Silent Artemis

by Hokusai3211

2] 1) Lies

Part Two.

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Checkers stared down at the body of the mare in front of him and could only think to himself then and there, that this was all one big bloody mess.

He’d heard the term before from her, a griffon expression she had picked up in Canterlot in her many talks with them. Bloody usually meaning a prelude to something bad, bloody rain, bloody stallion, bloody coffee, that’s what she had told him it meant, though when she did it she affecting that harsh northern voice and it made him laugh.

There was nothing funny about this.

He wasn’t sure if that term could be used for anything else. Right now, a bloody mess could have been used literally as well as figuratively. Staring down at what was once a pony, he didn’t think a word could fit so perfectly, and he couldn’t help thinking that he had been the reason. He had created this bloody mess and now he was reaping what he sowed.

It had been three days since the creature had gone missing, three days since he had let her go. Now he was starting to see the results of his decision and it was worse than he had feared.

“I’m sorry.” He muttered, almost choking on the last syllable as he rubbed his tired eyes, looking around at the woodlands at the edge of town where she had been found. Anything he could do not to look at the beaten broken form, that had once been a proud pegasus mare. Now just another statistic.

It was a lie, he knew he should feel sorry, perhaps he was somewhere deep down. But ultimately, he didn’t feel it. He didn’t feel much of anything these days.

Just how many lies have I told already? He thought, as he pondered his mistakes.

What he was looking at right now, the body, the chaos, all of it had been his fault in some shape or form, but still she had known the risks. He had warned her of it before she started, but that didn’t make him feel even one bit better about what happened. He didn’t plan for this, but then what did he expect?

He could have argued to himself, told himself that they would have been more dead if he had let them take her, they would have taken the answers. There was more to this, something the creature was not saying, how she had been attacked herself. He was sure she was behind it somehow.

This way at least, they had more time. They had a way to work out what was really going on.

But try telling this mare’s family that. Would they have thought such a noble cause would be worth the life of their daughter, a promising pegasus with her whole life ahead of her?

A loud and long roar of laughter pierced the early morning air like the yowling of an alley cat prowling the streets in heat. Checkers drag his tired eyes away from the body. He caught the suspect in the midst of holding his great fur-covered stomach wiping a tear from his feathery eyelid. He was one of the ambassadors of Griffonia, standing in a circle of his peers who were prattling on about something in their mother tongue.

Checkers felt the rage building up in him.

He had not been an expert in their kind, that was more his lover's field. But he had been around enough Ambassadors in his life to notice the difference, even among their more backwards kin.

They were no more ambassadors than he was a ballet dancer. The griffons had not come to talk politics. Emissaries used words to cut down foes, these ones had brought actual weapons, and if he was not mistaken, one of them had even brought that new killing contraption from the north, a crossbow as they called it.

Seeing who they had sent down to collect the creature, only strengthened his suspicions, these were not griffons that guarded things. They had not even brought a wagon. These were griffons that cut answers out from others. These killers were not here to talk, they were here to make sure something or somepony never talked again.

Whatever the creature did know, it was too important to be left up to chance. At least, their arrival had lifted Checkers guilt somewhat, even if it was just a fraction. He had been right to be suspicious. But again, at what cost, he had pondered that for years now, but nopony ever seemed to have the answer.

That rage had built up further as another ear-piercing chortle left another Griffon’s beak. No respect for the dead or for the ponies working tirelessly around them. But then nopony would stop them. Given how their very Captain had rolled out the red carpet for them like they were Princess Celestia herself.

He felt his muscles tightening, making his vision blur and narrow all at once. He would have liked nothing more than to smash the laughter out of them. Give in to that delicious rage and show them just what he found funny.

That was what the old him would have done without a second thought. But he was a different stallion now, he had principles, he had to use his mind, not his hoof. He had sworn to her, told her right to her face when he left that there would be no more problems and he meant it. But damn if life was not twisting that blade every chance it got.

He closed his eyes again instead and gave a long and tired sigh, it didn’t help much, but it was all he could do right then and there.

“Hold it steady, no like that, yes that’s it, I need a good angle, away from the sun!” a peculiar blonde stallion answered, leaning down towards the body. It wasn’t the behavior of the stallion that made him peculiar in Checkers eyes, though leaning so readily to a smell so rank would have made any sane pony question his normality.

But what made him quite unusual was the spectacles he had on his face. Curved and rounded, like goggles with spirals for lenses, that gave the impression of a mad scientist rather than an expert forensic specialist.

Though it had to be said, given the profession and the relish he took in it, there wasn’t all that much difference in Checker’s mind.

”Oh Celestia that smell, what is that?” A guard, the youngest one asked, turning such a shade of green as to actually look more like his true fur colour rather than the white they were all glamoured with.

“What do you think it is, idiot.” The other older guardsman to her side barked disapprovingly, trying to stay stoic, but failing himself, as he none too subtle tried to blink away reactionary tears,

“I know what it is,” the younger whined nasally, cupping his nose with a hoof, “I don’t mean that smell, I mean... I mean the other one.”

“That my friends,” the forensic doctor said, adjusting his glasses, “is the smell of progress, progress, we must all strive for, now hold it still.”

“I actually mean the lavatory at the barracks kind of smell.” the younger one said with a nasal tone, as his hoof pinched his muzzle.

“Ahh, that smell,” The Forensic Doctor said with a smile as he leaned closer towards the cadaver, “that is the smell of the body relieving itself.”

“Oh.” The younger one said hollowly as if thinking this could not get worse and somehow finding out it was only the tip of the iceberg. Mercifully they all went silent for a moment at that, the way all of them would go in the end.

“Poor mare,” he said finally.

The older guard coughed, rubbing what looked like moisture from his eye, from the statement or the smell Checkers couldn’t tell, but he masked it convincingly with a cough, “Well if progress smelled like that, I’d rather strive for the opposite.”

“My grandpappy used to say, progress just means bad things happen faster.” The younger one said dourly.

“Very astute of him, indeed, progression is the art of studying the decomposition of a body. It does therefore help us determine how the bad things as you put it happens to bodies, faster,” he said, as he pulled out a metal contraption that looked more like a madman's idea of a dental tool than anything medical. “Now somepony grab the leg whilst I make the first incision.”

Checkers shook his head and strode from under the tree he had been towards the crime scene. This freakshow had gone on far too long.

“I Don’t think that’s what Grandpappy meant by that saying.” the younger stallion shaking his head sadly.

“Any more progress on the victim?” Checkers cut in before they could waffle on further about whatever it was they were talking about.

The blonde-haired stallion in the glasses, the forensics as they seemed to call themselves, pursed his lips still intently staring at the body. “I am a stallion of science Lieutenant Checkers, not magic. I can only ascertain so much from the little we have to work with, If I had a proper laboratory, however…”

“Work with what you have, Doctor, run the facts by me again, in Eques if you don’t mind this time.” Checkers said cutting off one of the doctors' many rants about proper facilities before it could start again.

The doctor sighed, more the sigh of somepony who was trying to explain how two and two equaled four rather than somepony who felt tired. “The decomposition had been accelerated because of the heatwave we are in and some blunders in your department, namely some of the guards strolling through a crime scene like a playground and-”

“Focus Doctor, just the basics please.” Checkers snapped.

He met Checkers eye, at least as far as Checkers could tell, lifting the instrument away from the cadaver, “It’s as you predicted, the lacerations do indeed match that of the other previous victims.”

“So you’re certain it’s not animal predation or worse a copycat?” Checkers asked.

“If an animal could do this, I believe we would have a far greater problem on our hooves, as for a copycat, well lets just say. No pony could do this without serious strength or magical prowess.” The doctor said grimly.

“So you’re certain it’s another attack by the Ripper?” Checkers asked, but he already knew the answers, still, it paid to never assume.

“Lieutenant Checkers, I never make assumptions, I have yet to see an animal that could make lacerations like this, and I have studied all kinds, believe me. I would stake my career on this.” The Doctor said as firmly as his ridiculous glasses would allow him to be.

Checkers nodded, he didn’t have the greatest opinion of their kind of medical practice, no right-minded pony should be that comfortable around death. But he could not help but admit, morbid as it was, they knew their business.

“I was afraid of that,” he said, but deep down he felt a disgusting sense of relief in knowing now that at least he was right.

“Though I have to say, this one seems particularly savage, fractured hip bone, punctured lung, tibula is nearly shattered. There had to be considerable strength in this attack.”

Checkers had to agree, the fractures were too random to be calculated, the attacks too sporadic for anything other than a rage-induced beating. Perhaps the Ripper had taken out its revenge for locking her away on the mare.

Checkers pictured the idea of that skinny creature containing enough force to do something like this to a fully grown pony. She had muscles, lean ones, made for agility and endurance. Not brute strength. Even with a blunt weapon, it seemed unlikely he could do this much damage, let alone this flake of a creature.

But then again, he had seen meeker do worse with his own two eyes, given the right motivation. He was not above ruling anything out at this point.

Checkers was still not sure, but he was not ruling it out anymore. “The Rippers getting bolder, took its time with this one and so close to Ponyville as well.”

Checkers felt a shadow move past the corner of his eye. It was only years of training that stopped him from staring at it.

Back so soon, I guess it’s time to get to work. I thought as he followed the shadow with his gaze towards a tree in the distance, but paused when he heard an expectant cough coming from an unlikely source and turned around.

“What should we do about the body Lieutenant?” It asked, and Checkers noticed it came from the younger guard, looking down softly at the mare, then back up at Checkers. “The family is going to want to know.” He left the question open, questioningly at him.

Checkers blinked, then straightened, glanced down at her one last time then back up at the guard. “I’ll deal with it personally. I owe it to her family members. She was a member of the team, after all, no matter if it was informally.”

The younger nodded, “Right, yeah, she was. Just a shame, feels like this could have been avoided…”

Checkers felt his breath catch as he tried to take in the meaning of the younger stallion, but his eyes were firmly glued to the body of the pegasus below them.

“Avoided how, private?” He asked, harsher than he had intended.

The private swallowed hard, then looked back up towards Checkers not meeting his eye. “I-I just meant-”

“-Mean’t what exactly private, say it?” Checkers said leaning closer now, rage building back up again like it had only ever been on pause.

“Sir, I don’t think private-” The older one said but stopped when Checkers flashed him the same glare, gulping much like the private had.

“The private can say what he wishes to say, sergeant.”

The younger guard’s pony swallowed again, somehow growing greener even still, but this time he met Checker’s eyes when he spoke. “I just think it’s a shame, sir. She was a nice mare and in our care, that’s all, we should have done more to protect her.”

There was deathly silence for a long moment as no pony moved except the forensic pony, who seemed to be in his own world.

Finally, Checkers exhaled long and loud through his nostrils, looked down at the body of the mangled mare, and slowly nodded. “We should have done more. Ponies shirked their responsibilities and now every pony else pays for it, but not anymore.”

The younger and older guard gave each other a look, but already Checkers was gone. Without saying anything else, he turned and began to walk towards where he had seen the shadow move.

He made it to the tree and glanced around, but saw nothing, then the slightest breeze behind him set the back hairs of neck standing upwards. It took years of practice not to tense his muscles at the presence of somepony sneaking upon him. Mostly because he didn’t want her to know she had surprised him. So instead he sucked in a breath and slowly turned towards the pony who had materialized by the side of the tree.

For once, she said nothing, she didn’t even have a smirk on her face. In fact, she hasn't had one for nearly three days now.

He stopped and turned so that both of them were glaring at the griffons for a moment, then he leaned close to her, “are we clear?”

She gave an almost imperceptible nod.

“Good, repeat it, one last time.”

Night Light sighed and pulled back the sunglasses, new white and gaudy things, nothing like her old pair. She had picked them up three days ago from the local market after the last pair broke about the time when the creature had broken the lamp over her face. The new ones sat about as well on her face as a hat on a pig. But it was the only ones that could do the job of covering her eyes, and the swelling across the side of her face for that matter.

She leaned over and whispered the words into his ear, harsh words, like a muttered jumbling of Eques with chirping sounds and faint growls where vowels would have normally been. It sounded more like she was trying to attack him with noises than say a sentence.

Checkers nodded, then turned his attention back to the group of griffons making similar noises across the crime scene. Huddled together, like a circle of shaggy grey statues, and each of them about as hard looking as one.

“You sure this is a good idea?” She asked, finally looking up at him.

“Don’t you trust me?” He said trying to flash her an impersonation of her own cocky smirk, but it never sat well on him, like it did her and made him look intimidating. He expected some cutting quip from her, which was why he was more than a little surprised when she only nodded.

“I do.”

He looked at her for half a second again waiting for the punchline, but the hard lines on her face were set and she looked up at him with an earnestness he had never seen on the mare. She had been wearing that look more than her smirk ever since that night she had gone against his wishes and tried to interrogate the creature.

He looked back at the group and simply nodded again, straightened his armor, and strolled forward towards them.

All around him guards and those newfound doctors of the dead scouring the grounds. Cornering areas of the land around the body, and setting up perimeters around the northwest of the forest of the Everfree, not a spitting distance from the foal school, Checkers could almost see the tip of the school chimney from here, but his eyes were busy looking at the enormous claws of the griffons getting closer and large with each step.

Once he got there, standing in the shadow of the group of griffons, he coughed just loudly enough to garner their attention.

One of them, the one who had been both laughing and talking animatedly, stopped mid-sentence, lifted himself up to full height, and turned slowly. Only when he was facing Checkers did he notice what a great bruiser of a figure he was standing in front of. Half black fur, half white-feathered head with a single deep pale gash across his jaw and across his eye, which left a milky white orb where his pupil would have been.

Checkers, usually the tallest in the room, and the strongest, thanks to years of training and good genetics had to crane his head upwards to look at him. He fought the urge to lick nervously at his lips as they began to circle around him and Night Light, like lions to a fresh kill.

His mouth went dry and he coughed again, for real this time, before he spoke the words she had taught him.

Well then, time to give this a shot I guess.

“Good morning, bastards.” He announced loudly and as meaningfully as he could in their native tongue. Looking each one in the eye with all the formalities he could muster.

The griffons stared at him, one of them raising his brow slightly at him, but all their faces stayed in a fixed hard unreadable expression.

Beside him, he thought he could hear a snort of laughter come from Night Light, but when he glanced she was as calm and still as the night.

“I have come to request your master’s attention, so please bastards, hurry up and fetch him, like good little birds,” Checkers said.

The griffons looked at one another, then for some reason, their eyes began to narrow at him. Though he wasn’t quite sure why.

The milky-eyed one leaned forwards slowly, until they were almost nose to beak, allowing Checkers to get a better look at those predatory eyes than he ever wanted. Before finally, a splitting smile broke out on his beak and he began to laugh.

Checkers swallowed hard, it was like a weight had been lifted off his chest that he did not know was there. He looked around at the other griffons, confused and slightly worried, but smirking along with the rest of them as they laughed, slapped backs, and clutched one another speaking in their strange tongues.

“What are they saying, and why are they laughing?” He muttered angrily out of the corner of his mouth, still fixing them with an uneasy smile.

“He said I like zhis one, he has stones,” she said, the corners of her mouth ticked upwards. Checkers gave her a withering glance, Apparently Night Light had not changed all that much it seemed.

“That wasn’t just a good morning was it?” He whispered back harshly.

“Griffons respect guts sir, and I zink that took a lot of it to say.” She said, giving him a small half-hearted smirk. Then she strolled forward and began to speak.

Checkers watched wearily as Night Light let out a series of chirps, grunts, and growls, back at the one with the milky eyes. They had stopped their laughter now and he was talking or yelling (Checkers couldn’t quite tell which,) back at her. Checkers took that moment to step back and collect himself, maybe allowing himself the time to teleport if things took a turn for the worst.

After a moment, she stopped talking and Checkers could see the one-eyed griffon lean his head back and yell something over his shoulder towards the trees behind him.

“And?” Checkers said softer now, leaning towards Night Light again.

“They said they would get their Chief Shaman,” she said.

Checkers blinked, “Really, that’s it, they don’t want anything for it?”

Night Light looked back at him, frowning now, “They said they’re bored watching us bumble around with the dead, and seeing their chief swat you around like a toy might at least be interesting.”

Checkers sighed. Of course, it wouldn’t be that easy, “I see, you did explain to them I was here to talk not fight, right?”

“To griffons, talking is only ever a prelude to fighting, sir, well...that and fuc-”

“Yes yes, I understand,” Checkers interrupted as he watched a stern-looking wizened old grey griffon emerge from the treeline.

The old lion walked with the aid of a staff taller than he was. Carved bits of metal and what looked worryingly like bones rattled over his head dangling from a fork in his staff. He paused, lifting up a thick bushy brow at Checkers then shrugged an old discoloured pelt of what looked like a wolf back over his shoulder before pressing on to meet them.

The old Shaman yawned loudly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes before fixing an evil one on the one-eyed griffon. To his credit, the milky-eyed griffon didn’t flinch from the withering glare that could have frozen fire. But Checkers noticed even he had lowered his head in some form of deference.

The old griffon rasped something out in his mother tongue, clicked his beak and glared at Checkers and Night Light once again, shooing the other griffons away with a wave of his claw.

Once they were out of earshot, the grey griffon sat down on creaking joints, clearly wincing from the ache of it, before finally, he spoke.

“What is it you want, little pony,” he grumbled out impatiently, speaking in what Checkers had to admit, was pretty good Equestrian. “Come to tell me shit I already know.”

“Well sir,” Checkers began but the griffon silenced him with a claw.

“Come to blow smoke up my arse again like your master did? Come to tell me your very best still can’t find a big pink ape in your own backyard?” He sneered then spat onto the ground beside them. “because I can gather the first and the second is about as laughable as a blind piglet trying to find its mothers teat.” He glaring at Checkers, then something seemed to catch his nostrils. He sniffed and turned to Night Light looking her up and down for a moment.

“What is this?” He hissed, pointing the staff towards Night Light.

Checkers lifted his brow and glanced at Night Light, “This is my second in command, Lunar Sargent Nig-”

“-Night Devil,” The Shaman hissed at Night Light, eyes narrowing, his scrunched his face, making some sign to his goddess before looking back at Checkers,

“Is there no end to the Sun mares' weakness?” He asked, glancing up at the sky. “Can’t even put down a rebellion properly anymore? I thought you ponies had some stones when you tried to get rid of their kind for good all those centuries ago. Should have known better, have to make friends with the devils instead, bloody fools the lot of you.”

To her credit, Night Light showed no emotion. But Checkers had been around her long enough to know the words had hit home, the slightest twitch of her brow, the most infinitesimal uptake in her jaws showing the hint of fangs, despite the glamour.

She was about ready to kill this griffon.

Sigh, I was hoping to do this the more pleasant way, but I suppose it can’t be helped.

Checkers took a step forward, strategically placing himself just in front of Night Light as if that had been exactly what he had planned to all along. “Unfortunately, you are right, Chief Shaman, we have had no luck locating the missing creature since she escaped a few days ago,” Checkers said, looking down as meekly as he could pretend to.

“Figure, useless whoresons, couldn’t even find your sodding tail if it was nailed to your forehead.” The Shaman snarled, cursing something in his mother tongue, his eyes still not quite leaving Night Lights.

“Our guardsmen are doing their very best to try and apprehend the missing fugitive,” Checkers said as evenly as he could. “But she has proven as evasive as we feared, she has the advantage of her forest environment, which as you know, has never been our kind’s forte, as it has yours.” He said, nodding respectfully at the griffon.

The Shaman barked out a laugh at that, and Checkers resisted the urge to smack the smile off of his beak with considerable effort. That’s right, keep laughing you smug bastard.

“Unlike you,” Checkers continued, fighting the building rage in his voice, “we have little experience tracking and hunting, in fact, if anything it’s quite amazing how we manage to capture her in only a short time in our land with such little experience.” he tapped his hoof to his chin in thought, “Though if I am not mistaken, she was in your land a considerable time long was she not?”

“What of it?'' The Shaman said, effecting an almost bored tone as his eyes drew back to Checkers.

“Well,” Checkers said in mock thought, “I suppose it only really now strikes me as odd, that in all that time, you found her capture to be an impossible task, yet we did it in so little time, don’t you think?”

The griffon sneered at that. “She wasn’t a problem until she killed a Jarl’s son!”

Checkers pretended to acquiesce to that, nodded at the griffon slowly, “No I suppose you are right, but it is amazing how she managed to do so and still escape all the way to our lands, only to be captured by our own, with only minimal chaos caused.”

More because of a random series of events but let's see how much this griffon really knows. Checkers thought

“Blind luck.” The Shaman snarled.

Not as much as we thought it seems. Checkers thought, trying not to grin.

“Blink luck some might say,” Checkers agreed, “but I fear others see it differently, how a giant pink ape as you called it, managed to outwit your hunters, rampage through your land of hunters, and kill your jarl’s son, then when you came down, escaped again right under the nose of a griffon like you, still as yet to be caught.” He let out a pained sigh, as if it hurt him to admit it, “Well, if that sort of thing got out, others might think you look rather incompetent, weak almost, would you put that down to blind luck as well?”

If the griffon had been angry before, now he was downright seething. “Now listen here you little hay eati-”

“No, you listen to me!” Checker finally snapped, moving closer now towards the griffon until they were almost muzzle to beak. “You came here at our behest, as a show of good faith.”

More a passing of the buck, thanks to his captain's sniveling inability to take fault himself.

“My guards and I have been working around the clock trying to find this creature,” a creature I let go or at least didn’t lift a hoof to stop. “And you come here laughing at a crime scene, sleeping in trees, and in three days you haven't lifted a talon to help.” Nore, I for that matter, at least in any meaningful way, until now, “At first, I thought that was some sort of boast, but the more I think about it, the more I say you have no idea what to do and are hoping as always that our kind can save your precious lion skins from trouble, have I hit the nail on the head, or was that just blind luck as well?”

He watched as the griffon ground his beak together, fixing him with the darkest of glares. Neck muscles clenched.

Have I hit too close to home? Well enough fun, it’s too late to go back now, time to offer the olive branch. “Lucky you’ve caught me in a charitable mood today, so I’m going to help you find this creature. That way we can all go back to our lives, just so long as you shut that beak of yours and listen, how does that sound?”

If prelude had been the excuse to violence like Night Light had said then they both looked on the verge of starting a war. But his blood was running hot today, and not just because of the temperature. He might have been numb to his job, but this mare was lying dead in the dirt right now, and he wasn’t about to let these animals come in and laugh at their endeavors to help, ambassador or not. Captains whinnying protests or no.

The silence hung slack like a wet shirt in a storm for a moment, as the two of them looked eyes only a few inches apart, Then as if something had pricked the Shaman sides, he began to deflate slowly, as he leaned back away from Checkers.

“By Vlekas merciful teats, Dedrick was right, you do have some stones to you,” he said, leaning back onto his staff. Checkers could tell it was for show, as he still had those murderous, cunning eyes fixed on him, but he played along and leaned back himself.

“I’ll take that as a yes then?” Checkers said, feeling that delicious rage return deep inside of him, replaced by a small wave of dizziness.

The griffon patted his tail against the ground for a moment then nodded. “Aye lad, I’ll hear what you have to say, I-apologies, you caught me in a bad mood is all.”

“I feel my sergeant is the one you need to be apologizing to.” Checkers said, eyes narrowing.

He turned towards Night Light, swallowing and looking like he had swallowed broken glass. “I apologize for the insults, it has not been an easy road for us.”

Night Light didn’t say anything to that, thankfully at least she had decided to keep her anger in check.

The Shaman looked up at his staff, turning it around in his claw as he thought. “Had to leave my grandchick behind with naught but his Ma’ and an empty hall, told her I'd be back before Velka smiled on us again.” he scratched his chin still looking up at the sky, “Now it seems I’m stuck here until I can fulfill my oath to that bloody Jarl of mine.”

“It’s not been easy on any of us, I can assure you of that, we’ve all left behind someone we love.” Checkers said, almost muttering the last part. “That’s why I propose we work together, in a meaningful way, that way we can all go home.”

The Shaman, despite what the seemingly ever-present frown on his beak was saying, nodded at that. “Aye, I don’t like your lot much, I suspect it’s the same on your side, but my lads are restless and apt to cause trouble if left idle. So come on then pony, I’m too old for bloody suspense, tell me what you want?”

Checkers smirked, “I want nothing more than the creature caught and-”

“-Oh spare me the shit,” The Shaman interrupted, “I have a hard enough time with that on my own, let alone seeing someone do it freely from their mouth. Even the Great Mother wants something from us pony, you think I lived this long believing nonsense like that?”

Checkers looked both ways, ensuring no pony was within earshot, then leaned in towards the griffon. “Fine then, I will tell you, I want you to bring her to me, alone, in a location I specify, before you bring her back to Griffonia and before you do anything to her.”

The Shaman considered this for a moment, “What makes you think we’re here to do anything other than-”

“Please, you said yourself, we can dispense with the shit talk, we both know why you’re really here,” Checker said, though in truth he only had an inclination. One that was validated when the griffon didn’t say anything to deny it.

“I hear you already talked to her lad, didn’t do much good, did it?” The Shaman said.

Checkers managed to keep the surprise from showing on his face. No doubt our illustrious captain has been talking to our guests. Instead, he simply nodded. “Yes well, there are rules and regulations one had to adhere to in my position, things that can restrain and choke the effectiveness of other methods, methods I would employ away from concerned parties.”

The griffon snorted again, “That’s a lot of ways of saying you’d do things bloody, pony.”

“My hooves may look clean, but I’m not above such things when innocent ponies are harmed, Griffon,” He said sternly, looking the Shaman right in the eyes.

He tapped a talon against his staff for a moment watching the bones dangle above him then looked back, “Aye, Alright then, I can do that, so long as you leave her body mostly intact, we need her mostly in one piece if she’s to pay for her crimes.” He said meeting Checkers with his own stern look. “But all this talk is just pissin’ in the wind if you don’t tell me how I’m to find her lad.”

“Oh, I can’t tell you.” Checkers said flatly, with a shrug. He waited for the griffon to open his mouth to protest before Checkers lit up his horn and held his hoof up, “I can do one better.”

The griffon flinched backwards, as the light engulfed them for the briefest of seconds. Checkers was never quite sure why Griffons were so afraid of pony magic. Perhaps so many wars with their kind had distilled a fear into them that passed through generations. Maybe because their magic came from carefully crafted runes, rituals, and superstition. Whereas Ponies it seemed got right to the point, no pun intended.

Whatever it was, Checkers was glad they reviled it. Otherwise, his little trick might have been laughed at, or worse yet already thought of.

When the effervescent pink aura died down all that appeared in Checkers hoof was a single strand of hair, white with a blondish tinge. It flopped around lamely in his white hoof before it began dancing in the breeze.

“Gonna need more than some creepy memento lad.” The griffon said looking up from it with a sarcastic tinge to his voice. Then suddenly the hair stood up erect and came to life, twisting this way and that, much like a hound with the scent of the rabbit or a compass hand trying to find true north.

It pulled itself off into the distance. Checkers held firm onto the end with care until finally it pointed itself somewhere left of them and stayed firm in that direction, pointing off into the woodlands.

The griffon's eyes followed it off into the distance then landed back onto Checkers muttering something under his breath. Checkers might not have been able to speak their language but his body language pretty much spoke for him. “Bloody magic.”

“It’s a ‘find me fast’ spell.” He said nodding to the hair, “Very advanced, magic”

Another lie. It in fact was not an advanced spell at all, most of the time it was used for lost keys and other lost items.

“So advanced it has been banned because of the danger it poses to the user.”

Which was not strictly true either, it was banned but that was because of the number of stalkers and other nutjobs that used it for their own demented reasons.

“But I think in this case, the law would forgive me for bending the rules, for a good cause.”

The griffon frowned looking up from the hair. “How do I know that ain’t gonna lead me and my lads into a den of monsters, instead of the one I’m after?”

“You don’t,” Checker said flatly.

“Hmm,” He seemed to consider that, “Have to ask myself, why is it you’re helping me find this creature instead of going to your chief lad?”

Checkers smirked, “I’d rather not risk my guards if I have to. Your people are trained in hunting in this environment. I’d rather avoid further bloodshed if I have to, If anypony would have a better chance at capturing her. It’s you.”

“I see,” The griffon said, knowing full well they were both feeding one another lies. But already too distracted with the thought of finding the creature and going home. “Well then, if that’s all, hurry up, hand it over.” He said, reaching down for the hair. But Checkers pulled back just in time.

“You didn’t think I would just give it to you, did you, not without somepony protecting my investment?” Checkers said.

The griffon face showed a flare of anger for the briefest of moments, then forced a smile into its place. “Come now pony, you pretty much said it yourself, someone like you will only slow my lad’s down, you cannot think to come with us?”

“Oh, I wouldn't dream of it,” He said, shaking his head like the idea alone was risible, “That’s why my associate Night Light is going instead.” He said, pointing over towards the now stunned and open-mouthed white pegasus.

“Me?” Night Light gasped, pulling down her glasses.

“Her!” The griffon said, eyes narrowing now.

Checkers lifted his hooves defensively, “Yes her, she’s one of our most highly trained and capable guards, she is the only pony I know suitable for the job. If you want the creature, she must go with you. That’s my one and only offer.”

“Sir with respec-”

Checkers lifted his hoof up to silence her, praying she wouldn’t use that moment to sharpen her fangs on his hoof. But thankfully the Shaman distracted them both with his own growl.

“That price is too high, Pony, I’d rather provoke the Great Mother’s wrath than go with these monsters.”

“My name is not Pony, it’s Checkers, Lieutenant Checkers and this is the only offer you will get. It’s up to you, take what I am proposing, or go back to sleeping under a tree and hoping that blind luck will lead you back home. Who knows, perhaps in a few months you will be able to make it back to your grandchick before his first word?”

The griffon looked back at Night Light, sneering again as if the very sight of her offended his being.

“Fine!” He spat, “I accept, but she is not to interfere with our business. If she does, well I make no promises. We’re here for dangerous work, not to foal sit, I can promise you no harm. But I can’t promise my lads will take the same oath.”

“Night Light is more than capable, isn’t that right?” He said plastering on a smile as he looked back at Night Light. The mare stayed there, wings fluttering in abject anger as she stayed silent for the longest moment, before finally lowering her head to the side.

“You won’t even notice I’m there.” Night Light growled with barely contained contempt.

“Fine then, Checkers.” The Shaman spat like his name was poison on his tongue, “I’ll ready my hunters. Just be ready, we leave at sundown.” He said turning but not before hawking spit onto the ground between them.

Checkers lit his horn and cast the hair away, before biting his lip in thought. Then he turned towards Night Light, who looked about ready to rip his throat out with her fangs.

“Zhat was not the plan.” She said sharply, nearly as close to his face as he had been to the Shamans.

“No, it wasn’t, but you know what they say, no plan ever survives first contact, Besides I had to improvise, he already deduced what you were before we even started.” Checkers said calmly.

“Don’t give me zhat bullshit,” She nearly yelled, Checkers glanced around to see if anypony was in earshot, a few looked but quickly turned away before heads could roll.
“Night Light, you need to quite dow-”

“-why didn’t you just tell me what was going on, what happened to being partners?” She hissed back before he could finish.

Partners, oh that’s a joke if I’ve ever heard one, and not a particularly funny one.

“What happened is you disobeyed me!” he whispered back even harsher, nearly jabbing her with his hoof. “You think I forgot what you did three nights ago because you put on this remorseful attitude, Night Light?” He said waving a hoof at her.

“I was trying to get answers!” She whispered back, but there was doubt in her eyes now, “I was taking the initiative, I heard they were taking her away and I thought-”

“-No you didn't. That's the problem, you didn’t think at all,” Checkers interrupted, “you charged in against my wishes trying to brute force a delicate matter when I told you I had everything under control.”

“She was trying to break free when I came!” Night Light nearly yelled until Checkers silenced, pressing his hoof to her mouth.

“You don’t think I didn’t already know that.” Checkers growled as low as his anger would allow him to, Night Lights one good eye went wide as she tried to make sense of that.

“I knew she would escape, I counted on it, it bought us time to deal with the situation then you burst in and now you have them asking questions about us, about me!” Checkers said, releasing his hoof from her and letting her breath again.

Night Light growled, but the look in her eyes was more confused than angry “I would never implement you in any of this-”

“-It doesn’t matter, you're my second, that means you answer to me, if you do something then it falls under my orders or worse I'm too incompetent to look after my own guards. Either way, you nearly ruined us, thankfully no pony actually got a good look in the chaos otherwise it would be all over!”

It was only through years of working with the pegasus that Checkers could see the look of guilt that had flashed in her eyes just then. It felt a little wrong to use that against her. But Checkers was not a pony who let guilt get in the way of what had to be done.

She bit her tongue, a hard thing for any pony too, especially one with as quick to strike with it as she was, she lowered her head down and sighed, “Your right, this is all my fault. I should have trusted you.”

Checkers sighed, it was time to let her off the hook just a fraction, just enough to get her back to her old self a little. He would need her strength and focus for what was to come next.

“Do you remember what I told you all those years ago, the most important lesson of all?”

“Trust no one-” She began.

“- and you will never be surprised when they lie,” Checker said, and despite it all, she began to smile at him.

“Look,” Checkers said, with a sigh, “I can’t do this with you in this state, but I can’t do this without you either. Do I have your word? Can I trust you Night Light?”

There was a long pause, then after a moment, smirked and looked up at Checkers, “No.”

“Good,” CHeckers said smiling as warmly as he thought he could get away with, “that’s what I like to hear from my second in command,”

He could see her straight up at that, the guilt was still there, but with it bright a burning fire behind her eyes. She pursed her lips for a moment looking back and whispered, “You know the griffons are going to betray you the first chance they get right? They would rather kill her than let anypony have her, just send me in instead?”

“I could send you in Night Light, but she already knows your tricks, as she demonstrated that night. That creature is a quick learner, but if I send them in to hound her, well-panicked creatures often make mistakes, and that leaves opportunities for us. I want to know what her deal is. How she thinks, how she acts, perhaps even, how she kills.”

Night Light seemed to get the meaning behind that. “So it’s a diversion then… but if they get her”

“There's always a gamble with these things.” Checkers said slowly. “But something that sticks out like that doesn’t live that long without knowing how to survive. If they’d have known how to capture her by now. They would have. Chaos creatures opportunities Night Light, whatever comes from this, we can use it to find answers, and at the same time weaken our enemies all in one go.”

He looked at Night Light who was giving him an alien look from her, was it admiration perhaps, he didn’t know.

“I... understand, I’ll do what it takes.” She said, steeling herself.

“In the event, they do somehow actually manage to capture her, however, I’m sure you of all ponies will know what to do, it’s what you’ve been training for all these years is it not?”

“What do you want me to do?” She asked, her voice taking an almost husky quality to it at the idea of what Checkers was implying.

“You know what I mean, Night Light.” he said with the seriousness he had saved for this exact moment.

Night Looked at that moment completely baffled by the idea even though secretly she had been training under him for just such an event, ever since she was a younger filly. “You mean it?” She asked, and despite it all there was a hint of wonder in her voice, fangs glinting on full show as her red eyes went a darker shade.

“I need this case solved if I’m to go home again. I don’t care how it happens,” he said, feeling the hint of unease as he thought about what it really meant to let Night Light off the leash. “Get it done.”

“I vill.” she said, her fake voice discarded, and her real voice coming though perfectly in her daze, “I vill I swe-”

“-Sir, sir!” A voice called interrupting them both.

Night Light and Checkers broke off slowly from their conversation to spot a guard out of breath and helmet slightly askew as he raced up towards them.

“What is it?” Checkers asked, looking sidelong at the Stallion.

“One of the civilians,” the stallion said, breathing heavily and sweating under the armor. “Broke through the perimeter. Tried to stop him,” he took in another deep breath, “fast for an old geezer.”

“Old Geezer?” Night Light said, Checkers sighed. He knew this was coming.

Flashing his horn, he teleported himself. Rematerialised right by the place where the body was and spotted a stallion already standing there.
Armed guards were pointing spears and yelling at him to put his hooves over his head. But the stallion wasn’t saying anything, wasn’t even looking at the spears pointed right by his flank and torso. Instead, his eyes were glued to the body of the mare under the sheet.

Checkers recognised the stallion almost immediately. Should have known he would turn up sooner or later. He thought, wondering what best angle to take for this one.

“Stormy Days.” Checkers said softly, almost like a whisper as he moved toward the stallion.

The only response Stormy gave was the slightest twitch of his eyes, was it rage, fear or horror filling his countenance? Checkers couldn’t decide, perhaps all three. He elected to take the cautious route in any case.

“Lower your weapon, stand down.” Checkers barked at the guards around him, before turning back to the older blue stallion. “I asked him to be here.” Another lie, although he had thought something like this might have happened ever since his niece disappeared.

How many had he told today again?

Stormy Days mumbled something, almost incoherent as he glared at the corpse, then he coughed and fixed Checkers with a stare that froze him. It wasn't like the younger guard, filled with indignation, nor the griffon filled with pompous outrage. It was filled with a hollow look of an old stallion who had taken too many punches from life and wasn’t quite sure he could take another.

“Is it?” He finally managed to get out, breath heavy.

Checkers looked down, he was about ready to say it, but he knew the stallion would be no less satisfied with words than he would be with actions. Slowly he lit up his horn and the body came into view.

“Oh... Oh Celestia.” He finally said and Checker noticed the old mustang's eyes start to water, swallowing hard. “I thought, I heard they found a mare, and I thought maybe…”

“She was one of the nurses who looked after the creature, she was there the night she broke out, the night Rainbow also…” Checkers stopped when he realised the stallion wasn’t paying attention anymore. He was thankful for it because, on that front, he really had nothing to offer.

“You must think I’m some kinda monster, this mares dead and all I can be is thankful, because it ain’t my Rainbow…” He said, swallowing hard as his eyes took in the horror in front of him.

“Mr Day’s,” Checkers said, taking another cautious step towards him, “If it had been, I promise you would have been the first to know.” he paused awkwardly in front of Stormy days, the stallion looked somehow worse than he did, the dark rings around his eyes somehow deeper than it had been before, and the smell of alcohol permeated his breath.

He didn’t blame him, he had seen better stallions resort to worse to get to sleep at night.

“That's supposed to comfort me!” He suddenly snapped, turning around to Checkers, “that you’ll find my niece dead and think of me first, that’s the best you can offer.”

“Mr Day’s I didn’t mean-”

“-Didn’t mean to what?” he said, teeth bared. “Send her to meet some creature who might be the Ripper, ask her to sneak about and put her life in danger. To get her involved in all this.” he said pointing down to the mare, that could very well have been Rainbow.

Checker sat back on his hunches, trying his best to keep the situation calm. The last thing he needed was to arrest one of the missing victims' family members. “Mr Day’s, I didn’t make her do anything, I told her exactly what the job entailed and warned her-”

“She’s twenty-five for Celestia’s sake!” Stormy Days roared, “She can barely hold a job as a weather mare, she sleeps in most days, Celestia, she’s just a kid for crying out loud and you, you…” The stallion seemed to deflate after a moment, before he slumped down onto his plot. Perhaps too tired to continue.

Checkers sighed, for once he didn’t feel rage in him, he understood this type of anger. It was something he had felt he had family after all, a mother, father, a younger sister. He knew what it meant to want to protect them.

“Mr Days.” He said using that same fake soothing voice he had used on so many before “I know it might be hard to think, but Rainbow is a capable mare, an adult that’s able to make her own decisions in life. I am doing everything in my power to track her down and bring her back safely. I can’t make you understand. But try and see this logically, coming to a crime scene like this. It helps no Pony.”

He saw the stallion glare at him, about ready to throw a fist perhaps. But after a moment the old Mustang sighed, and hung his head low. He looked defeated.

In truth he felt sorry for the proud old stallion and guilt because he knew what it meant to send those griffons after that creature. He knew the mare was most likely dead, but if she wasn’t, she was most likely going to be when they found her.

But Checkers had a job to do and this was more important than the life of one mare. He liked Rainbow, but he had also told her what taking the job meant. She knew the risks.

“Go home Stormy Days, get some sleep, you’re no use to anypony like this.” He said softly, as the stallion rubbed his eyes.

“I’m not going anywhere.” he said, quieter now, but with no less edge in his voice. “I made a promise to her mother and my brother to keep her safe, that’s what I’ll do. I’ll bring her back, whatever it takes.”

“And just how are you going to do that in this state, Mr Days?” Checkers said more out of curiosity than anything else, after all what could this broken stallion do anyway.

Stormy didn’t say anything more, he didn’t need to, Checkers could read the look in his eyes. “You better hope I find her first or this Ripper will be the least of your issues.” He whispered harshly, narrowing his eyes at Checkers.

At that moment Checkers thought of just how easy it would have been to tell the truth. Tell him everything about what was going on and what was at stake. Maybe he’d understand, But Checkers knew he wouldn’t. Everypony was ultimately terrified of the truth, everpony but him it seemed.

“I promise, I will do all I can to get her home,” Checker said, meeting Rainbow’s uncle with the firmness of all of his will, with as much trust as he could convey.

It was another lie, of course, it was. He wasn’t sure the old stallion believed him, but I didn’t matter. Stormy nodded and slowly began to walk away, as Checkers looked down at the body of the mare.

It was all one big bloody mess. But he knew that when he took the job. When he was forced to take the job. He was the only pony that could do it after all.

“I’m sorry, Mi Amor,” he whispered, “I’ll have to break my promise, just one more time. I just have to get my hooves dirty, one last time.”

Another lie, just how many had he told today?