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CARAMEL TREAT’S SWEETS : Part 3 of 4 : MLP Fan Fiction

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Caramel Treat’s Sweets

Part 3 of 4

by De Writer (Glen Ten-Eyck)

18671 words

All rights reserved. This document may not be copied or distributed on or to any medium or placed in any mass storage system except by the express written consent of the author. ////////////// Copyright fair use rules for Tumblr users Users of Tumblr.com are specifically granted the following rights. They may reblog the story provided that all author and copyright information remains intact. They may use the characters or original characters in my settings for fan fiction, fan art works, cosplay, or fan musical compositions. All sorts of fan art, cosplay, music or fiction is actively encouraged. ///////////////////////

For those wishing to read the whole story, this link leads to the entire tale.

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<==Previous Next==>

Caramel nodded her head, framed by her shaggy black ruff. “That is what they agreed to do, Your Ladyship. It was the assistance given to a friend and neighbor.

“If any of you have knife or sword, it would be good to free my mother Brightmane and Nurse Fields. They were bound by the criminals.”

Baron Dran Dale, a tan unicorn in the garb of the Far Northern Dales stepped in through the broken door, a big dirk floating in the firm grip of his magic. In a trice, the ropes were cut by his razor sharp blade.

Heather Bloom examined the broken door and pronounced, “It is unsafe that this be. Ye shall all three come up to the Hall o Red Hoof and there abide until yer home be proper repaired.”

The green pony curled a lip and sneered, “Afraid of the deadly wolves, aren't you?”

Brightmane answered him, “Not at all. The Stone Ridge Pack have been excellent neighbors. With the door broken so badly, it is more rotten ponies like you that we want to avoid. You are not the first, though you are by far the worst.”

Shortly, the party was joined by Daphne Crager in her livery as a carlene of Red Hoof! She was panting as she led her father, Constable Crager, to the house.

Heather Bloom turned her head to speak to her. “There ye be, Daph. We did wonder wha ha became o ye. Got yer father to carry out the arrest. That be fine thinking. Wha led ye to do it wi'oot orders?”

Daphne pointed to Caramel, still in wolf form. “As soon as I heard her emergency howl, your Ladyship, I knew that something bad was happening here. Dad was the closest constable who could deal with whatever the problem is.”

Duchess Heather Bloom quickly filled in Constable Crager on the happenings of the night.

He efficiently manacled the green pony and they all left. Heather Bloom detailed one of her House's Guard to watch the cottage and another was left to protect the scene where Stort had been killed.

The green pony looked on, face set with anger and sorrow. “Aren't you afraid that the wolves will pull you down too?”

The guard shrugged, “Not really. I would be more worried if you and your brother were on the loose armed with toothpicks. Ever since Caramel was born, we have lived as neighbors to the Stone Ridge wolf pack. They have turned out to be pretty good neighbors.”

The next day, as Caramel was watching and assisting the work on her new shop where she could, Sawnax came barging up waving the latest edition of the Ponyville Prancer and carrying a broadax!

He was loudly demanding, “The Monster has gone too far! An innocent pony has been murdered and she did it! It is right here on the front page of the Prancer! I have brought an ax to take the head of rampaging beast!”

Houser, seeing Caramel pull her Magic Net mirror from her saddlebag, returned, “Some rampage! She is helping us to set foundation stones for this project!

“Are you sure that you can read at all? The story says nothing about Caramel killing anypony.”

Sawnax waved the paper dramatically, exclaiming, “He was killed by a wolf in the Everfree, right on the path to the Murdering Monster's Lair!

“We must destroy her before any more fall victim to her bloodthirsty rampage of murder!”

Houser snatched the flailing paper from Sawnax's hooves! He read out loud for all to hear, “Stort Greene, the victim of the wolf attack, was fleeing the scene of a failed attempt at MASS MURDER FOR PERSONAL GAIN. He appears to have been killed by the joint attack of least three Everfree Ridgeback wolves.

“All witnesses agree that Caramel Treat was in her well known wolf form and INSIDE the cabin of Brightmane Treat when the killing happened.

“It is worthy of note that Caramel Treat, in wolf form, not only captured one of the attempted killers without inflicting any actual injury to him, she rescued her mother, Brightmane Treat and the family's long time companion, Nurse Fields.”

Sawnax tapped his temple as he replied, “She done the killing by using her mind to control the attacking wolves!”

A police pony, who had approached while Houser was reading the paper, said, “Sawnax, you are under arrest. The charges are violation of the protective order of Judge Coldheart, violation of the Edict of Equality, and while carrying a weapon, threatening to murder a Citizen of Equestria.”

Caramel, speaking into her Magic Net mirror, said, “Thank you, Emergency Services, the officer is now here!” Smiling grimly, she put the mirror away in her saddlebag.

As Sawnax was led away, protesting bitterly, Caramel told Houser, “It looks as though I will be going to the courthouse sooner than I had planned!”

She turned at the sound of a new voice. “Perhaps I can help. My name is Grumpeter. Grumpy for short.”

A black, brown and white piebald goat with full curl horns stood there. He smiled and offered, “I know that my kind are not popular but one place where we are listened to is the courtroom. Edict of Equality and all of that.

“I not only saw and heard this whole thing, I saw Sawnax come out of a conference in Hortimer's Rectory, next to their detestable church. He went straight to his lumber yard and got that ax. Then he came here. The rest, you know.”

Houser eyed the goat askance and asked, “How did you happen to see all this?”

The goat nodded, making his ears flop comically, as he agreed, “Fair question. The Celestian Church fronts on a park down on the other side of the Town Hall. I live about three blocks from the park, luckily, on the side AWAY from those jerks.

“I was taking the air in the park and, I admit, snacking on a bush or two. Broke student and all that. Had a clear view of the rectory.

“Being a curious sort, I tagged along after Sawnax because HE is an Earth pony and they are Unicorn Supremacists. I wondered what was up. When he got here, I found out.”

Caramel looked thoughtfully at the goat for a few moments and offered, “If you are willing to go and give Judge Coldheart a sworn statement on this, come back after my restaurant is open.

“I will give you special low prices or even free if you need it. I am a werewolf. I know what it is like to have nutcases after me. Has to be bad for you, too.

“Broke student? Let me get my place started and maybe I can find a way to help you out.”

The goat flipped his tail happily. “I am on my way! It is great to meet somepony besides Reverend Smallflower who is nice to goats!”

Grumpy trotted away down Mane St. toward the town hall.

Houser and his crew returned to work. Caramel went back to assisting where she could. It was not long before the foundation was all laid and the cut for the outside loading ramp into the basement was well underway.

It was time for lunch!

The workers all looked expectantly at Caramel.

She patted a fat saddle bag, grinned and offered, “Clover burgers and fries with Rom black tea to wash it down?”

There was a near stampede for the shady park tables!

As Caramel was starting to pass out the wrapped sandwiches and open the package of fries with dipping sauce, several of the work crew turned their backs and snapped, “Get out of here, Goat! This is for decent ponies!”

Caramel quietly closed the fries package and retrieved most of the wrapped burgers. She left the table and chose a vacant one. She invited, “Want some lunch, Grumpy? I seem to have plenty. How did the deposition go?”

The piebald goat looked troubled. “Miss Caramel, I did not mean to cause you any trouble. I just wanted to tell you that my deposition has been copied and added to both your Celestian Church case and to your Sawnax case. Because of it, they have been linked.”

Caramel patted the bench. “Go ahead and have a seat, Grumpy. That was a huge favor that you did for me.

“Here, have some tea. That is a clover burger with onions, lettuce, tomato, and sauteed mushrooms. The big box has fries and dipping sauce.”

Having seen to Grumpy, she returned to the table with the work crew. “Lunch is over there.” She pointed.

“A lot of ponies don't like him because he is a goat. That is something that he can't do anything about. A lot of ponies, including Sawnax, this morning, don't like me because I am a werewolf. That is something that I can't do anything about, either.

“Share a table with us, the social outcasts and eat for free, or go BUY your lunch somewhere else.”

She turned her back on the crew and went back to sit by Grumpy. Shortly Houser came over and sat with them. Caramel smiled and hoofed him a burger, tea and a portion of fries.

The workers saw their boss at the table with the goat. More importantly, he was eating his sandwich with gusto! One by one, they joined in.

To their surprise, the goat turned out to actually be pleasant company and had a great sense of humor. When one of them thoughtlessly told a goat joke, he laughed right along with the rest of them.

One of the workers paused in mid laugh to ask, “Didn't that bother you, Mister Goat?”

Grumpy's floppy ears lifted a bit and he smiled. “Yes, it did a bit. It was also a classical situation that would have been funny regardless of who it was told about. I have found that it is easier to laugh than try telling off every pony in Equestria.”

Caramel asked him, “What are you studying and where? Ponyville does not have any school but Miss Cherrilee's that I know of.”

Grumpy smiled as he answered, “Non Equine University is open to all, regardless of kind. Princess Luna is the Chancellor and all classes are by mail at the student's own pace. We even get our textbooks by mail. Unfortunately, it isn't free! Hence, me being a broke student!”

The whole table laughed at that.

Soon, lunch was over. The crew went back to work. By the end of the day the timber framing was started.

Houser told her, “If nothing happens, we should be ready to begin installing the kitchens and pantries the day after tomorrow.

The next morning, Caramel showed up early. The Ponyville Fire Department was there first.

Concerned, Caramel picked her way past the hoses from the pumper wagon to ask, “What happened, Battalion Chief? My place seems to be standing.”

The Battalion Chief pushed back her helmet to wipe sweat from her brow as she replied, “It is, thanks to an early tip. You have one timber that got fairly badly scorched. It was attempted arson.

“Between the tipster and forensic magic, we already have APB out on a suspect.” She chuckled. “He did everything without using any magic. Soaked the timber in lamp oil, laid a wick, and put a candle on it for a timer, so that he could be far away when the fire started.”

Now very interested, Caramel inquired, “How did forensic magic trip him up if he didn't use any magic?”

The chief's face lit with a grin. “He tried to use matches but he was not used to using them. Unicorns like to use their magic for candle lighting. He broke all of the matches! Between the broken matches and his finally lighting the candle by magic, we got a really good signature on him.

“He has been in trouble with the law before this, so the station had a copy of his magic signature on file! His name is Pect. Disre Pect. The beat cops have been notified already.”

Houser and his work crew showed up. The Battalion Chief quickly filled in Houser on the problem.

He looked over the damage and pronounced, “Still sound. We will need to do a little cosmetic work to the timber. Nothing major.

“Not really surprised that Pect did this. He used to be a pretty good worker. Got tied up with that Celestian Church that Celestia herself dislikes so much. Went bad real quick. He pushed the other workers around. Called them Lesser Sorts. I had to fire him after I caught him stealing from work sites.”

Caramel asked, “Are any of the things that Disre handled still here, Battalion Chief? I would like to get his scent.”

The Chief pointed. “Don't know if they will do you much good, Caramel. Those broken matches got pretty well soaked while stopping the fire.”

Caramel shifted, the change running down her body from nose to tail. The caramel color of her pony form turning to the gray of the wolf. It looked like she got bigger, but that was actually just the change from fuller barreled pony to the leaner body and proportionately longer legs, of the wolf. Her tail changed from the long flowing hair of a pony to the wolf's brush-like gray with a black tip. Her mane changed to a black ruff framing her head and protecting her neck. From ruff to tail a ridge of stiff black hair stood up. Her ears became the black tufted cones of the wolf. Her snout and jaw grew longer and filled with huge razor sharp fangs.

She turned her head to the chief and asked, “Have you got my Fire Helmet and Department ID badge, Chief?”

“I do, Caramel. Why?”

“Because I want to underline a point and make any action that I take part of an official investigation. I already have his scent from the scene, here. I am pretty sure that he is in that crowd of spectators, just over there in the park.”

With a grin, the Chief hoofed over Caramel's famous Volunteer Fire Fighter and Hazmat Team badge on its fireproof sash. As soon as it was settled, she donned her helmet, securing it into place.

She turned at once and trotted over to the spectators in the park. Several unicorns among them moved to block her way but she simply sat.

In her disarmingly innocent filly voice, she addressed the group. “I am assisting in the investigation of the small fire over there. Do any of you happen to have a Magic Net mirror?”

Several chuckled, “We ain't doing anything for you, werewolf!”

Sullenly an indigo unicorn among them replied, “I do. What do you want it for?”

Caramel smiled a wolf's smile full of fangs. “We want to check the current listing of Wants and Warrants. Would you please open that posting for us?”

Curling a lip in irritation, he pulled out his mirror and tapped the codes. His eyes widened at what he saw. Eyes barely flicking back to see, he snapped, “Not helping you, Wolf!”

His magic gathered about his horn and lashed out!

Disre Pect, near the back of the crowd, fell heavily! His feet were yanked out from under him by the indigo unicorn's magic!

The indigo unicorn crowed, “Easiest five hundred bits I ever made!”

Shouldering through the rest, Caramel reached the fallen Disre Pect and gave two quick jabs at his forehead. She informed him, “Mister Pect, you must not use your magic, or you will die. I have given you a temporary horn tangle.

“You are under arrest for attempted arson by the authority of the Ponyville Fire Department and the Ponyville Police.”

She sat on his neck to keep him down. She told the indigo unicorn, “Sir, for your assistance in this arrest, you will be paid one hundred and fifty bits at the police department when the suspect is booked. You will get the remaining three hundred and fifty bits of the reward after his first hearing.

“I see the police arriving now. Shall we accompany them to assure your reward?”

Just to remind ponies of the part that she already played in the Fire Department, Caramel, in wolf form, trotted back from the police department to the construction site, wearing her badge and fire helmet.

There, she was in time to assist with stowing the fire equipment back into the pumper cart and return her helmet and badge to the Chief.

Houser, watching her careful work setting the stone masonry in the half timbered front of the building, commented, “I wish that all of my help was as quick and careful as you are.”

Seeing that some of his workers had overheard the remark, Caramel replied, “Being a werewolf helps a lot. I have faster reflexes and am stronger than most. Your workers showed me not only how to do it, but what made for the best work. They are a fine crew.” They overheard her reply too, just as Caramel meant for them to.

Caramel found a calm satisfaction in setting and mortaring the stones into place. The others of the crew were doing mostly carpentry on the interior spaces, side and back walls. Two were putting the finishing touches on the back stairs to the basement.

They were sitting to lunch in the park and talking over how fast the work was going, ”We will be ready for the interior finish work and plastering in only another day if the roofers get their work done on time!”

Houser nodded, reaching for one of the covered boxes that Caramel had set out, “They will be. It is all set up. They should arrive this afternoon.”

Glancing over to the park's bushes, Houser noticed the piebald goat from the other day. Rather than wait for Caramel's OK, Houser gestured welcomingly, “Come on over, Grumpy! I see that Caramel either planned on you or she miscounted boxes!”

Caramel grinned, “I didn't! How do you like Sea Grass Puffs and Alfalfa patties, Grumpy? I have three different dipping sauces for the puffs!”

There was a goat at the table that fast! “Sea Grass puffs? Really? I only had Sea Grass at the Fair before this!”

The whole crew laughed, but also agreed, “It is pretty unusual, all right! We never see it in the markets here in Ponyville. Did you try the sweet/sour sorrel sauce?”

The roofers arrived before lunch was over, actually.

The shingles were going on rapidly. A pile of shingles started to slip on the pitched roof. A roofer, trying to stop it began to slide for the edge of the roof!

The whole crew watched aghast as the potentially fatal accident developed. Caramel bunched and started her spring as a pony. It was the huge wolf who landed in the path of the sliding pony!

Wide braced, she caught him! As his mass hit her, she started to slide, herself! Sliding shingles cascading from the roof made regular footing impossible! She slammed a forepaw right through the new shingle work and used the grip that created to stop them both!

The last of the shingles clattered to the stone patio below.

Concerned, she asked the roofer, “Are you OK? Did I hurt you?”

He replied, “No, Ma'am! You did not hurt me! That is a stone patio down there. I would likely have at least broken bones when I hit it. Maybe could have died. I can sure see why the Fire Department values you so high.”

Chuckling with relief, he joked, “You put a big leak in the roof, though! Gonna have to charge extra for fixing that!”

Caramel made sure that he was OK and that he had his footing as she retorted, “Some ponies will do anything to get a few extra bits!” She bounded lightly down from the roof and gave the heap of fallen shingles a long sniff.

She waived Houser and his workers away from the shingles and ordered, “Houser! Call the Police! We need a forensic magic expert to get a signature off these shingles! This was no accident! Some pony has tried to murder your worker!”

That brought everything to an instant stand-still! They all looked at each other in worry. Caramel added, “It was nopony on this crew. See? The bundle tie is still up on the roof. We know that it was tied securely when it was put up there. Charl still has the half bundle that he was working on and it is still up there. It did not slip, even though he was working with it.

“My nose verified that nopony has handled the fallen shingle bundle except those of our crew who had proper business handling it. The answer is magic. Unicorn magic, specifically.

“That is why we need the forensic magic expert. He or she can sort out the magical signature of whoever did this and it can be compared to those of known criminals. There is a good chance that the signature is already on file.”

Soon two uniformed police arrived, the iron shod wheels of the Forensic Investigation cart making a clatter on the street cobbles as they pulled up. One of them was opening lockers on the cart while the other began to speak to Houser.

They carefully gathered their evidence, including the shingle tie and several of the shingles themselves. The expert, who was an Earth pony, ran his tests, using Non-Equine magic to avoid contamination of the magical traces left on the tie and shingles.

He turned to his partner, face grave. “Confirmed, Jeral. Got a weak but really clear signature. Worse, we have a match. Those three recent industrial accident cases? Four injuries and one death? Same unicorn. Call it in and put out an All Points. This is another attempted murder charge on this individual.

Caramel looked over to the park, brows furrowed in puzzlement. Then she glanced down the street, where the piebald black, brown and white goat was trotting up, announcing his presence with clip clopping hooves.

He politely spoke to the officers, “Sirs, my name is Grumpeter. I know how it looks like I came here. I was in the park. I sneaked out of the park and down two blocks to come back and give you my information. I did that to mislead your suspect.

“He is the gray unicorn with dirty pink mane and tail, right over there in the park. His cutie mark is a broken ruler.

“I came here because Caramel Treat had a lunch for me, which I ate along with the work crew. I stayed in the park afterwards. The gray and a buddy ran me off, so I hid in the bushes and watched.

“The gray pulled up his magic, really thin like. Near invisible to a pony. Goats, and you can check this, see unicorn magic more clearly than ponies do. He sneaked it across to the roof work that was going on. I could not see what he did, but I saw the result. When the shingles started to slide, Charl tried to stop them. He lost his footing. He almost went off the roof but Caramel leaped up and stopped his slide by slamming a hole in the roof for a grip.”

The Earth pony forensic expert took careful notes and asked Grumpeter for his address and other basic information.

Across the street, in the park, the two unicorns started to quietly sneak away.

The other member of the forensic team noticed them trying to leave! He blew his whistle and yelled, “You two in the park! Halt in the name of the Law!”

They broke into a flat out run! Caramel changed as she charged! By the time that she had crossed the street, the two were being pursued by a giant of an Everfree Ridgeback Wolf!

Ignoring the other one, she homed in on the gray unicorn with the broken ruler cutie mark! An educated, low, nearly flat, leap caused her shoulder to slam his right hind leg at the hip while her massive paw and foreleg tangled his lower leg! They fell in a wild tumble of wolf and pony!

Rolling free, Caramel struck the unicorn's forehead just at the base of the horn, on both sides. As she did, she demanded, “Do not try to use your magic! You can feel the horn tangle!”

She followed by simply putting her full weight on his neck to keep him from rising! The officer arrived on the scene and efficiently horn capped and manacled the prisoner.

Caramel changed back to her normal pony self, slowly, so that she would not alarm any watchers.

The forensic expert watched her change and asked, “Do you have a magical profile in our files, Miss Treat?”

She nodded, “When I was inducted into the Fire Department's Hazmat team. They took one then. They did say that it was really distinctive.”

That was when the police department's open tumbrel arrived to transport the prisoner. He was informed, “Sir, you are under arrest. The charges are vandalism of a work site, four cases of injury great enough to require Horspital treatment, two counts of attempted murder and one count of murder.”

Police unicorns lifted him into the tumbrel for the “free ride” through town to the jail.

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#CARAMEL TREAT'S SWEETS #Part 3 of 4 #MLP Fan Fiction #Caramel Treat - werewolf #Written by De Writer

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