PONYVERSE

by TopWanted

The Maltese Phoenix

The Maltese Phoenix

/^(*vv*)^\

Flutterbat acquainted herself with a lamp that gave off a gray light in the corner of the room. The detective, Shadow Spade, had taken them all to her office in the city. Her office sat on the second floor of a small pet shop in what appeared to be the dirtiest part of downtown. They acquainted themselves with the small one room office and then she filled them in on why she was there.

Shadow sat behind her desk pulling the shades of her window down slightly to let a small slit of light from the outside illuminate her face. Flutterbat thought she looked very serious in that light. “I’m actually glad to know you’re a part of this, Agatha. Having you on board will work much better than going this alone.”

Applejack looked between the two. Yearling seemed pretty agitated and sat with her arms crossed in a seat in the corner. “Wait, so you two know each other?”

“Unfortunately,” Yearling replied.

“We’ve worked cases together in the past,” Shadow mused. “Though Agatha’s cases usually involve much more of the… strange.”

“That’s behind me,” she replied in a gruff tone. “I’m just a museum historian now. No more adventures. No more Daring Do.”

“Who’s Darin’ Do?” Applejack asked.

Yearling waved a dismissive hoof. “Just a nickname they used to give me.”

“Not just any nickname, darling.” Shadow turned away from the window and smiled. “It was a term of endearment. This mare went into the most dangerous of places. Ancient temples, crumbling griffin castles, caves below the ocean, and came back with one-of-a-kind treasure.”

“Not at all like the archaeologists Ah know,” Applejack smirked.

“You know many archaeologists?” Yearling asked. Applejack went silent.

“Regardless, it’s good to have your expertise on this one,” Shadow interjected.

Yearling narrowed her eyes at her. “Your case doesn’t have anything to do with the museum robbery, does it?”

Shadow smiled. “As a matter of fact, it does.” She reached into a drawer and pulled out a gray folder. She put it under the lamp and opened it up revealing a few photos. “Three days ago I was hired to do a reconnaissance on a pony named Sleight O’Hoof. My client was the marefriend. Thought he was sleeping around.” She pulled out a few photos and brandished them at her guests. One was of a regular looking stallion walking down the street but the other was him getting into a suspicious looking car. “Imagine my surprise when he leads me straight to one of the biggest syndicates in the east coast.” She moved another picture to the forefront, this one a blurry snapshot of a tall unicorn stallion in a similar looking suit as the one from the chase before. Smoke trailed from his mouth as a cigar was wedged between his teeth in a grimace. “Boss Sombra has been a thorn in the side of this city for a long time and I just never got close enough to him. Imagine my surprise when Sleight O’Hoof turns out to be a member of his little mob. Now I’ve got the location of one of their storehouses.”

Flutterbat’s ears perked up and she finally came back to the conversation, trying to get a look at the picture. It was blurry so she couldn’t identify it, but that name. It couldn’t be. Applejack also looked a little perturbed over the picture, her face deepening into a frown.

“And what does this have to do with me?” Yearling asked in a tired voice.

Shadow removed another picture. This one was of the inside of a vast warehouse. Crates and boxes were stacked high but the rest of the room was decked out in odd occult symbols and idols. Three idols were set in the center of the floor with a circle drawn around them. Each idol was of a different animal. A tiger. A turtle. And a dragon. Yearling’s eyes widened and she snatched the photo. “Peeked your interest?”

“These are the other Idols of the Four Cardinals!” she exclaimed. “These are supposed to be scattered around the world in art collections and exhibits.”

“Unless those are all fake,” Shadow explained. “And I can’t help but remember seeing something about the last of these idols being on tour in the city museum.”

Yearling’s hoof went to her pouch and she grabbed the clipboard again. She scrolled through it once more. “Everything they took could be used for quick cash. Ancient jewelry. Gold. But yeah, the Phoenix Idol is the only one they took that doesn’t fit that description.”

Applejack shook her head. “Okay, Ah think Ah’m missin’ somethin’ here. What are these idols and why would this… Boss Sombra want them?”

“It’s just a legend,” Yearling began, “but it says that anypony that can gather all four will be granted access to worlds beyond.”

Flutterbat and Applejack made eye contact. “Worlds beyond?” AJ asked.

“A stupid legend,” Yearling continued dismissively.

“I believe you’ve come across many stupid legends that turned out real in your time, darling,” Shadow muttered.

Applejack leaned in to whisper in Flutterbat’s ear. “What do you think? A way to get back to the others?”

Flutterbat thought about it. The world she hailed from was rife with magic, you could feel it in the air. Not just unicorns had it. But this world was harsher. Magic felt scarce and hard to come by. If they had a chance to go back though, this might sound like their only one. “Maybe.”

“And what should I care about some magic ritual that I don’t even believe is real,” Yearling continued to tirade Shadow who simply sat back in her chair and grinned.

“Well, it was one of your museum pieces that got stolen,” Shadow suggested. “One would believe that you would like to see it returned.”

Yearling crossed her arms and glared daggers at the P.I. Applejack was the first to step forward. “Ah’ll help. As long as we can get those idols back, right?” Flutterbat nodded her head too.

Yearling was distraught. “Wait! Since when do you care? I thought you wanted nothing to do with this?”

“Regardless of their reasons, darling,” Shadow stepped in. “It’s going to be better with numbers.” She pulled out a rolled up map from her drawer and laid it flat on the desk. “Now I have it on good intel that Boss Sombra is meeting somepony at the docks tonight. He’ll be out in the open for the first time in a while.”

Yearling was suddenly interested again. “Who’s he meeting? He already has the idols. Why doesn’t he just complete the ceremony?” Shadow gave her a smile and Yearling’s cheeks turned red. She turned around with a huff and tried to block out the conversation again.

“I’m not sure why,” she told the others. “But this must be an important meeting for Boss Sombra to come out of hiding.” She pointed to the east side of the map where a bay was. “If we come in from the roofs we should have the element of surprise.”

“Sound good,” Flutterbat agreed.

Yearling sighed and threw up her arms again and pointed to Flutterbat. “Okay, screw pretending not to be interested. I’m coming if only to learn what the hell she is.”

<___|=o

An hour later everypony was set up along the roof of the bayside distillery. Below them was a series of docks and moored metal ships with ponies in black suits prowling around. The same guns from before strapped around their necks.

“He’s leaving nothing to chance is he?” Shadow noticed.

“The biggest crime lord in the city is protective of his privacy, headline news,” Yearling murmured.

Applejack rolled her eyes and turned to the two. “If both of you can’t be quiet right now, Ah’m gonna show you just how much you gotta fear me over this Sombra fella.”

Both mares were silent before Shadow elbowed Yearling in the side. “You got scolded.”

“You are such a little filly!” she hissed back.

As Applejack was about to scold them once more, Flutterbat tapped her shoulder. A new black car, this one slightly longer than the others was driving up. It parked on the docks and two large suited ponies stepped from either side at the front before walking to the back. “Looks like we got our badguy,” AJ said.

“Finally,” Yearling sighed. She and Shadow made their way to the edge of the roof and looked down with them.

One of the big suited ponies opened the door and what came out made Applejack’s heart stop. Standing tall with a black suit cut finer than any of the others here, a cigar hanging limply from his sharp teeth, was the most familiar face she could recognize outside of her sister. A face burned into her memory with hate. Even in the black and white atmosphere, those solemn eyes and flowing black mane were distinguishable.

“Okay,” Shadow said. “Now we just wait to see who he’s meeting take a few photos and call the police for back up.”

“Fuji,” Applejack breathed.

Flutterbat’s eyes widened and she whispered something from beside her but Applejack didn’t hear it. She was already jumping from the roof, Flutterbat in tow.

“Or we could not do that,” Shadow said with a baffled expression.

Yearling looked between Shadow and the two as they leapt, a look of agony in her eyes. “Did they just…?”

Applejack landed in a crouch in the midst of the suited goons, her blade at the ready. Luckily she took them by surprise as most of the goons were slow to react. She swiped at them with the back of her blade and knocked all the ones around her to the ground.

“What the hell is she?” a goon asked from beside Sombra. The gray unicorn sneered at Applejack as she fought but did not intervene.

“She’s dead,” he replied succinctly, his magic levitating the cigar and shaking the ashes away. “Take her out before the priest gets here.” He turned from the brawl with his goons and strode toward the docks.

“You won’t get away!” Applejack shouted at him as she lunged. But her moment of surprise was up as the further away goons had finally drawn their weapons and let loose. Before the bullets could reach her Flutterbat swooped in and grabbed her. “Thanks! Now set me down on top of him!” She looked up at her friend but Flutterbat’s tortured expression made her pause. “Flutterbat?”

The mare dropped her behind a car that acted as a barrier between them and the hail of bullets. Flutterbat set down beside her and covered her ears from the loud shots. Applejack grabbed her shoulders. “This is not the time to be scared! We need to take him out!”

“But…” Flutterbat tried to speak but the guns drowned out her voice.

Applejack took a deep breath and calmed herself. “No, Ah appreciate the assist. But if you need to then just stay here. Ah’ll fight mah way through.” With that she leapt over the hood of the car and zigzagged her way through the bullets.

“Wait!” Flutterbat poked her head out of cover and tried to hold out a hoof but a bullet pinged off the hood by her and she shrunk back. “Loud! Too loud!”

---

Yearling rubbed her hooves on her cheeks forlornly and moaned. “What are they doing!?”

Shadow examined the scene nonchalantly. “By my guess, bucking everything up.”

Yearling turned to her calm compatriot. “Then why don’t you stop them?!”

Shadow motioned to the gunfight below. “Would you get involved in that, dear? The old you probably would in a heartbeat.”

Yearling growled at her. “Shut up.” From off in the distance she noticed a small boat powering its way through the bay toward the docks. “I think our mystery pony is here.”

---

Applejack carved her way through the goons, making sure to only do non-lethal damage to them. There was only one life she would take and he stood there on the docks. Deep in the back of her mind she knew this wasn’t Fuji. Her enemy was sitting safe and comfortable back home lording over everyone she loved and cared for, poisoning the minds of her friends. But something inside her broke when she saw that face. An immeasurable hatred and impatience she’d held back for so long spilled forth and now there was nothing more to do than act.

A bullet grazed her chest and she spun to avoid another, drawing her sword in an arc to collide with another bullet and break its path to her head. The world was hell around her but her honed senses allowed her to see things other couldn’t. To notice danger within a millisecond. This was training she was sure some pompous crime boss like Sombra never went up against. Already the goons were beginning to fall back in a panic.

The barrage of bullets had drastically decreased when Applejack was at the foot of the docks. From the end of it she could see a boat pulling in and Sombra standing idly by as it parked. “Sombra!” she shouted.

The unicorn turned lazily and bared his sharp teeth at her, his cigar standing on the end. Two much bigger goons took a step in front of him barring his view. Applejack screamed and charged with her sword. The two large goons advanced in kind.

Just as it appeared they were on top of her, Applejack kicked her legs out and slid beneath them. With the back of her blade she slashed at their back legs as she passed and they stumbled and fell behind her just as she stood back up.

Boss Sombra’s grim expression did not change. He simply clapped his hooves together slowly as she approached in kind. “Bravo. What was that? An audition? I suppose I could use somepony like you on my list. But you’ll have to be docked in pay for all those stallions you wasted.”

Applejack stopped as she stood a few hooves away from him. She slammed her sword into the wood of the dock, she didn’t want anything impeding her next words. “You’re a blight,” she spat and pointed at him. “I had assumed that everypony was different in all these possible worlds, but here you are. Still the same kind of sniveling parasite I know you as.”

Boss Sombra’s eyes narrowed at her and he frowned. “Have we met?”

“No, but you will-”

“Yeah,” he interrupted, his expression changing to a smile. “Yeah! You’re the mare from the dreams. You and that bat thing over there.”

“Dreams?” Applejack asked.

“Been having weird dreams with you and a couple others in it. But not just you. Other me’s, other them’s. I just can’t get it out of my head.” He patted his head for effect and his eyes shifted to the boat, which now had a passenger disembarking. He grinned viciously. “That’s why I got the opinion of a professional.”

---

Yearling’s mouth went agape as she saw who walked out of the boat. “Faust, please, not him.”

---

Applejack at first didn’t know what she was looking at. It was some kind of blue cat thing but it had the paws of a monkey and at the end of its long tail was another monkey paw. Gold bands adorned its neck arms and tail. At the end of its long head was a small pair of black glasses, behind which yellow eyes stared down piercingly at her.

“Ahuizotl,” Boss Sombra greeted him. “So nice to see you in pony.”

Ahuizotl sneered disdainfully and pulled a handkerchief from his suitcase to put to his mouth. “I do not know what trouble you have brought here, Sombra, but I do not take kindly to unexpected guests.”

“She was just leaving.”

“Like hell!” Applejack shouted then grabbed her sword and charged in one swift movement. Her speed was unexpected by the two and they couldn’t react in time. However, instead of cleaving flesh, Applejack felt her sword slam against metal. She stopped the reverberation in her head and focused. Flutterbat stood before her with the hood of a car she had ripped off. She held it defensively in front of Sombra like a shield. “Flutterbat?”

The mare’s face was distraught, but resolute. “Don’t hurt Papa!”

“What?”

Ahuizotl cleared his throat from behind them. “This is all very riveting but I have some idols I’d like to inspect.” He reached into his suitcase again and pulled out a handful of dust. He held it to his lips and blew at them.

They both were caught off guard as the dust flew right into their faces. Flutterbat dropped her car lid and stumbled back scratching at her eyes. She ran into Applejack who was doing the same and they both slammed their heads together, both dropping to the ground unconscious.

“Huh,” Sombra shrugged. He motioned to some of his goons that were finally getting up from their beat down. “Grab them.”

“No!” Yearling shot into view and flew down between the villains and the sleeping mares.

Ahuizotl’s grimace cracked and turned into a smile. “Ah, Dr. Yearling. A pleasure to see you once more.” He lifted his hand and showed her his palm. The image of a sun was burned into it. “I haven’t returned the favor for this yet.”

“And I’m afraid you won’t get the chance to,” came another voice. Shadow stepped out from behind Yearling, both mares in her arms as she then grabbed the historian. “Toodles!” There was a bright flash of light and they disappeared.

Boss Sombra and Ahuizotl were left to stand there in dismay and confusion. “Well, that was interesting,” Ahuizotl said. He snapped his fingers and began to walk to the cars. “Come, if that cursed mare is involved in this then we must make haste.”

Sombra walked briskly over to the priest and walked beside him. “So what did you do to those two?”

“A simple sleeping spell,” he replied. “But one that I have enhanced. They are trapped in a cell of their most precious memories. And the only way out is to face the most painful memories of all.”

---

The group reappeared in Shadow’s office, the unicorn slumping to the ground and gasping for breath. Yearling turned to her with a shocked expression. “You could have done that this entire time? Why didn’t you grab them?”

Shadow panted, her calm demeanor breaking slightly. “Because I can’t. Do you know how much magic it takes to transport one pony? Let alone four.” They looked to the two unconscious ponies on the floor, an uneasy look passing between the two. “I have some blankets in the closet. Put them under.” Yearling nodded gravely and walked to the closet. “What do you think happened to them?”

Yearling sighed. “Nothing good, that’s for sure.”

“Can you save them?”

She pulled the blankets out and turned to her. “I can try.”

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