On The Path To Insanity

by Uzuluri

The Investigation

Not many ponies wake up in a good mood. Funny Bones was an exception.

It was about 5:00 am when he opened his icy blue eyes and jumped out of bed.

"Good Morning, Trottingham!" He yelled in his childish yet adult voice. He hummed the tune to Dawn Manedes' "Stitches" as he trotted happily to the bathroom.

He kicked the door open with his left hind hoof, and pulled it close when he entered.

The next thing Bones did was coat himself in scalding hot water, but frankly, it didn't bother him. He stepped out of the shower and turned on his mane drier. As the warm air blasted his coat and mane, he yelled, "BLAZE?! ARE YOU AWAKE YET?!"

The pony in question, rolled his eyes. He had only gotten up a few minutes ago, and was already making breakfast for him and his room mate.

"If I wasn't before, I am now!" He shouted in a much less ear-piercing way.

"OKAY!" Bones yelled back.

From in the kitchen, Blaze could hear the mane drier switch off, and a few moments later, the white earth pony, now wearing his police attire, galloped in.

"I smelled food." He said simply, when his friend gave a strange look in his direction.

Blaze sighed and shook his head, but the ghost of a smile played on his lips. Bones was always doing something wierd, whether it was randomly saying how the cigarettes the police force smoked tasted like candy sticks, or managing to knock a fairly large stallion out by tapping his nose.

Blaze placed a plate in front on Bones.

"OMC! HAYCAKES!" Quite viciously, he dug into his plate and finished before Blaze could even put syrup on his own stack.

Bones hopped out of his seat and searched for his police badge. It had his Cutie Mark on it, which was a single bone being snapped. Next to it was Blaze's, which had a pair of hoof-cuffs on them (that was his Cutie Mark). Placing his respective badge on his uniform, Bones ran to the door of the apartment. Blaze soon followed. "You ready, bud?" The orange unicorn asked his partner.

"Does Daring Do punch lava with her bare hooves whilst fight a bugbear and camoflauging from Caballeron?" The white earth pony retorted.

"Errrm...."

"Yes, yes she does. In fact, it was chapter 13 of Daring Do and the Skull's Curse! The sixth in the series!" Bones proclaimed proudly!"

Blaze rolled his eyes. "Thank Luna and Celestia that we aren't jungle adventurers." He muttered. Images of Bones trying and failing to pull off death defying stunts filled his mind.

"Now lets go and-- wait. What are we doing again?"

"We're following the Smoke."

---

Match Smoke was furious. That mare, Amber Glow, had defyed him again. The scene replayed in his head.

'WHERE IS SHE?!'

'I WON'T TELL YOU!'

'I'LL ASK YOU ONE LAST TIME, MARE! WHERE IS OUR DAUGHTER?!

'NO! HEY WHAT ARE YOU--'

THWACK

'I'll ask you once more... where is she?'

It only took 23 perfectly good pieces of coal, but he eventually got the answer he needed.

He was currently standing in front of a bookshop called, Books and Hooves: Books for you!. His daughter was here, and he would... escort her home. He walked in the shop, and at the counter was his daughter.

"Thanks again, Star Shine." Cozy Glow said as she exchanged a book for 5 bits.

The violent earth pony brushed it off, "It's no problem, Cozy. You are my best customer, after all."

"Ah, Cozy Glow, darling." Match Smoke glided over to the counter. "There you are."

Star Shine, noticing the younger pegasus stiffen, raised an eyebrow at Match, "And who are you exactly?"

Match Smoke gave a mock bow and replied, "Match Flaming Smoke, at your service, my dear. I am the father of Cozy Glow, and I have come to escort her home, as her mother has almost finished making dinner."

Star Shine, not wanting to judge anypony based on first meetings, said, "Okay, then... Goodbye Mr. Smoke. Goodbye, Cozy.

Match Smoke glided out the door saying, "Come along, Cozy Glow."

Before said pegasus could follow, Star Shine caught her hoof. Cozy turned her attention to the earth pony.

"You tell me if anything happens, okay? And if something really bad occurs, if he does anything to you and you can't get to me, go straight to the police."

Cozy Gloww nodded and Star Shine let go off her. "Stay safe." The earth pony said as Cozy Glow exited the shop.

"I will."

---

"And he's exiting the building, prepare to follow target." Blaze comanded through his radio.

"Sure thing, Blazey!" Came Bones reply.

As Blaze crept after Match Smoke and Cozy Glow, he responded with, " 'Blazey'? Where in Equestria did you come up with that?"

"I read through your letters from your mom!"

Blaze let out a sigh and ducked behind a box as Match looked behind him.

"Move, filly." The father said to the daughter.

After making sure they were out of earshot, Blaze whispered, "Okay we really need to talk about this roomate thing."

Blaze lowered himself to the ground and crawled across to another crate, keeping the pegasi in his sight. The two turned a corner so suddenly that Blaze had to teleport to the other side of the street to keep out of sight.

"Why are we sneaking about anyway? Can't we just hide in the crowd?"

Blaze once again let out an annoyed sigh, "Have you remembered anything from the academy?! If Match sees that not only one, but two police officers are following him he'll get wary! And if he suspects something we can't catch him in the act!"

"In what though?

"I don't know, it's just, I don't like his vibe."

Bones scoffed as his companion said this, "His vibe? That's what we're going off here?"

Blaze sucked in a breath as he saw Match grab Cozy by the mane into their house.

"Sometimes a vibe is all it takes."

---

"SO THIS IS WHERE ALL MY BITS ARE GOING?! TO BUCKING BOOKS?!" Match Smoke flung his daughter across the room.

Cozy Glow stumbled to her hooves, her eyes turning to pinpricks as her father loomed over her.

"For ten years... I have fed you, I have sent you to school, I gave you a roof, a life and now, this is what I get in return? This, I cannot allow, my dear." Match Smoke grabbed a log from the firewood stash, and walked over to the fire.

"Ten years I have dealt with you, but now, now I cannot take it anymore. I heard what that mare said in that beloved book store of yours, I know ponies are putting the pieces together." He lit the end of the log he wasn't holding on to.

"It won't take much to convince them that your mother went mad and pushed you into the fire, a couple fake tears here and there, throwing your burnt carcass in there myself." He walked arkwardly over to the petrified filly, the log handicapping his speed.

"I hope you have a nice dream."

All her life, Cozy Glow always thought her father was just mean, but now she could see the pure insanity in his eyes, and behind the insanity was a broken stallion. A stallion who had fell so low that he was content with the fact that he was about to murder his own daughter.

"Match?" Both heads snapped to the kitchen door. There stood Amber Glow, her eyes wide and jaw almost hitting the floor.

"GET BACK YOU, BUCKING MARE! I DEAL WITH YOU LATER!" Match glared at his wife, eyes sharing the same fire, of which was going to engulf Cozy Glow.

As Amber realized the true meaning of Match's words, something in her snapped, something that had been long held back. It was like a dragon waking up with their horde gone, a unicorn robbed of their horn, a timberwolf with no den.

"Match, let my daughter go." She stated calmly. Too calmly.

Match's eyes narrowed, "No."

Amber growled and slowly started to walk foward.

Match Smoke breifly panicked, he had no time to go over the options in his head, so he went for the easiest one.

Cozy Glow couldn't move. The fire swung towards her so quickly, but so slowly at the same time. She closed her eyes, and waited for the pain.

But it never came. Silence fillied her surroundings, she couldn't feel anything. She breifly wondered if she was dead, if there was no pain, and just the end.

Until she heard her mother's agonized scream.

Author's Note:

It's just the beginning