The Dance of the Seven Veils

Despite the late hour of the night and the cold air of winter, a crowd of ponies gathered around a tapped off perimeter set up by the Manehatten Police, they wanted to see the crime scene out of morbid curiosity. A single pony in a fedora and trench coat navigated through the crowd, he got in front and showed off his credentials to a nearby officer.

The police officer let the pony through. "Commissioner Dunn is over there." he pointed out. The pony just nodded in response and walked over to see the commissioner himself overlooking a shroud covered corpse on the sidewalk.

"About time you got here Keibu," responded Dunn. "maybe your expertise will help us." he said.

"What do we have here?" muttered Keibu as he peeked under the shroud to see the bloody mess of what used to be a pony stallion. Judging from the injuries, he fell from a pretty extreme height. "Another suicide?"

"Not a suicide," Dunn pointed out. "although I never heard of ponies literally stitch their own suicide notes to themselves before killing themselves." he pointed at the stitch marks on the body, each of them continued ripped pieces of paper. "most suicidal ponies are too impulsive to take their time for it, besides, we found evidence of a struggle in his apartment."

"Where's the note?" asked Keibu.

"I have it," he took out a transparent plastic bag with the note inside, it's edges torn off implying that the paper had to be forcibly removed from the victim's body. "But let me warn you,  it is definitely not a suicide note," Dunn said cryptically as he gave Keibu the paper.

He began to read the paper although the fact that it was soaked in blood made it difficult to make out the words. "You abused me and lied to me all those years ago," Keibu read. "you think it is funny to ruin other ponies lives before it truly began? The justice system is a scam considering you were let off too easy and never received justice for all the things you did to me, but I am not here to give you justice or vengeance, but punishment." he read. "Sighed, Oн." He looked back to the body. "What's the victim's name?"

"I guess you couldn't recognize him considering that his face has been literally flatted by the pavement, but his name is Light Field, does that name ring a bell?"

Keibu looked back through his memories of all the ponies he encountered in his life, has he met a pony with such a name? He suddenly got an epiphany to confirm that he in fact did, and it was not a good thing. "The foalophile photographer who worked for 'Hard Candy'," he said to confirm his suspicion.

"He accepted a plea bargain, ended up going to jail for two years and probation for the rest of his life, one of his conditions was to never take up photography for the rest of his life," informed Dunn. "He's the third pony you helped arrest during that sting that was killed by this Oh pony."

"Third?!" he was stunned. "Why wasn't I told about the first two?"

"We thought the first two were suicides, but that note confirmed that they weren't, we have a wannabe vigilante serial killer on the loose."

"I need names and locations for the three remaining stallions who we arrested." he demanded as the realization dawned on him.

"Well, one died in prison, another died after a botched self-castration shortly after release and the third one, the big one, is missing." explained Dunn.

"Missing? Male Lupe is missing?!" he was shocked. "He's the most prolific foal pornographer in Equestrian history! How can he just go missing! You were supposed to track his whereabouts!"

"He absconded shortly before his first meeting with the probation officer, about five months ago," Dunn explained. "Good thing too, because if we don't know where he is, then our killer sure as Tartarus does not know." he turned to Keibu. "This case is all yours considering that you were the one that helped shut down a large-scale foalophile magazine and put these sickos in jail." he calmly left the scene. Keibu said nothing as he took in his surroundings.

Keibu looked around the messy apartment, furniture was broken, glass everywhere, a struggle did indeed happen. He looked to see that the Hearthwarming Day tree was undamaged and a pile of gifts halfway wrapped to signify that the victim was in the middle of wrapping the gifts before the struggle began. "To my family." one of the labels on the boxes read.

"I thought his family disowned him..." he mused to himself. He looked out the broken window in deep thought, he found no trace of the killer anywhere. "I wonder..." he mumbled. "What if the killer was one of the fillies they abused?" He was tempted to go down to the station to look up the case files of all the fillies they saved about six and a half years ago, but he realized that they all live under assumed names and have been sent to live with foster parents across Equestria. "But there has to be one unaccounted for?"

It was about four in the morning when he arrived at his apartment, having insomnia does have its benefits when you are a detective, but it wreaks havoc on his deductive skills. He groggily reached his apartment door when another door opened. He turned around to see that it was just his landlord's daughter. "About time you got home?" she asked, she was a tall Saddle Arabian mare, about sixteen, she still wore her traditional tack even at four.

Keibu just smiled. "Why are you up so early Aisha?" he jokingly teased, he always did had a small crush on the mare although never allowed himself to go any further with his feelings due to being twice her age and the vastly different cultural backgrounds.

"Getting in some food and drink to last the day before morning prayer, typical Ramadan stuff." she smiled playing along with the teasing. She always found him cute, but she knows her father would not approve, much to her frustration. "Want to join us?" she offered.

"Oh, no, it's okay, I have some sleep to catch up on, but good luck for today, Ramadan Mubarak." he complimented as he opened his apartment door and walked inside.

"Happy Hearthswarming Season." complimented Aisha back with a smile as she watched him walk inside. She just sighed with longing.

Inside, Keibu just plopped himself down on the couch, exhausted and sleep deprived. He fondled around the coffee table to get his much-needed sleeping pills. He took the bottle and swallowed double the prescribed dose, to say he was dependent on them was an understatement. The pills soon began to do their job and the stallion slowly drifted into his usual restless sleep.

Hours later, Keibu was awoken by a loud pounding on the front door. "Ugh..." he grunted with annoyance as he straightened himself out before going to the door. "I'm coming, I'm coming..." he yelled at the door before he opened it to reveal a large muscular stallion with a shaved off mane and dark sunglasses. "Uh..." he was intimidating, to say the least. "...can I help you?"

"My name is Rochefort, and I work for a very important pony who requests your services," he stated in a deep yet emotionless voice. "He promises to pay triple what you normally offer."

The detective pony just looked at the imposing man suspiciously. "What kind of services?" he asked.

"He'll tell you once you visit him."

Keibu just looked on skeptically. "I refuse to visit clients without knowing what services he is requesting first," he said stubbornly.

The large stallion just gave a sigh. "Fine, but should you ever change your mind, give my boss a call." he gave the detective a business card.

The card was for Cai Lun Mills, the largest paper factory in Equestria. "Have a nice day," he said before he walked away. Keibu looked at the card suspiciously before he slipped it into his trench coat pocket.

"Like I told the police yesterday, I heard a loud crash, then I quickly got up and looked out to see what happened and saw this strange pony in a cape and hat standing behind the broken glass of the apartment across from me." explained the witness to Keibu, a mare, who got ready for work at the corporate office.

"So you mean to tell me that the killer is a masked vigilante like in the comic books?" he responded with disbelief.

"Seems fitting especially after I heard what that dead stallion did, probably had it coming to him in my opinion," she stated as she packed her suitcase. "Things have been going bad ever since that Canterlot foalophile ring was discovered, it seems like this world is becoming increasingly unsafe for our foals with each passing year," she stated with worry for the world.

"Just because the victim did heinous things does not excuse the killer's actions ma'am, intentional murder is still murder." the detective stated. "And he will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

"Even if that makes him a martyr for vigilante justice?" she pointed out bluntly. Keibu just looked on with confusion.

"So anything we can gauge from the body?" asked Keibu as he looked at the dead corpse in the morgue. The medical examiner just looked over the charts, his hind legs confined to a wheeled platform attached to his torso. He went over to the body, his wheeled hind legs following right behind.

"Just that he was beaten to the point of unconsciousness and then had a piece of paper sewed to his chest." explained the examiner. "Nothing new to help catch the killer from the victim himself, but we did analyze the paper." he gave Keibu the paper that was found out the victim. "Hold it to the light and tell me what you see."

The detective did as told and held it up in front of the surgical lights to see a strange marking near the corner of the paper. "What's this?" he asked. "A watermark?"

"Yes, a watermark, but not just any watermark because that's the logo of the largest paper mill in Equestria-"

"-Cai Lun Mill" interrupted Keibu who quickly reached into his trench coat and took out the business card Rochefort gave him, it had the exact same logo on it. "But doesn't every paper produced by them have this mark?"

"No, the only paper used for internal business for the company have that watermark, employees for the company are the only ones who have access to it." the examiner explained as he went over to resume eating his sandwich.

"So the killer is most likely an employee of the company."

The Cai Lun Mill was located several miles north of Manehatten, the winter season was more evident in the forest surrounding the city. The carriage Keibu rode in soon arrived at its destination. He looked out to see Rochefort at the front entrance, he knew the detective was coming. Keibu just got off the carriage and walked up to the large stallion. "You knew it was one of your employees the entire time didn't you?" he asked skeptically.

"The boss will explain more to you Mr. Keibu, just follow me," said Rochefort dryly. He leads the detective inside the building.

Both the detective and the stallion rode the elevator up to the highest floor in the Mill and walked out to see a bed shrouded in darkness. "Who goes there..." creaked a weak voice.

"Why detective Keibu, as you requested sir." answered Rochefort.

"...approach my bed Mr. Keibu..." ordered the weak and gravelly voice. The detective cautiously did as told. "...and please remove your hat first...it's disrespectful..." he added.

The stallion did as told and reached the bed, only to nearly trip over a pile of used tissue boxes. "What the-?"

"Come closer..." said the boss.

The detective reached the bed, but still could not see him well, still shrouded in darkness, but he could make out a long beard and an equally long and ragged mane. "Mr. Folio?" began Keibu. "Is this really you?"

"Last time I checked..." he joked, but he was too weak to properly convey such tone. "I know who it is that did this..." he began.

"Okay, tell me then." urged the detective.

"My daughter...." admitted Mr. Folio. "...or more accurately, a daughter I never knew I had until you saved her from those awful stallions..." he continued. "...then one that the press dubbed 'Girl O' to protect her identity from the outside world."

"Are you sure the murderer is your daughter?" asked a skeptical Keibu. "How are you certain about this?"

"Because who else has the resources to go across Equestria in a suit and cape and track down those horrible stallions?" Folio pointed out.

"She has the means, she has the motive and she has the opportunity Mr. Keibu, besides, I couldn't have stopped her even if I tried," he admitted with remorse. "I'm just sad that my condition prevents me from being the father she needs, especially after all she went through with those stallions."

"Look Mr. Folio," he began. "Is there any way you can help us find your daughter, or help out in any way in the case?"

"There is something you could do for me Mr. Keibu." he began. He motioned Rochefort to approach the bed. Rochefort walked up to the bed with a saddle bag. "Have you ever heard of the Canterlot foalophile ring?"

"Who hasn't heard of it?" responded the detective. Rochefort opened the bag to reveal a manila envelope. "What's that?"

"That is one-third of the list ponies who were involved in the ring, I want you to take it, find the other two-thirds of it and hide them away from Celestia before her guards get them." the bedridden stallion instructed.

"I thought everyone involved was caught and arrested."

"Those were just low-ranking members who were brainwashed into being patsies to take the fall for those who are really involved," stated Mr. Folio. "Celestia considers them too important to let them be arrested," he explained. "This document is the only proof we have of the existence of this conspiracy and how this ring truly works."

"But how did you come across them and why would you need them?" asked Keibu who was suspicious.

The haggard stallion just gave a weak chuckle. "Blackmail purposes Mr. Keibu, blackmail purposes." Rochefort gave the detective the envelope.

"So if this is just one of three, where are the other two?" wondered the detective.

"My daughter is wondering the same thing my dear detective, but she's beginning to suspect that Mr. Male Lupe is the one that has the second of three," he explained. "I should know, he used that list of help him gauge the amount of subscribers that magazine would get and-" before he could continue, he suddenly let out a painful gasp and clutched his chest. He shot up from the bed, revealing his emaciated and haggard form to the detective in all of its glory. Rochefort shoved Keibu out of the way so he could attend to his employer.

"Don't worry sir, I got your medicine." he pulled out a syringe and filled it with a liquid. The old stallion began to convulse as the muscular pony jabbed the needle into his employer's foreleg. He looked up at the detective. "It's best that you leave now Mr. Keibu, you got what he wanted you to get, so get out of here." he strongly suggested.

Keibu just slowly and cautiously left the room with the envelope that he was given. There was just so much to take in.

Classical music played in the autopsy room as the medical examiner stitched the body closed. He could faintly hear someone pounding on the back entrance to the room. He looked over to see Keibu who pressed his face against the door window with a funny face. The medical examiner rolled his eyes and walked over to the door and opened it. "You could use the front door like everyone else Keibu, especially since I am busy with a stiff right now," he said with annoyance as he let the detective through.

"Well G, this is important," he walked inside and placed his fedora on a hat rack. "I need a place to store the contents of the envelope." he showed Dr. G the item. "Like maybe in this cold storage." he turned to one of the many cold storage units.

"No wait, not that-" G yelled, but it was too late, Keibu opened the door to reveal the body of a dead filly.

"Woops..."

Dr. G just went over and pushed the body back inside before closing the door shut with annoyance. "Gosh darn it, this filly jumped off the penthouse suite and into a pool and I need her ready and undisturbed for the family to identify her." he spat at Keibu.

"Okay, sorry there, I didn't know that one was occupied." he tried to calm the medical examiner down.

Dr. G just gave a sigh of annoyance. "What else do you need Keibu?" he asked, he felt like he was going to regret asking that question.

"Want to go out and hit the clubs tonight? I'm bored and I need something to tire me out so I can finally sleep." he explained.

"Okay, first of all," he began skeptically. "I haven't been hanging around much with the ladies ever since the accident left me with hardly any feeling below my waist." he pointed to his hind legs that strapped to a wheeled platform. "And secondly, drinking, dancing and fucking the night away will not cure your insomnia, we've been over that." he scolded. "Besides, aren't you still seeing that therapist?"

"Oh? You mean Dr. Stroop?" Keibu asked for clarification. He thought back about it. "I haven't seen her in three months now, ever since I pumped and dumped her," he explained nonchalantly.

Dr. G just placed his hoof on his face with shame. "I'm not even going to ask."

"So, are you coming with me so I can help you get laid for the first time in three years, or are you just going to stay here, cutting up bodies and listening to classical music? Just because you can barely feel below your waist does not mean you can't get your thing to work, I've seen it rise to the occasion." Keibu pointed out.

"For the last time, that's not arousal, that's blood pooling." he groaned with annoyance. "Just go get help with your insomnia before it starts affecting your abilities as a detective, for your sake." he urged before he returned back to the table to resume his work on the body. "Now please leave before my boss sees you, he hates it when there are unauthorized visitors in the autopsy room." he immediately got back to his work and completely ignored Keibu.

"Fine, whatever, more mares to pump and dump for me." said the detective who took offense. He just walked out the door and slammed it shut. Dr. G looked up a was suddenly worried for his friend.

Keibu wanted to go to the new dance club that opened in the neighborhood, the headlining DJ that night was Neon Lights, but with his friend's rejection, he lost all motivation and purpose to be there. He just walked back to his apartment and got to work looking through the document he was given. He walked in, closed the door and sat down at his small desk near his practically unused bed. It was past sunset by the time he got home.

Immediately upon laying eyes on the document, he was met by the names of several influential ponies in Equestria that were implicated as being involved, most were local politicians. He could not believe just how deep it went, but he found that the list ended abruptly, the two remaining parts that made the list are still out there, he just needs to track down Light Field before the killer does. He casually checked the back of the page just to be certain, only to find a single word printed on the back: "Aeneid"

Before he could probe further, his thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. "Huh?" he quickly got up and trotted over to the door. He opened the door to see Aisha before him holding a bag of food. "Aisha?"

"Just wanted to ask if you would like some food that I prepared." she said.

"Oh? Okay, thanks." he takes the food. He looked at her and felt his heart pound from nervousness. He needed to say something least appear to be rude. "Want to come inside and grab a drink?" he spat out, nervous. "If that's okay, seeing as it is now dark outside and you probably haven't eaten anything all day and-"

"As long as it is not alcohol I'll gladly accept the offer." smiled Aisha, she could not help but find his nervousness cute and endearing. She let herself into his apartment and looked around. "A lot cleaner than I thought." she joked.

"Mostly because I'm usually out investigating," Keibu explained as he looked inside his icebox only to see a twelve pack of sparkling cider and a gallon of milk. "Uh...you don't mind warm milk?" he asked. He always kept forgetting to buy groceries.

"Just make sure you add a lot of honey in mine." she requested as she sat down on the couch. She could not help but feel like she was crushing something stiff underneath the cushions. She looked over to see the stallion busily preparing the drinks, so she took the opportunity to sit up and look underneath to cushions, only to find a shocking amount of pornographic magazines underneath. "Typical," she muttered.

"You say something?" he asked from the nearby kitchen, too focused on watching the milk get heated on the stove top.

"Oh no, I didn't say anything." she quickly placed the cushion back in its place and sat back down. "Just surprised that you're still living the bachelor lifestyle at your age." she then remembered something. "Say, what happened to that young mare that would always visit you three times a week? I haven't seen her since the end of summer." she wondered.

"Oh, she graduated, so she has no need for my tutoring services," he answered as he poured the warm milk into the mugs. He gave a smirk from the memories of the long and sweaty 'tutoring sessions' he had with her.

"That's nice," Aisha said completely unaware of what really went on. "Although I never understood why she was so loud."

Keibu gave a sheepish chuckle as he trotted over to the couch and gave Aisha her mug of warm milk. "I added a lot of honey in it just like you asked." he sat down next to her. "So, how is school going?" he asked.

"It's going good, I currently have the highest GPA in my grade, straight A's, but it's my dumb closed minded and ignorant classmates that are the most difficult part," she explained with annoyance and sadness. "Everyone makes fun of either my height, my tack, or my religion." she felt disgusted with herself. "I'm Saddle Arabian! I can't help it!" she exclaimed with annoyance.

"How does that make you feel?" asked the stallion with intrigue.

She sighed. "Like I am ugly and unwanted," she admitted.

Keibu just watched with concern. He felt bad for her, and he wanted to help her. "I...I actually think you're...beautiful," he said as he tried to get the proper words together.

Her ears perked up when she heard that word. "You...you really think so?" she really hoped it was not some big joke to make her feel better, she yearned for him to mean that word, always had since they first met.

"Look, don't tell your dad this, but I actually really do think you are beautiful, with or without the tack," Keibu admitted. "I just kept quiet because of the age and cultural differences and all."

Before he could say any more, he was suddenly grabbed into a kiss by the mare. His eyes grew wide from the shock of such an unexpected display of affection. He suddenly felt her tongue flop around inside his mouth, that is when the full realization of what was happening finally dawned on him. He grabbed the mare and suddenly shoved her away from him. "Huh?!" she exclaimed with complete confusion.

"I'm sorry, I can't..." he answered as he straightened himself out. He felt bad for turning her down, but it was for the best. "...there's just too much going against us for this to ever work Aisha." The mare just gave the stallion a look of hurt in her eyes.

"Oh...I understand..." she said as she tried to hide her frustration. "I guess I better...go, it's getting late." she tried her best to push back the tears, but her eyes still managed to well up. She immediately got up and trotted out there, without a single glance back or without saying another word.

The realization of what he did finally hit him as soon as she slammed the front door shut. "Mother fucker!" he exclaimed with frustration from the missed opportunity. "I could've had her right her and now on this couch! But I just had to let my morals get the better of me!" he punched a couch cushion in anger. "I just had to be a gentlecolt about it..." he collapsed on the couch and looked up at the ceiling where the skylight was located. The dark and cloudy night sky could be seen.

"I'll go get it, sir," said Rochefort was a walked to the door, the red light above the door flickered to announce that someone was at the door. He calmly opened the door. "Mr. Folio cannot be disturbed right now, come back when he gives you a personal invita-" he was suddenly cut off by a swift swipe across the neck by a large knife. Blood seeped from his neck as the stallion struggled to speak, only emitting a gurgling sound from all the blood in his throat. He soon collapsed on the floor, weak from the massive loss of blood, still trying in vain to warn his boss to no avail.

"Rochefort?" asked Folio, completely unaware from his bed. "Who's at the door? You know I don't accept visitors unless personally request by me." it was too dark for him to see clearly from where he laid. Soon, he could make out a pair of ponies walk towards his bed, he knew who they were. "Oh, Wink and Fib, of course, it would be you two." he leered at them.

"Good evening Mr. Folio, we just wanted to stop by to pay you a visit is all." began Wink, a unicorn stallion in a creepily polite tone.

"It sure must get lonely up here at the top." began Fib, a bespectacled and short earth pony stallion. "But I sure love what you did to the place, that neat pyramidal stack of jars of pee really ties the whole place together."

"I always did say that OCD sufferers make way better interior decorators than those queers, Mr. Fib." Wink chuckled.

"That statement can be seen as highly offensive Mr. Wink." Fib pointed out.

"Not if you're a queer yourself, Mr. Fib." he stated.

"Touche, Mr. Wink." he agreed.

"Where's Rochefort?!" Folio angrily demanded.

"He's in the hallway trying out this nice Colombian necktie we gave him, it should suit him very nicely." chuckled Wink with pure delight. "Now let's get straight to the-" he suddenly stabbed his bloody knife down on the mattress, uncomfortably close to Mr. Folio's testicles. Folio began to twitch in fright not out of fear, but from the anxiety, these two stallions were causing him by invading his personal space with their germs. "-point Mr. Folio." hissed Wink. "Where's the list?"

"W-what list?" Folio began to sweat bullets, he tried to play dumb, but the fact that he felt like he could have a panic attack at any moment made it hard to do so. "What are you talking a-about...about...about..." he repeated the word without his control.

As Folio repeated himself, Wink motioned to his partner to do something. Fib took the hint and went to the pyramidal stack of urine filled jars. The stallion, without much thought, grabbed the top jar and slammed it into the floor, where it instantly shattered, bits of glass and a large amount of stale urine spread itself all over the floor.

"NO!!!" he screamed Folio. "YOU CONTAMINATED IT YOU FOOLS!" he yelled with terror in his voice. "DAMN YOU TWO TO TARTARUS!" he continued, his body began to shake uncontrollably.

"Tell us where the list is or else my intimate partner will smash another one!" Wink snarled with anger as he grabbed the emaciated stallion by the neck.

"MY DAUGHTER STOLE THE TWO-THIRDS I HAD!" Folio yelled with desperation, but despite the mental breakdown, he still managed to smudge the real truth slightly to protect the true location. "STOLE THEM TO KILL THOSE LISTED ON IT!" he admitted. "Now please just leave me alone, I beg of you!" he pleaded. He could feel his skin crawl from the increasing contamination of the room. "Please..."

"And the remaining one-third?" Wink refused to let go until he was satisfied with his responses.

"MALE LUPUS HAS IT!" he began to bawl like an overgrown baby. "THAT"S WHY MY DAUGHTER IS TARGETING HIM FIRST!"

"Do you have any clue on where your daughter could be Mr. Folio?" Wink asked as he let his neck go so he can hear the recluse speak.

"I-I-I don't know-" before Folio could finish what he wanted to say, he suddenly felt a great stab of pain on his right foreleg. "AHHH" he reflexively clutched his chest with his right forehoof, his broke into cold sweats, he was having a heart attack. He gasped for air but saw everything go dark. "...don't...know..." he gasped before his body suddenly went stiff, face contorted into utter terror. Wink gently and carefully crossed the descended pony's forelegs across his chest and placed two bits on his open eyes.

Both Wink and Fib looked on quietly in silence for about a minute. "What a waste of good talent, don't you think Mr. Wink?" mused Fib.

"Very true Mr. Fib, now let's get out of here, we have a wannabe vigilante to find." said Wink to his partner.

"Now this should be fun," smirked Fib as he happily followed his beloved partner. "But what are we going to tell her, we're expected to report about this once we get back to our apartment," he asked.

"That's easy Mr. Fib," Wink smirked. "We tell the Princess the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, like the good subjects that we are to her."

They both chuckled with each other as they left the room and walked toward the elevator.

To Be Continued...