Ever since the last moon, things had gotten a little strange. Ponies, seemingly at random, had been blessed with almost supernatural powers. These powers correlate with the colour of a ponies eyes.
Brown eyes - Can control the earth. You can create or destroy things with the ground around you and control it at will. With enough concentration you can even create creatures of earth that act on your behalf.
Blue eyes - You have control over water. This means these ponies can draw water from all around them and create raging torrents, or can prevent rain by extracting the water from the clouds (Not recommended. Weather ponies get very annoyed).
Green eyes - You can control the air. With enough concentration and persistence you can create huge storm systems, or you could stop a tornado in its path if you so desired to save lives.
Hazel eyes - Gives you control over nature. Trees can be brought to life, plants grown in the blink of an eye, or you can destroy them for your own reasons (like not being able to get rid of those damn dandelions from your garden).
If you have a colour that is a mix of these, you can summon both traits to a certain extent and merge them together.
I discovered I was capable of controlling nature when I accidentally made a tree chase a dog that had peed on it down the street after simply imagining that humorous situation in my head. Needless to say I was more careful now.
My name is Foris, and I am a tree surgeon (go figure!). I live in Manehatten, and I mostly look after the upper classes gardens to make sure they are ready for party season (something which is now much easier thanks to my powers). I have been approached by the authorities on many occasions due to my sudden gain of what they call "superpowers". They are apparently worried about ponies using their powers for the wrong reasons and becoming villains.
I'm not interested in any of that. I just want to run my business and relax at the end of the day. Sometimes I still feel like I'm being watched though, although I can never see anypony watching. It was frustrating, however I at least could just get on with my life.
This all changed when I entered my usual coffee shop for my morning joe before getting to work on some hoity ponies garden. It was then I saw her. I was struck by her beauty, her coat was silky white, matching her horn, and her mane and tail were a combination of fiery red, blazing orange and bright yellow. She turned around, coffee in hoof and I was struck by her eyes. Bright scarlet.
"Hey, you okay there buddy? Starin' a lot." I shook my head, snapping myself back into reality as I realized she was talking to me.
"Fine, I'm fine, sorry. I was in a world of my own. Gotta get that coffee before I'm awake." I laughed nervously, hoping my coffee addiction would save me once again. She raised an eyebrow, and pushed past me to get out the door. Rude.
I left the shop with hot coffee and scone in tow, and began to make my way to the uptown area. I was lost in thought about that pony. I had never seen anyone who looked like her. Her mane, her coat. I mean, she was rude, but jeez.
Lost in thought, I wandered down an alleyway I know to be a shortcut through downtown to the upper side. I was just about to clear the other end when I heard a shout from above.
"LOOK OUT!"
My head whipped up, it was too late. A couple of large cinder blocks struck my back and I felt a horrible crunch as the bones broke. The next one, struck my head. Everything went black.
For the next few moments, a feeling of complete peace washed over me. I felt like I was floating. No pain, no worries, just peace. My body wasn't present, and in the distance I could see a light. I was always of the mindset of "never go towards the light" thanks to movies and such, but this just felt... right, like this was my destiny.
Slowly I willed myself towards the light. It grew in intensity and warmth as I grew closer and closer. Then I heard a familiar voice.
"Come back, damn it!" The light grew fainter as I was dragged backwards towards the abyss where I had found myself.
"I won't let this happen!" Next thing I knew there was air in my lungs, pain in my side, and I could see again. I gasped for breath, and spluttered to consciousness as I sat up. The pain in my side disappeared almost instantly. I whipped my head round, and the pony from the coffee shop was kneeling beside me, her eyes and horn glowing bright, and screaming in concentration. Her eyes then suddenly sprang back to life, and saw me looking at her, eyes wide with shock. I should be dead. There's no way I should be alive.
After a couple of moments, she sprang up and galloped off.
"Wait!" I shouted after her, stumbling to my hooves and taking off after her. She wound through the maze of alleyways, but I was hot on her heels. I needed to speak to her, I needed to know who she is, I needed to thank her. Eventually I rounded a corner and found she had run into a dead end. I gasped, catching my breath as I slowed to speak to her.
"Hey, I just wanted to say thank you for... for... back there," I gestured over my shoulder in a halfhearted attempt in connecting with her "I have to know though, is that something you know how to do, or was it the whole thing to do with the moon?"
She stopped looking for an exit for a second, realizing she was stuck.
"It's my power. I gained it from the moon like a whole bunch of other ponies out there. You could ask them about theirs if you're curious." She responded bluntly. d
"I don't need to, I have one too." She glanced back at me, eyeing me up and down.
"Nature control?" She asked in a way that you could tell she already knew the answer.
"Yeah, something like that." I was finally catching my breath. It had been a while since I had run like that. "May I ask, who are you?"
"My name is Ember." She responded bluntly, and with a flash of her horn, she disappeared in a puff of smoke. I sighed in exasperation. Well, I guess that's all I'll ever know.
As I wandered my way back through the alleys I became lost in thought once more. She had the power to give life back to those who were recently dead, and to heal injuries. That was incredible! Truly outstanding! It then dawned on me that if she had the power to give life, and heal, then she also had the ability to take it, or cause harm with just a thought. She could be really dangerous, and I could have endangered myself by chasing her! But she chose to just... disappear. Maybe she wasn't bad after all? At this point I could feel the eyes on me once again. It was unnerving but I was used to it by now.
I was approaching the opening on to the main streets once again, this time checking for falling construction equipment, but before I could quite get there I was surrounded by ponies in sharp black suits, wearing sunglasses and earpieces.
"Stay where you are sir, we would just like to ask you a couple of questions." One approached me, and held up a photograph of a young mare. Her mane was white, her mane red and orange. She looked just like the pony who had just saved my life, except she looked... different. Less glowy and powerful, just normal.
"Have you seen this pony sir? She is a wanted criminal and a danger to society."
Oh jeez.
Author's Note
Hey guys! First chapter done and I'm pretty proud of it. Wish I could draw otherwise I would have turned it into a comic series instead, but oh well.... If you can draw hit me up and we can collab on a comic :D
Protection and Investigation
So here I was. A small white room, with nothing but a table between myself, and the Equestrian Special Task Force. The lights were almost blinding. I had to squint my eyes just to see the pony sitting across from me clearly.
"So Mr..." He glanced down at his notepad "Foris is it? Can you talk me through the events of yesterday for me, I'm having a hard time believing your story."
For the tenth or so time, I went through my story. Beginning in the Coffee house, on to the alleyway where I had fallen victim to the cruel humour of fate. I described the feeling of death, and being brought back to life.
"Are you sure that is all Mr Foris? I feel like you're not telling me everything here." He glanced at me over his sunglasses, evaluating every movement of my face.
"That's all sir, she eluded me when I attempted to talk to her." I stared at the table. They had kept me here overnight, I hadn't slept. Hadn't ate. They just kept asking me the same questions over and over like each time they were getting a different answer. Every time they didn't hear what they wanted to, they repeated the same phrase.
Please Mr Foris, we need to know everything. She is a dangerous criminal and any information leading to her capture would be greatly rewarded.
She didn't seem dangerous to me. Far the opposite. She saved my life. Maybe that's why I kept quiet, perhaps I felt I owed her that.
After a few more exasperating attempts at getting me to talk, the ESTF eventually accepted defeat, and I was free to go. The heavy doors to their building slammed shut behind me, and I took a deep breath and sighed. No doubt the ponies I was supposed to garden for would be mad that I hadn't shown, however that was a problem for tomorrow. I was hungry, exhausted and just wanted a few hours of peace.
The walk home passed in a daze. I couldn't stop thinking about her. Who was she? What was her story? Why did she choose to save me? I was just any other random pony in the grand scheme of things, and accidents happen like that all the time around the city and she doesn't save them. Perhaps it was just right time, right place.
I placed my keys in their usual bowl by the front door and slumped down on my sofa. My apartment wasn't much, but it was home, and here I could unwind. A few hours passed while I mulled over the same questions, bemusedly making my meagre houseplant grow and shrink at will. The funny thing is, I had been given this power, and all I could think of to do with it was advance my career and play with my plants. She seemed to have a purpose at least, but me? I was just wasting away in my daily life.
With rest eluding me I decided I need answers, although I am no detective. I had heard rumours while catering to the elite of Manehattan that there was a pony you could pay to find answers. They used her all the time when finding out about each others affairs and drama. I needed to find her, and I needed to find my answers.
I knocked on the ornate door belonging to Hoity Toity, an upper class fashion executive for some brand that all the fillies and mares seemed to care about. Before long, a sharply dressed butler answered the door.
"Hello, my name is Foris, I'm looking for Mr Toity. Is he available?" The pony looked me up and down, and I realised I must not look my best. My mane was matted from the lack of sleep, and I must of looked tired and dirty. He stepped away from the door, clearing my way to enter and I stepped into the large entrance hall.
"Mr Toity will be with you in just a moment... sir." He turned up his nose, and trotted off into another room. I stood awkwardly for a few moments, the ticking of the clock hanging upon the wall was the only noise to break the silence. Before long the door where the butler had disappeared opened once more and the elegant Hoity Toity stepped out.
"Hello Foris!" He exclaimed in his usual over the top mannerism "How may I help you today? Did my butler not pay you? He has a habit of pocketing money for himself, so that would NOT surprise me in the slightest."
"Actually Mr Toity, I am here on a personal errand," I shuffled my hoofs awkwardly, trying to find the right words "I need some information, and I couldn't help but overhear you talking about a private investigator before, and was wondering if I could maybe get her details?"
"Please young man, call me Hoity! You are more than just the "help" you know." He winked at me, and continued, "Now I'm sure I can help you with this, although I didn't think you for the nosy type, however you may fit in with high society better than I thought." He chuckled away to himself, as if the thought of somepony like me joining his social circle was amusing. He shuffled through some papers in a cabinet, searching long and hard for something.
"AHA! Here it is!" He turned to face me with a small, torn piece of parchment with an address hastily scribbled on the back.
"Thank you Hoity, if there is anything I can do for you, please just let me know!" I turned away, saying a quick farewell as I trotted through his garden and onto the street.
Apartment 10A, Hooften Avenue
I admit, when I arrived at the address I expected an office building, not a run down apartment complex in the bad side of town. Windows were boarded up, and the lights were flickering on the inside. Nervously, I entered and began my ascent up the stained staircases. Eventually I found my way to the right floor, and at the far end of the corridor I could see a door with the number I was looking for. Looking down that hallway, my gut was telling me to turn, run, get the hay out of there, but curiosity was overpowering me now.
I approached the door, the glass panel was all smashed out and boarded up from the inside. Letters were etched on the few remaining shards that clung to the frame.
J..... ones
Pri.......tor
Well, now or never I suppose. I gently knocked on the wood of the door, and immediately heard commotion as if someone was scrambling to hide something. After a couple of moments, the door flew open, caught by a small chain to the pony could look out at me.
"Yes?!" She said in a very blunt manner.
"H..Hi, I'm looking for a private investigator, am I at the right place?" I tried to smile, but the smell of the corridor, and the stale whiskey wafting from her apartment were difficult to ignore. With a sigh, she undid the chain and allowed me to enter. The room inside was barely furnished. A large desk was placed in the middle, with two chairs in front, and one large comfier looking chair placed behind. A half empty bottle of whiskey was on the table, beside an overflowing ashtray.
I cautiously follow the pony over to her desk, and watched as she sat down and unscrewed the lid on the bottle, taking a large gulp, ignoring the glass beside her. Her black mane was matted and obscured her face slightly, but behind I could see she looked like she hadn't slept in weeks. Her eyes were slightly sunken, bags gave the impression that she had been in a rather nasty fight, or maybe she had been?
"So, whadda you want?" She asked, putting the whiskey down and lighting a cigarette.
"I'm... I'm looking for information on someone. A unicorn with a fiery mane and tail, coat as white as snow, bright scarlet eyes and goes by the name of Ember." She looked me up and down as I was talking, giving me a weird look.
"You're not some kinda stalker are you pal? 'Cos I don't deal with that kinda crap ya'know." Her husky voice set in a much more aggravated tone now.
"No! I'm not a stalker! Celestia no!" I caught myself about to explain everything to her, but quickly stopped, "Can you tell me, is everything I say here confidential?"
"Yeah? Your business is none of my business pal." She took a long drag of her cigarette, making me cough slightly.
"Well you've probably heard that some ponies have been given certain powers in accordance to their eye colours. Well, I have one of those powers, and so does she. She managed to bring me back from the dead after a freak accident a couple of days ago, and... oh god I sound crazy don't I?" It did seem a little far fetched now that I was saying at aloud to another pony.
"Not the craziest I've heard believe me. Look, if you got bits I'll take the case, I'm happy to take your money even if you are crazy." She stubbed her cigarette into the ashtray causing a cascade of ask and old butts to fall onto the desk. I could hear her drinking the whiskey again as I rummaged through my saddlebag for the bits I had brought.
"How much are your services may I ask?" I looked up at her from my bags.
"One thousand bits" She said, very casually.
"Jeez, that's a lot! Well I have five hundred here, would you take the other half after delivery?" I placed the bag of coins on her desk, and she quickly stuffed them into a drawer. There goes some of my savings I guess.
"Sure, I'll get on your case as soon as possible. Not like I have much goin' on anyhow." She rose from her desk, gesturing to the door.
"Thank you, when should I come back to catch up Miss....?"
"Jones," She replied in a deadpan manner, "And don't come back, I'll come to you."
"But you don't know where I..." The door slammed shut in my face, "live...."
Author's Note
Hello again! I was very excited to put this chapter out, and I hope you all enjoy! Trying to throw in some fun references from different series I enjoy, so if you spot them you deserve a muffin and must treat yourself to one at your next opportunity!
Cheers!
RandomDerp
