//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Tales of a Hidden World: Book 1 // by Braininthejar //------------------------------// “Nothing? What do you mean? said Fish. They were sitting in one of the back rooms at the hotel’s ground floor, Pin and Fish drinking coffee at a table, while Chip was walking around the room, periodically stopping to check the door and the windows. Pin leaned over the table. “They didn’t find anything beyond some blood and broken glass. They’re investigating the matter of course, but as far as Manehattan police is concerned, it’s not even a murder case yet.” “But they were there moments after you left, weren’t they?” asked Fish. “Bodies don’t just disappear… And it couldn’t have been Candy’s boys. If they had so many more around, they wouldn’t have retreated.” “So we have a third player, or what?” asked Chip, taking a break in his pacing. “It looks like it,” answered Pin. “But what would they have to gain from taking the bodies? And how did they learn there would be any?” Fish stared into his eyes. “They might have had a crystal ball. Or a pony on the inside. Which brings me to the next problem. You’ve surely heard the rumors.” Pin glared at him over the table. “Heard? I was there when Squall started throwing accusations. He didn’t repeat them among other members, but I’ve seen how everypony has been watching each other since.” “Yes,” sighed Fish. “The thing is, Squall might be a jerk, but that doesn’t make him wrong. They did know you were coming. If we fight blind and they don’t…” “Nopony’s seen Jingles since yesterday,” said Chip. “Dunno if they got her or she ran away.” “If that’s what you wanted to talk about, I already know it’s a mess,” said Pin. Fish leaned forward, his expression grim. “They think it’s Smarts.” “What?” Pin shook his head. “Smarts isn’t stupid. Or disloyal. I know him better than anypony.” “He was late for the fight… yes, I know, Lighter sent him,” said Fish. “But everypony else either killed somepony or got hurt trying. Smarts wasn’t even dirty. And then there is this girl of his.” “He met her three months ago,” said Pin. “On a business trip to Macintosh Hills. Then last month it turned out she came here to study. I guess she actually moved here because of him. Nothing out of the ordinary, far as I can tell.” “His absences are out of the ordinary,” continued Fish. “Isn’t he supposed to help you looking for Candy’s hideout? He keeps disappearing when he should be doing his job.” “I’ll be sure to tell him that,” answered Pin. Fish shook his head. “Actually, you should take a closer look at it. I’m not your boss to order you around, but the guys are talking. I heard Mallet say that for him to keep disappearing like that, the girl must be quite… an eye candy.” Pin slammed his front hooves on the table so hard he nearly flipped it. “He said what!?” Fish’s expression didn’t change. “Just go and make sure he’s being stupid and nothing else. Then give him a talk on work ethics. For his own good. While there’s still time.” *** Pin was standing on the street corner opposite the cafe, waiting for Smarts and his girl to leave. Rain was dripping off the rim of his hat, further contributing to his foul mood. Fortunately, the weather made many city ponies wear clothes, which prevented him from being painfully conspicuous. Why am I even doing this? he asked himself for the eighth time. I could have just asked him. No, that wouldn’t be enough. I need to prove to the Pool Club that he is trustworthy, but that means I need to break his trust. He won’t be happy when I’m done... His eye caught movement of mint green hair in the cafe window. He took a step back, standing just far enough that he could see his target without peering comically from behind the corner. There they were, leaving the cafe, walking down the street. Pin followed them in a distance. At one point he saw Smarts look behind him nervously. He managed to hide behind another passerby at the last moment. Feeling guilty, he looked around the crowd, making sure there was nopony else tailing the two earth ponies. Satisfied at not seeing any of Candy’s around, he returned to his task. Finally, the pair stopped in front of an unassuming house a couple blocks off the center. Pin hid in the nearest alley as they stood at the doorstep and kissed, then disappeared in the shadows when they finally separated. He waited for Smarts to pass him, hugging the shadows. Then he emerged back onto the street, this time making no effort to hide, just another passerby in the rain. He looked up at the house, hoping that the flat the girl was occupying was one at the front. A minute passed. Then a light appeared in one of the second floor windows. Bingo. *** “She’s gone to work, sir, I think.” Pin looked down at the messenger colt before him. The boy was a blank flank earth pony, currently without the tell-tale hotel boy uniform. He was also wearing a saddle with bags and a leash attached to it, with a big, shaggy dog on the other end of it. “How long was she away yesterday?” asked Pin. The boy’s face scrunched in thought. “Nine hours. But then she went out again. She was barely at home.” The unicorn smiled. “Thank you. Here’s a bit. That’s all I needed.” The boy beamed, catching the coin in his mouth and stuffing it into his bag. Then he almost fell when the dog decided to walk away, dragging him along. Pin watched on in amusement. “Whose dog is it anyway?” The boy struggled with the leash and finally managed to stop. “I’m walking it for Mr Smarts.” Pin paled a little. “Not a word to Mr Smarts about what you were doing for me, understand? Not a word to anypony.” The boy nodded, as much as he was able to, now holding the leash in his teeth, somehow managing to give the dog the desired direction. Pin removed his hat and wiped his brow with a handkerchief before replacing the hat. It never stays on quite straight. I should just buy one with a horn hole…when did Smarts get a dog? Looking around to make sure nopony was watching him, then up to check for any fliers among the rooftops, Pin walked between the buildings. Soon he located the back entrance to the house. Luck was with him, as the door turned out to be unlocked; somepony couldn’t be bothered to fiddle with the keys while taking out the trash. Silently, the unicorn ascended the stairs, counting the doors to make sure he got the right one. When he found what he was looking for, he stopped and listened, looking for any hint of trouble. A moment passed. Nothing. No nosy neighbours, no dog ready to inform the entire house of his presence. Satisfied, he lowered his head, pointing the horn at the lock. There was a flash of pale blue magic and a soft click. Slowly, wary of a possible ambush, Pin opened the door and entered, briefly thankful for a cheap lock that gave up so easily; his supply of needles contained some lockpicks too, but any waste of time increased the chance of him being found out. The flat was very small, just as he expected: a single room with one window, the opposite wall serving as a kitchen, plus a small bathroom. To Pin’s relief, there weren’t any house pets to react to his presence. He walked around, checking the drawers and the cupboards. There wasn’t much there and what was there was very tidy, all in its proper place. For a moment the unicorn stood, puzzled. This didn’t look like an apartment that was actually used. Finally, his search uncovered a single folder with documents. He skimmed through its contents, rent payments, university papers… He paused to look at a pair of photos in the folder. The first was her face, rather plain by Manehattan standards. What does he see in her? Must be the famous ‘rustic charm’. And what’s this? The second picture was a square of dark blue covered with white lines. Her cutie mark. It’s… a blueprint of an apple? Figures. Smiling to himself, Pin flipped another paper. The next one was a letter inquiring about a possibility of transfer to Canterlot University. Pin’s hoof stopped mid-move. He turned his head, looking around, all the pieces that had seemed suspicious until now suddenly falling into place. She isn’t super tidy. She’s preparing to leave. He closed the folder, putting it back into place, then stepped back out of the apartment, taking care to leave everything as it had been. Finally he closed the door, repeating his spell to lock it. He then ran down the stairs, momentarily forgetting about being silent, at least until he heard one of the door behind him being unlocked; he managed to clear the last corner and disappear in the back alley a second before the landlady’s curious muzzle poked into the corridor. *** Pin walked quickly through the busy streets. He moved as fast as he could without galloping; he didn’t want to draw that much attention to himself. All the time his thoughts raced. He needed to make sure, but if Smarts really was that stupid… You’re supposed to be smart. Did you think I wouldn’t find out? he thought, shaking his head. He stopped to avoid a carriage going across his path. On reflex, he used the moment to look around; he didn’t think Candy’s goons would attack him in a busy street, but there could be somepony tailing him… You! There was nopony in his arc of sight, but as he turned his head, he briefly caught a reflection in a store window. An old and wrinkled unicorn stallion with grey coat and a goatee, a swinging bell for his cutie mark. With his way free, Pin moved forward. He kept looking for reflective surfaces to confirm that he was being followed. Now that he knew what to look for, he was much harder to sneak up upon. Soon he caught the reflection of the old pony again. And again. Wait… how is he doing that? Pin stopped, confused. Apart from those moments when he stopped to take a look, he was moving at a brisk pace. But each time he caught a glimpse of the old unicorn, he was just standing there or slowly waddling. And even if he kept moving after him, he looked too old to keep the pace. Is he really teleporting? Pin started looking more carefully, searching for anything that would suggest a flash of light, his ears swiveling in search for unfamiliar sounds. When the busy street made his efforts futile, he started watching other ponies, surely they’d react to something as unusual as teleportation. And yet he could see no reaction, ponies just walking by, each absorbed by his or her own matters. Finally he went off course, walking between the buildings and through the winding back alleys, using a shortcut he knew to double back - a trick that should bring him behind anypony who was following him. He wasn’t really that surprised to find the alley empty. *** It was just before lunch when he got to the hotel. Walking through the front door into the main hall, he looked around, taking note of who was present. Snappy Service the receptionist smiled at him. A pair of pegasus colts wearing the red hotel uniforms perked up at his entrance, hoping to earn a couple extra bits by running errands. He dashed their hopes by shaking his head and walked straight towards the elevator. The sign above the door indicated that the elevator was two floors above and coming down. Pin waited impatiently, and for a moment he even considered turning around and using the stairs. When the door finally opened, it revealed a pair of ponies. One was a mare dressed in lace and fluffy wool with feathers. The other one was Lighter. As he saw Pin, he gently brushed the girl aside and approached him. “Hey, you look worried.” Pin leaned aside to nod to the mare. “Hi Rosie. Is Smarts in?” She shook her head. “Haven’t seen him since yesterday.” Scowling, Pin turned back towards the pudgy unicorn. “You look worried too. What’s the news?” Lighter turned aside, leading Pin away from the counter, eyes darting left and right nervously. “The news,“ he whispered tensely, “is that Squall’s gone nuts. Don’t go up to the penthouse. He’s there with 8-ball now. They’ve been shouting at each other for the last fifteen minutes.” Pin closed his eyes and took a slow, deliberate breath. “What exactly happened?” “You know they got Billy Club?” said Lighter. Pin nodded. The news had reached him the day before, through his contact in the police station. “Well, Squall said we need to send another message. One all the Candies will understand. So he and his wing boys went flying together and managed to catch Fudge selling pixie dust on our turf again. The idiot should have stayed low… So, once they caught him, Squall asked him if he’s ever seen a phoenix…” “He what?” Pin’s hair stood on end when his imagination momentarily outpaced the story. Lighter shook visibly. “They took him to a high roof, sprinkled the stuff he was selling all over him and…” Pin put a hoof on his shoulder. “Spare me the rest. No wonder the boss is angry. What does Monthly Pay say?” “Oh, he didn’t need to say anything. We actually had police here this morning. They tried to act all scary, but they have no proof… so far.” Pin sighed. “This is madness. What did Squall want to achieve? Turn the entire city against us? Anyway, thanks for the warning. See you around.” He walked past Lighter and towards the elevator. However, instead of going all the way up, he chose the third floor, where some of the gang members had their apartments. He walked along the corridor until he found Smarts’ room and then stopped, closing his eyes. I could just go to the reception desk and ask for the spare key… no, I can’t do it openly like that. I guess there is no helping it… He bowed and touched his horn to the lock. It took him only three minutes to find what he was looking for. *** Several hours later, Smarts returned to his room. He frowned as he found the door unlocked. Walking in slowly, he looked around, taking in details, his ears swiveling in search of suspicious noises. He then spun on the spot, aiming a punch behind the door. Pin intercepted it with his own hoof before pushing the earth pony away, his magic slamming the door shut. “Oh, it’s you,” said Smarts, tension leaving his body. “What are you doing here?” Pin did not match his relaxed stance, but continued glaring at him. “I’ve been waiting to talk to you. There’s something I found that I need to ask you about.” The tone of his voice made the earth pony tense up again. He instinctively looked aside towards the room, only to catch Pin’s gaze following his. His eyes widened in realisation. “You’ve been searching my room!” he hissed. “Yes I was,” said Pin. “You’ve been behaving strangely and some of the boys were starting to get suspicious.” He started walking slowly, pushing into Smarts’ personal space as he talked, making him step back. “I stood up to Squall when he suspected you, I defended you from Fish… but I needed to make sure everything is ok, for your sake. And what do I find?” His horn started glowing and various objects rose from their hiding places in the room. “A packed suitcase. A pair of tickets to Las Pegasus for tomorrow. Not many reasons to go there if you can’t fly, unless you have lot’s of bits to spend on gambling or...“ He pulled a colorful folder out of a desk drawer, waving it in front of Smarts’ face before ripping it in half. “And what a wedding it would have been. I wonder where you were headed next? Canterlot perhaps? Or maybe to visit her family? Were you intending to attend our funerals on your honeymoon!?” Smarts tried to push against Pin, a retort on his lips. The unicorn was faster, grabbing him in a telekinetic grip and pushing him off, making him fall backwards against the cluttered desk. A flower pot flew off the window and across the room, hitting the wall above Smarts and showering him with dirt. “Do you know how it hurts!?” hissed Pin through clenched teeth. “To find out that they were right? That my best friend is a traitor?!” Smarts finally managed to get back on his hooves and faced Pin. The sunglasses slid onto his nose, revealing his angry eyes. “I’m not the traitor Squall’s looking for! I didn’t do anything!” Pin stopped and stared into his eyes, breathing heavily.”Oh really!? You didn’t do anything? What about all that stuff you were supposed to do? Like gathering intel our lives depend on? A task that our boss entrusted to you and me? I thought we were friends, Smarts. We shared our laughs, we shared our food. We helped each other when the times were bad and shared our triumphs when we got ahead in life. And now that we are at war and lives are at stake, you run like a rat from a sinking ship, leaving your friends to die?!” “I didn’t stop working!” shouted Smarts. “I still have some things I wanted to check… and it’s not my life I’m concerned about saving…” Pin stared at him silently, raising a hoof as if to punch him, then sliding it over his own face instead. “Of course… you’re concerned about the girl…” Smarts seemed to rapidly lose steam, slumping down onto the floor. He looked sadly at Pin. “Last week, when Swallow Chaser was attacked… his son was there, did you know that? He barely escaped. That’s when I started to think… if something happened to her…” “True love…” Pin smiled, a thin smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “So noble of you… let’s put that to the test.” Smarts blinked in surprise, looking at Pin in slight confusion. “What do you mean?” The unicorn stepped back towards the door, his horn glowing softly as pieces of the broken flower pot started picking themselves up and flying off to the dust bin. Magic washed through the earth pony’s mane, clearing away the pieces of earth. “You want to protect your girlfriend from harm that might happen to her because of you. The solution is simple. She has to leave Manehattan, for her own good. This way you’ll remain loyal to everypony and she will be safe.” Smarts looked up at Pin’s face. “You want me to leave her. But… she loves me too. She won’t leave without me.” Pin shrugged. “Then lie to her. Make her break up with you. Break her heart if you have to. Figure something up, talking is what you do for a job.” Smarts stood up, staring at Pin with a shocked expression. “You want me to lie to her?” Pin stared right back at him, nothing but disdain in his gaze. “It’s not like you’ve been truthful to her up to this point, were you? The bottom line is, if you love her, you will never see her again. Make her go away so far, that she will never again be threatened by the life you live.” “So…” said Smarts “I’m to abandon the love of my life, break her heart and never see her again... or else?” “Or else,” responded Pin, his eyes narrowing dangerously “I’ll tell Squall that you betrayed the Pool Club for some country hick. Then Candy’s boys getting to her will be the least of your worries.” The words stunned Smarts. The earth pony seemed to shrink, standing still and rapidly growing pale. “You… wouldn’t…” Pin rushed forward, stopping muzzle to muzzle with him. “I wouldn’t what?! Do my duty as a member of the Pool? Do my job gathering intel? Put my comrades, who risked their lives fighting at my side, before any other concerns?” The unicorn exhaled slowly, looking into the earth pony’s eyes. “Make no mistake, Smarts. I should have told them already. It should have been 8-ball or Squall waiting for you here. I’m only giving you this chance because I’m your friend. Do not waste it.” He stepped back, his magic opening the door. “I’ll be watching you to make sure that you don’t.” *** And so he did, standing in the street as late evening pedestrians passed him by, looking at an entrance to the nightclub where Smarts was sitting. The air was chilly and damp, heralding a night rain. Soon the wait started becoming increasingly unpleasant. Pin regretted not getting a coffee when he had a chance; he wasn’t getting sleepy, but it would be great to have something to warm himself up with. As minutes stretched into quarter hours, he began doubting if the girl would show up. Perhaps the note Smarts left her would be enough? Then it occurred to him that Smarts might try to pull something off. The employees of the nightclub were not gang members, Pin couldn’t tell them to keep an eye on Smarts. If he was bold enough, he might have disappeared through the back door, hoping that the Pool Club would be too busy fighting for survival to look for him. No, he decided. He might risk his own life, but he won’t risk the girl’s. And there she was, finally, walking down the street, a hooded cape thrown over her dress to protect her against the evening chill. Pin pretended to be walking away, so as not to draw attention to himself by just standing there, but kept observing her in the corner of his eye. She looked worried, slightly shaken, but more confused than sad. Pin observed as she tried in vain to enter the club, the bouncer at the door stopping her despite her attempts to argue. Then Smarts emerged through the door. Pin raised an eyebrow. The stallion was wearing a tuxedo and sunglasses, and was flanked by two mares, which Pin instantly recognized as girls under his care. He stumbled slightly, as if intoxicated. Perhaps he was or perhaps he couldn’t see anything with the glasses. Pin could guess the reason why he kept them on - It would probably spoil the whole effect if she could see his eyes. A carriage moved down the street, obscuring the view. Pin was standing far enough that he couldn’t hear the whole conversation, but the light above the entrance allowed him to see plenty of details; Smart’s overplayed intoxication, his girls’ growing distaste at what they were taking part in, the mare’s growing desperation as she tried to reason with her now ex-boyfriend. There were accusations, pleas, lies. Smarts looked more and more desperate too, his speech becoming louder and louder as the mare tried to get through to him. Finally he reared and slammed his front hooves into the pavement in front of her, causing several bystanders to turn their heads curiously. “Get it into your thick head!” he shouted. “I never loved you! I was testing you because I had a customer from Las Pegasus willing to pay! He cancelled this morning, said he saw your photo I sent him and he has no need for a country hick! You’re too plain to be worth any bits! Now, get out of my sight and stop wasting my time!” That had the desired effect. She ran away crying. Pin watched her go before turning back to look at Smarts. The stallion was standing in the street, breathing heavily, the two girls at his sides inching away from him. It almost looked like a stage being cleared after an act has ended; Smarts standing in the middle, the night club’s light like a spotlight on him, the street around him rapidly getting empty as the passers-by who had heard the conversation all quickened their pace. Smarts said something to the girls, causing them to turn and return to the nightclub. Then he raised his head and Pin was quite sure of that despite the glasses, looked straight into his eyes, before turning around and trotting down the street in the opposite direction to his mare. “A sordid affair, that. It’s like a bad opera,” sounded a raspy voice on Pin’s right. Pin jumped, startled and turned around. Beside him, the old unicorn stallion was standing, looking in the direction where Smarts had disappeared. “The only way it could be more cliche is if she was carrying his child…” Pin pushed face to face with him, a single needle flying out of his coat and stopping with its tip on the old pony’s throat. “You… who are you, and why are you tailing us?” he hissed, using the sharp projectile to guide the unicorn out of the street and into the nearest alley. He stopped when he realised that the pony didn’t budge; he just stood there, allowing the pressure of the tip to pierce his skin, a drop of blood appearing on his coat. “That hurts, you know,” he said to Pin, looking down. “I’m still using that throat, if you don’t mind. Unless... you’d like to give me yours in exchange?” Pin withdrew the needle, turning slightly pale. “I asked you a question.” The old pony raised an eyebrow at him. “Oh, I’m a very old pony, here to organize the matters of my approaching death. In the meantime, I’m spending my time watching… I’m mostly disappointed.” “Watching… you expect me to believe that?” asked Pin. The old pony smiled. “You remind me of myself, when I was young. It’s depressing, really, how little has changed since then. Despite all that ‘good princess Celestia’ has done.” “Listen, you…” started Pin, grabbing the unicorn with telekinesis and pushing him in front of himself as he walked. He grunted with effort, for some reason the frail-looking pony proved surprisingly difficult to shift. He noted some ponies looking at him in surprise, then walking away quickly. “I’ve had a rough day. So unless you stop rambling and give me a straight answer here, I’m going to…” “What exactly?” asked the old pony with a deadpan expression. “Push harder, until something snaps? Stab me? Would it make your day better if I died on your hooves here in the street? I can if you want to. Also, if you push me any further into that alley, that messenger colt will miss you.” Right on cue Pin heard a sound of small wings flapping. He looked aside and realized his error, his head snapping back as he instinctively braced himself, expecting to be sucker-punched. Instead, he found the space in front of him conspicuously empty, the unicorn gone the moment he got out of his line of sight. Nopony else seemed to have noticed anything, Pin had pushed the old pony just far enough into the alley for the corner of the building to obscure the view of passers-by. Swearing under his breath, he turned towards the approaching pegasus - a small boy from the hotel staff, now wearing only a beret instead of the red jacket he would wear at work. The boy was visibly in a hurry and out of breath, apparently having found Pin after a bout of frantic flying. Pin was about to ask him if he saw the unicorn he was talking to, but hesitated at the sight of his expression. “You were looking for me? What’s going on?” The colt stopped in the air and then landed, gasping for breath. Finally he managed to choke out, ”Mr Pin… the hotel… has been attacked!”