Chapter 13: The Running Shawn
The late afternoon sun shone through the massive windows of the dank, old warehouse. Even the countless layers of dust and grime that covered them were unable to entirely prevent the encroachment of the light.
A lone, cream colored, red-maned pony stood there, nervously shifting his weight between his hooves and occasionally adjusting the fit of his snappy suit-jacket. The expensive clothes he wore had been a gift from his griffon boss for many years of devoted service. As was his nice house on the West shore.
His allegiance hadn't shifted easily. But just as the shadows that lined the floor moved with the setting of the sun, shift it had.
One of the shadows, deeper and darker than the others, flowed unnaturally, suddenly shaping itself into a deformed imitation of his own outline.
"Master..." the earth pony gasped. This wasn't how it normally worked. The Shadow rarely showed itself in person to its informants, preferring to speak to them through a voice that echoed out from the nearest source of darkness, "I am unworthy of your presence!" he bowed, knowing that the creature across from him enjoyed overt signs of submission from its employees.
"This is a very interesting report you give us, child." it spoke with a multifaceted voice, a creepy chorus of various pitches and tones which resulted in a gender-neutral dissonance, "We did not expect the human to turn to us so easily. Perhaps something can be salvaged from the ambassador's mistake, after all."
The stallion gulped, unsure of how to respond. He probably hadn't been meant to hear that last bit, but he'd grown accustomed to the fact that his new boss tended to ramble to itself on occasion. It made him wonder, sometimes, if the dangerous creature was... entirely there, or if its ethereal nature interfered with the clarity of its concentration.
The thought was moot... he knew he'd never have the courage to ask.
"What were you promised?" it suddenly spoke.
"Pardon?"
"What. Were. You. Promised?" The Shadow repeatedly, more curtly, "For your service. Remind us."
"Riches, your majesty." he responded simply. The Shadow hissed in pleasure at the formality. It had always insisted on being spoken to as if it were royalty. For all he knew, it was.
"That is right... enough for one of those little mansions on the North shore that you covet so much. A suitable ambition for a pony with little imagination." it chuckled, "Do you know what I aspire to, peasant?
"No, your grace."
"Far more than you can imagine, I assure you. But my ambitions will require more than mere wealth and influence. And those that help me fulfill them, will surely achieve theirs in the process. Those who do not... well..."
The room grew dimmer, a heavy, suffocating darkness eating away at the edges of his vision. It wasn't so bad, until he realize that the darkness was actually suffocating him!
"Your grace!" he gasped, panic growing in his chest.
"This creature could turn out to be very useful, our little pony. Keep a close eye on him, and make sure his desire for sanctuary from Canterlot is genuine. Oh... and be sure to report to me if he manages to find that troublesome griffon. It is high time her wings are clipped."
As suddenly as it came, the darkness abated.
The pony sucked in precious air as The Shadow sunk back into its namesake, leaving him alone once again. He shuddered and stood, huddling in his jacket against an imagined cold and wondering just what he'd gotten himself into.
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"Say, Shawn?"
"Yeah, Pinkie?"
"Do you even know what her name is?"
"Nope."
"Well... aren'tcha gonna go back and ask?"
"Nope."
"Oh, okay then."
Shawn and Pinkie made their way down the now-familiar boardwalk toward Salty's Pub. The sun was starting to set, and Shawn was starting to really feel the exhaustion that comes from stealing short naps in lieu of getting any actual sleep. Even Pinkie had been starting to slow down before their snack aboard the Rough Seas on the way over. Apparently, lady-cappy had a bit of a sweet tooth, and had let Pinkie loose on some of the baked goodies she'd had squirreled away from her trips up the river. The energy boost the ex-earth pony derived from simple sugar was mind-boggling, and Shawn made a mental note to keep the pony far away from any source of caffeine. If nothing else, for the sake of his own sanity.
"Wait... why not?" The sugar-fueled hummingbird/pegasus continued.
"Because asking for a name would've hurt my street cred as a psychic. If I show that picture around enough at the pub, someone'll eventually tell me."
Reaching back, Pinkie drew the aforementioned portrait from it, inspecting it closely, "Hmmmm... you know, she looks awfully familiar..."
Shawn stopped and turned, "Don't tell me you know her?"
After another minute of close inspection, the pegasus finally shrugged and stuffed it back in the saddlebags, "The last time I met a griffon was over two years ago, and she was a meany-grumpy-McMeanpants. I mean, I even threw her a party! And all she did was yell at everypony because she couldn't get over the fact that Dashie had other friends besides her! AND she left before even trying the cake! I mean, who even does that!? What kind of party pooper turns down perfectly good cake!?"
It was hard to tell, but Shawn was starting to suspect that Pinkie might be genuinely upset by this, "Sooo... that's a no, then?"
"It's an I-didn't-really-know-her-all-that-well-so-I-can't-be-totally-100-percent-sure-but-maybe."
A moment passed, where Shawn, unsure of how to follow that, simply stood there. Processing.
"I'm not gonna lie," he finally winced and reached up to grip the bridge of his nose, "that one hurt my brain a little."
"I heard sugar helps with headaches! Want a cupcake?"
"No you didn't, because that would be waaaaay too awesome... but yes. Yes, I would, please."
The wood-planked streets of Cauldron's East shore boardwalk were a lot less crowded once the evening started to set in. The orange glow of the slowly setting sun lent color to the normally white-washed look of the increasingly dilapidated buildings they passed. Storefronts were locking their doors, while the day-time street vendors gave way to their less respectable night brethren.
Shortly thereafter, the two of them reached their destination. Though Shawn was preoccupied licking crumbs from his fingers, he couldn't help but stop and peer curiously at the dirty windows of the building before him.
"Say," Shawn started, "something seem off to you?"
Pinkie floated, stock still except for her wings, which buzzed away, "What? Besides the fact that the aggressively rebellious daughter of the city's most powerful smuggler was last seen in the bar of its most infamous information dealer? And that both of them have ties to, and motivation to hate, the shadowy criminal overlord that rules its seedy underbelly with an iron hoof? And that the building's upside down?"
Shawn took a moment to mull that over, "I was actually going to say it's real quiet for an early evening at a bar. And you're the one upside down." A gentle push at the mare's head set her spinning on her axis.
"Wheeeeeeeeee! Now it's right side up! Now it's sideways! Now it's upside down again! Now its sideways the other way! Ooo! Pinchy knee!"
The choice of whether to head inside the bar or stick around and listen to the narration of Pinkie's slow spin was an easy one.
Feeling bold, and more than a little tired of retracing his steps, Shawn kicked the swinging wooden door open and stepped in, "Hey, Softy! I need to ask you... a... question..."
It had taken a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dimness of the pub. But now, he could see that his shadow stretched across the length of the dirty, straw-covered floor and came to rest upon the gold-shod hooves of a very surprised captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard.
"Huh..."
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Rainbow Dash sighed again. Loudly.
So far, she'd been doing her best to make sure everypony knew just how bored she was with this whole ordeal. After she grew bored with that, she decided to try to chat up some of the more interesting looking patrons, but none of them had been particularly talkative. Or open to listening to her talk, which would have worked just as well.
She looked back over her shoulder at captain Aegis from her spot on the rafters. The stallion was currently interrogating the bartender, a massive female minotaur by the name of Soft Speech.
At first, the captain's reaction at meeting a creature he couldn't immediately intimidate into cooperation had been pretty hilarious. Unfortunately, both of their stubborn natures had quickly taken hold, and now they were stuck in an endless loop of trying to out-tough each other. By all rights, the stupid pub should have caught fire by the heat of the glares that were getting thrown around.
I don't even know why they're bothering. Everypony knows I'm the toughest one in the room.
Another sigh, and she fervently wished for something interesting to happen.
Why couldn't the princess send me with Shawn? I bet Pinkie's having all kinds of interesting adventures with him, while I'm stuck here listening to ponies talk. she lamented.
Dash flipped over on her belly, looking down at all the different creatures doing their best to mind their own business and ignore the armored guardsponies standing at attention throughout the room. Applejack and Twilight were still doing their best to keep the two rough-'n-tumble personalities from coming to blows, while Fluttershy and Rarity did their best to keep as much distance between themselves and the less... savory patrons.
Her attention was drawn back to the argument by Twilight, who had finally snapped and raised her voice, "Captain, please! Arguing with the bartender isn't going to make Shawn appear out of thin ai-!"
The unicorn's plea was rudely interrupted the bang of wood striking wood, and a very familiar voice cutting through the ensuing silence, "Hey, Softy! I need to ask you... a... question..."
The form of a certain scrawny, bipedal, interdimensional monkey was silhouetted by the sunlight rushing into the room.
"Huh..." he muttered as he took in the scene, while every pony in the room (and one very surprised minotaur) gaped in stunned disbelief. Very slowly, and deliberately, the human took two steps back, then turned and dashed out through the still-swinging door.
Twilight's hoof was the first to meet the face of its master. Applejack's, Rarity's, and Dash's own soon followed.
The guardsponies stared, muscles tense and awaiting the command of their captain to accomplish their mission.
"Uhhh... capture him?"
The guardsponies surged forward, shoving chairs and patrons aside in their mad rush for the door. Twilight was clearly panicking, not having expected things to go this wrong this quickly. If Shawn was caught now, the gig was up, and there went their best chance at finding The Shadow.
Fortunately for her well-read friend, Dash was a mare of action! She shot forward, covering the distance to the door unimpeded by ground-bound obstacles and faster than everypony else. Everypony else, that is, except for Applejack, who'd vaulted and jumped across several tables in her own bid to reach the human first.
There was an awkward thump and the creak of strained wood, as Dash found her momentum suddenly and violently halted at the frame of the gateway to the boardwalk. A quick look to her right revealed the problem.
"You've gotta be kidding me." she groaned, quietly mourning the death of her dignity.
Applejack, firmly wedged into the doorway against her, squirmed a little, then sighed, "Well... t'wasn't what Ah had planned. But, Ah suppose this'll give them two a chance to put some distance between us."
Dash squirmed as well, a vain effort, then hung her head. The wood was old, but very sturdy, and as strong as the two of them were, neither could get quite enough leverage to squeeze past the other.
"This is so not cool." Dash muttered, then looked up in time to see Shawn and Pinkie disappear around the corner of a building.
She could hear a commotion building up behind them as the guards milled about the entrance, unsure of how to handle getting past two national heroes without shattering the little dignity they had left. Suddenly, everything quieted down, motivating Dash to try to turn her head enough to see what was going on.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw lieutenant Gladius step forward and set her back legs, horn shining brightly.
"Move. Your. PLOTS!" the last word was punctuated by a flash of blue light as an unrelenting force catapulted Dash, Applejack, and most of the door's frame out into the street.
Dash shot past the farmpony, who was about as aerodynamic as the chunks of door. She spread her wings and winced as her friend hit the ground, skidding to a stop while Dash used her new-found momentum to rocket after the fleeing duo. Not that she knew what she'd do once she caught up, but she did know that she couldn't let the guards get to them first.
Pinkie's a pegasus now... maybe she can follow me while I give Shawn a ride outta here. The more she thought about it, the more challenging it seemed, and the more she liked the idea.
She didn't bother to slow down at the corner, her rainbow-colored contrail briefly highlighting the incredibly high-G ninety degree turn for all to see. It wouldn't take long for the pegasus guards to catch up once they took to the skies, so Dash kept her sharp eyes peeled as she sped down the alleyway. The human's long legs would probably allow him to build up a decent lead, so she'd have to hurry to catch-...
Her thought trailed off when she realized she'd just shot past Shawn, who seemed to be leaning against a wall, huffing in air as if he'd just sprinted a marathon.
Flapping her wings hard, she forced herself to a stop, feeling the gale generated by her speed rush past her and send several trashcans tumbling. Dash turned, and quickly floated to the gasping human, briefly wondering where Pinkie had gone off to.
"Hey, are you okay!? What happened!?"
"Just... catching... my second... wind." he wheezed between deep breaths.
Dash groaned, "Dude, are you serious? You only ran like 200 meters! Twilight would've caught you already!"
"Hey...! I'm not... out of shape... I'm just... not used to... running... a whole lot."
"Ugh." she brought a hoof to her face yet again, "Well, we need to get you outta here before any of the guards find you guys..." noticing a distinct absence of sugar-fueled chatter, she paused and looked around, "Uhhh... where is Pinkie Pie, anyway?"
"It's Surprise, now, silly!" one of the trashcans chirped.
"Oh, right, I forgo- whoa!" Dash backpedaled in mid-air away from the haunted receptacle, "Pinkie!?"
The metal lid of the can popped open, and a not-so-white-anymore pegasus stuck her head out, "Shhhh! Can't you see I'm hiding!?"
"Pinkie... you need to hide Shawn, too, or it doesn't really help..."
Pinkie paused, then bopped herself upside the head, "Oh, right! Tooootally forgot! I'm not used to doing this with other ponies..."
Shawn shoved himself away from the wall, "Okay... I'm all set... let's go..." his declaration was short-lived, as the guy stumbled several steps forward before falling flat on his face, "Okay... maybe five more minutes..."
"We don't have five minutes!" Dash growled, "The only reason you're not already in shackles is because AJ and I made sure they didn't see where you two went!" Of course, she realized the way she said it made their actions sound a lot more intentional than they really were... but there was no need to mention that.
Shaking her head, Rainbow landed next to Shawn, shoved her neck under his arm, and stood, dragging him to his feet, "Hang on tight, I'm going to have to stay low to avoid the other pegasi."
"Is this entirely necessary?"
"Would you rather Pinkie carry you?"
Shawn's face paled and she felt his grip tighten around her neck.
"Thought so." she grinned and tested her wings' range of motion. Finding it acceptable, she crouched, then shot off in a straight line down the alley, "Come on, Pinkie!"
The ex-earth pony shot after her, wings buzzing like a bee's and actually doing a decent job of keeping up with Dash's punishing pace, giggling all the while.
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Shawn let his arms flop to the ground, useless after a grueling chase through the back-streets of Cauldron.
The pegasi guards had been making the getaway a lot more difficult than it otherwise would have been. The two Elements and debonair detective had eventually been forced into their current position inside a closed store, which Rainbow Dash had gotten them into with a swift buck to the door. A door she had cracked open and was currently peering out of.
The streets were quiet, the magical lamps lining them already emitting light as the last rays of the sun peeked over the horizon. Soon, the sky would go from deep red to blue, and twilight would overtake the city.
"Horse-apples," Dash sighed, "they're still out there. Patrolling. How's Pinkie doing?"
Shawn looked over at the white pegasus, snoring away behind one of the product displays, "Out cold. Guess she finally came down from that sugar high."
"Well, I can't carry both of you and outfly a squadron of guards. I'm good, but nopony's that good."
"We've come this far without getting spotted. It's just one quick run from here to the boat." he replied, trying to stay upbeat.
The cyan pegasus raised her eyebrow at him, "Dude... you can barely stand up. And I won't be able to help you guys for this last bit. Not without the guards realizing I'm on your side."
She was right. Shawn hated to admit it, but she was. So far, they'd managed to avoid drawing the attention of any guards by sneaking from alleys, to warehouses, to empty stores. Now, however, there was very little cover from their current hiding place to the pier, which they needed to get to without being seen or the effort would be moot. The Rough Seas was a fast ship, but it couldn't possibly hope to outrun fliers.
Shawn pondered their situation. His standard plan for dealing with getaway scenarios - mainly, hop in the blueberry and drive off at middling speed - wasn't really an option. With a sigh, he emptied his pockets of the hodgepodge of possibly useful items he'd... borrowed... during the course of their escape. A few fireworks, a spyglass, a length of rope, and a small bag containing a handful of something he hoped not to have to use.
The spyglass had already come in handy several times, allowing them to spot guard patrols and scope out each new potential hiding place as they came to it.
It hadn't been nearly as useful, however, as Pinkie's apparently genuine power to predict the future.
He hadn't really had a chance to sit down and question it. And, considering everything else he'd seen in this dimension, wasn't ever really going to tear his hair out over it. But Shawn had been mightily surprised, nonetheless, when Pinkie started accurately predicting when patrols of guards would be in a position to spot them.
It was like some sort of quirky spider-sense. She'd just twitch, yell out "My hooves are tingling!" and bodily throw herself (and Shawn, the first few times) into the nearest hiding place, moments before a passing guard would have otherwise spotted the group. Dash would then redirect the armored pony, asserting that she'd already searched the area.
"Maybe you should just wait it out here." Dash suggested, "I can go find Twilight and get her to come over and teleport you to the boat. Or cast an invisibility spell. Or... something..."
Shawn shook his head, "We don't have time for you to go find her. And even if you do, she's probably already busy shielding us from the lieutenant."
She gave him an odd look, "You don't know that."
"Think about it... the lieutenant's gotta be a pretty strong magic user, and she specializes in law enforcement. There's no way she doesn't know how to track with magic. And, you said it yourself, the Cap'n only brought his best. The fact that they haven't found us yet probably means that Twilight's been pulling the same trick for me and Pinkie that The Shadow was pulling for those diamond dogs."
Dash grimaced and nodded, "I guess that makes sense." The odd look then returned, accompanied by a wry grin, "You sure you're not really psychic?" She'd been cracking jokes about that ever since Pinkie had told her what they'd been up to so far.
"I'm a man of many, many talents," he replied, "but, sadly, psychic powers aren't among them."
The last vestiges of sunlight fled the city, and true night began to take hold. Shawn saw the last bit of natural light fade away through the small gap between the door and the frame and smiled.
"There is, however, one thing I've always been especially gifted at." he continued as he got to his feet and tottered over to the slumbering Pinkie, hefting a small, brown bag.
"And what's that?" Dash eyed the container, eyes growing wide and fearful when she witnessed the contents therein, "Oh, dear Celestia... you're not...?"
"Mayhem. Open wide, Pinkie... you get to be a distraction today!"
The half-asleep mare mumbled something unintelligible, chewing and swallowing by reflex as the first coffee bean disappeared down her gullet.
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Storm Front had never considered himself a particularly brave or lucky pegasus.
Looking back on his relatively fortunate life, one would be tempted to believe a story of constant success and achievement. The youngest wing-leader in a generation, he held authority over mares and stallions as old as his parents. Not one of them resented him, however, casually throwing words around like "prodigy" and "goddess-favored". They all spoke of the day when he would get his first Heroe's Title... as if it was some sort of foregone conclusion.
Yet, throughout his life, in return for his admittedly impressive victories, fate had seen fit to place him at the apparent center of nearly every disaster that struck within 100 miles of his presence. From cataclysmic catastrophes to minor mishaps, it was nearly a guarantee that Storm Front would be somewhere in the thick of things. Not because he'd rushed in, but because he just happened to be in the wrong place at the right time.
Nightmare Moon comes back after a thousand years of exile? She pops up in some small, middle-of-nowhere town he happens to be posted in, blasting him with lightning in return for his ill-thought-out charge. His "bravery" in the face of overwhelming odds had gotten him his first promotion into the ranks of commissioned officers.
Omnipotent god of chaos escapes his ancient prison? Storm Front happens to be the pony assigned to patrolling the palace gardens. He'd spent a solid 6 hours as a singing iguana before they'd found him... promptly promoting him to the princess's personal guard for his heroic attempt to alert the other guards about Discord's resurgence.
Changeling invasion of the capital city? He lead a group of the remaining guards in an assault on the palace, trying to reach the princess he was supposed to be protecting. An hour later, he'd awoken sore and covered in goo after being dragged out of one of the cocoons suspended from the ceiling of the main lobby. That one had gotten him his current position as wing-leader of the company assigned to come to Cauldron with none other than the captain of the Royal Guard!
Yes, looking back on his relatively fortunate life, one wouldn't have to dig too hard to see a particular pattern emerge.
"Anything to report, corporal?" he called out to one of the scouts he'd spread out over the city, a mare by the name of Airflow.
"No, sir, I-"
She was cut off as an unearthly wail rose up from the city below. The strangely playful, high pitched shriek echoed through the streets, coinciding with several lamps flickering randomly.
Storm Front suddenly felt his primary feathers begin to vibrate, the hairs on the nape of his neck rising of their own volition in response.
"Did... did you hear that, sir!?" Airflow gasped, scanning the buildings below for signs of movement.
"I felt that, corporal..." he shuddered.
The sound tapered off, ending in a lilting laugh not unlike a filly's giggle. It was quite possibly the only thing that could have made the event any creepier than it already was.
"I've read this story..." he muttered, sweating, "Stupid bucking horror writers and their stupid, bucking, long-haired filly ghosts. I am not getting dragged to bucking Tartarus."
"Sir! I see movement down below!" the corporal exclaimed.
Storm Front followed her pointing hoof, quickly spotting the flitting shadow. If he listened carefully, he could hear a faint buzz coming from it. A changeling, perhaps?
"Corporal, private," he pointed to Airflow and another nearby guardsmare, "follow me. This could be one of our suspects. Be on your guards... it could also be a changeling. Follow standard identity confirmation protocols, the passcode is: Ageless. The rest of you, spread out and sweep forward... and grab some backup while you're at it."
The mares nodded and dove down after him, initiating the pursuit. The three of them followed the buzzing sound, cutting through the air above the street and making sure to stay just above the rooftops.
He could see it more clearly now, a dark shape carrying a bundle of strangely shaped sticks, flitting from shadow to shadow and always staying just ahead of the three guards. Frustration began to rise in Storm Front's belly, shoving aside the trepidation he'd felt before at facing a changeling again.
How is this thing keeping just ahead of us!? the thought forced a growl from his throat. He was no Wonderbolt, but he was still a pegasus guard! Next to the famed racers, the member's of Equestria's air force were the fastest, most nimble things in the sky!
That strange, melodious laughter rang out again as the shape they chased turned a sharp corner and disappeared. They were now deep in the warehouse district, and Storm Front belatedly realized that his enemy had managed to draw him and his two underlings away from the rest of the guards.
The lights here were dimmer, and set further apart. Shadows played across the walls of the hulking storage facilities that rose on every side, creating an intricate system of dark alleys that were perfect for ambushing unsuspecting guardsponie-
No! Don't think like that!
Again, that infernal laughter rang out and Storm Front turned in the air, trying to spot the source of the noise. Too many echoes.
"Can either of you tell where it's coming from?" he asked.
The other two guards shook their heads as they floated with their backs to him and each other, maximizing the area they could keep an eye on. Apparently they'd noticed the increased danger of getting caught by surprise, as well. The buzzing sound had been getting progressively louder, coming from every direction and eating at the edges of his sanity as he fought to keep it together for the sake of the others.
"Call out if you spot any movement." he finished.
"Yes, sir."
"Yes, sir."
"Sure thing!"
Storm Front froze, a brief moment of terror causing his heart to skip a beat, then jerked around to face the voice that had come from directly behind him.
And there she was... a figure from his nightmares. A pegasus filly, upside down, grinning madly, eyes dilated to points, and with a frazzled mane hanging loosely from her head. Her wings... they were moving so fast they were hardly visible, and he could now see they were the obvious source of the buzzing.
Calming himself - it's just a filly after all! - Storm Front shot reassuring glances to the two nervous guards and confronted the mare, "What the hay do you think you're doing flying around like that at this time of night? Don't you know there are terrorists on the loose!?"
The mare only grinned back. He prepared another scathing rebuke when Airflow spoke up.
"Look at her cutie mark, sir! This is one of the fugitives!"
A quick glance confirmed it, and Storm Front set his shoulders and advanced on the twitching pegasus, "Young filly, you're in a lot of trouble. Don't make this any harder for yourself than it needs to be and come with us."
"Okie-dokie-lokie!" she squealed and just stopped flapping her wings, crashing to the ground below and giggling loudly.
One of the guardsmares chortled, and Storm Front sighed and floated down to the street where she'd landed. The filly sat there, wings buzzing occasionally as he approached.
"I'd really, really, really love to come and play tag with you guys some more! Maybe we could even all have a party after I let you catch me and we could tell stories and play games and eat lots and lots of cake!"
The high-pitched chatter roiled in his head, and Storm Front had to make a physical effort to keep his eyes from crossing at the verbal assault, "Wha-?"
"BUUUUUT!" she cut him off, several of her blonde locks twitching out of place.
It had taken him a moment to realize, because the effect was subtle, but from this distance it was obvious: she was vibrating. Not trembling, or quivering, or shaking. She was doing a perfect imitation of a tuning fork... Storm Front could even hear a low thrum that had been hidden by the buzzing of her wings before.
What the?
"IgottagomeetupwithShawnyoushouldleavebeforethefireworksgooffohpinchykneebye!"
He blinked and she was gone. Just... vanished. A quickly receding "Wheeeeeee!" the only indication that she hadn't just outright teleported. In hindsight, seeing a hornless pegasus teleport probably would have been slightly less disturbing.
Airflow and the private gaped, glancing around in a vain effort to spot the fugitive again.
Storm Front knew it was a lost cause, though... that filly had clearly been toying with them the entire time. But why? Had she been trying to lead them here? For what?
His eye caught a spark moving across the ground, and his ears finally noticed the telltale hiss of a... fireworks... fuse...
"Move!" he shouted and took off into the sky, shoving his subordinates along with him as the first of the bottle rockets began going off, whizzing around and creating an ungodly noise that would surely draw every guard in the city to this location.
"We've been had!" he growled... then winced as the rest of the bundle of fireworks ignited.
The three guards were forced to land on a nearby roof, the air now filled with flying, exploding objects. Several of them veered off-course, embedding themselves into the old, dry wood and plaster of the nearby warehouses. Dusty, old warehouses full of who knew what...
"By Celestia..." Storm Front gasped and turned, "We're heading back! Stay low!"
They leapt forward, diving from the roof on the other side of the building and flying as quickly and close to the ground as he could manage, the two guardsmares right behind him.
A thump and a bright flash of orange from behind them announced the first fireball flaring to life.
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"Hmm..." Shawn hummed, shielding his eyes from the glare of the quickly growing series of fireballs shooting up from the warehouse district. Combined with the occasional pops and flashes of fireworks, it made the whole scene look like a war-zone from a bad action flick.
"Twilight is not gonna be happy about that." Dash joked as she enjoyed the impromptu light show, "Did you know that was gonna happen?" she turned and looked at him, clearly amused.
"Not really, no. Nothing I can do about it now, though. And I'm pretty sure that entire area is empty storage, anyway."
Dash grunted as the two walked side by side toward the Rough Seas. Every single guard in the area had immediately rushed to the scene of the fire, and several pegasi were already making rain clouds and unleashing them on the growing inferno.
Shawn stopped and grimaced. He'd told Pinkie that the fireworks were just a small distraction. Something to make the guards go investigate long enough for them to sneak aboard the ship. Now, though... he had a feeling he was going to get another earful from her before the night was done.
"I'm more worried about Pinkie than Twilight." he sighed and started walking again.
"Why?"
"Kinda promised her I wouldn't do anything too stupidly dangerous. She probably thinks I broke it now."
Rainbow stared at him, "Dude... you didn't Pinkie Promise that, did you?"
"Yeah, why? Is that bad?"
She shook her head and gave him a distinctly pitying look, "Just hide behind something heavy when you get on board. And be ready to apologize... a lot."
"Great." he mumbled and clambered up the plank to the waiting boat, "Well... thanks for the assist, RD."
"Sure!" she grinned up at him, "What are friends for, right?"
Then, with a beat of her wings and a rush of wind, she was gone.
There was a creak of wood as the cabin door opened from behind him and a slightly inebriated Wavedancer emerged unto the deck, "Oi! Wha's all the commotion 'bout, Shawnee?" The sea-mare's eyes were drawn to the city sky-line, outlined in the dying glow of a hard-fought blaze, "Bleedin' goddess, ye set the city on fire!"
"Who set what on fire!?" A very familiar voice called out from the cabin before Shawn could reply with one of his pre-prepared excuses.
The towering shape of Soft Speech the minotaur ducked out into the fresh night air, pink apron and all. She stared into the distance, before glowering down at him, "Soft Speech's bar better be intact, Shawn Spencer."
Shawn shrugged, shaking off his surprise at her presence, "I make no guarantees about the structural integrity of any buildings when caffeine, fireworks, and Surprise are all involved."
The minotaur growled again, then shook her head and chuckled, "You have a flare for entrances, little lamb. Soft Speech supposes she won't be going back to it anytime soon, anyway."
Shawn ignored the last bit, suddenly wondering how she'd ended up there in the first place, "What are you even doing here? How did you find the ship?"
"How? Soft Speech was the one who told you where it was, remember? And Soft Speech couldn't exactly stick around after you basically announced to all the guards that she knows you."
Oh... right... that.
Shawn hummed something vaguely apologetic and turned to glance towards the city again, "Let's cast off, Cappy. The guards'll be sweeping this area again as soon as the fires get put out. I'm gonna go catch some shut-eye."
"What about yer friend?" Wavedancer questioned, though it did not stop her from beginning the process of undocking the boat.
"She can fly and knows what the ship looks like. Just stay out in the river tonight and I'm sure she'll spot us." he muttered tiredly. Plus, it would give her time to cool down - and him time to recuperate - before she caught up and did whatever had caused Rainbow to suggest he actually take cover from the party pony.
"Oh, and Softy?"
"Yes, little lamb?"
Shawn shuddered, "I'm beat right now, but I have some questions I need to ask you tomorrow morning."
"Ditto, little lamb."
"Feel free t'take the cot, Shawnee," Wavedancer piped up from the helm on the roof, "I won' be gettin' any sleep t'night, anyways. And the minotaur's too bloomin' huge ta sleep in the cabin."
Groaning, Shawn shambled into the small room and flopped face-down on the cot, tired beyond reason and nursing a growing headache. He'd been getting a lot of those lately, and they seemed to get worse the closer he got to breaking this case. The boat rocked as it gently floated off downstream.
Time and reality began to lose coherence, and the last thing that floated through Shawn's mind as he drifted off to sleep was a half-heard, haunting, high-pitched wail.
"You Pinkie Promised!"
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Hello again, everyone!
Welcome to another edition of your favorite Psych and MLP crossover (probably because, as far as I know, it's the only Psych and MLP crossover...)
Once again, I'd like to assure you all that I'm aiming to release the next chapter after this one before the end of this month (I'll release the exact date later in a self-indulgent, overly wordy blog none of you will actually want to read but will have to anyway so hah!). At least you won't get left wondering what will happen for quite as long this time.
As always: Enjoy, rate, and review! And I hope you enjoy this action-packed chapter of Magic, and Mayhem, and... Murder? Oh my...!
Wishin' you all a merry little Christmas (even though it's June),
Invictus
I'm diggin' Storm Front.
767410
Yes! Oh Invictus, you bring hope to me today. Also a distraction ... I'm trying to finish the next chapter of Thunderstruck after all. So, if I don't make it tomorrow, you can blame no one but yourself! (The logic there is sound, don't try to argue with it.)
I am now afraid of Pinkie/Surprise.
And caffeine.
woah. i saw this on fanfiction (one of the few that commented on this awesome fic, actually) and now i see it here. It's true. all good mlp fics lead here.
Anyway, great job, and Shawn did cross his fingers if i remember correctly... i better see some obscure movie reference when that comes around!
This one dragged on a bit, slightly. Still great, as usual, but again, feels slight bit like filler. Can't wait for the actual case to start..
hope to see some more soon!
Well, you keep delivering the awesome and funny in equal amounts again Invictus. Is the part with the fireworks a reference to the first Naked Gun
movie?
I feel really bad for Stormfront; he sort of reminds me of John McClane, without the badassitude and the witty one-liners; he's just the wrong pony at the wrong place at the wrong time.
I watched Die Hard 2 last night, so that's the first comparison that popped into my head.
Shawn you dope, you never, ever, ever, ever, break a Pinkie Promise; poor guy's done for, no amount of charm and manipulation can save him from Pinkie; start apologizin' fast, buddy.
Here's hoping that the next chapter's out before July hits us! See ya next chapter
"You Pinkie promised!"
My reaction:miloop.com/movies/2012213132343440_450.jpg
Woop another chap great job on the story, keep up the great work
.
"You Pinkie Promised!"
dl.dropbox.com/u/12875849/reactions/1286910010262.gif
The one time someone crosses Psych with Ponies, and you kill Shawn?! Way to go...
Anyway, loving the chapter.
You know what the really scary thing is? I bet Shawn could just say that he crossed his fingers and Pinkie Pie would be totally fine with that.
Also, the Shadow is really crazy about this whole supervillainy thing, isn't she? What happened to her? Did she binge on movies and comic books in-between visiting terrorist training camps?
So move your plot is equestrian for fus ro dah? I sincerely hope that I'm the only one that caught that, because I feel pretty special right now.
Great chapter my friend. But, WHAT SORT OF MAD MAN ARE YOU!!
You gave caffine to Pinkie Pie, PINKIE PIE! You might as well just give her the codes to a nuclear reactor, both have roughly the same energy capabilities.
And you let Shawn break a Pinkie promise with a caffinated Pinkie pie. If you wanted to write a fic about Shawn having something horrific inflicted apon him you coulda done it in a lot less words.
Great to see Soft Spoken and Lady Cappy again though.
And my money is on the Gryphon girl being Gilda.
As always looking forward to what comes next.
P.S. I wonder if shawn is jelaous of Pinkies actual psychic ability.
A nice little chapter, too light on plot continuation for my taste. But it was very good to be reminded and shown that Shawn and Pinkie are fugitives as far as Equestria is officially concerned. It was a very major story point that hadn't really impacted Shawn's actions aside from the physical movement for Shawn and Pinkie to be traipsing through Cauldron in disguise.
Also we learned that the Shadow is unaware of the real plan and Shawn's ruse may succeed which implies a great many...things
771048
This is Nightmare Moon we're talking about (well, the Nightmare part, anyway) - it came with all the supervillian tropes preloaded. I'm guessing it just got rid of its levels in Stupid Evil while on Earth.
1. Shawn broke a Pinkie Promise!?
30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ljcrcxzPHY1qitf3lo1_400.jpg
2. "Unrelenting force"? Oh you!
GG Shawn
Nice knowing you
When Pinkie Promises, caffeine, and Pinkie Pie herself are involved:
3.bp.blogspot.com/-wObeqGoarSA/Tdh_LJjyMFI/AAAAAAAAEvM/20VxcABJnnc/s1600/end-of-the-world.jpg
IT'S THE END OF THE FUCKING WORLD AS WE KNOW IT!!!!
771119 better then the one comic i saw that translated dragonspeak as "suck my b@lls" poor traumatized Dohvahkin.
Well, Shawn, it's been nice knowing you.
Also, how is that place still STANDING!?
Dear sweet Celestia, Shawn is FUCKED!
Atm, I can't decide which is worse, a broken Pinkie Promise or a still Pinkie Pie.
Oh God, what if Shawn were to wake up and Pinkie Pie was just sitting absolutely still just staring at him. Talk about taking both barrels.
My reaction to that is this: -takes deep calming breath- ITS THE END OF EVERY BUCKING THING IN KNOWN EXISTENCE!!! OH GOD RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!!!!!
797617 ...and I feel fine.
I must say, this is going very well. For me, anyway. Not for them.
And now Shawn is completely open and about to get rocked harder than Vesuvius's eruption.
Ohhhh snap.
So Shawn has a small car with its own name. He reminds me more and more of Harry Dresden...
RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!!
5164160 technically it's Gus's car. Shawn has a motorcycle.
You know, I've read plenty of fics where Pinkie Pie gets caffeine. I think this is the first that does the consequences of that action justice, however. Giving something impossible to truly comprehend like Pinkie Pie should result in something... eldritch and horrifying. Either that or a massive explosion. Which both happened here, so it's all good.
I've got to say... breaking a Pinkie Promise with Pinkie Pie? Dick move, Shawn, dick move. You deserve everything you get and more.