//------------------------------// // Chapter 49 // Story: Old Scars, New Chances // by Arcticbrony //------------------------------// Ethan had excused himself after they had found the place they were staying. It was one of the cheaper places, but the rooms they had were big enough for the three of them. His excuse was a valid one too: Canterlot was a magnificent place and every sight of it would be a true joy. He hoped that he would have time to spend a little quality time with his family while they were there, but for now that would have to be put aside. Both Chii and Brawly were quite insightful, but they would be too busy with training and getting ready for the Contest to worry about anything else. He was in the clear. He had feared that he would stand out as a lone Lopunny wandering the streets, but free-roaming Pokemon seemed much more common there than back in Neighagra Falls. A Lucario or two, a lot of flying types–he even spotted a Seviper. Good thing Zoey was not with him in that moment. But despite the number of Pokémon that roamed the streets, he was stopped a few times by ponies who had not seen a Lopunny before. One foal in particular was incredibly adorable. “Look mom, it's a bunny!” A small, excited voice exclaimed, making Ethan pause. “Tippy, it's rude to point!” Looking around he soon noticed two earth ponies, the bigger one who held onto the tail of her daughter who was literally bouncing with excitement. The curiosity on her face combined with her excitement was just too much and Ethan smiled as he made his way over to them. “Mommy, mommy look! It’s coming over here!” The little filly gushed while her mother held her in place by standing on her tail. “Tippy!” The mare hushed her child. “Oh, I'm sorry, she is not usually like this.” The mother was quick to apologize as Ethan neared. “She just love rabbits and bunnies, not that you are just a bunny, I'm just-” “No need to apologize,” Ethan decided to cut in as the mother started verbally backpedaling. “You are right in a sense. So,” he stopped a little distance away from the pair and knelt down, “you like bunnies huh?” He smiled to the little filly who was grinning and audibly squealing with excitement. “I do, I do,” the mother could no longer contain her little daughter who zoomed over to Ethan. “I got a little pet bunny back home, named Mr. Stompy. What kind of Pokémon are you?” The filly saw in front of him with two eyes as big as saucers as she stared at him. Her mother had followed her filly and was standing besides the little filly. “I'm a Lopunny, a normal type.” He explained to the filly who, surprisingly, was sitting still despite how excited she had been just a few moments ago. “Are there more like you?” “There sure are. Lopunnys are not the most common Pokémon, but we are not rare either. We evolve from Buneary, it's a small bunny-like Pokémon who is much smaller than I am.” The mother was listening intently to his words too. “Do you think I might see one here in Canterlot?” “I'm not sure, I'm just visiting.” He answered honestly. “But with the Contest that's happening, I'm sure you can spot or find one. Are you going to see that?” “Yeah, my mom took some time off work so she could take me. It's going to be fantastic.” Contests usually were a sight to behold, especially when the elite performed. “Well, if you find a Buneary and become friends with one, you might really help it out.” “Oh? How so?” “Well, they evolve through deep bonds of friendship, so you might just help one become a Lopunny like me if that happens.” “You heard that, mom? They evolve with friendship!” The little filly started racing around her mother and him in her as her excitement now knew no bounds. “Thank you for indulging her.” The mother smiled sweetly. “And I hope you enjoy Canterlot during your visit. Come on now, Tippy, we should get going.” Ethan got up and was just about to leave when a small hug on his leg made him pause again. “Um… can I touch the fur on your ear before you go?” Were it an adult pony, he would have most likely turned the request down as he went to great lengths to make sure his fur stayed in tip-top condition all the time. But with the little filly staring at him with those big, begging eyes… the battle was lost before it even started. “Sure,” he said and pushed one of his long ears over to her. Tippy gently prodded the cream-colored fur with a look of awe on her face. “It's so soft, thank you so much.” For a little filly, she was quite polite, such a sweet sight to see. “It’s no problem, you have a great day now.” He smiled to the mother who mouthed him a silent “thank you”. “Bye, miss Lopunny!” The filly called back as her mother led them away. “Miss… I was sure my voice is deep enough, do I really sound like a girl?” Ethan sighed but soon laughed it off. It had not been the first time he had been mistaken for a girl, and it was probably not the last either. But the meeting with the filly and her mother had raised his spirits anew. And with the task he had ahead of him, he would need all the spirit he could get. As he went on, the streets started to become less crowded. Few foals ran laughing along the roads until they disappeared completely. Marketing stalls also became a rarity, most of the shops he now passed were safely located behind doors. Yeah, he was definitely headed in the right direction. Before he left, Jenny had told him about what she had discovered during her escape and the time leading up to it. The leader of the poaching group Jenny had been taken by was located in Canterlot, right under the princesses noses. Quite bold, or perhaps foolish. But that was all the info they had on him. He was male and in Canterlot. Luckily, Jenny had also gathered a number of other names of operatives and individuals, all who were located within Canterlot. She had made him promise to keep the information she gave to himself, and he would uphold that promise as long as he was able to. He would do what he could, but if he discovered something that was way over his head, then he would have no choice but to seek out help. To stop that nefarious group of poachers was the most important thing, or so Ethan told himself. But he also had a second goal. To find the unicorn named Shady. In his line of work, Ethan had learnt just how important closure could be in the progress of a patient's recovery. If he could give that to Jenny, to give her that peace of mind, then he would. As he continued down the streets, he turned way more heads now than he did in the more busy parts of Canterlot. Almost every pony turned or shot him a look as he passed. He stood out, not that such a thing always was a bad thing, but it certainly would not do him any favors in his next goal. He needed more information, Jenny had provided him with a lot but he simply needed more. If anypony who passes took notice of him, that would definitely not work in his favor. But he was also looking at them as he passed, and there were more than enough Pokémon there that he should have been able to pass without attracting too much attention. So he changed the way he moved. He slowed down, he had been walking rather quickly, like someone who needed to be somewhere instead of someone who was just passing along. He also stopped looking at nearby ponies, just casually glancing around every now and again as he passed. He certainly did not look like he belonged completely, but it was a start. The street itself was quite curious and no two establishments looked alike. More than a few buildings he had passed had their windows and doors completely boarded up. A lot of the times, it was cheaper to simply build something new than to restore something, perfect places for ponies who wanted to avoid attention to hide out he thought. As he passed, Ethan reached out with his senses. His large ears were not just for show, and he had honed his improved hearing even further since he had arrived in Equestria. He created a zone around himself as he walked along, where he could pick up on most things. He could hear ponies inside their homes, hear the pages of a book flap as somepony read, hear the conversations they were having and the mood they were in. It was not perfect, and he could only concentrate so much while he walked. But he had a constant makeshift map of every pony around him as he passed them with a constant stream of information flowing in. Sorting out all of it was impossible, but he did not need to. He just had to be aware of certain things, names, phrases and hidden locations. He could have gone with a more active plan, seeking out shady individuals for information and the like. But ramming his head against this like that could work against him just as much as it could work in his favor. He could tip off the wrong pony that someone was looking for them, especially if he confronted and pushed a pony who knew nothing for information he did not have. No, Ethan did things a different way, and as much as he disliked it. In a city as big as Canterlot, with as little initial information as he had, well, he had to get somewhat lucky. So he passed along the street like a fluffy ghost, humming a familiar tune. Ponies noticed him, sure. But they would soon forget about him too. For he was just another drop in the chaotic river that flowed through Canterlot's streets. Several hours went by before Ethan noticed something truly noteworthy on his little sound radar. It was a rundown building, still functional but it had certainly seen better days. But what caught his attention was what he heard from under the building. There was a lot of commotion coming from what he assumed to be the basement. That alone would not have been enough to make him pause, no it was rather the amount of noise that came from the place, it was a surprising amount of ponies. Ethan walked past the house, and settled down on a bench a few houses past it. He had a clear view of the place from where he sat, it seemed like it was in a very bad condition at first glance, but the more he looked the more he second guessed that first assumption of his. The garden and grass around it was overgrown, but a small path leading around the house was clear of any vegetation whatsoever, it was walked enough to keep it clear. As for the house itself, it was dirty, but all the windows were intact, and the front door looked like it was a few generations newer than the rest of the house. Ethan leaned back and closed looked up at the sky as he began concentrating, focusing in on the sounds from underneath that house. There were quite a few ponies there, and the space underneath the house was much bigger than he would have first thought… interesting. His ears twitched as he heard a metal door open, creaking loudly as it did, and a single pony walked out… but he did not go anywhere. He did not go up into the house, or out, he just stopped at the other side of the door. A guard? Now, what basement needed a guard? Ethan fished a newspaper out of a nearby trashcan and started pretending to be reading. If he just sat there in clear view, somepony might get suspicious. It was almost half an hour before something noteworthy happened, no other ponies had arrived, but he had heard some extra noise coming from the inside, the noise was muffled by the metal door, but if he had to make a guess, it almost sounded like a fight. And not long after, the same metal door was opened, and a pony was kicked out. “C-come on here, I… I didchen mean anything by it.” Ah, somepony was drunk. “Get lost.” A pony of few words, this guard. Ethan winced at the next few sounds as what sounded like a second fight erupted, this one between the guard and the drunk. It was short lasted though and not too long after a brown earth pony spotting a black eye limped out from behind the house. He stumbled out into the street and down past Ethan. From where he sat he could tell that the pony reeked of booze. But he paid no attention to anyone or anypony and simply continued down the street, soon disappearing from sight. Now, it made sense for a bar to have a guard, or bouncer if you will. But there were no signs, and the entrance was clearly hidden out of sight from the main street. Now, that did not seem like good things for a business. Why did they want to hide? Underground bars or establishments were not a thing that was unheard of back on Earth. They often dealt in things that you could not get in normal places, drugs, illegal items, and more importantly information. Yes, this was a place he could make some use out of, but first he just had to- “Watcha doing?” Right behind him hovered a young pegasus mare, her face just inches from his own. To call the surprised sound that Ethan let out for girly would be an understatement, and if Zoey or Vernus had been there, he would never have lived that one down. “Cause it looked to me like you were checking the place out.” Shit “No, I was just sightseeing a little.” He lied quickly, still surprised by her sudden appearance. He tried backing away from her but she refused to let him have any personal space and followed. “Mmh, yeah that's a bunch of baloney. No one comes around these streets unless they are after something, it's not the kind of place you randomly stumble into.” She called his bluff without hesitating the slightest, and she was right, this place was so far away from Canterlot's main streets it was hard to randomly stumble upon it. “So, whatcha really after?” She grinned smugly, sensing that she had hit the nail right on the coffin. This was really not what he needed right now. “Okay, back off, kiddo.” Backing away had not worked so he pushed her back. Now that he got a better look at her, she was clearly not a full grown mare, but no filly either. A teenager maybe? She had a dull grey unkempt mane that hung down in front of her eyes, and a sea-green coat. “Kiddo?!” She blew her mane out of her eyes revealing a pair of bright blue eyes and scowled at him. Yeah, totally a teenager. “Why I oughta-” “You want to know what I am doing here? I could ask you the same thing, you seem a little too young to be mingling with the kind of ponies that roam these streets.” He tried turning the situation back on her. A lot of teenagers were brash and seemed very confident, but lacked the experience to back it up. “And just barging up to a stranger asking questions like that is a nice way to get yourself into trouble.” The pegasus mare continued scowling at him as she hovered. He did not like the way she was looking at him, almost like she was scanning him for something. But her scowl and intense gaze soon softened and she landed on the bench next to him. “Eh, you got a point, I'll give you that.” She said, her tone a little softer than before but still quite brash. “How about this, we trade information? You tell me what you are doing here and I'll do the same. Seems like a good deal.” She was so naive. It was a good deal, for him anyway. She was in a position where she could have pressed for much more than just a equal trade, but he would not look a gift pony in the mouth. “It does. So, why don't you start off.” “W-what? I asked you first!” She stuttered. “You did. You were the one who interrupted my time and demanded answers. I am quite content with just continuing with my own business. So if you don't want to, we can end this little trade right here and now.” In truth, it was a little cute to see the young mare have an internal battle with herself as she was visibly annoyed with his answer. “Fine… but you better not try to steal my story!” The Pegasus huffed and blew her mane out of her eyes once again. It seemed to be the perfect length to annoy her sight every now and again. “Story?” “Thats right,” she took a quick moment to look around and grinned when nopony was in sight. “I'm a journalist, and I have been checking out this place for weeks. That's why I immediately noticed that you did not fit in.” So she was a journalist, Ethan had little love for them. They only did their jobs, sure, but the truth could often be twisted and hurt innocent people. “So, why are you out here then? Seems to me like you would get a better story from inside that place.” The little journalist squirmed slightly under his gaze. “Well, of course, I would have loved to get a inside look of the place. There are so many ponies that regularly go to this place and I just know that they are up to no good. It would be my big break!” She cheered, her wings flaring out in excitement. With that movement, Ethan finally got a look at her cutiemark. It was one of those traditional journalist hats with a quill piercing through it. “But um… getting inside was a little harder than I had first thought.” She sighed with a sullen look on her face. “Yeah, seems like you need a password to enter.” If he could just figure that out he could get inside. “Oh, I already know the password.” That made Ethan pause. “Its… Um… the bouncer saw through my false ID.” “So they don't let foals inside?” A shady hidden establishment that respected the legal drinking age? Well, at least they had some integrity. Everyone had some lines that they did not cross. “Hey, I'm no foal!” No, but she was sure easy to rile up. “...But the guard basically told me the same thing. One look at my false ID and ‘Come back in a few years.’ he told me. That thing cost me a fair amount of bits, that no good scammer got lousy when making it. I have been trying to find some other way in or hope that they change the guard, but it's the same stubborn stallion each time.” Another useful piece of information. “So?” Ethan asked her. “Just get one of your co-workers to go in for you. Find a partner so to speak.” The way she nervously fiddled with her hooves told him that he had hit a sore spot. “Yeah… about that…” She dragged the words out. “Me and my co-workers are not really on speaking terms, none of them really like me.” She admitted. “That and even if I got somepony to agree, they would just steal the story from right under my nose, and I would be left with no credit at all.” Ah, that explained it. Ethan had heard that the journalist business was quite cutthroat back on Earth, seemed like things were the same here. “Guards then?” Ethan suggested. “I don't know if you have enough proof, but with just enough probable cause, I’m sure you could convince some of them to check the place out, then you could take credit for whatever came from that.” “You don't think I thought of that?” She snapped at him, a real bite to her tone. “If it was that simple then I would not still be at it after this long… Look, they have watch ponies up and down the street. If any guard comes near this place, then the entire place clears of ponies faster that you can blink.” That made Ethan glance around them. “They are not so easy to spot.” She said, noticing him looking. “No, I guess not.” He mumbled. Not only a guard and password, but watch ponies aswell, the more he heard the more he was sure he needed to get inside. “Well, how about you then? I told you my part, how it's your turn to dish out.” True enough, a deal was a deal, and if she was telling the truth, then she had the password. “I’m looking for something in Canterlot,” he said, keeping it as cryptic as possible. “And somepony in there knows something that can help me find it.” “...That's it?” “That's it.” “Oh come on, after everything I told you and that's all you give me!” She sank back against the bench, deflating in defeat. “I thought maybe you knew something about the place that I could use.” “Sorry to break it to you, but that's all I got. Now, you mentioned that you knew the password?” He fished, but he had been impatient, and as the gears turned inside the head of the mare she started to grin. “So… you need to get inside but don't know the password. I need info from inside, know the password but can’t get inside.” She spoke, her grin still growing. He did not need her, he could get the password on his own given enough time. But time was exactly what he did not have. “...Okay, tell me what you need,” he sighed. “First I wanna know who I'm gonna be working with.” “Very well. Im Ethan, how about you?” he said holding out his paw at her. She grinned and thrust her own hoof out to meet his. “Murphy Mane!” “Swordfish, what a lousy password,” Ethan grumbled to himself as he sipped from his drink. It was something with a name he could not pronounce, apparently imported from the Griffin kingdoms and illegal in Equestria. That was one of the things this establishment dealt in, illegal alcohol and substances. The inside looked nothing like the house it was placed under. The cellar, if he could even call it that, was huge. The roof was tall enough that another Lopunny could have stood on his shoulders with ease, and several pegasi hovered around taking advantage of that. The place was one big room with colorful cloths hanging from the roof to sever it up into different rooms and parts, cheaper than building walls and doors he guessed. An old aroma of tobacco, sweat and alcohol filled the air, and it made Ethan wrinkle his nose in disgust. No music was playing but a steady noise of chatter filled the void. The main area was filled with cheap looking tables and chairs, and quite a few of them were occupied with ponies and other creatures at them. He had spotted at least two Griffins and one… Minotaur? He think that's what it was if he remembered correctly. He even saw a pony looking creature, it had no coat but had a shiny black exoskeleton instead, and it had holes littering its legs. It had a horn like a unicorn, and large blue eyes. He vaguely remembered Mary Care telling her something, a Changeling if he remembered correctly, but the name was all he remembered. It sat by itself at a table, no one else were bothering it so he guessed that whatever it was they knew it. In fact, he seemed to be the only Pokémon down there and that made him a little wary when he had come in. Everyone had looked up and eyes him when he first entered, but the place quickly calmed down again, everyone going back to their own business. Ethan had ordered a few drinks and had been taking his time with them. If he started asking questions right off the bat he could potentially get in a lot of trouble. Ponies and Creatures in places where he was now did not like people snooping in on their personal stuff. Apart from the guard, who tried to give him a hard time when he entered, no one had approached him. So, he sipped on his alcohol, feeling the subtle burn as the Gryffin drink slid down his throat. Of course, it would be a waste of his time if that was all he did, and he had been listening and surveying the bar and all its occupants. It had several back rooms, and some of the guests had gone back there. One of them was using a makeshift guestroom with what he assumed was a cheap hooker. He wished he could tune them out but they were way too close. The minotaurs were in the arms business trade, and were currently sharing stories of grandeur and victories in fights with eachother. The Changeling was… doing nothing, since Ethan had entered he, and he was not even sure that it was a he, had not said a word and no one had approached him. The griffins were selling drugs. A pair of mares, who had really seen better days, had snorted something they had bought from the griffins off a table. No one batted an eye at it, so it was apparently normal behaviour down there. After what they had talked started kicking in, they were escorted into one of the back rooms, where they could go crazy or ride down the high without disturbing the other customers. A few of them had talked among each other about him a little while after he had entered, wondering what kind of Pokémon he was, he wished he could unhear a rather nasty looking stallion who had told his friend what he wanted to do to Ethan. Apparently he really liked the way he looked. However, that had triggered an event that caught Ethan's attention. After the stallion had said that, a pony from behind one of the cloths had brought them into his little private stall. He had overheard the stallion, most of the bar had with how loud he was, and were now offering the nasty stallion… Pokémon prostitutes. He ensured that they had another Lopunny in stock… in stock? He talked about it like they were simply merchandise. They went on after that, discussing details , prices and the like, it made him sick. He tuned them out and concentrated on his drink while waiting for them to finish “dealing”. After almost half an hour, he hard the dealer in the room give the nasty looking pony some directions and he stumbled out of the room and out of the bar with his friend. Both of them laughing over what they were gonna do next. Ethan looked down in his drink, and downed the rest of it in a flash. He needed it and a steeled resolve for the act he was gonna have to put on now. He left the bits for the drink on the counter and walked over to the makeshift room. He breathed in, held it for a few seconds and released his breath before grabbing hold of the heavy purple cloth and pulling it aside so he could enter. The inside was rather small and if he had not known that they dealt in there, he could have even called it cozy. A small round table was positioned in the middle of the room, with thick pillows positioned all around it as seats. “Yes?” A voice with a heavy accent asked, an accent remarkably similar to those from Kalos. Opposite from him, on the other end of the table sat the owner of the voice. A light pink unicorn with a neatly groomed white mane. He had been counting bits when Ethan had interrupted him and was currently looking at the Lopunny with a questioning look. “I think you may be in the wrong booth, dear.” He said before going back to counting the bits on the table. “Oh I think not, Jacquett.” Luckily he had overheard his name when he dealt with the other pony. That certainly got his attention and he looked up at Ethan with an eyebrow raised. “I do not think we have had the pleasure of meeting yet,” he motioned to the table and Ethan sat down opposite from him. “But if you know my name then I assume you are here to do business?” He asked with a tone so sleazy Ethan had to resist the urge to sucker punch the bastard then and there. “Certainly so,” Ethan nodded, keeping his expression as neutral as possible. “Well, we certainly carry a lot of different kinds of girls… or guys if that's what you prefer.” The unicorn said after giving Ethan a once over with his eyes. “Perhaps later, that is not the kind of business I am here to discuss.” Ethan swallowed, hoping that the pony in front of him was a bigger douchebag than he seemed, that would really help. “I have been sent here by my boss to seek out potential buyers.” “No offence, but there are plenty of traders down here, I however, am not one of them.” The pony used his hoof to motion back to the exit. “So if you would.” “But what we are selling is exactly what you are dealing in.” Ethan reaffirmed him. “You can call it whatever you want, but as you said you caters to a lot of tastes, guys and girls included. With the recent… addition to the population it can't be easy to keep up with some of the more exotic requests.” As he spoke Ethan noticed that the pony settled back into his seat, he had clearly gotten his attention. “And it must be a shame when you have to turn away a customer because you don't have the right… merchandise. My boss and his organization however, can acquire any and all merchandise, no matter how exotic.” The pony in front of him was really mulling over his words. “You… are talking about slaves?” He spoke slowly, as if he was having trouble believing what he was hearing. “Call it what you will. Once their wills have been broken, they are quite content in continuing to do whatever you ask them to.” “B-but… you are a Pokémon yourself.” “And?” Ethan raised his head to give the sensation that he was looking down on the pony in front of him. “Ponies commit crimes against each other, stealing, murder and other things i'm sure. We all have our reasons.” Pokémon were individuals just like anyone else, there was no lies there. “And I can assure you that our prices are quite reasonable.” “I…” He had quite clearly shaken the bastard of a pony who was looking quite nervous. He leaned down against the table and motioned Ethan to do the same. “Look,” he spoke in a hushed whisper. “We don't normally deal in things like… like what you are offering. But the Madame would want to talk to you herself.” Ah, a name, even if it was a fake one. Nicknames went a long way in circles like this one. And if this Madame was in power, then she would have the info he wanted. “I see, and where would I be able to meet with this Madame?” Ethan asked. “...” Jacquett sat back up and took out a napkin, using his magic to scribble a short street name down on it. “On the third house of this street, knock three times. When asked what girl you are there to see, say that Jacquett sent you to negotiate with the fair lady.” Ethan nodded as he made a mental note of it. “I cannot guarantee that she will be able to see you immediately.” Ethan took the note and tucked it into the fur on his ear. “Oh of course, running an establishment like that, I'm sure your fair lady has her hooves full.” Perhaps he was laying it on a bit thick, but it seemed to work on the pony in front of him. “But my boss is one with very little patience, so if she will not see us then we will have to seek out other potential buyers.” Ethan started to get up and Jacquett scrambled to meet him and block the exit before he could get to it. “W-wait,” he stammered; he was afraid, extremely so. “I will send word ahead so she will be expecting a visitor.” This pony was clearly not comfortable with the business proposal Ethan had put forth, but he was still going through with this. Had this so called, Madame, instilled such fear in him? He was deathly afraid of crossing her. Whoever this Madame was, she must be quite the character to instill devotion of that level, even if it was through fear. “Good, I will be looking forward to the meeting.” Ethan nodded and lifted the cloth that separated the room from the main establishment. “It has been a pleasure, Jacquett, have a pleasant night,” and with that, Ethan let the cloth fall as he left the nerve wrecked pony alone in his little room. He took one more look across the bar, still no sign of the two mares that had been escorted into the backroom earlier, and he could hear no sounds coming from there either. He wanted to make sure they were safe, but he had no time to be doing so. He had gotten what he came for, and such, he left. The cool evening air greeted him as he stepped up from the basement into the downtown Canterlot street. He felt dirty about his visit, and he would have loved nothing more than to call the guard down on it. But like Murphy Mane had said, that would do little good. No, he had more important things to worry about, this, Madame, character for instance. Now that would be an interesting meeting, it made Ethan shiver with excitement as he thought of how Jacquett had shivered with fear of her. A character like that… she would be a challenge to be sure. Not nearly as easily fooled as the chump down there. Before he could get any further with that line of thought, Ethan felt a hoof poke his shoulder. “Hey, took ya long enough,” it was Murphy from earlier. “I almost expected you to have left by now,” Ethan said, a hint of amusement in his tone, something that she really did not care for. “We had a deal!” They certainly had, and Ethan had a feeling that he would not be rid of this pegasus for some time. “So, tell me what you found.” “Before that…” Ethan fished out the note with the address on it. “You have any idea where this is?” Murphy made a small pout as she looked at the note. “Oh for sure, I know all of Canterlot.” It still seemed like he needed her then, and so, he had to keep up his part of the bargain too. “Well, why don't you lead us there and I'll tell you exactly what I found along the way.” And so, Ethan began to weave her the tale of what went down in the underground establishment. Of the Changeling, the drug dealing Griffins, the pony he met with behind the curtain and the location they were heading to next.