StarStep and Lighthoof were at the Old Canterlot Jailhouse. Heads buried in forms to fill out reports of all the evening's incident. Scribbling away in the halo of a pair of lanterns. The report's room was crammed with filing cabinets and ten worn desks for Guard-ponies to file reports at. They were all alone at this very early morning hour. Star groaned a little at the cramp in his wrist from all the writing. The paperwork for the pony who'd attacked Dinky was substantial. Oh how he envied unicorns at times. He looked up to see Light smirking at him.

“Funny...I thought you getting back in town would get me away from all this paper-pushing.” Light chuckled softly.

“If only...why does it require six forms to document an arrest? This is crazy.” Star tossed his quill away in disgust, his final bit of paperwork finished.

“Maybe it's to get us to overlook the lesser crimes? Who knows, dude. I'm just glad the rest of the evening was pretty quiet.” Light went back to his forms, he was filling out an extra document recommending the stallion from the alley not be granted bail.

The blue-grey pegasus nodded and thought back on the evening. Dinky had confirmed that Sweetie was her roommate. Star insisted on speaking with her, but was told she was sleeping. Apparently Sweetie Belle worked two full time jobs and got very little rest. Dinky told Star to try catching her at her morning job at the local coffee shop. He wanted to talk to Sweetie immediately, but Light reminded him they still had a shift to finish.

They bid Dinky good-night, and Star slipped Dinky some bits to pay for medicine for her injuries. He wished he could do more but his hooves were tied while on duty. At least Equestrian medicine was very fast working. The rest of their shift, Star and Light had patrolled the club district. They had to break up a few scuffles, and assist a drunken unicorn who'd accidentally teleported herself onto a roof. Beyond that, it was fairly quiet. It was amazing the looks and instant reactions the two would receive when appearing on a scene. Night-Guards were fairly rare in Canterlot, an oddity, treated with a a mixture of awe and respect.

A soft rustle of Lighthoof filing the paperwork into the station's bin, brought Star from his reflections, “Alright dude. We're officially done for the evening. Sherry should be off work by now, I'm gonna go meet her at Ol' Rowdy's. You wanna tag along?”

Star shook his head, “Nah, you two have fun. I'm gonna get a little shut-eye and see if I can catch my friend at that coffee shop. I'll see you tonight.”

He buddy nodded and trotted for the door, “Alright, dude. Just be careful. She's entangled with a nasty piece of work.” With that, the tan pegasus slipped from sight. StarStep wandered over to the case-files. He hoped he could find some sort of information on this Steelhoof pony.

_______________________________________________________________

The soft bell over the coffee shop door tingled, a pegasus Night-Guard trotted in, followed by the stares of a few patrons, glancing up from papers, books or their pastries. He stepped up to the counter and smiled at the white unicorn behind. She looked thin, dark circles under her eyes, her purple and pink mane had lost a lot of it's usual curl and slightly unkempt. Not the image of a young mare. Her eyes had a tired, slightly empty look to them. The smile she greeted the guard with, seemed forced and hollow.

“Welcome to the Java Llama. Coffee is free for Royal Guards here. What can I get you?” Even her voice had lost the charm it used to have. It sounded so hopeless and monotone. A pony going through the motions.

The Guard sighed softly and shook his head, “I'd like to talk with you. Do you have some pony who can watch the counter for you?”

The white unicorn blinked a few times, not quite comprehending for a moment, “Oh, um. I...I guess, did I do something wrong? What's this about?”

“I'd rather not say here. Can we talk in private, please?”

The filly tilted her head in confusion, glanced down at his breastplate and frowned. “I...ok. Hold on.” She turned her head towards the kitchen, “Jumping Bean, I need to take a few minutes.”

A brown coated earth-mare with a black mane, poked her head through a swinging door, “What's this?” She glanced between the unicorn and the Guard-pony. “Oh! A Night-Guard!” She trotted out merrily. “Hello, hello! So splendid to see you. Is everything ok, sir?”

The guard smiled at her cheery disposition, “Everything will be fine. I just need to talk with your employee for a moment, is that ok? I promise not to keep her long.”

“Yes, yes, it's quite alright! Go on Sweetie. It's ok.” She shooed the unicorn out from behind the counter and started brewing a pot of coffee.

The guard led Sweetie to a booth far in the back of the shop, safe from eavesdropping and sat so he could watch for ponies approaching. Hesitantly, the unicorn climbed up into the other side and looked him over. Her eyes settling on the feather hanging around his neck, she raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“Sorry to catch you at work, but Dinky suggested this is the best time to chat with you.” The guard began.

“Dinky? What about Dinky? What's this all about?” She frowned, gone was her hollow smile.

The guard slid his helm from his head, his mane spilling out as his coat returned to his natural blue-grey. “Apparently, it's about you, Sweetie.”

She blinked, her eyes flicking over his face and lingering on his sharp blue eyes. Her pupils shrank and she gasped. She started to scramble from the booth when a slam of a hoof on the table stilled her escape.

“Sweetie Belle, you will sit the buck down.” His voice was authoritative and firm. A flash of his guard-training seeping out.

Trembling, she sat back fully in the booth, her eyes refusing to meet his gaze. “Star...go home. I don't want to talk. This is my problem, I'll deal with it myself. It's my mess...”

“Sweetie...I don't know what all has been going on with you lately. But it's not just your problem anymore. Dinky was attacked last night.”

That caught the tired mare's attention. She stared at him in shock, “What happened? Is she ok?” She blinked, “Wait, how does this involve me?”

He held up a hoof to silence her as Jumping Bean trotted down the row of booths to drop off a pair of plates. Upon each was a steaming muffin along with a pair of mugs, filled with fresh brewed coffee. She smiled at them without a word and wandered off. Star added a little dash of sugar and creamer to his coffee, stirring it with a spoon.

“Because, she was trying to see this, Don Steelhoof, fellow on your behalf. His enforcer, or bodyguard, or whatever the buck he is, didn't take kindly to the request and smacked her about.” He tapped his spoon on the mug edge. “I was going to come and see how you were doing soon. Scoots and AB are worried about you. And frankly, Sweetie. I'm worried too.” He sighed before sipping his coffee.

“I know you like to do things yourself, Sweetie, you always have.” The filly nodded softly, eyes downcast again. “But Dinky got messed up for trying to help you. If my Guard-partner and I hadn't been on patrol here last night, I don't want to imagine how much worse it could have gotten.”

She wiped away a tear and sniffed, “Oh, Dinky...I told her to stay out of this. I did. Her and Pip. This is my mess. I'll fix it.”

Star frowned before sipping his coffee again. Slightly bitter, he liked it that way, “I'm guessing this is why Scoots and AB have had a hard time getting in touch with you. Your pride wont let them find out. I suspect, if it wasn't for this incident with Dinky, you'd have slammed the door in my face too.”

She sniffed and nodded, “Yes.” She murmured weakly.

“I want to know what's going on, Sweetie. I hate seeing you like this. Where's the happy, life-loving filly I grew up with? The unicorn with the dance in her step and laughter in her eyes? What about your dream to be a singer?”

She snarled and slapped her muffin off it's plate, “She died, it died, it's all withered and died. Just, just...leave me alone, Star. I don't want your pity.” She started to rise from the booth. Star bounded out first and stopped her.

“For bucks sake, Sweetie, if you don't sit the buck down and tell me what's going on, I swear to Luna, I will haul you in for interfering with an investigation.” He glared at her, “Sweetie, I care about you, and if this was just about you, I'd be willing to give you some space. But your friend, Dinky, is involved now. So...” He glared at her, “What's it going to be Sweetie?”

She stammered, then her shoulders slumped and she flopped back into the seat. “Fine.”

Star returned to his seat and nibbled on his muffin. Banana nut, his favorite. He ate and drank as the filly began.

“It started when I moved to Canterlot to be a big singer. I had no idea how expensive it was here. My savings started to dwindle. I couldn't get the record labels to listen to my demos. Then, I started playing clubs. Doing little solo numbers, making a few bits here and there. It was alright, but...it wasn't my dream yet. Then I bumped into Dinky and Pip. They introduced me to some new styles of music, and before long, we formed a band. It was fun.”

Star noticed her eyes brighten for a moment. “We played the Iron-Mare a lot. I moved in with them to help cut down costs, and it was ok for a while. Then we found out there was going to be a contest, a battle of the bands. The entrance fee was a bit steep though. None of us had many spare bits. So, I started asking around for loans. I didn't let the other two know what was going on. I let them think it was a gift from Rarity.” She sighed and started to toy with her coffee mug.

“The only pony who'd entertain my request for a loan was Steelhoof. The interest rate was really reasonable, I was surprised at how generous he was being.” She smirked, “I should have read the fine print. Anyhoof, we knew we were good, and I was confident we'd at least make enough to pay off the loan. It was my dream, I had to try. So, I secretly got the loan and we went to the contest. We ended up second place. It wasn't a record deal, but there was a bit-prize. Enough to pay off Steelhoof's loan. But when I went to collect the bits...the pony in charge of the contest...he...wouldn't give me the bits unless I did him some...um...favors.” She grimaced.

“Go on.” Star finished the last of his coffee, and listened intently to his friend.

“I, of course, refused, and so, we walked away empty hooved. My complaints to his company went unheeded. Turns out, that jerk was the son of the pony in charge of the whole record company. They refused to see me or hear my case. The harder I yelled, the more doors that started to close. Soon, no venue but the Iron-Mare would let us play anymore. And the only reason they would, is because Pip's cousin owns it. Then, the loan payment date came, and went. I didn't think much of it, we were too busy trying to fix our shrinking income.” She gave a heavy sigh, her ears wilting. “Oh Star...it all went so wrong. I tried so hard...” She gave a little sniff and wiped her eyes, “Well...then the letters started showing up at the door. Late notices for the loan. Ponies started harassing me at my jobs. I lost two because of them.”

Star reached out to rest a hoof on hers, “Sweetie, why didn't you ask Rarity or AB, or Scoots, or even me, for help?”

She whimpered and looked away at the wall, “I thought I could fix it myself.” She sniffed again, blinking back more tears, “I couldn't understand why Steelhoof was being so...unreasonable about one late payment. So I went to talk with him, and he pointed out the fine print. Apparently, if you miss a payment, your interest doubles and you get a late fee. Then if you don't pay the next installment, plus the one you missed, plus the late fee, you get double late-fees. It compounded every month. Oh Star...I'm so buried. I work about eighteen hours a day. Every day. I'm just making the payments, but the late-fees keep building. Dinky opened one of those notices and found out. So I made her swear not to tell anypony.” She looked up at Star, eyes red from crying, “Oh Star, why is this happening? I tried so hard to be successful. Apple Bloom has her store, and even Scoots is doing something she loves, why can't I be happy too?”

Star slipped from his side of the booth and hopped up beside the white unicon. He pulled the filly into a hug and let her sob into his side, careful to not jab her with the armor points. He rocked her gently, whispering gentle words of calm, as all the stress and exhaustion played itself out of the young mare. “Sweetie, it'll be ok. You really should have asked for help. I know you wanted to do this on your own. Believe me I know. But we four have always been the best of friends. I would have helped you in a heart-beat. And I know for a fact, Scoots and AB woulda backed you as well. I'm going to see what I can do, ok?”

She nodded into his coat, sobbing. He gave a soft sigh and stroked her unkempt mane. “First, I'm going to ask for your boss to let you have the day off. You go home, talk with Dinky and get some rest. I'm going to see if my weight as a Guard can help with Mister Steelhoof. Then, when you get up, you're going to write to AB and Scoots. They miss you so much, Sweetie. I did too. No more hiding from your friends.”

The young mare's crying slowed and she gave a soft, sobbing laugh, “Star, when did you get so...commanding?” She wiped her eyes and sniffed, glancing up at him. There was a shimmer of hope in her eyes. A little spark of the filly she once was.

“I uh...sorry. My training kicks in sometimes.” He ruffled the back of his neck, shyly.

The unicorn shook her head and gave little soft giggle, “No, Star. I like it. I...guess, I needed to hear it.” She reached out for a napkin and cleaned up her face, “Look at me, sobbing like a filly. Sorry.”

He smiled and hugged her, “It's ok Sweetie. I'm going to do what I can to help you, like you three used to help me.”

“Thanks Star. Just be careful. Steelhoof isn't a pony to take lightly.” She returned his hug and sighed softly. All the weight of her exhaustion and stress, was a little less of a burden, now that she had another to share it with.

Star did ask for Sweetie to have the rest of the morning off, to which Jumping Bean readily agreed, wishing Sweetie a good rest. She took Star aside and thanked him for being such a good colt-friend. To which he blushed and denied such an attachment. She smirked and winked, a twinkle in her eye. Sweetie trotted home, weary, but at least she had a slight smile when she parted ways with her pegasus friend. With a few pieces of the puzzle filled, he flew to downtown Old Canterlot. A bustling area of ponies and various shops from retail to pastries. He noted the odd looks he received from the ponies as he wandered down the street, clad in his dark-purple armor. Now that the sun was just over the horizon, it was unusual to see the Night-Guard about. But, a Royal Guard, was still respected and a bit of a berth was given to him as he moved through the sea of morning shoppers and ponies on their way to work.

The pegasus paused in front of a pawn shop. "The Black Box". The sign above the entrance read in bold, crisp letters. Taking a deep breath, he stepped inside. A loud bell signalling his arrival to the clerk behind the counter. The clerk was an older unicorn pony, most of his mane greying, and a pair of bifocals perched on the end of his muzzle. He gave a slight smile to the Guard.

“Morning, Guard-pony. Just getting off shift?”

Star nodded, “Yeah. Could I talk to your boss?” He took a glance around the store, noting the various odds and ends tucked away on the shelves. A surprising number of items seemed very high-value for such a little pawn shop.

The old pony blinked and chuckled, “You're speakin to 'em. What can I do for you?”

The pegasus smirked and shook his head, “No, your 'boss'. Steelhoof. I need to talk business.”

“Well now, can't say I-”

“Look, I'm just here to talk business with your boss. Nothing else.” He looked the other pony straight in the eyes. The unicorn paused, debating, then smiled slyly.

“Alright, alright. It's clear you're not going to leave me in peace. Young ponies today; so impatient.” He sighed and wandered to the curtain separating the front of the store from the back. “Come if you're coming. Just...I suggest you behave yourself. Guard pony or not, the Don prefers keeping things professional.” He slipped through the curtain. StarStep followed right behind.

The old clerk led him down a long hallway, and they passed through a heavily bolted door. On the other side was what appeared to be a massive warehouse. Ponies of all shapes and sizes were sorting through cargo. Loading and offloading onto carts. An operation of import and export. A few of the ponies glanced at him and his armor, but went back to work shortly after. The clerk stopped next to a skinny, rather frail looking unicorn colt. He was a cream color with brilliant white mane, a pair of large glasses on the end of his muzzle. He was intent on his clipboard as he looked over a shelf of inventory, only an ear swiveling in their direction gave notice of the other two ponies.

“Scribe. This Night-Guard wants to talk business with the boss. Will you escort him the rest of the way? I gotta keep an eye on the shop.” The old clerk nodded the skinny colt without waiting for a reply and trotted back the way he came. Star waited quietly as the unicorn scribbled down a few more notes then smiled to him.

“I say, it's been a while since we've had the pleasure of a Night-Guard. Follow me, darling. Don't want to get left behind. Lost ponies get hurt around here. Lots of beefy stallions with large packages being swung about.” The colt laughed lightly and bounded away.

Star blinked and smirked. This wasn't exactly what he had expected. He was sure it would be a mess of angry stallions like the one last night, harassing him every step of the way to see their boss. Not an old guy and a effeminate colt as the gate-keepers to one of the most powerful underworld bosses in Canterlot. The skinny colt kept a swift pace, leading the way through a maze of shelves and crates. Eventually he opened a steel-reinforced door and shut it behind them. Star looked about the little lobby room. It reminded him of a waiting-room at a doctors office.

“Wait here, darling. I'll let the boss know you'd like to speak with him. Back in a flash, cutie!” The colt wrapped on another steel-door, listening to a wire-mess grate on the side before opening the door to slip through. A few minutes passed, and Scribe returned, holding the door wide. “Ok, the boss has some time to see you. Please keep it brief. He has an appointment shortly. Ok? Splendid.”

Star nodded as he wandered through the door. His gut clenching as it shut firmly behind him. The first thing he noticed, was the rather large silver coated earth-pony behind the black-oak desk. His mane was a deep blue, almost black. His massive hooves, the size of Star's head, were together atop the oak-surface as his piercing bronze eyes looked the smaller pegasus over. Star gave a little shiver, this pony was bigger than Big Mac. What had he gotten himself into? He trotted over before the desk, and to his surprise, the massive pony smiled and gestured to a chair.

“Please, have a seat, Night-Guard. It's been a very long time since I've had the pleasure of one of your ranks in my company.” The stallion looked him over again, his lips tightening as his gaze lingered on the blue-alicorn feather. “Well, well. Mister StarStep, if I'm not mistaken. Courting Princess Luna. You're big news for such a little pony.”

Star blinked in surprise, and cleared his throat as he settled into the plush black-faux (At least he hoped it was fake) leather chair. “Mister Steelhoof. I'm surprised you know all that. That only happened last night.”

The silver stallion nodded, “Please, call me Steel.” He smiled. Even his teeth looked like they would crack a bone. This pony radiated an aura of pure strength. A terrible knot formed in his gut at the thought of being in this windowless office with such a powerful earth pony. If a fight broke out, he was done.

“As for me knowing you and your recent courtship. Let us just say, that I'm in the business of information. It's my number one product. How is that lovely school-mare you're seeing in Ponyville? I hear she's going to receive a teacher of the year award from Princess Celestia herself. I can't blame you for being attracted to such a beautiful earth-mare.”

Star felt his mouth slacken in disbelief. Just how much did this pony know about him? Was it a threat against Cheerilee, or just a show of his information network? The uncertainty worried him and threw his plans off balanced.

“Um...thank you. I think. But I came here to talk about a friend of mine's debt with you.”

The stallion leaned back in his chair, “Afraid you'll have to be more specific. A lot of ponies are in debt with me.”

“Sweetie Belle.”

“Oh, yes, the cute little singer. Quite the vocals on that one.” He tapped a crystal embedded in his desk and a moment later the little unicorn colt poked his head in the door.

“Yes, boss?”

“Bring me the file on Sweetie Belle, if you would, Scribe.” The small colt slipped away for just a couple minutes, then poked his head back in, floating a manilla folder in his magic over to Steel's desk and closed the steel-door firmly. With delicate hooves, the earth-pony flipped open the file and glanced through the records, “Hmm...not a very old account. Everything appears to be in order here. So, what seems to be the problem, StarStep?”

“I'd like you to forgive her debt.” Star stated flatly.

“I'd like to be able to eat doughnuts all day. But my wife would kill me.” He chuckled softly. Star had a hard time picturing his pony's wife. With him being so...large...yikes. The earth-pony placed his hooves together and leaned on his desk, “I can't forgive her debt. If I did it for her, I'd have to do it for everypony who currently owes me money, and I would be out of business. Now, that doesn't seem very fair, does it?”

Star frowned, “Fair? You're a loan-shark, you are gouging her with these crazy late-fees.”

“Now now, Mister StarStep. No need to get hostile. Did your friend inform you of my rather generous starting interest rate? See, a loan is a contract. An agreement. As long as she made her payments, the interest was low, and everyone got what they wanted. Sure, my profit wasn't very high from it, but she was a fiery young filly with a dream. How could I not give her a chance. Unfortunately, when she failed to pay me, her word became as worthless as spit. I don't like liars, Mister StarStep. I run a business on information and getting things ponies want. Lies will tear it all down, and I will not tolerate it. I held up my end of the bargain, now she must to the same.”

The pegasus had to admit. The pony had a point. “What about the attack on her friend? What kind of business pony sics their ponies on others? All she was trying to do was plea to you. Instead, she got her face messed up and almost raped in an alley.”

Steelhoof sighed heavily. It sounded like a storm-wind at the door coming from so large a pony, “Yes...I apologize for that. That pony is no longer in my employment. I can also assure you, your friend will no longer have to worry about him. I want my money, make no mistake, Mister StarStep. But what that pony did, is not how I run things. Now, as for some of the things he offered. Yes. You can present that to, Miss Sweetie Belle. If she wishes to work as a licensed Pleasure Pony in one of my Pleasure houses, I'd be happy to work it out with her. Ponies in that field can make significant money.”

Star grimaced, “I...don't think that's an option. Can you lower the rate, or forgive the late-fees? At least as a sign of good faith because of the attack? She's working eighteen hours a day. It's killing her.”

The two ponies stared at each other for a long while. A heavy ticking of a grandfather clock in the corner marking the time. At last the larger pony shook his head, “I do not do things for nothing. While I am saddened by the brutal attack by an ex-employee. It is he, that you should look for compensation. I did not order it, nor do I condone it. Why should I pay for it? Perhaps, though...a deal between us can be struck?”

Star narrowed his eyes, “What kind of deal?”

“I will forgive her late-fees, and return her interest to the pre-late rate. If you give me that feather.” He pointed one of his massive hooves at the shimmering blue alicorn feather on Star's chest. Luna's token of courtship.

“So, do we have a deal?”