Windspark and the hound of Pasturevilles
Windspark and the hound of Pasturevilles
Greetings, my name is Starcatcher and I have taken it upon myself to disclose to the public the many adventures I have had while living in 122a, Caker Street, this is the home of my dear brother and good friend, Windspark.
I suppose the tale begins shortly after my mother died.
When she did I was 18, old enough to take care of myself, but by Baltimare law young enough to need a guardian. Thus I had to go and live with my brother
Now one thing you must understand me and my brother are winged unicorns, not Alicorns mind you, just unicorns lucky enough to have wings. When I lived with my mother we lived in the country away from everypony so almost nopony knew about it.
To continue my story. I walked down Caker Street.
I was beginning to think I had taken a wrong turn. I checked the address again.
“122a, Caker Street.” I thought. “Yeah I’m in the right place.”
I finally found the address. It was a shabby old place, a lone street lamp lit the late evening light. Only one lamp was on in the second level from what I could see in the windows, and the silhouette of a pony paced by it.
I rang the door bell.
It was answered by an elderly purple unicorn mare with a gray mane. “can I help you?” she said.
“Um yes.” I replied. “my name is Starcatcher and I’ve come to-“
“So you’re Mr. Sparks sister!” she interrupted, grabbing me by the foreleg. “My name is Mrs. Keeper, I’m Mr. Sparks housekeeper.”
This was obviously her special talent, judging by her cutie-mark which was a feather duster.
I was hauled upstairs were I was introduced to my brother. He was a brown stallion with blue eyes and dirty blond slightly un-kept hair, his cutie-mark was a magnifying glass crossed with a lightning bolt.
Now by introduced to him I mean I really didn’t remember him, for example if some one asked me what he was like as a kid I would answer “your guess is as good as mine.” You see he left for the city when I was three.
But at the moment I didn’t think I was missing much.
He was currently sitting in a large armchair smoking a peculiar looking pipe.
“Hello.” I said.
“hello.” He said without looking up
“So... you’re my brother?” I asked.
“Correct.” He said.
There was then a moment of awkward silence that was shattered when he suddenly jumped up and shouted “THATS IT!”
“Huh?” I said.
“Mrs. Keeper call up inspector the Straw, tell him the thief is Red Blossom!”
“What?!”
“Right away Mr. Spark.!”
Windspark did a small tap dance and then blew a puff of smoke, which smelled suspiciously like salt.
“What is that?!” I coughed.
“What?”
“The pipe and the reason you’re suddenly all excited.”
“Well I’m excited because I just solved a case.”
“You’re a detective?”
“Yes and I’m the best in all of Equestria.”
“And yet you can’t keep in touch with you’re family?”
“Oh, who needs family?”
“Oh yeah that’s complementing.”
“Like you’ve tried to contact me in the last what has it been 10 years?”
“Fifteen.”
“Right.”
I decided to let the subject drop.
“And the pipe?” I said.
“It’s a salt pipe.”
“A what?”
“It’s my own invention, it converts salt into gas form and then I smoke it.”
“Two questions, first, how? And second, why?!”
I will now spare you the long and boring lecture he gave me on the physics of salt and how he enjoys smoking it because if I put it in this story it would take up the whole book and then I’d have to start wrighting the story in a different book. In short after that it was 9:00 and we went to bed.
Around midnight I go up to get a drink, when I noticed that Windsparks light was on. I knocked on the door. “Come.” Said Windspark.
I walked in and noticed two things, one) the heavy smell of salt, two) the state of his room. There were books all over the floor and in the back of the room several pictures and notes were taped to the wall with blue ribbon connecting them. Windspark stood there following the blue trails.
“What is that?” I asked
“My web.”
“Why do you have a web in you’re bedroom?”
“Because some of my cases are connected.”
“Ok... when do you plan on going to bed?”
“Does it matter?”
I was to tired to deal with him so I went back to bed.
The next morning I woke up and found Windspark sitting in his armchair.
“exactly 10:19, a late sleeper are you?”
I rubbed my eyes then asked “how much sleep did you get last night?”
“as much as I need.”
“and how much is that?”
“from 12:30 to 8:30 exactly eight hours.”
There was yet another awkward silence.
“So you’re special talent is puzzle solving.” He said.
“How did you know that?”
“elementary my dear sister, you’re cutie-mark is a constellation of a star, which indicates either puzzles or astrology, once discovering this I went through you’re coat and fund several puzzle books, rather new judging by the freshness of the paper and the fact that the price tags are still on them, yet filled to the brim, which means you did them on the train ride over here, judging by the train ticket in you’re pocket so I put two and two together and got you’re special talent.”
“Amazing!’ I said.
“not really, you should see me on the case.”
“I hope I can.”
“and I was hoping you’d say that, how would you like to be my assistant?”
“why, you seem to do well enough on your own.”
“though that is true, I need some one to study my methods and in all honesty I can’t be in two places at once.”
“I guess.”
“Brilliant, Mrs. Keeper you may bring him in now.”
The house keeper entered, followed by a blue stallion with brown hair.
Mrs. Keeper set down a tray filled with toast, seeds, bacon, eggs and English muffins.
“Oh you really do spoil me Mrs. Keeper.” Said Windspark.
“Would you like strawberry or grape jam, Mr. Spark?”
“I’m feeling lucky today, lets do grape.”
“Yes, Mr. Spark, remember tomorrows my week off so you’ll have to take care of yourselves.”
She then left the room.
I grabbed an English muffin and scooted a little farther away from Windspark as he picked up a slice of bacon and ate it.
The blue stallion looked equally uncomfortable.
Windspark blinked then chuckled. “oh don’t worry, bacon is the only type of meat I eat.”
For some reason that didn’t make me feel any better.
“Now let’s get down to business, why have you come to see me today?” said my brother.
“Well sir.” Said the blue stallion. “My name is Starry Pastureville and I’m being stalked.”
“Stalked?” I asked. “By who?”
“Not by who.” Continued Mr. Pastureville. “By what.”
“Ok then.” Said Windspark. “By what?”
“A giant dog.”
“And how do you know this?”
“I’ve seen it.”
“This is getting boring.”
“Its eyes glowed.”
“Then it’s a timber wolf!”
Windspark got up.
“No they didn’t grow green they glowed red!”
Windspark sat back down and grabbed his pipe. “Red you say?”
“Yes sir.”
“Now it’s interesting, how do you know it’s a dog if you only saw its eyes?”
“I found tracks.”
“Is that it?”
“No, I found blood stains and tested them.”
“And?”
“They had my uncles DNA.”
“Your uncle?”
“He went missing two months ago and I inherited his estate.”
“So you think it’s a family curse.”
“Well I’m not interested in you’re family lineage, but I would like to know what this hound is.”
“So you’ll come?”
“Yes and my assistant Starcatcher.”
I choked on my muffin.
“What!?” I said.
“You agreed to be my assistant.”
“But-but-“
“But what?”
“This case is creepy.”
“So?”
“It scares me?”
“So?”
I gave up, I was going and that was all there was to it.
Pastureville had left we were going to meet him at the train station.
I went down to get my coat, but strangely, it wasn’t there. “Windspark, where’s my coat?”
“I threw it out.” Said my brother, who was now wearing a green and brown checkered cloak and deer stalking hat.
“Why?” I said irritated.
“Because it was falling apart and it didn’t cover up you’re wings.”
“Why should that make such a difference?”
“Because, I don’t want to attract any unwanted attention.”
“Because we’re winged unicorns?”
“Precisely.”
“But what am I gonna where now?”
“These.”
He tossed me a black cloak and bowler hat.
“Why do I have to wear this?” I said
“To cover up your horn, if needed and it helps to look classy.”
“Ok I need to give you a talk on style.”
“Later, right now we need to get on with the case.”
“Speaking of which, how come you let Mr. Pastureville know that we’re winged unicorns?”
“I didn’t.”
“What do you mean? He just saw us.”
“No, if you had been paying attention you would have noticed that I cast a spell that made our wings temporarily invisible.”
“Oh.”
Windspark glanced at his pocket watch which levitated out of his pocket with a greenish yellow aura
“Now let’s get going, we’re going to be late!”
I reluctantly put on the bowler hat.
Baltimare is a huge city, even bigger than Canterlot, so most residents used the trains to get around. Pastureville manor was located on the outskirts of the city. I was glad to be back in the country, the city was rather confusing to me. But then again so was Windspark.
“So what makes you think it’s a family curse?” asked Windspark.
“well.” Said Pastureville. “There’s a legend that say’s one of my ancestors made a deal with one of the monsters in Tuataras, and broke it so now it hunts his kin.”
“And you believe this ‘hound’ is the monster?”
“Yes”
“What do you think, Starcatcher?”
I was chewing my hooves to bits.
“Me? Oh I think its all very creepy and things I’d rather avoid.”
“Phish posh, there’s no such thing as curses and how could his ancestor even get into Tuataras with Cerberus guarding it?”
The rest of the train ride was very silent.
When we arrived at the manor I was impressed, very impressed.
“Wow!” I said “This place is huge!”
“Almost two hundred rooms.” Said Pastureville “Oh and you must meet my servants, Snaps, Cocoa!”
Almost on queue two ponies came running in. one was a green stallion with purple eyes and blond hair wearing a suit, the other a brown mare wearing an apron with black hair and beautiful brown eyes the color of chocolate.
“You called sir.” Said the stallion
“Yes, Mr. Spark, Starcatcher, this is Snaps the butler and Cocoa the cook.”
“Pleased to meet you.” Said Cocoa
“You too.” I said while Windspark simply nodded and stared down the butler.
“Snaps.” Said Pastureville “Is dinner ready?”
“Yes sir.” Said Snaps
“Good what are we having?”
“Oatmeal biscuits, green beans and cheesy bread.”
“Snaps.” Said Pastureville after we had finished our meal “Show Mr. Spark and his sister to their- would you like one room or two?”
“One” I said at the same time Windspark said “Two.”
I glared at my brother and he raised an eyebrow.
In the end I convinced my brother to share a room with me.
In separate beds of course
“Tell me.” Said Windspark. “Why do we have to share a room?”
“Because.” I said. “This case creeps me out and I want to have some one close by.”
Windspark rolled his eyes then said “why don’t you go sleep with Mr. Pastureville then?”
I glared at him once more while he just stared back with his irritating raised eyebrow look.
“Good night.” I said getting in my bed and shutting off the light.
Windspark just stood there for a moment then sat down on his bed and puffed his pipe.
The night wasn’t that restful. First I couldn’t get to sleep due to the heavy salt-smoke. Then when Windspark finally fell asleep I got the horrifying realization that my brother snores. And just when I was getting used to it I heard something.
At first it was just some rustling from the outside.
We were on the 2nd floor so I figured it wasn’t anything to worry about.
Then the rustling got louder.
And louder.
And then it stopped.
And just when I was about to pass it off I heard it
A blood curdling howl.
And then silence.
Not a peaceful silence, an eerie silence that would make princess Luna shake with fear.
Needless to say I didn’t get any sleep that night.
The next morning at breakfast I noticed bags under Pasturevilles eyes.
“You heard it to?” I asked.
Pastureville just nodded.
“Heard what?” asked Windspark who looked annoyingly cheerful grabbing a piece of toast.
“You really didn’t hear anything last night?”
“Not really, oh you mean the howl, ha-ha, yes.”
“You heard it?” asked Pastureville.
That’s generally what ‘yes’ means.”
“So you believe me?”
“Ha-ha, no.”
Pastureville looked down.
“At least about the curse, however I think the hound is very real.”
“You do?”
“Yes, I just haven’t figured out what it is yet.”
“Can we please talk about something else?!” I asked.
The two stallions looked at me, then at each other.
“I think after breakfast we’ll take a small walk, see if we can find any clues.” Said Windspark
“Okay.” Said Pastureville “the place is yours.”
“What do you think, Starcatcher?”
“I’d rather not.”
“Oh come on where’s your sense of adventure, are you chicken?”
I glared at him some more.
“Cause you know I can’t have a chicken for an assistant, there’s a law against it.”
“Oh alright.”
Windspark and I walked across the yard of Pastureville manor.
The yard had soft moist ground easy to leave hoof prints in
“Here it is.” Said Windspark, stopping
“Here what is?” I asked.
“The place where the howl came from.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because I heard it last night and calculated its exact position.”
“How did you do that?”
“Elementary my dear sister, I knew it had to be a good distance away but not to far off and I also knew the direction it was coming from so this must be the spot.”
“So... now what.”
“Obviously, look for clues, bits of hair, tracks, anything.”
I looked around for a few minutes and found tracks, dog tracks, big ones.
“Hey Windspark come here.”
“What did you find?”
“Dog tracks.”
We began following them when all of the sudden they changed into hoof prints.
“What the?”
“Interesting.”
“Hoof prints?”
“And yet not a spec of hair or fur anywhere.”
“A pony in a dog suit maybe?”
“No, look the prints are in a strait line, if he had taken off the suit there would be a more random pattern and where is the suit now?”
“Maybe he carried it?”
“No if he had carried it with him it would have slowed him down, the pace of these tracks never slowed.”
“How can you tell”
“The slower a pony is going the more even the ground in the tracks is.”
“So where does that leave us?”
“Well, lets see, look here scorch marks, not normal scorch marks, magic scorch marks.”
“Is there a difference.”
“Yes!” he said making me jump. “Normal scorch marks are purely and truly dead, whereas magic scorch marks are livelier and if you pay close attention you can feel the aura it generates.”
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re saying the hound is a changeling.”
“No, for one thing changelings only turn into ponies, not animals and the feed off love, what would a changeling be doing in a dog disguise howling like a maniac?”
“Maybe that’s it, an insane changeling.”
“Ha-ha, no, once again changelings only turn into ponies, and what would a changeling be doing all on its own?”
“I guess you’re right, this just leaves us more lost then before.”
“On the contrary, I found this very informative; it told us what the hound isn’t.”
“Oh”
“Now let’s go in, it’s almost teatime.”
During tea Windspark relayed what we had found to Pastureville.
“I’m afraid that’s only more proof that this is a curse.” He said
“Only to you.” Said Windspark
“What else could it be?”
“Well, we haven’t ruled out the possibility of a disguise.”
“But you said it wasn’t a pony in a dog disguise.”
“Aha, I said it wasn’t a pony in a dog suit.”
“Huh?”
“It could still very well be a disguise, a magic disguise.”
“Oooh.”
“The only question now is who our suspects are?”
“Well... let’s see... I don’t think I have any enemies.”
“You don’t think you do, doesn’t mean you don’t have any.”
“True.”
“Who do you know the best?”
“Well there’s-“
He stopped as Snaps came in and refilled the biscuit tray.
Once he left Pastureville continued.
“Snaps, Cocoa and Mr. Staples.”
“Mr. Staples?” I asked.
“He’s the manor’s grounds keeper.”
“Oh.”
“He’s a little cranky but he’s the best at what he does, and unfortunately I haven’t been able to pay him or the other two because I’ve been so busy protecting myself that I... well I haven’t been able to get to work.”
“I think we’ll pay a visit to Mr. Staples.” Said Windspark, with a sly look and a puff of his salt-pipe.
We found Mr. Staples outside in the yard watering some plants.
“Hello.” I said
“meh.” He grunted.
I looked at Windspark who shrugged and puffed his pipe, which was beginning to get annoying.
“We need to talk to you.” I continued.
“Bout wha?”
“About the hound.”
“I don know nothin.”
“A double negative.” Said Windspark.
“Huh?” said Mr. Staples.
“You used a double negative, which proves positive, so you must know something.”
“No ah don.”
There was a long pause then in a series of quick movements Windspark pulled off Mr. Staples’ hat to reveal a very bald head.
“Ey watcha do dat fer?”
“Just checking.”
“Fer wha?”
“Proof.”
Then Windspark walked off.
I ran up next to him.
“Well that told us nothing.” I said
“Once again you’re not using your eyes and ears correctly, he actually told us quite a bit.”
“Really? What?”
“He refused to tell us anything, and that tells us he’s hiding something.”
“Then... why did you pull his hat off?”
“To see if he had a horn, which he didn’t.”
“So that tells us?”
“That he knows something related to the case but he refuses to tell us for his own reason’s, most likely due to his loss of payment, and he isn’t the actual culprit.”
“Because he doesn’t have a horn?”
“Precisely, you’re catching on.”
“Thanks, there something about your strategies that I just can’t put words to.”
“I can.”
“Oh?”
“When you have eliminated the impossible and the improbable, whatever is left, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.”
“That was very poetic.”
“Thank you.”
We returned and once again reported our findings to Pastureville.
“So he is keeping secrets from me.” He said.
“Yes.” replied Windspark.
“What do we do now?”
“I have an idea.”
“You do?”
“Yes, tonight we will wait until the hound howls, and then we will run out and catch it.”
“You mean you’re gonna do an-and Na-nab it?”
“Yes.”
“You can count me out of this one.”
“Ok.”
“Me too.” I said.
“Oh come on, Starcatcher, I need you.”
“Why?”
“Its a two horse job.”
“Oooh.”
“Please?”
“Oh alright.”
“Excellent.”
That night we did as instructed and as we waited Windspark puffed his pipe.
“Tell me why do you enjoy smoking salt?” I said.
“Because it helps me think.”
We waited a few more minutes.
“When do you think it’s gonna howl?”
“I’m not sure.”
“That’s a surprise.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s just you’re always so sure of everything about anything.”
“Well when it comes to timing when bloodthirsty hounds howl I’m not.”
We waited 6 more minutes.
“It’s 2:30.”
“Hmm.”
“Well I hope it-“
“HOOOOOOOWWWWWLL!!”
“There it goes, get on the move!”
We rushed out the door.
And then we saw it.
It was a pure a pure black huge hound with glowing red eyes and large fangs, just as Pastureville had described it.
We charged at it, like a maniac.
It began running, not toward us, but away from us.
“Aha!” said Windspark. “If it was really the bloodthirsty hound Pastureville made out to be it would be running toward us not away!”
The hound ran into the forest next to Pastureville manor.
Then I was smacked in the head by a large tree branch
The last thing I saw was Windspark rushing madly after the hound.
Then darkness.
I woke up a few seconds later then I got up and walked back up the hill to the side off the manor.
Then there was a red flash.
I turned around.
It came from the forest.
Then it happened again.
Then again.
Then it began happening rapidly.
Then it stopped.
Then there was a loud sound some where between a scream and a roar.
Then another red flash.
Then... nothing.
A few minutes later Windspark came running back with a maniac grin on his face as he panted for breath.
“You (pant, pant) okay?” he asked.
“Fine, what are you so happy about?”
“I just got the final piece of information I need to solve the case!”
“Oh?”
“Yes, but I left my salt pipe inside and I need to think it through.
Inside Pastureville nervously asked how it went as Windspark puffed his pipe.
“Well.” I said. “I’m as curios as you about that matter.”
“What time is it?”
“About 3:30.”
“Quiet please.” Said Windspark.
We watched him puff for thee more minutes.
Then the huge maniac grin returned and Windspark jumped up and shouted “THATS IT! Starcatcher get inspector the Straw on the phone!”
“Who?!”
“Oh never mind I’ll do it myself.”
He picked up the phone and dialed a number and began talking.
“Hello, yes, can you put inspector the Straw on the phone please?” “What? Who am I? I’m Windspark the greatest detective who ever lived!” “No madam, I am sure we have never met before.” “Look, just put inspector the Straw on the line.” “Ah yes, the Straw, I need to send down you’re self and a squad of 20 ponies.” “Yes, I do realize it’s the middle of the night but you’re the chief of police for Celestia’s sake!” “Ok good, I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
He hung up the phone and did his little tap dance.
“Who was that?” I said
“Inspector the Straw.”
“Who is?”
“The chief inspector of the Baltimare police.”
“Is that his real name?”
“No, I don’t know what his real name is, but he earned himself that name because he always carries around this soda cup, which, as far as I know, has never run out.”
“Okay that’s weird.”
“Indeed.”
“So you know what the hound is?”
“Yes I do.”
“And what is it?”
“An offshoot of the changelings.”
“What?!”
“Its an offshoot of the changelings which feeds off fear instead of love and takes the form of you’re worst fear.”
“huh.” Said Pastureville. “Well that’s a load off my shoulders.”
“But how did you figure all this out?”
“elementary my dear sister, I first suspected it when we found the tracks, but it still left other possibilities, but last night I cornered it next it’s lair, a cave in the forest, and after trying to figure out my worst fear it finally gave up and revealed it’s true self to me thinking that would be scary enough, and by it’s build I could tell that it wasn’t a changeling but something close, then I just put the facts together and solved the case.”
“Then how does Mr. Staples fit into all this?” asked Pastureville.
“Simple, he knows what the hound is, bit refused to tell you to teach you a lesson for not paying him, without knowing that what he was using was actually the source of his problems.
“Brilliant.” I said
“As I said before, when you have eliminated the impossible and the improbable what ever is left no matter how improbable must be the truth.”
In short the next day I was introduced to inspector the Straw, who is a yellow Pegasus with brown eyes and black hair and a badge and a soda cup for a cutie-mark, and as Windspark said he was carrying around a large orange soda cup.
Windspark led us to the lair and several ponies went in and apprehended the fearling (as I had dubbed it) and I got my first good look at it.
As Windspark said it was similar in build to a changeling but it’s eyes were red and it had short red hair and wings somewhere between insect wings and bat wings.
It was brought out (and had to be handled by 10 ponies at once) and put in a cage where it thrashed, shrieked and roared in anger.
“But something doesn’t add up.” Said Pastureville. “how did my uncles blood get on the tracks I found.
Windspark turned his head and pointed a hoof toward the cave entrance. “I believe that is your answer.”
2 more officers were helping a light blue pony with blond hair and a mustache and a bad cut on his foreleg out of the cave.
“Uncle!” cried Pastureville running towards him.
“Another case well solved.” Said Windspark proudly.
“Yep.” I said. “Oh yeah, I still need to give you that talk on style.”
“Brilliant, what do you think of these earmuffs?”
“Horrendous.”
“What’s that you say? Fabulous? Thank you.”
And that was my first adventure with the greatest detective of all time, Windspark
The beginning.
