Chapter 9
As Twilight entered the clinical basement she saw the leader was hanging from the ceiling. His hands were sore as they tried to squeeze themselves out of the translucent cuffs that tied him. These were connected to a steel hook that allowed the victim to hover just a few centimeters from the ground.
"Was that really necessary?" she asked as she thought of a way to rationally explain to the princess why it was a good idea to let this madman loose in Ponyville.
"Maybe not, but I would rather make sure he can't wiggle his way out, or have him take out a shiv to try and break the bonds. It also helps when the inevitable torture comes along." he answered with a smile. "Anyways, you want to start while I prepare the nasty stuff?"
'What? No! You won't prepare any nasty stuff! We are just going to peacefully ask him some questions, plain and simple." said Twilight as she approached the ganger. Shield, meanwhile, set up a camera and began recording.
"What's your name?" asked the librarian as she looked at the captive.
The poor leather-clad biker just stared at her, his eyes miserably trying to hide his fear. "I'm Serpent King."
"Very well, and what brought you here to Ponyville?" but Serpent kept quiet.
"Answer the question or I'll make you." threatened Shield as he cracked his knuckles.
"I'm not saying a word until I get a lawyer." he answered with little confidence.
"Kid, you and your buddies just opened fire on a military officer. You wounded me and even worst, you wounded an innocent civilian. You threw your rights out the window and into the galaxy's blackest hole the second you gave the order of attack." said Shield with a smug face. "I could go on listing your crimes... so I will:
"You attacked an innocent bystander for no apparent reason, you threatened to kill a military officer, you then proceeded to order your subordinates to attack me, your team then pulled out twenty-gauge shotguns and used them for no reason, the shotguns are most certainly illegal, and the worst crime ever: you destroyed a perfectly good flower bed!"
"And how do I know you really are a military officer huh? As far as I know you're just an old fart who thinks he can lock me in his basement for no good reason" answered the greaser as he ejected a mouthful of dirt and spit.
Shield showed him his Commissioner Badge and Vanhoover Legion ID card. "Eat your heart out asshole."
"Oh shit, you're that Shield Heart?" asked Serpent as the color drained from his face. "Oh shit, I'm fucked
"I see you've heard of me. I'm sure you know what I do to people who want to have things their way. Here's a hint: They don't get free burgers." Said the soldier with a soft, and very creepy, voice.
"Lady, please tell me you're gonna help me! I don't want this maniac anywhere near me!" started screaming the criminal.
Twilight grabbed the madman by the shoulder. "You are doing nothing to this man if you want my help."
"Fine, try to get a confession out of him. But if he resists, all bets are off. I need to make that report before Whiplash arrives." he said as he began pacing around.
"I'll answer anything, just don' leave me alone miss."
"In that case, why did you attack my friend?" she asked with a stern look.
"That pink-haired bitch..." in that moment a bullet flew from behind Twilight and hit his clavicle.
"Show some respect for women scum!" roared Shield as he returned Ash to his holster.
"Shield! It's not polite to shoot people, even if they are being difficult." she scolded. "Now, you were saying?"
"Yeah, we parked our bikes wherever and she asked us to move them because she cared more about the animals and shit. I told her to piss off. But she asked again, and I had to show my bros that I was the boss. So I made her taste my fist." as he ended his statement Twilight grabbed a nearby pistol and pointed it at Shield, who was already going for his gun.
"Drop it or there's no help from me." she threatened, and he backed off. She turned to face her victim once more. "Who gave you the guns?"
"Some asshole named Gun Runner..." and a bullet hit his groin.
"Liar!" sang out Shield. "Gun Runner is dead, I killed him myself in Vanhoover. Cremated him and the whole shish kebab. I think I actually had a shish kebab that day. Or was it shawarma? Any who, tell us the truth!"
"I'm not the one that got the guns, that was Boulder. He's the one who came up with that idea."
"Who's Boulder?" asked Twilight.
"He's that big brute who nearly kicked your ass. He came up with the idea of coming here in the first place, he said it was a good place to start building up a crew. Y'know, since you don't even have police and you're so close to Canterlot."
"What was your plan?"
"We were gonna start a gang, recruit members, racketeer a few locals, and make this town into our own personal heaven. Jack said it was gonna be easy."
"And how do you know Shield Heart?"
"You don't know him? Suits you for being a goody-two-shoes. That man behind you is a boogieman's boogieman. They say he once killed twenty doped brutes in the docks using only a toothpick."
"Nonsense, I remember that fight perfectly, I used guns, fists, chains, swords, I think there was also a chainsaw, an industrial fan somewhere and an unusually large sea bass; but I'm fairly certain that I never used a toothpick. I remember that fight, those guys were jacked up with painkillers and just wouldn't give up."
Miss Sparkle, what would your second reaction be to a man who is beating you to death with an indestructible, over-sized fish and one of your arms? The first one being GAAAAAAAAH!!!! MY ARM!!!?" he said with an insulting tone, the scream in particular was saturated with his high-pitched mocking voice.
The Princess's most powerful student was taken by surprise. "I don't know... maybe run away from my delusional aggressor?"
"I know right! But there they were; twenty smelly, repugnant and downright ugly bastards that were too busy trying to peel my face from my skull to be concerned for their own well being." he then sneezed. "Anyways, back to you prick. Why did you need guns in the first place if you picked this town specifically for the lack of security?"
"I don't know! This was all Boulder's idea! Ever since he started meeting with his shady contacts he's been trying to overthrow me! I attacked your friend to try to regain control over my men!"
"So all of this mess was to try to look tough?" asked Twilight in disbelief. "You attacked an innocent woman just because she asked you to move your motorcycles?"
"Yeah, I needed to show them that no one was gonna tread on me. But I should have known better than to trust Jack, even when we were kids he would try to do anything to get stronger."
"I hope he isn't willing to sell his soul to a Shadow or would he?" asked Shield as he crossed his arms.
"I don't know, maybe." he answered with a shrug.
"Was he always a mage?"
"What? No of course nos! We were born in Fillydelphia, we got no magic for ourselves."
"Then Canterlot, we have a BIG problem." said Shield as he stroked his chin.
The purple-haired librarian turned again to stare at him. "What are you talking about?"
"Buddy, I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but your friend has made a deal with a Shadow." Shield said as he placed his hand over the greaser's shoulder.
"How can you be sure?" he asked nervously.
"Because that monster was very hard to kill and even had a magic barrier. Unless he's doing Pixie Dust I'm sure he's got a fifty-fifty percent chance of exploding in a shower of gore and spawning a monster that would give me a run for my money. Kid, if you want to save your sorry ass from having your own private cell in The Cage you will tell me if your friend ever got any substance."
Serpent opened his mouth, but paused for a moment. "He once told me that he had gotten this new drug, like cocaine, but it made you way stronger. I never did that stuff, mama said it caused more harm than good."
Shield could not help but chuckle at the irony: a gang member saying he didn't do drugs because his mom said it was bad. If there was a prize for breaking the most stereotypes in one sentence, Shield was sure this dude should at least be nominated."Do you know what he was taking? or at least do you know where we can find his stash?"
"He always keeps a bag in his motorcycle, it's the one with the ogre skull attached to the handlebar." said Serpent with a fearful look.
"Thanks, due to your cooperation I have concluded that you are hereby sentenced to a year of Jail in Cloudsdale Penitentiary with a chance of parole." stated Shield in a formal voice as he stopped the camera.
"Now if you'll excuse me, I have more work. Just when I thought this shit was finally over I have to deal with something even worse." he said as he cocked his birthday present. "I swear I sometimes don't get paid enough for this crap."
As he ascended the stairs he noticed Rarity was next to him, her eyes showing no emotion. "Can I help you with something?" he asked her with finesse. He felt as if she was three seconds from exploding, women were like that.
"When do you plan on unpacking the boxes in your study sir?" she asked, her eyes showing no timer to her detonation.
Shield looked around before facing her. "Once I do some more official business, maybe."
"Well I need you to clear those boxes out now so I can begin preparations on your study."
"Maybe you could start with my bedroom? I really don't have time for this, I'll be back soon." he said as he walked away. But his collar suddenly stopped, nearly choking him as he tried to walk out the door. He turned to see that the seamstress had grabbed the fabric around his neck via magic.
"I'm already done with your bedroom, and you're not going anywhere unless I have some guarantee that you will be back in at least an hour."
"Why is it so important that I do that today?"
"Because I have to get back to tending to my shop! I have been too busy decorating your home these last three days and you have yet to show a single degree of interest!" she exploded, he knew she would. Women always had that neutral look whenever the planned on exploding.
"I'm kind of in the middle of a drug bust, so unless it is critical that I unpack I ask that you do not intervene."
"Leave your rifle here as a guarantee that as soon as you get back you will unpack those boxes." she said with authority.
"What? Why?"
"I already know that there's no danger out there, so you will be fine, and I am grounding this so that you won't go into the woods on some random escapade."
"Dammit!" he cursed very softly as he handed over his early present.
"Now go and do your official business, we'll wait here for your return." said the seamstress as she hugged the gun.
"Just don't scratch her...." he said as he left.
A couple of seconds passed after he left before Twilight joined her friends in the living room.
"Where's Fluttershy? What are you still doing here?" she asked.
"Fluttershy went back to her house, she said that she was feeling better. As to why I am here, I am redecorating your new boss's home." answered Rarity with a huff.
"Are you still shocked about what I said?"
"Yes I am. Twilight, I understand that the Princess left you this impossible task and you want to make sure that you do right. But I cannot allow you to get in harm's way like this!"
"I know that my decision sounded somewhat rash..."
"it definitely caught us by surprise." said Cadence with a cup of chocolate pudding in her hand.
"...but I have thought about it. I don't want to be an auxiliary, I just think that this is the best way to get to know him. What other way do you suggest to get to know him?"
Rarity was the one to answer. "I can see the logic behind your arguments, but you must understand the dangers that your plan brings."
"I know, but we've already lost a week and we have made zero progress. He's still the same psycho who got nearly killed by a pack of trolls."
"And is this really worth getting killed for?" intervened Cadence. "I hope you did think about who you're dealing with."
"I started reading on the whole Auxiliary business, and as far as I know I won't be forced into service. Anyway, I'm too inexperienced for someone with common sense to even consider taking me out to the field."
"And yet the reason the Princess wants to save him is because he is unorthodox in his methods. Have you really considered what would happen if he took you out to the field?"
The librarian paused for a moment. The fact that he was random when it came to plans had completely slipped out of her mind. "Oh no, no no nonononono. This is bad, my entire plan was based around him not taking me to missions. What if he somehow finds something he can use? What if he goes berserk in one of our missions? Then that would mean that I've failed the princess, and I'll probably..." she trailed off before Rarity slapped her back to reality.
"Would you calm down for a second?" said Rarity as she nursed her hand.
"Sorry, I was just panicking. but I'm better now." said the librarian as she began to take deep breaths. "Now I just have to rethink everything again."
"By the way, why hasn't Spike returned?" asked Rarity.
"Princess Celestia said she needed someone to talk to the dragons in order to appease them. He probably will be back by the end of next month."
"Then I suggest we return to our more pressing matter. What was your original plan?"
"I was going to ask the princess to re-institute him and while on down-time I would give him an endless stream of menial tasks in the hopes that it would calm him down."
"I am sorry, but I fail to realize where your plan fails if you have to go out on missions."
"Because, I need to stay here and catch up on my studies! The Princess won't allow me to fall behind even if I am doing a mission for her."
"I think she would understand if you followed him on some mission. You might end up learning more than what you hoped for."
"What do you think Cadence? You've been awfully quiet."
The Princess of Love looked at them as she began her fourth cup of pudding. "I agree with some of Rarity's ideas, but I think that your brother would not like it if you joined Shield. As good of a friend as he was before, I'm scared of what he is capable of doing if he gets carried away."
"So what should we do for tomorrow onward?" asked Twilight with a puzzled look.
"Simple, you tell him that if he wants to earn his title back he is going to work for it. Take him to the farm, they always need an extra hand and his skills might help them. Then have him help Rainbow Dash of Fluttershy, I'm sure that one of them must have some job for him. After which you can have him act as your assistant, or you can send him to me. I'm sure I could use him as a mannequin for something." said Rarity as she waved her hands around.
A few minutes later Shield burst through the door, his right hand holding a bag full of red dust. "I need to kill someone." he said as he took off his boots and began storming through the living room, but he suddenly clutched his heart and fell down to the floor.
All three women shot out of their seats and raced over to him, at once they asked: "Are you all right?"
His body soon began to shake violently for a couple of seconds before freezing over. "Hit me with lightning." he managed to murmur as he fell to the floor.
Twilight's brain reacted instantly and she went for her wand, and soon discharged a bolt of lightning directed towards him. With some violent twitching he was soon back on his feet. "Sorry about that." he said as he brushed dirt off his coat and started walking normally.
The librarian stopped him before he could disappear into the basement. "What just happened?"
"Not much, I just had a cardiac arrest. It's nothing mayor, now if you'll excuse me..."
"You're treating a heart attack with the same fear as a bruise?"asked Rarity with outrage.
"Yeah I usually get these whenever I use too much magic on my body, so due to shenanigans I don't care about my heart gives up. I had been planning to install a defibrillator in my heart, but my surgeon has had... complications to say the least. I'll see if he can come by next week and install it if that will appease your motherly instincts." he answered as he grabbed his phone and walked down the stairs to the basement, walking with absolutely no problems.
"I do not have a comment for this." said Rarity as she grabbed the black rifle she confiscated. "Hey soldier, I think you are forgetting something!"
Shield patted his chest and checked the bag in his hand. "Seeing as though I still have my heart and this bag of confiscated drugs I'm sure that you are referring to something else. I will now use my powers of deduction." he said as he placed his index and middle finger on the right side of his forehead. "I believe it has something to do with the rifle you are shoving at me."
"Do you not remember what you promised to do when you left?"
"Did it have to do something with the study and some boxes?"
"Did you really forget? Or are you trying to worm your way out of this?"
"Worm my way out of what? Is it some sort of ball, because if you are talking about that then I will pretend to still have amnesia and will continue to walk away."
"I asked you to please unpack the boxes you have holed up in your study! How could you forget something that I told you ten minutes ago?" exploded Rarity as she slapped his left cheek.
"First of all, ow. Second, I still have commissioner stuff to do so it's not like I have the time to take out the several kilos worth research books." he said as he tried to walk away, but a magic aura attempted to choke him once more.
"You will clean out that room or I will convince the princess to lock you up in a mental institution."
"Fine! but I need Twilight to begin writing the Arrest Warrant, the format is in my data-slate."
"Where?"
"On my tablet that I left downstairs."
"I can't go downstairs, it's bio-metrically locked. Remember?"
Shield took out his cellphone, pressed an app and aimed his camera at her eye. In a flash her retina was saved to the system and her thumb was on the touch screen. "There, now you can access the Armory whenever your heart desires." he said in an emotionless voice as he walked to the study.
"I think I should start with that report." said Twilight as she headed for the basement.