The Hound of Ponyville

by Thanqol

p2: The Handsome Prince

The Hound of Ponyville p2: The Handsome Prince

By Thanqol

"A hound?" I repeated like a dullard. It was all I could do to think of anything other than Fluttershy being hunted by that burning monster -

"A hound," Trixie said, raising her head.

"So your ward failed?" Rarity said, but even what was intended as a jab betrayed her concern.

"My wards were perfect," Trixie said haughtily, "I even tested them, and there was no damage."

"Lady Trixie, this is indeed a fascinating series of events and a mystery I find my mind compelled by, but I find myself wondering why you brought it to us," Rarity said, leaning forward in her chair.

"Because the Great and Powerful Trixie is a busy pony, and because the majority of her time will be spent protecting the person of the new Lord of Ponyville Hall. She has no time to go on wild goose chases around the countryside. The Great and Powerful Trixie does not know what happened to Fluttershy, nor does she know who or what was responsible. And so, Trixie would commission the two of you to investigate this on her behalf. If it does turn out to be a monster, simply stand aside and allow Trixie to deal with it."

"Hmm..." Rarity frowned deeply, then her eyes flicked up. "New lord of Ponyville Hall? So soon after Fluttershy's disappearance?"

"As Trixie has already made clear, Trixie's livelihood - not to mention the livelihoods of the farmers and towns in the Hall's area - require that somepony sits at the Manor. Trixie has already contacted the next in line and is here in Ponyville to escort him back to the Manor."

"And this colt?"

"You might know him as Prince Blueblood of Canterlot," Trixie said.

I have known Rarity for some time now, and my admiration of her cool and collected manner has been well documented. And as such, I was intensely taken aback by the fact that she was rendered speechless by this. She gaped and stuttered, something I had not known her to ever do. When she did manage to speak it was in a high pitched squeak, as if she was withholding a squeal. "Prince Blueblood?"

"The same." Trixie said. "He will arrive at the docks in one hour, and Trixie will be there to meet him and escort him to the Manor."

"The Prince Blueblood?" Rarity responded in an even giddier tone. Trixie rolled her eyes.

"Did Trixie say one hour? Trixie meant five minutes, and had best leave immediately to greet him. If you accept the case, you know where to find us." Without another word, the blue unicorn walked proudly from our room, leaving me with Rarity.

I took a long look at her face which was gradually metamorphosing into the biggest grin I'd ever seen on a pony.

"I shall hazard a guess that you feel like taking this case," I commented dryly.

"Prince Blueblood!" She said, eyes lighting up like stars, "The most gallant handsome stallion in all Equestria! I'm going to have a chance to meet Prince Blueblood!" She gasped, "And I don't have a thing to wear!"

I walked over to her wardrobe and opened it to reveal racks of hundreds of dresses.

"No! None of these shall do at all!" Rarity cried, tearing down one of them in a fit of pique, "I must make something new, something perfect for the occasion - oh, but what if that hound attacks the Prince while I'm working?" She began to pace back and forth, mane fritzing slightly as she began to fret.

"Don't worry, Rarity. I shall go with the Prince and keep him safe while you make preparations," I volunteered. My options were to go out to the country or sit uselessly in the corner while Rarity made dresses, and the decision to me seemed obvious. This was also a chance to see just how much of Rarity’s theories I had learned – and, if I was lucky, a chance at a case I could solve by myself.

“Oh, would you? Thank you! Thank you so much!” Rarity cried, giving me a quick embrace, “Quickly, Rainbow Dash! Go and meet the Prince, I shall follow no more than three days behind.”

“Very well. Is there anything you require me to do, or thoughts you have on the case?” I asked.

“Firstly, stay close to Trixie. She is powerful and intelligent, if sometimes dementedly misinformed as to basic rules of deduction,” Rarity said, thinking out loud, “Secondly, talk to as many ponies as you can. I can’t form an assessment of the case without knowing who the suspects are. Thirdly, and above all keep yourself safe.”

“Don’t worry about me,” I said confidently, “But what did you mean when you said Trixie was misinformed?”

“Why, think about it, Rainbow. Fluttershy goes for an unannounced evening walk down to a gate at the edge of the property, facing the Everfree Forest. And then she waits there, all through sundown and well into darkness. And then she abruptly starts tiptoeing home? No, no, Trixie misread the trail. She was running, Rainbow Dash. Running from something she saw coming over the moor. Running for her life. Running until the beast leapt the fence, grabbed her, and carried her away.”

“Sweet Princess... how do you know she didn’t fly away?”

“We both know Fluttershy. If she’s scared, that scared, her wings clamp to her sides like irons. No, if she’s gone, then the beast caught her.”

There was a long silence where we both considered the gravity of the situation.

“I should get moving,” I said at last.

“Yes. Rainbow Dash, you must be my eyes. Write to me, everything you notice, no matter how trivial. I shall form an assessment of the case from here and catch up to you as soon as I can.”

I nodded, took my hat and left the comfortable room at 221B Baker Street. The air outside was cold and tasted of ash and smoke, and the wind tugged at my feathers. And yet, to me the world was still hot and slightly dizzying. I could still see that image of the demon hound in my head and was still troubled by the thought of it bounding across those silent, dark moors, hunting Fluttershy, catching her, carrying her away...

Carried by such dark thoughts, I allowed the crowd to buffet me towards the docks. Picking Trixie out of a crowd was not difficult – I simply looked for the hat – and as I approached her I saw the stallion come down the gangplank.

Rarity was correct – he was a visually stunning creature. He had a regal bearing, flawless grooming and perfect poise. I usually felt inadequate and inferior about my appearance when around Rarity, but this was another level entirely. I could feel every spot of matted fur on my body, I was acutely aware of the chip on my right forehoof, of the line a drop of sweat was making as it rolled down my forehead. I brushed my mane awkwardly with one hoof, but it rebelled and tangled even more, so I simply gave up.

Trixie bowed as the Prince entered our presence, and I did the same. He nodded slightly, which I took as leave to stand again. I stood at attention, feeling undressed without my uniform. For some reason, just being in his presence reminded me of my days in the Air Force, and the feeling of meeting a Lord General.

“My Prince,” Trixie began, “The Great and Powerful Trixie has prepared your carriage,”

“Thank you, Trixie. And you are...?” He said in a soft, velvet voice turning his gaze on me.

“Thunderstriker First Class, Lt. Rainbow Miriam Dash, honourably discharged, sir!” I said, snapping out a salute. The whole motion was kind of awkward and stiff, my body doing what it knew while my mind blindly groped for a way to make a good first impression.

“Charmed,” he said, taking my saluting hoof with his own and kissing it. Trixie later commented that she had been preparing to summon a nurse because she mistook the expression of shock I wore for the beginnings of a stroke, “I am Prince Lacross Blueblood,”

“I... at your service sir!” I fired wildly.

“One does find the military simply fascinating.”

“Yes sir!”

“One would love to hear the tale of your career,”

“Yes sir!”

“One invites you to sit in one’s carriage,”

“Yes sir!” Those were words I could reliably say, so I was going to keep saying them even though they seemed to be rapidly drawing me into a world I had no idea how to handle.

The Prince walked over to the carriage and stepped inside. Trixie gave me a flat, sideways glance as I remained rooted to the spot, still saluting.

“Guess he likes you,” she said, a mischievous smile working it’s way onto her face.

“What’s –“ I lowered my hoof through sheer force of will, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“They say,” Trixie said, wiggling her eyebrows, “That dating the Prince is a fast track to a promotion, lieutenant.”

“Where did – I’m not! No way! I’m not even in the army any more!” I began to sputter, and the purple-cloaked unicorn raised her hoof in apology.

“Trixie apologises, Trixie should have seen you already have your eye on somepony.” Trixie said, looking as though she was trying very hard not to laugh. “Don’t keep the Prince waiting.”

I flushed, but hurried into the carriage and sat opposite the Prince, who was reclining on a red velvet cushion. He smiled, and I swear to Celestia that his teeth actually shined. “So tell us, lieutenant,” he said in a voice so charming I felt like he was about to undress me. Given that I was only wearing a hat at the time this sentiment felt a touch silly. I kept one of my hooves on the hat nonetheless, holding it as if it was the one defence my modesty had. “What campaigns were you a part of?”

“My first and only campaign was in the Second Moon War, a five year tour of duty cut short to four after I was wounded in battle.” I said, trying to be as to the point as possible.

“Ah, the Moon War. A most fascinating campaign, and one has studied it in great... detail.” I would like to note that this is not time, poor memory, or authorial design which influences my account of the Prince’s dialogue – he actually did speak like a character from one of Rarity’s romance novels. Which I certainly have never read.

“Yes sir,” I responded, glancing to Trixie for help. She just winked, treacherous wretch that she was.

“One hears that there were Griffons in these battles.”

“Yes sir. One served under my command as an orderly, her name was Gilda, sir.” I said. My spooked mind seized upon the topic as a potential way to talk about something other than myself.

“And you are a commander of Griffons too, Lady Rainbow? One is impressed. And intrigued. You must be as resourceful as you are beautiful,” said the Prince, turning the conversation back on me with absolutely no effort. I flushed even more.

The entire four hour carriage ride to the country was like that. The Prince politely but firmly pressed me for details about myself, and would turn even my worst stories into compliments I did not know how to respond to. Trixie would just smile like a twisted foal watching a cat play with a mouse. At first I thought I was overreacting, that Trixie was just playing with my mind and there was no way a Prince would pay me any heed beyond simple politeness. That thought gradually gave way to the intimidating truth – he was courting me, scruffy Rainbow Dash with her unwashed hair and muddy hooves. And he was doing so according to some system or set of rules I simply could not comprehend. I suspected the Prince had something of a taste for military pegasi, and took great pleasure in toying with them.

This was made all the more twisted by the fact that it was my mission to keep him safe for Rarity, so she would have a chance to win him herself. I had absolutely no idea how I was going to explain any of this to her. I certainly had no intention of accepting his advances, but I was so out of my depth I was worried I might say something I did not mean by accident.

It was with the most enormous relief that we arrived at Ponyville Hall. It was a beautiful building, standing atop a hill and overlooking distant Ponyville, several other smaller villages, and the great Everfree Forest. Around the base of the hill, separated from the property by a stone fence, were the moors – grey and misty, with deep green vegetation and deep pools of water. Here and there were red lights, glimmering and fading through the mist. The mist wrapped around the trees at the base of the property, rising up, giving Ponyville Hall an ominous and mystical feel.

“What do you think of the moors, Lady Rainbow?” Trixie said, speaking for the first time the entire trip.

“They’re... ominous. But kind of cool,” I said haltingly, having come to constantly second guess every word of mine in the attempt to avoid giving Blueblood an opening for another compliment.

“And lethal,” Trixie said, “If a pony even steps into that bog, they’ll be dragged down to the bottom and never seen again.”

“Then why build a Manor here?” I asked

“Because of the presence of the Pie family. They are some of the greatest rock farmers in the world, and Sedimentary Elbert Pie has spent many of his years building paths through the swamp, dragging rocks out into the moor and piling them up until they’re safe to walk on. He marks the paths he’s made with those red lanterns. Don’t go walking on the moor while you’re here, and if you must, don’t stray from the lantern path.”

“I’ll try and remember,” I said, “though I intend to fly where possible.”

“Of course,” Trixie said, opening the door to the carriage and stepping out. She held the door open for the Prince who strode out without so much as a thank-you, which Trixie didn’t seem to mind. I hurried out in his wake.

Standing there to greet us were three figures, none of whom I recognised. One was an old, bearded stallion, gray and hatted, with the cutie mark of a pickaxe. Standing next to him was an old mare with wireframe glasses. And there, by their side...

I blinked. I had to be mistaken. There was no way...

“Rainbow Dash, Prince Blueblood, the Great and Powerful Trixie would like to introduce you to the Pie Family.”

The straight haired, pink pony looked at me with empty blue eyes. “Hello, Rainbow Miriam Dash,” said Pinkamina Diane Pie. “Long time, no see.”

Comments

[bigmacattack82]

Ahhhh! It's pinkamena! Run for your lives!

[Zaid ValRoa]

It feels so great to be reading a continuation of A Study in Rainbow.
And I'm really enjoying the characterization of your Blueblood.