//------------------------------// // Subject 137: Back To Work // Story: Interviews With Equestrians // by Jmaster49 //------------------------------// And before I could blink, my vacation time was over. It was a good run, being honest. We went through so much strife that I almost forgot how to relax. Thankfully, it was easy enough where I could spend time with Cozy in the snow, enjoy a rather uneventful hike with the entire family, and spend lots of quality alone time with Cheerilee. The party with my crewmates was the icing on the proverbial cake in the matter. Overall, it was something I needed. By the time I got back home, I even took some time to stop by Raven Inkwell to let her know how I had been doing. She noted the progress I had made, and said I could return to work. Though, she also mentioned that I should return to her if I experienced any problems. Which was completely fair. I left the Mayor’s office and said goodbye to the Mayor on the way out. Then, I returned to my station at my own investigation office. “Ahh…” I took in a deep breath of that air of office supplies and hard work as I stepped inside. Corkscrew and Quick Draw hadn’t arrived yet, but it would give me time to get things set up for them--including a round of poutine. But before I could get started, I was paid a visit. “Vestige? Are you well?” a mare’s voice called out. I looked up from my desk and saw that it was Luna herself who had come to greet me. She had on a blue and black fur coat to stave off the cold winter air. The snow was still rampant even in Ponyville, so the need to stay warm was imperative. “Yes,” I responded as I got up from my desk, “Happy Hearth’s Warming, Luna. What brings you by? I hope there’s nothing troublesome ahoof.” She shook her head. “Oh not at all. Well, not exactly,” she tapped her hooves together in a nervous fashion, “I have arrived to let you know of something that has taken place since your mandated absence.” Oh? This had to be good. “What is it?” “You are aware of the fact that Elytra has been detained, yes?” I nodded. Bon Bon had already dropped that hint to me a week ago. “Yes. How come? Has something else happened since then?” “Well...to be frank, it’s quite difficult to explain. Allow me to show you instead.” She reached into her coat, and levitated a photograph to me with her magic. “Take a look.” In that photo, I saw the body of what appeared to be Elytra, the changeling from before. She had been killed within her cell just like Neighsay had been! Though there were absolutely zero signs of grievous harm to the corpse and no evidence of who had entered. Just like with Neighsay… “Again?” I asked with a low, annoyed growl, “Is someone trying to spread confusion?” Luna sighed. “If I knew the answer, then we would have solved this ourselves by now.” I took the photo, and made it a point to examine it later. “Don’t worry, Luna. My heart and mind are clear as day. I’ll be able to take care of this without any trouble.” “Don’t overdo it now,” she warned, “You don’t want to overwork your heart until it bursts.” How trite. But I wasn’t worried. “No need to worry about that. I’ve hardened my heart long ago. Nothing will get past me.” “I hope you’re sure…” she looked down, then back up at me. “There are those that wish to see the world burn. Even throughout a time of merriment and cheer. Don’t allow yourself to stoop to their level, my friend.” That touched me, in a way. To be called her friend--even after all of what we had endured--was something I never would have expected. I appreciated it, of course. Given the trials we had gone through, we both realized that we had some similarities to each other. Dark sides that we wished to suppress in order to project those around us, to be specific. I was flattered, really. “Well then, if you consider me a friend, then I’ll have to be extra careful to ensure that I don’t kick the bucket. You’d be lonely if I disappeared, wouldn’t you?” I asked with the intent to tease. As a result, Luna was flustered for a moment. Not out of embarrassment, but simply because she didn’t know how to respond to the words I said. “...I beg your pardon?” I chose to laugh it off. “Haha. Ah, nevermind. I’ll do my best to analyze this photo, and get back to you when I gain more information.” She nodded, and turned to head to the door. “Of course. Do have a good winter season, Pale.” “Same to you, Luna,” I waved as she left. Now, it was time to take a closer look at this photograph. So I took it to one of our development rooms where I had a microscope at the ready. As I got it out, and set it on the table, I started to think hard about the details that surrounded the scenario. Yet another unforeseen death within one’s cell with seemingly no evidence left behind. At this point, there was no way I could be associated with it despite my own...foolishness from before--so that wasn’t going to concern me. What did concern me, however, was just what I could uncover from the photo of the lifeless changeling’s body. So I sat down, and slid the image beneath the microscope’s lens. It was time to get down and work my station again. To make a long story painfully short, I scoured the photograph for what felt like forever to find any trace of evidence anywhere. Unfortunately, it took me a while, and I had to get up every so often to stretch and avoid cramping up. That, and the fact that I had to constantly adjust both the microscope and the photo beneath the lens made it difficult. The clock struck 11AM--two hours after I had arrived earlier that morning. Corkscrew arrived and greeted me before he went to his desk as usual. Followed by Quick Draw who appeared not long after. She stopped by the examination room to talk to me for a moment. “Everything alright?” she asked. I had just finished another round of stretches when I turned to look at her. “Yeah. I’m just examining some evidence that was gathered at that scene involving Elytra.” She gave me a concerned set of eyes. “Um, aren’t you--you know--banned from taking part in that case?” Ah yes. That was something I had considered, but there was a bit of a loophole involved. “I was banned from the case involving hunting her down. Nopony told me anything about the situation involving her apparent death. And Luna trusts me enough with this, so I have no reason to doubt her.” Quick nodded. “True, true. So long as you’re sure, I won’t split hairs over it.” Hairs? Hairs… “Wait a minute…” I mumbled under my breath as I went back to the photograph. I stared into the microscope once more and inspected the changeling’s mane... Then I heard the mare call out to me. “Are you sure you’re--?” But I cut her off when I came to a conclusion. “Aha! How could I have missed it? It’s all so clear now…” “...What is?” I showed her the image, and started to explain the theory I had in reference to the corpse. “Look there. See one of the hairs? That one hair is not her natural mane color. Her mane, like Chrysalis, is a shade of dark cerulean. Meanwhile this one particular hair next to her head on the ground is clearly malachite green--which is a completely different shade. I must have missed it and thought it was some of her acid at first. But no...it’s a hair.” Quick leaned against the wall behind her as she looked the picture over. She had to squint very hard. But after a moment or two, her eyes shot open as it came to her. “Oh! I see now. But wait...who could that hair belong to? Is there anypony in the database that has a shade of...er, what was it called again?” I rolled in my swivel chair away from my desk, and over to a file cabinet. “Malachite green. Malachite is a naturally occurring crystal used to create copper. And it has this particular shade of green that’s rare among ponies.” She trotted over to me, and started to help look through the files. “Well then. All we need to do is find a pony with that particular shade of hair.” We searched every file we had. It took us three hours. We got nothing. “Damn,” Quick swore as she lied on the floor, defeated and on her back. “Not a single pony has ‘malachite’ green hair. Are you sure that’s the right shade?” “Positive,” I replied as I tapped my hoof against the side of my head, “There must be something that we’re missing….” That’s when I saw Corkscrew walk up to the doors of the examination room as he read from a comic book. “Everything alright in here, guys?” “Yeah,” Quick answered, “We’re just tied down with this stupid photograph…” I looked up, and saw his comic book. A pony on the cover had the exact same mane color as the one that was in the photo! But how was that possible? Wasn’t that a fictional character? Unless...oh no. Was this a repeat of the Bugbear-book situation?