Quoth the Raven: Into the Light

by LordLycaon

Drama! Part 2

The feeling of familiarity didn’t go away, even hours after the show had ended. Now, flying high over the city as the Raven, Swirling’s mind picked away at the details of her meeting with Lambent and Radiant Voice. The two seemed amicable enough, though Radiant was rather dismissive of Swirling, but maybe that was her just being sisterly. She growled to herself as she flew towards the Museum of Antiquities. If only that nagging thought would go away.

‘One’s instinct tends to be on the money,’ said Nevermore. ‘Something about those two struck me as odd as well.’

‘Maybe, but you don’t like anyone.’

‘A fair point.’

She couldn’t suppress a light chuckle as she settled on the roof of an adjoining building that overlooked the museum. Looking out over the top of the building, she could see that the museum was being protected by a legion of security ponies. A large carriage surrounded by a cadre of guards was making its way to the museum’s rear entrance. The Luna statuette had to be in there.

‘Come to think of it, this’ll technically be the second time you’ve saved Luna. If you don’t screw up again, that is.’

She snorted at the spirit’s comment and turned her gaze back to the other buildings around here. “If I were a pair of thieves, where would I hide?”

A number of options popped into her head; they could be disguised as guards, lurking somewhere just out of sight, using some weird earth pony magic to… cling to the walls, or something. Clinging to the walls like a spider… she shuddered at the thought. Who’d want that sort of superpower? She cursed her dearth of knowledge about these two crooks as she craned her neck side to side, looking for anything out of the ordinary.

“Maybe they got scared off by all the security?” she muttered under her breath.

‘Doubt it. They didn’t seem the type to just give up because something got a little difficult.’ He paused a moment before speaking again. ‘Like a certain someone I know.’

“Sounds like someone I’d like to meet,” Swirling replied with a smarmy grin, earning a grunt from Nevermore. She looked out to the buildings next to the museum, briefly noticing… something. Leaning forward to get a closer look (while silently thanking Nevermore for her Raven form’s night vision), she glimpsed two figures at the edge of a building overlooking the museum. One was crouched low, while the other was leaning toward the edge.

‘Think that might be them?’ she asked, squinting at the figures.

‘Why not just go and find out?’

No sooner had he said that, did one of the figures move from the edge of the building and hold something out. The sound of something bursting drifted to Swirling’s ears and she watched as a hook sailed out towards the museum, locking onto the roof.

“Yeah, that’s them all right.” With a flap of her wings, she took off just as Comedy and Tragedy began to zipline from the higher roof down to the museum. As soon as the pair rolled onto the roof, she flew straight for Tragedy, tackling him across the roof. They landed with a grunt, but she felt him roll with the tackle and then toss her off of him. She flapped her wings to land easily on the roof, glaring at the two as their masked faces stared back at her.

“You know, if you two wanted your masks to be put out on display, I’m sure a jail cell would work just as easily.”

Comedy scoffed. “Is that the best you could come up with, Black Biddy?”

Swirling felt her hackles rise. “Hey, you try coming up with a good museum quip. And don’t call me Black Biddy!”

‘Remember last time,’ Nevermore warned.

She growled, but stood straighter, flaring her wings out. “I’m not going to give you another chance. Turn yourselves in and give back the statue you stole.”

The two shared a quick look. “Did you hear that Comedy? She says we stole the statuette.”

“I know, Tragedy. But that’s not what I heard. All the papers seem to say otherwise.”

He tapped at his chin. “Oh, who was it they said was the actual crook?”

Comedy placed her hoof over her heart dramatically. “Why, I do believe she’s standing right in front of us!”

The Raven growled vehemently, glaring spitefully at the thieves. “You framed me! Because of you, the whole city thinks I’m a thief!”

“Well, aren’t you?” Tragedy snarked with a tilt of his head.

“No! I’m nothing like you two!” She took a step forward, narrowing her eyes at them. “Last chance; surrender now, or I’ll take you both down.”

Tragedy grunted. “Yes, because you did such a fantastic job last time.”

“Not this time,” she growled and lunged forward after Comedy. The mare leaped above Swirling’s charge, but when Swirling feinted upwards, she caught the surprised thief with a right hook that sent her skidding across the roof.

Her attack left her open to Tragedy, however, and he landed a solid buck to her side. The force of the kick sent Swirling through the skylight with a grunt of pain, the glass shards falling beside her until she righted herself and landed easily on the floor below, startling a pair of guards who stood protectively beside the Luna statuette.

“What in the?” one shouted in oath.

“It’s her! The Raven! Get her!” the other shouted and brought his club up to swing at her.

“Oh, come on!” Swirling groaned as she quickly took to the air again, making her way straight to the skylight, only to be blasted by a magical bolt from one of the guards, knocking her back down to the ground.

“You’re not getting away this time, thie—” The guard grunted as a form slammed into his side. The other guard only had time to start before a second form kicked him across the muzzle. The Raven looked up to see Comedy and Tragedy pick themselves up from dropping the guards.

“Keep her busy, I’ll keep the guards out!” Tragedy shouted as he headed for the room’s only door.

Comedy giggled behind her mask. “Oh, this is going to be fun!” Before Swirling had a chance to react, the masked mare charged at her, pouncing at the shadow-covered pegasus with brutal left hook to her face, sending the Raven flying back into a display of old stone tablets, several of the relics falling and shattering against the floor.

‘Well, there go a few small fortunes.’

‘Not now, Nevermore!’ she snapped as she got back to her hooves. With Tragedy busy with keeping the guards out, this might be her chance to take down Comedy before he could join the fight.

A smirk crossed Swirling’s face, unseen to Comedy due to the shadows covering the Raven’s face. “Just you and me, you cheeky little monkey.”

“Who are you calling a monkey, you—” She grunted as the Raven tackled her to the ground. The two mares rolled around violently, each trying to gain the advantage over the other. Display stands teetered and artifacts went skittering across the floor as they struggled. While Swirling’s strength was enhanced by Nevermore’s shadow magic, pegasi didn’t have nearly as much muscle mass as earth ponies (or even unicorns, for that matter), and she found it increasingly harder to hold Comedy down.

Said mare slipped a foreleg loose and lashed out with a strike to Swirling’s chin, staggering the pegasus and giving herself enough space to get back on all fours, glaring poisoned daggers at the other mare.

“Not so much fun when you’re the one losing, is it?” Swirling asked, a sneer making its way into her tone as she spread her wings.

A soft growl escaped Comedy’s mouth. “I’m not losing, Biddy. You haven’t seen anything yet!” She rushed ahead, bringing her foreleg back in a punch.

Swirling leaped ahead, bringing her foreleg back as well, but when Comedy lashed out, she ducked under the punch and lifted the overbalanced mare over her back. Comedy flailed before landing on her front, turning in time to take a buck to her barrel that sent her skidding across the floor.

‘Clever,’ Nevermore quipped.

Swirling couldn’t help but smile as he actually congratulated her for once.

‘Don’t get used to it.’

Good feelings gone, she braced herself as Comedy came back in with a flurry of punches. As Swirling dodged or blocked the blows, her brow furrowed but a grin erupted across her face, hidden by the shadows enveloping her visage.

“What’s the matter, Comedy, not finding this as fun as you thought?”

A louder growl escaped from the masked mare. “Shut up!”

When Comedy brought back a fierce punch, she saw her opening. As the punch flew in, she caught hold of it and used Comedy’s own momentum to pull her off balance. As Comedy struggled to right herself, Swirling brought back her own punch and sent her flying away. Comedy bounced twice before slamming into a marble pillar.

Comedy staggered to her hooves, shaking her head, only to see the Raven charging at her. “Tragedy!”

Swirling felt the other masked thief slam into her side. The two went rolling across the floor, the stallion doing his best land as many blows as he could. “Don’t you ever touch my sister!” She grunted under his attack but used her hind legs to launch him off of her, sending him through the display case with the Luna statuette.

“Oh, don’t cry all over me, Tragedy. Even though that’s obviously all you do!” She snarked as he got back to his hooves.

He stood straighter. “Keep running your mouth, but you won’t get under my skin,” he said as he charged at her again.

Swirling braced herself to meet him. “Yes, because that would be a tragedy, wouldn’t it?”

Uttering a curse, Tragedy again ran at her, throwing a series of rapid punches at the shadowy pegasus. Evading several hits, the Raven sank away, disappearing into the shadows beneath Tragedy’s hooves. The stallion blinked quickly, his eyes running through the room to find his opponent just before something rammed into his stomach, winding him and knocking him several feet into the air before rolling painfully across the floor with a loud grunt.

Smirking, Swirling flew at him, tackling him into a wall, where he groaned as she stood over him victoriously. “And now for the other—”

Something impacted the side of her head, knocking her away and into a display of masks from Zebrica, one of which fell onto her face. She shoved the wooden artifact out of her view to see Comedy holding a broken stone relic in one hoof and the statuette of Princess Luna in the other. She tossed the shattered relic at Swirling before the pegasus could react, conking her in the head again, which would’ve knocked her out cold if Nevermore hadn’t been protecting her. It did manage to daze her, though.

By the time she managed to come to her senses again, Comedy and Tragedy were already most of the way up a rope to the skylight, with Comedy leading.

‘Darn it!’ Flapping her wings roughly, she took to the air and made to grab Comedy, who spun in time to deliver a relentless kick to Swirling’s face, once more knocking the Raven back and buying the thieves time to get out of the building.

As if Fate wasn’t done ruining her evening, the door to the room was knocked down, and several ponies in police uniforms galloped in to see the Raven hovering just below the skylight.

She slumped her shoulders with a groan and a face-hoof. “Yeah, that figures.” She took the unicorn guards firing at her as a hint to leave, and flew out of the building and out of the guards’ view, immediately searching for Comedy and Tragedy before spotting the pair reaching the roof of the building from which they’d ziplined earlier.

‘Fast little buggers,’ said Nevermore in a tone that made him sound mildly impressed.

“No time!” She gave a flap of her wings and took off in a burst of speed. As the two reached the other building, she landed in front of them.

An audible growl emitted from Comedy. “You just don’t give up, do you, Biddy?”

Growling to herself, Swirling braced herself for another attack. “You can’t outrun me! Just give yourselves up already!”

Her eyes darted to Tragedy as he reached into his suit and she bristled, ready for him to throw whatever he was reaching for.

She didn’t have time to process what he was doing until he threw whatever it was to the ground between them.

“Wha—” she managed before a bright flash erupted and she jerked her head to the side with a surprised yelp. She rubbed fiercely at her eyes before she felt something slam into her side, bouncing her against a nearby wall.

“Go!” she heard Tragedy yell, followed by the sounds of retreating hoof steps.

‘That… was unexpected.’

‘Nevermore, I can’t see! Help!’

‘Give me a moment,’ he groused.

With a shake of her head, her vision gradually returned. She blinked numerous times as little lights danced across her vision. When it finally cleared, she saw the two in the distance, hopping across the rooftops in the direction of the city’s train station.

“They’re making a run for the trains!”

‘Then go after them.’

She muttered at the dryness of his tone and took after them, still trying to clear her eyes of the dancing lights. She scowled and flapped her wings harder to make up for lost ground, following the thieving duo as the pair fled.

Just as they leaped down into the crowd at the train station, she again cut them off. Rather than waste words, she tackled Comedy to the ground and tore off her saddlebags. As the crowd fled in terrified screams, the Luna statuette rolled out of Comedy’s bag and tumbled across the ground. Swirling made a leap for the statuette, but felt a tug on her tail, causing her to slap her chin to the pavement below. Tragedy jumped over her, grabbing the statuette in his hooves and turning to the Raven, his frowning mask hiding a derisive sneer.

Swirling snarled fiercely and made a lunge for the statue, only for Tragedy to toss it into the air. When she stopped to try and catch it, she felt a hoof meet her chin in an uppercut, knocking back several feet. Tragedy easily caught the statuette again, stowing it away in his bag and assuming a stance as the Raven reoriented herself on all fours.

“Well, Biddy, it was fun, but this is where you take a hike,” he said with undisguised arrogance. Just as he made a move to join Comedy, he found his hooves stuck to the pavement. “What in the world?”

“Wha—” Swirling started.

‘You’re welcome,’ she heard Nevermore say.

With a fierce grin, she realized that Tragedy’s shadow had grown darker, his hooves now bound by Nevermore’s magic. She took off like a shot at the bound stallion. “Hey, Tragedy!”

The masked stallion looked up, and she could imagine the horror in his expression that the mask hid. “Cry me a river!” She slugged him with a fierce haymaker that sent the stallion soaring into a magazine vendor’s stand. Tabloids and other magazines fluttered around the stallion as he groaned in pain.

Swirling stood over the beaten stallion, her head held high. “And get over it.”

“You nag!”

Swirling whirled at the sound of Comedy’s shout and the scream of a terrified mare. She saw that Comedy held an earth pony mare by the mane, a knife pressed against her throat.

“Get away from my brother, or I’ll kill this one!”

The mare quaked in her grasp. “Please no! I have a family! Don’t hurt—”

“Shut up!” Comedy glared back at the Raven as she had turned to face her fully. “I swear, if you so much as move, her death will be on your hooves!”

Swirling growled at the masked mare. “Don’t you dare do it! If you hurt her, I’ll—”

“You’ll what?” Comedy challenged. “You’re supposed to be the big hero, aren’t you? You don’t have the guts to do anything worse than a few bad one-liners.” She drew the knife closer to her hostage’s neck, drawing a slight trickle of blood. “Let Tragedy go, and I let Miss Bystander here go. Even trade, wouldn’t you say?”

The shadow-clad pegasus narrowed her eyes at the mare, unable to discern whether this was bluff because that accursed grinning mask. She looked over to Tragedy, still trapped in Nevermore’s shadow magic, then to Comedy’s hostage, who wore a look of desperation like none she’d seen before. She couldn’t see this working out well for her regardless of what choice she made here.

She grumbled under her breath before saying, “Fine.” ‘Nevermore, let him go.’

‘You do realize that this is one mare’s life stacked two lifetimes of thievery, right?’

‘Just do it.’

There was no further argument from the spirit as he released his hold on Tragedy’s hooves. The stallion grunted as he stumbled back into freedom again, quickly joining his sister, who who held onto her hostage, slowly stepping back toward the train tracks. A train’s whistle could be heard in the distance.

“We had a deal, Comedy,” said the Raven. “Let her go.”

Comedy’s response was a short laugh. “Oh, I will. I’m just waiting for some insurance first.”

Swirling felt her hackles rise. “What are you talking about? Just let her go!” The horn of the approaching train grew closer. Far off, she could see a light from what must’ve been the train’s engine.

“You know, Black Biddy, this is why stupid heroes like you don’t ever win in real life. Because you care too much for ponies that you’ve never even met.” She stepped closer to the edge of the platform, taking the hostage with her. “You had your chance to stop us, and you blew it on this little mare.” She jerked the sagging mare back on her hooves, who gave a whimper of fear.

Swirling raised her voice as the train grew closer. “Let. Her. Go!”

“Fine!” Comedy shot back. “You want her, you’d better catch her!” She whirled and kicked the mare onto the train tracks.

The mare landed with a grunt and looked up to see the bright lights of the train bearing down on her. “N-Nooo!”

“You—” Swirling lunged after the fallen mare, who flailed and tried to scramble as the train rushed at them.

“Celestia’s mane!” Swirling swore before she roughly grabbed the mare and made a desperate leap to the next set of tracks, the train speeding past them. Swirling heaved out a relieved sigh as she helped the mare off the ground. “Are you all right?”

Instead of speaking, the mare screamed again, pointing behind the Raven, who spun to find another train barreling toward them.

‘Oh, come on!’

Instinct took over, and Swirling grabbed the mare again, leaping out of the way and off the tracks, rolling across the ground as the train skidded to a gradual halt that still would’ve killed them both. The Raven let another sigh and faced the mare again. “Let’s try this again: are you all right?”

“Y-y-yes,” the mare said in a quiet, reluctant voice. “Thank you… thank you so much!”

“Next time, take a cart,” she uttered dryly as she flapped her wings to look around the station for Comedy and Tragedy. She cursed when they were nowhere to be seen.

She shook her head irritably. “Gone… I should’ve figured.”

‘I tried to—’

‘Not now, Nevermore.’

Looking down at all the stares she was getting from the ponies in the station, she huffed and quickly took off across the sky.

“Can I not catch a break?”

-o-

Summer watched her friend worriedly as Swirling grumbled to herself, her forelegs crossed as she slumped in her seat. She turned to Page, sitting next to her, who could only offer a shrug. It had taken an absurd amount of borderline begging on Summer’s part for Swirling to come along with them to the second showing of ‘The Merry Mares of Windsor,’ and the pegasus had outright refused to dress up for the occasion. It was rare for Summer to see her like this, and Swirling Line tended to be a difficult mare to please at times.

Finally, Summer gave a faint sigh and nudged her friend, speaking in a low whisper as the actors played their roles. “Swirling, what’s wrong with you? You’re being more of a grump than usual.”

“I’m fine,” the two-toned pegasus mumbled with no small amount of unhidden disdain.

Summer rolled her eyes. “Again, you’re lying to me. If you don’t stop, I’m going to make you pay me a bit for every lie you tell.” She smiled. “I might be able to afford a new apartment in uptown if I do that, actually.”

Swirling leveled a flat glare at her. “Funny…” She took in a breath and let it out slowly. “I’m sorry, Summer. I’m just… I haven’t really had the best week of my life.”

“Well, if you would just talk about it for once. Maybe you’ll finally feel better.”

The pegasus only grumbled in answer, leading Summer to roll her eyes.

“Hey,” Page chimed in. “Maybe, after the play, we can go talk to the actors again. I’ll bet Lambent would be able to turn that frown upside down.”

Summer giggled. “One way or another, probably.” The way her friend turned a bright cherry red brought a wide smile to her face. “And just what were you thinking, Swirling?”

“That you’re the worst friend ever.” She rubbed at her face in a vain attempt to make the blush go away.

Summer chortled, which drew a shush from another audience member. After a sheepish apology, she turned back to her friend, who’s red coloring had faded somewhat. “Well, we’re still going backstage once the play is over. It’ll be your chance to snag yourself a famous actor as a boyfriend.”

Swirling lowered her gaze, a low, hopeful smile tugging at her lips. It’d be nice to have at least one win after the mess of a week she’d had. “Yeah… maybe it’s what I need.”

Her friend nudged her, a wicked grin on her face. “That’s not all you need.”

It took her a moment, but she quickly covered her face. “Summer… why?”

-o-

Even after the play was over and done with, the backstage was flooded with stagehooves running around and working cleanup for whatever performance was to come next for the theater. Actors were busy removing the makeup that had been smacked onto their faces as they headed for the dressing rooms, all congratulating each other on a job well done. The ponies receiving the most praise were the very same pair that Swirling, Page, and Summer had come to visit.

Radiant Voice’s grin was wide with her impeccably white teeth, Lambent’s calm demeanor contrasting his sister’s jovial attitude perfectly, though he was also wearing a rather prideful smile. Swirling couldn’t help but blush at the sight of him still wearing his dapper costume from the play.

“Good evening, Radiant, Lambent,” Page greeted as the crowd around the twins dispersed. “Great show tonight.”

The earth pony mare beamed at the compliment, brushing her hoof against her barrel. “Oh, that was nothing. You should’ve seen when Lambent and I took a role in a play for a bunch of angry griffins. We had them crying from our performance in no time!”

“And all because you forgot to put on your makeup for the show,” Lambent snarked with a smirk, earning a glare from his sister.

She snorted at him, turning her nose up. “I say it was your flat singing that night that had them bawling.” Lambent offered a small chuckle of amusement in response, interrupted by a groan of pain as he rubbed his chin with a hoof.

Swirling stepped forward with a somewhat worried look. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” the stallion answered. “Jaw’s a little sore. Long story.”

“Don’t worry about him. He just has four left hooves,” Radiant joked impishly.

The way he glowered at his sister caused a giggle to escape Swirling. The way the two went back and forth was charmingly cute, especially that pouting look on Lambent’s face.

She felt her side nudged, and she turned to see Summer giving her the ‘go for it!’ eyes. A nervous sigh escaped Swirling as she quickly tried to think up something that didn’t sound silly or embarrassing.

‘This might be better than the show.’

Ignoring the no-doubt-smirking spirit, she went with what first came to mind. “I-I really liked your performance tonight, Lambent. I thought the scene where the actress kept fainting, and you having to catch her, was really funny.”

‘Lame.’

‘Shut the hell up, Nevermore!’

He turned an appreciative smile her way. “Thank you… Swirling Line.” He turned his jaw a bit before continuing with a slight grunt of effort, which struck her as odd if it just sore. “Glad to know my fans enjoy my work.”

She tilted her head curiously at him. “Are you sure you’re okay? Maybe you should have a doctor look at that.”

He waved her away. “No, I’ll be fine.” He gave her a faint wink. “Don’t worry about me, beautiful.”

‘And cue cliche blushing like an idiot.’

If it wasn’t for the fluttering in her stomach, she might have cursed him out. That still didn’t stop the blush from creeping across her cheeks, however. “I-I…”

‘And there’s the stutter...’

Luckily, Summer came to her aid. “What she means to say is ‘thank you,’ and she has something she’d like to ask you.”

Lambent turned a curious look her way. “You do?”

“I do?” Summer nudged her firmly. “I mean… um…” She took in a deep breath and let it out. “Lambent, would like to go out for dinner sometime?”

He gave her a coy smile, looking her over for a moment before his eyes seemed to sparkle. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

The butterflies in her stomach suddenly became storm of excitement in her chest. It took everything she had to not squeal like a little filly right then and there. A date with a famous actor! How did she do it?

A velvety chuckle broke her trance and the four turned to see Radiant laughing. “Oh, brother, you heart throb, you.”

He turned a glower her way again. “Quiet, you little monkey.”

Her eye twitched before she scowled at him. “I’m not a monkey!”

Swirling blinked, the warm feeling in her gut fading. The way Radiant had said that just now. It sounded so familiar, but where did she hear that before?

‘That… did sound familiar. Where did I hear that?’

‘I don’t know, but—’

“So, Radiant, Lambent, a quick question for the article I’m writing,” Page Topper chimed in with grin. “I’ve been wondering, and this wasn’t question chosen for the interview: what genre of plays do you prefer acting in?”

The twins blinked for a moment and looked to each other, then back to Page. “That’s actually a tough one to answer, honestly,” Lambent admitted.

Radiant only smiled. “Not for me. Personally, I love performing in comedies. I don’t get into serious stories very often.”

‘Comedies...’ Something clicked, and her eyes went wide as she suddenly found herself focusing on the sounds of Radiant and Lambent’s voices. The tones and pitches, the volume with which they spoke, even Radiant’s mild cockiness and Lambent’s comparatively quiet demeanor. It couldn’t be…

“Hey, Swirl?” The pegasus shook her head and looked to Summer. “You okay? You zoned out on us for a minute there.”

She blinked and gave a soft shake of her head. “Y-Yeah, I’m fine. Just… thinking.”

The way Summer’s eyes widened and her wicked grin spread told her that she should’ve phrased that differently. “Summer, don’t even.”

The unicorn gave her a pouty expression. “You’re no fun.”

Swirling’s ears turned as Lambent finally answered the question as well. “I’ve always been partial to tragedies, myself. I’ve always enjoyed bringing the raw emotion to the audience. Dry eyes means I didn’t do my job well enough.”

Swirling felt her blood run cold, and she stared at the stallion for a long moment. ‘Tragedies? No… no, it can’t be...’

‘Can it be anymore obvious at this point? It’s them, Line, and you know it.’

‘N-no! I-it’s gotta be a coincidence! It’s not him!’

She could hear a disgruntled and agitated sigh from the spirit just before being nudged by Summer. “Hey, will you stop spacing out already? You’re starting to make ponies worry about you.”

“I… I, uh…” She shook her head once again and stepped back a few steps. “I’m sorry. I have to go, uh… do a… thing. Bye!”

She tried to leave, but found her tail being tugged firmly. She saw that it was held by the green aura of Summer’s magic, and she saw her friend giving her a disapproving frown. “Oh, no, you don’t. You already asked him on a date, now find out when.”

Swirling looked back to Lambent and Radiant as they talked with Page, and she bit at her lip. If she ran out without asking more about the date, it would look suspicious. That, and she still held hope that he was innocent, and not a cruel master thief.

‘You’ve got to be kidding me...’

Ignoring the spirit again, she took in breath and approached the three. As she did, Lambent turned that charming smile to her. “Ah, sorry about that. You know how reporters can be.”

“Y-yeah, I was just wondering…” She rubbed at the back of her neck for a moment before speaking further. “When did you want to go on that date?”

His smile grew just a bit wider. “How about tomorrow night? Give me a chance to rest up before we go out on the town. We can meet back here and go from there.”

Despite the nagging worry and crushing anxiety, a hopeful smile crept across her face. There’s no way Nevermore could be right about him. “Great! I’ll see you then?”

He gave her a broad wink. “Count on it, beautiful.”

She only replied with an awkward laugh before taking her leave. Feeling Summer’s hopeful stare, she prayed that Lambent wasn’t who Nevermore thought he was.

-o-

The two actors staggered their way through the streets of Manehatten on their way to their hotel, and Swirling could tell that they had enjoyed their fair share of drink at the cast party. Radiant and Lambent laughed and teased each other as they walked. Swirling could only watch the latter with worry as she stalked after them in the form of the Raven, bouncing from shadow to shadow to keep the pair within her line of sight.

She still held out hope that her hunch was wrong. Lambent was too nice of a guy to be Tragedy. Well… from what she could tell from the two times she’d met him so far, at least. She wasn’t sure how she’d react if she found out otherwise.

‘Are ponies always so stubborn and emotional?’ asked Nevermore, sounding more derisive than genuinely curious. ‘Seriously, Line, look at the evidence. Sore jaw? You uppercutted Tragedy in the jaw just last night. Both Radiant and Comedy reacted similarly to being called a monkey. And now this “favored genre” thing? It couldn’t be more obvious if they wore t-shirts saying “We’re Comedy and Tragedy!”’

She shook her head stubbornly. ‘No! You’re wrong, Nevermore! It’s just a coincidence. Lambent is a nice guy, and he’s cute. Cute guys can’t be evil thieves.’

‘...Please tell me you’re joking.’

‘I’m dead serious.’

If he could, Nevermore would’ve been pinching the bridge of his nose in disappointment and annoyance. ‘You know what? Ponies aren’t stubborn and emotional; they’re outright stupid.’

‘What would you know?’ She continued to follow after them until they finally made it to the door of the hotel. She paused, looking around to the brightly lit entry of the hotel; there was no way she was going to be able to shadow walk in with all of those lights glaring at her.

“How do I get in?” she mumbled to herself.

‘You have wings, don’t you? They’re famous actors. I’d bet money they have the royal suites on one of the uppermost floors.’

She slapped a hoof over her face. “Right… duh.” She emerged from the shadows and spread her wings out, taking flight. With a small grunt of effort, she rose through the air and circled around the tall building, peeking into windows to find the twins and seeing more than a few things she’d need to bleach her brain to forget. This would seem to be another Mafioso hunt, it seemed.

‘Minus the thugs chasing after you.’

‘Don’t remind me. I still don’t like how that turned out.’ She cut him off before he could start. ‘I know, Nevermore, I don’t want to hear your justification speech again.’

She could feel him rolling his eyes at her while she continued scanning the windows as she flew past. Just as she was beginning to doubt if they had the royal suites, she caught the lights turning on in one of the penthouses. She turned and hovered by the window, peeking in curiously. Within, she finally spotted her targets.

Radiant was laughing giddily as she flopped onto one of the beds, while Lambent carefully took a seat at the mini bar across from them, facing his sister. He wore a small grin as he reached behind the mini bar, struggling to grab something.

“Man, that was great!” Radiant said gleefully, her voice muffled slightly by the glass between them and Swirling. “I can’t believe that guy drank all the vodka in one go! I mean, damn! That’s just impressive.”

“Also murder on his liver,” Lambent added, “but that’s his problem.” He pulled a bag out from behind the bar, unzipping it and rummaging through it for a few moments.

Radiant readjusted herself to lay flat on her back, her back legs kicking circles in the air. “Are our souvenirs still with us?”

Right on cue, Lambent pulled a golden statuette of Princess Celestia and set it on the bar, then an obsidian statuette of Princess Luna. “Yep. And nary a scuff or scratch to boot. These girls are gonna make us a mint on the black market.”

Seeing those statues laid out for her to see caused a whimper of grief to escape her. No! It couldn’t be! It was a trick! It had to be!

“Did you hear something?” she heard Lambent’s voice ask.

With a quick curse, she flapped her wings and got above the window just in time for Lambent to to step out on the balcony, looking around suspiciously.

“Whaddya hear?” the slurred voice of Radiant Voice—no, Comedy said.

Lambent, Tragedy, flicked his ears at his sister’s voice, looking around for a moment. After a moment, he sighed and turned back for the room. “Guess it was nothing,” he said, closing the penthouse door behind him.

Swirling Line sat on the roof above the penthouse, her hind legs pulled close as as she tried so hard to fight back the tears of disappointment. Why? Why did he have to be Tragedy? It just wasn’t fair! She scowled as anger bubbled up inside her, clawing to get out. Right now, all she wanted to do was scream and punch Lambent right in the face.

‘What’s stopping you?’ Nevermore inquired. ‘He deserves it, doesn’t he?’

The pegasus wiped a hoof over her eyes, and nodded. “For once, you and I are in complete agreement.”

“And who might you be talking to?”

Swirling leaped with a yelp at the sudden voice, spinning to face the speaker. Standing across from her was lime green pegasus mare with a mane of a light shade of green, wearing a police uniform with a set of hoofcuffs as her cutie mark. She had smirk on her face, her green eyes glinting with amusement, like she knew a joke and refused to share it.

“Uh… no one.” She stepped back awkwardly, looking this policemare over for a moment. “I guess you’re going to try to arrest me?”

The mare rolled her eyes and shook her head, not losing her smirk in the slightest. “Not my plan, but I’m flexible.” She approached the Raven until she was just a foreleg’s length away. “I saw you tailing those two ponies. Figured I’d do the same to you. See what your reasons are. Considering you haven’t done anything horrible to them, and your current record when it comes to Manehattan’s unfriendly residents, I doubt you’re going to.”

Swirling narrowed her eyes at the policemare, feeling that something was off about her. She also felt a bizarre sense of familiarity with this mare, but she was certain that she’d never met her before in her life. “Who are you?”

“You can just call me Cuff,” the mystery mare answered. She just kept on smiling with that insider’s grin. “So, why are you stalking two of the most famous actors in Equestria? I’m betting it’s not to get an autograph.”

A scowl erupted across Swirling’s muzzle, though it was hidden by the Raven form. “I’ve found out that they’re a pair of thieves that call themselves Comedy and Tragedy. It was them who stole the statuettes from the museum, not me.”

The pegasus’ eyebrow inched upwards. “And you know this, how?”

She motioned over the side of the building. “I saw the statues in their room. Lambent, the stallion, said that they’re going to sell them on the black market.”

“Are they now?” Cuff hummed thoughtfully before looking back at her. “Well… one cop alone won’t be able to take down two vicious criminals like Comedy and Tragedy, so I’ll have to call for backup.” A sly smirk crossed her face. “Well, whatever happens between now and then happens, as I won’t be there to see it.” Swirling turned to the mare, who had already taken to the air, but had stopped. “Oh, before I forget, you might want some evidence to prove your innocence.”

“And how would I get that?”

Cuff smirked once again and began digging around in her uniform’s many pockets before pulling out a small, portable camera and tossing to the Raven, who caught it in her hooves. “Always keep one on me, just in case.”

Swirling looked down at the camera, then back at Cuff, slightly befuddled, but nodded nonetheless. This would definitely come in handy. “Thanks. I owe you one.”

“Don’t thank me,” Cuff replied. “I’m just doing my job.” She spread her wings and took off, quickly disappearing over the ledge of the building.

‘...There’s something not right with that mare.’

‘What do you mean?’

His continued silence caused her to frown to herself. “Nevermore?”

‘It’s something for another night. We have a pair of thieves to catch, remember? Including Lambent Voice.’

The mere mention of the stallion caused the bile to rile up inside her. She remembered that cute smile he gave her, and realized it was through false teeth. He wasn’t an actor that did a little thievery on the side. He was a thief who used his acting as a means to hide who he really was. A thief who’s murdered. A thief who’s destroyed lives for profit. A stallion who needed to be put in his place.

The disappointment, the bitterness, and the regret boiled over as she grabbed the camera and zipped over the side of the building. As she hovered next to the patio window, her eyes bored figurative holes into him.

‘How could you?’

She lifted up the camera, and took a shoot as Comedy absently tossed the Celestia statuette into the air. As Lambent marveled at the Luna statuette, she took another picture.

And that was enough evidence for her needs.

Hiding the camera on the roof, she flew back down to the window and pulled back a few feet, readying herself before taking off toward the glass pane. The window shattered as she flew through it, showering the two startled occupants with glass fragments. She rolled across the floor and spun to face them, her eyes narrowed and glaring daggers at them both.

“What the hell!?” Radiant hollered as she rolled off her bed, the Celestia statuette falling on the mattress while she hit the floor.

“You!” Lambent shouted, quickly dropping the Luna statuette he’d been examining. “How did you find us?”

A growl escaped Swirling’s throat. “You’re both going down.”

She didn’t wait for any retort, instead tackling into the mare also known as Comedy. The two crashed through a nightstand, and Swirling pulled back a hoof to slug her across the muzzle. The shadows across her body rippled, her ethereal mane and tail beginning to whip and flicker like fire as she drove her hoof forward, slugging the other mare across the face with a satisfying crack.

As she felt a pair of forelegs wrap around her, an angered hiss escaped her hidden lips as she struggled to break free.

“Get off my sister, freak!” Lambent howled as he pulled her away and dropped her into a suplex, slamming her head against the floor.

Swirling grunted from the head-first impact, but got back to her hooves to swing at the staggering Lambent. Just looking at him sent a bristle of rage through her nerves, and she snarled angrily at the stallion before leaping at him with a hoof drawn back. He rolled with the tackle and used his hind legs to launch her off of him.

She flapped her wings and righted herself to land against the wall on all fours, her wings flared out to keep her balance.

Lambent’s eyes widened before she lept off the wall and slugged him across the muzzle. He staggered back with the blow, crashing into the minibar and knocking the Luna statuette to the floor. Shaking his head to clear the dizziness, he felt himself lifted up and slammed against the wall. His eyes widened as the peered into the rage filled eyes of the Raven. Her yellow orbs now seemed more narrow, more slanted, and he felt the first vestiges of fear as he stared into them.

“Why did you do this?” the Raven demanded, the shadows churning across her body. “You were a famous actor! You had everything most ponies could only dream of! Why would you choose a life of crime over being a star!?”

He grunted past the pain to glare back at her. “You don’t know anything. Someone like you couldn’t understand if you tried!”

She shook him viciously before slamming him again. “I want to know why!”

Lambent actually managed a small grin. “You really wanna know?” He snickered. “My sister and I, we do it for the thrill. The rush of getting away with it. Surely, you feel the same way whenever you nab a crook on the street, right? The adrenaline in your veins, your heart pounding, that little tingle in the back of your mind telling you to keep going and going? It’s the same for us. We couldn’t care less about the money we get from it. All that matters is the thrill.”

She pressed her muzzle into his, her glare even more seething. “And you kill for that thrill? How many mothers and fathers have you killed just for your thrill!?”

At that, the stallion scowled. “I stopped counting a while ago. It’s their own fault for getting in our way. Besides, Radiant takes the most active approach when it comes to dealing with witnesses.”

Shooting a scathing glance at the unconscious mare proved a mistake as the moment she turned away, Lambent grabbed a wine bottle and smashed it over her head. Glass and wine mixed in with her fur and mane, stunning her for a brief moment. Lambent used the distraction to plant both hind hooves into her barrel and launch her off of him.

The force of the kick sent her sailing back through the broken remains of the patio window, bouncing her into the railing with a pained grunt as she tried to shake away the dizziness. Looking up as she heard the sounds of crunching glass, she saw Lambent walk towards her as he slipped on his scowling mask.

“It seems I’m going to have to deal with witnesses this time around.”

She tried to move, only to feel him stomp on her side and pin her down. He drew back a hoof and drove it into her face, dazing her, but causing no permanent damage. That would be brought into question eventually, as the stallion continued to strike her for a second, third, fourth time, then grabbed her by her tail and lifting her by it. He spun on his hind legs, spiraling the Raven around in a powerful swing, only to release her and send her flying into the mini-bar, knocking numerous beverages off the shelves hidden by the counter, glass bottles shattering on the floor.

Already, she felt him pulling her back, and her hooves scrambled to grab onto to something. Her left hoof met an object, and she immediately spun and swung a bottle of whiskey into Lambent’s face, glass breaking apart and digging into his skin. The stallion screamed as the shards cut through his mask and into his face, letting the pegasus go and stumbling away to fall onto his back and writhe in pain.

‘Now’s your chance! Buck!’

‘It hurts, Nevermore! You’re not the one getting punched and tossed like a ragdoll!’

‘No, I’m the one keeping you from being cut up like cheese. Now buck!’

Growling in anger, she lashed out with both legs and caught the surprised Lambent square in the barrel, her rage enhanced strength sending him flying out the patio door. He scrambled for the railing, but missed and plunged with a scream.

“NO!” Ignoring the pain, and Nevermore’s disapproving shouts, she took off out the window, descending desperately to catch up with the plummeting stallion. She refused to have another pony die because of her! She wouldn’t let him die, even if he deserved it!

Lambent’s terrified shrieks drew the attention of a small number of ponies still out at the late hour, all shocked as they witnessed a pony falling to the ground. Swirling pumped her wings harder than ever before, barreling past Lambent before arcing back up and snatching him out of the air, forcing a grunt of pain out of him from the rough catch as she soared back up to the ruined hotel room, where she dropped him unceremoniously onto the floor.

He gasped and panted, his breath shallow as his mind processed that he was no longer falling to his death. He glanced at the Raven, who glared at him as if she regretted setting him back on solid ground.

“You… you saved me…” he muttered shakily.

She narrowed her eyes. “I’m not like you. I’m not a murderer.” She scowled under her shadowy mask. “That’s not to say that you don’t deserve it.”

“I—” She didn’t let him finish, swiftly dealing a blow to his face to knock him back and out cold onto the floor.

‘You never cease to surprise me with how stupid you can be.’

‘Shut up, Nevermore. I’m very angry and I don’t want to have to deal with your crap right now.’

Nevermore’s only response was a noncommittal grunt. Swirling looked over the two groaning ponies and spat disgustedly. She tore down a curtain and ripped it to long shreds, tying the two up with the material. Turning towards a glint, she saw the two statuettes beside each other. She walked over and lifted them up, admiring their craftsmanship. Even as angry as she was, she could still appreciate fine art, and the two statuettes were breathtaking in their detail.

‘Thinking about keeping one?’

She glowered at the spirit, but it quickly gave way to wonder as she looked them over. “No, but this’ll probably be the last chance I get to see them, so I wanted to at least look at them. Can’t you see how amazing the detail is? Whoever made them was a master!”

‘Artists...’

“You’re darn right I am,” she quipped.

-o-

Famous Actors Caught!

Formerly beloved actors Radiant and Lambent Voice exposed as the criminal duo Comedy and Tragedy!

Swirling couldn’t stop a wide grin from breaking out on her face as she read the article in the paper. It went on to describe how the twins had been delivered to the police with photographic evidence that proved their guilt and the Raven’s innocence, pushing her back up from criminal to vigilante once again, and that the statuettes had been transferred to police holding until further notice. Today was shaping up to be pretty good already.

“Why are you smiling like that?” asked Summer, pulling Swirling’s focus away from the newspaper she’d been reading. “Lambent’s a criminal! I almost hooked you up with a felon! Again!”

A chuckle escaped Swirling and patted her friend on the shoulder as they walked through the streets of Manehatten. “It’s alright, Summer. I’m sure you’ll set me up with someone who isn’t a scumbag. Eventually.”

“That’s not funny, Swirling!” The dark tan unicorn stamped a hoof with a huff. “First it was that mean thug in the park, and now Lambent… it just doesn’t look good on me if I set my best friend up with criminals!”

“It’s not that bad. It at least makes my love life more interesting than most ponies’, right?” Swirling said, giving her friend a teasing wink.

The unicorn groaned. “You’re mean.”

A warm laugh escaped Swirling as she looked around the street they walked through. Many ponies walked past them, or rode past on carts. Conversation rang all around them, and Swirling felt a bit uplifted on having a normal day for once.

‘I can change that, you know.’

A sinking feeling formed in her gut. ‘Please… don’t...’

‘Needs to be said, Line,’ he said, not a trace of mercy to be found in his dry voice. ‘All three times you faced Comedy and Tragedy, you were sloppy. I had to work hard at keeping the worst of the damage done to you from actually hurting you. I was taxed many times, and almost couldn’t hold the form with your carelessness.’

‘Oh, come on! I couldn’t have been that bad!’

‘You were bad enough, and that’s what worries me.’

She shook her head at that. ‘I beat them, didn’t I?’

He groaned. ‘At the near cost of your life, plus the fact that they were drunk the third time. We can’t afford to keep going in flailing madly all the time the way you do.’

A sigh escaped her, and she was lucky Summer wasn’t paying attention to her. In fact, she’d wandered off to a collection of flyers on a wall nearby. The unicorn tore one of them off the wall and bounded back over to Swirling, grinning excitedly as she held the flyer in her magic.

“Check this out, Swirl!” she said eagerly. “It’s just what we need!”

Curiosity piqued, Swirling took the flyer in one hoof and looked it over. There was a Neighponese style hoof-made drawing of a pair of ponies wearing martial arts uniforms, both in fighting stances. Beneath the artwork was writing for what was being advertised.

“‘Master Kyoshi’s Karate Dojo’?” she read. Beneath that was the address of the dojo, a date for when it would be open, and the deadline for ponies to sign up before it opened. “Why do we need this?”

“Duh! So that we don’t get mugged again, of course. Who’s gonna mess with a mare that knows karate?”

‘This… is oddly convenient,’ Nevermore stated in a somewhat baffled tone.

Swirling looked to her widely grinning friend, and tried to imagine the bubbly unicorn in a karate outfit. She snorted a laugh and about doubled over.

The unicorn blinked in surprise before glaring at her cackling friend. “What’s so funny?”

“I just—” another round of giggles escaped her. “I just imagined you in a karate outfit doing a flying kick like in one of those cheesy kung fu movies, and I just couldn’t hold it in.”

“Hey! It’s not funny! I’m being serious, Swirling.” She took the flyer back in her magic.

Swirling took in a deep breath to finally get her laughter under control and tilted her head at her friend. “Why, though, Summer? You just don’t seem the type to want to fight ponies.”

“Because…” She lowered her head and gave a soft huff. “I just don’t like being a victim. After we got mugged, I felt so helpless, and I didn’t like it. I just… don’t want it to happen to either of us again.”

“But don’t you have your magic? Why didn’t you just blast the thugs?”

Summer turned a glower at her. “Do I look like Princess Twilight? I can’t shoot giant blowy-uppy beams! I barely can knock a fly out of the air, let alone fight.”

Swirling brushed her two-tone mane out of her eyes and studied her friend. The unicorn looked really serious, something Swirling rarely saw in the other mare. Maybe she had a point after all.

‘And you could use some formal training,’ Nevermore suggested, actually being helpful for once.

‘Guess that settles it.’ She smiled at Summer. “Okay, you win. We’ll go sign up to join.”

Summer’s smile returned, and she clapped her hooves giddily. “Great! This going to be so cool! We’ll be learning karate together, and we’ll show those crooks who’s boss!”

‘I’m betting on the crooks.’

‘Aren’t you funny?’

‘Hilarious, yes.’

She rolled her eyes, but managed to keep her small smile as she and Summer continued on their way. Summer continued listing off all the great things they could learn from an actual karate master, occasionally stopping to do an approximation of a fighting stance that was probably about as accurate as a foal’s rendition of a Shaken Spear play. Still, she couldn’t help but smile wider at her friend’s antics.

“Waiter!” a loud, obnoxious voice called out as the pair passed a cafe, catching their attention. “Get me another of those little martinis, would ya!?”

A pony wearing a waiter’s uniform frowned at the shouting stallion. “Sir, you’ve already had five martinis and a glass of tequila, and you haven’t even touched your food yet. Anymore drink, and we’ll have to kick you out.”

“Hey, what about customer service, huh? Come on, I’ve had a rough day! Cut me some slack, will ya!?” The waiter rolled his eyes and called for security. “Whoa, no need for strongarmin’, I’m goin’.” The portly stallion grumbled as he left his outdoor table, stumbling past other customers and bumping into Swirling.

“What’s your problem?” she asked, more curious than anything else.

The stallion mumbled something before turning to Swirling. “My problem, lady, is that my two biggest clients turned out to be criminals, and the damn paparazzi’s been hounding me about it all damn day! I tell ya, there’s no trustin’ ponies these days!”

The pegasus blinked, glancing at Summer for a moment before eyeing the stallion again. “Clients? You wouldn’t happen to be Radiant and Lambent Voice’s agent, would you?”

“Used to be,” he corrected. “Why? You’re not more paparazzi, are you? If you are, then whatever you’re thinkin’, fuggedaboutit.”

A wide smile erupted across Swirling’s face, an idea suddenly blooming up in her mind as she processed this new information. “Well, if you’re looking for a new client, I might know an actress looking for an agent.”

“Swirling?” Summer asked quietly, looking at her friend with nervous eyes.

“Yeah?” the stallion asked. “And who would that be?”

“Why, my friend right here!” She waved a hoof to Summer, who gaped at the development in mixed bafflement and shock. “She’s an aspiring actress who could use a good agent, and you’re missing two clients now. It’s a win-win for both of you!”

Summer sputtered, her face turning a bright scarlet red. “But-I-what-I can’t—”

He looked Summer over, a grin slowly growing on his face. “Ya make a strong argument, lady.” He rummaged through the pockets of his coat, pulling out a card and offering it to Summer. “Name’s Done Deal. Here’s my card. I’ll be here in Manehatten for a while. We’ll meet up sometime and hammer out the details later. Look forward to workin’ with ya, Miss…” He looked to Swirling.

“Her name’s Summer Streams.”

“Right! Lookin’ forward to working’ with ya, Miss Streams!” With that, Done Deal turned and trotted away with a noticeable bounce in his step. Until a number of ponies appeared from nowhere and started chasing him with flashing cameras.

A giggle made its way past Swirling’s lips as the pudgy stallion ran from the mob, and turned to her still-astounded friend, who held Done Deal’s card in her magic, staring at Swirling with a slack-jawed look.

“What just happened?” the unicorn asked.

“I just boosted your career, that’s what happened.” Swirling grinned while Summer just continued to look back and forth between the card and the pegasus… and promptly fell over, out cold.

“Crap! Summer, wake up!”

-o-

Her eyes narrowed slightly when the door across from her opened, letting in a stream of light as a wealthy-looking stallion entered, a grin on his face as he saw her. He closed the door, and she returned the smirk, carefully adjusting the bag hanging from her shoulder. The weight of its contents wasn’t exactly comfortable, but it was bearable when weighed against the reward she was to receive for it.

“Good to see you again,” the stallion greeted her. “You certainly wear that face well. Who are you this time?”

The mare gave a proud smile and subtly shifted into a rather sultry pose. “I like to call her Cuff. A personal favorite of mine, actually. Nopony suspects the policemare.” She pulled the bag off of her shoulder and set it on the floor. “I think you’ll appreciate this little present I’ve brought you.”

The stallion grinned in anticipation as ‘Cuff’ opened the bag, revealing a pair of statuettes carved in the likeness of the Royal Sisters. Each of the two was valuable alone, but they were almost priceless when together. A truly worthy acquisition for a collector such as himself.

“Glorious,” he said as he reached for them. The mare, however, quickly pulled them away, giving him a seductive pout.

“You know how this works,” she said. “Money first, toys second.”

“Of course.” He returned to the door and knocked on it. A second stallion, this one a burly unicorn, entered the room, carrying a briefcase in his magic. “This should be more than enough to cover your expenses, my dear.”

Just then, the mare was enveloped in a burst of green flame, which vanished as quickly as it had appeared, revealing an insect-like being with a near-black exoskeleton and dark green eyes, her gorgeously alien face framed by a carefully brushed teal mane. Her curved horn glowed green, taking the case and opening it to see the sparkling gold of hundreds of bit coins, each worth a hundred bits on their own. If her current employer was true to his word, the contents of the case was around five hundred thousand bits. Add to that her advance payment, and she’d made eight hundred thousand from this job. She just couldn’t hide a fanged grin.

“Aren’t you beautiful?” she whispered before facing the two stallions again and floating the statuettes over to them. “Have fun with your new collectibles, boys, but do be gentle with them. They’re not easy to come by.”

The first stallion nodded gratefully. “You’ve done me a great service, Miss C, though I wish you would have more confidence in me. I would love to know the name of such an exotic creature.”

The changeling chuckled in a low, sultry tone. “Sorry. Business before pleasure, I’m afraid. Our business may be concluded, but I plan on have my pleasures elsewhere.”

“A shame,” the collector said with a sigh. “Well, I’ll send for you the next time something catches my eye. Until then, my dear.” With that, the two stallions left, taking the statuettes with them.

The changeling couldn’t restrain an amused giggle as she shifted back into the form of Cuff, making for the nearest window while carrying the money-filled briefcase in her hooves, taking off into the night sky. Who knew this job would be so easy? It’d taken longer than she would’ve liked, but it worked out perfectly in the end. Taking down two of her biggest competitors for free was just icing on the cake.

Manipulating the Raven into doing the hard part was so ludicrously simple, too. The fact that she was so mad at Comedy and Tragedy made it almost too easy. And once more, the Raven proved to be an intriguing character.

‘I might just take her for myself,’ she thought with smirk. ‘I think I’ll enjoy having her around for a while.’ Another giggle escaped her as she flew past the buildings of Manehattan, already planning out how she would accomplish the next job on her to-do list.

Comments

[Maxes Altho]

Summer turned a glower at her. “Do I look like Princess Twilight? I can’t shoot giant blowy-uppy beams! I barely can knock a fly out of the air, let alone fight.”

That's a good point. What magic can Summer Streams do?
Also, Chrysalis the art thief? Interesting...

[LordLycaon]

6463918 It's a changeling, but it's not Chrysalis. That's as much as I can say on the matter.