Everfree House

Chapters

Chapter I: The Mare of Mystery
Chapter II: The Murder
Chapter III: Enter Daring
Chapter IV: The Scholar

Chapter I: The Mare of Mystery

Just outside the border of Ponyville, a small, traditional pony town in central Equestria, lies a vast, expansive forest. Unlike other parts of Equestria, in this forest the fauna cares for itself; the flora grows wildly without pony intervention. The weather here has a mind of its own, though most of the time it settles for little more than a low-hanging fog over the forest floor. Inside this forest are various types of creatures, ranging from timber-wolves to manticores, and various types of plants which include frightening trees and poison joke, a generally-avoided blue-flowered plant which, when after contact with fur, inhibits strange symptoms.

In this forest amongst the twisted trees, vast ravines, and strange creatures lies the old ruins of a castle known as the Castle of the Two Sisters. It was here that the rulers of Equestria once resided, raising the sun and moon each and every day. However, there came a day when the younger royal refused to lower the moon, thus resulting in a battle which destroyed the castle and ended with her banishment to the moon for a thousand years. She has since returned, the diarchy restored to its former glory.

There also lives an Equestrian resident in this forest, taking up residence in a hut in a grove of shady trees. Her name was Zecora. She was a zebra, a creature from a faraway place much like a pony, yet instead of bright colors, zebras had stripes. She traveled here with the intent to help, but the residents of the town nearby shunned her, shut her out, regarded her as an evil shaman. She herself knew this was entirely untrue, just suspicion on the part of the pony races. Of course, a few had dared to venture out, and for a bit, she'd gladly tell their fortune.

It was said that Zecora was born with a seer's sign, the tongue of a lawyer, and a preacher's mind, all of which were true statements. She had a sense, a passion for the arcane and witchcraft, using it to aid her in her attempts to help the pony race. Using various ingredients she kept in jars on wooden shelves that lined the walls of her hut, she could quickly cook up a brew with some helpful properties. Oftentimes it would be little more than to tell the fortune of a brave wanderer who dared to go to her hut for some reason or another. Her mind was sharp, her knowledge and wisdom rivaling the brightest in the land. Her tongue spoke in sharp rhymes, only adding to the mysterious air.

Constantly she wondered why the townsfolk had shunned her so. Was it because she was different? Because she was a zebra, a creature while nearly identical to a pony yet somehow noticeably stranger? Was it because she only spoke in rhymes? Pondering this, she trotted over to her small fire to make a pot of herbal tea. It wasn't long before a rapping came from the door, interrupting her. She changed course over to the ordinary, creaky wooden door and opened it to reveal a slight young pegasus mare who was visibly shaking, from fear or surprise she couldn't tell.

"Ah, welcome, dear traveler," the zebra said. "Have you come far? You seem to be from a nearby star."

"N-no," the violet-colored mare said. "I came from the t-town."

"Fear I sense," Zecora continued, trotting into the hut and motioning for the pony to follow. "Do not fret, young one, for there will be no harm done."

As she followed the enigmatic character into the dwelling, her bluish eyes followed the zebra as she grabbed a blue bottle off one of the many shelves that lined the residence, pulling the cork from the lid and measuring the contents. The gesture only added to the mare's fear, and she was now trembling uncontrollably.

"For a bit I will say," the zebra began after replacing the jar on the shelf, "For a bit, I, Zecora, shall tell you your fortune today."

"I barely have any money," the mare replied. "I just wanted to see if the rumors were true."

Zecora poured the measured contents into the humongous black cauldron that had replaced the pot, causing the green substance inside to bubble up ominously. "The rumors you seek to find," she began in a drawling, mysterious tone, "Are nowhere but in your own mind."

"I- what?" the mare asked as the zebra, apparently known as Zecora, added another measurement to the brew. Her fear was mounting higher and higher now, leaving her on the brink of hyperventilation. The smell wafting from the ominous mixture that the zebra was stirring in the big, black, frightening cauldron didn't help, for it only made her gag. In her thoughts she was urging herself to press harder, to find out who the Tartarus this mare of mystery really was. So she flipped open her saddlebag with a wing and rifled around, pulling out a shiny gold coin and tossing it at the Zecora's hooves. "Tell me my fortune, please."

After all, what good would it do if she couldn't prove to her friends that the rumors were true? It'd only make her look like a laughingstock. So, mustering up every last bit of courage flowing through her veins, she joined the zebra over at the cauldron and sat down across from her, fidgeting nervously as the mysterious one began to speak.

"Your fortune you want?" spoke Zecora, "Your fortune you will get, but I warn you, it is you it may haunt."

What was that supposed to mean? wondered the mare. However, her thoughts were cut short, for the zebra began to rhythmically, systematically, move her striped hooves over the greenish, glowing substance. It had a nearly acid-like look to it, the mare noted. Soon after, a chilling breeze rose up from the stew, rattling the jars hanging from the roof and slamming the windows shut. The sudden bang of the windows slamming shut made the mare jump, glancing around nervously as the world around her grew stranger and stranger. Another swish of a hoof over the cauldron and green mist shot out like a geyser, filling the room with haze.

Now fearing for her life, the mare continued her frantic searching of the room for a way out- a door, a window, any small hole she could squeeze herself through to escape this horror show. Suddenly, the zebra's muzzle shot through the geyser of mist, shattering the mare's mindset. Cowering and trembling, she shrank back from the frightening mare of mystery, hyperventilation having fully set in.

"Spooky though it seems," Zecora started, "This will help you see what shall become of your dreams."

Panicked, the mare could only nod slowly. Though utterly terrifying, this had a strange, strange sense of being... captivating. Try as she might, she couldn't take her eyes away from that zebra, who was now moving her hooves once more over the geyser of green steam. Images began to appear in the mist, images of the mare doing various activities in a faraway place recognized as a large city.

"I see great fortune," Zecora spoke as the sequence of images began to float on the mist. "Fame and fortune shall be in your future, but you must first dispel the rumor."

"W-what rumor?" the mare asked as images of herself surrounded by gold bits manifested around her. She watched as they showed her in a state of pure bliss, showered by diamonds and golden coins and surrounded by a large group of rich aristocrats. It seemed to be a glorious life, living in Canterlot among Equestria's elite. But first, according to Zecora, she had to dispel a rumor. "What do you mean?"

"I am not a witch, such as in the books you read," Zecora replied. "I am here to help those in need." When the zebra's face randomly appeared next to the mare, the mare's sanity broke. She scrambled backwards into a shelf, becoming a shaking, ranting mess, trapped in a nightmare with no way out. She began to run instinctually, searching once more for anyway out of this nightmarish fortune-telling session.

As the cauldron's mist slowly started to subside, more objects in the room became visible. The mare focused on the wooden door and hurriedly stumbled over to it, fumbling with the knob in her shaking hooves until she managed to wrest it open despite the zebra's requests for her to wait. She now knew that the rumors were true indeed. Her friends had been right; here in the forest lived a crazy old mare who was nothing but an evil enchantress.

The mare took flight into the woods, away from the house of horrors. She slammed into trees, ran through bushes, stumbled over rocks in an effort to put as much distance between her and the home as possible. Her flight continued until she managed to bring herself to a halt on the forest's edge near an old manor, entirely out of breath. Her shuddering had not subsided, nor had her hyperventilation, but at least she began to get a grip on herself, albeit slowly.

First she took in her surroundings, noting by the sun that she was on the forest's westernmost edge. She was standing in front of an old brick estate, towering over the gate surrounding it. She turned around to see that she was within flying distance from Ponyville, which would be about a two-hour trip as the crow flies. This analogy she got from maintaining line-of-sight with the clock tower. After doing this, she began to calculate a route home. She would want to avoid the forest, but take the most direct route possible. She couldn't go today, for clouds had obscured the sky to bring it down to less than visual conditions.

Then she checked herself over, deducting that she was in no condition to fly anyway. Her wings were too tattered to even attempt lifting off. She couldn't risk being mutilated by the creatures in the forest, and didn't want to impose on the property line, so she begin to walk, pain shooting through her every step of the way. It wasn't long before she could go no further. Luckily, she wasn't in the forest completely, for no creatures dared venture out as far as where she now lay.

As she curled up to sleep off her experience, she heard hoofsteps approaching. Then came a voice which startled her to the point of practically shouting and quickly getting up on all four hooves. "Calm down, miss," the voice said. "I mean you no harm."

"Who are you?" the mare asked the stallion across from her.

"My name is Leroy Saffron," the stallion replied. "I own this estate, which is known as Saffron Manor. What is your name, young lady?"

"I'm Sapphire Moonlight," the mare replied. "I seem to have lost my way."

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that. If you need a place to stay for the night and rest up, I'm certain my staff will not be opposed to having you in the manor tonight."

"That would be most appreciated!" Sapphire said gratefully.

The stallion nodded. "Come on, I'll show you the way." He led her back to the elegant old manor, through the sharp metal gate and into the foyer. They stood there for a moment while Sapphire took in the size of the place. Never had she set hoof in a place such as this. It was old but highly extravagant, with chandeliers and twin polished wooden staircases leading up to an elevated portion with several glass windows and doors leading to hallways heading in opposite directions. A light breeze cooled the room and rustled the velvety curtains, making them appear to be alive. Alive like the creepy mist that was so fresh in Sapphire's memory.

"Walter?" asked Leroy loudly. An older, long-maned stallion in glasses appeared from one of the hallway doors, trotting down the stairs to greet his master.

"Yes, sir?" Walter replied.

"Walter, this is Sapphire Moonlight. She has lost her way in the forest and shall be staying here with us tonight."

"A pleasure, Miss Moonlight," Walter said, shaking the pegasus' hoof.

"Sapphire, this is Walter Comet. He is my friend and your point of contact for your stay."

"Good to meet you too," Sapphire said.

"Well, I'll leave him to show you to your room. You have a good night now, miss."

"Thank you, Mister Saffron."

Walter Comet led Sapphire up the stairs and down one of the hallways into a room just as extravagant as the foyer, with a luxurious four-poster bed and a large window facing to the east. "If you need anything, please just ask for me and I will gladly be of service," Walter said.

"Thank you," Sapphire replied as the bespectacled stallion closed the door. She looked around the room and noticed her saddlebags were missing, most likely left at the creepy hut. With a sigh she flopped down onto the bed, just as a steady rain began to fall outside. She listened to it pitter-patter against the glass window, letting it lull her to sleep. However, as she drifted off for an attempt at a peaceful night's sleep, she would soon learn that the night would not turn out to be as peaceful as she thought...

Author's Note

And with that, we have our first character introduced. Also, why is writing in rhymes so hard? :twilightsheepish:

Next chapter to come soon!

Chapter II: The Murder

Leroy Saffron was a wealthy stallion, having accumulated enormous sums of money over many years of hard work and through inheriting his father's fortune. He had grown up in this manor, for it had initially belonged to his father before him, and his father before him and so on, all the way back to his great-great-great grandfather. His ancestor died of natural causes, the next the same way. This continued all the way down to his father, who had vanished one day without a trace. There was no evidence of wrongdoing or foul play, no paper trail, no cadaver- he just vanished one morning and never came back.

His mother having died when he was just a foal and his father gone, Leroy was now the rightful owner of the family estate, company, and land, taking command at a young age. Of course, Walter Comet, who had served the Saffron family since before Leroy was born, now had become Leroy's right-hoof stallion. Immediately the young heir took to formulating a business plan to rise back to the top of the world of distilling. This plane would double profits, supply, and sales, thus allowing for repair of the deteriorating reputation of the company while building his own reputation as one of Equestria's youngest millionaires and finest distillers. Saffron Distilling Corporation was once known for its fine alcohol, something which Leroy had every intent to restore.

He and his employees labored intensively over many years to create the best drinks known to ponykind, and did they ever succeed! He began to sell his product to many bars across Equestria, receiving numerous awards for the quality of his drinks. His products varied from fine beers in many flavors to wine made of the finest grapes grown on the Saffron property, which was sold to the wealthy Canterlot high-life. It wasn't long before the Saffron name was back on the map of the alcoholic beverage world.

Leroy used his profits to improve his empire; he would divide them equally between raising his employees' wages, renovating the numerous distilleries his father built, and taking just enough to live on. However, it was well known by anypony who worked with or for him that Leroy Saffron was a ruthless businesspony. He did not stand for any form of denial in his company, did not permit failure in any way, shape, or form. And those who crossed him he regarded as the worst of all. Anypony who crossed him would lead a miserable life from then on, or just disappear.

So, it was no wonder that when Walter Comet came into his office with news of somepony stealing from the profits and the supply that Leroy took matters into his own hooves. Now here he stood in this dark, musty basement across from a stallion who had been ratted out as the suspect. "You know," he said, "This is getting rather out of hoof."

The other stallion, bound to a chair, could do little more than whimper in response. Tape was stretched across his mouth, blocking any attempt of his to speak.

"You know what happens to anyone who crosses me." Leroy picked up a simple wooden bat in his teeth, swinging it ominously before setting it down once more on the bench, one of the four furnishings in the concrete-floored room. The other two besides the bench and chair were a furnace and a sink, which had unreliable tendencies. After a brief glance around, Leroy spoke again. "You're going to pay for this. And only when I think that you have paid in full for your inexcusable behavior, only then will you be released."

The stallion began to make attempts to plead for his life, but to no avail. His muffled cries wouldn't change the heart of Leroy Saffron. Ruthlessly the wealthy landowner swung the bat, striking the wrongdoer many times over until he felt his frustrations were vented and the employee had paid in full for his inexcusable hubris. Once the process was complete, Leroy tossed the bat into the happily burning fire in the basement's furnace, watching passively until the weapon caught. Now that it was burning merrily, he set about cleaning up the place.

First, the bloodstains on the floor from the still-bleeding body. He trotted over to the cabinet and took out a bucket and mop, filling the bucket in the crude sink. Mop in hoof, he began to furiously scrub the stains from the floor. Once that was all taken care of and the bloodstains were cleaned up, he grabbed a bag, wrapping the dead body in it. He used extra care as to not further damage the cadaver; any further damage would result in a longer burn time. So, tediously and carefully, the cadaver and its bloody limbs were loaded into the bag. Leroy then lifted the bag in his teeth, hoisting it up from the floor and hauling it to the stairs which led out of the basement. As he set it down he heard the audible squish an shifting of the dismembered occupant's limbs, and forced down the rising vomit in his throat.
Once that was taken care of, Leroy put all the cleaning materials back in their place before wetting a cloth, heading over to the chair. Taking the damp cloth, he wiped down the chair, in order to cover any hoofprints he may have left. After doing this he tossed open the double doors to the outside, tossing the bag up before he climbed out. He shut the doors behind him and took the bag, trotting off to a secluded spot near a creek bed out in the forest. Leroy then emptied the contents of the bag, having to scrape out some of the limbs before draping the trash bag over the pile of mutilated body parts. With a quick spell he cast the lot afire, staying put and watching it burn. There was no remorse, no regret, just a feeling of hatred. Just another necessary job to keep his monopoly running. He could easily replace this squeaky cog. Come to think of it, that mare staying in the manor- what was her name, Sapphire something? She would make a rather good employee. Leroy mused on this as he watched the pile burn, silently sending up a pillar of smoke into the starry night sky above the forest canopy...

Sapphire Moonlight woke with a start, a strange noise like a gurgled cry from the basement having jolted her back into reality. Swiveling her ears, she noticed the rain had stopped, and the thunder was now just a faraway booming sound. However, since she was born a pegasus and had extraordinary hearing, she could make out the sounds of hoofsteps several floors below between the rounds of thunder. Suddenly, there came a noise that made her stomach churn. It was like the sound of an egg being thrown at a wall, except much, much louder. Following this was a muffled scream, followed by even more of the cracking.

By the time it stopped, she was standing on the floor, ready to flee or to fight whatever came her way. Several tense minutes passed, and upon making certain there was no ghost roaming the ornate hallways of this place, she trotted over to the window. Here she noticed something very startling.

There was a pillar of smoke rising above the forest canopy. Perhaps a brush fire? No, definitely not, for there was the silhouette of a pony down there. The wind was blowing the smoke away from the manor, yet she could smell something she couldn't exactly place. It was almost as if it was flesh that was burning, mixed with the scent of wood. Her mind slowly began to piece things together, and it wasn't long before she wondered if somehow the pony and the smell of burning were connected somehow.

Hoofsteps interrupted her from her thoughts. Somepony was coming down the hallway. Was she about to be attacked, slain, boxed up and never heard from again? Panic kicked in, prompting the mare to hurriedly grab her saddlebags off the foot of the bed and scramble to the window. She fumbled with the latch as a knocking came from the door, a voice calling out to her.

"Miss Moonlight?" the voice of Walter Comet asked. "Are you okay in there?"

She continued to fumble with the latch, eventually tugging the window down just as the doorknob began to rattle. She began to exit when the door burst open to reveal Walter, who possessed a dagger, strapped to his leg in a holster. The sight of the weapon frightened Sapphire, who warned the stallion to stay back. Despite the warning, Walter advanced, drawing out his dagger. In the words of his master, there could be no witnesses. No doubt, this mare had heard or possibly seen something, so she had to be dealt with.

Sapphire could only stand rigid as a statue, unable to move for the second time that night in her fear-addled state. The only thing that snapped her back to her escape attempt was the sharp stab of pain as the sharpened silver dagger sliced a sizable gash across her leg and wing. At this, she broke free, bucking the dagger out of the stallion's teeth as he tried to make a second swipe. With a curse from the stallion, the mare took off into the night with a slight left dutch roll motion due to the imbalance of lift over her damaged wing. She flew up and away from the manor, heading for the dim lights of the town on the horizon.

A pony trotted up to the entrance of Ponyville, the brim of her hat casting a shadow on her fuchsia-coloured eyes. A trench coat obscured her body and cutie mark, leaving only her wings visible. She had business to attend to here; something about finding an old artifact in a castle in the nearby forest. She had journeyed for several consecutive days to find this town, having come all the way from Manehattan on a previous adventure. So, upon stumbling into town an hour before sunrise, it was only natural that she needed to find a place to rest.

The town wasn't much, but it was nice indeed. Buildings lined a simple maze of streets, all of which bore a similar appearance. Their roofs were lined with simple wood or tile, the sign outside oftentimes being the only indication of a difference. Most places were closed; perhaps she'd find a bench in a park or something to rest under. Traveling by hoof sure did wear a pony out, even if they were a relatively young, highly fit, and experienced adventurer.

As she went about in search of a hotel, the sun began to crest over the horizon. The birds began to chatter, singing their ever-so-bothersome song into the morning twilight. With a yawn, the mare began to think about her next book. Not only was she an adventurer, she was an author, too. An author currently suffering from a severe case of writer's block. There was nothing to write about, no new adventure, no nothing. How could she continue her insanely popular action-adventure novel series if she had no new adventures to narrate? Secretly she hoped she could turn this venture into something of book material, though she knew her chances were slim. Searches for artifacts varied from dull and easy to outright dangerous.

Something landing on all four hooves with a slight thud mere feet in front of her jolted the adventurer back to reality. Adjusting her hat and donning her thick red-framed glasses, the mare looked up and met the eyes of a deep-blue coated mare who appeared to be slightly worn. Her coat was ragged, her feathers torn and wings drooping slightly, and blood encrusted on her leg.

"Can I help you?" the author-adventurer asked, with a tone of minor concern in her slightly raspy voice.

"I must reach the authorities as soon as possible," the mare replied, obviously frightened.

"Oh? What's going on?" This was starting to pique the author's interest. It was highly uncommon for somepony to require the authorities in a small town like this one. Could this be the start of some new adventure?

"I suspect something's happened over at the Saffron Manor." She looked over her shoulder, fearful that she had been followed. "There were noises down in the basement; I heard them from my room. Then there was a fire outside the manor..." She shuddered at this. Never had she seen things so disturbing; what was only supposed to be an effort to reveal the truth had rapidly deteriorated into the single most horrifying night of Sapphire's life. It wasn't supposed to have gone this far.

The other mare nodded. "Follow me. I'll get you the help you need."

Convinced, Sapphire followed, limping along behind the enigmatic trench-coat mare. Hopefully she'd get this all sorted out, sooner rather than later.

Chapter III: Enter Daring

The sun had risen over Ponyville by the time the two reached the police station. Upon entering the small building, the trench-coat mare saw to it that the other mare filed her report and sent it up to the detective's division. Normally, they would look in to the claim and gather evidence before obtaining a warrant and searching the Saffron property. However, this process could take weeks or even months, so the author-adventurer held a thought in the back of her mind. This thought was that she could take matters into her own hooves and sort this out for herself, perhaps getting some good story material out of it. Of course, she would wait a bit before acting on this whim, for if it went wrong she could face charges herself.

Now, she sat across from this mare at the town's most popular diner, chatting over some hayburgers and fries. "What made you think there was a murder in that home?" the trench-coat mare asked.

Swallowing a mouthful of hay, the blue mare, now known as Sapphire Moonlight, spoke. "Well, I heard some noises in the house when I was staying over there last night. Then there was a fire, and the smell of burning fur. Not exactly pleasant."

"Why were you staying there? Are you a friend of the Saffrons?" asked the other mare, taking a sip of her soda.

"Not exactly. Perhaps I should start at the beginning."

"Please do."

"Well, it all started with a venture of my own accord to go and dispel some rumours about a crazy old zebra who lives out in the Everfree Forest in a hut underneath a knotted old tree. I journeyed out there around sunset, arriving at the poison joke grove about an hour later. And I daresay, the rumours were true. You have no idea what I saw in that creepy hut."

Now this was getting interesting. A rumour about a zebra who lived in the very forest in which she planned to venture into later that day. Perhaps she should pay this enigmatic zebra a visit, just to see. "What did you see?"

"She said she'd tell me my fortune for a bit. So I paid up, and I doubt I'll forget what I saw in there. Ghostly manifestations, nasty green smoke blocking everything from view, and that mare! She just would randomly pop out of the smoke, speaking in rhymes or something. After I'd had enough, I escaped out into the forest, and stumbled upon the manor where-"

"Stop." The author held up a hoof. "Get to the point about the murder."

"Right, well, I was in bed that night when a sudden noise like a crack split the night. Then came screams, then silence. The next thing I knew, the smell of burning fur was in the air, and then the butler came knocking, armed with a dagger. He attacked me as I tried to escape. It was the most frightening night of my life."

"Well, Miss Moonlight," the author replied. "Believe me, there are more frightening things out there. But I'll see what I can do about this. Who knows, if the cops are too slow, maybe I'll take this into my own hooves."

"That would be a huge help," Sapphire said, taking another bite of her hayburger. "Say, I never did catch your name.

"A.K.," the author replied. "A.K. Yearling."

Sapphire nearly spat out her soda in surprise. "No way! The A.K. Yearling?! You're the author of the Daring Do series!"

"Uh, yeah, that's me," Yearling replied, adjusting her glasses. "Keep your voice down. I don't want everypony to know I'm here. This stays between us."

"Oh, of course!" Sapphire was nearly ecstatic with joy. Never had she thought that she would meet the author of her favourite book series, yet here she was! "What are you doing in Ponyville of all places?"

Yearling leaned in closer. "I'm here to find some inspiration for my next book. Writer's block is a terrible thing. However, since you told me about this incident, I think the book can wait." She stood up and reached into the pocket of her trench coat, drawing out some bits, a quill, and ink, placing the objects on the table. Then she produced a piece of scrap paper and asked Sapphire to jot down her address, which she did happily.

"Perfect. Expect a visit from me later on." Yearling held out her hoof. "A pleasure meeting you, Sapphire."

"A pleasure meeting you as well!"

After a thank-you from Sapphire, she departed from the diner and took to the streets of Ponyville, in search of clues to this Saffron Manor enigma. First stop, back to the police station for any information she could dig up on the Saffron family. Perhaps asking around the town would be a good idea too. But if anypony had anything, the cops were her safest bet. So police station it was.

As she trotted down the dirt streets towards her destination, she noticed that there was hardly anypony out on the streets. Puzzled, she continued on, eventually happening upon the town's marketplace. She didn't intend to stop, but a hoof grabbed her from behind. Instinctually she went for her switchblade knife, only to reject the decision seconds before she pulled it out. She was in a town, after all. And the pony who grabbed her probably didn't mean any harm. That thought was all the more confirmed the moment she shifted her gaze from the silver knife to the pony's face. This pony definitely did not pose a threat; it almost looked as though the red-maned pony was frightened.

"Don't keep going!" warned the pony, her green eyes darting to and fro in utter fear. "She's here!"

Yearling swatted the mare's hoof away with a khaki-coloured hoof. "Who?"

The pony pointed with her hoof to a cloaked figure standing in the middle of the road. What came next was entirely unexpected.

It was no more than an ordinary venture; just a grocery trip. She should have known the reaction that was to come. Of course, all the townsponies ran and hid when they laid their eyes on a creature such as her. So unaccustomed to zebras they were that they feared them. Of course, she knew the rumours, and with the way that pegasus who had ventured out to her hut probably wound up, those rumours had most likely spread.

So, Zecora figured it would be best just to get her things and return to her hut, but as she went about her shopping, something caught her eye. No, not something, somepony. A khaki pegasus mare in a trench coat and glasses who nearly walked up to her without hesitating. Through her cloak she watched the mare have a rather heated, brief discussion with another pony before beginning to approach once more. Skeptically the pegasus trotted right up to her, observing.

"Who are you?" Zecora asked. "And how do you do?"

"The better question is, 'Who are you?'" asked the mare.

Zecora grinned and removed her hood, revealing her true identity. It was no surprise to her that the mare's face lit up with shock upon seeing her striped face and mohawk-style mane.

"You're... a zebra!" the mare gasped.

"Correctly you have guessed; though I'm afraid I must be off for the best." With this, Zecora turned and galloped off towards the forest, her purchases dangling from her saddlebags.

Yearling was indeed surprised. Could this be the zebra Sapphire mentioned? She had to look in to this, but first she had to complete the task at hand. Her mind racing, Yearling set off once more for the police station.

Upon her arrival, Yearling was greeted by a snarky black-maned detective who begrudgingly showed her to the supervisor's office. They stood there awkwardly while they waited for the head officer to answer the knock at the door, neither really knowing what to say, though Yearling could tell that this detective was watching her. Studying her with those brilliant aqua eyes. Giving her the side eye as she took sips from the can of Red Goat she always seemed to have on hoof. Eventually, the head officer opened the door, welcoming both inside.

"Hello," he greeted cheerfully. He was a handsome unicorn stallion with a chiseled jaw and striking blue eyes; a salt-and-pepper mane completed the look. His uniform was pristine, pressed and ironed, insignia all shined. "My name is Blue Light. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Yearling nodded in reply.

Seeing that she was no longer needed, the black-maned detective took her leave. "Well," she snarked as she walked away, sipping her Red Goat. "Back to my patrol. Don't they know that I'm a royal investigator, not a foalsitter?"

"So," Blue Light continued. "How can I help you?"

"I'm looking for information on the Saffron Family," Yearling replied. "I think an acquaintance of mine filed a report with you guys on that subject."

"Uh, yes, she came in here a couple of hours ago. Sapphire Moonlight, right? I'll get out that report for you." He opened a cabinet and began to rifle though a series of manila folders.

Yearling was surprised at the sheer amount of these folders; she wondered if they really received this many reports over a single day. "Thank you, but it's not the report I need. I'm looking for information on the Saffron Family."

Blue Light gave her a puzzled look. That was their job, not hers. The police investigated things, not townsponies. "Oh," he said, closing the cabinet drawer. "I'll see what I can find."

Yearling idly sat by while the officer began to look. She scanned the room, noting the presence of several sets of identical grey file cabinets behind the desk and on the walls. A simple clock rested on the table, the hands reading just past thirteen-hundred. She yawned as her gaze shifted from the cabinets to the officer and back, blinking her eyes to try to remain focused. Thankfully, after what seemed like an eternity, the officer sat down across from her again. "Well," he spoke, "I don't have much, except that the Saffron Family owns one of the largest brewing firms in Equestria. Leroy Saffron is the current owner; it's been passed down through generations. His father apparently disappeared. That was investigated by the Royal Guard, so I'm afraid I can't tell you much on that."

"Thanks for the help," Yearling replied, standing up to leave. She couldn't waste any more time here with this guy if she wanted to get on with her personal investigation. As she trotted out the door, she heard Blue Light warn her.

"Oh, and miss, I strongly caution you not to go digging into these matters yourself. This should only be done by trained professionals."

She turned back with a smirk. "I am a professional." At that, she took her leave. Of course, the detective probably didn't know that she was none other than adventurer Daring Do Dazzle, and that she had personally done some investigating on various occasions. Thus, she would not heed his words at all.

As she walked, she went through her mental checklist. She wanted to get out of this as soon as possible; she hated being around other ponies. However, a part of her wanted to make it last. So far, it would make a rather good action novel to add to her series.

A knock on the door jolted Sunset Shimmer from her book. She trotted over to admit, albeit with an air of frustration, whoever was intent on bothering her. As she came up with some snarky response to utter at the pony who dared disturb her, only to drop it the moment Princess Celestia entered the room.

"Good evening, Sunset," the princess greeted. "Hope I'm not disturbing anything important."

"No," Sunset replied bluntly.

"That's good, because there is something I need you to do."

Sunset rolled her aquamarine eyes. She had a strong dislike of running errands. She was Celestia's prodigious scholar, not her maid. That was what that pegasus named Sevyn was for. Not her. "What is it this time?"

"I need you to go to Ponyville. You are to go there and search for information on the subject of the Everfree Forest."

"What for? I already know about the forest," the student groaned.

"You may know about it, but surely there's something there you haven't heard of. Go find out about that. I'm certain you'll succeed."

Sunset sighed. "Yes, your highness."

Chapter IV: The Scholar

Sunset Shimmer grumbled to herself as she trotted into Ponyville. Why did she need to know more about the forest? Didn't Celestia know that she already know enough? The forest was terribly vast, it was free, nopony controlled anything there, creatures cared for themselves... it was simple. There was nothing more to be learned. So, upon determining this and setting her mental roadblock, she decided to find a place to rest her raging mind.

There wasn't much in this tank town of a place; it didn't help that nearly all the buildings were identical, either. It wasn't anything like the glorious capitol of Equestria where she grew up. It was more of a town, with dirt roads and ugly buildings. Eventually, she happened across a place that appeared to be a small restaurant. Deciding that this would be the best place to collect her thoughts and calm her angry mind, she took a seat in a booth near the window that faced a small outdoor market. Strangely enough, there weren't a lot of ponies out at the marketplace today. She assumed that it would normally be bustling with many a shopper looking to purchase groceries, but that was not the case.

As she stared out the window, a waiter came up to her. "Hello there," he asked. "May I take your order?"

"A root beer, please," Sunset replied, not bothering to avert her eyes to the waiter.

The waiter nodded. "I'll get that started for you, then."

She worked through the breathing exercise Celestia had shown her in an effort to calm herself a few times to kill some time. By the time the waiter came back, her mind had subsided. Sunset thanked him and set a few bits on the table before turning her aquamarine eyes once more to the outside.

She continued to watch, her eyes eventually happening upon a small gathering of ponies around one of the vendors. She passively noticed one of them having a conversation with another before trotting towards the opposite end of the street. Sunset's eyes followed this pony, who was clad in a trench coat, a hat, and red glasses, as she approached what appeared to be a pony dressed in a similar fashion. Some curt words were spoken between the two mysterious members, and it wasn't long before the one the bespectacled mare was talking to let down her hood.

The result nearly caused the root beer to fly out of Sunset's mouth. That bespectacled mare wasn't talking to another pony, she was talking to a zebra! She blinked several times to ensure this wasn't an illusion or her mind playing tricks on her. Quickly she determined that this wasn't a trick of the mind, the sight of the zebra trotting away towards the forest only backing up the statement. Astonished, she turned her glance back to the mare who instigated the conversation to see her slowly walk away.

A thought suddenly burst into her mind. I need to find this mare. She needed to question her, find out what exactly that was about. Zebras lived in secluded places in the outermost parts of Equestria, never bothering to venture into pony-populated territory. She finished off her root beer and quickly trotted out of the restaurant, proceeding down the street. She decided to tail this mare in order to see what she could find out.

"I need you to tell me everything about the Saffron Family," Daring spoke. "What did you find out while you were there?" She was once more with Sapphire Moonlight, this time dropping by her house to gather some more information before heading out to the zebra's place. The more you know, the better off you are. Especially in this type of venture.

"Yearling, I don't know much," Sapphire replied. "I just know that he was wealthy, and that I have reasonable evidence that he murdered somepony. Besides that I have no other information."

Daring made a slightly annoyed tsk noise. The police were no help, and Sapphire didn't have any information aside from what she had already told her. There was, of course, the snarky investigator to be taken into account. She could be a valuable asset. Maybe she could get access to some information through the mare. However, she was probably very busy, and it may be best not to bother a cop. "Thanks, Sapphire."

"Oh, I'm not much help, but I'm more than happy to do what I can," Sapphire replied with a smile.

"I appreciate it. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go see what else I can find out."

Meanwhile, Sunset Shimmer had gathered some various information on who she was following. As it turns out, she had been following none other than A.K. Yearling, the famous author of the action-adventure Daring Do novels. She had read each one cover to cover, soaking up the adventure page by well-written page. Yet one question was on the forefront of Sunset's mind: Why was Yearling asking around about a family? Could it be that this had something to do with the zebra in the marketplace earlier? Yearling did match the exact description of the bespectacled mare talking to the zebra, so maybe whatever she was asking around about had to do with the zebra. Either that or she was gathering information for a book.

Yet this seemed too methodical for book information. Something about it was peculiar; if you were writing a book you wouldn't go to the police station, would you? But here she was, having a rather heated discussion with a unicorn detective who seemed to be rather snarky. She watched and listened from behind a newspaper, trying to tie together the bits of conversation.

"What's the deal with Saffron?"

"I already told you, lady, I don't know! I'm not assigned to this case!"

"Do you have any information on him?"

"If I did, it'd probably be public, given the state of things. However, it ain't, so I can't help you."

Sassy, yet spunky. Sunset lifted an eyebrow in interest. She was beginning to like this detective. She and Sunset seemed to have that spunky sass in common. She glanced back down to her newspaper to keep up the act, only to set it down in a hurry as her target left the station. She bolted up from her seat in the waiting area and dashed out the door, ignoring a call from somepony behind her to stop. The clattering of the doors had alerted Yearling, who turned around just as Sunset cast a teleportation spell.

Now hiding around a corner, Sunset saw the tan-coated mare turn back around and head off back into the town. She followed a few paces behind, studying the author intently. She continued to follow until the pair reached a rather familiar place a short walk down the road and directly across from the marketplace.

Daring Do sat down on a barstool with a heavy sigh. There was barely anything on the Saffron family, aside from the fact that Leroy Saffron, the head of the family, was a wealthy landowner. If she could gather up enough information to back up Sapphire's claim, she could present it to the police, and Leroy could be brought to justice. Yet there wasn't too much about the Saffrons, an annoying fact indeed. And with Sapphire being the only witness, there wasn't much of a case, either.

"Can I help you?" the bartender asked, prompting her to glance up at him. He was a taller unicorn stallion, with a stubble and jet-black mane.

"A scotch, please," Daring replied. She let her mind wander as he filled her glass, passively noting the brand of the drink as... Saffron Scotch. She blinked her eyes several times to ensure she wasn't seeing things. She definitely wasn't. Amazing, everything in this venture seemed to mock her, including this drink.

She was so wrapped up in her bottled-up frustration that she failed to notice another pony sitting down next to her until the bartender spoke. "Hey!" he said aggressively, "We don't serve minors here. Get out."

Daring turned her attention to the pony next to her, an orange-coated unicorn mare with a yin-yang sun for a cutie mark. She pretended not to notice the bartender, her horn lighting up with a spell. The bartender's eyes suddenly turned blank, his stance going rigid. "You don't care that I'm here," the mare muttered, a practically inaudible statement.

And much to her surprise, the bartender nodded, returning to his work.

"What the bloody Tartarus did you do to him?!" Daring hissed as she swung about to face her, astonished at the wizardry skill of this mare. She was visibly resisting the urge to slap this crazy pony with a hoof.

"Simple mind-control spell. What else?" the mare replied as she watched the pony pour a glass of root beer.

"Impressive," Daring stated, studying the mare.

"I know things, bitch," she snarked, knocking the root beer back.

Daring raised a brow. "What's your name?"

"I'm Sunset Shimmer," Sunset said. "And you are A.K. Yearling."

"How do you know that?"

"Oh, I've been tailing you. I know all about you, your books, and your little investigation. In fact-"

"What do you mean, 'you forgot the song?!'" a muffled voice said from the door, prompting Daring to hold up a hoof, cutting off Sunset. "Ah, screw it, just hit random, will you? Okay, three... two..."

SLAM! The doors were thrown open to reveal a blue-maned pony with a portable stereo accompanying the black-maned blue-eyed detective mare from earlier, a song blaring over the boom box.

"I'M A BITCH, I'M A LOVER, I'M A CHILD, I'M A M-"

"Alright, alright, turn it off!" the detective commanded as patrons visibly resisted the urge to laugh out loud. "It didn't work." She proceeded to sit down next to Daring and Sunset, hailing the bartender. After a brief exchange of words to which nopony bothered to listen, a drink was set in front of the detective. She took a few sips before turning to the other two. "Thought I could find you here," she said, glancing at Daring. "It's a great place. You know, that investigation into the Saffron 'murder?' Well, I've got information for you."

"Oh?" Daring and Sunset chorused.

"Wait a minute," Sunset interjected, "Your investigation is real?"

"We talked to the witness, and from what she could tell us, she visited a zebra shaman in the forest just prior to her arrival at the Saffron home," the detective continued. "I've started the process on getting a warrant to get this guy. I think if I can convince the police chief, we should be able to get Leroy Saffron in."

"What are you getting at?" Daring questioned.

"You're going to need the long arm of the law on your side, Miss Yearling. And face it, I'm the only cop who's actually willing to be your ally."

"What are your rates?"

The detective laughed. "As the saying goes, 'My tax dollars are your salary, coppa.' I'm not for hire; it's overtime."

"What is your name and badge number?"

"Why?" she asked, slightly taken aback by the sudden question.

"So that I can report you if you screw up."

The detective rolled her eyes. "Marnie Nightingale," she said through gritted teeth. "Badge number 4919."

"Thank you. As soon as we finish up here, we'll be on our way to visit that shaman."

"Hold on," Sunset said. "I'm your best shot at brains for this operation. I'd do just as good as she would in assisting you."

"Listen, filly, this isn't child's play," Nightingale warned. "We don't know what we're getting into here."

"Hold on," Daring stated, holding up a hoof. "She's got a flair for magical ability. I've never seen anypony as skilled as her. I think Sunset will be a big help to us."

Nightingale sighed. "If you insist."

Across the bar, Leroy Saffron covertly set down his mug. So, the authorities were on to him. Now he knew what he had to do. There were rumours of a zebra witch who lived out in the Everfree Forest. Perhaps she could help him throw the trio of mares off his tracks.