The Return of the Cloak

Ivy stopped searching for a note and stood, laughing silently at her cousin.
If they lived in a novel she once read as a filly, surely he would be the Detective Inspecter Lestraude. She, the brilliant Molly Hooper.

Quietly, and as usual putting on an air as if she hadn't already reckognized the layout of the crime, therefore deducing the posion's owner and the hooves that currently held the child of the mare, she walked to the pegasus stallion and tapped him gently.
"What's your name? I know Switch, but I'm not used to... average ponies stepping in on a scene like this. Normally most folk would leave once the guard arrive." She said, pulling her hood down enough as to show her face, knowing he'd seen it before, and well, nopony wants to talk to anypony who is completely encased in a thick cloak.

Lance was staring at Switch when Ivy tapped on him and asked for his name. Turning, he looks at her and gives a grin.

"I'm Lance Skyflyer, professional racer. And by 'average' I assume you mean doesn't get involved with crimes. I like to help where I can, and I must admit I love mysteries. "

He gazes into her eyes and raises an eyebrow.

"Its also normal for wanted mares to leave before the guards arrive.. If you are the one I suspect you are.. asides from the wanted posters and newspapers I don't know what you did."

Switchblade mumbled without turning around "Cousin, must you hide things from me, I have no doubt that you have theories on who did this, you've certainly made enough enemies to recognise this type of crime. Just because I wear a guard's armor does not automatically make me an enemy."  he said "For once in your life, just trust me."

Ivy nodded slightly. "Threat, children involved, and poisoning of the one threatened suggest the hoof work of A troupe of ponies known to some as the Cutiemark Quartet. Famous for their acting, singing, and musical talent, but known to a few by their other expertise. I've had run ins with them before. Four ponies, Two mares, two stallions. Had I time to asses the poison, I might have a better confirmation of it, but I'm fairly certain it's them. The one we saw walking away was Grey Hoof, an earthpony whom prefers not to be seen, he specializes in improvisation, delivery, and the violin. The poison was probably Bumblebee's, she's a unicorn specializing in drama, lethal substances, and the cello. The only ones I haven't seen evidence of are Chalk and Hay Fever. Twins, playing Viola and Bass, pegasi, and specializing in the plotting and details of most operations. Last time we met, I didn't exactly get on the good side of either of them."
She didn't quite trust Lance or Switch fully yet, but she had a notion, she would have to, the Cutiemark Quartet was her darkest of enemies, most twisted in the mind. They lured Fillies and Colts to trust them with their day jobs, then laughed as they screamed after dark.

Lance frowned.

"So you want to take down 4 ponies who all have a background in assassination, crime, ect. And I'm assuming it just going to be the three of us since the guard is after you, that is if you two let me stay? I don't got much fighting ability, but I'm fast and can pack a punch."

Lance looks back and forth at both of them, wanting some input. He's stayed in this long, and would feel bad if he just went home and sat on his butt knowing they we're risking their necks.

Switchblade smiled cheerily, hiding his true fear that somepony might get injured or worse due to his misjudgement"I don't see what harm a hit and run specialist might do. Well, I'm kind of glad that we're up against enemies like this, because if there's one thing being a guard has taught me, is that thesbians all prefer to leave calling cards, besides, they do not sound as bad as. No I shouldn't jinx it at this stage." Switchblade said cooly, "Now, let's go see if we can't locate these four and return that mare's child before she recovers from her poison incident and raises her heart level again."

Ivy nodded, then pulled out something placing it near where the mare had fallen. A sprig of green ivy. "Are there any run down music halls or theaters in the area? Possibly a hotel or inn." She questioned. Then, she noticed it. A dead leaf, near the door. Walking over to it, she picked up the leaf and studied it.

Lance thinks and rubs his head.

"Uhh.. yeah there's old Ponyville Globe Theater, it was starting to fall apart and they built a new one, left it standing though to become a museum but they never got around to working on. There's a few hotels and inns, would they be going by their real names?"

He glances over at the leaf and raises an eye.

Switchblade looked over at Ivy "Something you recognise?" he asked. He looked at Lance and smiled "I think we should start with searching the theatre, what do you think, Ivy?"  he checked around him and sighed "Why now? Why does disaster always occur on the anniversary of my oath" he said, thinking aloud.

The leafe was surrounded in a soft golden glow as Ivy twirled it. "Calling Card. Theater, right. Uh. Leaf, yeah. Sorry, just seems, weird. This leaf.. it's the same as my... " Her voice trailed off. Obviously lost in thought.

Lance looked at Switch.

"A guard oath, or something personal?"

Hearing Ivy trail off he turned and looked at her with confusion.

"Same as your what? Calling card, is it an Ivy leaf?"

He scratched his chin with a hoof.

" The day you return to ponyville, A group of ponies you had a bad run in with shows up and foalnapps, then you find something connecting to you at the scene of the crime. Sounds like they were hoping you wouldn't show up and someone would put one and one together. A set up to frame you maybe?"

Lance shrugs.

"I'm just a athlete, you guys are the pros here."

Switchblade looked at Lance and answered his question with a very serious tone "My oath is one that is personal but caused by a guard incident, that is why I wear this armour, it is the oath of the renegade, forged on an unforgivable act which the oath-taker uses as a reminder of what they are fighting for, all I shall say about my act is that it concerned the lives of a town." he shuddered in rememberence.

Ivy turned the leaf over, revealing a mark on its underside.
"I doubt they wanted to frame me. If they had, they could have easily staged it better. Something a tad darker is more their style. Right now, I'm 90% sure if you were to go back to the hospital, the mare wouldn't be there. This whole thing is a trap, a hoax, a trigger to lure me in-
and before you ask what for, what do the villians always want in movies? Revenge."

Lance looked at the both of them.

"So we're walking into a trap... then they know we'll look at the theater, but maybe we can get a jump on them, sneak in through an entrance they wouldn't expect! Unless they expect us to do that..."

Switchblade laughed "Yep, we're walking into a trap, they expect us to walk into it, which works to our advantage, as they are making everything they do obvious, so they will be hiding their main plan until the end."

"Indeed cousin." Ivy nodded. Then she sighed deeply, a slight smirk on her face. "I'd come to Ponyville hoping to escape this. I thought my cloak was up for good. I brought them here myself, I'll take them out alone. Besides, I always work alone." Ivy said, pulling up her hood and moving to exit the building.

Lance blinked and looked at switch questionably.

"Shes kidding right? 1 vs 4? She'll get herself killed."

Switchblade held Lance back "She is fine on her own, she's faced worse things than this." he said to Lance, watching Ivy walk out.
Once she was out of hearing distance, he turned to Lance "Now here's the plan, me and you are going to follow her from a distance, you should fly so she doesn't see you."

Ivy league pulled her hood tight about her face as she exited. Her mind was scattered. The last time she had seen these four had been up near Manehattan, in a darker part of the city, where supposedly she murdered them. Last time, it had been a mistake. She overused her magic and fainted, causing her to drop them when she ment to save them. This time, she intended to clean blood off her hoofs, and get those four what the deserved. She trotted through town in a hurry, not caring if a guard tried to stop her or if somepony called out anything that sounded vaguely like her name. She didn't know the town very well, but she knew where she was headed, and it wasn't where she told Switchblade and Lance that the Quartet were hiding.

Lance followed from above, keeping an eye on Ivy and trying to stay out of her sight, which wasnt hard. The weather favored him today by providing a cloudy overcast to use for cover, if he needed to conceal.  He tailed after her and occasionally looked around to see if switch was also still on her tail.

Switchblade walked along behind Ivy, keeping to the shadows, whenever Ivy looked like she was turning around he hid behind buildings and walls until she looked back to where she was going, he wondered where she was going to and how far away they were from said location, as a precaution he used a spell to muffle his movements so that he could hide a lot quicker when needed to.

Within a short few moments, tears were streaming from Ivy's eyes beneath her hood. This path she was walking was one she had walked only once before. That time, it had been with a pony somewhat special to her. Eventually, she reached the burnt shell of a home that once stood there as her own. Quietly, reverently, she climbed what once were oak stairs and opened the remnants of the door, walking into the rubble.
She wiped her tears with the inside of her cloak and said, loudly enough for the enemies within to hear-
"I'm Home."

Lance blinked in confusion, this wasnt the theater or a hotel. Was she trying to throw them off? She had to known they would follow, some pony of her intelligence would have figured as much. This building was the ruins of a home, burnt down. He had probably read about it in the paper when it happened but he didnt recall when. Flying down to Switch, he raised an eybrow and nodded to the entrance of the ruins.

"Should we circle around, she could be trying to loose us or something.. we could follow her in there, well you. I can gain entrance through the top. Your call."

Switchblade nodded "This is definitely the place. I think you should try and gain access through the roof of the building, but try to be silent, oh and you'll probably want this." Switchblade handed Lance a knife from his belt then looked at him "But only if there is no other alternative." he warned.

Switchblade looked at the building "I think I'll try to get in through the back of the house." he said, drawing his sword and casting another sound muffling spell "Let's do this."

Ivy stood in the midst of the ashes, her face remaining calm and emotionless as her persuers surrounded her, their hooves cruching in the ashes of music paper.
"I must ask, what have I done to make you this angry?" She asks, calmly.
Each speak in turn, rather erreily.
"What do you mean?"
"We are simply tying loose ends."
"Seeking Revenge."
"Covering our tracks."

Ivy looks at them each.
"I dunno, you've gone through a lot, all targeting me. I mean, follow me to a small town within a good travel of Canterlot, fake a kidnapping, getting the attention of two kind stallions and myself, then proceeding to attempt to pin a murder on me, before leading me to a place which has exceeding value to me. If I were any of you, I'd be very afraid. Normally, a single one of those actions from scum such as yourselves would give me more than enough cause implant my hooves upon your hanches, and pericing my daggers into your flesh."
All five within the room draw weapons.
Obviously, this is going to be a wordy, and deadly fight.
Ivy's ticked.