“Okay, back up the tape,” Jasmine said. She watched the screen intently. “Yeah, he’s here, too. He spilled the coffee on you in the corner shop.”
“I thought I was just really unlucky and clumsy,” Loopy mumbled. “So Pest Control has been stalking me for days, just messing with me? Why?”
“It’s what you get for buying coffee there,” Lyra said. “They make it in the morning and let it sit all day. It tastes like hot garbage.”
“I’m sure you’d love it if it was blended with ice and caramel,” Bon-Bon snorted.
“Well… maybe,” Lyra admitted. “It would go a long way. Maybe some chocolate syrup...”
“Girls, can we focus on the invisible killer stalking me?” Loopy asked. “I’m lucky he hasn’t just decided to pull out a knife and finish the job!”
“He’s not invisible,” Lyra corrected. “Look at the tape of the crowd on the street.” She swapped tapes to show Loopy. “Now, we can’t see him at all, and it doesn’t seem like anypony in the crowd can see him either, but when you watch the crowd, there’s an empty spot that they all walk around.”
“So they can’t see him, but they still walk around him?” Loopy asked.
“And if he was invisible, I couldn’t see him,” Jasmine added. “It must be some kind of… censoring. Like a blind spot that only affects ponies.”
“You’re just different enough to be immune,” Lyra said. “Whatever magic he’s using, it doesn’t work on you. It doesn’t work on the cameras, either -- that’s why he’s still on the tapes.”
“Not to mention I’d notice if an invisible pony was punching me,” Loopy said. “Jasmine, you said he was punching and kicking me in the bar?”
She nodded, looking a little sick. “It was… he was really angry. He just wanted to hurt you.”
“I couldn’t tell. I just suddenly started hurting. I should have felt the impact, even if I didn’t know where it was coming from. It was more like I just suddenly was already hurting, and I couldn’t remember how I’d twisted my ankle, or how I’d hurt my snout.”
“That must be it,” Lyra said. “It has to affect memory! He’s got some kind of magic that’s erasing your memory as quickly as it’s made! You could look right at him, but you’ll forget what you’re seeing. Maybe you even recognize him for a second, but then it kicks in and you don’t remember what you were worried about.”
Loopy nodded slowly. “Is that why I’ve been feeling paranoid?”
“If the spell was designed to work on ponies, maybe it’s not a hundred percent effective on you. You almost break free, but then it snaps back on, and you can remember being worried or on alert, but not why.”
“Great. So what do we do about it?” Loopy asked. “Jasmine could follow me around with a club and beat Pest Control into paste when she spots him.”
“I can’t hurt ponies like that,” Jasmine said, holding up her hooves. “I just can’t. I don’t know if it’s my programming, or… I just don’t want to. I think even if it was programming, I wouldn’t want to be the kind of pony that hurts somepony like that.”
“That’s fine,” Bon-Bon said, putting a hoof on her shoulders. “Nopony should have to fight if they don’t want to. We really appreciate everything you’re doing already.”
“If it wasn’t for you seeing him, we’d be clueless about what was happening,” Loopy agreed. “We just need to come up with some kind of plan on how to actually catch him.”
“I think the first step is going to be using Philtrum’s suit,” Lyra said, pointing to the armored suit in its glass case. “It’s armored. If he does come at you with a knife, it’ll keep you from getting killed.”
“Professor Valley said it was sort of alive and uses the same technology as Jasmine,” Loopy said. “Maybe it’ll be able to do something. If I can get it to like me.”
“You’re a very likable pony,” Jasmine assured her.
“Yeah well, last time I tried wearing the suit, nothing worked properly and I almost got killed by a crazy pony with a magical chainsaw.”
“There’s one good thing about all this,” Bon-Bon said. She got up to pull out a map of the city and spread it out on the table. “He’s been following you instead of trying to lure you out into some kind of trap. He was mostly dangerous last time you fought him because he had time to prepare and lure you into what we in the business call a kill-box.”
“You’ve lured ponies into kill-boxes?”
“The term still applies even if you’re not using lethal force,” Bon-Bon said primly. “The important thing is, you can lure him anywhere you want. That means we can set up our own trap for him. Before he escalates to using lethal force, hopefully.”
“How are we supposed to even know we have him?” Loopy asked.
“I’ve got an idea,” Lyra said.
“Just act natural,” Lyra advised. “Until you get into the zone, we don’t have reliable overwatch.”
“Using all sorts of advanced tactical terms now,” Loopy muttered. She’d been doing a slow, loose patrol around the city. Partly it was to make it easier for Pest Control to follow her, but it was mostly because she was attempting to feel out the armor.
“How does the suit feel?” Lyra asked.
“Well, it hasn’t tried to kill me yet, but I still think it doesn’t like me much. This would be a lot easier if I could sense its emotions. Who builds armor that needs to be befriended?”
“Hey, my Mom knew what she was doing,” Jasmine cut in. “She probably wanted to make sure it couldn’t be used by the wrong kind of pony. Um, Mrs. Armor, if you can hear me, trust me, Loop d’Loop is a good pony and you should help her out!”
“Thanks, Jasmine,” Loopy sighed. “I hope your little sister listens to you.”
“Think you’ve shown the colors enough?” Bon-Bon asked. “We’re not the most popular guests, and our hosts are not terribly happy we’ve basically shut them down all day. Everything is in place.”
“The police know what we’re doing?” Loopy asked.
“Don’t worry, they’re in on it. They don’t entirely believe our story, but they really want to catch the pony who tried to assassinate King Thorax.”
“Great. Let’s hit it.”
The police band came to life. It had been quiet chatter, officers reporting their locations and dispatch sending them to check out calls and make contact with ponies.
“Urgent report, we’ve got a silent alarm at the Seasaddle Second National Bank, all points converge on the SSNB, possible robbery and hostage situation in progress.”
“Sounds like a job for a pony who’s wearing a crazy suit and has more bruises than common sense,” Loopy said. She oriented herself for a moment and started moving more quickly, jumping from rooftop to rooftop.
The Seasaddle Second National Bank was at the base of a tower of finance and investment, literally. The Bank itself took up the lowest ten or so floors of a skyscraper, and the divide between the masonry of the base and the glass and steel of the upper reaches where insurance and investors looked down on the little ponies below was obscured by marble facing reaching up irregularly from the solid foundations like the stone was growing ivy-like over the modern building.
Loopy dropped down next to the front entrance and stopped, glancing in the door.
“We’ve got you on the security cameras,” Jasmine said. “You know, that suit looks really intimidating when it’s in motion like that.”
“Any sign of Pest Control?” Loopy asked.
“Don’t worry, the nice security ponies here at the bank showed me how to work everything,” Jasmine said. “It turns out one of them was a big fan! I autographed her poster, and she showed me how to switch feeds and zoom and everything!”
“Great,” Loopy said. “But do you see Pest Control?”
“I think so, but he’s keeping his distance,” Jasmine said. “The coverage isn’t great around the bank. You need to get him inside. Once you’re in, I can track him everywhere.”
“Copy that.” Loopy ducked through the doors.
The bank tellers and customers had been cleared out. Loopy hadn’t been in many banks -- leaving that kind of paperwork went against her instincts. She’d probably spent more time stopping robberies than waiting in line.
“He’s approaching the door,” Jasmine said.
“I love being bait,” Loopy muttered, looking around and waiting. “He’s going to realize something’s wrong when he comes in here and doesn’t see a robbery in progress. Get ready with the trap.”
“Don’t worry, our surprise is in place,” Bon-Bon promised.
“I just hope he breaks his hoof trying to sucker-punch me,” Loopy mumbled.
“He just walked in,” Jasmine said. Loopy resisted the urge to look back at the entrance. She knew she wouldn’t see anything anyway. “Wait, he’s pulling something out of that black hoodie he’s wearing… he’s got some kind of weapon!”
“What?” Loopy started to turn.
She looked right past Pest Control, her gaze just sliding off him. Loopy couldn’t see the glintlock in his hoof. She didn’t even see the flash when he pulled the trigger and shot her in the chest.
Jasmine cried out in alarm, and Loopy stumbled back and fell to the ground. Sparks crackled over the armor, and she lay there in a heap. There was a moment of silence, a space where a denouncement should have been if Loopy could have heard it. Then her cape moved on its own, snapping into rigidity and shoving something away.
“I guess you don’t hate me enough to let me get killed,” Loopy said, slowly standing. She looked at her chest. There was a small scuff mark, but no real damage, to herself or the armor. “Pest Control, I know you’re there somewhere. I can’t see you, but you can hear me. I want you to give up right now, and nopony has to get hurt. I’ll even be on my best behavior and not knock all your teeth out even though you kept messing with me.”
Jasmine gasped. “Mare Do Well, watch out! He’s--”
“Do not worry,” a new voice cut in. A white and red shape slammed down into the marble next to Loopy, hard enough to crack the floor with his weight. Steel Braver moved quickly, and behind Loopy, paperwork exploded off of one of the bank’s empty desks. "I have arrived!"
“Good to see you again,” Loopy said.
“I am very happy to help,” Steel Braver said, the synth’s glass screen giving her a neon smile. “How much force am I permitted to use against this pony?”
“In general, you want to avoid anything permanent. Just get the weapon away from him and try to restrain him. But be careful, he’s--”
Steel flinched, his face cracking.
“Sir, please calm down. If you shoot me again--” he didn’t get to finish what he was saying, instead adjusting his grip on, as far as Loopy could see, thin air. “Oh. He is somewhat stronger than he looks.”
“Can you hold onto him?”
“I am concerned I might damage him if I continue to--” There was an explosion, and Steel was flung back.
“Braver!” Loopy ran towards him, but her back legs froze up, and the suit moved. She tried to fight it.
“Go limp!” Jasmine ordered.
Loopy stopped fighting, and the suit moved, punching the air with her fist. The hoofblades tore into something, and just for a moment, Loopy saw him. Pest Control, outlined by the helmet’s enhanced imaging. He was scorched from whatever he’d done to Steel Braver, and Loopy was grabbing the hoodie he was wearing.
It faded, and Loopy felt her attention drifting. She’d been doing something, and--
“Don’t let go!” Jasmine said. “You’ve got him!”
“It’s hard to focus,” Loopy rasped. “It’s like a word on the tip of your tongue!”
A sound seemed to come from far away, more like something she was remembering or thinking to herself than something Loopy was hearing.
“...Won’t let you catch me!” the voice said. Loopy was almost knocked off her hooves by a sudden pull, and Pest Control appeared in front of her, bolting away. She was holding onto something, and it took a long few moments of feeling like she had static in her brain for Loopy to realize she was holding onto the hoodie he’d been wearing in the sketch Jasmine had drawn.
“There’s nowhere to go,” Loopy shouted. Pest Control got to the front door and looked outside. “The police have this place surrounded.”
Pest Control snarled and turned around. “You’re just using them like you use everypony else!”
“I’ve done a lot of things I regret, but at least I’ve never spilled somepony’s drink and blamed it on an innocent mare,” Loopy countered. “There’s no way out.”
“Wrong,” Pest Control said. He tossed a smoke grenade out and bolted in the other direction, jumping over the counter and into the back.
Loopy chased after him, the suit keeping the chemical haze from turning her into a helpless mess. Her hoofblades retracted when she landed on the wooden counter, delicate enough not to leave a scratch as she maneuvered the bulky suit. It was moving with her, but it slowed her down, the armor’s muscles taking a fraction of a second to respond properly to every move she made, making her lag behind what she intended to do.
She turned a corner and saw the employee entrance door swinging shut. Loopy ran for it, bursting outside.
“Hey there,” Gwen said. “Have you gotten a little taller since the last time I saw you?” The griffon smiled and adjusted the way she was sitting on the pony under her.
“Let me go!” Pest Control demanded.
“Hush,” Gwen said, stomping on him. “I’m not sure if you’re aware of this, but griffons are almost entirely made of knives. If you keep acting up you’re going to help me count how many there are, and you won’t like the way I do it.”
“I didn’t think you were coming,” Loopy said, a little out of breath. Running with the suit on had been a workout, stronger and faster but with unfamiliar resistance. She pulled a set of hoofcuffs from her belt and tossed them to Gwen. The griffon slipped them onto Pest Control, deliberately pulling his hooves into an uncomfortable position to do it.
“Jasmine called me up and asked, and how could I resist my big sister?” Gwen shrugged. “Family is important, and I wanted you to owe me one.”
Loopy smiled. “Maybe a nice dinner? Once this idiot is behind bars I can actually go out somewhere and not have to worry about getting dragged into a bar brawl.”
“It’s a start,” Gwen said.
“Loopy, we’re here!” Jasmine shouted. She spotted Gwen and ran over to hug her, stepping on Pest Control. “Gwen, you made it!”
“Always happy to help,” Gwen lied.
“I am in hot pursuit!” Steel Braver shouted, bursting out of the employee entrance. He spun in a circle and spotted everypony standing at ease, or at least being stood on with ease. “Oh. I see my assistance is not required.”
“No, you were a really big help,” Jasmine said. She stepped over to him and gave him a peck on the cheek. Steel blushed, his whole screen going red.
“Woah, woah, you can’t just flirt with my sister like that!” Gwen said. “I-- Mare Do Well, hold this loser down for a second, thank you--” she stepped over and pointed at Steel Braver. “I just got her out of a bad situation and I’m not gonna let her get caught up in anything!”
“She’s already working for the government, how much worse could it get?” Loopy asked.
“Oh, Gwen, come on,” Jasmine giggled. “I’ve just got a soft spot for the heroic types.”
“I was designed to be a hero,” Steel Braver agreed. “I am a heroic type! I am afraid I do not have any soft spots. My armor plating is made of a ceramic-titanium composite, and is extremely durable.”
“You know what I mean!”
“I do. I am making a small joke at my own expense.” Steel took Jasmine’s hoof. “You are quite extraordinary.”
“That is not okay,” Gwen muttered.
“Jealous?” Loopy asked. “You don’t have to answer. I am a changeling, after all.”
“And a monster,” Pest Control mumbled. “I won’t stop. No matter how many times you put me down, I’ll find a way out. I’ll escape. I’ll come after you. I’m going to save Equestria, because they can’t be fooled into thinking the thing eating them alive is their savior. Once they wake up--”
Loopy rolled her eyes. “I’ve heard it all before. Get some new material. Steel, when you’re done, would you mind taking this guy out to the police? They’ve been waiting very patiently and I’m sure they’d love to not be standing by in front of a bank and hoping it won’t explode.”
“Of course, Mare Do Well,” Steel Braver said. He snapped a salute. “Are you sure you want me to bring him to the police?”
“You deserve the credit for this one,” Loopy said. “You saved my flank in there. Besides, I’m sure Pest Control will be more cooperative if he thinks I’m not the one being praised for my heroics.”
“I’ll go with him,” Jasmine said. “To keep him company!”
Steel Braver picked the hoofcuffed villain up with one mighty hoof and walked off with him, Jasmine following along and looking pleased with herself.
“This is my big break into crime fighting,” Jasmine said, as they walked off. “I can’t wait!”