//------------------------------// // Chapter 8 // Story: How to Bore a Commissioner // by Shieldheart204 //------------------------------// Chapter 8 As soon as Featherweight left, Free Will stood up and headed for his umbrella, making sure to finish his drink before going to the front door. "It's not cloudy outside, why do you need your umbrella?" asked Twilight with a confused look. "It always pays to be prepared. Now let us go, there is little time if we want to stop Shield." he answered as he rushed through the door in a very accelerated pace. "We should hurry miss Sparkle, otherwise there will be no one left to save." And so they dashed for the plaza, the sound of shots being heard from the distance. "That's not good." said Free Will as he stopped to sniff the air. "Definitely not good." he increased the pace, making sure not to leave the librarian behind. "Please don't fall behind miss, otherwise there won't be anyone left to save." "What are you talking about?" she asked as they stopped at the plaza, and then it became clear. Mayor Mare was standing next to them, watching the battle in horror. Two figures were next to each other, one a tall man clad in black leather and another man clad in a crimson long coat. The man in black was lying on his knees, a black pistol trained to his forehead. And a loud bang later and the man fell back. She then noticed the group that began unloading their weapons, each one denying the fear in their eyes. To Twilight's surprise Shield survived the hail of pellets, his hand having attracted all of the dangerous bullets to a sphere. He loaded the sphere on the barrel, aimed and fired it at the thugs. The resulting explosion caused the majority of the pack to fall to the ground, but three survived, busily loading shells unto their guns. He ran toward them and disarmed the enemies. "Stop right there sir!" yelled Mayor Mare, "I command you to stop this very instant!" But the soldier ignored her, instead choosing to grab the last man's neck and lift him up. "I demand you let that man go!" commanded the mayor, but he didn't budge. "Please Mr. Will, return to your home, everything is under control…" "I'm afraid it isn't miss mayor, Shield is in a trance and it takes a special skill to snap him out of it." said the man as he cleared his throat. "WOULD YOU KINDLY LET THE MAN LIVE?" he roared. That instant Shield's hand opened, allowing the leather ganger to fall to the floor gasping for air. The librarian noticed that his eyes had a glowing white ring in the iris, giving him an eerie appearance. Even more disturbing was the fact that these unnerving eyes were filled with fear, as if Free Will was a greater threat than him. "How dare you get into a fight with knowledge that it could get you just got removed from your post due to this reckless behavior? If you have any love for the Commission you should really think about what you are doing!" said Free Will. "How bad did you hit your head that you started acting like a dreg?" For the first time Twilight saw Shield with an ashamed look on his face. "I'm sorry sir, but I had to intervene. These thugs were physically abusing a woman, I couldn't just refuse a call for aid." "Is this how an agent of the Commission makes excuses?" shouted an enraged Free Will. "I should have your head for displaying such disregard for rules! You were given only one rule: do not cause trouble! And the first thing you do when you hear trouble? Fix it by creating more trouble! Are you even interested in returning to the Commission at all?" "What would you have me do sir? I don't think there was a better solution." responded Shield as he tried to confront his superior, his face trying to show no emotion at all. "How about just beating one man? How about that? Just beating up one man could have sent the right message, don't you think? Or just shoot their guns, disarming them is a sure way to proven your superiority. Or you could just have tackled them, rescued the poor woman and walked out." barked Mr. Will. "I..." started Shield, but ended abruptly, as if he accepted his faliure. "Twilight Sparkle, would you kindly shoot the greaser unconscious?" asked the ex-mayor with a sweet tone. Withdrawing her wand she prepared to cast the basic bolt she had been taught for self-defense. But before she swished her wand she stopped for a minute. "Why? He's already defeated." she asked as she lowered her wand. "To make sure he doesn't escape." responded Free. "He may have been pounded into dust, but he still pulled out a gun and has to pay for his crimes." And that instant, a raspberry bolt shot out from her wand and hit the leader. He fell down with a moan. "So what do you plan on doing now Shield? You have about twenty enemies with no nearby prisons or any method of containment. I hope you don't plan on giving them a Frontier Burial." "I'm going to call Whiplash and have her take them to The Cage. But before that I have to bring this meat bag for interrogation." answered the Commissioner as he grabbed the limp body and hoisted it onto his shoulders. Fluttershy was nursing her bruised body, but the only noticeable part was her left eye thanks to her clothing. Her yellow long-sleeved blouse was full of dust, but there was no visible trail of blood anywhere. The same could be said about her long skirt, except that the ankles could show a degree of damage. "Miss Fluttershy, I need a moment of your time. If you could please..." he said as he nudged the veterinarian to follow him, but Twilight stepped forward. "I don't think that'll be possible, Fluttershy needs to go home and relax after this encounter." she protested as she grabbed her friend's arm and dragged her away. But she hear a gun cock. "Sorry. No can do. I need her to tell me what the hell happened here. I swear she won't be interrogated, I just need her to give me her side of things. I need to write my report to the Commission about this bunch of punks loaded with high-powered slug-throwers and their bullying crusade." he said calmly as he pointed his gun at a groaning goon behind them. With five bangs the stunned men were knocked out. "Shut up you flesh-dungs!" He approached the sixth hoodlum and pressed the bottom of his boot on the stomach, the sole burning through the fine shirt. "Where did you get these?" he asked as he pressed harder. The victim released a howl of pain. "Talk! Before I barbecue your lungs and eat them for dinner!" he lifted his foot to allow a moan and a brief answer. "I ain't talking! He told us that those who don't betray him will be avenged!" shouted the mook. "I hope you can say that when you wake up in The Cage." Responded Shield as he shot him with a stunner bolt. The poor greaser passed out with a frozen look of fear. He then raised his pistol and blasted the hands, with an unnatural jerk the arms tied themselves with a translucent rope. He repeated this pattern with the rest of the leather-jacket goons. "If anyone needs me I'll be interrogating this sucker in my basement." Shield said as he put the body on his left shoulder while grabbing his silver cellphone with his right. "Hey Whiplash! How ya doing? Me? I'm perfect, just finished beating the living shit out of some poor gangers. No, it's okay, these are legit dudes. Nothing like those pre-pubescent punks I trashed in Cloudsdale. Yeah, these dudes had nine mills and twenty-gauge scatters." he chuckled after a second. "No! I'm serious! Look, I'll let you talk with Free Will, he retired here and saw most of the fight. maybe then you'll see that I'm not shitting." He handed his phone to the old man. "Miss Whiplash, how are you? It has been a good while since I last saw you, was it after Operation White Dwarf or was it in the Sakura Festival? Oh, it was in the Sakura?" Free suddenly tossed his left hand into the air. "Of course! You were wearing that stunning black kimono right? Oh dear me, I'm digressing! "Shield is actually telling the truth, I can vouche for his limited credibility. The sooner you could come the better. So you're coming here in five hours? Perfect, I'll tell Shield to prepare a warrant before you arrive. I suggest you land in the town plaza." "So it appears as though there's no rest for the wicked. Well farewell noble town, I've got stuff to do." he snatched his phone and left, relocating the body to his back before trotting away from the scene. Twilight looked at Free Will. "Follow him, but under no circumstances are you to leave him alone with the prisoner. And you should take your friend with you, the warrant should have her testimony. I promise he will not harm her, and it will get you into his good side." "You're not coming with us?" asked Twilight. "I'm afraid not. I have several things to do, I had an appointment with Mr. Rich half an hour ago. But please drop by my home tomorrow at the same hour, I would like to hear what transpires." answered the old man as he began to walk away. Twilight took a deep breath and grabbed Fluttershy's hand. "Come on Fluttershy, let's go visit Cadence." she said as she led the veterinarian away from the plaza. "You're not going to leave me alone, are you?" asked Fluttershy as she shuffled behind her friend. "Of course not! I'm going with you all the way. Don't worry, I'm sure he will only ask you some things, nothing mayor." assured Twilight as she guided her friend toward the edge of the town. Shield walked toward the front door, refitting the limp body on his shoulder before opening the door. "Oh honey! I'm home!" he shouted as he entered the house. To his surprise, his living room was covered in wood, only sparing the minuscule foyer from being covered in trees. "Why is my house covered in plants?" he asked the indigo-haired shopkeeper as he took off his shoes. Cadence was sitting on the couch, probably resting after a day of doing nothing. As she heard her friend walk in she turned to face him and gave him a quick glance. "What is going on and why are you bleeding?" she asked as she stared at his left leg. He turned to look at his braced leg and noticed that there was a trickle of blood extruding from his jeans. "Oh that? I didn't notice it till just now. I got into a fight with this scum and his buddies, they pulled out guns and apparently managed to hit me, I'm only injured in the leg right?" He asked as he canned the rest of his body. "You're fine dear, as for your house, I would say it is an improvement. But please wait here while I bring bandages. Last thing I want is for you to ruin the floor, it's still not liquid proof." Rarity said as she headed for the study. "Shouldn't you be worried that he has a bullet wound?" reproached Cadence as she rushed to aid the soldier. Rarity returned with a first-aid box, taking out the gauze and lifting the bottom cuff to cover the wound. "If he is capable of walking all the way here while carrying a body, I believe his leg is the least of your worries." she answered calmly. "And please remove your shoes, I want this floor to last at least a week. Oh Twilight! What a pleasant..." she stopped as she saw Flutteshy enter with her left eye almost closed. "What happened?" "This dung bag happened. Cadence, please use the eye-patch in the freezer. I'll be back, I just need to get this prick ready for interrogation." he said as he took off his boots and walked toward the basement. "Miss Fluttershy, if you would please take a seat, I'll be with you shortly." Twilight took off her shoes and helped the veterinarian settle down on the couch. Cadence returned with a blue eye-patch. She handed it to the pink-haired woman and settled on the sofa in front. "What happened Fluttershy?" "I got into trouble with some bad people and..." she squirmed. Shield returned at that moment, holding an electronic tablet in a black leather case. "Very well ma'am, I know you don't like it, but with this statement we can bring justice to those dregs. Now, for evidence purposes I'll have to record our conversation. I hope this doesn't cause any inconvenience." he said in a sweet voice, much to Twilight's surprise. "Um... no, it's fine." she said under her breath. "Very well, let us begin." he said as he pressed the record button. "This is Shield Heart, Commissioner of Equestria currently under suspension. This record states and justifies my actions against a biker gang calling themselves Kobras assaulting the local veterinarian." he paused before looking at her. "Would you like to state your name for the record? Or would you rather remain anonymous?" he asked. "I would rather not say my name." she whispered. "Please say it a little louder, we need clear statements from you." "I would rather not say my name." she repeated with more strength in her voice. "Thank you. I would like you to tell me what transpired before my intervention." She laid down on the couch, gulping hard before summoning the courage to answer. "I was walking through the market making my usual shopping. I was near the vegetable stands when I noticed the gang parking their motorcycles over the flower beds. I tried to ask politely if they could please move them, as they were destroying the flowers. They soon turned their heads and started calling me names, asking if I was looking for a fight. I tried to calm them down, but they wouldn't listen. "One of them, the big brute, punched me in my left eye, and knocked me out. After that I don't remember much, other than their kicks and Featherweight helping me get out of the fight." she said, sighing afterwards as if she had confessed something. "Very well, were there any other people affected by these thugs?" he asked with his kind voice. "I don't know. I couldn't see anything through them." she said with a quavering voice. "It's all right, don't worry. Thank you for your time, I shall now end the recording before proceeding with the interrogation of the suspected leader of this Kobras gang. Brigadier Shield Heart signing off." he said as he pressed a button in his tablet. "If you will excuse me, I suggest you stand clear from the basement. If you hear any squeals for help don't worry, it just means that my methods are working." he then turned on his heels and proceeded to walk down the stairs. Twilight thought about his words for a second before rushing after him. "I want to help you." she spurted out. Everyone that heard her turned to face her. "Are you alright Twilight? Did you hit your head outside?" asked Cadence with a bewildered look on her face. "I'm sure." she responded calmly. "Are you sure about that? My methods are considered somewhat extreme by those with lesser stomachs. Or are you after something else?" he asked as he glared at her. "I was thinking of becoming an Auxiliary." she said calmly. "I'm done sitting in the sidelines watching my friends be attacked. I want to be able to help my friends with more than just my brains." her voice flowed so serene that Shield was inclined to say yes. He eyed her with surprise. "For real? Pray tell what skills do you plan on bringing to the table? I hope you did think this through, as the Commission doesn't just accept anyone with good intentions." he said with his usual sarcastic tone. "I have two skills, one I have a powerful connection with magic..." "I'm a very accomplished mage." he snapped. "And I have direct influence over some of the Princess's decisions. One of which could be your reinstatement if you promise to behave like a human being." she replied calmly. There was a flash of joy, followed by a face of disappointment. "But acting like a normal human is boring." he quietly replied. "Fine, if I promise not to get too violent, would you convince the Princess to remove my suspension?" "Yes, I promise I'll try to convince her. But that's still up to her." she replied. "Very well, I guess that's all I can hope for at the moment." he answered smugly as he disappeared into the basement.