//------------------------------//
// Chapter 14 
// Story: Millie 
// by totallynotabrony 
//------------------------------//

	The batpony had left me alone after dropping a bombshell of a threat.  Either I caught the killer, or I wasn’t going home.  Or worse...
I was still standing there glaring at the sky when Ice came down from the clouds and landed next to me.  I glanced at him, my anger at the Lunar Guard bleeding away to irritability.  It wasn’t directed at Ice, but that didn’t mean he didn’t deserve any.
“I heard you shouting about something.”  He looked concerned, although it took a moment for me to realize that it was just professional interest.  Ice was the kind of guy who was almost too good at his job - by the book or die.
Rather than telling him what I was angry about, I immediately pressed on our little trust issue.  “Do you have anything to tell me regarding the killer?”
Ice glanced around.  “You and I should talk.  Privately.”
That didn’t answer my question, but sure sounded like progress.  I turned back towards the door and it opened before I got there.  Jenna stood in the doorway looking worried.  “What happened?  Are you okay?”
“Fine, just got some bad news.”  I tossed my head at Ice. “This is Ice.  He’s with...”  I raised an eyebrow.
“Equestria National Police,” he supplied, “Manehattan office.”
“And this is my wife,” I introduced him.  “Oh, speaking of that, I have a second kidnapping to report.  The Lunar Guard grabbed her, too.  Please tell me you’re finally going to do something about it.”
It took Ice a few seconds to process that.  No doubt he was also considering the awkwardness of a heterosexual couple becoming something else.  He nodded, though.  “Let’s go inside.”
Everyone inside the club turned to look as we entered with Ice in tow.  He swept his eyes over the group, settling for a moment on Gilda.  The look he gave her was somewhat suspicious, but also not completely unfamiliar.
“Have a seat,” I invited.
Ice glanced around.  “I said that I needed to talk to you alone.”
“We can give you some space,” said Octavia, speaking for the group.  She and Iridium got up and headed for another room.  Vinyl and Gilda both hesitated for a moment before following suit.  All of them looked curious at Ice’s presence and some carried varying degrees of suspicion.
Ice glanced at Jenna, who hadn’t left.  He opened his mouth, but I was ready with a statement.  “Anything you can say to me, you can say to her.”
It looked like Ice was still having a hard time believing my story about being an alien. In addition, now he had two of us to worry about.  Still, he pulled out a chair and settled into it. Jenna and I took seats across from him.
“I came to talk about your supposed kidnapping,” he said.  “I’d like to know more about who was responsible.”
“We need to know more about the information the police have on the serial killer so an arrest can be made,” I argued.
“I’m not giving you anything from those files,” Ice said.  “I’m not here to talk about that at all.”  
“But... how are the two not related?” I demanded.
“You reported a kidnapping and I’m here to investigate.  After all, it is my job to enforce the law.”
I stared, at a loss for words.  This was lawful neutral taken to extremes.  He wanted to help me but only because I was here against my will, while still refusing to allow someone outside his department to see confidential information.
I was already taking a breath to scream at him, but Jenna touched my shoulder, effectively tag-teaming her way into the conversation.  “Detective, perhaps you don’t understand the gravity of the situation.”
Ice considered her carefully for a moment.  He didn’t know nearly as much about her as he did about me, and it was clear that former humans were on his regard-with-suspicion list.  Ice said, “Please explain.”
“I’ve just arrived here from Canterlot after collecting records related to the case,” she lied smoothly.  “That’s why until now Millie wasn’t aware that I was here.  I’ll admit, this situation has been challenging for us both, but we have managed to make some progress.”
Her lines were delivered as if she had thoroughly rehearsed them, probably because there was at least some truth blended in.
“Why were you in Canterlot?  What records?” Ice asked.  I’ll admit, I was curious myself.
“I got a job working as a private investigator for Parliament's Spending Oversight Committee,” said Jenna.  “A few legislators want to know that the Lunar Guard is taking care of federal funds as they should.  Since I reunited with my, er, husband,” she said pausing to glance at me. “I believe that his case is exactly the kind of irresponsible project the government leadership needs to know about.”
“That sounds ridiculous,” Ice spat.
Jenna let out a little gasp and actual tears came to her eyes.  “Look, I know this is hard to believe, but do you think I could just make this up on the spot?  I know how ridiculous this sounds, believe me, I’m living it! But, I’m trying to simplify it as much as possible.  Unfortunately with what I’ve learned, everything only gets more complicated.”
Ice studied her critically for a few seconds.  It looked like he was trying to decide if sticking around would be worth his time.  As a supportive spouse, I decided that I needed to do something.
I cleared my throat.  “Ice, I know you and I haven’t gotten along very well.  I’ll admit that I’m kind of practical and straightforward, and our personalities clash.  The reason I tried introducing you to my wife today was because she’s much better at face to face interaction.  She’s a people person...er, I mean, a ponies pony.  I really want to cooperate with you, Ice, and I’m trying to make it work.  Please, just hear us out?”
I am not a very good liar.  Fortunately, my statement had contained even more truth than Jenna’s.  Ice regarded me critically for a moment, but eventually nodded.  “All right.  I’ll give you a chance.  On one condition.”
He placed a small snowglobe-looking thing on the table.  The inside of the glass was frosted completely white.
“It’s a truth-teller,” Ice explained.  “I believe you’ve seen one before.”
I nodded.  I almost said, “I have nothing to hide,” but quickly closed my mouth.
Jenna seemed interested.  I glanced at her and explained, “It’s a magic lie detector.  I’ve seen them before.”
She nodded, frowning almost imperceptibly.  This was going to be difficult.
Ice nodded to her.  “If you’re a private investigator, what kind of cutie mark is that?”
Jenna glanced down at her hip.  “I have a talent for drama.  It helps me know how to act in many situations.  Sometimes that helps me persuade information from ponies.”
The truth-teller did not indicate a lie.
“Tell me about the records you mentioned earlier,” Ice said.
“I know what happened in Canterlot, and that gives me a better idea of the killer’s actions here in Manehattan,” she explained.  While Jenna didn’t get that information from any paper records, her statement was still true.
“Were you a private investigator back... where ever you’re from?”  There was still skepticism in Ice’s voice. 
“I try to do my best with what I have, no matter where I am.”  Jenna smiled demurely, revealing nothing more.
Ice thought for a moment, his brows furrowing deeply.  I was concerned that he had figured out that Jenna wasn’t answering his questions directly.  Sure enough, he tried to ask something more complicated.  “What made you go into your line of work?  To catch a killer?”
Jenna paused to collect her thoughts.  With a tiny grin, she said, “I will travel across the land, searching far and wide.  I want to be the very best, like no one ever was.  To catch them is my real test.  To-”
She bit down on the last part, putting on a confident smile instead.  I gave her a hoof bump under the table.  God, I love her.
Looking back and forth between us, Ice appeared to understand that he was being played with, mostly because I could barely keep a straight face.  Ice snorted.  “I’m trying to help you here and catch whoever it was that took you from your home.”
“You aren’t doing a very good job of it,” I retorted.
All three of us looked at the truth-teller.  It remained passively white.
Ice reached for the device and covered it with a hoof as his face went red.  He sighed.  “It’s a fake one.  I wasn’t issued a real lie detector because I’m still a junior agent in Manehattan.”
“Well, I’d fault you for the dirty trick but at least you’re honest about it,” I muttered.
“But why are you here?” Jenna asked him.  “It’s pretty clear that you don’t trust either of us enough to actually work together despite what you said earlier.  Maybe you yourself are the killer and trying to get close to us.”
I saw Ice scoop the glass bauble off the table.  It still hadn’t indicated a lie, although a sudden shot of anxiety went through me as I realized that we had nothing other than Ice’s word that it was non-functional.
Ice got up from the table, giving both of us a very unpleasant look.  Without another glance he hurriedly showed himself from the club, leaving me and Jenna alone. 
Jenna and I looked at each other.  Despite her skill in acting, she looked worried.  “That didn’t go well.”
I nodded.  “Honestly, I don’t know what he was hoping to accomplish by meeting with us.”
“Didn’t he say?  About catching whoever brought us here?”
I shrugged.  “Maybe.  Ice does love his rules and regulations.  Having said that, though, he isn’t afraid to bend them a little.”
“And if he actually is the killer?” Jenna asked.
I considered it, but didn’t want to believe.  Ice was an unlikeable pony, but I didn’t think he would do something like that. It felt so out of character for a pony like Ice.  Worse, “I’m more concerned if he isn’t the killer.  That means we know just as little as before and might be accusing a cop of a fake crime.”
Jenna stared at the table for a moment before glancing up at me.  “So, what if we can’t figure this out? What if we’re stuck here?” Her voice was hushed, and packed with tension.
I didn’t answer immediately.  I hadn’t put much thought into that scenario because I hadn’t yet been willing to consider it.  I swallowed hard.  “I guess we’ll have to make the best of it.”
Jenna leaned sideways, resting her head on my shoulder.  I put my front leg around her wings, gently adjusting a few feathers that weren’t straight.  As a former pegasus, I had some experience with the importance of good preening.
I paused a moment in thought.  When we returned home to Earth, I would be even more in tune with my wife’s wants and needs.  When I got back to my old self, then I would technically be a former female.
God, how weird things had gotten.  Jenna looked at me with concern, feeling me start to tense with anger.  I closed my eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath, letting myself relax.  As long as I had her, at least things weren’t as bad as before.  I didn’t want to consider what would happen if we failed to catch the killer, but at least we would be together.
I managed to smile for her.  We were both quadrupedal, under pressure to catch a serial killer, and a long way from home.  But we were together.  And honestly, I couldn’t think of anyone I would rather have by my side.
“I really like the way you handled Ice,” I said.  “That Pokémon reference was golden.”
She grinned.  “I’m glad you liked it.”
“The tears were a nice touch, too.”
Jenna chuckled.  “These huge pony eyes are really easy to manipulate for effect, as we say in the business.  You know, I could give you a few lessons on acting if you want to be more involved in the discussions.  Maybe we should continue with this private investigator schtick.”
“I’m okay with that.”  I pulled her closer.  “I feel a lot better now that you’re here.”
There was an amused twinkle in Jenna’s eyes.  “We make a good team.”