My Little Investigations: Marehunter

by Metool Bard

Quite a Puzzle (O)

December 14, 11:36 AM
Lincolt Center
The Bent Trumpet
***

"Look, officer. I-is this really necessary? W-we honestly don't know anything about this."

"I do apologize, Mrs. Crumbles. However, I must follow standard police procedure and question all potential witnesses to the crime."

While we didn't manage to find Mike Check or Babs Seed anywhere, we did happen upon Rarity's parents in the Bent Trumpet. Along with the Ponytones, they were being questioned by a rather delicate-looking white Earth Pony with a wavy streaked mane of yellow, purple, and pink. She was wearing a tan trench coat and a customized monocle that was designed to resemble a magnifying glass, and her Cutie Mark seemed to depict a magnifying glass over a jumble of puzzle pieces. Before any of us could react to this situation, the police pony looked up and adjusted her monocle.

"Ah, more witnesses, I take it," she said. "Detective Shamus must've sent you my way."

"Um, that's partially true," I said.

"Really now," said the police pony, scribbling in a notepad. "Care to tell me the other part? I do so hate incomplete answers."

"It's quite complicated, actually," I said sheepishly.

The police pony gave me a coy smile, and her eyes sparkled. "Well, lucky for you, I just so happen to like complications," she said, flashing her badge. "Detective Puzzlement, Manehattan PD and puzzle enthusiast. Nothing is too difficult for me to wrap my head around."

"Wanna bet?" said Vinyl.

Puzzlement's grin grew wider. "Yes, as a matter of fact. Yes, I do."

Vinyl blinked. "Uh, that was supposed to be a rhetorical question."

"And I gave you a rhetorical answer," said Puzzlement with a shrug. "Now then, let's get back to my questions, shall we? We can start with your names."

"Oh, of course," I said, clearing my throat. "I'm Octavia Melody, and these here are Vinyl Scratch, Rarity, and Fluttershy."

"Alright, fair enough," said Puzzlement, recording everything in her notepad. "So, you were sent here by Detective Shamus and something else. Would any of you care to elaborate?"

Okay, I think I'm spotting a big difference between this disaster and the Manehattan Music Festival (you know, besides the child trauma). Last time, I was trying to keep my cover and share as little as possible with other ponies so that the culprit didn't get wise to my activities. Here, however, I think it might be more beneficial to share our information with the police. If nothing else, we could make up for getting on Shamus's bad side earlier.

"Well, here's the thing," I said. "We were sent here by Princess Twilight Sparkle to conduct our own investigation."

Puzzlement raised an eyebrow. "Strange. We received no word of this development."

"Yes, well. We had no idea this would happen when we got here," I said, brushing the back of my head. "I mean, we thought something might happen here, but we didn't know for sure."

"I see," said Puzzlement, tapping her chin with her pen. "So then, what exactly is this investigation you're conducting for the Princess, Ms. Melody?"

"Would you believe we're trying to track down a dock-hole trying to impersonate the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well and ruin her reputation?" asked Vinyl.

Puzzlement winced. "I-I would prefer it if you didn't use such coarse language in your testimony, Ms. Scratch."

"Hey, it's my testimony; I'll say whatever the buck I want, thankyouverymuch," said Vinyl, blowing a raspberry at Puzzlement.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Rarity clasping her hooves over Sweetie Belle's ears while giving Vinyl a very dirty look. I'm guessing that Vinyl forgot about Sweetie Belle, because otherwise, she would've checked herself. Swearing in front of children is one line she does not cross intentionally.

"Vinyl, maybe you should think about what you say before you say it," I growled through gritted teeth.

"I'm doing a lot of that, Tavi," said Vinyl. "And I think that this über-sensitive flatfoot can go—"

"Ild-chey in the oom-rey!" I hissed, pointing violently at Sweetie Belle.

Vinyl finally connected the dots. When she did, her cheeks matched the color of her eyes.

"Oh, right. Yeah. I-I'm really sorry about that, Rarity," she said. "I-I'll try to be better with my language."

"Hmmph. I sure hope so," huffed Rarity. "Honestly, Detective Puzzlement is right. It's very unbecoming of a lady to speak in such a repulsive manner."

"Ms. Rarity, there are many words that can be used to describe Vinyl Scratch," I said dryly. "'Lady' is not one of them."

"Can we please get back on track?" said Puzzlement, a touch of agitation seeping into her voice. "Now then, repeat that last part of your testimony."

"It's just as Ms. Scratch said, Detective Puzzlement," said Fluttershy. "There's a pony impersonating the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well, and we have to find her."

"And, are any of you detectives?"

"No, but Octy here thwarted the sabotage of the Manehattan Music Festival this past April," said Vinyl. "Does that count?"

"No, it does not," said Puzzlement blankly, not even bothering to look up from her notes.

Vinyl deadpanned. "You must be a riot at parties," she said sardonically.

"Vinyl, she's just trying to do her job," I groaned, massaging the bridge of my nose. "Stop making it hard for her."

"Let me speak for myself, Ms. Melody. Please and thank you," said Puzzlement stiffly. "So, at what time did you all arrive here?"

"Um, actually, we don't really have time for this," said Fluttershy, meekly twiddling her hooves. "We actually just wanted to drop Sweetie Belle off here so that we can continue our own investigation. That is, if it's okay with you."

Puzzlement looked up and adjusted her monocle. "That's not really my call to make, Ms. Fluttershy. I'm under strict orders from Detective Shamus to interview all witnesses. It's standard proced—"

She trailed off as she noticed Rarity holding Sweetie Belle in her foreleg. "Um, who is that?"

Vinyl let out a dry chuckle. "Really? It took you this long to notice that? Some detective you are."

"I could say the same about you, Ms. Scratch," said Rarity, narrowing her eyes.

Vinyl blushed and cleared her throat. "I-in my defense, she hasn't really said much since we found her. And before you say anything, yes, I know there's a reason for that."

"L-let's slow down here," said Puzzlement. "What're you talking about?"

I looked over at Magnum and Cookie Crumbles. As I suspected, they looked very confused and concerned. I suspect that they kept quiet out of respect of Puzzlement. I looked over at Rarity.

"Shall I?" I inquired.

"It's okay, Ms. Octavia. I'll tell them," said Rarity. She then took a deep breath. "W-we found Sweetie Belle in the Performance Studio where Ms. Sapphire was attacked. She's unhurt, but th-that's about all we could g-gather."

Cookie Crumbles gasped and buried her face into Magnum's chest. Magnum sighed.

"I-it's alright, dear," he said somberly. "Detective Puzzlement here will find out who did this. Won't you, Detective?"

"O-of course," said Puzzlement, sounding a bit shaken herself. "My, this adds a whole new dimension to this puzzle. A-are you sure she's not well enough to talk yet?"

Fluttershy shook her head. "She doesn't seem to be. Why?"

"Because as of right now, she may be our most valuable witness," said Puzzlement.

Well, I would figure that goes without saying. After all, she was the only other pony in the room when Sapphire was attacked. But still, I think anypony would have moral qualms with interrogating a traumatized filly. I know I do.

"Don't worry, Rare," said Torch Song. "We'll all do our part to make sure Sweetie Belle has the support she needs to get through this."

"Eeyup," said Big Macintosh with a firm nod.

"That would really mean a lot to me," said Rarity, walking over to Torch Song. "Thank y—"

"R-Rarity?"

A small, trembling voice made itself known. I could see Sweetie Belle fidgeting a bit in Rarity's grip. It appears she's finally recovered from the shock to some degree. Thank goodness for that.

"Yes, Sweetie Belle. It's me," murmured Rarity, a fresh batch of tears welling up in her eyes. "It's going to be okay."

Sweetie Belle shook her head. "N-no. Th-that thing... I-it's... Ms. Sapphire... I-is she...?"

"Sapphire Shores is still alive, according to our reports," said Puzzlement, walking over to Sweetie Belle. "In the meantime, I'd like to ask you a few—"

"Hold your horses, Detective," said Magnum sternly, cutting across Puzzlement. "Can't you see my little girl's been through enough already? She doesn't need you badgering her with questions."

Puzzlement snorted. "I'm trying to do my job, Mr. Flanks," she said in a pained tone. "P-please don't make this more difficult than it already is. Like it or not, Sweetie Belle here is a key witness to the crime. And if I don't get her testimony, Detective Shamus is going to have my badge."

Seeing as I've only just met Detective Shamus, I can't say for sure if Puzzlement is exaggerating or not. Still, it doesn't really sound like she wants to do this. I don't really blame her, but I also see her point. One way or another, we need to hear Sweetie Belle's side of the story. And I'm sad to say this, but I don't think Mare-Do-Well's doppelgänger is going to let us wait around for her to recover fully.

"Sweetie Belle, it's alright," Rarity cooed, brushing her hoof through Sweetie Belle's mane. "Mother and Father are here. They're not going to let anything hurt you. And I'm going to find the one responsible for this."

Sweetie Belle sniffled. "O-okay," she mumbled, drying her eyes. "B-but I'm still really s-scared. That thing... I-it wanted Ms. Sapphire's voice."

Puzzlement arched an eyebrow and got out her notepad. "What do you mean by that?"

"I-I dunno," said Sweetie Belle. "I just know it was an evil thing. It was big, and scary, and loud."

Wait. That last description seems critical. I understand that the Performance Studio's walls are soundproof, but there's never a case where you would describe an assassin as "loud." Especially not someone trying to impersonate the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well. So, why would that stick out in Sweetie Belle's mind?

"Hang on. I think I have an idea," said Puzzlement, giving her notepad to Sweetie Belle. "Can you draw this evil thing for me?"

Sweetie Belle hemmed and hawed over the question.

"It's okay, Sweetie," said Rarity. "You don't have to if you don't want to."

Sweetie Belle looked up at Rarity. "Y-you're trying to catch it, right?"

"Yes."

"Th-then you need to know what it looks like. L-let me help."

Rarity let out a great sigh and nodded. "Alright then."

Sweetie Belle took up Puzzlement's quill with her magic and scribbled all over the blank page. When she was done, she gave it to Rarity. Rarity arched an eyebrow.

"Um, Sweetie, darling. Are you sure this is what it looked like?"

"Uh-huh," said Sweetie Belle with a nod.

"Something wrong, Rarity?" asked Vinyl.

Rarity took the sketch with her magic and showed it to all of us. Honestly, I think I know why she's so confused. She probably expected the scribble to resemble Mare-Do-Well, but it clearly doesn't. In fact, it's not shaped like a pony at all. It looks more like some bipedal creature, like a minotaur or something. Except I don't know any minotaurs that have large protrusions of questionable nature springing from its back. I-is that supposed to be some kind of cloak? Also, it's holding something, and there are some lines coming out of it. Maybe those lines represent sound? I don't know, it's too hard to tell.

"Huh. How to make this fit," mused Puzzlement, looking over the drawing. "Has anypony in this room seen something like this roaming around?"

"Uh, no."

"I think we would've brought it up earlier if we did."

"I don't even know what that's supposed to be."

"Nope."

Puzzlement sighed. "Alright, I'm not gonna press the issue and have you do it over. But I'll be honest, I can't show this to Shamus. Not until I can figure out what it means."

"You really think you can do that?" asked Vinyl.

Puzzlement smirked. "I haven't met a puzzle that I haven't been able to solve yet. I just hope Shamus is a bit more patient with me this time."

"Um, what do you mean by that?" asked Fluttershy.

Puzzlement shrugged. "On the force, we tend to call him Speedy Shamus. He likes to make his arrests quick and clean, which doesn't always work out for him. I, on the other hoof, like to take my time and put all the pieces together. But right now, we don't really have all the pieces, and some of them are in weird shapes. Shamus doesn't really like that."

"I don't see how that's a problem," said Vinyl. "I mean, sure, it could get annoying if he yells at you, but he's still a cop. It's not like he's gonna arrest somepony randomly just to get the case over with. That'd just be silly."

"Detective Puzzlement!"

Just then, another police officer ran in and saluted.

"What is it?" asked Puzzlement.

"Detective Shamus needs you in the performance studio right now," said the officer. "He thinks he has a suspect."

I gave Vinyl a bemused look. "You were saying?"

Vinyl sighed. "Alright, I'll hit myself for that one," she said, smacking her own ankle.

"Trust me, you don't know Shamus like I do," said Puzzlement with a sigh of her own. "Well, I'd better go see what he's up to. You guys stay here until I get back. If he finds out that witnesses are wandering around unsupervised, he'll really lay into me."

"I'm afraid we can't abide by that, darling," said Rarity. "We still have our own investigation to conduct."

"Look, I don't make the rules; I just enforce them," said Puzzlement. "Shamus is not going to be happy to see you four wandering around doing who-knows-what."

"Who cares if he's happy or not?" said Vinyl. "We're not backing down, missy."

"Vinyl, that attitude could very well land us in jail," I groaned.

"If he tries to arrest us, he's only gonna hurt himself, Tavi," Vinyl countered. "I say we go over there and talk some sense into him."

"Uh, that doesn't really sound like a good idea," said Fluttershy.

"That's because it isn't," said Puzzlement.

"Hey, that's never stopped me before," laughed Vinyl. "C'mon, Octy! Let's go!"

Before anypony could make a move, she darted out the door.

"Oh my goodness, oh my goodness!" Fluttershy chanted to herself as she flew after her.

Rarity leaned down and gave Sweetie Belle a kiss on the forehead. "Stay here with Mother and Father, Sweetie Belle. They'll keep you safe."

"O-okay," said Sweetie Belle softly. "G-good luck, Rarity."

Rarity nodded and ran off after Vinyl and Fluttershy. Puzzlement gave me a bewildered look.

"Has Ms. Scratch always had a death wish?" she asked.

I snickered. "No, she's just insane and impulsive."

Puzzlement blinked. "What?"

"Trust me, Detective Puzzlement," I said as we took off after them. "You don't know Vinyl Scratch like I do."

Comments

[Manaphy]

"I'm doing a lot of that, Tavi," said Vinyl. "And I think that this über-sensative flatfoot can go-"

A small typo here. It should be "sensitive". Aside from that small hiccup, another great chapter. You write so well and have me hooked.

[Metool Bard]

4694191 Whoops! Thanks for catching that, mate.

[Manaphy]

4694250 No problem. Glad I could help.

[theNDinspector]

Puzzlement winced. "I-I would prefer it if you didn't use such coarse language in your testimony, Ms. Scratch."

One would think that a police officer would be used to people swearing when talking to them, or at least not be as surprised, but whatever. Puzzlement does strike me as being relatively new to the force--at least as a detective anyway.

[Metool Bard]

5084276 This is actually a bit of an abstract joke. Puzzlement is my reimagining of a G3 pony by the same name (thank The Mysterious Mr. Enter for the inspiration). Since G3 is a world of gumdrops and ice cream where hardly anything bad happens, they wouldn't have swearing. Hence Puzzlement's allergy to words.