Moorland had stayed home to help tend to Pipe. Doctor Ventricular Quadrant had come by and after an examination, he left to get some medicine. Hive Detective Evidence Locker was holding down Pipe's office while he recovered. As for Pipe moving in, majority didn't care. Moorland was surprised to see Cadence come down and present her with a gift of roses and a parcel, which contained orders for custom bookshelves.
“Thank you Princess,” Moorland said, awestruck.
“No, thank you,” Cadence smiled. “Frankly, I hated that tiny apartment. I'd expect that from some halfwit detective who couldn't find his tail with a roadmap, compass, all four of his hooves and a team of explorers.”
The two mares laughed. Moorland poured themselves some tea and as they drank, a wreck walked out of the master bedroom.
“Ah, he's alive,” Moorland said. “Want something to eat?”
“Two packs of tacks,” he groaned. “I feel like I just came back from a bender.”
“Stress induced pass out,” Cadence replied. “Also, Moorland had your apartment moved here.”
“May I ask why?” he asked.
“I'm too proud to let you sink,” Moorland said. “You're my top tier friend and also, you've got a sense of justice that I can't match.”
He chuckled softly and sat down. A beat guard brought up some hash browns and coffee.
“Hope you'll have something to eat,” the guard said. “Princess Cadence and Princess Moorland are preparing for lunch.”
“I'll wait to eat until they've been served,” Pipe said. “Right now, my stomach's clocked out to vacation.”
The two mares laughed. The guard gave Pipe a puzzled look and Pipe couldn't help but feel like he just made himself into a champion ass.
“Pardon me, I need to find my sleeping sanity and get it to wake up and rejoin me,” he said and hurried out.
“That colt,” the guard grumbled. “Always making a wisecrack or something stupid.”
“At least he's able to help me unwind with his wisecracks,” Moorland replied.
The guard grunted. Pipe returned, looking presentable and up to standard. He reached for the coffee cup and downed the lukewarm coffee and downed it. By the time he set the cup down, the guard brought lunch.
“Your meals,” he said, then quipped. “I don't get paid enough to be a butler.”
“You don't get paid to be a butler,” Cadence deadpanned. “Your paid to be a beat guard for the precinct.”
“I know that,” the guard shot back. He wasn't going to admit to Cadence he didn't work for the Precinct and was a Hive Patrol Guard.
“Plus, you were on tap for use,” Moorland said. “So I put you to work.”
The guard just grumbled and continued to work around the apartment. Cadence and Moorland looked at Pipe.
“You going to be alright?” Cadence asked.
“Yes,” he said. “After I put all my resources into fin....”
“You are not an island!” Moorland bellowed, slamming the table.
“Excuse me, but since when do you actually care about me and my well being?” he asked.
“Ever since I heard you took the filly to hospital and spent time consoling the family,” Moorland said. “That and I actually have a respect for you. Not many can do what you did and hold up well under such news.”
Cadence nodded.
“Also, may I ask why Cadence is down here from the Crystal Empire? Slow day with the political types?” he asked.
“No, Shining Armor sent me down here to get me out of the castle, and I wanted to meet up with you for a lunch,” she said. “However, I didn't expect this.”
“None of us did,” Moorland said. “This whole thing just threw a wrench in the plans.”
“I understand,” Cadence said. “It is a sad affair, but with you two, I can just see it ending badly, for the perpetrators.”
Moorland smiled and agreed while Pipe nodded. Lunch time continued with an air of content. Cadence and Moorland talked mostly about the qualities of being a great princess or queen while Pipe and the guard, who's name was Glass Furnace, talked about criminal minds. Glass had to choke down surprise at how stupid half the criminals Pipe put away were.
“Seriously? That moron waved at two cops while robbing a bank?!” Glass asked.
“Yup,” Pipe said.
Glass facehoofed. Pipe just chuckled. Cadence and Moorland, overhearing, couldn't help but chuckle at the guard's response.
“At least the crook was nice enough to make friends with the arresting officers,” the Love Princess joked.
“Don't remind us,” Moorland said. “According to one of the beat guards, Pipe slammed a dictionary into his head upon hearing that.”
At that, Cadence couldn't help but laugh to the point she tipped the chair back and nearly crashed to the ground had Glass Furnace not dove behind and grabbed the chair.
“Thank you,” Cadence said as the chair was returned to it's normal position.
“No problem. Prince Armor would have our heads,” Glass said. “According to him, “There's no such thing as a good Changeling”.”
“Judging before he knows,” Cadence said.
“I don't blame him,” Moorland said. “Chrysalis gives us changelings all a bad name.”
Cadence nodded, then changed the subject.
“So, the “suicide” of the filly,” she said. “What stance do you two take?”
“It wasn't suicide,” Pipe said.
They stared at him.
“Explain,” Moorland said, her senses kicking in.
“I heard from the parents that the filly had bullies because she has a disability, which made it hard for her to get along in society,” Pipe said. “And due to her getting special treatment, a bunch of the jock types decided to “make her an example”.”
“An example of what?” Glass asked.
“An example of “No pony with disabilities are allowed special treatments”,” Pipe said. “In other words-they don't deserve help.”
“Sick,” Cadence replied.
“I couldn't agree more,” Glass said. “Now, can we arrest them?”
“No,” Pipe said. “Evidence.”
“Evidence?” Cadence asked.
“We don't have sufficient evidence to even get a warrant,” Moorland said. “Any judge would throw what we have out.”
“That's the most imbecilic thing I've heard,” Glass snarled. “We know who did it and we have the motive! That's good enough to warrant a conviction straight up! We don't need any evidence, as it would sink the case!”
“That's not how the law works,” Moorland said. “I spent years as a beat cop and tried the method of the hive, which is what your saying Glass, but that got me in trouble.”
Pipe chuckled.
“A question for Glass Furnace here, do you work in the precinct?” Pipe asked the Changeling guard.
“No, I work the Hive Patrol and Moorlands patrol,” he said.
“That explains it all,” Pipe said. “If he were to work in the precinct, Moorland and Glass would go head to head over every little thing.”
“Ah,” Cadence said. “But....the question is....what are you going to do? I mean this is something that needs dealing with.”
“Yeah,” Pipe said. “But I'm kind of afraid that we'll never get the evidence needed to convict the perpetrators.”
Moorland nodded softly.
“That's my fear as well,” Moorland said.
“You mean....they could get away with it?” Cadence asked.
“Yes,” Pipe said.
Cadence and Glass Furnace said nothing more and sat there.
“Isn't there any way you two can let these unsavories see that they crossed the wrong ponies?” Glass asked.
“There is, but as was previously stated, this is our case,” Moorland said.
“So, you have no clients,” Cadence said.
“Precisely,” Phoenix said. “But seeing as it's a case of “Pride on the ground”, Me and Moorland are going to spare nothing.”
Cadence said nothing and walked out with Glass Furnace after the lunch date was up. From there, Pipe and Moorland came up with a plan.