Murder

by Pendo

Chapter 3

He was no dragon or manticore, but Armor could imagine the advantage he’d have through sheer size if things became violent. The human didn’t seem to give him much attention, instead focusing on Twilight. Strange. Then again, he’d heard offhoof remarks that the humans seemed oddly preoccupied with Ponyville and its inhabitants. Regardless, there weren’t many options besides the direct approach…

“Malachi, I need to know where you were early this morning.”

Malachi’s answer was a yawn, long and loud, and the guards tensed at the show of teeth.

“I’m being serious. This is part of an official investigation.”

That seemed to get the human’s attention, even if he did seem to have trouble following along with what was being said.

“Mmm…I was here most of yesterday. I finished the patrol around noon. Then returned to do chores, until Sight made delivery. Then-“ Far Sight interrupted by tapping the human on the knee, and she nodded when he looked at her for confirmation before continuing. “Then we were together until now. I did not leave my house.”

“And what about Bruce?”

“Bruce? Was here last night. He…slept and woke before me?” Malachi paused as he stumbled on the words, watching for his audience to motion for him to continue. “He spoke about a job in Cloudshadow.”

“Where?”

“Cloudshadow? A trade post on the land under Cloudsdale?” Malachi said the words slower this time, taking the time to enunciate the words carefully.

“…There’s no such place.”

The human huffed and muttered something in his native tongue. “I am not surprised. He had debts. I think he is a thief. I tried to be generous, but I am happy that he has left.”

“That’s going to make finding him more difficult…”

Armor turned to confer with the Guard, leaving the human to share a few words with Sight. Twilight watched the pair with a small amount of curiosity, and tried her best to focus only on the theoretical properties of the effect Far Sight have mentioned about the human, rather than the…mechanics required to benefit from it.

Twilight tried analyzing the human’s aura, but it presented a sensation like black ice to her senses – her spells either slid off her target or refused to acknowledge that there was even a living being sitting across from her. Any thoughts of the day’s grisly events were pushed aside for a few moments by the puzzle in front of her, and Twilight’s horn flared brighter as she tried to bring the image of the human’s magic into focus. It took Far Sight saying her name twice before she realized she’d been terribly unsubtle about it.

“Sorry!”

Any further potential for embarrassment stopped when Armor stepped back to the table.

“We need to search the premises.”

“Why?”

Shining Armor stood to his full height, resplendent in the armor of the captain of the solar guard. He cut quite the figure, even if the gesture only brought him to eye-level with the sitting human.

“Because I ordered it.”

Twilight half expected the human to bear his teeth, raise his hackles or something similar like most meat-eaters. Instead, he only narrowed his eyes and uncrossed his legs, making ready to stand quickly. Twilight felt the prickle of magic on her skin as unicorns began gathering energy, and the guards behind her grew tense.

“There was…a crime.”

It wasn’t the right word and Twilight’s mouth dried just at saying the substitute, but it drew both her brother’s and the human’s attention away from an impending face-off. The human’s gaze shifted back to her. No, it was almost like he was looking through her. It was hard to tell with humans, and Malachi had always struck her as being a little bit off. Not bad off, but he was big enough, even without weapons or magic, to threaten even one of the Royal Guard.

“A human? Again?”

If she had to name his tone, it would be ‘resigned.’ As in, ‘why do my species keep being jerks to ponies?’

“Yes.”

“Bruce?”

“Maybe. That’s what we need to find out. Please.”

The human looked back at Shining Armor and his guards, and after a few wary moments, the human gestured and leaned back. A quartet of guards took positions in the corners of the room, while the rest spread out and disappeared through doors and up stairs. Malachi didn’t react, didn’t seem to even care that he was penned in, and only scowled when he heard something bang on the floor upstairs.

Armor startled when one of them yelled in fright, and dashed upstairs. But what had spooked the pony made him shout loud enough for everyone to know what was happening.

“You wear FUR!?”

“Fur blankets are very warm.” Sight grudgingly admitted to nopony in particular. “And quite comfortable, too.”

“Oh sweet Celestia is this…this is…”

“Leather! Very tough! Good armor!” Malachi shouted back.

Upstairs, somepony began gagging.

In the doorway, Shining Armor was looking over a scroll a guard had brought him. It was a Writ of Keen Edge, a license to carry weapons within Equestia’s borders for various purposes. In this case, it permitted hunting and defense against the creatures of the Everfree.

While her brother was distracted, Twilight turned her mind back to a question that had been nagging her since the tower door was opened.

“Ms. Far Sight, I don’t mean to be forward, but I was wondering…are you…?”

“Yes, I’m blind.”

Having the mare anticipate and answer her question didn’t make things any less awkward, unfortunately.

“It’s an old cliché, I suppose, being a blind seer, but I could barely see anything when I was young, and magic couldn’t stop what little sight I had from fading over the years. I actually got my cutie mark after studying some tactical intelligence-gathering spells, and while it’s…not exactly the same, I can see again thanks to that. It seemed a fair trade to join the group that devised those spells in return.”

“Malachi?”

Armor had returned, carrying the scroll and glancing at it out of the corner of his eye.

“What exactly do you do here in the Everfree forest?”

“I have warrant to join patrol groups, and I hunt monsters that cross our path. Sometimes I do guard work for expeditions. I keep whatever the Guard says I can keep, and I sell what I don’t need. Good money for leather, fat and bone.”

“And do you process everything yourself?”

“Yes. I learned from griffon books.”

“I want to see your workshop.”

For the first time, Shining Armor saw a human’s smile. It didn't seem a terribly pleasant thing. Of all the countries of the world, why did the humans have to come here?

Comments

[TheSpaceDuck]

I am loving this thus far. Quack.