My Little Investigations: Marehunter

by Metool Bard

Failed Forewarning (S)

December 14, 10:55
Epiphany University
Staff Building
***

After snapping out of my fugue state, I flew back into Kierra's office. I was glad to see that my team was standing at attention and awaiting orders. That's something you need to keep in mind if you're planning to become a Wonderbolt. When something throws you for a loop, you need to be ready to correct your course and keep flying. Otherwise, you're just gonna crash and burn.

"Alright, team. We've got some time before the Proud Pride comes back with the Griffon Magistrate," I said. "Let's make the most of it."

"I think we should start off by going over what we already know," suggested Misty Fly, knitting her brow.

Blaze arched an eyebrow. "Well, that's a pretty short list. Kierra's dead; the phony Mare-Do-Well is our top suspect; bing bang boom. Not a whole lot to go on there."

"No, Mist is right, Blaze," I said. "There's a lot more to it than that. Headmaster Hawke."

Javier looked up and adjusted his glasses. "Y-yes?"

"You said that Professor Kierra and the security staff have the only keys to this office, correct?"

"Y-yes, Ms. Spitfire."

"And there don't seem to be any windows the culprit could've snuck through. Private, check the ventilation shaft."

"On it," said Rainbow Dash, flying up to the ceiling and looking around. "Ventilation shaft's clean, ma'am. No sign of forced entry."

"So, what? Kierra just let the fake Mare-Do-Well waltz right into her office?" asked Blaze, rubbing the side of her head. "I'm not the only one who thinks that's unlikely, am I?"

"It is rather far-fetched," I admitted. "However, Kierra did know Mare-Do-Well. It's possible that she let her in not knowing that she was an impostor."

"Impossible," Javier said with a snort. "The campus security would've seen her coming and stopped her before she even entered the building."

I smirked. "You don't know Mare-Do-Well like I do, Headmaster Hawke," I said. "Avoiding detection like that is pretty much her MO, and I'm sure the impostor's no different."

"And that means she probably didn't leave any trace behind, either," Blaze said darkly. "That doesn't bode well for our investigation, Sis."

"That's no excuse to give up, Blaze. You of all ponies should know that," I said. "Now then, there's something else worth mentioning."

"You're talking about Professor Kierra's research, correct?" inquired Misty Fly.

I nodded. "Bingo, Mist. Headmaster Hawke said that Kierra was researching something, and that she was feeling on-edge. If we can find out what she was researching, it might connect to her murder."

"I don't see how," said Javier, tapping his beak. "If Professor Kierra's life was in danger, why didn't she tell anyone?"

"Only one way to find out," I said. "Wonderbolts, let's start looking for evidence. Remember, anything that we find should be shared with the Griffon Magistrate."

"Yes, ma'am!" came a chorus of acknowledgements. Just before we got to work, Javier cleared his throat.

"Um, I don't mean to interrupt, Ms. Spitfire, but are the Wonderbolts trained for this sort of thing?" he asked.

There really isn't a right answer to that question. Crime scene investigation is not really in a Wonderbolt's job description, but that didn't exactly stop Mare-Do-Well from dumping a mystery onto my lap when I first met her. I merely shrugged.

"We know what we're doing, headmaster," I said simply. And with that, we got right to work. It wasn't long before somepony spotted something.

"Ma'am, take a look at this," said Rainbow Dash.

I flew behind Kierra's desk and look at where Rainbow Dash was pointing. At the edge of the desk, the ivory-colored carpet was stained light brown. Shards of porcelain were also scattered around the stain. I leaned down and took a whiff. It smelled very strongly of chocolate.

"It's an interesting find, private," I mused. "However, I'm not sure what to make of it."

"I didn't think so either, ma'am," said Rainbow Dash. "But when I was flying around the room to check the ventilation shafts, I noticed something."

"What's that?"

"There isn't any blood splatter in this room."

Curious, I flew up to the ceiling and scanned the floor. Rainbow Dash was indeed correct. There wasn't a speck of red to be found in the carpet, or anywhere else for that matter. I then took a closer look at Kierra's body. Much to my surprise, I didn't find any sort of trauma. No nicks; no scrapes; no cuts; not even a single bruise. It doesn't look like she was struggling against any sort of opponent when she died. Coupled with the chocolate stain Rainbow Dash found, I think I might know how Kierra was killed.

"I think you're onto something here, private," I said. "I can't say for certain, but it looks like the cause of death was poison."

Javier's face grew pale. "P-poison? Th-that's ridiculous. There would've been a campus alert if our science lab was broken into."

"I never said where the assassin got the poison, headmaster," I said. "For all we know, it could've come from outside the kingdom's borders. The only way to know for sure is with the forensic assistance of the Griffon Magistrate."

"Even then, we still don't know how the poison got into her tea," said Misty Fly.

"Hot cocoa, actually," Javier corrected. "Professor Kierra has always preferred hot cocoa as her beverage of choice. Truth be told, she actually couldn't brew tea to save her life, and she was never a fan of coffee."

Hmm. That explains the chocolate smell. But Misty Fly's point still stands. How exactly did the culprit sneak poison into her drink? If Kierra was on-edge like Javier claims, wouldn't she have been more cautious about this sort of thing? I dunno, something about this feels wrong. Well, everything about this feels wrong, but you know what I mean.

"Headmaster Hawke, if you don't mind, I'd like to ask you something," I said.

"By all means, Ms. Spitfire," said Javier.

"When did you last see Professor Kierra?"

"Yesterday evening, in the library. She said she was working overtime on her research, just as she did for the past week."

So, this has been going on for a week now. And for some reason, Kierra didn't bother to tell anyone what she was up to for all that time. She had to have a reason for this odd behavior, but what?

"What time was that, headmaster?"

"I'd say around nine o'clock or so."

"And is there anyone else on campus who could testify to Kierra's activities last night?"

"That's quite doubtful, Ms. Spitfire. Only the faculty have access to the library in the evening, and most professors up at that hour are busy teaching night classes or grading papers."

My brow furrowed. This is not a whole lot to go on. Without any witnesses to Kierra's activities, we have no way of knowing when her hot cocoa was poisoned. We might need to wait on the Griffon Magistrate if we're gonna make any headway in this case.

"Hey, Sis! Check this out!"

I turned around to see Blaze peering into Kierra's wastebasket. We all gathered around to see what got her attention. Oddly enough, the only thing in the basket was a folded-up piece of parchment. Already, I know something's amiss. If it's garbage, why isn't it crumpled or shredded? It's almost like whoever put it there wanted someone to find it.

"I think this might offer some clue as to what Kierra was researching before her ticket got punched," said Blaze.

"Maybe," I concurred. "Only one way to find out. I don't think the Griffon Magistrate will mind if we take a little peek before they get here."

Ever so carefully, I fished the parchment out of the wastebasket and unfolded it. To my surprise, the whole thing was almost illegible. Smudges and scratchings dominated most of the page.

"Wow. I thought she'd have better penmanship," said Rainbow Dash. "Twilight would have a fit if she found out any super smart professor was writing like that."

"You're not wrong there, private," Blaze agreed. "I can't read any of this chicken scratch."

"We can't give up so quickly, team," I said sternly. "We should at least take a closer look at it."

I took the document and laid it down on Kierra's desk, making sure not to disturb the body. It read as follows:

Dearest Magistrate:

If you receive this letter, then you know that unintelligible smudge. I have just been made awasmudge of a major threat to unintelligible smudge. You must completely unintelligible smudge. The prisoner known as unintelligible smudge is unintelligible smudge accompanied by a tear in the paper. I don't know why nor how, but she unintelligible smudge. The Kuunintelligible smudge not to be taken lightly. I will unintelligible smudge when I find smudge. For now, stay safe and...

At that point, the letter just, stopped. It was as if the quill had just slid off the page. D-did Kierra die while writing this? That's the only conclusion I'm coming up with. But if that's the case, why is a good chunk of it crossed out? It couldn't have been an effect of the poison, could it? And this still didn't explain how she knew all this, or even what she knew. As it stands, it is indeed a clue, but I have no idea what it—

"All rise for le Griffon Magistrat!"

I was snapped back to reality by Pierre's voice. I turned my head and immediately stood at attention. Standing before us was a very serious-looking hippogriff wearing white robes with golden tassels. I could tell she was a hippogriff because as she walked, I could distinctly hear the clip-clopping of hooves. She was holding a golden scepter with a gavel at the head, and the look she gave me seemed to suggest that she wanted to bash my head in with the thing. It didn't help that her steely silver eyes looked like they could bore right into my soul.

"Captain Spitfire, I presume," she said sharply.

"Yes, Your Honor," I said, taking a moment to compose myself.

"A pleasure to meet you," said the Griffon Magistrate, although her tone didn't reflect that at all. "I am Eagle Eye, the fifty-first Griffon Magistrate of the Griffon Kingdom."

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Your Honor," I said with a bow. Quickly, my fellow Wonderbolts did the same. "I presume that Captain le Grand has told you about the reason for our visit."

"Indeed," said Eagle Eye, her eyes narrowing. "However, you are no longer needed here."

I blinked. "I beg your pardon?"

"There is no evidence connecting the murder of Professor Kierra to your vigilante fugitive as of this moment," said Eagle Eye flatly. "As such, I ask that you leave the rest of this investigation to us and focus on your own task."

"Sheesh, rude," Blaze muttered under her breath. Catching her, I gave her a swift smack with my wing.

"Let me handle this, Blaze," I said sternly, turning back to Eagle Eye. "Your Honor, I must disagree with that assessment. If you'd just allow my team a bit more time to investigate, I'm sure that—"

"Overruled!"

Eagle Eye cut across me with a roar and a swing of her scepter. Instinctively, I took a quick step backward. The scepter struck the ground before me with a powerful thud, making a dent in the carpet. Before you ask, I don't think she was actually trying to hit me with that thing. Even so, that was kind of uncalled for.

"Hey, what's the big idea?!" barked Rainbow Dash, sharing my sentiments.

"Your request to continue your investigation here has been denied, Captain Spitfire," said Eagle Eye curtly. "If I do find a connection to your case, I will be sure to inform you. But for now, you are interfering with the law of our land. Leave, now."

Well, this isn't what I expected. I was really hoping we could work together on this, but it turns out I'm a bit rusty on the nuances of griffon law. Rainbow Dash let out a deep-throated snarl.

"Well excuse us for trying to help!" she snapped. "We didn't come all the way from Equestria to—"

"Stand down, private," I ordered. "This is out of our hooves."

Rainbow Dash growled. "Yes, ma'am," she mumbled bitterly.

I sighed and turned back to Eagle Eye. "Be sure to keep us apprised, Your Honor. We'll be taking our leave now."

"Indeed," said Eagle Eye, stepping to one side. "Fare well, Captain Spitfire."

I bowed and walked right by her. As we left, I saw Pierre and Drake give me apologetic shrugs. Gilda, however, seemed to be quite amused by this. She gave Rainbow Dash a sneer, which prompted Rainbow Dash to give her the evil eye in return.

"Permission to speak freely, ma'am?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Denied, private," I said. "I already know what you're gonna say. I'm thinking it, too. But it won't do us any good to argue with the Griffon Magistrate."

"So, what? Are we just gonna leave?" inquired Blaze.

"Not a chance," I said, shaking my head. "We still need to find out what Kierra was researching. The only way to do that is to check out the library."

Misty Fly's face darkened. "I don't think the Griffon Magistrate is going to like the fact that we're investigating Kierra's murder behind her back, Spitfire."

"Oh, don't be such a worrywart, Misty Fly," said Blaze. "We're not getting in her way or anything."

"Blaze's right, Mist," I said. "I'm sure we'll be spared her wrath if we just let her do her thing. Besides, I don't care what she says; Mare-Do-Well's impostor is connected to Kierra's murder. She has to be."

Misty Fly nodded. "It's good to see you have the strength of your convictions, Spitfire. But I still suggest we tread carefully."

"That is indeed the plan, Mist," I said. "C'mon, let's find the library."

With that, we took off. As I looked over at Rainbow Dash, I saw that she was still fuming. I sighed inwardly. I really am just as frustrated as she is right now, but we didn't have much of a choice back there. Even so, I get the feeling that talking to the Griffon Magistrate again is gonna be an uphill battle. I dunno about you, but something about people trying to intimidate me by threatening to bludgeon me with a gavel kinda gives me the impression that they don't like me very much. I don't really understand the hostility, but again, not a whole lot I can do about that.

Nevertheless, I wouldn't be much of a Wonderbolt if I gave up now. I made a promise to Kierra, to Princess Twilight, and to myself. That promise was to find the fake Mare-Do-Well and bring her to justice. And I fully intend to keep that promise, no matter what it takes.

Author's Note:

((OOC: I think I might be the first author to use spoiler tags in service to the plot like this. Don't worry, they don't actually spoil anything. I just thought it would make things look nicer and more authentic. ))

Comments

[Manaphy]

Clever use of the spoiler tags. I'm also curious as to who the imposter is and if the chocolate is a clue of some sort. Either way, great chapter as usual!

[Adam95F]

Woo I say that lady is suspicious but I'm not sure.

Great chapter anywho.

[Celestial Petrichor]

I'm loving the story so far! I have noticed a couple of things though;

Wonderbolts, let's started looking for evidence.

start

As it stands, it is indeed a clue, but I have no idea what it...

Instead of using a triple-dot (...) for interruptions, try using dashes (--).

You seem to use commas in place of pauses in conversation, I suggest using a triple-dot (...).

Still, you're doing a great job

[Metool Bard]

4623179 Thank you for the advice. I'll be sure to apply it where applicable.

Honestly, though, I'm a bit skeptical about using ellipses in the context you're talking about. The way I've been taught is that ellipses are used to show that a sentence wasn't finished, not to denote a pause. I feel like if I did that, someone else will come around and say that I'm misusing ellipses. Grammar is so confusing sometimes.

Otherwise, I'm glad you're enjoying this little tale thus far.

[Celestial Petrichor]

4623249 Grammar is a tricky thing, isn't it? Taken from Wikipedia:

Depending on their context and placement in a sentence, ellipses can also indicate an unfinished thought, a leading statement, a slight pause, and a nervous or awkward silence.

You learn something new every day ;)
Looking forward to the next chapter!

[Metool Bard]

4623280 Perhaps so, but I'm still rather skeptical. After all, I always got the impression that ellipses were meant for longer pauses (which is why you suggested replacing the ellipses with dashes in sentences where a character is interrupted). The pauses I portray with the commas barely last a second, so I don't know if it warrants an ellipse. I dunno if this makes any sense to you; my brain is very oddly wired.

[Celestial Petrichor]

4623331 I do see where you're coming from. It's fine to me really, but I had to stop and figure out why there was a comma after the first word of a sentence

[The Nightmare has Come]

Soo.... When's the next chapter? I'm dying here! I just read the last three stories in this series today and now I need more!

[Metool Bard]

4629031 Patience, my friend. I've been updating as often as possible given my RL schedule. The next chapter will be up soon enough.

[theNDinspector]

Trust be told, she actually couldn't brew tea to save her life, and she was never a fan of coffee.

I'm pretty sure the phrase is "truth be told" unless there's some area that uses "trust" in that way.

Anyways, it looks like we're going to have a jurisdiction battle here.

[Metool Bard]

5081177 Yeah, that's what I meant. Thanks for catching that, mate.

[BirdsBooksBrownies]

"And there doesn't seem to be any windows the culprit could've snuck through. Private, check the ventilation shaft."

*don't

[Metool Bard]

8583602
Thanks again. Funny thing, I actually had to think about this one for a bit. "Doesn't" in that context still sounds correct (at least to me), but yeah, "don't" fits more.

[mylittleponyfan12345]

Hmm... Chocolate stains on the carpet, Spitfire said it smells like chocolate, Toxic truffles?!