Chapter 6: Investigations
Monsters
By Sharpe Quill
Chapter 6: Investigations
"So what do we do now?" asked Twilight as they made their slow way down the path.
It was a fair question. Belle had been so focused on finding out what had been causing these problems that she had yet to formulate a plan for what do to do once she knew. A drake and a lion, or a manticore, were responsible, but she didn't know where to begin looking for them. She might talk to Brine again, share this information with him; it was possible he could know where to begin looking for them. However she also had to get back to the Guard House, file a report, and issue orders. She also needed to find out as much as she could about drakes. Lions and manticores she knew about, at least as much as any other pony, but she had never heard of drakes before today, and she needed to know what they were up against.
A low growl, however, pushed a more mundane need to the forefront.
"Now," Belle answered, "we get some lunch. Do you like tacos?"
Twilight raised an eyebrow but her answer came in the form of a matching rumble of complaint from her stomach. Twilight blushed sheepishly. "I suppose I could go for a bite."
Belle grinned and turned them down a side street.
Soil's Funeral Home and Taco Hut was a surprisingly cheery place. The funeral home portion took up the majority of the building but along the side was a separate window where ponies could order their food and several tables with strategically placed piles of hay where they could enjoy said food. The low-flying pegasus himself was always cheerful and full of energy. His attitude and respect had won over the shocked minds of the Dock ponies, and his unusual dual business was now just a normal part of Dock life.
Twilight, however, wasn't used to it.
"Oh, for goodness sake," Belle grumbled when she noticed that she had taken several steps by herself. A glance back revealed the unicorn frozen mid step, a hoof in the air, and her mouth hanging open. She went back to the stunned mare and couldn't quite suppress a small smirk. "Problem?" she asked casually.
"That's...that's just so... so...." Twilight trailed off, her loquacious lexicon failing her for the first time in recent memory.
"Come on," Belle said with a laugh. "I'll introduce you to Soil. Things tend to make more sense once you get to know him."
Twilight could only nod mutely and followed Belle up to the order window. There was no line and only one of the tables was occupied. A trio of stallions she didn't recognize sat at a table beneath a nearby tree. They were an unusual bunch: a pegasus with an oddly curly mane, and a thin but coiled tail, like a large spring, and a cutie mark of a glowing swirl; a sly looking earth pony sporting a thick mane tied back with a band, slipping free from an unusually flat hat and a cutie mark depicting a speech bubble, like what she had seen in her foalhood comics, with a squiggle line punctuated with an emphatic exclamation point; and a large unicorn with a rather bushy tail and a cutie mark of a quill superimposed over a drop of some kind of liquid.
They were complete strangers to Belle. That in and of itself wasn't unusual. Dock was a port town after all and saw a lot of ponies passing through, even now in its waning years. In truth she probably wouldn't have taken notice of them at all if the pegasus hadn't caught sight of her and Twilight and broke out into a cheeky grin. He started to rise only to be yanked back down by a burst of magic from the unicorn. The earth pony laughed and must have said something amusing because the other two soon joined in. Belle rolled her eyes. Morons.
Twilight didn't seem to have noticed, her incredulous gaze was still fixed on the order window of the restaurant. Inside the window, the familiar sight of Soil hovering about his small kitchen was visible, quickly frying up something greasy and fattening and oh so good. His usual giant cup of soda was on the table next to him.
Belle tapped a small bell on the window sill to get his attention. He spun around, spatula still in his teeth. When he saw her, he grinned around the handle and put it down. "Belle!" he exclaimed happily. "Good to see you. The usual?"
Belle smiled back at her old friend. "Yeah, thanks Soil. And whatever Twilight here wants." She stepped aside to reveal the still stunned unicorn.
Soil smiled. "Well hello, Miss Twilight, a pleasure to meet you," he said with a mischievous glint in his eye. "And I must say you're the prettiest little mare I've seen since last I crossed paths with a Vila." He winked at her, although the effect was somewhat ruined by one of his twitches. Nevertheless, his words shook Twilight out of her stupor and she blushed.
"You've seen a Vila?" she asked. "I always thought that they were just a myth."
"Ayup," said Soil proudly. "Back in my younger days. Me and my pa ran across a whole gaggle of 'em, way out beyond the Griffin Dominion. Course, they soon showed their true colors and tried to eat us, but they were still a sight to behold right enough."
Belle stared back and forth between the fascinated unicorn and the twitchy tall-tale telling pegasus. She had always taken Soil's comments and ridiculous references to be just nonsense, but Twilight actually recognized one of his fantastical creatures; perhaps there really was more to Soil than there appeared.
But there were priorities, food now, and then work. She could ponder the veracity of Soil's stories later. She roused herself with a shake of her head. Twilight was listening intently while Soil rambled about something called a hippogriff. When had they started that topic? Belle really needed to get her musings under control, not to mention her sense of time.
"Not that this isn't quite fascinating," she interrupted loudly, "but we do have work to do."
Twilight blushed again. "Right. Sorry, Belle." She addressed Soil, "I'll just have whatever she's having."
Soil, for his part, didn't look the least bit chagrined. He nodded with a twitch and set about preparing the food.
Belle placed several bits on the window-sill (adamantly refusing Twilight's proffered coins), and, once Soil had placed her order up, moved to a nearby table, as far away from the trio of strange stallions as possible. She ate her normal duo of three-bean tacos in quiet contemplation, examining and rejecting plan after plan for her next move. Twilight joined her a few minutes later, her own tacos floating beside her. "That is an interesting stallion," she said as she sat across from Belle.
The earth pony raised an eyebrow. "You know he's in his fifties, right?"
The young mare blushed. "That's not what I meant," she said hurriedly. "But he talked about seeing Vila, and they're supposed to be a myth. And he talked about seeing the ruins of Camellot and the grand palaces of Saddle Arabia. Can you imagine the stories he must have?"
Belle, who had been subjected to Soil's ridiculous accounts for years, could only shrug. She swallowed a bite of delicious greasy goodness before answering. "I've heard a lot of them," she said, "and I don't believe most of 'em."
Twilight considered that for a moment, using the time to take a bite of her own taco. She quickly fanned her mouth with a hoof, having absent-mindedly forgotten how fresh it was. Once she got past the heat, however, she munched it appreciatively. Belle finished off her second taco by the time the unicorn managed to start her second.
"So what's the next step?" Twilight asked between bites.
"I'm not sure," Belle answered truthfully. "Most likely head back to the Guard House and report in. Without any solid leads, the best thing I can think of doing is to study up on drakes. The more information we have, the better."
Twilight's face lit up at the word 'study.' She swallowed the last of her lunch quickly. "I tell you what," she said, barely restraining the eagerness in her voice, "why don't I do the research for you while you return to the Guard House and do your reports. Then I can meet up with you later and let you know what I've learned."
Belle considered this. There was no doubt that having the research done for her would be a massive help. She was no fan of paperwork, reports, and the other bureaucratic aspects of her job, as evidenced by the fact that she, the captain herself, went out on regular patrols. Besides, the young unicorn just seemed so eager. "Alright," she said with a nod, "that sounds like a plan. Meet back at the Guard House in a couple of hours." She looked around for some kind of timepiece before spying the clock tower of the town hall just rising over the tops of some nearby buildings reading 1:40. "Let's say 4:30."
That should still give them about two hours before sundown. Twilight nodded. "That should be enough time. Where's the library?"
Belle gave her directions and the eager young mare trotted off happily. Belle sat there for a few moments longer, staring at the remains of her meal. What should be her next step? The diamond dog lead was still unavailable. She doubted she would get anything new from Brine. All of the tunnel entrances they had found so far were blocked or sealed in some way, and she couldn't order random searches of anypony's house for unblocked ones. She could look for the mysterious buyer of the smuggled creatures, but with Brine being so tight-lipped about it she had no idea where to start. She needed a break, a lead, something.
With a weary sigh she rose and, disposing of her rubbish, made her way back to the Guard House.
********************
When she entered the building, Em gave her a questioning and slightly skeptical glance. This confused Belle until she remembered that Twilight wasn't with her and the admonishment Em had given her earlier.
"Don't worry," the captain rushed to assure her friend. "She's doing some research for me. I will admit she hasn't been an impediment like I feared she would be."
That seemed to mollify the large unicorn and she nodded, a more usual smile replacing her skepticism. "Ah," she whispered, "thank you, Belle, for giving her a chance. I know you're under a lot of pressure here."
Belle didn't quite know what to say to that so she settled for a nod.
"Oh, and Brine sent a message," Em continued.
That got Belle's attention. With a hurried thanks, she rushed into her office. Had Brine found something? Was this the break she needed?
Unfortunately it wasn't. When she read the single page note on her desk, she was disappointed to find that it was simply a reminder that the next day a rather important shipment was scheduled to arrive in the mid afternoon. An escort of royal guards was expected to be on hand to oversee the shipment and escort it up the road to Canterlot.
That caught Belle's attention. What could possibly require such a heavy guard? Unfortunately, the message didn't say. Such shipments were very rare, if not unheard of in Dock. Usually it was a shipment of very rare gems, or some kind of important magical artifacts, and once even a dangerous prisoner transfer. Belle still couldn't help but smirk in amusement when she remembered seeing that foolish young unicorn, with his obviously fake wings and awful red and black paint job. Foolish and childish. Yet, he had apparently warranted a heavy guard, so he must have done something to deserve it.
Well, whatever the shipment was, it was clearly being treated with great care and caution. The note also acknowledged that the usual precautions would be taken by Brine. Basically, that meant that he would have a few of his own ponies on hoof to oversee things and any guard presence was merely for appearance's sake. Belle ground her teeth in anger, and in frustration. It was true that there was hardly a need for any guards to be there; the steady decline of the guards had coincided with the decline of Dock itself and these days Brine and his goons were more often in control than the guards.
It was just another distraction for Belle.
And yet, as much as she hated the current setup, she had to admit that this time it would most likely be advantageous, allowing her to focus on finding the dangerous creatures that had been causing so many problems and capturing whoever was responsible for them.
Begrudgingly content to leave the details of the shipment transfer to Brine, Belle turned her focus back on her more immediate obstacle: paperwork.
It was some time later before Belle finally let the quill drop from her mouth with a sigh. She had finished writing up her report on the morning’s work, drafted a perfunctory response to Brine, and set up that evening’s patrol schedule. Normally the patrol schedules were on a standard rotation, but until the lion/manticore and the drake were dealt with, she was partnering the patrols so that nopony was alone. It meant that the patrols would take a longer time to finish, but she was more concerned with the safety of her guards.
She had even managed to find a use for Twilight, partnering the young unicorn with Belle herself. The odd pony out was Keen Edge, but she had a specific task in mind for him. They needed information, and somepony knew something but wasn't talking. Keen could be brash and sometimes had issues with authority, but he was a good guard and she felt certain that if anypony could find more information, it was Keen. She just hoped he could do it without hurting anypony in the process.
She stood up, stretching slightly with a groan. Her back felt a little stiff. That worried her slightly. She wasn't old by anypony's reckoning, but she was no filly either. The thought of growing old would have been worrisome, but she didn't have time to worry. Her age would take care of itself; she had work to do.
As she trotted out of her office en route to the equipment room, she checked the clock in the main room of the Guard House: 3:15. It had taken her longer than had thought to finish, and yet she still had over an hour before she expected Twilight’s return. Paperwork had always been her most time consuming task, and the one she liked least of all.
Inside the equipment room, she was happy to find all of her guards already assembled. Corporal Keen was diligently sharpening one of his swords while Sergeant Oak Root was carefully polishing his armor to a degree that was almost unsettling. Belle took care of her armor, including the occasional polish, but she had always appreciated the ‘worn’ look, it showed that the armor had been doing its job; Oak’s armor was so polished that Belle could have used it as a mirror. The two stallions had been on duty since shortly after Belle herself but both looked as fresh as if they were just starting. In the back of the room, Corporal Snowflake was carefully putting on her light barding, fully extending her wings to ensure she had complete maneuverability. Constables Morning Dew and Shining Star, already armed and armored, were chatting amiably in front of the weapon racks. They were all there waiting for the evening's patrol schedule.
Belle cleared her throat loudly. Oak stood to attention immediately, followed shortly by everypony except Keen, who took his time putting his sword down before standing at what could, with some generosity, be called attention. “Alright everypony,” she said loudly, “I know it’s been a trying few days, and that things have been difficult. And I know that you all have been working hard for long hours, but unfortunately we’re not done yet. We’re going to continue with the double patrol until further notice. I want the focus to be on the docks since all of the activity has been around there so far. Keep your eyes peeled for anything unusual or out of place. Be careful out there, I don’t want anypony taking any unnecessary risks, if you find something or need help use your whistles and everypony else will come running.”
She posted the roster onto the wall before continuing. “Now then, evidence has led me to believe that we’re looking for two creatures: a drake, think a less intelligent, slightly smaller, wingless dragon, and either a large lion or a manticore. Now I know that’s not exactly good news…” she added quickly when the others began to shift nervously, “but I know that you all are the best damn guards there are. I wouldn't have anypony else by my side for a fight like this. No overgrown lizard and cat are going to cause any more problems in our town.”
She saw the two rookies draw themselves up proudly at that and shoot each other a significant glance. Oak nodded imperceptibly, either in acknowledgment or approval, Belle wasn't sure. Snowflake didn't react except for a small smile. Keen, however, just rolled his eyes and maintained his barely appropriate ‘at attention’ stance.
Belle moved on quickly. “Alright, are there any questions? No? Good. Be careful and watch each other’s backs. Move out. Corporal Keen, hold up a moment, I have a special assignment for you.”
The pegasus, who had moved to pick up his sword the second she had said ‘alright,’ slid it into the sheath on his left side with practiced ease. After a beat he gave a lazy salute. Belle didn't show any reaction outwardly. “Corporal,” she said with a barely contained long-suffering sigh, “I need you to do something a little different this time. I can’t shake the feeling that there’s a pony behind these creatures. I want you to hit up the docks yourself, especially The Hole. Somepony knows something, and I want you to find out what. So far Brine has been uncommonly forthcoming, but that doesn't mean he hasn't been holding something back. Also, see if you can find any more information about those tunnels beneath the town, I want to know where the entrances are. I know you can do it, but please, be tactful about it.”
“Of course, Captain,” Keen said with another lazy salute. His expression, however, promised nothing. Well, hopefully it wouldn't be too bad. Keen wasn't the most restrained of ponies but he wasn't stupid, and he knew how to get the job done.
A few moments later, Belle was alone in the equipment room. She was about to leave when her eyes caught sight of the weapon racks and she paused. She hadn't actually carried a weapon for several years, always comfortably relying on her own hooves. They had served her well, although she had never had to fight anything more dangerous than a drunken sailor during that time. But now she was facing something much more dangerous; surely hooves wouldn't be enough to stop a charging manticore, let alone a drake. She hesitated for a moment, but then she reached out and deftly scooped up a spear, carefully placing it in a secure holster on the side of her barding, allowing it to point upright but with a mechanism that would allow her to lower it for a charge. It was an unusual, but familiar, weight and she soon grew accustomed to it. Suitably armed, she trotted out of the room.
Em’s eyebrows rose slightly when she saw the spear attached to Belle’s armor, but she didn't comment. “So what are you going to do now, Belle?” she asked.
Belle had been considering this and had come to a decision. “I’m going to meet up with Ms. Sparkle at the library, see if she’s found anything useful yet. After that, if nothing else, we'll pay a visit to Brine and see if he’s turned up anything new.” Em nodded and tried to stifle a yawn but Belle caught it. “Are you going to be alright here, Em? I hate asking you to stay late, but I need everypony until this whole thing is cleared up.”
The large unicorn smiled gently. “Of course, Belle,” she whispered, “you've already said that. I understand, and I'll do my best.”
Belle flashed a grin. “Thanks, Em, I knew I could count on you. Hold down the fort.” She trotted out the door, the tip of her spear just missing the top of the door-frame.
********************
The library was hardly the town’s most prominent, or most visited, building. An unassuming, single story building, it almost seemed to be going out of its way to not draw attention to itself. A small row of bushes graced the front of it and, were it not for the sign outside depicting a book superimposed with ‘Dock Library,’ it could have been mistaken for just another house.
When Belle entered the silent building, she glanced around somewhat nervously. She doubted that Ink Leaf would be back at work so soon after her tragic loss, but better safe than sorry. Belle didn't think she could face the poor mare without having had at least some success in finding who was responsible for her daughter’s death and bringing them to justice. The memory of informing Ink and Peach Blossom and their husbands about the deaths of their fillies was still fresh in her mind, and it didn't seem to have any intention of leaving any time soon. But her fears proved to be unfounded as she saw the assistant librarian, an ashen colored elderly earth pony stallion named Dusty Tome, snoozing over an open book at the circulation desk. Belle kindly didn't disturb the old pony and slipped past him quietly.
The library’s entire meager inventory was in and around a single large room. It had larger bookcases stretching floor to ceiling along the walls and several shorter shelves arranged strategically on the floor. The entire room had an old and dusty feel to it, even though there was actually very little dust to be seen. Along the back wall, the only wall not almost completely covered in books, two large windows let in a flood of afternoon sunlight. Situated between the windows was a small desk and at the desk, her back to the entrance, sat Twilight, her horn flashing occasionally whenever she turned a page.
Belle trotted up to her. "Twilight," Belle said softly. The unicorn didn't respond.
"Twilight."
Nothing.
Belle tapped the young mare on the shoulder. "Twilight!" she half shouted.
Twilight jumped with a yelp and spun around, the book she had propped open on the desk slipped to the floor with a soft thud. "Oh, Belle," she said with a rather embarrassed grin, "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in. Heh, I, um, I tend to get pretty engrossed when I study. Anyway, what’s up? Is it 4:30 already?"
Belle shook her head. “No, I’m actually a little early. How’s the research going?”
“Slowly I’m afraid,” Twilight said, her horn igniting in order to lift the fallen book back onto the desk. She then levitated a scroll up for Belle to see, it had a large number of neatly itemized notes listed on it. “This library doesn't have the largest inventory. For the most part there wasn't much more than what we read at Eris’. This book here gives a bit more information about their habitat and diet. This one talks some about the encounters ponies have had with them. This history here has a small section on how the drake population quickly declined in Equestria as pony civilization grew. Things like that. Fascinating in their own right, but not quite what we were hoping for I’m afraid.”
“Anything we can use?” Belle asked, scanning the list. Twilight’s writing was precise and organized, but the light in the room wasn't exactly ideal for a pony with her kind of vision difficulties.
“Hmm, not much.” Twilight moved the scroll in front of her face and read through it quickly. “They tend to be mostly nocturnal and they live in burrows and dens. This is consistent with what we know and makes the tunnels the most likely haven for the creature. Umm, let’s see. Oh! They are generally slow moving but have been known to have bursts of surprising swiftness and agility for creatures of their size. They are solitary animals, only seeking companionship during… er, well… mating season.”
She looked up from her notes. “I don’t know if any of that helps us.”
Belle mulled this new information over quickly. Twilight was right in that the tunnels were the most likely place for the creatures to be hiding in. Hopefully Keen could find an entrance and they could track the creatures properly. But that didn't give them any specific advantage like she had hoped.
Something nagged at her. “If drakes are solitary creatures,” she mused aloud, although mostly to herself, “then why does it seem to be hanging around with a lion, or manticore, or whatever?”
"Hmm,” Twilight said thoughtfully, “other than the footprints, is there any evidence to suggest that they’re sticking together? I mean, it could be that they’re not, that we’re actually dealing with two independent creatures and the footprints were just coincidentally together.”
That had not occurred to Belle before. Ever since she had found the footprints she had simply assumed that there were two creatures together causing these problems.
"Well, the fillies had injuries that seemed more likely to have been caused by a feline's claws than a lizards," Belle answered, recalling Soil's comments to that effect. "So that would place the creatures together at the warehouse, assuming the drake caused the fire. But other than that, we really don't know if they're still together, it could very well be that they've separated, or heck, one might have killed the other one. But until there is evidence to the contrary, I think it's best to assume the worst."
Twilight nodded. "Probably a good idea."
"Do you need more time here?" Belle asked, looking at the large stack of books on the desk.
Twilight glanced at the pile too. "Probably not," she said, sounding wistful. "The last three books didn't give me any new information and I have a feeling there isn't much more we can do here. Do you think I should go talk to Eris, see if she knows anything more about drakes?"
Belle shook her head. "Nah, I'm sure she would have told us already if she thought it could help, I got the impression she didn't know all that much about them."
"Alright," said Twilight, "so what's our next move then?"
Belle was rather impressed. The unicorn was still being true to her word and following Belle's lead completely, despite their lack of any real progress towards a solution thus far. Belle had a feeling that if their roles were reversed, she would not be as patient before taking the lead, or at least making her own opinions known. That couldn't be easy for somepony of Twilight's standing; despite her humble demeanor, she seemed to be used to wielding authority. To submit to another pony's decisions when one is used to power was a struggle that Belle was all too familiar with.
"I think our top priority right now," Belle said thoughtfully, "is finding an entrance to those tunnels. There are definitely ponies still using them, and that means somepony knows how to get into them and how to find their way around in them. I've got guards looking and asking questions, but unfortunately our authority isn't what it used to be."
Twilight gave her a slightly sympathetic look but didn't comment. Instead she asked, "So where do we start looking?"
Belle grimaced. "We don't." At Twilight's surprised expression she hastily added, "I mean us specifically. Like I said, I have other guards investigating already, guards who I trust to get the job done. Patience is one of the hardest parts of this job, believe me, but there's nothing we can do short of a door-to-door search that will find an entrance faster than what we're already doing."
Twilight seemed somewhat taken aback by Belle's apparent inaction. "So what do we do then?"
"We do what ninety percent of this job involves: we patrol."
********************
Patrolling isn't the same as simply walking, despite how similar it looks, as Twilight quickly learned. Patrolling had no specific destination in mind, so there was no point in hurrying. That didn't mean it was a leisurely stroll though. A guard on patrol had to be constantly vigilant to everything going on around him or her. What might be mistaken for casual glances involved intense, if brief scrutiny. Polite conversations with passing ponies masked ulterior motives as a guard would constantly be gathering information, all without the surrounding ponies' awareness. It wasn't something that just anypony could do, it took careful training before a guard could interrogate with casual questions, examine without staring, hear without obviously listening, move quickly without seeming to rush. For Belle it was practically second nature and she shifted into the patrolling gait without a thought.
Twilight, on the other hoof, took to it like an elephant to flying. To be fair, she was certainly giving it a solid effort, but after she had tripped over her own hooves and fallen into Belle for the ninth time she began to get frustrated. "This is ridiculous!" she exclaimed loudly. "I'm starting to think this is a prank to make me look foolish."
Belle couldn't suppress a short chuckle, remembering her own missteps in training. Twilight, however, must have thought the earth pony mare was laughing at her because she shot Belle an annoyed and rather hurt frown.
Belle quickly explained herself. "Don't worry, Twilight. It takes a long time to get right, and months to perfect the technique. I was just remembering how long it took me."
Slightly mollified, Twilight kept going, trying her best to be looking everywhere at once but usually just ending up going cross-eyed. "I can't imagine doing this all the time every day," she commented.
Belle shrugged even as she noticed two mares whispering together and glancing around across the mostly empty street. Most likely it was nothing. The entire town was still rather on edge about the fire, and reports in the newspaper about strange creature sightings, however farfetched, couldn't be helping matters. She noted their cutie marks in the back of her mind, just in case. "It becomes second nature after a while," she said to her unicorn companion. "Patrols used to be worse."
"How so?" asked Twilight trying to look over her shoulder and accidentally bumping into Belle. "Oops, sorry."
"Well," said Belle as she helped Twilight regain her balance, "we used to have to wander through the streets carrying bells, and every half hour shout the time as loud as we could and that all was well. Bloody nuisance, plus extremely annoying. The townsponies didn't like it either."
"What if all wasn't well?" Twilight asked.
"Well, there were two options," explained the captain, "Either you would go somewhere else where all was well, or you did your job and made it all well."
Twilight chuckled and went back to focusing on her attempts at patrolling.
They patrolled mostly along the northern blocks of town, the opposite side of the city as the docks. The streets were less busy here and the buildings were more homes than businesses. They passed Eris' clinic/house but the windows were all dark. In fact, most of the houses were dark. Many were awaiting the return of their lodger, from work or from errand; but far, far too many Belle knew were dark because there were no owners anymore. Belle occasionally felt a poke of nostalgic pain when she would see a house that used to belong to a friend. The Bluebottles, the Spuds, the Petals, all gone. Even that odd earth pony, Smith or some such, although he had left long before the town had started to dwindle. An odd pony and no mistake, although he seemed to get on surprisingly well with Soil, even understanding the bizarre pegasus' stories and references.
Belle repressed a sigh and shook her head angrily. She was captain of the guard, not some foalish teenager; she had a job to do. If Twilight noticed Belle's odd behavior, she didn't comment. Although the fact that her head was turned so far around while trying to look at something behind her that she almost walked into a mail box may have had something to do with it. Belle good-naturedly corrected the unicorn's path with a gentle bump. Twilight grinned sheepishly.
As happened so often, Belle began to lose track of time as she patrolled the mostly residential areas of Dock. Nothing stood out as unusual, and her guard's intuition wasn't throwing up any grayscale flags either. The autumn sun was well on its way to its nightly slumber when they reached the end of the evening's first patrol route, conveniently just a few blocks from Belle's home. She briefly considered stopping by to see Lemon, but decided against it almost at once. Priorities.
She stretched, hearing a shoulder pop as she did so. The patrolling motion may have been second nature by now but it was still somewhat unnatural for a pony. "I think it'd be best to head down to the docks," she commented. "If we run into a patrol I can get an early report and, if nothing else, I should talk to Brine again."
"Who?" asked Twilight, who was in the middle of a stretch of her own. She had gotten a bit of a cramp three blocks back and had given up any pretense of patrolling, content to walk in a slightly hobbled fashion as she tried to work it out. Belle had to give the inexperienced unicorn credit though, there weren't nearly as many finely chosen words thrown at her as she thrown at her own instructor when she had undergone her own training.
Belle told Twilight about the surly stallion as they walked through the streets towards the docks, outlining his status and his role as a de facto social leader.
Even as they talked, Belle kept her senses tuned into her surroundings. Some aspects of patrolling were hard to turn off. All around them, ponies were moving hurriedly to their homes. The shadows had lengthened, and the sky had a dark look to it. Belle had used to love staring at the evening sky when she was younger. She still remembered the kaleidoscope of colors slowly fading away into blackness, but only for a brief moment before the stars and moon took their turn, painting a portrait of beauty still unmatched by any painter. These days, Belle couldn't enjoy those moments anymore, but she still liked to watch the sunset and remember the colors, mentally matching them with the various shades of gray. Sometimes, even if it was just for a moment, she felt as though she could see those beautiful colors again.
Soon enough they were in sight of the river. Belle had led them along the edge of town and as they were approaching the docks they walked past the site of the second fire. The clean-up team had obviously already started their work and much of the burned section had been covered in tarps to prevent any damage from the elements overnight. Twilight looked at it curiously but didn't stop or comment. Belle herself thought back to the fire. Had it really only been yesterday? She recalled finding the Diamond Dog in the rubble, and the tunnel underneath him. Had she missed anything at the time? Could she have done something different that would have put them in a better position now?
No. She had to stop thinking like that. She couldn't change the past and shouldn't worry about 'what ifs.'
Soon their hooves were echoing on wooden planking instead of clopping on cobblestone as they made their way onto the pier. As she often did, Belle briefly relished the feeling of being on the docks, the wide open space and the seemingly ever-present breeze a welcome contrast to the enclosed city.
The area was still moderately bustling with activity. Despite the onset of evening, a combination of the crew of the three latest ships tethered to the pier for the night and the residential harbor ponies busy going about their tasks with long practiced skill and ease: loading and unloading cargo, moving and storing goods, rushing to finish before the fading autumn light gave out completely. The two mares walked along, careful to stay out of everypony's way, until they reached The Hole.
"I don't get it," Twilight commented, staring at the large tavern before them.
"What is there not to get?" Belle asked, confused.
"I mean, what kind of name is 'The Hole' for a tavern? It doesn't really sound all that enticing."
Belle sighed. "Yeah, tell me about it. But Brine likes the name. Apparently he finds it funny."
"How?" asked Twilight, still staring at the rather ugly building.
The captain rolled her eyes. "He basically said that since this is Dock, then there has to be a hole somewhere."
"Oh. Oh! But that's..." Twilight trailed off, her eyes going wide as realization finally dawned. Then she ducked her head and, even though she couldn't see for sure, Belle got the impression that the young mare was blushing
"Yeah it's pretty gross," Belle commented lightly.
"You have a... unique town here, Captain," Twilight said, apparently unsure of what else to say.
Belle laughed. "You have no idea, you've only been here a day. Heck, you haven't even met my husband yet. But for all that, it's still my town and I wouldn't live anywhere else."
"Your husband?" Twilight asked, but Belle was already moving to the open door of The Hole. The unicorn hurried to catch up.
The inside of the tavern was only partially full, the first few workers who had been fast or fortunate enough to finish their work already were filling several tables, drinking and eating while conversing in low tones. The entire mood was significantly heavier than Belle could ever remember feeling in The Hole at this hour. The visitors who were simply passing through seemed to have noticed it, and none so far dared anything lighter or more boisterous than the occasional chuckle. Even the musicians in the corner, who were most likely just getting started for the night, were playing much more serious, if still pleasant, tunes. The dim light which normally permeated the area didn't help the mood.
Belle paused to raise her tinted glasses. The low light of the room was actually quite suited to her as it wasn't strong enough to hurt but was plenty strong for her to see quite well, better than most in fact. She scanned the modest crowd, looking for Brine but also just keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. She spotted Keen sitting at a table with several sailor ponies and a griffin, chatting with them amiably over a drink. He seemed much more sociable now than he normally did. Belle couldn't help but wonder if it was an act or simply the fact that he wasn't doing the regular mundane and (to his mind at least) boring guard tasks. Knowing him, it was most likely the latter. He did look slightly uncomfortable, although that was most likely because he wasn't armed or armored. Belle didn't show any sign that she knew him, nor he her.
That odd trio of stallions she had seen at Soil's restaurant were also there and it seemed that much of the more jovial laughter was coming from them. They didn't have the look of sailors and she wondered what they were doing in the town. But they weren't doing anything wrong or suspicious at this moment so she simply marked their cutie marks in her mind and moved on.
There were no diamond dogs present this evening and again she thought back to the other night, the night of the first fire, when she had seen a trio of them here. She wondered still if the dog currently in the hospital was one of those three. Although in truth it didn't matter since all of the ship from that night had long since departed.
Eventually she spotted the tavern owner sitting at the bar chatting with a rather dapper looking pegasus mare with a short and ruggedly cut mane and a bit of a grimace on her face. She had a not-suspicious-at-all cutie mark of crossed daggers. Like Brine, she also had an eye-patch covering her right eye.
As he so often did, Brine turned to her before he could have possibly seen her with his good eye as she approached the bar, Twilight close at her heels. "Ah, Captain Belle, what a pleasure to see you again," he greeted, his tone exposing the lie. "What can I do for you?" He seemed to suddenly remember his companion and added, "Oh, this is Captain Tanith, of the fine merchant vessel Shoobido, currently in our port."
The pegasus looked her over with a strangely appraising expression. "Charmed," she said. Her tone was pleasant enough but her scowl made her look annoyed. She had an odd accent that sounded foreign. Prench? Germaneic?
"Captain," Belle acknowledged with a slightly suspicious glance at the pegasus' cutie mark. Any pirate worth her salt wouldn't openly display her cutie mark like that, but still...
Belle turned her attention back to Brine. "I need a moment of your time, Brine."
Brine looked annoyed but after a moment's consideration nodded. "Very well then. But it will have to be fast, I do have a business to run." Turning to Captain Tanith he said, "Please excuse me, Captain."
Tanith nodded. "We will talk later," she said pointedly. It didn't sound like a question although Brine nodded in assent.
With that, the pegasus carefully picked up a plate that held a surprisingly large sandwich off of the bar. Still a little wary, Belle watched as she carried it over to the table where the three unusual stallions she had noted before were sitting. The pegasus stallion with the curly mane and strangely spring-like tail made some kind of comment and made a circling motion in the air with a forehoof. Whatever that meant, it apparently peeved the mare since she carefully put the sandwich on the table before slapping him sharply across the face. The unicorn and earth pony stallions laughed loudly, and even the slapped stallion grinned good-naturedly as the captain joined them at the table.
Huh, maybe she had been wrong about them not being sailors.
Bah, she needed to stop letting her minder wander off on tangents. She needed to focus. She quickly returned her attention to Brine. "Can we talk in your office?"
"If it's all the same to you, I think I'd rather talk here,” the stallion said bluntly. “Contrary to what you may think, I do have priorities beyond being interrogated.”
“Fine,” allowed Belle. She realized how antagonistic she had sounded and tried to rein it in. Despite her personal feelings concerning the crusty old stallion, they were technically on the same side here. “Have you found anything new?” she asked in a softer, more polite tone.
“Not much,” Brine said, perhaps catching on to her tone since he adopted a more polite tone of his own. “I did find out that the ship Princess’ Pride left port with one less crew member.”
“A diamond dog crew member perhaps?”
Brine nodded. “Indeed.”
“What was its cargo?” interjected Twilight, moving to stand beside Belle.
Brine quirked an eyebrow which had been split into two sections by a scar, glancing at the unicorn. He turned back to Belle. “Who’s she?” he asked bluntly.
Belle was going to answer but Twilight cut her off, staring defiantly at the scarred earth pony. “She is Twilight Sparkle, special envoy from Princess Celestia. You must be Brine. I’ve heard so much about you.” Her tone made the nature of said knowledge quite clear.
Brine considered her for a long moment, sizing her up. To her credit, Twilight didn't flinch or back down an inch. Finally he gave an imperceptible nod and answered as though their small confrontation hadn’t happened, “According to a copy of the ship's manifest, nothing worth noting, fabric mostly. I’m not familiar with the captain, a unicorn named Marequis, but I can tell you that there was no report of a missing crew member until after the ship had left port. I only found out about it when I had my clerks check the rosters from the last few days.”
Belle considered this new piece of information. If, as she suspected, the injured diamond dog was the missing crew member, then it seemed logical that his ship had brought the creatures. "Who received the cargo and where is it currently stored?"
"Officially, it was never stored, just passed straight to a traveling merchant bound for Canterlot."
That in itself wasn't too unusual. A good number of merchant caravans would often be present in town to receive merchandise from ships. At this point, more than half the goods received in the town left the same day, by caravan or on another ship; one of the reasons so many of the warehouses were so empty, but something Brine had said caught Belle's notice. "And unofficially?"
Brine grimaced. "Unofficially, rumor has it that several crates were stored in a specific warehouse. I think you can guess which one." Belle nodded with a grimace of her own, images of rolling flames and acrid smoke flashing through her mind, accompanied by the painful memory of looking down on two small, charred forms. Brine continued, "The ship's previous stop was out West along the coast. Some small coastal town called Acheron. Strange name, I know."
There was barely noticeable sound, like a sharp intake of breath from beside Belle. A glance to the side showed her that, judging by her expression, Twilight knew the town. Brine either didn't notice the unicorn's recognition or, more likely, didn't feel like commenting on it. He continued as if nothing had happened.
"Its next destination, I've been told, is Manehatten. Not that it will do us much good here."
Belle nodded. "I will send a message to the guard captain in Manehatten that this... Marequis was it? This Marequis is wanted for questioning here. It might not come to anything, and even if it did, it won't help us now. It's several days journey to Manehatten by boat. Was there anything else?"
Brine shook his shaggy head. "No. Not yet. You?"
Belle momentarily considered not sharing her findings with somepony who could almost be seen as her rival, but instantly crushed that thought. Whatever her personal feelings towards the stallion, Brine was helping her, and he had ponies under him helping. Withholding information could get ponies killed. "Based on tracks we found," she said, "we believe that we're looking for two creatures, possibly aiding one another: a manticore, or possibly a lion, and a drake. That's a large, fire breathing lizard. Neither are known for their intelligence apparently, so judging by their movements and the fact that nopony's gotten a good look at them, not counting several vague and unsubstantiated sightings, I believe that there's a pony behind all of this. Possibly somehow controlling or at least guiding them."
Brine's face grew more and more serious as Belle talked. "To what end?" he asked, half to himself. "Why would somepony do this? What are they after?"
Nopony there had an answer.
********************
As they exited the tavern, Belle turned to Twilight. "You recognized that town’s name," she said. It wasn’t a question. "Does it mean something to you?"
Twilight shifted nervously and hesitated, as though considering her answer. Finally she said, "Yes, I did recognize it. The town is on the edge of the wild, in the north-western corner of Equestria. The area around it is full of dangerous creatures, it's like they're drawn to it. Not unlike the Everfree Forest really. It's not a nice place."
"You sound like you've been there."
Twilight nodded. "Once. It... wasn't a pleasant journey." She trailed off into silence, a frown on her face as she remembered.
"So what does that mean?" asked Belle, matching the frown, albeit for a different reason. "Does the last place the ship made port make a difference?"
"Perhaps..." Twilight seemed to only be half paying attention to the conversation. "I wish I could get a message to Princess Celestia. I wish Spike was here."
"Spike?" Belle cocked her head to one side. The unicorn wasn't making any sense and it was getting annoying.
“Oh, he’s my Number One Assistant. His flame can send a message to the princess instantly.” At Belle’s increasingly confused expression, she clarified, “He’s a baby dragon.”
“Um, ok…” said Belle slowly, not quite sure how to take this. She decided to push on with the actual topic at hoof. “Anyway, what’s going through your mind? Why does this town change things?”
Twilight shook her head. “I’m, well I’m not sure. It might be nothing, but then again…”
“Just say it already!” snapped Belle, finally pushed past the edge of her tolerance.
Twilight flinched slightly but said, “Well, Acheron is the site of the Gates of Tartarus.”
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1980466
Hmm, so it is. Fixed. Thanks!
I see what you did there.
So.. what's the joke with the Hole in the Dock? Cause I just don't get it.
3317192
Horse Dock
It took a while, but we got there. We got there. Should be fun.
I wanted to like and fave this fic for that last line alone. VERY nice job
Okay, I am LOVING this story so far.
Such great atmosphere, amazing build up. Totally going against what I expected in the best possible way. monsters are on the lose, demons from the deepest pit of hell... so let's have what's basically a police procedural as the town guard try to track this down. And it works so good.
Twilight showing up, great surprise, I really didn't look down at the character list, I was wondering if that's who it would be and, damn.. nice.
The thing about her eyes, amazing yet again. So many little clues throughout. I was really curious why she didn't mention Twilight's colors, but, in a way I was just "Eh, okay odd choice" about, then the reveal and, holy damn do I love bits like that.
The characters are all amazing, and getting a kind of Ankh-Morpok city watch vibe from them, the best parts of them. Brine is, so damn intriguing. I have no idea just how much he can be trusted, what he might be into, if he's on the level, hiding something, behind all this somehow. I am just completely unsure. He's got his own games going on, his own goals for sure. But, is he really in the dark about this?
And just, so many little details, tiny touches that make this story feel so real, so alive. Suspenseful, funny, intriguing, exciting. Just, only halfway through and already it's a favorite for sure. (Barring something going horribly wrong in the end of course)
Duh, duh, duuuuuuuuh