lashing at the air like incorporeal whips.

"I-I'm sorry?" said Goldcap, trying to regain her senses. "Bring who?"

"CELESTIA!" he commanded. "Bring... now! I... will... DEVOUR!"

Goldcap balked. "B-But... we can't do that!" she declared, not even thinking of how he'd respond. It was insane. "She's surrounded by guards! There's no way we could get—AH!" She didn't get to finish her sentence before she felt herself staggering backwards by another wave of pain. Her knees buckled. It was like being hit by a speeding train inside her skull.

The two red lights on the sphere glowed brighter and more menacing. "If... not... bring... then... I... will... devour... YOU!"

The next thing Goldcap knew, her bracelet was glowing again. Red light leaped from it, latching onto her flesh. She convulsed, screaming as a new agony spread across her entire body.

"Goldcap!" cried her companions, but they too were knocked to the floor by an unseen force.

"Okay! Okay!" cried Goldcap. "We'll feed her to you!" She rolled, her body instinctively trying to get away, and failing all the same. There was no escape, not for her.

The light faded away, and Goldcap lay panting on the carpet. "Please," she croaked. "Just... give us time. Getting to her will be difficult."

The points of light glared ferociously at her. "Learn... way." Then, the light vanished, and the sphere clattered lifelessly to the floor.

"You okay?" asked Zappityhoof, pulling Goldcap to her hooves.

"I'll recover," she groaned, ignoring the burning ache in her body. He'd barely touched her.

"Now what are we going to do, Goldcap?" asked Decepticolt. "How exactly are we supposed to get to Princess Celestia?!" He paced around the room. "Even if we could get close enough to let him loose on her, even if all three of us went for her at once, she's a seriously powerful alicorn. Despite all that we can do, and what he can do, I'm not sure I feel safe with those odds."

"And what about the guards?" asked Zap. "They'd come galloping if we tried anything."

"Not to mention," added Decepticolt, blowing a strand of his long mane out of his face. "That if something does go wrong, and she or the guards or even Princess Luna or whoever else, manages to fight us off, then we'd be completely busted. We'd lose every advantage we've gotten so far, and the whole plan would be ruined." He gave a stomp of annoyance. "We wouldn't be at square one, Goldcap, we'd be at square zero!"

"You think I don't know that?!" she snapped. "What was I supposed to do? Keep saying no? But hey, if you want to explain to him again why we can't bring him the pony he's demanding, go ahead, be my guest." She kicked the sphere toward him, shooting him an acidic glare. "I'm sure you'll do much better than I just did."

Decepticolt went pale, and Goldcap knew she had him beat. He raised good points, but Goldcap wasn't in the mood to argue, not after getting snacked on.

"If we do pull this off," suggested Zap with a hint of optimism, "she'd be an awfully big meal. Maybe even... big enough."

That thought made Goldcap smile. "That settles it, then. Every other pony is secondary. Princess Celestia is now our primary target."

Decepticolt snorted. "I still want to know how."

"I don't know... yet," said Goldcap. "But we'll have to find a way, any way, to get to her." She glanced between the other two unicorns, her companions of many years, her literal partners in crime.

Yes, they would do this, they could do this. They were too close to fail again. One way or another, they would feed Princess Celestia to their master.

Author's Note

So here we are at the end of the first two chapters. I hope you enjoyed them, especially those readers for whom this may be new. I not only re-shuffled these scenes from the original story (pre-division into books), but I also refined them, making some alterations and improvements.

I hope to see all of you for the next chapter. If you liked the story, feel free to press the like button, favorite it, or leave a comment. I also now have a Ko-Fi account, so please consider donating there as well.

Investigations

Chapter 3: Investigations

“She's still not answerin'.”

Sunset Shimmer tapped her boot against the grass. That was the third time Applejack had texted Rarity in the last fifteen minutes.

It had been a very trying few hours since lunch at Canterlot High, ever since Rarity had declared that her father had been arrested. Rarity's mother had offered no details in her phone call, but simply told Rarity to go to Principal Celestia's office, where she'd collect both her and Sweetie Belle.

They'd agreed to catch up as soon as school was over, but that didn't make the intervening wait any easier. By the time the final bell rang, they'd all practically collided with each other in the hall trying to escape.

Rarity's house was their first stop. But after a few rounds of knocking, and Rainbow screaming at Rarity's bedroom window, it was clear that no one was home. So here the six of them sat, simply waiting.

“They could be at the station,” suggested Twilight. “Trying to get visitation rights.” She tapped her chin. “Though I'm not sure they'd get it at this stage, presuming the arrest was a very recent thing, that is.”

“Maybe we should go there instead,” offered Rainbow, getting up to walk around the lawn. It was her fourth such circuit.

“I'd rather stay here and wait,” muttered Fluttershy.

“But what if she's already on her way here?” said Pinkie. “Then we'd miss her again. It would be like playing tag. A really, really not fun game of tag.”

Sunset had to admit, Pinkie raised a good point, but at the same time, going to the local police station wasn't a bad idea either. It wasn't a particularly hot day, but even she was starting to feel a bit worn down sitting in the sun. It was too bad Rarity didn't have a porch.

Turning her head, she looked over Rarity's house. It was a pleasant, two-story white structure with a slanted brown roof and a well-kept lawn. It was a classic example of middle-class simplicity, and sat at odds with Rarity's elegant tastes. But as Rarity had frequently stated, she and her parents never met eye to eye as far as aesthetics.

“Let's give it ten more minutes,” said Sunset. “Then we'll try the station.”

It only took five before she saw a large red minivan driving toward the house. Pinkie was the first to point it out. “They're here! They're here!” she said, bouncing in place.

Rarity got out from the backseat, her eyes reddened. Fluttershy was the first to reach her, wrapping her in a gentle hug.

“You were all waiting here?” asked Rarity in surprise.

Sunset shrugged. “We told you we'd catch up.”

“Thank you for showing up, girls,” said Cookie Crumbles as she ushered Sweetie Belle out of the car. The latter was all nerves, practically vibrating with anxiety. And in her own way, Cookie was just as shaken. Her usually perfect updo was starting to come loose in multiple places.

The group were led inside, settling into the den. Cookie offered them cans of soda as she busied herself in the kitchen making snacks, Pinkie Pie offering to help. They had to bring in a few extra chairs, but eventually, they were all seated with plates of cookies and other treats in front of them. Sweetie Belle was absent by that point, since not long after they went inside, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo had shown up and offered to take Sweetie to the local arcade.

As Sunset reclined into an overstuffed armchair, she was struck again by the difference in taste between Rarity and her parents. In Rarity's room the walls were decorated with imitation gemstones, there were mirrors in multiple places, and the decor generally gave off an impression of glamor and sophistication.

This room, by contrast, was rather plain. Well furnished, in a modest sense, but plain as far as decoration, with simpler colors. A brick fireplace stood against one wall, a TV mounted high above the photo-laden mantle. There was a game console at the bottom of the fireplace, mostly used by Sweetie Belle and her friends whenever they came over.

Several upholstered armchairs were positioned around the room, all facing one another, with side tables next to them bearing small lamps with flower-decorated shades. Centered between the chairs, and resting atop a tasseled rug, was a dark-colored wood coffee table, bearing both a cookbook with several markers in it, and a sports magazine.

“So,” said Rainbow with a hint of impatience. Her arms were wrapped firmly around the back of a dining chair. “What happened?”

Rarity gulped down hard, wringing her hands in her lap. “Father was arrested for... stealing drugs.”

Sunset choked on her soda, coughing and sputtering into her jacket sleeve. “What?”

“Oh, girls, this is so horrible!” cried Rarity. “The officer we spoke to said they found drugs stuffed into baseballs and hockey pucks and whatever else.”

“Why were they even looking there?” asked Twilight after a pause.

“They said they got a tip, an anonymous phone call,” answered Rarity. “Some pharmacy was robbed. All sorts of medications were taken, steroids and other such things. They've been looking for the culprit all this time with no solid leads.”

Sunset's brow furrowed. “So they found performance enhancers in his merchandise?” She hadn't interacted with Hondo Flanks very much, but her general impression of him was that he had as much criminal tendency as, well, Mr. Cake did. In other words, zero. No, less than zero. This sort of thing was unthinkable of him.

Rarity nodded grimly. “They said they found dozens, all of them matching what was stolen.”

Beside Sunset, Applejack whistled. “Your pa's in a heap of trouble, Rare.”

“I think that's an understatement, darling,” said Rarity with a sigh. Sunset watched Rarity take the barest nibble of a cookie, before turning her attention to the pictures on the fireplace mantle. Most of them were family photos, but a few of them were of her father in a football uniform, pictures from his days in the Canterlot City Cavaliers.

Sunset remembered Rarity telling her that aside from these photos, and the occasional magazine, all of her father's sports-related items were in the den across the hall. It was there that he'd watch most of his games or entertain his friends and old teammates.

She'd peeked in there once. It was the sort of room others would have called a “man cave”, filled with, among other things, jerseys, trophies, a mini-fridge, another, larger TV, and the house's main cable box. Though Rarity never called the room anything other than the den, since she “absolutely refused to associate her father with such a brutish name as that.”

Rarity was fiddling with the photographs now, arranging them in a neat line, which only emphasized to Sunset that her friend was not handling this well. Not too long after meeting Rarity, Sunset discovered that the fashionista tended to straighten things when she was stressed out.

Really, it didn't take much effort for Sunset to imagine how hard this was on her, having her life turned upside down in the blink of an eye. Like Rarity, she'd gone through something similar around a month ago, when an anonymous call to Child Protective Services had not only put her under government scrutiny, threatening to expose her extra-dimensional nature, but had also put Mrs. Circinus on her trail, undoubtedly one of the coldest and nastiest social workers ever employed.

Straightening the last photograph, Rarity paused to examine her work, and then blew out a sharp burst of air between her lips. “Oh, this is getting me nowhere!” she cried, dainty hands balling into fists. “I simply must do something!”

“But what can you do?” Sunset asked, pressing her fingers to her chin. As awful and frustrating as the situation was, there weren't a lot of options open to them. “You and your mom already spoke to the police, didn't you?”

“We did, but they didn't listen at all,” Rarity muttered, pacing sharply along the carpet.

“Man,” said Rainbow, “this is starting to sound like one of those TV crime dramas.”

“Yeah,” agreed Pinkie in between bites of her own cookies. “And right about now the detective would step in to solve the case and clear the suspect's name.”

Rarity stopped dead in her tracks, and for a moment, Sunset wondered if she was alright. Sunset was about to reach out a hand, when Rarity whirled around, eyes sparkling like the diamonds she adored. “Pinkie Pie, you're a genius!”

“I am? Wow. And here I thought I was just really good at throwing parties.”

Without another word, Rarity bolted up the stairs to her room. Sunset looked at her friends, who greeted her with a collective shrug of their shoulders, before following up the staircase.

Sunset was the first in the door. “Uh, Rarity, are you okay?”

The fashionista was hurriedly rifling through her closet. “I know I had it somewhere... ah ha!” She stepped out, striking a pose. “Well, what do you think?”

Rarity had traded her more casual clothes for a business skirt and jacket, both a blue-green color, along with a matching hat with a very long feather stuck into the brim, and secured by a diamond-shaped broach. How she'd managed to change so fast, Sunset wasn't entirely certain.

“It... looks great,” she admitted, both out of honesty, and not being sure what else to say. “But what does this have to do with your dad's problem?”

Rarity adjusted the hat, turning to admire herself in the mirror. “Simple, darling. I'm going to investigate the crime myself.”

Sunset gaped at her. That was anything but simple. In fact, she'd argue that it was monumental. And yet her friend had said it so casually, it was almost absurd. “And... how exactly does your outfit tie into that?” she asked, deciding the best way to understand her friend's logic to start small.

“It's inspired by Shadow Spade, of course,” said Rarity, as if the statement explained everything.

“Oh, right, Shadow Spade,” said Twilight with an appreciative nod of her head. She gave Rarity's outfit a discerning glance. “That really does look like something she'd wear.”

Sunset glanced between them. “I'm sorry, but... who?”

“Fictional detective,” explained Twilight. “Pre-modern setting, and often gives a very film noir feel. Or at least that's what Mom says. I've seen the books, but I never got around to reading them.”

“Um, Rarity?” asked Fluttershy, twisting her hands nervously. “Your outfit is lovely, but, um, are you sure this is a good idea? What if the police get mad?”

“Yeah, I was going to say,” agreed Sunset. “They're probably not going to take you getting involved very well.” Not to mention what might happen if she found the real criminal.

“I can't say I care all that much at the moment, darling,” replied Rarity. “They seem so convinced father is guilty that I find it unlikely that they'll do any actual investigating. And if they're not going to do anything, then I will.”

“I think Fluttershy has a point,” said Applejack, holding her hand up when Rarity began to protest. “I know how you feel, and if it were me, I'd be out there doing everything I could, but have you really thought this all the way through?”

“She's right, Rarity,” said Twilight, worry etched onto her face. “They could arrest you for interfering with their investigation.”

For a moment, Rarity froze, and Sunset could see her confidence edging away with fear. But Rarity just squared her shoulders, and adjusted her hat. “I suppose I'll simply have to be careful, won't I?”

Applejack snorted. “Well, if that's what you're plannin' to do, then count me in. I'm not letting you do this by yourself.”

“I think that's safe to say for all of us,” said Sunset. She couldn't exactly say this was the best idea, but if Rarity was so set on doing it, then Sunset wasn't going to let her go alone. She turned to her friends. “Right?”

The rest of them nodded. “Hey,” interjected Rainbow, “why don't I get my dad to talk to the cops? He's one of your dad's friends, maybe he can be a...” she paused, turning to Twilight. “What did you call it? A character witness?”

“Yes,” answered Twilight. The idea made Sunset smile, remembering the time not too long ago when her friends had confronted Sunny, thinking she was going to throw Sunset in prison, and begged her to reconsider. They, well, mostly Rainbow, had actually been willing to get physical. A foolhardy idea, but touching all the same.

“I could go too,” said Applejack. “Big Mac and I go to his store sometimes.”

“I'm really not sure what good that will do,” said Rarity. “You didn't see the officers we talked to. They seemed quite convinced father is guilty.”

Applejack shrugged. “It can't hurt to try, Rare. And if it helps get your pa out of spendin' a night in a cell, I'll go for it.”

“She's got a point,” added Sunset. “Actually, Twilight, why don't you go with them? You can see if your brother can tell us anything else about what happened.”

“I'm not sure if he would,” the magenta girl admitted. “Shining is still only in the field training program. But I guess I can ask.”

“That leaves the rest of us to go with Rarity,” said Sunset. She turned to her friend. “You ready to go?”

Rarity glanced at her mirror, adjusting her hat one final time, and grinned. “Absolutely.”

In the halls of Manehattan General Hospital, Princess Twilight Sparkle stood in stunned silence. The morning had started out so normal, and now, looking through the open door to Isolation Ward C, it had descended into a waking nightmare.

Slowly, she and her friends followed Doctor Red Cross inside. As they entered, Twilight allowed her eyes to glide across every pony in the ward. Each lay still, sleeping or softly moaning, all oblivious to the world around them, thin and flushed and sickly. There had to be over a dozen of them, not counting Valencia.

“The first patient was brought in a few weeks ago,” said Red Cross. He pointed to an aquamarine unicorn mare wearing an oxygen mask a few rows down. “They found her half buried in a junk yard. The day after that, another pony was brought in, then another. Now the police bring them straight here every time they find one.”

“What...” Twilight began, stumbling over her words, “what could possibly—”

“Whoa!” cried Rainbow, gliding over to a scruffy teal pegasus. “Check out his wings!”

Twilight turned her attention to the pony in question. His wings were almost entirely devoid of feathers. The few that remained looked like they were just barely attached. “It looks like he's molting,” she said in puzzlement. “But so much at once?”

Fluttershy edged her way over to where Rainbow was, peering closely at the bedridden pony. “But where are the pin feathers?” she asked. Her eyes were focused on the bare sections of wing, the patches of smooth skin. “If he's molting, they should be coming through, but there's nothing.”

“For some reason,” said Doctor Red Cross, “feather regeneration has been slowed. In fact, he's not even really molting. We examined his feathers and they were nowhere near ready to molt. They've just been falling out.” He sighed. “It's happened in a few of the pegasi patients.”

“The poor stallion,” said Fluttershy, eyes welling with tears. She reached out to brush a strand of mane away from his face.

Twilight turned back to Red Cross. “What's causing this?”

“I have no idea!” cried Red Cross, raising his voice enough to make Twilight jolt. He threw up his hooves in frustration, all trace of clinical detachment shattering into a thousand pieces. “I haven't got a clue what this is! A germ, a chemical, a spell, I can't figure it out!”

The unicorn ran a vigorous hoof through his unkempt mane, as if somehow trying to force his brain to form a solution, and Twilight saw now that there were bags forming under his eyes. “The range of symptoms varies so much from patient to patient, it just doesn't make any sense!”

He locked eyes with Twilight, his gaze somehow both wild and exhausted at the same time. “Do you have any idea how hard it is to keep this contained, to keep the general public from panicking?” he asked hollowly. “I informed the hospital administration, but they haven't told any of the other doctors here. They're too frightened of the news getting out.”

The doctor chuckled, an empty, bitter chuckle. “Never mind that the risks are the same with all the staff I've had to dedicate for this, nurses and orderlies pulled completely from their regular shifts. The more patients that arrived, the more help we needed. I've pulled enough staff now that the other doctors are starting to ask questions, and I... I don't know what to tell them.”

Red Cross dropped into a nearby chair, collapsing into it like a sack of potatoes. “I've been here day and night, trying to work this out, trying to heal these ponies of this accursed plague, but I can't get past square one.” His head dropped into his hooves. “All I can do is treat their symptoms and pray no more come in.”

“You poor thing,” said Fluttershy, immediately going up to him and wrapping her forelegs around him in a gentle hug. He didn't resist her touch, only sobbing into his hooves.

Twilight felt her anger from the hallway disappear. “Have you tried requesting help?” she asked softly.

He looked up, corners of his eyes glistening with tears, and nodded. “After the first three patients came in, I contacted the Equestria Center for Disease Prevention. They were as stumped as I was, but put together a report for the Ministry of Health with a request to notify Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, and to gain access to the Canterlot Archive for any leads.

“That was three weeks ago now, and I still haven't gotten a reply. So, Your Highness, if you're going to berate me for doing my job, then—”

“I'm not,” said Twilight as soothingly as she could. “I can see you're working as hard as you can to help these ponies. I don't know why that request was rejected, but I can contact Princess Celestia and Princess Luna personally. So why don't you tell me what exactly you've found?”

Red Cross blinked twice. He gazed back at her with a frown, as though not quite believing what she'd just said; but it didn't take long for him to nod rapidly, his jaw set with determination. “I... yes, Your Majesty.”

Getting back to his hooves, he smoothed back his mane. “As far as symptoms,” he said, clearing his throat, “All patients exhibited an extremely high, sometimes nearly lethal fever, accompanied by profuse sweating and dehydration, and physical pain throughout the body so intense that if they're not already delirious, they often become so on the medication we have to give them.”

“That sounds fairly straightforward so far,” said Twilight, following along. “But you also said the symptoms have varied. In what way? What else have you seen?”

“Beyond that,” he pointed back to the pegasus Rainbow and Fluttershy had approached. “He and a few of the other pegasi patients have had mass feather loss, with reduced pin feather growth.”

He pointed back to the unicorn he'd cited as the first arrival. “And she came in with one of the worst cases of asthma I've ever seen, although,” he added the last part with frustration. “Since she has no medical history, I can't be entirely certain she wasn't like that before.”

The unicorn looked to Mosely. “If you wouldn't mind, Mr. Orange, I'd like you to request your wife's physician to send us her records.”

“H-huh?” Mosely looked up from his wife. Nurses fluttered around Valencia's bed like moths transfixed to a flame, while he stood amidst it all. He seemed completely rooted to his position, a look of steely determination in his eyes that Twilight was certain would put a few royal guards to shame. “Oh, yes, of course.”

“What's wrong with her?” asked Applejack. Rather than join her uncle at his post, Applejack had kept her distance, never once approaching the bed. “I...” the apple farmer swallowed hard, casting an apprehensive glance between her forehoof and her aunt. “I broke her leg when I touched her. I wasn't even tryin' and I broke it.”

“Osteoporosis,” answered Red Cross. “Her bones have become thinner and more fragile. It's another fairly common symptom, though its actual severity has varied largely. For some, it's been quite severe, while others only show mild signs. We've also seen reduced motor response, problems with perception of space, distance, and direction, vertigo, ataxia, muscle atrophy, and in one patient, a bleeding ulcer.”

Twilight rubbed her chin in thought. He was right. It didn't make any sense at all. No disease she'd ever heard of could cause this many symptoms, or any chemical agent, for that matter. “Have you managed to find anything they have in common?”

“As far as I can tell, they seem like they're homeless ponies,” said Red Cross. “Or most of them are. We've been cross-checking medical records with the police, and the city directory for housing, and usually come up empty. Mrs. Orange definitely goes against that pattern, which makes me very much afraid that this thing might be spreading.”

A shudder passed through Twilight, images passing before her eyes of dozens upon dozens more ponies as sick as these. They couldn't let that happen. “Can you give me a copy of all the data you have on your patients so far? I'll need it when I talk to the princesses.”

“Of course, Your Highness.” Red Cross strode to the doors, newfound energy in his step. “If you could all follow me, I'll show you to my office. Everything is in there.”

Twilight and her friends all went back out into the hallway, ready to follow Red Cross, except for Applejack, who remained where she was.

“Yo, AJ, aren't you coming?” asked Rainbow.

The farmer shook her head. “You gals go on. I'm gonna stay here and help look after Aunt Orange.”

“What about the train back to Ponyville?” asked Twilight.

“I'll take another one in a day or two,” replied Applejack. “I already made up my mind on that before we got here.”

“Are you sure?” asked Mosely. “You know you don't need to stay. I can do this myself. And what about Granny Smith and Big Macintosh? Won't they need your help on the farm?”

“They'll be fine a little longer,” said Applejack. She looked down at her aunt. Thanks to the nurses, Valencia had sunk into a quiet, blissful sleep. A hefty ice pack had been placed against her forehead, and her sweating had stopped, so only a few glistening traces remained. Applejack put a hoof to her aunt's mane. Her touch was tentative and gentle, as if Valencia was made of porcelain. “She needs me more right now.”

Twilight smiled. “Alright. Take care, Applejack.”

The farmer tipped her hat. “I will.”

As Twilight and the remainder of her friends continued their trip to Red Cross's office, the alicorn let the gears turn in her mind. She'd send a letter to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna the minute she got in the door. But what exactly was this? What had happened to these ponies to make them so sick?

Something very wrong was happening in Equestria, and she was going to find out what.

“There was something rotten at work in this town, and it was up to me to find it.”

“Rarity, you're talking out loud again.”

“... Am I? My apologies, darling.”

Sunset rolled her eyes, following her friend as she led the way to her father's store. That was the third time Rarity had broken into some kind of monologue since they'd left her house. Sunset got the feeling that her friend was trying to channel even more of Shadow Spade.

How monologues about nonexistent rain, something rotten, and the shadows in the back alleys would help the actual investigation, Sunset didn't know. Perhaps it was all in the psychology. Actually, was it her imagination, or had it started to get really overcast and gray?

“Aww, you interrupted the music,” said a very disappointed Pinkie, who, up to that point, had been almost skipping along the sidewalk. “I wanted to keep listening.”

Fluttershy turned to look at her. “What music?”

“The jazz theme that starts up whenever Rarity starts talking like Shadow Spade,” replied Pinkie, confirming her suspicions.

“I'm... sorry?” Sunset shook her head, knowing better than question Pinkie Pie. “I'll try to stay quiet next time, how about that?”

“Okey dokey lokey!”

Sunset turned her head back to the path ahead, and almost collided with Rarity. “Hey, why'd you stop?”

“Because we're here,” said Rarity, pointing a delicate finger to a place just ahead of them. She stood totally still, spine as rigid as a light pole.

Sunset looked to where her friend was pointing. They stood in front of a small shopping center. At the very end was a large unit with a sign that read Hondo's Sporting Goods in large letters. On any other day the plain exterior wouldn't have garnered much attention.

Today, however, was different. Today, a small crowd of onlookers had gathered before the store, only a few feet from where they were standing. Their reason for gathering was as plain as the store's sign. Multiple police cars sat parked out front, and technicians were going in and out the open doorway, maneuvering around the yellow crime scene tape stretched across it.

“Come on, people, move along,” barked the patrolman standing guard by the door. “This is a crime scene! No loitering!”

Fluttershy scrambled backwards, looking like a frightened deer as she muttered something along the lines of “I'm sorry!”

Sunset grabbed her arm. “Hey, it's okay. He wasn't talking to us.”

“But he will be if we get any closer,” said Fluttershy, struggling to break free. “And he sounds so angry.”

Honestly, Sunset couldn't blame her friend's hesitation. Police officers always set Sunset on edge, moreso than the average person. Years of living by less than legal or ethical means had amplified that normal discomfort several times over, and formed it into a knee jerk reaction that she found hard to shake even now.

Still, Sunset knew what they needed to do. “Come on, Fluttershy,” she said softly, pulling the girl forward. “Rarity needs us. Right, Rarity?”

For a moment, Rarity said nothing, simply watching as officers swarmed around her father's place of business. “Hm?” She sounded a thousand miles away.

Sunset placed a hand on her shoulder. “You okay?”

Rarity shook her head as if to clear it, letting her curls bounce back and forth. “I'm fine, darling. I just... got caught in the moment, that's all.” She turned around to face the rest of them. “Fluttershy, dear,” she said, taking hold of the other girl's hands. “I know you're intimidated, but I absolutely can't do this without you. Please stay.”

Fluttershy met Rarity's gaze, and immediately relented. “Alright.”

“I don't think they're going to let us in,” said Sunset. “So, what do you want to do?”

Rarity looked back at the store, squaring her shoulders. “We'll try next door first.”

The business next to Hondo's was Typeface Books, a comparatively smaller space, wedged in on the other side by a shoe repair shop. A bell jangled overhead as they walked in. Sunset took a deep breath, picking up the scent of dry paper and ink.

Books as high as their shoulders were spread out over the room, while a few plush armchairs were tucked into a corner. The sections of the bookstore were clearly marked by signs hanging from the ceiling, while pictures of classical authors and printing presses sat high on the walls.

Just as they'd entered, Rarity yanked Sunset behind one of the shelves. “What gives?” whispered Sunset as Rarity pulled Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie over.

Rarity simply pointed. “Look.”

A woman was talking to a uniformed officer, the latter scribbling away in his notebook. “I see. Is there anything else you can tell us about him?”

“I think I've covered just about everything, officer,” said the woman in a high, but clear voice. She was tall and slender, with blue eyes set behind a pair of wire rim glasses, black hair swept into a bun. All in all, she gave off the air of a rather strict librarian.

“Why are we hiding?” asked Pinkie, shoving herself between Rarity and Sunset.

“Because,” Sunset told her, “there's a cop asking questions over there. Try to act natural. We'll wait it out.”

“Got it!” Pinkie bounced over to a shelf behind them. “Hey, Fluttershy, come check out this great book I just found! Dashie will love this!”

Sunset winced. She'd forgotten that Pinkie Pie's definition of normal didn't often equal “low volume”. The woman turned her head in their direction, shooting them an irritated glare. Sunset whirled around, pretending to be engrossed in one of the paintings. She definitely glares like a strict librarian.

The police officer didn't seem to have noticed them, because he hadn't even looked up from his notebook. Sunset breathed a sigh of relief, only to jolt when she felt a buzzing from her pocket.

Taking out her phone, she saw a text from Twilight.

At the station. Rainbow, Applejack, and Rainbow's dad are arguing with one of the officers. I managed to talk to Shiny. It doesn't look very good. He said that whoever robbed the pharmacy was caught on camera. They were wearing a mask and gloves, so no fingerprints. But he was about Hondo's size and weight, and according to his footprints, he was wearing the same kind of shoes that Hondo does.

Sunset frowned. No, that definitely didn't look good. Poking Rarity in the shoulder, she showed her the text. Rarity bit her lip, but just fixed her eyes back on the conversation before them.

“And you didn't witness anything that would have indicated something was going on?” the officer continued.

“I'm afraid not.”

“Well, thank you for your time, ma'am.” The officer flipped his notebook shut. “Case is pretty open and shut if you ask me, but if you remember anything you think is relevant, let us know.”

The woman merely nodded. “I will.”

The minute the officer left, the woman turned to glare at them. “You can come out now. And don't make such a racket. On any other day, I'd have customers trying to read.”

“I'm terribly sorry about that, Ms. Typeface,” said Rarity, emerging from behind the shelves.

Ms. Typeface scowled, moving her attention to Sunset and the others. “Why do I get the feeling you're not here to buy something?” Turning back to Rarity, she eyed the girl's outfit critically. “Don't tell me; you're trying your hand at playing Prancy Drew?”

“It's, um, Shadow Spade, actually,” said Fluttershy, who immediately flinched when Ms. Typeface shot her a glare, sending the silent message that she knew perfectly well who Rarity was trying to be, thank you.

“She can be Shadow Spade when she's an actual adult,” said Typeface, unimpressed. It was clear she viewed Rarity more like a child who'd been caught playing with her mother's makeup than someone to be taken seriously.

“Who's Prancy Drew?” Sunset whispered to Rarity, a question which earned her a scornful look of her own from Ms. Typeface. So now we've all managed to offend her in the first few minutes. This is off to a wonderful start, isn't it?

“In any case,” said Rarity, getting the conversation back on track. “I was wondering if you could tell me—”

“You want me to tell you what I know about the crime,” interrupted Ms. Typeface. “Well, I'll say to you what I just said to the police: what I know is basically nothing. I didn't see or hear anything. Everything your father did, he did under my nose.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “You have to face facts, young lady. He's guilty. Nothing you do is going to change that.”

“Hey, that's just mean!” cried Pinkie. “Rarity's dad didn't do it!”

“Don't you think it's just a little out of character for him?” asked Sunset, face falling. What was with her attitude?

“People surprise us, sometimes in the worst ways.”

Sunset frowned. “You don't seem very sympathetic.”

“You wouldn't be either, if you were in my position. Do you know how much noise Hondo's store makes? It comes through the wall, the dribbling of balls and nets and all those other things. It disturbs my customers!”

She pointed an angry finger at some of the empty armchairs. “They'd be sitting there, trying to enjoy the power of the written word, and then all that racket would start up and they'd leave. Some of them didn't even buy the book!”

The woman was building into a tirade now, some deep bottle of frustration suddenly uncorked. “And all those... those jocks hanging around! They wouldn't know a good book if it literally hit them in the face. Just seeing them probably scared off even more of my customers. It was bad enough when it was a karate studio, but they were so much quieter.

“I knew I should have bought the unit when it was vacant,” she groaned, an almost theatrical sound that could have just as easily come from Rarity. “I could have expanded my store. I could have put in one of those in-store coffee houses. I could have—”

“I think we get the picture,” said Sunset flatly, eager to get away from this point of conversation as quickly as possible.

Ms. Typeface simply ignored her. “And of course, he's been barricading my back door.”

Beside Sunset, Rarity tilted her head, fashionable hat almost slipping off. “I beg your pardon?”

“For the last week or so, your father has been pushing the dumpster in the alley in front of my back door,” said Typeface, walking over to a nearby shelf and dusting the books with a handkerchief. “It's been impossible for me to get the blasted door open, and I've had to go around to the back and move it myself. Your father knows perfectly well that the truck can't get in to the other end of the alley. Why he kept moving it so far, I have no idea.”

She wiped away a minute speck of dust from a paperback's spine, her fingers working so gently, you might have thought she was handling porcelain. “He must think it's hilarious to box me in when I have garbage to take out.”

“I'm sure he wouldn't have done something so mean,” said Fluttershy.

Sunset had been wanting to say something to a similar effect, only to notice that, rather than look offended at the store owner's remarks, Rarity instead seemed thoughtful, brows knit together. “Rarity, what's—”

“Thank you for your time, Ms. Typeface,” said Rarity, a smile plastered on her face. “I think we'll be going now.”

Rarity pressed her hand into Sunset's side, herding her friends out of the store. As they left, Pinkie Pie bounced over to the counter, dropping a book titled 101 Amazing Pranks. “I was going to buy this, but I changed my mind.” said Pinkie, shooting the woman a raspberry before bouncing out behind them.

“What was that about?” asked Sunset once they were outside.

“Possibly nothing, but possibly not,” answered Rarity cryptically. “Follow me.”

“Ooh!” said Pinkie, hopping behind them. “Rarity found a lead!”

Together, they went around the shopping center to an alley that ran parallel to the back of the buildings. To Sunset's relief, there were no police around. Evidently, this wasn't designated as part of the crime scene. Though what they were doing back here, and what a moved garbage dumpster had to do with anything, Sunset didn't know.

The dumpster in question sat right in front of them, a dark green steel box as tall as the average person. Craning her head around it, she could see that the alley did indeed get significantly narrow at the other end, forming a bottleneck of concrete and brick with the apartment buildings on the other side.

Rarity bent down to examine the wheels of the dumpster, frowning in disgust. “Fluttershy, dear, would you have a handkerchief I could borrow?”

She did, and Rarity ran it along the wheel. Pulling back the strip of cotton, Sunset saw there was now a greenish brown stain. “Is that...?”

“Grease,” replied Rarity as she stood back up. “Father mentioned last week that he'd greased the wheels to this dumpster to make it easier to move. He wanted to place it right next to his back door to get rid of some bulky inventory.”

“But what does that have to do with him being arrested?” asked Fluttershy, voicing the very same question Sunset had been about to ask herself.

Rather than answer, Rarity just smiled. “Girls, I think it's time we search for clues.”

“Investigation time!” cried Pinkie. “Come on, Fluttershy, you can be my partner.” She dragged the girl to the other end of the alley. “Let's not stop till we've examined all the suspicious nooks and crannies.” She paused. “I should say that line more often.”

Sunset wandered down the alley, taking it all in. She could see the door to Hondo's store, and much further down, the one that undoubtedly belonged to Ms. Typeface. It all seemed like an ordinary alley, complete with garbage, dirt, and bits of graffiti.

And yet, that dumpster had been moved so far down that it had blocked the door to Typeface Books. Why anyone would do that, she had no idea. True, there was a certain plausibility to doing it out of spite. Sunset might certainly have been tempted if she'd had to work next door, especially during her less charitable years. But for Hondo, that sort of thing was completely out of character.

She checked under a pile of loose boxes for anything out of the ordinary. No hidden or discarded objects appeared. Feeling suddenly frustrated, she kicked a broken chair; and abruptly seethed at the pain. Okay, bad idea. Ow, ow, ow!

Now hopping on one foot, Sunset glanced at the ground, and then paused. There was something sticking out from under the flattened cardboard box she was standing on. Were those... yes, they were tire tracks. “Hey, Rarity, I might have found something.”

Rarity was by her side in an instant, brandishing a magnifying glass that Sunset didn't even know she'd packed. “Tire tracks,” she said, letting out a little hum. She looked back up at Sunset. “Darling, what do you call the designs on tires?”

“That's the tread.” Where had that question come from?

“I see. And there are all different sorts of designs, I take it? I've seen some with an inverted chevron in the middle. A rather nice pattern, if I do say so myself. Very balanced.”

“That's a symmetrical tread,” explained Sunset. “There are something like four different types of tire treads. It depends on what the tires are made for.”

“And what would you say this is?”

Sunset peered over her shoulder, studying the imprint in the dirt. A solid vertical line flanked on each side by a pattern of curved, downward facing points. “That's a directional tread.”

There was a gleam in her friend's blue eyes. “How very interesting.” Before Sunset could question her friend's cryptic statement, Rarity called over to the rest of their group. “Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, have you found anything?”

“No, not so far,” said Fluttershy. “I’m sorry, Rarity.”

Pinkie Pie looked up from scrutinizing the bricks in the wall. “I'm looking at every nook and cranny, but I haven't found anything.”

“We definitely found something,” said Sunset, waving them off. “Come take a look.”

The two began to walk over, going past the door to Hondo's shop, when Fluttershy suddenly lost her footing, sliding backwards and dropping to the dirt.

“Are you okay, Fluttershy?” said a concerned Pinkie, helping her up.

“I'm fine,” said the shy girl. “I just slipped.”

“On what, darling?” Sunset and Rarity approached the door, the latter bending down to the concrete square. A small streak of greenish-brown liquid was smeared on it. “More grease.” Her eyes moved to the left of the puddle. “A footprint!” she declared pointing to a patch of dirt adjacent to the concrete. “Fluttershy, you found a clue!”

Fluttershy blinked. “I did?”

“You most certainly did,” said Rarity. She peered at it through the magnifying glass. “Definitely made by a work boot.”

Sunset bent forward to look at the lock on Hondo's back door. There was a collection of fine scratches around the keyhole. Her eyes narrowed; the pattern was very familiar, like a combination of lines and miniscule divots both leading to and out of the hole.

“Rarity, this door's definitely been picked.”

The fact gave her a little bit of relief. Of course, the idea of someone else other than Hondo being responsible had been a given. Now, at least, they had an indicator that somebody had tried their hand at this lock.

“I can't say I'm surprised,” said Rarity, not looking up from the ground. “Thank you, darling.”

Moving her attention to the footprint, Sunset noticed odd debris littering the dirt. “Those look like bits of string,” she said.

“They most certainly do, and I can see some bits of rubber here as well.” The fashionista smiled, a strong, confident smile. “I think things are becoming quite clear.”

“Care to explain—” Sunset began, only to be interrupted by the sound of footsteps. Coming down the street perpendicular to the alley were Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight.

“Hey, girls,” greeted Sunset. “How did it go at the station?”

Rainbow Dash crossed her arms irritably. “No dice. They barely let us talk before basically shoving us out the door.”

“I didn't think it was possible, but the officers we talked to were stubborner than Granny Smith,” said Applejack with a shake of her head.

“I think what you're doing is wonderful,” said Bow Hothoof, now coming up behind them. He wasn't hard to spot in a crowd for a couple of reasons. The most glaring of these was his hair, a short, multicolored crop crowning his head. The other was his size. Like Rarity's father, he was a large man, tall and broad-shouldered, the form one expected of an ex-football player.

“I'm so proud of you, Rainbow Dash.” He turned to his daughter. “Helping your friend clear her father's name. This is why you're the best!”

“Dad,” groaned Rainbow. “Now's not the time.”

“I know I'd be doing the same thing if I could,” continued Bow, undeterred by his daughter's embarrassment. “Magnum's too good a guy to do something like this. Back in our college days, he even busted a couple members of our squad for using steroids. Actually cost us a couple games.”

That was when, to Sunset's surprise, Shining Armor came up to them. As with most times she'd run into him, he was in uniform, polished gold shield gleaming brightly against the dark blue of his jacket.

He was actually the one police officer Sunset found herself able to be completely relaxed around. She’d had enough, albeit small, interactions with him, and enough stories from Twilight, that she’d come to see him as a person first and an officer second.

It certainly hadn’t started that way, however. Sunset could still remember the looks he’d given her the first time they’d met. He’d been in uniform that time, too, dropping Twilight off at one of their sleepovers. Like any overprotective big brother, he’d been both happy, and wary, to discover Twilight had suddenly made a large group of friends.

The wariness had shown on his face, in the way his eyes lingered on each of them, studying them, trying to see if they were really safe for his sister to be around. When he’d noticed her, his pupils had narrowed almost to pinpricks.

Had she really been giving off an air of trouble, or had he picked up on the way she’d stared at his badge? After that, it had taken about a week and a half of chance encounters before he’d stopped giving her suspicious looks.

Now, however, there was something about him that was setting off alarm bells in her head. It took a moment before she realized it was the way in which he was approaching. He wasn’t simply walking up to them. He was marching.

“Hey, Shining Armor!” asked an excited Pinkie Pie, completely oblivious to Shining’s mood. “What are you doing here? Did you get assigned to the investigation? Didja? Huh? Didja?”

“Shiny… insisted on driving me here after I told him we were investigating,” explained Twilight, shifting her weight nervously from one leg to the other.

Shining’s face flushed a deep, angry red, and the alarms in Sunset’s brain grew even louder. Then, like a volcano under pressure, Shining Armor erupted. “What do you girls think you're doing?!” he shouted. “This is a police investigation! Do you know how much trouble you could get into?” He swept his arms in front of himself, pointing to Twilight. “Not only that, you dragged my sister in on this!”

“Shiny, it's okay,” Twilight soothed.

Shining Armor gave her a stern look. “No, it's not.” Running a hand through hair, he turned to Rarity. “Look, I get that you want to help your dad. I really do. If it were me, I'd want to do the same thing. But you're just kids, and this is a serious crime. You're not going to find anything that the officers over there,” he gestured in the direction of the store front, “aren't going to find. If you get in their way, you could get charged with impeding a police investigation, or tampering with a crime scene.”

Sunset looked at Rarity. She knew that deep down, her friend was scared. Sunset was, too. And honestly, it wasn't like they'd found much of anything thus far.

Sure, the lock on the backdoor looked like it had been tampered with, but that was hardly a strong case against arresting Hondo. And other than that, all they had were some tire tracks, which very well could have just been someone turning around; a moved dumpster; some grease stains; and a footprint near the door with bits of the ever-present garbage.

But to Sunset's great surprise, Rarity didn't look scared at all. In fact, she was beaming.

“Actually, I we've found quite a bit of evidence that points toward my father's innocence.”

Shining Armor looked taken aback. Clearly, of all the responses he'd expected, that hadn't been one of them. “... What?”

“Ditto on that,” added Sunset.

“It's all quite simple, Sunset, darling.” Clearing her throat, Rarity stepped out in the middle of the alley. All eyes were on her now, locked in attention, and Rarity, ever dramatic, just soaked it in. She was in her element. With a flourish, she pointed to the dumpster. “First of all, we have this.”

“Your evidence is a dumpster?” asked Shining Armor, unimpressed.

“Yes. A few days ago, I heard Father telling mother that he'd needed to get rid of some bulky inventory. He'd said he'd wanted to move the dumpster closer to his door to make it easier. When it wouldn't move, he greased the wheels. If you look, you'll see they're still coated.”

Shining Armor knelt down to look at the wheels. “So?”

“Ms. Typeface, the shop owner next door, said that as of late, this dumpster has been moved so far down the alley that it blocked her own back door. If you look, you'll see the greasy tracks it left behind. She blamed Father for it, but in truth, someone else moved it down the alley.”

“But why?” asked Fluttershy.

“Quite simple. They were breaking into Father's store.” Rarity walked over to the tire tracks. “Notice these tracks right here. A car drove up to this spot, and recently, as it hasn't rained in the last few days. Most importantly, these tracks do not belong to my father's car. They're far too close together, and the tread is completely different. As you pointed out, darling,” Rarity looked at her now, “this is what's called a directional tread, while my father's tires have a symmetrical tread.

“The reason they moved the dumpster is because they needed space. Notice how close the tire tracks are to the dumpster now. Anybody parking here would be practically trapped.”

“Somebody could have been turning around,” said Shining Armor. His anger from earlier had dissipated, and now he seemed... was he genuinely curious? Yes, Sunset was fairly sure he was. Curious, but also cautious.

“But would that same person also walk up to the back door?” asked Rarity. “Take a look at this footprint, and the puddle next to it. Whoever stepped here also stepped in the excess wheel grease. That means this footprint is fairly recent. In addition, you can see bits of rubber and string on top of it, which Rainbow Dash tells me are used to fill the inside of baseballs and hockey pucks, some of the things that were used as hiding places.”

“That could just be your dad's,” said Shining, though even he didn't sound very convinced, staring suspiciously at the footprint.

To this, Rarity just turned to face Bow. “Mr. Hothoof, you've known Father since college, so perhaps you can answer this question for me.”

Bow's cheeks flushed as every eye turned to him. “Uh, sure. What do you want to know?”

“Has Father ever worn boots?”

The man blinked. “Not that I remember. He's always been more into sneakers. Why?”

“Because unless Father has suddenly taken to both boots and Aresches, then that,” she pointed at the footprint, “was not made by him.”

Stepping forward out of the crowd, Applejack looked down at the print. “That sure looks like a boot to me, but what in the Sam hill is Aresches?”

“It’s a French shoe manufacturer, Applejack,” explained Rarity. “You can tell it’s from one of their boots because they put their logo on the sole.” She pointed at the center of the print, where a heavily stylized A was visible. “And if you look closely, you can just see the same logo mixed in with the tire tracks.”

Moving back over to the tracks, she held out her magnifying glass. Indeed, right there, at the edge of the track, was the same stylized A. Sunset had seen a disturbance in the track before, but presumed that she’d done that with her own shoes.

“Aresches shoes are very fashionable, and quite expensive,” Rarity continued. “Here.” She pulled out her phone, and after a bit of searching, showed the company’s website. “You can see for yourself how high they can run.”

The fire-haired girl balked. She saw a pair that was three times as expensive as her own boots, and then balked even more when she realized that was one of the lower prices.

“You could search our entire house right this instant, and you wouldn't find a single pair of men's boots. You especially wouldn't find a pair like this. Mother and Father have never been interested in high end or fashionable clothing, despite all the times I've tried to encourage them.”

Standing up again, she stuck a dramatic pose. “No, there was another person here. This person, a man, I’d say, judging by the shoe size, moved the dumpster, drove into the alley, and then went to Father’s back door, stepping in the leftover grease as he went. And as he exited, he left behind traces of the tampered merchandise.

“This man is the real pharmacy thief!” Rarity declared. “He broke into my father’s store, intending to use it to either hide or distribute his stolen goods!”

Sunset stood there, jaw open, utterly flabbergasted. Rarity had actually done it. She'd found solid evidence. Not that Sunset had expected them to find nothing, but... well, she wasn't really sure what she'd expected. Certainly not this.

Shining Armor's eyes moved back and forth across the evidence. Sunset could practically see the gears turning in his mind. “I think I'd better report this to Detective Copper,” he said at last. “It'll come off a lot better coming from me.” He gave Rarity a nod of approval. “You did good here, Rarity. I can't say this is enough evidence to get your dad completely off the hook, but it may be enough to get him released.”

As Shining Armor walked off to inform his superior officer, silence fell over the group, a silence that was soon decimated by a shout of joy from Pinkie Pie.

“You did it!” cried Pinkie.

“That was awesome, Rarity,” said Rainbow Dash. “Totally cool.”

“I was definitely impressed,” Sunset added.

“Thank you,” said Rarity. Her cheeks tinged red. “I wasn't quite sure until I'd seen everything, but then it all just came together.” Her expression became pinched. “Though it would have been so much better if I'd been able to identify the actual criminal.”

“I'd definitely like to get my hands on the guy that did this to your pa,” muttered Applejack. “Of all the lowdown things, usin' his store to stash his loot.”

“I think we're going to have to leave that to the police for the moment,” said Sunset. “And speaking of which, they're probably going to be here any minute to expand the crime scene.”

“We should stay,” said Twilight. “They'll want to establish everything you touched.”

Sunset couldn't say she was entirely thrilled with the idea of talking to the detective in charge, but it was yet another of those things that needed to be done, no matter how uncomfortable they were. Hopefully they wouldn't give her the same suspicious looks Shining Armor had.

Leaning against a wall, Sunset forced herself to relax. The intruder, whoever he was, remained free, but Rarity's dad wouldn't be spending a night in jail, and perhaps with a little luck, would avoid being put on trial altogether.

Glancing over at Rarity, she saw her friend already typing away on her phone. “Who are you texting?”

“Mother and Sweetie Belle,” answered Rarity. “I'm letting them know Father may be released.”

Sunset smiled. They'd definitely be glad to get that news. Thinking of them reminded Sunset of her own sort-of-but-not-really guardian back at her apartment. Sunny Skies, her mentor's human construct, was probably wondering what she was up to. Taking out her phone, Sunset sent a quick text of her own to let Sunny know everything was alright.

It was just another day in the life of her friends.

The noise of the pub was almost comforting as Decepticolt slipped inside, a distraction from the way his pulse hammered in his ears. He'd left for Canterlot almost immediately after he and his friends had spoken with their master, a plan already beginning to form. The key was information, and the best place to get it was here: The Golden Shield.

A guard pub.

For a fugitive such as himself, walking into The Golden Shield was a dangerous gamble. Were he to be recognized, he'd be arrested on the spot with no hope of escape, and sent to prison for sure.

But to not walk in, to not observe and investigate, and to not find a way to gain access to Princess Celestia? Not doing that was inviting the wrath of their master, and that was even more awful to contemplate than any prison in the world.

Taking a deep breath, Decepticolt continued his trek inside. He just needed to think of it like a performance, and if there was one thing he'd never been nervous about in his entire life, it was a performance.

He'd already prepared himself beforehoof. Careful applications of wax, makeup, gray mane dye, a well-worn pair of saddlebags, a wool cap, a pair of glasses, and the careful use of a paintbrush had all worked to make him an older stallion with a twisting river for a cutie mark.

It was similar to the Old Trot disguise, but Old Trot wouldn't have done for this. He was homeless, worn down by the world, a wretch that lived in back alleys and under bridges. A pony like him would never have walked into a place like this. Thus, Decepticolt had created a different character: River Bank.

“Bartenda! Can I get a glass of ciduh?” he greeted, dropping his Rs as he took on into what was called the Eastern New Eagleland accent, slipping into it as easily as a pony put on a saddlebag.

Using it brought forth memories of his uncle, Phonetic Spelling. Good old Uncle Phony. He'd taught Decepticolt every accent in Equestria, and many beyond, but the ones of the northeast had always been his uncle's favorites.

Decepticolt could still recall those days clearly, being a colt, laying on the sofa of his family's Los Pegasus home, and just letting the sounds of Uncle Phonetic's words roll over him like a wave, listening until Decepticolt new every nuance by heart, and with practice, could mimic them to perfection.

The corner of his mouth twitched, just for a second, beginning to form a nostalgic smile, but Decepticolt forced it back in place. Now wasn't the time for that. Now was the time to perform. Decepticolt had ceased to exist, faded away into nothing, and to the world, there was only River Bank.

“Sure thing,” said the earth pony behind the counter. Pouring a glass, he set it before Decepticolt, and then excused himself to the kitchen area.

Decepticolt scanned the room. The walls were made of oak paneling, and covered in photographs, banners from various guard regiments, and even a few antique weapons. A chandelier hung overhead to catch the light of candles once night came.

Every corner of the room was filled with ponies. Few wore armor, but even for those that didn't, there was little mistaking them for anything other than royal guards. You could tell it in the way they kept their manes, in the way they carried themselves, and just something about their faces. They chatted with friends, talking about life, their families, exchanging stories from their shifts, all while sharing hearty meals.

Here, the royal guards talked freely, safe among themselves. And somewhere, hidden in the din of this place like a diamond buried in the ground, he'd find a lead, something to facilitate their plans. Decepticolt didn't know how or when, but he'd find it here.

So, he sat on the stool, keeping his eyes and ears open as he sipped his drink. River Bank, he decided, was thinking about how different this city was to Hosston, and how much he missed the thicker, watery air, and how much some of the stallions in the room reminded him of his old co-workers at the docks.

Twenty minutes went by, and he hadn't gleaned anything even remotely promising. But that's when she trotted in. A rather petite unicorn, but lean with muscle, he observed, with a light red coat and a sapphire-colored mane tied in a Prench braid that ended at her shoulders. Rather cute, now that he got a look at her.

She hopped onto a stool a few over from him. “A glass of apple cider, please.”

“Coming right up,” said the bartender, turning to fix her a drink.

The mare laid her head down on the surface of the bar, letting out a long sigh. “Posted to the palace right out of training?” she muttered. “Great.”

Decepticolt's ears perked up.

The bartender placed the drink in front of her. The mare took a sip, then ordered a plate of hay chips. Decepticolt took a few bits from his saddlebag and slid them toward her. “I'll pay for it.”

The mare eyed him suspiciously. “I don't need you to pay for me, Mr. ...?”

“River Bank,” he said, offering her an open, friendly smile, the sort of smile that fit a pony like River Bank perfectly.

“Signal Fire.”

“A pleasure to meet you, young lady. And it's no trouble at all. It's the least I can do for a newly passed recruit.”

Signal Fire narrowed her eyes. “How'd you know I just passed?”

“I heard you talking,” River Bank said casually. “You weren't as quiet as you thought you were, I'm guessing.”

The mare blushed. “Oh.”

Chuckling, he raised his glass, tipping it toward her. “Congratulations.”

Rather than be flattered, the mare just seemed even more embarrassed. “Can't say I'm much of a recruit,” she muttered into her own drink. “I just barely passed training. I never should've been assigned to the palace, but my sergeant got me there. He said he had faith in me, but I'm just not sure I'm really cut out for this.” She sighed. “The royal guard's Mare Recruitment Program seemed like such a good idea at the time.”

The gears turned in Decepticolt's head, even as a part of him registered the sound of her words, noting that she was probably from either Chicoltgo or Detrot. And then, he realized something else about her, something that nearly made him break character with a large, cunning grin: She was very close to being a body double for Zappityhoof.

Yes, there were a myriad of small differences between the two. The coloration, the length and style of her mane and tail, the mole on her left cheek instead of Zap's freckles, and a slightly greater weight. But makeup could fix most of those things, and nopony would complain about a new recruit losing a pound or two.

Had he actually thought she was cute before? That was akin to saying Zap was cute. His stomach heaved. What a disgusting thought.

“I'm sure your family must be proud of you, though,” he said kindly, even as he returned to calculating every little difference between her and his compatriot.

“They are,” said Signal Fire. “Or, he is, anyway. My dad's my only family these days. He lives out in Detrot. What about you? You have any family here?”

“Just my daughter,” he said. He allowed his expression to soften, drawing on his earlier nostalgia. “You remind me a lot of her, actually.”

Signal Fire blushed deeper. “Really?”

He nodded. “My little River Delta. Real firebrand, she is. Takes after her mother. Insisted I come up here last week to live with her so I wouldn't be so lonely now that...”

Signal Fire leaned in closer. “Now that what?”

Here, he turned his head away, swapping the happy, friendly smile for a look of melancholy. His eyes moved to the glass of cider. Could River Bank see a face in the amber liquid, a face other than his own? Yes, Decepticolt decided, he could. River Bank could see the rippled image of a smile, a pair of soft eyes, a delicate mouth. A mare's face. So much like his little Delta.

“My wife. She... passed away a couple of months ago. Pneumonia.” He winced. The thought of his wife always made River Bank wince, the pain still so fresh and terrible.

Signal Fire let out a horrified gasp. “I'm so sorry.”

He waved a hoof. “Nothing for you to be sorry about, young lady.” He suppressed a familiar wave of giddiness rising in his chest. As the griffons would say, he had her hook, line, and sinker. It never seemed to get old, that sensation of knowing his audience believed in his performance, that they didn't see him, just his character, made true flesh and blood.

Truly, was there any better feeling in the world? If there was, he'd certainly never found it.

“Why'd you come to a guard pub, anyway?” asked Signal Fire, clearly eager to move away from the unintentional wound she's struck. “It's not the sort of place a civilian goes to when they're new to the city.”

“Ah, but that's where I think you're wrong,” he laughed, giving her a grin. “Since I'm new to Canterlot and don't feel quite safe around here yet, what better place to go when I want food and entertainment than a place filled with royal guards?”

Signal Fire joined in his laughter. “Can't argue with that.”

They chatted for a while longer, Signal Fire telling him her stories of training, while he reciprocated with the tale of River Bank, his trials and tribulations as a dock worker in Hosston. Really, there was potential for a play there. His cousin Community Theater would probably love to script something like this. He always did like stories about the common pony more than epic dramas.

But for Decepticolt, it was more than mindless chatter. Even as he crafted his tale, improvising whole sections, he filed away every important little detail she let slip, who her friends were, what they did, what happened to her mother, her favorite foods, the name of her fellow recruits in camp, the name of her sergeant.

Eventually, Decepticolt felt his throat start to go dry. “Another glass of cider,” he requested.

When the glass was placed before him, Decepticolt reached into his saddlebags to pull out some bits, but was interrupted by Signal Fire.

“Let me do that,” insisted the mare. “You already paid for mine. It's only fair I pay for yours.” As she placed a few bits on the counter, her stool wobbled, and the coins clattered to the floor. “Shoot.”

Decepticolt chuckled. “I'll get them.” He bent down low, spotting the glint of gold wedged into a crack where the base of the bar met the floor. “There they are.” But even as he spotted the coins, his eyes landed on something else lost in that shaded space -- a poster. Crumpled and starting to be worn by time, it showed three unicorns and the phrase “WANTED FOR ASSAULT” in large, capital letters.

Decepticolt's eyes went as wide as dinner plates, so wide his contacts almost fell free.

“You okay?” asked a concerned Signal Fire.

“I'm fine,” Decepticolt replied, though it took significant effort on his part not to sound shaken. Blast it all, he'd almost broken character. Quickly, he grabbed both the coins and the poster in his magic, presenting the former to the mare and using that as a distraction while he covertly rolled up the latter and stuffed it into his saddlebag. Disguise or no, it was best not to take the chance of being recognized.

As he did this, however, he decided that he'd gotten as much information as he really needed, and that he could use this situation to his advantage. So as he took a sip of his drink, he turned to look at the clock.

“Is that the time?” he asked innocently. “I'd better be getting back. Delta's going to be back soon, and she'll start wondering where her old man wandered off to.” As he rose from the stool, he twisted his back ever so slightly, and let out a cry of pain.

“Are you alright?” asked a worried Signal Fire, getting down to help him.

“Cramp in my back,” he groaned, clamping his teeth together as he twisted his body again. “Happens sometimes. Guess bending down like that put it out of sorts. Don't worry, I'll be fine.”

“I think I'd better take you home,” said Signal Fire. “Here, lean on me.”

“You don't need to do that,” he replied, flinching as he moved a foreleg.

“Don't be stubborn,” she said, using her magic to pull him closer to her. “You can't walk by yourself, and if I let you go home like that, I'd resign from the guard.”

He smiled. “Well, we can't have that, can we?”

Satisfied that she'd won the argument, Signal Fire settled her bill with the bartender and led Decepticolt back onto the street. He gave her the address, and they navigated the streets in relative silence until they reached his apartment, or at least, the room he'd rented for his stay here.

Once the door was open, Signal Fire took him inside. “Over there,” he told her, pointing to a large cushioned chair. “I like that one better.”

The mare set him down gently. “There you go. Are you going to be okay? Can I get you some ice or something?”

“A glass of water would be nice.”

Signal Fire turned her back to him, moving to the kitchenette to look for a glass, and Decepticolt quickly rifled through his saddlebags, finding the hidden compartment he'd sewn inside. With split second timing, he'd pulled out the contents and released them onto the floor just as Signal Fire turned back around.

“Here you—AHH!” The red unicorn fell backwards as her hoof slipped out from under her. The glass she’d been holding fell, shattering around her as she tried to maintain her balance.

As Signal Fire struggled to regain her hoofing, the half dozen smoke bombs underneath her ignited, creating a thick, rainbow-colored haze around her. The mare coughed and wheezed, flailing her legs even more. “What,” she coughed, “what’s—”

She never got to finish her sentence. Seeing his chance, Decepticolt leapt from the chair and fired a beam of magic. It struck Signal Fire dead on, and with a final cry of pain, she dropped to the floor, unconscious.

Standing over the downed guard, Decepticolt grinned. “You were a great audience, kid,” he told her, bowing deeply. “It was a pleasure performing for you today.”

He closed his eyes, reaching out for his friends. Time to tell them the good news.

Goldcap, Zappityhoof, the investigation just paid off. I found a way into the palace.

Author's Note

Happy Sunset Shimmer Day, everybody!

It’s great to be able to post something for this story on Sunset Shimmer Day for once, especially since this is the last one before G4 ends. I hope you enjoyed it, and you’ll stick around for the next chapter.

Also, three other things: One, as a point of clarification (since it has come up before and in case anybody didn’t catch on already), when I say “Los Pegasus”, I’m referring to the equivalent of Los Angeles, while “Las Pegasus” is basically Las Vegas. A bit confusing, I’ll admit, but I think the show might have had some confusion somewhere, and in any event, that’s what I ended up doing here, and I’m sticking with it.

Two, if you also haven’t recognized them, Decepticolt and his friends aren’t actually OCs. They’re villains from the MLP comics printed by IDW, specifically Friends Forever #25. I rather liked them in that issue, though I’ve had to build up their backstories and personalities, since there was so little to work with.

Actually, part of the reason I edited the scenes with them that I moved into Book 2 is that I felt I hadn’t given them enough personality in the original draft. I’m rather proud of what I’ve developed so far.

Finally, I'd like to remind everyone again that I have a Patreon and Ko-Fi account. I've just tweaked my Patreon tiers, and if you're curious, I wrote a blog post with those tiers, their prices and rewards.

Please consider donating through either site. Anything you send will really help with, at minimum, transportation costs, as, due to my physical disabilities, I can't drive, and I live in a place where public transit isn't an option for me at all.

See you all for the next chapter.

On the Trail

Chapter 4: On the Trail

The engine let out a faint growl as Sunset Shimmer drove up to Hondo's Sporting Goods. It had been a few days since Rarity's father had been released from jail, and the fashionista had called her to help clean up the "disastrous mess." as she'd put it. Apparently the CCPD hadn't put everything back in order after they'd released the scene.

Parking her bike in front of the store, Sunset went inside, feeling the cool blast of the air conditioner dance across her face.

"Thank goodness you're here, darling," greeted Rarity. Her face had a few uncharacteristic dirt smudges on it. "Please be a dear and grab a mop. There are footprints all over the corner." The purple-haired girl pointed to the offending area before returning to her work, straightening a display of shoes, arranging each on the shelf with expert precision. "Honestly, have policemen never heard of wiping their feet?"

Spotting the tools, Sunset went over to the corner, dipped the mop in the supplied bucket of water, and began to scrub away the footprints, moving slowly through the wide aisles. It seemed like a nice enough store, with bins of various types of sports balls, hangers with jerseys on them, mannequins covered with more sports gear, and various other sporting paraphernalia arranged in neat sections.

Not that Sunset had been in many sporting goods stores. In fact, as far as she could remember, it had only been once in her entire life. Had that been last year? No, the year before that, the scheme with the fishing pole.

"Thank you again for showing up, darling," said Rarity as she rearranged a pair of neon green sneakers in the display. "I know everyone else was busy."

"It's no problem, I was caught up on everything anyway," replied Sunset. She'd actually completed all of her homework the night before. "But why isn't your dad here?"

Rarity frowned. "Father is still trying to convince his suppliers that he's not using their products to smuggle stolen drugs."

"Still?"

Her friend nodded, letting out a long-suffering sigh. "I suppose they're just being overly cautious, though I wish they'd just be convinced. Father can't re-open his store until they are." Rarity stared down at the sneakers, her gaze unfocused.

"Rarity?" asked Sunset, sensing something else was bothering her friend. "What's wrong?"

"Detective Copper came by our house yesterday to ask a few questions," she said, referring to the officer in charge of the investigation. "I managed to overhear him talking to his partner. They still suspect Father of being involved. Detective Copper thinks that perhaps Father and the intruder were accomplices."

Sunset grimaced. That... was plausible, at least if one didn't know Hondo very well, and Detective Copper clearly didn't. And it also wasn't good. "I'm sure they'll change their mind when they find the guy that broke in."

"I suppose so. I just wish I could have found a clue to their whereabouts."

"You did what you could," consoled Sunset. "And at least you got your dad out of jail."

"Yes, there is that." Rarity eyed two pairs of sneakers critically, before swapping them in the display. "But enough about my problems, darling. How are things going with the princess? Is she still around?"

"Yeah, she's still at the apartment." Truth be told, things had been quiet on the Social Services front after Pearl had come by, and Sunny hadn't been doing much beyond everyday things, like cleaning the apartment or making sure Sunset got up and out the door on time. "Last I saw her, she'd put Sunny into that pseudo-coma again."

Rarity's brow furrowed. "I'm sorry, but did you say coma?"

Sunset's lips pursed, and she awkwardly drummed three fingers against her thigh. "When Princess Celestia isn't really using Sunny, she sort of... switches her off. Looks like she's in a coma."

"No offense, darling, but that sounds a bit..." Rarity paused politely. "Disturbing."

"None taken. I totally freaked the first time I saw it. It still freaks me out." There had been a few other mornings where she'd found Sunny still in her 'coma,' and a few more moments of panic. It took effort sometimes to remember that Sunny was just a construct, little more than an object that merely looked like a living being, rather than being a living being herself.

"Heavens, I'm filthy," said Rarity, standing up to look at her stained clothes. "Father needs to dust these displays more often." She shook her hands, trying to dislodge the dust she'd picked up, but to no avail. "I'm going to go wash my hands, darling. Be right back."

Rarity went to the back of the store while Sunset continued mopping, focusing on a particularly stubborn set of footprints. As the dirt started to give way, she found herself humming a tune, testing it for song potential. Yes, that sounded good. She'd have to run that by Rainbow to see what she thought.

Sunset had just about gotten to the chorus when an ear-piercing scream rang out from the back of the store. Dropping the mop, Sunset bolted to the source of the noise. "Rarity! What's wrong?!"

The fashionista stood stark still, trembling finger pointing at a glass case. "It's... it's... IT'S GONE!"

"What's gone?"

"Father's World Series ring!" cried Rarity. Her finger jabbed out towards the pillow under the glass. "It was right there, and now it's gone!"

Sunset stared at the empty pillow, and the depression at its center. On the wall beside the case, she saw a photo of Hondo with some other man she didn't recognize, as well as a silver ring with a large round emerald in the center, and the words "World Series" engraved around the edge.

"When was the last time you saw it?" she asked.

"Father brought it to the store to display for some event a few days ago," answered Rarity, still looking distraught. "I saw him carry it out of the house. He's always extremely careful with it."

"So it was here before your dad got arrested?" Sunset took a moment to mull it over. "Do you think one of the officers stole it?" It wasn't like she hadn't spotted her share of crooked cops in the time she'd been in this world, and they'd had their run of the store during the investigation.

"Perhaps," Rarity admitted. "Or perhaps it was the intruder!" Her blue eyes went wide, visibly sparkling with excitement. "Perhaps they took it when they broke into the store. And if they did, we might be able to find them, and find the ring!"

Rarity seemed alive with energy, pacing back and forth as the idea took hold. "The trail hasn't gone cold after all. If we find the thief with the ring, then they can prove that Father had nothing to do with this." She stopped pacing, looking down at her disheveled clothes. "I can't go out searching looking like this. I'll be right back."

Running off to the restroom, Rarity emerged a minute later in yet another noir-style outfit, this one involving a dark purple skirt and matching jacket, a pink boa, and a black hat that looked sort of like a flower on top, and had a short black veil attached.

Sunset blinked owlishly at the anachronistic getup. "Were you carrying that around in your bag?"

"A lady is always prepared," said Rarity, tossing her curls. "Now, according to Shadow Spade, thieves usually dispose of their ill-gotten loot through a fence."

"That's presuming that they've sold it already," Sunset pointed out, "or that the thief hasn't decided to keep it as a souvenir. They could be a big sports fan." She'd like nothing more than the police to stop suspecting Hondo too. But at the same time, it was a very real possibility they needed to acknowledge.

Rarity's face fell, her excitement tempered, just a little. "True, darling, but we won't know unless we check." Her heels clicked on the tiled floor as she began pacing anew. "Now, where to find a fence?"

Sunset glanced aside, self-consciously shuffling a boot against the tile. "I... might know a few."

Zappityhoof hated this job.

Not for the first time, she cursed her luck and asked herself, and the universe, why Decepticolt couldn't have been the one to do this. He was the actor among them, not her. He'd be able to become one of these stiff-faced guards with the same ease that she formed clouds. But of course, she knew the answer.

"You're a close fit for Signal Fire," he'd argued when she'd voiced her complaints. "She's a new recruit, so nopony will notice any discrepancies between you, not if we do this right. Besides, Goldcap has to play a part, too. You don't hear her complaining, do you?"

"She complains all the time!" Zap had argued right back. "And she's not the one walking into guard central!" But in the end, Decepticolt had won. As much as she'd whined about it, they couldn't afford to miss this chance.

The unicorn scratched her neck, right underneath her choker, now invisible thanks to one of Goldcap's spells. Guards weren't supposed to wear such things on duty, and if she'd been seen with it, they'd surely have forced her to remove it.

Which would be a very, very bad thing for Zappityhoof. A mental image of a guard captain trying to forcefully remove her choker flashed before her. She touched her neck again, feeling the spot where her skin ended and the metal began, where the metal had fused, not just on a skin level, but down to the very muscle and organs.

Goldcap had examined them once, their little metal souvenirs. She said the metal had, for lack of a better word, grown roots, reddish-gold tendrils that clung to their flesh with an unyielding ferocity. Anypony attempting to remove her choker would sooner tear her throat out than get the thing to let go.

Personally, Zappityhoof rather wanted to avoid bleeding to death all over the floor.

Zap adjusted her stance. When she'd walked into this place, she'd practically been shaking in Signal Fire's armor. But now, hours later, she was just annoyed. Annoyed at being so completely, utterly bored. Standing guard here for hours was like torture. When was she going to get a chance to move again, or even somepony to talk to? Not that she really should talk to too many ponies. Decepticolt had warned her about that.

There had to be something she could do to pass the time. She'd briefly considered pranking some of the castle staff by frosting up the floors, but struck that idea down when another guard passed by. Too dangerous.

A comic book would have been nice, if she'd been allowed to read them. She would have even tried to sneak one in, but sadly, Zappityhoof had to lose her entire collection when she and her friends had gone on the run.

Perhaps it was the boredom. Or the frustration. Or just thinking about comic books. But suddenly, Zap was thinking about her brothers. She'd steal their comics all the time when she was young, slipping away with issues of Spider-Mule, Power Ponies, or Foal Titans. That had always helped when she was bored. They never even got mad at her, just laughed it off or ruffled her mane. But that had been before camp, before...

Before they abandoned me.

Zap shook her head, making the false Prench braid swing behind her. This was no time to be thinking about that. She'd left it all behind years ago. She was better off here than she was back home.

All of the sudden, Zap heard a voice from beyond the door at her back. Was that... Princess Celestia's voice? Zap had gotten a glimpse of the solar alicorn earlier as she was being shown through the halls. The princess had been deep in conversation with some stuffy-looking unicorn with a pocket watch.

Seeing a chance to relieve her boredom, and thinking that maybe, this could be important to her real task, Zappityhoof pressed her ear to the door, and listened.

"Is the ride over?"

"Yup. You can let go now, Rarity." Once again, the roar of a motorcycle engine cut off as Sunset Shimmer parked in an open lot. Her friend's pale, slender arms, wound very tightly around Sunset's midsection, came loose. She let out a sigh of relief. Rarity's grip had been almost strangling.

Dismounting from the cycle, the two girls stretched. "This doesn't look like a place to find a fence," said Rarity, spying the gas station across the way.

"It's not. The actual place is too narrow for my bike. This is just as close as I could park. Come on."

Together, they walked down the streets, passing building after building, store after store in a commercial section of town. As they went, Sunset felt a twinge of nervousness. Rarity still hadn't asked the most obvious question, that being how Sunset knew where to find a fence. After all, it wasn't like they were listed online. All the way on the drive over, Sunset had been dreading that inevitable awkwardness.

"Darling," Rarity began. "I was wondering, how—"

"Do I know someone that resells stolen property?" There it was. Well, nothing to do now but fess up. She swallowed. "I, uh, I'm kind of a professional pickpocket." Rarity didn't so much as blink at that revelation, which, for Sunset, was a surprise in and of itself. "You don't seem shocked."

The fashionista cleared her throat. "Well, darling, to be honest, I had my suspicions ever since you stole Mrs. Circinus's keys from her purse."

"Oh, right." She'd almost forgotten about that. She'd stolen them right in front of everyone, shown all her friends just how able she was at stealing other people's belongings without them even noticing. Of course, she hadn't thought about that at the time. She'd needed to slow Mrs. Circinus down, and swiping her car keys had been the easiest way to do so.

Were the rest of her friends wondering the same thing? They'd all forgive her for everything she'd done, but it was still... embarrassing to expose that part of her existence to them, even moreso than when they'd discovered the poor state of her first apartment.

"Not that I hold it against you, Sunset," said Rarity quickly. "You must have needed a way to get by when you got here."

"Thanks." Taking a few more steps, Sunset came to a halt. They'd arrived at their destination. "Through here."

She led them between two buildings. The structure they'd passed hadn't been accessible via the street, but here, tucked between the walls, was an old wooden door. Going inside, they went down a shabby corridor, yellowed wallpaper peeling away.

Rarity looked at it as if it were some sort of toxic waste. "Darling, not to doubt you, but are you sure this is the right place?"

All of the sudden, there was the sound of a woman's shriek, and then flesh slapping flesh, followed by a loud "OW! What? I was complimenting you!" A woman stomped past them from the other end of the hall, huffing as she went.

Sunset watched her, eyeing her with pity. "Yeah. This is definitely the right place."

The two continued their walk down the passage, when a large rat scurried over Rarity's foot, escaping into a hole in the wall. Rarity jumped back with a shriek of her own. "How can anyone work in a place like this?!" she complained. "This entire building needs to be condemned, on grounds of sanitation and crimes against aesthetics."

Sunset suppressed her laughter. "Trust me, I know how it looks, but this guy's one of the most well-connected fences in the city. If there's any place to start, it would be here."

Finally, the hall opened into what looked very much like a pawn shop. Various items were on display on rusty shelves or hooks, a disorganized mishmash of everything under the sun, DVD players, gaming systems, pieces of furniture, musical instruments, children's toys, clothes, sporting goods, it was all here. Musty air and the scent of oil from the tools permeated the space. In another corner of the room, a popcorn machine had been set up, white kernels spilling onto the floor to feed a burgeoning population of rats.

Rarity looked at it all with mounting horror. "Sunset, is this a store," she whispered, "or a dump?"

"Jury's out on that," Sunset whispered back.

Opposite the entrance, standing in front of a long counter, was a man. He was small and wiry in frame, with long stringy hair that fell around his shoulders. His scruffy cheeks, one bearing a bright red mark in the shape of a hand, were shiny with grease and sweat, and his entire face was covered in old acne scars.

Turning to look at his visitors, he fixed his gaze on the redhead. "Sunset, good to see you." He sauntered over, and Sunset wrinkled her nose at his smell. Looks like he skipped showering again. That was assuming, of course, that he bathed at all, something for which Sunset had serious doubts.

"Hi, Grease Ball."

He grinned at her. "You know, I got word that you've been showing up with a rather pretty lady when you do business these days." He gave her a hurt expression. "Now why haven't you two been coming around here?"

"That's my mom," replied the teen flatly.

"So? Haven't I always been a perfect gentleman around you?"

"I think gentlemen would know how to use deodorant," Rarity breathed, pinching her nose in disgust.

Grease Ball turned an annoyed gaze to Rarity. "And who's this?"

"I am Rarity," said the fashionista. She almost held out her hand, but then thought the better of it, and pulled it back. "I'm a friend of Sunset's, and I have some questions for you."

The man gave her a skeptical, suspicious look. "Such as?"

"We're looking for a World Series ring," said Rarity. "Have you seen one recently? Perhaps sold it?"

"Hmm..."

"Don't hold out on us, Grease Ball!" Sunset crossed her arms over her chest. "It's a World Series ring. Size ten. Silver. Has an emerald on it, round, brilliant cut. Winner's name around the edge. Ring any bells?"

"Now, now, Sunset," admonished Grease Ball, wagging a dirty finger. "You know I don't give out that kind of info. My transactions are purely confidential."

"We need to find the guy that took it. Come on, Grease Ball," Sunset argued. "Work with me. I've given you a lot of stuff over the years. Haven't I earned a few favors?"

Grease Ball turned up his nose in defiance. "Confidential is confidential."

"Oh, but surely you could make an exception," suggested Rarity. "We need your help desperately, you see. Sunset told me that you're one of the most connected fences in the whole city. Only someone of your... distinguished reputation can help us." Rarity's polite smile was stretched tightly across her face, as if it was taking every ounce of her willpower to not be visibly disgusted by the man. "Please, can't you offer your assistance?"

Her appeals were evidently working because Grease Ball looked quite pleased with himself. "Distinguished, hmm?" He grinned, rubbing his sweaty palms together. "Alright, I'll help you."

"Thank you, sir," said Rarity gratefully. "You have no idea how much—"

Grease Ball held up a hand. "But I won't do it for free."

Sunset frowned. Of course there's a catch. Why did I honestly think there wouldn't be a catch? "What do you want?"

The dirty man stuck his hand out. "Pay me whatever you've got."

Digging into her pockets, Sunset pulled out fifty dollars and thrust them into his open palm. Rarity gave her a guilty expression, an unspoken promise to pay her back.

"There," grated Sunset. "Now tell us what we want to know."

"Not so fast," said Grease Ball. Now he turned his attention to Rarity. "What are you going to give me?"

"But you've been paid!" protested the fashionista.

"Uh-uh," retorted Grease Ball, once again shaking a dirty finger. "Both of you want my help, so both of you have to pay me. So what are you going to offer? You got any money to add to the pile?"

Rarity looked at her purse. "I'm afraid not."

"Then I guess you'll have to give me something in trade."

"T-Trade?" Rarity gulped, not liking where this was going. "But what can I trade with you?"

"That's the question, isn't it?" Grease Ball hummed, looking her over. "That's a nice jacket you have," he said, grabbing hold of the edge. "Nice material, too. Where did you get it?"

"I made it myself," answered Rarity, recoiling a little at his close proximity.

"Really?" Grease Ball looked impressed. "How very interesting." He fingered the edge of the jacket again.

"But surely you don't want that?" asked Rarity nervously. "It ties my entire outfit together." She dug into her purse. "Could I interest you in this compact mirror instead?"

The fence shook his head. "Nah." He examined Rarity's jacket one more time. "How about this? Make me a jacket like that, and I'll consider it payment. Something very masculine." He smiled, showing off his crooked, yellowed teeth. "It might help me attract the ladies."

"I doubt—" Rarity began, only to catch herself. "I mean, yes, of course it will. I'll get right on that. And when you have it, then you'll help us?"

"Sure, sure," said Grease Ball, waving his hand. "Now scram and get me my fancy new jacket."

Grease Ball leapt behind them, shoving them down the hallway. Rarity shrieked, and Sunset shouted that they could leave on their own, but Grease Ball didn't listen, just continuing to shove until they were back in the alley. "Don't come back until you've got it!" he said, slamming the door behind them.

The contrast between the inside of Grease Ball's business and the street was extreme. The influx of bright afternoon sunlight was almost blinding in its intensity. Sunset rubbed her eyes to clear the spots away.

"What a revolting man!" exclaimed Rarity, shuddering as she pulled her jacket off to examine it for stains. "Has he never heard of bathing? It was all I could do not to pass out from the smell!" She scowled, finding several large discolorations. "Sunset, darling, how do you even manage to do business with him?"

"Keeping some distance helps, and staying down wind. But you sort of get used to it after a while," answered the redhead, her vision clearing. Despite the situation, she found just a little bit of amusement in her friend's reaction. "Just be glad you're too young for him to notice, or it would have been so much worse."

Rarity's face twisted up in horror, obviously drawing her own mental picture, and shuddered even harder.

The walk back to the parking lot was a quiet one, Rarity's jacket stuffed into Sunset's backpack so the fashion-conscious girl wouldn't have to wear the thing in public. Sunset turned to look at her friend. There was a despondent air about her, a heaviness to the way she walked.

"You okay?"

"No, darling," she sighed. "I can't say I am."

Of course she wasn't. She'd probably expected to get a lead right away, and instead, they hit a wall. A temporary wall, but still a wall. A delay in the investigation.

"Look, I'm sorry, Rarity," apologized the former unicorn. "I thought I'd be able to talk him into helping us without any strings." Evidently, not even her years of service had earned her any free favors.

"It's I who should be apologizing to you," replied Rarity. "I know you're trying to help. I didn't intend for you to have to pay so much."

"It's fine," assured Sunset, not wanting to tell Rarity that she'd blown through a good chunk of her savings. No point in adding to her guilt.

"The bigger problem, however, is getting him that jacket. Oh, what am I going to do? It took me three days to make that one!" she declared agitatedly, looking at the discarded clothing stuffed into Sunset's bag. "What if Detective Copper decides to arrest father again in that time? What if we can't find the thief? The more time that goes by, the colder the trail might get."

She hung her head. "Detective work is much harder than Shadow Spade makes it out to be."

By now, the pair had reached Sunset's bike. Sunset swung her legs around onto the seat, adjusting her helmet, her face scrunched up in thought. Rarity had a point. The more time that went by, the colder the trail could get. There had to be a way to make things go faster. "Do you think you could pass off something store bought as yours? Grease Ball might not know the difference, not if you remove the tags right."

"As tempting as that is, darling, I don't think I could bring myself to do it," replied Rarity. "Passing off someone else's work as my own is just too distasteful." She let out another sigh, even more drawn out than the last. "Perhaps the trail will be gone by the time I finish."

"Hey, don't give up, Rarity." Sunset placed a hand on the other girl's shoulder. "Didn't you tell me that I'd be surprised at what you can do when you're properly inspired?"

"Well, yes, but—"

"Then be inspired now. You want to find the guy that framed your dad and end this mess, right? Let that be all the inspiration you need."

For a moment, Rarity was quiet, her face turned away. When she looked at Sunset again, there was a fire in her eyes. "You're right, darling. I can't let this little setback stop me. I will have that jacket completed, and in record time." Her jaw set. "I'll have to work a little magic."

Sunny's eyes snapped open.

That's how it was when the connection went taut, like a puppet being pulled upright by the puppeteer. No drowsiness, no half-closed eyes, no sluggishness of any kind, just instantaneous alertness of everything around her. Getting up from the bed, Sunny stretched, loosening every muscle as she walked around the apartment. Sunset wasn't back yet. Out with her friends, no doubt.

Sunny smiled at the thought. Friends. Sunset finally had friends. How long had she been hoping Sunset would find ponies her own age to talk to, to spend time with? She snorted. Well, technically, she hadn't found ponies, or even friends her own age, but that was beside the point.

Wanting to stretch her legs, Sunny grabbed her keys and exited the apartment, heading toward the front of the building to collect the mail. She waved at Cozy Hearth as she passed, the smell of freshly baked cookies wafting from her office.

There wasn't much in the mailbox, just the usual assortment of local advertisements. Not unexpected for a person that didn't exist. Tucking the small pile of mail under one arm, Sunny returned to the apartment, and decided to... what had Sunset called it? Ah, yes, "channel surf". Television was such a fascinating marvel of technology.

Sitting on the sofa, Sunny picked up a TV guide that she's bought the last time she'd gone grocery shopping with Sunset. The show on ancient Chinese history sounded intriguing. She'd developed a sense for the naming differences between this universe and her own, and Chineigh had always been a lovely country. The parallels could be quite interesting.

Picking up the remote, she dialed in the channel. But as she did, her finger slipped, hitting the wrong number. Fingers were so hard to control sometimes, and the phantom signals between her real body and this one only made it worse.

The image of a man in a pressed white suit came on screen, addressing some sort of audience. "Why are we here?" he said. "What is our purpose here?"

Her fingers immediately switched over to the correct channel, but even as she watched the program, Sunny found the question stuck in her mind. Not in a truly existential sense, but something more practical. Why was she, Sunny Skies, that was, still here, in this dimension?

From the moment she'd reestablished her connection to Sunny, she'd only done menial tasks. Sunset didn't need her to collect the mail. She didn't need her to clean up around the apartment. And yet, that's what Sunny had been doing lately.

The reason Sunny Skies even came to exist was to protect Sunset from Child Protective Services. But Circinus had been repelled, and after the incident with Pearl, it was unlikely that the woman had grounds for any further harassment.

Technically, Sunny could leave now. Celestia could dismantle the construct and leave Sunset to her own devices. After all, Sunset was old enough to live on her own, and had been doing so in this universe for years now. Celestia could still pass things on to help with rent on the apartment, but her actual presence here was no longer required. And if she wished to stay in touch, she could correspond with Sunset the same way she did with Twilight.

Sunny pressed her lips together at the idea. There was nothing wrong with correspondence. With her schedule, it was often the only way to keep in regular contact with ponies. And yet…

Perhaps… perhaps she didn’t need to leave yet. She could stay around to make sure everything was stable with Sunset’s new living situation. She’d already saved up money for future rent, but a little more monitoring couldn’t hurt.

And beyond that, this entire universe presented opportunities she could take advantage of. She'd barely been an adult when she and Starswirl had traveled across the vast infinity of the multiverse in that prototype mirror of his, the one that could go to any universe with the correct spell.

How many great discoveries had they carried back with them? Had the knowledge they'd gained from those other universes not benefited their Equestria? It was because of those trips that they'd been able to (discreetly, of course) introduce the coffee bean plant to the populace decades before the true, native species was discovered.

Could this universe, too, not provide potential insights as well? Human technology was certainly centuries ahead of her own universe. Sunny remembered the discussion she'd had with Sunset's friends regarding her Victrola. They were a popular and modern device back in Equestria, but here, according to the human Twilight, they were little more than antiques, long ago replaced by more and more sophisticated equipment. Long term observation and study of this universe could prove to be profoundly beneficial, just as it did before.

Sunny nodded to herself in silent approval as she watched the documentary on ancient China roll by. Those were certainly good reasons enough to continue the charade.

Yes... Just a little while longer.

"I think that will just about do it, Luna," said a weary Celestia. It had been a long day ruling Equestria for both of them.

The two sisters sat across from one another in a private room of the castle. Though their workloads were often divided between Day and Night Court, there were certain things the two princesses had to work on in tandem. This naturally included things such as treaties and trade negotiations, which required the signature of both elder alicorns in order to become law.

This particular treaty was with the buffalo tribes of the west, a national version of the agreement they'd reached with Appleloosa, to ensure there were no further issues with any other pony settlements.

Luna got up from her seat, stretching her back. "I am going to bed, Tia. I shall see you at sundown."

"Goodnight, Lulu," said Celestia, taking another sip of her tea. Tea always made her feel better.

The sun princess was about to take another sip, when all of a sudden there was a loud pop followed by an even louder thump. Something landed on the table. Several delicate Chineighse tea cups shattered on impact, pieces scattered all over the floor.

Celestia frowned at the destruction. That was one of my favorite tea sets.

Luna turned back around. "Sister, what was that?"

"It appears... I have a package." She eyed the cause of her tea set's demise. A large rectangular package wrapped in brown paper, tied together with a ribbon and a six-pointed starburst seal. A letter appeared tucked neatly under the seal, the word "URGENT" written across the folded edge.

Having walked back over to the table, Luna peered at the seal. "You have known Twilight Sparkle longer than I have, Tia. Is she in the habit of sending you such large items?"

"No," answered Celestia, curiosity growing. Pulling the letter free, Celestia began to read.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I'm sorry to drop such a large package on you (I hope it didn't break anything), and I'm equally sorry if this is disrupting your work schedule, but this matter is urgent and requires your attention.

A few days ago, while I was visiting Manehattan with the other Elements, we had a rather large scare. Applejack's aunt, Valencia Orange, never came home from a party, and we learned that she'd been hospitalized. Normally, this sort of thing wouldn't be something I'd be contacting you about, but it's the circumstances of her hospitalization that are of importance, and their part in a larger problem.

Her state of health is... well, it's horrific. She's in so much pain and her temperature is still dangerously high. I've been in correspondence with the doctor treating her at Manehattan General, Red Cross. He says that based on her medical files, between the last time she was spotted and the day she was found and hospitalized, less than twenty-four hours, she's lost several pounds of weight, much of it in muscle atrophy.

What's more concerning is that she's only the latest in a trend of ponies showing up around Manehattan with these symptoms, as well as a collection of others. Red Cross said he called in the ECDP, and they wrote a report for the Ministry of Health. They wanted to seek the advice of you and Luna, and that of the Canterlot Archive for clues as to what this is. But Red Cross says no reply ever came.

I have no idea why the report didn't reach you, but given the seriousness of the situation, I offered to contact you directly for Doctor Red Cross. I've included a copy of the patient data he gave me so you can examine the facts for themselves. I also included a copy for Princess Luna to look at. Do either of you recognize this?

Twilight Sparkle

Eyebrows raised, Celestia set down the letter and opened the package. It contained two thick folders filled with page after page of data.

"A mysterious plague?" questioned Luna, picking up one of the two folders. The vestiges of drowsiness had now left her body. "Tis not Twilight's usual fair of problems."

"No," agreed Celestia. "But these descriptions sound serious." Lighting her horn, Celestia opened the folder, and began to read.

Several minutes later, Celestia still sat in her chair, her alabaster face several shades paler. These poor ponies. Her eyes went to the picture paperclipped to the page, the wings devoid of feathers, the muscle shriveling up into nothing.

Patient six has shown signs of osteoporosis, read the file. Right hind leg bone was broken at 22:36. Patient was flailing wildly from pain. Medication supplies had run short, so the supply in the machine ran dry. Patient struck the rail at the bottom of the bed with his leg and the bone was later found to have been completely cleaved in two.

Celestia looked up from the page, shuddering at the image. Pegasi bones, even for a non-athletic pony, should not be that easy to break, especially at that stallion's age. She turned her attention to Luna. Her face, too, had gone pale.

"Moon, and stars..." she swore. The night princess glanced up to her sister. "Tia, tell me, did you ever encounter something such as this in my absence?"

Celestia shook her head. "No, and I can't recall anything from the old days that could come close to this."

Luna frowned, looking back at the patient file. "I must confess, Tia, I find this most disturbing."

"As do I, and I find it even more disturbing that this was never submitted to us in the first place. I'll have to talk to the Minister of Health about this." Castor Oil wouldn't have been foalish enough to not pass this to her, would he? He never seemed to be the most compassionate of ponies, but surely he wouldn't have let something this severe go by?

Luna gave a mighty yawn, drowsiness catching up with her yet again. "You should go to bed," said her sister. "You've been up far too long. I'll sign the forms allowing access to the Canterlot Archive and arrange a meeting with this Doctor Red Cross."

"Thank you, sister."

Getting up again, Luna opened the door, and a small, golden-clad pony fell flat against the carpet, armor clattering with the impact.

The red unicorn looked up at the glowering, sleep-deprived face of Princess Luna with a sheepish smile. "Uh... sorry?"

The night princess gazed down at the guard, her expression dead serious. "... Were you dropping with ease on our conversation?"

For a second, the guard looked confused, but clarity soon dawned, and she looked like a frightened rabbit. "What?! No! No, no, no, I didn't hear anything. No, ma'am, not a thing!" she pleaded, offering a nervous smile.

Luna's eyes narrowed. "Are you one of those... pappa... razi we have dealt so much with? T'would not be the first time they have tried impersonating the Royal Guard to get their stories." Her face lowered so it was within an inch of the guard's. "Tell us, guard, are you an imposter?"

"I... I-I..."

"Luna, don't be so suspicious," said Celestia, rising. "I do believe I know this pony." With a gentle flick of her horn, she got the mare back up on her hooves. "You're Signal Fire, if I'm not mistaken."

"You know my name?" squawked Signal Fire, before seeming to remember herself, and gave a salute. "I-I mean, Yes, ma'am, uh, Your H-Highness, ma'am!" The unicorn's eyes never left Luna's suspicious face.

Celestia smiled. "I thought so." She turned to Luna. "Luna, this is one of the graduates from the Mare Recruitment Program we organized for the guard. I met her when I visited the training camp." She looked back to Signal Fire. "And of course, I remember you, Signal Fire. Your sergeant spoke very highly of you."

"Her sergeant seems to have overlooked a few things in her training," said the night princess disapprovingly. Luna moved in close to Signal Fire until they were nose to nose. "Understand this, Signal Fire. Your task is to stand guard, not to listen in on private conversations or matters of state. If one word of what we discussed in there gets out, we shall know who to place the blame upon. Is that clear?"

A bead of sweat rolled down the unicorn's cheek. "Crystal, Your Highness."

With that, Luna left, returning to the comfort of her bedroom.

Signal Fire let out a long sigh, and Celestia almost let herself giggle. Luna had a way of intimidating the new recruits, especially when she was deprived of sleep.

Of course, there were other concerns to address first. "Signal Fire, you do realize that eavesdropping on private conversations is against your code, correct? And that anything that you heard must remain confidential?"

"Yes, ma'am," replied the unicorn, sounding genuinely apologetic.

Celestia smiled. "Good." The last thing they needed was word of this... plague, as Doctor Red Cross was calling it, getting out to the general public before they had an answer. Still, she couldn't stay angry at the young unicorn. Rookie guards had certainly done worse on their first days, and Celestia had taken a liking to her at the training camp.

"So, tell me, how's your father doing these days? Still living in Detrot?"

Rarity was working feverishly.

From the very minute they’d arrived at her house, Rarity had rushed upstairs, shifting from Shadow Spade to frantic artist. Sunset had watched with astonishment as her friend worked with an almost unnatural quickness, selecting her materials and carving them into the desired product like a sculptor with a block of stone.

"White? No, black! The stains will be harder to see on black!" she said in the middle of the scramble, needle and thread already at work.

Finding it both inappropriate and impossible to hold conversation with her friend, Sunset had turned to her phone to pass the time. At the moment, she was browsing the stores. Lunchtime talks with the other girls, more specifically, Twilight, Rainbow, and Applejack, had gotten her more and more interested in video games as of late. But her laptop couldn't handle anything truly modern, and the consoles were so expensive.

She frowned at the prices. That one would cost her almost everything she had left in savings.

Suddenly, there came a knock at the door, and Sweetie Belle entered the room, carrying a small plate of cookies. "Mom was wondering if you wanted a snack," said the thirteen-year-old, watching her sister work at her dizzying pace. "Rarity, is everything okay? I've never seen you work so hard."

"Everything's fine, Sweetie," replied Rarity. "Tell Mother I said thank you."

"Me too," said Sunset, picking up one of the cookies and taking a bite. She savored the taste of the homemade chocolate chips.

After Sweetie left, Sunset turned to Rarity. "You should probably take a break, you know. You've been at it non-stop for nearly an hour."

Rarity wiped her brow. Her usually pale face was flushed from the effort. "I need to get this done as soon as possible. The longer I take, the more likely it is that the trail will disappear."

"That's true," agreed Sunset. "But a little snack break won't hurt you. You need the energy." She took another bite. "Besides, these are great."

Rarity took a look at the plate of warm confections, and relented. "I suppose a small break wouldn't hurt." Sitting down in a nearby chair, she took a cookie.

"How's it going, anyway?" asked Sunset.

Rarity sighed, tossing back her purple curls. "I'm just about half-way done." Ever a lady, she quietly nibbled on her cookie rather than devouring it outright.

"You know, there's something I've wanted to ask you. How'd you dad even get a World Series ring?" As far as she knew, Hondo had only ever played football, not baseball.

"There's actually a story there," Rarity said cheerily. "Father's quite proud of it himself, not because of the ring, but because of everything else. It all happened one night a few years ago when Mother and Father were dining out. It was going quite well, and then this famous baseball player showed up." Here, she paused. "I think his name was... Slugger. Fresh off of winning the World Series, or so Father said."

Sunset raised an eyebrow. "I thought your parents didn't prefer fancier restaurants."

"Oh, this wasn't anything like that," said Rarity. "It was a local place. Slugger had apparently been a regular there since college. In any event, he started eating, and everything went back to normal... and then Slugger started to choke on an oyster. Father was the first to help," Rarity beamed. "He knows a little first aid, so he managed to help Slugger cough up the oyster before he suffocated. Slugger was so grateful, he gave Father his ring as a thank you gift."

"Wow," said Sunset, thoroughly impressed. "Your dad's a hero."

"Yes," said Rarity, lips curling upwards. "I suppose he is." Nibbling on the cookie, Rarity gave Sunset a thoughtful expression. "If I may, there's something I've been wondering about as well."

"Yeah?"

"When we were talking to that... disgusting man, you described the cut of the stone on Father's ring. You said it was... brilliant, I think?"

"Yeah, it's a pretty common cut for diamonds and a lot of other stones, especially the colorless ones." Grabbing a loose piece of paper, she did a quick sketch. "See, when they're cut like this, it allows for maximum light to be reflected out the front of the stone. It gives a real brightness to them. Usually it's round, but if you mess with the outline, you can get oval, or," she drew a few more intricate shapes, one sort of like a pear, and the other similar to a boat, pointing to each in turn, "pendeloque or navette."

"I see," nodded Rarity appreciatively. "I had no idea of the intricacies of gemstone carving. Is that," she gave a delicate pause. "Is that something you picked up from your time as a thief?"

"Actually, no. I got that from my mom. Sort of."

Rarity looked at her in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah. She owned a jewelry store in Canterlot. Did good business, too."

"A jewelry store? Oh, that sounds marvelous. So your mother taught you all these different shapes?"

"Not directly," Sunset admitted. "My parents generally didn't want me in their workplaces. Which I totally understand. I was kind of a destructive foal." She gave a sheepish laugh. "I broke a lot of toys with my magic surges. But I still picked up things here and there. That, and I read my mom's Encyclopedia of Jewelry front to back a few times... and accidentally set it on fire once."

Rarity laughed. "Yes, I can see why they'd want you away from their work. No offense, darling." Stretching, Rarity got up and went back to her own workspace. "Time to get back at it, I suppose."

As Rarity dove back into her work, Sunset took out her phone again. She should send Sunny a text. It was very possible that she was still comatose, but a message about her whereabouts wouldn't hurt. Thank goodness Twilight had gotten Sunny that phone.

Should she mention that they were tracking down the intruder? No, definitely not. It wasn't the sort of thing one explained in a quick text. And besides, Celestia had enough to deal with, and they'd be fine.

After all, they were just tracking him down. It wasn't like they were going to try to arrest the guy themselves.

Zappityhoof's heart hammered in her chest. "Yeah. He's, uh, he's good. He, uh, still sends me lots of letters."

This was a disaster. At first, she'd been terrified that Princess Luna would toss her out, or worse, detect the invisibility spell. And though she avoided those fates, she’d discovered, much to her horror, Celestia had actually met the real Signal Fire. Could this mission possibly get any worse?

"That's wonderful," said Celestia with a warm smile. It was a very maternal smile, Zap decided. Warm and welcoming. It reminded her of the way her own mother would smile at her.

At least before she didn't care about me anymore.

"Is there something still bothering you, my little pony?" asked Celestia, concern written all over her features. "You still seem upset by something."

Zap cursed inwardly. This is why they needed Decepticolt to do this, not her! "I, uh..." The best way out of this was to lie, but what kind of lie? Jumping between ideas, Zap seized on the only one that seemed plausible. "I, uh, well..." reaching into the suit of armor, she pulled out a small bag, opening it up to present to the princess, and revealing a pile of small chocolate candies.

Celestia's eyes widened. "Are those from Horseshey?"

"Y-Yeah," answered Zap. "I... uh, have a friend of a friend who gets them for me." One of the many perks of Goldcap impersonating Harmony Song was the ability to have stuff like this delivered straight from the famous factory. It was the sort of thing Zappityhoof had taken advantage of right away. This was only one of a dozen or so bags she'd had back at the Rockefeather place.

"I know the guards aren't supposed to have these," she said as apologetically as possible, praying desperately that she came off as sincere, "but I have a thing for chocolate, and it's my first day here, and it helps calm my nerves, you know?"

All of those were, in point of fact, completely accurate. She'd always had a massive sweet tooth, chocolate in particular, and a dose of it always seemed to help whenever she was nervous. It was the entire reason she'd smuggled the little bag in with her to begin with.

"If you're going to make up a lie," Decepticolt had told her, "Try to put a little truth into it. It makes it more believable that way."

Zappityhoof waited for the princess to chastise her, but instead, to her great shock, she found Celestia actually laughing. "Oh, is that it? Well, you don't need to worry." She leaned in conspiratorially. "I have something of a sweet tooth myself."

"Y-You do?" Zap asked in shock.

"Yes. Of course, these days, Kibitz keeps reminding me about my weight... and intercepting my sweets." The princess's expression soured, then she looked back to Zap. "May I have some?"

"Uh... sure," said Zap, levitating out a few pieces to the alicorn.

Celestia took them in her magic, and then popped them in her mouth. "Oh, that tastes heavenly," she sighed, looking as content as a cat with cream. "You know, some of the other guards are changing their shifts around the palace. What would you say if I asked you to stand guard outside my quarters?"

Zappityhoof practically jumped out of her armor. "You... I mean, uh, it would be an honor to serve, Your Highness!" She gave a salute.

This had to be a dream. Standing guard outside Celestia's personal quarters was the ideal place to look for opportunities. And it was all because the old mare had a sweet tooth. Zap beamed. Royal guards weren't supposed to smile like that, but she didn't care.

"Good," Celestia said with a nod. "Follow me."

As the two walked down the hall, Zap had to work especially hard not to skip. Dee and Goldcap were going to be so proud of her for this.

"Hey, you!"

Zappityhoof came to an abrupt stop as a large earth pony stallion in golden armor rushed up to her. She recognized him from the introduction all the new recruits had been given upon entering the palace. He was one of the commanding officers. What was his name? Buck... something?

"Is there a problem, Buckler?" asked Celestia politely.

The stallion saluted. "Hello, Your Highness! I was just stopping this pony here." He pointed to Zap. "You're supposed to be guarding the hallway back there," he told her firmly. "What are you doing away from your post, and following the princess?"

He looked her over with a critical eye, and spotted her little bag of chocolate. "What's this?" He snatched the bag away from her.

"Hey!" Zap protested.

"Trying to sneak things in, were you?" said Buckler, nostrils flaring. "You know guards aren't supposed to have things like this on duty! I should have you cleaning the entire barracks for your actions!"

The guard stallion placed the bag on the ground, and raised a hoof to crush it, when he was stopped by an aura of golden magic.

"Actually," interrupted Princess Celestia, "those are mine."

Buckler looked at the princess in surprise. "Yours?"

Zap mirrored his expression. Hers?

"Mine," repeated the alicorn. "I was simply having Signal Fire hold them for me. And I'll thank you not to destroy them." With a flick of her horn, she floated the bag of chocolates next to herself. "And as for why she's not at her post, it's because I've reassigned her to stand outside my quarters."

Buckler's eyes almost popped out of his head. "Y-Your quarters?! But Your Highness, you can't—"

"I can't do what?" asked Celestia, a bit of humor in her tone. "I can’t decide what guards to assign to what posts in my own palace? Oh dear, I think I've been under a false assumption for all these centuries."

Zap grinned. Oh. she liked her. It was a shame that they had to feed her to the boss. But then, if Princess Celestia wasn't on the menu, they certainly would be, so the shame was trounced by self-preservation.

"But Your Highness," protested the earth pony, "she..." he pointed to Zap, "she's just a rookie. A rookie shouldn't be stationed in front of your personal quarters. I know several of the guard posts are being reassigned, but please, allow me to put somepony else at that position." He thought for a moment. "I could have Javelin Throw reassigned in a few minutes."

Celestia's earlier mirth dimmed. "Captain Buckler, I know assigning posts is your job, and I don't mean to step on your hooves, but I've decided to let Signal Fire take up post by my quarters." She looked at Zappityhoof and smiled. "I'm sure the experience will be good for her, and I'm sure that if something were to happen, she would rise to the occasion, wouldn't you, Signal Fire?"

Zap jumped to attention. "Yes, ma'am!" she shouted, perhaps louder than she should have.

"But, Your Highness..." protested Buckler.

"I've made my decision, Captain. Leave it be and return to your work." Turning around, Celestia continued her walk down the hall. Zap followed after her, shooting Buckler a smug grin as she left.

When Zap finally caught up with the princess, the alicorn floated her bag of chocolates back over. "I believe these are yours."

Thanking the princess, Zappityhoof continued to follow her in silence. Feeling particularly energized, Zap almost started skipping yet again, but thought the better of it as she passed another guard. So instead, she settled on humming a foalhood song, almost bouncing to the beat as she walked beside Princess Celestia, occasionally sneaking a piece of chocolate in her mouth when nopony was around to watch.

Really, that Captain Buckler was such a stick in the mud. Who in their right mind would destroy a bag of chocolates?

As they rounded a corner, Celestia stopped, Zappityhoof almost colliding with her. The princess craned her long, swan-like neck to look back at the unicorn. "Signal Fire..."

A bead of cold sweat was forming on the back of her neck. She suddenly had a very bad feeling about what the princess was about to say. "Y-Yes, Your Highness?"

Magenta eyes stared at her in suspicion. "Didn't you tell me—"

In an instant, the bead of sweat turned into a shower. A memory forced its way to the surface of Zappityhoof's brain, a memory of Decepticolt's long lecture before she'd taken off on this mission.

"And if anypony asks you about... Zap, are you listening to me?"

"Yeah, yeah," said Zappityhoof with a pout. Decepticolt had been drilling her in Signal Fire's life for the past hour. "I'm listening."

"You'd better be, this is important. If you're going to impersonate Signal Fire, you need to be able to answer the right questions. You need to not slip up in front of somepony."

"I get it," Zappityhoof snapped. "I'm just bored. Can we take a break?" She levitated over a bag of chocolates and began to eat.

"That's another thing," said Decepticolt, grabbing the bag in his own magical aura. "Whatever you do, don't let anypony see you eating chocolate. Do you hear me? In fact, don't even eat chocolate while you're there, period."

"But why?" she'd whined in response. He'd knew quite well about her chocoholic nature. He knew how much she loved it. Why would he ask her to abstain from one of life's great pleasures?

"Because Signal Fire is deathly allergic to it," he replied firmly, pressing his ears against his head to fight off her whining. "We don't know how many ponies know that, or where they'll be, and if they see you eating chocolate, they'll realize something's wrong. So, for the love of all that's holy, please, don't sneak anything in."

But she had snuck some in. She'd completely forgotten about that one, all important detail, and now she was getting caught.

Zappityhoof cursed internally. She cursed and cursed and cursed again. That stupid Signal Fire must have told the princess about her allergy. Now what was she going to do? She couldn't try to contradict the princess's memory.

Zap would have to make a run for it. The entire mission was a disaster. Dee and Goldcap would yell at her for messing up. What was the easiest way to make her escape? A fog bank, for sure. Maybe some thunder clouds. Zap cursed again, wishing Goldcap had gotten to show her how to teleport. She needed to teleport! Why couldn't she have learned to teleport?!

"—that you were allergic to..." the princess continued, the words that would very likely seal Zappityhoof's fate.

And then, something strange happened. Celestia trailed off mid-sentence, her eyes closing. And then she started to mutter something. Something about... the emperor of Chineigh?

The princess's eyes opened, unfocused, and she shook her head. When she looked back at Zap, it was with an expression of confusion. "I'm sorry, I... seem to have lost my train of thought." she said apologetically. "What were we talking about?"

What the hay? Zap almost took a step back. What in Equestria had just happened? Princess Celestia had been inches from outing her as an imposter and then she suddenly stopped.

No matter, the universe had thrown her some good luck. If the princess couldn't remember, then maybe she had a chance. "I was, uh, telling you about... my cousin!" she spat out quickly. "Yeah. Like I told you before, my cousin is super allergic to chocolate. Yeah, that's right." She put on a nervous smile, praying to every deity in the book that this would work.

The princess's brows furrowed, but then, to Zap's immense relief, she smiled. "Ah, yes, I must have forgotten." She turned her attention back to the hall. "Come along, your new post is this way."

The two continued their trek through the castle in silence. Silent except for the sound of Zap's heart, once again beating rapidly in her chest.

Zap popped a few more pieces of chocolate in her mouth.

"The mean streets of Canterlot City lay before us. Sunset and I had followed the trail all the way here. It was a long road, but now we had the scent, the scent of the thief that framed my father, the scent of... car exhaust!"

Rarity coughed as a car drove down the street, dark clouds billowing from its tailpipe. Sunset rolled her eyes. Rarity had once again gone into her Shadow Spade narration. She was almost starting to get used to it by now.

"Get your car serviced!" Rarity yelled after the driver had passed, dusting herself off. Since her jacket had been so heavily soiled, she’d switched outfits yet again to one involving a long, reddish-brown trench coat, a wide-brimmed hat, and a pink sash. "Oh, this exhaust is going to ruin my ensemble."

It had taken long enough, but Rarity had managed to finish the jacket. No sooner had she put in the last stitch that the pair had raced back to Grease Ball. The grimy fence was more than happy to take his reward (especially after being slapped by two more women, if the red marks on his cheeks were any indication).

In return, he pointed them to his cousin Greased Palm, a fellow fence who operated out in Miner's Hill. Sunset had only met the man once in her life. Miner's Hill was a little too far afield from her residence for her to visit very often. Greased Palm himself worked in a pawn shop, and was far more hygienic than his cousin, his only problem being perpetually sweaty hands. He was also far more open to being helpful... in that getting him to talk had only cost twenty dollars.

He had indeed been offered a World Series ring lately, but had to check with the right buyers before he could take it. The man who had offered it, he told Sunset and Rarity, was called Star Glazer, and he lived in an apartment complex only a few blocks away. So here they were now, walking the streets of Miner's Hill, getting ever closer to their thief.

Once upon a time, Canterlot City had a sort of small mining boom. Would-be miners flocked to what had been the city's outskirts, setting up camps and stores. By the time the mining boom ended, the miners had ended up staying, and their encampment became Miner's Hill, though nowadays it was no longer the outskirts of the city, and lay sandwiched in between other, newer residences. Miner's Hill was home to a large portion of the city's blue-collar workforce.

It was distinctly different from Appleville. The latter was filled with parks, green spaces and quaint, brightly painted businesses, fitting for a small town turned suburb. Miner's Hill, by contrast, was cramped, building squeezed against building, and had a more... rough and dirty feel to it.

That was not to say Miner's Hill was especially crime-ridden or poor. But it was as if the miners of years past had carved out the buildings that lined the streets, worn away at the concrete with their pickaxes and shovels, for that's how the buildings often looked, roughly hewn, and as if the dust from the long-abandoned mines had been spread over the whole neighborhood.

Interestingly enough, the Canterlot in Equestria actually had their own version of Miner's Hill, and it actually was one of the poorer districts, a home for those that had worked the crystal mines, abandoned when the mining threatened to topple the entire city.

"So," said Sunset, bringing her friend out of her noir-inspired speech. "Just to be clear, what are we going to do when we get there?"

"We'll confirm he lives there, and then..." Rarity paused, tapping her chin in thought. "I suppose we should make sure he still has the ring on him, somehow."

Sunset nodded. "If we're going to call the police, it'll be better if he has the ring on him so he can be connected to the break-in."

Finally, the two found the address they were looking for, a four-story apartment complex, 2765 Canary Road. Rarity looked over at Sunset, and then adjusted their coat. It was time for action.

The manager's office wasn't hard to find, in plain view from the front entrance. Sunset let Rarity knock. It was her case, to borrow a phrase, so she might as well let her friend take the lead.

The door was answered by a small, nervous-looking man with a thick mustache. "H-Hello?" he greeted.

"Hello," said Rarity courteously. "My friend and I are looking for one of your tenants, a man by the name of Star Glazer. Could you tell us what apartment he's in?"

"Apartment 352," replied the man quickly.

"Thank you," said Rarity. She turned around. "Come, Sunset, the trail's almost at an end."

"But you won't find him there!" shouted the manager.

Rarity turned around again, her movements slow, her smile turned into a frown. "I beg your pardon? Why exactly won't we find him there? Has he gone out?"

"N-No," replied the manager. "You won't find him there because he's not there at all. Star Glazer doesn't live here anymore. I kicked him out days ago. He's gone."

Zap was bored... again.

She'd been standing in front of the door to Princess Celestia's private chambers for what seemed close to an hour, and she was no closer to finding any real openings or anything remotely interesting. She popped another piece of chocolate into her mouth, one of a now very dwindled number. She'd run out before the day was over.

Zap, have you found anything?

The alien thought in her head made Zap jump. A guard passed by, and Zap put on a quick, hopefully neutral expression. Goldcap, don't scare me like that! Zap thought back. You almost made me jump out of my coat!

Quit whining and start talking. What have you learned so far?

Zap grumbled. She liked Goldcap. The mare had been instrumental in teaching Zap how to better use her horn, in a sense, acting like a sort of sister that Zappityhoof never had. But she was also one of the gruffest ponies on the planet.

Nothing much, had a few close calls today, but I seem to be in Celestia's good books. She quickly recounted her earlier escapades, leaving out no details.

You were lucky, growled Goldcap. Don't you DARE mess up like that again!

Still, interjected Decepticolt, joining in on their conversation. This might be easier than we thought, if the old mare's going senile.

Where is she now? asked Goldcap.

In some meeting, replied Zap. Why? I can't exactly go up to her now and attack her.

I want you to check out her rooms, Goldcap thought back. Who knows? We could learn something useful.

Her private chambers might be the best place to stage an attack, agreed Decepticolt. Go for it, Zap.

Zap looked around. Nopony was in sight. That was good. Turning to the doors, she tried the handle. It wouldn't move. Goldcap, it's locked. Can you...?

Alright, thought Goldcap. Give me control.

The next moment, Zap relaxed, and Goldcap took control of Zap's body. With the telepathic connection they all shared, Goldcap had been able to work out a way for each to take control of the other, in case their skills were needed. It was similar to the spell that Twilight Sparkle had used to foil their plan to get wings. Never let it be said that Goldcap didn't learn from experience.

With control of Zap's horn, Goldcap cast an unlocking spell. The door yielded easily, popping open with a click. Once it did, Zap felt control shift back to her.

There. Now go and investigate.

With the door open, Zap quietly slipped inside. Princess Celestia's bird was nowhere to be seen, probably flying around the outside of the castle. That was good news for Zap. She didn't want to deal with that mischievous phoenix again, not after it sat on her helmet and started pecking at her head as a sign of greeting.

Princess Celestia's private chambers were well-furnished, as one would expect. A few very plush chairs, a sofa, a large fireplace for winter, shelves filled with books and albums, a writing desk, and several odds and ends. Not spotting anything of particular interest, Zap tried one of the doors. It led to a bathroom. Nothing of interest there. Another door led to the princess's bedchamber, with its enormous four-poster bed big enough to fit two alicorns.

Zap did a cursory search there, but still found nothing of particular interest. But the third door turned out to be something entirely different. It was a private study or workroom by the looks of it, with chemical tables and even more shelves filled with books and papers.

And there, against the far wall, was something Zap had never seen before. It was a stand, a little taller than the average pony. On top of the stand, held in a metal frame, was a large purple gem, cut into a diamond shape. The gem glowed with power, pulsing with a strong, golden light that filled the room.

"What is this thing?" she wondered aloud. Reaching out to her companions again, she made contact with Goldcap.

Hey, Goldcap, I got something weird here. Can you take a look at it?

Once again, Zap lost control of her body, her magic changing from its usual light blue to Goldcap's yellow. The magic swirled around the crystal, examining it, prodding it.

Finally, the spell stopped. It's some sort of magical storage device, thought Goldcap. And it's filled with alicorn magic.

Zap tilted her head. What the hay is it used for?

No idea, replied Goldcap. But based on the color and feel of the magic, I'd say it's Princess Celestia's.

This is what we've been looking for! declared Decepticolt excitedly.

Whatever it's used for, continued Goldcap, it looks like this thing is designed to be recharged regularly, and part of the spell surrounding it allows for that recharge to be at a distance. Meaning—

Meaning it's got a direct line to her! finished Zap, something that filled her with a small sense of accomplishment. Between her and Decepticolt, it was always him who was able to complete one of Goldcap's theories, her own grasp of magic leaving her to simply follow along to the end.

Yes, confirmed Goldcap. And if that's true, this is our golden opportunity. Zap, here's what I want you to do.

Zap listened to Goldcap’s mental instructions, then terminated the connection. Grabbing a chair in her magic, she brought it over, climbing onto the cushioned seat so she was level with the stand. She leaned forward, her neck almost touching the crystal. Closing her eyes, she whispered to her master. Goldcap's invisibility spell fell away, rippling out of existence, and the choker appeared, aglow with a bright red light.

The metal glowed brighter and brighter, and Zap felt herself begin to sweat inside the armor. The heat would have been searing, had the metal not already been so deeply attached to her body. Finally, a part of it became like liquid. It flowed outwards from the choker's surface, a living stream of molten metal, reaching out across the gap between Zappityhoof and the glowing crystal.

The gem sizzled with heat at the contact. The stream pulled away, returning to the choker and reforming into solid mass. A single reddish-gold droplet remained on the gem's glassy surface. The droplet continued to sizzle and smoke, and then sunk inside the gem, disappearing from sight, like it had never been there at all.

Zappityhoof smiled. They had their way in.

Author's Note

If you're wondering about the name "Star Glazer", it refers to someone who cuts through glass windows to break into houses. I got the term from an Extra History video (Policing London 1). Evidently the term was used by a few people, but never caught on in larger slang circles.

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