Promised Memories

by Ghostwriter95

Rating: mature
Tags: Slice of Life, Dark, Romance, Tragedy
Length: 12746

Crimson Moon, a private consultant for anypony needing one. A natural at his job, it is only natural that he is called upon by the Princesses for a matter of utmost importance. A murder... except, sometimes... it's not all as it seems.

Crimson Moon is a private consultant for anypony with the money to pay him, more of a detective in a sense. If you need something found or a crime resolved, he is the stallion to call. Having been taken in by Luna as her protégé, he has even worked with the Princesses on a number of occasions.

All of his skills are put to the test when he is called on upon Celestia, who has news so important that not even her sister or Twilight knows. A crime so heinous, the penalty is banishment from Equestria… or even death. Because murder is no forgivable act against ponykind. No murder had been committed in over a hundred years, so naturally, he takes the case and agrees to bring the killer to justice.

Except… not everything is as it seems. A troubled past, one of which he can't even remember, begins to reveal itself to Crimson. As visions of his unknown past begin to creep into his mind, he begins to fear that he himself is intricately involved in the murder more than he'd ever want to be.

And on top of it all, he finally finds himself face to face with a mare that'd been haunting -rather, gracing- his dreams for two years. As his own self doubts and fears begin to come to fruition, he knows she'll still always be there for him. They promised each other they would be, after all. And promises… they mean more to him than memories, anyways.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-07-23 00:15:55 UTC

Introduction

Promised Memories

By Ghostwriter95

Introduction

All stories need a beginning.

“I’m so sorry…” the stallion whispered at the side of the hospital bed. A single tear fell from the corner of his eye as he held onto the mare’s hoof, landing on the bed. Knowing nothing else to do, he allowed his head to fall over and rest on her slowly moving chest. Bandages covered a third of her body, stopping blood from seeping through. And the worst part was that he knew this was his fault.

“I… I… Don’t… Don’t blame… yourself,” the mare muttered weakly to the sobbing stallion. “You… You made me… happy.” The stallion sniffled and wiped his eyes as he looked up at the purple eyes staring back at him. The eyes he had fallen in love with… The eyes he knew he’d never see again.

“I said I’d protect you… I failed.”

“No… You… tried. But you… can still… li-live… for both… of us…” the mare said even more weakly. He looked away as tears began to once again fall freely from his eyes; he couldn't bear to watch the mare he loved struggle to simply speak.

“I can’t… I can’t live without you,” he sobbed. He slowly looked back up as he felt her hoof rest upon his. And he saw her smile.

“I’ll… always be with you. In our promise…”

“Our promise…” he repeated, remembering that night.

“Please… Live… your life. If… if not for yourself. Then… then…”

“For you…” he finished as he stared into her eyes, easily seeing the reflection of his own purple eyes in hers.

“For… us…”

“I will… I promise…” he whispered. Only this time… there was no response.

Chapter 1: Wakeup Call

Chapter 1 – Wakeup call

This is your wakeup call… Don’t miss it

Four days earlier…

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” the stallion yelled as he stood from his bed, rubbing his eyes with a forehoof. He groaned as the knocking continued on his door. “Sweet Celestia, I’m up already!” he yelled as he neared the door, opening it to reveal a Royal Guardpony. Immediately his anger turned to bewilderment, as he was rarely visited by the Royal Guards. At least anymore.

“Crimson Moon?”

“That’s me, what do you want?”

“I need you to come with me.”

“Hold on there, I don’t care if your Celestia’s maid or her right hand man, I don’t go anywhere without knowing what it’s about.” Crimson grabbed a nearby brush and began to carelessly and rather lazily comb his mane, giving it an unkempt, but maintained look.

“I understand, sir, but I was just told to come retrieve you.”

Crimson sighed as he dropped the comb on the nearby desk. “Do they tell anypony anything anymore? Can you at least tell me where we’re going?”

“It’s an urgent matter, sir. So if you could just please…”

“Urgent, eh? Okay, guess I can stand to get out of house.”

“Excellent. Please take a seat in the carriage.”

“Ooh, the royal treatment. You bring a smile to my face,” he said with a rough laugh, stepping into the carriage. The Guardpony didn’t seem to mind the comment at all as he took the reins of the carriage. “If you don’t mind, I’m gonna catch some shut eye. You did wake me in the middle of my afternoon nap after all.”

“I’ll wake you when we get there I suppose.”

“You do that,” Crimson said as he yawned before closing his eyes and almost immediately drifting off to sleep.

“Hey, wake up back there!” Crimson groaned as his dream was shattered by the rude awakening. He tried his hardest to cling to the dream, as he was sure it was more than just that. It was almost lucid, except that he felt he only had control to very small extents. Even more than that, he felt it held deep meaning to him, although he didn’t know what.

These dreams had been coming and going for at least three months. Until about a month prior, he’d not paid any attention to them, thinking them no more than just what they were - dreams. After he discovered they ran with one another, almost as if trying to tell him a story, he began to try and write each and every one down, cataloguing them so he may decipher them. Even after doing that, nothing made any sense. Maybe it was just dreams. Maybe he was just doing it because he hoped it might answer some questions as to who he was.

“I’m awake. You know, you’re not supposed to wake ponies when they’re asleep right? They might have a heart attack.”

“Where’d you read that? The Ponyville paper? Just get up and come with me. We’re already running behind.”

“So…” Crimson muttered, before stepping up beside the guard. “What’s the job? Jewelry go missing? Stalker hiding in the bushes? Just tell me if I’m getting close.”

“I’m afraid I don’t know, so if you could please just follow me…”

“Fair enough.” As the two entered into the Royal Castle, Crimson couldn’t help but look at everything. Over the course of the ten years he had been working as a privateer –more of a specialist in his own terms- for the Princesses little had changed. Ever since that day he snuck into the castle as a young stallion to follow a thief that had taken a prized possession. That was the day the Princesses saw something in him and tasked him with small trials, eventually leading him to become one of the best investigators to ever grace Equestria. Well, to others anyways. He was always ashamed to be called the greatest detective, since he still didn’t even know anything about his parents, his childhood, or why his cutie mark was a red moon.

To be honest, he didn’t even remember his name before going by Crimson Moon. As far as the doctors could tell, he didn’t have amnesia. Just for some reason, he couldn’t remember anything before around his thirteenth birthday. And now he was going on twenty eight, yet he didn’t even know his real name from before Celestia dubbed him that false one after he returned from his second investigation, the day he got his cutie mark. Well, he did go by the nickname of Gazer before that, since he had a habit of studying one thing for multiple minutes without so much as blinking.

“Sir, I said we’re here.”

“Oh, sorry. I was deep in thought.”

“They’re waiting inside. I’m going back to my post.”

“Of course,” he said, stepping aside for the guard to pass. He took a deep breath and pushed the door open. After gazing the chambers of Celestia for only the second time of his life, he stepped in as Celestia herself turned around and looked grimly at him. Immediately, he could tell it was much more than a simple thief.

“Crimson, thank you for coming. I’m sorry to summon you without sending a letter first, but this was of an urgent matter.”

“I may be four months out of practice, but I think I can still handle whatever you throw at me. What’s the problem?”

“Before I tell you, you must promise me that you won’t speak of this. When you speak to others to question them, do not mention what crime has been done.”

“I promise.”

“Good…” Celestia let a deep sigh escape from her throat. “This is a very touchy matter. I’ve still not even told Luna. Only one other pony, Applejack, knows of this, and that’s because she was the one that… discovered it. I thank Equestria that she was the one who found it, as I feel that any other would have panicked.”

“Sounds serious.”

“More so than you could ever comprehend… I’ll be telling Luna at the rise of the moon, but I knew she would take the news easier if I told her you were on the case. She did always see you as her apprentice. You’re to her what Twilight is to me after all.”

“Apprentice, eh? I always thought it was just because of my cutie mark.”

“That is a part of it, but- wait; I’m straying from the topic. And as much as I want to, I can’t allow myself to.”

“Take your time, explain the details if you can. Tell me everything you know.”

“I knew you’d take charge… There’s still no easy way to say this; I still don’t even believe it myself… It’s been nearly a hundred years since this happened last… But… there’s been a murder.”

“What?!”

“I’m afraid so…”

“Okay… Just give me a moment to soak this in…” Crimson levitated a chair to himself and sat down, trying to comprehend that a murder had just been committed. He’d solved assaults, fights, thefts, and even foiled a second plot by Chrysalis two years after the wedding incident involving an entire town of disguised Changelings. But this was a whole other game of hide and go seek. After letting it wash over him, he stood and decided to take it into his hooves. If anybody could solve this, he could. At least he hoped he could, if he was really the detective everypony thought he was.

“Alright, I’m good. Feels weird asking this… but where is the body?”

“We have it in an old forensic lab I used when there was an outbreak of a virus about three hundred years ago. We’ve turned it into a lab where we can do an autopsy and use the magical devices down the to determine the cause of death.”

“Where was the body found?” Crimson looked around and sat his eyes on a stack of parchment and a pen and quill. “Uh, mind if I…?”

“Go ahead.” He nodded and gestured for her to continue on as he began to jot down everything so far. “Applejack found the body in her orchard on her farm.”

“If she found it, how did she let you know? How do you know nopony else saw the body while she was coming here to tell you?”

“She sent a letter via magic. She wrote the letter immediately and had Spike –Twilight’s assistant- deliver it. Don’t worry; he didn’t see what was written on it. I immediately got out there and found her next to it, scared out of her mind. I was too, even though I’ve had to do this before.”

“And you’re sure nopony else saw it?”

“Certain. It was in the evening and the rest of her family was asleep. She’ll be able to give you the details.”

“Is she available?” Crimson finished writing down everything so far, as well as making a note to speak to Applejack and examine the crime scene.

“Yes, she’s on her farm. Actually, she got over it fairly quickly and insisted she be return to her farm.”

“Hmm… I’ll have to talk to her. In the meantime, how did you get the body back here without alerting anypony?”

“I simply teleported it here. The scene is perfectly preserved and I had Applejack keep anypony away from it until you’ve examined it.”

“Good, I’ll speak to Applejack while I’m looking it over. I’m going to need to see the body when I get back, of course.”

“I understand. Also, while you are there, make sure Applejack isn’t showing any signs of trauma. As tough as she is, nopony can see that and just walk away. She’s a good friend of Twilight’s and that makes her as close to me as Twilight is.”

“I’ll do my best. Oh, also… Who is going to be taking care of the body?”

“I’ve already sent a letter to Twilight and told her to meet me here at dusk. I’m going to tell her and Luna at the same time. After that, if she is up for it, I’m going to have her take care of everything. She’s a genius in her own right and if anybody can figure out what happened, she can.”

“Yes, I remember seeing her studying in the library. I suppose I’ll finally get a chance to meet her, instead of just hearing of her accomplishments from you. Sorry, I’m stalling. I’ll return after I’ve taken care of my investigation.”

“That’s good to hear. I knew you’d be willing to do this for me.”

“Yeah, for you…” he mumbled to himself as he stepped out of the room. In all honesty, he wished nothing more than to not be involved with this at all. But there was a part of him, one that had been with him ever since his first investigation, that made him wonder what happened and why. He couldn’t sleep at night without wondering about that piece of evidence, or how what the witness said didn’t add up. His mind was a calculator, adding up everything and spitting out every possible outcome. In the end, finding out what happened was a big jigsaw puzzle to him, and he couldn’t rest until it was complete and he could see what the puzzle made.

As he made his way down the hall, he could hear the sounds of music from somewhere in the castle. He instantly recognized it as the music of Octavia, a mare that had been hired on a number of occasions by the Princesses to play her music. He couldn’t blame them either; she had a tone about her music that one just can’t put a hoof on. He was sure that even the most practiced violinist could never quite capture her skill.

He slowed his pace and neared the room from which the glorious sound was emanating. Through a crack in the door, he could clearly see her in her designated room –in which she practiced before playing for the Princesses- standing next to a music stand. He was a bit ashamed to say it, but he had a crush on the mare. Ever since the day he first laid his eyes upon her, about two years prior. That was the first day she was hired to do a private session for the Princesses after he brought an end to a case. Even through all the gems and money he was rewarded, being allowed to see the beauty that was her was more than reward enough for him.

He knew how strange it sounded. It was little more than a schoolyard crush to others, even sounded that way. Actually, it was more like a terrible love story gone wrong. Maybe it was because he had never had time, or hadn’t given himself a chance, to experience love. As laid back as he was, he simply never had time to try and seek it out. Besides, he didn’t really believe in it. No, that’s not true. He just didn’t believe he was capable of receiving or giving it.

He gasped as he noticed that she was staring right at him with shock in her eyes. It definitely did not look good from her end. There she was practicing, thinking she had some privacy. Then she turns and sees a stallion practically drooling over her from the hall. He mentally kicked himself and slowly opened the door.

“Uh… Sorry about that. I was just leaving and I heard you playing.” Usually, he was the one that wrote the book on staying calm and collected. He could be staring an angry Princess that was ready to banish him and stay calmer than anypony in Equestria. But right at the moment, his heart was racing and he was struggling to try and think of something to say. He hated himself for letting a silly crush go so far as to kill his usual personality.

“That doesn’t make it… Hey, you’re that detective guy. Yeah, I remember you from my first gig here. It’s my understanding that I owe my thanks for getting this job to you for solving that case.” Octavia smiled and sat her violin against the wall, allowing herself to land on all four hooves. “I’ve never had the chance to properly thank you, seeing as you always seem to hurry away when I’m around.”

“Oh, uh… yeah, I’m always busy. There’s really no need to thank me, just doing my job. That sounded more official than it should of, huh?” He gave a half smile and tried to pass himself off as just a normal pony. Actually, he did that normally. He hated being idolized for his skills and would rather be treated like anypony else would be.

“You can relax. If you can handle being around the Princesses as much as you are, surely I’m but a lowly music mare.”

“Sure. I mean, no. You’re not just a common music mare. But yes, perhaps I should relax.”

“Please, come in. I owe you some thanks for inadvertently setting me up with this job, so I’ll pay you back with a number I’ve been working on. It’s the least I can do.” Inside, he was jumping with joy like a small colt that had just received his cutie mark. But on the outside, he somehow managed to maintain his cool.

“Thank you, but I really have to be somewhe-“

“Nonsense,” she said while pulling him inside and shutting the door. “It won’t take long, I promise.”

“Well, if you insist…” He smiled and took a seat on the bed, allowing her to return to her violin. Within moments, the room was filled with sweet music, calming his mind, his body, even his soul. He could feel the stress leaving his shoulders. Not just from finding out about the murder, but from everything his life had thrown at him up to this point. Not knowing his past, the cases, living alone, everything. After two minutes, he found himself laying down on the bed just relaxing to the beautiful music. He’d listened in on a lot of her sessions for the Princesses, but knowing that this was for him made his all the more better. After what seemed like hours of the most peaceful time of his life, he began to hear the music die down.

“So, how did you like it? Definitely nowhere near enough compensation for this job, but it’s a start is it not?”

“It was beautiful. I’d love to hear another if I had the time, but… Well, I sadly must be going.”

“I understand. Hey, if you’re back in the castle, come by. I’ll be here for the rest of the week.”

“I’ll do that,” he calmly said while smiling. Actually, that little colt inside of him stopped jumping and was now doing back flips in happiness. Needless to say, he was almost certain he would start doing flips soon as well. “Tell you what; I’ll be back later tonight. I’ll stop in then, if that’s alright with you.”

“I’d love for you to,” she replied. As he began to exit the room, she stopped him. “I, uh… Never got your name. I’m sure I’ve heard it somewhere, but you know…”

“It’s alright. I go by Crimson Moon.” He gestured to his cutie mark. “It’s not my real name, but I don’t even know that. Some people also call me Gazer, but that’s mostly people who knew me before Celestia named me Crimson.”

“Alright, Crimson,” she whispered, placing a hoof on his shoulder,” it’s a date.”

“I, uh… I’ll be back later then.” He quickly exited the room and shut the door behind him. With a sigh, he made sure his heart wasn’t about to burst through his chest. Even though he was almost about to pass out from happiness, he was completely sure he had heard her say date. And while he knew it was completely different from the date he was thinking about, it was something. If he can at least manage to hear more of the beautiful music she played, it would be perfect.

But for now, he had a job to do. Now all he had to do was get to Ponyville and examine first hand a murder scene. How lucky he was.

“We’re her-“

“Don’t worry, I’m awake this time.”

“Oh, surprise.”

“Anyways, thanks for the ride. Are you going to wait here, or…?”

“Come and get me at the store called Sugarcube Corner. The baker there makes some of the best cupcakes I’ve ever tasted. I always go there when I’m off duty.”

“You know, you’re not technically off duty.”

“Until you need a ride, I am,” the guard retorted as he walked off towards the town. Most ponies just assumed that they were cold and uncaring, but in fact they were just like everypony else. On duty, sure, an earthquake wouldn’t even make them flinch. But off duty, he had met a few that were some of the funniest ponies around.

Laughing to himself, he made his way into the property of the Apple family. Now that he thought about it, he had heard of some strange things that had happened on this farm. Tales passed on from Twilight to Celestia, who passed it on to Luna and to him. He wasn’t part of their family, but he was sure that Luna considered him a part of it. Anytime he ever needed help, Luna was there just like Celestia was for Twilight. He still wasn’t sure if she saw something in him, or she just felt sorry for him.

“Are you from Canterlot?” He quickly snapped his head to the right to see where the voice had come from. His eyes immediately connected with an orange pony with a blonde mane wearing a cowpony hat.

“Yes, I’m looking for Applejack.”

“Speaking. You here about the, uh…”

“Yes. If you could please lead the way, I promise not to be long.”

“Sure, it’s this way,” Applejack dreadfully said, obviously a bit taken by the events. Still, she did seemed almost calm considering. And as much as he hated to do so, given she was one of Twilight’s friend; he had to be a bit suspicious of that.

“Do you mind if I ask some questions?”

“No, go right on ahead.”

“Okay. But first, I need you to know that I can’t be biased at all, so I’m going to have to assume the worst of everypony. I mean no offense if I impose, or if I seem to be pointing a hoof. Now, where exactly where you the night of the, uh… murder.”

“I was tucking my lil’ sis into bed when I heard a noise in the orchard. Naturally, I came out here to check it out. When I got here… let’s just say it wasn’t no critter messing with the trees.” Crimson nodded and pulled a blank piece of parchment from his saddlebag. Within mere seconds he had what she said written down.

“What did you do when you discovered the body?”

“Well, at first I thought maybe a timber wolf got hold of one of the forest critters. But when I saw it was a pony… I wanted to immediately run and tell Twilight; she’d know what to do. But luckily, I managed to keep calm and send a letter to Celestia immediately.”

“While you were sending that letter, did anypony else have access to the body?”

“No, it’s in the middle of the orchard. Nopony ever comes in without our permission and everypony has enough respect to not do so. Especially at night.” Applejack stopped walking and pointed to a nearby tree. “It’s back around there. I’m sorry; I can’t look at that again.”

“I understand. If you need to, you may go back to your home. I’ll meet you there and I’ll ask the rest of my questions.”

“I’ll do that,” Applejack replied, almost happily walking away. He wasn’t sure if she was afraid to be back because it was traumatizing, or something else… Either way, it was just another piece to the puzzle. He took a deep breath and stepped into a small clearing where, sure enough, there was a murder scene. Blood staining the grass, scuffed grass indicating a struggle, the whole nine yards.

“Sweet Luna, this isn’t pleasant…” He began to examine over everything, making mental images. Luckily he didn’t have to try very hard to remember them; he was sure they would haunt his memory. Almost everything indicated a major struggle and while he wasn’t an expert at this, he had covered some of the basics by reading reports from old murders.

He quickly pulled a vial from his bag and collected a sample of the blood. If Twilight was indeed going to be in charge of the lab, he was sure she could make use of it. As soon as he packed it into his bag, he looked up and stopped as he spotted a strange mark on a tree. Nearing it, he was certain it had been cut with a very sharp object. Even better, it looked fairly fresh. If his assumption was to be correct, he was sure this was from the murder weapon.

The length of the cut as well as the width and depth indicated a small blade, possible a kitchen knife. Since there was no blood in the cut, he could only assume that the victim had dodged the slice and tried to run away before they were caught. Looking back to the crime scene, he couldn’t possible imagine the terror the victim went through. Just trying to run away, that sense of dread as they were caught. The pain as they were cut and murdered. The only hope he still held onto was that it was quick and painless for the poor victim.

For five more minutes he examined over the blood stains, the scuffed grass, and the area surrounding the clearing and even hoof traffic. Unfortunately, the ground seemed to be dry around the time of the murder, so the indentions of the hooves were essentially invisible. Plus, being a regularly traveled orchard, it would be impossible to tell to whom the prints belonged to. Seeing all he needed to see, he took one last mental picture of the crime scene and made his way towards the Apple Family barn.

As he neared the barn, he was greeted by Applejack who was waiting by the side of the barn. She seemed to have calmed down a bit, but still seemed to be a bit shaken by the whole ordeal. He tried to read her, but she actually seemed overly traumatized. He began to hope she wasn’t in a state of shock. Or that she wasn’t a real good liar.

“Are you done with it?”

“Yes, I saw and collected everything I need. Just keep everypony away for a tiny bit longer until I send somepony out to clean it up. Now, I had a couple more questions…”

“Please, ask anything you need.”

“Thank you,” he said before clearing his throat and taking out his notes from earlier. “Do you know why anypony would be in your orchard at night?”

“I honestly have no idea. Like I said earlier, ponies respect enough to stay away from here. But I hadn’t seen her before so I can assume she was from out of town.”

“What about the murderer? Did you see anything suspicious while you were heading to the scene of the crime?”

“No, far as I can tell. Nothing looked out of place, for an orchard anyways.”

“Okay, I think that is all I need to know at the moment. But I’m probably going to be back if I need to follow up on anything and I need you to inform me of anything that comes up. Can you do that for me?”

“Yes, I’ll alert you if I see anything.”

“Oh, and if you would allow me to, I’d like to recommend you go to the hospital for psychiatric help. It’s no easy thing seeing something like that and it can cause trauma.”

“What about the farm? I mean, Big Mac could probably handle the orchard… But what about-“

“Don’t worry too much about it, alright? I’m told you’re a friend of Twilight’s; a good friend in fact. I’m an apprentice of sorts to Celestia, and although I’ve never met Twilight in person, I can say I’m close to her in a way. And that means I look out for her and friends.”

“Alright, I trust you. I’ll go get myself taken care of.”

“That’s good to hear.” He smiled at Applejack and began to head towards town. Today definitely took a quick turn from the usual. He couldn’t help but wonder where yesterday went as he headed towards Sugarcube Corner. He also had a thousand questions on his mind, all pertaining to the murder. Who would have the audacity or anger to kill another pony? Not even the Changelings were that evil. More importantly, what was the motive? Why a simple pony from out of town? Was there more the victim than what meets the eye? Perhaps the most important question however… Why did he feel he’d lived this before?

Chapter 2: Gathering a Team

Chapter 2 – Gathering a Team

Eight hooves are better than four

“I want to thank you all for coming. Twilight, Luna, Crimson…” All three nodded to her, although Crimson was the only one who knew how dire the meeting was. Celestia sighed and nodded to Crimson. With a nod back, Crimson stood and began to pace around the room.

“I’m afraid there is no easy way to say this, but I’m better at breaking news and not feeling bad about it than Celestia, no offense. So I volunteered to tell you all and I’m willing to answer any questions.”

“What is it, Crimson?” Luna asked, generally interested in something so big that Crimson had to take the weight off of her sister’s shoulders.

“I’ll be frank, there’s been a murder.” Immediately, both Luna and Twilight gasped in extreme shock. Luna hadn’t been around for a thousand years, so she wasn’t very experienced with them. And Twilight had never been involved with one.

“A… murder?! By the beard of Starswirl…” Luna whispered as she looked down at the floor.

“Celestia, is this true?” Twilight asked, giving a pleading look at Celestia.

“I’m afraid so, Twilight. Crimson here is the lead detective on the case and he’s good at what he does,” Celestia reassured while Crimson nodded to Twilight.

“Your friend Applejack was the one that discovered the body.”

“Please tell me she’s alright…”

“Yes, Twilight. I convinced her to go to the hospital and get a bit of psychiatric help in case she was suffering any trauma. Given how easily she calmed to such a terrible matter, I could only assume she was going through shock. That, or…”

“Applejack would never do anything this evil!” Twilight snapped, standing from her chair.

“Twilight!”

Crimson turned to Celestia and said, “No, Celestia, it’s alright. Twilight, you must understand how delicate this situation is. I can’t play favorites, which unfortunately is what I already did by telling her to get help. I’m sure she’s a stand up mare, but I must assume the worst of everypony.  Especially in a matter this important.”

“Just trust me when I say she would never do anything like that. Ask her yourself, she’ll tell you the truth. She is the Element of Honesty after all.”

“Oh, so she’s one of the Elements of Harmony? As important as that is, I’m afraid it doesn’t garner anything from me. I’ve got a job to do and I don’t care if a Princess is to blame. I’ll find who the killer is… and I’ll let them know I’m the one who found them.” Twilight and Crimson stared at each other, a tension in between the two. Crimson definitely didn’t see their first meeting going like this, but he knew she was forgiving.

“Okay, I understand. But please just trust my word that Applejack had nothing to do with it.” Her request was responded with a sigh and Crimson turning towards Luna.

“Luna, could I please speak to you outside?”

“Crimson, I don’t really think now is the time-“

“Please, it’s important.” He turned back to Celestia. “Celestia, if you don’t mind, I’m going to speak to Luna while you explain everything to Twilight.”

“Of course, Crimson.” Crimson gestured towards the door after looking at Luna. After getting a nod from Celestia, she stood and followed Crimson to the balcony.

“What is it that you can tell me but can’t tell my sister or Twilight?”

“This isn’t related to the case…”

“What do you mean, Crimson?”

“Remember when you first took me in as your protégé? And you promised to never enter my dreams?”

“Crimson, I never have nor never wi-“

“I want you to break that promise.” Crimson stared with a straight face at Luna, pleading motionlessly and expressionlessly for assistance.

“Crimson, I’ve known you for ten years. You’ve never asked for anything like this. Is… is something wrong?” Crimson sighed as he remembered the dreams that had been haunting him for so long. Ever since the first time he realized they were connected, he thought of asking Luna for help. He’d essentially known her since she was released from the moon eleven years previous. But somewhere in that hope was fear. Until the most recent dream, he was afraid to know what the dreams meant.

“For months now I’ve been having dreams… I know they’re all intertwined. I also know they hold answers to who I am… But when I wake up, everything goes fuzzy. I’ve tried to write them down before they are gone, but I never fully succeed. I’m asking for help… not as a friend or even your protégé, but as a lost soul.”

“You know I don’t like entering the dreams of ponies I know… Even if they do ask me.”

“I know I’m asking a lot of you, but surely you understand how important this is to me. I… I could know who I was, who my parents were. I may even figure out what exactly happened to me to make me lose my memory. Don’t I deserve the right to know any of this?”

“Crimson, I…” Luna whispered, sighing afterwards. “I can’t promise you won’t like what I tell you.”

“Maybe I won’t… but I at least need to know.”

“When you go to sleep tonight… You may feel you aren’t alone. I’ll be there, watching… Taking note of everything.”

“Thank you, Luna. Now, I believe we have a nightmare that is happening right now to step back into.”

“Oh, double fun…” The two opened the door to the balcony and stepped in to find Celestia standing before Twilight.

“Twilight, are you sure you can do this?”

“Yes, Princess. I’ll take care of forensics and help Crimson in any way I can… Even against my friends.”

“I’m sorry to have to ask this of you… So sorry…” Celestia leaned down and hugged Twilight, before turning back to Crimson. “Twilight has agreed to help you in whatever you need, even if you believe one of her friends or even one of us has done it. We all understand how serious a matter this is and I have granted you jurisdiction even above both me and Luna. Crimson, you are the first pony in the history of Equestria to ever have more power than all the Princesses combined… and it’s because I know you will find out what happened.” Crimson looked between the nodding heads of Luna, Celestia, and Twilight, unsure as to how exactly he should react.

“Wh-what about the other detectives from the previous murders?”

“It was always me that handled those… but I know that you’ll do better than I ever could,” Celestia explained.

“I don’t know what to say…”

“You don’t have to say anything. Just find who did this… I know you never cared about the money from these jobs… so I’m going to offer you something greater. If you find out who did this, I’ll put every single one of my resources towards finding your parents. Not only that, but we’ll give you anything you ever wanted and ever will want.”

“Actually…” he quickly responded, looking at Luna. He stopped as he was greeted with the sight of her slowly shaking her head. “That sounds great. Thank you, Celestia.”

“Crimson, could you do me a favor and go get Octavia? I’m going to show Twilight to the forensics lab and I’d like to have some relaxing music to return to.”

“Of course, Celestia.” Crimson said his farewells to the Princesses and departed for Octavia’s room. As happy as he was to get another chance to see Octavia, his mind was filled with questions. And for the first time, not just related to the investigation either. Questions on what he would dream, what questions those would answer and what questions the answers would bring. He knew as well as anypony that each answer brought at least two more questions.

“Are you just going to stand there or come in?” asked Octavia, who was standing in her door waiting for Crimson to finish zoning out.

“Oh, sorry. I’ve got a lot on my mind. The Princesses are ready for you in the gardens.”

“Will you be there?”

“Sorry, but I’ve got somewhere to be. It’s very urgent, or else I’d happily attend,” he said with a smile.

“Oh, alright… but if you get time, stop by after and I’ll give you an encore.”

“I’ll be sure to,” Crimson responded as he began to walk down the hallway. He had never even been aware of there being a lab of any kind, so no doubt he was completely unaware as to where this lab was. Right now, all he wanted to do was take a quick walk in the garden and think about the events of the day.

So many things flooded his mind. Questions, worries, doubts, everything one could think about in such a situation. He wondered if maybe Celestia would mind him joining in on the listening in the garden, but he knew the urgency of finding any forensic evidence. Plus, it had just occurred to him that he was not once informed on whether it was a mare or a stallion that was killed. He didn’t really want to see a body that was the product of the murder scene he saw, but he was also curious about it. He hated that curious part of himself sometimes.

“Hey, Crimson!” Crimson stopped and looked around, trying to see where the voice of Luna had just come from. “Up here!” He looked up to see her flying down from the balcony. Upon landing she neared him. “Do you want me to show you to the lab? Tia told me where to find it.”

“I understand. And yes, I was just about to ask how to get there.”

“Okay, come with-“

“Hello, Princess Luna.” Crimson and Luna both looked to the left as Octavia neared them. “I just need a moment to set up, if you don’t mind.”

“No, not at all. Celestia is showing Twilight somewhere. She’ll be here soon and then you can start whenever you wish. And thank you for showing up on such short notice. We recently got some… bad news, and Celestia and I both can relax to your music. I’m starting to wonder if we should just book you a permanent room…”

“That would be nice, but completely unnecessary. I’m happy to travel from anywhere in Equestria to play my music for the Princesses. Will it be just you two tonight?”

“Yes, unless Celestia has another change of plans.”

“Princess, sorry to interrupt your conversation, but…” Crimson interrupted, clearly a bit impatient. While he still wanted to listen to the music genius of Octavia, his curiosity had changed him back to the un-relentless detective he was known as being.

“Oh, of course. Sorry, Octavia but I really must escort Crimson somewhere. Now that I think of it, I don’t think you two have ever met.”

“Oh… We have,” Octavia said while glancing towards Crimson.

“Oh? Well, you two should do something sometime. Seeing you two together, you look so cute!”

“Luna!” Crimson exclaimed, stepping away from Octavia.

“What? You do,” Luna snickered. “You’ll have to excuse him; he was always a bit shy off the job. Especially around mares he has an interest in…”

“H-hey!” Crimson could feel behind his ears begin to heat up and he was sure his face was redder than his cutie mark as Octavia started laughing.

“So that’s why you never introduced yourself to me before…”

“No, that’s not it at all! I mean, it is, but it’s not! Luna!” He frowned as both Octavia and Luna started laughing at him. He wanted nothing but to literally sink into the ground and creep away back to his house. He never thought it possible, but Luna had just done the worst thing a mother could ever do. And she wasn’t even his mother!

“Relax, we’re just having a little fun,” Luna giggled. For somepony that was just informed of something horrible, she was amazingly relaxed. He guessed she was just used to acting as usual in the presence of others. “Come on, I’ll show you where you’re going.” Crimson happily obliged and followed Luna, looking back to Octavia as they walked away.

“See you later, Crimson.” Once they were out of earshot of Octavia, Crimson stepped in front of Luna and glared at her.

“Was that really called for?”

“Was what called for?”

“Back there, with Octavia. You completely embarrassed me,” Crimson angrily snapped. He had never once lost his temper with Luna, but he was stressed with the day and he supposed he had just snapped under it all.

“Just making conversation, Crimson. It shouldn’t mean anything to you, unless… oh, my… You don’t… do you?” Crimson just continued to glare at Luna, taking deep breaths to try and calm himself. “You do, don’t you?”

“Fine, yes, I do. I’m twenty-eight and I’m finally in love. Sure, she probably doesn’t care anything for me in any romantic way, but I do. I know I have no right to be mad; there’s no way you could have known…”

“I’m sorry, alright? If I would have known, I would have been quiet. I guess I’m just used to teasing like that. I used to do it to Tia sometimes… so I’m sorry, okay? But… why didn’t you tell me? I could have arranged for you two to meet.”

“That’s exactly what I didn’t want. Like you said, I get shy around any mares I like. Speaking of which, how did you know that anyways? I’ve never shown any hints to support that before.”

“I… before I made that promise to you, to not invade your dreams… back when I didn’t trust you fully… I entered one of your dreams to make sure you weren’t a spy.”

“You what?!”

“I already said this was before I promised that to you! It was on the night before you got your cutie mark. I went into one of your dreams… In there, I saw you with a mare. You two were happy, but you couldn’t stop mumbling. You seemed incredibly shy, which I knew was uncharacteristic of you. But it was only around that mare.”

“Wait, about how old was I? Do you have any idea?”

“I don’t know, maybe around twelve or thirteen?”

“I don’t remember that at all…”

“Do you think…?”

“Yes, I think you saw something from before I lost my memory. Why… why did you never tell me?”

“I still didn’t entirely trust you. And when I finally did, I made the promise to never enter your dreams. I didn’t want you to know I ever did.”

“I could have been looking for that mare instead of living in seclusion in my house. She could have known something about me… and you never told me?”

“Crimson, I’m sorry…”

“How do I know that’s the only time?”

“I swear, I never did it after I promised. I still feel guilty about ever doing it in the first place… You don’t have to believe me if you don’t want to. And I’d understand if you don’t want me to enter your dreams tonight either.”

“No, I still want you to. I’m not mad, just… well, a little upset. You know how much it hurts me to not know who I am. You knew information but never told me…”

“I said I’m sorry.”

“Just forget it; she’s probably long gone…” The two stared at the moonlit ground, neither looking at the other. Luna, for being ashamed of never telling Crimson of her dream invasion. And Crimson for getting angry.

“Come on, I have a crime to solve,” Crimson happily said with a smile. He was actually far from happy, but he didn’t want Luna to know that. She was more of a mother than anypony had ever been and indeed a better friend than anypony had ever been. He understood why she did what she did and he was sure he would have done the same in her hooves. Still, now that he knew he once liked another mare, he couldn’t help but wonder who she was. Maybe after this was all over, he would look her up. That is, if Octavia turned him down…

The two silently walked towards Luna’s chambers, which puzzled Crimson. Luna was still locked away on the moon during the aforementioned virus outbreak, so why would it be in her room? Then he remembered that this wasn’t her original room, as the two had originally shared Celestia’s room. He had never seen what it had been before Luna moved in, since he had never been in the castle before. At least as far as he knew.

As Luna revealed a false wall behind a bookshelf, which in turn lead to a very large staircase, he couldn’t help but remember the day he had met Luna. It was only about six months after she had returned from the moon. After he had been caught by the guards while sneaking around trying the find the thief who had stolen from him, they had brought him to her. Due to him being found sneaking around, she immediately didn’t trust him. And no doubt she would have had him locked away had Celestia not heard and intruded. After that, it wasn’t until his second mission –the night he got his cutie mark- that she began to trust him.

After that, she immediately warmed up to him and began to teach him magic and how to properly act. He did know that before he met Luna, he wasn’t as verbal as he was now. Soon, the two were as close as Twilight was to Celestia.

“I’m going to have to see if Twilight still remembers that spell that gives ponies wings… This descent would be much easier if you could just float to the bottom,” Luna complained, flapping her wings. She of course was talking about him.

“Hey, not all of us can go all Alicorn like Twilight did.”

“Well, you don’t want to be a Princess, do you?”

“No thank you. Although I will admit, having wings would be useful.” The two stopped and caught their breath as they looked down the remaining steps. The descent was in a circular formation with a hole in the middle in which they could see the floor about seven flights down.

“If I had to choose, I’d take my horn. Flying is nice and all, but I use my magic far too often to give it up.”

“I hear you; I’d be lost without it. Oh, by the way… I always wondered why Twilight doesn’t have her wings anymore. I heard Celestia mention a spell or something back a long while ago, but I never really questioned it until I saw her back in Celestia’s room.”

“She didn’t like being different from her friends. She was happy with the whole Princess thing, but couldn’t get used to having both wings and a horn. So she had Celestia use a spell to make her look like she used to while retaining being a Princess. After all, wings and a horn don’t make a Princess…”

“I see. So, why do you gain wings and a horn when you become a Princess?”

“Crimson, its best you didn’t ask that. I don’t even think I can explain it… just do what I do and see it as a… perk.”

“Fair enough, I suppose,” Crimson responded. They still had about three flights left, but Celestia met up with them rather fast due to flying upwards.

“Oh, you two finally made it!”

“Well, we would have made it faster if it weren’t for the never ending staircase…” Crimson complained.  “How did you ever even get bodies down here during the virus outbreak?”

“There used to be another entrance in the town that we sealed off and covered with Joe’s donut shop. Well, his great grandfather Joe anyways…”

“Wow, what a boring family line.”

“Tia,” Luna interrupted, “I’m going to head back up. Can you show Crimson to the lab and I’ll go help Octavia?”

“Oh, sure. I understand if you don’t want to go down there. The body isn’t exactly a pleasant sight…” Luna nodded and flew back up the staircase. Celestia looked at Crimson and gestured for him to head down the stairs before she flew back down. He quickly descended the rest of the steps and stood next to Celestia.

“How’d Twilight react?”

“Exactly as I expected… she was terrified at first, but after she got used to it, her willingness to learn took over. Almost immediately, she began to examine everything about the body. I don’t see how she does it… I’ve seen a few murders but I’m still not used to it,” Celestia explained.

“Oh, I understand.” Celestia stopped in front of a door and turned to Crimson.

“Here it is. You’ll understand if I don’t go back in.”

“Of course.”

“I’m going to join my sister in the gardens. Please, feel free to join us if you and Twilight finish up before it’s over.”

“It’d be my pleasure, Celestia.” Both nodded to one another as Celestia made her way back down the hall. Crimson sighed and slowly entered the room, bracing himself to see the body.

Chapter 3: The Chase Begins

Chapter 3 – The Chase Begins

Sometimes, chases aren't about running

“Ah, hello, Crimson! Glad to see you made it,” Twilight happily said. To no surprise, he found Twilight to be wearing a lab coat and rubber gloves to keep her from having to actually touching the body.

“You seem a bit too happy.”

“Well, it’s not every day you get to examine a murder victim! Sure, it’s disgusting and horrible. But it’s also intriguing!”

“Glad to see you aren’t squeamish, I guess.”

“I am. But somepony has to do it and the Princess trusts me.”

“I see… Anyways, enough small talk. What do we know about the victim?”

“Come on over here and I’ll show you,” Twilight commanded as she made her way to a table behind a curtain. Reluctantly, Crimson followed. The sight behind the curtain was exactly what he expected… well, besides it being a mare. He for some reason imagined a stallion. But she did in fact look like a murder victim.

“Oh, that’s pleasant. Poor thing…” Even though he was repulsed, he could understand what Twilight meant. While he wanted to do nothing but run away and he was sure he was forever scarred, he was also intrigued and couldn’t look away.

“I know, right?”

“It’s frightening… but so amazing.”

“That’s exactly what I said. But down to business, shall we?”

“Just about to say that.” Twilight turned around and began to levitate some papers, probably notes she had written. Obviously, she worked quite fast.

“Okay, I can tell you that it’s a female.”

“Well, that much I do know. What about her, though. Do we know who she is?”

“Sorry, no idea. We have no way of confirming who she is. I’m afraid you’ll have to ask around and see if anypony saw her.”

“What about a cause of death?”

“Besides blood loss from multiple lacerations?”

“If there was something else, then yes.”

“Here, look at this,” she said while pointing a light at the body. “See here?” she asked as she pointed a hoof at her throat.

“Bruising?”

“You got it. I can only assume she was strangled, but I don’t think that was the cause of death.”

“Can you tell if this was before or after he carved her like an apple pie?”

“Terrible analogy, but yes. Uh… this next part might be a bit touchy.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, she was raped.”

“Oh sweet Celestia… this is worse than I thought. How can you tell?”

“Uh… Well, I was able to recover some semen from her… vagina.”

“First of all, ew… second, can this help us at all?”

“No, not really.”

“How do we know she didn’t have consensual sex shortly before her death?”

“Because I also found small tears on and in her vagina. She was probably trying to struggle and the movement caused some tearing.”

“Once again, how do we know it wasn’t consensual and her partner was just very well endowed?”

“Even if he was, it still wouldn’t cause any damage like this. Oh, I also found this.” She pointed to a wound on the chest of the body which was almost circular.

“What’s that? A bite mark?”

“Precisely. Now, unless her very well endowed partner was also into biting hard enough to draw blood, I don’t think this was consensual.”

“Is there any more evidence supporting this? I have to be completely sure, you understand.”

“That’s where the strangle marks come in. Since it had time to bruise, it looks like it happened shortly before her murder. If it was indeed rape, no doubt she tried to scream for help. And if she did, her assailant probably wasn’t happy about that and did whatever he could to keep her quiet. Oh, and I did recover a few skin cells from her teeth that didn’t belong to her either.”

“So he bit and she bit back? This is either some kinky sex gone wrong or…” He stopped when he saw Twilight was staring at him. “Yeah, I’ll shut up now.”

“Look, I’m sure she was raped. Not that it will really matter when we catch this guy, since he’ll still face banishment… or worse… but at least we know we’re looking for a stallion now.”

“That really narrows it down…”

“Hey, it’s a start isn’t it?”

“True. Now, what about these wounds? Can you tell what made them?”

“I can tell you it was something sharp,” she sarcastically retorted. She looked back down to the body and started to point at the wounds upon seeing his stare of disapproval. “I did an analysis on the biggest wound, which I assume was the finishing blow.” Twilight stepped back and levitated the body onto its stomach, showing the back. “See this wound here?” she asked while pointing at a fairly large and deep looking wound on the left side of her upper back.

“Yes, what’s different about it?”

“It’s a stab wound. The others are simple slices.”

“How can you tell?”

“The length. See all the others? They are longer but not as deep. The only one that is the same size is nowhere near as deep.”

“Good eye.”

“Thank you. But that’s not all. I gathered some measurements from the wound, mathematical stuff that you probably don’t care for. But I’m going to stay here and compare them to some blades I’ve asked Celestia to get for me. By tomorrow, hopefully I’ll have identified the murder weapon.”

“That’s amazing! How do you know so much about all of this?”

“I read some of the reports from the older murders.”

“What a coincidence, I did too.”

“Guess we’re not too different after all, huh? Anyways, it was just a matter of having good perception and putting scientific curiosity above everything else. Still could have gone without looking in her… you know.”

“Hey, at least it paid off. Don’t worry; I’m not even going to ask what made you look there in the first place. To each their own, right?”

“Are… are you implying me to be a fillyfooler?”

“What?! No, no! I… no! I just said that wrong; forget I said anything.”

“Don’t worry; I’m just messing with you.”

“Oh… okay. Well, unless you have anything else to tell me, I’m going to be going.”

“No, that’s all I found in the short time I had to examine her.”

“At least you got something for me to go off of. Hey, don’t forget to get some sleep. Finding out as much as we need may be important, but Celestia wouldn’t be very happy if I let you pass out from sleep deprivation down here.”

“Don’t worry; I don’t plan on staying here the whole night.”

“Alright. Also… I’d refrain from any zompony stories while down here.”

“Seconded…” The two shared in laughter as Crimson made his way to the door.

“Uh… you wouldn’t happen to know a spell that will give me wings, would you? That flight of stairs is terrible…”

“No wings, but I can flip gravity for you,” Twilight said as she followed him to the staircase. “Stand in the middle.”

“Uh, if you reverse gravity, won’t I hit the ground…? Er, roof really, really hard?”

“Don’t worry, I already thought of that and set up a special force field that essentially stops gravity at the top of the stairs. You’ll fall into it and be able to step onto the platform.”

“That’s… amazing. I can see why Celestia speaks so highly of you.”

“She does? I mean… I’ll turn gravity back to normal when you’re safe on the platform. Happy falling!” Before Crimson could even respond, he could feel himself floating, or rather falling upwards. To him, it seemed the entire world had just flipped upside down. When he looked up he saw Twilight standing upside down on the ceiling. He couldn’t help but flinch as he neared the floor, but sure enough, he simply stopped falling shortly before landing. Gladly, he stepped above the platform. As soon as he did, the world flipped back over and he landed safely on the floor.

“Thank you!” he yelled down. Faintly, he heard her tell him he’s welcome. He looked forward to getting some sleep, but even more, he looked forward to hearing some of Octavia’s music. After closing back the secret entrance, he began to make his way to the garden. As he walked, he began to imagine going through what that poor mare went through. The terror of being raped and escaping into the nearest shelter - an apple orchard, only to be chased down and killed. As he thought of it, put himself in her hooves, he felt angry. Angry that anypony could ever do this to another. Angry that an innocent mare lost her life. Angry that the killer was still walking around.

Anger slowly turned to dedication to find whoever was responsible for causing such pain to an innocent mare and cutting a life short. Quite literally.  But as he entered out into the garden and heard Octavia’s beautiful music, he was able to forget it all if only for a short while. He recognized the song as the one she had played for him in her room. If he was correct, it was about to end.

Sure enough, the song quickly came to an end and Octavia took a bow. It most definitely wasn’t a crowd like you’d expect in a theater in Manehatten, but it was still equally as important. Not everypony was able to play privately for the Princesses… and Crimson couldn’t help but think that Octavia may have never gotten the job if he wouldn’t have solved that case two years ago. He stopped smiling as Luna and Celestia both neared him.

“How long have you been here?” Luna asked.

“Just got here. I’ll be heading home shortly. Twilight found something that might help the case a bit, but I’ll save it for tomorrow after she’s determined the murder weapon.”

“That’s fine, Crimson. Luna, I’m going to retire for the night. It’s been a long day…”

“Of course, big sister.”

“Hey, Luna…” Crimson lightly said, his voice calm, but somewhat sad. “I don’t know what you’re going to see tonight... but I need you to promise me… whatever it is, good or bad… you’ll tell me. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t trust you completely.”

“Of course, Crimson.”

“And… I’m sorry. About earlier, about having you do this… I know you have moral objections against entering the dreams of ponies you know…”

“It’s alright, Crimson. As long as I know you trust me…”

“I do.”

“Then I’ll see you tonight…” Luna hugged Crimson and walked away, looking back at him with sadness. Not for her, but for him. She couldn’t imagine not knowing who she was. Couldn’t imagine having dreams of herself and not knowing what they are. And plus the fact that everything is else is piling up on the one pony she loved as much as her sister… a lesser pony would have given up by then. She knew he was strong. As she watched him happily walk towards Octavia, she couldn’t help but see that mare she saw from his dreams ten years previous.

A beautiful mare, his true love. In the dream, she was perfect. The two were made for each other. She was almost glad he didn’t remember her, for she knew he would be heartbroken to know he no longer had her. But as he hugged Octavia, even if it was more a friendly hug than anything, she hoped he would find that same happiness.

She sighed as she looked up at the moon. As she did, she was reminded of Crimson’s cutie mark. It had been almost two hundred years since the last one… but at exactly midnight, when the world aligned just right… the moon would appear crimson. Luna never understood it before, intrigued by how it did appear red. But that day his cutie mark appeared… she knew it had something to do with this night.

She’d been counting down the days for about a month now. It was probably just a coincidence, but she couldn’t be too safe. She was glad he asked her to enter his dreams… if his dreams were trying to tell him something, it would be tonight. And even if he didn’t remember, she would. It sounded more like a prophecy than anything, but she was sure something was going to happen.

She took one last look down at Crimson and Octavia who were making their way back to the inside of the castle. And with a sad smile made her way inside.

Octavia slowly played the final note of her song and opened her eyes to see Crimson slowly clapping silently as possible. With a smile, she sat aside the violin and made her way to the bed he was sitting on, smiling as she sat next to him. Crimson returned the smile as he spoke.

“That was beautiful. Do you mind if I ask where you learned to play?”

“It’s always been a calling. I just picked up a violin one day and started playing. The rest is history.”

“I guess practice does[i/] make perfect,” he laughed.

“Mind if I ask you a question?”

“Go ahead.”

“Is… what Luna said true?”

“I... uh…”

“So it was… I see. So, does that mean you like me?”

“Uh…” he stuttered, trying to think of a way to change the subject. His brain was yelling at him to just say yes and see the response. The worst that could happen was rejection. “Y-yes…”

“You know, I always thought you were the mysterious type. Always taking care of problems and disappearing. A really charming stallion that couldn’t care about anything such as love or life problems. When I’d see you around, you always looked so serious, emotionless. Like nothing could affect you… I always thought you only cared about getting that job done and nothing else…”

“Well, I-“

“I can gladly say I was wrong,” she said with a happy smile. “I guess everypony has an outer shell they wear sometimes. I have one… everypony assumes I’m serious just because of how I act when I’m playing. But when I’m not… I’m just a normal mare.”

“You weren’t far off, you know…”

“What do you mean?”

“All I do care about is getting the job done. So… so I can get back home and wallow in self pity. Octavia, I… don’t know anything from before I was thirteen. Crimson Moon isn’t my real name… I’ve never loved before, as far as I rightly know... the list of my problems goes on and on. So I just forget myself when I’m doing the job, because that’s the only time I can forget it. But once the job starts, I begin to wonder again… and I want it to be over.”

“That’s terrible…”

“Oh Celestia, I apologize. I didn’t mean to bring my personal life into this. I guess I am awkward around mares I like…”

“It’s alright… I also have a little secret.”

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

“Earlier today when I saw you staring into my room… I knew it was you. But I tried to act like I didn’t know you. I always did kind of admire you for the work you did… not everypony can do something such as that. Interrogation, talking to victims of crimes, staring the criminals down and trying to make them tell the truth. It’s like something from a mystery novel. And plus, you got me the best job a musician mare could ask for…”

“I’m just doing my job, ma’am,” he said officially, before laughing. “Is that what you were wanting me to say?”

“Oh, you’ve got a sense of humor. Anyways… I’ve always wondered what it’s like to do what you do.”

“It’s… well, it’s not easy. It’s sometimes hard to sleep at night, thinking about everything in the case. Sometimes it will be something small you didn’t pay any attention to earlier. Like this one time, I was investigating a break in for a family in Canterlot. On the floor was a scuff mark that the wife said was there from moving furniture. But that night, after not being able to sleep, I remembered that the scuff mark was going the opposite direction she said she moved the furniture. After examining it closer, I was able to find a hidden door that went the exact same direction as the scuff mark. Behind it? The missing heirloom.”

“Wait, so they stole it from themselves?”

“Close. The wife stole it so she could sell it. The estimated value was around three thousand bits. Apparently, she was going to use the money to skip town and leave the husband bankrupt.”

“Wow… and you got all that from a scuff mark?”

“It wasn’t only that, but I won’t get into too great of detail. Anyways… besides that, the job is almost nothing like the mystery novels. I don’t have a well dressed apprentice that notices things I don’t and I never once had to arrest a butler. Although I did once arrest a maid…”

“So, you’ve read them?”

“I… get a lot of down time when I’m home. Speaking of which, it’s getting late… I guess I better get going.”

“Do… you...”

“Do I… what?”

“Uh… mind if I come along? I’d love to see the home of a famous detective.”

“Famous? Hardly! Maybe my name is thrown around occasionally in Canterlot and maybe Ponyville, but I’m not famous.”

“You, uh, didn’t answer the question.”

“Well, it would be rude to say no… so, yes. I’d be honored to have the company of a musician in my home,” Crimson agreed, standing from the bed.

“And I’d be happy to have the company of a hardened detective that doesn’t care about anything.” The two laughed happily as they stepped out of the room. As they walked towards the carriage, Crimson couldn’t help but look up to the sky, spotting the moon above, shining its beautiful light down upon him. But for the first time, he noticed a strange, barely noticeable red tint to it. But almost immediately his attention was redrawn to Octavia.

Within thirty minutes, the two were standing on the outskirts of the Everfree Forest, further still from the town of Ponyville. Only a select few knew of the cabin, which is exactly what Crimson wanted.

“So, this is the home of the detective, eh?”

“I know, it’s not that impressive. I’ve got enough money to purchase a mansion, but I never liked big buildings. I just need room to live. Extra space is unnecessary.”

“Relax; I didn’t say it was bad. Actually, I like it. It’s homey.”

“It is? I mean, it is. Uh… just a fair warning. I’ve got case reports everywhere. I’m not messy, just unorganized.”

“Don’t worry; I’ve had days where I leave my sheet music all over everything.”

“Oh, excellent then!” Crimson happily exclaimed as he opened the door. Inside was his usual home, amazingly welcoming despite the location. While inside, one could imagine they were actually in the town of Ponyville. The interior was actually much like that of a Ponyville home, after all. “Please, take a seat anywhere. I’m going to get a few drinks. What’ll you have?”

“Cider, if you have it.”

“Really? I thought you more the classy stuff, wine and such. You know, it’s hard to find that stuff in Ponyville… I guess out of respect for the Apple family they mostly drink cider.”

“I like wine, but some good old cider sounds refreshing right now.”

“Cider it is! Uh… will that be the ‘public’ version, or the alcoholic version? I’ve got plenty of both.”

“Just regular, please.”

“Regular cider coming right up!” Octavia waited as Crimson departed into the kitchen. As she did, she examined the cabin. Each of the windows had surprisingly marvelous curtains hung, blocking any sight in or out. The walls were lined with bookshelves, the chandelier was glowing brightly with a warm light, and the walls were painted intricately with red. She found herself wondering if Crimson himself made the house.

“One glass of cider for you and a glass of water for me.”

“Water?”

“I’ve got company over and I’m not a big fan of regular cider. Most of everything I own is alcoholic… helps me sleep. Don’t worry; I don’t have a problem or anything.”

“Never thought you did,” she reassured while taking a sip of her cider. “I was wondering… did you build this place?”

“Me? Oh, no. I couldn’t even build a birdhouse, let alone something like this.”

“Mind if I ask who did?”

“Celestia and Luna had it built for me as payment for one of my jobs. Some fancy carpenter from Manehatten or something. They wanted to build me a nice three story house that was about five times as big as this cabin, but I insisted on this. They did manage to talk me into letting them make the inside look like a fancy mansion, however. I won’t lie; I like it.”

“It is nice. Obviously I’m in the wrong line of work.”

“There’s no such thing as a wrong line of work.”

“For someone that comes home and ‘wallows in self-pity’, you really have a good and fresh outlook on life. If you don’t mind me asking, how old are you anyways?”

“Twenty-eight. Mind if I ask you…?”

“I turn thirty in six months.”

“Eh, age is but a number anyways. In my work, I’ve came by elderly ponies that still live as if they’re still in their teens.”

“I’ve never really worried about my age. But hearing that, it makes me even less afraid of growing old. But for now, why worry about that?”

“Exactly my point. By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask… what happened to that bow you used to wear? I just noticed you don’t wear it anymore.”

“No reason, just wanted a change. I’ve kept the same appearance for so long; I thought I’d change it.”

“I see… change is good sometimes, isn’t it?”

“Yes. Like the job you got me… I was almost done with not getting any good venues and I was about to give up… but you changed that for me, didn’t you? I still feel I need to pay you back somehow…”

“You don’t have to worry about paying me back. Just obliging me by asking to join me at my home was enough to pay it back in full. Not that I ever wanted anything in return in the first place.”

“I haven’t paid you back yet…”

“What else more could you offer me?”

“I can think of one thing… how’s this?” she asked. Before Crimson could ask what she meant, she leaned over and placed her mouth against his. Immediately, he felt his heart skip a beat as his mind registered what had just happened. At first, he imagined it would be just a peck and that’s it. A quick thank you or goodbye kiss. But after the third second, he felt his body relax as he laid backwards on the couch. His arms wrapped around her as he closed his eyes and she returned the favor.

The warmth against his body was foreign to him, yet he welcomed it. The lips against his were warm and welcoming, as he hoped his were. Each breath was deep, bringing in more air so he could continue with this embrace he had imagined in his subconscious for so long. Finally, after what seemed like multiple blissful hours, she lifted her mouth from his and looked him deep in the eyes. And as much as he wanted to pull her back towards him, he instead stared back, straight into her eyes, her soul.

“When I said I thought of how mysterious you were earlier… I forgot to mention that I also wanted to do that. You inadvertently did so much for me, but that wasn’t even the reason. You help others and don’t ask anything in return. You’re modest, charming… handsome.”

“Handsome? That’s a new one.”

“See? You’re the most modest stallion I’ve ever met. You have the power to have people banished from Equestria, yet you never use it. You talk to the Princesses like they are simple mares, but at the same time show respect. And in the end, it’s not about any of that. Out of every mare in Equestria, you like me…”

“After that, I think I can safely say I love you,” he whispered, taking deep breaths. Any shyness from earlier was completely gone and he felt his usual self return.

“And I love you, too.” Both smiled at each other before returning to their embrace. The little colt inside of Crimson was now essentially acting like a sugar high Pinkie Pie in a sense, jumping and bouncing like crazy. In his mind, he could visually see Octavia; see her entire body. He could even mentally hear her playing her music.

All worries of his entire life were gone in that moment. His past meant nothing to him, the murder never happened. All there was was Octavia and him. He had the perfect mental image and didn’t want to let it go. After another minute or two, Crimson opened his eyes to find himself on top. How it happened, he didn’t even know. And neither did he mind.

He lifted his head away and allowed Octavia and himself a moment to breathe. Both sighed in happiness and excitement as they stared once more into each other’s eyes. Both could feel the warmth all over their bodies.

“Don’t be shy, now… go ahead and do it,” Octavia said between breaths. It took Crimson a second to know what she meant, but as soon as he did, he looked down the length of her body and smiled.