• Published 13th May 2012
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Looking Glass, P.I: Coins and Crowns - Kavonde



Fillydelphia private eye Looking Glass is hired by a new client to find her fiancé, Silver Coin.

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Chapter 5

It seems redundant at this point to describe the Horn and Feather's interior. White marble, red velvet, plenty of gold, ostentatious as hell, yadda yadda. To my surprise, however, the balconies ringing the central foyer and bar were done in more of a traditional unicorn style, with crenelations and chandeliers and what have you. They were still white marble, but apparently the architect figured he'd done enough Feather and really needed to include some Horn. At least it was a slight change of scenery.

Hot Air led me to one such balcony, located directly above the orchestra pit where a team of musically-inclined ponies were playing something stuffy, boring, and with too much violin. A young filly, around Miss Calla's age but in shades of green rather than red, was waiting for him. He whispered a few words to her and she departed, giggling quietly. He motioned for me to take a seat opposite him, then hunkered down and leaned towards me intently. “What can I do to help, detective?”

I readied my notepad. “Why wus Hlvr Kn meetung wif you?”

“Pardon?”

What I wouldn't give to be a unicorn. I spat out the pencil. “Why was Silver Coin meeting with you the night he disappeared?”

“He'd... been making overtures to us for several months. He said that he was deeply sorry for the rift his father's death had caused between us, and that he wanted to make amends. He seemed to have some sort of project that he'd hoped we would support him with. The night we were to meet, he said that he would give us all of the details.”

“But he no-showed.”

“Indeed.”

I paused to scribble a few notes down, then placed the pencil down with annoyed deliberateness. “What exactly happened to Gold Coin, anyway?”

“Ah, a sad story,” Hot Air replied, looking a bit misty. “It was about twelve years ago. He and Crown were avid collectors of antiquities. Ancient weapons, pieces of art, essentially anything dating to before the foundation of Equestria. He took Crown, Silver, and a few guards and local guides on an expedition into the Everfree Forest, looking for the unicorns' ancestral home. Unfortunately, he lost his footing on a steep cliff and fell to his death. One of the guides, a pegasus, tried to save him, but was too late. Upon their return, Silver inherited his father's holdings.”

“So Crown Jewel and Gold Coin were friends?”

He nodded. “Almost like brothers, really.”

I cocked my head. “This all sounds pretty straightforward. Why did it cause a rift between you?”

“Well... this pegasus guide was the only other pony besides Crown and Silver who saw the fall. But on the way back, she apparently ran afoul of an owlbear and was slain. It seemed a bit suspicious. That, and Crown's behavior towards Silver afterwards... keeping council with him constantly, advising him on how to manage his father's businesses... it struck us as... odd.” He shrugged. “As it were, we had something of a collective 'gut feeling' about the matter, but we simply could not prove anything.”

I nodded. “Yeah, sounds pretty fishy. Especially given all the stories about the First Equestrian.”

“Indeed.”

“So after, what, twelve years of silence, Silver just contacted you out of the blue?”

“Not complete silence, but yes, approximately six months ago he sent a letter to my dear friend, Coal–Coal Black, a mining magnate of some reknown, perhaps you've heard of him?–asking for a meeting with his father's old partners. We eventually began meeting here with increasing regularity.”

I made a few more notes. “Did Silver mention anything about trouble with the Weather Union?”

Hot Air shook his head. “Nothing serious, merely complaints about their recalcitrance and the damage their greed was doing to common ponies.”

“Okay, yeah. Seems like that lead's going nowhere,” I muttered. “What about Crown Jewel? What can you tell me about him?”

“Well, there's rather a lot to say about him... and yet, rather little of relevance, I'm afraid,” the elder pony said apologetically. “He was always the most ambitious of our group, and always the most willing to do what was necessary to advance his ends. It's why we suspected him capable of foul play. Of course, since we broke ties with him, he's been very reclusive. He's hardly ever seen outside his home or his bank anymore. I'm sure he kept in close contact with Silver, of course; he always doted on the colt. 'Uncle Crown,' Silver used to call him. And if they shared the secret of Gold's demise, well, naturally they would conspire together.”

I nodded. “Alright. One more question, if I may: do you know a Miss Calla, or Calla Lily?”

Hot Air chewed his lip thoughtfully. “The name sounds vaguely familiar. A... seamstress, I believe? Or perhaps a jeweler.”

“Sure. Well, she's the one who hired me. She claimed to be Silver's fiancé.”

He shook his head. “I'm afraid that if that's true, Silver never mentioned her.”

“Okay.” I scribbled a few final notes down, and flipped my notebook closed. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Air. You've been extremely helpful. Would you mind if I contacted you if I have further questions?”

“Of course not,” Hot Air replied grandly. “Gold was a dear friend of mine, and I've come to believe that Silver was a truer son than I'd feared. If it is within my power to help you find and recover him safely, you need but ask.” His horn glowed green as he used his magic to scribble his address with an impressive flourish. “Now, if you'll excuse me... ”

I nodded, stood up, and extended a hoof. “I'll do everything I can to find Silver, sir.”

He shook it. “I wish you good fortune, detective.”

I left the balcony, my head turning over the new information like a tumbler full of ping pong balls. It seemed like I was learning more about Gold Coin than I was about his son, and while it was interesting, it wasn't terribly helpful. Silver didn't seem to be having the kind of trouble with the Union that gets a pony killed, and he was making amends with the stallions who had the most reason to want revenge. That left, what? Some kind of conspiracy by Crown Jewel, who apparently “doted” on him? Or maybe Calla killed him... but why would she, if she was going to marry the stallion and presumably only be able to access his fortune afterward? Or, hell, maybe it was all just a random mugging gone terribly wrong.

My spinning thoughts were just starting to settle when I ran nearly head first into the green mare who'd been waiting for Hot Air. I stammered an apology, but before I could, she pulled me behind a nearby tapestry and began whispering urgently into my ear.

“I heard you talking,” she said. “I know Calla.”

I tried not to draw attention with my surprise. “And you are... ?”

“Not important,” she stated flatly. “I used to work with her. About six months ago, some rich pony bought her contract. Haven't seen her since.”

Ah. Another “escort.” “Do you know his name, or... ?”

She shook her head. “No. But be careful who you mention her to. If she's been hiding... ”

I grinned as winningly as I could. “Lips are sealed.”

Except, of course, for all the ponies I'd already mentioned her to.

Crap.