private Canterlot Mystery

[HigurSan 195]

As night fell, the streets of Canterlot became quieter than was normal. The air seemed to have a lazy about it, and moved sluggishly. Most ponies, instead of heading to their favorite shows or bars, instead went to bed earlier. As such, The Dancing Tree inn and pub was nearly empty. Bananafloat, the bar keeper wasn't exactly happy about that. The only buisness she was getting was an old, worn out mule in one corner, who seemed to have a deep pocket and a colossal thirst. The money wasn't bad, but normally she at least got to have fun and talk with her patrons. So, when the mule disappeared without paying for his last cider, she wasn't overly concerned. That was a mistake. As the sun rose the next morning, Ms.Bananafloat was born dead behind her counter, with most of the establishment wrecked and in disarray.

[Nothing&NoOne 695]

Ebony woke up when she felt sunlight on her face. She opened her eyes and looked out the window, seeing the sun rise. She yawned and stepped off her bed, then stretched.

 

//ooh...mystery *wiggles fingers* //

[null123456 759]

Splinter had stayed up all night. When hearing commotion over Ms. Bananafloat dead he decided to check the scene. ''Move over!'' Said Splinter as pushing the crowd to get a closer look of the body. Splinter climbed over the bar table and inspected the body. ''Hmm... Visible Hoofprints.'' Said Splinter as his eye flashed.

[HigurSan 195]

Stonewall had been awake for a few minutes before the sun rose. It was a habit of his that his foalsitters had often been amazed by. He was standing by the window as the sun rose. Hearing a yawn, he looked towards Ebony, seeing that she was awake. Trotting over to her, he magically picked up a brush and ran it through her mane and tail a couple of times to make sure everythign was in place. Some might have considered this unneccesary micromanagement, but it was still part of his job. Smiling he helped her into her accessories. "I think the Wonderbolt performance is at noon, so we have a little time to wander about. Not sure about you, but I could use something to eat. The Dancing Tree has always had great hay fries."

 

Meanwhile, at the crime scene: The guards were pushing the crowd of ponies out onto the street in order to keep the room as fresh as possible. (Splinter included in this.) Several newsponies tried to get pictures, but were denied access and their cameras confinscated if they attempted anything further. Inside the building, Inspector Coppertail was trying to make sense of the wreckage before him. The heavy wooden furniture of the pub had been thrown around like child's toys, yet there was no sign of a large creature or forced entry. The only discernable peice of evidence was a sack of coins found on the late Ms.Bananaboat's body. As had been indecently announced to the public by a stranger, the cause of death appeared to be from repeated beating by a hooved creature. No witnesses were forth-coming, not counting the crazy grandpony across the street. She was a sweet old mare, but had not proved reliable when describing what happened. Most of what she said equated to a small foal summoning the dark and destroying the establishment by itself. Looking at the coins again, the Inspector noticed that there was a strange mark on each of them, not like the coinage in Canterlot. However, that was where the trail ended.

[Nothing&NoOne 695]

Ebony smiled and nodded. "Hay fries sound great right about now. And it's a beautiful day for the wonderbolts to preform."

[null123456 759]

Splinter sweated. ''I can't process these hoofmarks within the pony species... If she was killed, It wasn't a pony that killed her.'' Said Splinter as giving one of the guards his evidence scanner. ''I believe a new species of animal is among us... Ponylike, but not Pony at all. One of you, Tell whatever Royal you can!'' Ordered Splinter as staring at Ms. Bananafloat's dead body.

Edited June 14, 2012 by Calirolls

[HigurSan 195]

Stonewall smiled and led the way down out of the castle to the street. As they headed towards The pub, he caught whispers and murmurs from ponies gathered on the street. Whatever had happened, it wasn't good. Rounding the corner, Stonewall saw the solid wall of ponies standing around the pub, with Pegasus guards keeping any curious bypassers well away. As he pushed a path through the crowd, he caught sight of Splinter talking with a guard, who wasn't having any of it. "Now listen here foal," he said angrily. "I can't let you onto this scene, and whatever rubbish you have there will have to be taken along there yourself. "There are NO new hooved species in the area. Now, if you would be so kind, move along before you get in trouble." Trotting up, Stonewall looked from the guard to Splinter. "What seems to be the problem here?" he asked politely.

 

"Well, this young foal here won't leave the authorities to their work. Bah! Ponylike my hoof." The guard responded with a huff before being replace by a larger, and much more menacing earth pony with a badge. His face brightened up when he saw Stonewall, and he hugged the stallion before saying anything. "Ah, Stonewall, good to see you. Don't mind Ruffleton, he's just in a foul mood. Ms.Bananaboat was a friend of his. As for what your friend is saying, we're sure about this. Whoever did this was here last night, and is around somewhere.... Say, would you happen to know these markings?" The earth pony presented a small silver coin. Stonewall studied it for a minute before nodding his head. "Yes, I do happen to know this one. It was part of a payment between a shipping company and one of their foreign clients. The money was handled though my father." The guard looked confused, as was Stonewall. "But how would it get all the way here?" The guard inquired. "Westriver is too far to travel by hoof, and none of the transportation ponies have seen it before."

[Nothing&NoOne 695]

Ebony stood beside Stonewall and listened, glancing around every now and then to see some ponies looking at her oddly. She hung her head slightly and looked back at the guard. "Somepony was murdered?" She asked quietly, looking at the destruction in the building. She looked at the coin and leaned closer to Stonewall. "Do you think this has anything to do with the Nix?" she murmured to him.

[null123456 759]

''The Nix were helping in this... But it's something else... Something far mote sinister.'' Said Splinter as clenching his hoof. ''There Ponylike... But not a pony at all. I believe we are dealing with ynops...'' Said Splinter as frowning. ''They call themselves ynops due to their backwards language.'' Said Splinter as frowning.

[Artemisia 166]

Artemisia woke and went to see if she could break her fast with the princess. But she was not there. She asked a guard where she was and she made her way to the pub.

[HigurSan 195]

By now Splinter was attracting some odd looks from the ponies around him. A few muttered comments about the general idiocy of the idea floated around. Even the large masculine stallion was sort of looking confused. "Uhm, son, you sure you don't need to go and take a rest?" The stallion asked politely. Looking at the sun, he frowned. "Well, its too early in the day for it to be heatstroke. Say, has he hit himself on the head recently?" Stonewall shook his head. "Only if you count falling through a roof." The stallion sighed and looked over at Splinter. "Go see a doctor kid. Not a nurse, a Doctor, with a degree in head trauma." Turning back to the scene, the stallion walked over to Inspector Coppertail.

 

Stonewall turned back to his friends, and spotted Artemisia. Waving a hoof, he gestured for her to come over. Once she was there, he breifly filled her in on what was going on. As the excitement was dying down, the crowd dispersed. Eventually, the Inspector walked over to the group. "Well, Sergeant Bagel tells me that you know something about the coins found at the crime scene," he said gruffly. "You're sure of their origin?" Stonewall nodded his head. Looking over at Splinter, the Inspector frowned. "Sergeant, please escort the civilian to a doctor." Bagel nodded and began to take Splinter away.

[Nothing&NoOne 695]

Ebony sighed. "I don't understand. If the coin is from so far away, how did the pony who left it here get here?"

[null123456 759]

''I Did hit my head too hard...'' Said Splinter as facepalming. ''Okay... What do we got?'' Said Splinter as rolling his eyes

Edited June 14, 2012 by Calirolls

[Nothing&NoOne 695]

Ebony looked at Stonewall. "Why is this happening now?" She asked, her voice a bit afraid. A pony being murdered in Canterlot..

Edited June 14, 2012 by Princess Nightingale

[Artemisia 166]

"Princess, I urge you to remove yourself from the scene, you will only draw more attention...the questions you ask are right and good questions but you should be receiving news of this and discussing it at the castle, not investigating it." Artemisia advised Ebony but she new the princess could see that Artemisia was also afraid.

[Nothing&NoOne 695]

Ebony closed her eyes, then looked at her and nodded. "Stonewall and I were going to get something to eat before the Wonderbolt's airshow today. You're welcome to meet us at the airshow later, you can come up front with us if you wish."

[Artemisia 166]

"But you should not eat alone with this stallion. It would be improper considering that he is your body gaurd. You must return to the castle and eat or have an entourage Mademoiselle."

[Nothing&NoOne 695]

Ebony sighed. "You and Splinter may join us. Where is Fine Tune?"

[Artemisia 166]

"I don't know...but thank you for your kind invitation. I will definitely accept your offer."

 

(i need to go to bed soon sorry. can we pause or something?)

[HigurSan 195]

At that moment, it became apparent that it would be tactful to remove the royal group from the scene. More newsponies were appearing nearby, and some were trying to force their way through to take pictures. The guards were somewhat stalwart in their duty, but the sheer tide of ponies trying to get a photo was reaching a critical level. Like straw that broke the camal's back, a burst of magic lashed out from the center of the crowd, smashing into one of the smaller pegasus guards. Screams of outrage and horror mixed as the guards retaliated, smashing the line back awa from the pub while the airborne guards searched for the assailant. Another beam of energy brought an earthpony guard to the ground. The line of reporters broke through, and total chaos ensued.

 

By now, Stonewall had removed the party to the other end of the street, though they could plainly see what was happening. Stonewall gritted his teeth, but didn't move back towards the combat. His duty was to Nightingale first, and all other ponies second. The fight appeared to be taking a worse turn, and screams of pain and shrieks for help were escalating. Galloping down the street at full speed, the Royal guard crashed into the writhing mass like the hammer on an anvil. Magic lashed back and forth indiscriminately through the melee, tossing ponies aside like wragdolls. More ponies were pouring into the fight all the time, and Stonewall removed the royal group to the castle. Later, news was brought that the full scale riot had ended in pandemonium, with ponies from all sides running into the night to bandage their wounds. Casulties were high, with the unfortunate case of Segeant Bagel. Having been hit by the second bolt of magic, he was trampled to death in the original rush.

 

As Stonewall stared out the window, into the receding daylight, he sighed. Due to the chaos, all events planned for the day had been canceled. The city was in a state of uneasy lockdown, with regular patrols on trouble areas. However, there was a few bright spots amongst it all. Tales of heroic deeds by regular ponies defending their families and liveihoods came in occasionally. One such story was that of a Mrs.Jinglebell, an elderly old mare whose home was assaulted by both guards and rioters. Somehow, she managed to calm both parties down and served them tea. Likewise, the uneasy peace had radiated out from spots like this, until the riot was over.

[Nothing&NoOne 695]

Ebony was scared when all the chaos broke out; she was pretty much cowering behind Stonewall the entire time. She helped him excort everyone back to the castle, and looked back once they were on castle grounds. She saw Fine Tune looking very ragged and exahusted and gave him a tired half smile. She noticed him struggling with the contraption and raised it slightly with her magic, taking the strain off his back but still letting him carry it.

[Nothing&NoOne 695]

Ebony smiled at him. "You don't have to be so formal, Fine. We are friends after all, aren't we?"

[Nothing&NoOne 695]

Ebony giggled quietly. "Princess Nightingale, if you must, but I'd much rather that you call me Ebony. I don't like being called a Princess by my friends, it's too formal for my liking."

[Nothing&NoOne 695]

Ebony nodded and turned to the rest of the group. "Let's get some food, I'm not sure about you all but I'm hungry."

 

//and I think it'd be dinner, I think it's evening now :p//

[Nothing&NoOne 695]

//xD okie dokie lokie//

 

Ebony thought for a moment. "Mr. Corkscrew owns a workshop. It's down on mane street, close to the main square."