//------------------------------// // DMI: Dark Magic Investigation // Story: The Curse Of Black Thorn // by Bluecatcinema //------------------------------// The next morning, Echo and Sunset made their way back to the library, still hoping to find some way to make the Gemini spell work. "This isn't good." Echo frowned. "If we still can't find a way to make this work, we may have to abandon the project entirely." "Don't be negative." Sunset urged. "We'll find a way. And besides, we do have an expert on dark magic on our side... namely you." She smiled at her fiancé. "I know you'll find a way, Echo. I just know it." "Thanks, Sunset." Echo smiled. "Until I met you, I never knew what it was like to have somepony truly believe in me. It's a good feeling." "Isn't it?" Sunset nuzzled him. "Now, come on. We've got work to do." As they passed by the throne room, Nightshade and Red Rose were discussing something. It was the use of two certain words that caught Echo and Sunset's attention. "It seems a little suspicious, don't you think?" Red Rose asked. "That incidents involving dark magic would occur just as you're had experiments done with a dark magic spell?" "Dark magic?" Echo frowned. "It's a coincidence, my dear." Nightshade said firmly. "After all, what could the Gemini spell possibly have to do with vanishing ponies?" "'Vanishing ponies'?" Sunset repeated. "All the same, maybe you should call off work on the Gemini for a while." Red Rose suggested. "I can't do that!" Nightshade gasped. "Not when I'm so close to being rid of Black Thorn!" "I want Black Thorn gone as much as you do." Red Rose countered. "But if these incidents really are connected to our own foray into dark magic, every attempt could just be making things worse." "We don't know that for sure, Rose." Nightshade said stubbornly. "Until I see irrefutable proof that our work on the Gemini spell has something to do with it, I refuse to stop." "Even if it means more disappearances?" Red Rose shot back. "Don't take that tone with me." Nightshade growled. "I know full well the consequences of my decision. Besides, if the disappearances turn out to be unrelated, then I'll have delayed matters for no reason." Echo and Sunset shared a nod, then entered the throne room. "Forgive our intrusion, your highness." Echo declared. "We couldn't help but overhear." "Ah, Professor Alchemy, Ms. Shimmer." Nightshade tensed up. "You... heard all that?" "It was a little hard not to." Sunset admitted. "Perhaps we could be of assistance." Echo offered. "Sunset and I are, as you know, quite knowledgeable regarding dark magic. If you would allow us to investigate the crime scenes, we may be able to find out for sure if they are connected to the Gemini spell." "I appreciate the offer, but the two of you are still required to iron out the kinks in the Gemini spell." Nightshade shook his head. "That is our top priority." "Yeah, about that..." Sunset cringed. "We've hit kind of a dead end in our research..." "You have?!" Nightshade gasped. "It is true that we have exhausted the resources in your library." Echo nodded. "But perhaps investigating this incident will provide us with some inspiration as to how to move on with the Gemini spell." "You really think that could work?" Nightshade asked. "It wouldn't hurt to try, dear." Red Rose told him. Nightshade mulled it over for a moment. "Very well." He sighed. "I suppose we could call it killing two birds with one stone. Go down to the police station and ask for constable Rigid Reed, tell him I sent you." "We shall, your highness." Echo bowed. "Thank you for accepting our offer." Sunset smiled. "Just don't let me regret it." Nightshade frowned. As Echo and Sunset made their way out of the throne room, they crossed paths with Day Light. "Good morning, your highness." Echo smiled. "Morning." Day Light smiled back. "Say, I was wondering... do you think you could allow Starlight and myself some time to use the library? There are some books I'd really like to show her." "You're in luck." Sunset grinned. "Echo and I are... doing some outside research, so the library is all yours." "Really?" Day Light smiled. "Thank you!" "Speaking of which, we probably should let Twilight know that we won't be there today." Echo added. "Of course." Sunset nodded. "But knowing Twilight, she'll probably just keep going herself." After informing Twilight of their new business, Echo and Sunset headed to the police station to gather the information. "Here's everything we have on file regarding the disappearances." Rigid Reed handed Echo some sheaves of paper. "Hope you have better luck than we did." "Thank you, constable." Echo nodded. "Rest assured, we will do our best." Echo and Sunset's first stop was the museum; Since it was the most recent site, logic dictated that it would have the strongest remnants of dark magic. While Sunset used her horn like a flashlight to try and find any clues, Echo spread out his crystals, using them to soak up any lingering dark magic energies. "No physical evidence." Sunset declared. "No tracks whatsoever, in fact. How are you doing, Echo?" "I think I may have found something." Echo declared, as his crystals returned to him. He held up a small swarm in his hoof. "There is definitely some residual dark magic energy here, but none like I've ever encountered before. And it seems to be concentrated in this room only. No trail of any kind." "We should check the alley next." Sunset noted. "See if the same residue is there, too." "My thoughts exactly." Echo nodded. "But maybe we should take a break. Don't want you on your hooves for too long..." "Oh, Echo..." Sunset rolled her eyes. Meanwhile Day Light and Starlight entered the library. Twilight was (as Sunset suspected) still working there herself, hoping to find something they'd missed. "Hey, mom." Starlight smiled. "Hi, Starlight." Twilight nodded. "Prince Day Light. What brings you here?" "I just wanted to introduce Star to some of my country's best literature." Day Light revealed. "What are you working on, mom?" Starlight asked. "Oh... just this and that." Twilight shrugged. "Don't mind me, you two just do what you came here for." "Hey Star, check this out." Day Light brought down a book. "'Saddle Arabian Nights'." Starlight read the cover. "My all-time favorite book." Day Light grinned. "I must have read it about a hundred times." "Wow, that good?" Starlight mused. "Read it and find out." Day Light urged. Starlight started reading the book. Day Light looked over her shoulder, pointing out lines of interest. Twilight looked up from her research, and smiled. 'Nothing like a good book to bring two ponies together.' She thought to herself. Back in Cairode, Echo and Sunset arrived at the alley where a scream had been reported. As Echo walked into the alley, his crystals started to vibrate, recognizing the dark magic residue. "The same kind of dark magic is permeating this alley." Echo declared. "It seems these incidents really are connected." "But to what end?" Sunset asked. "Hard to say." Echo frowned, releasing some more crystals. "There is a trail here, but it's degraded. It becomes too faint to follow after a few hooves." "Maybe we should ask ponies around town." Sunset suggested. "Maybe somepony's seen or heard of something usual lately." "An excellent idea, my love." Echo kissed her on the cheek. "What would I do without you?" "You'd still be in that musty old study." Sunset joked. "True." Echo nodded. "Thank Faust I met you..." They decided to stop at a local bar, hoping to find information in the form of rumor and gossip. It was the same bar they had visited during their last trip to Haygypt, when they were hunting the page of King Sombra's spellbook containing the Envy spell. "Ugh, this place is even worse than I remember." Sunset grimaced, taking in the unsavory patrons. "Perhaps you should wait outside." Echo suggested, taking note of the fact that the patrons didn't look happy to see them. "No way." Sunset shook her head. "We're in this together, remember?" "As you wish, my delightfully stubborn darling." Echo shrugged. They made their way to the bar, where the Pegasus bartender shared a similar look to the patrons. "Good afternoon, my dear fellow." Echo smiled. "Get lost." The bartender growled. "We don't serve your kind in here." "I beg your pardon? Echo frowned. "You heard me." The bartender growled. "You and your mare aren't welcome here." "What are you talking about?" Sunset asked. "We've been here before, and you served us then." "That was before your leather-winged boyfriend here started messing around with dark magic." One of the patrons, an Earth Pony stallion, snarled. "We've all heard about what's going on over in the Crystal Empire." A Pegasus mare sneered. "Talking the Prince into thinking you're a good guy? Teaching dark magic to Royal Guards?" "Defensive dark magic." Echo corrected him. "Whatever." A Unicorn stallion growled. "It's still sick and wrong." "That's enough." Sunset stepped forward. "And you're no better." An Earth Pony mare admonished her. "Dating this weirdo. I assume the foal's his? Let's hope it doesn't take after daddy..." "Look, we just came here to ask a few questions." Sunset declared hotly. "Does anypony know something about the recent disappearances? We suspect dark magic could be involved." "Well, surprise, surprise." The Earth Pony stallion said sarcastically. "More trouble with dark magic." He glared at Echo. "And you still think it can be used for good?" "As a matter of fact, yes." Echo nodded. "Now, is there anypony here who's seen or heard of any suspicious activity?" "Even if we had, we wouldn't tell you." The Pegasus mare growled. "Really?" Sunset frowned. "Some of your fellow citizens have vanished without a trace. We could be the best chance at finding them, and you won't even bother to help?" "That pretty much sums it up." The bartender shrugged. "Now, get lost!" "Why, you ignorant-" Sunset said angrily. "Sunset, calm down." Echo stopped her. "Think of the foal. Besides, these prejudiced fools aren't worth the effort. Let's be the better ponies here." "You're right, Echo." Sunset sighed. "We've got better things to do than waste our time with these jerks..." Echo and Sunset turned to leave. "Hey! Look at us when we're talking, you freaks!" The Earth Pony stallion roared, as he grabbed a nearby ashtray and chuck it at the back of Sunset's head. But before it could hit it's target, the spire of microcrystals burst out and snatched it. The entire bar froze, as Echo, whose eyes were slightly wisping, turned to face the stallion and approached him. "You dropped this." Echo said calmly, just before slamming the ashtray on the stallion's hoof. "Ahhh!" The stallion screamed, pulling his aching hoof away. "Let that be a lesson to the rest of you." Echo told the other patrons, as the microcrystals faded away as well as his eye-wisps. "If you want to take the moral high ground, don't throw things at a pregnant mare. Especially if that mare is my to-be wife. It makes you look like a hypocrite and could lead to something far worse than a bruised hoof." Without another word, Echo walked back to Sunset, and they left the bar together, leaving the crowd bewildered. "Yeesh, what a freak." The Pegasus mare remarked. "Yeah, but he could have done a lot worse." The Unicorn stallion pointed out. "Especially since that idiot tried hurting his pregnant mare." He pointed to the Earth Pony. "We could have all gotten a major beating if Alchemy felt like it." "Like this is my fault?" The Earth Pony stallion cringed, holding his hoof. "That bat-winged freak nearly broke my hoof!" "But he didn't." The Pegasus mare pointed out. "He may be a dark magic-wielding weirdo, but at least he's not a psycho..." "Maybe we had those two pegged wrong." The Unicorn stallion admitted. "Maybe we should lay off them... as long as they keep that weird hobby of theirs away from us." "I think we can all agree on that." The bartender nodded. As the two left the bar, Sunset nuzzled against Echo. "That was amazing, Echo." Sunset kissed him. "Well, I wasn't about to let that hooligan hurt the mother of my foal." Echo said, wrapping a wing around her protectively. "I admit, it took me a bit of restraint to not break the guy's hoof." "That would have spoiled the moment a little." Sunset admitted. "But it would still be a really sweet thing to do." "If I'd known what would have happened in there, I would never have gone into that bar." Echo frowned. "What kind of callous thug throws something at a pregnant mare?" "The jerky kind." Sunset snorted. "Good thing I have you looking out for me." "Always." Echo beamed. "But what are we going to do now?" Sunset asked. "We have no more leads." "I have one I can think of." Echo smiled. "An old... acquaintance of ours." A short while later, a chubby neon green Unicorn pony with a powder blue mane, square glasses over orange eyes, and a bronze medal Cutie Mark was walking home, whistling, when something dived on him from above, putting him in a headlock. As he struggled to break free, a flash of green light suddenly consumed his vision, and everything went black. When he regained consciousness, the stallion found himself in a dimly lit room, tied to a chair. "Where am I?" He groaned. "We'll be asking the questions here." The stallion quickly glanced around... only to see none other than Echo and Sunset, standing before him. "Hello, Brody." Echo glared at him. "Echo?" Brody Bronze gasped. "Sunset?" "Long time, no see." Sunset looked at Brody distastefully. "Not long enough, if you ask me..." "How did you-" Brody started. "Find you?" Echo asked. "Let's just say I've been keeping tabs on you since our last encounter." "What do you want from me?" Brody asked. "Information." Echo declared. "There's been some incidents of a dark magical nature in this town, and since you caused quite a mess with it the last time we were here, we figured you might know something about it." "First of all: Congrats on finally putting a bun in Sunset's oven." Brody smirked, glancing at Sunset's pregnant belly. "Second: What makes you think I'd tell you anything?" "You do remember our last encounter, don't you?" Echo asked menacingly. "Hard to forget." Brody cringed, recalling the tremendous beatdown Echo had given. "So tell us what we want to know." Echo glared. "Or else." "Oh, please." Brody smirked. "You don't scare me. Not when I have it on good authority that you no longer have the power to turn into that... monster." "I wonder how you'd know that?" Sunset frowned. "Your little friends in the Order of Darkness, perhaps?" "That's no business of yours." Brody sneered. "And you won't get me to talk. You've got no leverage. Without that freaky ace in the hole, you're just a couple of no-account bookworms." "Oh, really?" Echo smiled. He raised his hooves and flared his wings, sending out a swarm of crystals which enveloped Brody. "What the-?!" Brody gasped, his face lighting up with fear. "Why do you have Flatfoot's right hand guy's powers?!" "It's a long story." Sunset declared. "But you're the one who's going to be talking." "Never." Brody declared, though he was starting to sweat. "Don't forget, I've got friends in high places! Far worse than the Order of Darkness! Flatfoot is one of them and he will not like it when-" "Oh, really?" Echo sneered. "You expect 'Flatfoot' to save you? Or as Sunset and I know him, Sterling?" "Ye- wait, what?" Brody gasped. "It's true." Sunset nodded. "Sterling was posing as the true Flatfoot to further his own ends. He even had his 'right hand guy' backstab the Order and got it disbanded. Or had you no idea that Sterling was Flatfoot?" "I- but- you're lying!" Brody yelled. "Sterling insisted that he was a part of no order! And that guy was ready to kill him just as he was me back then! There is no way that Flatfoot... or Sterling... could be the same guy!" "Why do you think he isn't here with us?" Echo asked. "He was arrested for his crimes, and is currently occupying a cell in the Crystal Empire. He had been using us all as pawns in his games, just like you." "No... it can't be..." Brody muttered. "Not Sterling... he wouldn't..." "He did." Sunset said firmly. "But we're pals!" Brody pouted, "Why would Sterling not tell me that he was a head honcho?! He and I had been crossbow buddies for years, and I could have been up there with him if I knew who he was! Why would he rip me off like that?!" "If you don't start answering our questions, you will be asking him yourself... in prison." Echo declared, "What do you know regarding the disappearances?!" "I-I haven't done anything!" Brody yelped. "I've got nothing to do with any disappearances!" "Really?" Echo asked, manipulating his crystals to tighten their grip slightly, and tilting the chair back. "Are you sure?" "Yes!" Brody nodded. "After what happened last time, I've been laying low, keeping quiet! Besides, after what happened with the Envy spell, I wasn't so eager to use dark magic again... because I could never get it to work! And I didn't want you to beat me up again!" "If you're lying..." Sunset growled. "Wait." Echo said suddenly. He willed his crystals up Brody's body, and onto his horn. "Wh-what are you..." Brody gulped. Echo paused for a moment, waiting for any activity. However, his crystals didn't so much as twitch. "He's telling the truth." He announced. "Not only is there no hint of the dark magic energies at the museum and alley, there's no dark magic residue at all." "Seriously?" Sunset asked. "Huh. Will wonders never cease?" "There, you see?" Brody told them. "I've been keeping my muzzle clean!" "Oh, and what of the 'Order'? The one you and Sterling work for?" Sunset glared. "I-I really can't tell you anything about them." Brody gulped. "They're not the kind of ponies that I want to tick off. And besides, I haven't heard from in ages!" "After what happened in Prance, it's not surprising. Either way, it's not worth knowing right now." Echo sighed, before adopting a stern glare. "Are you sure you know of no other dark magic activity in this city? Any details would help." "None at all." Brody nodded. "Trust me, if I knew, I'd tell you in a heartbeat! Now can you please let me out of here?!" "Very well." Echo nodded, calling back his crystals. "We'll put you right back where we found you." "'Put'?" Brody frowned. "What do you-" He realized Sunset was glaring at him, her horn aglow. "Oh, no." "This is for tying me to that boat." Sunset snarled, as she blasted Brody in the face, knocking him out. "A bit much, don't you think?" Echo asked. "He had it coming." Sunset huffed. "If you say so." Echo shrugged, knowing better than to argue. When Brody came to, he found himself on the same street he was when Echo and Sunset jumped him. "If I ever see those two again, it'll be too soon..." He muttered to himself. By the time Echo and Sunset returned to the palace, dusk had come. "Another dead end..." Echo sighed. "I'm beginning to see a pattern here." "I kind of felt bad about telling Brody the truth about Sterling." Sunset admitted. "The look on his face... He really did think Sterling was his friend." "We all did." Echo lamented. "Even when I held the least regard for him, never did I think he would betray us like that..." "He really played us, that's for sure..." Sunset admitted. "A regular chessmaster." "And yet, he is just a pawn." Echo declared. "He spoke of having been given 'orders' to do what he did, and when we talked in the dungeon, It was quite clear that he was... afraid of whoever gave those orders, just like Brody was afraid of the Order." "Whoever they are, they must be trouble, to make a tough stallion like Sterling afraid." Sunset nodded. "And that's practically the only thing we know about them." Echo noted. "They've done an excellent job of remaining clandestine. I fear the only way we'll find out who they really are is if they choose to reveal themselves." Sunset yawned deeply. "I'm so exhausted." She groaned. "I think I'll go to bed now. You can give Nightshade our report, right?" "Of course." Echo nodded. "You go and get some rest. I'll be with you shortly." "Until then..." Sunset shared a kiss with Echo. "Goodnight, Sunset." Echo beamed. After parting with Sunset, Echo reported his and her findings to Nightshade and Red Rose. "While we were unable to discern the culprit of the incident, we did learn that the dark magic involved had no connection to the Gemini spell." Echo summarized. "Oh, thank goodness." Nightshade smiled. "At least now I know that our attempts to rid my mind of Black Thorn have not caused my subjects undue harm." "Unfortunately, that means that there is an unidentified dark magic user running free in Cairode." Red Rose pointed out. "Most likely, yes." Echo nodded. "And whoever it is has left too faint a trail to track for the time being... I fear the only thing to do is wait for him to strike again." "Until then, you can resume work on the Gemini spell." Nightshade declared. "I trust your outing gave you a fresh perspective on the situation." "Perhaps." Echo nodded. "Only time will tell." "Well, I thought up some ideas of my own." Twilight smiled, as she entered the room. "I'll tell you and Sunset all about them tomorrow." "I look forward to it." Echo nodded. "And I'm sure Sunset will, too." "Very good." Nightshade grinned. "Perhaps by this time tomorrow, we will have one less problem to deal with..." That night, a cloaked pony walked into the darkest corner of Cairode. As he entered an alleyway, he met with two ponies in silver masks and black cloaks, both adorning a symbol of two-tail connected Fs and an eagle behind it, much akin to the pendants that were confiscated from Sterling and Silas. One of them, an Earth Pony seem to move oddly, a squeaking sound echoing as he did. The other was a Unicorn, his horn poking out a hole in the mask, and sparking with electricity. "Status report?" The masked Earth Pony asked, sporting some sort of southern drawl. "Everything is going according to plan." The cloaked pony declared. "Fear and suspicion are spreading throughout the city." "And nopony suspects your involvement?" The second masked pony inquired, bearing a scratchy, yet stern and authoritative voice. "Not a one." The cloaked said smugly. "By the time they figure out what's going on, it'll be too late." "Don't you get complacent now." The first masked pony growled. "With all those royals currently at the palace, we can't afford to become careless now. We don't want a repeat of the Crystal Empire, now do we?" "Poor Sterling." The second masked pony sighed. "He showed such promise. Such a model agent. He didn't deserve what he got." "It really is a shame." The first masked pony agreed. "A bright young stallion like that, rotting in prison." He turned to the cloaked pony. "I just pray that we aren't staking too much on this plan of yours to work. We can't afford to lose another agent." "Trust me." The cloaked pony declared. "What those foreigners are doing will only benefit us in the end. They don't know it yet, but they're going to help me take control of this land." "Until that moment comes, stay on your hooves." The second masked pony ordered. "And don't fail us." "Hey, you should be more worried about that pig that almost squealed everything." The cloaked pony glared. "What? Brody?" The Earth Pony mused, "The poor boy is not an issue. He's too yellow-livered to rat us out, and even then, doesn't even know enough to constitute a problem." "Yet you continue to string him along, thinking he has a part in all of this." The cloaked pony sneered. "I heard he just learned Sterling was Flatfoot today." "The colt has a lot to do in order to make it far in our world." The Earth Pony shrugged. "The Order of Darkness were mere pawns, but he may have use to us, if he applies himself." "Good luck with that." The cloaked pony sneered. "You're the one who'll be needing luck." The masked Unicorn pointed out, his horn sparking. "The longer you draw out this plan of yours, the greater the chances are of you being discovered." "Anypony ever tell you that you worry too much?" The cloaked pony sneered. "This is no time for jokes." The masked Earth Pony said sharply. "This is the time to focus on the mission. We've invested too much for it all to slip away." "Believe me, I know what's at stake." The cloaked pony declared. "I want this plan to work more than anypony." "Then you'll do everything in your power to prevent it from failing." The masked Unicorn noted. "Of course." The cloaked pony nodded. "We'll be watching." The masked Earth Pony said as he slowly 'slid' back into the shadows, with his companion trailing behind him. "Good." The cloaked pony chuckled. "Just watch closely. It's going to be quite the show..."