Spectral Eclipse

Chapters

Dream Calling
Arrival in Ponyville
Meeting the Residents
Enquiries
Haste
Ghastly Revelations

Dream Calling

The Moon shone brightly.

A purple unicorn floated in a seemingly endlessly deep, endlessly wide and endlessly empty body of water. The only things that could be seen were the Moon beyond the surface and its beams of light. He had a short choppy dark indigo mane with a few magenta streaks. His cutie mark was a dark disk surrounded by a white halo. The Moon shone brightly.

The unicorn gazed at it as he swam in its direction. After a few minutes, he arrived at the surface of the body of water. He then took a peek of what lay beyond the surface. Upon raising his head above the surface, he found himself in a small pond beside an abandoned road. The Moon shone brightly.

He stepped out of the water and onto the road. The marble road was overgrown with weeds, the stone plates were tilted and puddles had formed in its holes. Broken pillars and indiscernible statues senselessly littered the roadside. However, without taking much notice of this, the unicorn started to walk towards the Moon while following the road. The Moon shone brightly.

He walked for only a few minutes, as he contemplated the immaculate marble road. The road sparkled spotlessly while the roadside was adorned with mighty white pillars with silver statues of ponies in armor on their top. The road stopped at an apparently endless stairway towards the Moon. Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, the unicorn halted for a second, taking a quick glance around before fixing his gaze on the Moon, he ascended the stairs unthinkingly towards it. The Moon shone brightly.

The stallion walked up the stairs which seemed to float in the void. No matter which direction one would look, only darkness could be seen, with the exception of the stairs and the bright Moon themselves. The stairs appeared to extend infinitely upwards and downwards. No stars, no landscape, no trees, no buildings nor anypony. Only the bright Moon and the staircase were visible. Suddenly, the steps began to disappear from up above and from down under rapidly diminishing his available ground to stand on until the stairway was completely gone and he floated in the void. The Moon still shone brightly.

However, an alicorn-shaped shadow began to cover the Moon, darkening it. As the Moon no longer shone brightly, only the darkness of the void was left in which the unicorn floated. He then felt a strong presence reaching him from the darkness.

With cold sweat dripping from his forehead, a purple unicorn abruptly awoke wide-eyed from his sleep. He was called by Nightmare Moon. After quickly collecting himself and wiping the cold sweat from his forehead with his hoof, he stepped out of his canopy bed to prepare to meet Nightmare Moon. The curtains of the bed depicted golden stars and several moons in different phases. The walls of the room followed the same motif as they had been painted with luminescent paint to portray the night sky, which contained the Moon, stars, nebulas, shooting stars and even comets.

The room had many neatly organized bookshelves and a desk with orderly arranged writing and geometric tools, papers divided into various stashes, an open star chart, test tubes and alchemy materials. All furniture in the room was made of the darkest ebony. However, he hadn't the time to dwell on his room, as he needed to answer the call of his queen. He quickly took his cloak from the coat rack and dashed through the door.

The cloak had the same theme as his room. It was a dark indigo and had star constellations illustrated on it which he would love to talk about in a moment of less hurry, a full yellow moon on where his cutie mark would be and a staff with its top shaped like a crescent was depicted on the left side of the chest. The clothing represented his rank as archmage and pupil of her majesty Nightmare Moon.

He rushed through the endless hallways ignoring anypony he could've met in them. Not only because he didn't want to be late attending the call of his mentor, but rather, because he wanted to be there before somepony else. He was almost there, just two more turns to reach the throne room. Then, as he took the penultimate turn and could see the entrance to the throne room, he spotted another cloaked pony galloping from the opposite side of the corridor. He rushed towards the entrance trying to cross it before the other pony but failed as they slipped through the entrance before him.

Upon entering the room himself, he beheld Her Majesty, Nightmare Moon, seated upon her obsidian throne. Queen Nightmare Moon was an Alicorn with a coat dark as the moonless night, a mane and a tail which could be rather likened to ghastly nebulas than hair, fangs bright as stars and eyes with slit pupils that seemed to peer into one's soul. The room was lit by the beams of moonlight from the windows and torches of blue flames. Two indigo and silver tapestries hung beside the Throne, the left one depicting Nightmare Moon's escape from the Moon with the aid of the stars and the other one depicting her victory over Celestia.

To the right of Her Majesty stood a unicorn stallion with a well-kept bright white coat and a delicate fetlock waved mane wearing a suit and tie portraying star constellations. He was Elusive, Nightmare Moon's major-domo and closest advisor. Nothing occurred in the castle without his knowledge, he was the motor that kept things running in the castle.

Nightmare stared with a displeased and uninterested gaze towards a white unicorn stallion who stood before her. He was half a head taller than most ponies and wore a full suit of pitch-black armor accentuated by blue and gold on the shoulder pads. Sweat beaded on his bare forehead while his hooves grasped nervously on his helm. Bags had started forming below his clear azure eyes and his long blonde wavy mane certainly had experienced better days in the past. It seemed he was frantically trying to argue for something.

Further back in the throne room was the cloaked beige unicorn mare that Dusk Shine had followed in. The cloak, which was equal to the one Dusk was wearing, signalized her as Her Majesty's other pupil, Moondancer. She had a long straight red mane and magenta eyes. After catching his breath, he proceeded to stand to her left.

Noticing that Dusk had finally entered the room, Moondancer extended her left hoof towards where Dusk stood and gave him a side glance and a smirk. Dusk Shine groaned quietly as he took out a bag of ten bits and tossed it over to Moondancer. She caught the bag and put it in one of her cloak’s inner pockets. It was not that he lamented the lost bits, as he received a fairly generous allowance from the treasury which remained mostly unspent, as in the castle it was provided for him and most of his needs were covered. Thus, they used the bits in childish bets like seeing who manages to attend Nightmare Moon's call first.

Besides Moondancer and himself, Her Majesty had one more pupil. Neither of them has ever seen her yet and didn't know much about her besides rumors like her having been previously detained due to dueling. They wondered why Nightmare Moon never gave her any limelight.

After finishing their short transaction, the pupils returned to look towards the throne. At this moment Nightmare Moon struck her hoof on the obsidian stone, interrupting the white unicorn which now stared at her anxiously.

She then spoke, "therefore, thou shalt be blissful to engage into the Northern Front soon. Wouldst thou not agree, nephew?" With a snide grin, she concluded; "after all, since thou now hast the experience, thou shalt want to compensate for thy errors during the assault on the changelings, Blueblood."

Blueblood felt his blood freeze as she said his name. He soundlessly gulped before bowing and answering "then... I shall depart immediately, aunt." He then proceeded to march out while he glared at the floor and uttered what one could only guess were profanities under his breath. Dusk Shine and Moondancer snickered at his predicament as he passed by.

As Blueblood left the room, Nightmare moon addressed her pupils, "my children, please come forward." Obeying her command, her pupils moved closer to the throne and bowed before her and remained bowed. She then resumed, "tonight, I've summoned you as there are missions of crucial importance I require you to attend to." Her pupils leaned closer in anticipation as she proceeded, "this shall finally attest to your abilities as my students."

"Two nights ago, the terrorist known as the 'Ghost' has struck upon Ponyville. The Triumequat of the Lunar inquisition will gather there to oversee the investigation," she then directed her gaze towards Dusk Shine, "you are to depart there next night at the sixth waking hour to aid them capturing the 'Ghost' and ensure Ponyville’s safety for the Eterna Nox Festival in one week."

"Yes, mentor," replied Dusk.

Satisfied with this answer, Nightmare Moon then shifted her gaze towards Moondancer. "Currently, a sudden harshening of the weather in the North hinders the further advance of the invasion," explained she, "you're to travel there to assist in the invasion. Your train departs at the fourth waking hour."

"Yes, mentor," replied Moondancer. She then turned her head towards Dusk and with a grin commented, "See? I have told you I was the one she would entrust the front lines to." She gestured her hoof towards herself for emphasis. "While you will have to deal with townponies and Inquisitors, I will be expanding our mentor's dominion."

Dusk Shine furrowed his eyebrows and rolled his eyes preparing to get into his arguing stance to retort, "Oh, C'mon..."

"We will not tolerate your exasperating purposeless squabbles in Our presence," quickly interrupted Nightmare Moon with the thunderous Canterlot Royal Voice. Her pupils frantically regained their posture as she directed a remark at Moondancer, "furthermore, I'll be giving orders to the local officers to keep you away from the battlefield."

Dusk quickly stuck out his tongue at his colleague and reassumed his posture. Moondancer only furrowed in response. Nightmare Moon then continued in a calmer yet, serious tone, "you must comprehend that your conduct does reflect on my person."

One could hear the undertones of disappointment and reproach from her answer. After all, it was not the first their arguments ended up being a nuisance to their mentor. Especially, after the "show" they had put on for their first Grand Galloping Gala which was enough to make her only allow them to participate in public events with stricter schedules and predetermined procedures. Not that they disliked this decision too much, as any time they didn't have to waste with narcissistic nobles and crazed crowds was time they could devote to purposefully learning and bettering their magic.

"And you can assume the image it conveys when my recluse pupils remain solely within the castle walls hidden away from the eyes of the public," proceeded she with her admonishment. "Elusive will be providing you with the details of the mission and the necessary attire in view of your temporary change in ranks."

The white unicorn bowed to the queen before slowly trotting out of the room. As he passed by the pupils, he remarked whisperingly, "well... If the children would follow me." They puckered their lips and squeezed their eyes in response to the remark as if they had bitten a bitter lemon while following Elusive in lockstep.

Dusk Shine watched as the Moon slowly descended below the tree line of the surrounding Everfree forest from the windows of the hall he trotted through. He had spent too much time in Elusive's atelier; now he didn't any time left to sleep. He was also rather sure it wouldn't have taken so long if Elusive didn't insist taking the measurements by hoof instead of using magic because it allowed him "to take more accurate measurements", Dusk wasn't even certain he needed to take his measurements, but one should not question the tailor at his work. Moondancer stayed with him as she would depart first and thus her garment would need to be finished first.

Staring out the windows once again, he saw the Moon completely vanish behind the tree line and then, almost as if mocking any observer who would think another celestial body would rise in its place, it rose again signalizing the beginning of the first waking hour. He continued along the hallway until he reached the stairs leading downwards. There was still somepony he wanted to meet before packing.

The stairs led to the castle's dungeons. Even with the recent attempts at renovating the massive dungeon complex, its ancientness was apparent from its time-worn cobblestone walls. Quite a few of those still showed visible cracks, torches were only present enough to dimly light its corridors and various sections were blocked off due to cave-ins that happened throughout the past millennium. At least it was completely dry now. Most of the cells, however, were empty as the ones in Canterlot were still used to house most of the political prisoners.

One could easily get lost wandering through the endless dimly lit corridors of the dungeon. However, the path he needed to take was well-known to him and he moved swiftly through the passageways. After not more than a few minutes, he was almost at last turn he would need to take. Then a gray coated cell guard came out from where Dusk wanted to go.

"Again... just a waste of my time..." grumbled the stallion while staring at the tray he held with uneaten food. He wore a light purple armor with a helmet with a fish-like fin.

Noticing Dusk the guard came to an abrupt stop before asking. The surprised stallion then asked, "Sir, do you... uh... need anything?"

Dusk responded with only silence.

"I don't think Her Maj—"

"I would like to see the prisoner," interrupted Dusk while bringing out a bag with twenty bits from his cloak's inner pockets and tossing it over.

"Uh," responded the surprised stallion before cracking a sheepish smile, "please, be quick." He handed over the cells' keys to Dusk.

"...Could you also give me the tray?" Asked Dusk.

The stallion looked a bit puzzled before answering, "yes, of course."

The stallion stood guard at the beginning of the corridor. After trotting past three empty cells, Dusk entered the fourth one. The cell was compact, although not too small. It had an iron bed with worn dull gray sheets and a bowl with water. A stallion sat in the middle of the cell. His curly magenta, lilac and yellow mane and tail were slightly scraggly, the bright pink of his coat slightly faded, his ribs partly visible, iron restrainments bound his wings and an inhibitor ring was placed around his horn. His eyes half-open and absent-minded he continued to move a small pebble to his right and to his left and then back like a well-tuned clock.

Locking the cell door behind him, Dusk Shine sat before the Alicorn putting the tray between them. The pebble got knocked out of the way ricocheting on one of the cell bars. With a look of annoyance, the Alicorn shifted his gaze towards the wall to his left. The tray's contents were nothing extraordinary, but far better than one would expect from prison food: A carrot, an apple and a daisy sandwich.

Putting his best smile forward Dusk attempted to establish the first contact, "so... are you alright?"

The Alicorn offered no reaction.

"You should probably eat something," advised Dusk.

Once more silence was the only response.

Dusk, unsatisfied with such response, grabbed the daisy sandwich with his telekinesis and floated it before the Alicorn's face. With a tone similar to the one of a foalsitter talking to the foal Dusk required, "Clear the landing lane for the Wonderbolts to come down."

With this Dusk was awarded a response. The Alicorn gave him a glare of indignation and slight bewilderment.

Dusk avoided his eyes by staring at the tray's contents instead. "You know... I don't think she would have wished for you to die of inanition." He then hugged the Alicorn, which caught him by surprise as it seemed he could not decide whether to shove Dusk away or not. Dusk then whispered into his ear, "You should reconsider Nightmare Moon's proposal. I worry about you."

After breaking from the embrace, Dusk stood and watched the Alicorn quickly revert his gaze towards the wall again. Looking down towards the Alicorn, Dusk declared in a dispassionate tone, "I will be leaving the tray here." He then stepped out of the cell locking the door behind him. As he walked back towards the watchpony who still stood guard at the start of the corridor, he heard quiet bite and munching noises. A small smile crept onto Dusk's face in response.

Walking past the Guard, Dusk tossed the keys back to him. He had only a few hours left to pack before departure.

Arrival in Ponyville

Six nights remain until the Nox Eterna Festival.

To the Honorable Apprentice of Her Majesty,

Arrive at the Ponyville platform 4 at 6:42 w.h. From there, Cockcrow Shield should be able to inform you on further instructions. Your train leaves at 6:00 w.h. from Crescent City platform 2. Don’t miss it.

Issued by the Supreme Lunar Inquisitor,

Midnight Oil

Dusk Shine stood slightly aggrieved as he inspected, examined and verified repeatedly the piece of parchment he held before him. He was in disbelief of the paucity of information from the letter. It was barely long enough to be a telegram. He had hoped for some details on the “Ghost” or the operation as the articles he found were rather lacking.

It didn’t even contain the appearance nor any way to recognize the informant, the location of his lodging for the meantime nor which rank he would assume for the operation. The latter he had to deduce from the design of the new cloak Elusive provided. It was similar to his original cloak with the difference that it possessed a white stripe on its edge which signalized his assignment as part of the Lunar Inquisition and two crescents on the front part of his hood, one with its horns to the left and the other to the right while touching each other at their center. This symbol attested his position as General Inquisitor.

Upon concluding that no further information would be gained by glaring at the sheet of paper, Dusk Shine carefully folded and placed it back in the envelope it had come in. He then put it in one of the three large bags he had packed for his stay. As he hadn’t had much time to pack his luggage and was given almost no intel on the operation, he packed everything that could possibly be useful.

The train station was loud and hectic as the engines roared and conductors hurriedly stated the departures and arrivals. The smell of exhaust fumes filled the air. However, even with the station being astir Dusk Shine’s platform was only sparsely crowded as most of the traffic in the station was due to freight trains. They contained the cargo necessary to keep Crescent City alive and running. His train, however, was nowhere to be seen.

Dusk Shine brought his silver pocket watch out of an inner pocket of his cloak and checked the time. It was 6:04 w.h. The train was late. Dusk’s eye twitched. He retrieved a scroll from one of his bags, then systematically searched for the line ‘Depart from the Crescent City Station at 6:00 w.h..’. Having found it, he resentfully crossed out the time. Upon finishing this gruesome act, Dusk Shine rolled the list back into a scroll and sighed as he continued to wait for his train.

Behind him laid Crescent City, the new capital of Equestria. After gaining control of the kingdom, one of Nightmare Moon’s first orders was to transfer the capital here where her old castle was. As the castle was naught but ruins overgrown by the Everfree Forest, it had to be rebuilt and the forest had to be pushed back to make space for the new capital. However, the city did not manage to grow much before the Everfree became even more hostile than before: Vines and wild animals started coming out of the forest and attacking ponies and their property. In order to stop the advances of the forest, a giant electric fence was erected separating the city from the woods. Guards patrolled it incessantly night after night so that it would not be breached.

Crescent City was a tranquil city with villas of purple walls, cerulean mansard roofs and crescent-shaped street lamps. As the inhabitants tried to not feel suffocated by the encircling forest, all houses either had towers themselves or within their property so that their inhabitants could climb them to peek beyond the tree crowns. Most ponies living there were representatives of noble houses or held key government positions that needed close contact with the Queen. However, most ponies moved to Ponyville, the only town connected to Crescent City, as it was far more attractive if one didn’t want to feel enclosed by the looming Everfree Forest. This turned Ponyville into a booming town.

The city was dwarfed by the rebuilt castle. Its monumental features were visible from anywhere in the city. Buttresses and flying buttresses supported its massive dark blue walls. Arches window of stained glass depicted Nightmare Moon’s and the kingdom’s achievements, such as the invasion of the changeling kingdom. Towers rose above the rest of the city with their cyan cone spirals culminating into glowing crescent-shaped finials.

Below the sky-scraping towers, a pale yellow pegasus tended to the castle’s gardens. The royal gardener watered the various night-blooming flowers. From the cocoa-scented chocolate flower to the sweet aromas of the night phlox; From delicate four o’ clocks to the imposing dragon fruit flowers; From the weedy-like evening primrose to the favorite flower of Nightmare Moon herself: the night-blooming cereus. As the pale yellow stallion moved from one set of flowers to the other, eared nightjars, nighthawks and night parrots chirpingly followed him while owls observed from the treetops. Some of the birds tried to stand on his back and on his silk-like pink mane.

Even though Butterscotch enjoyed his work among the melodies of his birds and the scents of his flowers, he couldn’t help but feel observed by something besides his animals. Every time he went from one group of flowers to the next, he shifted his gaze constantly behind his bangs. Even though he didn’t see anything from the corners of his eyes, he still perceived being observed. Like a prey near tall grass.

Waiting to be struck down by a predator.

“So, will you be coming to the meeting, captain creeper?”

Rainbow Dash hastily jerked herself upright in response to the sudden inquiry, pulling herself out of the bushes that adorned the sides of the path towards the castle’s main entrance from which she observed the gardens. Upon seeing that it had come from minister Applejack, she quickly regained her posture removing the stray leaves and branches from her messy rainbow hair and her black armor. Doing so revealed a rainbow lightning bolt rendered on each side of her armor and a purple shield with the image of a castle where her cutie mark would be marked her as a member of the Royal Guard. The shield with bat wings, portrayed on her chest, displaying a full moon reaffirmed her not only as part of the Royal Guard but as its captain in rank.

While Rainbow Dash regained her posture, Applejack stared at the captain with a judgemental yet almost blank expression. Applejack’s golden mane was packed tightly in a bun. Amber-colored lines formed a diamond pattern on her red-brown robe. At the center of each diamond, a silver crown was depicted testifying her position as a minister under Nightmare Moon. The tree-shaped insignia pinned to her left chest further specified her as the agriculture minister.

Upon meeting her gaze, Rainbow Dash decided it would be better to avert the subject, “So, have you gotten any good news this time?”

A smirk crept onto Applejack’s face. Rainbow Dash knew that she took the utmost pride in her work and wouldn’t be able to resist the chance to defend or boast about her work.

Applejack slowly nodded. “Well, you see,” Rainbow Dash smiled as she took the bait, “this year, we finally met our production goal. Abandoning the sunstone method was decidedly proper judgment.”

Joyed with the news (and with the change of topic), Rainbow Dash quickly answered, “That’s awesome! I’m sure Her Majesty will be pleased to hear it as soon as possible.”

Applejack raised one eyebrow as she asked, “You’re not planning on interrupting me at the meeting just to be the pony to tell Nightmare Moon the good news before me, are you?”

Rainbow Dash avoided looking at Applejack as she chuckled nervously, “Why do you think I’d do something like that?”

‘Maybe because you’ve done it before?’ thought Applejack but she didn’t want to contend further on this. After all, she didn’t want to be late.

“The conference will start in a few minutes. We should go now,” suggested Applejack as she turned to leave.

Rainbow Dash scoffed, “I could leave at the exact last minute and still be perfectly on time —”

Applejack quickly interfered unamused, “I would rather if you didn’t.” After all, the other ministers had sent her to get Rainbow Dash early to not have another one of her last minute entrances.

“— But,” the Captain continued in a somewhat more careful tone but without a careful word choice, “if you want to enjoy my awesome presence I guess I can’t refuse.”

Applejack simply stared at Rainbow Dash, turned around and started walking to the conference silently. Rainbow Dash took the hint and proceeded to quietly accompany Applejack to the meeting. She made her hooves produce a clear clop each time they hit the ground as if the constant rhythm were to remind the captain to be patient and not simply rush towards the meeting.

After a few moments of this awkward silence, Applejack sighed and said, “You know, even though the production did increase this year, the quota was achieved only after lowering the expected production quotas in the past years...”

After the undue waiting of over half an hour for the delayed train, Dusk Shine sighed as he placed his three large bags on the three seats surrounding him, quasi-forming a wall between him and the rest of the wagon. The seats and tables were all carved out of ebony wood and purple velvet pillows on seats. The wagon was almost empty with exception of Dusk himself and two cloaked ponies in the back of the wagon. Their pitch-black cloak with a golden stripe on its edge was long enough to completely conceal the pony inside it. He noticed one of them leaned towards the other and seemed to whisper something. However, Dusk Shine wasn’t interested in their conversation right now.

He pushed the purple velvet curtain a bit to the side and stared out of the window through the gap. He watched as the fence that protected the railway became a blurred stripe as the train accelerated. He was still irritated by the lack of information given to him, the unpunctuality of the train and not to mention the desacrement of the check-list. However, he still expected that after meeting the Supreme Inquisitors in Ponyville the situation would change for the better.

Not having the data that he had hoped to receive as reading material, Dusk Shine proceeded to observe the fence from the window as he waited for his arrival in Ponyville.

Dusk Shine watched through the windows as the train arrived at the train station. He could barely see the red clinker bricks through the steam as they entered one of the many arched train halls. If Crescent City's were to be described as noisy and hectic, then Ponyville’s station would be described as nothing short of tumultuous and turbulent.

Crescent City becoming the new capital turned Ponyville into an important connection point in the kingdom. Thousands of ponies commuted to or changed at Ponyville’s station every day and building materials were constantly being transported to the ever-growing town. This train station replaced Ponyville’s old station to provide an easier access to the new capital and to support the new traffic volume. It was constructed by expanding upon the old Ponyville clock tower, with the clock now being barely visible above the current roof.

As the wagon came to a halt, Dusk Shine grabbed his bags using his telekinesis and disembarked. Having exited the train, Dusk shine noticed the sheer mass of ponies on the platform waiting for the train. There was almost barely enough space for them to stand. He, however, didn’t have such a problem as a line of gray-armored guards separated the section where the royal wagon was from the rest of the platform.

A few other guards just stood around behind the line, chatting. After noticing Dusk, they stopped talking and assumed a more disciplined posture. Upon further inspection he noted that the two cloaked ponies did not disembark with him, meaning that they would be going to the final stop in Canterlot.

A light gray coated guard approached him with a wide but stiff smile. Dusk, having noticed the single black star on the front of his helmet, deduced he was a corporal. Furthermore, Dusk observed the leathered wings and his bright fangs through his smile meaning he was a thestral. As the stallion stopped mere hooves before him, Dusk could see a slight hint of nervousness in his deep magenta eyes. As the guard started to open his lips to talk, Dusk immediately interrupted.

“Corporal Cockcrow Shield, if I were to be correct?” Asked as his expressionless gaze hovered over the pony in front of him.

Cockcrow disconcertedly blinked twice before answering, “Y-yes sir, I am here to be your personal escort while you’re in Ponyville.” Then after taking a glance at the bags behind Dusk, he added, “Uh, you can leave your belongings here, sir. The other guards will take it to your lodgings.”

In response Dusk simply dropped his bags from his telekinetic grip. Cockcrow signaled the other guards to take the baggage. Two guards came at first, followed by a third to help carry the bags. Dusk paid no attention to them as they carried the luggage away, instead, he just asked a simple question to Cockcrow.

“Where’s the triumequat staying?”

Still with his constant smile, he proceeded to explain, “Well sir, you see, since Ponyville didn’t have a center of operation for the Inquisition until now, they are operating from an abandoned cottage on the outskirts as the presence in town of the triumequat could cause unnecessary agitation.” After a pause, he concluded, “It is not far from here. We should probably get going, sir. I am sure the triumequat is waiting.”

“Then please lead the way. Being left waiting is not something you should expect of someone.”

Cockcrow simply nodded while wearing his wide-eyed unwavering smile, before he led Dusk towards the exit of the station. Behind them, the guards quickly dissipated.

Walking through a dirt path beside Cockcrow, Dusk surveyed the surrounding overgrown meadows. Tall grass, flowers and wild berries covered the irregular ground dotted with burrows and hillocks. He wondered why he hadn’t seen any animals in the grass or in the burrows yet, however, as he noticed another patrol of guard ponies making rounds through the grass, he guessed they might have scared the nearby animals off. The patrols only grew increasingly more frequent as they progressed.

Dusk was slightly disconcerted by Cockcrow’s constant fixed smile but he shifted his attention as he noticed the run-down cottage beyond the creek they were approaching. A multitude of grey-armored and blue-armored guards surrounded the cottage so that Dusk estimated that there were at least thirty guards in a ten feet radius from the cottage. Furthermore, the edges of the plates of their armor were painted with a white stripe meaning they were under the jurisdiction of the Lunar Inquisition.

The fence separating the Everfree from Ponyville was clearly visible from here. The cottage itself was in poor shape with a few cracks on the walls, windows boarded up and broken birdhouses nailed to surrounding trees and littering the ground. Even the bridge for crossing the creek seemed so unstable that the guards had to place new wooden supports to make sure it wouldn’t collapse.

Observing the roof he was slightly impressed by the amount of grass covering it, but he was more concentrated on the two purple-cloaked ponies doing rounds on the roof. Their heads, with exception of their horns, were completely encompassed by a case of iron fastened by chains with only two small holes for them to breathe. Their cloaks had an eye depicted on the part that covered their flanks. One of them stopped and directed his head towards the two approaching ponies. As this happened, Dusk noticed his companion flinched.

A grin crept onto his face as he asked, “Do the sentinels bother you, Cockcrow?”

Cockcrow's constant smile faded before he doubled down with a bigger and wider-eyed one than before, “O-of course not, sir.”

Amused by this reaction Dusk continued, “Well, at least they wear these masks. Have you thought how would it be to have to see what lies behind it?”

“I-I think we should hurry up,” responded Cockcrow as he picked up his pace, “After all, we don’t want to keep the triumequat waiting longer than necessary.”

Deciding not to push this further, Dusk simply agreed as they walked faster.

Shortly after, they had crossed the creek and arrived at the cottage’s entrance. There three gray-armored guards controlled the entrance. The tallest of them, ‘probably taller than Blueblood’, Dusk thought, possessed two stars depicted on the front of his helmet, meaning he was a sergeant.

As they approached the guards, Cockcrow announced, “I have brought the honorable apprentice for the meeting with the triumequat.”

The sergeant’s eyes slowly scrutinized Dusk from top to bottom before declaring, “He can enter.”

Dusk and Cockcrow proceeded to enter, but Cockcrow was soon held back by the sergeant’s foreleg. Cockcrow simply looked confused as the sergeant slowly looked Cockcrow over and said, “You, on the other hoof, can not enter,” before pointing to the white stripes in his armor that Cockcrow’s barding lacked.

Without looking back Dusk commented, “Don’t worry, I’m sure the sentinels will be good company.”

Cockcrow’s smile finally disappeared when the door closed behind Dusk. Having entered the cottage, the first thing he noticed in the poorly lit room was the multitude of photographs, bulletin boards and maps almost fully covering the walls. As his gaze hovered through the room he soon saw that there was a guard at each doorway to the other rooms. Through the doorway, Dusk would sometimes catch glimpses of ponies in white coats moving frantically. Taking his attention back to the room he was in, he observed cardboard boxes in the corners and a lack of furniture in it with the exception of a large elliptic table near the wall opposed to the entrance. Two unicorns sat at it while rummaging through a chaotic assortment of papers.

They both wore an indigo cloak with the distinct white stripe. A scale with its plates being replaced by two crescents with their horns pointing upwards was depicted on the part that covered their cutie marks while an underlined capital omega was depicted on the front of their hoods. They were the Supreme Inquisitors, however, Dusk wondered why the third member of the triumequat was absent. The stallion to his left with a vermillion coat was slowly caressing his goatee as he looked through the documents lying before him with half-lidded eyes. He was the oldest member of the triumequat, Cardinal Zinnia. The mare on the right had a coat black as tar and a mane that resembled wild bushfires. The author of the exiguous letter, Midnight Oil.

Neither of them seemed to react to Dusk’s entry. He began to slowly but steadily move towards the pair. His eyes now accustomed to the low lighting of the room, he could take a better glance at the walls as he trod forward. The bulletin boards contained various notes and diagrams, each one apparently trying to connect “Ghost” to a different terrorist organization. Out of the maps, one of Equestria that was much taller than Dusk himself caught his attention. An extraordinary amount of multicolored pins was pinned to it, dotting the area from the Crystal Mountains near Manehattan, through Neighara Falls to Galloping Gorge, then passing near Vanhoover to Smokey Mountains and ending its journey near Ponyville.

Taking a better look at the photographs plastering the wall revealed them to be from crime scenes. Many showed walls with messages messily painted on them, most critic on the rule of the Queen or threats like “killed for the queen, killed because of the queen” or “who is the next one that Tartarus will claim?”. Then he saw pony bodies which looked as pale as a ghost. Looking at their forelegs he saw—

“So, you’ve finally arrived,” Dusk’s observations were interrupted by Midnight finally acknowledging him. Her gaze, however, remained on the papers before her.

“Yes, indeed I have,” Dusk retorted, “maybe you should have told the train to not miss me instead.”

Raising an eyebrow Midnight gave Dusk a side glance and raised herself from the chair. But instead of moving towards Dusk, she simply grabbed a sheet and a pen from the table and walked along the wall until she reached what looked to be the map of Ponyville. She then marked a region in the south. While she did this she calmly asked Dusk, “Does it appear that I am a train dispatcher?”

Before he could utter any answer, she quickly turned towards him as she then extenuated, “Honourable Apprentice, you should recognize that in this involute operation where experience and expertise are of need,” she further elaborated, “we can’t focus on a conspicuous greenhorn who could be ascribed any results by the public.”

Dusk frowned as he firmly glared at midnight before a grin crept over his face. “Well, you see,” he remarked, “apparently your experience and expertise has not been sufficient to conclude this operation.”

“So,” she simply smiled, “would you then tell me how many attacks ‘Ghost’ has committed thus far?”

At first, Dusk was quite puzzled by this question. He deduced that she was probably attempting to bait his overconfidence with a few easy questions before taking the advantage of the fact that she didn’t send him any files on the operations by asking him a question impossible for him to know in order to point out his lack of knowledge. However, this could be an opportunity to finally receive some internal information of the case. Thus he firmly decided to take the bait.

“Considering all articles I have managed to find and including the most recent in Ponyville,” he elaborated, “there should be sixty-eight cases currently.”

“Not bad,” she commented as Dusk eagerly waited for the next question, “only missed by several hundred.” Dusk’s eyes widened in surprise. She then pointed to the large map of Equestria Dusk had noticed before. “In these two and a half years there were seven hundred forty-three cases,” she remarked. At that moment it dawned on him that the colors of the pin indicated the time interval when the attack occurred.

She returned to her seat smiling while she talked with her back to Dusk, “but the Honourable Apprentice is certainly tired from his travel and we certainly don’t want to bother him with the investigation yet.” Having been seated again she used her telekinesis to open the door across the room. Her colleague was still immersed in the papers, not taking notice of them at all. Looking towards the door Midnight concluded, “Cockcrow Shield should be able to lead you to your lodgings,” before returning to the paperwork before her.

Dusk didn’t answer, instead, he just stared sharply at her, before turning back and heading for the exit. After leaving the cottage, he immediately met Cockcrow who was waiting for him at the door. He asked Dusk while wearing a nervous smile as his pupils pointed to the roof, “So, did it go well, sir?”

Dusk gave him a calm and blank stare. “It is quite rude to keep staring at the sentinels.”

Cockcrow frantically blinked, before apologizing, “Yes, of course, sir. Won’t happen again.” He then shifted his gaze towards the ground.

Pleased, Dusk smirked before making the inevitable question, “Could you tell me where will I be accommodated?”

Raising his eyes again, Cockcrow responded, “Yes, of course, sir. The city has offered for you to stay in the old Ponyville library, as a new one has been constructed.” Dusk’s ear perked up upon hearing “library”, this could be the one good news of the day. Cockcrow then proposed, “I will escort you there if you wish.”

Eager to settle for the night and to prepare for the next one Dusk promptly requested, “I would like to take a look at it now.”

Cockcrow simply nodded with his almost ever-present smile and then started guiding Dusk back to the city. After a few minutes of silence, Cockcrow said, “Uh, sir. I was raised in Ponyville, so, I could tell you about the town if you wish.”

Dusk could swear his smile was slowly growing over time and wondered how much longer it would take for the face to smile ratio to reach one. However, concentrating on what he said, having information on the vicinity could prove to be crucial. Thus, he accepted, “Sure, please do.”

Then Cockcrow began, “Well...”

Soon Dusk regretted taking up the offer as his ears were bombarded by the cacophony of vacuous words from his escort. He had hoped to get important insight into the town but instead, he was met by an endless stream of old anecdotes and banal trivia. It took less than ten minutes before Dusk began mentally filtering out the barrage of sounds, eager to finally reach their destination.

The city was riddled with construction sites causing a somewhat peculiar image, as the more traditional homes of Ponyville stood side-by-side with buildings akin to ones that could be found in Manehattan. But Dusk’s mind wasn’t concerned with the inharmonious architecture of the booming city, as it wondered how he would proceed in the following nights. It was clear to him that the triumequat was not content with him participating in the operation and would probably not willingly cooperate. However, it was unlikely that others besides themselves would know it, meaning he could use his official position as General Inquisitor to conduct his own investigation. He was certain other ponies wouldn’t be as doubtful of his mandate as General Inquisitor. Now if he only could manage to arrive at one of the crime scenes before the Supreme Inquisitors...

“... And this is where we will be staying,” Cockcrow announced, taking Dusk out of his reverie, “the Golden Oak Library.”

Becoming more aware of his surroundings, Dusk noticed the candy red arched door in front of them. A lit candle was depicted on it. Upon seeing the building that the door was part of, he noted that he should have taken the name a bit more literally as it was no less than a massive hollowed oak. Multiple glass windows of various shapes and types adorned the bark, including a Prench balcony. Gables of tightly packed leaves hung over the windows and doors. A wooden sign before the treehouse, which formerly displayed the opening hours and other miscellaneous information of the former library, was now covered by a pamphlet noting the opening of the new “Unukalhay Library”.

However, none of this interested Dusk. All he desired right now was to call it a night and ruminate on his plans for the next night in peace and silence. So when Cockcrow brought out the keys as he menaced to continue his loquacious ramblings, “This remembers that when I was a foal I would—” Dusk interrupted him by snatching the keys. He then quickly tried to open the front door of the library, failing at first by picking the wrong key but quickly guessing the correct one on the second try. As the door slid open, he swiftly slipped inside and before his companion could follow in he turned around with the best smile he could posture.

“I am much obliged for your assistance,” Dusk thanked him and concluded with, “you’re now dismissed,” as he closed the door audibly.

With this Dusk finally sighed out of relief of finally having silence. Taking a look around the circular entrance hall he spotted his luggage placed near a round table in the center. The expected numerous shelves were carved on the wooden walls of the room, however, only a few books had remained behind. From here Dusk could see the kitchen, a stair leading downstairs to the basement and another leading upstairs. As his eyes looked upward following the stairs he noticed that some kind of yellow and orange symbol had been scraped out of the ceiling. Then he heard somepony knocking on the door.

He cringed as he went to attend to the door. He wondered who wished to waste his time now. The door swung open revealing Cockcrow who still stood there with a sheepish smile. The guard then queried, “Uh, sir, you know that I’m supposed to stay with you as I am your personal guard while you’re in Ponyville?”

At this moment Dusk’s eyes shot wide open upon the dread of such prospect. ‘Did he tell me that on the way here?’ Dusk thought, “Why didn’t Midnight Oil tell me this?’ He stood there with his mind in turmoil.

Cockcrow raised an eyebrow as he stared at the inert Dusk Shine. He then asks, “uh, Sir, will you allow me in?”

Being brought out of his daze, Dusk stepped to the side and invited him in, “Y-yes, of course!”. As he did thusly, he noticed a second set of luggage leaned against one of the shelves, which was significantly leaner than Dusk’s as it consisted of only one large saddlebag. Along with it, there was a foldable foam mattress. Cockcrow strode towards it and proceeded to pick it up. Dusk’s mind was in disarray remembering his trudge to here, under the heavy chatter bombardment and trying to cope that he would probably be bound to him for the next week.

Cockcrow looked at Dusk a bit worried as he seemed to simply stand still while vacantly ogling into one of the walls. Holding the mattress, Cockcrow decided to break Dusk’s concentration by asking, “So, where do you want me to sleep, sir?”

The question struck Dusk’s mind like lightning. He certainly wouldn’t want to keep him where he himself would be frequently open to Cockcrow’s babble artillery. Letting him stay in the main hall would only cause him to be exposed whenever he needed to go through here. Looking at Cockcrow, he saw his eyes waiting for an answer. This was certainly awkward. He quickly surveyed the surrounding. He didn’t know if there was a guest room on the upper floor, so he couldn’t tell “upstairs” as this could lead them being quartered in the same room only further aggravating the problem. He could tell him to lodge in the basement but he didn’t know how frequently he ought to need supplies from there.

The silence had been prolonged for long enough. He needed to answer soon. Beads of sweat started forming on Dusk’s forehead. Finally, he blurted out.

“T-the kitchen!”

Cockcrow tilted his head in confusion. “The... kitchen?”

Dusk quickly answered, “Y-yes! The kitchen!”

Not wanting to question his superior Cockcrow quickly nodded and agreed, “Of course, the kitchen.” He then proceeded to put the mattress there and set his bed.

Deciding that this was definitely enough for the night, Dusk brought out an alarm clock from one of his bags and decided to finally head upstairs. As he climbed the stairs, he was interrupted by a call from the base of the staircase, “Sir, it seems that we have no provisions.”

Wanting to deal with this as quickly as possible, Dusk simply pointed to one of his bags and said, “In that bag, you will find a sack of bits, you can use it to buy anything we might need.”

Cockcrow nodded and Dusk continued with his task at hoof of bringing this night to an end.

Reaching the second floor, he noted his guess was right. There was only a single room that comprised the entire second floor. The room contained shelves similar to the ones on the ground floor, but the only thing he was interested in right now was the bed. He quickly slipped into his bed while setting up the alarm for early. He would wake up before Cockcrow and sneak out of the house before he could notice, hopefully giving him more tranquility for the rest of the night.

Tired and hungry Dusk quickly fell asleep.

Meeting the Residents

Five nights remain until the Nox Eterna Festival.

The ringing of the alarm clock slowly pierced Dusk's mind. Jerking, yanking and tugging, he hastily tried to free himself from his blanket and cloak. Unfortunately, this only further exacerbated the situation. The blanket and his cloak seemed to morph into a tartarian amalgamation between a cocoon and a straitjacket. Dusk's carcerophobia aggravated even further, haste making his body tangle even further into the mass of fabric.

Then in a moment of clarity Dusk stopped.

While remaining still, he used his magic to slowly lift the blanket. Checking the time, he turned the alarm off. It was still the eleventh sleeping hour. He needed to withdraw before Cockcrow's engines of blabber could be ignited. This would allow him peace and tranquility while making his investigation in the city.

He quickly folded his blanket with his magic, putting it on his bed and swiftly moving towards the staircase. However, the moment he stepped on the first stair, the aroma of pancakes filled his nostrils, accompanied by a set of noise coming from the kitchen. Cockcrow was already awake.

Dusk damned military discipline, before slumping down the stairs. Arriving on the ground, he was greeted by Cockcrow who had popped out of the kitchen with his seemingly never-fading smile. "Good new night, sir."

Dusk also muttered something that was presumably meant to be greeting.

He trudged to the kitchen table, before slumping onto the head seat. Besides the sets of forks, knives, plates and cups for them, the table was also laid with a diverse assortment of dishes. Including bowls of apples, pears and grapes, a jar of milk, bowls with cereal and dried wheat, plates with waffles and pancakes and a bowl with omelets and an empty teapot.

Seeing Dusk observe the table, Cockcrow commented, “Uh, I saw that you wanted to wake up early and I thought you’d probably want to eat something.” Only now Dusk recollected that he hadn’t actually covered himself with a blanket before falling asleep. Cockcrow approached the table as he continued, “I was unsure what you’d want for breakfast, sir.”

Dusk simply nodded in agreement as his mind was still in the process of waking.

Cockcrow had already moved to Dusk’s left, asking, “So, what would you wish to drink?”

Still drowsy, Dusk barely lifted his eyelids and pupils to look up to Cockcrow before uttering, “Black tea.”

Cockcrow then proceeded to the stove, taking a tea kettle and a teapot out of the cabinets. He poured water in the kettle, boiling it, then took a small wooden box from another drawer, measuring four teaspoons of leaves from it and placing them in the teapot. Meanwhile, Dusk slowly slipped a few pancakes onto his plate and sloppily covered them with syrup. Not bothering to cut them, he merely levitated them towards his mouth and began to slowly munch away at their edges as his brain gradually exited its drowse.

Being more aware of his surroundings, Dusk noticed that Cockrow, now sitting to his left, wasn’t wearing his armor. This allowed him to take a look at Cockcrow's cutie mark, a shield with a rooster depicted on it. Continuing to lethargically chew away on his pancakes, Dusk’s mindless stare shifted upwards, setting on the now helmetless head of his companion. His pale magenta mane reminded him of the royal gardener's mane, missing only the bangs always covered in dirt.

His wandering eyes came to a stop as he noticed Cockrow staring at him wide-eyed, not having touched any food yet as if he were waiting for something. Dusk slowly masticated, reciprocating Cockcrow’s steady gaze with slight anxiety. He then swallowed and, in order to dissolve the awkwardness, he briefly remarked, “It is good.”

Cockcrow gave him a broad smile, leaving Dusk disconcerted. He didn’t know if he should worry more about the guard’s face ripping up from this constant smile or for himself being pulled into the abyss of his broad smile. “So, aren’t you going to eat too?” Dusk indicated his companion’s still empty plate.

“Uh, yes, of course,” Cockcrow answered as he hurriedly put some omelet on his plate. As he finished doing so, the kettle whistled, prompting him to stand up. With a mitten over his muzzle, he swiftly lifted whistle lever of the kettle and poured its boiling content over the tea leaves. Balancing the teapot on his stretched left wing. Dusk watched, slightly amused, as Cockcrow carried the tea to the table and carefully placed it down, all the while inattentively munching on the pancakes still in his telekinetic grip. Cockcrow then dropped his muzzle mitten to the side of the teapot, leaving the tea steeping, and sat back down to finally eat his dish of eggs.

After the tea had steeped enough, Cockcrow put the mitten on again to heedfully pour Dusk a cup, before pouring himself one. Laying what was still left over of his pancakes back to his plate, Dusk brought the cup up to his muzzle. The aroma of it filled his nostrils, reminding him of the times he and Moondancer had had lessons from Nightmare Moon in the early night. At first, he took a small sip, probing for the temperature, then, he proceeded to take progressively larger swigs of tea, savoring it while it slowly flushed pieces and bits of pancake still left in his mouth with each swallow.

As the tea helped to gradually wake Dusk, he let his eyes wander around the kitchen. It possessed a fireplace, which made him wonder if it was just for decoration as he hadn’t seen any chimneys outside. Beside the fireplace lay Cockcrow’s foam mattress and bed linen, now once again tidily folded. The only window of the kitchen had its thick canary yellow curtains closed, precluding Dusk from taking a look outside and blocking any external light. The kitchen was illuminated only by a few lit lanterns that hung from the ceiling. He also noticed a telescope left in one of the corners. He deduced it was probably used by the librarian to make star charts, lists and other astrographic needs of the previously small town.

He then noticed that Cockcrow discreetly observed him in between the ingesting of his omelet and taking a swig of his own tea. Both of them continued silently with their meals until Cockcrow broke the silence by asking, “So... how was your meeting with the triumequat yesternight, sir?”

Dusk slowly placed the remains of his pancakes back on the plate. “It was certainly significantly less helpful than I anticipated.”

“Then what are your plans for tonight, sir?” Cockcrow promptly queried as he leaned slightly closer.

Dusk took a slow sip of his tea before replying, “Well, if our associates from the triumequat don’t desire to adequately collaborate with us then I will need to elicit information from other ponies around here.”

“You should probably speak to the magistrate of Ponyville, Mayor Mare,” eagerly recommended Cockcrow. “I am sure she’d be interested in meeting you.” Dusk didn’t like dealing with politicians, but given the circumstances, he was willing. “She is currently supervising the preparations for the Nox Eterna in the town hall,” added Cockcrow as he leaned even closer to Dusk.

Still knowing where he left his possessions yesterday, Dusk levitated without moving from his chair two scrolls and a pen out of his luggage from the entrance hall to himself. He then opened one of the scrolls; it contained a checklist. Having quickly found the two last items of the list, he proceeded to check them and add two more items to it.

[...]

☑ Be briefed on the situation by the triumequat

☑ Settle in your lodging in Ponyville

☐ Find the “Ghost”(List of Tasks: D-4)

☐ Capture the “Ghost”

After having successfully appended, he rolled it back together and then unrolled the other one and wrote down:

List of Tasks: D-4
As of necessary for: finding the “Ghost”

☐ Ascertain the location of the crime scene from the magistrate

☐ Examine the location:

☐ Why was it perpetrated there?

☐ Who was the victim?

☐ What was the cause of death?

☐ Find a lead to clandestine activities in Ponyville

As Dusk zealously inscribed his scrolls, Cockcrow simply continued to stare at the clear side of the scrolls, unsure if he should say anything. Seeing that Dusk was finally putting the scrolls away, one back to his bags and the other into one of his cloak’s inner pockets, he decided to ask, “So, when do you wish to leave, sir?”

“As soon as we can meet with this Mayor Mare, I see no reason to waste any time,” Dusk replied solemnly, hoping that this Mayor Mare did not have some overtly lax working hours. He then stood up and started walking out of the kitchen. Then looking back at all the unconsumed food he said, “Next time, just the pancakes should suffice.”

Having now exited their arboreal dwelling, Dusk noticed that on each street corner of the library square was a gray-armored guard standing watch. Various windows and roofs had been decorated with the Queen’s banners, portraying a dark Alicorn standing on the full moon, and flags, depicting an upwards-facing crescent with stylized wings and a star in its center.

He also noticed how deserted the square apart from the guards seemed to be, as none of the scaffoldings present on a few of the surrounding buildings carried any construction ponies. This made Dusk wonder if the construction work was interrupted due to security reasons as he was staying in the library, even though their absence could be explained because it was still the first waking hour.

As Dusk and Cockcrow moved through the streets, Dusk noticed how Cockcrow would signalize as they passed by guardponies keeping watch on the intersections. Two guards would then escort them for a short while until Cockcrow signalized another set of guards, causing the previous two to return to their post as another pair of guards would now once again accompany them for another short while.

Another thing Dusk noticed was that the further they shifted through the streets, the more decorated and festive the town became. At least one variation of the royal flag or banner hung from every window, crescent-shaped lanterns illuminated the streets with a silver glow and a multitude of indigo pennant banners depicting either a star or a crescent were stretched from one roof to another. The streets also became more filled, as the ponies had awoken from the sleeping hours. Many of them continued to adjust and add decorations for the Nox Eterna Festival. Various foals wearing Nightmare Moon masks ran around, playing and giggling.

Even as the preparations for the festivities were going on, the further building of new houses advanced. The scaffoldings were brimful of working ponies. Because of the construction sites, even the widest streets were still cramped with ponies. Dusk, however, had little problem going through the crowds as the guards accompanying him made room for him to pass.

After passing through various progressively more congested streets, they arrived at the town hall square. A massive, but still clearly not completed, red-brick building in similar in style to the train station occupied most of the plaza. A multitude of construction ponies worked on the scaffoldings and cranes. The only part which was not being worked on from the outside was the entrance. The new town hall was being constructed upon the old one, and as such, it was incorporated as the entrance of the new one.

Plastered on the red wall lay the once circular and now semi-circular structure. It possessed two floors with a double loggia with wooden railing and columns encompassing them. The walls were made of wattle and daub on wooden frames, a clear testimony of this town’s agricultural beginnings. Its circular red-tiled roof was topped with a gazebo.

Over the entrance hung an indigo banner picturing stars and white letters saying:

WELCOME TO PONYVILLE, NIGHTMARE MOON
MAY YOUR REIGN AND NIGHT BE ETERNAL

Dusk then noticed a brown earth pony with a construction helmet standing on a platform below it. He was furiously scribbling on his clipboard as he watched over the plaza. To each of his sides stood a gray-armored guard, Dusk guessed he was probably the construction supervisor. Actually, after taking a better look, he noticed that there was plenty of guards standing on the scaffoldings and on the roofs of the surrounding buildings.

Seeing Dusk observing the city hall, Cockcrow stepped towards him. “So,” Cockcrow began while still wearing his perpetual smile, “Would you like me to tell you more about our old town hall, s–?”

Without averting his gaze, Dusk replied with a quick and short, “No.”

“Oh,” Cockrow shifted his gaze in slight disconcert. But then he tried to ask, “What if I t–”

“I think we should just get inside and talk to the magistrate,” Dusk said, stepping forward.

“Yes, certainly, sir,” agreed Cockcrow before lifting off. As he did, Dusk noticed the long queues coming from and into the town hall. The capacity of the narrow entrance of the old town hall had clearly been outgrown by the populace of the booming town and the new entrances weren’t yet finished, causing the backup.

There was a variety of ponies coming in and out of the city hall; painters and decorators in messy overalls, neat civil servants or ponies that just came here to deal with the bureaucracy. Guards stood beside the queue to keep them in order and to control the flow in a manner that when one pony would leave, then another would be let in and vice versa.

Looking now upwards once again to check on Cockcrow, Dusk saw him talking to the supervisor and his guards while pointing towards Dusk. After seeing Dusk, the two guards tried to signal to the guards overseeing the queue and entrance, but before their efforts could bring any success, the supervisor had taken a megaphone and made an announcement, “Clear the way for the Honorable Apprentice, he wishes to speak with the magistrate!”

The guards stopped the queues immediately. A collective groan among the waiting ponies could be heard. The guards then started to push them to the side so that Dusk could pass. As they did that, Cockcrow returned to Dusk's side. Dusk did not acknowledge him and simply walked towards the entrance. Cockcrow quickly caught up and accompanied him. Some of the ponies just grumbled something; others quietly observed as Dusk passed by and a few bowed under his look at them.

Looking to his side he noticed how Cockcrow’s wings kept shifting; he could easily read his companion’s uneasiness from being observed by the masses. As they approached the entrance, Dusk could finally take a look at the inner turmoil. He caught glimpses of banners, stripes and other decorative objects being passed around, as well as some ponies simply trying to pass through the crowd. When they finally reached the entrance, the guards watching it quickly ushered them in. As soon as they passed through the door, the guards hastily began to move the queues back into position.

The former town hall was mostly comprised of a single large room with interior balconies hanging at multiple levels, their back rooms curtained with long purple drapes. Also, one could easily notice the two stone staircases that were recently built to connect the old part of the building to the new, as they lacked any proper finishing. A few ponies, many holding documents, others wearing helmets, were climbing the stairs.

A large crowd, however, still remained in the entrance hall, rendering it nothing short of tumultuous as they prepared it for Her Majesty’s arrival. Ponies hurriedly adorned the walls with bouquets of blue roses, lavenders and cornflowers, never seeming to agree on the final position of each one. Blue banners were hung from one balcony to another. Silver and indigo tapestries hung from the ceiling depicting some of Nightmare Moon’s greatest achievements. One was showing her banishing Celestia to the sun, another depicted her guards attacking a retreating Changeling line and the third one showed a dragon bowing to Nightmare Moon while offering the Dragon Lord Staff.

Dusk wondered when the decorations would be completed, especially the other tapestries. Nightmare Moon surely wouldn’t be pleased if even one of them were missing. Cockcrow interrupted his thoughts, indicating a gray-maned mare in a brown robe with green lines forming a diamond pattern, coordinating the decorative efforts. Judging by her position and attire, she had to be the Magistrate of Ponyville. As they approached her, Dusk also noted the red tree symbol of Ponyville inside the diamonds on her robe.

“Magistrate Mayor Mare?” Dusk asked.

The old mare turned to see who called her. “What is it this ti...oh.” The words died on her tongue as she readjusted her glasses. She forced a sheepish smile across her features. “Honorable Apprentice, I’m glad to see you decided to visit us.”

She then continued with a brighter smile, “But I am sure there are more serious things that you wish to discuss.”

“Evidently,” replied Dusk, keeping a blank expression.

“Well, then please follow me, I am certain we should talk about it somewhere less... hectic.”

Cockcrow stood guard outside, as the magistrate led Dusk into a room with no windows and only barely illuminated by the lamp on the over-cluttered desk. Scrolls, quills, folders and books covered the desk almost completely while pinboards, too many chairs and boxes with office supplies filled the room. Dusk had the urge to sneeze from all the dust all of this was collecting, but he resisted it. He deduced this was a temporary office for the magistrate until her new one was finished.

Then the magistrate finally spoke, “the residents of Ponyville assuredly appreciate the pupil of the Her Majesty coming to aid the operations.” Then, staring directly into Dusk’s eyes with a firm smile, she added, “they would certainly love if you could address them.”

This was the main reason Dusk despised having to deal with politicians. He certainly couldn’t let her know that the triumequat didn’t properly brief him. She would certainly use any information as leverage to parade him before her constituents to gain approval. “I am sure the loss of such pony is very painful for this town.”

Mayor Mare nodded in agreement. “Yes, Doctor Horse was beloved by all townsponies he treated,” she said. ”It also happened little more than one week after he returned from duty.”

This doctor had probably been drafted, Dusk thought, medics were definitely needed. “Still a bit weird that he was found so far to the south. Almost at the municipality border,” he commented, remembering the general area that Midnight Oil had marked on the map yesterday.

Mayor Mare ground her teeth a bit before answering, “Since he had seemed a bit... scatterbrained,” she paused before resuming, “we thought he would just need a bit of time to... process everything. He started to go on these long treks since he returned from duty. We thought it was good to leave him alone, let him unwind... Although”, she pondered, “Nurse Redheart wanted us to intervene. Maybe we should’ve before he was found at the southwestern windmill...”

She then regained her initial composure, re-establishing firm eye contact, “But I am sure the triumequat has briefed you with what you need. What did you come here for anyway?”

“The triumequat has sent me here,” instantaneously replied Dusk. “They wanted me to tell you that Scarlet Scar shall be arriving tomorrow.” He lied, but it didn’t really matter. Scarlet Scar was the Supreme Inquisitor missing from the cottage yesterday. Of course, he didn’t know when she would be arriving, however, he had already gotten what he wanted and would hopefully not have to deal with the magistrate.

The magistrate raised an eyebrow. ”And... That’s everything you wished to meet me for?”

“Yes, that is all,” Dusky replied promptly.

The magistrate cleared her throat. “Well then, have a nice night, Honorable Apprentice. Don’t forget that if you need anything I and the city council are glad to help.”

“I won’t.”

"So, do you know where the southwestern windmill lies?" Dusk asked Cockcrow while tweaking his checklist, as they left the city hall.

"Uh, yes, of course, sir," his escort quickly confirmed. "Do you want me to take you there, sir?"

Putting the scroll and pen back to one of his inner pockets, he answered, "Yes."

"Well," Cockrow shifted his wings before resuming, "it is almost the sixth waking hour already." He averted looking towards Dusk before resuming, "If you're hungry, there's an establishment I know on the way there, sir."

Considering it was on the way it would probably not cost much time, also, Dusk was in a somewhat good mood now, having finally acquired some information. "Sure."

Dusk could’ve sworn that Cockcrow's eyes had brightened when he replied, "Then I shall take you there." Dusk noticed his companion was undoubtedly walking faster now. Not that he minded, it meant he could complete the checklist faster.

They had reached a square which Dusk hoped was not the proposed location. As if it were he suspected their meal would be probably... somewhat unbalanced. In the middle of the square lay an establishment that looked like it had come right from a confectioner's oven. The roof appeared to be chocolate frosting and its eaves and ridges looked like whipped cream. A tower that looked like two pink cupcakes on top of each other, with even giant candles, stuck out of the roof. The entire scene was completed by the weather vane being a chocolate brown pony holding a sugar cane.

Even though the square was still busy, navigating through the crowd here was definitely easier as the masses diminished as they moved farther and farther away from the town hall. There were several booths here selling Nightmare Moon related merchandise for the festival, including the masks he had seen the foals wearing earlier. Dusk wondered if the farmer's market normally took place here or if the booths were set up only for the holidays. His mind drifted as he watched ponies going from booth to booth with their special someponies or with their foals. Seeing the little ones trying to get their parents to buy things for them, made Dusk wonder when was the last time he had seen his.

Distracted by the sight, he almost crashed into Cockcrow as he suddenly stopped just before the dreaded establishment.

"Let me present to you the source of Ponyville’s most delicious creations," Cockcrow announced, even more enthusiastic than usual which Dusk had hoped to not be possible. Cockcrow pointed towards the establishment. "Sugarcube Corner!" Dusk didn't find the "corner" part very fitting, considering it stood in the middle of the square. However, the "Sugarcube" part only made this restaurant disguised as confection complete.

"It's fine," Dusk replied unenthusiastically, not wanting to argue about what was Cockcrow's idea of a balanced meal.

Not taken aback by his half-hearted response, Cockcrow proceeded to lead him inside. While this, a couple of ponies, a red earth pony and a lime-yellow pegasus, that had come out of a nearby building, passing by them and walking in just before Dusk and his companion. Also, Dusk noticed a wooden sign with an image of a pink cupcake plastered on it in case the kind of establishment wasn't obvious enough yet. Their two guards stayed at the entrance, standing watch.

As they entered, they were immediately greeted by a yellow stallion wearing a red and white striped bow tie and an apron, "Nice to see you here again, Cockcrow. What brings you back to Ponyville?"

"Well, besides having to escort the Honorable Apprentice due to," Cockcrow paused a second before continuing in a somewhat somberer tone, "the obvious turn of events." He then returned to his more enthusiastic self, "I am here because I couldn't let the apprentice of Her Majesty's apprentice come to Ponyville and not taste the delicious creations of Mrs. and Mr. Ca—"

The stallion quickly cut him off. "We're not called that anymore." He then proceeded to Dusk, bowing slightly. "Please, call us Gateau. It‘s an honor to have you here." Indicating a free table, he added, "Please, take a seat. We shall serve you shortly."

As he indicated the unoccupied seats, Dusk glanced around the restaurant. Besides the pink decorations with images of sweets, he noticed that only around half the tables were occupied. Most of them by officers who Dusk reasoned were taking their lunch break. As Cockcrow accompanied him to their seats, Dusk saw that some ponies were staring at him, including the red earth pony mare and the lime yellow pegasus stallion that had entered just before them. Cockcrow broke his concentration, motioning to their table neighbor.

"Sir! This is Octavius," introduced Cockcrow the gray earth pony stallion who stopped to sip on his tea to see the source of the noise. "He is one of the royal musicians. He even goes often to the castle to give private concerts to the q..."

"Cockcrow, I know him,“ interrupted Dusk.

“Oh.” Cockcrow chuckled awkwardly, avoiding the gaze of the two other stallions in slight embarrassment. “Of course...“

“So, how have you been? It has been a while since I have seen you in the castle,“ asked Dusk in friendly words, but a monotone tone.

The stallion fixed a lock of his carefully maintained mane that could easily rival Elusive himself. He finally spoke, "Since the Ponyville philharmonic has been finally completed a few months ago, I‘ve been giving concerts there. However, it also seems the queen has had a preference for my sister's services lately." Before returning to his tea, he remarked with a sly but discrete snide, "I‘m just surprised the queen has let you out of her wing.“

Not knowing what to say to this conversation, Cockcrow decided to remain silent staring vacantly.

Deciding to ignore the last remark, Dusk answered, "I can most certainly assure you that I do not prefer your sister‘s... music."

Only giving a side glance Octavius replied, "I‘m certain you don‘t."

Not knowing what to say anymore, Dusk simply continued to his own table.

"Oh, erm, until later Octavius," Cockcrow said before quickly following Dusk.

"Have a nice night," acknowledged the musician, now once again enjoying his tea.

Dusk was already checking the menu as Cockcrow seated himself. He tried to take a look over the menu, anxious to know what Dusk would order.

Lowering his menu to look over it, Dusk inquired, "Aren‘t you going to take off your helmet while at the table?"

"Uh, yes, of course, sir," Cockcrow quickly replied while hastily removing his helm and placing it under his chair.

After placing his menu down, Dusk inquired, "So what do you want to order?"

"Anything you want is okay by me, sir. Everything here is good anyway."

"Fine," nonchalantly accepted Dusk, taking his eyes back to the menu.

At this moment, the apron-wearing stallion returned to take their orders. "So, what would you like to order, sir?"

"Twelve blueberry muffins, please," Dusk ordered, closing his menu.

"Anything to drink?" The waiter checked.

"Two cups of green tea," Dusk added to his order.

"I‘ll be back shortly with the order, sir." Mr. Gateau vanished behind the counter, taking the two menus with him.

As Dusk watched Mr. Gateau trot away, he noticed the couple, that had come in just before them, leave their table. He could have sworn they were staring him back. But before Dusk could think any further on it, their waiter returned with a plate containing the ordered muffins.

"Here are your muffins, sir." Placing the plate down Mr. Gateau bowed again. "The tea is still brewing, I will bring it then."

"Thank you. I wish to pay now," Dusk requested, not wanting to waste any unnecessary time waiting for a bill here.

"That’s fifty-four bits, sir,“ Mr. Gateau quickly answered.

Dusk brought out a bag full of bits out one of his cloak‘s inner pockets. Then using his telekinesis, he built six pillars per nine bits from the bag. "Here you go," Dusk merely stated, before taking his first bite from the muffins.

Mr. Gateau shoved the bits into the pocket of his apron and wished Dusk and Cockcrow a good meal before leaving.

As Dusk was halfway done with his first muffin, he had noticed that again Cockcrow had not touched the food yet, looking at him with the same anticipating eyes earlier tonight. However, this time Cockcrow broke the silence.

"So, what do think of the food here, sir?"

Dusk simply answered, "These are one of the best muffins I have ever eaten." Cockcrow noticed a strange lack of emotion for such answer. Dusk then continued after putting his muffin down and looking into Cockcrow‘s eyes with a blank expression, "However, what does make me worry is that you do not follow a healthy diet if this is your idea of lunch."

Cockcrow tried to formulate a response. Failing to do so, he simply tried to avoid Dusk‘s gaze.

"Now please, eat up. We still have things to do tonight," Dusk requested before returning to his own muffins.

After their lunch, the trip to the mill was a short and uneventful one. However, Dusk found the lack of Cockcrow‘s smile during it almost as creepy as his constant smile. He thought it was probably because of Cockcrow‘s facial muscles finally tiring and decided to not think further about it.

Arriving at the mouth of the river where the windmill stood, Dusk noticed a water wheel attached to it, meaning it was also a watermill. Furthermore, he could finally catch a glimpse of the crime scene. The yard had been closed off with barricade tape, although it could almost seem unnecessary considering how solitary this place was. It appeared most of the investigation here was done as only three seemingly bored guard ponies with white edges on their armor remained. Dark red blots near the mill‘s bright red door were the only reminder of the crime.

As Dusk approached the mill, he was interrupted by one of the guards at the tape. After checking him, the guard lifted the tape for Dusk to pass. Cockcrow tried to follow, but they pulled him out by his tail as he attempted to pass. He would need to wait outside again.

Dusk looked at the lake that bordered the crime scene. This concerned Dusk, as the culprit could have used it to get rid of evidence, the worst was that this lake had an outlet river meaning anything thrown into it would have flowed further down the stream. Approaching the mill's wall, he noticed that the red spots formed into the words, "The queen's death doctor tastes his own medicine." The hoofwriting got sloppier as the sentence progressed. Getting closer to the wall, he could now smell an iron-like stench, furthering Dusk's suspicions that this was blood. Then he noticed smaller stains on the cobblestones less than half a meter away from the spots on the wall. Seeing no blood trails leading to these stains, he imagined the victim being cornered before being attacked.

Dusk looked around. He could only see two houses and trees on their side of the river and a small pier on their side of the lake. Also, while he examined the surroundings, he noticed that besides the yellow crescent with its horns pointing upwards on the door, there was previously another yellow symbol in the middle that had been painted over. Looking at the other side of the river, he could spot only trees and a small dirt road that led to a bridge connecting to this side. He decided to ask one of the guards about the two houses here to check if there were any witnesses. The guard explained that one of the houses was currently abandoned and the other was a boat business that worked mostly by renting the ships on the pier. Both the owner and his wife said they hadn't heard anything, they found the body when they were opening for the night. The mill itself was empty at the time.

Deciding to test his luck, Dusk asked the guard where the weapon of the crime was. However, he didn't expect the answer he received.

"Well, they have already collected the scalpel for analysis," clarified the officer.

A... scalpel? Dusk wondered, wouldn't it have been easier and more effective to get a knife? Most importantly, why didn't they throw it away instead of leaving it at the crime scene?

His thoughts were quickly interrupted as the officer spoke again, "But all evidence collected should be catalogued in the case file, sir."

Stepping back, Dusk answered, "Yes, of course, I must have missed it."

Looking around once again, Dusk thought how lucky the attacker was to find Doctor Horse right here so far in the outskirts of town in the middle of the sleeping hours. The place was surrounded by trees meaning, they could have surprised the victim from any angle and then flee into the concealment of the woodland. Considering the river was not very wide and the current quite weak, even if the attacker was not amphibious they could even surprise him from the water. But one thing bewildered Dusk, why didn’t the owner of the boat hire business hear the victim scream?

Dusk wanted to question him immediately, but he saw a notice informing that the boat hire would be closed and he and his wife would be with their family for the time being. Unsurprising, Dusk thought, I guess one wouldn't want to sleep next to a murder scene.

With most of the evidence already collected, further investigation here probably wouldn't be very fruitful. I need to get the case files one way or another. Or... Dusk pondered, I definitely need to arrive at the next crime scene before the triumequat. Resolute in his decision, Dusk decided to return home. There were a few things he needed to ask Cockcrow on the way back.

"So, do you know the boat renter?" Dusk asked as they entered the square where he had feared he would have suffered from a sugar shock.

Although a bit lost in thought Cockcrow replied, "Uh? Floating Rate? Oh, yeah, of course, sir. When I was a little co—"

"Can you take me where he is staying?" Dusk precautiously cut the story short. "I want to ask him a few things."

"Well, that depends if they are staying with his or his wife's family, sir." He then pondered and continued, " I guess we could check on both of them, but that would take a while. They both live far from here."

Dusk was slightly amused, hearing Cockcrow talk about wasting time, but he took his point and decided it would be better to try to find the owner tomorrow. After all, remembering from his conversation with the magistrate there was another pony he wanted to talk to. "So, you also know Nurse Redheart, right?"

"Uh, yes. She works at Ponyville’s hospital and...", Cockcrow stopped as he saw something, "Actually," he pointed towards the crowd, "I think that's her right there, sir."

Dusk spotted the white pony with the mentioned cutie mark, she had a pink mane that was tightly packed into a bun. It seemed that she was about to leave the square. Not wanting to miss this opportunity, Dusk quickly cantered towards her.

Cockcrow tried to caution Dusk about leaving his guards behind. "Wait! Don't just simply go off on your...". However, he was too late.

The last thing Dusk remembered was an explosion and a scream.

Everything was dark. There was a ringing in Dusk's ears. He felt an incessant shaking. He felt light-headed and lethargic. The shaking persisted. Opening his eyes only slightly, he saw there was somepony over him. Opening his eyes further, he became aware that it was a gray-armored guard who was shaking him. Due to the to the buzzing, Dusk couldn't hear, but it seemed that he was calling somepony before noticing Dusk was awake. Dusk could see but not hear the guard sigh before he tried to speak to Dusk. Unable to hear what he said because of the buzzing, Dusk shook his head and swallowed in order to get rid of it.

Upon hearing a few screams nearby, Dusk thought he could hear well enough and asked, "W-what happened?"

The guard promptly answered, "Sir, an explosion just came from a nearby building."

Another guard arrived and helped lift Dusk back to his feet. He wobbled a bit before finding his equilibrium back. Looking around, he quickly noticed the building he just had passed by lost its front door and in turn had gained few charred marks. The square was littered with dropped goods and small bits of debris. Thankfully, from the few ponies that were lying around it didn't seem that anyone had been gravely injured, or least not outside the building.

Most injuries appeared to come from when the mob tried to flee in hysteria. The stand that was closest to the door was partially destroyed with one of the booth’s supporting poles splintering and hitting its operator in the right foreleg. As the splinters bore into their flesh, it colored their forest green coat red. However, although bloody, their wounds didn't seem very deep. Still, a pair of officers tried to stop them from moving their foreleg so that it would not worsen.

The guards now formed a pony wall, blocking the crowd from approaching this part of the square. A few guards stood at the charred entrance, apparently checking the extent of the damage done to the building itself. At this moment Cockcrow had finally managed to break through to Dusk.

"Sir, you shouldn't just wander off away alone! It is really dangerous out here," Cockcrow attempted to admonish Dusk.

Shaking the dust off his cloak, Dusk simply observed the entrance while wondering if this was the result of improper storing of fireworks for the festival or of someone accidentally triggering their explosives too soon. Then, looking at this building’s position relative to Sugarcube Corner, he noticed something. Seeing now a couple more officers going in, he decided. "Let's go check it," Dusk said nonchalantly, going towards the entrance himself.

Unsure how to respond to Dusk's lack of response, Cockcrow hesitated before following him in silence.

At the entrance, they were greeted by one of the guards. "Oh, a general inquisitor. Thank the moon you're here."

"I suppose the scene is already safe to inspect?" Dusk inquired, indicating the officers that just had entered.

"Yes, sir. There were just some small fires but we've taken care of them," explained the guard before stepping aside.

Dusk immediately entered, not wanting to waste any time before someone else from the inquisition appeared. Cockcrow hesitated for a moment, unsure after being denied entrance twice before. But ultimately he followed in.

Charred marks covered walls and fire extinguisher foam caked the paper bin and what he guessed had been the communal cork board. Despite this, it didn't seem the building had suffered any structural damage from the explosion. A few worried residents tried to go down to check what happened, but guards blocked the stairs and informed they should stay inside their apartments until they gave a signal, saying it was okay.

Dusk noticed that the guards were mostly concentrated around an opening which presumably once also contained a door. As Dusk approached it, the guards cleared the way for him to pass. However, before he could enter, he was interrupted by an officer who wanted to talk to him.

"Heh, nice to see someone from inquisition finally showing up."

Looking at his helm Dusk could tell he was a lieutenant, because of the three stars forming a triangle on the front of it. He guessed the guard had gotten here so fast because he was enjoying his sweets at Sugarcube Corner like the other officers he had seen there before. "Yes, I wish to check the scene now," requested Dusk.

"Fine, follow me," the lieutenant prompted, leading them into the room.

It was difficult to tell from all the extinguisher foam that covered everything, but the room was a janitor's closet. As expected, it was in utter chaos. Broken supplies, tools and overturned shelves littered the charred place. However, it seemed that there were some unusual tools and supplies for a janitor. The lieutenant led them towards a body. It was badly burnt, neither coat color nor cutie mark were recognizable from the remaining blackened skin. The only thing that could be identified right now was that it had been a unicorn. However, none of them viewed the pony’s identity as a great problem. The building's owner will know who the janitor was. Instead, the lieutenant wanted to point out something else.

He then lifted a piece of broken glassware with a blue powder inside. "We haven't done the analysis yet," and continued by putting it into a zipper storage bag, "but we're sure it's probably Rohyponol, also known as 'Dream Eraser'," noted the officer. "This should leave little doubt about the motive."

Rohyponol was a sleeping drug that allowed the user to sleep without dreaming. This reminded him of the couple which entered Sugarcube Corner before them.

Maybe one could think Dusk hadn't spent enough time in the new scene that just had formed, as Cockcrow and the lieutenant did. However, he had already confirmed what he wanted and also didn't want to stay until other Inquisitors arrived, especially the triumequat, as to not be the one answering the questions. Now outside the house again, Dusk took out a scroll and a pen from his cloak's inner pockets. Cockcrow simply observed in silence as Dusk added to the document.

List of Tasks: D-4
As of necessary for: finding the “Ghost”

☑ Ascertain the location of the crime scene from the magistratelied about the return of Scarlet Scar, remember to avoid her

☑ Examine the location:

☐ Why was it perpetrated there?besides being desolated, nothing noteworthy. Do they just lurk in a desolate place waiting for a victim?

☑ Who was the victim?Doctor Horse, physician at the Ponyville Hospital, returned from duty 2 weeks ago

☑ What was the cause of death?blood loss from scalpel-caused wounds

☑ Find a lead to clandestine activities in Ponyvillesuspicious couple seen exiting the building hours before the explosion

☐ Question Nurse Redheart

☐ Find and interrogate the boat renter, Floating Rate, on the events of the crime night

☐ Find the red earth pony mare and the lime yellow pegasus stallion from Sugarcube Corner

As Dusk wrote the last sentence, he smiled.

Enquiries

Four nights remain until the Nox Eterna Festival.

This time he was ready. And by that, he didn't only mean he had taken his cloak out before sleeping to avoid any further accidents. But instead that he already had Cockcrow find out where Floating Rate was staying, sent a courier to the town hall to inquire on the landlord of the building from yesternight's incident (as he definitely didn't want to go there himself in order to avoid Mayor Mare) and already planned to interrogate Nurse Redheart tonight to possibly gain access to Ponyville's mortuary this way.

Even the breakfast had been better prepared this night: Instead of any extraneously superfluous variety, only pancakes and omelets have been served along with the black tea. As solely the pancakes' crumbs remained, Dusk sniffed the aroma of the tea before asking his companion, "So, have you ascertained where Floating Rate and his family are staying?"

Surprised for a second by the sudden question during a previously silent breakfast, Cockcrow quickly wiped the omelet bits from his mouth before promptly answering, "Yes sir. They are staying at the farm of his wife's family, the Sweet Apple Acres." Cockcrow continued to look attentively at Dusk expecting further questions.

Upon hearing the family's name, Dusk took a sip and thought, 'Apple? Wasn't that the family of one of the ministers?' After swallowing, he addressed Cockcrow once again, "Good, we're going there immediately after breakfast."

"Of course, sir," Cockcrow quickly answered before hurriedly gobbling the remainder of his omelet. Dusk quietly sipped his tea as he waited. The courier he had dispatched certainly wouldn't have the identity of the landlord soon. It would take them definitely some time to go through the land register, especially considering the condition the town hall currently is in. Enough time to interrogate the ponies at Sweet Apple Acres and have lunch. Dusk just hoped their meal of choice this time would be something less... sweet.

After passing a schoolhouse, which was closed due to the holinights, they were finally approaching the orchards of the Sweet Apple Acres. The new buildings of the expanding town encroached on the farm and distinctly marked its boundaries as for where edifices abruptly ended and trees began. Taking a look at the orchard as he trotted along the path, he could see a few earth ponies working on the field. Some of them attempted to take furtive glances at His Honorable Apprentice as he passed.

"That is the West Orchard, sir," Cockcrow eagerly pointed out, breaking the silence. And he also seemed eager to continue, "Here—".

Dusk Shine just gave him an annoyed glance from the side before focusing back at the orchard. Cockcrow decided it was best to go back to being silent. Returning his attention to the orchard, Dusk saw that it seemed they were installing some kind of irrigation system. Upon closer inspection, he could see that it was for some reason running parallel to a second already placed irrigation system. Also, striking Dusk as odd was the noticeable lack of sunstone in the area.

They could finally spot the location of the main farmhouse from a distance as a dome a light emerged piercing the eternal night sky. Noise could be heard as they approached, it seemed here the calm before Nox Eterna Festival wouldn't be present on this farm. Getting closer they could finally see the main farmhouse; A sizeable post-and-beam construction with bright apple-red walls and white frames. Etched in its wooden walls were stylized tree branches and apples. The farmhouse possessed a tower with a red apple as its weather vane.

Before the farmhouse lied two rows of small one-story wooden houses facing each other painted in a similar bright red. Together with the main farmhouse, they formed a kind of square. They seemed to serve as workers' quarters as a multitude of them were passing through the yard to perform their various duties. Various strings of lamps connected the two rows of houses from roof to roof. Together with further lamps hanging from the windows of the main farmhouse and a few wooden post lamps they illuminated the early night.

Seeking somepony they could ask for Floating Rate and his wife, Dusk and Cockcrow entered the farm grounds by passing a small wooden arc adorned with vines. Having entered the grounds, the workers one by one took notice of the pair. Some seemed to simply try to ignore the duo; others kept taking furtive glances while avoiding going near them and a few were whispering to each other probably wondering if somepony at the farm had gotten in trouble with the Lunar Inquisition. Soon a clearing of ponies had formed around Dusk and Cockcrow as they trotted through the yard seeking somepony.

Cockcrow then pointed towards a large red earth pony that was instructing a few of the other workers. Dusk and he approached the stallion. Just as the stallion had sent another worker off, Cockcrow reached for his attention, "Hey, Big Mac! We were wondering if you could help us find someone here."

"Of course, I'm glad to—" Big suddenly went silent as he faced the duo and now saw Dusk. Eyes-widened he answered briefly, "Yup!"

"I assume you're the overseer for this farm?" Inquired Dusk Shine.

After a short moment, he answered, "...Yup!"

"Then can you tell us where Floating Rate and his wife are?" Dusk asked.

Again after a brief pause, he replied, "...Yup!"

Then a moment of silence.

"So will you—" irritatedly Dusk began to ask before being quickly interrupted by the voice of an old mare.

"Oh don't mind Big Mac, he still gets a bit nervous when having to talk to... Ponies from the Lunar Inquisition," the voice explained. An old lime green mare came into view. Her white mane and tail were tightly packed in a bun and she wore an orange scarf with apples on it. She approached them slowly; Dusk guessed it was because of her age.

"I am Granny Smith, the owner of Sweet Apple Acres. And of course, we Apples are glad to help the Lunar Inquisition any way we can." She offered with a serene but tired smile.

"Then I guess you can tell us where Floating Rate and his wife are?" Asks Dusk with an almost incredulous this time.

She nodded, "Yes, yes, of course," she then slowly looked around as a few workers were still watching the scene unfold and an almost paralyzed Big Mac stood there before continuing, "If you could wait inside for a moment."

Dusk glanced at Cockcrow for a second before answering, "Sure."

Granny Smith started moving towards the main farmhouse followed by the duo. "And... if you all want to taste some of our famous apple specialties while waiting naturally you can."

Cockcrow beamed at the mention, but Dusk quickly shot it down, "No, thanks. We don't want to inconvenience you too much, just a few questions to the couple. Also, we had a pretty filling breakfast already." Cockcrow simply stared at the ground in disappointment.

Now inside the house, they waited in the kitchen. Granny Smith had left them there, telling them she was going to check on the elusive couple. The kitchen somehow had an almost inexplicable anachronistic aura, as if it had remained unaffected and unchanged throughout all events from the outside. The walls were covered in teal and sea green wallpaper and the wooden furniture looked older than even the house's owner.

Dusk also noticed the owners were evidently proud of their family's namesake, as the drapes featured many green apples and green apple cutouts were nailed to the top of the wall cabinets. Seeing the depictions of apples only made Cockcrow more disappointed in having his appetite denied, as he sat down at the table, focusing his attention solely on the table itself. After a while had passed Dusk noticed somepony watching them around the corner from the hall.

"You know, it is probably not wise to try to spy on a general inquisitor, you know," cautioned Dusk causing Cockcrow to stand up and look towards the door, "Why don't you come in?"

A cutiemarkless canary yellow colt wearing a pink bandana around his neck slowly came into view scratching his left foreleg and avoiding eye contact in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to creep on you, but..." Apologized for the colt, "But you came from Crescent City, right?"

"Yes, I did." Replied Dusk succinctly.

"So..." Said the colt in a hopeful tone looking up to Dusk, "You have met with my sister Applejack?"

So, this was where Dusk had heard of the Apple family before. Applejack. That was the minister of Agriculture. So he answered, "Sure, I've seen her around in the castle a few times before."

"How's she doing? Does she miss us? Is she planning to visit us?" Asked the colt stepping closer to Dusk. He could swear the colt's eyes were sparkling. It could have been just a few seconds, but to Dusk it felt like minutes of staring at the anticipating young colt with no answers before being interrupted by Granny Smith's voice.

"Applebuck! You shouldn't be bothering the Honorable Apprentice," she condemned him as she wrapped her foreleg around him and began to guide the disappointed colt out of the room.

Thinking he probably should say something to this colt, Dusk quickly blurted before he could leave the room, "Don't worry, I'm sure your sister still loves you even when she is not around. If your sister is away it is not because she wishes to, but because it is necessary to serve Nightmare Moon. And one should not refuse her calls."

Even though the colt's mood seemed to improve ever so slightly, the look Granny Smith gave him was pure poison. Dusk guessed this, similar to the town hall, was now probably another place to avoid during his stay.

Granny Smith's expression soon softened as she faced the colt, "Why don't go play outside? I'm sure the officers will need some time alone with aunt Cider and uncle Rate."

Applebuck hesitated for a second before simply nodding and trotting outside.

"They are both waiting in the hall, should I send them in?" Asked the old mare now facing Dusk.

"Yes," Dusk confirmed, "however, please send one in at each time I would like to talk to them separately."

It looked for an instant that she would retort, however, whatever she wanted to say seemed to die on her throat as she swallowed before answering, "Of course."

They had set all chairs of the dining table aside leaving only two. One of them seating Dusk leaving the other for the interrogated. Before Dusk laid a thick folder that seemed to be filled with documents and reports from the operation but which in truth was filled only with his personal notes, some random stuff and blank pages to fill the folder and make it seem more intimidating than it actually was. Not that Floating Rate needed to know this. Cockcrow stood in the corner observing proceedings.

After some murmurs coming from the hallway, a brown earth pony was sent inside with white spots and cutiemark was a boat full of bits. It was Floating Rate. Slightly hesitant at first, he swallowed and approached the Inquisitor with a sheepish smile. Floating Rate nervously approached his seat while shifting his gaze from the corporal to the inquisitor, before slowly sitting across the table to Dusk.

"Erm... good night, Inquisitor," greeted the boat renter tentatively.

"So... I guess you're a pretty heavy sleeper, aren't you?" Inquired Dusk, cutting to the chase.

Taken aback by the unexpected question, he asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well... I just think it would be pretty difficult to sleep with a pony being stabbed at your front door." Commented Dusk while eyeing his notes.

"And what are you insinuating I was doing instead!?" Exclaimed Floating Rate while standing up in outrage but quickly seating himself again when it looked Cockcrow might react.

"With stories about the 'Ghost' going around," Dusk elaborated, "Don't you think that would be the perfect opportunity to show some discontent towards our Queen all the while shifting the blame towards somepony else?"

"And why exactly would I have done that!?" Questioned Floating as he pressed his forehooves on the table.

"The night is a cold mistress, Floating Rate," answered Dusk with a smirk, "Maybe not the most desirable condition for a boat ride."

Trying to control himself the boat renter retorted, "Have you seen how much Ponyville grew? It doesn't matter if half the ponies now want to rent a boat if there are literally over ten times more of them here now! Turning my business into a crime scene is not exactly the most profitable scheme!"

"So, you're telling me you and your wife slept through a pony being bled out at your doorstep?" Inquired Dusk with an incredulous look while taking notes.

"Yes, I only saw the sorry state the 'Ghost' had left the doctor in when I left the house to prepare the boats," retorted the earth pony indignantly, "I would've spared myself the trip outside If I knew it."

"Did your wife also see the body when you did?"

"No, I immediately shouted for her to stay inside, of course" – Floating Rate sternly furrowed his brows – "because there was a body outside."

"Very convenient that your wife wasn't able to see the body," remarked Dusk dryly as he continued to scribble.

"What are you even imp—" His eyes went wide with indignation as he slammed his hooves on the table lifting himself up with fury. "Not only is my business closed but I can't even sleep in my home anymore because of your investigations! Why would I even gain from it, you genius?"

Dusk remained calm as Cockcrow approached and put a hoof on Floating Rate's shoulder indicating he should calm down and sit. Floating rate expression faltered for a moment before grumbling and sitting back down.

"Then I am sure you can tell me why the killer would be prowling around your place specifically?" Dusk motioned his hoof towards Floating.

Floating Rate snorted and rolled his eyes. "Why would I know?"

"I mean, I would expect you to know your property well. And thus know what makes it attractive to attempt such an act there."

"But I do not know what goes in the mind of this crazy 'Ghost'-pony!" Exasperated while throwing his hooves up.

"Yes, it could be them. Just like could also be a copycat," Calmly pointed Dusk out. "I avoid foregone conclusions."

Looking for a second like he was going to snap, Floating Rate sighed and rubbed his hoof against his forehead. "I really wish the doc had picked another place to wander," groaned Floating Rate frustrated, "Exactly before the festival too, on top of it all."

"So, you think that instead of laying in wait somewhere in your property they were actively following Doctor Horse?" Dusk leaned forward, putting the quill down.

Floating Rate opened his mouth to speak but stopped himself shortly before realizing it. After mulling over, "I guess not? Why would 'ghost'—," seeing that Dusk was about to correct him again he quickly added, "Or the copycat, be drawn specifically to the doctor?"

"Well, we have three possibilities here," posed Dusk, "One, the attacker was drawn to Doctor Horse, meaning the location was arbitrary," This was the best option for Floating Rate since it eliminated his main connection to the crime. "Two, the attack was drawn to your property, meaning the victim was arbitrary," This one was clearly worse. "And lastly three, both the victim and the location were predetermined." And like the previous one, this was not fortuitous for the interrogated.

However, for the boat renter, it seemed an option was missing. "Couldn't both the location and the victim be arbitrary?"

"Unprobable," Dusk instantly dismissed the proposal, "The murder must have been predetermined in some way in order to allow them a clean escape."

Now confronted with these three options, Dusk could now visualize the gears turning inside Floating's mind. And after a few seconds with hesitation, he chose his next words, "I mean... our property is a bit isolated but we don't really remember seeing anypony suspicious skulking around."

"why wouldn't Gh– I mean the attacker not kill me and my wife in our sleep while no one was around if they were targeting the place? Instead of waiting for another pony to pass by?"

"And there's a reason why you think someone would tail Doctor Horse instead of simply lurking in a secluded location." Dusk realigned his papers, looking unconvinced.

"He... um..." Floating Rate scratched his forehead as he tried to come up with a reason. "Since he is a doctor... He is a public servant, right?" Nervously satisfied with his own answer, he nodded, "yes, that would seem somepony who one would want to target if they were angry with Her Majesty."

Dusk had hoped to get more from confronting the couple. But he seemed just as clueless as anyone else about the attack. Of course, he didn't expect either of them would be the culprits but he knew this would be his only chance to talk to them. He needed to get the most of it now. He knew that it couldn't be just because Doctor Horse was a "public servant", it didn't match up with the other victims. Many of the cases were from ponies unrelated to the government.

Well, there was still the wife to talk to. Dusk signaled Cockcrow to tell them that she could come in when she was ready.

A green-maned beige earth pony peeked into the room. She looked apprehensively at Dusk and then Cockcrow, before taking a deep breath and entering the room. Her cutiemark were apples in a barrel full of water. With her eyes avoiding both Dusk's and Cockcrow's gazes, she moved towards her seat.

She sat down, keeping her head down.

After a few seconds of silence passed, before Dusk broke it. "So, you're green cider?"

"Y-yes, your excellency," she answered with a sheepish smile.

"You were sleeping at the time of the murder, right?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"So you didn't notice if your husband had left the house at the time?"

Taken a bit aback, she flinched. "He would never... M-my husband had no reason to do i-it!"

"Yet we only are certain of two ponies who were there at the time of the incident. You and your husband." Dusk paused for emphasis. "So, unless you were an accomplice I would expect you to provide clarity into this situation."

"I am a very light sleeper, I would have noticed if he had stood up in the sleeping hours,"

"A light sleeper," the Inquisitor exclaimed with a slight mockery in his voice as he shuffled through his papers, "yet still sleeping through a pony being stabbed at your front door?"

"I-I..." She swallowed. "I Really just didn't hear anything, I s-swear!"

"So it wasn't you who found the corpse?"

"No, my husband warned me to not look outside after finding the doctor," then with a pause she added, "He wanted me to spare the view."

"But you were the one to inform the authorities?" Dusk didn't know if that was true or not, but it was worth a shot.

"W-well, yes, as soon as my husband told me there was a body outside I called the authorities... didn't want anyone to suspect us," she pleaded.

Noticing her scratch her left foreleg with her right hoof, Dusk felt that there was something more there. "Is there any reason besides where it happened that we would suspect you?"

"I saw the doctor sometimes pass through our property into the late hours." She spoke avoiding Dusk's gaze.

So this was a regular route for the Doctor, Dusk thought. "Did your Husband know about the doctor's late wanders?"

The mare stammered, "I-I mean, a pony wanting to walk along to stroll along the lake is nothing unusual."

"So you're telling me you were the only one that knew about the doctor's strolls then?" Dusk closed the file before emphasizing his stare at Green Cider.

"Y-yes— wait no, I mean maybe?", she took a deep breath to recollect herself, "I mean I didn't tell my husband, so I guess was the only one."

"Did you see somepony that seemed to be following the doctor or maybe hanging around when the doctor was passing?"

"N-no, I mean we do sometimes get ponies walking alongside the lake. I-it is kinda beautiful when the water is quiet and the moon is reflected flawlessly from it."

"So, did you not see anypony else on these nights?"

"Yes, but not into the sleeping hours, t-that is besides maybe some occasional drunkard... But not when he was passing by!" She pursed her lips pensively before remarking, "He... didn't look he was doing very well."

Now, this piqued Dusk's curiosity. "What do you mean by 'not doing very well'?"

"He looked a bit... distraught, " She scratched her foreleg as she considered her words, "Actually it seemed to be getting worse by night... I don't think he was getting any sleep."

"Well, he is a doctor. It wouldn't be unexpected for them to be tired after a shift."

"Sometimes I saw him visibly shake, I thought if I should go out and see if he needed some help... but never worked the courage to do so. I feared he could be drunk... or..." She made her implication clear with the cuckoo sign. "I think I even got a glimpse of him talking to himself." She shuddered at the last statement. "I-I wonder if I should have done something. I—"

Dusk lifted his hoof, signaling that she could stop now. Cockcrow offered her some tissues for the tears that had been accumulating. She thanked him and took deep breaths as she wiped her tears.

But Dusk still had one last question. "Does your husband possess any scalpels?"

"Scalpels?" She looked puzzled at Dusk, "I don't remember ever seeing him with any scalpels. Why do you ask?"

Cockcrow said his good-byes to the Apples and thanked them for being given a bag of apple treats in the process, before joining Dusk who was checking his pocket watch at the farm's entrance.

"So... Sir, don't you think that you were perhaps... a bit too... harsh to the couple?" Cockcrow carefully inquired.

"Lives," and my merit before Nightmare Moon, Dusk thought, "Are at stake here. Their feelings here are of negligible concern here," Elucidated Dusk as he finished placing his pocket watch back into his cloak's pockets. "Now let's return, the courier certainly must have acquired what I asked by now and we don't have the whole night to stand here."

Cockcrow waved the apples good-bye one last time, before quickly catching up to Dusk.

Just as luck would have it, after meeting the messenger with the identity of his next interrogated, Dusk managed to find the pony he wanted on the way to his home. Unfortunately, it seemed the pony was less enthusiastic about meeting the Inquisitor and he picked up his pace as soon as Dusk approached. This led to Dusk having to pick up his own pace. Dusk kept following behind the green earth pony through the busy streets trying to lose him to the crowds until finally catching up to him while Cockcrow tried to keep up behind. "Sir, the inquisition needs you to answer a few questions."

"I told everything I know to your colleagues who just have been questioning me for six hours," the landlord complained, "You could go ask them instead."

Vexed that the triumequat got to the landlord before him, Dusk matched his pace and pressed on, "Yes. Unfortunately, new information has come into our purview. And we need to double-check a few things with you."

"Well, then call me another day. I am a busy business pony and I don't have the time to be held the entire night in interrogations for a crime I am not even a suspect!" The landlord hurried up the most he could while trying to go as fast as he could while not galloping.

Dusk, while having to carefully dodge the other ponies in the streets while cantering, caught up once again. "You know, if you prefer I could just have my colleagues escort you to the Inquisition post and continue this conversation there." Dusk knew that currently, he couldn't actually do that as his investigation wasn't officially supported.

Some ponies in the street were starting to stare as they passed by. "I swear! One makes a single mistake hiring and you inquisitors descend like chupacabras upon a scapegoat!"

"This is not why I am—," Dusk was then interrupted by Landshark, who just had stopped and opened the front door of one of the new apartment buildings.

"I just own the building! There was nothing in his background that was suspicious!" He then slammed the door. Two guards stared at each other unsure if they should interfere as Cockcrow caught up to Dusk.

"Uh, I guess that isn't going to work, Sir. What a—" Cockcrow was surprised as Dusk immediately stepped away from the door into the streets and started scanning the windows.

Ignoring the odd looks from Cockcrow, his eyes frantically searched the windows. Then he saw it, the lights in one of the apartments on the third floor had turned on. Focusing his eyes, he made sure if he could see a spot inside with enough space. 'That should be just in range,' Dusk thought. He took a deep breath.

"I have it." Dusk proclaimed.

Confused, Cockcrow tried to ask, "You have wha—?"

Dusk then disappeared in a bright flash of light.

Falling on top of the couch as he reappeared, Dusk quickly began recomposing himself. Teleportation was quite taxing but now wasn't the time to appear tired. It seemed the landlord was still in the kitchen, as Dusk heard noises from there. Dusk quickly adjusted his cloak, magically wiped his sweat from his forehead and waited a few moments.

Coming out of the kitchen the landlord was frozen wide-eyed by the unexpected guest who now sat on his couch, dropping immediately the food plate he was holding.

Seeing his unconsenting host fail to produce words, Dusk spoke instead, "Now that we're alone, I would appreciate it if you could answer some questions, Mr. Landshark." Then taking a quill and a scroll out of his cloak's pockets he added, "I hope you have the records of tenants here".

Dusk exited the front door of the building while finalizing his notes. It seemed that no red earth pony mare nor lime-yellow pegasus stallion were living in that building. Which meant that Dusk would need another way to find them. He had an idea of how but not tonight, he had a certain nurse to talk to tonight. Putting his notes away he noticed that in the meantime, his companion had made himself busy with the treats from the Apples. Dusk cleared his throat to signal Cockcrow he was back.

Seeing Dusk, Cockcrow quickly brushed away the pie crumbles from his mouth. "So... you can teleport," Cockcrow remarked while unable to stare directly at Dusk, "I... Haven't seen a Unicorn do it before."

Seeing guards tell some passersby that have been staring to move on, Dusk reckoned teleporting in a busy street might have garnered a bit of attention. "There is a first time for everything, I guess," responded Dusk nonchalantly.

"So,—" Cockcrow looked tentatively towards the bag. "—Already hungry?"

"Yes," Dusk stared into the bag before dismissing it, "but not for sweets."

His companion disappointedly put the bag away. "Uh, yes, of course."

They continued towards the hospital, Dusk keeping an eye for something he could eat quickly on their way there. Passing by a kiosk called "NEBULA BURGER" which allegedly were "a true gift from the stars!" He decided to stop there and join the small queue. Somepony had enchanted it to glow showing Nightmare Moon giving a burger a hearty bite. Deciding to not comment on what he considered inappropriate Nightmare Moon imagery but keeping a mental note to file a formal complaint later, Dusk ordered a so-called "Midnight Comet". "A midnight comet coming right up!" A large Brown stallion announced the order would be coming right away.

Taking his hayburger with his telekinetic grip, Dusk dusk quickly disassembled it and began analyzing its components with his magic. Could never be too safe, especially considering what happened yesterday. The vendor just looked awkwardly before letting a forced laugh, "Is there something wrong, Sir?"

Everything seemed to be in order to Dusk, no poisons nor health code violations. He quickly reassembled the burger and passed the bits to the vendor. "No, it is fine."

Just as Dusk is about to take a hearty bite from his hayburger, he abruptly stops. His whole body going stiff. Then carefully with his magic, he cut the burger into such pieces that it looked like one had passed it through a square grid. When the burger was divided into an almost rectangular piece, he began to eat each of the individual pieces. Cockcrow observed curiously.

"Well, I guess, that is a... clean way to eat it,"

As if he was reciting a quote from memory, he utters in a dull tone, "Such improper etiquette would be unbecoming of the Queen's apprentice."

As his eyes darted at the myriad of posters that plastered the walls. Taking notice of one of the posters, in particular, he exclaimed with excitement, "Oh, look who is performing here on Ponyville these nights."

He was pointing to a poster advertising a series of raves on the nights leading to the Nox Eterna Festival near the old station including a special one during the Festival. But the main attraction, and probably the reason for Cockcrow's excitement, was the MC being a certain DJ-PON3.

Dusk rolled his eyes. "Of course, she would be here too." Having finished his meal Dusk decided to finally go find the landlord. After clarifying one last thing. "And no. We cannot go there."

Arriving at the Ponyville General Hospital, Dusk wondered how a small town as Ponyville was could support a hospital of this size. It had been one of the largest buildings in the town before the town's expansion and even with Ponyville's growth, it was apparent that little change had been made to it. However, now the hospital was no longer at the edge of the town but being fully surrounded by fellow structures. It seemed to be a busy night, which was to be expected considering the time of the year. Foals with broken limbs from the playing around in the fairs, victims of the seasonal flu spread by the increased influx of travelers into town for the festivities, ponies who in one way or another overindulged into the celebrations or the many ailments that come with the season.

Dusk and Cockcrow passed through the main entrance and approached the receptionist who seemed to be focusing on some paperwork at the moment. Dusk faked a cough to get her attention.

"What may I help you with,—". The beige mare looked up to address before blinking in mild surprise. "—Honorable Apprentice?"

"We're to talk to a certain 'Nurse Redheart', could you please inform her that we're here?"

"Yes, right away, your excellency." She then passed it through the intercom that someone from the Inquisition was there to talk to Redheart. "Please take a seat, if you wish." She pointed to one of the available banks there at the nearby waiting area.

Dusk considered the crowdedness for a moment and politely declined, "No, thanks, we will just wait outside."

He observed some personnel going out on their smoke breaks as he waited. Cockcrow attempted unsuccessfully to start some small talk to Dusk's discontent. After ten minutes of waiting, the nurse appeared, coming out of the hospital's main entrance. The alabaster mare had bags under her eyes but still bore a friendly smile. They acknowledged each other with a nod. Dusk pointed to a quieter corner, away from the main entrance, to which they moved to.

"It is about your colleague's death," Dusk explained, "Doctor Horse."

She sighed, "Expected as much."

"I heard that you said that he was behaving strangely the weeks before his death. Hopefully, you wouldn't mind answering a few questions to clarify a few things."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Sure, I am glad to help."

"I heard that you claimed that the victim was behaving strangely in the two weeks leading to his death?"

"Yes," She ground her teeth for a moment, "it was clear that his time in duty had clearly and deeply affected him. He just... wasn't the same."

"So I assume you knew Doctor Horse from before his return, then?"

"Yes, we were foalhood friends," She nodded, "Just like most ponies who grew here in Ponyville together when it was just a rural town."

Dusk quickly retrieved quill and parchment from his robe. "So, how do you think he changed?"

"He became more and more absent-minded and became quite jumpy, especially around bugs. I thought at first that he just needed some time to clear his head. At first, I had hoped that given enough time and space he would recuperate but..." She stared at the pavement. "But his situation kept worsening... He kept going into these long late-night wanders that kept getting longer and longer. Whenever he had come in for his shift it didn't look like he had slept at all. In his last two days, he even kept saying he wanted to be left alone."

"I mean it is understandable that ponies when stressed, might want some quiet and not have to deal with others. You said he wasn't getting much sleep and coming back to work at this time of the year such behavior would make sense."

At this point, her voice shook. "I-I saw him doing that while completely alone."

"I see." Dusk paused. "Did the rest of the staff, also, take note of his strange behavior?"

"I had informed my superiors but they didn't see a reason to worry or at least told me not to. Keeping the schedule was deemed more important. It was not like we had many ponies to substitute for him the way the town is growing especially this time of the year."

But there was one other thing Dusk wanted to take care of while here. "Also, one last thing. Could you lead me to the morgue? I would like to take a look at the victim."

"I'm sorry but the triumequat ordered that the bodies should be only released with a direct order from them. And correct me if I am wrong but it seems you're currently only acting as a general inquisitor." With what Dusk could almost swear was a sarcastic sigh she added, "There is nothing I can do right now, but I am sure you can easily get the papers from the triumequat and see the corpses."

Had nurse Redheart seen through my ruse? Dusk decided it was best to not react just in case. Maybe I could produce a forgery? "Of course, I will not pester you any further. I am sure you have enough to do already without murderers on the loose, I will leave you to your work."

"Thanks. I wish you success on your investigations, Honorable Apprentice." She waved before turning back to return to her post.

On his way home Dusk made some adjustments to his checklist. Without support from the triumquat and the danger of them finding out, he would need to get creative. But he won't be stopped. He wouldn't disappoint Nightmare Moon. Maybe he would even pay a "friend" a visit.

List of Tasks: D-4
As of necessary for: finding the “Ghost”

☑ Ascertain the location of the crime scene from the magistratelied about the return of Scarlet Scar, remember to avoid her

☑ Examine the location:

☑ Why was it perpetrated there?besides being desolated, nothing noteworthy. Do they just lurk in a desolate place waiting for a victim?the 'Ghost' must have been stalking him for days before picking the best spot to strike in solitude along the doctor's wander path

☑ Who was the victim?Doctor Horse, physician at the Ponyville Hospital, returned from duty 2 weeks ago

☑ What was the cause of death?blood loss from scalpel-caused wounds

☑ Find a lead to clandestine activities in Ponyvillesuspicious couple seen exiting the building hours before the explosion

☑ Question Nurse RedheartDoctor Horse was mentally unwell, also she might be onto me, should be more careful

☑ Find and interrogate the boat renter, Floating Rate, on the events of the crime night

☐ Find the red earth pony mare and the lime yellow pegasus stallion from Sugarcube Cornernot living in the building, try to find a rohyponol supplier

☐ Get access to the corpse of the victim

☐ Check for sleep magic, concussions and rohyponol

☐ Verify the wounds

☐ Find out why Doctor Horse was the victim

☐ Get access to the full list of victims to crossreference attributes

Haste

Three nights remain until the Nox Eterna Festival.

The room was filled with darkness, except for one spot, where basking in a weak flickering light there was a large purple egg lying upon a pedestal. Dusk approached the pedestal. He then took a closer look at the pillow that supported the egg to find a scalpel there. It was slightly bloody. He retrieved the scalpel and slowly prepared himself to press it against the top of the egg. But as he was about to do so, the three members of the triumequat jumped out of the darkness surrounding him.

"You are not allowed to!" They chanted in unison.

"What? Why no—" Suddenly, the floor below Dusk gave in.

He saw the egg get more and more distant as he fell. He tried to reach towards it but it was of no avail. Eventually, it could no longer be seen. Then a current began carrying him away. No matter how much he flailed, it was futile against the force of the current. Suddenly on the horizon, there was his old foalsitter sitting hundreds of meters tall with his back to Dusk. Dusk tried to call for help but was ignored, not even granting a single look. No matter how he begged and cried. The cold condemnation was crushing.

"Please, I didn't want to—" Dusk attempted to swim towards him but the current was too strong for him to overcome and before long the pink alicorn had disappeared.

Nurse Redheart trotted through the darkness towards Dusk. She stopped before him and stared with a sly grin.

"You think people don't see through you?" And before Dusk could muster an answer she trotted away.

Then appearing from the depths below, a giant Nightmare Moon head rose. Her eye sockets were empty. However, Dusk could still feel her stare.

"It seems We were mistaken taking you in, Dusk Shine." Streams of water began to pour out of her mouth, eye sockets and ears, as she continued, "My Sister was right to refuse thee!"

"No! Please wait! I can—"

But before the pupil could answer, Nightmare Moon's head began to melt into liquid silver. The wave of the molten metal then swept Dusk away.

It was still just a little past the ninth sleeping hour. He laid, staring wide-eyed at the ceiling, taking in long deep breaths. Slowly taking back control of his respiration, Dusk ground his teeth. It seemed sleep would not be one of the privileges granted to him this night, so he simply waited while hearing the clock tick. The festival was near. Time was slipping by.

He would not disappoint. He would not fail. Never again, no matter what.

Dusk came slowly downstairs, his mind not yet deciding if he should be asleep or awake. The table had already been set by Cockcrow who now was in the process of taking the leaves out of the tea. Pancakes were already waiting for him.

Cockcrow looked a bit worried as he watched his companion stagger downstairs, "did you not sleep well, sir?"

"I am fine." Dusk dragged himself up the chair. "Just give me some tea," he grumbled.

After pouring a cup for Dusk and then himself, he sat down to enjoy his own omelet. Sluggishly taking his cup, Dusk sniffed the aroma. Then he immediately began chugging all of its contents down. The heat and flavor helping stir him further awake.

"Another cup, this time leave the leaves in," Dusk requested, as the bottom of his cup hit the table.

Taken aback by seeing his companion quickly drink a whole cup of hot tea in a single motion, Cockcrow tried to reaffirm his companion's well-being. "Uh... a-are you sure you are ok, sir? You seem... uh... tense."

"Tense? No. I am determined." Dusk gave a toothy smile to his companion. "Just need another cup."

"W-well, I-If you say so." Cockcrow went to prepare another batch.

The way Dusk was smiling at his pancakes disconcerted Cockcrow. As his companion was preoccupied using his knife perhaps a bit too forcefully on the pancakes, he set to prepare a new kettle of tea. As he waited for the water to boil, Cockcrow hesitantly sat to eat his omelet. After taking the chiming kettle and pouring the leaves to let them steep. Then whenever he tried to reach for the tea so that he could pour it, he could feel as if Dusk was giving a look saying he shouldn't which caused him to let the tea steep a bit longer each time.

When both he and Dusk had finished their respective dishes, Cockcrow couldn't wait anymore. He poured the fresh tea letting the leaves fall into the cup.

"Don't let it seep for too long though. It could get bi—" Cockcrow stopped in shock as Dusk was already chugging the next cup. He hoped at least his companion was not going to swallow the leaves. As seemed the leaves were still in his mouth, he was slightly relieved. Relief was brief, however, as he heard Dusk chewing them.

The taste finally served to fully awake Dusk.

He wouldn't be thwarted. Not by the triumequat, not by Redheart nor by anypony else. Maybe nopony else did believe in him but Nightmare Moon did. And if these ponies didn't want to give him the details, he would just find another way. However, breaking into the triumequat base of operations would be too risky. He didn't also know exactly where the morgue is in the hospital, making it a non-starter for now. But what about the magistrate's office? That could work, Dusk thought. Due to the construction, It seemed that the gamut of documents there could even be greater than what just pertained to her duties.

Now if only he had a way to distract her.

"I need you to get the magistrate for me."

Dusk was once again before the overcrowded town hall. He was glad he wouldn't have to enter it again... at least not the regular way, that is. Cockcrow had gone inside to summon the magistrate. When he deemed enough time had passed for his companion to have brought the magistrate out of her office, he sought a corner out of view. After all, he didn't want to garner attention again.

He searched until he found a nearby side alley obscured by construction waste. Careful that he was not seen, he quickly slipped into the vacant alleyway. Dusk closed his eyes as he focused his mind remembering the twists and turns that they had taken to arrive at the magistrate's office. Thankfully the years of exploring the castle and its secrets had accustomed Dusk himself to keep a good mental map of any structure he entered. This is it, the archmage thought before disappearing.

This time there was no couch to cushion his fall as he crashed into the floor of the magistrate's temporary office. But his distress was temporary and as he stood back up after face planting, it was of no matter. After using the light of his horn to find the lamp, he was back at the over-cluttered room. Haphazardly packed storage shelves, bursting cabinets, strewn boxes and messy tables.

Being the quickest to access, he began to check the papers on the table first. However, looking over what had been left behind on the desks it seemed to be mostly just scattered maps, drafts, reports and miscellaneous forms. Nothing relevant to the task at hand. He would go through the contents of the cabinets

Had it not been for his mission he would have instinctively started to sort, catalog and classify, as the mere opening of a drawer caused loose pieces of paper to fall off. Dusk ground his teeth as he skimmed through the documents. Many seemed to not even pertain to the magistrate's office but were just shoved in here for now. It was unbelievable that she was able to work somewhere so unorganized. Dusk’s eye twitched. How can she even work here?

While attempting to comb through the files, memos and all kinds of reports of his third drawer, he thought, this is taking too long.. Thankfully, his pursuit of knowledge caused him to learn methods to help in situations like this. He took a step back to the center of the room and focused his magic on all the strewn documents. Soon cabinets sprung open as the documents inside flew throughout the room. The documents floated, joining the large ring of papers before leaving and being to be organized into piles on the floor or on the desks.

Most of what passed the ring was just some form of Ponyvilian bureaucracy. Then something caught his attention. It was a letter from Midnight Oil from a few days before Doctor Horse's death. Bringing the letter closer he read:

Magistrate of Ponyville Mayor Mare,

Undue panic is not desired. Especially, so close to the Nox Eterna Festival. Until further notice, mention of an attack at the Nightmare Moon shrine or mentions of Berry Punch's death is to be suppressed in the public press.

Furthermore, access to the shrine is to be kept closed for the next three nights for restorations due to "vandalism".

I trust you to not fail your duties.

Supreme Lunar Inquisitor,
Midnight Oil

He wasn't sure how much longer Cockcrow would be able to delay Mayor Mare. He quickly pocketed the letter, put the documents into their places and turned off the lamp. Then he focused once more.

After managing to finally go through the tiresome process of pushing their way through the masses of bureaucrats, craftponies and guards, and exiting the slow-moving checkpoint, Cockcrow led Mayor Mare to and where he had left Dusk. To his dismay, Dusk was no longer there.

"And where is Our Honorable Apprentice?" Asked the Magistrate as she stepped outside.

"Uh..." Cockcrow looked around trying to find where his companion might have gone. Then, trying to come with an excuse, he suggested, "Maybe.... he needed to... relieve himself? "

Mayor Mare just lifted an eyebrow in response.

"So, how have the preparations for the festival been? Hopefully, all the chaos hasn't caused too many problems for you," Cockcrow inquired offering the widest smile he could muster.

She sighed. "It is simply not the same when Ponyville was a simpler town with simpler problems." She rubbed her right temple with her hoof. "The increased workload that has come with an expanding city has definitely taxed the council more work than were prepared but with organizing the Nox Eterna festival on times like these? I don't even have time to even glance at all the paperwork. I’m surprised we are being able to keep everything on schedule."

After several minutes of idle chat, it dawned on him that Dusk did not in fact had planned to talk with Mayor Mare. As they waited it slowly realized that his companion had set up this. He tried to keep the magistrate distracted but eventually, he couldn't stir the conversation forward, both due to his lack of deceptiveness and his uneasiness with the situation. As his contributions to the conversation began to progressively consist solely of one-word answers and wordlessly interjections.

"He is not coming is he?" Mayor mare asserted.

He avoided her gaze. "No."

She reprimanded the guard, "Please, Cockcrow, if you wish to hang out and catch up just say it. Don't play tricks on me and bring the archmage's name into this. You're not a foal anymore. Also, shouldn't you be keeping an eye on him?"

He took a deep breath. "Yes, magistrate."

She then wordlessly turned away from him, having to return to her post. As she joined the back of the queue, the magistrate let out a groan as she would now have to repeat the process of entering her workplace. Unsure if he should search for Dusk or if he would come back for him, Cockcrow stood there. His doubts leading to inaction. As ponies came and left, he wondered if the archmage would even care to come back for him. Eventually, Dusk appeared out of the crowd and rejoined his companion.

"So, what can you tell me about a certain 'Berry Punch'?"

Apparently, this Berry Punch had become quite a drinker ever since she had returned from duty, causing most ponies to disassociate with her. Not many would have noticed her vanishing, so it is not a wonder a death like this could be covered up. Now they were back to the streets, Dusk wondered what his next action should be. Attempt to coerce information from ponies who might have seen her from her drinking places or go directly to the crime scene. But there was something else bothering him.

Dusk noticed that there was something... off with his companion. His previously perturbing smile was missing, he was dragging his hooves while also avoiding looking at Dusk. Dusk kept telling himself to block this out of his mind and focus on his mission. However, he proved himself unsuccessful.

"There is something bothering you." Dusk chastised himself mentally for letting out this comment.

"You could have told me the truth..."

"I did, I told you I needed to get the magistrate for me." He stopped to turn towards his companion. "That was exactly what I needed."

"That... That is misleading!" Cockcrow protested, lifting himself a few inches in the air as he did so.

Dusk rolled his eyes. "Don't be too disappointed; I will buy you sweets."

"Wait, wh— I’m not a foal!"

Dusk pondered for a second. "You do seem to eat like one."

Cockcrow looked equal parts indignant and hurt.

Dusk let an annoyed sigh. "I just need you to—"

At this moment they noticed a small commotion nearby. It seemed there was a cyan unicorn yelling trying to move past two guards that stopped him trying to search him.

"Where do you think you are going?" A guard questioned him while blocking him with a spear.

"Going to do what should be done, you dogs!"

There was a cloaked pony, who seemed to be resisting a body search as tried to push past them, yelling towards the archmage, "do you think everypony just forgot what you did!?"

But then they noticed something in the unicorn’s telekinetic grip. Some kind of package. That's when they realized what he was trying to do. Some ponies attempted to flee. One of the guards began to shout, "GET DO—"

As Cockcrow was tackling Dusk, they were both knocked down by the sudden explosion. Hitting the ground dazed him, taking a few moments to be aware of his surroundings again. As soon as he did, he checked himself and his companion but it didn't seem neither he nor Cockcrow were hurt. Dusk shoved his protector off him in order to get a better look around him. It seemed that whatever the unicorn was carrying had been knocked out of his grip and triggered while in the air. It seemed that several ponies had been knocked down and were disoriented but none were grievously wounded.

The attacker had been struck down. He was lying on his side as ponies were fleeing away from him creating a small clearing. A red pegasus wearing the Indigo cloak with a white stripe and an underlined omega on the front of its hood hovered just where the unicorn had been standing. The mare's body was wholly covered in scars. It was the triumequat's third member: Scarlet Scar. Ponies were now scurrying away from both the flying inquisitor and the attacker forming a clearing around them.

As he was trying to stand up, Dusk saw the letter had fallen out of his pocket. He needed to think fast. In a fraction of a second Dusk had set the letter aflame, quickly burning it to cinders.

The recovering unicorn struggled to stand up, as his eyes locked onto the new arrival.

"Do Y—"

Before he could react, she closed the gap, positioning herself crouching before him. She uppercut his jaw interrupting him and causing whatever spell he was preparing to fizzle towards the sky. Then she proceeded to hit his underbelly, lifting him and making him fall on his back. She then landed beside the attacker, staring at him and before he could reorientate himself before she began to stomp on his head as if she was trying to ram his horn into the earth. She continued to do so, kick after kick. At first, there were screams of pain, which were soon reduced to mere groans.

Meanwhile, Dusk carefully and slowly got closer to the pair to get a better look and Guards had begun to form a perimeter around, pushing away a few onlookers. She continued kicking as he went unconscious. She continued kicking until his horn broke. She stopped, admiring her work. It looked for a moment that she would recommence her assault but she turned around and announced to the guards, "you can arrest him now."

A pair, still shook by the demonstration, scrambled the unconscious unicorn and began carrying him away.

A voice broke through the crowd. "We have horn suppressors for that!" It was Cardinal Zannia shortly followed by Midnight Oil.

"Oh well." She shrugged. "I must have lost mine while dealing with the dragon."

Cardinal Zannia looked unimpressed. "Sergeant!"

One of the guards left the perimeter and joined the triumequat, saluting them. "Yes, sir!"

Not breaking eye contact with Scarlet, Zannia demanded, "give me a horn suppressor."

The guard quickly produced the suppressor. Due to the heightened security, Ponyville had been under stricter surveillance and horn suppressors had been supplied to the guards. "See?". He presented it on his hoof with an unamused stare.

She shrugged. "I will try to keep in mind". Dusk could swear he could hear Zannia's teeth grind in response.

Midnight Oil turned to Dusk in contempt. "Still here? Has the honorable apprentice not noticed that he is not needed?"

Dusk furrowed his eyebrows and lifted his left hoof, bending his foreleg at a 90-degree angle.

"Oh, because your excellencies have performed such flawless work finding the 'Ghost'. How could one ever think that nopony else is needed? Also, your efforts in securing the city certainly proved to be lackluster. Just four nights here and I have already had close encounters with homemade explosives on two different occasions. And clearly, you have not properly secured the political figures and their seats of power either. Maybe you've just hidden the death of some, considering your track record. Clearly, the experience needed is yours which after months are sti—"

Something felt off, as he saw that Midnight Oil was facehoofing while Cardinal Zannia was shaking his head in disapproval. That is when he noticed that Scarlet was not in front of him near her colleagues, but to his side mimicking him.

Unable to bear anymore, Midnight admonished, "you should stop that."

"Oh c'mon! He does the exact same thing she does!" Scarlet justified, laughing as she rejoined the side of her colleagues. Midnight Oil glowered at her, as Scarlet tried to recompose herself.

As Midnight admonished Scarlet, Zannia addressed the archmage, "and why are you here? Hopefully not attempting to get yourself involved in businesses that aren't your business, to begin with."

"Don't worry. I just thought it would be a good idea for me to check the festivities while I am here." He pulled Cockcrow to his side with his left foreleg reaching around him. "Cockcrow here was even going to show me a bar. What was it called again?"

"T-the Dizzy Weasel, sir."

Midnight's eyes narrowed on the pair as if she was trying to probe their mind through the sheer force of her stare.

Cardinal Zannia alerted his colleague by bringing out his pocket watch, "we have to go now. We have wasted enough time with distractions." He turned and left, followed by Scarlet.

Midnight gave the archmage and his bodyguard one last stare. "Fine." Before following her colleagues' suit.

They had reached the so-called "Dizzy Weasel", as the neon magenta sign declared. There was also, a neon-sign illustration of said dizzy weasel, for which the cause of dizziness was apparent if one looked at the bottle in its left paw. The establishment itself seemed to be one of the larger ones of its type in Ponyville.

Dusk asked Cockcrow to wait by the door and keep an eye for anyone suspicious. Entering the local, the all-permeating scent of alcohol stung his nostrils but he was more than willing to tolerate it to further his goals. Most tables seemed to be occupied. Dusk could feel some stealing glances at him and others gossiping. However, most appeared to be engrossed with their leisure. Looking over the poster at the entrance, it seemed that there was a special going on related to the festival.

Although the bar was clearly new, it was decorated with wooden furniture and rustic paintings had been treated to be aged. It seemed the owner was trying really hard to make this place appear to be an inherent part of the town since the olden days. He didn't know if it was because the owner wanted to belong or if it was because he thought it was a way to attract newcomers who wanted a "genuine" Ponyville experience. He didn't know, he didn't care. The only thing he cared about right now, was whatever would bring him to fill the next checkbox.

Tending the bar there was a sizeable light-brown earth pony while wearing an apron. He was cleaning the glasses. He smiled at the archmage. Dusk purposefully approached and sat at the counter opposite to him.

"And what brings the inquisitor to our humble establishment? Have decided to have a taste of Ponyvillian cider?" He hinted with his head at the bottle of "Sweet Apple Acres Apple Cider" on the shelf behind him.

"I am sorry but the thirst I have is not for beverages." Dusk took a seat and leaned closer to him. "What I really need is some info on a certain Berry Punch."

"My job for which I am remunerated is to serve customers and maintain the bar, not to surveil them." He exaggeratedly placed his hoof on his chin. "But she sounds like a heavy drinker. Could be somepony who has been a regular before?" He then shrugged. "But how can I know, I am just a barkeep and not a therapist for my customers this is not the kind of task I am paid to do," then after a pregnant pause he added, "so please, order a drink or let pony that wants to your seat."

Dusk's eye twitched. At this moment, the aforementioned cider flask shattered. The barkeep immediately froze. It was followed by other flasks of the same cider.

Dusk attempted to put on his widest smile. "Well, in this case, please, bring me a cup of black tea." He then put 50 bits on the counter. "I am sure this is more than enough."

Some patrons nearby had turned to see what had happened.

The bartender waved and gave a hearty laugh, trying to dismiss their concerns. "Don't worry! I have just dropped a few things!" He then leaned closer to Dusk. "Fine. I have understood."

Either that others attribute to their drunkenness or that he would solve the case before anypony could stop him anyway. After a while of waiting as the bartender cleaned the mess and served the patrons who approached the counter, his tea had arrived. It was time to talk.

The brown stallion started, "so..."

Dusk brought a hoof up interrupting him, he then took a scroll and a quill. "Now we can begin."

The brown stallion started again, "so what do you want to know? She didn't do anything stupid did she?"

"I just need to know of anything unusual that you have observed related to her or she talked about in the past few months," Dusk stated.

"Fine," he sighed before continuing, "she would come here already drunk, then, would spend so much time here we would need to kick her out to be able to close."

Dusk simply looked at him, waiting for something of interest.

"But, eventually she started to come here less and less and staying and not staying as long when she did come." He ran his hoof through his mane. "She said she needed to keep moving. She told she wanted to forget but they wouldn't stop following her."

Was she actually aware of being followed by the attacker?

"She stopped coming here altogether about a month and a half ago. Think she probably has gotten a new drinking place now." He sighed. "At least, that is what I prefer to think. Things could be worse, especially if she went into withdrawal... especially if you are here. She didn't do anything stupid did she?"

Dusk offered no response.

As they approached what before Nightmare Moon's reign would be called a nightclub. The existence of a "nightlife" in modern times was a motive for joy for Her Majesty. Not for her apprentice, however, as he had such a vicious look in his eyes that if he were not investigating murder Cockcrow would have thought he was the one who wanted to kill. Cockcrow hoped at least this event of the night wouldn't be as volatile as the previous ones. Also, he had always wanted to be in one of DJ-PON3's parties but he never had the time ever since he joined the guard, especially now where she had grown in popularity and performed mostly in places other than Ponyville.

The flashing sign proudly announced it as "the Comet". At the entrance, a large indigo mare in shades was scrutinizing anypony who wanted to go in. She lifted her shades so that she could take a better look at the approaching pair. The archmage stared directly into the eyes of the one who stood on his way. The bouncer hesitated.

"Uh... oh, of course, the student of Nightmare Moon can come in." She stepped aside. As soon as she did, Dusk strode inside.

"I’m with him!" Exclaimed Cockcrow, quickly following the archmage inside.

Various beams of flashing lights combed the crowded dance floor. A low artificial fog permeated the club. And his old acoustic nemesis assailed his ears once again. The white mare with wild blue hair and purple glasses operated the DJ desk flanked by two huge speakers. As memories flashed of nights of uninterrupted disturbance caused by the raves of this same DJ, Dusk stood there scowling at her.

Cockcrow did not share the sensibilities of his companion. This kind of reminded him of when he did come to such parties before Her Majesty's return. He hoped that they could maybe stay here for a while before or after doing whatever he planned to.

"So what do yo—"

Then in a moment, a bright flash of light had appeared and Dusk was before DJ-PON3's desk. A few of the party-goers had stopped dancing and were trying to see what happened but the vast majority either didn't notice or didn't care as they continued to revel. The DJ either didn't notice or was actively ignoring him, as she simply worked her equipment. Either way, Dusk was determined to change that soon.

"Where can one find rohyponol!?" he demanded.

She just stared back in confusion. However, she continued to try and continue her duties even with this madpony staring her down, hoping he would soon leave.

Dusk stepped closer, "tell me where they are selling the dream eraser!".

She just shrugged at the unhinged demands of the nuisance who stood before her.

"Do not act so clueless!" Progressively more and more ponies were stopping and staring at the situation that was unraveling.

Recovering from the initial shock, Cockcrow then flew over the partygoers to Dusk's side. Cockcrow and the bodyguards exchanged looks. The bodyguards one of confusion and Cockcrow's nervous sheepish laughter followed shaking his head.

Dusk placed his forehooves on the desk, inadvertently breaking the plates. As the music suddenly stopped, the few remaining dancing ponies also stopped. "And please don't play games with me! Just tell who is selling the dream erasers and we can continue hopefully never to talk again!"

"W-wait, sir," Cockcrow cried trying to place himself between the two as well as he could. "Sir, why do you think she would know about it?" He further attempted tried to disarm the situation, "also, I'm pretty sure that she is mu—"

"YOU COME HERE AND CRASH MY PARTY TO ASK ME ABOUT A DATE RAPE DRUG!? HAVE THE BOOKWORMS GOTTEN TO YOUR BRAIN!?" She also climbed the desk to face the nuisance that had materialized itself this night, avoiding the plates as best she could.

"Will you tell me or not!?" Dusk asked, pressing harder on her equipment.

Her glasses had slid slightly down her muzzle, allowing him to see her seething red eyes staring back. "GET. YOUR. DAMN. HOOVES. OFF. MY. DECK."

The archmage and the DJ stared at each other bearing teeth. After a few seconds, Dusk snorts and backs away. Cockcrow's gaze just kept shifting between the two unsure if he should say anything. DJ-PON3 lifted the pieces of the records with her telekinesis lamenting their losses. She then took a deep breath and stepped away from the deck.

She pointed to Cockcrow and Dusk Shine. "YOU TWO! BACKSTAGE! NOW!"

The two looked at each other before following the DJ and her bodyguards into the backroom.

They were now in the green room of DJ-PON3. It was decorated with bright red sofas against the walls, large speaker boxes and a pool table. There was a red electric guitar leaning against the wall in one of the corners. Several open energy drink cans laid on the vanity dresser, now with the magenta glasses placed near them. The musician glared with such fury that one would think that bodyguards in the room weren't to protect her but the uninvited guests.

"And you thought I would know where to find the eraser?" She lifted her hoof in ire. "Did your hermit mind go: the stuff is also a date rape drug which is used in parties so the wub pony must know, or what?"

Dusk did his best to steel his gaze and not avert it to not give it away.

"Miss Scratch?" One of the bodyguards spoke up.

Scratch turned her head towards the mare and gave a look saying, what is it? The guard approached and leaned in to whisper something in her ear.

"Hmhm." The DJ nodded as she continued to relay something. "Really?" She lifted her eyebrows with slight interest. Lastly, she ground her teeth. "Ok."

The guard then stepped back. The MC then took a deep breath.

"Well then, you're in luck, book horse." She proceeded to explain, "apparently they caught a mare trying to sell some of the stuff outside," she explicated with gritted teeth, "so dude, I will let you interrogate her if you stop bothering me and never come near me, my stuff or my parties again. Capisce?"

Nothing he would consider this a great loss. He snorted, "sure."

She grabbed her glasses with her telekinesis and on her way out she warned, "also, I will be sending you the bills for tonight."

She was followed by her bodyguards, with the exception of the one who had passed the info to the MC which stayed behind.

"Please come with me." The mare opened the door and waited to make sure these two would be coming with.

Dusk "Aren't you going to come too?" He addressed his companion who stood there transfixed, still shook by the interaction between the archmage and the DJ.

He quickly recomposed himself. "Y-yes! Let's go."

They had offered one of the storage rooms. A white table had been placed in the center. Waiting there was a cyan pegasus mare with pale blonde hair. She shifted nervously in her seat as she tapped her hooves on the table.

"Name?"

"Sassaflash."

"And why did you have the stuff with you?"

"I don't remember. Somepony must have just planted it onto me." She offered a nervous smile.

"Somepony snuck over 200 doses of dream eraser onto you." Dusk simply let the statement hang in the air with a deadpan expression.

She nodded fervently. "Y-yes." At Dusk's unchanging expression, her smile faltered. "No."

"Now, might want to share why did you carry it with you them?"

"It was for... personal use."

"Personal use?" Dusk leaned closer. "Personal use to use on yourself or on somepony else?"

"Myself." She hastily clarified, "I need it to fall asleep."

"So due to sleep problems you carry on yourself a drug that cannot be obtained legally?"

"O-ok, I didn't use it. I was just selling it, I swear," she tried to hastily correct herself.

"That doesn't actually make your situation any better." Dusk leaned back rubbing his temple with one of his hooves. "Due to the current circumstances being involved in the supply makes your situation worse."

"W-what do you mean?"

"You know, currently there are insurgents hiding in Ponyville. We suspect that a group opposed to her Majesty currently here in Ponyville has been abusing the drug to avoid her detection. If it is found out you were involved with any of such elements. We could raise it to insurgence charges," Dusk warned her.

She swallowed. Unable to say anything.

"Of course," Dusk offered, "if you were to collaborate with us maybe the insurgence component could be discarded."

She pursed her lips in reflection, sitting there thinking for a while, until making a decision.

"The abandoned playground north just beyond the breach in the fence." There is a breach in the fence? Dusk would certainly need to report it... later, of course. First, he needed to make use of this lead."There is a code to knock on the bench three times. B-but I wouldn't bother going. T-they will remain hidden if they think you are there to bust the whole thing... They will just regroup elsewhere so I-I really wouldn't bother..."

As Dusk kept notes, Sassaflash looked anxiously at him.

"S-so what happens now? Will you take me or...?"

In response to her plea, Dusk simply stood up and left. He was sure someone would come sooner or later to arrest her.

Dusk returned home still filled with obsessive determination. His companion, however, still carried an expression of shock. As Dusk opened the library's front door, Cockcrow immediately walked absent-minded past him without words into the kitchen calling it for the night. Dusk simply went upstairs.

The Festival was soon. He had to hurry. He would prove it to them. He didn't need anyone.

Back in his bedroom, it was time to review his progress. He took his checklist and quill and updated it. As he finished it, he stared at his checklist, disappointed. There were new checkboxes but no new checkmarks. He laid in bed. Was he actually getting closer? Were the triumequat suspecting him? Did the nurse rat him out? Doubts filled his mind as he drifted to sleep.

List of Tasks: D-4
As of necessary for: finding the “Ghost”

☑ Ascertain the location of the crime scene from the magistratelied about the return of Scarlet Scar, remember to avoid her

☑ Examine the location:

☑ Why was it perpetrated there?besides being desolated, nothing noteworthy. Do they just lurk in a desolate place waiting for a victim?the 'Ghost' must have been stalking him for days before picking the best spot to strike in solitude along the doctor's wander path

☑ Who was the victim?Doctor Horse, physician at the Ponyville Hospital, returned from duty 2 weeks ago

☑ What was the cause of death?blood loss from scalpel-caused wounds

☑ Find a lead to clandestine activities in Ponyvillesuspicious couple seen exiting the building hours before the explosion

☑ Question Nurse RedheartDoctor Horse was mentally unwell, also she might be onto me, should be more careful

☑ Find and interrogate the boat renter, Floating Rate, on the events of the crime night

☐ Find the red earth pony mare and the lime yellow pegasus stallion from Sugarcube Cornernot living in the building, try to find a rohyponol suppliercheck the abandoned playground tomorrow, disguise yourself

☐ Get access to the corpse of the victim

☐ Check for sleep magic, concussions and rohyponol

☐ Verify the wounds

☐ Find out why Doctor Horse was the victim

☐ Get access to the full list of victims to cross-reference attributesNot a full list but now we at least got one more data point: Berry Punch

☐ Examine Berry Punch's death:

☐ Check the Nightmare Moon shrine

☐ find out how Berry Punch was killed

Ghastly Revelations

Two nights remain until the Nox Eterna Festival.

A young Dusk strained himself before the hay cart that held the key to his future: a purple dragon egg. Hatching it was the only task that stood between him and finally being accepted into the institution of his dreams: Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. Where "mysteries of the arcane are taught and bright budding mages are guided into their bright magical futures!" The place which he had studied every single day to join. And now it was finally the moment he had waited for since he had witnessed the Princess' magnificence at the Summer Sun Celebration. The examiners were appraising his fruitless efforts. Judgmentally annotating every failed effort, every miscast spell, every flawed approach. He couldn't dare to ask how much time remained. He felt his dream slipping away by the seconds.

Just a bit more time. He just needed a bi—

“I think we have seen enough, Mr. Shine,” one of the examiners dryly informed the young colt.

Overcome with panic, his mind raced, trying to find a solution. It was not time for caution. The egg wasn't hatching. He couldn't fail, he wouldn't disappoint. The egg had begun to crack a bit; maybe he could still salvage it. Maybe he only had to push further. Force it out. No. Something else was needed. He needed heat. He focused on conjuring flames. Ones that could rival the heat of the magma chambers deep below Equestria.

Suddenly, not only the hay in the cart was in flames, but the fire had quickly spread beyond the cart itself, to the tables, the chairs, the curtains and quickly to the rest of the tower.

Princess Celestia stared down at him. Her imposing posture accentuated the surrounding blazing inferno. He heard ponies wheezing and coughing as smoke filled the room. The flames and black smoke backdrop, alongside her flowing mane, produced an ominous appearance as she looked sternly over him.

He looked past her at the egg. “I-I can still hatch it!” Dusk tried to rush towards it, but Celestia blocked his way with her wing.

“You have done enough,” she reprimanded him.

Dusk struggled, trying to escape the grasp of her wing. “N-no! No! I-I can still do this! I will do it! Please! Just o—”

His cries were disregarded as the princess quickly teleported him, his parents and the examiners out of the tower into the courtyard below.

Fireponies and other emergency personnel rushed to the tower. But try as they may, it seemed that water wasn't able to extinguish the magical flames. Watching this unfold, Celestia teleported herself above the tower. Her horn lit up as she spread her wings. Dusk watched as the fires practically jumped out of the structures and flaming helixes converged into a fiery sphere on her horn. She then strained herself and furled her wings, and as she did the sphere collapsed into itself and vanished without as much as a whimper.

Watching this demonstration of arcane mastery, Dusk felt the same unbridled awe he had felt at the Summer Sun Celebration. An awe-inspiring level of power, control and skill. He was sure nothing in all of Equestria could match the wonders of such magic. There was no doubt in his mind that no greater pony could exist. This was all he wanted to dedicate his life to: the study of sorcery and revel in the marvels of magic.

Having extinguished the fire, the princess descended back onto the courtyard and convened with the examiners. They were too far away for Dusk to hear, but he could still watch them discuss. The examiners were exasperated as they were frantically gesticulating with their forelegs. She lifted her left hoof, causing them to immediately stop, before shaking her head. After a short pause, she spoke. They looked at each other attentively. Then with their ears lowered, they nodded in agreement.

Having conferred with her advisers, she left them to finally speak to the family of the colt who caused the incident. Dusk's parents looked at each other apprehensively as she approached. His mother spoke up.

“S-so, will our little Dusk”— she swallowed —“be joining your school for gifted unicorns?”

Celestia looked towards Dusk before shaking her head and exhaling. “Little Dusk shouldn't le—” She interrupted herself before starting anew, “We've concluded it would not be best for Dusk to join my school for gifted unicorns.”

All his hopes and dreams incinerated. No, it couldn't be. He wouldn't let it end here. He needed to convince her he was worthy. No matter what. No matter how.

Dusk sat surrounded by a multitude of scrolls and books, as he pored over the written knowledge illuminated by the light of a single candle. He was older now, but his passion for magic was sill unabated. Even though a few years had passed, the colt remained cutiemarkless. It had been a long time since he last had attended school. He was now homeschooled as his progress far outpaced his peers. With the exception of his family and foalsitter, books were his only company.

Suddenly his focus on his studies was broken by a noise. Followed by the sound of a door creaking, a beam of light shone into the dark room.

“Duskie, are you in there?” It was the familiar voice of his foalsitter. It was morning already?

Dusk turned to see the pink alicorn standing on the doorstep staring back, wearing a ponytail. He couldn't see his foalsitter's expression due to the light shining from behind him.

“You shouldn't be reading in the dark,” he admonished his ward as he searched for the window in the ill-lit room. “It is bad for your eyes.” Finding the window, he quickly pushed aside the piles of books blocking it and drew the curtains, brandishing the bedroom with the morning light.

Turning back to look over the purple unicorn, who flinched when exposed to light, he asked, “Did you sleep at all?”

“I slept enough,” Dusk affirmed, before picking back up a few books he had knocked over when he recoiled from the morning light.

“Have you at least eaten anything? Want me to bring you a daisy sandwich?” Bolero leaned in, taking a closer look at the studious foal.

“I don't have time to eat right now. I need to study 'The Unabridged History of Northern Necromancy',” he justified, sitting back down and opening a purple tome.

The pink alicorn looked at the dozens of mail scrolls strewn around. “Pushing yourself this way hasn't made auntie change her mind. Don't you think it is time to stop? There is more in life than just magic.” Since that grim day, Dusk had sent multiple reapplication pleas, attempting to salvage his dream. Resulting in the many scrolls that littered his room which was already a mess from the scattered tomes and school supplies.

“That just means I need to continue to focus on my studies. I won't improve by getting distracted,” he rebutted.

“I... I don't think auntie will change her mind.” He tried to reassure his ward. “It is not because of your ability with magic.” He sighed, looking at all the piles of scrolls of rejection once again. "You cannot pursue this forever."

“If I manage to convince her, I won't need to.” He finally blew out the now pointless candle. “I can't falter now if I am to ever match her expectations. I know my magical skills aren't lacking, I just need to show her.”

“If you're not going to sleep, why don't you at least join me and Gleamie for a picnic in the park? She would love to be able to spend time with her L.B.B.F.F. again. And you're ahead of the coursework by plenty already. It is ok to take a break sometimes.”

“I don't hold myself to the standard guidelines of some board of education. The only opinion on my arcane proficiency that matters is that of the princess.” Turning away from the pink alicorn, he began picking up the rest of the books he had knocked over. “And as such, I can't afford to slack.”

Day after day passed. With book after book being studied. With letter after letter with appeals. Followed by letter after letter of rejection. With attempt after attempt to sway the princess, letters continued to accumulate. Eventually, answers came no more, leaving his requests ignored. His foalsitter kept trying to dissuade him from pursuing his ambition. But he would never falter in his conviction. For he knew the only future for him was in the arcane arts.

There was no other answer. He was sure that he just needed to be more persuasive. The absence of his cutiemark was surely a sign that his current situation couldn't be his fate and he had to convince the Princess of this. Everything else was insignificant in comparison.

Eventually, even Bolero had stopped coming. Probably a combination of his new duties as a prince, himself becoming older and Celestia trying to cut possible connections to her to discourage him from trying to reach her. But that was foolish. No matter what, he would find something that would bring her to acknowledge him. He only needed to continue to push further.

Galloping south across the plains, he was held back by the neglected health of his body but driven forward by the tenacity of his obsession. His studies led him to discover the impending disaster, that a great threat would be returning to Equestria today. Such discovery was exactly what he needed to prove his capabilities to Princess Celestia. In fact, when he wrote his findings to Her Highness, it finally prompted a response. However, it was only to try to dissuade him from pursuing it further.

My most eager aspirant mage Dusk Shine,

Your dedication to your studies, although impressive, can be quite unhealthy to the mind. As apparently is evident from seeing omens of end times in old foals tales.

There are other pursuits besides studying the arcane and occult. Isolating yourself in your room is good for neither your body nor your mind. After all, my sun is for all to enjoy. Maybe even together with other ponies. Maybe we could even arrange a meeting with your old foalsitter.

Please stay safe and healthy,
Princess Celestia

Not that such words would dissuade him. Unfortunately, he had apparently been banned from the trains by a royal decree, as he soon discovered. But if she thought that would be enough to deter him, she was mistaken. Just the fact she would take precautions meant he was right. He would just gallop into the Everfree Forest by the strength of his own legs if necessary. Not only that but a response meant she was still reading his letters and was not actually just ignoring them. No matter how much he progressed, no matter how much he surpassed his peers. This should be finally enough to prove himself to the princess. He had been able to independently uncover an ancient threat to Equestria lost to the centuries.

How long had he been traveling? Maybe he had underestimated the difficulty of traveling the countryside by hoof but he couldn't stop now. This might be his last chance. But something was amiss. Was it really still night? He was definitely not the fittest, but it felt like he had been traveling long enough for it to be the dawn of a new day, especially during the summer solstice.

As this realization hit him, he saw himself once again standing before the purple egg in a hay cart. Scrutinized closely by ponies as he continued to fail at the task that could grant his greatest life desire. Nervously floundering until, once more failing his task and causing unintentional arson. Having to watch Celestia's magnificent display and being rejected. All his dreams slipping away.

Him redoubling his efforts and focusing on his studies. Slowly isolating himself. Reporting to Celestia of his progress in magic. Only to be repeatedly rejected. Ad nauseam. Letters accumulated again. His foalsitter abandoned him again. Celestia began to ignore him again. Until he finally made a discovery so great that she couldn't just ignore it. From him trying his best to arrive at the ground zero of the disaster he had uncovered so that she would finally recognize him.

Discovering Celestia's attempt to keep him from leaving and feeling being revindicated by it. In his fervor, rushing towards the south for hours on hoof. Then realizing the grave implication of the aberrant surrounding darkness. Only for when this realization hit him, to find himself, he was where it had all begun and underwent his trials and tribulations once again.

When he found himself before the examiners for the third time Dusk knew that his dreams were repeating his memories and this was a lesson from his Teacher. He would be forced to relive them several more times before it could be finally over.

Then after the last repetition of his memory, he found himself before his mentor, Nightmare Moon. They were sitting on the banks of a lake. An abnormally large and bright full moon in the cloudless sky was perfectly reflected on it. Dusk recognized this lake. It was where they had first met. A picnic blanket lay between them with a cup of black tea before each of them. His mentor merely watched and waited for her pupil to recollect himself.

As her pupil recollected himself, she asked, “Do you wish to explicate to me what motivated you to vandalize a tavern, to trespass into the magistrate's bureau and to mar Miss Scratch's jamboree?” She sipped on her tea, not breaking eye contact, as she waited for a response.

Dusk felt paralyzed, like a foal being confronted by their mother about their uncovered mischief. Multiple scenarios of possible punishments flashed through his head, from the mundane to the catastrophic. He grasped his cloak as if it could be suddenly taken away at any moment. Afraid that he would lose it too. What if she abandoned him in his dreams, never to awake? Being forever tormented by what he has done.

Unable to face her wrath, he avoided her gaze.

She brought one of her wings below his chin and pressed his head up, forcing him to look at her.

Dusk stared unto his mentor's unflinching expression for several moments. He swallowed and with a trembling voice, he confessed, “I just... I did what I deemed to be necessary to catch the 'Ghost'." He then gritted his teeth and stated with some assurance in his voice, “None of this would have happened if the triumequat had cooperated.”

In response, his master raised an eyebrow in a way that made Dusk unsure if it was from genuine curiosity or performative interest. “So my triumequat has not welcomed thee as We had ordered?”

“No.” He then straightened himself to maintain his composure. “From the very first night, they have refused to share any information on the ongoing investigation.”

She leaned forward, staring directly into his eyes. “And why hast thou not informed me?”

“I didn't want to disappoint you...” He looked down at his tea to avoid her stare. “I wanted to show I could do it by myself... one way or another...”

After receiving this answer, Nightmare Moon sipped from her tea, leaned back, and stared at the lake for a while. Dusk also took the time to take in his surroundings as the lake was completely silent, with no bugs, birds or fish to disturb their meeting. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and sighed before sipping on her tea and turning back to her pupil and answering, “This, however, shall not be without consequences,” she warned, “but fear not. We shall not abandon you.”

With this, silence befell them, which the pupil tried to break but was unable to muster any further words whenever he opened his mouth. In the end, he nodded awkwardly, before finally partaking in the tea and enjoying the scenery, slowly calming himself.

As he watched the moon's shimmering reflection, he reminisced on the day he met his teacher as he was passing by this very lake.

He was just passing by the banks of a lake, as his fervor diminished after hours of pursuing the key to fulfilling his dreams and the fatigue was starting to catch up to him. Unable to continue, he slowed down, eventually stopping to take a quick breather. This permitted him to finally take in his surroundings. Was it still night? He would have expected to see the first rays of sunshine already.

Looking at the skies above he saw a dark mist coming from the south, where the Everfree Forest lay, making its way towards Canterlot. As it neared him, the mist simply continued its way high above, disregarding the purple colt. But Dusk knew this mist wasn't natural. Not if his research was right. And he knew he was right. This proved he was right.

Unable to stand to continue to be ignored, he yelled to the skies, “You're Nightmare Moon!”

With this, the mist abruptly stopped just above him. A moment later, the dark cloud agitated and began spinning incredibly fast. It descended in a vortex, and as it engulfed him, he heard a chuckle.

“So, there still exists somepony that remembers Us!” Now a manic cackle seemed to come from all around him. “We would have thought Our dear sister had tried to expunge my existence from history.” He then saw the head of a dark alicorn emerge from the mist. Teal eyes with catlike pupils, her sharp teeth formed into a predatory smile.

Dusk tried to back away, only to be stopped by the mist that seemed to have taken more solid properties. “Well, it is not commonly available information.”

“Ooooh, and which other facts about Our elusive Selves has Our little colt been imparted with?” She asked it the same way one asks a foal who just discovered a mundane fact.

He narrowed his eyes, not wanting to show any fear. “I know you want to bring eternal night, and that Celestia banished you to the moon a thousand years ago.”

She pressed her face onto Dusk's own so that her eyes stared directly into his. “And what else might such a knowledgeable colt as thyself be doing all alone in the back of beyond?”

Knowing he couldn't falter now, he gritted his teeth and stared back at her. “Proving your existence and finding the means to defeat you.”

“Art thou doing this all for our Sister?” The whirlwind of darkness constricted even closer. “It does not seem she appreciates your efforts. Considering she left you all alone.”

“I am sure she will finally recognize my resourcefulness and tenacity and will forgive—”

“So thou trottest towards unknown doom even though thy not-mentor does not trust thee?” She punctuated her question with a hearty laugh. “How naive. Only fools would think Our sister would ever give others recognition.”

Dusk hesitated for a moment but refused to let her get to him. “No. Celestia is without fear or favor. She would never do something for such petty reasons.”

The ancient horror before him only laughed in response, before brandishing her predatorial teeth. “And how wouldst thou escape thy current predicament?”

The dark vortex further enclosed him, as he felt thin clammy tendrils crawl up his legs. He needed to think quickly. Her control of the weather cut off all immediate escape routes. He could try to teleport out of this eolic trapping, but he wouldn't be able to get very far, and doing so would exhaust him beyond the point of fleeing, leaving him easy prey. He needed somewhere to hide, something not easily done in the open plains they were in. A distraction was in order.

“Time is fleeting,” she taunted him.

“Look down.” He smirked, trying to project confidence.

“’Down’?” She questioned mockingly. He had been heating the air between the grains of soil, causing the ground to erupt upwards, hurling a mix of dirt and grass toward his assailant's face.

This was his opportunity. Using almost all his remaining energy, he held his breath and teleported. He wasn’t able to travel very far, just a few feet off the banks of the nearby lake into its waters, hoping that she might continue on her way. He could find a way to defeat her after that. It wasn’t too late, he still could salvage this situation. All he needed to do was to hold his breath for long enough. However, physical endurance had never been one of his strengths, and he was exhausted from his journey.

But then he exhaled; not because he could no longer hold his breath, but because something grasped him by his tail and pulled him up. Nightmare Moon stared at the drenched colt she was currently holding upside down with a misty tendril. Being held upside down by his tail gave him a feeling that he had only felt twice before: the feeling he had felt when observing glimpses of Celestia's prowess.

The claw of mist raised him to face his assailant once more. He could barely gasp for air, and his body burned with exhaustion whenever he attempted to budge. Instead, he simply hung limply by his hind legs with his lids half-open, staring at his captor.

Her voice was laced with anger and, something he was all too familiar with, disappointment. “Wouldn't it be better to follow somepony who acknowledges your acuity? Somepony who doesn't simply ignore thee? Hast thou considered Celestia ignored you for she feared your abilities could steal her limelight?”

She stared at him, almost expecting an answer, but the half-conscious unicorn only managed to cough out the lake water, letting it trickle over his face and drip onto the ground.

Assuming a more neutral expression, she released her tendril’s grasp, dropping him to the ground. She ascended back to the sky as a dark cloud. Dusk laid on the ground, exhausted and drenched, watching as the dark alicorn continued on her path of conquest to Canterlot. He didn't know how long he laid there, alone and tired. It could have been one hour or several. Eventually, as his strength returned to him, he lifted himself up and began trotting again. However, this time, not to the south, but back to the north.

Expectedly, as Dusk descended into the kitchen, the table had already been set and Cockcrow was already eating his omelet. Unexpectedly, however, sitting on the breakfast table alongside his housemate was a certain grey pony sipping on his black tea. Cockcrow seemed pretty excited to converse with whom Dusk guessed was a foalhood friend. Octavius' expression remained as dull and enigmatic as ever, but he seemed at least engaged enough to give short answers whenever Cockcrow allowed for pauses in his speech. They suddenly stopped their partially one-sided conversation as Cockcrow noticed his companion standing by the stairs.

After a moment of silence, Cockcrow gave Dusk a trembling smile. “S-so, has a good night of sleep helped you calm down a bit?”

Dusk ignored his companion and addressed their guest. “To what do we owe your visit?” He approached the musician without bothering to sit himself. “I wasn't expecting... guests.”

Passing a judgemental look over Dusk, the musician sipped before answering, "Your teacher requested me to check up on you after you woke up." He took another sip. “And she can be quite persuasive.” Dusk nodded. “Definitely not something I expected to have to do during my vacation.” The cellist put down his empty cup and jolted up, making Dusk almost flinch. “Also, if you want to find some insane murderers, you probably shouldn't go out looking like one."

He then took out a wide-tooth comb and began disentangling the archmage's mane. It proved to be a more difficult task than he had expected.

“Hey, no need to be so rough!” Dusk protested, feeling as if more than just a bit of his mane was going to be pulled out.

“Just be glad that it is not my sister that is here,” he commented while trying to tame the mane. Then, after judging the mane to be in satisfactory shape, he spat out the comb and added, “I don't think you would have retained your scalp in that case.”

Then, he straightened Dusk's cloak. “There. At least you don't look like a vandal. Honestly, one would think at least some of Elusive's grooming habits would have been burnt into your mind by now.”

Cockcrow simply stared, perplexed by seeing the archmage being forcefully groomed by the cellist.

Having finished grooming Dusk to an acceptable state, Octavius queried, “So, no longer feeling the urge to destroy other ponies' property, your excellency?”

Dusk ground his teeth while averting his eyes from Octavius' own. “No...”

“Good.” Satisfied with the answer, he sat down to enjoy the rest of his pancakes. Dusk stood unflinching and glaring at him.

After taking a few bites, he began talking without turning to Dusk, “I do understand the reason Nightmare Moon likes you, and that you lack the… experience with dealing with other ponies. This might be acceptable within the confines of the castle, where they are... accustomed to your behavior.”

Biting his cheek, Dusk wanted to retort but decided it would probably only give him more fuel.

“However, here in the outside world, you need to learn how to engage with other ponies. Ponies that aren't Nightmare Moon. And no matter how powerful a pony might be, they will fail if isolated. You can not expect to brute force your way out of every situation with magic. If you treat ponies solely as obstacles, they will respond as such. Not even Nightmare Moon rules truly alone.”

Having finished his meal, he smiled towards Cockcrow and complimented him, "Cockcrow, the pancakes were outstanding. It was a pleasure to meet you again after so long.”

Suddenly brought back from his aghast state, Cockcrow hastily and cheerily answered, "Oh! Thanks! You’re always welcome to visit another time!”

Octavius glanced at the archmage. “Let’s just hope I don’t have to do it.”

Dusk Shine rolled his eyes.

With his unwanted guest leaving, it was time to start tackling his night's itinerary. He knew he had to deal with the consequences of his previous actions, but he didn't want to talk to the triumequat just yet. Maybe he should check the breach beforehand.

Having left Crockow a bit behind, he approached the opening in the fence. Even with the hint, finding the actual location of the breach was a bit tricky. The thick vegetation in this part obscured it. But after scouring the area for a bit, he could finally see it. There was where the fence had been broken in, with vines spreading out of it and trying to creep further in. After I've done what I am here for, I should probably report it, Dusk thought. The breach was not very big; just enough for a pony to barely pass through.

Now he only needed someone that wouldn't look out of place buying illicit drugs beyond the fence. Good thing he had met the perfect mare for the job yesternight. He focused on the polymorph spell, and from his horn, his fur changed color to cyan, his mane straightened and grew blond, then wings sprouted from his sides as it seemed his horn vanished. He then undressed his cloak and carefully folded it, hiding it in one of the nearby shrubs. It pained him to part with it, even if temporarily.

He then carefully stepped through the breach. Beyond it, he could see the overgrown playground he was told about. Swings for which the seats had long fallen to the ground. The broken see-saws, rusty spring riders and tilted merry-go-rounds truly made this foal playground foal-unsuitable. He approached one of the benches slowly but without hesitation. He sat upon it, leaving ample space for whoever might be joining him. Then he knocked on it three times and waited. He heard the rustling of leaves nearby and after a few moments, a mare appeared from somewhere behind him.

The mare then sat beside him. She wasn’t a unicorn, but he couldn’t tell if she was a pegasus or earth pony due to the ragged brown cloak she wore. From the angle he was sitting, he could see that she had a long straight brown mane flowing down her right side. He wanted to try and take a better look at her but didn't want to appear any more suspicious. Any more suspicious than someone that goes into an abandoned playground to buy illicit goods, that is.

“Already got rid of all your stock?” she inquired with a bit of incredulity in her voice.

“Uh… yeah, some yellow pegasus and red earth pony couple took most of it,” the fake mare explained, deliberately keeping ambiguous whether they stole or bought it. “By the way, have you seen the pair? I might... still have business with those two.”

She answered with annoyance in her voice, “Well, that is a bit vague. Somepony takes most of your stuff and all you got is 'some yellow pegasus and red earth pony couple'?” She snorted in contempt. “Seems like you should have taken a better look at the ponies you deal with.”

“I mean they seemed to want a lot of the stuff, like got almost all of my stock.” He just needed to string her along long enough to get a lead. “Thought if somepony were this interested in it, you might have caught wind of them.”

This yielded no response but silence at first, worrying the undercover Dusk a bit. He then noticed that she was slowly tapping the plank of the bank with her hoof as if she waited for him to say something more.

He needed to make her interested. “Well, I kinda still need to get my bits from them. Thought maybe you could have heard of them.” He then added, “My bits are then, of course, your bits.”

This caused her to hum in thought. Eventually, she relented. “You better manage to get those bits then.”

The fake mare nodded. “Of course!”

She scratched her chin. “Well, the only ones that would come to mind are one of those phantom guys. I've heard some hanging out at the Copper Shoe Shack. Or at least doing some business there.”

“And no, I am not going to help you. It's your responsibility to take care of your things.” She looked directly at Dusk. With her sky blue staring directly into his, she warned him, “But if you do go, remember: you do not know us, you haven't spoken with us and whatever trouble you get in with them is all your fault. We don't want to lose possible clients. Don't make any unnecessary trouble for us.”

Dusk tried to give a smile. “Don't worry. No unnecessary troubles.”

With that, she stood up and began to leave as he remained seated. But as she was a few feet away, she stopped and looked back. “Be more careful next time. Your stupidity is tiring,” she bemoaned before letting out a grunt and continuing on her way. “I don't know how you didn't get caught yet.”

Having acquired as much intel as he could have from the dealer, Dusk decided it was time to move on to the next point in his schedule. The next one that did not involve the triumequat, that is. He rejoined Cockcrow to visit the next crime scene, Nightmare Moon's Shrine. The trip wasn't as quick as Dusk had hoped. Apparently, the statue was previously in a distant, neglected and overgrown part of town, as some locals used to fear it as a bringer of bad luck. Not that Dusk would've thought that, considering its current condition.

The small clearing it had stood in had been expanded. A cobblestone path had been built leading to it. The surrounding vegetation had been cleared, and now it was surrounded by a flower garden instead. Dusk could even recognize some of Nightmare Moon's favorites, like the night phlox and the night-blooming cereus. A four-column rotunda gazebo was erected to shelter the likeness of Her Majesty, and a silver plaque with the inscription, "In honor to the herald of the stars and keeper of dreams." was placed onto the pedestal. A donation box was propped up next to it. Lit candles at different stages of melting and a few burnt-out ones dotted the top of the pedestal and surrounded its base. The garden made Dusk reminisce about his mentor teaching him how to care for such flowers while Cockcrow simply marveled at the newfound beauty of this spot, apparently, he hadn't come here after it had been renovated.

As expected, any signs of murder here had long since been removed. But it was not necessarily just for the crime scene that the archmage had come here for. He knew a shrine keeper must be somewhere near. Looking around, he eventually found a navy blue mare watering one of the flower beds. Her cutiemark was a burning red candle. Her black mane was partially tied into a bun with a few strands hanging loose.

Dusk approached the mare. “Excuse me, but are you the keeper of this shrine?”

“Yes, I am. Do you wish to light a candle? Let me—” she began offering as she put her watering can down to greet the new visitors. “Oh!” She squeaked as her smile quickly collapsed, pursing her lips as her eyes widened. Recuperating from the shock she spoke almost whisperingly, “Archmage, have you come here to pay your visit to the shrine?”

“Not exactly, I just wanted to ask you a few questions,” he explained.

“Oh, sure!” she eagerly nodded.

He then continued, “More specifically, about the incident three weeks ago.”

“Oh... sure...” She nodded slowly, now much less excited.

He readied parchment and quill. "Could you, please tell us what you did witness?”

She hesitated, as she collected her thoughts. Wetting her lips she recounted, “As I approached the shrine that night I could see something was off. It seemed someone had made a big mess with rubbish and graffiti... At first, I was afraid it could be some vandalism.”

“Please continue,” Dusk asked.

“But when I managed to see it...” Her breathing started getting uneven. “It wasn't paint staining the statue... It was blood! 'Was serving her worth it?', it said... a-and then she was just... laying there... bloodied from the bottle shards around her... Seeing her like that, I...”

'Like that'? Dusk thought. “Did Berry Punch visit the shrine before the incident?”

“Well... Yes. Quite often actually. I had often the displeasure of having to carry or chase her away due to her... inebriated state. Not to mention the bottles she littered the shrine with.” She sighed. “Eventually she began visiting outside the hours I generally take care of the shrine.” Then, as if predicting a question from Dusk, she added, “But I knew she had been here because... well, because of what she left behind.”

Dusk raised an eyebrow. “What was left behind?”

“Well, you know...” She lifted a hoof to gesture, before elaborating, “Empty bottles, the booze smell and... vomit and other bodily fluids.” She groaned. “Definitely not the most fun part of the job.” Then in a quick moment of re-realizing who she was speaking to, she hastily added, “Not that I dislike my job, honorable apprentice.”

Seemingly unsatisfied with this answer, Dusk pressed further. “I imagine overindulging in alcohol wouldn't be a unique trait to her in this town. Couldn't another inebriated pony have left those behind?”

“I mean... it would seem like an incredible coincidence for them to start appearing after I stopped seeing her,” she explained. “Also, this isn't exactly a popular drinking spot. It is kind of far away from the town while risking being reported for it.”

If this was so rare, it brought a question to Dusk's mind. "Why haven't you reported the desecration of—”

Suddenly, they heard somepony calling them from above. "Oh! So there you are!" Looking up towards the sky they saw a robed figure. It was Scarlet Scar. "We've been searching for you the whole night!" At this moment, he noticed a few other figures flying in the distance.

As the part of this night which he had dreaded the most now came, he quickly put his utensils back into his cloak's pockets. He thanked her for her cooperation. She hesitated for a bit before looking at the approaching supreme inquisitor and retreated back to her plants, still cautiously observing from a distance while feigning work.

However, the archmage was only concerned with the triumequat member that had appeared. She slowly descended to Dusk's level. She looked almost... relieved.

“Just follow me,” she instructed, signaling with her head. “You'll understand when we are there.”

That the triumequat would want to speak with him was unsurprising to Dusk. The place where Scarlet was taking them was slightly less expected. Since, as they followed the supreme inquisitor, it soon became clear that she wasn't taking them to their base of operations, but instead to Ponyville's General Hospital. And waiting outside it were not only the remaining members of the triumequat, but also Mayor Mare and Redheart. The former three looked a bit... uncomfortable.

Scarlet Scar quickly approached the group, leaving her companions to catch up to her.

“Well, here he is!” She presented Dusk like a cat would present its latest to its owners. Her companions eyed each other before, hesitantly looking almost pleadingly towards her. “Hey, I did my part.” She raised her hooves shrugging. “Now one of you two will have to do the speaking.” She excused herself while slowly backing away.

Midnight Oil and Cardinal Zannia looked at each other in hesitation. Then Midnight sighed, defeated, and stepped forward. “I fear that we might have started out... on the wrong hoof. And we've heard some... convincing arguments to change our policy on your... participation in the investigation.”

Considering how her demeanor has so quickly changed, the reaction of the sleeper must have been quite a sight to behold. He felt bad for whoever was filling the role of the sleeper, the pony who was assigned to sleeping duty so that they can be easily reachable by Nightmare Moon.

But it seemed that there were conditions attached, as the Supreme Inquisitor took out a note. “Furthermore, due to your transgressions, it has been decided that you will be helping the magistrate with duties she needs you for.”

Mayor Mare stepped forward and nodded, barely able to contain her joy at the prospect of using the archmage as a political prop. Dusk was less elated.

Midnight quickly interrupted, “And before you complain to us, this decision comes from a higher power.”

Dusk wanted to protest it, but considering the situation, he decided that he would need to bear with whatever the magistrate had planned.

“Fine,” he begrudgingly replied.

“Wonderful!” Mayor Mare commented, almost skipping with joy.

Sensing no further objections, Midnight continued, “Lastly, the damages done to civilian property in your last... excursion, are, of course, to be paid in full from your personal funds.” She pulled a fine notice from her cloak, “Here, this is yours.” Not bothering to read it, Dusk simply picked it up and put it into one of his pockets.

With this, it seemed that a least most of his matters with triumquerat had been settled, but there was still something in the back of his mind bothering him. “How did you know I had been in your office?” Dusk asked the magistrate.

“Well...” she explained hesitantly, “The papers in my office... had been... reorganized.”

Dusk had to exercise restraint to not crash his hoof into his face. When putting everything back into its place, Dusk must have unconsciously placed the documents in proper order. However, he would maybe disagree with it being reorganized.

Midnight sighed and stepped forward to explain. “So, after the magistrate informed us someone had broken into her office, we gathered two sentinels to check the room for any residual magic.” She looked at the magistrate for confirmation who just nodded meekly. Then returning her gaze to Dusk, she continued, “And upon examining it, we found vestiges of translocation and traced the teleport back to outside the town hall.”

“And considering the few candidates that would be able to perform such teleport and, most obviously, that your bodyguard had been a decoy, there was one main suspect.” Giving Dusk a deadpan glare. “So, if you have no other questions, it is time for you to meet the victims.” She directed herself towards the magistrate, “We appreciate your cooperation, Magistrate. We won't take any more of your time.” Midnight Oil motioned and Nurse Redheart led them, with exception of the magistrate, inside.

Down in the morgue, it was cold enough to make Dusk shiver a bit despite his cloak. The nurse walked in front, guiding them through the halls. They didn't see any other members of the staff while down there. Cockcrow's trot was unsteady, and his gaze shifted from side to side as he had to walk among corpses. Dusk guessed he was glad the corpses were hidden inside the cabinets on the walls.

The walk was a short one until they reached a chamber where a few bodies had been taken out of storage and placed upon dissection tables. They were still covered in blankets. Dusk, Nurse Redheart and the triumquerat congregated around one of the tables while Cockcrow stood back.

'Finally,' Dusk thought. At long last, he was before one of the victims and only a blanket separated him from the pony he wanted to meet the most. Dusk could feel himself mentally salivating at the answers.

“You may uncover him now,” Cardinal Zannia instructed Redheart.

She carefully pulled the blanket back. Behind it was a light amber stallion with a brown mane. He had cuts on his forelegs. It was as Dusk had expected, but then he took a closer look at the angles of the cuts. They went diagonally on the outer side going up towards the muzzle. This didn't make sense. The only way the cuts made sense was if the victim had done it to himself.

No, this can't be, Dusk disbelieved. Before somepony could stop him, he had lifted the blanket off the corpse next to it. The marks on its forelegs were identical.

He hastily attempted to uncover another one as Nurse Redheart reprimanded him while holding his hoof in place. “Stop.”

Midnight Oil walked to Dusk's side. “All of them have the same pattern of lacerations.”

And as if almost predicting Dusk's next question, Zannia disclosed, “There were no signs of drugs, outside some recreational stuff on some of the victims, nor residual volomancy in any of them.”

Cardinal Zannia then added, “Furthermore, it's not like ponies know about the circumstances of these deaths. Thus a mass of suicidal copycats remains highly unlikely.”

Dusk agreed with this assessment. The messages weren't suicide notes, they were threats.

They had reconvened outside the entrance, with the exception of Redheart remaining inside as she still had a shift. As a sign of goodwill, Dusk had decided to impart the triumquerat with the information of the possible insurgent activity at the Copper Shoe Shack. They were curious how Dusk had attained such information. Not bothering to explain, he had simply copied some of his relevant notes and handed them over to Midnight Oil. She had raised her eyebrows as she read it and her colleagues leaned in, as they hadn't expected him to actually find anything. At least they now would see he wasn't inept, and also, maybe even more importantly, now Nightmare Moon wouldn't see him as being uncooperative.

Even as they were back at home, he was still lost in thought, barely paying attention to his surroundings. Cockcrow had wished him a good dream. Dusk distractedly mumbled, “You too.” Happy with the reply, his companion went to sleep. This now left a confused Dusk in his room trying to organize his thoughts. Trying to do so, he started complementing his list with the information he had gained tonight.

List of Tasks: D-4
As of necessary for: finding the “Ghost”

☑ Ascertain the location of the crime scene from the magistratelied about the return of Scarlet Scar, remember to avoid her

☑ Examine the location:

☑ Why was it perpetrated there?besides being desolated, nothing noteworthy. Do they just lurk in a desolate place waiting for a victim?the 'Ghost' must have been stalking him for nights before picking the best spot to strike in solitude along the doctor's wander path

☑ Who was the victim?Doctor Horse, physician at the Ponyville Hospital, returned from duty 2 weeks ago

☑ What was the cause of death?blood loss from scalpel-caused wounds

☑ Find a lead to clandestine activities in Ponyvillesuspicious couple seen exiting the building hours before the explosion

☑ Question Nurse RedheartDoctor Horse was mentally unwell, also she might be onto me, should be more careful

☑ Find and interrogate the boat renter, Floating Rate, on the events of the crime night

☑ Find the red earth pony mare and the lime yellow pegasus stallion from Sugarcube Cornernot living in the building, try to find a rohyponol suppliercheck the abandoned playground tomorrow, disguise yourselfforwarded information to the triumequat

☑ Get access to the corpse of the victim

☑ Check for sleep magic, concussions and rohyponolnothing found by the triumequat

☑ Verify the woundslacerations in unlikely angles for an attack

☐ Find out why Doctor Horse was the victim

☑ Get access to the full list of victims to cross-reference attributesNot a full list but now we at least got one more data point: Berry Punchvisit the morgue again

☑ Examine Berry Punch's death:

☑ Check the Nightmare Moon shrine

☑ find out how Berry Punch was killedstabbed with the shards of her own bottles

There was something he was missing, but he couldn't quite grasp it. Volomancy had apparently been ruled out; no one was controlling their bodies. Had the assailant managed to injure them that way just to cause confusion? Oddly impractical. Eventually, he decided to go to bed. There were many questions that he still needed to answer. And he was fully intent on using the fact that the triumequat was more cooperative, or at least not detrimental, for his investigations. Now, his options significantly increased. He was definitely going to do his own examination of the bodies and to get access to the triumequat's files on the case.

However, as Dusk laid in bed thinking, 'Where could the 'ghost' be during all these attacks?' He couldn't sleep. How could there be no pony found that they had failed to kill? And just as he was about to fall asleep, the answer came to him. What if failures didn't matter because failures didn't leave explicit evidence behind?

Then something hit him.

“Cockcrow, wake up! We need to go!”