Sheerluck Hooves

by SkelePone

The Sign Of The Four, CHAPTER THREE: ++++

“To a great mind, nothing is little.”
― Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

---

It was nearly eleven o'clock that night when they finally got back to the investigation.

Time Turner could still see Short Stop being disintegrated before them, the look of sheer terror and pain on his face as he turned to ash. Luna’s night sky was a beautiful one, almost like karma was trying to make up to Time Turner for the horror he had seen. First Aid no longer felt safe in Short Stop’s home. So Sheerluck invited them along as they sought out the second member of The Four. Madame Fortun de Zodia.

It had taken a lot of struggling to get First Aid to remember her location. She was nomadic, he said. A gypsy and a fortune-teller. But he believed that Short Stop had last communicated with her at Cherry Jubilee’s Ranch in Appleloosa. So they had gone on a carriage ride lasting several hours from South Canterlot all the way to the far-off Earth pony settlement.

Cherry Jubilee’s Ranch was dark, everypony who usually worked there having long gone to bed. First Aid led the three (Sheerluck, Time Turner, and Fleur Dis Lee) up to the lone cottage at the top of the hill where grass grew in patches. They finally reached the cottage, which belong obviously to Cherry Jubilee herself. The oaken door thudded with a deep bass as First Aid knocked a hoof over it. From inside, they heard groaning and creaking as somepony woke from their slumber and trotted over to the door.

"Who’s there?" cried a sleepy but still musical voice from within.

"It is First Aid, associate of Short Stop. Me and my friends are here to inquire on the whereabouts of Madame Fortun de Zodia."

There was a grunting sound and a clanking of keys. The door swung back, and a beautiful Earth pony mare with a high-tied red mane and a beauty mark on her cheek stood in the opening, with the yellow light of a lantern shining upon her face and twinkling eyes.

“First Aid? Why, I haven’t seen ya in these here parts in months! How’s ol’ Short Stop? Where is he?” Cherry looked at the somber face of each pony, hoping to see the puny stallion. Her smile fell as she saw he wasn’t there.

“Short Stop… Short Stop is dead,” First Aid muttered, hanging his turbaned head, “killed by an assassin.” Cherry lifted a hoof to her mouth, which had dropped open in shock. She quickly shook her head and beckoned them inside.

“Now get in, y’all. I’ll see if Fortun’ll wake up for ya.”

They stood around by the closed door in awkward silence as Cherry Jubilee sauntered away to find the mythical Fortun de Zodia that First Aid had told them so much about. When the pale yellow Earth pony mare returned, she was followed by a shrouded unicorn mare. The unicorn threw off her hood, revealing that she was not only a mere unicorn.

She was a zebra-unicorn hybrid. Her white coat was peculiar, there were patches of black striped coat. Her mane was that of a zebra, it ended at her horn, which was a long pointed white one. Her eyes were deep set and a piercing yellow. From what First Aid and Short Stop had said, she should have been over a century old.

But she looked no younger than Fleur Dis Lee.

It was completely unexpected, but First Aid bowed to her and the other three followed suit. Fortun tsked and yanked First Aid up by his ear.

“YEEEEEOW!”

“Sit up, you stupid colt.
Short Stop’s death had been a jolt.”

“I know, Madame but-”

“Do not tell me tales I know.
We now have a position to bestow.”

Sheerluck, Fleur, and the Doctor were silent as they listened to the dialogue. But the Doctor felt that he already knew where Fortun was going with this. Short Stop was dead. Who would control the Mafia now?

“P-Position?” First Aid stuttered, straightening his crooked turban.

“You were Short Stop’s only friend,
and now the Mafia you must tend.”

“M-Me?! But I’m just a servant! A butler!”

But Fortun had already turned away from the blibbering stallion.

“You seek the last of The Four.
But beware of the Brother’s lore.”

“Brother?” Time Turner exclaimed, puzzled, “You mean Brother Breach? Did he have something to do with Short Stop’s death, Madame?”

“Though I do my duties well,
the future is something I cannot tell.”

“Can you give us a hint? A clue?” Sheerluck snapped impatiently. Madame Zodia looked to him, raising her eyebrow.

“Find the Changeling killer.
He will be the one quite peculiar.”

“Hey that didn’t rhyme!” Fleur Dis Lee pointed out. Zodia winked at her.

“Your father shall soon be found.
But now to bed, I am bound.”

And with that, Zodia trotted off, back to her room. They heard a door close and Cherry Jubilee showed them out. They were confused as they went back to their carriage, the stallion cabbie looking immensely bored and sleepy. Well, Fleur and Time Turner were confused. Sheerluck was just grouchy.

"I cannot understand it," First Aid whimpered as they clambered back into the carriage, "There must be some mistake. I am not related to Short Stop in any way. I shouldn’t be proclaimed leader of the Mafia. I can’t even imagine being one of The Four! I do not know what to make of it."

"Does she always speak so cryptically?" asked Sheerluck.

"Yes; she not only has the rhyming urge inherited from her zebra side, but her mother was a successful diviner. She has the ability to see into the future, but refuses to help anypony in any way regarding it. She enjoys watching others writhe in struggle."

"So what group does she lead?," asked the Doctor, not wanting to go unheard, "She seemed quite alone up in Cherry’s cottage."

"She leads these things called ‘Mysteries.’ Kind of like cults. She has Mysteries in Zebrica, Fillydelphia, some even think she has them in Griffonstone. She may seem like nothing much, but she controls far more than anypony else in The Four. Brother Breach’s Brotherhood comes at a close second, but Zodia doesn’t exploit her power like Breach does."

Just as the carriage was about to kick off, they all heard a blood-curdling scream come from the cottage. Cherry Jubilee.

First Aid was the first one to leap out from the carriage as it screeched back to a halt. Sheerluck and the others followed suit, close behind. First Aid didn’t stop to open the door, he simply blasted it open with an impressive offensive spell. When they returned inside, they found Cherry sobbing uncontrollably. Time Turner felt his stomach flop over with a feeling of impending doom. Cherry could only point a hoof to the open door down the hall, the one that Fortun had disappeared behind moments before.

They all went in. Time Turner gasped and Fleur let out a shriek. The remains of Madame Fortun de Zodia were torn open, her insides strewn about on the bed and into the floor. Blood was splattered across the walls and in streaks leading out the window. Oddly, however, was her face, with eyes closed and mouth upturned in a smile, despite whatever excruciating pain Time Turner knew she must have been in.

On her night stand was a single sheet of paper speckled with Fortun de Zodia’s blood. On it was a familiar looking symbol.

++++

''You see," Sheerluck said with a significant raising of the eyebrows. He levitated the page before the Doctor and Fleur, allowing them to see it. In the light of the single lantern in the room, Time Turner studied the symbol with horror, "The sign of the four."

"In Celestia’s name, what does it all mean?" Time Turner breathed.

"It means this was another assassination, and judging by the look on Madame’s face, it was an expected one. This murder, however, was not to prevent us from finding information, but to scare us," he answered, stooping over the dead mare, not so much as wincing at the sight. Fleur let out a gag and left to room to join the crying Cherry Jubilee.

First Aid was staring at the dead mare in shock. His already pale face even paler.

“She… She was over a century old. She had been one of The Four since before The Four overtook the Illumarenati. And… And Breach just killed her. Like she was nothing.”

“You are certain that Breach did this?” Sheerluck asked First Aid, still studying the crime scene.

“Yes. It must have been that Changeling assassin!”

Sheerluck hummed in concentration.

“You know who else utilizes Changelings, my dear Doctor?” Sheerluck asked Time Turner. Time Turner nodded. He did know.

“Mortuary.”

“Indeed.”

“You think Mortuary could be working with Brother Breach?” Time Turner pursued. Sheerluck nodded. “Why?”

“Because Mortuary, if I know him well, which I do, will be seeking the easiest way to gain power here in Equestria. And the easiest way is to take over The Four. Which means that killing the Leader of the Short Mafia, killing the Priestess of the Zodiac Mysteries. Coltnapping the Head of the Dizzly Gang. His next target is Brother Breach, but Breach doesn’t know that. He must think that Mortuary is an ally. And,” Sheerluck added, “Mortuary probably convinced Breach to start killing off the leaders in the first place, which means that Breach would not be necessarily in the wrong here.”

“So this Mortuary of which you speak is using Breach in order to frame him?” First Aid snarled. “Who is this Mortuary anyways? A friend of yours?”

“Quite the contrary,” Sheerluck muttered, “but we need to find Breach. Fast.”

“We’ll be headed back to Canterlot, then. Breach lives in the higher society portion of the capital.”

Sheerluck pondered this for a moment before leaping up in excitement. Smiling and dancing about despite the presence of the messy corpse.

“We need to find the Changeling first. And I think I know where to find him.”