Swift Light and the Chaos Conundrum

by Jest

Leafside

Leafside wasn't a very large town, hell it couldn't even really be called a town at all, as it was barely more than a hundred permanent inhabitants. When the loggers came back during the spring the population nearly doubled, but with the cool wind of winter still occasionally blowing in from the north, the town remained relatively empty. Buildings sat without residents, save for the passerby or occasional caretaker who made sure the bunk houses did not get infested with vermin while the loggers were out of town.

The only true activity was at the docks, where the majority of the town was employed, either in fishing, or catering to those who did. With little in the way of natural resources other than the ocean and a bit of forest that wasn't quite as wild as the rest, tourism was more or less non existent. Which meant Swift Light would be seen as a strange sight by most, considering she had told any who asked that she was indeed one of those strange souls who chose to vacation in the small town.

As such, the guard was ready for the odd stare, or probing question from the locals, but what she had not been ready for was the outright hostility, and the way some ponies ducked inside and locked their doors upon seeing her. The guard tried to not let her irritation reach her face, but it was difficult, as this fear and paranoia was beginning to wear down on her patience, as well as actively hamper her investigation.

Walking through one of the few streets of the small town, Swift Light watched as another mare reached outside, grabbed the foal playing in the front yard, and scurried back inside, the clunk of something heavy signifying they had gone so far as to drop a board in front of the front door. To her right a few stallions stood outside of a home, staring at the guard as she walked through the town. She had expected this to an extent, but the way they stared gave off the impression that they were actively attempting to make her feel uncomfortable, and it was working.

Turning down one of the side roads, the guard made a beeline towards the lone inn that stood on the top of a cliff overlooking the small harbor. Short, square houses lined both sides of the road, their exterior having been constructed from the trees found to the west, and blasted by the sea found to the east. The harsh, salt filled winds had long since peeled the paint off most of the structures, with few bothering to try and reaply it, and fewer still who managed to succeed in this task.

Glancing at one such structure was enough to inform the guard that it was likely as old as the town itself was. Few structures could be considered new in Leafside, other than bunk houses found at the edge of town, and the post office that sat dead center of it. The only other exception to that rule was the inn she was walking towards, the road becoming steeper by the minute as she broke away from the normal town streets and towards the inn.

The building itself was designed much like a beached ship, with the half of the structure that pointed towards the harbor resembling the prow of a boat, while the rest was an average and unassuming two story white building. Though interesting, the design was less than flawless, with the structure looking more like a hack job, than an artistic design choice and Swift Light wondered if the front half was actually from a boat that had somehow found itself on top of the cliff.

Pushing aside the door to the inn, Swift Light trotted confidently into the bar, her gaze lingering over the few patrons here at such an early hour of the day. She had spent just over twelve hours in the town at this point, and already she had gotten rather good at guessing what was going to happen when she stepped into the room.

First, an old salt too old to work the riggings would sneer at her from his spot near the door, his toothy maw ready to hork a loogie if she so much as looked at him. After that a few random patrons of varied ages would look over at her, most glancing up from their solitary meals before having their curiosity sated and turning back to stuffing their faces. And lastly, the bartender would look her up and down before turning back to his conversation partner, who would have just finished giving her the same visual inspection.

Sure enough, that was exactly what happened, but this time Swift Light was not simply going to go back up to her room, she had finished what little subtle interviewing she could manage, and it was time to move on to something more direct. Something she hoped would gain her more intel, as so far subtlety had been about as useful as tits on a chicken, as her father used to say.

Bellying up to the bar, the guard plunked down right beside the older mare who had been talking to the bartender up until now. The two ponies stared at her in silence, Swift Light smiling despite the barely hidden hostility being leveled her way. For once, the guard was happy she had done a tour in a thestral territory, as compared to their sneers of disdain, this was nothing.

“Afternoon.” She greeted, nodding to the bartender, and then the mare. “Whats on the menu?”

The bartender slowly placed the cup he had been polishing aside before tossing a hoof in the direction of a large board behind the bar, upon which several items were detailed, including the catch of the day. “See for yerself, stranger.” He offered.

Straining her eyes, Swift Light did her best to pretend as though she couldn't see only to sigh and sit back in her chair. “Sorry, but I lost my glasses the other day, would you mind reading them to me?”

The bartender blinked, before glancing back over to the board himself. “Breaded cod served on a pile of fries. Your choice of coffee, or anything on tap to drink.”

Swift Light smiled, noting the way some of the bartender’s harsh tone had dissipated somewhat. The guard made a note of thanking Sweet Dream for teaching her that particular trick. Ask someone to do you a favor and they will view you more favorably. Smiling widely, the guard nodded. “That sounds great, thank you by the way.”

“You forgot your drink.” Interrupted the mare who sat to Swift Light’s left.

“Oh right. I’m not sure what you have on tap… do you have any suggestions?” Swift Light offered, turning her attention to the old, brown coated mare sitting next to her.

The mare took one look at her and snorted. “Burgundy Bear.”

“Coming right up.” The bartender turned, and deftly poured Swift Light’s drink, making sure not to give the beer too much head.

With the perfect drink in hoof, the bartender deposited it before the mare before turning and hollering her order into the kitchen.

Swift LIght tentatively lifted her drink and sipped at the frothy, slightly red tinged beer. “Wow, that's good.” She muttered, pulling back and really relishing the taste.

“It's got a nice hit at the beginning but smooths out near the end, eh?” The mare asked, a hint of pride in her tone.

“Totally.” Swift Light muttered, rolling the flavor around in her mouth before reluctantly swallowing the last of her drink.

The guard sat and sipped her drink slowly, losing herself in the delicious flavors while also silently revelling in the fact that she was having a beer at lunch, something the mare had never allowed herself to indulge in. Swift Striker, the mare she was disguised as though, she could have a beer whenever she wanted, as she was on vacation and wanted to enjoy herself. A few minutes later and the bartender returned with her order, and true to his word, it was indeed served on what could only be described as an absolute pile of fries.

“Woah.” Swift Light muttered as she looked down on the veritable mountain of food now sitting before her.

“That will be fifteen bits.” The bartender announced.

Swift nodded weakly and handed over the bits. “I don't even know how to attack this thing. Do you guys have any ketchup?”

The mare sitting next to her pushed over a bottle of the stuff, the glass container sliding across the counter with ease. “Try the tartar sauce for the cod.”

“Will do.” Swift Light replied, doing just that and heaping a great spoonful of the white sauce onto the cod before taking off a chunk and biting into it. “Mm thash sho good.” She muttered, not having to lie one bit.

“Well shit Bar Hop, it looks like you owe me five bits.” The mare announced, shaking her head in irritation.

Swift Light lifted an eyebrow, her mouth stuffed full of fish, her eyes asking the question her lips could not.

The bartender grumbled silently as he dug out five bits and placed them on the table, only to keep his hoof over them when the mare went to reach for them. “Maybe I should keep these, your tab isn't getting any smaller you know.”

The mare chuckled, and knocked the stallion’s hoof aside before pocketing the bits. “You know very well that I will pay that off at the end of the week.”

Swallowing hard, Swift Light pushed down her food and eyed the pair carefully. “What was that all about?”

Smirking, the older mare gestured toward the stallion. “This dope thought you were too stuck up to eat fish.”

“In my defence you look a lot like when of them Canterlot types, no offence.” The stallion added quickly.

Swift Light shrugged. “That's fair, though I’m curious as to why you would bet against that, as I do kinda look like one of ‘those types’.”

“It's the soccer cutie mark.” The mare pointed out, gesturing down to the simple illusion that had replaced the mare’s very guardesque mark with that of a flaming soccer ball. “I ain't never met a mare into the sport who didn't have balls bigger than most of the stallions around here.”

The disguised guard laughed aloud, and clopped her hoof against the mare’s making sure to add an extra bit of muscle into the act in order to drive her disguise home. “Too true. Sometimes I think they should lift the ban on intergender sports, maybe then those colts would finally get better at the game.”

The stallion ground his teeth together silently, trying and failing, to pretend to busy himself with cleaning a glass.

Swift Light smiled, and tossed back another hoofull of fries drenched in ketchup. “Sho, anyfing else intersting happen round here?”

The mare sighed, lifted the captain’s hat from her head and ran a hoof through her greying mane. “You could say that, bout a week ago the town’s local historian up and disappeared, the guard came but didn't find nothing, said she just up and left, but I ain't so sure.”

“Old Lucky Lucy never was the type of mare to do anything spontaneously.” The bartender added, a frown on his face. “She might have been quite the adventurer in her youth but after her last boat sank she finally laid down roots. Hell, she hardly left the house most days on account of that bum knee of hers.”

“True, though I supposed stranger things have happened, what with nightmare moon coming back there a few years ago, nevermind Discord and all that.” The mare offered before taking a sip of her drink and sighing contentedly as the alcohol settled in her belly.

“Bah, you can't listen to half the stuff those city papers say nowadays.” The stallion exclaimed. “Why just the other month they talked about some crazy filly trying to take over the world. I mean a filly? Really?”

Swift Light laughed along with her new friends, ignoring the very real fact that the story itself was unfortunately true.

Together the three talked, gossiped, and generally spent the next hour speaking animatedly on various topics, with Swift Light only being a partial participant and spending most of her time simply eating and listening. The two locals were a veritable fountain of information after they began to open up to her, and though there was quite a bit of old rumours and small town superstition, they had given Swift Light a few leads she had not been able to gain through what little interviewing she had managed.

Most importantly to her, there had been a few strange ships that had come through in the past few days and drop off a few boxes plus crew, only to leave as quickly as they came. By the time Swift Light had finished her food she had a pretty good idea as to when this other group of bad guys had showed up, and how they were being resupplied, as the cargo was being held in a secure warehouse at the edge of town, where it was likely being brought to their camp from there. This meant she could catch one of them as they went to the warehouse, but that would also likely mean that she would have to go through most of them to get what she wanted and good as though she may be Swift Light wasn't convinced she could take them all on and win.

As she ate the last few of her fries and idly listened to her new friends argue over what town’s hockey team was going to win the next game, she realized something important. Namely that she had not received any word of recent missing persons before she arrived, meaning the ‘guards’ they saw were likely either turn coats, or were simple thugs with good disguises. Which also meant that the historian was likely more important than she first thought, perhaps important enough that her house might have the information she needed to find alternative route into the caves.

Swallowing the last of her food, Swift Light thanked them both before excusing herself, saying she wanted to go for another walk by the cliffs. After exchanging goodbyes with Bar Hop and the mare, who turned out to be named Sea Breeze, Swift Light placed a tip on the table and left, intent on heading directly towards the historian’s house, which she had learned was near the docks.

Sure enough, when Swift Light made her way back down closer to the docks, she instantly noticed a couple of sailors lingering near an unlit building almost perfectly squeezed between a warehouse and the cliffside, tucked away from any onlookers. It was a tall, three story structure that somehow had a large oak growin in the front yard, a curiosity that Swift Light had learned was due to the old adventurer’s green hoof she had apparently cultivated over the years.

Turning off to the side, Swift Light waited for the sailor’s to depart, something that didn't take long as a slightly older and taller stallion stomped up to them a few minutes later and barked at them to get back to work. With any onlookers now dealt with, Swift Light crept up to the entrance of the small yard, and after giving a swift glance at her surroundings, ducked inside. Making her way to the side of the structure, Swift Light tested the first floor windows, and after finding one that was a little loose near the back of the house, lifted it slightly and used her magic to flick the simple lever lock that had been doing its best to hold the window closed.

The unicorn cast one final parting glance at her surroundings, and after seeing no one else around, leapt up and through the open window, rolling across the floor and landing in a crouch. Her horn lit, and ready, the guard scanned the room, and after finding no hidden enemies, or anything out of the ordinary, she gently closed and locked the window behind her.

The room she was currently in seemed to be a somewhat small, and simple kitchen, large enough to fit only a small enchanted ice box, as well as a smaller than average stove that was covered in papers. Flipping through the papers revealed that they were all either old bills, or advertisements that the house’s inhabitant obviously hadn't cared enough about to use, or throw out. Other than that there was a small table set against a wall, which had two chairs tucked half under it, as well as two doors side by side.

Turning to the first one, Swift Light lit her horn and scanned it for traps, and after finding that it had no such manner of defences, gently turned the knob, only to find it locked. Looking closer, the mare quickly realized that she hadn't been the first to be frustrated by the object, as their were numerous scratch marks around the lock, as well as scuff marks all over the front of it.

“Attempts at forced entry, as well as lock picking, both of which seemed to be futile.” Swift Light muttered, brushing her hoof across the door. “Relatively recent too, probably only a few days, which would fit with the arrival of the guards they called.”

Turning away from the locked portal, Swift Light scanned the next door, only to find that it lacked any defences, or locks, and when opened, revealed a living room, an entryway, as well as stairs up on the left hand side of the house. A large bay window was obscured by heavy black curtains that held back all but the most stubborn rays of light, illuminating the room in an eerie light. Paintings of battles, and ancient conflicts covered the walls not obscured by book shelves, illustrating the image of a mare who was evidently a lover of history.

A cursory glance told Swift Light that nearly all the books were non fiction, and the few that were made up, were mostly historical fiction, or high seas adventure novels. Swift Light chuckled to herself as she turned back around, noting that though there were was a couch, a love seat, and a rocking chair in the room, only the rocking chair seemed to have seen any use. The guard ran a hoof down the damaged, and well loved chair, noting the distinct scent of the sea that clung to the old object, as well as a few strands of grey and brown hair. Pulling her hoof away, Swift Light noted the fact that the main door was heaving slightly, as if it had been kicked in, only to be hastily repaired in order to hide that fact.

The guard knew well the signs of a rushed fix it spell, and figured that the guards had probably entered with the use of force in order to abduct the mare. The signs of a scuffle were rare, but Swift Light was trained to notice these types of things and quickly realized that several of the books on the nearest shelf were upside down, signifying the shelf had been bumped during the scuffle. Looking closer, Swift Light realized it was also moved just slightly further away from the wall, confirming that it had been knocked, and hastily put back, though not as perfectly as the other book shelves were.

“That confirms it.” She muttered, before turning to the stairs up and proceeding to the second floor.

The stairs were well worn, and likely made from reclaimed wood, and as Swift Light went deeper into the house, she couldn't help but get a better idea of who this old adventurer had been. Turning up the landing and proceeding to the second floor, Swift Light kept her horn lit until she took a peek into each one of the four rooms and realized that she was completely alone. The kidnappers hadn't so much as left behind an alarm spell to tell them if anyone went snooping around, making Swift Light realize she wasn't exactly dealing with the smartest ponies around.

“Silence and expertise both cost bits.” Swift Light remarked, as she checked the bathroom.

The room was remarkably normal, with a few nautical themed decorations on the moulding and above the toilet, with everything seemingly in its place. A quick sifting through the drawers told her that the house’s occupant had been getting a little older and was apparently worrying about losing her teeth, if the collection of toothpaste was any indication.

The next room seemed to be a simple guest bedroom, a small layer of dust covering nearly everything in sight. The room was relatively small, with a small porthole window giving the only source of light. Rummaging through the drawers on the end table revealed nothing, and other than a few dust bunnies, there was nothing under the bed.

The next room seemed to be an office of some kind, and it was perhaps the most chaotic of any of the rooms she had seen so far. Papers littered nearly every surface of the room, the desk being so covered in random scraps that she couldn't even tell what kind of wood it was made out of. Books lay open at random, scraps of paper covered in notes sticking out of them, a theme that continued to the bookcase that was filled with tomes of varied sizes, almost every single one of which had at least one or two bookmarks poking out of them.

At first glance it seemed like the room had been ransacked, but upon closer inspection Swift Light realized there was an underlying method to the madness. Stacks were labeled with notes in a handwriting only the writer could read, a script that extended to her notes as well. “Holy crap this is some bad hoof writing.” Swift mumbled. “I guess it makes sense why they grabbed her and not her notes.” She cocked her head and squinted at one such note only to shrug. “How does she even read this stuff?”

Taking a step away from the office she turned to the last room, the master bedroom. It was almost identical to the poorly furnished guest bedroom, save for the fact that its window was larger, and there was a small bookshelf near the right side of the room. There was also a small chest of drawers she didn't notice at first, which contained little in the way of clothes, the bottom drawer being completely unused.

Pausing, Swift Light sat on the bed as she tapped a hoof against her chin. “They must have taken her and thought that would be enough information, but the fact that they haven't left yet means they are either lying in wait for me, or they haven't got it yet. She must be holding out on them, or she doesn't know what they want to know.”

Nodding to herself, Swift Light tromped back down the stairs and to the basement, silently hoping that there would be something of note down there, or at least a guide on how to read her hoof writing. Sticking her tongue out of her mouth and lighting her horn, she prepared for the difficult task of unlocking the door with nothing but telekinesis. Only to be disappointed when it turned out that the lock wasn't that hard to pick, and the last pony to try must have been a moron.

With a frown on her face, the guard pulled open the door and glanced down the stairs, noting the stone walls and low roof, the floor being covered with grime as was the walls. “Makes sense, this is only a block from the ocean after all.” She remarked to no one in particular.

Stepping down the creaking, wooden stairs Swift Light cast a curious eye around the strange basement. It was strangely empty, save for a single desk, upon which was a typewriter, a small stack of blank paper and a much larger stack of paper that was significantly less blank. Lifting the first sheet Swift Light read the title out loud.

“The caves of Leafside, and the keepers of Law.” Swift Law paused, and continued to read, and read, and read until she was forced to sit on the rickety wooden chair.

As she read it became obvious that this mare was weird, and had evidently done more adventuring than the locals knew of. She was weird for the simple fact that she enjoyed typing in a damp, grungy basement when she had other places to write, and far more experienced as she had apparently been spending the last ten years exploring the many caves that lined the coast.

In her travels she had apparently found a tomb to a keeper of law, and discovered that within, there was an artifact of some importance, if the wall of traps, lock spells and other obstacles were any indication. As Swift Light skimmed through the last pages she had written, the author recalled her with tales of the many defences she had bypassed over the years, and the troubles she had gone through to make sure it was safe. All save for a mighty lock spell that seemed strong enough to hold out all but an alicorn. The page was left half finished, unexpectedly breaking down into angry ranting at the stupid lock for holding her back from the find of the century.

Curiously, beneath it were a few pages that were marked with a red x, though had not been thrown out. One of which detailed an alternate entrance to the cave system that she was not limbre enough to actually use since it was so narrow, sloping, and twisted in odd directions. The spell she had used indicated that it linked back up to the main tomb complex, and continued deeper still, but she the spell had run out of power and couldn't map any further. There were also a few notes written beneath that bit of information, notes that were thankfully typed and not written by hoof.

They detailed her opinion that this alternate path may be able to get around the lock, but she didn't know, and she didn't want to share the credit until she spent another year or two trying to get past the lock spell. Judging from the date at the top of the page, the notes had only been written a few months ago, meaning she had been unlikely to have explored this section yet.

Swift Light stood there, pondering the possibilities, and quickly coming to the conclusion that betting it all on this alternative path was going to be the only way she was going to get the sword without having to cut her way through a horde of bad guys. With her mind made up, the guard quickly restacked the pile of papers exactly as it had been when she got there, went back up stairs and locked the door behind her. With that done she went through the house, making sure her tracks were covered, and using her magic to all but erase her presence from the house. With that done she slipped back out the window, snuck around the warehouse, and made her way back into town.

With a confident smile on her face, the guard quickly sent a letter back to Celestia asking that she send a force to deal with a potential hostage situation, and left in the direction of the alternative path, silently hoping they would get there in time. Swift Light was fairly certain there would be no way the gang had a member as strong as an alicorn, but was ultimately unwilling to bet on that, the sooner she got her hooves on that sword, the better.

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Comments

[Courage Fire]

10543400
... Alright. Wait, what? Seriously? I thought that stuff went for about 2k or something.

Edit: Hoookay. Guess I'm planning a trip at some point.

[Jest]

10543570
Mint condition at auction would sell for about the price of a small house.