Arc 1, Case 1: Abduction | Bon-Bon
Diamond City, USA
Inside a large, ten-story high office, a group of policemen were investigating the corpse of a well-known businessman who went by the name "John Hewett".
John was lying in a pool of blood that stained the white carpeting of his office, which was on the ninth story of the building. On his neck, a deep gash sat horizontally, while in his right hand, a knife was tucked in.
The police have already went through four different investigators, each saying that it was just a suicide... but John's friend, Jacob Goodman, however, knew him better than that, and insisted that they keep searching.
It has been a whole hour, and nobody could find anything that said anything otherwise... until the chief of the police called one man to the case... one man that, as much as they hated to say it, was somewhat clever, despite his unusual behavior.
The sound of a cell phone ringing rang through the room of a small building. With a silent groan, a young Caucasian man with short, dark-brown hair, blue-green eyes, and a small goatee, picked the phone up, and hit the "End Call" button... only for it to ring again ten seconds later. This time, he picked it up, and looked closer at it. In a monotonous voice, he sighed, before answering the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hello... is this Justin Daniels?" The chief's high-pitched voice asked through the phone.
"This is he."
"Okay... I'm the chief-of-police-"
"Gerald Wilson, aged thirty-nine, has four kids at home, single father, red hair, red mustache, red side-burns, weighs three hundred and fifty one pounds, and with your height, makes you look slightly overweight, and just got done eating another Donut from 'Phil's Donut Shop'. Am I correct?"
"H-how did you-"
"I can hear it in the background, I saw you on the papers, and you need me to solve a case... so where are you, now?"
"Five-twenty-five Golden Road."
"Goodman's Office Complex... Alright, expect me in about thirty minutes."
With that, Justin hung the phone up, and yawned, before standing out of bed, revealing his white t-shirt, blue jeans, and white socks that he wore in bed. When he stood from the bed, he popped his neck a few times, and walked to his sofa, where he slipped his brown hiking boots on, and stepped out of the door to his apartment.
As he walked through the busy streets of Diamond City, he continuously looked downward, a small habit that he grew up doing. His arms were tucked behind his back, and he walked straight up, with his back barely even arching forwards, despite the way most others walked.
Finally, when he reached the address that he was told, he stepped into the double doors, and inside the tall elevator that was supposed to bring him up. Before the doors to the elevator closed, however, he stepped out of it, and continued onward to the stairs, where he walked up the rest of the way.
When he made it to the ninth floor, he slipped past the police that were investigating the elevator that just opened up, with nobody showing inside it. Then, once he made it into the room, he was stopped by a pair of cops who, with guns pointed at him, walked up close to him.
"Freeze!" One of the policemen shouted.
Justin sighed, before raising his hands up, and looking at the man who shouted.
"You know you don't have to shout in my ears, right? It's a little rude, and not to mention, annoying."
The cop glared at him, before huffing, "Don't get me started, buddy! I'm NOT in the mood! I just want this damn case to be over with, already!"
With a smile, Justin replied, "Well, Officer Jackson, why don't you just let me do the work, while you get back to your make-out session with your girlfriend?"
"Wait... what?!"
"Don't play dumb, Jackson. I can see the lipstick stains on your neck, and the small hint of it on the sides of your lips. You also neglected to hide the girl's number on the card in your pocket, with the addition of a handgun that still has its safety on. You aren't fooling anyone here. You're just another rookie who thinks he knows best."
Officer Jackson stared at him wide-eyed, before looking to the right, as the door to the office opened up, revealing Police Chief, Gerald Wilson.
When Gerald noticed Justin, he raised an eyebrow, before asking, "Are you the one that the people are talking about?"
Justin shrugged, before replying, "Depends on if they're talking about me, which if that's the case, then yes. Otherwise, they could be talking about anyone!"
Then, without even asking a single question, Justin merely walked past the chief, who stretched his arm out in front of the officer that was about to stop him, and shook his head. "Let him do his job, folks!"
Justin stared at the corpse of John for less than ten seconds, before chuckling lightly. Then he looked around the room and sighed. "Alright, then... this man did not commit suicide!"
At once, the police stared at him with an eyebrow raised, while the chief asked, "Wait... what?!"
Jacob, a thin man wearing a red business suit, walked up to Justin, and then smiled. "Oh, thank you! I knew someone would find something!"
Gerald then walked up to Justin, and asked, "Wait... HOW can this not be a suicide?!"
Justin then pointed at the knife in John's hand, before replying, "Look at the knife over there. As you might know, it's being held properly by the body. The act of suicide by throat-slitting would require the knife's blade to be facing the neck, which would mean that he would've had to have the blade facing his thumb, instead of his four fingers. Then there's the footprints in the bloodstain-"
"What footprints?! It could just be another investigator's!"
"As I was saying... the FOOTPRINTS in the bloodstain would appear to be facing the body of Mr. John Hewett's feet, facing where he was standing right before his supposed 'death'. Were these the footprints of the killer? No, it was just the footprints of the man who TRIED to kill him, shortly before dying himself."
"What are you even talking about?! There's only one body in here!" Gerald stated, now looking more and more annoyed.
Justin sighed, before pointing towards the closet area of the office. "The killer of the killer tried to wipe away the evidence by removing his shoes, and walking to the closet bare-footed, where he switched the shoes out with the other killer, and packed his old ones into a backpack, thus explaining the small drops of blood near the closet. And now, I bet you're wondering where he hid the body, right?" Then he turned to Jacob, and asked, "Tell me, Mr. Goodman, where exactly did everyone say that the killer came from?"
Jacob shrugged his shoulders, before replying, "They usually just told me he left through the window, but it's too high for anyone to leave!"
"You're right, Mr. Goodman. It's too high for them to leave... but not to enter."
Then Jacob looked at him confusedly, before asking, "I beg your pardon?!"
Justin smirked, before asking, "What? Now you have doubts?" Then he sighed, before walking between the window, and the puddle of blood. "If you look even closer at the window, you may find that the curtains beside it has footprints on the back of them! And then, to top it off, there's fingerprints on the back door, as well!" He then walked through the room, tracing out the actions of the killers, while explaining the actions in detail. "The real killer came from the window, right as the first killer attempted to kill Mr. Hewett, which failed, and caused him to die, instead!" Then Justin pointed at the bloodstain again, and pointed out, "There's a small dent in the blood, showing where the killer stood as he murdered the first one. Then the second one proceeded to killing Mr. Hewett, who at first, must've thought he was there to save him, considering he wasn't moving. When he did that, though, the killer moved positions, and avoided getting blood on his pants and shoes. To do that, he had to kill Mr. Hewett up close, and hide the body of the first killer. Where did he hide it, though? Simple!"
Then Justin pointed towards the closet. "In there!"
Chief Gerald glared at Justin again, and then stated, "Don't be ridiculous! That's where the first killer hid! The footprints even show it! And the footprints belong to Mr. Hewett!"
Justin rolled his eyes, before following the footprints to the closet. "If you truly believe that, then you should go on ahead and get rid of your badge. Anyways, if you're done complaining, I'll just have a look-see in the closet." With that, Justin walked up to the closet and opened it, revealing nothing more than an empty room... or so the police thought, as they started chuckling at their supposed 'Flawless Detective'.
"Any other bright ideas, Einstein?!" Gerald asked, while holding back his own laughter.
Shrugging his shoulders, Justin joined them in the laughter, which caused them to silence, until only Justin was the one laughing. "Oh, you all must be amateurs at this! Of course there's a body in here!"
"Where?" Gerald asked, as he walked up to where Justin was.
Justin pointed at the ground, and said, "There's a few blood drops on the carpet there, meaning that the killer had to hide the other killer..." He picked up a broomstick from the closet, and then poked it on the ceiling, which opened slightly. "In the ceiling, of course!"
As soon as he said that, the corpse of a man with a black leather jacket, blue jeans, and black shoes fell to the ground. He was bald, and had brown eyes. The back of his leather jacket had a red skull and crossbones embroidered in it, and his blue jeans had three tears in the thigh.
Just seeing the second body caused the entire room's eyes to widen. Then Gerald looked at Justin, and backed away, allowing him space to continue doing his investigation.
With a sigh, Justin walked up to Gerald, and then asked, "When did the killer escape?"
"You're the genius here! Can't you tell us?!"
Justin shrugged his shoulders again, before turning to the corpse of the other man. Then he felt around the man's jacket, and came up with a conclusion. "The murder took place just two hours ago, and the killer never left the room through the door. In fact, as far as I could tell, the killer never even left the building."
"How can you tell?"
"There's coffee on this jacket. Coffee is always served hot, but this one is cooled off, yet it isn't as cold as it would be three hours later."
Suddenly, a thumping noise echoed through the room, causing the officers to all point their pistols up, and look around aimlessly.
With another sigh, Justin walked up to Gerald, and lifted a license in the air. "I have a license to use guns, and a license to attack with them out of self-defense. Mind if I borrow your pistol?"
"Absolutely not! Why would you even think I would-"
Before he could finish his sentence, another thump was heard, with the addition of sliding. Then Gerald quickly passed him his pistol, and backed away.
Then Justin turned the pistol out of safety, lifted it up, and shot at the location of where the first thump could be heard.
Gerald looked at him confusedly, before asking, "What the- the man moved over there!"
Justin, however, backed away from where he shot, and counted, "Five... four... three... two... one..." As soon as he finished counting, a man wearing a black jacket fell from the ceiling, holding onto his right leg, and screaming in pain.
This caused the police to aim their guns at him, and Justin to open one of his pouches that he had, and pull out a yellow controller with a red button on it.
"C4. He just planted a bomb over our heads. If I shot that, then we'd all be charred up ash. While I appreciate the heat more than the cold, I still believe my body wouldn't appreciate that level of it." Then he placed the controller in Gerald's hand, before turning around, and walking towards the exit of the room. "Anyways, that's the killer over there, so if you'll excuse me, I still have some toast in the toaster that I was planning on eating."
With that, he walked out of the room, only to be stopped by Mr. Goodman. "Th-thank you, sir! Here's a little something from the company! It was going to be John's next paycheck, but maybe you could take care of it!"
Justin shook his head, before replying, "Give it to John's family. I don't need it." Then he walked off, leaving the entire room puzzled at how he was able to do what he just did, and not ask for payment.
Ponyville, Equestria
"Ugh! For the last time, Lyra, I don't want to know what you found!" Bon-Bon, a cream-coated Earth Pony mare with a blue and pink mane complained, as her green-coated Unicorn friend with a mint-colored mane, Lyra, continued prodding her in the ribs to get her to follow her. She was lying on her bed, constantly trying to avoid her friend's golden gaze from seeping into her half-awakened soul. In the end, however, she groaned again, before saying, "Alright, already! What did you find this time?!"
With a squeal of delight, Lyra replied in her enthusiastic friend, "Oh, you're going to love it, Bonnie! I might've found-"
"BEFORE I get up, answer me this... does it have anything to do with humans, whatsoever?"
At once, Lyra's eyes widened. "How did you know?!"
Bon-Bon rolled her eyes, and turned around to go back to sleep. "Lyra, that's all you ever talk about!" Then she sighed. "You need to find yourself a stallion, already... I mean, they might be able to stand you now, since they know you're related to an Element of Harmony."
Lyra rolled her eyes, before replying, "Well, it's not like Twilight and I always knew that we were sisters!"
"And yet you still try to spend the money she loans you on, what you call, 'HRE', or 'Human Research Equipment'... why can't you spend it on normal stuff, like groceries? Hay, if you bought a COLTARI, I'd accept it, and you know I don't like video games!"
As Bon-Bon continued ranting, Lyra's smile slowly shaped into a tear-filled frown. Finally, when Bon-Bon finished speaking, she looked at Lyra, and at once, her annoyed face was replaced with a mixture of worry and sadness.
"No, Lyra... don't do that!"
Lyra closed her eyes, looked down, and then shook her head quickly, before galloping out of the room, crying.
Bon-Bon sighed, before pulling the covers from her bed, and hurried out, in an attempt to cheer Lyra up. When she made it to the living room, however, she raised an eyebrow at Lyra, who picked up a saddlebag, and ran out. "Lyra? Lyra, wait!" Bon-Bon began, but by the time she finished speaking, Lyra was already galloping out of the house.
Bon-Bon quickly trotted to the door, only to get pushed back by a magical force field. With tears in her eyes, she turned towards the couch, and sat there, hooves in her eyes, as she burst into tears. "What have I done?!"
"So let me get this straight," a lavender Unicorn began, as she trotted through her library, which happened to be built inside a tree, "you want to prove that these 'humans', as you called them, are real, but to do that, you want to go through a few books?"
Lyra nodded her head, before replying, "Of course I do, Twilight! Please, can you do this for your younger sister? Please?" As she asked that, her forehooves were placed over her chest, and with a wide-eyed, 'Puppy-Dog' look, she lowered to the ground on her hind hooves.
With a smile, Twilight replied, "Of course, sis! I'm always looking forward to a reading partner!" Then she turned around, and started floating a few books towards her gaze, and added, "Oh! Would you like some other books, while you're... here?" Suddenly, Twilight looked around, and found that her entire bookshelf that had "H" written on it was completely gone. Groaning to herself, Twilight said with a sigh, "Well, so much for 'Reading'... knowing that mare, I wouldn't be surprised if she just skims through the books, until the word 'Human' shows up!"
Smiling to herself, Lyra trotted through Ponyville carrying a huge bookshelf behind her in a spell. Looking around, she opened her door, and called out, "Bonnie! I'm home!" Then, after opening her eyes, they grew wide at the scene before her.
The living room was completely trashed, and on the wall that led from the living room to the kitchen, she saw a huge crack in the wall, in the middle of a black circle that was on the floor.
At once, the bookshelf fell on the ground, the books fell from the shelf into the dirt, and Lyra's heart rate began to increase. Then, with all her lung power, she screamed, causing the entire town to turn her way, and for her sister to quickly rush to her, and gasp in horror at the inside of the house.
"LYRA! WHAT HAPPENED?!" Twilight began, before embracing her sister in a hug.
Lyra started to shake, before she pointed to the ash on the floor and the wall. Twilight quickly galloped inside, and smelled the ash, then sighed in relief. "It's only burnt carpet, and wood... Bon-Bon wasn't murdered, thankfully..." Then her expression changed to fear. "But... she was abducted!"
Diamond City, USA
Justin finally finished with his breakfast; a couple pieces of toast with jelly on them, and started looking through the internet on his laptop, trying to find anything that could sound interesting in any way. Unfortunately for him, though, there wasn't anything.
With a sigh, he said to himself, "I wonder what's on the TV..." Quickly, he picked up a remote, and skimmed through the channels. Finally, he made it to one of his favorite channels that everyone seemed to think he was crazy for watching.
"Oh, how I love to relax, and enjoy this show!" He told himself, as the introduction to "The Young and the Restless" started playing. "And here I thought my mother was crazy for enjoying a good drama." He chuckled, as the episode began.
"Alright, Lyra... this book should help us summon anything we want!" Twilight stated, as she and Lyra stood in the center of an open field, with a circle drawn in a mixture of salt, coal, and rocks. The coal was on the outside of the circle, with the rocks filling it up. In the center of the circle, a six-sided star was neatly placed out of the salt.
Giving her sister a nervous glance, Twilight asked, "Are you sure you're ready?!"
Lyra gave Twilight a determined look, before nodding her head. "Of course, I am! Why would I not be?!"
"And you know for a fact who you need to call from the void?!"
Lyra nodded her head again. "I need the creature who can solve this puzzle, bring Bonnie back to us, and not want anything in return!" Then her eyes squinted. "I also need a creature who's familiar with evil! Perhaps one who fought it before, or maybe one who was evil!" Her horn glowed green, before she finished her statement. "I need... a human!"
At once, the entire star started to glow, and in the blink of an eye, a simple-looking house with a white wooden wall, a black shingled roof, and a stairway that led up three steps, rose from the center of the star, as the star itself disappeared.
"Eh... I figured Comcast would do this, again... not the first time, either!" Justin stated to himself, as his TV's cable went out, leaving nothing but the all-too-familiar blue screen. "Well, I'd better check and see if I still have internet here, at least." As he said that, he opened his laptop, and sighed. "Nope... lost that one, too!" Then he smiled to himself, and picked his phone up. "Well, I guess I'll just have to call them!" As he said that, however, he noticed that his phone was no longer picking up a signal. "What the... did someone crash into the phone line?!"
As soon as he asked that, the front door knocked two slow times. "Two slow knocks... someone's nervous to see me." Justin silently told himself, before walking up to it, and saying, "Don't worry, despite the rumors, I'm not a psychopath!" Then he opened the door, and noticed something off about the entire scenario...
For starters, he wasn't even in Diamond City, anymore. Instead, he was in a lush, green field, where he saw, from the far distance, a few ponies moving about in a rural-looking town filled with colorful houses.
"Okay... so maybe I am a Psychopath..." He told himself, before looking left and right. Then, with a sigh, he turned around, and closed the door.
Rubbing his eyes, he took a deep breath, and looked out the windows of his apartment. "Okay, so I'm not making things up..." Then he heard his door knock again. Looking at the door from his window, he hummed to himself, as he saw a pair of those colorful ponies tapping their forehooves on his door... and from their height from the door, he calculated that they were about one-third his height. "Huh... if I didn't know any better, I'd say they might be... sentient..." Then he popped his forehead, and added, "Alright, then... I'm gonna have to stop that new medication the psychologist gave me!" With that, he walked up to the door, and lowered himself to their height, and listened through the door.
"I don't think he saw us, Twilight!" A young female's voice said.
"She sounds like someone who must've come from an upper-class place in the Middle Ages." Justin silently told himself.
"Then maybe we should try seeing if he's alright! He looked a little puzzled when he opened his door!" Another young female replied from outside.
"She, however, sounds like she came from the same place, but also sounds older than the other by just a few years... and from the tone of their voice, they must be concerned... maybe confused." Then he took a deep breath, and stood back up. "Well, there's no use in just standing here, is there?"
With that, he slowly opened his door, and looked down. As he expected, the two mares looked up at him, with their unusually tall eyes only getting taller. In a split second, Justin realized a similarity that these two had... they were both Unicorns... creatures of myth. As for how they appeared, or in this case, how they brought him here, he didn't know. The most confusing reason to him, however, was how they brought him there, along with his apartment room, yet nobody else.
"Okay, so I know that you both can talk. I would like to be the first to ask... am I in some odd dream?"
At once, the green-coated mare shook her head, and replied, "N-no, sir! We're very much real!"
"Of course you'd say that, even if you weren't real. Okay, then... how many fingers am I holding up?" He lifted three fingers up, while the lavender one raised an eyebrow.
"What are 'fingers'?!"
"Okay, so you're definitely real. Now, then... my second question is this... how did I get here?"
The two mares looked at each other nervously, before the green one replied, "W-well... we needed somepony who can help us find my missing friend, so..."
Justin sighed, before rolling his eyes. "According to the myths of my world, Unicorns are known to be magic. If that's what this is about, I'm guessing you needed someone who's familiar with this kind of work... and is quite good at it. Add to that the messy haircut you have, and I'm guessing you also need it to be from someone who's willing to not request payment, in the process. Correct?"
The green-coated mare's eyes widened at that statement, before looking up at her mane. "W-wait... MESSY?!"
Justin shrugged, before replying, "Well, messy compared to hers, at least." He pointed to Twilight when he said "hers".
Twilight glared at him, before huffing, "H-hey! Don't talk about my sister like that! She's sensitive about her looks, you know!"
Justin raised another eyebrow, before replying, "Sister? You both look nothing alike!" Then he took a closer look, and smirked. "Well, besides the shape of the snout. I can see why you both aren't familiar with the fact that you both are sisters, though. The way you defended her emotions shows that you aren't familiar with her reactions to certain comments. Normally, she would most likely run if she were insulted, but considering she's still here, she has the willpower to stand her ground, since there's something important that she needs me for. Also, considering that you said somepony, I'm guessing that the world you brought me in would happen to be inhabited by ponies like you."
Then the realization hit him, and he closed his eyes, and placed his face in his palm. "And considering I'm a human, I can't use magic, so I'm stuck on this world until I solve the case... right?"
With shocked expressions, the two mares looked at each other, and back at Justin, before nodding their heads.
"H-how did you even-"
"I can just see it. Now, then... what are your names, what is the world I'm in, and who exactly is missing?" Justin placed his right hand below his chin in thought.
The two mares motioned for him to follow them, and on their five minute trip to Ponyville, they explained as much as they could about the important details, from their names to the case that was at hoof... or in this case, hand.
Ponyville
Throughout the streets of Ponyville, large numbers of ponies were gathered together with mixed emotions about the alien creature that was walking through their peaceful little town.
Nervously, Lyra and Twilight looked at each other, and began wondering how Justin could possibly manage to take this kind of attention so... emotionless. Not bothering with the details, they watched as he walked into the house, and merely looked around, not touching anything but the floor with his boots.
After about thirty seconds of silence, Twilight asked, "So... what did you find? Any clues to her whereabouts?"
With a light chuckle, Justin replied, "Well, Twilight... if what you said about Unicorns is true, then this Bon-Bon person must've been teleported out of here-"
"We already know that!" Twilight interrupted. "Just skip on to the important stuff, please!"
With a sigh, Justin looked at her, and replied, "Oh, please. You know good and well that I could easily blackmail you into listening, if that's what it'll take to prove my point. I was saying that to the curious crowd outside, for your information."
Twilight raised an eyebrow, before asking, "Blackmail? We just met a few minutes ago, and you already know how to blackmail me?!" Then she squinted her eyes, before moving closer to Justin. "Prove it, then!"
"You wouldn't want me to."
"Try me!"
Clearing his throat, Justin replied, "Well, I tried to warn you." Then he examined Twilight for five seconds. "You have an addiction to reading, to the point that you have to be sent to bed by a creature with claws every night. That creature happens to have purple scales, with a few hints of green in it. He oftentimes feels overlooked, by the way how he carelessly left the marks of his claws on your back. You only use one hairbrush, and fail to clean it, thus leaving quite a few loose strands of hair in your mane, and even a few on your coat. You lent it to Lyra one time, and as a result, have a white strand of hair in your mane, just inside the pink stripe. You walk like an upper-class citizen, clearly from that city way up there, living in a library that was close to your ruler, or rulers now, according to rumors. You also happen to be a student of the rulers, due to the level of tidiness that you prefer to be around, despite your amateur eye of specific details." Then he turned to Lyra. "You have an obsession with humans, considering the way you sit down.
While Twilight stared wide-eyed, and tried to process what she just heard, Lyra looked at him confusedly, before asking, "Wait... but I didn't sit down recently!"
"Of course not. You did shortly before I arrived here, perhaps reading something as close to human-like as you could. The upper thighs of your back legs are slightly dented, meaning you sat on a bench... a wooden one, at that. Why not a chair? Because you were outside near the fountain, considering the small hints of water on your shoulders."
Then he turned around, and started walking towards the charred circle on the ground and wall, all while leaving the entire crowd baffled. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a job to do."
Without another word, the ponies all watched as their human detective examined the circle of ashes for a mere ten seconds.
"The attacker clearly was a unicorn, considering the magic that was used here. He was tall, and wore some kind of armor when he took Bon-Bon. He came from an area filled with Cobblestone streets, and plenty of dirt."
Twilight raised an eyebrow, before asking, "Wait... how do you know that he wore armor?"
Lyra added, "And how do you know it's a he?"
Justin rolled his eyes, before replying, "The hoofprints on the ground has made it clear enough that the wearer was on the heavy side, and the shape of the prints is completely flat, while the other prints are somewhat arched in shape, meaning that the flat-hoofed one was a guard of some sort."
Then Twilight looked at Lyra, and asked, "Lyra, I need you to go get Spike... tell him to start writing a letter to Princess Celestia! We need a chariot to get to Canterlot, ASAP!"
Lyra looked at Twilight confusedly, before tilting her head. "Wait... you're just gonna believe him like that?!"
Justin sighed, before walking up to her. "If you don't believe me, then why did you bring me here to begin with?" Then he pointed at the circle. "If you want, you can check it for yourself, if that means anything."
Lyra shook her head, and then replied, "N-no, it's fine! I'll go get Spike... see you both in a bit!" With that, she ran off, leaving Twilight glaring at Justin.
"Okay, listen here! I don't know why you insist on acting so rudely to us, but you need to cut it out! You're pointing out our flaws like they don't mean anything to us, and you constantly ignore us, like our words don't mean anything to you!" Then she saw him looking away, and around the room. "There you go again! Are you even listening to me?!"
Then Justin pinched the top of his nose with his right hand, and said, "Yes, Twilight. I'm aware of that. Don't worry, though, you aren't the only one out there who's frustrated about my 'Asperger's Syndrome', so there's no need to fuss."
"As-what Syndrome?!" Her glare turned into a confused look.
"Asperger's Syndrome. My mom usually called me an 'Aspy' because of it... but she meant no harm in it. I eventually just adopted that as a simple little title."
"What does it do, though?"
"It causes me to think differently from other people, and react even more differently. I'm above the average idiot when it comes to intelligence, and according to most people I've helped, they tend to call me unsociable. I can already see why, though. They never really look at the meanings of my words I choose. That's kinda why I don't have any friends, to be honest."
This caused Twilight's eyes to widen. "W-wait... you don't have any friends?!"
Justin shook his head, but still didn't show any emotions, much to Twilight's confusion. "Not really. It didn't bother me, though. Most of the people out there would use that as an excuse to use you for whatever you're worth, and not have to respect you back in any way. At least, that's what I've seen everywhere I've been."
"That's awful!" Twilight stated, until she looked closer at him. "And this 'Asperger's Syndrome', as you put it... does it have anything to do with your-"
"Lack of emotion?" He asked, catching her by surprise. Silently, she nodded her head. "Yes, it is. It's because of my Asperger's Syndrome that I can barely express how I feel. Think of it as a glass bottle, if you will. When I get insulted, it gets put into that bottle, and when it gets full, it all just gets released at once... which would explain why I went into that much details in pointing out your flaws when you tried speeding up my work. I don't like being put under pressure, because it's what fills that bottle up the fastest... does that make sense?"
Twilight looked at him with a hint of concern. "Surprisingly... yes."
Then Justin looked out of the door, and pointed at it. "Your sister's back, with someone that walks on two legs... a biped. The biped would also happen to be on the short side."
As soon as he said that, the door to the room opened up, and in ran Lyra and a small baby dragon with purple and green scales. When the dragon noticed Justin, however, he stopped in place, and stared wide-eyed at the man that towered over him immensely.
Lyra looked at Twilight, and said, "Alright, Twilight! I brought Spike along, too!" Then she looked at Spike, and smiled. "Spike, I'd like you to meet Justin! He's a... well, he's a-"
"Human, and a Private Investigator brought here from Lyra to help find her missing friend, Bon-Bon. And you must be Spike. I can tell that you have a crush on someone in this town, by the way how your upper body seems to be filled with sweat. In fact, you just passed by her not too long ago, considering the pink hue on your cheeks. Must be the white-coated Unicorn at that boutique over there. Also, I can tell that you have a habit of flexing your muscles in the mirror for some odd reason, most likely self-indulgence, or even to see how much you've improved from your awful habits of eating ice cream, box after box."
Spike stared at him wide-eyed, and then turned to Twilight with a glare. "You told him about me?! What about everything you've been telling me about gossiping?!"
Twilight shook her hooves defensively, before replying, "N-no! I didn't tell him about you at all! I promise!"
Justin walked closer to Spike, and said, "Actually, I just got that information from looking at you. It's just what I do. Now then, I have a question. If we were to take a chariot to that city up there, how long will it take?"
Twilight was about to answer, when a pair of Pegasus guards walked in front of the door, and stared at Justin. The one that stood at the left of the door stuttered, "W-what are you?!"
Justin merely rolled his eyes, and walked past them, replying, "The one who's on this case, now come on. We don't have much more time."
With that, the guards looked at each other nervously, before shrugging their shoulders, and walking out, while Twilight, Spike, and Lyra followed them.
Justin held onto the rail of the chariot for dear life, but still showed no emotion on his face. Lyra, however, noticed his hands were full of sweat, his palms were shaking, and his eyes were closed.
"What's wrong?" She asked, but just mere seconds later, she remembered the first time that Bon-Bon rode on a chariot. "Oh, sorry... I didn't think you were one to be afraid of heights."
Without turning his head, or opening his eyes, Justin replied in his usual monotonous voice, "Yes, I'm not really too fond of heights. Not seeing anything, and not talking actually tends to help ease my nerves, though."
Lyra nodded her head, and relaxed her hind legs on the seat. As she did, however, the chariot bumped into a cloud, causing it to move upwards; something that Lyra didn't expect. Suddenly, she flew upwards, and slid out of the side of the cart, as she screamed for dear life.
Before her left forehoof could make it a single foot below the entrance, however, a hand mysteriously caught onto it, causing her screaming to stop, and her eyes to open up. When she looked upwards, she saw Justin holding onto the rail with his right hand, and her hoof with his left. Quickly, he pulled her back into the cart, and sighed.
"You should sit in a more pony-like manner. It'll be safer for you." He said, acting completely unfazed by the events that just transpired.
With wide eyes, Lyra stuttered, "Y-you just... saved my life! But... how did you know I was falling when you weren't even looking?!"
Justin shrugged, before replying, "Simple. I expected it to happen, and merely listened to the signs. For example, the sudden clatter of your hooves on the lower half of the seat meant that you just lost balance, and the sliding from the railings told me that you were about to fall over. Taking that into account, I quickly dried my hands and reached down, right as you were starting to fall, and caught you before you could fall too far out of reach."
With a smile, Lyra nodded her head, and replied, "W-well... thank you, Justin!"
Justin, though expressionless, replied, "You're welcome." Then he closed his eyes again, while Lyra straightened herself up, and sat on all four hooves... although she was also scooted slightly closer to Justin.
Twilight, who was sitting in the cart behind them, was completely jaw-dropped, surprised, and her eyes were widely opened at what she just saw. "H-he just saved Lyra!" She told Spike, who was staring at the scene just as flabbergasted.
"And here I was starting to think he didn't even have a heart!" Spike said, as he raised an eyebrow, and scratched the right side of his head in confusion.
Twilight sighed in relief, before smiling weakly. "At least we know something about him, now... he's kind-hearted deep inside... but I'm still wondering what his problem is with socializing."
"Didn't you say that he told you it was some sort of medical condition?"
She nodded her head, and replied, "He did... but still, I think there's more to it than that... I think he's been through a lot of things that he keeps 'bottled up inside', as he puts it... and I can't help but wonder if maybe something in his life caused the bottle to get stained over time..."
"Okay, now I think you've been reading too much poetry, Twilight. If you want my honest opinion, I think he's just different, that's all! Nothing wrong with that, though. Don't forget, he isn't from this world as well, so maybe that's normal to him."
With a sigh, Twilight nodded her head again. "You're right, Spike... I guess we'll just have to let him be him, and learn to accept it for now."
The next thing they knew, the gates to the massive castle was within range, and in the matter of seconds, the carriages came to a complete halt, with Justin being the first one to leave.
Canterlot Castle Main Room
"Okay, when I said let him be him, I didn't really have this in mind!" Twilight whispered to Spike, as they watched the scene ahead of them.
For about thirty minutes, Justin continuously walked through the entire castle, internally admiring the decorations, while externally showing little to no emotion. Some of the guards were asking each other what the deal was with this odd creature, but Justin merely ignored them, and continued looking through the hallway that he was in, while being followed by Twilight Sparkle, Lyra Heartstrings, and the two princesses of the world, Celestia, a surprisingly tall mare that stood about two-third the height of Justin, with a pure white coat, and a blue, green, and pink striped mane and tail that flowed freely, despite the lack of wind, and her sister, Luna, a tall mare one foot shorter than Celestia, with a blue coat, and an even darker blue mane and tail that flowed like her sister's. Instead of stripes, however, Luna's mane and tail had distant stars that appeared from within them.
Celestia looked at Twilight, before asking, "Twilight... why is he looking around like that?"
Twilight shrugged, before replying, "I don't know, Princess... he said that whoever it was that took Bon-Bon came from Canterlot... but he also said that whoever it was must've been a guard, as well!"
Luna glared at him, and was about to say something, until Celestia covered her mouth with her hoof, and whispered, "Not yet, Luna... you still have to work on your volume." Then Luna sighed, before nodding her head, signaling Celestia to remove her hoof from her mouth.
After another minute, Justin walked back up to them, and said, "Alright, then. I've seen enough to get a good idea where to look."
Twilight rolled her eyes, and then replied, "Ugh, finally! I was hoping you'd find the answer sooner!"
"Hm? Oh, I had the answer for about thirty minutes, now! I was just admiring the decorations!"
"Wait... WHAT?!" Twilight retorted, before Celestia stepped in front of her.
"Justin... if what you say is true, then why didn't you let us know sooner?!"
With a shrug, Justin replied, "I kinda figured you knew that I knew, Princess."
This caused the group of mares to stare at him confusedly. Finally, after clearing her throat, Celestia asked, "Alright, then... please tell us how you managed to find out where to look."
Justin nodded his head, before replying, "Well, as you may know, there's a lot of flawless details in this entire building... except for the small engravings that are hidden behind the curtains of that door over there." He pointed to a curtain that rested next to the door that leads to the dining hall. "Of course, you would need to leave a message to the ones who you work for, and hide the details of what it means deep inside the message that is given. For example, if you were to say 'Minty Rain Everywhere', then you'll leave a clue to those who are involved in whatever you are doing with the initials, 'MRE', which would, from my world, be 'Meals Ready to Eat'. The message written behind that curtain says 'That's So True', as a response to the message behind the other curtain, 'When Someone's Inside, Leave'. I thought up different words that could be made with the two, and came up with 'Where Should I Look' in that one, and the other, 'The Shady Trough'... that tavern over in the left direction of the castle's front gates when you leave."
Celestia's eyes widened, and in the matter of seconds, she was looking behind the curtains, and sure enough, the messages were there, written in a gray ink. Then she looked at the group of ponies and the human, before saying, "Then we must go to The Shady Trough at once!"
With that, the entire group, with the addition of a few Royal Guards, all left the castle, and were on their way to the infamous tavern.
The Shady Trough
All mouths were silent, and all eyes were fixed at the door the second that Justin walked inside. Without even paying anyone in there any mind, he walked up to the bar table, and sat down on a bench, which was uncomfortably short for him. Even so, he still didn't seem to show any emotions.
His eyes then wandered around the room, while he mentally imagined each and every pony that was in the room abducting Bon-Bon, and the chances of them succeeding.
Finally, his attention was caught on a masculine-looking blue stallion with a black mane and goatee. His tail was shorter than the others, and his mane was tied in a knot in the back, while the sides of the front of his mane parted in the center. He was sitting in a round table with a purple-coated mare with a yellow mane.
Justin then stood up, ignoring the bartender's questions, and walked up to the stallion, who started to look quite nervously at the human that, despite his muscles, towered over him vertically.
"Good afternoon, sir." Justin said in his usual tone, which caused the eyes that would've wandered off to focus on the bipedal alien creature that just spoke their language.
"Y-you can talk?!" The stallion asked in a brisk voice.
Justin nodded his head, and replied, "I can also identify a criminal when I see one."
The stallion raised an eyebrow at him, before confusedly stating, "What?! I'm a Royal Guard of the Night! How could I possibly be a criminal?!"
Justin squinted his eyes at him, and inched his face closer to examine the confused guard. "I know what you did. Where did you take her?"
Again, the guard looked at Justin confusedly. "Where did I take who?!"
"You know who I'm talking about. Does the name 'Bon-Bon' ring a bell?"
The stallion's eyes widened up, and at once, he started looking around nervously. "N-nope! Never heard of her in my life!"
Then Justin took a closer look at the nervous stallion, and hummed to himself. "Better yet... where did you take them?"
"What in Equestria are you-"
Before the stallion could finish his sentence, Justin quickly slammed his right fist on the table, and said in a louder, yet equally monotonous voice, "You still have the lipstick on your neck where you were making out with another mare about thirty minutes ago, and you still have the mark on your left cheek where Bon-Bon slapped you. To top it all off, you still have the feint scent of candy on your coat, and according to Bon-Bon's friend, Lyra, she also happens to be a candy maker. Now I'll ask you again. Where is she?!"
The stallion shook in the chair nervously, before gulping. "And if you were truly innocent, you wouldn't be nervous about me merely mentioning her name!"
As soon as he finished saying that, a pair of hooves grabbed onto Justin's shoulders, and pulled him back, and into the wall. When he looked back, he saw a stallion wearing a black robe carrying a long spear, and aiming it at Justin. The hooded stallion said in a low-pitched tone, "If the name 'ORDER OF THE BLUE' doesn't ring a bell, then you better be out in ten seconds!"
At once, the pair of hooves released Justin, as the entire crowd inside the bar ran away, leaving just the hooded figures, the blue stallion, and the mare he was with, who also happened to be looking around nervously, while trying to break free of her date's hoofs.
"W-what's going on here?!" The mare asked in a posh-sounding tone.
The stallion chuckled, before replying, "Don't worry... we'll have all the time to ourselves in the dungeon."
Justin's eyes fixed on the stallion, while his emotionless face asked, "Oh, so you took them in the dungeon?"
The stallion nodded his head, smiled menacingly, and then replied, "Indeed I did... and thanks to you merely knowing that, I'm gonna have to ask you to bend down, so we can easily remove your head!"
Justin seemed unfazed by that statement, while the blue stallion shrugged his shoulders, before motioning a "Neck-Slice" with his right hoof to the stallion holding the spear.
Instead of listening to him, however, the hooded stallion, along with the other five, all removed their black robes, revealing the Royal Guards of Celestia, while aiming their spears at the blue one, who's eyes just widened. "W-WHAT?!"
Then, from the front door, Princess Celestia trotted in, glaring daggers at the stallion who just unintentionally admitted his crimes.
"Blue Fire! You're under arrest for treason, foalnapping, and attempted murder! Anything you say WILL be held against you in your trial!" Celestia boldly stated, as a pair of stallions lifted Blue Fire in a magic spell, and locked him in a cage that they materialized out of thin air.
Justin hummed to himself at that sight. "Huh... now that spell could be useful in my world."
As soon as the stallion was teleported away, Justin found himself nearly blinded by a flash of light, and before he knew it, he, Twilight, Lyra, Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna were standing in a dark room surrounded by stone, moss, and leaking water.
Looking around, Justin saw a cream-coated mare with a blue and pink mane and tail that were both curled. She was bound in a pair of cuffs on the wall, and appeared to be crying heavily.
Justin then looked at Celestia, and said, "You might want to also add 'RAPE' to that list. I can see the signs, but would rather not go into details on that one."
Celestia's eyes widened at that statement, but considering how true his words were each time he spoke, she chose to believe it, and run up to her subject, who looked up, and weakly smiled.
"P-Princess!" She weakly stated, before the cuffs were torn open. When Bon-Bon landed on the ground, however, she stumbled and fell, revealing the cuts and bruises on her back.
"Oh my goodness... Bon-Bon, are you alright?!" Lyra asked, as she galloped to her friend.
Bon-Bon's smile turned to Lyra, while she said, "L-Lyra! I'm... I'm so happy to..." Then, her gaze went from Lyra to Justin. At the mere sighting of him, her eyes widened even more. "L-Lyra... what... is THAT?!"
Lyra turned from Bon-Bon to Justin, and smiled. Then, while looking back at her friend, she replied, "He's a human, Bonnie! He's also the one who helped us find you!"
Bon-Bon slowly stood up, and walked up to Justin with a smile. "Th-thank you, sir..."
Justin nodded his head, yet remained unfazed by emotion. "You're welcome."
Ponyville
Later that evening, Bon-Bon was carried to the doctor to rest, while Lyra, Twilight, Celestia, Luna, and Justin stood in front of the front door to his house.
Justin looked at Lyra, and asked, "So I guess this is goodbye for now, right?"
Lyra smiled at him, and nodded her head. "Unfortunately... but maybe we'll bring you back when we need you again! I'm sorry that we don't have anything to repay you for the wonderful things you've done here!"
"Nonsense! I don't usually request payment, I simply enjoy the adventures of detective work." Then he turned back to his front door, and walked inside, waving goodbye to the ponies, as he closed the door.
Then, with a nod, Twilight and Lyra focused their horns at the house, and started chanting the spell that they used to bring him back, only modified to send him back where he came from.
For what felt like eternity, the entire house was engulfed in a light, and before they knew it, the house disappeared in the light for three seconds, before the glow dimmed down.
With a sigh, Justin looked towards the door again, after shielding his eyes from the glow. Then, ever-so-slowly, he opened the door, and noticed something terribly off... he was still in the same spot.
"What was that all about?" Justin asked, a hint of concern in his voice, but only a little.
Lyra and Twilight looked at each other nervously, before Twilight replied, "W-we don't know! We did the spell right, didn't we?!"
When Twilight looked at Lyra, Lyra nodded her head, and added, "We did! I know it!" Then her eyes filled with tears, as she slumped to the ground. "Oh, no! I-if the spell didn't work, then... t-that must mean-"
"I'm stuck in this planet, right?" Justin finished for her, in his monotonous tone again.
Lyra nodded her head, and slowly lifted it up. "I'm so... SO sorry about this, Justin!"
Justin stared at them equally emotionless for about ten seconds, before closing his eyes, shrugging his shoulders, and replying, "Very well, then. I'll be inside if you need me. Oh, and apology accepted, I still look forward to helping, should I be needed."
Lyra's saddened expression intensified, before she said, "I know you hate me for this, but... wait, WHAT?!" Her expression turned to one of confusion, along with the other mares around her, including the princesses. "W-what about your family? Your friends?!"
"Dead, and I don't have any."
"Wait," Twilight began, now with her eyes showing even more concern, "did you just say that your family is DEAD?!"
Justin nodded his head, still slightly unfazed by emotion. "They were all murdered, except me. That was why I became a detective to begin with... to avenge them by catching their killer, and letting justice be served in his blood-soaked skull... metaphorically speaking, of course. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go make some more toast... I'm starting to get a little hungry here."
Twilight's concerned look turned to a friendlier one. "Oh, Justin! How about we take you over to Ponyville, and you can meet my friends? I promise you they are true friends, and won't do anything to hurt you!"
Justin stopped mid-door-shut, and turned his head back to Twilight. "Care to describe them, first? I'd like to know just who to expect."
"Of course! Allow me to explain!" Clearing her throat, she began describing her friends to him.
First, there's Rainbow Dash! She's the Weather Manager around here, who also happens to be the fastest known flyer in Equestria! She's the Element of Loyalty, meaning she will never leave her friends behind!
Next, there's Applejack! She's the Apple Farmer around town, who helps run Sweet Apple Acres with her little sister, her older brother, and her grandmother! She's the Element of Honesty, meaning that she would never tell a lie, even if her life depended on it!
Then there's Rarity! She's the fashionesta of Ponyville, who knows the best of style when she sees it! If you ever need clothes that are guaranteed to fit, then she's the mare you'll want to see! She's the Element of Generosity, and there's no other pony out there who could come close to how much she gives, expecting nothing in return... kind of like you! But don't tell her I said that, or she might just give her whole business away!
Anyways, moving on! Next, we have Fluttershy! As her name suggests, she's extremely shy around other ponies, but takes care of the woodland creatures near the Everfree Forest! She's the Element of Kindness, and despite her timid nature, when you get to know her, she is, without a doubt, the most kindest mare you could ever meet!
Finally, there's Pinkie Pie! She happens to be the most charismatic Party Planner that I know, even making the most grouchiest of creatures smile! She'll most likely get hyper when she sees you for the first time, but I'll tell you one thing... she can throw quite a mean party! She did for me, at least. Anyways, she's the Element of Laughter, meaning that her natural talent is to bring joy and laughter to her friends, family, and anypony that she meets!
After hearing her brief explanation, Justin shrugged his shoulders, before stepping back out of the house. "Very well, then... I don't see the problem with simply meeting them. Thank you, by the way." With that, he followed the group back to Ponyville, where their next destination was none other than the usual 'Newcomer's Paradise', Sugarcube Corner.
"Oh, crap... what have I gotten myself into?" Justin murmured to himself, as he saw the group of mares that Twilight told him about standing in front of the only building in the town that looked practically edible... even putting the witch's house from "Hansel and Gretel" to shame. He stared emotionless, yet internally worried, because he had a good hunch at what he was going to get himself into... one of his biggest fears of all... public parties.
"This is going to be a long night..."
