//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Taking Care of Animals // by Nicknack //------------------------------// After we’d both stayed up far too late into the night, chattin’ away, Earth Pony rose and shone before I did. Hearin’ her movin’ around the main room snapped me right out of the little shut-eye I’d been able to find. Through the window, the skies outside were still gray, and my home was chilly like a usual pre-spring morning, but at least the rain had let up. I walked out to the main area and caught Earth Pony slappin’ her mostly dry raincoat over her little body and tuckin’ her badge into one of the pockets. At the sight, my heart sank a little; despite our uneasy start to things, Earth Pony’d been my first honest-to-goodness company in Celestia-knows how long. The sensible part of me didn’t want to lose that. And if I were bein’ honest with myself, even the mornin’ after, I was still pretty tore up hearin’ about Twilight. I wrestled between that and whether or not I had a right to be, since I’d let her fall out of my life. Right or no, darned if it didn’t sting anyways. Before I could let Earth Pony walk out of my life forever too, I dug into my clothes trunk for my favorite garment. That stitched brown coat with white trim was a relic of a life long gone, but it was also one of my few creations that ponies didn’t turn their noses up at. Was dang proud of that coat. I put it on, which earned me a chirpy, blue question: “What’s up, Applejack?” She never did get around to tellin’ me her name, even after we’d talked well past midnight the previous night. Once she finally told me, I understood why. But that morning, all I could call her was my paltry nickname. “Well, Earth Pony, I’ve been thinkin’. Twi was a good friend of mine, once upon a time. I don’t know if it’ll do me any good, but I’d like to go with you to Ponyville.” Earth Pony reeled at the suggestion. “I dunno... I mean, it’s not exactly a vacation, Applejack. I’ve got work to do, which...” She shrunk down. “Won’t really be easier if you’re there, like, grieving.” I frowned, and my pride started talkin’: “Who said anythin’ about grievin’? I ain’t aimin’ to get underhoof. Just...” The rest of whatever reasoning I’d put together just came out as a sigh of the hot air it’d been in the first place. For her credit, Earth Pony played along. I appreciated that. “Well...” She bobbed her head in a half nod. “I guess Ponyville’s kinda far to walk alone, even for me.” Quite the ego sat on those shoulders of hers, but I couldn’t hold it against her. Heck, on her, I found it pretty darn endearing. Cute, even, if I were thinkin’ in terms of that. But no matter how she phrased it, she’d agreed to let me tag along. First thing first, I stopped in with Boss Pony—that was the name his mom’d given him, not me—at the quarry and told him where I was headed. Didn’t get no argument from him. His wife was Ribbon Murder number forty six. He understood what I needed. When Earth Pony and I finally got started on our path, we walked side-by-side. Around us, the flat dirt that stretched for miles had turned to mud as far as the eye could see. I turned and looked at her, but she was lookin’ upwards, more interested in the clouds than she was in the mud. Couldn’t blame her, really. I asked, “So, you know the way to Ponyville?” “Yep.” She gave a quick little nod. “I used to live there, ’til about four years ago.” “Small world.” I turned to watch the road in front of me. With all the mud, it took careful hoofwork to miss the bigger puddles. “But I don’t quite remember seein’ you ’round those parts back then.” “Yeah…” Out of the corner of my eye, Earth Pony rubbed the back of her head. “I might’ve known Twilight a little, though.” After hearin’ her referred to as a creepy shut-in, that came as somethin’ of as surprise; then again, Earth Pony seemed like the type to be coarse with her friends and rough on her enemies. “So,” I started, “how’d you end up in the EGI, if you don’t mind me askin’?” “I could ask you the same thing about your rock farm job!” She caught me off-guard with her sudden defense, but I laughed it off. Lookin’ at her, it seemed to put her at ease. “It’s minin’ rocks out the dirt. I took the job ’cause I couldn’t find nothin’ better, after my clothes shop went under four years ago.” Earth Pony tilted her perky head. “Huh. I wouldn’t take you for a clothes pony.” “Beg pardon, but I wouldn’t take you for an Equestrian Guard.” I took her quiet little throat sound she made as an admission of defeat. She followed it up with, “Ever since I was little, I liked taking care of animals. My mom never let me keep any in the house, though, so I had to find them outside. I had a gift for it, I guess, since they didn’t seem to mind. At first.” Her expression darkened and she went on, “Anyway, I grew up, moved out on my own, and tried making a living off it. Turns out, vet school is expensive, so all I could really do was like a rescue-preserve-type thingy. But even then, no matter how much I took care of the animals, they never really seemed to like me, not like the ones back home…” She shrugged. “Four years ago, I called it quits and looked for more open interpretations of my cutie mark. Like being a criminal investigator. Two years of odd jobs later, I got someone in the Investigations Unit to put in a good word for me, and now, bam.” Her ears perked up. “Detective.” I grinned for more than a few reasons at her story. One, I liked her way of talkin’. But more importantly, I knew exactly where she’d come from, what with hard work and lookin’ for a job that was more’n just wages. Course, I had to admit I’d settled into my rock mine a little too comfortably, but I wasn’t a stranger to hard work and perseverance. I was happy it paid off for her in the end. A long way down the road, near Ponyville, I finally found the nerve to ask, “What exactly happened to Twi?” She shook her head. “Someone actually wanted to borrow a book for once, but they found the door locked. It seemed weird, so he asked around. Finally, word got up to the mayor’s aide, and she had a key…” I heard her gulp. “She was right there, in the main room. Her body was still warm. Y’know, recent.” My stomach churned somethin’ fierce. “And she had…” “The calling card, yeah. White ribbon on her neck. But she’d also been stabbed.” We kept walking. I wondered what that’d meant, that Twilight’d been attacked with two weapons. Earth Pony furrowed her brow, but she didn’t say nothin’ neither. Least not ’til we were on the outskirts of town, anyway. “It doesn’t make sense,” she said. “It was the middle of the day, near the center of town. Somepony had to see the murderer go into the library, or near it.” Me, I just shrugged at that. “Whoever this is, they’re dang good at not bein’ seen. Been goin’ on for years.” Earth Pony cast her eyes straight ahead and hung her head low. “Sixty four,” she muttered to herself. “It’s ridiculous. I’ve met griffin and changeling soldiers who fought in wars, and none of them took that many lives.” “’Tain’t right. Though, I tell you, if I were in charge, first thing I’d do is start lookin’ at all the places ’round Ponyville that sell white ribbon.” A lopsided smile spread across Earth Pony’s muzzle. “Applejack, when’s the last time you’ve seen white ribbon for sale? That was the first thing I looked at when I joined EGI. It hasn’t even been produced for two years in Equestria. Or Crystal Empire, or Griffalia. Whoever’s doing this, they have a supply. And before you ask, yes, we’ve scoured sales logs to find anyone who bought ridiculous-huge quantities of white ribbon.” I knew when I’d been put in my place, so I reckoned I’d just pipe down and leave Earth Pony to her thoughts. She must have noticed my silence, and went on. “It’s a good thought, though. Just… two years too late.” “I had it three years ago, just didn’t think nopony would take it seriously,” I said. Earth Pony snickered. Right at noon, we were in Ponyville, and ’tweren’t long after that we were at the library. The outside of the place was swarming with police who’d fenced it off with a mess of yellow tape. Earth Pony’s badge was ’parently enough to get us through without a fuss. Heck, she even had folks callin’ her “ma’am”. Inside the library, first thing I did was dry-heave. Thank Celestia, I’d skipped breakfast that mornin’. Twi’s body was gone, save for a chalk outline on the bloodied floorboards, and a thick, copperish smell in the air. It reeked of death. The officers on the scene, they didn’t seem too bothered by it. Guess on the sixty-fourth time through, somethin’ like that starts to lose its luster. The library was a cozy little place, with shelves linin’ the bottom floor and personal quarters upstairs for somepony to live in. Other than Twi’s blood, by my count, there weren’t nothin’ out of the ordinary. There weren’t any scuff marks in the thick dust around Twilight’s outline—signs of a struggle—nor were there any signs of forced entry. I remembered, last time we’d spoken, Twi’d mentioned her spiffy anti-magic locks. There weren’t even any books taken off the shelves, not countin’ the heavy stack of magic tomes Twi’d been working through at her desk. Earth Pony busied herself porin’ over a folder of photographs that one of the officers hoofed her. I sat down at the table across from her, not sure what exactly I was supposed to do. I watched her work, but that got boring quick. She must’ve spent a good half hour looking at each picture. After a while of sittin’ there, I started feelin’ sorry for myself. Seein’ how far Twilight’d let the place go, how lonely she must have been the past few years... All that came back to me as guilt. I tried reasonin’ with the guilt—’twouldn’t do no good thinkin’ about what I should have done, but still. Five years since I started up my clothes shop and met Twilight. Four years since I’d moved out of Ponyville. Three years since the murders’d started. That was a whole heck of a lot of time I could’ve set aside a weekend to come visit my friend. I could’ve done more, and that was the truth that clamped onto my heart and wouldn’t let go. Eventually, the sun started on its downward trip through the sky, and Earth Pony silently shuffled the pictures back into the folder. My attention perked, and she nodded at me. “Hey. You...” She stopped. “You okay?” I wiped my eyes. “Yeah. I didn’t reckon this place was gonna be so dusty.” Once again, Earth Pony gave me a look that told me she knew I was feedin’ her a line, but she didn’t call me out on it otherwise. “Well, I’m done here for tonight. Wanna get something to eat?” “Sounds nice.” I forced a smile. Was nearin’ six o’clock by the time she finished reportin’ her findin’s to everypony. By then, the streets were only lit with lamps and completely empty. I hadn’t noticed it that mornin’, but for the first time, I saw the effects of the Ribbon Murders. For the first time, I felt afraid of what’d used to be my hometown. Earth Pony didn’t have anywhere in mind for grub, so I took the lead. I still remembered my way ’round those empty streets, and despite a growin’ fear of dark corners and alleys, I was done giddy when I found my old favorite place still standing. It didn’t look nothing special—a cheap eatery with indoor seating and a menu of sandwiches—but it held a place in my heart. Once the two of us were inside and out of the streets, I started feelin’ a little better. Course, it was a false sense of security—only ’bout five of the murders had happened outside. Pony and I both both ordered turnip sandwiches, and when mine came, I dug right in to it. Less’n a minute later, I ordered another. Through everything that’d happened that day, I realized I hadn’t eaten since last night. Walkin’ one town over could get a girl’s appetite up. Then again, Earth Pony hadn’t done much more than nibble her crust. Her thoughts were somewhere else, with the only sound she made bein’ a hoof idly rapping her plate. Couldn’t blame her, after what she’d spent the last few hours lookin’ at. Boy howdy, I didn’t know the half of it. Pretty soon, she finally went and piped up. “Applejack, can you keep a secret?” “Prolly, ’less it’s somethin’ that needs to be told,” I spoke through a mouth of turnip. Earth Pony glared seriously at me ’til I swallowed and nodded. “Right, I won’t tell a soul. Cross my heart.” She sighed and leaned back in her seat. “Looking at those pictures, Applejack… I’ve been with EGI for a while, okay? I’ve seen a lot of things, and pictures of even more things. I’ve seen how hurt bodies fall and how ponies struggle against an aggressor, and I don’t think the police investigators here’ve noticed yet, but…” She hesitated and bent in closer, bringing her voice to a whisper. I leaned closer to keep up with the conversation. “This was a suicide, Applejack. Twi killed herself.” Her accusation struck a nerve. I glowered across the table and spoke in a harsh whisper. “Twi was my friend, Pony. You here tellin’ me she was the serial killer all along?” “No! I mean, I don’t think she was. I mean, where would she even get all that white ribbon?” She trailed off, but before she could get lost in thought, she snapped back to the conversation. “But seeing those pictures, this was definitely a suicide.” “Twi wasn’t like that—” “Years ago, when we knew her—” “And I don’t much appreciate you insinuatin’ that she’d up and—” “Come on, Applejack: even you must’ve heard the rumors. She went full-recluse. And she was smart. She knew anatomy, or she could’ve found a book on it. She would have been able to do a perfect, one-stab kill like that without a problem. All the other murders, they’re a lot more violent, almost euphoric. This was clean and… and emotionless. She just… stabbed and died.” I grimaced at the words. They were startin’ to make too much sense for my liking. “That don’t explain the ribbon! If Twi did herself in, why was there a white ribbon ’round her neck, like the others?” Earth Pony hung her head between her hooves and closed her eyes. “The ribbon doesn’t have a speck of dust on it, and you saw that place. Even the knife handle had dust on it—but no imprints like someone had held it. I can’t get our magic forensics pony here for a couple of days, but I’m pretty sure she’ll find the knife was wielded with magic, but the ribbon was hoof-tied, like the rest of them.” “Which could just mean the murder’s a unicorn,” I pointed out. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “I guess… I think the killer was there, at some point, but they didn’t kill Twilight. Or maybe they did. Maybe there was, like, mind control involved. Or maybe they just knew something that seriously got to Twilight. Her and her theories. I shook my head. “I still think you’re full of horseapples.” After a quiet pause, I asked, “You gonna pass that up the chain?” “No. Not yet. I met Twilight’s family while training in Canterlot, spent a lot of time with her brother. They’re going to be a mess right now, and I can’t drop a theory like this on them unless I’m completely sure. I need to figure this out more, on my own, before I say anything to anyone.” She opened her eyes, swallowed, and looked me right in the eyes. It made me realize just how close we were leaned in towards one another. “You’re welcome to stay and help, of course. It’s kind of nice to have somepony tell me I’m wrong about this. Bouncy ideas come back stronger. And… you know, it helps to have someone else who…” She didn’t finish, so I did: “Knew her?” Earth Pony nodded. “Yeah. It’s weird; I thought the next time I was in that library, I’d be telling her about all the embarrassing childhood stories her brother told me, not… not this.” Itchin’ to do somethin’ with her hooves, the girl leaned back and finally took a full-fledged bite from her neglected sandwich. I also sat back on my cushion. “I understand. I reckon I oughta get goin’, then, to find somewhere to stay afore it gets too late out.” “Oh!” Earth Pony exclaimed through a full mouth, spewing breadcrumbs across the table and over me. “I have this, uh… friend, now, in town who totally still owes me a favor. She’s captain of the weather team, so she’s got a big place. I’m sure she’ll let us bunk there if I ask.” “Uh, are you talkin’ ’bout one of those pegasi in the cloud houses? Cause, you know, neither of us can stand on clouds.” For a fraction of a second, I swore she wore the face of a wounded animal. But she quickly covered it with a practiced smile. “Oh, don’t worry. You’ll like her.”