Episode 11: The Nightmarish Turnabout - Investigation Part 2
Fenrir Dire sat alone in his office, staring at the same image that had transfixed him for the past week. That single word seemed to curse him, to mock him, and to jeer at him as it lay in blood. He knew it all too well; the name that had haunted him for so long, and would likely continue to haunt him in the future.
He sipped his coffee and grimaced at the bitter flavor. No matter how hard he tried, Dire had yet to get used to the taste. He reached toward the nearby dish, paused for a moment, but eventually relented, using a nearby pair of tongs to place one, two, five cubes of sugar in his dark brew. Dire raised the mug and took a sip, finally happy with the taste.
“So,” he muttered to himself, “it happened, didn’t it? After so long, it had to happen…” He shook his head. What a cursed thing life was. So full of joy, yet so full of suffering as well. And how was Sullivan taking it? He, who had initially been affected worst of all…
Dire shook his head. What was the point? In the end, it had all been for naught. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, death to death.
Four years. Had it truly been so long? Had it been so long since the world had come crashing down around him?
Dire sighed and reached for the newest report on the suicides for what must have been the third time that day. The more he read it, however, the more disturbed he felt. If the autopsies were correct, something was horribly wrong – the victims were all so similar to that case, but…
Dire shook his head and pushed the data away from himself. That case was not the one he should be focusing on, after all. He reached for his mug and took a long, deep drink of it before setting it down with a sigh.
“No,” he said to himself, pressing a hoof to his forehead. “No, I must focus. If I do not, then…” He paused and let out another sigh. “I simply must.”
And yet even he could not shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong.
-- An Epic for Gilgamesh --
-- Episode 11: The Nightmarish Turnabout – Investigation Part 2 --
-- Written By ZaleAcon --
“So this is the Canterlot Police Department?”
Gilgamesh was staring at the building in awe, although Twilight could hardly blame him; it was at least five stories of highly polished steel, complete with dozens of windows, pillars, and other decorations that made it look incredibly impressive. Even the entrance looked magnificent – a large, arched gate covered in glass and stones. If anything, it looked more befitting of a palace than a simple police department.
It was almost incredible how such a magnificent building was only a block away from the prison.
“It’s… bigger than I thought it would be,” Gilgamesh continued. “How do they even afford something like this?”
“Where do you think the tax money goes?” Twilight asked. “There’s a reason only the richer ponies can live comfortably in Canterlot – and why everypony wants to work here.”
Gilgamesh nodded. “A shame part of this city was blown to bits only a week ago.”
“Yeah. It’s a good thing we rebuild quickly.” Twilight shook her head, trying to get them back on track. “So, uh… should we head to the crime scene?”
“That’s why we came here.” Gilgamesh looked down at the front doors. “It would probably be a good idea to get this done quickly. The sooner we finish, the better the case we can make, after all.”
“Right.” Twilight took a single step forward and then stopped. She had never entered the Canterlot Police Department before, mostly because she hadn’t any need of it up until today. It was a strange feeling, given that the only reason she was even going in was to investigate the murder. She took a moment to take in the building and swallowed. “Let’s go.”
The doors opened smoothly inward, giving way to a large lobby with a checkered floor. A pair of desks sat on either side of the door, each staffed by what appeared to be a receptionist. Two staircases sat near the back of the lobby, seemingly so that officers and detectives would be able to travel up without a large amount of traffic.
As Twilight and Gilgamesh stared on in silent awe, the sound of a cough brought them back to reality. “Excuse me, but do you have an appointment?”
Twilight glanced to her left and saw a receptionist with a graying mane and glasses looking her over. “O-oh, I’m sorry,” she said, stepping over to her. “I’m Twilight Sparkle…”
“Oh, I realize that,” said the receptionist.
The receptionist at the other desk giggled and chimed in, “I can’t imagine anypony who don’t, Princess.”
Twilight blushed. “Oh, I, um… Sorry.” She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. “I’m here with my… uh… partner. We’re looking into the murder that happened last night.”
The bespectacled receptionist paused for a moment and tilted her head. “The chief didn’t ask you, did he?”
“Huh? No, he didn’t. Actually, we were–”
“We are serving as the defense,” Gilgamesh explained. “We figured that it would be for the best if we could access the crime scene. To understand the crime better.”
The giggling receptionist nodded. “Hmm… Yes, yes, I think I understand.” She chuckled. “I’ll make sure to alert Chief Dreadnaught and the head of the investigation that you’re heading up.” At the alarmed look on Twilight’s face, she quickly added, “It’s just to make sure they know you’ll be there; it’ll be less of a surprise this way. The chief isn’t even in right now, anyway.”
Twilight shifted. “O-oh, okay. I understand.”
“Here –” the bespectacled receptionist gave her two passes “– these’ll let you walk around here without havin’ to worry about being questioned. Long as you’re holding these, Princess, you’re a guest.”
“Thank you.” Twilight hung the lanyard around her neck and gave the other copy to Gilgamesh, who followed suit. “But hang on… why’re you giving these to us so easily? I thought you’d be more strict about something this important.”
The bespectacled receptionist looked around for a moment before leaning in close. “The truth is, Princess, everypony here’s been in a panic ever since the body was found last night. With what’s been goin’ on around Canterlot recently, all our worker’s’ve been on edge.”
Twilight blinked. “Wait… what do you mean? What’s been going on around here?”
“Huh?” The bespectacled receptionist paused. “You mean you don’t know? Well, uh… n-never mind. It’s nothing, Princess.”
Gilgamesh crossed his arms. “That’s not a terribly convincing argume–”
“Anyway! As I was saying, everypony’s been on edge, so anypony who can help us get this case solved quickly’ll be welcomed here.” The bespectacled receptionist began writing something on the computer in front of her. “Ah, here we go. Now I just enter your names here, and… Ah, excuse me, sir?” she glanced up at Gilgamesh. “May I have your name?”
“Indeed!” Gilgamesh said, standing tall. “I am the warrior whose name is known across the world! He who is known by king and peasant, whose allies are grateful and whose enemies fearful, whose–”
“His name’s Gilgamesh,” Twilight deadpanned.
“Gilgamesh…” The bespectacled receptionist frowned, sighed, and glanced up at him. “Er… How do you spell that?”
“Heroically!”
Twilight pressed a hoof to her forehead. It was going to be a long day.
Detective Case’s day could not have gotten worse.
First she had to deal with a murder in the police department, which was already bad enough. As good as she was at looking over crime scenes, and how used to it she was, she couldn’t help but find the sight of blood disgusting. Even the police tape that outlined where the victim’s body had been disturbed her; it brought back far too many memories.
But what bothered her more than that was the knowledge that anypony knew her identity. Certainly, Chief Dreadnaught knew it, but that was more out of necessity than anything else. Otherwise, how would a pony who had just joined the force get the rank of detective? Granted, there were questions, but she hardly paid them any mind.
Her goal was far more important than that.
But nothing bothered her more than Quill knowing the truth. Given how antisocial he was, Case knew she would be fine, but she could not help worrying now that two creatures knew who she really was.
Technically three, said a small voice in the back of her head.
Case shuddered. No, there was no point in being afraid. Being afraid would not help in any way and would just hinder her ultimate goal. So long as she could solve the current case, she could find what she was looking for.
“Excuse me, Detective Case?”
Case blinked and glanced behind her. “Oh, Detective. Sorry, I seem to have dozed off.”
The detective shook his head. “You’ve been doing that a lot today. Are you sure you’ve been getting enough sleep?”
“H-huh?” Case blinked. “Ah… Y-yes, of course.”
In truth, she hadn’t slept a wink. Quill’s words had put a stop to any rest she could have received the prior night. Especially with what had come of them.
“That’s good.” The detective turned to leave, but paused and glanced back. “Hey, take care of yourself, you hear? Last thing we need is a detective wearing herself out on a case as big as this.”
“Right. Thank you.”
Case turned her full attention on the crime scene, glancing furiously about in search of some new piece of evidence. But no matter how hard she looked, she could not quite push the feeling out of her head that something was horribly wrong.
Twilight and Gilgamesh stepped up the nearest staircase. Twilight took the time to look down at the map (“It’s complimentary!” the giggling receptionist had insisted) as the two walked to the second floor.
“So according to this,” Twilight mumbled, mostly to herself, “it looks like the holding cell’s up on the third floor.”
“And that’s where the victim was killed.” Gilgamesh placed a hand on his chin. “But what is the point in having a cell here when there are dozens open in the prison?”
“It’s for prisoners who haven’t had their trials yet or who haven’t been sentenced,” Twilight said, keeping her eyes on the map. “It makes it more convenient for the officers, since they don’t have to go over to the prison to interrogate the suspects. Not to mention that, given how notoriously awful Canterlot’s prison is, nopony wants to send a potentially innocent creature over there.”
“And what of Cerulean? Shouldn’t she be locked up here, in that case?”
“I’m not sure, honestly.” Twilight grimaced. “But if I had to guess, I’d say it’s because a murder happened around the cells, so the detectives wouldn’t want the suspect around the scene of the crime. I’m sure any other prisoners would’ve been transferred, too.”
“So it’s a special case, then? That makes sense, I suppose.” Gilgamesh paused for a second, then added, “But doesn’t the royal palace have a dungeon?”
“Yeah, it does.”
“Then why could they not hold her there?”
“It’s only for creatures who directly threaten the princesses, nobles, or Equestria itself,” Twilight explained. “Heck, even creatures who seriously threaten the Elements of Harmony are liable to be thrown in there, since hurting them could be considered an attempt at treason.”
“So the one who sent Fluttershy that note would be sentenced to the dungeon, not the prison?” Gilgamesh nodded. “I suppose I understand.”
“Yeah.” And so would the one who tried to kill Princess Luna. Of course, Gilgamesh knew nothing of the attempted assassination, and she had no plan to give that away just yet.
The two continued walking up the stairs. They passed by a door that led into the second floor, where the detectives and police officers worked, and came upon the entrance to the third floor. The sign next to the small door read, “Holding Cells Block A and Interrogation Rooms.”
“’Block A’?” Gilgamesh asked. “How many blocks are there?”
“I thought there was just one,” Twilight said. “Er… That’s what I’ve read, at least.” She paused. “I guess… maybe it’s in case they have to build more cells?”
Gilgamesh shook his head. “That’s a depressing thought. The department’s already thinking ahead…”
Wordlessly, Twilight pulled the knob on the door, which opened with little resistance. She looked inside, holding her breath in fear of seeing a real body, and let out a sigh of relief when all she was light coming in through the barred windows.
Twilight actually found herself surprised with how meticulous the room was, bloodstain notwithstanding. The room itself was surprisingly small, consisting of four small cells along the left and right walls and one large cell at the back. The floor was a rough-cut stone and the walls were made from cracking plaster, in contrast to how neat the floors below appeared. Even more interestingly, the cells themselves looked incredibly new and the bars seemed solid enough that even an explosion couldn’t destroy them.
The two stepped inside, and Gilgamesh looked directly in front of them. “Cerulean said the victim died in the holding cell at the back – I take it that’s the one right there?”
Five detectives stood in and around the large cell at the back. They were examining the scene with notebooks of their own as they dusted down the bars of the cell and looked over every crack they could find.
One of the detectives suddenly looked up at the sound of Gilgamesh’s voice. Her long, greenish mane bounced as she turned her gaze to the door, followed by a puzzled look on her face.
“Hey, hold on a second… what are you two doing here?” she asked.
Twilight and Gilgamesh walked forward up to the cell as the other four detectives continued to work diligently.
“Detective Case,” Twilight said, attempting to keep a calm expression, “it’s good to see you again.”
“Likewise,” Case said, cocking her head, “but why’re the two of you here? You’re the last two I would’ve expected to take interest in something like this.”
“We didn’t,” said Gilgamesh. “At least, not initially.”
Twilight continued, “The two of us are investigating the murder that happened last night. We’re the… uh… we’re the defense.”
Case’s eyebrows shot up. “The defense? You mean you’re defending the suspect, Princess?” She shook her head. “Sheesh, if that’s the case, it looks like the prosecutor’s going to have a tougher time than we thought.”
Twilight blushed and pressed a hoof to the back of her head. “Y-you don’t have to say that…”
“Heh, of course I do! Anyway–” Case suddenly paused. “Wait, do you even have a license to practice law?”
“Well, I–”
“Yes,” Gilgamesh interrupted.
Case blinked, then shrugged. “Eh, okay. So I take it the two of you want to look over the crime scene?”
“That’s why we’re here, yes,” Twilight said. “Plus, we wanted to ask you some questions. We’ll need evidence, too, obviously – we need to build the best case we can.”
“Well, since I’m the best ‘Case’ around, I think I can help with that.”
The entire room went silent, and at least one of the detectives working in the background pressed a hoof to his forehead in disgust.
Case grimaced. “Ugh, sorry. That suspect – Cerulean, she said her name was – she kept making all these terrible puns when I went to interrogate her earlier. I think they stuck with me.”
“Wait… Cerulean did that?” Gilgamesh asked. He cocked his head and crossed his arms. “She never did anything of the sort around us…”
“That’s probably because she likes you.” Case rubbed the back of her head. “Ugh… But anyway, yeah, I get that. Normally, the police aren’t supposed to help the defense out like this, but I figure it’s a special… case…” She pressed a hoof to her forehead. “Crap. Give me a second, okay?”
One of the detectives grimaced. “You’re doin’ this on purpose, aren’t you?”
“No, I’m not! I swear I’m not!” Case sighed. “Anyway, as I was saying, the police don’t normally work with the defense, but the chief said we could this time around. Lucky you, huh?”
“I guess,” Twilight said. “But… why’re you allowed to help out now?”
“Let’s just say this case is really important,” replied Case. “I can’t say much more than that, but the chief told us to find out what happened no matter what – even if it meant helping out the other side. Besides,” she added, “a lot of us suspect she’s innocent anyway.”
Gilgamesh placed a hand on his chin. “And why is that, if I might ask?”
Case grimaced. “I’m sorry, but that’s all I’m allowed to say about this.”
“Really? Nothing else?” Gilgamesh sighed. “In that case, could you at least go over the basic facts?”
“Of course.” Case pulled a small notebook out of her saddlebag. “Ahem! Let’s see, here… what is it you want to know?”
“Anything would be fine,” Twilight said.
Case stepped over to one of the detectives – a unicorn mare currently dusting the area around where the victim’s body had been – and tapped her on the shoulder. “Doctor Trail, could you lend me a hoof?”
The mare looked up from her work. “Eh? You need me, Detective?”
“Yes,” Case said. She pointed over at Twilight and Gilgamesh. “These two – they’re planning to defend Miss Cerulean in court – probably could use your knowledge about the scene.”
“Well, I’m not sure how much help I could be,” said the mare. She placed her duster in her saddlebag. “Me, I’m nothing but a humble forensic scientist. There’s probably nothing I can say that they can’t figure out themselves.”
She turned to look at Gilgamesh and Twilight and smiled slightly. On closer inspection, she appeared fairly old, though not nearly as old as Dreadnaught; her auburn mane had at least one gray streak, and Twilight could make out a small wrinkle above her eyes.
“Come on, Doctor Trail.” Case chuckled nervously. “You don’t need to be so hard on yourself.”
Trail shook her head and looked over at Case. “I’m just kidding, Detective; a little joke, nothing more.” She turned her head back to Twilight and Gilgamesh. “My name is Dusty Trail. I normally work in forensics. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Princess Twilight – and you as well, I’m sure,” she added to Gilgamesh.
“Same here,” Twilight said. “But wait, you said you work in forensics? So why are you here?”
Trail brushed her mane back. “We normally have enough detectives to cover a specific case, but today’s different. Most of ‘em are out working on the… uh… incident from the other day, so I was relegated to field work.” She shrugged. “It’s not too difficult for me; I trained in both forensics and detective work, so I can work in either reasonably well.”
Gilgamesh raised an eyebrow. “The other day’s incident? Did something happen recently?”
“Yes, but it’s classified.” Case’s eyes bored into Twilight’s. “Right?”
Twilight blanched. “Y-yeah. I’m sure it is.”
“Anyway, as I was saying,” Case said, “Doctor Trail’s been taking care of some minor forensics stuff while we’ve been out here. I figured she’d be best for answering your questions.” She blinked. “Oh, and before I forget – Doctor, can you hand them a copy of the case files?”
“Ah, yes. Here, let me…” Trail reached into her saddlebag, pulling out a thin manila envelope. “Ah, here we go,” she said. “This should contain all the information you need – the victim’s autopsy report, information on the murder weapon, and crime scene pictures.”
Twilight opened it and glanced over the autopsy report. “’The victim died by stabbing… single wound through the back… between eleven and one…’” She looked up. “Huh, everything checks out with what Cerulean told us.”
Gilgamesh reached for the envelope and began rummaging through. He pulled out the pictures of the crime scene, looked at them for a second in confusion, and looked back at Trail and Case. “Do these pictures not include the victim’s body?”
“Unfortunately, no,” replied Trail. “The victim’s identity is completely classified – to the point where even the images aren’t allowed to show his body. Most of us know who he was due to him being held here, but we cannot risk his identity being revealed.”
Twilight grabbed the pictures. Sure enough, they all depicted nothing but the police tape that now lined the ground. She was thankful for that, if nothing else; the last thing Twilight wanted to see was a corpse, even with the large bloodstain in the middle of the tape.
She replaced the pictures and looked back up. “So why can’t you reveal his identity?” she asked. “I’m guessing the reason must be pretty important.”
“Extremely important, actually,” Case said. She yawned, rubbed her eyes, and continued. “I can’t reveal anything else about him other than his gender. I’m not even allowed to divulge his age or why he was held here.”
“Not even to a princess?”
“Nope, sorry. But if there’s anything else you want to know, just ask.” Case smiled. “After all, they don’t call me the ‘Ace Detective’ for nothing.”
Gilgamesh nodded. “Very well… When was victim found?”
Case nodded, her expression becoming far sterner. “His body was found this morning at one-fifteen along with the suspect by a security guard. She was unconscious at the time, presumably from shock, but she’d clearly been hit on the back of the head. Since some of the victim’s blood was on her, too, we believe there was a struggle in the cell.”
“But you said you don’t believe it was her?” Gilgamesh continued. “So why was she arrested?”
“Her hoofprints were found on both the cell’s key and the murder weapon,” said Trail. She reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a picture of a dagger shaped like a unicorn’s horn, but the spirals were reversed. “A five inch dagger made from a bronze-iron alloy. It was custom-made by the security guard at the time, but she apparently left it behind by accident.” She cracked her head to the side. “The hole went all the way through, strangely enough, so it was hard to determine it perfectly, but the dagger matches the victim’s wound very closely.”
Twilight shuddered. Why did it have to look like a unicorn’s horn? Was it some sort of sick joke? And more importantly, how had a single stab pushed that tiny thing all the way through?
“As the dagger matched the wound,” Trail continued, “and the suspect’s hoofprints were the only ones we could lift from the dagger – save the guard’s, of course – and there were no magical traces on it, we were forced to arrest Miss Cerulean as the only potential culprit.”
Gilgamesh nodded. “I see,” he said, “so that is why you arrested her. She told us of the key, but said nothing about the weapon itself. I suppose it could have just slipped her mind, though. So who was this security guard who discovered the scene?”
“Her name’s Keep Watch,” replied Case. “She was assigned to this position last night. ‘Nine-thirty to three,’ I think she said.”
“Hold on,” Twilight said. “Wouldn’t she have been here when the crime took place, then? How could she have missed something this important, much less known the time it took place?”
“That’s the issue,” Case said. “I questioned her earlier, and she said somepony’d told her she wasn’t supposed to go in until one-thirty. Apparently, somepony else was going to take her spot. Granted, she’s a bit… odd, but she doesn’t have any reason to lie.”
Twilight placed a hoof on her chin. “Did she say who it was?”
“Who said that to her, you mean?” Case asked. When Twilight nodded, she continued, “No, but I’m pretty sure that pony’s going to get a sound thrashing from Chief Dreadnaught when he finds out who it was.”
Trail shuddered. “Hmph, I’d hate to be that poor sap… Dreadnaught can be downright brutal, especially when you lie about something that important. Even more so if it winds up with… this.” She gestured to the scene.
Twilight stepped past the two to get a better look, but felt her jaw drop when she saw the interior of the holding cell for the first time.
It looked more like a low-end apartment than a prison cell. Granted, it was still fairly small, but was fully furnished. The bed looked more comfortable than the average prison bed – heck, it looked more comfortable than her bed in the library – with a small, packed bookshelf beside it. A large, ovular rug covered most of the stony ground and a table with two stools sat in the middle. Even the bars had a nice, if simple, pair of curtains on either side.
Twilight turned back to Case and Trail. “What’s with the fancy décor? Was the victim wealthy or something?”
“You know we can’t tell you that,” Trail said. “Unfortunately.”
“I suppose not,” Gilgamesh muttered. “Do you mind if the two of us take a look around the scene?”
Case shrugged. “Sure, knock yourselves out. We’ve already found just about everything, but if you locate anything else, feel free to tell us.”
“Thank you,” Twilight said, and paused. “But just to check – what have you all looked over?”
Trail began counting off. “The table – including under the tablecloth – and the chairs, under the rug, behind the curtains, the pillowcases, under the bed, under the sheets, around and under the bookshelf, outside in the area directly below the window, the other cells, and just about everywhere else on this floor.”
One of the detectives looked up from his work examining the wall near the bookshelf. “I haven’t gotten to the bookshelf itself, yet – if you want to start anywhere, I’d recommend there.”
“There you have it,” said Case. She nodded towards the detective. “Make sure you look over every last book – I want no page unturned. I’ll join in soon enough. As for you two,” she said, looking back at Gilgamesh and Twilight, “I’d be more than glad to have your help. We’re short on members at the moment, so any hooves are good. Just call me over if you find anything suspicious, okay?”
Twilight nodded. “Right.” She looked over at Gilgamesh. “You want to start at the top or the bottom?”
“I’ll start on the top row,” he replied. “We’re just looking for anything suspicious, yes? What… exactly does that mean?”
“You’ll probably know it when you see it,” Twilight said, and started walking over to the shelf.
She magically grabbed the first book on the lower shelf – Adventures of an Abject Thinker – and began to leaf through its pages, keeping on the lookout for something “suspicious.” When nothing interesting came up, Twilight sighed and placed it back into the shelf.
She grabbed the next book – a thicker volume titled The Creation of Legality – and turned it through, again finding nothing of value. She dejectedly put it back in the shelf and reached for another before stopping.
The third book looked different from the others. For one, its spine was in tatters while the others looked newer. For another, when she pulled it out, the title was written in a distinctly childish scrawl: The Bestest Detective! The book itself was also incredibly thin; if it went over twenty pages, Twilight would have been shocked.
Ignoring the obvious error, Twilight opened it slowly. The pages were all slightly crumpled and the words all written very sloppily. Each page, despite containing only two or three sentences, had its own little, crudely drawn illustration at the bottom. It was clearly made by a child, but why was it in this prisoner’s bookshelf?
As Twilight continued to look it over, she couldn’t help but read the simple yet childish story. It was the story of a detective who caught all the bad guys and made them pay for their crimes. Of course, everything was horribly exaggerated – the villain fled the scene by helicopter despite being a simple thief, for example – but it was clear a lot of time and effort went into it.
But then, just when the action seemed to be winding down, the story just… ended. No closing, no ending, nothing. Twilight looked over at the side of the book and found herself unsurprised to see that what was no doubt the last page of the story had been ripped out.
She sighed, shook her head, and looked at the “last page” of the book – really just the other side of the back cover – and found herself surprised by a sudden shift to an extremely neat cursive font, reading, “To my mentor and friend, thank you for giving me so much out of life. I hope you enjoy this story as much as your daughter and I did making it. Signed, your humble student.” The signature afterwards was so garbled and jumbled that Twilight could not read it even remotely.
Still, that phrase stuck out to her. “’Your daughter,’” Twilight heard herself whisper. “So, he was important to somepony after all…”
She looked over the book itself in search of a name, but couldn’t find anything beyond the garbled mess of the supposed student. As she did so, however, she felt something slide out of the area between the cover and the first page, which she had somehow missed. The small piece of paper fluttered to the ground gently before landing gracefully in front of the bookshelf.
“What’s this…?” Twilight mumbled as she picked it up.
It was an extremely small envelope, looking so thin and tiny that it was no wonder she missed it. Twilight looked it over a second, turning it over to find a name, but it was completely blank. She opened it out of curiosity and froze. The envelope was empty, but something was written on the inside of the flap.
It was in blood. And it looked too fresh to be from long ago.
As she recovered from her shock, Twilight read over the message. Or she tried to, at least, but it was horribly smeared. It seemed to be only one word, anyway, but most of the letters were unreadable. The only letters that weren’t were the first, the last, and half of the second, all of which seemed capitalized.
“What is this…?” Twilight muttered. “W… A… or R, maybe? And then an H? And what are these other letters? What does this mean…?”
Either way, this was definitely important. She looked over at the detectives and waved for Case.
“You found something suspicious?” she asked, stepping over to Twilight.
Gilgamesh put down his latest inquiry. “Hmm? What did you find?”
“It’s an envelope, but there’s something written inside.” Twilight shook her head. “Sorry, but I can’t quite make it out.”
“It certainly seems like it was written recently – I’d bet last night, too. But what are these letters? W…” She suddenly froze, and her face visibly paled. “I-I… Ahem.” She suddenly regained her composure, or at least appeared to. “Thank you, Princess,” she said. “I think this should be very important to… ah… to our findings.”
Trail stepped over. “Hey, Detective,” she said. “Give that to me; I’ll make sure it gets down to the lab. If that’s the victim’s blood, we can be sure either he or somepony else tried to write something on this envelope.”
“But then somepony hid it away in this book.” Twilight held up The Bestest Detective! “Why hide it?”
“Did the victim write it?” Gilgamesh asked. “Perhaps he wrote it in order to give the killer’s identity and hid it in this book to be careful.”
Trail nodded. “It’s a distinct possibility – the victim didn’t die immediately, after all, so the he could have made this. If he wanted to, he could have used magic to get this book from the shelf, put the envelope in it, and place it back.”
“And in that time,” Twilight continued, “the bloody message smeared because the victim was in a hurry to write it, resulting in this.”
“If we use luminal, we might discover what the message originally was,” said Trail, “but I can’t guarantee the paper will make it through the treatment intact. It could very well fall apart if exposed, especially given how thin it is…” She shook her head. “In all likelihood, we won’t be able to completely process this message for awhile.”
“Y-yeah,” Case said. “We probably won’t.”
The four stood in silence for several seconds, before Gilgamesh suddenly said, “So… the victim was a unicorn?”
Trail blanched. “Wh… When did I say that?!”
“You said he ‘could have used magic’ to get the book from the shelf,” Gilgamesh said, “so I naturally assumed he had to be a unicorn. A unicorn stallion, at that.”
Twilight blinked. “Wow, I didn’t even notice that.” Of course, she had been almost entirely preoccupied by the bloody message at the time, but still. Maybe having Gilgamesh as her assistant was a better idea than she’d initially thought.
“A-anyway,” Case said in a blatant attempt to change the subject, “let’s move on, shall we? As I was saying, it’s clear this is a very important – or at least, a very interesting – piece of evidence. Whether or not it’ll help get your client off the hook, I can’t say.” She grinned. “But I can say that I think you’d be great as a detective!”
“R-really?” Twilight blushed. “I-I mean when I was little, I kinda, er… But I never thought I’d… Heh, heh, uh, thank you.”
Trail nodded. “I’d say so, at least. Granted, you seemed to be a bit too engrossed in that book for your own good, but I think it worked out in the end.”
“Yeah, um… Thanks.” Twilight rubbed the back of her head. “Hey, speaking of that book, mind if I take a few notes on it?”
Gilgamesh crossed his arms. “Do you think it could be useful?”
“I’m not sure,” Twilight admitted. “But… Well, I don’t think the envelope was placed inside it for no reason.” She shook her head. Not to mention that missing page. Twilight could not say why it bothered her so much, but something about it just felt off.
“Well, if you’re that sure, I don’t see why we shouldn’t take a closer look.” Case grinned. “Who knows? It might just be the key to finding out the truth behind what happened.”
“I… wouldn’t go that far, but…” Twilight shook her head. “Anyway… I can’t really think of anything else I need to ask.” She looked over at Gilgamesh. “What about you?”
He nodded. “Actually, I do.” He placed a hand on his chin. “This security guard – Keep Watch, you called her? – can you tell us where she is right now?”
“I take it you’re interested in her testimony, eh?” Case asked. When Gilgamesh nodded, she said, “I can’t say for certain, but I heard she’s been speaking with Doctor Quill down in his lab. You want me to give you directions?”
“That would be excellent. Thank you.”
“Hang on a second,” Twilight said, suddenly feeling a pit in her stomach. “This ‘Doctor Quill’ isn’t the one I think he is, right?”
“He should be,” Trail replied. “Doctor Sullivan Quill.”
“Oh… great.”
Gilgamesh placed a hand on his chin. “Who exactly is he? And why is his name getting such a negative response…?”
Twilight pressed her head against a nearby wall. “You’ll… you’ll see,” she groaned. “Ugh… and here I was hoping to avoid him.”
“We all do, Princess,” Case muttered. “We all do…” She shook her head and smiled. “Anyway, as I was saying, it shouldn’t take you too long to find his lab from here. It’s… huh, let me grab a map…” She rummaged through her bag, pulling out a map of the department. “There we go… Ahem, here, let me explain.
“We’re currently on the third floor, reserved for prisoners and interrogations. You go down the staircase to the main lobby, and you see this door, here?” Case pointed to a door at the back end of the lobby on the map, just between the two staircases. “It might be a bit hard to see – one of the guys in charge of the last renovation painted over it by accident, you see – but it leads to another staircase leading down.”
“That one goes to the labs,” Trail continued. “It’s where I usually work. The stairs will deposit you in a long, narrow hallway. Doctor Quill’s personal lab is on the third door on the right; it’s the one with ‘Psychoanalysis’ written on it.” She grimaced and brushed some of her mane away from her eyes. “Just a warning, though – Quill is temperamental at the best of times, so make sure you don’t bother him too much.”
Twilight sighed. “Believe me, I know.” She forced herself to smile. “Thank you two for all your help,” she said. “I hope all of this proves useful in court tomorrow.”
“Anytime, Princess,” said Case. “If you need any more help, just let us know. We’ll do our best to get you information – within reason, of course.”
Gilgamesh nodded. “Indeed. And thank you again.”
The two turned and began walking from the large room, shutting the door behind them as they emerged in the hallway. They paused for a moment before looking at one another.
“So,” Gilgamesh said. “We have the victim’s autopsy report, pictures of the scene, general information regarding the crime, the murder weapon, and that odd envelope and the book you found it in.” He stroked his chin. “It’s certainly an odd assortment of evidence, I’ll say that much…”
“Yeah, but it’s important we don’t leave any stones unturned.” Twilight grimaced. “Although, I’m not really all that keen on having to see Quill again…”
Gilgamesh shook his head. “I suppose I’ll see what all the fuss is about soon, right?”
The two began to walk down the stairs. “So Gilgamesh,” Twilight asked, “why is it you wanted to meet with the guard so badly?”
“The biggest point of contention is that the key was found on Cerulean, yes? In that case, I figured it would be best to ask to guard directly.”
“Not just the key – the murder weapon, too.” Twilight shook her head. “Ugh. I can’t believe she forgot to mention that detail…”
It was arguably even more important than the key itself. Sure, the key having her prints was suspicious, but that could be explained in a number of ways. But the murder weapon? That was incredibly suspicious, to the point where it could easily threaten their entire case. Especially since Cerulean had completely neglected to bring it up…
“Good thing Detective Case told us about it when she did,” Twilight muttered. “Otherwise, we may not have known that until we read through the files more thoroughly…”
“Indeed. We’ll have to ask Cerulean about it after we finish speaking with Miss Watch. We can hopefully swing by before visiting hours are up.”
“Yeah.” Twilight sighed. “The sooner we can find out what’s going on, the sooner we can get to work on our defense.”
“But right now, our main priority should be to gather information,” Gilgamesh said. “After all, we can’t form a strong case without strong evidence, right? We mustn’t rush ourselves – hurrying would be an easy way to miss important clues.”
Twilight smiled to herself. “Heh… It’s kinda weird. That’s the last thing I’d expect to hear from you.” She grinned and looked over at him. “Aren’t you the guy who always rushes ahead?”
“Conserving energy is an important tactic in any circumstance, Twilight. That’s just common knowledge on the battlefield.”
She rolled her eyes. “Even I know that one,” she said. Though it probably helped that she had a brother in the Royal Guard. “But still… Oh, we’re here.”
They stepped down into the massive lobby. Twilight looked across the wall between the two staircases, and was unsurprised to find the discolored section Case had told them about.
She and Gilgamesh walked over slowly, their steps resonating on the marble floor. The only discernable differences between the door and the surrounding walls were how it was slightly indented and the fact that the door had a dull knob. In fact, otherwise, it was almost perfectly camouflaged.
“No wonder we missed it,” Twilight muttered. She could just imagine somepony coming in for their first day, but being unable to find their workplace. Heck, experienced workers probably had trouble from time to time.
Gilgamesh reached out and grabbed the knob and twisted it sharply to the side. He pushed the door forward, and it opened with a dull creak.
Behind the door, Twilight could see a small hallway leading to the promised staircase. Lights along the walls flickered awkwardly, and the staircase itself looked like it descended into pure darkness.
“You know, when I saw this place from the outside, it looked like they took better care of it than this.” Twilight grimaced.
Gilgamesh stepped inside and peered down the stairwell. “It looks completely black down there,” he observed. “I almost think the holding cells were built in the wrong place…”
Twilight walked through the door, passed Gilgamesh, and looked back. “Well… I guess there’s no point in staying up there, right?” She pressed her hoof to the first step, wincing for a second as it creaked. “It feels like this place is gonna fall apart any second…” Well, now they knew where the renovation money should have gone, at least. That or the department was decorating for Nightmare Night.
Gilgamesh pulled his sword from its sheath – something Twilight still questioned, as the receptionists had somehow not confiscated it immediately – and prodded the top step. “It seems safe enough,” he said, “but I can’t say the same about the others.” He poked the next step down, which gave a similar creak.
“I don’t think it isn’t safe,” Twilight said. She took another step down, followed by another. “I mean, if dozens of ponies are going to work here, obviously the stairs wouldn’t be broken or anything. They’re just old.” She took another step and found, to her relief, that the next step wasn’t creaky at all.
“I don’t get it,” Gilgamesh said. “Why would they put so much effort into renovating the exterior, but not here? This place looks nearly abandoned.”
Twilight shook her head. “Welcome to Canterlot.” She looked over at him, and found he was barely visible in the flickering light. “It looks really nice on the outside, but when you go a bit deeper…” As they continued walking down the staircase, she sighed. “It’s all about appearances.”
Gilgamesh shook his head. “You sound as though you’re very knowledgeable about this.”
“I have to be,” Twilight said. “I spent most of my life here, after all.”
The stairway suddenly seemed to end as a door came into view. Light went into the stairwell through the cracks in the door, and Twilight looked over at Gilgamesh. “You want me to do the honors?”
Gilgamesh grinned. “Why not?”
“Okay, then…” Twilight magically gripped the door handle and turned it to the side. “I guess it’s about time we meet up with Keep Watch.”
She pushed the door in as light flooded the stairway, momentarily blinding both herself and Gilgamesh. Seconds later, her vision returned and the hallway Case and Trail told them about came into view.
Compared to the stairway, the hallway leading to the laboratories was very nice. The carpeting was thin and stained but looked fairly modern, and the walls were clearly repainted recently. The doors, thankfully, were not the same brown, but clearly stood out.
Twilight and Gilgamesh stepped along, reading the signs on the left as they went. “Let’s see…” Twilight murmured. “’Forensics’… ‘Custodial’… Ah, here we are.” She pointed to the letters on the door written in bold, bronze font. “’Psychoanalysis.’ I hope she’s in here…”
“Worst case scenario, I suppose we could question Doctor Quill,” Gilgamesh offered.
“’Worst case scenario’ indeed…” Twilight muttered. She reached out for the doorknob, then jerked away as if her hoof was on fire. A large part of her mind was telling her not to touch it, to turn around, and to get out of there. “I’m not sure I can do this, Gilgamesh.”
“Oh, come on! He’s a doctor, not some supernatural being!”
“I’m not sure about that,” Twilight said. “Nopony is that sarcastic without having to enact some sort of ancient ritual.” Or, for that matter, nopony was that much of a jerk.
Gilgamesh smirked. “You clearly haven’t met anyone from my world, then.” He stepped over to the door and placed his hand on the knob. “Now, come on, Twilight. You said it yourself – the sooner we speak with Keep Watch, the sooner we can get to work making a case. Aren’t you the one who wanted to help Cerulean out so much?”
“Yes, and I still do!” She shook her head. “Just… give me a second, okay? I’m sorry.”
“Of course.”
Twilight breathed in and out for what must have been a minute before she nodded. “Okay. I think I’m ready.”
“Alright, then…” Gilgamesh turned the knob just enough to hear it click. “In that case, I suppose it’s time to see if Detective Case was right.”
He turned the knob the rest of the way and pulled the door towards him. Unlike the previous door, the one leading the Quill’s lab had an edge that was so close to the floor it slid across it, making a sound that was in no way subtle. If Quill hadn’t noticed anypony when they first turned the knob, he almost certainly had by then.
Twilight heard Quill speak before she even entered the room. “Oh, great. As if my day couldn’t get any better.”
She and Gilgamesh stepped inside the laboratory, stopping just after the entrance as they gaped. If the lobby of the building was its most architecturally impressive, Quill’s lab had to be the most technologically impressive.
It was a small room that was about half the size of the victim’s holding cell, but the objects throughout the room definitely made up for it. The wall opposite the door had three shelves that ran horizontally and parallel to each other, and each of which held a combination of beakers, books, and other seemingly valuable trinkets. Wires hung down from the ceiling that ran across the other walls towards openings in the floor, presumably for the dozens of lights that covered the ceiling like tiles. A long science bench sat directly to the right of the door and along the entirety of the rightmost wall. It, like the shelves, was covered in beakers, paper, and quills.
But what drew Twilight’s attention the most were two particular areas. One was a large computer in the center of the room that sat on a desk with wires going across the floor. The other was the corner of the room directly to their left, in which at least five tall piles of paper sat. It was clear from markings on them that the papers had been written on extensively, but Twilight could not read them from her current angle.
After she broke out of her stupor, Twilight suddenly noticed the two figures in the middle of the room standing just in front of the computer. One was obviously Quill, who still looked just as dreadful as he had the first time they’d met; his bones could be seen where his skin was not hanging off, he still had large bags beneath his eyes, and his feathers were still filthy. If anything, Twilight thought he somehow looked worse.
The other creature, however, was completely different. She was an earth pony with a red-orange coat and a silvery-white mane. Her bright blue eyes and healthy smile made her look far younger than Quill, and she turned to the entrance with a salute as the two entered. Twilight briefly caught a look at her Cutie Mark – a lock and key.
“Oh, wow, Sparkles,” Quill said, his expression as bored as ever. “You’re the last creature I thought I’d see here. Oh, and you brought a friend.” He placed his cracked talons on his neck and cracked his head from side to side. Twilight could have sworn she saw dust fall from his plumage to the floor. “You certainly know how to liven up my mornings.”
“It’s noon, Doctor,” Twilight said, trying as hard as she could not to smack him. “And anyway, I’m here to see if you have anypony named ‘Keep Watch’ here.”
The mare suddenly left her salute, only to immediately return to it with more gusto. “Then you are the most lucky of mares!” she belted out suddenly, a large grin plastered to her face. “For I… am Keep Watch! I, the most great defender… of jiiiiustice!”
Twilight gaped. Sweet Celestia. No.
It was a second Gilgamesh.
Quill nodded. “Well, now you’re acquainted, how about you get outta my lab? The two of us were kinda talking, but I guess that’s hard to do when all you do is blubber. Right, Sparkles?”
Twilight felt her eye twitch as Quill glanced over at Gilgamesh. “And what about you? Or are you mute?”
Gilgamesh grimaced. “I can see why you were so hesitant,” he muttered. He looked over at Quill and said in his normal voice, “I am Gilgamesh. I have no doubts you have heard of my recent excursions.” He then stood tall, placing his hands on his hips. “I, the legendary hero, who fought to protect–”
“Yeah, yeah, shut up.” Quill sighed. “Great. I’ve got an idiot who thinks she’s a princess and a moron who thinks he’s a hero.”
Gilgamesh’s eye twitched. “Yes, well… We’re here to speak with Miss Watch. We’re investigating the murder that occurred last night.”
Quill rolled his eyes. “Oh, so the idiots are playing detectives, now? Great. Just great.”
“And the child’s pretending he’s a doctor. Can we move on, please?” Twilight snapped. She suddenly realized what she’d said and covered her mouth.
Quill, however, just seemed to be spurred on further. He smirked and turned his head to the side. “You seem angry, Sparkles. Are you angry?”
In truth, Twilight’s blood was boiling. Nopony had ever made her as angry as Quill, but she did everything she could not to show it. She breathed in and out slowly, trying to think of happier times.
“We’re not here to pick a fight, Quill,” she said, struggling to keep her voice under control. “We’re just here to get Miss Watch’s statement so we can defend our client.”
For just a minute, Quill looked shocked. The smirk completely dropped from his face and he stared, dumbfounded, at Twilight and Gilgamesh.
And then he started laughing. It was a mocking, cruel laugh like nothing Twilight had ever heard before. “Wow, I… Wow…” Quill covered his face with his talons. “Crap… This is incredible. I can’t believe it… You… Sparkles and her idiot sidekick, fighting in court – that’s just incredible!”
“Idiot sidekick…?” Gilgamesh asked.
“Don’t bother.” Twilight shook her head. “That’s what he’s going to call you. Forever.”
As Quill got over his laughing fit, his face suddenly became calm again. “So, you’re the lawyers? Huh, I guess the stories about lawyers being pathetic wastes are completely true.” He looked at them coldly. “Oh, did I forget to mention? I hate lawyers. I hate them more than anything.”
“And nothing’s changed,” Twilight deadpanned. “Now, will you let us speak with Miss Watch?”
“And why should I do that?” Quill cracked his neck again. “I honestly don’t give a crap about you or your case, Sparkles. In fact, I think I hate you even more. And since this is my lab, that means I have control over who comes in or not.” He narrowed his eyes. “So get out.”
Was it her, or did Quill seem even more bitter than he was the other day? It was hard to tell, mostly because he was such a complete jerk that any fluctuation seemed like it could be meaningless.
Twilight sighed and turned around. “I should’ve guessed this would be a waste. Alright, let’s go.”
“Twilight, are you certain?” Gilgamesh asked.
“Yeah. There’s not really a–”
Twilight recoiled at the sudden shout. “Wh-what the heck was that?!”
“My most sincere apologies, Princess!” said Keep Watch, pulling her leg back into a salute. “I simply felt the necessity to gather your attention!”
“Uh… Well, you definitely have it…” Twilight took a moment to feel her pulse. She likely lost several years of her life from the shock. Or she would have if she wasn’t immortal, at least.
“Thank you!” Watch said. “You see, I believe it would be the most great choice I can make to assist you in your quest for… jiiiiustice!”
Quill pressed his talons to his forehead. “Watch…”
“I apologize, my good doctor!” Watch said. “However! I must request you to allow me to pursue this justest of goals! I must speak of the facts of the case!”
Quill sighed. “Fine, whatever… I know better than to argue with morons.”
Watch somehow managed to ignore Quill’s statement. “So, Princess, it is a great pleasure to meet you! I am Keep Watch, guard of the Canterlot Police Department’s holding cells, and agent of justice!” She pulled out her badge and flashed it in the light. “Fear not, helpless creatures of Canterlot, for I shall aid you in your time of disparity!”
“Don’t you mean ‘despair’?” Twilight asked.
“No! Disparity! For I shall make a difference, and that difference is… jiiiiustice!”
Gilgamesh grimaced. “Excuse me, Miss Watch?” he said, trying to get the conversation back on topic. “We’re merely here to get your statement about the crime scene.”
Watch suddenly paused. “The crime scene…? Ah, yes! My stomping grounds, my fortress from evil, my area to defend as the protector I am!” Watch laughed heartily. “Ah, ask me questions, and I shall answer as only an agent of justice is able!”
Twilight grimaced. She took it back – Watch was clearly worse than Gilgamesh could ever hope to be. Everything about her just screamed “grating.” Nevertheless, she had to get the information, no matter the cost.
“You found the victim at one-fifteen in the morning, right?” Twilight asked.
Watch nodded. “Indeed. I had attempted to come in early for my shift.” She stood tall and stared off into the corner in what Twilight could only assume was an attempt at being dramatic. “After all – the true hero is the one who fights for–”
“Justice. Okay. I get it.” Twilight rubbed her temples. “Please, just… just tell me what you saw.”
Watch frowned. “Well… Anyway, yes, I arrived on the scene at one-fifteen. Exactly, actually.” She sighed. “Unfortunately, I found myself too late, and the wretchedness of the crime scene was laid bare! He – the victim, that is – he lay in a pool of his own blood, and she, the killer, was outside his cell, key in hoof! It was a sight that my nightmares shall contain forevermore…”
“We know this much,” Gilgamesh said, “but we wanted to have you clarify a few things, if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all, my ally of justice!” Watch saluted, suddenly perking up again. “Yes! Please, ask me as many questions as you desire, for my time is yours!”
In the background, Twilight could have sworn she saw Quill jerk and suddenly hit his leg against his desk, followed by a quiet gasp.
“Anyway,” Twilight said, pulling her mind back to the subject at hand, “we met with Detective Case at the crime scene, and she told us something interesting. Is it true that somepony told you your shift wasn’t until one-thirty?”
“Unfortunately, yes,” Watch said. She turned towards the back of the room. “Some lawless creature told me a fallacy, and thus I was unable to best the slayer of the innocent.” She shook her head. “A shame, truly.”
Gilgamesh raised an eyebrow. “’The innocent’?” he asked. “The victim was a criminal, wasn’t he? How in the world could that be considered ‘innocent’ by anyone?”
“U-uh… Well, that’s…” Watch’s voice began to shake, losing its volume. “Er… It’s a, uh… a metaphor.”
“That’s… That’s not a metaphor,” Twilight pointed out.
“Er… I-I meant irony?”
“That’s not it, either,” Twilight said, desperately resisting the urge to press a hoof to her forehead.
Watch flushed, and for the first time Twilight realized how young she looked – in fact, she pegged Watch for being no more than eighteen. “O-oh… Sorry…”
Twilight shook her head in exasperation. “Anyway,” she said, trying to get the conversation back on track, “you said somepony told you that you didn’t have to come in until later, right?”
“Y-yeah…” Watch cringed and stood up straight. “Er… I-I mean, yes! Yes, indeed, such a foul creature did riddle me with lies! And as a result, the prisoner lay dead while the killer lay, just outside his cell, her coat drenched scarlet!”
“Coat drenched scarlet…?” Gilgamesh asked. “What do you mean?”
“Is it not obvious? Clear? Apparent?” Watch asked. “The killer – that is, Miss Cerulean – was completely covered in the victim’s blood!”
“WHAT?!” both Twilight and Gilgamesh shouted, their jaws dropping.
Twilight shook her head. “Hang on – you’re telling me Cerulean had the victim’s blood on her?!”
Watch saluted and grinned. “That is correct! The suspect, when I found her, was completely drenched – from head to hoof!”
“Maybe she should change her name to ‘Scarlett,’” Quill remarked from the back of the room, barely hiding the smirk on his face. It took all of Twilight’s energy not to glare at him.
“This is bad…” Gilgamesh said unnecessarily. “In fact, this is worse than bad! Even the most wretched of beasts would flee from this case with this knowledge upon them!”
Twilight grit her teeth. Cerulean had hidden that. She had hidden all of it. The keys she’d been found with? Sure, she’d mentioned those, but nothing else. The murder weapon had been hidden from them. The fact that she was supposedly “drenched in blood” had been hidden from them.
How could they trust her at this rate?
“But that’s something else that was interesting,” Watch mused, seemingly to herself. “The victim’s blood was all over the suspect, but do you know what? The dagger was almost spotless.”
Twilight blinked, snapping out of her stupor. “Wait… What did you say? The dagger was ‘spotless’…?”
“Well, of course there was some blood here and there…” Watch trailed off, pressing a hoof to her chin. “For the most part, though, the dagger was almost completely clean. In fact, apparently most of the blood was added afterward from the pool on the ground – at least, that is what the forensics team claimed. The luminal test didn’t turn up much, either, now that I think about it…”
Gilgamesh paused. “Is that even possible?”
“If the blade was covered with something else, I guess it could reduce the blood splatter…” Twilight murmured. “But Detective Case didn’t say anything about that – hay, she didn’t even mention finding anything at the scene.”
“Yes, indeed,” Watch said, nodding. “I looked over the scene the thoroughliest I could, but even I could discover nothing of use…”
“This is definitely something we should look into,” Twilight said to Gilgamesh. “I mean, how could Cerulean have been covered ‘from head to hoof,’ but the dagger wasn’t unless she took the time to cover it?”
Gilgamesh placed a hand over his chin. “Yes… but in that case, wouldn’t that lead to several problems?”
“Yeah,” Twilight said. She turned to look at Watch, and added, “Thank you, Miss Watch. Your input’s been very useful.” And disturbingly revealing, at that.
Watch saluted, instantly regaining her former momentum. “But of course, Princess! That you value my assistance has proven my worth as a security guard! Nothing shall stand between I, Keep Watch – and… jiiiiustice! – any longer!”
“Does this mean you’re done, yet?” Quill muttered from his position.
“Actually, no,” Twilight said, much to his dismay. “Miss Watch… before we leave, I wanted to ask you a question. Well… two questions, actually. After that, I think we’ll be good to go.”
“Two questions, eh?” Gilgamesh murmured. “What are they?”
Twilight looked over at him. “Well, the first one’s pretty obvious, but –” she looked back over at Watch “– would you mind giving us a copy of your testimony? The one where you found the victim, I mean.”
Watch nodded enthusiastically. “Ah, yes. Of course, Princess!” She suddenly looked over at Quill. “Uh… Excuse me, Doctor, but do you have any paper I can borrow?”
Quill let out a sigh and pressed his talons to his forehead. “Drawer on the right. Top shelf. Pens are there, too.”
“Ah, thank you.” Watch trotted over, grabbed the necessary items, placed the paper on top of the desk, and started to write. “Let’s see, here… ‘I found the suspect outside the cell, covered in the victim’s blood…’ Ah, hold on a moment… ‘The murder weapon and the keys were nearby.’” Watch set down the pen and turned around towards Twilight and Gilgamesh. “Well? Is this sufficient?”
She lifted the paper in front of her so the two could read it, and Twilight immediately discovered the Watch had what must have been the most childish penmanship she had ever seen. On the plus side, however, it was at least legible enough to understand. It just looked incredibly unprofessional.
Twilight paused for a moment, looking for the right word. “Perfect,” she finally said, trying not to sound sarcastic. “Thank you very much.”
“Not a problem… Uh, rather… Of course, Princess!” Watch grinned, although it looked more sheepish than usual.
Twilight took the paper and tucked it away in her saddlebag, desperately hoping it would be permissible evidence in a court of law. “So here’s my second question, then: You said somepony told you not to go until later since somepony else was taking your shift, right?”
Watch shook her head regretfully. “Yes, indeed… I even had to leave my key by my desk for the replacement, given that they needed it. Had I been carefuller, I could have prevented the tragedy. However, I suppose even a professional makes errors in judgement.”
“Right,” Twilight said. “But who told you that? And more importantly, who was supposedly taking your shift?”
Watch suddenly froze. Her already regretful expression began to droop even further, until it looked like an upside-down “U” and her eyes turned into pinpricks. “I-I, uh…”
“If somepony had your position, it’s feasible he or she may have been responsible for the crime,” Gilgamesh mused. “In fact, it’s almost completely plausible – whoever held that shift may very well be the murderer. Not to mention that he or she would have access to the cell’s key… Now that I think about it, it appears that your replacement could have been the killer.”
“E-er, I… I mean, I… uh…” Twilight suddenly noticed a sheen of sweat forming on Watch’s terrified-looking face. “I-I kinda… forget.”
“You ‘forget’?” Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow.
Watch stepped back until she was up against the computer. “Y-yeah. Wait, no! I-I mean, no, of c-course I didn’t forget! I-I mean, uh… I-I mean that I don’t know who took my shift. The, uh… The guy who told me – he said it was just somepony else. Y-yeah…”
“And you didn’t bother looking into the matter further?” Gilgamesh asked. “I find that highly unlikely. You just called yourself a professional, after all.”
“I-I… um… That is, I…” Watch’s eyes suddenly darted to the entrance. “I-I have to go do something… uh… important!”
She bolted past both Twilight and Gilgamesh, pushing them aside as she sprinted from the laboratory with that same panicked look on her face. They could hear her hooves pound on the floor as she ran down the hall and up the stairs before vanishing completely.
“Well,” Gilgamesh said, “that wasn’t suspicious at all.”
“Yeah. Thanks, by the way.” They turned to see Quill standing there, looking even more disgruntled than usual. “You know, it wasn’t as if I was questioning her or anything. No, no, I mean, I was almost done anyway.” He ran his talons through his matted mane. “Oh, and that she had important information for me? No, no. It’s absolutely fine.”
Twilight sighed. Even though Watch had run off on her own volition, she could hardly argue it wasn’t her fault; her question had been the one that set her off, after all. “Doctor…”
Quill, however, was hardly finished. “Oh, no. Please, just waltz on into my lab without my permission and bother me. Here, actually… Why don’t I get you something, Sparkles? Tea? Coffee? Why the hay not?!” Twilight suddenly felt herself become very small as Quill’s face contorted with rage. “Y’know what?! Why don’t I just kiss the ground you walk on like every other moron in Equestria?! Huh?!” He slammed left foreleg against the nearby wall, causing Twilight to jump. “How about I treat you ‘special’ because you’re a princess, eh?! Since you, like those other idiots think you can just go and spout your entitled crap and do what you want whenever you want it?! I mean, you’re a princess! So that means you can ruin us worthless peasants, doesn’t it?!”
He paused to breathe, and Gilgamesh nudged Twilight on her side. “Maybe we should run…”
“And y’know what else, Sparkles?! How about I–?!”
“Sully~!” rang a familiar voice from down the hall.
Quill suddenly stopped, looking away from Twilight and Gilgamesh for just a second. “Hm?”
Twilight turned towards the doorway, preparing to make a break for it when she saw to whom the voice belonged. Then her jaw practically dropped.
Vinyl Scratch practically bounced into the room, carrying a basket. “Sully!” she said again, practically launching herself at Quill.
Quill, for his part, actually grinned. Not one of his sarcastic grins, but an actual smile. Twilight didn’t even know he was capable of that feat.
He ruffled her mane playfully. “Hey, kiddo. How’ve you been?”
Vinyl laughed. “I’m pretty good. Since Nightmare Night’s tomorrow, Tavi and I’ve been practicing all day.” She grinned. “But we’re taking a lunch break right now, so I thought I’d pay you a surprise visit.”
“Well, it’s good to see you. I’ve been dealing with some… complications…” He glared over at Twilight and Gilgamesh.
Vinyl turned around slowly. “Huh? Oh, sorry… I didn’t realize you had company.” She blinked and pulled up her glasses. “Huh? Wait a sec…” She grinned even wider. “Hey, Gilgamesh! How’ve you been? You practicing?”
“Every day,” Gilgamesh said proudly.
“Heh, awesome. Oh, and Princess Twilight’s here, too?” Vinyl stepped up to her. “So, what’s the occasion? You guys here to get a lesson from Sully? ‘Cause let me tell you guys he’s a great teacher.”
“Ah, so this is where you learned how to psychologically manipulate people,” Gilgamesh said. “But no, we’re actually investigating a murder.”
Vinyl paused. “A murder? Huh, that’s kinda cool, I guess. Anyway –” she turned back to Quill and presented the basket “– here!”
“What’s this?” Quill asked, grabbing it nonetheless.
“Since Tavi and I were on our lunch break, I picked you up something from Hayseeds,” Vinyl explained. “Plus, I noticed you haven’t been eating too well, lately. So I wanted to make sure you at least got some food, since you’re cramped down here all the time.”
Quill flushed, which was barely visible beneath his dusty feathers. “Thanks, kiddo. Make sure you take care of yourself too, okay? And be careful.”
“Don’t worry, I will!” Vinyl turned to leave before immediately turning back. “Oh, by the way, I just saw Keep running out of here. She was asking me not to say anything, buuuut…” Vinyl grinned devilishly. “Well, she might have run off towards the museum, but I can’t really say for sure. Oh, but if you do find her there, I didn’t say anything, okay?”
Quill grinned. “Ah, I see. Well, I might need to head there later. Thanks.”
“For what?” Vinyl asked innocently. “Oh, and you two – good luck with your investigation!”
“Thank you!” Twilight said.
“She seems rather nonplussed about the idea of a murder, doesn’t she?” Gilgamesh asked.
Vinyl rolled her eyes. “Well, of course I am! I mean, they’ve been happening for a while, espe–” She cut off as Quill gave her a stern glare. “Well, yeah. So what are you two doing?”
“We’re the lawyers!” Gilgamesh said proudly. “Defenders of truth, justice, and the suspect!”
Vinyl suddenly paused and looked over at Quill. “Wait… Sully, what do they mean ‘defending the suspect’? Has somepony been arrested already?”
Quill shifted uncomfortably. “Well, Vinyl… there was a murder last night.”
All the color drained from Vinyl’s already white face. “L-last night…? Wait, who was it? Who was killed?!”
“Nobody’s told us quite yet,” Gilgamesh said, causing Vinyl to turn towards him. “However, it looks to be–”
“Nopony in particular,” Quill interjected. “The victim hasn’t been identified yet, though.”
Vinyl let out a sigh. “O-oh, that’s a relief. Er, not that anypony died, I mean, but… Are you sure?”
“C’mon, would I ever lie to you?” Quill rustled her mane again. “It’s gonna be fine. I promise. Now get going – I mean, you wouldn’t wanna be late for rehearsing with Octavia, would you?”
Vinyl caught sight of a clock on the wall and jumped. “A-ah, you’re right! I-I gotta go! Sorry, Sully, but I’ll have to talk to you later. And Gilgamesh, keep practicing!” She turned and sprinted out of the room in a way reminiscent of Watch’s escape.
After they couldn’t hear her footsteps anymore, Gilgamesh placed a hand on his chin. “Huh, you’re the last person I’d expect to have a softer side.”
“Oh, shut up,” Quill snarled, apparently back to his old self. “You’re lucky Vinyl came when she did, or I’d still be chewing you two out.” He shook his head. “Whatever. It doesn’t matter, anyway. I’ll have to take the time out of my schedule to track down Watch since somepony chased her off, but fine.”
“But I’m confused,” Twilight said.
“And that’s an epiphany?” Quill snarked.
Twilight glared at him. “I meant I don’t understand something.” She paused, waiting for some kind of sarcastic remark. When none came, however, she said, “Why did you lie to her?”
“What do you mean?”
“When she asked you about the murder, you said the victim wasn’t identified… but that’s obviously a lie, since Doctor Trail told us the police know who he was.” Twilight looked him straight in the eyes. “So why did you lie about that?”
Quill cracked his neck, suddenly looking bored. “Eh, don’t worry your empty little head about that.”
Gilgamesh crossed his arms and cocked his head. “Don’t you mean ‘pretty’?”
“Did I stutter?”
Twilight grit her teeth. Yes, he was definitely back to the same old Quill.
“Anyway, I have to head to the museum to look for a certain security guard, so please forgive me if I’m not as cordial as you two.” Quill pulled on a coat hung over a tack on the wall. “And since I’m leaving, that means I have to lock up my lab. So get out. Now.”
“But there may be important evidence in here,” Gilgamesh protested.
“Except there isn’t.” Quill pulled his other leg through the coat. “Actually, here’s an idea: Why don’t you go bother somepony else? Somepony who isn’t stupidly busy right now? Maybe Dire’d do the trick.”
“Dire?” Gilgamesh asked. “You mean Fenrir Dire the prosecutor?”
“No, I mean Fenrir Dire the baker. Yes, I mean the prosecutor.” Quill sighed. “I’d be happy to give you his address, but I’m too busy doing something else and also I don’t care.” He fastened the coat around his shoulders. “Besides, just go to the prosecutors’ office. He shouldn’t be hard to find.”
Twilight blinked. Was Quill actually being helpful for once? “Um… thank you,” she said awkwardly.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Quill stepped out of his lab, and the two of them followed suit. He locked the door and muttered something unintelligible under his breath. “Anyway,” he said, “just get going. I honestly can’t stand the sight of you, and based on your emotional readings, you can’t stand the sight of me, either.”
“Emotional readings?” Gilgamesh asked.
“It’s unimportant. Now go away.”
Twilight and Gilgamesh did not need to be told twice. They walked away from Quill, tried hard not to get caught with him in the dark stairwell, and walked out the front door of the Canterlot Police Department into the light of day.
The two simply stood there for several seconds before Gilgamesh asked, “So what should we do now?”
“We could head to Cerulean and ask her about what Watch said, but Quill might have a point,” Twilight said, biting back the bile in her throat as she said it. “Prosecutor Dire might have some good advice regarding all this evidence. And, more importantly, he might be able to give us an idea about court tomorrow. Although,” she added, blushing slightly, “Vinyl bringing in that food reminded me that I haven’t eaten anything all day…”
“Then perhaps we should go find something to eat,” Gilgamesh said. “After all, whether on the battlefield or on an investigation, a person cannot act at his full capacity while hungry. And, er… I may be slightly hungry as well…”
Twilight laughed. “Well, if we’re both in agreement, let’s go get some food. We can better discuss our next move then.”
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Wow, I'm more surprised Gilgamesh and Twilight didn't raise a stink over not being told who the victim was. That is very important information needed to help the defense of the case. By not divulging this information to Cerulean's defense attorney's, they should be able to declare a mistrial if Equestria's legal system is even fairly competent. Prosecuting someone for a crime while not divulging all the relevant and necessary information to the defense is an act of injustice. I would have been extremely obstinate and pissed about that if it was me that was the defense attorney. Also, Quill is an idiot for blaming Gilgamesh and Twilight for Keep running off. They didn't know he was interviewing her and if he had told them from the beginning he was obtaining relevant case information for the trial, they probably would have sat back and let him do his work. Quill is a dick who juste seems to like to create scenarios for him to find a reason to be mad at people he seemingly inherently doesn't like. Keep up the good work!
How did the writing turn to Ace Attorney style!?
5486537 Exactly what I was thinking.
CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL EVERYWHERE!
Wow, Quill is really making out he is a mind controlling changeling whose daughter Vinyl is the one mentioned in teh book and Watch is the one that did the deed, guv.
Thing Id like to ask Encrypted Glass, which from looking at holographic optical processing, to me sounds like what a changeling or other illusionist would like to use as a play on words, is from a Pratchett novel about vampires, did the rare and delicate medication which ran out four years ago, cause him to hallucinate he was sane, and not to read other peoples minds and imprint on others, just how did he make a dragon of that size from all those books he borrowed from Twilights Library?
Things are getting ever weirder, thats for sure.
Barking up the wrong tree? Im strolling on the Moon in the merry merry month of, December.
5486537
5495872
There is a legitimate reason why the victim's identity cannot be revealed yet, which will be brought up in the next chapter and will hopefully justify the enormous amounts of classification.
So it's about time I got back to reading this.
What a doozy of a chapter. I love your writing so much.
Interesting how Gilgamesh has grown as a character. I notice he didn't space out in this chapter like he tended to in others. Perhaps it's because he knows how important paying attention at this time really is?
Anyway, lots of interesting developments. Looking forward to more.
Any news on the next chapter?
5487866
That's what I like to know. I thought this was suppose to be a Final Fantasy V crossover with Gilgamesh. This whole Ace Attorney style murder mystery scenario feels like it came out of left field.