//------------------------------// // Chapter Nine: Ominous Observations // Story: CRISIS: A Royal Affair // by GanonFLCL //------------------------------// Blackburn and Crossfire were completely out of breath by the time they reached the dirty alleyway leading to 122 ⅛, the latter only because he was carrying two full-grown ponies on his back over several dozen city blocks. Blackburn hastily located the discolored brick that indicated their entrance and knocked three times. A moment later, the brick slid open to reveal Miracle’s tired face. “What? What? We’re closed. Beat it or I’ll call the cops,” he said, same as last time he’d answered. “We’ve got a medical emergency!” Blackburn exclaimed, gesturing towards Lockwood. Miracle glanced out and saw Lockwood’s injured, laboured-breathing body draped over Crossfire. “Oy, what’s that schmuck gotten himself into now? He looks like he went five rounds with a boxer.” “Are you going to help him or not?” Miracle gave a little shrug. “Eh, sure, why not? Come on in. Watch your step.” Blackburn staggered back as a large portion of the brick wall glowed white, then vanished, leaving an opening wide enough for her and Crossfire to pass through easily; as they stepped beyond the frame, the wall reappeared behind them. Without the wall in the way, they could finally get a good look at Miracle. He was an old and wrinkled earth pony, so it was hard to tell what his coat color was, but Blackburn’s best guess was grayish-green; his wildly-unkempt mane was the opposite, a definite greenish-gray. He wore a tattered old brownish-green coat that looked much too heavy on him. Miracle wandered further inside, no sign of his old age in his swift gait, so Blackburn and Crossfire had to pick up the pace to follow behind. After a brief walk through a short hallway, they entered into a large room laden with all manner of chemistry and cooking accoutrements: glass beakers and iron pots, small burners and a large stove, etc. Whether this was a kitchen or a lab, Blackburn couldn’t tell. A few steel tables - more like medical slabs - were set up in the center of the room, and it was upon these that Miracle indicated that Crossfire set down Gadget and Lockwood. Miracle then filtered through his assorted supplies in one of the many cabinets to pull out a thick cloth rag and a bowl of rich, creamy, green liquid, which he then soaked the rag in. He dabbed the soaked rag over Lockwood’s head wound first, wiping blood away to reveal the gash itself, which instantly began healing as the liquid seeped into it. He did the same with the myriad bruises and cuts that riddled Lockwood’s body, and they too started healing up in seconds. Blackburn was astounded; she knew that unicorns with skill in Restomancy - healing magic - could work medical wonders if given time, but this Miracle - an earth pony - was doing the same or better without an ounce of unicorn magic of his own. Once Lockwood was no longer bleeding, Miracle removed Lockwood’s jacket - Blackburn averted her eyes - and tossed it into a nearby bin, then took the opportunity to evaluate Lockwood’s condition: he lifted Lockwood’s limbs and wings up to see if there was any reaction; he pressed his ear to Lockwood’s chest to listen to his breathing; he pressed a hoof to Lockwood’s neck to check for a pulse. And, once satisfied with is assessment, he gave a little shrug and looked at Blackburn sternly. “It’ll take an hour or so for all those wounds to heal up, except the big one, I’d give that one the rest of the night. Don’t let him wash it, either, no baths, no showers, no going for a swim,” Miracle explained. “Thanks, Miracle,” Blackburn said with a polite nod. “He’s going to be okay, right?” “Yeah yeah, it wasn’t anything too serious, at least not anything I couldn’t fix, but he shouldn’t do anything strenuous for a couple of days. Now, mind telling me why I had to patch the putz up this time?” “We found him in a pile of garbage in an alleyway wrapped up in a rug. Other evidence suggests that he was attacked in his home and thrown out the window. ” “Yeah, that looks about right,” Miracle said with a nod. “The bruises were definitely the result of hooves, and the cuts were surface-level knife wounds. The big one up top is where his head hit the ground, likely from the fall. He’s also got some rope and rug burns; he certainly didn’t want to be tied up, I’ll tell ya that much, oy.” Blackburn stomped her hoof on the floor. “Dammit. Who would do such a thing? Why?” “Lady, I’m a doctor, not a detective. I’m just here to deliver facts and patch this schlub up. Speaking of which, there’s the, uh, matter of payment. Is this going on his tab or yours?” “We’ll pay, don’t worry,” Blackburn snorted. “Just forward the bill to me, whatever it is.” “What’s your name, then? Gotta have a name to send you a bill.” “Thunderbolt.” “Okay then, Miss Thunderbolt, consider yourself billed.” Miracle then walked over to Gadget, gave her a quick once-over, then looked back to Blackburn. “What’s wrong with her? She doesn’t look too hurt, just a little bump on the noggin. A bit of ice will clear that right up.” “She passed out when she saw Lockwood in his condition,” Blackburn explained. “She has a pretty bad case of hemophobia. Passes right out at the sight of even the littlest bit of blood. Usually takes a few hours to wake up.” “Ah. Well that’s not a big deal, I’ve got something to put a little spring in her step right now. No charge,” he added with a smirk. Miracle fished a bright pink bottle out of one cabinet, unstoppered it, and held it up to Gadget’s nose. It only took about a second for Gadget to bolt upright in shock and draw her sidearm in one swift motion. “Shit! What?! Where?! What happened?!” “Easy, Tinker,” Blackburn said, setting her hoof gently on Gadget’s shoulder. “You’re in good company. Just relax, okay?” “Y’all had a pretty mean spill,” Crossfire added tapping himself on the forehead in the same spot where Gadget had a bruise. Gadget put her hoof to the bruise and winced, then glanced around the room to get her bearings. She noticed Miracle giving her a bored look. “Are we in Miracle’s place?” Miracle turned to Blackburn. “Oy, your little filly's a smart one. You should be proud.” Gadget huffed. She then noticed Lockwood laying on the other table, no longer bleeding, but also nude. “Ah geez! Where’re his clothes?” Miracle snorted. “Had to take his jacket off to get to all his wounds, little miss. I’ll put it back on after I finish cleaning it up. ‘Cause apparently I’m also a laundry service, why not?” “Well, thank goodness you guys got him here. Is he okay?” Gadget asked. “I’d give him a few hours until he’s back to his usual self again. Now, I wouldn’t consider that ‘okay’ but to each their own.” Gadget turned to Blackburn. “Did you figure out what happened to him?” “Well, before you passed out, I started putting together a few things,” Blackburn said. “Somepony attacked him, that much is certain, but for what reason, I don’t know.” She turned to Crossfire. “Fireblast and I are going to head back to his apartment and see if we can’t figure something out. The receptionist mentioned he had visitors before us, so those are our suspects at the moment.” “Just the two of you? What about me?” Gadget hopped off the table and tried to walk, but then stumbled and nearly fell, and would have had Blackburn not kept her from doing so. “Oof… okay… okay, nevermind. Still woozy. Owww...” “You’re going to stay here for now, Tinker, and keep an eye on Lockwood, okay? You up for that?” Gadget took a breath and took a seat in one of the many chairs spread the walls of the room. “Yeah, okay. Just… just be careful out there boss.” She turned to Crossfire. “You keep a good eye on her, got it?” Crossfire smiled. “O’ course. Thanks fer the confidence, by the way.” “You know what I mean, you dodo.” “Hey hey hey now, I’m not running a daycare center here,” Miracle huffed. “What do I get outta the deal for babysitting this sassy little filly?” “You’ll be compensated for it, Miracle, don’t worry,” Blackburn replied. “Just add it to my bill.” Miracle held up a hoof. “Fine, fine. You all seem like trustworthy folk, being friends with that putz and all. I know I give him a hard time, but he’s a good pony; always pays up front,” he added with a laugh. “He seems to trust you and your wife a lot,” Gadget noted. “Like, a lot more than just some guy that comes by to get patched up after he scrapes his knee or whatever.” “Oy, that colt’s been a hassle-and-a-half for as long as we’ve known him, and probably longer than that if I were a betting stallion. As for why he trusts us so much, I suppose it started after a little favor we did for that friend of his a few years back.” “What kind of favor?” Blackburn asked. “Hmm? Oh, well, his friend’s mother, uh… what was her name? Vaccine said it was a piece of cake...” He tapped his chin in thought for a few seconds, then: “Ah! Shortcake, that was it. Yeah, Shortcake had some complications during the last stages of her pregnancy. It was her fourth foal and all, but she said she’d never had problems with the first three. I blame the smog. “Lockwood came running to us in a panic, asking for help. I was ready to turn him away, but… well, Vaccine convinced me otherwise. See, me and Vaccine, we don’t really leave our little home here that often, maybe once a month to go grocery shopping. But Lockwood was completely out of sorts, and Vaccine reminded me that he’d done well by us in the past, so sure, we agreed to go help this Shortcake out. “Her family lived up in Mid-North somewhere, pretty far from any of the good hospitals. Probably still lives there, I dunno.” He suddenly looked very proud. “Anyway, Vaccine helped her deliver a nice, healthy foal that evening. Named him Shorthoof. Cute little guy. Nice family, actually. I think one of the sons attended an Academy?” “Well now ain’t that the sweetest thing ya ever did hear,” Crossfire said with a smile. “That’s mighty nice o’ y’all ‘n’ yer wife there, Mister Miracle.” “Oy, sure, but what a headache it was!” Miracle exclaimed, wiping his brow. “Never doing a house call again, I promise you that.” Blackburn smiled. “Still, I guess it’s why he tried to put us in contact with you. You seem like good ponies. A shame you’re not interested in doing business with us.” She stepped over to Crossfire and clapped him on the shoulder. “Come on, let’s go. We’ve got a mystery to solve.” ***** Back at Lockwood’s apartment complex, Blackburn and Crossfire approached the receptionist’s desk just as she was grabbing her things and preparing to head up to her apartment. She noticed the two come in and frowned, rolling her eyes. “Sheesh, you again? You guys must be desperate to see Lockwood.” She noticed the distinct lack of Gadget. “Where’s your other friend?” “We have a few more questions for you, if you’ve got the time,” Blackburn said. “Fine, fine,” the receptionist sighed. “Technically I’m on the clock until I start up the stairs, go figure.” “You said Lockwood had some visitors earlier today, as I recall. They didn't leave any contact information with you, did they?” The receptionist shook her head. “No, they didn’t. They headed straight upstairs after I buzzed them in, then came straight back down a little while later. They barely said a word to me other than getting Lockwood’s apartment number and asking if he was in.” “When did they arrive?” “Oh… about an hour before I took my lunch, I guess? I take my lunch around noon” “And how long were they up there?” “I dunno. Twenty minutes? Thirty? I wasn’t timing them or anything.” Blackburn pondered that. It would be more than enough time for them to do what they did to Lockwood - he didn’t look like he was capable of putting up a fight - and long enough that they’d have to have spoken with him too. But about what? They couldn’t have searched the apartment too thoroughly; everything had been surprisingly neat, they hadn’t noticed the back of the flyer, and they hadn’t taken anything valuable. “What did they look like?” The receptionist raised an eyebrow. “You’re asking a lot of weird questions, lady. Are you a cop or something?” “Something like that,” Blackburn lied. “Lockwood hasn’t been seen anywhere and the last ponies that saw him were those visitors, so I’d like to get as much information on them as I could. What did they look like?” The receptionist tapped her chin in thought. “Well, they were all mares, first off. Uh… earth ponies, I think. I didn’t see any horns or wings, but I wasn’t paying that much attention. Umm… grayish coats? I think?” She shook her head. “That’s all I can remember, sorry. If they’d left anything, I might have more for you, but they didn’t.” Blackburn let out a breath. “I suppose if that’s all the information you have, it’s what we’ll have to work with. Thank you.” “Yeah, sure. I’m gonna get back up to my apartment now.” She then headed up the stairs to do just that. Blackburn and Crossfire left the building and started on their way back for Miracle’s place. Crossfire huffed. “Well, not much ta work wit’, is there, boss. Y’all got any better ideas? ‘Cause I’m out.” Blackburn shook her head. “Her information didn’t provide anything particularly helpful apart from a small lead as to who our attackers were, but there must be thousands of earth pony mares in this city with gray coats. Like finding a needle in a haystack… that’s how that saying goes, right?” “Yeah, that’s right. More like findin’ a needle in a haystack o’ other needles, ta be honest.” Crossfire hummed. “Maybe Tinker can do a lil’ search through the database? We got info on every pony in the city, don’t we?” “It’s a long shot with such a brief description to work with, unfortunately, but that seems like our best option.” Blackburn sighed and shook her head. “Hopefully Lockwood can help us narrow it down a little bit. Come on, he should be up by now.” ***** Lockwood stirred awake nearly half an hour after Blackburn and Crossfire left, barely able to lift his head off of the table. “Ugh... hmm?” he mumbled. He flexed his wings slightly to find they were unbound, and noticed his jacket had been cleaned. “Wha? Where am I? “You’re at Miracle’s place,” replied Gadget from a chair beside the table. Lockwood rose sharply in surprise, then put his hoof to his head as the motion agitated his sense. “Owww... Tinker? What the heck happened? Why am I here?” “Best we could figure, somepony attacked you in your apartment and dumped you out the window wrapped up in a rug.” She pointed at his head. “The fall damn near split your head open. You’re one lucky pony that it didn’t, and that we found you before morning. Tomorrow’s trash day.” “We?” Lockwood looked around the room. Miracle wasn’t present at the moment, having headed off to bed, so it was empty save for himself and Gadget. “Hmm… where’re Thunderbolt and Fireblast?” “They went back to your place to see if they could learn anything about whoever it was that attacked you.” “Who says anypony attacked me?” Gadget narrowed her eyes in disbelief. “Are you kidding? You were found rolled up inside a rug, your wings and limbs were tied up with rope, and you had bruises and cuts all over. Now, unless you’re into some really kinky stuff, I think it’s obvious what happened. You don’t seem like the kind of pony that’s into that kind of thing. I mean, maybe I’m wrong, but I doubt it.” “Hmm… yeah, okay…” Lockwood sat upright, holding his head and groaning. “So I guess you’re here for my protection? You think whoever it was is gonna come back?” “That’s right.” Gadget held up her sidearm. “Anypony comes here looking to lay a hoof on your scrawny little hide, they’re getting lit up like downtown. Your own private New Year’s celebration.” “Well, thanks, I appreciate it, but I really don’t need anypony looking out for me.” He hopped off the table and tried to walk, but nearly tripped over his own hooves. “Hey! Watch it!” Gadget blurted as she just barely caught him. “The heck do you think you’re doing? You’re in no condition to go anywhere, buddy.” Lockwood grunted. “Look, Miss Tinker, I really do appreciate it, but this is my problem, so I’ll deal with it.” He tried to push himself up and away from her, but didn’t have the strength to do so, even against her small stature. “Oh, stop trying to give me the whole ‘tough guy’ act, Lockwood. You’re the least tough stallion I’ve ever met, and I’ve met quite a few wimps, let me tell you. You’d need to be twice the stallion you are to make me even think you could just walk this off.” “I don’t want to impose--” “Thunderbolt’s insisting that you stay put, so you’re gonna stay put.” She used her magic to help him up to his hooves and sit him back up on the table. “Now, if you want to tell anypony that you don’t want to accept their help, you can tell Thunderbolt when she gets back. I’m gonna just go ahead and wish you luck now.” Lockwood rolled his eyes. “Fine, fine, you got me, I’ll wait for her. Sheesh.” He sighed, then looked at Gadget curiously. “Why’d she leave you here, if I may ask? Beside the whole protection thing, obviously. I mean, why didn’t she leave Fireblast instead? I bet that little gun of yours would be helpful wherever she is.” Gadget paused for a moment, then sighed and returned to her seat. “Well, if you must know, it’s because I wasn’t in any condition to go with her when she left, and she didn’t want to wait for me to recover. Didn’t take long but I know how she gets when she’s impatient.” “Recover? Huh?” Gadget snorted and looked away. “Nevermind, forget it. It’s stupid.” Lockwood grinned. “Oh no, you don’t get to start a story like that and then just stop. Come on, tell me. I’m on the edge of my seat.” “...fine,” Gadget sighed. “But you’ve gotta promise me that you won’t laugh.” Lockwood held a wing up to his heart. “I promise.” Gadget groaned and fidgeted in her chair. “Okay. You were bleeding pretty bad when we found you, and, uh… I’ve got a pretty serious case of hemophobia. Can’t stand the sight of blood. I kind of… pass out. Usually puts me out for a few hours. They woke me up but I was still a little woozy afterwards. Better now, sure, but y’know.” Lockwood paused, then smiled. “That’s it?” Gadget glared. “What do you mean ‘that’s it’? Of course that’s it, what else could there be? Did you want more?” “I mean, the only reason you’re here instead of Fireblast is because you fainted when you saw me bleeding? That’s it?” “Yes, that’s it,” she grunted. “You promised not to laugh.” “I’m not laughing, Miss Tinker, like I promised. See?” He gestured to his face; not a hint of even stifling so much as a giggle. “No laughs here. If anything, I think it’s kinda cute.” “Cute? It’s not cute, doofus. It’s a huge pain in the ass! I can’t watch a scary movie, I can’t get blood drawn at the doctor, I can’t even get a paper cut without passing out. It sucks. I don’t even know why I have it. Probably suppressed that memory or something, I dunno.” “Everypony’s got their own fears, Tinker. It’s perfectly natural, nothing to be ashamed of.” “You say that, but most ponies don’t have such inconvenient fears. Only thing I can imagine being worse is having a fear of heights and living in one of the bigger highrises in this scummy city.” “Worse than that would be a pegasus that’s afraid of heights,” Lockwood added with a grin. “A little fear of blood ain’t nothing compared to that.” “Whatever,” Gadget huffed and slumped in her chair. “So there you go, you’ve got your answer: I’m here with you because I passed out.” “Yeah, maybe, but you were ready to head off with Thunderbolt despite all that, right? You might have that fear, but you’re sure not letting it get the better of you.” “Yeah… I guess…” Lockwood stayed silent for a few long moments, then settled back on the table in a comfortable position. “Y’know what I’m afraid of?” he asked, a sincere look in his eye. “Drowning.” Gadget raised an eyebrow. “Drowning?” “Drowning. I don’t remember things too clearly, but when I was very young I think I might have almost drowned while taking a bath.” He scratched his chin nervously. “Never learned to swim because of it. Just being near a pool makes me nervous.” Gadget’s mouth curled in a little grin. “You don’t know how to swim?” “Nope. Doubt I could even flounder. Kinda compounds the problem, huh?” Lockwood shrugged. “Yeah… I don’t take baths anymore. Showers only for me, thanks.” He gave her a terse look. “So, you don’t make fun of my little phobia, I won’t make fun of yours. Sound fair, Miss Tinker?” “Yeah… sounds fair to me, Lockwood,” she replied with a smile. Suddenly, three knocks sounded from outside the hall. A second later, Miracle came trudging out of his room, grumbling all the while. He slid the brick open with a snap. “What? What? We’re closed-- oh, it’s you, back already. Oy, come on in. I’m gonna charge you extra for keeping me up all night, just so you know.” Miracle then walked back through his examination room to his bedroom without so much as a word to Lockwood or Gadget. Blackburn and Crossfire stepped into the room, and Blackburn’s face immediately lit up when she saw Lockwood was awake. “Lockwood!” “Miss Thunderbolt,” Lockwood said with a nod and a smile. He gave the same to Crossfire. “Fireblast.” “Lockwood,” Crossfire said, returning the nod and smile. “Good ta see ya back up ‘n’ at ‘em. Ya took a pretty nasty fall there, bud.” Lockwood chuckled. “What can I say, I’m a bit of a klutz.” “How ya feelin’?” “Like I fell on my head, believe it or not. Hey, how were those hay fries, by the way? Is that joint as good as they say or--” “Cut the bullshit,” Blackburn said, immediately killing any lightheartedness in the air. “Somepony tried to kill you, you dumb idiot. Who was it?” Lockwood waved the motion off with his hoof. “Well now, if somepony was trying to kill me, I'd say they did a pretty bad job of it considering we’re having this conversation. Nothing to be worried about.” “This isn’t funny!” she snapped, freezing everypony in place for a second. “I’ll ask you one more time: who was it?” Lockwood shrugged. “I don’t really know, to be honest. It all happened pretty fast.” Blackburn narrowed her eyes; she was used to being lied to, but not so nonchalantly. “Your receptionist claimed they were upstairs for roughly twenty-to-thirty minutes,” she continued. “Now, unless you’re suggesting they came in, attacked you, then threw you out your window all in the span of a minute, I think you had plenty of time to get a good close-up look at them.” “Can’t say that I did, Thunderbolt, sorry,” Lockwood said, scratching his chin. “Like I said, it all happened pretty fast.” “The receptionist also said they got buzzed in, which means that you knew they were coming.” “I knew somepony was coming, not who it was. To be honest I thought it was you guys.” Blackburn put her hoof to the bridge of her nose. “After we went through the trouble of arranging a meeting with you, you thought we’d just show up at your apartment an hour before we were supposed to meet?” Lockwood nodded. “Yeah. That’s why I wrote that note for you. I figured something came up and you were just being polite, and I didn’t want you going away empty-hoofed.” “Right...” Blackburn shook her head in disbelief. Lockwood was probably the most terrible liar she’d ever encountered, and he either was well aware and didn’t care, or was too stupid to realize it; she didn’t know which was worse. He wasn’t even making an attempt to defend his position besides more and more obvious lies. She took a deep breath to calm herself. “Fine, so let’s assume you don’t know who they are. Can you tell me at least what they looked like? Any details would help.” He shrugged. “Like I said, I didn’t get a good look.” “Tell me whatever you did see. How many were there? Were they mares, stallions, or a combination of the two? What pony clans were they from? What clothes were they wearing? Were they tall or short, fat or thin? Just give me something.” “You said you talked to the receptionist, I thought? Maybe she saw something more than I did?” “I just want to corroborate her story with yours. If there’s something that doesn’t match, I want to know which one of you is lying to me.” Lockwood paused, then shook his head, his face still calm. “I’m afraid I don’t have anything else for you, Miss Thunderbolt. I’m sorry, but I didn’t get a good look. Like I said--” “‘It all happened pretty fast’, yeah.” Blackburn frowned, then sighed. “I know what’s going on here, Lockwood, and you’re not doing me any favors by trying to ‘protect’ me. Somepony tried to kill you, and you know damn well who it was. They said something to you… I’d say they probably asked something of you, and when you refused to give it to them they tossed you out a window.” Lockwood smiled and crossed his forelegs over his chest. “That’s a bit of a leap of logic if you ask me, Miss Thunderbolt. What did they ask me then, if you’re certain that’s what happened?” “That I don’t know, but your refusal to reveal anything useful tells me that you’re afraid that somepony might get hurt if you tell anypony who did this to you. If I were a betting mare - and I am - I’d guess they told you that specifically, didn’t they? ‘Tell anypony and we’ll kill you’? I might not have the precise words, but I think you get the gist.” Lockwood shook his head. “You’re way off base, Miss Thunderbolt. Nothing like that happened. They must’ve thought I had bits or something because of all the fancy events I go to, and they tried to rob me. That’s it, nothing else. Can we forget it?” Blackburn leveled a glare at him for all of a second, then returned to a perfectly neutral expression. “Fine. I’ll drop it,” she spat, hoping it would unnerve him - it did, incidentally, “but only if you let us take you back to your apartment.” “I don’t want to impose--” “We never had our lunch meeting, Lockwood,” Blackburn snorted. “Are you trying to back out of that too?” Lockwood frowned. “Right… right, I forgot, sorry. Busy day.” His smile returned instantly. “How were those hay fries, by the way? I hear that joint’s pretty good.” “I’ve had better in Utopia.” Blackburn gestured for Crossfire to get Lockwood. “Get him off that table, we’re going.” Lockwood held up his hooves. “Hey, come on now, I don’t need anypony to carry me. I’m just fine and dandy.” “You’re still recovering from a serious head injury, possibly a lingering concussion, and you’re under doctor’s orders not to do anything strenuous. You’re in no state to walk all the way back to your apartment on your own.” Blackburn smirked. “I could have him drag you, if you want.” Lockwood huffed. “Fine.” ***** Back at Lockwood’s apartment, Gadget once again unlocked his door from the outside with her magic, letting Crossfire in to set Lockwood down on his couch. Lockwood frowned at the empty spot where the rug had once been. “Man, that rug really tied the room together…” he sighed. “Don’t let my fussiness stop you from thinking I’m not grateful for you guys finding me, by the way. I am, really.” “Save your thanks,” Blackburn snorted. She stood in front of him, right where the rug had once been, leveling him with a serious glare. “Now, I believe we had a lunch meeting arranged. I realize that it’s well past lunchtime, but shall we get started anyway?” Lockwood grinned. “I dunno, we were supposed to be meeting at a restaurant over a big basket of hay fries. This dump feels kind of lackluster in comparison.” “Yes, well, circumstances seem to have changed, haven’t they? This will have to do for now. Tell you what, though: if you really want, maybe we can all go out tomorrow and try today all over again.” “That sounds wonderful. Can we postpone the business meeting until--” Blackburn narrowed her eyes. “No. No postponing. Tomorrow, we’ll have a wonderful time together chatting over a basket of hay fries like old friends. Right now, though, we’re going to talk business, because you owe me that much.” Lockwood sighed and nodded. “Alright, alright, that’s fair. Business before pleasure, as they always say. So, what can I do you for, Miss Thunderbolt?” Blackburn cleared her throat. “The first thing I wanted to discuss was making arrangements to thank the Tea sisters for their help with the advertisements. The ads worked splendidly and went far above anything I’d expected or asked of those two, and I feel it appropriate to show some appreciation. Don’t you?” “Yeah, okay, I’ll see if I can arrange something with Mint and Matcha. Were you thinking of donating something to their charity?” “Yes, that’s exactly what I was thinking.” “Perfect, I can get the forms together by tomorrow afternoon and have them ready for our lunch date. Easy peasy.” “Next, Crown Spectrum will be starting on its newest tech project soon, but we want to make sure we produce something that really impresses our number one investor: Don Virtuoso. We’d like to be more than just a money-making venture for him and his ‘family’, you see. What we really want to be included in his inner circle.” Lockwood frowned. “And… what kind of help do you want from me on that front?” Blackburn noted the sudden trepidation in his voice; a clue to his attackers’ identities? “Nothing much, just a little insight into what might be of particular interest to his sensibilities. You’re a personal friend of his, aren’t you?” “Well, I mean, I wouldn’t go that far--” “Nonsense. You helped his daughter realize her special talent and earn her cutie mark, didn’t you? He trusts you, somepony not even remotely in the family, enough to be alone with his treasured daughter, so surely you’re close--” Lockwood tugged his collar and cleared his throat. “I mean, yeah, sure, I can tell you what I know about him and what he likes if you think that’ll help. I’ll have a list or something for you by tomorrow. I can’t exactly go asking him questions like that though, or he might get ornery; I’m just a personal friend, like you said, not a business partner or anything. He doesn’t mix business and personal matters.” “That’s fair,” she said with a nod. “Moving on, you gave us a few new contacts today that we found worthwhile. Let’s start with Miracle, hmm? He mentioned you come to him often for treating little injuries here and there. What kind of injuries?” “Oh, you know, just minor things,” Lockwood said with a smile. “I’m not the greatest flyer so sometimes I bump into things. Helps to have a cheap doctor on hoof when you just need to tend to a crooked wing.” “And is there a reason you don’t use the city’s official doctors?” Lockwood scratched his neck. “You mean besides Miracle being a cheaper option and is the best at what he does?” He shrugged. “I dunno, I guess I just don’t like having my problems broadcast to the world. I’m a pretty private pony, if you haven’t noticed. Keep to myself and all that.” “Says the guy with, like, a thousand contacts all over the city, including us,” Gadget scoffed. “Also including the editors on the city’s largest newspaper, a mob boss, and a forgery expert out in the middle of the city’s worst ghetto.” “Which brings me to my next point: Keeneye,” Blackburn continued. “We’ve made a business arrangement with her to provide her with tech in exchange for lowering her rates. We want to make it easier for ponies to get what they need without all the bureaucracy getting in the way. Crown Spectrum has a reputation, you understand.” “Well Keeneye’s sure good at doing just what you described,” Lockwood said with a grin. “Glad you guys could work something out. If her prices go down I’m sure she’ll end up seeing more business, too. Win-win for everypony involved.” “Speaking of Keeneye, we found out something rather... interesting from her. About you. Figured I’d get some confirmation,” Blackburn said with a smirk. “I understand you’re… adopted? Is that true?” Lockwood blinked. “Ah… she mentioned that, huh?” “She did.” “Yeah, so I’m adopted. Why? Is that important or something?” “Not right now, no. But we might talk about it a little tomorrow. I would like to know as much as I can about my business partners, and this is no exception.” Blackburn nodded, satisfied with the meeting’s results. “Good, that’s all the business taken care of. So, we’ll meet tomorrow at the hay fries joint… but let’s make it for dinner, not lunch. You should take some time to relax. Doctor’s orders.” Lockwood nodded back. “Okay, sounds good to me, Miss Thunderbolt.” He paused. “If I may, why’d you come by to check on me? And why are you so concerned with what’s going on?” “I thought we agreed to drop it, Lockwood?” He winced again at her choice of words. “Just humor me. Please?” Blackburn paused. “You’re a valued business associate, one that I’d… we’d hate to lose. Somepony attempted to kill you, and I’m not one to let something like that just happen and I’m sure as hell not going to let this city’s incompetent police force try to handle it.” “Hey, they’re not all that bad,” Lockwood interjected. “I’ll drop it, because you asked,” she continued, “but you can be damn sure I’m not going to let it happen again. For that matter, why did you assume we would come looking for you in the first place?” “Huh?” “Your note, on the back of the Crown Spectrum advertisement. You clearly intended for us to find it, and you clearly did so to keep whoever it was that attacked--” Lockwood held up his hooves. “Let’s just forget it, Thunderbolt. Okay?” “Right…” She turned to Gadget and Crossfire. “Let’s get going. It’s getting late.” She turned back to Lockwood. “See you tomorrow, Lockwood. Let’s make it six o’clock, hmm?” “Sounds good to me, Miss Thunderbolt.” He turned to Crossfire and Gadget. “See you guys tomorrow. Fireblast. Miss Tinker.” Crossfire nodded. “See ya, Lockwood. Y’all stay safe now, y’hear?” “See you tomorrow,” Gadget said with a slight grin. The trio then turned and left the apartment. Out in the hall, Blackburn turned to Gadget. “I want as much time as you can spare scanning the database for mares with gray coats that might be connected to this.” “Anything specific to focus on?” Gadget asked. “Two important details: first, they’d have some means of locking doors from the outside without a key.” Gadget raised an eyebrow. “That’s… oddly specific.” “And important,” Blackburn retorted. “The ponies that attacked Lockwood locked his apartment door behind them when they left, but did so without a key. They’d have to possess that sort of skill set. Which leads me to my second point: when I was asking Lockwood about meeting Virtuoso, he seemed nervous.” “Ya don’t think the Don’s responsible fer this, do ya?” Crossfire asked. “I mean, like ya said, the guy trusts Lockwood alone wit’ his daughter.” “Exactly. Our suspects are likely enemies of the Don, and either specifically told Lockwood not to tell the Don about their involvement… or he recognized them as somepony related to the Don in some way. Either way, it helps narrow our search.” Gadget nodded. “So the checklist is: earth pony, mare, gray coat, possible lockpicking skill set, and possible connection to Don Virtuoso. I’ll expand the last two to some general criminal activities, if that sounds fair.” “It does.” Blackburn snarled. “Whoever it was that did this, they’re not going to get away with it.”