In a perfect world, there is no evil. In a perfect world, people don't hurt each other. In a perfect world, She is still alive. I know it might sound cliche but, I did promise three little fillies that I would protect them from evil, a hard promise to uphold but, I was doing a pretty darn good job at it. But, all good things must come to an end as I slacked off one night and went for a drink with my friend and she ended up dead. Maybe my promise was impossible to keep but, that won't stop me from finding her killer.
Apple Bloom is dead. That was the only thought that bounced around my empty head, I had failed, ever since I came here I had vowed to protect those girls that called themselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
I had never seen such a gruesome crime scene, even back on earth, I had worked homicides in Detroit, Compton, New York City and yet I had never seen anything quite like this. They had almost completely dismembered her, it was a complete bloodbath. one of her forelegs was cut off, her other foreleg was skinned right down to the bone, she was scalped, both her hind legs were bent completely in half, the whole thing left me with one question, Who would do something like this?.
I sat staring at the wall of the desolate hospital waiting room, even if I knew she was dead it didn't make it hurt any less. My mind was clouded with all sorts of thoughts and I couldn't think straight so, I decided that a walk would probably clear my thoughts. I walked through the door and towards the park/courtyard that was by the hospital. One of the thing I wasn't too keen on seeing was, her friends' reactions Apple Jack's was bad enough. While I might've had a blank stare on my face my head was abuzz with thoughts like how I was gonna find this guy, And more importantly, How am I going to keep my cool when I find him killing an unarmed pony would definitely cost me my job.
Suddenly all my sadness turned into anger as I punched a nearby tree with all my strength, it didn't do as much damage as I hoped it would but It did leave a nice little dent where my fist had made contact and also hurt like hell. While it did relive some of my anger I was still angrier than I had ever been.
As I continued my midnight walk I tried my hardest to formulate a way to break the news to All her friends, I don't want to be the one to do it, but no doubt I will have to, the police officer on the case is usually the one to break the news. This would not be an easy task, I had a hard enough time telling her family.
I'm not sure how many people in Ponyville can say they have seen Big Mac cry (Other than his family) but my guess is somewhere in the ballpark of zero well one now.
Why did this have to happen? How did I let this happen? I told her and the other Crusaders that I would always protect them. But somehow I managed to fail, I just had to go grab a drink, Why did I let Jeff con me into getting a drink? He said I needed it, He said nothing bad possibly happen in one night. and I believed him we had an ungodly low crime rate and we hadn't had a murder In close to a year so I figured a night off couldn't hurt.
No matter how I looked at it it just didn't add up. The Apple Family didn't have any enemies that I knew of, And our first murder In almost a year was the first night I had taken off since I had gotten here. Someone had to of known, this had to be well planned out. They somehow either knew that I was taking the night off or they saw me at the bar. Out of the two, I think the first one was the option that made the most sense, but the question was how did he know? Was he on the inside? no, I am almost 100% sure that Jeff and I were the only two that knew. Wait, could Kaine have known? Jeff might have told him or he could've just figured out on his own. But he would never do anything like that he cared about them just as much as I did. But is that just what he wanted me to think? He was probably the only one I knew that could outsmart me. He had a lot more experience than me and was 2 years older than me. I tried to block these thoughts out of my head, I don't want to think like that. Officer Neff was one of my best friends and there is no way he did this.
I think I need to get some sleep it's too late to be thinking about suspects. I decided to call my walk, I walked back up to the hospital entrance and enter. The waiting room is just as empty as I left it. I sat in the same seat I always sat it. The far left corner, I liked this seat because it was typically isolated because let's face it. no one wanted to be that guy in the corner.
"Hey" I look up and see Nurse Redheart standing in front of me.
"Hi" I respond.
"So officer Dustice I assume you will walk the Apple family home,". She asks in a sad tone. I knew she was going to ask me that. And I had no choice but to say yes. I mean what kind of person would I be if I said no.
"Yeah, I got it," I say flatly. Truth be told I didn't I had no problem with walking them home, I just couldn't convey happy emotions at this point.
"Alright thank you," She says as she turns around and disappears into the hall. Shortly after Redheart Walked into the hallway Applejack walked out into the waiting room. She had tears in her eyes and a solemn look on her face, I hated to see her like this, She walked over and practically collapsed into the seat next to me, she wrapped her forelegs around me and leaned into my shoulder and started to cry, I wrapped my arms around her and brought her close, I wasn't typically one for huge physical contact but I could tell she needed this.
I gently whispered "Its ok" in her ear, hoping that It would ease her sobbing a little. I had never seen Apple Jack like this, she was practically as tough as me but here she was crying like her whole family just died. I guess in a way her whole family did kind of die, I mean Granny Smith died a few months back and now Apple Bloom was gone so it was just her and Big Mac now. Speaking of Big Mac I was so distracted trying to calm Apple Jack that I barely noticed him slowly walk out the door.
I figure it is about time for Apple Jack to get home it was almost 1 in the morning after all. I realize that her crying had stopped. I look down at her ready to drive her home only to realize that she has fallen asleep, not wanting to disturb her I lean back in my chair and slowly drift off to sleep
I awoke to the hospital door bursting open and four ponies rushed through with a gurney in tow. I sit up and look at the clock that reads 2:30, I sigh and lean back on the chair. I look down at Apple Jack, who was still sleeping soundly on my shoulder.
I was brought out of my daze when the doors slammed shut. Somehow Apple Jack was still asleep, I figured it was a good idea to take her home so, I carefully maneuvered my way out of the awkward hug and slowly picked up the sleeping pony and picked her up off the chair, and somehow managed to exit the hospital with her still in my arms, It was definitely going to be a tiring walk but, noting I couldn't deal with.
After the long and tiring walk to Sweet Apple acres, I approached the front of the small farmhouse that was the Apple Family home. I Managed to knock on the door with my foot. Typically I hated to knock or in this case kick on doors at this hour. But given the situation, I was almost One hundred percent sure that Big Mac was still awake. Just as I suspected he opened the door and stared at me with a painfully blank stare that felt like it was piercing my soul, I nodded and turned around to go get Apple Jack, I opened the backdoor of my cruiser and Picked her up once again and brought her to Big Mac who still looked like his soul had been completely ripped out of him. We traded hands and I patted him on the shoulder and turned to walk away.
I turned around and started walking back towards Ponyville. I decided that I had enough sleep for the night. So back to work, it is. I ran into much more traffic than I anticipated. It was always a mystery to me, Why So many ponies were out at this time of night, Was it exercise? If they were exercising why at night? It seems like it would just be better to go for a walk during the say.
After another long walk, I start to approach the Station. But as I approach another burst of anger hit me and I punched the nearest tree, I recoiled. why did I keep doing that? On the same hand too! all of this In a feeble attempt to get all the anger out of my system. It didn't work and despite my best efforts I still slammed the door to the station shut behind me.
This action made the receptionist jump nearly ten feet in the air. "Sorry". I muttered as I walked past her desk an to the stairs. I trudged up the stairs and into my office. I fell into my painfully stiff chair and let out a deep sigh.
"What brings you here so early" I glanced up to see the Chief of police standing in the doorway. Surprisingly he was a human too. Somehow Ponyville was home to the only four humans in all of Equestria, and coincidentally all four of us worked in the Police force.
"I fucked up man," I said in a flat tone. He looked down at the floor and nodded.
"That didn't answer my question" He responded. He undoubtedly knew what happened. he was most likely going to tell me I needed to get more sleep. And I was going to ignore him just like I always did.
"Wille you can't keep doing this," He says in a mildly irritated tone. Well, this is new, he had my attention at this point. I wasn't sure where he was going with this. I signal for him to continue.
"You can't keep blaming yourself for stuff that was impossible to prevent" He stated simply. This statement pissed me off more than it should've.
"What do you mean?" I said anger filling my voice. Why does he always do this? Why can't I accept that I make mistakes too?
"Wille you don't understand. This was completely unpreventable there was nothing you could've done about it" He said in an infuriatingly calm tone. This was it, this was the final straw in my patience, this was my breaking point.
"Why can't you understand that I make mistakes too?" I said in an exasperated tone. Can he not just see that this is my fault if my Dumbass hadn't taken the night off like an amateur, I could've identified the threat and taken them out before anything bad happened.
"Even if you were on patrol there is no way you could've foreseen this," He said in the same calm tone. Now I was done, I can't believe that he is trying to act like I would have failed Apple Bloom either way.
"YES I COULD'VE AND I WOULD'VE, WHY CAN'T YOU JUST ACCEPT MY MISTAKE" I yelled. He was taken aback by my sudden outburst and frankly, I was too, I had expected to just sound like I was just very cross with him. I didn't expect to just fully yell.
"Willie even if you saw the perpetrator, he would've just seemed like a normal guy. Now go home and get some sleep" He said still as calm as ever. I just stared at him and shook my head.
"That's an order," He said giving me a stern look. I looked at him with what was probably a very confused expression "You heard me. go home" My confusion only intensified as I stared at my desk. Did he just kick me out? No, he couldn't have he would never do that to me.... would he?
"WILLIE!" His voice jolted me from my thoughts "I told you Go home. and that's an order!" It was my turn to be taken aback Chief Haney was never one to raise his voice at anyone especially me. I didn't feel like arguing further so I nodded, got up and left my office and walked down the hall and the stairs.
"Leaving so soon" The voice jolted me from my thoughts, I glared over at the receptionist, This was not the time for her shenanigans.
"Can it" I said raising my voice ever so slightly. I glanced back in her direction to see the shocked expression she wore. But At this point, I couldn't give two fucks about her feelings. I exited the station and headed for home.
I awoke to the light pouring into my room. I look over at the clock to see it was 8:30 in the morning. Shit, I overslept, I jumped out of my bed, showered, ate breakfast, And hopped in my police cruiser. I tried my best throughout my morning routine to mentally prepare myself for what I had to do today.
I took a solemn walk over to the carousel boutique, This was my first stop of the day. I reached my destination, walked along the path, and began to take the path that leads to the ever so elegant entrance of the boutique. I knocked on the door and was quickly greeted by Rarity.
"Hello, Willie" Rarity greeted enthusiastically. I looked at the ground, she was in such a good mood today. As much as I hated to kill her mood it had to be done.
"Good morning Rarity," I said. trying to put this off as much as I can.
"Please do come inside," She said as she scoots to the side and motions to the inside of the Boutique.
"I'm sorry but I need you and Sweetie Belle to come with me," I said in a dejected tone. I saw her expression change immediately. I probably should've phrased that better.
"Are we in any trouble?" Rarity said in a frightened tone.
"No, I just need to speak with you two," I said. She shoots me a confused look.
"Why can't you just tell us here," She said confusion evident in her tone.
"Well I need to tell Scootaloo and I figure It would be better if I told them together," I said sadly. It would be better if they found out together, I think it is best to mourn the death of a friend with at least one other friend present.
"Um Alright," She said, her tone shifting back to worry. "Sweetie Get ready, we have somewhere to be!" Rarity shouted up the stairs. I nod and sit down in one of the chairs on the porch, as I wait for the Duo. I start to doze off a little I try to fight it, but I am no match for my colossal lack of sleep, as I reluctantly let sleep take over my body.
I am jolted awake by the front door opening, I look over to see Rarity join me on the porch and shortly after the front door opens again and Sweetie Belle joins us on the porch.
"Sweetie You wouldn't happen to know where Scootaloo is would you?" I asked. As well as I know the girls I somehow had no idea where Scootaloo lived. That is probably important information and I am ashamed that I have gone two years without ever looking into it.
"At the clubhouse Probably," Sweetie said. She sounds a little annoyed probably due to being woken up on her sleep in the day. I nod and begin the trek back to Sweet Apple Acres. Luckily for me, I didn't have to go all the way to Sweet Apple Acres especially when I had to drag Rarity and Sweetie Belle along with me. as I spotted her out of the corner of my eye walking towards the center of town. I quickly turn and walk up to her.
"Hey Scoots," I said with fake enthusiasm. She looks up at me and smiles.
"Hey Wille," She says happily. This further broke my heart, I could deal with breaking Rarity's happiness. But Scootaloo's was just a little too important to me.
"Can you follow me, I need to talk to you," I said. Not the best way of phrasing it, but at this point, I just wanted to get it over with. She gives me a worried glance before nodding and started following us as I turned around at started to walk in the direction of Twilight's library. Fortunately for me, I didn't need to get any of Rarity's friends, I and twilight had worked this out last night, I was going to get Rarity and the remaining crusaders, And she was going to get the others and check and see is Apple Jack wanted to come.
As approached the library I sighed, this was always the hardest part. My three followers quickly and closely followed me. Even if I wasn't looking at them, I could still tell that they were exchanging worried glances. I pushed open the front door to the library and held it for my companions.
As I followed I looked into the library to see that Twilight and her friends were waiting.
"Ugh, now can you tell us why you brought us here Twilight?" Rainbow Dash said in an exasperated tone. Twilight looked at me and nodded, I nodded back and took a seat on a couch that was in everyone's line of sight.
"I'm... I'm not sure how to put this but" I stammered. Come on Willie! Don't get emotional now! I looked at the ground as I tried to get myself straight. I looked up at my audience. They all face of Varying concern, except for Twilight who just had a reassuring smile on her face.
"Apple Bloom was found dead last night" I blurted. We sat there in silence for an excruciatingly long time. It was almost uncomfortable as we just sat there staring at each other, waiting for someone to speak.
"R..Really?" Scootaloo finally asked on the verge of tears. All I could do is nod. That was all It took, Sweetie Belle burst into tears with Scootaloo quickly following, Rarity and Fluttershy also started to cry, albeit a lot less loud... and violent. Dash just looked at the ground with an empty expression on her face. Me and Twilight exchange sad glances as we sat in silence letting them have their mourn session.
I have never heard anyone cry as hard as Sweetie Belle And Scootaloo did I never thought they would stop either. This was one of the saddest moments in all of my Twenty-Two years of life, Up there with the time when my mom died. Which is a very weird thing now that I am saying it.
Eventually, it was time to go. Me and Rarity had to practically drag Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo out of the library. I Practically carried them to the Carousel Boutique where Sweetie And Scootaloo somewhere along the line decided to stay at the Boutique for the rest day (And night). Apparently Scootaloo didn't need anything from her house, I asked, but she just shook her head.
"I..I'm sorry" Is all I managed to stutter out. Rarity just sadly nodded as she entered her house. I had to assist her in getting Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo in the boutique. I stood there in the doorway as she sent them upstairs to Sweetie Belle's room. I turned to walk back to my to the police station but was stopped about halfway there by the sound of Rarity's voice.
"Wille," She asked quietly. I turned around and looked at Rarity who still looked as sad as ever.
"Yeah," I said.
"Would you mind stopping by after your shift?" She asked hope evident in her tone. I wasn't sure why she wanted me to do this, but I didn't question.
"No, I don't mind," I said. She nods. I turn around and start to head back to the station.