//------------------------------// // Chapter 26: A Fright at the Museum // Story: The Phoenix King // by Turtlehaus //------------------------------// Trixie Lulamoon crossed the busy stage, supervising the installation of trick mirrors and trap doors that were going to be used during the play 'The Call of the Pony.' Practical effects were required for this production; the use of magic was very limited if not completely off the table when it came to theatre plays. It required a greater amount of artistic skill and talent to perform a magical feat without using any real magic; that is what got ponies in the doors and into the seats. During the initial production call of the play, Trixie had proven to be extremely gifted in the use of illusions, having been leaps and bounds beyond any other candidate, thus landing her the position of lead special effects supervisor. "Be sure to test the trap doors with sandbags twice the pony's weight; we don't want it opening prematurely." Trixie instructed the stagehoof ponies. With a quick wave from one of the stagehoof ponies to acknowledge they heard her, Trixie felt that things were proceeding on schedule and if they continued they would be finished ahead of schedule. Trixie turned to check on the ropes they would be using to levitate some of the scene changes when a Security Pony approached her. "Ms. Lulamoon, there is a pony by the name of Sir Lancaster here to see you." A Security Pony informed her. "Really, Sir Lancaster?" Trixie asked looking rather surprised. "Shall I turn him away?" The Security Pony asked. "No, it's alright. Sir Lancaster is a lover of theatre, but more so magic. At the very least, illusionary magic; I met him earlier this week. "Trixie explained to him. "I have him waiting just outside the auditorium, Miss." The Security Pony informed her. "Yes, thank you, George." Trixie replied; following the Security Pony named George off the stage. Sir Lancaster had approached Trixie earlier in the week through a mutual acquaintance, who just so happened to be the producer of this play, to express his admiration for having seen one of Trixie's earlier performances during her tour through Trottingham last year. It was all very flattering to her. Sir Lancaster had left with an autograph and the knowledge that she would be overseeing the special effects for this particular play; having sworn to come see it. This had Trixie thinking that Sir Lancaster was unable to get tickets and was hoping to pull some strings through her. Reaching the lobby, Trixie could see Sir Lancaster standing at its center clutching a saddle bag in his arms; shaking something awful. "Sir Lancaster?" Trixie asked aloud, sounding concerned. "Trixie! Sweet Celestia, Trixie, you must help me!" Sir Lancaster said in such fright; quickly rushing to her. "Careful, bub." George the Security Pony said sternly; placing one hoof upon Sir Lancaster's chest to hold him back from Trixie. "Please, Trixie, you must help me! I have no one else I can trust!" Sir Lancaster pleaded; sounding distraught. "Why? What's the matter?" Trixie asked in worry. Trixie pressed her hoof against George's arm, to allow Sir Lancaster to approach her. Sir Lancaster immediately shoved the saddle bag her was carrying into her arms, before backing up quickly. "I'm being hunted! I cannot stay here! Please! You must keep my research safe!" Sir Lancaster begged of her. "Hunted?" George and Trixie asked together. From the skylights high above, the moonlight that shown through was quickly obscured by fast moving shadows that zipped across the lobby floor; drawing both Trixie and George's eyes upwards in surprise. "What in the hay was that?" George asked sounding baffled. "They've found me! I cannot stay here!" Sir Lancaster shouted in horror. Sir Lancaster raced towards the entrance of theatre. Trixie attempting to run after him, at a loss to what was going on. "Sir Lancaster, where are you going?" Trixie called out to him. "The moor! I will be safe there! Meet me there at morning!" Sir Lancaster shouted back, throwing himself against the doors and fled out into the night. Trixie slowed her pace. Having little idea of how to navigate Trottingham during the day, let alone trying to find her way around at night was out of the question. Still clinging to Sir Lancaster's saddle bag, Trixie felt she had little choice but to do as he asked and meet him at the moor in the morning. "I wonder what sort of trouble the colt's got himself into?" George asked looking rather perplexed. "George, would you happen to know how to reach the moor?" Trixie asked, curiously; heading back towards him. "Sure. Let just grab some paper and a pencil to write it down for you." George stated walking away to go fetch it. "That's quite a story, Ms. Lulamoon." The Constable remarked. "It's the truth!" Trixie insisted, tapping her hoof repeatedly on the table. Trixie sat within the Interrogation Room down at the Yard with the Constable taking point on questioning the witness. Having told the Constable of the events that had transpired the night before Sir Lancaster's disappearance. "You must understand the seriousness of this matter, Ms. Lulamoon." The Constable stated. "You can even ask George, he'll vouch for me." Trixie insisted. "We would." The Constable began. "But he is missing as well." The Constable noticed the stunned silence and the surprised, if not, worried look upon Trixie's face. The Constable was not a rookie, far from it. He could tell the subtle differences in a pony's expression to know if they were lying or telling the truth. The direction in which a pony would look when remembering a memory or making up a story, how a pony's body language would give away their innocence or guilt, but most importantly the tone of voice when they spoke; the Constable could see it all. A sudden rap upon the Interrogation Room door filled the silence. It opened slowly, revealing a Police Pony in the door way holding a folder under his arm. "Sorry for the interruption, Constable, but you need to have a look at this." The Police Pony stated. "Sit tight, Ms. Lulamoon." The Constable said rising from his chair. Trixie sighed in frustration; resting her head upon the table. The Constable closed the door to the Interrogation Room behind him, taking the folder from the Police Pony to have a look at it. "The colts back in the evidence lock up found this among Sir Lancaster's saddle bag." The Police Pony reported. Within the folder lay a single sheet of parchment that had several pony names listed upon it. Several lines crossed off, ones that were circled and some yet to be marked. "A list." The Constable took a stab at the meaning of it. "It has Mr. Bartlesby, Misses Minerva, Mr. Montague, the Duke, Ms. Lulamoon, and even his own family members listed upon it, Sir." The Police Pony noted. The Constable could see that Sir Lancaster's wife, as well as Trixie's names had been circled, while the others had been crossed off. It wasn't clear what it represented but it was clear that Sir Lancaster had written it for one reason or another. "Have Ms. Lulamoon moved to the holding cell until Detective Pinkamena returns." The Constable instructed. "Do you think she's responsible for these disappearances, Sir?" The Police Pony asked. "I've interrogated countless ponies over my career, but I can tell you she isn't the pony we're looking for. My gut is telling me something much more foul is at play here." The Constable replied. Pinkie Pie and Rarity returned to the Research Room to begin their investigation. Rarity was unclear of what would be considered a clue, evidence, or what just dismissible junk was. The Research Room had been tidied early in the day by the rest of the research team, not having known the critical clues that might have told a pony why Sir Lancaster had been acting so strange. "Pinkie, what exactly are we supposed to be looking for?" Rarity asked curiously, moving so loose parchment around. "Something that should be here and isn't." Pinkie Pie replied, staring intensely through her magnifying glass. "But… how would we know if something is missing?" Rarity asked curiously. "A fine question indeed, Rarity, allow me to enlighten you." Pinkie Pie stated in a formal tone of voice. Pinkie Pie spun in a circle very quickly, her inverse cape whipping around, revealing Pinkie Pie to be now dressed in a white lab coat, with half-moon spectacles, her mane in a neat bun with a pencil speared through to hold it together. "Pinkie… how did you…" Rarity began, amazed by her constant wardrobe changes. "What a mess, Sir Lancaster really did a number on this place. I hope he's alright, he looked quite stressed last night." Pinkie Pie said as if rehearsing the line. Rarity watched Pinkie Pie pretend to straighten up the room. Pretending to return books to their shelves, papers to stacks, equipment to their intended places, and straightening chairs. It was obvious that Pinkie Pie was reimagining what that morning must have been like anyone of the research members to have done when finding the room in such a state. "Now, Rarity, what is missing from this room?" Pinkie Pie questioned, dropping the persona for a moment. Tapping her hoof to her chin, thinking rather hard about it, Rarity looked around the room trying to imagine herself cleaning up a mess. Everything in the room had a place, but there was still something missing. "No pony on the research team had reported anything missing." Rarity remarked thinking about it. "Good, good." Pinkie Pie replied, encouraging her train of thought. "So whatever is missing is something that no pony really pays attention to." Rarity concluded. "Great deduction, Rarity." Pinkie Pie stated. With a whip of her lab coat, Pinkie Pie was once more dressed in her inverse cap and deerskin cap; the bubble pipe bubbling away. Crossing the room, Pinkie Pie pulled a single sheet of blank parchment from the stack and crumpled it into a ball; tossing it to Rarity who caught it. "Throw this away from me, Rarity." Pinkie Pie asked. "Sure…" Rarity said slowly. Turning around, Rarity scanned the room for a trashcan. Her head looked back and forth, noticing that there was not a single can in the room. It suddenly dawned on Rarity that the thing that was missing was the trashcans in the room, they had been removed. "The trashcans are missing." Rarity remarked in surprise. "Precisely, after any cleaning of any room there is bound to be trash. The janitor pony must have collected the cans to dispose of the trash, planning on bringing the cans back later, but was thwarted by the investigation." Pinkie Pie explained. "So our clues are in the garbage?" Rarity asked, cringing at the idea of dumpster diving. "If a pony is trying to cover their hoofprints, disposing of the evidence is the first step. On the other hoof, Sir Lancaster could have left a clue for us to follow and been thrown away believing it to be nothing but scrap paper." Pinkie Pie continued. Pinkie Pie exited the Research Room with Rarity close behind. Using the directory, Pinkie Pie found the location of the janitor's storeroom, where it would most likely hold the first clue in finding the missing trashcans. Their hoofsteps echoed off the walls of the museum. The Janitor's Storeroom's door was slightly ajar, the light inside was lightly flickering; the candle light dying. "Be ready, Rarity." Pinkie Pie warned placing her hoof upon the door. "Be ready for what? You don't really believe that the culprit is hiding in there, do you?" Rarity asked, sounding rather nervous all of a sudden. Pinkie Pie threw the door open. A series of mops, brooms, rags, and a couple of buckets tumbled from the room; burying Pinkie. Thrashing about, Pinkie Pie gave the cleaning implements what for, tossing them about and stomping them hard into the ground. "Obviously a trap left by the culprit." Pinkie Pie deducted, breathing rather hard. "I don't really think the culprit had anything to with poorly put away equipment, Pinkie." Rarity mentioned, helping her to clean up the mess. The Janitor's Storeroom was rather small, it could be consider a closet, but was large enough to hold a desk and filing cabinet. There was a corkboard hanging above the desk that was littered with several different memos and timesheets the Janitor pony had put up. The flickering flame was an oil lamp that hung from the low ceiling, desperately trying to burn what little fuel it had left, keeping much of the small room rather dark. With a glow of her horn, Rarity magically unhooked the lantern from the ceiling, lowering down to the desk where she began looking for some extra oil. A small jar with a hoofwritten label marked 'OIL' sat on the top of the first drawer Rarity opened. With a quick refuel of the lantern, the flame burnt brighter, bringing the small room into the light. "Bingo." Pinkie Pie said smoothly. Several trashcans had been stacked in the corner of the room; each one had been emptied. A single large brown sack was leaning against the wall, quite possibly filled with the refuse from the cans. "It looks like we've found our missing trashcans." Rarity remarked. "It's time to find ourselves a clue." Pinkie Pie said taking hold of the brown sack. The brown sack suddenly lurched; squirming away from Pinkie Pie. "Aaaiiee!" Rarity and Pinkie Pie shrieked together; taking hold of one another in fright. The brown sack wiggled about before slumping against the floor, revealing a pony's head. "It's a head!" Rarity screamed in horror. "Who the hay are you two?" The pony in the brown sack asked. "And it's talking!" Pinkie Pie screamed. The pony within the sack struggled to free himself from his confides, kicking the now empty brown sack over by the empty trashcans. It was clear that the pony was more than just a head. It was a much older colt, an earth pony, some signs of stress lines forming around the eyes, silver streaks forming in his mane. His cutie mark depicted a broom and dustpan, giving a very important clue to who he was. "You're not the cops." The pony stated looking at them strangely. "No… but I feel that you are indeed the Janitor pony." Rarity stated, starting to calm down. "The names Julian, Julian Duster, I am the Janitor Pony." The pony introduced himself. "Why were you hiding in that sack, Julian?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously. "I ain't saying nothing until I know who the hay you two are." Julian stated, sounding very suspicious. "I'm Detective Pinkamena Pie, working for Trottingham Yard, and this is my good friend, Rarity." Pinkie Pie handled the introductions; blowing on her bubble pipe. Julian looked between them, not looking too sure that their story added up, but he did seem rather relieved to have been found by them. "So, what were you doing in that sack, Julian?" Rarity asked. "Hiding." Julian replied flatly. "From what?" Rarity asked. "The culprit, of course." Pinkie Pie chimed in. "Look, I don't know what that… thing was but it was trying something awful to get in through that door. Luckily for me, it took off when the Police showed up." Julian stated, heading over to his desk. "You hid from the Police?" Rarity asked in surprise. "No. I was hiding from… I don't know what the hay it was but I was hiding from that. Not the Police." Julian emphasized. "You got stuck in the sack, didn't you?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously. "I did not-I wasn't- it-" Julian stumbled over her words; his face flushing. "Can you describe exactly what you were doing leading up to this 'thing' that attempted to get into your storeroom?" Pinkie Pie questioned him. "There isn't much to say about that. I was just doing my rounds, gathering up all the trash from all the rooms like I always do in the morning. Mr. Montague was cleaning the Research Room with Misses Minerva and Mr. Bon Bartlesby; quite nice of them not leaving it to me to clean up." Julian thought back on it. "What did you do with the trash, Julian?" Pinkie Pie questioned. "We've got a bin for recycling near the back of the museum. I normally gather all the trashcans; bring it back here to the ol' storeroom to dump them all into my cart. Then I take it in one go to make the dump." Julian explained. "And that's when you were attacked." Rarity spoke up. "I tell you nothing has scared me more than having something jump out at you from a big old bin of scrap paper." Julian said rubbing his temples. "I was just starting to dump the cart when something just leaped out from the bin, hissing and shrieking wildly at me." "What exactly?" Pinkie Pie asked sounding fascinated. "Celestia knows what the hay is was, it was massive, snarling, it sounded like a Bugbear with terrible indigestion; I didn't bother to stick around to examine it closer." Julian explained. "It must have been terrifying." Rarity said sympathetically. "My hooves were already moving by the time I figured out I was running. I had left the cart behind and made my way back to this storeroom. I tried to lock the door but I heard whatever that thing was getting closer and closer, so I just dumped my tools against the door and went to hide." Julian explained. "That's when you got yourself stuck in the bag?" Pinkie Pie asked again. Julian grumbled. He looked rather embarrassed, if not disappointed in himself. "Were you scared, Julian?" Rarity asked kindly. "I'm not a coward, if that's what you're asking." Julian retorted, sounding very defensive. "You're not a coward, Julian, you were just afraid, and being afraid is alright. What you are is our best chance of finding out what happened to Sir Lancaster." Pinkie Pie informed him. "Sir Lancaster has gone missing?" Julian asked sounding shocked. "Whatever you encountered might very well be what is responsible for Sir Lancaster's disappearance, we're looking for clues that Sir Lancaster might have left to help better understand what he was running from." Pinkie Pie elaborated. "That thing might still be out there and you want to go back to where it was hiding?" Julian asked in shock. Pinkie Pie approached the door of the storeroom. Moving the door back and forth, a small noticeable squeak from the hinge of the door, but it didn't seem so worse for wear. Examining the floor just outside the door, looking for any distinguishable signs that may have marked the floor, Pinkie Pie smiled cleverly. "Whatever chased you, Julian, it wasn't anything close to a Bugbear. The door would have easily have been torn down by its strength alone, but the doorknob has only been loosened from the excess of pulling. The ground has no scuff or claw marks, which just furthers this idea that it might have been a pony using a sort of illusion to make you see something that wasn't really there." Pinkie Pie explained to him. Her words seemed to put Julian at ease; having realized that a flimsy wood door would have done next to nothing against a Bugbear. "Well… I guess I can show you ponies where it's at." Julian said, finding some courage. "We'd very much appreciate it, Julian." Rarity said appreciatively. Julian left the storeroom with Pinkie Pie and Rarity following close behind. Rarity was very impressed with Pinkie Pie's deduction skills, having been on point all day, feeling that this wasn't a game to her but a true mystery that needed to be solved. "Pinkie, if you are correct and what Julian saw wasn't really there, wouldn't that make Trixie a prime suspect?" Rarity asked curiously. "On the contrary, my dear Rarity, it provides us with a timeline. For Trixie was found out on the moor this morning, at the same time Julian had encountered this supposed creature. Quite a feat for a pony to be in two places at once, but without some hard evidence to prove that Trixie had no part to play in it, we mustn't rule out any possibility." Pinkie Pie said studiously, blowing bubbles through her pipe. "I must say, Pinkie Pie, you are doing a marvelous job as a detective." Rarity complimented her. "Thank you, Rarity! That is so super nice of you to say!" Pinkie Pie replied happily. Julian had taken them through several corridors, through different parts of the museum; perhaps the long way around by the looks of it. It was obvious to Rarity and Pinkie Pie that Julian was just being cautious, which was alright by them; seeing as the culprit was still at large. "Would the culprit still be lurking around the museum, Pinkie?" Rarity asked curiously; beginning to feel as if they were being watched. "Not likely, upon the arrival of the cops I'm sure any pony would have fled the scene." Pinkie Pie stated confidently. "Shush!" Julian hissed at the two of them. Carefully peeking around the corner of the corridor, Julian, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity could see the sea of scrap paper littering the floor; there was no sign of the culprit. Slowly stepping around the corner, the ponies approached the toppled recycling bin to get a closer look. It was nearly impossible to not step on the paper; there was just so much of it that it seemed like weeks' worth of recycling had gone uncollected. Julian had gone from nervous to annoyed by the mess that the culprit had left behind, tipping his trusty cart right side up before heaving a sigh. "Guess I better get started then." Julian mumbled sounding depressed. "Let me give you a hoof with that, dear." Rarity remarked, her horn flashing a brilliant purple. Her magic swept across the ground like purple water, stirring the paper from the resting place, and having them dance into the air. Fluttering about, encircling them before magically stacking themselves into neat piles; the more torn and crumbled pieces were separated into the cart. Julian had watched in amazement and relief at the simplicity of it all. "That was amazing. You want a job here?" Julian asked looking impressed. "Thank you, no." Rarity replied apologetically. Pinkie Pie was examining the piles of papers, looking for the clues that had eluded them in the Research Room. She seemed rather focused, tossing stacks of papers back into the bin by the hoof full, as if knowing exactly what she was looking for. Julian hovered around Pinkie Pie, waiting for her to leave of stack of paper, signaling his ability to toss that stack away because it had proved fruitless. At times, Pinkie Pie would pass Rarity sheets of parchment that she had pulled from the stacks to hold. After nearly an hour of searching, Pinkie Pie seemed content; nearly three hundred pieces of parchment was stacked near Rarity. "All this is what we were looking for?" Rarity asked in honest surprise. "Not quite." Pinkie Pie stated, blowing on her bubble pipe. "Why did you choose just the parchment paper?" Julian asked curiously, tossing the last of the paper into the bin. "Upon first glance of the Research Room, it was clear to me that the ponies only wrote with parchment paper, using ink rather than pencils to catalog their findings; which made it much simpler to figure out what came from the Research Room." Pinkie Pie explained. "Well, not all the parchment paper comes from the Research Room." Julian pointed out. "Precisely; this is why our next step is even more simplistic." Pinkie Pie retorted. "What do you mean, Pinkie?" Rarity asked curiously. "If Sir Lancaster had left a note of any kind, a clue to who or what was chasing him, the culprit would have disposed of it within the Research Room or when Julian had happened upon it searching for it in the bin." Pinkie Pie stated. "So there wasn't any clue to begin with?" Julian asked feeling puzzled. "What you seek is the answer to the mystery, Julian. Clues are like puzzle pieces that lead us to answer." Pinkie Pie told him. Without another word, Pinkie Pie started to shift the parchment papers around. There were diagrams, off hoof notes, simple ink splotches, numbers, arithmetic, and some funny little drawings from time to time. It wasn't long before Pinkie Pie whipped a piece of parchment high up over her head in victory; having found her first clue. "Rarity, Julian, I give you our first clue into solving this case." Pinkie Pie announced, holding it out to them. Upon this particular piece of parchment was several names written upon it, each name having been rewritten several times in other places. There were mentions of the time of day, much of which had been scratched off as well. It seemed like a right mess, something that would scream throw it in the bin it's useless. "What are we looking at, Pinkie?" Rarity asked curiously. "What we have here is a list of names, those who work for the museum, and that of the Research Team. One name is absent upon this list; Sir Lancaster's. If my theory is correct, Sir Lancaster was the pony who was wrote this, cataloging the time in which every pony listed here did something." Pinkie Pie explained. "Something?" Julian asked sounding confused. Turning to Julian, the parchment in hoof, Pinkie Pie quickly look it over. "Julian, what do you normally do at around… oh say eleven o'clock?" Rarity asked curiously. "Eleven? Well that's around the time that I make my rounds, sweeping the floors of the museum." Julian recollected. "Would you say that you are normally sweeping around the Research Room at this time?" Pinkie Pie posed another question. "I would have to agree with that. Noon is about our busiest, I tend to clean near the front of the museum and make my way backwards." Julian explained. "Sir Lancaster has kept tabs on you. By the look of it, perhaps almost a week and the times are nearly identical across the pace." Pinkie Pie explained. "Why would he do that?" Rarity asked curiously. "Perhaps a pony or ponies were beginning to act strangely to Sir Lancaster. From his account, it would appear that Mr. Bartlesby and Misses Minerva are the most inconsistent in their times. Mr. Montague seems to be rather dodgy about his time as well." Pinkie Pie deduced from the page. "What does it mean?" Julian asked curiously. "It means that Sir Lancaster was getting too close to the truth and needed to be dealt with." Pinkie Pie stated, rolling up the parchment and sticking it inside her reverse coat. "What are we going to do now?" Rarity asked. "To Trottingham Yard! There isn't a moment to lose!" Pinkie Pie declared.