When the carriage settled on the ground and the pegasus guards carrying the carriage unhooked themselves from the reigns shinning armor stepped onto the grassy grounds. He groaned a three hour flight hadn't been the most pleasent experiences he had ever had, least of all the fact he got air sick. He put his hoof to his mouth to resist the feeling curling within his stomach threatening to send the wonderful dinner he had hours before all over the ground.
“Are you alright you majesty?”a pegasus guard asked walking up to him.
“yes im fine i just get air sick” he said groaning “unicorns..weren't meant to fly”
His eyes then gaxed over to the edge of the tavern now filled with equestrian guards. Of the things to wake him up in the middle of the night, a bazar death on the edge of the crystal empire terratory was the least wanted. He had been to this tavern awhile back when first starting his journey towards the empire in the heavy snowy region. The tavern was old, more like a shack really filled with he worst unslightly ponies, gyffenons and other creatures from across equestria.
He stepped towards the tavern the sign on the front still lit up with the neon lights of an attrative mare going up and down a pole swinging her leg into the air, next to it was an old sign reading The Rusty Apple. The sign had magical burns, claw marks and holes through it. Not the best welcoming sign.
As he approached a unicorn guard rushed outside and leaned over the railing of the porch to throw up into the old dead bushes. He then saw a bat pony walk outside, dont see those near the crystal empire too often. They prefered to stay near the castle, and near princess luna being the extremly loyal ponies they were. He looked the sky for a moment and saw the waxing moon and stars, he supposed luna probably sent her as they could see in the dark much better then any other pony could.
The batpony looked over at the unicorn stallion throwing up and rolled her eyes. It was a mare with a dark blue coat and an unusually long red mane and tail both tied in a bulky braid. Her eyes yellow eyes then gazed upon her and she started towards him, the porch making a clunking sound to her high black boots with gold buckle straps. Shinning armor raised an eyebrow most of the lunar guard wore the usual black and silver armor he had seen them wearing before, was this mare even with the lunar guard?
“About time you got here” She said stopping at the edge of the porch, “I suppose two pegasus carrying that big carriage around would take longer, you could have walked here faster”
Shinning armor twitched.
“I was sleeping when the scroll got to me, i wasnt expecting to be woken up in the middle of the night because of a dead pony” Shinning Armor said.
'Ponies” she corrected
“Wait ponies there's more then one?” Shinning Armor asked looking puzzeled that hadn't been mentioned in the letter.
“Percisly 25 ponies, 3 dead gyffeons and a very dead diamond dog” She said, “Im Flash Fire by the way i was..passing by”
“passing by?” shinning armor cried “you were just passin by and discovered a bunch of dead ponies in a tavern that happens to be a haven for criminal activity!”
“I was on the trail of two wanted stallions” Flash Fire said, “they were last seen here, i stopped to ask some questions found everybody dead..not surprising through”
“what does that suppose to mean?” shinning armor asked getting very angry with this bat mare.
“building a tavern on a crossroads is never a good idea” flash fire said “now if you have a strong stomach you can come inside, if not i suggest you not even take a gaze it's very messy”
“Im perfectly capable of taking care of myself” Shinning Armor hissed and trotted up to the tavern door.
He gazed inside, and first thing he saw was was the blood, oh by celestia there was so much of it everywhere it was if someone had painted the entire place with it. A poor mare was half way still on stage her pretty outfit completly soaked in blood while the other half of her was on a table nearby money still sticking out of her thong. The bar tender, a unicorn was struck up against the bar wine bottles sticking out his body from all angles. Terribly horrible symbols were drawn in blood across the bodies and furniture that were in peices.
Shinning Armor stepped backwards before he could see anymore, rushed to the side edge of the porch and let his stomach wrench the dinner he had into the bushes.
“Are you your majesty?” A pegasus guard asked and walked up patting his back.
“I..i'll be fine..” he said and out a gaging heave, nothing left to throw up. “th..that mare...arrest her i wanted her questioned and..” he heaved again and tried his best to keep his barrings
His pegasus guards both walked up to the bat pony mare who rolled her eyes.
'Im on your side you idiot” she said as they surrounded her and sighed “celestia i hate dealing with day folk..”
“Back to the crystal empire your majesty?” a guard asked
“No we'll take her back to canterlot i want some pony to copy those symbols, quarteen the area and the morguetitoner down here to get the bodies back to be..” he said and stopped for a moment his stomach feeling quezy again, “be..be examined..”
His stomach then did a backflip when he realized he was going to have to get back into the carriage again. Flying again made him dry heave again it the very thought.
^^^^
Princess Celestia had just finished raising the sun for the day when one of her guards informed her of the mass murder that had happened at the tavern. That drained the color from her fur at once, she composed herself and started towards the royal guard station where a mare was being questioned. She yawned for a moment and her assistance a young unicorn magically floated her cup of mourning coffee towards her.
'Ah thank you” she smiled and used her magic to put her best sister cup to her lips to drink.
Ah much better she always felt like she couldn't start her day without a cup of coffee, usually by now she'd be in the throne room attending to the mourning political assesstments which was incredibly boring. She however felt like a mass murder and coming to inspect a suspect in the crime wasn't a suitable replacement even for listening to the boring mourning political news at breakfest.
The interigation room was located inside the guards headquaters, she had many guards bow as she passed by drinking her coffee. Sometimes she wished they;d just say hi like she was any other pony, bowing became very annpoying after the first thousand years of it.
“Ah Princess Celestia” a earth stallion said as she approached the rooms doors.
“Good Mourning Gum Shoe” she said with a unintended yawn.
Gum Shoe was one of the older guards, even after forty years of loyal service loosing one leg in an attack by a chimera herd, and one part of his ear to a suicidal unicorn he refused to hang up his helmet and retire. He still stood there his armor a bit worn showing it's age, but still proud. His coat was brown and his mane and tal were once blond but now more grey with some bold patchs. His cutiemark a magnifying glass looking at a hoof prnt confirmed he was very good at tracking down things and his arrest record was very impression expect for the few...indisgressions.
“The suspect is in the interigation room” Gum Shoe said opening the door.
Celestia was shown into an empty room, with a recording device, and a two way mirror. She looked through the mirror and saw the bat pony mare sitting on a chair her head in her hooves asleep. She motioned for her assistant to stay in the hallway.
“A bat pony?” she asked.
“She was at the scene when shinning armor was there” Gum Shoe said, 'We had a bit of a problem getting statements from anyone, since everyone there was dead. She wont talk to anyone, keeps insisting we let er talk to princess luna”
“She wants to talk to princess luna?” Celestia asked, “well thats understandable she is a bat pony and they are mostly all her guard afterall. Has anyone woken gotten my sister yet?”
“We sent a guard over but she was late getting home and shes being bandaged up apparently she got into a fight with some giant mutant rabbit that was conqured up by some unicorn being stupid” Gum Shoe said “swear she goes looking for trouble”
“Yes my sister does have a..nack for finding trouble” Celestia sighed and groaned her cup was empty.
'More coffee?” gum shoe asked pointing to the coffee machine in the corner.
'Ah pefect” she smiled and set the cup down and poured some of he coffee from the pot.
She brought it up to her lips and made a face.
“Sorry i forgot to mention our coffee is horrible” Gum Shoe said.
“thats an understatment” she said putting the cup down.
She guessed getting more coffee would have to wait.
The door opened and luna walked inside yawning one of her wings bandaged heavy. She lifted a hoof and shut her eyes as she yawned and stopped in front of the window.
“why is one of my guards being held?” she asked angerly
“your guard was found at a very horrible murder scene” celestia said
Even the word murder made celestias stomach cringe, death in war was one thing but murder made even her stomach turn in disgust.
“Flash fire is not a stranger to strange events” Luna said, “shes a part of my squardon that finds and deposes of dark magical items, i havent heard from her in a month or two since she started on the trail of two stallions she was convienced were harboring dark magic”
“who are these two stallions?” celestia asked “why wasnt i informed of such a matter?”
“i didnt think thou needed to be informed it was a night matter” Luna said “I will speak to Flash Fire”
'We will both speak to flash fire” Celestia said.
The two princesses walked into the other room where the bat pony mare slept was a snore. Luna walked over and touched the ponies hoof. She awoke with a startle and fell off the chair she was sleeping on. Celestia bit her lip to resist a chuckle.
“Princess Luna” Flash Fire said getting up quickly to her hooves her braid halfway over her face which she quickly pushed aside.
“Thou is in some odd trouble” Luna said “why were thou at the scene of this horrific nature?”
“Stopped trying to speak with modern words huh?” Flash Fire ased, “what happened to that book you were reading”
'Urg it was much too long for us to read and much too boring” Luna groaning
“Luna i gave you that book” Celestia said
“It has purpose sister, to balance our desk” Luna said
“Sigh back to the point please” Celestia said “would you please answer my sisters question my little pony?”
“I was traveling looking for the two stallions i know are carrying a very dangerous and powerful dark artifact” Flash Fire said “When we came upon the tavern everypony was already dead”
'We?” Luna asked.
“Yes a unicorn mare i had hired to be my guide through the region, i know it from the air but from the ground not so much...” Flash Fire said
“And where is this guide?” Celestia asked
'We looked inside screamed and started being sick, she screamed she wasn't getting paid enough and took off” Flash Fire said “Kept going on about going back to ponyvile and seeing your student twilight sparkle. Took off with my stuff too, i was going to chase her but then the guards started showing up”
“What was this ponies name?” luna asked
“Trixie Lulamon you find her you got my alibie” Flash Fire said