//------------------------------// // 1. Silk // Story: Masks // by -Jules //------------------------------// This city is completely insane, Detective Roseluck thought as she stalked away from the two cowering stallions. It's not even four in the morning and ponies are getting in brawls and jumping off rooftops. The crimson-haired mare walked to the corner of the roof furthest from the two battered ponies as the other two officers on the roof double checked their bodies for life-threatening injuries and their stories for consistency. Rose turned up the collar of her trenchcoat and glared down at the city as she removed her phone from an inside pocket. The phone only rang twice before the other pony picked up. "Thanks for the great case, chief. There's no way two officers could do this without a detective," she began sarcastically. The police chief sounded tired as he answered. "Roseluck, this is the kind of thing you love.” Rose feigned concern. "Oh dear, I didn't wake you up, did I?" The chief wasn’t playing along. "Rose, I know it’s early, but you’re not admitting to sleeping on duty are you? That would mean I’d have to take disciplinary action. Neither of us want that, do we?" Rose narrowed her eyes and remained silent for several seconds before finally replying. “No.” “Good, now why did you call? Something about the case being beneath you?” "Chief, this case is straightforward. I didn't need to be assigned to this. Two of Ice Pick's boys were beating up some poor sap on a roof, and some crazy mare decided climbing up and getting involved was a good idea. After she gave them a thrashing, she jumped off the fire escape and the pony they were assaulting ran away. Dumb idea, but it's no mystery." "Rose, there's something they’re not telling us. We looked up the one running out the front from the security camera footage. He's one of Ice Pick's boys, too." The detective’s eyes widened as her mind raced ahead, still staring out over the city. "So that must mean..." she trailed off. The chief sighed. "Rose, if you're doing that thing where you stare into the middle ground and run off without explaining whatever you realized, it’s not the same if I’m not -" the phone snapped shut, and Roseluck spun around. She darted across the roof and stepped down on the closest thug's foreleg, causing him to cry out in pain. "Rose!" the nearby officer shouted, "What are you-" "Shh!" she replied without looking. "Now, tell me again who you were fighting with before your masked friend appeared." "We-we were fightin' with a stallion, big an' bulky. He-he was wh-white w-with a b-blue mane an-" the stallion cried out again as she applied more pressure to his injured leg. The officer started towards Rose, but she waved him off for a second time. "No." She growled, "You weren’t fighting him. He was helping you attack someone else. Who was it?" "What? I-I told you!" the pony stammered. "No. You told us that the pony who ran downstairs was your target. But he's with you. We know it. Who. Was. The. Target?" she demanded, leaning harder on his leg with every word. The stallion screamed. "Alright! Alright!" She slowly relieved the pressure from his foreleg. "It was some unicorn, built like a sprinter! We chased 'im all the way 'ere from a place in Li'l Windsoar. All I know is boss called 'im 'Silk.' Please, let me go!" Rose released his leg with a final push, rolling him unceremoniously into a heap. There's only one Silk I know who has a place in Little Windsoar, Rose thought, with a surge of excitement. "What color was he?" she asked the second criminal, moving towards him. "He was red! He was red! With a scalpel and needle for his mark!" The stallion cried, cringing away from her. Rose smirked and turned to the officers on the roof. The policeponies looked back at her disapprovingly. "How was I supposed to know that that one had the hurt legs? I thought this one just had the head injury." The detective continued grinning as she walked to the stairwell. "You two can take care of this right? I'm going to talk to a witness." Roseluck waited until the elevator door closed to pull out her cell phone, making sure there was no camera inside the elevator. At least I know Silk should still be awake. Silk Moth was doing his best to remain calm as he ran down another alley, wondering if he'd already run in a circle by accident or needed to circle back again in case he was still being followed. Better safe than sorry, he thought to himself, turning a hard right into an identical alley. He'd been running for thirty minutes now. Thirty minutes since that mare had rescued him from the rooftop. Thirty minutes since she'd jumped from the fire escape and used some kind of hook to swing to safety. Thirty minutes since she took a look at his leg in the alley, nodded at him, and sprinted away into the night. He stopped at the next intersection of alleys and leaned against an aging brick wall. Panting heavily, the stallion tried to catch his breath and inspect his injured leg. Looks like it's just a sprain, better double check when I get somewhere safe. I'll have to – Silk's head snapped up when a raindrop splashed against his snout. He glared up at the city, at the oppressive buildings stretching high above the ground, blotting out the sky. He glared up at the night, at the dark clouds that had finally decided to let loose their burden as if to spite him. Of course it's raining, he thought angrily. Otherwise this city would have missed a chance to screw with me. Silk started down the alley again, at a slower pace; and after ten minutes he found himself back out on an actual road. Wow, I didn’t think I ran that far, he thought, taking his bearings and whistling aloud at the distance he'd covered. Little Neighjing's not too far from here. I guess that's where I'm spending tonight. He trotted down the road as casually as possible, wincing slightly when stepping on his sprained leg. It took him another twenty minutes to reach the outskirts of Little Neighjing, and another ten to follow a convoluted path through half a dozen markets and two temples. Assuring himself that he had lost any potential pursuers by now, Silk stepped through the door of a convenience store. The clerk greeted him in his native language without taking his eyes off of the shelf he was restocking. When Silk returned the greeting in flawless Manedarin he looked over. The elderly clerk beamed at the stallion, nodded, and then went back to what he was doing. Silk had befriended the old stallion years before, and had been using the back door of the shop to reach his safe house undetected for quite some time. Trotting through the storeroom Silk had a moment to contemplate what had happened tonight, and what the appearance of his savior entailed. Are Vigilantes really going to make a comeback? he mused as he eased the back door open and scanned the dark alley way. Or is it just one madmare with a death wish? Silk stole down the unlit path, hoping the rain would let up soon, and stopped against a fence. Checking once more if the alleyway was clear, he quickly clambered over the fence and dropped to the other side, grimacing as he landed on his wounded leg. He took a moment to examine his surroundings and ensure nothing was out of the ordinary. The yard was still cast into darkness by the canopy of thick branches formed by a single tree, the haphazard arrangement of decaying stone statues were still in place, the stepping stones remained unused. He tread silently across the thick uncut grass, careful to avoid the stepping stones, up onto the back porch of the two story oriental building squatting unassumingly between a laundromat and much larger apartment complex. Examining the ivy climbing the back wall to ensure it had not been tampered with, he quickly used his magic to remove the key from its hiding place inside the door-frame itself and let himself in before returning the key to its resting place and locking the door behind him. Silk leaned against the door and sighed, finally feeling safe. He hurried to ensure the curtains were all drawn and the doors were all bolted before making his way to the living room. I suppose I should make some coffee, he thought. No point trying to sleep if they might still be searching. He stopped for a moment in the living room to turn up the thermostat in the hopes he could banish the cold that seemed to permeate through his entire being thanks to the rain. He quickly summoned his cellphone from the magical void he stored it in and set it on the coffee table, before walking to the small kitchenette. Searching his cabinets he found only enough expired ground to make two or three cups of coffee and decided it would have to do. He set the pot to brew and leaned on his counter. He surveyed the small building; opposite the kitchenette was a narrow hallway leading to a reinforced door with two deadbolts, and off to another side was the steep staircase leading to the second floor, which consisted of a single bedroom. The living room was a small square room, with a single window looking out at the wall of the laundromat, a lowered section in the middle containing a single chair, a sofa, and a glass coffee table. A television lay gathering dust in one corner as he'd never bothered to outfit all of his safe houses with cable. A loud burst of electronic noise had him jumping into the air with his hair standing on end. Swearing as he landed on his injured leg he realized it was just his cellphone's ringer. Taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart he glanced at the clock on the microwave. Three forty-five. I'll just pretend I was asleep and missed it. Nopony could find that suspicious. Grimacing at his leg, Silk headed upstairs towards his bedroom, where his medical supplies were stashed in a closet. Throwing the sliding door open, he pushed the pristine suits aside and opened the smaller hatch hidden in the back. Pulling out a first aid kit and a bottle of pills, he sat on the edge of the bed. Glancing at the label to ensure the painkillers had not yet expired, he took two before re-sealing the bottle. Next he pulled out a roll of bandages and a piece of cloth before returning the supplies to their hiding place. Walking down the stairs he was surprised to find his phone ringing again. "Someone’s determined," Silk muttered. Trotting back into the kitchen, he ran the cloth through cold water in the sink and placed it in the freezer nearby. The phone ceased its cacophony for a few seconds, before the caller tried again. Fine! You have my attention, he thought angrily. Glancing at the caller ID he was surprised to see Detective Roseluck's face smiling up at him. It had been far too long since he’d seen that in person. No way she's calling about the roof. Even if she's on duty, Rose would never be awake and working at four in the morning. Steeling himself, Silk levitated the phone to his ear and slid it open. "Rose! How long has it been? Two weeks? Three? You're not already investigating me again, are you?" he began jovially. "You know me, just like to keep you on your hooftips," Came the joking reply. "I have to say, I thought I would have woken you up, but you sound pretty energetic." "Well, I was having trouble sleeping. Night terrors I think." Not technically a lie. "Those night terrors of yours wouldn't happen to involve three of Ice Pick's men, a rooftop, and a madmare in a mask would they?" Silk froze for several seconds. "What do you know?" "I know that both parties I've talked to so far tonight tried to keep your involvement a secret, and that makes me think I have to come talk to you. Which of your little hidey-holes are you in?" Silk sighed. "The one near the north bridge. You know, the one in Little Neighjing." "Oh, and hide whatever they've got you pushing, I don't want a chat between friends to turn into a drug bust," she added. "You know I don't do that anymore Rose," he replied, feigning an emotional slight, while pulling a bag of heroin from its hiding place under the sink. Rose took her time going to find Silk. She knew he was paranoid and wouldn't be too happy if she pulled up in his driveway fifteen minutes after their call. To set his nerves at ease, she decided to park her unmarked and beaten car in an overnight lot on the fringes of Little Neighjing so she could walk the rest of the way. She stood for a moment by her car, tightening her scarf and trench-coat, and pulling the brim of her hat tightly down to keep rain from her eyes before locking the door and walking away. Little Neighjing was one of her favorite parts of the city, because it didn't feel like the rest of the city. She paused for a moment, looking up at the strings of lanterns and banners across the road at the haphazard array of buildings all built like oriental temples climbing higher as they moved away from her. And the lights. Everything from ornamental gates to balconies and banners had lanterns and lights adorning them. The rain had forced many of the inhabitants indoors leaving the streets abandoned save for reflected lights rippling in puddles. With a slight grin Roseluck began her journey. It took her twenty minutes to find a street she actually recognized, though she probably could have done it in ten if she hadn't stopped for takeout. Wandering through the labyrinth of crowded buildings and narrow streets, she eventually came across the road she knew Silk lived off of. She trotted down and past the apartment complex she recognized as Silk's neighbor. Turning she found a cast iron fence blocking the small path to his tiny home. Carefully opening the gate with her hooves she stepped into his yard and looked around. Making direct eye contact with a stone statue of a dragon, and the camera she knew to be hidden inside, she walked to his front porch. Balancing the containers on her back, she turned and hammered the door with a front leg. She heard the stallion inside trotting down the hallway. "Who is it?" came Silk's patronizing voice. Roseluck shot a withering glance at the nearest statue, "You know damn well who it is." "Fine, fine." The sound of several deadbolts being drawn back drifted from inside. Rose pushed past him as soon as the door was open, desperate to escape the rain. "Got some takeout. Lo mein, your favorite," she said as he levitated the containers from her back. She carefully placed her scarf, coat, and hat on the coat rack standing to one side of the door, but kept her holster in place. "Where did you get takeout at this hour?" Silk asked incredulously as he bolted the door once more. "Some place just down the road, has some otters on the sign. Cute place," she replied, leading the way down the hallway to the living room. Silk knew the restaurant. "Really? You didn't find the place at all shady?" "Oh yeah." Rose laid down on the couch. "I think a stallion was selling cocaine in the corner. But other than that it was pretty nice." Sinking into the chair opposite her, the stallion levitated one of the containers across the table to her. "Coffee?" he asked, gesturing to the styrofoam cups sitting on the table. "I have to warn you, it'll be awf –" he watched in wonder as Roseluck downed the expired coffee without so much as a grimace. "You think that's bad? You should try the stuff they brew at the station this early." She opened the container of noodles. "So, tell me about the roof, Silk." "Well," Silk began, magically separating the chopsticks on the side of the container, "I had a feeling they'd be sending someone around to 'talk' with me, so when –" "Why?" Rose interrupted without looking up from her noodles or the chopsticks she was so dexterously maneuvering with her hoof. "I've recently entered a new agreement with the Ironclads. They wanted to start moving medical supplies in addition to weapons, and needed me to ensure there wasn't a problem. In return, I get enough supplies to keep my practice open. Ice Pick can't do it as efficiently, and he's quickly losing turf, so I severed my agreement with him. He wasn't too happy about this." Rose nodded for him to continue. "I came home last night and saw a few stallions hanging around my place in Little Windsoar. They looked like Glaciers, so I ran. Took a wrong turn somewhere in the alleys and ended up running through the backdoor of some apartment complex. They chased me up to the roof, and –" "Is this before or after they got your leg?" Rose interrupted again. She looked up at his surprised expression and added, "You were limping a bit in the hallway. Looks like it's just a sprain, but you're the doctor." "I sprained it running up the stairs. I've got a cold compress chilling in the freezer right now. Do you want the rest of the story or not?" "Yes, of course. Continue." "They had me pretty well cornered when the mare dropped in. I mean that literally, she dropped out of the sky right behind them. She thrashed the thugs, with a bit of luck. She had the element of surprise, but she's no fighter. We made a break for the fire escape but the leader pulled a gun I think, so she told me to get on her back. I assumed she was trying to get me off my leg. That's when she jumped. She had these– these boxes on her shoulders. They must have had a spool of cable because they connected to some kind of grappling hook she threw at a building and swung us into an alley. And then she just ran off." Rose looked up from her empty takeout box. "She just left you there? After fighting three goons who are hired only because they're good in a fight, she left you alone?" "Yeah, maybe she was worried I'd ask who she was or something." "Well, I'm trying to track down two ponies tonight. The big stallion who attacked you and got away, and the masked one. Any idea who either of them are?" "Other than being able to tell you the big guy was a local and an earth pony, no, I can’t tell you much. I didn't hear his name and I'd never seen him before. I can't even tell you what species the masked mare was. She wore a sweatshirt to hide her back and a hat that could hide a horn. Though come to think of it, she didn’t use any magic. Doesn’t mean much, though." "Damn." Rose glared at the wall. "Well, you were in Ironclad territory. Was she one of them? They don't exactly get along with Ice Pick, and it sounds like they want to keep you healthy." "Since when have the Ironclads hired ponies? No, it wasn't them, they'd have sent someone here by now. I heard that Griffon-Changeling team is back in town, the one from Talongrad. Maybe it was them. What's the changeling’s name? Aleksi?" "No, if it was them we wouldn’t even have this much to work with. Besides, why would a changeling need to wear a mask?" Rose asked as she placed the emptied container on the table. "Maybe one of those 'Starbursts' or whatever that new unicorn gang is calling themselves?" "No way they'd mess with someone like Ice Pick already. They're nothing yet. Plus she didn't use any magic, you said." The two ponies sat in silence, sipping their coffee and racking their brains for a long while before Silk spoke up again. "I know a Private Eye who can dig up info on our masked friend. Someone must have gotten a picture." "Well, I guess the only thing to do is wait until tomorrow morning. I'll crash –" Both ponies looked to the back door as the sound of stone grinding on stone signalled the approach of a pony on the rigged stepping stones. Silk looked back to Rose only to find she had already dropped to the floor and drawn her pistol. Carefully treading to the kitchen she silently moved to the light switch. Flicking off the lights she pulled back the curtains on the window and peered out into the yard. She saw nothing. Must be hiding in the bushes. Rose considered using the back door, but decided on taking the front and circling around. Stepping outside, she crouched low and, still holding her weapon in front of her, the detective crawled around the house and surveyed the backyard. There, near the stone lantern. She spotted a dark shape moving in the bush. Tightening her grip on the revolver she crept around the yard until she could see the intruder’s back. Too big to be a pony. She snuck forward. The trespasser froze. So did Rose. She saw a silhouetted head come up, framed by the light from a store across the street. Diamond dog, Rose realized, seeing the shortened snout and collar. She held her breath as the dog sniffed the air. The head began to turn towards her and Rose acted. She sprung forward. The dog's body whipped to face her. She saw paws come up to catch her. The paws connected just below her forelegs, knocking the wind out of her. She was close enough to smell his breath. Glaring into her eyes the diamond dog grinned. He kept grinning as the pistol slammed into the side of his head. And he kept grinning as he fell to the ground unconscious. Rose stood up and looked at the fallen diamond dog for a moment. "Silk!" Rose called out towards the house, "help me get this inside!" Silk opened the back door and ran out only to stop in his tracks. "Rose, you want to bring that inside my home!?" "Him, Silk. They have feelings. Well, usually," She replied, putting her head against the fallen dog’s side and pushing towards the house. "We can't just let him go, I need to have a talk with him. Hopefully one more civilized than our last." "And where are we going to put him?" Silk asked, taking his place beside Rose and pushing. "This safehouse doesn't exactly have a basement or panic room like some others." "Anything in your fridge?" "What?" Silk looked alarmed. "We'll just unplug it and cram him in there. we'll poke some holes in the lining so he won’t suffocate. I've got some handcuffs, but we should probably grab some duct tape too." Rose stared impatiently at Silk as he resignedly lifted the diamond dog from the ground. Silk sighed as they dragged the unconscious form across the threshold. "Fine, you unplug the fridge, I'll go grab a knife and some duct tape." Silk made his way to the stairs but stopped and looked back at Rose. "Do you think he has something to do with the Glaciers from earlier?" "I'd bet money they have something to do with it. But I don't think they were just there because Ice Pick's mad at you. Call your P.I. in the morning. I'm staying on your couch tonight."