And so the next morning came. I was able to walk out of the hospital with some bandaging around my midsection and some on my left ear as well. Corkscrew left with some of his natural orange coat in a mess, but his burns were still healing. For better or worse, we didn’t stop. No matter how difficult the job became, we stayed on our path until the end.
Though, before I left the city, I was approached by my childhood schoolmate yet again.
“Yo, Pales. Don’tcha start thinkin’ I’mma letcha walk outta here without some backup,” Babs retorted as she walked up next to us. “Ya gots too much to live for.”
Wow. She didn’t call me by my insipid childhood nickname for once. I appreciated that. Oh and the fact that she looked out for me. That was good too. “Thanks. But I’m a professional. This line of work is not to play with, Ms. Seed,” I responded while I trotted into the hot air balloon with Cork.
“Pff.” Babs followed us, and gave me a gentle nudge. “Wanna know somethin’?”
I tilted my head. “What?”
“Grass grows, birds fly, sun shines. And brudda? I’ll hurt somepony if I have to. I’mma force’a nature!” she proclaimed with her hoof raised, “Don’t count me outta nuttin’!”
The balloon was taken down slowly when Cork reduced the amount of hot air that went into it. “Yeah, we wouldn’t want to leave you out, now would we?” he said with a roll of his eyes and a soft chuckle.
I shrugged. “Guess it can’t hurt to have an escort. But aren’t you here with family?”
Babs shook her head. “Nah. I was here with ‘Bloom and we’s gonna have a sleepova at her place. I’m just headin’ back first.”
Applebloom. That’s right. I spoke to the young mare a few days ago along with her other Crusader friends. I recalled that they wanted to speak to Cozy Glow. But she was so focused on making sure the Running of the Leaves went well yesterday, that I couldn’t stand idle. “Ah, makes sense. As long as you’re sure,” I replied with a smile.
It was a nice trip down. Once we got off the hot air balloon, we were able to load onto the train down below. I took one final look up at the cloud city. I had faith that those Brothers knew what they were doing. After all, it had been two decades and they seemed very experienced. That aside, I hoped that they had good methods for when it came to dealing with mobster interrogation. And Svengallop...just what was that bastard doing?
The train ride back was a rather calm one. Cork and I tried to relax and rest our injuries off. Babs meanwhile, kept a lookout for our safety. She went a little overboard, though. She shushed and told other passengers to stay quiet so we could rest. It worked, but I couldn’t help but feel somewhat guilty. I wasn’t used to this.
After the train ride, we were finally back in Ponyville. Babs was the first to initiate conversation.
“Alrighty, ya’ll. I’mma head to the farm and see muh cousin. Will yous be okay from here?”
I looked at Corkscrew, and nodded once. “Yeah...we’ll be fine. Thanks for coming this far with us, Babs.”
“No problem,” she said with a wave as she left, “See ya!”
Corkscrew nearly keeled over. “Agh...I need to lie down.”
“Absolutely. You go on ahead. I need to get ready.”
“Ach...for what, boss?”
“The trial against Neighsay. Or have you forgotten?”
He reeled his head back from disgust. “Gah! For real? Haven’t we been through enough?”
I chuckled and rubbed a hoof against his mane. “No need to worry about me. I’m simply going to attend the event. No monsters, no fighting. And hopefully no complications or anything major happening.”
He flicked his hoof to swat mine away. “Alright, Pale. I hope you’re right. I just need to...keep myself steady.”
“And no more senseless sacrifices. You’ve done more than enough already and you’re far too young to lose your life.”
“Yeah, yeah. Probably coulda planned that better. But I’ll work on it. Thanks, boss.”
I waved as I watched him leave. Once he was gone towards his house, I felt a frown creep up onto my face. My ears drooped, and I let out a depressed exhale. “Huh…” I slowly trotted back to my home. In truth, I was horrified with how disgusting this world could truly be. Nopony tended to look past the books that they were instructed to read. Never did they veer off and try to read the books that they weren’t told to read. Why? They simply never considered it necessary.
Now, I was no stranger to this. I had witnessed exploitation, execution, gaslighting, organized crime, and pillaging for years.
But this? This was something on a completely different level.
I had been knocked down before, but I couldn’t shake this feeling I had in my heart. I wasn’t sure if it was extreme guilt or sympathy, but I knew that the emotion wasn’t positive. Freeze Flame’s parents really did die in that battle, but of their own free will. And yet, the Brothers knew that the truth behind their deaths had been covered up to prevent any uproar or misunderstandings due to how strong the kirins were.
I closed the door behind myself, and went to the kitchen. There was still a few hours before the trial for Neighsay was set to begin this afternoon, so I had to prepare myself. I made myself some tea, and sat down on the couch. I stared at the warm fumes that left the cup as I continued to think.
As Flam said himself, he didn’t agree with Celestia’s decision to hide the truth behind the deaths of those kirin. I didn’t entirely agree with it either, but I understood why. Just like with Sombra, it would’ve resulted in misunderstandings among the masses, so they kept it hidden. It still didn’t sit right with me, though. The idea that someone had enough power to rewrite and alter history the way they saw fit in order to control the thoughts of those beneath them. It was a noble act on paper, but when you really stopped to consider the implications behind it, it became upsetting.
Beyond that, I was upset with myself as well. The kirin had died. And for what? All for some vain attempt at avenging her family? Then why did I feel bad? Well, simply put--I felt like I didn’t do enough. I felt as if I could have saved her. Maybe I didn’t need to kill her. I thought this way due to the fact that I sensed that there was a part of her that may have listened, but ultimately, she was so trapped within her own mind that she refused to listen to anything I said.
And yet, I knew there was no point dwelling on it for long. Why would I? I still needed to focus on the upcoming trial for Neighsay later on today.
And maybe, just maybe I can ensure that Freeze Flame’s death wasn’t a total waste. Visiting the kirins would be my next objective. I may also bring Cozy with me, so she could understand what they were going through. At the same time, I could possibly uncover hidden secrets about them just like I did with the batponies. Though this would be inherently more risky since kirin could become niriks and turn hostile extremely quickly not unlike Freeze Flame did. The batponies were much more docile on the other hoof, so it was easier to deal with them. But I was ready to take that risk for the sake of uncovering the truth.
Thump-thump-thump.
In between sips of my tea, I heard a knock at my door. I guess I could spare a moment or two. The trial wasn’t until 4PM anyways.
I opened the door to find a familiar orange earth pony with a hat and a scarf around her neck that used to belong to her granny. “Oh? Applejack? To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Well, Ah was just overhearin’ Babs and Applebloom talkin’ ‘bout the Flim-Flam Brothers,” she explained with a raise of her eyebrow, “Know anything ‘bout that?”
I cleared my throat. “Oh? Well, wait a moment? What made you come to me?”
From behind her, she pulled out a newspaper. “I figured ya’ll’d know somethin’ ‘bout this,” she said as she offered it to me.
I accepted the newspaper, and looked at the headline.
‘Heroic Agents Thwart Destructive Kirin! Friends Or Foes???’
The main headline picture was a photo of me being carried by Babs Seed as she took me away from the scene. Flim and Flam could be seen holding back the crowd in the background.
Applejack spoke to me as I read the paper, “So not only are them Flim-Flam Brothers actually stallions in black or whatever--but muh cousin Babs was involved too?” She leaned forward with her eyes narrowed, “Explain yerself, mister.”
I read some of the article. How annoying. It was another glorification piece that inaccurately represented the events in order to prop us up on a pedestal. I hated it. Talk of how amazing and glamorous our actions were and how all ponies should seek to emulate it. Yes, everypony should seek to be strong and capable, I wasn’t going to deny that. I'd honestly rather be shamed so the public could look into my exploits for themselves.
Because at the end of the day, being an officer was nothing more than being an organized hitman.
“I’ll tell you what I can,” I looked up at the farmer pony. I went over everything that I could tell her within reason. The fact that Flim and Flam were actually undercover and assisted me in a case I was working on, and that Babs only came in afterwards to help me out. Nothing more. “...that’s all I can speak of. Everything else is confidential.”
Her expression of suspicion slowly melted away and became one of concern. “Oh...Ah think Ah see now. Thanks. Ah was just curious about what went on yesterday. But Ah can’t believe Flim and Flam are actually bein’ legitimate officer ponies and such.”
“Well, it’s been about hmm...twenty years since the battle Twilight’s coronation. Ponies change. They get older. Some get wiser, some get more hateful. To me, they’ve genuinely turned over a new leaf it seems.”
“Riiiiight…” Understandably, Applejack didn’t quite believe me. Which was fair. She didn’t know me so my word wasn’t very trustworthy to her on its own. Even if I did do lots of work to make the world better, it wasn’t good to put faith in someone so quickly, so I respected her for that. “Guess Ah’ll check on ‘em mahself. Sorry to bother ya, officer. Oh but one more thang. I saw Cozy on mah way here. Ya might wanna go see her before ya head out fer Neighsay’s trial.”
Oh yes. I guess she was also made aware of it too. Makes sense, given that she was one of the Elements. I tipped my hat. “Got it. Thank you very much, Ms. Jack.”
“Just Applejack’s fine, thanks,” she responded with a hat tip of her own before she left my porch.
With a bit of time to spare, I left my house once I finished my tea.
I decided to go see Cozy Glow, and inquire just what she needed help with. I knocked on the door of her home, and as soon as she opened it, I was met with a tight hug.
“...Oh thank Luna you’re okay!” It was a rather swift embrace, as she quickly let go. “I read the paper and everything. Are you alright?”
I looked down at the bandages that my vest concealed. “Heh...perks of the job, kid. Did everyone enjoy the Running of the Leaves.”
“Oh...yeah they did. Everypony was so excited for it and the hospital received a bunch of donations. I never thought I could...make a difference that way. Even Nurse Redheart was impressed.”
I smiled with a content grin. At least I knew something was going right in this world. “Nice job. You’re on your way towards making this better for yourself. Now, I have some business to take care of today. After that, I’ll need your help with something.”
She shuffled her hooves and nervously flapped her wings. “You...need my help?”
“Indeed. In short, I need you to go with me to the Peaks of Peril to see the kirins. I’ll fill you in on the rest later, alright?”
I could almost feel and hear the gears in her head turn. She was putting it together once she thought about the contents of that newspaper article. “...Understood,” she responded with a determined gaze, “Let me know when you’re ready, sir.”
“Good, kid. Maintain that positive attitude. I’ll see you later.” I stepped away from the porch, and waved as I left. Flash Drive would hopefully keep an eye on her.
That reminded me. I needed to let him know that Suri Polomare could be released with light surveillance. She wouldn’t be allowed to leave Ponyville, but we would give her the ability to earn a job and make money. I know. It wasn’t a perfect system. But for somepony who was willing to actually put effort into bettering themselves, I wasn’t going to ignore it.
“Oh...thanks!” she replied with a bit of surprise in her voice. “What’ll I be doing?”
Flash Drive handed her a file via his magic. “Well, we know your talents include sewing and organization. So you’ve earned the right to work with Sandbar and Yona as an intern at Carousel Boutique.” Before she grabbed it, he held it back at the last second, “This is a rare opportunity, mate. Don’t let us down, you hear?”
She grabbed the file in her hoof and sighed. “...Alrighty, kay. I think I can handle it. Thank you both for giving me this chance.”
I shook my head. “Don’t bother. This was all you. You complied well, and are showing that you are capable of remorse. So you have earned this for yourself.”
“Oh...I guess so,” she blushed with a nervous frown. I suppose she didn’t like the idea of bring praised in such a way. “Oh...come to think, where will I be staying?”
Flash spoke up. “Given that Sven’s mob could very well be after you for your involvement, we’re going to be placing you in Witness Protection. You’ll be given a home with constant overwatch and occasional visits from us. It’ll be near Cork’s home here in Ponyville, so you’ll have officers ready at any time.”
“That’s right. Any questions, Ms. Polomare?” I added.
“No. None. I’ll get started right away. Thank you both once again,” she trotted out of the building towards her new home.
“And what about you, bruv?” the black unicorn asked me, “What’ll you be doing?”
“Heading off to Canterlot for the trial. You?”
He looked outside of the window. “I’ll stay here and keep an eye on Polomare until Corkscrew recovers. Once he does, I’m heading off back to the Empire.”
“Alright,” I held out my hoof, and he grabbed it with his own in a sort of twisted hoofshake that we stallions often did. “Take care of yourself, my man.”
“You too, bruv. You too…”