Hoodwinked: The Pony Edition

by Lighttone GryphonStar

Chapter 8: New Clues, New Suspects

The news reporters outside were buzzing at the news that Thunderlane might actually be alive. The cameras swarmed around the windows, trying their best to get a better look as Luster Dawn moved Thunderlane into the kitchen.

Being annoyed by the sight of the vultures, Luster Dawn teleported a massive bolder between the cameras and the window. Now that she knew there was a detail she missed her mind went into overdrive. Blueblood pushed everyone else back to the edge of the kitchen as the unicorn mare lifted the body in magic.

She scanned over the body. The wings had been broken from the fall, along with most of the skin on his back and tail. She pulled out her first aid kit and cleaned up the wounds.

"What do you think happened here?" asked Blueblood.

Luster Dawn leaned back to get a better look. "For the most part, he's perfectly fine. Just banged up enough where he won't be waking up any time soon."

Blueblood nodded, "We'll see what I can do about that later. For now, we need to figure out how this happened."

Luster Dawn pulled out some of the metal rods from her bag and pressed them over the wounds, working her way up the stallion's back. When she got to his neck she noticed a shock kick out from him to the metal rods. "Interesting." Her eyes ran over to the cattle prong that Lightning Dust had been using this whole time.

She violently pulled it from the pegasus' hoof with her magic and brought it over. Ignoring Lightning Dust's pouting she scanned it. It looked like a regular cattle prod, except for the four barbed spikes sticking out of it. There were two on each side, and they resembled the horns on a bull.

"I wonder if these are connected to..." mused Luster Dawn as she lined up the strange shape to the markings on Thunderlane's neck.

Blueblood walked up behind her, "That would explain why he's moving so limply."

"Are you saying that Derpy was torturing him?!" Braeburn was quick to accuse the dumb mare. He stopped upon remembering who he was talking about. "No, she's too dense."

"Finally, something smart from you." Luster Dawn laughed and padded him on the head. "Keep going and I'm sure even my mother's plant will find you attractive." She dropped the body carefully on the floor.

"Stop that?!" He pulled away from her. "If Derpy didn't do it then who?"

Who indeed?" Blueblood raised his hoof. "Derpy Hooves is simply our red herring!" With that Blueblood stepped on Thunderlane's hoof hard enough to wake him up.

The black pegasus stallion jumped up in a scream of agony and confusion. He pointed at everypony and scream at each of them with progressively louder volumes, the loudest aimed at Sombra. After this, he ran down through the living room, then the hallway, and finally out the front door where, outside he promptly crashed face-first into a giant pile of stinky cat litter, spilling its contents all over him.

"Who left the front door wide open?!" Luster Dawn commented.

"Indeed." Blueblood rubbed his chin.

"Damn it..." Captain Braeburn breathed a mix of relief and annoyance at how wrong he was. He looked back at Luster Dawn, who simply rolled her eyes at him. She was right about a lot of things much like her mentor, but it was clear to the captain now more than ever. She was right about him... and so was her mother, for dumping him. "I'll go clean it up."

"Sir!" Bulk Biceps saluted his captain and followed behind him. Lightning Dust also followed but was laughing the entire time.

The whole house voided the sounds of the soldiers. Blueblood figured it was a good enough time for a break so he conjured up two cups of hot earl gray tea and some crumpets for him and Luster Dawn. The two sat in the dining room with the others. "I think this might take a while."

"Yeah..." Luster Dawn grumbled. "It seems so." Derpy followed shortly after... though she crashed into the side of the doorway a few times.

Unknown to them, a pair of eyes snuck past and into the room. It had been the one who opened the front door to the house. The eyes seemed to defy all sense of logic as they moved with just a shadow and no body shape, though it was clearly no magic involved despite the literal breaking of reality. It went up the walls and around the ceiling. Hooves yanked out the shadows and moved the lights. They dusted the corners and gently placed any spiders to the side.

The illogical pair of eyes moved down to the table and creaked over every chair. "I have to find it, now!" an annoyed grumble followed by a bemoaning hiss echoed louder. "And will you stop crashing into that wall!!" The voice screamed at Derpy.

The dull mare stopped and apologized, leaving the room without asking a single question. The logic of the mare made no sense to the eyes so they left her be and moved to the bedroom. "I have to find it before something bad happens."

Author's Note:

Well, seems more things are at play. Who do you think these logic-defying eyes belong to? And what are they searching for?

And for those wondering, I will get to Golden's flashback very soon. I just wanted to lay more ground work for the mystery post-crime scene rather than just solely pre-crime scene.