Chapter VI: The Unusual Suspects
There were a few things, Corporal Rarity thought, that she distinctly hated most about the Everfree Forest. Foremost in her mind was the fact that no matter what time you entered the forest, it always seemed like it was midnight. The thick trees above them blocked out all light from the sun giving it a very eerie feel. The second thing that made her hate the place was the unnatural way the shadows would shift and move. It made it very difficult to tell if the miasma in front of her was a bush or some horrid creature with twenty arms and seven mouths that thought she looked particularly delicious.
The third reason, and the crux of the matter, was how dirty everything was. This was also supposed to be her recovery day to rest and relax, perhaps pamper herself with a day at the spa or even more shopping. But no, she was now hoof deep into the bowels of this horrid forest! She wondered if there was a sort of higher power pushing her along and having the best laugh in the world at her misery.
The feeling of hooves tightening around her waist made her stop and shoot a look back to Fluttershy. The poor pegasi’s teeth chattered loudly as her eyes rolled around the scenery, constantly on the lookout for anything that could possibly leap out at them. Rarity knew that feeling all too well, but also couldn't help but feel the strong need to shake Fluttershy off of her.
"What's that?" Pinkie Pie asked as she stopped dead in her tracks.
Rarity turned her gaze to a hut sitting in the middle of a clearing. To say it made her uncomfortable was a gross understatement. She could swear the air around the hut was like a wall and as dark as a creepy cellar. But, much like the cellar, she knew this is where they needed to be. She felt Fluttershy clutching tighter and shivering.
"W-We sh-should get th-th-the others!" Fluttershy squeaked.
"We've come too far for that now," Rarity said, trying to feign bravery. Her own body protested, wanting nothing more than to turn right around and blaze a trail straight back to Ponyville to grab the Captain as well as the others. Instead, she put a hoof forward and pulled the shaking Fluttershy along, trying her best to keep up the facade.
"Should we just burst in and take 'em?" Pinkie asked.
"There could be more than the one," Rarity said. "This might be their headquarters after all. We should observe from a window, try to get all the information we can and then head back to get the rest of the Watch."
They crept as slowly as they could to a window of the hut, avoiding every fallen branch and dead leaf they could. The air seemed to grow colder the closer they drew to the hut. Even Pinkie Pie had gone from happy-go-lucky to nervousness from the change in atmosphere. Pressing themselves to the outside of the hut, they craned their heads up to peer inside the dim hut.
They could see several rather frightening things. Masks hung from the walls, each of them staring right back at the Watchmares, which unsettled Rarity to no end. From the ceiling, bottles dangled motionlessly, each a different colour and shape. The real clincher was the cauldron that sat bubbling unattended in the middle of the room. The fact that it was unattended and the three of them could see no rooms off to the side where someone might have slipped away to perhaps grab a pony and drag them out to cook them, worried them greatly.
"Right," Rarity managed as they slid down the wall and back to the ground. "I believe we've seen enough. We should be getting back to the Watch house right now."
The snapping of a twig made them halt as their eyes locked on the shadow of a pony glaring at them with burning golden eyes. The very glow seemed menacing enough until the pony decided to raise up and shout in what sounded like a strange, guttural language. If Rarity could have turned pale, then it's possible she would have. Instead, she'd decided this would be the proper time to faint. As the world went dark for Rarity, the last thing she saw was a blur of yellow and pink streaking towards the pony and a shrill voice crying out over the air.
"I swear, I'm gonna wreck you!"
**********
Captain Twilight flipped through her notebook, lost in her own thoughts at her desk. The testimony collected thus far along with the evidence pointed straight to Filthy Rich, but something was still off. She couldn't put a hoof on it, but the events of the past few days made her wonder if Filthy Rich was the type of pony to kidnap willy-nilly for some darker purpose. He had pull, being a moneyed pony, but it didn't make any sense. Someone had to be pulling the strings.
The who was what killed her though. The idea of there being a mastermind was very worrying. They had to be someone quite charismatic to lead someone like Filthy Rich as well as Big Macintosh to do these sorts of things and to make bold promises like the one made to Big Macintosh. Bringing in someone's family was downright disgusting. It made Twilight's skin crawl to know there was someone out there who could do such a wretched thing. All just to perform some sort of crazed ritual and bring an everlasting night? It was all preposterous.
A knock then came to her office door.
"Yes?" she asked, not bringing her eyes away from her notebook.
"Ma'am, we're here," Applejack said, sliding in with Corporal Derpy in tow.
"Excellent," Twilight said, now closing the notebook and sliding it into the pocket of her breastplate. "Are you both ready? I'm not sure just what we're going to encounter when we get there."
"Don't you worry ma'am," Derpy said with a grin. "We're more than ready."
"No picking at things while we're there, Corporal," Twilight said with a huff.
"'Course not ma'am."
Twilight nodded, albeit tentatively and followed the two out of her office. She sank back into her mind as they went down the stairs and out of the Watch house. If there was ever a time to focus, now would be it. The idea that they could be wandering straight into a hive of kidnapping cultists sent a chill down Twilight's spine. She set her jaw firmly though, prepared to face whatever they found and do their job. That's what this was now, nasty business, but a job nonetheless that had to be done.
Ponies cleared the way as they stepped through the streets as though they could sense the air of business about the three of them. The large home came into view as they stepped up to the door. Twilight banged on the door loudly before turning her eyes to the window she'd previously seen candles in. The lip of the window was clean. Even the wax that had poured over from the candles that once sat looked as though it'd been tidied up. The door swung open as Twilight tore her gaze from the window to the annoyed looking visage of Filthy Rich.
"Why Captain, I wasn't expecting you back so soon," he said with a grin. "Ah, and dear Applejack, how's the family?"
"Not here for idle chit-chat I'm afraid Mr. Rich," Twilight said sternly. "We just came across a new bit of testimony that puts you in a rather tight spot. You see, we weren't sure if it was coincidence or not that a cart was pulling away from the bar just after a pony went missing. Now, however, things are starting to look rather bleak for you. We know that cart was headed here and we know it offloaded a pony. So why don't you come clean with us and maybe I won't let Corporal Derpy here knock you about until I get tired."
"My goodness Captain, so hostile!" Filthy Rich exclaimed. "Even after I told you there are no kidnapped ponies here."
"We'll see about that," Twilight said with a huff. "You're going to show us that secret room of yours, this instant."
Filthy Rich didn't flinch, which worried Twilight. This was generally the part of an investigation where the bad guy would make up some excuse and try to book it out a window or even roll on some other partner they had just to make them seem less guilty. Filthy Rich, however, was calm and collected. Twilight hated that.
He silently offered a hoof inside and let the Watch file in. Closing the door, he then lead them down into the basement. Nothing had changed since the morning, everything looked exactly as it had been with a stone not out of place. Twilight stared at the stone wall impatiently as Filthy Rich fumbled around.
"Now, I'm certain the stone to open it is somewhere around here," he said. "I don't go in that often, you see. Cave ins remember?"
"Today, Mr. Rich," Twilight bellowed.
Suddenly a stone on the wall sank beneath the pressure Filthy Rich applied to it. The sound of gears and iron creaking to life echoed along the walls as the stone shifted upwards. Dust billowed and swirled in the air, revealing a wooden door tucked neatly into the stone. Twilight moved to the door and shoved on it. The hinges groaned before something got it stuck.
"Allow me ma'am," Applejack said, walking to the door and turning around. Rearing her hooves up, she slammed them into the door, causing it to fly open and one of the hinges to detach from the wall.
Captain Twilight quickly moved past Applejack and into the room where she lit up her horn. There in the darkness, all she saw was the far side of the small room totally caved in. Her mouth dropped open, stunned at the site. She had been so certain of everything only to find emptiness. Moving to the other end of the room, her eyes ran over the collapsed stone, still stunned from what she was now presented with.
"Satisfied, Captain?" Filthy Rich asked from outside of the room.
Twilight gritted her teeth as her blood began to boil. "No, actually, Mr. Rich. You've done something. You've moved them, clearly! Somewhere between this morning and now, you have moved them and I'm going to find out where. You're going to come down to the Watch house with us, Mr. Rich. It's iron bars for you until you decide to tell us where they are!"
"Again, so hostile Captain, I'll come with you of my own accord," Filthy Rich raising his hooves to show he wasn't about to fight back. Twilight narrowed her eyes sharply, glaring intently at Filthy Rich.
"Move," Twilight muttered as she took the lead and marched up the stairs with Filthy Rich in tow. The basement was still again as the upstairs door slammed shut, making the collapsed stone wall warp and jiggle slightly.
Twilight lead the way as Derpy and Applejack walked to either side of Filthy Rich. Ponies that stood in the streets began to mutter to one another as they passed by, most of them laying their eyes on Filthy Rich. Twilight looked about as windows and doors began to open up for ponies to watch as he was paraded towards the Watch house. This was something she hadn't intended on happening. In fact, this was the last thing she had wanted.
A spectacle like this would only draw attention, which would only lead to problems. Twilight still had no idea who the other members of that shadowy cult were. In fact they could be watching at this very moment in time without her knowing. She felt uneasy at the slack-jawed stares and whispers until they finally made it to the Watch house.
The door opened and shut slowly, offering sanctuary from it all. Twilight spun around to the three ponies and glared right at Filthy Rich, who still seemed far too calm for all of this. Silence fell until the pattering of feet from behind the desk filled Twilight's ear. She shifted her gaze down to Spike who looked between her and Filthy Rich.
"Lance Constable, if you would fetch the keys for the cells downstairs," Twilight said, now looking back to Filthy Rich.
Spike nodded and moved back behind the desk. After a moment, he grabbed the ring of keys and jingled them a bit before Twilight walked to the stairs just at the back of the Watch house. They twisted around, leading to the basement and the dank air of the cells below. There were six cells down below that lined the walls. Within each was a small wooden bed with a dingy mattress and what could be considered either a ball of cloth or a pillow, depending on how desperate one was.
At the end of the room, much to Twilight's wonder, was a poster nailed to the wall. The poster was quite colourful, indeed, being the only colourful thing amidst all the gray and brown. She could only think of Constable Pinkie Pie as the only pony who would install such a happy picture. As she stared at the poster of a pony playing with a kitten, Twilight could only think to what end did it serve? Either this was Pinkie's way of bringing light to something dour, or she was some sort of genius of rehabilitation and it was to remind incarcerated ponies of what they were missing out on beyond their barred homes.
Spike fiddled with the keys before finding the proper one that opened it. The rusty iron let out a groan as Spike opened the door and Filthy Rich entered the cell. Closing it swiftly, Spike locked the cell door as Filthy Rich smirked and sat down on the floor. Twilight strolled up to the bars and looked him over, still unsettled by his demeanor.
"You'll be staying in there for a bit until I come back to ask you a few questions," Twilight said.
"Please, take your time Captain, I'm in no rush," Filthy Rich said as his smirk curled into a grin.
Twilight felt a shiver run down her spine. "Lance Constable, keep an eye on him."
Spike saluted as the other three walked up the stairs and into the fresh air of the Watch house's ground floor. Twilight lifted the helmet off of her head and slumped to the floor, letting it come to a rest next to her. She rubbed her face gently as Applejack and Derpy circled around her, both sharing worried glances.
"Er, ya'll okay, ma'am?" Applejack asked.
"No, I'm not," Twilight said with a sigh. "Do you remember our discussion earlier, Sergeant?"
"Oh, right," Applejack nodded and looked to the ground.
"I'm trying to figure out our next move," Twilight said with a sigh. "We've got Filthy Rich, what we need now is a confession."
"Big Macintosh could come in an' confirm it's him," Applejack said with a firm nod.
"Big Macintosh couldn't tell us who the leader was. I don't think it'll be that simple," Twilight said rubbing her face.
"What about his voice?" Applejack asked.
"Too flimsy. We need a confession," Twilight said, her eyes now falling to the floor. She felt like a wreck. This crash course into law and order was making her wish she'd left after all. She had barely an idea of what she was doing even after reading the Watch manual. She shook her head, trying to get her mind back on track. There was no time to mull over what should be or how things could have been handled.
Her mind was rattled once more, however, by the door suddenly flying open. Pinkie was the first through the door with Rarity on her back. She was followed by Fluttershy, who looked to be trying to shove the two of them into the safety of the Watch house as quickly as she could. They tumbled onto the ground in a heap of iron and colour; the noise filling the Watch house. Twilight reeled a bit, taking note of their fearful expressions.
"What in the hay is going on here!?" Applejack demanded, looking over the mess of ponies.
"Scary!" Pinkie Pie managed between gulps of air. "Everfree Forest! Robes! Outside! Nicked 'em!"
"Outside?" Twilight questioned before moving to the door and peering out to the orange daylight of the setting sun. There, sprawled out lay the figure of a pony outlined by a black hooded robe. Twilight blinked a few times before turning back to the Watchmares. All she could manage, however, was a sputtering and a hoof pointed to the pony at her door.
"We saw that pony go into the Everfree Forest," Fluttershy said, catching her breath and her courage.
"So we followed them!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "And then things got really scary! And then Rarity fainted! And then Fluttershy flew at the pony and started wailing on them! And then we ran as fast as we could here with Rarity! And the-"
"Yes, I believe I can ascertain the rest, Constable," Twilight said before a thought struck her. "Wait, you mean Fluttershy did this?"
"W-Well we couldn't stop to ask for questions," Fluttershy said meekly. "I mean, Rarity tumbled over and I sort of, um..."
Twilight went slack jawed as Fluttershy sank to the floor. The words escaped her once more. Just when she believed there were no more surprises left for the Watch to deliver her, they brought up another one. Twilight stood still as a statue, still pointing her hoof to the figure lying just outside the door.
"You did this?" she asked sharply.
"I'm sorry, Captain," Fluttershy said with a bit of a squeak at the end.
"D-Don't be!" Twilight exclaimed. "Constable, you captured a member of the cult! This is the breakthrough we've been waiting for!"
Fluttershy picked herself up from the ground and stared back to Twilight in awe. The realization it seemed, had just hit her.
"Oh my gosh, I did, didn't I?" she asked to no one in particular. She suddenly leapt into the air and cheered, thrusting her front legs upwards in victory. Her small victory dance came to a conclusion upon noticing the strange looks she received from everyone standing around her. Blushing a deep red, she shrank away slowly.
Twilight turned to the hooded pony outside of their door and canted her head to one side. It looked as though in their panic, they had dragged the poor pony all the way to their door. She took in a gulp, steeling herself and put a hoof to the hood. The other ponies gathered around curiously, clearly curious as Twilight what lay beneath. A neighbor by chance? Celestia?
Twilight bit her bottom lip. In her mind all she could see being under the hood was some pony with a leathery face and an eye patch. Or even worse, some terror of the deep with tentacles pouring out of every orifice. Each of them writhing around searching for something to choke the life out of. Her imagination ran rampant before she quickly threw the hood back. That was when Twilight found herself face to face with something she hadn't expected at all.
"What is she?" Applejack asked.
"She's a zebra," Twilight said.
"Is her face always like that?" Pinkie Pie asked.
Twilight rolled her eyes. "Yes, Constable. Well, probably not the tongue hanging out of her mouth. I've read a book about them. She's certainly a long way from home. It looks like you whumped her good. We might as well bring her down to our cells and have her rest there. Gently though, the last thing I want is brain damage on a suspect."
Applejack saluted and moved to the fallen zebra. With the help of Pinkie Pie, she hoisted the zebra onto her back and moved towards the stairs. Twilight turned her attention to Derpy and thrust a hoof out towards Ponyville.
"Corporal, go ahead and get back up on your cloud," Twilight said. "If something is going to happen, it's going to happen while we have that cultist locked away."
"Yes ma'am!" Derpy exclaimed and flew out of the Watch house towards the sky. Twilight turned back to the others and turned an eye to Rarity.
"As for the rest of you, go ahead home and make certain Corporal Rarity gets to bed," Twilight said as the others saluted. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie took it upon themselves to carry the limp body of Rarity out the door, leaving the Watch house empty. Twilight sighed and rubbed her face before removing her helmet and setting herself down in front of the still open door. She shut her eyes slowly, feeling the cool breeze of evening air wash over her.
The sound of a rusty squealing cell door and hooves returning up the stairs brought her away from the fleeting moments of relaxation and back into the real world. Applejack now stood in the doorway that lead to the cells, resting her eyes on Captain Twilight. The two sat in stark silence, time feeling as though it were crawling. Twilight cleared her throat awkwardly and looked to Applejack. Her expression softened a bit. Somewhere in Applejack's eyes, Twilight could see the twinge of betrayal.
"Sergeant," Twilight said.
"Ma'am," Applejack said.
Twilight nipped at her bottom lip. "He had a good reason, there's no doubt about that."
"With all due respect, ma'am, I'd rather not," Applejack said, turning her eyes to the floor.
Twilight dug at the wood floor of the Watch house and stared at it. Finally, the sound of hooves approached her as Applejack slipped outside without a word. The door to the Watch house glowed a dull purple as it shut slowly behind Twilight and she sank to the floor. Her body ached from the day finally catching up. Her nerves felt frayed as she sat in the stillness of the Watch house, a yawn welling up and expelling itself from her.
The day had been long and tedious. It felt like for every turn the kidnapping case was taking, there was another wall to climb over. Twilight's tired gaze shifted from the floor to the desk at the other side of the room. She stared at the symbol of the Watch. The shield with two ponies juxtaposed. Across the top read 'Ponyville Watch' and along the bottom was scribed 'vigiles custodes'. Twilight recognized the old language of Pony Latin, translating it in her mind as 'Watchful Protectors'.
That was the last thing she felt like. It was the closing of the third day for her. She felt that things should be going better. Somewhere in her mind tugged the feeling that she was simply doing things completely wrong. Perhaps not a feeling so much as a knowledge that things had been buggered from the beginning and the blame could only really be placed on her.
She looked to her shaking hooves and put them beneath her body. Her solution had always been simple for this sort of thing. Drink until the scalding daylight came pouring into her window like hot coffee in her lap. She hadn't drank since she came here. Sure, she'd attempted to, but the cider offered was like a science experiment gone horribly wrong. She felt cool beads of sweat form on her coat as her mind turned to the sweet amber nectar that had once seen her through hard times.
How cruel, it felt to her, that she couldn't wrap herself in that security blanket again without condemning her taste buds to genocide. Her lids grew heavy and slid shut, making her doze off for a moment before she snorted loudly and snapped out of it. Sleep would be next on the objectives, just after she checked in with Spike and had him come up for bed. Her helmet glowed a dull purple as she floated it next to her and headed for the stairs.
That was when a knock at the door stalled her hooves. She could feel a twinge of annoyance crawling along her body as muscles tensed and a sharp sigh left her nostrils. She set her helmet hastily on her head, knowing it was crooked but not quite finding it within herself to care. As she made it to the door, she flung it open and gave her meanest glare to whomever it was banging on the Watch house door.
"I-Is this a bad time?" Bon Bon asked, now backing away from the door. Twilight blinked a few times, realizing what she'd just done. In her exhausted state she'd forgotten one of the chief rules to being a member of the Watch. Be courteous to citizens, until they break the law.
"Oh, not at all!" Twilight said. "Please, do come in."
Bon Bon smiled and gave a nod, sliding her way into the Watch house with two saddle bags across her back. "Have you found anything out about Lyra? I heard a bunch of ponies talking about Filthy Rich being brought here under guard."
Twilight furrowed her brow, trying to place the name until it hit her. She felt incredibly heartless now, having forgotten the poor mare standing before her and the fact she was missing a friend of hers. Twilight reached up to remove her helmet and run a hoof along her mane slowly.
"Well," Twilight said. "Unfortunately we don't have anything yet. At least, we haven't found them, but we might be making headway. We'll have a better answer in the morning."
Bon Bon nodded, turning her eyes to the ground. "I thought that would be the answer."
"I'm sorry," Twilight said. "I wish I had more for you."
Bon Bon closed her eyes as a tear formed and ran along her cheek. Twilight shifted uncomfortably, unsure of how one dealt with a crying mare. Her whole time in Canterlot had been spent dealing with stallions who would be chastised the second they showed an ounce of weakness to their peers. This was an entirely different beast. It wasn't to say Twilight was necessarily heartless. But one's heart tends to forget how to show emotion when it goes ignored for a bit. She didn't want to embrace the mare and make things even more awkward, though she didn't want to seem entirely too cold.
Twilight looked to her hoof until an idea struck her. Reaching it towards Bon Bon, she patted her on the shoulder, trying to make it as comforting as possible. Bon Bon seemed to respond, however, wiping away her tears and sniffling slightly. Twilight retracted the hoof and tried to put on a comforting smile as Bon Bon turned her gaze to the Captain. A few moments drug by laboriously as silence filled the air.
Bon Bon turned and reached into her saddle bag. She rifled through it until she pulled a small white envelope from it. Twilight stared down at the envelope curiously as Bon Bon motioned for her to take it. It glow a faint purple, being pulled from the mare's mouth and to Twilight's eyes. On the one side of the envelope was a nondescript wax seal. On the other side, however, was the most interesting bit.
"Do not open until the night of the Summer Sun Festival?" Twilight read aloud.
Bon Bon nodded before silently moving to the door of the Watch house. Twilight looked between her and the envelope floating next to her before Bon Bon slipped out into the night without a word. Twilight felt exhausted again, feeling as though her brain was going to bubble over and explode. Somewhere in her mind, a tiny pony had just thrown their hooves up in frustration and buggered off for the day.
She stared blankly at the door, still trying to grasp just what had transpired. The entire visit was spent attempting to avoid an awkward situation only to find herself smack dab in the middle of one. Her eyes moved back to the letter, still floating next to her and read back over the words. She wanted to open it now, but wasn't terribly certain she should. Not without first soaking the letter in something in case it was a trap.
She wobbled, her tired body was catching back up and she could feel her lids weakening beneath the weight of sleep. A yawn tumbled out of her as she floated the helmet next to her and neatly placed the letter in it. This would be a mystery to solve later. If it happened to blow up somewhere in the middle of the night, it may not be an entirely bad thing. Hospital food could be good and she would get all the rest she could ever want.
Always a silver lining, Twilight thought as she made her way towards the stairs once more.
**********
High above Equestria, and indeed the planet, the moon sailed across the stars slowly. It was an unimposing celestial body if there ever was one. More than happy to simply travel across the Equestrian skies and then go on about its time when the sun was summoned to take its place. However, along the darkest corners of the moon slithered something sinister. A darkness lashed at the light as it churned. Were the moon alive, it more than likely would not have been very pleased by the umbra gliding along its surface. Indeed, it would most likely have been quite cross.
The shadow moved unchallenged though. Whipping about like a snake striking, it soon began to take shape. Were anyone outside, they would have seen quite a sight as the shadow began to cover the face of the moon. First the shadow formed a neck. Next the twisting black mass formed a long nose and mouth. From there came an eye staring towards the planet below. Then came the ear and long horn adorning the forehead.
It was equine in shape to be sure. No one would bother to argue that fact. But to any who believed in the tale of the Mare in the Moon and were looking to the heavenly sphere, they were not exactly going to hang around to argue any facts.
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Ack, poor Zecora. That's an even worse welcome to Ponyville than she got in canon?
...Okay, did Flithy Rich escape or something? Because that part very much confused me. But I did like FlutterRage, and I can't wait for the telling-off they're gonna get from Zecora.
2709478
He's very much tucked away in the cell as the chapter indicates. Was there a point that I possibly mucked something up?
2709540 The part with the cell door squeaking and Twilight and AJ's little talk towards the end made me think I had missed something, like an escape. But I think I just got confused.
This is what happens when I comment while jetlagged. Sorry...
2709554
Oh no, quite all right. I was just worried I'd gone and left something out without neither myself or my editor catching it. A thought that often horrifies me. hope you feel better from your jet lag though!
2709558 Nah, I think you're fine. But yeah, typos are damn embarrassing. And thanks, I'll try!
Oooooo....
2709554 Jet lag is best lag.
And there is no such thing as good lag.
"Pegasi" is plural... but "pegasus's" (or would it be "pegasus'"?) just doesn't sound right.
I hate this language
What about it?
I think you dropped a word here, probably a "where" or "in"
There should be a "ed" at the end of that "glow"
Here too
2716985
Got 'em, cheers mate.
Also:
I had a sticky issue with this as well given the structure of the sentence. I just decided to bugger the rules and slip that little mistake in. Felt a bit like a necessary evil without cluttering that bit with names.
....is Bon Bon gonna be the counterpart to Vimes' wife?