Solid Leads:
Equestrian Detective
Secrets And Dust
Chapter One

Dusk in the southern barrens of Equestria. The sun slowly sank over the horizon, giving the clear desert sky a orange-red glow. One would think a desert would be hot all the time, even at night. But once Celestia's light disappears, the temperature nosedives almost immediately to a chill. But to the ponies of Appleoosa, the cold nights are a relief from a long, hot day's work. It had been a busier week than normal for the growing Equestrian settlement and that went double for the train station. Apples needed to be harvested, apple trees needed to be cut down, and saplings need to be planted. Much of the town's revenue depends on that timber. The desert climate gives the wood a unique color and marbling that artisans pay top bits to work with. It also gives a unique flavor to vegetables when used for smoking, so the demand for wood chips is pretty high. All that timber is carted to the train station where they are loaded and tied onto cars, ready to be shipped all over the kingdom. The stars began to twinkle into view by the time the strain station readied to close. "You guys go ahead, Ah left somethin' inside!" One of the workers called. "Alright, see you at the Salt Block!" One of his coworkers called back. The station was free of life, you could even hear mice scurry around under the floorboards. Light from Luna's full moon shines through the open windows of the lobby, making most of the room visible. The worker trotted to front desk where he left his bag of the week's pay. Being a railway worker payed very well, but only stallions with strength and powerful endurance would ever pursue the job. Working the orchards is one thing but the railway carried the wight of everything going in and out of town. So the job needs the high pay in order for the work to be worth it. The proud earth pony picked up the bag with his mouth and a smile, then trotted toward the door. Just before he laid a hoof on it, a peculiar smacking noise came from one of the open windows. Against his better judgment, the worker walked toward it to inspect the sounds. By the time his head was out the window, the noise went from smacking to a loud rumble. There was only enough time for his bag of bits to hit the ground before...

The door swung open and in walked a tired Solid Leads with confetti and streamers stuck in his mane and littered all over his fedora. He had only been here a week and already he's attended three parties thrown just for him. One party to welcome him to ponyville, one to congratulate him on his promotion, and one more just in case he didn't feel welcomed enough. "How does one mare put all these parties together so quickly"? Solid asked himself as his hat was lifted off his head, surrounded by a blue glow. Solid inspected the hat and carefully removed every shred of paper before letting it rest on the nearby hat rack. His collar and tie soon followed. Despite having three slices of cake, a hot bowl of soup sounded pretty good to him. He had one hoof in the kitchen before the cheerful greeting of Pinkie Pie led him to place that hoof on his forehead with grief.

"Hi Detective!" The perky pink pony said as she hopped into the small office lobby. Seeing that there was no avoiding her, Solid took a couple steps back and turned to his guest. "Hello, Miss Pie", he greeted.

The energetic mare giggled at the detective's formality. "You don't need to call me 'Miss Pie', Silly. Just call me Pinkie Pie. We're friends after all."

"Yeah, you made that official at the first party when you randomly sang me a song" Solid Recalled. "Did you come up with those lyrics on the spot"? Asked Solid.

"Yep!" Pinkie replied with a bounce before breathing in a loud gasping, "your office looks neat!" The easily sidetracked mare began her exploration of the lobby. Her head turns in every direction possible, taking mental pictures of the whole room. Her eyes then land on Solid's desk which is littered with files and photos. "Oooo, is this where you do all your important research and stuff?" Pinkie asked while scanning the open documents. The files then glow blue with Solid's magic and shut themselves.

"Yes, and it's for me to research only" The detective informed the nosy mare. "And I would...wait, what are your doing?" The answer he got was more giggling and the sounds of his desk drawers being rummaged through. He didn't hear anything break so he didn't react immediately as Pinkie openly described every item she found.

"Magnifying glasses, note books, evidence bags-OW...sharp pencils, you have everything in here! Even...oh hohoho" The Mare's change in tone alerted Solid to approach his desk quickly. Pinkie then held up a liquor bottle over her head and sang in a playful whisper, ♪"Someone likes to hit the sau~ce"♫. She gave the bottle a little jiggle.

"Occasionally!" Solid raises his voice to Pinkie as he grabs the bottle from her, she didn't mind. In fact, to her it was amusing to see the detective react that way. Solid received a pat on the head and more giggling from his joyful guest.

"Poor detective, you're wound up so tight. And I know just how you can loosen up!" Pinkie made her way to the door with the intention of leading her new friend to Celestia knows where. But what she found in the doorway was a panting, wall eyed mail mare who had been ordered to rush a letter to this address as soon as possible. Pinkie beamed at the grey pegasus, "Hi, Derpy! Behind scheduled again?"

Derpy simply shook her head to her pink acquaintance and made a B line for the detective. She gave Solid a salute, which was unnecessary because Solid by no means possesses rank over her in the postal service. The detective saluted back to calm her nerves, he could tell by her nervous(yet off center) eyes that she wasn't used to delivering messages to an authority figure. Derpy then rummaged through her bag to locate a light brown envelop with a wax seal which had an apple with an A in the center pressed onto it. With his magic, Solid opened the envelop and began to read the letter it contained. The stallion's eyes narrowed more the further down he read. Solid gave Derpy a nod and a "thank you" before levitating a bag onto the desk, items from the drawers Pinkie had just explored floated inside.

Pinkie Pie waved goodbye to Derpy has she flew out the door. "What was in the letter?" She asked.

"Ive just been called to work a case" The detective replied as his magic tied a new collar and tie around his neck. The detective's hat floated over Pinkie's head before landing gently on his own. His saddlebag now full of the essentials, lifted up and swung over his back.

"Ooo, where?" Pinkie asked again.

Just after he exited his office, Solid looked back at the cheerful pink mare and said, "Appleoosa...close the door for me please". Pinkie happily obliged. Before she was out of earshot, the bubbly mare called for the detective to say "Hi" to Braeburn for her.

The train whistle blew, signaling that it was about ready to depart. The conductor eyed his pocket watch for a few seconds before putting it away. It wasn't quite time to leave according to him. Solid was about to board the passenger car when out of the corner of his eye, he caught glimpse of two figures approaching him. It was Applejack and her older brother he met only once at the first party. Both of their faces where draped in worried expressions. "D'tective!" Applejack called at half gallop. Solid stopped and stepped to the side, letting the other passengers board while he waited for the Apples to reach him.

"D'tective! Pinkie Pie just told us that you're on your way to Appleoosa. We got lots 'o family members there, we're worried somthin' happened to one of em'." Applejack explained before looking up to her brother. "Right Macintosh?"

"Eeeyup" He replied.

"Please tell us what happened. We need to know. It's better we know now than to find out later dreadin' the idea." The concerned mare pleaded. Solid's eyes glanced over at her brother who agreed with another "Eeeyup", normally he's very cool and calm. But when it comes to the well being of family, even he can't keep a straight face. The detective levitated the letter from his saddlebag to give it another look over. The siblings waited uncomfortably for his answer.

"Do you have family that works the railroad" He asked. Applejack reached into the back of her mind for that long list of relatives.

"Yeah, a second cousin. But he lives in Dodge Junction". She replied.

With a smile, the detective folded the paper back up and tucked it away. "Then I don't think you have anything to worry about." He assured. Two sighs of relief followed and Applejack's friendly attitude resurfaced. Seeing that the pair's concerns were put to rest, Solid attempted to board the train again. But there was one more thing these two had to tell him.

"Hold it." The unicorn's attention was drawn to Applejack again. "There's somepony in Appleoosa who might be of help to you. Braeburn, a cousin of ours. Been deputized by the sheriff three times and knows the town better than anypony else."

"Where can I find him?" Asked the detective.

"He'll find you." Big Macintosh replied. Applejack giggled at that remark.

By that time, the conductor called out the all too familiar 'all aboard', forcing Solid to say a quick goodbye to the Apples and dash aboard the train. Twilight Sparkle arrived just before the train started moving. Lead's managed to get a wave goodbye from her before the train departed. Applejack greeted her friend with a question. "Hey Twilight, did Pinkie give you the news too?".

"Yeah, and I was wondering how he planned on getting to Appleoosa." Twilight replied.

Applejack pondered for a second while her brother stood patiently beside. "By train's lookin' to be the only way he can get anywhere."

"I know. But that would take him a day and a half of travel. And it took just as long for the letter to get to him." The unicorn thought out loud.

"whatcha gettin' at Twilight?" The curious workhorse asked. Twilight just silently thought to herself as she watched the train disappear over a far hill. There had to be a way to make Solid's job a lot easier, but exactly how? With that, Twilight told her friend that she had a letter of her own to write.

The trip to Appleoosa was an interesting one. Every hour that went by, Solid saw less trees and grass pass the window for more dust and dry bushes. On the first stop at Dodge Junction, four large stallions were tied to the steam engine along with the coal car being filled to the brim. When the detective asked why, he was told that Appleoosa was so far out that the train can't hold enough coal to get it there and back. In order to make sure no train gets stranded out in the desert, the stallions have to pull the train as it moves at half speed. This way the train can move fast enough to get to Appleoosa while only using up half it's coal reserve and still have enough to get back. It's not unheard of for these select few stallions to get injured during travel, possibly dooming the train to run out of fuel before reaching either side of the stretch. And nowhere does this thought send your heart sinking into your stomach than when you're out in the middle of the desert. There's also word of bandits that raid incoming trains for Appleoosa's export profits. Fortunately, Solid's ride to Appleoosa went smoothly and without incident. The train station was small compared to Ponyville's, it could almost serve as a snack bar with the right modifications. It was also barren of all life with exception of the two sunny mares running the ticket office. They were very kind to the new pony in town, complimenting him on his hat and composure. Solid returned their kindness with compliments of his own. "Such a gentlestallion" They giggled as he walked down off the platform and into the settlement. He thought Ponyville was a step out of his comfort zone. Appleoosa is quite a culture shock to a guy who grew up in the big city. Walk a block or so and a horse drawn carriage passes by with two or more ponies dancing to the music of a fiddle on the side of the road(which is nothing more than the ground scarred by hoof prints and carriage wheels). Every few minutes somepony walks by the detective and gives him a "howdy". To a city pony, that would seem a little too friendly. But hey, it's better than being told to sit down and rotate. Finally, Solid reached the building he was looking for. The office of Sheriff Silver Star. The building was not painted as colorful as the town that surrounded it. Then again, this makes it stand out.

Upon opening the door, the detective found a brown mustached earth pony polishing his badge. Sliver Star looked up and took a deep breath before sighing with relief. "Was worried you wouldn't come". He said, extending a forearm over the desk. "Ahm glad you did."

"Well, you wrote a very convincing letter." The detective replied as he reached out to shake the sheriff's hoof. " If this came from anypony else, I'd dismiss the case. But I know you wouldn't send for somepony like me unless there was a good reason." Which was true. Sheriff Silver Star is one of the most respected stallions in royal law enforcement. He's the pony who cleaned up Dodge Junction in it's settlement years. The first Sheriff was killed by the leader of a nasty gang of bandits, leaving Dodge lawless for months. Young Silver Star rallied a band of settlers to fight off the outlaws, it was a brutal scrap that claimed lives on both sides. Despite the losses, Silver Star's militia managed to kick out every member of that lowlife gang in town, an event still celebrated in Dodge to this day. From that day til the founding of Appleoosa, Silver Star kept the peace and would go on to make a big name for himself. "You explained the victim was killed when a shipment of apple logs crashed through the side of the railway shipping depot. Violent way to go." The detective continued.

The Sheriff nodded in agreement. "Yeah it is, poor feller just got a raise too. His family will be devastated."

"So they don't live in town?" Solid asked, a concerned expression grew on his face. Silver Star shook his head and added more to the bad news.

"Ahm afraid not. And we don't have a coroner in town either. The body was sent to his home town to be buried the next mornin'."

"This...will make the investigation a little more difficult." Solid said hesitantly.

"Ah wouldn't say that." Contradicted Silver Star tapping a hoof on a folder resting on his desk. "Ah took the liberty of photographin' the scene, they ain't the best quality shots considerin' ah used an ol' camera. But they're good enough so you can tell what's on em'."

The folder flips open and the pictures fly out, manipulated by the detective's magic. The stack floated in front of Solid's face as he flipped through the photos. The first picture was a downhill shot of the main office building of the depot and a scarred hillside. A whole car load of logs were imbedded in the building. The next photo was a bag of bits found on the ground, Lead's curiously asked where this was photographed. Silver Star told him that it was found under the logs, outside the walls of the building.

So he saw it coming and dropped his bag before the logs struck office...odd...why was he looking out there in the first place? Nopony in their right mind would run toward the kind of racket a bunch of falling logs would make, he thought to himself. The next picture was that of the victim. Silver Star told Leads that his name was Barrel Hoop, a cooper who worked part time at the train yard. Solid has seen plenty of gruesome scenes in his career so he's used to gore. Still, every scene leaves an impression and this one is no different. The victim was laying on his side, the lower end of his body buried under apple timber. As for the upper body, it was a mess. The majority of his head was soaked in his own blood which was draining from every orifice including a vacant eye socket, it's eye dangled off the jawbone. The visible side of his skull was caved in, indicating that a log hit him square.

"So what makes you think this isn't an accident?" Asked the detective, the pictures float back into the folder which tucks itself into Solid's saddlebag. Silver Star looked around, scanning the doorway and every window. Then his head gestures in the direction of a table placed against the wall, a flower vase being the only thing sitting on it. Solid curiously walked over and used his magic to manipulate the vase, the flowers are removed and with them...a black and white feather.

"Ah found that next to the car carryin' the timber, which was uncoupled from the rest of the train that left an hour before." Silver Star's info was met with a doubtful glance.

"How is this relevant?" Asked Solid.

"That feather's from an eagle not native to these parts. It takes three days to travel to the canyon where they nest...the only folks who know how to get there are the native buffalo." The Sheriff continued. Leads felt the gravity of the situation instantly constrict his mind, he realized how this all could turn south.

"If that's true...then that means a buffalo has killed an Equestrian..." He said.

The Sheriff continued for Solid. He knew the protocols just as well as him. "An' that means ah'll have to call for settlement protection. Soldiers will come and demand the Buffalo relocate. If they resist, force will be used. Them buffalo are too proud and head strong, they'll fight for every speck o' dust."

"The tribe will be slaughtered if they fight back..." Leads concluded.

Silver Star got out of his chair and walk to the detective, getting in his face and looking him dead in the eyes. "That's why ah called you here. Ah need you to look at every shred of evidence you can find and tell me if it was really a buffalo who did this. Appleoosa and the Tribe have gotten along for these past three years, bonds have been made between us. The peace can't end an' especially not like this." That said, the troubled sheriff took a few steps back. "You ain't got much time. The ponies of this town want to know the details an' ah promised ah'd tell em everythin' by the end of this week. That gives you the rest of today, tomorrow, and the mornin' after."

Leads' eyes look side to side between the feather and Silver Star. This case was a lot more serious than expected, many lives depended on the outcome. Despite all that weighed on his mind, Solid kept his composure and bagged the feather. "I'm going to need a partner for this investigation."

A grin cracked behind Silver Star's well groomed mustache. " Ah know just the feller. Ah know em' so well that if ah timed all this right, he should be here about..."

"Sheriff!" Called a voice from outside.

"Like clockwork." Silver Star chuckled.

Then a very excited yellow stallion with orange mane and green eyes burst through the doorway. The first direction he looked was to the desk because that's where he usually sees him. Then he turned to the figures standing by the table. Instantly recognizing one of them, he cheerfully trotted to his whiskered acquaintance. "Sheriff! There's a new face in town, ah came to ask you if you've se..." At this point, the stallion's mind caught up with him and alerted that the second figure wasn't a familiar pony.

"No Braeburn, ah haven't seen em at all" Silver Star joked before turning to the detective. "This here's your future partner, Braeburn Apple."

"Partner?" Asked Braeburn.

"You know that pony who died a few days back?" The sheriff asked in return.

"Sure do, told me it was an accident" Replied Braeburn.

"It ain't." The Sheriff corrected. "Yer'gonna help this here d'tective find out who's behind it."

"Alright then." Agreed Braeburn, instantly turning to Solid and grabbing his hoof. Leads found himself in a familiar position, having his hoof shaken to near numbness. Hoof shakes like this must run in the family, he thought to himself while his foreleg whipped up and down. "Lookin' forward to workin' with ya d'tective! Always a pleasure to meet Equestria's finest! Oh! That reminds me!" Braeburn dropped the detective's abused appendage. The cheery stallion backed up to prepare for his welcome cheer. "Sir, on behalf of the folks of this here settlement. Let me be the first to welcome you to AAA-"

"BRAEBURN! Not in here!" Silver Star ordered with a hoof pointed straight at the stallion standing on his hind legs in mid cheer. His ears fold back and cheeks blush a fade pink as he plants his forelegs on the wooden floorboards.

"Oh, right. Ah forgot." said Braeburn with a nervous grin.

"What was that about?" Asked the detective as he glanced back at his host.

"The Boy's got spirit and that cheer of his sure makes new folks feel welcome. But the last time Braeburn did that indoors, he caused about a hundred bits in property damage." explained Silver Star. The memories of that event made Braeburn blush a little more with embarrassment. "But ah don't wanna waste anymore of yer time with stories. Braeburn! Ya know the drill!"

Braeburn bowed his head down to the pair of lawstallions in front of him. "Braeburn Apple." Silver Star addressed the citizen. "By the powers bestowed upon me by the Princesses of night and day. Ah here by deputize you into temporary service under the Royal Sheriff Department of Appleoosa. Serve with honor and with pride." The newly appointed deputy raised his head and with enthusiastic smile. This sunny attitude had Leads concerned however, it's hard to imagine somepony like this taking an investigation seriously. Even Merritt knew when to drop his smart alecness during a case. But then again, it's hard to doubt Silver Star's judgement. This is a sheriff who spent years staring in the face of Equestria's brutal side. A pony with his stripes wouldn't deputize a pony like Braeburn unless that pony was useful.

"Now get." Were the next words to fly out of the sheriff's mouth, followed by a hoof pointed to the door. And so the pair were off to walk the dusty trails of the settlement. Despite the information given, Leads has little go on. His only clue so far is a feather and it points directly to a buffalo. If Silver Star is serious about avoiding a the Tribe's demise, he's off to a bad start. Solid needs more clues, it's time to consult his new partner for possible leads.

"So Braeburn..." The owner of the name turned his attention to Solid as they walk aimlessly down the road. "If we're going to get to the bottom of this, we'll need to narrow down suspects and find more evidence. First, are the logs from the crime scene still in town?"

"Sure are," The deputy replied with no loss in enthusiasm. "Don't know what to do with em. So they just sit at the lumber mill."

Leads levitated a notebook and pencil out of his saddlebag and wrote down the location of the mill(along with the crime scene). "Then that's where we'll start." He stated. "Second, do you know of any fights or arguments that have happened between a buffalo and a pony?"

"Well ah once overheard a heated debate about farmin' techniques. The buffalo argued that cactus makes best food for crops, but the pony argued chicken droppin's were better. Ah tell you, they went on for an hour with all them nutritional facts 'n such. O' course ah personally prefer..." Braeburn stopped talking the moment he saw the disapproving eyes of Detective Leads. His ears fold back as he tries to remember something more serious than a petty argument. Braeburn stopped in his tracks as something finally struck the bell in his head. Curious, Leads looked back at him.

"What is it?" Solid asked.

"Ah remember hearin' a few cross words in reference to buffalo a week'n a half back. An' when ah mean cross ah mean downright nasty." His partner reminisced. "At the local waterin' hole, The Salt Block. It sounded like he was slurrin' " When asked if he knew who those words came from, Braeburn shook his head and told the detective that it isn't smart to make eye contact with somepony running on liquid anger. Even Leads had to agree with that.

Now he had a starting point and a lead to a possible suspect. But with the thought of an entire buffalo tribe being annihilated still fresh in his mind, the information he had brought little comfort. Two minutes into the walk, the deputy's cheerfulness returned. Two more minutes in, Leads noticed that every pony that passed them always stopped to say hello to Braeburn. That's when he remembered Pinkie Pie, Say hi to Braeburn for me hehehe. Applejack also told him that Braeburn was deputized three times before, and with every "hello" he received, the more Detective Leads understood why.

Author's Note

This took way too damn long to complete. A week's work done in a span of months.
This delay will not be repeated, I'll tell you that much.