Steadfast Minds

by GardenOfSilver

Rating: teen
Tags: Dark, Original Character, Adventure, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 5597

Bright Eyes finds out that tracking down a mad-mare is anything but easy and straightforward.

Being a private detective have not been easy for Bright Eyes, but at least it puts food on the table. Barely. When a mystery stallion arrives at her office and offers a case that sounds too good to be true, she can't help but to jump at the chance.

Finding herself in the town of Steadfast, surrounded by swamplands on three sides and the ocean on the fourth, she have to contend with dimwitted locals, mean spirited wildlife and cryptic employers in trying to track down a deranged alchemist.

Published 2012-11-06 09:50:01 UTC
Last updated 2013-03-07 14:06:17 UTC

The Case

She found herself feeling distinctly itchy, she always itched when some part of her brain told her something was going on but hadn’t felt like telling the rest of her what it was. The small boat slowly steamed across dark midnight waters into the small harbour, picking it’s way in between a smattering of rowboats, small kelp fishers, and one or two small cargo skiffs much like the one whose sides she was leaning over.

The harbour itself was all granite blocks in a rough horseshoe shape facing the sea, with ramshackle wooden docks and jetties cutting through the dark waters under a sullen, cloud-laden sky. Squat two-story buildings with thick granite walls and clad with steep slate roofs stood tightly packed along it’s length, the odd lantern casting both a warm light and dancing shadows amongst them. The roofs cut a dark silhouette against the swamps, lit up with it’s own pale green luminescence.

It looked like it could have been taken straight out of an horror story, or perhaps one of her own beloved noir detective books.

The itch had clung to her since he had given her this case...

* * * * *

It had been a late Friday night and the sky had been heavy with yet to be unleashed rain from one of the many autumn storms the weather teams had scheduled for autumn. She had more or less given up on finding anything to do at all, ever. It had been well over two weeks since anypony had walked through the small door on the third floor that bore the writing of ‘Bright Eyes, Private Detective’.

Groaning she poured herself another shot of whiskey and gave the bills on her desk her best dirty look, the kind that set criminals knees all a-knocking in fear. Ot at least she hoped it would, she’d only ever gotten to use it on an lost cat she’d tracked clear across Manehattan. She’d spent several hours bandaging her face from that encounter.

Yeah, life’s just swimming, she thought with a sigh.

Just as she was about to call it a night, the door creaked open and a stallion stepped inside. That made her sit up ramrod straight. It was The Stallion, capitalization and everything. He was an unicorn like herself, standing just a few inches taller and with a snowy white coat. His two-tone red mane was styled in a fashion that she could describe as ‘dashing’, just barely falling over deep green eyes. A very reserved smile played across his face, hinting at an beautiful smile just below the surface. The smell of his cologne wafted into her nose, the scent heady and unplaceable.

“Miss Eyes? May I come in?” he asked, his voice as smooth and dark as chocolate, making her insides go all wibbly-wobbly and gooey.

Sweet Celestia, was he for real?

“Oh sure, most certainly,” she threw a quick glance around her office, more so in an attempt to hide her blush than to make sure it was alright. As she did she caught herself in the mirror, nervously smoothing her black and neon-yellow striped mane. Her face was obviously several shades redder than it’s normal cream colour. ‘Buck it’, she thought for herself before turning back to the stallion. “Um, care for some whiskey?”

“No thank you, Miss Eyes. May I have a glass of water instead?” He took a seat across the desk from her, sitting up straight and folding his forehooves in his lap. The spitting image of a true gentlestallion.

“Water, um, certainly.” Quick, clean glass. She spotted one sitting ontop of her sole filing cabinet next to a small stack of well-read Sherlock Hooves novels and grasped it with her levitation, floating it over to the watercooler. She never truly used either of the two pieces of furnishing, they were simply there to give the authentic “Private Detective” impression. She floated the glass onto the desk before him.

“So, what can I do for you, mister..?”

“Sir, actually. My name is Regal Script,” he flashed her a gentle smile and took a sip of water, “and I was lead to believe you were quite adept at finding things, yes?”

“Yeah, I am pretty good at that, what’cha need found?” Drat, she’d done nothing but find missing things since she’d started all those months back. She did her best not to let her face fall, she didn’t quite manage.

“Actually, Miss Eyes, it is not as much what I need to find. It is who.”

What, really?

“Oh! Right, right, give me a moment here, I need my notepad,” Bright Eyes barely could contain her enthusiasm. A missing pony case! It was, well, this was what she’d gotten into the business for! Smiling she telekinetically fished through the pockets of her coat by the door. There it was. Levitating it over she took a moment to enjoy the design emblazoned on the front of it, a neon yellow eye on a golden sunburst, her cutie mark, and flicked it open. “Right then, Sir Script. Let me just clear a few things up here. Missing ponies, two hundred fifty bits plus business expenses, paid out when found. I’d say it takes about a month trying to find somepony that’s gone missing in Manehattan. Now, who am I looking for? Name, gender, colouration, cutie mark? Significant others, th-”

Regal Script gave her another soft smile, rising a hoof to silence her.

“I’m afraid Miss Eyes, that I am not asking you to find a typical missing pony. Nor is it Manehattan. I trust you are familiar with the Mossmire? Within lies a town named Steadfast, that is where she went missing, and that is where we wish for you to search. We need to find her swiftly and are willing to pay twice your fee, as well as paying a fifty bit daily retainer.”

Bright Eyes felt stunned, there was a town in the Mossmire? The place is downright sinister, and while it’s reputation certainly did not rival that of the Everfree Forest it is still downright dark. And how many bits?! She could live on that for several months, it sounded almost too good to be true. Some rational part of her mind told her it most likely was, nopony paid that kind of money for real. In the books they did, some wealthy business stallion trying to get a hold of a mysteriously disappeared wife or the like. He said her, didn’t he? The thought sent her heart falling to the pit of her stomach, there was no way he wasn’t married.

“So, you want me to find your wi-”

“Oh, no, no,” he shook his head and Bright Eyes heart leapt right back into her throat. Yes! “Her name is Sodium Fizz, she is an pegasus pony. Dark grey coat and purple mane, both rather lackluster. Her cutie mark is a vial with a trio of bubbles, she’s a rather potent alchemist. And unf-”

“Wait, what? An alchemist? I thought only unicorns and zebras did that.”

“Oh no, Miss Eyes,” Regal Script chuckled, she couldn’t help but feel silly. “Both pegasi and earth ponies have traditionally used alchemy, though the practice have mostly died out amongst ponies in general what with the ready availability of unicorn magic.”

“So... why with the unicorn alchemy then?” She cocked an eyebrow at him quizzically.

“Because, I believe, that it makes for a most interesting story, Miss Eyes. Many a mad scientist portrayed in literature are alchemists and unicorns both.” He smiled at her kindly and she felt herself flush. “Now, may I finish?”

“Certainly, go right ahead.”

“As I was saying, she is rather a potent alchemist in her own right. And unfortunately she is not of sound mind and might be a danger to the town.”

“What?” That got her a calm stare, it’s message clear. He didn’t like being interrupted, her heart dropped like a rock once more. “Sorry, Sir. Continue.”

“Gladly,” he gave her a warm half-smile that sent her heart lurched upwards again. “Let me tell you how this came to be. A few months ago our local alchemist, Silver Cauldron, heard of her and sent her an invitation to study the flora of the Mossmire. All seemed well, for awhile at least. As the weeks passed Sodium Fizz became... erratic,” he sighed, “and skittish. We were worried of her well being and tried to offer her help. A few days ago, a hour or so before our evening meal up at the manor where she was staying she...”

Regal Script fell silent, an expression of resigned sorrow on his face. She couldn’t help but to reach across the desk, placing an comforting hoof on his shoulder, earning herself a grateful smile. “If it’s hard just, well, take your time, Sir.”

“Thank you, but, there is no need,” he gave her a soft smile before squaring his shoulder. Still, he looked almost... fragile. “That evening, we heard rather a ruckus up in Mister Cauldron’s laboratory. When we rushed to investigate we found that Miss Fizz had struck him to the ground, raving on about how he had ‘been drugging her’ and ‘controlling her mind’. Mister Cauldron, mostly dazed, called out for us as we appeared and alerted her to our presence. She swiftly turned her ire upon us and when we tried to calm her down Miss Fizz bolted for it.”

He sighed loudly. “First we were not sure what had happened, both Miss Fizz and Mister Cauldron had gotten along splendidly during her stay with us. I could have sworn there were even a few romantic overtures between the two, despite the almost disgraceful age difference between the two. You see, Mister Cauldron is getting on in the years a tad bit.

“We were worried for her, obviously, though it became worse after that. A few days or so later Miss Fizz made an appearance in town, yelling at the townsponies about mind control serums and evil plots. It was most unsettling. When she tried to pour some form of alchemical concoction into the town well the guard had to step in and she fled into the swamp, disappearing once again.”

“Whoa, that does sound rather extreme.”

Bright Eyes cringed as the unicorn stallion sighed loudly and nodded. “Indeed, we found out later that Miss Fizz has a history of... delusion. Plus, there is several records of her suffering from acute anxiety and panic attacks, there are at least two on record here in Manehattan. Her current brush with mental illness seems far more severe though.

“What we are hoping, Miss Eyes, is that you can help us locate our missing pegasus so she can receive proper treatment and be helped back on the path of mental health. And to do so before things truly get out of hoof and she, in her delusion, brings ruin to our town, or act out any of the threats issued to me, Mister Cauldron and or colleagues.”

He put a hoof forward, giving her a hopeful smile. “Can we count on your help to protect our town, Miss Eyes, and stop a poor mare before her lack of mental equilibrium makes her do something she will regret for the rest of her life?”

Bright Eyes was feeling dizzy. Her, saving somepony? Saving a whole town? He had asked her to do that. Him. The Stallion. It was like something out of the countless detective stories she’d buried her muzzle in.

“Yes, I’ll help,” she squeaked, reaching out and shaking his hoof.

“Then I thank you, Miss Eyes, from the depth of my heart,” he gave her a warm smile and she could practically feel her insides melt. “Would you be able travel tomorrow? Time is of the essence after all, Miss Eyes.”

She nodded mutely as he stood and headed for the door.

“Splendid. There happens to be an boat in the harbour, one from Steadfast, named the Wavecrest, she sets sail on the morning tide. I will arrange for you to get a cabin onboard for the duration of the trip, I hope to see you there, Miss Eyes. Until then, goodbye.” He gave her another smile.

“Goodbye,” she squeaked. He’d already disappeared through the door, leaving behind an slowly dissipating, heady musk. Slumping back in her seat she sighed loudly before grabbing the shot of whiskey and downing it in one fell swoop, another following a few moments afterwards. Her legs began to feel a lot less like jelly after a few minutes and her hindquarters didn’t burn any longer. That was good.

Staggering up from her seat she reached for her coat and fedora. Getting up early in the morning, she’d need to get some shuteye now. Besides Highlight was such a scatterbrain, she most likely would have to tell her roommate she’d be going out of town for a while half a dozen times.

Her right ear itched the whole way home, no matter how much she scratched it didn’t go away.

Steadfast

Bright Eyes groaned loudly at the static crashing back and forth in her skull and pulled the too-thin pillow over her head. It was far too bright as well, and her bed felt kinda lumpy. The air was full with the musty smell of age, irritating her nose. Her ear itched. Realization came together with her returning wakefulness, this wasn’t her bed. Where were she?

It all came rolling back to her, traveling. She’d spent all of yesterday on the boat heading for a little town in the middle of nowhere and arriving at the docks well past the witching hours of the night. From there she had been forced mosey over to the local inn through a haze of fatigue and shadows.

From there everything was too fuzzy to make sense of.

She groaned as she rolled of the bed, her hooves connecting with the floorboards with a soft ‘clack’ and the groan of old timbers and she had a look around. The room was all aged dark oak, polished to a sheen both by wear and meticulous care, and granite of the outer wall. Furnishing the room was an large dresses of pinewood upon which sat a polished brass mirror leaning jauntily against the wall while the bed was tucked into a corner, draped in faded and worn green covers. Standing at the end were a small trunk bound with iron, seemingly hammered into shape by inexpert hooves. Much like the covers a faded and threadbare green carpet laid sprawled in the middle of the floor and thick curtains, likewise coloured, hang before the room’s sole window, bare of windowpane but furnished with set of thick and sturdy oak shutters. A single candle stood on top of the trunk, to provide light during the dark hours of the day. To call the room archaic would be to put it simple, Bright Eyes felt as if she’d stepped centuries back in time.

Her roommate back in Manehattan would have loved this place she realised with a chuckle, he’d spending hours and hours just picking over the room and marveling over every little detail. Then again, Highlight’s obsession for details was the reason he worked forensics for the Manehattan police.

Shaking her head Eyes trotted across the room, grabbing her coat and fedora as she went and pulled them on. A quick check in the pockets revealed that she had both her notepad, magnifying glass and her stunner wand. It was time for some detective work!

Her stomach growled at her angrily.

...right after eating something!

* * * * *

Say what you will about the rooms but it turns out the inn had an excellent cook in the proprietes, Mrs. Casserole, and before long Eyes had found herself seated by one of the long tables, a large bowl of her hostess’ namesake on the table. And surprisingly enough a glass of wine as well.

“I’ll have to say, Mrs. Casserole, this wine is exquisite. You say you produce it locally, yes?” she asked, turning her gaze towards the earth pony.

“Indeed, there are a few orchards up on the hills near the manor, Lady Eyes. Apparently the grapes they grow are something of an oddity, and I understand Mr. Cauldron does give a helping hoof with it as well,” the earth pony mare said with a wide smile of pride.

From what Bright Eyes had gathered from their conversation the mint green mare had been born in Steadfast and had lived here her whole life. Apparently that was a point of pride, not just for her but for everypony in town judging by the way she went on about it. It rather did make the way she made sure to please her customer all the weirder though.

The detective suppressed a groan as she took another sip from the wine, the mare was almost sickeningly friendly, and cheery. Hopefully everypony else were a bit more down to earth.

“I’m going to have to remember to buy a bottle when I return home, my roommate have a weird thing about wine. He’d love it. Now, how much do I owe y-”

“Oh don’t worry about that, Lady Eyes. Sir Regal Script said you eat and sleep for free, so you eat and sleep for free. Said that he wanted you to be able to focus on your work,” the mint-green mare said with a smile. “Speaking of which, the guard came down here earlier. Brought you an invitation to the manor. Tonight! Such an honor, isn’t it exciting? Though surely you are used to it.”

Eyes couldn’t help but cringe at the look of dreamy adoration on Mrs. Casserole’s face as her voice trailed off. Dinner at the manor must be a pretty big thing in town, by the sound of it. She took her time to down the rest of the wine, it was shocking how much that made her mellow out, trying her best not to look at the other mare. Her gaze was still glossy, and Bright Eyes could swear she was starting to blush. Nope, she wasn’t mellow enough for this. It was downright creepy, like stumbling upon somepony’s favorite dirty fantasy.

She glanced at Mrs. Casserole again. Yup, it was exactly like that, she thought with a shudder.

“Okay... In that case, thank you. I guess I’ll have a look around town. You know, do detective work? S’okay, right?”

No response.

“Okay.”

Bright Eyes couldn’t get out from there quick enough.

* * * * *

She felt downright silly for having even entertained the idea that the rest of town was more down to earth than Mrs. Casserole. It wasn’t. It was impossible to trot down the street without being peppered by some form of greeting by the locals, everything from friendly waves and polite nods from the earth ponies to a pegasi coming down to not only introduce herself but ask if she was feeling okay.

Actually, greetings of the later kind started to become a lot more common as she wound her way between the buildings. Bright Eyes had always been of the opinion that ponies in Manehattan could stand to be a bit friendlier but now she was glad they weren’t, friendly was incredibly grating as it turned out.

The town itself was almost as bad in broad daylight, the buildings didn’t loom overhead nearly as much and away from the waterfront the streets opened up, lined with verdant trees, beds of flowers and deep green ivy. The place was downright pretty. She also realized her first estimate of Steadfast’s size must have been wrong, it didn’t house a hundred ponies. There had to be a thousand at least. How such a large community could live in near isolation was mind boggling.

Up above the weather ponies finished clearing up the remains of last night’s cloud cover and began fluttering down to greet their earth pony neighbours. A sizable number of them alighted upon the ground ahead of her where the buildings fell away on either side and the road opened up into a small and irregular plaza lined with storefronts and small cafés. Situated dead in the middle, of at least middle-ish, stood the town’s clock tower. It was quite the affair erected in classical gothic style and decorated sculptures of earth ponies and pegasi working or frolicing, several large arches at it’s base opening up into the space within through which Eyes though she could see a large well.

Curiously enough the old gothic building looked far newer than the surrounding houses. And then there was the magical static rolling of the spellwork within, an omnipresent little niggling feeling. It had slipped her mind after she woke up, but right near the tower it came back above the threshold of the conscious mind.

“Um, Lady Eyes?” a voice asked behind her, making her whip around. Startled.

“Huh? Oh, yes that’d be me. How’d you know?”

“Oh, um, Sir Script told us so? Forgive me for interrupting, um, Lady Eyes. I was just wondering, would you want something?”

It took Bright Eyes a moment to realise that the sky-blue pegasus hiding behind the curtain of straight, white hair was actually a he. He had a little white bow tie around his neck and a wing raised towards the seats and tables of one nearby café. Kinda cute.

“It’s on the house, Lady Eyes?” he hesitated, guessing rather erroneously at the reason for hesitation.

The detective stifled yet another groan. These ponies were way too nice for their own good! She had work to do, she couldn’t just sit down and lazy the afternoon away. No, she had looking for clues, talk to ponies and scout out the area and-...

And-...

Her frustration just evaporated. Maybe taking her time at the café wasn’t that bad an idea anyway. After all she’d have a good view over the town well and the square. She could even ask the staff for more information about the surroundings and the goings on. Yes, that sounded reasonable. Right?

Right!

“Oh, sure. Tell me, do you have chocolate and strawberry cake?”

The Mansion

Trotting up the cobblestone path Bright Eyes reflected on her afternoon. She’d learnt quite a lot about Steadfast and it’s ponies, the layout of the town and important local news. Sadly most of it was worthless when it came to tracking down the mad alchemist so the afternoon had been somewhat of a waste of time. Though now she did have other business to attend to! Hopefully it would be business that’d see her with a few leads. Or any lead.

She had to admit, though, that her enthusiasm was somewhat reserved when it came to the evening at the mansion. In large part because she already felt bloated from her stay at the café. Her initial plan of spending maybe half an hour or so to survey the plaza from the comfort of an conveniently placed seat accompanied by a slice of confectionary hadn’t lasted for long. In the end she’d spent four hours at the café, eaten a muffin, three slices of cake and a pie and washed it all down with half a dozen glasses of grape juice in between.

It had all been scrumptious. To the point that even the constant stream of ponies coming to talk with her, nor the constant magical static had been enough to bother her.

Something big and dark loomed up ahead, breaking her out of her thoughts. It was the mansion. She felt like the word perhaps needed capitalization somewhere within her thoughts for it was indeed the quintessential Mansion, after gothic fashion anyway. Like the town behind her it was built of dark granite and capped with steep, sloping roofs of near-black slate shingles decorated with wrought iron detailing, every corner set with a looming gargoyle. Unlike the tower over the well, the walls of the mansion was downright bare with the exception of the massive, decorative arched windows curtained with thick, heavy drapes.

She had to admit, it looked foreboding.

“Halt! Who goes there?” came a voice from up ahead, snapping her attention up to the great oak double doors. The guards kinda added to the sense of foreboding. Four massive earth pony stallions, all of them weighted down with thick chainmail barding underneath livery caprisons. Somepony rather liked their guards looking all fancy, apparently.

“Gentlestallions, please, she has an invitation. Welcome to the mansion, Miss Eyes. You are early, we expected you for dinner.” The doors swung open, held in a field of midnight blue magic, as he strode through. Bright Eyes had expected Regal Script to meet here, though it certainly wasn’t. Where Regal Scripts voice had been smooth and soothing this unicorns was precise and commanding, which seemed quite fitting. He was tall and his face was surprisingly sharp, the faded sandy brown of his coat standing in stark contrast to the trimmed three-tone grey mane and the sharp dress uniform so dark blue it looked almost black. He stood almost as tall as the guards, though rather less bulky.

“I wasn’t aware it was a dinner invitation. I could always come back later, if you want? I mean, it’s no trouble on my part.”

“You misunderstand me, miss. Your early arrival was not expected, but it is certainly not unwelcome. Would you care to join us, we can put forth some refreshment if you wish?” he asked with a smile as he stepped to the side, a hoof raised invitingly to the door behind him.

“I don’t think it’ll be necessary. I, ah, wound up studying the town square and the well at an café earlier. In lengthy detail. You know, doing my job,” she added hurriedly as she walked up the steps to the door, passing through the granite archway into a sprawling entry hall paneled in dark oak. The floor was carpeted with a warm brown-red carpet and there were more than one example of ancient armoring and weaponry fitted to large ponyquins or mounted on the walls. Towards the back a pair of large staircases swept up to a second floor, flanking a large set of double door even greater in size than the one she had just passed through.

A pair of ponies were descending one of the stairs. One a unfamiliar unicorn in his mid forties by the look of it, his coat a soft grey and his thinning mane a vibrant green with cyan highlights His left foreleg was set in a cast. The other took a moment to place, it was Regal Script. Though a Regal Script that had been thoroughly wrung out if anything, his mane hanging greasily around his face, which seemed more sunken than last time they meet.

“I see. Your dedication to drawing the case to a close is admirable,” the mystery stallion said with a pleased smile and bowed his head. “Perhaps introductions are in order, yes? No doubt you’ve already meet Sir Regal Script, our town administrator and official spokespony. To his right is Silver Cauldron, our resident alchemist and busybody, he can find a solution to almost everything, with few exceptions. My own name is Star Aegis, I serve as the captain of our fine, if relatively small, town guard.”

Bright Eyes shifted on her hooves somewhat nervously. These were fancy ponies. She never was good with fancy ponies! It was like they operated on some other level where a common complement would turn into a deadly insult. “Well, you all know who I am, I guess. Name’s Bright Eyes.”

Her eyes flickered back and forth between the trio of stallions. They all wore flat, neutral expressions. She wasn’t really sure if that was a good thing. Then again, everypony in town had said they were not bad.

“Would it be possible for me to have a look around Fizz’s room?” she asked with a worried chuckle, pressing on. “And possibly where she had her... freak out?”

“I don’t see why not. That is, after all, why we hired you. I have to warn you though, my laboratory does contain some rather sensitive experiments so I hope you won't mind if I come with you. Besides, my acquaintances have work to do.” It was Silver Cauldron, a thin smile on his lips as he descended the stairs, limping ever so slightly. “This way if you don’t mind, Miss Eyes.”

* * * * *

The long corridors of the mansion were, Bright Eyes decided, rather unnerving. She chalked that up to the odd piece of armor or ancient furniture lining the dark oak paneled walls. That and the paintings, several were innocent enough depicting landscape scenes of the town and the surrounding swamps. Amongst them, though, were paintings depicting a trio of stern looking stallions of varying ages, some times with mares at their sides, others without. Still, the resemblance between the stallions of old and those living in the mansion now were striking.

It were the eyes, she figured. Grey, old and knowing eyes.

Her ruminations were caught short when Silver Cauldron coughed, the kind of soft and polite cough of somepony trying to get your attention. Shuffling her hooves embarrassedly on the carpet she turned to find him smiling amusedly before nodding at the door next to him. “My laboratory would be through here, Miss Eyes. I must say that regrettably it is still a bit of a mess, chemicals and glass does not clean up as readily as one would wish.”

With a cobalt flash of his horn the doors thrust open admitting the two unicorns to the room beyond. Apparently oak and plush, red carpets was something of a theme around here. The room stood apart from all the others she’d seen so far by virtue of the half dozen heavy tables spaced across the carpet and so ladened with glassware and alchemical gewgaws that they looked about to collapse under their own weight. Every which way she looked there were something brewing, bubbling of fizzling.

As Bright Eyes walked further into the room more things came into view, over in the corner near an old fireplace stood several bookcases and plush seats. And, if she wasn’t entirely mistaken, a topled bottle of wine, it’s contents spilled on the carpet. It wasn’t the only piece of disturbed glassware she noticed as she took a second look around the room. Right near the back wall broken glass laid strewn across the carpet, a carpet full of gaping holes and charred patches. A distinct chemical smell hung around the room, and if Eyes were to have a guess most of it came from there. One of the windows nearby had been smashed and she noted that while there’s plenty of glass, very little of it was beneath the window. If she were to take a guess, the window had been used to make a hasty escape.

“As you can see, Miss Eyes,” Silver Cauldron continued as he walked in behind her, “we have left the room mostly as it was. We did unfortunately have to scramble to neutralize the chemicals before they ate their way through the stone floor. Some of the things we were working on were somewhat dangerous. And-... Miss, please be careful with that!”

Bright Eyes turned around, startled by the urgency in Cauldron’s voice. The elder stallion shifted uneasily from one hoof to another, looking up at her forehead? Her eyes crossed as she stared up at her horn, which was glowing a sunny yellow. “Excuse me?”

“It... is the experiments, Miss Eyes. A few of them are fairly sensitive to magical energy and could, perhaps, react rather violently at careless use of magic,” he clarified with a worried smile. “Normally it would require a focused effort to disrupt the alchemical concoctions here, but the magical landscape here is a bit lively.”

“Oh sorry,” said Bright Eyes, somewhat sheepishly. “I’ve noticed something’s odd around here, kinda like a...”

“A feeling of static, I suspect,” said Silver Cauldron, nodding. “It have been a magical feature of Steadfast ever since we moved here originally. It can make magic a bit volatile.”

Eyes nodded again. “I understand, Mr.Cauldron. Though I must ask to be allowed to use my magic even so, I’ll make sure to be careful as to not disturb your experiments or produce any other form of unwanted disturbance.”

“Miss Eyes,” he began again after a moment of silence, “might I inquire as to why?”

“It’s what you hired me to do,” she replied in turn, a hoof raised to push her fedora back and tap her horn. “I know several scrying spells, Mr. Cauldron. As long as I can find a connection between here and there, or now and then, I can see it. That’s what lets me gather enough information to solve a case. Or track down a pony.”

Silver Cauldron stood almost stock still, his hooves fidgeting against the floor in uncertainty. Though after several long moments he nodded, if with reluctance. “I... suppose I shall have to bow to your request, Miss Eyes. Though, please do take care.”

The unicorn mare nodded, giving Silver Cauldron her best confident smile. At least it was supposed to be confident, she’d practiced it. She’d never been that good at faking confidence.

Turning around Bright Eyes lit her horn once more and closed her eyes and opened her senses to her magic.