The silence of the foals

Luster Dawn was inside the Fillydelphia Ponice Department; specifically inside the meeting room. There she was with Van Coat, Ursa and the other nine ponies of the Ponicide Investigation Department. The room was in silence; the ponies sitting on their respective pillows before the grand square table. Luster stood up from her seat. She walked to the board. She spend a few seconds reading what was written there, and then turned around to face the audience. Everypony in the room was looking at her. She cleared her throat. "I see that all the teams are properly formed. Excellent". She took a step forward. She swept the seated ponies with her eyes. Her eyes fell on Van Coat; sitting before one of the heads of the table. And then on the dark blue coat of Ursa's face, sitting in the middle before the table. She looked back at Van Coat. "Okay, so team one; under the Subcommissar's command; stand up and approach him".

Three ponies got up from their pillows. They looked at Van Coat and got closer to him. They stood by his side. Luster nodded. "Great, now team three, you are under Ursa's lead. Present yourselves next to her", She said. Another three ponies stood up and walked until they were next to Ursa. They briefly exchanged glances with her. "Finally...," Luster turned her head and looked at the white board for a second, then she looked forward. She approached the table; the three unicorns left were before it; still sitting on the pillows. They were two stallions and a mare. She looked at them. "... I believe you three, uhm; Tackio, Neighrobi and Stockolt; belong to my team. Team two. Stand up and come closer".

They stood up from their seats and walked over Luster. The three of them were in front of her. Luster cleared her throat. She exchanged glances with Van Coat and Ursa. "Perfect. Three teams defined. Now..." Luster turned around and walked to the board again. With her magic, she picked up the marker from the floor. She pressed it and moved it against the white surface. "We'll define at what time of the day each team will work.". She looked behind her at the three ponies of her team. "Our shift; of team two; will be from late night to early in the morning". Her eyes fell on Van Coat. "Subcommissar; team one; which shift do you prefer? From morning to afternoon or from afternoon to night?"

Van Coat, who was looking at Luster, raised a hoof and rubbed his muzzle. He looked up at the ceiling and then back at Luster. "Well, I work better when de morning coffee hits. So, we'll be choosing de morning shift". He said. Luster nodded at him and then turned her head back at the board. She wrote again. She stopped and turned her body around. She looked at Ursa. "By de facto, Ursa; team three; you will have the afternoon shift". Ursa nodded twice, looking down shyly. She looked up at Luster and smiled. "Wid pleasure, commissar".

Luster nodded too. She was smiling. "Outstanding, teams. At this rate we'll solve this case quickly". She walked over to her pillow, passing by the members of her team. With her telekinesis, she grabbed her saddlebags from under the table and put them on her back. She looked at Van Coat and then at Ursa; at the ponies of team three. She turned her head and looked at the clock above the board. It struck twenty past three in the afternoon. She looked back at them. "Team three..." They all looked at Luster. "Since it's already afternoon, your shift starts. Under the direction of Ursa...,". Luster looked Ursa in her velvet eyes. "... You'll look for clues outside around the city; you'll interrogate and look for witnesses; and explore possible hideouts like the forest, the sewers or abandoned houses". Luster inhaled deeply. "All clear?"

"Yes, commissar!" Ursa and the other members of the team three said in unison. Luster looked at Van Coat and the rest of team one. They were looking at her. "You all; team one; are dismissed for today. Your first shift will start tomorrow morning. Understood?"

"Yes commissar!" The members of team one; except Van Coat; said in unison. Van Coat didn't shout. He simply nodded, closing his eyes. Luster looked to her right; at the members of her team; team two. They were standing a couple of legs away from her. "Team two, I suggest you to rest before our shift starts. That is ten o'clock post mareidiem. Got it?"

"Yes, commissar!" The members of Luster's team; team two; said in unison. She nodded and then looked at Van Coat. "Subcommissar, is there something you'd like to add at this meeting? So the dismissed may leave".

Van Coat shook his head and forelegs. "No, commissar. De dismissed shall leave and rest." He said with a smile. Luster nodded. "Alright, the dismissed please leave", she said. Some of the ponies sitting started to stand up. Luster looked at them. "Oh, wait! I forgot something!" With her telekinesis, Luster Dawn opened her saddlebag and took out her cantie-rantie. She swept all the ponies with her eyes. "We've got to set up a communication frequency. One private from the rest of the stablo".

Van Coat took out his cantie-rantie. It was hidden in his legband. The others took out theirs too; from their legbands. Van Coat looked up at Luster. "I suggest we use de emergency frequency. Even in dis wartime, it's rarely used." He said. The other ponies were looking at their cantie-ranties.

Luster looked at Van Coat. "Oh, alright, what's the frequency?" She asked. Van Coat looked at his device. "One second. Let me see". With his magic, he pressed a switch of the device and turned it on. The device of Van Coat and the other ponies started to make static noise. Luster also turned her cantie-rantie on. Van Coat looked up at Luster. "The emergency frequence is five-fourteen-four...-" Luster and the other ponies started typing on their devices with their magic. "... dot-twenty-nineteen. That's it, commissar".

Luster and the other ponies looked up from their devices. Luster turned off her cantie-rantie by pressing the switch. She put it back inside her saddlebag. She nodded. "It's all set, right?" She said. Van Coat nodded at her. Luster looked at the other ponies. "All set, everypony?"

"Yes, commissar!" They all, except Van Coat, said in unison. They all had put their cantie-ranties back in their legbands.

"The dismissed may leave now", Luster commanded.

The members of team one and two; except Van Coat, who remained seated; stood up and started to walk to the exit of the meeting room. The members of Luster's team walked past her. The door was opened with telekinesis and the ponies began to exit one by one. Luster looked at them leaving. She was smiling. Then, she turned her head forward and looked at Van Coat. He was before the opposite side of the head of the table. "Subcommissar..." Luster looked at the team three; Ursa's; still next to Ursa. They were looking at her. She looked back at Van Coat. "... Could I have some words with you outside?"

"Of course, commissar!" Van Coat nodded twice energetically. He stood up from the pillow seat and started to walk to the exit. Luster followed him outside the meeting room. The team three stayed inside the room with its leader; Ursa. They sat down on the pillows close to Ursa. Luster closed the door behind her. She and Van Coat were in the corridor of the first floor of the building. Luster looked down at the black and white tiles. She sighed and looked up at Van Coat, who was next to her. "Subcommissar, I need a favor", She said.

Van Coat smiled. "Anyding you need, commissar".

"Well I'll need to borrow the intel agents here. I have a mission for them", Luster said. "So, where can I find them?"

The commissar pointed with a hoof to his right; at where the corridor led to the exit of the building. "Dey are a few doors away from here, commissar. Let me take you dere". Van Coat turned his body to the right and started to walk. Luster followed him. They walked down the hallway, passing by doors. They moved for a few seconds. Van Coat, in front of Luster, stopped when they reached a door on the left hoof. There was a metal plate on the door. It had engraved: Internal Affairs. "Dis is it, commissar". Van Coat pointed at the door in front of him. He looked at Luster. She nodded. "Thanks, subcommissar. I'll handle things from here". She smiled at him. Van Coat nodded and stepped back. "I'll be in my office if you need anyding". He smiled back and started to walk on the opposite direction they had come. Luster approached the door and with her telekinesis turned the doorknob.

Nothing happened. The door didn't open.

Luster sighed. She raised a hoof and knocked on the door. She heard clops coming from the other side. After the sound of a lock being opened the door was pulled open. A unicorn with sunglasses and a headset on his left ear met Luster. Luster couldn't see his eyes. "Do you wish to enter?" He said.

Luster nodded. The intel agent stepped back from the threshold and gave way for Luster to enter. Luster walked inside. The door was closed and locked behind her.

Inside the room the walls were light blue; the floor was light gray; there were gray wooden desks used by intel ponies working on papers and sitting on pillows. They all looked up at her. All the intel agents there had sunglasses and earphones on their left ears. They didn't wear clothes or legbands; or any distinctive that indetified them as members of the stablo. The only thing they were seen wearing was their sunglasses and earphones.

An intel agent before a desk got up. He was a middle age pony. He looked at the other intels in the room. "All of you. Outside". He pointed the door. The ponies started to walk to the door. Luster moved away from the door and gave way for the intels to leave. With telekinesis, the door was unlocked and pulled open. The intels walked past Luster to get outside. The door was closed and locked again after the last intel subordinate left. Luster and the middle-age intel were left alone in the room.

Luster looked an the pony. "I assume you are the commander of the intel agents here".

With his magic, the intel took off his sunglasses. He batted his eyes twice. His glasses were floating surrounded by his magic aura.

"I'll take that as a yes", Luster said. She looked to her right and saw a pillow before a desk. She walked to it and sat down. Her saddlebags barely hung on her back. She looked at the intel, who was staying in place on the middle of the room. "I have a mission for you, intels".

The intel walked to the pillow next to Luster's. He sat down. He looked at her. "I suggest you to whisper", he whispered. Luster nodded. "Okay, walls speak, right?" She said. The intel batted his eyes again. "And also, you may turn off your cantie-rantie", he added. Luster sighed. "I just turned it off", she said. The intel perked his ears. Luster narrowed her eyes. "That must mean you are all ears".

They both stayed in silence for a few seconds. Luster cleared her throat. "Anyways, what I need of intelligence is for them to patrol the city and to watch the W. I need you to watch the perimeter; who enters and who leaves the city. Understood?" Luster whispered. She looked the intel in the eyes. The intel batted his eyes twice. Not a word came out of his mouth. Luster looked down and sighed. "I'll take that as a yes too". She stood up from the pillow. She turned around and went to the door. She turned her head at the intel, who had already gotten up and was behind Luster. "Would you mind to unlock the door for me?" Luster asked. Without saying nothing, the intel's horn illuminated. A metallic noise came from the door. It was unlocked. "Thanks". Luster looked forward at the door and with her magic turned the knob. She pulled the door open. She crossed the threshold. Outside; in the hallway near the door to the Internal Affairs office, were all the intel agents who had left the room minutes ago. Since they were wearing dark shade glasses, Luster couldn't tell if they were looking at her. When Luster left the room she moved away from the door. All the intels started to walk inside the room. One by one. When the last intel entered the room again the door was closed and locked again.

Luster stood in the middle of the corridor. She covered her mouth with a hoof and yawned. She turned her body left and walked to the meeting room. She got in front the door and opened it with her telekinesis. She walked inside and looked at the ponies there. She closed the door behind her. Inside the room was the team three of the Hunters of the Fillydelphian. The ponies also looked at her. Luster's eyes fell on Ursa. "Hello again, I'll be helping you while I'm here". She smiled. "Of course, commissar", Ursa said. She approached a pillow before the table. With her magic she took off her saddlebags and put them on the floor. She sat next to one of the ponies.

On the table there were papers, quills and inkpots. Two ponies were discussing about a map of the city and the other pony was asking questions to Ursa. "Where should we start looking for de killer?"

Luster cleared her throat. All the ponies stopped talking and turned their heads at her. Luster put both of her forelegs on the table. She looked at Ursa. "Hey, why don't you start looking down the sewers? I could accompany you". She smiled.

Ursa nodded shyly. She looked down and then looked up back at Luster. "I dink dat's a good idea, commissar".

"Great!" Luster softly hit the table with a hoof. She stretched her wings. "Shall we go now?"

The members of the team three exchanged glances with each other. "Yea, commissar". Ursa stood up from her pillow. The other ponies imitated her. Ursa walked until she was in front of Luster. "Alright". Luster grabbed her saddlebags again and put them on her back.

"After you, commissar". Ursa pointed at the door. The other ponies were behind Ursa in a line.

Luster nodded and turned around. "Let's go". She walked to the door. The other ponies followed her.