Title:           [mlp] Going Bump in the Night: Chapter 7
Author:          Notonefuck
Pastebin link:   http://pastebin.com/QNaJp8EV
First Edit:      Monday 9th of February 2015 03:19:52 AM CDT
Last Edit:       Monday 9th of February 2015 03:19:52 AM CDT

"Okay, so this chick is an enchanter. Fill me in a little bit on what that means."
>Umbra turns her eyes towards you. "Normally, an enchanter is somepony who is especially gifted at weaving magic into inanimate objects. There are different uses for enchanted objects, depending on the spell inside of them and the material used."
>Etch takes over. "Considering that miss Glimmer uses gemstones, which can hold potent spells especially well, it's no wonder that she was targeted for a robbery."
> You frown.
"So is this guy packing some really expensive grenades, or what? I really want to know just what we are about to be up against."
> "Well..." Etch fidgets nervously in his chair, "Miss Glimmer is an enchanter of moderate renown who makes various types of enchanted gems. They're useful little baubles that everypony has need of. Both for powering magic-based devices and the energy inside can be absorbed for a quick pick-me-up if needed. As for the whole 'exploding' part... When overloaded, magic charged gems can react poorly..."
> A sigh escapes your lips.
"So this dude is carrying energy shots that double as frags. That's real nice."
> Fleur lightly clears her throat, drawing the tables attention to her. "No need to be so glum. I doubt that a crook would be so willing to turn his ill-gotten goods into weapons unless well and truly cornered."
 
 
> The tall unicorn stands, then inclined her head to you and Umbra. "My thanks for leading me to the Artisans District. I must be off to find my appointment for tonight. Besides, I would be of little use in a criminal investigation. I will leave this in your capable hooves."
> You reach a hand out to stop her, a warning about the danger of wandering alone with a robber on the loose on your tongue.
> Before you even get the first syllable out, the model is gone.
> You roughly retake your seat with a huff, making the small metal chair groan under your weight.
> Umbra pats your arm with a hoof. "It's fine, Anon. she can handle herself," she says, as if reading your thoughts.
> A model, out on the streets after dark, with a robber ballsy enough to steal from an apparently powerful unicorn. What could go wrong with that situation?
"Did I ever tell you about the time that my sister told me of a group of muggers was wondering around town? I didn't believe her, then went outside. No shit, there was like forty of them."
> The Major rolls her golden eyes at your completely truthful and not in any way fictional story, then turns back to Fine Etch. "Alright, Etch. Care to lead us to the crime scene so we can take a look around? If we could talk to Glimmer as well, that would really help us."
> The batstallion rapidly nods his head. "Yes! Of course! Follow me and I'll show you everything."
> Both of the vamponies jump out of their seats and take off towards the alley at a brisk pace.
> Brisk for vamponies, at least.
"Wha? HEY! WAIT!"
> You yell after them, sprinting out of your chair and hoping you can catch up to the pair of ponies rocketing away.
 
 
> Vampires are bullshit.
> At least that's what you've decided.
> Finally you, Umbra, and Etch all reached the alley. The pair of ponies barely look winded. You on the other hand, put your hands on your knees and gasp for breath.
> Stupid overpowered vampony... EVERYTHING.
"Huff... Fuck vamponies..." You curse under your breath.
> Umbra looks over her shoulder to you, a saucy grin on her face. "Weeelllll if you really want to~!"
> You flush red and show her your middle finger as a reply, not caring that she won't get the insult.
"You can go..."
> You pause for breath.
"...right to hell. I'm still pissed at you."
> The major's ears flicked backward for second, but her grin didn't wane.
> Etch clears his throat, fighting away red on his own cheeks as he looks between you and Umbra. "Yes, well, if we can get going?"
> You straighten yourself upward and gesture with a hand for him to lead on.
> As you and the guard follow the stallion, you finally get a good chance to take a look at the alley that Luna sunk so much money into.
> Like last time, many of the shops seemed unoccupied. A rare few still seem to be in the middle of construction. The few that actually show signs of being owned are currently closed up despite signs displaying work hours saying they should be open.
> Deeper into the alley, your group comes to a fork in the road. A currently open coffee shop marks the beginning of the split.
> Etch turns to the right of the coffee shop, venturing deeper with you and Umbra the following along.
> The further along you travel, the more damaged and run down the street becomes, becoming something you would expect of modern Detroit.
> The dim night that you've become used to seems strange and frightening now. Not even the light from the moon can cut through the shadows covering the rows of buildings. The low sounds you hear all over the place either echo ominously or fade immediately with no middle ground.
> You nudge Umbra with a hand.
"Hey, are you getting a creepy vibe from this place? I know that all of this looks like shit, but it feels even worse than it should."
> Umbra frowns and nods, both of her ears swiveling to the right towards a sound only she can hear. "Yeah. This definitely doesn't seem like the ideal place to set up shop for a gem enchanter of all ponies. I'm honestly unsurprised that there was a robbery down here.”
> A trashcan somewhere falls over. The sound makes you jump and makes Umbra and Etch whirl around to face it. Umbra's movement is so violent that the cobblestone underneath her hooves is almost torn from the ground.
> You turn around as well, just barely catching the tail of some animal dashing between a pair of half collapsed buildings.
> Both of the vamponies in your company scan around, eyes and ears probably picking up countless things that you missed. After a few moments, they both relax and resume walking forward.
> Holy hell.  
> You raise a hand to your chest, feeling your heart beat so fast that we could almost be mistaken for a heart attack.
> 'Like, zoinks Scoob' doesn't even begin to cover just how freaked out you're getting. This was just supposed to be a quick check up on some poor unicorn who had the objects of her work stolen from her. Not a walk down an alley that seems out to scare you to death.
> You take a minute step closer to Umbra and Etch.
> "Ha! Haha...ha..." Etch chuckles nervously. "Nothing to worry about. I'm certain that was a cat or something. Certainly not some monster that may want to brutally maim us and eat our bones. No no no not at all!"
> Did your heart just stop? Because you’re pretty sure your heart just stopped.
> Umbra slowly turned her head to stare flatly at her fellow vampony. "Etch?"
> "... Yes, major?"
> "Shut up and walk."
> "Yes ma'am!"
> Not another word is spoken during the trip.
 
[br]
 
"This is the place?"
> You ask, referring to the rather rundown looking shop practically at the very end of the alley way.
> "Indeed it is. Miss Glimmer may not be much for aesthetics," Etch says, looking at a spider web on the window, "but she's definitely a rising star in the field of enchanting."
> You frown.
"Aren't there sanitary inspections for shops around here? Back home, if a licensed place didn't keep up to standards, they were often shut down."
> "We do, and Glimmer's shop is just above the passing threshold."
"So, the classic 'D's get degrees' way of doing things, eh?"
> You say with a nostalgic grin.
> "It's kind of like high school all over again."
> Umbra looks up at you with a raised eyebrow. "Really? I always took you as the nerdy type."
"Believe me," you say, "I was a nerd, that is not synonymous with 'overachiever'."
> The guard snorts in amusement and turns back to the rickety door of the shop, knocking on it a few times with a forehoof.
> Not a second later, the wildest unicorn you had ever seen practically rips the door open, nearly making you jump out of your skin and almost tearing the door off its hinges.
> Purple, is the first thing you think.
> The wild-eyed unicorn in the doorway is nothing but shades of purple. Her thick, messy mane and tail only add to the appearance.
> The worst part, however, was the wide, bowel loosening grin on her face. All in all...
> She looks like a serial killer who just found her next victim.
"Welp. Great work everyone! Lets get back to the Mystery Machine."
> Umbra casually wraps a forehoof around your leg, preventing you from turning and sprinting away like hell was on your heels.
> "Good evening, miss!" Umbra starts jovially. "I'm major Umbra. The gentlecolts with me are Fine Etch, whom I believe you already know, and a friend of mine, Anonymous. I believe you reported a robbery recently?"
> The grin on the unicorn's face twitches the slightest bit, before growing. You swear that she's purposely trying to show all of her perversely white and uniform teeth.
> "Indeed I did..." The unicorn states, dragging her eyes across your group. "I am Glimmer, and some miscreant did burglarize my establishment. I assume you're all here to resolve that?"
> Glimmer's voice is as smooth as silk, yet you can't help but feel like someone is rubbing sandpaper in your ears.
> Umbra nods. "Yep. We were actually hoping to investigate the scene of the crime if you are willing to let us."
> The owner of the tiny store says nothing, but moves out of the way of the door and bows her head.
> Once all of your party is inside, you take a look around to see what you're dealing with.
> The room is small and dim, a single pink crystal jutting from the ceiling provides a low amount of light, just enough to cast blotchy shadows over much of the area.
> Glass display cases line the walls, many of them broken into and missing the precious gems within.
> A few of the smaller cases seem to have been spared the fate of their larger counterparts, as some of them still have gems inside.
> You walk up to the nearest one and inspect a fine cut topaz as large as your thumb.
> What seems to be lightning dances and writhes within the confines of the jewel. Miniature bolts ricochet around inside, bouncing off the faucets of the gem in a constant path.
> Fascinated, you touch the display case just in front of the topaz. It's warm.
> "Here is where my most valuable wares were stolen."
> Glimmer's pleasant but unsettling voice pulls your attention away from the electrified stone and back towards the group.
> The three ponies stand in front of a smashed open case devoid of any jewels.
> Umbra walks a bit closer and scrutinizes the case closely as Glimmer continues to talk.
> "It was three hours ago, Just as I was walking here, I saw the bastard make away with a bag of my work over his shoulder."
> The enchanter's creepy grin becomes strained as her horn sparks dangerously. "He was quite fleet of foot. It was good for him, for if I had captured him..."
> You and Etch slowly edge away from the unicorn.
> Umbra either doesn't notice the magic discharge, or doesn't care. She deftly scratches notes into the notebook held in her wing without looking up. "So, the perpetrator was a stallion? Any more information on his looks?"
> Glimmer narrows her eyes. "Of course. He was of average height, and had dark-colored fur. I could not see his mane or tail as both were covered."
> You frown.
"Well, that doesn't really tell us much. Is there a possible motive for the robbery? Any ponies that might have a problem with you?"
> "None that I can think of."
> Well, this just came to a dead end.
> You sigh.
> Umbra is quick to keep the conversation going. "Alright then. Do we have your permission to take a look around?"
> The creepy unicorn nods. "But of course, major. If I am needed for any reason, I will be in the back continuing my work.”
> With that, Glimmer abruptly turns and makes her way through a door in the back of the room that you had missed earlier.
> "Well, you heard her, boys. Take a look around for anything out of place. Other than the smashed case and the glass everywhere, that is."
> Etch seems unsure of what he should be doing, and awkwardly glances around.
> Since that's not your problem, you ignore him and join Umbra in examining the smashed case.
"A fine mess this is. No glass cutters or any other classy shit like that?"
> The vampony at your side snorts in amusement. "I think you've watched one too many heist flicks, Anon. For a normal crook, a smash-n-grab like this is considerably more common. It's not like they were breaking into the bank or something."
> You raise an eyebrow.
"You and everyone else was making such a fuss about these enchanted gems being stolen that I figured this would be a little more... Elegant."
> Another thought strikes you.
"In fact, if these things are so dangerous and valuable, why aren't they under tighter security?"
> The guard shrugs, her armor clinking as she does so. "Blame the ass backward government. Did you know that if you're not part of the military, you need to do a psych eval if you want to purchase a crossbow with more than a hundred and ten pounds of draw weight? But it's just fine for civilians to purchase stuff like this."
> You can't even feel angry about that one, having questioned stuff like that all the time back on earth.
> Umbra looks up at you, her expression clearly stating 'I expected nothing and I'm still disappointed'.
> "Bureaucracy."
"I couldn't agree more."
> Ponderings on the collective IQ of every government everywhere finished, the batpony brings her notebook to bear and scans over the busted display case.
> You watch as her slitted pupils dart between seemingly random points, probably catching all sorts of things that you would've missed.
> "Anon? Major?"
> You both turn at the sound of Etch's voice.
> He glances out the door and then back to you. "I'm not sure that I'm going to be any help here. I'm not much of a detective. I'm going to go and inform the other District overseers that this is being investigated, and maybe stop the rumor mill from getting any more ridiculous."
> Well, if he's got things to do, you can't very rightly keep him here.
"Do what you have to, we should be okay here."
> The vampony stallion smiles, bidding you and Umbra a goodbye before he trots away.
> Now that Etch is gone, you and Umbra return to your work.
> With the guard occupied with the case, you turn your attention elsewhere in hopes of finding something and contributing.
> The smashed glass doesn't seem to hold any secrets. Since fingerprinting is something that simply can't be done with hooves, there's little hope of trying to find something there.
> Checking the floor itself, you see that it's hardwood and fairly clean. There are no imprints of hooves in it and no dust on the ground to leave hoofprints in.
> You frown and crane your head around, taking in the sight of the walls, the front desk, and the old cash register.
> Nothing outstanding.
> Except for the thick book next to the cash register.
"Hmm..."
> You walk over to the front desk and take a look at the rather innocent looking book. In the front is a label that says "Customer Logs".
> This might actually be worth something.
> Opening the book, you flip through a few pages. Each one has a list of names, what each name purchased, and how much they paid.
"Hey, Umbra."
> The mare turns her head to look at you curiously.
"Check this out. This has some info on who's been around here lately."
> With a leap over the broken glass, the guard lands next to you and carefully looks over the pages.
> She places her forelegs on the counter to look closer at the book. Not long after, a frown finds its way to her pretty face.
> ... Wait. Pretty?
> "Anon, this is information on Glimmer's customers. You should have asked permission before looking at this."
> Her voice cuts off any further thoughts.
"We're trying to track down who robbed the joint. I don't think she's going to care."
> That, and you REALLY don't want to talk to her again.
> Fuck that creepy Joker grin.
> "Anon..." Umbra in a warning tone, the same one all women use when pushed.
"God dammit..."
> You turn your head and take a deep breath.
"Glimmer! It's all right if we look at your logs, right?!"
> You yell through the door to the back room.
> A faint "Do what you must!" is the reply.
> You give Umbra a smug glance that she steadfastly ignores.
> With free reign to peer inside of the book, you glance over the list of names and the items purchased in hopes of finding some sort of pattern.
> Most of the purchases seem innocent. A battery gem for a well-known engineer. Numerous light producing gems for other shops in the area. Even a shielding gem for Princess Luna.
> Knowing the princess and her kooky magic experiments, that was no big surprise.
> One name does stand out, however.
> Once a day, a pony by the name of 'Outback' would come in, by something cheap, and promptly leave.
> None of the items made sense, either. A light gem, a heating gem, a gem that produced a wailing siren sound, and in other single use trinkets.
> You look over at Umbra.
"So, does this seem suspicious to you?"
> She nods. "It seems like that whoever this pony is, he was scoping out the area for a robbery. The things he bought were probably a cover to keep suspicion down. After all, it just looks weird if you walk into a place once a day then leave without buying anything."
> The mare shakes her head. "We shouldn't jump to conclusions, though. All we have is a suspicion and no evidence."
> She takes her forelegs of the counter and lets her front fall back to the ground with an uncharacteristic stumble.
> The vampony huffs in annoyance, but regains her balance easily enough.
"You alright?"
> Before she can respond, a growl echoes around the small room, forcing you to tense up in fright.
"Please tell me it's not behind me."
> Umbra's flushes red as she looks at the floor, another growl rumbling so ferociously that you can feel it from the floor.
> "T-that... That was me..."
> You blink.
"That was...?"
> She nods, still not looking at you.
> So that's where the stumble came from.  
> You cross your arms, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.
"If you were hungry, why didn't you tell me before we left the Castle?"
> You ask.
> The major looks up at you, an apologetic expression on her face. "After the whole fiasco with the warrant officer, I figured you'd be upset if I asked for a feeding so soon afterward. I really am sorry about that, and I don't want to push you if you don't want to."
> Oh come on.
"Yes, you're right, I'm not happy with how things turned out,"
> you say with a sigh, making Umbra shrink a bit on herself.
"However, I'm not just going to cut you off like that. If you're hungry, you need to say so. I'm your friend, and I don't like it when you suffer. Even if it's just something small like hunger." you explain to her with sympathy.
> She looks back up to you, the red on her cheeks lessening as she gives you a small smile.
"Just don't take a fucking chunk out of my neck like you tried last time."
> The smile turned into a bright grin, one that you can't help but mirror.
> Too bad Umbra's stomach can't help but rumble again, thoroughly killing the moment.
> "Heh, sorry." The guard says sheepishly.
> ...Lets get dangerous.
> Taking a glance behind you, you see the door that Glimmer is behind is still shut with no signs of opening, or even any signs of an occupant behind it.
> The bits of street you can see through the windows seem equally deserted.
> Slowly, you sink into a sitting position with your back against the front counter and cross your legs. While moving downward, your careful to avoid any broken glass.
> Umbra looks at you in confusion, which turns the realization as you tilt your head to the side and beckon her closer with a hand.
> "Anon... are you sure?" she asks, bewildered. "We're not in the Castle..."
"Gee, I didn't notice," you you tell her, sarcasm dripping from each word. "Now hurry up before I change my mind."
> For a moment, you just get a blank stare. She then starts forward cautiously, as if expecting a prank, then darts into your lap so fast that you don't even see her move.
> You feel the vampony's lips curl into a smile she presses her chilled muzzle against her neck, just below the still raw bite wound from yesterday.
> "Thank you..."
> She sniffs at the slowly pulsing arteries making you stifle a snicker at the ticklish sensation. Her fangs gently dig into the soft flesh of your neck, producing a brief sting that earns hardly a wince from you.
> You warp your arms around her to keep her steady, making the pony press herself harder to you. Probably to soak up all the warmth she can.
> One.
> Two.
> Three.
> Four.
> Four mouthfuls of your blood are lost to the little vampire, who then pulls her fangs from their spots embedded in you. The tiny beads of blood still oozing from the punctures are slowly lapped up by her.
> Once the bleeding stops, Umbra simply rests her head against your chest.
> A few minutes pass without issue.
"...You know, we should probably go report what we found."
> The pony takes a moment to respond. "We should," she says sluggishly. "The police would be better suited for this. Having a team dedicated to crime scenes and all."
> "An excellent decision, in my humble opinion."
> Both you and the pony in your arms jump at the sudden third voice.
> Looking up, you see Glimmer staring down at you from over the counter, grin as wide as ever.
> "I don't suppose you would be interested in an amulet that replenishes blood, would you? Or maybe… one for fertility?”