No easter eggs in the previous chapter, so, really nothing to report here. Well, enjoy!
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Ch 6 Brother from Another Mother
Daring Do and Epsilon Hoof were weaving their way through the narrow streets and packed crowds of Dabylon City in the morning. The sounds and smells of open air markets and bazaars reached their ears and noses as they headed to the local library. Dabylon City was a strange mix of the old ways and modernization. The everpresent bazaars and street markets were found side by side with apartment complexes and large business buildings. Street urchins resided on the cobbles of the roads while the wealthy lived in elegant houses, not a care in Equestria for them. An abandoned looking cloud and weather factory hung in the sky, where pegasi worked on making the clouds and rain for Dabylon. At least, when they could. The water reserves in the area around Dabylon were scarce and couldn't be spared to be brought up to the factory throughout most of the year. However, it was nearing the time of year when the river near Dabylon swelled in size and water was brought up to the factory to produce heavy rains. But for now, Celestia's intense sun beat down on the city, no cloud blocking its rays.
Epsilon wiped sweat off his forehead, saying, "Whew! Really wish that river would flood already. The sun's baking me alive!"
Daring shook her head. Epsilon wasn't cut out for this kind of thing. "I've worked in the field on several excavations and run through tropical jungles. When you've been chased through humidity like that or dug holes for a whole day in this weather, complain to me about it."
A young colt juggled balls in front of the two of them briefly and held out an empty cup towards them, looking at them expectantly. Epsilon kept walking as if he didn't see him, but Daring gave the boy one bit and caught up to Epsilon. "Really Miss Do. You shouldn't have done that. We have to find out as much as we can about these salt mines before we can even think about anything else. I don't think Jett and Ruby would get sidetracked like that while they're researching."
"Knowing Jett and Ruby, they might." Daring Do then shot him a venemous look. "And you know Epsilon, these ponies around here could really use that spare bit or two you have in your pocket.
"Yes, and I'm sure that colt could have used everything in your wallet as well," Epsilon replied.
Startled, Daring searched her pockets and found that her wallet was indeed gone. Epsilon chuckled good naturedly and held up her wallet. "Don't worry I managed to take it back from the little pickpocket before he noticed."
Daring Do took it back gratefully. "Maybe I shouldn't have given that bit to the kid."
"No, no. Like you said Daring. The ponies here could really use it. Hard times and circumstances lead a pony to do bad things," Epsilon replied.
Daring wondered if that could relate to this case.
ooX~Xoo
"Oh this sapphire necklace really compliments my red coat, don't you think?" Ruby asked Jett.
With an exasperated sigh, Jett grabbed Ruby's elbow and dragged her away from the jewelry stand and kept a firm grip on her. She had been getting side tracked at every little thing that caught her eye. "What are you hoping to do? Impress Epsilon with this stuff?" Jett jokingly asked. To Jett's surprise, Ruby shut up after that. He came to an astonishing realization. "You really like him. You're not pretending or using him or anything!"
"So what if I do?" Ruby asked.
"I don't know. It's just, it seemed you were playing with him. The excessively obvious flirting, the barf worthy eyelash batting -" He was cut off by Ruby.
"Barf worthy? Would you say that if Daring Do did that to you?" Now it was Jett's turn to shut up. "I've seen enough stallions fall over me and seen enough signs that they like a mare to know that you like Daring, Jett. I'm not blind you know," Ruby said.
"How long have you known?" Jett asked, suddenly self-conscious.
"I could see it the moment I met you two. You were best friends with her, but the actions you made obviously showed you want to be more than that," Ruby said.
"Not obvious enough for D," Jett said with some sadness in his voice.
"Look Jett. Subtlety works on some mares, but it won't on Daring. You need to be honest and direct," Ruby said, still being led by Jett.
"If I promise to not bring up you liking Epsilon, can you promise to stop with this conversation and not bring it up again?" Jett asked.
Ruby looked like she would refuse, but said, "Alright."
ooX~Xoo
Daring Do and Epsilon Hoof were in the city’s library, a modernized building with three stories of rows upon rows of books. Currently, they were at a table, surrounded by a stack of books. “No. No. No,” Epsilon muttered to himself as he levitated books toward him, flipped through it briefly, and put it in their ever-growing pile of useless books. “Not one book regarding the salt mines in this place?! What kind of library is this?!”
Daring Do got up, walked over to the help desk, asked for assistance, and was led to a back room. Following, Epsilon found himself in a room piled with books that looked like they had been gathering dust for quite some time. “The archives for the history of Dabylon and the surrounding area are in here. Seldom used by anypony these days. Hope you two find what you’re looking for,” the receptionist said before leaving.
Daring Do gave Epsilon a smug look, saying, “Now that wasn’t too hard, was it?”
Epsilon ignored her and started looking through the shelves. “Men,” thought Daring. She too began her search. They had been at it for twenty minutes before Epsilon found something.
He read the book’s contents aloud. “The salt mines of Dabylon were once the key to Dabylon’s prosperous growth and wealth. For years they supplied the arid region around it with salt to any willing to pay. And pay they did, for soon, Dabylon became a cultural and economic hub for the country of Marabia. But after years of mining, the salt mines were beginning to run out of their precious material. Because of this, Dabylon has begun to fall into poverty despite attempts to diversify economy. Many jobs were found at the mines, and now the ponies who worked there struggle to find work. Dabylon now…” Epsilon trailed off, studying the next few pages before shutting the book. “That’s all there is for the mines in there,” Epsilon said with some disappointment.
“Well it’s nothing we didn’t already know,” Daring said. “Let’s keep looking.” Only a few minutes later, Daring Do found something. After studying it intently, Daring whispered, “This is interesting.”
Intrigued, Epsilon asked, “What did you find?”
Daring read it aloud. “A little known fact about the salt mines of Dabylon is that the mines still have plenty of salt within them. Work there was shut down after many strange incidents occurred. Miners there reported overwhelming feelings of foreboding and say the heard whispering in their heads. Voices that told of evil and destruction. Voices beckoning them to set it free.
One of the most significant incidents is the summer day when a unicorn was driven to insanity and was blowing huge portions of the wall apart. Many workers fled in fear after this incident. Scientists have gone into the mines trying to find a logical explanation to this, but this brought more questions than answers. Several of the scientists were found miles from the mines days after they entered. They had no recollection of the mines at all, or of their life before. The ones that made it out of the cave with their memories were found murdered viciously before they were able to announce what they had found out. Their evidence was destroyed as well. These days, daredevil teenage ponies have shown up at the mines”- Daring Do slammed the book shut. “That’s all the useful information in that book.”
"Quite interesting. And it confirms something strange is going on at these mines," Epsilon said.
" 'Vicious murders,' " Daring Do read again. "Murders like Bunsen's?" Epsilon asked.
"It would be foolish to think otherwise. Coincidence is an investigator's last resort," Epsilon said. With that, they continued their search. But after an hour and a half of going through the otherwise useless archives, they ended their search. After they had left the library, Epsilon whispered into Daring's ear, "Don't look around, but it looks as if someponies have been following us. This entire day."
More alert, but showing no signs of it, Daring whispered, "You're certain?"
"Pretend like you've accidentally dropped your pith helmet and look behind you casually. You'll see two thuggish earth ponies, one with a crooked nose," Epsilon said.
Daring did, and sure enough, there were two ponies a few paces behind them. They were obviously a duo, and one did have a crooked nose. Their cutie marks were boxing gloves and a black belt. Not a reassuring sight. They were trying to look uninterested in Daring and Epsilon, or anyone for that matter. Then they saw Daring's hard gaze. They turned and left after that. She turned to Epsilon. "What are the chances they overheard everything and know exactly what we're doing?"
"Very high," Epsilon replied.
"It was a rhetorical question. I think the Disciples are still watching us."
"You'd be foolish not to."
After a brief silence, a thought occured to Daring. "You don't think somepony's following Ruby and Jett?"
"We'll have to hope not."
ooX~Xoo
Jett and Ruby had been assigned to gather more news regarding any strange occurences that had happened in Dabylon lately. To do that, Jett decided to go to the shiftiest, shadiest, grimiest place in Dabylon he could find. That was how they ended up at the Red Light Center. They entered the horribly kept building and were struck by the sounds of arguing ponies, uproarous, and slightly maniacal laughter, and the occasional fist fight. The place stunk of vomit, alcohol, and feces. The two tried to ignore all of that. When they walked in, there was a brief lull in the various sounds of the bar. It quickly started up again, but a few drunken ponies still gave Ruby looks that made her beyond uncomfortable.
They sat down at the bar and a pretty waitress with a cream coat and light pink hair asked what they'd have. Jett asked for a brandy while Ruby stuck to water. They drank their drinks in silence, until Ruby asked, "Why did you have to pick the worst place you could find?"
"Because anything out of the ordinary or potentially dangerous or horrid, as in, the case we're helping with, will only be told in a place as out of the ordinary or potentially dangerous or horrid as the news itself."
"Still. Aren't there ways to get answers in a more respectable place, from more respectable ponies?"
"No respectable pony would be willing to offer information that they think would put them in danger. Like news on Celestia's Disciples," Jett said, saying the last part in a barely audible whisper.
"You guys need information?"
Jett and Ruby whirled around to face a young, tattered looking pegasus colt. The same colt that had taken Daring's wallet. But Jett and Ruby didn't know that.
"I couldn't help but overhear your conversation." The colt motioned for the waitress and asked for a beer.
"Aren't you a little young to drink?" Jett asked.
The colt shrugged. "Around here, they don't really care. Especially if you're a regular. And homeless." He added the last part with some bitterness.
Ruby cleared her throat awkwardly. "I don't believe you've told us your name. I'm Ruby and this is Jett."
"Referring to each other by name means you're familiar with me. You're not, and it's not really important for casual relationships like this. I'll just call you Brother and Sister," he said.
"And what can we call you?" Jett asked.
"Brother," Brother said with a smile. The waitress returned with Brother's beer. He paid for it and resumed talking. "So, you guys are looking for info on weird stuff around here. I do have one thing that might interest you." He drained his bottle in three more gulps and walked towards the door. "Follow me."
A bewildered Ruby and Jett followed Brother out the door.
ooX~Xoo
Brother led Ruby and Jett to a ramshackle ten story warehouse. All the windows had been boarded up as well as the doors. Ruby was about to step in its direct line of sight when Brother pulled her back. "Careful. There's a bunch of strange guys in there."
We looked past the boarded windows best we could, and sure enough, saw, movement. "Who do you think they are?" Jett asked.
"No idea, but that's all my services can do for you," Brother said, turning to leave.
"Wait!" Ruby called out. She gave him three bits.
"You're most kind Sister." He then turned and left. Jett and Ruby stayed hidden and examined the building though.
"We're both thinking the same thing, right?" Jett said.
"I think so." After a few minutes, they decided sitting there on stake out wouldn't get them anywhere, so they went on their way.
Ruby felt around her pockets worriedly. "What the! That little rat stole my wallet!"
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So? What do you guys think? Some of you are probably like, "What's this?! Romance? NO! JUST NO!" That's what some people I know might do. Sorry, but the feelings Jett felt were one of my initial ideas that I had forgotten about. I thought, hey what the heck. I want to know if you guys think I should leave that in there or take it out. And if any of you were expecting a battle between the thugs and Daring and Epsilon, that will happen, just not this chapter. So, who exactly were those thugs, and who's in that abandoned building? Are they connected? You'll have to find out yourselves.
Also, did I mention Ruby and Jett's cutie marks? If I didn't and you wanna know, I'll put it in. If I didn't and you don't wanna know, I'll leave it as is.
Easter Eggs: All I can see and I remember putting is Marabia. It's just Arabia with an M in front of it. So, the area is supposed to be like Arabia. If I got the description wrong, sorry. And I apologize this chapter came out a day later than I promised. Stupid lack of free time. Oh yeah! Did you guys like Brother? 'Cause if you did, his role in this isn't over. And if you didn't, his role isn't over anyway, so deal with it. Anyways, next chapter will be posted in one week at the latest. Feedback is much appreciated.
Silver, out!
