//------------------------------// // Drama! Part 1 // Story: Quoth the Raven: Into the Light // by LordLycaon //------------------------------// “The number one rule of thieves is that nothing is too small to steal.” - Jimmy Breslin -o- Manehatten’s Museum of Antiquities was a proud monument that stood behind a large yard of well maintained grass and shrubbery. The tall, marble walls stood proudly as they housed many priceless artifacts from Equestria’s rich history. Many ponies from all over Equestria, and even visitors from faraway countries, would visit the museum to catch a glimpse of the countless items that housed so much cultural value. Many of the citizens held the monument as a source of pride for their city, and took great care to respect it. Tonight though, it stood quietly. The waning half-moon shone down on the lawn as crickets sang their nightly chorus and fireflies danced their night away. Only a few guards patrolled within and without the museum as they tiredly made their rounds. Glowing horns or flashlights would illuminate the area around them as they kept watch for any unexpected visitors. Upon the museum’s roof, two figures dashed to the domed skylight in the center of the building. Clad in all black, the guards would not have seen them immediately, even if they had used the front door. One of the pair, a stallion, opened a saddlebag on his side, allowing his partner, a mare, to take out a glass cutter with an attached suction cup, carefully adjusting it as she set it upon the skylight. When she was certain she’d gotten the perfect size, she spun the cutter around, the suction cup keeping the piece of glass from falling and shattering on the floor below. Setting the cutter and glass aside, the stallion pulled out rappelling gear from the mare’s bag, quickly fastening it to the belt around her torso. They nodded to each other as the stallion got a tight grip on the end of the rope, the mare climbing through the hole in the skylight to be slowly lowered to their target: a gleaming, gold statuette of Princess Celestia. As the statuette came closer in view, the mare couldn’t help but to smirk under her mask. That trinket was worth a fortune. Just a little closer… She suddenly jerked to a stop just as the statuette was right in front of her, briefly winding her. She glared up above, her partner looking down and apparently shrugging. The mare shook her head, wanting to shout at him, but thinking better of it. The last thing they needed now was to alert the whole city to their presence here. Returning her focus to the task at hoof, she dug through her bag, bringing out another glass cutter, this one more knife-like in appearance, and brought it to the statuette case. Carefully, she cut as round a hole as she could manage, the piece of glass falling inward without a sound. Smiling under her mask again, she reached into the case, grabbing the statuette and pulling it out. She took a few moments to just admire the artifact, taking in its smooth sheen and expert craftwork, being a perfect effigy of the Princess of the Sun sitting upon her throne. The thing sparkled brightly, even in the dark of the museum. The mare gave a few quick tugs on the rope, and the stallion began to pull her back up. She quickly stored the statuette away in her bag as soon as she was out. “Did you get it?” he asked quietly, his voice muffled under his mask. Her smile matched the one on her mask. “Right here.” She lifted up her saddlebag flap, the moonlight gleaming off the golden statue within. His grin didn’t match the frown on his mask. “What a night. And right out from under their noses, too.” He looked around for a moment. “We better go before—” He grunted as something tackled into him, startling the mare as he and some dark shape crashed through the skylight. “Tragedy!” she called after him. She rushed over to the edge of the skylight to see him wrestling with something in the air. He managed to turn enough that he landed on the thing that hit him, and with the same momentum, push off it to land easily on his hooves. The dark form picked itself up from the floor with a grumble. “That was not supposed to happen.” Two piercing, pure yellow eyes glared at the stallion ahead that watched her. “The Raven?” he uttered. She stood tall and spread her ethereal wings out wide. “So, you know me, huh? Then that means you know how this is going to work out. Give back the statue and turn yourselves in, or do I have to pound you into submission first?” He snorted, tugging his frowning mask on tighter. “You caught me by surprise, but you’ve already forgotten one thing.” She lifted her head proudly. “And what’s that?” “Her.” Before the Raven could turn, the other masked pony swung in on a rope and kicked her fully in the side, sending her through a display case and spilling several ancient weapons across the floor. The Raven stood with a grunt, shards of glass falling from her shadow-covered body. “You two are going to pay for that, in more ways than one.” She shuddered, flinging the last of the glass away. “Last chance. Give up now, or I take you down.” The two masked ponies shared a look, though the Raven wasn’t able to see their expressions. “Sounds like a challenge to me, Comedy.” “You’re right, Tragedy. I think somepony needs to be taught a lesson,” the mare with the grinning mask said. “Wait… Your names are Comedy and Tragedy?” The Raven snorted. “Wow. That is so dumb. You’re thieves, not actors! Why not something stealthy-sounding, like… I don’t know, Night Stalker and Shadow Thief or something. At least give your names an edge.” “Like ‘the Raven’ is any better?” Comedy asked with a laugh. “Hey, you come up with a better name for a superhero with shadow powers and wings!” “Night Stalker was actually pretty good,” Tragedy admitted. “I would’ve gone with Blackbird, honestly,” said Comedy. “Or Nyte Blayde.” “Or the Nightwatcher.” ‘Did they just forget you exist?’ Nevermore asked as the two rambled on. ‘I… don’t even know,’ she said to the resident shadow spirit in her mind. Personally, she had to admit that all those names probably were better than the one she’d stuck with. Maybe she could get the city to start calling her— “Oh, what about Black Biddy?” the mare said, which only made the other laugh uncontrollably, in spite of what his name and mask implied about him. It didn’t help that Nevermore was also laughing in her head. “What does that mean?” she demanded of them. ‘She basically just called you a black chicken,’ Nevermore answered between fits of laughter. “What?!” the Raven bristled, glaring at the two. “I am not a chicken!” The two thieves stared her, their expressions hidden, but she could tell already tell what they were thinking. “Looks like we just found us a winner, eh, Tragedy?” “Looks like it, Comedy.” Tragedy turned to face the Raven. “You mad, Little Biddy?” The shadowy mare’s eye twitched. “That’s it! Taking you both down now!” Without thinking, she rushed at the, forelegs extended and wings beating rapidly. The pair of thieves quickly leaped out of the way, letting the Raven soar past them and tackle an innocent display stand. She pulled herself from the wreckage, still seething. “Hold still so I can pound you!” She dashed for the mare this time, but instead of leaping out of the way, she leaped above her and kicked her to the side, directly towards her waiting partner, who lifted a hoof to roughly slap the Raven aside, right into the hard, marble wall. She groaned as she hit the ground. This was the trouble with fighting earth ponies; why did they have to be so darned strong? Seriously, that just wasn’t fair! Even with the enhanced strength that Nevermore gave her, the fact that earth ponies were already five to six times stronger than an average pegasus like herself was a distinct disadvantage for her. ‘The way these two are fighting,’ Nevermore said, ‘they must’ve been working together for a long time. This could be rough.’ ‘What do you think I should do?’ She heard him hum to himself for a second. ‘Choose one, and go after them. Watch the other, but focus on the one. I’d suggest the mare, since she has the statue.’ “Right,” she said aloud, standing up from the ground. “What’s right?” Tragedy asked. Her gaze darted to him before it shifted to Comedy. “How right it’s gonna be when I knock you two on your flanks!” She gave another flap of her wings and took off for Comedy. The masked mare chortled and turned to run. ‘Watch it!’ Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tragedy leap to intercept her charge. She smiled to herself as she ducked under his swing and caught him by the tail. He gave a startled gasp as she flung him across the room, bouncing painfully off the marble floor. Even as she tried to turn her attention to the other, she found the masked mare had rushed back in and planted both of her hind hooves on her barrel. With an amused snort, she springboarded off the Raven’s chest, sending her back across the museum floor. The Raven hit the ground running and charged back in, swing punches at the mare, who ducked and weaved under the blows. “Ha! Maybe we should have called you the Penguin! You’re way too slow to be a chicken!” Comedy taunted. “Stop. Calling. Me. Names!” She brought her hoof back in a fierce blow that Comedy only managed to dodge. The blow left a spiderweb of cracks in the marble floor. Comedy took the opening to whirl and buck her. The Raven skidded back from the attack, but didn’t see Tragedy rush in with a body blow that winded her. Gasping for breath, the Raven gave her wings a flap to get above their reach. “Aww, no fair!” she heard Comedy complain. “Biddies aren’t supposed to fly!” Her eye twitched again and she had to choke back a growl. ‘I so hate them.’ ‘Keep it in check. They’re baiting you.’ ‘But they’re so frustrating!’ She swooped down towards Comedy with as much speed as she could muster, tackling the mare and rolling violently across the floor. With a fierce yank, Swirling tore Comedy’s bag off of her back and pulled out the statuette within, its glittering gold surface unblemished. “Hey! That’s ours!” Comedy, having regained her footing, leaped at the Raven, who disappeared from sight with the statue, leaving the masked mare to skid onto the floor with a rough grunt of dissent. She turned quickly and saw the Raven reemerging from the shadows, statuette in hoof, near the display case where the artifact had been placed. “Tragedy!” Without a word, the stallion jumped as if from nowhere, slamming his whole body into the Raven’s form, knocking the statue out of the shadow mare’s grasp. With a grunt, the Raven spun around and kicked the masked stallion away, then scrambled for the statuette. She stood quickly, facing the pair of thieves, who were probably returning her glare. The sounds of hooves from down the hall could be heard, along with shouts from guards who sounded less than pleased with the ruckus they were causing. Comedy and Tragedy both cursed, and Tragedy reached into his bag and pulled out several small pellets, which he threw at the Raven. The pellets exploded into a cloud of smoke, nearly suffocating the startled pegasus, who coughed and wheezed as the sight-clouding gas entered her lungs. When the smoke cleared, she caught her breath and quickly turned her head to find her opponents, but they had disappeared. In their place, several guards were entering the room, unicorns with their horns glowing, pegasi and earth ponies with weapons lowered and ready. “She’s trying to steal the statue!” one pegasus yelled with an accusing hoof pointed at the mare. Swirling shook her head, looking at the statuette in her hooves, then back at the guards. “N-n-no! You’ve got it wrong! I—” A bolt of magic flew at her, yelping as she ducked under the attack, which was only followed with more blasts, probably spells to stun her with. She leaped to the left to avoid another bolt that struck a display case behind her. Now running on autopilot, she took to the air, shooting towards the nearest exit, flying out of the broken skylight on the ceiling and touching down on the museum roof. She sighed as she sat back against a vent, mentally berating herself for letting two lowlife robbers get away. How could she have been so careless? ‘I’d hate to interrupt your moping,’ said Nevermore, ‘but it looks to me like you’ve picked up a souvenir.’ “Souvenir? What’re you…” She looked to her hooves, and her eyes went wide; she still had the statuette of Celestia! The pegasus groaned as she leaned her head back. “Oh, pony-feathers.” All of a sudden, she heard a snapping sound, and briefly saw a wiry rope coil around the statuette, which was yanked right out of her hooves, straight up to another rooftop, where she caught of glimpse of Comedy giving her a mocking salute before disappearing from sight. The Raven was left in befuddlement, staring at where she saw the thief, then at her hooves. She then asked herself the most important question of that night: “What just happened?” The sounds of approaching guards from the stairwell told her now was the time to leave. With a strong flap of her wings, she faded into night, just as the guards burst through the door of the museum’s roof. -o- Why is that she always has to work the next day after a painfully long night of bad heroing? It seemed every time she had a night where Nevermore found something to berate her for, she found herself at work the next day, being yelled at by her greasy-maned boss. She ran a hoof over her face as she watched Lou work in a frenzy in his kitchen. Vegetables and fruits and other things just seemed to fly around as he stacked plate after plate on her tray. Despite the chaos in the kitchen, she privately admitted that the setup on the plates looked professionally set. “How do you do it, Lou?” she asked as he finished with her tray. “By working hard, unlike you. Get to work!” he groused as he had already turned to another order. Muttering something dark under her breath, she took the tray and balanced it between her wings. She moved through the tables with ease, having walked around them so long that she could likely do so blindfolded. As she approached her destined table, her ears flickered towards a small group who sat talking over their meals. “Hey, did you read the headlines today?” one of the customers asked his fellows. “Yeah. Something about that weirdo in the black outfit stealing something out of the museum.” The first speaker nodded. “That’s what the paper said. And here I thought she was supposed to be some kinda hero or something.” He snorted dismissively. “Just another thief, I guess.” ‘No! No! NO! I’m not a thief! I wasn’t the one who stole the statue!’ She heard a soft hiss in her mind. ‘Do you really have to shout? Why yell at me?’ ‘Because I have a secret identity to maintain, thank you very much!’ Scowling to herself, she headed for her table and dropped off the food in short, if not gruff, order. When she got back to the counter, she set her tray in the window for Lou to fill up again. “You know, Swirl, it seems every time I see you lately, you’re more grumpy than the day before,” she heard a voice say to her. She turned to see her friend, Summer Streams, giving her a soft, humored smile. “Long night,” Swirling answered dismissively. Summer brushed a lock of her dark tan mane behind an ear and gave her friend a curious look. “You’re not lying to me about having a boyfriend, are you?” Swirling shut her eyes tightly, a blush creeping on her face. “No, Summer. If I did, you’d be the first to know about it.” “I’d better be,” the verdant-green unicorn said, giving her friend a sly wink. “You’ll have to share all the juicy details with me. I want to hear about it all.” Swirling felt her blush grow stronger, turning her purple and white fur a darker hue. “Summer, you’re a mean one.” Summer turned her nose up with a soft snort. “I wouldn’t have to be if you’d just find yourself a special somepony.” “Moving on,” Swirling said, eliciting a warm chuckle from her friend. “You know, Swirl, if you’re having a bad day, maybe a walk around the park is what you need.” She levitated a few napkins on her own tray as Lou began to fill it up with plates of food. “How about it? After work, you and me, a few laps around the lawn to walk off our stress?” A soft frown crossed her face. She knew that Nevermore was going to make her take another night of getting used to her powers as the Raven, and that usually meant longer nights without much sleep. That lifestyle was beginning to drag her down. Maybe a change of pace would be a good thing for her. A walk around the park with her best friend, talking about silly, pointless things, might just be what she needed. Now if only she could get Nevermore off her back. An exasperated sigh erupted in her mind. ‘You could always ask, you know?’ ‘Why? You’d only tell me no and say I need the practice,’ she shot right back at him. ‘When was the last time you let me have a night off, Nevermore?’ ‘That… one time.’ ‘That was weeks ago!’ ‘Cry me a river.’ Another sigh escaped him. ‘Now really isn’t the time for taking a break. Have you forgotten that those thieves are out there and you’re being blamed for their crimes? I would think that hunting them down would be more important than talking about stallions, clothing, art, or whatever you ponies prattle on about in this day and age.’ ‘One night, Nevermore, then I promise I won’t ask for another week,’ she all but pleaded with him. She heard him groan. ‘Fine. Tonight, then, but don’t say I don’t do anything for you.’ ‘You rarely do.’ ‘And I intend to keep it that way.’ Smiling to herself she turned back to Summer, who had watched her curiously as she had her inner conversation with Sir Cranky Feathers. “Are you all right, Swirling? You kind of zoned out on me there.” “What?” Swirling shook her head. “Er, yeah, I’m fine. Just… tired is all.” “Well?” Swirling tilted her head at her. “Well what?” Summer gave her own exasperated sigh. “Do you want to go for that walk with me or not?” “Oh. Uh, sure. I’m up for it.” A faint smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “It does sound like a good idea, actually.” Summer’s smile almost looked ready to split her jaw. “Good! I’ve got a lot to tell you. Did you know that Page—” “Work, you two!” “Sorry, Lou!” they said in unison and quickly ran off with their trays. -o- The feel of the grass underneath her hooves as she trotted beside her friend was more relaxing than she thought it would be. Despite working up a lather, Swirling could see why Summer ran everyday. Concentrating on her pace and her breathing allowed her to forget about the troubles she was having. In a way, it felt relaxing to just forget about it all and run. “So, what do you think of that one?” she heard Summer say. She blinked in confusion and their pace slowed to a brisk walk. “One what?” “Him.” The unicorn pointed towards a group of stallions that were lounging together by a park bench, chatting about something or other. “The one with the blonde mane is pretty hot, don’t you think?” Swirling looked at the stallion in question and closed her eyes, trying in vain to stop the blush growing on her face. “Well… he’s cute, but no.” She felt Summer nudge her in the side. “What about his friend then? We should go talk to him.” Swirling turned a raised eyebrow at her. “We?” She gave an innocent roll of her eyes. “For you, of course.” “Riiight… Don’t you already have a boyfriend of your own?” “Well, it’s not like I plan on spending the night with any of them,” Summer replied with a somewhat indignant look on her face. “Besides, I’m sure Page wouldn’t mind me being your wing-pony here. Come on, what’ve you got to lose?” ‘Perhaps your dignity.’ ‘Quiet, Nevermore!’ “I don’t know, Summer. I’m not really looking for—” “Hey, you won’t find one if you don’t look, now will you?” Her horn lit up, and Swirling felt one of her forelegs being tugged. “Now, come on. And don’t forget to smile.” “Summer! Wait! No!” She hobbled after her friend on three legs. “I can walk on my own, you know!” She stumbled until she felt Summer’s magic let her go, but by then, the three stallions had already seen their approach. She felt her cheeks flush as the stallions gave her humored grins. “Good afternoon, ladies. Nice day for a walk, huh?” one of them asked. Summer gave her mane a toss and smiled at him. “Oh, it is. My friend and I were enjoying our walk when she—” Swirling’s eyes grew as big as dinner plates. “Summer!” “—saw you and mentioned how good you looked,” the unicorn said without paying her a single mind. “I hate you…” Swirling whispered at her, her cheeks turning a bright scarlet. “Shush, you’ll thank me later,” Summer whispered. She turned to the stallions again with a disarming smile. “Don’t let her words fool you. She’s just shy. Poor thing doesn’t even really go out that often. No reason to, her being single and all.” “All of my spite,” Swirling muttered at the unicorn, who continued to ignore her protests. The one stallion turned his attention to Swirling and gave her a pleasant smile. “Single, huh? Me too.” Swirling hung her head a bit as Summer practically pranced in place beside her. She did privately admit that he was kind of cute. Maybe she could at least take a chance. She rubbed at the back of her head for a second. “Soo… what’s your name?” He gave her a sly, confident smirk. “What’s your name, beautiful?” Again, she felt the heat rising on her face. “S-Swirling Line.” She so badly wanted to whap Summer as she felt the unicorn prod her side hopefully. “Well, Swirling Line, why don’t you and your friend here give us your money?” “I- wait, what?” Swirling blinked, then turned to Summer. “That’s not normal for flirting, is it?” One of the other stallions brought out a pocket knife and pointed it at Summer, who flinched back at the sight of the weapon. “You heard him, girls. Give us whatever you got, and we’ll all pretend this never happened.” Summer’s jaw gaped wide open as Swirling groaned in irritation. “I hate you so much right now,” said the pegasus. The third stallion smacked a hoof into the other. “I wouldn’t suggest screaming either, if you know what’s good for you.” She felt Summer slink up next to her. “P-Please, don’t hurt us.” The first stallion gave that coy smile of his. “We won’t, as long as you fine mares do as you’re told. Drop your money and walk away. Simple as that.” He slid a hoof blade onto his foreleg and leveled it at Swirling’s neck. “Don’t make me ask twice, beautiful.” ‘She really does have all the luck with the stallions, doesn’t she?’ ‘Nevermore, what do I do?’ she pleaded in her mind to the spirit. ‘As much as I hate to say it, you’re going to have to go along with it.’ ‘But I can take them!’ ‘And show them, and Summer, who you really are?’ ‘Well, I—’ ‘Besides, it’s broad daylight. Remember what happened the last time you were exposed to sunlight as the Raven?’ Oh, she remembered that day vividly. She’d nearly died at the hooves of the crime lord Mafioso because of sunlight. Her whole body felt as though it had exploded into a bonfire. It wasn’t exactly a sensation she was eager to experience again anytime soon. “S-Swirling, what do we do,” she heard Summer whisper to her. She glanced at her friend and saw the unicorn was shivering under the expectant gazes of the stallions. ‘I’m going to hate myself for this.’ “All right, you win.” Reluctantly, she reached for her pouch of bits, presenting it to the stallions with a grunt of disdain. Meekly, Summer followed her friend’s example, offering her own bit pouch as well. “See? Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?” the stallion said as he scooped up the coin purses with the flat of his blade and tossed them to one of his buddies. He then gave them the same smile, though with a bit more teeth to it. “You ladies have yourselves a wonderful day.” With a nod, he and his two buddies quickly ran off. Swirling watched them go with a deep scowl, wanting nothing more than to go after them and beat the tar out of them for mugging them. Her gaze snapped to her friend as she heard Summer fall to her haunches with a sob. “Summer, it’s all right. We’re not hurt.” She rested a hoof around her friend’s shoulder. “Don’t cry, we’ll go to the police and report them. They’ll find them.” Summer sniffed. “I-I was just scared they were going to hurt us. When he pulled out that knife, I thought for sure he was going to hurt you or me.” “I’ve seen scarier knives,” Swirling muttered. “What?” “Nothing. Come on, let’s just go home. I’ll walk you to your apartment.” -o- Tricky couldn’t help but sigh at the sight that greeted him when he came home. Considering where he lived, messes were to be expected. Personally, he preferred his messes to fall into the category of ‘controlled chaos,’ in which he could always find exactly what he needed, whenever he needed it. That is, until the Raven came along and started asking for info on things. After a short while, she saw fit to just come whenever the mood struck her and dig through his files for one reason or another.  It really was quite exasperating, he thought. This was going to be one of those nights, it seemed. He stepped over a pile of papers as he approached the shadow-clad mare, who was currently flinging files about haphazardly, briefly looking through them before moving onto the next. She only stopped when she heard him heave an exasperated sigh. “You do realize that I have a business to run, right?” he asked with a quirked eyebrow. “And you’re not helping.” The Raven shrugged. “Sorry about the mess. Just trying to find something on a couple thieves I ran into the other night.” “Thieves, is it?” he asked with a faint tone of curiosity. “No shortage of them in this city, if you haven’t noticed yet.” She muttered something and nodded. “Couple of weirdos wearing drama masks. They called themselves Comedy and Tragedy.” The stallion rubbed his chin for a moment, muttering the names to himself before heading over to a filing cabinet and digging through it. Not finding what he was looking for, he began shuffling through the mountain of files covering his floor, setting aside irrelevant files for later reorganization and use. Soon, he found what he was looking for, smirking slightly as he cracked open the file. “Here we go,” he said. “Comedy and Tragedy.” He quietly read the file, his expression becoming more serious than before. “Oh, wow. Now this is a pair you don’t wanna cross.” He tossed the file over to the Raven, who opened and read through it herself. “Master thieves. They steal valuable items to sell on the black market. And they don’t seem to take kindly to witnesses. Most ponies who’ve seen them aren’t exactly out and about anymore.” “Thieves and murderers?” she said as she looked over the relatively sparse information in the file. Their crimes weren’t limited to larceny and murder. They’d also committed arson, had kidnapped ponies for ransom without getting caught, and espionage that bordered on treason. “Wow. Real pieces of work, aren’t they?” “One of my informants told me they kicked an old mare after she fell once.” Swirling glared at him. “Tell me you’re joking.” His shoulders rose in a grand shrug. “Who knows? They might’ve.” “So, in summary, they’re a pair of kleptomaniacs with a penchant for assault, killing ponies, and burning thing. How delightful.” She spat and tossed him the file back. “You sure know how to pick ‘em, don’t you?” Tricky said with a humored tone as he caught the file. “First Mafioso, then that freak-ass cult, now Comedy and Tragedy of all ponies. You’re just making new friends all over the place, aren’t you?” “All over the place,” she said dryly. “Do you know anything else about them? Who they really are?” Again he shrugged and put his file back in the cabinet. “No clue, and even if I did, I can’t just give out information like that without getting something in return.” “Hey, I’ve been keeping vengeful thugs from getting to you ever since I took down Mafioso! The least you could do is be thankful enough to give me complete information.” “Business is business, Raven,” Tricky answered. “Unless you’re willing to—” She leveled her ears at him. “No, I’m not telling you who I am.” The stallion sighed with a light chuckle. “Well, you can’t blame a guy for trying.” The Raven shook her head with a small groan. “One more thing before I go.” Tricky looked up at her again. “They stole some kind of statuette. One that looked like Princess Celestia sitting on a throne or something. I know they go after valuable things and all, but they seemed really eager to get their hooves on it.” “A Celestia statuette, huh? The one in the Museum of Antiquities?” The mare gave a nod.  He tapped at his chin in a show of contemplation. “Well, I heard from one of my guys that the Museum of Antiquities is expecting a new little trinket that’s supposedly similar to the one of Celestia. An obsidian statuette of Princess Luna, recently relinquished by Celestia herself to be paired with its sibling statue. Security’s supposed to be tight.” ‘Give you one guess why,’ Nevermore said to Swirling. “Why wouldn’t they have waited until the Luna statue actually arrived and taken both at the same time?” she asked. “Or at least waited until everypony there to see it had left.” “It’s supposed to be a one-time thing,” Tricky explained. “After the exhibit, both statuettes are to be taken to the royal vaults in Canterlot. Not even Comedy and Tragedy would be able to get through that kind of security.” ‘As arrogant as they were, I’d say they meant it as a dare for someone to try and stop them.’ ‘Everypony’s got their limits, Nevermore, even criminals.’ “Thanks, Tricky. I’ll be sure to bring you back some gossip if I find anything out.” “Please do.” After she left through his window, he looked at haphazard mess she had left him. “I’m charging her for this…” -o- The door swung open to the hotel room, two ponies walking in, the mare humming to herself and the stallion grunting as he tossed his bag onto one of the luxurious beds. “As far as stakeouts go, that one was boring,” he muttered as he tossed aside his frowning mask to one of the two beds. “All of those guards and not one of them bothered to look at the roofs of the other buildings.” The mare yawned as she flopped onto the other bed, throwing her own grinning mask to the floor. “You think you were bored? I was the one who had to sit next to you with nothing do while you stared at them through that midget telescope of yours.” He glowered at her. “It’s a spyglass.” “Whatever. At least we know they still don’t stand a chance.” She rested her hooves behind her head. “This is gonna be a piece of cake, and then we can live the high life for the rest of our lives.” She gave a wide smile. “And all we need to do is steal another little statue.” The stallion hoofed at his nose. “It’s thinking like that that got us spotted by the Raven—” “Black Biddy.” His tail swished in annoyance. “Her, and caused that show at the museum. It was supposed to be an in-and-out job, all quiet like.” “Oh, please,” Comedy said with a long roll of her eyes. “Her showing up was fluke, and now the cops think she stole the first statuette. They’ll be on the lookout for the Biddy, not us.” “It’d still be good to plan for her in case she shows up again. From what I understand, she only appears at night, and the other statuette will be arriving at nighttime in few days’ time. We’ll need to be quicker and more careful than last night.” His bed groaned as he sat down with a sigh. “Tragedy, you worry too much.” The mare rolled on to her belly to stare at her brother. “What would mom and dad say if they heard you whining so much?” He glowered at her, leveling his ears. “They’d agree with me that you’re not taking this seriously enough.” “Would not!” Now it was Tragedy’s turn to roll his eyes. He rummaged through his bag, pulling out his equipment - glass cutters, a grappling hook, rope, a specialized blowtube, a spyglass - before removing a blueprint of the museum layout and unrolling it on a small table between the beds. “Let’s just go over the plan one more time tonight,” he said. “We don’t want to leave anything to chance.” “Oh, but leaving things to chance makes everything so much more exciting!” That comment earned her a glare from her brother. She sighed and lay down facing the blueprint. “Fine. Let’s go over the boring details.” As they went over the details, there was a knock at their door. “I’ll get it!” Comedy said eagerly, leaping from her bed and running for the door. Her brother sighed again as she did everything but tell him how bored she was. She opened the door a crack, peering out. Almost the instant she saw who it was, she wanted to slam the door shut out of sheer annoyance. “Radiant, baby!” said the heavyset earth pony stallion at the door. “How’s the hotel treatin’ ya, huh? Pretty swanky, ain’t it? Say, where’s your brother? Huh, he here?” “Uh, yeah, he’s here. Just a minute.” She quickly shut the door, and hurried to her brother. “It’s Done Deal.” Tragedy sucked in a breath. “Put the gear away, and I’ll let him in.” His sister nodded and cleaned up the mess while he went to the door to meet with their agent. “Lambent, my friend!” Deal greeted with wide grin, showing off perfect teeth that contrasted atrociously with his dark tan coat. “Listen up, I got ya somethin’ for that new gig you got on Bridleway. The New Yoke Times is sendin’ a reporter to interview you and your sister before the big play! Your names’re gonna be in one of the biggest papers in the city! Extra publicity!” “That’s… great.” He looked back into the room, seeing that his sister had just finished hiding their equipment. “Why don’t you come on in, and we’ll talk about the rest of the deal?” “Well, far be it from me to turn down such a generous offer!” Deal beamed greedily, wrapping a hoof around his shoulders. “Ya got one of those little mini-bars, right? With the tiny wine glass things? You know how much I love those miniature drinks in these big name joints!” “Of course,” Tragedy grumbled. Planning for their big heist would have to wait until later, it seemed. -o- Swirling couldn’t help but scowl at the sight of the many newspaper headlines on the nearby stand declaring in large, bold text that the Raven had stolen some nearly priceless artifact from the antiquities museum. She was ready to fly right up to every single editor-in-chief in the entire city and tell them all about what really happened, but she doubted they’d believe her. Nevermore had also managed to convince her that it would only be a waste of time and energy. She shook her head and sighed as she sipped down a drink of her coffee, setting the mug down on the outdoor table of her and Summer’s favorite cafe, a small place where they would get together whenever they had days off from work at Lou’s Diner. She’d spent most of last night looking out for those two thieves, earning nothing but another sleepless night. Exhausted as she was, the coffee in her hooves was the drink of the gods. ‘Why, exactly, are we here again?’ Nevermore asked. He wasn’t exactly all for the idea of taking a coffee break. ‘Because I don’t get enough time to spend with my friend lately, thanks to my night job.’ ‘Wasn’t that your idea to begin with?’ ‘Not the point. I just want to hang out with my friend with no distractions for once.’ She took a gulp of coffee. ‘Besides, she mentioned she had a surprise for me to make up for getting me mugged.’ ‘Is she bringing Brawn and Knives to coffee then?’ ‘...I hate you so much.’ As if on cue, Summer exited the cafe with a small tray of small sandwiches and a cup of coffee held in her magic as she made her way to the table. She took her seat across from Swirling, setting the tray in the middle and taking a long gulp from her drink. She let out a pleasant sigh before speaking. “This is so nice. Us just sitting here, having a drink and pony-watching.” She took another sip of her drink. “We don’t get to do this nearly often enough.” “I know,” Swirling said with smile as she took one of the sandwiches. “With work and hobbies and everything, it’s been awhile since we’ve just sat and talked.” She bit into the sandwich, relishing the delectable flavor of daffodils. “So, what’s this surprise of yours?” The unicorn grinned. Swirling could hear her clicking her hooves under the table before the unicorn’s horn lit up, and pair of what looked like ID cards floated out of her bag. “Page got a job for the New Yoke Times interviewing some of the actors in The Merry Mares of Windsor, and he got backstage passes! One for himself, and two extras!” “The merry who of what?” ‘It’s a play by Shaken Spear,’ Nevermore informed her. ‘How do you know that?’ ‘Who do you think gave him all his ideas?’ ‘Oh, well— wait, what?’ Before Swirling could get an answer from the spirit, Summer dropped one of the passes in front of her. “Page gave me the extras and said that I could invite a friend, so you’re coming along with me! It’s the least I can do after that incident in the park.” “You mean where I got mugged for flirting with a stallion?” Summer’s cheeks turned a darker hue. “Come on, Swirl. You know I couldn’t have known they were going to mug us!” A faint smirk crossed Swirling’s face and she shook her head. “Only you, Summer. Only you.” The unicorn turned her nose up with a snort before looked back at her friend. “Well? Are you going or not?” She took another sip of her coffee. “Well, when’s the play?” “Thursday night this week, then there’ll be another showing on Saturday.” The pegasus smirked. “You’re sure I won’t get mugged by the director?” The unicorn groaned and planted her face on the table. “Will you quit bringing that up already?” Swirling gave a velvety laugh, seeing her friend’s face flush in embarrassment always brought a smile to her face. ‘And you call me the cruel one.’ Ignoring him, she gave her friend a faint nod. “All right, I’ll be there. I’ve never been backstage to a play before. It might be fun.” Lifting her head from the table, Summer smiled at her friend. “Great. I’ll tell Page the good news! This is going to be awesome, I just know it!” Swirling grinned as she took another bite from her sandwich. With any luck, this coming Thursday might turn out to be one of the better nights she’s had in a while. No crooks, no Raven, no cranky Nevermore telling her what to do. ‘Good luck with that,’ Nevermore scoffed. -o- The Riverside Theatre was one of the larger and more grandiose theaters on Bridleway, boasting seating for anywhere between three hundred and four hundred ponies. With large stone pillars and brightly colored lights, the theater was a sight that wowed both tourists and locals alike. Tonight, though, many ponies waited patiently in line as they awaited opening night of The Merry Mares of Windsor. Chatter filled the streets and many of the patrons complimented each other on their manner of dress. A certain pegasus only fumed at the dress she found herself in. She stood next to Summer Streams, who wore a bright red dress that hugged her body well, showing off her curves almost perfectly. Swirling, on the other hoof, felt restricted. She wasn’t one for dresses if she were to be completely honest. Yes, her wings fit nicely through their holes in her dress, but they chafed at their bases and caused her to squirm in discomfort. It didn’t help that it was almost impossible to find a well-fitted dress that went with her fur and mane. She eventually had to settle for a simple black outfit, since black apparently went with virtually everything. She felt her side being prodded as she adjusted the dress again. “Stop squirming. You look fine,” Summer said as she held her head up high. Swirling heaved out a sigh. “I can’t help it. You know how I feel about dresses.” She spread her wings to check the bases, where her dress was digging into her just enough to be an irritation. “Seriously, do I have to wear this? It’s not like clothing is that important.” “It is when you’re at a high society event like this.” Summer primped her mane a bit more before settling down again. “Sometimes you have to dress nicely for everyone else, Swirling.  Besides,” she gave her a sly smile. “You could—” Swirling stuffed a hoof over her mouth. “Don’t. Remember the last time you said that?” Summer’s growl almost sounded like a dog’s. “Fine, but keep it in mind. You need to get yourself a boyfriend at some point, Swirl.” “Like I need a second Nevermore screaming at me,” the pegasus muttered quietly. “What?” “Nothing.” She looked around the chattering crowd for a moment. “Where’s Page? Shouldn’t he be here by now?” Summer looked around as well, blinking at the lights. “He should be here. He said to meet us at the door, but I don’t see him.” Summer gasped as a pair of tan hooves wrapped around her eyes. “Guess who?” Swirling turned to see Page Topper give a silent shush as he held his hooves over Summer’s eyes. “Hmm… Handsome voice, soft hooves, and a faint scent of ink. There can only be one pony.” She turned quickly and planted an affectionate kiss on him. “My Page Topper.” Swirling cleared her throat. “And now I feel like the awkward third wheel.” Summer turned a teasing smile her way. “Well, if you would—” “Summer!” Her friends had a laugh at her, and Swirling felt her cheeks flush. “I am so going to get you back for that.” Another giggle escaped the unicorn. “Sorry, I just couldn’t pass it up.” She looked back at Page as he stood beside her. “You look handsome in that suit, Page.” Swirling glanced over and saw that he wore a standard tuxedo. “Thanks, and you look lovely in that dress.” He wrapped a hoof around the shoulders of his girlfriend and looked at Swirling. “And Swirling, you do look nice in that dress. It suits you.” She muttered again and tugged it away from her wings again. “If you say so. I can’t wait to get home and get out of it.” He gave her a slight nod. “Still, I think you’ll like the play. It’s actually a comedy, and some of the performances in other cities all gave it good reviews.” He gave Summer another peck on the cheek. “I think we’re all in for a good night.” Swirling felt she was going to be rolling her eyes often tonight at the two, but that didn’t curb her enthusiasm to seeing the play. It was a rare occurrence that she ever had the money to see even a cheap film at the movie theater, let alone a high end play on Bridleway. As they entered the theater, and the usher showed them to their seats, she couldn’t suppress a smile. Though it faded just a bit when she saw the grinning and frowning masks that adorned nearly every live theater in some form or other. ‘It’s like the universe just wants to keep reminding me how I screwed up.’ ‘You did.’ ‘Not helping, Nevermore.’ “Shall we head backstage while we wait for the play to start?” Page suggested with a grin. “We could meet the actors and stagehooves that bring it to life.” Summer beamed excitedly, almost bouncing in place. “Oh, yes, yes, yes! Let’s do that! I might even be able to get some pointers from professional actors!” Swirling blinked at that, then nodded as she recalled Summer’s aspirations for a career in acting, and got back to her hooves. “Come on, Summer, let’s go meet them before the show starts.” “Yes!” Swirling wound her forelegs towards herself as Summer burst past her, about knocking her clear out of the aisle in her rush. ‘You’re right. Don’t get in her way when she’s after something...’ Swirling rubbed at her head. ‘You would’ve thought I’d learned by now.’ Following the ecstatic unicorn, Swirling, followed by Page, made her way down the aisle and through the crowd of yet-to-be-seated ponies. Summer was showing her pass to a large stallion wearing suit standing in front of door bearing plaque reading ‘Backstage,’ the guard nodding and opening the door for her. Swirling and Page flashed their own passes, and the overdressed bouncer allowed them through as well. Finding Summer again wasn’t any grand feat. All they had to do was listen for the exuberant squeals of joy and excited babbling. The red-and-green blur of motion didn’t hurt in picking the unicorn out, either. A soft smile crossed Swirling’s muzzle; even with the irritating dress she was wearing, it was more than worth it to see her friend run around like a little filly in a toy store. Her gaze drifted to a pair of actors as they exited a dressing room. A mare and a stallion who looked strangely much like each other. Both were earth ponies with golden coats of fur and bright green eyes, but the mare had a brilliant blonde mane, while the stallion’s mane was a silvery color. The mare wore an elegant blue dress, with her mane done up in a tight bun, while the stallion wore what Swirling guessed was medieval formal attire or something, with bits of old-fashioned armor on his barrel and hooves. Before Swirling could comment, another squeal left Summer’s lungs, and she dashed over to the two ponies, who stepped back in surprise with awkward looks to each other. “Oh, my gosh!” Summer shrieked in glee. “I know you two! You’re Radiant and Lambent Voice!” The mare blinked, looking to the equally confused stallion for a moment before looking back at Summer. “Uh… who are you?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. Certain that Summer might say something that could come out wrong, Page stepped in, smiling sheepishly. “Sorry about her. Summer tends to get excited.” “Nothing wrong with it, Page,” the stallion said coolly. “‘Page’?” Swirling parroted, turning to the stallion in question. “Wait, you know these two?” The earth pony nodded. “Summer told you I got a job interviewing the actors for the play tonight, didn’t she? Radiant and Lambent were two of the actors I got to talk to.” It was amazing that Summer wasn’t foaming at the mouth with how excited she was. “You know them personally!? Why didn’t you tell me!?” Page shrugged with a grin. “I wanted it to be a surprise. Not every day I get to introduce my girlfriend to her top idols.” Summer turned her eager smile to the two. “I’m such a huge fan! I’ve followed your acting careers since your first played in Los Pegasus! You’ve been a huge inspiration for me!” Radiant raises an eyebrow at her. “You act, then?” A fierce blush crossed her dark tan cheeks. “I… want to. I just haven’t caught my break yet.” Her voice returned to her excited tone. “But I am trying. I hope to one day be as renowned as you.” “Well, it’s not an easy job,” Lambent pointed out. “The paparazzi alone makes life hell for us. Hard to get any privacy when you’ve got cameras constantly flashing in your face.” Swirling tilted her head slightly as the others chatted away together. Something seemed… off about these two, but she couldn’t quite put her hoof on it. Their voices were vaguely familiar for some reason. Had she seen one of their plays before without recognizing them? The golden mare glanced over to Swirling, as Summer continued to talk with them. “Who’s your friend?” Summer’s gaze snapped behind her and she paled just a bit. “How could I forget?” She motioned to Swirling. “This is my best friend, Swirling Line. She’s an aspiring artist, and already a darn good one!” Swirling felt her own cheeks flush a bit at the attention. “Pleased to meet you.” Lambent’s green eyes traced her over for a moment. “That’s a nice dress you’re wearing, Miss Line.” Swirling felt her blush growing brighter. “Um… thank you. You look… ah…” He gave her a humored smirk. “Please, this costume is gaudy, but it’s for the act.” He gave her a wink. “Thank you, though.” Swirling stared at him, her blush remaining brightly on her cheeks. She felt her side nudged, and she saw Summer lifting her eyebrows suggestively at her. “Go on!” she whispered intently. “A boyfriend who’s also a famous actor! You can’t let a chance like this go to waste!” She covered her face with her hooves. “Summer… I really do hate you.” “Did you say something, Miss Line?” She looked up quickly to see Lambent staring at her curiously. “No, no. I was just—” “Five minutes, everypony!” they heard the stage manager say, as he hustled about making sure everything was ready. “Pity,” Lambent said, and turned a smile back to her. “Perhaps I’ll see you again after the show?” Swirling felt her mouth go dry. Did a famous (and admittedly very handsome) actor just admit that he wanted to see her again? Could she really have gotten that lucky? “Lambent,” Radiant said, giving him a pointed look. He looked at her and sighed. “Well, perhaps not tonight, but again, and soon,” he said as he looked back at Swirling. “Y-Yeah, sure!” She felt Summer nudge her again, only with a faint shake of her head. “Um, yes. I’d like that.” Lambent offered a shining smile as he and Radiant headed to their positions behind the curtain. Page and a reluctant Summer made their way out of the backstage, with Swirling following while also keeping an eye on Lambent. She pretty much had a date lined up with him now. The first date she’d have since her senior year in high school. Still, something about the pair just felt… odd. That sense of familiarity refused to leave her. Something just wasn’t right about those two.