Rainbow of Blood

by knightcommander

Rating: teen
Tags: Tragedy, Adventure, Gore, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark
Length: 11636

A murder investigation in Cloudsdale leads police to a horrific and deadly conspiracy.

For nearly 100 years, the Cloudsdale Police Service has lived by its motto; "Honor, Integrity, Service". Officers and detectives of the police force have fought hard to keep the city safe from all manner of criminals, from the simple burglar to the mass murderer, with a dedication, sense of honor and respect for the rule of law and rights of citizens that rivals any police force in Equestria.

Now they face their greatest challenge

Detective Silver Shield has been assigned to investigate the brutal murder of a nameless mare in the Mustang District of the city. However, what starts off as a simple murder investigation leads them into a web of kidnapping and horrific murder, at the service of a long discredited and disgusting ideology. Silver Shield and her fellow dedicated officers will have to use all of their skill to solve the crime, and stop a madman and his followers once and for all.

(Loosely based on the infamous Rainbow Factory. Some Elements will be similiar, others completely different. Credit for the original story goes to Aurora Dawn. Silver Shield and other OCs belong to me. MLP and related properties belong to Hasbro, Inc.)

Cover image by gino456 on DA.

Published 2012-02-24 06:54:01 UTC
Last updated 2012-09-04 06:17:25 UTC

The Mustang District Slaying

THE EUGENICS MURDERSBy:  Knightcommander

CHAPTER ONE:  THE MUSTANG DISTRICT SLAYING

One of the many striking things about the land of Equestria, apart from its population of talking, intelligent ponies, was the beauty of it's nights, something unmatched anywhere else in the world.  The full moon, a gift to the land from Princess Luna herself, shone bright above the sleeping land, bathing it in a soft, bluish-white glow as it slowly trekked across the midnight purple sky studded with rhimestone stars.  If one were inclined to look up at it, one could easily see the craters of the moon easily against the bright background, such was the closeness of the moon to the world at this time of the year.  Indeed, many did stay up late that night to admire this lovely gift from their night princess, thanking her endlessly for providing them with such a gift.

A beautiful city overlooking a wide river valley was no exception to this.  This was one was unique in Equestria.  For one, it was made entirely out of cloud, the normal puffiness of the clouds shaped, smoothed and built up by centuries of knowledge of the craft by its residents.  Second, it hovered above the land, held in place seemingly by magic, which was just how its residents liked it.  These ponies were the third unique thing about this city; it was entirely populated by winged ponies, the pegasi.  This city was called Cloudsdale, and it was the pride of all pegasi in Equestria.  The city had grown from a simple cloud settlement may thousands of years ago into a bustling metropolis, with a population nearly approaching eight hundred and fifty thousand.  The city was home to the Weather Factory, which produced the majority of the land's weather, and the Royal Equestrian Weather Service which managed it.  It was also home to the elite professional stunt and precision flying team, the Wonderbolts, the idols of many a pegasus child.  And, it boasted what was regarded as the finest law enforcement agency in Equestria, the City of Cloudsdale Police Service.

The brave officers of the Cloudsdale Police could not afford to stop and take a look at the night sky.  Each of them had sworn an oath to uphold the law and protect the ponies of Cloudsdale from crime, and as such they could not allow their eyes and minds to wander away from their duty, not even for a second.  Such was the dedication of the stallions and mares of the Police Service.

And it certainly helped when you were chasing a suspect, as one such member was doing now.

"Freeze,"  A mare's voice called out as she raced down West Mustang Avenue, a busy thoroughfare in Downtown Cloudsdale, her wings beating rapidly to allow her to keep pace with another pegasus pony, a stallion.  "Cloudsdale Police!  Stop where you are, now!"  She shouted at the stallion, her burnt orange eyes locked on to him.  Unlike patrol officers, she wore plain clothes, a simple leather jacket and undershirt, plus a chain bearing her police badge around her neck.  Her coat was a light tan, her mane flaming red, and her cutie mark was a silver police badge.  Following behind her were two uniformed patrol officers, wearing the characteristic black police uniform and belt laden with flashlight, hoofcuffs, service weapon, pepper spray and tazer, along with, unique to the Cloudsdale Police, black, almost military style berets.  Unlike the mare, who was easily keeping pace with her suspect, the two patrol officers were struggling to keep up, finally coming to a stop at an intersection, panting heavily.

"Go get him, Detective!"  One of them called weakly to her  She rolled her eyes in disbelief before continuing the chase.  She was about to gain on the suspect when he suddenly dove down and into traffic.  She gaped as his seemingly suicidal bid to escape before following... a path which took her into the cabin of an incoming skybus.  She somehow managed to slow down an escape serious injury, though she certainly freaked out the passengers.  She shook the dizziness form her head.

"Sorry folks, looks like it's raining cops in Cloudsdale tonight."  She joked before continuing her pursuit.  The stallion had gained on her, and it seemed like he would escape, but then she remembered something, and suddenly flew off, hoping he would look back and not see her.

The stallion did indeed look back, and not seeing her, assumed he had escaped scot free.  He laughed.

"Smell ya later, flank-wipe."  He said, before slowing down and continuing on a flight path that would take him back to his apartment.  A short flight later and he was there, laughing at his success at evading the police, and was about to enter the house when he heard something that sounded like wings, and turned around just in time to see someone slam into him and tackle him to the ground.  It turned out to be the detective who was chasing him.  He cursed his dumb luck.

"Do you see this!?"  She asked him, shoving her bade, a silver shield emblazoned with the city seal, the word "POLICE" and "DETECTIVE" on Two banners, one over the seal and one below it, the numbers 21447 stamped across the bottom.  A pair of arching wings capped off the badge.  "Clouds.  Dale.  Police.  Service!  That means you stop when I tell you to stop!"  She pinned him roughly to the ground and quickly produced hoofcuffs from her jacket pocket, snapping them over his wrists. She got off him and jerked him up, sitting him down on his haunches before pulling a small radio from her other pocket.  "Silver Shield to Central, Code 4, send a wagon."  She said.

"Copy that, Detective."  The radio squawked.  She took a good look at her suspect.  He was white, with green eyes and a short cropped, blue mane.  His cutie mark was a football.

"Well, Mr. Gridiron, that was a merry chase you led us on,"  She said.  "Trying to pin a double murder on your landlady was a great trick, but as you can see, you've been sacked, and now it's time for me to do my touchdown dance."  She said.  "Gridiron, you are under arrest for the murder of Liberty Belle and Star Seeker.  You have the right to remain silent...."

"Yeah, yeah, and should I choose to forfeit that right, anything I say can and will be used against me in court,"  He said, in a mocking tone.  "I have the right to an attorney, blah blah freakin' blah.  I don't care, I'll cop to it.  I killed the whore and her little boy toy."  He snarled.  Silver Shield smiled.

"Was that a confession I just heard?"  She asked.

"You're damn right it was!"  Gridiron shouted.  "I shot that cheating wench and that little worm she was with!  And I'd do it again!  I gave that mare twenty years of my life, never did anything to hurt her, and how does she repay me?  She sleeps with another stallion!  So yeah, I killed them, and I'm glad I did!"  Silver Shield was disgusted.

"And that gives you the right to corner them in your house, make them kneel in front of you, and shoot them in the back of the head?"  She asked.  Gridiron just glared at her.  "Listen to me, I'm sorry they hurt you, and I'm well aware of how you feel, but that gave you no right to do what you did.  Shooting someone in cold blood is never justified.  Love, including being able to forgive someone when they wrong us, is something that our society is built on."  She said, just as a paddy wagon pulled up.  She hoisted Gridiron up and handed him over to the two uniform officers who emerged from the paddy wagon.  "Take him to Central for booking.  He's being charged with first degree equicide."

"Yes, ma'am."  One of the officers, a mare, said, forcing Gridiron into the wagon and locking the door before driving off with her partner and their prisoner.  Silver Shield radioed in for an escort back to the station.  It was going to be her job to fill out the paperwork on the cretin, and probably have to deal with his lawyer, assuming he asked for one.  She didn't have long to wait before a second police carriage pulled up and she got in, the officer driving saluting her before they drove off for Central Police Station.

***

The carriage soon pulled up to Central Police Station, one of the larger stations of the Cloudsdale Police Service.  Being located where it was, smack dab in the middle of downtown, also made if one of the more important ones.  Silver Shield got out of the carriage and walked through the front door of the station.  She was greeted by a portly stallion, Sergeant Glock, a veteran desk jockey and the current watch commander.

"Back so soon?"  He asked with a mischievous grin.  "I'd say that's record time for a collar."  He said.  She was too tired to jaw with the ever-jovial desk sergeant at this time, so she simply waved to him and proceeded directly upstairs to the squadroom, and her desk, and sunk down into it, finally able to catch a wind.  Just then, she heard a booming voice come from the other side of the room.

"Detective!"  The thickly accented voice said.   She looked up to see her captain, a broadly built, aging stallion with an white coat, orange mane and tail, and emerald green eyes, approaching her.  His cutie mark was a shamrock.  His beaten old brown fedora was perched on his head.  Captain Lucky Charm was a long time veteran of the police service and of the Detective Bureau, and was her immediate superior since transferring to the Equicide Unit per his personal request.

"Sir?"  She asked.

"Masterfully done!"  He boomed jovially, giving the detective a gentle cuff on the shoulder.  "My sources tell me our friend was vocal when you collared him."  She nodded.

"Yes, sir,"  She said.  "He copped to it right then and there.  Said he'd do it again too.  I really hope his lawyer doesn't get this one thrown out."  She scowled, Gridiron's justification for his crime still ringing in her ears.

"His lawyer won't be able to help him now,"  Lucky Charm said.  "We've got enough evidence to convict this fiend ten times over.  A nice showy trial, and he'll be on his way to Proudmoore Penitentiary to stew in his prison cell for the rest of his life."  He smiled.  "A splendid result you've brought me, young Silver Shield.  You keep this up, you'll make Sergeant yet."

"I was just about to type up my DD-5, sir."  She said, motioning toward her desk.

"I want you to head home when you're done,"  Lucky Charm said.  "You've earned yourself a good night's sleep after this one.  Don't worry about booking, I've already had the uniforms take care of that for you."  She sighed with relief.  Less work for the exhausted mare.

"Thank you, sir."  Lucky Charm gave her another cuff on the shoulder before leaving, presumably to close up his office for the night.  She carefully typed up her DD-5 paperwork, signed it, and returned it to the desk sergeant before  clocking out and stepping outside, leaping into the air and winging it back to her home on Bridle Street, in the Newtown District.  Her house was a modest one, unlike many others in the neighborhood, and though modest, it was cozy.  She stepped inside her cloud house and made a beeline for her bedroom, flopping down on the waterbed, stripping her jacket and shirt off before snuggling under the covers.  She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, the cares of the day quickly forgotten.

***

She panted, running as fast as she can through the small woods that made up Cloudsdale's famous Hurricane Park, named after the city's famous founder, Commander Hurricane.  The branches tore at her face, leaving scratches.  When she finally emerged into the clearing of the park, there were leaves stuck in her purple mane, dirt smeared all over her black uniform-like clothing, her blue coat covered with scratches from the branches and occasional thorn.  She collapsed, exhausted from running through the woods, desperate to catch a second wind... or she would have, if he didn't hear heavy hoofsteps quickly approaching.  She turned to see the source; another pegasus pony, her colors concealed by the darkness except for a pair of flaming red eyes.  She gasped, and took off running again, as fast her legs could carry her.  She kept taking furtive glances behind her.  Her pursuer was gaining on her.  She leaped into the air, desperate to escape, willing herself to fly as fast as she could, despite the protests from her tired body.

Her luck would not be holding up tonight, however.

"Ah!"  She yelped as she clipped a tree that she missed while looking back.  She was sent into a dive that she couldn't recover from, and she crashed into ground hard.  Her body was wracked with pain as bones broke in her legs and wings, rendering her unable to run or fly.  In seconds, her pursuer was on top of her.  She looked up at the pony with fear in her eyes.

"No,"  She muttered, tears in her eyes from the fear coursing through her body.  "No no no no!"  Her pursuer held up one foreleg, revealing a wicked looking curved blade strapped to the hoof.  It's razor shard edge gleamed in the moonlight.  Bloodlust beamed in the pony's wicked red eyes.

"Say your prayers."  The pony hissed.

"No!  Noooo!"  The poor mare screamed, to no avail, as the blade was raised above her to strike.

All that was heard was a bloodcurdling, tortured shriek that sounded through the stillness of the park.

***

"I don't get paid enough to get up this early."  Silver Shield said as she entered Central Police Station, her still half-asleep mind not registering the desk sergeant's greeting.  She had received a call to come in early from Lucky Charm, and she silently cursed at the idea.  She was still tired from the other night, despite the fact that she slept like a baby, and she desperately needed a coffee.  Lucky for her, the captain was kind enough to provide hot coffee and donuts for the entire squadroom, and when she entered she made a beeline straight for it, pouring herself a cup.  The coffee seemed to rejuvenate her, and she reminded herself to do something to show her appreciation.

Her attention was soon focused to the sound of one of the other detectives of the Equicide Unit, Detective Siren, and unusually named mare with a lime green coat, with matching eyes, red siren cutie mark, and blonde mane and tail so bright, it was almost platinum.  She was currently engaged in a call over her desk phone, and apparently she was not happy with whoever it was on the other line.

"All I want is to book a cruise, and you can't even believe it's my real name?"  She asked.  "Don't tell me the crew will consider it bad luck... what do you mean you want me to spell it!?"  She groaned loudly.  "S as in 'simpleton', I as in 'imbecile', R as in 'retard'..."  Silver Shield listened with amusement to the rest of the call, before Siren was apparently satisfied and hung the phone up with a growl of frustration.  Silver Shield walked over.

"Finally going on vacation, Siren?"  She asked.  Siren moaned.

"I swear, either these call center twerps are utterly stupid, or they haven't figured out yet how to speak Equestrian,"  She looked up at her old friend.  "You look like hell."

"I was feeling like it."  She replied.  Siren was about to say something back when they heard the shuffling of hooves entering the squadroom.  She turned to see her tan coated, brown-maned partner, Detective Sergeant Nightstick, enter the room.  His normally bright green eyes, always full of life, were now dropping and tired, his shorn fetlocks shuffling along the ground as he approached his desk.  His gray fedora was perched precariously on his head, as though he had thrown it on at the last minute.  His cutie mark was his namesake.

"You look like you had it rough, Sticky."  Siren said, grinning.  He turned to look at her with an annoyed look.

"For the last time, don't call me Sticky,"  He slumped down into his chair and turned his computer on.  "You know I hate that."

"Oh we know,"  Silver Shield said.  "That's why we like doing it so much."  He groaned, annoyed at being teased so early in the morning.

"Good morning everyone, and what a grand morning it is!"  Boomed the voice of Captain Lucky Charm.  He strode up to a podium at the front of the room and shuffled a stack of papers with his hooves.

"Morning, Cap."  Nightstick said as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"First of all, I want to congratulate Detectives Silver Shield and Nightstick for the successful closing of the Liberty Belle killing,"  He said.  Siren jokingly clapped for them.  "Our fiend will be in for a nice showy trial before being shipped off to Proudmoore to begin his long period of reflection over his sins."

"And I would've helped catch the creep if Silver hadn't had left me in her dust when he ran."  Nightstick quipped, grinning.

"Well it's not my fault you're so slow.  Maybe you should lay off the cream cheese danishes."  Silver joked.  Nightstick crumpled up a piece of paper and threw it at her gently.

"At ease, everyone."  Lucky Charm said.  "I hope you and your partner are rested, because I have another case for you."

"Is this why you called us in at this hour?"  Silver Shield asked.

"Precisely,"  Lucky Charm turned on an projector and pulled up a map of downtown.  "A poor mare was found this morning in Hurricane Park."  He pointed to a spot on the map of the park.  "All of the preliminary signs point to this being an equicide, and a particularly vicious one at that.  Get down to the park.  The coroner will be there waiting for you.  Good luck."  They thanked him before leaving the squadroom.

"You know this place?"  Silver Shield asked.

"I've been there a few times, it's a nice place,"  Nightstick let her go down the stairs leading outside the station first.  "I'll direct."  They stepped outside and took to the wing, Nightstick leading the way to the park.  Silver Shield wondered what horror they were about to walk into this time.  Seeing the victims of the last crime with their brains blown out execution-style was bad enough.  What were they walking into this time?

***

Hurricane Park was named after the city's founder, the legendary Commander Hurricane.  Made from earth and plants imported from across Equestria and enchanted to never fall, the park was a favorite spot for early morning joggers, bird watchers, and other assorted types who enjoyed spending some time under Celestia's sun.  Now, it was a crime scene, where a life had been tragically cut short by the malice of a mysterious pony whom the police would go to great lengths to find and bring to justice.

When the detectives arrived, a few reporters looking for a scoop had already arrived.  A uniformed officer was trying his best to keep them from entering the crime scene.  The officer has his wings spread out to create a barrier at the entrance to the scene.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I need you to stand back and clear a path for the detectives!"  He called out.  Nightstick and Silver Shield shook their heads and walked up to the crime scene.  "Clear a path!"  The officer called again, which prompted the reporters to focus on the two detectives instead.

"Detective, is it true that a hump was found murdered in the park this morning?"  One reporter from the Cloudsdale Examiner asked Silver Shield.  Her eyes became as hard as diamond when she noticed that it was Alt Weekly, a particularly well known yellow journalist and smear merchant who made a living off of trashing reputations and exaggerating his stories.  It was rumored that he was under investigation by the paper for fabricating stories.

"Do you have a mother, flankwipe?  A sister?"  She asked acidly.  "How would you like hearing someone call them that if they were found dead?"  Alt Weekly brushed his black mane back.

"Just asking questions, detective,"  He looked her dead in the eye.  "Are you going to answer, or will I have to report that the police are withholding information from the press?"  She growled and stared him down, causing Nightstick to have to throw his foreleg in front of her.

"Ignore the little turd,"  He said.  He turned to the reporters.  "Alright folks, you got your pictures and you got your headlines.  Now am-scray and let us do our job."  He said.  His commanding voice convinced the reporters to leave, and they were finally able to speak to the patrol officer.

"Officer Lightning, detectives,"  He introduced himself.  "My beat passes through the park."

"You found the body, officer?"  Silver Shield asked.  He shook his head.

"No, ma'am.  A pair of city workers found the body while on shift.  I was first reporting."

"What have we got?"  Nightstick asked.  The officer pointed in the direction of a small grove of trees.

"Vic is up there, by those pepper trees,"  He said.  "Perp carved her up like a turkey.  There's blood all over the place."  He motioned for the detectives to follow him.  They followed him up the path to where the body lay, passing a forensic photographer on the way up.

"You're gonna love this one."  He said to Silver Shield.

"I'm sure."  She answered.  They soon found the coroner, standing over the body.  Surprisingly, he was a griffon, rather than a pegasus.  Doctor Lars, better known as "Ducky" due to a unique green feather pattern on his head that resembled that of a mallard duck, he was well known throughout the force for his professionalism and his good working relationship with the police.  He stood up when he heard them approach, his soft yellow eyes focusing on them.

"Miss Silver Shield, wonderful to see you as always,"  He greeted.  "I wish it could be under better circumstances."

"Likewise, Ducky.  What have we got?"  She asked.  Ducky  led her over to the body.  The two detectives immediately winced when they saw the damage.  The torso and stomach were covered with deep, bloody gashes cut into her blue coat.  Her purple mane was sticky with blood and dirt, with leaves sticking out of it at haphazard angles, the green concealed by the red of her blood.  The mare's mouth was open, her teeth stained a sickening shade of red from blood.  What her cutie mark was, the blood covering and staining her body wouldn't allow them to see.  Curiously, there was also blood coming from her closed eyes and her ears.  Her black garment was torn to shreds and soaked through with blood.

"Lightning wasn't kidding about the turkey thing,"  Nightstick remarked.  "How do they expect us to get an ID?"

"You can start with the victim's wallet."  Ducky said.  "Which, to my great relief, managed to survive her rather unpleasant encounter."  He handed a blood soaked mare's wallet to Silver Shield, who flipped it open to examine the mare's ID card.

"Cloud Dancer, twenty-one years old, unmarried..."  She rattled off everything the card could tell them.  She took a look at the picture on the card, and then at the mare lying on the ground.  She had once been quite beautiful, from what she could tell.  Now, she looked like this.  She sighed.  She had only been on the force for a few years, and already she felt like she had seen enough death.

"Well, we have a name.  Lightning, can you run this by R & I?"  She asked.  Referring the Records & Investigation office, an invaluable asset during investigations.

"Will do, detective."  Lightning got on his radio and put the call in.  She turned back to Ducky.

"What else can you tell us, Ducky?"  The aging griffon pointed out the slash wounds.

"From a preliminary examination, I would say our poor lady died from exsanguination,"  He replied.  "You'll notice that most of these wounds don't cross any major arteries, but there are enough that she wouldn't have lasted very long, not out here.  Poor thing, if only she was attacked closer to the downtown, she might have been saved by a passerby."

"What caused them?"  Nightstick asked.

"From the standpoint of my eyes, I would hazard to guess that the wounds were caused by a large knife.  Notice how wide they are?"  She looked at the wounds closely.

"Butcher's knife, maybe?"  She wondered.

"Or some other large knife, perhaps even a machete,"  Ducky explained, leaning over the body to examine some other injuries.  "Both wings and her front legs are broken, and bruising on the torso would seem to indicate some fractured ribs.  However, I see no signs that our victim was beaten."  Nightstick started looking around, and noticed that the ground leading up to the body was disturbed.  It was almost like a track leading up to the body.

"I think I found the answer to that mystery,"  He said.  "See this skid mark here?  Looks like she slid, perhaps after a crash."  He began taking a look around, looking for something that would tell them how that had happened.  Hearing him gave Silver Shield an idea.  She began scanning the trees, zeroing in on one who's top most leaves and branches had been broken, as though something had clipped it.

"Nice catch."  Nightstick had noticed the damage as well.

"I think I see how it happened,"  Silver Shield began to see the scene with her mind's eye.  "She was fleeing her attacker, trying to fly away, when for whatever reason she hit the top of the tree and crashed."

"That would explain the broken bones," Ducky said.  "It would also explain the mess for the landscaping crew to clean up."  Silver Shield chuckled.  A little humor went a long way to helping them overlook the grimness of the scene before them.  It certainly helped when she turned her attention to the unpleasant task of examining the victim's body.

Her attention was first drawn to the head and mouth.  The unusual injuries to the eyes and ears were what got her attention first.  She peeled the poor mare's eyes back and saw that they had been completely torn out, leaving only empty, bloody sockets.  She felt a wave of sympathy come over her, hoping that these injuries were post-mortem.  It didn't get much better when she examined her mouth and ears.  The blood that had poured from them told her the eardrums had been mutilated, and she was even more shocked to see that the victim's tongue had been cut out.  Feeling sick, she withdrew for a bit before composing herself.

"The perp ripped her eyes out."  She said.  "And her tongue's been cut out."

"And let me guess, the guy jammed something in her ears."  Nightstick replied, pointing at the wounds.  She nodded, and then continued examining her.  Surprisingly, the bottoms of her hooves were clean, except for the front right one, which had a red spot on it.  It was surprisingly bright, and Silver Shield at first thought it might be red paint, but something kept telling her she should sample it for comparison.

"There's something on her right front hoof.  Have Technical Services swab it,"  She ordered.  "Ducky, can you give me a time of death?"

"From her liver temperature and lack of rigor mortis, I would say that she died sometime around midnight last night,"  He said, reviewing his notes.  "However, I'll be able to tell you more once I've completed the autopsy."

"Thanks."  She replied.  She then noticed something in the pocket of the mare's garment.  How it survived the vicious assault was beyond her.  She carefully removed it from the pocket.  It was a folded piece of paper.  Despite being stained with the mare's blood, she was able to read it when she opened it.  On the paper was written, at the top in blue ink, a series of numbers and letters

4126N7050W

It almost looked like some kind of code or cipher.  She had no clue what to make of it.  Following this was what appeared to be a... poem?  She read the words at a whisper.

Eyes of red burn with fire

The wicked one stalks at night

The world is her playground

Their situation is dire

What could this mean, she wondered.  Who is they?  And who is this red-eyed mare?  Could she be referring to her killer, and if so, how did she survive long enough to write this?  She read the next stanza.

Watch and observe with twisted psychology

Upon the thrones of judgement they sit

Their view is polluted by wicked ideology

They burn the puzzles pieces that fail to fit

"What are you trying to tell us?"  She asked as she read the strange words.  The last words were a line, rather than a stanza, written in block letters.  They were words that chilled her to the bone.

YOUR FEARS AND HORRORS COME TRUE

NOT A SINGLE SOUL GETS THROUGH

"Detective,"  A voice said behind her.  She jumped a bit and turned to face Officer Lightning.  "I just got a call from R&I.  We have a work address for the vic.  She was working in the Spectra Processing level of the Weather Factory when she suddenly stopped coming to work."

"She didn't quit?"  Silver Shield asked.  Lightning shook his head.

"According to R&I, she was reported missing two days ago by her supervisor, a Miss Firefly."  He said.  Silver Shield nodded.

"Have Technical Services go over the scene for trace,"  She said, bagging the poem to take with her.  Someone at the factory might recognize the writing as hers.  "We're going to follow this lead."

"Yes Ma'am."  He saluted before going off to inform the crime scene technicians.  Nightstick came over, an evidence bag in his hand.

"What's that?"  She pointed at the bag.

"Hairs,"  He said, holding it up.  "They're not the vic's, might be our perp's.  You got something?"

"We have a lead,"  She replied.  "Her supervisor at the Weather Factory reported her missing two days ago.  Might be something to go on."

"Lead the way."  He said.  They both took to the wing and made a beeline for the weather factory.  Silver Shield thought about what they had just seen.  The horrific sight of the victim was bad enough, but the words of the poem stuck with her the most.  Was the victim trying to tell them something?  If so, what?  Not a single soul gets through.  She found herself shuddering at those words.

She had a feeling they were about to find something terrible, even worse than the horror they had just left behind them.

***

The Cloudsdale Weather Factory was a sprawling complex of offices and production facilities.  It was so huge that, in addition to the Cloudsdale Police themselves, the Factory had it's own police force, much like the police forces employed by the various railroad companies.  The sight of it, with rainclouds being churned out left and right and huge buildings, never failed to amaze Silver Shield.  The sight got even more beautiful when they came to the rainbow works.  The mixing pools seemed to glow in the morning light as ponies mixed the spectra produced in the processing level into beautiful rainbows.  Technicians went about checking the quality of the mixture, making notes.

"It's lovely."  Silver Shield said in awe as they landed.  Nightstick only nodded as they approached the supervisor for the mixing area, a sunny yellow stallion.

"Can I help you folks?"  He asked.

"Cloudsdale Police,"  They showed him their badges.  "We need to speak to a Miss Firefly."  The stallion checked a clipboard.

"She's up in Processing,"  He pointed to a building which loomed over the mixing area.  "I can take you to her if you wish."  He said.

"Please."  The stallion led them past the mixing pools and up into the building.  Strangely, the cloud architecture was mixed in with an industrial look one would expect when entering the production area of a factory.  They could hear a rhythmic clanking noise.  They must be running the processors at full capacity, Silver Shield thought.  The stallion led them into the production floor, and the clanking got louder.  They could see several huge machines, their open maws lined with huge gears.  Various tubes and pipes led from the machines to the mixing vats below.

"How the fark do those things work?"  Nightstick asked, staring at the rather diabolical looking machines.

"Those big gears crush up the garbage to make it manageable,"  The stallion answered.  "From there it's converted using a spell imbued in the machine into spectra, which is processed and then sent down to be mixed.  Yes, rainbows are made from trash.  Something becomes something beautiful."

"I'll take your word for it."  Nightstick huffed.  Soon, they heard a series of swear words being spouted.

"That would be our engineer, Torque Wrench,"  The stallion said.  "She's fuming too.  Processor number four must have broken down again.  There she is."  He pointed out two ponies as they approached the processor.  A pink mare with an electric blue mane and tail and violet eyes glared as the engineer, a gray mare with her namesake as a cutie mark, fumbled with the machine.

"You farking piece of bloody crap!" She shouted, finally bucking the machine, which sputtered to life briefly before going out again.

"Ugh, forget this!"  The pink mare said in frustration, throwing her hooves in the air.  "If this damn thing is going to keep breaking down, I'm taking it offline."

"I keep telling the director to get a new one, but all he wants is overhauls, the cheap son of a..."

"Boss,"  The stallion said.  "There's some cops here to talk to you."  The pink mare, Firefly, turned to them.

"Cops?"  She asked.  "What for?"

"Detective Silver Shield, this is my partner Detective Nightstick,"  She said.  "Are you Firefly?"

"Yeah, that's the name."  Firefly replied.

"Is there a place we can talk in private?  I'm afraid we have some rather bad news to report."  Firefly frowned.

"My office is this way."  She led them past the processors, up over the cavernous production floor on a catwalk to an enclosed area overlooking the floor.  She gestured for them to come inside.  The office was simple and quiet, just a desk cluttered with various bits of paper, clipboards and other assorted items.  The detectives sat down in front of the desk while Firefly took her chair.

"Did you know a Miss Cloud Chaser?"  Nighstick asked.

"Yeah,"  Firefly said, suddenly anxious.  "She was a friend of mine.  She moved here from Hoofington a while ago and was down on her luck.  I got her a job here and she crashed at my place until she found her own.  We got to be pretty good friends after that."

"We understand you reported her missing,"  Silver Shield said, looking at her notes.  "Can you tell us what happened."

"Two days ago, she doesn't show up for work"  She said, growing more nervous.  "I figure maybe she was sick and just forgot to call in, so after I take my lunch break I ring her up.  She doesn't answer."  She looked at a picture of the two of them, enjoying a day in the park.  "I decided to take off early and go check on her.  When I get to her apartment... she's not there.  I called the police  and filed a report right then and there."  She looked at them.  "This is about her, isn't it?  What's going on?  Did you find her?  What's happened to her?"

"Ma'am, can you answer a few questions before we..."

"No!"  Firefly pounded the desk with her hooves.  "I want to know what's going on!"  Silver Shield looked her in the eye, a soft expression on her face.

"I'm sorry... to have to tell you this," she began, "but... your friend... Cloud Chaser... She's dead."  Firefly's jaw dropped and her eyes widened in complete shock. She slowly sunk back into her chair.  Her violet eyes began to fill with tears as she dug her face inside her hooves

"No..."

On the Trail of a Killer

CHAPTER TWO:  ON THE TRAIL OF A KILLER

Time seemed to pass in slow motion for the detectives.  For what seemed like hours they sat there while the distraught Firefly mourned for her friend.  Neither of them knew what to say to her.  Not that it would have done them any good; years of experience in situations like these told them it was best to wait and just let them compose themselves before they started talking to them, talking which consisted mostly of questions that would hopefully get them a lead on whoever killed their loved one.

Finally, Firefly's sobs began to lessen and finally stopped.  Silver Shield winced when she removed her head from her hooves.  She looked like a real mess; her cheeks were stained with tears, her eyes were red and puffy, and her face bore a pained expression that Silver Shield had seen too many times from ponies who she had to inform of the often brutal death of a loved one.  If she were the one calling the shots, she'd hand Firefly her business card and let her cool off for a day or two before she started asking her questions.  But that wasn't an option; they needed to start picking her brain, as painful as it would be for her, right then and there if they were going to get any solid information to go on.  It was Police Work 101, and Nightstick wasted no time getting to it.  Better to get it done and over with.

"I understand this is a difficult time, ma'am."  He said.  "But, we're going to need to ask you a few questions."  Firefly looked at him and nodded.

"Yeah, yeah I'll do my best."  She said, her voice cracking slightly as she tried to hold back further tears.  The snap of a button on her jacket and Silver Shield brought out a small, leather-bound notebook.  Out of habit, she completely cleared her mind of any and all distracting thoughts.  No time for any of that; first rule of interviewing, whether talking to witnesses or interrogating a suspect, was to keep a clear head.

"We'll start at the beginning.  Did anything seem unusual about Cloud Dancer's behavior when you last saw her?"  She began, starting off with a simple question.  Firefly pursed her lips in thought for a moment.

"Two days ago?  No, I wouldn't say so.  She came in for the day shift at 8:30, clocked in and waited for her shift to start, took a lunch break at noon, went home around five.  Nothing really out of the ordinary.  Hell, nothing really noteworthy happened that day, which is really surprising."  Silver Shield's eyes remained locked on Firefly the whole time.  Her training and experience had given her a valuable skill; she could tell when someone was lying almost by looking at them and listening to them.  It had helped her numerous times during her career.  Though she saw no obvious signs of deception from Firefly, her gut told her that there was more.  She decided to dig a little deeper.

"What about before?"  She asked.

"Well, she did seem kind of... distracted lately."  Firefly said.  Here we go, Silver Shield thought.

"Distracted how?"  She asked.

"Like something was on her mind."  Firefly said.  "You could see it in her eyes.  Something was bugging her, but every time I tried to talk to her about it, she insisted everything was OK.  I didn't push it because I figured she'd open up on her own about it."  Firefly sighed.  "Now I wish I had."  No deception again.  Firefly was telling the truth.  Silver Shield decided to pursue the angle of what was bothering Cloud Dancer.

"Had she been having any problems at work?"  She asked.  "Say, a co-worker she was having issues with?"  Firefly nodded.

"Yeah, there was one."  She replied, sinking back into her chair.  "Miserable little creep."

"Why do you say that?"  Nightstick asked.  Firefly snarled.

"His name's Gale."  She explained.  "The little worm used to work in cloud production before he pulled some strings and get sent here.  He decided he wanted the better pay, but didn't want to actually work for it."  Her expression made it clear that she did not care for whoever this "Gale" was, and furthermore it was a lead they could follow.

"What was the problem with him?"  Silver Shield asked.  Firefly looked over the production floor at the mare workers and scowled.

"He flirted with the mares who work here more often than he actually did any work, and he was insubordinate."  She said.  "I would have fired his flank a long time ago if he weren't the Director's nephew."  She snarled, the idea of nepotism going on at the factory clearly making her angry.  "I especially wanted to after I learned what he did to Cloud."  Silver Shield looked up from her notes at the mention of their victim's name.

"Did he have a run in with her?"  She asked.  Firefly nodded.

"Boy did he ever."  She began.  "It was about a month ago, while I was down in mixing area checking the pools.  The weasel thought it would be a great time to go and cop himself a feel... no offense on the use of the word 'cop'."  She said.  Silver shield smiled.

"None taken."  She said.  "Go on."

"Cloud had finally had enough, and told me about it, and I decided to go my boss hoping against hope that I could finally send his flank packing."  She scoffed.  "Nothing came of it, though they did end up reassigning him from processing to mixing.  Besides that, nothing serious was done about it, or the threats.  Before you ask, yeah, he threatened her about it.  Nothing specific, though he did say she was going to pay for trying to get him canned."  She paused as a horrible realization sank in.  "You don't think that creep killed her, do you?"

"We can't be certain of that yet, but we would like to talk to him."  Silver Shield explained, putting her notebook away.  "Can you tell us where he is working?"

"Yeah, follow me."  Firefly led them out the door back through processing until they got back to the mixing area.  "Twerp should just be coming in.  Another thing I can't stand about him, always late."  As if on cue, a yellow pegasus stallion arrived, his green and red striped mane looking greasy like it hadn't been washed in a week.  His work wear was wrinkly and covered with stains of what appeared to be beer and food.  His calloused hooves were on the large size.  All in all, he looked like the stereotypical slovenly worker who no one wanted by couldn't get rid of.  Most would recognize such a character on sight, and Silver Shield did almost immediately.  She had put away plenty of them during her years as a patrol cop on the beat.  "That's him, right there."  Firefly pointed him out.

"We'll take it from here.  Sit tight."  Nightstick instructed.  Him and Silver Shield descended the steps leading from the processing building to the mixing area.  Both detectives steeled themselves for the confrontation in case Gale decided to bolt or they needed to draw their weapons.  Gale had by now picked up a mixing tool and was busy mixing some of the rainbow solution, surpisingly doing a good job at it.

"Hey!  Are you Gale?"  Silver Shield called out.  Gale held a hoof to his face to block out the sun that glared down on him like a flashlight in his eyes.

"Who's asking?"  He demanded in a gravely voice with a noticeable "East Cloudsdale" accent.  Silver flashed her badge.

"Cloudsdale Police, we'd like to have a word with you."  She said sternly.  Gale's expression switched from annoyed to fearful, his eyes darting around before finally deciding to use his mixing tool to splash spectra in their direction.

"Gah!"  Nightstick yelped, rubbing the concoction from his eyes.  "That creepy prick is getting away!  Go after him, I'll try and cut him off!"  Silver Shield wasted no time in taking wing after the fleeing Gale.  The stallion hastily took to wing in a bid to escape, but his flying was clumsy compared to the well trained cop, who quickly gained on him and prepared to tackle him out of the air.  At the last minute, a desperate Gale kicked out at her, missing but screwing up her flight pattern enough that he could get back to the ground and try on foot.  Silver Shield growled and lined up to tackle him again, only for him to dodge and force her to land.  Gale's trickiness ended, however, when Nightstick appeared around a bend and pointed his gun in Gale's face.

"How you doing?"  He asked.  Gale turned to run, only to be grabbed by Silver Shield, who looked like she was about ready to sock him.  She didn't, thankfully.

"Hey, let me go,"  Gale shouted.  "I didn't do anything!"

"So why did you run?"  Silver Shield asked.  Nightstick took up position beside him in case he decided to bolt again.  The petrified stallion clammed up.  Silver Shield could instantly tell that he was hiding something.

"Are you deaf?"  Nightstick asked.  "My partner asked you a question.  I suggest you start cooperating, because from what I saw up there you're looking at two counts of assaulting a police officer."  He glared at Gale, who gulped and began to shake from sheer nerves.  Neither detective showed much sympathy.

"What do you mean, what are you talking about?"  Gale cried.  "I tell you, I didn't do anything!"

"Do you know a Cloud Dancer?  Maybe you do, she used to work here, and from what we here you couldn't keep your hooves to yourself when you were around her."  Silver Shield said.

"Yeah I knew her,"  he said.  "She almost got me fired.  I haven't seen her for days though, not since I got sent down to mixing.  Why are you asking me about her?"

"She was murdered last night, lunkhead",  Silver Shield said.  "You know anything about that?"  Gale's eyes widened as he gasped in a display of genuine shock.

"Whoa, whoa whoa whoa, back up a minute,"  he said.  "Murdered?  You think I killed her over trying to get me fired?  Do I look like the kind of pony who would do that?"  Nightstick smiled.

"Acutally, you kinda do,"  he said.  "Doesn't he Silver?"

"And trying to run from us doesn't help him."  She said.  Gale looked like he was about to crap out an entire brick and mortar shop.

"No way!  I never killed anyone!"  He cried.  "Alright, I didn't run because of that, I ran because... because I got some wacky backy in my coat pocket."  He said, hanging his head.

"How much?"  Nightstick asked.

"One reefer."  Silver Shield rolled her eyes.  A possession rap would have gotten him six months at most if it was his first offense.

"We'll let it slide,"  she said, exasperated.  "You've got enough problems as it is.  Where were you at midnight last night?"

"I was at home,"  Gale said.  "Ask my next door neighbor, he'll tell you I was there all night."  He put his hooves on his hips and stared right at them.  No obvious signs that he was lying.

"Can anyone else vouch for you?"  She asked.

"Yeah, my mom,"  Gale said.  "She called me around 12:30 because she forgot her glasses at my apartment the last time she visited."  He explained, rolling his own eyes.  "Can you believe that?  I told her I'd bring them by this morning before I left for work.  If Firefly asks, that's why I was late.  Traffic was a pain."

"We'll need to verify this,"  Silver Shield said.  "You have a current address and phone number?"  Gale supplied the contact information, which Silver Shield jotted down and made a note to check the alibi later.

"Well, looks like you're in the clear, but I wouldn't skip town anytime soon."  Nightstick said.  Silver Shield grabbed Gale by the scruff of his neck and glared at him with the most intimidating look she could manage.

"But, if I ever get wind of you harassing another female coworker, I'll drag you back to the station by your balls."  She snarled before releasing him.  She felt a bit of satisfaction when she heard the little creep whimper at the thought of what she had just told him.  The detectives returned to a waiting Firefly.

"Well?"  She asked.  Silver Shield shook her head.

"He's not the guy,"  She said.  "He says he was at home when Cloud Dancer died.  We'll of course be checking that out, but I can safely say he didn't kill her."  Firefly nodded.

"I didn't think he was either,"  She said.  "He's a complete flank-kisser and a pervert, but I never pegged him for... that."  She sighed.  Silver could tell Firefly was going to take some time to heal from the news of her friend's death.  She wasn't anything if not compassionate, so she reached into her pocket and pulled out her business card.

"Here,"  She said, hoofing it to Firefly.  "If you need anything, don't hesitate to call."  She said.  Firefly took it.

"Thanks."  She said.

"We'd like to take a look around her place.  Can you give us an address?"  Firefly nodded.

"1227 Pansy Court, Apartment 213,"  She replied.  "Heavens know I visited her enough times to remember that."  She wrote the address down for them.  Silver Shield made a note to check out her apartment for clues.  "And... if it's possible... she didn't have any immediate family that I know of.  I'd like to make arrangements for the funeral."  Silver Shield handed her another card.

"You can contact the station and talk to the watch commander.  He'll be trying to notify next of kin,"  She explained.  "If no one else comes forward, you can claim the body."  Nighstick pat her on the shoulder.

"You take care of yourself, Miss Firefly."  He said.

"Thanks,"  She replied.  "Hey, get the son of a bitch, will you?"  She asked.  Silver Shield nodded before they left.  Firefly waved to them as they winged away from the factory before going back into her office.  Torque Wrench was fighting processor number four yet again, but she didn't pay any attention to it.  She simply did not have the time or the energy.  She closed her office door, sticking a note asking not to be disturbed on the door.  She slumped down in her chair and took a look at the picture of her and Cloud Dancer in happier times.  She remembered the last time she saw her alive.  She remembered how harried and harassed she looked.  She knew something was bothering her and she tried to get her to talk about it, but Cloud was quiet all during work, only telling her not to worry.  She never pushed it.  Now she wished she had; she might be alive today if she had.

With her heart heavy with grief and fresh tears stinging her eyes, she picked up her office phone and dialed a familiar number.  She waited on the phone, wiping her eyes until the party on the other end picked up, literally.

"What's up?"  The voice of her sister Rainbow Dash answered.  She could hear music and happy laughter on the other end of the line.  Pinkie Pie must be throwing another one of her trademark shindigs.

"Hey sis."  Firefly answered, her voice cracking and choking.

"Firefly?  Are you OK?"  Firefly wiped the tears from her eyes and she choked back a sob.

"I...I got some bad news..."

***

Silver Shield felt awful as she took leave from her partner to go check out Cloud Dancer's lodgings.  Many times she had seen the tears of pain and loss flow, the pangs of utter despair and grief etched onto the face of every pony left behind after a life cut so brutally short.  She never really thought of herself as the empathic type, but seeing that pain never failed to get to her.  She guessed she was just more compassionate than she let on.

How many times had she had to do it?  How many times did she have to tell somepony that their wife, husband, child or friend wasn't coming home?  She had lost count.  She hadn't been attached to the equicide squad for very long, but she had seen plenty of death.  Cloudsdale was one of the safest cities in Equestria, but that didn't stop ponies from taking each others lives, and it was often for the most pointless and shallow of reasons.  She often wondered how she could stand it for so long, not the picking through the entrails and blood of corpses or dealing with the media or any of that, but that pain of loss she saw in each face of those left behind.

Her train of thought ended when she finally arrived at her destination.  Sunflower Towers was a low-rent sort of place, mostly for those who couldn't afford the more expensive lodgings, but it was new and boasted the best amenities a small budget could buy.  It wasn't stylish, but she could tell from entering the lobby that it was comfortable.  As far as she was concerned, if someone was able to put a roof over their head they were well off.  The landlord was manning a desk at the moment, reading a copy of the Cloudsdale Examiner sports section and humming a tune to himself.  She trotted right up to the desk and tapped on the bell to alert him.  He jumped at the sudden intrusion and fumbled as he dropped the newspaper.  The elderly gray pegasus scowled at her.

"What in the hay was that for?"  He asked curtly.  Silver Shield took her badge out and flashed it at him, causing his expression to drop.  It was very much considered the height of rudeness to mouth off to a police officer among Cloudsdale's older residents.

"Detective Silver Shield, Cloudsdale Police,"  She said.  "I understand that Miss Cloud Dancer recently started renting an apartment here?"  She said.  The landlord nodded.

"Yeah, about six or so months ago.  Said she came from Hoofington,"  He said.  "She was down on her luck, and I hate to say I almost had to kick her out because of late rent.  Then she got a job at the weather factory and everything's become great."  He paused for a moment, and then his eyes widened.  "Oh, don't tell me something's happened to her."   Silver Shield sighed a bit.

"I'm sorry to have to say this but, she was murdered last night,"  Silver Shield said.  "Her employer told me I could find her lodgings here.  Would it be possible for me to take a look around?"  He hesitated for a moment.  Silver figured he was going to ask her to get a court order; most folks did.  However, he simply nodded.

"Yeah, follow me."  He said.  He led her toward the elevators, not saying a word.  Pressing a button for the top floor, the doors to the elevator shut with a heavy clunk.  Soft muzak began to play as they rode up.  The whole time, neither of them spoke.  Now wasn't the time for questions.  There would be plenty of time to ask those when she had finished searching.

When they finally arrived, the owner led her down the green-carpeted hall to Cloud Dancer's apartment.  Silver Shield took note that the door appeared to have extra lock attached.

"Why is there an extra lock?"  She asked.  It seemed awful paranoid of her, but then again if she was being stalked or something, it would explain it.

"She asked me to add that a few weeks back,"  The owner explained.  "I asked her about it, but she never told me why.  There were a few burglaries in the area, so I assumed she was just nervous."  He fished the keys to the locks out of his vest pocket and unlocked them.  "Here you go.  There's not much here, but I hope it helps."

"Thank you."  Silver Shield replied.  The room was sparsely decorated.  The walls were paneled with oak over the cloud walls, and carpeting of a rather ugly shade of green covered the floor.  The living area contained little more than a sofa, a television set, and a computer.  Lucky for Silver Shield, as any Ponynet search history or other computer data could give them something to go on.  She started her search, however, with the desk itself, opening one of the drawers and examining its contents.

The drawer mostly contained bills, all of which appeared to have been paid on time.  Nothing especially helpful here, so she moved on to the next one.  The first thing she noticed was a familiar business card.

"Cloudsdale Citizen's League for the Protection of Children,"  She read.  "I never pegged her to hang around these guys."  The League, as most called it, was an activist group dedicated to providing up-to-date information on convicted sex offenders in the city, as well as pushing for new laws and measures against crimes involving children.  A few Academy classmates of hers working over in Sex Crimes frequently complained about them, thinking they interfered in their work more often than they helped, but Silver Shield appreciated them.  The group had helped put away more than a few repeat offenders during their existence.

"Yeah, she's been with them for a while now,"  The landlord explained.  "Gotten a real activist streak going.  She's been out keeping tabs on the local kiddy diddlers almost every night."  Crucial information, she thought.  It certainly would give a creeper a motive to kill her, if she figured out he or she was up to their old tricks.

"That will be very helpful.  Thank you."  She said.  She barely  heard his reply as she continued her search, turning up another business card.  This one was very intriguing.  The card was plain white except for a gold infinity symbol in the center, with words printed under it in fancy script.

"The Infinity Society?"  She wondered.  "Who are these guys?"  The landlord shook his head.

"Never heard of them."  He replied.  She flipped the card over.

Everything I have on these guys is in the safe in my closet.  To open it, remember the day of the birth of the sun.

"Ok, this is officially getting weird,"  She said to herself.  "I've never met a murder victim who left such cryptic messages."  She shook that from her head, however.  Whatever was in that safe, it was important enough that she didn't want anyone to get a hold of it.  But what the hell did this mean?  The day of the birth of the sun?  What kind of passcode reminder was that?

Hoping that she left something that would help her figure it out the clue, she made her way to the bedroom.  Same ugly green carpeting and oak paneling, with the exception of the furniture; a simple bed made up with white bedding and pillows.  A small nightstand contained photographs of herself and Firefly in happier times, along with some other coworkers from the factory.  One in particular, of a handsome looking colt, was marked with X's and O's.  Firefly didn't mention her having a coltfriend, Silver Shield thought.  Either she didn't know or Cloud Dancer never got the chance to talk to him.  She honestly hoped it was the former.  The latter was simply to sad to contemplate.

Opening the closet on the far side of the room, Silver pushed aside what few items of clothing she apparently had and found what she was looking for.  It was a simple safe with an electronic lock.  You could get such a thing at practically any store in the city.  The rest of the closet was bare, save for a blue leather book resting on top of the safe.  It was the only item in the closet that appeared to have been touched in some time.  Silver Shield picked it up, trying to suppress the chill that ran through her as she took a closer look.

The blue leather was etched with fancy gold patterns, and in the center was a personalized engraving of her name in old-style script set in the center of a heart.  The lock was made of brass that shined with regular polishing that had been lovingly applied by its former owner.  A few frayed spots and some fading indicated that it was fairly old.  It was as though she were holding a family heirloom in her hooves.

This was precious to her, Silver Shield couldn't help but think as she worked out how she was going to open the journal.  Her eyes scanned the room for a tool that she could use.  Seeing nothing immediate, she starting searching the nightstand.  Some sputtering after bumping her hoof into the drawer's locking mechanism, and she found a flat-head screwdriver.  Just the perfect tool for picking an equally small lock.

"Perfect."  She said, turning her attention to the journal.  There was no need for finesse.  She just needed to force it.  She felt terrible having to break something so obviously treasured, but whatever secrets it contained could go a long way in helping her to solve the case and track down Cloud Dancer's killer.  Trembling with anticipation, she opened the journal and began to read.  The first one was dated to when she first began to work at the weather factory.

Dear Diary,

I start my new job today!  Firefly really stuck her neck out to help me get it.  I really ought to show her some more appreciation than I do.  At least I feel I should.

I hope I do good.  She tells me that working in mixing is pretty easy, but knowing my luck of late I'll mess something up.  At least Firefly is understanding.  I really do appreciate that.

I'd better get ready.  I refuse to be late on my first day!  Good luck to me, I guess!

Love,

Cloud Dancer.

"Nothing of note here."  She said.  She flipped through the other pages, which contained similar entries, none of which were helpful.  She would have continued, but for her phone suddenly sounding.  Irritated that her investigation was interrupted, she answered.

"Hello?"  She said, her irritation just barely hidden.

"Hey Silver, Cap wants us back at the station,"  The voice of Nightstick answered on the other end.  "Forensics has something for us and Ducky wants us at his place."  Silver nodded.  That could only mean one thing; Technical Services and the coroner found something for them.

"I'll be right down."  She said.  She sighed, and was about to call Technical Services to come and take the safe when she noticed a piece of paper sticking out from between the back binding of the journal.  Only the very edge was visible.  She flipped the back binding open to reveal that it was a folded piece of paper.  A smile crept to her face as she gently unfolded the paper.

To her surprise, it was not another code or cipher, but a page taken from what appeared to be an encyclopedia.  A picture of Princess Celestia as a much younger mare, drawn in woodcut holding a sword with her magic and standing on the battlements of the old castle in the Everfree Forest.  She was wearing elegant armor and standing in front of the newly redesigned flag of Equestria, made to represent a reborn nation risen from the ashes of chaos.  Such imagery had been produced for years after the end of Discord's reign, to swell the hearts of ponies with pride and joy at the memory of a day that would ever be forgotten.

Silver Shield felt just such a since of joy, having promised herself never to take the freedom she now enjoyed for granted.  She sighed again, but it was then that she noticed something.  The caption had been underlined.

Princess Celestia stands triumphant on the battlements of the former Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters in Everfree Forest after sealing Discord in stone, March 23, 986

Further inspection revealed that the date had been circled.  It was though she had taken the page from a school's copy where a student doing research had highlighted an important piece of information.  It was puzzling, to say the least.  Sitting back, she pursed her lips and rubbed her chin with her hoof.

And that's when the answer became obvious.

She slapped her forehead and groaned.  "The great detective Silver Shield."  She muttered as she withdrew her notebook.  It was so simple now that she figured a first year rookie could have gotten it.  She scrawled the date in numbers.

03/23/971

The "day of the birth of the sun", March 23, 970.  Sixteen years before that fateful day in the Everfree Forest when the princesses sealed Discord away.  A heck of a birthday present for the young pegacorn.

She took a look at the lock on the safe.  Simple really; one just pushed the numbers into the lock and the thing opened.  The trick was figuring out how many numbers she needed.  She punched random numbers into the keypad.  Five of them flashed up in red LED until a beep sounded and "CODE NOT CORRECT" flashed across the display.  She looked again at the date and crossed out the zero in the month space and the nine in the year space and jotted the result down.

32370

Perfect, she thought, pressing the numbers in.  A click sounded as the door swung open.  Silver Shield trained the thing beam of a flashlight into the safe.  All she found was a simple manila folder like the kind one would find in nearly every office in every city in Equestria.  It's ordinary looks weren't about to fool Silver, who slipped it out anyway.  Feeling that she wasn't going to find anything else of any particular importance, she turned her attention from evidence to interviewing the landlord.

"I need to ask you a couple of questions before I leave."  She said.

"Of course,"  He replied.  "Always happy to help."

"Has Cloud Dancer had any problems with anyone in the building?"  He shook his head.

"Nope, not here,"  He said.  "She mostly kept to herself."  Silver Shield noticed no signs of deception from him.

"What about anyone outside the complex?  You mentioned that she was involved with a group that tracked sex offenders."

"Yeah, she was really into that,"  He explained.  "She loved foals, always did.  It killed her to know that there were creeps out there who would hurt one."

"Did she ever mention anyone in particular?"  He tapped the top of his head.

"Nope, none in particular,"  He replied.  "Like I said before she mostly kept to herself.  She never really discussed what she was up to with me.  You might have better luck talking to her boss about that, they were good friends so I hear."  Silver got the feeling that the landlord wasn't going to be any help, so she decided to return to the station.  She made sure to take her discoveries with her, the journal included.

"Here's my card,"  She handed him a business card.  "If you do happen to think of anything else, give me a call."  She said.

"Will do,"  He said.  "I hope you find the bastard."  She thanked him before she left the way she had come and took to wing back toward Central Station.  She took a moment to contact dispatch over her portable radio.

"Dispatch, I need uniforms and Technical Services at 1227 Pansy Court, Apartment 213.  Have them search the apartment and canvas the neighbors"  The radio crackled to life.

"10-4, Detective."  The dispatcher replied.  "Be advised, Captain Lucky Charm is waiting for you with the coroner."

"10-4."  She answered, turning the radio off and turning on the wing toward the Coroner's Office.

***

With the sterile white hallways, harsh fluorescent lights and the scent of disinfectant filling the air, the Coroner's Office could pass for any hospital in the city.  Even the coroner's staff wore the classic hospital green scrubs that would be familiar to anyone who was about to go into surgery.  But this was no place of healing.  It was the last stop before the funeral and burial of those who died under unknown circumstances, or in this case, were the victims of murder.  It was here that the dedicated staff examined the remains and sought to learn all they could to determine the cause of death.  In this case, they would be helping Silver Shield to uncover any details about the victim's death that would help them to find her killer.

Silver Shield hated the place.  Despite the rather pleasant smell of the hospital disinfectant, the air still seemed to stink of death.  It wasn't something that most could pick up.  It was mental; just the knowledge that this place was one of the last stops for victims of crime before they were buried was enough to create that aura.  Silver Shield had been down here plenty of times to speak to Ducky, and she had never failed to be overwhelmed by the sense of death and despair.

She tried to shake the feeling as she passed through the steel doors to the autopsy room.  Ducky was already there, hunched over one of the cold steel slabs that the poor deceased was laid out on.  Dressed in his smocks, his gloved hands tracing over the body and examining every detail and his eyes behind the plastic face shield focused on the task at hand, he looked every part the doctor conducting an examination.  Alongside him was Lucky Charm, who's eyes had locked on to her the second the entered the room.  Silver Shield felt her stomach heave.  Even without the deep red stains of blood, the wounds inflicted were gruesome to behold.  It was truly only the kind of violence that a truly sick person could inflict on another pony.

"Detective, you're just in time,"  Lucky Charm greeted her.  "Ducky and I were just going over his findings from our poor victim."  He said.

"What have we got, Ducky?"  She asked.

"It would appear that my earlier observation about the cause of death was inaccurate,"  Ducky explained.  "During the course of the autopsy I discovered evidence of hypostasis in both the muscles and organs.  Our victim still had blood in her before she died.  It is now my belief that this poor mare died from a combination of blood loss and shock."

"Were you able to find any trace?"  Silver asked.  Ducky shook his head.

"Unfortunately no.  At least, nothing that you haven't found already.  I can, however, tell you more about the weapon that was used."  He gestured toward the wounds.  "What I first took to be cuts from a knife turn out to be tearing injuries.  Notice how jagged and uneven they are."  He explained.  Silver Shield leaned in for a look.

"Yeah, almost like claw wounds."   She said.  Ducky nodded.

"Also, some of these wounds on the side appear to have been caused by our fiend's weapon being driven into the flesh and then wrenched back out,"  He mimicked the action.  Silver Shield winced at the thought of it must have felt like.  "From these observations, it is most probable that the murder weapon had a sharp, curved blade.  My best guess would be a gardening tool of some sort."

"Like a sickle."  Lucky Charm said, examining the wounds.

"Precisely."  Ducky replied.  "Silver Shield was correct in her observation that the eardrums were also mutilated."  He said.  "During the course of the autopsy I discovered a bruise pattern indicating that a hoof had been pressed into the flesh.  Despite all of our wishes, the victim was alive when the mutilations occurred."  Silver Shield felt like she was going to vomit.  Her legs wobbled and she had to fight to keep her balance.  Her head began to swim and she had to grab the table, and she even felt tears begin to form in her eyes.  The very thought of the torture their victim experienced in her final moments of life.... nopony deserved that.

"Are you alright, Detective?"  Lucky Charm asked.  Silver Shield waited for the nausea to pass before she answered.

"Yeah,"  She said.  "Go on, Ducky."  Ducky looked at her sympathetically but continued.

"The eardrums were destroyed by inserting a sharp object and then pounding on it,"  He said.  "A screwdriver or ice pick was most likely used."  He pointed at the mouth.  "The tongue was surprisingly cleanly cut out, and from he amount of clotting around the wound, it was the first thing to go.  The same object used on the ears was also likely used on the eyes."

"See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil,"  Lucky Charm remarked.  "All these violence tells me this was personal."  He turned to Silver Shield.  "Your thoughts, Silver?"  She took some deep breaths to quell any lingering nausea.

"Agreed,"  She said.  "Going on the fact that her eyes, ears and tongue were all mutilated, she saw something she wasn't supposed to see and was killed to cover it up.  All this violence... the perp wanted to send a message.  'Don't mess with us, or else'."  Lucky Charm nodded and turned back to Ducky.

"I don't think we can learn much more from her."  Ducky began preparing the body to go back into the cold chamber.  "Silver, are you sure you're alright."  He asked.  "You looked distressed back there."

"It's just.... I thought about what she went through, what she must have felt.... all that pain and fear,"  She said.  "I just got overwhelmed.  Lucky looked at her with an almost fatherly expression.

"I understand,"  He said.  "But remember, we have to fight our way through these feelings.  Maintaining a cool head is one of the most important rules of police work."  She nodded.  He gave her a smile.  "Rest assured, this fiend will be found, and they will pay the price for their sins."

"Thanks."  She said, giving a small smile, which he returned.

"Speak to Lab over at Technical Services.  She'll most likely have something for you."  He said.  She nodded and left the dread confines of the autopsy room.  Her brow furrowed as she thought of what kind of monster it would take to commit a murder so heinous, so violent.  She gritted her teeth as she felt her blood begin to boil.

We have to get this bastard,  She thought.  We just have to!