//------------------------------//
// Tail 32- Detective Work 
// Story: Monkey Business 
// by FrostTheWolf 
//------------------------------//


Monkey Business- Detective Work




Manehattan

        “Geez, no matter what is going on in the world, I always find myself ending up back here somehow,” Sun sighed as he and Coco got off of the train. For the monkey faunus, this had been the third time that he had been in the city… in such a short timespan. In a sense, he thought it was a magnet that always seemed to pull him back here no matter how far away he tried to get from it.

        “Aahh, this brings back memories… fuzzy ones, but still.” Coco said as she stretched her arms. “What’s the plan, oh fearless banana man?”

        “Well-”

        “We go to the SCENE OF THE CRIME!!” At that moment, Sun remembered that they happened to have a third companion along with them on the trip. That being Nora. Ren wanted to go as well, but with the current situation involving Reese, he thought it would be better to help around the academy in Sun’s absence. “Also, weren’t those memories because you were rather tipsy?” 

        “I wasn’t tipsy...!” Coco’s smile turned into a wicked grin. “I was wasted. I snuck some of my teachers booze into my backpack before I went to the convention, and I needed something to calm my panic attack~”

        “That… doesn’t sound like something to be proud of,” Sun replied, before thinking of something. “Alright… we should probably ask around and see if the locals know of anything that happened recently. From there, we see if we can reach the scene and try to find evidence there that could help prove Reese’s innocent… does that seem like a reasonable plan?”

        “One problem. I doubt they’d let us anywhere close to a crime scene, let alone one where our ‘friend’ is the lead suspect.” Coco reasoned, grin ever present. “I mean, we’re aliens, not princesses… though you and Schnee could fit that role~”

        “Oh haha…” Sun rolled his eyes, before stretching his tail… and a small flame could be seen from it. Upon noticing it, that caused the Faunus to freeze for a moment, almost as if he saw a ghost… before snapping back to reality when he heard Coco speak again.

        “Then again, we could always find a shady looking bar, break in and b*tch slap everyone until someone speaks. Y’know, go out in a big Yang?” There was a hint of concern in her eyes.

        Of course, hearing the part of ‘Yang’ did not help the faunus at all. In fact, it reminded him more of the mistakes that he made. “Sure… if there happens to be one of those.” He replied, trying to keep himself composed and show that he was alright… even though Coco could tell that something was wrong.

        “Look, I’m not the best when it comes to touchy feely crap, and I know it’s off-putting, but you need to man up. Man up, and take things in strides.” Coco said, puffing out her chest, “And what you can’t handle, ya talk about it with Flutters or her mum. The latter for, y’know, sage advice.”

        “What about you?” He then asked, before shaking his head and beginning to apologize for what he said. “Sorry… I just… the last time I was here was when I had the accident with my tail… all before what happened with Adam… But that’s not what the focus should be. Thanks though… for trying to be supportive. I mean it, Coco.”

        “I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer, if you know what I mean. I have my moments, but I’m more of a pain in the ass than actual help.” Coco chuckled dryly. “I don’t like the heavy stuff. That’s probably why we didn’t work.”

        “Um… I’m sorry for having to break up the moment here…” Nora spoke up, appearing right between the two of them. “But I believe we got a case to solve… Besides, there’s a shady looking bar down the street that-” Just as she said that though, the store manager had a look at Coco… Before slamming the door to the place and flipping the sign that originally said ‘Open’ to ‘Close’. “Just closed up shop… Oh well, I’m sure we can find another!”

        “Oh right, that’s where I refilled the tank!” Coco winked. “If ya know what I mean. Apple Cider’s surprisingly strong.” All that did was have Sun facepalm himself before he let out a deep sigh as the faunus looked around him.

        Shortly before a thought came into his mind as he heard what sounded like a boat in the distance coming into harbor and seeing some of the stores and restaurants along the coastline. “Hmm… Hey Coco, did you ever visit any of the shops near the port the last time you were here?”

        “I was slightly busy…” Coco deadpanned.

        “So, let’s call that a no then! Time to go exploring!!” Nora cheered, all while running off and humming something to herself while Sun and Coco were forced to go after her.

        “Nora the Explorer- damn it! Why did I make that connection!?” Coco cursed herself. The faunus couldn’t help but wonder that as well, while also trying to refrain from chuckling at the joke because Coco would think he was laughing at her instead.

        Shortly though, both of them noticed that Nora made a dramatic turn to the right and had herself stop just short of what looked like a bait and tackle store that was on the pier. “Excuuuuuse me, sir,” Nora tried to strike up a conversation with the stallion that was in charge of the place. “Have you seen anything weird recently?”

        “Like weirder than you?” He asked, before being sucker punched in the face by another stallion. “Oww, what the hay Line?”

        “I told you to stop being brutally honest around other customers with your sharp remarks, Hook,” The second one spoke up, before looking back at Nora. “Sorry about my brother. He’s like this with everypony that comes in the store…” Around that time was when the two of them also noticed Coco and Sun walk on in as he greeted the two of them. “Welcome to Hook & Line’s Sinker Shack. How can we help you today?”

        “Wow… Hook and Line running a shop called Sinker? That is the weirdest form of wordplay I’ve heard in a long time.” Sun thought to himself, shortly before looking back at Nora and Coco. After a few seconds though, he thought of something in order to say. “Yeah uh… just out of curiosity… have you noticed anything strange as of recently.”

        “Stranger than-” Hook tried to say, before a sharp glare from Line cut him off. “Okay, okay… How strange are we talking about?”

        “Like something that doesn’t normally happen around here… You know, things that might happen under the cover of night…” Nora said in a voice to try and make things sound rather suspenseful. Of course, even though Sun himself seemed annoyed by this… there was one thing that one of the ponies did say that got them thinking.

        “Well… One of the shipping docks at the other end of the pier seems abnormally busy… like trying to do business after the pier’s closed,” Line then spoke up. “Not to mention that a warehouse just a few blocks from the site is closed off by the police. The paper’s talking about it as a bloody massacre that happened last night at a gang hideout.”

        That was followed by the unicorn showing them the front page of the ‘Manehattan Times’ that described the extent of the event and how it’s shaken up the surrounding neighborhood. Including the fact that at the moment, the police had little evidence in order to try and figure out who or what could’ve caused something like this to happen. “Wow… uh… thanks. This has been helpful…”

        Yet, when Sun motioned to hand the paper back to the stallion, Line insisted on him to have it. “Keep it… I don’t have much of a use for it anyways now.” The Faunus himself nodded, before placing the news article in his pocket. “Is there anything else I can help you three with?”

        “You got any Cider?” Coco spoke up before anyone else could.

        “Hard or Light?” Hook asked, before adding another line as he moved to where the drinks were stored. “The hard stuff would require for us to see an ID. The Light… not so much.”

        “Why do you not need ID for the light cider?” Nora then asked for inquiry.

        “Because it’s Non-alcoholic. We may sell drinks, but we still need to follow the law. Otherwise, we’ll lose our business and our home,” Line then added on as he looked at both of them now. “You have to be of legal age to buy and drink alcohol, so if you want some of the hard stuff, we would need to see some form of ID… Geez, it’s just like with the last guy that was in here…”

        “Screw it, not worth that crap.” Coco grumbled as she walked away.

        “Hold on… what do you mean by ‘last guy’?” The faunus then decided to ask, wanting to hear more about that particular small detail.

        “A week ago, some dusty old looking fellow came in here asking for directions and also wanted the strongest stuff we had… Of course, we told him the whole thing about the ID, but he was already stumbling through here like he was already drunk. Even knocked over and broke some of our merchandise,” Line groaned, before looking back at the three of them. “Never got his name though…”

        Of course… that was all Sun needed to hear before thanking both stallions and proceeding to the exit. As Coco and Nora followed him out, Sun was beginning to process what he just heard from both Hook and Line… while also thinking something else. “Hmm… If that place is closed off by police, then do you think we should investigate the docks they were talking about? They are close to the scene of the crime.”

        “Yeah, but I tuned it out. What would we be looking for on the docks?” Coco asked.

        “Well…” Sun thought to himself for a moment before looking back at Coco. “It’s one possible place. We can still look at other places around the crime scene and talk to people without having to go in though… Nora, what do you think?”

        “I believe that plan is quite a good one… yet, perhaps we should stick together this time around?” She said, while looking at Sun’s tail as the faunus took a deep breath.

        “Right… when I had that encounter with Roman, I had no backup… so sticking together sounds like an option to me-”

        “Or… We can do a stakeout on those docks tonight!” Nora immediately suggested, which threw Sun off guard because that was a complete 180 of what she was suggesting earlier. “What do you say, junior detectives?!”

        The faunus took a moment to compose himself first, before deciding to actually speak on the matter. “How about we try to find evidence like we originally planned and only save that idea for if we lack any crucial evidence? Does that seem like a good idea, Coco?”

        “I guess.” Coco shrugged, “Let’s go before I steal something to make sleeping easier.” That was followed by Nora taking off… once again as Sun and Coco had to try and keep up with her as they continued to explore along Manehattan’s coastline in order to try and get as much info as they could about some of the recent events that have been happening here.

        Of course, when they actually arrived at the crime scene… what they found was not quite exactly what they thought it would be. For one thing, there was no longer any sign of the police there or anything that would show that the place was considered a crime scene… and secondly, the ones who did greet them were not entirely… friendly, so to speak.

        Or royal guards. These were the thuggish type.

        “What’s your business in these parts?” The masculine gray stallion asked. He wore shades to cover his eyes and had no visible mane nor tail.

        “Um… we heard that something happened here?” Sun asked, looking rather surprised as he glanced at Coco and Nora for a moment.

        “This property is owned by Mr. Torchwick. Only he can give you access.” The stallion grunted. Of course, hearing the words ‘Mr. Torchwick’ did not go down well in his mind at all as he felt a shiver go down his spine. “So scram.”

        “Alright, let’s get outta here…” Coco said, tugging on Sun’s shirt. “Not worth it.” The faunus could only nod his head in agreement as he and Nora followed Coco out of there.

        Once they got farther away though, Sun only had one question on his mind. “What would Torchwick’s goons be doing right where a crime scene originally was?”

        Coco looked back, only to freeze. “What the…?”

        “Coco…?” Sun asked, looking back to see what she was seeing… only before having the three of them hide behind a corner. When they both turned around, they saw a human… one with gray hair and clothes to match talking to some of the ponies they encountered earlier. But this person look… just like… “Was that…?”

        “Mercury Black…” Coco stated.

        The boy was dusting his hands off after exiting the warehouse, a content smile on his face. He looked to the three other humans and waved in a friendly manner, though looked surprised. However, out of all three, only Nora was the one who waved back to him… before Coco had to knock some sense into her.

        “That guy’s with Torchwick!” Coco hissed, glaring at Nora.

        “What? I didn’t want to be rude!” Nora said, which made Sun let out another deep groan.

        “How does Ren keep his sanity whenever Nora acts like that?” He asked himself internally.

        “Sup?” Mercury asked, somehow in between the group. Startling both Sun and Coco by how he just came out of nowhere.

        “Jesus christ, where did he come from!?” Sun cursed mentally, caught off guard by Mercury’s sudden appearance. “Um… Hi?”

        Mercury leaned up against Sun. “I haven’t seen other humans in years! Well, humans and faunus… And besides Roman… But that’s beside the point.” He wrapped an arm around Sun’s back in a friendly gesture. Catching him off guard and leaving him at a loss for words.

        Though, it was Nora who was the next one to speak as she looked at him, tilted her head in confusion before pointing a finger at Mercury. “Hey, aren’t you like… armed or something?”

        “I’m not legged if that counts.” Mercury chuckled, grinning wider. “Are you guys armed-? Oh who am I kidding, ‘course you are! So, what’re you three doin’ in this trash dump!?” His attitude was cheery, not unlike Nora, or even Pinkie. To a lesser extent, Coco. Who looked nervously at Sun, clearly distressed with the situation.

        “We’re just… strolling around?” Sun said, not sure how that would come out. “And when we ran into those ponies back there, we kind of figured that we weren’t in the right neighborhood.” To the Faunus, he was a bit surprised by Mercury’s attitude. For one thing, it did seem that, based on what they saw earlier, that he was in league with Roman. But from how he was acting now, it’s almost as if he could care less about him.

        “Well, maybe you wouldn’t mind coming with me over to the library? I have a book to pick up, and I’d love to hear about what you’ve been doing. I thought Torchwick and I were the only humans!”

        “Is it one with pictures?” Nora asked abruptly, before Sun or Coco could even formulate a response in their brains.

        “Yeah, I suppose.” Mercury replied smugly.

        “Hmm…” Of course, it only took Nora a few seconds to think of something in her brain before looking back at Sun and Coco. Both of them really did not want Nora to try and do something reckless. “Can I talk it over with my friends first?”

        “What’s so wrong with talkin’ with me?” Mercury asked, tilting his head.

        “Well… We were doing something kind of important and judging from my friends tone earlier,” She said, pointing at Coco in the process. “She’s not entirely a fan of sidestops.”

        “Can I help?” Mercury asked eagerly. “I’ve always wanted to do important things!” That really had Sun look a bit nervous… but again, before he or Coco could say anything… Nora took over.

        “I don’t know… We’re trying to not create any big scenes… especially since another person we know got themselves locked up for something she didn’t do.”

        “Nora!” Sun finally said something, breaking his silence as he snapped at her.

        “What? You know it’s true!”

        Mercury tapped his chin, “Something to do with the warehouse, I’m guessing?” He deduced. “I can help you get in, but it’s clean.”

        That had the faunus raise an eyebrow for a moment, before looking back at Mercury. “Cleaned? Like the whole place is empty? I thought it was the scene of a crime.” He asked, holding up the newspaper article detailing the incident that happened there. “Weren’t the police over there?”

        “Yeah, but they got all the evidence. Torchwick bought it and decided to clean it up.” Mercury explained. “I can show you to the garbage if you want.” This… leaved Sun rather confused as he looked back at Coco. He wasn’t ideally sure if dumpster diving to find evidence to help Reese was really the best idea… but there weren’t exactly a lot of options at this point.

        “Umm… Sure, I guess?” He said, looking back at Coco. “What do you guys think?”

        “I’m not dumpster diving, I’d never get the smell out of my clothes.” Coco replied, her face scrunching up in disgust. “I’ll go look for more leads. Maybe check the precinct.”

        “Ooh! I’ll come too!!” Nora declared.

        “I… Sun?” Coco gave Sun a worried look.

        “Coco… let’s just roll with it,” He said, getting up and walking to her. Before whispering something in her ear. “If I’m in a jam, I’ll try to signal you and Nora.”

        Coco nodded, “Alright, we’ll see you later. And for the love of god, stay safe.” Sun nodded in response, wishing the both of them luck as Coco and Nora went to look for the police station. Leaving the Faunus alongside Mercury.

        “So, what’s with the Charizard tail?” Mercury asked, crossing his arms as he made his way around the warehouse.

        “Oh that?” Sun replied back as the two of them were walking. “Well, let’s just say that a run in with Torchwick and getting caught up in a dust accident from one of the rounds in his cane led to my tail being infused with fire dust. Was at the wrong place at the wrong time and now my tail looks like a personal nightlight.”

        “Huh… I’ve seen Torchwick acting weird recently. He’s acting a little more paranoid and anxious than usual.” Mercury stated. Hearing that… made the faunus a bit curious as to what he meant by that.

        “Do you mean anxious as in ‘trying to turn something in before a deadline’ anxious,” Sun asked Mercury as they went down an alley and began to get closer to the warehouse. “Or anxious as in ‘fearing for your life’ anxious?”

        “Both. And the gang’s been shrinking, like Roman’s bodyguard. Heard she died after Roman was attacked and it’s done a number on the group’s moral.” Mercury said. “Let me get this straight, we’re a gang but it’s not like humans- and faunus- can just get jobs. Plus we’re quite tame compared to the Applewood thugs. That’s just my thoughts though, you don’t have to agree.”

        “It’s… fine, I wasn’t thinking about anything like that,” He said, before wondering something else. “Say… when was it that Roman started… well… acting a little more paranoid?”

        “A couple months back when we got a mysterious partner.” Mercury replied as they reached the green, rusted dumpster. “And here we are. The police took most of, it. Whatever was left were blood soaked boxes and such.”

        “Well, at least it’s a start.” Sun thought to himself as he began to look at some of the boxes. Most of them were broken and did not have anything really of value that could help him. Some even had rags that look to have been used to treat those survivors that were wounded in the attack He began to look through them, wanting to know if there was anything that he could possibly find.

        Then, on the last box… something fell out of it that landed with a familiar sound. Looking at the ground, the faunus raised an eyebrow to see what exactly had dropped on the ground. And upon closer inspection… it looked to be a shell casing. Not just from a normal round, but from a bullet made of dust. It was something that he saw as important… especially since there was a flame on the casing. Indicating that it was an incendiary ammo type. “Hunh… this could be important…”

        Placing the casing in his pocket, he continued to look around and see if there was anything else that could be of use. Though, there was really a lot in order to help him besides that standard bullet casing. “Mercury, is this the only dumpster here? Or is there one on the other side of the building?”

        “It’s the only one. There wasn’t a lot anyways.” Mercury stated. “Sorry if it didn’t help.”

        “Actually… I think this does help,” Sun replied back to him as he faced Mercury now and extended a hand. “Thank you. I mean it.”

        Mercury took his hand and shook it. “No problem. You can make it up to me by telling me your story.”

        Sun though… raised an eyebrow at that. “I… beg your pardon?”

        “Hey, you’re the first human I’ve seen outside of Torchwick! At least recently… there was that Glynda weirdo.” Mercury muttered the last bit. To which, Sun thought about something in response as he looked back at him.

        “Well… If I tell you my story, can you tell me more about that Glynda person you just mentioned?” Sun asked him. “Better yet, do you want to talk about it over coffee or something?”

        “I hope this isn’t you asking me out on a date!” Mercury cackled, holding his sides as he cracked up.

        All that just left Sun to do was sigh as he looked back at him. “Consider it as making it up to you… Besides, my story is kind of a long one. It would be best to have something to drink while you listen to it.”

        “Course, I know a great place, but I haven’t had coffee since I was sixteen.” Mercury stated. “I’ll lead, Detective Wukong.”

        “Great… a unnecessary promotion from ‘Junior Detective’,” The faunus sighed as he followed Mercury out of the area. “I hope that Coco is doing fine with Nora right now.”



        “I heard you were the lead investigator!” Coco slammed her hands on the stallion’s desk. Said cop looked on, uninterested.

        “Did you check with the front desk…?” He asked in a dull tone.

        “I did! Twice! And they sent me to you after they said it was a mixup!” Needless to say, Coco was getting aggravated. “The line took twenty five minutes both times! I’ve wasted an hour of time where I could’ve gone sightseeing! I’m getting sick of white!”

        “Please use your indoor voice, there are ponies with hangovers in here.” The stallion pointed towards a teenage colt who was sitting at a nearby officer’s desk. “Please go back downstairs and-”

        “RRRRAAAAAAARRRGGGGGHHH!!!” Coco slammed her bag into the desk, snapping it in two.

        The stallion stared at the desk for a moment, completely unphased. Then, he looked back at Coco. “That was city property. I’m going to have to give you a warning and bill you the damage fees.”

        Coco’s eyes bulged. She hated loosing her cool, but without Fox or Velvet, she was a ticking time bomb. “I will destroy you…”

        “You’re threatening an officer. I’m going to have to detain you if you keep this up.” Coco Felt her hand on her bag tighten.

        “Hey sir…?” Nora said, walking out in a very casual manner from around the hallway. “I couldn’t help but notice that the door to the weapons room was ajar… Perhaps somepony should fix that before a filly walks in and does who knows what in there…” Hearing that made the stallion stand up from his chair. He grabbed his name plate with his mouth and slowly trotted to the door. Coco meanwhile was grinding her teeth.

        Though… when Nora went over to Coco, that was when she placed something in her hand. “Here’s a spare key to the evidence room… Don’t ask how I got it, just let me handle the stallion at the front desk.”

        “Where is the evidence room?”

        “Down the hall, across from the bathroom.” Nora whispered, just as the stallion was seen coming back out and locking the door to the weapons room.

        Coco nodded before walking in the direction. Once she was in the empty hallway, however, she felt something sharp pierce her back. Coco tried screaming, but a hand wrapped itself over her mouth.

        “Shh, I’d rather not sever something important~” Torchwick said. “I knew you kids would come, but I didn’t think you’d be this stupid. Walking into my city.”

        Coco’s eyes widened in fear as her body stiffened. Torchwick chuckled as he pushed the blade in deeper, causing Coco to move forward.

        “I’ve learned a lot in the years I’ve lived on this god awful world. I learned how to take out tougher foes such as yourself. I hate blades, but in this instance I’ll make an exception.” Once they were out of sight, Roman twisted the blade slightly, making her injury bleed. Coco held in a scream of pain, fearing that if she’d do so he’d finish her off. “Now… there we are.” Roman spoke as he searched her and located the key. “I apologize, but I know how unreliable chloroform is.” He moved the hand covering her mouth away before punching her. The force of the hit surprised her, before she blacked out.

        “Roman, what the hell are you doing?” He heard another voice speak up.

        “What?” He asked, carefully removing the blade and grimacing. “She’ll be fine, her aura will heal her.”

        “Yes… but you do realize she wasn’t alone… and after our stunt earlier, I did not have enough time to rest before using my semblance again,” Emerald told him. “And it gave out just as you hit her.”

        “Coco? Are you okay back there?” Roman swiftly put his cane over Coco’s face.

        “It was two nights ago, your semblance sucks!” He whispered through his clenched teeth.

        “Yeah and I have been still using that semblance to pose as a pony so that way no one can get suspicious-” Emerald told her, before looking down the hall and realizing who was at the other end. Preparing one of her pistols. “Crap-”

        “What… did you do… to my friend!?”

        “Nothing! Unless you take another step closer!” Torchwick shouted, the sight of Melodic  Cudgel opening. “I’d hate to take a life if I have to. She’d be unrecognisable at the funeral.”

        That was when Nora made a bold move, holding onto her hammer before making a bold dare. “If you want someone to shoot at, shoot me then… I dare you.”

        Of course, the first one to take up on that was Emerald herself, firing two shots that left off an electrical discharge before looking back at Roman. “Stun rounds. Has just as much electricity as a cattle prod… We should go before-”

        “You idiot! She absorbs electricity like she eats pancakes!” Torchwick shouted, eyes widening as he backed away. 

        Unfortunately for him… He only had three seconds to do that as electricity was beginning to tingle around Nora. “You… are SO going to get it now!!” Before they could react, Nora charged at them, swinging her hammer to where it was inches from Roman’s face as Emerald herself tried to fire off a few more shots.

        Nora though, had to turn her attention to Coco, kicking over a foldable table to use as cover before grabbing onto her and having her weapon change forms. Loading two canisters, she fired one right in the middle between them as pink smoke covered the area. Another used to bust a hole through a wall before escaping.

        The officer poked his head out, looking at Torchwick and Emerald. “What the buck!?”

        “I know, Jerry, I know!” Torchwick shouted. “Send me the bill, but keep those keys tighter to your chest!” The orange haired man sighed and pulled out a cigar. “Frickin’ kids… Driving me to smoke.”

        Of course, it didn’t help Roman out that a few moments after he lit his cigar, the fire system went off and the sprinklers began to pour all over the office.

        “I hate this job…” Torchwick groaned, tossed his cigar and slouched. “Where’s Mercury when I frickin’ need him?”



        “Wow, what a mother-in-law…” Mercury chuckled, taking a sip of his tea. “Man, I don’t envy you. Sounds chaotic.”

        “Yeah… and it’s kind of ironic that you say that because Fluttershy is friends with Discord, who is a god of chaos in this world,” Sun told him, careful not to burn anything as he drank a sip of coffee. “She tells me that he’s reformed… though, the way he acts sometimes makes me think that he’s pushing his luck. He tried roasting marshmallows on my tail.”

        “Sounds like a trickster. Helps you just as much as he hurts you.”

        “He means well… He just has a weird way of showing it,” The faunus replied back. “Of course, he’s also been helping me heal after what… happened recently.”

        “That Adam guy… sounds like a dick.” Mercury added, “Wish I could kick him to the moon. Little royalty humor. So anyways, is that everything?”

        “For the most part… Now though, Coco, Nora and I are trying to help out a friend. She’s been staying in Ponyville, but earlier today, members of the royal guard arrested her for commiting a crime here. So we’re trying to find evidence to prove her innocent.” Sun replied back, before setting down his cup of coffee. “Hopefully, Coco would get the chance to find something.”

        “Well, maybe Torchwick could help? I mean, he practically owns the Manehattan Police. I’m sure you could cut a deal with him. He’s reasonable… was...” Mercury sounded as if he was grasping at straws.

        “Was?” Sun asked, raising an eyebrow.

        “You know, his paranoia. Plus, I don’t think his partners like you, and he’s terrified of them. It might cause him to do something rash.” Mercury stated.

        Of course, it was around that time that both of them heard what sounded like an explosion… and a few moments later, saw Nora racing towards the both of them with Coco in her arms. The wound still a little bit visible, but being healed by Coco’s aura.

        But all of this… left Sun shocked and caught off guard. “W-what the hell-? What h-happened?!”

        “That Roman guy! That’s what happened!!” Nora said, before setting Coco down on a bench. “We went to the station to see if the cops can help us, but just as I was coming to check on Coco, Mr. Bowler Hat Guy stabbed Coco in the back and threatened to shoot her!”

        Mercury’s eyes widened slightly. “Really? Roman used a knife?”

        “Yeah,” Nora told them, looking to Coco to check on her condition before looking back at the two of them. “He also punched her too, which lead to me walking back there and finding out what was going on. In fact, he wasn’t alone.”

        That part… now had Sun a bit surprised. “He wasn’t?”

        “Yeah, that Emerald haired girl was with him. Even shot at me with lightning dust.” Nora replied, before smirking. “Sucks to be her.”

        “That was stupid.” Mercury smirked smugly and raised his hand for a high five. Nora herself, wanted to high five him… but the sound of Coco coughing caused her attention to be focused more on her than him.

        That was also when Sun decided to get closer to Coco, hoping that she was alright. “Coco?”

        The leader of CFVY activated her aura, “I was stabbed, guess… Ow...”

        “Easy… Nora told us what happened…” The faunus told her, “If I knew that he was going to be there, I-”

        “Save it, I’m fine. Only my pride’s going to scar, getting jumped by that loser.” Coco said in a huff. “He’s the weakest RWBY character…”

        “Ain’t got nothing on us!!” Nora declared, before realizing that Mercury was there. “Oh… right. Sorry…”

        “S’okay, I understand.” Mercury replied with a shrug. “I wish I could help you all, to be honest.”

        “Hmm… Maybe there is a way you can help.” Sun said, before looking to Mercury for a moment. “I was going to ask you about that ‘Glynda’ lady you were mentioning earlier before Nora and Coco arrived… could you tell me more about her, since I told you my story?”

        “Sure, but it’s not a nice story. Years before even Roman was in Equestria, Glynda Goodwitch was kinda like you, or that Raven. She kept our group of around twenty humans together.” Mercury stated casually.

        That… sounded surprising. However… that also made him ask something else. “Did something happen? Why aren’t you with them now?”

        “Let’s just say that time decays all things. Glynda watched as one by one, the group fell apart. It started with Merlot, who experimented on Grimm and ponies. Then it was an entire team that fell apart years later after one of the members’ lovers died of old age. It was that long since Merlot.” Mercury continued but paused.

        “Hold up,” Nora then spoke up, looking back at Mercury. “You’re telling me that one guy… experimented on Grimm? Who in their right mind would do something like that?”

        “Glynda said he thought he found a way to control the Grimm and fight against whoever controlled them naturally.” Mercury looked to Sun. “We tolerated it until he messed with another Displaced. They stayed in the group until I left. Two of Team NDGO fell in love, watched their loved ones and adopted kids rot away. Team BRNZ lost their Z due to Merlot’s experiments, Amber quit, Summer vanished, and I left after Glynda distanced herself from the group.”

        That… was a lot to take in. And not just Sun, but a lot for Coco and Nora to take in. And left the other two with some more questions. “Wait… Amber… like ‘Fall Maiden’ Amber?” Nora asked. “Also, is Merlot really that much of a freaking jerk? I feel like I want to find him and beat the crap out of him for going as far as to do that!”

        “Yeah, that group fell apart. I haven’t seen any of them since I left, and I assume they either died or became hermits. I did hear that Glynda had joined a newer group… I assume that was Raven’s.”

        “That doesn’t make sense though,” Sun replied back. “Raven doesn’t normally leave her forge unless she needs to find metals and ores for her workshop.”

        “That was years ago. Probably when Fluttershy was born, if I’m estimating correctly.” Mercury elaborated.

        “Oh…” He paused, before looking back at Coco for a moment and then thinking of something. “Let me ask one more thing before we go, Mercury… When you were with Glynda, did she happen to mention anyone by the name of Ozpin?”

        “Once or twice, but I’m not sure. It’s been a long time, and I’m sure memories of the show and here mixed.” Mercury said. “My concept of time’s a bit off.”

        “Well, that was informative…” The Faunus used that moment to finish the last of his coffee before looking back towards Coco and Nora. “It was great to meet you, Mercury… but I think we should be going… Before we do though, do you guys have anything you would like to ask him?”

        “Nope, not me!” Nora replied. “What about you, Coco?”

        “How’d you get involved with Torchwick?” Coco narrowed her eyes.

        Mercury raised his hands in a ‘surrendering’ gesture. “Well, that’s a bit of a long story, but the gist of it was I saw him, I understood his situation and I decided that I’d help him. Things evolved from there.”

        Coco nodded, satisfied with his answer. Mercury waved them goodbye and jogged off. When he was out of sight, Coco gave Sun a worried look. Only leading to Sun saying one thing. “Let’s get out of here and go back to Ponyville… I found something to help us.”

        “But…” Coco trailed off. “What Mercury said… About NDGO...”

        “I’m still shocked about it too… but this is not the place to talk about it. Especially if Roman’s going to have some of his men trying to find us.” The faunus told her with the same expression as hers on his face, before saying something. “Let’s wait until we’re on the train first… Where we know that it’s safe to talk.” Coco just sighed.



Meanwhile...

        It had been only an hour or so since Raven had stepped outside of her workshop and in that time, she felt that things were getting way too crazy. For one thing, she overheard that one of the people that was originally staying at Beacon was arrested for murder, even though they said that they never did anything. Secondly, she learned that Ozpin was trying to help her and prove her innocence while Sun, Coco and Nora were trying to find some form of evidence. And lastly… and the one that she was most irritated about… was that when she got back from a trip to the market, Raven happened to have an uninvited guest in her forge again.

        “Glynda… May I ask how you got in here? I locked the door before leaving here.” Raven asked the visitor, who was waiting on top of an empty workbench.

        “I have ways, but if you think hard enough, you’d figure it out.” Glynda replied, walking out of the shadows. “Does it matter?”

        “Not really… but given how it’s been a while since the last we talked, I thought you would be busy with something,” The swordswoman told her. “So, what brings you to my workshop? Did you want for me to craft something for you? Or did you want to pick up on our conversation from last time?”

        “Somewhat the latter,” Glynda began, adjusting her glasses which had a new crack in them. “I won’t question why you won’t see your brother. I won’t question how you’ve been raising a mortal filly. And I won’t lecture you on either case… no matter how much I want to tell you it was a terrible idea.”

        Though, Raven herself had a different question. “Okay, but let me ask you something then. What happened to your glasses? They normally don’t have that big of a crack on the lense… and would you like me to fix them for you?”

        “There have been… complications. I hate to bring it up when Adam is attacking your new… ‘family’,” Glynda spoke that last word with disdain. “But I knew you needed to know. No point in keeping things in the dark, no matter how much Qrow tried to stop me.”

        “Hunh… You almost sound like Ozpin when you say it like that,” Raven responded as she went over to another cupboard that she had and got out a small vial, before extending a hand and motioning for Glynda to hand over her glasses so she could fix them. The blonde woman scrunched up her face as she took her glasses off, handing them to the blacksmith. When Raven took hold of them, she got out what looked like a small cloth and poured a small amount of liquid from the vial and rubbed it in. Within a few moments, the crack began to repair itself and as it was completely fixed, she returned the pair to Glynda. “So what do I need to know?”

        “There’s another White Fang.” Glynda casually answered, placing her glasses back on her face.

        Hearing that had Raven almost drop what she was holding in her hands as she returned the vial and the cloth to the open cupboard before closing it. “Another… White Fang...? The White Fang here have done enough damage as it is. How is there another one?”

        “While Adam Taurus’ White Fang use Changelings, this other Fang recruits Griffons. Qrow and I dealt with them for a time until their leader began acting more… brash. I’m not surprised you haven’t heard, pony news doesn’t cover outside of Equestria. Even if it did, they’re mostly considered bandits.” Glynda stated, “Qrow’s investigations uncovered what they’ve been up to. The evidence suggests they’re the ones who captured Sun when he first arrived.”

        That had Raven freeze for a moment. She did remember Sun explaining to her what happened upon originally ending up here… but she had no idea that it was part of what Glynda was talking about. Though… there was one thing that Raven did have on her mind that she wanted to ask. “Does your group know about the White Fang here?”

        “Enough. But the leader refuses to make contact.” Glynda replied, crossing her arms as she scowled. “That doesn’t mean Adam won’t try to. She’s a cunning leader, and Adam most likely would challenge her.”

        “Let’s keep it to where Adam can’t. The last thing that we need right now is two White Fangs raging a international turf war,” The blacksmith told her. “I know that Equestria is trying to improve on international relationships, but a conflict like this would be the last thing any of us would want.”

        “Worse would be them joining forces. I’m not asking for help, I’m just warning you. This Fang isn’t a big threat now, but if Qrow and I lose control of the situation… Griffonstone would be only the first to fall.” Glynda stated. “And there’s more… I hate saying that.”

        “Hearing that just makes me think of them as a Blood Red Fang rather than a white one,” the blacksmith added, before asking a question that popped into her head. “Speaking of which, who is their leader?”

        “Sienna Khan.” Glynda replied, before looking away awkwardly. “I… knew her as my right hand before you arrived, and even before that.”

        “Like back before Qrow?” Raven then asked.

        “Before my Displacement. We were close friends…” Glynda trailed off. “I let her down. I let a lot of people down. I don’t want mistakes to repeat.”

        “Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen then…” Raven assured her. “If I can make sure we can keep Adam here in Equestria, then you can handle Sienna right? And if you need any help, just ask me and I can lend a hand.”

        “We need a way to keep you, Ironwood and I in contact. Quickly.”

        “Well, I have my semblance and can use that to get to Qrow… however, Ironwood would be a different story-” That had Raven blink for a moment, before asking a different question. “Wait, how the hell do you know about Ironwood?”

        “A little birdie told me.” Glynda replied stoically.

        “Was he a gray haired owl called Oz?” Raven asked jokingly.

        “No- I haven’t had contact with Ozpin since… you know.” Glynda was quick to continue, however. “Qrow spies on everyone now and then. The Crystal Empire is one place, and Sun saw him on one of his outings.”

        “Oh… right…” Raven said, shortly before letting out a deep sigh. “The one where he got the tip of his tail infused with Dust because of Torchwick… shortly before getting tortured by that bastard Adam. I’m going to be a grandmother and now the brand on Sun’s back will always remind me of what Adam did to him.”

        Glynda’s face darkened. “I understand… I’m sorry we couldn’t assist, I’m sure if you and your brother set aside your feud it’d be easier to find either Fang.”

        “I’ve set my feud aside a long time ago. Ever since I became a mother,” The blacksmith told her. “I’m just waiting for my brother to set aside his…”

        “It’s pride and bitterness. If roles were reversed, would you not do the same? He was exiled, and Qrow was never the same after he lost you.” Glynda’s eyes suddenly softened. “He won’t admit it now, but he missed you.”

        “I miss him too,” Raven personally admitted to Glynda. “And… well… it would be nice to see him again so we can bury the hatchet. He is going to be a granduncle after all.”

        “However much I detest the other races- ponies, griffons, minotaurs, breezies- it’d be amusing to see how the girls will react to their aunt/uncle.” Glynda stated, a faded smile appearing on her features.

        That… had Raven remember something. “Speaking of which… we haven’t heard from Yang since Adam attacked and she ran off. We’re trying to figure out where she is and… well, I’m not sure if my semblance can reach her. I mean… I have a bond with her, but with everything that had been going on and both Yang and Ruby learning that Adam is their father, I’m concerned that those bonds can be strained.”

        “I… could have Qrow look for her. He’s good at finding trouble- I mean finding people.”

        That… had Raven pause for a moment, before looking back at Glynda. “For a moment, I thought you were going to say ‘finding people in trouble’... but I would really appreciate it if you did. Thank you, Glynda.”

        “Don’t thank me yet. We still have a lot to deal with. And don’t trust Ozpin.” That last line had Raven raise an eyebrow for a moment in confusion. But she decided not to dwell on it as she looked back at her.

        “Alright… is there anything else you would like to talk about while you’re here though?” She asked her, leaving the workshop and motioning to where she had her makeshift kitchen. “I can make you some tea if you like.”

        “No, I have work to do.” Glynda turned away before continuing. “We aren’t the first humans, though… You know that, right?”

        “I’m… familiar with that. Ozpin did come before any of us did.” Raven replied. “And you were here before Qrow and I.”

        “Even before him.” Glynda added. “After all… what are Grimm without their Queen?”



        “God I feel icky after that!” Roman said, cringing as he threw away his switchblade.

        “You’re not the only one who feels that. Adam’s going to chew the both of us out if he learns of this…” Emerald grumbled, her clothes still damp after getting soaked by the sprinkler system at the police station. “And where was Mercury? Wasn’t he supposed to meet us at the station after he was done with his task at the warehouse?”

        “Oh, I ran into Sun!” Mercury shouted, jumping in between them from behind and slinging his arms around their shoulders. “Learned a lot by seeing their picture… Also, good to know you took my lessons to heart, Torchwick~!” Roman shivered, a cold chill having run through his spine.

        All of this while Emerald facepalmed herself. “Well great… with you not being there when everything went to hell at the police station, Adam’s going to chew all three of us out… What do you even mean when you say ‘seeing their picture’?”

        “I understand what makes them tick. I know where to hit them. Besides that, I gained Sun’s trust.” Mercury said. “Not our fault Adam’s a sh*tty leader. None of us have a clue what we’re doing. Torchwick and I’ve been doing the best without knowing the end goal...”

        “Grr…” Emerald growled, before glaring at both of them and trying to restrain herself from attacking Mercury. Of course… the sound of someone else speaking up soon got all three of them looking towards the back of the room they were in.

        “Would you look at that… Just as I heard things were going swimmingly, turmoil begins to break out…” They heard a female voice speak up. It was one that Mercury and Torchwick had not heard of before… but Emerald definitely knew who it was for sure.

        “C-cinder?” Emerald spoke, shocked and surprised. “W-why are you here?”

        “Well, one of the spies for the white fang caught wind of what happened earlier today…” She said, just as Cinder extended a hand and had a fireball emerge from it. “And Adam sent me to… assist you. We have big plans for them… all we require though is a little more trust… and cooperation.”

        “Give us something we can use, a heading, and then trust should be restored! Right Merc?” Torchwick said, with high spirits. Mercury glared at Cinder before sighing.

        “I guess… I just don’t like it when information is withheld.” Mercury stated, “But trust? Trust is earned, and you haven’t shown either of us we can trust your leader. Or you, for that manner. We’ve been doing your dirty work.”

        “Yes, but weren’t we the ones who told you about Atlas being formed in the Crystal Empire? Didn’t Emerald help Roman expand his empire and deal with that one good for nothing casino owner in Las Pegasus?” Cinder asked. “Plus… I find it ironic that you talk about trust, though you happened to share to that monkey and his friends about the time before you met Roman.”

        Before Mercury could ask, Cinder snapped her finger and in the blink of an eye, she looked like one of the waitresses that was at the cafe they were at. Matter of fact, it was the same mare that was taking their order. “So… I find it ironic that Roman trusts you… and yet, you hide your own secrets from him.”

        “First; Atlas hasn’t done anything to impend our gang. Second; Roman could’ve done that himself, Emerald just witnessed… And about the weapons we’ve been supplying you with… we haven’t been paid…” Mercury’s eyes darkened. “Plus, you think I didn’t tell Torchwick my sob story? Please, I told a vague fantasy of what happened. So if anything, Adam’s been a parasite sucking us dry!” Torchwick meanwhile backed up, eyes wide.

        Cinder just sighed for a moment, before glaring at him and tossing what looked like a huge sack of bits. “And just when I thought that what Amber told me about you would help me read you like a book…”

        Mercury stared at Cinder for a moment before smirking darkly. “Last time I saw her? I hadn’t killed anyone. People change in a hundred sum years. Surprised Amber crawled out of her hovel to tell you anything, or did you kill her~?”

        “It’s neither of those things… Mercy,” She grinned, dismissing the small flame that was in her hands before looking back at the silver haired man. “But let’s focus less on that and more on the conversation at hand.”

        Mercury couldn't agree more. But first, he opened up the bag, just to make sure what was in the bag was actually the payment that he was mentioning before. And upon seeing the bits inside, that was when he began to speak again. “Torchwick might be a bit spineless-”

        “Hey!”

        “But I’m not an idiot. Show us something that’ll let us benefit like you from this arrangement.” Mercury said coolly. “Sound like something Adam won’t tantrum about?”

        “Well…… Let me ask the two of you this…” Cinder then said, before looking towards what looked like a map. “Have you considered expanding your markets internationally…? A scouting party of ours has caught wind that a group similar to that of the White Fang is in Griffonstone. Adam wants to be able to overthrow their leader and expand… and if it’s successful, you may have new trading partners… Of course, he wants both of you to be a part of it. And even doubled the amount of money in that bag for you to use as you please.”

        Torchwick scratched his chin. “Sounds promising, but I don’t know who I’d send. Mercury clearly has a-”

        “Hey,” Mercury got Torchwick’s attention. “What about ‘her’?”

        Emerald raised an eyebrow at that last statement. “Her?”

        “We’re not sending my girl!” Roman hissed, glaring at Mercury with seething eyes. Emerald hadn’t ever seen him so passionate about anything. But it left the girl of fire still smiling a bit in response to the gangster’s outburst.

        “Well… looks like I touched a nerve on that,” Cinder said, before looking back at the two of them and having Emerald join up with her. “We’ll give you some time to think it over… but you better have an answer when we come back, Roman.” With that, there was a brief plume of flames and both Cinder & Emerald were gone. Leaving Mercury and Roman just standing where they were.

        “I’m not sending my little girl out there…” Torchwick hissed, glaring at Mercury.

        “She’s a big girl… Well, not literally, but you get my point. If things go bad for us, we might want to have her prepared and not sheltered.” The assassin replied, causing Torchwick to let out a deep sigh.

        “Fine…”




End Tail 32