So it’s like this. I had easy cases such as theft, robbery and whatever soft cases I could get my hands on. In total, I was just fooling around, but I wasn’t lazy, since I finish each thing I pick up. So in total I was able to get in one week since I moved in? 3 for burglary and theft, 2 for theft, 2 more burglary but are big fails. I might have that role like a patrolman’s but I’m the one who usually picks up the scent that a criminal leaves behind. So I don’t mind the soft cases. But as a detective, I needed more than just these soft ones.
The Maretropolis Residential Apartment was peaceful in the morning and around it while there were only a few ponies walking around it. Right at the seventh floor of the apartment was a middle-aged pegasi mare with dark olive skin and blue eyes while wearing corporate attire, and this mare had little eye-bags appearing on her face, possibly because of exhaustion. She was wearing a Bluetooth earpiece on her ears and appeared to be speaking to someone. She was walking the hallway…
“Of course I wouldn’t be like that, Douse,” the mare said. “The last thing I need another Pie to get, is dissatisfaction because they haven’t been given better mining material. But… it’s at least a favor to be given. What else could possibl-?” She stopped to see a nearby door slightly open. She looked around, and the doors were silent around her. Since this was a new apartment building that was only getting registrants for rooms there weren’t much ponies in the building, or on the floor either. “I’m gonna call you back. I’m expecting someone.” She lowered her head, reached her hoof on her earpiece before her semi-magnetic slippers on her hooves got the Bluetooth earpiece held. She placed them in a pocket in her suit. She spread her wings and narrowed her eyes in vigilance, knowing she didn’t give the access to her room to anyone else. Facing her flank to the door, she used her rear leg power to kick the door with her hooves and quickly face the door seeing the darkness of the room. “This is my home!!! I worked hard for this baby!!” She looked inside and slowly made her way in to feel her way into her abode, feeling her surroundings with each hoof she used. She heard nothing but her hoofs stepping on the thin carpet floor...
She then switched on the lights and eventually found out the blinds were all closed, possibly since the place around was dark. The signs point out that something happened in the room last night and she kept going on her search. “Hello?! Come out… NOW!” Her own vigilance brought her to the mini-kitchen. As she started to step on the tiles, she saw something red on the floor and stopped there. She bent her head down and looked closely, feeling the red puddle with her hoof and was eventually feeling the shiver come down on her. She looked where the puddle led to and her pupils shrank before her mouth went wide open briefly shrieking in the horror of what she saw. She stepped back because of what she felt. “Wha-? What the-?!! Dead-! Somebody-! I NEED HELP!!!” She then galloped out of the apartment room before she brought out her phone. Putting it down she immediately was punching numbers before taking out her earpiece and placing it on her ear. And she was able to get a call through. “Hello! I need emergency services, to Nibble Avenue Sunviews building! I’m…! I got… dead body…! Somepony… help me…!”
Dispatcher called dibs on the situation, and Police Corporal Victory Corn had been assigned by Spitfire to deal with first-response tactics. I was assigned to her so I won’t just be reporting to her in case of these types of things coming out.
This particular one is a murder in Nibble Avenue Sunviews, an apartment building that’s fairly new and was facing tough competition on its first week. The caller, Leaping Prancer Joy, is a graveyard-shift worker in the Customer Service department of the Gem-Chocolate Trade Corporation. Just my luck... a corporation that’s a sister company to the Chocolate Family Industry, Dad’s sweets company. It just makes me sick to think about it… And here we got a Customer Service worker freaking out over a dead body… But who am I to judge? She’s was surely traumatized, as I was sure…
Corporal Victory Corn and Flipper Choco, the first wearing a patrol-pony uniform and the latter wearing a simple grey trenchcoat not covering his flank, were ascending up the floors using hoof-stairs instead of the elevator. When they got to the seventh floor, Victory spoke up.
“So,” Victory said. “What do you make out of this kind of case?”
“Not so much,” replied Flipper, then, “except that Miss Joy here seems to not even know who the victim is. Based on the previous situation of her home being broken into, I’m thinking the unidentified body could be the burglar… or something. We still gotta know who in Equestria he is.”
“…or who in Maretropolis,” Victory added. He then led the two of them to the door where a number of police ponies were casual as they walked, with some who were in the room concentrated to find something. When Victory got there, Flipper went in after him seeing Crime-Scene ponies gathering whatever evidence they can while the body is still in place. Victory shuddered a little seeing the body. “Seriously, this pony has got to be a hunk before he passed away.”
Flipper raised his eyebrow seeing the dead earth male pony on the kitchen tiles… Gently shaking his head, he knew Victory wasn’t talking sense only seeing the victim’s build. “Okay, maybe I’m missing something, Corporal. That’s got nothing to do with the case.”
Victory chuckled. “What? Just making it interesting to picque your interest.
“Anyway… this pony’s name is still unknown. He was wearing a small satchel with him that could contain the tools he needed to lockpick through to the entrance but he’s got no ID or anything to tell his name whatsoever. Crime Scene unit 5 found it. Check the sink for that. Anyway, this pony got through the door and it was possible that somepony else was in there with him. Miss Joy was questioned and she made it clear she secured even her windows next to the main entrance, so only the door was breached.”
“No windows shattered?”
“Negative. Not even the bathroom vents were damaged or dented. The only explanation of the other intruder, is that the pony came in after this victim right here.” Victory groaned. “This place is beginning to make my nose bleed. I’ll be outside. You should do your thing.”
“Sure thing, Corn. I’ve stayed around dead ponies longer than you have.” As Flipper saw Victory nod and leave, he starts to look around the apartment room. In general, he understands the apartment room was personalized, but it’s easy to go through since it’s quite neat. Moving away from the kitchen, he can see other Crime-Scene ponies taking pictures of a random hoof-print sprayed with a revealing chemical on the carpet at the living room. Just near the sink, he took his attention to the satchel that contained the lockpick tools Victory spoke of. “This must contain those lockpicks,” he thought. Using his magic, he inspects the satchel close and unbuttons its main pocket. He then pours out the lockpick case that contains the actual lockpicks. “Hm… 3 millimeter, 6 millimeter… Darn it… This one’s got special sizes too. This case… unnamed. A professional lockpick case, no doubt.” His thoughts then brought him to the satchel he still lifted with his magic and noticed something. Making a minor spell effective, his eyes glowed a little as looked at the strap of the satchel. There was a little strand of hair, possibly from the wearer, or from the mane of the wearer. “This one’s… Olive green? Strange. Our victim is pale white with silver colors on his mane. And I thought it was him who’s carrying it. Better call out Lock-Tree.” He then looked towards Lock-Tree in a Crime-Scene uniform. “Hey, Lock-Tree! Get a tiny sample bag and a scalpel. Need this for processing.”
Getting the evidence was a cinch as long as I got other ponies, but I don’t mind if I got my own equipment for a crime scene. I’m just making sure they got their job given more purpose. I’m just making sure to get things moving with evidence. Lock-Tree got the scalpel and the tiny sample bag before opening. I used the scalpel to take out the hair. It seems it’s really the mane color and not the pony hair at all. With that little thing settled and Lock-Tree collecting the sample, I continue to look around.
After putting the satchel back where he found it, and leaving the lockpick case for the Crime-Scene unit to retrieve, he walked towards the living room and he keeping an eye on the hoof-prints that were marked by the Crime-Scene ponies. He noticed something odd about the marks that started from the living room. There were only two of them, but there was no other trace of hoofprints that lead to a walking pace to any direction. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion at this.
Besides knowing the hoofprints from the living room aren’t the victim’s I didn’t like it when the rest of the carpet floor attaching the entrance and the living room didn’t have these hoofprints. This type of thing isn’t normal unless the mystery pony used magic. There’s nothing but chairs at the corners of the room and almost nothing else between the hoofprints and the kitchen. Nothing else suspicious from other places suggesting that the mystery pony’s acrobatic in nature as well. I meet with those types too. Could have used magic, suggesting the suspect could be a unicorn.
He then looked towards the kitchen and decided to investigate the victim, the dead pony with white hair having a silver-colored mane. Kneeling all hooves but one of his front ones he bent his head to check for markings on the victim’s body. Using magic, he was able to do a simple scanning spell. The victim was surrounded by his magic until he’s able to look towards the dead pony’s chest. There was a violent incision that easily closed after blood flowed out. Then he noticed another incision on the pony’s underside near the rear. Then there was another incision on the pony’s back right at the middle.
Oh I already know the suspect is a unicorn thanks to the incisions, right after the scan I made, were showing that the incisions if going deeper to the flesh, were circular in nature, and not that noticeable if they’re closed. Good thing the scan did its job, but there’s something else. I noticed something on the incision on the pony’s back. Unlike the other two incisions on the underside, this one on the top was certainly angled that the horn going towards the target’s rear. I’m guessing this is where the pony was attacked first. Stupid magic-using murderer…
I tracked the hoofprints from the victim. He entered this building with certainly only one lockpick tool, like he knew which could open the door best. He enters the building and looked around. Wait… That reminds me. I missed something.
Groaning, he forgot to check if anything else was touched when the victim was snooping around in the building. Getting on all four hooves, he checked the bathroom. The lights were already turned on, and he didn’t seem to find other problems. It seemed clear. Proceeding to the room’s small bedroom, he noticed there were more hoofprints sprayed on the bed. Scanning the hoofprints with his magic, he nods, knowing these ones belonged to the mystery pony in the room. He shook his head, not finding anything else significant.
I thought I would find anything that could have been stolen from the room, but no other sign points that there was anything stolen. It would seem the dead pony looked inside the room without grabbing anything yet.
With what I think happened, combining the hoofprints of the victim, I was at least able to get the scene together. Let’s say dead pony is Subject A, with Subject B being the mystery pony. Subject A walks into the apartment with all lights off in the room with his own lockpick. At the fact the lights were off, he can’t see everything, but the moon’s rays could at least light some parts of the apartment room.
Hoofprints from him have shown he stood near the kitchen for a while, but he decided to skip that area and move towards the living room, only to be stabbed by a unicorn’s horn from above, and probably in front of him from how it happened.
Subject B I believe started, as I think I would simulate it, from the bed, then jumped just near the living room before finally striking at Subject A, hitting mid-back. Subject A retreated back into the kitchen fearing for his life, not caring to look at Subject B running at him, just before a stab came to Subject A’s front underside. Subject A was weakening because he was spraying blood fast, just before he collapsed. He was stabbed again at his rear underside, probably losing consciousness there at the kitchen. And it’s the same place he died because of blood loss.
Flipper groaned, opening his eyes after letting go of his magic. “Damn it,” he thought. He muttered “I’m dealing with something else here. How much magic did the other pony use?” He then looked at the hoofprints near the door, kitchen and living room and its size, all matching to the dead pony since there was so many of them. And the only hoofprints that were different belonged to the other, which was too far less to be tracked. “Movement spells… Looks like I’m gonna need extra help on this one…”
The morning passed quickly and Flipper himself had been in a coffee shop where there were ponies always sitting and socializing while eating cakes and drinking coffee. Sitting at the middle row of bigger tables in the medium-spaced shop, Flipper was there drinking coffee while looking at a piece of paper on the table. Letting go of his magic as he gently placed his coffee mug, he looked at his companion at the other side of the table, Lilac Ruby.
“Ya sure about this?” Flipper asked.
Lilac was wearing a double-satchel before reaching into it. Having a small book in her mouth, she puts it down on the table. This particular book she held was mostly brown with grey streaks. “Movement spells that don’t leave that much evidence of hoofprints, only tell me that it’s more than just a movement spell that’s used. I called on a few unicorn contacts at Canterlot to confirm and they’re spot on. They all recommended the same book I got here. Study and read on it, but the gist of it is on the paper beside you.
“It’s name the Gallopless Spell, originally designed to be a sneaking spell back in the past. According to what I read, this spell if it works for a duration of a few hours, requires that the subject casted on to not stomp on surfaces, or jump forcefully anywhere. Pixie Heart, one of the students I was in contact with who stayed as a librarian in Canterlot University told me a little but it’s just what I need. ‘Sprint quiet, move quiet.’ That’s what matters as long as you don’t forcefully stomp while galloping.”
“That’s really tricky to do,” said Flipper before taking another sip from his coffee. “Is there something to compensate for loss of speed out of the more stealthy walking?”
“The good thing about this particular spell is that though you are normally doing a stealthy walk, it can be somewhat flexible that it could make legs adapt to a gallop, especially if you’re aiming to be silent in the first place. Otherwise, the spell would have a defect.”
“Huh. Makes sense.” Flipper said this while looking at the paper. “Okay. That’s one spell out of the way. But it doesn’t explain- Wait. It could be possible the other pony in that room escaped with teleportation, but it’s only a long-shot. I still need the Matter-Jump machine to confirm. Looks like I gotta head on back to HQ.”
“Talking to Chief Spitfire about this?”
“In truth, yes. I know the Matter-Jump uses tracking magic when I connect to it. I’m not really versed in teleportation tracking, which is a problem. I need it to get things going.” Flipper explained this to Lilac.
But when I got to Spitfire’s office an hour later talking about the machine’s availability…
“It’s available after two weeks?!” Flipper asked while he was looking at the schedule on a piece of paper in Chief Spitfire’s office. “You’ve got to be kidding, Chief.”
Spitfire groaned. “I’m not. Remember that this Matter-Jump machine is the only one that exists. It takes months to create another one, even if it’s from Sparkle Labs. With the rise of crime magic, it’s only a good thing we’re able to get things moving with production. But there hasn’t been any available yet to the Maretropolis PD. Sorry. The machine’s pretty much being passed district to district.”
“I know. It’s being queued. I understand, Chief.” Flipper then decided to leave before he’d say something else that’s more of negative stress to his superior.
“You know,” Spitfire said, stopping Flipper from walking out. “I know you got your resources, Lilac Ruby included. And since ya got a case going on, you have your own work cut out for ya.” After Spitfire said that, Flipper looked at Spitfire with a smile and a single eyebrow raised. “Or maybe you could do diligent reading.” She shrugged afterwards.
Okay, Spitfire’s quite helpful. But he’s right. Lilac Ruby’s more than just my helper, but also a friend. I focus on the detecting, and she’s into logistics. Sure we’re partners solving crime together.
As Flipper finally got out of the office, Lilac greeted him. “So how was it?” She asked with high enthusiasm. “Were ya able to secure a clearance for usage?”
“Sadly, no.” Flipper said this just before he started to head away from the work area and to a series of hallways towards the entrance. “I’m gonna need to think. Listen, maybe you could make calls? We gotta try to get this case moving and we need to find alternatives to the Matter-Jump machine. That means…”
“I know, I know.” Lilac nods while replying. “You need the extra help.”
“I should go back to the scene of the crime again. Better not miss-” Flipper was about to say something when I saw something interesting… a figure in form of a beautiful indigo-colored mare. Flipper’s eyes were wide and his mouth was about to drip…
Well… Soon it’s gonna turn into a trio, if I get my right mind to it.