"Mother! Wait for me! This is delightful!" Vira tittered and pranced through the vibrant, pink tinted woods, chasing after the star spangled cloak and peaked hat of the pony flying just ahead of her.

The day had taken a wonderful turn somehow and Vira felt fantastic, marveling at the cheery, living forest the blue alicorn leading her on kept disappearing and reappearing in. Her hooves splashed through a clear and cool babbling brook as she spotted her mother's pale tail flicking behind a sturdy oak up the latest hill.

If she wasn't quite so deliriously happy and tipsy, the green alicorn might stop to consider all the magical changes to the normally grim wasteland around her, but she was honestly enjoying herself far too much to care. She even gave a cute curtsy to a fuzzy bear wandering by, giving a little whinny when the image flickered for an instant to the hairless form of a yao guai she was more accustomed to. The mutated beasts weren't nearly so friendly and furry however, and certainly didn't belong in the enchanted forest of bright pink sunshine and rainbows.

Everything was green and alive, the blackened and skeletal trees she had grown so used to were healthy and growing. Vira didn't have many clear memories from the world before the great war via Unity, but she doubted even the golden age of Equestria looked so cheery and beautiful. Birds sang and she could smell the heady scent of pine in the air, heard distant calliope music in the direction her mother led her towards, and most of all she felt good! A warm fuzziness fogged her head and relaxed all her muscles, making her stumble a bit as she cantered after her, but still giggling as she fluttered over the rise and landed on the shady lane of smooth asphalt on the other side.

All these years after the Destroyer had killed her, Vira's heart soared to see her mother trotting down the lane, alive and well, looking back to her wayward daughter with a loving lavender gaze. She kept pausing so Vira could keep up, but maintained her distance and bounced between the happy ponies traveling the trail with them.

Even these strangers were wonderful, prompting Vira to stop and make her manners giddily at each friendly wave and smile. They were all well groomed and dressed, their vibrant pastel coats were clean, their manes and tails silky and styled, their crisp clothing didn't show a single rip, tear, patch or bloodstain as she was used to seeing. None of them looked at the tall alicorn as a monster or aimed a gun at her, they didn't even have any weapons at all!

Vira grinned and bowed to a pretty pink filly in a darling rose dress matching her mane who waved to her happily, blinking when her immaculate coat seemed rotten and dead for an instant, but shaking it off when she closed her eyes and smiled back.

"I've missed you so much mother! All of your children have soooo much! My sisters will be overjoyed! Are we going to see them too?" Vira babbled and wove her way through the increasing crowd, coming around a bend in the road and spotting what must be their destination.

There was a large, striped tent ahead that all the cheery ponies were congregating around, a simple wooden stage built in front of it that her mother flapped up to with a sweeping gesture and enigmatic smile. Vira didn't think much of not picking up any whispery thoughts from all the others, so long as she could hear the long missed sound of her mother speaking to her through Unity. "Daughter... Come..."

Spreading her wings, Vira flew over the crowd who cheered at the display, stomping their hooves in applause when she joined her beaming mother on stage. Seeing the Goddess like this was as strange as everything else today, but Vira knew the 'Great and Powerful Trixie', as the signs nearby proclaimed, was her mother. The smaller mare reached up and stroked her cheek with her hoof, nuzzling her when Vira leaned down into the contact with a happy sigh.

"Love you... daughter... missed you..." Vira's mother gave her the affection she had so longed for, taking her hoof and gently pulling her into the open flaps of the tent.

The momentary scent of must and damp was replaced by the clean smell of sawdust and Vira thought nothing of it, stumbling after her mother leading her deeper into the sun dappled tent. She followed to the tall center beam and the odd little candlelit altar there, puzzling over the strange, winged wooden statue holding the place of honor as her mother trotted around her in circles.

From the corner of her eye, she thought the blue alicorn shifted towards a sea green color closer to her own coat, glancing back sharply at the indistinct shape of her magician's hat and cloak rippling when her mother reached into her saddlebag. What seemed like a bedraggled mass of dirty pink mane resolved back into her mother's clean ribbon of white when she turned to her though, drawing out her warm sweater and smelling it as Vira shrugged and tittered again.

"I know you didn't like us wearing clothing mother, but a friend gave me that and it is very comfy! I hope you are not upset with me..." Vira smiled down to her mother holding the gifted sweater, relieved to see her give a short shake of her head in answer.

"Lovely... Not mad... love... All together again... Soon..." The Goddess' face was warm and forgiving, though her eyes flickered with annoyance and paled towards a blank pink for a split second at the pop of fireworks outside.

"Soon? But we are together again now mother, we never need be parted again! It has been so hard... so long without your presence... We are so happy!" Vira sniffled back, feeling a pang of sadness intruding on the bliss that had been filling her head.

More pops from outside darkened the pink haze surrounding everything and her mother's expression, only making Vira more concerned and afraid suddenly. The smaller blue alicorn pushed Vira's sweater back to her hooves and fluttered up, kissing her nose before drifting away towards the entrance again.

"Soon daughter... All together... family... soon... Go back..."

"Wait! Don't go!" Vira wailed, galloping after the goddess flying away in a wisp of pink fog.

When she charged back out from the tent, the crowd outside was milling around strangely, looking up to the pinkish skies where she had disappeared. Another pop of fireworks above was louder, the flare of multicolored light making the happy ponies' faces grow haggard and ugly with shadows. (Vira!)

Another pop made the world flicker this time, the wooden stage under her hooves turning to cracked and crumbling concrete. The nearby gypsy wagon looked to age centuries and change, a rusty hauling wagon taking its place. (VIRA!)

"Don't leave me again..." Vira slurred and staggered forward dizzily, unable to fly up to where her mother had disappeared.

A well dressed couple were holding her hooves in unwelcome greeting, keeping her from pressing through the crowd. The kind brown eyes of the stallion in a dapper blue suit turned blank and milky as she opened her mouth to excuse herself, turning to his pale marefriend instead and blinking at her shining golden mane turning wispy and thin with another burst of fireworks.

"VIRA!!! WAKE UP!" She heard Nick's voice shout above the loudest burst of fireworks yet, shaking herself in confusion and horror when the mare's head simply exploded in front of her, coating her in gore that washed away the illusion.

Vira pulled away from the splash of blackened blood and fell back, barely avoiding the snapping jaws of the buck on her other side. No... the undead buck on her other side... What?

She flapped and lurched backwards, flailing her forelegs drunkenly and knocking the smaller zombie aside. The crash of a revolver that she had mistaken for fireworks dropped the attacker while she was still trying to figure things out, looking up at Nick galloping towards her from the ruined roadway, pushing his way through a shambling crowd of undead ponies coming her way.

"Huh? Hiiiiiii Nick! W-Where... wooo... look at all the squishy ponies..." Vira felt she should probably be more concerned at the horde of undead suddenly surrounding her, but still felt oddly good and rather disconnected...

"Get outta there dollface! MOVE!" Nick shouted frantically and shook the spent casings from his revolver on the run, his frantic warning still not really sinking in.

Instead, Vira reared up and nearly knocked the head off another zombie charging her with a lazy swipe of her hoof. Giggling and slurring back without concern, "Squish! I'm... hic! fine Nick! These stinky ponies are noooooo problemo... Zap!"

The blasts of green beams shooting from her horn weren't all that accurate with everything spinning as it was, but trying to hit the zombies growling and hissing around her was becoming a fun game. She was rather disappointed the world stopped looking so bright and cheery, finding herself in a parking lot defined by rusty fencing and half full of ruined carriages in the middle of the foggy and dead forest. The elevated stage she had been standing on was actually a cracked loading bay, above the ramps sunken below the parking lot. A place for heavy wagons like the rusting hulk tipped over nearby to pull up to, somewhere for them to load or unload cargo to the large warehouse building behind her that had replaced the circus tent she had seen.

She flapped her wings and jumped over a feral ghoul flinging itself toward her, weaving in the air before dropping like a stone on top of another bloated, pinkish grey monster attacking Nick, while he hastily reloaded using a rusty carriage as cover.

Vira was very irritated at all these ugly zombies interrupting her reunion, sending out more green beams and managing to hit one out of four targets as she dove into the throng of monsters. She spun and danced like a dervish, snorting laughter and giving lurching little pirouettes around the wrecks, bucking and stomping with her hooves, rearing up and driving her foreleg right through the chest of an undead pegasus launching itself at her. She stuck her tongue out as she tried to shake the impaled zombie off, tossing it into the crowd of more coming their way.

Nick fired three more rounds and put down three more zombies expertly, looking up to Vira's mismatched green eyes worriedly as she kept flinging spells around as she pranced crazily. "You ain't fine sweetheart! You're ...drunk!? What the hell happened? Why'd you go running off!"

"Drunk? But I feel wooooonderful... I saw my mother Nick! The Goddess is alive and luuuuuvs me!" Vira tittered and managed to hit another of the snarling undead, turning it to a sparkling cloud of ash with a blast from her horn.

Her control and aim with her magic still left something to be desired. Another giggling beam shot out and missed a trio of zombies by a wide margin, hitting a tipped over sky carriage directly in the complicated arcano-tech guts rusting away to ruin. A large component behind the axles glowed brightly, going from the green of her magic, to orange, then white with an ominous whistling noise. The explosion that followed vaporized a large clump of the feral ghouls trying to navigate the parking lot, sending a rainbow colored cloud up that blew Vira's mane back and made her pip-buck chatter angrily.

Not that she needed the device to tell the burning wreck was highly radioactive, Vira's sleepy smile curled even wider and her ears laid back limply, basking in the soothing glow that made her skin tingle and filled her with power. A vicious attack from a rotting mare wearing the rags of dirty orange jumpsuit interrupted her enjoyment however. Vira winced at the snapping jaws clamping on the base of her wings, giving a wild buck that sent the zombie flying, landing with a sickening crack against the wall of the warehouse.

"Why is everything all... differenty? It was so nice... Mother took me to a magic show with lots of nice ponies... I want to go back there Nick, you could meet her!" Vira shook herself, sighing in contentment as her oozing wounds regenerated thanks to the rads blanketing the area.

Nick shot the last of the burning undead crawling away from the smoking crater, facehoofing at his assistant humming to herself happily. He didn't know what was wrong with the big green mare, but was worried by her unconcerned, out of character behavior.

At least she followed along at his urging, cantering behind him as he reloaded his revolver again and cautiously entered the ruined building. The faded sign above the large loading bay doors read 'Aegean Waste Management', making Nick glad he wasn't susceptible to the roaring chatter coming from his pip-buck when he entered. The crumbling building was stuffed to the rafters with rusty orange barrels, a good number of them dripping rainbow colored sludge to scum covered puddles on the floor below.

Taking the smaller entrance above the sunken loading ramps and rusting wagons lined up to haul the industrial magical waste away, Nick explored the narrow work area for the dead employees that had presumably been the horde of undead milling around the place. Lockers lined the wall near the entrance, several open to show dusty hardhats and tattered orange jumpsuits with the company logo barely legible on the back. A faded six pointed purple star surrounded by concentric rings of white sparkles.

Moving past a few cluttered desks and workbenches, Nick came to a caged aid station secured by a flickering terminal in the back. Vira wove her way behind him, stopping and falling back to her haunches when her muzzle ran into the heavy fencing blocking off the odd little altar contained within.

"Huh? This shouldn't be here... Mother showed me that thingy and I want it. Get it for me Nick... pleeeeeease?" Vira blinked at the barrier in confusion, turning down to Nick with sparkling green eyes and whining.

There was a large metal cabinet inside the cage, what looked like a place to store packets of Rad-Away and bottles of Rad-X pills for the employees. Only a few of these remained however, tossed aside to the floor or shoved to the corners to make room for the strange setup.

Taking their place was a bizarre altar of half burnt candles, strange fetishes made of twigs and rocks, and a crudely carved image of a winged mare in the place of honor. It was a creepy image of a pegasus apparently, a long, bedraggled mane leaving the eyes sunken hollows, the face was gaunt and the body was indistinct, engraved with swoops and curls of what seemed to be fog rising from the puffy base.

Shrugging to the sleepy nod Vira gave him, Nick bent to the terminal and started working his magic. He used up an attempt in surprise when Vira's hed thumped down and crushed his hat from behind however. Gasping at the inebriated filly nuzzling and purring in his ear, giving little moans of pleasure and stretching her wings.

"I like you NIck... you're niiiiice... I like some of the things you think about too... they sound fuuuuuun..." Vira mewled as Nick finally cracked the lock, prancing away from her roaming hooves trying to curl around him and cuddle.

"E-Easy there dollface! What'd I tell you about peeking in my noggin? Not that it's not tempting, but not taking advantage of such a silly filly. Oh jeez... we gotta get you outta here, those gams of yours are lookin' a little longer from down here..." Nick gulped and opened the cage, retreating away from Vira stalking after him with her ears laid back and her lidded eyes sparkling.

He knew radiation affected these alicorn dames in funny ways, but had never seen it personally. The roaring chatter of rads filling this place was making his already tall assistant stretch and whinny her way higher as he watched, banging her horn on the open gate and shaking her head.

He wasn't sure how much was sitting in the middle of all this industrial waste and how much was... whatever she drank that started all this, but he was getting worried. He didn't even think alicorns could get drunk, but Vira sure seemed like she was just that. What if she was poisoned? If those Church of Balefire kooks set her up?

At least her loopy attention switched from the anxious synth to the crude wooden statue in here. She floated the little idol up to her muzzle and beamed, hugging it to her chest and burbling. "A present from mother! Isn't it nice Nick? Like the statues I enjoy making, maybe I got it from her?"

"Sure sweetheart, talent must run in the family alright... Sure it's from your ma though? What's it doing here? How'd you know to come here in the first place? Sure looks like some kind of altar right up those Balefire nut's alley..." Nick wanted to get out of here, but considering his assistant was incapacitated, it was up to him to handle the case and he wasn't going to ignore a clue staring them right in the face.

There were a lot of rotting scraps of paper, mostly cryptic praises to the 'Holy Glow' and the complicated swirls and patterns of megaspell matrices. The shelf Vira had plucked the statue from had a sloppily applied message, easy to spot under the papers and hymns since it seemed to be spelled out in glowing green... blood?

"Mother of the Fog..." Nick frowned at the weird message, it was scrawled out in an arc around the spot Vira had taken the statue from, and the tacky, glowing medium definitely had the coppery scent of blood alright. Taken from a glowing zombie perhaps?

"She's not the mother of fog silly! She's the mother of alicorns! The Goddess!" Vira tittered and crossed her eyes, focusing on the odd statue and nickering when Nick gingerly took it to examine the clue.

It was definitely creepy... and not an alicorn, no matter what his quietly panting assistant thought. It looked like a piece of driftwood that had been carved and polished, the bulbous fluffs of fog composing the base trailed up to the wide wings, the ragged mane hung all the way from the shadowed face to the bottom, melding with the stylized fog. There was no signature of the artist on the base or positive message carved there like Nick had seen on a small collection of Ministry Mare statues. It was just another mystery...

One he didn't have time to puzzle over here either, a low moan drew his eye away from the disturbing statue, up to Vira giving an impatient little shimmy and spreading her wings. The gesture made him fall back and gape, Vira's verdant green wings were always big, but now they took up the entire cage when she fluffed them giddily. The steel mesh creaked when she gave a yawning stretch and ran into the barrier with her forelegs thrown wide. Her fluffy breast inflated at his eye level as she inhaled, even though she was sitting in the cramped cage with him standing before her.

Vira smacked her lips and blinked, vaguely recognizing her perspective had been slowly rising, but still not really grasping it. She was mainly focused on the statue, and on her cute little employer holding it... She stomped her forelegs down between her hindlegs drumming in a pout and leaned down, licking Nick's cheek and nuzzling happily.

"This is boooooring Nick... I want to have fun! I wish to try kissing... you said I should experiment..." Snuffling at his pale plastic face, Vira knocked Nick's fedora off the flustered synth and purred, managing to put on the 'sultry' face the old artist Mr. Cane had taught her.

He was surprisingly agile and squirmy... Nick managed to snatch his hat in his teeth and clamber over Vira in a flash, squeezing past her flanks and prancing back out of the cage. He held the wooden statue up to the frustrated filly, goading her after him and thinking desperately.

"No time for that right now Junior Detective! C'mon, we gotta get you outta here, while you still fit... I think we ought'a take a trip back to Fog Harbor, there's a doctor there, maybe he can figure out what's wrong with you." Nick gulped at Vira scrambling around and standing in the small cage, she knocked the heavy metal cabinet aside with her tail and stumbled, deforming the heavy gauge steel on one wall before bouncing back and lurching for the door.

She had to duck her head to make it, giving chase with a goofy grin that turned puzzled when she suddenly stopped and the cage gave a loud groan. Vira blinked and looked back at what stopped her, tilting her head at her finding her rump firmly stuck in the doorway, along with her too tight saddlebags.

Turning back with a grumble, Vira planted her legs and pulled, alternating between muttering under her breath and giggling at the amused synth waiting on her worriedly. "Nothing's wrong with me, I feel wonderful! I do not have a big ass either... S-Stop thinking about it... Well, maybe not entirely... I doooo like some of those thoughts. Do bucks really like them that much? OH! Do you think the male will? He had thoughts like that, but he ran away before I got to try. Yoooooou could show me!"

Nick didn't like the way her bright green eyes were different sizes and roamed dizzily, but at least she willingly followed after the statue he tossed up for her to catch in her magic and squeal like a schoofilly. He made sure to stay well ahead of her weaving course as she pranced away from the old warehouse, stomping on the scorched and blackened undead in her path across the parking lot. He had to chuckle at her fixation on their mutual male alicorn friend coming out in her drunken state, hoping that was all it was and anxious to find help to be sure.

A quick glance at his pip-buck as she squeezed her way through a gap in the chain link fence showed him how far he'd have to tempt her along. Fog Harbor wasn't far from where her galloping course through the woods had ended up, but they'd be lucky to get there before sunset, if they didn't run into any more surprises on the way...

"Wasn't what I had in mind when I said you should try new things dollface. I'll think about it if you're a good assistant and come with me, alright? Long trip ahead of us, so no time for hanky panky." Nick trotted down the winding roadway, glancing back to Vira staggering after him and huffing.

"Boooooo... you're no fun Nick... Oh! We can see Longfellow though... that will be nice! I like him too! And maybe Plaid has sent her robots there and we could see her soon! I have such goooood friends..."

"Ya got that right sweetheart, so trust this one and let's get goin' before it..." Nick lit a cigarette and turned to leave, freezing at the green hooded pony watching them from the road. His trusty service revolver snapped up and he mumbled a warning around the grip, warily keeping it trained on the approaching wraith. "Whoa! Hold it right there buddy, got no problem adding another ghoul to the pile out here..."

The stranger had come close enough to tell that much, the rotting muzzle poking out of the shadows of the green hood proved it was a ghoul under there. A ghoul mare as he found out when she pulled the ratty hood away, revealing her awed expression ignoring him and his gun entirely.

She looked like she was once a light cream color, the remains of her withered face were now a dirty parchment with a texture to match. The ghoul's mane was wispy and thin, strands of a pale blue tied up in a loose bun, held in a crude clip made from a corroded spark core. It must be one of those they were told would be watching, though Nick was surprised this old mare had managed to keep up with Vira's mad romp through the woods. He had barely kept pace himself at a dead run.

Her milky eyes were trained on Vira, unwavering as she approached the roadside and croaked. "The Mother of the Fog... You have received her divine blessing o' child of the goddess. It is a sign from the holy glow!"

Her shaking hoof pointed at the statute floating by Vira's head, quickly snatched up and hugged to her chest jealously as she pouted at the strange cultist that had appeared like a ghost out of the fog. "It's mine! You can't haz it!"

The ghoul didn't seem bothered by Vira's whine, bowing to the drunken alicorn and giving Nick an absent sneer. "Of course not divine one. You have more than passed the test, despite this ...blasphemous Acadia thing... you chose to travel with. The holy glow has brought you to us and blessed you, so your path must be righteous. Even if our lowly eyes cannot see."

"That's right! I'ma perfect daughter of the great and powerful mother, so you silly church ponies should'a just trusted-ed me!" Vira stamped her hooves and stuck her nose up, frowning at the awed ghoul nodding and backing away.

Once she reached the edge of the overgrown woods overtaking the roadway again, Nick holstered his revolver, watching carefully as she flipped her hood back up and melted away into the fog, her gravelly voice drifting back to them. "I must tell the others of this miracle. We look forward to you returning to our cathedral to discuss your visions of the Mother with High Confessor Tectonic. Travel your blessed path in the glory of the holy glow, may it return you to us soon."

Nick glowered at the shifting mist swirling at the spot she disappeared for a few long minutes. Not liking this case one bit, but forced to focus on one thing at a time. The open invite to the nearby Church of Balefire settlement wasn't very tempting, even if they might know better what was wrong with Vira, especially considering it was their damn fault to begin with.

No way they were going to those nuts though... His assistant needed help, they may have a longer way to go to reach Fog Harbor, but that was the best bet.

The ruins of the main two lane highway following the island's coast led them back to the settlement of Fog Harbor without any more major incidents thankfully. Trying to keep a drunken alicorn that was even bigger than normal out of sight of grizzly Trapper hideouts, fog zombies and unique mutated wildlife tromping through the woods was a difficult and nerve wracking experience for Nick. He was glad to end up breathing a weary sigh of relief as they approached the steel hull that acted as the main barricade and gate into the town of harbor ponies.

The residents were still a suspicious and standoffish lot, making the duo wait impatiently as the sun dipped towards the waters of the Celestial sea, adding hints of fiery oranges and reds to the oppressive greyish pink that tinted everything on this island. Thanks to their actions helping to rescue a group of locals when they arrived, they were eventually allowed in by the pale pink Mariner swatting the dubious guards angrily when she was called up.

Nick practically dragged his giggling assistant down the docks, tipping his hat to the middle aged mare responsible for the hull wall hurriedly and making a beeline for the ancient gift shop with a Ministry of Peace shingle hung above the peeling doors. He absently hoofed over the small wooden statue that had kept Vira obediently on his tail during the trip, hoping it would keep her occupied while he banged on the door and shouted in his Trotson accent.

"Hey! Open up in there mac! Got a sick filly here!" Nick pounded on the door and raised a racket, moving on to the dusty windows and peering in with a snort. "Dammit! What good's a sawbones if they ain't on call when you need 'em! Maybe the Captain can track him down for me. Vira... you stay right here, got it? Stay...."

Vira blinked woozily and nodded, following Nick's upheld hoof pointing to the weather beaten docks and planting her rump on the wooden surface. "Stay... staying is easy! I can do that Nick, don't worry!"

Nick looked uncertain despite her groggy assurance, but was left with little choice. At least she returned to proudly admiring her souvenir as he trotted off, remaining in place and keeping her rump right where directed. Unfortunately this only lasted until he was out of sight...

Giving a contented sigh, Vira floated her prize to the cracked leather saddlebags pinching her well padded flanks. As much as she loved the gift from her mother, she was in a busy town of interesting little ponies, the hum of their thoughts and steady noise of them finishing up their day was a pleasant distraction. Her muzzle fishing through her bags turned up the bundle of her cute new clothes and she settled for clapping her wide hat on her head, smiling under it and watching the town around her.

Several small boats were coming in to the docks, their crusty crews hopping out and tying them off with practiced ease. Others working further down the creaky boardwalk were hauling nets full of sickly looking fish up, dumping them in large containers of seawater or tossing the flopping fish up to long counters, where older and younger ponies were ready to butcher them with rusty knives. Even the dirty foals were working, leaping on and off the ancient boats to offload their catch and resupply them.

Vira wore a serene smile realizing for once she wasn't a focus of interest or mistrust. The locals all noticed her of course, it was rather hard to miss an oversized green alicorn sitting in the middle of the boardwalk and humming to herself, head and shoulders above the crowd even while seated. Since she had been here before and helped where she could however, she didn't feel the same wary unfriendliness. She was still an OUTSIDER, but apparently she was now counted as 'one of the good ones'.

Letting their busy thoughts and feelings wash over her, Vira's ears pricked up when she felt a glimmer of warmth focusing on her specifically. Her loopy green eyes slowly scanned the crowd, picking out a familiar brown earth pony stallion. His weary walk turned to a trot when he spotted her, an eager smile curling his white muzzle and very interesting thoughts going on behind his amber eyes.

He tugged his knit grey cap off nervously as he came closer, smoothing his sweaty dark mane and straightening his fish stained flannel shirt. "Miss Vira! Well ain't you a sight to brighten up a long day!"

Vira waved happily as he cantered up, tilting her head in thought a moment. This was the pony she had helped on her first visit, his brother had been wounded as they ran for the gates and she took him back over the wall for him. He had later reluctantly given her information about their case that helped find Sumi, along with a small pouch of caps and the nervous offer of a drink sometime.

"Mr.... Jar Head, wasn't it? Hellooooo... thank you for saying so! Do you really think so? I have a lovely new outfit, but I had to change out of it... I would look prettier in it I think, I could find it!" Vira bobbed her head in greeting, looking down to her bare hide and suddenly remembering she had a darling new outfit to wear.

The sudden spike of lust coming along with his bright blush and stammering reply pulled her attention away from trying to find it however. The harbor pony liked what she was wearing just fine, gulping at all that nothing on display. He came right up and took her outstretched foreleg, shaking it firmly and coughing to try to distract from the way his eyes lingered on her bare curves.

"O-Oh, you look pretty in anything ma'am! Glad to see you back in town. How's your case going Miss Detective? Did you and the funny robot find that filly you was after? S-Sorry I couldn't help more..." Jar Head remembered her and what she had been up to quite clearly, asking about her with honest interest that made Vira realize he had been thinking about her.

She nickered happily at the thought, looking down to the little stallion with a goofy grin. She vaguely remembered his offer of a drink and the hopeful thoughts that came with it. At the time she had even considered it, viewing the handsome buck as a potential experiment in social interraction. With the warm fuzziness in her head and Nick's recent talk about not being too fixated on only the male alicorn as a potential.... special friend... Vira giggled and shimmied on her haunches, flicking her tail and primping her wings coquettishly.

"Yes! We did Mr. Jar Head, thank you! She was safe and sound in Acadia, just as yous said. I knows why you didn't wanna tell now too, so I'm not toooooo mad."

Her teasing voice and lopsided arched eyebrow made the poor buck wince and scratch his mane nervously, gulping up to her with a shrug. "Heh heh... Yeah... s-sorry again Miss Vira, those folks up the mountain don't like us talkin' outta school about 'em and we owe 'em for the condensers, soooooo. J-Just call me Jar if ya like. Ummm... a-any chance I could buy you that drink to make up for it? You can tell me all about it."

Hmm... Vira somewhat remembered Nick telling her to stay here for some reason or other... But the hopeful excitement baking off the stallion was very intriguing and infectious. Some of his other 'in my dreams' thoughts flashing through his mind were even more so, making Vira shiver with a tingly feeling in her tummy. They were warm and fuzzy feelings that lodged right in her head, giving her an excuse to practice her 'sultry' look again and flutter her eyelashes down at him.

The response that got decided her. Jar Head's rich amber eyes widened with a dumbstruck look when she nodded in response, speaking in a demure titter of laughter behind her hoof. "Drinks? I would like drinks! I had a reeeeeally good one earlier today and still feel great! Nick says this is what drunk is like, so I like drinks. Maybe if I haz more normal pony drinks, they'll work too! I wanna keep feelin' like this foreeeeever!"

Giving a whoop of joy and holding a gentlecoltly hoof out to help her up, Jar Head grinned like a fool. He paused and blinked a moment when she stood and swayed in place finding her balance, looking up to her spinning eyes and tilting his head. The fluttery feelings in his mind only increased, but there was a bit of surprise and awe mixed in suddenly.

"Umm... Miss Vira? A-Are you... I mean... You seem a little ...t-taller... than the last time I saw you? I mean, you're one tall glass of water anyway, m-mighty fine looking glass at that, just.. I didn't think you was quite that tall. A-Actually makin' me feel a lil' puny here." Jar Head laughed nervously, looking up to Vira's lidded eyes and gaping as she sashayed her way towards the Last Plank bar side by side.

The sudden spike of inadequacy flashing in his mind realizing even a muscular and sturdy earth pony like himself barely came up to her withers just delighted Vira however. A good part of her still liked inspiring awe via her mother's perfect form after all. She licked her lips and leaned her head down to his level, purring in his ears in a husky whisper that turned him a bright red as they made their way to Fog Harbor's only bar.

"Oh noooooo... I don't knows what you're talking about Jar. Don't worry though... I'll tell you a secret..." Vira giggled and nibbled at jar Head's cute little ears, greatly enjoying manipulating him when his mind went entirely blank at her low, lusty whisper. "I happen to like short stallions... veeeeery much..."

The flickering old jukebox in the Last Plank blared an upbeat tune, an increasingly speedy tempo matching the large alicorn prancing about the bar. Vira stood up on her hindlegs and hung off the central support beam with her forelegs, her long, lilac streaked mane falling to the floor beneath her upside down face, while her voice rang out melodiously.

"So, who's ready for my big reprise?" Vira fluttered her eyelashes and grinned at the uproarious shout that answered, falling to her hooves and singing in a rapid, breathless voice full of mirth.

Prancing through the bar as she sang, Vira traced her wing down the fisherponies at the bar, pausing to tilt the smirking chin of the dark coated bartender up before cantering off again wildly. Everywhere she passed she got the customers to join in and stomp their hooves with the music, laughing at the bawdy old song.

Flicking her tail and wiggling her flanks, Vira danced around the small tables, fluttering her wings to hop up to one, scattering glasses and bottles with little kicks before she hopped to another. It couldn't quite be called a graceful display the way the tables wobbled and glass broke, but she did manage to keep most of her weight on her wings and not smash them to tinders at least. She skipped off the last and landed by a cracked leather booth full of reveling locals beaming at her, cheering and singing when she threw her head back and continued.

"OF WHISKEYYYYY!!" The rowdy crowd drinking hard after a long day of work cheered and stamped their hooves together, joining in the croaking refrain of the funny old drinking song as it came to a close.

Vira gave a long series of snorting giggles that wrinkled her nose as the crowd hooted and laughed with her when the music ended, taking a low bow that nearly tipped her over before she recovered with a staggering step. The applause and offers of more drinks made her already flushed face brighten as she cantered back to her seat, tossing her flowing mane and sending drops of sparkling sweat shaking off her fur.

The ancient metal diner chair groaned when she sank into it, wiggling her way into a comfortable position at the small table tucked in the corner, recovering her hat from her awed date watching it for her. Jar Head's clopping hooves continued well past the other's cheers, looking up to her giddy grin with an besotted expression. His thoughts were most intriguing too... a flutter of infatuation coming on top of the more base desires he felt taking in the sheen of sweat defining her alluring curves.

At her blushing whinny, the handsome buck shook himself and pushed a glowing green Zip! Emerald towards her, chuckling at the big filly tossing her head back and draining the local beverage as he spoke. "That was awesome Miss Vira! Where'd you learn that?"

"It is something I picked-ed up in Unity! So I'm not sure exactly wheres I learned it, but it is very fun! I've never sung it before though! I guess what I've heard is true, ponies singing is as natural as Hellhounds digging. One of my sisters who likes singing always said that, but I never believed-ed her. She was super duper right though, it was most enjoyable! You really think I was good Jar?"

His crazily nodding head made her titter laughter again, enjoying his attentive and encouraging thoughts as much as she had singing to her surprise. Vira gasped as she swigged back the last of her radioactive drink, pouting at the empty bottle in her hooves, then giving a pleased nicker when a fresh one was floated to her table. She closed her eyes and beamed at the older stallion in the rain slicker tipping his floppy hat her way, grateful for the generous gift and even taking in his lewd thoughts with loopy interest.

She imagined herself doing the things he pictured with the young buck in front of her instead of the grizzled older stallion, feeling a tingle in her tummy and nearly missing his response. "I think you're amazing Miss Vira! T-The singing's just one more thing to like. Most of these ponies haven't sang anything other than a sea shanty their whole lives! They'll probably go back to being grouchy once they sober up, but I bet you won some more friends in town. I umm... k-know you've definitely got one more at least..."

"Oh? Whoooo? I like makin' friends! I never did that before either, but it's very nice. I made friends with Longfellow, and NIck, and Sumi, and Plaid, and... who else again?" Vira held up a pinion feather for each wonderful new friend she listed off, pausing to tilt her head at the blushing buck Jar Head stammering to reply.

She read the warm thoughts from his mind and gasped, realizing he was trying to come up with a smooth way to say himself and mentally bucking himself for every cheesy line he came up with. Jar Head had never met a filly like this one, though any outsider was exotic compared to the mares he had known all his life on the island. This one was something special however, all his normal pick up lines just felt ridiculous to even try.

"OH! You mean... of course! I like you too Jar, you are nice and fun and cute! I've never been on a date before either, but does this count as one? Nick said I should try it, so if it does that'll show him!" Vira babbled once she worked it out, stretching a long foreleg out to touch Jar Head's hoof nervously tapping the chipped wooden table between them.

The contact with her shapely leg felt like a bolt of lightning, making Jar's pale muzzle turn bright red as he nodded again. A date had been his intent alright, the fact she seemed puzzled by the concept just made her look cuter. Feeling like a million caps at her inviting smile in reply, Jar took that as a victory and cast out for something else before he ruined it.

"So umm... y-you were talking about your case before? That sounded really interesting, what were you saying about robots and a Stable? Have anything to do with that weird ball one that showed up around lunch?" Jar Head's thinking of the white bodied Miss Handy Pearl from Stable 118 made Vira whinny happily, leaning over the table in excitement.

"Ya-huh! I knows that robot! There was a whole Stable full of others with bubbly brains on top, and we caught a murderer! There were many nice pony... robot... thingys there, I made friends with several and I hope they can come here so I can see them again. There was Plaid... and Ms. Polomare made my pretty outfit... Oh! And Mr. Cane drew lots of pretty pictures, wanna see?" Vira babbled and tipped her wide brimmed hat, rooting around in her packs at Jar's eager nod.

She spread the photos and sketches out on the table proudly, all her previous shyness and inhibitions magically gone for some reason. She scratched her head puzzling over that for a minute, the delightful fuzziness in her head made her much less embarrassed over the seductive pictures Mr. Cane had made to give to the male alicorn she was infatuated with.

Returning her attention to Jar Head openly ogling the daring pictures, she blushed at the lust fogging his head, considering it a good trial run for the male's reaction when she found him. If Jar instantly turned red and thought such tingly things looking at them, she was hopeful she'd get the same reaction from who she really wanted to see them. So far the handsome local stallion was proving to be an excellent test subject and she shimmied in her seat thinking of what else to try out with him... Nick did say she should sample 'other fish in the sea' after all.

"T-These are... wow... Just, WOW! This Mr. Cane guy is really good Vira, and you look awesome! I heard Cap'n Berry's been talkin to that white robot all afternoon, so I hope it goes good too. Always heard stories about a Stable on the island, but nopony's ever really had much to do with em." Jar Head's amber eyes lingered on the image of Vira in a swimsuit, shaking his head and forcibly tearing his gaze away to return to hers and the conversation at hoof. "What else Vira? Did you really go to those crazy cult ponies at the Cantrip?"

"Yush! They were not very nice... they even made me go do some silly initiation thingy! Can you believe it? ME! It turned out alright though, I even got a new statue, like the ones I make!" Vira's head bobbed rapidly with the faint sound of a cowbell ringing.

"Yeah, nopony around here likes them much either Vira. So what was that about statues? You make stuff too? I whittle sometimes, but nothing so fancy. I bet they're as good as your singing though, do you have any I could I see?" Jar Head's genuine interest in her and what she liked doing was as flattering as some of his other thoughts, making Vira grin as she floated her collection of artwork out in a weaving line to the table.

She tapped her hooves together anxiously as he looked over each glass statue carefully, watching him hum thoughtfully at the blue, purple and green images of her sisters back in Trotson. He paused at the smoky crystal representation of the male alicorn in the comic book outfit, looking up to her curiously as her wings fluttered behind her and knocked an ancient life preserver from the wall.

Taking in her sleepy smile and limp ears, Jar Head felt a little crestfallen asking about that one, but her reaction was easy to read. "This one somepony special Miss Vira? Or uh... a s-special somepony?"

"Hmmm... I would like that.... yes..." Vira gave a slow, distracted nod in answer, shaking off the swarm of butterflies in her stomach when she felt his disappointment. "Oh! B-But he is far away and... not mine, yet... You remind me of him actually Jar, you are both very kind and sweet..."

The purr to her voice perked the earth pony's ears right up, pushing the dark statue aside with a tinge of jealousy fighting the happiness he felt. "W-Well... thanks Miss Vira, glad I'm in good company then! These are all really great, you're an amazing mare and he'd be stupid to let you get so far away. Though I'm awful glad you wound up here on Fog Harbor! So which one is the new one you were talking about? Oh, lemme guess, this wooden one? It's not near as good as... errr... Vira? Where'd you find this again?"

"Hmm? Oh, it was a gift from my mother! She led me to it in her tent, but then it wasn't a tent.... it was very confusing. There were squishy zombies there and I had to smoosh them! Why? You seem to recognize it, have you seen my mother too?! Do you know where she is on the island?"

Jar Head watched the big filly squee and wiggle in her seat, shrugging up to her sparkling, mismatched green eyes reluctantly. Vira didn't understand the chilly feelings of anxiety coming from the buck, but he definitely recognized her strange prize. There was a bit of ingrained wariness concerning outsiders mixed in with his thoughts, but the dark pools of her gaze blinking down at him sucked him in and he couldn't refuse her.

"This is a local thing Vira... it's called the Mother of the Fog. You're sure it's your ma?" Jar Head finally sighed, turning the crude statue in his hooves and regarding it as dangerous for some reason, dangerous and ...sad?

There was something about Longfellow mixed in with his reaction that caught her attention, sinking through the mellow buzz clouding her thoughts. "I think so? I saw her anyway... Nick said something about this Mother of the Fog thing too though... What is it? Can you tell me Jar Head? It's veeeeery important to me..."

"It's... well, it's a local ghost story Vira, an' us islanders don't like spreading gossip to outsiders. N-Not that I'd mind telling you! Just... Not sure it's my place to..." Jar Head struggled with his answer mightily, backtracking and waving his hooves up to her narrowed eyes when she snorted over the 'outsider' crack.

Finding out this had to do with her friend Longfellow just made her more determined to squeeze it out of him, literally if she had to... He did look exceptionally cuddly and easy to hug into submission. Some instinctual part of the nervous buck seemed to recognize Vira's predatory smile when she leaned forward and fluttered her wings contemplating it. He gulped at all that filly bearing down on him with her ears laid back, her lusty eyes twinkling and her teeth getting rather sharp looking in her crooked smile...

He was saved by the door to the bar being flung open and a very annoyed Nick Hearts n' Hooves charging in, chomping on the stub of his cigarette angrily. He galloped to the corner Vira cringed in, easily spotting the big mare hiding under the shaking corner table with her rump stuck up in the air just below eye level, her tail flicking anxiously and swatting an innocent waitress collecting empties in the face. Even sober, his new assistant was not exactly stealthy...

"VIRA! What are you doing in here dollface! I gave you one job! STAY. PUT. Dockin' yer pay for this sweetheart! Who the hell are you mac? You ponynap my assistant?" Nick leaned over to glare at his sheepish mare friday under the table, wheeling on the confused stallion still in his seat.

"Huh? Ponynap!? Asked Miss Vira out for a drink and she obliged is all! Count myself lucky for that, but didn't snatch her off the docks or nothin'! Don't like you bitchin' at her neither so mind yer manners. Just cause you're one of them Acadia dwellers don't mean you can run your mouth down here on the docks mister." Jar Head stood and stamped his hooves aggressively, rolling his tattered sleeves up and getting a chorus of grumbles on his side from the bar.

"Take it outside fellas, you know the rules..." The crimson maned bartender ended the standoff with a nail spiked bat thumping to the battered bar.

Nick snorted back in frustration, leaning up against Jar Head's matching pose while Vira goggled at the show, peeking out from under her hooves and the table overhead. How curious... they both felt protective of her... She wondered idly if they'd end up doing as the smirking bartender ordered, somewhat intrigued by the idea of the two stallions fighting over her.

She reluctantly came out at Nick's beckoning hoof, flinching when he pointed at her and glared to her date in response. "Ain't one of those Acadia synths if that's holding you back pally. No stranger to a good old bar room brawl neither... Specially over a dame getting taken advantage of. She ain't in her right mind at the moment Cassanobuck. Sorry to take away the easy pickin's, but she's got an appointment with the local sawbones she's late for. C'mon Vira, let's go..."

Her shoulders slumped and she trudged out, quickly collecting her scattered artwork and whimpering at Jar Head's reaction. The kind buck was still feeling a lot of aggression towards her employer, but that prickly sensation was overridden by a bright flash of concern for her that made her feel worse.

"M-Miss Vira, you're sick!? Something's wrong? We have to get you to Doc Teddy then, yeah. Is he awake? Sometimes he gets into the grain alcohol from his supply cabinet and..." Jar Head jabbered at her side, prancing around her slow steps slinking away from the patrons turning away in disappointment now that the fight didn't seem to be happening.

"But I'm fiiiiiiine... Really Nick, Jar... I feel super duper! I don't need to go to the doctor... I wanna stay and play! Does he even know anything abouts alicorns anyway? He doesn't sound very good..." Vira's whining went completely ignored, the pair of shorter stallions ushering her back outside. She fought to stretch her head back to the chuckles following her out, waving a wing to the friendly crowd and smiling brightly. "Byyyy-ieeeee everypony! I had lots of fun! I'll come back and drinks more soon!"

Doctor Teddy Bear was a bedraggled pale yellow unicorn, his light tan and pink mane stuck out at crazy angles, half hiding his bloodshot blue eyes looking up to his patient blearily. He smelled like Longfellow often did, the harsh tang of a lot of alcohol and little washing... making Vira wrinkle her nose as she sat on the ancient countertop of the gift shop he used as a makeshift exam table.

She fidgeted and drummed her hindlegs, but followed the doctor's hoof with her eyes as instructed, up and down... left and right... A loop de loop made her giggle, craning her neck forward to follow the hoof going waaaaay down, then snapping her head up when he raised his foreleg high and falling off her seat with a crash.

"She's drunk..." The annoyed doctor turned to Nick and offered his diagnosis, moving to return to the back room and his cot with a huff.

Nick grabbed his tail and pulled the weaving physician back, shoving at his chest once he spun him around and pointing back to Vira, knocking junk and boxes aside as she rolled on the floor and laughed. "No shit, yer a regular Fluttershy pally. Wondering if she ain't the only one in her cups... Take a better look, her kind don't get drunk."

Vira fluttered her wings and lurched up to the counter on the other side of the small, tiled cashier area of the gift shop, this side looking out on the twilit docks now that the rusty, roll up metal shutters were out of the way. Nick made the anxious local Jar Head wait outside, but he was leaning over the counter to watch and gave her a good target to return her attention to.

He sputtered when her head popped up like a jack in the box and she started nuzzling his bristly white muzzle, leaning up to speak over her flowing mane with a yelp. "C-C'mon doc! Be serious here, the synth is worried about her and so am I now.. Really, I didn't know it was like that for her neither Detective, just figured she was havin' a good time. B-Be serious about it and I'll get ya a bottle of Wild Pegasus Doc. Just take care of her right, same thing for my brother back there."

Bribery seemed to sink in and the doctor returned to his patient with a good deal more focus, patting the counter for Vira to hop up to with a pout. He waved absently to the half closed door to an storage room in the back, converted to hold a few cots for recovering patients. "He's fine dammit, needs rest... which is why I was havin' a little nap when this damn tin can dragged me outta bed. Alright, let's take a closer look missy, though it's probably the same prescription with her Jar, so quit your bitching."

Jar Head's brother had been wounded in the attack on the gates Vira helped save him from on her first visit. She enjoyed the family feelings Jar had for him sleeping back there, the concern for his sibling so similar to the warm emotions he had where she was concerned too.

Doctor Teddy's horn glowed a mellow pink, his magic assessing the alicorn filly as he went through a full exam with a bored yawn. His bloodshot eyes widened closer to wakefulness as he listened to the soft rising and fall of her breast with his stethoscope, surprised by the powerful thump-thump of her heart. This mare had a ticker to match an elephant!

"What'd she get into? Never had an alicorn patient, but figure there was somethin' that started all this, eh?" The doctor floated over a ragged old blood pressure cuff, squeezing it around her big foreleg and squinting at the cloudy gauge as he inflated it.

Nick was relieved to be getting somewhere, stroking Vira's free foreleg to keep her still and answering. "Some crazy spring up in the hills. Them Balefire assholes sent her up there to take a slug, then she went dancin' off into the woods like a mad mare. Lost her for awhile chasin' after, she didn't hear me shoutin' after her. Then she kept babbling about seeing things the whole way back to town. Swear I'm gonna go crack some cultist heads for sendin' her on this little errand..."

"Hmm? The Balefire Spring? No wonder... open up and say 'AH' missy..." The doctor had to climb up to his makeshift exam table with Vira to lean up to her gaping mouth, dueling with her long tongue darting playfully around with a wooden depressor.

"Mmwhaa... mmmrry tsssty wawa!" Vira mumbled back, drooling a little at the memory of the cool, tingly water.

"Those church ponies did this to her? Ailing Levee was right! They're a menace and we ought'a do something!" Jar Head scowled from outside, stamping his hooves and bristling with anger Vira could feel like the heat of a roaring fire.

"Ugh... don't tell me you're on that idiot's side too Jar Head. Leave it to the local weapon merchant to egg on a fight. FIgure maybe he's thinkin' of his bottom line first and the safety of the harbor second? Think it through a little before you wind up in a cot beside your brother. Anyway... guessin' your big friend here has a few things in common with ghouls then Detective. They used to go take a nip now and then from up there and go on a bender." The doctor stretched Vira's eyelid wide and peered into her green gaze closely, blinking at all the glowing green sparkles he could see twinkling in her irises.

He remained on the counter and tugged at her wing, getting her to stretch the appendage out and inspect the way her feathers ruffled at disheveled angles. When he finally got her to cooperate and flare it out to her full span, he lifted it up and eyed the click he heard from the joint dubiously. When he cautiously pressed down on her wing with a curious look, he fell to the floor when a beam of emerald magic blasted out of her horn and blew a smoking hole in his ceiling. Doctor Teddy hopped back up and glared at her just sitting there humming innocently, silently adding the repairs to the bill and continuing in a grumble.

"Not many know this, but some old world company stuffed toxic magical waste all over under the island. Between that, all the runoff from the fog factory, then the bombs lightin' it all up with rads, lots of the springs are poisonous enough to melt a hole through a normal pony's guts. Hold still an' quit kickin' ya goofy mare, lemme just.... WAAAAUGH!!!" The much more professional doctor hopped down as he explained, ending when he gave Vira's hindleg a tap with a rubber mallet and was sent flying when the limb spasmed out in a powerful kick in reflex.

"So she'll be ok? Go back to normal?" Nick asked in a relieved rush, helping the dazed physician up from the pile of empty whiskey bottles he landed in.

"Ugh... N-Not makin' any promises. Told you, ain't never had a patient like this one. I'd put caps on her makin' a full recovery though, just make her sleep it off." The doctor shook himself and rubbed his chest with a wince, grateful the big filly hadn't broken a few ribs. He yawned and turned to his small bedroom in the ancient managers office in the back, eyeing his unwelcome patients. "Speaking of which, I'm checkin' my patients and catchin' a little shuteye, still a few hours before the Last Plank really gets going. If that's all, it's 20 caps for the exam, plus my bottle Jar Head."

Since they appeared to be done, Vira hopped up and trotted to the restroom the doctor pointed out for her use while Nick settled the bill. He grumbled at hoofing over the caps for essentially being told to make her get some sleep, but the doc had given her a proper once over and used magic Nick had no access to. He was relieved enough that she should be fine that he wasn't that put out counting out the caps. He'd just count it under 'expenses' for the case when he returned to Ellie, hoping she wouldn't pry and give him an earfull about medical bills for drunken alicorns.

Jar Head tossed an amber bottle of Wild Pegasus to the doctor on his way past them, galloping off to check in on his wounded brother in the back. He was quiet, the soft murmur of conversation drifting from the cracked door, though it was nearly drowned out completely by the crashes and thumps coming from the tiny restroom nearby.

Facehoofing at Vira shaking the building and cursing, he shrugged when Jar Head came out with a confused look his way. "Don't look at me mac, guessing she's doing this for you to show off."

"Show off? Show off wha...aaaaaaaaAACK!" Jar's question was cut off when the door burst open, letting Vira come hopping out like a bunny on her hindlegs, fluttering up on her wingtips with each jump. She was grunting and pulling her black stockings on, not noticing the stunned stallion gaping up at the dark shadow of her rump, eclipsing his slack jawed face before she came down on top of him with a crash.

Vira blinked up from where she fell, floating her rich maroon shoes to her stocking clad hooves and straightening her matching trenchcoat. "Ow... I tripped-ed... Those things are very clingy and hard to get into, they feel even tighter too... Oh well! Where'd Jar go? I wanted him to see my pretty clothes!"

"Look down dollface..." Nick sighed at the goofy filly adjusting her hat, pointing down for her loopy eyes to follow the gesture between her hindlegs.

She gasped at the wriggling tail and hooves under her, turning to look behind her as she pranced up in a rush. Jar Head's deliriously happy face was unfocused and beet red when her soft rear came away, eventually whooping in a great breath of air as she picked him up in her magic and set him back to his hooves apologetically.

"OH! I'm super sorry Jar! I didn't realize I... a-are you ok? Why do you look like that?" Vira worried over the stallion swaying on his hooves, dusting him off with her wings and leaning down to his drooling face.

Looking up to the gorgeous filly fretting over him, Jar Head nodded slowly, taking in the alluring outfit she had crammed herself into with wonder. "F-Fine... Great... Fantastic... E-Er! I mean I'm ok Miss Vira! I just... Wow... you look amazing!"

Vira tilted her head curiously at all the interesting thoughts flowing off him, feeling a blush heat her cheeks to match Jar Head's as she saw herself through his eyes and nickered happily. He did think she looked pretty! Her lovely outfit was a success! He also seemed to have enjoyed getting smooshed under her (not fat!) rump for some reason... How curious...

Nick coughed loudly and shoved his way between the two bashfully giggling at each other, squishing Vira's warm cheeks in his hooves and dragging her lidded green eyes down to his yellow on black ones. "Alright, enough of that sweetheart. Thanks for your help kid, but I'll take care of her from here. Let's go assistant, hope there's room at the inn considering how overcrowded this burg is..."

"Nnnnn! I don't wanna sleep! I wanna go have more fun and drinks! I wuz havin' a nice date with Jar Head and he thinks such funny things... You said I should try out..." Vira whined and stamped her hooves in a tantrum as Nick dragged her back out to the docks, sticking her lower lip out in a pout to her employer shushing her.

"Ah-ah-ah! I said give regular bucks a chance and dip a hoof in to test the waters, not get hammered and cannonball right in! Make kissy faces all you want when you're sober, we need to find somewhere for you to sleep this off and hope you go back to normal..." Nick whinnied at the big filly's insistence, groaning at being made a chaperone for the naive mare.

When she stomped her hoof down and splintered the boards of the dock, she stopped being pulled along and wasn't moving anywhere if she didn't want to. "I. Don't. Wanna. Sleep. Yooooou could play with me instead Nick... AH! Or we could go see Longfellow! Yes! I wanna see Longfellow! Let's go fly to his land and visit!"

Nick yelped when her bright green telekinesis surrounded him and he floated up, bobbing along beside Vira as she spread her wings and flapped up from the docks with a smile. Only his frantic squirming and shouting managed to sink in, swimming through the air to hang off her neck and point back down to the nice, safe ground. "NO! No way are you cleared for takeoff assistant! Bad enough normally, not going along with a drunk pilot!"

Vira landed and slumped, scuffing the boardwalk and laying her ears back at the chuckles from passing harbor ponies. Jar Head trotted over and made her feel better though, raising a hoof to Nick hugging the creaking docks. "Er... If you wanted to go visit Longfellow Detective, I could take you across the bay real quick. I er... got a boat..."

"EEEE! You are a captain Jar? How wonderful! See Nick, Jar Head is a very nice buck who wants to help. We get to go see Longfellow! Eeeeee!" Vira squeeed and fluttered up with the poor buck crushed in a hug that threatened break him in half, though he looked like that was an ok way to go in his mind.

Turning his collar up and snorting, Nick sighed in defeat. "Alright dollface, you win. Your grumpy old pal will have somewhere for you to bunk down at least. Let's go mac, take us to your majestic vessel...."

"Ugh... not sure which is worse, flying or getting tossed around on this old tub..." Nick groaned and hung his head over the edge of the tiny boat, simultaneously glad he was incapable of vomiting, while wishing he could just toss his cookies and be done with it.

"Don't be a meanie Nick. I think it's a darling little boat Jar! I like it, it goes up and down and when I do this it gets really fun!" Vira tittered and grabbed the narrow sides of the rickety rowboat, flapping her wings and shaking the poor vessel back and forth.

"Urk..." Yep, Nick was leaning towards wishing he could puke alright...

"E-Easy Miss Vira! The Sequestria Pearl ain't much, but she is mine. Er... Mine an' my brother's anyway. Not exactly up to ridin' rough seas though, so take it easy on the poor girl." Jar Head yelped and tried to steady his puny little boat, returning to the oars when she wiggled in her seat at the stern and pouted.

"Sorry... I do like it though, you shouldn't be embarrassed about it." Vira read the slight shame darkening their captain's thoughts, stretching her neck to nuzzle at his knit cap and nibble his ears perking up in surprise.

It was a battered old ship peeling pale blue paint, the leaky bottom was cluttered with nets, fishing poles, spears, a battered old tacklebox alongside a wooden crate with a few sticks of dynamite, while a poorly maintained harpoon gun was slung on Jar Head's back when he had boarded. The short mast overhead bobbing back and forth looked like it was fashioned out of a candy cane striped lightpole and the furled sail was a patchwork collection of rags, while a lantern hanging from the bow lit the fog around them, leading the way.

The filly's cheery support did soothe his bruised ego, puffing up with pride and explaining even the tiny boat represented a degree of success on Fog Harbor. His brother Leather Neck and he had recovered it from a half collapsed boathouse on the other side of the island years ago, working on it in their free time when not out working on the bigger fishing boats when one of them could get hired on.

It wasn't much, but it was theirs, making them captains in their own right and masters of their own destiny. The captains of Fog Harbor pulled a lot of weight, Cap'n Berry was the leader of the town, but anypony that could call themselves captain got a vote on how things were done, and could even put their hat in the ring for the head job. They joked with each other with hopeful dreams of parleying the tiny boat into enough caps to take over a bigger one, working their way up in the world together. Chuckling at the dreams of a couple young bucks, Jar Head turned a bit somber thinking of his brother back in the Fog Harbor clinic. All the caps he earned would be going towards medical bills for awhile...

"I'm sorry about your brother... I wish I could have met him, but he actually needs ta sleep. Unlike me Nick! So quit thinkin' about it!" Vira tried to console her handsome captain on picking up his thoughts, turning to whinny at Nick silently hanging off the boat and weakly waving his tail in protest.

"Thanks Miss Vira, we're just lucky you was there to pull him over the wall. I'd rather him be laid up with the doc for awhile than dead, he's alive because of you. Course the only reason he's hurt ta begin with is the damn fog and those church assholes that tricked you into... umm... getting so tipsy... Ailing Levee is right, we should wipe them all out before they do it to us." Jar Head's earnest praise and slight hero worship of the stunning mare humming drunkenly to herself captured her attention, eliciting more of those nice tingly feelings before his thoughts turned dark again, seething at the Church of Balefire.

Nick groaned and sat up at that, straightening his tie and focusing on the case. "Sounds like they're not too popular back in town mac. The doc said this Ailing Levee is the weapon merchant? Think maybe Dr. Teddy was right and he's got a vested interest in stirring up trouble? What do those kooks have to do with the fog anyway?"

"They're nuts is what, they worship the stuff, want it to take over the whole island! One of those fanatics came preachin' out at the gates a few weeks back, screamin' that we were all goin' ta hell for runnin' the condensers that 'thwarted the will of the holy glow' or whatever. Said we should just shut em off and surrender ourselves to the Mother's will. I didn't like it at the time, but after hearin' how they done Miss Vira, I'm glad Mr. Levee shot that crazy bitch." Jar Head bent his back to the oars and huffed, grumbling a reply with a chilly feeling of anger that made even the loopy Vira lean away.

Checking his notes, Nick filled in some details and thought. He had heard rumors about a shooting that had stressed the relations between the Church and the Harbor ponies to the breaking point, having a few more details was useful. Nick hadn't particularly liked the palooka Vira had taken a liking to initially, but he didn't seem like he was trying to take advantage of her, he just caught her at a bad time. He still felt protective of his assistant, but the buck wasn't that bad he supposed. It was always good to cultivate contacts with the locals, as his offhooved muttering about the Church of Balefire proved.

"What's this about 'the Mother's will' pally? Wouldn't happen to have anything to do with this, would it?" Fighting with the squirming filly at his side, Nick managed to retrieve the weird wooden statue and held it up, noting the recognition in Jar Head's eyes before they looked away to the foggy waters.

"I was tellin' Vira, that's an old ghost story Detective. It's a local thing... Just... Don't let Longfellow see that statue, or say nothin' about no Mother of the Fog. Half the reason he hides out here by himself I think, he's actually a nice enough old buck, but after what happened... I don't blame him for being a hermit. Though I hear we've got you two to thank for changing that too. If it was anypony but Miss Vira, I wouldn't believe old Longfellow Steeds was actually takin' in refugees on his precious land." Jar's evasive answer shifted to a smile up to Vira, making her whinny with pride and beam back to the lovestruck buck.

It took her a minute to process what he said and shake off her dreamy blush, but her sparkling eyes shifted back to her crude wooden statue and she gasped, holding it up in her magic and shimmying those big flanks enough to rock the boat again to Nick's groans. "Longfellow knows my mother!? How wonderful! I bet he can find her, he is the bestest tracker on the island!"

With the shadowy shapes of Longfellow's wooded spit of land resolving out of the fog ahead, Jar Head slowed his rowing and shook his head sternly. Whatever this was about, it was enough for him to put his hoof down, even with the grinning mare giving him those bedroom eyes. "No Miss Vira, just trust me ok? Longfellow is the last pony you wanna ask about the Mother of the Fog. It... It'll hurt him if you do..."

Vira's ears went limp at the warning, her lip quivering as she read the hard truth to his words out of his head. "But... I want to see the mother again... I don't want to hurt Longfellow though... Why would it?"

Taking in Jar Head's helpless look over to him curiously, Nick decided to cover for the nervous buck and grill him once he managed to put down a fussy alicorn filly who didn't want to go to bed. "How about you let me talk to him about it Vira. You're a little too goofy still to be on the clock junior detective, leave it to your boss to handle this part of the case and get some rest."

"Ooookie dokie lokie... But I don't wanna sleep! If I'm not 'posed ta work, I wanna at least say hi to him! And show Jar Head around!" Vira drummed her hindlegs and whined as they drifted up to Longfellow's small dock on his sandy beach, making Nick glad their captain was so quick to hop out and hitch the poor boat up, holding a hoof out for Vira to come bounding out.

She had already pranced down the short dock and towards the weathered wooden steps leading up from the beach, turning back to flick her tail, happily pointing down the beach and babbling to herself. "Look! That is where I washed up Jar Head! Then Longfellow found me and took care of me! I don't know how he moved me though, at the time I was reeeeally..."

Nick hung back with Jar Head, letting the big filly's chatter fade to background noise as they took the opportunity to speak. Both of them looked over the otherwise empty dock and came to the same conclusion. "Don't look like he's here, huh mac?"

"Nope, he takes his rowboat out to some of his other hunting grounds sometimes though. He's usually back around dark, so he shouldn't be long. Umm... I can keep Miss Vira company and work on making her sleep it off if you want Detective." Jar Head shrugged to the green alicorn prancing in place with a sheepish smile, holding his hooves up in a 'what can you do' gesture that made Nick snort gruffly.

"Yeah, bet you're willing to make that sacrifice pally... She is a big girl and I ain't her keeper though, I'll let you finish your date with the silly dame. Provided you don't take advantage, and you tell me about this Mother of the Fog business once she finally passes out. It'll give me a chance to poke around and talk to some of these other ponies anyway. Deal?" Nick held a foreleg out and rolled his eyes at Jar eagerly returning the gesture, nodding crazily before dashing off to join Vira waiting on them.

Nick sighed and lit a cigarette as he trotted after them, absently hoping Vira wound up with one hell of a hangover to teach her a lesson. He did encourage her to spend time with other bucks instead of pining away for one male alicorn after all, so part of this was on him. If she was determined to fool around, there wasn't much he could do to stop her.

At least Jar Head seemed like a fairly upstanding young stallion, he worried for her and didn't act like he wanted to exploit her drunken state. Nick somewhat worried that the reverse wasn't true and he might end up with more filly than he could handle, but the few harbor ponies wandering about ahead were another source of information. The tension between the Church of Balefire and the residents of Fog Harbor was tickling his detective senses and needed to be investigated.

Vira was quite happy to see the hooffull of harbor ponies coming out to greet them, Prancing forward to introduce themselves and giddy that Longfellow had actually done as she asked. The old hermit had allowed the refugees of Fog Harbor to take shelter in his little pocket of land free of the fog overtaking the island.

It was mostly younger ponies, putting down their farming tools and trotting out from Longfellow's small fields of crops. A young adult, pale teal mare was tending a bubbling pot hung over a warm fire near his cottage. Floating a battered ladle back to the pot in her sea green magic, she blew her red and violet striped mane from her eyes and wiped her hooves on her dirty apron, looking between the outsiders warily until she spotted Jar Head half hidden by Vira's shadow.

Her dark blue eyes narrowed looking between the stallion and the alicorn, shaking her rich red mane and trotting right up. "Jar Head? What are you doing out this way? Who's your ...friend...?"

Vira had a hard time figuring out the chilly dislike flowing off the mare, it was directed her way and had something to do with Jar Head beside her, but it was a complicated feeling beyond her understanding. A little anger... some envy looking up and down at Vira's cute outfit and the curves under it... more anger at Jar Head, all carefully concealed under a disinterested huff.

Instead of blowing a gasket trying to puzzle over it, she held a dainty hoof out to the smaller mare and gave a crooked, friendly smile. "I'm Vira! Jar Head brought us here on his cute little boat so I could see Longfellow. He's my friend! I'm glad he let other ponies come here too, though you're not who I wanted to see. Who are you again?"

"Sea Kelp... Interesting company you're keeping Jar... Thought you were working on the Ocean Pearl for Barnacle Bill every minute you could spare for caps, but I see you've got enough to spend playing drinking games with big outsider fillies." The young unicorn mare returned Vira's giddy hoofshake coolly, glaring at Jar Head the whole time.

"I-It's not like that Kelpie! This is the detective that saved my brother the other day! I promised her a drink and... stuff happened... I uhh, I didn't know you were here, you were one of the ones Longfellow took in? Is Mossy here too?" Jar Head gulped at the intimidating mare nervously.

The younger dark brown filly bolting out from the fields managed to save him, galloping up and tackling Jar Head in a hug that put her between this Kelpie and Jar Head. "Jar! You came to visit us! Kelpie was mad that you didn't help us move and hadn't come yet, but I said you would! W-Who's the big pony? She's preeeeetty..."

Blinking down at the foal looking up to her with wide yellow eyes hidden under her blue and green mane, Vira closed her eyes in a beautiful grin, holding one long foreleg out to the filly shyly hiding behind Jar Head. "Hello little one! I'm Vira! I'm a detec-ative and friends with Longfellow! And Jar Head too! And this is my boss Nick, he's really nice!"

Nick chuckled as he trotted up, tipping his hat to the small gathering of ponies coming to watch the excitement of an alicorn showing up in front of Longfellow's cottage. "Pleasure to meet all of you folks. We were hoping for a place to bunk down and a chat with the old buck in charge."

Kelpie huffed at Vira dizzily nuzzling a blushing Jar Head, raising an eyebrow to the friendly synth and shrugging. "He's out hunting. Good luck talking to him or finding a place to rest, we're full up. Except his house of course, but nopony's allowed in there."

"Don't be silly! Longfellow lets me sleep on his couch and stay with him lots! Come on Jar Head, I'm booooored! I wanna show you around. Let's see... I washed up on the beach back there and Longfellow found-ed me! Then he let me stay in the barn first, it's this-a way!"

Vira picked up a bright flare of that unpleasant emotion baking off Kelpie again, cocking her ears listening to the low mutter of her thoughts and still not getting it. She shrugged and curled a wing over Jar Head's back, eliciting another sharp pang of that same feeling as she ushered her date off with a bounce in her step.

"Er... Forgive my assistant, she's not feeling herself today..." Nick scratched his pale neck and apologized to the young mare turning red and steaming as she watched them go.

He only hoped Kelpie would give Jar Head another reason to behave and fend off Vira's awkward advances. The old detective had none of the drunken alicorn's problems recognizing jealousy when he saw it.

"Hmm... well I stayed here in the barn to start, but it's all diferent-y now... I'm glad though!" Vira's tour had wound up at Longfellow's leaky old barn, standing in the mellow light spilling out of the tall doors and peering in at all the changes.

When she had woken up here, it smelled musty and the roof leaked, the wide open space was mostly empty too.... giving her room to recover when she was still overcharged much more than she was at the moment. She still felt a little embarrassed thinking about how big she had been, squinting at the cute little rainbow gauge on her pip-buck and reassured it was only hovering around the red-orange border.

She also hazily remembered her lust driven rampage that brought her to that oversized and wounded state, looking down to Jar Head beside her with a sleepy smile and warm blush. Being big hadn't been all bad... She might have lost control a little bit, but picturing the things she had wanted to do with the male at the time with the handsome buck with her now instead was most entertaining.

A colt excusing himself to squeeze past the majestic mare standing in front of the doors brought her back to the present and she pranced back, smiling at the foal galloping off to an older mare throwing her forelegs wide to catch him in a hug. His mother... mother's were wonderful...

She was on her own by the thoughts Vira absently picked up, just the mother and child against the world, making her glad they had found a new home in Longfellow's barn and had a chance. One of the dusty and long unused stalls for brahmim wasn't exactly high class living in Tenpony Tower, but they were together and safe. Their meager possessions were stashed in the little stall, they had a bedroll each and threadbare but warm looking blankets. Compared to the memories still close to the surface of the mother's mind of their time subsisting on the chilly and damp docks of Fog Harbor, the barn was as much a refuge for them as it had been for Vira herself when she needed it.

They weren't the only ones either, each of the old stalls was now a small room for a pony or two, most thinking thoughts not far removed from the mother and child. They were grateful for a place to lay their heads in safety, for the warm fire burning in a barrel in the center of the barn, the blankets, food, the staticky radio playing soft music, even the work on Longfellow's land that left them tired but proud.

Vira still found it difficult to puzzle these thoughts out as she strolled in the moonlight through Longfellow's spread, returning to giddily pointing out the sites of all her misadventures. She was grateful the spindly apple tree she nearly bucked down had survived, laughing with Jar Head over the mistake and being careful not to stomp on any more crops.

She raised a wing to the repaired shingles of Longfellow's cottage as they approached, proudly pointing out the repairs she had succeeded in helping with. Jar Head paused at the threshold when Vira simply flung the door open and trotted in, looking back to the refugee ponies watching anxiously. Nopony was allowed in Longfellow's cabin, but this strange filly barged right in like she owned the place...

"Umm... you sure we should be in here when Longfellow's not here Miss Vira? Doesn't seem right... I don't mind just walkin' around. M-Maybe you could find somewhere to take a little nap?" Jar Head tried once again to get through to the stubborn mare, hesitantly trotting over to the couch she fell back into like an old friend, patting the cushions beside her rump taking up most of the real estate.

It was a bit of a squeeze that put him in direct contact with the filly fluttering her eyelashes down at him, tapping his hooves together nervously as she tittered laughter. "Of course! Longfellow let me sleep right here, which is why it's all smooshed and comfy now. Not that I wanna sleep though! I'm having fun, I like you Jar! This has been a fun date thingy, I see why the male and Nick kept saying they were important. Keep talking with your mouth and telling me things, I like that lots! I used to just suck it all outta pony's heads, but this is nicer."

Jar Head didn't understand a lot of things the strange alicorn said, but found her interesting and alluring, enjoying their time together as much as she said she had. Any stories he could come up with seemed paltry and insignificant compared to the exotic alicorn and her wild tales of distant Trotson though, leaving him to twist his knit cap in his hooves and think. Something made even harder by those sparkling green eyes watching him so expectantly.

"Well... Like what Miss Vira? My life's pretty boring, t-till you showed up anyway. I work with the fishing crews when I can. You already saw my boat which is basically the most interesting thing about me. When the fog's not so bad, I scavenge the island when I can't get hired on. All pretty dull, see?" Jar Head's ears drooped as he muttered in response, feeling insignificant and ordinary compared to the stunning mare next to him.

His eyes hung on her stocking clad hindlegs crossing demurely, shaking his head to pay attention to her giggle. "It's neat to me! I never fished before or anything, so it's just a matter of perspecta-tive. Hmmm... what about that fussy mare outside? You know her and the little filly?"

"Huh? Oh, Kelpie? Y-Yeah, her and her sister Mossy are old friends. Me and my brother have known Kelpie since we were all foals. We all lost our folks during another bad fog year, so we ended up together. She was always the mom of the group, so she can't help being all responsible and crabby sometimes." Jar scratched his mane with a soft smile talking about his friend, remembering a lifetime together fondly as he spoke.

Vira blinked and leaned closer, tilting her head curiously. "Oh? Is she your special somepoooony?"

"W-What!? C'mon Miss Vira, d-don't make fun! I told you, we're old friends is all. Her and Mossy are like sisters! She'd never... I mean..." Jar Head's nervous jabbering was shushed with one of Vira's long feathers pressing against his lips, forcing him to look up to the tall mare leaning over him with a smile curling her muzzle.

"Ah... That's good then! I'm not very good at figuring things like that out, so I wasn't sure. But if she's nooooot..." Jar gulped at the big filly floating her wide hat aside, shaking her flowing mane loose as her hoof came up to the buttons of her trenchcoat and exposed the silken green fur of her chest.

Her honeyed voice cooed as her wings stood up, kept from reaching her full wingspan by the tiny couch and cottage cramping her, but still putting on an impressive display. "If she's not and you don't have a special somepony, it's ok to do things with you... Like a test! Nick said I should, and I like you... There's lots of other things I've never done besides singing and fishing, but I wanna try stuff, before I find the male...."

Anytime Vira mentioned this 'the male' she talked about sometimes, her eyes grew lidded and soft, while her ears drooped, a cute display that suddenly looked a lot more seductive and serious to the gulping buck gaping up at her. He gave a very unmasculine squeak when her muzzle darted forward, her soft lips pressing against his with a rumbling moan.

She grabbed the hoofrest behind him and pressed her weight down, pinning him in place as she broke off the kiss to let him gasp, smacking her lips thoughtfully and looking up in consideration. "Hmm... Yes, kisses are nice alright! I want more!"

Not that he had much say in the matter, but Jar didn't mind one bit when she dove forward again and repeated the breathless kiss. This time he wasn't so surprised, returning it with his tongue pressing against hers to a surprised mumble. She seemed hesitant and awkward at first, like she had never kissed a buck before. She was a quick study however, her tongue pulled back in surprise, then danced with his playfully.

His hooves roaming up her long sides made her wings flutter excitedly, knocking pictures from the walls and lifting her up to press him into the couch further, then pulling away to let him breathe and nuzzling his cheek with a purr. "Oh... Yes, very nice! This is good practice! What now? Ah! We need a bed!"

Groaning at all that soft, warm filly suddenly fluttering up and prancing about the cottage, Jar Head tried to get fight back the warm fog clouding his eyes. She was drunk dammit, he was just supposed to get her to sleep! Though she did say 'bed', that was good for sleeping, right?

"Duh... b-bed? Hey, wait up Miss Vira! Where are you running off to, I thought you said you slept on the couch!" Jar's yelp went mostly ignored, forcing him to follow her weaving course through the cottage and gulping at her giddy reply.

"Bed! That is how it's done, right? For mating? Longfellow's room is just back here and he haz a nice big one! Lots of room to try stuff!" Vira cantered down the short hallway, turning to the left at the still somewhat cleaner bathroom she had burned a lot of magic to sanitize, then pausing at Longfellow's open door and wrinkling her nose. "Ewww... I just cleaned all this up, but he already made it all messy and stinky again! I don't wanna fool around in there..."

"H-Hold on Miss Vira! I don't think Longfellow would appreciate you usin' his bed for that anyway! A-And I don't think we should be doin' anything to begin with! W-We could umm... k-kiss a little more I guess... but no bed, so no umm... Wait!" Jar wiped the sweat from his brow in short lived relief, yelping when Vira spun around and shoved open the opposite door.

She vaguely remembered this door was another bedroom, but had never been inside it. It was off limits for some reason she couldn't remember. She wasn't sure why though, and found what she wanted anyway. It was indeed a smaller bedroom, actually neat and tidy, if a bit dusty. It was a foal's room, she spotted faded crayon drawings done in a child's scrawl she pranced in to peer at curiously.

It was a family picture of a sea green pegasus with a coral pink mane, a pale blue stallion with a purple and grey beard, and a tiny dark green pegasus fillly with a pale blue and lilac mane in pigtails, beside a brown and white blob with a red... necklace? Ah, a collar.. a pet by its size and position, but the foal wasn't talented enough to distinguish what kind, not surprising as it was signed with a loopy scrawl of crayon reading; 'EmEraLd FLash - Age 5'. Looking around at the sunny yellow room, Vira inspected the toys scattered about, the chipped white paint on the small chest of drawers, the closet of little outfits.

The bed was still the focus of her loopy interest however, she flapped her wings and pounced on the tiny bed, bouncing on the musty quilt and grabbing a stuffed dragon to cuddle with from the pile of its fellows by the pillows. She leaned back against the wall, squeezing the toy in her forelegs and making it clear she wanted Jar Head to take its place, putting on her 'sultry' look as she had been taught and licking her lips.

Her wings had room to flare out against the wall behind her and her tail flicked between her drumming hindlegs. Her emerald magic surrounding herself to tug away her silky pink scarf and undo the remaining buttons and belt of her maroon coat, putting on the most provocative display she knew how and giving an impatient whinny.

"This will do... Come on Jar, I wanna try stuff! If kissing was that nice, I bet other things are even better. I need to try stuff out so I'll be good when I find the male. I wanna be reeeeeally good and impress him! Don't you want to teach me? You're thinkin' lots of things I'd like to tryyyyy-ieeee" Vira purred and cooed to the stunned buck, cheating a bit by tickling his mind with hers, enhancing those curious urges she wanted to explore racing behind his amber eyes as she bounced in place.

Between the silky whisper of her thoughts in his head and the view of all those frilly, black silk under garments her friends in Stable 118 had given her, Jar Head took a shaking step into the room, his throat making an audible click when he swallowed nervously and stalked towards the big filly sprawled out before him.

This was bad... he knew it was bad... he knew what this room had to be and knew he shouldn't be in here, definitely shouldn't do what she wanted... but all that gorgeous green alicorn fidgeting impatiently was a siren call he was having a hard time resisting.

"What in tarnation is going on here! What are you doing in... who the fuck! What are you... VIRA!!! You leave her alone and git! GET OUT!!!" The gravelly roar and whistling hoof punching the back of his head broke the spell Jar Head was under, falling to the floor and looking back to a furious Longfellow Steeds standing in the doorway.

"H-Hold on Mac! You don't understand, she's not exactly..." Nick called from the living room, his hoofsteps galloping in and trying to defuse the situation.

Vira blinked, her focus shifting immediately from what she had wanted to her friend finally showing up. "Longfellow!! Helloooooo! I looked all over for you! I'm happy to see you!"

"VIRA! Cover yourself girl! What in the hell do you think you're doing in here! You can't be sittin' there lookin' like some cheap filly down on the docks! You shouldn't be here at all dammit!!! I TOLD ALL OF YOU NOSY BASTARDS! NOPONY GOES IN THIS ROOM!!!!" Longfellow was torn between a strange paternal feeling on catching Vira sprawled out in her nickers and beckoning a young buck to her, and a red rage that made the psychic alicorn flinch back from its fury.

There was so much information flashing behind Longfellow's furious glare, so much hurt and hate... so much sadness... With her defenses weakened by the -up until now- pleasant buzz in her head, Vira reeled under the onslaught. Feeling so much anger directed at her, mixed in with that funny warmth Longfellow felt towards her, a sting of betrayal and pain that just added to his fury and shamed her, Vira swayed in place and clenched her eyes shut, rubbing between her eyes and whining.

"I-I'm sorry L-Longfellow...I.. didn't mean... I... Why do you feel so... w-what is all this... a filly? Your wife? I... nnngh.... t-think I s-should take that nap after all Nick... My head hurts..." Vira fought against the spring water still sloshing in her tummy, trying to keep out the torrent of thoughts and feelings pouring off Longfellow and losing the battle.

She moaned weakly and fell to the tiny bed, her head sinking among all the stuffed animals as everything went dark.

Nick and Jar Head remained silent, retreating to the hall and waiting on the shaking old buck to say something in response to her soft snores. Nick caught the glimmer of tears falling into his beard when he finally took an unsteady step forward, approaching Vira half sprawled on the foal's sized bed in complete silence.

Longfellow gently shoved her hindlegs up to the mattress, shuddering and weeping as he stretched his neck to pick at the old quilt in his teeth, pulling it over her sleeping form tenderly. Tucking her in like a very big filly, he moved to her furrowed brow and kissed her horn, tears clearly spilling from his beard to her flushed cheek.

Nick's hopes that whatever mistake his wandering assistant had made were forgiven were shattered when Longfellow wheeled on him and Jar Head at the door. Longfellow's long lever action rifle was in his hooves in a flash, a smoking hole blown through the wall directly between Nick and Jar's heads.

He snarled in the echoing silence, his brown eyes bloodshot and shrunk to hard dots. "Git out. Right now..."

Both of them took the advice without a word, the door slamming shut behind them as they ran down the hall, galloping through the living room and back out to the porch, not stopping until they hit the firelit yard and all the concerned ponies gaping at the source of all the shouting and gunshot echoing into the night.

Nick felt bad leaving Vira behind like that, but given the monumental fuck up she and Jar Head had somehow managed, he wasn't going to argue with the old buck in his own home, at least not until he cooled down. He panted and glared over to the sweaty, shivering buck beside him for now, choosing to blame him along with himself for letting Vira wander off with him.

"W-What the fuck was that!? What did you two do! Gah, not sure I even want to know what you did actually, considering what I walked in on there. But what the hell was that all about!? The old buck was grumpy, but not crazy last I saw him!" Nick fumed and growled, lighting a cigarette and drawing on it angrily.

The sad look Jar Head returned once he stopped cringing and caught his breath just took Nick by surprise. His voice a hoarse whisper, "S-Sorry Detective, I tried to stop her but... He's in his right to be mad, we're lucky he didn't blow our brains out actually..."

"What?! Why!? What the hell was with that kiddy room and why'd it set him off?" Nick gaped in confusion, stamping his synthetic hooves trying to get a straight answer.

The young buck's eventual pained reply dried up Nick's annoyance, stunning the synth detective into eerie silence shared by all the onlookers giving matching sad looks. "You wanted to know about the Mother of the Fog Detective... She's, She was... Longfellow's wife..."

New Perk Added!-----------------

Unstoppable Mare--------
---You're a big filly that knows how to swing her hooves around! Be it cowering enemies, walls, furniture, or pieces of the landscape, everything falls before your might! Your hoof to hoof and melee weapon attacks do 4x damage through enemy blocks.

Reputation Change!-----------------------

Church of Balefire (Fog Harbor Chapter) -- Accepted
---Successfully passing the initiation ritual and even receiving a vision of the Mother of the Fog has opened the gates of the Cantrip for you. When you next visit the cultists, you should be welcomed with open hooves and able to get back to the case.

Fog Harbor -- Liked
--- You've had a positive effect on the grim harbor town thanks to your adventures! The robots of Stable 118 are making contact and even Longfellow has accepted a few refugees from the fog. Things are sure to improve and everypony in Fog Harbor knows who to thank. You may never be accepted as a local, but you're one of the good outsiders and will find the standoffish residents a bit more friendly, especially after your song and dance lifting their spirits!