Doctor Whooves - The Series: Episode Two - Game of Stones

by Loyal2Luna

Ch. 3: Workshops at War

“Kill me?” Leonard DiHoovsie looked shocked, forcing a smile and a slight laugh at the question as the brown stallion looked back towards him. “That’s a bit… dramatic, isn’t it? No, it most certainly would not have been pleasant, but they were not attempting to kill me.”

Shaking her head after a moment, Rainbow managed to push past the sheer awe of who it was she had just saved and felt a rush of snark at the blonde pony’s dismissal. “Whoa, whoa! Hold on! Those brutes were getting ready to stomp hoofmarks all over your hide! You can’t just shrug and say that’s something that happens every day."

“No, not every day…” Leonard sighed wearily, wincing as he rubbed one shoulder with his hoof. “Every two or three days… They have been quite persistent lately, but my demise would be... counterproductive.”

It was Applejack’s turn to shake off her speechlessness at this admission, spoken so casually, and looked the artist up and down.
“Wait, yer sayin’ them there ponies ‘r draggin’ ya through the mud and kickin’ ya ‘round like a tether ball every other day?” she asked, hardly believing what she had just heard.

“More or less.”

“That’s horrible, Master DiHoovsie!" Twilight spoke up at last. "Why haven’t you gone to the Guard!? Somepony of your stature... I mean, you could have been seriously hurt!”

Leonard raised a brow at this, causing his beret to lift ever so slightly on his head. “Master? My stature?” The artist sounded almost astounded by the honorariums as he looked to Twilight. “I’m sorry, but you must be mistaking me for somepony else. I may be a unicorn, my lady, but I am no noblecolt. The Guard is well aware of my… predicament. In fact, I’m surprised my winged Madonna got past the one that was posted to keep passersby out of this alley.”

“Hey! I saved your tail! Watch who you’re calling a…” Rainbow paused halfway through her angry retort when a thought occurred to her. “Wait, what’s a ‘Mad Donna’?”

“In this context, it means ‘Lady Savior,’” the Doctor answered, then leaned towards the purple unicorn. “Twilight, a word?”

“Huh? Oh… Of course.” Twilight backed away as Rainbow retook the artist’s attention.

Rainbow, who seemed a bit embarrassed upon learning the definition of the term, couldn’t help but grin until she realized what exactly was said. “Oh, well, thanks. I-- Hey, wait a minute. You mean that Sky Warder that flew off… he knew what was going on down here? He was letting them do that to you!?”

“...You must be new to Roan. Don’t tell me that you’ve come all the way here to join the Guard,” Leonard said with a slight huff, amused, it seemed, by the mare’s surprise. “Though, I shouldn’t be shocked. A pegasus as quick on the wing as yourself, you must have some proper military training. Where, if you don’t mind my asking? Baa-Celona? Prance? It is no wonder they believed you to be a Rainbow Sentry. You wear a Sentry mane, and your wings… I… don’t think I’ve ever seen such a form… Ahem! Forgive my impertinence, I don’t mean to impose, but… may I see?”

Rainbow, who had on several occasions heard such a tone of awe from younger fillies and admirers of her daring flight-show stunts, noted how Leonard’s eyes strayed to her wings. “Uh, yeah… Okay,” she answered, unsure if she should be embarrassed or delighted by his request.

A few feet away, the Doctor lowered his voice while Applejack and Rainbow Dash continued to hold Leonard’s attention. “Twilight, I know it must seem a strange thing considering you grew up hearing about him, but it would probably be best if you didn’t keep doing that.”

“Doing what?”

“Alluding to things he hasn’t done yet. Think about it, Twilight. This isn’t Leonard DiHoovsie, the great master artisan adored by all of Equestria and renowned for his works. This is Leonard, a young, still-untempered, and apparently less than well-liked struggling artist. You said that there were biographies aplenty in the library, did you not?”

“Yes, but what does that have to do with--”

“Did any of them allude to his youth or his young adulthood?”

“Well…” Twilight suddenly found herself having to think on this.

It was common knowledge that Leonard was born in the town of Hoovsie, a small village that didn’t even exist in the modern age. Also that his father had been a unicorn and his mother was an earth pony. But beyond that, she realized, there was actually nothing she had ever read about Leonard that involved him as a colt or talked about his life before he opened his famed workshop in Roan’s Academia District when he was twenty-two years old, the place from which his legend seemed to explode.

After a moment of quick math in her head, she realized that, given his recorded birth date and the date on the posters, they were two years too early for that.

“No… No, they didn’t. But… attacked in the streets? With the Roan Guard not only knowing about it, but looking the other way? How could such a thing go unrecorded?”

“Possibly for the same reason that you’ve never read about those missing ponies,” the Doctor explained, looking back over his shoulder and noting how the conversation between Rainbow and Leonard had seemed to turn into a moment of showing off, with Rainbow Dash opening her wings as the artist looked over her, apparently fascinated and asking questions about her training regimens.

“We have to tread carefully, Twilight,” the Doctor said, his tone urgent. “Something isn’t right here and we have to find out what. But there is something else that we have to take into consideration. For someone like Leonard, learning too much about his own future may have unexpected and unforeseen consequences.”

“Like what?”

“No clue. That’s why the consequences are unexpected and unforeseen.” The Doctor nodded. “Just follow my lead.”

“Doctor, wait. You’re not going to try to use the paper again, are you? Doctor!?” Twilight attempted to get his attention, failing as he turned back to the three other ponies.

“Ya know, I’m kinda surprised,” Applejack commented as Leonard looked over the underside of one of Rainbow’s wings. “Ah mean, everypony else got all disgusted cause we didn’t have no proper clothes. But it doesn’t seem ta bother ya at all.”

“Well, I may be a victim of fashion, signorina, but I am hardly a prisoner of it. One of my areas of study is in pony anatomy. There was a time I could actually hire models to pose for some of my works, so it does well to get over that sort of shyness quickly.” Before Applejack could inquire further, Leonard pulled back and looked to Rainbow. “You are remarkably fit, Lady Dash,” he complimented. “More-so than most pegasus guards I’ve seen, actually. Tell me, do you follow the classic diet of soft grasses and raincloud water?”

“Nope. A steady diet of whole grain hay, fresh fruits, and vegetable juices for me,” Rainbow answered Leonard, flicking her wings in a proud fashion, enjoying the attention as the Doctor and Twilight came back towards them. “Although, I'll admit I indulge in a cloud cake every once in a while.”

“Amazing. And your mane... This is no simple dye. Why, it’s as if you were born to be a Rainbow Sentry,” Leonard said enthusiastically, up almost cheek to cheek with Rainbow as he seemed to have completely forgotten his injuries in the study of her wings and form.

“Weeeell, I don’t like to brag…”

“Since when?” Applejack interrupted with a slight smile.

“So sorry to interrupt, Leonard, but there might be something you can help us with.” The Doctor drew the artist’s attention away from Rainbow, much to the pegasus’ chagrin. Reaching into the pack at his side, the brown stallion produced a small black case, managing to balance it on his hoof and, with a flip, opened it to reveal something that was framed inside. “You see, we are part of the Royal Inquisitor Union -- don’t be surprised if you’ve never heard of us; very hush-hush -- attempting to uncover corruption in this fair city. I am called the Doctor. This is my magic expert, Twilight Sparkle. And here we have the feisty Captain Rainbow Dash and my associate, Lady Applejack.”

Leonard looked to the revealed object and raised a brow again while Rainbow nudged Applejack, who was shifting slightly on her hooves but managed to keep her mouth shut, albeit with some difficulty.

“Um... well, Signore ‘Doctor’…” Leonard’s tone was hesitant as he pointed out what he felt was obvious. “That paper is blank.”

“See, I told you!” Twilight clenched her eyes shut, bringing a hoof to her face in embarrassment.

“Hmm, strange. It worked on the stallion in the tailor’s shop.” The Doctor turned the paper in his direction, looking it over and then showing it to Rainbow and Applejack. “I know it’s still functioning. What do you two see?”

“Whoa! That’s the royal seal of Canterlot!” Applejack blurted out in shock. “How didja--”

“Captain Dash, Prance Elite Sentry. Heeeey, I like the sound of that.”

“But… girls… it’s blank.” Twilight looked over at her friends as if they had just declared that the sky was green, before turning back towards a very confused-looking Leonard.

“Actually, this paper is slightly psychic. Supposed to show whoever sees it whatever I want them to see. But... it doesn’t seem to work on everybody here, though. Never had two consecutive failures before. I wonder if there’s a short…” The stallion seemed to be oblivious to the fact that he was admitting his attempted deception aloud to a still confused Leonard, instead distracted by the paper’s inability to fool either of the two unicorns. “Perhaps magic creates an inversion to the psionic field and nullifies the mental image…”

“Look, I’m sorry. Begging your pardon, Master DiHoovsie,” Twilight apologized as the Doctor looked over the case again, mumbling a bit to himself and more than a bit concerned by its apparent failure. “But we really are here to help. If we could just ask you a few questions about all of the recent disappearances...”

Leonard’s eyes widened with a slight recoil. “You’re asking me about the Lost?” he asked, concern deep in his voice. “I… well, I’m just a painter… I really don’t know how much I can help you.”

“Please, Master DiHoovsie. Right now, you’re the only pony who will even talk to us.” Twilight’s voice was soft as she pleaded, looking to Leonard with a slight tremble on her lip.

Almost as if on cue, the clouds above seemed to break into tears as large, fat drops of rain suddenly came down on Roan in a deluge that caught them all off-guard.

“Agh! HEY! GUYS!” Rainbow looked up, shouting angrily towards the skies. “A LITTLE WARNING DOWN HERE!? COME ON!”

“Rainbow, ya know there’s nopony up there, right?” Applejack asked, pulling her hat down a bit to try rather impotently to protect her mane against the sudden downpour.

“Oh... right. Forgot. Hey, maybe I should just go up there and...” the weathermare suggested innocently, but a subtle, stern look from Twilight made her reconsider.

“I am not surprised. The sky has been heavy all morning," Leonard commented with disdain while holding up a hoof to keep the water out of his eyes. "Tell you what, since you kind people saved my hide from those brutes, the least I can do is offer you shelter until the rain passes. My studio is right down the road here.”

The tan unicorn suddenly set off at a trot down the alleyway and into the street, beckoning them to follow.

“Thank you, Master DiHoovsie! That's so generous of you!” Twilight rushed forward, her mane already falling flat and soaked down her face in the rain.

“It really is the least I can do. Oh, and my Lady Sparkle, please... please… call me Leo.”

Twilight couldn’t help but blush.

Staying back a moment as Applejack ran up behind the two unicorns and Rainbow took off above their heads, the Doctor set the psychic paper back in his side-pouch and looked around, not taking heed of the rain as it rolled down his snout and caused him to flick his tail involuntarily.

He was missing something… He didn’t know what, but he could feel it. Something... right in the corner of his eye…

“Doc! Come on!” Rainbow called back for him. “You’re gonna catch something standing out in wild rain like that!”

Still unable to shake the feeling of something important just beyond his perception, the Doctor trotted up behind the other ponies.

And as he moved out from the alleyway, he had no way of noticing the wispy shadow moving along the back walls.

The large wooden door, somewhat warped by age and weathering, was very out of place amongst the mostly stone buildings that lined Canvas Way, an unassuming side street on the borders of the Craftspony District and the Lower District. This particular door led to the large, barn-like add-on of a more conventional stone building that was marked only by a sign showing an icon of a bed with a pony sleeping in it.

And as the sky grew ever darker and the rain fell heavier, it was to this door that Leonard DiHoovsie led his impromptu saviors. His horn glowed for a moment and a latch somewhere could be heard to click before he set his shoulder against a large handle, bracing and grunting as he tried to push the door to the side. It was only a moment before an array of wheels set into the bottom began to roll and allowed the soaked artist to push the huge door aside.

“Casa, dolce casa.” Leonard moved fast, panting slightly from the run as he ducked into the structure. The fading daylight outside failed to illuminate the interior of the open, barn-like structure, as the three mares and stallion following in his hoofsteps moved out of the rain. “It’s not much, but it’s dry and I can have a fire going in a moment.”

Applejack and Rainbow moved into the dark shelter first, the former quick to shake herself dry while the pegasus, no stranger to the feel of cold rain, merely flicked her wings as she came down to ground. Next into the studio came Twilight, her mane sopped over her eyes due to the drenching rain. The unicorn was further hobbled by her now soaking wet toga, which had done little to aid in her running after Leonard, and even less to preserve any modesty she might have been saving as the fabric clung to her fur coat, an irony that Rainbow couldn’t help but snicker at while the Doctor came up behind them.

His latest Harsh Tree pulp outfit seemed to be living up to Rarity’s claims, keeping the Doctor’s chest, back, and neckline all but dry while the goggles he had pulled down over his eyes aided in keeping his vision clear. In spite of having been out in the rain longer than the other three ponies, he was by far the least soaked.

Now on the other side of the door, Leonard braced himself against another handle and used his shoulder to push the wooden door back into place, cutting off the light for a moment and shrouding the five ponies in the dark.

“Well, that was rather bracing, wasn’t it?” the Doctor’s voice cut though the darkness.

“Ah just about broke a leg on them cobblestones.”

"Ungh... Stupid... thing..."

“Hey, Twilight. Wardrobe malfunction?”

“Oh, ha ha. Buck you, Rainbow,” Twilight replied grumpily as she struggled in the dark to pull the fabric free of her coat.

“Such language, Twilight,” the Doctor admonished, raising his goggles as he suppressed a snicker at the modification of language and wondered what other "ponyfications" there might be to their speech styles.

“I can’t believe I thought this thing was cute. Seriously, my Gala dress was easier to move around in.” Twilight strained as she seemed to become tangled in the toga. “No wonder this form of garb became outda--”

The darkness was banished quite suddenly as a dull yellow glow from Leonard’s horn filled the studio for a brief moment, dozens of candles and lights igniting soon after and giving the quartet their first look at the shop in a flickering light.

Applejack and Rainbow’s jaws were on the floor already as Twilight pulled her head from the main part of the toga, her agitated expression turning to stunned wonder almost as soon as her eyes went up.

The barn-shaped studio was nearly the size of the TARDIS' control room, but unlike the TARDIS, it was packed almost full to bursting. Shelves and desks cluttering the space were filled with parchments, fabrics, and half-finished canvases, while in one corner were tablets, buckets of colored paints, and an incomplete statue, standing half-chiseled with bits of marble still littering the ground.

There were large rolls of parchment tacked around the walls that showed dozens of unconnected, but masterful sketches all across them; a collage of pony forms, griffins, dragons and devices of all sorts with scribbled notations in the margins. A separate area held models of various machines, carts, and blueprints that were ironically drawn on bright red parchments with blue ink. The largest of the designs, still looking half-finished, resembled a pole with bronze and copper pipes running from a large bag at the bottom, to a glass, diamond-shaped fixture on the top.

Up in the rafters hung four full-sized models of bizarre winged devices. A pyramid-shaped parachute hung fully extended next to what looked like a hang glider with a broken wing, while another device had a set of pedals attached to a flapping set of wings, much like a bat’s. The fourth of the models, and by far the most bizarre-looking, had a large spiral propeller that was hooked into a wooden four-pedaled pony bike.

And all over the floor and tables, there were scrolls and books of every kind, thrown here, there, and everywhere, reminding Twilight of her own library after a shut-in weekend of study. The literature was also accompanied by dozens of small contraptions along with loose pieces, springs, and wire.

“Pardon the mess, I don’t usually entertain guests here,” Leonard remarked casually as he moved expertly through the piles of randomly assorted junk and into a side entryway that must have led back into the stone building next door. “I’ll go put some tea on. Give me just a moment.”

As the tan unicorn moved out of sight and the door closed behind him, it was all Twilight could do to suppress a loud squeal of delight by bringing both hoofs to her mouth.

“EEEEEEEE…! Leonard DiHoovsie’s... WORKSHOP!” Her excitement barely contained, and as the others started to browse the area themselves, Twilight immediately moved towards a pile of parchment leafs and ran her hooves over them as she recognized some of the illustrations. “Sweet Celestia… A Study of the Miraculous, not even complete yet… This is the original magic manual!”

“Twilight…” The Doctor moved up beside her, noting the rough illustrations and pulling the unicorn slightly away from the parchment. “Might I suggest not drooling and leaving smudges all over the ‘original’ magic manual before the ink is fully set?”

“Hey, Ah saw some a’ these at that gallery. They was all cut up then…” Applejack motioned to the enormous parchment roll which covered half the wall and was half-filled with random sketches. Some of ponies walking, some of random animals, and one of a dragon up close with notations of its eyes and scales. “Ah always kinda figured he had a big ol’ desk ‘n that he did ‘em all one by one. But this… It’s like he’s drawin’ on the wall just random-like.”

“You think that’s weird? Look at these. Talk about obsessed,” Rainbow said as she ducked and bobbed around the machines in the rafters. “The hang-glider might work short-distance, but this thing? Dunno what it is, but I don’t think it’s going to fly.”

“Not for lack of trying…” Rainbow froze up in the air for a moment as the three mares all looked towards the famed unicorn, a tray with several steaming cups floating next to him as he moved through the door again and back into the main area of the workshop.
“You can go ahead and laugh, Captain Dash. Pegasi usually do, and at this point, I can’t fault them for it. It’s not as if the test runs on any of those prototypes have done much to silence them.”

“Uh... No, that’s okay.” Rainbow Dash came down, rubbing the back of her neck and feeling a little embarrassed about her outburst in the face of Leonard’s humble reception of her criticism. “And it’s just Rainbow Dash, or Rainbow to my friends.”

“Your work is amazing.” Twilight smiled encouragingly as the mares moved up to accept the steaming cups, which they each discovered to be full of a very weak tea. “And not just the sketches, but all of it. It’s so imaginative and unique, like nopony’s ever done before. I love it…”

“Really?” Leonard tilted his head, and his tone was rather skeptical. “Well, that would make you the first in a long while, Lady Sparkle. Nowadays, the noblecolts don’t want ‘unique’ and ‘imaginative.’ They all want copies of whatever is ‘vogue.’”

A bit stunned by his reaction, Twilight magically lifted her cup towards her and sipped carefully on the hot brew as she tried to think of a response… although, as the Doctor tried to take his cup, her need for such a response was no longer immediately required.

“OW! HOT! HOT! IT DOESN’T WORK WITH HOT!” The Doctor jumped back in panic, having attempted to lift the cup as he had seen Applejack do with her teeth and sip at the drink while holding the cup in place without her hooves. Needless to say, he failed spectacularly, dropping the majority of his tea back on himself and now testing the stain and heat resistance of his Harsh Tree wardrobe.

While Applejack and Rainbow fell back to help him, Twilight looked to the artist stallion, her own clay cup still firmly held in a magical aura as she broke the proverbial ice. “So, Leo… Who were those goons, anyway?”

“Is he alright?” Leonard winced as the brown earth pony gasped lightly, attempting rather unsuccessfully to brush the hot tea off of his face and legs.

Twilight shrugged. “Eh, he’ll be fine. He is a doctor, after all.”

“The flesh… it buuuu-hu-huuuurns!” the Doctor whimpered pathetically behind her.

“Aw, hold still, ya big foal! Fer Celestia's sake, do we seriously hafta teach ya how ta hold a dang cup?”

“He’s just a little... over-dramatic sometimes,” Twilight assured Leonard, setting her cup back on the tray which remained floating there next to the stallion. “I think he just does it for the attention. But, really, who were those guys?”

“Well…” Leonard started, still a bit withdrawn, but shrugging as the Doctor’s gasps of pain faded. “The draftsponies were just common thugs. Hired muscle, and not much else. They usually get a few of those types and rotate them out every couple of days. The unicorn in the robe, however... was Castagno.”

“Is he some sort of crime boss?” Rainbow asked, leaning forward with interest.

“No… he’s a Critique.”

The pegasus recoiled in confusion while the Doctor, who had recovered by this point, leaned in to give his piece. “I’m sorry, what? A critic?”

“You mean those guys come along and rough you up, with the Guard watching and everything, just because they don’t like your art!?” Twilight was almost as disbelieving as the Doctor, though Leonard hardly seemed to be kidding around. “That's horrible!”

“No, no... you misunderstand. The Critique are the administrators of the Academia de Arte here in Roan. They handle the admission and education of apprentices and regulate the study of the arts. And while Castagno and all of his ilk in the Academia may not approve of my other vocations, they appreciate my canvas work just fine.” Leonard sighed, his tone growing bolder as he showed some resentment. “So much, in fact, that they want me to work for them.”

The artist’s horn flared to life again, igniting a fireplace that had been filled with broken frames and canvases.

“At least their ‘proper’ art samples have one good use.” Leonard motioned to the flames as they began to devour the paints and canvas, which featured blocky, oddly-positioned renditions of various pony-like shapes.

“Whoa, whoa. Back up. Y'all mean that ya get stomped on like that cuz they want ya ta only make the thangs they want ya ta paint? Ah agree wit’ Twi. That's downright disgustin'.”

“These are strange times, my friend,” Leonard explained, although his expression faltered curiously. “Although I would think anypony with half an education knew about such things already.”

“Well, Leonard...” the Doctor spoke up, leaning forward as he set himself down in a comfortable laying position, his legs underneath him as he observed the artist. “Let’s pretend for a moment that my friends and I have spent our entire lives under a rock somewhere, and feel free to educate us.”

Leonard was put off as four sets of eyes were locked on him with absolute interest, until he sighed in resignation.

Some time later, the group had settled in and dried as the rain continued to pour outside the workshop and the sun set behind the dark clouds, casting a dreary pall over the streets of Roan. The weight of the rain as it ran down the edges of the wood-shingled roof caused the structure to creak slightly, and the only sign of life to be seen from the street was the faint firelight that could barely be glimpsed in the gaps of the barn-like structure.

“It began a few years ago,” Leonard started, now laying in the center of a small semicircle with his back to the warming fire. Around him, the four strangers gave their complete attention. “I was still a junior apprentice at the time. My maestro, Vero Chio, was the premiere instructor of the Academia de Arte and he constantly had students clamoring for his attention. I don’t know exactly why he decided to take me under his direct tutelage, but it did not win him any friends in the Academia’s higher circles.”

“Why not?” Rainbow asked.

“Because I wasn’t exactly considered a ‘profitable investment,’” Leonard found himself explaining, sounding a bit embarrassed by these facts. “I was barely accepted into the Academia as it was, and most considered my education there a case of charity due to my lineage. I don’t often speak of it, but I’m a mixed foal. My father was a unicorn… my mother, an earth pony.”

“I see.” Twilight nodded, trying to make it seem like this was news to her. “But that’s not so strange. I mean, those sorts of things happen all the time where we come from.”

“Then I would dearly like to visit such a place, Lady Sparkle, because in Roan, heritage determines everything.” Leonard sighed heavily. “I was marked as a failure to both sides of my lineage from the beginning. Too much a dim, stubborn ‘ground-pounder’ to fit in amongst the elegant unicorn nobility, while my size, horn and magical ability prevented me from running with the earth pony herds. My admission to the Academia was won through an oversight by the admissions clerk, a great deal of hard work on my part, and, I believe, a dash of sheer luck. When I was taken in by Maestro Vero himself, it upset more than a few noble families that had donated large sums of ponarri bits to have their own foals trained. After all, the arts are a well-respected vocation for those lacking in more ‘military’ attributes.”

Leonard lowered his head a little. “One of those foals, however, was Graphis Denarius.”

Leonard’s pause seemed to be for a dramatic effect, or perhaps a gasp that never came, but no such response was forthcoming as Twilight merely tilted her head slightly.

“Graphis Denarius? I've never heard of him.”

Now it was Leonard’s turn to look shocked. “How could you not have heard of House Denarius?”

“Under a rock, remember, signore? Although, let me hazard a guess…” The Doctor sighed, already recognizing the patterns of the familiar story of wealth over potential. “Exceedingly wealthy and influential.”

“That is putting it mildly, Doctor. Graphis’ father is the Duke and Patron of the Noble Unicorn House of Roan and one of the three stewards of the city during Lady Astrolia’s long absence.”

“Right, because that’s how the story usually goes...” The Doctor shook his head depressingly.

“Absence? Hold on. Ya mean Astrolia ain’t in the city? Well, where they hay is she?” Applejack balked at this information.

“If you have been abroad, then you likely know better than I do. Last I heard, she was negotiating a truce with the Northern Roosts, but that was some time ago. Before that, she had been staying in her southern palaces and dealing with issues that had arisen in Prance and Brushels.”

A sudden snort of amusement broke the somber tone and drew Leonard’s attention back to the Doctor, who had to fight down a sudden and impromptu case of the giggles. “Br… Brushels? Really? No… No, I’m fine. Go ahead.” The Doctor fought to contain himself while the three mares and unicorn stallion looked to him with awkward expressions.

To Twilight, however, this news was very strange. If Princess Celestia were to be "long absent" from Canterlot without an exact understanding of where she was, all of Equestria would panic.

As for the Doctor, he eventually got himself under control and, shaking his head, looked to Leonard. “Alright, so I take it that, aside from having a rich and powerful father, this Graphis was a difficult student to work with.”

“On the contrary: We actually got along quite well, at first.” Leonard shrugged, smiling slightly at the memory. “He had a talent with stone and sculpture that I admired, and he was quite fascinated by my own works with the brush. I had a difficult time focusing on any one project because my interests, as you can tell by my workshop, are rather... varied. Our first year together under Maestro Vero went quite well…” Leonard’s smile faded. “…until he started stealing my ideas and my work, attempting to pass them off as his own. He was charming enough, and his family influential enough, that he might have gotten away with it. The Critique, the artisan masters who ran the Academia, ignored my protests of theft right up until Maestro Vero himself put his hoof down. He had enough influence with the Critique that, in spite of his father’s patronage, Graphis was expelled for stealing my work, and that of several other apprentices as well, whose silence he had bought.”

“Sounds like he deserved the heave-ho.” Rainbow nodded in satisfaction.

“Perhaps… although it was hardly a victory to savor. You see, four years ago, Maestro Vero passed on in his sleep. My own apprenticeship had only just ended when he went, and I managed to procure this studio thanks to a friend of my mother’s, who owns the Mare’s Rest Inn, the building it’s attached to. My business started fine, and I gained a steady set of commissions to finance my work and study… but then the rules changed. Less than two months after Maestro Vero passed away, Graphis opened up a workshop of his own in the Royal District, providing statues and figures of amazing quality to the noblecolts and fillies of Roan and places beyond with incredible speed. Most sculptors, even the best, take months to finish a single commission. But Graphis had somehow developed a technique that allowed him to complete several works in just one month! Within a year, the Academia Critique repealed the record of his expulsion and granted Graphis the title of ‘Maestro Sculptor.’”

“So he got a fancy title and his own workshop. What does that have to do with these ‘Critic’ guys dragging you into the alleys?” Rainbow asked, seriously confused as to how this story had any bearing on what they had seen happen earlier.

“That started when Graphis decided that he wanted to produce more than just sculptures, and began to hire his former peers at the Academia. He promised reproductions of the finest artworks to his patrons at greater speed with the collaboration of multiple artists. Demand for Maestro Sculptor Graphis’ work from the noble houses across the Twelve Cities then became so high that now, nopony will commission or purchase anything lacking his seal of approval. No other artist in Roan has been able to survive without his consent, so they all develop works for him, forsaking their own commissions in exchange for a steady salary while making reproductions of whatever the Critique approves as the next 'valued piece.' After they come up with a new, easily producible work, the Critique are each given a direct ‘donation,’ and Graphis is declared the originator of the art. And with his family’s influence over the Critique and the Guard, the Maestro Sculptor is more than capable of ‘encouraging’ anypony that disagrees with his standards to see things his way.”

Applejack shook her head in disgust. “That’s… That’s not jus’ crooked, that’s downright ex-tor-shun is what it is!” the cowpony declared. “Why do them fancy, frilly nobleponies go along with it? Don’t they know what’s happenin’?”

“Most of them don’t, and those that do simply don’t care.” Leonard lowered his head. “Most of the local nobility is friendly with House Denarius anyways, and Graphis sends works all over ponydom by way of Roan’s Sky Warder Couriers. Since there is a constant demand for any art that carries his seal, no matter how much of an eyesore it is, he brings back a constant flow of bits and goods into Roan.”

“An’ the rich get richer…” Applejack looked away, the thought of it all turning her stomach.

“Wait. So, including you… how many artists are there left in Roan that aren't working for Graphis?” Twilight inquired.

“Including me?” Leonard brought up a hoof and tapped it against his horn a moment as if counting in his head. “One.”

“What about ‘the Lost’ as you put it?” the Doctor asked, bringing the subject away from Leonard’s troubles suddenly. “When did that start?”

Twilight was almost shocked to think she had nearly forgotten about the posters they had seen earlier at the Astrolia Fountain, and felt more than a slight pang of guilt at having gotten so caught up in Leonard’s story that she had let the disappearance of dozens of ponies slip her mind.

“About two, perhaps three years ago… and absolutely horrible is what it is.” Leonard shook his head. “It started quietly in the Lower District. There were just rumors at first; the usual urban myth that you get in cities that are told to foals to make them behave. Ponies vanishing without a trace, and such. But then it started to be more than a myth. Slowly, it became a real problem, and after a year, everypony in the Lower District knew at least one other that had gone missing. After a while, though, it turned out not to just be a problem in the Lower District, but in the Craftspony, Academia, and even the Royal Districts.”

“What happened to all those ponies?” Rainbow asked, completely enraptured by the intriguing tale like a small filly listening to a ghost story.

“Nopony knows. At first, they thought it was due to some sort of monster that somehow got through the city walls. But monsters are neither smart nor picky enough to remain concealed for so long. And to my knowledge, there have never been any signs of struggle; they simply vanish. Nopony that’s gone missing has been found alive or otherwise, and nopony has ever seen what’s happened and remained to tell about it. The Guard tries to downplay it, but nowadays, most won’t venture out at night alone… or even in groups, for that matter. I hear that night watchponies are paid triple now, and even a few of them have gone missing. But even with all of that, the nobles continue to claim nothing is wrong and that the ‘common’ ponies are being paranoid. Thus far, the Royal District has had a few go missing, but they’ve been the least impacted."

“How many?” asked the Doctor, though the weight of the world seemed to be behind those two simple words.

“...Hundreds,” the artist revealed, his eyes downcast, drawing a collective gasp from the three mares in attendance.

“And how long have you been making the missing posters for their families?”

Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight all turned in shock to the Doctor, while Leonard reeled back as though he had been hit square in the snout.

“The nobleponies and the Guard don’t want anyone to talk or think about it. Out of sight, out of mind -- or so they think. When we were going through the streets, the walls of all these buildings were completely clean. Not a single poster or notice, no citywide curfews or signs that anything was wrong anywhere. In fact, there was only one place we’ve been in the entire city where those posters were placed. And those sketches were as accurate as they could be… written by a literate, educated pony. Someone who has the ability to make them in an assortment of different styles so no one could say that it was done by any single artist. Because if all of the city’s artists work for a pony that doesn’t want anyone to talk about it, then who will try and help them speak out?” The Doctor nodded, confident as the facts added up. “You don’t have any official commissions from the nobility, but the first thing you ask Twilight is if you’re late on a commission. After all, you’ve managed to survive this long without an income.”

Leonard drew back as the Doctor seemed to snatch his revelation right out of the air, but was unable to dispute the earth pony’s conclusion.

“It’s okay, Leo, we won't tell anypony,” Twilight assured the artist, but then found herself unable to resist her own curiosity. “But why the base of the fountains?”

“It’s a Roanan superstition," the tan unicorn answered. "They say that the Lady Astrolia’s magic enchantment allows her to see through the eyes of the statues. The Guard is afraid to approach and start tearing off the posters because she might see and disapprove. The Lady Lunar hasn’t set hoof in Roan in over a decade, and regardless of what they say, I don’t believe that anypony in the Guard or among the ranks of the nobility have informed her of the disappearances. They are just ignoring the problem and hoping it will go away.”

“Which is good news for you, at least. I’m guessing it’s a simple barter.” The Doctor’s tone was flat, but there was the slightest hint of accusation in his voice. “They help keep you fed and ‘pony up’ meager supplies, and you reproduce the likenesses of their loved ones and sneak the posters into the one place the Guard is afraid to remove them from.”

“I am not profiteering off of the misery or ignorance of the city’s ponies, if that is what you’re saying, Doctor!” Leonard retorted, more than slightly incensed by the insinuation. “The posters are the only recourse the families and friends of the victims have. The Guard won’t even listen to them anymore, and the nobles refuse to hold audience with anypony that even attempts to bring up the disappearances. Foals are vanishing off the streets or right out of their homes when they are left alone and nopony knows how or why! What else can they do!?”

The Doctor held his hard expression for a few seconds, before softening and nodding in understanding. There was a moment of silence in the workshop as the roof creaked noisily, Leonard’s moment of ire passing with a few breaths.

“The Critique suspect… but they cannot prove anything. And the Law of Roan states that artistic expression is free from legal interference, so the Guard can’t do anything about me directly without causing a scandal. The Critique know that if their assumptions are correct, having me arrested even on a false charge could well cause the kettle to boil over, so to speak. There would be riots in the streets. The nobility are already concerned about what happens if the commoners’ fear turns to anger and their hollow cries of ‘all’s well’ fall on deaf ears. So, over the past few months, they’ve stooped to less than proper methods to try and silence any artistic competition with Graphis’ assertions that say all is peaceful in Roan.”

“An’ that’s why they stooped ta intimidatin’ you.” Applejack pulled herself up. “Whooo-eeee, Ah gotta say, Leonard. That’s about as brave as anythin’ can be.”

“Hardly… Just thickheaded, disgruntled, or overly-proud.” Leonard huffed resignedly, lowering his head. “Take your pick. I’m no hero, Lady Applejack… I’m just a stubborn mixed foal that doesn’t know when to quit. It’s not like anything I’ve done has been able to uncover what has happened to the Lost or what is responsible for it. All I do is draw pictures.”

Again met with silence, the roof creaked overhead as the blonde artisan was ashamed by his own admission.

“If they are denying it so strongly…” Twilight reasoned, bringing a hoof to her chin as she ran over the facts in her head quickly. “Then perhaps that means the nobleponies know more than they are willing to admit.”

“If’n they’re anythin' like them frou-frou ponies we met at the Gala, then Ah wouldn’t be surprised,” Applejack added.

“Hey, Doc. What do you think?” Rainbow turned to her side, then drew back in a moment of shock as she realized that the Doctor was no longer seated there. “Doc?”

The four ponies looked around for a moment before they saw the Doctor, his goggles pulled down over his eyes, in the model area of the workshop, almost out of the ring of flickering firelight and fawning over a set of metal balls lined up in a frame. He used one hoof to pull one back and then let it go to cause the metal ball at the opposite end to come flying up and clacking back down.

“Fascinating…” The Doctor grinned as the clacking balls pushed one another up back and forth. “Ahead of it’s time, indeed. Newton would be proud. Hmm... Temporal correlations…” The mad pony trailed off for a moment as his eyes followed the swinging balls back and forth.

“Doctor! Focus!” Twilight’s disapproval was apparent as she pulled herself up and trotted over to the easily distracted stallion’s side and put a hoof on either side of the cradle to stop the balls' motions. “We have much bigger problems, here!”

“We do? Oh, right! Yes, we do.” The Doctor pulled his snout away from the balls in the cradle, the goggles obscuring his bright blue eyes as the firelight danced across the crystal lenses. “And far more immediate concerns, as well.”

“Huh?” Rainbow looked up in surprise. “What are you talking about?”

“Well, this place would appear a fairly old storage building converted into a workshop. Not the best in the world, but it is dry because it has a slanted shingled roof that creaks and groans in the rain under the weight of water being pushed down the sides and off into the gutters.” The Doctor’s expression dropped slightly as if something sour crossed his mind. “This is troubling.”

“Doctor, what in the world are you--” Twilight started, but was cut off.

“The roof creaks in the rain.”

“Yeah? So?”

“...It stopped raining over ten minutes ago.”

There was dead silence in the workshop for a moment… broken only by the heavy creaking of wood above them. Twilight’s eyes slowly lifted towards the ceiling, as did Leonard’s, Applejack’s, and Rainbow’s.

“If that’s the case, then… what’s that?” The Time Lord looked up slowly as well, his tone dropping to little more than a whisper as the five ponies took note of the flying machine models that were swaying lightly on their secured lines.

The ceiling caved in suddenly, crashing down as if a sizable boulder had been dropped on it, sending a spray of wood splinters, broken shingles, and more than a bit of captured rainwater about the shop. As the five ponies inside scattered, the moment of frantic confusion was compounded when something struck the side of the wall where the fireplace was located, sending embers and burnt scraps of bad art scattering across the floor. As the inside of the studio was cast into very dim moonlight, Leonard attempted to get his bearings, pulling himself up from the ground he had been tossed to as he looked around. Papers, broken models, and all manner of debris had been thrown in every direction, further adding to the chaos as something large moved about in the darkness.

“Lady Sparkle!? Captain Dash!? Doctor!?” Leonard called out frantically as he tried orient himself.

Something large, thick, and heavy slammed into the ground next to Leonard, causing the artist to jump out of the way in reflex as he tried to turn and get a look at what it was. His heart was racing as several disembodied voices were heard over the crackling of wood and the sound of his workshop’s destruction.

“Twi! Watch out, sugar!”

“I got it! I GOT IT! WHOA! WHOOOAA!” Rainbow could be heard for a moment, her voice wavering in several directions as she was thrashed about wildly.

“WATCH OUT! IT HAS A TAIL!”

“Ah can’t see it! Where is it!? UMPH!”

“Ow-ow-oowwwww… Okay, I don’t got it...”

“Doctor!? Doctor, where are you!?”

“Hissssssssss...”

The new, alien sound filled Leonard with a near-paralyzing fear as he gasped for breath, looking about wildly and noting a large, dark shape that was moving around, silhouetted against the dim ring of moonlight that illuminated a mere fraction of the workshop.

There was a brief moment then, struck motionless with fear, that Leonard saw something thick and heavy rise from the debris, casting off pieces of his flying machines as it lined up… and then bore down on him.

Realization struck the artist less than a second before impact.

Tackled right in the flank and thrown to the side at the last moment, Leonard and the Doctor went rolling out of the way as the door to the studio was all but shattered, scraps of heavy wood exploding outward and into the street as whatever this thing was impacted it with the force of a cannon.

Leonard had just enough sense remaining to look up and see the Doctor snap one hoof up and in the direction of the mysterious creature, a metal tube suddenly protruding from the band he wore above his hoof and glowing in a swirling rainbow of colors.

“HISSSSSSSSS!”

If he were thinking clearly, Leonard would have considered that, whatever the Doctor was doing, the creature didn’t like it at all.

“WATCH THE TAIL! TWILIGHT, ZAP IT! TURN IT INTO A MOUSE! SOMETHING!” Rainbow cried.

“YEE-HAW! RIDE ‘EM COWPONY! Ya’ll jus’ try ta buck me off, mister!”

“Leonard! Run!”

Still on his side as the Doctor pulled himself off and flicked his hoof again, the strange device emitted another high-pitched squeal that caused the creature in the dark to buck to one side, impacting the outer stone wall of the Mare’s Rest Inn.

But whatever this thing was, it seemed to recover quickly, snapping forward as the Doctor moved out of the dim light cast by the now-open doorway and back towards the main bulk of the creature, while a glow of purple illuminated the face of Twilight Sparkle a moment before a lance of magical energy impacted the dark shape, apparently to no ill effect.

"Leonard! Run for your life!"

The urgent, resounding authority in the earth pony’s tone caused Leonard’s already pounding heart to jump and seemed to thaw the artist’s frozen joints as he found himself scrambling to his hooves.

What else could he do?

He ran.