Detective Flat Hooves - Ritual of The Fawn

In Equestria law and order is hardly brought into question. We all play our part and get along with each other quite well. The pegasi help with the weather, the earth pony help with labor and the unicorn help with creating technological advances. Most of us see that we are all, in one way or another, dependent upon each other.

• Nightmare Night -

I pushed my way through the hustle and bustle of the city streets of Green Borough. The city was alive with the coming festivities of the night. Fillies and colts were dressed in costumes ready to collect candy.

The city had arose around 3 years ago and was already boasting itself as a jewel of the newest western expansion of land purchased from the buffalo tribes. The ground upon which the city was built on was rich in minerals and had wonderful farmland potential. So the population boomed from 15 to 26,000 in only three years. What aided this was the promise of gold and gems, it was a modern gold rush.

Although I wasn't a police officer I helped the local law enforcement by "keeping an eye on things" and tonight was no different. I was a Detective. My name is Detective Flat Hooves.

As I pushed through the crowds of ponies all shuffling in costume I kept close watch on my surroundings. Looking for any thing from pickpockets to assault. Usually with this large of a crowd mischievous colts will become brave and steal, and usually the right look can scare them out of their troubling ways. Of course this night was no different as Celestia began to lower the sun I spotted a colt lifting a wallet from the saddlebags of a older mare. I calmly walked up behind him and placed a hoof on his shoulder.

"Maybe you should put that back." I said sternly

The colt jumped and dropped the wallet in the saddlebag and turned around to meet me. I recognized him as the blank flank that ran up and down the streets to get his cutie mark in crime.

"How about we go down to the station?" I said as I pulled out a set of hoof cuffs.

The colt began to look around and without warning darted through the crowd knocking down others in his wake. I began to gallop but decided to halt my pursuit after having galloped a block. This city was full of petty crime and there was no way that I could keep up with him. I made a mental note to inform the officers to be on the look out for the young colt. I turned back to join the crowd and to watch for anything else worthy of my attention. The sounds of the festivities drowned out all use of my ears. I looked around and spotted only a few suspicious characters, but I wrote it off as Nightmare Night. I continued to walk through the crowd and tried my best to avoid bumping into other ponies.

"Excuse me, detective" an unfamiliar voice spoke loud enough over the crowd. I turned around and saw a mare, who I assumed was out of costume.

"Yes ma'am" I said in my usual tone

"My name is Ginger root" she began to speak "My son, Beet Root, has been separated from me and I don't know where he could have run off to" for a mother who had lost her son she was very calm. I looked around and found a coffeehouse that was open.

"Ma'am lets go in here and discuss this in private" I said placing a hoof on her shoulder.

We walked across the street and into the coffeehouse. I held the door open for her as she walked past me. She had a scent of ginger snaps, it was intoxicating. She found a seat in a booth and I followed her lead floating out a pad and pen to take notes. She sat calmly looking out the nearby window.

"Alright ma'am to start off with I have to ask, how long has your son been missing?" I said heading my notes with "missing colt"

"About 4 hours" she said not breaking away from the window.

"Four hours" I repeated as I wrote it in my notes "where was the last place you saw him?"

"The Green Borough city building, we were there to enjoy the nightmare parade" she said still looking out the window.

I wrote the information down in my pad and looked back up to her. She was a sandy brown mare with a orange mane. She looked beautiful, but somehow off. I looked at my notes and confirmed what I had wrote.

"Do you have a picture of your son?" I asked pulling out a paper clip.

She broke her concentration on the window and Rummaged through a small satchel that hung from her waist. She produced a picture of a deep red colt and slid it over to me. "He didn't even have his cutie mark yet" she said as I clipped the picture to my pad and that's when I noticed the tears in her eyes. She wasn't taking this easily, hell who would?

"Ma'am I'm going to try my best to find your son for you" I said as I floated the pad back into my coat. I floated back out my business card and slid it to her. "If you have anymore information that could help me come by my office and let me know"

She smiled and took the card "thank you" she said.

This time I saw her eyes in a different light she did look off, was it grief, or worry? I nodded and tipped my hat and made my exit. As I made it to the door she was still there looking again out the window.

"This is why I don't have a family" I muttered as I stepped out of the coffeehouse and back into the crowd now searching for a small colt.