"Is this the place?"

"Yes. This is only the entrance to it. We need to head inside and towards the back of the building near the garden."

Spike and True Shot faced a tall gate surrounded by brick and mortar. It was several feet taller than it needed to be and was obviously constructed to be imposing. The brick walls had Ivy tendrils along their surface in a tight embrace. The guard at the front looked better equipped than even the town's guards as he walked the perimeter. As the guard opened the iron giant and filled the air with the screech of rusty iron; Spike took note that only seconds had passed before more guards appeared around them to escort them. The treatment was more than likely due to him being what he was, but it didn't matter to him. It was just more genuine instincts from what would usually be prey against a predator.

"Listen." True Shot said as they stopped at the front door. "This is the house of the Lord's Sister. No matter what she says or does; I want you to stay silent unless absolutely necessary."

"I take it she doesn't know about me?"

"She knows about you. Trust me... she knows about you and that is exactly why it's best for you to stay quiet."

Spike didn't quite get what the Captain was trying to say but decided not to argue. If there was a pony besides the lord of the town that made him act this way, then it was obvious that something was up. The door opened to reveal a small room with several more guards; they walked towards the visitors and started to search them for anything dangerous. They took the Captain's crossbows under the assurance that the guards would take out Spike should something happen. The saddlebags and pack were also taken from them. This left Spike with only his coat, book, the box he had taken out with the mysterious marbles and his pack of cigarettes. The Captain argued that he'd stick with his armor and only conceded to taking off his helmet if he could be supplied with his miniature crossbow.

The two of them went through another doorway to end up in what appeared to be a lavishly decorated with white and red colors strewn about woven within tapestries of intricate design. Spike felt a sharp jolt to his side and saw that the Captain had been the perpetrator. He looked at him with a scowl only to track where the True Shot was looking; in front of them, they found a mare wearing a dark blue dress with white lace along the bottom. The same color as her mane and choker which held a beautifully appetizing Lapis Lazuli that shone as she walked through the last rays of the setting sun.

The white furred beauty with cobalt eyes and long eyelashes looked their way only to display a smile that hid the predatory look in her eyes. She stopped half-way in front of both her guests. The silence last a few more seconds before the butler began to speak.

"May I present Madam Silky Sweet. Sister to our Lord Swaine. Daughter of Mistress Salty Sweet and Master Victor Swaine." She curtsied before the butler continued.

"Madam. I present to you Captain True Shot and his prisoner." The Captain bowed which Spike immediately imitated.

"Your name?" the question rang through the air as soft and tender as silk. Everyone in the room stopped and looked towards the source to see Silky Sweet walk closer towards Spike.

Her security immediately sprang to hold the dragon down but was called off and away by Silky. She stopped in front of Spike and he slowly lifted his head to see her intensely focused on him. He looked to his right in order to get some help from the Captain but saw him still bowing waiting for this to play out.

"Spike. My name is Spike Ma'am." he replied still bowing

"No last name?" She said while circling the pair.

"No last name. I'm simply known as Spike."

"Hmm. How interesting. Come along then; I'll show you to where the death took place."

"My lady if you would please let me escort the two; I do not think it appropriate for one such as yourself to see to these two. Much less talk to such a ghastly beast."

"I'll thank you not to barge into my affairs, Henry. You may have been employed by my brother but that doesn't mean you get to say what I can and can't do. Now go prepare dinner and make sure there is enough for our guests."

The butler bowed and walked out of the room. Spike and True Shot could hear the closing of doors and the echoes of hoofsteps dissipating. They looked up and saw that the lady of the house was in a rather foul mood compared to before that conversation.

"I swear, even when he's not around my brother just tries his best to ruin things. Now come along both you. I would rather not spend all day answering questions as I have some of my own." She turned towards the end of the room and headed towards a glass door that led to a veranda.

The Captain and dragon fell in behind her, sandwiched between guards on all sides. While it was true that Silky was in charge of the place, it was clear that her brother commanded more than just a town. He was either a pony with many enemies or an extremely overbearing and doting brother. They walked from the veranda and through a stone path with flowers on either side to what appeared to be the entrance to a hedge maze. Silky stopped in front of it and turned to the both of them with a smile that was all too familiar in True Shot's experience.

"The incident took place in the maze, in the back to be precise. We can just as easily go around in order to get there but I would like it if the two of you used the maze to get there."

"Ma'am, begging your pardon but we don't really have time for this. If you would be so kind as to show us to the scene of the crime, we would like to continue with our investigation." The Captain said taking a step forward only to be stopped by one of the guards.

"Come now Truly. I hardly ever get to entertain guests and even if I've known you since we were young; you barely even visit unless my brother invites you."

"Truly? Are you serious?" Spike tried to stifle a laugh.

The rest of the guards held one back as well while Silky awaited an answer from the rather stone-faced Captain with the smallest of smiles.

"Fine. We shall take the maze to the location." True Shot said reluctantly while stepping on Spike's foot. Spike simply took it without a word as it was far from harmful.

"Perfect! Now go through here and you'll get there in no time at all. Only, I want Spike to be the one to lead. I'll be listening to see if you cheat since Truly already knows the layout of the maze." Silky walked off down another path with most of the guards falling in behind her.

The remaining guards opened the gate to the maze and shoved the two inside. The gate closed and Spike took point with the Captain scowling behind him.

"So... Truly huh?"

"Not another word dragon."

"Fine, let's get out of here as quick as possible then... Truly."

The Captain aimed the crossbow and shot Spike in the back with a regular bolt. While it wasn't in any way fatal; the impact was enough to push him to the ground.

"Got it... no nicknames..."

As they walked through the maze in silence; Spike took the time to think about what he'd learned so far from the previous location and the Captain. The murders had something to do with fire hot enough to turn bones to ash but left no traces of who or what was responsible. The clues were marble sized dry ice like objects and the smell of some type of metal. It was hardly anything to work with and left many questions unanswered. How did the fire take place without it spreading? Why did it leave behind something so incredibly cold? Did whatever murder Lunar Blossom do it with some kind of motive? If so, then what was the mare doing when she disappeared and did it have anything to do with her death? Too many questions were swimming around his head and not enough clues were available for him to make the connection.

It wasn't until they ran into a dead-end for the fourth time that Spike and the Captain started to get frustrated.

"Can't you just point to where I should go?"

"No. I'm not sure how she does it but Lady Sweet knows whether somepony cheats or not. She's been that way since we were children."

"How in the world did you even get to know her that closely?" Spike said as he squatted and dug a small hole in the ground. "Just marking it to see if I'm going in circles."

"Fine, and I have no obligation to tell you anything about my life. Until you are proven innocent, you are still my prisoner."

"Geez, fine then. Fuck, I am going in circles."

True Shot looked down to see the same hole Spike had dug just a moment ago. It seemed like they were going to be in the maze for quite some time.

"Fuck this."

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to use my thermal vision. We've been in here long enough to leave a trail so I'll use that as a point of reference in order to get out."

True Shot watched as Spike blinked and his eyes were coated in a soft transparent film. The dragon looked around and found what he'd been looking for before moving forward once more. It wasn't until he reached a new wall of green that Spike turned towards the Captain.

"I'm supposed to know about this despite this being my first time?"

"Yes, it's Lady Sweet's favorite joke."

Spike pushed on the wall and it rotated to reveal a straight path to an opening. They walked down the path and were soon assaulted by a familiar smell. It was the same smell that had been at the previous site. However, there was another scent mixing itself into the horrendous stench. The scent of molten metal mixed with burning flesh and fur. How anyone could stand such a smell was beyond the both of them.

As they came onto the opening they noticed a hole to their left that led out to the garden. Silky was standing there with a mask covering her half her face. A guard gave some to both Spike and the Captain before they continued to the spot.

"Wonderful! You both made it and didn't cheat. Wasn't that fun?"

"Quite. Now, if you would be so kind as to answer a few questions."

"You're no fun Truly. Alright, ask away then."

"He'll be conducting the investigation. I'm just here in case he tries anything."

"Of course." Silky moved past True Shot and came up next to Spike who was trying to put on the mask given to him only to have the bands snap. She giggled as he threw down the broken mask and took out a large piece of cloth from his coat to use as a filter.

"I apologize that we don't have much in the way of dragon-sized masks."

Spike turned to see her looking up at him and he immediately stepped away as the guards behind her took aim. He bowed looked towards True Shot who walked in between the two.

"Lady Sweet, please keep a safe distance. If not for your sake, then for mine. I can't let something happen to the Lord's sister due to a prisoner I'm in charge and responsible for after all."

"Humph. Fine, but only if he stops bowing so much and answers my questions like a normal pony... dragon."

The Captain looked at Spike and Spike, in turn, looked at him like this was the best they were going to get. True Shot moved behind Spike and readied his crossbow while Spike walked around the scene.

It was a circle almost exactly like the first one only smaller. The body was nowhere to be seen, nor was there any indication of one being burnt other than the lingering smell.

"Was there a body?" Spike asked the Captain

"Yes and no. The one my maid found was all black and when they tried to recover the remains it just turned to ash." Silky responded as she tried to make her way around the circle as well.

"Ash? That would explain there being no marks of a possible location. When did the murder take place? Was there anyone around other than the victim?"

"It was during the monthly visit to my brother's house in town. The gardener was by himself during midday here in the maze trimming the hedges when he was attacked. According to one of the maids, she heard a something close to a scream before seeing a flash."

"Lady Sweet, I'm surprised you're taking all this so well. Most ponies of high standing such as yourself wouldn't dare set hoof near such a place, much less talk about it with such... interest."

"Oh, don't get me wrong Mr. Spike. I care for each and every one of my employees and I've known Mr. Loose Leaf since I was a filly. It's because of those reasons that I've taken an interest. That stallion was as important to me as my real family and I intend to bring whoever killed him to justice."

"Lady Sweet, please leave that part of the investigation to guards."

"Truly, you're such a stick in the mud sometimes."

Spike snorted at the comment and searched the circle once more with his thermal vision. "You mentioned there was a scream and a flash. Was the scream from the victim or the suspect?"

"I don't know whether it was from Mr. Leaf, but the maid thinks it was whatever or whoever killed him that screamed. She said it sounded... savage and guttural."

"And the flash? How big was it? Any particular color?"

"We don't know how big it was as anypony who saw it was temporarily blinded. As for the color, I think she mentioned it to be pure white."

Spike wrote it all down as she described and put away his book before coming alongside True Shot. He knelt down in order to whisper something.

"I can't find any sign of that marble we found this morning. Either it didn't leave one behind or somepony must have found it."

"Do you think it might have been one of the staff?"

"Can't say for sure right now. All I do know is that between this death and the first there are no connections I can see."

"It's not looking good for you. You've only got two more days before your execution. Pray we find something significant soon."

Spike stood up and dug around his coat for a bone. He showed it to the Captain who looked at it with suspicion. "It's a cigarette. Basically, I'm just going to smoke if that's okay by you."

"Fine, make it quick and don't go near Lady Sweet with that."

Spike blew a small emerald wisp into the air and lit the bone with it. Once it's purpose was fulfilled he swatted the tiny flame away as it dissipated into the air.

"What was that?"

"What was what Lady Sweet?" Spike replied before blowing some smoke away from the mare.

"That tiny fire you just made. It just hung in the air as you used it. Can all dragons do that?"

"Well, they can certainly learn. It just takes years of training to control their fire. I've just got a better handle of it than most."

"Can you do it again?"

Spike looked to his jailer and received a nod in return. "Alright, but please keep a safe distance and don't touch it. I doubt ponies are as fireproof as dragons." He made an another wisp the size of a bit and let it float freely in place.

"Wow..." Silky moved forward to gaze at the emerald flame dance and crackle in the air. "That's amazing, I've never seen anything like it in all my life. Do you think I can keep it?"

"I doubt it. It's only a small fire so it'll die out soon enough. Just don't..."

As Spike was going to remind her not to touch it a gust of wind blew through the hole in the maze took the wisp with it. The wisp collided with the circle and immediately caught fire. The emerald flames grew instantaneously as Spike grabbed Silky and True Shot to move away from the deadly green light source. As he let go of the pair of ponies; he watched the fire grow but never leave the circle. It was as if it refused to burn anywhere else than where the circle had been.

"What the hell just happened?! What the fuck did you do dragon?!" The Captain yelled aiming his crossbow once again at Spike with Silky still on the ground behind him.

"I didn't do anything. The wisp just collided with the ground and ignited." Spike took off his coat and laid it on the ground. He stepped forward and reached for the flames making sure he could control his fire. The emerald flames responded and he stepped inside undaunted by the heat. He stopped in the center and started to inhale the flames.

The ponies watched as the flames were sucked into the dragon's mouth as he breathed deeply. Once the flames were gone; he swallowed hard and burped a bit of smoke. Spike made a face of disgust before spitting out the aftertaste.

"Wha..." Silky was the first to speak as Spike put his coat back on.

"What just happened?" True Shot finished her thought as Spike spit more of the taste out of his mouth.

"Calcium carbide."

"What?"

"I said it was Calcium carbide that set off the flames. It used the wisp as an ignition and burned only what was covered in the stuff."

True Shot moved closer to the circle only to be stopped by Spike. He looked to the dragon who shook his head and took a step back.

"So you ate the fire and now you know what caused the circle?"

"Calcium carbide is most likely that metallic smell that's been hanging around. It must have dried or been washed away at the first site due to possible weather or the Meadows trying to restore the damage. There was enough here for it to reignite; thankfully it was with my flames. Otherwise, the damage could have spread at an enormous rate had I not eaten it."

"Okay, so you eat fire and you can tell what the smell was by just doing that?"

"Yes, fine, I eat fire but I would rather not if I can help it. Eating fire is like inhaling someone's breath. It's just plain disgusting and leaves a nasty aftertaste. I only did this because it was like inhaling my own breath, which, is pretty much the same taste as what I smoke. The aftertaste was due to the Calcium carbide, not something you'd want to try eating."

All of the ponies looked on in wonder as the dragon known simply as Spike got up and started to smoke once more. They'd just witnessed the capabilities of a dragon first hoof and were shocked to see him unscathed, albeit a case of bad breath.

"So now we know what that metallic smell was; any ideas as to our next course of action?"

"Well, I do have some but first I have to know a couple things."

"What do you need to know?"

"First, is whether or not there are any mines, catacombs, or deep forest areas around here. The second thing I need to know is... are you okay with dark and possibly cramped spaces?"

Author's Note

Honestly, I think I'm having a lot more fun writing this story with each new chapter. I've tried my hand at fantasy, slice of life, drama and most other genres out there. This is by far the one type of genre I'm getting to like more and more. I'll still do the other ones, but for now I think I've found my niche.

Originally, I was going to call this chapter CaC2 after Calcium Carbide but realized that would break the whole chapter naming sense. So instead I'll just leave the link for any that are curious as to how Calcium Carbide pertains to the metallic smell. CaC2

As always, thank you for taking the time to read my story. Please leave a comment or critique below as any critiques help me grow as a writer. Have a great day!