Sitting in a chair, listening to the wind outside, Holly read the paper, not quite paying attention to what she was reading. Her mind was on her return to work tomorrow. These past few days had been some of the longest days in her life, boring days. Endless days. At least having Alfredo around helped to pass the time.
She flipped through the pages, skimming over the boring stories, until at last something caught her eye. She began to read in earnest. It wasn’t that Holly was stupid, or didn’t like reading, like most other ponies, she liked reading, she was just very selective about what she read. Entranced, she spent a good ten minutes reading the same article several times.
“Hey, Alfredo?” Holly lowered her paper.
“Yes, Madam?” Alfredo looked up from a magazine about sheet music.
“Did you read the paper?” Holly asked.
“Yes I did, Madam.”
“So what did you think about the crazy geologist and her husband? Those weirdos went into a spider cave and went all medieval on the gross bugs to rescue some foal.” Holly took a deep breath. “They’re wandering the wilds promoting the values of science and adventure… this is pretty neat stuff.”
Tempted though he was, Alfredo did not correct Holly about spiders being arachnids and not bugs. He cleared his throat. “I thought the article was well written and I feel that more young ponies should go out and explore nature. I find that the fact that they are inspiring other young couples to go out and live on the road and doing good deeds to be a good thing.”
“I don’t see the appeal of wandering about the boonies, I guess I like city living, but I think what they are doing is great. I think that Maud Pie pony is right… the world makes a good classroom.” Holly blinked, thinking about how that applied to her being a firefighter.
“I never attended school for theatre.” Alfredo cleared his throat. “I started off as a gopher, fetching stuff, because I just wouldn’t go away. I wanted to see everything, experience everything. Even though I wasn’t acting, I memorised the whole play bill. I memorised every line by every cast member. I learned entirely by doing. This… Mister Teapot fellow, he is getting a chance at an education that no classroom can duplicate.”
“Yeah.” Holly nodded. “You know, I had Knock Knock and Toot Toot teach me all kinds of stuff, but nothing they told me or trained me for prepared me for meeting the Beast for the first time.”
“Madam, nothing beats experience,” Alfredo said, his eyes lingering on Holly. “Knock Knock wants to keep teaching you the tricks of the trade. When you go back to work on light duty, you’ll be following him around to his various investigations. I daresay that you’ll learn more in a month of following him around than you would learn spending a year in school.”
“Really?” Holly cocked her head off to one side. “Do you really think so?”
“Madam, Knock Knock can teach you things that you would never find in a text book,” Alfredo replied. He pulled his eyes away from Holly, peered at the clock on the wall, and then closed his magazine. “Oh dear, look at the time. It’s midnight.” Alfredo cleared his throat and then looked at Holly. “Holly, I have grown very fond of the time we spend together, even if it is just a quiet time of reading.”
“Yeah, Alfredo, this is nice.” Holly folded up her newspaper and set it down on the sofa cushion. She gave Alfredo a smile. “You’re like… the nicest fella a mare to could ask to share a house with… you don’t even get mad when I stick my chewing gum under a chair.”
Heaving a sigh, Alfredo added checking under the chairs of the house to his list of things to do on the morrow. “No, Madam, why would I?”
“How’s them hooves of yours, you crazy broad?” Toot Toot, surrounded by other firefighters, was back to being his usual self. He looked at Holly, smiling, glad to see her back at work.
“Eh, I feel fine. I could do my job, that’s all that matters,” Holly replied.
Raising an eyebrow, Toot Toot nodded. “I’d imagine so, but the doctor wants a few days of light duty, just to be sure.” The pegasus sighed. “Well, you’re going to be in the spotter’s nest for a while, sorry about that, but that is light duty. Don’t worry though, once Knocker is back from speaking to the higher ups, the two of ya will be off to look at some arson investigation. Up for the walk?”
“The doc says a bit of walking would be good for me. Said the sprain healed up fine.” Holly tuned in to something specific Toot had said. “Knocker is off seeing the higher ups?” She saw a look of anger pass over Toot Toot’s face for a moment and then he was his usual, smiling self once more.
“Yeah… there is a movement taking place to pull the firehouses off of Crown funding and privatise them… having businesses providing us funding. It’s a load of crap… something proposed by Manehattan Mutual Life.”
“Who are they and what do they do?” Holly asked.
“They’re an insurance company,” Toot Toot replied, his ears perking forward in an aggressive way. “Not to worry, it will never happen, but the higher ups… the higher ups like the idea of salary based on performance and shiny new fire wagons, and other cockamamie promises that these businesses will never keep.”
Holly frowned, the corners of her mouth curling downwards, and her expression soured. “By privatisation, you mean… charging ponies to save them from fire?”
Toot Toot nodded.
“I wanna go kick somepony.” Holly shook her head.
“I’d pay bits to watch that.” Toot Toot grinned.
The cab rolled and clattered over the rough street, bouncing Holly around. She stared out the side opening, watching the city go by. She would have been fine with walking, but Knock Knock had insisted on taking a cab to their destination.
The stallion sitting beside her was distracted, she suspected that he was angry, and he hadn’t said much of anything. He was wearing a heavy grey woollen overcoat and a broad brimmed trilby hat with his horn poking out of a hole made in the crown. He was a handsome figure in his coat and hat, and Holly could see the appeal that Knock Knock must have had for Toot Toot. His mustache had been waxed and the ends were curled up.
Holly liked mustaches; they tickled.
The cold grey sky began to drizzle, causing little beads of ice to appear on everything the rain fell upon. The wind was sharp, cold, making Holly’s nostrils sting and causing her lungs to burn if she took a deep breath. Holly snuggled down inside of her dark green coat and pulled her front hooves up inside of the sleeves.
Feeling cold, feeling a little lonesome, thinking of the unnatural state of celibacy she found herself living with at the moment, Holly sighed and wished that she had a pony to get warm with.
“Okay, pay attention Holly… we know this one is an arson. It was also an attempted mass murder—”
“Then why are we here?” Holly asked, blinking at Knock Knock. “I mean, we already know, right?”
“Because there could still be more to learn,” the mustachioed stallion replied.
Shivering, Holly stared up at the warehouse that had been converted into a factory. It was brick, large, parts of it were burnt black, it had no windows, all of them had been bricked over, and the whole place still reeked of smoke.
“Sweatshop,” Knock Knock said in a low voice as they approached. “Employed mostly mares. Illegal immigrants. Also had underaged labour. This place was not at all legit. One of the many sweatshops set up by Manehatten’s fashion industry. They made knock off designer saddlebags, dresses, and coats.”
Holly scowled as they approached the brand new doors. She stopped and stared at the doors. “Hey, why do the doors look so new? They’re like… not burnt.”
“Holly, they chained the doors up to keep the workers inside while they worked. The workers were kept locked inside until quotas were met and then they were released.” Knock Knock saw Holly’s expression darken. “Everypony got out. The doors were smashed down in a stampede.” Knock Knock waved at the group of police officers guarding the building.
“That’s horrible!” Holly waited while one of the police officers unlocked the shiny metal doors to allow her inside. She waved, trying to be polite, but was too disturbed to smile. She felt a growing queasy feeling in her guts.
Inside the sweatshop, Holly could see nothing but ruination in the faint light that made it through the now open doors. There were no windows. Knock Knock cast a spotlight from his horn to light the way. There were burned sewing machines everywhere. Burnt wooden dressforms. Burned carts filled with charred goods. Wooden tables had been burned into useless piles of blackened wood.
The second floor had been made of wood; most of it had burned and collapsed. Holly could see the piles of wreckage towards the back of the building when Knock Knock’s spotlight shone upon it. Gritting her teeth, Holly began to make her way inside to have a look around.
“Be careful, this place is dangerous, watch where you step,” Knock Knock said, offering Holly a warning. “Stick with me in the light.”
Holly couldn’t imagine being trapped inside of a building while it was on fire. Water splashed underhoof and more water could be heard dripping. The front half of the building appeared to be more extinguished than the back half. As they continued, things were far more burnt.
“Why is everything more burned back here?” Holly asked.
“The sprinkler system never went off—one of the things we need to check on while we are here. The only way to put the fire out was hoses, and there is only one set of doors,” Knock Knock replied.
Holly nodded, understanding. That made sense. Fighting a fire was limited to the reach of the available water. They would have had to come in the doors, secure a safe area to work, and then progress a little further into the warehouse.
“There is some kind of office back there,” Holly said, stepping over a blackened sewing machine. “Forepony’s office?”
“Yeah.” Knock Knock shone his light ahead, revealing a treacherous path consisting of burned planks, sewing machines, and exposed nails. Not even bothering to ask, he lifted Holly, ignoring her protests, and carried her over the pile of dangerous debris.
“Hey! Hey Mister Mustache! I’m not some fragile girly little mare like Toot Toot, lemme go and let me do my job!” Holly demanded as she was levitated over Mount Tetanus Shot Waiting To Happen.
Knock Knock snickered as he made his way through the treacherous heap of junk. He felt water dripping down upon his pelt and wondered if the roof was leaking or this was water leftover from putting the fire out.
He set Holly down in front of an open doorway, glad to be unscathed from the dangerous crossing. He looked around, mindful of the broken glass. The offices had windows so that the factory workers could be watched. He watched as Holly stepped inside the office.
Hearing Holly scream completely unnerved him. He rushed forwards, the light from his horn causing the shadows to tilt and dance all around them, fearful that Holly had stepped on broken glass, perhaps slicing open one of her frogs.
Letting go of another scream, Holly stepped backwards, bumping into Knock Knock, and then shrieking once more in panic. She felt Knock Knock beside her, she took comfort in his touch, and her heart pounded in her barrel so hard that she feared that it would break her ribs.
Looking down, Knock Knock saw what had made Holly scream. Blackened bones and half burned carcass lay upon the floor. Knock Knock focused his light, shining it down, trying to get a better view. He heard shouting behind him and saw flashing lights.
“We heard screaming!” a voice shouted.
“We’re back here,” Knock Knock replied. “We have a body.” He looked down at the charred ropes that could be seen on the legs, tying them together. “This just became a murder and arson investigation.”
The mustached unicorn looked at his companion. “You okay? If you’re not, you need to be honest with me.”
“I’m okay… I almost tripped over it and when I looked down, it… it was staring up at me!” Holly replied. She took a deep breath and gave herself a shake. “I’ll be fine, but I’m gonna need some coffee… and maybe some Goldendrop Sunshine Whiskey, you know, the kind with the smiling Princess Celestia on the front of the bottle.”
“Okay… we’re going to keep working, and afterwards, we’re going out for coffee. That sounds like a good idea. Just stay with me, Holly, and pay attention,” Knock Knock said, admiring Holly’s pluck.
The police officer, who had crossed over Mount Tetanus Shot Waiting To Happen, sighed when he saw the body just inside the doorway. “Oh damn… this is gonna mean a lot of paperwork…”