Berry's Test

by Maple Sunrise

Cold Case gone Hot

The sound of glass landing on soft ground was all Rainbow Dash heard as she almost flew past the light source Berry had shown her. Rainbow Dash could clearly see a pony down in the light source, which was most likely part of the dried up lake, but she couldn’t really identify the pony that much. Hovering closer, Dash found that the pony was indeed the one Berry had been looking for. Rainbow Dash zoomed back in the direction of the offices, where Berry and the rest were.

Berry was helping Applejack move towards the light source, with Colgate levitating Twilight and her harpoon guns when Rainbow Dash came back. Rainbow Dash stayed afloat, so Berry had to raise her head when she asked Dash about the light source.

“Yeah, Lyra’s fine. Relatively unscathed if you compare her to us that is.” Rainbow Dash landed on all fours and continued addressing the few. “I think she’s fine that is. No idea what her trap’s supposed to be, but I know that we can go in and get her out if we can.”

“Unless, of course, it’s another trap.” Berry snapped. Berry laid Applejack down, without much protest from her, and continued to look at Rainbow Dash.

Dash returned the look in confusion. She was sure there weren’t any more traps around Lyra. But then again, she really wasn’t that close to Lyra to know if there were any more traps. Dash thought over what Berry said, and was about to rebut. But she shrugged instead, and offered to do another flyby. Berry nodded, and Dash went on her way.

Rarity took one of Colgate’s harpoon guns, levitating it by her left side as she trotted to catch up with Rainbow Dash. Berry didn’t stop her. We’re all going to go there anyway. Berry helped Applejack onto her hooves again, and grabbed her by the forehoof before shouldering it. “Come on, Applejack, only two more to go.” Berry only received a groan in return as she continued to walk Applejack over to wherever Rainbow Dash flew off to. Colgate trotted up next to Berry, with Twilight and the weapons right above her head. The harpoon guns were aimed in another direction, just in case there might be a chance of accidental discharge.

Berry glanced over to Colgate, who was just about to ask a question. Berry nodded, and Colgate asked away. “Well at least Lyra’s safe. Of course, that’s what Dash said, but you seem a bit doubtful.”

Berry couldn’t shrug, lest she risk letting go of Applejack. Instead, she spoke. “I’m not really that sure of Rainbow Dash. She tends to overlook a few things.” She stretched her neck a bit, before continuing, no longer facing Colgate. “I mean, I don’t really doubt her, but observation is key when it comes to these kinds of situations.”

Colgate nodded, though she was sure Berry couldn’t see her nod. Her years at the hospital had thought her that in emergency surgeries, looking for whatever it is that needs to be found quickly is what saves lives. Colgate normally avoided tardiness in operating. If a pony dies, the hospital could be sued for medical negligence. But Colgate thought that was a silly reason to save a pony. After all, money isn’t everything. To save a life was rewarding enough in Colgate’s opinion. But hey, ponies do whatever they want to. It’s probably what makes them happy in the first place. “Even so, at least Lyra’s test is over. I think. So we don’t really have to help her out unless she’s beat up real bad.”

Berry nodded, not turning. They were almost near the dried up lake when Rainbow Dash came back. “Nothing harmful I guess, unless you count the amplifiers as a threat. But yeah, there’s nothing much there that’ll even hurt a fly.”

Berry let out a sigh of relief, setting Applejack down. She let out an inaudible sound, which Berry took to be a grunt of pain. “I’ll leave you here for the moment, rest up.” Colgate approached from behind, setting Twilight right next to Applejack. Once done with that she set her harpoon guns down, save for one.

“Hey Dash, if it were any trouble, would you mind flying Lyra out? And check if there’s any note as well.” Dash nodded, and hovered off, Berry following close behind. Colgate watched as Berry departed for the dried up lake before turning her attention back to Twilight. Her breaths were deep one moment, and shallow the next. If she starts having muscle spasms, we are in for a heap of screwing. Involuntary muscle spasms, depending on the situation, could be good or bad. In this case, muscle spasms would indicate brain damage, which would most likely be the result of the loss of blood. With what Twilight has left, Colgate wasn’t sure if what the brain was receiving was enough or not.

A thought surfaced in Colgate’s muddled mind, but the thought was good enough to stand out above the others. At the hospital, unicorn doctors, when running low on the hospital blood reserves, would work together to try and regain some of the blood loss via a regeneration spell not commonly used. Colgate had been one of very few doctors that had been able to ace the regeneration test in the Canterlot University of Medical Studies. However, Colgate was feeling doubtful. Normally the regeneration spell would require the strength of two or three unicorns. And even then, there might be a chance of failing.

Colgate recalled a colleague of hers going to jail for attempting to carry out the regeneration spell by herself. Colgate wasn’t surprised. She knew that the regeneration spell had a seventy-five percent chance of success with the help of three doctors. And by carrying out the regeneration spell on her own, Colgate’s colleague was hoping to succeed with only twenty-five percent chance of succeeding. If the regeneration spell fails, the chance of a fatality occurring is almost doubled.

Colgate could request for Rarity’s help in the regeneration spell, but Colgate didn’t know to what extent will Rarity’s magic reach. Sure it’ll help out, but Colgate didn’t think it’ll help much. But still, to have an extra hand on deck would be better than to have a lone captain sailing the sea. But she’s with Berry and Rainbow Dash at the moment. Colgate didn’t know what else to do. She just knelt there beside Twilight, contemplating trying out the regeneration spell right there and then.

Colgate’s thoughts were interrupted when a flash of Rainbow and turquoise zipped past her. Had Colgate not known who it was, she would have jumped back. The rainbow-maned pegasus set Lyra down next to Applejack. “Looks like she’s gonna be out for a while.” Colgate nodded deciding to check Lyra’s condition.

“It’s as if we’re lining up the bodies.” Rainbow Dash grimaced as she shook her head.

Meanwhile, in the Ponyville Police Department, back in the meeting room, the chief was once more speaking with the Mayor. What he had failed to answer earlier was probably one of the most dangerous things he’d ever done. By not offering an answer that a member of the public wanted to know showed that he still had a loose grip on the case. Not that that wasn’t true anyway. But still, he had overlooked the possibility that not everypony that was missing would be back. He was in the danger zone.

Mayor Mare, on the other hoof, was trying her best to console the chief. It wasn’t the first time the chief had butted in Mayor Mare’s speech just to make a point. In fact, she was expecting the chief to do so. However, she knew that the ponies of Ponyville weren’t stupid. Most of the questions were capable of setting any member of the police force off balance. But hey, we got the message across anyway. The factor that some members of the public may not have been convinced by the announcement earlier wasn’t really that surprising. I’m just happy enough they keep their opinions to themselves.

Doctor Whooves had been a smart stallion to ask such a question earlier. He was one of the brilliant among the public, his intelligence only rivaled by that of Princess Celestia’s star student, Twilight Sparkle. But even so, Doctor Whooves, or called mostly by the public as The Doctor, was pushing the envelope on an already weak case.

Help from the other cities were helping, but not at all that much. From what Mayor Mare has heard, the citizens of both Cloudsdale and Canterlot have both been informed, and have accepted the current situation. Carrot Top and Roseluck were leafing through the files of old cases that had happened within the past two months, hoping to find something that could help them with the case. Nothing much was turning up in the first few files, but the two still continued, their hope never running out.

The chief should give those two a raise. Mayor Mare snickered.

“Something the matter, Mayor?” The chief looked up.

The mayor turned. The chief had noticed her snickering. “Oh it’s just nothing. Anyway, don’t stress yourself out over the case. Sure it’s the biggest you’ve ever worked on, but hey, you don’t have to do this to yourself. Just take it easy.” Mayor Mare lifted the chief’s head to eye level. “What The Doctor asked just now was just a question. Questions don’t necessarily need an answer. He asked a question that was doubting the possibility that those missing ponies were alive.”

“Will any of them come back, alive?”

The chief merely shrugged, his mind still a mess. There wasn’t much he could say to that. Still.... The chief had nothing against The Doctor. Sometimes he should know what kind of questions to ask in these type of situations. The chief didn’t blame him. If The Doctor were in his hooves, the chief would have probably asked him the same question. He knew the public had the right to know what was going on, that was agreed on earlier. But there must be limits! The PPD had no idea whether or not the missing ponies were alive or not, and when there’s a question you have no idea how to answer, you just trot away. If the chief had said yes, he was confirming that the missing ponies were still alive, and would be home safe and sound. However, that might not be the case, since the ponynapping case is happening at a huge scale, and there might already be a few casualties. But if he had said no..... He would just be saying that those that went missing would never be back, and that would set the whole town in sorrow. Or fear. Or paranoia. And if that were to happen, all hell would break loose. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

So trotting away was probably the right thing. It may not have the bravest thing to do, but it was better than messing up the situation. I wouldn’t want to screw everything up. I’ve been so close to doing so so many times. “I’m over what The Doctor asked earlier.” The chief lied. Actually it wasn’t completely a lie. It still lingered under the chief’s skin, but it had been reduced somewhat. “I’m just worried about those that are missing.”

And as if on cue, Carrot Top came trotting up towards the two, with a file in her mouth. The chief took it with his mouth, and set it down on a nearby table, after moving away some of the table top’s contents. There were words written on the top of the file, may have been typed out or written out. The words read a single word. “Caramel”.

The chief glanced over to Mayor Mare, who wore the same mask of confusion the chief was wearing. However, it was Mayor Mare who spoke first. “Caramel’s had a case?”

And that was when it had struck the chief. He opened the file up to the first page, which showed a detailed profile of Caramel, and the date of the case. How had I missed this? He continued leafing through, feeling the familiarity of the case coming back. Caramel had gone missing a little over a month ago for around two days, before somepony found him wandering around an intersection between the road to Sweet Apple Acres, and the road to Fillydelphia, dazed and confused. His coat and mane had been wet, and he had several cuts on parts of his face and all over his hooves. The lacerations had healed up, the blood crusting the wounds. However so, he was trotting like a half dead pony, it was as if he had all of his energy sucked out of him.

The chief called Sparky over. The lad trotted over without a moment’s hesitation.

“Sir?”

“I need you to go and find Caramel. You know who that is right?” Sparky nodded. “Tell him the chief wants to meet him regarding his disappearance last month.” Sparky once more nodded, and took off, leaving dust particles flying around in his wake.

Mayor Mare tapped the chief on the shoulder, causing him to turn around. Before Mayor Mare could even ask, the chief asked a question. “Wasn’t Caramel the one who popped the first question?”

Mayor Mare nodded. “He didn’t look at all worried when he asked his question. Okay maybe a little bit, but he really wasn’t that worried. Something on your mind?”

The chief cracked his neck several times before continuing. “Caramel says he was ponynapped a little over a month ago, and that he had escaped from somewhere. His testimony is still here in the case file, but I still want to hear it one more time. If this is Caramel’s case happening to other missing ponies, I would like him to stay with us for the time being. Anypony that has ponynapped but managed to escape is probably at risk of going missing again.” He turned his attention to Roseluck and Carrot Top, who were still going through the case files. He trotted over to the two.

“I’d like you two to keep leafing through those case files just in case we had missed anything within the past 3 months. Caramel might not be the only one.” The two officers nodded, and with that, the chief returned to speaking with Mayor Mare, only to be asked several questions before even uttering a single word. The chief held up a hoof, silencing the mayor, before speaking, “One question at a time, please. And ask what you have to.”

Mayor Mare raised a hoof to her mouth, staring at the ground as she comtemplated the questions she would be asking. Ask what you have to. Years of being a politician have taught her that questions, if offensive or not wanted will be ignored, and the conversation will probably be over.

“Cold or hot?”

The chief frowned. He hadn’t been expecting the question at all. He was expecting a question, but certainly not this.

“It’s cold. He didn’t have a single suspect, so we couldn’t do much. Of course, Caramel isn’t happy with that, but with lack of evidence we can’t really get anywhere.”

“Did he mention where he came from?”

The chief shook his head, and mentally noted that he should ask that question later. Fat chance that he’ll still remember the place after a month. But hey, who knows? If we could get our break here, then we can probably save more ponies.

A short pause, before Mayor Mare asked, “Were any other ponies missing around the time Caramel was missing?”

The chief digested the question for a short moment, trying to sort through the cases that had gone through the past few months. With only Caramel’s coming to mind, he shrugged and replied, “Carrot Top and Roseluck are sorting through the case files now looking for anything that could have happened during the past few months just to be sure.”

A knock on the room door grabbed the attention of the occupants within the room, however, Carrot Top and Roseluck continued going through the case files. A familiar voice sounded outside the door between a couple more knocks, “Hey Chief! I got who you were asking for!” The chief called Sparky in, and the door opened, the junior officer stepping inside, Caramel following close behind.

Caramel’s eyes explored the meeting room before locking onto the chief’s. “Good, uh..” Caramel looked around, hoping to find a clock. Finding one hanging from a wall, he continued his greeting. “Good evening, chief. Got any new leads on my case?”

The chief shook his head, slowly and clearly. Caramel continued his stare at the chief, prompting him to continue. “Actually, I called you over to talk about your case.” The chief lied. He had to see if he could link anything between Caramel’s case and the missing ponies. “I noticed that you didn’t provide a location of any sort during your testimony a month ago, and I was wondering if you could be able to do so for me. But, since Mayor Mare is here, I think it would be better if you just repeat everything from the start, just for her knowledge.” The chief gestured for the two to enter the chief’s office, right opposite the cabinets containing the case files near the main door.

Caramel nodded, and proceeded to enter the chief’s office. The chief took his time entering, slowly wondering what kind of questions he’s going to have to ask soon.

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Author’s note : Exams are over for now, but there’s going to be another one out in May. For now, I’ll try to make use of my time to write the final few chapters before I can finally concentrate on my exams. Again, forgive me for my tardiness in publishing lately. (Twilight forgive me)

Comments

[Chill Mists(Chilly)]

I like what you're doing with the parts from the Chief's point of view.

[tubaguy]

awesome

[Festus]

Good, so Lyra's alive (barely). Now that means we only have two failed saves and two more to save, Fluttershy and Octavia... Crap, don't kill them both! Heck, take Twilight's life! (forgive me, Twi. I still love you ) Let's see how the story goes on from here, since it's coming to a conclusion pretty soon.

[Shardikku]

This is bloody genius.
I especially liked the twist involving generic evil pinkie (The whole party scene, then finding out it wasn't her)
All in all *Moneysupermarket voice* EPIC
I'm hooked, I must know what happens to Flyshy and Octy. (and everypony else.)
so far so good, Keep it up (yes even the author notes, they made me laugh

[MacDerpy]

all good things take time this is an awesome story