HiE - A Hollow in Equestria

by Charlie_K

Chapter One Hundred Thirty Nine

Chapter One Hundred Thirty Nine

If the fine -and even the not-quite-so-fine- ponies of Manehattan had any clue as to just how much of their annual taxes went to covering small expenses, like takeout foods for the purpose of fueling stakeouts and investigations, they might just revolt at such facts making the news.

Or they might be very understanding, and agree that it was a worthwhile investment of their paid in funds. When it came to a place like Manehattan and the ponies who made up the city, that sort of development was always a toss up.

On this particularly given evening, the dinner du jour for the squad room was pizza, ordered in from one of the most well-known and established bakeries of such delicacies in the city, Brick Oven's Perfectly Prepared Pies, and picked up by their very own Glacier. Multiple boxes of pies, cheesy breads, salads, and other assorted foodstuffs had been deposited onto the available folding table so the rest of them could come and get their impromptu meals, in an effort to stay fueled up for the late-night work they were going to be forced to log before all was said and done.

For Sergeant Root, it was an unpleasant experience to sit through. The room was awash with various scents and smells for her nose to pick up on, mostly against her will, which left her muzzle wrinkling in both frustration and even disgust.

Her pizza order had been plain cheese and basil. In her experience, it was the easiest to eat and digest under her current circumstances. It was her staple for the past couple of months whenever they were required to work late and pizza was on the menu, though it left a lot to be desired. The current mix of smells weren't doing her any favors on that front, and was serving to make the entire presentation feel less appetizing than it normally was for her.

She looked down at the pathetic offering in front of her and sighed in reluctant defeat, making ready to stallion up and simply eat it and be thankful for what she had, while she still had it. Lest an emergency call come in and she had to drop it and run with nothing.

But she stopped as a whiff of something caught her nose. Something foreign, and different, and spicy, and made her stomach growl in a way it so rarely did these days. It was a smell that was making her feel hungry all over again.

She glanced around the room, trying to figure out the source of the delectable aroma that was serving to tantalize her nostrils and tempt her belly in such a dastardly fashion. Who was eating what, that smelt so good right now?

She sniffed at the air, trying to nail down where the scent was coming from, eyeballing her coworkers as she did in an effort to try and narrow down the possibilities. Broccoli, pineapple, jalapeno peppers, roasted mushrooms, garlic, etc. they were all present, but none of them were what she was looking for. Where was it!?

And then her search brought her attention to the box currently sitting over on Chomp's desk, and the slice currently held in one of his talons.

"Chomp? What've you got?"

"Thick crust, pepperoni palooza," he answered automatically around the hunk currently in his mouth.

The name was enough to send her stomach rolling in disgust. But the smell, the aroma that was coming off of it, was enough to twist that rolling back onto itself as it morphed back into raw hunger all over again, demanding to be fed.

Demanding to be fed with the one thing that was actually provoking her into having an appetite under these conditions. Something that simply couldn't be provided by her own pathetic offerings for this evening.

"... Do you mind if I grab a slice of yours?" she eventually asked.

He paused what he was doing, seemingly lost in thought, before looking like he'd just now heard the question and turned his attention towards her.

"I thought you hated meat."

"Believe me, I do. But right now it smells really good," she stated, unable to keep the hunger-related anticipation/excitement at the prospect of a slice, out of her voice as she spoke.

Chomp contemplated the matter, before slowly turning his box around and opening it as he slid it over in her direction.

"Be my guest."

The sight of the pizza toppings he'd chosen, and the knowledge of what it was, what she was contemplating, were proving to be wholly insufficient for overcoming the delectable aroma that was tantalizing her nostrils right now. She scanned the available slices on display for her, before finally selecting one and carefully picking it up with her hooves.

She examined it slowly, cautiously as she held it before her, hunger and disgust clashing in front of her like mortal enemies locked in equally mortal combat, with the former inevitably proving to be more powerful than the latter. Sniffing at it hesitantly, she found the aroma to be even more delectable up close, to the point it was just short of being overwhelming; it felt borderline intoxicating in a fashion. Carefully, she brought it to her mouth, and bit off the first inch or so worth of the tip to cautiously chew on.

Her eyes involuntarily fluttered closed as a moan of softcore ecstasy pressed against her lips, desperately wanting to be let out into the world at large and have its very existence acknowledged. She was fairly certain she'd be regretting this later on, but right now that just didn't matter to her. Right now the slice in her hooves, and the taste in her mouth, was all that mattered. It was hot, and spicy, and burnt against her tongue in a good way as she chewed, that just urged her to go on.

The initial bite had been a cautious one of investigation, partially guided out of a sense of fear of the unknown. The second one, however, was intentional and filled with both wanton abandonment and desire.

"I think this might be the most delicious thing I've ever had in my life," she mumbled, unable to even care for the fact that it was meat of all things that'd provoked such a response from her.

Chomp simply smiled to himself, watching as she went to take another bite, eagerly sinking her teeth into and through the heavy layer(s) of pepperoni topping that littered the surface like fall leaves on a sidewalk. Root might not've been a carnivore by her nature or trade, but right now she was doing a fairly good impression of one as she ate.

Who knew. This might just be the moment that made her convert over to Team Omnivore.

Before he knew it, maybe before even she knew it, she'd already devoured the entire slice, crust and all, and looked quite happy with the development.

But he could see the hunger in her eyes. She'd gotten a taste of something that she liked, and she wanted more of it, even if it meant licking the greasy goodness off of her own hooves to claim the last vestiges of its presence. He was seeing it, even if she wasn't consciously aware of the fact that she was still eyeing his pizza.

"So," he began, already in the process of peeling off another slice of pepperoni-laden goodness to offer up for her, "has anyone checked on our friend lately?"

Root happily accepted the second slice, immediately biting the tip off before shaking her head.

"Steel Feather asked if he planned on joining us to get something to eat. He said he wasn't hungry," she answered around the piece, before swallowing. "I don't know what to think about him right now. He doesn't sleep, he doesn't eat, he doesn't have magic, he can see through walls? Maybe he really is a machine of some sort like you said? Some new type of automaton?"

In the last thirty-six hours, it wasn't the weirdest thing Chomp had ever heard.

"Maybe," he agreed, before opting to change the subject. "You know, you could pick the pepperonis off and put them on your own pizza, if you want to liven it up and make them go further."

Root looked back at him in mid-chew, before looking back down at the slice she held in her hooves, as if the concept had never even occurred to her before now. She nodded at him, and moved back over to her own desk with what was left of the slice in tow, before working to pick it apart for just such a purpose.

Chomp simply smiled knowingly to himself as he casually observed. She was going to find out for herself just why his topping of choice was called pepperoni palooza as she tried to harvest it all for her own pizza. And he smiled again as he caught sight of her eyes darting around, before surreptitiously popping one of the pepperonis into her mouth to sample it on its own without the flavor being buffered by the cheese and sauce.

Team Omnivore adding to the ranks was looking more and more likely with every passing minute.

But the generally good mood that came with dinner ultimately proved to be short-lived.

The doors to the squad room, old like the rest of the building, not in the best of condition from frequent use, and certainly in need of a drop of oil down in the hinges, announced their opening with a squeak that was far too tired to muster the energy that was needed in order to sound sharp, and had to settle for grating. Grabbing the attention of those into the room.

Standing there in the doorway was a dragon. Sort of.

It was a dragon in the sense it had a scaly body, stood upright in a bipedal fashion on digitigrade hind legs, had horns atop its head, along with forward-facing eyes with slit pupils, and a semi-long/semi-short muzzle sort of beak. But that was where the similarities ended.

What stood before them was not a dragon in terms of either presence of demeanor; not with how its barb-less tail erratically flicked behind it, nor how each of its three toes on both feet twitched, clicking its claws against the old wooden floor in a rapid fashion. There was nothing predatory to be found in its amber-colored eyes as they seemingly scanned the room, never staying fixed on any one point for more than a second or two before moving again.

The dull colors of its scales, largely medium gray contrasted against dark gray belly scales running all the way up to its chin, also didn't inspire a sense of power or awe. Nor the way it seemed to tug at the digits on its front claws. Its short stature was also doing it no favors in terms of intimidation, with the black, stubby, curved back horns perched atop its skull making it look just barely the same height of the average mare.

And the black welding cup glasses that dangled around its neck as it fidgeted where it stood, was just weird to see.

Its entire demeanor practically screamed something they'd seen all too often over the years they'd been in this line of work; fear. This scaly little thing that stood before them was obviously anxious and scared, but of what? Ponies could be scared by a sudden sharp noise, but what could scare a dragon?

"Can we... help you?" Chomp asked.

A small squeak of a noise managed to slip past its scaly lips as it turned his attention to where he sat, almost like it hadn't expected to be addressed and had been caught off guard.

"The-" it finally spoke up in a voice that was anything but dragon-y, pausing like it wasn't even sure what to say, "the desk sergeant up front said I should come here. I think I need to report a crime."

He looked back at Root, who looked back at him, more or less questioning which one of them should take point on this one.

And then Glacier over at his desk, who'd presumably been observing this entire time, proceeded to wolf down a slice of roasted mushroom and green bell pepper pizza in a single bite, before finally speaking up.

"It's alright, I'll take it," he spoke up as he wiped his hooves with a napkin. "Come over here and have a seat."

The others nodded their silent thanks to their companion and his willingness to take point for them so they could eat, as their scaly visitor made its way over to his desk, all the while moving like it almost expected one of the ponies in the room to launch a surprise attack from behind when its back was turned.

"Have a seat," the burly stallion said while gesturing to the available chair in front of his desk.

The scaly visitor regarded the provided chair, before climbing up onto it in order to actually sit down.

"So then. You said something about reporting a crime?"

There was a nod. "At least... I think that it might be a crime."

Glacier had been reaching for his notepad to write in, but paused and looked back up when he'd heard this.

"Maybe we'd better start at the beginning, er... sorry, I don't think I caught your name."

"Kendra."

"Kendra, huh?" he asked, before shrugging. "Bit of an unusual name for a dragon, but whatever."

"I'm not a dragon. Although it'd be nice if I was..."

Again, Glacier looked back up after jotting down the name on his notepad.

"I'm sorry, I think I'm a bit lost. You said you're not a dragon?"

Kendra gave a shake of the head. "I'm not. I'm a kobold."

At hearing this, a lot of what they'd seen had suddenly made sense.

"Whatever," he muttered and shook his head, focusing on getting back to taking the report. "So... I'm just assuming you're female unless I get feedback to the contrary... Kendra, what's this crime you're talking about that you wanted to report?"

"I think that it might be a crime," Kendra repeated while anxiously massaging a knuckle joint.

A part of Glacier wanted to huff in annoyance and urge her to get on with it. But another part was far more patient and understanding of what they were dealing with. If she was already this uneasy, adding more pressure would just make it worse.

With that in mind, he opened the top right-hoof drawer of his desk and rummaged around until he found what he was looking for and pulled it out. He proceeded to produce a six-sided die held in his hoof, approximately the size a golf ball, with a translucent red body that conveyed the image of a ruby, and faux mother of pearl recessed dots on each side.

Kendra, seemingly understanding, gratefully accepted the die being held out to her, wasting no time before rolling it between her digits to give her claws something to do besides remain uselessly empty.

"Now then. You said something about a crime?" he asked.

"I think that it might be a crime," she repeated again, just as uneasily as before. "I really don't know what it is. I just know that something weird is going on over at the Manehattan City Garage. I work as a mechanic there on the night shift and... something's wrong over there. Really, really wrong."

"Wrong in what way?" he asked.

Kendra hesitated, nervously rolling the die between her digits, looking like she was trying to work up the courage to even speak up.

" I... I think it might be haunted."

Glacier's efforts at taking the statement ceased as he slowly turned his attention back to the kobold, wondering if this was some sort of elaborate prank on the precinct.

"I know it sounds ridiculous. But that's the only way I can describe what I saw. What I've been seeing."

"And what is it you've supposedly been seeing, that's led you to this conclusion?" he asked.

"Things have been going missing. Things that shouldn't be in the habit of disappearing. Tools will be gone for days, only to be found later; often in a place that's already been searched over and nothing found. Parts inventories are off in ways that they just shouldn't be."

"I mean... it's a garage. Things get dirty, messy, and disorganized. There's lots of commotion, lots of ponies working on vehicles. Some degree of slop has to be expected, right?"

Kendra shook her head in response. "Not like this. You wouldn't just write it off if one of you misplaced a badge."

Glacier winced in response. If any one of them had done something like that, the chewing out they'd receive in response would be legendary.

"This has been going on for weeks now, and nocreature understands any of it. Even when things get put up where they belong, they still manage to go missing without rhyme or reason; it's all random. Sockets aren't in the order they were sorted into when they were put away in the tool drawers the day before, or they aren't there at all. We're missing six reflector dishes for carriage lights that we only got in last Tuesday. The garage staff has even been working in groups of three to double-check each other's work as it's done when they put stuff back, and it's still happening regardless. And whatever's happening, it's happening when nocreature's looking."

He would admit, there was something that sounded disturbing about that.

"And this is what led you to believe the garage is haunted?"

"No," she replied and shook her head. "But what I saw tonight did. I... I think I might've seen a ghost inside the garage tonight."

The frequency of the fidgeting with the die increased as the tone of her voice grew uneasy.

"You know how, when you look at a bubble, you can see through it but it's still there and being seen too? It was sorta like that. I saw something moving about in the low light of the garage that just didn't belong there. It was like a big bubble, but... but it was pony-shaped. It was just there skulking about slowly, looking so out of place as it moved in an unnatural fashion. I don't know how it got there, or what it was doing there. I don't know if it saw me, or even knew I was there, or was aware that I saw it.

"B-by the time I thought to get over to the acetylene torch and got it fired up, it was gone like it'd never even been there. A-after that happened I quick booked it over here. I-I'm afraid to even go back in there. I don't know if I was followed, or..."

Glacier said nothing in response, simply because he didn't know what he should say right now.

The story that he was being sold, about there being a ghost in a dark garage at night, was just too ridiculous to even take seriously. But at the same time the kobold currently sitting in the chair and fidgeting with his die was scared. As doubtful as the story might be, her demeanor wasn't. Something had given her good reason to be afraid, it was just a question of what that something was.

He was right in the middle of shaking his head, when he caught sight of the whiteboard in the room. The whiteboard that held the victims of the newly christened "Tirek Cases" that they were racing against the clock to try and help.

A mere two days ago, the idea of a magic-syphoning centaur would've been dismissed out of hoof as the works of a deranged mind that couldn't differentiate between fantasy and reality. And now here they were, taking the very idea seriously enough that they'd changed how they were approaching and trying to deal with the situation. Was it really such a stretch of the imagination to believe something else that was beyond their understanding could be going down in their city?

...

With that thought, he pushed himself up from his desk.

"Wait here just a minute."

He trotted out of the squad room, making his way to interrogation room two. If there was any creature in the city who might have a clue about what was going on, it was probably the Espada. He knocked twice on the open door, more to announce his presence than demonstrate basic courtesy as he walked inside without waiting to be acknowledged. The occupant was gruff and straight to the point anyway, and would probably explain why taking the time to exchange initial pleasantries before getting to the point was a waste; something that he'd done already.

considering the way he'd torn into Mayor Fetlock for throwing a tantrum, that sort of exchange wouldn't surprise him. And he really didn't want to be on the receiving end of it.

"We need your expertise over at the Manehattan City Garage. We just got a report about a string of robberies and vandalism unfolding over there," he stated, getting straight to the point.

"How exactly does such a development concern me?" the Espada asked without even turning away from whatever he was reading in order to address him.

"The complaining witness is currently scared silly because she's convinced she saw a ghost in there," he explained. "I don't believe in ghosts. But last week I didn't believe in centaurs either. So this is more your area of expertise than ours; you're sort of the defacto expert on weird, unexplained happenings around here. Besides, it'd be a good opportunity to get out and meet with the folks who can help you find where Tirek might be hiding. You'd be surprised just how much mechanics know about the city they work in."

The last part had been a stretch, to put it generously. But at the moment it was all he could really think of to try and sell the importance of this matter.

He knew that time was of the essence for helping the others who'd fallen victim to Tirek. But at the same time, they existed to address all crimes going on in the city. And something about this whole matter just wasn't sitting well with him right now.

"If nothing else, at least talk with her and see what you think about what she has to say."

"Very well then," the Espada eventually replied and slowly stood up from his seat at the table.

He was thankful the conversation was as simple as it had been. Because if it'd gone otherwise, he honestly doubted there was much he could've done.

The walk back to his desk was thankfully short and uneventful, bringing them back to where the kobold sat with her back to them, still rolling the die between her claws and seemingly unaware of anything else around her at the moment.

"Kendra, I've got somepony here for you to talk to. He's sort of an expert on matters like this."

She flinched at being addressed, but straightened up and climbed down off the chair to turn around.

"Hel-" she started to say, only to actually see who she was addressing, causing her eyes to go wide as she looked up "-LOOOOOHH MY GOODNESS, HE'S A GIANT!"

The statement got more than a few of the eavesdropping ponies in the squad room laughing in response. But Glacier maintained his composure and tried to frown his immature coworkers back into their best behavior.

"Kendra, this is Ulquiorra. He's here to help us, and is pretty much the defacto expert on weird stuff like this. Just tell him what you told me, alright?"

The little kobold that currently stood before them continued to fiddle with the die in her claws like her life depended on it, all the while staring up at Ulquiorra, looking utterly awestruck -even a bit terrified- like she was trying to comprehend some incomprehensible concept manifesting before her in direct defiance of her understanding of the world. Which might be a very accurate and appropriate description of the whole situation.

"I-it-" she managed to shakily squeak out in a weak voice, looking like she was just short of trembling under the gaze of the Espada's watchful, piercing eyes.

It was a sentiment that most of them could sympathize with. He was one seriously creepy dude, with the fact just barely being mitigated by the fact that he was apparently in their side.

Kendra had eventually managed to speak up, more or less repeating the same story she'd told him about what she'd witnessed and what'd been going on that led her to her conclusion and resulting decision to seek out help from them.

As the account drew to a close, the Espada remained as unreadable as he had been the entire time he'd been here. Whatever was going on inside that head, his expression did nothing to betray his thoughts. It was like watching a statue in Central Park and expecting it to blink if watched for long enough.

Eventually he responded, by reaching into his satchel and pulling out a folded up piece of paper.

"I'll need the assistance of a unicorn with a proficiency in casting magical spells," he stated simply as he unfolded the sheet of paper.

Glacier glanced at the contents of the sheet, and had to do a double take. It looked like some sort of magical rune that'd been traced out of a book, but making heads or tails of what it consisted of was a lot more than he could manage.

"What exactly is it?"

"An incognito spell. When cast it has the effect of rendering the target interestingly uninteresting. Princess Luna uses a modified version for interacting with others when formalities are unnecessary and counterproductive," the Espada explained. "If I'm going to investigate this matter, it would be wise to proceed accordingly, in a manner that doesn't rouse suspicion from onlookers."

Glacier nodded in understanding. That was a very good point, based on not only how Kendra had reacted, but how they themselves had reacted when they'd first seen him. Even with a police escort, he was undoubtedly going to be earning some odd looks as they walked by.

---

Steel Feather really didn't know how he'd gotten himself saddled with this assignment. But if asked, he'd say that somepony as the precinct had it out for him. How else could he explain getting pulled away from dinner and picked to follow the Espada and the kobold all the way back to the city garage at this hour of night to investigate ghost stories?

Just adding to the matter was how weird it felt to be in the presence of the Espada while he was under the effects of the enchantment that'd been cast on him by Captain Stance. He still knew what it... he was, but he was regarding him like he was just another everyday pony with a bland looking appearance that didn't seem capable of generating any suspicion. Even as he tried to remind himself how that wasn't the case, the thoughts and facts seemed to just slip past him in one of those "Yeah, so what?" sort of fashions.

Standing inside the garage really wasn't helping the matter either, what with how the Espada was just literally standing there and supposedly scanning the area the supposed ghost had been seen in, working whatever freaky sort of not-magic-magic that he supposedly specialized in.

Just standing around and watching a statue supposedly working in ways that he didn't understand, didn't sit right with him. Honestly, given the choice in the matter, he'd rather be talking with the kobold right now, even if she did offend his sense of smell with a pungent odor of old axle grease, oily dirt, and just plain old sweat.

"So..." he spoke up in an effort to try and get a conversation started to fill the silence of the garage, "why are you wearing goggles around your neck like that?"

The presence of the accessory had struck him as just plain odd when he'd first seen them, just dangling there like they'd been. They were old, scuffed, the elastic looked like it'd seen better days and didn't have much stretch left to its name, and looked like they'd easily get hung up on the barbs around her cheekbones if she tried to actually get them up on her face.

"Bright lights hurt my eyes. I can see better in the dark than ponies, that's why I got a job on the night shift. They help," she explained as she uneasily traced her digits along the rubber cups while she spoke.

Now that he'd thought about it, she'd been anxious the whole walk back to the garage. Trying to situation herself between the two of them as she tried to keep up with them, acting jumpy and nervous, her eyes flicking back and forth like she was actually expecting something to just come jumping out of the shadows at them. He didn't believe her campfire story about the garage being haunted by a ghost, but like glacier he did believe the fear he'd been witnessing on display. Something had scared her, it was just a question of what.

"How many unicorns work at the garage?"

Steel Feather didn't want to admit it, but the Espada suddenly speaking up after a long stretch of standing in silence since their initial arrival had caught him off guard.

"Um... two or three, I think?" Kendra replied, not entirely certain herself.

"What was seen in here was no ghost," he stated, both simply and definitively. "Your thief is a mundane unicorn, using magic to conceal their presence from view."

"You can tell all of that, just by looking at the place?" Steel Feather asked.

"With ease. The entire area in which the supposed ghost was seen, is littered with traces of their magical frequency from whatever spell was being used for hiding; as if the guilty party was stumbling around aimlessly, both unable to make out their surroundings and didn't know what they were looking for," he confirmed.

"So, probably not any of the ponies that'd be working here then," Steel Feather surmised.

"Potentially. We'll know more when I have the chance to examine the ponies who work here in the flesh, and perform a compare and contrast with what I'm detecting presently. From there we can confirm whether or not their magical frequency is what's being detected. If if is then they can be questioned about what they're up to. If not, then the guilty party can be tracked down."

"Alright. So whadda we do in the meantime?" Steel asked.

"Crime scene procedures are outside my realm of knowledge or expertise. On this matter, I defer to your wisdom on how to proceed," the Espada explained. "I need to return to my work at the precinct. Should I send word for more officers to assist on this matter?"

Steel paused to consider the question, before slowly shaking his head. Much as he hated to admit to it, the Tirek Cases were putting a huge strain on them. Even if this was something more than just random petty theft, they really couldn't pursue it right now. All they could really do was wait and hold tight.

"We'll... wait and see what you can find out tomorrow. We don't have the resources to spread ourselves any thinner than we already are, tracking down intangible leads," he reluctantly replied.

Author's Note:

This chapter took way too long to write and get posted. Writer's block sucks.

Comments

[Deora na greine]

Yes, writer's block is a gydfa but you can try to write other things while you put that story on hold or literally write humorous one-shots, they help with the blocks and the muses.

[Black_Knight]

Always funny to see stories where the ponies eat meat. People rarely realise that some herbivores are opportunistic carnivores, equines are, and a few, like dears, are even opportunistic cannibals.

Ah, the Kobold from German folklore. I see you went with the D&D interpretation of it. I saw more of the canine interpretation. That and that they are often describe as being cave dwellers/miners, I consider the Diamond Dogs to actually be Kobold.

At first, with Kendra's story, on things disappearing then reappearing, for me it was a case done by Gremlins. Now I wonder what is really behind.

Also Kendra's surprise at Ulquiorra appearance was even funnier as she called him a giant, because, if I remember correctly, isn't he the smallest of the Espadas? Lylinette wasn't considered one, even if she was a part of Stark, right?

[hydra30]

Root should ask Ulquiorra what it is he eats if she thinks pepperoni is so disgusting

[GrimmWolfDragon]

Yeah write block sucks, but still a good chapter

[Blue Spark]

I find this particular story arc of Ulquiorra fascinating as seeing him working with other mundane ponies like police officers is very interesting to read, especially whenever the topic of himself ever comes up. Was honestly hoping he'd offhandedly mention that he himself is a ghost and would be a leading expert on ghost matters. The dynamic between him and Officer Root is very intriguing and something I want to see more of, maybe a new potential friend?

[Draco fox]

First I know how writers block feels like and second DAMNIT IM CAUGHT UP WITH THIS AHHHH now the pain of waiting lol