Bloodhound: The Mare in the Mirror

Chapters

A Light in the Dark
A Link in the Chain
A Chink in the Armor
A Peek Behind the Curtain
A Fall at the Peak
A Spanner in the Works
A Trick of the Light
A Kick to the Teeth
An Arrow to the Heart
A Tear in the Eye
A Death in the Family

A Light in the Dark

Bloodhound stood over the casket, feeling numb.

Whoever had prepared Sprout for the funeral had done a good job. She was in her favorite blue dress. Her mane didn't have a single hair out of place, and her smile made it look like she was peacefully sleeping. Bloodhound half expected her to roll over and say good morning.

"Houndsy?"

Bloodhound snapped back to reality. Her mother was softly prodding her on the shoulder, looking worried. "Sorry. Am I holding up the line?"

Fireball's concerned frown only grew deeper. "The funeral is over, Houndsy," she said gently. "It's time to go home."

Bloodhound glanced over her mother's shoulder, seeing the now-empty funeral home, save for a single sympathetic-looking stallion attendant. "Oh my. I had no idea I was here so long."

Fireball looked like she wasn't sure how to handle this. "Are you okay, Bloodhound?"

Bloodhound hesitated, then shrugged. "As okay as I can be, I suppose."

"I know a couple of good grief counselors from my service years," Fireball offered. "I could arrange an appointment, if you want."

Bloodhound shook her head. "No… no need for that." Her heart hurt, but she really didn't feel like having it opened up and picked apart.

Fireball looked like she wanted to argue, but didn't. "How about we go get something to eat? That always makes me feel better."

Bloodhound sighed, but smiled weakly. "That sounds like a great idea."

Bloodhound woke up, pulled on a sweater, and changed the feed and water bottles on the side of Rudy's tank. She didn't take him out for pets or treats. She'd recovered a little, but she still couldn't bring herself to do that.

She grabbed her saddlebags and made her way downstairs. Thankfully, the manor had been left to Fireball, so the two of them weren't out in the cold.

It had been around a week since the funeral. Bloodhound hadn't left the house since, but eventually, she had to. Without Sprout, the awkwardness between her and Fireball was just too much. The house was unbearably quiet and cold, and Bloodhound couldn't take it.

Fireball was in the dining room, reading the newspaper. She looked up at Bloodhound, blinking in surprise at seeing her with her bags. "You're going out?"

"Yes. I'm going to see a friend." Bloodhound looked down, not meeting her mother's eyes.

But she could still see Fireball grin. "That's great! I'll be heading out today as well."

Probably to get plastered. "That's lovely to hear. I hope you have fun." Bloodhound turned and left without another word.

It was a chilly day, but with a clear, pretty sky. Bloodhound boarded a carriage. "Downtown, please," she told the driver.

Her destination was a building bearing a large sign, which read Buck Your Biceps, in big red letters

The smell of this place had never been Bloodhound's favorite, but the mixed scent of protein shakes and the sweat of the various ponies using the exercise machines was a combination she'd gotten used to.

A couple of her acquaintances gave her polite greetings, which she returned as she made her way to a door at the back. She knocked politely.

Buck Up opened the door. She was a big earth pony mare, with plenty of muscle rippling under her purple coat. Her short, neat red mane was bound in a purple headband. She smelled like she'd been lifting weights for hours, which was perhaps appropriate for her dumbbell cutie marks. Bloodhound could smell some kind of leafy vegetable on her breath.

Upon seeing Bloodhound, she grinned widely. "Houndsy! You missed your last couple appointments. I was starting to get worried."

"Sorry, Bucky," Bloodhound said, not meeting her eyes. "There was a death in the family. Mom. I needed time to recover."

Bucky winced. "Sweet Celestia, ya could have told me that earlier. I'm really sorry for your loss. Sprout was a good mare. You're always welcome here to blow off steam if you need to."

Bloodhound nodded. "I would have said something earlier," she explained as she was led to a treadmill. "But I was also dealing with broken ribs, and didn't really have the energy to send a letter."

"Jeez! What happened?" Bucky asked with clear concern. "Sounds like a home invasion."

Bloodhound, being distracted by trying not to trip and be catapulted off the treadmill, was actually able to answer without breaking down. "Mom died right in front of me. I had such a bad asthma attack that I needed CPR, which wrecked my chest."

"Well, I'm just glad you're hale and healthy now," Bucky replied uncertainly. She wore an awkward smile that made it clear she wasn't quite sure how to handle tragic news like this. She cleared her throat. "Most folks would give up on personal training after something like that. You're stronger than you look. Do you mind if I ask what happened to her?"

Bloodhound stumbled a little, but Bucky supported her from behind and got her trotting again. "We aren't entirely sure," Bloodhound admitted, not meeting her eyes. "The coroner said that he found nothing in her system that could have caused those symptoms."

Bucky immediately stood straighter. "I know that look. You think you might know?"

Bloodhound hesitated, but nodded.

Bucky waited a few seconds for an explanation. "Are you gonna tell me?"

Bloodhound really didn't want to say what had been on her mind since Sprout's death, but she knew Bucky wouldn't take no for an answer. "As I thought back, I recognized some of the symptoms of…" She took a deep breath. "...Scorpider venom."

A look of realization crossed Bucky's face. "You're blaming yourself."

"What if it was my fault?" Bloodhound argued. "What if I didn't tighten the lid on Rudy's tank enough? What if he got out, or she tried to tighten it herself, and he bit her? I'm too unsure of myself to ask the police about it, but my brain won't stop asking itself… what if it was my fault? I haven't had the courage to check the cage. I'm scared of what I'll see."

"No no no! We are not going down that rabbit hole." Bucky stopped the treadmill, and then stopped the startled Bloodhound from running right off of it. "You and I are gonna go back to your house and make sure nothing is wrong with Rudy or his tank. Then you can get that weight off your shoulders, alright?"

Bloodhound sighed. "I… suppose."

"Hey! What did I tell you about being all unsure?" Bucky chastised.

Her caring rebuke did make Bloodhound smile a little. "You're right. Yes, that is a good idea. Thank you, Bucky."

Bucky grinned and gave her a playful whip with her tail. "Atta girl. Let's get a move on."

Bloodhound's room had gotten slightly messy. In addition to her brief hospital stay, she just hadn't had the motivation to do anything beyond feeding Rudy and the Fire Nation.

Bucky kicked a sweater out of the way. "Jeez. I've got some work to do getting you back where you were."

Bloodhound blushed. "Well, that’s why you're my life coach."

"And I'm happy to do it!" Bucky shot back with a teasing grin. "Now come on. Let's look at this cage."

Rudy had been asleep when they came in, but the slight jostling of his cage woke him up. He stretched his eight legs, but didn't get up. He just looked up at them curiously.

Bloodhound couldn't help smiling at him as she checked the locks. "It's okay, Rudy. We're just making sure your cage is sealed up well." You're a good boy. Surely you wouldn't bite her. Bucky is almost a stranger to you, and you're not scared or hostile.

"It looks like all the locks are good and tight," Bucky observed. "There aren't any holes in the screen that he might have stung through. So I think your conscience should be clear."

Bloodhound let out a small sigh of relief. She felt the stress leave her shoulders. "Thank you for being here for me, Bucky. I know it was silly, but I really needed help."

"Hey, it's what you pay me for, and I'd have done it even if you didn't pay me. That's what friends are for." She glanced at Rudy and shuddered. "What you can't pay me enough to do is take care of one of those things. Why do you even have him, anyway?"

"Rudy? I've been milking him for venom to deliver to Canterlot General Hospital. It's a volunteer position. They intend to make it into antivenom." She blinked, then made a squeak of alarm. "The hospital! I finished their order ages ago and I've yet to deliver it!"

"Want some company while you make the delivery?" Bucky offered.

"I'd appreciate it," Bloodhound replied as she opened her fridge. "Thankfully, Scorpider venom doesn't expire. So it should still be…" She trailed off as she looked into the fridge, a frown of confusion crossing her features.

"Houndsy? What's wrong?" Bucky asked.

Confusion turned to realization. Bloodhound took several steps back, falling on her rump hard enough for her glasses to almost fall off. She pointed wordlessly at the refrigerator.

Bucky examined it. The racks of venom vials were all completely full, except for one spot. "So you forgot to do one order. Can't you just milk him now, before we leave? I could just step as far away from that thing as possible while you do it."

"No." Bloodhound's voice shook from shock. "I finished the entire order. I know I did. I placed the last vial in the rack just before the party."

"What? Then where did…?" The exact same realization hit her like a truck. "Oh. Oh no."

Bloodhound trembled as she stood, straightening her glasses. "The symptoms match, and one of my venom vials is missing. We need to go report this to the Guard."

Bucky stood next to her to help brace her. "Think your mom would mind if we borrow the family carriage? I'll drive."

The office of the Canterlot Guard was a grand, imposing building, made of granite and gilded with gold. After a hectic ride, the two requested an urgent meeting. After filling out some paperwork, they fortunately were brought to the back offices rather quickly.

The officer who met with them was a big, square-jawed mare with a seafoam-green coat and a crew-cut, pale blue mane. She looked extremely bored. The nameplate on her desk read 'Sergeant Starfish’. She had a grizzled look, like she really needed some sleep. Bloodhound could smell subtle notes of soil and fertilizer on her. "So, you're here to report a murder?" she said with an odd note in her voice.

Is she… hopeful? "A possible one," Bloodhound admitted. She explained their findings in her fridge, and her knowledge of the symptoms. "So, you see, we were hoping the Guard could investigate."

Starfish huffed. She rolled back in her chair to rifle through a filing cabinet, pulling out and opening a single manilla file. "Bamboo Sprout. Cause of death: Unknown illness of the stomach. No foul play suspected."

"But these are new details!" Bucky argued. "Surely this is a good reason to at least look into it further."

"The case is closed," Starfish said firmly. "We don't need civilians scaring everypony by second-guessing our investigations. Not to mention you have inherent bias."

"But… but…" Bloodhound stammered weakly.

"Go home," Starfish ordered. "Take care of the mother you have left. Leave the detective work to the professionals."

Bloodhound opened her mouth to argue, but closed it and nodded slowly. She got up and slowly walked out of the office with her head down. Bucky glared at Starfish for a moment before following her.

They barely made it to the waiting room before Bloodhound broke down. She sat down, head in her hooves, and cried. Bucky said something, but she didn't hear what it was. It was over. She was no closer to finding out how her Mom had died than before she found that the vial was missing. She felt crushed. Now I'll always wonder if it really was murder. Who in Equestria would kill her? She didn't have any enemies!

"Houndsy? Is that you?"

The voice was familiar, but before Bloodhound could look up, she was again pulled into an involuntary hug that almost re-cracked her ribs. "It is!" Aphrodite said cheerily, wrapping her wings around her just to further ensnare her in the painful embrace. "What are you doing crying in the middle of a police station? That's not the place for it."

"Erm… We're here to report a murder, ma'am," Bucky explained, looking utterly confused. "She's crying because the Guard turned us away."

Aphrodite gasped, and suddenly Bloodhound was forcibly snuggled into her chest. This was a little more comfortable than the outright hug, but now her mouth was muffled by fur. "You poor thing! After so much tragedy already too. Who died now?"

As Bloodhound was still silenced by snuggles, Bucky answered for her. "No one new. We think Bamboo Sprout may have been murdered."

Bloodhound suddenly fell to her back as Aphrodite released her in shock. "Wait, what?"

When she'd recovered, Bloodhound brought her up to speed. As Bloodhound spoke, Aphrodite's expression went through several changes. It started with sadness at Bloodhound explaining how she'd been blaming herself, then went to horror at the missing vial of poison. Finally, when she spoke of the guard office, Aphrodite looked angry. Her wings were flared out, her nostrils flared, and her eyes filled with grim determination.

When Bloodhound finished, Aphrodite said three words: "Come with me."

She stood up. Bloodhound almost wasn't quick enough to keep up as she led them back into the Guard offices. "Where are you taking us?" Bloodhound asked nervously.

"To somepony who can help," Aphrodite replied. "Like I said, you need somepony to help you get your hoof in the door."

The hallway she brought them to was small, rather cramped, and had an unfortunate smell of improperly mixed cleaning chemicals. The wallpaper was faded and torn in places. A sign on the ceiling read: Headquarters of the Canterlot Watch.

Aphrodite knocked on a door at the end of the hall. "Merri? You here? Got some ponies who need your help."

She backed them up a little, before the door burst open. The mare on the other side had the biggest, most excited smile that Bloodhound had ever seen. Her mane was pitch-black, tossed elegantly over one shoulder to match an intricately prench-braided tail. Little black freckles dotted her snow-white coat. Her cutie mark was a simple magnifying glass. "Good morning!" She greeted in a smooth accent that Bloodhound couldn't quite place. "Please, come into my office! I'm Constable Merrilight!"

Bloodhound and Bucky took the two chairs in front of an old, beat-up desk that looked like it had been bought at a yard sale. Most of the tiny office was packed wall-to-wall with filing cabinets, and the desk was so covered in papers that it may as well have also been a filing cabinet. Merri shook both their hooves with the vigor of a pony who loved her job. "Constable Merrilight! First head of the Canterlot Watch!"

"Canterlot… Watch?" Bloodhound asked in confusion. "Are you part of the Guard?"

Merri's smile wavered for just a moment. "Sort of! The Watch is a new experiment. A civilian police force, that's far more flexible than the Guard!"

"Do you have any actual authority?" Bucky asked suspiciously.

"Well of course we do!" Merri replied, surprised.

"Is there actually a we, or is it just you?"

Merri narrowed her eyes and frowned. "Do you want my help or not?"

"W-we do!" Bloodhound said before Bucky could give another snarky reply. She shot her a look of warning. Bucky only shrugged in response.

Merri's overly-wide smile returned. "Great! So, what's on your mind, and how do you know Mrs. Aphrodite?"

Bloodhound swallowed nervously. Should I tell her? I barely know her. Bucky is right. She does seem a little strange. "Um… I… um… Well, you see…"

"I'm a friend of Bloodhound's late stepmother," Aphrodite explained. "Houndsy discovered evidence that she may have been murdered, but the Guard turned her away."

"Yes, that's the gist of it," Bloodhound said with a blush. "Sorry. I'm not the best speaker. Instead of chirping beautifully like a cricket, I tend to scream incoherently like a cicada."

"Think nothing of it!" Merri assured with a wave of her hoof. "Now, tell me everything."

Bloodhound's throat was honestly getting kind of sore from retelling the story and her theory multiple times, but she did anyway.

Merri's smile somehow got even wider as she nodded. "Excellent! A lovely mystery!"

"The food and drinks consumed that night are still in our refrigerator," Bloodhound informed. "I'm sure you could test them somehow."

But Merri didn't seem to be paying much attention. "Yes! Yeeeesss!" She was rubbing her hooves together like she was trying to start a fire. "Absolutely! I'll take your case!"

Bloodhound's mood immediately brightened. "Oh thank you so, so much! You have no idea how much this means to—"

But she blinked, and suddenly Merri was gone, the door was open, and the sound of galloping hoofsteps echoed down the hall. "I… I never told her where I live."

"That's Merri for you," Aphrodite chuckled. "We'd better catch up with her. I had some business here, but it can wait."

They caught up to Merri as she struggled to get her gold-buttoned, black watch coat off a coat rack that was too tall. Then they made off for Bloodhound's.

Fireball wasn't home, so Merri pulled the wine bottles and the contents of the food tray into clear plastic bags. "I'll get these to the lab immediately!" she proclaimed.

"Thank you!" Bloodhound replied eagerly. "Do you want to investigate my room, where the missing venom was?"

"Hm?" Merri looked at her, confused. "Oh. I'm not trained to investigate crime scenes."

Bloodhound and Bucky stared at her, mouths agape. It took several seconds for Bucky to find her words. "What… you… what!? You're the head of the Watch! How are you not trained to search crime scenes!?"

"My job is mostly administrative…" Merri mumbled, looking hurt.

"Like she said, the Watch is an attempt at a civilian police force," Aphrodite explained. "Really it's just her and one deputy right now. Buuuuuut…" She grinned like a shark, similarly to the smile she had at the party. "Houndsy here is pretty good at this kind of thing. She showed me at the party."

Bloodhound suddenly felt like she was a very juicy mouse in front of a bunch of hungry hawks. "Erm…"

"Eh?" Merri turned to her. "What's she mean?"

"Oh yeah!" Bucky said with a smile. "That thing you did to find who stole all that protein powder at the gym! I remember."

"Show her!" Aphrodite encouraged. "Do Merri!"

Bloodhound sighed. She took a momentary sniff, and glanced over her. "You grew up poor, but came into money. You have a dog and a cat at home. You're passionate about your job, despite being totally unappreciated. You've never lived outside of Canterlot, but recently went on a vacation out into the countryside."

Merri was taken aback. "How in Celestia's—!?"

"Houndsy's got a strong nose, and she's good with details," Bucky said with a chuckle.

Bloodhound couldn't help a sigh. "You smell of a certain discount bakery in the business district, but not of a recent trip. For it to have become part of your scent, you'd have had to be a regular for years. The polish on your uniform buttons is floral scented instead of orange or lemon, which are common cheap varieties. Your uniform is extremely cheap, and not much work went into designing it, but it's clearly been well-taken-care-of. You stepped in some kind of feces in the last few days, and have been desperately trying, but not succeeding, in washing the smell of it off."

She was out of breath after that tirade, and so was Merri. But then that smile from the office slowly spread across the watchmare's face.

Then she lunged.

Bloodhound cried out. At first, she thought she'd been stabbed. It was only when she looked down at the silver deputy badge now pinned to her sweater that she realized she kind of had been.

"Welcome to the Canterlot Watch!" Merri announced proudly.

"What!?" Bloodhound sputtered, still shocked at having a pin shoved into her chest. "But I haven't gone through any training! I'm also biased and connected to the case!"

"That's fine!" Merri assured, waving it off. "The Watch is so new, and so minor, that there are technically no laws that officially apply to us yet!"

"I doubt the courts and the princesses will see it that way!" Bloodhound argued feebly.

"I doubt any of them will care as long as we catch a murderer!" Merri shot back.

"She makes a fair point," Bucky admitted. "I kinda doubt that the Princess will side with a killer if we prove it well enough."

"You have been looking for a good job," Aphrodite pointed out coyly.

That gave Bloodhound pause. They all had really good points. Could I really be good at this?

The talks with her mom and mother the day before the murder crossed her mind. She always sabotaged herself. She needed to be more confident. That bolstered her resolve. Regardless, she had to steel every ounce of nerve in order to nod.

Aphrodite smiled proudly at her. Bloodhound braced herself for another painful hug, but none came. "Ahem. Yes. Right. Let's get going then." She straightened her glasses nervously.

Rudy hissed at them as they entered. "Sorry, Rudy-tootie," Bloodhound soothed. "I know you're not used to big crowds. But they're here to help."

Rudy didn't speak Equish, but her tone soothed him enough to get him to curl up and go back to sleep.

"Probably a bit late to search for hoofprints on the carpet," Bloodhound guessed. "Maybe the fridge itself?"

"I see you keep your refrigerator padlocked," Merri observed. "Do you keep the key in here?"

Bloodhound shook her head, producing her key ring from her floofy mane. She looked doubtfully at the lock. Could I have been wrong? Could I—? "Hey! What are these scratches?"

The lock mechanism had scratches all over it! "I just bought this lock last month!"

"Let me see that!" Bucky instructed. She gently nudged Bloodhound out of the way, looking closely. "Growing up, before I started my gym, I used to be a little bit of a rascal. I may not be a master detective, but I'd bet half my back-left leg that this lock got picked."

"That's not exactly news," Merri pondered. "If they didn't have the key, they would've had no choice but to pick or break the lock."

"Picking a lock takes time," Bucky said. "They'd have needed to get away from the party for a bit."

Bloodhound brightened. "Aphrodite! You were there at the party! Did anypony leave at any point?"

Aphrodite frowned in thought. "If I remember right, we all did. Lace went looking for a mirror to fix her mane. Flip started looking queasy, so we sent her to find a place to throw up. Plus I had to excuse myself to the bathroom for a while, so I'm not sure what else might have happened while I was gone."

"You were there too, Bloodhound," Bucky reminded. "Do you remember anything strange?"

Bloodhound flinched. "I'd rather not think back to that night."

"Ms. Bloodhound, you have to!" Merri scolded. "If you don't, and this truly is a murder, the killer will most definitely walk free!"

That gave Bloodhound pause. "I… I suppose you're right."

"We're all here for you, Houndsy," Aphrodite consoled.

Bloodhound took a deep breath. "Alright. Give me a moment to think."

She went over the night in her head. Nothing stuck out as particularly related to the murder during the party. As she got to the moment of death, her breath hitched, but she steadied herself. The last moments of her life were spent trying to make me see myself as stronger than I am.

Something about that sentence made Bloodhound frown. Wait. See myself. The mirror. Just before she died… "I think I remember something!"

They all perked up, leaning in eagerly.

She had thought it extremely vital when it first hit her, but now that she'd announced it out loud, and they were all staring at her, she got a little flustered. "Well… it might be nothing…"

"Any detail can be important!" Merri proclaimed. "Come on! Spit it out!"

Bloodhound cleared her throat. "Well, just before she died, I was looking in the mirror. We had left the door open behind us. It was only for a moment, but I thought I saw something in the doorway behind us."

"What was it?" Bucky asked.

It took a moment for Bloodhound to get over feeling it must have been a silly trick of the light and admit what she'd seen. "A pony. Or, well, the silhouette or shadow of one, peeking into the room we were in. Like I said, I only saw it for a moment, so I didn't get much detail." If only I'd paid more attention, I might know what it was that I really saw.

Bucky, seemingly able to read Bloodhound's mind, whipped her in the rump with her tail, snapping her out of her self-hate and making her give an embarrassed pout.

"And who else but the killer would have cause to be away from the party and peeping on you?" Merri concluded. "In any other circumstances, it might be coincidence. But we have evidence of a murder weapon being taken, and a potential killer."

"But that isn't possible!" Aphrodite said, brow furrowed, playing with her mane in thought. "All of us were either in or around the bathroom. Lace and I helped Flip get there so that she could clean herself up."

Bloodhound frowned, humming thoughtfully. "Maybe it really was just a trick of the light."

Merri looked like she wanted to argue, but before she could, there was a loud, urgent knock at the front door.

Confused, Bloodhound went to go answer it, only to find an unfortunately familiar face on the other side of the door. "Sergeant Starfish! Wh-what are you doing here?"

"Not here for you." Starfish wrinkled her nose in distaste at just seeing Bloodhound. "Merrilight! Get your plot out here!"

Merri poked her head out, her chin resting on Bloodhound's mane like she was peeking through a red bush. "Ah! Fishy! Good to see you!"

"Cut the pleasantries. We have work to do. There's no time for you to be dashing off chasing murders in disease deaths."

"Actually, we found—" Bloodhound attempted to say.

"Quiet," Starfish interrupted in a bored tone. "I didn't ask you. You can go back to your fancy tea sets and galas and let those of us who've actually trained do the real work."

Bloodhound had to shake her head to clear the confusion that statement caused. I've never been to a gala in my life!

She actually had to hold Bucky back from slugging the guard. "Hey! You do not talk to her like that!

"Now, now, everypony! No need to get uncivil."

Aphrodite had stepped between Bucky and Starfish, holding her wings out to keep them further apart.

Starfish blinked in surprise. Suddenly her bored bravado left her, and she looked nothing less than eager to please. "Lady Aphrodite! My sincerest apologies!"

"I wouldn't address your apology to me, Sergeant," replied Aphrodite. "After all, that insult you just gave was to the daughter of Fireball Whiskey."

Bloodhound had never seen a pony's life flash in front of their eyes before. The emotions on Starfish's face went from surprise, to confusion, to realization, and finally, to alarm. She threw herself at Bloodhound's hooves. "Ma'am! I'm sorry, ma'am!"

I really need to ask Mother exactly what her military service was. "Um… think nothing of it. All is forgiven."

Starfish let out a sigh of relief, looking embarrassed as she stood up off the floor. "Right. Thank you. Ahem. Anyway, I require Constable Merrilight's assistance, if you can spare it."

Bloodhound glanced back at Merri just in time to see a look of mischief fade into a smile. "Of course I'll come. But you should know, I did take the liberty of deputizing Miss Bloodhound for the purposes of her investigation. Her skills have greatly impressed me."

Starfish's glare could have withered the beauty of Princess Celestia. But it fortunately vanished as she sighed. "I don't even want to mention the ethical and legal issues with you letting her work on her own case. But as long as you do the paperwork for it, and deal with the fallout, I don't get paid enough to care. You can bring her along." She turned and started to leave as Merri did a little victory hop.

Bloodhound stopped Merri before she could follow. "What are you doing?" she asked in a hushed tone. "We need to investigate here."

"Trust me!" Merri whispered back. "Helping the Guard out will earn us much-needed resources for solving your case. Starfish may be a pain, but she takes care of those under her."

"She's right," Aphrodite agreed. "Doing this could give you the means to catch Bambi's killer."

Bloodhound looked to Bucky, who could only shrug. "I guess they sound like they know what they're talking about." She grinned. "Besides, I'll still be there to make sure you're alright."

Bloodhound smiled warmly back. "That makes me feel infinitely better."

"Unfortunately, I had better go for now," Aphrodite said with an apologetic look. "I'm already a bit late for some personal business."

"I understand," Bloodhound assured. "Thank you for your help."

"Aww. You're welcome Houndsy." She opened her arms for a hug.

"Ah! Sorry! I had better catch up with Starfish!" My ribs just healed! I am not risking them again!

With no more reason to hesitate, Bloodhound, Bucky, and Merri trotted after Starfish, who was waiting in a carriage out on the road.

"So," Bloodhound said to Starfish nervously. "What exactly will I be helping with?"

Starfish snorted. "You've got some serious luck. Though whether it's good or bad, I can't say."

Bloodhound suddenly felt on-edge. "What do you mean?"

"Your first little job for us is one of the rarest ones in all Equestria," Starfish replied. "You get to help solve an actual murder."

A Link in the Chain

It occurred to Bloodhound that she just might be in over her head.

She had hoped to get a guard to solve her mother's murder, only to go from that to solving it herself. Now it was going from that to now using what used to be a little trick used in research to solve a completely unrelated murder. How did I even get into this? I have the least training out of everypony here! She could feel her breathing getting more labored as her stress built.

She was stirred out of her panic as the carriage stopped. "We're here," Starfish announced redundantly.

Bloodhound glanced out of the carriage window. The house they'd parked in front of was an idealistic, white-picket-fence, two-story house flanked by dozens of others that looked exactly like it. Reminds me of that movie with the aliens and the weird peapod things. She shuddered. I had better not find a clone of myself trying to replace me.

The house they had parked in front of was set apart from the others by the presence of police tape and ponies in gold armor. Two of them were puking in tandem. The only one who wasn't greeted them at the door, and he still looked green around the gills as he saluted them. "We did as you asked, had photographs taken and sent the body to Cold Case, ma'am," he informed. "Seems pretty open-and-shut. The wife was the only one home. She had motive. She had opportunity."

"Great!" Starfish said, suddenly cheerful. "Toss her in a cell. I'll pry a confession out of her after lunch."

Bloodhound blinked, taken aback by Starfish's response. "Shouldn't we at least look over the crime scene?" Bloodhound suggested as politely as she could.

Starfish glared at her. "Is that insubordination I hear?"

Bloodhound quailed. "U-uh…"

"Uh huh!" Merri finished. "Because technically she's deputized by the Watch. And there's nothing in the law saying that we're in any way subordinate to the Guard. Though there's plenty saying we have every right to search a crime scene."

Starfish looked like she was going to explode. If we don't get away from her, there might be several more murders on this crime scene.

Thankfully, Bucky stepped in with a more diplomatic approach. "Go ahead and go get lunch. We don't wanna keep you from that. We can handle looking over the crime scene."

Starfish looked her up and down. "I don't see a deputy badge on you."

"I ran out of deputy badges," Merrilight lied. It was obvious even to Bloodhound that her nervous grin and lack of eye contact meant she'd completely forgotten that little detail.

Starfish was on the brink of anger and apathy. Thankfully, laziness won out. "Fine. But the suspect goes in a cell. Don't want her running while you plod along and hmm at little specks of dust."

"May we speak with her first?" Bloodhound asked. "It might help more than you know to have a less… aggressive party speaking with her. Trust me. My mother yells like a drill sergeant. I have never genuinely opened up to her when she's like that."

Starfish actually looked thoughtful. "I suppose that makes sense. Hammering at a perp takes a long time to get us a confession. Get her to let her guard down, and she might slip up. Heh. You might be useful after all, pipsqueak."

Bloodhound blinked several times at the sudden, honest agreement. "Uh… thank you."

Starfish glanced at Merri. "You, stay outside with the badgeless one. I'm not getting written up for your sake. I'll skip lunch just this once to put your rookie through her paces."

"But—" Merri attempted. Her brow was furrowed, and she cast a worried glance at Bloodhound before she was cut off.

"Don't give me any legal loophole bunk!" Starfish ordered. "I don't care who her mother is or who your friends are. You're on my crime scene. I'm the lead investigator. If you give me the slightest reason, I will have you booted off."

Merri bit her lip as she looked at Bloodhound. It occurred to Bloodhound that making herself seem useful to Starfish might have been a bad idea.

"You, come with me," Starfish told Bloodhound. "Let's see if you're as good as Merri says you are."

The inside of the house was rather nice. The wall of the entrance hall was lined with pictures in frames, though several of them had been knocked over. A staircase on the right, near the front door, led down to the basement. Another on the opposite side led upstairs. Soft sobs came from further in the house.

"Classic crocodile tears…" Starfish muttered. "Alright, before we talk to her, I'll give you the rundown of the vic and perp."

Bloodhound nodded, ignoring her continued assumption that she knew who did it. Who knows? Maybe she's right and this really will be open and shut. She is more experienced.

"The victim is a stallion named Baron Matchstick," Starfish continued. "He's a known matchmaker. Not the lighty lighty burny burny kind. Romantic matches. He's well-known and well-liked in the community. Our killer is Countess Spiderweb. Classic trophy wife, married off by her rich family to the first pony of high station that they could find. Rumor has it that her husband was cheating on her, which gives her motive."

Bloodhound sniffed the air a little, grimacing. "At least one of them smokes, and somepony vomited in the hallway, but it got cleaned up."

Starfish looked startled. "Yeah. We caught Spiderweb cleaning up vomit when we got here after the neighbors called us. How'd you know?"

"The smell," Bloodhound replied. "I have a very sensitive nose."

"Huh. Sounds like I might get that promotion after all. Anyway, perp is in the kitchen."

Spiderweb was a pegasus mare, with a dark, slightly dull purple coat, and a salt-and-pepper mane that was in an intricate braid. She smelled vaguely of vomit beneath her expensive perfume. Bloodhound also detected traces of lemon dish soap scent on her. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying.

"Pardon me, madam?" Bloodhound said as she slowly approached. "I'm… Deputy Bloodhound, with the Watch. This is Sergeant Starfish, with the Guard. We'd like to ask you a few questions."

Starfish, surprisingly, stuck to her word and stayed quiet, letting Bloodhound work.

Spiderweb sniffled. "Please… I'm telling you I didn't do it…"

Bloodhound frowned. Just how rough were they with this mare? "I understand, Countess Spiderweb. But we have to investigate all avenues. Could you please tell us what you know of your husband's death?"

Spiderweb looked down at her hooves on the table. "I was washing dishes after dinner when it happened," she recalled. "I heard Sticky screaming and choking, somewhere downstairs. I ran to go check on him, and he bumped into me on the stairs. He was so unsteady that he stumbled into the wall. Several of our photos fell down from how hard he fell. He grabbed onto me like his life depended on it, and yelled in my face…" She covered her hooves with her eyes, sobbing.

"The neighbors heard him yell 'She's killing me!' pretty clearly," Starfish recalled. "Doesn't look good for you, Miss Web."

"I didn't kill him!" Spiderweb protested through her tears. "He vomited all over me and the floor, then ran upstairs! I found his body in the bathroom, and… I was so shocked, I barely remember my own movements after that. The next thing I remember is cleaning the vomit and broken glass off of the floor, when you lot barged in."

Bloodhound winced at just how similar it was to her own experience. "Thank you, Countess. May I have a look around your home? Just a sweep to find anything we might have missed on our first run through." She felt a little guilty pretending to be of any kind of authority, but hoped the mare might find it comforting. "Sort of like ants sniffing for crumbs. We're good at looking, but crumbs are awfully small."

She'd intended it as a genuine example, but Spiderweb seemed to take it as a joke to lighten the mood. It got a small smile out of her. "Yes. Sorry. I'm afraid I can't be much help in my current state, but please feel free to ask if you have any questions."

"We'll ask you questions when we're done," Starfish said firmly. "There are officers outside to escort you back to Guard Headquarters for questioning."

"O-oh." Spiderweb looked like somepony had just broken her ant farm. "Yes, I suppose that makes sense…"

Bloodhound started to protest as Spiderweb left, but a harsh glare from Starfish silenced her. She'd pushed her luck enough. "May I begin my search?" she said, somewhat awkwardly.

Starfish nodded. "I'll follow, to make sure you don't muck up the crime scene. You notice anything so far?"

"Well, right now things seem to match up with her version of the story. How big was Matchstick? Around your size?"

Starfish looked like she'd just been pinched. "Are you saying I'm fat?"

"N-no!" Bloodhound shook her head vehemently. "I-I just need a pony of similar size to him. I thought that reenacting things as we search could confirm whether or not Spiderweb's story is accurate!"

"Good point," Starfish conceded, relaxing. "I suppose he is around my size. Alright. The countess claimed she heard him in the basement. Let's start there."

Fantastic idea! Let's go to the basement where a murder just occurred! Has she never seen a horror movie before!?

The basement was set up like a den or study, with comfy recliner chairs, multiple bookshelves, a brick fireplace, and a large, sturdy-looking safe that hung open. A desk sat across from the fireplace. It was oddly dirty and dusty, as if not used very often.

Starfish looked in the safe. "Empty."

Bloodhound frowned, squinting. "It barely has any dust."

"He must have used it often," Starfish replied.

"Why was it open?" Bloodhound asked.

Starfish shrugged. "Dunno. Does it matter?"

"As big as this thing is, it must have had something important inside," Bloodhound explained. "If it isn't inside, where did it go?"

Starfish shrugged. "I suppose the perp took it."

Bloodhound shook her head stubbornly. "And did what with it? The neighbors definitely would have been watching after hearing a scream like what you described. I know my neighbors would, judging by the number of complaints I got taking my pet scorpider for a walk, and your soldiers searched the entire house."

Starfish blinked several times, confused enough to ask more about said incident, but decided to spare her own sanity. "Fair. They would have told me if they found anything relevant, and the neighbors all confirmed nopony came or left after the scream. What's your point?"

"Trotkam's Razor," Bloodhound replied. "The simplest solution is that the victim had taken it out himself before his death." Sweet Celestia, I sound like a detective in a radio drama. I want to go home.

"Then where is it?" Starfish demanded.

Bloodhound deflated. "That I… don't know yet."

Starfish stared at her, frowning in disapproval for a moment, then sighed. "Bugger, you're lucky I'm afraid of your mum. Alright. We do know his path after he left the basement. He must have hidden it somewhere along the way. While we look, there is one other thing we need to keep an eye out for."

"Oh? What's that?" Bloodhound honestly didn't want to know. In truth, her knees were trembling so badly that they were almost knocking together. She had to remind herself that a mare's life was on the line every couple of minutes to avoid running for the front door.

Starfish nodded. "The murder weapon. The body hasn't been disturbed just yet, but the house has been searched, and we didn't find anything that looked like one."

The pointed look she gave Bloodhound got the subtext across fairly well; 'Do this for me, and I might help you with your case.' "Of course. I understand." She gave a thankful smile, her confidence steeled a little.

To her surprise, Starfish smiled back. "Good. Let's start reenacting, and figure out where the trail starts."

They searched the basement study. Bloodhound really wasn't sure how an investigation like this should go, outside of radio dramas, so she wasn't really sure what to do with herself. No sights or smells stuck out to her.

Eventually, it was Starfish who found something. "Over here!"

She was standing in front of the desk in a corner, near the safe. A knocked-over chair was partially concealed by the open door of the safe from where they'd previously stood. Unlike the other desk in the room, this desk was clean and well used. It was so polished that Bloodhound could see her reflection on it. There were a few quills and ink bottles, but what held Bloodhound's attention was a small notebook that lay flipped open.

"It's a list of names," Bloodhound observed as they read through it. "Who are they?"

"Some of them are nobles," Starfish replied. "I recognize their names from the yearly Guard fundraiser. You think this is what was in the safe?"

Bloodhound sniffed the notebook, and nodded. "Smells like old metal."

"I'll take your word for it," Starfish replied with a chuckle, sealing the notebook into a plastic evidence bag. "That explains why the other guards didn't notice it. Just an ordinary notebook one would expect to see on a desk. We can read over it later, back at HQ. Anyway, it looks like he started at the desk. Smell any blood, or anything that suggests he died down here and was dragged upstairs?"

Bloodhound sniffed the air. In general, it just smelled like a musty basement, with a bit of vomit. She shook her head.

Starfish sighed. "Shame. Would have been an easy lie to catch the Countess in. Upstairs we go, I suppose."

Though they hadn't seen them on the way in, they noticed heavy hoofprints chipped onto the polished, wooden basement stairs. "He was running…" Bloodhound deduced. "But he was lead-hooved, like he was drunk. Couldn't control how hard he was stepping, and the prints are all over the place." She didn't voice the fact that she knew that from buffing her mother's late-night hoofprints out of the kitchen floor. Best to keep the fear of Fireball in Starfish for now.

"Maybe he was hit on the head, and tried to run?" Starfish suggested.

"Maybe…" Bloodhound pondered.

They followed his trail to where he'd run into the wall, knocking down several hanging pictures. The vomit smell was stronger here, but there was something strange about it. "Was something burned here…?" she asked, half to herself.

Starfish sniffed the air. "I don't smell anything. Odd."

The pictures on the wall were all of ponies whom Bloodhound assumed must have been other nobles, hanging out with Matchstick. "Strange. I don't see Countess Spiderweb in any of these," Starfish realized. "Hm. Will make a note of that in my case report."

They made their way upstairs. As they climbed, Bloodhound had to step around a few puddles of purplish fluid that had the same burned vomit smell from the entrance hall. She hadn't noticed them as she descended the stairs because of her rather terrified state, but the implication was clear. "He was throwing up the entire way up the stairs…"

"Maybe he was poisoned," Starfish suggested.

"But then how would he know who was killing him?" Bloodhound shot back.

"Maybe his wife brought him a poisoned drink?"

"There were no drinks or containers in the basement."

Starfish had to think about that. "Spiderweb said she was washing dishes. Maybe she disposed of the cup."

That was a fair point. "We'll have to check the kitchen after we finish upstairs."

Bloodhound followed the scent trail to a closed door. The stench was strong enough that not only was Starfish grimacing, but Bloodhound actually had to cover her nose.

"Guess it's time to see what had the guards in the garden so green in the gills," Starfish joked to lighten the mood, before opening the door.

Now it was Bloodhound's turn to vomit.

She only glimpsed the corpse for a moment, but that was all she needed, and far more than she wanted.

Matchstick lay with his back against a cabinet, beneath the sink. His lips seemed to have been burned away, reducing them to blackened, charred flesh and exposing his teeth. His jaw hung open, showing that the inside of his mouth was just as horrific. The smell physically knocked Bloodhound back. It was burning, bile, and the beginnings of rot all at once. In it, there was just a small trace of the stench of blood.

With the scene so thoroughly burned into her mind, it took several moments to realize that the door had been closed in front of her. Bloodhound hadn't felt it, but she was heaving for breath. She was being shaken by her shoulder, and someone was saying something to her.

Something was placed between her lips, and she tasted the somewhat tinny contents of her inhaler. Breathing got easier, and she was finally able to understand what was being said.

"—oodhound! Can you hear me?" Starfish shouted, a little too loud.

Bloodhound nodded blearily. "What happened?" she wheezed, her chest sore.

"You fainted when you saw the body," Starfish explained. "Then you started gasping and coughing like you couldn't breathe. What the hay was that?"

Bloodhound flinched. "S-sorry. I have asthma. When I get scared or worked-up, I can have an attack."

Starfish helped Bloodhound into a sitting position. "Sweet Celestia! You could have warned me. I'm glad your inhaler fell out of your mane when you fell over.”

"Sorry…" Bloodhound repeated, not having a good excuse.

"Don't be sorry. Be better," Starfish admonished, sitting next to her. "You alright?"

Bloodhound shrugged. "I'm just… not used to seeing that kind of thing."

"This kind of thing rarely happens in Equestria," Starfish said reassuringly. "We more than likely won't have another murder for another five or ten years."

Bloodhound nodded shakily, not wanting to anger Starfish by adding her mother into that count. "Why would anypony do something like that?"

Starfish hesitated. "I don't know, to be honest. Some folks tell us why they do it, but sometimes I still ask myself the same question; Why? When things are so good, in Celestia's golden age, does anypony feel the need? I'm glad it's so rare, or I really would lose faith in ponykind."

Bloodhound nodded glumly. Unpleasant memories played over and over in her brain, until Starfish nudged her. "You've been doing alright so far. Why don't you search the bedroom and the bathroom? Probably won't be much in there. I'll handle the body, and we can check the kitchen together after that."

Bloodhound hesitated a little to leave Starfish alone with such an important investigation when a mare's life was on the line, but she just couldn't muster the courage to open that door again. "Yes. Thank you. That's very kind of you."

Starfish chuckled, passing Bloodhound a camera. "Here. If you find anything, snap a picture. Don't worry. Lots of rookies get like this at first when they see something nasty. It gets easier."

As she turned and left to go investigate the bedrooms, Bloodhound didn't voice her thoughts. I'm not so certain that's a good thing.

The bedroom was… normal. It had a single, king-sized bed, a couple of nightstands, a large armoire, and a table with cosmetics. It actually reminded Bloodhound a little of her mother's bedroom back home. The only thing that was off was that the room absolutely reeked of perfume.

Bloodhound couldn't help looking at herself in the mirror of the cosmetics table. Sweet Celestia, I look exhausted. The bags under her eyes looked like they had just been grocery shopping, and her eyes themselves were bloodshot. Her curly mane was disheveled, with strands poking out here and there from her fall. She could see herself trembling slightly.

But, as she examined herself, something caught her nose that made her ears perk in alarm: the smell of something burned. "Oh sweet Celestia, please tell me there isn't another body in here…" She was only half talking to herself. The other half was praying to whatever gods besides Celestia might be listening.

Bloodhound tried following the smell. The bathroom didn't have anything that caught her eye, and the smell in fact seemed to be much weaker in there. It got stronger around the mirror she'd just been looking in. One of the cosmetics, maybe?

The smell of perfume made it hard to identify what exactly was causing the burning stench, but eventually she settled on a small, glass container, full of purple powder that sparkled like diamond dust. Even with the lid on, the smell made her flinch. She photographed it, then took the lid off to snap a picture of the contents.

The purple powder sparkled slightly, like glitter. But that wasn't what caught Bloodhound's eye. What did was a single divot in the center, as if some of the powder had been scooped out. She took a photo of it.

"Find something interesting?"

Bloodhound jumped a little, not having heard Starfish come in. "I think so. It's a little pot of purple glitter that smells like all the vomit we've found."

Starfish glanced at the pot eagerly. "Bloodhound, you gorgeous little mare! I'll take a sample of it for testing. If we can find out what it is, and find traces of it in his system, we'll have found our murder weapon!"

Bloodhound couldn't resist a small blush. "W-well, thank you. I just followed my nose, I suppose."

"I have to admit, I might have been wrong about you," Starfish mused. "I thought you'd be a nitpicky little twit, who thinks every knife in the kitchen is significant. But you made some good points, and you found a potential murder weapon." Her eyes widened. "Can you tell if anypony specific was in here?"

Bloodhound sniffed the air, winced, and shook her head. "It smells like somepony flooded the room with perfume. If the smell of that powder wasn't so strong, I probably wouldn't even have found it." She frowned uncertainly. Something seemed off about that thought.

"Ah. Oh well. Still, well done! I'm finished getting photos of the body. We can go over what I found after lunch. Come on. Let's check the kitchen, so we can get out of here. Maybe the good countess was a dunderhead and left that incriminating poison cup out, eh?"

Bloodhound nodded absently. According to Starfish, she had done well. Starfish was an experienced member of the Guard and knew what she was talking about.

So why do I feel like I'm missing something?

The kitchen, either sadly or thankfully, was the least eventful room of the house. The dishes were half-done and a broken plate lay shattered in the sink.

"Seems to match up with the story Spiderweb told us," Bloodhound remarked. "I'd certainly drop a plate if I heard screaming while I was washing dishes. I would probably run away from it, not towards it though. But that's just me."

"Smell anything?" Starfish asked hopefully.

Bloodhound sniffed the air. "Perfume," she said, brow furrowing in confusion. "But… hold on, that can't be right." She took a deeper sniff.

"What's wrong?" asked Starfish, photographing the kitchen.

"It's… different," Bloodhound replied hesitantly. "It's the same perfume she was wearing when we spoke to her, but not the same one I smelled in the bedroom."

Starfish visibly stiffened, and slowly turned back to look at Bloodhound with a very forced smile. "Bloodhound. It sounds to me like you may be suggesting that there may have been a third pony in the house. But it's okay, because I know that isn't a possibility… right?" Her sharp tone said that it had better be right.

Bloodhound backed up a step, ears pinning at her sudden change in attitude. Starfish looked half-angry, half… scared? "What is it? Did I do something wrong?"

Starfish opened her mouth, looking like she was going to berate a junior officer, but the hurt look in the smaller mare's eyes calmed her down a little. "No, but… look, Bloodhound. If you say that there may have been a third pony in the house, that will make the populace think this case is complicated. Complicated cases scare the populace, make them not trust each other or the Guard. They don't need to hear that there's some unknown killer on the loose. They need to hear that we got the bad guy and the good guys won."

"But… what if it isn't true?" Bloodhound asked meekly. "What if the bad guy gets away because we thought the case was simpler than it really was?"

"That won't happen," Starfish said firmly. "That sort of thing doesn't happen in Equestria. It hasn't ever, and it won't now." She took one last look around the kitchen for anything they'd missed. "Come on. We're done here. Let's gather the other two blind mice and split up to grab some lunch. I'm starving."

Bloodhound couldn't help but think about the case on the way home. She just didn't feel right. Maybe she wasn't a detective, or even remotely cut out to be one, but still. Starfish's philosophyscared her much more than any complications in the case. Would pressing that lead really cause mass panic and paranoia? Is it even likely that there was a third pony there? She is much more experienced than me.

The carriage rolled to a stop in front of Bloodhound's house. Bloodhound and Bucky hopped out. "I'll pick you up after lunch, for the interrogation," Starfish informed. "You worked hard today, and you should be there for it."

To Bloodhound's surprise, Merri hopped out too. "I think I'll join you two for lunch, if that's alright," she said with an impish grin.

"I'm not much of a cook," Bloodhound admitted sheepishly.

"If Fireball isn't home, I'll fix us something," Bucky assured, bumping her playfully with her flank.

The three of them bid farewell to Starfish, and went inside. Bloodhound's ears pricked as she heard muffled voices echoing about. "Mother? Is that you?"

"Houndsy!" her mother's voice said with uncharacteristic cheer. "We're in the dining room!"

Bloodhound blinked in surprise as she peeked into the room. Fireball was serving sandwiches to a pair of guests. "Aphrodite? Ms. Flip? What are you two doing here?"

Fireball actually blushed. Am I in some kind of parallel universe? Have I been selected as the protagonist of a comic book? Why are so many strange things happening to me!?

"We’ve all been having a tough time," Flip explained without a trace of slur in her voice. The electric-blue mare didn't smell like alcohol anymore, and was dressed in a nice, dark-blue suit and top hat; the same outfit Bloodhound had seen her in the last time they'd met. She had bags under her eyes, like she hadn't been sleeping lately. But she seemed to be in a good mood. "So we started a support group."

"You're more than welcome to join us!" Aphrodite said sweetly.

"That's a great idea!" Bucky agreed.

Fireball started to smile, but then she noticed Merri. "Who's your friend?"

Bloodhound's eyes shrank to pinpricks. "Uh… she… I…"

"Constable Merrilight, Canterlot Watch!" Merri introduced.

"Canterlot… Watch?" Fireball said in confusion.

"They're a rather new organization," Aphrodite explained. "Like the Guard, but completely civilian, and dedicated purely to law enforcement, instead of military pursuits."

Fireball blinked. "And… how exactly did you meet my daughter?" There was something off about her tone of voice.

Bloodhound struggled to explain, but Merri came to her rescue again. "She came to the Guard with some concerns, but they wouldn't listen. So I did instead! Her talents simply dazzled me, so I deputized her for help on another case!" She smiled and winked at Bloodhound.

Fireball's eyes widened. "Wait… Houndsy… You got a job!?"

Bloodhound blushed. "Um… maybe?" She really wasn't sure. Technically she was working with the Watch, but didn't really intend to do any more than it took to get help with her own case.

Bucky gave her a stern look, but before Bloodhound could wilt under pressure, she suddenly found herself in a hug that felt very much like a full-grown dragon had decided to chew on her.

Aphrodite had hit her from the left, and her mother from the right. "I'm so proud of you!" Fireball gushed.

"I told you she'd do it!" Aphrodite shot back.

Flip cleared her throat. "Heartwarming moment, but I don't think she can breathe."

Realizing their mistake, the two of them released Bloodhound, who flopped limply to the floor. I am losing consciousness concerningly often lately.

Fireball helped Bloodhound up. "Sorry, Houndsy. I just… can't believe it. You're finally showing some initiative! Some backbone!"

Bloodhound straightened her glasses, blushing. "Thank you." Maybe I could stay. Even if it is morbid, I'm at least good at it, according to Starfish.

"Sit down!" Fireball ordered. "I'm making you all lunch. Can't keep the officers away from their case for too long, after all!"

Bloodhound left her home feeling better than she had in a long time. She was actually prancing a little as they left to wait for Starfish. "Are you going to be okay coming with me?" she asked Bucky. "You do have a business to run."

"Being your life coach is my business," Bucky said with a chuckle. "I have to run off like this practically twice a week. The manager can handle things while I'm gone. Plus, I'm technically deputized too!" She pulled out a deputy badge similar to Bloodhound's. "Merri ran and got it for me while you and Fishbreath were in the house. So, anyway, how are you feeling?"

"I feel fantastic!" Bloodhound said with uncharacteristic enthusiasm. "I don't think I've ever had Mother be that happy with me!"

"I don't know why Starfish is so scared of your Mother," Merri said with a thoughtful hoof on her chin. "She seems like a lovely mare."

Bloodhound and Bucky shared a "Don't tell her" look, and Bucky quickly changed the subject. "Maybe you ought to consider keeping up this work for the Watch. You're good at it, your mother is proud of you, and they do seem rather understaffed."

Bloodhound shrank visibly. "E-erm… maybe. I hadn't considered it." Surely I'm not cut out for a career in law enforcement. That's like an ant applying for a job in a beehive.

"Well please do consider it!" Merri urged. "I would absolutely love to have you. Since we're both completely new, and unabashedly desperate, there's no prior experience required yet!"

Bucky gave Bloodhound a knowing look. "I want you to be happy, Houndsy. But you've gotta spread your wings and try to fly sooner or later."

Bloodhound blushed, smiling a little at their encouragement. "I'm half earth pony, half unicorn. I have neither the strength of an earth pony, nor the horn of a unicorn. Now you want me to do something neither of my bloodlines can do."

"Well, hot air balloons and airplanes are things that exist," Bucky said with a laugh. "Plus, we believe in you. Isn't that right, Merri?"

"Mhmm!" Merri said, giving her a surprise hug that, thankfully, didn't crush her ribs. "You have a lot of potential, and with proper training, I think you could be a truly great Watchmare!"

Bloodhound had no idea how to respond to that. Thankfully, she didn't have to. "Here comes Starfish!"

The carriage pulled up in front of them, and the doors opened. "Ready for your first interrogation, rookie?" Starfish said with a grin as they all piled in. "You're about to watch a master at work."

Bucky rolled her eyes. Bloodhound just smiled politely. "I'm… sure I will be impressed." This is going to be terrifying, isn't it?

Starfish slammed her hooves on the metal table, glaring at the mare before her wordlessly.

Spiderweb jumped, cowering. "Y-yes?"

"..." Starfish continued to glare wordlessly. She slid a photograph across the table towards Spiderweb. "We found the poison you used to kill your husband."

From the other side of the two-way mirror, Bloodhound frowned in disapproval. "We don't know she did it…"

Merri glanced at Bloodhound in concern. "Wasn't she the only one in the house besides the victim?"

Bloodhound hesitated. "Possibly." With Starfish distracted, she was able to explain the perfume discrepancy.

Merri promptly facehoofed. "That stubborn idiot…"

Spiderweb looked at the picture in confusion. "That foul-smelling purple powder? It was a gift from one of my husband's clients."

Starfish leaned back in her chair, smiling smugly. "How'd you know it was foul smelling?"

"Because I picked it up?" Spiderweb said. "It showed up on the front porch this morning, along with a letter for him. He gave it to me. I didn't want to touch the stuff, due to how awful it smelled."

"That's not how you knew!" Starfish snapped, again slamming a hoof on the table. "You knew what it smelled like because you used it to kill him! As soon as we get toxicology back, telling us what this is, and confirming that it killed your husband, you're Tartarus bound. You should confess. Maybe it will convince Celestia to be merciful in your judgement."

"B-but… I didn't…" Spiderweb started to sob.

"What is she doing!?" Bloodhound said, honestly a little frightened. "Shouldn't she be asking for more information, instead of just demanding a confession?"

Merri sighed in frustration. "Probably. The Guard is too used to cases being open and shut."

"This happens on a regular basis?" Bucky asked. Even she looked a little disturbed.

Merri just nodded, watching with an unreadable expression.

Starfish growled. "Cry your crocodile tears all you want. I know what you did. Confess. You killed your husband."

"I didn't!" Spiderweb wailed. "You can ask the mailpony! She must have delivered the package!"

Starfish huffed, and stood from her chair. "Fine. You want to be stubborn. All I have to do is wait for toxicology and you're doomed. Give that some thought." She trotted back out, slamming the door behind her.

Shockingly, she walked right up to Bloodhound, all smiles again. "Well, we have our killer, and you helped us nab her. I'm a mare of my word. Come to my office. We'll have another look at your mum's case."

Bloodhound wasn't sure she really wanted this mare's help anymore, but found herself herded out of the observation room and into the office before she could protest. At least Bucky and Merri followed, and sat down on either side of her.

After a moment of searching, Starfish found the case file on Sprout. "Here we are. So, you suspect she was poisoned?"

It took Bloodhound a few seconds to gather her words. "U-um… yes. With scorpider venom stolen from my bedroom."

Starfish looked at her suspiciously. "Why do you have scorpider venom in your bedroom?"

Bloodhound explained her volunteer work at the hospital. "Rudy couldn't have gotten out of his cage. Scorpiders are intelligent, but not enough to pick a lock, lift the cage lid, then shut and re-lock it from the inside."

"Well, I suppose if you killed her, you wouldn't be asking us for help." Starfish flipped through the file, reading the toxicology and autopsy reports. "Hm."

"You found something?" Bloodhound asked hopefully.

Starfish tilted her head in a 'maybe' gesture. "Autopsy says it's possible that she died from poisoning, based on some sciencey stuff I don't understand that they found in her innards, but toxicology found nothing like that in her system."

Bloodhound's jaw went slack. "Y-you mean…?"

"Your ma wasn't murdered. You can relax," Starfish confirmed.

Bloodhound sank into her chair, feeling numb.

Bucky was at her side instantly. "You okay?"

"I… I don't know," Bloodhound admitted. "I should be relieved, but…"

Merri looked a little disappointed. "Darn. That had the potential to be a great mystery."

There was a knock at the door, and a mare peeked into the room. She had a white coat, with a neat, ice-blue mane and eyes. "Cold Case!" Starfish greeted excitedly. "Got Matchstick's reports for me?"

"Yupperoni!" Cold strolled into the room, revealing herself as a petit pegasus in a lab coat, holding a file. "Autopsy report and toxicology. He's a weird one. Take a look."

Starfish frowned as she took the file and read it over. "Nothing unusual so far. Heavy chemical burns matching up with poisoning. Probably from that purple powder. You find out what it was?"

"Look at the toxicology," Cold replied, dodging the question.

Starfish flipped to the toxicology page. Her eyes scanned the page, narrowed in confusion, then widened in horror. "No…!"

"What's wrong?" Merri asked.

"Should we leave?" Bloodhound asked.

"Nononononono! This can't be right!" The panic in Starfish's voice was palpable. The tension in her shoulders was visible.

Merri read the file over her shoulder. At first, she too looked confused. Then recognition flickered in her eyes, and a wide grin split her face nearly in two. "You know what this meeeeeans!" she practically sang.

"Of course I know what it means!" Starfish snapped, head resting between shaking hooves. "I'm not an idiot! You must be though, otherwise you'd be panicking as much as I am!"

"I'll… see myself out," Cold Case said awkwardly, shutting the door behind her before the Wrath of Starfish exploded in her direction.

"What exactly is wrong?" Bloodhound was starting to go into a contact panic. It was already getting harder to breathe.

Merri showed her the file, pointing to the results of the toxicology report. It was… very short. Some alcohol, but nothing out of the ordinary. It took Bloodhound several moments to realize what was out of place. "No trace of the purple powder?"

"Exactly!" Merri said eagerly. "And who else died from symptoms of a poison, but showed no trace in their bloodstream?"

Bloodhound's pupils shrank to pinpricks. Her ears pinned and her hindquarters hit the floor. It was hard to breathe, or even think. "M-my mum…"

Bucky noticed Bloodhound on the brink of an asthma attack and helped her get her inhaler out. "What exactly do you mean?" Bucky asked. "They died in the same way?"

"Same method," Starfish said in a low, weak voice. "Same, or very similar M.O. Even I can't hide from the possibility that it could be the same killer. Maybe not, but now we have two possibly unsolved murders, and no suspects."

Bucky frowned. "That's tragic, and horrifying, but why did you panic?"

"Two kills by one perp is one kill away from three," Starfish replied. "Three kills to a single perp makes them a serial killer. Do you know how long it's been since there's been a successful serial killer, not just in Canterlot, but in all of Equestria?"

"Seven hundred five years, five months, three weeks, two days…" Merri glanced at a clock on the wall. "...three hours, twenty-five minutes, ten seconds. Give or take a few months depending on whether you mean when he started or when he was caught."

"My point is, if the public finds out about this, there will be mass panic!" Starfish said, grim-faced. "The common pony can barely hold it together for a stampede of rabbits. Imagine how they'd act if they found out about this. There'd be rampant paranoia. Baseless accusations. Chaos!"

"...Oh." There really wasn't much Bucky could say to that. "I suppose I should keep my mouth shut, then?"

Starfish settled back in her chair, face contemplative. Her next words weren't for Bucky, but for the recovering Bloodhound. "I can't make you stay on this investigation, but I'm going to need all the help I can get. We need to solve this quietly, with as few ponies as possible knowing. I can swallow my pride and say you were probably right about the third pony being responsible for Matchstick's murder. You're smart enough to do it well, and that nose of yours works wonders. Will you please stay and help us solve this?"

Obviously, Bloodhound's first instinct was to refuse. She was still reeling from the two consecutive one-eighties that her perception of her mum's death had just gone through, and this was way, way over her head. But something made her stop and think.

She recalled how she'd felt when her mother had praised her, been proud of her. It was something she never really thought she would feel. She thought back to the words of Aphrodite and Sprout, telling her to stop sabotaging herself. Even Starfish had agreed that she was instrumental in investigating the earlier murder of Matchstick.

Murder… That word sparked something unexpected in her: raw, boiling anger. It was official now. Somepony out there had murdered Bamboo Sprout in cold blood. They'd taken her mum. They'd taken Spiderweb's husband. Who knew whose loved ones they might steal away next!

It took all of her willpower. She had to close her eyes and focus on that anger just to manage a single nod. When her eyes opened, there was something unreadable in them. "Okay," she said softly. "I'll help."

A Chink in the Armor

Bloodhound spent most of the afternoon filling out an application to officially join the Watch. What little she didn't spend doing that was spent listening to Starfish ask why there was no physical test, background check, or training course, and Merrilight replying that technically, the law didn't say they needed those.

Eventually, she'd left, feeling tired and hungry.

Canterlot was extremely safe, even at night. But Bloodhound was still almost always frightened walking home in the dark.

But not tonight.

Part of it was that her mind was occupied with thoughts of the case and her current situation.
However, the other part was a bit of newfound confidence. She had seen a lot of scary things lately. Was there really much to be afraid of?

Well, probably. She was heading home hours after her usual curfew. I wonder if Mother will still erupt when I'm technically late because of work?

She tried to slip into her house as quietly as possible. But as soon as the door clicked shut behind her, the lights in the foyer clicked on, causing her to yelp and jump.

As if to prove that there was indeed somepony to be afraid of, Fireball sat on a chair she'd dragged in from the dining room. "You're home late." She didn't sound angry. In fact, she sounded rather amused. "Guard offices closed over an hour ago. You spend some extra time with your new coworkers?"

Bloodhound recalled what Starfish had said about not letting word of the case get out, so she went with a lie of omission. "Yes. I'm sorry if my lateness has caused any trouble." Thankfully, her very poor poker face was covered by the fact that she was both exhausted and afraid of getting in trouble.

Fireball obviously noticed. "You look like somepony dragged you backwards behind a cart. Come, sit down. I made dinner. So let's eat, and you can tell me about your day."

Bloodhound blinked several times. "But… I'm home late. You're not going to yell at me? Who are you, and what have you done with Fireball Whiskey?"

Fireball laughed. "I forced her to get some therapy. Now come on. I made that eggplant soup I know you love."

Well, this is a pleasant surprise. She remembered how proud of her that Fireball had been when she returned home for lunch earlier, and her heart warmed a little. Still, she felt bad that she couldn't tell her the truth about the case.

Her stomach growled as the scent of the soup hit her nose. She smiled, nodded, and followed her mother into the dining room.

After dinner, Bloodhound climbed into the shower. The hot water felt heavenly. As the water flattened her floofy mane, she tried to let the stress of the day wash out of her.

Bloodhound's happiness at her mother being so joyful and proud of her had started to be replaced with mild unease. She understood being happy about her daughter's first real job, but the amounts of pleasant smiles, attempts at small talk, and home-cooked food she had received were all very out of character for her mother. Is she okay? Does she know something I don't?

After getting out of the shower, she wrapped her mane up in a towel, and put on a fluffy bathrobe. Then she went out to feed her bugs.

"Hello to all citizens of the Fire Nation!" she said as she gave the denizens of her ant farm a little bit of oatmeal. "Oh! I see Queen Antula! So lovely to be in the presence of royalty!" She did a little bow, then giggled to herself. Being with her bugs always cheered her up.

She left the ants to their dinner, and opened a can of Rudy's wet cat food. The scorpider perked up at the noise of the can opener, then immediately went back to pretending to be grumpy until she placed the food in his dish. Then he nibbled at it contentedly.

"Houndsy?"

Bloodhound turned, finding Fireball in the doorway, looking troubled. "Mother? What's wrong?"

"I just…" She bit her lower lip, then sighed. "I know you're probably tired, which is why I haven't said anything yet. But do you think you and I could talk tomorrow evening? I have some things I'd like to tell you."

Bloodhound blinked. "I… I don't see why not." What in Celestia's name could worry the great Fireball Whiskey so?

Fireball let out a sigh of relief, and smiled. "Thank you. I won't trouble you with it tonight. Goodnight, Houndsy."

She departed, closing the door behind her, and leaving her with yet more questions.

When Bloodhound awoke the next morning, her mother wasn't in the kitchen. Good. That means we can search the place without being suspicious.

She heard voices from outside. She quickly raced to the front door.

Starfish was wearing full, golden guard armor, and Merrilight was in her black watchmare uniform, complete with matching tophat.

"Sorry we're late," Starfish grumbled. "She wanted to stop for breakfast."

"And she had to spend fifteen minutes polishing that armor!" Merri shot back, munching on a donut.

Starfish actually blushed. "Well… Fireball Whiskey might be here."

Bloodhound shook her head. "I don't think so. Lately she's been in the kitchen around this time whenever she's—"

"I DON'T CARE IF YOU THINK IT WON'T WORK! GET! IT! DONE!" There was the sound of something metal breaking from upstairs.

Bloodhound's ears pinned. "...here."

Fireball came downstairs, stomping like she had great distaste for the poor, mistreated floor tiles. Her nostrils were flared, and her tail lashed from side to side.

Sweet Celestia! I haven't seen her have a proper angry meltdown since before Mum died. "M-Mother, are you okay?"

Bloodhound's voice stirred Fireball from her incidental war against the marble tiles. As soon as she saw the front door open, and two slightly bewildered ponies staring at her, the fury seemed to melt from her body, replaced by an awkward smile. "I'm so sorry for that. I was speaking with a very stubborn agent for a very bad life insurance company. We may need a new upstairs phone."

Bloodhound sighed. Since her mother seemed to be in a good mood, she risked a joke to try and cheer Fireball up. "Well, I suppose your motherly fury is good for some things," she teased, smiling a half-grin.

Fireball approached the three of them. "Good morning, Constable Merrilight! Who's your…" As soon as she laid eyes on Starfish, her voice died in her throat. "Fishface!?"

Starfish gave a very frightened smile to the smaller, older mare. "Yes ma'am!" She at least managed to keep her voice from quivering. "I'm a sergeant now." She had a 'Mommy please be proud of me' note in her voice that was very familiar to Bloodhound.

"Are you now?" Fireball scanned her up and down appraisingly. "Hm. Well done! I'm glad you've come so far."

Starfish looked very close to crying from happiness. "Thank you, ma'am."

"Anyways. I gotta go chew out the insurance rep. You three officers have a good day."

As soon as the door closed behind Fireball,

Merrilight snorted. "Fishface?"

"She was my drill sergeant," Starfish explained, scowling briefly before she brightened. "Alright! To work! The sooner we can get this case squared away, the better. Let's turn this place upside-down."

"There are several problems with that plan," Merrilight replied with an eye roll, but not losing her smile. "Firstly, this is a lived-in home of the victim's family. I highly doubt any of them will appreciate you ripping their house apart."

"That is true," Bloodhound agreed meekly. She really didn't want Starfish to tear the place up, but she also didn't want to make her angry.

Merri nodded as she continued. "Secondly, you said it yourself. We need to be discreet. Running roughshod through a house in the middle of the Noble Quarter will definitely cause some rumors to go around."

Starfish grimaced. "Drat. That's true. Alright. So what do we do?"

"Before we start discussing the case, there's a matter of ceremony I'd like to take care of," Merrilight announced.

"Ceremony?" Bloodhound asked with a frown.

From the bags at her side, Merrilight retrieved four things: a white shirt, a black jacket, a red necktie, and a black tophat. "I hope these fit. I had to eyeball your size. Can't have our newest watchmare cavorting about out of uniform, after all!"

Bloodhound was… moved. She had to wipe a few tears from her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Merrilight asked in clear concern.

"N-nothing!" Bloodhound assured with a hiccup. "Just… I feel a lot of emotions right now." The idea that she was part of the Watch now was finally beginning to set in. They wanted her. It was an incredible feeling.

Merrilight shared a look with Starfish. "Did I do something wrong?"

Starfish shook her head, smiling. "I think I get it. You've never really done anything this big, have you?"

Bloodhound shook her head.

"I'm sorry." Merrilight hugged Bloodhound. "I shouldn't have made such a big step so quickly."

Starfish nudged Merrilight away. "Ease up. She's not sad. She's proud. That about right, Houndsy?"

Bloodhound nodded. "I… I know I officially joined before, but then I was just feeling nervous and determined. Now… I feel like I'm finally… doing something. Not just about Mum. Just in general."

"Feels right, doesn't it?" Starfish guessed with a smirk.

Bloodhound nodded, sniffling.

"I felt the same way the first time I put on the Guard armor, so I can sympathize," Starfish said. "C'mon. Let's find a spot to get you dressed."

It took some doing, but she finally got dressed in the spiffy new uniform. Starfish had to help her with the necktie. Both the shirt and jacket were a little too big, but not too bad. The hat sat slightly above her head, held aloft by her overly resilient and poofy mane.

Looking at herself in the dressing room mirror, Bloodhound pulled it down to its proper position. She grinned as she looked at her reflection, trying to pose.

"Room to grow, but you look good!" Merrilight praised.

Bloodhound took a deep breath, looking around the familiar room. "I suppose it's a little ironic that I'd wear it here for the first time, right where Mum died."

She looked back at the mirror. She still looked like a teenager wearing her mother's clothes, but as she stood straighter, she thought she looked good. "Let's get down to business."

She blinked, then shrank with an embarrassed, sheepish smile. "Er… right. I'm the lowest ranked one here. Shall we get to business?"

Starfish and Merrilight both laughed. "C'mon," Starfish urged. "Let's sit down in the kitchen, and look at what we know."

There were only four things laid out on the kitchen table: the autopsy reports of both victims, photos of the strange ledger from the scene of Matchstick's murder, and Bloodhound's testimony of the night of Sprout's death, which she'd painstakingly recalled over nearly an hour to put into a comprehensive report.

"So, at this scene we're looking for some traces of scorpider venom, right?" Starfish asked, turning to Bloodhound. "We want to find evidence either linking your mum's death to Matchstick's, or disproving that connection."

"That's what the symptoms seemed to point to," Bloodhound replied. "But it's extremely odd that no traces were found. It's normally quite easy to detect. It has a noticeable, acrid smell. Burns my nostrils a bit."

"Maybe it was concealed somehow?" Merrilight suggested. "I'm no master of magecraft, but there are spells for everything these days."

Starfish shook her head. "There is a spell, but it takes a long time, and requires the poisoner to be right next to the victim. All three guests that night said they came running the moment Bloodhound screamed. The killer wouldn't have had any chance to cast the spell, unless Ms. Bloodhound is hiding a horn under all that floof."

"Er… no, I'm not," Bloodhound said with a frown.

"Perhaps the poison is a red herring then," Starfish suggested. "The poisonous powder we found in Spiderweb's bedroom was extremely conspicuous. A little too much so for my liking."

"But it took my nose to find it among all the other stink," Bloodhound replied. "The killer couldn't have known I'd be there, or about my nose. They'd have had to rely on normal guards searching the place if they wanted it to be found."

"She's right," agreed Merrilight. "Unless the Guard suddenly got a search dog budget that I'm unaware of, I don't think there's any way normal guards would have found it."

Starfish pondered that, then growled in frustration and slammed her hoof on the desk. "I just wish we had something to go on! We don't even know for sure how either of them died!"

That brought them all into a sullen silence.

Bloodhound bit her lower lip thoughtfully, looking over what they had. The ledger was their biggest clue, but they had no idea what it meant. There had to be something they didn't know yet.

Bloodhound suddenly blinked. Didn't know yet… Something about that phrase triggered a memory. Something Starfish had said at the second crime scene.

Suddenly she was hyperventilating.

"Eh?" Starfish gave her a pat on the back, looking concerned. "You okay? You look like you just saw another murder."

"The neighbors!" Bloodhound said quickly. "What did they say?"

"Whose neighbors?" Merrilight said, tilting her head. "Please, calm down."

"Matchstick's," Bloodhound replied, not calming down. "They heard him yell something as he died! What did he say?"

"He said 'She's killing me,'" Starfish recalled, not getting the significance. "It's what caused us to suspect Spiderweb as the killer."

Bloodhound forced herself to be steady, taking her inhaler out of her mane to take a puff.. "Yet neither Spiderweb's nor the potential third party's scent were anywhere to be found in the basement."

Starfish and Merrilight shared a confused look. "But… wait," Starfish interrupted, holding her front hooves up. "If he never saw the killer, but knew who the killer was a she somehow, it had to be Spiderweb poisoning him. He must have gotten some kind of food or drink from her, and thus, he knew."

Merrilight shook her head. "No. That can't be it. At least, I don't think so. The autopsy would have found whatever he ate or drank."

"So… how did he know the killer was a she?" Starfish asked, looking absolutely lost.

"From what we know, there's only one thing he went through that could have told him who was killing him," Bloodhound said, taking a deep breath. "The murder method."

Starfish squinted at her, not quite getting it yet. But Merrilight's jaw hit the floor. "He felt himself dying, and knew precisely who was doing it to him. But that must mean he knew how the killer killed."

Now Starfish joined the conversation properly. "Which means either he knew Sprout was murdered, or our perp had killed before, and Matchstick knew about it."

Bloodhound flopped down, tired, but nodded.

"Sweet Celestia. I'm not sure which I find more terrifying." Starfish took off her helmet, cradling it to her chest. "How did the Guard not see any of this? This kind of thing doesn't happen in Equestria."

"Not that you know of, anyway," Merrilight muttered. "So Matchstick knew his killer. The killer has killed before, and Matchstick knew about it, and knew how it happened. We have a physical list of ponies he knew right here in the ledger from the basement. Let's see if any match up with the party guests on the night of Sprout's murder."

"I read it over," Starfish informed. "Golden Lace and Aphrodite DeHeart are both in there."

"Good. We should visit all parties present either way, as well as asking Spiderweb what this ledger actually is." Merrilight put a hoof to her lips thoughtfully. "Hm. If I know Golden Lace, she won't give us the time of day. Unless, that is, we send somepony she actually wants to talk to." She gave Bloodhound a sly smile. "Like, say, the potential heiress of House Sprout, and the daughter of her deceased friend."

Bloodhound sighed. "I suppose you're right. At least she probably won't crack my ribs again like Aphrodite."

"She and I know each other well, so I'll handle her," Merrilight offered.

"Meanwhile, I'll speak to Countess Spiderweb," said Starfish. "Hopefully she'll open up to me if I change my tune and apologize. Maybe we meet back at Bucky's gym later today?"

"I'm afraid I can't meet tonight," Bloodhound replied. "I promised Mother I'd have dinner with her tonight."

"First thing tomorrow morning then," Starfish corrected. "Alright. At least we have a plan. Let's move out."

The home of Golden Lace was surprisingly close by. Bloodhound was able to walk there in just a few minutes.

The manor was even larger than the one she lived in, with beautiful stained-glass windows, and tall spires made to resemble a miniature version of the castle.

Bloodhound gulped as a security guard let her through the wrought-iron gate. They had a maid or two back home, but they'd never had need of a full security staff. Or maybe we did need them, and just didn't know it until now.

She shook the bad thoughts from her head. There was no time for that now. She stepped up and rang the doorbell.

A butler answered the door. He was old, with a green coat and white mane. "May I help you?" He sounded friendly enough, though the way he looked at her made her feel like she was being judged.

"Yes, sir. My name is Bloodhound." She cleared her throat nervously. "I'm the daughter of the late Bamboo Sprout, a friend of Lady Lace. I was hoping to speak with her." She gave the most innocent grin she could, suddenly very aware that she was still in her Watch uniform, and hoping it was new enough to not be recognized.

He looked her up and down. "I will alert Lady Lace of your arrival. Wait here."

He closed the door in her face. Bloodhound let out a breath she'd been holding. Stay calm, Houndsy. You're doing this for Mum. How scary can Lace really be? Well, I suppose she may be a murderer, and she's far stronger than I am. Even if she isn't the killer, she could also absolutely destroy me with lawsuits. Honestly, now that I think about it, it's perfectly logical to be terrified.

The butler returned after several minutes. "Lady Lace will see you in her study. Please follow me."

Bloodhound went along with him. The inside of the manor felt… a lot like a manor. It was richly carpeted, with more statues, paintings, and suits of armor than anypony but a very artistic and fashion-conscious knight actually needed.

The familiar yellow unicorn sat in a plush armchair in front of a table, on which sat a tray with a fancy, porcelain teapot and cups. "Good morning. Please, sit."

Bloodhound hopped into the chair across from her. She was just small enough that it nearly swallowed her. "Thank you for having me," she said as the butler poured her a cup of tea.

"Of course." She didn't sound very interested.

Bloodhound cleared her throat. Just like you rehearsed in your head on the way over, Houndsy. You can do it. "I'm sorry for disturbing you. It's just… now that Mum is gone, I wanted to try and get to know some of her friends. I thought it would be a way to better keep her memory alive."

She discreetly sniffed. Lace had a definite smell of cologne on her, probably from her husband. Also, the tea was a fancy one that she'd heard of, but had no idea how to pronounce.

For a moment, Lace looked irritated, then she covered it up with a sip of her tea. "I see. And you were hoping I would be willing to spill everything I know about her?"

Bloodhound flinched a little at her disinterested tone. "Er… yes?"

Lace sighed through her nose, then shrugged. "Sprout and my relationship was mostly business. We had a similar interest in charity, so we often coordinated efforts."

Bloodhound waited for more. None came. "That's it?"

"That's it." She set her cup down. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to—"

She stopped speaking as a stallion entered the room. He was a unicorn, with a light-brown coat, and a two-tone mane of green and purple. Somehow, he gave off an air of such disinterest in both of them that Bloodhound started to really feel like an ant under walking hooves. "Hello!" Bloodhound said nervously. "Sorry if I'm in the way of anything. I won't be long."

He briefly looked at her, then back to Lace. "Guest?"

Lace nodded.

He nodded too. "Make sure she doesn't steal anything."

Then he left.

Bloodhound stared after him, slack-jawed at his sheer rudeness. "Was that your husband?"

It was almost imperceptible, but Lace's shoulders slumped, and her eyes lowered. "Yes. His name is Brass Badge." She took another sip of tea.

"I am so sorry," Bloodhound said, giving a disapproving frown in his direction. "Half tempted to steal something just to spite him…"

Wait, had she said that out loud?

Lace almost choked on her tea.

Bloodhound immediately put a hoof in her mouth, sure she was about to be kicked out. "Mm mm." She remembered to take the hoof out of her mouth. "Er… I… sorry?"

But, shockingly, Lace was smiling a little when she put the cup down. Her shoulders were shaking. Was she… laughing? "Thank you for that," she said as she dabbed her lips with a napkin. "I needed it."

Bloodhound blinked. "You're… welcome?" Well, a chink in the armor is a good thing, even if I didn't intend to find it.

Lace looked over Bloodhound, her expression different, but unreadable. "Come with me," she said after a moment. "I'll tell you all I can. I even have some old photos."

Slowly, Bloodhound's smile returned. "Thank you. That really would mean the world to me."

As they passed where Brass Badge had been standing, Bloodhound memorized his scent, just in case. He wore blueberry cologne, and kept himself scrupulously clean, but there was a metallic smell to him. Armor? Military, maybe? Would fit his name.

They went up to the master bedroom. Thankfully, Brass wasn't there. Though oddly enough, there was none of his scent anywhere in the room. He didn't really strike me as the napping type. Maybe he's just rarely home.

Lace retrieved something from a nightstand drawer. "I met Sprout years ago, at the Grand Galloping Gala. You may be surprised to hear that it was Fireball who introduced me to her."

She showed what she'd taken out of the drawer to Bloodhound. It was a photograph of several ponies at a very fancy-looking party, all raising their glasses in toast. Fireball, Sprout, Lace, Aphrodite, and Flip were all present, as was one mare Bloodhound didn't recognize, a violet-blue pegasus who had seemingly swiped Flip's tophat, and was wearing it.

"She was a lovely mare," Lace replied. "Always obsessed with making the city a more beautiful place with those flowers of hers, and her enthusiasm was contagious. Even I was genuinely fond of her, and that's rather rare."

Tears started to tickle at the corners of Bloodhound's eyes. Still, she couldn't help smiling. It did sound just like her Mum.

"You can keep the photo," Lace offered. "I have other copies." She noticed Bloodhound getting misty-eyed. "Are you alright?"

"Just… still a fresh wound, is all," Bloodhound replied. "Giant ants will mourn their dead queen until they all starve."

Lace hesitated for a moment, possibly because of the ant comment. Suddenly, Bloodhound found herself wrapped in a hug, and getting a few pats on the back.

Lace pulled away. "You will tell nopony about that. Understand?"

Bloodhound blinked, completely startled. "Er… of course." But the hug wasn't the most surprising thing she'd just gotten. That honor belonged to the proper whiff of Lace's scent she'd just gotten.

Lace was covered in the fresh scent of stallion, and one who definitely wasn't her husband.

After bidding farewell to Lace, Bloodhound went home to feed her bugs and do a few chores. She hadn't been given any specific directions for what to do after her investigation of Lace, so she just figured she could update them on what she'd found when they next met up.

As the morning faded into afternoon, she went to pick up Bucky, and the two of them set out for the restaurant where Bloodhound's mother waited. "I don't know about this…" Bloodhound said as the carriage rolled towards downtown.

"Why are you worried?" Bucky asked with a reassuring smile. "You said it yourself. She's been way better lately. She probably just wants to make up for lost time bonding with you."

"But what if she doesn't?" Bloodhound countered. "What if she wants to confess some dark secret? What if she knows who killed Mum? What if she is the one who killed Mum!?" Bloodhound started hyperventilating, on the verge of a panic attack.

She was snapped out of it when something whapped against the back of her head: Bucky's tail. "Snap out of it. You have no evidence that you've told me about that would suggest any of that."

Bloodhound took a few deep breaths, trying to get her heartbeat to calm down. "Maybe you're right. But what if—?"

"Houndsy," Bucky interrupted. "You're a watchmare now. You can do this. I believe in you."

Bloodhound slowly calmed down, at least a little bit of confidence leaking into her heart. She let out a breath. "You're probably right. Plus, I'll still have you there with me."

Bucky nodded, grinning. "Exactly. And if she has some kind of army of ninjas there to ambush you, I'll do my best to help you fight them off."

That finally got a smile and a giggle out of Bloodhound. "Thank you, Bucky. I don't know what I'd do without you."

The restaurant wasn't a fancy one. It was a 24-hour diner and waffle house. The front was decorated by garden boxes full of dead plants, and the windows filled with posters that hadn't been relevant in over a decade.

However, the inside couldn't be more of a contrast. It was scrupulously clean, and smelled delicious enough to actually make Bloodhound's tongue hang out like that of her namesake.

Fireball sat in a booth, looking worried as she nursed a cup of coffee. Surprisingly, she had brought a support buddy too: a very casually dressed Coin Flip, who still wore her top hat despite also wearing a colorful haywaiin shirt.

As soon as the front door opened, Fireball jerked up to see who had entered. Bloodhound got the feeling from Flip's eyeroll that she'd been doing that since they arrived.

Fireball hugged Bloodhound in greeting, and shook Bucky's hoof before they all sat down.

There was a long, awkward silence. Fireball opened her mouth several times, as if to break it. But nothing ever came out.

Bloodhound couldn't really blame her. She did the same thing. It was like a pair of confused cave-hoppers trying to decide if they wanted to hiss at each other.

Finally, Fireball found the words she was looking for. "I'm sorry."

Bloodhound quirked her head. "Sorry for what?"

Fireball looked like she was trying to force the words out.

Flip gave her a stern look. "Fireball. You promised yourself you'd confess. You can do this. Be strong."

Fireball took a deep breath. "Right… Houndsy, you probably noticed I've been acting off lately."

Bloodhound nodded confirmation.

Fireball leaned back in her seat, trying to think of the right words.

"Just rip it off like a band-aid," Bucky advised. "That's what I always tell Houndsy when she needs to get some hard words out."

Fireball bit her lower lip nervously, but managed to force out her confession. "I've been… jealous. I just couldn't understand why you two were so close, but you and I weren't."

"Bucky and I?" Bloodhound asked, confused.

Fireball blinked, now just as bamboozled. "What? No. I…" Once again, the words wouldn't come out, and she let out a frustrated sigh. Turning to Flip, she asked, "Can you please help me with this?"

Flip smirked. "If I absolutely must. But don't expect me to carry this whole conversation for you. You made me talk to my parents. I'm making you talk to your daughter.

Fireball nodded, blushing.

What strange and perilous world have I awoken in? Bloodhound pondered.

Flip pressed her forehooves together, leaning her chin on them as she gathered her thoughts. It struck Bloodhound as a stance she took a lot. "Fireball is jealous of how close you were to Sprout," she informed. "Even though Sprout was your stepmother, and Fireball your mother."

Bloodhound's jaw dropped, her glasses almost falling off her face. "You… WHAT?"

Fireball flinched. She actually flinched. "I just… She was always able to get through to you. I never was. She got you to try things. You listened to her. You liked her."

Shock gave way to sadness and guilt. "Mother…" She didn't know what to say. She was right. She'd been far closer to Sprout than she'd ever been to her. "You've really been doing that for me?"

Fireball nodded. "But… I'm struggling. Staying home, cooking dinner, and having friends over are all nice, but they aren't me. I'm not a socialite, and it just… doesn't feel right." She slumped. "But you still like it, so I don't know what to do."

Bloodhound put a comforting hoof on hers. "Mother, you acting like Mum isn't what I liked."

Fireball blinked. "What do you mean? Isn't being nice what you wanted?"

That made Bloodhound hesitate. "Well…"

"Spit it out," Bucky and Flip said, accidentally in unison. When they realized it, they hoofbumped.

Bloodhound sighed. Well, I suppose the killer may be quite pleased if my own mother does me in before they have to. "It isn't… You don't have to act like Mum to be nice. It wasn't the cooking and being home that I liked. It was being treated like a daughter instead of like one of your boot camp trainees." She wanted to clamp her hooves over her mouth, but forced herself not to. She stood by what she said. "You've actually been acting proud of me, instead of just awaiting your latest reason to be disappointed."

She didn't know what she expected. Slack-jawed surprise at her audacity? A smile and a proud nod? Even a harsh rebuke like Fireball used to give often.

Instead, she got the one reaction that could make her feel absolutely awful: tears. Fireball struggled against them, but couldn't completely stop them. She wiped her eyes, sniffled, and forced herself back into composure.

"Mother, I…" Bloodhound couldn't find the words.

Regardless, Fireball spoke up before she could. "No. You're right. I've been a relentless old nag for most of your life, and I'm sorry." She looked down at the table. "I remember how happy I was when you decided to come with me after the divorce, instead of staying with your father. I've got no idea what happened. I guess I just fell back on what I knew."

Fireball took a deep breath. "Well, I'm going to do my best to do better in my own way… even if I don't know what that way is yet. Just like you're doing."

Bloodhound's smile returned. The two of them got out of the booth to hug. "We're two very confused caterpillars, trying to figure out where their wings are," Bloodhound summed up.

"More like an elderly shadow ant queen, trying to figure out how to train a new one," Fireball teased, rubbing her cheek against Bloodhound's.

Bloodhound's eyes widened. "You did pay attention at the Insect Meet and Greet!"

"Well… no," Fireball admitted sheepishly. "I've just been doing research, so I could figure out how to best explain all this to you."

They all laughed.

"Well, it sounds like this was enough of a success that celebration is in order!" Flip decided. "Dinner is on me!"

A Peek Behind the Curtain

"Pecan and maple," Bloodhound guessed.

Flip threw her hooves up. "I give up! I can't fool her!"

Bloodhound, who was blindfolded, blushed. "What can I say? The nose knows."

They had been devouring stacks of pancakes and waffles for quite a long time, until their hunger had been quenched, and it was time to attend to their boredom.

"But how does it know eleven syrup combinations in a row!?" Flip demanded.

"Houndsy is just that good," Bucky replied with a grin.

Flip grumbled under her breath, passing a smirking Fireball another two bits for the lost bet. "Trick wouldn't let you be this mean to me, Whiskey."

"Aw. I'm sure she'd be proud that the wise, old archmagus is coming down to fool around with us mortals," Fireball teased.

"Who's Trick?" Bloodhound asked.

Flip looked at her with a furrowed brow. "You haven't heard? It was all over the newspapers. A huge scandal."

Bloodhound gave a sheepish grin. "I don't really follow politics." The name did sound familiar, but she couldn't recall where she'd heard it.

"Ah. I suppose that's understandable." Flip had a brief, haunted look. "Coin Trick was my sister. She was caught… performing some actions that greatly offended the nobility. As a result, our parents disowned her. She… isn't around anymore."

Bloodhound winced. "Oh… Oh I'm so sorry."

"It's alright." Flip nodded thanks to a waiter who poured her a fresh cup of coffee. "It was a tragedy, but I'm slowly recovering. We're in the same boat, eh?"

Both Fireball and Bloodhound nodded sadly. Bucky gave Bloodhound a comforting hug.

"Oh come on!" Flip urged. "No long faces here! You lot look sad enough to drive me back to drink. Celestia knows the old me would probably be collapsed in a ditch somewhere."

Fireball frowned. "Flippy, I know you've made a lot of mistakes, but you really shouldn't talk about yourself that way."

"Bad decisions," Flip corrected.

Bloodhound frowned. "What?"

"I didn't make mistakes. I made bad decisions. There's an important difference." Flip leaned back in her seat. "A mistake is something you don't see coming. Often, it can't be helped. I was aware of how my drinking affected me and those around me, but I kept doing it. My big epiphany came when I realized that most of what was going on in my life was my own damned fault. I made my own bad decisions, but I could start to make good ones. It's not easy, and the temptation is still there, but that self-awareness helps a lot."

It reminded Bloodhound a lot of her own self-sabotaging situation, trying to make something of herself. Maybe if she can make such a drastic turnaround, I can too.

Flip's watch beeped. "Gah. Sorry. I have a prior engagement. Don't worry. I'll pay on my way out. You and I should speak more, Bloodhound. I recall you and I are having similar problems. Perhaps you'd like to have tea at my estate this weekend?"

Bloodhound grinned. "That sounds lovely!"

"Fantastic!" She stood, stretching her back like a cat. "I'll see you all later then." Before she left, she looked over her shoulder and smiled. "It's good to have new friends."

As she went through the front door of the restaurant, a surprising figure passed by her on the way in: a guard stallion, in full armor. He walked right up to their table. "Ms. Bloodhound?" He asked, looking at Bucky.

Bucky blinked. "Uh… no? I'm Buck Up. I'm just a personal trainer." As if to demonstrate, she flexed one of her muscular forelegs, pointing at it pointedly with her other.

Fireball looked like she was going to rip him a new one, but Bloodhound spoke up before she could. "That's me, actually."

He gave her an envelope, which had been stamped with a yellow, sun-shaped seal. "You're to see Princess Celestia first thing tomorrow, before morning court. Please arrive in full uniform, and bring the signed orders contained in this envelope."

Bloodhound's eyes shrank to pinpricks. "E-excuse me!?"

He shrugged. "I don't write up the orders, ma'am. I just deliver them."

With that he left them all stunned and slack-jawed.

Fireball was the first to recover. "My baby is moving up in the world!" Her grin was the biggest, and proudest, that Bloodhound had ever seen.

Bloodhound was unable to speak, as she was on the verge of a panic attack.

Bucky put a comforting hoof on her back. "Breathe, Houndsy. It's probably just Watch business. You'll be fine."

"Fine! Yes! Fine!" Bloodhound squeaked. "I'm just a humble entomologist, probably going to explain our progress in solving crimes to the ruler and goddess of my homeland! Yes I'm absolutely fine!"

Bucky rubbed her back gently. "Yes, you will be. I doubt you'll be alone, and Fireball can help you learn the protocols for meeting with the Princess."

Fireball nodded. "Absolutely."

That at least helped lower Bloodhound's stress levels until she was no longer at risk of fainting. "Alright. Yes. You're right. I can do this."

Fireball smiled at Bucky. "You're good at this. You have any foals of your own?"

Bucky shook her head. "No. But I do want some someday."

Fireball's friendly smile turned into a smirk. "Well… Houndsy is single."

Bloodhound's stress levels spiked right back up, her face turning as red as her mane. "MOTHER!"

"What?" Fireball said with a laugh. "I'm just being a good parent!"

After dropping off Bucky, and going over some surprisingly simple rules to follow when addressing Celestia, Bloodhound was subjected to possibly the only words that could have terrified her more than her mother trying to set her up on a date.

"Alright. If you're going to be in law enforcement, I'm going to have to teach you some self-defense."

Bloodhound groaned. "But Motheeeerr…"

"But nothing. My biggest priority is keeping you safe. Don't worry. This won't be like last time."

"Thank you. I would rather not traumatize another poor recruit."

"Hey. I paid his therapy bills. And I gotta hand it to you, falling over and crying like that was impressive psychological warfare. Now listen up. I'm gonna keep things simple. Pick up that chair and hit me with it."

Bloodhound glanced at the heavy, wooden chair that Fireball had dragged from the dining room to the backyard. "Erm… I don't think I can lift it."

"Sure you can. It's all in technique. Give it a try, and I'll correct you if you do it wrong."

Bloodhound reluctantly opened her mouth, trying to grab the back of the chair in her teeth, but Fireball stopped her before she could lift it.

"You're gonna crack your teeth like that," she warned. "Like this."

She stood on her back legs, grabbing the chair with a bend in her forelegs just above her hooves. Using her chin for leverage, she used her whole body to lift the chair above her head, now only using her back legs for support.

Fireball set the chair back down, falling back to all fours. "There. Now you try. Use all your muscles when you lift, not just your forelegs."

Bloodhound tried it. To her surprise, she was able to mimic Fireball with ease, hefting the heavy chair over her head. "I'm doing it! I'm really doing—"

She fell over backwards, hitting the grass with a thud. "—it."

Fireball laughed and helped her up. "Don't get your clothes too dirty. The washing machine is on the fritz, and the repair company is giving me the runaround. Go take your sweater off, and we can practice more."

They practiced until late in the evening. By the time Bloodhound went to bed, she was exhausted, sore, and more confident than she'd been in a long time.

Canterlot Castle. It was among the most beautiful structures in the world; a symbol of the golden age that Princess Celestia ruled over.

Bloodhound had only been here once or twice, and she'd never actually gone inside. She had only been to the walls, riding on her mother's armored back as a filly.

Merrilight bumped her as they approached the guards at the front gate. "Chin up! Princess Celestia loves me!"

"As I recall, last time you met, she remarked that you had a 'somewhat creepy charm,'" Starfish reminded. The guardsmare was clearly tense. She did not look happy about this meeting at all.

Crossed spears barred their paths. "Halt. State your business," said one of the rather intimidating white unicorn stallions guarding the front gate.

Bloodhound produced her envelope, and Merrilight and Starfish produced similar ones. Bloodhound was happy to step back and let somepony else talk, but Merrilight looked irritated when it was Starfish who did. "Official business with the Princess."

They leaned around her to look at Bloodhound and Merri. "You on babysitting duty for the Toppies, Sergeant?"

"Toppies?" Bloodhound said in confusion, before her eyes drifted up to her uniform's top hat. "Oh."

"Actually, it's the other way around!" Merrilight said cheerily. "The Guard needed our help."

One of the guards laughed. "Doing what? Growing turnips? Sewing buttons? Go home, civvie. The princess has no need for your fake police force."

Bloodhound was taken aback by the sheer rudeness. "Fake…?"

Before either of them could respond, Starfish approached to whisper something to them.

Both stallions immediately looked spooked. "Er… no offense, Ms. Whiskey," said one.

"We didn't mean anything by it," the other agreed. "Say, weren't you here with somepony else?"

"Yoo hoo!"

Merrilight had already pranced past them, and was waiting partially inside the castle. "For the 'real' police force, you're not very observant!"

Both of the guards had their hackles up and their spears raised in an instant, but again, Starfish stopped them. "None of us want the paperwork we'd need to do if we arrested her, and the princess is waiting for us."

The two guards relaxed, nodding agreement. They didn't argue further, but they did grumble under their breath, and one spat at them as they passed.

Bloodhound was so disturbed by what had just transpired, it took several steps into the throne room before her pre-princess-parlay-panic peeked it's pesky peepers into her mind. Stay calm, Houndsy! She's just a goddess, with a history of banishing others to space. Surely she's as kind and benevolent as the stories make her sound.

Princess Celestia was absolutely as regal as the stories made her sound. She was taller than any creature Bloodhound had seen, with an alabaster coat, and a long, multi-colored mane that shifted around like a mirage, despite there being no wind to move it.

Despite her divine appearance, her smile was kind and friendly as she stood to greet them. "Starfish. Merrilight. I'm pleased to see you. I assume your friend here is the 'Constable Bloodhound' I read about in your reports?"

"Yes, your—" Starfish began.

Celestia held up her hoof. "I'm sure she's perfectly capable of introducing herself, Sergeant."

Bloodhound cleared her throat. Then she gulped nervously, and was forced to clear it again. "Y-yes, your highness. My name is Bloodhound. I-I'm afraid I don't know what my rank is."

Starfish raised an eyebrow at Merrilight. "Did you not tell her?"

Now it was Merrilight's turn to look nervous. "Our ranking system is somewhat… unfinished. Technically, we're both constables."

Celestia frowned in disapproval. "Yes. That's part of what I wanted to discuss today. I'm told you've been taking advantage of the evolving nature of the Watch to exploit some rather disturbing loopholes."

Merrilight blanched, and Starfish turned to her with a smile. "Yes. You've been doing that quite a lot lately."

"Well… those loopholes are technically the law," Merrilight defended, forcing a smile that didn't shield her fear quite enough. "And they remove obstacles that can get fairly annoyi—"

Celestia stomped her hoof. It wasn't quite enough to crack the marble underneath it, but it was enough to send a deafening *BANG* echoing through the throne room.

All three of them flinched. Bloodhound immediately hid behind Merrilight.

Celestia took a deep breath. "I know the system frustrates you, Merrilight, and I agree. That's why I signed off on the formation of the Watch. But that does not give you carte blanche to trample all over that system whenever it suits you. From now on, whenever there's doubt in who has jurisdiction, or what you're allowed to do, send a missive to me, and I'll clarify it. Clear?"

The lecture reminded Bloodhound a lot of the ones her Mother used to give, albeit it was much more kind and understanding, and her voice had much less anger than it did disappointment.

"Crystal, your highness," Merrilight said in a bitter tone.

Starfish was grinning like it was her birthday, and she'd just been granted a baronet.

"Now," Celestia continued. "From your reports, I understand that you've come across a very disturbing crime. Murder is so rare in Equestria, that I wanted to receive an update in-person."

Starfish started to speak, but Merrilight interrupted her. "Actually, Bloodhound has been the one to find many of the clues. Perhaps she should address the princess."

Starfish grit her teeth for a split second, but relaxed when Merrilight whispered something to her that Bloodhound couldn't hear. "Eh. You're right. Go on, Houndsy."

"M-me? But…"

Celestia, seeing her hesitation, gave her a soft smile. "Bloodhound Whiskey, right?"

"Er… technically, yes, but I just go by Bloodhound. Sort of like how guard ants are just warrior ants who—"

Starfish cleared her throat.

Bloodhound smiled sheepishly. "Uh… yes, that's me."

Celestia nodded. "You must be Fireball's daughter, then."

Bloodhound blinked. "You know my mother?"

"I know all of my guards," Celestia replied. "Including my most infamous instructor. Please, tell me what you know of the case."

Bloodhound did her best to describe what she knew. She stuttered a lot, and went into several tangents about insects and arachnids in order to clarify her points.

Celestia listened patiently all the while, smiling a little at her tangents, actually putting a hoof to her lips in shocked sorrow when she heard how Bloodhound was involved, and her jaw absolutely dropped when she mentioned that they believed the two murders had the same culprit. "This wasn't in your reports, Merrilight."

"Sergeant Starfish instructed me to inform nopony, to avoid public panic," Merrilight replied.

Celestia pursed her lips, eyes haunted. "Two murders, here in Equestria…" she murmured. "You're sure?"

"It sounds like a stretch, but I saw the lockpick marks on Bloodhound's fridge myself," Merrilight replied. "And with the similarities in the deaths, it seems too much to be coincidence."

Celestia nodded, lowering her head, and giving a long, sad sigh. "From now on, all three of you are to report anything involving this case directly to me. This case is priority number one, above any others you're working on. Understand?"

All of them nodded.

"Good. And do your best to not let any word of it escape. You were right to think this could cause a panic." Celestia looked somewhere far past them, lost in thought. "For now, you're dismissed. I want this killer caught before they kill again."

They all bowed in acknowledgement. Bloodhound really wasn't sure how long she should hold the bow. It was only when Merrilight tapped on her shoulder that she realized that her companions had already gotten up to leave. She quickly stood herself, and they hurried out of the throne room.

"Where to now?" she asked as they passed the two rude guards.

"Follow me," Starfish ordered. "I've got a good place. We're going to put our heads together and try to find some kind of break in this case."

The first thing Bloodhound noticed about the morgue was how chilly it was. She really wished she'd brought along a sweater.

Of course, it was creepy as well. So few suspicious deaths happened in Equestria that the place was severely underfunded. The lights flickered, and there clearly wasn't a janitor on-staff.

The lack of crime in Equestria also explained the tiny evidence room just off the main morgue, in which all three of them sat.

Cold Case, the same mare who had brought in the toxicology results before, now brought in two files. "Here ya go. The beginner's guide to these two dead bodies. AKA the full autopsy reports."

"Thank you, Ms. Case," Starfish said with a nod. "Stick around. Just in case we have questions."

"Take a nap in a morgue drawer, got it," Cold said as she left the room.

Starfish rolled her eyes. "She likely won't be much help." She passed the folders to Merrilight and Bloodhound. "Let's start with what we know, and try to work our way toward what we need to know. Bloodhound, you recognized the symptoms of scorpider venom in Bamboo Sprout. Maybe if you tell us more, we can figure out how it was delivered, and concealed in toxicology."

"It's an… odd type of venom," she explained. "Basically, anything it touches starts to bleed. It's not quite an acid. It's unique. I had it because I was milking Rudy to make antivenom for a local hospital, since the venom itself is a key ingredient."

"How many of the suspects knew that?" Merrilight asked.

"It's entirely possible that all of them did." Bloodhound hugged her fluffy tail thoughtfully. "Mum loved to brag about my work with insects, even though I never made any bits from it."

"Hm. That doesn't narrow it down," Starfish mused.

"But it does tell us one thing," Merrilight pointed out. "The venom had to have been ingested. I remember from Bloodhound's story that she vomited blood, and if it had been a gas in the lungs, Bloodhound would have been killed too."

That was incredibly disconcerting. But something bothered Bloodhound beyond her own mortality. "Then how was it concealed?"

"Perhaps a dose of antivenom?" Merrilight suggested.

"I didn't have any at home," Bloodhound replied. "I just provided the venom. They turned it into antivenom at the hospital. Even if I did, that still doesn't explain the second death also not having any trace of poison."

Starfish gave her a skeptical look. "You have a venomous pet, and no antivenom for it?"

Bloodhound scowled at her. "Excuse you! Rudy is very well-behaved. And we live not far from the hospital. If I was bitten, I'd have plenty of time to get there."

"How long does it take for the venom to become lethal?" Merrilight asked.

"Around five-to-ten minutes," Bloodhound replied.

"So it was something she ate or drank very shortly before going with you to the dressing room," Starfish said thoughtfully.

"Did we test any of the food present?" Merrilight asked.

"I had Cold run what we could find," Starfish replied. "No traces of poison."

All three groaned in frustration.

Merrilight's ears perked up. "What about the powder we found in Matchstick's crime scene?"

Starfish checked the file. "Huh. Odd. Apparently Cold couldn't actually tell what it was. She notes it might have been something custom-made. No trace of it was found in him or his vomit, despite what Bloodhound smelled. So we actually have no proof it's even what killed him."

"Maybe we should focus on the one big piece of evidence we have?" Bloodhound suggested. "The ledger, with the names."

"I've been over it backwards and sideways," Starfish replied.

"Maybe there's something hidden in it," Merrilight replied. "Maybe with invisible ink? I'm fond of spy movies. They use that a lot."

"Don't be ridiculous," Starfish said with a scowl. "What possible reason could there be to use invisible ink?"

"It couldn't hurt to check," Bloodhound replied.

Starfish rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'll check. I have a spell for it, so it's not too much trouble."

Starfish retrieved the ledger. Bloodhound and Merrilight crowded around her as her horn lit up blue, and a purple light was cast on the page.

They all stared at the result.

Fireball Whiskey

Crystal Crown

Coin Trick

Brass Badge

Spiderweb

Penny Pincher

The names glowed a bright purple. They were written in two columns, each lined up with one of the others. Fireball was lined up with Coin Trick on top, Crystal Crown with Brass Badge in the middle, and Spiderweb with Penny Pincher on the bottom.

Bloodhound, obviously, had eyes for only two of the names, and very teary eyes at that. As she turned to the door, she actually spun with enough force to knock one of her companions over. She wasn't sure which. She wasn't even paying attention.

She was crying, but not sobbing. Her teeth were clenched, and her breathing heavy. She wasn't sad. She was furious.

Why was her mother in this book? Suddenly, all the changes in Fireball's behavior made sense. She was feeling guilty. Had she played a role in her mum's death?

Was she the killer they were searching for?

That thought almost stopped her in her tracks, but she pushed on. She wanted answers. She needed answers, and right now, Fireball was the only one who could give them.

Thankfully, a taxi carriage was right outside when Bloodhound left the building, and she boarded before Starfish and Merrilight could catch up.

She was headed for home.

A Fall at the Peak

Bloodhound didn't get out of the carriage until she was in front of her house. She didn't want to let the smells of the bakeries and bug nests try to tempt her away from her mission.

Still, doubt was beginning to plague her. Fireball hadn't been acting a bad kind of strange lately. Was this really solid evidence she was involved in the case? No. But it's certainly proof she's connected.

She was still angry, but managed to bring herself back to reason. She couldn't just confront her mother head-on. If Fireball caught on, the entire case could go up in flames.

Bloodhound pushed open the front door. "Mother? Are you home?"

"Hey, Houndsy!" Fireball called as she came down from upstairs. "You're home early. Everything okay?"

Steady on, Houndsy. Don't let her know anything's wrong.

She needed to think. How would Matchstick have had any contact with Fireball? He was a matchmaker. So maybe… "I have a bit of an odd question. How did you meet Mum?"

Fireball furrowed her brow. "Why do you want to know that?"

Did I just see her pupils shrink a little? Is she afraid? "I'm just trying to learn more about her."

Fireball cleared her throat nervously. "Well… we met at a party. Some friends of mine introduced us. You know them, actually. They were here on… that unfortunate night."

Right. But their names weren't in invisible ink. Yours was. "What sort of party was it?" she pressed.

Right away she could tell she'd hit a nerve. Fireball's eyes flicked back and forth, as if looking for an escape route. But, after a moment, she caught herself, taking a deep, calming breath. "Houndsy… you're acting odd. Are you okay?"

She sounded so caring, just like she had recently. Doubt once again plagued Bloodhound's mind, tempering her anger. "I'm just… curious," she said, barely managing to not say it through gritted teeth.

Fireball gave a frustrated grimace, but calmed herself again. Being taller, she knelt down to Bloodhound's level. "Houndsy, I'm your mother. I know when you're lying to me. I understand if it's something you can't tell me right now, but you know that, the moment you can, I'll still be here to listen. That's what a good parent does, right?"

Bloodhound's resolve almost broke there. She wanted to tell her everything, to beg for some kind of explanation. But she knew she couldn't. "I… understand."

Fireball hugged her. "Thank you. I… I really wish I could just tell you. But I'm… not comfortable right now. I don't have the courage. I promise that I'll tell you, but please, give me some time to steel myself. Okay?"

That reassured Bloodhound a little. If she's that uncomfortable, her reactions to the question make sense. "Yes. Thank you."

Fireball gave her another squeeze before she released her. "I have somewhere I need to be soon. But I have a little present for you."

Bloodhound's smile finally returned, even though it was forced. "Oh?"

Fireball went to the kitchen, and came back with a bottle. Bloodhound recognized it. It was the same bottle of wine that Flip had been drinking from on the night of Sprout's death.

"The most expensive bottle in my collection," Fireball explained. "Since Flip talked me into getting on the wagon, I don't really need it anymore. I know you don't really drink, but I wanted you to have it. Consider it a little symbol of my promise to be a better mom."

Bloodhound was floored. Her anger and suspicion faded into the background, and she actually teared up a little as she accepted the bottle. "I… I don't know what to say…"

"Say you'll do your best at your new job, and make me even more proud than you already have," Fireball teased.

Bloodhound gave a wobbly smile, and saluted. "Yes, ma'am!"

Fireball laughed, kissing her on the cheek. "I need to head out, or I'll be late. Love you, Houndsy."

Bloodhound hugged her back as tightly as she possibly could. "I love you too."

Her purpose for coming home completely unfulfilled, Bloodhound went up to her room, defeated and confused. I hope I don't get in trouble for storming out of the morgue like that.

It would make sense if she did. She supposed she had also sort of just questioned her mother without a warrant.

She grimaced at the thought, and had to shake her head to try and clear it of anxiety. To calm herself down, she gave Rudy a few extra pets after she fed her bugs.

Once she was done, she turned back to the bottle. I should probably do something with it. I don't know if wine needs to be refrigerated, but surely it can't hurt.

As Bloodhound picked up the bottle, she noticed something odd. The seal was still on. I could have sworn I saw Flip drinking from this. Mother did say it was valuable. Maybe she or Flip re-sealed it somehow to hide the fact that it's been opened.

Regardless, she put it in her bedroom refrigerator. She could ask them about it some other time.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock from downstairs. Was that the front door?

As soon as she opened the door, she was enveloped by two things: the familiar scent of perfume mixed with wing wax, and yet another involuntary hug.

"Houndsyyyyyyy!" Aphrodite greeted. "I'm glad to see you're okay. I got so worried when your friends told me you stormed out of work like that."

"Hrrk!" Bloodhound gently extricated herself from Aphrodite's embrace. "I'm fine. I just… got overwhelmed. They told you about me?"

"Of course we did!" Bloodhound found herself swept up in another hug as Merrilight swept past Aphrodite.

Thankfully, Starfish pried her off. "We tried to follow you, but got stuck in traffic," she explained, taking her helmet off. "Something must be going on down on Crimson Avenue. The line of carriages blocked at least three roads."

"Fortunately for us, we ran into Ms. Aphrodite, and she gave us a ride!" Merrilight finished.

"I was on my way here anyway, and I've flown hitched to a carriage before," Aphrodite said with a giggle.

"You were on your way here?" Bloodhound asked. "Why?"

"Weeeelll… I can't tell you that," Aphrodite said. "It's a surprise. I was supposed to pick you three up. So it's good I ran into these two on the way."

Bloodhound was confused, but followed them all out to the carriage. Thankfully, they were alone in the cab, with Aphrodite hitching herself to the front.

They took off. Bloodhound's stomach lurched at the sudden motion of being lifted into the air. She somehow got a little greener than she already was.

"Do either of you have any idea what this is about?" Bloodhound asked in a low voice, once her airsickness had subsided.

"No idea," Starfish replied.

"It's an opportunity to get closer to one of our suspects," Merrilight said. "So does it matter?"

"Fair point." Starfish turned to Bloodhound. "Are you okay? You took off like a bat out of Tartarus."

"I'm… as okay as I can be," Bloodhound replied.

"Did you get anything out of your mother?" Merrilight asked.

"Maybe," said Bloodhound. "But I don't know how to explain it right now, and I'm not sure if I have time."

As if the universe was trying to prove her point, the carriage rolled to a stop, and the door opened. "We're heeeere!" Aphrodite announced cheerfully.

Starfish frowned like she still wanted to dig into Bloodhound for running off, but reluctantly let the point be as they all got off.

The sign out front read Je Ne Parle Prancais. "Wait… this is…" Bloodhound had to straighten her glasses to make sure the fancy, cursive script said what she thought it said.

"The most expensive restaurant in town!" Merrilight realized. "Er… I'm sorry, but I don't think I can actually afford to eat here."

"Oh, don't worry!" Aphrodite said with a sly smile. "It's our treat!"

"Our?" Bloodhound asked.

"Oh no no!" said a familiar voice. "You are not walking into a high-class establishment wearing that!"

Golden Lace strode up to them. She wore a gorgeous gown that Bloodhound swore must have been woven from the contents of some national treasury somewhere.

"Wearing what?" Merrilight asked. "Smiles? A sense of self worth despite not being rich?"

"Smelly coats and hoof-me-down top hats!" Lace scolded. "And who comes to dinner in full armor?"

Aphrodite's smile was far too wide for Bloodhound's comfort level. "I think we know what that meeeeeaaans!"

"What does it me—" Before Bloodhound could finish her sentence, the three of them were whisked past the line, into the building, and into a powder room so fast that they didn't even get to see the rest of the interior.

The tornado of a mare who had blown them here grinned in Bloodhound's face. "MAKEOVEEEEERS!"

Lace strolled in a moment later. "Yes, I suppose if these three can't care for their own appearances, we must do it for them."

"I have the emergency dresses!" Aphrodite confirmed.

Merrilight blanched. "N-now hold on. No need to do anything drastic."

"There absolutely is!" Aphrodite's eyes widened in shock. "Don't you want your organization to look respectable? Now hold still. This won't take long."

The three of them were like cats at a groomer: Bloodhound was calm and docile, Starfish glared and let out the occasional complaint, but was disciplined enough to be polite, and Merrilight yowled and fought like she was the one at risk of being murdered.

Theoretically, these two are suspects, Bloodhound thought to herself. So I suppose she kind of is.

She did use the opportunity to get a subtle whiff of them both. Lace had the light scent of cologne on her, so she'd definitely been in contact with some stallion or another during the past day or so. Aphrodite wore a perfume that was familiar, but that Bloodhound couldn't quite put her nose on.

"Makeup time!" Aphrodite announced.

"Nooooooo!" Merrilight, on her back, wiggled her hooves to try and escape. "I refuse!"

But Aphrodite was too strong, managing to hold her prey down while simultaneously whipping her brush around so fast Bloodhound couldn't tell what was going on. When the cloud of makeup dust settled, to everyone's amazement, Merrilight looked quite good despite her struggles.

At the end, each was in a dress with matching eyeshadow: Starfish in gold, Merrilight in black, and Bloodhound in red.

"Tadaaaa!" Aphrodite sang. "Now you're prepared!"

Merrilight made a mortified sound, eerily similar to a death rattle.

Bloodhound nudged her. "Now you know part of what I had to deal with, growing up with Mum."

"What exactly are we prepared for?" Starfish asked.

"You'll see in a moment," Lace assured, nodding towards the door. "Follow us."

Curiosity overcoming caution, Bloodhound exited the room first.

The restaurant was massive. It was furnished in shiny shades of silver and gold, white tablecloths on every circular table. Bloodhound was nearly blinded by the radiance of it all, but a nice string band helped soothe her senses.

There was a small crowd, with their backs to them, facing the door. Some kind of banner dangled above them, facing a way that Bloodhound couldn't see what it said.

Lace cleared her throat.

Confused, the crowd turned around. Bloodhound was surprised to see her mother amongst them.

"Surprise!" Fireball said awkwardly, followed by the rest of the crowd.

"How the hay did they get in without us noticing?" Flip muttered.

"Sometimes fashion emergencies require a little bending of the laws of spacetime," Aphrodite replied cheerily. "But that's not important right now!"

"What are you all doing here?" Bloodhound asked, eyes wide with astonishment. She recognized a few faces, but many of the well-dressed ponies present were strangers to her.

"Look for yourself," Fireball encouraged.

Bloodhound stepped forward, craning her neck to look at the banner.

It read "Congratulations Bloodhound!" in big, blue letters.

"Flip and I were talking, and I realized I never actually rewarded you for getting your first job," Fireball explained. "So I thought, in addition to throwing a party, I'd bring in some folks who are willing to donate their resources to the Watch. I looked in on your little project, Constable Merrilight. It looks like you need all the help you can get."

Merrilight looked absolutely gobsmacked. "Y-yes! Absolutely! Thank you, Mrs. Whiskey!" She shook Fireball's hoof vigorously.

One of the members of the crowd stepped forward. She was an alabaster mare with a big, orange, beehive mane, and a very ruffly, purple dress. "You're Fireball's daughter?" she said in a very nasally voice, nose so high it gave her an extra foot of height.

"Erm… yes?" Bloodhound replied awkwardly.

The mare held out her hoof. "Coin Shortage. Charmed. My daughter speaks highly of you."

Bloodhound bumped hooves with her. "Oh! You must be Flip's mother. It's so good to meet you."

The mare harrumphed, and made her way to a table.

Bloodhound blinked at the blatantly rude gesture, staring after her. "...Okay then."

The rest of the crowd had tensed as Shortage approached, but relaxed as she left without incident. Whatever her abrupt departure meant, it must have been good, because they all separated to start mingling. I will never understand the nobles of Canterlot.

Merrilight and Bloodhound ended up at the same table. Merrilight looked incredibly out-of-place and uncomfortable. "We are in a lion's den, Bloodhound. But, if we play our cards right, we might just come out well-fed."

"I should hope so," Bloodhound replied. "This is a restaurant."

"Not what I meant." Merrilight looked around the room like a nervous meerkat. "As an experimental force, the Watch currently relies on very meager funds from the crown. If we can get donations from some of the nobility, we'll be absolutely set. We could buy an office of our own, instead of being crammed into the back of the Guard HQ. Maybe we could even hire a few more Watchponies."

"Ah. Yes. You're right." Bloodhound sipped her drink. She'd been so blindsided by everything that she hadn't thought of what it could mean for the Watch.

It took a few moments before she realized Merrilight was giving her a look. For a second, she was perplexed at what it could mean, then it clicked. As it did, she felt her chest tighten, but she forced herself to speak anyway. "What? You're not expecting me to talk to all of them, are you?"

"No! Nonono. But… well, I'm not exactly rich, noble-blooded, or respected. Soooo… maybe you could put in a good word for me?"

Bloodhound started to hyperventilate. "I don’t know how to schmooze for funding!" she argued. "It also occurs to me that most of our current suspects are in this restaurant right now!"

“Hey! Take it easy! Just breathe!” Merrilight demonstrated slow breathing, trying to stop Bloodhound from having a panic attack. “They like what’s new and novel. Just…show off a little. And I highly doubt the suspects will suspect anything. Maybe you could even get some info from them.”

Bloodhound paused. “You think it’s really that easy?”

“I do,” Merrilight replied, giving her an encouraging nudge. “You’ll absolutely dazzle them!”

She finally got her heart rate under control. Bloodhound took a breath to steel herself. “You’re right. Maybe I can even find something out from the smells on somepony.”

"Perhaps. If you can be subtle, feel free to ask around." Merrilight sighed. "I wish I'd been allowed to wear my uniform." She kicked at the skirt of her dress. "I'm going to fall on my face the moment I take a step. I just know it."

"Probably best you stay here then." Bloodhound got up. "I'll be back. Maybe once I've put in my good word, I can teach you to walk in a dress." It felt weird to be the one teaching somepony else not to look like an awkward mess.

She decided that the best thing to do would be to get help from the mare who'd introduced her to the Watch in the first place. Aphrodite had a small crowd gathered around her, as she danced a very fast ballet both on the ground and in the air. Most of the crowd were customers, but a few waiters and a cook also stood about.

Bloodhound waited politely until the show finished. When Aphrodite finally landed on the tips of her hindhooves, the staff stomped and cheered. The nobles applauded quietly, while giving the staff dirty looks.

"Houndsy!" Aphrodite greeted. "How are you enjoying the party so far?"

"It's not exactly what I'm used to," Bloodhound admitted. "Same for Merrilight. She was hoping for some help impressing the nobles."

"Ah, Merrilight. Poor mare. Never has known much about advertising." A wicked smile crossed her face. "I have the perfect idea to get you some attention. Follow my lead."

She spun Bloodhound around. "Mares and gentlecolts, the lady of the hour, and the Watch's new Chief Detective, Bloodhound!"

"But there are only two of—" Bloodhound found her mouth blocked by feathers. With Aphrodite's wing so close, she was again aware of the scent of a familiar perfume that she couldn't quite place.

"She's truly brilliant, able to get a read on a pony's secrets with a mere sniff!" Aphrodite gushed. She pointed at a pale-white stallion with a monocle and a blue mustache. "Do him, Houndsy!"

"I suppose it sounds fun enough!" said the stallion with a jolly laugh. "Greetings! My name is Fancypants."

"Thank you for volunteering, your grace," Bloodhound said with a wobbly smile. Aphrodite had really put her on the spot in front of a bunch of strangers. She didn't have much choice but to push through her stage fright.

The other nobles had tensed up at the mention of secrets being sussed out, but relaxed as one of their number was chosen. Curious. I wonder what they have to hide.

She took a whiff of Fancypants. Moustache wax, light cologne, notes of sand and tropical fruit. A very faded scent of cherry perfume. "You're subscribed to Moustachio Monthlio, and use the new wax they send with every magazine. Your parents were quite strict with you growing up, resulting in you being a bit of a maverick among the nobles. You and your wife had a trip to a tropical destination recently, resulting in her contracting a contagious illness that has forced you two apart for… I want to say a week. If I had to guess, I'd say she's a fashion model. Judging by the scent of fruit on you, I'm going to take a shot in the dark that she became infected with wonderfleas after attempting to eat a wild wonderfruit. Yet you avoided infection somehow. Let me guess, you have food tasters to prevent this kind of thing, but she was too eager to sample local cuisine?"

Fancypants' jaw dropped, his monocle fell off, and he had to catch it to put it back on. "By jove! That's exactly right!"

"I've got a strong nose," Bloodhound explained, cheeks warming.

"But how did you know all those scents?" a gray mare asked.

"Studying, mostly," Bloodhound replied. "In college, I used it as a party trick. I wasn't too good at first, but experience helped boost my accuracy."

"Why didn't you join the Guard?" asked somepony in the crowd that Bloodhound couldn't see.

"I was rejected," Bloodhound admitted. "Asthma, and lack of physical fitness. I'm not exactly Guard material." She gave an awkward, snorty laugh. It was a mild lie of omission that she hadn't truly applied for any positions she could have made. But technically it was still true, and there was no guarantee she'd have gotten the job anyway if she had applied.

That got the crowd muttering. Several of them looked offended on her behalf.

"The Watch is more of a civilian thing," Aphrodite added helpfully. "If you want to know more, the head of it is sitting over there." She pointed at Merrilight, who was watching the crowd, while trying to look like she wasn't watching the crowd.

"I believe I'll have a word with her," Fancypants decided. Several other nobles nodded agreement. "Thank you for your time, Ms. Hound!"

Bloodhound watched them all go in honest shock that it had been that easy. She wasn't aware that her jaw was hanging open until Aphrodite closed it for her, and nudged her glasses back into place. "What… what just happened?"

"You got your hoof in the door!" Aphrodite replied cheerily, giving her a playful kiss on the cheek. "Go on. Enjoy your party."

Bloodhound's legs were still a little wobbly as she explored the restaurant. She didn't like the looks some of the upper crust of Canterlot were giving her. She felt judged, or appraised.

So she did what any scared filly would do: run for her mother.

Fireball and Starfish had found a private spot in the back, behind a privacy screen, to escape the looks, and were currently hoofwrestling on one of the tables.

Starfish's face was strained and sweaty, but Fireball's was relaxed, with a small grin. Their hooves were locked in place, and no matter how hard Starfish pushed, Fireball didn't budge a single inch, and not an ounce of strain made its way onto her face.

Starfish's concession was an inevitability, and her hoof hit the table moments later. "Are you made of iron?" she asked, eyes wide.

"I'm made of fire, kid," Fireball remarked with a wink.

Bloodhound cleared her throat.

They both finally noticed her. "Would you mind giving us just a moment?" Starfish said to Fireball. "Had something private to ask Bloodhound."

"Of course," Fireball replied. "I'll go see if I can find any suitable bachelors or bachelorettes for Houndsy." She shot a wink at a very blushy Bloodhound as she left.

Bloodhound grumbled as she sat where her mother had been.

Starfish leaned forward with surprising intensity. "So. I can't be the only one who noticed that almost all of our suspects are under one roof."

Bloodhound shook off her embarrassment to regain a small semblance of professionalism. "I suppose that is true. But what do you mean almost?"

"I'm still counting Spiderweb," Starfish replied. "But that's not my point. Something feels off here. You don't spend the kind of social goodwill it takes to gather the entire upper crust of Canterlot to a fundraiser just to congratulate somepony. I just… I have a gut feeling that something is going to go wrong tonight. If you're willing to tell, I'd really like to hear what went down with your mother before we reached you. We've got to pick up the pace on this investigation."

Bloodhound brought her up to speed. While they spoke, a waiter finally came over with their food. Bloodhound had ordered sauteed mushrooms in a light pesto. Starfish had ordered a fancy strawberry cake.

"So your mum has a secret she doesn't want to tell…" Starfish pondered.

"Matchstick didn't get them together," Bloodhound informed. "I was there when they met. It had nothing to do with any matchmaker."

Starfish took a bite of cake to help her think. "If we can figure out what those names mean, I think we can crack this case wide open. Let's put our heads together. There has to be something that can explain it."

They both wracked their brains in silence. Bloodhound found that Starfish's technique of eating to help her think was very helpful. Perhaps it was something to do with the purple powder? Maybe Matchstick was dealing it, and the ledger is a list of customers?

No. That couldn't be right. Spiderweb had said it had come as a gift. She could have been lying, but surely it could be proven, and none of that powder had been found anywhere else. She probably thought it was some kind of stinky perfume.

Perfume… That triggered a tiny memory in her brain. An odd puzzle piece that hadn't quite fit anywhere when she found it. Like a lit fuse, the trail of logic raced to its conclusion in her mind. When the powder barrels blew, Bloodhound shot to her hooves, and began almost running away from the table.

"Bloodhound?" Starfish hurried to keep up, caught off-guard. "Did you think of something?"

"Shh," Bloodhound replied. "Let me do the talking."

Golden Lace was on her own, watching the crowd as she sipped a glass of sparkling water.

"Golden Lace!" Bloodhound said with just a bit too much enthusiasm as she approached her new friend. "Could I please speak with you for a moment in private? I simply must express my gratitude for you setting all this up!" Laying it on a little thick there, Houndsy?

Thick enough for Lace to raise an eyebrow. "What do you really want, and why are you talking like that?"

Starfish finally caught up, panting from the sudden gallop. She skidded to a stop, almost colliding with Lace. "Apologies, your grace. I don't know what's gotten into her." She gave a lopsided grin. "I-I don't suppose you've uh… donated to the Guard Gala?"

That attempt at conversation was such an appalling display of the total lack of social graces that Lace turned to Bloodhound. "Get me away from her, and we can speak in private as long as you like."

Bloodhound opened her mouth to give further excuses, then closed it and nodded.

They made their way to the powder room, where they were at least unlikely to get interrupted. "If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you a few questions about a case I'm working," Bloodhound said. She's a mare of few words. I should just get to the point.

Lace raised an eyebrow. "Do I need a lawyer?" It wasn't said in a joking manner.

Bloodhound shook her head. "No. At least, I don't think so. Judging by what I've seen, if you were going to kill somepony, it'd be your husband."

She was also being completely serious, but somehow, that still got a barely-restrained laugh out of Lace. "Alright. What are your questions?"

"You knew Count Matchstick, right?" Bloodhound asked.

Bloodhound saw a very slight stiffening of her shoulders. "I did," Lace replied curtly.

"Did you ever use his services?" Bloodhound pressed.

"My husband and I did not meet through him, no."

Bloodhound grit her teeth, scraping a hoof on the ground. She was so close! Her heart tried desperately to escape her ribcage at the thought of answers. "That's not what I meant, and you know it!"

Lace turned away. "This conversation is over."

Bloodhound felt something unfamiliar rise up in her, and she was moving before either of them realized it. She wasn't big, nor strong, nor swarthy, but she was the last pony Lace would have expected to charge at her and pin her against the wall. "What does Matchstick have to do with my Mum's murder!?"

They stared into each other's eyes. Bloodhound's breath was heaving from adrenaline and stress. Lace's eyes were as wide as the moon, and her expression was one of utter surprise and confusion.

In a voice quiet as a mouse, Lace spoke one word: "Murder…?"

Bloodhound's blood ran cold as she realized what she has said. Way to go! You just revealed your case to one of your suspects and assaulted her in the same conversation!

She pulled back. "I-I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me." All her bravado and righteous anger had once again escaped her, leaving her looking and feeling like a hunched, dried, dead tree.

Lace was still so shocked that she didn't bother to tidy her mussed dress or mane. "What do you mean, Sprout was murdered?" she demanded.

Bloodhound cringed. "Mum… was poisoned. With venom from my room."

Lace took several moments to process that gracefully. "How do you…? No. I won't pry into that. I doubt I'd understand your explanation. Was that why you were asking about Matchstick?"

"We think their deaths may be related," Bloodhound admitted sorrowfully.

Lace took a moment to restore herself to a proper state of elegance, and turned her nose to the air. "We both know what you're going to say," she said in a slightly hoarse tone. "Say it."

Bloodhound drew herself up, trying to muster her fury and courage again. "You were cheating on your husband."

Lace was silent.

"Matchstick organized it for you," Bloodhound continued. "Your name was in his book. The scent of stallion was on you, and not your husband's."

Lace said nothing.

"That was his true business," Bloodhound deduced. "He wasn't just a matchmaker. He organized affairs between the Canterlot elite."

Lace's silence lasted a few heartbeats longer. "If word of this gets out… word of your assault on me will get out as well. Mutually assured destruction."

Bloodhound could only nod.

Lace looked up at the ceiling. "I've been trapped in a loveless marriage from a young age," she revealed. "Matchstick was a scoundrel, and a fiend, but his services brought me such relief. He introduced me to partners who made me feel cared for. Even for just a little while."

"I'm not here to scold you," Bloodhound murmured. "I just want to put these pieces together, and find out what happened to Mum."

"Well, you have another piece," Lace said, sounding exhausted. "You're completely correct. Count Matchstick organized extramarital affairs. He was quite good at it, too."

Bloodhound's blood boiled. "So… my mother was cheating on my mum."

Lace had looked shocked before, but now she looked absolutely gobsmacked. "Wait, what?"

"Fireball's name was in his ledger," Bloodhound hissed, before her shoulders slumped, and her face fell, ears pinning as best they could with her poofy mane in the way. “Why would she do that? Mum loved us both. Why would Mother do something so terrible as betraying her like that?"

"Bloodhound… that's not possible."

Bloodhound blinked. "Pardon?"

"Fireball hated what Matchstick did," Lace explained. "She never, not once in a thousand years, would have used his services. She'd sooner run him through with a spear. If anything, Sprout would be the one in that ledger. She was the target of many a noble's affections, and was much more free on her own before she fell head-over-hooves for Fireball."

Bloodhound's head spun, trying to put together what she had just heard. "But… then why—"

The lights went out.

Bloodhound jumped at the suddenness with which she was plunged into blackness. She heard Lace let out a muffled curse.

Outside, there were screams.

The two of them quickly made their way to the door. The lights came back on just before they opened it, and they were met with quite the sight:

The crowd had parted around the two screamers, who now stood silent, staring at each other. One was Coin Shortage. The other was a stallion whom Bloodhound hadn't met, with a yellow coat and a very neat, oiled, black mane.

Shortage muttered a single word. "What…?"

A red stain began to darken the floor beneath her dress. The stallion's white shirt began to turn crimson.

They both fell over at the same time, landing with thuds of finality.

They were dead.

A Spanner in the Works

"Everypony stay calm!" Starfish ordered.

That order was very needed, but not heard over the chorus of screams and the clip of fleeing hooves from the surviving patrons.

Fireball, thankfully, had enough experience in a crisis to step in front of them. "Oi! The Guard mare said stay calm! She can't find out what happened if you're all acting like startled rabbits!"

Starfish nodded her thanks. "Merrilight, Bloodhound, you two investigate the scene. I'm going to go and get more guards to secure the restaurant. Fireball, let nopony leave."

All involved parties nodded agreement.

Bloodhound could smell the blood that cut the air. It nauseated her. Could this be their killer? It felt like too much of a coincidence for it to not be the same culprit as Matchstick and Sprout. Her lungs were heaving from the sudden stress. She fished into her mane, looking for her inhaler, only to find it gone.

Merrilight emerged, having quickly changed out of her hated dress and into her Watch uniform. She gave Bloodhound her uniform back too, along with her inhaler. "Onwards, Bloodhound! To investigatory glory!"

After a life-saving inhaler puff, Bloodhound gathered her scattered senses, changed into her Watch uniform, and gave a shaky nod. "Right!"

"Can you smell anything useful around the scene?" Merrilight asked as they approached.

Bloodhound sniffed, and was immediately nauseous. "Blood. Lots of blood. It kind of covers everything else up."

"Drat!" Merrilight swore. "Alright. I guess we'll have to use our eyeballs on this then."

Her horn glowed, and her magic surrounded Bloodhound's body, as well as her own. "There! That'll keep us from shedding and contaminating the crime scene. Now, let's take a look-see at these two."

The two must have stood up in shock, as their chairs had fallen over behind them. Both had a look of surprise, and a bloodstain on the front of their clothing. They hadn't even gotten to eat their meals, as the shiny, metal cloche was still over both of them.

Merrilight did her best to investigate without disturbing the bodies. "Hm. A single stab wound to the chest, in about the same spot on both of them. But there's no clothing damage. Strange…"

Bloodhound was getting quite uncomfortable with the overwhelming smell. "Do you mind if I go canvas the witnesses? Otherwise I think my vomit will absolutely compromise the crime scene."

"Probably for the best," Merrilight agreed. "Your talents are more useful there." She retrieved a piece of chalk from her coat, and began tracing outlines around the bodies.

Happy for the excuse to get away, Bloodhound made her way over to the whispering, frightened crowd. She took a brief sniff. To her surprise, somepony else had the harsh tang of blood on them in that crowd. "Excuse me?"

The crowd fell silent. They all stared at her, waiting for her to speak.

I am not used to having that kind of authority. "Sompony amongst you is covered in blood."

She had expected the villain of all this to try and flee the crowd. Instead, a trembling hoof was raised. "That's me…"

The speaker was a waitress, who was positively drenched in red. Her breathing was heavy, and tears leaked from the corners of her eyes. Her legs were shaking.

Bloodhound instantly went from suspicious to sympathetic. "What happened to you?"

"I-I had just delivered the Coin family's food," she explained, nodding towards the crime scene. "The lights went out, and something sprayed all over me. When they came back on, I was… like this."

"I was standing nearby," a waiter confirmed. "I heard the splatter, and then I heard her make a surprised noise."

Bloodhound sniffed the waitress. "It's blood, alright. Did you hear anything in the dark? You were extremely close to them."

"I… I don't know," the waitress admitted. "There were a lot of screams when the lights went out. I couldn't tell if any of it was them."

Right. It couldn't be that easy. "Did anypony else hear or see anything?"

"I saw a horn light up in the dark!" One of the noblemares piped up.

"That was me," a unicorn stallion in a tuxedo confirmed. "I lit up my horn so I could see."

"Me too!" a mare confirmed.

"Same here," said another stallion.

"Did any of you see anything odd?" Bloodhound asked.

"Horn light isn't much," the mare explained. "I could only see enough to keep from bumping into anypony."

"I… may have seen something," the first stallion to confess said uncertainly.

"What was it?" Bloodhound asked, excited.

"Well… I'm not totally certain. But while I saw these two and myself lighting up horns, I definitely saw a fourth. It's weird they're not speaking up."

The second perked up. "Did they have red magic?"

"Yeah!" the first confirmed.

"You know them?" Bloodhound said.

"Not exactly." The second stallion scratched his chin. "They were sitting at a table across from me. I noticed them because they were acting really weird."

Bloodhound dug through her fluffy mane storage for a notepad and pen, writing all this down. "How so?"

"Well, they were just a silhouette, and I couldn't even tell you their colors from how harsh that red magic light was. But while everypony else was yelling or panicking, they were just sitting at their table, completely calm. They weren't even looking around. I think they were staring at something on their table."

Bloodhound recorded every word. "Thank you. This could be vital informa—"

"Alright, everypony! Stay calm!"

Ponies in golden armor marched into the room. The Guard had arrived.

Merrilight protested as she was forced away from the crime scene. "This is outrageous! I have just as much right to investigate this scene as you do!"

"Not according to Princess Celestia, you don't," said a handsome, ivory unicorn stallion with a two-tone, royal-blue mane. He had a red helmet, lined with gold, that must have been a symbol of rank.

Merrilight's demeanor became so icy that Bloodhound could feel the temperature drop in the room. "Captain Shining Armor."

Bloodhound had never heard so much disdain in any three words grouped together. Except, perhaps, a book critic saying 'Another vampire romance.'

"I'm not having a glorified bureaucrat run roughshod all over my crime scene," Shining said calmly. "You're leaving. Now."

"Hey!" Aphrodite shouted. "You can't do that!"

"It's Princess Celestia's orders," Shining replied. "Take it up with her."

"E-excuse me!" Bloodhound said as she overcame stage fright and found her voice. "But you may wish to reconsider."

Shining focused on her. He didn't seem all that scary. Just a little irritated. "And you are?"

"She's my star investigator," Merrilight proclaimed, smirking.

"She is pretty good at her job," Fancypants confirmed.

Shining raised a hoof to cut off the mutters of support. "If she's in the Watch, she's an untrained civilian. Sorry, but I'm not elected, so popular 'star investigators' being around me doesn't matter at all. Like I said, this is straight from Princess Celestia. This case is way too big for the Watch. If you disagree, talk to her."

Merrilight tried to argue, but the Guards ignored her as she and Bloodhound were shoved out of the restaurant, and away from the crime scene.

They sat outside for several moments, neither quite able to believe what had just happened.

Merrilight let out a stream of curses in at least six different languages. There may have been more that Bloodhound didn't speak, but she was speaking too quickly for Bloodhound to translate.

When she'd gotten the venom out of her system, Merrilight took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Bloodhound."

"It's alright," Bloodhound replied. "I do wish I'd gotten a chance to eat, though. I'm starving. Mother will probably be in there for quite a while, and I'm not much of a cook. So, how are we going to get back on the case?"

"Wait, what?" Merrilight blinked several times. "We're not. Celestia has ordered us off of the case."

"Yes. I know that. What kind of clever technicality do you have to get us back on?"

"I'm… Bloodhound, I don't have one." Merrilight looked incredibly depressed. "That was a direct order, with no other interpretations. We're done."

"You promised you'd help me with my mum's case!" Bloodhound argued.

"I did! And I want to, but…" Merrilight sat down. "...but I just don't know what to do."

"Could we ask Princess Celestia to put us back on?" Bloodhound asked, pacing.

"Maybe, but I doubt it'd do any good." Merrilight looked up at the moon forlornly.

"But it could!" Bloodhound argued. "We still have options! We can't just give up! This isn't some mystery novel where you're trying to guess who did it! There are actual stakes here! If you don't help me, I may never find out who killed my mum!"

Merrilight closed her eyes, and nodded slowly. "Okay… okay. You're right. I need to pull myself together. I refuse to let myself get shown up by Shining Armor again. You should head home. I'll put out some feelers, and let you know when I find something. Maybe I can get Celestia to see sense."

Bloodhound suddenly jumped on her, hugging her tightly, with a wide grin splitting her freckled cheeks. "Thank you! This means the world to me."

Merrilight blushed a little, and hugged her back. "You're welcome, Bloodhound. Don't worry. I'll find us something."

Bloodhound's stomach growled.

Merrilight laughed. "Apparently that something should be a replacement for our missed dinner. Come on. I know a good pizza place."

Pyro Pendragon's Pizza was a tiny shop on the outskirts of Canterlot. The tables were cheap, and the lights flickered a little.

But it smelled amazing.

Bloodhound's nose tingled at the spicy, savory scent of various peppers and vegetables. She couldn't resist licking her lips at the thought of what the source of those scents would taste like. Good smells like this completely overwhelmed her mind, making it impossible to dwell on any dark thoughts. Such as how the double murder that had just occurred may have been their fault, for not working fast enough. Not now, bad thoughts. Pizza.

"Is red pepper and mushroom okay with you?" Merrilight asked.

"With extra cheese!" Bloodhound agreed eagerly. Then she gave a sheepish smile. "Erm… please."

Merrilight nodded, made the order, and brought Bloodhound to a table. She didn't look so good. Her shoulders were slumped, and worry lines had formed at the corners of her eyes.

Bloodhound kind of wanted to hug her. It was unlike the exuberant mare she'd come to know to be so subdued. "Are you alright?" she asked softly.

"No. No, not really." Merrilight gave a hefty sigh through her nose. "I feel guilty, terrified, anxious… Lots of bad things, and not much good."

"I'm sure Celestia has cause for refusing us access," Bloodhound pointed out. "If we can prove she's worried about nothing, I'm sure she'll listen to reason."

"And while we doddle and argue, a killer has the run of Canterlot." Merrilight lowered her head to rest her chin on the table. "I knew I'd have failures eventually, back when I quit my job to start the Watch. But I didn't think the first one would hurt this much. How are you handling it so well? You barely seem phased."

"I'm… not sure," Bloodhound admitted. "I know in the back of my head that I should be in bad condition, but… I'm not. I can't explain either." She paused. "Is it our fault? That the killer had time to strike again?"

Merrilight hesitated, then shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe if we'd worked faster, and not let ourselves get distracted, we could have found something definitive. It's also possible we'd just be chasing our tails, and everything would have been the same. I suppose we'll never know."

The pizza was brought over. It was a generous mound of toppings and cheese, with sauce peeking out of mines dug into the mountain. "Oooohohohoho!" Bloodhound was once again led by the nose away from the path of dark thoughts. Her tongue hung out like a dog's at the smell of the spicy peppers alone.

Merrilight couldn't help but crack a smile. "Well, I suppose I know how to please you now."

Bloodhound was already digging in. A slice of gooey cheese dangled from her lips. "Mm?"

"Never mind," Merrilight said with a laugh. She grabbed a slice for herself, putting it on a paper plate. Quite unlike Bloodhound, who was cradling her slice like she was in love with it. "So, let's move away from more morbid topics. Why don't you tell me about yourself? It occurs to me I don't know much about you."

Bloodhound gulped down her bite, needing a moment to recover from the spicy taste. "Not much to tell, I'm afraid. I was born in Trottingham. Lived there until my mother and father divorced. Then I lived in the Low District, until Mum came into our lives, and took us in. I went to college for cryptoentomology, and… well, now I'm here."

"Not the strangest way I've ever heard for someone getting into law enforcement," Merrilight chuckled. "I worked for the treasury. I was a tax collector."

"Really?" Bloodhound said in honest surprise. "How'd you go from that to solving murders."

Merrilight settled into her seat with an angry look on her face. "You would not believe the amount of tax evasion going on among the upper crust of Canterlot. It's staggering, so much so that it's causing legitimate problems."

"Causing?" Bloodhound tilted her head. "Surely Celestia solved the problem as soon as you told her of it."

Merrilight shook her head. Bloodhound had never seen her look so furious. "I worked for months gathering proof. I brought all of it before her; irrefutable proof that her lords and ladies had been stealing from the ponies they were supposed to protect. Do you know what their punishment was?"

"I'm assuming it was… bad?" Bloodhound said, nervous.

"She scolded them!" Merrilight spat. "Told them how disappointed she was. Plugged up the legal loopholes they used, made them pay back what they owed, and let them go on their way."

"That must have stung," Bloodhound said with a sympathetic frown.

"All that work, just for her to let them go to be careful next time they steal from others…" Merrilight agreed. "I was determined to catch them at it again. But when I was snooping around their records, I found the inspiration for the Watch."

"What did you find?" Bloodhound asked. "Some kind of conspiracy?"

Merrilight had to ponder her answer. "Not exactly. At least, not just one. I suppose you've probably heard some variation of the phrase 'that kind of thing doesn't happen in Equestria?'"

Bloodhound nodded.

"Well, that's not true!" Merrilight spat. "'That kind of thing' happens every day. A wealthy grandmother dropping dead at the table, not long after her children made a sizable payment to her chef. A local restaurant owner falling off a cliff after offers of buying his establishment were denied. There were dozens of others. Celestia, thankfully, did alert the Guard. But they only did a cursory investigation, came back, and said not to waste their time with baseless paranoia. Apparently, unless the villain is singing about their evil deeds, they're innocent in the eyes of the Guard."

Bloodhound made a quick connection. "I suppose that the one who told you that was Shining Armor?"

"He dressed me down in front of the entire court!" Merrilight confirmed. "I think it's because that sister of his was one of the ones on my list. Celestia pulled us apart like we were squabbling toddlers." The anger left her body, causing her to slump down again. "Though she also agreed with my petition for a dedicated civilian investigation force. So I'm not sure if she did it to shut me up, or if she really agrees with me."

Bloodhound really wasn't sure what to say to that, but even she wasn't socially dense enough to deny that Merrilight needed a hug.

Merrilight stiffened as she felt Bloodhound's forelimbs wrap around her. But after a moment, she returned the hug. "Thank you, Houndsy. I'm sorry for going off like that."

"It happens to all of us," Bloodhound assured. Nice comfort, Bloodhound. Would you care to add a 'be yourself' to be even more generic? She took a bite of her pizza. "This is really good pizza."

Somehow, her awkwardness actually made Merrilight laugh. "I suppose it is. Maybe we should do less talking, and more eating."

"That's… nuts," Bucky said. "They really just threw you out?"

"Like old rubbish," Bloodhound huffed as she trotted on a treadmill.

"And you two took the opportunity to go on a date?"

Bloodhound tripped over her own hooves, falling on her reddened face. The running treadmill sent her tumbling off of it, but she recovered quickly. "It was not a date!" She protested, straightening her crooked glasses. "We were both just hungry!"

Bucky helped her up, making sure she wasn't hurt. "Hey, whatever you say. She is pretty."

"Well, yes, she is. I—" Bloodhound would have instantly bled out if she blushed any harder. "You are just the worst. Merrilight and I barely know each other."

Bucky just chuckled. "That's fair. I'm just teasing you. As your best friend, I was obligated to. Still, hanging out with a work friend is a big step. As your life coach, I approve. Now come on. Let's do some pullups. You need to gain some muscle mass."

"Erm… excuse me?" somepony asked. "Are you the gym owner? I'd like a membership."

They turned. To Bloodhound's surprise, the speaker was familiar to her. "Countess Spiderweb!" she greeted warmly. "It's good to see you under better circumstances!"

The purple pegasus blanched a little. "O-oh. You're the mare who interviewed me… before."

"Please don't be frightened!" Bloodhound said quickly. "I'm not scary enough to give you the kind of interrogation the Guard gave you."

Spiderweb slowly relaxed, and laughed a little. "I suppose you're right. I've been jumpy lately. I'm very sorry."

"Think nothing of it," Bloodhound assured. "Getting stung so badly is bound to make anypony hesitant to touch a hive."

"How have you been?" Bucky asked. "I can't imagine it's been easy."

Spiderweb's smile faded. "It hasn't. All my neighbors are whispering that I killed my husband, even though I couldn't have, and I have to go through it without Sticky…"

"I'm sorry you have to go through that," Bloodhound said with a wince. "I know how much a loss like that can hurt, but even I've never been blamed for mine."

"Do you want to sit down and talk about it?" Bucky asked, putting a hoof on her shoulder.

Spiderweb looked at the ceiling, visibly forcing herself not to let any tears out. "No. No thank you. This is my problem, and I shouldn't be burdening others with it." She hesitated, looking contemplative. "But there is something I would like to speak with you about. You're a member of the Watch, right?"

"I am," Bloodhound replied, unable to help a proud blush.

"Good. The Guard didn't want to listen to what I had to say." Spiderweb pouted uncertainly.

Behind Spiderweb, Merrilight stepped into the gym, looking as though she hadn't slept, and walked over to a weight bench. Without saying a word, she got on, and started lifting a barbell while loudly grunting.

I'll… handle her later. Bloodhound turned back to Spiderweb, while Bucky went to spot Merrilight. "Erm… what was it you wanted to say?"

Spiderweb pried her eyes away from Merrilight. "I was speaking to Sergeant Starfish, and she said that you had smelled somepony in my house that wasn't supposed to be there, right?"

Bloodhound nodded, causing her fluffy mane to bounce. "Why do you ask?"

"Well… it's just that I did some checking around. I think I found out something important. You see, we have two things: very nosey neighbors, who will call the Guard at even the slightest abnormality, and a security system that prevents teleportation all the way out to our yard."

It took several moments for Bloodhound to make the connection. When she did, her hindquarters hit the floor. "The killer couldn't have left without being seen!"

Spiderweb nodded. "I tried telling the Guard, but everypony except Sergeant Starfish just told me that I was being hysterical, and to let them do their jobs."

"Thank you so much, Countess!" Bloodhound said excitedly. "Do you think you can answer a few—"

"RAAAAAAAH!"

Bloodhound gave Merrilight an irritated look. "Are you okay?"

"Psyching… myself… up!" Merrilight replied as she continued to pump iron. "Meeting… with… Celestia… is… soon!"

"Mosquitoes!" Bloodhound swore. "You should have told me. Countess Spiderweb, do you mind if we stop by your home later, to ask a few questions?"

"I'd be delighted to answer any questions you may have," Spiderweb confirmed.

Bucky forced Merrilight off the weight bench. "That's enough. You're going to hurt yourself."

Merrilight panted as she let herself be nudged off. "Right, right. Sorry. Let's hail a carriage. Bloodhound and I will let you know how it goes, Ms. Up."

"Looking forward to it," Bucky replied. "But never call me Ms. Up again."

The air of Celestia's throne room was much more tense than the first time Bloodhound had been there. Nobles watched the two watchmares enter. Anxiety was palpable from all parties.

Princess Celestia's calm smile as they approached was unreadable. Bloodhound knew that a smile like that in a situation like this just couldn't be real. Surely she was just being reassuring.

She and Merrilight bowed as they approached, before standing upright.

"So, Merrilight," Celestia began. "You pulled quite a lot of strings to get your petition before me. Strings I honestly didn't know you had." Her face grew more serious. "I'll be honest. I am highly dubious about allowing a force as new as the Watch to continue working a case as terrifying to the public as this one."

"The Watch doesn't have the experience for this," Shining agreed.

"Well neither do you," Bloodhound said.

She was silenced as Celestia's kind gaze dwindled into an offended glare directed right at her.

Bloodhound let out an eep of fright. Oh birdbees. I said that out loud.

"Constable Bloodhound, I will not settle for petty insults in my court," Celestia warned. "I won't tolerate another outburst like that."

The nobles of the court started muttering amongst each other, sensing blood in the water.

"I-it wasn't intended as an insult, your majesty!" Bloodhound said quickly. "It's just… there haven't been any murder strings like this in a very long time, right?"

"That's right!" Merrilight piped up. "Most ponies can't shoplift a can of soup without bursting out into a villain song. We haven't had a smart criminal like this in ages!"

Bloodhound nodded thanks. "And if that's true, erm…" She cleared her throat awkwardly. "...wouldn't the Guard have almost as little experience with… let's say 'complex' cases, as we do?"

"You're on thin ice, Constable," Celestia warned. "I have the utmost trust in the Guard,"

Bloodhound backed down. "I-I'm sorry, your majesty. I didn't mean to offend. I'm just an ant under a magnifying glass, hoping the sun doesn't decide to smite me."

Even Celestia looked completely unsure what to do with that statement. Merrilight was cringing, and trying not to look like she was desperately trying to come up with some clever legal loophole, but utterly failing. Shining's expression was unreadable, but his gaze was fixed on Bloodhound.

"Your majesty, may I speak?" a male voice rose from the din of muttering.

Bloodhound glanced back. A familiar well-dressed, blue-mustached stallion had stepped out of the crowd.

Celestia's smile returned. "Of course, Fancy Pants. I value the input of my nobles."

"Thank you, Princess," he said with a bow. "While I agree that the Watch is inexperienced, I recently had the privilege of witnessing the rather… unique talent of Miss Hound." He nodded at Bloodhound. "I must say, I found it rather impressive. I truly think she could be an asset to this investigation."

"Your sense of smell, right?" To everypony's surprise, it was Shining who spoke. "Some of the witnesses at the restaurant crime scene told me about it. I wasn't sure I believed what I heard. The way they told it, you uncovered the deepest secrets of the entire room with just a sniff."

"That's uh… exaggerated," Bloodhound admitted, blushing.

Shining searched her face. She wasn't sure what he was looking for, but something about it intimidated her.

"Without training, her sense of smell matters little," Celestia interrupted. "I reviewed your test results to join the Guard, Constable. I really don't think you're suited to this kind of work."

"Training in what?" Merrilight demanded. "Bucking heads?"

Fiery anger erupted in Celestia's eyes. "Merrilight!"

The force of the Royal Canterlot Voice sent Merrilight stumbling back several steps. Her ears pinned in fear of the wrath of her goddess.

Ohhhh dungbeetles. We are going to be in a very deep, dark cell for disrespecting the Princess like that. There will be only wooden beds, and only a bucket for a toilet. They won't let any bugs in mine. Who will feed Rudy and the Fire Nation?

But some incredible, illogical force shoved Bloodhound forward between them. Her chest was starting to heave from stress as breathing got more difficult. Nooooo hooves! Again you betray me! "Princess, may I ask a question of Captain Armor, please? I believe it may help clarify our point of view."

The interruption gave Celestia a moment to compose herself, and prevented her from reducing Merri to ashes. "Captain?"

"I think I'd like to hear what she has to say," Shining agreed.

Bloodhound took a puff of her inhaler as she considered her words. "My mother was in the Guard," she began slowly. "She's told a lot of stories, when she isn't disappointed in me. But as a drill sergeant, she's told me a lot of Guard training. So I know that the vast majority of your training is focused more on protection and prevention of crime, not investigation. Is that right?"

Shining considered it for a moment. Then he nodded. "I think so. I can admit that our training in that area is a little shorter than the others."

"It does make sense," she assured. "Most crimes you've been faced with haven't required it. But this one does."

"That doesn't change that you have no training at all," Celestia reminded.

"But it does mean that the investigatory skillset of the Guard is limited," Bloodhound shot back. "They have the training, but with our less-strict recruitment process, the Watch can gather a wider array of skillsets. So why can't we work together?"

Celestia eyed her.

Bloodhound deflated. "Erm… that's all I wanted to say," she finished with a bashful grin, ears pinning.

The Princess and the Captain shared a glance. "What do you think, Shining Armor?"

Shining took a long moment to reply. "I think… I think she makes a fair point."

"We'll never have the experience to handle cases like this if you don't let us investigate anything," Merrilight reminded.

Celestia closed her eyes, and gave a deep sigh. "Alright. I am ready to render my judgment."

The entire room listened with baited breath, except Bloodhound, who listened with burdened breath.

"The Watch will be allowed to assist on the case on a probationary basis," Celestia began.

Merrilight jumped for joy, throwing her hooves in the air with a huge grin.

"HOWEVER!"

Merrilight fell hard on her hindquarters.

"Captain Armor will be in charge of you," Celestia continued. "There will be no loophole abuse, no sneaking around, and no accusations without proper evidence." She fixed her gaze directly on Merrilight. "If I hear you did so much as rip a tag off a mattress, I will be very, very displeased. You will not like me when I'm displeased. You recall what happened last time you displeased me?"

Merrilight was a unicorn, but she looked utterly cowed. She gave a shaky nod.

"Good." Celestia's smile returned. "Court is adjourned for the day. I hope you all have a lovely afternoon."

A Trick of the Light

The air in the Guard Headquarters was so tense that it practically shoved Bloodhound out. Something she was sure that the guards within would have preferred.

Bloodhound was sure that Merrilight was just as nervous. She was just hiding it behind a cocky grin and a bouncy skip in her step. That must be it. Sticking her tongue out at the guards is just a coping mechanism.

Shining Armor took a deep breath through his nose, then rounded on them so quickly that Merrilight bumped into him. "Ground rules!" He growled sternly. "Everypony here is to treat each other respectfully. You, Merrilight, are gonna stop prancing around like you won the lottery. And you—!" He actually glared at the other assembled guards. "—are gonna stop trying to make a laser grid with your eyes. I know we don't like the Watch, but they're on our side."

Bloodhound was quickly coming to like Shining. He was certainly smarter than the average bugbear, as well as the average guard.

"That being said…'' Shining turned back to Merrilight. "I am in charge here. As long as you're working under me, you do things by the book. If you want to do things by the Watch's book, you need to get to work on writing it. Until that happens, you follow the exact same rules that my guards do. Am I clear?"

Merrilight's grin vanished into a glare just as fierce as Shining's. Bloodhound could have sworn she saw the sparks of clashing swords between the two of them. "Crystal," she spat.

"Good." If Shining was bothered by her expression, he didn't show it. "Then let's stop our pissing contest, and get to work catching a killer."

He turned away. "Sergeant!"

Starfish came galloping down the hall, and saluted. She looked like she hadn't slept in days. Her eyes were red and bloodshot, and nothing about her had been groomed. "Sir!"

He led them into a conference room, containing a very long table and several chairs.

"How did you get one of these!?" Merrilight demanded. "I've been trying to get a long table for months!"

"Budget increase," Shining replied. "Now. All of us are going to share every single thing we know, with no restraint. Who wants to go first?"

No one volunteered. They all just sat there in silence.

Bloodhound's ears pinned. "I-I will!" She said, licking her lips nervously.

Merrilight gave her a mildly betrayed look.

"Don't look at me like that!" Bloodhound actually surprised herself with the force of that snap. "I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing this for Mum!"

Merrilight flinched. "Sorry…"

"Fireball, you mean?" Shining asked, confused.

Bloodhound was taken aback. "What!? No! Bamboo Sprout! The first victim!"

Shining paused for what felt like an eternity. "Your mother is one of the victims? Sergeant, you didn't tell me about this. She is way too close to this case. There's no way I'm letting—!"

It happened again. The same strange feeling she'd had when she confronted Lace in the bathroom. Just like then, she moved without noticing, and was suddenly in Shining's face. "Will you shut it!? Princess Celestia knows about my connection to the case. Yes, I very badly want to catch whomever murdered my mum. But I should say it's quite impossible to not want a murderer caught!"

Shining met her glare with an unreadable expression. Slowly, Bloodhound calmed down, and looked down at her hooves. "...Sorry."

Shining sighed, rubbing his head in frustration. "First off, never talk like that to a superior officer ever again. I'll let it go this time, since Princess Celestia supposedly knows about all this. But I will be checking to make sure that's true. For now…" He settled back into his chair. "Tell me everything you know."

Bloodhound did her best. She told him everything that she could recall, starting at the very beginning. Everything she could recall from the night of the murder, and the later investigation of her home. After that, she moved onto the second crime scene, in Matchstick's house. She explained how she had discovered the possibility of somepony else being present. Finally, she explained what little she'd been able to learn from the restaurant, including the witness statements she'd collected.

It was… odd. She wasn't used to being the center of attention for so long. When she was finished, she had to take a puff from her inhaler to recover from speaking so much.

To her surprise, when she looked back at them, both Shining and Starfish had taken fairly detailed notes. They'd even recorded her rather detailed comparison to preying mantis mating rituals in her description of Spiderweb's innocence.

"There is a detail that stands out to me," Shining said, speaking slowly, as if considering his words carefully. "On the night of the first murder… you were with Bamboo Sprout. You said you saw something odd in the mirror, right?"

Bloodhound nodded. "I think it was a silhouette of a pony, but I didn't see it for long enough to know who it was."

Shining and Starfish shared a look, and a nod. Shining turned back to the Watchmares. "What you saw might be more telling than you think." He pressed an intercom button on the table. "Cold Case. Get in here. Bring the restaurant readings that you showed me last night."

After a few minutes, Cold Case arrived. Her ice-blue mane had a really bad case of bed-head. "Here." She dropped a file on the table.

"Tell them what you told me," Shining ordered.

"Seriously!?" Cold snapped. "You have a copy of the file, and you know what it says. Why'd you interrupt my nap when you can do it yourself?"

Shining just waited patiently.

Eventually, Cold surrendered. "Ugh. I hate when I actually have to work. Fine. Our victims are Coin Shortage, and her husband, Penny Pincher, the Grand Treasurer and budget manager of Equestria. Both dead by a stab wound to a primary artery. The interesting part, that Shinypants wants me to tell you, is that I had a specialist scan the steam hoods at the restaurant. The ones that were on the victims' table. She found a weird enchantment lingering on both of them."

"An enchantment?" Bloodhound said, surprised.

"Assuming that was a question, and not an echo, yeah. It's a weird cocktail of different spells. But she caught traces of Mirabel's Magic Mirror, and another spell she couldn't identify right away. She said she'd get back to me."

Everyone but Shining stared at her blankly.

"Apparently I have to give you a magic lesson, too." Cold Case rolled her eyes. "Mirabel's Magic Mirror lets the caster travel and look around through mirrors. They can see through any reflective surface in the same building, but look like a shadow in the reflection during it."

"It was cast on the steam hoods?" Bloodhound asked.

Cold Case shrugged. "It's more likely that the killer cast it on a reflective surface somewhere else, and traveled to them. Whatever the other enchantment is, it's probably how they managed to attack from within the mirror, since we didn't find the actual knife that they used. Before you ask, it was almost definitely a standard kitchen knife. Probably snagged from the restaurant."

"Thanks, Cold," Shining said with a smile. "Before you go, any update on the purple powder?"

"Yeah, actually," Cold replied. "Took some doing, but I eventually found out that it's basically an alchemical catalyst. When it comes in contact with certain stuff, it produces other stuff. In this case, literal fire and purple slime coming from stomach acid. But again, there wasn't any trace of the actual stuff inside him. In all my little experiments, there was still a trace of the powder left." She paused. "I uh… also went back and looked at Bamboo Sprout's file, and did some tests. I was able to replicate the burns in her stomach and esophagus with scorpider venom."

Bloodhound flinched, but steeled herself.

"But all the retests I did on her samples still came back negative for any trace of it," Cold finished quickly. "My guess, the killer is using reflective surfaces to replicate deadly effects on the victims with a secondary spell. Given both stab wounds were completely identical, I'd wager they did the same thing here."

Shining nodded thoughtfully. "Great job! I appreciate it. Dismissed."

"I'll diss your miss…" Cold muttered as she left.

As the door closed, Bloodhound's mane was standing on even more ends than usual. She could feel goosebumps building under her coat. "So… you're saying that the shape I saw was actually the killer, inside the mirror, looking out at us."

"More than likely," Shining confirmed.

"It also brings up the question of what these poisons are even for," Merrilight pointed out. “If the killer could just cast whatever spell they want, which the mysterious second enchantment seems to imply they did, then why use the effects of poisons and stabbings, which clearly show their murderous actions? Why not just make them have a heart attack?"

"It raises a lot of questions, but at least we have some answers," Starfish said with a shrug.

"And I want more of those," Shining agreed. "I'm going to have the common parties from the first and third crime scenes brought in for questioning. While I do that, I want you two to canvas all of the crime scenes again. Find something we can use."

"I'll take Matchstick Manor," Bloodhound said. "I have a few questions for his wife."

"I'll go back to the restaurant, then," Merrilight agreed. "Didn't get to do much the first time, thanks to somepony."

"Actually…" Starfish said, with some clear hesitation. "I'd like to go with Bloodhound. I want to make sure there weren't any witnesses that we missed."

"Good idea!" Shining said, standing up. "Constable Bloodhound would probably know her own home better anyway. So she can do that second."

He took a deep breath. "Alright everypony. This kind of killer hasn't been around for a long time. It's our job to ensure they're not around for long. Dismissed!"

Bloodhound was actually feeling kind of excited. For the first time, it really felt like they had a leg up on the killer. Soon enough, she had left her fear behind, and was actually hyping herself up by going through what she had to do in her head. First I'll talk to Spiderweb about that security system. Then I'll see if I can find which mirror the killer used.

The carriage ferrying Bloodhound and Starfish pulled to a stop. The rows of identical houses still had an eerie feeling to them, but Bloodhound paid them no mind. She strode confidently out of the carriage, head held high, and tripped over the curb, falling on her face.

Starfish got out behind her, looking down. "You're not marching in a parade. Watch where you're going."

Bloodhound blew her mane out of her face. At least, she tried to. Her crimson curls were too heavy for a simple puff of air to move. So she picked herself up and forcibly shoved it back into position, before putting her Watch hat back on.

Then they continued up the walkway and rang the doorbell like nothing had happened.

Spiderweb answered the door, and immediately blanched upon seeing Starfish. Bloodhound peeked around just before she could slam the door in their faces. "Wait! It's me! We talked at Bucky's earlier."

The door stopped an inch from being shut, and cracked only a little wider. "Oh. It's you. You can come in, but she can't! Not after how badly she scared me."

"That's fine," Starfish said with a nonplussed shrug. "I'm mainly here to interview witnesses."

Spiderweb stared at her. "Really? Not even an apology?"

Starfish blinked, actually looking surprised. "For what?"

"For accusing me of murder!" Spiderweb snapped.

"I was doing my job," Starfish defended with a disapproving frown.

"Maybe you should go interview those witnesses!" Bloodhound said quickly. Before you get us run out of the property. "She isn't really a suspect anymore, is she? Which means your superiors would probably be rather cross with you for treating her poorly."

The threat of career harm was enough to cow Starfish. "Right… well, I'm sorry. Dunno how to say it better."

Spiderweb's glare softened a little. "Fine. Just go."

"Right. Before I go," Starfish fished through her armor, pulled out a very well-cut blue gem in a gold broach, and gave it to Bloodhound. The gold part was etched with a ring of arcane symbols. "That'll check anything you touch it to for an enchantment," she informed. "I'll be going house to house, so chase me down the minute you find anything."

"Oooh! Neato! Thank you!" Bloodhound tucked the gem into her mane, before following Spiderweb inside.

"Thank you for your time, madam," Bloodhound said earnestly. "Do you mind if I ask you a few questions, then conduct my search?"

Spiderweb let out a breath she'd been holding since they'd shown up. "Yes. Right. Sorry. I just… haven't quite recovered from that interrogation."

"Of course," Bloodhound replied sympathetically.

The smells of the murder had faded a little, but Bloodhound could still pick them up. It was enough to turn her stomach.

Spiderweb provided tea and tiny sandwiches, which helped a little. They sat down together at the kitchen table.

"So, earlier today you mentioned that you had a security system that would stop intruders from teleporting in or out," Bloodhound began, producing a notepad, and pen from her mane, and holding the pen in the corner of her mouth, so she could still speak. "How does it work?"

Spiderweb nibbled on a sandwich. "It's an ambient enchantment. Kind of hard to explain to a non-magus, but the gist is that trying to teleport in or out will result in a nasty headache, or a small explosion, if the caster is using a spellbook or talisman."

Bloodhound wrote that down exactly as she'd said it. "Could the enchantment have been undone?"

Spiderweb shook her head vehemently. "No. If it was, an alarm would go off."

Bloodhound wrote that down. "Right! Perfect! I think I know how they got in, but I'll need you to stick around while I search, in case I have questions."

"What are you looking for?" Spiderweb asked.

"A reflective surface, with a view of your husband at his time of death," Bloodhound explained. "We think his killer used a special spell to inflict his injuries on him through a mirror."

Spiderweb stayed downstairs as Bloodhound searched, giving her a respectful amount of space.

Bloodhound sniffed around everywhere, just to be safe. The smells were faded a little, but not enough to hide from her trusty sniffer! The bad burned smell had been toned down greatly by cleaning products, so she could easily focus on other ones.

She was feeling really good. It was almost like a sugar rush. She was enjoying this! Her nerves had faded into the background, and her mind was focused solely on searching for evidence. It reminded her a bit of looking for bug nests. Admittedly, it helped that she hadn't come across a currently present dead body, and wasn't expecting to.

She found the spot in the upstairs bedroom where she'd first smelled the third party. It was the obvious spot to look for the enchantment, since it was the only place she knew for sure that the intruder stood.

Again, the smell had faded, but it was still there. Bloodhound couldn't place it, but the perfume smelled so familiar. She could have sworn she'd smelled it recently. This has never happened before. Why can't I remember this smell?

As she examined the room, she happened to glance out the bedroom window. She was on the second floor, and could see straight across to the bedroom window of the house next door. So could the dark red stallion who was staring at her, unblinking.

Hm. A creepy moment, or an opportunity?

Bloodhound opened the window. "Excuse me!" She called. "Do you stare into this bedroom often?"

The stallion quirked his head, face expressionless. He said nothing.

"Erm, right. The way I worded that is kind of incriminating if you do. Let me rephrase that. Were you staring into this bedroom at the time of the murder that occurred in this house?"

The stallion quirked his head in the other direction, like a confused dog. But he nodded.

"Fantastic!" Bloodhound cheered. "Did you see anything suspicious while you were looking?"

The stallion looked like he suddenly understood something, his ears pinned with a deeply sad frown, and shook his head.

Bloodhound frowned back. "Are you able to speak?"

He shook his head again.

"Ah." She deflated again. "Well thank you for your time. If you remember anything strange, take it to the Canterlot Watch Headquarters."

The stallion slowly nodded, and closed his curtains. Bloodhound felt bad for him for some reason. He didn't panic when caught like a peeping tom would. It was almost like he'd been waiting for something he expected.

Nevertheless, she had work to do. Bloodhound produced the gem amulet magic detector thing from her mane, and looked it over to try and figure out how to use it.

When she aimed the sharp point of the gem at the mirror, she was nearly blinded by the bright, red light that abruptly erupted from the amulet.

Spiderweb, who had come up to investigate the sudden flash, shielded her eyes. "Does that mean it found something?"

"I think so!" Bloodhound said, mildly panicked as she tried to extinguish the light. Aiming the amulet away was enough to stop it. "Well, at least now I know what to expect. So if I'm understanding how the spell works correctly, there must have been some kind of mirror down in the basement too, with a view of Matchstick. Do you have anything like that?"

"Not really," Spiderweb replied, nibbling on one of her hooves thoughtfully. "It gets kind of dirty down there. I don't know how Sticky could have used it as a workspace, when he cleaned it so little. The entire place was always caked with dust. Even his bloody desk!" She cut herself off, blushing sheepishly. "Sorry."

But her words had triggered Bloodhound's memory. Something she'd seen on her first search didn't match up with what Spiderweb had just said.

She galloped downstairs. Her departure was so sudden that Spiderweb struggled to keep up.

Downstairs had been cleaned even more thoroughly than the rest of the house. Spiderweb must really have been trying to erase the memory of that night.

But when Bloodhound aimed the magic detector at Matchstick's desk, red returned to that room. That bit of internal monologue would have been more poetic if he had been stabbed or something, but Bloodhound was still proud of it. I should write a book.

Spiderweb was again forced to shield her eyes as she came downstairs. "Did you find it?" She asked hesitantly.

"I did!" Bloodhound said excitedly. "This desk was clean as a fumblebee queen when I searched it! The killer must have used the reflection on the desk as a mirror to see him through!"

She dug into her mane, looking for something to take pictures. After pulling out her inhaler, a magnifying glass, and her Watch top hat which had gotten lost in her curls, she found a small camera. Bloodhound got the gem going in both places, and snapped photos of them. "Thank you so much for your help! I need to go find Starfish, so I can go test the other crime scenes!"

Bloodhound was out the front door so fast that she barely heard Spiderweb's reply of "You're welcome."

She was back a moment later. "I forgot. I had more questions. Sorry. I got excited."

Spiderweb chuckled a little. "Don't worry. I know the feeling of getting caught up in the moment."

"Firstly, who is the red stallion next door?" Bloodhound asked. "He was staring."

"That's Cherry Sunrise," Spiderweb replied. "He was friends with my husband. Don't mind him. The poor thing is a shut-in, but my husband would chat with him through the window. Since Sticky died, I think he's probably trying to become friends with me too."

Bloodhound jotted that down in her notebook. "Right. Next, did you have any visitors around the time of the murder?"

"A couple," she admitted. "The delivery pony with that purple powder. Then the night before, there was a repair pony here to fix our toaster."

Straight from the horse's mouth, and into the notebook. "Right. Just one more question. It's about your husband's ledger," Bloodhound explained.

Any joviality Spiderweb had in her vanished. "Oh?"

"I'm aware of what the names in it mean," Bloodhound assured. "But what I want to know is: how were the names written in invisible ink different? Yours was one of those."

Spiderweb sat down, thunking the back of her head against the wall. "Get out."

"Excuse m—"

"I said get out!"

Bloodhound found herself shoved out the front door. "...I suppose I'll ask somepony else on the list," she muttered to herself. "Anywho, I'd better go see how Starfish is doing.

Starfish was not doing well.

When Bloodhound found her, she looked completely exhausted. Her ears sagged, and she was drooling slightly on the thick manilla envelope in her teeth.

“There you are!” Bloodhound said excitedly. “I just got done with the search. I think I–”

Starfish held up a hoof, turning back to spit the envelope into her saddlebag. “I just got done listening to an old lady talk about every little thing she saw her neighbors doing while she spied on them, complete with photo evidence. You can tell me at lunch. We're going on break."

Bloodhound was going to object, but her stomach objected to her objection. Her hunger was an objective fact. "Sounds like a plan!"

Starfish was kind enough to pay for Bloodhound's meal at a local sandwich shop, after Bloodhound opened her bit purse to release only a single leopard moth.

Once she'd recaptured Leonard, Bloodhound ordered a sandwich with grilled mushrooms and onions, and an exotic cheese from Switcherland, which was filled with holes. So unique!

Starfish stared at her as she spent a minute or so just inhaling the scent of her sandwich. "That sniffer of yours sure is impressive, ain't it?"

Bloodhound extracted her muzzle from the mound of umami that made her call for mommy. "Mmmm. The nose knows." She took a bite. "Mmmmhmhmhmhmhm!"

Starfish settled on a barley, lettuce, and tomato. "So, tell me what you found."

Bloodhound brought her up to speed on her search, and the encounter with the odd stallion.

Starfish nodded slowly throughout her story. When Bloodhound was done, the guardsmare let out a sigh. "I'm so tired of this case. I really hope we just find somepony singing a villain song soon. At least we've got a chance of that, once the suspects are brought in for interviews."

"How did your canvasing the neighborhood go?" Bloodhound asked.

"Most of the neighbors said the same thing as always. They heard him yell out, but nothing else." She grimaced. "Then there was an old lady named…" She glanced at some writing on her hoof. "...something that got smudged. Anyway, apparently she's been photographing everypony who visits any of her neighbors within view for the past decade or so. That envelope? Full of film strips. All the pictures she ever took of the visitors to Matchstick and Spiderweb's house. It's going to take hours to have them developed and examined. Not to mention imagining the creepy old lady behind the camera the whole time."

The restaurant door dinged. Merrilight came in, assisted by a yellow mare in a familiar uniform, from the restaurant the most recent murders had occured in.

The waitress helped Merrilight sit down. Merri's head thumped to the table, looking despondent. "I think she exhausted herself," the waitress explained. "She was rushing about the restaurant, working herself into a lather. She must have searched every inch and questioned every employee at least ten times. She collapsed, and my manager wanted me to help her go home, but she wanted to come here."

"Thank you," Starfish said. "We've got her."

The mare left, and Starfish raised a hoof. "Can I get a cup of coffee over here?"

Once Merrilight had been caffeinated, she looked less dead outside, but about the same inside. "I just don't get it!" She snapped, loudly enough to make Bloodhound jump. "I find evidence, and it just leads nowhere! No matter how much I find on the how, it never points back to the who."

"What did you find?" Bloodhound asked.

"Three metal cloches had been enchanted with the same spell cocktail of Mirabel's Magic Mirror, and an unknown spell," Merrilight explained. "Both that were in front of the victims, and one that was on a random table. I asked the staff, and none of them remember who sat there. I had Captain Shinypants send some guards to question other guests who were there, and they've yet to come back. I jumped for joy when I found this in the restaurant's fuse box."

She pulled a plastic bag out of her hat. Inside was a strange device. It was a metal square with a symbol engraved on it, and a little copper antenna.

"Is that a spell rune?" Starfish asked in surprise.

Merri nodded, still not happy. "It's for Preppy's Power Pop."

"What's a spell rune?" Bloodhound asked. "Sorry. Never learned much about the spell part of magic, unless it mutates bugs."

"Basically, something similar to that little amulet I gave you to detect magic," Starfish explained. "But instead of using its spell under a certain condition like other artifacts, a rune will activate when whomever made and charged it draws it again somewhere else. Think of it like dynamite and a plunger detonator."

"In this case, the spell caused a power surge, causing the blackout," Merri finished. "But guess what? I go looking for the activation rune, and search the restaurant top to bottom. Nothing. For all we know, it could be drawn on a napkin that's already been tossed in a furnace. We're back at square one."

Bloodhound's ears pinned. "Well, not exactly. Maybe after the interviews with the suspects and the other guests at the restaurant, we'll have something to go on. Who are we bringing in?"

"Coin Flip, Aphrodite DeHeart, and Golden Lace," Starfish replied. "They were common elements of two of the crimes, and we have reason to believe some of them had connections to Count Matchstick."

Bloodhound frowned. "Golden Lace was with me. In the bathroom." She said nothing about what they'd been discussing. "Her horn never lit up. The other two just… don't seem the type."

"Means nothing if she used a spell rune or a spellbook," Starfish replied.

"And this killer isn't exactly a mustache twirler with a maiden tied to a railroad," Merri agreed. "They must be good at hiding in plain sight."

"She," Bloodhound corrected. "Remember, we know the killer is a mare from Matchstick's last words."

"That's true," Merri admitted.

Bloodhound perked up. "I have an idea! Maybe after the interviews, the three of us can put our heads together, and write down every objective fact we know about the case and the killer. It could help us find some inspiration."

That actually got a smile out of both Starfish and Merri. "That could work," Starfish agreed.

"The interviews are tomorrow. Maybe we could meet up at your place," Merri said to Bloodhound. "We can search the place together, then sit down to brainstorm."

"I'll be there after my shift," Starfish said. "I need to get these photos developed."

"I can help with that," Merri offered. "My mother was a photographer."

Merri's stomach growled loudly. She blushed hard. "Er… maybe we should have lunch first."

Starfish chuckled. "Order what you want. I got it, just to get you out of the dumps."

With nothing to do but wait until tomorrow, Bloodhound went home.

Fireball was asleep on the couch, a book on washing machine repair open in front of her, with an open notebook on the coffee table. The notes within seemed competent at first, but quickly descended into despaired confusion and confused despair.

Bloodhound left her there. Fireball was an impossibly heavy sleeper. There was no point trying to wake her up.

Despite the short day, her head felt like a kicked hornets' nest. I need to relax…

A lightbulb went off in her head, which probably should have made her stress headache worse. She picked up the wine bottle she'd been gifted. She wasn't much of a drinker, but surely a glass would help soothe her nerves. Hm. Someone re-corked it. I need a bottle opener.

She set the bottle down, went downstairs to the kitchen. Something felt… off, all of a sudden. She felt watched.

Bloodhound looked around timidly, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Still, she rushed down to the kitchen as quickly as she could, grabbed a corkscrew, and rushed back up to her room so quickly that she ran into the door without opening it.

Shaking her head, she paused to listen. There was no noise within her room at first.

Then she heard a sudden scuttle of legs. Rudy. The lazy bug never moved that quickly. I need to run! I should get Mother! Maybe she… can…

Bloodhound took a deep breath. The strange feeling in her gut returned. This time it boiled over into more of her. Her cheeks turned pink. Her lips pursed. Her teeth clenched.

That was the moment she knew that the feeling in her gut meant she was about to do something stupid.

Bloodhound opened the door.

The killer's shadowy shape stood in the reflection of her refrigerator's silver metal. She got a much closer look at them this time, but they had no distinguishing features to tell her who they were. Just a shadow of a mare, without a face. It was facing Bloodhound. She couldn't tell for sure, but somehow she knew it was staring into her eyes, as she was staring into its lack thereof.

Bloodhound's knees shook. She felt like she was standing in front of a train barreling down on her, but that feeling in her gut… it made her almost feel like a train herself.

It took Bloodhound a moment to find her voice. "You killed Bamboo Sprout?" Her voice trembled, some type of emotion barely restrained, but she didn't know what.

The mare nodded. No hesitation, no shaking. Just a simple, matter-of-fact confirmation.

"Ah." It came out almost like a sob. She could feel tears at the corners of her eyes. "And you're here for me?"

She nodded again.

That quelled the feeling in her gut, and the train turned back into a pony. She fled back into the upstairs hall.

Bloodhound's chest was heaving. The shadow appeared in the glass of a picture frame so suddenly that Bloodhound actually fell over in her scramble to reverse her momentum.

She tried for the stairs. The shadow appeared in the freshly-polished wood. When she galloped past it, it appeared in the marble tiles on the floor. Bloodhound slipped on them, barely recovering enough to go into the garage.

Her lungs felt like they were full of angry fire ants. She tucked herself behind the black carriage, out of view of the glass windows, and fumbled to get her inhaler out of her mane.

The glass above her shattered, showering her in glass shards. Bloodhound yelped, dropping the inhaler before she could use it. She was forced to rush blindly back into the house, and up the stairs. Without thinking, she burst into a random room, hoping for a hiding spot.

Instead, she found a dreadfully familiar mirror.

The dressing room.

Bloodhound fell to her knees. Her lungs were locking up. Burning.

In the mirror, she saw the shadow mare appear in the doorway behind her.

Just like the night Sprout died.

She'd have laughed at the irony if she could find the air.

The corners of Bloodhound's vision started to blacken.

She tried to stand, but her knees buckled.

No more running.

As her eyes closed, Bloodhound feebly lifted a hoof towards the mirror, as if begging for mercy.

The mare in the mirror offered none.

But Bloodhound hadn't expected any.

With her last bit of strength, Bloodhound pitched the corkscrew she'd held onto as hard as she could.

The mirror shattered as the metal struck it. The mare inside vanished.

Even she hadn't expected herself to do that.

The act gave her a burst of adrenaline. Her vision cleared a little, and her eyes opened. Her lungs didn't though.

Bloodhound managed to make her way out into the hall. She tumbled down the stairs. Pain erupted in her right front leg.

She soldiered on.

The door fell open as she made it into the garage.

Miraculously, her inhaler sat in plain view on the ground. Bloodhound crawled towards it.

Shaking hooves lifted the plastic lifesaver to her lips. She took a puff, and breathed in as much as she could. It felt like she'd inhaled nails.

She took another puff, and inhaled. It hurt a little less. Recovery, or numbness?

Bloodhound collapsed, her back against the door.

Slowly, her airways began to open back up.

Bloodhound was alive, but she was not well.

She had just encountered the one who had stolen one of her most beloved family members from her. She had come face-to-faceless-blank-slate with the biggest shadow over her life.

And she'd been able to do nothing but run away and suffocate.

Bloodhound had felt useless many times in her life. She'd felt like she just couldn't handle what life was throwing at her. Over the last few days, she'd gained a little confidence. But there, seated on the cold, stone floor of the garage, she truly felt like she'd hit rock bottom.

This life wasn't for her. She wasn't built for it. She was a humble bug scientist, pursuing a murderess who had the best minds of Canterlot chasing their tails. She was a moth chasing after the same light that had ended a moth before her.

Not knowing what else to do, Bloodhound curled into a ball, and started softly sobbing.

A Kick to the Teeth

Bloodhound slept on the garage floor. She'd tried to get up, but her legs were too shaky. So she stayed there.

Her dreams were not gentle with her. They were unsteady, and unclear, but she still felt herself perish of a million different poisons, each time staring at herself in the mirror, and somehow feeling she'd cast the spell herself.

She didn't remember what scared her awake. But when she finally returned to the waking world, she was in her actual bed, in her room. Rudy gave a startled titter at the yell of alarm she gave.

Bloodhound's heart was racing as she looked around, confused and terrified.

She almost fainted when she saw the figure next to her, until she realized it was her mother.

Fireball was asleep, sitting in a chair, twitching and drooling slightly.

Though hesitant, Bloodhound reached over to prod her with a hoof.

After about a dozen prods, Fireball spluttered as she woke, looking around almost as frantically as Bloodhound had. But she recovered much more quickly. "Eh… Houndsy! You're up!"

Bloodhound found herself being looked over with a brisk, worried pace. It was a little comforting. But she couldn't get over the damage last night had done to her personal morale. She was about as "up" as the majority of an anthill. Her body felt like it was covered in drying cement.

"What happened to you?" Fireball demanded. "I found you on the floor in the garage, and the dressing room mirror was smashed! Was there some kind of break-in?"

Bloodhound laid back down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. "The killer came after me."

Fireball had clearly not expected that answer. Bloodhound had never seen the blood turn to ice in a person's veins before.

“What happened?” she asked again. There was an unmistakable firmness to her tone, but even in her current state Bloodhound knew it wasn’t being directed at her. Fireball wanted to be more of a mother, and now she was reacting exactly as a mother would.

Bloodhound wasn’t sure if that made it easier or harder to explain this to her. But explain she did, the words pouring out before she could even process them. It wasn’t all that coherent, but it was accurate to her mental state at the time, and her mental state now. Fireball seemed to understand it just fine, which was good as Bloodhound lost the ability to speak shortly thereafter, just staring blankly upwards.

She didn’t notice Fireball move at all until she suddenly felt her hoof touch down on her shoulder. “Bloodhound. It’s alright. You’re safe now.” Again, her voice didn’t betray much emotion, but Bloodhound had no doubt that she meant it. Or that she’d swiftly throw herself atop anypony or anything that threatened to contradict her.

That was enough for now. “Thank you, Mother."

Fireball nudged her. "Come on. Up you come. I know how you're feeling right now, and lying in bed won't help."

Bloodhound reluctantly allowed herself to be herded out of bed, and downstairs to the kitchen.

Fireball made her a cup of tea. "Drink. You need something warm in you."

Bloodhound didn't really know how a hot drink was going to help existential dread, but she obeyed. It did help a little, by clearing up some of the mental and physical numbness that she felt.

"You'll want to file a report about the attack when you get to work," Fireball explained. "I'll go with you, and show you what to do. I've done it before."

"..." Bloodhound hung her head.

Fireball didn't need Bloodhound to speak to know what she was thinking. She put a hoof on Bloodhound's chin, tilting her head up to make eye contact. "Houndsy. I want you to think about something. Right now, you feel terrified, and humbled. Like you don't belong, because someone did something like this to you. Right?"

Bloodhound didn't need to nod.

"But look at it like this: That happened, and, you're still here. You went through a deadly attack on your own life, and you came out the other side with barely a scratch on you."

That... wasn't something Bloodhound had considered. But a simple pep talk wasn't going to scrape off the scar that the killer had left on her confidence.

"You know, Bloodhound... Sprout would be proud of you," Fireball pointed out. "Not only are you making your way in the world, but you're in the position to really do some good."

Sprout...

The name didn't make her feel better. But it did remind her why she was doing this.

That odd feeling returned again. The one from the restaurant, when she'd interrogated Golden Lace. It was like a fire in her belly, that slowly began to boil her blood.

Bloodhound's upper lip curled, baring her teeth. She slammed her hooves on the table, making the teacup bounce and spill a little.

Fireball didn't even jump. She just watched understandingly.

At long last, Bloodhound understood that fire in her gut. She knew what it was. An unstable cocktail of grief, anger, and frustration combined to form a raging blaze of one, single emotion:

Hatred.

The fire didn't die out. Bloodhound's hooves got up from the table, despite the weight of her own inadequacy. She was increasingly finding lately that her hooves tended to know best, so she let them lead. "...I need to get dressed. Is my uniform clean?"

"Well, the washing machine is still broken. As for your uniform..." Fireball laid it out across the back of the nearest chair. It was not only clean, but freshly ironed as well. "I had no doubt you'd be ready to go back out there today."

Hearing Fireball give her that extra confidence boost was enough to get Bloodhound dressed and out the door. She refused to be distracted by negative thoughts any longer, and if anything could provide a needed distraction, it was the hustle and bustle of Canterlot's streets.

The streets were neither hustling nor bustling that morning.

They weren't doing much of anything really. In all her years of living here, one word that Bloodhound never thought she'd use to describe Canterlot was empty. There was nary a pony to be seen on either the streets or the sidewalks. If Bloodhound's ears were as good as her nose, she'd almost go mad from sheer sensory deprivation. "I know it felt like my world was ending, but I didn't think I actually missed the apocalypse while I was out. What's going on here?"

As if in response, a window opened on the second floor of a nearby home, a yellow filly with an orange mane poking her head outside. She wasn't even looking at her though, just tilting her head to the forlorn sky.

And then she began to sing.

"The fear, it grips us!"

"Like a miasma everywheeeeeere!"

"The doubt, it shakes us!"

"Should we just give in to despaaaaaaaaair?"

"Lemony! None of that! Come inside!" a hushed voice called as the filly's mother pulled her away and shut the window again.

Fireball picked up a delivered newspaper that had not been collected. "Oh. That's not good."

The headline read: "SERIAL KILLER ON THE LOOSE IN CANTERLOT!!!"

"I guess it was too much to expect that the press wouldn't get word of recent happenings," Bloodhound said, sighing.

But there was definitely some bustling going on outside the Canterlot Guard HQ. A massive crowd was outside, yelling what may have been demands for answers, pleading for protection, or some attempt to give information. But, all combined, it became an incomprehensible mess of shouts and screams, like crickets and cicadas chirping at each other.

Two Guardmares were out front, blocking the crowd from just barging in the front door.

"Won't matter if I want to come to work if I can't even get inside..." Bloodhound muttered.

“Never fear!” Merri shouted from behind them, ironically making both of them jump. “Hold on, I’ll zap us inside.”

Her horn glowed, and like that they were standing within the walls of the HQ. Fireball barely reacted. “I’m surprised you have the authorization to get past the anti-magic field they put up around the building.”

“You could call it authorization, or you could call it creativity,” Merri said, not elaborating further. “Anyway, I don’t think I need to explain what’s going on outside, but what’s up with you, Houndsy? You seem even less energetic than usual.”

Bloodhound realized she was likely going to have to recount this several more times in just one morning. But perhaps repetition would make it easier, like the stalwart march of the worker ant. Oh dear. I’m making even more bug comparisons than I normally do.

Over the course of her tale, Merrilight's face slowly slackened, and Bloodhound's voice grew more shaky. By the end, Bloodhound was barely keeping it together.

When she felt Merrilight wrap her in a hug, the bottom fell out of Bloodhound's emotional state, and she almost immediately fell into uncontrollable sobbing.

"Houndsy?" Fireball sounded confused.

"She's not going to turn into a soldier overnight." To Bloodhound's surprise, there was actually a bit of snap in Merrilight's voice. "She almost died. Cut her some slack. She's not going to just magically feel better."

Fireball was silent.

"Sergeant Whiskey?" said a guardstallion. "If you have some time, we would like to ask you a few questions."

Fireball was too distracted to even correct him on his improper use of her old rank. "Er... yeah. I... had better give Bloodhound some space. Find me later, and I'll help you file that report."

Bloodhound wanted to say something more, but couldn't get anything out before Fireball left her side.

Instead, she felt Merrilight's hoof on her back again. "Hey... I know it isn't easy to bounce back from something like this. And I'm not just speaking empty platitudes here."

"You're not? I-I mean, what do you mean?"

Merrilight was a true friend for not even skipping a beat after that. "Let's just say I've been through something similar back in my early investigating days."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh." It didn't seem like she was going to elaborate on that either, but she did pass Bloodhound a small card. "Here. I know a really good therapist who can help with this sort of thing. Give 'em a visit when you have the chance."

"Thanks," Bloodhound said, taking the card. She wasn't sure yet if she was just taking it to be polite or if she was actually interested, as the desire for self-help often conflicted with social anxiety. But still, the gesture was appreciated. "For now, we'd better get back to work. There's gonna be more pressure to solve this thing now than ever."

"Damn right," said Starfish from the doorway. "Luckily, I've got something that may help. I got those photos from the creepy old lady developed. There's some... interesting stuff in there."

Bloodhound perked up a little. "Great! Hopefully our killer is somewhere in there."

Starfish brought them to a room with a slide projector. "Miss..." she checked the file. "Name covered by a coffee stain. Oh well. Anyway. She took pictures of every single visitor all of her neighbors got. There are some juicy ones in here."

She flicked through the slides. Matchstick greeted a lot of ponies she recognized. All of them the absolute elite of Canterlot and beyond. Bloodhound's stomach churned a little, knowing what they were probably up to.

"To save us some time, every single pony here is in that ledger, including the ones from the invisible list," Starfish explained.

All of them? If that was the case, then Bloodhound knew full well what to expect from the rest of this photo reel. “Is… Is my mother shown in any of them?”

Starfish paused her almost absent-minded slide scrolling. “See for yourself,” she said, flicking through a few more until…

Well, she already knew the answer just by that response, and knew she would see Fireball pop up. So it wasn’t any surprise when she did, that damning static image capturing her meeting with another pony.

Only it wasn’t Matchstick.

It was Spiderweb.

Bloodhound's mind connected to a lot of things. Spiderweb had an extreme reaction to when she'd asked about the ledger. Fireball said she had something to confess.

She suddenly had no doubts about what exactly Fireball needed to confess.

"Could you two keep a very important secret?" Bloodhound said suddenly.

They both looked at her, confused. "I can," Merri confirmed with very little hesitation.

"As long as keeping it doesn't interfere with my duties," Starfish agreed after a moment.

So Bloodhound told them everything; what Lace had told her in the bathroom, how her mother had been acting, and the odd response from Spiderweb.

Starfish was silent for the entire time. "...Whomever the killer is, it looks like we may have found our motive. Everyone involved in this case so far is somehow connected to that ledger."

"Spiderweb's reaction, and that photo of her and Fireball makes both of them very suspicious," Merri said thoughtfully.

"Perhaps," Starfish agreed, scowling. "But right now we need to narrow our pool of suspects. Not expand it."

They all stood contemplating for a moment, trying to come up with something.

Bloodhound closed her eyes, thinking. Surely there had to be some way to confirm that the killer was among a certain group that they knew of.

The ledger was an option. But there was no guarantee that the killer was on it. The house party guests from Sprout's murder all had no alibi, but her house was a big place in a safe neighborhood. They rarely kept the doors locked. As for the restaurant... Hm. It was a big crowd. The killer could have slipped in. But what if I could prove they didn't? "Did the restaurant have security on-staff the night of the murders there?"

"Oh absolutely," Starfish said, nodding. "Not your average civilian security either. A professional security company."

"Are they here to be interviewed?" Bloodhound asked. "I have some questions."

"They are," Merri confirmed with a roll of her eyes. "Look for the big, stuffy pricks in black suits and sunglasses."

“Will do.” That should certainly stick out.

Of course, she may have underestimated just how many witnesses were currently crammed into the building. The crowd in here nearly rivaled the crowd outside. She wasn’t that social at the best of times and now she had to wade through a veritable sea of ponies, most of whom were likely not happy to be here.

“Excuse me, pardon me, coming through, so sorry, please don’t shove, just trying to find… ah-ha!”

Stuffy pricks sighted. Two bulky ponies in black suits stood against the wall, surveying the crowd as if they were still on detail. She couldn’t tell if they had sighted her yet on account of the sunglasses, which they would likely continue wearing into the night. So she cleared her throat just to avoid being rude. “Excuse me? Sirs?”

They took no such measures. “What do you want?”

"I'm with the Watch," Bloodhound explained. "I just have a few questions."

"You that broad from the papers?" The stallion who hadn't spoken seemed suddenly interested. Bloodhound subconsciously labled him Stallion Two.

"Erm... Possibly? I didn't read it. Anyway, you two were on duty during the restaurant murders, right?"

"Yeah. We were," Stallion One confirmed. "Why?"

"Did you have all entrances and exits covered?" Bloodhound asked, a little too insistently.

"You accusin' us of lettin' the Mare in the Mirror in?" Stallion Two snapped.

"Er... I'm assuming that's the nickname given to the killer, but... no. I'm actually hoping you didn't. Did anyone unexpected arrive at the restaurant at any time?"

"No. They didn't," Stallion One said in a dull tone. "We had every door covered. Even the kitchen, and the back door. Situation normal all night. Everypony was where they should be."

Bloodhound brightened. "Thank you! You have no idea how helpful that is!"

Their brightness level remained neutral. "You're right. We don't," Stallion Two confirmed. But Bloodhound had already left.

She practically skipped her way back to Merri and Starfish. "I've figured something out!"

Both sat up. "What is it?" Merri said eagerly. "Come on! Spit it out!"

"Well, I spoke to the security staff," Bloodhound began. "They said that no one unexpected entered or exited the restaurant. So the Mare in the Mirror—"

"The what?" Starfish said, puzzled.

"The killer," Bloodhound corrected. "Don't interrupt. Now, they couldn't have entered during the party. Sure, they could have entered before it, but then they couldn't have left without being seen."

"Okay?" Starfish said, confused. "Couldn't they have just teleported in or out during the power outage, then?"

"No!" Merri realized. "Because then they'd have taken the glyph off of the junction box! There would be nothing stopping them from doing it, and it would erase a good deal of their presence."

"Well, that isn't certain," Bloodhound admitted. "There are some little hiccups. Like how and when they enchanted the steam hoods and placed the power pop glyph. But it does mean that it's quite possible we can narrow our suspect list to the staff and guest list at the restaurant that night!"

"That's… still a big pool of suspects," Starfish said with a sigh. "But it's smaller than all of Canterlot. Well done, Bloodhound."

Bloodhound nodded excitedly. But her mind was still racing. Something didn't add up, but she couldn't figure out what.

The door opened behind them. "The hosts are ready for you in room six," a guardstallion announced.

Starfish nodded thanks. "Right. Let's see if we can't get to the bottom of this."

The three mares had drastically different attitudes at being in an interrogation room.

Golden Lace had, perhaps, the healthiest reaction. She was seated calmly, next to a stern-looking purple stallion with a powder blue mane, who wore a black business suit.

"Good morning, ladies," Starfish greeted. "How are you feeling?"

"You don't have to answer that," the stallion said in a snooty tone.

"I'm aware," Lace replied.

"This is ridiculous!" Aphrodite snapped, clearly furious. "You guys show up at my place and practically march me into an interrogation room! You don't seriously think one of us did this?"

"Please calm down," Starfish said calmly, notably dodging the question. "We just want to ask a few questions."

"You don't have to answer any of them," the lawyer informed.

Flip kind of just laid there.

Bloodhound cleared her throat. "Are you alright, Flip?"

Flip didn't respond for several seconds, then shook her head.

"Victims three and four were her parents," Merri whispered.

Bloodhound's heart broke for the mare, knowing exactly what she was feeling right now. The guilt. The helplessness. The weight of her limbs. How she'd even managed to come here today, Bloodhound could not guess. She wished she could comfort her, but couldn't find the words. I promise, I am going to stop whoever is doing this.

Starfish and Merri tried asking several more questions, but each was met with total stonewalling by their lawyer. So Bloodhound fell into contemplation.

That feeling from earlier still bugged her. Something felt off about her theory that the killer had to be on the restaurant guest list.

Maybe I should focus less on what they did, and more on what they couldn't do. Alright. Let's take it question by question, and figure out what's wrong. What can't possibly be true if the killer was on the restaurant guest list?

Hm. Starfish, Merri, Aphrodite, and myself were the last ones to arrive, and no one left. Any doors leading outside the dining room were covered by guards. So anything outside the dining room shouldn't have been possible. Not only would security have seen them, the other guests would've noticed their absence.

So what part of the crime couldn't have been done in the dining room?

Suddenly, Bloodhound piped up. "I have a question!"

"They don't have to ans—"

"Yes yes, I'm aware sir. You're doing excellent!" she assured. "But my question is for my fellow constable."

"Eh? Me?" Merri barely stopped her chair, which had been leaned back so she could put her hindhooves on the table, from falling over.

"Yes, you. You were the one who found the rune that caused the blackout," Bloodhound reminded. "Where was the fuse box?"

"Outside, by the back door," Merri replied slowly. "Had to deal with that big lug staring at me."

Suddenly, Bloodhound smelled someone nervously sweating. She wasn't sure why yet, but it was a sign that she was on the right track.

"I see. I see." Bloodhound wracked her brain. So none of the guests could have caused the blackout. Could the killer have somehow? "One last question. Those security guards, were they hired just for the party, or are they always there?"

This question was directed towards the three suspects. The lawyer started to speak up, but before he could…

"They're always there."

Flip slowly pushed her head up off the table. Her shoulders sagged, and getting up had seemingly allowed gravity to make the bags under her eyes worse. "My parents owned that restaurant. They like…liked, having the ability to throw their peers out, or refuse them entry on a whim."

The lawyer sulked. "You didn't have to answer that…" he muttered.

Bloodhound's last puzzle piece fell into place. The killer couldn't have placed the rune in the fuse box before the party.

No one should have been able to place the rune at all.

But there is one person here who has shown that they could have.

"Sometimes fashion emergencies require a little bending of the laws of spacetime!"

"Aphrodite," Bloodhound said. "When you brought the three of us into the restaurant, you somehow got us past all security, and without anyone outside seeing us. How did you do that?"

"Whoa! H-hey!" Aphrodite got out of her seat, actually lifting into the air to hover above them. "You don't think I did this? That'd be crazy! You're crazy, Bloodhound."

Now that the accusation had been made, the smell of nervous sweat tripled, and only a third of it was from Aphrodite. "I'm not sure yet," Bloodhound admitted, leaning back in her seat. "But you're the only one who could have placed the rune that knocked out the power. If you have an alternate explanation, I would love to hear it."

She was met with very different reactions. Flip shot to her hooves, eyes wide, looking at nothing in particular. Lace's lips tightened, looking nervously over at Aphrodite, who slowly lowered back into her chair, eyes starting to tear up, and lower lip quivering. The lawyer said something, but no one was really listening to him, even though they really should have been.

Merrilight stared at Bloodhound in something like awe. "Did… did you just catch the killer?"

"Bloodhound!" Starfish said scoldingly. "May I speak with you outside a moment?"

Bloodhound frowned, but allowed herself to be led out of the interrogation room. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Not… necessarily," Starfish admitted. "But any one of those three could ruin all three of our careers, and if you get too intense, the lawyer may end the interview altogether."

"But… I have solid evidence!" Bloodhound protested, honestly angered at being chastised like this.

"No. You have evidence, but it can easily be denied as coincidence," Starfish corrected. "Be more careful!"

Bloodhound growled a little in frustration, actually making Starfish take a step back. "I'm onto something! I know I am! You saw how they reacted! Even if none of them are the killer, they know something. We need to get them to talk!"

Starfish hesitated. "The only reason I can think of that they'd keep quiet about something like that, is if the truth would be horrifically embarrassing. Death is often preferable to the scorn of one's peers in Canterlot."

"So what if we make the consequences for not talking even more embarrassing?" Bloodhound waved a hoof vaguely in the air. "You can't let them push you around like this just because they have pull."

Starfish bit her lip, letting out a long sigh through her nose. "It's a gamble."

"We only need one of them to talk," Bloodhound reminded. "If we can get one of them to tell us what happened, maybe the other two will open up."

Starfish slowly nodded, and the two of them re-entered the room. "After conferring with Constable Bloodhound, it's rather clear to me that the three of you know something you're not telling us," Starfish began, voice steady as she could manage. "By my guess, a secret that could damage your reputations. But, rest assured, a few weeks in a dungeon for obstruction of justice will be just as embarrassing."

Instantly, both Aphrodite and Lace looked in alarm towards the lawyer, who had his forelegs folded in a stubborn pout. "Oh, NOW you all want my advice?"

"Enough."

It was Flip who spoke. "We…" she swallowed nervously. Her legs were visibly shaking. "We…"

She couldn't finish her sentence, but it was enough for the other two to cast their gazes down in guilt.

"We had a plan," Aphrodite admitted. "There was gonna be a fake crime at the restaurant for Houndsy to solve, so she could dazzle everypony."

"We hired actors," Lace confirmed, tossing her mane over her shoulder, and turning her nose up to avoid making eye contact. "They took our money and ran."

"I was doing my air routine that night to try and distract everyone and buy time, but they never showed," Aphrodite said.

Flip sat down, and finally managed to speak. "We didn't find out until the night of the party." She wiped her nose on her sleeve, sniffling. "We had to improvise."

Aphrodite flared her wings, huffing in anger and frustration. "In the new plan, I was gonna be the fake killer, and Lacy was gonna be the fake victim. That's… why I placed the rune to knock out the power."

"I tried to signal that the plan was off when I saw you walk off with Lace," Flip finished. "But… Ms. DeHeart sadly misinterpreted my signal."

"In my defense," Aphrodite said, glowering at her. "—you miming cutting your throat could have meant either 'kill the plan' or 'kill the power.'"

"True." Flip finally slumped to the table, exhausted. "I'm sorry. We really should have spoken up. But we didn't want to confuse things."

Bloodhound nodded slowly as she listened. "I understand." Though frankly I'd have been mortified if that plan had gone through. "But you do realize what this means, right?"

They all shared a confused look. Even Starfish and the lawyer. But Merri had a grim grin on her face. She knew what Bloodhound was onto.

Bloodhound continued. "If our suspicious party with the red magic is indeed the Mare in the Mirror, as seems likely based on the three enchanted cloches found on the tables, then she'd have been identified immediately had the lights been on."

"So she took advantage of the blackout. What of it?" Lace asked.

"Oh, she did indeed," Merri piped up. "But then she struck awful quick for somepony stumbling in the dark."

"Yes. They'd have had to memorize where both victims were, before the blackout," Bloodhound explained. "Which she couldn't have done… unless she expected it."

Bloodhound watched as the horrific realization dawned in every set of eyes in the room. Lace was first, and Flip was second. Both of them were rather sharp. The lawyer was next, looking as if he was about to be sick. Starfish brought up the rear, confused slacking jaw dropping even further.

Aphrodite looked between them all. "What? What's that mean?"

Flip answered for Bloodhound. "It means the Mare in the Mirror knew about our plan."

Even the ever-stoic Lace seemed shaken. "We never discussed it with the actors. It couldn't have been them."

"Was there anyone at all, besides the three of you, who knew about this?" Starfish asked.

Bloodhound jumped as Aphrodite slammed her hooves on the table, glaring around at everyone. "No! We are not bringing her into this! It'd tear her apart!"

"We don't have a choice," Lace argued. "I, for one, am not spending the night in a dungeon to protect somepony's feelings."

Aphrodite bared her teeth. The pegasus suddenly seemed a lot bigger than she was before, to the point she was intimidating even to Bloodhound.

Lace met her gaze with no sign of being cowed. "You don't scare me."

Ever so slowly, Aphrodite backed down. "Fine," she hissed. "But I won't be part of it. I'm going home."

"Ms. DeHeart, we can't allow—" Starfish began.

But Aphrodite simply vanished. She had been there one moment, and was gone so suddenly that it startled the whole room.

Bloodhound found her voice first. "...Who was she trying to protect?"

"You," Lace replied. "There was somepony else who knew about the fake murder. The one who came up with the idea for it."

Flip forced herself up to meet Bloodhound's eyes. "Your mother. Fireball Whiskey."

An Arrow to the Heart

"Tell the dragon story!"

Fireball rolled her eyes at the enthusiasm of the crowd of ten guards crammed into the interrogation room. "There's no story. There was a dragon on the wall. I knocked it off."

"You tackled Fang the Ferocious off Canterlot Castle's walls!" the guardstallion who should have been interrogating her insisted. "I saw the cracked ground where you both landed!"

Bloodhound watched on from behind the mirrored window. "There's no way they'll let us actually interrogate her without solid evidence."

She didn't really know how she felt. She wasn't surprised per se. She had already been somewhat suspecting her mother. But that lack of surprise hurt for some reason.

"I'll get a search warrant as quickly as possible," Starfish said, face grim. Honestly, her glare at Fireball looked more betrayed than even Bloodhound felt.

"Is that a good idea?" Merri asked. "We have Bloodhound's permission to search the manor more thoroughly. We've been there before. Should we really risk tipping her off that we suspect her?"

"You heard Celestia," Starfish reminded. "We do this by the book. It won't take long, and I'll be as subtle as possible."

"Should I just… go home then?" Bloodhound asked.

"That would be best," Starfish said. "Head home and get some rest for an hour or two. We'll see you soon."

The wait was agony.

It started on the walk home. No matter where she went, Bloodhound couldn't help but notice every single reflective surface she passed by; puddles, golden and silver guardrails, windows, they were everywhere. Could her attacker be watching her through any one of them? More? How did the spell even work!?

Many other citizens of Canterlot gave her strange looks as she hurried past them, hiding in the occasional bush or large mailbox on her way back home.

When she got there, Bloodhound admittedly rushed feeding her bugs, afraid of their reflective glass enclosures. They couldn't bring her the comfort they usually did.

Instead, she found herself out in the backyard, looking at Sprout's garden. The things they’d planted together the day of Sprout’s death were ready to harvest. Bloodhound started picking them, until she saw her reflection in a pepper, stood, and went out to the front yard. She hid in a bush from then on out.

She tried hard to stay awake and alert. But all the panic really had exhausted her, and she soon found her eyes drooping.

After a nap of indeterminate length, the bush rustled, and Bloodhound lashed out with her front hooves, screaming incoherently.

Her hooves clanged harmlessly against armor, and her target dodged the chair she'd dragged out from the dining room. Bloodhound's heart and lungs were running on overtime like they wanted promotions.

"Bloodhound!" She suddenly found herself wrapped in a hug, and prepared to have her bones crushed. But they remained intact.

"Calm down!" Once her panic had eased enough that she remembered to open her eyes, Bloodhound found herself being held by Merrilight, who was half hugging her, half keeping her flailing limbs pinned.

Near her, Starfish was staring in a mix of shock and offense at the chair Bloodhound had nearly caved her helmet in with, which thankfully had just shattered on the grassy ground, instead of over her skull.

In the windows of the surrounding houses, she could see her neighbors stealthily staring out at the spectacle.

"...Oh." That was really the only thing Bloodhound could say. "Sorry. After the Mare in the Mirror visited me last night, well… I suppose I just started noticing all the reflections around me. I almost had a panic attack on the way home."

She couldn't see Merrilight's face, but the hug tightened a little.

"You don't really have to worry about the spell outside," Starfish said, trotting over. "I had some members of the Magus Corps test it out. Mirabel's Magic Mirror only works indoors. Trying it outside leads to… well, let's say 'unfortunate consequences.' Also, they'd need to enter a mirror in the building to actually use it properly. Just keep your doors and windows locked, and all they'll be able to do is race around the outside."

Bloodhound tensed first. Then Merrilight.

Then they both broke the hug, and galloped inside.

"Whoa!" Starfish chased after them. "What's going on!?"

"Weren't you listening?" Bloodhound said, wildly scanning the living room. "The Mare in the Mirror attacked me last night! That means—"

"She was here," Merrilight replied. "Somehow, she got in. If we can find out how and where…"

Starfish clammed up, nodded dutifully, and helped them search.

Bloodhound followed her nose to their first clue. The pungent odor of bleach led her to the upstairs bathroom. The room had been thoroughly cleaned, and the mirror was ominously spotless. "It's my job to clean the bathrooms, and I haven't done it. This wasn't me, and it wasn't Mother."

Starfish's chest was glowing red as soon as she entered the room. She dug out the spell detector amulet from a chain around her neck. "She didn't hide her magic signature. If this was her, what was she cleaning up?"

"Whatever it is, it looks like they got rid of it," Merrilight said, covering her nose to block out the chemical smell. "Where was she when you first ran into her?"

"Her reflection was in the metal of my bedroom refrigerator," Bloodhound recalled.

Then she inhaled. The smell of bleach was typically almost blinding to her for nearly a full day and night after it was used. But it wasn't this time. "Wait."

Merrilight perked up. "You found something?"

"I think so…" Bloodhound mumbled, sniffing more deeply. "This is too faded to have been used around the time I was chased."

"When do you think it was used?" Starfish asked.

"I was chased at about seven in the evening," Bloodhound recalled. "For it to be this faded, I think it would have to have been used at about noon to three. I'm sorry I can't give anything more specific."

Starfish gave her a flat look. "Bloodhound, our other sniffer dogs can't talk, and sometimes bark at lunch leftovers. Trust me. You're much more useful."

"Do not insult the good boys!" Merrilight chided. "Anyway. So that'd be from the time we met with Shining Armor, to the time we all had lunch."

"Mother should have been home around that whole period…" Bloodhound's heart felt a little heavy admitting that. But she couldn't deny her suspicions.

But she'd seen Fireball asleep on the couch as she walked in. What did that mean?

"Whatever the case, the killer may not have originated in this bathroom," Merrilight said.

Starfish nodded. "I'll sweep for other places the killer could've been during the chase. You two can try to find what the killer was looking for. Look for anything missing."

"Something feels weird about this…" Bloodhound muttered as they split up. "Why would the killer be in that bathroom during the day?"

"Maybe it was where they were during the night Sprout was murdered," Merrilight guessed. "Or maybe they were preparing a spot to use that mirror spell from when you came home. Might also just be a fake clue to confuse us."

Bloodhound didn't really know how to prove what it was, so she filed that question for later:

Why did the killer clean the upstairs bathroom?

"Right, before you go." Starfish pulled a folded piece of paper from the chest of her armor. "You two ran outside before I could show you my search warrant. Better make this search legal."

"Oh. Right." Bloodhound gave an apologetic smile. "Sorry."

She and Merri started out downstairs. The living room where Fireball had been sleeping during the chase was still going on was a good place to start, but Bloodhound couldn't tell what was a clue and what wasn't.

Fireball clearly hadn't cleaned that spot. There were some snack wrappers, a couple of cups from the kitchen, a large bottle of soda, and a large bowl of said snacks. Fireball had a taste for extremely spicy chips, which unfortunately meant that Bloodhound's nose burned too much to actually smell anything useful there. So they moved on.

As they passed the laundry room, Merrilight had to stop and do a double take. The clothes had begun to form mountains so large that it was impossible to actually get into the room.

Little sticky notes with writing on them had been stuck to the outside of the wall. Some in pink, and some in blue.

The first one, which was pink, read: "Fireball, just buy a new washing machine."

The next, which was blue, said: "I will not bow to the cruel tyranny of the washing machine industry. I'll fix the one we have."

A third, again in pink: "You can't fix everything on your own, you know."

The next to last, in blue: "Can I fix you dinner sometime? I've been practicing. :)"

Lastly, in pink: "Okaaay. You're lucky you're cute when you're trying to be suave."

Bloodhound stared at the admittedly adorable exchange with a disgust that could only come to those who had made the same realization that she did: Was her mother dating someone!?

"Well your mother has a secret adorable side," Merrilight observed with a smile.

"Maybe a secret murderous side as well…" Bloodhound muttered.

"And we'll find out if she does." Merri nudged her. "Cheer up. We'll get our mare, whether it's her or not."

Bloodhound took a deep breath. "Right. I suppose we should give her the benefit of the doubt."

Either way, why was she so sure it was Fireball? They had three other solid suspects.

She had to admit, part of it was Fireball's name in that ledger. Bloodhound had an ache in her chest just thinking about that. Just as she'd started to trust her mother, to open up, something had occurred that stood to cut all that down.

But Fireball did want to confess about whatever was on her mind. That was a good thing, right?

Bloodhound couldn't convince herself that it was. What if Fireball confessed to the murders? Would Bloodhound have to arrest her? What if she resisted? Even into middle age, there was no way Fireball had any physical disadvantage to a stick bug like Bloodhound. It was like a knot of anxiety in her chest that refused to come undone.

"You okay?" Merri asked. "Kinda stared off into space for a minute there."

Bloodhound shook it off. "I'm fine," she lied. "Let's check my room next. That's where she was when the chase started."

She climbed upstairs, but when she reached the top step, she slipped, and promptly fell on her face. "What the dung balls!?"

She hadn't been looking where she was going, and had stepped on a familiar wine bottle. "What's this doing here? I left it on top of my fridge."

"Ey?" Merri came over to help her up. "Whaddya mean?"

"When I was chased, I had gone downstairs to get a corkscrew to open this," Bloodhound explained. "I had been keeping it in my room, and couldn't open it. So I set it down to go to the kitchen. When I came back up, that's when I saw the Mare in the Mirror."

Merri looked at the spot Bloodhound had picked it up from. "It was right at the top of the stairs. Where'd you end up?"

"The chase ended in the dressing room, then I went down to the garage," Bloodhound recalled. "So the bottle couldn't have moved during the chase. It had to have been while I was out."

"Or after you left this morning," Merri said. "Fireball was gone too. Could be somepony was still here, hiding til you left."

Bloodhound felt a shudder at that idea, but couldn't deny it.

"Do you think this is what the killer was after?" Merri asked.

Bloodhound's brow furrowed. "Maybe. She was in my room."

She noticed Merrilight make an odd face, staring at the bottle, mouth open as if she wanted to say something. Then Merri's eyes lit up. "Where's that corkscrew?"

"I imagine still in the dressing room where I— Where are you going?" Bloodhound followed after her, but Merri was so fast that she'd returned with the corkscrew before Bloodhound even reached the door.

Merri was grinning ear-to-ear, so excited that she snatched the bottle a little roughly.

Bloodhound was going to ask what she was doing, but as soon as the cork popped out, her question was answered, and Merri's suspicion confirmed by the strong, acrid scent that wafted out.

"That smell familiar?" Merri asked.

Bloodhound sniffed more closely, just to be sure. But it most certainly was what Merri had guessed. "Scorpider venom!"

"Righty o!" Merri confirmed. "That's why that sneaky bugger was here! She was trying to hide what she used to poison Sprout!"

Bloodhound stared at the bottle in mounting horror. "I almost drank from that!"

"Probably why she scared you off," Merri replied. "If you suddenly put in an order for a wooden onesie, it'd be pretty obvious where the poison was!"

"What's going on here?" Starfish asked, stepping out of the master bedroom.

"We found the poison!" Merri said excitedly.

Bloodhound had never seen anyone or anything move as fast as Starfish did just then. The guardsmare appeared in front of them like she'd just teleported, grinning.

"But… that shouldn't be possible," Bloodhound muttered. "Flip drank from that bottle on the night Mum died, and she's fine. Not to mention that there was no actual venom found in her system."

The grin faded from Starfish's face as her visions of promotions and easy times turned to dust. "But… it's still poisoned? If that's true, that's plenty to convict Fireball. Especially as scary as things are. I spotted the cellar door on the side of the house. She could have come in without being seen. I don't see us needing much to convince a jury, and surely the Guard will turn against her once they think she's a killer."

"Let's not move too quickly," Merri said quickly. "Even if we could do it easy, I'd rather be thorough. Are you sure Flip actually drank from the bottle?"

"I saw her take a drink," Bloodhound confirmed.

"Then we know the poison wasn't in the bottle then!" Merri said excitedly.

Starfish glumly shook her head. "No. Coin Flip is a member of the Magus Council. Not only would a drunken incident like you described ruin her reputation if it got out, but violently vomiting during said incident would make it even worse. She'd have the ability to heal herself of poisons, the knowledge to recognize that she'd been poisoned, and plenty of reason to lie about it, whether she was the killer or not."

"Maybe she'll tell me about it, if I ask her in private," Bloodhound said. "Aphrodite said she saw Flip go into the bathroom to throw up."

"Maybe…" Starfish rubbed the side of her head in frustration. "It's also possible it was just poisoned after she drank it, and however the wine was used to deliver the poison, it was just used later."

"That's a very small window of time." Bloodhound started pacing back and forth. "Only a few minutes. What could you even do to poison someone that you could do that quickly? A dart? Gas? And why poison the wine at all?"

"More questions to answer, at least," Merrilight said.

Bloodhound nodded, adding those questions to her mental notebook.

When and why was the wine poisoned?

How was the poisoned wine used to kill Bamboo Sprout?

It didn't escape her notice that this bottle was from Fireball's personal wine collection. The Mare in the Mirror had gone straight to Bloodhound's room, as if she knew that Fireball had given it to Bloodhound.

Merri opened her mouth a little, furrowing her brow and frowning. "I… have an idea of somepony I could ask. Will you two be okay without me?"

"We'll be fine," Starfish assured. "If you're asking who I think you're asking… good luck. She won't be happy to see you."

Bloodhound was extremely hesitant to be without Merri. She could still feel her legs trembling, and her heart beat quicker at the frightening thought of being alone. But she didn't speak up as her fellow constable gave the bottle to Starfish, and left.

But as Merrilight left, Fireball came inside. Bloodhound's mother had gritted teeth, and walked with a stomp, ears lowered, and shoulders tense.

But her face and shoulders relaxed a little as she saw Bloodhound at the top of the stairs. "Oh. Houndsy. Good. You're home."

"Is everything okay?" Bloodhound asked.

"..." Fireball's lack of an answer was answer enough. "Would you mind coming out with me for a bit tonight? I've got some things I want to tell you."

Bloodhound felt like she was going to have a heart attack on the spot. She was extremely suspicious of Fireball. Had Fireball seen Merri with the bottle, and now decided to silence them all?

"E-erm… Sure!" Bloodhound said, doing her best to give a natural smile. But that knot in her chest had every fiber of her being wound tight. It was hard not to tremble.

Starfish was having to force herself not to glare at Fireball.

"Something wrong, Fishface?" Fireball said testily.

Starfish relaxed, at least on the surface. "No. No ma'am."

"Good." Fireball jerked her head. "Let's get moving."

Bloodhound wasn't sure why Fireball brought her to a bar, but she had.

The Arrow and Lantern was a fairly typical hangout for the Guard. Lots of wood varnishing, weapons and trophies on the walls, and a TV blaring some sport or another above the bar. Bloodhound couldn't help but notice all the potentially reflective things in the room. But the room was full of guards, several still in armor. It smelled of sweat, alcohol, and fried food. Surely Fireball wouldn't try anything here?

Fireball walked right up to the bar, and took a seat. Bloodhound reluctantly took one next to her.

"Just a soda for me," Fireball told the bartender. She pointed at Bloodhound. "Whatever she wants. I'm paying."

"I'll have an apple juice," Bloodhound said. "Why are we here, Mother?"

"It's just a place I'm comfortable in," Fireball replied as the bartender went to get their drinks. "Can we just get some food and relax for a bit? I've got some things I want to tell you, but I need a bit more nerve first."

Bloodhound nodded. "Could we get a sampler platter?" She asked the bartender. The bartender is making everything. None of it will be poisoned.

But she couldn't force herself to stop feeling scared. She hadn't signed up for this. She didn't want to be seated next to a potential killer, and she didn't want that killer to be her mother.

They ate and drank in awkward silence. Occasionally, each would glance up at the other, waiting for them to speak first.

If she tries something, what will she do? What's poisoned? Maybe it's her food. She's somehow going to transfer it to me.

Fireball kept her gaze downcast. "How has work been going?"

"Well enough," Bloodhound replied vaguely. She didn't want to reveal anything that might set Fireball off.

"That's good. I really am proud of you." She swirled her soda a little. A move that was really more appropriate for wine. "All I did to get you into the Guard, and you managed to get a great position on your own."

"What did you do?" Bloodhound asked in apprehension.

This was the moment of truth. Fireball had motive in her jealousy of Sprout and Bloodhound's closeness, the method in the poisoned wine belonging to her, and she could have easily seized the opportunity by sneaking in the cellar door. Would she confess?

Bloodhound's heart was beating quickly. Her mouth felt dry, and she had trouble sitting still. That knot of anxiety tightened more and more.

Fireball kept her eyes trained on the bar. "I… I know I really need to say, but I don't want to. I'm just so damn ashamed. It's not like I can change what happened anyway."

Before Bloodhound could say anything, Fireball pressed on, ranting faster than could be interrupted. "I don't deserve all the bloody praise those greenhorns are giving me at HQ. They're acting like I'm some kind of hero. I'm not. I've made too many bad decisions. Hurt too many people."

Who did she hurt?

"But everything I did, I did for you!" Fireball put her hooves on Bloodhound's shoulders. Fireball's mane was disheveled, and her eyes wild, but sad. "Please, Bloodhound, I beg you, when I tell you, please forgive me."

They stared at each other for a long, awkward moment, before Fireball took her hooves off Bloodhound, and turned back to the bar. "Sorry. I'm a mess. I've just been bottling all this up."

Bloodhound was about to weakly reassure her. But several things lined up at once that made things move in slow motion.

Bloodhound happened to glance down at the bar, seeing her own reflection in its well-polished surface.

Fireball's horn lit up. She and Bloodhound hadn't been spending much time together in recent years, and Fireball was the manual type. So seeing her naturally crimson magic sent spikes of panic into Bloodhound's spine.

Any sense of patience or logic went out the window.

The knot snapped.

"OW!" Fireball reeled from Bloodhound's hoof hitting her at the base of her horn, clutching her head. You didn't need muscle to make that hurt. "WHAT THE BLOODY TARTARUS IS WRONG WITH—"

CRACK!!!

The guards around the room had stood up in shock at Fireball's yelling, but they started rushing over when Bloodhound smashed a stool atop her mother's head, sending the larger mare to the ground in a heap.

The guards all stared at the pair. They all seemed genuinely unsure what to do, to the point that, had Fireball been conscious, she'd likely have given them the dressing down of a lifetime.

But she wasn't. Adrenaline was one heck of a drug, and had allowed Bloodhound to shatter the barstool she'd been sitting in like a porcelain pot over her mother's skull.

Bloodhound's chest was heaving. Her mouth was still dry, so it took her a few moments to find the words: "Fireball Whiskey, you're under arrest for murder."

A Tear in the Eye

Author's Note

Content warning for mentions of suicide.

A Tear in the Eye

"Did you hear?"

Starfish wasn't really paying attention to what her Guard colleague was saying. She had a lot on her mind, sitting at her desk and pretending to do paperwork. "Hm?"

The guardstallion helping dust her office was new. He was on cleaning duty for gossiping about Shining Armor too openly. "I heard that we're getting close to bringing charges against Fireball Whiskey!"

Starfish's brow furrowed. "Did we find something new?"

"No? Why would we need to?" he asked in confusion. "That bottle is plenty."

"Have we even looked into who else might have been able to poison that bottle?" Starfish asked.

"Hey now!" The rookie frowned at her. "No need to overcomplicate things. That kind of talk scares the public. We caught the monster. It's okay."

"Weren't you one of the ones who was fawning over her, and insisting she tell you stories?" Starfish recalled.

He flinched. "Hey! Don't say that where somepony might overhear! I don't want them thinking I'm soft on the serial killer! Anyway, I think I'm done."

Starfish sighed, rubbing sore temples. "Just… get out of my office."

He left, and Starfish was alone with her thoughts.

It had been like this since Fireball was arrested. None of her colleagues actually cared to look into it any further once they had a suspect that was slightly more likely than the others.

No, that was wrong. It had been like this since long before Fireball was arrested. There were just a couple of things that made her actually notice it.

The most obvious was Bloodhound. It had been much easier to see the holes in cases since the small mare started relentlessly jabbing them.

The less obvious one though…

Starfish took a framed picture down off the wall. It was of herself, on her graduation from Guard training.

Many of the other drill sergeants had just been the needlessly cruel stereotypes, meant to give the trainees a common enemy. But Fireball had been an actual war hero before her retirement into training duties. She could yell and berate all she liked, but to Starfish, she'd always been more inspiring than intimidating. Someone to point at and say I wanna do what she's done!

The others had all been fans of her too, but not to the level Starfish had. Maybe that's why they had an easier time with this.

Accusing someone of murder is much more difficult when they're your hero.

She did think Fireball was suspicious. There was no doubt about that. But Starfish didn't want her to be guilty. She knew if Fireball wasn't guilty, it would open up a whole different can of worms. Faith in the Guard would plummet. Bloodhound and Merri's reputations would likely be ruined, not to mention Starfish's own. More than likely their careers would be over. Not to mention all the panic, possible protests, doubt in Guard methods…

…The same doubt that Starfish was feeling right now. Because despite all that, she still didn't want Fireball to have committed these murders.

It made the overweight, promotion-focused desk sergeant think back to the bright-eyed rookie, who wanted to be a hero, and think of how ashamed that rookie would be of her.

She'd done all the things her colleagues were doing now. The screaming, intimidating interrogations, the stubborn belief in evidence that may not have been solid. Sure, a lot of her arrests had literally sung about their criminal actions. But some hadn't. Now, all she could do was think back and wonder if she'd ever sent an innocent pony to the dungeons.

When Fireball had snapped at her before leaving with Bloodhound, and Starfish had a chance to look at her, she hadn't seemed murderous. She was agitated, sure. But so far, the Mare in the Mirror had been nothing but cunning and clever in all their actions. Fireball seemed overstressed and frazzled. Not the kind of pony about to commit a calculated crime.

Was she really going to attack Bloodhound, as Bloodhound seemed to think?

Starfish found she couldn't sit still. So she pulled out the file on this case, and started looking over everything one last time.

Bloodhound… really didn't remember much after she was taken away from the bar.

It was a whirlwind of activity, shrouded in a mental haze. The Guard took custody of Fireball, assuring Bloodhound that they'd take care of everything, with very few questions. There wasn't even any paperwork.

Someone had tried to talk to her. Maybe it was Merri? Could have been Bucky. Whoever it was, they seemed panicked and angry with her.

Then, somehow, Bloodhound was back home. A day or two passed. It was mostly quiet. She just did some chores, feeding her bugs.

However, the emphasis remained on mostly quiet.

Merrilight banged on the door for the seventh time that day. "Alright, Bloodhound, this is your last warning! Open this door, or my friend here will open it for you!"

Bloodhound wasn't particularly paying attention. She was too busy polishing the floor. She wasn't really sure if the floor needed to be polished. But she wasn't sure of a lot of things that needed to be done. Fireball didn't really believe in maids, and Bloodhound hadn't really asked her what she did in a day.

But just as she was about halfway satisfied, the perfectly clean, mirrorlike floor was sullied with wooden splinters, as the front door was kicked in.

She didn't look back as she heard hoofsteps enter the house. Just started cleaning up the mess.

A hoof gently laid itself on her shoulder. "Bloodhound?" Bucky's concerned voice said. "Not gonna ask if you're okay, because that's a stupid question. But please, talk to me."

"What's wrong with her?"

Merri stepped into her view, waving a hoof in front of Bloodhound's face. The air draft made her sneeze.

Bucky let out a heavy sigh. "I've seen her get like this before. Something really stressful happened, and now she's just kinda retreating and hiding from it."

"Can we snap her out of it?"

Bloodhound lifted the door back up, but found she didn't know how to repair the hinges. So she set it back down.

"Fireball told me something that worked once," Bucky said doubtfully. "But I don't think it's exactly recommended by shrinks."

"Well we've got to do something!"

Bucky sighed. "Alright. But you're gonna stand in front of me."

They went upstairs, and Bloodhound pretended they weren't there.

…Until…

Bucky appeared at the top of the stairs, galloping quickly down. "Hey Bloodhound! Your nightmare bug got out!"

Bloodhound's head snapped up in alarm. "Rudy!"

She rushed up to her bedroom so quickly she almost left flames on her trail.

But thankfully, she found something wholesome rather than horrifying.

"Awww, who's a good boy? Is it you? Is it you boy?"

Merrilight had Rudy on the bed. The scorpider was just lying there, eyes closed, enjoying Merri gently stroking his back with a sound almost like a snore.

Bloodhound tried to scoop him up, but he actually raised his tail in a lazily threatening manner, refusing to have his pets interrupted.

Bucky approached from behind. "Glad to see we got you out of that trance at least."

"What happened?" Merri asked seriously. "You left us to go with Fireball. The next thing we hear is that an anonymous pony arrested the Mare in the Mirror, and you just disappeared!"

Bloodhound scooped up Rudy, holding his tail so he couldn't sting her, and put him back in his enclosure. "I just…"

Her head throbbed and pounded as she tried to think back. "I remember… I was scared."

"Why?" Bucky asked, in a softer tone than Merri's.

"All the reflections around me… She was going to attack!"

"Attack?" Merri said in confusion. "Why would she do that?"

"I think… She was going to confess to the murders!" Bloodhound shuddered.

"Wait, is that what happened?" Bucky asked. "Did you arrest Fireball?"

Bloodhound nodded weakly. Now that she was somewhat more aware, she was also aware that she really had not been taking good care of herself. Her joints ached from sleeping on the floor the first night, she was starving, and she smelled like she hadn't showered in days. Which, she supposed, she hadn't.

"So that's why the Guard were crowing about you when I last saw them." Merri looked troubled. "That's… really not good, Bloodhound. I really don't think she did it. But now they definitely do."

"But she was going to kill me!" Bloodhound protested.

"Why do you think that?" Bucky asked. "You said she was going to confess something to you. Why would she then also attack you?"

"And according to your story, you attacked her before she actually said what she wanted to say," Merri added.

Bloodhound's face fell, and her body sagged so hard it looked like she'd physically shrunken. "I did it again, didn't I?" She said with a despondent sigh.

"Did what?" Merri said, puzzled.

"Self-sabotaged." Bloodhound ran her hooves through her mane, almost getting them caught in the tangled swamp of curls. "I do it every time. Things get too stressful, and I somehow manage to make all the worst decisions possible. Now I've…" She blanched a little as she remembered exactly what she'd done. "...I've assaulted a suspect, interrupting her confession."

"Well, yeah," Bucky confirmed. "But to be frank, you really shouldn't have been sent off alone with said suspect, without any training how to handle that situation, AND right after a traumatic near-death experience." She shot an unsubtle glare at Merri.

"That is correct. The blame for that lies on me," Merri agreed. "I will definitely make a note of that when plotting the Watch hoofbook."

"But… aren't I fired?" Bloodhound asked incredulously.

"Weeeellll technically all good common sense says you should be," Merri said slyly. "Buuuut none of the Guard seem to want to tattle on you for some reason, Fireball hasn't been talking, and I am really understaffed. Soooo… Maybe we should just talk to Fireball, and get her opinion on the situation? She is the victim of your transgression, after all. You could try taking responsibility, and fixing what you did wrong, instead of hiding yourself away."

Bloodhound groaned. "I could chainsaw somepony's head off, and you still wouldn't let me quit."

"That is entirely correct!" Merri said, smirking. "Which is why I think you should talk to Fireball."

"You made a dumb decision," Bucky soothed. "Get used to it. You're gonna make more. It builds character. Just learn to balance ‘em out with good decisions."

Bloodhound was still unsure. But Rudy tapped the glass of his tank with his stinger, and pointed angrily. At first, she thought he was encouraging her. But then she noticed he was pointing at the bathroom, specifically the shower, and she recalled that a scorpider's olfactory sensors were even more sensitive than hers. "Well… Okay. I should at least…" She had to grit her teeth. "...apologize for hitting her with a stool, and see what she has to say. Just… Let me clean myself up first."

She took a quick shower to get the funk off of her. She didn't have time to get her mane entirely in working order, but then again it never had been in the first place. So she just did her best.

When she emerged from the bathroom, her watch uniform had been placed, neatly folded on her desk.

Bloodhound gave a heavy sigh, and put it on. I don't feel very good at this job. Guess I've just got to get better.

The streets of Canterlot were jubilant. Newspapers crowed about how the Mare in the Mirror had been captured even days after the event. While festivities were winding down, Bloodhound could still see a couple of parade floats sitting on the sides of the street. One of them was in the shape of Bloodhound's face.

Of course, this made Bloodhound cringe, and even in the shelter of a carriage, the songs that were still being sung made her migraine worse.

Thankfully, Merri teleported them past the crowd waiting with banners outside Guard HQ. Ponies in this city both panic and celebrate at the drop of a hat. It's honestly a little disturbing.

Unfortunately, her ears were assaulted by a loud cheer from the guards inside as soon as she arrived.

"Quiet down!" Shining Armor ordered, before addressing Bloodhound. "I was wondering when you'd show up. Was confused when you didn't bring Fireball in yourself."

"I wasn't in good condition to do that," Bloodhound admitted. "I'm still not, to be honest."

Shining Armor actually looked sympathetic. "I can't even imagine. Having to arrest your own mother must have been horrible. She still hasn't talked, if you want to interview her."

"She hasn't talked?" Bloodhound said with a note of alarm in her voice. I didn't hit her that hard, did I?

"Seems real torn up about getting busted," Shining Armor replied with a chuckle. "If you can get a confession, we'll all be pretty happy. Even though we don't really need one, it saves on paperwork."

"A little harsh, don't you think?" Merri said testily.

Shining shrugged. "She's the first serial killer in centuries. I don't feel inclined to be nice." He jerked his head towards a door. "She's in interview room three, if you want to see her."

"You gonna be okay?" Bucky asked.

Bloodhound shrugged. "I don't know."

"I'll be out here in the waiting room if you need me." Bucky gave her a hug.

Bloodhound thanked him politely, and they made their way inside.

Fireball was somehow in even worse condition than Bloodhound had been. Her head was wrapped in bandages where Bloodhound hit her. Her eyes were bloodshot, with heavy bags under them, and were utterly empty save the fog of despair.

She didn't lift her head when they first entered the room. Her eyes flicked towards them, and she only lifted her head when she first laid eyes on Bloodhound. "Oh thank goodness. Please tell me this was all some kind of misunderstanding, or a nightmare!"

Bloodhound did not reply. Just stared at her.

The small trace of hope in her eyes slowly died, and Fireball's gaze fell to the table.

Bloodhound wrinkled her nose. "Awkward silences are becoming unfortunately common between us."

Merri gave Bloodhound a concerned look, but didn't step in.

Fireball heaved a deep sigh. "I bet you hate me, don't you?"

Bloodhound surprised herself by shaking her head. "No. I just don't trust you. You've been acting out of character ever since Mum died.”

Fireball nodded, eyes closing tightly. "Maybe you're right not to trust me."

There are moments in life that just light the powder keg without bothering with a fuse. Fireball had effectively just done so while she was very much still in the blast radius.

"Are you JOKING!?" Bloodhound slammed her hooves on the table. It didn't make much of a bang, but it was enough to make Fireball jump. "I have been working my arse off, at catching Mum's killer. I have been dragged away from any kind of emotional stability. I have seen more corpses than the average pony will in their entire life! I have been plopped in front of the bloody rulers of my homeland with a single conversation's worth of preparation time. I have nearly died. It took all that to finally reach the lofty standards of Fireball Whiskey. Well now you're the one who's failed to meet my expectations. Do you know why you're here?"

"I…" Confusion entered Fireball's eyes.

"You can't remember, can you?" Bloodhound said, voice trembling. "I suppose a chair to the teeth will do that. We found the venom in the wine bottle you gave me. You were the only one in the house when I was attacked by the Mare in the Mirror." She took a breath. "When I was attacked by you."

Fireball's mouth opened wordlessly. "Wait, you…? You think I'm…?"

Her breathing quickened. Her pupils shrank. "W-waitwaitwait! Nonononono you can't think I did that!"

"Why not?" Bloodhound prompted coldly. She'd never seen Fireball properly afraid like this. But it didn't move her.

"Wha— Bloodhound, please! I would never hurt Sprout! I love…" She flinched at her accidental use of present tense. "...loved her."

"You've been acting incredibly strangely lately," Bloodhound replied. "Far nicer than usual. Almost like a weight's been lifted off your shoulders."

The look of hurt on Fireball's face was indescribable.

"Maybe we should take a break!" Merri said suddenly.

"Wait wha—?" Bloodhound tried to protest, but Merri physically herded her out of the room before she could. As the door closed behind them, she heard Fireball break down crying.

"What did you do that for?" Bloodhound snapped.

"I should be the one asking that question!" Merri snapped back.

Bloodhound flinched. It was the first time Merri had ever been angry with her.

"What happened to taking responsibility and apologizing!?" Merri demanded. "What kind of uncontrolled wrath did I just see!?"

Bloodhound… had an answer. But it wasn't a good one.

Merri sighed, looking uncertain. "I'm sorry for yelling at you. But I need to know why you're acting like this. You were acting fine at your house once we shook you from your stupor."

"I should think that's rather obvious."

They both turned, to see Starfish standing nearby, in full armor.

"What do you mean?" Merri asked.

"Weren't you listening to her rant in there?" Starfish said. "You seem to have forgotten, but Bloodhound has been through more in a short time than many trained guardsponies do in their whole career. And even with military discipline, many of us aren't able to handle that kind of trauma with grace. Bloodhound is a horrifically traumatized civilian, being allowed to interrogate a suspect that she has a very emotional connection towards."

"I'm fine!" Bloodhound insisted. "She's a killer! It's not like she didn't deserve any of what I said!"

Starfish stared at Bloodhound for a moment. The guardsmare looked… sad. "Is that so? Well, why is that?"

"Because we found the venom in her wine bottle. The one she gave to me!" Bloodhound reminded.

"I see." Starfish's gaze never wavered. "And is she the only one who could have put that venom in there?"

"Well, no…" Bloodhound admitted. "But—"

"Is it possible she didn't know the venom was in there?" Starfish pressed.

"Why are you saying this?" Bloodhound demanded. "I saw you when we arrested her! You were just as suspicious as I was!"

"Yes, and I'm a bloody fool who's focused on nothing but promotions and looking good to the public!" Starfish snapped. "I watched them turn on her. They forgot how, not long ago, they all respected Fireball. All over a very flimsy piece of evidence. That's when it hit me, just how many times have I done that before? How many times have I put what was easy, over what was true, in the name of not scaring the public? That shouting and screaming you did? That's something I would have done. Not you. You're better than that."

Bloodhound grit her teeth, unwilling to answer those charges.

"Take a deep breath and think," Merri encouraged. "Is there anything you've seen, anything at all, that could indicate she might be innocent?"

Reluctantly, Bloodhound stomped down her anger, closed her eyes, and wracked her brain. Alright. Let's try and think. Question by question, just like before. Why am I so suspicious of Fireball?

She could have re-entered the house during Sprout’s murder. She had access to the poisoned bottle. She hasn't given us any alibi for Matchstick's murder. She was at the restaurant for the murders there, and she knew the blackout was planned. She was in the house when I was chased.

Okay. Those are definitely damning. Maybe if I think hard enough, I can even prove she did it. Is there anything on that list that ONLY she could have done?

The chase! She was in the house when the killer chased me, and she's the only other person I saw in the house that night. Whomever chased me had to have been in the house, or the mirror spell wouldn't have worked. If nothing brings those facts into doubt, she has to be the one who chased me!

Alright. Nearly there. I just need to make sure I'm not missing anything. Is there anything that suggests my mother could be innocent?

Surprisingly, there was a scene that pecked at the corners of her mind immediately: the investigation she'd done with Merri and Starfish the day after she was chased. She tried thinking past that, and even before, during the chase, but something about it nipped at her heels, bothering her until she came back to it. So she gave in, and recalled the incident.

Wait.

WAIT!

The image of the coffee table was frozen in her mind. Right by where Fireball was sleeping. She saw Fireball’s notoriously spicy chips, and all the discarded snack wrappers. Fireball hadn't had the chance to clean that place up, since she was either at the Guard HQ or with Bloodhound the entire day. Bloodhound had never touched it.

So in her mind’s eye, what she saw on the table hit her with a big pang of guilt and embarrassment. “...Two cups…”

“What do you remember?” Starfish prompted eagerly.

“When we searched my house after I was chased,” Bloodhound recalled. “I looked at the spot where Fireball had passed out, when I saw her before the Mare in the Mirror chased me. The table had two cups on it.” She paused, pursing her lips. “Also wrappers for more snacks than one pony could probably eat. It's possible somepony else was there that night.”

“So she's innocent?” Starfish sounded more relieved than Bloodhound felt.

“Maybe,” Bloodhound emphasized. “She could have faked it, but…” The fire she'd been feeling suddenly went out, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured on her soul. “I need to talk to her. Alone.”

“You sure that's a good idea?” Merri asked with a frown.

“No,” Bloodhound replied with a heavy sigh. “In fact, it's an idea that makes me sick to my stomach. But I feel like I can't shy away from this.”

“We'll interrupt if it goes bad,” Starfish assured. She held the interrogation room door open for Bloodhound.

Fireball didn't look up as Bloodhound sat down across from her. Fireball's head was planted on the table, with her forelegs wrapped around it to hide her face.

Bloodhound took a puff of her inhaler and a deep breath before she spoke. It was mostly a buffer so she could find the right words to say. “I'm sorry for my outburst.”

Fireball shrugged without lifting her head.

Alright. I deserved that. “Mother. Look at me.”

Fireball slowly lifted her tearstained eyes up to look at Bloodhound. She looked nothing like the strict warrior of yore. She just looked like a broken mare who was going through a really terrible time.

Bloodhound tried to keep her righteous anger going. She did her best to hold onto how sure she was that Fireball was the Mare in the Mirror. But… she couldn't. Honestly, right now she was having trouble holding back tears of her own. But she kept them back. “Right now, everypony thinks that you're the Mare in the Mirror, including me. We're all angry, scared, and driven a little crazy because of what's happened. But right now, my only goal is to catch whomever killed those people. If you loved Mum as much as I do, you'll be honest, and help me do it. Clear?”

Fireball's eyes searched Bloodhound’s face. After a moment, she managed a small smile. “Crystal,” she said in a hoarse voice.

Bloodhound nodded, face still grim. “You claim you're not responsible for any of the murders. But you seem guilty about them nonetheless, and say that you have something to confess.”

Fireball's smile fell, and she looked down at the table. “It's a long story. May I have some water, please?”

Bloodhound nodded at the window behind her. Merri passed her a styrofoam cup through the door.

Fireball downed it like a shot, all in one gulp. She was visibly shaking.

Bloodhound waited patiently.

“That interview you had, with the Guard recruiter,” Fireball began. “That wasn't an ordinary job interview. I had your application fast-tracked. Guaranteed you'd get an interview for whatever you applied for. I had to pull some strings to make that happen. Do some… favors.”

Bloodhound did not like the dark tone she said that last word with.

“I'm not proud of it,” Fireball mumbled. “Sprout actually teased me a bit when I asked if I could trade favors with anypony to cut through all the red tape.”

A connection suddenly made sense in Bloodhound’s head. “She told you to go to Matchstick.”

Fireball's head thunked to the table, and she let out a groan. “I didn't want to! The last thing I wanted was to talk to that smug, two-faced son of a whorse! But… I wasn't exactly the networking type during my career. I had my reputation, and not much else. I'm assuming by your tone that you know his true business?”

“Organizing affairs between married nobles,” Bloodhound said with a nod.

“Not just nobles,” Fireball corrected. “Anypony with the money. Merciful Celestia, the smirk on his face when Sprout and I turned up on his doorstep…” She shook her head in disgust. “Well, we asked him if anypony in his books was looking for somepony buff and swarthy. Don't look at me like that! It's how Sprout described me.”

“May I ask a couple of clarifying questions?” Bloodhound said.

“I suppose so,” Fireball replied. “Not too many though. I don't want to lose my resolve before the important part.”

“Of course. Firstly, your name was written in invisible ink in Matchstick's ledger, while many other names weren't,” Bloodhound said, trying not to sound accusatory. “Why would your names be special?”

“Wait he—” Fireball's eyes darted back and forth as she put it together. Then her hoof slammed down, flattening the empty water cup. “That no-good RAT!”

Bloodhound flinched a little. That's the Fireball I know and am kind of afraid of.

“Sprout paid extra to keep my name out of that blasted customer list of his!” Fireball spat. “His new wife even showed me the book when I came back to make sure!”

“New wife?” Bloodhound asked.

“Well, a wife I didn't know he had.” Fireball shrugged. “She was there when we went to visit, but he wasn't.”

“That would be when you were photographed meeting with Countess Spiderweb,” Bloodhound deduced.

Fireball's nostrils flared. “Somepony took a picture of me!?”

“A nosy neighbor,” Bloodhound confirmed.

Fireball's head was getting quite acquainted with the table. “Yeah. That's why I went. After how terribly things went, I really wanted to be sure things never got back to me.”

“Your, erm… meetup went poorly then?” Bloodhound asked.

Fireball leaned back. Now the haunted look had returned to her eyes. “As poorly as a house on fire. He arranged a… night. A night with those who had the connections I needed.”

Bloodhound couldn't wrap her head around it. Which may have been good, because she really didn't want to. “But wait, if Mum knew about all this, why are you so guilty about it?”

“It's not that I'm guilty about,” Fireball said gravely. “There were a few ponies there. I could tell some of the others had done it before, because they were masked and used fake names. But I and another weren't. The other unmasked mare was somepony I knew: The Canterlot Royal Treasurer, Coin Trick.”

Bloodhound blinked. “Flip’s sister?”

Fireball nodded. “She was such a party animal that she didn't even bother disguising herself. Her family always hushed her many scandals. I remember she was happy to see me. Honestly, I was relieved to have a familiar face there too.” Her face was even redder than usual. “Ahem. Well, we agreed that they'd pull the necessary strings to get your application fast-tracked, and I… fulfilled my end of the bargain.”

Nothing iced Bloodhound's fiery rage better than hearing way more than necessary about her mother's bedroom experiences.

“But in the midst of that, something went wrong,” Fireball continued. “We heard a camera shutter. A pegasus reporter was taking pictures of us from outside the hotel window.”

Bloodhound’s jaw dropped.

“Given I was under a giant pile of ponies, I managed to teleport out,” Fireball admitted. “I suppose the others did the same, because I never saw their faces in the paper the next day. But Trick never learned to teleport.”

“Oh no…” Bloodhound whispered.

Fireball nodded sadly. “That kind of thing doesn't happen in Equestria. Not without consequences. Especially in Canterlot. Trick wound up disowned. Her family couldn't suppress that kind of public exposure, so they cut all ties with her. She was left near-penniless, and all alone.”

Despite the tragedy of the situation, Bloodhound’s mind made several connections. “Mum directed you to Matchstick. Matchstick arranged the whole thing. Penny Pincher and Coin Shortage were Flip's parents, making them Trick’s too. The victims are all the ones responsible for Trick’s downfall. What happened to her after that?”

Fireball's flinch made Bloodhound's heart sink. “She's dead,” Fireball replied sadly. “I can only imagine what must have been going through her head. Her family wouldn't acknowledge her. She never approached me for help, so she must have thought her friends would do the same. All I know is she left town, booked a room on the top floor of a hotel room… and jumped.”

A Death in the Family

The slam of the stamp startled Bloodhound, even though she knew it was coming.

The scrawny, pear green earth pony mare had dressed her best for the occasion. She wore a nice, black turtleneck sweater, and a couple of gold bangles in her floofy, cherry-red mane. She'd thought of trying to get new glasses as well, but couldn't afford any. Her little yellow pair would have to do, she'd thought to herself that morning.

But it was all for naught, and the sting of disappointment couldn't possibly hurt more.

The mare at the Canterlot Guard Recruitment Center pushed Bloodhound's application across the desk towards her. She knew the big red REJECTED on it was coming before she saw it. The ink in the two stamps had slightly different scents.

"My apologies, Miss," the recruiter said. "Your abilities and your letter of recommendation are… interesting, but I don't believe you fit a position in the guard. You scored extremely poorly on the physical tests. Even if you didn't, your frail countenance and asthma make you ineligible. I'm afraid my hooves are tied."

"Thank you, Madam. I understand." Bloodhound said with a smile. It wasn't a very convincing one. What am I going to do? Mother will mount my cutie mark on the wall when she hears about this!

The recruiter glanced back and forth, to make sure no one was listening, then whispered. "Look, I know Fireball did a lot to even get you this interview. But she will put me through absolute Tartarus if I make her daughter cry. It's nothing against you. I promise."

So that's why she's been unusually nice. "Don't worry about me. I understand. It's a little like grave spiders putting away one of their sick or injured."

The recruiter blinked. "Grave what now?"

"Grave spiders," Bloodhound explained. "They're called that because they like to swarm all over large prey, dragging them into gravelike burrows. Grave spiders will normally accept surviving members of rival colonies they destroy, but they'll leave behind any that are sick or injured, to avoid spreading any illnesses in their own colony."

The recruiter could only stare. "Riiiiiight… Anyway, have a good day, Miss Bloodhound."

Bloodhound shook her hoof and left the recruiting office. Her head hung low, and her shoulders slumped as she attempted to hail a carriage. Could be worse, I suppose. At least it was mostly for medical reasons. Though I doubt Mother will see it that way.

A carriage sped by, splashing her with water from a puddle left behind by the morning rain, and shaking her out of her thoughts.

Bloodhound glared after it. The stink of alcohol bit her nose in the stallion driver's wake. But her anger at his drinking on the job quickly faded, replaced by sadness. "Just another addition to a very disappointing day…" she muttered to herself.

Fortunately, the next carriage passing by took pity on her and stopped. She nodded thanks to the mare driving as she climbed in, using the front of her sweater to dry herself off.

An older mare was also inside. Judging by her fancy clothes and the strong smell of her perfume, she was of the upper class. "Poor dear. Did you get rained on?"

Bloodhound didn't really want to talk, so she settled for a simple, "Yes, madam. Sorry if I'm dripping a little too much."

"Perfectly fine, darling," the older mare assured.

To avoid further conversation, Bloodhound picked up a newspaper that was conveniently next to her, and pretended to read it.

"Such a horrible story in the papers today," the older mare said with a sigh. "So sad to see Mrs. Press so led astray. Horrible. Things like that shouldn't happen in Equestria. At least she's no longer of the nobility after such poor behavior, don't you think?"

Bloodhound forced a polite smile. "I'm afraid I can't say. I don't follow politics."

The older mare seemed genuinely offended by that, and didn't say another word to Bloodhound for the rest of the ride. She did however mutter several impolite things under her breath that she probably meant for her to hear.

Bloodhound's time around her was thankfully short. She emerged in Canterlot's main street. This was probably her favorite part of the city; there was such a large variety of businesses and ponies. There were restaurants, boutiques, a library, and it had the biggest park, which was perfect for her hobbies. But the mix of smells was always her favorite thing about it. The smell of baked goods mixed with flowers and the occasional smoke from grills.

Unfortunately, then she trotted onto the Noble District.

There were only twenty or so houses in the entire district, and calling them houses was somewhat of an understatement. They were mansions, almost tall enough to be seen from other cities, along with the castle. It had always felt eerily quiet to Bloodhound. No pets that made noise were allowed, so only the chirp of wild birds punctuated her walk home.

Last chance to turn back. I could flee to another city, maybe become a beggar or a hermit. I wouldn't survive long, but it would be a kinder fate than what Mother will have for me.

But her hooves stubbornly refused to stop and turn around, no matter how hard she willed them to. Maybe I could go to Donut Joe's? Get a bunch of donuts for the Fire Nation. I should get them fresh, even though it might take a few hours.

Her hooves refused to listen to reason, and she soon found herself unlocking the front door of one of the monolithic homes.

Before she could turn the knob, however, the door opened, and Bloodhound found herself looking up at a much bulkier mare. Her mother had her green mane and tail cut in the short, neat style of the military. Her coat was a slightly darker red than Bloodhound's mane. She also had the advantage of having a horn. Overall, it was actually a little hard to see the resemblance between the two.

She already knew about the rejection. Bloodhound could tell. She'd heard that other parents sometimes said they weren't angry, just disappointed. But the great Fireball Whiskey was never one or the other. She was always both.

After a few beats of letting Bloodhound suffer in awkward silence, her mother stepped aside. "Inside. On the couch."

Bloodhound meekly obeyed.

The living room doubled as the family trophy room. There were lots of military medals and photos from famous events from Bloodhound's mother and stepmother, but Bloodhound's only real contributions to the walls were her high school diploma and her Master's degree.

Fireball paced back and forth in front of where her daughter sat on the couch. That was somewhat of a good sign. Bloodhound knew her well enough to know she only moved around like this when she was at least trying not to be angry. "Tell me what happened. From the beginning." It was voiced as an order, not a request.

"Well, I arrived at the recruitment center earlier this morning," Bloodhound recalled. "They did a basic health checkup and I attempted to complete the obstacle course for the physical exam. After the recruiter resuscitated me, they wanted me to just go home, but I insisted on at least being able to complete the academic exam."

Fireball put a hoof to her face. Her eye twitched in irritation. The scent of alcohol on her was fairly stale and faint. Bloodhound wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. "Did you apply for any other jobs there, other than just joining the Guard proper?"

Bloodhound flinched. "Well… no. You gave me a letter a recommendation for the recruiting office, so I thought—"

Fireball held up a hoof to cut her off. "Houndsy, you might be the dumbest smart pony I have ever met. Let me get this through your skull: You! Have! To! Get! A! Job!" With each word, she tapped Bloodhound on the head. It didn't hurt. Not physically, at least. "You're twenty-four! You can't keep staying here and playing with bugs!"

"I have my work for the hospital…" Bloodhound defended weakly, straightening her glasses to avoid meeting her mother's eyes.

"Yes, volunteering is great! We're very proud of you for that! But it doesn't count! You need to start making something of your life!" Fireball was barely avoiding working herself into a lather. Bloodhound could see the muscles in her neck straining. "Admit it; you did that on purpose just so you wouldn't have to face any kind of actual challenge!"

"Now now. Enough of that."

Bloodhound couldn't help but feel relief as her stepmother pranced down the stairs. Bamboo Sprout was a different kind of mare to both her wife and stepdaughter. She was extremely pretty, with a pale blue coat, a long, thick, dark-green mane laced with a white stripe, and exotic-looking eyes that sparkled with merry mischief.

She approached the two of them, kissing Fireball on the cheek. "You need to calm down. I'll handle Houndsy."

Fireball relaxed just a little. "Fine. I'll be back later, and we can talk about what to do next. I need a drink to clear my head."

Fireball left and Sprout sat down next to Bloodhound, wrapping a comforting hoof around her. Bloodhound looked down at her hooves, trying not to tear up. "You heard all that?"

Sprout nodded. "Is she right? Did you make the mistake of only applying to be a guard on purpose?"

Bloodhound flinched. She hesitated for a moment, but shrugged helplessly. "I... I don't even know..."

Sprout hugged her, running a hoof through Bloodhound's fluffy, curly mane. "Your mother is right, sweetheart. You need to get some ambition."

Bloodhound buried her face in her hooves. "I know, Mum! I just… can't handle most work. Even when it's something I can handle physically, I can't handle it mentally. I break down, and end up sabotaging myself…"

Sprout stroked her mane and shushed her softly. "I understand. But you can't just say it's a problem if you don't try to fix it. What's that phrase Fiery loves so much?"

Bloodhound sniffled a little. "Yelling that the ship is sinking doesn't help patch the hull."

"That's right. Couldn't you do a job you really enjoy, like something with your bugs?"

"I'd love to," Bloodhound replied, a trace of bitterness in her voice. "But I'm not sturdy or healthy enough to search for rare insects in far-off places, and I'm too… weird for a professorship role. Remember what happened last time, at Insect Meet and Greet?"

Sprout hmm'd. "One would think that entomology students would be able to handle some strange bug facts without getting PTSD."

"Right!? That's what I said!"

"I'll tell you what," Sprout said thoughtfully. "I'll give you a nice, simple, one-night job. Just something to help you learn not to fret so much when you work, learn some important skills, and meet a few contacts. How does that sound?"

"I… suppose it would be nice," Bloodhound said with a small, hesitant smile.

"Perfect! I'll be hosting a small party for a few old friends and neighbors in a few days. We're gathering to plan our donations to a new charity. How would you like to be our waitress for the evening?"

"Aren't I too clumsy for that?" Bloodhound worried.

"Perhaps." Sprout grinned and nudged her playfully. "I suppose that just means I'll have to train you! My mother did the same for me when I was your age. It'll be fun!"

For the first time in the day, Bloodhound started to feel just a little bit of hope shine through her clouded, stormy mind. "That sounds lovely!"

Sprout gave her a wink and a kiss on the forehead. "That's for later though. For now, how about you help me out in the garden? I spotted an anthill out there earlier."

They made their way out to the backyard. There, Sprout had her garden set up. It was mostly filled with fruit and vegetables, though Sprout had planted a few fragrant flowers for Bloodhound's sake.

"I just got our first crop of sun peppers in!" Sprout said excitedly, putting on a wide-brimmed sun hat and passing another to Bloodhound. "Maybe we'll make something good and spicy for dinner one of these days!"

They set to work. Bloodhound was careful to make sure they didn't accidentally collapse any of the tunnels from the nearby anthill.

The work was mostly done in companionable silence, until Sprout broke it. "Hey, Houndsy? I've been meaning to ask you something."

Bloodhound looked at her in surprise. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" Sprout assured. "It's just… I've been thinking. I love you as my own, but when you were younger I was never able to adopt you because of your father. Then after that, Fireball didn't want me doing it so you could learn your own way in the world. But now you're a grown mare, and I can't think of anypony else I'd rather have inherit my family name. What do you think?"

Some of her boiling, melted heart made it into Bloodhound's cheeks, causing her to blush. "I… I would be honored. But what would that mean?"

"Well, not much would change. We'd be officially family. You could change your name if you want. The biggest change would be that you'd be my official heir, and you'd get all my holdings. At least, once the adoption goes through you will. I'd have to send out for the paperwork, and schedule an appointment to have it notarized. That will likely take at least a month or two."

Bloodhound nodded understandingly. She hesitated, then gave Sprout a jumping hug. A normal-sized pony would have bowled their target over, but Bloodhound was excessively scrawny.

Sprout grinned. "My my! A voluntary hug from Houndsy! That's a rarity indeed!"

Bloodhound chuckled. "Hush."

"Love you too," Sprout teased.

The discussion bolstered Bloodhound's spirits greatly. They spent several hours out in the garden, laughing and talking as they worked. When they were done and washed up, the real work started. Bloodhound was subjected to lessons in balance while carrying plates and platters, etiquette towards the ponies she'd be waiting on, and the differences between the various wine types in their cellar. That, thanks to her keen nose, Bloodhound actually turned out to be rather good at.

All in all, she went up to her room feeling a little more confident in herself. But her work wasn't done yet.

The place was full of various live insect enclosures, various bags of food and other necessities for them, and various bug-themed motivational posters. Her desk was covered in notes and journals on her observations and the habits of her pets and guests.

The first thing she did was feed the Fire Nation. The denizens of her little fire ant farm were all extremely happy to see her. "Sorry Momma's late, sweeties. She had a hard day."

Next was some slightly more dangerous, yet also more fulfilling work than the waiter training; her volunteer work providing ingredients for antivenom to the local hospital. "Ready for your milking, Rudy?"

The scorpider tittered tiredly in his glass tank. He technically wasn't an insect, but an arachnid. He was around the size of a small dog, with long, spindly brown legs, a long stinger tail, and eight beady, kinda cute little eyes. He was also the laziest of Bloodhound's bunch, as evidenced by him stubbornly staying splayed out on his resting rock.

"Awww, come on. Don't be like that. Think of how many ponies your antivenom will help save!" Bloodhound couldn't talk to insects, but she was familiar enough with their body languages to know how they felt. Rudy was a recent adopt from a medical lab that had milked his venom far too often. Sure, scorpiders were dangerous, venomous, and maybe a little overly territorial, but that didn't mean they shouldn't be treated properly.

Rudy reluctantly allowed the venom glands in his fangs and stinger to be milked. Bloodhound was sure to be nice and gentle with him, and gave him a nice belly rub and a treat for his troubles. The scorpider purred affectionately as he was put back in his tank, before curling up for a nap.

Sleep was something Bloodhound desperately needed too. She placed the vial of venom in a mini fridge next to her desk, and scooped up the Fire Nation's box, hugging it like a teddy bear. "Momma has some exciting news!" she said to them with a yawn as she climbed into bed. "She might be getting her first real successful job! It's not much, and it's only for one night, but it's something!"

Ants couldn't cheer or congratulate her, but as she drifted off to sleep, Bloodhound liked to think they would have if they could.

The next few days went by very quickly. Bloodhound trained as constantly as she could manage. The hardest thing was learning how to walk in the dress she was supposed to wear, a rather simple, but nice yellow one that Sprout had brought home with a flourish and given to her as a gift. Bloodhound constantly tripped in it, but wore it nonetheless.

Fireball wasn't home much. When she was, she would be sullen and quiet, giving Bloodhound the occasional stern look as she drank. But that wasn't anything unusual.

The day of the party, Sprout helped Bloodhound get ready in front of a large, full-body mirror in her parents' bedroom. "Stay calm," Sprout soothed. "All you have to do is set the table, and wait nearby to fulfill any requests the guests have. Mostly it'll be for drinks or food. It's already cooked."

Bloodhound's asthma was acting up due to fear and stress. She had to take a puff from her little, red inhaler. "Are they hard to deal with? Should I expect them to be hostile?"

Sprout frowned at her. "Houndsy, you know I won't let anypony be mean to you. But you can do this. It'll help build your confidence."

She reluctantly nodded. "I guess…"

Sprout's grin turned sharklike. "You know… I could give you a makeover while I have you here…"

"Please don't!" Bloodhound groaned. "That eyeshadow always stings my eyes. Besides, the guests will be here soon, won't they?"

Her words were proven true by the doorbell ringing. Sprout smirked at her playfully. "You've escaped my clutches this time, Houndsy."

Bloodhound took a deep, steadying breath before she went downstairs to answer the door. "Hello. Welcome to—"

"Bambiiiii!"

Bloodhound was suddenly tackled to the ground and assaulted with snuggles. She tried to escape, but the grip was so iron that it made it hard to breathe, let alone move. So this is how I go out, choking for breath and smothered by love.

The hug suddenly loosened after about a minute. "You're not Bambi."

Bloodhound took several deep, grateful gasps of air before she replied. "No madam. She's upstairs."

Her attacker was a sleek, orange pegasus mare. Her dark-purple mane was windblown, but in an elegant way. She wore purple eyeshadow to match it. A slight sniff revealed a unique mix of perfume and wing wax.

The mare gave her a strange look. "Bambiiiii! Your maid is sniffing me and staring at me!"

That shook Bloodhound out of her thoughts as her mother came downstairs. "Aphrodite! Sorry it took me a moment to get downstairs. Bloodhound here is my daughter, not my maid." Her greeting was pleasant, but the latter half of the sentence had an edge of warning to it.

Aphrodite blinked. "Oh jeez! I am really sorry! I only got back in touch with Bambi recently. I never knew she had a kid!"

"Technically, I'm her stepdaughter," Bloodhound admitted. "I'll also be your waiter this evening."

"I love Houndsy as if she were my own!" Sprout assured, hugging Bloodhound and rubbing their cheeks together. "She just needs some help practicing to get a good job."

"Hey, I can appreciate starting small!" Aphrodite gave Bloodhound a hug that, thankfully, was only semi-bone-crushing this time.

Bloodhound cleared her throat. "Please, allow me to show you to the den. We have a cheese platter already in there, along with a selection of wine." It was one of the few things that had been scripted for her to say.

Aphrodite grinned. "Sounds good to me! I'm starving!"

Bloodhound led her to the den, before returning to the entryway to await the next guest. The night's work had begun. Bloodhound steeled herself, preparing and practicing her greeting for when they showed up.

The doorbell rang, and Bloodhound opened it with as pleasant a grin as she could muster. "Welcome! Please, allow me to—"

This guest walked right past Bloodhound and into the house, as if the mare hadn't even seen her. This guest was a tall, slender yellow unicorn with a pale green mane. Her expression was one of impatience and boredom. Bloodhound tried not to stare or sniff too much, but she couldn't help but notice that her perfume was much more expensive than Aphrodite's. "Take me to whichever room the meeting is taking place in," she ordered in a tone that wasn't overly sharp, but wasn't very friendly either.

"Erm… Of course." Bloodhound uneasily led the mare back to the den, where Sprout and Aphrodite were animatedly chatting. Sprout gave a polite smile to the new guest. "Golden Lace! How long has it been since you last came to visit?"

Lace greeted Sprout with a kiss on each cheek, typical among the elite. Her voice was much warmer than when she'd greeted Bloodhound. "Too long. I'm happy to add my funds towards the donation pool."

Bloodhound stood there awkwardly for a moment. "I'll just… go back to the entrance hall."

The three mares were too deep in conversation to hear her, so she just left.

Bloodhound smelled the next guest before she saw her. The scent of alcohol hit her like a wall, and for the second time that night, Bloodhound was wrapped in an involuntary hug.

"Urp! Sorry!" the inebriated mare said. This one was a unicorn, with an electric blue coat, and a well-groomed, black mane and tail that each bore a single white stripe. She was dressed rather dapperly, in a dark blue jacket and tie with a matching top hat. A pair of silver spectacles balanced on her muzzle. "I did a little pre-gaming before the party! Heh heh!"

The reek of booze made it impossible for Bloodhound to determine any other scents. "Yes ma'am. Clearly. Please release me and I'll show you to the others."

The drunk wobbled a little. "I'm a tad unsteady. Can I lean on you on the way there?"

Fantastic. With her scent on me, Mother will think I drank myself into a stupor. Still, she wanted to make her mom proud, so she let the drunk lean on her until they got to the den.

Sprout and the two other guests glanced up, immediately frowning in disapproval when they saw the drunk's state. "Coin Flip," Sprout said with a sigh, coming over to take Bloodhound's boozey burden and help her to a couch. "I had hoped you might show some respect for what we're trying to do here."

"Sorry…" Flip grumbled. "Just trying to take the edge off, y'know?"

"Can I get anypony anything?" Bloodhound offered.

"Bring us another bottle of wine," Lace replied with a subtle glare at Flip, and without a please in sight.

Bloodhound flinched, but nodded. She raced to the kitchen to grab her tray, then down to the cellar to get the wine.

When she got down there, she paused, glancing over at a special cupboard that sat separately from the other wine racks. It was her mother's special stash, filled with the best, most expensive wines and liquors, many of which had been given as gifts. For a moment, she was tempted to get just a little bit of revenge. No. She will use me as a virgin blood sacrifice if I touch any of those bottles.

She settled for a random bottle that looked fancy from the rack. When she returned, Flip had seemingly vanished. Upon seeing Bloodhound, Lace winced, while the other two grinned.

Lace accepted the bottle with an awkward smile. "Thank you. My sincerest apologies for my behavior earlier. I had no idea you were Sprout's daughter."

Well this is a somewhat pleasant surprise. "Oh, no need to worry. The queen need not respect the drone, after all."

Lace looked flattered until she realized Bloodhound was referring to bees. "Right, well… that's wonderful, then."

"Come sit with us, Houndsy," Sprout offered, patting the spot next to her.

Bloodhound hesitated a little, not wanting to be dragged into the center of attention, but Aphrodite wrapped an arm around her, guiding her over. "C'mon! Don't be shy!" the larger mare chided, plopping Bloodhound on the couch. "You're doing good putting up with us, and you've earned a little break."

Bloodhound now found herself in the middle of her mom and Aphrodite, who both wore big grins. Lace smiled politely on.

"Soooooo…" Aphrodite said in a conspiratorial tone. "After we got all the charity stuff decided, your mum told us you're having a bit of trouble finding a job."

Bloodhound winced. "Yes. How much did she tell you?"

"Enough," Lace replied. "It's a common problem for those in your position."

"What you need is a confidence boost, and somepony to help you get your hoof in the door," Aphrodite suggested. "Maybe I can help with that!"

"Oh, I'm not very athletic," Bloodhound said sheepishly. "I also know very little about dance."

Aphrodite blinked. "How'd you know I was a dancer?"

Bloodhound blushed. "The mixed smells of wing wax and perfume. Wing wax is typically used only by those with jobs that require flight, and your particular brand of perfume is flammable, which would be very dangerous as a weather mare, racer, or stuntmare, due to the pyrotechnics and proximity to lightning. But an air dancer would work primarily indoors." She cleared her throat awkwardly after that awkwardly long explanation. "Sorry."

"Houndsy has a strong nose," Sprout explained with a teasing grin.

Aphrodite beamed. "That was amazing! Do Lacy!"

Lace frowned. "I asked you not to call me that."

"Hush! Houndsy is working!"

Bloodhound really didn't want to do this, and Lace clearly didn't either.

Fortunately, both of them were saved by the drunk.

"Heeeey! I found a bunch of good wine bottles in your basement!"

Coin Flip staggered in, holding a black bottle with a gold label. Bloodhound winced with her entire body when she saw that it was open.

"Flip!" Sprout said irritably. "That's from my wife's private stock!"

"Bah, I'm sure she won't mind!" She took a big swig from the bottle. "This is good stuff! Imma keep it for myself…"

"Flip, look at yourself!" Aphrodite scolded. "You'd lose your position if the Magus Council heard about this!"

"I already lost my family, so why not?" Flip took another drink.

Sprout approached Flip, gently wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Flippy, honey, what would your sister think if she saw you like this?"

Flip's face fell. "She'd give me an earful. Probably tan my hide."

"Exactly. Now, how about we give up that bottle, and go get you sobered up." Sprout nodded to Bloodhound to take the bottle.

Bloodhound reached for it. She was expecting the stubborn resistance, but she wasn't expecting Flip to be so unsteady that she was pulled off-balance. As a result, the bottle fell forward, spilling wine all over Bloodhound's dress.

Bloodhound gasped in shock at the sudden cold liquid. Flip seemed just as shocked. "Oh my! I'm so sorry!" She pulled out a hoofkerchief, trying and failing to help Bloodhound clean up.

Sprout gently nudged her way in. "It's alright. I'll help her."

Flip flinched. "I cannot apologize enough. You're right. I'm a fool." She picked up the bottle. "I'll go put this away."

Sprout smiled kindly at her. "Thank you. I'll take Houndsy upstairs to clean up and change."

Bloodhound was on the verge of tears as she was brought upstairs. "I'm sorry! I'm terrible at this. First I do a poor job guiding the guests in. Then I let myself take the focus of the party. Now I've gone and ruined the dress you bought for me!" She wasn't one for dresses, but it was a nice one, and more importantly, a gift.

"Hush now," Sprout said as she brought Bloodhound into her and Fireball's dressing room. "You're doing wonderfully. You can just change back into your sweater." It took a few minutes of digging, as there seemed to be a large amount of dirty clothes, but eventually she retrieved the turtleneck from the hamper and helped Bloodhound out of her dress.

"Am I?" Bloodhound asked with melancholy in her voice as she slipped back into her sweater. "I don't feel like I am."

"Houndsy, this lack of confidence is what causes you to sabotage yourself." Sprout cupped her daughter's cheek. "You're your own worst critic. Have any of us scolded you tonight?"

"No…" Bloodhound admitted.

"And you absolutely left an impression on Aphrodite," Sprout continued. "She has more connections than you might think. You may have opened up a lot of doors just by being yourself."

"You think?" Bloodhound asked doubtfully.

"I do." The warmth of Sprout's smile made it hard for Bloodhound not to smile herself, and eventually she gave in and returned it.

Sprout stood next to her, directing Bloodhound to look at their reflections in the mirror. "Look at yourself, Houndsy. What do you see?"

"I see a scrawny half-unicorn who got the short end of both genetic sticks," Bloodhound joked.

Sprout nudged her with a chuckle. "Quit with that. Look deeper. Know what I see? I see a mare who has a lot of challenges facing her. But I also see a very smart, clever mare who is finally trying to fight back against those challenges, and just took her first big step forward. Soon you'll be galloping, Houndsy."

Bloodhound couldn't help a blush as she took in the praise. She looked herself over. Maybe she's right. Maybe I am stronger than I thought.

As she thought that, she thought she saw something odd in the mirror, but shook her head, focusing on herself.

Sprout stepped into the reflection, hugging Bloodhound. "You're just starting out, Houndsy, but I see big—" She coughed. "Ahem… I'm so sorry I…" Her breath hitched in her throat, sounding almost like a hiccup.

Bloodhound looked at her in surprise concern. "Mum? Are you okay?"

Sprout's face looked odd. It was as if all the muscles in her face were straining.

Then she vomited a torrent of blood all over Bloodhound, staggered for a moment, and fell over sideways with a resounding thud.

Bloodhound's mouth hung open in absolute shock for two seconds that felt like an eternity. Her chest and forelegs were covered in blood, and some had even gotten in her mane. Her heart missed several beats. The world slowed to a crawl.

Then she started to scream.

Bloodhound awoke in a daze. Her chest felt like it had been smashed by a boulder, then a second, smaller boulder had been placed atop it to make it hard to breathe. Something in her mouth tasted awful.

Slowly, her eyes creaked open, and she looked around. She was in a hospital room, lying in bed. Fireball was asleep in one of the chairs next to her. She looked disheveled, and smelled like she'd recently thrown up. "Mother?" Bloodhound said gently to wake her up. Her voice came out as a rough croak.

Fireball snorted awake, looking around just as blearily as Bloodhound had before her eyes focused on her daughter.

Yet again, Bloodhound found herself wrapped in an involuntary hug. Again? But I haven't…

Then the memories of the night came rushing back to her. She immediately started to panic. "What happened?" she asked, naked fear in her voice. She was starting to hyperventilate.

"Whoa there! Calm down!" Fireball let her move away to arm's length, but kept her hooves on Bloodhound's shoulders. "You had an asthma attack and passed out."

"That's not what I mean, and you know it!" Bloodhound barely managed to restrain her breathing.

Fireball couldn't meet her eyes. "Yeah… Yeah I know."

Bloodhound's breath hitched. "Is she…?"

Fireball's eyes closed. The pain on her face was more than visible; it was palpable. Bloodhound's heart broke as the truth hit her: Bamboo Sprout, the mare who had helped raise her since she was a filly, was dead.

She let herself be drawn back into the hug. Tears started to well up in her eyes. "H-how did it happen?" she asked with a sniffle. "Was she sick?"

"We aren't sure yet," Fireball admitted. "It's only been a couple of hours. Whoever gave you CPR did a number on your ribs, so we brought you to the hospital. She's… She's going to the morgue, so they can find out what was wrong with her."

Bloodhound buried her nose into her mother's shoulder. "She… she was going to officially adopt me."

Bloodhound had never seen her mother so broken, haggard, and defeated. She nodded slowly. "I know. She told me. I'm so, so sorry Houndsy." She sniffled and wiped her eyes.

Fireball looked like she needed this hug even more than Bloodhound did. We haven't hugged like this since I was a filly, and I have never seen her cry.

But this was a moment that simply brought down both of their guards. For a long time, the two mares could do nothing but sit and cry.