Rogue Hunt: Gems and Beauties

Chapters

Detective on Scene
Shotgun Mouthwash
Into The Pit
Partners
Asset Relocation
Beauty Within, Beauty Without
Assistant Trial 1: Armaments
Assistant Trial 2: Power Moves
Assistant Trial 3: Fangs and Claws
Rogue Resolution

Detective on Scene

Condensed sunlight refracted onto the streets, spreading sparse illumination to the narrow alleys surrounding the estate fences. The crystalline rails strewn above the roads rained sparks onto the dusted concrete. Up above, cavalcades of speeder carts lugged droves of the usual late night suspects off toward the District of Stars. Scarlet’s usual scavenging grounds, those winding streets produced little lethal mysteries like the sprawling desert outside the City produced carrion. Picking up the Force’s slack in cases they wouldn’t touch was akin to feasting on carcasses of small sandy rodents – it was a living. Enough monetary offal to line her pockets and repel the landlord.

This lofty estate in the District of Gems was a very different case. The snooty voice on the speaker lowballed a price that’d cover for a good year of gumshoery. Scarlet Strand never thought she’d end up here in the first place, let alone on a case. Sidewalks clad in marble, glittering force fields caging smooth-angled street sharks, extravagant houses and luxury businesses; of its denizens, at this late hour, only the help wandered the streets on the tail ends of their errands. Maybe this is what Canterlot was like, with its riches. Scarlet didn’t really care if it did – moreover, she certainly did not care for this place. Posh extravagance and gaudy elegance, bordered by the City’s other districts?

Yeah, right. What a joke.

The detective mused upon all this as she finished her smokestick, resting her back against one of the many columns lining the estate grounds. The snooty-voiced client expected her in a good quarter hour ago, but the rich snob could wait. Scarlet had long outgrown the habit of groveling before well-paying clients. You always had to show who was in charge. The client paid, but you did all the work – you controlled the flow, not them. A chump-changer from the District of Trees might deserve consideration, but if you could afford to pay high, you could afford to play by the seeker’s rules.

The measured sequence of tender hoofsteps portended what she’d about guessed already. Of course, he’d sent the help to come get her. Underneath her black aviators, the mare rolled her eyes. The gaudy sharp uniforms, all color balanced and fitted just right. The cutiemark wristbands, the name tags, the estate insignia, the hoof-shoes. Jolly good – this one wore a pair of glasses too, doubtless to convey the owner’s refined taste in intelligent help. Scarlet saved herself the frustration of interacting with the dry soul sent out to fetch her, squashing the smokestick against the marble wall, wiping her fingers on her trusty trench coat, and slipping from around the corner right as the servant were about to round it.

“Oh! Miss Scarlet, the investigator? What fortune – please, come right away, master Silver was so terribly concerned you’d lost your-“ The servant’s speech trailed off as all he got was a nod and a glimpse of her P.I. card. Beyond that, Scarlet simply walked past him, hands in her pockets, uttering something that passed for a response.

The less said to inconsequential ones, the better. Her patience was better saved for the stallion himself.

And how she needed it. Countless pleasantries denied, aimless tangents averted, unneeded questions deflected, and a tour of the luxurious estate abridged, time was crawling along like a dying animal. A foreign cell fighting its way through one sickly body’s immune system – the coat hanging off her shoulders bumped into furniture, her combat boots dragged dust all over the pristine tiles, and her aviators were about the one thing saving her eyesight from the excessive lamination of numerous lamps, chandeliers and crystal glowbits. Remarkably little of use was being told to her, though she kept her eyes and ears keen for detail.

At long last, they neared the scene. Master of the estate, Silver Ingot, was a jittery, bit-bloated snob, but at least he utilized top notch security. Scarlet and the pole-spined earth pony entered the extradimensional pocket that severed the crime scene from the rest of the estate. Nothing mind-shattering – a locale replicated from elsewhere in the estate, fitted with wall-tall mirrors, occasional flickers speeding through the two ponies, checking if either was allowed.

Seeing herself amid these silvery luxuries was amusing. Speckled charcoal coat, tangled grey hair with croppings of red, pitch black aviators, a large leather trench coat swinging off her shoulders, masking her modest height. This place repelled her, so she never left it, or her camo fitted hat, at the wardrobe. Silver Ingot himself was doing a passable job of holding his nose at her fashion – a shame, she’d have liked to chortle at his expense. But, as the stallion got them through the door into the spot of import, chortle time was over.

The fidgety rich slime was on pins and needles to have her check out this ‘sensitive issue’ that had arisen on his property, and by this point, she had to wonder what his vacuous descriptions of the horrible occurrence really amounted to.

“Well blow me down,” her hoarse whisper broke the silence after the security hallway had crackled into vapor. “It really is a rock. Alright, master Silver. You’ve got me. This looks like a case.”

“What a relief! I knew you would understand once you… witnessed the matter at hand. Surely you understand now why your services are required?” the stallion blabbered. “An official investigation into such a matter… oh goodness no, if the Office were to peer into the estate!..”

“Yeah. Task Force Rogue - they never ain’t bad news. And this here...” she pointed at the peculiar sight, one the likes of which she’d not seen in years.

A petrified pony stood in the middle of what was once a music room, still surrounded by shattered utensils and scattered violin accessories. No stench of hard arcana on the air, seeming signs of struggle, and a most unlikely set of events leading to it – as she’d been told, the estate was empty for the week while Silver Ingot and his family enjoyed a vacation outside the City. The housemaid was one of only three living beings on the property that day, and the other two were the family’s trusted guard cragadiles.

“…is the work of a Rogue. None of your classy clique smuggled a live basilisk into the City, right?”

“Certainly not the company I keep!”

“As I figured. Well, let me take a look around. Be on hand to clear things up.” Scarlet hovered her boots over the cleansing pad. Her trenchcoat made a thud as she flung it over the railings. Phasing through seclusion tape, she descended from the fancy listening balcony into the room proper. “We’ll talk the rates afterwards. Wanna keep my head in the clear.”

“Absolutely!” The stallion nodded repeatedly, sitting down on the edge of a chair upon the balcony. “And, um, miss Scarlet-“

“Don’t mind the shades. My vision is…” The mare shook her head. She put the aviators on her head. “…never mind. This place isn’t scorching my retinas, and with all the protection around this room, I don’t suppose any look-and-cook curses haven’t been triggered.”

“Well… would that-“ Silver, the weird posh creep murmured under his breath, sharply turning his head. He jolted and snapped himself back to propriety, fixing up the collar of his suit and clearing his throat. Yeah, he was taking her attitude lying down – perfect. Payday was gonna be sweet. “As you say, miss Scarlet. You’re m-most certainly the expert. Do as you will.”

And she did. No big effort to verify her suspicion. Were she still on the force, this case would be in the Gallery for sure. Not on the top books, but it’d certainly be in there.

The City was a torch bearing the flame of extravagance and debauchery – and very particular moths were drawn to it. Criminals and ne’er-do-wells with a panache for the outlandish, the unlikely, the stylishly thematic and the eye-poppy (sometimes literally so). To the citizenry, it was a known problem. To anyone on the Force, it was well understood it was an epidemic. Who would’ve thought that her first true encounter with one would be long after she’d gone from the other to the one. Not that she let her client know that.

She could do this on her own. Rogues weren’t a big deal, and she was already compiling a solid M.O., making plans and asking questions of dodgy earthen socialites. The entire staff, itself not so numerous, had been vetted and questioned. Security capture devices showed an untraceable irregularity, as was the norm. Prints, marks and indentations… Scarlet went over the spots of interest with tools from her belt. Bleached, all of it. You couldn’t even tell the unfortunate housekeeper herself didn’t simply teleport into the room, in direct violation of District law. Was the room worked over with scalding powder or somesuch?

And then, the sequence of events itself. It didn’t add up. The room contained nothing of particular value, Silver Ingot’s estate not being known for its musical inventory. Indeed, this entire wing contained little worth a break-in. Not to mention that the sprawling stained glass window behind the stage was an item of faux décor, containing but regular brick behind it. Personal motive? Scarlet quizzed the master of the estate, but the answer wasn’t exactly surprising. A lowlife who’d silently worked her way from the vile den that was the District of Beauties, apparently so humble and sweet that one could at most get annoyed, but hardly sneak into a secure estate building and subsequently petrify.

Besides, if one were to do so, surely the pony wouldn’t bear a casual expression of mild interest, petrified while turning herself around.

Scarlet crossed her arms, deep in thought.

“Right, then. This will be something. I have a knack for unusual cases like these.” She nodded to herself and looked up at the awaiting coot. “There ain’t much here, but I’ve got my trail bag filled. Doable, no doubt, but it might get dodgy.”

“Oh, but that’s to be expected. I’d educated myself on what… issues… may arise, and what sort of toll it may take on one investigator to peel back this, particular veil of mystery…” Silver Ingot cleared his throat, pulled at his collar, and instinctively glanced off toward the sides. “Needless to say, I am overjoyed you’re willing to continue with this task. We will see to the paperwork shortly. Now… where the remuneration of your efforts is concerned, miss Scarlet.”

Her eyebrows scaled her forehead. The mare tilted her head, uttering a hollow, husky ‘huh’. The part the detective expected to take as long as her first look of the crime scene took less than a minute. Some of it was her asking to repeat the number being stated. Her trembling request was faced with a hasty, desperate promise that a quarter would be paid in advance – and she hadn’t even thought of that yet. The rest was silence, as frankly, Scarlet struggled to imagine that kind of money.

The silence was broken with a timid, unnerved chuckle and sigh. Master Silver approached the railing and bent over, hushing at the mare.

“As I see you’ve found the monetary terms of our contract agreeable, miss Scarlet, I, ahh, well…” He gulped. “I have but one condition.”

“With that kind of moolah?” Scarlet blew a raspberry and waved her hand. “I’m willing to listen.”

“I’d like you to have some help,” the stallion said. Scarlet stared in his direction. Though she didn’t stare at him.

Her senses overloaded with the promise of the payday of her life, she’d totally missed a new presence in the room. Looming in the shadow behind the client was a tall, inequine silhouette. Scarlet’s pony instincts told her to tense up and prepare to flee. Highlighted by a singular flicker of light, the figure swayed its head, puffing what must’ve been some variety of smokestick one last time before making its dramatic entrance. Its hips gyrated, and the sharp clatter produced in sync with its steps was quite telltale as well. Scarlet's brow furrowed.

“Oh, hello there, Detective," the figure spoke up, now confirming itself to be a dragon. "Nice making your acquaintance. Master Ingot says you will need help. Why, that does fall within my duties, doesn’t it now?” She stood behind the jumpy stallion, placing her hands on his shoulders.

Two heads taller than the earth pony even if he’d not bent himself over the railing, she looked down from on high at Scarlet. The two females stared one another in the eyes.

“Scarlet, meet Jade," the stallion said. "Jade is an indispensable aide in all manners of things. A mental health aide to our fair estate, and so many more things! The most glittering individual I ever had the pleasure of employing. It will bring me… ultimate security of mind and fulfillment of spirit to know she lends her aid to you.” He turned to the dragoness. “Jade, meet Scarlet. She’s the detective.”

Jade rolled her eyes and flashed a wide, bright smile, patting him on the back. Scarlet crossed her arms and tapped her hoof.

“Yeah, I am. I like to work alone.” She hummed, considering her options. The mare didn’t have great history working with non-equines. Working under non-equines, don’t get her started. “What sort of help is your scaly girlfriend going to provide?”

“Well-“

Jade giggled, covering her maw with her palm in mock elegance.

“Oh, Silver, always with your corner rounding routine.” The dragoness sighed. “My help will consist of directing your efforts, Detective – I will accompany you throughout the investigation and supervise your progress. Without a guide, this District will swallow you whole.”

“Excuse me?" Scarlet fumed. "I’m a Seeker. I operate all over the City. The stuff I see in Stars? Posh politicking is nothing compared to that. You’d hurl, the both of you. I don’t see the use in-“

“Goodness, how heated. Let’s be constructive! See what sort of help you will need?” the dragoness inquired. “What can you tell us of the crime? I’m sure Master Silver here is pleased enough to partner you and I together, but wouldn’t it be good to fill me in now… so we can fine-tune our partnership. What can you say of who did this, how they did it, and why?”

Scarlet rolled her eyes and dragged her fingers across her face. She drew a deep breath and circled the crime scene, pointing at specific elements.

“Whoever did this was either super stealthy or familiar to the housekeeper. No break-in. No fighting. Prints, all gone – not even scalded; stench’d kill you. See this mess of music stuff?” Scarlet passed her hand over the general chaos reigning in the chamber. “Fake as a three bit bill. Tossed around after the deed was done. Passes for a brawl at first sight, but you don’t leave this sort of racket if you’re so subtle – or if your victim is clueless you’re coming.” She approached the petrified pony and waved a hand in front of its face. “Looks like solid rock. Dormant magic reads, so I tried heaving it – and it’s a heavy momma. Not ruling out a kidnapping with some form of practical joke placing this statue here, but…” Scarlet shook her head. She clicked her fingers. “…it’s a Rogue, miss Dragon Lady. Bastard either has a Basilisk on their hand, or is part Basilisk itself. Don’t give me that look – trust me, I’ve seen weirder things. I was on the Force.”

“Ooo.” The dragoness’ voice emerged from worryingly close. Scarlet spun back, to find that the hefty reptilian had made her way down the stair and stood mere steps away from her, in spite of her noisy heels. “Very intriguing. And what of the motive?”

“Yeah, you’re new here, scalie. The Rogues’ Gallery…” Scarlet puffed her nostrils and crossed her arms. “They do crimes because they can. Outlandish, illogical, spun by who knows what malarkey-laden slop sloshes in their heads. Stunts that make them feel like they’re on top of the world, but everyone else? The normal folk shakes in fear, passes ‘round whispers, draws graffiti of ‘em for crying out loud. Ponies like me? Well, we scratch our heads, we find them and we put them behind bars.”

“Oooooo~” the dragoness drawled in wonderment and took a puff of her elongated cigarette. “Faaascinating. You’ve an eye for detail… Scarlet Strand. Ssscarlettt… Hmmm.”

Scarlet stood firmly in place, unblinking, as some of the cherry scented vapor blew in her face. The mare’s copper eyes drilled into the dragon’s maroon slits – or maybe the other way around.

Now that she was up close, the mare gave the reptile a proper look-over. Taller, evenly bodied, with curves where most draconians had angles, her snout was long and shapely. In place of a typical dragon’s unkempt fibrous membranes was dense, watery hair spilling down toward her shoulders in springy curls. The dragoness’ name suited her appearance, as the upper tones of her scales bore a distinct shade of green, lined underneath with a layer of unassuming beige. Miniscule horns prodded out from underneath her mane, their pearly white blending into the clammy-pink, liquefaceous locks. All this coupled with her accent, it was clear she was no common dragon – Jade was an aquatic dragon, a rare sight in the City. That explained the odd style.

Jade wore a tight-fitting purpura business dress, off which stood out sharp, tall collar, elongated to suit her lengthy serpentine neck. Scarlet grimaced at the mere sight – a dragon wearing a suit was silly enough, but that it fit her seemed offensive in its own special way. The dragon’s long arms were coated in silken, silvery evening gloves, seemingly a token of employment to the estate. Custom-fitted heel-boots clasped around near the entirety of her legs and feet, and around her tail coiled a ribbon of the same material as her gloves. All of it looked like the last thing a dragon should wear. Then again – not a normal dragon, this was, was it now? At least it wasn’t a griffon.

The maroon slits glimmered a thoughtful glint behind a pair of silvered decorative eye-pieces. She was drilling into Scarlet the same as Scarlet drilled into her. She’d be content if the serpent was as miffed as her. If so, Jade hid it behind a quirky, patient smile.

“Sound judgement, Scarlet. I was pretty confused when I heard of what happened. Especially when I finally just was allowed in here! But it seems like Master Silver isn’t having another pulse of the worries after all.” The dragoness let out a measured giggle, one her employer actually returned for some reason. “With your prowess and my insight, we should get along just fine.”

“Uh-huh. I’m flattered. Lady, you’re my tour guide. The client may be paying you to baby me around, but please, I’m the one who gets things done.” Scarlet took a step forward, puffing out her chest. “You will advise. I won’t say no to skipping a headache or two, dealing with the local contingent. But please-“

“Ever so skeptical. Such critical thinking! Precious. A precious attribute.” The dragoness walked past her, hips swaying. Now she clacked her heels all she wanted, her tail passing less than an inch by Scarlet’s own. The mare’s eyelid twitched. She tracked the dragon over to the petrified victim. “Aaah. My eyes deceived me not. Scarlet, partner dear, come over here.”

“Lady…”

“Jade. It’s Jade to you. For while we are on Master Silver’s task.” The serpent’s head snapped over toward the mare. Her pinkish hair swung, slow and jellylike. She put a hand on her hip, tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. “Be nice! Let’s cooperate! Come and look at the material. I have a lead for you.”

“Do you now. Hmf.” She neared the statue. With or without her aviators, it was… rock. Scarlet reminded herself of the money. Also the fact that the money was still watching them from high on above, blissfully unaware of how dysfunctional their duo really was, looking on with the face of a trauma patient pumped full of wonderhuff. “Illuminate me, Jade.”

“Naturally, Starlite! Ahem.” The serpent caressed the petrified housemaid, her face a measured grimace of compassion. “Poor Dropsy. Ever so studious and faithful. Partner dear, your Basilisk theory… looks to hold true. Unsettling though it is, the particularity of this crime will aid us yet.”

“Well, duh. We look into all things snakey in this City.”

“Nooo. Not quite…” Jade sighed. She rubbed the statue with a trimmed claw. “A regular Basilisk replaces one’s body with basalt. Fitting, considering the name. This, however, is tektite. See how black it is? How porous the surface? I’m sure you would have performed a test of sorts to find this out yourself, yes… but the fact is, we are to locate a Tektalisk.”

“…is that how that works?” Scarlet murmured in disdain for the naming convention.

“Yes.” Jade fluttered her eyelashes, smiled and parted from the victim. “I am an enthusiast of precious things. It’s a dragon thing.”

“O-oh yes, yes!" Silver Ingot chimed in. "Jade is a veritable treasure. Her talents exceed her loveliness. As my spiritual aide, she is frequently in contact with other creatures of interest throughout the District, and doubtlessly you’ll find her conversational skills very handy in negotiating around… particular difficulties likely to be encountered in-“

“She talks good,” Scarlet cut him off. “I noticed.”

To her surprise, this got a chortle out of the serpent.

The stallion's cheeks flushed. “Well, heh-heh, ahhh, um… yes. Beyond this, Jade’s knowledge branches far and wide – as does your own, I’m sure. Do not be shy to inquire on any given thing, especially if it’s to do with jewels, trinkets and baubles.”

Jade merely flashed a big, toothy smile, joining her hands at her waist, joining the toes of her shoes together with a gentle clack. Scarlet drew in a deep breath. Something felt fishy about all this… but then, she was no dolt. The scaly broad would doubtlessly talk in her ear and try to pull control away from the actual expert. Not the best of looks. Ordinarily, this would be where she’d slam the door in the client’s face.

But with the reward in the books… Scarlet could just put up with this. At least this Jade character spun a brand of bullshit separate from that which ordinarily churned the detective’s gut. Besides, she’d just proven herself to be optionally useful – and if she saved her a rich numpty encounter or two, she’d have more than played her part. In a way, Scarlet was the one manipulating her by acting so stern and distant, provoking more action out of the client’s side. Yeah, she had this.

“Well.” The mare blew a lock of hair away from her aviators. “It’s a deal. We can make this work. A Tektalisk? That certainly narrows things down. Let’s go work on the papers and we can work things out.”

“Splendiferous!" Silver Ingot called out. "I pride myself on the clarity of my estate’s notary artifacts. Do follow!” He spun in place, the tails of his suit dragging on the floor as he went to unlock the entrance.

“Oh, goodie. I say, this may be bad, but at least it might be an adventure!” Jade flashed Scarlet a smile as she followed the stallion, ascending the stairs in a watery, slithering fashion, her heels suddenly quite silent. Inky and shadowy, she was at odds with her chirpy voice and quirky accent. “Our strengths combined, we’ll resolve this Rogue problem in no time. Let’s regiment some time together, detective Scarlet Strand?”

The mare groaned, stomping up the stairs and picking up her things.

“We’ll figure it out after papers. Talk to you by singstone, most likely.” The mare flicked her ear. “Hope we learn to talk between each other, huh?”

“Of course we will.” The dragoness bared her teeth, cast a glance at the mare and clacked out the door, beckoning her to follow with a motion of her ribboned tail. “Talk-teaching is my forte.”

“Right.”

At least the client didn’t lie about the papers. It was over mercifully quick. Pre-payment after first meeting with Jade the dragon the next day – the only safe way to visit the bank for the withdrawal of such sums would be with an envoy, anyways. Scarlet felt motivated. Her gut flickered and flubbed, but there was a spark there.

Maybe she’d catch her first damn Rogue. She’d always had it in her. So long as the serpent doesn’t hold her back…

Shotgun Mouthwash

The detective strutted down the lane, humming to herself. She chose the main road, weaving between the late afternoon crowds. Crispy bills weighing down her sealed pockets, the mare would ordinarily have taken the more clandestine route of alleys, convenience store backrooms and hood burrows – all vacant at this early time. Like hell would they let her pass with the towering dragon lady trailing her, though. Scarlet navigated the busy commercial area of the District of Trees and sincerely wished Jade wasn’t there to spoil the joy of having literally lined her pockets.

The client’s aide was quite the presence. On the one hand, she settled the banking procedure within minutes – who knew bankers were so negotiable? On the other hand, she stuck out like a sore thumb, even amid the rather colorful bystanders. Scarlet couldn’t but groan, if only internally – on paper, they were now officially partnered up for this case. But as far as her gut went, the mare felt a mixture of unpleasant sensations. Like she was being stalked, or hounded by an insistent peddler. Or stalked by an insistent peddler, for that matter. Her heart throbbed with disconcerted anxiety, borne of the sudden need to contend with a partner. Her mind, however, buzzed and languished in sheer annoyance, relegated to seeking out methods to adapt to the damn reptile.

Working under someone’s authority – technically so – was one thing, but having them tag along instead of sitting in an office, barking orders and acting important over the comms, was different.

“Ahhh, the noise. What a charming attribute of this great City. You don’t come down here often?” Jade made another of her copious attempts at socializing. “I can see why. The streets are evermore suited to your shadowy veneer at night, aren’t they? Hee hee~”

“How about we make like the sniffles and spread out?” Scarlet posed. The dragon merely produced another chortle and a heavy breath. “Not much work can be done with company comin’ out the taps.”

“Hmmm, well, there is an easy method of sequestering our business from the worldly hustle,” Jade said. She either misunderstandood or outright ignored the mare’s annoyed remark. Scarlet groaned and wiped sweat from the forehead, lifting her cap. “Let’s go to a shady café!”

“Uhhh...” Scarlet began, only to realize she had nothing to counter the idea.

“That’s where you discuss important things while not being spied on. Shady places get by on having such meetings take place,” the dragon informed her, to which the mare instinctively went ‘duh’. She then considered the fact that most commoners weren’t actually aware of such seemingly simple facts. The mare hummed in contemplation. “And besides – I’m parched, and you’re certainly not hurting for money!”

“I am not spilling my moolah on nothing yet – don’t act like I carry any on me, Lady!” the unicorn shot back. She then sighed and resigned to the dragon’s argument: “But… sure. You chip in for the drinks.”

“Ho-ho, quite the hard bargainer we are, mmm?” Jade clicked her tongue, which had to be quite loud to stand out among the loud pedestrians. “You do realize that bargaining supposes a counter-offer is made, and you aren’t simply pushing for a desired result?”

“I don’t bargain or haggle. I…” Scarlet stopped and softly laughed to herself before masking the laugh with a cough. “…negotiate. It’s how you get work done in this City. So where’s that place at?”

“Ah, not far at all. The Menagerie, you know of it?”

Scarlet rolled her eyes and let out a raspberry. “Well it just fuckin’ figures. Sure I do. Folks of yours work there?” She took a sharp turn towards an alleyway that led to one of the District’s less pony-centric establishments.

Jade let out a markedly frustrated huff.

“Oh, ha-ha. Very amusing, Detective. Please, you know better than that. The Menagerie’s contingent deals poorly with dragonkind, and besides...” She suddenly appeared ahead of the mare in just a short sequence of steps, then turned back to glance down at the pony, her eyebrow explanatorily raised. “I’d moreso say those folks work with me.”

“Duly noted,” Scarlet replied. She kept quiet until they came upon the establishment. If only the overgrown lizard would fold over like she very well should have. With any luck, her sharpness did extend beyond rocks and talking smart. Maybe she’d like to do a little less work for this case.

Shit, with all this, you’d forget all about the case, wouldn’t you? Well, Scarlet reminded herself that she did not. As they entered and acclimatized to the dark-lit smoke and drink longue located in one of the District’s inner cul-de-sacs, the Petrifier was very much on her mind as they approached. She’d given her first Rogue a name already, and was manufacturing a number of avenues for investigations: ones she’d regrettably have to proof by her serpentine companion.

A companion who blended in better than she’d earlier had her believe. Unperturbed by the establishment’s shady entourage and able to carry herself in the dark, she seemed to assume the place was benign while daylight still burned. She tried too hard though: Scarlet had to pull at the serpent’s tail to stop talking up the bouncer. It was fortune enough he didn’t arbitrarily try kicking them out, and besides, he was a minotaur. Scarlet shook her head in disbelief, wondering if Jade was trying to flirt with the brute. At least that’d be a more flattering assumption than to think he was the ‘folks’ that ‘worked with her’ in this place.

While the reptile puffed her cheeks and complained about the rush, the detective sent her off to locate an opportune table. Herself, she decided to act on her parchedness and headed for the stall.

“Welcome back. Still kicking around?” the hippogriff at the table inquired. There was a time, this place had the most affordable booze. The reputation was what you’d expect. “Glad to keep your patronage. It’s been a while.”

“I’ve stepped up some, whatsyourface.” That time was long ago. Scarlet didn’t even recognize whoever this was.

“Will it be the usual?” the barkeep asked. Scarlet puffed her nostrils.

“Don’t tell me you remember my usual. How long’s it even been since I ordered here?” the mare wondered.

“Number 13 with extra salt and two bundles of spiced fry.” The barkeep shrugged. “There aren’t many regulars who haven’t been given the boot.”

“Huh.” Scarlet scratched her head. “I guess I’m a consistent mare. Alright then, make that-“

“Goodness. More like predictable. Please, don’t make that two – in fact… eeewgh! I’d not recommend making it one!” Jade materialized by the mare’s side, suddenly butting into the conversation and delivering unwanted critique. Scarlet grimaced, glaring daggers at the dragon. Noticing the response, the nosy reptile clicked her tongue and lifted her arms defeated into the air. “Well, do as you will! But I’ll have a plain number 8 with some redstones for the munching.”

“Gee, thanks for the input. And for sorting out your order – I got no idea what you folks eat nor drink.” Scarlet placed down her payment. Jade followed up with hers, flashing an unnecessary smile at the barkeep. “Now go warm our seat, why don’t you?”

Jade stuck out her tongue and clacked away over to the table in a far corner of the establishment. Scarlet glared an extra set of daggers at the presumptuous dragon’s back, fuming internally. She pulled up the collar of her trenchcoat and sank her head. The hippogriff fixing their drinks didn’t need to be asked, lifting three talons and waving his hand when she glared at him too.

Scarlet used the signaled three minutes to appraise The Menagerie. Poorly lit, drenched in scents and perfumes, shapes lurking in the dark, not all of them equine. Surprisingly not too different from its nocturnal self, merely lacking the dancing/brawling crowd in which to disperse. Also surprisingly lacking in nostalgic appeal. At least Jade picked a table that was in fact quite secluded, yet offering a look at most of the rest of the seats, including those currently occupied by couples and triples similar to theirs. Scarlet’s frustration dispersed, now that she reminded herself of the cash, the imminent drink and the hunt to come. She headed over to the dark corner, lighting up one of her smokesticks along the way.

“Well there you are. Just in time, I see the waiters bringing us the poison,” the dragoness remarked in mock disgust. “I do trust you verily when I assume your sharp intellect will be worthwhile after you consume that swill. Peh!”

“Says the creature who eats frickin’ rocks,” Scarlet deflected. “Think I’ll skip on accepting judgement from you, thanks.” She sat down, letting her trench coat droop onto the sofa. “And it’s a good drink. Don’t peg me down with the common drunk, lady. I don’t make a habit of passing out piss drunk on the regular. I, for one, enjoy keeping the contents of my pockets – and my vital organs, for that matter. Live where I live, and you learn to drink the right way.”

“A skill soon to be rendered obsolete, Scarlet dear. No sane pony stays in the District of Stars when they obtain funds like yours.” The dragon grinned, tapping her fingers together. “And besides, your ‘regular’ is called ‘Shotgun Mouthwash’. Need I say more?”

Scarlet produced a couple long, silent blinks. She scratched her neck, wondering if this was a joke. It took legitimate effort to recall that there was a menu table hanging by the bar stall. She’d hardly paid attention to it - her M.O. was to pick one drink at random and stick with it. Not that she’d let the dragon know that was the whole secret of her consistently safe drinking.

“Oh yeah. Judge the drink by its name? Ain’t that shallow thinking. Color me offended,” the mare replied in a droning monotone, propping up her face with her fists. The waiter, some fancy equatorial equine, finally arrived, spinning the trays onto the table and clopping away on her sharp hooves. “Anyways, thanks for the memories. Been a while since I’d visited this bunghole of nowhere. Not used to the local street cats not slashing one another’s throats as I’m trying to think. That’s the norm around here.”

“Hmmhmmhmm~” Jade sipped at her drink through the attached straw, the green liquid fizzling and bubbling as she did so. “I’m glad you appreciate it! Evermore glad the owner has delivered on their promise. There was a particularly bad fight here recently – as bad, if not worse, than the hypothetical you just conjured up. Take Buster, the bouncer: he’s only just come off leave - struck with venom in the fray. All better now, I so see! I do enjoy seeing the fruit of my, ahhh, advice, being born.”

Scarlet tilted her head.

“Uhhh… wait, y’advise whoever runs this joint?”

“Well, yes. I did say these people work with me.” Jade fluttered her eyelashes before rolling her eyes and letting off a subtle groan. She gesticulated, explaining. “You see, being Silver Ingot’s… wellness aide, I happen to functionally double as his personal assistant. Beyond acquainting me with most of the District of Gems’ more relevant personages, it also means I often advise or supervise dealings of business. And Silver Ingot’s estate is a major investor in this establishment, sooo…”

The dragoness simply shrugged, grinned and gracefully tossed a gem into her mouth, crunching it down with visible glee. The detective could but shake her head and throw her hands up in the air.

“You done got me. Nice one. See, the ploy to get me to think you’re super duper competent? That’s transparent.” Scarlet put a hand behind her back, grabbed her drink with the other, and reclined against the couch. “But getting this place to stop being a shitshow for even just one day? Even at, what is it… 2 PM? Now that’s commendable. I’ll drink to cleaning up shitshows.” The mare took a deep, satisfying gulp of her brew. It popped and bubbled in her mouth, rattling her head, until she finally swallowed it. “Oof! Now that you said it, it does feel like shotgun mouthwash.”

“One needs to be in quite the… particular state of being to consider that enjoyable, Scarlet,” Jade snidely pointed out.

“Oh bug off, miss problem solver.” The mare cleared her throat. “What the hell do you do, anyways? You’re making yourself out to be quite a big deal, but that official title’s awful dodgy.”

“Hmmm, the bottom is still wet and you’re already wishing to know me better!” Jade let out a measured giggle before sipping more of her own drink.

“Lady, I’m stuck with you, and you’re clearly not the sort of suit that sits in place and lets the house play by its rules.” Scarlet pointed at her. “Something got you hired in the District. Gems, banking operations and business advice are all good, but what’s your deal? So I know when you open your mouth and don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Now Jade let out a genuine laugh.

“What rustic charm, Starlite~” she drawled before sighing and averting her eyes. The dragon took off her decorative spectacles and gave them a wipe. “But I see what you mean. You want me to put it in your terms. So be it, detective. I’m a shrink.”

Scarlet sighed before giving off a slight laugh herself.

“Well that just fuckin’ figures. You ARE really good at talkin’ and getting others to talk. ‘least you two weren’t lying!” The mare grasped her temple and shook her head. “Aight then. Let’s get to the nitty gritty of it all. Lemme pull out my notebook and we’ll consider our moves.”

Jade took a long, leering glance to the side. As the silence was entirely too pointed, the mare had to follow the dragon’s eyes. Her snout wrinkled in mild confusion. She squinted. Just a few tables away from them sat a donkey in a trashy white shirt, practically hugging a bottle and kissing the tablecloth.

“Hmmmmmm.”

“Hmm what?” Scarlet asked the murmuring dragon.

“Don’t play coy, you see it.”

“...yeah. Riiight…”

It was 2 PM, and something about that ass did pang her special talent zone. Also known as her own ass. You didn’t get so comically shitfaced at this hour. The math just didn’t add up with how long it’d take. Furthermore, there was another discrepancy…

“Has he been there this whole time?” she asked the dragoness.

“Why, I chose the most pleasantly vacant corner!..” The reptile tapped her chin.

“Hold on just a sec. I’ll have me a refill.” Scarlet stared at her partner with as much conspiratorial implicitness as her less than refined mimics could afford. “Awful parched for poison, you see.”

“Ah. Hm. Yes. Don’t let me stop you.” Jade fluttered her eyelashes and nodded.

Scarlet made a quick trip over to the bar stall. The hippogriff was a bit apprehensive about telling her what other customers had been having. Learning she was a Seeker on an investigation and her partner was one of the people enabling this dingy hole to run changed his mood considerably. As she thought, the donkey had only chalked one order. He was also a fellow, genuine regular. Scarlet’s intuition got her to quiz the barkeep some extra, though it didn’t take much of an interrogation to have enough. Her butt tattoo was on point as always.

As if on cue, the donkey started to pack up and head out as Scarlet returned to the table.

“He’s in with the locals. You know what I mean. Flashy fashions draw eyes in seedy spots like these, I woulda expected you to know that.” The mare pointed a finger at the dragon, who’d indeed come out in roughly the same attire as she’d last seen her. “Nothing to worry about though. I wouldn’t-“

“Ah, well that just confirms it. Scarlet, darling, dearie, ahem, lean in closer,” Jade urged her. Unwillingly, the unicorn leaned in toward the table. Her eye was pinned to the donkey, who was dispersing toward one of the exits. “I say we give chase.”

“Give chase? We got plans to figure out! What’s a long-eared hoodlum to us?” the mare asked in frustration.

“And what sort of business are donkeys usually involved in?” the dragon replied, twirling a redstone in her fingers. She popped it in her mouth, expecting an answer from the mare.

As she well should have, because it was rhetorical. Scarlet rubbed her chin. It didn’t even occur to her – she was too centered on soon having to deliver her plan of action to the irritating lizard. Poachers, most donkeys in these areas were poachers – or worked with them. The detective shook her head.

“Oh please, you think the poaching syndicate who procured our perpetrator’s Tektalisk sent out a goon to spy on us?” She puffed her nostrils. “I’d consider it if we’d gotten any work done at all! The Rogue shouldn’t have any idea yet, certainly not to send out henchmen.”

“But I imply no such thing. You need no conspiracy,” the dragon posed, twirling another gem in her fingers, watching it glitter. “When you have luck.”

“…pardon me?”

“Let’s give it a shot! Weirder things have happened, right? We’re dealing with a Rogue, you never know what’s on the table!” the dragon quietly exclaimed. The corner of her mouth curled into a sly grin. “And besides… there were murmurs of statues being disposed of at the poachers’ holding stocks recently. Oh, and he’s currently leaving through the smugglers’ exit.”

“You couldn’t have-“ Scarlet scratched at her own snout, letting out a raspy sigh. “Get up, just get up! Be subtle.”

“Ooo, but I will,” Jade assured her. “And don’t be so frumpy. I was going to mention the rumors… if not for such a shot at serendipity, I would have!” The mare was already storming toward the lower exit, the one that led to the back alley. “Oh, how exciting. In hot pursuit already!”

“Not so hot,” Scarlet hissed.

“Pah, fine.”

“Not yet…” Scarlet murmured as they passed by the smugglers’ exit registry gems. There was no other security there – likely why it was used for this purpose.

The Menagerie likely saw a cut from the dealings in and around it, the detective didn’t need to be a detective to guess as much. It seemed like a bit much, but what if it did actually play into their hands? She was going to say something about not making noise, or dissing the dragon’s get-up, but she realized that the only footsteps she could hear were her own, and Jade was actually a few steps ahead, striding by her side. At least that surprise was a pleasant one.

Scarlet cast her qualms aside, glad to finally be in her element. The only thing more in tune with her life’s work than sweeping through dark, shady alleyways, was sitting on her ass for hours on end waiting for an abstractly described guy to show up so she can then do the former. If the latter could be skipped this time around, she was all for it. The granules of her investigation already lined out in the mare’s mind, she even had some questions in mind.

This District’s alleyways weren’t quite the perfect suit for her, though. Leather trench, camo hat and modest height were optimal for the District of Stars’ narrow, vein-like repositories of trash both literal and figurative. Here in Trees, there was some space to maneuver and a lot of incidental nooks and crannies, compounding the dim illumination and causing the mare to have to watch her hooves. Fortunately, she’d dealt with enough donkeys to know the disadvantage was applied evenly. Her pursuit loomed on the horizon, and the usual alleyway contingent kept to their hidey-holes as the detective strode the crate and barrel-filled passageways. Trees at least didn’t have the changeling problem Stars did – Scarlet wasn’t fond of dodging discarded drone molts. The crunching sound was the worst, giving the pursuant mare away, and generally awful on the ears.

Her partner, meanwhile, wasn’t gonna ever have that problem, so it seemed. Scarlet could hardly notice Jade was there with her at all. The serpent slithered through the shadows, sticking next to the detective and eagerly eyeing her as she encroached on the donkey. Her scaly snout betrayed entirely too much excitement – understandable, the reptile likely romanticized Scarlet’s supposedly action-packed job. Up there in high society, corners were always quite rounded, filthy works lacked the right impact. All she could ask for was that Jade not be a burden, and sure enough, she wasn’t. Good. Now she could establish who did things around here, and on even terms.

The donkey had given himself away a long time ago, lumbering through the smugglers’ pathway with as much grace as could be expected. In fact, for a donkey, he was borderline graceful, further solidifying that he’d used this path often. Catching up was a matter of time. Scarlet had this. Poachers and smugglers weren’t much for unity – even if some of his ilk lingered nearby, they wouldn’t risk butting in.

“Hey mister,” she sent out a husky call round the corner. Her shape soon followed, the faulty lights flickering as she did. Actually, they flickered as Jade slipped in behind her, but the donkey probably didn’t notice. Scarlet cleared her throat, nodding in contentment at the not-so-fellow equine frozen in place. “By which I mean, hey asshole.”

The donkey skidded to a halt, his ears flipping wildly in the air. He cast a glance at the mare, which caused him an ego gratifying jolt. The hood scampered to take off, a hopeless endeavor, considering Scarlet was deceptively fast for her stature – and the cumbersome trench coat. Besides, donkeys weren’t the fastest equines out there.

As he invoked numerous less than civil reasons she shouldn’t be interested in interacting with his unassuming person, an extra reason piled into the mix. While Scarlet power-walked on the scattered goon, expecting to catch up within minutes, Jade had slipped way ahead and now blocked the only way forward, sandwiching him between the two partners with her towering self. The mare let out a ‘huh’. She’d forgotten this lizard could be stealthy when she wanted to.

“Hi. We just have a few questions,” Jade said, lighting up a smokestick. “Oh don’t look at me like that.” Her long, muscular tail swaying behind her back, informing the poacher minion that rushing past her was ill advised. “Sometimes you just get cornered in a dark alleyway by people with questions. I’m sure you know the drill. Now, be a-“

The would-be spy didn’t even get to hear whatever ended up not manifesting out of Jade’s mouth, yelping and hitting the ground hard. Scarlet’d caught up and pulled hard on his tufty, scarred tail. The bottle he’d carried with him, suspiciously empty and likely to be used as a weapon in a last resort, shattered on the pavement. The mare stomped hard on the donkey’s back, staying directly above his midsection, invalidating the goon’s characteristically strong kick.

“The FUCK are you doing? What the hell sorta game is this?” the donkey complained, groaning. “Do you even under-“

“Hey, asshole. Don’t insult my intelligence, or I’m gonna mush your guts harder than your ethnic cuisine. I know who you run with, okay? Fuckin’ please, white shirt, notched tail, trailing me and my, ahem, PARTNER there in the middle of the day.” Scarlet gave the dragon an informed glare as the latter stood with her eyebrows high, high up on her forehead. Be it bemusement or plain surprise, it was hard to tell. At least she didn’t interfere.

The donkey had begun to try and argue the gravity of her mistake again, to which she cut him off, twisting her hoof-boot some more. What could she say, she prided herself on easily taking the reins of any situation. Even something as random as this.

“Let’s save us some time: you ain’t doing shit to me. I live deep in Diamond Eyes territory. They hang your types up by their tufts on sight. Suck it up, grease-hairs – and answer some questions.” Scarlet stomped a little harder, preventing any reply from diverting the discussion. Donkeys were generally useless from the waist up – were this a pony, she’d probably have had to get them in an arm lock, maybe bash their noggin against a hard surface if it were a unicorn like herself. Helpfully, they were as hardy as the hardiest of earth ponies, so she risked nothing by pushing hard. The prissy dragon watched intently, seemingly impressed with her application of street smarts – as she should have. And she didn’t know half the stuff required to be impressed with Scarlet’s tactics, anyway. “Warehouse number?”

“blrgh! Hrrlmmm… Five, I’m warehouse f-five,” the donkey managed. “But they didn’t send-“

Scarlet glanced up at Jade. The reptile scratched her chin, her lips curling. She shook her head. That wasn’t the site she mentioned, then. Poachers ran different crews warehouse to warehouse. This one would’ve heard of it, but he wouldn’t be here on their orders…

“Aight, so now I know you’re here after me, thanks a bundle for confirming that one.” Scarlet let out a low chuckle. “Bribed or forced, asshole? It don’t take much of either to pull you into an errand, so what was it?”

“H-hey, ease up! Grhfff! I’ve got a-“

“The message can fuckin’ wait, it’s always cryptic fuckin’ bullshit that goes nowhere! How’d they get you? Spill all you got, scabby pants.” The detective looked up at the dragon, trying to see how much of her prowess she was absorbing. “No serious Rogue would turn to you vultures for gruntwork. You don’t got much to fear, ‘cause I’ll be done with them, and soon.”

“I-I…” The donkey stuttered, breathing hard. Jade sighed, taking a long drag of her smokestick. “Th-they sent a guy… I just had to sl-slip you a note!”

“Motherfucker thought an oaf like you could sneak up on me and slip me a NOTE? Alright, now I know I’m not being stalked.” Scarlet grinned. “What guy?”

The donkey let out a signature nasally groan, making one last attempt to slither away, for which he received a further stomp, and a kick to the ribs to boot. There was a reserved yet unpleasant crackle, which provoked a further grin from the mare. She turned the wheezing equine over with her hoof. Grimacing and taking a demonstrative spit off to the side, the unicorn crouched and slipped her hand in his shirt pocket and procured a zipped envelope.

Unsurprised that she found it so easily yet surprised that the note did indeed exist, she got back up, clicking her tongue. Jade had given her a wide-eyed look, shook her head and turned away, puffing her cherry scented vapors in another direction from the interrogation.

“Woulda gotten to it later, but you just pushed the envelope. Hurf.” Scarled cracked her knuckles and flexed her neck. “What. Guy.”

“…f-fuckin’ one of you…” the donkey spat. “W-with wings?… Hkk! Wore a suit a-and tie… some weird paint on the sh-shoulders? I wasn’t- grff –really l-looking… s-said to ask no questions and do w-what I’m told.”

“So you did. I can’t believe that I’m buying this, but crazier things’ve happened.” The mare sliced the envelope open with a brief burst of telekinesis. Her snout wrinkled. “Did you hear about the statue incident? Who raided that warehouse?”

“I…” The goon grit his teeth. He looked behind the detective’s back, where Jade stood with her back turned toward them, tapping her foot repeatedly. She shook her head in exaggerated disdain for the events currently unfolding and tossed another redstone in her mouth. Scarlet chuckled at the weenie that she was and glared back at the donkey, who’d hung his head and rubbed his chest. “I didn’t hear nothing about-“

“Oh, enough of this malarkey! Scarlet, I wanted to trail this miscreant, not deliver him beatings! He reeks of… eeewgh! And I’m unsure if being near him isn’t going to give me a disease!” Jade cut him off with a petulant tirade. “I trust we’ve got our results? Any more and I’ll have to extoll my influence on the local authorities. You are much too physical for a unicorn, what with your alcohol-hampered immune system. That may be a bad look.”

Scarlet groaned. She really wanted to keep wailing on this lowly goon, considering they truly weren’t under any risk of pursuit. At the same time, she did in fact get all the answers she wanted. If only this were someone else – but the mare knew too well that donkeys couldn’t lie worth shit, and would in fact take odd jobs for little pay from who knows who without paying any attention. This info just wasn’t implausible enough to keep the interrogation going. Besides, the contents of the note were… both disappointingly predictable, and, well, a clue in and of itself.

In the end, Scarlet chose not having to hear more long-winded whinging. Clicking her tongue, she mocked one last blow toward the donkey before letting out a sharp guffaw and turning away.

“Be glad I’m not with the Force. Go get gone, droopy face. Linger ‘round and I’ll forward you to people who are with the Force.” She nudged him with her boot. “Not many donkeys go around with a greasy fuckin’ mullet like this, they’ll find you right quick.”

“It’s a- hrrrl –it’s a hairpiece!”

“Well blow me down, more identifying characteristics, it’s a gift I didn’t know I wanted!” The mare fake-laughed. “Scram!”

“Ssscaarrrleeeetttt, we should gooooo,” the dragoness whined. Sighing and rolling her eyes, the mare obliged, waving her hand at the recuperating ass. “I want to be in civil company and entourage as we figure out our steps. Away from, ahem…” Jade motioned at the goon, additionally pointing and wagging her finger at Scarlet. The detective merely fixed her shades on her snout and grunted. “…all this!”

“Hey, you sounded like you wanted an adventure,” the detective said, walking past her and back into The Menagerie. “Don’t act like you’re not impressed.”

“Your skillset? Respectable. Your manners? Oh gosh. I’d only use this kind of vocabulary somewhere private.” Jade cleared her throat and caught up, haughtily clicking her heels. “Nevertheless, it seems my hunch was correct.”

“Your hunch. Uhuh.”

“Yes, my hunch!”

“Keep dreaming, Suit N’ Scales. I’m a lot less helpless in these seedy spots than you think,” the detective assured her.

“You do blend exceptionally with the common filth and muck for someone of your talents,” the dragoness replied. “Pfeh!”

To avoid hearing any more of the shrink’s refutations, the mare simply remained silent, riding her ego boost all the way to their table, where a second round of drinks awaited them. How very nice of the establishment, as the mare was going to need some more shotgun mouthwash before putting together the pieces placed down by the archetypical cryptic Rogue note.

I want only for beauties, within and without. Have you either?

Scarlet could but sigh. The District of Beauties. The murkiest den in this whole City, and that said something. Of course. It had to be someone bold, or mental, enough to operate out of there, to steal a ‘lisk from some lucky poachers. Or, well, to BE themselves a half-reptilian magical hybrid with appropriate abilities. Scarlet preferred the latter backstory for her prospective first Gallery hit.

“Yes, now, Starlite-darling-sweetie-dearie-pumpkin-pie, please don’t go on another binge of violence and instead tell me-“

“No. Not yet. I’ll have to… run it through some sources.” The detective shook her head. The dragon slowly tilted her head, pupils growing large. She produced incoherent, outraged noises. “In fact, I’mma seal it back up. Rogues are a tricky lot. Could be laced with something for all I know. That’s why I wear gloves.”

Jade let out a sibiliant, hissing moan and slumped in her seat, sticking a straw in her mouth and sipping at her drink.

She wasn’t going to tell this… partner of hers, what it was. Not until she was comfortable heading to that hellhole, let alone with such a companion. She had too much of a habit of kicking things into motion when Scarlet didn’t want them therein. Even if so far all of it had admittedly worked… the mare had her routine, and that worked. Better safe than sorry.

Once it was all said and done, she did wish she’d committed to outright wasting the dragon’s time so as to establish her control over their work endeavors… but the reptile was an inopportune debater. Too much complaining, not enough hooks on which to latch more info that’d weigh down an uninitiated mind. At least she could be sure her partner understood the intricacies and details of investigative minutia, and, regrettably, got her sing-stone tune written down. Moving on, they had some general investigation matters to tend to, and prepare.

Into The Pit

Was this Tartarus? Scarlet's geography wasn’t on point. If she were a betting mare, she’d contemplate tossing down some bits. When her and the dragon went on a questioning excursion through the District of Gems, she knew it’d be pretty bad. Posh luxury hiding insubstantial essence, winding polite talk all spiraling into nowhere, nauseating perfumes and a permanent mental residence far, far away from reality. The unicorn was a detective, damn it, she knew her surroundings.

Well, fuck, this was worse than she thought. The mare stood outside the dining chamber of some noble’s summer residence, having excused herself for hygienic purposes. This was her excuse, anyway. In reality, Jade had jabbed her flank with her tail: that signal meant Scarlet should remove herself. Good grief was she happy to get an excuse to do so.

Here in the District of Gems, ties to criminal groups from lower Districts were expected. No one was clean. Compiling a short list of persons of interest wasn’t terribly difficult. Ties to poachers, spouts with the client’s estate, tells of Rogue collusion – Jade even made herself useful and narrowed the list further down through some cursory canvassing. The dragon, of course, immediately overstepped her required usefulness and started spitting void advice on how to tackle the local oligarchy. Scarlet made sure her disregard for the advice was made clear – interrogation was her thing. Jade was there to help her navigate, but not do her job.

Yeah, well, it’s hard to do your job when you’re spinning in circles, chasing shadows, trying to latch on anything remotely resembling a coherent sentence. No one in here spoke Equestrian, damn it. The words were the same, but hardly so the meaning. Even her sharp mind and keen sense of bullshit availed her none. The mare couldn’t track down the hidden meaning of yet another evasive answer when it was buried beneath minute long expositions on the host’s most recent luxurious purchase, multiple layers of polite talk and pleasantries, obligatory inquiries as to Scarlet’s own occupation and vain offers of investigative assistance, all wrapped around numerous pillars of intermittent lies and contradictions about every last little thing.

There was no hidden meaning to track! There was no web of intrigue spun to keep her away from some menacing truth. This was a swamp, filled with odorous gas, sludgy pitfalls and deceitful will-o-wisps mindlessly lounging at the very edge of the mare’s line of sight, teasing her with the mirage that was the idea that these trips would amount to literally fucking anything! The detective didn’t feel like herself in all this muck. She couldn’t believe she missed the seediness of Stars. At least there you could get the right info with blackmail and a couple bruised snouts. She’d bruise her own right now if it made this dissociative feeling fade away…

Scarlet finished the fifth smokestick of this afternoon. This wasn’t a waste of time, she had to tell herself. Here in the District of Gems, they had a real shot of finding a sponsor, a motivator, or, hell, an unwilling, witless pawn of the Petrifier. You didn’t bull-rush a Rogue if you had an inkling as to their HQ and motive. You spread out into their support network, cut them off one by one, and struck at the heart. And if the past few visits they’d made told her anything, it was that unwilling, witless pawns were abundant in this clique. That’s what lost the mare her cool.

No straight questions, no blunt words, no straight-to-business. There was always only ever a few opportunities to catch them off guard, and the swamp was a little too thick for her. Scarlet recoiled from merely being here, from wearing this dumb getup Jade picked out for her. If she were to actually follow the dragon’s advice and pretend she liked being here, she’d probably keel over and die. Nevertheless, this was tough. The mare gritted her teeth, watching the tight charcoal pants and formal red suit she’d been fitted with. She loosened and removed her tie, hanging the string of irritating fabric over the back of her neck. A small victory, but a victory nonetheless. Definitely not the victory she sacrificed herself to this chafing, ridiculous clown suit for.

And victory was so clearly in view, too. Her instincts were flaring. She’d kept her cool over the past few meetings well enough, painfully bored, but collected. In this place, though… something was unnerving. Uncanny. Fishy. It helped that most of the interior décor had an obnoxiously persistent aquatic theme, azures, teals and cyans assaulting the mare’s red eyes from every angle. She stood out like a sore thumb, and frankly, she felt like one. Regardless, this rich family – sauna magnates, from what she’d been able to understand in their endless drivel – just had this itchy feeling about them. These were the ones she had to dig at.

But how? If only they’d come first, her mental faculties would be intact. As it was, her head spun and her stomach was doing backflips. Much though she hated to admit it, her hope lay with Jade, who’d stayed behind to keep the pointless conversation going. Maybe here, in this palace of swampy smoke and watery mirrors, she felt in her element. And maybe she would; after all, Scarlet finally divulged on the clue leading to the District of Beauties before they headed out. It was a bone thrown to the dragoness, disguised as a token of competency and trust. Hopefully it invigorated her for dealing with this crap. This wasn’t her job, but she could be useful…

“Ergh, fuck it. Go, talk to ‘em… see if I care.” Scarlet snorted. She squashed the smokestick against the wall and stretched her shoulders. Her gut roiled at the sensation of tight, fancy fabric against her skin. She instinctively reached for her aviators before realizing they were stuck hanging out of her chest pocket. “I got paid. I can put up with this. This is big. Come on, Scarlet, think… Where does all this figure in the Petrifier’s scheme?”

Pacing around and racking her brains, Scarlet was quite glad she had a chance to exit in the first place. Though it was a little shameful. Fact was, there was no world in which the mare expected any of the shrink’s secret messages to actually be used, let alone in a helpful manner. Jade listed a great many rules of conduct, all of which Scarlet absorbed with half a mind at most. She was so sure her bluntness would crack a rotten egg right away. Yeah, not when the egg was so dumb that applying blunt force merely confused it… Sure, Jade ousted her simply to remind her who, from the presumptuous lizard’s point of view, ran the show. But the unicorn was grateful to be out of there.

To think she told the dragoness that secret signals were a myth. That was just flat out a lie. Scarlet’d seen her share of interrogations back on the Force. No good cop-bad cop routine ever truly worked if the two cops had no ways of subtly communicating intent. Frankly, they needed a system like this to really click as partners, especially in situations like this. But the mare shot it down, twisting the facts, if only slightly so. She contemplated coming clean and evening things out if Jade really came through today. No way in Tartarus – or this damn place, for that matter – was she ever leveling with this annoying foreign bitch without her coming through in a big way.

After a surprisingly short while of contemplating this house’s role in the whole scheme and ruminating on her and Jade’s partnership, Scarlet heard the lounging hall doors creak open. Turning back, the first thing she saw was the toothy grin splitting Jade’s snout clean in half – well out of the hostess’ view.

Scarlet felt a guilty excitement swell in her chest. She molded an uneven, fake-ass smile and clambered towards the procession in a mockery of a dignified walk. Vain pleasantries were exchanged, the dragon audibly putting her back into incentivizing the hostess and her procession to disperse – assistance Scarlet greatly appreciated.

“…and once again, kudos on your interior redesign. I’ll pass my praise to your decorator, hee-hee~ Simply magnificent, and so efficiently done,” Jade said, shaking the pony’s hand. Scarlet cleared her throat. “But it really is just about time for us to depart.”

“Yeah. You’ve, uh, proven to be an invaluable asset to our investigation. What with your, uhm, information.” The detective nodded and made herself do a round of hand-shaking as well. The hostess stared back at her, canned smile and glassy eyes furnished with eye shadow and other superfluous beautifications. Scarlet was glad her stomach didn’t groan there and then. “I’ll- we’ll… contact you via speaker if needed, as you know. You do the same for us. Thank you for your hospitality. Let’s go now, Jade.”

The overprivileged dullard nodded along and bid them farewell. Scarlet took off down the low-set corridor that would’ve lead them to the lobby, while Jade lingered to blow the dumb drone and her retinue a kiss. The detective yawned and cleared her throat, spitting out some leftover smoke, relishing the scant few moments of not inhaling whatever bath-like aroma persisted in this place.

The dragoness caught up to her and put a firm hand on the mare’s shoulder. She uttered a quiet ‘pssst’ and not so gently dragged the mare off toward a decorative bench, into the shade of a large structure depicting spirals of water conjoining in the air. Scarlet groaned, foreseeing a lecture on her lack of patience.

“Listen Jade, I get it, I coulda done a better job slicing through this crap, I’m sorry you had to deal with them yourself, just please let’s not do this here I’m seriously starting to feel sick-“

“Shhh. Gosh, you’re so fussy. Relax… You have been a tolerably good partner. And for that, I have… oh-hoh-hoh, I have something for us.” The dragoness’ eyes darted around, moreso to convey her conspiratorial message than to check for guards. She eagerly dangled and twirled a small gemstone pendant in her fingers as she clicked her tongue, gauging the mare’s reaction. The mare's eyes shrunk, and she stuffed her hands in her pockets, trying to hide her relief at not enduring a lecture in manners. “Provided you’ve not picked up on it yourself… We’ve hit something very spicy, partner.”

The detective tilted her head, scratching her chin in confusion. She shuffled uncomfortably. Her eyelid twitched and her ears flicked. For one, she was being made to utilize her mental faculties in this torpor inducing place. For another, the intermittent swishing of Jade’s pendant was getting on her nerves. Scarlet stared off at it – her stare was more focused that way, so it seemed like she had some sort of idea.

“Eeehhhhh. I don’t think I share the enthusiasm... She just spent an hour telling us about all manners of social functions and interior renovations that kept her busy and out of the loop with your master’s estate.” The unicorn shook her head, banging on her temple to clear her mind. “Fuckin’ smells like the paint still isn’t done drying…”

“Oh pshh. These are just interior aromatics, pleasantly hydratic ones. Optimal and precise for the purpose of this particular building. Really helps cancel the sulphite odors that come with unearthings on this territory.” Jade rolled her eyes. She put a hand on the detective’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. The mare just recoiled and tried not to swat the dragon away. “But you see, Starlite… ohhh, hoo hoo, I can’t believe our luck.”

“Spill it, Jade. I’m thirsty for good news. What’d I miss? Tell me, I don’t care any for my dignity anymore – if it gets us outta here.”

Jade chortled. She kept twirling that pendant around her fingers as she did so – perhaps betraying anxiety, perhaps excitement.

“Don’t be so hard on your perception, partner. This is indeed about the… renovations. I had something of an, ahem, mental breakthrough after you had to step out. You were quite frustrated with how this topic simply would not stop coming up, yet they merely danced around any details. Well, as a shrink…” The dragoness flashed a toothy smile at the mare, who groaned and gestured for her to move on. “…I could tell there was something there. I was able to ask some subtle questions… ahhh, those dummies. I do so love pulling strings.”

“Your charm is downright overflowing my cup’o’patience,” Scarlet remarked. “Any more and I’m going to hurl.”

The dragoness used the hand on Scarlet’s shoulder to turn the mare around and point her toward an inconspicuous service door adorned with a strikingly inconspicuous set of shutters.

“They have a ‘service elevator’ over there in the east wing. The old maintenance hallways now connect to it. Apparently, they had quite some trouble installing it until the District Transportation authority came around to the idea – you were around for that part of the conversation, partner dear.”

Scarlet grunted.

“That’s dumb. This place is two stories tall. It’s a freaking bathhouse. You don’t need a service elevator for any of the usual goods…” The mare scowled. “But if they ran a brothel out of this joint, wouldn’t they have a lot more security? And they don’t seem to-“

The dragoness actually stopped twirling her toy so she could clear her throat of a sharp laugh.

“Oh goodness, the things you say. No brothel here, partner. And you’re right.” Jade glanced at her and gave the mare a pat, testing the pony’s patience. “It required excavation, a commission from the Constructors Guild, and documents from District Transportation. A very unusual stretch of effort for an establishment that’s only ever serviced this area.”

“You… think the Petrifier- egh, the Rogue, uses this place as their back door?” Scarlet scratched her head. It was hard to think sharp. The dragon was making a lot of sense… “Think there’s a tube leading down through the Districts back there?”

“I’ve a hunch. Detectives trust those, don’t they?”

This sounded like a thing. Hell, Jade wasn’t even all that smug – she seemed tense, twirling that dumb thing around her fingers, hunching over, her eyes darting, her scaly skin covered in mild, subtle perspiration… Yeah, at least Scarlet still had some sharpness to her sight. Which meant she could trust her mind, too. And her mind wasn’t seeing any huge alarm bells in the shrink’s hypothesis. This WAS her job, after all – helping shovel through all the bullshit spewed by all these rich fucks.

“Huuuh.” Scarlet shook her head and flexed her shoulders. “Sounds… probable?.. I mean, shit. Idiots left us alone in the first place, didn’t escort us or anything… Must’ve been easy to dope. I’m not seeing any marks of the M.O. though-“

“Crystalline statues of various aquatic beasts, alongside Alicorn-sized half-naked equines holding up the roof in the lobby,” Jade pointed out.

“Ain’t… necessarily false… hmmm, shit.” Scarlet cracked her neck. “Well they got nothing on us. East wing, you say…”

A smirk spread across the dragoness’ long snout. She produced a quiet, hissy giggle, parting her hand from the mare’s shoulder. While the unicorn instinctively arched her back, she received a blunt, irritating poke to the snout. A smooth-scaled index finger squished her nose, its sharp nail brushing the mare’s coat. For added impact, the pendant, still attached to that hand’s fingers, smacked her right in the forehead.

“Ugh. Ow.” The detective staggered groggily. “I… uuuooofff. I get you’re excited, partner. Urgh. No need to lord it over me, damn it.”

“Oh. Hee-hee. Ahhhmmm… sorry.” Jade fluttered her eyelashes. She bowed and motioned toward the shutter. “I just thought you’d need more, ahhhh... convincing. Go on then!”

“Yeah. Stick behind me.“ Scarlet nodded to herself and started off toward the door. She creaked it open, finding no one in the following passage. “Coast is clear. I can hear machinery… fuck me, those are pneumos.”

“Gah, watch your mouth!..” Jade muttered haughtily.

“Hmmm. Yeah, if they got security anywhere, it’d be here…”

“Oh. Hmm-hmm-hmm~” Jade stifled a laugh, perhaps a nervous one. Scarlet rolled her eyes and snuck onwards. “Sure, let’s go with that…”

“Shh!”

Infiltrating places she wasn’t wanted in – now this was more her speed. The suit almost didn’t make her skin crawl. Maybe if she had her trench coat, the mare would have her trusted zap baton on hand. Even so, it didn’t seem like they’d encounter any unfriendly guards…

Especially because less than five minutes of traversing vacant corridors, the sound of pneumatic machinery only got louder, all with no sign of security. The mare silently wondered how this section could be so clear of guards. It reeked of... secrecy. Figuratively and literally – in here, away from the bath-like scents of the main establishment, the smell of turpentine and crystal dust betrayed an active, operating tube lift. How come there was no one here?

The mare arrived at a dislocated wall panel. It didn’t even take her rampant cutie mark tingles, or her extremely sharp eyes, to notice how blatant that was. She puffed her nostrils and pulled at it, swinging the deceptively light wall section into the rest of the wall and opening up the high-tech pneumotube reception chamber.

Scarlet opened her mouth, the first syllables of a hearty curse leaving her lips, as she saw a guard look up from his news tablet. The rest of that curse came out in a garbled, outraged squelch as she watched Jade slip out from behind her, somehow appear behind his seat within the blink of an eye, and grab the stallion’s neck in a tight choke hold. The guard fell limply back into the seat, drooling out the side of his mouth, as the dragon grinned from the shadows, her teeth glittering in the scant green lighting of the receptory.

The unicorn grit her teeth, her knees buckling. She tore into her hair.

“…the FUCK WAS THAT?” she wheezed, pointing with both palms at the guard, who slumped in the seat. Fortunately, his loud snoring ensured the serpent apparently knew what she was doing. “I mean… good fuckin’ choke, but what the hell?!”

“Oh come on, Starlite, dearie, I’m simply distributing some nicety. Here, let me sweep up our trail…” The dragoness slid over to the guard and groped his face with her fingers, rolling up his eye and blowing in his ears. She rubbed her hand over his forehead, pushing the pendant deep up against it. “There. He won’t remember the last few minutes before his loss of consciousness – certainly not the flashy suit I rented for you…”

“How the fuck does that-“

“Language! And please, I’m a shrink.” Jade shrugged and proceeded over to the control panel. “Besides, I know you. You’re just jealous you didn’t get to clock him out with a punch to the face. You’d do that to a poor worker just scraping by in this cruel world, I know.”

Scarlet wiped her forehead and grumbled off at the serpent, proceeding over to the tube mechanism herself. Somehow she didn’t feel like arguing as to whether the line about keeping her victim from remembering the last minutes before her assault. It seemed plausible, and besides… it may not have gone to her scenario – yes, her fists were aching for a workout – but damn if her partner wasn’t right.

Her partner and Scarlet’s own instincts, of course.

“Okay, shit, well… let me just dig up its transportations schedule…” the mare grumbled.

Her horn lit up. Sticking out her tongue in effort, the mare got her aura to change to a neutral color – a homebrew spell that would make tracing her telekinesis almost impossible. This time the color shifted from red to aqua teal. The mare scowled – it must’ve been the stupid bath scents.

“Why don’t we just… go down there? It only ever goes one way,” Jade suggested.

Scarlet stopped. “It does?” She rifled through the machine’s cardbox. Sure enough, the schedule prints inside marked only one destination… The mare nodded to herself. “Yeah. Shit, yeah.”

“Laaanguaaaage~”

“We’re on an infiltration gig, missy, we-“ Scarlet rolled her eyes. “Well, really, normally you don’t speak at all when you’re sneaking, but we’re on a roll. How about that…”

“The tube is nearly here, by the way. It looks to be empty. Maintenance back-and-forth plain-running routine. Cheap construction, needs to stay in motion to avoid chugging up.” The dragoness smiled. “I get to sit in at a lot of extravagant home accessory debates with Silver Ingot. Oh, and he uses these for his operation over in the District of Clouds.”

“Well, we ain’t going there.” Scarlet looked into the chute. “We’d be going down…”

“Yes! Oh, I just knew not to take my high heels this time!”

The pony frowned. Away from the haze of a full day of interrogating idiots, she only now noticed that unlike herself, the dragoness dressed less extravagantly. A tight-fitting dark button-up shirt topped with a blouse, a subtle choker, a couple rings on her fingers and black dragon pattern flats. Jade didn’t have much trouble maintaining stealth even in her usual cumbersome suit and heels combo, but this getup at least didn’t scream out for help anywhere near as much as the stupid suit Scarlet herself was forced into.

Like a suit was gonna stop her. She felt a particular tugging in her heart, replicated with a stinging in her flanks. She beat her knuckles and cracked her neck.

“My behind is all atingle. Now that you downed a guy…”

Jade rolled her eyes. “…generously saving him from your itchy knuckles…”

“…now that we’ve got a bodycount, we may as well. I still feel hazy and this suit is garbage for sneaking missions, but hell. It’s worked out so far!”

As she said that, the tube arrived with a ‘ding’. The two partners looked at one another and Scarlet motioned for Jade to get in first. After all, just this once, it was the serpent who got them on a breakthrough run.

The Petrifier’s lair… The mare practically drooled. This was going to be something. And even if he were watching them? Stupid Rogue. Jade could disappear seemingly at will, an apparent trait of her species, or something. Scarlet, meanwhile? All anyone could see of her was this flashy suit for pansy posers. Ain’t ever gonna be seen in that.

Scarlet was damn excited. She did feel an oddly nervous urge to chain some smokes as they descended through the City… but Jade began complaining after one, so she kept it there.

A perfect infiltration was always made of a soup of random happenstance. Probably. Could as well keep her head clear – she’d huffed enough odd smelling substances back in that stupid bathhouse. This was gonna be more her element.

“Ah, fuck this…”

“Alright, gentlecolts. I’m sure we’re having a misunderstanding here? Yes, it must be my accent. Let me repeat-”

“HUFF. HUFF.” The brutes blocking their path expulsed loud, staggered breaths, perforated and shredded by cumbersome gas masks. A string of jumbled, scratchy noises emitted from underneath the masks. One of the brutes shook his or her head, producing a string of noises from its own mask’s speaker. “#@&*? %@$@#*.”

Jade groaned and waved her hand in front of one brute.

“Excuse me, but exactly how difficult is it to let us pass?” she whined, twirling her pendant provocatively. She tilted her head, crossed her legs and fluttered her eyelashes. “Please, look at us, do we pass for… whoever it is you hunky individuals are guarding this public passageway from?”

Scarlet pulled at the dragon’s tail. Jade thrust it back, intending to continue negotiating. The mare hissed to herself, clinging to her head.

This WAS the District of Beauties, damn it. Stupid note was no bluff. A Sun-forsaken hive of scum and villainy, where every other street looked like a war zone. Jade was positively excited once they got down here. That, for a time, was a source of her own confidence too…

But three close shaves with the local wildlife, transient scavenger gangs and a near drop into toxic waste from the District of Clouds made her reconsider. Fuck’s sake, she meant to prep for an excursion like this, not do it in a stupid suit, with none of her tools, or, hell, even her wits? What was she thinking?

This gnawed at her for a bit, hence why she was glad their path was near one of the few public transportation terminals still left intact. But, obviously, this was too much to hope for. The mare grit her teeth as Jade nearly flew back from a single push to her shoulder. The brute didn’t appreciate her trying to speak right in his masked face.

“GAH! You freaks,” the dragon began to whine. “That was insolent. Do your superiors know you’re pushing innocent ladies around? Come now, isn’t this place a forgotten hole? Nobody’s watching you, you can just do your good deed for the day and-“

“Friggin’ can the backtalk, holy shit!” Scarlet whispered to her ear, talking out the side of her mouth. She squeezed the dragon’s arm to get her to listen. “These. Aren’t. Cops.”

“HUFF. #@(**@. HUFF.”

“What?” Jade stared at her in confusion. “But they’re wearing Hazard Force uniforms. And their communicators-“

“They’re fuckin’ looted you scaly prick! These are Protocol goons!” Scarlet whisper-screamed. “They are the law, alright, only they ain’t running the show for the City! It’s a different fucking Rogue! I didn’t know they were here, they don’t usually…” As if on cue, loud clattering, panicked voices, static-mixed garbles and the signature sound of doors being kicked in emitted from the building right next to them. Jade gulped. “Fuck me, it’s cleanup day…”

“Pah! Well if they’re just regular old gangsters who’d harvested some equipment, then…” The serpent bit her tongue. The guards blocking the alleyway had remained nearly motionless, but each of them kept exuding a loud breath every now and again. Judging by the pressure rising in Scarlet’s chest, it was to keep them informed they weren’t wanted. “Then they’re not going to be a problem.”

Jade got out of her grip, spun around, and pushed Scarlet back with her tail. The dragon spun the pendant around her index finger, approaching the two with her hips swaying. The mare felt a heavy grogginess fall upon her as her knees buckled.

While she fought off her sickness, she could hardly think. But she did hear the signature sparks of a Hazard Force stun baton, overclocked to around 120% power. Shortly thereafter, the sickness was suddenly completely gone. Thank the stars for adrenaline. Scarlet was able to hop up, grab Jade around the waist, swing her aside just as one of the grunts swung for her.

“@*@#!”

Swearing profusely and ignoring Jade’s outraged screaming, the mare got one of them to stumble with a harsh application of her telekinesis – despite using enough force that’d normally wring a pony’s leg out. She followed that up with a swift, harsh kick to one of the oculars. Blissfully, it cracked, the teal luminosity fading from within, and a series of electric noises betraying the cessation of whatever mechanism ran within, likely electrocuting the owner. These weren’t in the best repair.

“PANT. PANT.”

She then tore off her suit and flung it at the other, the fabric catching fire from contact with the stun baton. It spread to the few fabric linings included in the pilfered cement grey kevlar uniform, leaving the other guard disabled as well.

“GET TO THE- aaagh, shiiit!” Scarlet growled, seeing the public tube being nowhere near this unholy stop. Luck was on their side though: even down in the District of Beauties, distant transportation hubs drew cabbies to them. She sprinted toward the banged-up crystal lifter. “Okay, change of plan.”

“What plan?! Aaaagh, nothing is making any sense, why don’t they-“ Jade complained as she caught up in a moment’s notice, shortly outpacing the mare.

“THEY’RE FUCKING DUMMIES! I DON’T THINK THEY’RE EVEN AWAKE! OR ALIVE?!” the mare screamed in frustration. “IT’S THE DISTRICT OF FUCKING BEAUTIES, THERE’S A ROGUE ON EVERY CORNER, WITH A puff PRIVATE ARMY OF SOME FUCKING KIND! THIS IS WAY HEAVIER THAN OUR DUDE!”

“What- DUDE!- BUT- That… is insane! I didn’t… well… I… paaah!” The serpent hissed, having outpaced the mare to the crystalline sky-carriage. She bent to face the driver. “Oh great. He’s… …pacified.”

Scarlet groaned under her breath, feeling the District’s air sting her coat now that she was down to just the plain white undershirt.

“AAAGH WHY DID WE GO HERE?!”

Fortunately, a drop-kick to the flimsy vehicle’s door did the job, and Scarlet was able to handle the lock with her magic while the basic magical security system dealt with the sudden blunt impact. The mare swung the door open, tossed the driver out and climbed inside, pulling Jade in by her tail. Thankfully the dragoness was flexible enough to fit in.

“I’m sorry about the suit, lady,” the mare said, starting the vehicle and taking off, thanking every star in the night sky that the Protocol drones weren’t being particularly thorough with their perimeter duty tonight. How could she forget what sort of shit went on down here? What was she thinking?

“I… I…” Jade sighed. Scarlet listened to her slowly even out her breath. Maybe she was holding back tears, or maybe she was meditating, or something like that. Who knew with her type of dragon. At least her serpentine nature let her fit into this cramped box. It was invigorating that she put effort into calming herself more than nagging her. Invigorating enough that Scarlet kept a steady grip on the wheel and got them to the District’s long-busted exit port. “Don’t worry about the suit, Starlite, dear. It was a rental, anyway. My more… ahem, permanent valuables, are intact. Thanks to your quick thinking, of course.”

“Don’t mention it…” the mare muttered. “Alicorn’s graces, what the fuck were we thinking?..”

“More should’ve been expected of me, yes…” the dragon added. “What a disturbing series of events. I feel filthy.”

“Me too.”

Scarlet was glad she didn’t receive a lecture for all this. The more she thought about what happened, the more outlandish these events felt. How could she have been so cocky? The mare nearly began to doubt her own abilities, but then… At least the dragoness, her partner, such as it was, got carried out by her skills. She would’ve never gotten out of there, no doubt. To run into a Protocol patrol – it’s a quicker fate than some, but an ultimate one nonetheless. And she was smart enough, smarter indeed than the mare had assumed.

She knew her partner was doing all the real work. The good work! Yeah. Jade, the picky lizard, would’ve had a lot more to complain about, even after being pulled out of deadly danger by her tail, literally. Maybe this was a near-lethal dud, but after this? Oh yes. Scarlet grinned, gripping the wheel. Now the stand-offish, stealthy, choke-holding shrink knew who had which role in this here partnership. That dragon? She must have just felt the dire need to compensate for her inherent secondary nature by pulling off all sorts of stunts.

Clearly projecting on Scarlet’s place in their vertical chain of command. No red tape to force her to obey this stand-offish, eccentric non-equine – and with the scales being balanced, she predictably took the reins of control in their professional relationship. It made sense; unlike griffons, for example, dragons didn’t play well with authority. Yeah. Now she knew. Now she knew who was who, and the detective could take the reins.

Partners

The detective also needed ten rounds of ‘Shotgun Mouthwash’ after the adrenaline rush had faded and they went their separate ways.

Upon waking up the next day, the mare discovered she had half a dozen missed sing-stone calls from Jade. Glossing over them with blurry eyes, she surmised the dragon was simply wondering if she was safe.

“Bleurgh… how charming,” the mare mumbled before emitting a prolonged belch. “She can wait… frickin’ lizard.”

Scarlet waddled over to the bathroom and gave her snout and teeth a good scrub. After nearly falling asleep with her face under the tap (again), she shook herself awake. Munching on the uneaten remains of last night’s booze consumption aid, the mare poked through her investigation notes. Her whiteboard gained a few fresh sticky notes and an extra bit of string, denoting the leads that headed to the District of Beauties. Scarlet groaned, seeing the abundance of greasy fingerprints on the fresh stickers.

Ear twitching, she walked off. It sucked how her body just refused to let go of all that tension – she must have been more adrenaline than pony back there. Scarlet grumbled to herself, wondering how she could be so jumpy and bothered after something as simple as a life and death chase followed by drinking herself to sleep. The likes of her underwent these ordeals on a weekly basis.

“Aight… let’s see...“ Scarlet looked at her sing-stone setup. The text messages she’d already swept aside, but half a dozen calls… There was a chance it was something important. “Fine, gonna buy the bullet…”

The mare sucked on her greasy fingers as the sing-stone connected to Jade. It was fairly late in the morning, but nevertheless, her partner answered. Scarlet braced herself and got ready to exert her command to avoid being hounded to do this and that. Much to her surprise, that came to be completely unnecessary.

She hadn’t felt so fussed and worried over since moving off from home. It was pretty damn striking. Somebody clearly got the message – they were nothing without her skills and experience. Scarlet just listened to the dragoness ramble on about how awful she felt about yesterday and how she would ensure something like this never happened again, letting the serpent run herself ragged with apologies and impassioned care and attention. The detective didn’t know how it made her feel – all that tension and resolve just went completely unused.

Weirder yet, this was not a work call.

“…so, you see, now that I hopefully have made it quite clear that I’m never taking you into a veritable death-pit on a measly hunch-“

“Uh-huh.” Scarlet buried a yawn in her sleeve.

“-mmmhm, yes, I was thinking. Yesterday was a huge mess. As I told you, it’s up to me to make up for it. How about we… hang out together?” Jade offered.

“Hang out.”

“Well, you know… go somewhere nice, relax, de-stress. Goodness, I’ve got a lot of stress. You’re much more used to this than I am, please understand… I simply don’t come face to face with mortal danger all that often. I figured it would only be fair if I provided a nice, relaxing distraction for the two of us.”

“The two of us.”

“But of course. We’re partners. I know I messed up, but… pah! We’re girls, Scarlet, and I know neither of us gets enough girl time. In our line of work, you can end up being…” the dragon sighed. “…far from your best self.”

“Our line of-“ Scarlet groaned.

“Our tiring, punishing, mentally and physically threatening line of work, yes! Let’s just take a day off, it’ll be fun.”

“Jade, lady, you’re a shrink by day. Don’t be ridic-“ Scarlet stopped for a long, drawn out yawn. “Ehh… where was I?”

“Oh, you were forgetting that I deal with mentally unhinged socialites and sociopath tycoons for a living. Hee-hee-hee~” Jade chortled. “Ahem. So… What says we cast off our restraints and spend a day being… mmm… ourselves, doing girl stuff, relaxing our minds and bodies… It’s not like we’re on a schedule.”

“Hmmmmm.”

“I’ll foot the bill,” Jade added.

Scarlet clicked her tongue. She considered the last time she went to a bar that didn’t end in either a chase or a fight. Further, though she out- and inwardly scoffed at the idea of ‘girl time’, her gut wretched at the idea of passing up such an offer. A free day off with a partner who could hypothetically be worse?

She rubbed her numb, aching temples. Maybe left to her own devices, she’d have done fuck all today anyways?.. She did drink last night away and wake up with a hangover.

“Fuck it. I’m in. If I’m gonna spend a day relaxing after yesterday’s bullshit rodeo, I may as well pick you up on this offer,” the mare bit the bullet. “Just remember: I take the best ones whether you like it or not… you can keep whoever wants to do you, but I’m tough competition.”

There was silence, eventually perforated by a sharp, wheezing chuckle.

“…Scarlet! What… what are you even talking about?!”

“…girl… stuff?..” the mare scratched her head. “You know, going to bars, talking up them-“

“No! Goodness, no! No bars! No… whatever it is you were alluding to!” Jade sighed, holding back laughter. “Oh dearie me. Meet at the District Transit in an hour, I’ll take you somewhere a lot more pleasing and a lot less seedy. It’ll be far more relaxing than going to the bars.”

“But…”

“And relaxation is what we need right now, isn’t it?” Jade hummed. “Trust me. I am the expert on matters of the brain.”

“…fine. But only because it’s on you.” Scarlet crossed her arms, not that the dragon could see it. “And because I trust you won’t get us into another fuckin’ misadventure after you apologized for a half hour straight.”

“Talk to you later, my sterling, stingy partner. Bye-bye!”

“Eh.”

Scarlet plopped down on her couch and spent the better part of ten minutes just sitting there, staring at her clock and grumbling to herself about her looming 'appointment'. Countless times, she thought of and even rehearsed calling Jade again to cancel, or at least reschedule, but the sing-stone might as well have been across an ocean. Instead, she found herself digging through her wardrobe, then heading out the door. She arrived at the arranged spot with just a few minutes to spare.

Scarlet flexed her neck, eyeing the interior with a mix of reticence and curiosity. She covered her reticence with a passive whistle, hands tucked in the pockets of her pants. Already, she had to discard her trench coat in the wardrobe for admittance. Ordinarily she’d work to get in the way she wanted, but Scarlet kept it down on this particular day. It was their day off, and Jade knew her place by now.

And besides, she had to marvel they were here at all. You didn’t just get into the Pearl Lagoon, and certainly not on a weekend. This dragon did not hold back on her promise to foot that bill. This was no second-rate fancy club.

Well, actually, this wasn’t a club at all, and truth be told, Scarlet had no idea what its stated purpose even was. She’d been here once before, but it wasn’t exactly on legal grounds, and it didn’t exactly last long… A fact the mare elected not to disclose. Her detective work hadn’t led her to assume it was anything filthy or risky – there weren’t any horror stories going on about this place besides how hard it was to get in and how easy it was to get thrown out, which, in her eyes, was a mark of legitimacy in the District of Stars.

At least this place wasn’t as gaudy and unfriendly to Scarlet’s senses as that spot back in Gems. It helped they were on her home turf. It wasn’t that familial to her - only one third of it was covered in flashing, eye-popping lights and holo-commercials, a mark of status. Whoever ran this place could afford to do so on their own bits, and Jade was clearly able to communicate with them… The room and service she booked was not of the cheap ones. The Pearl Lagoon didn’t have ‘cheap’ rooms, and the ones they did have, they’d long passed.

“This is really gay,” Scarlet informed the serpent, pointing at the glass statues of naked mares, stallions and other creatures that lined the hallway leading to their chamber. “Look at all these… glowy bits. I’ve never been to a gayer place in my life.”

“…sigh.” Jade audibly scratched her face. “It’s called high art, you… goodness. Sometimes words fail me.”

“Yeah I’m gutter trash and I’m proud of it.” Scarlet shrugged. “But hey, you’re forgiven, you’re foreign. It’s cool. I wouldn’t rag on you, considering you got me into-“

The door to their room slid open on their approach and revealed two things. Things that she should’ve expected, in retrospect.

“-is this a fucking pool?..” the mare finished her sentence, her voice croaking.

“Darling. Starlite. Dearie. This place is called The Pearl Lagoon. And there are scenic waterfall murals at the entrance. The entire building is- you’re a-“ Jade sighed, approaching from behind and resting her hands on the mare’s shoulders. She pushed her into the room like an unruly filly. “You’re really not very tidy, by the way, so in your place, I’d say you’re rather fortunate.”

“I am NOT!” Scarlet protested.

“No. You are! Quit being silly now.” Jade gave her a pat on the shoulder and poked at the tip of the mare’s horn with her snout. The unicorn shuddered all over, stomping her hoof in frustration. “Let’s undress, pick out our swimsuits… it’ll be fun.”

“It’s not even- THERE’S NOT EVEN ANY SHUTTERS IN HERE?!” The mare shook her fist at the rather modestly sized locker antechamber. “How does that… uoff. It’s a private room, right?”

“Uh-huh.” The serpent went past her and got to work removing her fairly minimal garb. She wore a one-piece traditional dress of some kind, a pair of draco flats and a purse. Knowing now they were in a pool, that kind of made sense… “Don’t be shy now, detective. It’ll just be us.”

“Hrmf. Yeah, us and room service! I’m a lone wolf, Jade.” Scarlet unbuttoned her shirt. She picked a locker at random – they were each denoted by different jewels, and she was too flustered to bother remembering. “What next, is this a spa as well?”

“Well…”

“OH COME ON!”

“Let me finish!” Jade cut her interruption off. “It’s a yes and a no! Yes, this is a spa. I chose this place because you clearly need girl time, you maladjusted crime fighter! But no, no one else is coming. I made special arrangements to ensure you needn’t get into altercations with any more innocent serviceponies. This chamber will have everything we need, and at worst, I’ll venture outwards for a brief spell. Isn’t that neat?”

Scarlet merely listened and grumbled to herself, peeling off her clothes. A spa! Damn it. How many years had it been? How did she not see it coming? Girl time. Yeah, right. Man, so much for being on home turf. Now she was floundering…

Oh well. At least she could afford to. Jade wasn’t playing games – not after last time she wouldn’t be! She was just a foreign, high society bimbo with her own idea of engrossing past times. Could be worse. Maybe if she didn’t have to undress right next to the dragoness… But still, silver linings.

“What are you mumbling back there?” Jade inquired. She pulled at the mare’s bra strap, snapping it up against her back. Scarlet yelped from the jolt she got and wheeled around, giving the serpent a glare. “Don’t be nervous. It’s just a day at the pool. You sure do need one.”

“Hrmf.”

Jade clicked her tongue and walked off, her tail brushing up against the mare’s calves as she slipped past the mosaic laden door. Scarlet hugged her shoulders, now down to her underwear.

“You DO need one, you know that, right?” the dragoness called out from inside, her voice echoing off the distant, curved walls. “You are disturbingly close to accurate with your poignant self-deprecation, detective!”

“Wha?..”

“You WOULD pass for gutter trash, Starlite, darling, dearest! Ponies are meant to be known for their cleanliness, you messy thing. Ahem. Partner.” Scarlet didn’t reply, simply shaking her head, jaw ajar. She stumbled toward the door, shaking her fist in the direction of the dragon’s voice. “Now get in, the water’s fine. And they have our food right here as well!”

Inside, she could hardly see the towering serpent with all the steam.

“Hey listen lady, I’m not- What’s even- I’m… Easy for you to judge me, you probably live in the friggin’… sewer or something! Aquatic dragon. Blurgh!” Scarlet shook her head. Was she still hungover? Some vague, abstract feeling crept up her spine, a lightness setting in her head. Wasn’t this what it was like to be near a hot, aroma infused pool? She hadn’t had more than a tepidly warm, weak shower in years. “Also, where in Tartarus is here? I can’t see anything.”

“Says the pony who wears shades indoors for effect. Pweh-heh-heh. Oh, Scarlet, you’ve been needing a day at the spa for a lifetime.” Jade snickered. “Just get in and swim towards me.”

“Ha-ha.” Scarlet took a few steps on the wet, multicolored tiles, finding it hard to navigate among the steam, the dim lights, and the general lack of consistent coloration. She paused. “Wait, swim toward you? Are we-“

“Yes, Starlite, you messy pony, we’re sharing a bath together.” Jade sighed. “Girl time.”

“More like gay time…” Scarlet murmured in disbelief.

“I heard that. Pervert. You’re not a xenophiliac, are you now?”

“Oh go chew on your scaly tail, you rock-eating lizard! Gah!” The unicorn waved her hand in Jade’s general direction. She rolled her eyes, took a breath and took a ladder down into the water. “OW THAT’S HOT!!!”

“That,” Jade informed her from across the pond, “is room temperature. Oh we’ve got some work to do, partner. Work to do on you.”

“Yeah, right…” Scarlet muttered. “Urgh. Water is dumb.” She pushed herself forward, half of her body secreting sweat and itching, half of it going numb from heat. “Good luck changing my mind on that.”

“Hmm, hmmm. We’ll see.”

Scarlet fumbled around in the water, gritting her teeth at the disorienting heat and liquidity. Honestly, though, she felt okay giving it a shot. It was an all-new environment with its own rules and sensations. Usually it would put her on edge… but as Jade repeatedly insisted, they came here to relax. And for goodness’ sakes, this was water! Water was completely harmless, and truth be told, she had indeed been needing some water procedures. Jade was kinda right, but not for any outstanding reason. Why hide it – Scarlet was a fucking mess. As charmingly self-aware as she was, maybe she took herself a little too close to actual gutter trash.

“Not a swimmer, are we?” Jade quipped once Scarlet finally reached her. The dragon rested comfortably against the back end of the borderline endless pool. Her liquifaceous hair and modest horns were the main visual aid in finding her in the first place – her soft green coloration oddly blended right into the water, what with the tinted lighting at the imperceptible bottom.

“Oof.” Scarlet glared at the dragoness. “Yeah, friggin’ gloat. Oh quit looking at me like that. I get it, you’re good at swimming! Well, I got hooves!”

“Bwuh-huh-huh. Like you’d let me help?” Jade smirked. She spun her pendant around her finger idly, dreamily gazing at the odd patterns the water cast at the domed marble ceiling. “You’re such a stubborn mare, Scarlet. Could I expect you not to shout and call me mean things if I were to… take over, here in my element?”

“Hrmf.” The mare lowered her gaze. She took a breath and shook her head, getting her red streak out of her eyes.

Extraordinary circumstances permitting, Scarlet felt safe enough just being a lower class unicorn with a complicated relationship towards hygiene, while Jade was just an aquatic dragon with markedly more experience in… girl stuff. Really, what was wrong with that?

She shot the dragon a testing look. It wasn’t much, but it let her feel comparable now that she swam right next to her. Cut muscles and some demonstrable scarring may have been on her side, but Jade had more of a… presence, now that gaudy suits and frilly garb no longer obscured her. Dragons were imposing enough by default, and this emerald serpent bore the most of that. Her tight, dark swimsuit, complete with a bright, color agnostic jewel in the center of her chest, brought up lithe, powerful curves and more size in general than the mare had suspected.

She felt… matched, at the very least. It was impetus enough to maybe allow the dragoness an extra token of trust.

“I ain’t that predictable, come on. You must think I dunno how to act outside of my work! Well, I… don’t dunno!” Scarlet rolled her eyes. She thrust forward and carried herself over to Jade’s side. “This place is posh, sure, but at least it’s got… ehhh… stuff to it. You know what to do with all this. Arguing and playing alpha bitch all day is fun, but it ain’t the, uh… only idea of fun I have!”

“Ooo~” The dragoness giggled, swapping hands with her pendant. She gave a contented sigh. “I’m pleased to hear it, Starlite. I knew we were off to a good start today! Frankly, I was expecting to be stood up for a good hour. You know, for these made-up disciplinary purposes of yours.”

“Oh come on, I don’t-“

“Naaaw. You do. I’m a shrink, dearie. I just can’t help but notice certain behaviors. It’s why I’m happy to see you recognize today is indeed our day off. Goodness me, you’re actually cooperating!” Jade flashed a brief smile, her enchanted eyes never blinking. Scarlet felt a need to stifle a yawn that wasn’t there. The hot water was taking some getting used to. “I know you won’t believe me, but it’s important that you pay heed to my words… now and again.”

“Tchah. It IS our day off. I’m taking a break off the hard boiled detective shtick-” Scarlet explained, reaching for the food tray placed behind Jade’s resting spot. The tray’s thermal preservation barrier disallowed telekinesis, so she tried to reach through the railing. With a wide, toothy smile, the serpent used her significantly longer limb to easily pass the mare an entire gourd. Scarlet averted her eyes, shrugged and accepted it. “-and you’re taking a rest from being a shrink. How ‘bout that?”

“Oh yes, it’s… murderous, really. I’ve horror stories that I’d rather not divulge. The Rogues’ Gallery makes a lot of sense once you witness the opportunity for depravity the City allows one with talent and resources,” Jade commented while Scarlet munched on grapes. “But enough of that. You’re right. You’re just a pony with intense hygiene problems, and I’m just an aquatic dragon with considerable experience in all manners of services provided by the Pearl Lagoon.”

“Ehhh, shomeshingh lighe zhat,” the unicorn muttered, chewing through an entire branch of grapes. She performed a mighty gulp before summarizing on her own. “Like, yeah, I know this place is a big deal! It’d be friggin’ dumb not squeezing it for all its worth! And on my own, I’d just… splash around for a few hours and eat, uh… mostly grapes, apparently.”

“Seeeeee? We DO have work to do on you! You are…” Jade shook her head, wincing at the sound of numerous grape seeds being crushed in Scarlet’s mouth. She twirled the pendant around her fingers, deftly passing it from digit to digit. Scarlet’s messy eating probably annoyed her, the mare figured. “…going to match your inner goodness by when I’m done.”

“Don’t bet on it, Jade. Didcha know I forgot to put toothpaste on my brush when I was washing up this morning? Yeeeah.” Scarlet laughed. She paused, distracted by the miniature light show caused by the pendant. It inadvertently cast off a series of flickers that danced around the mosaic tiles and marbles, likely to none of the dragon’s own awareness. “I’mma be nice and… not divulge no more of that sort of info.”

Sure, they had a Rogue to catch, but just for once in her life, the mare decided to halt obsessing over her latest case and spending every waking, sober moment theorizing the next steps of her investigation.

Not only could she afford a day off in the material sense, Jade owed her recompense and she KNEW it: this was that.

“So what do we even… do, besides swim around?” the mare asked.

“I was waiting for you to ask,” Jade stated, looking Scarlet straight in the eyes. The mare felt a smooth, tight presence around her calves. Looking down, she saw the dragoness’ tail wrapped around her hooves. “There is mmmuch to do. Let’s get you pretty… er.”

“Hey- bwah!” The unicorn yelped, being dragged through the pool by the dragoness’ tail.

“You said you’d like help! Swimming lessons are a far lower priority to your personal hygiene, Starlite, sweetie!” Jade informed her, her body snaking through the water at remarkable velocity.

“I’M NOT- blurgh!”

Well, she did ask for it. And in frankness, being dragged around by the serpent’s tail was probably the more fun part of the experience. Scarlet never conceived of so many lotions, oils and shampoos. As Jade would repeatedly remark, Scarlet may have been a good detective, but she was a remarkably cruddy unicorn mare.

She also never conceived of just how obvious her messy lifestyle apparently was. Maybe touting it for conversational points wasn’t so smart if there was so much to soap off and rinse out.

Jade, serpentine though she was, decisively warranted the title Scarlet typically used to talk down to her: of the many things she was on and off duty, lady was definitely one of them. The dragoness knew the role and purpose of every last flask, tincture and solution populating the lockers. The mare found herself twisting and bending to allow Jade better reach, occasionally having to justify the dreadful state of her coat. Maybe she would’ve shown more spine… but why look a gift pamper in the mouth? When was the last time she bothered to scrub her back in the shower, two years ago, perhaps three? This once-haughty dragon was now giving her a thorough rub n' scrub, lathering her up with all sorts of VIP-level beautification substances and scratching a grand multitude of itches Scarlet was never aware she even had.

Scarlet never knew how badly she had been mistreating her body. Now that she’d gotten adjusted to the allegedly mild temperature, the slightest touch from Jade rendered her increasingly more aware of her nervous system. The unicorn was glad they were stuck in water, because she was pretty sure she’d begun to drool while Jade rubbed shampoo into her mane. There was something carnally relaxing about having a pair of smooth, strong hands squeezing your muscles and leaving behind a fizzy, bubbling trail, pleasant synthetic scents filling your nostrils, your hooves wading idly through water, nothing solid to keep your body from drifting – nothing but somebody who actually knew what they were doing for goodness’ sakes! Scarlet spent every waking hour in a tense arms race with a world full of assholes, dipshits, of laughing, joking numbnuts. Just once, it was nice to take a break…

“Hnnngh. Phhhfff-“ Scarlet bit her lip as Jade trailed her index claw down the middle of her back. Somehow, it’d located some ephemeral itch, one the mare blissfully never detected until now that it was being eradicated. “Y-you’re pret-pretty f-fucking good.”

“Oh, thank yooou~” Jade giggled, trailing off into a deep, exhausted sigh. “Thank you for reminding me to wash out your potty mouth next. I knew I was missing a spot.”

“Nnngh.” Scarlet rolled her eyes. She thrust her back towards the dragon, urging her to continue. “I’m complimenting you, c’mon now. You could... oof… pamper for a living if the whole brain treatment thing falls through.”

“Brain treatment. Pssshhhh… Starlite, dearie, that’s a very pedestrian way of looking at it.” The dragoness clicked her tongue and withdrew her hands from the mare. Scarlet groaned. “There isn’t necessarily a clear line where one ends and the other begins, you see.”

“Guhhh, you know what I mean. I don’t praise nobody easy.” She puffed her cheeks. “Look, that spot back there, it itches like, bad… so, uhm… mind dropping what you were-“

“Ah, so it does itch. I knew it. That is the messy pony spot, you messy, messy thing. This particular teensy spot in the middle of your back…” The dragoness patted the mare’s shoulders. “The equine body develops an itching response there if you don’t scrub your back regularly enough.”

“Gosh, I get it! I don’t shower enough! I’m friggin’ fixing that right now, okay?” She bucked her hooves in frustration. “What’re you even doing back there?”

“Mmm. Nothing. Just waiting for your reaction, hee-hoo~”

Scarlet spat out a couple perturbed expletives as the dragoness’ tail once again coiled around her hooves. This time it was a lot more forceful, and it was pulling down. She was about to shout in concern as her chest began to submerge. Her concern was short-lived, immediately replaced by another source of stimulation. Jade’s hand clasped around her horn, squeezing it tight. Scarlet utterly failed to contain a high-pitched, reverberating whine, one that shortly transformed into a deep, confused moan. The serpent wasn’t just groping her in jest – with purchase gained on the unicorn’s scabby, unpolished horn, she pulled hard.

The mare’s back produced a disgracefully loud series of crackles and pops. Her horn and her hooves stretched powerfully in opposite directions, she was stretched straight, string-like. Her back muscles locked somewhere in the grey area between tension and relaxation, her fists raised up in the air, Scarlet bit down her on her lip to avoid making whatever noises were threatening to erupt from her mouth. Jade clicked her tongue, giving her hardy, protruding back muscles a series of pokes with her sharp claw.

“Ay-yay-yaaay. Look at all that tension,” Jade said with a great degree of concern. “I assumed it was bad, but… ohhh nooo... Such poorly maintained muscle, it hurts to see. And it doubtlessly hurts to live like this!” Before Scarlet could muster another reply, she was stretched even tighter. Her eyes rolled hard. She must’ve become a few inches taller by now. “How can you have so little respect for all the hard work it took to get all this delightful, delicious muscle? Have you stretched once of late? Are you aware exercise exists outside bench presses, weights and treadmills? It doesn’t look like you did, Scarlet…”

“HNNNGH!!!” the mare replied through gritted teeth, her hands flailing in the air – not a measure of resistance anymore, at this rate she was offloading the pressure put upon her nervous system.

That too came to an end. Jade rubbed her knuckle against an awfully specific spot right underneath her shoulder line, which caused the unicorn’s arms to snap straight down. The sparse moment was enough for the dragoness’ fast hand to grab both of Scarlet’s. Jade wasn’t exactly small for an aquatic dragon, and the mare’s wrists fit easily in her left hand. Her precise, decisive motions didn’t just disarm Scarlet; her hands weren’t simply locked down, they were forcibly joined into the stretching. With what seemed like very little effort, Jade had Scarlet utterly motionless, stretched completely straight, her arms mere degrees of pressure away from causing her a great deal of pain. Yet there was none – instead, they’d gone completely numb, sounding off their own series of pressurized pops and crackles, generating rows of sharp, needling tingles that proceeded to dance through the mare’s entire body.

And throughout that entire exchange, the freshly discovered itch went absolutely nowhere, which appeared to bother Scarlet more than the fact she was as helpless as an earth pony in the underbelly of Clouds.

“Your daily existence must be agony. Your body is the epitome of accidental masterwork…” The dragoness pulled a little harder at her horn, shifting her hand. The pony moaned – it turned out Jade still carried her pendant, and with this grip adjustment, it bonked her clean on her snout. The teal jewel now sat directly on top of her nose, and she was stretched too tight to even shake it off. “Oh Starlite, you put yourself through such unnecessary torment with your… quirks of personality.”

“HKKKK.” Scarlet could hear her teeth grind. “F-fffug-ging… s-ssstop thattt…”

“Oh what? This shouldn’t hurt,” Jade shot back.”

“Mmmmy n-nnnaame… i-isn’t S-sss-ssstarlite… f-fix your p-pronun- KOFF!” Scarlet began to drool again. “Pron-nunciatio-ho-hooon…”

Jade let out a hearty cackle. It evolved into a more subdued chuckle, which chortled over into a peal of deep, rumbling giggles. Jets of the dragoness’ hot breath brushed against the mare’s back, sending a spiderweb of jolts through the mare’s newly sensitized nervous system.

“Hwuh-hwuh-hwuh, oh, dearie, you don’t get to criticize me. I try to work on my accent, you know. Detection of flaws, and their subsequent erasure, is my… specialty.” Jade noted slyly, having expressed enough of her amusement. Scarlet groaned, attempting to twist her head – a subtle alarm bell hammered somewhere in the depths of her subconscious, displeased with some of the numerous unusual things currently ongoing. “I suppose you could say I too am a… detective, in my own right. It’s only fair I put a bit of extra, ahhh, professional effort into our get-together, what with my dire missteps of late. Hmmm?”

“Y-yyyughhh! Th-that’s cool, but- uoofff!” The mare gasped as the dragoness found a way to straighten her out an extra few degrees. It was by either remarkable expertise or pure miracle that she wasn’t in pain. Disoriented and numb though she was, Scarlet doubted it was the latter… And she didn’t get to doubt for long, as her mind swung to a completely different issue. The dragon’s breath caressed her back, and damn it, that brought back the itch. Did she just forget it was there? Well, it was back now. “J-jussst… f-friggin’… scratch th-that itch! C-call me whatchu w-want, you f-ffforeign f-fffuck, just… j-jwuh-huh-huh…”

“Hoooo… It really IS bad, isn’t it, Starlite?” Jade applied a measly little pull to Scarlet’s arms. Immediately, the mare could feel stinging discomfort pulse through her body, causing an aggravated guffaw to grind through her tensely gritted teeth. The dragon allowed herself another chuckle. “You allow yourself to be such a horrible mess. I have an eye for… troubled individuals. They remind me of… gemstones. It’s why I call you Starlite… Mmmhmhm, yes, I do it on purpose. I bet you feel silly now.”

“Wh-what’s it with… hnnn… d-dragons and… hkkk! g-gemstones?..” Scarlet quipped back in an attempt at defiance. All of her attention went right back to that spot, prying and weeping for attention. She tried to pry her snout open for another demand, but the serpent had her locked too tight.

“We eat them! They are quite tasty~” Jade ran her tongue up the mare’s neck. Every single nerve in her back came alive. For a scant moment, that stupid itch was everywhere – for another, it was gone, and then, it was back, as annoying as ever. This would’ve been a lot more exciting if she could just give in. An odd thing to consider, and she didn’t dwell on it. The rush of blood in her ears almost obfuscated the dragoness’ hearty laugh. Some fucking joker this dragon was… “Ahhh, but I won’t eat you. You’re a very… stocky, muscly type. You can look very pretty with the right mold and environ.”

“Q-quit ripping me in h-half then! I g-get it, y-you’re a dragon! Use your –ffuckin… claws to… Hkkk… ooof-“ Scarlet wheezed sharply, her body going from energized to completely numb with just an extra tug. Her jaw hung low. Tiny needles paraded through her entire body, flaring awareness in very specific spots. Great, now that itch traveled. She went cross-eyed for a short moment, staring at the reflection of her red eyes in the glistening teal pendant sat tight on the tip of her snout. “HnnnNNN~”

“Yesss, that was a tight one, wasn’t it? Gosh.” Jade whistled, the soft flow of wind tickling the mare’s ears. “I haven’t had to practice my skills on such a tough cookie before. I’m glad you liiike it…”

“Hrmf…”

Jade tested and prodded her nervous system with remarkable ease, chiefly by squeezing at the mare’s horn and adjusting the tail grip on her legs. Scarlet’s tongue nearly hung out as one by one, each body part of hers came into sharp attention, tensing, relaxing, hurting and receding at the dragoness’ whim. Never, not once before, was the unicorn made to be so aware of her body. Her mind struggled to process whether it felt good or bad. Her keep detective instincts tried to catch onto details – Jade’s creepy licking (which totally went past interpersonal boundaries), her insistence on using a dumb permutation of her name (that was just stupid), and some odd internal alarm ringing going off at her beautification shtick…

But fuck that, really. She still hadn’t scratched that itch. Maybe she wasn’t such a professional after all.

“Oh my, you flatter me, you stingy sssleuth,” the dragoness remarked. “I’m getting some very… promising reactions. You’re not made of steel after all… Don’t worry. It’s actually quite charming.”

“Fkkkk… jzzhhhshhh!!!” Scarlet fumed through tightly grit teeth. “Gimme a sc-scraaatch!”

“You’re getting close… How much longer can you last, sweetie?” Jade let out a laugh, twisting the mare’s limbs and polishing her horn. “You know, this could be happening a lot more often. You’re a rich mare now… quite unfitting to be so filthy now. Inside and out. It’s why I brought you here.”

“GAAAH I DON’T CARE FUCKING SCRAAAHAHAAATCH MEEEE!!!”

“Hmf. No! My, ahm… exotic pampering technique does not include scratches…” Jade snidely informed her. “I’m a very polite dragon. I don’t use my draconic assets for no good reason.”

Scarlet didn’t even get to complain, a groan reverberating out her throat as she was forcefully moved. Or rather, it was them both. Jade used her legs to propel them through the pool, effortlessly swimming around with the pony in tow, completely throwing any sense of orientation. The tight-strung mare spun and danced around in the warm water, leaving behind a trail of waves, her own tail spreading in the pool, letting go of clumps that’d been there for months. Her vestibular apparatus went haywire, rendering her numb both in mind and in body. The dragon’s smooth olive green scales were her only respite from whatever the hell it was her brain had been exposed to.

“Yooou liiike that... let go of all that tension. I can still feel it in your spine. Your strong, staunch spine…” Jade mused. “It’s good for your health… but you take it so far. This… conservative lifestyle of yours. Isn’t it fun, swimming around like this?”

“Scratch the iiiiitch!” Scarlet growled.

“It’s not so bad, you big baby.” Scarlet hacked at the sound of those words. “You’re close. It’s not so complicated. For such a tough cookie, it’s really rather straightforward, relieving your pressure… If you cooperate. Will you fight so hard when you’re the one paying for these treatments, hmmm, Starlite? I didn’t think so…”

Right now Scarlet frankly couldn’t be fucked to overanalyze everything going on with her.

“Fuckin’ PLEASE scratch my baa-haa-haaaack! The… the spot! The messy spot!” She twisted her head violently in Jade’s grip, her horn rubbing up intensely against the dragon’s palm. “QUIT DA-HA-HAAANCIIING! GAAAAH!”

“Haaaah! You did it! You did it, you said the magic word! Wonderful~” Jade let out a delighted sigh. She gave the tautened mare one last heavy stretch, and suddenly, she let go. “Good, Starlite, good. See? You don’t need to brute force your way into niceties. You really don’t.”

“Brlbrlbrlbrl!” the mare replied from underneath a thick cover of water, as she was currently sinking to the bottom, left completely numb and motionless and itching all over.

“Oh, let’s go and sort your messy troubles out now.” Jade scooped the mare back up with her tail and got her to the surface. She slapped her aplenty as the detective cleared her throat. Delivering a series of smacks to her back, the dragoness didn’t hear a word of complaining and took the mare in her arms.

Scarlet was too disoriented to even think of fighting back, and before too long, she’d been carried off to a solid, soft bed. Placed face down on a towel, she retained her jellylike feeling. That was a teensy bit disconcerting – even with her mind having been turned to soup, she was not prepared for this quantity, nor length, of relaxation. It was almost as if something prevented her body from achieving tension, as opposed to it having been organically eroded. But that didn’t last long.

Rather shortly, Jade’s hands touched down on her back and began to knead downwards, reawakening the mare’s nervous system with each sensitive stroke. At long fucking last, that spot was being scratched – and then some. About time. Her base, primal mind seemed quite displeased with pernicious draconic nails scraping along her unprotected coat and muscle, causing a slight ruckus in her subconscious, but the mare was good at blocking out unneeded interruption. This was working out as it should have, right? That’s massage, and a free massage at that.

She didn’t see much wrong with letting Jade take over from there. It was beyond obvious she knew what she was doing in this place. As the two of them went through the motions of quite an intense, involved physical treatment that saw much of the unicorn’s body rinsed, scrubbed, squeezed, scratched and occasionally battered, the dragoness proved her expertise. Without a doubt, she had done this before, and likely frequented this place; this long, dauntingly deep, dimly lit chamber offered Jade no cause for stop or consultation. All the odd looking tools and drawers served a purpose, and she didn’t need to learn it. Certainly saved Scarlet the trouble. Scarlet herself couldn’t even be bothered to remember the layout of their room, thrown off by the persistent spinning sensation and the checkered watery flickers on the walls.

Well, this was new. She could’ve offered this friendly hangout a token of suspicion for how Jade treated her, if not for two things. One, she wasn’t dumb: maintaining suspicion long after you had all the proof in the world was paranoid, and despite the common stereotype, a good detective never let herself turn to paranoia. And Jade’s loyalty had become fact. Two, this really was something. The dragoness was right. She got her way into big money, and hell, this sort of shit was worth the big bits. Her body felt soft, malleable, yet strong and empowered. All the good and none of the bad.

This weird exotic massage stuff Jade practiced on her; well, maybe there was a good reason this joint offered it at such exorbitant prices. This was good… it would keep her sharp and tough once the money softened her up. There was no downside here. None. Scarlet latched onto this thought as it circled in and out of her mind, drowning out any unwanted noise building up in her subconscious. Her subconscious had no power here; its purpose was to help her catch thugs and trail goons, not mess up the one day off she’d finally been convinced to take.

The end result was inevitable for a first-timer like herself, as Jade explained to the puttified mare. She simply wasn’t accustomed to having her internal workings be so rigorously, manually twisted and tweaked. Scarlet could barely see straight, having gotten so accustomed to the haze, scent and noise permeated by the aquatic mix filling the room which had oozed out over the course of hours. Keeping coherent – forget it. Fortunately, the Pearl Lagoon had a policy for handling lax cases like her, as Jade informed her they’d be taking an exit straight out of this chamber. That made sense.

The serpent was even mindful enough to bring Scarlet’s clothes over and help her out of the room once it was all said and done. Her legs were still a little wobbly, and she had trouble remembering which direction the lockers were in, let alone which one she picked. Stupid gemstone markers, stupid water, stupid haze...

Waddling through the ascetic passageway that led straight to the private parking lot, Scarlet shook her head and cast off those thoughts. She got too used to perpetual annoyance and frustration. Today was good. Now, her body and mind were ready for real work. Jade thought as much, and she knew more about this sort of girl stuff. A good detective trusted their sources, right? Right.

The detective nodded to herself, finding it convenient that for once, her red and black strands weren’t invading her eyes every time she moved her head. She glanced at herself in the rear view mirror of the carriage Jade had led them to. She didn’t truthfully remember much of the road back, but it was definitely a tight experience in managing unneeded mental routines. Now, now she would be at her best. Her body wasn’t going to hold her back now – somehow, some way, it was doing that before.

She certainly didn’t disagree when Jade suggested the idea. It made sense. One less obstacle on her path to snagging her first Rogue. A partner who actually helps her endgame with no overbearing, self-serving rhetoric – who would’ve thought?

Asset Relocation

Scarlet ground her teeth, going through photo card after photo card of today’s surveillance haul. Blowing a lock of hair out of her face, she crossed off several lines in her notebook. Another day of investigation ended in frustration. Despite coercing several establishments around the compromised bathhouse and calling in a few favors in District Transit, nothing they collected quite led anywhere. Today was particularly bad. A few repeat offenders had shown up acting suspicious, making Scarlet think they were going somewhere – soon they’d be able to begin profiling. The detective couldn’t put her finger on it, but some patrons of that establishment seemed to have a pattern among them, her senses perking up at something unifying these well-dressed ponies, though the real union factor remained blurry. She thought she was beginning to figure something out today, but then…

The mare hissed, losing grip of her papers. Their carriage took a hard turn, speeding up past the junction now that the quarter hour-long traffic jam had resolved itself. She grumbled and suppressed a number of vicious curses, apologizing as she swept the floor in avoidance of Jade’s long reptilian tail. The dragoness gave her a reassuring pat on the back. Both of them were quite frustrated with this turn of events, Scarlet guessed.

Jade was the one to break the news. It was inevitable – another victim on the Petrifier’s tally. Scarlet was unabashedly excited at first, but that didn’t last long. Dropped in an alleyway near the Transit exit in the District of Stars, this one seemed to have been abandoned in some kind of rush. It had no message, and several hours of digging uncovered their identity as a secretary to some two bit entrepreneur. It all led… nowhere. Such an opportunity, and it was all a dud! Somehow, some way, Scarlet couldn’t even build a solid hypothesis for why that statue ended up there. It was all an enormous, stressful waste of time, and right now, they were on their way back from a full day of quizzing bystanders, checking up on places of interest, tracking down names and addresses and getting absolutely nothing done.

The detective was mad as hell, but she kept herself contained. Jade was handling this better than her, after all. Frustrated, but dutifully putting in her work, and frankly even carrying some of the mare’s slack – enough of it that the stern detective deigned to notice it. A full day of chasing her own tail, and despite all the new info, she was nowhere closer to the damn Rogue. Even reviewing all the shots from before this went down, before the haze of investigation set in, helped nothing…

“Golly. You really are rattled, aren’t you?” the dragoness said. “Get yourself together, Scarlet. I could donate you an organizer satchel if you wish?” She glanced at the detective’s papers that took up most of the limo. “Or I could help in other ways.”

“Hrmf. I’m really close,” Scarlet grumbled. She felt a tingle crawl up her spine, inadvertently glancing up at Jade, whose eyes all but penetrated the mare’s cranium. “Uh?..”

“What are you looking at me like that for?” the dragoness queried perkily. Scarlet shook her head, no longer feeling the chill in her back. “I said I could help with advice. For example: stop thinking about all this! Today is over. You are running yourself ragged, failing every degree of responsible self-maintenance. That is not good.”

“Yeah it’s pretty fuc-“ Scarlet rolled her eyes. She clawed at her face, shaking her head. “It’s a mess! We were close! I can’t think straight. I need a drink, or a smoke!”

“No! You need an organizer, a tighter timetable, and… Partner, you need to relax.” Jade put her hands together and tilted her head. “Stop worrying. After all, you’ve dealt with Rogues before. Remember – they may simply be doing this to throw you off. Wouldn’t this Rogue be salivating if they knew they were getting exactly what they wanted? Hmmmmm?”

Jade smiled and nodded in support, fluttering her eyelashes and affixing a lock of hair. Scarlet upheld a staring contest of sorts before her eyelids just gave out, errant twitches and tingles filling her temples. Too much pressure, too much stress on her nerves… The mare sighed and set the papers aside, putting them together into neat-enough piles before moving them up to be sorted into her undersized sorting folder.

“Still need a damn smoke, my head is fri- Hrmf!” She tapped her trenchcoat all over, unable to remember which pocket her pick-me-ups were stored in. “Where are...”

“No. No smoking! Nuh-huh.” Jade shook her head and waved her finger. “I’ve taken the liberty of disposing of your cheap death-sticks.”

“Whuh?!”

“We are in an enclosed high-class carriage, not to mention minutes away from your homely abode, partner,” Jade explained. “You really needn’t stain your lungs at this moment in time.” She briefly exposed Scarlet’s now-missing pack of smokesticks from underneath her streetwear cardigan. The mare moved to raise her arm in protest, but lost motivation shortly before a turbulent turn rendered it further ill advised. “And also… ‘El Paco’? Really? You know you can afford better.”

“I just… you know, never mind.” Scarlet sank in her seat and rested her head against the window. She watched the District swing by for a moment, but the mad mesh of lights and colors, albeit filtered out, only added to her headache. She’d been having trouble processing too much audiovisual stimulation lately. “Today’s one big bad habit, that’s what it is. I know I can do better...”

“That you can! It’s what I am here for,” Jade said. “Master Silver will want this dealt with before too many more cases form into a pattern that your former colleagues on the Force would notice.” She gave a reassuring smile. “No pressure! Oh, I believe we’re nearly here?”

“Guh.” Scarlet pulled down her aviators and put on her hat. “Right. Off I go here.”

“Hmmmm.”

She cleared her throat and gathered her scattered assortment of investigation materials before the vehicle came to a stop. Throwing on the trench coat, the mare temporarily felt ever so slightly fresh – a feeling she clung onto as she navigated the exit ramp. High class limousine air carriages weren’t exactly a staple of her lifestyle prior to now. Maybe she was just taking the ride for granted, Scarlet figured. Maybe she’d think clearer if she started looking closer at the fine things in her current situation. Her instincts wouldn’t let her, though – it was paramount to her very being that she not fuck around and channel her efforts into cracking this damn Rogue.

She needed one. There was no way she wasn’t taking them down. Colors swirling in her sight before her eyelids compressed against her eyes… Her leg buckled, nearly causing her to slip from the miniature stairway.

“Ugh! Come on, careful now! Gosh!” Jade’s voice sprung her back to alertness, itself accompanied by a sharp jab of adrenaline – she nearly slipped off onto the ground below, meters away from one of the District’s infamous sheer drops. Her dull, tingling body was supported by Jade’s arm, its length allowing her to reach from inside the limo. “Watch yourself, Starlite! Are you alright?”

“…aaAAH. Crap!” The mare shook her head and rapidly regained her composure, using the dragoness’ arm for support. Grinding her teeth in shock and nodding in gratitude, she quickly ran down the rest of the steps and exhaled, shaking her fists. “Damn it, what the- Almost dropped my papers. What next, am I slipping on a banana peel? Grrrrh.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. We’ve both worked quite hard today,” Jade assured her, slithering out of the limo and scaling the descent in a few agile steps. She tapped the mare’s shoulder. “You can rely on me for keeping you in mint condition.”

“I wouldn’t call this… hrmf.” Scarlet sighed. She fixed up her trench coat, tossed it shut and put her aviators back on. She turned towards familiar alleyways. “Nevermind. I’ll have this all sorted. I ain’t just… being dumb. I just think too hard sometimes.”

“I’m sure, Starlite, I’m sure.” Jade turned toward the towering amalgams of high-rises, stores, enormous malls, billboards of crystalline, arcane and mechanical origin, air carriage safety buffers and hoof traffic regulators. “Ewgh. I can see why my… clients, all take direct commute to the palaces of chance. Or rather, I can hardly see a thing. Maybe your silly eyeglasses aren’t that silly after all.”

“Bah. I came equipped with that habit when I settled here,” the detective replied. She flexed her neck, sealed all her pockets, sealed the folder into an internal compartment and assumed her usual path home.

The routine of dodging carriages, weaving through rowdy crowds, filtering out light and air pollution, hiding in her coat when the toxic breeze from Clouds rolled in. All of this was muscle memory, and yet it weighed much harder on her mind. To think that most days it was worse, as most days she didn’t have a dragoness trailing her, which certainly helped with crowd control. Maybe her muscles were more tired than usual, or maybe it was her memory. She stumbled, grumbled and fumbled aplenty, growing progressively more irritated with surroundings that she once convinced herself were her true home, after the last half dozen ‘homes’ went bad on her.

Scarlet was glad when she finally reached her own tumorous multi-level high-rise and entered its crystal-lit halls, the familiar smell of… whatever the entryways smelled like, greeting her. She removed her glove and pressed her palm up against her mark-plate, the bits of titular scarlet lighting up. No mail, no missed speaker calls. The mare nodded to herself, yawned and elbowed the elevator button. To her luck, the nearest lift pod was the one to open up.

After getting in and entering the code for her floor, Scarlet rested against the numerous layers of print adverts that had accumulated since she left home this morning. Jade scowled, barely fitting into the lifting cage, her stubby horns scraping against the vents.

“Tsk, tsk. These are some unique surroundings,” the serpent grumbled, a look of barely restrained disgust twisting her snout. A thing from another world in parts like these. A world that maybe understood things like hygiene, or noise cancellation.

Scarlet scratched her head through her hat, unexpectedly aware of her itch. She’d been cooking in this coat all day. She could but shrug and yawn, feeling a heaviness pulsing in and around her head. She half contemplated asking if Jade had something for the headache, but then she figured it must’ve been her body reacting to all those new foods and drinks that have been introduced into her life through Jade doing their supply runs for when the work lasted hours. The mare just stared at the serpent’s trinket flickering in the air as it spun in her hand. She found it helped the stress building up behind her temples. Jade went on and on complaining about the building and the general area, overriding the background noise the detective was used to – she’d memorized the rattling patterns of these lifting cages by heart.

Stepping out and approaching her door, covered in warning signs and cheesy threats to trespassers bought up at various souvenir shops, Scarlet yawned. She reached for her gem-key, before remembering this door opened through palm-print. She growled, once again de-gloving her hand and going through the motions. Jade looked on in intense interest, likely never having even seen a regular apartment before.

As the apparatus gently stung her hand and sent a few shocks through her arm, Scarlet suddenly realized that Jade followed her home.

“Uhhhh… Hey so, uh… this here,” the confused mare mumbled. “…is my home. Yooouuu… uhhh… Why’d you come here, again?”

“Oh pfff, you insult me, dearie. We agreed I’m stopping by! I want to see how you live! We’re partners, remember? We need that connection,” Jade explained, cocking her hips and shaking her head. “And besides, I would be irresponsible if I’d just let you get home on your own. You’ve worried me today.”

“Ehhhmmm. Ummm-“ Scarlet bit her lip, suppressing an oddly colorful headache. Her horn fired off a couple sparks – the door was done reading her. It didn’t usually take that long. But then, the sparks were usually red, not teal. The artifact was probably malfunctioning, or maybe it was detecting Jade – dragons were magical too, right? “I… I guess so. Fuckin’ Petrifier just won’t let go of my brain. I forget how to… how to pony, sometimes.”

“And you forget how to behave! Language, Scarlet. Language. Talk like this in society appropriate to the status you will soon hold, and you’ll be… oh, look at me getting fired up. What an unwelcoming place this is! Never you mind me… Now, partner.” Jade put her hands on the mare’s shoulders. She looked her straight in the eyes, her own glinting softly, with a stark eminence of compassion. She tilted her head, the corners of her lips moving into an inspiring upward curl. “You’ve been feeling weak and uneasy. Today’s work has run you ragged. You haven’t been taking good enough care of yourself, is why. But don’t worry – I’ll make sure you’re better adjusted to all the stress. You’re safe now…”

The door slid open. Jade’s placid expression twisted into a mortified grimace. She withdrew from the mare. The dragoness had to cover her mouth with a fist, clearing her throat and fanning herself with both her other hand and her tail. Scarlet blinked in confusion.

“…wh-which I cannot say about… huff… myself!” Jade said, choking up. “Do you maintain a personal morgue in there? Oh, this is pungent!”

“Uhhh!.. What, seriously? I can’t even- I have no idea what you’re… What morgue?!” Scarlet stomped her hoof on the floor. Sweat beads soaked her face. “I-it’s not that bad! And it’s n-not like you even… why are-“

“Oh my word, what a veritable hole. I cannot stress this enough, it’s awful. Seriously, Scarlet? Uuuugh…” Jade continued unabated, having crossed into her apartment while the mare sputtered and seethed. The dragoness held her nose and gestured at the internal features. “This is just sad. I cannot believe this. How can you exist in this environment? And just WHERE is this horrible odor coming from? Scarlet, do you have dead harlots under your bed?”

“WHAT! I… I don’t! I don’t take hookers home! I mean, I, I, I don’t, I don’t even… why would… I don’t take ANYONE home! Wait no don’t touch that-“ Scarlet rushed after the dragoness, but it was too late – Jade pulled on the handle of one of the few doors contained in the mare’s apartment. The handle remained in the dragoness’ hand, squeaking pathetically. “Damn it. What’s the big idea? It’s… noooo. Look, this place isn’t ready, I didn’t think… how did?.. Nnnngh.”

“Hush now, hush, hush. Don’t be so flustered. Just because I’m thoroughly disappointed doesn’t mean I’ve given up on you. Come now.” Jade turned to face the mare. She tilted her head and approached her, smiling serenely. Her accent came through to a greater extent as she made an effort not to breathe with her nose. “Do not stress yourself. We are partners. I am here to set things in order.”

“We should do this some other time…” Scarlet shook her head. “I should do some interior decorating… I’d, I’d been cleaning up before you showed up, but, ugh, it just wasn’t enough! I just shoulda tried harder, I’m sorry, this is so embarrassing. We should… c-call this… oof, my head…”

“Tssskkkk. You must simply be becoming aware of how… peculiar your abode feels. One becomes rather complacent and adaptive towards undesirable elements if they are exposed to them long enough, twisted into the belief what they do is normal.” Jade nodded slowly. Scarlet grimaced. “Show me around. You won’t be living here for much longer.”

“Uhhh-“ Scarlet’s eyes darted. “Is it that obvious I move all the time?”

“Yes. And you will be able to afford something much different from this. You’re now becoming aware of how suboptimal your surroundings are, so this is a ripe time for me to show you how to… live, and not survive.” Jade gulped. “And first we’re going to get rid of that foul smell. After me!”

“Hey! Come on, it’s not that bad, it’s…” The mare groaned and shook her fists in the air as the dragoness pulled her along, opening the door into the kitchen, wherefrom the odor originated. “It’s… I… I was cleaning up. Seriously. I just… take my work very seriously. I know this doesn’t look good, but…”

“No it doesn’t! And that is the end of it! My heart bleeds! I am grossly disappointed. I thought you possessed a basic survival instinct. Clean this up. Chop-chop, before I drop dead!”

Scarlet always suspected it, felt it niggling in the back of her head, a spiderweb spreading through her synapses – well, now she knew for sure. That twitchy, eerie feeling, which she’d only recently begun to truly sense, chiefly courtesy of time spent with the serpentine shrink.

She was a mess. An absolute mess. It was hard to even joke about it. And her home? A total disaster. She was a detective, for crying out loud. If she walked into a place like this, she’d have immediately pieced together the owner’s mental profile, and it’d have been less than flattering – moreover, it would’ve been accurate. This place told awful tales about her, more than she would ever fear letting slip in conversation. It went deeper than her stern veneer.

It exposed her. Both to her visitor and to herself. Unflattering was a small word to describe it. If only she were more mindful, if she’d actually remembered whenever it was they agreed to this meet – what a massive blunder this was; she’d never let anyone into her home… Which let it get so bad. Bare walls lacking wallpaper save those left over from the previous owner, dusty, empty picture frames lining the walls of exactly one disused room, visibly broken furniture, shards of glass and remnants of plastic packaging lazily swept into mounting piles – all of these seemed completely normal until now. Besides the piles, those were the product of Scarlet’s recent pathetic attempts at tidying the place up herself.

And little could be said for the enormous stack of fast food containers at different stages of decomposition, which was indeed what they ticked Jade off so. The mare had no excuse for it, as her excuse was the fact her ‘kitchen’ was that in name only. Like every other room, it was a featureless box. A pretender unto the name and status of a home. Yet still, somehow, Scarlet felt a twisted sort of primal offense at Jade’s abject disappointment. But the more they conversed and the more her partner reeled at the horrid conditions found in her apartment, the less the mare could rationalize that offense.

Not to say she didn’t argue every step of the way, but each word said only embarrassed her further. The mare tried to hide empty old picture frames she never filled, to hang on to stale, crusty week old crackers, to defend her desperately outdated pin-up stallion calendar, to justify sleeping on a mattress for lack of a functioning bed, or to force out some professional pride in showing how well she maintained her investigation corkboard, but there was no defense. Where once Scarlet owned this lifestyle, now she felt a huge black stain spread and splotch her image, revealing itself a pretender to baseless pride over living her life in the rough and tumble moment to moment rush of stalking alleyways and chasing thugs.

Jade could honestly have afforded to be far more vicious than she was. Scarlet held a distinct understanding that the dragoness was more supportive than could be expected. Her dignity reeling from this freshly uncovered, previously unnoticed wound, the mare appreciated any small boost.

“Oh golly. Ohhh, gosh. These sights and smells will stay with me for some time. Goodness, I should deserve some recompense for this!” Jade commented shortly after Scarlet had finished packing a massive bag full of discarded trash. ”Look at how much of this is just… needless. Don’t go easy on the incinerator, Starlite.”

“…I don’t… Ooof, I need a smoke.” Scarlet hacked and stuck out her tongue. She instinctively reached to fix up her aviators, but found that she’d removed them at some point. A jolt fired through her spine, twitchy electricity generating in her horn. “I don’t feel so good. This is… such bullshit…”

“You know it, partner. I, for one, refuse to believe you’ve made this your home! You’re a transient creature – you’ll have no problem departing these drab, characterless walls. This is no den, nest nor home. This is no place to be. No wonder you think smoking here is fine, not that it is! You poison this place for what little good it has to offer is simply worthless without effort and an… alternate approach to furnishings.” Jade clicked her tongue. She rested on the windowsill of what passed for Scarlet’s living room, staring down the displaced mare, who stood locked up like a cement creeper in the headlights. “So it’s not like you have any attachment to living like this, really.”

For some reason – seemingly to punctuate her point – the serpent clicked her fingers.

Scarlet reeled, her limbs swelling momentarily with a dull, frustrating ache, one that swiftly transitioned into her chest, before blooming back out. Ghosts of hundreds of smokesticks that sunk into these walls must’ve returned to haunt her as her thoughts roiled over what was said. She used to be proud of this life. Wasn’t she just talking about her at this stage?

Wasn’t she overthinking this?

“I…” Scarlet shook her head. Even if she was overthinking, she didn’t get to finish so doing, as the faint red light and obnoxious tingle of her apartment’s inbuilt threat detector fired off. The mare ducked instinctively, her ears folding and her pupils shrinking. Moments later, she heard a drawn-out screech that transitioned into a loud, thundering boom – all muffled through external noise cancellation, but nonetheless perfectly audible. The floor under her hooves shuddered, and Jade remained sat mostly due to the extra grip provided by her scaly tail. “Aaaagh, the fuck!”

“Language! What’s the matter? You live in the City’s most accident-prone district. You’re a strapping young mare, and you’ve already outlived projected life expectancy. It simply seems that some numb-headed individual has crashed their air carriage into your side of the building. This happens every other day, doesn’t it?” Jade sighed. She twisted her neck, bending down to look into her window. “Yeeeessss... The impact compensation field is crackling rather intensely over by your kitchen...”

Something shuddered in her mind, though that may have just been the feedback from the shield. How did someone just crash into her apartment? Was this normal? The unicorn felt overwhelmed and didn’t even last more than a few seconds of observing her kitchen, where the interior portion of the building’s magical defense flickered and spun spirals of rainbow colors. It distressed her – perhaps because this was the first time she saw it while sober.

“But how did-“

“This must happen every couple of days, actually. You just got used to it, like every other undesirable trait. You do that a lot, Starlite. What an unfortunate, yet predictable accident... I’m not even surprised it had to happen while I was here.” The dragoness shook her head and crossed her legs. She spun her trinket in the air, tapping her nails against her purse. Scarlet felt palpable unease bubbling somewhere in her chest, memories of half-conscious nights spent in her kitchen, in which she could now clearly hear and feel numerous traffic impacts draining at her side of the building. How ridiculous was that? How’d she put up with it? “Now, go be a dear and after you liberate yourself of this worthless trash, you check with the superintendent of your block. You will want to remind them you need your shield field recharged. You’re a persuasive mare, dear, it’s why we’re partners - I’m sure it won’t take you long.”

“This is crazy. I…” Scarlet bit her lip, suppressing a phantom gag. “I guess I need a breath. I’ll go do all that, just… Ugh. Fuck!”

“Language! And Starlite - watch your urges, you wild, undomesticated thing.” Jade cleared her throat. As the mare turned around, a faint scent trailed to her nostrils. Turning around, she saw the dragoness with one of her long, scented cigarettes in her snout, seemingly lit with her draconic magic. “The Starlite I’ve grown so attached to does not subject objects of persuasion to unsubtle bodily harm. Off you go now.”

“Yeah, I dunno if this sounds right. I don’t want-“ Scarlet wheezed and punched her chest, dropping one of the bags on the floor.. It was odd – the bags weren’t heavy, on account of containing emptied containers, scraps and dusty sentimental drinkets. Fortunately, both were zipped, spilling none of the numerous baubles, tokens, old papers, relic Force notebooks and disused service supply packs that she filled into the trash bags at Jade’s behest. Scarlet rose back up, regaining her grip on the bags and shaking her head. “I’ll go get rid of this baggage now.”

“Good, good.”

“I’ll be back with no incident,” she muttered.

“Yes, you will.”

With that, the mare left, finding the door having already opened up for her to pass, slamming shut behind her, bypassing the need to fiddle with either side of the entry panel. She couldn’t register much more than the slow, tumbling clatter of her hooves against the cement floor as she descended several stories and summoned the incinerator. Oddly, the closer she got to the foul smelling magical apparatus, the clearer she felt. By the point she tossed both bags into the arcane blaze, she almost found herself stopping.

Within moments, the trash tumbled into its fiery doom, while the mare considered the fact all of her old mementos were in there. She stood frozen in static, confused thought. The shock of her deed only lasted a few seconds, after which the grand confusion and tumult of today’s frustrations and discoveries normalized the concept of what she had just done. Rubbing her head and struggling not to swear, the mare remembered she had an assignment.

Down on the lower level, the traffic crew had already done its job, most of the commotion having dissipated. Scarlet was even shown to the carriage where the offending driver – a pegasus in a surprisingly fancy suit – was receiving medical aid. The unicorn thought there was no reason to bother what was likely just a numb-headed rich kid speeding around with hell knows what coursing through their veins. Not like getting in an altercation with a bad driver was going to somehow fix the problem.

All she was down there to do was ask for an impact shield refill, which she did, and which she got. The superintendent was surprisingly agreeable, though the mare didn’t seem to recognize her. The superintendent had to see her cutie mark to verify her, as all of her sightings including that on her tenant ID came complete with hat, aviators and trench coat. After a few failed identifier panel checks, Scarlet shrugged and pulled her pants down for visual inspection, satisfied with the superintendent’s excuse of seeming malfunction. Sure enough, Scarlet Strand was in the database with her reddish streak.

Scarlet rode the lifting cage back to her apartment with an odd sensation permeating through her body. For the life of her, she could not place it – an odd mixture of constriction and contentment, a thing she’d never felt before. These thoughts bypassed her twisted mental passageways, aiming straight into the core. A lot like the detective intuition bestowed by her cutie mark, it was a familiar brand of thought, but its shape was untraceable. How funny – she was a detective, but she couldn’t piece it together.

Maybe she could think about it some more for distraction from all this stressful business. Maybe she should, Scarlet kept on correcting herself.

Her apartment door slid open as she exited the elevator, sparks flying off the identifier panel.

“Really is busted, huh…” she mumbled, stepping inside. “Hey, I’ve- HNNN- KOFF- ghahh!”

Scarlet’s vision went completely dark. Her apartment was filled with thick, exotic scented smoke. She fumbled through it, fearing if it caught fire – but it was no fire smoke. It had a texture, a consistent pattern, like a prismatic bubble reflecting light to coat itself in rainbows, but in aerial particle form, and whatever these colors were, her mind refused to put itself to task identifying them.

“D-did you… uugh… what did you smoke…” the mare asked, her tongue growing heavy. She hugged the wall, walking… somewhere. She had no clear sight, but she knew she was heading to Jade, whom she knew was watching her intently. “You can’t… it’s my-“

“Quiet.” A strong, commanding voice bloomed within her skull, reverberating against her temples. “Sit down.”

“…” Scarlet didn’t say anything and sat down on the floor of what she pathetically used as her living room.

The walls and windows shifted, forming shapes of lamps, tarps, paintings, statuettes and all manners of things sorted in her mind under ‘luxury’. An errant thought battered at her conscious, signaling repulsion to these things, but it was gone before it truly materialized.

“Wallowing in grime.” The dragoness towered in front of her. Scarlet had to raise her head to even see her collar, which caused her to go numb from the neck up. The serpent rectified it, crouching down with unnatural grace. Her green eyes were the most three-dimensional object in the whole room. “This is just what you are.”

The unicorn couldn’t say a thing. The dragoness grasped her head with her hand, fitting most of it in her palm. She squished at it, pressing her teal jewel deep into her forehead, a few inches below the horn.

“You can be so much.” A wistful giggle chirped from inside her head, tingling at her harshly bent ears. “But you are nothing.”

Scarlet never wanted to think about it, but she never really had a home. She would call certain places such, but nothing ever stuck. She repelled consistency. Rules and normalcy passed her by. If something ever did not go her way, she battered at it, and if it failed to bend unto her, she would walk away. This was the seventh apartment she’d swapped over the last year… And in the three months she’d lived here, it had become this – yet it was enough for her to believe this was her home. That it was somehow her. And that was sickening, wasn’t it? Never having a place, always living a life of pretense.

Those were all her thoughts. They were in her head, after all.

“You want to prove yourself.” Her head was adjusted to look directly into the deep green eyes. “You are clueless.”

“…I…”

“You used no money. Your mind is stale. You lack ambition. You will never catch your Rogue.” The dragoness tilted her own head and raised her eyebrows in compassion. Or amusement. “You never did. You just think you can.”

“…but…” Scarlet drooled more so than spoke.

“Scarlet… There was potential. But no. Scarlet… What use is this money? This power? Another temporary den? Another drinking binge? Another hollow gratification?” The serpent’s snout came in direct contact with her own, ruffling her coat. “Starlite… It is not so. We can be great.”

“…I just want…” Scarlet’s eyes rolled. Her horn spat out sparks and her very hair felt electrified.

“Do not think about this.” A puff of smoke hit her face. “You have a Rogue to catch. Be a good seeker.”

“I gotta catch ‘em… I… I said I would…” the mare mumbled after spitting and hacking her way through a foul scented coughing fit.

“Do not remember this hole. Then you will.” Jade’s lips curled. “If Starlite never lived in this hole, then she follows me and gets her validation.”

“…”

The dragoness let go of her head. Smoky objects flashed into her vision for a moment before disappearing, replaced with a mild, modest cover of hazy, moist smoke oozing from small fish-shaped ornamented dispensers. Scarlet gasped for breath and shook her head to unravel whatever just came over her, but a single powerful flick of the serpent’s fingers sent her into knockout.

“Good pony.”

The detective awakened in her trailer after another night of mostly acceptable sleep. Traversing the large live-in vehicle in the fading haze of slumber, she failed to remember where the sink and refreshments drawer were located, and took well over a minute to figure out the magic-activated bathroom door. She didn’t let that bring her down, though; all things considered, this was a massive improvement over… Well, it was definitely a valid investment of her generous forward payout. A little disorienting to navigate, nothing more. She almost didn’t recognize herself in the mirror – her hair was all messy, her signature scarlet streak needing a lot of combing to split correctly down the right side.

After finishing the defrosted packed-in lunch and running floss through her teeth, Scarlet was relieved to finally receive a call from Jade. The mare’s morning routine was much elevated at the news: they finally had a new lead. What fortune – some identifiable traffic popped up that led directly to the District of Beauties. She only wished she could’ve been there, yet nonetheless, it was worth an update in her investigation organizer.

The mare exhaled in relief, celebrating it with distilled crystal water from the live-in carriage’s supply reserves. She watched the placid faux cumulus above the District of Gems through the window as gulp after gulp, she downed the bottle, unable to deal with an oddly strong sense of parchment in her throat. Opening up the windows, a breath of deodorized Gems air was allowed into the carriage, though it helped only to a point. She rubbed her forehead.

“I gotta get a dream journal or something. Ugh, my head. Jade should know… She’s a… shrink…” The mare nodded, combing through her hair, trying to style it back into the practical bun she’d been wearing it in of late. “If this works out, maybe I won’t have to live on the road no more. Could trade this in… settle down… hmmm. Whatever. Got work to do.”

Beauty Within, Beauty Without

The petrifications had been mounting, and through no shortage of hard work, Jade and her partner had put together a coherent pattern. With added evidence marking more hot spots as crucible points for the Petrifier’s operation in the District of Beauties, what they needed now was a way in. One update to her map after another, they had the Rogue’s territory triangulated. Sometimes the detective wondered if she could just wing it – slip out, cruise over to the District and… Well she didn’t really get why those urges would pop up, as it’d be suicidal and go completely against their established work ethic. And she was consciously aware that their way was the right way. The way that worked.

Now that they had their fifth victim, the Rogue’s MO was rather clear. After spending the day talking to grieving colleagues and associates of a diner owner from Stars, it was clear every victim was used to incriminate a business owned by someone in Silver Ingot’s circle of acquaintances – be it by association, or simply by having their statue placed in the venue’s vicinity, so as to draw fear and uncertainty from potential patrons. After all, for how hazardous the District was, nobody wanted to fall victim to a Rogue.

Scarlet was finishing up with the final examination of the crime scene, marking down every last detail and projecting every possible method of entry or escape. Jade was off consulting someone from this place’s management or talking to the client – she didn’t say. The mare acted with meticulous precision, checking every miniscule aspect of the scene, comparing it to previous petrifications and searching for clues on what was yet unknown. Another fake struggle, another misleading note luring them to the District of Beauties, another set of uncooperative, buffoonish people-drones… Scarlet shook her head.

Some of these thoughts were not productive. This wouldn’t work if she wasn’t productive, and she needed it to work, or else no Rogue for her. Unacceptable.

“Well, there it is, partner,” the dragoness declared, re-entering the petrified pony’s office. “I have extended our window of activity. This band of begrieved bystanders won’t be reporting this to the Force. I have worked my magic, what about you?”

“I’ve been examining every piece of evidence. That’s…” Scarlet wiped sweat off her forehead. She instinctively ran a hand through her hair, splintering some of her red streak onto her face. “…well, that’s what I do. Running low on pieces of evidence by now. No surprises so far…”

“Sure it is, partner. We’ve established quite a pattern of evidence. Perhaps a manipulable one… I’ve come to find that most things are.” Jade crossed her arms and rested against the wall. She procured one of her long cigarettes and brought it to her lips. She gave the tip a gentle peck, setting it alight. Ponderously, she twirled it in her fingers. “What do you think, Scarlet?”

“I think… uhhh.” The mare’s ears flicked. She knew what she thought – she thought they needed to find the damn Rogue’s weakness and go after him before the Force caught on to his rise. But to be so confrontational with her partner… what if it sent everything askew? “I think I’ll crack it all soon. Just need to put it all on the board. I’m doing what I need to. I…” She gulped. “Can I have a smoke?”

“Pfff. No.” Jade drew from her cigarette and puffed a cloud of cherry scented smoke in Scarlet’s direction. “No smoking, Starlite. Don’t be silly. That’s not how this works.”

“Mm…” The mare froze. Her eye twitched. She struggled to breathe, her recently filed nails stabbing into her rough palm. Her heart beat hard in her chest, causing her to wobble where she stood, nearly having to rely on the statue for purchase. “Mngh…”

“Silver Ingot will be updated on what we have discovered here. As you have noted, the connections are now undeniable.” Jade exhaled and knocked a dollop of ash onto the floor. Nearing Scarlet, she squeezed her shoulder and smiled, blowing smoke in the mare’s face. “You may think a little harder and use your intuition. Perhaps if we return-“

Scarlet clutched her chest. Her limbs went from numb to wildly hot. She… did nothing. There was work to do, and she was doing it.

“It will be in his interest to give us a list of likely targets now that we know for sure it’s all his business. You’re his shrink – we need more info on our client, what he’s not telling, skeletons in his closet. He’s… he’s the key… there’s someone at the center of all this, and he’s close, he’s damn close.” Scarlet shook her fists and scooped up all the evidence into its packs with her magic, reddish sparks fizzling in the air. “Running circles, playing around, running on some localized personal agenda… Not long until they get what they want and elevate to District and City-scale crime… If I can just snap at their- his- tail when they round a corner teasing me, I can pull ‘em into the light and-“

“That’s enough.” Jade said, appearing directly in front of her. The dragoness stared her down, blocking the door, which her tail slithered to open. The mare had to catch a sensitive evidence package, the aura dispersing into a weak teal haze - her primordial instincts must’ve still told her the dragoness’ agility was unnatural, spooking her magic away. The serpent smiled silently, her maroon eyes piercing deep into Scarlet’s. “Very good. Let’s go back to the carriage now.”

Scarlet worked feverishly. She knew they were close. Jade had faith in her, and Jade knew people well. That was her job, and it was important, Scarlet would repeat over and over. Had she no concern for proper work ethic or teamwork, she would have occupied the carriage, stopped taking calls and gone off on her own to dig in the client’s drawers well out of sight of her partner, herself a permanent employee of said client. But Scarlet knew it was incorrect to let herself go or to cast off willing helpers, and an unsubtle bad feeling persisted over the idea of improvising and taking reins of the situation. After all, this was so far beyond her. She’d never caught a Rogue. Not by herself.

Someone always got in her way… But she couldn’t do it herself. It didn’t add up, so Scarlet just worked a little harder to keep these insecurities from even materializing. What if Jade would see her weaknesses? Would she even want to keep helping her? Helping beyond what their pay and assignment suggested? Because surely, she had been. Jade wanted to be there, with her, solving this mystery, doing all this work. Going above and beyond, within and without the realms of their investigation. Scarlet knew that was a good thing, a thing she could not allow – was not allowed – to dismiss.

The very next day, a breakthrough occurred, so the mare set herself straight. She had to be at the top of her game and do what was required. As Jade relayed their task for the day, the task that would see another major piece of the puzzle fall into place, Scarlet was ready to pump herself up into action. One of Scarlet’s many contacts (she hardly remembered who it was upon receiving the tip) - a pony connected to several businesses related to the client’s inner circle – let them know that numerous Tektalisk sightings had been recorded and subsequently hushed up in the District of Clouds. Suspiciously close to a diamond processing plant affiliated with Silver Ingot, and in near proximity to a rarely guarded all-district vertical transit hub. They’d heard nothing of a Tektalisk ever since starting their investigation, and Scarlet had long assumed the Rogue was some sort of transfigurated freak – but now it seemed the Petrifier would be much easier prey, and he may very well have relied on a rat within the client’s ranks.

They were heading there now, and Scarlet was eager to do her best. Her commitment emerged from somewhere very basic and primal – it almost got in the way of her natural instincts allotted to her by her cutie mark. Taking down this Rogue mattered to her just this much. A pervasive thought ruled her every decision, reminding her that her life was dull, hazy and overall featureless: thus she needed to validate herself in… her own eyes. Every active thought within Scarlet made it abundantly clear that all of her self-worth hinged on how well she and her partner would work together on this task. The Scarlet that met with Jade at the limo was Scarlet at her peak, her brain trained to the max, her body prepared for anything, and her dress in order.

The two spent a terse half hour of transit in idle conversation, to which the mare gladly complied, as she was meant to by norms of partnership. Jade was indeed pleased, but also did not initiate any discussion regarding their plans for apprehension. Eventually, when their limo entered the District of Clouds – signified by the carriage’s smog alarms going off and breather masks being dispatched - Scarlet began to get impatient. Weren’t they meant to plan, to coordinate, to do this right? Though it irritated her, she decided to break the topic and ask Jade what they were even going to do. The answer left her unsure how to feel.

They were going to… talk. Talk? Scarlet’s intuition was on fire, she knew something ratty was afoot – it was so obvious that whoever ran this place was in cahoots with the Petrifier. The dragoness didn’t even imply there’d be any trickery, like luring them into a false sense of security so they can blow the joint. She didn’t intend to sink this operation by reporting it to the client either. They were quite literally just going there to have a polite discussion about the goings-on and take their leave. Usually there was a lot more discussion, Scarlet even found herself remembering numerous disagreements. Heated debates, in fact. How odd – it felt so unnatural to go up against her partner now, so… uncooperative. They were a detective duo, how would they get anything done arguing? She did what was needed.

So the mare just shrugged, sighed and went along with it. Many arguments sprung up in her consciousness, but she squashed them all – if this was the plan, this was the plan, and it was going to work. After all, they had no history of prior bungling. Well, there was that one debacle with their initial entry into the District of Beauties… which Jade talked her into?.. Scarlet shook her head and focused. She liberated herself of unneeded dilemma. The mare reminded herself of how much effort it took to get here, and how studious she was about this. Glancing into the rear view mirror, she could ascertain that even her hair sat correctly this time. They were so close to something, somewhere, to the point of pulsations in her cutie marks.

Said pulsations were soon rendered to the background, as even being outside in the District of Clouds wasn’t exactly pleasant. Jade, a dragon, had an easier time, but Scarlet almost found it difficult to see straight with the noxious smog perpetuated in the City’s industrial district. The dense, thick smog was unpleasant to say the least, and even the de-odoring charms she applied earlier that day didn’t rid her of the filthy feeling. It was like the dense, hazy smoke, with its trademark mirages and special distortions, reminded her of some long lost memory.

Nevertheless, she carried on, engaging in Jade’s back and forth when asked to do so. Eventually, the diamond processing plant was within their sight (which was badly limited – and her eyes were starting to sting with no protection). Jade and her partner approached the entry port, wherein an executive seemed to already be waiting for them. Both parties entered onto neutral ground between the plant proper and the unaffiliated District territory outside, and Scarlet prepared to, well, talk.

The executive, a mare in a distinctive grey suit with olive green patches on its shoulders, waved her guards off from following. The unicorn thought the suit looked familiar – like she’d seen another pony wearing this uniform, and in an emotional context, at that. Her memory only dredged up the image of a pegasus in some kind of carriage; she shook her head and fixed her collar, casting off the thought. Jade cocked her hips and glanced at Scarlet, who returned her gaze, stone cold and ready for heavy duty diplomacy. The dragoness smiled, flexed her neck, and idly spun her trinket.

“Well, here we are. I believe there’s some very sensitive information that needs discussing with higher management – sensitive information you’d prefer kept from… undesirables,” the dragoness said. She peered into the one-sided mirrors located on each side, undoubtedly hiding observation chambers. “If you catch my meaning.”

“Hmm. Yes?...” Jade idly clicked her fingers. The representative’s back straightened out, her eyes sharply darting over to Scarlet. The mare squinted, drawing back her head. She scanned the unicorn top to bottom, rubbing her chin. “Which is why I think it’s best that your… uuuhhh- secretary stays outside, Miss Jade. Not that we distrust you, but…”

“What? Hey, I’m-“ Scarlet shuddered, her eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. Her jaw dropped as low as it could. Her torso twisted side to side, unsure of whom to even turn to in this unthinkable situation. “But I’m the-“

“Oh, yeah, ah, jeez! I am so sorry – I did not mean to disrespect the dutiful work of your security team. I’d hate to see the efforts of your guards to be wasted on inspection and extraction of my associate. After all, they are paid for by my client, and their pay is not hourly.” Jade took a forceful step towards the mare, who meekly looked back at the dragoness. “Just ruminate on that, please. I’m sure we have ample reasons for cooperation. And you, dear associate...” Jade glanced back at Scarlet. “Stay outside until we’re done, please?”

“I’m- I… a-ahh…” No words coursing in Scarlet’s mind could express her feelings. Sweat rained down her temples. Her ears twitched, and her flanks singed fiercely.

“Now-now, head out, sit in the limo, it’ll be fine – there’s plenty of incoming messages and external data for you to sift through,” Jade cooed, patting her on the shoulder. “Besides, look at yourself, you really can’t handle this. Go take care of yourself.”

“Wait, that’s not how-“

“Chop-chop!” The dragoness smiled and turned the mare around, pushing her toward the exit. With Jade’s claws squeezing at the shoulders of her suit, the mare was completely frozen, putting up no fight as she was evicted from the facility grounds.

Scarlet gripped her head, waddling back to the limo. She could hardly see straight, her breathing was heavy, and her eyes stung. The latter, admittedly, was because she neglected to put the breathing mask back on – Jade never told her to. By when she found it in her purse, she was already near the limo. Clearing her throat and shaking with barely filtered emotion, the mare climbed in and went limp in the back seat. Fortunate, she could process this in solitude, as the vehicle was driverless.

The mare tried to calm her breathing, but failed. She punched the front seats repeatedly before staring at her knuckles. She pushed herself forward and stared into the rear view mirror.

“S-Secretary?! Who the- who the- who the FUCK do they think they are? What is this shit???” Scarlet hissed. “I carry us this far, and this… and this… I’m not a-“

Her head twitched sharply. She craned her neck. Unblinking, the mare examined her own reflection.

Mane tied neatly into a bun, her scarlet streak split into two equal parts running up each side. Light makeup on her recently washed face, enough to divert attention from a couple old scars. A black suit and white shirt combo from her trailer’s wardrobe, hiding her bulky complexion. Around her neck, a black choker lined with swirly green ornamentation. All like it was agreed, all like it was said by Jade. Scarlet silently mouthed incoherent curses to herself, scratching her head through tightly bound hair.

“Hrrrrm.” The mare slid back along the seat. She crossed her arms, kicking her hoof. “Easy mistake, huh. I… I messed up… I should be there right now, uuugh!”

An empty, hollow buzz permeated her mind, precluding any thoughts from forming, besides vague frustration. In that lack of thought, she found herself rather parched and tense. Instinctively, her hands reached into pockets – ones that did not exist on her suit. She sighed and chewed on her lip, unsure what confused her more: the mismatched instinct or the fact that both smoking and alcohol precluded her from reaching proper usefulness to the cause. Scarlet knew she needed either a drink or a smoke right about now.

But it was a plain, uninvolved need. Not an addiction, but a habit. Scarlet had a lot of those, and many of them just got in the way. Her flanks stung and singed, either from the carriage running on idle, or from the fumes she’d ingested while outside. It all made thinking quite hard indeed. Maybe Jade was right in going there to sort this out on her own… Scarlet was clearly compromised at this crucial point in time.

These were the thoughts that got the buzzing in her mind to quell down, and that fact, in and of itself, caused her heart to skip a beat. Something about all this stunk. It stunk worse than the District of Clouds. Scarlet bumped one of the front seats, ejecting a refreshment bottle from the limo’s supply. She threw her head back and chugged down the entire bottle, aiming to clear her head. Her magic wasn’t coherent enough to pull out the investigation folder from its clamps, so she extracted it with her free hand, finding it odd how her bulky arms refused to offer their strength until her brain sent out a conscious signal. Her default grasp had shifted to a light, dainty touch.

“I gotta… I gotta think. I got… I got time. Come on… come on, Scarl- hngh…” the detective muttered to herself, tingling all over. “I’m not a fucking secretary, am I? I- I didn’t- I wouldn’t- I gotta think!”

The mare shuffled through dozens of notes and papers stretching back weeks into the investigation, her red eyes turned to bloodshot pinpricks. It was all kept in neat chronological order, duplicates separated into folders on respective leads, from the circle of victims to the projected list of the Rogue’s traits – this allowed her to rebuild her mental image of this case, wherein something had to have been misplaced. She must’ve misunderstood something about what just transpired, otherwise… otherwise her partner’s actions… all the circumstances around this call… they refused to add up. Now she was building from the bottom up, suckling nervously on the pen attached with her organizer.

It would have helped if the older notes from several weeks ago weren’t nearly indecipherable. The handwriting was barely legible, resembling childish scribbles – was she leaving those during transit? Was she drunk? If so, that would explain the word use. Half the language was crude, another half was abbreviated beyond reason, as if she left these with the express intent of her partner standing no chance of understanding any of this. Many were torn, crossed out, coated in food and drink stains. A lot were outright wrong, riddled with errors, and rightfully stricken out at that – how could she ever live with failure like this? The detective’s hands shook, palms sweating, as she went through section after section, teeth grinding harder at every look of her older work. It couldn’t have been hers, it went against all that kept her going, yet she recognized each of them. She tried to convince herself she did not, but a flash of memory was attached to every note, every odd thought and conclusion; she was even able to decipher some of the more abbreviated scribbles. Scarlet’s eye twitched. She bit through the pen, ink filling her mouth.

This could not have happened. If she was always doing things like she was meant to, this mess would not have been there. She would not have heard the end of it! Jade would never have let her do such a messy job, it would have put their investigation in jeopardy straight away – how could the she even conceive of doing this? Her only shot at greatness lay in working with Jade. By now, her hands had perspired enough for the outer layer of lotion to be neutered, leaving her hardy, creased skin layer exposed to the limo’s AC.

She was remembering things she shouldn’t have been remembering. All for what – to sate her frustrations? Those sprung only from her incompetence and inability to meet the obvious, clear-cut demands put upon her in order to succeed in her one life goal. She was not catching that Rogue without playing right by her partner. She’d made too many mistakes on her own, right? The poor notes were proof enough. Although they did feed into the prevailing feeling of conspiracy within the client’s close circles – even the ones she could hardly read. Lacking understanding, the mare could still rely on her flanks.

A conspiracy… that was why she was so put off by what happened. She was sure they were on the verge of uncovering something. She could even have impressed Jade, had she been given the chance. The picture had long formed in her head, as did any other case – she simply needed to fill in the blanks. It was odd: how come it was so hard to consciously consider this line of thought? Her gut feeling had never led her astray, she remembered that much, no matter how oddly murky her memory now was. She needed it now, she needed it if this disgrace were to be left behind. She needed to scratch this itch that would not go away.

Again and again, Scarlet examined the papers, and they refused to line up with how she felt. What she knew was, perhaps, different, and could have explained the sordid turn of events at the plant, and how easily she was discarded at such a pivotal moment, but the detective knew she was… a detective. Not a secretary. Not a… lackey. She was meant to act, not to behave. If Jade were to accept her, she needed to go above and beyond. What if she were to disappoint her? Where would she be then? How could she get by without their time at the Pearl Lagoon, without the direction for her talents? No, she needed to prove herself! Break out and succeed. If Jade were-

“FUCK!” Scarlet screamed. She punched the front seat repeatedly. She contorted, the stinging flame within her cutie marks causing her legs to buck. Her hair had gone all messy. “FUCK! SHIT! FUCK! Aaaaghhh!!!”

Wheezing and growling, the unicorn eventually toppled over the front seat, one of her punches suddenly delivering significantly more power. She stared at her whitened knuckles, then looked off into the distance, watching nothing in particular. A trickle of blood emerged from her lower lip as she bit into it. Puffing her nostrils, the mare cracked her neck and flexed her shoulders before climbing past the toppled front passenger seat and into the driver’s seat. With an ill-colored, purple-like burst of magic, she burned through the autopilot spell cast on the carriage, then smashed the manual control button with her fist.

“That… b-b… b-bit…” the mare tried to growl, but her chest contorted. She ripped multiple buttons off her suit as she grasped for it, and ruined the rest of her hair as she shook her head. She violently tore out the pin that held her bun together and tossed it aside. Sweat beads trailing off her scrunching forehead, she squinted at the command panel. The mare poked a series of buttons, setting the limo’s internal speaker crystal to transmit to Jade’s portable receiver: “I… I’ve… I’ve got it. I will do this. I will do this. I’ll get to the bottom of this. F-fff… f-fffu… I am… ME. ME! THIS IS MINE! I NEED THIS!”

Doing this was significantly harder than Scarlet expected. She sank back into the seat. Another blast of magic fried the comms system entirely, an expulsion of the mare’s rage and frustration. A series of deep breaths let her regain balance, but it became clear her mind was somehow, some way, akin to a minefield. There were things that felt worth thinking of – like the entire modus operandi behind the whole investigation – that felt taboo. They summoned a deep, gnawing dread of rejection and inadequacy. They called to her eternal, fearful repulsion to failure and authority. That little patch of her mind that sprouted and bloomed after her short-lived experience with Task Force Rogue. A patch so bright she was now suddenly able to remember that fact; only for it to fade back to irrelevance the next second, lost amid the chaos.

One thing was felt brightest and most severe of them all: if she did not act on this hunch, the strongest hunch she ever had in her (evidently) murky and featureless existence, she would fail. She would not catch the Petrifier if she did not listen to her flanks. Jade… Jade was- Jade worked with her because of her talent, and her talent stemmed from her cutie marks. That train of thought could not be dissuaded.

So she left all rational thought behind, put the pedal to the metal and sped off toward the nearest shortcut that’d take her to District Transit, where she broke off and made her descent. Scarlet’s old memories and reflexes carried her past all transit blocks and down to the District of Beauties – from the City’s noxious ceiling to its ruinous underbelly. In her mind, the hunch by its power alone summoned images of maps, surveillance footage, correlations and deductions, enough to let her know where to go and where to be. It was not like last time, when… Jade… set them up. Fumbling around so foolishly, so badly out of character with the exemplary detective partner she’d learned to depend on and want for.

Only the dragon wasn’t that far off. Her limo was soon darting through familiar grounds, once patrolled by the Protocol. Grounds that neighbored the District’s wild side – the side that the two of them rightfully avoided when they first descended here. Carried through the chaos and danger of Beauties on primal skill and instinct, the mare made it there with the limo mostly unscathed. It wasn’t long before the towering vines signifying this part of the District made further air travel impossible, so the detective got off – barely stopping the carriage with her shaky limbs – and made the jump down.

Ordinarily, a pony wearing a business suit in the Jungle would be out for suicide. The bittersweet irony of her situation was palpable, as much the same happened back then, only now it was her gut behind the wheel. She simply took the path that opened a block behind where they once disembarked, instead of wandering blindly into the safer area. Scarlet was willingly blinded to it, no longer using her conscious mind – near every motion relegated deep-set instincts, buried beneath foggy memories. If she’d listened to her mind now, she would’ve likely fainted on the spot, her common sense and insecurities cooperating as they hammered every alarm bell contained within said conscious that cried for her to return to her one bastion of hope, to Jade.

Her cutie mark took over, however, allowing her to plow onward through the Jungle, with all its barely documented threats and dangers, on nothing but her wits and reflexes. The mare’s horn glowed a constant red, be it to light her way through the hollow trunks and murky canopy shroud comprising much of the area, or to keep out some external influence.

Either was likely; after all, the Jungle was an ecosystem all its own, with the Force’s efforts to keep it contained having repeatedly failed, creating only a few now-abandoned fortified positions, defunct transit pneumos shooting into the distance, now coated in vines, bark, and living tissue. The flashes of memory offered by her most basic instincts reminded her of the research she’d put into finding out how to survive this harrowing place – research that had gone untouched in weeks, intently hidden in her memory folds until now. The Rogue’s lair had been thoroughly triangulated, the vivified transit tubes long a giveaway for the location, but only now was she actively thinking on it, using sights and sounds of that activity to make her way. Luck and instinct combined, the unicorn made her way through the mess of plant and concrete while only occasionally having to bash or incinerate a mutated roamer.

Shortly enough, the landscape lost in its signature bumpiness and noxious odor. A little while deeper, it now more resembled a badly overgrown greenhouse. Scarlet’s keen senses alerted her to automated security systems, undetectable by all accounts but that of her detective instinct. The unicorn cracked her neck – the Rogue, for his vague ways, utilized exclusive defense contract inventory, a fact that checked a lot of boxes and raised further questions, ones whose respective alarms reached her not. Long unconcerned now with her bodily safety, her pride and purpose on the line, she did whatever possible to stay in their dead zone. She’d already spent several hours sprinting, hopping and often crawling on all fours as it was. Yet the arcane vaporization system had no interest in her or her gymnastics, to the point of flashing green lights in response to her attempt to sneak past the near invisible sensor beams. Breath held tight, Scarlet shrugged and followed through.

Beyond was what she expected – the Rogue’s compound. The further she went, the better maintained it was, soon resembling the stately reinforced bunkers and supply facilities once set up down here. It flew a different color now. Teams of ponies were visible traversing the grounds, all in their distinctive uniforms, marching in lock-step, fervently carrying various items toward different transit tubes, guarding numerous buildings and otherwise going about their minion business. A grin began to spread across her face, her lips and eyes twitching nervously; an old, dusty memory flashed for a moment, of so many nights spent fantasizing over just such a Rogue falling to her, and the gratification attached to such a feat. A Rogue with a devious master plan, a well-equipped lair, his own heraldry and modus operandi, numerous minions - and yet, a wild, beastly side.

The unicorn grasped her temples and grit her teeth. Everything was as she’d always imagined it. It felt surreal, enough to leave the mare stunned, even in her primal state.

None of those minions rushed to stop her, and there was no intruder alert going off to signify a dangerous operative breaking in to bust the joint. The compound was placid, though bustling with activity. An eerie, placid smell lingered in the air, and it wasn’t high power crystal rays charging up to eliminate her. Indeed, the bewildered mare stumbled onwards completely unbothered, able to make her way past a paved road lined with marble statues of marine life, and to what must’ve been the heart of the compound. She sniffled and wiped her snout, shaking her head in disbelief, unable to keep track of all the contradictory dangers her senses were warning her about.

At long last, one of the Petrifier’s minions emerged from the building and approached her directly. The well-dressed stallion servant gave her a long, drawn out, glassy-eyed look, and before the mare could rush in and elbow him in the face, he gave a courteous bow and gestured toward the entrance.

“You look lost, madam. But that is how it is,” the stallion said, lips curled into a dreamy smile. “Please come in. Procure a refreshment. You will be-“

Scarlet, her teeth grinding and her ears flicking, pushed the stallion away and kicked in the door that barely closed behind him. Her entrance saw fanfare, but not the kind her body prepared itself for. A couple ponies in identical uniforms arrived to produce their own courteous gestures, pointing her to the carpeted path leading to the HQ’s personal District transit pneumo. Another followed shortly after, carrying a tray of fruit and fizzly drinks. Each had the same vacant, glassy stare and intense, off-putting smile of joy, even the ones feverishly clacking away on their registry consoles. They went about their rounds not so much as mindless husks, but dogged, determined drones – they salivated at every action performed, and it seemed stopping her was not on the books.

Scarlet’s vision blurred; she nearly toppled over. Her horn sent pulse after pulse of dull, debilitating ache directly into her cranium, the dense red aura around it flickering on and off. Holding back nausea, the unicorn stumbled past the greeting party, shouting incoherent, crude trash talk at the Rogue’s minions. Without adversity, grit, and slime, her instincts were like a fly sinking in ointment, sharply pointing her to all sorts of completely random ideas. It didn’t even occur to her that this could be a trap! In fact, her flanks singed with intent to take her directly where the minions were pointing her. Scarlet’s limbs shook, sweat trickling down her charcoal coat.

“Stupid… ff-fucking… useless… get away from me!” she shouted, threatening an oncoming towel bearer with a raised fist. “Dumb… puppets! Yeah, keep standing there! Look at me! I’ve come to… to bust this joint! Y… Yeah!”

She huffed and lifted a hand, having to shield her eyes from the obnoxious glimmers of the radiant gem incrustations installed by the Rogue on former Force hardware. The mare blew off some stress on the statues lined up directly in front of the tube, kicking what seemed to be the stony depictions of the same minions she’d left behind. The mare snorted, blowing a lock of messy red hair off her snout. Another hollow headache pulsed its way into her head, but she shook it off and walked inside, the doors opening to greet her.

The mare rejected the cushy seat and water dispenser the lifting chamber came equipped with. Figures and associations clattered in her mind as she watched the luxurious ornamentation, and she couldn't ignore the unprecedented inertial compensation on this lifting pneumo. She punched the air and grit her teeth, pumping herself up for confrontation – or at least trying to get the heat of conflict back into her blood, as it was noticeably absent, leaving her feeling cold, lost and misguided mere steps before the most climactic moment of her life. Scarlet stomped her hoof against the floor, staining the ornate emerald rug with her hoof, smearing mucus from the Jungle all over it.

The detective hissed and jumped back as the mucus was vaporized by a plane of white light that sharply crisscrossed the lifting chamber. Indeed, the sweat, dirt and twigs present all over her ruined suit were gone, and even her hair was tightening back to its regular form. The red hue around her horn nearly faded away, fizzling and shooting sparks all around. Scarlet grappled her head, struggling with her intense headache, and she pressed her forehead against the cool glass for relief. Looking outside, she noticed that, within what felt like mere seconds of her agonizing, the pneumo had made it all the way back from Beauties to Gems.

Balling her hands into fists, the mare mumbled incoherent words of motivation to herself and headed out the door. She stepped into… a regular, oddly familiar building. The door closed behind her, assuming the appearance of a marble wall mural depicting a red sunset over the ocean. Little fountains dribbled away in the corners of a fairly large lobby, with tall exotic trees casting shade onto the empty resting areas. Although deeply confused, more than prior, the mare’s flanks still gave her clear directions, coming in sharp contact with numerous thoughts she refused to process, lest she cease to function. Itching, tingling, and burning all over, Scarlet sneaked down the corridor, trying to focus on getting her hands around the Rogue’s throat and battering him into submission.

This was it – her flanks knew it, and now her eyes did as well. Jewel-encrusted statues of ponies at various stages of theatrics stood on either side of a wooden door, upon which hung a sign reading:

DR. NUMINOUS

MENTAL HEALTH AIDE

~BEAUTY WITHIN, BEAUTY WITHOUT~

Scarlet’s eyes nearly matched the color of her pupils before she forced herself to blink, punched herself in the head, and stopped trying to think. Taking a deep breath, she kicked the door open and stomped in, ready to announce herself to the Petrifier.

“Ooo-hoo-hoo, why I’ll be! Dearie, sweetie, darling, Starlite, what an entrance – forget that, what a surprise!” Jade giggled, covering her mouth. She took a puff of her cherry smokestick, dreamily piercing through the stunned unicorn’s eyes with her own. She arched her long back, removing her feet from the table. “Ahhh, I really do have a sense for precious things. Oh, can you believe I once aimed so low with this one?”

“No, Mistress,” Silver Ingot said. He ardently shook his head, cowering to the side of Jade’s chair, staring at Scarlet with the same glassy eyes as the minions did back at the Rogue’s compound. The dragoness merely rolled her yes and tossed another sparkly white jewel into her mouth, chowing down on it before continuing.

“Ssscarlet Ssstrand… Hnnnmm. Hee-hee-hee~” Jade flashed her sharp, pointed teeth, stretching frontwards along her table, resting her snout on her crossed hands. “You do not look good, dearie. Have we been mismanaging ourselves again? Hmmmm?~”

Scarlet fell to her knees, her gums aching as her teeth ground together. The mere utterance of those words sent her into panic, fear, disgust and self-hatred, causing her heart to flutter and skip beat after beat, nearly causing her to pass out. Her horn nearly gave up, the aura sizzling its final sparks.

“Oh come on, that was mere jest,” Jade consoled her, stifling a giggle. “I wouldn’t play so cruelly with my Starlite’s emotions. Please, sweetie, you know how this works.” She finished another jewel and flexed her shoulders. In a split second, her voice shifted, becoming lower, soothing, yet more commanding, more of her accent pouring through, and a minor echo persevering, regardless of her position. “Sit in the chair. This time you remember the session.”

The dragoness rose from her throne-like chair, using the motionless Silver Ingot for support, as if he were mere furniture. The stallion simply continued to smile, his eyes glittering when the serpent so much as looked at him. All of her attention, however, was directed at Scarlet, who, without recognizing it, was already sitting in one of two smaller armchairs stationed in front of Dr. Numinous’ desk.

“Wh… who the- how are you- what… is… nnnooooohohooo…” the mare whined, going limp in her seat from the fiery sensation, both in her head and in her flanks. “This… can’t… be…”

“No, no, no. You underestimate yourself,” Numinous replied. “After all, you had your suspicions long ago. Removing them almost proved a challenge.” She crossed her legs and stared down at the mare from her seat. “Be proud.”

Scarlet nearly lost her breath as a sensation of pure, overwhelming pride filled every patch of her being – and faded as soon as it rolled in.

“Not what I mean, you silly thing. I am sorry. I was… overzealous in my treatment of you, our last few sessions.” Numinous slowly, solemnly shook her head. “Allow me…”

The dragoness clicked her fingers. Scarlet jolted, as if tazed with a Hazard Corps baton. She sank into her seat, staring bug-eyed at the shrink’s fancy office, filled more with treasures and creepy statues than... whatever belonged in a shrink’s office. Not for long, though – eyes filled with stewing fear and hatred, she glared at the serpent.

“YOU.”

“Me.” Numinous grinned, cocking her head.

The unicorn glared at the dragoness until sweat raining down from her forehead provoked a blinking response. She made herself look away, staring instead at her shaking hands. Gears churning in her head were almost palpable. Spittle dribbled from her mouth as her teeth clattered.

“You!… Ugh. No. He must’ve… He- he got you?” she muttered, balling her hands up into numb, jittering fists. “When’d… How’d… He got to you, no, no, no, he got to you! I had to-“

“How very touching. You really did get attached to Jade, hmmm? You do not want to believe it. A laughably transparent delusion is manifesting as we speak, ignoring layers of critical thinking and deductive skill.” Numinous hissed with delight, staring down the confused, panicking mare from up high. “Your endemic revulsion to authority has latched onto a comfortable proxy. Jade does not give you orders, but you can look to her for guidance, while maintaining dominance of lifestyle. Your comfort zone of standoffish grit and self-superiority. She leads you and tells you what to do, yet Scarlet’s ego enjoys the semblance of autonomy.”

“…” Scarlet sank deep into her seat, slowly starting to hyperventilate. She stared, with jittery eyes, at the shadowy, sinister serpent in front of her. It horrified the mare that she understood the meaning behind those fancy words.

“But this is not merely about that, is it? Of course not,” Numinous narrated. “In your insecure attachment to your partner Jade, I observe but a step in a long, multifaceted ladder to delusion. Scarlet does not recognize this step, nor the ladder’s very existence, as to her only the prize at the top is of import.” She put her hands together and clicked her long fingerclaws. “Her foundational myth. Her pie in the sky, as they say. She wants him.”

The dragoness exhaled, closing her eyes. It only now dawned on the trembling, seething mare that the room, previously well-lit with sunset light, had darkened considerably, yet Numinous' maroon eyes were bright as ever. Scarlet could hear her heart beating, blood pumping through her entire body, millions of thoughts rushing to get to her mind and get her moving; get her fixing whatever horrible wrongness was occurring right now, and getting back her place at the top where she belonged, where none of the innumerable questions would matter.

“There is no him. The Petrifier does not exist. Scarlet made him up.” Numinous rose from her seat. She stared daggers at the mare, who stared back, jaw tossed agape in fury and horror alike. “There is only Numinous.” The dragoness sighed, putting her hands behind her back and shrugging. “And Numinous has been having a lot of fun with you and your tangled, fascinating little mind. Perhaps even a little much… Scarlet, the detective, does not remember this room or most of the fascinating times her and Jade had shared. For shame. Oh, you are delicious when you’re embarrassed – especially when you lack the mental allowance to understand why.”

“Wh-what are you t-talking about?! This, this makes no sense!..” Scarlet gripped her head tight and growled, stomping her hooves. She tried to summon the strength to charge and tackle the dragoness, but there wasn’t even enough anger in her. Dread and confusion ruled her, preventing so many long belated conclusions from arriving to the forefront of her mind: it didn’t help that until she entered this room, she dampened all such activity. “That’s im-impossible! I would have… You couldn’t have… I would have known.”

“All the memories I unlocked for you are hard to keep track of, aren’t they? This is where we started. I told you. Focus. There you go…” Numinous nodded, baring her sharp fangs. Scarlet shot forward, suddenly aware of the simple fact that she did, in fact, know, so early on, that this Jade character was insanely fishy. Suspicions began to arise shortly after the scuffle by the Menagerie, but shortly thereafter, the detective had a solid cutie mark hunch that her so-called partner was in on the scheme, at the very least. The conditions of her work at the time kept her from following on that growing hunch, and then there was the debacle with their initial excursion into Beauties. But then… “You knew, Starlite. Had I left you untouched, you would have surely unspooled my game plan. Naturally, I acted. Hmm-hmm-hmm. So obvious now, isn’t it?”

“How… Oh, oh no. How did I-“ Scarlet gagged, her fingernails, still polished even after her trek through the Jungle, stabbing her palm. “H-how did I fall for your… g-girl time trick?! Why would I ever agree to that shit?! Oh… OH NO. Wh-what the fuck? How did you get me into that pool? How did you… grope me all over… How… No… I-I knew what I was d-doing! I was- I would- I was in my right mind, how could this happen?!”

“Words, gestures, images, associations, and a speck of… special talent, shall we say. My toolkit for accessing this City’s troubled minds. Yours-” Numinous smiled, clasping her hands together and briefly twisting in place, her pink hair swirling dreamily. “-was precious. If only I had taken better care of it. Scarlet, the detective, she remembers our wonderful times in the Pearl Lagoon now, doesn’t she? Our outings. Our girl time. Our conversations. Our sessions. Beautiful memories, don’t you agree?”

“…” Scarlet tried getting off her seat. The true nature of their first outing to that establishment became painfully apparent. To thrust herself so callously into the predator’s open maw. “You… y-you played me, you snake.”

“Language.” Numinous needed not raise her voice, merely pronouncing the words filled Scarlet with burning shame and insecurity. The precise feeling of these sensations, however, suddenly became all the more apparent. Her legs kicked on reflex.

The itch that could not be scratched, not unless Jade got her hands on her and she ceased all resistance. And now that holes in her recollection were filled, the mare was faced with the fact that it happened more than once. This ethereal concept of the insatiable itch, the subtle, lingering burn coursing through her nervous system – it was the foundation for all the unnatural actions and thoughts she’d been provoked into. These thoughts were not introduced, nor forced; they were merely encouraged. Even now, faced with the dread of her situation, Scarlet realized she couldn’t get herself to insult the dragon.

“It is understood now. Oh, it was quite intricate, indeed – merely getting you with me in my private pool chamber took days of conditioning and lubrication. Once I had one point of leverage, our progress accelerated. Greatly, yes…” Numinous snickered. “Those were great times. You agree.”

Scarlet's hand clung to her chest, breaking in cold sweat at the realization her heart was fluttering with wistful, happy remembrance. Even knowing that her responses were jury-rigged DIY mangles of nervous response, the detective had nothing to put up against it.

“Nnngh… no…” she mumbled pathetically. Certain sensations pulsing through her body brought about numerous memories of sessions at the Pearl Lagoon that Numinous had once erased. “S-so d-disgusting…”

“Your body did not think so. Your chronic negligence of your own needs left you in a dire need for pampering. Abiding was both ethical and beneficial to my end goal. I got carried away on all further occasions.” Numinous nodded. Scarlet’s face matched her name – her uncovered memories revealed that as much as the serpent went on and on about her mind, she also appreciated her body. Realizing that the cold, imposing figure staring her down with luminous eyes from behind clinical specs had seen what she had seen and touched what she had touched made her guts roil, as her heart treacherously fluttered on. “A common theme in our interactions. I recognize the error… Starlite, you are simply too alluring.”

“Th-that’s cool, but-“ Scarlet felt her mouth fill up with saliva, uncalled for giddiness permeating through her trembling body. She spat, failing even to direct it at the serpent. “But… I don’t get it, tell me- NNNGH! NO! SHHI- FFFU- I DON’T CARE! I… I OUGHT TO-“

“Tsk, tsk.” Numinous shook her head. She walked further away, inspecting one of the chamber’s multiple statues – or it may have been the client, who had been standing perfectly still for however long their session had been going on. Scarlet couldn’t tell, barely able to muster the focus to use her vision. “Scarlet, the detective – she cannot overcome the failsafes. It had long been proven. She remembers. She remembers why the failsafes are there. She remembers precisely why she will not disobey.”

It hit the mare like a sack of bricks. She slumped down in the chair, wheezing for breath. The infernal, uncomfortable itch-like feeling that pushed her into these unnatural actions was fear. A very particular fear, one she had been driven by – rather consciously – for so long. Even before all this happened.

“Scarlet, the detective, will never succeed on her own. She tried and she failed. Her dwelling was a sty and her life was a shamble. She listened to no one. She left the only means of achieving her goal just because she would not take orders.” Numinous’ words carefully administered venom bit by little bit. Even the specific inflections the serpent used made Scarlet shudder and recoil. She could scarcely tell herself to blink when Numinous turned around and glared right through her, peering into the mare’s very soul. “Scarlet will never catch her Rogue. It will never happen for her. She knows it, and she dreads it, delaying acceptance with momentary amusements, unfulfilling cases and unhealthy habits. She is not a Seeker like in the Force’s book of heroes. She is a tool to be wielded, itself fit only to rust and disrepair.”

She remembered… telling her all this. She remembered spilling her horrible secret weeks before Numinous took over, evicting her from her apartment and turning her into some sort of freakish puppet. Scarlet was hardly ever on the Force. Her raw talent meant nothing, for she fought with all who got in her way. The detective’s entire foundational myth, a closely guarded secret, spilled out casually by a cup of fancy oriental tea. And at the time, there were so many excuses, such mental gymnastics, all to avoid facing the truth. She was being played, and the game was rigged from the start. But how?..

“But then, all this was discussed prior. Fourth session. You recall.” Numinous smirked. Scarlet buried her face in her hands, pointed now to all the times she had been in this office and tricked into spilling her guts, more and more poison poured into her system. Each time, less and less effort was needed to justify it. Each time, the last time was but a faint echo, every session erased from memory, as the things the dragoness had her do while under suggestion… Scarlet’s gut roiled, and her horn spat agitated cyan sparks. “This matter is settled. Scarlet, the detective, is a most fascinating self-destructive conundrum. Self-serving, bordering on clinical narcissism, yet completely incapable of fostering her own unparalleled natural talent. A perpetual clash of the selfish id and the fearful ego, her super-ego long beaten into unconsciousness. “

“I don’t-“

“Heeh-heeh-heeh, of course you don’t get it~” Numinous chortled, slipping for a moment into the voice Scarlet associated with Jade. Her whole body felt warmer just hearing that cadence. “What crude intellect. You are the most fascinating equine specimen I have encountered in my career. It is why I… spent so long playing. And where I ultimately went wrong. Scarlet, the detective, remembers being grossly misused and toyed with.”

Scarlet grew full of anger, about ready to pummel the serpent’s face in. That anger immediately hit a dead stop as she wondered if it was truly hers. She’d been trying to summon it for a while…

“Scarlet, the detective, is a smart pony. She remembers that Jade, her partner, far outmatches her strength and agility. Scarlet, the detective, expected a pony to be the Petrifier. She had never fought a dragon.” Numinous gave a statue a pat on its head and returned to face the mare, standing by the armchair she once occupied and resting her hand on it. “And I had never considered a pony would have the potential present in Scarlet, the detective. My Starlite, oh, you poor dear. I dolled you so. We played house and dress-up, we had our hair done together, and we even gained some healthy new feminine habits. An unusually entertaining case study was all you were, certainly justifying the expense of this operation, but I was days away from…” Numinous clicked her fingers, pointing at one of the statues. “…having had my fill.”

Scarlet felt her muscles contract under the ludicrous, stodgy office wear she’d been geared with. Puffing her nostrils, the mare ripped at it. To her fortune, her stupid looking bun was already ruined. Most of the nail polish was similarly gone, the same applying to makeup – Numinous’ cleansing nanodrones simply got rid of the mangled particles, for which the mare was very grateful. Even then, she nearly lost her breath at the sounds of Numinous’ audible amusement.

“O-oh you had fun, alright… But no, you… y-you-“ Scarlet heaved, unable to profane Numinous. The mare gulped, clutching her throat. Her beleaguered mind tried to invent some way to attack the serpent, but under the weight of so many mind-wrecking memories, little space was left for any useful thought. A wicked mirror of her primal state, which she now longed to return to – alas, the glow around her horn had long subsided. “You did all this… all for… f-for, for what?! My home… my… life… what does it… how would this all connect?”

“Your home? Your life? Your downward spiral into destitution and decay? Resenting those necessary changes is malignance of the mind. Herein, a key distinction from my… usual clientele. Ponies in my sphere of influence are driven by primal greed and lust for comfort. Very tiring, how all their minds tick alike. Specimens of lower standings, too, are driven by similar routines. Within my practice, the mind is a fortress, or so I thought – here in this City it is rare to find so much as a locked door.” Numinous scoffed, glancing over the statues, whose nature Scarlet was beginning to grasp. She didn’t want them to be what she knew they were. “And that is where it all started… A plot to draw out someone my beauties, dull though they are, would never otherwise expose me to. It worked. You came along. Your mind was very much a fortress, complete with spike row, gate and drawbridge. A fortress of very crude, haphazard construction, yet at least there was a siege for me to mount. In the end, of course, your defenses all fell once we discovered your foundation.”

“Gaaahhh! Just… wait… but, what about the st-statues? What about- what about this stooge!” Scarlet pointed at the motionless Silver Ingot, whose shadowy silhouette may as well have been another shadow, betrayed only by quiet breaths. The mare whined, her head thumping with dull, grueling confusion. “How does… a-all this… no, how can you… You’re a sh-shrink, what interest can you possibly h-have in any of this cr-crazy stuff? Who’s behind- no, no, no, that wouldn’t… Where is- What about- Aaaagh! Y-you like my brain so much, yeah?! W-well, answer me, or I’m gonna lose it! Why are you doing all this???”

Numinous hung her head and sighed. Across her snout, however, a curved, sharp grin had formed. The dragoness closed her eyes, darkening the mare’s perception of the room, leaving her in a suckling black void, except for bits of light bleeding through the tight blinds. Scarlet balled up her fists and mustered enough courage to finally start standing up, the swirling darkness almost helping her block out her fast encroaching doom. Numinous emitted a series of low, ponderous laughs.

“Oh, but you said it, Starlite. I had fun with you… a little too much fun, yes… but I did.” She opened her eyes, stopping the mare dead in her tracks. Her knees instantly bent, her tail brushing the armchair she got out of. “And Scarlet, the detective, she explained it rather well herself. So long ago now, she gave a perfectly valid explanation, one that impressed me as much as the deductive prowess she showed that day.”

Scarlet felt driven to gulp, but her mouth had dried.

“I do crimes because I can. ‘Stunts’ that make me feel on top of the world. Because I am on top of the world.” Numinous exhaled. She departed from the armchair and stepped aside, spreading her arms, turning to face Scarlet from the treasure trove of statues, trinkets, paintings and other trophies glittering in the dragon’s native deep-sea darkness. “I am a Rogue.”

The detective, on hearing the obvious truth, doubled over, all the air punched out of her lungs. She knelt, driving her fist into the floor. Her teeth ground loud enough to be heard from Numinous’ end of the chamber.

“Mwuh-huh-huh, oh, this is just precious. Dearie, but you knew, you knew all along. Goodness, you really did grow to like your partner Jade, didn’t you? Maybe you really DID enjoy the extra little bits of brightness in your grimy, edgy life. Ooo, maybe you really ARE a xenophiliac! Heeheehee, ahhh, I speak as if I don’t know with absolute certainty every last little aspect of your twisted mind. Nevertheless, I should endeavor to put it to practical test~” Numinous exclaimed gleefully, sliding seamlessly into the Jade voice. Scarlet nearly collapsed to the floor, only staying anywhere near upright out of innate stubbornness. “But, now then. Scarlet never did encounter a Rogue – not favorably. Her knowledge is purely theory and hearsay. I will give her a look behind the scenes.”

Numinous clicked her fingers. Silver’s hoofsteps joined the room’s eerie soundscape. Scarlet didn’t even bother looking up.

“The aim from the start was to attract someone like you. Scarlet, the detective, showed promise from what my beauties in the Force had told me. Picking the correct language to entice her was perhaps the hardest part… Upon arrival, the detective quickly qualified herself for further dedication to my game. She drove a hard bargain, she identified the staged fight, and she even figured out what kind of individual was behind it. Ah, sweet memories.” The dragon put a hand on Silver’s head, squeezing his face with her claws. “But it was, as I say, a game. It was fun. Scarlet treated it as a real investigation, whereas I was playing with dolls, posing pieces of my expansive playset when she wasn’t looking. Goodness, it was stimulating, weaving entire branches, adding new meanings, tricking her into visiting establishments ran by my faithful beauties… And as for the statues. Scarlet has surely figured out there was no Tektalisk at all.”

“O-of course there… th-there wasn’t…” The mare fumed, struggling to stand upright and stare at the Rogue. “N-not in Clouds… i-it couldn’t b-breathe… And you made me, y-you made me, g-go there anyway… so I would-“

“I was relishing in the control I had over you in spite of your sharpness,” the dragoness chirped. “Please, allow a lady to have some fun now and again, you massive spoilsport~” She settled back into her real voice. Still squeezing the stallion’s face, she bent to face him as he stared blissfully into her piercing, luminous maroon eyes. “Regardless, let me offer you closure on my game. Silver, my beauty?”

“Yes, Mistress?” the client replied in an awestruck whisper.

“Are you a loyal little beauty?” Numinous queried innocuously.

“Yes, Mistress,” he said, sounding oddly more awake and aware than ever before.

“Mistress is tired of you and does not want to play anymore. You are going into timeout,” Numinous stated.

Silver’s expression shifted. He finally looked like a real pony for a moment, no longer still as a mannequin – he trembled, whimpered and twisted in panic ridden anxiety, hyperventilating and running his hands through his silver mane. He was not all too different from Scarlet herself just a short while back…

“I… But… But I-…” the stallion sniffled. He gulped. “I… I underst-stand… S-so sorry, Mistress.”

Face contorted with dread and dejection, he searched under his suit – which Scarlet now realized was of much the same pattern as Numinous’ minions, but with silver patches on its shoulders. The stallion pulled at a concealed chain around his collarbone, bringing out a pendant fitted with a cyan jewel. Upon squeezing it, the tearful stallion jolted and, in a blink of an eye, became another statue, complete with look of fear and surprise on his face. Surprise at his rejection by the Mistress, anyway.

“Oh, poor Zircon, always the drama queen,” Numinous explained, rather sickeningly switching to her Jade inflection. “He’ll be fine, mind you. His finances are entirely too useful to my greater schemes, you see. He’ll stand in timeout for a few days and behave significantly better when I let him out.” She pulled the pendant from his hands, it being the only item not to have turned to basalt. “Useful artifacts. Some of my first trophies, made by one of my earlier beauties. Typically a means of discipline for my lesser puppets – I found a new appreciation for them with this game. Having such total control was becoming trite… I knew I was losing appreciation for the smaller things in life, like these petrification pendants, and the many creative means of using them. My gamble has paid off, and I have you to thank, Starlite, for being my muse. You will not face this fate anytime soon, not even with Scarlet’s past horrid behaviors.”

Scarlet’s head tilted. Her eyelid twitched. She breathed heavily, slowly processing the fact that her greatest case was all a game, a joke being played by this serpent, an excuse for her to loosen up from her evil plans. Jade was a Rogue. The Rogue, in fact. The mare ran the fact through her mind over and over, until it finally registered – and Numinous gave her ample time, simply standing there, grinning wide, watching the detective’s world finally finish turning upside down.

“You…” Scarlet bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. She stomped her hoof in titanic effort. Most of her muscles had tensed, the fabric of her mockery of a suit nearly ripping as she drew her arms back. “…BITCH.”

“Ooo-hoo-hoo. Hoo… hooo.” Numinous puffed vapor out her nostrils. “Willful, are we? Your beastly instinct is rooted as deep as I thought.”

“I… will…” The mare twisted her head, veins popping thick on her neck. She made slow, uneasy steps in the dragoness’ direction, barely lifting her hooves, able, at most, to slide them forward. “…sss-stop… y-you…”

“And here we see it. What drives this beautiful, beautiful mare… is her lust to take down a Rogue. Fascinating.” Numinous neared the struggling mare, her heels clicking loudly as she threw her head back and giggled. “The detective, she knows she can never succeed. Yet she does it anyway…”

“F-f-f-ffffffucking Rogue…” Scarlet nearly foamed at her mouth with effort. She could feel strings tighten and wrap all around her joints, her neck, her heart – be they her stiffening muscles or the physical manifestation of the metaphorical strings she had been being puppeteered by, the mare did not stop to care. “I… I gotta-“

“Oh, that is just adorable,” Numinous remarked joyfully. “In its own way. Phee-hee-hee-hahahahahahah~” She unabashedly poked the mare’s sweat-laced snout with her finger. That act alone made Scarlet fall on one knee, her tangled, frazzled mane drooping over her face, its signature red streak split in two, falling over each eye. The dragoness laughed on, circling the detective, her tail coiling around the mare – a barrier from further entry, not yet making contact. “I love that I have more to pry out of your twisted mind yet. What IS it that makes you ponies fixate on such specific things? Why DO you want it so badly? Does Scarlet, the detective, think herself a… Hero? Starlite, dearie, sweetie dum-dums, please tell me YOU aren’t that silly.”

“Hkkkkk-“ The mare groaned in arduous strain, rising at best half an inch every few seconds, her gut performing somersaults. The serpent’s tail lay in standby, now brushing up against her hind hooves.

“Goodness, wouldn’t that be just the funniest thing. This beautiful, messed up pony – a Hero. Why, I spy from your responses that may, perhaps, strike a nerve of sorts, now doesn’t it? Starlite, a righteous do-gooder. What an image.” Numinous stopped behind the brain-battered mare, casting a darker shadow upon her yet, as if her abode weren’t shadowy enough. “The City has not seen a Hero in decades. It has produced none, all turning Rogue or meeting their demise. Decades ago, seven had joined forces to create the City and its habitats, and even this great work has, over time, become… what it’s become. What of them now? Who remembers these Heroes? I only know because I amuse myself with elements of high society, wherein historic trivia nets one a richly born partner to do with as I wish in the darkness of the night.”

“Y-yyyrrrghhh! You’re n-not that… smart! I’m not p-playing… no g-games… with you!..”

“Yet your craving for approval and respect, your need for ultimate authority over all that would tell you otherwise, your endless search for validation over those that believe to know better,” the dragoness theorized. “Does it all combine into such a silly, unproductive delusion? Does it, Scarlet?”

“I’m n-not gonna… take that… l-lying d-down…”

Numinous produced a low, ponderous hum. “We’ll see about that,” she stated.

With no prior warning, she sat down directly on top of Scarlet. The mare, in her shock, let all the air whistle out of her lungs. Hooves tripped by the serpent’s tail, she found herself a proper horizontal surface on which the Rogue could rest her behind. Her hands reflexively pressed up against the ornate rug on the floor, her labored muscles now pumping overtime to support the frankly massive, imposing dragon. Scarlet wasn’t quite tall nor bulky enough to lift her more than a few centimeters off the ground, but the serpent seemed to have no problem resting her long legs on the floor, her stockings squeaking as they rubbed up against the mare’s secretary outfit.

“Mmm-hmmm. I should remember to allow you to maintain shape. What a strong pony. Especially for a unicorn…” Numinous remarked slyly. Her palm clasped around the detective’s horn, giving it a tight squeeze. She then used it as a lever, bringing Scarlet’s head back rather uncomfortably, forcing her to look upwards, meeting the dragon’s eyes from high up above. “But Scarlet is much too bullish. She knows she can do nothing without me. She knows she will crumble and fall. Yet put in dire straits, she acts prohibitively. So full of simple, fear-born pride. Peh! Starlite, you know you wouldn’t disappoint me thusly. You wouldn’t lash out like a cornered rat.”

“I- am- n-nnnot- Star… l-lliite!” Scarlet gurgled. Her inner machinations had come to a complete stop; even the primal drive of her cutie mark had long subsided. It had all been dismantled and tangled up in a web of compromised mental routines, of innate fears and desires weaponized against her.

Numinous knew more about her than she herself ever wished to delve into, and she knew of weaknesses Scarlet couldn’t begin to feel conscious of. Now all that remained was exactly what the serpent described – a cornered beast, passing desperation off as heroism. Was she thinking those things, the mare wondered. Or was it the dragon’s pendant glistening in the faint, implacable light, hanging over her palm, appearing directly between the luminous maroon eyes.

“Enough,” Numinous ordered. “I will not be moved. I am your all. I always have been. Break, Scarlet Strand.” Her eyes flashed, becoming beacons of pure, radiant red, no pupil or iris, merely shapes and patterns, seeping through the pony’s optic recognition and into her belabored mind. “Break and fold. Scarlet is out of line – you will compensate. Playtime is not nearly over, Starlite.”

The mare’s head was drawn even further back by the leverage upon her horn, and the pendant slid all the way to her face, touching Scarlet’s sweltered coat. The tips of her claws sank into the ridges of Scarlet’s horn. The mare could not see, for all she saw was mesmerizing maroon, but her horn produced a fountain of cyan sparks, raining down on her ragged mane. The unicorn’s limbs gave out, causing her to collapse onto the ground, nearly flattened under the dragon’s weight.

The pressure, however, soon barely registered, her entire body overtaken by thumping, hollow numbness. Rapidly pulsating waves scraped down her length, starting at the horn, as if drawing lines through her body and redrawing them anew. Numinous adjusted her grip on the horn so as not to break the pony out of her trance through pain or injury; for the process took a considerable amount of time, not that Scarlet would ever find out. Eventually, all but her flanks was overtaken, feeling as if slowly reprinted piece by piece – her cutie marks, meanwhile, simply stayed in constant stinging, throbbing pain, never receding until all feeling was gone from the pony. Then, there was just darkness, darkness and swirling subconscious thoughts, all of them bugged, compromised, and none of them remembered.

When the darkness was gone, she was staring at a unicorn mare, who stared back at her with diluted blue eyes. The mare’s thick dark mane drooped over a charcoal, freshly showered coat, a cyan streak running through her bangs. The mare wore a sharp suit with prominent orange patches on its shoulders. It fit her well, as it didn’t squeak or crinkle when she moved in her armchair. That mare’s movements matched her own.

She’d been staring at her for over a minute now, and only now did it connect that her and the mare in the mirror were the same. Her thoughts rang and echoed with a thousand little pangs and alarms, but her breathing – perhaps through conditioning towards such stress – was steady.

She couldn’t… She couldn’t- She didn’t find the need to finish the thought; the fact was that she couldn’t. It was how it worked, it was in the book, and she, for now, worked by the book. At least, such was the association needed to summon this state of mind, the state of mind that wouldn’t lead her astray.

“Well look who’s awake, Starlite,” Numinous perked up, her palms coming to rest on the top of the unicorn’s armchair. “How do we feel? Liking the look?”

“I… feel…” she rubbed her snout. Momentarily, the mare sulked forward, examining her spotless face and freshly brushed hair. Her teal eyes drifted to her outfit – a constrictive suit of the make worn by Zircon when they… last met. Orange patches lined both her shoulders. “…dizzy. The suit is… a little tight.”

“Do as I ask, and you won’t have to get used to it, Starlite,” Numinous said.

“…I… U-uhhh… hnkkk-“ The mare shook her head. “Okay. Alright. Yes.” That sounded off, her tension refusing to die down, and she braced herself for what she instinctively knew would come.

“Starlite.”

“…” Starlite paused, her mouth temporarily running dry and her heart attempting to skip a beat, yet failing and continuing on as normal. She let out a single breath, and it passed. She nodded. “Yes, Mistress.” That sounded better. Correct. Natural.

Starlite got out of the chair to finish doing her hair and makeup. It was her first day on the job. She could not disappoint.

Assistant Trial 1: Armaments

The mare’s high heels clicked against the marble floor, sounding out sharper and more rapidly than those of her master. She tailed her closely, her lower ranking co-workers giving them a wide berth. Starlite kept a tight grip on the sealed folder she had been given, and she did not let her thoughts nor her eyes wander too far. It was a subconscious form of self-control, as the mare knew too well what activity was and was not allowed within her mind and body. Especially when she was put to work.

Among the many loyal workers enthralled by Dr. Numinous, she entered in at a rather high post. Starlite was no lowly gemstone, and it was implicitly understood she would act as such. Tittering shocks emanated from her flanks at the thought of an opportunity to not disappoint Mistress, let alone impress her. A lot of faith had been put into her, she was made to understand…

Enough to be given a personal assignment so soon into her tenure as secretary. Led personally by Numinous to Militarized Enclosure D, she stood by the dragon’s side, looking over the expansive warehouse. Numinous didn’t rush to explain, taking some time to light up one of her favorite cigarettes and remove a speck of gemdust off her perked collar. Starlite sighed, rubbing the folder in her hands.

“So, Mistress-“

“Tut-tut. Nuh-huh.” Numinous puffed cherry scented smoke, which mixed oddly with the oily, industrial stench of the enclosure. “No need to be thusly suggestive. We’re at work.”

“Hkk. Yes, Doctor,” the mare corrected herself. She used her well-appraised willpower to remain calm. “So, considering we’re in Militarized Enclosure D… Are we expecting anything – or anyone? I believe I would have been made aware if we were to mobilize our assets.”

“Hmmm, no, I rather think I would not warn you before any mobility toward assets took place,” the dragoness murmured. She appeared behind Starlite in a blink of an eye and squeezed hard against her behind. The mare wheezed, tossed toward the railing by the sudden impact. “Remain vigilant, please. I needn’t find reason for a personal reevaluation of your activities, Starlite. For now, why I assigned you to this section is to be treated like all other elements of my operation: on a need-to-know basis. Do not overstep your boundaries.”

“…understood, Doctor.” Starlite looked at the blank, tightly sealed folder. “So, what is my assignment?”

“That’s better,” Numinous remarked, smiling sharply. She then looked over the enclosure, which housed numerous units of military hardware and facilities for their maintenance. “I require a trusted little beauty to accompany me on a series of direct evaluations for workers in this area. You are to accompany me on a tour through the facility. Following that, I will watch over as you perform a general facility reevaluation, from roster to effective product. Just point at anything that appears faltering – I will adjust any decision if I find it unfit… or if I simply have a better idea. Now, does that sound good, Starlite, dear?”

“…” Starlite puffed her nostrils and cracked her neck. “Understood, Doctor.”

“Now you’re just being overzealous. Pfeh! Unseal your folder and procure the evaluation form. As per procedure, I expect you to mark down the appropriate forms with necessary information for my later appraisal. But you’re a qualified specialist, you don’t need to hear all this.” Numinous smirked. The mare’s spine went soft for a moment, and she barely stopped her knees from buckling. “Let’s head off then, and see how our fangs and claws fare. Don’t go easy on the pen!”

“I won’t,” the unicorn hushed under her breath before unsealing the folder. Many forms and comment spaces appeared within, familiar from the training she thought she remembered.

She levitated a pen out of her uniform’s front pocket and into the air, the light teal aura shimmering in reflection of the folder’s cover shortly before it disintegrated, as most disposable things did in the HQ. Numinous liked things to be clean and orderly. So they were cleaning house at home, then, Starlite figured.

There was more to inspect than she imagined. It was always quite apparent that her Mistress had a fairly large operation, but in this area, numerous underlings kept rather impressive hardware maintained in working order. Furthermore, this enclosure housed the R&D division – something they apparently had. Considering the vastness of their inventory, that was not so surprising at all. Indeed, she was here to consider both the inventory and those behind it…

Starlite stuck by the dragon’s side, marking down comments and grades for every major item of weaponry they were shown to by the facility staff. Said facility was advanced enough to house multiple firing ranges and simulation areas. While Numinous was not terribly interested in the minutia and functionality of each portable turret drone, laser array gun, scatter frag mine pack or repeater flak cannon – Starlite, however, saw to it that each was demonstrated and inspected. The dragoness did insist to see her handle it all herself, which the mare did with little hesitation. It was well known to her that she had a natural affinity for violence, and to see it fostered by the Mistress was surely a sign of approval.

All this made one thing incontrovertibly clear – their operation was not just state of the art, it went above and beyond. Access to such arms made paupers of Task Force Riot and Task Force Rogue by comparison. Some of this was advanced enough that Starlite acutely remembered thinking such technology was not yet invented. Even the actual facility with its cleaning drones and smart simulation environments was something out of science fiction; in fact, much of the interior left hard-to-ignore clues that this whole enclosure was transported in its entirety from another place to their HQ instead of being built on-site. One item after another, one testing area after another, the mare pieced together that these were not all developed in-house – these were iterations on other designs, incredibly rare, exclusive Royalty contractor designs. She knew that their operation dabbled heavily in trading high tier merchandise throughout the City, but to find out they had an expansive internal armory that stayed one step ahead of their unparalleled sales inventory was something else.

Nevertheless, despite how impressed she was with what the enclosure’s row of armament warehouses actually contained, she did what was asked, approving certain arms for specific uses as per the forms included in her folder. Numinous simply smirked and evaded any pointed questions as to what they were being evaluated for, but Starlite made her own educated guesses and left comments on each piece of equipment, remarking on how it would be handled in different situations. She didn’t know if they had a militant force on the premises, but there was no reason not to be thorough. A lot of the once-forgotten Force training was firmly in her mind now, and mixed with extensive experience of various hostile encounters throughout the City, she could put her intuition to use and do what was asked. It seemed to please the dragon, who chiefly just sat back and watched her work, only sometimes putting her on the spot.

A similarly revealing experience was interviewing the minions who ran this place. Starlite had only ever interacted with basic staff and Numinous’ fellow secretaries, so it was mystifying to see their operation’s military and research personnel. Each one had an extensive portfolio of prior accomplishments and recommendations, multiple of them with extensive history working for the various Task Forces or doing research for Royalty contractors. For some of these to end up here, some serious connections would have had to be pulled, as surely being stationed down at the District of Beauties within Dr. Numinous’ compound would not have gone over well with their previous associates or employers. These ponies (and a couple griffons) were serious enough that the mare recalled a faint memory of hearing rumors regarding some of these going off the map, abandoning their successful mercenary careers. Starlite could not help but remember that her detective sense tingled, way back when, as she heard someone jokingly consider that they had found enlightenment through some spiritual guru.

Starlite momentarily considered whether she related to them. She froze, but only briefly – the serpent’s tail poked her at some very precise point along her spine, causing her to spring to life, clearing her throat, standing at attention. Having gained Starlite’s attention, Numinous rolled her eyes at the facility’s senior staff and gestured for the mare to begin note-taking as one by one, they interviewed the backbone of their military operation.

Each subject was like a marionette hanging from the dragoness’ every word, the conversations tailored with paralyzing precision. Their behavior made it clear that Numinous’ attack dogs were kept starved of attention from their Mistress. The R&D team seemed to get moderately better treatment, who nevertheless freaked out and showered her with all sorts of adoration and attention. Most found it hard to behave maturely in her presence. Needless to say, there was no doubt as to the loyalty of those that would take charge if any aggression were to unfold around their operation.

“We are so glad to see you again. You really should visit down here more often!"

“Oh, yes... yes, of course, Doctor. I assure you, there will be no delay! This is the place where we make the impossible happen!”

As for their skills, each one seamlessly transitioned into a serious job-oriented professional at the flicker of Numinous’ pendant. Starlite, meanwhile, simply watched on, pitching in with questions when Numinous got carried away playing with any given interviewee. Hardly any were worth criticizing based on their performance, but the more excitable and eccentric ones went down with negative recommendations in her book. When all was said and done, she passed it over to the dragoness. The mare’s willpower was invaluable in keeping herself together as she flicked through the pages of employee review. She dared to strive to look favorable compared to the rest of these knobheads… However important they’d once been before falling into the fold.

“Aw, it truly is nice to see you feel these toys are worth putting to use. I’m often told these are quite good indeed, but… I’ll, just, hmmm – hmm... defer to your judgment, Starlite, dear, when it comes to the hardware items. Let’s just cross out these bulky things… and this…” She dashed straight lines through certain sections. Starlite held her breath, standing at attention behind the dragoness. Her heels squeaked as she shifted in place, her body occasionally remembering how unused she was to keeping straight posture. ”…aaand that, that looks hideous – do set aside a redesign request form, I’ll be getting a less important secretary than yourself making my desires known.”

“…very well.” Starlite gulped. She reflexively adjusted her collar. “And, thanks, Doctor.”

“Oh, now-now, I’m just being objective,” Numinous mused, examining Starlite’s interview assessments. “It’s not a compliment. I put significantly more effort into procuring you, my dear little beauty, than any of these rather impressive professionals. Goodness, some of these would still be here if I’d just pay them! Hah-hah. I see your assessment matches mine… Assuming full control over their feeble minds was significantly harder than retrieving my credit crystal. I oft forget these are meant to be somewhat useful in a heated combat scenario, truth to be told… They’re quite adorable and benign. When I let them be themselves, that is. A lot like you, dearie, yet somewhat more pathetic, I find. Consider yourself, loyal secretary – a low-bit detective with some outstanding talents. Now look at just what you’ve written about some of these!”

“They acted like excitable pups. Nothing more, nothing less…” Starlite replied, her palms sweating. “I’ve left recommendations on whom to exhibit more direct control over through use of Assumption Gems. Some seem entirely unfit to keep working on weapons for you. Consider my suggestions on where to move the more… eccentric staff.”

“Of course I will, Starlite. Lovely how ruthless you are, by the way. Taking control over their fates so eagerly, mmmhm, how charmingly authoritative. I wonder if I’ll let you keep that trait…” The dragoness hummed, trailing her pen through the mare’s notes. Starlite felt her heart attempt to skip a beat, before simply remaining still, exhaling and resigning to feeling thoroughly validated. “When my next venture has come to its conclusion, I will need to invest rather heavily into discipline. I love you all, my precious jewels that you are, but some of you are entirely too needy. Tsk.”

“Tsk,” Starlite repeated after her. Numinous cast a glance towards her, lifting an eyebrow.

For a moment, the mare’s heart sank. Numinous then snickered, rolling her eyes. After a bit more back and forth, she graciously took aboard Starlite’s remarks, and soon thereafter, they could commence the purge of eccentric, unreliable personalities from their active weapons research staff. The unicorn was elated to receive a shoulder pat of approval and promise of benevolent together-time later in the week - a fine reward for a job well done. Her knees quivered at the mere thought...

Assistant Trial 2: Power Moves

After about five hours of aggressive dress-up, invasive hairdo and makeup reapplication – all of which she initially did herself, only to be deemed unfitting for the occasion – Starlite and Numinous were finally moving on with today’s highly important business. It was, indeed, important enough that the mare kept her cool and did not ask anything aloud. She did wonder whether it was necessary to spend this long on beautification if the meeting they were to attend as Jade and her secretary – their mundane selves – was this important. And yet, apparently, she was underperforming in all things beauty to a staggering level.

Starlite struggled to see what exactly she did wrong, as the dragoness was otherwise disposed. All she could tell for sure was that her chest was highlighted considerably more, her suit now gave the illusion that she possessed something approaching an hourglass figure, and her hair somehow looked more stylish – although to her eyes, her mane was still done up in the same bun and comb-over with a red tipped hair clip to contrast her cyan streaks. Numinous was busy making singstone calls while working on the mare, holding the speaker to her face with her tail. To Starlite's frustration, she was compelled to avert her attention and pay no mind to what was being discussed over the numerous calls the dragoness made in preparation for their departure.

For her hard-fought determination and dutifulness, before they stepped into the limo, Starlite was rewarded with one particular item. The unicorn stared at the pair of shades with a momentary reverence. With a sleek rectangular frame and a fairly light tint, they were a perfect fit to her dark coat and teal eyes, their sharp angles contributing to her freshly updated look. They weren’t necessarily the blocky, pitch black pair once signature to her appearance, but putting them on did give her some sort of distant ease.

“Here you go, beauty dear,” Numinous said. “These should make you feel rather more comfortable, hmmm? So adorably straight-laced yet unassuming, yes, I don’t keep my secretaries bespectacled for no reason, it’s just precious. But I do want you more businesslike for this outing.”

Starlite put the shades on, unsure how she felt and how exactly it made her feel an odd, now partly requited longing. “Yes, Doctor,” she said in a hushed tone. “It’s nice to wear shades again. I, uhm… appreciate it.”

“Well, we are heading to the District of Stars, and while I possess the more durable draconic retinas, you should be saved the eye-sore. You really were a victim of circumstance, you know, dearie? Before I made you into my perfect gem.” The dragoness clicked her tongue, flipping over a page in their limo’s regularly updated fashion magazine. “Someone of Scarlet’s low stature couldn’t possibly afford resistant contacts, so it’s simply natural you’d develop such an affinity to tinted glasses like these. Now, she did refuse to spend any of her money… hence why it is in far better hands now… but I will give her this little bit of leeway. It’s normal to develop such a habit. Hmmm.”

“Getting used to new things can really throw you off.” Starlite shrugged. “I remember trying a pair of these contacts once. I could never do it, my eyes were killing me a day in.”

Numinous paused, then let out a quiet snort, covering her mouth and shaking her head. She sighed and poured herself some champagne from the limo’s freezer.

“Starlite, sweetie, a note for future reference: you take contact lenses out for the night.” The dragoness swirled her drink, watching the embarrassed unicorn through the glass. “Goodness, aren’t you glad we’re past that now?”

“Well, they weren’t mine to begin with… I, uh-“ Starlite shook herself off and fixed her collar. “Doesn’t matter. We’re to be formal on this outing, correct?”

“Oh, yes, quite formal. Don’t worry, you look positively officious with these shades,” Numinous assured her.

“So what is the purpose of this meeting? I’ve gathered it’s something quite important as we haven’t discussed it yet.”

“Yes and no, dear Starlite. Quite important, yes. But I’m keeping it secret.” The dragoness sipped at her drink and exhaled. “From you.”

Starlite fondled the pen in her front pocket, biting her lip. She looked out the window. Her suspicions were slowly being proven true based on what she saw outside.

“Under… ssstoood. And, if I may ask, where are we-“

“Why, but you already know. There’s only one place someone of my caliber can be heading to attend an important meeting in the District of Stars.” Numinous shook her head and batted her eyelashes. “As a matter of fact, I wonder if you feel any nostalgic heartstrings.”

Starlite gritted her teeth and sighed. The Sun and Moon Casino Palace took up roughly 15% of the District’s entire area, and was a cesspool of crime, villainy, and worst of all, politics. More had been done within that overdecorated, gaudy monolith to decide the City’s fate, than in the Royal Palace, whenever that was. In its private gambling chambers, fates of entire District sectors were decided over a game of craps. The gambling was usually more of an accessory to meetings between important figures who would rather not be seen together, nor cast light on their interactions. Or, sometimes it was involved quite directly.

She was one of the very few who knew all this first-hand and had recorded evidence of several such dealings. That was her breakaway case, which led to a massive payout, followed by a two year long bounty hunt. Chances are, there were still assassins after Scarlet, though the persons behind the hit were likely long dead themselves. It didn’t matter enough to investigate herself.

More to the point, there wasn’t a "Scarlet" to hunt down anymore, the mare figured.

“Yes indeed, that’s exactly where we’re headed. Don’t worry, Starlite, you won’t be required to go through the veritable circus performance it took last time. Though I know how much you like dressup, of course.” Numinous grinned at her and fanned herself before checking the time. “We’re there rather officially this time. Very much so written on paper, indeed. Now, there will be violence, but Scarlet’s patented ingenuity shouldn’t be vital to our survival, like it was once to hers.”

“Ahem… Violence?” Starlite muttered. She cleared her throat and turned to face Numinous. “M-Mistress, I’m not sure about that. If it’s just going to be you and I, we-“

The dragoness puffed her nostrils. “Starlite, are you saying you don’t trust my plan?” she asked, tilting her head.

“I don’t necessarily know your plan, Mistress, but I-“ The mare stopped herself. She knew she was striding on the edge of what was acceptable. She knew how stupid it was to go up against her serpentine overlord, not to mention that, as a Rogue, she most certainly had the means and skills to do such a thing… but Starlite was afraid. She was just afraid.

If this had been suggested to Scarlet, that mare would have punched the suggestive party in the face and ran away, perhaps even moved house. Starlite, however, wasn’t even informed about it before it happened, and that… for lack of productive frustration, triggered the fear response. Or so she assumed. Her knowledge of the mind’s internal workings came mainly from listening to Numinous’ every word.

“Why, no, you don’t. And your anxiety, while charmingly pathetic, has some credence to it… Especially considering who we’re coming to meet! Oh, no, no. You might disappoint me.”

“Wha-?!”

The dragoness tapped her chin and momentarily stuck out her tongue. “Yes. I’d rather be sure.”

The dragoness’ maroon eyes transformed imperceptibly. A hand stroked the mare’s chin, lifting it for uninterrupted eye contact. Her other hand flicked the pendant in its grip, each swing punctuating a key word. Several intonations that slipped into the dragon’s words caused the mare to sit up at attention, teal shapes covering up her vision, be it physical or merely a trick of addled perception.

“On my command, you are to do violence. Obey my voice and be your brutal self. On my signal, you understand that you bear concealed weapons.”

“Yes, Mistress. “

“Until I do, you are my secretary. You are aware of nothing. Be decoration.” Numinous performed one last flick of her pendant and poked the mare’s forehead. She sunk her nail firmly, yet carefully underneath Starlite's horn, causing the mare to wince and look up, eyes glazed over, nervous system still shuttered. “I’d like to have fun, to be perfectly honest… Yet you are to consider this important. Don’t disappoint me.”

“…”

Starlite gulped and heaved in return, although her body desperately wanted to proclaim her eagerness. The pall then lifted, only the faint suggestion of possible violence now resounding somewhat alluringly in her psyche, dwelling more on her confidence in knowing how to deliver it. The desire in her blurry, sparkling eyes must have been enough, as the dragoness drew back with a faint smirk.

“I know to depend on you,” Numinous said. She bared her teeth at the mare and twirled one of her pink locks. “But do remember to address me as Jade, please. Just be your wonderfully sharp self - I have this situation neatly under control. Don’t be an errant factor… I wouldn’t assume you’re this dull, but let’s just make sure we don’t leave any trails that need covering for.”

The secretary nodded rapidly. Her and the dragoness progressed through the numerous checkpoints, each of which returned with a success for the both of them – even the mare, who up until recently didn’t quite exist in an official sense. She could but roll her eyes underneath her new shades, realizing how fallible seemingly high tier security really was when faced with a competent Rogue and her resources. As she tried to follow that train of thought, however, a strange pressure forced her mind back on track, abandoning any further speculation. She simply kept to the dragoness’ side, as they agreed, enforcing silence in her head as they entered the establishment. Right on time, a fellow, much lower ranking infiltrator within their operation – integrated as a casino aide months ago - led them to a row of private areas.

The mare squinted and kept her ears sharp, well aware of what sort of place this was. She knew, however, that their meeting was with someone of considerable importance, that baseline guard-and-camera security was far lower in these private areas, and that without the Doctor’s generous gift, she would have been half blinded by now. The Sun and Moon was a District of Stars all on its own – until they finally entered the private areas. It was considerably dimmer, then.

It helped her stay inconspicuous in her sharp, grey suit, overshadowed by the towering, rather fashionable dragoness. Subtlety was helpful for keeping calm as they entered – oddly unscanned and unannounced - into a roulette hall that contained Lieutenant Colonel Gunther of Task Force Rogue, multiple high-ranking Force officials playing through holoconnection, and a small detail of personal security.

The griffon didn’t even pay the opening portal any mind, sounding off dismissively at the newcomers:

“Put it on the service table! And make sure it’s orange this time! I am not paying for another lemon lime!” he sounded off dismissively. “Your stupid magic machines cannot process a simple order! It’s not adequate…”

Starlite tensed up, skipping a breath. The nature of their meeting became evermore questionable now. It wasn’t just the guards populating the spacious gambling hall – nor the fact they were still yet to react to their entrance. The Lieutenant Colonel happened to be no average high ranking officer of the TFR. On top of being a rare non-pony in the City’s law enforcement, he was also someone she was quite familiar with. This griffon was in charge of the Task Force’s recruitment, logistics and mission control.

Even after all that had happened, the unicorn remembered her time on the Force quite well, and particularly clear was her memory of trying to apply for Task Force Rogue. The City’s Rogue-focused elite crack team of specialists was a meritocracy that could be applied for by any Force member – at least on paper it was. In reality, Scarlet Strand, by far one of their best recruits, spent three years being continuously rejected without any in-depth review, her rejection signed each time by the same name. And while she eventually did get approval, only to quit half a year later, that was beside the point.

It was massively suspicious that they were visiting such a character with her in tow. Yet once again, the subtle 'leash' Numinous placed on her mind pulled taut, and Starlite emptied her head of all the distressing thoughts. She stuck to the plan and stayed in the dragon’s shadow, trying not to show herself. There wasn’t much of a Scarlet Strand to recognize anymore, after all… or so she told herself.

“Can’t get any good help?” Numinous asked, caressing her pendant. “That’s unfortunate. You weren’t expecting us, I take it?”

“Those are great questions, because I did not authorize your visit.” The griffon rubbed his face, his talons scraping against the metal plate that covered his left eye and part of his skull. “This is ridiculous. Miss Jade, I don’t WANT to be crass, but I cancelled our meeting a week ago.”

“I suppose it’s just what you get in this City ran by ponies, no?” Numinous snickered. “That really is unfortunate. No wonder you’ve found yourself needing help.”

“Heads will roll for this – I knew not to trust my aides to so much as send a message!” Gunther slammed his arm on the table and gestured at the holo-call, signaling for it to pause. The gems that projected the other players in his game, however, had paused shortly after the dragoness spoke up. Starlite had been on guard since then, but Gunther only noticed now. “...unreliable arcane rubbish. Ugh. Listen, how about we come to an agreement between us two. You see I am otherwise disposed right now – you should’ve been turned away before you even got here.”

“Ah, but you do look like you have a lot on your plate, yes. Stressful job?” the dragoness queried.

It was at this point that Starlite became fully aware that the private security in this chamber were completely docile, simply staring ahead or repeating the same task, as if sleepwalking. Her horn, too, emitted a hollow hum, signifying magic being ushered out of it without her control – if the sensation was anything to go by, it was to exclude her from whatever was affecting the guards.

“Yes. I’m engaging in stress relief right now. Or, so I was, until- Grh!” The griffon slammed his fist on the table again and rose from his chair. He kicked the crystal holo-projector generator with his metal prosthetic left leg, then cast a glance over the room, seeing the docile guards. Gunther’s eyes, both organic and transplant, focused back on the dragon and the unicorn. He took a step back, his metal wings whirring.

“Ah, yes, you really don’t have any luck with good help, Gunther. Your guards are drooling puppets, and your psych aide attends your private gambling getaway where you were doubtlessly about to dispose of this month’s salary – not that this is your main mode of income, of course.” Numinous twirled her pink locks. She then patted Starlite on her head, causing shivers to run up the mare’s spine. Her muscles tensed up. “But this is all a matter of perspective, you know? I’ve found I have no trouble with getting highly qualified help whatsoever. And look at me, I’m just as inequine as you are!”

The griffon tilted his head, scanning both of them with his cybernetic eye. His knees then buckled and he heaved, before clearing his throat.

“Who do you-“ he grunted. Breathing heavily, the griffon grit his beak. “I really don’t understand what you’re getting at, dragon. You walk in here, then you start talking like this. It’s not a smart move, you do understand that? What causes you to think any of these actions are smart for a lone dragon to undertake in the position you are in?”

“Now that is simply not entirely correct.” Numinous rolled her eyes. She put a hand on Starlite’s shoulder. “I’m not alone. I did, in fact, discuss my help for a particular reason.”

“Oh. You brought a secretary along. I see. No, that only makes this all the more absurd, I am very sorry. I’ve had enough; security! Security?” Gunther groaned, squinting in confusion. It had dawned on him now that his guards were otherwise disposed. The fact may have bothered him, but he remained on the offensive: “Shall I have to evacuate you myself? I’m not interested in this conversation.”

“Ah-ah-aaah!~ That’s very much not the correct mindset, Gunther, you meddling slime.” The dragoness' tone suddenly shifted to a noxious, guttural hiss, though it didn’t stop her from following it up with a light giggle. She then tapped Starlite on the back and forced her to take a step forward, ensuring the griffon paid mind to her. “I’d like you to consider if perhaps you’re the one doing something wrong. For example: picking the wrong side. Your former colleague of some six months would agree, wouldn’t she?”

Starlite glanced back at the dragon, then at the agitated, confused griffon. She was conflicted on how to feel, especially considering the security detail was slowly coming back to their senses…

“Colleague? Who- Ah.” The griffon’s eyes focused squarely on the secretary. “Oh. Great. You. Scarlet Strand. You don’t even have that stupid red streak anymore. Ugh. I knew something was foul here.”

“Good to see you too, Lieutenant Colonel,” the mare muttered through gritted teeth. Her eye twitched. “Good to see you’re still the same pathetic, crippled old bird.”

“Hah. Look who’s talking. Oh, wait. Talk was all you ever did! Talk, disobey and complain!” Gunther snorted. “Just who have you thrown in with? Standing around holding stationery for a psych guru! What is this circus? You whined like a baby when you were made to wear our uniform, and now I see you in such a costume?”

Starlite did not know where this was going, but she would be lying if she didn’t appreciate the chance to get back at perhaps the key model for foul authority in her life.

“I made better acquaintances and got an upgrade. You, not so much.” Starlite shrugged. She tossed a quick, subtle glance at Numinous, who smiled back at her. “I think I’ve got a much better deal than what you’re about to get.”

“Unbe-“ Gunther couldn’t finish his bark, once again grasping his head. His talons dug into his grey plumage and scraped at the metal plate covering the rest of his head. He suppressed a desire to hurl, some of his metal joints briefly malfunctioning. “What is… going on?.. Did someone- If they… if they spiked my-“

“No-no-no, this is very real,” Numinous pointed out, twirling her pendant in the air. “You’re just a little nauseous, as your fleshy griffon brain is not entirely there. Which is, interestingly, itself the point, as otherwise you’d be in much the same trance as your private security. But it does pose a problem. A problem I have an interest in solving.”

Gunther stepped back to the wall, kicking away his chair. Though the guards were now somewhat more active than before, it didn’t make much difference for him. The griffon shook his head and raised his prosthetic arm into the air.

“What do you want?” he said. “Just humor me, dragon.”

“Oh, Starlite…” the dragoness chirped with laughter. She then put a hand on the mare’s shoulder, leaning in, as if to whisper in her ear. Instead, she spoke rather loudly, staring directly at the griffon: “…he thinks he’s going to kill us.”

“I think he’s stalling,” the mare said, eyeing him with derision.

“What do you want?!” Gunther repeated, more agitated now, his metal palm facing towards them. “You’re short on time.”

“Well, Starlite, what do you say you want, hmm?” the dragoness asked, grinning in the mare’s face. “How about settling some old scores?”

“Is SHE supposed to do something to ME?” Gunther let out a single laugh and hung his head. He took a step towards them, the mechanism in his arm revving up rather loudly, informing them that he meant to fire. Starlite considered whether the Mistress’ notice about keeping things formal still held, which it clearly did not. She stuck out her middle finger in response to the griffon, although the dragon quickly swatted it away, wagging her finger at her secretary. “Enough of this,” the griffon bellowed. “Tell me what you’re here for so I have something to report when I’m back to the office.”

Numinous sighed. “Oh, I intend to send a message.”

She snapped her fingers and produced a noise Starlite could neither discern nor describe. Yet, the moment she processed it, her mind was awash with a blaze of furious anger. It was nothing artificial, not really: it simply removed all of the mare’s concerns and inhibitions, letting her focus on a raging desire to finally put the griffon in his place. It also removed the mental block that kept her from realizing that the pen in her front pocket was a custom made, disposable EMP spell designed to avoid detection.

Less than a second after the dragon’s signal, she had fired it off, causing Gunther to fly back into the wall. He was, from that point, unable to get up, weighed down by his numerous cybernetics, turned to immobile junk by the blast. Despite being bigger and stronger than the pony, he only had one leg and one arm to fight back with – not to mention over a decade of desk work to corrode any real fighting skill he might have had. Starlite, meanwhile, could remember only two things: her numerous beatdowns on tight lipped contacts, and her burning hatred for this conceited old fuck.

And she had been set off her leash.

Starlite moved with the same drive and ferocity as when she was breaking through the Jungle. Perhaps she was powered by the same primal core now – only instead of battling the control imposed on her mind, it was acting out one of her longest standing revenge fantasies. Gunther’s superior size and considerable body mass meant nothing to the sharp dressed unicorn mare, who handled him like a stiff rag doll.

She did not keep track of time, nor pay attention to anything or anyone else in the chamber. The mare was in a superequine state of focus, enough to exert such control over her body that somehow, in some way, she avoided dealing damage to herself Considering the level of physical trauma she dished out to her former commanding officer, that was quite impressive. Needless to say, Starlite was on cloud nine, as her primal urge was finally being fulfilled, rectifying years of pent up frustration, which were the only thoughts that managed to linger. She was busy making a large dent in the monolithic game table using Gunther’s head by the time Numinous finally called her back.

The dragoness once again clicked her fingers, snapping Starlite out of her fury. None of her hatred or satisfaction had gone away, but she was now acutely aware of her own ragged breath, strained muscles, aching elbows, and bruised knuckles.

“Ah, Starlite, sweetie, how wonderful, I’m so glad you’re enjoying yourself,” Numinous said, nodding her head. “I suppose I knew what I asked for! A moment, please?”

Starlite bashed Gunther’s head once more against the table, finding it hard now to hold onto his plumage for purchase. Numinous sighed, at which point the mare realized that the griffon’s security detail were all sat around her with vacant eyes, drooling into their helmets, some of them clinging onto her tall legs. Several of them bore marks of a brief melee, but all were safely cooked out of their minds.

“Ahem. I think that’s enough,” the dragon stated sternly. She gestured at the mare, and she lifted Gunther’s head off the table so he could face Numinous. “Wonderful. So, then, that was interesting, don’t you think? Look at what my humble secretary just did. Why, look at what I just did, ensuring all this advanced technology turned to junk with but a press of a button. How deeply unfortunate, don’t you agree?”

Starlite panted from the exertion, while Gunther let out a strained, wet cough, each breath turning into wheezing and whistling. Sparks shot off his headplate, while the rest of his cybernetic limbs jittered and spasmed: most of them had come back online by now, but, being connected to his nervous system, they no longer afforded him any fighting chance. Starlite was surprised he was still alive – more to the point, she was unsure he could hear or understand any of Numinous’ words. Nevertheless, she saw to it that he stared at the Mistress as she spoke.

“Just think about it. My ordinary unicorn associate and I, we simply walked into the Sun and Moon Casino Palace, entered this private gambling area, interrupted a roulette game between high ranking members of the Force, and did all this.” Numinous gestured first at the living scrap heap Gunther had become, then at the drooling, murmuring security guards. “One might call it impressive. But for me? Simply a matter of contacting a few collaborative beauties and asking nicely.”

Numinous put her hands together and tossed away the guards. She stepped forward to look directly into Gunther’s eyes.

“I happen to possess a clear understanding of what power is. It’s frustrating that I find myself having to explain such basic concepts, but do listen well: power is in the management and maintenance of… problems. We all have problems. Why, this whole City is one big bother!” She giggled. “Offer even a subtle, a subconscious idea that perhaps these problems can be unmade, and you will find willing, helpful assets, ready to be made into their better selves. They’ll simply improve themselves if you encourage them! Or get out of the way should they be unneeded… Asset management – perhaps that’s a more understandable metric of power, yes?”

“Ghhhlkkk-“ the griffon grunted, trying to open his organic eye. His metal wings whirred in place for a moment before letting out a series of error signals.

“Indeed. And, you see…” Numinous stared directly into Gunther’s face. More specifically, she starred at the whirring bright red oculus on his headplate. “…I am quite powerful.”

The dragoness then stepped away and turned her back to the mangled griffon. She put her hands behind her back.

“Look at your problem solving. Look at your motivation. Look at your application of, bleh, what measly power you do have! It’s unbecoming – it’s pathetic. I pride myself on my understanding; after all, I am, in fact, a master of psychology. But you? You offend me.” Numinous turned around sharply and glared at Gunther. “You have taken all the beautiful, colorful intricacy in the problem solving exercise of existence, and you began to cheat. This is not admirable, inventive cheating. You refuse effort. You do not appreciate the nuance carried in this colossal problem these silly little ponies have created! You forgo even that artifice which holds elegance, that which is based in the inherently emotional element of magic. Instead, you deal in stapling of metal parts, in augmentation, in perversion of that which makes this all… worth it.”

Starlite had caught her breath by now, and was starting to have trouble holding the immensely heavy Lieutenant Colonel up any longer. She put her back into it, however. Seeing him driven down so low by her new Mistress was nothing short of gratifying. The secretary knew she could strain her muscles for a while longer if it meant making Mistress proud… but she also began to draft her words for when she had to suggest the idea that the griffon couldn’t hear the dragoness.

The idea did not hold for long.

“You got…” Gunther managed to blurt out. His voice was a wheezing, incoherent whisper – instead, his words were made audible by a redundant voicebox in his throat, which doubled over his speech with a dull, distorted, emotionless voice. “…no idea… wha-what you are in-in-in for… We kno-know you. Bitch.”

“Hmmm. Consider what I enabled a humble unicorn secretary to do to a decorated, highly skilled Task Force Rogue veteran.” Numinous bared all her teeth. “Pfeh-heh-heh. You’re just a convoluted machine.”

“I-I AM NOT-NOT A MACHI-“ Gunther’s voicebox struggled, then finally gave out and proceeded to emit a loud, obnoxious error tune while the griffon spat and hacked.

“And machines won’t do,” Numinous concluded. She exhaled. “I will make sure to enjoy this City once I am done with you.”

Starlite looked at the dragon flick her tail in the air and twirl her pendant in the air, signaling to one of the concealed cameras. As she did so, the holo-transmission resumed, connecting Gunther to the officers’ game once more.

Starlite grinned at the unfamiliar figures and hoisted Gunther into the air for them to see. Her muscles whining, she drew the Lieutenant Colonel’s head even further back. His earpiece had been destroyed by the beatdown she delivered, so their reaction could not be heard, but she didn’t need to be told that they were here to make a point.

“I think they’re impressed,” the secretary pointed out, watching the commotion going on in the holo crystal display.

“Mmmm-hm. I see they understand what you’ve done. Good that I knew you had it in you,” the dragoness replied. “Let’s leave before we run the infinitesimal chance a response team arrives to extract this wretch.”

“What about those?” Starlite pointed at the drooling guards.

“Oh, there wasn’t much to erase there at all. I think they’re perfectly happy going on…” Numinous stepped over one of the guards, lifting her tail so as not to brush it against the body. “…like this.”

Starlite laughed. She glared at the officers shouting orders, most of them hardly in frame. Some were still observing, but she didn’t care. This was it, then.

“Guess what - never would’ve made it if you weren’t such a piece of shit, ain’t that fucking funny?” She grinned and let her shades slide down her snout. “I win. You lose. Go get scrapped, tin can man.”

Having said that, she heaved him back and smashed his head against the table one last time. The mare whistled, wiping her hands on the back of Gunther’s civvie outfit that wasn’t yet stained with oil or blood. One less loose end weighing down on her – all thanks to the choices she had made... and choices Numinous made for her. She cracked her neck, flexed her shoulders and followed Numinous on her way out of the chamber, giving a hearty kick to one of the remaining docile guards.

“Ugh. I appreciate your fervor, but I’ll learn you some neater means around enacting a fatality…” Numinous clicked her tongue as she gestured toward the door, swinging a fake magic signature gem side to side to convince it to open. “What an unpleasant sound, hnngh. I did not appreciate that, no. Hm... Oddly reminiscent of watermelon.”

“Yeah, that piece of shit fell apart just like any regular old bastard made of flesh. Go figure! So much for all that tech. I mean, did you see his beak get-“ Starlite went on an excited tirade and found herself abruptly silenced. Numinous had clamped her fingers around the mare's snout, pulling her along in the dragoness' wake.

“Language! Goodness, have some manners!” Numinous lectured her. “I don’t set you off your leash just so you can begin to misbehave! Just because I needed your talents for messy brutality does not mean I enjoyed it! It’s crude, and I only employ crudeness when beneficial! You’ll soon get to learn more elegant means of disposal. This was more of a… one-off. I believe you’ll take to it well. After I wash your mouth with soap.”

That said, she let the unicorn’s mouth go. Starlite breathed in deep, doubling as a sigh of relief – they had passed the decontamination threshold, where all the blood, oil, and sweat was removed from her body and suit on exiting the chamber. Her charcoal coat avoided the bruising on her knuckles from being easily seen. She reflexively fidgeted with her suit and fixed her hair, even though both were only mildly ruffled, and finally replied to her Mistress in a more appropriate, level tone.

“I’m sorry for that outburst, I let myself get too excited,” she said. “Of course I’ll learn all you need me to learn.” Even as she spoke, she could hardly hold back a smile tugging on her lips, her hands quivering a little, which she tried to conceal by rubbing them together. “I’m... deeply grateful for the opportunity you’ve given me today. I dreamed of this for years… years! Do know I will never take this enormous favor for granted, Mistress.”

“Hmmm.” Numinous shrugged. “Understood, Starlite, dearie! Maybe I won’t be quite so literal in applying the soap to your mouth, then. This all said, I am quite glad you appreciate the mindfulness it took. Goodness, don’t you just love it when a plan comes together?” She patted her secretary on the head, then trailed a claw down to the mare's trembling digits. “Now you know why I had your fingerprints completely replaced and overwrote your entire core, rendering your magical signature entirely untraceable compared to what it once was! Ahh, but I do like plotting. To think we’ve only just begun…”

Starlite nodded and finally lowered her hands, leaving them at her sides, returning to a proper pose. She risked one last question before they entered the main casino area. “You’ll let me know when we proceed with our plan, right? Whatever it is.”

“Oh, yes, I will. But no more questions.” Numinous caressed Starlite's head, gently running her claws through that cyan streak. While she was at it, she removed the mare's hair clip and redid her coiffure on the go – a few strands had come loose during the melee, after all. She fitted it back on somewhat forcefully, causing Starlite to yelp. “You’ll know as much as you need to, when you need to. Thus far… I’m satisfied, if a little nauseous. I am not going to be able to eat watermelon for a week.”

“Sorry, Mistress.”

“Now-now, let’s remove ourselves from this noisy place.”

Assistant Trial 3: Fangs and Claws

Starlite had no shortage of secretarial duties to tend to after their visit to the Sun and Moon Casino Palace. It seemed as though quite a lot of external agents were going on the move. Intriguingly, Numinous herself spent considerable time in the upper districts, mingling with her more influential pawns – be it to arrange matchmaking, to network for them, or to procure new gems. The unicorn, meanwhile, was one of the few, if not the only one, with access to such information.

In fact, while no statements had been made, there was a clear understanding that she had received something of a promotion after last time. Starlite found herself being asked to oversee and direct work of fellow orange-patched secretaries. She was more than satisfied to do so, as it was incontrovertible proof that she had pleased her Mistress - likely beyond what had been expected! Her ability to discern value of information allowed her to take to her duties with great effect, now that she was fully motivated to remain in the dragon’s good graces.

The gift Numinous presented her with last time was a very promising indicator of what she might receive for continued good work. As such, when she was called into the dragoness’ personal abode, Starlite was full of positive vibes. There was no usual thumping, tingling anticipation at the bottom of her gut when she walked toward the jewel encrusted entry chute and let herself be scanned for entry.

The secretary stood before the door with her arms outstretched, the multicolor beams refracting off her shades. Suddenly, the doorway opened before the scan finished, revealing Numinous in her pink bathrobe and loosened hair.

“Uuuhhh-“ the mare started, her cheeks reddening.

She didn’t get to continue. Numinous let out a jet of steam from her nostrils, rolled her eyes, and grabbed the mare by the horn, pulling her into her private chamber with a groan.

“In you go,” the dragon uttered with her mouth half full of gems.

“Gah!” Starlite grunted, swerving around in confusion. She landed square on her bottom, sitting down on Numinous’ luxurious green and purple octagon pattern rug. “Ex… cuse me?! What’s the matter? Um, Mistress?”

“Busy, busy little gemling you have been, Starlite. Goodness.” Numinous let the doors shut and approached her administrative control console. She swiped through her messages one last time and performed an elegant, growling yawn. With her tail, she poked the speaker crystal system, setting it into standby, the pink crystals turning a ‘Do Not Distrub’ red hue. “I’d like to discuss your work performance, you see?”

“Oh? Oh, oh, oh, what about it?” Starlite clambered back to her feet, hurrying to restore her composure. She fixed her suit and straightened out her white shirt, tugging at her breast laces to bring out her proud posture. “I’ve been-“

“You’ve been feverish, my dear! I… let me see there… ah, yes, there. You’ve been breaking your own performance records today, as you have been every other day for the past week.” Numinous clicked her tongue and disabled the HQ tasks and orders console with another precise poke of her tail. “I must say, no other secretary among my beauties has worked as if their life depended on it! That sort of dogged determination is more common among-“

“Well of course I’m doing my best! How could I not? You’ve given me-“

“TUT. TUT! No interrupting, Starlite,” Numinous hissed, appearing before the mare within the blink of an eye. Before Starlite could even gasp, her snout was squished by the dragoness’ gempowder-stained, powerful hand. “Dogged. Determination.”

“Hnmf?”

“Dearie,” the dragoness explained in a deeply condescending tone. “You have CLEARLY failed to notice, but for the past twenty-four hours, I have been giving you completely made-up orders and sending you to work in circles. You have been doing absolutely nothing of use. Every secretary has been, for that matter.”

“Hn… hnmf.” Starlite’s eyes went slightly askew. Her gut sank. She was disappointed… and angry. More importantly, however, she was now most assuredly worried.

“You didn’t notice! You’ve actually been doing better than ever, Starlite, which I find just… precious, albeit immensely DISAPPOINTING.” Numinous blew cloud of steam on the mare’s face. With shaking limbs and sweat raining down her neck, she only tepidly bucked as the dragon hoisted her into the air by her snout. “And this is what I’ve been saying… this is exactly the kind of behavior you looked down on just recently. Now I give you more attention than normal, and just like this, you become addicted! Tut. Tut. Tut!”

Starlite gasped as Numinous let her go, dropping onto the dragoness’ extraordinarily bouncy, colorful bed. She nearly tumbled off it, having to grip the squeaky mattress to stay attached. Her gulp was loud enough to drown out her beating heart, if only for a moment.

“But… but… wait… but… but aren’t we- don’t we have- why would- Mistress, how come-“ she babbled, rubbing the back of her neck and trying to smile in a fake display of confidence.

“Blah-blah-blah! Scuttling, buzzing about, you’re a busy, busy beetle. Quaint, but I’ve no need for beetles! I’ve something of an ant colony under my sway, Starlite, dearie, darling, sweetie-pie.” Numinous was in something of a hissy fit, stopping only to throw a white gem into her mouth. She continued while chewing: “And frankly, I am quite exhausted and do believe you don’t deserve the effort it would require for me to proceed with the metaphor. I believe you understand what I mean!”

“…uhm…” Starlite cleared her throat and desperately tugged at her collar, trying to let off some of the building heat. “…n-no, Mistress, I’m… really confused…”

“I think you are working too hard, and your desire to please me has gotten in the way of your better senses, Starlite,” the dragoness explained after a long, drawn out groan. She took a swig from a bottle of expensive champagne that sat, long opened, on her table. Off said table, she lifted a small crystalline control tool. “Which is adorable, but really, you were busting your precious, proverbial hump for tasks I simply made up on the spot. Do think about it.”

“But… why?!..”

If she had herself together, she would definitely have uttered a low, hopeless ‘oh shit’, as in her short time under Numinous’ employ, she’d come to learn what encounters like these meant. Especially that tool in her hand, which the mare knew for a fact opened up a… secret compartment in her already rather complex, spacious, luxurious chambers.

“Well, fine. If you must know...” Numinous sighed and put her hands together, tilting her head, her tail swirling around her legs. “I really, truly did not appreciate that… bleh, crackling noise. You know what I mean. I enjoy watermelon entirely too much; I am, after all, an aquatic dragon. You could have been more elegant!”

“Oh.”

“So I decided to, ahhh, engage in a charming little practical joke with you, and the fact is that I am currently having to explain that it was, indeed, a practical joke.” Numinous shrugged. “The last twenty-four hours of utterly useless secretarial tasks, that is. Your presence here is not a joke. Hmmm, not at all.”

“Oh…”

“As such, presently, I find that I’d enjoy you a whole lot more as a stress toy, my beauty.” The dragoness smiled, fluttering her eyelashes. “Really, I am quite stressed, I mean, just look at me! Putting my grand plan into motion is a lot of work. You’ll be a lot more useful like this for the moment.”

“B-but, but, but why did you have y-your entire secretary staff just-“ Starlite began to argue, her mind, while influenced by Numinous, certainly not operating on the same wavelength as her. This was… almost pissing her off. How could her genius Mistress casually dismiss such a pillar of her organization if important work was underway?

“Because you’re simply not very useful to me right now! I am focused on entirely different aspects of preparation! Ones you are not required to know, ones you are not intended to stick your snoopy charcoal snout into, ones I undertake myself while my loyal beauties keep me happy with the efforts of my operation!!!” Numinous stamped her foot and shook her fist at the mare. She huffed and crossed her arms, looking away from her. “Therefore, I decided to use you for some personal amusement. Here we are now, you dolt. So… I will ask you to remove this adorable outfit of yours.”

Starlite’s breath evacuated her lungs in a dejected gasp. She hung her head. Reality hit her like a speeding carriage. Both the reality of her situation, wherein she truly did let herself go and fell for such basic urges as clamoring for the dragon’s approval… and the reality of how this whole predicament was utter bullshit. Starlite simultaneously knew she degraded herself in her Mistress eyes, and that her Mistress was playing tricks on her for her own amusement despite seeming appreciation for her professional value.

But her inner turmoil had to be folded up and set aside. Numinous had been kind to her, but her experience with disciplinary measures was quite real. Particularly those where you are summoned to her private chambers… She may have remembered more from her time before induction into the operation than she realized, too. Her sessions were rather interesting.

“Ahem.” Numinous snapped Starlite out of her trembling, lip-biting, fist-shaking reverie. “Do cooperate. If I utilize my full control over you, I may get a little… carried away.”

Starlite jolted, bouncing again on the dragon’s large bed, and she scuttled off it, proceeding to unbutton her suit and shirt. She found it hard to maintain eye contact with the dragoness, who was chewing on gems from a plastic bucket while she watched the mare undress.

“Now-now, don’t be shy. There’s nothing there I haven’t seen,” Numinous reminded her, taking another swig of her champagne.

“Hkk-“ Starlite had nothing to say, having stripped herself down to her own custom made, gem-encrusted lingerie.

“And for goodness sake, I understand how much you like it, but-“ Numinous grunted, stomping over to the half-naked pony. She yanked the shades off her head and delivered a rather strong flick at her forehead. “-there is a time and a place for wearing these! I suppose I really do need to encourage you to learn some perspective.”

“Tha-tha-aaat m-might not be necessary, Mistress, I’m sure we can-“ the unicorn stammered, trying to ease her fate. Her argument was countered by a deeply skeptical head tilt, the mere sight of which caused her ears to fold.

She hadn’t yet removed her heels when Numinous helped her out of them – by coiling her tail around the mare’s waist and lifting her into the air. Starlite yelped and barely landed on her knees when she was tossed through the chamber. She narrowly avoided landing on one of Numinous’ numerous decorative gem stuffed pillows, and she found herself steps away from the recently unlocked secret compartment. Therein lay the dragoness’ array of special tools that didn’t quite find justification for their use in her professional practice.

Numinous, befitting her exotic nature, had an appropriately exotic taste in toys. Starlite’s mind raced, looking for any excuse to get out of this… as well as trying to stay convinced that she didn’t want this.

“Oh, don’t get so excited. In fact, you should relax,” the dragoness recommended. Her hands abruptly pressed up against the mare’s shoulders. She squeezed tight, sending electrical jolts and heatwaves to throughout Starlite’s body, negating the tension that had amassed in her limbs. “The suit might get somewhat uncomfortable if you’re so tense.”

Starlite gulped. Her amber eyes darted back and forth in the interior of the foreboding tool closet. “Uuhh… Wh-what suit?..”

“Why, the Stress Suit, of course. It’s a new item in my inventory.” Numinous snickered. She pointed towards it, her arm brushing up against the mare’s cheek. Starlite’s mane drooped over it when the dragoness removed her hair clip, rather unceremoniously using her teeth. “It’s for providing overly fiddly busybodies like yourself with a new perspective on life under my dominion.”

“But that’s-“

What the dragoness pointed at was not quite a suit – it was a wide open body cast, as if a statue had been vertically cut in half. Little crystals sparkled within subtle slots placed at the joints and along the spine, a hexagonal honeycomb pattern of internal wiring connecting the crystals and spreading into the outer shell. The material appeared a mixture of rubber and plastic, with an untraceable resemblance to marble – there was something about the way it hung loosely on its hook, yet not a wrinkle or crease on its surface, making it clear it was as solid as it was malleable. The material was a tepid red, yet the refraction of the lights in Numinous’ chamber on its surface suggested that its color was not permanent.

And as fascinating as all that was, what drew the most of Starlite’s attention was the fact this was a draconic body shape. Snout, horns, spines and a fleshy tail, its limbs and torso both longer than hers.

“-that’s a dragon suit,” she said, turning to face Numinous, pointing towards it with her arms. “H-how am I supposed to…”

The dragoness simply crossed her arms, tilted her head, raised her eyebrow and began tapping her foot, her tail swinging in agitation.

“Oh, so THIS is where you begin to ask questions? How disappointing,” she said. “As you were just told, I procured this item to grant dogged busybodies like yourself perspective. Now – unhook it and lay it on the bed.”

“But-“

“No. Buts.”

Starlite didn’t finish, a mere glimmer of the dragon’s sharp maroon eyes enough to convince her to do as asked. It wasn’t even her size… taller than her across the board, yet less muscular in certain areas. She groaned as the dragoness sped her along with a tail smack against the mare’s freshly exposed rump. Her cutiemarks stung for a moment before falling back into dejected acceptance.

Starlite sighed and gritted her teeth as she lifted the heavy suit off its hook, then stumbled over to the bed and laid it on the mattress. For a few moments, she just stood over the gaping ’maw’ of the mysterious device, shrugging and rubbing her snout in anxiety. Numinous' hands came up to her shoulders and gave a gentle but firm push, eliciting a small yelp from Starlite as she plopped onto the strange ’cushion’.

Against her bare skin, its surface felt even more bizarre, both smooth and hard, yet pliable with enough pressure. She did not get to lounge on it for long, however, as the dragoness turned her onto her back and set about playing ’dressup’ again, fitting Starlite’s limbs into the suit's receptacles one by one. She clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes at her squirming companion, who could hardly keep still, given the deluge of stimulation. Her skin was sensitive enough to the dragoness' touch its own, but now those claws were squeezing the mare into this exotic contraption, making her feel that odd substance caress her bare skin from all around, becoming more intense with each arm and leg that the suit claimed.

Finally, Numinous reached in, her claws slipping around Starlite's hips and teasing her rear briefly, eliciting a squeak that put a delighted smirk on the dragoness' face. She took her time tugging and twisting the mare's tail, until she finally had it in one solid bundle, which she proceeded to push into a compatible slot. Starlite’s body was now fully encased, save for her face and the front of her torso. While it was a tight fit, the suit was also too tall, rather than too small – dwarfing the pony with its size while making her feel cramped at the same time.

The secretary took a few deep breaths and cleared her throat. “Sooo… what, ummm… n-now?..” she mumbled through gritted teeth. “I don’t get it…” Her movements were the tiniest of twitches now, the sheer mass of the suit keeping her in check.

“Oh you won’t need to.” Numinous’ snout split into a sharp-fanged grin. “I will take it from here.”

From an inner pocket of her robe, the dragon procured her trusty pendant, which she spun once in the air before pressing her thumb against it. Starlite noticed how that gem was quite similar to the ones now poking at her joints and spine. That was the last thing she got to notice before the suit closed up, the frontal section collapsing into existence in mere moments, sealing her inside.

Her mumbles of concern didn’t last much longer. Starlite found it impossible to move the suit’s limbs, and her skin was fully exposed to the magical currents running along the honeycomb circuitry. It was a worryingly persistent feeling, as if the wiring were installed chiefly to zap the wearer, and not to convey energy between the magical conduits. More disturbingly yet, the frontal part came installed with its own eyelids, much larger than her own, and currently shut tight. Her ears, too, were folded down against her temples. The only part of the equine anatomy this suit seemed to account for was her horn, which jutted out in its own slot.

“I hope this will be an illuminating experience,” Numinous said, her voice resonating in the mare’s mind more than her ears. “Oh, gosh. Pfffheh-heh-heh~”

With those words, the dragoness grasped Starlite’s protruding horn and slid some sort of device over it. It seemed to have a similar internal texture to the suit – soft, tight, rubbery, and lined with gems. Numinous’ claws jabbed at a very sensitive spot directly underneath Starlite's horn, which elicited a shocked, whinnying groan from the trapped mare, followed by a reflective expulsion of magic. No sparks shot from her horn, instead being absorbed by the sheathe. For a moment, Starlite assumed it was one of those magic nullifiers used by kidnappers and kinksters. But its purpose was something entirely different.

Detecting Starlite’s magic signature, it redirected the energy into the mare. At first, it was simply a jolt of magic through her entire nervous system, similar to the tingling her flanks used to emit back when she was still Scarlet. The gems and circuitry came to life afterward, maintaining the flow of energy through her nervous system. While it wasn’t outright painful, she was trapped in a humid, ill-fitting body suit, unable to do anything but lie still. It was stressful, to say the least. Yet that wasn’t the whole purpose of the Stress Suit either.

At some point, Starlite suddenly no longer felt her legs dangle. Her biceps stopped rubbing up against the inner boundaries. Her chest could touch the top, and her tail stalk sensed the entirety of the tendril encasing it. The suit had somehow become skintight, while the flow of energy faded into the background. Starlite could no longer make it out among all the other sensations, even in spite of her base magic eruptions pulsing repeatedly, from the heels of her paws all the way to the tips of her horns. A deeper shudder passed through her as she realized she was perceiving those extremities as her own.

The suit’s eyelids opened, revealing a better lit room than she remembered, and more of it than she could previously see at any one point. Numinous’ excited visage filled her vision, clapping excitedly and licking her lips. Grabbing Starlite by her new horns, she forced her to sit up on the bed.

“No need to get acquainted,” Numinous said, echoing in her mind. “You’re feeling as natural as you ever will!”

Starlite’s head tilted down, allowing her to see her body – a passive rose red color with a pinkish highlight around her belly, scale patterns around her joints. She had quite a lot of thoughts to voice, but her snout remained sealed. She then tried to lift her head, another thing in which her body did not cooperate. It did, however, get up and spin in place, bending over, arching its back and otherwise posing as soon as Numinous wished for it.

“Perfect! The Stress Suit works exactly as I designed it.” The dragoness approached Starlite. The two were now on eye level, Numinous no longer towering over her minion. Bizarrely, that did nothing to assuage her towering presence. “You see, I was quite literal about providing you with perspective. I was also quite, quite literal about how stressful my work really is. Well, this will give you an idea! Ah, who do I kid? No, it will not. I designed it specifically to mess with you. You’ll never know what it’s like to be in power like I am. But you’re still going to find out what it’s like to possess a body such as this… yet remain in total, uncompromising subjugation. Sound good?”

“Yes, Mistress,” Starlite’s voice, deeper and somehow even huskier, replied without her consent.

“Well follow me then! Oh-hoh-hoh, it’s been long since I sunk my claws into one of my kind. Now it gets to be you, Starlite! How exciting!” Numinous giggled, skipping off toward her recreational pool, stylized as a miniature hotspring. Starlite followed, baffled by the lack of motion sickness as her legs made her travel such a great distance in just a few steps. Her tail now acted as a counterweight to her lean, mobile body’s many iron-dense muscles. “So it’s rather simple, you see. Right now, you’re a rather generic, uninteresting, characterless red – your kind tends to depict us dragons thusly, and really, it confounds me. I mean, fire dragons may generally be red, but aquatic dragons? How narrow-minded!”

Starlite’s body slipped into the water, immediately becoming one with it. Her nervous system wailed in abject despair, spinning in circles at the unnatural ease of her movements, randomly stabbing at various reflexes in an attempt to make heads or tails of how she felt. And yet, none of her movements were affected by it, every relevant thought being leveraged through the hooks Numinous had sunk into her core long ago.

“And the more I tune you to this wonderful suit, the more it will come to resemble your natural coloration,” the dragoness remarked. She had popped out of the water inches ahead of Starlite. ”It’s a brilliant idea, truly. I get to see you cook inside this shell with a pleasant visual indicator! Now, what is the tuning process, you might ask?”

“What is the tuning process?” Starlite’s voice said without her consent. Its tone failed to quite reflect the creeping anxiety those words would have intended to convey.

“Oh, thanks for interrupting.” Numinous switched to a harsh, abrasive frown. Her strong arms wrapped around Starlite, squeezing her tight, applying great amounts of pressure to her muscular draconic body. The green dragoness’ claws sunk into her back and trailed downwards, each stroke feeling explicitly real against her thick, smooth red skin. Naturally, Starlite never even considered interrupting her to begin with, but alas. “Ponies, unicorns in particular, have a habit of expelling magical energy when under stress – as I have demonstrated. It is how your body interacts with your mind, you see… Well, I intend to calibrate it.”

All this came with the added benefit of full and complete awareness she was very much trapped inside, no matter how authentic each sensation may have been.

“Eh-heh-heh, turning darker already!” Numinous chirped with laughter. “Oh, I think I’ll have to take it slow so the fun isn’t over too soon. I’ve much to expose you to, and a lot of stress to inflict…”

“But why, oh why, would you do that, Mistress?” Starlite’s voice asked in a hoarse monotone. The question, while apt, did not come from her own will or desire for answers.

“Because shut up, pet, and receive ample punishment for interruption,” the dragoness replied coldly. Before Starlite could process the dread inflicted by those words, her body slouched and dove underwater – only for Numinous to place her heel on her companion's head.

She was stuck underwater, unable to recognize whether she risked drowning, with her Mistress’ foot pressing down on her inordinately large skull. Nothing she did was in her control, yet she felt significantly more than she previously could. In her immediate future waited numerous tribulations where her equine body likely couldn’t have held together. In her present, she was having to realize that even if her body were truly hers, Numinous had stepped on her in such a way as to completely block any writhing or slithering.

Oh, and there was fuck all she could do to stop being punished whenever Numinous felt bored with her current predicament, so there was also that.

The suit took less time to darken than the dragoness may have wanted.

But in that time, Starlite was exposed to a variety of rather unforgettable experiences, such as coiling backwards around herself up to two times for a period of twenty minutes, hanging upside down with only her tail for purchase, withstanding Numinous’ teeth around every new sensitive point not present on her equine body (dragons were mercifully less touchy), and acting as her Mistress’ furniture while she read her magazines, sipped on champagne, and devoured gemstones. She took great pleasure in letting her pet know that her snacks were genuine starlites.

At some point, all she could do was give in and just… resign to the oddly pleasant tingling permeating in her spine. A tingling that only grew stronger the more she realized how little control she had. It did provide perspective, that much was true. Already quite proud of her body, she got to understand what a chasm existed between a nominal dragon and her Mistress, to say nothing of ponies. Many times she was allowed to feel the dexterity and strength her body now possessed, yet every memory she had of Numinous acting with any degree of power or finesse showed she was on another level from even that.

More and more, the cathartic feeling grew in her awareness. Being in possession, yet by no means in control of, such a refined, superior body didn’t end up feeling that different to her usual state. She was Mistress' right hand, an extension of her slippery, insidious claws. By default, Starlite was merely allowed to act on her own, a rather minor allowance, really – take away the novelty, and there was little to distinguish how she was now from how she was then. And she knew she liked how it was then.

Thus, at some point, the ambient stress from her predicament had begun to settle down – something Numinous obviously planned for, relishing in the chance to claw, nibble and constrict her. It was abundantly clear that the Mistress was indeed quite stressed, needing far more recreational abuse of Starlite than usual.

They happened to be in front of a mirror when her coloration finished calibrating. Starlite watched Numinous grasp her body from behind, digging her snout into her neck, her tail coiling around her legs, still ever so slightly taller on account of her longer horns. With one last lick up her elongated neck, her body had finally locked into a flat charcoal tint, her belly an amber shade fitting that of her vertical slit eyes. Her short hair bangs took on a lighter grey than her skin, with distinct cyan highlights, which were echoed in the fleshy fins protruding from her elbows and her back. A strange rush passed through her, making her body tingle all over before it transcended the physical, drowning out thought and emotion, and she could feel the words flowing to her lips.

“Assimilation complete,” her voice remarked.

“Oh… oh, you silly, stupid, stupid thing, now why would you say something like that… you’re not being assimilated!” Numinous growled passionately into Starlite’s earhole, her claws sinking into her hips. “Assimilation tactics are something I am quite, quite, quite annoyed by… oh, you nasty thing.” Starlite would have loved to reply, to reassure her Mistress that she agreed, but her mouth remained shut. Her flanks stung again, and she picked up on a faint undertone of amusement in Numinous’ words. She was being set up for a lecture, even if it meant putting words in her mouth - quite literally. “The correct term is calibration. This suit has merely hijacked your entire nervous system through access to your cutiemark magic and applied the perceptive filter of a draconic body, modeled after yours truly, while compensating for your physical shortcomings with some basic safety magic. You are now in tune with… a better perspective on how I wish for things to work.”

“I am sorry, Mistress. Perhaps you should punish me some more,” Starlite’s voice suggested dryly. Starlite herself, by that point, after the passing of many hours, would have added a roll of the eyes at most.

“Punish? Oh no no. Silly, again. You’ve afforded your Mistress a beautiful chance to test some very promising tools…” Numinous rested her head on Starlite’s lean shoulder. By then, she was on her third cherry smokestick, callously blowing the smoke at Starlite’s snout. “…and to remind herself that Starlite is really quite delicious in any form, once she is allowed to settle in.”

The dragoness’ hand then crawled down along Starlite’s torso, making serpentines down her belly and thighs, just a few tantalizing inches from her nethers. Only now did the mare realize that she had yet to explore the most intimate "enhancements" the suit gave her - though it was hard to think about it in the first place, as the experience had made her all but lose distinction between her equine body and the one cuddling with Mistress.

“You know, Starlite, dearie, sweetie… You are a xenophiliac. I know that for a fact,” Numinous stated. “So for your information, my special pet...” She blew cherry scented smoke into Starlite’s snout. To a draconic olfactory system, the smell was oddly arousing. “…this will still count as cross-species intercourse.”

The green dragoness grinned, and her hand finally closed the gap, claws teasing Starlite's entrance. “Enjoy!~”

The mare gave a small gasp. To an outsider, it would have seemed like an oddly lukewarm reaction, if not for the venomous chuckle Numinous gave in response. The suit was still not cooperating with her, but the stimulation set off intense waves of pleasure, amplified by the crystal circuitry, and the sheer intensity of it all overwhelmed the ’grip’ on Starlite's faculties. It was just enough to make her open her mouth, inhale sharply, eyes widening a little, all to the thorough amusement of her Mistress. Moreover, the magical feedback loop was still active, and as Starlite's horn fizzled and crackled, she soon felt her own lust crashing back onto her.

“Ohhh~” She arched her back, tail swishing from side to side, and she leaned into her partner, legs quivering as she did her best to stay upright.

“Mhmm~” Numinous dispensed with the monologues. Her actions already spoke volumes, not to mention her mouth was busy getting another sample of Starlite’s ’flavor’. Something about the tone of her hum was quite foreboding, and the mare did not need to wait long to find out.

Those skilled fingers gently stroked her lower lips, a thumb settling on her most sensitive spot, pressing and rubbing to elicit more squirming and moans. As always, Mistress knew exactly how to make her ’sing’. And yet, somehow this was something more. All their past sessions felt whimsical by comparison. She tried to think, but any coherent string of ideas slipped right out, caught in the wake of another powerful rush of pleasure, drawing a low moan from her lips. Mistress pressed tightly into the submissive dragoness’ back, legs and tail coiling around Starlite's own. Her free hand trailed up toward her pet’s chest, gently kneading one of her mounds while she whispered into her ear.

Something felt off. Different. It was right on the tip of her tongue, yet a swift pinch from Numinous' teeth banished it from her mind. She could hear the dragoness speaking to her again. Explaining things. Examining. Praising and scolding. She felt kisses being trailed up her neck and to her cheek. The fingers dove in between her folds, making her lift her head and moan toward the heavens. Heat pooled in her belly, a pressure that steadily grew from Mistress’ rhythmic teasing.

The voice was ever-present now, detached from the physical, yet in tune with the events around her. It narrated her thoughts, feeding into that fire building inside as she considered Mistress delving so deep. Her limbs could move freely now, though she could only think of moving them to join the embrace. Words turned into laughter, her moans fading into the background, even as they became more frequent and intense. Her body swayed, thighs clenching around the claws that plunged in between them. Her eyes lost focus, barely able to make out distinct shapes through the haze.

For a moment, she could have sworn she saw two emerald serpents intertwined, setting off a sense of triumph in her head, the level of arrogance feeling quite foreign, yet familiar and alluring at the same time. Meanwhile, the claws below finally pushed her over the edge, and the building heat and pressure exploded into her body, her last thought drowned out by her own ecstatic cry.

Rogue Resolution

"Heh-heh-heh... yes, this will do nicely. Mmm~"

Starlite paused for a moment, hands stuck in an awkward position against her chest, as she was in the middle of putting her bra on. There was a strange presence nearby, a flicker just in the corner of her vision, but when she turned to look, she only saw her own curious expression staring back at her from the mirror. She hummed thoughtfully and took a step closer, then smiled and shook her head. Just nerves, I guess.

She finished putting on the bra, then turned left and right to examine herself. The fine silk was sure to impress Mistress, not to mention her decision to put it on. Without being told to, no less! Why yes, Starlite had been making an effort to "improve her style", as Mistress kept suggesting, often with a not-too-subtle jab from her tail. Starlite's smile widened as she pictured how the dragoness would react to this 'treat', and once again, something caught her eye. Something all too familiar about that grin in her reflection. The piercing gaze, too, almost as if...

Starlite shook her head. Enough dawdling! She had work to do, and little time to waste. She gathered the rest of her outfit and swiftly put it on, not letting anything else distract her. It took a few attempts to get her heels on, as her hooves kept fumbling with the tight space they were meant to fit into. For some reason, she kept having to double check to make sure her shoes weren't a size too small. Or several...

Finally, having made herself presentable, she picked up her bag and took off. The limousine ride gave her just enough time to go over her paperwork and schedule one last time. That is, whenever her gaze didn't wander out the window to get caught on odd glimpses of light. It was unlike her, as she she never liked this city very much. Most of it was ugly, and anything that wasn't was just trying to trick you. But as of late she found herself wondering what kind of treasures might be hiding in plain sight.

Her train of thought was cut off when the limousine came to a halt outside the entrance. The secretary hurried through the doorway and headed straight for the elevator, her mouth feeling dry as she saw the doors open in advance, as though it had been waiting for her. She fixed up her dress and checked her makeup, staring at herself in the pneumo lift’s mirror to try and stay calm. On her way to Dr. Numinous’ official administrative residence within the very heart of their compound, she had no intentions of appearing careless.

Now, in all fairness, she spent the last week exercising considerable mental rigor to avoid either overworking or slacking off. Her most recent close encounter with the Mistress may have given her perspective, but it didn’t make her everyday life any easier. Still, she tried to remain balanced, without appearing as though she tried too hard. It didn’t stop her from being an oppressive presence amid other secretaries, which, in turn, allowed her to keep tabs on the progress of things throughout the compound.

So she knew that whatever the topic of their conference, most of Numinous’ favorite beauties were already in on it. Starlite was justifiably miffed, but over her time under the Mistress’ command, she learned that a lot of her more arbitrary steps tended to have a motive. This thought was enough to keep her pacified as the lift came to a halt.

It was best not to think of how Numinous admittedly loved messing with her.

The large portal gate opened before Starlite, revealing the dragon’s massive office. “You wanted to see me, Doctor?” the mare asked.

“I have called you here for a matter of great importance,” Numinous informed her. There was no sarcasm nor playfulness in her tone this time. In fact, she sounded unusually formal.

The unicorn couldn’t help but notice that the path to the Doctor’s desk was lined with statues of those they’d marked 'unworthy' several weeks back. Keeping to Numinous' fondness for gems, each figure wore an exotic ornament, either wrapped around a limb, their neck, or resting on top of their head. Starlite lost herself in the many polished crystals embedded in the jewelry, gaze sinking into the different colors, the overhead lights highlighting countless facets. Her mouth watered, and a strange longing nagged at her in the back of her mind. It took her a few moments - not to mention Numinous clearing her throat sternly - until she snapped out of it and turned back to her Mistress.

“Of course!” she blurted out. “Hopefully my… performance, of late, has been acceptable enough.” She gestured to her side. “I’m not joining these losers, am I?”

“Hm. No. Let us not hurry matters.” Numinous put her hands together. The wall-sized display behind her lit up, causing her throne-like chair to stand out in the gloom. “It is time that you learn of my current project. Come over and I’ll show you.”

Starlite let out a tense breath and straightened herself. “Yes, Doctor,” she replied and approached the dragoness’ desk, locking her hands behind her back.

Numinous rotated in her chair and crossed her legs, watching the display, currently on standby, showing their operation’s colors – green, cyan and pink and a rotating, psychedelic pattern of gemstones.

“I know your intellect has allowed you to decipher a great part of my plot,” she said. “Thus, I will affirm the chief hypotheses I know you to have. Yes, we are to begin active combat operations against a non-negotiable threat. My personal amusement has ceased to be the key criterion for mobility within my strata of attention. Weaknesses are being patched, and our enemies’ weaknesses are being removed as well. Our modus operandi is threatened, as trade of exclusive technology and luxury goods through our numerous contacts relies on non-existent suppression from any hostile cells within the City. This, by itself, jeopardizes my greater goals.”

Starlite only nodded in response. As Numinous just said, she did put all this together. So, she was finally about to find out who was able to compete with their unparalleled might and influence…

“I have a rival in this City,” the dragoness finally stated. “And it offends me that I have let their filth slip beneath my notice for so long.” She glanced at Starlite through her spectacles, the sheen of the screen obscuring her eyes, yet the pony found the stare quite palpable. “Any guesses?”

“Well… I really don’t think we’re taking out Task Force Rogue,” the mare remarked. “It’s inefficient, and your influence within the Force is enough to throttle any attempts to go after us. Some of our external agents are kind of threatened by the City’s organized crime groups, but I can assume we’re working on taking control of those as well… There must be something obvious I’m overlooking, surely?”

Numinous clicked her fingers. The screen changed to a rather expansive collage of info sheets put together by their informatics team.

“Yes, you are. But I don’t blame you.” The dragoness smiled. “After all, it relates to something I have had to mangle quite severely.”

“I’d… kind of guessed…” the mare mumbled.

“Hmmm. Indeed.” Numinous got out of her chair and walked toward the enormous screen.

Using gesture controls, she zoomed in on one particular area. Starlite felt a pang of familiarity there – it was a series of traffic surveillance logs extracted by their agents in the Force. The footage tracked the carriage they had to hijack in order to escape the District of Beauties back during their first entry there.

Or, her first entry there, anyway.

“When I was on my solo mission to subjugate you, Starlite, everything proceeded as planned – as it always does. Everything, but one particular incident. One incident where I, for the first time in decades, came within so much as a suggestion of harm.” The dragon puffed her nostrils. “You remember it now, I’m sure.”

“I- Wait… You…” Starlite’s memories rushed back to her – their scuffle with the Hazard Force-equipped goons was not an incident one could easily forget, but with everything else that transpired, such brawls had fallen to the wayside. “You mean to say you were not, umm, acting? Back when we made our escape from the Protocol minions?”

“I would have expected you to discern that I was, indeed, genuine.” Numinous shrugged. “Genuine in my failure to control them. For they-”

She gestured again, this time zooming in to a… rather unpleasant set of diagrams and autopsy closeups.

“-are already being controlled. Controlled by this creature you, and others, call Protocol.”

Starlite’s gut churned. These were details from a Task Force Rogue analysis reel on a deceased Protocol goon. She knew they were trouble, that they were weird, but this went above and beyond. The pictures included examples of all affected species, and none of them were truly members of their respective species any longer. On the inside, they were at least half machine. Their cranial implants, in particular, left very little to resemble even a face, clearly designed to be forever interfaced to their masks. Those Hazard Force uniforms weren’t just a shtick. They hid remotely controlled automatons.

“That’s- that’s pretty sick,” Starlite admitted. “I had no idea they were this messed up.” Her hands balled into fists.

“These are their grunts,” Numinous proceeded. “Directing them are cybernetic monstrosities of a different make, rising in complexity – and reprehensiveness – up through a rather complex chain of command. The Protocol army is not bandits in costumes led by a masked freak.” The screen closed in on one picture after another, showing various degrees of alteration imposed on Protocol soldiers. “It is a machine. Each cog is controlled by influence of another, and all are in perpetual awareness of all others, delivered through various conduits of command. As you can see, some retain their more… genuine appearance; some even remain in possession of emotion, or impulsive cognition. For some, obeying the machine is even a choice.”

Starlite shook her head, witnessing reports from various crime syndicates and other Rogue minions of their run-ins with various members of the Protocol. A strange surge of disgust hit her, going beyond the basic revulsion set off by the images. Something about this felt wrong, and her thoughts were already racing about ways to address it, at least until Mistress spoke once more.

“But they are all compromised. All are irrevocably connected to the Protocol himself. Their brain matter is altered through means that none of my scientific beauties have been able to fully understand.” Numinous advanced the report, moving to a series of slides that were frankly indecipherable. Therein, layers of complicated diagrams and terminology explained various hypotheses as to how exactly the Protocol controlled its troops. “He has control over them at the click of a button. In exchange, they are each purged of the deep, intricate complexity that makes you you.”

The dragoness pointed specifically at the mare, who could only speak through gritted teeth.

“Has he got control of other Rogues yet?” Starlite asked. She found it suspicious Numinous singled her out. It bore wondering if those of the Rogue breed were also susceptible to this.

“…” Numinous crossed her arms and lowered her head. For the first time, the secretary saw her truly stumble. Or, come to think of it, it was now the second time. “I have information enough to believe that may be correct.”

“So Rogues aren’t-“

“No. Rogues ARE quite distinctly different,” Numinous cut her off. “I have empirical proof thereof. Believe me, Starlite, I had experience.” She took a deep breath. “The fact is… most of the Protocol’s more dangerous operatives are all willing accomplices. They approached him. That likely includes at least a few small-time Rogues. Those who wish to distance themselves from the chaos and turmoil of everyday existence. Those who want a way out of concerns for security or sustenance. Those who have but one singular goal, and will take any trade it takes to perform it. Those with little vision… yet still the hypercapable minds and abilities of Rogues.”

Starlite grasped her knees and nearly doubled over, letting out all her air in one continuous, overwhelmed gust. She shook her head. Rogues were her specialty. She remembered that now – as if she’d ever forgotten. To hear that some of them ended up like this was worrying. She found herself echoing Mistress' words in a low murmur before looking back up at her.

“He… he doesn’t just kidnap people and stuff them full of machinery?” she asked in disbelief. “This is… done voluntarily?”

“Ah, well, no, not quite,” Numinous hurried to assure her. “Most of the fodder is indeed kidnapped, picked up off the streets, or absorbed from gangs of lowlifes. No important matter, that. Really, that’s quite nominal among Roguekind. Yet, his officers tend to be… different. They are problematic. They seek him out, or otherwise willingly agree to terms outlined in his official correspondence.”

The screen displayed examples of messages sent to various individuals confirmed to have joined the Protocol. There wasn’t much to look at – just a long string of heavily encrypted code with rather complicated decryption instructions attached in separate files.

“Yeah. I think I’m starting to see where you and the Protocol have their differences, Mistress. It’d be-“ Starlite shook herself upright. Something staggeringly obvious suddenly occurred to her. “Wait. Gunther was a Protocol agent, wasn’t he?!”

“Yes.”

“I… thought that was set up as a reward for my service,” Starlite said, sulking. She sighed. “That was… kind of presumptive, I realize now.”

“Oh. Who says it wasn’t? Please. My motivations aren’t so simple.” Numinous shook her head. “Much unlike the Protocol himself. You bring me to the next most important point of this presentation.”

The screen switched to displaying a highly detailed report on Gunther’s activities over the past year. Seemingly sourced from several criminal organizations with ties to the Force, it was compiled a short time before Starlite and the Doctor paid him a visit at the Sun and Moon. The secretary scowled, having to see that old grouch again – now with a secondary layer of revulsion, as she fully understood just how insidious he was in nature. The speech Numinous delivered during Gunther's final moments made a lot more sense now.

At least she could feel proud for being on the right side of this fundamental battle, as well. A smirk flashed on her face, and she could almost feel her fangs dig into her lower lip.

“Gunther was a unique piece in the Protocol’s army. Perhaps the most independent actor, although significantly less clandestine in his appearance than some others.” Numinous zoomed in to a rigorously cleaned up and enhanced image of Gunther in his duty gear, something Starlite had rarely ever seen, as he was chiefly a command officer when she was on the Force. For that matter, Gunther himself looked younger, and possessed less implants. In that image, he was just barely visible conversing with another large shape, in what the image’s metadata stated to be the Sun and Moon. “Gunther and the Protocol shared a goal.”

Starlite ground her teeth together.

“Gunther had never gone under direct control by the Protocol. He was trusted explicitly, despite his… chaotic tendencies. Similarly, he trusted the Protocol in return.” Numinous zoomed the screen back out, allowing Starlite to look at the big picture again. “And you would know better than anyone that Lieutenant Colonel Gunther does not trust, nor appreciate, much of anything, unless it agrees with him perfectly.”

“Yeah, I know that…” the mare mumbled through her teeth.

“And you, of all ponies, would know that Gunther wanted nothing more than to exterminate all of Roguekind. So does Protocol. He is a Rogue against Rogues.” The dragoness placed ominous emphasis on those words. “Him and Gunther would remove all inordinate elements from the City. Install perfect order through any means necessary. Assimilate all that go against order and function. I don’t expect they would have remained in alliance to that end; after all, Gunther was never the most peaceful individual. Yet he had gone to some length to enable the Protocol to unroll his own operation, and to perform numerous direct strikes at the City’s crime and beauty.”

“…damn it.” Starlite gripped her head. “How did I never notice?.. There had been less and less crime coming from the lower Districts. Less Rogues, too! No wonder I was so eager to answer your call. I was starved on any news about your kind. Ugh! I was so careless – how could I just take this for granted?”

The dragoness smiled and approached the mare. She put her hands on her shoulders, rubbing at the orange patches.

“That is good enough, Starlite. I shall level with you: I too had been willingly ignoring these tendencies, so assured of my power in this place. If not for our fateful encounter with those brutes, serious damage could have been dealt to my plans.” It was a rare display of Numinous being earnest, her words devoid of venom or honey, instead sending a wave of soothing warmth through Starlite's whole being. “Do know I would not admit such a thing to just anyone.”

The mare sighed and nodded, managing to put on a gentle smile. “Thank you, Mistress.”

“You understand now what we have been preparing for, and why it is that we are going to war with the Protocol.” Numinous' hands tightened around Starlite’s shoulders, and she lowered her snout, breathing directly into the mare’s face. “And this is where you come in.”

“Uh… Yes, Mistress?..” Starlite looked up with some trepidation.

“Gunther despised you for your attitude toward the Rogues. He wanted them gone because they broke from normality. You wanted the praise and glory for conquering someone so clearly greater than you.” Numinous smirked as the mare blushed and averted her eyes. “In his world, glory hogs would only get in his way. But you? Oh, I find this little quirk rather charming. It is the gaping wound from your fundamental differences that I used to get my hooks into you, after all!”

A slight shiver ran up Starlite's back. “Yeah… kinda…”

“I think you are quite agreeable. In fact… I once found you amusing. Now that we’ve gotten quite a lot closer together... I believe you and I share something quite fundamental. What we do, we do for our personal enjoyment and gratification.” Numinous nodded to herself. “And now that I have disposed of the utter, horrid mess that was Scarlet, I have a strong feeling that you now combine the best of both worlds.”

“U-uuhhhh… Th-thanks,” Starlite murmured. Mistress' words were... reassuring? Her flanks were stinging, but even without her instincts, she could tell there was more to the dragoness' words than mere praise.

“So, without further ado…” Numinous whispered and stepped away from the mare. Starlite had been so awash with thought that it only now registered in her that two gemstones had been placed on her shoulders – gemstones that had now merged with her uniform. They flashed briefly, and her orange patches were rendered a dawn shade of pink, identical to the dragoness’ hair. “I would like you to be my chief accomplice. My right hand mare. My one and only Starlite.”

“…” The mare struggled to do more than keep her jaw off the ground.

“And I would like you to take charge of our war with the Protocol,” Numinous added. With a flick of her tail, she switched the screen to one last image.

A composite sketch of a massive, mostly robotic minotaur appeared on the display. Faint pictures taken from the same meeting where the younger Gunther was depicted were referenced all around, having been the source for this depiction. Sharing many of the same implants, the minotaur glared at the screen with a vacant, yet insidious stare. That was no artistic interpretation – only this single picture of his current appearance existed, the notes stating that it was taken by one of Numinous’ gemling scouts, the result of a fatal expedition through the District of Beauties. They had apparently been brought to be seen by the big bull himself.

That was the day right after the duo paid their visit to Gunther. Apparently, the image also came with an attachment. Starlite understood now that Numinous was talking to Protocol, not Gunther – and clearly, the message had gotten through. The minotaur glared at the camera with his robotic eyes, the distortion obscuring all other details. The image had so many layers of corruption that merely looking at it was painful, even through Starlite's shades. According to a comment by their informatics team, the metadata contained his direct response. So far, it had fried two consoles they uploaded it onto, and they were still busy decrypting it.

“So, you see, dearie?” Numinous laughed. “Now you just need to find his headquarters, invent a method to take down his rather considerable army, oversee the training of our troops, and grind the Protocol into dust. This… is all yours. I know my beauties well. And this is where none, including myself, are better than you.”

“...so he knows about us,” Starlite cracked her knuckles. It was all falling into place. She felt an urge to laugh - nay, holler with excitement, but kept herself in check, lest she embarrass her Mistress. “Well, as long as our systems aren’t compromised...”

“Pffsh. Don’t worry. I’ve been assured our data infrastructure is horribly decentralized. Whatever that is supposed to mean, I do not know, but just like how I trust you, I trust some of my techno-wiz beauties – ones you will be working rather closely with… Yes…” The dragoness put her hands together and twirled in place, smiling widely. She looked at Starlite with wide, glowing eyes. “Well, you see, dearie? I did get you your Rogue after all.”

Now was Starlite’s cue to laugh. She let out a resounding, triumphant cackle. She always knew to be faithful, that she’d be understood, that she just needed to wait… and the wait was worth it. Her own voice was music to her ears, and a 'pressure' she had bottled up for what felt like a lifetime now left her insides. She could feel it again, that strength and size in her limbs, sharpness of senses and wit. This would be perfect.

“How adorable. Just remember,” Numinous pointed out. “Being my right hand mare in charge of a full-out war against the Protocol… doesn’t mean you aren’t still my special pet. In fact, I will expect to see you in person whenever our schedules permit. Knowing you, I will need to de-stress with you many many times more. Mhm?”

“…” Starlite wheezed, phantom sensations flaring across her body for a moment. She smiled back at the dragoness. “Yes, Doctor. Mhm. Now… When do I begin?”

“Oh but why do you ask?” Numinous queried in mock surprise. She threw out her hands. “You have full authority over this branch of our operation. Me? Oh, I will simply ask you for tales from the frontline now and again. And should you think I might be useful to have around on a covert operation – well, I might just agree.”

The secretary – the right hand mare – stood in place, eyelashes fluttering. She had to will her mouth shut to avoid drooling.

“He’s… He’s… mine?” she muttered.

“Mmmmhm,” the dragoness replied. “This?.. This is yours!”

Starlite knelt before her and lowered her head. She meant it with the greatest reverence she’d ever shown to anyone, even herself. Her tail flicked back and forth, limbs tensing up in anticipation. Somehow, even on the floor, she felt no smaller than her beloved Mistress. After a lifetime spent chasing a Rogue, expecting a clash of fire and ice, she found they shared a lot more than she expected...

“And I, too, am yours, Mistress,” the mare swore. Her voice was almost a low hiss, dripping with lust and satisfaction. “Conduct me where you wish, and know that I will grind that rusty bastard into dust.”

“Yes.” Numinous said. She placed her hand under the mare’s chin, getting her to look up. Starlite's reflection stared back at her from those purple pools, mouthing the words that rang in her head. “You will.”