Justice, Integrity, and Service

The train’s shrill whistle pierced the air, an announcement that it was leaving. The cream colored pony didn’t react, keeping her gaze out the window. She turned over thoughts in her head, ignoring the drone of conversation from the few other passengers in the car.

“Bon Bon?” One voice in particular pulled her from her thoughts. A mint green pony sat next to her, staring at her with concern. “What’s wrong?”

Special Agent Bon Bon blinked and sighed. “Oh, it’s nothing, Lyra.”

The unicorn narrowed her eyes. “Bon Bon, how many years have we worked together?”

“Five?”

“And you still think you can lie to me?”

Bon Bon sighed. She knew Lyra was right. The two had been friends since the academy, and they had learned how to read each other well. Almost too well. “Well…” she trailed off, not knowing how to finish.

Special Agent Lyra Heartstrings was concerned. It took a lot to leave her friend speechless. “Is it something I should know about? Something about why we’re headed out to the middle of nowhere?”

“I told you why we’re headed for Dodge Junction,” Bon Bon replied, taking out some papers from her saddlebags. “The RIS has been looking for Bulls Eye for almost three months now. We picked up one of his aliases buying a train ticket out of Canterlot days after an unsolved murder. The ticket was for Dodge Junction, but we lost him after that.”

“I know that,” Lyra scoffed. “I don’t know why you asked them for help.”

Bon Bon blinked. “Lyra, you know that the Equestrian Marshal Service is the oldest and most distinguished law enforcement agency in Equestria, right? They’re known for tracking down fugitives. This is basically their job!”

“And do you know that historically speaking the RIS and the Marshals don’t get along?” countered Lyra. “We could have just sent them the warrants and information by mail like we do every other time. So why are we going to Dodge Junction?”

“Because it’s an important case, and it’s important that we catch this guy,” assured Bon Bon.

Lyra blinked. The answer didn’t seem genuine, but before she could pry further, they were interrupted by a high pitched voice.

“Woah! Are you guys really from the Royal Investigative Service?!”

The two looked to their right to see a young colt staring at them wide-eyed.

Bon Bon smiled at him. “Yes, yes we are.”

“Wow,” gushed the colt. “That’s so cool! How many bad ponies have you caught? Have you ever met the princesses? Can I see your gun-”

“Now, now,” came an older stallion’s voice. Another pony trotted up behind him and nudged the colt forwards. “Let’s leave the agents to their jobs.”

“Okay grandpa. It was nice to meet you guys!”

“Uh, nice to meet you too,” Lyra replied.

“I apologize, he gets excited easily,” said the stallion. “But you mares do fine work.” He nodded, and the two trotted on.

The two blinked, trying to recall what their conversation was before they were interrupted. “Huh. Anyways, I do know that the Marshals and the RIS have history,” Bon Bon said. “But what’s the history all about?”

Lyra thought for a minute. “I don’t know exactly,” she relented.

“Well, from what I’ve heard, the RIS and the Western Marshals ran a joint operation, but it went terribly wrong. Several deputies were injured, some accusations were made, but not much else is known about what happened.”

“And is this why we’re going? So you can find out what happened?”

“Well aren’t you a little curious too?”

Lyra sighed, rubbing her forehead with her hoof. “So what? You’re just going to ask them if they were there?”

“No, because they were there.” Bon Bon pulled out two folders from her bags. “I pulled up the RIS’s investigation files from the incident. Most of it is still classified, but there were two statements from two deputy marshals that were declassified. I checked, and these two deputies still work there today.”

Lyra’s eyes widened. “Isn’t this breaking some sort of rule? Or something?”

“Not that I know of. But while we’re there, I would love to talk to those two.”

Lrya sighed, hanging her head in defeat. There was just way to talk her partner out of this. “Okay, Bon Bon. Let’s just hope this crazy project of yours doesn’t get us killed.”

The rest of the ride was fairly uneventful. Eventually they arrived at their destination, stepping out onto a dusty platform. The air was dry around them and the sun beat down hard above their heads. “I hate it here already,” grumbled Lyra as she squinted in the light.

“I’m not surprised,” Bon Bon replied. The two trotted down the dusty roads side by side, drawing a few glances from the locals.

Lyra rolled her eyes at the comment. “Right.”

Bon Bon looked up and down the street, frowning. She called out to another stallion trotting past them. “Excuse me! Do you know where the Marshal’s office is?”

The pony blinked. “Marshal’s office? Now why would you want to go there?”

Bon Bon blinked, taken aback. She turned slightly, showing the letters emblazoned on her saddlebags. “We’re with the Royal Investigative Service.”

“Oh! Well, their office is the two storied one on Second Street. Can’t miss it.”

“Thank you!” As they parted, Bon Bon sighed. “Well, looks like the Marshals aren’t all that popular.”

“Have they ever been?”

“Yes, actually. Don’t you remember when we were at the academy? They were the most respected agency in all of Equestria.”

Lyra frowned. “Huh. Yeah, I guess they were. Wonder what happened to them.”

“We’re about to find out,” Bon Bon said excitedly. After following the stallion’s directions, the two found themselves in front of a fairly large wooden building that was a bit worse for wear. Dust caked the windows and the front of the building, which had chipped paint and a few dents and scratches.

Bon Bon went up the stairs and into the building, apparently not noticing the small imperfections. In the lobby, she was greeted by an elderly stallion with a green coat. The stallion squinted at her through a pair of broken glasses and smiled.

“Howdy! I’m Deputy Marshal Marshall. How can I help you today?” he asked in a creaky voice.

Lyra snickered from behind Bon Bon.

Marshal Marshall rolled his eyes. “Yes, Marshal Marshall, very funny.”

“Um, ignore my partner,” said Bon Bon as she fished for her badge. “We’re here to see Deputy Marshals Braeburn Apple and Daring Do.”

Marshall cocked an eyebrow. “Any particular reason?”

“We’re from the Royal Investigative Service,” Bon Bon explained. “We could use their help.”

At the mention of their agency, Marshall’s mood changed. “Well now, most times y’all just send us a warrant,” he creaked.

“It-it’s an important case,” Bon Bon replied, caught off guard.

“Aren’t they all.” Marshall stood up. “Fine. Follow me and I’ll get them for you.”

Bon Bon and Lyra shared a glance before following him. Marshall led them through a room that resembled the office spaces in Canterlot, with chairs and desks filling the spaces. Papers seemed to be tacked to every available surface. The majority of the desks were strangely empty, as Bon Bon could only see three or four deputies scribbling at papers or reading books.

Each of them wore brown jackets with a badge affixed on the right side. A name tag was attached to the left side, and the back of the jackets had the words “Deputy Marshal” stitched into it. Several wore western hats along with their jackets. Bon Bon figured this was their standard uniform.

Marshall led them into a room labeled as the Conference Room. “Wait right here, I’ll go get them.” He shut the door, leaving the two alone.

Lyra shrugged and took off her saddlebags, setting them on the large wooden table. Bon Bon set off to explore the room. The thing that caught her eye was a large map of Equestria that had been mounted on the far side of the room. “Wow. This is amazing,” she said in awe.

“Huh,” Lyra said as she walked over. “Is this hoof drawn?”

“Looks like it. Look at the detail,” mused Bon Bon. “This must have taken forever.”

Lyra just shrugged, quickly losing interest. “I don’t feel welcome here, Bon.”

“Yeah, I noticed that Marshall kind of got cold towards us,” admitted Bon Bon.

Lyra snickered at the name again. “Marshal Marshall. What a guy.”

“Oh, grow up, Lyra.”