//------------------------------// // The first clues // Story: Detective Nyx: Origins // by Switch Swap //------------------------------// Once upon a time, in the Kingdom of Equestria, there lived the greatest detective known in the entire world. Her name was Nyx, and she was the best of the best of the best of the best of all detectives, and she is still solving mysteries today. But like all detectives, she lived a pretty normal childhood. At least she did, until one day. "Hey, mom." Said Nyx, "I have a question." "What is it, Nyx?" Replied Twilight "Do we have any books about detective work in the castle?" "Yes, I'll show you." Nyx followed Twilight towards the castle library, anxious to start her research "What's got you suddenly interested in learning about detective work?" Asked Twilight "We learned about a really famous detective named Clue finder in school, and it made me want to become a detective." "Aren't you a little too young to become a detective?" "No." Replied Nyx, "Becoming a detective is what I want to do." "Okay, I guess that if you want to become a detective so badly, then I shouldn't stop you." "Thanks, mom. I promise that I'll be the best detective the world has ever seen." "I know that you will, sweetie. And I promise that I'll be here every step of the way." "I hope that I'll make you proud." Said Nyx "You already have, Nyx. Well, we're here now." Nyx walked into the library as Twilight used her magic to pull a large book off the shelf "Everything you need to know to become a detective: Updated version." Said Nyx, reading the cover. She opened the book and began to read it. "I'll leave you to it." Said Twilight, leaving the library. The next day, after Nyx finished reading the book and learning about how to be a detective, she went to go tell her mom. But she wasn't anywhere in the castle, Nyx searched every single room. When Nyx went back to Twilight's room, she noticed a cloth hanging out of the trash bin. Curious, she went over and lifted it with her magic. As she was staring at it, she thought of something that she read. A true detective never overlooks anything unusual Nyx sniffed the cloth and smelled a faint scent of chloroform. It wasn't enough to knock her unconscious though. She was just about to throw it back in the trash, but then remembered something else from the book. A detective keeps all evidence with her, usually in bags Nyx ran to the kitchen and got several plastic bags, which she put in her saddlebag. She then went back to Twilight's room to re-explore it, for she had remembered that the book said to search the same place multiple times. She walked around the room until she found 3 purple feathers on Twilight's bed, barely noticeable at first glance due to being mostly covered by her pillow. She lifted them and sniffed them too, they had the same scent as the cloth. That meant that the feathers were dropped around the same time that Twilight was knocked unconscious by the chloroform cloth Nyx put the purple feathers in a different bag, for she read that detectives never use one bag for two different pieces of evidence. Spike came into the room a few seconds later after being woken up by the noise caused by Nyx searching "Nyx, what are you doing?" Asked Spike "I think that Twilight has been kidnapped by somepony." "Kidnapped? Do you have anything to support this?" Nyx didn't say anything, she simply pulled out her evidence and showed it to Spike. She first showed him the feathers "Do you recognize these feathers?" She asked Spike "Yes. Those are Twilight's feathers." Replied Spike Nyx pulled one out of the bag and brought it before Spike. "Smell it." She said Spike hesitated, but then smelled it. "What is that?" He asked "It's called chloroform. I read about it in the detective book. It's used to send ponies and other creatures to sleep, mostly for when whoever used it on them was a kidnapper." "Okay, but she could have accidentally gotten some on her and then started sleepwalking." Replied Spike "There's also this cloth I found hanging over the edge of the garbage." Nyx said, putting the feather back in the bag and pulling out the cloth. "Now smell this." Spike smelled the cloth, and discovered that it had the same scent. "This smells the same as the feathers, but that means." "That somepony snuck in here last night and used the chloroform cloth on Twilight, then attempted to throw it away before leaving with Twilight? Exactly." Replied Nyx, "But he didn't get the cloth in all the way, and left behind the feathers. Which means more clues for me." "That's good. I'm surprised that you're so good at this detective stuff." "Wait, what's that?" Asked Nyx, flying over to the door. She saw dark green fur at the bottom. She looked at it for a second, then smelled it too. It smelled like cloroform too. "What is it? Is it another clue?" Asked Spike "Yes." Said Nyx, putting the fur into another bag. "I found dark green fur with the chloroform scent right by the door. Now I've got to see if there are any other clues in the hallway from here to the entrance to the castle." "Should I come with you?" Asked Spike "No, someone needs to watch over the castle. Since Twilight is missing and I'm looking for her, that means that you'll have to. Can you do that, Spike." "You can count on me, Nyx." "Thanks, Spike. I promise that I'll let you help me in the future." Nyx and Spike left the room, going separate directions. Nyx continued looking for clues in the hallway. She got to the castle doors and noticed a bottle out of the corner of her eye. She walked over to it and levitated it with her magic Nyx raised it up to her eye level and read the label, "Bottle of Chloroform. Made at Sleepy Head's store of sleeping supplies. Hmm." Nyx put the bottle into a bag before she left the castle. She was determined to find her mother, no matter what