Dead Zone: Richville

by Crystal Jewelheart

Plan

“I wonder why they went back to the forest?”

---

The next day, Silver decided to wake up earlier in order to not be seen by his fellow Town Guards. He didn't want anypony else to know what he was up to.

Arriving at the residence of the unicorn mare, he was surprised to find the mare was awake during the night, having made an experiment involving a forgotten forbidden spell and cocoa powder, which sounded strange to him. The mare gave him both good news and bad news; the good news is she's willing to help him with his investigation, the bad news is she's an egghead and will not partake in any infiltration, for fear of being persecuted by their government.

Summer Shimmer, the only fire mage/wizard in the town of Richville is currently looking for a certain spellbook “No, not this one...” she muttered to herself before casually throwing the book behind her, narrowly hitting Silver, who stood like a stoic statue.

“Do you need any help, Summer?"

“I don't need your assistance. I can find the right book myself” Summer said as she stared at a bookshelf, her eyes moving to examine every book stuffed into it before randomly picking up a book that shone in a bright yellow aura of the mare's magic, which shined brightly like a star.

“No, no, no, no. This is not the book I'm looking for!” just as she did with the previous book, she nonchalantly threw the book behind her, this time landing on Silver's head, who decided enough is enough.

He shook the book off his head and approached the bookshelf, he gave Summer a glance before looking back at the bookshelf, carefully examining the books. It did not take him long before he picked up a tan-colored book and read the title, before flipping though the pages.

“I found it” he didn't look away from the book, as he only said this so Summer would stop grumbling like an angry foal losing a battle. She turned to him, looking shocked. Silver thought her expression was priceless.

Suddenly, Summer yanked the book out of his hoof with her magic and confirmed this was indeed the book she was looking for.

“H-How... Did you find the book?” she kindly asked, her eyes squinted at him with confusion and frustration.

“I 'looked'” he smirked, then frowned, “the color of that book stood out amongst the other books. You should read the titles before you start throwing them around carelessly and hitting your guest in the head with them” Summer blinked confused, but then she noticed the red mark on Silver's head and realized her mistake.

“Y-You're bleeding. I'm sorry, are you okay?” Silver looked up... Or he tried, he might not have seen it, but the presence of a wound is revealed when a stinging pain erupted on his forehead, he looked at Summer, the perpetrator of the injury, who stared at him with worry, a towel in her magical grasp.

To the mares surprise, Silver chuckled as if the injury had no effect on him “No need to worry, this is just a small wound that can be easily treated”

The towel lowered slightly but still in the offering position “Are you sure?"

“Am I not a guard who is trained to handle extreme situations like driving away wild bears from our lovely prosperous town?” Silver let out a hearty laugh,hoping to convince Summer that he's okay. Summer sighed, the wizard wondering why stallions like this one are always too stubborn to admit when they feel pain.

“Well, good luck mortal" she turned to the book and opened it, then began searching for a specific spell, flipping from one page to another. After a few flips, she stopped.

“Did you find the spell your looking for?” Silver asked.

“Yes, unfortunately this teleportation spell will drain most of my magic since I don't have the star mark, still the good news is that its made it totally impossible for me to partake in your plans to sneak into the hospitals morgue” she pointed at him “Which means, you do your plan alone or find someone else to accompany you”

“Horseapples” Silver cursed under his breath. Now, he had a new problem, he had no one to join him and he couldn't force Summer into submission, which... He will never do to any mares. Ever.

But he needed someone for an extra hoof for the plan to have a greater chance of success, he needed someone like him, someone trained, someone he could trust, and someone who can cast spells in times of need. Hey, don't point your fingers on Summer Shimmer, readers. She already told us the teleportation spell is going to use on Silver is enough to drain all her magic. And she might be Summer but she is not Sunset, and her name wouldn't be effective without a Shimmer, her name sounds bright as fire.

“I'll think about it. Thank you, Summer”

Summer smiled “No problem”

After leaving Summer's place, Silver quickly went back to his house, having not told his still sleeping parents. He went to check his plan that he had written down the night before.

“You'll fail”

Silver dropped the quill from his mouth and looked quickly behind him. To his relief he was alone but the voice he just heard... “Maybe it was just my imagination” he turned back to his notes then set it on his bedside table, and went back to bed, hopefully, he won't have eyebags for the upcoming hours.

Geared up in his town guards platinum silver armor, Silver walked back and forth around the plaza near the town hall, watching the citizens of Richville going about their business. His plan was still bothering him in the back of his mind, but not too much as he was solely focused on his duty as one of the protectors of his town.

“You lost it there?” he heard the voice of another guards a females nearby. Wondering who the guard is talking to and if they need any help, Silver went to investigate.

“Yeah, and it was very expensive. I don't want my sister to become upset with me”

Talking to a unicorn filly he didn't recognize was a unicorn mare, she had a light bluish persian grey coat, light grey eyes, and cornflower bluish white with white streaked mane and tail, her cutie mark hidden by her armor. She was standing beside the newly constructed statue of the founder of Richville with the filly watching her as she squinted at what seems to be a crack beneath the statue, but what caught Silver's attention the most was the mare's horn.

Blue light emitted from the horn of the guard illuminated the crack, showing a small silver necklace with an alicorn pendant which the town doesn't sell, confirming the filly to be a tourist from Equestria.

Delighted to see the precious necklace, the filly took the item with her magic “You found it, you found it!” she turned to the mare who helped her and smiled with a look of gratitude “Thank you for helping me find my sister's necklace, Mrs.Light”

“Just happy to help, Umbra” the town guard replied, beaming to see the filly happy. Their short celebration was soon cut off by the arrival of another unicorn mare, whose eyes were focused on the filly named Umbra. The newcomer is more slender and taller than an average pony, like the ones you would see in a city like Maneponia

“Umbra!” the mare approached them, her face filled with concern. Umbra quickly hid the necklace behind her back “I've been looking all over for you. Where have you been?”

Umbra, however, ignored the question and smiled, trying to look all cutesy in front of the mare “Sister, I found what you were looking for” she showed the necklace.

The mare's eyes widened “My necklace!" She exclaimed, enveloping the jewelry with her magic, then looking at Umbra “Where did you find this, Umbra?”

“Well, sister... I...” Umbra trailed off, her words seemingly to heavy for her to say, she pawed at the ground, unsure what to say. Seeing this, Light decided to step in and take the burden.

“Are you Umbra's sister?”

The mare looked to regard the town guard “Yes. My name is Sanae. I assume you helped my little sister, Umbra was searching for my necklace which my father gave to me as a gift when I was just a little filly”

So the necklace was older than it looked, and it was a memento given to her by their father. Silver moved his eyes to the filly, Umbra seemed weighted by something. Perhaps she did something that had caused the necklace to go missing in the first place, he then looked at the older sister Sanae, I've heard ponies who lose somepony elses memento will receive dismay from the owner, but those two are not from here

Light nodded at Sanae “Nice to meet you, Sanae. She was the one to find the necklace and we found it under the newly erected statue of our great founder Scouthoof Spunky”

Sanae and Umbra looked at the statue beside them, depicting a white marble figure of a stallion wearing a saddlebag and a fedora, his expression stuck into a confident smile as if he's assured to win a competition.

“That's him? He looked so... striking”

“I agree Umbra. He looks like quite the gentlecolt” Sanae added.

Silver chuckled and finally introduced himself to the three “Scouthoof wasn't a gentlecolt and not what you'd expect about him" he told the sisters, “He led 176 ponies here and at that time, Richville was just a green field and woods”

“When Scouthoof saw this an opportunity to build a community for his group, he ordered his ponies to work. Building a house took them a few months, sometime in between he became strict and authoritative towards his ponies and began setting up rules, including them only to rest at night. Despite the strict rules he established, the ponies remained loyal to him and swore their hearts they would serve him and their generations till the end. By the time the first house was built, that is when Scouthoof smiled, finally showing his pride to the first residents of the town, which he named Richville”

“Woah, so that's how he founded Richville? He's amazing” Umbra spoke in awe looking at the statue of Scouthoof, even Sanae agreed with her.

“Yeah, I cannot even imagine how much stress he went through, though its impressive he did not abuse his power” she added. Silver liked it when visitors found the history of their town and had good impressions of it and their glorious founder, he did not even hide it, he smiled.

“If you want to learn more about our town's history, find a town guard named Sparkle Guide, she will help you get to your destination”

“Thank you for telling us, Sir. But can you tell us what this Sparkle Guide looks like?” Sanae asked.

“Sparkle wears the same armor as me and Luna Light” he said, referring to Light, whose full name is revealed to be Luna Light, “She has a light purple coat, raspberry eyes, with a purple mane and tail. Her tail has an inward curl and she has two arrows for a cutie mark. It won't be difficult to find her since she always monitors the streets near the town hall”

“Thank you, sir” Sanae turned to her little sister “Come on, Umbra. Say goodbye to the guards”

Umbra nodded and turned to Luna and Silver, giving her best to make the most cutest expression for saving her from the possible wrath of her sister “Mr and Mrs guard, thank you for helping me find my sister's necklace. I am forever in debt for your help!” the face the filly was giving melted Silver and Luna's hearts like chocolate exposed to high temperature, making them chuckle in satisfaction and joy.

“If you need any help, Little Umbra, come to us again okay?” Luna told the filly, her cheeks pink as a rose.

“Yes!” Umbra's energetic response earned another wave of chuckles, Sanae included, who was pleased to see her little sister already gaining friends who both worked as town guards of all ponies, therefore, a flicker of friendship is formed.

“Come on, Umbra. We have to go now”

“Okay!”

Umbra waved at the town guards before going to her sister. At this point, Luna is fighting the urge to squeal as the sisters leave the town hall plaza.

“Tourists, huh?” Silver smirked, “I love it when they bring the best out of them”

“Yeah...” Luna sighed, “That filly is so adorable”

Silver nudged the catatonic mare, bringing her out of her daze “Hey, stop daydreaming, Luna. I have something to tell you”

Luna looked at him “What is it?”

“I want you to meet me at the park after both our shifts ended, you must not talk about this to anypony, not even Sparkle”

“What you have to say sounds very important. Don't worry, my mouth is shut” She assured him, promising she won't break her promise, “But why choose me? How about somepony like Daring Spirit or her brother, Valor?”

“I'm sorry Luna, but I will tell you later. Somepony will hear us here” he glanced around, making sure no guards or other ponies were hearing their conversation.

Luna nodded “Okay”

Somewhere in town, a unicorn mare sat on a chair in her office, fighting off the urge to close her eyes and rest her head on the desk, when she heard the door open, she quickly lifts her head and wipes the drool off her mouth just in time for a pegasus stallion to appear from the door and enter the room.

“Good morning, Brick Strong. I did not expect you to show up in my office, let alone at the hospital”

Brick chuckled “Neither did I expect myself to be here, Doctor Heart. I only came here because of a strange case of coughing”

“Coughing?” Heart's casual smile dropped, “I can't see why anypony would come to the hospital for coughing. Richville's temperature is a bit low sometimes”

“Doctor, I just coughed 20 times for a few seconds each” Brick told her, “I'm bothered by that because I rarely cough and I always wear a mask every time i'm with my team on duty. In addition to that, the last time my team and I built a house was 4 months ago”

“Is that so?” Heart brought out a parchment and a quill, “Are there anymore symptoms like low body temperature or headaches?”

Brick nodded “No, just the coughing”

“It could be nothing, Brick. But just in case it turns out to be some illness, here are some medicine take some then immediately go to the hospital for a checkup” she handed him a box, filled with some kind of pills.

“Thank you, Dr. Heart”

Brick turned, almost bumping into another doctor, a unicorn mare with a white coat and pink mane who opened the door. The two muttered an apology to each other before the stallion left, closing the door behind him. Upon seeing her fellow doctor, Heart stood up from her seat.

“Remedy, I see you finally have a visitor”

Heart, also known as Remedy Heart smirked “Yeah. Thank goodness he came. I almost slept in my own office and if the manager came in to check on me, I'll be out of the building in ten seconds flat. “What brings you here?” she asked.

“Well... The administrator is calling all the doctors to the conference room for the... results of the recent deaths and for Patient Crystal Wishes and Sword Slasher”

Heart raised an eyebrow “What? But I thought that case is over. We all know how the four died: concussion, internal hemorrhaging-”

“Just follow the orders Remedy” Heart rolled her eyes, but silently obliged.

“Just wait for me outside my room, Rosy”

The sun still loomed in the horizon, but Silver knew it was afternoon. There were a couple of foals and ponies passing by but none of them took any interest of him. He lay on his stomach, looking around, waiting for his friend to come.

Soon, Luna Light trotted into view, she looked around for him “Luna, over here!” she glanced at his direction and approached him.

“So what did you want to tell me, Silver?”

Silver looked around them before replying to Luna's question “Luna, you didn't tell anypony about our meeting?”

Luna frowned “No, why would I tell anypony if this to be kept as a secret?”

“Good, " Silver started, “I want you to assist me getting the documents for Serene, Breeze, Miles, and Sugar's autopsies” Luna's eyes widened. Of course he was expecting this reaction, Summer even gave a similar one when he told the unicorn of his plan.

“Is it just me or did you just say you want to take the autopsy documentations?”

“Yep”

Luna glanced around, then back at Silver, giving him a look which she voiced a moment later “You're crazy”

Silver sighed. This is going to be harder than he thought it would be “That is why I NEED your help. I can't do this on my own” He's started to lose hope of his friend helping him with his plan to infiltrate the hospital, besides they needed to know what really killed the four ponies who are all pretty healthy, yet died in one night.

“Silver, sometimes everypony doesn't want to know all the details. There are reasons why they should not be heard by the public” Luna did have a point but, they should still find out what really happened to them. It's better to solve the mystery rather than let it disappear into oblivion.

“Luna please, I will only do this once. I just want to know and I will be quiet once my mind is satisfied with what I find out” he gave her a determined look, “If you don't help me, I will have to take the timescope I gave you as a gift back to my household!”

Luna's eyes widened, then glared at Silver and hissed “You wouldn't dare!” however Silver did not step back, not showing any surprise with her sudden hostility. Luna sighed in defeat and spoke in a hushed tone “Fine...”

Silver smiled “That's settles it then” he looked up at the sky, “Once the moon rises up and the street becomes 'clear', meet me here in the park, okay?” Luna nodded.

White Wheat stood at the porch of his house, staring at the sky above him as the wind blew, the field of rice stalks flowing and moving, creating a peaceful, relaxing sound of leaves rustling. He is alone on his farm, his wife gone buying food for dinner. He closed his eyes and attempted to clear any thoughts in his mind.

“White”

He open his eyes and quickly glanced behind him.