[size=+1]Cuties[/size] Those stuck on this plane, Come now, gather round. I'll tell of what I do, Upon which I am frowned. Do delight in your essence Becoming all mine. One theft, and your bereft Of your body, now benign. The market never slows Nothing gets a better price I've tried everything else I've sold magic and spice. I work in the night I leave nothing, no mess. I take what they want I'm as quiet as a caress. Catch me if you can. The room is dark, the table surrounded by Princess' and experts. The curtain of night has descended, sweeping the room in patches of black as they gather around the table. Going around the table, we had the bright white coat of Celestia, her eyes constantly edging closer and closer to falling shut. Everytime they made the journey, she'd jerk back awake with a whinny and a pantomime of re-composure. Luna, however, was eagerly looking around the table, awaiting the verdicts of those assembled to tackle the strange case one and for all. The professional was across from her. There were ponies that were unlucky to meet either one of the Law brothers. But then it could be simple damnation if they ended up meeting both. While Steel Law might be known only by a few crooked ponies briefly, Crimson Law had made a greater name for himself in Equestria for fighting to keep the streets safe. The fedora cloaked his face in total shadow, despite the dim light in the room. The pony wearing his braid like a scarf was one of the local guards. Snow was one of the guards that were just as eager as any of them to find the missing ponies. While it's uncertain how useful he'll be outside of the palace, considering his apparent expertise in architecture and not fighting, few would be more trustworthy here in the Princesses' minds. Celestia herself had requested regular reports from him to keep her abreast of the situation. The griffin stood in the light, Velox's outline making him particularly easy to spot. His spots making him blend easier in the low light. His participation was about keeping any threats at bay. To the Princesses, Velox was full of himself. He didn't appear overly trust-worthy but still useful enough to keep the team safe. The vicious speed Velox could manage seemed perfect. While the same cockiness could be said for Sparrow, her motivations for joining weren't as well explained yet. She was certainly street savvy and a knowledge of how to get information on what was happening in Canterlot's underbelly could be what made or broke the case. Her usefulness was without a doubt here. Only in time would the extent of those street smarts be shown. Amongst the books, papers and half-eaten sandwich lay a necklace with a large jewel in the centre of the table. "Fillies and Gentlecolts, I believe we've found it." Professor Follia declares, extending a hoof to the object on the table. "The latest piece of the puzzle." He looks around the table to gauge their reactions.
He glances around at the other ponies surrounding the table, noticing just how strikingly out of place his presence is. He can still remember when the Princess's asked for his assistance on the case of disappearing ponies. The proposal had certainly taken him aback, but he didn't let it show. To them, he was still just as arrogant as befit his species, and he would prefer to keep it that way. With his background, it was best to keep them at wingspan distance should they change their mind about keeping him around, and choose to try and prosecute him instead. He knows enough to follow along with their plans for the time being, since it's giving the best shot he's had at finding his love. When the news was originally starting to break about ponies going missing, he dismissed it all as hearsay. That mistake has brought him here, gathered around a table with a bunch of other "professionals" that Celestia and Luna have brought on to help with the case. His gaze passes over those gathered, resting briefly on Celestia struggling to stay awake. A smirk shapes itself upon his beak as her head suddenly tips forward and whiplashes back, a whinny escaping from her as she tries to feign composure. Returning to watching the others, his gaze also briefly stops at Crimson Law. Many stories have been passed around to be wary of him among the Ventus family. A few of his less than clever siblings have even met with justice by the unicorn's hooves. As for Velox, he has managed to stay out of the law pony's radar. The Professor immediately grabs his attention when he starts speaking. Velox looks at the necklace nonchalantly, noticing the large jewel centered on it. A petty thief could certainly make several bits if they could get their talons on it. As for the griffin, he isn't interested. Rubbing a balled, taloned fist against his chest, he then proceeds to admire the wicked curve of his talons. "Seems like a nice enough trinket, Professor. Did you chance upon it at the latest crime scene?"
Crimson notices velox's stare and just nods with an expression that could read I know who yo are, so don't be like your brother. he then turned to the necklace. "So how much evidence have we got on this thing, Hoof prints, magic residue, mane or tail hair?". he asked the professor waiting for a response.
(Hamming it up in 3...2...1...) Follia leans over the table, slamming both hooves on the table dramatically: "Trinket!? "Trinket", he says! Oh no, no, no." He points to the necklace, circling over it like a magician showing off his props. "This is far, far outside of my realm of understanding." Follia leans away from the table, still pointing at the necklace. His whole body sways and pans across the table as he speaks like a dramatic serpent. "It's bizarre, strange and foreign to me. I study magical animals and nothing I know or have ever studies has ever produced something like this. This is the realm of magic and dark magic, at that! Nothing I know of will make a necklace that screams and cries like it's connected to a dungeon!" Celestia coughs politely to interrupt the professor: "I may have slept through some of your speech but I swear I heard you say the necklace screams?" Follia's eyes widen, nodding gravely: "It does. It's as if someone is trapped within a seashell, yelling out for light. Try it if you don't believe me!" He pushes the pendant towards Crimson, Velox and Sparrow. "Thank you Professor. We shall refer the object to those better in the know." Celestia hurriedly replies to Follia, hoping to head him off before he continued. "What can you tell us of the object?" "It's covered in cat hair, which, as I understand it, is consistent with feline paw prints found at previous scenes." Follia answers. "So, our culprit either has a familiar or is taking the phrase 'cat burgular' as a list of requirements." "Nothing else, Professor?" "Burmese, female. No grey hairs therefore likely to be under 10 years old. Slight vitamin deficiency." Celestia turns to the unicorns and griffin invited. "Then we are to leave this up to you." She said. "Velox, Sparrow, Crimson, we shall continue to work to understand this object. We have our sources. You had best spend your time investigating the scene this was found at." "We shall not leave you wanting for help or guidance." Luna adds, she turns towards the door where a baby dragon was emerging. "In that capacity, we have enlisted the help of a free agent with interest in the case. This is Sulphelious." Sulphy approaches the table, instantly spotting the necklace. "Oh wow! Guys, that looks good. You done with it now?" He asks. Follia draws himself up to full height: "Only if your looking for a bellyful of somepony's soul!" "Professor, please don't scare-" Celestia was cut off by Sulphy's giggle. "Coool. Magical Doo-hicky." "Sulphelious has experience in detective work from his currently missing charge." Luna continues, "He shall assist the investigation as well as keep us in contact with you."
"Sulphelious, it's great to have someone who's in the same profession, names crimson law. Famous detective and part of the infamous law brothers". He lends out a hoof
As the Professor seems incensed by Velox's term for the necklace, he stops admiring his claws and turns to listen further about what's so special about the item presented to them on the table. He raises a skeptical brow at the claim that the necklace can scream. "Let's see if only the wearer can hear it, or if the screaming is audible enough for others to notice," he says as he deftly swipes the necklace from the table and slides it around his neck.
Sparrow looked at the Professor with curious anticipation. "Are you sure that's wise?" she asked, as he slipped it over his head.
As the ring of metal slips over Velox's neck, he can hear voices. A constant, ear-shattering scream. The kind of terrified screech that grabs a pony by the ears and yanks with all it's might. They rumble and violently shatter the quiet of the room with the volume and absolute fear. It cries out but the voice is muffled and indistinct. It's a sudden, constant noise. Sulphy takes the hoof and shakes it. "I'm not really a detective. All I do is follow some furball around." He said. "Anyway, we should be going." He turns and gestures them to follow him. "Quicker we do this, the better." He said as he moves towards the door.
Snow jerked awake, raising his head from table as looked around the table with bleary eyes. He rubbed his eyes, watching an odd baby dragon lead the group towards the door. He blushed, realizing he had missed much of the meeting, but he was sure the others would fill him in if he were to ask later. Right now he needed to try and look a little more professional. He slowly slid out of his chair, trying not to attract any attention to himself and moved into the group approaching the door looking around at the others curiously. They seemed like an odd mismatched group to go around chasing around the criminal that had stolen his mentor away from him. Some of them seemed even more shady than he anticipated from Celestia's report. But he wouldn't question her choices, and perhaps shady was what they needed. He sighed as he kept his head low, trying to blend in.
Snow looked up, noticing his cover had been blown. He sighed, and smiled sheepishly at the mare. "I see you caught me sleeping on the job...Did I miss anything important?"
She shook her head slowly, thinking. "Not much. We found that amulet over there, and he just tried to slip it over his head. By his expression, I'm not sure it was the smartest thing to do."
"Probably not..." He curiously watched the baby dragon and and switched back to the amulet. "We really don't have much to go on do we? Where do we even begin?"
"I told you!" Suphy said, huffing loudly to show just how exasabated he could get in less than ten seconds. "We have the lastest crime scene to look over. There could be more clues this time." The little dragon looked to the Griffin. "Leave that on the table, will you? I'm not bothered whether you come along or not."
As he hears the screams that he was bracing himself for, they were even more awful than he could have imagined. He quickly slips the necklace off and sets it on the table as he joins the others leaving out the door. His face bears a strange combination of both fear and dire concern, as his imagination has replaced the screams from the necklace with that of his missing beloved.
"Yes! And next time you'll listen to experience, won't you!" Follia calls after Velox as the group exits the room, making tracks for the crimescene. "Don't say you weren't warned!" The bakery store room was an atrocious mess. For once, a struggle broke out. Icing was splattered against walls but it was a fitting red colour. Bags of flour had spilled from the stores in the darkened rafters above, the wounded sacks showing their gaping gashes and where they had spilled their contents. The flour had made a wide pile, spilling out as a carpet across the floorboards. Hooftracks and catprints make a spaggetti junction of paths too complicated to follow propperly. Only a pony shaped disturbance, paws leading from the larger pile and then away from the scene could be made out. "Nopony touch anything, OK?" Sulphy calls out as they enter. "It'll just make things take longer."
