Killing Time

by JohnnyNorthrain

Partners

I screamed and they wouldn’t stop. A thousand of the little insect like ponies chattering away pulling at my skin and tearing chunks of my body apart. My cries were drowned in the collective hum of two thousand wings beating. They held me down and dissected me piece by still living piece until nothing remained except a blood stain on the ground. Their queen lowered her lips to my warm blood and drank it all savoring the taste. Behind her I could see another changeling taller than the others with a shadow that was human. The corners of its mouth came up in a sadistic grin.

I sat up quickly in bed and slammed my head against a support beam. Falling back down to the sheets I held my palm against my forehead fully expecting blood. It was a dream. A god damned dream about being rendered into a thousand pieces. I put my feet on the cold floor boards of the attic and stood stumbling over to the wash basin that was filled with lukewarm water from the night before. Dousing my head in it I held myself under for a few moments to clear my mind. The water ran from my hair as I pulled my head out and trickled down my rumpled shirt.

The first rays of dawn were coming through the small window and touched my arm as I stood there with my hands resting on the sides of the stand. The sunlight shown upon a blackened patch of skin and it immediately consumed my attention. The skin was leathery and such a dark green that it appeared black. The patch of skin was exactly where Chrysalis had latched onto my arm and drew blood. I could still remember her fangs breaking the skin and the look on her face as she drank. It was the same damned look in the dream and that caused me to break out in a cold sweat.

So far this place had been a nice mix of love and harmony with the occasional argument thrown in. When the killings began and when Chrysalis attacked it all turned completely upside down. A week had passed since the events in Canterlot and the reconstruction was proceeding just fine. No pony had been killed which was a blessing in itself. Some were still unaccounted for which to me suggested that there had been Changelings there for a while.

The skin I couldn’t do anything about. I did not know if it was spreading or it was just a side effect of having that vampire latch onto me. I touched it again and winced at the sting. Part of me wanted to flip out my switch blade and lance it. I considered for a full minute giving into that part and taking steel to my own flesh. With a soft sigh I stepped away from the wash basin and stepped out of my sleeping clothes. Having bathed the night before I was ready for the morning with a fresh suit courtesy of miss Rarity.

The evening of our return I stayed with Derpy and the Doctor to help them clean up the mess for a couple hours before walking back to Ponyville. I had been staying at the only inn and using a bed far too small for my nearly six feet of height. I hadn’t know it at the time but Lyra and a couple others had been repairing and refurnishing an abandoned house for me to use. When I came back to town the first pony I encountered was Rarity. She was on her way with bags back to her boutique when her mouth dropped open and she rushed over wondering at the state of my clothes and my appearance. I tried to calm her and tell her that everything was fine but she would have none of it. She insisted on paying for a trip to the spa which I was very reluctant to go. I still don’t get what the appeal was of sitting chest deep in mud only in my boxer shorts. After the bath and a couple bandages from Aloe and Lotus the two caretakers of the Spa, Rarity took me back to her boutique and made a quick set of pants and shirt for me to wear. It was nothing fancy and felt pretty comfortable. She told me that she’d have a couple suits in the week and I left trying to give her some of the bits I’d earned but she’d have none of it.

I was heading back to the Inn when Lyra stopped me in the street. She was wearing my fedora with a hole cut out for her horn. I looked her up and down and smiled. She ran towards me and threw her legs around my neck again kissing my ear in the same way she had back in Canterlot. We kept the embrace for a few moments to the shock of many ponies passing us.
“I missed you.” She said to me breaking the embrace and stepping back.
“I just saw you a couple hours ago.” I told her with a soft laugh.
“Yeah and I just saw you but all this time I couldn’t tell you how I met you. I’ve been keeping this in a chest waiting to wear it.” She shook her head and the hat stayed secure.
“It suits you, really does. Right now though I’m tired and I need sleep. Can we pick this up in the morning kiddo?” I stifled a yawn behind my hand.
“Actually we have a surprise for you.”

She led me away from the inn towards the market to a small house that was a good fifteen feet high with two stories. It had a fence around it and a tiled roof. Two other ponies were waiting outside. One with blue and pink mane and yellow coat. The other was Applebloom, Applejack’s little sister. I’d seen her before at the market but never by herself. Lyra was all smiles as she introduced me to her best friend Bon Bon and Applebloom.

The three of them had been working over several days to repair the house. Lyra had bought the property for a business from the mayor and put her savings towards it. The sign out front read in silver letters Heartstrings & Northrain. Private Investigators. I did not know exactly what to say. The fact that this little aqua pony would do something like this for me… for us was a pretty grand and beautiful gesture. She pushed me inside and I saw that the first floor had been made up to be an office. Everything that we could need was inside. All of the furniture second hand and even a couple built to accommodate me. Applebloom took particular pride in the wood office chair she had created for me. I sat in it and rested my arms on my desk looking around the office. It was just fantastic.

They had one more surprise waiting for me upstairs in the attic. It was a small space with a slanted ceiling but it had a long bed, a wash basin and stand, chest and wardrobe plus all the other little furnishing a bedroom typically needs. I hugged each of them for the gift then promised Lyra we’d pay off her investment as soon as possible. I sat down on the edge of the bed and soon fell asleep.

Within two days we were up and running looking into a dozen cases around Ponyville and a couple in Canterlot. Most of it was the typical petty stuff that might ruin a relationship but a couple of them were serious cases. Primary in my mind though were the murders of the time stamped ponies. The next day Rarity delivered the first of three outfits for me including everything from shoes and socks to a new fedora. She took particular pride making clothes for a Human and I promised her that I’d make sure everyone knew it came from her boutique.

Coming back to the present I tied my tie and adjusted the collar of the shirt. Snappy was the only real word that came to mind for the clothes. I walked down the stairs leading to the kitchen and fixed myself a quick breakfast of bread and zap apple jam. The stuff was insanely delicious and worth every bit I paid Mr. Rich for the bottle. After my short breakfast I walked to my desk and noticed a scroll on the surface with the royal seal. There was a hastily scribbled note from the little dragon Spike laying on top of it.

This came early this morning addressed to you. I let myself in. Hope that’s ok.

-Spike

I chuckled at the thought of him sneaking in to leave the scroll on my desk then as an afterthought putting a note with it. I opened the scroll and read the words a couple times before setting it down and leaning back into the chair.

Mr. Northrain

We know that you were present during the Changeling Crisis. We seek an audience with you to discuss your involvement and to pursue the options available to us. We would greatly appreciate it if you were present at nightfall this evening. Meet us at the palace.

-Princess Luna

Twilight Sparkle had talked my ear off for hours about the Princesses Celestia and Luna. Everything she could tell me she had and most of it unfortunately had gone into one ear and out of the other. They knew I was there but how much did they know? I rubbed the black skin through the sleeve of my coat. What options were available to them? Did they somehow think I was responsible for Chrysalis and her attack?

The words weighed heavy on my mind and I had not even noticed when my partner entered the office. She sat down on the edge of my desk and looked at the scroll. Her hoof played with the edge of it for a couple seconds while she remained silent seeing my grave expression. I sat up and grabbed the scroll then stuffed it into the drawer of the desk.
“This is good right? An audience with a princess?” She asked.
“I don’t know. I don’t think they want to drink tea and invite me to tour the grounds. They’d not be calling me there if it were over something trivial.”
“You are the only Human around. That’s got to count for something right? They know about you don’t they?” She rested a hoof on my shoulder.
“Miss Sparkle’s been sending letters about me. I don’t know how they took it though. It could have been any number of ways. That they’ve waited a month to say anything troubles me. That they also want to talk about Chrysalis troubles me even more.”

There was a knock at the door then it opened and Twilight Sparkle and Spike entered. The two of them approached me and Lyra. Twilight had loaded saddlebags and Spike was carrying another bulging back and struggling under the weight. I stood from the desk and took the pack from him setting it aside. He exhaled in relief and sat in a small chair near the wall.
“Johnny since you were going to Canterlot I thought I’d come along with you on the train ride. I mean if that’s ok. It is ok right?” Twilight asked with a hopeful grin.
“Yeah I’m alright with it. When do we have to leave?”
“Oh not for a couple hours but I wanted to get an early start. You know you can’t ever be too early to an audience with a princess.” She smiled.
“I’ll meet you at the train station when it’s time.”
“Okay then. I want to go over proper etiquette when meeting a princess with you on the way. Spike we need to get more quills. Also we should bring that book on…”

She trailed off as I handed Spike the pack back and they two of them left the office. Lyra sat at her own desk going over some of the papers and notes she had. I sat back down behind mine and felt as if I wanted to go back to bed. I stood up and walked to the kitchen grabbing a bottle of apple juice for myself and one for my pony partner setting it down in front of her before taking a few sips from mine.
“Any progress on the missing cat?” I asked her in between sips.
“She was just found at the Ponyville tower catching mice.” Lyra shifted a piece of paper.
“There’s not really much here that warrants a case. Sorry Heartstrings I did not know that Ponyville was so…”
“…bland?” She asked looking up from the papers.
“Well, yeah. I mean I love it here but there’s no work to be had. We have to look elsewhere if we want to pay up on this place. Chicago was always tearing at its own throat and there was work there. That’s Human nature though. Ponies seem so much more peaceful.”
“Might be the vegetarian diet.” She offered a slight smile.
“For the last time I don’t miss eating meat. I couldn’t eat it anyways around here not when the pigs talk to you. I loved a good plate of bacon and eggs. At least we can still get the eggs.” I leaned back in the chair once more.
“Fluttershy has the best chickens but she won’t give up any egg. Poor dear believes that most of them will become baby chicks.” She sat down the papers.
“Tell me about Bon Bon.” I grinned when I saw a slight blush on Lyra’s cheeks.
“Oh… um… why? What do you want to know?”
“Since I met her we never talked about her. You say she’s your best friend. When did you two meet?” I folded my arms across my chest watching her.
“A couple years ago when I came here from Canterlot. She was one of the first friends I made in Ponyville. We just kept running into each other and then started hanging out all the time. I guess our relationship just progressed from there.”
“She’s nice. I’m glad you have friends like her.”

Lyra stood from the desk and walked into the kitchen saying nothing. I’d seen it pass between them the first time I met he friend. That admiration that borders on more than just the love between friends. I’d had it once or twice with the people I grew up with. I wouldn’t have called her a lesbian. I doubt they even had a word like it in Equestria. Instead I’d just have said they were good friends and left it at that. It was absolutely none of my business nor was it anyone else’s.

There were a couple hours until I had to board a train and head off to my possible execution. I was being paranoid thinking that they’d straight up kill me but you did not survive in some of the parts of the city I’d lived without keeping the paranoia stoked to a high level. It kept you on alert for whatever may come your way. I’d grown a bit too lax around this place and I couldn’t bring myself to go back to the way I was. For better or worse Ponyville and my friends had changed me. I wouldn’t have it any other way.