This town was disgusting. Nothing but two bit dames and average joes trying to scrape up what little they can and call it a life. This ain't living, it's stagnation, and I'm gettin out of here before I sink six feet under with the whole damn place. Time was, I enjoyed doing my thankless job in this rusting dump of a town. Running lookout along the walls took a strong will and good eyes. I had the eyes, and lucky for the town, the whiskey helped with the rest.

“The usual, Sunsoft?” Last Call asked me in the same tone he’d used every night. I’d never liked the guy, and I knew he felt the same about me. He was the type of pony who’d sell his mother at the chance to make an extra cap or two. As sleazy as he was, I didn’t blame him. Life in the wastes was cruel and you had to fight to keep on top. It was a losing battle, and not everypony made it as far as they wanted. Even without an answer, he poured me a drink. I took the glass in my fetlock as I had almost every night and brought it to my lips. It burned all the way down, numbing my broken soul like water on the flames of a dying fire.

I set the glass down and stepped back from the bar. Hoofing out a few caps, I’d tossed them on the counter and left. I’d helped to protect the future of this place, and the ponies here were content to squander it. Rusty over at the landfill didn’t sell to traders, instead he’d hoarded all the junk for himself. Lady Luscious and her working mares could’ve been pulling in a heap of caps, instead they pushed dash onto their clientele. Doc Chips was the only honest pony left in this place, but I couldn’t even visit without her telling me all about my troubles with the drink.

None of it mattered to me. At the end of the week, I wasn’t even going to give a second look back. The only things that mattered in the world anymore was a stiff drink, and the comfort of another pony.

The skies were stormy, the same as they’d been the last two nights. The relentless rain filled the streets with the entrancement of a beautiful mare. The flashing lights from the bar made the night air sparkle, while the wind and distant thunder played like the slow tune of an old world jazz band. Nopony appreciated a rainy night’s beauty like I could. Then again, nopony here even understood how the rain was made. Not like she used to.

“Whisper…” Her name slipped past my lips and rolled off into the cool wind that brushed against me. It had been ten years ago this month I’d lost my wife to that pegasus disease, and still… every time it rained I thought of her.

The lonely streets were all the company I’d needed on my walk home. Sure, I could have shared tonight with somepony else. I’d done it plenty of times, but I couldn’t stomach it anymore. The rot and filth that filled their lives here were a disease I didn’t want to catch. They’d sooner drag me down with kind words and intimate actions, then see me leave this place alive. I didn’t need them anyway, not when I had the promise of a shared bed down the road.

My home was my only anchor in these rough and changing seas. From the outside, it had been nothing more than four rusting walls with the number 9 scrawled on it in fading white paint. Inside, the soft bed, smutty magazines, and my collection of junk were all I had left. At least, that’s what I’d come to expect would always greet me inside. Unknown to me, that wasn’t the only thing that waited for me when I opened the door.

“Hey there.” His voice floated through the air and greeted me like a warm touch across my skin. “I’ve been waitin for yah all week ta walk through that door.” Those silver blue eyes of his shone, even in the darkness of the shack. Slowly, he turned up the small lantern next to my bed, and I finally felt my spirits lift.

“You’re back early.” I stepped inside from the rain and shut the door behind me.

Had you asked me ten years ago if I could ever love a stallion, I’d have hit you straight across the muzzle. Now, here I was finding myself drawn to him. Maybe it had been because he was the striking image of my wife. He had her palette, and he had her eyes, but it was more than just that. Caltrop made me feel good in ways that I had never known could exist. Yeah, he was quite a few years younger than me, and still seemed ignorant of life in the wastelands, but that didn’t matter. Not when I held him in my hooves.

“Is that a problem?” He gave me a frown and pouted his lips. “Here I was, hopin we could spend a night in, just the two of us.” He ran his hoof along his side, slowly drawing it back to his cutie mark. His body was a weapon that always brought my mind to it’s haunches, and he knew how to use it.

I took the moldy towel I’d had hanging by the door and dried myself off with it. To me, the prospect of a romp with him was a hard one to turn down. In truth, the only thing I’d planned on doing until morning was drinking, getting myself off, and laying in bed. Of course, it was going to be harder to find the time for sex once we’d left this place. Manehatten was more than a few days walk south, and even then, it would be hard to find a safe enough place to rest.

Tonight, I could afford to just let myself go. Amid all the vices I could’ve lost myself in, the drink, cheap mares, and the drugs. He was the one I’d spend my life lost with if I could. Come the end of the week, that wish might finally come true. Maybe for once in my rotten life, I’d finally caught a lucky break in meeting him.

There was a knock at the door shortly before Wire Spike let himself in. Like the fabled grim reaper, the look across his muzzle telegraphed that he wasn’t here to join in the fun. No, it looked like he’d come ask me to bail him out of trouble again. It was a bad habit of his, but tonight especially I wasn’t in the mood for it.

“Sunsoft, something's happened.” His whole body shook as he spoke. When his eyes met mine, I could tell that he was in shock. The little bit of blood that was splattered under his chin and on his forehooves ment it was most likely another bar brawl. A shame I wasn’t there to participate this time. “Out past the gates, there was a wastelander or something, and…”

“Goddesses, Spike. It's my fucking day off.” I lost my cool. This was my last night off before I left, and now that Caltrop’s back, the town can go fuck itself. “Can't you get Silver Platter to take over? He’s normally good at cleaning up your messes.”

"Silver's fucking dead," He spoke as he dropped his tone and tears started to drop down his cheeks. For the moment, I set aside the fact that I’d generally hated the guy to hear what he had to say. "Doc sent me to get you. If she asked, you’d better believe I don't care if you're in the middle of getting fucked by some stallion whore. Now grab your gear and let's go."

Before I could get off a half thought out insult, he stepped back out into the rain and disappeared into the night like a ghost. Right then, I’d just wanted to tell Caltrop ‘fuck this joint, let’s scram’. This town wasn’t worth the trouble it gave, and I hoped it burned to ashes the minute I was gone.

I couldn’t leave tonight, not with Silver dead. He was a good stallion, and second only to me in the towns guard ranks. He’d covered enough of my own fuckups that I at least owed it to him to find out what happened.

“Yah aren’t really gonna leave, are yah?” Caltrop pined from my bed.

“Sorry, love.” I sighed out and waded through my junk to where I’d thrown my security barding. “Though, I’ll see what I can do to make it up to you when I get back.” With a kick, I slid a box of old wingboner magazines off my musty barding. From the moment it’s smell met my nose, I knew I was too sober to be heading out for duty. To his credit, Caltrop didn’t try to beckon me into bed. I guess he could show a bit of restraint when he needed to after all.

“Just stay safe out there.” He offered as I could hear more than a hint of disappointment in his voice.

Safe. That was a laugh out here. Between the Raiders, the wildlife, and more of those damn alicorn monsters appearing every day, we should all be dead. I don’t really understand how any of ponykind could have lasted this long. Then again, that’s what ponies were good at. We survived. Blew up the whole damn world and we just kept on ticking anyway.

I slipped the old, pre-war business outfit I had on over it and buttoned myself up as I’d done almost every night for years. However, I felt conflicted about it tonight. Not just for having to go out so suddenly, but because this was one of the last times I’d ever wear it. The only things that I’d be bringing with me when I left were my gun, my caps, and enough food to make it to Manehatten. The barding belonged to the town, even if it was just going to rot with the rest of this place.

My revolver on the other hoof, was something I’d rather leave, but couldn’t. I’ve never been too keen about keeping a gun. Sure, it’s been reliable the hoof full of times I’d had to use it. Hell, it’s even saved my life once or twice. As much as it’s been a blessing, it’s also been a curse. I’d cornered a daft drunk at the bar once a few years back. He thought he could draw faster than me. He couldn’t have been older than sixteen when I’d shot him dead on the spot. Still, I kept the old .38 loaded and strapped to my barding. I’d choose a lifetime of regret, over laying six feet under.

By the time I’d gotten outside the gates, the rain had tapered off into a misty haze. The light from a few lanterns cast eerie shadows out into the darkness of the wastes. The sheen they gave to the crumbling old paved road outside of town, was stained with crimson lines. It was a scene straight out of the old mystery novels before the war.

Wire Spike stood next to Doc Chips, who hovered like a vulture over the bloody mess that used to be Silver. The sight of his corpse was so damned unnerving, that I almost missed the fact that Jerry Can and Lady Luscious stood on the other side of it. They’d been two more pages of bad news that I could add to tonight. Like a raider with a smile, nothing good ever came after you saw it.

“A damn shame to lose a stallion like Silver to such reckless actions.” Jerry Can said with his normal propension to mention the obvious. “He shouldn’t have gone outside the wall alone. He didn’t deserve a death like this.”

“Shut your mug, Jerry. You don’t give two shits about your own town’s guard. How about you scram and let me do my thankless job.” As I spoke, I nearly spat at the rotund bastard. He’s another on the list of ponies I won’t miss. A mayor who spends more time at the brothel than I do at the bar is a sign of a weak town. Besides, there was only one pony here I trusted. “Give me the news Doc, what happened?”

“Well from what I can tell, somepony went to town on him with something heavy.” She spoke as she magically levitated a small rod around his body. She used it to illustrate the finer points of blunt force trauma. “A fractured shoulder, broken ribs, and a plenty of internal bleeding are all pretty terrible, but that’s not what killed him.” She lifted the rod and used it to turn his head. We all cringed as she exposed the other side of his face. The pulpy mass of flesh and bone had an inward curve to it. It looked like nothing I’d ever seen before. “I’ve never seen this kind of wound before, but it takes a large amount of force to do that to a pony’s skull.”

“By the goddesses, what could do that to a pony?” Jerry Can gasped before turning away from the sight.

I looked up to Luscious and caught her glance. She quickly averted her eyes before turning back to town. I still wasn’t quite sure why she’d been out here in the first place. A mare with legs that almost went on for days, she’d never been the kind to spend her time in the mud. Then again, tonight was a slow night in town, and the gruesome entertainment of the wasteland was always a free show.

“Go home, Jerry.” I said in as stern a tone as I could. The fat bastard finally got the message and casually strolled back to town. “Wire, you said that there was an incident. Tell me, what exactly happened?”

“Well, Silver and I were on guard just like usual.” He said as he looked up to me. The poor stallion was doing everything he could not to look at Silver. “Until he said he thought he saw something making it’s way around the wall on this side of town. I told him it was probably just some bloatsprite, cause that’s what it usually is, you know? But he said he still wanted to check it out just in case.”

“Go on.” I muttered and swung my gaze across the dark landscape around town. Somepony scouting the walls maybe? Why attack Silver when the rain and darkness could give you the clean sneak?

“A few minutes after he left, I heard him shout something. The rain was still coming down enough that I couldn’t hear what he’d said, but I came down from my post and ran to him.” He paused for a moment as a small whimper slipped through his lips. “And… I found him laying here like this.” He started to sob.

“And that’s all that happened?” I turned my eyes to the dimly lit wall and looked along it. A few feet from the entrance, something at the base of it caught my eye.

“What do you mean?” Wire shouted through his anguish. “Something just murdered my best friend. If I knew something else, I’d have fucking told you.”

“Hey, he and I drank from the same bottle some nights. I didn’t mean any offence.” I cast my own glare at his angry eyes. “I just want to know why this had to happen at all.” Wire needed his space and some time to deal with his loss. Deaths in this community were few and far between. The cases of a pony being bumped off by an outside attack had been as rare as unfiltered sunshine. Something smelled funny about all this, and I planned on finding all the dirt I could on it before the rains came again.

The rain had already taken care of most of the evidence at the scene of the crime. The rest was trampled under the hooves of the boobs who showed up out here to gawk. As I looked around, I found one set of hoofprints that lead back toward the town wall. I followed them back to the curious spot I’d seen. It was met by another pair of tracks that came seemingly from the wall itself. Their gaits were almost matched to a galloping pace. Silver must have been chasing somepony, which meant that they tried to ditch him after all.

Shortly along the trail of hoofprints, I found myself at the wall. After a rain like tonight’s, the jagged collection of concrete slabs that formed the wall were normally fairly clean of the elements. However, a curiously canted slab had a splash of mud along the top of it. A quick inspection of behind it revealed a small hole in the dirt. No more than a foot wide or so, a shallow puddle resided in it. I reached in and pressed my hoof against the muddy bottom. My hoof gave a soft click as it tapped something metal. I tried to scrap it out, but I couldn’t get it to budge in the mud. Could be important, could be a piece of scrap from Rusty’s yard on the other side.

A dead guard, a shallow hole, and a mysterious intruder. Three things that made my gut churn with anxiety. This whole situation sat wrong in my mind. I knew that this puzzle would be not only tough, but most likely a dangerous one to solve. There were too many unanswered questions, and too many oddities in the investigation already. But Silver had seen something, and that something had given him the big sleep.

There wasn’t much I could’ve done now. It was too dark to search the area, and taking a lantern out by myself would just be asking for trouble to come looking for me. I’m sure that whoever had been out there, would be back again.

“I’ll take a look at him, Sunsoft. You can come by in the morning for what I find.” The Doc called as she headed for the town gate. She had Silver’s body being carried by Wire, who kept his eyes glued to the dirt and his muzzle in a frown. Those two had shared shifts for a long time, and I knew that they were pals. It was a shame that things had to go down the way they had. At least the Doc might have a few more answers for me when I got up.

With my prospects for the night down to the one thing I’d been torn away from, I left the wall and headed back into town. The walk home was about as comforting as my shift in the guard tower. I couldn’t shake this hanging feeling that this wasn’t a random attack. The only hope I had, was that the weather held out until morning. If I could get another look around, I might be able to find some clue as to who’d done this.

As I reached home, I pushed the door to my shack open. Caltrop was right where I’d left him. The moment I walked in his eyes lit up like a candle in a crystal ball. He shifted himself into the same position I’d seen him in earlier and wore a lustful gaze. As the door shut behind me, all I could do was stare. He cocked his eyebrow and ran his hoof along himself slowly. He was a slice of heaven incarnate, just waiting to be taken.

“Well, aren’t yah goin ta say somethin?” Caltrop batted his eyes at me. Then, as if I needed any more convincing, he rolled onto his back and gave me a clear look at the goods. That was just like him. Always so eager to get whatever made him happy. What he lacked in patience, he made up for in more... intimate ways. In just a few moment’s, I’d stripped my barding off and was standing over him next to the bed.

“Sorry, sweetheart. Just admiring the view.” I said as placed myself over him. The dim lighting, the smell of the rain, and just how perfect his body was. Everything hit me at once. It was either the lack of alcohol, or the fact that I hadn’t been laid in a week that made me feel this lust-filled. Even if I wanted to say no, my body wasn’t about to let the rest of this night go to waste.

I was in heaven. The smell of sex and sweat filled the humid night air. For what felt like hours we rode the rough waves of passion and ecstasy. In the end, he'd collapsed on top of me. He pressed into the mess we’d made all over each other. I savored the warmth that radiated out from him and did my best to remember this single moment. Together we lay in a panting heap, hooves around each other.

Only when it was over did the sound of the rain return to my ears. With it came the disappointed knowledge that for now, we were still in this dump of a town. I didn’t care. Being here with him was all that mattered to me.

“Dat…” Caltrop whispered and panted heavily, “was a hell of a ride.”

“And you are a hell of a stallion.” I whispered back through my own. My mind and body both called out for sleep, and I was ready to oblige. “There isn’t anypony else I’d rather fall asleep next to, than you.”

“I know, I am pretty amazin, aren’t I?” He gave me a soft laugh and wiggled his all too perfect hips. “I’m just glad we’ll be leavin this place soon. I want ta spend the rest of my life with yah.”

“As do I.” I sighed. My heavy eyelids crashed shut, and his warm embrace carried me off into the most restful sleep I’d gotten in days. Even with the promise of slumber, Silver’s death sat in the back of my mind. That would be my goal for this week. I’d find out what happened to him before I left this place for good. The town might not care to know, but I think his memory deserved the justice I could bring.

As it mostly did, the time to wake up came far sooner than it should. The light raps on my shack door roused me from my comfortable slumbers. The only comfort I had as I woke up, was the warmth that Caltrop gave off against me.

“Just… one minute.” I grumbled. It took a few seconds for me to remember how to use my legs. The only thing worse than waking up with a hangover, was waking up sober. The fact that when I opened my eyes everything was brighter than all hell didn’t help either. With less grace than an out of control freight train, I stumbled over to my shack door. I opened it a crack and looked out wearily. Wire Spike stood outside same as he had last night. Written across his face was every shade of regret and remorse you could get. “Oh, Wire. What do you want?”

“I came by to apologize for last night.” He said. His voice was tired, and the bags under his eyes looked like they weighed a ton each. “I know you and Silver worked well enough together to consider each other more than just acquaintances. He was just the only friend I had.” He trailed off to a silence that I’d known all too well. Whisper’s death fluttered into my mind like a moth seeking the light of day. It was a feeling that I’d buried deep inside, and I needed to strike down quickly.

“Look, I’ll tell you what.” I grumbled. “Let me see what I can find today, and we can discuss it over a drink tonight.” I stopped to let out a long yawn. One which he was patient enough to wait through before he gave me an answer.

“Sure thing.” He forced a smile and gave me a soft nod. While his expression might have said the offered hadn’t meant much, the tone of his voice he used said he was hopeful. “Sorry for waking you up. I’ll let you get back to bed.”

I shut the door on him with another yawn. My neck and legs gave stiff pops as I turned myself around. When I did, I found Caltrop gazing groggily up at me. The thoughts of Whisper receded back into the depths it crawled out from.

“Mornin, hun.” He whined out as he stretched his legs. As he did, I caught a glimpse of what pressed against his underbelly. Somepony had a nice dream while they’d slept at least. “Mind givin me a hoof with somethin.” He said as a smile spread across his muzzle. “I think dat part of me’s a bit more awake than the rest.”

“Sorry, love.” I gave out with a sincere sigh. It felt like a crime to turn something like that down, but penance for it could wait until later. “No time for a quicky this morning. I have to run to see the Doc.” With a quick look, I found my discarded barding and hoofed it on. “I promise that I’ll make it up to you tonight, alright?”

“Yah better.” He said with a note of disappointment that stung at my soul. After only a moment, he gave me a sly smirk and waggled his eyebrows. “If not, yah gonna have ta let me be top for the rest of this week.”

“Sounds like a deal.” I chuckled while I checked myself over. I had my gear, my gun, and my wits about me. All I needed, were some answers about last night. “Feel free to make yourself at home while I’m away.” I said and raised my forehoof to my muzzle. I blew him a kiss before I turned and hoofed open the door.

“Take care!” He shouted as I walked out.

Even with the cloud cover, on a day like today I should have brought my hat. I’d already gone too far though. If I went back in, I knew Caltrop’s calls would be too much to resist. Instead, I sucked it up and started to squint. I walked the narrow corridors towards the center strip of town in a daze as I was forced to wake up by the obnoxious daylight. For being a town named Shady Pines, this place was always a whole lot brighter than I’d like it to be.

Still, the walk wasn’t as brutal as some of the mornings after a bender. I knew the excess was bad, but in the wasteland, you can’t help but want to feel that good. The hustle and bustle of the other hundred ponies who lived in this shithole was the only thing I could’ve rather done without. That’s why I’d chosen to take solace on the nightshift.

Actually, that was a lie. The truth is, getting a few drinks to start the night always seemed to make the night look a little brighter, and the town a little less in the shitter. If Last Call opened up earlier than noon, I just might have considered the evening shift back then. Even now when I think about it, a stiff whisky could go a long way to keep today bearable.

Regardless, I didn’t have time for a drink. I had to make my way over to the Doc to get the dirt on what happened. The more she could find out, the closer I get to being rid of this junkheap of a community. Still, it might have just been the fact I’d just woken up, but Silver biting the big one still seemed like it was part of a bad dream. Something told me that the gurgle I had in my gut wasn’t entirely about wanting breakfast. No, something bigger was at play, and I was going to get to the bottom of it.

I trotted out into main street. Even without a drink to temper my vision, I caught a glimpse of something ugly at the clinic. Two bricks in Grifter Gang combat armor did their best to look imposing. Not that I cared in the least, they looked like jokers anyway. Missing various sections of their armor, the two looked more like the local junkies than guards. Being paid to look that way was probably about the only good they could ever do. They knew who I was and just how many shits I’d given when they came through before. They didn’t even budge when I stepped past them and barged through the door.

For a clinic, this place wasn't much less of a dump than my joint. At the very least the ceiling and walls kept the daylight from me. The fluorescent lights were a gift from the goddesses to my weary eyes. Even so, the smell of wallpaper adhesive was thick enough it threatened to strangle the life out of the ceiling fan. Each slow whining rotation wafted more of the rank stench at me and fluttered the peeling floral wallpaper like a hundred ribbons. It made the room almost feel as if it were alive, which isn't something you should have to say for a place of healing.

The Doc’s overly happy muzzle was nowhere to be found amongst the decrepit papers and files on the reception desk. She was most likely somewhere in the back room still figuring out just what had put Silver on ice. I took the closest seat in the wasteland’s most depressing clinic, and perked my ears. Nothing but the soft squeak from the cruddy bearing in the fan could be heard.

I folded my hooves across my chest and got down to the frustrating job of waiting. I had no idea how long she’d be back there, but I’d hope she’d make the time for me when she came out. Being the only mare who ran this place, free time wasn’t exactly something she had an abundance of.

I don’t know how long I’d sat there for. It seemed like a small slice of forever before I heard noises trickle in from the back. A soft murmur grew louder as it approached the door to the lobby. I straightened myself up and got to my hooves, all while I prayed for a clue that could seal this case for good.

“-ly, I’m sorry for the discomfort.” Doc Chips spoke with a smile as she opened the door. When she stepped through, her gaze crossed mine. Her expression soured like I was the worst wine she’d ever tasted. From behind her, out stepped Dutch. The frontman for the Grifter’s, he was an ugly bastard to find yourself looking at. Covered from head to hoof in scars, he gave me a glare that could only be read as ‘fuck you’. That brought a smile to my muzzle and gave my head the kick it needed to get back on straight.

“Thank you again, Doc.” He spoke. “I shall be more careful next time. I suppose I have enough scars for one lifetime.” He raised a hoof and blew her a kiss. She returned it with a nervous smile before she turned her attentions elsewhere. He turned and made it to the door before he stopped. With a cocked eyebrow, he looked over me like he was ready to throw down right here and now.

“If you’re looking to rent yourself out, try applying at Luscious’s place down the street.” I grumbled just low enough to where he had to cant his head to hear it. That lit a fire in his eye and brought a sadistic grin to his face. “That’s where all the two bit whores work.”

“You sure?” He retorted and scrunched up his muzzle to hide the embarrassment my words had caused. “I was sure somepony told me you kept one at home.” He gave a jittering giggle as he turned to face me.

You can mess with me all you want, but nopony got to bring the one I loved into it. I was tense, far too tense for either of our good. He’d hit a nerve, and he knew it. The smug look on his ugly mug showed that he relished the fact that I couldn’t fight back. It’s not that I wouldn’t have given his chin a good once over, but because none of us guards could touch him. Jerry Can’s rule kept in the way of Dutch and the justice he deserved.

“Boys!” Doc Chips shouted. If it hadn’t been for her, I’m not sure if I could’ve held myself back much longer. “You want to take this outside town, or do I have to call somepony in here to restrain the two of you?” She raised a hoof and grimaced at the two of us. Dutch giggled and pushed open the door. Within moments, he was gone. With a sigh, the Doc and I both relaxed. “I'm no head doc, but you've got a deathwish if I've ever seen one.”

“Sorry.” I simply replied. “What was the goon squad doing in town anyhow?”

“Same as always.” She rolled her eyes. “Dutch got himself fucked up again, and of course, I had to fix it.” She adjusted the small, round glasses on her muzzle with her magic. For some reason, I always had the impression that she hid herself behind them. For a mare with a coat as clean as hers, and blue eyes the color of the uncovered sky, she didn’t let ponies get too close to her. “I’m guessing you aren’t here for another lecture about your drinking habits?”

“Sorry, Doc. I’ve got work to do.” I lifted my hoof and pointed toward the back room. “You find anything I should see?”

“Stayed up late to see what I could find.” She shook her head and levitated a small cloth to her lenses. “Sorry, but there’s nothing else to what I said last night. Some sort of trauma to the head.” She paused and looked down at the front counter before looking like she was lost in a labyrinth of thought. She rolled her hoof and rubbed at it softly. “No, there was this one odd thing…”

A shimmering silvery line rose up in her magic from under the counter. With a clue to move the case forward, I held my hoof out to her. At half an inch long, and maybe a quarter inch wide, it was a discolored jagged scrap of sheet metal. Something just like Rusty would have in his yard. Unless Rusty became a murderer overnight, I had my doubts that this could be anything but useless. I looked up to Doc for the relevance in hopes that she had something more.

“I found that lodged in Silver’s rear left hoof.” As she spoke, I looked back down to the shiny metal. The dark discoloration had the trademark tinge of blood to it. It probably would have been something that my old friend Wild Pegasus would have helped me notice were today like any other day. “It’s a real nasty shard if you ask me, must have been painful. It couldn’t have been in him any longer than just before his death.”

“Was this all?” I asked as I slipped the shard into the pocket of my barding. This wasn’t much to ride on, but I had a feeling in my gut. I had to dig deeper into this, especially if I wanted to be ready for whoever killed Silver to return. They always go back to the scene after the deed is done. Murder is a dirty job, and it’s too much trouble to clean up after if you asked me.

“Yeah, I can take another look over him again, but I couldn’t do it until tonight.” She grumbled in the way I did with Wire last night. “Came downstairs first thing this morning to find my services required by Dutch.” With another roll of her eyes, she turned to head to the back room. “I’m not sure if it will, but I hope that shard helps.”

“Thanks for your time, Doc.” I called out as she disappeared into the back. She’d done more than her fair share to help on this so far with as busy as she always was. Doc Chips deserved a medal and a vacation for the shit she put up with in this town, and I owed it to more than just her to get this solved quick.

The night trudged on with the expediency of a stallion in concrete shoes. It was standard protocol for the senior guard to pick up the first shift of another deceased guards pony. Silver liked to pull alternating shifts, and today I was stuck with his shitty afternoon shift. Seeing as by the time I’d finished up at the Docs I was already late, I planned to stay late as well. The whole six hours I’d been up in the guard tower, I couldn’t help but draw out that useless metal shard and look at it.

How had it gotten jammed in, and why was it on the wrong side of the wall? Why didn’t Silver call out for help earlier? I had one piece of the puzzle here in my hoof, but it wasn’t enough for the big picture. Cross Knot came to relieve me early, and I jumped on the chance to use the time for another look outside the wall. With the sun already heading down for what seemed an early night, I kept my mind as sharp as that shard for clues.

A quick trot from the guard tower, I found myself headed through old wrought iron town gate. The dirt out here had some give under my hooves, but had mostly dried in the midday sun. The lull in bad weather was a gift from above, and I could still clearly make out my own tracks from last night. I followed them back to the oddly canted section of wall and gave it a good tug. With some insistence from my forehooves and a few kicks from my rear, I finally managed to move it. My work had paid off, and I could see the hole that had been dug in the mud.

The dark ring of earth gave away the remanence of the muddy puddle that had filled it last night. With a quick scrape of my hoof, I smeared the still sticky mud from whatever metal I’d felt before. The click of it against my hoof brought a smile to my face and renewed my hope in the case. Now that I could get a good go at it, I didn’t mind if my hooves got a bit dirty. As an earth pony, nothing felt better than when I scooped it and the dirt around it out. With a flick of my hoof, I scattered it all to the dirt beside me. The silver glint of metal caught my eye in the form of a rolling cap. As it flopped down, I walked over and hoofed my prize up to my face.

With the dirt on it, at first glance it was just an ordinary cap. Under the mud however, the pristine surface, crimped ribs, and sharp sides of the cap gave it away. It was a forgery. The tilted section of the wall, the metal in Silver’s foot, and where he’d been killed. It all made sense now.

Unfortunately, now I knew I was in it deep. My gut was right on the mark this time, and this would be a lot harder than I’d first thought. Silver might have just been in the wrong place at the wrong time, but somepony had been running counterfeit caps through the town. My first stop tomorrow morning would be Rusty’s place. If somepony has been stealing his scrap metal, he had to know. If he’d been selling however, than he better have one hell of a story to tell me.

“What the hell did you stumble into, Silver?” I mumbled to myself.

Author's Note

I'm throwing out a special thanks to Hnetu for giving me so much advice on how to make this a better fic. She didn't have to spend her time painstakingly going over this and showing me what was wrong, but she did. I owe her a lot for seeing this story coming out.