The Wistful Heart
Street lights ripple by as we drive back to the station, pools of revelation in a sea of uncertainty. Briefly, I try to imagine what it would be like riding in a human car as I am, without the low, broad seats we enjoy. I’d probably have to ride in the back without a seatbelt, like a family dog. In Rose’s own backseat, Marcus watches the sky, quiet.
“So, I really have to ask.” I turn around. “If your green friend is the spirit of Aquarius, traditional astrology dictates that we just passed through Pisces back during the Bridle incident. Who was that, then?”
He smiles wryly, breaking out of his fugue – much as I’d intended. “After Daphne told me, I kicked myself because it was so obvious. Celestia and Luna were Pisces together. They didn’t know it, of course.”
“Huh.” I chew on that. “Yeah, okay, that actually does make a great deal of sense.”
Rose rolls her eyes. “Not being a bottomless well of trivia, I may need the primer.”
“Essentially, the earth – and apparently the Tree – rotates on a slight tilt that completes itself every 26,000 years, and when it’s pointing at one of the twelve cardinal constellations we’re in its Age, so there’s about a two-thousand year gap between each one. Equestria’s exact date of formation is unclear,” I say, “partially because it cannot be made clear, since when it happened it was in a different frame of reference. Still, Celestia thinks it was about two thousand years ago that she got her wings, and Luna got her horn not too long after that. No one shaped our world quite so prominently as they did over that time. They brought Equestria out of violent, fractious chaos and into the modern, comfortable era we know today.”
She tilts an ear back, stopping behind a food truck. A shame, I’m stuffed. “So, what about the human Earth? Or the other worlds? They didn’t benefit from our having Pisces at all.”
“I’m not sure I’d call saving Equestria from dissolving into violence and madness no benefit to Creation at large. Y’all have a lot of apocalyptic monsters here.” Marcus stretches his wings and hooves, joints popping. “Still, I suppose that’s the cost we’re all still living with.”
“You know,” Rose grumbles, “I can’t wait for the day when we’ve paid that down.”
It’s a nice dream, but can it ever really be anything but? I look out at the artificial stars of the city. By now, most ponies have at least heard about the mighty golden age where the races lived in Harmony. Thanks to Celestia, a lot of them can even believe that it’s possible it’ll happen again, without the mistakes of the past. I’m not so sure, though – some stains, you just can’t wash out.
We pull into the station’s underground lot twenty minutes after leaving Rarity’s, which is a miracle in early evening traffic and still too long by half for my tastes. Marcus barely has time to step out of the car before we drag him off to the stairs, taking them three steps at a time.
While I may find ample reason to complain about the sorry state of our precinct’s dramatic character, I can at least appreciate the benefits of a fully-equipped forensics department. Here, the white tile, smooth glass walls, and pristine operating rooms fit exactly the right aesthetic. Speaking of, Lab Work trots up to meet us in her white coat, looking none the worse for wear after last night. Some mares get all the luck.
“There you girls are, and – hey, you brought back the cute ranger, too.” She grins.
“I’m taken,” he says steadily. “Also, like, eight years your senior.”
“Don’t encourage her,” I say, pushing Lab Work back to the evidence table. “For what it’s worth, Ranger, most of the girls in the precinct think you’re okay at best.”
He works his mouth at that, but decides to let it go.
“What did you find?” Rose asks, looking over the neatly categorized bags.
She swishes her curly golden tail, excited to share. “Blood work corresponds to all people known to be at the scene. We can’t use military DNA for criminal investigation purposes, but Consul Loam’s aid dropped off a copy of a dossier that indicates–”
“We know,” I say, raising a hoof. “She came to deliver it to Rarity’s herself.”
Lab Work puffs her cheeks out. “Well! We still managed to identify the blood type of at least some of it as belonging to him, since it’s unlikely another male earth pony wandered in there and bled on the carpet.”
“Thorough, but it’s nothing Violet hadn’t picked up by scent.” I glance back at Violet, and she nods.
“He can bleed, good to know,” Marcus says, chipper. “Immune to bullets though he may be.”
Miffed, Lab Work goes back to her samples. “We’ve ruled that the sand Tracy bagged has been identified as local. There’s only a handful of beaches in the area that have yellow sand, and only two of them with these trace minerals. One of them is a protected beach, and there’s a fair number of caves in the area. The other is Whiskerson Beach, a residential area.”
“Expensive?” Marcus asks.
“Upper mid,” Violet Rose says. “I’ve got an uncle who retired down there. Nice place.”
“We can have Diamond Dogs search the caves,” Tracy says. “What else do you have?”
She taps a vial. “Hair samples, just confirming the DNA evidence from the blood, at least where we got the follicles. You can download it to your field kit. We also have impressions of his prints from, ah – the damage he did to the goblins. Oh, you’ll like this, too.” She picks up a report. “Officers interviewing nearby witnesses did get a description of the suspect, and one person a block away said he got into a car and described it as a blue Fairmotor Allara.”
I consider the evidence thoughtfully. A lot of it is just reconstructing the scene at the melee, but the useful tidbits will have to be enough. “Do you have any more cases tonight, Lab?”
“A few. Why?”
“Grab your kit. We’re going to the beach.”
“What, really?” She frowns. “You don’t think he’s in the caves?”
“Caves are easy to search, and we’re not well-suited for it anyway. We’ll need some print-outs of Redbud’s face and photos of that car. If we find it, we can check for hairs on the driver’s seat; even if they don’t have the follicles attached, you’re qualified to check them.” I turn for the door. “I’m going to see Gerry and get a plainclothes detail and an entry team ready. Be ready to leave in ten minutes.”
Marcus looks at the clock with a slightly frown. “I’m supposed to be meeting a weird turtle tonight, but I guess it can wait if we find this guy. We’ll be there.”
* * *
Pits burn like watchfires on the beach against the black current of the ocean. Families and friends, gathered for late-night parties, huddle together on a warm night. The morning’s rainstorm had left sea-smelling piles of kelp where adventurous terns – and no small number of griffins – hunt for crabs and crayfish.
I walk along the boardwalk, where the wind has blown yellow sand across the fronts of pleasantly lit stores, floating a paper up with Redbud’s unsmiling face and asking passerby if they’d seen him. Violet’s doing the same in the big plaza a couple hundred feet away, and Marcus is going down to each of the fire pits as well. Here and there among the evening crowds are sharp-eyed officers in street clothes, several streets back to watch the main thoroughfares.
“Gerry must be warming up to you; he turned out like a quarter of the precinct,” Lab Work says, her winsome smile attracting far more interest than my photos.
“It’s the best lead we have,” I say, “He needs to do something.” We pause as our radios squawk.
Lab Work listens and sighs, hitching her back up a bit higher. “Another blue Allara spotted. Parked. We’ll have to pop the door. You know we’re on the verge of a major civil rights violation, right? We can't use anything we find as evidence.”
“So if it's not his pretend you don't see anything else that isn't in plain sight. Besides, we already have enough to convict him ten times over.”
“Fine, fine.” She swishes her tail. “I will admit, being a proper detective can be fun.”
“Try not to get too excited.” I turn back to the pedestrians as she trots off.
It's like fishing in a school of trout. You can bag a few, but the greater mass is going to swim right by you in a torrent. Any one of these people could have chanced to see Redbud, but would they remember him even if they had? How many hundreds are just here for the weekend?
I watch a pretty unicorn around my age in a nice little dress, leaning against a pegasus with his wing wrapped around her. They’re laughing, smiling; they couldn’t be more happy. I watch them go, feeling an empty pang every time my heart beats.
Marcus flaps up and lands beside me. “I've been asking around some of the people who look like regulars. A couple have seen our guy, and more than once.”
“I take it from your lack of excitement that they couldn't tell much else.”
He shakes his head. “Not really. Still, it’s proof that he’s here somewhere.”
“That it is.” I rock on my hooves thoughtfully, scanning the shops. I hadn’t bothered checking them – they’re tourist traps for the most part, and I don’t really see Redbud buying something chintzy. The clerks at the grocer didn’t recognize him, but then they go through dozens of customers a day themselves.
Rose hurries over, wings spread slightly. “I think we have a lead.”
My ears perk. “Yeah?”
“There’s someone who says a goblin friend of hers was threatened when she approached a scarred soldier.”
“Can she reach her friend by phone?”
“Even better – she works around here. Come along.”
Rose leads the two of us back a bit, to an elegant building in smooth, dark red wood. Marcus checks the sign out as we make the entrance. “Oh, you shouldn’t have. It’s not even my birthday.”
“Quiet, you.” I push the door open and step inside.
The lobby is very brief and tasteful, with bamboo and a quiet fountain, and in the subdued lighting it has a definite intimacy to it. An absolutely stunning thestral mare with a slim body and blue hair in a bun smiles warmly from behind the counter, and a framed and signed photo of herself with Princess Cadance adorns the wall beside her. “Hello, sir and madams. Welcome to Via Eros. Would you like a room, or may I introduce you to one of our stunning companions for the evening?”
Blushing right down to my hooves, I cough delicately and open my coat, revealing my badge. It’s not like it is on other worlds, the people of her profession are clean, professional, and respected, but even so, it can make a mare uncomfortable. “Sorry, ma’am, we’re here on a different sort of business. We’d like to ask a few questions.”
“If it’s about my clients, I’m afraid we’re strictly confidential,” she says, with a faintly disapproving note. “Unless you have a warrant.”
“Actually, I don’t think he’d have frequented your business. We received a report that one of your employees, a goblin, was nearly assaulted recently.”
“Indeed? This is the first I’ve heard of it.” Her face hardens. “I don’t appreciate people ill-treating my boys and girls. Some of the tourists from outside Equestria get the wrong idea about our profession. While I can assure you no incidents have happened here, it might have been on their own time. Who was it?”
Rose steps forward, lifting her notepad. “We received the tip from Sangria. She says the goblin’s name is Pella Whiplash?”
She nods, getting to her hooves. “You can wait in my office. I’ll be right back.”
We file into the little room she indicates, and a few minutes later make more room as the matron squeezes back in with a small, cute little goblin pony with purple scales and feathered wings. She looks decidedly nervous at the sight of my still-open badge, which I should have expected. Until King Amelia reformed the justice system there, a goblin had significant reason to fear the authorities in Mag Mell.
“Hello Pella,” Rose greets her. “Could you tell us about the incident you had?”
“Well, it weren’t much,” she says, relaxing a little. “Just a black-hearted cythraul of a stallion getting nasty. Nothing I ain’t dealed with before. I didn’t even think of reportin’ it.” She purses her lips. “I ain’t in trouble for that, am I? I’m not too familiar with your laws here, yet.”
“No,” Marcus reassures her. “We’d just like to hear what happened and where.”
“Oh, well!” She brightens. “There I was last night after work with Sangria. It was pretty late, and most folks had gone home, but we keep long hours, y’know? We’d gone to this thestral place, see, a right tidy little bar near, and there was this earth stallion at the bar, barely touching his drink and staring off at the water like he had a lot of thinking to do. He was handsome, and I like ‘em a little older, so I approached him as he was leaving.” She ruffles her wings, annoyed. “He went and said he’d break my leg if I came anywhere near him! And here I was thinking I’d offer him a little comfort for his troubles, that’s a right improper way to treat a gal, don’t you think?”
“Sure is,” Rose says. “You wouldn’t happen to have seen anything identifying? License plate, maybe?”
“Nah, he didn’t have a car, but he went into the neighborhood nearby on hoof. I was gonna follow him, tell my cousins where he lived, but Sangria told me to let it go and so I did.”
The three of us exchange a glance. Shame she hadn’t – then again, her cousins would probably all be dead by now if she had.
“Which neighborhood?” I ask intently.
“Just a sec,” she says, and plucks her phone out from her dress.
Marcus, Rose, and she squeeze back out to look. I start to join them, but the madam puts a hoof to my side. “A moment, miss.” She gives a warm, almost sad little smile. “I don’t usually do this, but when you’re off duty, maybe you could stop by and I could introduce you to one of our stallions? He’s a little older, very tender and experienced. He’s very good with mares who have a lot of hurt and tension, and I think he’d waive his fee if you talked to him after hours.”
I stare at her, my mouth opened slightly. At first, I’m not even sure what to say – it’s just not often that people get to read me, let alone with the subject matter. I take my hat off and rub at my mane. “Ah… th-thanks, but… I appreciate it, really, but that’s… th-that’s not how I want my first time to be, you know? I have something… a lot different in mind.”
“Mm. He’s very romantic, but I understand, and I apologize if you feel pressured.” She opens the door. “If you change your mind, swing by near closing. Have a nice evening, Detective, and good luck.”
Putting a hard face on after that is tricky, but the time it takes for me to fix my mane and don my hat gives me time. When I rejoin the others on the boardwalk, Rose looks my way. “Pella can’t say for certain which house, but she’s sure he went into the neighborhood on Board and Atalanta.”
“Good,” I gaze out at the night sky, scanning the houses as they curve along the beach. It’s a sad fact that even in Equestria, the walls of a home can conceal all manner of unsavory activities. Taking my phone out, I call Gerry’s desk directly.
“What?” he demands, surlier than usual. “You’ve been out there for over an hour already, Prints. Do you have anything yet?”
“Yeah, we do. We need the property records of every building between Atalanta and Merope on Broad, LT. Better push it back a street or so, too.”
“What the hell for? He’s not going to put his damned name on a rental title, we already checked that.”
I nod, not that he can see it. “Yeah, I know, but I want them to cross-reference it with all the members of his family by a few degrees, even by marriage, and, more importantly, everyone who served in the original Royal Guard.”
Gerry grumbles, but I hear claws tapping on a keyboard. “Fine. Get your flanks over there. I’ll have it in ten or twenty – if this is a hit, I want Rose to be the one who calls in the entry team, got it?”
“Got it. Call me.” I click off and tuck it away. “Let’s go.”
* * *
Because it’s just my lot in life, the analysts back in Canterlot call back personally to give me no less than three addresses, all separated by about a dozen or so homes along the same street, and three more back along the streets inland. “Apparently,” I inform Marcus, “a few retiring members of the Guard all bought houses here when prices were still rock-bottom, before the big construction boom.”
I can see why. It’s a nice place, a quiet, well-kept little street, directly across from the beach. The lights of downtown ripple in the current as a wind picks up.
“We going to knock on all of them?” he asks.
Rose shakes her head. “We will, but unfortunately, that’s probably not going to work. If our guy’s stupid enough to answer the door, sure, or if there’s only one out of the six who doesn’t respond…”
“I’m not sure we’ll need to.” I say, pointing down the way. Along the tree-lined street are no less than two Allaras, of slightly different years and shades of blue.
Lab Work springs along. “I’m on it!”
Grabbing her tail in my magic, I yank her to a stop. “Careful!” I hiss.
Her eyes widen and she nods. She takes a quick swallow and starts forward more cautiously. She forms a tool out of her magic and slots it into the window of one. A silence spell to cover the vehicle would have made the whole thing glow, but we have access to the closely-guarded sequences to suppress auto-alarms. It’s a complicated sequence of telekinetic taps, different for every make and model, and even when you’ve practiced them they’re tricky to pull off, but years of delicate forensics work has given Lab Work a light touch, and she pops open the lock with barely a click. Really, I should be suspicious of her facility with them.
She forms tweezers and plucks a few samples of hair off the seat. She checks a few against the sample, then locks the door and shakes her head as she closes it. “No dice.”
“Next one, then,” Marcus says, eyes scanning the neighborhood. Lights are on in different family homes, but there’s no one out on this street yet.
We pass an open garage and watch from a distance as Lab Work repeats her feat, popping open the blue door and checking the hairs. Part of me wonders if he actually did have a car, though if he stooped to stealing artifacts, he could have stolen a car, too, or at least paid for one in cash and neglected to transfer the title properly.
Lab Work holds her breath, checking again. I put a hoof to Rose’s side. Even from here, when Lab Work raises her head, I can see that her pupils have completely shrunk.
Turning, the three of us look at the nearest marked house. A two-story with a slate roof, its lawn slightly overgrown. Perhaps it’s just my imagination, but it seems that a distinct unhappiness lurks over it.
Maybe that’s a fancy, but the most alarming thing of all is that when I search the sky, there’s no green star watching over us.
“This is it.”
“Are we sure?” Rose asks. She’s calm, her gaze steady as she regards the house with me. “We could send someone to knock. He could have parked here and gone anywhere else.”
“No. Even overlooking that it’s the most likely possibility, I know. We’re here on our own.”
Rose nods, and cups her hoof around a flashlight as she flicks it three times into the sky. Seconds later, a troop of thestrals and pegasi in heavy black armor descend from on high, not quite landing on the roof, ready near the windows. A team of three move to cover the front door, starting to pick the lock, while two more descend towards the back. They’re armed with firearms, but it’s the goblin steel claws that might have a chance at penetrating Redbud’s hide.
We all pull up our ear comms as a cool mare’s voice clicks over. “Rose, this is Entry. Awaiting orders.”
Rose pulls her own gun out and snaps it around her hock, then pulls a gas mask over her muzzle. I follow suit, and float one over to Marcus. We leave Lab Work to watch our backs at the fence as we stack up on the front door behind the entry team, crouched and ready. Rose nods. “Engage. Flash and gas.”
Glass cracks as loud bangs echo through the neighborhood, with the assault team not far on their heels with cries of “Police! Hooves on the floor!” joining them. They’re taking no chances, not with someone this dangerous, and smoke pours out and into the air. Marcus leads the way, flicking out the weird crystal wand from the empty air.
Over the comm, we hear each team as they clear different rooms, moving down to the basement. “Green, kitchen clear. You’ll want to look at this, detectives.” At the last call of, “Blue, basement clear,” I feel a creeping sense of disappointment.
“He’s not here,” Rose growls, sharing my irritation.
“Take it easy. Might be there’s a hidden entrance,” I say. “Let’s check out the kitchen.”
Marcus hasn’t moved, his ears alert, wings stiff.
Pausing by his side, I look up to him. “What is it?”
“Something’s funny here.” He shakes his head. “I’m not sure what.”
Rose nods, touching her ear. “All teams, remain on alert.”
Together, the three of us join Green in the kitchen and dining area. They’re spaced apart, their nanofiber armor padded with bulky trauma plates and weapons. The reason they called us in is immediately apparent, as an entire wealth of boxes overflowing with jewel-encrusted artifacts, statues, idols, and more fills half the kitchen.
“All the loot from the museums and collections, huh?” Rose asks, peering at a brooch with a reclining dragon engraved on its surface.
“Not all of it,” I say, glancing around. Stepping over to a wall, I note where the carpet’s been depressed. “I’ll bet gold to brass bits that he’s left with the jars.”
“Damn it!” Rose bangs her hooves on the floor. “Where did he go, then? Wait – why did he leave the car?”
“Might not need it anymore,” I say, keeping my voice even in spite of my own vivid disappointment. “I’ve suspected that he can teleport, or otherwise move quickly. Even if he hasn’t gotten better control over his powers, he’s not going to come back now that we’ve blown up his house.” Shaking my head, I turn back towards her. “Even if he did, though, we can search the house, catalogue the artifacts, or find something that’ll–”
Rose watches me, a shadow moving behind her.
“Down!” I shout, and fire a stream of blue light to blast it away.
“Contact!” the radio shouts several times over, and suddenly we’re in a fight for our lives. They worm out of the woodwork, mockeries of ponies cut from darkness with twisting horns, and leap at us.
With assault members rolling with their assailants and gunfire and slashing blades and flashing claws, even I swiftly lose track of what’s going on. The demonic shadows lift tables and chairs with their magic, trying to batter us down, and I do my best to struggle with them while holding onto a shield. The dining room table slams into the side, knocking me back several feet and rolling me.
Then, music fills the air. Marcus advances, leaping from room to room with his wings, the weapon ablaze in the crook of his leg as multi-colored light ripples from it.
The demons scream, covering their ears, and those caught in its immediate path dissolve into smoke and spiders. A few stagger out, fleeing into the night. There’s the stomp of heavy feet, and a huge pony shape shoulders apart the lintel to the downstairs hall. It winces at the weapon’s light, but holds together as it slams a hoof forward, trying to flatten Marcus. The ranger dodges nimbly to the side and whacks it, which sends a wave of dissolution up its side, but it holds on and smacks him back. He dodges, but it clips him and sends him spinning to only barely catch himself on the counter.
Dropping my shield, I throw all my power into a chain and yank back its neck. Then Rose runs up and empties the rest of her clip directly into its face. While it slumps, still holding on, Marcus charges up and jams the weapon into the hole in his face. The waves rush through it and split it into other shadow ponies who all dissolve, bar one, who cowers up against the bathroom door. Marcus advances, holding the harmonic weapon low. “Where is he?” he demands in a low, dangerous voice.
“We… we don’t know!” the titanspawn rasps.
He flicks the weapon and it flares up. The titanspawn shrieks, as much out of fear as anything. “It’s true, it’s true! We came to feed, off his hatred, and then you came and we couldn’t resist. Let us go, we’ll never trouble Equestria again.”
“I’ll consider it, if you tell us everything you saw about what he did and where he went.”
“Yes, yes!” The shadow whimpers. “Anything.”
“And you’ll swear on your parent that you’ll never harm another being. If you have to feed, feed marginally.”
The creature trembles, but Marcus is twirling the rod, leaving trails of color in the air, and its shining half-moon eyes follow it. “Done! I swear it on the Breath of Night’s Clarion.”
“Done and done,” Marcus answers, twisting his hock and vanishing the rod.. “Three times done. Now start talking.”
The creatures, many of whom had been slain or subdued by the assault team, slump and moan pitiably. The leader prostrates itself. “We came because we felt the power. So much ancient hatred, it still lingers, even after we’ve had our fill and multiplied.”
“Ew.” Rose scrunches her face.
“The stallion, the green one, he spoke to the air, though we could not hear it, and sometimes he spoke to his jewelry, which shone like the sun.”
“Plans,” I say, re-affixing my lost hat. “Specific plans. What did he say?”
“We do not know all that he planned, but he was searching for someone. A foal, a girl! And he was angry because it was getting late, and he couldn’t put the things in the jars together without her.”
“What is in the jars?” I ask.
It shakes its head. “The stallion did not look or say. But he called the medallion by a name! He said it was Helios.”
“The sun, huh?” Marcus murmurs.
Rose prods the demon. “Keep talking, or the glowy stick is coming out again.”
“There’s a place!” it squeaks. “A sacred place, where he could work! When the full moon is at its peak, it will awaken the power within the stone! I do not know where it is, I swear!”
“Anything about the girl?”
“Only that he was looking for her, and could not find her.” It quivers, staring at Marcus as if it could see through to where he keeps the rod. “That is all, I swear it!”
“All right,” Marcus says. “Git.”
The creature shudders and slinks into the shadow with the rest of its kin, hopefully never to be seen again. "It's a start. Is anyone hurt, sergeant?" I ask Green leader.
The mare puts a hoof to her ear. "Minor injuries, except down in the basement. Stocks and Tao have broken legs. Could have been worse. Ambulance on route."
I nod. "Thanks. We’ll have a forensics team in here shortly, but Celestia only knows what’s going to show up next, are you all okay with overtime?”
“Those of us who can still stand.” She grins through her mask. “We’ll keep the little lab ponies safe and sound for you.”
“Great.” I head outside, to where Marcus is checking his cell phone.
“The moon waxes to full tomorrow.” He says, not looking up. “You know that’s the only time when both of our moons are in the exact same position relative the sun?”
“I do, in fact.” The two of us look up, and a little part of me thrills to see the green star shining clear on the horizon. The moon, near its own zenith, is technically full but for the tiniest sliver of darkness at its edge. “You could ask Princess Luna to do something about that.”
“That might not help, or even if it does, it might cause some damage of its own. I’ll ask.” He raises his voice. “Hey, Daph? Do you think that’s a good idea?”
No answer. Honestly, I was kind of anticipating one.
“She’ll get back to me about that, or tell Luna herself.” He spreads his wings thoughtfully, looking around. Lab Work is getting suited up now that the forensics van has arrived, and a few of our plainclothes are busy keeping onlookers at bay. Half the neighborhood turned out at our blitz, it seems. “I should get going. Not much more I can do here.”
“The turtle? At the bar from last night, I’m guessing?” I nod towards Rose. “We could drop you off. We have to get back to the station. Besides, I had a few more questions.”
“Sure thing, Trace. I suppose I could use some company anyway. Been a rough few nights.”
“Tell me about it,” I mutter. “Think you can lend a hoof? Rose and I are going to do a quick rundown of the place, won’t be long.”
He nods, and we step back inside.
* * *
Not much revealed itself to the three of us, though it certainly made for quite a sight. Redbud kept the one guest room he’d taken as clean as a barracks, with the pressed sheets to prove it. All of his recyclables were stacked and sorted neatly – at least until we flashbanged them – and what limited parts of the house he did use were in good order. The only reading material we found was a battered copy of the Iliad and the Odyssey – apparently not everything from outside Equestria sat poorly with him. Whatever he is, whoever he’s killed, he’s another lost soul adrift in this sea we call life.
“‘Let me not then die ingloriously and without a struggle, but let me first do some great thing that shall be told among men hereafter.’” I whisper, taking my own turn staring out the window from the back seat.
“What’s that?” Rose asks.
“It’s a line he marked in that book, among a few others,” I say. “I flipped through it while you were cataloguing the pieces.”
“Just a few missing. Some probably sold off for funds,” she says thoughtfully. “And others…”
“We’ll need to put together the list and look at them,” Marcus says.
“‘We’?” I ask, amused.
“Well, apparently you two are in this together with me.” He looks down at his hock, stretching it back and forth. “I’m probably going to burn through tonight, anyway. We’re running out of time.” There’s a buzzing from within his jacket and he pulls his phone out. He reddens a little, and puts it to his ear. “Hey, Mom.”
I share a grin with Rose in the rearview mirror and she covers her mouth to muffle a laugh. He flips up his hoof as if trying to make a very different gesture. “No, sorry, I was working. I haven’t checked my messages in a while. Yes, magánda.” He follows with a long string of words in a different language. “Seriously, I’ll be fine. I’ve been through worse.” He sighs, evidently that had been the wrong thing to say. “Mom… yes, I promise I’ll be careful. How’s the house in Ponyville? Yes, I am trying to change the subject.” He chuckles. “Okay, I love you, too. Paalam, Mom.”
“You moved them here?” I ask as he clicks off.
“Jokes about giant monsters aside, Equestria’s going to be a lot more secure than home for a while.”
We chat for a while, before Rose slows and perks her ears as we drive by the convention center. It’s hard to miss on the Bridleway thoroughfare. Three-dimensional ponies pound each other with lightning kicks and fire blasts on the big screen. “Oh, hey. Looks like that video game tournament.”
“Mind if you let me out here?” Marcus pokes his head out. “I’ll say hi and run off. I’m not going to see them at Rarity’s tonight anyway.”
“I could stand to rewind a bit,” Rose says, pulling into a spot along the road. “Don’t mind if we join you, do we?”
“Suit yourselves.” He climbs out, though he does slot a few bits in for her before heading in.
“I’m not abundantly fond of video games, Vi,” I say as I join her. “Also the whole ‘getting back to the station’ part of the evening.”
“Oh, lighten up.” She bumps her shoulder against mine. “Speaking of, our cowboy is going to get himself killed at this rate. I want to at least try and badger him into bed.”
“No wonder everyone in CSI called you the den mother.”
Inside, the place is packed with foals and young adults, all of them rapt on the center screen. Luster gleams beside his father with the other defeated challengers, and it seems we’ve come to the last few minutes of the final round. The fighters flash in full grainy holograms above the center arena, while high definition screens wrap all around it. A grown mare worries at her tongue as she hammers at the buttons in front of her, but bit-by-bit she’s being whittled down to nothing, with her life bar turning yellow, then red. Across from her, a tiny filly who couldn’t be older than Luster smoothly punishes her, in full costume. I haven’t the faintest idea who she’s meant to be, but she’s wearing a spiky wig and has a futuristic gun on her back, so she may just be the silliest thing I’ve ever seen.
Even as we watch, the filly completes a combination and the room fills with bright light as her attack animation blots out the screens. “The victor is… Wave Form!” The crowd erupts, and I instantly regret entering as I ram my ears against my head with my hat. They don’t stop ringing until we catch up with Talon in the crush to exit.
“Hey,” Marcus says with his cocked grin, “how’d the little squirt do?”
“Pretty well, but he didn’t place.” Talon shrugs. “Mostly because he choked. He’ll do better next time. Just needs some confidence, and I think this could help. I was a lot like that at his age, just needed to prove to myself I had it in me. How was the bust?”
“What, you heard?”
“I’ve got a police blotter app. Figured it was you across the water there.”
Rose smiles. “Yes, that was probably us. We didn’t find much, but we got some answers from a titanspawn. The search is still going.”
“Between us,” Marcus says with a note of irritation, “we only have about twenty-four hours even. I just came to let you know I wouldn’t be staying tonight. Also, to see how the kid’s doing.”
Talon nods, rubbing his chin with a hoof. “Sorry to hear it didn’t go better. I called a few friends, but no one I knew really knew that Redbud guy. Luster’s over there, by the way, with his friends.” Talon nods to where Luster is hanging out with a group of chattering young foals. We swim through the crowd, just as the costumed victor bounds up with a giant grin on her face and a trophy balanced on her back.
“Did you see that, Luster?” she asks, wagging her tail in its own wig.
“Did I? You were amazing!” He bumps her and the two circle, laughing. “I always knew you were that good!”
“Yeah, tidy, Wave,” another colt says, a little less enthused. Sore loser, no doubt.
“Thanks for letting me practice with you!” she says, hugging Luster and bringing a blush to his fine features.
Marcus scoops Luster up with a wing as he pulls back, depositing him onto his back. “Hey, tiger. Shame I didn’t see you fight back there.”
“Got a permit for that, Space Ranger?” I ask the filly with a grin, and she blushes and laughs.
“It’s not a space thing! I made it, and it’s from Ignition EQS! I’m Sakura.” She holds a hoof up proudly, and glances around when no one reacts. “Anyone? Aww, come on, it’s a great show!”
“I haven’t seen much Equestrian anime,” Luster confesses. “Maybe we can watch it sometime?”
“It’s not anime, it’s Equestrian animation!” She wags her tail faster, beaming. “But, yeah, I’d love to. Anyway! See you, I hear Mom calling I think!” Then she gallops away.
“Cute kid.” Marcus chuckles. “I think someone has a fillyfriend.”
Luster’s blush shines right through his coat. “No way! Wave and I are just besties.”
“Got that right.” Talon chuckles. “They’re pretty inseparable.”
“Maybe next time you can place with her, too, huh?” Marcus says, batting him with a wing playfully. “Your dad says you kicked some tail in there, too.”
He fends it off, shielding himself with a wing. “Uncle Ma-a-arcus sto-o-p! I just placed sixth.”
“Sixth out of, what, twenty?” Marcus asks, and Talon nods. “That’s pretty good. All the bookies in town’ll mark you up for next time.”
“Bookie?” Luster blinks, and shakes his head, smiling in spite of himself. He nestles down on Marcus’ back and yawns. “I guess I did okay, though Wave Form’s the one who killed it. I thought her cutie mark was supposed to be in music, not in fighting games. She’s good at everything.”
I pause, considering him for a moment as the others pass me by. “Luster, out of curiosity, what does her cutie mark look like?”
“Oh, it’s, like.” He rubs his chin in a manner reminiscent of his father. “I guess you’d say it’s two sets of sound waves that kind of intersect? It makes a really cool interference pattern.”
Marcus and Rose stop, and Talon gazes between us as the blood runs from our faces. “What’s this?”
“I was looking for a science cutie mark,” Marcus hisses. “Covalent bonding? I’m such an idiot. She was right under my nose, literally!”
I float Luster off his back and deliver him to his father. “Go.”
Needing no encouragement, Marcus leaps off as soon as he can spread his wings, hunting through the crowd. Rose follows suit, her own velvety wings gliding her in a graceful search. I turn back to Talon. “Do you have a phone number? Address?”
Luster pulls his phone out trembling. “Is she going to be okay?” he asks, half-burying himself in his father’s mane..
Taking a look after Marcus, I nod. “Yeah, kid. She’s got someone real good watching out for her.”
* * * * * * *