//------------------------------//
// Chapter Four - Private Investigations 
// Story: Fairlight - Blood of the Foal 
// by Bluespectre 
//------------------------------//


CHAPTER FOUR

PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS


Manehattan. Mid-afternoon, fed, watered, and heading for a large set of chimneys near the waterfront. I hadn’t been to this area of the city in a long time. In fact I hadn’t been to Manehattan itself in a long time either, or so it felt. Nostalgia hit me just as hard as the pervasive smells of smoke, oil, grime and cooking. The deafening noise of a city in full swing encompassed me like a cocoon, wrapping around me with all of its comforting familiarity. The constant hubbub was probably annoying to some ponies, maybe even disturbing to those who were more used to a life out in the country, but to me this dirty, rough and ready jungle of buildings and sound still felt like home. Home… What a word that was. Once this city had been my home. My house where Meadow and I were going to raise our family, the watch office where I had spent countless days and nights away from her hard at work. And what for? What had any of it been for? I could have taken a quiet job in Ponyville or any other quieter location, but no… No, I had to pick a place where it was more ‘exciting’ and put me right at the sharp edge of law enforcement. And look where that had gotten us. Meadow, Sparrow, my career… all gone. Years of my life, the time I should have been spending with the mare I loved, vanished in the maelstrom of corruption the commissioner had unleashed. I still blamed myself for what had happened, regardless of Mitre’s assurances. If only I hadn’t been so damnably stubborn, or stuck my muzzle into places into things that drew too much attention to me. But then, what kind of watch officer would I have been then? Just another bent copper on the take. Still, brooding on such things never did anypony any favours. Now that I had a new home in Smiling Borders it didn’t hurt as much to think about the past. Meadow and Sparrow were safe in the herd, Lumin, Shadow and Tingles were safe in the Wyvern’s Tail, and I suppose, when you thought about it, things could have turned out a damned sight worse than they had. At least, that’s what I kept telling myself anyway. 

Nimble was peering over the side of the carriage like an enthralled school foal. I think it was his childlike innocence that appealed to me. Despite everything he had been through, all he had seen, he was still full of life and boundless energy. “I’d never get used to living in this place,” he called over the wind noise. “So many ponies! So much noise!” He flopped back in his seat. “I don’t know how you put up with it without going completely bonkers.”

“You get used to it,” I said, looking over the driver’s shoulder. “After a while it fades into the background and you don’t even notice it.”

The driver called back, “Heads up ponies, we’re nearing our destination. You want me to land nearby or in the carriage park?”

“The park will do, thanks.” I replied. 

I made a quick check of my gear. We weren’t on any clandestine mission this time, and would simply be walking in the front door of the laundry company for a chat with whoever was in charge. Still, it didn’t hurt to be prepared. I’d been caught too many times with my metaphorical pants down already. Without even realising it I reached a hoof up to rub the back of my head. It was miracle it was still in one piece with all the thumps I’d taken lately. If this kept up I’d be seriously considering investing in a helmet! I checked my seat belt, feeling the wind change as we descended. Even before we landed though the chemical smell hit me full on, making my nose itch horribly. I sneezed almost at the same time Nimble did and we shared a laugh. 

“I don’t envy ponies working in here,” I grinned, wiping my muzzle. “Goddesses, what a smell!”

Nimble nodded. “My sister used to work in one once when she was in her teens. Great for getting your gear cleaned on the cheap. She didn’t half pong when she got home though.”

“I bet!”

We touched down on the street outside the columned entrance to the main office building. A large sign over the portico in large red and yellow letters proudly proclaimed, rather unsurprisingly, ‘BRIGHT MORNING LAUNDRY’. Beneath which a smaller sign read, ‘General Enquiries and Reception.’ It was your typical factory unit: square, acres of red brick and concrete slabs, and with a very particular eye for function over form. The architects must have been having a day off when they came up with the plans for this place alright. Either that or they hated the owners with a passion. To add to the aesthetics of the laundry, in the background steam poured out of huge slatted vents set in the walls of the main factory building. The hum of vents and fans permeated everything around us, as much felt as it was heard. Somehow I doubted many worked here through choice. Judging by the general age of the workers we’d encountered so far, teens and older mares mostly, I doubted the wages were much to write home about either. We trotted in through the doors to the reception desk, addressing the bored looking female who was busily engaged in filing her hooves. 

“Excuse me, miss?” I asked politely.

The butterscotch coated mare didn’t look up. “Can I help you?”

I nodded. “Yes please. May we speak to the manager?”

“Do you have an appointment?”

I smiled. “No.”

She let out a unnecessarily long sigh. “Then you’ll need to make one first then, wont you? I suppose I can do it for you.” The file was slammed onto the desk noisily. “Take a seat and I’ll-”

“Oh, I think he’ll want to see us now, miss,” I cut in, remaining polite yet firm in my tone of voice. “We’re on official business.”

“Oh?” she mimicked sarcastically. “And just who should I say is calling?”

“Agents Nox and Nimble,” I replied. “Celestian Bureau of Investigation. Here on her majesty’s service.”

The mare froze, her eyes rolling up and finally taking in the badge I held out for her. “Er… one moment please, gentlecolts.” She clicked the intercom, never looking away even for a second. “Mister Bone Meal, sir, there’s two gentlecolts to see you.”

The intercom buzzed back, the crackly voice sounding surprisingly irritated. “I’m busy Rose! Find out what they want and send them away, I don’t have time to be seeing anypony right now.”

Rose looked to me then back to the intercom. “Sir, they’re from the-”

“-I couldn’t care less if they were from the bloody moon, Rose!” the angry voice retorted. “I said I’m busy you silly girl, now get rid of them and stop bothering me!”

The intercom cut off, leaving Rose looking at us with a stricken expression. “I’m sorry gentlecolts, if you’d like to leave contact details I’m sure Mister Bone Meal will-”

I motioned to the office door with the brass plaque stamped with the word ‘Private’ on it. Following my lead, Nimble nodded and turned, aiming his powerful hind right legs at thick timber portal. He looked to me for approval.

Rose, finally cottoning on to what we were about to do, stood up in alarm. “Hey! You can’t-!”

“You may fire when ready, Mister Nimble.”

The door flew open with such force it was ripped from its top hinge and crashed into the room with a deafening bang. I followed it in, looking around the at the lavish book cases, the grandfather clock, a beautiful array of ornaments, and finally, the large oak desk behind which the voice on the intercom had originated. “Whoops!” I chuckled throatily. “Sorry about that! Guess old agent Nimble here doesn’t know his own strength” I smiled pleasantly, taking in the scene. Now this was an office!

Bone Meal, an older yellow stallion in a neat three piece suit, was ensconced in a large red velvet chair with a look of horror on his face. His chair was tilted back at a strange angle and he had his hooves held down beneath the desk’s top. “Wha?! Who the blistering buggering hell are you two?!” he choked furiously. “Get the hell out of here! Rose! ROSE! Call the bloody watch, girl!”

The poor receptionist appeared in the doorway, poking her nose through gingerly. “Sorry Mister Bone Meal, sir, I tried to stop them.”

Nimble shooed her out of the room. “Thank you, miss, it’s all under control. Now why don’t you go back and do some reception-isting things, or whatever it is you do, okay?”

I looked back at him. “Reception-isting?”

Nimble shrugged, raising his eyebrows.

“Mister Bone Meal!” I said chirpily, taking a seat. “Agent Nox, CBI. The pony putting your door back up is agent Nimble. My apologies for the abrupt intrusion, however we are here on a matter of national security. Your cooperation, naturally, is appreciated.”

“Th…This is intolerable!” The stallion blurted out. “I don’t care who you are, you don’t just burst into my office like some bloody barbarian! That door cost over two hundred and fifty bits!”

I leaned my hooves on the desk top. “Perhaps I haven’t made myself clear. Very well, I’ll make this simple, Mister Meal. There’s been a serious crime committed and your company can, how you say, ‘help us with our enquiries’.” I fixed him with a hard look. “You play ball, help us with what we want, and we go away happy. You refuse, and we come back here with a royal warrant and take this place apart brick by brick. It’s your choice.”

He swallowed, staring at me with wide eyes. “What do you want?” 

I shrugged, settling back in the chair. “Just access to your delivery records, and to be able to speak to your staff if need be.”

Bone Meal spluttered, his eyes darting to his lap. “Can… can you give me a few minutes?”

The answer was simple. “No.” I knocked on the desk/ “You can come out now, miss.”

A muffled squeak from under the desk was followed by a shuffling sound as a lilac pegasus mare poked her head out. She peered up at me with flushed cheeks before gazing sheepishly at her boss. Bone Meal slid his chair out of the way, shooing her from the office.

“Thank you, Crest,” he coughed, “you can finish the… er… cleaning, later.”

“Yes, Mister Meal,” Crest blurted out, her voice cracking as she hurried from the room. 

I treated the suited stallion to my most endearing smile, “Now then, Mister Meal, shall we begin?”


*******************


Ah, paperwork, where would we be without it? Filling filing cabinets, drawers, shelves and in-boxes across the land from Los Pegasi to Appleloosa and beyond. There would never be enough sheets of paper in the whole world to cope with the sheer deluge of pointless word diarrhoea businesses could spew up. How there were any trees left still standing was a miracle in itself. Papermills across Equestria must have made an absolute fortune off this kind of red tape encrusted bureaucracy. Nimble and I were up to our necks in it too, working our way through the records along with two employees and a flustered looking owner. The records were, it has to be said, immaculately well kept and made checking through them simplicity itself. The problem we had was that everything seemed to be accounted for; there had been no runs to the palace in weeks, not since some cock-up over a delivery had lost them the royal contract - a point which Bone Meal fully placed at the hooves of the palace staff.

“It was ridiculous!” he exclaimed animatedly. “I mean, how can they accuse us of ruining uniform tabards when we’re a cleaning company for I ask you? Of all the blasted nerve!”

“Uh-huh”, Nimble muttered not really listening.

“For Celestia’s sake, all that time and effort improving our network and public relations and then some puffed up little bureaucrat pulls the contract because of a ‘funny smell’… A funny smell! I ask you, what’s the world coming to?”

“Yeah…”

I reached across the desk and took a quill to make notes. Dibbing it in the ink I noticed there was an extra column on this particular page that was different to the rest of the entries. It had additional times on it, several of which certainly fell within the right time frame for the ‘incident’ at the palace. Incident… Was that what we were calling it now? I kept having to remind myself that although it was ‘physically’ me that had been at the centre of it all, at the same time it wasn’t me who’d been in control. It certainly hadn’t been the first time I’d been played like a marionette by somepony, but it had been the first time I’d been possessed body and soul. The very thought of it sent a chill down my spine. I’d have to have a drink later to get my head around it, and then I’d have to find some way to contact my family in Smiling Borders too. Fortunately, Mitre and Princess Luna had that in hoof for later. I nudged the filly standing next to me. 

“What’s this column for?” I asked.

She was peering over my shoulder through horn rimmed glasses. “That’s the time the wagons are clocked in and out of the yard,” she pointed out helpfully. “Helps us to keep track of delivery times.”

“I see, and this one here?” I tapped one of the entries that had a red ‘L’ next to it.

“Oh, that’s when they’re back late,” the young mare explained.  

“Bloody slackers these drivers,” Bone Meal chirped in irritably. “Keep buggering off for tea breaks on company time every chance they get. I’m not damned well paying them to piss about when they should be working!”

I looked up from the book to both of them. “How do you know if they haven’t got a good reason for being late?” I asked. “Traffic in the cities can be a nightmare, and some places will have larger loads than others, surely?”

The young mare trotted over to a drawer and pulled out another book. “This one shows our regular runs and journey times. We use it to estimate times for collections and deliveries for when we’re calculating routes for the drivers. If they’re late we mark it in the book.”

Looking through the entries I noticed something odd. Many of the deliveries were late, but usually only by a few minutes. One however stood out in particular. “This one here, it’s nearly half a day over.”

“WHAT?!” Bone Meal nearly choked. “Half a blasted day?!”

Another of the assistants cut in, “It’s been reported to the driver’s supervisor, sir. It only happened the other day so he won’t have-”

“The other day?” I said checking the entry again. “Who was the driver?”

The mare checked a wall mounted roster. “Humble Dart, he’s the new fellow.”

“New fellow?” Nimble asked, “How new?”

Bone Meal answered the question himself. “He only started a week ago. Good driver though by all accounts too. After this though I’m wondering if we made a mistake hiring him on. I mean, a few minutes is one thing, but half a blasted day late? What the hell was he doing out there?”

Nimble turned to face me. “You thinking what I’m thinking?”

I nodded. “Let me see the deliveries for that day.”

The list was, unfortunately, uninspiring. Collection’s of fresh laundry, uniforms and so forth, then a drop off at Manehattan General. Following that it was several trips to various clinics and then finally back to the laundry to drop off the sacks for cleaning.

“Manehattan General...” I muttered quietly. “Bone Meal, you mentioned earlier something about a ‘funny smell’?”

“Why… yes, I suppose I did,” the stallion said warily. “A little while back the hospital started using a new chemical that stank the back of the wagons out to high heaven. Whatever it was soaked right through our regular collection sacks and into the decking. We got a professional valeting service in to clean them of course, but nothing we did would shift it. Cost a bloody fortune too! Naturally we spoke to the hospital about it, but they told us it was ‘new health regulations’ and there was nothing they could do about it. We didn’t have much of a choice in the matter anyway. We couldn’t afford to lose the contract, it’s about twenty percent of our annual income, so we had to come up with a work around.”

Nimble looked at him carefully. “Do you use that wagon for dropping off items at the palace?”

Bone Meal shook his head. “Not since we lost the contract, no. The smell got on some of their equipment we’d had in for cleaning and they said they’d had to replace everything due to it being ‘contaminated with foreign substances’ or some such rubbish.” He let out a sigh. “They dropped us like a hot brick after that.”

“Do you use any other wagons for the hospital run?” I asked.

One of the assistants spoke up. “Some, yes. Certain wagons are set aside for them, especially since that business with the palace. After they started using that new chemical stuff we’ve been using sealed waterproof sacks to keep any contamination away from clean or soiled medical garments. They’re cleaned in a separate part of the site now too.”

I pointed to the entry for the wagon Humble Dart was in charge of. “Where’s this wagon now?” I asked hopefully. “Is it here?”

“It’ll be in the yard,” Bone Meal replied. “We’re low on driver’s now, what with holidays and colds doing the rounds.”

“Can we have a look at it?” I asked.

“Well, yes, of course,” Bone Meal nodded. “Follow me and I’ll show you where it is.”

Sure enough, out in the wagon park a number of Bright Morning Laundry’s delivery wagons were parked up. Some were in the process of being loaded ready for the days deliveries, with a small army of ponies shuttling the aforementioned sacks from the laundry units into the large vehicles with the aid of the same kind of wheeled cages I’d seen at the palace. Most of the bays were empty, no doubt already out on deliveries or collections, however there was only the one I had my attention set on. 

“It’s this one,” Bone Meal said, gesturing for one of the assistants to open the vehicle’s double doors.

The wagon in question looked no different from the rest of its fellows, sporting the company logo on the side in large friendly red and yellow letters. I took a deep breath, praying my hunch was right, as with a loud metallic creak the doors swung open to reveal the very empty cargo compartment. Empty, except for the faint, yet distinct smell of antiseptic.

“Nimble?”

“Same smell, Cap,” Nimble nodded. “No doubt about it.”

I turned to Bone Meal. “I want the address of the driver, Humble Dart. As for the wagon, nopony is to touch this until the forensic ponies have examined it. Do you understand?”

The stallion’s mouth opened and shut several times like some landed carp. “Wha- Why?! I need my wagons for the business! All of them!”

Nimble clopped him on the shoulder. “It’ll only be for a day, Mister Meal. The princesses will be told about your co-operation, and I’m sure they’ll be happy to reimburse you for any losses you may have sustained.”

“They… they will?” he stammered. I could almost see bits glowing in his eyes and I shook my head in dismay. Bloody business ponies…

“The address details?” I prompted.

“Oh! Yes!” Bone Meal gestured to his assistant, “Glory, help the agents with this will you?”

“Yes, Mister Meal.”

We followed the young mare back into the office where she began to rumage in one of the filing cabinets for the requested information. Meanwhile Bone Meal, goddess bless him, had already disappeared back into his own little sanctum to start arranging an invoice for loss of earnings, inconvenience, and no doubt the cost of a new door. I doubted the palace would object considering the circumstances, but accounting departments were a different animal altogether. How many times had I had to wait months for even the smallest amount of out of pocket expenses to be paid back when I’d worked for the watch? ‘Have you got a receipt?’ I was asked each time. Bloody hell, what a bunch they were to deal with! Stuffy, boring, and with about as much personality as a brick. And a boring brick at that. Stores were another group that didn’t like parting with their little horde. You had be wearing rags before they’d even consider replacing an item of uniform, and even then it had be authorised by ‘the clothing committee’. For the goddess’s sake, the ‘clothing committee’ of all things! If I ever needed evidence that the world had gone mad, then that was it. To imagine that an actual committee was necessary to decide as to whether a torn uniform tunic needed to be replaced or a winter overcoat issued, was truly the essence of bureaucracy gone off the lunacy spectrum and into the realm of gibbering rubber room antics that only office clerks believed passed as ‘normal’. 

“Here you are.” Glory passed us a piece of paper with the name and address of our boy on it.

“What do you think, ‘Cap?” Nimble asked, peering at it. “We going in alone?”

I shook my head. “Not a chance. If this guy’s got any sense he’s already skipped town, but if he’s there, then I want to cover all the bases in case he makes a run for it. We’re close now, Nimble, and I’ll be damned if I let him slip though my hooves because I was careless.” I felt a shiver run down my spine as we bid Glory farewell and strapped ourselves into the chariot waiting outside. No… No, I wasn’t going to let these bastards get away with what they’d done to me. Come hell of high water, somepony, whoever or whatever they were, was going to answer for it.

Leaving the laundry behind us we soared into the sky towards Fifty Fourth Street on the east side of Manehattan. I remembered the area well as it was the tramway terminus for the green line, and a regular place to collect the drunks that had decided to sleep in the waiting room there. Ah, the joys of life in the watch! Sometimes I would share a cup of tea with the tram drivers and warm myself in the cab on a cold night. I used to love riding the rattly old things too. It was amazing just how popular they were even now, and many had been kept in service well beyond when the should probably have been retired to a museum. In Manehattan, ‘if it weren’t broke, it didn’t get fixed’, as dad had constantly reminded me. I wondered what he’d make of all this?

I tapped my communicator. “Chief? Nox here. You receiving?”

The was a moments delay before, “Go ahead.”

“We’ve got our wagon,” I said. “Can you ask Brandy to sort out a forensic team to go over it asap?”

“Will do,” Mitre replied. “You find the driver?”

“We’re on our way to pick him up now,” I explained. “You got any units nearby to assist?”

“What’s the address?”

“One-twenty-two, fifty-fourth Street,” I recited. “Guy by the name of Humble Dart.”

“Roger that.” I heard the distinct sound of paper being rustled in the background as Mitre continued, “We’ve done some digging on the laundry company. Your pony Bone Meal runs a legit business apparently. Used to have the contract for the palace until there was some argument over chemicals on the staff uniforms.”

I nodded. “That’s what we’ve found too. The driver’s a new hire who was late back on the day I appeared at the palace with my mind scrambled. He’s got to be the pony we’re looking for, or at least one of them.”

“I’ve got units on route to that address now.”

I cleared my throat. “Chief, I think we need to check out the clinics, surgeries, and hospitals in the area too.” I caught Nimble’s eye. “These were all on the company’s run that day. I’ll pass you to Nimble, he’s got the list.”

“Received. Oh, and Nox? I’ve received word that Luna’s been in touch with your family, so they know you’re safe. Just do yourself a favour and don’t forget to give them a call when you get back, eh? Otherwise they might decide to finish you off themselves.” Mitre reminded me. 

I smiled quietly to myself. “Understood.”

I passed the communicator to Nimble who carefully went through the list with my old boss whilst I sat back, mentally preparing myself for what we might encounter when we landed. In some respects it felt like old times. There was the investigation, the description of the target, the location, and the adrenalin rush that came with the prospect of an imminent arrest of a known felon. No matter how much planning you made however, there was always that unknown factor where anything, not matter how seemingly trivial, could go wrong. All you could do was keep alert, and watch your back. Fortunately Mitre would have the full weight of the agency brought in to help us, and this way we could cover far more ground for what I hoped would be a quicker result. And speed was something we needed right now. With the date for the royal wedding looming, time was not something we could afford to squander. On a more personal level I wanted to get this whole episode bottomed so I could get my sorry carcase back to Smiling Borders as soon as possible. My family hadn’t seen me since I ‘went missing’ and would be absolutely frantic. And no wonder. I’d barely been back from the Withers five minutes before this latest nightmare kicked off! Still, thank goodness for Luna though, she’d come through for us once again. Perhaps being a wendigo really did have its fringe benefits after all. ‘Praise the moon’ indeed… 

I peered over the side of the chariot, trying to get my bearings. This time of day traffic was fairly heavy in the city despite its long wide streets, and I was thankful for the use of a sky carriage rather than a land based one. Even so, up here just below the clouds airborne traffic could still get hairy, particularly around rush hour or when there was bad weather. Collisions were not uncommon, nor was the occasional  unfortunate soul minding their own business down at street level being hit by falling debris. Thankfully, our pilot knew his stuff and got us down in on piece, just around the corner from the target’s house. Nimble and I climbed out just as the communicator began to buzz in my pocket.

“Nox? Brandy. We’re two minutes out. Hang fire until we get in position.”

I nodded. “Received.”

Several minutes later, with units positioned on nearby roof tops and alleyways, it was time to move in on our objective. This was it… I took a deep breath, checking my pistol was free in its holster. There hardly anypony around, and traffic had been blocked off to allow the operation to continue unhindered. High above us I could see pegasi in the clouds, watching. If our friend made a break for freedom, unless he could fly like the wind itself we’d have him boxed up and ready for a nice chat down at the agency office in two shakes of a lambs tail. Nimble and I rounded the corner and trotted up the large stone steps to the front door. The curtains were closed, and there was sign of any movement beyond them. A light was on inside, but other than that, nothing. I knocked, waited, then knocked again. There was no reply.

“Cap’?”

I looked to where Nimble was indicating and spotted a damp patch just in front of the door. Reaching down, I dabbed my hoof in it and tentatively tasted it. “Water,” I murmured. I closed my eyes and concentrated, listening for anything that might give us a hint as to what was going on inside. But so far, nothing at all. We nodded to each other and, with a quick well aimed buck, Nimble took the front door off its hinges. “You’re getting good at this,” I quipped quietly. “I know who to call if I lose my front door keys.”

The unicorn grinned at me. “You haven’t seen my other half.” Gods, I dreaded to think! 

Inside, the hallway was saturated. A small waterfall was running down the stairs and soaking through the carpets and out the front door. I drew my PDW and kept my magic to hoof, just in case. This smelled bad, and not just the stink from the sodden carpet either. Nimble gestured to the downstairs rooms and I headed upstairs, the two us moving through the house as noiselessly as we could. As I climbed the stairs I tried to keep my mind free of intrusive thoughts which might otherwise distract me from spotting something important. Unfortunately it was a lot easier in theory than practice considering the peculiarity of the circumstances. It was hard to imagine that anypony living here would have failed to notice the water lapping around their fetlocks. Naturally there were any number of possibilities that could explain the squelching mess beneath my hooves of course: the owner had gone away and forgotten a tap was running, they’d been taken sick and were in hospital, and so on. Somehow though, I doubted it. Reaching the landing I began to see the scale of the damage. The entire upstairs was a wreck. The water must have been running for a good while and had soaked through the floor and was gradually creeping up the wallpaper and under doors into other rooms. Following the flow of water wasn’t hard either, the sound of the taps running helping to muffle my splashing hooves as I progressed. So far there was no sign of any life in the house other than myself and Nimble. And certainly no sign of the elusive Humble Dart. With a sinking feeling I took a breath, listening, but all I could hear was the ever present roaring sound of water running, pouring through the banister spindles, dripping down to the floor below... Finally however, I reached my goal - the bathroom, the source of what would in all likelihood be an insurance company’s worst nightmare. The door was partially shut, and I pushed it open the rest of the way carefully, my pistol readied. I could see the water pouring over the side of the bath, the sodden bath mat, the… Damn it all… Inside, the bath’s yellow coated occupant lay floating face down in the water. Turning the tap off I looked at his cutie mark; a dart board and champagne glass. I recalled his details from the employee records I’d seen in the laundry’s office. There was no doubt, it was him alright - Humble Dart. Poor sod, he wouldn’t be making any more deliveries any time soon. 

Nimble appeared behind me, “Nothing downstairs, Cap’.” He stared at the figure in the bath. “That him?”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

The corporal slammed his pistol back into its holster and nickered under his breath. “Buck it, there goes our lead. What do you reckon? Suicide?”

I shook my head, careful to avoid touching the corpse. “I don’t think so. There’s no sign of any injuries I can see, no open pill bottles, ligatures or suchlike either, but I don’t want to disturb anything too much before forensics get here and give the place a proper going over. So far as I can tell, somepony’s drowned the poor bugger. Either way, we won’t be getting anything out of him now.”

Nimble leaned against the doorway and sighed, “So what now? Check all the places he visited with his wagon?”

“That about the size of it,” I said resignedly. “I’ll check in with Brandy and Mitre first, see if they’d found anything.”

“Um, shouldn’t we be going through his clothes or something?” Nimble asked. “You know, his coat pockets, clothes drawers, that sort of thing?”

“Hoping to find a matchbook with a number on it or a hotel room key?” I smiled a little more sarcastically than I meant. “You’ve been watching too many films, Corporal. Leave that to the white coats to pick through. The last thing they want is us contaminating a crime scene. Believe me, they’re a damned sight better at this than we’d be.”

He didn’t look convinced, but then I was probably just as enthusiastic as young Nimble at his age. The watch liked things done by the book, and there was a reason we had specialists for particular fields. Trampling over evidence was a regular complaint of theirs, and right so. If they found anything, they’d tell us. We’d barely stepped out the front door when the Brandy appeared.

“Dead?” he asked plainly.

“Yeah,” I said, shaking the water off my hooves. “Looks like somepony didn’t want him talking. You’ll find him upstairs face down in the bath.”

“One step ahead of us, eh?” Brandy let out a long breath. “Right then… I’ll send in the forensic boys and see if we can find anything useful. We’ll keep you posted of anything we come across. Where are you off to now?”

“Manehattan General,” I replied. I looked up at the sky. It looked like rain. “They’re the most likely candidate right now, especially with our friend Mister Dart out of the picture.”

Around us agency ponies began to appear in droves, including the solemn white coat wearing forensic teams. Brandy looked away, catching the attention of one of them. “I’d better go and help co-ordinate things here,” he explained. “Keep your comms handy, Fairlight. If you need us, we’ll be there.”

I nodded my thanks. “Thanks, Brandy.”

Leaving Brandy and the forensic team to secure the crime scene, Nimble and I prepared to set off for the one place I didn’t ever want to see the inside of again - Manehattan General Hospital. As much as it had been built to help ponies and was there when I’d needed patching back together myself on more occasions that I cared to remember, it held too many memories for me, and not all good ones either. It was where my son had been born, but also where I’d nearly lost both him and his mother. Meadow had been stationed there as a nurse too, and in fact it had been one of the reasons we’d moved out of the country and into the city in the first place. For that, as petty as it may seem, I harboured a little kernel of resentment for the old building. Every corridor, every door, every uniformed staff member and even the smell of the place, reminded me of my beloved wife. I suppose… it always would. Still, it was quite likely our best chance to get a leg up on the masterminds behind the assassination attempt, whoever they were. Meanwhile I could only hope something would come from the forensics teams. They were currently checking out the laundry trailer as well as the home of the late Humble Dart. With Brandy heading up that side of the investigation, if there was anything to find in that sodden mess, these guys would uncover it. We turned the corner to where we’d left our chariot, only to find the pilot of the lightweight conveyance had mysteriously changed in our absence. The flight suit wearing stallion stood leaning casually against the door, fiddling with a small box as we approached. But it wasn’t the new pegasus that pulled at my attention - I could detect that familiar smell from here, and it pulled me towards it with a magic all its own. I trotted over for a closer look.

“From the Sugarcube Corner?” I asked.

The pilot nodded, frowning as he tugged at the lid. “Yup, bugger to get into the boxes though…”

He was right, but with the aid of a little magic I could- “Hang on, I know that voice!”

The pony laughed and raised his goggles to reveal the blue eyes beneath. “Hello Captain, long time no see.”

“Loofa!” We clopped hooves. “What are you doing here?”

The sky blue pegasus shrugged innocently. “Anthracite had to get back to the hub for his kids birthday party tonight, and since I’d already agreed to swap shifts with him I thought I’d pop over here whilst you were busy inside.” Loofa raised an eyebrow, the infectious beaming grin I remembered him so well for bringing a smile to my face too. “Not quite protocol of course,” he continued, “but if you need a good pair of wings then you won’t get any better than these beauties.” He gave his wings a hard flap, then turned his attention to Nimble. “Who’s this then, a new acolyte?”

“Corporal Nimble,” I offered, holding out a hoof, “May I introduce Agent Soap Dish.”

“Loofa to my friends,” the pegasus said happily, shaking Nimble’s hoof. “A pleasure.”

“Likewise,” Nimble replied.

“Nimble save me from being turned into cat food a while back,” I explained as we took our seats. “Poor sod got lumbered with me again.”

“Some ponies never learn,” Loofa chuckled. “Get yourselves settled in boys, and make sure you’re all buckled in. I haven’t lost a passenger yet, and I don’t intend to start today.” Our chirpy pilot strapped himself into his harness and called back over his shoulder, “Cap’, there’s another box of chocs under the seat, help yourselves. Think of them as an in-flight treat.”

Another box? Ah, now this was more like it! “Thanks!”

“Um… Cap?” Loofa asked. “Is it me, or is your coat different? I’m sure you had a scar too the last time I saw you.”

I face hoofed. Damn it! I’d forgotten how I looked now. “It’s a long story, Loofa,” I sighed. “When I get a chance I’ll tell you everything in as much graphic detail as you can stomach. For now though, get us over to Manehattan General and show us what those wings of yours can do.”

“Can’t say no to a challenge!” Loofa laughed, adjusting his goggles and motioning to us to put on ours. “Hold onto to your lunch, boys, it’s going to get interesting. Right then… Brakes disengaged, flaps in take-off position, beginning launch sequence in five… four… three… two… one…” 

With a powerful beat of our pilot’s wings we rocketed into the greying sky. Loofa hadn’t been exaggerating about his speed either. Tingles could fly at eye watering speed as I knew all too well, but that was more akin to a gentle stroll in the park compared to this! Air roared around us, extraordinary g-forces throwing us hard into our restraints. Flattening my ears did little to help with the wind blasting into them, and it was all I could do to hang on for dear life. At some point I think I heard Nimble yell something, but considering the fact that I was one step away from pissing myself I had more than enough concerns of my own right then. Through my squinting vision I saw the clouds hurtling towards us like a wall of concrete, grey and forbidding. And we were heading right for them. It was about then I decided to close my eyes again for the genuine fear of losing control of my sensibilities completely. Damp air washed over us, and then, gradually, I felt the chariot begin to level out as we cleared the cloud. 

“You okay back there?” Loofa called over his shoulder.

My shoulders sank as I felt myself becoming able to breathe once more. “Just... peachy,” I called back, trying to rub some warmth back into my legs. 

“Yeah, just remind me to change my pants when we land, eh?” Nimble added. “I’m built for comfort, not speed.”

Loofa began to laugh. “Received! Don’t worry lads, we’re nearly there anyway. Just chill out and enjoy the flight.” 

I don’t think I’ve ever been so relieved in all my life. Loofa had certainly made his point alright. Now at least we could, as he suggested, sit back and relax before we arrive at our destination. I peered over the side of the chariot to take in the spectacular sight of Manehattan far below us. There was the statue, far out in the bay, the overhead railway, the bright lights of the theatre district, and so many more examples of just how far pony civilisation had come since those terrible days of the war. Who could say where we would be in another thousand years from now? Mind you, ponies were hardly the most innovative of races as a rule. There were always exceptions of course, like the ubiquitous Star Swirl and young Twilight whose mere dreams could change the course of an entire nation. Metaphorically, or, as in the case of the former, actuality. Perhaps it was just as well they were very much in the minority. One Star Swirl the Bearded was more than enough. Fortunately most ponies didn’t bother themselves with such fanciful things as governance, political matters or technological advancement. They found their niche in life just as countless generations had before them, living a modest life of peace and contentment, bringing life to those yet to come into the world. It truly was a book without end, with each chapter penned by descendant after descendant, who themselves would in turn continue the eternal cycle of life. Just as it had been. Just as it always would be. I wonder what my story would be like? Would anypony read it? Would they pick it up and decide it was too fanciful, too dark, or perhaps simply too long to be bothered reading past the first chapter? Who could say. I leaned back and let the wind wash over my fur as we headed out over the city, this time with a mouthful of the delicious chocolate. It was amazing how chocolate could hit that spot within you that you never even knew was there. Perhaps I had a soul after all! Watching the sun sinking over the horizon, the white clouds taking on a soft pinkish tinge, I wondered at how anypony could fail to marvel at how lucky we were to be alive to see such amazing sights. It was so beautiful… As gentle as a feather alighting upon a still pond, an image of Meadow drifted into my mind and threatened to pull me off my chocolate high. I rammed it down. It wasn’t like I couldn’t see her after all, but the small doses were painful at times. The problem was, I never wanted to say goodbye...

A tap on the shoulder from Nimble brought me round. “You okay?” he asked worriedly.

I nodded with a smile. “Yeah, just a bit melancholy at times. You know how it is.”

“I guess so,” Nimble shrugged. “Never been through the things you’ve been through though, Captain.”

Scratching my ear, I looked down at the city slipping by far below. “No. You don’t want to, Corporal. Trust me, you really don’t.” I looked up, noticing the large, square concrete monolith looming up ahead of us. “We’re here.”

We landed on the roof of the hospital with barely a jolt, worryingly in almost the exact same spot I’d arrived the last time I’d been here. Back then of course things had been different, my head had been in a different place altogether than it was now. The fear I had felt upon hearing Tingles was in trouble with the pregnancy was something I doubt I’d ever forget, and even now I would sometimes wake in the middle of the night reliving those horrifying moments of uncertainty. Thank Luna it had all turned out alright in the end. On the subject of whom, I would have to speak to the girls later and assure them I was alright. Coward that I am regarding such matters, the prospect of speaking to them was something that sent a shiver sizzling down my spine. I was going to catch all sorts of hell this time. Gods, I could just hear it now too: Why was I sat outside on my own at that time of the morning? Why didn’t I contact them as soon as I was safe? Why did they have to hear everything from Luna? And think of the trauma it had caused Lumin! Won’t somepony please think of the foals! Oh, the joys of living with mares… At least for now though, that was a concern for later. To avoid any distress to patients and staff, just Nimble and myself would be conducting the initial investigation rather than going in mob-hoofed. If we found anything of any particular note we’d call in backup, lock the hospital down, and have the place swept from top to bottom. It might sound a little drastic, but I had to admit, it got results. Actually I was quite impressed with the agency’s attitude to crime scenes; unlike some of the investigations conducted by the watch, these ponies were careful not to trample like a bunch of drunken yaks through potential evidence at crime scenes. That said, latent magic detection was a hell of a lot more advanced than it had been when I’d first started. Back then it was all paper, pencil, knocking on doors and lashings of raw intuition. Still, an old hoof at this now like my dad before me, I tended to follow my instincts and my nose first rather than relying too much on magical boxes full of blinking lights and whirring gears. And so, taking a deep breath, I pushed open the fire doors and set off down the stairs with Nimble hot on my heels. As we descended I caught a glimpse of myself reflected one of the many windows. By the gods I looked the part! There was no need for disguises now that I was back on the metaphorical payroll once more, but I still wore the sunglasses to avoid my eyes giving anypony conniptions. The eye colour changing lenses had always felt a bit weird, so I’d left them with our forensic ponies in case they could pick anything up from them. Or so I told them. Personally I doubted they’d find much of course, and to be honest, I just wanted rid of the damned things. We kept heading down the long flights of stairs rather than take one of the lifts. Being as she’d used them every day, Meadow had assured me they were the safest things in the world, and yet as much I trusted her opinion about the magically operated boxes I certainly wasn’t a fan of the cramped things, nor did I like that horrible feeling of being confined. Besides, I didn’t exactly have a great knowledge of the layout of the hospital as it was. Thankfully wall maps were liberally dotted around to help ponies navigate this concrete maze of glass, concrete and steel, and there was one on each level to inform you what was on each floor too. 

“Excuse me, can I help you? This area is for staff only.” The rust coloured doctor appeared out of a side office and challenged us the moment we emerged into the corridor marked ‘Administration’. He poked his glasses back up his muzzle, taking in our agency attire with an expression of complete disinterest.

“Good afternoon, Doctor,” I replied politely. “Agents Nox and Nimble, Celestian Bureau of Investigation. We’re here on official business.” We both produced our cards. He didn’t seem impressed. 

“And what ‘business’ would that be?” the doctor enquired.

I smiled pleasantly. “I’m not at liberty to discuss that, Doctor, however your co-operation would be greatly appreciated.”

The stallion sniffed, bobbing his head towards the door we’d just emerged from. “This is a busy hospital, Agent Nox,” he explained. “I’m not sure we can spare anypony to help you right now. And besides, we can’t have you wandering the corridors getting in the way like some lost soul, can we now? Tell you what, why don’t you trot on back to this ‘agency’ of yours and book an appointment with our admin team. When you’ve done that I’m sure we’d be positively falling over ourselves to help you in any way we can.”

I rubbed my chin and glanced at Nimble who smirked back at me slyly. “Not a problem, Doctor…” I looked at his name card with exaggerated scrutiny, “…Break Water?” He took a step back as I advanced on him. “I’ll be sure to explain to Princess Celestia that you were so preoccupied you didn’t want us to interrupt your busy work schedule with such trivial matters as, say for example, national security. I’m certain she’d be understanding and be all too happy to apply to your ‘admin team’ so we can find somepony else who did have the time to show us around, yes?”

The doctor coughed suddenly, readjusting his glasses again. “Yes… The Princess… um…” He looked around himself hurriedly, quickly spotting a young nurse walking out a side room. “You there!” he squeaked. “Make yourself useful and help these two…’agents’, will you? I have important matters to attend to. Very important!” Without further ado, he rushed off down the corridor and vanished into the boys room. Poor bugger, probably needed to powder his muzzle...

“Hi! Whatcha doin’?” the yellow mare chirped, her white poofy mane bouncing wildly beneath her nurse’s cap. The earth pony’s wide pink eyes were just as bright as ever. “You look… familiar,” she said inquisitively. “Very familiar...” She was coming closer. Far too close! “Do I know you?”

“Please, Miss!” I said pushing her back gently, “We’re here on official business.” Dear goddesses, of all the bloody nurses in the hospital, why did I always run into her?!

She didn’t look convinced in the slightest. “Hmm… suspicious,” she announced in doubtful tone of voice. The yellow mare lowered her eyebrows, looked me up and down. “Very suspicious.”

Nimble cleared his throat, mercifully distracting her. “Miss? Could you please show us where your medical supplies are kept?”

“Okey dokey!” Her suspicions instantly forgotten, or so I hoped, Nurse Quill turned on the spot and immediately bounced away down the corridor like a furry rubber ball. “Come along, slow-pokes!”

I face hoofed. She wasn’t the only mare they had on the team here was she? I guess she must have been, otherwise every time I came to this nut-house I wouldn’t keep bumping into the same blasted nurse would I?! I was cursed. Damn it all, I had to be! There simply no other answer… Nimble trotting alongside me grinned expansively. “What?” I snapped at him.

“Oh, nothing,” he chuckled. I shot him a glare but couldn’t help but raise a smile myself. Quill just had that kind of effect on anypony within her naturally positive blast radius, and there was absolutely no defence against whatsoever. She was a living version of a weapon of mass destruction, just with hugs and cakes.

We followed the enthusiastic nurse through the warren of corridors and stairwells before finally arriving in a brightly lit area which consisted of a vast array of polished metal shelving that so clean you could have eaten you dinner off it. All manner of medical items were stored here, from gowns to syringes and numerous other things that made my knees feel decidedly weak. Gods above, I seriously didn’t like hospitals! Looking around, we soon found the store for the antiseptic. Rather wisely it was kept secured in a room all of its own with a sealed outer door. 

“Why’s it kept in here?” I asked, genuinely interested.

“Because it really stinks!” Quill chirped in response. “It makes your nose tickle, and your eyes water too. Best thing to keep those bad bugs at bay though, maybe bed bugs too. Bad bed bugs. Ha! Now try saying that three times fast! Bad begs bugs, bad beds...” She wandered off into a cheery song about bed bugs while Nimble trotted up to me, looking over his shoulder at the nurse’s antics.

“I can’t believe they let her treat ponies,” he whispered. “You think she’s alright in the noggin?”

“No, but she’s a damned good nurse,” I said peering back at Quill. “If I needed help, she’d be the one I went to alright.”

“If you say so,” Nimble muttered. “My mum always warned me about crazy girls. If I saw her coming towards me with a thermometer I think I’d run a mile.”

The door to the antiseptic store wasn’t locked. Judging by the warning labels on the bottles it wasn’t particularly dangerous unless swallowed in concentration, but the smell up close was something all its own. No wonder they kept it sealed in here. All it took was one quick whiff and it caught my throat and nose in an instant. There was no doubt about it, it was the same stuff as we’d found on the pack alright. I was just about to close the door when I sneezed unexpectedly, making my glasses fly off my nose. In one deft move the ever adept Quill caught the airborne spectacles in her hooves with a very accomplished cartwheel.

“Told you, Agent Sneezy!”

I retrieved my glasses back and popped them onto my muzzle, “Thanks, Quill.”

Returning my attention to the store I let out a sigh. This was drawing a blank. So we had the wagon, a dead driver and antiseptic, but what next? I had to think this through properly. Something was niggling me and I couldn’t quite put my hoof on it. At least, not yet. A noise from the end of the room through an open door nagged at the edges of my concentration. Looking up I saw an elderly stallion pushing a blue cart squeaking by, the noisy blue plastic thing was rattly as its operator. I noticed the name of the hospital was emblazoned on the side in big white letters too…

“Quill…” I asked quietly.

“That’s me!”

“What do you use those wheeled blue box things for?”

She smiled happily. “Oh, those! All sorts of things really: moving mail bags, equipment, laundry, you name it!”

“Laundry…” I tapped my chin in thought as something, some faint association I couldn’t quite put my hoof on, niggled at the edges of my memory. And then it came to me - of course, Bright Morning ‘Laundry’ had used similar wheeled containers to move things around in their yard, hadn’t they? Was there a connection? “Where do you keep it before it’s collected?” I asked.

“Oh, I don’t think you’d like it,” Quill whispered conspiratorially. “It’s A very scarrrry place…” she leaned forward, motioning me to listen closely. “Deep down... underground…Wooooo!”

Gods, that mare! I nickered, clucking my tongue irritably. “Quill! Please, this is important.”

The yellow mare rolled her eyes at me. “Well of course it is, silly. Just follow me and we’ll be there in a jiff.”

Our madcap nurse led us along the corridor to a wider section of the storage area that held a number of the wheeled blue boxes, all of them empty. Every on of them showed signs of considerable use, with dents, scratches and wobbly looking wheels being the order of the day. These contraptions, like the very area we were in now, was a part of the hospital rarely if ever seen by the majority of its visitors. It reminded me somewhat of the attitude many had towards the Watch when I’d worked there. Many ponies seemed to believe the world simply trundled along around them like magic. Then again, I suppose you could say that about a lot of organisations. I never really considered how the country ran as a whole, nor how the roads got fixed, the lighting worked, or anything like that. It simply… happened. In our own way, each and every one us was part of that great machine called ‘society’. Even Quill here, bouncing along full of the joys of spring. Leading the way, the curious mare finally reached a set of doors that led to a large lift which stank of musty laundry and warm muggy air.

“Going down!” she laughed as the large metal doors slid open.

Nimble's eyes went wide in alarm. Looking at the interior of the enclosed metal box nervously, he began to edge back before I grabbed his coat. “If I’m going, you’re going too buddy,” I said quietly. He glanced at me and sighed, reluctantly squeezing in next to Quill and myself. For my part I closed my eyes, fighting back my own rapidly mounting claustrophobia as I tried to ignore the fact that the three of us were stuffed in there like metaphorical sardines. Quill leaned forward, grasping the handle on the concertina-like grating that passed for a door and hauled it shut with a reverberating ‘clang’. The gratingly sharp crash of metal inches from my muzzle resonated around us like the gates of Tartarus, sealing its inhabitants away from the light of the sun and the moon. Forever. Forever in eternal darkness. My heart leaped into my throat near choking me. I had the distinct impression this infernal device was only meant for goods and not ponies. What the hell was I doing in here? Why couldn’t we take the blasted stairs?! With a horrible thud and shudder, the steel box began its descent into the bowels of the hospital, taking my stomach with it. In the darkness of the lift the dim yellow light flickered above our heads, the shadows and closeness of it all making my heart rate accelerate. Beads of sweat broke out on my forehead, images flashing through my mind’s eye like sparks of light. A brief burst of colour and then nothing, over and over again, pulling my awareness into an unknown emptiness that was making me giddy. I would have fallen over if I hadn’t been squashed next to Quill. As it was, she eyed me worriedly. 

“You look peaky,” she said in her normally chirpy voice. “I think you need to see a doctor, Mister Nox.”

I shook my head and immediately regretted it as my sense of balance wavered drunkenly. “No… No thanks, Quill,” I said not entirely convincingly. “I get a little claustrophobic in lifts, that’s all.”

She nodded slowly, clearly doubtful of my attempted reassurance that this was nothing to be concerned about, but at least she didn’t push the issue. When the lift eventually lurched to a halt and the door opened, she exited first, watching me as I came out shaking myself. Nimble looked concerned too. I shot him a look.

“Look, I’m fine!” I managed past my dry tongue. “For Luna’s sake, leave me alone, I’m alright, okay?”

I took a breath of the warm dry air, trying to get a grip of my senses. It didn’t help. The strange images kept on coming, one after the other, faster and faster as the corridor started to lurch around me. I felt sick. I felt really, really sick. Oh gods, my head! Quill grabbed me and shouted to Nimble to help her. I was dimly aware of hooves and magic gripping me, my body being lowered to the ground to rest on my haunches. Carefully, the young nurse began to wipe me down with a damp cloth she’d quickly collected from a nearby cleaner’s cupboard. Personally I think a bucket of water over my head would have been better right then.

“Your heart rate’s abnormally high,” Quill said seriously before placing her forehead on mine. “Your temperature’s up too. We need to get you back upstairs, so-”

“NO!” I shouted louder than I meant to. I held up an apologetic hoof. “Sorry, Quill. Look, we’ve come this far, I’ll be okay. Honestly.”

Damn it all, I didn’t have any of the life essence with me either. For some stupid reason I’d completely forgotten to ask Luna about it too. Gods above, what a fool! Come to think of it I hadn’t been using as much lately, but I’d put it down to the fact I’d gradually begun to understand and gain a better control of my wendigo powers, filtering through only what I’d needed rather than ‘full on’ or ‘off’. Still, that didn’t mean I could simply forget all about it. I had to take more care and be sensible about things. I should have made sure I had some with me, but it wasn’t like the bloody stuff was off the shelf in Manehattan was it? Oblivious to my inner turmoil, the indomitable Corporal Nimble helped me to my hooves and, at my bloody minded insistence, we walked, or rather ‘stumbled’, off down the corridor. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. Whatever was happening to me, whatever reason was behind it all, I didn’t like this place one bit. If somepony was down here, if there was some danger we were blindly wandering into, it would take forever for any help to get to us. My eyes focussed on the yellow mare beside me.

“Quill, I want you to go back upstairs,” I said firmly.

“No.”

The simple reply caught me by surprise. I tried again, “Please?”

“You’re not well, Agent Nox. I’m staying right here!” Quill poked me in the chest and nodded assuredly, “So there!”

I hung my head, my ears flopping in resignation. “Okay, okay, you win. Look, just stay between Nimble and myself, alright? If anything happens we need you to get out of here and fetch help. You call the agency and get ponies here, yes?” I nodded to Nimble who gave her our spare communications device.

Quill looked at it then turned her attention to me. Her eyes narrowed. “You… You sound like somepony I knew…” she murmured.

I turned away. “I’m not, Quill. I’m sorry…”

And that, thankfully, ended that particular conversational topic. Whether Quill believed me or not, I don’t know. It didn’t matter anyway. The pony I had been, the stallion she had known as the husband of her friend, was long gone. I licked my dry lips, turning my attention back the passageway ahead of us. At least I was starting to feel a little better now. My head was clearing, my sweating had stopped, and the other two had, for the time being at least, stopped looking at me as though I were going to keel over at any moment. Still, it was far from an ideal situation. The pipes banged above us and steam leaked from vents, giving an oppressive feel to the badly lit corridors. Here and there odd rooms appeared, holding a vast arcane array of equipment and machinery - the unseen guts of the immense hospital above us. In my mind I imagined it as some living, breathing thing. The rhythmic banging of the pipes its heartbeat, the expelled steam its breath. Here, deep in the belly of the beast, we roamed…

“Captain?”

I looked at Nimble. “What is it?”

The corporal froze. “There’s something in there...” 

He motioned to wards a closed metal door up ahead. How Nimble knew I had no idea, but I was never one to ignore a gut feeling. I took out my PDW and carefully pushed open the door, casting a torch beam around in my telekinesis. Empty. Panning the magical light around I was about to close the door when I caught the faint movement of ‘something’ hanging from the roof. It was… chains. A long set of rusty metal chains. Before I knew it I entered the room, keeping to the wall until I found the switch for the overhead lighting. Thankfully it didn’t take long to have the magical lighting clinking and humming into life, bathing the wide space in their unnatural illumination. For the most part the concrete lined void was exactly that – empty. But now all my focus was taken up by that one thing, that one, terrible, heart jarring thing hanging from the ceiling. I stared at the object of my obsession, those damnable oval links hanging down from the ceiling to coil like metallic snakes on the cold hard floor below, the whole monstrosity terminating with a set of unmistakably pony sized shackles. A drain sat beneath them, a hose lying discarded nearby for washing the poor creature these cruel restraints would have held. Propped against one corner, a long whip and reins hung from a peg on the wall beside a table and chair. A lone glass sat there, empty except for a faint trace of dust. I couldn’t look away. The way it caught the light, sparkling as it refracted the magical beam into a million colours of the rainbow. It was so tantalising… so…  inviting. I licked my lips. I’d been so thirsty, so terribly, terribly thirsty… Mistress? Why… Where are you? Mistress!

“Captain!” Nimble shouted into my ear, jabbing me with his hoof. “For the goddess’s sake, snap out of it!”

I shook my head, trying to pull my focus away from the glass, but the images were flooding me now, drowning me in their incessant imagery. “Captain,” I muttered. That was my name wasn’t it? My name…I looked at Nimble, grabbing him suddenly in my forehooves. “Who am I Nimble?” I blurted. “WHO AM I?!”

“You’re… you’re Captain Fairlight,” he stammered. Yellow eyes stared back into mine. “You’re the one who saved me in the tunnels. You’re the wife of Meadow, the lord of the four winds, and… and you’re my friend.”

Staring at him I barely picked up the movement beside me. Spinning to face it, Quill jumped back in fright before advancing on me, her eyes narrowing. “It… It is you… isn’t it?” she said quietly. “You were there in the ward that time too, with the pegasus mare.” Suddenly her eyes went wide in realisation. “You’re Meadow’s husband.”

Reality burst through the fog of crazed images, flinging me into the here and now with brutal clarity. The game was up. Resignedly I took off my sunglasses and hung my head. “I’m sorry, Quill. I didn’t want you to remember me.”

“But why not?” Quill asked incredulously. “Meadow was my best friend! I loved you both, you were…I…  Oh, Fairlight, why didn’t you want to speak to me? I never had a chance to say goodbye to her… or you.” Tears began to well in her large eyes. “I lost you both...”

My own thoughts and fears were washed away with my concern for my wife’s friend. “Quill, I’m sorry, I’m so, so sorry. I didn’t want you getting hurt. There’s a lot of bad ponies out there who want to hurt me and anypony close to me. After what they did to us I couldn’t take that chance that they might target anypony even vaguely associated with me. Please try to understand.”

The yellow mare shook her head. “But you could have at least spoken to me! I wanted somepony to tell me what had happened to my friends! Nopony would tell me anything; not the watch, the doctors – nopony. The first I knew of it was that she didn’t come into work one day. The next thing I knew was that we were being called into a staff meeting to be told you’d both died in a ‘tragic accident’. Good grief, Fairlight, have you any idea how I felt when I heard that?” Quill’s mane seemed to lose its poofiness and her tears brimmed as she began to shake with sobs. “And now here you are, standing there as if nothing’s happened! What else don’t I know? Is Meadow going to be appear at any moment too? And why do you look so different? What’s going on, Fairlight? Tell me! Please!”

I took the agitated mare in my forelegs and hugged her gently. “Oh Quill, I’m such an idiot. I should have trusted you more. I should have told you what had happened as soon as I could.” I stepped back, smiling kindly. “Look, when this is all over, when I can, I promise I’ll send for you and you can come and visit us at our new home, okay?”

She sniffed, wiping away the tears, “Us?”

I nodded. “Meadow, Sparrow, and everypony.”

“Meadow and Sparrow?” Quill blinked in confusion. “I don’t understand…”

I held up a hoof forestalling the inevitable questions. This was neither the time nor, most definitely, the place either. “Quill, it’s hard to explain, but please, not right now. Okay?”

To my eternal relief she nodded her agreement and I turned to clop Nimble on the shoulder. “Corporal, I’ve been here before,” I said quickly, trying to change the subject back to the matter at hoof. The next words tumbled out of my mouth, completely bypassing my brain in the process. I think I surprised myself as much I did him. “This is where she held me.”

He shook his head in disbelief. “My goddesses, Captain, they kept you in here?”

I tapped one of the chains making it swing quietly, watching it slowly sway back and forth with a faint metallic clinking sound. Were they grey hairs I could see on that? A long black mane hair? I closed my eyes and nodded to myself. “The gap in my memory,” I explained. “I’ve been getting flashbacks all the time we’ve been here, but… nothing substantial. It’s like trying to catch mist with a fishing net.”

Nimble checked his PDW. “Maybe if we looked around some more? Dunno if there’s anything else in here, but we’ll have to get the forensic boys to go over this lot.”

“Yeah...” I nodded to doorway. “Come on, let’s see what other little treats lie in store for us.”

The three of us moved out of the room. I didn’t know where we were going, and Quill had fallen unnaturally silent too. I suppose it was for the best, but I’d have to honour my agreement to bring her up to speed sooner or later. I owed her that much at least, especially after the way she’d helped Tingles, though what in Equestria I was going to tell her when the time came would be a treat I’d have to consider another day. Right now, following the fragments of memory, it was the least of my concerns. I walked onward through the gloomy passages far beneath the hospital above us. Surrounded by strange sounds and the mechanical thumps of distant machinery, every step, every heartbeat, brought with it bits and pieces of disjointed imagery. Tiny droplets of memories came and went, some of it beginning to reform, to slowly form a picture of a time that had been seared from my mind. It was all there, somewhere: the blue laundry bins, the corridors, the steam, the corridor to the mistress’s room...

“My goddess, we’re here,” I muttered, stopping by the junction in the corridor.

“Here, Cap?” Nimble asked.

I bobbed my head in the direction my memories called to me the strongest. “Yeah, her room’s there, just ahead of us.” I spoke to Quill quietly, “Keep back and keep out of sight. We don’t know who’s in there yet. If the shit hits the fan don’t hesitate, get the hell out of here and use the communicator to get help, okay?” I paused. “And don’t call the watch either. Just press the crystal on the front and tell them what’s happened.”

Quill didn’t protest this time. In silence she moved into a niche behind some boxes while the corporal and I took station either side of the door. I took a deep breath, slowing my racing heartbeat. And knocked. There was no reply. Trying the handle the door lock clicked and it slowly swung open. My heart was hammering like the pistons of the steam trains I’d watched on the overhead railway, sweat breaking out on my brow in tiny beads that stung the corners of my eyes. Part of me was holding me back, telling me to keep away, to turn tail and get out of here. I gritted my teeth, fighting back against the surging sensation of mounting dread. I didn’t fully understand it. I didn’t truly comprehend it all. But I knew one thing for damned sure - if I didn’t face my demons now, I never would. I had bowed my head far too much already. Digging my hind hooves into the floor I charged in, PDW at the ready with Nimble covering me. I checked every angle, watching for any movement, checking for anypony hiding that could leap out and surprise us. But inside, the room was completely devoid of life. There was the bed with its sheets turned back and freshly laundered, the beautifully carved dresser, even the shelves complete with some of her favourite books. It was all so neat, so immaculately well laid out, but where was the lady herself? I poked around but found nothing that give even the slightest hint of the whereabouts of the room’s owner. We’d have to get forensic down here, but we’d never get a signal out this far underground. We’d have to move back to ground level first, and not a moment too soon for my liking. I hated being underground. Nimble picked up a small bottle of perfume, holding it up to his muzzle.

“Lavender,” he said dreamily. “I always loved the smell.”

I ran a hoof over the bed. “Yeah…” I Speaking of mares, I glanced towards the door. “Quill?” I called, “You can come in now, it’s safe.” There was no reply. “Quill?”

Nimble and I shared a look. As one we covered the door before I rolled out into the corridor, my PDW ready. There in front of me stood a shadowed figure in a dark cloak, a sickly green magical glow emanating around it as it stood over the prostrate form of Quill. Surprised by my sudden appearance the thing hissed angrily at me and turned, running off down the corridor before disappearing into the ever-present steam.

“Stay here and help Quill!” I shouted taking off after the cloaked figure.

I didn’t wait to hear Nimble’s reply. The chase was on. Whatever the creature beneath the cloak was, it ran with an unnatural speed. It was light too, as if its hooves barely even touched the ground. Running for all I was worth I channelled some magic of my own, feeling it burn through my muscles, roaring with strength as the familiar white hot anger and rage of the wendigo trickled through me. I was gaining ground, but not enough. In a flurry of hooves and cloak, the figure bolted around a corner and dived into a room. And like a bloody rookie I charged right in after it. What happened next was as predictable a pattern as they come. The door slammed shut behind me, and I was plunged into complete darkness - dark other than for the green glow of magic surrounding the pony in the black cloak. At least, I’d thought it was a pony. The aura from the things horn illuminated the figure as it hissed and clicked, an amused sound emanating from the depths of the cowel.

“Sssstupid ponyyy, you’ve fallen ssstraight into our hoovesss.”

As it spoke, other green bursts of magical light began to appear around me like large fire flies, bathing me in their strange alien luminescence. One of the creatures, the one that had lead me in here, threw back its hood to reveal a vision straight from the horror stories we used to tell each other on Nightmare Night. It was indeed a nightmarish being to behold: black as polished onyx, glossy coated, and with teeth like curved blades. Its eyes glinted in the light just like a beetle’s, soulless, and empty of any emotion other than the kind of contempt and sneering confidence a victor has over a vanquished foe.

“What the buck are you?” I snarled dropping into a fighting stance.

The things wings buzzed beneath its cloak. “We?” Before my very eyes it transformed into a perfect copy of Quill, speaking confidently in her squeaky voice, “We are your friends.” It changed again, this time into Nimble. “We are your allies.” Again, this time… “We are even-”

Meadow. I stared at the thing masquerading as my murdered wife, my beloved Meadow. Emotions ran through me, trampling everything in their path, surging and roiling in utter hatred as the creatures laughed and buzzed around me.

“Yesss!” one of them cried, “Fffeelll… Hurrrttt… Succhhh deliciousss emotionsss!”

Changelings. I’d heard of the damned things, about how they’d once been friends of ponykind and had been ‘altered’ somehow, becoming corrupted by magics that had warped the kindly creatures into monsters. Monsters that preyed on the living. Now they were nothing more than emotional vampires, sucking everything from their victims and leaving nought but a soulless husk in their wake. Even so, they’d been confined to their own part of Equestria hadn’t they? I’d thought, or rather I’d hoped, that Mitre had been wrong about them. He hadn’t been. The bloody things were barely more than a legend nowadays, yet here they were. And here I was too.

I snarled at the thing, “How dare you. How dare you look into my mind and take that form, you bucking filth.”

It clicked and buzzed before speaking. “Annnd what cannn you do, ponyyy? You are trapped in here witttthhh usss. No-one knowsss you are here. No-one isss coming to sssave you.”

“No-one?” I began to laugh, allowing the magic to take me over completely, letting it flow, running and burning through my body like an inferno of the bitterest ice. I dropped the PDW, the mist rolling out around my hooves, my eyes ablaze, teeth lengthening. The creature backed away, unsure now, and it was right to do so. In the swirling fog I coalesced a form; the haft, the blade, hard as the purest crystalline ice, sharp as the bite of the northern winter, merciless as the mountain snows. “I think you misunderstand something… changeling,” I snarled, white fog dripping from between my teeth, “I’m not trapped in with you… You’ve trapped yourselves in here... with me.” The things horn began to glow brightly and I could hear the sound of blades being drawn. “You wanted to feed upon me did you?” I laughed. “Then come, allow me to show you a real banquet.” The scythe swung. “…A feast of death.”

They tried to rush me at once, the second creature falling even as the first, its throat opened to the dry air, scrabbled on the floor in a spreading pool of its own ichor. The third and fourth flew at me as I swung low, taking away their forelegs, the thud of their bodies and severed limbs falling to the ground like heavy rain. Shrieks and cries rent the still air, and I breathed it all in, replenishing my strength, revelling in the death of these things, these vile filth that had dared to defile the memory of my Meadow. My Meadow! There was only one thought now - Kill them. Kill them all. There would be no mercy here. The song flowed and I danced to its tune, slicing and parrying, blocking and rending. My teeth ripped through the throat of one, its bitter blood foul and loathsome. I spat it out as I simultaneously smashed my diamond hooves into the face of another trying to impale me on a wickedly pointed dagger. Its face a ruined mess, I sent it to the afterlife with a smile on my mine. Finally, oh so finally, the song rose to a blood soaked crescendo before fading away into the depths of my consciousness from whence it came. There it would sleep, lying dormant until the day I once more called upon its eternal refrain. It was all too soon for my liking. For all their bravado and evil appearance, the changelings were weak creatures. Their strength was in deception and numbers. Flicking the blood from my hooves smiled to myself - I didn’t them too many. Replacing my PDW in its holsters I checked the bodies. One of them, with its legs still twitching nearby, looked up at me with its dead eyes.

“Where’s the mistress?” I hissed at it. The thing clicked and twitched horribly. “Where’s the mistress, changeling. Tell me and I will ease your passing. Fail and I will keep you alive… every moment a treasure you will wish I had never bestowed upon you.”

The thing stared back at me, my blue eyes reflected in its insect like orbs. “Ssshee hasss gone northhh.” It hacked a dreadful cough and writhed, its back legs kicking helplessly. “Our missstresss isss not pleasssed.”

“Where to the north?” I shook the thing. “Where to the north, damn you!”

It hacked another rasping cough, sputtering out a final dying breath as it croaked, “To ssseek nourissshment from the ssssource.”

I gave it another shake. “What are you talking about?” But it was useless, the damned thing was dead and now I had a terrible feeling of impending doom. I threw the creature aside, opened the doors and headed back to Nimble who was in the mistress’s old room helping a very pale looking Quill.

The corporal looked up at me. “Buck me, Captain, you’re covered in-”

Letting my magic drain away I cut in, “-I know! Come on, we’ve got to get out of here, there’s changelings in Equestria and I think I know what’s going on.” I levitated Quill onto my back. “Let’s shift flank.”

We left Quill with the doctors and were assured they knew how to treat her properly. I also left her with a promise I’d send for her when I could and she’d nodded weakly, “Make sure you do, you big silly.” She’d tried to smile, but the strain of what that damnable changeling had done to her was telling. Thank the gods I’d gotten to her before it had done any more damage. I’d given her a wink and headed back to Loofa and the waiting sky carriage. Loofa himself was looking up at the sky intently as we approached. 

“Loofa, you okay?” Nimble asked. “Whatcha looking at?”

“Huh? Oh! Just thinking you don’t see them very often,” the pegasus said dismissively.

“See what?” I asked, trying to see what he was staring at.

“Griffin,” Loofa said as if it were of no consequence. “Not a lot of ‘em here in the city. He’s flying a bit erratically too, and- Whoops! There he goes…”

I’d barely been able to see the creature at this distance, but the eagle-eyes of Loofa never missed a thing. I could just about make out what looked like a dark spot beginning to fall out of the sky when Loofa, there like a streak of blue lightening, caught up with the stricken griffin and in seconds had brought him back down to us on the hospital rooftop. There he laid the exhausted creature on the seat of the carriage, looking down at the mess of blood, fur and feathers. Nimble pulled out the first aid kit, whilst I stood there standing in open mouthed shock. I could barely recognise him, but it was him alright.

“Grimble!” I gasped. “Dear Luna, what’s happened to you?!”

One eye opened weakly. “Lord- Lord Fairlight?” the old griffin managed. “I… I’m so sorry. I tried… I really did.”

“Tried what?” I pressed, leaning towards my old friend. “What’s happened, Grimble? Is it the village? My family?”

He coughed, wincing in pain. “Smiling Borders,” he breathed. “We’ve been attacked. So many dead…” He shook and closed his eyes tight shut. 

I took my friend in my forelegs and channelled the power through me. “Grimble old friend, drink, here.”

It was time for Nimble and Loofa to stand and stare now. Their eyes were like saucers as they watched the trickle of silvery life-energy drip from my maw into that of the ancient griffin. I suppose it did look a little odd, even to me to be honest. However, if it could save my friend, then delicate sensibilities could go to the devil. Life was life, and death never gave up its treasures. Below me, Grimble’s wounds began to smoke, the torn flesh knitting back together, the white bones within mending before our very eyes. He was still missing a few feathers, but they’d grow back soon enough. He was very weak though, certainly far too weak to fly. Suddenly he reached up and grabbed me. 

“My lord, the village!” He coughed, trying to catch his breath. Loofa passed him a flask of water from the carriage supply locker which he took gratefully. “We’ve been attacked. We don’t know what they were, there was so many of them. Black things, like ponies but not ponies, a sort of unicorn that could fly, but not alicorns… More like-”

“They were changelings,” I said quietly. I looked away, trying to hide my pain and mounting fury. “The bloody things have attacked my home.” Shaking my mane I put a hoof on Grimbles’ shoulder. “Old friend, tell me, what of my family, what of Heather?”

He shook his head sadly. “I don’t know, my lord, the place was in such a mess. There was fire and smoke everywhere. We fought them with whatever we had to claw, but they surprised us, coming at us from out of the forest like a tidal wave of utter darkness. We had no warning and were ill prepared I fear. Heather took your family into the tavern for safety where many of our warriors protected them with their lives. I was sent for help. Forgive, but at my age I am ill suited to fighting as I was in my youth. Even so, the cursed things attacked me in mid-flight. I killed two, maybe three before I escaped into cloud bank.” He swallowed, his eyes full of shame and despair. “I’m so sorry, my lord, forgive me my weakness.”

I shook my head with a smile. “You’re not weak, Grimble. Far from it my brother.”

He smiled up at me and grasped my foreleg. “We need help, my lord. We need you.”

Carefully I picked up the weakened griffin and took him into the hospital as quickly as I could, finding yet another doctor and leaving my comrade in their care. As luck would have it the poor bugger ended up in the bed next to Quill, but thankfully she was asleep when I left him there. I didn’t envy his ears when she woke up. “I’ll be back, Grimble,” I’d said. “Take care of him doctor. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” The look of utter devotion in the griffin’s face had made my heart skip a beat. He believed in me so wholeheartedly, I could only hope his faith wasn’t misplaced. If an army of warriors couldn’t stop the changelings, how could I? I was just one stallion, wendigo powers or not. The changelings worked as a team, using their numbers to assault as a single fluid fighting force. Not only that but they were the ideal infiltrators. Standing by the carriage, I addressed my friends. 

“Nimble, Loofa, the shit’s hit the fan, or it’s about to,” I said firmly, adjusting my flying goggles. “These bastards have attacked my home, and only the goddesses know what’s happened to my family. I won’t ask you to help, it’s not your fight, but I have to go now.”

Nimble smiled back at me. “Oh? And who’ll have your back If I don’t come with you, Cap?”

Loofa laughed, shaking his head. “Gonna fly all the way out north without a good pilot? Not with your stubby efforts you’re not!”

It was definitely one of those moments I would treasure forever, but right then all I cared about was getting home. I tried not to think what I would find what I got there though; Fate could be one hell of a fickle bitch. Nimble picked up the communicator and hoofed it to me while Loofa rocketed us up into the air.

“Mitre, it’s Fairlight,” I said into the device. “Are you receiving?”

A few moments later, “Go ahead.”

“Changelings,” I said simply. “They attacked us in the hospital basement. Looks like that’s where they kept me during my little absence too. Grimble’s here with us, they’ve hit the village. I’m on my way there now.”

“Changelings?” Mitre’s voice growled angrily across the airwaves. “Celestia’s arse, how many are we talking about here?”

I shrugged. “More than for an assassination mission,” I replied. “The village sounds like it’s been overrun.”

Mitre’s tone of voice said it all. “Buck it, stand by one.” A few moments passed, each one a second nearer home, and a second that felt like an hour. Mitre’s voice came back, “Getting reports through now. Detectors are going off all over the damned place. Captain Armour’s mobilising the army and shielding the whole of the palace. We’ll get agents over to Smiling Borders as soon as we can. I’ll get Brandy on the case too, looks like you’re going to need some extra firepower.”

I nodded. “Received. We should be there soon, Loofa’s driving.”

“Bloody good job too,” Mitre replied. “Look, Fairlight, take care out there, okay?”

I smiled despite myself, “Yeah, you too, Chief.”

We hurtled through the air, with poor Nimble hanging on for dear life but still with a look of grim determination on his face. “Wish we had the guard with us, or at least a few army lads,” he shouted through gritted teeth.

I checked the kit bag, taking out two of the pulse guns. “I know what you mean, but they’ve got to protect the princesses and the wedding party. Whether I like it or not, that’s their priority. Here...” I passed him one of the sleek weapons. “Know how to use one?”

He nodded. “Yeah. Not many of us have though, it’s more of an agency thing. Point and click, right?”

“Pretty much.” I looked out the front window. “Spears and crossbows aren’t much good when your enemy’s shooting at you. The army needs to move with the times. If these things are attacking us, we need to be able to respond accordingly.”

“Something tells me you’ll be able to do just that,” the corporal saod wryly, checking the gun was loaded.

I raised and eyebrow. “What makes you say that?” 

He pointed to my coat. “Let’s just say you’ll need a shower when you get a chance. There’s changeling all over you.”