My Little Investigations: The Gemstone Godfather

by Metool Bard

Confrontation: Sykes Silvervest

"What is the meaning of this, Redvest? I thought I told you to bring me Amethyst Star and Amethyst Star alone."

Even before the blindfolds came off, I could hear Sykes Silvervest's distaste with my altered arrangements. However, he didn't seem all that fazed by it. I mean, he didn't even raise his voice. It's almost as if he expected this to happen.

"S-so, sorry, sir," whimpered Rover as the other Diamond Dogs removed our blindfolds. "It's just that Ms. Star wouldn't see you without Mrs. Hooves by her side. She refused to budge on the issue."

Sykes sighed and shook his head, leaning back in his mine cart. "If you keep letting yourself get pushed around by ponies, you'll never rise through the ranks, Redvest," he scolded.

"Hey, you don't know what it's like!" Spot blurted out. "Have you ever heard a pony whine?! It's the most annoying sound in the world!"

"Is that backtalk we hear?" snarled Rosco, pounding his fist into his palm. "'Cause the Top Dog doesn't like that."

Spot blanched. "Uh, no! Just, thinking aloud. Heh heh..."

Sykes snorted, but didn't comment any further on Spot's outburst. Instead, he turned to me. "You seem to have a hard time following directions, Amethyst Star. I give you some friendly advice, and you decide not to follow it. Then I say I want to see you alone, and you bring this other pony, anyway."

"This 'other pony' happens to be my mom," I said, narrowing my eyes. "And I don't take orders from you."

"Nor I from you," Sykes retorted. "I didn't have to meet with you today, Amethyst Star. But I decided to put aside my more pressing business and hear you out, anyway. The least you could do is indulge me in some privacy."

"Anything you say to Ammy, you can say to me," Derpy growled. "And no matter what you say, she's still my daughter."

"If you say so," said Sykes with a shrug. "Regardless, I don't think my request was out of line."

"Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't be," I said, standing my ground. "But I don't see any reason to trust you. And because I don't trust you, I'm not gonna let you push me around."

Sykes leaned over the side of his mine cart and stared down at me with hungry eyes. "Is that so?" he said coldly.

I gulped. As angry as I am at Sykes Silvervest, there's still a voice in my head telling me that this is a terrible idea. It's like he keeps alternating between scaring the crap out of me and royally ticking me off. And sometimes, it's both. This interrogation is not going to be fun.

"Y-yeah. That's so," I said, trying my best not to show any weakness. "And on that note, I've got some questions for you."

Sykes sighed and leaned back in his mine cart. "I refuse to answer any such questions unless we're alone."

"Why, so that your goons can slaughter me without any witnesses if I get too close to the truth?" I said.

Sykes snickered. "Now, why would I do that? After all, I have nothing to fear from you."

"Then why do you want to see me alone, huh?" I shot back. "And while I'm at it, why the blindfolds? I couldn't find my way through these stupid catacombs with a map!"

"It never hurts to take precautions, Amethyst Star," said Sykes.

"Sound advice. Which is why I'm taking a few of my own," I said, gesturing to Derpy.

Sykes stroked his chin for a moment. "Hmm. You're quite shrewd, Amethyst Star. Shrewd, tenacious, and most of all, annoying," he said. "I suppose the only way to get rid of you is prove once and for all that I'm not this culprit you seek. Although I still believe that all of your efforts are for naught."

"We'll just see about that," I said. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Rosco giving me a dirty look while Desoto was drooling something fierce. They both looked like they were ready to tear me limb from limb, albeit for different reasons. It's a good thing Mare-Do-Well has pledged to protect me from that kind of thing. Otherwise, interrogating the most influential Diamond Dog in the land would be really, really stupid.

"As I believe you are aware, I haven't had the time to gather any new clients," said Sykes. "All of my resources have been poured into preparing for that rascal Dodger. Plus, I don't know who you are, where you live, or anything about you. I don't pursue clients I don't know, especially not anonymously. And while we're on the subject, a protection racket cannot be conducted anonymously. If I truly was trying to extort gems from you, I would've had the common courtesy to tell you how to deliver the gems to me, at the very least. I don't see how your racketeer here is planning on making a profit."

I can't say I disagree with him entirely. Heck, he even managed to point out some problems with this situation that I just kinda glossed over. Nevertheless, that doesn't make him innocent. I can't put my hoof on it, but I feel like he's hiding something from me. And I'm gonna find out what.

"If you don't know who I am, why are you making these assumptions about me?" I inquired. "Like that Derpy isn't my mom, for instance."

"That's just the impression I got, Amethyst Star," said Sykes with a shrug. "It doesn't mean anything."

"It means something to me," I said bitterly. "And I thought I made that abundantly clear when we first met."

"And what of it?" said Sykes, raising an eyebrow. "Is this really the only reason you suspect me? Because I hurt your feelings? That's rather pathetic."

"Of course it's not the only reason I suspect you," I growled through gritted teeth. "I've also got some evidence."

"What kind of evidence?" asked Sykes.

"Well, let me ask you this," I said, brushing the underside of my nose. "You said you only go after clients you know, is that correct?"

"It is," said Sykes.

"Do you happen to know Rarity, by any chance?"

Sykes drummed his fingers on the edge of his mine cart. "Rarity, Rarity... Ah, are you referring to the infamous whining pony that turned the Redvest pack into a laughingstock? Because every Diamond Dog knows who that is."

I could see the Redvest pack shuffle around uncomfortably as he said that. I get the feeling that Sykes doesn't have any respect for anyone who's not him. It would certainly explain his tactless nature. Time to take him down a peg.

"Well then, you'd be interested to know about this," I said, showing him the ransom note Rarity got. "Turns out someone is trying to extort gems out of Rarity, too. Not only that, but this culprit tried and failed to pin it on the Redvest pack."

"What does this have to do with anything, Amethyst Star?" asked Sykes.

"I'll tell you what," I said. "By bailing out the Redvest pack, you have a direct line to my hometown of Ponyville. You know that Rarity lives there. What's more, the guy going after her is the same guy who's going after me. Therefore, you have the means to set all this up. Am I right?"

Sykes's shoulders got tense, and he snapped his fingers. "Rosco."

Without an acknowledgement, Rosco ran up to me, snapped his jaws right in front of my face, and walked back. I think I might've hit a nerve, but I'm not sure how.

"Your claims are still baseless, Amethyst Star," Sykes snarled. "Having the means is one thing; having a motive is something else. And as I've demonstrated, I don't have one. I'm too busy with Dodger to mess around with protection rackets."

That's, a good point. I don't have any evidence to suggest that he's lying about that. But he's not getting off the hook that easily. After all, there's more evidence that ties him to these crimes.

"Well, how about this, then?" I said, showing him Dodger's collar. "As I mentioned, when the jewelry store I worked in was ransacked, this collar was found at the scene of the crime. You probably placed it there so that I'd go after Dodger Dragonvest and get him off your back."

"That's nothing but circumstantial evidence, Amethyst Star," Sykes said with a snort. "Dodger discarded his collar after leaving the Silvervest pack. It could've been picked up by anyone."

"That includes you, buster," I said.

Sykes snapped his fingers again. "Rosco."

Once again, Rosco ran up to me and snapped his jaws in front of my face. I must be getting closer to something big if Sykes keeps reacting like this. I can't back down now.

"You are trying my patience, Amethyst Star," Sykes growled. "If you continue to push me, the consequences will be dire."

"Well, suck it up, buddy," I said. "Because I've got one more piece of evidence."

I then took the plaster cast from Fido. "As it just so happens, the Pie family have also been targeted by this racketeer. And while snooping around their rock farm, we found this pawprint. Look familiar?"

Sykes adjusted his reading glasses and leaned over the side of his mine cart. "Well, it certainly looks like a Diamond Dog paw, but you can't prove that it's from my pa—"

He trailed off as something seemed to catch his eye. "Um, what is that?"

I looked at where he was pointing. "What? Don't you recognize 'em?"

"What do you mean?"

"These are shards of a Shroud Emerald. The culprit used this to sneak around Ponyville and commit his crimes undetected."

Sykes nodded and leaned back in his cart. "Well then, it couldn't have been me."

I tilted my head. "What?"

"The hoard of the Silvervest pack doesn't have any Shroud Emeralds."

"Gah!"

I recoiled from that revelation. This is not good. I hate to say it, but Sykes Silvervest might very well be innocent. After all, if he doesn't have any Shroud Emeralds, then there's no way that his pack is to blame for any of this. Not to mention that I still can't prove that he has a motive.

"Don't give up yet, Ammy," said Derpy. "There's still a way that he can be the culprit."

I blinked. "What? How's that?"

"He could've gotten the shroud thingies from somewhere else."

Sykes snapped his fingers. "Rosco."

Rosco ran up to Derpy and snapped his jaws right in front of her face. This was enough to startle Derpy and cause her to flip over onto her back.

"Hey, what's the big idea?!" I snapped.

"You insist on indicting me for a crime I didn't commit," said Sykes. "How am I supposed to react?"

I don't know, actually have a reaction instead of making your bodyguard do it for you? Seriously, I don't think Sykes has even raised his voice throughout this entire conversation. It must take a lot to make this guy lose his composure.

"I'm still not convinced of that," I said. "After all, you're the most powerful Diamond Dog down here, aren't you? You probably have some connections that could lead you to a whole deposit of Shroud Emeralds."

Sykes pinched the bridge of his nose. "Amethyst Star, if I had connections like those, why would I waste such valuable recourses going after a bunch of ponies in the middle of nowhere? The cost far outweighs the benefit from such a venture."

"So, wait. You don't know anyone who has access to the shroud thingies?" asked Derpy, getting back to her feet.

"No, that's not what I'm saying," said Sykes. "There are plenty of packs that have a Shroud Emerald or two in their hoards. But despite what you might think, I can't just walk up to those hoards and take them for myself. It's forbidden."

"Forbidden?" I parroted.

"Yes, forbidden," said Sykes. "It appears that I have to give you a bit of a lecture on a Diamond Dog's code of ethics."

"For us Diamond Dogs, raiding another pack's hoard is considered an act of war," said Sykes Silvervest. "It is not something condoned by any of the packs, least of all me. Now, arrangements can be made, such as my own with Redvest, but those are very rare. And besides, packs that have valuable recourses such as mystical gems or watch-dragons tend to hold onto them rather than give them away. Even I would be hard-pressed to find a pack willing to part with such items, especially something as rare and volatile as a Shroud Emerald."

So, stealing gems from another pack leads to war, but kidnapping ponies just makes you a laughingstock. I, don't get how that works. You can figure it out on your own if you want; I've got more important things to focus on. For example, there's a certain term that's confusing me.

"Um, what's this about watch-dragons?" I inquired. "I was under the impression that dragons and Diamond Dogs don't work well together."

"Normally, you'd be correct," said Sykes. "But if a pack has enough gems, they could hire a dragon to watch over their hoard if they so chose. They're quite expensive, but it's worth it."

"I see," said I. "So, do you have one?"

"That's, actually an interesting question," said Sykes, drumming his fingers on the edge of his mine cart.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I have hired a dragon to guard my hoard, yes. But something's a bit, off about her. She keeps wandering away from her post. In fact, she's even wandered into different territories doing who knows what. I've considered letting her go, but like I said, watch-dragons are a big investment. It would be a shame to let those resources go to waste."

"Wait a minute," said Derpy, stroking her chin. "When did you hire this dragon?"

"I believe it was a few weeks ago, right before Dodger went mad," said Sykes.

"And was this dragon a goofy cross-eyed weirdo?"

"I, suppose that's one way to describe her..."

"Ah-ha!"

Sykes's eyes went wide. "Ah-ha what?"

"Yeah, I'm with him, Mom. What're you talking about?" I asked.

"Remember, Ammy? The mean dragon said that there was a goofy dragon named Crackle who ran away before Dodger Dragonvest started recruiting dragons for his army," said Derpy.

"So?"

"Soooooo, that means she was picked up by Mr. Silvervest here!" said Derpy, pointing at Sykes. "And if that's the case, then he's responsible for attacking me three days ago when this whole mess got started!"

I smacked my forehead. "Mom, that's all just speculation. It doesn't mean anything unless we can prove it."

"Well, I know how we can go about doing that," said Derpy. "We just have to interrogate Crackle herself!"

"That won't work, I'm afraid," said Rosco. "That dragon's not much of a conversationalist. All she does is squawk."

Derpy blinked. "Wait, dragons squawk?"

"This one does," said Rosco with a shrug. "Look, I dunno what to tell ya. But you'd better stop trying to pin this on the Top Dog. He doesn't have to take this from you."

"Allow me to speak for myself, Rosco, thank you," said Sykes sternly. Rosco quickly clammed up, and Sykes cleared his throat. "That being said, that connection is incredibly flimsy. And what's more, you have no proof to back it up."

"Aw, muffins," Derpy sighed. "And I thought that was a good clue, too. I mean, only wealthy Diamond Dogs have dragons, right?"

"That's what Mr. Silvervest said," I said. "But it doesn't mean it was his dragon that attacked you. After all, he already said that she wanders off a lot. Would you trust someone like that to carry out a mission far away from your territory and come ba—?"

Wait a second. That's it!

"Mr. Silvervest, I think I know what's going on," I said. "And, well, I don't think you're gonna like it."

"I haven't liked anything you've said so far, Amethyst Star," said Sykes. "This probably won't be any different."

"I think it will be," I said. "Because that dragon you hired might be getting used by other packs!"

Sykes's eyes became as wide as dinner plates. "Wh-what did you say?"

"You said she wandered into other territories a lot, didn't you?" I said. "Well, what's keeping those other packs from hiring her?"

"The fact that she's mine, for starters," growled Sykes, gripping the edge of his mine cart tightly. I could see angry veins bulging on his head. It seems like this is what it took to really get him riled up.

"Well, sure. But do they know that?" I said. "Heck, maybe they're using her to frame you."

"Th-that's impossible," Sykes sputtered. "I'm the one who hired her. She should know that."

"Yet she keeps wandering off," I said.

"Well, that's not because she's intentionally breaching contract," said Rosco. "It's because she's not right in the head. Honestly, I'm surprised she can even walk straight with those eyes of hers."

Derpy scowled. "What's that supposed to mean, huh?"

"Mom, easy," I said. "Listen, maybe we should get the story straight from her."

"Yeah, good luck with that," said Rosco, rolling his eyes. "I already told ya, she doesn't talk. At all. Plus, we don't even know where she is right now."

"You mean she's not at her post?" I asked.

"She could be, I dunno," said Rosco with a shrug.

Sykes heaved a great sigh and went back to finger drumming. "Whatever the case may be, it's something that must be dealt with immediately. Rosco, Desoto. We're checking the hoard for our dragon friend. If she's not there, I want you to find her."

"Understood, Top Dog," said Rosco. Desoto, however, was giving me odd looks.

"I don't trust her, Top Dog," he said, licking his chops. "She's lying to get under your skin; I know it. Let me teach her some manners."

"That won't be necessary, Desoto," said Sykes. "She is of no threat to us. Yet. And if she does become a threat, I'd like to deal with her myself. Now come along."

"Y-yessir," said Desoto, still giving me the evil eye as he hopped into the mine cart with his brother. Sykes then gave me one last look.

"You managed to get lucky with some fancy logic, Amethyst Star. But luck can only last so long," he said. "And by the by, you'd better not try and summon me like this again. If you do, I'll make you regret it."

"N-no promises," I said with a swallow.

Sykes merely snorted and sped off on his way.

"So, what now, Ammy?" asked Derpy.

"Well, that depends," I said, turning to the Redvest pack. "Did you guys see any dragons walking around underground three days ago?"

Rover scratched his head. "Hmm. I don't think so. But then again, I'm not sure how I would have."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, I don't know how far a dragon's flame can go," said Rover with a shrug. "If this Crackle attacked your mother like you say, then she'd have to be close to the surface. Three days ago, the prissy pony was hunting for gems, so we hid in the tunnels."

That's a good point. From what I understand, these caves run pretty deep. It would be quite difficult for a dragon to breathe fire at a pony from such a depth. She had to be closer to the surface. The problem is that three days have passed since that attack. It might be too late to search that area for clues. Unless...

"Mom, do you remember the exact location where you were attacked?" I asked.

Derpy placed a hoof to her muzzle and pondered for a moment. "I think so. Why?"

"Just a hunch," I said. "I'll admit, it's a bit of a long shot. But if I'm right, then we might have some more solid evidence. Let's head back to the Everfree Forest and see."

"Sounds like a plan," said Derpy. "Alright, Ammy. I'm right behind you."

With that, the Diamond Dogs reapplied our blindfolds and off we went. Hopefully, this won't turn out to be a dead end. But if it is, it's probably my fault for not thinking about this sooner. And hey, if nothing else, it'll kill some time while we wait for Kohryu to pick us up.

...

Oh, yeah. That's right. Kohryu wants to see me for some reason. I just hope that whole pacifist thing Georgette Jadevest mentioned isn't just a rumor. I'm tired of interrogating suspects who can easily overpower me.