Hidden

by BigBadWolf

First published 22nd of February, 2015

Sharp Sight was always observant. He was always powerful. And when Ponyville has a murderer on the loose, who better a pony than he to solve the problem. But something else is at work here.

A young colt by the name of Sharp Sight was born a normal, healthy foal. Except for one strange ability. He has the ability to tell when somepony is lying or hiding. So naturally, when there is a series of murders, he employs the help of a Changeling he met to help him solve the case. But something a lot more dark and sinister could be going on than just a changeling invasion.

Chapter One | Mortem

"Another day, another bit," Sharp Sight said to himself. He had taken up the job to be a royal guard apprentice in Canterlot. With the crime rates going up significantly in Canterlot, somepony needed to step up and do something about it. And who better an interrogator than a pony who can always tell when somepony's lying? So he had taken the job, his parents were so proud, blah, blah, blah. That's not the story I'm here to tell you.

No, I'm here to tell you of an unlikely young lad. One that no pony ever thought could even be possible. What's that? You want to hear the story of the apple orchard on the moon? Or the one of the mare who singlehoofedly stopped a genocide? Well, those are stories for another time. For now you will hear the story of the colt who solved a murder mystery.

So like I was saying. Sharp Sight checked in to his job, levitated his helmet onto his head, put on his sparse armor, and grabbed his spear. He ran to the training room and began to practice. He was the fastest fighter on the squad, despite him being an initiate. He jabbed and spun, dodging invisible enemies.

He was then aware of some pony else entering the room. Sharp Sight stopped and turned, standing to attention, as then only who had walked in was his commanding officer, Finder. Finder gestured for Shapr Sight to continue. Sharp lifted his spear once more. He charged and stabbed his spear through another dummy. He pole vaulted over it, using his forward momentum to fling the dummy into a wall.

"Jeez, boy," said Finder, "You look like you're training to fight a war. By yourself."

"No harm in being ready," Sharp Sight replied, "As I like to say, you can't be prepared for everything, but you can be prepared for anything."

"Well spoken," said Finder, "If you weren't wearing that armor, I could've mistaken you for a poet."

"Thank you, sir," said Sharp Sight.

"You're very welcome," said Finder, "I actually have some news for you."

"Yes sir?" asked Sharp Sight.

"There's going to be an inspection today," explained Finder, "Luna herself is coming to make sure that our precinct is running properly. She didn't say when, but it will be today."

"Would you like me to help clean up sir?" asked Sharp Sight.

"Mighty kind of you, but you just need to clean up the straw from the dummies," said Finder, "Then feel free to take a break until Luna gets here."

"Thank you sir," said Sharp Sight, then noticed something. "And I've noticed how you don't refer to her as Princess Luna. Any particular reason for it?"

"I'm surprised you noticed," said Finder, "And yes, there is reason. Way I see it, no matter what your rank, you're a pony. Just like the rest of us. Mortal or immortal, you have a name, no need to add anything to it."

Sharp Sight pondered this. It made sense, but she was still Princess Luna. It was only right to show her respect for who she was and what she did. Then again, Finder did have a point. She was still just another pony.

Sharp Sight continued to think of this intriguing social enigma as he cleaned up the dummies and the straw. It took Finder almost no time to clean the building with his magic. Over the course of the hour, a couple more guards had showed up and helped Sharp Sight and Finder clean the building and make it presentable.

Finally, after two and a half hours, the main door swung open. And who would enter but Princess Luna herself. All the guards of the precinct had gotten to the building. Everypony who had seen her enter immediately stood to attention. The building went silent. Princess Luna walked into the main conference room. The guards followed her and now all twenty of the guards stood in five neat rows in the middle of the room.

"We can already see that your precinct is well groomed, Finder," said Luna, "This is good, as we will be needing your resources to solve a rather sizable problem."

"Yes, Princess Luna," said Finder, "What is the problem at hand?"

"There has been a series of murders in Ponyville," explained Luna, "My sister and I have given your men jurisdiction there, as there are not enough forces in the vicinity to solve the case themselves."

"Yes, Princess Luna," said Finder, "Rest assured my men and I will solve this case."

"Thank you," said Luna, "That will be all."

"Excuse me," said Finder as Luna began to leave, "Pardon my tone, but weren't you supposed to inspect the entire precinct?"

"We already have," said Luna with a smile, "That is why we elected to put you in charge of the Ponyville murders."

Finder looked confused, and so did several of the guards. Luna walked out and shut the door behind her. Finder shook his head and regained his composure.

"You heard her men," he half shouted to the guards, "Saddle up! We're going to Ponyville!"

All the men cheered. Sharp Sight simply nodded. His home town was Ponyville, so he felt a more personal connection. The guards began to gather their things and walk out the door.

"Sir," asked Sharp Sight, "How will we know what we're looking for?"

"Luna left this is my office," said Finder lifting a folder, "The case file."

Sharp Sight nodded at this and began to gather his things as well. He wasn't sure how long they would be gone, so he packed a toothbrush, his knife, and some bits. He followed the other guards to the train station and they all boarded.

The train ride took about four hours. When they arrived at the Ponyville train station, they all departed and were greeted by Ponyville's resident princess, Twilight Sparkle. Finder began to talk with her. Sharp Sight stopped and looked at them. [Oh, I'm supposed to provide exposition here? Okay.]

Sharp Sight was...gifted. He didn't have magic, but he always had the ability to observe things that normal ponies would never be able to find, and discern things about ponies merely by looking at them. He could also tell when somepony was lying or disguised. So when he looked at Princess Twilight, he immediately knew something was wrong. She was smiling, and appeared happy, but he knew better. She was deeply troubled by what was going on lately. He listened closely.

"Who do you think could be doing it?" asked Twilight, "The ponies around here are shaken up because they think their friend could be a murderer."

"I don't know who it could be yet, but I can tell you this," said Finder, "We'll find the bastard."

Twilight gasped at Finder's language, "Okay, I'm trusting you. Celestia and Luna gave you jurisdiction here, but I still am the highest rank here. If you're doing something wrong, I can kick you out. Please, don't make me have to."

"You have my word," said Finder. Twilight seemed to relax a little. Sharp Sight stopped listening and instead walked out of the train station. He folded his ears down block out any noise and began to look around. He zeroed in and inspected several ponies. Some of them he knew, some he didn't. He was able to check all of them off the list of possible murderers.

As Twilight walked out of the train station with Finder. Sharp Sight approached them.

"I have already eliminated twelve possible murderers," said Sharp Sight. He pointed to each of the ponies he had inspected. Twilight was dumbfounded.

"How!?" she said, "You've only just got here! There's no way you could've already interrogated them."

"I don't need to," said Sharp Sight, "I have a sort of," he looked for the right word, "Observational skill. You'll have to take my word for it."

"I don't know if I can," said Twilight.

"Okay," said Sharp Sight in calm tone, "Well, we could either interrogate them all and find nothing, or we could continue to narrow down the search."

He walked away, leaving a flabbergasted Twilight behind him. He went to town square and saw that there was a large gazebo. Perfect place for him to think. He walked into the center of the gazebo and sat down. He closed his eyes and listened once more.

At once, he was privy to multiple conversations. A mare named Amethyst was talking to a pony named Roseluck about her house needing repairs. He heard three fillies talking about what they should do next. One of them said they should try banking. The one named Scootaloo said that that would be boring. Another said that they should try gardening. Apple Bloom disagreed with a shake of her head.

He moved on and continued to hear conversations until he noticed something very peculiar. There was a single pony talking to herself. She was talking about needing to report an emergency situation to the Alpha. She said that ponies were being murdered and that she needed to leave, in case her cover were to be compromised.

His eyes snapped open. He looked around and found who was talking. It was a strange mare, who's color pallet for her mane, tail, and coat continued to change. The air around her shimmered like a mirage. He got up and started walking towards the mare, but she ducked behind a building before he could follow.

He went into the alley and saw the mare simply standing as though she were waiting for something. He focused on her and all at once, her true self was revealed.

What stood in the mare's place look like a cross between a pony and an insect. It was black, with a smooth coat as if it were made of some kind of shiny stone. It had holes in it's legs and a pair of fangs.

The creature stared at him and then spoke.

"Excuse me," it said in a mare's voice, "Can I have my face back, or are you just going to keep staring?"

"What are you?" Sharp Sight asked, "Because what I am looking at is not a pony."

"What do you mean?" she asked nervously, her eyes flickering side to side, "Of course I'm a pony."

Sharp Sight raised an eyebrow and said, "Do I look that stupid? What are you?"

"Fine," said the creature and then went up in flash of light. Sharp Sight assumed it was the creature changing it's disguise, but since he already saw through it, nothing happened.

"I am a Changeling Beta," it said, "And right now, as you already know, there is a murderer on the loose. The Alpha is worried that it will put a damper on everyponies mood. If that happens, then the Alpha will die. She sent me here to investigate and eliminate the murderer."

"Is that so," said Sharp, an idea coming to him, "In that case, how about we work together? I won't report you to the authorities and you'll help me solve the case."

"I don't make deals with ponies," said the Changeling.

"Fine," said Sharp, "Then under law, I can report you as an outsider that is screwing with a police investigation."

"Hmmm," grumbled the Changeling, "Fine, I'll help you."

"Good," said Sharp Sight, "Now I've got to get to the crime scene. I'll come back and tell you my findings."

The changeling nodded. They both departed their separate ways. Sharp Sight found Finder and asked where the crime scene was.

"Glad you asked," he said, "We're headed there now."

The crime scene was located in the park behind some bushes. There was a single mare lying dead on the ground. Her head was slightly caved in and with puncture wounds in the indentation. Dried blood caked her face and her soulless, dead eyes stared at a nearby tree. Among other things were signs that she had fought back.

Bruises and numerous cuts were on her hooves. One leg was bent in the wrong direction, with a small piece of bone barely protruding from the broken limb. Sharp Sight gagged, but resisted the urge to throw up. Two guards (who were also initiates) excused themselves. As they left, Sharp Sight could see that their faces were tinted green, and their mouths hung open, both of them about to be sick. Finder simply stared and sighed.

"She sustained major wounds to the head," said Finer, "Died of blunt force trauma, and defensive wounds are along the legs marked by bruises and cuts. Victims leg was shattered in the process. Somepony, or something, really powerful broke her leg before she could fight back. No signs of sexual assault, which widens the search area beyond males. It also rules out a number of possibilities of a motive."

"The killer might not be looking to be dominant," said Sharp Sight, "Sexual assault is usually the first part of a control motive."

"Looks like sompony's been reading up on profiling," said Finder, "I appreciate the help, but leave that work to me. You need to find evidence. And trying to figure out what the murder weapon would be."

"I'd need a postmortem for that," said Sharp Sight, "But I might be able to find out a number of things. For example, the suff marks in the dirt."

He crouched down and looked at the scuff marks and how they were uneven. This was not caused by somepony merely walking, but by a struggle. He used this and the position of the body to find out what direction she was facing before she met her untimely demise. She was facing the town, specifically south by southwest.

He looked closely at her head. Then down to her neck. He noticed that the skin was lose and there were tiny points sticking out in certain areas. He dreaded doing this, but he felt her neck. The cold fur and icy skin made him sick to his stomach. Sure enough he found what he was looking for.

"New theory," he said, "Victim was killed by a broken neck. During the struggle, the killer threw a haymaker that caused whiplash so strong that it snapped the victims neck. Only ponies strong enough to do that would be an Earth pony."

"Thanks," said Finder, "In a town founded by Earth ponies, the killer is an Earth pony. Well, never mind that, anything that narrows the search down is good. But what about the head wound?"

"I don't know," he said, "Only way we would know what caused those would be to have a postmortem. Until then, we need to go to the next crime scene."

"I'm starting to really like you kid," said Finder, "I think you'll do just fine as a keeper of the peace."

"Same m.o." said Finder, "Blunt force trauma to the head, same defensive wounds, and victim was killed by a snapped neck."

"Hmm," said Sharp Sight, "This is strange. How can two victims have the same defensive wounds?"

"I don't know, but one things for sure," said Finder as he lifted a slip of paper off the ground, "They're going to kill again soon."

Sharp Sight took the note. It read "This is only the beginning. Soon, we will have enough."

"Oh no," said Sharp Sight, "The killer, or killers, are going to strike again soon. Look at the penmanship though. It's written hastily as though the killer was in a hurry. And the use of we could either be referring to a group or it simply could be using an older dialect."

Sharp Sight inspected it closer. The ink was red, so it looked like it was written in blood. Or maybe it was blood, but that was unlikely. The penmanship was different than anything he had seen. It looked like those ancient documents he had seen in the museums.

"Who writes in this fashion?" asked Sharp Sight, "It's so old. But I'm more interested in the caved skull and puncture wounds."

He looked at the head of the mare on the ground. Her head was caved in just like the other one. He looked at her soulless eyes again. Soulless. Wait, soulless? An idea came to his head and he shot up.

"Do you know any magic users?" he asked.

"I think I can help," said a voice from behind him. And who else did that voice belong to other than Twilight Sparkle. "What do you need?"

"Princess Twilight, can you-"

"Please, just call me Twilight," she said smiling.

"Okay, Twilight, do you know of any rituals involving the souls of ponies?" he asked.

"Oh," she said frowning, "I've read about a couple of them. Why?"

"Do you have any magic that can tell of the whereabouts of this ponies soul?" he asked.

"No, but I'm sure I can find one," she said, "Are you suggesting that somepony is killing and collecting souls?"

"Maybe," said Sharp Sight, "I'm not sure. "

"It would explain why there are no signs of sexual assault on any of the victims," said Finder. Twilight winced ever so slightly at his words.

This was good. They were making headway on their first day of the investigation. It was getting late though.

"Okay," said Finder, "We'll have somepony compose a postmortem report. Then, we meet back up tommorow and continue the investigation, but until then, we turn in for the night."

Everypony agreed and left the crime scene, all of them feeling tired. This was going to be a tricky case.

Author's Notes:

In this, I say that Sharp Sight is gifted. What I really mean is that he is really observant. Like, really observant. His senses of hearing and sight are triple a normal ponies and he has the ability to basically see through a lie. And he has an IQ of maybe 189, so he can quickly solve a problem and make connections to things that a normal pony (or human for that matter) would never see.

Chapter Two | Headway

Sharp Sight was awoken by the trill of a morning bird. He slowly opened his eyes and sat up from his place on the roof. He had always preferred to sleep outside. It had always gotten him in trouble when he was a kid. He would sleep outside and it would rain and he would come in the house tracking muddy hoofprints and dripping water everywhere. [What!? I'm not supposed to be an omniscient narrator? Ugh, fine.].

Anyway. Sharp Sight got up, stretched, yawned and began to trot in place. After a few moments, he ran and jumped off the roof. He used his levitation to slow his descent. He hit the ground rolling, chuckling as he did so. He stood up, trying to regain his balance. He shook his head and everything came into focus.

He walked into town square, alone. It was too early for anypony else to be up. However, he knew for a fact that the three physician unicorns were working hard on composing a post-mortem report. He looked around and saw nothing of note. Then he remembered. He still needed to tell the Changeling what he found.

He raced to the alley way where he had first met him. He looked around, seeing nothing. Then he heard something whistling behind him. He ducked, just in time for the knife to sail over his head. He whipped around and caught it as it came in for another swipe.

It gave him ample time to study who the assailant was. It was clearly a pony (as he had come to start questioning who and who wasn't a pony), who wore a cloak to cover his or her face and body. Though he could almost instantly figure out who it was. The cyan coat, the bulges on her side that gave away the fact that she had wings.

He wrenched the knife away and through off her hood. She turned around before he could get a good look. He already knew though. The rainbow mane gave it away. Rainbow Dash.

He gave chase. She was much faster. He cast a spell that every guard pony on the squad knew. It put a pair of hoofcuffs on her legs, causing her to trip and fall flat on her face. She grunted as she landed. Before she could extend her wings and fly away.

"Hey, what's going on over here?" shouted a voice from the distance. He looked over to see who it was. It was...Rainbow Dash. She was flying towards him and whoever was on the ground. He looked down and threw the hood off of the pony on the ground. It looked exactly like Rainbow Dash.

"Woah," said the other Rainbow Dash as she approached, "That's super creepy. Who is this?"

"I don't know," replied Sharp Sight, "But I have some notion."

He cast a spell. It was a simple lie detector spell, but he changed it a bit. All at once, the pony on the ground turned into a Changeling in a flash of green fire. It began to flutter it's wings, but before it could lift off, Rainbow Dash trotted up and put a hoof on it's chest, preventing it from moving.

"Nice work kid," said Rainbow, looking back at Sharp Sight, "I'm glad you caught this creep. Would've been bad if there were another one of me going around."

Sharp Sight only nodded. He levitated the captured Changeling up, noticing that it was the Changeling from before. He and Rainbow brought the Changeling to the guard house nearby in town.

"So," Rainbow spoke up, "What are you doing up this early?"

"I should be asking you the same thing," said Sharp Sight.

"I was just getting ready to set up a few rain clouds," she responded, then blushed, "It-uh was actually supposed to start up a few hours ago. Heh. Woops."

Sharp Sight merely shook his head. He had known a lot about Rainbow Dash, but looking at her now, he knew by the way she moved, she seemed to be on edge. She was probably put off by the recent news of the murders. He took the chance to question her.

"So, have you seen anything strange lately?" asked Sharp Sight. "Maybe somepony wandering out of town, or even somepony who looked out of place. Uncomfortable in the crowd. Anything like that?"

"Now that you mention it," said Rainbow, putting a hoof to her chin, thinking, "Yeah, there was that one pony. I think her name was Midnight something. She was kind of weird, not from around here. Little taller than me."

"Do you know where I might find her?" asked Sharp Sight.

"Yeah, she lives just north of here on the outskirts of town," replied Rainbow Dash.

"One last thing," said Sharp Sight, "Do you know anypony who might want to murder another pony? Somepony who always seems angry or dissatisfied."

Rainbow was put off by his words. After a moment she replied, "If there's anypony like that, it'd be Midnight."

"Thanks," said Sharp Sight, "You've helped out more than you know. Take it easy out there."

Rainbow Dash nodded and flew off, a rainbow trail following behind her. Sharp Sight began to gallop to the edge of town where Rainbow had pointed him. He looked around, spotting a house that was all by its self. It was a dilapidated abode that looked like there hadn't been maintenance on it in years. It was different than all the other houses near there.

Sharp Sight approached the home and knocked three times. No answer. He knocked again, thinking they might be sleeping. This time the door opened. In the doorway stood a mare that stood a head taller than he, who had a dark blue coat with a purple mane and tail. She was an Earth pony, and she looked...good. Well groomed. She even smelled nice. It was a strange contrast to her house. She probably spent more bits on herself than her own home.

"Good morning mam," said Sharp Sight, "My name is Initiate Sharp Sight, I'm with the Canterlot Royal Guard. We are here investigating a series of murders that I'm sure you've heard about. I'd like to ask you a few questions if it's alright with you."

"Absolutely," she said. She opened the door, allowing Sharp Sight in. He bowed and walked in. The house was decorated with an assortment of incense and candles. The living room was dimly lit, but somehow cozy and creepy at the same time. There were pony dolls lining shelves on a wall. There was a doorway with a padlock on it.

"This is certainly an...interesting design choice," said Sharp Sight, "Would you mind if I took a peek inside whatever's behind that door?"

"I would mind," said the mare, "What was it you wanted to ask me?"

"It has come to our attention that there is somepony out there in this town killing ponies," said Sharp Sight, "Whoever they are, they are very strong. Earth pony strong."

"What are you suggesting?" said the mare with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm not suggesting anything," said Sharp Sight, "I'm merely stating facts. As we speak, a post-mortem is being composed on the two victims, with a third possibly on the way. We are trying to stop it before it begins."

"Where is this going?" asked the mare.

"Would you happen to know the two victims?" asked Sharp Sight, "Either of them. Their names are Silver Sky and Quilt. Do either of those names ring a bell?"

"Yes," said the mare, "Quilt was a customer of mine a few days ago. Actually, they both were."

"Okay," said Sharp Sight, "What do you do?"

"I'm a psychic. I read the fortunes and futures of ponies," said the mare, "Many ponies call me a scandal, but it's true. I had predicted misfortune for the both of them. Though I hadn't expected them to die."

"What kind of misfortune?" asked Sharp Sight.

"I'm afraid I cannot tell you that," said the mare, "Once I read a ponies future, it is lost to me."

"And now they are dead," said Sharp Sight, putting emphasis on the word dead, "So please, try to remember."

"And I'm sorry about that," she said, clearly becoming agitated, "But I cannot help you."

Sharp Sight sighed in defeat. He wasn't going to get anywhere at this rate. He decided now would be a good time to study her. He looked at her face. There was a slight twitch in the corner of her mouth, and her eyes never focused on the same spot. She lifted a hoof to her face and rubbed her nose and sniffed. Sharp Sight began to put the pieces together. These were textbook signs of nervousness.

"Mam, may I ask your name?" he asked.

"My name is Midnight," she replied, "And if you have nothing else, I'd like to see you out of my home."

"Midnight, please, I don't think you understand the scope of the situation," said Sharp Sight, looking directly into her eyes. They were old eyes. "Two ponies are dead, and I don't want to see a third. Their families are devastated. If there is any information, please, share it."

Midnight stared at the ground and sat. After taking a breath, she spoke. "I had fortold their misfortunes. They were identical. I told them they would fall at the hands of their friend. That's all I can say."

"Thank you, Midnight," said Sharp Sight. "Thank you very much. I can see myself out now."

Sharp Sight left without another word. He had to get this information back to Finder. It was only a hunch, but if it proved to be true, then it narrowed the scope of the investigation by a fair margin. He got to the guard house and looked around. Another guard walked up to him.

"We arrested the Changeling you captured," he said, "It has been taken in for questioning, but it has refused to speak."

"I can get him to talk," said Sharp Sight. The guard nodded and took him to the Changeling, who was in an interrogation room. Sharp Sight walked in. He sat down at the table where the changeling was.

"So," said Sharp Sight, "Why did you try to kill me?"

The Changeling said nothing. It just looked at him.

"Do you know of the murder victims?" he asked.

The Changeling again said nothing.

"Is there something in that alleyway that we shouldn't know about?" he asked.

The Changeling shifted slightly. Gotcha, Sharp Sight thought to himself. He studied the Changeling's movements, but was surprised to see that the slight shift was the only thing it did. It didn't even blink. If Sharp Sight hadn't seen the shift, he'd have swore he was looking at a propped up corpse.

"What's in that alleyway?" asked Sharp Sight, "Maybe the Alpha you mentioned?"

The Changeling moved again. Differently though. It was more of a twitch. He did it again. Sharp Sight stood, confused. Blue liquid began to pour from the Changeling's mouth. Sharp Sight shouted and jumped back. A massive knife shot from the Changeling's chest. The blue liquid was Changeling blood. Sharp Sight couldn't concentrate enough to see who was behind the blade, but he caught a glimpse of something rush past him, so quick he couldn't even make out what it was.

"What the fuck is going on!?" shouted Sharp Sight, "Someone get in here!"

He turned and slammed the door open, shouting for a medic. Two of the physician ponies came rushing, as well as about seven other guards. The physician ponies began to cast healing spells, but nothing was happening. One of them walked up and tried to find a pulse. He stood up and shook his head. The Changeling was dead. Or so they had thought.

Suddenly the Changeling gasped and rasped only two words: "She lies." Then it collapsed, this time truly dead.

"Dammit!" said Sharp Sight, "What just happened?"

"Looks like someone was telling stories outside of school," said Finder. Everypony turned to look at him.

"What do you mean?" asked a guard.

"Obviously, somepony didn't want him to talk," he said, "So somepony is tying up loose ends."

It made sense. But who? Who could get into the guard house, kill the Changeling with another pony in the room, and leave undetected?

"Whatever's going on, several things are definite," said Sharp Sight, "We've three dead, a lot of questions, and little time to answer them. This is going to be tricky."