Whispers of the Stars
Chapter 4: Day 2 Shaman
I start searching Derpy’s kitchen for liquor; drinking has always seemed to help me whenever I start to think too much. I do not see anything in any obvious place in the kitchen. ‘She must keep SOMETHING hidden.’ I search high and low throughout the kitchen, but I cannot find any signs of cider, wine, hard liquor or any such thing. ‘Can she seriously not have any?’
I am just about to give up when I find a bottle of cheap whiskey wedged in-between some flour and other baking supplies. With the simple thought, ‘Perhaps I can pay her back later.’ I take a sip of the whiskey from the bottle and immediately start to feel better. The sweet sting of the whiskey is slowly eroding the horrid memories of the previous night as it flows down my throat; the monster, the filly, my own immolation and death, all gone.
“So, this is what I will be reduced to;” a familiar male voice interrupts my drink, “A sad, drunken slob?”
“Who said that?” I ask as I try to locate the voice.
“Right here.” The source of the voice walks into the light. He is a bronze earth pony with a silver mane wearing a blue police uniform.
“Who are you?”
“I’m you;” the colt replies, “from ten years ago when you were still on the force.”
“Ah yes, I remember now; the glory days.”
“What are you doing here? Why aren’t you out in Ponyville trying to find Diamond Tiara and solving the case behind that strange church?”
“Woah, woah, easy there kid; you shouldn’t worry so much. I still have at least six days left, so I don’t have to rush this. Listen, why don’t you sit down, help yourself to some whiskey and we can talk about my favorite mem-”
“WILL YOU FORGET ABOUT THE STUPID WHISKEY?!” My younger version knocks the bottle out of my hoof, sending it crashing to the ground. “What happened to you?! You used to be one of the best cops on the force!! All those years of expert police work and you let it go to waste by getting drunk and slacking off?!”
“What happened to me? The nightmares happened!” I shoot back at my younger self, “Surely you know the horrors that your photographic memory saves from an investigation just to reveal themselves again in the nightmares that follow!”
“Of course I do! I've had my share of nightmares that left me waking up with adrenaline in my system and drenched in sweat, but I don't let that stop me from putting criminals behind bars! I would rather be an insomniac who brings justice than a drunken slob who mooches off his old friends!”
“Now wait just a minute-”
“Don’t try to lecture me, old man!” Young Bronze Plate interrupts, “I’m not the one who needs to be taught a lesson! There is a little filly out there that is in danger, and yet you are laying down on the job, getting drunk, and even accusing the townspeople of being one big cult; and to top it all off, you only agreed to this because of the money! I can’t believe I grew up to be some pony as useless or pathetic as you!”
The bronze police officer then storms out of the room in the direction he came, leaving me to absorb everything I had just heard from my younger clone.
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??? of Day 2
Only ??? hours left
I wake up on my side on some kind of dirt covered terrain. My whole body is engulfed in aches and pains. I force my eyes open to try and see my current location. As my eyes adjust to the light to reveal a forest around me, I try to figure out where I have ended up. 'Where am I?' I wonder, 'More importantly, how did I get here?' As hard as I try, I cannot remember how I ended up in this location. However, the lack of light and haunting aura of the forest tells me it is not safe to stay here much longer.
Every muscle in my body screams in agony as I pull myself up off the ground. My pounding head and unsteady balance give me the hint that alcohol was most likely the reason I ended up here; not very surprising for me. After taking a couple of carefully slow steps, I feel my hoof crunch something strange. I look down to see what I had feared is in fact reality. The mostly burned corpse of a bright-pink filly with a singed white and lilac mane lies dead in a patch of dirt. Her stomach is completely flat and her underside has a long vertical cut from her chest down telling me that something removed her internal organs and left the body to rot. Her face is frozen in fear and a silver tiara lies discarded two feet away from her.
'This...this is Diamond Tiara!' I realize, 'Great, there goes two thousand bits down the drain. As long as I catch the murderer and solve this whole 'cult' mystery, coming down here will not have been a complete waste of time.' I mutter a silent prayer to Celestia before moving on. If I had a camera with me, I could capture the evidence of the corpse; sadly, I am not fortunate enough to own a camera, let alone buy one.
I decide my next objective is to find my way out of this forest and back to Ponyville. As I start walking, I hear a twig snap in the distance to my left. “Who's there?” I shout...no response. I brush it off and continue walking. However, as I continue, I hear more rustling in the bushes of the forest. Feeling a sense of unease, I reach into my right saddlebag to pull out my gun for protection. However, I find that there is a big hole in the saddlebag and the gun is nowhere to be found. 'What the...where's my gun, and how did I get this giant hole in my bag?!'
My thoughts are interrupted be the continuous rustling. I pick up my pace to get away from the source, but the rustling follows close behind slowly picking up speed. A menacing growl sends my heart into my throat and I immediately take off as the creature jumps out of the bushes and follows in pursuit. My aching legs carry me through the thick forest at an unsteady pace. My headache makes it hard to keep my eyes open to see where I am going as I make random turns in the forest to try and lose the predator behind me. The creature starts to gain distance as its growls get louder. My adrenaline starts burning in my chest as I continue to push myself through the forest.
Suddenly, I see a small wooden hut shaped like a tree in the distance with masks decorating the exterior and lights flickering in the windows. I drive my overworked body to the door and immediately start banging on it, hoping that some pony will answer the door.
“Let me in! Please; let me in!” I yell. After a few seconds of banging, some pony finally answers the door. This pony is white with black stripes with a black and white mohawk. She has an earring on her left ear and three bangles on her right foreleg. I immediately realize it is not a pony at all; she is a zebra.
“Who is it that we have here?” she asks, “A new pony from Ponyville it would appear.”
A dash in and slam the door, putting my back against the door. “Sorry about this ma'am, but something’s out there is trying to turn me into breakfast.” The growling gets louder as the beast gains distance on the house. I then notice the zebra walking towards me with a metal pot and spoon. She then motions me to move away from the door. Reluctantly, I step away and let her out. I nervously watch as she takes a few steps outside and lays the metal pot on the ground. As the outline of the monster comes into view, she takes the metal spoon in her mouth and starts banging on the pot.
The beast immediately stops its rampage and begins to back away in fear before turning around and running away. After a few more bangs, the zebra puts the spoon back in the pot and carries them both back inside.
“Thanks, but how did you know what to do?” I ask.
“Timberwolves have strong senses in what they hear,” she replies, “so loud noises are one of the things they fear.”
‘That was just a timberwolf?’ “I see, and who is it that I owe my life to?”
“I am just a zebra, Zecora is my name, and I reside in this area of the forest where everything is tame.” Now that I am able to rest, I manage to absorb my surroundings through my headache. There is a black cauldron in the middle sitting on several wooden planks. To my right is a desk with many shelves atop, lined with several bottles, jars, and elixirs. On the left, many tribal masks hang as decoration with a small wooden table to the left of the window in the middle of the wall. In the back right is a small bed with a leopard pattern on the comforter.
'Interesting décor,' I cannot help but think, 'the masks hanging around, outdated medicine desk, cauldron, and comforter made of leopard's fur suggests she's not from around here. She also seems to speak only in rhyme; she probably moved here from Zebrabwae.'
“I see,” I think aloud, “so basically, you’re a shaman living in the Everfree Forest.”
“Yes, good sir, that is true, now whom do I have the pleasure of asking ‘how do you do?’” It takes a few seconds, but I realize she is asking for my name.
“My name is Copper Coin; I am staying in Ponyville to investigate the disappearance of Diamond Tiara.” I offer a hoof to shake but almost immediately lose my balance. I immediately catch myself before I am able to fall to the ground.
“You are suffering a hangover, I can tell,” Zecora turns to the ‘Medicine Counter’, “I have something that will help you get well.” She takes a purple bottle from the second shelf to her right and pours the liquid into a small wooden cup. Meanwhile, I take a seat at the table and begin to massage the temples of my forehead. The zebra serves me a strange purple liquid in the wooden cup. I start to eye the concoction suspiciously; my gut tells me not to drink it, but my dry throat begs me to do the opposite.
I consume the strange purple liquid and almost instantly, my strength returns and my headache vanishes. “Thanks a lot; how much do I owe you?”
Zecora just gives me a smile. “My remedies do not require a toll; this is a generous gift for a kind soul.”
‘Oh, thank Celestia!’ I release a small, quiet sigh. “Well, thank you again.” Hearing this brings me relief as I remember that I am broke. An awkward silence follows until I decide to break the ice with a question. “Are you a resident in Ponyville or do you live away from society?”
“I come and go from Ponyville as I please, so I can gather herbal ingredients with ease. However, as of late, I noticed Ponyville was not in its normal state.”
“So do you know about the newly built church and how almost every pony in town attends that alien-looking thing?” She is taken aback by my question.
“If you are trying to accuse me, choose your next words carefully.” I bring a hoof to my face as I realize the tone I just used was the same one I used when I asked Derpy about the ponies who attend the church.
“I’m sorry, I'm not trying to accuse you of anything; I just want to know if you are aware of the strange occurrences happening in town.” The zebra eases up and comes to sit in front of me at the wooden table.
“Indeed, I know about this new building, it has an aura that gave me an uneasy feeling. I went to inform Twilight Sparkle who works at the library, but there was something different about her that made me wary.”
I raise an eyebrow as I walk over to the Medicine Counter and pick up a piece of paper as well as a quill and some ink and return to the table. 'Filthy Rich mentioned Twilight Sparkle in one of his letters.' I remember, 'Perhaps this zebra can help me find out more about this mare.' “In what ways did she seem 'different'?”
“She looked like she had not slept in days; when I approached her, I was met with an evil gaze. Twilight Sparkle also had a dark aura around her, one that spoke of dread, rage, and horror. She is mostly happy and eager to learn, to find her this way gave me reasonable concern.”
“I take it you know this Twilight Sparkle personally?” The zebra nods.
“I have known Twilight Sparkle for nearly a year, for her well being, I am starting to fear. I have been looking through many books of lore, to try and find the aura the librarian wore. Alas, my search has been in vain, for the answers, those books to not contain.”
'Twilight Sparkle has an abnormally dark aura. Possibly studying Dark Magic.'
'Mostly a happy pony until construction of church.'
'Aura not found in any book.'
“Do you know anything else about the church in town?” Zecora shakes her head in dismay. I decide to move on before I start accusing her again. “Does Twilight Sparkle have any friends or family residing in Ponyville?”
“Twilight Sparkle five friends in Ponyville, all of which she knows extraordinarily well. Their names are Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity; they are very well known as the Elements of Harmony.”
“Apparently not that well known.” I mumble to myself, inaudible to Zecora. 'It sure was nice of Really Rich to inform me the heroes of Equestria consist of a prude, a hot-head, a liar, a black magician, and Celestia knows what else.' I write down the names of the six mares and write 'Elements of Harmony' above them. 'At least I will have some additional questions for these mares.' I turn my attention back to the zebra in front of me. “Any pony else?”
“She talks about her parents and brother quite a lot, although they currently reside in Canterlot.”
'Horse apples; so much for looking into family history.' I think, 'At least I have a lot to work with.' “What about the other residents of the town? Any idea why they are all acting like one big cult?” Zecora frowns and raises an eyebrow as soon as that last word escapes my lips. I sigh before adding “for lack of a better term.”
“Ponyville is acting strange, I did say, but I would not accuse them in such a way. I suspect the church may have the answers we seek, but the guards will not let you take a peek.”
'She's probably right. That place looked heavily guarded when I first got here and considering the Mayor is a member of the little cult, there's no way I can get a warrant to search the place. Maybe I'll get some more answers in town.' “I just have one more question,” I pause before asking, “Which direction do take to get back to Ponyville?”
“Return east and travel up the hill; in little time, you will be back in Ponyville.”
I return the quill to the inkwell and fold up the paper I have been writing on. I make sure it is in the saddlebag without the giant hole and excuse myself from the table. “Thank you, Zecora. If you find any more information that could be useful, you can find me at Ms. Derpy Hooves' house; I assume you know where that is?” She nods to answer my question and I return a friendly smile as I exit the hut. Looking around to make sure no wild creatures are waiting to turn me into a snack, I follow Zecora's directions back to town.
Evening of Day 2
Only 125 hours left
As I trot back into town, I notice that the sky has a shade of violet and the town is getting darker, telling me that Princess Luna has raised the moon and the sun is being lowered into the horizon. 'Jeez, how long was I out?' Almost every pony still wandering through town, more specifically, the mares, is giving me some sort of angry glare leaving me to assume that the word had quickly spread about me doing something rude, stupid, or both in my drunken state yesterday. 'Looks like I'll have to save the drinks for after five o'clock while I'm here; getting drunk so early seems to have given me a bad reputation.'
I continue on my way back to Derpy's house until I come across a white circular house that looks similar to that of a carousel. I recognize the building from the documents Really Rich gave me; they told me that a unicorn named Rarity resides here with her younger sister, Sweetie Belle. 'Well, since I'm here, I might as well see if she can give me some answers. Derpy said she was not a true believer, so I shouldn't have to worry about playing the tourist role.' I walk up to the door and knock in hopes that some pony is home.
“Coming!” A sing-song voice responds. Not even a minute later, the door opens and I am greeted to a gorgeous white unicorn with a curly purple mane and light blue eye shadow. “Hello, how can I help yo-Wahaha!” she springs back in shock as soon as she turns her head to look at me. “Oh my stars, darling, what happened to you, you are an absolute mess!”
I look down at myself and notice my shirt is completely covered in dirt. 'Crap! Why didn't that zebra tell me dirty I am? No wonder every pony was giving me the stink eye, I look like I slept in a ditch!' “My apologies for the appearance ma'am, I am usually tidier than this.” I lie as I brush some of the dirt off my shirt, “My name is Copper Coin, and I am investigating the disappearance of Diamond Tiara.”
“Oh, I see.” Her voice changes to a more serious tone at the mention of my name.
“Erm, may I come in? I was hoping I could ask you a few questions about the town.”
“Of course Mr. Coin, but first thing's first! We need to get you cleaned up!”
“Wait, no, that's okay. You don't really need to do that!”The unicorn pushes me in through the door an over to what I assume is something along the lines of a dressing room despite my protests. Next thing I know, I am greeted by a brush on my face as the beautician starts trying to clean me up.