Bloodhound: The Mare in the Mirror

by Mind Jack

A Chink in the Armor

Bloodhound spent most of the afternoon filling out an application to officially join the Watch. What little she didn't spend doing that was spent listening to Starfish ask why there was no physical test, background check, or training course, and Merrilight replying that technically, the law didn't say they needed those.

Eventually, she'd left, feeling tired and hungry.

Canterlot was extremely safe, even at night. But Bloodhound was still almost always frightened walking home in the dark.

But not tonight.

Part of it was that her mind was occupied with thoughts of the case and her current situation.
However, the other part was a bit of newfound confidence. She had seen a lot of scary things lately. Was there really much to be afraid of?

Well, probably. She was heading home hours after her usual curfew. I wonder if Mother will still erupt when I'm technically late because of work?

She tried to slip into her house as quietly as possible. But as soon as the door clicked shut behind her, the lights in the foyer clicked on, causing her to yelp and jump.

As if to prove that there was indeed somepony to be afraid of, Fireball sat on a chair she'd dragged in from the dining room. "You're home late." She didn't sound angry. In fact, she sounded rather amused. "Guard offices closed over an hour ago. You spend some extra time with your new coworkers?"

Bloodhound recalled what Starfish had said about not letting word of the case get out, so she went with a lie of omission. "Yes. I'm sorry if my lateness has caused any trouble." Thankfully, her very poor poker face was covered by the fact that she was both exhausted and afraid of getting in trouble.

Fireball obviously noticed. "You look like somepony dragged you backwards behind a cart. Come, sit down. I made dinner. So let's eat, and you can tell me about your day."

Bloodhound blinked several times. "But… I'm home late. You're not going to yell at me? Who are you, and what have you done with Fireball Whiskey?"

Fireball laughed. "I forced her to get some therapy. Now come on. I made that eggplant soup I know you love."

Well, this is a pleasant surprise. She remembered how proud of her that Fireball had been when she returned home for lunch earlier, and her heart warmed a little. Still, she felt bad that she couldn't tell her the truth about the case.

Her stomach growled as the scent of the soup hit her nose. She smiled, nodded, and followed her mother into the dining room.

---

After dinner, Bloodhound climbed into the shower. The hot water felt heavenly. As the water flattened her floofy mane, she tried to let the stress of the day wash out of her.

Bloodhound's happiness at her mother being so joyful and proud of her had started to be replaced with mild unease. She understood being happy about her daughter's first real job, but the amounts of pleasant smiles, attempts at small talk, and home-cooked food she had received were all very out of character for her mother. Is she okay? Does she know something I don't?

After getting out of the shower, she wrapped her mane up in a towel, and put on a fluffy bathrobe. Then she went out to feed her bugs.

"Hello to all citizens of the Fire Nation!" she said as she gave the denizens of her ant farm a little bit of oatmeal. "Oh! I see Queen Antula! So lovely to be in the presence of royalty!" She did a little bow, then giggled to herself. Being with her bugs always cheered her up.

She left the ants to their dinner, and opened a can of Rudy's wet cat food. The scorpider perked up at the noise of the can opener, then immediately went back to pretending to be grumpy until she placed the food in his dish. Then he nibbled at it contentedly.

"Houndsy?"

Bloodhound turned, finding Fireball in the doorway, looking troubled. "Mother? What's wrong?"

"I just…" She bit her lower lip, then sighed. "I know you're probably tired, which is why I haven't said anything yet. But do you think you and I could talk tomorrow evening? I have some things I'd like to tell you."

Bloodhound blinked. "I… I don't see why not." What in Celestia's name could worry the great Fireball Whiskey so?

Fireball let out a sigh of relief, and smiled. "Thank you. I won't trouble you with it tonight. Goodnight, Houndsy."

She departed, closing the door behind her, and leaving her with yet more questions.

---

When Bloodhound awoke the next morning, her mother wasn't in the kitchen. Good. That means we can search the place without being suspicious.

She heard voices from outside. She quickly raced to the front door.

Starfish was wearing full, golden guard armor, and Merrilight was in her black watchmare uniform, complete with matching tophat.

"Sorry we're late," Starfish grumbled. "She wanted to stop for breakfast."

"And she had to spend fifteen minutes polishing that armor!" Merri shot back, munching on a donut.

Starfish actually blushed. "Well… Fireball Whiskey might be here."

Bloodhound shook her head. "I don't think so. Lately she's been in the kitchen around this time whenever she's—"

"I DON'T CARE IF YOU THINK IT WON'T WORK! GET! IT! DONE!" There was the sound of something metal breaking from upstairs.

Bloodhound's ears pinned. "...here."

Fireball came downstairs, stomping like she had great distaste for the poor, mistreated floor tiles. Her nostrils were flared, and her tail lashed from side to side.

Sweet Celestia! I haven't seen her have a proper angry meltdown since before Mum died. "M-Mother, are you okay?"

Bloodhound's voice stirred Fireball from her incidental war against the marble tiles. As soon as she saw the front door open, and two slightly bewildered ponies staring at her, the fury seemed to melt from her body, replaced by an awkward smile. "I'm so sorry for that. I was speaking with a very stubborn agent for a very bad life insurance company. We may need a new upstairs phone."

Bloodhound sighed. Since her mother seemed to be in a good mood, she risked a joke to try and cheer Fireball up. "Well, I suppose your motherly fury is good for some things," she teased, smiling a half-grin.

Fireball approached the three of them. "Good morning, Constable Merrilight! Who's your…" As soon as she laid eyes on Starfish, her voice died in her throat. "Fishface!?"

Starfish gave a very frightened smile to the smaller, older mare. "Yes ma'am!" She at least managed to keep her voice from quivering. "I'm a sergeant now." She had a 'Mommy please be proud of me' note in her voice that was very familiar to Bloodhound.

"Are you now?" Fireball scanned her up and down appraisingly. "Hm. Well done! I'm glad you've come so far."

Starfish looked very close to crying from happiness. "Thank you, ma'am."

"Anyways. I gotta go chew out the insurance rep. You three officers have a good day."

As soon as the door closed behind Fireball,

Merrilight snorted. "Fishface?"

"She was my drill sergeant," Starfish explained, scowling briefly before she brightened. "Alright! To work! The sooner we can get this case squared away, the better. Let's turn this place upside-down."

"There are several problems with that plan," Merrilight replied with an eye roll, but not losing her smile. "Firstly, this is a lived-in home of the victim's family. I highly doubt any of them will appreciate you ripping their house apart."

"That is true," Bloodhound agreed meekly. She really didn't want Starfish to tear the place up, but she also didn't want to make her angry.

Merri nodded as she continued. "Secondly, you said it yourself. We need to be discreet. Running roughshod through a house in the middle of the Noble Quarter will definitely cause some rumors to go around."

Starfish grimaced. "Drat. That's true. Alright. So what do we do?"

"Before we start discussing the case, there's a matter of ceremony I'd like to take care of," Merrilight announced.

"Ceremony?" Bloodhound asked with a frown.

From the bags at her side, Merrilight retrieved four things: a white shirt, a black jacket, a red necktie, and a black tophat. "I hope these fit. I had to eyeball your size. Can't have our newest watchmare cavorting about out of uniform, after all!"

Bloodhound was… moved. She had to wipe a few tears from her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Merrilight asked in clear concern.

"N-nothing!" Bloodhound assured with a hiccup. "Just… I feel a lot of emotions right now." The idea that she was part of the Watch now was finally beginning to set in. They wanted her. It was an incredible feeling.

Merrilight shared a look with Starfish. "Did I do something wrong?"

Starfish shook her head, smiling. "I think I get it. You've never really done anything this big, have you?"

Bloodhound shook her head.

"I'm sorry." Merrilight hugged Bloodhound. "I shouldn't have made such a big step so quickly."

Starfish nudged Merrilight away. "Ease up. She's not sad. She's proud. That about right, Houndsy?"

Bloodhound nodded. "I… I know I officially joined before, but then I was just feeling nervous and determined. Now… I feel like I'm finally… doing something. Not just about Mum. Just in general."

"Feels right, doesn't it?" Starfish guessed with a smirk.

Bloodhound nodded, sniffling.

"I felt the same way the first time I put on the Guard armor, so I can sympathize," Starfish said. "C'mon. Let's find a spot to get you dressed."

It took some doing, but she finally got dressed in the spiffy new uniform. Starfish had to help her with the necktie. Both the shirt and jacket were a little too big, but not too bad. The hat sat slightly above her head, held aloft by her overly resilient and poofy mane.

Looking at herself in the dressing room mirror, Bloodhound pulled it down to its proper position. She grinned as she looked at her reflection, trying to pose.

"Room to grow, but you look good!" Merrilight praised.

Bloodhound took a deep breath, looking around the familiar room. "I suppose it's a little ironic that I'd wear it here for the first time, right where Mum died."

She looked back at the mirror. She still looked like a teenager wearing her mother's clothes, but as she stood straighter, she thought she looked good. "Let's get down to business."

She blinked, then shrank with an embarrassed, sheepish smile. "Er… right. I'm the lowest ranked one here. Shall we get to business?"

Starfish and Merrilight both laughed. "C'mon," Starfish urged. "Let's sit down in the kitchen, and look at what we know."

There were only four things laid out on the kitchen table: the autopsy reports of both victims, photos of the strange ledger from the scene of Matchstick's murder, and Bloodhound's testimony of the night of Sprout's death, which she'd painstakingly recalled over nearly an hour to put into a comprehensive report.

"So, at this scene we're looking for some traces of scorpider venom, right?" Starfish asked, turning to Bloodhound. "We want to find evidence either linking your mum's death to Matchstick's, or disproving that connection."

"That's what the symptoms seemed to point to," Bloodhound replied. "But it's extremely odd that no traces were found. It's normally quite easy to detect. It has a noticeable, acrid smell. Burns my nostrils a bit."

"Maybe it was concealed somehow?" Merrilight suggested. "I'm no master of magecraft, but there are spells for everything these days."

Starfish shook her head. "There is a spell, but it takes a long time, and requires the poisoner to be right next to the victim. All three guests that night said they came running the moment Bloodhound screamed. The killer wouldn't have had any chance to cast the spell, unless Ms. Bloodhound is hiding a horn under all that floof."

"Er… no, I'm not," Bloodhound said with a frown.

"Perhaps the poison is a red herring then," Starfish suggested. "The poisonous powder we found in Spiderweb's bedroom was extremely conspicuous. A little too much so for my liking."

"But it took my nose to find it among all the other stink," Bloodhound replied. "The killer couldn't have known I'd be there, or about my nose. They'd have had to rely on normal guards searching the place if they wanted it to be found."

"She's right," agreed Merrilight. "Unless the Guard suddenly got a search dog budget that I'm unaware of, I don't think there's any way normal guards would have found it."

Starfish pondered that, then growled in frustration and slammed her hoof on the desk. "I just wish we had something to go on! We don't even know for sure how either of them died!"

That brought them all into a sullen silence.

Bloodhound bit her lower lip thoughtfully, looking over what they had. The ledger was their biggest clue, but they had no idea what it meant. There had to be something they didn't know yet.

Bloodhound suddenly blinked. Didn't know yet… Something about that phrase triggered a memory. Something Starfish had said at the second crime scene.

Suddenly she was hyperventilating.

"Eh?" Starfish gave her a pat on the back, looking concerned. "You okay? You look like you just saw another murder."

"The neighbors!" Bloodhound said quickly. "What did they say?"

"Whose neighbors?" Merrilight said, tilting her head. "Please, calm down."

"Matchstick's," Bloodhound replied, not calming down. "They heard him yell something as he died! What did he say?"

"He said 'She's killing me,'" Starfish recalled, not getting the significance. "It's what caused us to suspect Spiderweb as the killer."

Bloodhound forced herself to be steady, taking her inhaler out of her mane to take a puff.. "Yet neither Spiderweb's nor the potential third party's scent were anywhere to be found in the basement."

Starfish and Merrilight shared a confused look. "But… wait," Starfish interrupted, holding her front hooves up. "If he never saw the killer, but knew who the killer was a she somehow, it had to be Spiderweb poisoning him. He must have gotten some kind of food or drink from her, and thus, he knew."

Merrilight shook her head. "No. That can't be it. At least, I don't think so. The autopsy would have found whatever he ate or drank."

"So… how did he know the killer was a she?" Starfish asked, looking absolutely lost.

"From what we know, there's only one thing he went through that could have told him who was killing him," Bloodhound said, taking a deep breath. "The murder method."

Starfish squinted at her, not quite getting it yet. But Merrilight's jaw hit the floor. "He felt himself dying, and knew precisely who was doing it to him. But that must mean he knew how the killer killed."

Now Starfish joined the conversation properly. "Which means either he knew Sprout was murdered, or our perp had killed before, and Matchstick knew about it."

Bloodhound flopped down, tired, but nodded.

"Sweet Celestia. I'm not sure which I find more terrifying." Starfish took off her helmet, cradling it to her chest. "How did the Guard not see any of this? This kind of thing doesn't happen in Equestria."

"Not that you know of, anyway," Merrilight muttered. "So Matchstick knew his killer. The killer has killed before, and Matchstick knew about it, and knew how it happened. We have a physical list of ponies he knew right here in the ledger from the basement. Let's see if any match up with the party guests on the night of Sprout's murder."

"I read it over," Starfish informed. "Golden Lace and Aphrodite DeHeart are both in there."

"Good. We should visit all parties present either way, as well as asking Spiderweb what this ledger actually is." Merrilight put a hoof to her lips thoughtfully. "Hm. If I know Golden Lace, she won't give us the time of day. Unless, that is, we send somepony she actually wants to talk to." She gave Bloodhound a sly smile. "Like, say, the potential heiress of House Sprout, and the daughter of her deceased friend."

Bloodhound sighed. "I suppose you're right. At least she probably won't crack my ribs again like Aphrodite."

"She and I know each other well, so I'll handle her," Merrilight offered.

"Meanwhile, I'll speak to Countess Spiderweb," said Starfish. "Hopefully she'll open up to me if I change my tune and apologize. Maybe we meet back at Bucky's gym later today?"

"I'm afraid I can't meet tonight," Bloodhound replied. "I promised Mother I'd have dinner with her tonight."

"First thing tomorrow morning then," Starfish corrected. "Alright. At least we have a plan. Let's move out."

---

The home of Golden Lace was surprisingly close by. Bloodhound was able to walk there in just a few minutes.

The manor was even larger than the one she lived in, with beautiful stained-glass windows, and tall spires made to resemble a miniature version of the castle.

Bloodhound gulped as a security guard let her through the wrought-iron gate. They had a maid or two back home, but they'd never had need of a full security staff. Or maybe we did need them, and just didn't know it until now.

She shook the bad thoughts from her head. There was no time for that now. She stepped up and rang the doorbell.

A butler answered the door. He was old, with a green coat and white mane. "May I help you?" He sounded friendly enough, though the way he looked at her made her feel like she was being judged.

"Yes, sir. My name is Bloodhound." She cleared her throat nervously. "I'm the daughter of the late Bamboo Sprout, a friend of Lady Lace. I was hoping to speak with her." She gave the most innocent grin she could, suddenly very aware that she was still in her Watch uniform, and hoping it was new enough to not be recognized.

He looked her up and down. "I will alert Lady Lace of your arrival. Wait here."

He closed the door in her face. Bloodhound let out a breath she'd been holding. Stay calm, Houndsy. You're doing this for Mum. How scary can Lace really be? Well, I suppose she may be a murderer, and she's far stronger than I am. Even if she isn't the killer, she could also absolutely destroy me with lawsuits. Honestly, now that I think about it, it's perfectly logical to be terrified.

The butler returned after several minutes. "Lady Lace will see you in her study. Please follow me."

Bloodhound went along with him. The inside of the manor felt… a lot like a manor. It was richly carpeted, with more statues, paintings, and suits of armor than anypony but a very artistic and fashion-conscious knight actually needed.

The familiar yellow unicorn sat in a plush armchair in front of a table, on which sat a tray with a fancy, porcelain teapot and cups. "Good morning. Please, sit."

Bloodhound hopped into the chair across from her. She was just small enough that it nearly swallowed her. "Thank you for having me," she said as the butler poured her a cup of tea.

"Of course." She didn't sound very interested.

Bloodhound cleared her throat. Just like you rehearsed in your head on the way over, Houndsy. You can do it. "I'm sorry for disturbing you. It's just… now that Mum is gone, I wanted to try and get to know some of her friends. I thought it would be a way to better keep her memory alive."

She discreetly sniffed. Lace had a definite smell of cologne on her, probably from her husband. Also, the tea was a fancy one that she'd heard of, but had no idea how to pronounce.

For a moment, Lace looked irritated, then she covered it up with a sip of her tea. "I see. And you were hoping I would be willing to spill everything I know about her?"

Bloodhound flinched a little at her disinterested tone. "Er… yes?"

Lace sighed through her nose, then shrugged. "Sprout and my relationship was mostly business. We had a similar interest in charity, so we often coordinated efforts."

Bloodhound waited for more. None came. "That's it?"

"That's it." She set her cup down. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to—"

She stopped speaking as a stallion entered the room. He was a unicorn, with a light-brown coat, and a two-tone mane of green and purple. Somehow, he gave off an air of such disinterest in both of them that Bloodhound started to really feel like an ant under walking hooves. "Hello!" Bloodhound said nervously. "Sorry if I'm in the way of anything. I won't be long."

He briefly looked at her, then back to Lace. "Guest?"

Lace nodded.

He nodded too. "Make sure she doesn't steal anything."

Then he left.

Bloodhound stared after him, slack-jawed at his sheer rudeness. "Was that your husband?"

It was almost imperceptible, but Lace's shoulders slumped, and her eyes lowered. "Yes. His name is Brass Badge." She took another sip of tea.

"I am so sorry," Bloodhound said, giving a disapproving frown in his direction. "Half tempted to steal something just to spite him…"

Wait, had she said that out loud?

Lace almost choked on her tea.

Bloodhound immediately put a hoof in her mouth, sure she was about to be kicked out. "Mm mm." She remembered to take the hoof out of her mouth. "Er… I… sorry?"

But, shockingly, Lace was smiling a little when she put the cup down. Her shoulders were shaking. Was she… laughing? "Thank you for that," she said as she dabbed her lips with a napkin. "I needed it."

Bloodhound blinked. "You're… welcome?" Well, a chink in the armor is a good thing, even if I didn't intend to find it.

Lace looked over Bloodhound, her expression different, but unreadable. "Come with me," she said after a moment. "I'll tell you all I can. I even have some old photos."

Slowly, Bloodhound's smile returned. "Thank you. That really would mean the world to me."

As they passed where Brass Badge had been standing, Bloodhound memorized his scent, just in case. He wore blueberry cologne, and kept himself scrupulously clean, but there was a metallic smell to him. Armor? Military, maybe? Would fit his name.

They went up to the master bedroom. Thankfully, Brass wasn't there. Though oddly enough, there was none of his scent anywhere in the room. He didn't really strike me as the napping type. Maybe he's just rarely home.

Lace retrieved something from a nightstand drawer. "I met Sprout years ago, at the Grand Galloping Gala. You may be surprised to hear that it was Fireball who introduced me to her."

She showed what she'd taken out of the drawer to Bloodhound. It was a photograph of several ponies at a very fancy-looking party, all raising their glasses in toast. Fireball, Sprout, Lace, Aphrodite, and Flip were all present, as was one mare Bloodhound didn't recognize, a violet-blue unicorn who had seemingly swiped Flip's tophat, and was wearing it.

"She was a lovely mare," Lace replied. "Always obsessed with making the city a more beautiful place with those flowers of hers, and her enthusiasm was contagious. Even I was genuinely fond of her, and that's rather rare."

Tears started to tickle at the corners of Bloodhound's eyes. Still, she couldn't help smiling. It did sound just like her Mum.

"You can keep the photo," Lace offered. "I have other copies." She noticed Bloodhound getting misty-eyed. "Are you alright?"

"Just… still a fresh wound, is all," Bloodhound replied. "Giant ants will mourn their dead queen until they all starve."

Lace hesitated for a moment, possibly because of the ant comment. Suddenly, Bloodhound found herself wrapped in a hug, and getting a few pats on the back.

Lace pulled away. "You will tell nopony about that. Understand?"

Bloodhound blinked, completely startled. "Er… of course." But the hug wasn't the most surprising thing she'd just gotten. That honor belonged to the proper whiff of Lace's scent she'd just gotten.

Lace was covered in the fresh scent of stallion, and one who definitely wasn't her husband.

---

After bidding farewell to Lace, Bloodhound went home to feed her bugs and do a few chores. She hadn't been given any specific directions for what to do after her investigation of Lace, so she just figured she could update them on what she'd found when they next met up.

As the morning faded into afternoon, she went to pick up Bucky, and the two of them set out for the restaurant where Bloodhound's mother waited. "I don't know about this…" Bloodhound said as the carriage rolled towards downtown.

"Why are you worried?" Bucky asked with a reassuring smile. "You said it yourself. She's been way better lately. She probably just wants to make up for lost time bonding with you."

"But what if she doesn't?" Bloodhound countered. "What if she wants to confess some dark secret? What if she knows who killed Mum? What if she is the one who killed Mum!?" Bloodhound started hyperventilating, on the verge of a panic attack.

She was snapped out of it when something whapped against the back of her head: Bucky's tail. "Snap out of it. You have no evidence that you've told me about that would suggest any of that."

Bloodhound took a few deep breaths, trying to get her heartbeat to calm down. "Maybe you're right. But what if—?"

"Houndsy," Bucky interrupted. "You're a watchmare now. You can do this. I believe in you."

Bloodhound slowly calmed down, at least a little bit of confidence leaking into her heart. She let out a breath. "You're probably right. Plus, I'll still have you there with me."

Bucky nodded, grinning. "Exactly. And if she has some kind of army of ninjas there to ambush you, I'll do my best to help you fight them off."

That finally got a smile and a giggle out of Bloodhound. "Thank you, Bucky. I don't know what I'd do without you."

The restaurant wasn't a fancy one. It was a 24-hour diner and waffle house. The front was decorated by garden boxes full of dead plants, and the windows filled with posters that hadn't been relevant in over a decade.

However, the inside couldn't be more of a contrast. It was scrupulously clean, and smelled delicious enough to actually make Bloodhound's tongue hang out like that of her namesake.

Fireball sat in a booth, looking worried as she nursed a cup of coffee. Surprisingly, she had brought a support buddy too: a very casually dressed Coin Flip, who still wore her top hat despite also wearing a colorful haywaiin shirt.

As soon as the front door opened, Fireball jerked up to see who had entered. Bloodhound got the feeling from Flip's eyeroll that she'd been doing that since they arrived.

Fireball hugged Bloodhound in greeting, and shook Bucky's hoof before they all sat down.

There was a long, awkward silence. Fireball opened her mouth several times, as if to break it. But nothing ever came out.

Bloodhound couldn't really blame her. She did the same thing. It was like a pair of confused cave-hoppers trying to decide if they wanted to hiss at each other.

Finally, Fireball found the words she was looking for. "I'm sorry."

Bloodhound quirked her head. "Sorry for what?"

Fireball looked like she was trying to force the words out.

Flip gave her a stern look. "Fireball. You promised yourself you'd confess. You can do this. Be strong."

Fireball took a deep breath. "Right… Houndsy, you probably noticed I've been acting off lately."

Bloodhound nodded confirmation.

Fireball leaned back in her seat, trying to think of the right words.

"Just rip it off like a band-aid," Bucky advised. "That's what I always tell Houndsy when she needs to get some hard words out."

Fireball bit her lower lip nervously, but managed to force out her confession. "I've been… jealous. I just couldn't understand why you two were so close, but you and I weren't."

"Bucky and I?" Bloodhound asked, confused.

Fireball blinked, now just as bamboozled. "What? No. I…" Once again, the words wouldn't come out, and she let out a frustrated sigh. Turning to Flip, she asked, "Can you please help me with this?"

Flip smirked. "If I absolutely must. But don't expect me to carry this whole conversation for you. You made me talk to my parents. I'm making you talk to your daughter.

Fireball nodded, blushing.

What strange and perilous world have I awoken in? Bloodhound pondered.

Flip pressed her forehooves together, leaning her chin on them as she gathered her thoughts. It struck Bloodhound as a stance she took a lot. "Fireball is jealous of how close you were to Sprout," she informed. "Even though Sprout was your stepmother, and Fireball your mother."

Bloodhound's jaw dropped, her glasses almost falling off her face. "You… WHAT?"

Fireball flinched. She actually flinched. "I just… She was always able to get through to you. I never was. She got you to try things. You listened to her. You liked her."

Shock gave way to sadness and guilt. "Mother…" She didn't know what to say. She was right. She'd been far closer to Sprout than she'd ever been to her. "You've really been doing that for me?"

Fireball nodded. "But… I'm struggling. Staying home, cooking dinner, and having friends over are all nice, but they aren't me. I'm not a socialite, and it just… doesn't feel right." She slumped. "But you still like it, so I don't know what to do."

Bloodhound put a comforting hoof on hers. "Mother, you acting like Mum isn't what I liked."

Fireball blinked. "What do you mean? Isn't being nice what you wanted?"

That made Bloodhound hesitate. "Well…"

"Spit it out," Bucky and Flip said, accidentally in unison. When they realized it, they hoofbumped.

Bloodhound sighed. Well, I suppose the killer may be quite pleased if my own mother does me in before they have to. "It isn't… You don't have to act like Mum to be nice. It wasn't the cooking and being home that I liked. It was being treated like a daughter instead of like one of your boot camp trainees." She wanted to clamp her hooves over her mouth, but forced herself not to. She stood by what she said. "You've actually been acting proud of me, instead of just awaiting your latest reason to be disappointed."

She didn't know what she expected. Slack-jawed surprise at her audacity? A smile and a proud nod? Even a harsh rebuke like Fireball used to give often.

Instead, she got the one reaction that could make her feel absolutely awful: tears. Fireball struggled against them, but couldn't completely stop them. She wiped her eyes, sniffled, and forced herself back into composure.

"Mother, I…" Bloodhound couldn't find the words.

Regardless, Fireball spoke up before she could. "No. You're right. I've been a relentless old nag for most of your life, and I'm sorry." She looked down at the table. "I remember how happy I was when you decided to come with me after the divorce, instead of staying with your father. I've got no idea what happened. I guess I just fell back on what I knew."

Fireball took a deep breath. "Well, I'm going to do my best to do better in my own way… even if I don't know what that way is yet. Just like you're doing."

Bloodhound's smile returned. The two of them got out of the booth to hug. "We're two very confused caterpillars, trying to figure out where their wings are," Bloodhound summed up.

"More like an elderly shadow ant queen, trying to figure out how to train a new one," Fireball teased, rubbing her cheek against Bloodhound's.

Bloodhound's eyes widened. "You did pay attention at the Insect Meet and Greet!"

"Well… no," Fireball admitted sheepishly. "I've just been doing research, so I could figure out how to best explain all this to you."

They all laughed.

"Well, it sounds like this was enough of a success that celebration is in order!" Flip decided. "Dinner is on me!"

---

Comments

[AxelFones]

Aaaaaw that was sweet. I’ll admit to feeling eh about Fireball at first but now I’m excited.

[Ficta_Scriptor]

I was worried something ominous was going to happen when Fireball had to delay her meeting with Bloodhound, only for it to end up being super wholesome.

The mystery is well and truly afoot! There are several possibilities, though it's unclear if some of those are red herrings or could uncover another mystery behind them. Exciting!

I have to say, I'm very impressed with the way you've developed your characters. OC-centric stories always need to go that extra mile to make sure each character's traits are distinct, and you've managed that with a good number of characters in quite a short space of time.

I've really enjoyed my time so far and feel invested in the story. It's honestly a real shame that you don't have more readers (I guess OC-centric mystery fics just aren't very popular, unfortunately) as this clearly has plenty of passion and thought put into it.

Here's to hoping you can continue what you've started.

[Mind Jack]

11081412
Thank you!

I tend to specialize in OC-focused stories, because I struggle a little bit with writing canon characters.

I have chapter 5 fully written, and chapter 6 mostly written. 5 will go up on the last day of December, then 6 on the last day of January, and so on.

[Ficta_Scriptor]

11081421
That's great to hear you have a schedule in place! I now have something to look forward to at the end of each month besides my mortgage payments. I'll have to try and set up a consistent upload schedule of my own... Not sure how that's gonna go, though.

See you when chapter 5 hits.