//------------------------------// // Chapter 7: On The Hunt // Story: The Magician's Mantle // by DEI Caboose //------------------------------// ”Before moving on to sports, we would once again like to remind the fine citizens of Fillydelphia, if at all possible, to avoid the residential area between Northwood East and Celestia Circle on account of a devastating fire breaking out, causing the complete collapse of a residential apartment block earlier this evening. At this time we don't have confirmation on whether or not there have been any casualties of this tragic occurrence, but there are a number of residents who are still unaccounted for, and the Police Commissioner has once again refused to make any comment-” Trixie cringed at the voice on the radio and turned towards the nurse stationed in the room with her. “Could you turn that down please?” Trixie asked with hope and persistence. The nurse obliged and turned down the volume dial with a roll of her hoof. “Was getting sick of hearing that stuff anyway,” the mare said simply, having heard the same story over and over again for many hours now; both from the radio and from her patients, who had been injured by said disaster and of which the azure mare she was currently attending to was involved in also, having suffered burns on her hooves from the fire and multiple minor injuries to her body after taking a nasty tumble. Trixie gave a thankful smile, but recoiled as the nurse drew closer to her once again, a roll of gauze in one hoof and a vial of some type of liquid in the other. “This,” she said with a shake of the bottle. “This is to keep your burns clean and helps with the healing process. The gauze is pretty self explanatory, but it is my duty to remind you to keep off your hooves as best you can and to replace the bandages daily. We clear?” she explained in a firm tone. Trixie gave a curt nod, not anticipating but still thankful for the nurse's no nonsense but explanatory voice. Trixie held her hooves out and leaned back into the chair she was sat in, having elected not to lay upon the nearby hospital bed on the off chance some other pony might require it more than she did. After the local services had turned up to deal with what remained of the apartment fire, Trixie discretely removed her charred Mare-Do-Well get up and retreated from the rooftop she had found herself on. Rather than make a quick escape, Trixie instead elected to go to one of the newly arrived ambulances in hope that they would deal with her injured hooves. They asked no questions other than what was related to Trixie's health, automatically assuming that Trixie was one of the building’s residents who had simply been burned by the blaze; which for the moment was the absolute and only truth. She, and a number of other injured ponies were swiftly taken to a nearby hospital; which was far more equipped to deal with the onslaught of incoming patients. Trixie had been waiting with her hooves under a pouring water faucet before a nurse was free to assist her. Some ponies required more aid than most others, and some would most likely never recover completely. Trixie was thankful that she was not one of them. But nevertheless, the reality of that fact angered her to no end. “Hold your hooves still, this is gonna sting,” the nurse said stoically, holding the liquid vial ready to pour onto Trixie’s waiting forelegs. Trixie bit her lip and closed her eyes, the concoction was a necessity unless she wished for her hooves to be forever branded with the visual reminders of her blunder. The vertical lines across her hooves were red and shiny, and Trixie did not want to have to look at them any longer than what was required for her to get this over and done with. Trixie groaned as the liquid was applied; she was convinced that she could hear a sizzling sound, inaudible to everypony but herself. The sensation was painful, but far from unbearable, and Trixie just continued to moan and shake as she allowed the seething liquid to do its work. The nurse nodded her head once she had finished. “And that's that. Burns weren't that bad so there shouldn't be any noticeable scarring, and your coat will grow back over it soon enough. You said you were wearing socks when you got burned right?” The nurse murmured as she placed the bottle aside. “Uh huh,” Trixie confirmed without opening her eyes. She said that she had been wearing socks upon her hooves in order to explain the questions regarding the state of her injuries; specifically questions related to her ripping her costume off of the burns. Saying she had been wearing a tight fitting custom made superhero suit didn't seem like a viable answer, not if she valued getting out of this without any raised eyebrows. The mare tutted. “Must have hurt when you pulled them off, you should've waited for the ambulances.” Trixie scowled. “I panicked,” she muttered with aggravation, as she didn't appreciate having to make herself appear as weak to satisfy the nurse’s queries. The nurse retrieved the gauze from where she had left it, and also did not appear to take notice of Trixie's harrowing tone. She simply proceeded with her assigned task. “Well, there's no major damage, but your hooves are gonna be extra sore for a while. Good thing you're a unicorn, hope you're well acquainted with your magic,” the nurse conversed as she began to wrap the material around Trixie’s forelegs. “You have no idea,” Trixie replied as her hooves continued to be mummified. The nurse was done within a few minutes, and communicated to Trixie that she was free to go after she once more stressed the importance of how best to take care of herself. She then excused herself from the room in order to attend to her other waiting patients, who were all present with similar injuries. Trixie brought her forelegs to her face; both were tightly wrapped up in white bandages up to her knees, but their motions and ability to bend were in no way impaired in the slightest. Gingerly lowering her legs to the floor, Trixie winced as she felt the pressure on her hooves. She placed as much weight as she could onto her rear legs, but it only did her so much good. Trixie had no choice but to power through the pain if she intended to leave the hospital at all. Floating her saddlebags contained with her hastily packed costume onto her back, Trixie turned towards the mirror that accompanied the white and sterile room and could not help but frown at the sight she was met with. Her face was blackened with soot and ash, as was the rest of her usually pristine coat. Minor cuts and bruises littered her chest and legs from when she had jumped from building to building, but she had bluffed them off to the doctors and nurses as simply being the result of her falling as she tried to escape from the raging inferno, and they had left it at that. What she had not told the medical professionals however was that her entire body ached; standing was a chore, and it took all of her restraint to not reveal the ruse to the nurse as she had been treating her. Now that she was gone, Trixie willingly let her guard down. Crouching forwards with a groan, Trixie ran a hoof along her aching chest; certain she that had landed on it when she had crashed upon the roof. Her eyes shut themselves as she heaved and ragged exhale. The damage would take some time to repair, and Trixie was more than comfortable with keeping her head down and lying secluded in the woods for a few days to allow herself the time to recover to an extent she deemed applicable. But as much as Trixie tried to ignore the incident that had caused her all this grief, so she could allow herself the time to mentally recuperate also. She could not. Her thoughts continued to drift back to the fire, towards the danger she had placed herself in, but more specifically towards that pony she had encountered; the pony who donned black and yellow and had the dismissive attitude towards the flames that they, if Trixie suspected corrected, were solely responsible for causing. Fillydelphia had something of a fire problem; with multiple buildings over the past month having been set ablaze. Everything from restaurants to corner-shops to apartment blocks. There was a growing suspicion amongst the local populace that the fires were connected in some way, but the idea of it being the result of an unhinged arsonist was one of the few recurring theories. Trixie however found herself agreeing with the suggestion more and more; the pony she had encountered all but confirming her own suspicions on the subject to be the truth. That pony scared her; and Trixie did not like that revelation one bit. Whoever it was, they did not even flinch when they had set their sights upon the masked Mare-Do-Well, they had simply ran and escaped with no hesitation, leaving behind the results of their actions in the form of a destroyed building and a crowd of injured and broken ponies. Trixie however took solace in the fact that they had revealed themselves, which gave her somewhat of an advantage. She pieced together all that she could from what she had been briefly able to see. The pony was a pegasus, was quite large possibly meaning that they were a stallion, they possessed a black and yellow suit and headgear which consisted of goggles, which Trixie was quick to suspect were all fireproofed and utilized by the pony to protect against the flames and heat. It may not have been much to go on, but the mere existence of the pony alone was infomation enough to confirm that there was much more going on in Fillydelphia than Trixie had initially anticipated. Turning towards the door to make her retreat, Trixie now wondered what she should do next, having no intention of pursuing this pony herself; their previous encounter making her more than a little unwilling. She pondered the possibility of presenting what she knew to the police; seeing as they were the ones most likely to do something about it. But her thoughts were clouded by just how she would go about doing that. How could she reveal the existence of the suspicious pony without giving herself away in the process? One possibility was claiming that she was a resident of the building and had caught a glimpse of the pony on her way out, but the fact that she obvious did not and had never actually lived there was too likely to be unearthed somewhere down the line. Trixie snarled as she continued to ponder the possibilities as she exited the hospital, with her encounter with the pony in the flames continuing to weigh heavily upon her mind like a spectre, lingering amongst the back of her thoughts. “Hello, Captain- Marshal!” Shining Armor snorted as the receptionist spluttered and flaunted in apology for addressing the Prince incorrectly. Shining honestly wasn't bothered in the slightest, but felt like humoring the mare was the best option. “It's fine, thank you,” he said with a smile, though the receptionist was clearly still upset with herself, seeming to mutter something along the lines of ‘making the department look bad’ which Shining was quick to block out. He had just arrived at the Fillydelphia Police Department and was on a tight schedule. It had long since passed dusk and Shining had been delayed in appearing quicker on account of being diverted around Celestia Circle by some sort of ongoing commotion. He turned to the receptionist while his detachment of royal guards made themselves comfortable in the department lobby; assured that their Prince was safe for the time being. Shining pulled a letter from his armour, and read out the name of the pony inscribed upon it, who he was here to meet. “I'm here to see Commissioner... By The Book?” Shining said with some uncertainty; the name written on the paper he held was somewhat difficult to make out. The mare pressed a buzzer on her desk, and Shining watched as a figure stood up at a distance behind the mare, inside of a glass-walled office. Shining could make out the features of a spiked disheveled mane and somewhat smaller stature than the average stallion almost instantaneously. The stallion approached and the door to his office flew open with flick of his olive horn. Shining soaked in the appearance of the older unicorn; with a green coat, a formally crimson but now greying mane and a bushy moustache which almost completely covered his mouth. The newly unveiled unicorn, who Shining identified as the Commissioner he seeked, cast his maroon eyes upon the young Prince; which proceeded to widen ever so slightly, unexpecting Shining sudden appearance within the department. He dipped his head as he drew close in greeting. “Evening, Marshal Armor. I'm Commissioner Blythe Book, at your service.” Shining too nodded in welcoming, though he raised a question regarding the Commissioner's name. “I thought it was ‘By The’ Book? That's what I've got written down,” Shining stated factually, hoping to give off the strongest first impression he could accomplish. Commissioner Book wrinkled his moustache at the question, recognition flashing in his eyes. “That's a running joke amongst the department. I put the ’l’ and the ‘y’ too close together on my application, made it look like ‘By’ and ‘the,’ nopony ever shut up about it since,” he grumbled with evident but contained annoyance. Shining chuckled against his better judgement. “That has got to get old,” he joked, further building trust with his police contact. “Twenty two years old to be exact,” Book stated with a stoic smile, before motioning for Shining to follow him into his office behind the reception desk, which Shining obliged in doing. The Prince took in the sight of the relatively simple and mundane office; a wooden floor adorned the ground, the walls were a stale cream colour and the view out of the square windows was less than desirable, showing nothing more than dirty rooftops and a skyline thick with fog. The multiple group photos and commendations than hung upon the walls did however succeed in making the office feel more homely, as did the picture of a mare and filly that laid upon the officer's desk. Book took a seat behind his ordered table, relaxing into his velvet chair while Shining sat down to his front. His expression was unreadable, and Shining allowed for him to start the conversation regarding the issues at hoof. “Now, pardon my bluntness, Marshal, but what exactly are you doing here?” was Book’s first question to his younger superior. Leaning back slightly at the unexpectedness of the query, Shining explained as simply as he could his motivations. “You called for a royal guard presence, so he we are,” he said with bluntness. Book allowed his eyes to droop in reply. “That I did, but you don't often get the Captain, or should I now say the Marshal responding personally to every request for public support. So what gives?” pried Book. Shining ignored the lingering feelings of annoyance he felt towards the vigilante situation from clouding his thoughts. But if he was truly honest with himself, even he didn't know exactly why he had decided to take this case with the abruptness that he had. It was just something he felt he needed to do, and he didn't need his decision to be questioned like he was an inept colt. “I took a special interest in your case,” he said sharply. Book stroked his chin. “Ponies take an interest for a reason,” he said, hoping to prompt a more informed response. Shining gripped the armrests of his seats, already sick of having to explain why he had to do this over and over again. He was a royal guard, to do that he had to guard; and the only way he would be able to do that was if he dealt with the potential threats before they evolved beyond something that could be handled by himself. A guard who sat behind a desk in a fortified palace was a guard not doing his job right. “I just want to get this all resolved before it turns into something bigger,” he said in an exasperated tone, eager to move on to a conversation more of relevance to their current situation. The Commissioner clearly wished for a more fulfilling answer, but it was not his place to question royalty, however much he wanted to in this case. He clicked his teeth and expressed his thanks. “Well either way, I'm grateful you sent yourself. Ponies have been getting a bit restless around here on account of everything that's been going on as of late. We're keeping a lid on it all as best we can; meaning no press, but the fires are happening more frequently and this Mare-Do-Well character is showing up more every day. We need some support is what I'm saying.” Shining nodded in understanding. He had a fair idea of what he was in for; a series of fires that are thought to be connected in some way or another, and a mare dressing up in a costume to scare off the local population of criminals, for yet unknown reasons, but reasons Shining intended to find out. The ageing Commissioner took the opportunity to speak while Shining collected his thoughts. “What do you know so far?” he asked with gruffness. The Prince found himself snorting again. “Everything in the envelope I got.” Book reached out with and gripped a file on his desk with his brown tinted magic; the colour matching his eyes. “Not that much then, I'll get you up to speed on both.” Clearing his throat, Book read from the file he had retrieved while Shining leaned forward in anticipation of what he would be told. “Mare-Do-Well first started appearing just over a week ago, she was first spotted by two of my officers around Central Square, but since then she's been showing up all over the city including at the fire that happened earlier today in Northwood.” Shining felt his neck and ears veer up in response. “There's been another fire? And she was there?” he expressed with a gasp. Shining’s eyes darted to the floor as questions began to pile up in his thoughts. “Is there a correlation? Do you think they're related? The fires and Mare-Do-Well I mean.” Shaking his head to indicate that there was not, at least as far as he knew, a connection between the two, Book continued with his explanation. “No connection beyond her showing up there today, as far as we know. The outbreak of fires started about a month and a bit back. Originally it was just small things; a carriage or a small house, but over time the fires have been getting bigger, and there's been more of them. Counting tonight, there's been three fires this week, fourteen in total that we can link together.” Shining nodded in understanding. “And what exactly is it that links the fires?” “Crap,” a new voice intruded. Turning his neck towards the glass door he had previously entered through, Shining took in the appearance of a new stallion who had just revealed himself with his interruption of vulgarity. “Sorry I didn't knock, Blythe, but I got your witness statements from the Northwood fire,” the yellow unicorn said as he slouched over to the Commissioner’s desk, throwing a file onto it as if it held no value to him whatsoever. His shaggy brown mane whipped around beneath the old-timey fedora he wore as he turned towards the Prince, apparently only just realising that Shining was there to begin with. He gasped in astonishment. “Whoa, Book! How'd you manage to get Shining Armor down here? But more importantly why didn't you tell me, what happened to the loop, huh compadre?” he had started off gushing, which quickly turned into apparent fury. The Commissioner appeared to be used to the new stallion's behaviour, and introduced him for Shining’s sake. “Marshal, this is Detective Hard Case; heading up the Mare-Do-Well investigation,” said Book, which an accompanying head gesture between the two as he said their names. Hard Case threw out a hoof for Shining to shake. “Nice to see ya, Captain- Uh, Marshal,” he stated, with noticeable embarrassment at his slip up. Shining’s eye twitched. “It's fine,” he said swiftly, before remembering that this was a pony he most certainly needed to speak with, as he would probably have the most knowledge about the ongoing Mare-Do-Well situation. “I'd like to talk to you later if I could, and you can probably guess who about,” Shining said with a grimace. The detective gave a boisterous laugh in response. “Outstanding! We’ll have Mare-Do-Well running scared with you on the case. The sooner the better I say, you are aware of what she's doing right?” Shining shook his head to indicate he did not, and was quite intrigued by what the stallion would say, he didn't know much about the collateral damage that Mare-Do-Well was causing as was eager to learn more. The Commissioner decided to chime in before Case could speak his part. “Aside from the obvious ethical issues there are with a mare dressing up in a mask and potentially hurting herself and others, she's-” “She's scaring the criminals away before we get a chance to respond! Which as you can imagine isn't exactly solving the problem of crime,” interrupted Case with a grunt to emphasise his point. Shining turned to Book befuddled, who simply shrugged his shoulders in response to Case’s outburst. “She's not too popular around here,” he stated. The other detective grumbled in affirmation. “You bet your ass she's not! You see what she did to Ride Along? Poor guy couldn't turn his siren off for hours. Heck, for all we know she could be in cahoots with these thieving idiots as some out sort of hired muscle or lookout or something.” As suspicious at Shining was, he sincerely doubted that was the case. Hard Case continued to ramble for several moments more, and the Commissioner was starting to become noticeable annoyed as the disgruntled detective started to call his courses of action into question. Shining decided to intervene before things spiralled out of control beyond reparation. “How about we do our jobs, that way we can solve both problems at the same time. No need for any confrontation.” Both detectives calmed down and allowed for Shining to speak. Hard Case took the opportunity to pour himself some coffee at the side of the room, while Shining turned back to the lounging Blythe Book. “Now, you were saying there was a link between the fires. What is it?” Book straightened up as he turned back to the file he had discarded earlier. “We can't be sure how many ponies are involved, but we can be sure of this. Forensics found trace amounts of the same chemicals at all the scenes; present at all known fires. We think our arsonist, for lack of a better term, is using an agricultural fertiliser, specifically a manure variant, as an accelerant to start their fires and keep them burning.” “Wait wait wait,” Shining interrupted, baffled by what he was hearing. “They're using manure? Why manure?” Hard Case was the one to answer, routinely sipping his coffee as he spoke. “According to the lab boys, manure, or crap, whichever term you prefer take your pick, contains chemicals great for setting and maintaining a fire; perfect plaything for any aspiring psycho. But more worryingly, it's also apparently a great ingredient for the lovely little art known as bomb-making.” Shining grew cold at the revelation, he had anticipated his calling upon to be for an issue of severity; which was after all the only reason the guard would be called upon by local authorities in the first place, but he could not have predicted this turn of events, and grew slightly distressed at the scenarios that began to play out in his head, which he struggled to conceal from his company. The Commissioner was quick to elaborate on Case's point however. “Now, we don't know for certain if we're witnessing a bomber in the making, but considering the frequency of their attacks, and the fact that they're becoming more efficient at making their fires burn longer and bigger, we can only assume that there improving their technique and upping their game. What for? We don't know yet. But I'd say it's better to just assume the worst and not the best; makes us less likely to be inefficient.” Slouching into his chair, Shining willingly accepted the cup of coffee Hard Case had poured out for him without prompting. “I can tell why you not telling the press,” Shining said with an attempt at humour, with both detectives chuckling in an effort to diffuse the prolonged tenseness of the situation. Shining asked the one thing he felt could ease his thoughts. "The manure, is there a way to trace it? Back to a source?" The older stallion smiled genuinely for the first time since their meeting began. “That's where we're in luck. The bigger the fire means a bigger stockpile of fertiliser needed to keep it going, and the Northwood fire had a literal pile of the stuff left over for us. The main problem we've been having is that there's never been a sample ‘clean’ enough for us to match against other fertilisers that you can get in the city, but after tonight we should have a match down. Lab analysts are on it as we speak.” “That great!” Shining said with a grin, before he began to contemplate the Commissioner’s words, which raised further questions. “How in Equestria are they able to do that?” A shrug was his response from the Commissioner, with Hard Case deciding to explain instead; despite only being in charge of the Mare-Do-Well investigation he seemed to have equal knowledge of both. “Something to do with how they're made; different fertilisers use different chemicals or different amounts or something like that. All that matters is if they can match it to a brand here in Filly’. Then we'll have a supplier, and then we can narrow the search down from there.” Armed with a plethora of new infomation, Shining rose to his hooves, eager to get to work and help in anyway he could. “I'll be in the lobby with my guard, Commissioner, we are yours to do with as you please," he said with a nod to the two detectives. Book walked around his desk in order to shake the Marshal’s hoof personally. “Your help is much appreciated, Sir. Everything I know, you'll know. You want us to focus on something in particular, just tell us what. With you on board we should have this all closed up within the week.” Shining nodded once more before exiting the room, heading over to the lobby full of guards so he could begin to infom them of their duties and get to work himself reviewing the evidence collected on both cases so far. He left the two detectives within the office in an awkward silence, at least until Hard Case decided to voice his own theories. “I still think it's the dragons.” “You always blame the dragons.” "I don't get it though, why use the same stuff to start every fire? Why risk creating a pattern when they could just set the fires with anything?" “Calling card? Using a method they know will work? Maybe it's just something they have on hoof. It makes for a good tinder and it is the middle of winter.” Shining Armor and Hard Case had discussed theories relating to Mare-Do-Well for several hours now, and after coming up with nothing worthwhile, they dually decided that they both deserved a break. Shining had followed the roughish stallion up to the roof of the police department, and at the moment they were both leaning against the side of the building, gazing out across the skyline that the building occupated. The coast was visible in the distance, and the city bellow was alight with a bustling nightlife; with rainbow coloured lights shining into the air and reflecting off the dark sea of clouds that covered the sky. “And what about Mare-Do-Well? Why'd you think she decided to do all this in the first place?” grumbled Hard Case behind the lit cigar that occupied his mouth. “Who knows? Could be anything,” Shining stated with uncertainty, not comfortable with making any further assumptions on the subject. Hard Case shifted his cigar to the other side of his mouth and blew a puff of dark smoke into the air. He had offered one to Shining who had politely declined in a instant; citing his health as a reason. The detective turned to his superior with a contemplative glare, having been wondering to himself for some time now just why the new Marshal; who was promoted just over a day ago, was in the middle of Fillydelphia all of a sudden. “Marshal, mind if I ask an intrusive, potentially hard to answer for reasons of national security question?” Shining turned his head stiffly to meet the unicorn’s eyes. “Shoot…” he said slowly and with suspicion. Hard Case seemed to become slightly giddy. “Why are you here?” Shining narrowed his eyes. “Well, I-” “I mean what's Blythe not telling me? Yeah he's Commissioner now but he shouldn't be keeping secrets from me! I'm his best pal! We were partners! It's not about the fires or Mare-Do-Well is it? That's gotta be too low-key for you right? Something big's going on isn't it? Can you tell me? Tell me please, I said please.” Shining veered back at the outbreak of rambling Hard Case had erupted into, and was unsure how to respond. Should he bluff his way out and sour the stallion’s expectations? Tell the 'official' truth and play it safe? Or… Or should Shining reveal why he was actually there; the truth he had been trying to ignore but was nevertheless weighing down heavily on his conscience. He had only come to the realisation himself on the train ride over, after he had overheard his guard’s conversation, but it had only become an absolute certainty after the Commissioner had asked him the same question only a few hours ago. He had attempted to block the thoughts from his mind, but this conversation had just caused them to rocket back to the surface with unrelenting force. “Can you keep a secret?” Shining found himself saying against his better judgement. Hard Case grew giddy again. “Oh boy! It is something isn't it?” “Not quite…” Shining chuckled. “It's just… Something I need to get off my chest,” he said unsurely, wondering if he was delving down the right course of action. A prompting hoof-roll from Hard Case was as much motivation as Shining needed. The stallion was something of a loose-cannon, but from the hours they had been working together Shining was sure that he was able to keep a secret; it was after all effectively a part of his profession seeing as how he was a detective. With a sigh, Shining began to speak, in a looming tone of reluctantance. “I'm here because I need to stop the pony making the fires, and I'm here because I don't agree with what Mare-Do-Well is doing…” He paused, his posture slackening ever so slightly. “But I'm also here because I don't agree with myself.” Hard Case knitted his eyebrows together, clearly not understanding what Shining was talking about in the slightest. Upon seeing the unicorn's befuddled expression, Shining decided to elaborate. “By that I mean I don't agree with what I've become, I don't agree with what I'm supposed to be doing as Marshal.” Shining braced himself against the building’s wall. “I don't agree with the idea that the best way I can serve Equestria is behind a desk commanding forces. I don't agree that I deserve to be the one who receives all the perks and protection. I can't be the best guard that I can be if all I'm doing is hiding in the Castle with my tail between my legs.” Exhaling, his breath visible against the air, Shining turned back to Hard Case, his face lit up with an orange glow due to the cigar. “In short; it's not what I signed up for,” Shining finished with a minor shrug. Blowing more smoke out of his mouth, Hard Case asked a question that had raised itself in his thoughts. “Ain't the whole point of you being Marshal so you can do all that though?” he asked in a fluctuating tone. Shining rubbed his forelegs together; becoming fidgety on account of this conversation he had unwittingly initiated. “Well, I'm starting to think that maybe I'm not the right pony for the job,” he said, though it was obvious from his voice that he was unconvinced of the truth of his statement. Hard Case shook his head side-to-side, ready to remind the partially younger-than-himself stallion of the responsibility that had been bestowed upon him by the rulers of the land. He halted himself however, and he and Shining turned their heads towards the edge of the roof off to their right; where a strange and persistent humming had started to originate from. “What's tha-” “Shh!” Shining silenced the detective immediately, listening intently as the noise grew louder... and then even louder. He began to approach what he thought to be the source of the noise, which was coming from somewhere over the side of the building. Both stallions froze and were startled as the source of the humming revealed itself; an envelope floating up from below the side onto the roof, embraced in a light-purplish aura of magic. Before Shining or Hard Case could react, the envelope dropped to the ground as it was released from the magical grip, Shining ran to the side immediately and peered over the edge to see if he could catch a glimpse at whoever it was that had cast the spell, but he had no such luck; the alleyway below was utterly devoid of life, and Shining could not see anywhere else where the user could have cast the magic, nowhere would have been in range to perform the spell. Hard Case grabbed the fallen envelope in his own green magical aura, and held it away from him while Shining approached. “Shall I do the honours?” the detective asked with a weary smirk and a wink. “Only if you're careful,” Shining replied, though his glare was transfixed on the envelope, which Hard Case swiftly began to cut open. A piece of paper started to unfold out as Hard Case delicately cut along the seams of the envelope to both open it and preserve it for future study as evidence. Shining gasped the letter in his own magic and held it at a distance to ensure his own safety. Once he deemed it to be hazard free, Shining brought the letter close in order to read it as best he could. Hello. To whomever is reading this, I assume that you are in some way affiliated with the Fillydelphian Police, seeing as how it's their roof I left this letter on. I ask that you see to it that this letter makes it way to the relevant ponies concerned with the investigation of the Northwood apartment fire. I detail below somepony you should focus your efforts on in uprehending. I'd tell you what I know myself but I'm rather protective of my privacy. I saw a pony inside the building. I assume it was a he, as he was far too large to have been a mare, and he was a pegasus; which was how he escaped from the fire I assumed he started in the first place. He was outfitted with some kind of fireproofed uniform, which as far as I can tell was coloured black along the torso with yellow strips along the legs. He wore a mask with goggles so I can't detail his face. The most distinguishing feature however were his two front hooves; both were horrendously scarred, and if I had to guess I'd say he burned himself rather badly at some point in the past. That's as much as I know, if I find out anything else expect to receive a similar envelope in the same place. Until then… M-D-W Captain I've only just written this I can see you on the roof I have no idea what you're doing here but I assume you're her to catch the bad guy starting the fires and I hope you do because he's not very nice sorry grammar bad I'm rushing Shining narrowed his eyes at the paper, took another glance over the side of the building, and immediately started to make his way downstairs in order to report this new development to the Commissioner, his companion Hard Case following on in a questioning pursuit. Trixie was desperately thankful that the Marshal had not been able to spot her from her position flat up against the wall of the alleyway below, and galloped away home as fast as her injured hooves could carry her when she deemed the coast to be clear. That had been a big risk; but it was a risk Trixie knew she needed to take. The Marshal was more than capable of dealing with this unstable arsonist, and Trixie did not intend to get that close to the fire ever again if she had anything to say about it.