Aftermath of the Storm

by Atomic Vortex

Rating: teen
Tags: Adventure, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Original Character, Comedy
Length: 6146

A Royal Guard ceremony goes wrong and a pony gets blamed. Sounds simple right? Not even close.

After the defence of Canterlot against the Changelings, it seems only fitting the valiant guards of Equestria's capital should receive some recognition. Right? But strife is still abundant in the capital, still in disarray from the invasion, and the ceremony goes awry.

How you ask? Maybe the stallion with the shades can tell you...

Thank you to Rhino for being my pre-reader, editor and the guy who was there to pick me up when I faceplant in writing!

Coverart credit to Fuyu-Oleander. Click the picture to go to her DeviantArt.

Published 2013-11-19 20:00:03 UTC
Last updated 2014-06-13 20:40:07 UTC

Chapter 1: The Calm

The rhythmic sound of hit after hit of hooves against leather echoed around the building. Dimly lit as it was, the punching bag swayed clearly to anyone who would have happened to glance at the pony who was smashing it like his worst enemy.

It would also have been clear to anyone that the pony had been at this for quite some time, made evident from the beads of sweat running down his black coat and over his wings. His dual-tone mane of woodland and neon green was also dampened to a degree, clinging closer to his head instead of it’s usual spikey-ness. A small military vest, similar colour to that of the woodland in the pony’s mane, was laying on a nearby press bench, with a pair of gleaming aviators sat next to them.

With a loud grunt, the pony slammed his right hoof into the punching bag for a final time, sending it swinging madly. He turned away and went over to the press bench, retrieving his shades and vest, donning the former, but leaving the latter slung over his shoulder.

As the pony started to move for the exit, the lights in the gym turned on in unison, blinding the stallion.

“You look like you could do with a drink.”, came the call with the distinct giggle of a mare just after.

The dazed stallion blinked a few times, allowing his vision to readjust with a chuckle, recognising the voice.

“How long have you been there, mum?”

He caught the bottle of water that came hurtling toward him, just before it impacted his face. He unscrewed the top and took a hefty gulp with a relieved sigh.

“Long enough for other ponies to think that punching bag had committed treason.”

With another chuckle he replied, “Nah, it just insulted my mother," a smile appeared on his lips as he embraced the other pony.

The mare’s swampish-green coat and emerald mane would make most ponies confuse her with a florist or a nature-walking pony. However, the press badge and fedora would indicate her true profession of journalism.

The two ponies finally parted, giving the stallion a chance to breath after his mother’s asphyxiation inducing hug.

“So what are you doing in town mum? I thought you were off in the Griffon Kingdom.”

“I never arrived,” the mare gave a frustrated huff, “I got a telegram telling me the tip off was bull.”

The stallion chuckled, knowing how his mother responded to hoax tips. He felt a pang of sympathy for the crew of the ship that ferried her back.

False tips meant no story. No story meant no front page for...well, Front Page.

He wrapped a hoof around his mother, leading her to the exit and depositing the already empty water bottle in the bin on the way past, “I was just about to go get my gear for the ceremony, you know.” he glanced at her past the side of his shades, “You could always help me out. Keep your mind off the journalism for once, eh?”

She gave him the look only a mother could give a son as if to say, ‘Oh really?’ and he smiled cockily in response. “Atomic Vortex, are you insinuating I’m too attached to my own work to spend time with my family?”

“Of course not.” he replied with an evident tone of playful sarcasm.

In return he got a less-than-light cuff on the back of his head. “No pocket money for a week, mister.”

They exited the gymnasium together, laughing playfully as the sun, high in the sky, gleamed off of the white buildings of Equestria’s capital - Canterlot.

They passed through the city, chatting idly. On their way to the Canterlot Barracks to retrieve Atomic’s armour, they passed through the Main Square of Canterlot, otherwise known as The Celestial Plaza, where many early ponies had gathered for the Guard ceremony. At the North side of the plaza sat a large plinth, adorned with a podium and lots of open space for the Guards to stand. Either side of the plinth were flowerbeds, being tended to by gardener ponies making sure that the bluebells were blooming and the fire lilies were flourishing, in preparation for the ceremony.

After around 10 minutes more of trotting through the capital’s quiet, clean streets they arrived at the Barracks, where a number of military ponies were killing time in the yard while they waited for the call to form up and head to the plaza.

A few of the ponies stopped their talking or whatever it was they were doing to give Atomic a small salute, which he returned in kind.

The jet black stallion opened the door to the main building, holding it there and ushering his mother inside, quickly leading her to his locker. He did this to pass by some of the Guards who might have liked to spill some of Atomic’s more stupid drunken antics to his mother, which would have undoubtedly ended in a harsh scolding.

In his locker lay a few personal items, including a picture pinned up to the door of Atomic, his mother, his brother and their father. With a quick glance at the photo and a reminiscent smile, Atomic turned his attention to the Royal Guard armour hung perfectly in it’s brackets, taking each piece out and donning them all with ease, minus the helm which he held under his wing.

Conveniently, the moment Atomic had finished the checks that his armour was in good condition, a loud crackle rang out across the Barracks, followed by the sound of the Comms Officer’s voice, “All Royal Guards, form up in the yard. Again. All Royal Guards, form up in the yard.”

He turned to his mother with a proud smile, “Well, I guess I’ll see you in the crowd, eh?”

Her eyes softened, her demeanour turning to one of satisfaction, “Of course,” she pulled him into another vice-like hug, “I wouldn’t miss it for the world!”

He chuckled with what air he could muster before disengaging himself from her embrace and trotting quickly down the hall into the yard where the other Guards were formed up. He took his place and assumed attention.

The small talk and general chatter died down as Shining Armour stepped out into the yard, standing in front of the ranks. He panned his gaze all across the ranks before clearing his throat and addressing them. “Ponies of the Guard, this day is for you. A well-earned appreciation for your work every day, and especially, a thank you for your efforts during the invasion of the changelings. Some stories may say that the saviors that day were my wife and myself, but I know that to be untrue. It was all of you that were the true heroes that day. If not for you, the changelings would have truly taken over, not simply been fighting for it. Every one of you that stood before the enemy and made them pay for every citizen and patch of city they hoped to gain control over, you are the ones to thank. Bear this in mind as we march out into the city, and rest easy knowing that the only reason I lead, is that because all of you were out doing the real work, mine remains the only face photogenic enough for most of the papers.”

A good-natured rumble of laughter followed the Captain’s joke.

Once the laughter had died, the Captain gave a proud salute. The Guards before him followed in suit, a loud “CLAK!” ringing out across the yard as their hoof armour connected with their helms. Shining armor did a sharp turn, mirrored by the other guards, and soon the entire Guard was marching towards the ceremony.

The scene that was the main square had changed dramatically since Atomic had passed through on his way to the Barracks. The flowers and other foliage surrounding the plinth had grown hugely!

Atomic thought to himself, “Do unicorns always cheat things like that?.”

He dismissed the the thought process quickly, returning his attention to the rest of the Guards as they formed up on the plinth, the black-coated stallion in the front row.

From this view, Atomic could now see some of the other changes since his last visit, less than an hour ago.

A medium-sized podium had been erected at the front-centre of the plinth in place of the smaller one from his earlier visit. Large yellow and white banners had been strung across the roads leading to the square, bearing the insignia of the Guards too.

However, the most noticeable change was the sizeable crowd that had gathered, and still continued to pour in. Judging purely by the attire the various races of ponies were wearing, or none at all, Atomic guessed it was much more of a national ceremony. There were ponies with full suits who held their chins high and strutted into the crowd proudly - The Canterlot ponies Atomic had spent his life in and around. Then there were the ponies wearing no clothes and simply chatting idly between each other - Most likely the ponies from Ponyville and the surrounding areas, judging from what Atomic had been told of that region.

The Guard stallion quickly snapped his gaze forward as the Captain passed by, inspecting each Guard to check their armour and such was in acceptable condition. After the invasion however, ‘acceptable’ was a loose term. A lot of the Guards’ armour had gained scratches, dents and nicks. Atomic’s was no exception, evident from a large score running across his chest plate, and a small dent in the right side of his helm.

Shining eyed Atomic’s armour closely, noticing the battlescars it had acquired. At first Atomic expected a scolding, but the Captain surprised him with a hearty smile and pat on the shoulder. The smaller Guard stallion blinked, surprised, behind his shades. Before he could reply however, the Captain moved on to the other Guards, leaving Atomic rather perplexed as to what he’d done to receive apparent praise.

Once Shining had finished his inspection, he gave a slight nod off to the side of the plinth. The last of the crowd began to trickle in as a loud fanfare blasted out from the higher balconies.

Having to keep a stern gaze forward into the outlying crowd meant that Atomic could only rely on his hearing to identify the pony he could now here walking between the two formations of Guards. Their target - the podium at the front of the plinth.

The second the crowd before him bowed, Atomic immediately knew who the pony was as their towering form passed him.

The sheet white alicorn took her place at the podium with a soft smile to the crowd as they rose. She began to speak, her words gracefully wafting over the crowd. It was a speech which many could have predicted, but none wanted to miss it. She spoke of bravery, duty, going above, and performing admirably in dire circumstances. She spoke of the guards protecting everypony, whether near or far, whether awake... or asleep. The smaller form of Princess Luna gains a small frown at this statement but quickly returns to her public addressing face. It echoes the sentiments of Shining Armor’s speech, but has that inevitable quality of pride as it is spoken by the benevolent ruler. As she wraps up her speech, all the guards chests have swelled with pride, and the eyes of the public shimmer with the same.

Throughout Celestia's speech Atomic's attention was divided. His ears listened, yet his eyes scanned the crowd for any sign of his mother. When he couldn't find her, his expression became that of a perplexed frown.

"Where is she...?", Atomic thought. He could think no further on the matter.

Just as Celestia and Luna inclined their head to the crowd and the Guards, a loud shout rang out across the courtyard.

"EVERYPONY STAY EXACTLY WHERE YOU ARE!!!"

Each and every head turned to the source of the shout, the owner of the voice pushing through the crowd toward the plinth. A few of the Guards around Atomic tensed, unsure of what was happening.

The owner of the voice finally appeared, clambering up on to the plinth. It was a Guard. Presumably one patrolling the perimeter of the ceremony. He was flanked by two others.

The most startling factor of their unexpected arrival, was their weapons. They were drawn.

The lead Guard's eyes quickly scanned across the ranks of his fellow soldiers, finally setting them on Atomic.

"Atomic Vortex! You are under arrest for murder, treason and betrayal of the Guard!!"

Author's Note

Hello, hello, hello! And welcome to any new readers who may happen to chance upon my humble story! Some of you will be here because you already follow me, or maybe I've whored this out.
ANYWAY! Just a small note besides the welcome; Chapter 2 will be released the day after this is posted! So stay tuned! However this does not mean I will post the other chapters in any type of schedule. I shall post chapters when I feel they are complete, and nothing shall change my mind on that!

Thank you for reading, and see ya!

Chapter 2: Relocate and Search

Silence held over the entire plaza as the Guard’s words sunk in.

Once they had, Atomic’s immediate surrounding ponies attacked, one swiping out his front hooves and the others diving on to him.

The black pegasus failed to react, simply staring at the Guard that had accused him blankly, his mind thrown into utter turmoil and disbelief. Murder? Who had he murdered? What evidence was there against him?

What would his mother think...?

As the stallion felt his forehooves wrenched behind his back and cuffed, he thought about the similar scenes he’d seen around the city, even performing a few himself. The entire city was still in hidden disarray after the changeling invasion; Wives accusing their cheating husbands, enemies accusing each other over petty rivalry, regular ponies accusing random others because of the way they walked.

Once the thought of fighting back had finally crossed Atomic’s mind, he was already being hauled to his hooves, his wings had too been bound together with another set of cuffs.

His crestfallen gaze slid across the crowd of stunned ponies, feeling their eyes boring into him with undying hatred, disappointment and judgement. Their whispers didn’t reach his ears as the shock of his current situation remained, but he knew they were there.

The whispers of insults, of death threats and of undeniable horror that a murderer had been in the been uncovered from within the Royal Guard.

His eyes continued to pan across the crowd, finally settling on a sight that tore his mind in two.

A small colt had pushed his way through the horde of ponies, and now stood there, his stare fixed on the restrained Guard in front of him. Atomic watched as the colt’s face fell and the spark of excitement died in his eyes.

White flashed behind Atomic’s eyes and filled his vision as he felt a crunch against the back of his head. His vision failed from the blow and he fell into a dull unconsciousness.

2 years after the incident that had made national papers and the gossip of the decade, Canterlot had finally got a grip of itself.

However.

This was not the case for an azure unicorn mare who now stood at the centre of a maelstrom of papers in the middle of her lab.

With an angry yell and a little magic, the papers around the mare flung outwards and fluttered to the floor as she zipped over to her desk, starting to tear open the drawers.

Her loud rummaging attracted more than a little attention, a few ponies from the offices next door peeking their heads in to see what was wrong this time.

Unfortunately for her, one of those ponies next door just happened to be her boss.

A small, brown runt of an earth pony stallion wearing a waistcoat that hung loosely around his form, barged his way through the other ponies into the office, immediately being met with the papers strewn across the floor and the mare behind her desk madly rambling "Where is it?!" over and over again.

The runt gazed across the mess of a room. Besides the new home the papers had found on the floor, it was the same as he'd last seen it. Multitudes of test tubes, swabs and scientific equipment were sat on the counters around the room, a result of the mare's latest case.

The mare finally emerged from behind her desk with a triumphant "Ah ha!" holding a small green blob, wrapped with plastic film, in her magic.

“Sharp, for Celestia’s sake get a hold of yourself!!” the runt bellowed.

Uttering a yelp of surprise, there was a loud crash as she scrambled and found no grip on the papers on the floor, tumbling onto her back.

The earth pony runt sighed loudly as his hoof met his face.

"Why didn't I see that coming...?"

The mare hauled herself back up, peering just over the desk with a groan of pain as she waited for the world to stop spinning.

“W-wha?”

“On your hooves, Sharp. Now!”

At the sharp edge of his words the mare regained her senses and snapped, bolt upright. “Boss?”

The runt produced a bound folder from his waistcoat, placing it down on Sharp’s desk less than politely. “You’re being reassigned.”

The unicorn blinked and readjusted her glasses, giving a small chuckle and trying to hide the slight tremble in her voice. “Reassigned…?”

He sneered at her, “Pack your things. Your train leaves in half and hour.”

When she failed to move and simply stood with a broken stare, the runt bellowed again, “Move!!!” and with that he turned away and roughly pushed his way through the ponies who had decided to eavesdrop. Some snickered, some walked away and some held sympathetic frowns as Sharp stayed frozen in place.

Her gaze fell to the folder as she sat heavily. Picking it up in her magic, she turned it over and saw at the top of the page, in big, bold and red font, a single word.

“Ponyville…?”

A week after her transition to her new workplace, Sharp Vigil was already closing in on her first case in the seemingly peaceful town.

She hummed quietly to herself as she stooped under the desk...that was embedded in the wall next to her.

“I’m telling you, officers! My competitors are to blame for this!”

“Sir, respectfully, I know this is your property, but you must stay back from your study while our forensics expert is working.”

“Why do you even need to investigate?! I’ve told you, it is definitely my competitors! Why would anyone else want my research?!”

“Sir, please go back downstairs.”

“No! I demand you arrest them this instant!”

The exasperated Guard’s imminent growl was cut of as Sharp’s hoof rested on his shoulder and she stepped between the Guard and the old stallion, cutting into the conversation.

“Do you have any evidence to support your claim, sir?” she queried.

The stallion scoffed and brushed back his balding mane.

“Of course not! I’ve been forced to sit in my lounge ever since this happened.”, his following expression showed he knew exactly what was coming from the placid mare.

“Then we may not arrest them, sir. Until you have sufficient evidence to support your claim it was your competitors, then I ask that you return to your lounge and stay there until I finish my work.”

Giving the elderly stallion a polite, yet slightly smug, smile, Sharp got nothing short of a furious scowl in return. Without another word the stallion left Sharp and the Guard to their work.

Once he was gone the Guard let out a heavy sigh. "Thanks ma'am."

Sharp rolled her eyes, "How many times, Strike? Call me by my name, not ma'am.", she gave an exaggerated impression of his voice at the end, receiving a chuckle back.

"Sorry Sharp. It's hard getting into a new habit after the old detective we had here in Ponyville."

"Not a worry. We're all getting used to new things.", casting a glance back into her crime scene she let out a puff of air, "And this is certainly something new."

An overall observation, showed the disastrous state of an old stallion's study. Not only was the desk that used to sit in the centre of the room now embedded in the wall, but it was also splintered in half. Pieces of books and bookshelf lay strewn across the room along with the glass from the large, now non-existent window, the only reminder of it now a gaping hole in the wall.

Sharp allowed her eyes to focus at each point of the room, scanning each mental picture carefully.

Anything odd about the desk? Shattered in half? No, at the force the offender had smashed through the window and wall it was no surprise they had the destroyed the desk.

How about the bookshelves? Also wrecked. Books thrown from the point of impact at the wall - as expected. Wood cracked and splintered, scattered across the room. Nothing odd there.

The books themselves? Most were shredded, open and intact or the middle ground between the two. Any that seem odd? One book closed, intact and seemingly untouched in the corner of the room, small protrusion coming from the spine. Closer inspection shows exactly the odd thing that gives Sharp her leads.

A small dart-type object was stuck in the hard spine of the book, sharp and sleek in nature. Made to move through the air quickly and silently, with little force needed to puncture the skin.

The most interesting feature of the dart were the almost unnoticeable tiny runes that seemed systematically and carefully placed on the main body of the dart.

Carefully removing it from the spine of the book Sharp smiled. "Strike? Are there any arcane experts in this town?"

The Guard looked back into the room, taking a moment to think. "Yeah, I know one. You've probably seen him sliding around town before. Why?"

Placing the dart into a sealed plastic evidence bag, Sharp looked out through the hole in the wall. "Because whoever wrote the runes on this dart here, made a manticore march halfway into town and smash into the second floor of a building, yet carefully steal the research of an old stallion no-one pays much mind to."

Strike nodded, "Sounds like a lead."

Bidding the grumpy stallion farewell and giving the cleanup crews the go ahead, Strike led Sharp near the border of Whitetail Woods to a grass plain area quite a distance from town, the nearby river running quietly and the few trees in the area silent.

The house that stood, tall and easily one of the largest buildings in town, was made of brick and painted wood, reaching only 2 stories. Dark green splashed around along with white were the main colours if the house, discounting the deep blue if the door.

Giving a sharp rap on the door, Strike stood back to allow Sharp to speak once it opened after a small pause, revealing a white-coated unicorn with a lengthy blond mane and tail.

She smiled politely at the two before speaking with a soft polite voice, "May I help you both?"

Sharp gave a kind smile in return, "Yes, we're looking for a stallion by the name of Rhino Nexus. This is his place of residence, correct?"

The unicorn hesitated for a moment after noticing Strike's Guard armour, "He's- um. A little busy at the moment."

Despite this notion, Sharp persisted, "I'm afraid we have to insist, miss...?"

The unicorn straightened up, "Angel. Rhino's wife.", the smile that touched her lips was one of pride, as though she hasn't had many times to say that. Newly-weds? Quite possibly.

“Well, Miss Angel, we do need to talk to your husband concerning the investigation as to what caused the manticore to rampage through town yesterday.”, Sharp stated, rather simply.

Angel nods, “He was concerned about that. I imagine he’d like to help in some way or another.”, she steps back and opens the door fully in order to allow the two guests inside. Leading them through the entrance hall, she guides them through a side door and down into a surprisingly well-lit stone basement. As they go down the stairs, she calls over to a green stallion hunched over a desk. “Rhino, we have guests!”

At the sound of her voice, the stallion looks up and turns around, a green aura surrounds his horn and the items and papers on his desk, sliding them all into a drawer before shutting it. The dark-green pony’s black and blue mane swishes as he looks over the newcomers with a curious expression. A cutie mark of an arcane circle can be seen on his side. “Ah, hello. Who might you be?”

Sharp steps forward with the same kind, practiced smile she had given Angel at the door, extending a hoof to the stallion. “Nice to meet you Mister Rhino, I’m Sharp Vigil for the Ponyville Police Department’s forensics division, and my colleague here is Corporal Strike.” she gestures to the stoic stallion behind her who simply gives a small nod.

The larger than average stallion shakes the offered hoof as his wife moves next to him. “Very nice to meet you both.” He adopts a courteous smile. “To what do I owe your visit?”

Sharp produces a small plastic bag, sealed and labelled, containing the dart she had found earlier. “We were wondering if you’d be able to examine this object here. It pertains to the manticore that ran through town yesterday, and Ponyville’s P.D doesn’t have anyone experienced in runes and the like.” she sets down the bag on the desk in front of him.

“Hmm…” He levitates the small bag up to his face so he can see the tiny symbols. “Certainly never seen them used on a dart before…”

Angel wraps her tail around her husband’s as she speaks to the officers. “How is this related to the manticore? Where was it found?”

“At what appeared to be the manticore’s destination. An elderly stallion in the suburbs of town had his snooze rudely interrupted by the animal smashing through the wall of his study. This dart was embedded into a book from a bookcase that was smashed, and we can assume that since books don’t normally have darts in them that this is what sent the manticore into town.” Sharp’s voice rattled through her analysis quickly.

The white unicorn murmurs as her stallion writes a few symbols in the air. “I could understand that if it was found in the manticore, but in a book? I suppose it could have just landed in it, but… still strange…”

“That’s not all that’s strange…” Rhino mutters.

Sharp blinks behind her glasses. “You’ve found something already?”

“Well,” he begins, “I’d have to do a few tests to ascertain the exact usage of this combination, but from the key runes in the center being mainly for improved control in spells, along with a few more minor ones for what appear to be remote usage, I’d say somepony had something very specific in mind for this.”

Sharp straightens up, eyes even more alert. “Remote usage? Like a relay back to the person who made it?” A slight shift and clink of armour can be heard as Strike stands up properly instead of his previous position of leaning against the nearest wall.

The runic expert hums in thought. “Well, in a sense… the way this one appears designed to work is that a sort of ‘down payment’ of magic is used to power it, instead of channeling, so that the spell runs until either it is canceled by the caster, or the runes are otherwise damaged or drained of power. A one-time use. Though, if there’s any magic left in it and it can be extracted, a match could be made from a source…”

Angel comments. “I know you’ve made enchantments before that react to certain ponies’ magical signatures before, could that be of use?”

“Perhaps…” The green unicorn let’s his word trail off as he thinks. “Getting it from a pony is far different than from a enchantment charge though…”

The Canterlot mare leans forward excitedly, “So would it be possible to leave this with you? To try and extract the magical signature?” Strike puts a hoof on Sharp’s shoulder, pulling her back slightly to prevent her falling flat on her face, a small smile and a chuckle coming from him too.

He nods, smiling at her. “I’ll do my best. If the pony who used this put more in than what was needed, I should have a good chance.”

His wife nuzzles him lovingly. “I know you can do it, love…”

Sharp nods as the couple share a kiss, "We'll leave the dart with you to work on it. We'll drop by in a week to pick it back up, hopefully with good results."

The rune master nods. “I’ll do my best to assist you. We’ve got personal stakes in keeping our town safe, after all.”

Reluctantly peeling herself from her husband’s side, Angel walks toward the stairs. “Shall I show you the way out? It’s a big house, wouldn’t want you to get lost.” She giggles to herself.

Walking just after the unicorn, Sharp follows, giving another nod in agreement, “It’s a lovely place. My old home in Canterlot wasn’t even this big.” Strike follows just behind Sharp, just as silent as he had been.

Smiling as she walks in front of them, the mare replies. “Yes, well, building it from scratch ends up saving a lot of bits. Plus, well… we plan on using the space.” Her tail swishes happily as she voices that thought.

Sharp’s smile almost unnoticably wavers as the thought crosses her mind, “I see. For a while a stallion did have my heart, but it wasn’t long before we both figured it would be better to stay good friends.” She stops as they reach the door, “Well anyway. We’ll drop by again if we need anything else from you, which is still a possibility.”

Angel maintains her smile even as her eyes show a different emotion. “Oh… ok then…” She shuffles in place nervously, accidentally bumping her flank into a small table with a lamp on it. As she yelps and jumps away, the lamp falls to the ground bulb-first, the light smashing on impact. “Oh no, oh no...” She immediately gets down on the ground, hooves shuffling anxiously as she picks up the glass pieces with her magic.

“Oh my, do you need any help?”, Sharp takes a step close, her horn lighting up as she prepares to help.

Angel’s horn lights up a little brighter as she quickly picks up more pieces, holding them and taking a few steps away. “No thank you, I’m fine!”

A voice from behind her causes her to jump again, but relax as she recognizes it. “Everything ok up here?” Rhino appears from the basement, an eyebrow raised as he looks at all of them and approaches, the white unicorn going over to his side and nuzzling him silently.

Strike cuts in before Sharp even half opens her mouth, “It would appear your wife simply knocked a lamp off of the table there.”, his tone is calm and matter of fact.

“Ah.” He nods understandingly. “Yeah, she can be a little clumsy at times.”

His wife pouts at him. “I’m not that bad…” She playfully nips his ear with her teeth as a counter.

Strike inclines his head, “We’ll get out of your mane before we cause anything else to fall off your counters.”

Rhino nods. “Have a nice day, you two. Hope the investigation goes well.”

The two policing ponies speak simultaneously, “Thank you very much.”, before turning and exiting through the door, Sharp giving a final kind smile.

The couple returns it as the two ponies close the door, the stallion waiting a moment before speaking. “You got nervous?”

The mare sighs, floating the glass shards into the trash and righting the lamp with a quick bit of magic. “I’m sorry… you know how I get around guards…”

“I know… and I know why.” He gives her a quick kiss, smiling gently. “And I’ll tell you what I always have: I’ll keep you safe. No matter what.”

She wags her tail at that statement, standing there and enjoying the love from it before her smile turns a bit more sly. Her eyes flash and she tackles him, her horn locking the door as giggles and other sounds soon fill the house.

Three days after her visit to the Nexus household and Sharp had followed all other possible leads into dead ends. This was the part she hated. Waiting.

She looked down at the 2 files on her desk. One was the Manticore case - evidently at a standstill, so there was nothing to look at there. The other was a smash and grab. Somepony had smashed out a window of a shed and stolen a number of planks of plywood from the owner’s carpenter’s work area. Reportedly there was a small amount of blood on the smashed window, but the Guards who arrived on scene lost the trail.

The Canterlot mare decided it was best to get down there before the blood dried too much and became harder to spot in the now fading light. Better than waiting another 4 days until she was due to check in with the runic stallion on his progress.

Putting the two files away in a drawer of the desk, she stopped before closing it fully. A small plastic-film wrapped around a green blob was sitting there. With a gleeful gasp, Sharp snapped it out of the desk immediately popping the sour treat into her mouth, a satisfied “Mmmmm…~” humming out of her.

She thought she’d run out of these treats weeks ago...

Sharp decided she would figure out where it came from later - she had a case to check out.

No more than thirty minutes after Sharp was on scene. Strike was off-duty now, so she was alone inside the shed with only a few Guards patrolling the immediate perimeter.

After a few minutes of searching, Sharp had managed to trace the trail of blood from the window into the edge of the Everfree forest. From this point it appeared that the intruder had noticed their injury and had started to cover their tracks.

“Well.”, Sharp said aloud to herself, “Smart pony.”

Her horn lighting up, Sharp activated the base spell for any forensic unicorn. An ultraviolet spell. The purple light shined down in front of her and revealed the hidden trail. You can only hide a blood trail so much.

Sharp took only a moment to glance behind her, considering whether or not to go back for an escort. Thinking it would be best to catch the offender before they got any further away, she decided against it. She could handle herself anyway.

Pushing her way through the leaves, she kept her head down, following the trail intently. Pushing her way through the branches, the trail never stopped or slowed the offending pony quite evidently trying to get away as quickly as possible.

It soon became somewhat more troubling to keep following the trail as the undergrowth, leaves and grass started to obstruct the trail the further Sharp followed it into the forest.

Until...it stopped.

Sharp stood up, keeping the spell active and scanning the area.

Grass. Grass. Leaves. Trees. Branches.

Where did the trail go?

She decided to continue in the direction the trail was headed last.

Not until a few steps further did Sharp wish SO hard she had gone back for an escort.

A loud and sudden snap, then the tightening of something around both her hindlegs signalled the unicorn had hit a trip wire. With a yelp, she felt the trap yank her up, her glasses falling off as she shot up.

Flailing around blindly, the strung up mare grunted as another stage of the trap caused a wound up twig to collide with her head.

Disorientated, blind, and immobile, Sharp allowed herself to swing in place while her thoughts regathered from the blow. With the limited vision she had, the mare squinted as a black form moved out of a tree toward her, holding something.

Before she could speak to the form, she felt something press against her throat.

Something…

“Sharp?”