The Letter
Sunlight had started to slowly creep into the small apartment illuminating everything it fell upon with a soft warm glow. The apartment itself was cluttered with notes and strange machinations, and the only inhabitant had begun to stir in his sleep, trying his hardest to ignore the inevitability of another day. However the sunlight had won, and slowly the unicorn began to rise up from his slumber, still quite groggy.
He put on his glasses, which were square in design, and began to make his way towards the bathroom to wash up for the day ahead. This itself was a little more complicated than one would assume, especially with all of the parts and tools that were used in the small machines he had made laying about. Upon entering and flicking the light switch on, he could see himself in the mirror.
A gray coat along with a black mane and gray eyes. His cutie mark consisted of three gears, two of them a light brown with the last one being black. He began with simply tidying his mane into his usual style, swept apart with his horn separating the two halves.
Once he had finished, he began to make his way out the door of his apartment, and into the rest of the complex he lived in. Despite being in Manehattan, the building had been poorly maintained. Plumbing issues, the stray rodent here and there, and even the occasional loud neighbor however couldn't negate the fact that the cost of living there was quite low.
Eventually making his way downstairs here promptly checked his mailbox to see if he had any potential clients in need of a detective. While his talent was inventing and engineering machines to do many wondrous things, it wasn't a very cheap talent, or even sometimes very profitable. Parts and tools require money, and when nothing is being sold, other options must be taken.
Sifting through the letters, most of which were usually either junk mail or the monthly bill, he found one that caught his eye however. It wasn't a usual request from some random pony within the city, but instead it was a request from a police department in another city. Curious to see what this was about he promptly opened the envelope and studied the contents within.
The letter read as followed:
Greetings from the Lunara Police Department,
We have written this letter as well as many others, to request aid from private investigators and detectives across Equestria, in solving a recent string of incidents involving some unknown creature that threatens the safety of our city. You have been chosen, Greydan, to assist in our efforts due to your current record of success in Manehattan. Enclosed in this letter is a ticket to our fair city of Lunara, which can be used at any train station across Equestria. Should your assistance lead to solving this case, you will be compensated for your contributions. The safety of our city is in yours, and others, hooves.
Sincerely, The Lunara Police Department
“Lunara? The city of the night?” Grey had told himself.
While Grey had indeed heard of the city, which had been built in honor of Princess Luna, he was more intrigued by this creature that threatens the city. He was used to locating missing or stolen belongings, or solving far more heinous crimes than mere theft, but this was on another level.
“But I could use the bits... Maybe I'll be able to move out of here.”
While the idea of a dangerous monster attacking a city would scare away some, Grey however knew that he required the money. Clientele was low enough as it is, and if he refused he may have to find another job. His choice was clear.
He made his way back upstairs to his apartment, and had begun to pack all the necessities he may need. A notepad or two, hygienic supplies, a few vests and a tie. The essentials for traveling out of town. He packed them all into both the saddle bags that adorned his left and right sides, and grabbed one final thing.
“Definitely can't leave home without these.” He said, whilst strapping the strange pack that appeared to have a few wires hanging out, onto his back.
Everything Grey required for the trip had been neatly packed away, and so he made his way back the flights of stairs and proceeded out the door of the building. Outside the complex was far different, the sidewalks were full of ponies milling about and heading to their respective workplaces. The streets were full of taxi carriages, each one carrying a passenger to their destination. The buildings rose high up into the sky like mountains, and respectively had gorgeous views at their summits.
It wasn't a very long walk to the train station, Grey lived quite close just in case he had to leave for business. While it was indeed a rare occasion, having to leave town, living close by saved travel and planning time.
Upon reaching the station, he could see that it was just as busy as the rest of the city. Ponies boarding and leaving the trains, luggage carts being pushed around by the station workers who at times were a bit overburdened, and lines of ponies awaiting to purchase a ticket to their destination. The centerpiece of the station however, was the massive clock which had been so intricately crafted and maintained, one wouldn't be able to guess how old it really is.
After running his belongings through the luggage checking stations, he had managed to squeeze his way through the crowd onto a train heading for Lunara. Every now and then the conductor of the train would pass by, checking the tickets of ponies who had boarded the train. The caboose Grey resided in was capable of holding at least twelve ponies at once, and it was indeed quite a luxurious space. Not too fancy, but not too poor. The seats were like those of a diner, facing each other with a small table and window in between.
Many of the seats had been filled already, mostly with tourists who were either leaving for Lunara or leaving Manehattan. Luckily he found one pair seats that had only one passenger, a white colored pegasus who had a red mane topped with a cream colored bow. Rather than having to be seated with a larger group, he decided to take his chances with the mare.
“Excuse me, miss? Would it be alright if I sat here?” Grey asked the mare politely.
“Oh! Um... Sure...” The mare sheepishly replied.
“Thank you, um, miss?”
“Nilla...”
Grey could tell she wasn't much of a talker. So he stowed his luggage in the spaces above the seats and sat down without another word. The quietness of the immediate vicinity bothered Grey, who would normally be perfectly happy with it. If he were at home that is. He decided to try and start a conversation, mostly to do away with the awkward silence.
“Not a fan of crowds?” Grey asked.
“No... Not really...” Nilla replied.
“That's alright, I'm the same way.”
Several seconds had passed, until Nilla began to speak.
“What's that, thing, on your back?” She asked.
“Oh, this? Here, let me show you.”
Grey pulled a ring-like object off the pack with a wire connected to it and slid it onto his horn. A gray aura began to emanate from his horn, and suddenly the pack revealed itself to be what appeared to be two mechanical limbs. Arms of a sort to be exact.
“Pretty neat right? Just a little something I made to help me with carrying or grabbing things.”
“Oh my... You made those?” Nilla asked, observing the device.
“Indeed I did. It's powered, and controlled, by the magic from my horn.” Grey replied, quite proud of himself.
“But doesn't it seem a little.... Redundant, to have those? You are a unicorn after all.”
“Well, even though I can levitate objects with magic, these enable me to multitask with ease.”
It had seemed as if the mare had begun to warm up just a bit to Grey. It certainly made things a little more comfortable. Soon enough, the conductor came through the passenger car to notify every pony that the train is about to begin it's departure. As if confirming the conductor's notifications, the train's steam whistle let out a tremendously loud 'whirr', to signal it's departure.
Grey peered out the window, watching as the scenery and ponies outside of the train rush on by. It really was quite the view, as the train traveled along a bridge into the mainland of Equestria. Grey was able to catch a glimpse of Manehattan's famous Statue of Harmony, as it rest upon Neighllis Island. The ocean glimmered in the sunlight like a freshly polished gemstone.
Soon enough, Nilla broke the silence, surprising Grey quite a bit.
“So, I never got your name, mister...?”
“Oh! My name is Greydan. You could just call me Grey if you'd like.” He replied.
“Well, Grey, might I ask why you're heading to Lunara?” Nilla asked with a concerned tone.
“I'm heading to Lunara for an important investigation. So why are you going?”
“Oh, I'm actually returning to Lunara from a baking contest in Manehattan. I kinda live there.” Nilla began to turn a little red in her face.
“I think I heard about that. So do you bake often?” Grey asked, quite intrigued.
“Not really... I mostly make and sell homemade sweets at my store in Lunara, but I'm trying to branch out to other things.”
“Well, I may have to stop by during my stay.” Grey replied.
They both fell silent for a minute, until Nilla asked Grey;
“So, does this investigation you mentioned happen to deal with the nightly attacks?”
The question wasn't a big surprise to Grey. He figured she would ask about it eventually.
“Yes. I actually received a letter from the Lunara Police, asking for assistance.” He replied as he pulled out the letter to show as proof.
“So do you have a place to stay?” Nilla asked.
“Not exactly, but there obviously has to be a hotel I could stay at.”
“Well, you could always stay with me and my coltfriend. We have a guest bedroom at our home.”
Now this actually surprised Grey quite a bit, as he turned a little red in the face.
“A-are you sure? I wouldn't want to be a burden to the both of you.” Grey asked, still a tad embarrassed.
“Well of course. It's the least I could do to help somepony who wants to help our city.”
“If you insist, then it would be my pleasure.”
The two talked the hours of the long ride away, with Nilla telling Grey about life in Lunara, and Grey even telling Nilla about the many machines he is currently working on. The train passed by many beautiful vistas, such as the mountain city of Canterlot, and even the small town of Ponyville. As the train rode off into the desert plains of the south, with the sun hanging low upon the horizon, Grey could make out what appeared to be buildings in the distance.
“Is that Lunara?” Grey asked.
“Yes it is. Home at last.” Nilla replied.
The train was moving ever closer towards the city, with buildings that could rival those of Manehattan. The shining jewel of the desert, the city of the night, Lunara, stood like an oasis within a vast desert. Soon enough the ride would be over...
And the mystery of the Shadow of Lunara, would begin...