//------------------------------//
// The First Chronicle - Chapter 7 
// Story: Octaves - The Chronicles of 
// by Victoria_the_dragoness 
//------------------------------//

The First Chronicle
 
Chapter 7
 
At a quarter past two the ponies set off for Ginger Snap’s house, hoping to see her there and warn her of the threat on her life. Rainbow Dash also secretly hoped that by interviewing a target of a foalnapping, she would get into the mind of what made the criminal tick. To find out what about these ponies was so enticing.
It wasn’t exactly seen as noble when she thought of such things, but Dash had evidence few and far between as it was. She needed to have something on the case yesterday, and it wasn’t looking much better.
The body was a good start. Nothing like that had been found at any time throughout the year that this case spanned. It lead Rainbow Dash to believe that whoever was doing this had changed his game plan. This wasn’t just some run of the mill, one thing does it character; he could manipulate the way in which he behaved and killed in order to keep the investigators guessing.
“Cleaver little bugger,” said Dash.
Pinkie tilted her head to the side as she followed just behind the cerulean mare. “What did you say?”
Dash didn’t reply. Her mind was already racing with the thrill of the chase. She was organizing in her mind what she should do first; what was most important for her to accomplish, and where she would acquire the best information into the investigation.
As they walked through the crowds of ponies Dash stayed silent, but Pinkie Pie waved and greeted all of the ponies going by. When asked about why Rainbow Dash had such a serious face, the pink pony replied that it was top secret EBI info and left it at that.
Maybe Pinkie Pie does take this more seriously than I imagined, The pegasus thought, overhearing her retorts to the more need to know questions.
Arriving at the door to Ginger Snap’s home at twenty-five past, Rainbow Dash knocked a couple times at the door and waited. Pinkie was standing next to her, trying to stand as straight and as calmly as her friend, but Dash still noticed the ponies hooves tapping on the ground.
A few minutes ticked by while Rainbow Dash waited, until she heard the door unlock and open. Stepping out from the home, a mare with a brown coat and white mane greeted them.
“Oh, hello you two,” Said the mare with a bright smile, “what brings you here?”
“Important business actually, Ginger Snap,” Dash said, holding up her badge, “I’m special agent Rainbow Dash with the EBI. I have a few questions for you, about the disappearances.”
Ginger Snap flinched at her statement. “I see,” Her smile faltered. The pony stepped aside to let the mares in, “you’d better come in then.”
Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie looked at each other and sauntered into the house. Ginger asked if they wanted to have a seat, but the cyan pegasus declined. She preferred to stand when interviewing ponies. Pinkie couldn’t sit either, being too excited to rest in a chair.
“So what do these disappearances have to do with me?” Ginger asked, having a seat on her couch. The living room was rather large, and was decorated with many pictures of the goodies that she baked. Dash only took a quick glance around the room before looking back at the pony to give her explanation.
“I believe that the foalnapper, responsible for the disappearances of two ponies in the last year, is targeting you as the next victim,” Dash stated, leaving out the third occurrence. There was no need to reveal a third disappearance to the public just yet.
Ginger opened her mouth to speak, but found no words. “What? I…I don’t…” Was all she managed. She lowered her head, holding back tears.
Rainbow Dash stepped a little closer and lowered her voice. “It’s alright, you’re safe here. Nopony’s going to get you now; I know it’s a lot to take in, but try to think of anypony mysterious. Has anypony suspicious approached you or spoken to you recently?”
She shook her head, a little shaken now. “Not really,” Said Ginger Snap, reflecting on the past week.
“Has anything happened to you in the last few days?”
Ginger shook her head. “No. Nothing unusual like somepony trying to take me,” She said, out of breath.
Damn, I was hoping to get a little bit out of her. Dash thought, clenching her teeth. No matter, once she’s calmed down it’ll be easier. “Alright don’t worry; you’re under protective custody now. I will have two ponies assigned to you soon. Now do you have anything important to go to in the next few days?”
Ginger Snap took a deep breath and exhaled, trying to think. “Um, yes. I have been asked to bake some of my sweets for a store over in Canterlot. They heard about my gingerbread from some customers traveling around, and asked me to bake as many as I could. I made extra, so I’ve decided to hold a bake sale for the ponies here this week.”
“Whoa. Really?” Pinkie Pie said enthusiastically. She bounced at the prospect of throwing a party. She hadn’t thrown a party in so long. Not since yesterday at least. “That’s great, here Ginger Snap. Congratulations!” She pulled a cupcake out of nowhere, accompanied with an invitation equally out of nowhere.
“Why did you have those, Pinkie Pie?” Dash asked out of curiosity.
“Oh, you never know when somepony will be doing something special to celebrate for, so I just carry a few of these with me…just in case.” Pinkie smiled and gave the two items to Ginger Snap, who accepted them gratefully, but confusedly as well.
“Um…thank you, Pinkie Pie.” Ginger Snap said, wiping a tear from her eye and smiling gently at the pink pony.
Pinkie shook her head with a grin, still bouncing a little in place. “Not a problem. They normally come in a dozen, but I’ll get the other eleven to you later.”
Dash shrugged at the display. She began to walk towards the front door, followed soon after by the pink pony. Turning around, Dash said, “I’ll have two ponies over here shortly. Just stay put until then and be careful, alright?”
Ginger Snap nodded her understanding and thanked Rainbow Dash again.
The two ponies left and began to walk west from Ginger’s home.
Rainbow Dash took out her phone and dialed the police, “This is Special Agent Rainbow Dash,” She said when the police station picked up. “I need two police officers over at Ginger Snap’s house…yes…I’ll let you know later, just get over here quickly. She’s in danger. Thank you.” She put her phone in her jacket and caught up with Pinkie Pie a few hooves ahead of her.
“So where are we going to now, Rainbow Dash?” Pinkie asked, skipping at a pace equal to the pegasi’s fast walk.
Dash stopped about a block from the house of Ginger Snap and took out the file. Looking at the list of victims once more, she pointed right at the top of the list. “We’re going to the house of the first victim in this case. I think I might have some sort of idea what makes these ponies so interesting to the killer, but I have to be sure. Usually the first victim in a killing will reveal the most evidence into the mind of the criminal.”
“Where did you hear that?” said Pinkie.
“When I was still just a recruit in the academy, we had meetings with EBI field agents; ponies that had already experienced situations like this,” Dash stopped and glanced at the file again to make sure she was going to the right address, “They spoke to us about investigating crime scenes, and how the first victim of the criminal reveals much about the intent of whoever did it and why. They built their case from that one crime scene and saw how much of those details continued into the next killing, piecing together the mind of the pony.”
“Oh.” Pinkie Pie said, sounding impressed with what Rainbow had learned from training to become a special agent.
The pegasus didn’t notice how silent the little pony beside her was; she was already conducting her investigation, completely focused on getting any evidence about the case. Dash kept moving, making short time of the distance from each house. The snow had started up again, and it showed no signs of stopping. Still, it was a good, warm day outside. Winter wasn’t in Ponyville yet. At ten minutes to three, the two ponies reached the dimly lit home of the late Emerald Dust; the snow was a quarter way up their legs. “We’re here,” Dash said, “recently had a job as a construction worker. Green mane and tan coat, early twenties. Indicated missing.” She read aloud from the file on the former owner of the small plain colored house.
There wasn’t much to go on, Rainbow Dash thought now, but even so, something as small or insignificant as a length of hair could be the key to solving a mystery like this. Even the kind of house the victim lived in, or the neighborhood around it could be invaluable to the crime.
The door was swung open and the yellow tape was removed long ago, but it still hung in the air that this was where another murder took place. Since it happened, few ponies ever came around this way, all of them fearing that whatever happened to this stallion could happen to them as well. Just as the home of Lyra Heartstrings, the construction worker’s living quarters were quite dark and unsettling, even during the day.
Dash entered first, taking her flashlight out so that she could see more clearly. The snowstorm seemed to have settled down a little, but clouds were still rolling in. It was already beginning to darken outside as the sun set behind the trees of the Everfree, so the cerulean mare hastened. “All we really have to go on is that the killer seems to be targeting ponies that have accomplished something. Pinkie, can you check Emerald Dust’s room for anything suspicious? Anything that he could have done that would warrant a celebration?”
“On it, Dashie!” Pinkie shouted, giving a quick salute, before disappearing into the home for clues.
In the living room a sofa and glass table sat in the center, surrounded by bookshelves and dressers adorned with wilted flowers. The stifling atmosphere inside added to the conclusion that nopony had been in here for quite some time; looking to the right, Dash spotted a bookcase, but few books were stacked on the shelves. Not much of a reader, She thought, scanning her hoof across each title. Dash took out the file again and flipped through the pages, stopping on one marked with pictures of Emerald Dust’s rooms.
One such photo showed the bookcase she was in front of, but there seemed to be a larger collection of books in the photo. Another, showing a floor shot of the room. There was mat in the photo, a fairly large one at that, with one corner spotted with blood. It was still fresh in the photo. This must have been taken soon after the actual killing, Dash figured. Looking up from the photo she turned to where the mat should be, but found only carpet. “Where’s the mat?”
She rifled through the other photos, but nothing struck her as curious. Another thought occurred to Rainbow as she looked at the file. She placed it down on the table in the room and called EBI headquarters.
“Whaddya want?” A scratchy voice asked upon picking up the phone.
“Scotch, I need you to look something up for me,” Dash said, sifting through the photos on the table until she came to a photo of the west wall. On it were picture frames of Emerald Dust at multiple worksites.
“Rainbow Dash? I didn’t think I’d hear from you so soon after you became an EBI agent. What can I do for you?” The boredom was still present in Scotch’s voice, but at hearing Rainbow on the line, she seemed more tolerable of the distraction.
“Actually, it’s about the case I joined the bureau for.” Dash picked up the photo to look at it more clearly, but couldn’t make the pictures out. “Can you look up Emerald Dust’s file? What his jobs were leading up to his disappearance if possible.”
“Hey, who do you think you’re talking to? Just give me a minute.”
Dash smirked at the response, having already guessed the answer to her question. She obliged and soon heard many clacking noises from a laptop keyboard. The pegasus took this time to take in the atmosphere of the house. Even if the forensics team hadn’t cleaned this place up, aside from the blood-stained carpet, it still seemed like this home would have been tidy. What else could this killer’s motive be? Dash thought. Lyra had also been known for being organized; not so much as Twilight, but she was quite clean. Even in the state the musician’s home was, the inside looked neat, if not for the books fallen from the shelf. Perhaps this killer disliked organization.
“Dash? Agent Dash?” Scotch called, breaking Rainbow Dash from her thoughts, “can you hear me?”
“Yeah,” The cyan mare answered, staring down at the file again in a bit of a daze, “go ahead.”
“This Emerald Dust has been through several construction sites, especially recently.” Scotch paused to type on her computer again. “He’s been all over, repairing or building jobs here and there in Ponyville and even one in Fillydelphia. He only lasted a few weeks or even days on each. He must not be very good at his job.”
“This doesn’t make any sense. The killer seems to target anypony, but only when they have something special coming up that warrants a celebration.” Dash ground her teeth in frustration. “This case is going around in circles.”
“Are we done here? Can I go now?” Scotch asked, as her boredom seemed to be returning.
Rainbow Dash sighed and nodded, collecting the file on Emerald Dust from the table. “Yeah, thanks for the help.” She hung up her phone as a call came from the next room.
“Dashie!” Pinkie cried suddenly, from the other room. There was a bathroom just off to the left, where the prints lead, but Dash turned and trotted back down the steps.
“What is it, Pinkie Pie?” Dash asked, as she entered the living room. It was a mess as well, but of a different kind. Rubbish and boxes everywhere, there was almost no room to move. The cyan mare flew over it all and landed beside Pinkie to see what she found.
Pinkie held a hoof out to reveal a small vial. “Look at this,” She said, frowning.
It seemed empty, but as Dash peered closer, she saw a few drops remaining at the bottom. Taking the vial in her hooves, the pegasus tilted it so the liquid spread to the side. It was a cloudy liquid, but clear otherwise. “I’ll have to get this to the lab back at HQ. Good work, Pinkie. I’m not sure what it is, though, anything else near it that could help with identification?”
“There’s no label or anything, and it didn’t spill on the desk that I found it on.” Pinkie turned her head to look at the mentioned furniture. “What do you think he used it for?”
Rainbow Dash studied the desk from afar for a few seconds; the room was a complete wreck, except for the area around the desk. There was nothing in the file about Emerald Dust’s drawing hobby. She walked over and opened the drawers of the desk, but nothing was in it. Strange, Thought Dash. “This could be the poison the killer used.”
“Poison?” Pinkie asked, her eyes widening in shock.
Dash nodded, eyes still focused on the liquid in the vial, “I’ll have it analyzed, but right now it’s just speculation. It could easily be some kind of cologne he made for a special date.” Rainbow smirked, and looked at Pinkie, but she just tilted her head in confusion. “Right, well, I suppose we should look through this pile of junk as well. Might have some clues the investigation team missed.” But by accident, or on purpose? Dash pondered.
Pinkie grinned widely at her discovery and replied, “Okie dokey lokie! I’ll start over here.” She bounded over to the left and began sifting through some books.
Rainbow Dash, placing the nearly empty vial into a pocket in her coat, picked up some torn out papers. The cover and back lay in the cluster, but the pages were her main interest. The book was of the history of Equestria, but the papers were written over with black ink and dotted with blood. It read, From paper to paper, the young pony dreamed; of a day to be proud, of the gift unworthy deemed. “The killer knew about his drawing hobby. There’s a poem here about Emerald Dust’s dream to be an artist.”
“That’s good, right?” Pinkie said, stepping out of the jumbled mess with a book on her head. “Now we know why the killer targeted him.”
Dash shook her head. “No, this makes no more sense than when we didn’t know about his secret. Why would the killer attack him before he was known for his talent?”
Pinkie put a hoof to her chin, the book falling to the ground. “Hmm. Oh, maybe he was in a hurry and couldn’t wait?”
“What do you mean?” Rainbow asked, curiously.
“Well, you said he had that list made up for keeping track of those victims, but maybe he made a mistake in putting Emerald’s name first.” Pinkie seemed even more confused now than she had appeared before, but she kept going. “The killer wanted to get him out of the way first because he would be the most difficult to throw a party for, but in his haste he didn’t account for his drawing passion being a deep secret. He couldn’t exactly find something else to celebrate for and tell everypony about. That would be pretty suspicious. But he had a dead-line, maybe? The killer needed to take care of Emerald Dust first before moving on.” The entire time Pinkie was speaking, she was pointing her hooves in different directions, tangling them up and making her seem off balance. “I’m confused. That was waaay too much thinking.”
Rainbow Dash stared at her in bewilderment. It was times like these that made her think Pinkie was secretly a mastermind at mysteries and puzzles. Though there were many details that lacked any proof to support them, but the pegasus thought it made a little sense. How is she so weird and silly one moment, then somepony with a mind like Twilight’s?
“Rainbow Dash!” Came Pinkie’s sharp voice. It broke her out of her imaginings as she looked over to the mare.
“Yeah?” Pinkie had moved silently over to the window and was crouched underneath it. She kept waving her hoof for her to follow, so, Rainbow snuck over to sit next to her. “What is it?”
“It’s him!”
“Him?” She tilted her head to the side quizzically. Pinkie you’re gonna have to be more detailed than that.
“It’s the pony I thought was following us three months ago! He’s right outside!” She pointed her hoof out the window as she narrowed her eyes at Rainbow.
She took a quick glance at the window. Dash saw who she was pointing to and nodded toward Pinkie once. She didn’t know if this was the pony supposedly tailing the pink mare, but right now she couldn’t let any leads slip by. So silently, Rainbow made her way to the front door hoping that the pony would remain without.
As soon as Rainbow Dash stepped out of the house, the pony noticed her and began to gallop out of the area. He swerved around ponies as he made his escape, with the cerulean pegasus giving chase. “EBI! Stop where you are!” she screamed above the noise of the multitude of ponies.

All of them moved to the side, to let Rainbow pass, but it quickly became apparent that she could not catch the pony on the ground. She spread her wings and tried to spot the stallion that had run from her, but even from her vantage point, she could see nopony suspicious. Growling and punching the air, Rainbow Dash landed outside of the crowds of ponies.

Pinkie hopped up to her, tilting her head once she saw how upset the EBI agent was. “Where’s the pony from before?”

“I lost him,” she groaned. As the two made their way back to the house, Rainbow Dash sighed and looked back at the spot where Pinkie had pointed the pony out. One lead - one that could probably blow this case wide open - and I blow it. Now I don’t know what to do.