The doorknob stood as still and silent as anything else that morning. All but the distorted reflection of Capper, which flexed its outstretched paw indecisively as it hovered over the surface of the door.

Capper bit his lip and sighed through his nose. Surely it wouldn’t be so bad to follow through. He had already swallowed much of his pride long ago, but found himself regurgitating those old feelings as he began to pace quietly across the threshold of the porch.

He turned his back, crossed his arms and tapped his foot as he looked at the path before him. Nopony would ever know he was there. He could just slip away back to his home and everything would be the same as it was. Capper grimaced to himself when he thought that. After all, he hadn’t had such a friend in years, and knew he would regret losing her. Of course, it would all be moot if she wouldn’t bother speaking to him again.

Gritting his teeth, Capper turned around and knocked on the door, probably more loudly than he had meant to.

There was the sound of shuffling inside, and Capper rolled his eyes at what was about to come. The sound of hooves across a wooden floor grew louder with the passing seconds, until they stopped at the door. Capper nearly raised his paw to knock again, when he heard a sound like jingling coins in a glass jar.

“Stay where you are,” a voice on the other side of the door said.

Capper shook his head in dismay as he listened to the metallic cacophony, until he heard the familiar cranking sound of a key in a lock. There was a click, and the top half of the double door swung open to reveal the face of Trixie, already dressed in her hat and cloak.

“Welcome to the Wagon of Wonderment. How might The Great and Powerful Tr–” Trixie’s usual spiel ended when she saw who had come visiting. “Well, well, well. What have we here? A mangy stray who’s come begging for scraps. Perhaps you’d like a saucer of milk? And a heaping side of horse apples?”

“Nice to see you too, Trixie,” Capper replied. “Keys in the coin jar? Tell me, what’s the first thing an intruder would take with them if they broke in?”

“You would know, wouldn’t you, you one bit burglar. What do you want?”

“You know why I’m here,” Capper said.

Trixie’s eyes narrowed suspiciously before she disappeared behind the lower half of her door. There was a click, and Capper had to quickly step backwards as the door swung open and Trixie stepped out onto her porch.

“No, actually. I don’t know why you’re here,” Trixie said. “Why don’t you tell me?”

Clearly, Trixie was intent on making things difficult. And it became more uncomfortable as Capper became aware of the townsfolk beginning their morning commute around him. Nopony had acted like they had noticed him yet, but his cloak of anonymity wouldn’t last long in a couple of more minutes.

“About last night,” Capper said, rubbing the back of his neck, “maybe I was a bit out of line.”

“A bit?” Trixie doubtfully said. “Tell me, O Humble Feline, just how much is a bit on planet Capper? Because it seems like a hell of a lot more than what the rest of us call ‘a bit.’”

“Look, I’m sorry,” Capper said, “I didn’t mean for anypony to get involved in my problems, but you just butted your way in.”

“Just what did you expect?” Trixie asked. “That I leave everything to you? Let you drown in your own self-inflicted sea of troubles as you flail vainly against your own outrageous fortune?”

“Shakespony?” Capper said.

“My point, Capper,” Trixie continued, “is that you have others that you may rely on. Others who will not stand idly by as you do only bad for yourself. Can you guess why?”

Indeed, Capper thought he knew the answer to that question. “You aren’t going to make me answer out loud again, are you?” he asked with a smirk.

Trixie returned Capper’s smile, “No. Not this time.”

A tiny laugh was shared between them, before Capper leaned against the wall of Trixie’s wagon and slowly scooted down to her level.

“It just all seems so…I don’t know. Unreal,” Capper said. “It’s something that I never knew I wanted until I had it there in my paws. But I never realized how fragile it all was until I felt like it was going to be taken away from me.”

Trixie took a seat beside Capper and leaned against his shoulder.

“That’s what makes it so valuable, Capper,” she said. “Everything you have seems so small and precious, and so incredibly vulnerable. That’s why you’ve already gone to such lengths to protect it. And your friends have seen it too. That’s why we help you to protect it. And if you’ve been paying attention, you may have noticed that Luna would do what it takes to protect what you have as well.”

The memory of meeting Needy at the park flashed into Capper’s mind. That needle-toothed grin. Those beady eyes. It all confirmed his worst fears of Luna getting involved in his affairs. Or worse, if they involved Luna. Every advantage and opportunity would be exploited by Needy. And there would be no way for Capper to take Luna out of it on his own. But there was somepony just to his side who he could rely on.

“How did you, a terminally single mare, learn so much about these things?” Capper asked.

“From reading Shakespony,” Trixie giggled.

“Of course,” Capper chortled.

The two sat in silence, watching as the town slowly woke up around them. More ponies were on the streets, beginning the day that Princess Celestia had granted them, feeling that she must have been in a particularly good mood that cheerful morning.

“I feel like I should ask you what you think you’ll do next,” Trixie said.

“Don’t know,” Capper said, standing slowly back up. “Needy hasn’t made a move yet, besides sending one of his goons after me. But I doubt he’s here to see the sights and meet the ponies.”

“In that case, I think I’ve had an idea about where to start,” Trixie said.

Capper’s ears twitched as Trixie continued to let herself into his business.

“Recently, the newspapers have revealed a name for the victim of that recent stabbing. She’s alive and well, and discharged from the hospital. So…” Trixie said, walking onward into town.

“So, you’re going to stick your nose deeper into this hornet’s nest by taking us to her,” Capper knowingly said.

“Goodness, no. We’re going to Sugarcube Corner. And you’re paying this time. Then we'll pay her a visit.”

The world beyond Capper’s window was only a blur of muddled passing fancies as he rode the train to Canterlot once more. For a million times for a million days, he had done this, and for the first time since he made his move to his new home, he felt apprehensive about what he had to do next. As he watched the indistinct phantoms of the nearby trees, bushes, boulders and other nature whiz past him without so much as a chance for a second glimpse, those things in the distance seemed to linger. A fitting notion, Capper thought. Much like the stone on top of the faraway hill that he could see through the entire train ride, Kludgetown seemed to always be there with him.

In those days, Verko would always have Capper run the negotiations with difficult marks. Unlike the rest of the vermin in his employ, Capper had a trustworthy face, and it proved to be his greatest asset. No matter how stubborn, cats just seemed to agree with him, and put their faith in him wholeheartedly. And now this dubious skill of his would be put to use once more. But Trixie was right. For the good of himself and Luna, they couldn’t stand by idly, doing nothing as Needy and his gang were loose in Canterlot, somewhere.

A tug on his sleeve pulled him from his thoughts, and he realized that the train had stopped.

“We’re here,” Trixie said from the seat next to him.

The two disembarked the train, and passed through the station just beyond. Once again faced with the town that had become his home, Capper sighed and glanced down at Trixie.

“So, what now?” he blankly asked.

“This way,” was all Trixie answered, as she led the way.

The path he was led down was unfamiliar to Capper. For as many of the neighborhoods, boroughs and districts that he had toured, this one had somehow escaped his notice. And as he walked further along, he began to wonder why. The path itself had become a mosaic of cobblestone patterns, and the pavements were lined with blossoming rosebushes and reddened oak trees. The homes were all designed with equally patterned roof tiles as the cobblestone path, and sported delicate dormer windows on their upper floors. But the one that drew Capper’s attention was the house at the end of the road that was painted with a soft cream hue. The kind of home that invited those with less-than-neighborly intentions to help themselves to the treasures within.

Once he had gotten closer, Capper noticed that it appeared much more modest than what he was led to believe with its wrought iron gate, manicured lawn, vibrant flowerbeds and an arched wooden door. The only thing that he would have called unsettling was the completely inexplicable pang of nerves he felt as he reached for the knocker, which was held in the mouth of a polished brass lion’s face.

“Wait,” Capper abruptly said, “are you sure this is the place?”

“Positive. Through my own investigations, I found out where the survivor lived, and tracked down her home address,” Trixie replied, sounding almost proud of herself.

“What does that mean? ‘Investigations?’”

“It means that I took matters into my own hooves, learned who the mare was, and made it a point to pay her a visit.”

“How?” Capper doubtfully asked.

“There’s a lot that you can learn from only a pony’s name. Now, quit balking and knock,” Trixie impatiently pointed at the door.

They had already come so far on their way, so Capper decided that it was worth following through. But before his paw ever raised the knocker, the door opened only a crack, and a single blue eye glared through the opening.

“What are you two doing squabbling on my porch?” a low, yet stern voice asked.

Not wanting to let any of his nerves show, Capper deliberately removed his paw from the knocker and straightened his posture.

“Hello,” he greeted pleasantly, “Are you, by any chance, Winter Breeze?”

“You know damn well who I am,” was all the mare said.

“Yes,” Capper replied, keeping his composure, “I apologize for this disturbance so early in the day, but–”

“You want to ask me about me getting stabbed,” the mare interjected. “If you want to know, ask the rest of the cops, tabloid muckrakers, and looky-loos who came before you. I don’t care what you’re after. I already said everything I needed to the rest of the circus that started because of what happened to me.”

Trixie knew this tone. And before she even knew what he was doing, her hoof reached out into the door jamb, keeping it from closing completely.

“Maybe we should introduce ourselves first,” Trixie suggested.

“Don’t bother with petty introductions. I know who you are. You’re Capper Dapperpaws and Trixie Lulamoon. Liars. Frauds. One-bit hoodlums who never earned an honest living a day in your lives. I don’t care that the higher ups in the palace trust you. You aren’t getting another second of my time!”

And with those last words, Trixie’s hoof was pushed out of its place by the door sharply shutting, and the force blew the hat off her head.

Trixie stared in appalled awe at the audacity of the mare who had just slammed the door in her face. Beside her, Capper smirked emptily.

“What do you know? We’re famous. Looks like our reputations as the two biggest grifters in the kingdom precedes us,” he said.

“You would think she’d be more open to talking with Princess Luna’s trusted companions,” Trixie huffed, dusting off her hat, before putting it back on. “I suppose we’ll have to try again when she’s decompressed a bit.”

Before she had a chance to turn, Capper’s paw on her shoulder stopped her.

“You didn’t hear what she didn’t say,” Capper said.

“And I suppose you did, Zen Master?” Trixie retorted.

“How did she know we were trusted by the palace elite?”

Only then did Trixie realize what Capper was getting at. Also then did she realize that she never heard Winter Breeze walk away from her door.

Capper’s eyebrow twitched, silently signaling the understanding between them, before he turned his attention back to the door.

“We’re here on official business. On behalf of Princess Luna,” Trixie called through the door.

Capper winced, knowing that not only was Trixie taking advantage of their connection to the princess, but turning her into a loose end.

“With your cooperation, she hopes that we can put an end to this ugly business for good,” Trixie finished.

The two waited, but there was no answer from beyond the door.

“I understand this situation,” Capper called next. “You want to move on from this, but it seems like no matter how much you run away or isolate yourself, you can’t escape it.”

He paused for a moment, before he heard a quiet shuffle behind the door.

“My friend was attacked by the same pegasus,” Capper continued. “We have reason to believe that she’s not working alone. Somebody who I used to know, who crashed the Gala. As long as she’s out there, the same thing could happen again. I know that we both want to see them caught, and I already have a lead on who she might be with. But, unless you help us, we can’t assure anything concrete.”

Another stretch of silence. Not even a scuff of a hoof from beyond the doorway.

Trixie glanced up at Capper, and shrugged impatiently.

Capper responded by holding up a paw with three fingers raised.

Then two fingers.

Then one.

Then he pointed to the door.

The click of a latch heralded the opening of the door, revealing the mare in full. True to her name, her coat was as white as the winter snow. What Capper hadn’t expected was how young she was, despite the sound of her voice. From what he could guess, she was no older than Rainbow Dash. More surprising than that was how her mane looked almost the same as Luna’s did, with its sparkling silver gloss and pale blue highlights. In an effort to distract himself from the shock, he shot his eyes to her cutie mark, which was equally unexpected, sporting an open book with a calculator and a pen lying on top of it.

“That hasn’t been made public. About her working for somepony who crashed the Gala…” Winter Breeze suspiciously said.

“I know,” Capper lied, “I was there when it happened.”

“He was actually with Princess Luna when she broke up the fight,” Trixie added.

Winter Breeze’s face slowly shifted from suspicion and fear to a calculated concern. The gears in her mind were turning, and she didn’t like the idea that was being revealed to her.

“You’d better come inside,” she muttered, stepping away from the door to allow Capper and Trixie to enter. “I don’t know what more I can say that can help you, but I’ll answer your questions.”

“You’re in luck. We’re experts at catching the little things that everypony else misses,” Capper replied, just before the door closed.

Author's Note

Once again, most of this chapter had been done for a while, and it wasn’t until recently. I finally finished it. Working on the next chapter now. As always

Till Next Time!!!