//------------------------------// // Statuette - Part One // Story: Manehattan's Lone Guardian // by Curtis Wildcat //------------------------------// Once Glintlock was taken away and Gilbert left to collect his fellow griffons, I made several passes through Median Park to find and locate all of the traps that had been set. Using Hunter and the Radar in tandem made finding them almost ridiculously easy, though it still took a decent bite out of my Energen reserves. Maverick and Magnum rejoined me after they safely dropped off Babs Seed at home, and they were able to help free a few animals that had bungled into the snares. I might be reading too much into it, but I think that big weasel I'd met seemed thankful that the traps were gone. It wouldn't surprise me if it were true. After an hour and a half's work, I was able to say for a certainty that all of the traps had been disarmed. I informed the Police that it was safe to summon the Park's staff to clean everything up. With another hour and a half to go before making the meeting with Gilbert's group at the bank, I asked Coffee-and-Cream for any information on my fourth---and presumably final---mission of the day. I'm currently parsing through the information I've been given while I'm on my way to Madisoat Square Garden, and the good Officer had plenty to offer on both the facility and the target's status. There's a decent amount of the former, and it's honestly fairly interesting. I'll spare you most of the details and share the pertinent information only. Madisoat is one of two such "Gardens" in the city (the other being Madison Mare), and was built approximately 40 years ago. It's been used for just about every public event conceivable: sports, music, yearly political conferences by the city's mayor, nerd conventions, trade shows, you name it. Shortly before I came to town, it was even used as the focal point for this year's "Summer Sun Celebration", a holiday commemorating Princess Celestia's defeat of somepony who desired an endless night. And apparently, that defeat is the reason why a unicorn's likeness is on the moon. My logic centers have been taking a beating this month. I can't wait to return home. At least there, everything made some sense. Anyway, when I said "every public event conceivable", I was not kidding. When Statuette took over the facility, she instructed those workers present to swap out the arena's current flooring with an ice rink and lower the temperature accordingly. Her specialties according to Coffee lay in figure skating, ice dancing, and to a lesser extent speed skating. Like Glintlock before her, she's trying to maximize her home field advantage. Not that it's going to do her any good. I might not have ever partaken in figure skating myself, but I know a thing or two about maneuvering on ice, and I've seen what some of Neo Arcadia's citizenry get up to when they're bored enough. In addition, if the same pattern that Shining Armor and his girlfriend identified is present here like it was back home, then Statuette's going to try to fight me using my own element. The cold and ice aren't going to harm me any more than electricity ever will. The only thing that concerns me is that Statuette's been reported as carrying a sword shaped like her Cutie Mark. Depending on how sharp it is, it could conceivably damage me. Both Trifecta and Glintlock were able to do just that with their equipment, so it's logical to assume that she may be capable of doing the same. But with that, there's something bothering me. I turn to Maverick after I stick a Double Jump-assisted landing on a rooftop. Both she and Magnum are keeping pace with me. "How is a pony expected to wield a sword?" I ask. "Do they just use their teeth?" "Is this about Statuette?" Maverick answers, to which I nod. "If you're an earth pony who can't stand on their hind legs for very long, yeah. On the other hoof, if you're a pegasus, then you have another option available if you don't mind staying ground-bound." Is she implying what I think she's implying? "Are a pegasus's wings that flexible?" Magnum smirks at the question. "Yes. Surprised?" I am, but that's no reason to give her an edge. "Elaborate, please." The thievery addict does as instructed. "Any pegasus that's sufficiently trained their wings can hold small objects in them. They don't have the some kind of flexibility that your hands do, not without... what are those smaller digits on the sides called?" "Thumbs." "Right, those. Anyhoo, even without those, she'll be able to wield a sword just by wrapping her wing around the hilt. Neat, huh?" I shake my head, not out of denial but out of awe. "You keep saying that I'm something else, but I could say the same thing about you. I was expecting your wings to be closer to those of birds." "That's a common misconception," Maverick claims. She eyes me for a moment with a face I can't identify. "Buuuut since you're an otherworldly alien, I can forgive you for not knowing. Look up a picture of a pegasus's skeleton sometime at the library and be amazed." ...You know what? I just might do that. But that'll keep for when this job is done. That little tidbit on their wings is going straight to my "Need to Know" folder. All the better to keep from being surprised when Statuette inevitably tries to use her weapon against me. Magnum's ears twitch. "We're getting close. I can hear somepony cheering." "I'm going to assume that's not for us," I remark. Both pegasi laugh at this, to which I join in. It's self-deprecating, but it still counts. Hey, if you can't laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at? It turns out that I was on the mark. There's a crowd of about sixty ponies gathered outside Madisoat, most of them cheering for Statuette, waving around memorabilia and calling for her to make an appearance. A few of them are trying--and failing--to push past the beleaguered Officers and facility staff guarding one of the front entrances. Nopony seems to realize we're here yet, even though we're standing just a little ways behind them. I raise a hand to my helmet. "Coffee, I've arrived at Madisoat," I inform her; my escorts hover close to my head in order to listen in. "There seems to be a civilized riot in progress. The fans here either haven't gotten the hint about Statuette being a suspected criminal, they don't care, or they don't believe it." "'Civilized riot'," Magnum mutters. "That's a contradiction for the books." -"Have they seen you yet?"- Coffee asks me. "No," I say. -"Check the other doors. Anypony else in front of them?"- I nod meaningfully at my escorts, and they do a quick flight around the building. They're not gone for more than fifteen seconds or so given their speed, and I send their report to Coffee once they get back. "Everypony's gathered at these doors specifically." -"If so, then the other entrances are probably locked, and the rooftop doors are for emergencies only..."- Coffee ponders for a bit. -"Try distracting the crowd somehow."- Hmm. Distraction, distraction, distraction, IDEA. The Javelin's immediately in my hand. "One distraction coming right up." Limefrost Spiral was having a very frustrating day. That morning, she had ventured on down to Median Park for her morning jog. When she arrived, she had discovered that every path through the park was blocked off by the Police. When she questioned them, she told them that everypony was being kept out "for their own safety". She was annoyed, but there was nothing that she could do about it. She settled for making a few laps around one of the city's smaller parks instead. And none of the stallions at Median looked cute or rich. That's even worse. Following that, deciding to satisfy her curiosity, she set out to see if Charity Kindheart's residence was still on the market... and found out far too late that the property had already been bought and closed on. There were other high-class places in the city, but she'd had her eye on that one specifically for a month. She left the real estate office disappointed. Immediately following lunch, she went to her art supplier to pick up her latest shipment of paint and canvases. She arrived to find a sign on the door that read "Closed Until Further Notice - We Apologize For The Inconvenience". It took several minutes for her to realize that the office next door was Caution-taped off and abandoned, its upper floors blackened and ruined. A few more minutes passed before she was able to connect that to why her shipment was being delayed. Unknown to her, the office had been one of the locations picked by Cocoa Mocha's forces as the basis for their explosive distraction. In a hurry to run and hide back home out of fear that his livelihood would be next, the arts-and-crafts store owner had just enough time to switch off the lights and slam the 'Closed' sign on the door before bolting. It would not be until later that he would be convinced to re-open his shop. It was while the dejected artist was on her way home that she thought she'd heard some passing ponies say to each other: "Have you heard? Statuette's performing at Madisoat, and the Police are trying to arrest her!" Now, Limefrost couldn't care less about what why the Police wanted to arrest her. What Limefrost did care about, and what she focused on, was that somepony on her "List of Famous Figures I Like" was in town and performing. Without hesitation she galloped past the gossiping ponies she'd heard, heading straight for Madisoat in hopes of getting a ticket. There were a bunch of other ponies outside the gorgeous facility when she arrived, and apparently they all wanted the same thing she did. She joined them, working her way towards the front of the crowd and shouting for the Police to let them in... "WHAAA!" Only to unexpectedly lose all of her traction. Half her hooves went one way, and the other half went the opposite way; she slipped and nearly fell. Valiantly, she fought to keep her balance on the suddenly slick cement. What's happening?! Around her were the confused cries of ponies who were experiencing the same thing. One of them bumped into her from behind, eliciting an undignified yelp as she pitched forward onto her chin. She skidded to a stop just a few paces short of where the Police were standing. Dimly, she wondered just why the ground felt so cold all of sudden--- A rush of air: the Police were opening the doors! "Let me in!" Limefrost cried, scrambling to get her hooves beneath her--- She never got there in time. A pair of boots landed bare centimeters in front of her and bolted inside, startling her into stopping. Two sets of shadowy wings fluttered past, then all three figures disappeared. Hastily, the Police shut the doors again before anypony else could enter. Another opportunity had been wasted before it could be utilized. Limefrost didn't have the best memory for names and faces unless they were important to her, but she sure as Celestia's sun recognized those feet---and that recognition helped her fill in the blanks. All desire to see Statuette skate briefly disappeared. The artist's face contorted in anger and took a shape that on-lookers would later describe as 'hilarious'. "Leviathan, you love-stealing pool-splashing lunatic! Get back here!" she yelled, continuing to struggle to push herself upright. There's that feeling again: a sensation as if somepony with more beauty than brains was trying to threaten me. I don't know how else to describe it. My co-horts are feeling the same thing. "Do you hear that noise?" Magnum wondered. Maverick shrugged. "Probably the sound of somepony being an idiot." "That's the second time I've had that feeling in the last few days," I add. "I wish I knew what's causing it." Though it isn't a priority by any stretch. I'm going to dismiss it for now until it becomes relevant. It's not going to take long before that ice melts, after all. My team flies behind me as I follow the nearby music towards the arena proper, deciding to take a better look at this facility when I don't have so much going on in my schedule. I'm sure it has quite the history behind it, judging by some of the display cases and posters (one of them's advertising a competition that I'm sure Fefnir could've gotten behind), but I don't have a ton of time before I have to meet with Gilbert's group at the bank. Speaking of the music, it's very lovely. There's a lot of emphasis on violins here. "Do either of you know what this song is called?" "Not my jam," Maverick states bluntly, following it up with a yawn. "I should know this... my mom's heavily into music from that era," Magnum complains. "But for the life of me... blast it, what was that guy's name?..." Somepony clears their throat from an entryway: a nondescript stallion in a uniform designating him as part of Madisoat's staff. "T-that would be part of the 'Four Seasons' by Priceless Works," he clarifies, shuffling his hooves awkwardly. "The... 'Winter' concerto, if I'm not mistaken." I acknowledge his nervousness, not approaching him just yet. "Thank you. I'm here to bring in Statuette on the Royal Police's behalf, for her role in yesterday's disturbances and any crimes she may have committed today." The stallion's ears turn down. "So it's true? She'd said when she took over the building that she'd taken part in that, but I didn't want to believe her..." "Has she caused any problems?" Maverick asks for me. The stallion regards her cautiously, then looks back at me. "Is she with you?" "Yes. They both are. The Police chief already knows." Still cautious but unwilling to give us any trouble, he continues talking. "She appeared this morning and forced us to swap out the arena flooring for an ice rink at sword-point. A few of us thought she was joking, but she was being completely serious." "Ponies with swords typically are serious," I muse aloud. Which is more than I can say about ponies with hats. I'm picturing a pony with a winter hat on, and it's adorable... oh, they're staring at me. "Sorry. Keep going." "...Anyway, we didn't want to do it at first," the worker continues. "But she looked like she was going to throw a hissy fit to end all hissy fits if any of us said 'no'. And... well, Statuette's a celebrity. What she wants, she gets." "What she wants is to fight me specifically," I spell it out for him. "And in the next twenty minutes, her fame's not going to keep her from an overnight stay at the Police station at least." The poor pony looks very confused. "'Fight'? Why would she want to fight anypony? Statuette's an athlete, not a soldier." "That's a very good question, and we hope to ascertain that by the end of the day." I gesture at the entryway. "So, are we allowed to pass?" "Um, yeah. Sure." The worker steps out of the way, an expression I don't recognize taking form. "She's down on the rink. And... try not to hurt her too much?" That, I say to myself, is entirely up to her. I walk past the stallion into the seating area--- "I know that look," I hear Maverick say to the worker, her voice teasing. "You've got a crush on the ice skater, don't you?" "Yes! No! ...Um, maybe. Was I that obvious?" "Ahem." Thankfully, that replicated sound is enough to spur the prisoners forward to join me again. Honestly, ponies here are just a little too much like humans sometimes. ... Like at the Pyre, I find myself sitting on the steps on account of the seats being too small for me. Maverick and Magnum follow my lead, claiming two seats on my right for themselves. The bulk of the present arena staff are scattered around all over the place, watching the performance on the ice below. Statuette's armor matches Trifecta's at its base, being comprised of dragon scales with accompanying neck and chest protection, but otherwise it couldn't be more different. Instead of it being a medium blue-green, it's a teal-and-white gradient that shines in the arena lights. She's made no attempt at hiding her face, confirming her identity for all to see. The sword that Coffee mentioned in her briefing is sheathed at her side. Instead of flamethrowers, she's gliding around the ice on a complete set of skates. As she passes by where we're sitting, I'm able to get a good look at Statuette's face. Her eyes are closed, suggesting one of several things. First, she might just be enjoying the music that much. To be fair, it is very nice music. Two, she might be overconfident in her ability to deal with me, which might have some basis in reality depending on whether she's heard about the fates of her fellow conspirators or not. I'm rejecting this idea due to a simple fact: if Glintlock had his own radio, then it can be safe to assume that all of them had a means of keeping in contact. And three: she's completely familiar with the routine she's practicing, having done it often enough that she doesn't need to keep her eyes open for very long. This to me makes the most sense: you'd think a pony would look pretty silly in ice skates--which she does, a little--but she knows what she's doing. Every move she makes on the ice possesses the sort of professionalism and grace that comes with countless hours of practice and rehearsal. There's a maneuver or two here that would be impossible for a human to pull off, but the reverse is true as well: that was a perfectly executed salchow jump just now. I'm keeping my playful side clamped down. Part of me wants to join Statuette in her performance, and that's not going to contribute towards arresting her. ...Or will it? Maverick's nudging me. "You're grinning," she whispers. Why is she sounding fearful---... oh. "Why are you grinning?" "...I'm starting to feel like I've been living here too long," I whisper back, "because I have the biggest urge to jump down there and skate alongside her." "Down, girl," Magnum hisses. "I get that water and ice are your things, but would you try to exercise common sense? Letting yourself almost get eaten by a dragon just to knock it out was bad enough, but having fun with a wanted criminal's full on crazy! And that's coming from an actual criminal!" "If it's your old bosses, maybe. But I have a hunch that a professional athlete will be easier to deal with than an ex-officer, a hunter, and a dragon. Let alone a pair of former Royal Guards." When did I start wringing my hands, and why am I starting to feel excited? "She's not going to have the skill or the drive to outmatch somepony with actual combat training. If she's been keeping in contact with whomever her superiors are, she has to know that she won't last long. And yet... she's skating anyway." "Feels like it's a trap to me," Maverick grumbles. "I don't like it." "Most likely," I agree, "but if we want to arrest her, we don't have any choice but to spring it. If she knows we're here, she's not going to wait for us to meet her in the corridor before we fight." My smile's not leaving me. "And if there's anything I've learned from my experiences up until now, it's that you can't let yourself be held back by common sense in a place like Equestria." Both ponies' ears droop. "We were worried that you would be a bad influence on ponies," Maverick realizes out loud, "but ponies are a bad influence on you instead." That's making my smile leave. "Spend two weeks in the same building as Salamandra," I utter, "and see if your sanity doesn't take a few hits." Hopefully that didn't sound too much like a complaint. "Just keep an eye on things, you two. You're my backup plan." The both of them silently agree, though their hesitation is obvious. That will have to do. Stashing the Javelin for a moment, I get up and experimentally poke the glass barricade that separates the seating from the rink. It doesn't look like it's going to let me climb it without crashing down, but a double jump should give me all the height I need to get over it without touching it. I execute the maneuver, and a mid-air Dash carries me over the top and down onto the ice. Let's see how she likes this.