The shuttle streaked through the night sky, its midnight hull and magi-grav engines ensuring few on the ground were even aware of its passing even as it streaked past. Inside, inertia-dampeners thrumed silently, ensuring the extreme g-forces that were exerted on the craft as it sped onwards were not felt by its occupants, ensuring the ride was smooth and serene. At least, that was the theory, Twilight highly doubting she would describe anything as serene for a long, long time after what she had just witnessed.
The time after she had agreed to help Spitfire had been a whirlwind of activity, the older mare organising transport and a detail of the Everwatchful Eye to accompany her, Twilight and Lightning, while Twilight and Lightning made contact with the other Element Bearers and Spike, Twilight calling each of her friends and explaining, in the broadest terms possible, that there was a situation that they had been asked to help with by the Everwatchful Eye, even as Lightning arranged separate escort details and transport to Manehattan for each of them.
No sooner had Pinke, the last of the Element Bearers to answer Twilights repeated calls, agreed to meet for ‘what could only be a super secret party planning session’ in her words, had Spitfire corralled Twilight towards one of the many flightbays of the base they were in, joined by three earth ponies, a unicorn, a Hippogryph and a Minotaur as they went, all clad in the armour of the Everwatchful Eye and all carrying blocky energy weapons across their backs.
“Five minutes to touch down,” the pilot called out, Spitfire tightening the straps on Lightnings armour before turning and allowing Lightning to do the same in turn, each of the other soldiers doing the same, ensuring a perfect fit for the warplate. Twilight managed a weak smile as she looked around.
“You’d think you were dropping us into an active warzone, not the centre of Manehattan.”
Her attempt at levity died in an instant as eight pairs of steely eyes turned to face her, regarding her like a mother after their foal asked a particularly obvious question.
“All gear checked and locked,” the Minotaur’s voice was clipped, any warmth it may have possessed replaced with the hardness of a highly focused professional. Twilight wasn’t afraid to admit that the attitude terrified her, as did everything about the Everwatchful Eye. It was too far from her Equestria, too militant in a land of peace, too willing to give up on a thousand years of peace for a war that was not of, or even on, their world. Being prepared was one thing, something Twilight wholeheartedly supported, but being prepared was wholly different from rushing towards the precipice.
After the silent rebuke she had been given, Twilight kept her own council for the remainder of the journey, the shuttle soon touching down in a large aerodrome, Spitfire and her soldiers filing out of the craft the instant the ramp touched the landing pad, Twilight scrambling to keep up with them. They hadn’t landed at Manehattan’s main aerodrome, that vast station far more ostentatious and tasteful than the utilitarian landing bay they now occupied, having landed at another of the Everwatchful Eye’s private military bases, one who’s very existence had been a source of controversy and contention since its construction.
The Everwatchful Eye may have started as an offshoot of the Equestrian military, but had swiftly attracted vast amounts of private funding from across the world, and even funding from the Gryphon empire. Technically the base was fully private property, and yet fell within the limits of Manehattan, placing it under the city's jurisdiction. The Everwatchful Eye, primarily the camps commandant, had staunchly refused this, barring access to any unauthorised personnel, even the Major having been turned away. No pony wanted to risk an altercation with the paramilitary force, but the strain they were putting on cities like Manehattan and others around Equestria and beyond was growing day by day.
Putting the politics from her mind, Twilight peered over the heads of the soldiers towards the group they were approaching at the far end of the hangar, more ponies milling around alongside a gaggle of other species, all adorned in the same uniform armour save for six individuals, Twilights heart soaring as she caught sight of all of them, even as a pink blur caught sight of her.
“Twilight!” Pinkie all but bellowed in glee, Twilight not remembering exactly when the pink pony had ended up on top of her now prone form, but the laughter coming from her lips was as genuine as it was welcome, taking her mind from what she had witnessed
“Nice to see you too, Pinkie,” Twilight managed between her giggles, looking round at the others as they approached, their own laughter joining hers. With the exception of Spike, it had been far too long since Twilight had seen any of her friends, her duties to the kingdom and Magi-TekTM keeping her from the life she had grown so used to, and seeing not just one, but all of them made her heart soar, the sight of their necklaces making the weight of her own Tiara lessen slightly. Though the events of the last years had shown that the Elements themselves were far more than just jewellery, Sombra’s destruction of the originals proving that, the physical manifestations of their friendship were a comfort nonetheless.
“Well, now that we are all here together, perhaps we will finally be told what was so important for us to all be dragged out to Manehattan at such short notice and such a late hour,” Rarity gently pushed Pinkie off Twilight before helping her back up.
“Ah don’t know why these Everwatchful Eye folks always act like they’re the guard,” Applebloom agreed, her drawl distinct from her absent sisters but still enough to make everypony’s heart ache nonetheless. “Demandin’ we come with them in the middle of tha night. If ya hadn't made the call beforehoof, ah think Big Mac would have slammed the door in their face.”
“They...have a good reason,” Twilight began, unsure of just how to break the news to her friends. “There’s been an...incident...a crime that they need all our help to solve.”
“A crime?” Pinkie gasped, disappearing behind Fluttershy and rummaging around in...something, before reappearing, wearing a tweed hat, a pipe clamped between her teeth. “That sounds like a job for Sherlock Pones, the greatest detective in Equestria!”
A large bubble grew from the end of her pipe, the rest of her friends laughing, but Twilight wasn’t able to see the humour, Spike walking over to her and resting a claw on her shoulder.
“Twilight? What is it?” he asked, realising the gravity of the situation a split second before all illusions were shattered.
“A pony is dead,” Lightning announced as she strode up to the group, Twilight wincing at her blunt attitude, as well as at how grateful she felt towards Lightning for not making her say it.
The reaction was as predictable as it was instant, pupils contracting to pinpricks, ears flattening to heads, colour draining from coats and Pinkie’s mane deflating alongside the bubble that seemed to recede back into its pipe.
“D-d-dead?” Fluttershy whispered, her voice strangled as she looked ready to throw up.
“As much as I wish I could tell you something to soften this, Lightning is correct. There’s been...an attack on a pony. It was singularly brutal, and the Everwatchful Eye do not believe that the local city guards are prepared to handle this. Having seen the body, I am inclined to agree, though I feel they should be involved nonetheless.”
She raised her voice slightly at the end, knowing that Spitfire has heard her despite the one winged mare betraying no outward sign, Twilight continuing on regardless.
“We’ve been asked to help and to find the perpetrator, to bring them in to face Celestia’s Justice.”
Once again she raised her voice, wanting to make it crystal clear why Twilight and her friends were helping the paramilitary group. To her surprise, she was met with no complaints, Spitfire turning this time and raising her own voice.
“Princess Twilight is correct. We do this by the book and when we find the culprit, we bring them in alive to face the laws of this land. I want no itchy triggers, low level power to all weapons as standard. That said, do not do this at the expense of your own life. If and when we do find the cause of this, I do not want one of you paying for their capture alive with your own life, do you understand?”
“Ma’am, yes ma’am,” came the universal chorus of voices.
“Good. True Gaze, you’ll be running point on this one with the Element Bearers, work with Twilight and report anything you find immediately. Lightning, you and your squad are detailed to the Element Bearers protection. They are your sole responsibility above and beyond anything else, if anything happens, they are to be extracted away safely, no heroics, no jumping in yourself.”
“Yes, captain,” Lightning nodded smoothly.
“Good. We don’t know what we’ll find, we don’t even know if we’ll find anything here. If we’re lucky, we’ll find the perpetrator. If not, we need evidence to go on and continue the search. Quick and clean, fliers to the front, Minotaur’s and Earth Ponies to form the rearguard. Everyone else, stick to your squads and keep your eyes open. The street’s been sealed off, so if someone who’s not an Everwatchful Eye or one of the Element Bearers inside the perimeter, treat them as a threat and detain them. Move out.”
With that, the group moved out, Twilight and the others clambering into a vehicle alongside Lightning and her squad, while Spitfire and the others clambered into another, only the fliers moving under their own power, roaming ahead of the convoy. There were close to thirty of them, all told, a majority were ponies, which was to be expected in the heart of Equestria, but there were at least five Hippogryh’s alongside a half score of Gryphons and a pair of Minotaurs, the large bulls carrying heavy shields and mauls, while the Gryphons and Earth Ponies carried heavy weapons, all other members carrying smaller, but no less potent weapons.
The two open-topped vehicles cut through the city, their slab-sided and military appearance a far cry from the smoother edges of the city and civilian cars, causing many to get out of the way as they approached, or else being stopped as the fliers streaked on ahead and landed in the middle of intersections, stopping all traffic to allow the Everwatchful Eye through at speed.
Initially, Twilight thought that this was just another case of Everwatchful Eye overstepping, making a mental note to bring this up as yet another case against the organisation, before catching sight of a few city officials, both guard ponies and uniformed police, standing at the intersections and assisting the Everwatchful Eye as they thundered past. Whatever this all was, the city was clearly taking it exceptionally seriously if they were willing to work alongside the Everwatchful Eye rather than stonewalling them as a matter of policy as was almost always the case otherwise.
It didn’t take them long to reach the scene, large walls erected at every street entrance, a roof ensuring no one could look in from above. Manehattan guards kept any onlookers back, parting only long enough to allow the two cars inside before closing ranks again, the Everwatchful Eye disembarking as the trucks slowed to a crawl, Twilight and her friends waiting until they had actually stopped before following their lead.
The smell hit them instantly, tangy iron assailing nostrils as they walked in, the entire street had been cordoned off and instantly, Twilight knew why. There had been no cleanup on the street, despite the lack of blood, Twilight's senses immediately picked up the telltale signs of illusion magic that was clearly suppressing the sight, but did nothing for the stench.
All of them gagged, Rarity turning green as she attempted to back-pedal slightly, only to find Spitfire behind her, Rarity sprawling to the floor as they collided, Spitfire barely even phased as she raised her voice.
“This is where the first attack happened, magical suppression and stasis have kept the scene as intact as possible, we will be removing this enchantment shortly and have memory-spells of what the scene looked like beforehand to review for discrepancies as required. All evidence found by first responders has been catalogued and is in the building across the way,” she indicated a prefabricated building setup in the middle of the street before looking at Twilight and her friends.
“Element Bearers, if you have any insights then no one would object, though I understand if you wish to remain on the edges, with luck we will not need you directly but stay alert. I don’t think whoever did this is still here, but I’ve been wrong before. Twilight, if any of your equipment would be useful, now’s the time.”
The Everwatchful Eye began to busy themselves around the street, one of the Unicorn's horns glowing as the suppression illusion was dispelled, Lightning and her squad already ready to turn the Element Bearers away from the scene as they vomited as the true extent of the horror became clear. Blood covered the street, Twilight instantly knowing where the exsanguinated corpses' blood had been left. Recovering first, she pulled a bulky backpack off and began to fiddle with the dials within, Spike moving to help her as soon as he’d recovered.
“Erm, Spitfire,” Applebloom finally managed, wiping her mouth with the back of a hoof. “Did ah miss-hear ya, or did y’all say first?”
“I did,” Spitfire seemed like she had to force herself to look at Applebloom, but finally her gaze fell on the earth pony, emotions warring just beneath her unreadable expression as the undeniable similarities of Applebloom and her sister, and the memories that came with that, crashed into her. Undeterred, Spitfire continued.
“This is the first recorded casualty, and given the brutality of the attack we do believe it is the only one to date...”
“They,” Fluttershy whispered, though her voice was firm as she spoke the single word, Spitfire nodding in contrition.
“We do believe they are the only victim so far, but this scene will not remain unique unless we catch them now. Twilight has already examined the body of the victim and we both doubt animal attack, but we also do not believe the damage was caused by a weapon. Talons are the most likely, which would typically mean a Gryphon or Hippogryph, but there’s only one who I’d ascribe this violence to.”
A snort of anger came from Lightning as Spitfire spoke, Spitfire’s own wing nub twitching and flexing. Twilight knew that even after all this time, the wound still pained her, and yet she also knew Spitfire had refused any sort of augmetic, refusing to even hide the terrible wound done to her.
“Rainbow hasn’t been seen for...well, years,” Fluttershy pointed out. “And I don’t think...”
“Whatever you ‘don’t think’ about Rainbow, I advise you to keep to yourself,” Lightning snapped, anger clear in her voice, causing Fluttershy to withdraw a step, before shaking her head and standing her ground.
“No, I will not. You have never told us all the stories of what you went through, but Rainbow can’t be as bad as you seem to believe she is. I won’t allow that.”
“Fluttershy’s right,” Rarity nodded. “And besides, like she pointed out, Rainbow has been absent from all public appearances for years now, no one has caught so much as a glimpse of her since the return party. I highly doubt that she would reappear, only to do...this.”
Rarity trailed off, looking queasy again as she remembered where she was, the smell assaulting her nostrils again.
“Oh by all means, tell us about Rainbow Dash,” Spitfire growled. “Please tell us how she is not capable of this.”
She threw her hoof around the scene.
“Or this.”
She pointedly flexed her wing stump.
“Or...”
“Enough,” Twilight shouted, getting between the pair. “Spitfire, Lightning Dust, that is enough. You do not have enough evidence to be making those sorts of accusations, do not go making them lightly. And girls...”
She turned to face the other Element Bearers, her face awkward as she tried to find the right words.
“I think...I think we should all be listening very carefully to Spitfire and Lightning Dust in this. They do have a certain experience and level of expertise that we don’t. We’ve been asked to assist them, not the other way round.”
“Well, they can start by looking at this,” Pinkie called out, the others whirling around, surprised to see her down the far end of the street, her mane still straight as she picked something up, looking at it closely.
The others ran over, Spitfire reaching her first and all but snatching the object from her hoof.
“Hey,” Sweetie Belle cried, snatching the object back before passing it back to Pinkie. Spitfire glared at Sweetie Belle for a moment, but said nothing, content to just listen as Pinkie began talking once more.
“This was embedded over here. Stuck in the cobblestones. It’s the killers.”
“How can you possibly know that?” Lightning scoffed, only to get deadpan looks from all of the Element Bearers, and a fair few of the Everwatchful Eye. “Point taken.”
“Fluttershy, any ideas?” Pinkie asked, carefully passing the small object to the yellow pegasi, Fluttershy turning it over in her hood.
“It’s a talon,” she said after a moment. “Or, part of one. Too large to be from a cockatrice, too small to be from a Chimera. There are a few creatures it could be from but they don’t like this type of climate, and certainly wouldn’t be in the middle of a crowded city.”
“As we said, Gryphon, Hippogryph or her,” Lightning scoffed. “Or her lackey.”
“It isn’t a Hippogryph’s,” one of the armoured Hippogryphs called out, walking forward and showing her own talon.
It was monochromatic, a smooth, unblemished purple only a shade lighter than her own coat, while the talon fragment that Fluttershy still held was a mottled brown colour, concentric bands of a far darker colour surrounding it. Even accounting for varying colours, the difference was obvious.
“So, Gryphon based?” Applebloom asked.
“I think so,” Pinkie nodded, a twitch rocking her head. “There’s nothing else here. Nothing of note.”
“You’re sure?” Spitfire asked.
“Head twitch, flappy nose, itchy ear, I’m sure,” Pinkie nodded.
Were it anyone else who had responded in such a way, Spitfire would have scoffed at best or demanded more of an explanation at worst. With Pinkie however, that was more than enough, Spitfire well aware of the almost prescient powers the pink earth pony sometimes manifested. She only wished it was reliable, something they could hone and put to use, or even, Celestia willing, replicate. So far though, no attempts that had been made had been successful, Pinkie always refusing to allow the Everwatchful Eye
“Fuck!” Spitfire cursed. “At least we have this to go on. Twilight, anything you can do with it here?”
“Beyond a spectrograph to find out what it is, not really,” she admitted, looking at the machine she had brought with her. “I brought scanners to find things, in the first place. Maybe back at the lab...”
“Feels like a wasted trip,” one of the soldiers muttered, Spitfire shooting him a death glare.
“Stow that, soldier. We have more than we had when we arrived, and if the damn Pinkie Sense can’t pick up anything more, then turn the site over to city authorities for clean up. Twilight, can I entrust this to you for further analysis?”
“I’ll take it back to Canterlot, with Sike and I. Girls,” she turned and looked at her friends. “Given everything, do you want to come back and spend some time together again? I have a lot of work to do before the World's Fair in a few days, but it’s been too long since we’ve spent any real time together. In light of this...”
“We’d be happy to,” Rarity smiled, the others nodding, edging towards the exit now it was clear they didn’t absolutely have to be here.
“I’ll radio ahead and make sure a shuttle is ready for you all,” Spitfire turned to head back into the crime scene, but paused, turning back to face the Element Bearers once more. “Thank you, all of you. This is not a situation I ever wanted to put anypony in, let alone all of you, but these are the cards we have to hoof. If we get anything more, I’ll make sure it’s sent to Twilight, and if another scene is found...I’ll send a shuttle for you all.”
With that, Spitfire walked back into the street as Twilight and her friends left the scene, one of the Everwatchful Eye gesturing towards the waiting truck that had brought them, but Twilight waved them off. The night was cold, but after what they had just seen, a long walk beneath Luna’s beautiful sky sounded like a curative to the soul. In her heart, Twilight hoped that they were all wrong, that Spitfire’s venom at whatever she had experienced and whatever had been done to her was colouring the investigation and fitting the evidence to the conclusion instead of the other way round, but as she walked, the sliver of talon held in her magic, the rational part of her brain rapidly began to narrow down the possible culprits to a sickeningly singular pair of results.