Been Falling So Long, It's Like Gravity's Gone
~o/I went stumbling through the fog trying to find a reason for the things I told her
She woke up sunny side down and I was still thinking I was too proud to flip her over /o~
Drive-By Truckers. "Gravity's Gone"
Aria Blaze tucked herself in the space between the door frame and jukebox. Her purple and cyan hair blended in beautifully with the blinking neon patterns. The raucous din of the late-night bar crowd overpowered the lyrics, but it didn't matter. Extra noise only served as better camouflage.
She bent her leg and set the heel of her black Doc Martens boot on the frame so she could lounge casually. This little corner was perfect for a quick exit once she'd spotted her quarry. Sitting at the bar would put her back to the door and she couldn't get caught outside in case the subject made her on arrival.
Bringing her phone up, she flicked through the various tabs she kept open. Reviewing her files looked like someone scrolling through their news feed. No one paid attention to a gal in a purple plaid button-down shirt with her nose in her screen. Her heavily-lined eyes glanced up every so often.
Aria wasn't searching for just a person. She also wanted a late model, cherry-red Capital Chase four-door hatchback (license plate 5-3-Y-F-A-7), belonging to one Honey Petal. Two payments down as of last month with a third coming up at noon on Monday. If Aria didn't grab that car by then, the bank would have to let the dealership off the hook for the loan.
It wasn't as if Miss Honey Petal didn't know the situation. High Rise Bank & Trust had made every effort to notify her to bring the contract up to current. When she failed to respond, they handed the repossession order first to Rocky Bronco Recovery Bureau, and thus to Aria Blaze straight after.
She and her fellow Sirens had kicked around in the wild streets of San Franciscolt nearly four decades prior. While there, Aria had found repossession work suited her amoral and treacherous nature. Now in Canterlot City, with her long life blown away and needing food more solid than energy, she had fallen back on her old trade. Once a predator, always a predator, be it in Equestria or this magic-forsaken place. But instead of searching for energy or fish, she once more hunted metal.
She also hated to lose, more than her boss did. Knowing Rocky, he'd probably bet the bank VP in charge of auto loans that his agents would bring the car in by Monday. He'd never tell her he counted on her, but she knew she would hear it if she booted this one.
The preliminary tactic of cruising the area around her subject's last given address hadn't unearthed the Chase. No one had answered the door or the phone, despite repeated attempts. The people on either side weren't the kind to know their mutual neighbour. Similar calls to the DMV, public records, and the utility commission hadn't furnished any other addresses. The nonprofit widget-manufacturing startup Miss Petal contracted for had even refused Aria access to their property.
Luckily, those were all old-school techniques. In this new digital age people were careless with details. A quick swim through unguarded social media accounts would provide more information than a dozen phone calls. Public posts were laid bare for anyone to click through, with photos left tagged for easy identification. After much typing and scrolling in her spare time, Aria had learned one of Honey's friends had accidentally made a bridal party invitation public. The bar's address was listed in bold.
Honey Petal would most likely show up here tonight. The only question in Aria's mind was if the Chase would pull into the parking lot or not. A GIDYUP rideshare was a possibility, or a friend could drive her. In either case, Aria would follow them back at the end of the night and drop a rock on Honey's car.
A shriek of laughter made her shoulder check the table in the corner. The bride-to-be and her friends had it all to themselves. No one new in the mix and no one that looked like Honey Petal's profile picture. Unless she'd changed styles and not her photo. Yet another thing she'd fallen behind on, perhaps?
Aria's phone buzzed in her hand and a drop-down message appeared at the top of the screen:
SunShim: U working?
Of course she was working. It was difficult for Aria to not work. No matter how often Sunset cajoled or added events to her already crowded schedule, Aria usually ended an evening with swiping someone's car. She could lie and say she was taking it easy tonight. As if Sunset would buy that. Aria opened the message window and typed back.
ABlaze: Friday Night. End Of The Month. Afraid so.
Another pause, then the little ellipsis began its undulating inchworm animation again.
SunShim: Thought so. Be safe, k? I'll see you later.
No sense in reassuring her that this gal was more than likely a cream puff. Sunset had heard it all before and knew the danger of Aria's world. They'd argued a few times about it in the past, but it couldn't be helped. Taking away someone's car meant tension. Sometimes it even meant ducking a sledgehammer or a whirling tire chain.
ABlaze: Will do.
The bar's inside door opened and a pair of women in weirdly retro jackets and short skirts scurried in, angling for the bride's table. Neither of them glanced in Aria's direction, even as the breeze of their passing ruffled her hair. One had purple hair and skin that matched her own light fuchsia tones. Not her quarry. But the other ... A taffy blonde, short, oh yeah. Honey had kept that profile picture updated, after all.
A cool song washed through Aria's chest as she straightened up. She wasn't a Siren any more, but the hunt still meant something to her. It filled the ache where the magic had torn away her amulet, and it kept her head in this world.
Noting a young couple heading across the bar, Aria waited until they blocked the table's view of her. As they approached, she swung out of her nook to slip through the door ahead of them. She nudged it with a heel to keep it open, letting them catch up. No sense in drawing unwanted attention by being her usual rude self.
Once they'd returned the favour with the outside door and gone their own way, Aria ambled around the perimeter of the front parking lot. Her gaze flicked over license plates and models. Some were familiar from her first run through an hour before. She'd watched the owner of that Guardian Ranger slide out of the truck earlier and plunk himself down at the bar.
Reaching the end of the lot without spotting the Chase, she considered her next tactic. Her own company car was parked out of sight a couple blocks away. Perhaps Honey had done the same? Urgh. What she wouldn't give for some of that new Equestrian Magic that popped up all the time here. Covering the surrounding blocks in a speed-filled second or asking a nearby bird if they'd seen the car would be helpful. But no, those powers were reserved for Sunset Shimmer and her friends. Aria would rather go bobbing for bear traps than ask a Rainboom for help.
So, sit in her car and wait for Honey to stagger out once more, then tail her home? No, the Chase had to be nearby. It wasn't racking up storage fees anywhere and she doubted any of Honey's friends had extra garage space to hide it. The lady she'd wobbled in with had heels too high to have a car here, but Honey had worn sensible shoes. She'd driven tonight.
Aria turned down the block and passed the treeline that divided the bar's property from the used car dealership next door. A row of boulders separated the gravel lot from the narrow strip of grass and the sidewalk. Crouched beneath wide spotlights was a motley assortment of vintage clunkers and newer models already discarded and heavily discounted. On each windshield was a price in white marker, obviously done by a professional calligrapher, as every number was a masterstroke of care.
Something flickered at the corner of her vision as she rounded the corner, and Aria paused. The pattern had broken back there. Was it enough to make her go back for another look? Her gaze fell on a little red hatchback squatting in a space between two of the rocks. A scrawled price lay askew on its windshield, the value belying both the car's condition and its age.
Oh. It could not be that simple.
No front plate on the car, but the make and model matched. Aria flipped to the Vehicle Identification Number box on her file report. She sidled up to the driver's side to peer at the number on the dashboard. A match! To make absolutely sure, she took a quick peek at the rear bumper. License plate 5-3-Y-F-A-7.
With the ID confirmed, the hunting song spiralled higher in her chest. Parking in a used car lot for the night and slapping a ridiculous price on your ride, all to hide it from repossession. This little scam would be one for the office bulletin board. Aria could figure out how Honey had done it later. Right now, she had to get this car off the lot.
The Chase was new enough that it had keyless entry. If the driver approached with their key fob, a chip would communicate with the car to allow access. It all depended on the distance. This lot backed up against the rear of the bar, so there was a good chance Honey was still within range. All Aria needed was a little signal boost.
She took a black box out of her pocket and flicked it on. It would increase the range of the car's receiver from twenty meters to at least twice that. Luckily, Honey's table was close to the back wall. As long as she hadn't gone to the bar for another round ...
chirp
Distant fob and receiver were brought together through the magic of wireless technology. She loved the future some days. Aria slithered into the front seat, finger already jabbing at the START button to turn the engine over. With the glare of the lot's spotlights behind her, she could make out the tire marks on the dark grass. It looked like Honey had finessed her way through that little gap like it was made for her car. Well, what backed in could drive out again.
Aria glanced around to make sure she wasn't being watched. If she showed up on a security feed, big deal. She was the legal representative for High Rise in the execution of a peaceful repossession. The car she was stealing wasn't even part of this lot's inventory. Her boss could deal with the cops if they came around.
She eased the car out of the lot and over the grass. The tires thumped in pairs as she rolled over the curb. Luckily, the underside didn't scrape the sidewalk as the car thudded down. Safely on the road, Aria spun the wheel and floored it. The Chase shot down the street, away from its former owner.
“Oh, Honey,” she purred, “you've been repossessed!”
Aria hooked the Chase up to the back of her own Patron Excursion. The squat, powerful hauler was a former repo out of Hollow Shades, where off-roading inevitably meant needing some horsepower to get other cars out of the mud. When the dealer had balked at paying the hefty bill presented for their agency's hefty time and trouble, Rocky had purchased it himself for company use. Excellent for towing repos back to base.
Unable to take the highway with the cars linked, she instead drove through Horseshoe Corners and headed for the Bureau head office by way of the upscale Cloudy Heights neighbourhood. She'd stolen a car or two from the fancy addresses here as often as she had from the suburbs. Because shit could happen to anyone.
It happened to her when Equestrian Magic fell back into this nonmagical world. Instead of sharing in it and having long, productive lives, the Sirens had made a play for every last tasty drop. The resulting musical battle against a Princess had been one for the Songs of the Seashell Archives (although Aria doubted any of her kind remained in Equestria to sing the histories). In the end, she and her two sisters went down in a blast of rainbow magic, stripped of their powers and their song.
Loss was nothing new to Aria. It usually meant packing up and moving somewhere else to try again. This time, though, the Sirens stayed where they were. There was nowhere else to go. They couldn't create new magic. For a good while, they couldn't even sing. So they stayed and learned how to settle into mortality. Their voices gradually returned (even if their magic didn't), and they found new purpose outside of singing. To Aria, that meant becoming a legal car thief once again.
As she approached the office, her gaze darted into the various shadows and alleys on the block. One never knew if someone lurked, waiting to grab their car back. The street seemed clear enough. Not a lot of parked cars. Some trash cans were out in the vain hope tomorrow was garbage collection. The outlines of a half-started graffiti mural glowed on the wall across from the Bureau as Aria drove around back.
With a click of her remote, a section of wire-topped, chain-link fence rolled aside, and Aria drove in. The gate snapped shut behind her and she got out to drop Honey's car off the tow-bar. Parking it beneath one of the lot lights, she took her phone out and began documenting the condition on a tick-box app. She circled the car, augmenting her report with photos as she listed body condition, bumpers, mileage, windows, tire tread, and more. When finished, she would send a copy to the office printer. Her typed report would follow in the morning.
Aria checked behind the visors, beneath the seats, in the glove compartment, and ran her hands beneath the cushions to check for personal property. She noted it all, placed it in a bin, and tagged it with the car's information. If Honey Petal wanted any of it back, she would have to come in and pick it up.
Once she had called the local precinct to notify the police of the repossession and stowed Honey's property in the mesh cages inside the office, Aria slumped back against her car. She stretched with a groan, the now-fulfilled song coiling back down inside her to rest again. All these midnight cases meant she rarely got home before three in the morning. It wasn't as if she could sleep until noon either. Investigating people meant you talked to them on their own schedules.
A little black Spirit — a car that looked like a rollerskate had gotten knocked up — pulled up outside the fence. It had “GRAZR” in red and white on the door, with a little light-up sign on the roof. The driver got out carrying one of those insulated bags and walked across the street to the half-done mural. A figure in a black ball cap and grey hoodie appeared from the alley and the two of them exchanged phone swipes.
With the food delivered, and payment confirmed, the Spirit zoomed off again. Presumably to deliver a pizza to a manhole cover somewhere downtown. The meal's recipient looked both ways, then strode across the street before taking the cap off. A wave of yellow and red hair tumbled free. “You should eat before you go out again,” she called from the sidewalk, holding up the small stack of takeout containers. “Stakeouts always make you hungry.”
Aria straightened. “Hey, Flanksy. Been waiting long?”
Sunset Shimmer leaned her shoulder on the chain link, smiling. “About as long as I wait at home for you to get off work.” She tapped a knuckle on the intercom. “Come on, your garlic shrimp will get cold.”
Meeting her at the gate, Aria pressed the button to let her in. Sunset often found reasons to be out late after work, mostly to hang out with her. The nature of her job made it difficult sometimes to meet up. “New project, huh? Did the deli people want something to spruce up the brickwork?”
Striding across the gravel storage lot, Sunset shrugged, her hoodie lifting to show the red geode on her belt buckle. Her blue leggings were already streaked with dabs of black paint. “They figured a mural would look better than the random graffiti tags they keep removing.” She handed over a cardboard takeout container and a plastic fork. Her backpack slid off her shoulder as she dropped it with the rest of the boxes.
“The mural will just annoy those dickheads who tagged the wall originally,” Aria muttered, accepting the box. She popped it open to reveal her favourite garlic shrimp and rice dish. “Oooh, thank you. Lemme know if anyone messes with your art. I've got people who can beat them up.” Her eyelashes fluttered as she inhaled the scent and scooped a forkful into her mouth. “Mmmmf.” Her body decided it wished to savour this moment, and soon Aria sat with her legs crossed on the roof of her Excursion, eating contentedly.
Leaning on the rear door, Sunset popped the tab on a drink. With her other hand, she reached up to rub her thumb over Aria's bare skin through the blown knee of her jeans. “Aww, you don't have to threaten people just for my sake.”
“Of course I don't.” She paused in picking up another forkful. “But I like it when I can.” Seeing Sunset searching for a place to put her drink down, Aria motioned for her to hand it over to free up her hands. “So, what's the occasion? Have I been working too hard again or something?”
“Or something,” Sunset admitted. She surrendered her can and opened a container of spring rolls. “Twilight said she picked up readings of something magical, but she hasn't isolated it. So we don't know if it's stray magic or another artifact.”
Hunching over a bit more, Aria didn't stop her eating: She was hungrier than she'd thought, and these shrimp were hers, but now she understood the gift of food. Sunset was keeping a promise made ages ago: When magic showed up she would admit it. Not that it mattered, because Aria had no powers of her own. But sea foam, she had called dibs on that magic back at the Starswirl (ew) Festival. Sunset had smashed the Time Twirler anyway. So unfair.
Aria knew about the portal, too. Couldn't go dating someone whose friends popped over from Equestria on a regular basis and not figure it out. To her surprise, Aria found that she didn't even care. If Adagio learned about it, she would stomp, swagger, and swear retribution. Still, one step through and she'd end up a heap of hapless orange pony on the floor of a crystal castle. While that would be funny to see, Aria had no wish to be on the floor beside her, waiting for the spinning to stop. The four-legged life didn't appeal to her even if it came with a horn or wings.
So she finished her mouthful and said the only thing that came to mind: “Want me to keep a lookout? Couldn't hurt.” She covered more ground per day than any of Sunset's friends and she was a trained investigator. Finding things was literally her job.
Sunset flipped a fortune cookie up to her. “Sure couldn't. And you are working too hard. I miss you when everyone's together and you're not there.”
Aria paused in her eating to swallow the guilty lump that slid its way up her throat. “Oh. Sorry.” Was she sorry? She wanted to be, for Sunset's sake. Work often took over everything. She could lose track of time in the middle of a stakeout halfway up Pillow Peak. “Did I forget someone's birthday again?”
“No, no, you haven't.” Sunset rubbed her leg some more. She often used her touch to reassure Aria when the conversation got uncomfortable for the two of them. “I know it's a struggle to be in the same room with the others, but you've been doing so well recently. It would be a shame to lose your progress.”
Another car pulled up outside, the gate rumbling to life as it moved aside. A blue, two-door Capital Aura with the retractable canvas roof pulled in, swinging around in a loop to stop beside Aria's car. The driver's side window rolled down and a head with a bowl cut of whitish hair popped out. “Wow. We get serving wenches now on our breaks? Where do I sign up?” She flicked her fingers up in greeting. “Hey, Shimmer.”
“Hi, Limestone.” Sunset waved back. Pinkie's sister gunned her repo and damned the torpedoes backwards into a narrow space without so much as a cursory glance over her shoulder. Pie Sense was a spooky thing.
Getting out of the car, Limestone left the door open as she started her condition report. “Netted this baby down at the quarry. I think the guy was off skinny-dipping with his girl.” She leaned in and fished a pen out of her shirt pocket to pick up a lacy black bra by the strap. “Wow. I bet she's got no trouble staying afloat.” Dropping it, she went back to documenting everything.
Unlike every single Rainboom (that wasn't Sunset), Aria actually liked Limestone Pie. She was everything her pink sister wasn't: Determined, dedicated, and infuriatingly sarcastic. The same went for other people in the far orbits of Sunset's inner circle. The Crystal Prep gals were a hoot, for damn sure. Aria approved of their spunk and often used them as contacts to the other rungs of society when she needed help.
“So this is what passes for date night?” Limestone asked, rummaging for personal property and inventorying it as it went in the bin. “Not that I care, but 'after midnight in the storage lot' is not my idea of a great time. Unless you're just gonna do it in the backseat of a repo.” She chortled at Sunset's blush and Aria's growl of displeasure.
“See what I mean?” Sunset asked. “Even the grumpy Pie has thoughts on us.”
Aria sighed. “Yeah. I'm getting that.” Neither of them were wrong. The last notes of her hunting song had now faded and she suddenly wanted out of the lot.
Hefting the milk crate of labelled clothing and sundries from the Aura, Limestone stalked towards the back of the office. “I already called this one into the cops. I'm gonna spend some time doing reports so I can sleep in tomorrow. Take her home, Blaze. If you're still here when I get out, you're buying me breakfast.” She punched the access code into the wall panel, then yanked the door open and vanished inside.
“What do you want to do?” Aria asked Sunset. She gestured with her fork. “We've got some time if you want to hang. Limestone takes ages to type up her final notes. What about your mural?”
Sunset looked over at it, narrowing her eyes at the dark lines she'd set as a rough guide. “Eh, long-term project. I can put some daylight hours into it tomorrow.” Stretching, she rolled her shoulders and yawned. “I feel like going home and scrubbing the paint off my hands. Tomorrow I can stumble home and scrub the fish off my hands instead.”
“Want to borrow my shower?” offered Aria. As a former Siren, her first priority in an apartment was her bathroom. Centuries of living in rough places, causing strife, and constantly moving meant the three of them had led a dusty existence. She wouldn't deny herself the luxury of a room that held all the water she could ever want. “I'm pretty sure it's why we started dating in the first place.”
Grinning, Sunset packed up her remaining containers. “Because I saw your fancy bathroom and swooned? It's awesome, but you're more to me than great water pressure, Aria.” She shouldered her backpack and put her ballcap back on. “Still taking you up on it, though.”
Sliding off the roof, Aria tossed her takeout box into the garbage, Her drink can clanked off the rim of the attached recycling bucket. “Do you want to sleep over, too? You've still got your drawer of stuff.” At Sunset's surprised look, she shrugged. “They're separate things, showering and staying over. I want to make sure you really feel like doing both.”
Sunset got in the Excursion and waited for Aria to join her. “Plus you don't feel like waking up with my knee in your back.”
“I lived in the ocean, and I still can't figure out how you suddenly have more limbs than an octopus when you're asleep.” Aria shut her door. Before starting the car, she glanced over. “Sorry I suck at paying attention,” she apologized. “You do a lot to keep up with me and I should even the scales.”
“You're not uncaring and you don't have to balance anything,” Sunset grunted, shifting in her seat to get comfortable. Then her tone softened, as did her body. “I'm not keeping score, Aria, but to put it in a way you might understand: Our relationship's been in neutral the last while. It bothers me a little, but I understand why.”
Keeping her hands in her lap, Aria nodded. “I'll try harder.”
Sunset made a face. “Doesn't have to be that. Just, y'know, think about shifting gears.” She brightened a little. “End of the month is nearly done. If you've cleared your work calendar by Monday, do you want to come to a get-together? The room will be big enough so you won't get sick.”
Aria tilted her head in a shrug. “Sure. I can come hang out.” She was allergic to Rainbow-powered friendship. Not her fault, just a side effect of the Battle of the Bands. Their magic made her teeth clench. Pressure squeezed her skull when more than two Rainbooms were close by.
By necessity, Aria had developed a fondness for those a step removed from the magic. Since friends tended to attract more friends, it was easier for her to join Pinkie's sisters or the Crystal Prep squad, while still staying near Sunset at get-togethers.
“I appreciate the effort.” Sunset smiled wider. “See, you barely had to try.”
Starting the engine and putting on her seatbelt, Aria thought of a way she could ensure she made it. “Should I ask Sonata to come, too? She likes all of you and sees you way less than me. If I forget, she can drag me there.”
“I'll let Pinkie Pie know to expect at least one Siren,” said Sunset. Her expression became wary. “Any chance of having all three?”
Aria rolled her eyes as she pulled a three-point turn to exit the lot. “Don't worry. It's Adagio's choir rehearsal that night. You won't have to dodge her.”
The Sirens had given themselves space from each other, with Aria and Sonata packing up and moving to different floors in the same apartment complex. They were sisters living separately, which made it easier for Sunset to visit. She and Adagio would never get along, much like Aria and the other Rainbooms. For the trio, friendship wasn't quite magic.
Her girlfriend made a noise that Aria couldn't identify, and sat back in her seat. “I don't want to dodge her. I want to help her.”
Okay, friendship might not be magic, but at least one of them cared enough to try. Aria sighed. “Don't take it personally, but she's still looking for something to fill the hole you blasted in us. Once she finds it, she'll come around.”
She thought she caught a sideways glance out of the corner of her eye, but by the time she looked over, Sunset was gazing thoughtfully out the window instead.
Late the next morning, Aria drove Sunset back home to change. While the shower with inferior water pressure and no fancy vertical jets ran in Sunset's bathroom, Aria set up her work on the dining table. She updated her police reports for her three repos and even on a Sunday, she had two open cases that needed their first twenty-four hour report. Condition reports had already gone to the office printer and she digitally signed her updates, e-mailing those in as well.
Her inbox held other updates from last night and she paged through them. Their affiliate in Dodge City had emptied out a hardware store before a bankruptcy seizure could, but warned the owner's car was nowhere to be found and could be heading East. Amber Twirl, the office manager, wanted to remind all field agents about the end of the month tally board. She highlighted an underlined notation that the betting pool had closed earlier that week and could not be added to.
In the group chat, a message from Limestone Pie simply read: “Forget the betting pool; anyone who busts one off the Skip List gets a Sugar Cube Corner Special on me.” The Skip List held license numbers only, for those subjects who'd left, or 'skipped', the area with their unpaid-for property. Limestone's rage had bubbled over earlier that week when three of her cases turned out to have skipped town. Her bounty was, as Cheery Crunchie had put it, “the healthiest way to work through her issues.”
Sunset came out, body and hair wrapped in separate towels. “Has Sonata said if she's coming tomorrow night?”
Changing message boxes, Aria found the latest from her sister-in-the-sea. “She says she's coming, and volunteers to make the punch. Then there are emojis, which I won't bother describing.” She set her phone down again. “I'll taste test it before anyone else does, yeah?”
“Great,” Sunset said. “Let me get dressed and find my work outfit, then we can go.” She didn't return to her bedroom right away, though, but stayed and watched Aria go through her open files. “Okay, I know you do this for a living, but you use a computer better than people who were born at one. How?”
“A lifetime of scouting,” Aria said. She turned away from her work. “Out of the three of us, I blended in the best. Adagio just has too much hair, and you do not want Sonata running information-gathering. So I'd check out the village first, or go on ahead to see what was what. Sonata was more useful as schmuck bait, and Adagio liked to play ingenue.” She gestured at her files. “It's a more modern version, but it's nothing more than describing what I see out there. As long as I know what I'm looking for, I can get ahead in the hunt.”
Sunset's nails scraped softly down the nape of Aria's neck. She reached out to wrap her arm around Sunset's waist in response. Their relationship was rarely physical, since both of them still found human bodies weird, but Aria figured some contact was in order right now. “What are you thinking?” she asked.
“That you've adapted really well,” Sunset said, working her fingers into Aria's hairline. “I see you being strong out there, or sitting with some of our friends after you've come in from a case, and I wonder why I ever worried.”
Aria glanced up, concerned at the quaver in her girlfriend's voice. “Because you thought I was living out of my car when we met. You freaked, tried to wrap me up in a blanket, and wanted to buy me all the food in the world,” she said, patting her on the hip that had more curve than an Earth Pony's.
“I didn't know it was a repo full of junk!” Sunset said, wriggling against her. “I thought 'oh no, Miss Grumpy Siren, Oh What's Her Name Again, has hit rock bottom!'.”
“Oh, is that why you stood and stared at me for so long, because you forgot my name?” Aria smirked.
Sunset slipped her hand down around Aria's shoulders and hugged her tightly. “It was more shock at the condition of that car you'd stolen back,” she said. “I couldn't believe you'd live out of that. Now look at you.”
Tilting her head back even more to look at her, Aria leaned into the hug. “And look at you, still not dressed. Do you want to be late for work?”
“Only if we stop off at Sugarcube Corner and bring our co-workers some bribes,” Sunset teased, dipping down to kiss Aria on the lips. She pointed at Limestone's message. “Does this apply to significant others?” she asked. “You're not that fond of ice cream and I'd happily eat your portion.”
Aria rolled her eyes and tweaked Sunset's hip beneath her towel. “If I ever knock one off the Skip List, I'll share.”
“Good enough.” Sunset slipped free and ambled back towards her bedroom. “Because I know you. You'll have a couple bites, then the rest will fall to me to finish,” she said. “It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make!”
“It's still a dream!” Aria called after her. “Busting one off the Skip List is like a unicorn! Hardly anybody ever sees one!” When she realized she wasn't getting a response, she snorted and turned back to her notes. Somewhere out in the Harmonizing Heights was a Patron Barrage that needed snatching and the answer was buried in one particular file.
Work. Work was the healer of her aches, the scar tissue over the wound of her mortality. Every case she closed meant another successful hunt, another prey brought down.
Her phone buzzed again. Expecting nothing more than the usual snark between Sour Sweet and Cheery Crunchie in the group chat, Aria tossed a disinterested gaze at it. She frowned at seeing a text message from Limestone Pie pop up.
LiStone: “You know anyone named Golden Victory?”
Was Limestone snooping in her assignments inbox at the office again, or was this was just Pie Sense at its most prescient? Aria sighed and did a quick search for names in her database. Zilch.
ABlaze: “Not in my lists. Dead Skip?”
LiStone: “In-office, talking with Rocky. Something about San Franciscolt.”
Aria frowned. She had started out there nearly forty years before. She typed back.
ABlaze: “Anything about Einhorn, get the details. Old family firm down there.”
Limestone's message was a checkmark, followed by a emoji covering its mouth. 'Acknowledged. Going Silent' was its meaning.
Odd. Aria hadn't realized the old agency was still in business. Lost in a recollection of foggy streets and annoying hairpin turns, she only came out of her memories when Sunset tapped her on the shoulder, making her jump.
“Gathering minnows?” Sunset asked, grinning.
“Funny.” Glancing at her phone, she saw no updates from Limestone, so she closed her laptop and reached for her bag. “Let's go.”
Sonata and Aria arrived only a few minutes late for the party on Monday night, with Sonata lugging the ingredients and Aria reluctantly carrying the punch bowl. To their surprise, it was a quiet, empty living room that greeted them when Maud opened the door.
“Are they all hiding? Do we have to hide too?” Sonata asked.
“It's not a surprise party,” said Maud. “They've been delayed.” She considered the situation, then stood aside. “I apologize.”
Aria shrugged. “Had to do that enough times in the last year, so I get it.” She sidled through the door, the bowl braced on her hip. “Probably something to do with magic. Come on, Sonata. I'm watching you make this punch.”
The party supplies themselves were present. Soon other friends who weren't Rainbooms began arriving with food of their own. Maud directed the placement of dishes, mostly by pointing and saying “Put it over there”. Most of the invitees were party regulars, too, and knew just how things went.
When Limestone appeared from the basement partway through the setup, she glanced around, rolled her eyes, and hipchecked Sonata aside from the bowl. “Let's sample this before Pinkie gets back and decides it needs more sugar.”
“Was it a magic flare-up?” Aria asked. Perhaps that surge Twilight Sparkle was tracking had finally shown itself.
She shrugged. “Beats me. One minute they were yapping and giggling, the next they were running out the door screaming something about toast.”
Aria resisted smacking herself on the forehead. “Oh, that science geek?”
“Yeah, him!” Limestone raised her red plastic cup. “Man,Twilight's going to rewire his circuit board.” She took a drink of Sonata's mixture and smacked her lips. One of her white hairs popped out of place, but Limestone remained deadpan. “Seems about right,” she said, finishing it off. She gestured to Maud. “Sis, punch guard duty.” She pointed to Aria next. “Grab a glass. I've got news.”
Aria tried to wave off having her tastebuds being stripped off her tongue, but Limestone shoved a cup into her hand and led her to a pair of unoccupied couch seats. “What? Is this about the other day?”
“Yep.” Limestone reached for a rock bun and settled back into the cushions. “You were right about listening for Einhorn's. From what I overheard, this old repo place out West is struggling. Original founder died, kids took over, kids are stupid about the business. You know, like if Apple Bloom inherited our family farm instead of hers. Farming's farming but apples and rocks? Big difference.”
Used to the coming and going of mortals (even though she now was one), Aria simply sighed at the news that Einhorn himself had died. The Old Man had reluctantly taken her onboard as an agent instead of office staff nearly forty years earlier. His memory deserved a drink later. Dammit, why was she emotional about that part of her past? “Are they looking to offload?”
“Nah. They want to modernize. Rocky gave a talk a couple months ago at the big conference in Neighbraska and showed off some of our tricks. This lady came up to see if we could affiliate their agency.”
Aria tipped her head one way, then the other, squeezing her eyes shut as she tried to think. “So, what, they want a buyout to scram and let us take over the name and their client list? How much hassle is that?”
Limestone grimaced and drank more punch. “Enough of one that Rocky said he'd need a backer to raise that kind of money. They've got that mix of luxury car dealers and tech start-ups down there. It's like shooting fish in a barrel for repos, and these morons still keep screwing it up. Someone has to go down there and be the leader they need.” She shook her head. “Hell of an opportunity.”
Interest fluttered inside Aria. If all it took was money, she had decades of compound interest to draw on. She grunted, trying to shove it down again. No, now was not the time to dream about the biggest hunt possible. Sunset had expectations of her. To ignore those for the chance to take charge of her own hunting pack ... “Yeah,” she muttered, subsiding and folding her arms over her chest.
She hadn't returned to the coast in the last forty years. Whatever memories she had from then were no longer reliable, as neighbourhoods had grown and the streets had changed. Still, her fingers itched to flip through files. What sort of chum was their reporting structure like? She would love to see copies.
The front door banged open and a herd of Rainbooms piled in. None of them appeared to be anything more than scraped, although the enticing aroma of fresh bread filled the hallway. At least they hadn't dragged the smell of burnt toast in with them.
Twilight scowled as she dropped a crate of machine parts in a corner. “I don't know whether to report that twerp to the Home Ec. Department or the Industrial Arts program!”
Sunset Shimmer dodged past her and made her way towards Limestone and Aria. “Sorry we're late!” she said, holding up her hands. “You'd think Micro Chips would learn by now that you can't build a bigger toaster and have the world beat a path to your door.”
“More like the toaster beats down the door and rolls out on the warpath,” Applejack said, brushing off her arms.
Aria and Limestone looked at each other, then snickered. Tangling with a robot toaster seemed ordinary compared to the insanity of running laps around a car while an irate owner gave chase. You could leave the toaster scene empty-handed afterwards, or at least with a decent sandwich.
“You two still talking shop? End of the month's come and gone. Don't you ever take time off to relax?” asked Applejack as she leaned over the back of the couch.
“Can't. Workaholics, both of us,” Limestone said, pointing back and forth. “Talking about work is relaxing.”
“I'm a bit behind when the conversation shifts to rocks, though,” Aria added. Idly, she wondered if her private detective's license needed upgrading if she had to switch states. Probably. Standards were different across the country.
Sunset regained her attention by sitting down beside her with a cup of Sonata's punch. She hadn't taken a sip yet, since her eyelids weren't twitching. “You can't stop them talking cars,” she said, balancing a plate on her lap. “Can't stop them stealing them, either. Hunting's in their blood. Well,” she added, “Aria's blood, at least. I don't know what your reason is, Limestone.”
“I like making people as unhappy as I already feel,” Pinkie's sister said, grinning like a shark. She spotted Maud leaving the punch bowl unguarded and headed in that direction. Applejack patted both Sunset and Aria on the shoulders, then followed her.
“And there's my answer,” Sunset muttered. “Between mad scientists and rogue magic, I'm ready for a break.” She peeked at Aria. “How about you? You okay so far?”
Lost in thought about the need for proper bonding for travel and storage, Aria started and glanced around. “Uh, yeah. Doing good.” Why did she keep thinking about ways to fix up the old agency? Didn't she have enough to accomplish here, what with Sunset needing her time as much as her work?
“Something's on your mind.” Propping herself up and adjusting her plate by folding one leg beneath her, Sunset turned in her direction. “Is it a car?” she asked, smirking. “Because odds are good it's a car.”
Aria hesitated as something new occurred to her. “For once, it's not really a car. It's an idea. A crazy one.”
Sunset propped her head on one hand. “I'm listening.”
“If you're tired of dealing with rogue magic here —” Aria paused, then took the plunge. “How about coming with me to run a repo business in San Franciscolt?”
For some reason, the noise of the party around them seemed to stop as Sunset's eyes widened. It wasn't quite the scratch of a record needle, but Aria's ears stopped receiving noise for a few seconds. She fought the urge to slide off the couch and slink away to hide beneath the buffet table.
Sunset pursed her lips, looking unsure. “How long have you been thinking about this?” she asked, sounding farther away than she really was.
Aria squeezed her eyes shut, hoping it would fix her ears. “About two minutes.”
“Uh-huh. And why?” asked the darkness.
Because it's all I can think about. “Because you wanted us to spend more time together?” Aria gingerly reopened her eyes as her hearing returned.
Sunset was looking down into her glass, as if the punch was somehow responsible for this conversation. Maybe it was. Maybe Aria hadn't paid close enough attention to what Sonata had poured in there, after all. “So, leaving everyone and everything and going off, just the two of us?”
Aria shrugged. “Not tonight, but one day soon?” She blew out a breath and sat up, putting her cup aside. “There's an opportunity out there, if we're willing. Otherwise we've got a life to live here, you and I, with mad scientists, and magic, and all our friends.” She paused. “Pretty sure I'm forgetting something, but those are the big ones.”
“Are those our only two options?” Sunset asked softly, leaning in so Aria could hear her. “Stay or go?”
“No, but they're a start.”
Before Sunset could respond, Twilight yelped across the room and lunged for a machine on the sideboard that had begun twirling and chirping.
“Magic indicator?” Aria asked.
Sunset nodded. “Magic indicator.”
Seconds later, Aria's phone nearly leapt out of her pocket with its vibrations. She scrambled for it, seeing Limestone do the same on the other side of the room.
The alarms came from the group chat for the agents. As Aria watched, a succession of audio files popped up: All from Sour Sweet. Warily, but not warily enough, she tapped the first one and a cheery voice came from the speaker, overshadowing the sudden silence in the room.
“Heyyy, everyone! It's Sour Sweet. Found one of Limestone's cars. UNFORTUNATELY IT FOUND ME TOO AND IT'S CHOMPING AT MY ASS!”
Aria bobbled her phone as she and Sunset ducked from the sheer volume of Sour Sweet's bellow. Their eyes met, and Aria nodded. “I think Sour Sweet found the stray magic.”
Twilight raised her device. “Got a location! It's on the move!”
“Okay, let's go!” Limestone clapped her hands together and pointed at the kitchen. “Maud, keep the party going until we're back, or until we're out of dip. Whichever comes first.”
Maud waved a leisurely hand from her lounging position by the hatchway as the Rainbooms bolted, followed by her sister and Aria.
“I was just starting to relax, too!” Rarity complained, bracing herself against a porch pillar while she wrestled her shoes back on. “Honestly!”
“At least you girls organize fast.” Waiting for them to put themselves together, Aria listened to the rest of her voice messages. They were all of Sour Sweet alternately calling out her location and cursing as she dodged through a Canterlot suburb. “Okay, she's near Crystal Prep.” Other messages were popping up from the rest of the field agents, and she tossed her phone to Sunset. “Someone tell her to lead it to the school. They've got a big, fenced-in lot. Let's all meet there!”
Rarity and Applejack got into her family truck, Rainbow Dash taking off on foot. She moved faster than any vehicle. Twilight and Sunset jumped into Aria's car. As soon as the doors were shut, she floored it, ignoring the shrieks as they scrambled for seatbelts.
“Have you considered automatic seatbelts?” Twilight yelped, twisting around to check readings while trying to click her buckle in.
“Takes too long to get out if you have to wait,” Aria said, mentally running her street maps to figure the fastest way. Stormway Avenue over to Northern, Northern to Main, dodge off Main through Glenwood, emerge from Glenwood to slip in the back way at Crystal Prep. There it was. The hunting song burst to life in her chest and she shifted gears with emphasis.
Everyone's phones dinged away as the two groups co-ordinated. Aria ignored them as she had to contend with the road. “Have you ever considered asking the Princess version of you to stop letting the magic through?” she asked the rearview mirror version of Twilight. “It seems to make life stressful.”
“All of us in this car have been affected by magic,” Twilight said, watching both her monitor and her phone. “It hasn't been pleasant, but we've come through it stronger and better together.”
Aria groaned to herself. Seriously, taking Sunset Shimmer away from her friends and their magic was probably a bad idea. So many of them had lost control of their lives for a while, but they eventually found their purpose: Sunset's was magic. Twilight's was science. And Aria's was hunting. How could she ask Sunset to leave all this behind and hunt with her instead?
She swivel-hipped through the traffic on Main to sneak into Glenwood, where they had put one particular road that bypassed the heavier streeets. As she did, a rainbow blur flashed by on the sidewalk.
“Great. Rainbow Dash will get there first,” Sunset said, not looking up from her phone. “When we arrive, we can use Applejack to slow it down and Rarity to fence it in with her crystals.”
“Whatever it takes,” Aria gritted out. Shark bait, if they had to rainbow this car, it would be a hell of a thing to put in a condition report. Located wanted car off Skip List. Could not repossess, as alleged car appeared to already be possessed and in pursuit of Bureau Office Assistant/Agent. Friendship Laser employed to disable the unit.
“Listen,” she said, risking a glance over at Sunset, “forget I said anything about San Fran. You're needed here. I shouldn't have asked. If anything happened to your friends, and you couldn't get back in time, I'd never —”
Sunset lifted her head finally, and she reached out to touch Aria's shoulder to stop her. “Hey, we're not a static thing. If something's come up that you're excited about, you're allowed to think about it and ask me whatever you want. I'm just going to need some more details after we're done with this, okay? Hunt now, talk later.”
“Deal.” Aria hunched over her steering wheel as she found familiar territory. “There's Crystal Prep, and there's that Guardian Gallop that was on Limestone's list. Where's Sour Sweet?”
Sunset pointed up through the windshield, where Rainbow Dash hovered in the air with Sour Sweet holding on for dear life. Below them the car growled as it rolled futilely around the parking lot in circles. There was no one behind the wheel. “Weird. Equestrian Magic doesn't usually bring things to life; it affects the people that use them.”
Pulling up to the curb, Aria opened her door and peered over the roof of her car as Twilight got out behind her. “Didn't you have a watering can go weird on you once, got a whole bunch of greenery going? Magic's unpredictable.” Sour Sweet snarled something from Rainbow's arms at the Gallop beneath, and the car yipped back at her. “Or, maybe in this case, it took its cue from her.”
Twilight groaned. “Of course. She tried to repossess it, but her personality imbued the car with her temperament!”
“I don't suppose we have any kind of time to wait for it to flip over to her sweet side, do we?” Sunset asked wryly.
Other Bronco company cars arrived, as did Rarity and Applejack. Pinkie Pie poked her head out of Limestone's passenger window. “Yeow!” she exclaimed. “I've never seen magic go nuts like that!” She hopped out as Fluttershy emerged from the back seat. “What do we do?”
Sunset looked at Aria, then back at the car. “Treat it like any other magic-infected item,” she said, turning to address everyone. “It's twisting and amplifying Sour Sweet's crankiness, and we need to put the brakes on it.” She motioned to her friends to gather around her. “Hey. Silly idea: Try stopping it without me.” Exclamations and disbelieving stares confronted her, but she waved her arms. “Just try! I'll join in if it doesn't work, but I need to know something. Box it in, get Sour Sweet clear, and give it your best shot. Go!”
She turned back to Aria. “We'll try not to damage it too much, but we don't know where the magic got to inside it. I have to stick close enough that if the first shot fails, I can help with the second.” She followed her friends through the broken parking lot fence, leaving Aria with her fellow Bronco agents.
Cheery Crunchie tilted up onto the balls of her feet, hopping back and forth. “Sour Sweet won't want any fieldwork for a month after this. What are they doing, anyways?”
“Handling it,” Aria said, watching Rainbow Dash drop Sour Sweet on top of the school, and swoop back to join her friends. She'd never seen the Rainbooms in action with their powers before. Sure enough, things developed just as Sunset Shimmer had described in the car. Rarity's crystals, tall and flat, pressed alongside the circling car and forced it to straighten out. Applejack, dropped in close by Rainbow Dash, dug her heels into the asphalt and heaved the back of it off the ground by its rear bumper.
A combination of explosive cupcakes and a cocoon of purple telekinetic energy flipped the Gallop the rest of the way over onto its roof, courtesy of Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle. Its wheels spun helplessly and Rarity slung another of her crystal plates beneath it as it landed, protecting the paint job from the concrete.
“Dang,” Limestone said. She raised her voice over the shriek of crystal on asphalt. “Why can't we bribe one or two of them to just levitate a repo onto the back of a truck like that?”
“I could label it 'Payment To Informant' on my expense account,” Cheery said in awed tones. “Oh, you'd better watch out next month, Pie, I'm gonna rock that betting pool.”
Aria punched them both in the shoulders. “Stop it. They're too pure to go skulking through alleys at three in the morning. Let them enjoy their lives.” She kept her gaze on Sunset Shimmer, whose ears and tail had already popped, reacting to the presence of Equestrian Magic around her.
If this worked, if the Elements didn't need all seven girls, would Sunset see it as a sign to come with her? Or would she take it as a rejection of her purpose here in Canterlot? Being needed meant something to her, just as being adored had once meant something to the Sirens. Was it all ego? Possibly, but Sunset was still a pony deep down inside. She needed to belong to her herd more than anything else.
A home. A home with friends. That was all Sunset Shimmer had ever needed in her life.
And I need The Hunt in mine.
The other Rainbooms floated together in mid-air, gathered in a loose knot. It seemed like their magic was hesitating and Aria watched them focusing, trying to will the rainbow into existence. Off to the side, Sunset also hesitated. Their eyes met and Aria saw her struggle. It meant as much for their relationship as it was for Sunset's own destiny.
Of course. Never come between a pony and their destiny.
An engine revved. The girls hovering overhead began to sink back down to the ground.
“Go,” Aria mouthed to her, jerking her head to the side.
“Thank you,” Sunset mouthed back. “I'm sorry!” She launched herself forward.
The rainbow roared to life and Aria instinctively turned away, shielding her eyes and her heart.
Limestone kicked the printer, and peered again at the display, looking disappointed that the 'PAPER JAM IN TRAY' light didn't go off. “So,” she said, opening up the unit and glowering into the depths of the rollers, “how was the West Coast?” Not seeing any paper sticking out, she closed the door and yanked open the front tray instead. “Hah! I knew it!”
Aria watched her remove a still-wrapped ream of paper, rip the cover off, and drop it back into the tray. As soon as the door closed, the printer whirred to life. “We're taking a chance with that lot. They've got a client list longer than anything in Canterlot and its four boroughs, but they really do need upgrades everywhere. We might make our money back in a year.”
She had just returned from two days down in San Franciscolt, getting the lay of the land and reviving old memories. Some of those would have to be reburied, deeper this time. Familiar names mingled with strange new ones. Her journey emphasized the new and rehashed some of the old. She had also met with representatives from the banks and dealerships she would eventually be accepting assignments from.
“Better you than me, dealing with the idiots that ran it into the ground in the first place.” Limestone scowled at the torn wrapping, then tossed it in the recycling. She picked up her printed reports, and headed back down the narrow hallway to her small office.
One side of the basement had the line of agents' cubicles with sliding glass doors, while the other held the mesh cages for the personal property bins. Through a door at one end was the interior garage with half a dozen parking spaces. Two little electric Patron Genies and a vintage Empire Falcon filled three of the spots, waiting for return to their respective dealerships.
At the other end, past Rocky's own office, was the staircase to the main office upstairs, where Berry Breeze and the skip-tracers worked the phones. Clients only saw the upper end of the operation unless they had business with Rocky himself.
If Aria passed her licensing exam and took over Einhorn's operations, she would be in an office twice this size. She would need more staff and some competent field agents. Luckily, she already had a new office manager in Sour Sweet, whose field encounter with Equestrian Magic had rattled her. The promise of no magic out on the coast meant Aria could bring one familiar face with her.
“Sorry about you and Sunset Shimmer,” Limestone added, pushing her door open with the tip of her boot. “But hey, just like at home, work comes first.”
“Mmhmm,” Aria murmured. She didn't want to discuss her now-ended relationship with a woman who buried her own feelings deeper than the rocks on the family farm.
“Now you're sounding like Marble. Not good, Blaze. Go outside for a minute and get some air that's not exhaust fumes.” Limestone's door clattered shut again.
After they had rainbowed the car and rescued Sour Sweet (who got both Limestone's bounty and the joy of filling out the condition report), Aria had sat down with Sunset. She told her all about her history with both San Franciscolt and Einhorn & Associates. If there was a chance she could save the old place, Aria wanted to try.
The problem was, Sunset wasn't able to leave Canterlot City for too long. When magic inevitably flared up, all seven of the Rainbooms needed to answer the call. Someone missing meant the Magic of Friendship couldn't respond. As much as she hated the thought, Aria wouldn't doom anyone because she'd removed Sunset Shimmer from her duty.
Sunset had understood, despite her pain. She had struggled with her own destiny as it defined her, and fought against it for so long. Leaving Equestria for this world had been a choice that caused her no end of anguish. At the same time, it let her pick up the pieces of a lost life and eventually she embraced the magic inside herself. Standing in the way of Aria's own passion and drive would be hypocritical.
That night had been the start of a month-long, slow-motion breakup as Aria worked her way towards taking full ownership of Einhorn's & Associates. Shamefully, it hadn't changed her routine much. She still got home after midnight. Instead of writing reports and going to bed, she wrote reports, then went online to study for her upgraded private investigator's license. Slowly, she had whittled down her last few cases, handing over those that needed fresh eyes, and making sure Limestone and Cheery were in the loop on all her contingency files.
Adagio wasn't surprised to see her go, nor did she particularly care, wanting to know only if Aria would stick to the online release schedule for their songs. Sonata, on the other hand, had hugged her fiercely, offered to help her pack, and wondered aloud why Aria would leave a woman like Sunset Shimmer hanging. Aria knew they'd happily keep her empty apartment as a buffer between them.
Bumping open the outside door with the toss of a hip, she strode out into the darkening storage lot and made for her company car parked outside the fence. She had one last case to close before her investment funds came due, and then she would become a full partner in Rocky Bronco's, on the road to taking over Einhorn's.
She unlocked the fence, rolling it aside, and then she stopped in the middle of the sidewalk as the mural across the street lit up.
It was her face. Purple and cyan hair floated around a pair of violet eyes with long, sweeping lashes. Silver stars twinkled, reflecting rainbow sparkles. A haze of green smoke surrounded the whole mural, notes and swirls peeking through the mist. Her Siren form arched over it all, her old red gem gleaming.
“Something to remember you by,” a voice said, and a grinning Flanksy appeared from the darkness. “Honestly, the deli owner loves it. Said you were one of his better customers.”
Aria crossed the street, stopping beside Sunset to quietly stare at herself until she could control the lump in her throat. “You finished it while I was away.”
“I had some spare time.” Sunset bumped shoulders with her. “And I wanted you to see it before San Franciscolt envelops you in the fog for good.”
She took an unsteady breath. Sunset had moved her things out of Aria's apartment before the trip, and had gently returned Aria's own personal property that had lived at her home. She had supported her ex-girlfriend through every hurdle in the process, being a far better person and friend than necessary. But that was the magic inside of her. A magic more than friendship, as it turned out.
Aria would miss picking her up, dropping her off, and generally driving her around. She had considered it the best part of their relationship, that time spent riding together.
She really did have a one-track life, didn't she?
“Looks good,” she said, nodding. “If there's ever any magic out there, I'll know who to call to come get it.”
Sunset's smile dimmed, but she tried to look pleased. “If you call, we'll be there as fast as we can.”
“Thank you.” She looked at the mural again, appreciating all the small details scattered throughout. “Is anyone picking you up?”
“I could catch a ride,” Sunset said. She turned her toes inwards, clasping her hands together in front of her. “Oooor I could let my ex-girlfriend take me on her very last case before she leaves town.”
Aria considered, then nodded. “You drive out there. I'll read the file, then you can read their mind.”
“Deal.”
