//------------------------------// // Chapter 9 // Story: Luna vs. a Tiny Italian Car // by totallynotabrony //------------------------------// August 16, 2015 I wish I remembered the guns in the back seat before we tried to cross the border. Then again, they were in a duffel bag beneath the incognito Luna, so maybe I shouldn’t have worried. The Canadian border patrol agent gave the car a once-over, peering in the windows, and then looked at me suspiciously as I put on a fake smile and hoped my sweating wasn’t too noticeable. “Anything to declare?  Weapons, bear spray?” Maria and I glanced at each other.  “Bear spray?” “It’s the same thing as pepper spray, so it counts as a weapon.  But you didn’t answer the question.  Anything to declare?” “Just the invisible pony in the back seat.”  The moment I said it, I realized that calling attention to Luna was exactly the last thing I wanted to do, even if it was a joke. The inspector didn’t laugh.  He didn’t take a second look in the back seat, either, so I guess we dodged a bullet there. He carefully checked my ID again.  As part of my changed appearance, I’d also stopped shaving. Canadians know beards, though.  He let us in.  I’d have to think about getting back across the border eventually, but for the moment we were good.   “We’re on the correct path,” Luna said.  “Faster, if you please.”   “We can just as easily be caught speeding in Canada as anywhere else,” I reminded her.   “The roadside numbers say one hundred, rather than sixty five,” she pointed out.   “A different system of measurement,” I explained.   “Is this country really so different?” Luna said.  “You all look the same.”   I wasn’t sure if that was racist or not.  Canadians are people, too.   Though I’m sure if there was to be an argument, Montreal would be the place to have it.  More and more roadsigns in French appeared as we drove further north.   Maria had taken French in high school, but was rusty.  She still managed better than I did with mostly forgotten Spanish.   The GPS was apparently not programmed with detailed maps of Canada.  Our atlas had a few pages on the subject.  It wouldn’t be a problem to get where we were going with Luna’s directions, but getting back might be.   It was getting into evening as we approached Montreal.  Luna directed us into the city, and after a few turns ended up in front of a showground for something called Cavalia.   “It’s a riding show,” Luna said, reading the sign.  She frowned at the picture of dressed-up people and horses.   “Must be strange,” I said, “horses.”   “Not particularly,” Luna said.  “They bear as much resemblance to ponies as monkeys do to humans.”   Well, that was an awkward bullet dodged.  “Are Celestia and Tirek in there?” Maria asked.   Luna nodded.  “I believe so.”   “Do we buy tickets or sneak around the back?” I asked.   “It looks like it’s some sort of Cirque du Soleil thing,” said Maria.  “I wouldn’t mind seeing it.”   “First we rescue Celestia,” Luna reminded.   The three of us piled out of the car and went looking for a way in.  Luna took to the air, peering over fences and at rooftops.   Near the rear entrance, I paused when I caught of whiff of a familiar smell.  Maria noticed it, too.  Manure.   The pavement had been scraped clean, but bits of straw and dung were visible on closer inspection.  The residue led up to a set of double doors marked with personnel autorisé seulement.   We signaled Luna and she came down to stand beside us, though rather delicately once she realized what had drawn our attention.   The door was unlocked and we slipped inside.  Here, there were also smells of hay and animals.  The room was completely dark, though.   I felt along the wall.  “No light switch.”   “I can’t find one either,” said Maria from the other side of the door.   I was digging in my pocket for a mini Maglight when Luna’s horn lit up with a blue glow.  “I had not realized that you could not see.”   “It’s pitch black,” I pointed out.   “I do not often consider such matters,” Luna said.  “Princess of the Night that I am.”   When we had the chance, I’d have to see how her night vision stacked up against Trijicon.  In the meantime, I looked around in the faint light from her horn.  There were stalls with straw on the floor, but no horses.  Faintly, I heard some music and the sound of a crowd.  Maybe this room was empty because the performing animals were in the ring.   We crossed the room and entered a lighted area behind a door.  The floor had several sets of hoofprints on it.   A sign that read infirmerie pointed to a door.  Luna stopped in front of it.  Her eyes widened and then narrowed.  Her horn burst with a charge of magic and she slammed the door open.   On the other end of what looked like a vet clinic, were Celestia and Tirek.  This was as close as we’d ever been.  Apparently having sensed Luna’s approach, Tirek was already in motion, dragging Celestia out the back door.   I had a fraction of a second to see the expression on Celestia’s face.  It was surprised, fearful, but not without hope.  Luna hadn’t given up and she knew it.   The door hadn’t even slapped against the wall before Luna was through it.  She charged across the room, heading for the door that Tirek had pulled Celestia through.  Maria and I were after Luna, a few paces behind.   That was good, because when Luna went through the other door and got hammered into the wall by a blast of magic, we didn’t get pancaked.   I skidded to a halt and covered behind the left side of the door frame, Maria taking the right.  Through the door, I could see Luna splayed out on the ground.  Chancing a peep around the corner, I saw Tirek galloping away down the street, half-carrying, half-dragging Celestia along with him.   Maria went to Luna, whose eyes were unfocused and lolling.  She touched the princess’ cheek, not getting much of a response.   “We need to get out of here before someone comes to see what that was about,” I said.   “Get the car,” Maria agreed.  I ran for it.  Bringing the car around, I backed up and got as close as I could.  Luna seemed awake, but not responsive.   “You want her front or back?” Maria asked.   “Front, I guess.”   We lifted Luna into the car, or rather stood her up and then rolled her in.  “What do you figure she weighs?” I grunted.   “This size?”  Maria considered it.  “Looks like four hundred pounds.  Though I’d guess less considering she’s a magical princess.  Feels like two-fifty or three.”   We got her in and I shut the hatch.  Back in the front of the car, we buckled up.   “Which way did Tirek go?” I asked.   Maria gave me a look that said are we really going after him without Luna’s help?  Then it passed and she pointed down the street.   I knew how she felt, though.  This was as close as we’d been, and if there was a chance to end this tonight, we were absolutely going to try.   On its best day, the Fiat can’t spin the tires when you floor the gas.  With a few hundred pounds of luggage and princess, that becomes laughable.  However, despite its other shortcomings, it handles like a gokart.  On the tight streets of an old city like Montreal, that was a godsend.   Within a few blocks, we caught sight of Tirek down another street, and I hauled the wheel over.  I heard Luna limply roll to the other side as the car screeched around the corner.   Tirek could gallop faster than I could run, but not nearly as fast as even a slow car.  Shortly, we were following him within a dozen feet.  I didn’t know what to do next, though.   Maria had her window down, but wasn’t even threatening to shoot.  I could see that Celestia was too close.  That was the same reason I didn’t just run Tirek over.  Well, that and he could probably bench press the Fiat.   For a couple of seconds, we just sat there tailgating him.  He glanced back and abruptly changed direction.  I wasn’t quick enough and had to stop and reverse to follow him down the narrow street he ducked into.   With a little breathing room, Tirek had time to stop and wrench up a manhole cover.  Shoving Celestia down first, he glanced up at us before squeezing himself down the hole.   Coming to a stop, we lept out.  I brought out my flashlight and pointed it at the hole, gradually edging closer until I could see straight down.  There was dirty water several feet below the manhole and no sign of Tirek.                                                                                                 I knelt and put my hand on the edge of the hole, but Maria pulled at my shoulder.  “Do you really want to go down there and get up close with him?  Besides, we need to get out of here and make sure Luna is all right.”   She was right.  We went back to the car.  I gestured for Maria to drive.  “We need to find a Starbuck’s.”   She looked at me, incredulous but patient to see if I was going anywhere with that.  I explained, “Wi-Fi.  I need to get in touch with a guy I know.”   “This is Canada.  We’d be better off looking for Tim Hortons.”   “Good point.”   And, this being Canada, we found one not two minutes later.  By the time Luna was able to move fitfully, we had donuts waiting for her and my buddy knew we were on the way.   I’d always had a feeling that Jean Lecavallier had contacts everywhere.  He always seemed to have the hook-up.  So when I asked him about a place in Montreal to lie low, we were in luck.   “It’s a surprise to see you,” he said, opening the door.  “The last I heard, you were at Bronycon.  How did you like the princesses?”   “You can see for yourself,” I said, gesturing at Luna, who was stumbling in after me.   Jean was a hard man to surprise.  He was this time, though.  It took a little explaining, but we got the story worked out and Luna was feeling a little better by the time we had finished.   “So Tirek was at the show,” Jean said. “I know someone who works there we can ask about it.”   “I wonder if he knew about the sewer layout beforehand, or just went down the manhole out of desperation,” I said.   “We can find out,” Jean offered.  “I know a few people who could get us access.”   “Now that he’s on the run again, he’ll probably pop up hundreds of miles away,” I said.   “Information about where he’s been could help us figure out where he’s going,” Luna suggested.   “Well then, I can get you tickets for the next Cavalia performance tonight,” Jean offered.  “How about it, princess?”