Journey Into Darkness

It had been only a week since Sherloch arrived and Twilight could already see that the investigation was picking up pace.  Since he was a trained investigator, some of the things she would have never thought of were second nature to him.  He had erected a writing board next to the tables that held the equipment and had listed on it all of the things that they already knew.

The foals being taken were between the ages of five and twelve and were never taken on consecutive days.  As for a time line, the nearest that they could figure was that the foals were taken in weekly cycles.  No more than six foals would be taken on any given night that was proceeded by and followed by a week when nopony would be taken.

It had been a few weeks since the most recent abductions and Sherloch expressed a desire to interview the parents.  Fortunately, Twilight knew the parents personally.  She informed Sherloch of this and he insisted that she take the lead in the questioning.  He followed her around to Sugarcube Corner, to the parents of the most recently abducted foals, the Cakes.

Cup Cake, the foals' mother, seemed to be able to continue only by living in a perpetual state of denial.  She rarely slept or ate, really only when her husband, Carrot, forced her.  She acted as if the twins would be showing up at the door in any moment.  Carrot was a little more grounded and, while upset, he knew Twilight was doing everything within her power and was ecstatic that Celestia had seen fit to send in an expert.  He eagerly reviewed everything he knew with Sherlock and Twilight.

He and his wife had put the twins to bed at half past eight exactly.  They had retired an hour and a half later and slept completely undisturbed until five the next morning when they were awoken by the alarm clock.  After preparing breakfast, she went up to wake the twins but found two empty and, oddly enough, perfectly made beds.

Sherloch quietly took notes on his electronic tablet but never said a word, not even when directly addressed.  He would simply stare at Carrot Cake until Twilight fielded the question or changed the subject.  Carrot kept tossing uneasy glances at the silent investigator all throughout the interview and she could feel his tension rising until, finally, Sherloch glanced at her, telling her that he was done.  She thanked Carrot for his time, wished him the best, and assured him that they were doing everything within their power to find the missing Cake twins.

Upon leaving, She cast a glare upon Sherloch, “You were very rude back there.”

“Do you think so?”

“I do.  Why wouldn't you answer Mr. Cake when he asked you something?”

“Because I'm staying incognito.”

“You're what?”

“It means I'm trying to stay unknown.  I don't want the unknown subjects to know that I am here.  If they were to catch wind of my presence, then they could potentially be scared off before we could find them and the foals they've taken.  The less the ponies here know about me the better.”

“Why do you say that?  Wouldn't it get ponies to open up to you if they knew you were only here to help?”

“Have you ever heard the saying 'loose lips sink ships'?”

“No.  What does it mean?”

“It means that information can be casually passed along in the form of gossip.  Should that gossip reach unfriendly ears, as it so often does, it could be detrimental to our cause.  Therefore, by remaining disguised, not speaking with any of the affected, and, as you put it, being rude, I'm protecting my identity and this investigation.”  He stopped and turned to her, “Remember, I am the more experienced investigator here.  There is always a method to my madness, Twilight Sparkle.  Do not question my methods or...my madness.”  With those final words, he turned and trotted back to the library.

Twilight rolled her eyes and snorted.  He certainly did have a flair for the dramatic, she could think of a few other ponies she knew who shared such a characteristic.  This was one of the few times when she felt the need to question the princess'  decision.  Though he had made more headway in a week than she had in a year, she had little faith that this human, his methods and his technology would be successful.  Still, she had been ordered to assist him and she would never dream of disobeying the princess.  With an irritated flick of her tail, she followed him.

X-X-X-X

The photovoltaic panels were well hidden within the foliage of the tree and the cables running to the battery inside blended with the bark and creeping vines perfectly.  Entering the library, the cables were more obvious as they ran down the wall through a hole drilled through near the ceiling.

“I really wish you would have asked before doing any renovations to my home.”  She groused.

“It's easily repaired and will be when I'm done here.”

She growled, “Next time you're going to do something like this, consult me first.”

He gave her a disinterested wave, “Will do.”

She turned and went up to her room.  All of the stress had given her a headache and she wanted to lay down for a little while.  Something was in Spike's basket, she prodded it with a hoof.  Spike poked his head out from beneath the blanket.

“What are you still doing here?” She asked.

“Is he still downstairs?”  Spike asked.

“Yes.”

“Then I'm staying here.”

“Why?  I told you it's perfectly safe.”

“Safe?  If it  was safe, he wouldn't have shot at me.”  The dragon grumbled.

“I told you, that was an overreaction because you startled him.  The job he does is dangerous and there are ponies...beings,” she corrected herself, “...that want to kill him.  It's perfectly safe now, I promise you.”

“I'm going to stay up here all the same.”  He replied.

“But, what if you need to use the bathroom?”

Spike smiled smugly as he pulled a vase from behind his basket and displayed it.

“Eww!”  She cried.  Her horn glowed as she levitated the vase and pitched it out a window.

“Hay!”  Somepony below yelped.

She carefully poked her head out to find a very annoyed and somewhat damp-looking gray mare with a distinctive pink bow-tie glaring up at her.  Timidly, she waved a hoof, “Sorry, Octavia, I didn't know you were down there.”

“Do watch where you're throwing things, Twilight.”  She turned and sniffed at the  shards of porcelain, ”What was in this?”

Twilight's ears lowered as she blushed brightly, “Spike's mess.”

Even from her third-story window, she could see Octavia's pupils shrink to the size of pinpricks.  The mare squealed in disgust before tearing off in the direction of the cottage she shared with Vinyl Scratch, presumable to take a bath, or several dozen.

“Sorry!”  Twilight called after her.

Taking a broom and dustpan, she went downstairs.

“What was all of that about”  Sherloch asked.

“Oh nothing.  I just threw a vase full of dragon urine at a fairly-famous local musician and casual friend, who will probably never speak to me again.”

He looked genuinely confused, “Why would you do something like that?”

Twilight let out a frustrated growl, certain that her superior was being purposefully dense simply to irritate her.  Going down the second flight of stairs to the library itself, she opened the front door and stepped outside.  Fortunately, the ceramic had shattered into large chunks.  She thanked Celestia that her poorly-timed toss hadn't actually struck Octavia and that the vase had simply dumped it's contents over her and startled the mare.  Still, she felt the need to make it up to the cellist and, as she swept, she thought of ways to do just that.

“Twilight Sparkle!”

She turned to find the pony who had shouted her name and wasn't surprised to spot Vinyl Scratch herself marching angrily up to her.

“Ponyfeathers,” she muttered before putting on a massive smile, “Hi, Vinyl.  How are you doing today?”

“Oh, I suppose I'll make it another day.”  The DJ's casual tone was belied by the furious glare behind her trademark violet shades, “The only hiccup was when somepony threw a vase full of dragon piss as my fillyfriend.  You wouldn't happen to know who that pony was, would you, Twilight?  I would just love to teach them a lesson in respect.”

“Vinyl, I am so sorry...”

“You're right about that.”

“...I honestly never meant to embarrass her like that.”

Vinyl snorted, “Y'know, Tavi's had a lot of things thrown at her, especially when she's had an off performance.  There's been tomatoes, apples, pears, bottles, and, once, a watermelon but never a container of piss.”

“I can't express how deeply sorry I am.  I'll make it up to her, I promise.”

Vinyl grinned, “Well, isn't this just your lucky day, sugar rump, because I have the perfect idea.  As soon as she calms down enough to be in the same room as you, I'm going to come find you.  I recommend you use the meantime and in-between-time to study every grooming spell ever because you, Twi, are going to scrub every inch of her until both she and I are satisfied that she smells better than any rose.”

Without giving her a chance to reply, Vinyl turned on her hoof and march away, still obviously in a foul mood.  Twilight couldn't blame her, she was certain she would feel the same way if somepony did anything similar to any of her friends, especially Rarity.

Nopony knew this but she had been harboring a secret affection towards the glamorous mare for quite some time.  Rarity was different from the fashionistias of Canterlot.  She knew those mares to be so self-centered that they were convinced, should some part of their daily routine be interrupted, the universe would simply cease to exist.  They looked down on anything out of the ordinary and only gave charity passing notice.

Rarity was none of these things and, while she had a love of melodrama, hers was more of a comedic style.  She only behaved that way because she thought that was how she was supposed to act.  The fact that her words and gestures were often too grand for the circumstance made everything she did all the funnier and Twilight often found herself biting her tongue to keep from laughing out loud.

Her Canterlotesque accent was another part of her that Twilight loved.  It wasn't her's but something she affected when in public.  Twilight had once heard Rarity talking in her sleep and thus discovered the truth.  Rarity's actual accent was something of a cross between Applejack's and Rainbow's.  Her public character, she wore like a costume but an uncomfortable one that she shed the moment she thought she was alone.

As if summoned by her thoughts, Rarity appeared at her side, “Twilight, darling, it's often said that if everypony swept their own doorstep, the world would be a cleaner place but don't you think you're being a little ridiculous?”

She dumped the shards into her garbage bin, “What can I do for you, Rarity?”

“Only moments ago, I saw Octavia positively flee past my shop as if Cerberus of Tartarus himself were after her.  She seemed to be coming from here and I thought you would know something about that.”

“Being a bit nosy, aren't we?”

“You know how I love a good bit of juicy gossip but, no, I actually thought Cerberus had returned.”

“If he had, don't you think you would have noticed.  His presence isn't exactly discreet, is it?”

“Admittedly, no.  Why, then, was she acting so strangely?”

Twilight sighed, “It's a long story.”

“Oh, I love a good story.”

“Then, you'll have to wait for another day.  I'm a bit busy, right now.”

“How is your investigation coming along?  Are there any clues as to who might be the culprit?”

“No.  We haven't really found anything at all.  We've managed to organize things a bit more and begin interviewing the parents of the missing foals but there haven't been any real leads.”

“And that handsome stallion, Sherloch, I think you said his name was, how is he getting along?”

“Spike seems to be afraid of him.”

“Whatever for?  I've always known my Spikey-wikey to be fearless.”

“They had a bit of a misunderstanding the night Sherloch arrived and he cast a rather powerful offensive spell at Spike when Spike startled him.”

Rarity gasped, “Oh, my.  Spike wasn't hurt, I hope?”

“No, no, nothing like that.  But it did give him a good scare and, now, he refuses to come out from under his blanket if Sherloch's anywhere nearby.”

“I've never seen such a stallion about before.  Where did you say he was from?”

“Gany-”  Twilight realized her mistake in the nick of time and coughed loudly to cover it, “Excuse me.  Canterlot, why do you ask?”

“Well, as often as we've been to Canterlot, I've never seen him.  Did you know him growing up?”

“No, I'd never met him before a week ago.  Apparently, he knows the Princess personally.”

“Does he now?  How so?”

“I don't know.”

“Twilight, if you're going to be working with somepony, you should, at least, know a bit about him.  For instance, is there a special somepony in his life?”

“I don't think so.”

“Then he's unattached?  Oh lovely, I think I'll go and see him.”

Twilight immediately leaped in front of the alabaster unicorn, “No, you can't.”

Startled, Rarity took a step back, “Why not?”

She scrambled for a reason, “He's...not dressed.”

Rarity laughed, “Twilight, we don't normally wear clothes.  Besides, he wasn't dressed when I last saw him.”

“He's...uhm...embarrassingly large.”  That excuse sounded terrible, even to her.

Rarity's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates, “Oh, then I must see him.”

“No.”  Twilight pushed Rarity back.

“Twilight, why are you acting like this?  Do you want him?”

“What?  No, he's old enough to be my father.”

“Age is only a number, dear.  Anyways, if you don't want him, I should be  able to have his affections.”

“You're not his type.”

“Any stallion would be blessed to have me by his side.”  Rarity retorted angrily.

“Believe me, it's not what you think.”

“I disagree.  I think you're only trying to keep me away from him because you want him for yourself.”

“I don't.”  Twilight shoved Rarity back again.  This time, she put too much force into it and knocked the unicorn to the ground.

Rarity turned a furious glare on the purple alicorn, “It...is...on!”

With a feral cry, Rarity was up, charging at Twilight with her horn lowered.  Twilight dodged the first attack but managed to catch a kick in the ribs, which threw her several feet.  She worked to her hooves, wincing, as Rarity turned and charged again.  Twilight's ribs hurt and she didn't react as quickly.  Rarity's horn gouged deeply into her left hind leg.

Enough was enough.  Twilight reared, beating her wings to compensate for her injured leg, and began to beat at Rarity with her front hooves, screaming all the time.  Rarity met her challenge and the two mares exchanged blows and threats until a third roar interrupted them.

Sherloch reared to his full height, kicking his forelegs and bellowing at the sky.  Both Rarity and Twilight separated an instant before his slammed down exactly where they had been.  He charged Rarity, stomping aggressively, and she bolted to a safe distance before turning back to watch him.

He stood between the two mares, his head lowered defensively, and snorted hard enough to blow dust from the street.  “Go home!”  He commanded.

When she made no move, he bellowed and charged again, causing Rarity to panic and retreat.

It was only then that Twilight noticed a crowed had gathered to watch the battle.  Mortified, she tried to limp back to the library.  Sherloch's head appeared beneath her barrel and she was lifted up, sliding down his neck to his back.

“All of you, return to your lives immediately.  There is nothing more to see here.”  He carried her inside and slammed the door shut behind them.  Up the stairs, he paused long enough to sit a moment and allow her to slide from his back to the floor, which jarred her wound a bit, causing her to wince.

He didn't notice as he returned to his human from and knelt to rummage through his pack, “What were you thinking?”

“She attacked me.”  She replied defensively.

“And, instead of retreating, you chose to exacerbate the circumstance by fighting her.  This will not happen again, Twilight Sparkle.  If you cannot keep calm and allow your emotions to get ahead of you, then I cannot allow you to continue on this case.  Need I remind you of how many lives are at stake, should you lose your temper again?”

“Why are you taking her side?”

“There are no sides to take.  Because of Princess Celestia's rather glowing recommendations, I expected better of you.”  He returned to her carrying a small box labeled with a red cross, “You've disappointed me.  Don't do it again.”

He opened the box and pulled out a small razor, which he used to shave away the fur from around her cut, “I should shave you bald as punishment.”

Carefully, he cleaned the cut before removing a curved needle and strong thread  She watched as he jabbed the needle into the skin at the edge of the cut, yelping and flinching involuntarily.

“Stay still,” he growled, pulling her leg and holding the hoof between his knees to make sure it didn't move again.

She held back her whimpers as he carefully sewed the cut closed and bandaged it.

“How is your flank?”

“Tender.” She replied.

Gently, he pressed his hands to her ribs and manipulated the flesh until she cried out.  “Nothing's broken,” he told her, “but you're going to be sore for a few weeks.”

“Gee, thanks.  Now, tell me something I don't know.”

“Actually, maybe you can tell me something I don't know, like why you and Rarity started fighting.”

She looked away, “It's a long story.”

“Luckily, I have nothing planned for tonight and I like a long story.”

“Rarity was interested in you.”

“Interested how?”

“Romantically.”

He nearly fell over with surprise, “Excuse me?”

“She wants you to sire her foals, if you get what I'm saying.”

He frowned, “Well, this is a problem.  First of all, I don't think it's biologically possible for two members of different animal phylum to produce offspring.  Secondly, I'm not physically attracted to her in the least.”

“She thinks you're a pony.  An actual Equestrian.”

“Perhaps my disguise is too good.”

"You think?"

Sherloch stood and paced, "What to do, what to do."

"You need to tell her the truth before she makes a foal of herself again."

"Then we risk the integrity of the investigation.  Loose lips-"

"-sink ships, I know.  But Rarity is out there thinking about the stallion you and somehow has it in her head that you're well-endowed."

"Am I not?"

"Are you joking?  Not for a pony."

"I wonder who could have given her that idea."

"I was trying to scare her off."

"It seems to have had the opposite effect."

An alarm on computer began to  ring, catching their attention, "What does that mean?"  Twilight asked.

"The proximity alarm.  Are you expecting company?"

"No."

Sherloch reached into his pack and withdrew the pulse rifle, "Neither am I."