A Dance With Death

by Dee Pad

Chapter 13 - Dead Ringer

The precinct of the Baltimare Police Department was practically dead silent. The only sound audible was the gentle dripping of the coffee pot as it filled itself once more. With everything that's been going on recently, one would think it'd be pretty darn busy around the cop shop, but nary a peep was to be heard. In fact, only one officer was currently even present.

Night Owl sat at his desk in the office of the chief of police, a stack of papers haphazardly strewn about in front of him. He just stared at those papers, a low, frustrated growl rumbling in his throat. Perhaps as an effort to distract himself from the puzzle before him for even a few moments, Owl turned his attention to the clock on the wall.

Five a.m. Of course there was nocreature there other than himself. The other officers were likely still in bed. Owl was the only one crazy enough to keep his nose in a case for this long—though he'd argue that "dedicated" was more apt a term. But it wasn't like he planned on this, it just happened that way. He'd been sitting there stewing about the case all night again, having completely lost track of time. And once his colleagues starting showing up for the day, he'd likely find himself even busier as opposed to getting a break.

As tired as he was, Night Owl's ears managed to perk up. He heard the sound of the precinct's doors opening, followed by hoofsteps. He highly doubted that it was any of his fellow officers; none of them were likely to even wake up before the sun was fully visible in the sky, let alone at the very crack of dawn. Which meant there was only one person it could possibly be...

Just as Owl suspected, in walked Limbo, sauntering over to his desk without a word. He watched as she silently pulled a chair over to his desk, seating herself opposite him. Her expression was rather unreadable.

"Where have you been?" Owl asked, breaking the silence in the station.

"I've been taking a brief sabbatical," she answered plainly.

Owl quirked an eyebrow suspiciously. "You? Taking time off? With everything going on?"

"Wasn't my idea," she grumbled. "Samba insisted I take the weekend off and let you guys handle all the hubbub at Mango Inc. I'm actually not gonna stay long. Samba tends to sleep in because she works late, but if she finds out I snuck out here, I'll probably get an earful."

"You whipped by your own assistant now?" he teased.

"Shut up. She had a point, that's all. I don't need to work myself to the bone when I can just let you guys do the heavy lifting."

"Then what are you doing here?"

"Can't help myself. I'm feeling a little left out of the loop. Just need to sate my need for info real quick. Coffee ready?"

Owl glanced over his shoulder to the coffee pot. It was indeed full, so he laboriously got up from his desk to pour himself and his guest a mug each. "There's not much info I can feed you, in all honesty," he told her as he delivered her coffee and sat back down with his own.

Limbo took a deep sip of the dark brew. "What have your people been doing over there, then?"

"Everything they can," he answered in their defense. "It's been a total circus over there from what I've heard. My people have been doing what they can to investigate everycreature there to suss out which of them is the Ghost. They're not having a lot of luck, obviously. And a company as big and influential as Mango Inc. can't exactly just shut down entirely, so some of them are basically helping out with security there for the time being since the Ghost might see this as an opportunity. So some of them are going to be heading back over there today, and others with be making the rounds to question anycreature not working today."

"Gonna be a little tough without the citizen records."

Owl shrugged. "Mango Inc.'s got their info on file, so it's no big deal."

"Guess the Ghost hasn't had the opportunity to meddle with the company's data with you guys around."

"We're not giving them the chance. But there's always the possibility that the Ghost has jumped ship already."

"You think we've pushed them that far?"

"Wouldn't surprise me. We've never knowingly been this close to the Ghost before, so I won't be shocked if our search leads us to somepony we can't find. And with the Spellmet, they could use changeling magic to assume a completely new identity someplace else and possibly start the cycle anew in another city."

Limbo groaned at the notion. "That would suck so much butt. And no doubt they'd let their victims rot too—assuming they're still alive now."

With the topic of the victims brought up, Owl decided to ask a question that had been on his mind. "So... That changeling girl, Mandible. Her brother was taken by the Ghost, right?"

"More than likely. There's an extremely strong chance that he was how the Ghost got access to shapeshifting magic, and how they were able to use it before stealing the newest version of Career's device."

"The missing version three."

"Precisely."

Owl closed his eyes for a moment, humming quietly in thought.

Limbo observed his pondering curiously. "Something itching in that brain of yours?"

"I want to confirm something. Come with me."

Owl stood from his desk, taking his coffee mug with him as he left his office. Limbo followed suit. Given that she used to work there herself, it didn't take long to figure out where he was leading her: the holding cells. And if she had to venture a guess, she assumed Owl wanted to ask some questions of the only individual locked up there currently.

Passing by the other empty cells, Owl and Limbo stopped before the only occupied cell. Within it, Mango Career lay asleep on the cheap cot within. Neither of them really had any sympathy for the selfish businessman, so Owl felt no guilt when he clanked his hoof against the iron bars to rattle him awake.

Career lazily lifted his head with a disgruntled groan, already prepared to shoot an icy glare over his shoulder. His mane was even more frazzled than the last time Limbo had seen him. Career didn't even bother to rise from his cot, just addressing the two with a low, disgruntled growl. "Have you not tormented me enough?"

"If I had, you wouldn't still be here," Owl retaliated. "Get up. I have some questions I want to ask."

Career hesitated, fighting to decide whether or not he wanted to follow the order. He glanced up at the barred window, seeing no sunlight streaming through yet. He laboriously rose to a sitting position. "What time is it?"

"Five," Owl answered tersely.

The unicorn rubbed his eyes with a groan at the response. "Couldn't at least wait until the sun came up? We're not all nocturnal, Sergeant."

"Save it. Just answer my questions and you can get back to sleep."

Career dragged himself off of his cot and put on his glasses, doing his best to straighten his disheveled mane before begrudgingly sauntering over to the bars. "Make it quick."

"You wanna lose the attitude?" Limbo warned him. "You're lucky I gave you a break yesterday."

"First question," Owl began before Career and Limbo could start at each other. "The Spellmets; are spells transferable between the prototypes?"

Career took a long, tired breath before answering the surprisingly simple question. "It's a feature we're looking into implementing, though it won't likely make it into the initial product. We should be able to add it to Spellmets that people will have already purchased via firmware updates, but the prototypes don't have any such functionality, no."

Limbo looked to Owl. "So, what's that tell you?"

"I think that gives us confirmation that the Ghost's victims are still alive. Or, at the very least, there's a higher chance that they are."

Limbo quirked an eyebrow, though there was no hiding the hopefulness in her single eye. "You think so?"

"If the spells can't be transferred between prototypes, then that means that the Ghost would need a way to record those on the new version they stole from the Magi-Tech Expo. As far as we're aware, there haven't been any kidnappings since Sizzle Conifer, so we may be able to assume that the Ghost kept their victims alive in order to copy their spells to the new Spellmet."

Limbo mulled over the theory for a moment. "Maybe, but that could also be why there haven't been any kidnappings since then. They may need some fresh victims."

Owl cast her a quizzical look. "Not like you to be so pessimistic."

"Every argument needs two sides to narrow down the possibilities."

"Given what we do know about the Ghost, it'd be naïve to think they wouldn't have known about that limitation of the Spellmet from the get-go. You agree?"

Limbo nodded. "I do. But the Ghost has a dozen victims at this point. The resources required to keep that many people alive for upwards to three years would add up to be pretty pricey."

Owl turned back to Career. "You pay your employees well?"

Career narrowed his eyes at him. "Are you insinuating that I don't fairly pay my staff? I make sure my employees are well taken care of. They are payed well above minimum wage, our minority staff are payed and treated equally, our dental plan is enviable, and I will even pay for excessive medical bills out of my own pocket if I heard any of them were unable to cover the cost themselves."

"Sounds pretty selfless on the surface, but a happy staff is a productive staff, yeah?" Limbo chided judgmentally.

"Don't try and flip my generosity as being self-serving, Detective," Career snipped back.

Limbo shrugged. "Just sayin'."

"All of this is to say that any employee of Mango Incorporated may have the money to feed a dozen people, especially if only given the bare minimum of what they need to survive," Owl stated.

An almost imperceptible sigh of relief escaped from Limbo's decayed lungs. As pragmatic as she had always tried to be in regards to the Ghost case, there was always a part at the back of her magically-sustained mind that was seriously worried about Poe's well being. This little tidbit of information was at least enough to give her some modicum of hope that she was still alive somewhere out there.

"Now, are you done badgering me, or do you have any other inane questions?" Career sneered.

"That's all I needed for now. Although, your attitude just secured you stale bread and tap water for lunch," the bat pony told him with a corrective glare. "Maybe you'll be a little more cooperative if you have to experience what the Ghost's victims are going through."

Career backed off, visually displeased.

Satisfied by what compliance he could get, Owl took a quick sip of his coffee before preparing to leave Career alone. "I'll be back later, so get some sleep. I'm not keen on interrogating a cantankerous brat."

Owl started toward the door. Limbo lingered for a second longer to give Career a mocking raspberry before turning to exit as well.

"Wait."

Limbo paused, looking back at Career as he peeked out from his cell. She cast a brief glance toward the door, Owl standing there silently, only giving a tilt of his head as a sign of permission. She sauntered back to see what Career wanted, noting that his aggravation seemed to have subsided for the moment.

"You're close with my brother, right?"

Limbo shrugged. "I guess so. Why?"

Career hesitated slightly, some remorse in his eyes. "How... How has he reacted to my circumstances?"

Limbo tilted her head, puzzled by the question. "What, you haven't been talking to him?"

The stallion looked equally confused by her reaction. "Well, no."

"That's weird. We were hanging with him yesterday and he said he planned on coming by to visit you."

Career sighed dejectedly. "I see. I suppose that just goes to show how far away I've pushed him, doesn't it? He's so fed up with me that he doesn't even want to bother visiting me after I get arrested."

"Well, to be fair, he may have had other things on his mind yesterday. Guess he never got around to it because of his date."

Career blinked. "He had a date?"

"Yeah, with a changeling girl named Mandible."

"The one whose brother was taken by the Ghost?" Owl chimed in from the door.

"The very same. She was with us yesterday too, and I guess she and Leaf kinda hit it off. Went their own way after a bit to have dinner. Haven't heard from either of them since, so I assume it went well."

Career shrugged listlessly. "I suppose I have no right to be upset with him. As long as he's happy. But in case he decides not to visit at all while I'm here, can you relay a message for me?"

Limbo lifted her nose at him. Judging by the pitiable look on his face, she already had a pretty good idea of what he wanted to ask. "Let me guess: 'I'm sorry.'"

He just let out another long sigh. "I wasn't going to put it in such simple terms, but that should still get the point across, I suppose."

"I'll let him know," she told him with strong indifference.

"Thank you."

With that settled, Limbo made to join Owl, the two heading back to his office and taking their respective seats once more.

"Well..." Limbo started with a sip of coffee. "Wasn't expecting him to get so soppy at the end there, but we got some nice info at least. Not sure exactly how it helps with the investigation, but it's still good to know that those poor people might actually still be alive." Another relieved sigh slipped through her lips. "Especially Poe..."

Night Owl stared across his desk at her. There was an ever-lingering question on his mind, and now that they've come this far, he felt the need to ask again. "Are you ever gonna tell me why the Ghost went after Poe?"

Limbo shot an irate glower over her coffee mug. "Why do you ask as though I know?"

"Because I know you do," he insisted. "She did something to get the Ghost's attention, but no amount of sleuthing on my part came up with any evidence as to what. You were the one who pointed out the Ghost's supposed motive, yet you never questioned Poe's disappearance."

"I thought we went over this. It was a threat. Need I remind you that the Ghost also burned down my apartment?"

"Yes, but Mayor Highstrung informed me that you had some citizen records at your place at the time. Records pertaining to the changeling employees at Mango Inc. So the Ghost may have just taken the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone."

"And how exactly would they know I had those papers?" she challenged. "You think the Ghost is spying on me or something?"

"I think that's a possibility we can't rule out," he stated calmly. "After all, the only people who knew the real reason why they kidnapped Poe are themselves and you."

"How many times do I have to repeat myself, Owl?" Limbo growled.

The bat pony clomped a hoof on his desk firmly. "And how many times have you charged headfirst into something based purely on a hunch? I ain't buying that crap anymore, especially since there's now a third person in your little circle."

Limbo arched a vexed eyebrow. "A third person? The hay you talking about?"

"Samba."

The detective's eye widened.

"Had a little conversation with her a while back. She admitted that she knows what's up with you."

Limbo's jaw dropped open slightly. On more than one occasion recently had she had a knife driven into her chest, but the feeling of cold steel plunging through her ribs was nothing compared to the emotional pain she felt upon hearing that.

"She confirmed my suspicions," Owl continued. "Poe knows some kind of spell that lead her to be targeted by the Ghost, and you told her what it was. Now, my next question is: why would you entrust this information to a complete stranger but not mention it to me?"

Limbo kept her lips zipped, just staring with a mixture of hurt and frustration.

"My best guess is that she happened to stumble upon this secret, which means that it is something that can be stumbled upon. And if that's the case, that would mean that whatever spell Poe knows, it has something to do with you."

Again, Limbo said nothing.

"It's something illegal, that much is obvious. Why would you keep this information under wraps if it wasn't?"

Limbo never thought she'd find herself in this situation. Backed into a corner by Night Owl of all people. But what was worse than the idea of him finding out about her secret, was learning who was responsible. How could Samba go behind her back like that? She had trusted her. Samba promised to keep her secret, and she betrayed her.

Owl could clearly see in Limbo's only eye how she felt about this. But he wasn't finished just yet. "However..."

Limbo's ears perked up slightly.

"She also insisted that neither of you did anything wrong. And maybe I've just grown soft over the years, but I see no reason not to believe her. Everything you've done and everything she's done has been a big help, so I promised her that I'd look the other way for now, at least until the Ghost situation is resolved."

Though she still felt a slight, lingering sting of betrayal, a small sense of relief washed over Limbo.

"But when that time comes, I expect to hear the truth," Owl told her sternly. "I don't want to have to arrest somepony after they went through such a harrowing experience, but the law's the law. You understand, right, Limbo?"

Limbo just stared back at him, her expression conflicted. She'd shared her thoughts on this exact situation with Samba in the past, but now faced with the possibility of him finding out her secret, she wasn't sure exactly how confident she felt about her chances of maintaining her undeath. After all, like Owl said: the law's the law.

"I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it, won't we?" she responded as casually as she could manage. She downed the rest of her coffee and stood up. "But just to let you know, there's a lot riding on that information—not that it matters to me so long as I know Poe's okay. But if you choose to do your job by the book, I have little doubt that you'll make an enemy of her real quick. I know full well the lengths that that crazy mare is willing to go for me, so just keep that in mind if or when you find out."

With that final warning, Limbo took her leave of the station, leaving Night Owl to quietly ponder the exact meaning of her words in silence while he waited for the other officers to show up for their shifts.

***** ***** *****

The doorknob turned ever so slowly, the moving of the latch barely audible within the dead silence of the night. The door of Samba's apartment eked inward only a couple of inches, allowing a single, pale silver eye to survey the room beyond. The living room appeared to be empty, and no lights were on. The coast was clear.

Limbo slipped inside like a slippery snake, opening the door only just enough to squeeze herself through before gently closing it again and locking it. She snuck quietly across the living room toward the couch, hoping that no creaky floorboards gave away her presence.

The sound of the toilet flushing startled Limbo, her gaze shifting to the hallway where a faint amount of light could be seen escaping from underneath the bathroom door. The door then opened, and, in a panic, Limbo scrambled for the couch. In her haste, her leg struck the corner of the coffee table concealed within the darkness, causing the haphazard zombie to stumble and faceplant, only managing to drag one of the couch cushions down with her.

Samba stepped out of the bathroom in time to spot a silhouette falling face first on the other side of the couch. She just let out a long sigh through her nostrils, casually meandering out to the living room, flicking on the kitchen light along the way to provide some visibility. She stared down at the splayed out form of Limbo on the floor, her face covered by one of the couch cushions and snoring rather loudly and forcibly as though that were going to fool Samba.

"Nice try," the unicorn chided bemusedly. "I checked to see if you were asleep before I used the bathroom."

Limbo threw the cushion off herself, revealing the somewhat guilty look on her face, like a child caught with her hoof in the cookie jar.

"You went down to the station, didn't you?" Samba accused with a corrective glare.

"I needed to know what they learned yesterday," Limbo responded defensively. "I'm still a member of law enforcement. I gotta stay in the loop."

"You're supposed to be taking the weekend off. Can't you go a day without sleuthing or investigating?"

Limbo pulled herself up to a sitting position, putting the couch cushion back where it belonged. "What do you expect me to do with my time? Sleep doesn't do anything for me except kill time. I may as well make use of that time, right?"

"It's supposed to help you relax, something I think you could use a little of after everything we've been through. Celestia knows I could."

Limbo gave her an argumentative grimace. "What, you think I'm gonna wind up with some stress-related illness? I'm dead, remember? Seriously, why am I even going along with this? Who said I had to take time off? I shouldn't feel guilty about doing my job when there are people out there in danger. You're my assistant, not my mom. I give the orders around here."

Samba didn't flinch under her belligerent arguing, only knitting her brow at her. "First of all, keep your voice down. Pira's still sleeping. Second, this is my apartment. So until you find a new place to live, you're following my rules. And, speaking of which, I haven't seen you even attempting to find a new home since yours was burned down. You can't mooch off of me forever."

"Oh, that's rich coming from you."

Samba arched an eyebrow, vexed by the statement. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Isn't mooching and laziness the whole reason you got divorced and kicked out of your own home?"

Samba winced. That blow hit pretty hard.

"Based on the way you talk down about yourself, you're the last person I would've expected to get on my case about this."

The dancer's expression fell significantly, a sullen and regretful frown making its way onto her face.

Limbo observed her crestfallen state, feeling a touch guilty. "But I suppose you do have a point. I need to start looking into finding a new office space, but it's hard to focus on that when we're so close to cracking this case, you know?"

"Well, maybe that's how you can make use of your off time," Samba suggested. "Go shopping for new apartments. Pira and I can go with you if you want."

Limbo cocked a suspicious eyebrow. "You're not saying that just because you think you need to keep an eye on me, are you?"

Samba lolled her head back and forth. "You do have a case of tunnel vision sometimes. No offence, but I don't trust you not to get sidetracked if you happen to bump into Owl or another officer on the way."

Limbo rubbed her neck with a begrudging sigh. "Fair point."

Curiosity suddenly took hold of Samba. "Speaking of, was there even anypony at the station?"

"Oh, yeah, Owl was there. Can't say I was surprised."

Samba smiled knowingly. "Yeah, you two are pretty alike."

Limbo quirked an eyebrow, pursing her lips at the comment, but choosing to ignore it. "Anyway, we had a brief chat, and I learned some interesting tidbits, both about the case..." She glared slightly at Samba. "...and about you."

Samba blinked, puzzled by her accusatory tone. "'About me'?"

Limbo flicked her hoof dismissively, though not without some vindictiveness. "What's important is that we got some good news from Career that would suggest that the Ghost's victims are very likely still alive, so that's nice."

Samba braced herself. She had a feeling that Limbo had something loaded and ready to fire in her direction.

"But Owl mentioned a little conversation that the two of you had when I wasn't around."

Samba's ears flattened meekly.

Limbo stepped forward, her expression a strong mixture of anger and hurt. "How could you tell him that you know our secret? Now he knows that Poe did something illegal and that I'm involved!"

"W-Well, what did you expect me to do? Lie to a cop?"

"Yes! It's not difficult. Do you even realize what you did? Even if we save Poe now, Owl's going to find out what she did, and she's gonna go straight to jail. She's gonna be no better off than she is now!"

"Then don't tell him," Samba suggested weakly.

"That's not gonna get me anywhere. He's a few steps away from figuring it out on his own, so regardless of how this case turns out, there's no way I'm getting out of this now! I can't feel like I repaid my debt to Poe if she gets thrown behind bars the moment I save her. And when that happens, I'm not gonna be able to help her anymore because I'll be dead again!"

Samba lowered her head, her guilt manifesting in the form of moisture in the corner of her eyes. "I-I'm sorry. We were just talking. I didn't mean for that to come up. I just... I couldn't just lie to a cop."

Limbo was about to say more, but hesitated. Her gaze passed over Samba's shoulder and down the hall, where a little filly was peeking out discreetly from Samba's bedroom, clutching her favorite blanket close to her chest. Limbo sighed reluctantly. "Look, I get it. You're not the most confrontational person in Equestria, and Owl can be pretty intimidating when he wants to be—to normal people anyway. But, at the very least, I guess I should be thankful that you managed to convince him to put that by the wayside for now."

"I promise I'll do everything I can to convince him to go easy on you and Poe," Samba insisted in desperate apology.

Limbo shrugged indifferently. "Not like it matters that much. As I keep saying, once Poe's safe, I don't care what happens to me."

Samba stared at the look of reluctant acceptance in Limbo's eye. As a show of apology and resolve, Samba did her best to steel her expression to reassure her friend. "Then... If you're not going to be around anymore, I'll bail Poe out if she has to go to jail."

Limbo frowned slightly. While she appreciated the offer, she knew that Samba's financial situation wasn't comfortable enough for that. "That's noble of you and everything, but I'm pretty sure it'll be more difficult than that."

The shoddy wall of reassurance Samba had attempted to build up in that moment crumbled rather quickly.

Again, Limbo glanced back at the young filly silently watching the argument. Pirouette finally seemed to notice that she'd been spotted up past her bedtime and ducked back into the bedroom, her blanket briefly getting caught in the door and taking her a moment to get it out. "Maybe we should save this for the morning. You're probably pretty tired, and you have a rambunctious kid to look after."

"Technically, it's already morning."

"You really gonna do this now, Samba. Go to bed," Limbo instructed with a disgruntled grimace.

Not having any more strength to continue the argument anyway, Samba turned off the light and shuffled off to her bedroom, still wracked with guilt. Limbo remained in the living room, flopping down onto the couch with a long sigh. The first rays of the sun were now starting to show through the window, but Limbo just ignored them. With the added light, though, she did manage to spot Webber sitting on the coffee table, just staring at her.

"So... What do you think?" she asked the spider with a low groan. "Who's in the wrong here?"

Webber just shifted his legs uncertainly.

Limbo closed her eye with another sigh. "Yeah... Me neither, bud."

***** ***** *****

Despite the presence of a normally energetic child, Samba's apartment was surprisingly quiet. Samba herself was busy making two bowls of oatmeal for herself and her daughter. Limbo was reclined on the couch, idly flicking through channels on the television. Webber was on the kitchen table, staring at the young filly who was waiting for her breakfast. And Pirouette was seated quietly, paying little heed to the spider watching her curiously.

As exuberant as Pirouette usually was, this morning, she was uncharacteristically calm and quiet. All she did as she waited for her oatmeal was tap her hooves lightly on the tabletop, as even in a more subdued emotional state, she still couldn't entirely fight her need to fidget. Pirouette glanced over at her mother, who was absentmindedly stirring the oatmeal, the adult mare's face listless and weary. She'd been stirring for the better part of five minutes it felt like to the filly. At this point, their breakfast was going to be beyond mush, but Pirouette didn't have the courage to speak up.

Webber noticed the child's gaze occasionally shifting between the tabletop and her mother. The arachnid took it upon himself to crawl off the table and up onto the kitchen counter, within eyesight of Samba.

The mare removed her unfocused eyes from the bowls to look at the spider. Webber just pointed a leg toward Pirouette, Samba glancing back at her, then back to the goopy oatmeal she'd been slowly stirring for Celestia knows how long. "Oh, sorry, Pira. Mommy was somewhere else there for a bit." She delivered one bowl of oatmeal to her daughter with a rather forced smile.

"That's okay," the considerate filly assured her, though with a notable lack of enthusiasm.

Samba sat down with her own bowl, letting out a long, tired sigh. "I didn't get much sleep last night, but you probably noticed that, I guess. I didn't wake you with all my tossing and turning, did I?"

Pirouette just mumbled quietly with a mouthful of oatmeal.

Samba glanced over to Limbo, though from her vantage point, all she could see were her back hooves propped up on the arm of the couch and the television flicking through channels too fast to really heed what was on.

Pirouette could see the way her mother was looking toward Limbo, and she finally decided to speak her mind. "You had a fight with Lady Limbo last night."

Samba turned back to her, a little surprised. The television suddenly stopped switching channels. Samba's ears drooped regretfully. "Oh... You heard that, huh?"

"Did you break a promise?"

Samba just looked her daughter in the eye. It was simultaneously sweet and heart-wrenching for the little filly to look at it in such an innocent way. "It's... more complicated than that."

"You're not supposed to break promises, Mommy," Pirouette told her, though the little authority she could manage in her cute voice was offset by the audible concern that came with it.

"I didn't break a promise," Samba assured her, though defensively.

"Came pretty dang close, though," Limbo chimed in from the couch, proving that she was listening in.

"I said I was sorry. What do you want me to do about it?"

Limbo didn't answer, but Samba couldn't tell if she was getting the cold shoulder, or if Limbo actually didn't know how to answer.

Pirouette hopped off her chair and trotted over to the couch, looking pleadingly at the lounging detective. "Don't be mad at Mommy, Lady Limbo. She didn't mean to break her promise."

Limbo just stared back at the innocent child. Pirouette didn't even know what this secret was, yet she was so willing to go to bat for her mother. But for as heartwarming as her innocence was, Limbo wasn't about to cave so easily this time. "It's nice that you want to stick up for your mom, kiddo, but these are adult matters. So maybe let the grownups work this out, yeah?"

Pirouette lowered her head in defeat.

"If we're being realistic, it was only a matter of time anyway," Samba said, mostly as a desperate bid to try and assuage her guilt. "Owl had his suspicions already. How long did you expect him to take to figure it out?"

Limbo finally propped herself up, glaring at Samba over the back of the couch. "That's not the point. This isn't even about whether or not he would or wouldn't find out. It's about trust. I trusted you with some very sensitive information—info that my very life may depend on—and you practically went and dropped it on Owl."

"Hey, it's not like you just decided to tell me. I accidentally stumbled on it. If it weren't for me, you'd be buried in a landfill somewhere right now," Samba reminded her.

"I would've wriggled my way out of that dumpster eventually. But need I remind you that if it weren't for me, you'd probably be tied up in some psycho's basement right now. The least you could've done to repay me is keep your lips zipped."

"Silence can be just as effective as an admission," Samba argued. "If I didn't say anything when Owl asked, he would've just inferred the information. At least I managed to convince him to look the other way for now. You might not have even gotten that if I didn't say anything." She stood up from the kitchen table to go stare Limbo right in her one remaining eye with reinvigorated authority. "And he's had plenty of opportunities since then to bring it up to you and chose not to. The only reason he did this morning is probably because it was just slow and boring over there. You didn't have to sneak off to the station. Seriously, what's wrong with just taking a breather once in a while?"

Limbo leaned over the back of the couch to retaliate. "When people's lives are on the line, there's a lot wrong with it. Every minute I waste lazing about is a minute of their lives they could be getting back. I'm fine if you want to take time off to be with your kid, but I don't need to rest, because the only person who matters to me is gradually inching closer to death with each tick of the clock."

Samba's expression fell slightly. There was still a modicum of frustration in her eyes, but there was no hiding the mild hurt she was feeling. "The only person who matters to you, huh?"

A small hint of guilt managed its way onto Limbo's face. "You know I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that Poe is the person who matters most to me personally. She's like a sister to me. So you have to see where I'm coming from, right? I mean, you'd do the same for Pira, wouldn't you?"

Samba said nothing. Her gaze shifted to her daughter, who was just standing there and listening to the argument with a look of worry. In truth, Samba didn't know how to answer that question, and she hated herself for it. And because of that, she was starting to realize that she had no business trying to chew out Limbo. Limbo had more resolve than she could ever hope to have. Samba didn't know what it was like to sacrifice herself for something or somepony she cared about, but Limbo had already lost her life once for just that, and even death hasn't deterred her from continuing to chase that goal. Samba couldn't even begin to put herself in Limbo's horseshoes, so it probably wasn't her place to lecture her.

With a heavy sigh, Samba finally backed down. "Okay, I get it... I guess I am being selfish. You're job is important, and people are relying on you. I shouldn't be getting in the way of that just because I think you deserve to rest."

Limbo frowned sympathetically. "You're not being selfish. You're thinking about me, and I appreciate that, but you're better off thinking about people whose lives actually matter. Your concern is wasted on this slab of worthless flesh. It's entirely possible that I don't have much time left anyway. Just enough to catch the Ghost maybe."

Samba looked into her eye with the deepest of apology now that that particular notion had occurred to her. "I'm so sorry. It's my fault that you're going to have Poe's gift taken away from you."

Limbo shrugged her apology off with a resigned sigh. "Don't blame yourself. You had a point. It was only a matter of time before Owl found out. But we don't know for sure how it'll go down if or when he does, so maybe save the self-deprecation for later, yeah?"

As encouraging as Limbo was trying to be, Samba still couldn't manage a smile. Still, she appreciated her understanding. "Yeah. I'll try to focus on what's important from now on."

"You focus on what's important to you," Limbo corrected, tilting her head in Pirouette's direction.

Samba stared at the still concerned look on her daughter's face, a smile finally working its way across her lips. "Right, gotcha."

"Are you still friends?" Pirouette asked with cautious hope.

Limbo scoffed at the question. "Pfft, you kidding? You think a little argument like this will break us up? I've gotten into actual, physical fights with Poe before where the two of us have wound up with bruises and bleeding gums. Usually always ended with the two of us flat out on the floor, laughing our flanks off at how stupid we were," she chuckled fondly.

An odd look of intrigue crossed the filly's face. "Are you gonna fight Mommy?"

Limbo turned to Samba, looking her over as though she were entertaining the notion.

Samba took a nervous step back. "Absolutely not."

"Yeah, it'd be a little unfair. I have actual combat training. Don't think a dainty dancer could hold her own in a fight. Although, maybe if you learned some capoeira..."

"I don't know what that is, but it sounds cool!" chirped Pirouette.

"Please stop putting ideas in her head," Samba pleaded.

"Hey, if you're gonna be my assistant, you should maybe consider at least taking some self-defense classes or something."

"I'd rather just leave the physical stuff to you. Also, can we drop this topic now? You've got a case you want to investigate, right?"

Limbo lazily draped herself over the back of the couch. "Mmm... I could, but didn't you want to help me look for an apartment?" she reminded her with a small grin.

Samba smiled back. "You still want to do that? I don't want to hinder the investigation any more than I already have."

Limbo shrugged her limp shoulders. "No reason we can't do both. Maybe get some lunch while we're out."

"Hayburger!" Pirouette blurted enthusiastically.

"You heard the little lady." Limbo slithered off the back of the couch, hitting the floor with an unceremonious thud before quickly standing up. "Sounds like we've got a full day planned, so let's not dillydally."

Between Limbo and Pirouette, it was hard not to catch the infectious optimism in the apartment. "Alright, but Pira's gotta get cleaned up first."

The filly wasted no time galloping off to the bathroom.

"Guess we'll be going our separate ways at some point today, though, huh?" Limbo presumed a little guiltily.

"If you really need to focus that much on the case, then I suppose I won't stop you, but I need to stay with Pira."

Limbo scratched her head with a sigh. "You know, maybe one more day off wouldn't kill me."

"Well, I don't see how it could considering you're already dead," Samba snickered into her hoof.

Limbo just glared, bemused. "Keep making jokes like that and you'll really need those capoeira lessons."

***** ***** *****

Another day of fair weather made an afternoon out on the town pretty peaceful and relaxing. For as much as she has argued that she's not a good mom, Samba always looked forward to her weekends with Pirouette because it was a chance to take some time off of work and mellow out. Rhapsody may have been a worrywart, but in actuality, Pirouette was always perfectly fine when she stayed with her mother. Samba never needed the emergency numbers that her ex-husband was so adamant she have in her phone, and with the little extra self-respect she'd built up over the past couple of weeks, she fully intended to rub it in Rhapsody's face this time when he came to pick up his perfectly safe and happy child.

But that wasn't until tomorrow. On this fine Saturday afternoon, Samba, Pirouette, and Limbo were busy with other things; namely, helping Limbo browse for new apartments. They stopped off at a few buildings throughout the morning and checked out some places, but Limbo couldn't quite make a decision. Samba couldn't say she was surprised. Limbo always struck her as a person who was stuck in her ways—evidenced clearly by their argument last night and this morning. She had been pretty despondent when her previous apartment was burned down, and Samba could certainly empathize. She felt similarly after her divorce and was forced to move out of the apartment she'd lived in with Rhapsody since they graduated high school. She hadn't even bothered to unpack most of the stuff she owned for fear that she'd get too comfortable. With that in mind, she wasn't going to force the issue on Limbo any more than she already had.

So, having at least managed to remain focused long enough to look at a few apartments, Samba decided to treat Limbo to lunch for once; Hayburger, at Pirouette's insistence. But from there, their day was pretty open.

Samba, Limbo, and Pirouette stepped out of the restaurant, each carrying with them the remainder of their respective lunches. For Samba, that was half a cup of soda; for Limbo, a cup of coffee; and Pirouette with a cup of vanilla ice cream that she'd dumped her leftover horseshoe fries into, much to her mother's chagrin.

"What now, then?" Limbo asked as she sipped her coffee. "You want me to look at more apartments?"

"Well, as much as I appreciate your focus, you're not the only one I have to entertain this weekend," Samba joked, looking down at Pirouette. "What do you want to do, Pira?"

The filly spooned some ice cream and fries into her mouth as she mulled it over. "I dunno. There a magic show we can see?"

"I don't think so," Samba told her apologetically. "But I don't exactly want to go to another magic show after what happened last time."

"I mean, I'm down for anything," Limbo said with a shrug. "Gotta pass the time somehow."

Samba pulled out her spellphone. "Why don't I text Mandi and see if she wants to hang out? Maybe she'll have some ideas."

"If she's not preoccupied by her new boyfriend," Limbo quipped with a mocking snicker.

Samba sent the text and waited a few moments. Even if Limbo was just teasing, Samba wouldn't have been surprised if Mandible took her time getting back to her. However, she stared quizzically at her phone. "Huh. 'Failed to send.' Weird."

"Probably turned off her phone so nopony can disturb them," Limbo assumed.

"That's not how spellphones work. She should still get my text even if it's off, she just won't get the notification."

Limbo rolled her eye. "Well, whatever. I don't know how this junk works. Why not just try texting Leaf?"

"I don't actually have Leaf's number. He did ask me out when we first met. If I had his number, I'd just feel like I was stringing him along."

"Don't really have to worry about that anymore, I suppose."

"Maybe I'll ask next time we see him. I seem to have a tendency to bump into him randomly." Samba slipped her phone back into its sleeve. "But I guess we're back at square one now. No suggestions at all?"

"I usually hit the movies when I have spare time, but I'm assuming taking the tyke to another movie is probably off the table."

"I wanna watch Power Ponies again!" Pirouette chirped excitedly.

"I don't think so," Samba said uncertainly. "That movie was a little more violent than expected, and I doubt there are any better ones playing today."

"We could just go to the park or something," Limbo threw out there. "I'm not opposed to just sitting on a bench and enjoying my coffee."

"I don't know if you've noticed, but I have an energetic child to look after. There's no way she's going to sit still at a bench."

"Then go play with her. I don't need a foalsitter. This is supposed to be your weekend with her, right? Just have fun, don't mind me."

"You can play too, Lady Limbo!" Pirouette told her with a cute grin.

Limbo waved off the suggestion with a smile. "Nah, I tend to play a little rough. Police training and all that. Don't want to hurt a little filly."

"Can you show me some of your moves?" the filly requested curiously.

"Only if Samba volunteers to be my practice dummy," Limbo smirked at the other mare.

"That's a big fat no," Samba responded bemusedly. "Can we just go? Maybe we'll think of something by the time we get there."

With no further objections from Limbo or Pirouette, the trio started on their way to Canter Waterfront Park. Given that it was a beautiful Saturday afternoon, it was no surprise that the park was bustling with activity. Children frolicking, adults relaxing, and families having picnics made for a picturesque scene of the oceanside park. Some people had even decided to take advantage of the calm weather by taking their boats out on the harbor, adding some majestic sails to the background of the already stunning view.

Samba brushed a hoof through her mane, enjoying the feeling of the cool, gentle breeze blowing in from the ocean. "I wish we had thought to come here earlier. I would've suggested we get takeout instead of eating in so we could have a picnic."

"Can we get more?" Pirouette asked eagerly.

"I'm pretty sure your dad wouldn't approve of you having two fast food meals in one day, especially since you're still eating your dessert from the first meal," Samba told her, pointing to her half-eaten ice cream.

"Gotta say, I'm kind of impressed by the kid's appetite," Limbo commented with an admiring grin. "I'm pretty stuffed after just one burger and some fries. But then again, I guess I'm a unique case. The ol' garbage disposal ain't quite in the same shape it used to be."

"Well, let's just find a spot to sit back so you can digest," said Samba, scoping out spots with a good view of Horseshoe Bay.

The three ponies meandered through the park in search of an ideal location to lounge, with Samba doing most of the actual browsing. Pirouette was too busy prancing around exuberantly, and Limbo was idly sipping her coffee, not really having any particular preferences.

However, Limbo's wandering eye did manage to spot something of interest. She grinned, nudging Samba to get her attention. "You weren't kidding," she chuckled.

Samba followed her pointing hoof, finding both Loose Leaf and Mandible making their way over to them.

"You and Mandi really are surfing the same measurements, huh, Mommy?" said Pirouette.

Leaf greeted them with a friendly smile and a wave as he and Mandible approached. "Hey. Kinda had a feeling you wouldn't be able to resist coming to the park with your kid on a day like this."

"We didn't plan that out when we left the apartment," Samba told him. "We had nothing else to do, so we figured we come here and relax." She glanced between Leaf and Mandible, grinning coyly. "Sooo... I'm guessing your date went well."

Leaf chuckled, his face turning a little red. "You could say that. We got dinner, saw a movie. You know, typical date stuff."

Samba sighed with a wistful smile. "I really enjoyed my dating days with Rhapsody. I mean, we were teenagers, so maybe it's a little different. I trust Leaf was a gentlecolt?" she asked Mandible.

The changeling didn't respond right away. Her monotone green eyes were fixed on Samba the whole time, but it was like she was a little zoned out, at least until Samba addressed her directly. "Yeah," she replied plainly.

Samba quirked an eyebrow at the lackluster answer. She expected her to be a little more enthusiastic. "You okay? You seem kinda out of it."

"I think she's a little despondent right now," Leaf laughed quietly. "She dropped her phone during our date and some inattentive jerk stepped on it before she could pick it up. Smashed it pretty good."

Samba inhaled sharply, wincing as though she could feel Mandible's pain. "Yeesh, that sucks. Especially since you're a visitor here."

"Yeah, might want to get a new one in case your family starts thinking you got kidnapped," Limbo added. She received a corrective jab from Samba.

"Maybe have a little more tact," Samba whispered sternly.

"Don't worry about it too much. I offered to help her pick out a new one, and maybe give it a little modding," Leaf told them discreetly. "So, what have you three been up to today?"

"We had Hayburger!" Pirouette chimed in, slurping up a spoonful of ice cream as she did.

"Most of our morning has been spent apartment hunting for Limbo," Samba answered.

Leaf shot a snarky smirk at Limbo. "Too preoccupied with your investigations to do it without being told, huh?"

Limbo pursed her lips in annoyance. "Does everypony think they're my parents? I'm taking time off for once, so cut me some slack. I'm gonna go sit down and enjoy my coffee. You folks can engage in your idle small talk," she declared with a flick of her hoof, wandering off to sit down on a nearby bench.

Not exactly wanting to leave Limbo to her own devices during her time off, Samba leaned down to Pirouette. "Go keep Limbo company, okay, sweetie?"

The filly nodded. "'Kay. Can I have your phone, Mommy?"

Samba tilted her head. "Why?"

"I wanna look at your pictures of Princess Twilight again!" she stated with zeal.

Samba rolled her eyes with a grin, removing her phone and passing it to her daughter. "Alright, fine. But, um... don't give my phone to Limbo."

Pirouette stared curiously. "Why not?"

"Just... don't. Please. I don't want to be the only who has to get a new one."

The filly simply shrugged, prancing off to join Limbo on the bench.

Mandible watched as Pirouette sat herself down with her ice cream and her mother's spellphone. She then turned to Leaf, though didn't say anything for a few moments as they exchange looks. "I'm going to go sit down too," was all she said, her voice surprisingly quiet. The changeling sauntered away towards Limbo and Pirouette, but briefly shot a quick glance back at Samba.

"You sure she's okay?" Samba asked with slight concern. "I know I'd be pretty bummed out if my phone got destroyed—mostly because of how expensive it would be to buy a new one—but she seems to be taking it... unreasonably hard."

"I think she's just tired," Leaf surmised. "We were out pretty late last night. Mandi was practically nodding off when I walked her back to her hotel. I even thought about suggesting we pay that pub you work at a visit, but then I figured you weren't working this weekend because of Pirouette."

"I... don't know how I'd feel about my friends watching me dance anyway," Samba admitted with a slight blush. "Might be a little awkward."

"I'll try changing the subject then," Leaf laughed. He meandered in the direction of the harbor, Samba following him over to a railing near the shore where the two had a peaceful view of the boats on the water. "Apartment hunting, huh? How did that go?"

Samba leaned against the railing with a slightly exasperated sigh. "About as well as you'd imagine. I appreciate that she was willing to go along with the suggestion, but I could tell her mind was elsewhere. She didn't give anything other than vague, dismissive comments. I can't really tell if she's distracted because of the case, or if she was just that attached to her old apartment. Leaning towards the former, if recent discussions are any indication."

"You sound like you're reaching the end of your rope. Is she that difficult to live with?"

"It's not that, it just that she's so laser-focused on the case, she's not paying attention to everything else."

"What else does she have to pay attention to?" Leaf asked rhetorically. "Her work is essentially her life, especially after Poe disappeared. You can't really fault her for wanting to help people."

Samba let out a slow breath through her nostrils as she thought it over. "I guess I'm just worried about her. I owe her a lot, so I don't want her to end up in a bad situation because she didn't take the time to take a step back and think things through."

Leaf shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't know, Limbo's pretty stubborn. I think you've got your work cut out for you. Still, I think you've got the right of it."

Samba looked him in the eye. "Yeah? You think she could use some time off too?"

"Of course. I used to tell that to Bubble Gust all the time, but she never listened. Now look where she ended up," he commented somberly. "There's credence to the phrase 'Working yourself to death.'"

"I'd think Limbo would know that better than anypony..." Samba muttered under her breath.

"If you want my two bits, I say you keep on at Limbo to restrain herself. Let the cops take care of things from here. She deserves some rest."

Samba managed a small smile, happy to have at least one person in her corner. "That's the plan. Hopefully she'll realize that a little downtime isn't gonna hurt her."

"Just buy her a year's supply of coffee. That'll keep her occupied," Leaf laughed.

"Or exacerbate the problem," she giggled. "I know she's got a high caffeine tolerance at this point, but I don't know if I wanna push her limit."

"Yeah, that's a fair point," he chuckled.

***** ***** *****

Limbo idly sipped her coffee as she sat on the park bench, staring off at nothing in particular. She was bored, there was no denying that. She felt bad for Samba, having to foalsit her while she begrudgingly took some time off from the investigation, and Limbo knew she wasn't exactly making it easy for her. They were so close to finding the Ghost, she could feel it in her gut, so it was hard for her to sit still. Those missing people were within reach, but she just had to sit back for the weekend and do nothing at Samba's insistence. The worst part was the fear that the B.P.D. would find the Ghost first, and there was no way she wanted to give Owl the satisfaction of solving the case before her when they'd only recently really started taking the case seriously.

But she made a promise to a friend to behave herself, so she was going to do her best. She might have just needed something to properly distract her. It wasn't like she was alone right now. While Samba chatted up Leaf, Limbo was flanked on the bench by Mandible on her left, and Pirouette on her right.

Limbo glanced down at the filly. Pirouette was contentedly continuing to eat her ice cream while fiddling with her mom's phone. She was just swapping back and forth between the two pictures of Princess Twilight that Samba had taken at the Magi-Tech Expo, but no matter how many times she looked at the them, Pirouette's smile never faltered. The kid really admired the princess, not that Limbo could blame her.

Pirouette seemed pretty well occupied, so Limbo instead turned her attention to the surprisingly quiet changeling. Mandible must've been pretty worn out after her date last night to be as subdued as she was. Her expression was pretty unreadable, but she was staring off at something. Limbo followed her focused gaze over to the conversing Samba and Leaf.

Limbo grinned. "What, don't tell me you're jealous?" she joked. "Well, to be fair he did ask her out when they first met, but I don't think you have to be worried. Samba has some baggage with her and she knows it."

Mandible didn't respond. She didn't even look at Limbo.

Limbo grimaced. "Seriously, what is with you today? What exactly did you two do last night?"

Mandible finally glanced at her. "Dinner and a movie," she answered flatly.

The detective just sighed. "Alright, I get it, none of my business. You just don't seem like yourself today, that's all."

Mandible blinked. "Sorry. I'm tired," she apologized, but with no change in tone whatsoever.

"Yeah, I gathered that much. You know, you could probably use a cup of coffee."

"I'm good," she stated, her gaze returning to Leaf and Samba.

Not the response she expected given how much Mandible had apparently come to love coffee. Limbo just shook her head. It was pretty obvious that she wasn't going to get a conversation with her going today, much to her surprise. So, in an effort to occupy her mind with something other than the case, Limbo just started looking around the park at all the people wandering about.

And as it so happened, at that very moment, she spotted a couple of familiar faces strolling down the sidewalk. The recognizable reds and blues of her former colleagues, Paddy and Siren, were passing through the park in full uniform. Limbo thought that was a little strange considering Owl said all of their officers were busy investigating Mango Incorporated employees.

Limbo bit her lip. An opportunity had shown itself, and it was difficult to resist the urge. They were right there, within eyesight. What harm would there be in taking a few minutes to get caught up on what the cops have learned recently? Limbo briefly glanced toward Samba. The dancer was still engaged in her own chitchat. Surely she wouldn't mind if Limbo went to say hi to some old coworkers.

Limbo hopped off the bench. "Hey, I'm gonna go have a quick chat with some friends. I'll be back in a jiff. Keep Pira company for a bit, yeah?" Limbo requested of Mandible.

The changeling looked at her, her eyes seeming to widen slightly. She nodded with just a little more energy than she'd displayed so far today. "Sure."

"Great." And with that, Limbo hurried off to catch up with Paddy and Siren, hopefully before Samba noticed she'd left.

Left by themselves, Mandible turned her attention to the filly sitting on the other end of the bench. Pirouette scooped the final spoonful of ice cream into her mouth, which was apparently the only thing that was worth removing her eyes from the spellphone. The filly did her best to scrape any remaining ice cream off the sides of the cup in an effort to get one more tasty mouthful, but only getting a little bit of melted ice cream and a single remaining fry.

"Want to get more ice cream?" Mandible offered.

Pirouette's ears perked up. "Yeah! Is there another Hayburger here?"

"I saw an ice cream stand on the way here. We can go check it out."

Pirouette eagerly hopped off the bench with a giddy smile. "Let's go!"

Mandible briefly looked toward Samba, who was still busy talking to Leaf, then to Limbo, who was having a back and forth with the pair of police officers. She then stood up to guide Pirouette to the ice cream stand.

The changeling and the filly left the park entirely, Pirouette following behind Mandible as they made their way down the sidewalk. They were walking for a few minutes before Pirouette finally slowed down a little, her enthusiasm faltering slightly as she glanced back over her shoulder.

"I didn't know it was this far away," she peeped quietly, no longer able to see her mother in the distance.

"It's not much further," Mandible assured her, but in a less than easing tone. She pointed down the street. "It's just around the corner."

That seemed to perk the filly up. "Okay!"

As they rounded the corner, Mandible looked around. As they were out of sight from the park now, there weren't as many people around. She pointed to a nearby alleyway. "Down there."

Excited by the prospect of more tasty ice cream, Pirouette skipped into the alley without hesitation. She didn't get too far though, as all she saw was a dark, dingy alleyway with nothing but some dumpsters and trash cans. Pirouette lit up her horn to hopefully see something she was missing, but still saw nothing but trash.

"Where's the ice cream stand?" she asked with confusion.

She didn't receive an answer. Instead, Pirouette noticed a brief flash of green light, but it certainly didn't come from anything in front of her. She turned around, expecting to see Mandible standing there.

But it wasn't Mandible. Standing behind her was instead a stallion wearing a hoodie. The dim lighting of the alley combined with the stranger's hood made it difficult to see his entire face. All Pirouette could tell was that he was a unicorn, and he appeared to be wearing something on his head underneath the hood that was partially fitted around his horn. But she definitely didn't recognize him, and he was staring at her rather intensely.

Pirouette took an uneasy step back, clutching her mother's spellphone close to her chest. "M-Mandi? Th-This isn't funny, you're scaring me. Change back, please."

The stranger didn't say anything. However, his horn began to glow with a sky blue light, and parts of the object he wore on his head also glowed along with it.

Pirouette whimpered in fear and opened her mouth to scream for help, but nothing managed to escape her mouth before the stranger cast his spell.

And with a bright flash of magic, the two of them vanished into thin air, leaving only Samba's spellphone to drop to the ground with a hollow clatter.

Comments

[hehelover]

That, was really, really careless of them.

[Eight_Metal]

No words can express just how angry I am right now