My Little Investigations: Marehunter

by Metool Bard


Confrontation: Orph (A)

December 14, 1:31 PM
Mewlun Mountains
Mt. Cloak
***

I'll be honest, I was expecting to be yelled at as soon as we arrived in the small alcove Orph had scampered up to. We already know the Neko Shogunate has a poor view of outsiders, which is why Orph didn't mention it to our host. But when we entered the alcove, it turns out he wasn't even home. At least, he wasn't outside.

"Think we should wait for our host to let us in?" asked Applejack.

"That would be the right thing to do, yes," I said with a sigh. "I just hope we're not getting anyone into trouble."

"Do nyot fret, Star Amethyst. You have done nyothing wrong."

Orph emerged from the shadows and motioned us to follow him inside. With a collective shrug, we complied. Taking a look around, I only have this to say. For an alcove built into a mountain, this is a pretty fancy pad. Once again, I'm reminded of those old Neighponese movies with the sliding paper wall, the stylized paper lanterns, and the bamboo carpeting. There was a table set up in middle of the room where five small cups and a pot of tea stood.

"Please, make yourselves at home," said Orph. "Though if you could, leave any footwear outside."

Applejack shrugged. "No need for that, partner. Strictly speaking, we don't normally wear clothes."

Says the pony who's never without her stetson. Yeah, that's one of the weird things about Applejack. She has never struck me as a pony who cared about her appearance, with the obvious exception of that hat. I've never bothered to ask her why that is; I've resigned to the fact that the majority of ponies in Ponyville have weird quirks a long time ago. But, I digress.

"Are you sure it's okay for us to do this?" asked Derpy, her eyes darting every which way. "What about your assassin friend?"

"He was called away on urgent businyess," said Orph. "The assassin's guild is always busy. But I did promise him that I'd look after his home while he was gone, so it should be fine. Please, help yourselves."

We all sat around the small table and poured ourselves some tea. Taking a whiff of the stuff, I knew I had smelled it before. It was actually very similar to the incense we came across in Kohryu's cave. That struck me as a bit odd. I know incense and tea share some ingredients, but they're not interchangeable, are they?

"Um, what is this?" I asked.

"Delish fern tea. It's a bit of a delicacy in the Mewlun Mountains," said Orph, his tail swishing from side to side.

"Ooh, ooh! I've heard of this stuff!" Pinkie chirped. "Zecora says that delish ferns grow wild in the Everfree Forest! They're really tasty!"

To emphasize her point, Pinkie quaffed her tea in one huge gulp. I'm, pretty sure you're not supposed to do that with tea. With a shrug, I took a sip myself. I winced a bit as it singed my tongue, and as it travelled down my throat, I could just feel my sinuses clearing up.

"Woof. B-bit hot," I said, blowing on it.

"We nyekos prefer hot food and drink," said Orph, lapping up his own tea with his tongue. "I apologize if this is a problem."

"N-not at all," I said, recovering a bit. "Pinkie, how did you gulp this stuff down so fast?"

"It's allll in the cat tongue," said Pinkie with a wink. "I read somewhere that cats retract their tongues into their mouths so they can eat hot things, and you know what they say. When in Mustangia, do as the mustangs do!"

Ask a silly question, get a silly answer. Oh well. We didn't come here to research the bizarre anomaly that is Pinkie Pie.

"So, you wanted to discuss something with us, Mr. Orph?" I asked.

Orph straightened up and nodded. "I'll give you the good nyews first. I've sent my report to the Grand Shoguns."

"Well, what did they say?" inquired Applejack.

Orph rubbed his eye. "Although they are just as confused as I am, they've decided to give you equines the benyefit of the doubt. As long as you respect the laws of our land, we will consider you to be our allies."

"Yippie!" Pinkie cheered. "We're all friends now! Do you know what this calls for?!"

"Not now, Pink," Applejack scolded.

Pinkie blinked. "What? I wasn't gonna say we should have it right this second. We still have to find Mare-Do-Well's identity thief and Dodger Dragonvest."

"Um, what is she talking about?" asked Orph.

"Pinkie Pie likes to throw parities," I explained. "She usually does that when she's happy."

"Ah," said Orph, although he didn't sound like he completely understood (not that I blame him). He then cleared his throat. "Anyway, Pie Pinkie is right. There is still the matter of this mongrel you refer to as Dragonvest Dodger. I've already taken the liberty of putting the entire samurai guard on high alert, so finding him should nyot be a problem."

"Yeah, about that," said Derpy, knitting her brow. "Mr. Seiryu said you had a theory behind his actions."

"It's a work in progress, but he is correct," said Orph.

"Well, how about you share this here theory with us, then?" said Applejack. "Maybe we can help ya fill in the blanks."

"That is precisely why I called you here," said Orph, taking another lap of his tea. "While the Grand Shoguns have approved of our alliance, the Nyeko Shogunyate as a whole is nyot entirely prepared for this paradigm shift. Here in Mt. Cloak, we can speak without fear of prying eyes causing civil unrest."

I suppose there's some good logic to that. After all, these nekos have been living in self-imposed isolation for who knows how long. They aren't going to just accept something like this overnight.

"Fair enough," I said with a shrug, blowing on my tea a bit. "So, what's your take on all this?"

Orph's face darkened. "I won't mince words, Star Amethyst. This Dragonvest Dodger mongrel may very well be the most dangerous rogue the Nyeko Shogunyate has contended with in many a moon."

I did a double take. I always knew Dodger was nasty, but without Kohryu at his beck and call, he's a cat without its claws (uh, no pun intended). He shouldn't have the means to pose a threat to the entire Neko Shogunate.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Derpy whimpered, nervously sipping her tea.

"Exactly what I said, Hooves Derpy," said Orph, his tail swishing back and forth. "Here, allow me to explain..."

***
Argument: Orph's Theory
***

"The Great Kohryu has already informed me about this mongrel you call Dragonvest Dodger," said Orph. "He was described as a lunyatic with a great understanding of magic; mystical gemstones in particular. And nyow, he has snyuck past our borders and faked his own death, in Kohryu's sacred home nyo less. This blatant disregard for our laws is a message, Star Amethyst, and that message is quite clear. He has something evil planned for the Nyeko Shogunyate. What that something is, however, I can't be sure."

Hmm. I can see why Orph called this theory a work in progress. I don't exactly disagree with what he's saying, but it's missing some key components. I need to clarify a few things here.

"Seiryu told us that you followed his blood trail all the way here," I said. "Do you think he's around here now?"

Orph furrowed his brow. "It's hard for me to say. A knyown fugitive like him would nyot survive long in this area, seeing as this is the central hub of the assassin's guild. However, the trail does indeed stop here. Well, what I could find of it, anyway. Most of it has been lost."

"But it still stopped here, right?" said Pinkie. "That means he's been here."

"Nyo, that doesn't make sense," said Orph, shaking his head. "He's a wanted fugitive. Why would he venture into a den of assassins unless he had a death wish?"

"We wondered the same thing when we found him in the Mewlun Mountains in the first place," I said with a shrug. "You said it yourself. The Grand Shoguns have forbidden Diamond Dogs from crossing into their territory. If Dodger was going to survive here, he had to have a plan."

"On that, we can agree, Star Amethyst," said Orph gravely. "I will say this about that mongrel. He was trained well in the art of covert assassinyation. He manyaged to fool us all with that stunt he pulled in Kohryu's sacred home."

"That he did," I sighed, sipping my tea. "Honestly, I'm still trying to wrap my head around that. There's no way he could've learned that, in, Equestria..."

I trailed off as the wheels in my head began turning. This was something that's been bothering me ever since Seiryu brought it up. Dodger clearly didn't have knowledge of those techniques before, so why now? If his blood trail leads here, then I might have an answer.

"Was there more you wished to say, Star Amethyst?" asked Orph, raising an eyebrow.

I took a moment to collect myself and nodded. "Y-yeah. I think I might've figured out where Dodger learned this stuff."

Orph tilted his head. "You have? How?"

"You said that the blood trail led right here to the assassin's guild, right?" I stated, brushing the underside of my nose. "And Seiryu already told us that the technique he used to fake his death was a complicated assassination technique. Therefore, the only place Dodger could've learned this stuff is from an assassin!"

"N-NYA~!"

Orph let out a shrill meow as his tail stiffened and bristled. When he recovered, he gave me a dirty look.

"This is a very hazardous accusation you're making, Star Amethyst. I hope you realize that," he said darkly.

"Sorry, but it's the only way this makes sense," I said with a shrug. "Diamond Dogs know how to use Shroud Emeralds, that much is true. But they don't use them the same way assassins in the Mewlun Mountains did back when they were legal. And I highly doubt Kohryu told him about it. Even while under that curse, he was still a pacifist through and through. Dodger had to dupe him into thinking that his intentions weren't violent."

Orph snorted. "Your theory is still implausible. He couldn't have learned those techniques here. The Guild Master would nyever allow it, let alone the Grand Shoguns. Unless..."

He trailed off, opting instead to lap at his tea.

"Unless what?" said Applejack, raising an eyebrow.

"N-nyothing. It's nyone of your concern," said Orph.

Huh. I've been hearing that a lot lately. And to be frank, I'm kinda getting sick of it.

"I thought you said the Grand Shoguns told you that we were gonna help each other," said Derpy, tilting her head.

"Th-that's doesn't mean I'm at liberty to tell you everything," Orph said in a strained tone.

Wait. Back at the Meditation Chamber, Orph mentioned something about the tengu. At first, he dismissed it as an offhand comment, but I have to wonder if that's true.

"I think we've got a general idea of what you're referring to, Mr. Orph," I said, brushing the underside of my nose. "You think the tengu are involved, don't you?"

Orph's eyes went wide. "Don't you dare bring up those savages again!" he snapped.

"I think I have to," I said. "You might not know this, but Equestria had to deal with those guys, too. It was a long time ago, but they might be involved in this Mare-Do-Well investigation we're conducting now. And I hate to say it, but it might very well be connected to Dodger Dragonvest as well."

"I-impossible," said Orph. "How can you be so sure?"

"Mare-Do-Well helped free Kohryu from his curse," I said. "I understand the connection is rather tenuous, but it's still there. The fact that Dodger is using Shroud Emeralds just like last time confirms this as well."

A low growl emerged from Orph's throat. "It's still impossible. The Tengu Dynyasty fell ages ago. They couldn't have come back."

Ugh, dammit. Orph seems hesitant to relent on this point. But if Mare-Do-Well is here, the tengu have to be involved too, don't they? So how can I convince him of that? Nnngh, I can't think of anything!

"Wait, does the Tengu Dynasty have to be around for tengu to be involved?" asked Derpy, rubbing the side of her head. "I mean, it looks to me like you've dealt with them before."

Orph didn't confirm or deny this statement. He's definitely hiding something. But what? What about the tengu makes him so uptight? I understand that quite a few things make him uptight, like Shroud Emeralds and illegal weapons, but that's 'cause he's the captain of the guard. It's kinda his job to be uptight about...

Wait. That's it!

"Mr. Orph, I have one last question," I said.

"What is it?"

"Do tengu use kusarigamas?"

Orph's tail stiffened and bristled. "Wh-what?"

"Remember when we found the kamas back in Kohryu's cave?" I said. "You mentioned that kusarigamas were outlawed after they were proven to be a hazard to eastern dragons. If that's the case, whoever used those weapons clearly wasn't a neko. And since the assassins play by the same rules, it wasn't them, either. So, I'll ask again. Do tengu use kusarigamas? Because if they do, that's probably where Dodger learned those assassination techniques!"

"I-I... Grr... NYA~!"

Orph shrieked as every tuft of fur on his body stood up on end. I do believe that answers that question.

"P-perhaps you have a point, Star Amethyst," he said. "B-but you must understand. This is very, very classified information. Nyo one is supposed to knyow about it outside of the highest-ranking nyekos in the Shogunyate."

That explains the secrecy, but I'm afraid I'm kinda lost here.

"I don't think we're following you here," said Pinkie, sharing my sentiments. "What are you talking about?"

Orph licked his paw and began fixing his fur. "There is a deadly criminyal in the Mewlun Mountains who goes by the nyame of Sojobo. I thought he had disappeared over a week ago, and that he was forever out of my fur. Apparently, I was wrong."

"Hold on, slow down there," said Applejack, raising her hoof. "What in tarnation does that have to do with the tengu?"

"Everything," said Orph darkly. "Star Amethyst, hear me well. What I'm about to say should nyot leave this room. At least, nyot until you are safely back in your home country. If the Grand Shoguns find out that I told you about Sojobo, they'll have my head. Is that understood?"

Well, it begs the question of how we're going to get back home, seeing as our ride was incinerated. But as far as this mystery is concerned, sure. I can abide by that.

"You have my word, Mr. Orph," I said solemnly.

"Mine, too," said Depry.

"Mum's the word, partner," Applejack agreed.

Pinkie said nothing, but instead launched into some sort of, bizarre pantomime. No, I don't get it either.

"Uh, Pink? Is that a yes?" said Applejack.

"Well, duh!" said Pinkie as she went through the pantomime again. "Why do you think I zipped my mouth closed, then locked it with a key, then dug a hole, then buried the key, then built a house on top of the hole where I buried the key, then moved into the house on top of the hole?"

Because you're you. That's the only explanation I can come up with for that insanity. Y'know, a simple "yes" would've sufficed.

"You equines are so strange," said Orph, rubbing his eye.

Tell me about it, was what I wanted to say. I would've said it too, if Pinkie and Derpy weren't sitting in the same room.

"Well, anyway, I thank you for your discretion," said Orph, clearing his throat. "Nyow, about Sojobo..."

***
Testimony: About Sojobo
***

"Sojobo is the highest-profile criminyal in the Nyeko Shogunyate right nyow, nyot counting Dragonvest Dodger," said Orph. "He is a tengu who migrated from his homeland after his entire clan was supposedly wiped out. He joined the assassin's guild, but only because he thought it would allow him to kill with impunyity. His skill in the arcane arts and the art of assassinyation is astounding, and he's been a thorn in my side up until over a week ago when he suddenly disappeared. If he's involved, the Nyeko Shogunyate is probably in more trouble than I imagined."

"Wait, if he joined this here guild just to disobey the laws of the lands, why isn't he in jail already?" asked Applejack.

"It isn't for lack of trying, I assure you," Orph snarled. "Do you knyow how many men I've lost to that monster? Nyot even the Guild Master has been able to touch him."

Yikes. This guy really sounds like bad news. Nevertheless, his connection to our mess is still tenuous. Time to clarify a few things.

"You said he was skilled with magic," I said. "What kind of magic are we talking about here?"

"I'm still trying to figure that out," Orph growled. "I knyow he has access to mystical gemstones and wind magic from his homeland. There have also been reports of him using music as a weapon, but details on that are sketchy."

Derpy blinked. "Huh. I don't know why, but that sounds familiar."

"Ooh, ooh! I know why!" said Pinkie, flailing her hoof in the air like an eager school filly waiting to be called on.

Orph tilted his head. "You do?"

"Yep! Twilight told us about it last night!" said Pinkie. "Remember, Sparkler? Pan's Music Code?"

Oh, right. Octavia and Spitfire mentioned that, didn't they? And it might've been what Derpy heard before she was knocked out and thrown through the window. But that couldn't have been Sojobo, could it? It was clearly Mare-Do-Well. Or her impostor; I still can't decide which. Even so, I should make a note of that.

"I knyow nyot of this Music Code you speak of, but I suppose it's as reasonyable an explanyation as any," said Orph, knitting his brow.

"Let's move on to something else," I said. "How well do you know Sojobo's character? Would he teach Dodger this stuff?"

"I honyestly don't see why," said Orph bitterly. "The tengu are knyown for their paranyoia and distrust of others. They don't form alliances unless it is in their best interest, and even then, such alliances are quite fragile. He wouldn't have helped that mongrel unless he got something in return."

Meaning Dodger must've had something big to give him. I can't even begin to imagine what that might be. Unless...

"Mr. Orph, do you know about that capsule we found in the Valley of Secrets?" I asked.

Orph shrugged his shoulders. "I'm aware of it, yes. It's technyically the property of the assassin's guild, so I don't knyow what's in it. Why?"

"Well, it's empty now," I said, brushing the underside of my nose.

"It's what?!"

Orph's fur poofed out all over again. He clearly wasn't expecting that.

"It's the truth," said Applejack. "Whatever was in there ain't there no more. Maybe that's what Dodger used to bribe that Sojobo fella."

"I-I don't understand," said Orph. "What in that capsule could possibly be of use to him?"

"I'm afraid we can't answer that," I admitted. "But, we did look inside, and we found writing in it. That writing is very similar to the markings we found on the kama. Therefore, it has to belong to the Tengu Dynasty, and as such, it has some value to him!"

"NYA~!"

Orph screeched as his tail stiffened and bristled.

"Hang on, does that mean that Dragonvest meanie got the Shroud Emeralds and the ladder from this bird guy?" asked Derpy.

"That's the way I see it," I said with a nod.

"Th-this is serious," said Orph, clutching the hilt of his katana. "We nyeed to find Dragonvest and Sojobo, immediately! If we don't stop them, who knyows what'll happen?!"

"You'll get no argument from me, partner," said Applejack, adjusting her hat. "But where exactly do we start lookin'?"

"Lord Orph!"

Before Orph could answer, a lanky neko wearing samurai armor and a mask burst in.

"You've returned," said Orph as his tail swung back and forth like a metronome. "Listen, I can explain this..."

"Whatever it is, it's trivial compared to what's happening nyow," said the masked neko. "Come outside. You should see this."

Without a word, Orph complied. We all did the same. Looking off into the mountains, I could see another trail of smoke.

"I-It's coming from Mt. Kohryu!" Orph exclaimed.

"That's nyot all," said the masked neko. "I've seen enyough of these to recognyize this. It's a smoke signyal."

"A-A smoke signyal?" parroted Orph. "What does it say?"

"It repeats the same message over and over again," said the masked neko, furrowing is brow. "However, I don't knyow what it means."

"Well, what is this message?!"

"'I'm calling you out, Momma's Girl.'"

Every muscle in my body tightened as soon as those words left his lips. I don't know whether to be terrified or furious right now.

"Th-that message is referring to me," I murmured.

"I-it is?" asked Applejack. "How do ya know, sugarcube?"

"There's only one person I can think of who'd call me Momma's Girl," I said darkly. "And he's waiting for us at Mt. Kohryu."

Derpy frowned. "Ammy, are you gonna be okay?"

I sighed. "Not until we clean up this mess," I said. "Mr. Orph, we'll scout ahead. You do what you gotta do."

Before Orph could protest, I mounted my leaf parachute and took off.

"Ammy, wait up!" Derpy called out, flying behind me. I could hear Applejack and Pinkie Pie were quick to follow suit as well. Good. I'd hate to go into this alone. Dodger's plan might not involve the Neko Shogunate, or even Mare-Do-Well for that matter. But after destroying my only way home and calling me out like this, I'm pretty sure it involves me. I don't know why he'd go to such great lengths just for petty revenge, but that doesn't really matter at this point, now does it?

I don't know what our chances are right now. I mean, my mom's pretty tough, Applejack and Pinkie are famous for saving Equestria multiple times, and I'm pretty sure I could hold my own. But Dodger has some new tricks up his sleeve, and he probably won't be holding back. This really is gonna be anyone's fight. But I know one thing for certain. Whatever happens once we get down there, it's not gonna be pretty...