It's one thing to decide that you want to be a hero in the style of someone you both hate and respect. It's something else to decide that you want to do it without invoking collateral damage.
Before doing anything else, I'd silently gone back to the living room to retrieve the blankets. It took a little bit of work, but I was able to tie them around my sides to conceal the worst of my injuries. I realize I would probably look strange to most people if they saw me, but right now cleanliness and practicality are more important than my pride.
Javelin back in hand, I'm currently considering my options. My plans as they stand are hindered by my lack of knowledge regarding whoever's burglarizing the theater. Who or what makes up their numbers? Unicorns? Pegasi? 'Normal' ponies, or whatever it is they're called? I don't think I ever asked about that... Anyway, my point is that without knowing about them or what exactly they can do, I'm going into this completely blind.
I make a quick inquiry as to the state of my ice manipulation, taking into account my replenished Energen supply and nearly-restored motor control. I get my systems' response, plus a minor bonus, in the time it takes to blink.
Ice Manipulation: 43%. Main system undamaged. Low-medium efficiency due to reduced power output.
Frost Javelin: 98%. Cursory damage will not affect usage. Systems nominal.
Coolant Levels: 84.2%.
Essentially, what it means is that I won't be throwing multiple ice dragons or packs of mines around anytime soon. Still a definite improvement over earlier, and I won't need those techniques for dealing with thieves. Once my power's back to full, my ice manipulation should reach that level as well, and that will be important if I ever need to fight any serious threats before I go home.
Let's face it, it'll probably end up happening. The stories I alluded to earlier would, more often than not, have those removed from their homes risking their lives against all manner of dastardly and wretched beings. Whenever they weren't accidentally romancing those around them, anyway... and so help me if someone gets a crush on me here, I'm going to scream. I am not kidding.
My coolant supply's gone up a little bit, too. Normally I would have to have it replenished from an outside source at the very rare times I ever lost any, usually someplace like the refueling stations found at each squadron's main base. Seeing it restore itself on its own is a surprise, and one that I'll gladly welcome.
...
Just what was in that Heartbreakers candy? My coolant wasn't capable of self-restoration before I consumed those sugar bombs, so why in... ...No, not right now. I'll give time to these thoughts later.
Now that I'm up to date on my capabilities, I can devise a means of stopping the thieves appropriately without sending the building crashing down around me. As stated earlier, I don't have any idea what these ponies can do. Just about anything can happen when dealing with the unknown.
An eager smile splits my face as a plan coalesces in my mind. But as things stand, I doubt they're prepared for something quite like me, either.
I carefully pad over to the exit. Instead of unlocking it to make my way downstairs, I place my hand on the door handle and channel my ice manipulation through my palm. A thin coating of ice envelops the handle and wraps around its latch, jamming the door inside its frame. Just a little stopgap measure to prevent easy entry; it'll dissolve into nothingness in about ten minutes or so, but that should be more than enough time to finish my work in the theater proper.
Now, I doubt that I can actually corral everyone without being seen, but I'll worry about that issue when it becomes important. For now, let's see if they can hear me exiting out the living room window.
Work for the Midnight Castle gang at the Pyre was going about as smoothly as their heists usually went.
A few hours before, Bastion and Iron Gates had gathered the other members of their gang together and informed them of how their meeting with Alexandrite turned out. All of them expressed surprise that one of the theater district's most well-known figures would hire someone like them, but in the end they shrugged and decided they couldn't be picky. They hadn't fallen on hard times yet, but every bit counted in their chosen profession.
The group, which counted among themselves three earth ponies, two pegasi, and two unicorns, hashed out a plan immediately. It was decided that they would go into hiding along the rooftops, keeping an eye on the Pyre and singling out which room was the puppet master's bedroom. After making certain that Salamandra was asleep, one of the unicorns would carve a hole in the window and inject her with a sleeping potion of the group's own make, ensuring that she would stay asleep for as long as it took the Midnight Castles to get the job done. Once that was accomplished, they would pick the lock on the theater's back door and roam free throughout the entire building.
Thus far there had been no problems. Salamandra had twitched when the sedative was injected into her, her eyes opening a fraction, but they drifted shut a few seconds later and she did not react to their presence. Once everypony was inside the theater, the group had set to work grabbing everything they could comfortably carry and using their cache of weight/mass reduction crystals on anything they couldn't, piling the stolen goods on the theater's own cart for transport in addition to their own. At that point it would just be a matter of getting everything back to their hideout without being sighted--or in the worst-case scenario, caught--by the Royal Police's night patrols, and given their years of experience in the field that wasn't going to be an issue.
The stage curtains. An ugly plaster goblin with a two-meter neck. The "guardian skeleton" in the lobby. The popcorn machine. Some cans of dark red paint in a storage closet. The mirror in Salamandra's dressing room. Two crates worth of records. A can of fake spiders. A minotaur-shaped dummy with a trench coat stained by the aforementioned paint. The desk in Salamandra's office, along with everything it contained. The restrooms' supply of toilet paper. It didn't matter what it was: the thieves were taking it. They were told to steal everything that could be stolen, and so they would.
They had just started to remove the lobby's lighting when one of the pegasi's ears twitched. "Boss?" she called, turning her head up and towards her right.
"Something wrong, Knight?" Bastion's voice returned from the manager's office.
"Are we positive that Salamandra's out for the entire night?"
One of the unicorns could be heard huffing in irritation from the auditorium. "If you're telling us that my potion is lacking, Knight..."
"All I did was ask a question," 'Knight' complained. "And you might want to clean out your ears, Bridge. I just heard something creak upstairs."
An annoyed Gates entered the lobby, a random orange scarf draped across his back. "You're right. I'm hearing the sound of bits making a clean getaway if you don't pick up your hooves and get back to work."
"I'm being serious here, boss," Knight protested. "There's---"
"Monnney money money money money," Gates interrupted, waving one of his hooves around and rolling his eyes. "Jinglin' jinglin' jinglin' janglin' out of your saddlebags and into ours. Psssh. Have you ever seen any of Bridge's concoctions not drop their recipients like flies? Like at all?"
Bastion exited the office as he spoke, a framed painting of the Everfree Forest on his back. "There's a first time for everything, so can the attitude. I heard the noise too, but I was under the assumption that it was the building settling."
"You don't seriously believe that there's somepony moving around that shouldn't be there?" Gates asked, frowning. "Come on. If Sally up there was cohabiting with somepony, we'd know it by now. Why are you both acting so worried?"
"A better question would be 'why is Iron Gates a complete jerk'?" the team's second pegasus responded as she dropped the lights she'd collected into a sack. "Just because you have seniority doesn't mean you're allowed to be rude."
"And just because you're the youngest one in the group doesn't mean you're allowed to be a hypocrite, Gargoyle," Gates shot back. "The grown-ups are talking here."
"In that case, why are you still running your mouth?" 'Gargoyle' snarked, sniggering at what she thought was a joke.
"If you're hearing weird things, then I'm experiencing weird things," the group's third earth pony piped up, poking his head into the lobby and interrupting Gates' impolite reply before it could leave his mouth. "I can't get the back door open. A little help back here?"
"Have you tried using your hooves like everypony else, Barricade?" Gates uttered through gritted teeth. "It's not that difficult."
"Wouldn't be calling you if it worked," came the reply. "I tried to unlock it with the same method I used before, plus a few that I hadn't. It's not opening. It's like something's caught the latch and it ain't letting go."
"Check on what's keeping him, Gates," Bastion ordered as he turned and re-entered Salamandra's office, intending to place another crystal on a file cabinet. "I'll be along in a moment. Bridge? Moat? You're with him. Knight, Gargoyle, pick up your pace."
Gargoyle mock-saluted him. "You're the boss, boss," she said as she continued her tasks, snapping her tail in Gates' general direction as he left.
...
Gates growled to himself as he and Barricade trotted through the theater towards the back door. Moat, who had been raiding the ticket booth for anything not nailed down and had remained silent throughout the exchange, and Bridge, who had been in the middle of ripping up some of the auditorium's seats, joined him on the way. "Can't open a door, they don't know when to shut up... feels like I'm leading a parade of idiots, complete with baton."
"Why is Gargoyle even part of the team, anyway?" Bridge wondered. "She's always been too much of a loose cannon."
"Because she's a loose cannon who's good at what she does." Gates scowled, looking for an excuse to kick something. "No matter how much I'd like for her to spontaneously lose her wings in mid-flight over the Crystaller Building."
The others winced at his vicious words, but didn't comment on them. There was nothing more to be said from then on until they got to the back door.
...
When they reached it, Gates had intended to just easily open the door and lord that minor victory over Barricade. That plan was quickly foiled when he discovered that it was as the fellow thief had said: it wasn't opening, and an attempt at unlocking it met with the same degree of success. "Bridge," he ordered, backing away from the door. "See if you can find out what's causing this."
The unicorn did as instructed, pulling out a magnifying glass as she got up close to the door handle. Her horn shone with a blue aura as she used a spell to enhance her vision further, running it first along the handle before moving on to the door's edge to check the latch. "Looks like it's... frozen over?" Bridge stated incredulously as she withdrew the glass, her magic shutting off. "But it's too warm out for ice."
"Ice, huh?" Gates murmured dryly. "And me without my Hypermane heat vision. Out of the way, you three. I'm going to give this door a good kick."
"Didn't Bastion tell us to exercise stealth?" Barricade reminded him. "Orders from the client, I me---"
A loud noise akin to canvas tearing reached them through the door, and Gates drew in a sharp breath. That sounds like...! "Forget stealth! We've got company!" he snapped, pivoting and bucking at the door handle with all his strength. Only a hasty dodge prevented Bridge from getting accidentally struck.
Icy pieces flew through the air off the latch, shattered by the force of the kick as the door swung violently open. Gates turned to charge through the door and subdue whoever it was that decided to interfere with them---
---and stopped himself before he could commit to the action, gawking in disbelief. Slowly, he walked into the moonlight that pervaded the alley in order to convince himself that what he was seeing was real. The others followed, no less stunned.
The wheels of both carts were frozen fast to the ground, engulfed as they were in ice. Ice, several inches worth despite it being the middle of summer. The tarps that the group had been using to conceal what they'd loaded had been torn free and ripped apart, leaving the valuables in plain sight. Even taking into account the reduction crystals at their disposal and the combined magic power of both unicorns, there was no way the group would be able to steal everything on the property as Alexandrite had wanted them to. Not without it being blatantly obvious to the Royal Police and any night-loving residents.
What grabbed his attention immediately after was the most oddly-dressed biped Gates had ever seen in his life (not that he'd seen many, granted). It was standing with its back towards the door, a futuristic pole arm straight out of some comic book or other held tightly in one hand. It didn't react to their presence at first, but when it did, it slowly turned its head to face them over its shoulder and gave them a face-splitting grin that flat-out oozed smugness.
Gates didn't know what he hated more: that this doll-thing decided to butt in on their heist, that he didn't know where it came from, or that he was receiving that smile from someone other than his reflection for a change. Either way he was mad, and he made that anger clear with the calmness of his tone. "Moat? Bridge?" he hissed. "Tear it apart."
Credit where credit is due: the unicorns certainly tried, and with a clever tactic that would have worked with most others at that. Bridge utilized her magic to immobilize the thing's limbs, while Moat attempted to yank its pole arm out of its grip with the intent of skewering it through the torso. What they didn't count on was the doll's minotaur-esque strength. No matter how much they pried, its grip was unrelenting and the resistance it offered overwhelming. After a short time they were forced to shut off their magic and catch their breath.
All the while, its grin didn't relax. "Nice try!" it declared, pivoting and swinging its pole arm at them. Gates and Barricade were fast enough to evade the strike by jumping back through the door, but the weapon's broad side caught the still-recovering unicorns and golfed them both into a nearby dumpster.
Gates growled and reached for the twin combat knives he kept concealed in his sleeve. “Barricade, get everyone out here,” he ordered. “I'll stall it!” Without waiting for the thief to follow the order, he bit down on the handle of one knife and wrapped his hoof around the other before springing at the would-be hero.
I jump away from the slash-happy pony as it attacks, deflecting its opening strikes. Behind him, his companion hurries back into the theater with the intent of bringing the rest of the gang to bear.
As I silently agree to play the thief's game, I congratulate myself on a job well done. After slipping out the living room window and wall-sliding my way down, I'd taken a peek into the alley to see if anybody (anypony, come on already!) was back there. Sure enough, one of the thieves was transferring items from within the building onto a pair of carts, one of which was adorned with Drama Heart's personal symbol. A few of the things on those carts I didn't think they were capable of carrying solo, at least not without strain. Magic. Just like everything else I've been seeing here.
The pony had placed the goods beneath tarps that were covering both carts, then went back inside for more. I'd waited until the door closed, then hurried over and applied my ice manipulation towards locking it. Knowing that I only had a limited amount of time to work with after I heard the pony initially struggling with the door, I then took the time to freeze each individual wheel on the carts to the ground. I'd just finished that task when I heard a group of them talking and trying to get the door open. With nothing more to do but destroy any attempt at hiding what they'd done from those on the streets, I fired the Javelin's blade across the alley to slice open the tarps on both carts with one strike.
Now, the smile I gave the thieves when they entered the alley... I don't know just what it was that possessed me to do that. I can't decide if it was because I'd ruined their night's work and felt like being smug, or if I was just saying in my own way that a destructive wave was about to crash down on them. Either way, it had the desired effect: the unicorns tried to steal the Javelin to no avail, I swatted them aside with the weapon's blunt side to keep myself from killing them, and the most aggressive of the bunch went on the attack.
The pony's fast, far faster than equines have a right to be; I actually have to put in a bit of effort at evasion as we dance around the alley. He's smart, too: he keeps trying to slash and stab at the battle damage that the blankets aren't hiding, recognizing my obvious weak points. A total fool would have tried to attack me without any sort of strategy.
That's not to say that I'm having any trouble holding him off, even as tired as I am. He might be fast, but Harpuia—never mind Zero—eclipses him. I've won my share of sparring matches against the pretty boy with my land disadvantage taken into account. It should come as no surprise that I'm able to either block or turn aside the majority of the thief's strikes, and the few that reach my synthskin aren't able to pierce the ceratanium layer beneath it. Those do little more than shove me backward a little, something which is easily remedied.
The sounds of hoof and wing beats reach my ears: the thief's reinforcements are incoming. Good. Means I can take them all out at once. “Bastion! Barricade!” the thief calls, shaking those who hadn't seen me yet out of their initial surprise. “Corner this witch! Knight, air cover! Gargoyle, see if you can wake up our dumpster divers! That thing's not going to stop all of us at once!”
Excellent. They're reacting according to plan, and my ice manipulation is at adequate levels. Time to field-test my newest technique.
After my fourth battle against Zero at the Temple of Ice, I realized that he was incorporating attacks from those he'd fought before into his personal style. Just looking over the footage while I was recovering, I recognized explosive flaming bullets akin to Fefnir's Buster shots, as well as a rising slash similar to that used by the Cutting Shadow Squadron's own Phoenix Magnion. I decided that if he was going to steal our attacks, I might as well give him a taste of his own medicine.
After recovering, I spent the bulk of my free time over the next seven-plus weeks training myself to use the technique and making sure the Javelin was capable of pulling it off. Sadly, mere hours after I was satisfied with it, Omega crash-landed and “introduced” himself to me before I could charge it up. My race towards his and Zero's battle arena didn't allow me any opportunity to use it then, either.
But now? I think as I allow myself to get cornered by the thieves' tactics. It's time to do something I haven't gotten to do in months: enjoy myself.
It's about time, Gates complained to himself as Bastion and Barricade closed in, delivering a set of rapid-fire hoof strikes that forced the doll-thing to back away. This monstrosity is just way too evasive for one-on-one.
He waited for it to block a particularly powerful blow from Bastion, which shoved it against the far end of the alley, then fished his last combat knife from his uniform and whipped it at the doll's left eye. The pole arm's blade interposed itself in the knife's flight path, deflecting it, but this left it open to a flurry of twisting mid-air hoof strikes from Knight. As he retrieved the knife, Gates admitted to himself that the Wonderbolt wannabe was finally pulling her weight; she hadn't done much to distinguish herself from the rest of the crew up until then, so he'd assumed that she was overly generic. Turns out she's actually halfway decent in a fight. Who'd have thought?
There were some harsh words exchanged at the dumpster as Gargoyle succeeded in rousing Bridge and Moat. The second pegasus joined Knight in her mid-air assault, and the doll began spinning its weapon to hold off the duo and create a killing field of sorts, preventing anypony from getting close enough to attack physically. Gates wasn't too worried: if the unicorns immobilized the doll again, the rest of them could go to town on it and smash it apart. That ridiculously sturdy frame it possessed couldn't protect it forever, and he was looking forward to gloating at it as its life left its eyes. At that point they could figure out what to do about salvaging the heist that had been spoiled...
...But none of that is doing anything to answer why that thing's weapon is glowing!
The pole arm had gained a blue-white aura that lit up the immediate vicinity, almost making it hurt to look at directly as it continued to spin, accompanied by a noise that sounded halfway between a hum and a hiss. If its owner was aiming to blind them it was well on its way, judging from Moat's disgruntled groan, but that wasn't going to stop them... and if it was gathering any sort of magic for projectile attacks, the unicorns should have at least picked up on it--
With a grunt the doll went airborne, covering almost twice its own height in a vertical leap to take it above the entire gang. It had stopped spinning its weapon and instead swung it over its head, and instinctively Gates realized that it was going for a definitive killing blow towards one of them. Even as Bastion ordered everyone to scatter, he was already getting as much horizontal distance as the confines of the alley and the nearby carts would allow, believing that avoiding the blade itself would be enough.
...
It wasn't.
The Frost Javelin descended, striking the pavement as Leviathan landed. With a howl that rivaled the windigos of ages past, a shockwave of freezing air and energy blasted all seven ponies at once, enveloping them in its heart-chilling grip and yanking Gates' knife away from him. Particles rapidly coalesced, forming thick layers of ice that smothered those that were ground-bound, ensnaring them all in a flash. The edge of the wave washed against the back of Drama Heart's cart, flash-freezing one corner ineffectually before the blast dissipated.
1.2 seconds after the Javelin unleashed its power, the fight was over.
Both pegasi blinked, and in the time it took to open their eyes again they were trapped against the theater's exterior by the same ice, wondering how and why they were shivering from both cold and pain. The both of them had a natural resistance to the elements, but "resistance" did not directly translate to "immunity", and even as they wondered what happened they knew they were going to be feeling this one for a while.
"They're not going to die from this, if you're curious. The ice will melt and dissolve soon enough."
Knight blinked a few times at what she perceived was a non-sequitur. She realized that the doll they were attacking was standing before them at eye-level. "What..."
"I wasn't fighting at full strength, pegasi, and I was holding back to boot. Had that charged slash been delivered with all my power... well. I shouldn't have to tell you what would have happened, I hope?"
Next to Knight, Gargoyle had gained some of her coherency back. Not all of it, but some. "Why..."
"'Why?'" the doll parroted, leaning in with a smile. "Because I live here. I thought it was obvious."
Both ponies' ears drooped. "Well, double c-crud and a half," Gargoyle muttered, dismayed. "We thought Salamandra l-lived alone."
"At least six hours behind the times there, ponies." The doll folded its arms, its pole arm still held at the ready. "Now, then. We've got a few minutes before that ice melts. You're going to answer a few questions for me. Honestly."
"W-why should we---" Knight tried to say...
...only to be interrupted. "And you will answer my questions. Unless you want to go without your wings for the rest of your life?"
The both of them paled, regaining full alertness on the spot. "You... you wouldn't!" Gargoyle protested, the snark and bravado she'd been showing all evening leaving her.
"I wouldn't?" The doll shoved its face into hers. "The recent times have not been kind to me. I've been decimated, dirtied, exploded by a dying monster, been screamed at by a filly, surprised by a gray ghost, had my beliefs upturned, treated like an inanimate object, been chased, been hugged, and forced to protect my home away from home when all I wanted to do was to recover my strength in peace. You caught me in the middle of a bad fortnight, pegasi. I will only play nice if you let me."
"...Knight? What d-do you think we should do?" Gargoyle asked worriedly, deferring to the only other pony in the alley who was still conscious and coherent. She wanted to keep her wings, and she didn't want to think about how high the medical bills would be if their enemy... removed them. She valued her freedom too, but what was freedom without flight?
"...Well, I always knew our careers as thieves would b-be ending sooner or l-later..." Knight admitted, shivering. "If I was Iron Gates, I'd be protesting and trying to escape every step of the way. E-easy for him to do. He d-doesn't have the pride and joy of all pegasi to lose. M-might as well go to jail with our d-dignity intact." She looked the doll in the eyes. "What do y-you want to know?"
The doll smiled. She relaxed her hold on her pole arm just enough to allow them a bit of extra breathing room. "First things first: why did you decide to rob the Pyre? Was it just because you thought it was a good idea at the time, or is there some underlying reason for it?..."
I suspect that I'll be hating myself in the morning.
Plus side: the charged Javelin slash was a complete success. I was able to incapacitate the entire gang at once with a single attack, and I held back enough power to ensure that they would survive the experience, albeit with some chills. Chew on that, Zero.
Another plus side: the two pegasi provided me with plenty of details. Who they were, why they were stealing from the Pyre, and most importantly who sent them. I should have enough time and energy to act on that last one before morning, provided their patron's location isn't too far away.
Minus side: ...That manic grin was one thing, but why in the world did I threaten to remove those ponies' wings? I know that I'm tired, but all of the crankiness in the world doesn't excuse that. I don't think I was that bad even during the worst days of Copy X's regime.
...Was I?
I have to remind myself that these are flesh-and-blood entities I'm dealing with, not Reploids. Not machines. When machines lose parts or have them forcibly removed by an outside source, they can be easily repaired in most cases. Fixed. Good as new. Humans, and these ponies by extension, don't have that luxury. Sure, humans can get cybernetic replacements now, but losing limbs for them is still a traumatic experience. Whatever they do after that, they would never be the same. Some damage can never be fixed.
Whether I was this bad in Neo Arcadia or not, what I told those pegasi still makes me feel sick. I'm having this nagging feeling I should be apologizing to them. Yes yes, I know, it's silly to say "I'm sorry" to people who are trying to kill me. But what right do I, a total stranger to their lands and laws, have to threaten them like that? It's the sort of thing that I could be tried and thrown in prison for, for all I know. And that's if any judges they have are feeling lenient.
You can bet that would put a serious crimp in my plans to return home. Sure, I could probably break out of whatever prison they have, but that wouldn't leave any...pony that would otherwise help me with a good impression of me. I need to prove myself better than that. I have an ideal, a memory that I want to live up to now. When the time finally comes for me to reunite with X in Cyberspace, whenever that may be, I want to be able to tell him to his face that I did my absolute best to live as a protector. A true Guardian to the last.
(Though I still make no apologies for wanting to destroy Zero. That's my idea of a good time, and nothing short of his defeat will take that away from me. One day, I'm going to give it to him. Don't believe me? Just watch.)
So I have one more thing to add to my personal checklist: get copies of the local laws so that I don't offend the authorities on accident.
"Stupid cold chills, stupid walking puppet, stupid everything ruining my payday..."
And that means not rising to Iron Gates' bait and freezing him again just to make him shut up. From the moment I freed him from the ice and plopped the gang into one of their own nets up until now, he's been spouting threats, wisecracks, and everything in-between. It's getting annoying, and I'm already tired as is just from trying to mentally censor him. Some of the things he's saying I wouldn't repeat in Fefnir's presence, let alone a child's.
Come on, I thought Gargoyle told me that the local authorities did patrol the streets at ni---...Wait, there they are. Black and white vests over light armor, official-looking caps, towing an enclosed carriage with what I'm hoping has the word "Police" on the side? That seems to match the description. I wave them down when they get close enough, getting their attention. "Sirs? Sirs!"
The carriage pulls over close by, both ponies surprised at my appearance but behaving like the professionals they're supposed to be. "Is something the..." one of the officers starts to say, but stops and does a double-take when he sees the net I'm carrying. "...matter? What the..."
"Got a package for you," I greeted them as I gestured at the angry, humiliated, or otherwise resigned thieves within the net.
Both of the officers are clearly befuddled. I would be too, if I'd witnessed someone carrying around seven people at once with minimal effort. The first officer is the one who speaks. "Um... thanks?"
The other one is able to get a good look at who is in the net, whistling. "The Midnight Castle gang? We've been trying to snag these bums for over a year now! How'd you catch them?"
"I caught them red-handed..." Oops, they're looking confused. Let's fix that. "Excuse me. I caught them red-hooved trying to empty out that theater back there," I said, gesturing at the Pyre down the block. I set the net down where all of us can keep our eyes on it. "The owner's been letting me stay there until I can regain my footing, so to speak. Figured I'd do something nice for her while I was here."
"What sort of ridiculous coincidence..." Iron Gates muttered from within the net. Again, doesn't he ever shut up? Or possess any sort of respect for authority, for that matter?
The largest thief--Bastion, according to what Knight said--seems to agree with me, as disgruntled as he is. "Gates. For the love of Celestia. Stop. Talking."
As Officer No. 2 taps an earpiece he's wearing and speaks into it quietly (so they have rudimentary radios, good to know), Officer No. 1 visibly calms down a little. He's still nervous around me, but he's letting his professionalism guide him. Good. “Guessing there's a story behind this. Do you have time tonight to share your statements?..."
...
While we waited for additional officers to arrive to pick up the thieves--seeing as how this carriage doesn't have enough room for all seven--I told them of everything that had transpired from the moment I'd woken up from my dream. When they expressed doubt over my ice manipulation, I brought out the Frost Javelin and froze a few centimeters worth of sidewalk as a visual aid. This was enough to satisfy them both before we moved on.
When I got to the topic of my interrogation, the both of them gave me these incredibly stern looks. This prompts me to turn my attention to the net. Gates and one of the unicorns are in a position to glare at me, while both pegasi look downtrodden. I gather my thoughts and consider what I am about to do... then astonished all of those present when I knelt on one knee before the thieves. "Knight? Gargoyle? Please forgive me."
I'm not showing it outwardly, but gobsmacked pony faces are a laugh riot. "For...forgive you?" Gargoyle blurts out, incredulous. "Why?"
"It's not the interrogation itself that I want to apologize for," I tell them with complete seriousness. "It's what I threatened you with. I forgot that ponies cannot replace their limbs as easily as machines can, and I crossed a line because of it. I should not have threatened you with the loss of your wings. For that, I am truly sorry."
Most would expect the thieves to reject my apology outright, or set their jaws and ignore me. For the umpteenth time in as many hours, the local ponies are instead choosing to surprise me again. "What?" Knight exclaims, mouth falling open. "You're a machine? But you're---"
"---making my own decisions, yes," I finish for her. I stand up as another police carriage approaches, this one towed by three ponies and having enough space within for the entire gang.
"...By Celestia," Gargoyle whispers. "We got crushed by the unholy love child of the Termarenator and the Masked Matter-horn."
"Heh. You're such a nerd," Gates utters, prompting a mutter of "Why do I even bother?" from Bastion and confirming that there was references there that I wasn't getting.
Well, that could have gone a lot worse. They didn't vocally accept my apology, but at least they didn't get angry over it. The shrug I'm seeing from the police is telling me that I should count that as a win.
...
As I'm finishing giving the officers my statements, the new arrivals are pulling the thieves out of the net one by one, depriving them of their remaining tools, reading them their rights, and cuffing them (with rings around the unicorns' horns that I was told would limit their magic usage). We didn't have any rights-reading for Reploids back in Neo Arcadia due to Copy X being Copy X, and while the human authorities had something similar for their own race, I'd never been around to hear any of it. It's nice to get a basic idea of how this works.
While four of the officers are leading the captured gang into the back of the carriage, the one who'd been paying the most attention to my account is awkwardly shaking my hand with his hoof. I muse to myself that his personal brand looks an awful lot like some kind of camera. "Your methods could use plenty of work, but the Manehattan Royal Police still owes you for capturing the Midnight Castles," he's saying. "Thank you for your assistance, citizen."
"I'm not a citizen, sir," I tell him, letting go. "I'm not even native to this world, let alone this city."
"Didn't think so," he answers, taking it in stride. "I think we'd know if we'd seen a biped quite like you before. How long do you plan to stay in Manehattan, Ms. Leviathan?"
"I don't know," I admit. "It would depend on how long it would take me to find a way back. If there's a way back."
"You might want to consider applying for citizenship at City Hall the first chance you get, then," the officer suggests. "Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. Now then, are you positive that you don't want us to investigate the pony who hired them? Conspiring with thieves is a serious offense in itself. It would be troublesome if she tried again."
A slight head shake. "Now that I have the full story and my wits about me, I should be able to discourage her from pursuing her vendetta against Ms. Heart. I promise that if she gets unruly, the Royal Police will be the first to know." Something's clicking in my mind. "Pardon me for asking, but why didn't you write down anything I said? Isn't that a bit detrimental to your job?"
"I can handle that back at the station," the officer reassures me with a smile. "Nice thing about having a photographic memory is that I never forget what I hear or see. I can repeat back everything you've said since you signaled for us, if you'd like."
Well, that's interesting. That would explain that camera branding he has. Did he earn that because of his memory, or is it the other way around? "That won't be needed. Very advantageous," I compliment him. "So, those thieves told me that their benefactor was at a nightclub called 'The Lonely Heart'. Have you ever heard of that place? And if so, how do I get there from here?..."
This waiting is killing me. How much longer is it until sunrise?
Aside from a quick stop at the restroom, Alexandrite hadn't left her booth since Gates and Bastion had left. Much as she wanted to go home and go to bed, she intended to wait right where she was for news of the thieves' successful mission. It would draw too many questions from others if the thieves tried to meet her at her home; far as she was concerned, it was sheer chance that no one recognized the Castles' representatives when they met at the Lonely Heart. Her decision got her a few odd looks from the servers, but they could go headbutt a concrete wall for all she cared.
She'd looked up a few times whenever the door opened, but it was just the nightclub's usual clientele coming and going. No ponies in Cutie Mark-concealing uniforms appeared to inform her that their task was complete. She chastised herself for getting her hopes up and went back to nursing her bottle of cider, closing her eyes every now and then to give them rest while listening to the band plink away at their instruments.
Distantly, she heard a few muffled sounds outside the door before it opened up again. This time Alexandrite believed she knew better and declined to look up, instead taking another sip from the bottle. It took her a few seconds to realize that all of the noise in the nightclub had disappeared, and it took a shadow falling over her and the table for her to see the source of the silence. For a moment she thought that one of the thieves she'd hired was pranking her by shoving one of Salamandra's stage props in her face, and she opened her mouth to chastise them for their behavior.
"Miss Alexandrite, I presume?"
...Only to jump halfway out of her skin when the alleged stage prop spoke to her, its tone dangerous. "I just had the most interesting conversation with a certain handful of ponies." The words carried throughout the entire nightclub, and everypony was listening. "They say you're one of the most respected figures in the city's theater and art districts. A socialite of fine repute, endearing to a fault, never antagonizing anyone. You're one of those that anyone... or 'anypony', rather... would be privileged to meet." It stationed itself such that the unicorn wouldn't be able to leave the booth without being caught, glaring at her. "Logically speaking, it would indicate that if I asked you why you had those ponies ravage my home, you would give me a straight answer."
Alexandrite's eyes dilated. "Your... home?..."
"Flaming Salamandra's Pyre of Fears," the prop said plainly. Was it her imagination, or was its forehead glowing? "I was given new life this past day, little pony. I believed that I was dying, and by all rights I should be deceased... but instead I woke up and saw the sunlight, felt its wonderful warmth. The one you call 'Drama Heart' has seen fit to house me and see to my needs this night. I am not an ungrateful soul that would reward her generosity with ruination."
Some of those present started murmuring, but Alexandrite didn't hear any of it. She pressed herself against the back of the booth in a vain attempt to get some distance from this... battle-scarred creature, her heart beating faster. No no no no no---! "You... you're a..."
"A monster?" The entity finished bemusedly. "No. Never a monster. What I am..." It held out one hand, a spear of some kind materializing in it out of nothing. "...is a Guardian. I gave my life once in service to a great cause, Miss Alexandrite, and I would gladly do so again. The Pyre of Fears is my home for now, unicorn. My protectorate. I have no reason to fear a ragtag crew of thieves who are motivated by money and nothing else."
A chill built up in the nightclub that had nothing to do with Alexandrite's own fear. "So if you don't mind a friendly suggestion?" the creature continued. "Cut your losses and never harass Salamandra again. Your reputation would take a hit by virtue of those present here, but you would still be free. You would have the opportunity to prove yourself a better pony than you were tonight. The chance to convince all who see you that the endearing mask you wear in public is your true face, not something that's freely discarded when its convenient. In addition, I should be able to convince Salamandra not to set the Royal Police on your tail." A smile just as cold as the air. "Though bear in mind that I said 'should'. It's not going to be a guarantee, Miss Alexandrite. If you don't clean up your act---"
"Alright! Alright!" Alexandrite cried out, frantic and fearful as she raised her hooves before her face, tears in the corners of her eyes. Please don't kill me, please don't kill me---! "You have my word! I won't target her again! Just... just go away!"
The creature kept still for fifteen long seconds. All the while, Alexandrite's heart felt like it was trying to escape her ribcage in the face of the biped's glare. Finally it lowered its weapon, banishing it back to wherever it was it had gotten it from. The glow in the thing's forehead receded. "I've never met some...pony as cowardly as you," it said, hesitating over the pronoun for reasons unknown. "But I'll take you at your word. Provided you live up to your promise, I will never have a reason to cross paths with you again. Good-bye." It turned and walked towards the exit, its footsteps echoing through the nightclub.
"You... you didn't kill the thieves... did you?" Alexandrite inquired after it, trying mightily to rein in her heartrate and hide how relieved she was that she'd gotten off the hook.
The entity paused, staring out at nothing. "...No," it spoke after a short silence before it resumed walking, its voice surprisingly heavy... with a touch of sadness? "I didn't."
Alexandrite wasn't given the opportunity to dwell on this before somepony else spoke up. "Hey, um, lady?" one of the performers on stage asked nervously as it passed. "If I can call you 'lady'... who are you, and did you really come back from the dead?"
"Metaphorically, not literally," the creature clarified, drawing relieved sighs from most of those present and calming the one who'd asked. "I'm not some ancient being like you might have been expecting. If anything, I'm probably just as old as any of you." It stopped with one hand on the door. "As for who I am, it's not important. I don't intend to stay in this city forever, so I'll be out of your manes soon enough."
"So you're okay with us just calling you 'lady', then?"
Surprisingly, this drew a laugh. "That would be a lie. What I've done here in the past few minutes should've proved that I'm no lady."
"Then give us a name," the performer insisted. "Better that than something you're not, right?"
The creature turned to face the stage. Alexandrite was able to work up the bravery to leave her booth and take a few steps closer as it spoke, and she thought she recognized confusion on its face. "I was under the impression that your species would be afraid of me just because of how different I am compared to you, but you're talking to me with next to no fear. Was I wrong?"
"We ain't gonna lie and tell ya that ya don't look creepy," one of the other performers said. "'Specially with those holes in ya. But then again, we thought griffons and minotaurs looked creepy the first time we saw them too, and they turned out so-so. You ain't gonna go around butchering ponies?"
"Not a snowball's chance in a desert on a summer afternoon."
"Then that means you're so-so too, right?"
As those present conversed quietly among themselves at the question, the entity was visibly taken back by this. It slowly raised its hand up to where its heart would have been had it been a minotaur, paused, then dropped it back to its side with a conflicted expression on its face. "...Everypony in this city is crazy."
A wave of chuckling rippled through the nightclub. "You might find that us Manehattanites are a tougher bunch compared to most," a black-maned earth pony in an incredibly ugly leisure suit informed the entity. It wouldn't be until much later that Alexandrite learned that this pony was the nightclub's owner. "So how about it? Are you going to give us a name before you go?"
The creature smiled ruefully. With this expression, it doesn't seem quite as frightening... "If you insist. My name is Leviathan. Fairy Leviathan," it said, enunciating it clearly for all listening. With a nod and a wave it opened the door and departed the nightclub, smiling at the bouncer as it left.
...
As one and all resumed the activities they had been partaking in prior to 'Leviathan's' arrival, with the addition of a wary glare or two directed her way, Alexandrite hung her head as she tried to parse what had taken place. Everything, from discovering that her attempt to ruin Salamandra's life had been foiled to becoming beholden to the one who had thwarted it to start with, journeyed through her mind. Sighing mournfully, she levitated some bits back to her booth and left the nightclub herself. She had sleep to catch up on, and an important decision in the morning to make.
So much for getting my watch back.
Even with my dash thrusters working non-stop, it took me almost ten minutes to get back to the Pyre. I didn't feel comfortable leaving everything unattended, what with the open back door and the living room window, so I was concerned that somepony else had visited while I was away and taken what was left outside. Thankfully there had been no visitors, though a quick investigation of the apartment showed that Drama Heart was still sedated. Knight and Gargoyle had told me that the sedative they'd used would wear off when the sun rose, whenever that was, so time will tell whether that's true or not.
Currently I'm back in the alley. The carts are still where I left them, their contents untouched but the ice keeping the wheels locked in place having long since dissolved. I sigh, looking at just how much the thieves had managed to take before I'd interrupted them.
I have doubts that I can get all of this back where it belongs before sunrise. Some of these I can manage, sure. That skeleton pony from the lobby or the paint cans, to name a few. But the wooden desk? I don't know where it goes. And these curtains look like they belong in the auditorium, but it feels to me like putting them back up would require either a team effort or a unicorn's magic; I don't want to damage these by accident. So as it stands, I'll just bring back what I can and leave the rest to Drama's judgement.
Wishing that the night would come to an end already, I stoop down to pick up the grotesque long-necked monster and place it somewhere out of the way. I think I'm beginning to understand what humans find so appealing about getting nine hours' rest. Maybe I should try it sometime.
And while I'm wishing for the impossible, I'd like a swimming pool the size of this entire block, please.