//------------------------------// // 269. The Underdogged Caper - Part 2 // Story: Blaze the Pony Tale // by Wolven5 //------------------------------// After clearing things up and getting Hard Case some more doughnuts, Emblazon Shield had invited Thunderlane down to the station, much to the ire of Hard Case, who still wasn't over how the fiendish pegasus had ruined his beautiful, innocent doughnuts earlier. Halfway there, Hard Case finally let it out. "Look, civvie! I don't know what business ya got in our town, but push off! We've got a case to crack and we don't need some tourist gettin' in our way!" "Now, now, Hard Case, cool it," Emblazon Shield said diplomatically, "Don't you recognize this young stallion?" Thunderlane gave Emblazon Shield a surprised look as the old cop said, "This is Thunderlane! One of the ponies who represent Harmony and a trusted friend to Princess Twilight Sparkle and Prince Midnight Blaze. He's a national hero." The two stallions looked from Emblazon and regarded each other, Thunderlane with a little hesitation, Hard Case with just a hint of a challenging gaze, and Emblazon knew he'd have to say more. "Look, this is still your case, my friend. You're the lead detective on this, but it wouldn't hurt to have a pony of such accomplishments to lend a helping hoof. At least give the kid a chance." Growling, Hard Case grumbled, "Fine... But you better remember, just because you're some big-shot, Thunder-whatever your name is, you are not an officer of the law. This is my jurisdiction and I'm gonna get to the bottom of this, capishe?" Thunderlane eased back but stood his ground despite Hard Case getting up in his face, and politely replied, "Understood." "Good, now that we're all friends," Emblazon put his forelegs around both the younger stallions and looked ahead, "`cuz the VPD's just ahead." The inside of the Vanhoover Police Department was casually busy, cops and detectives handling paperwork, moving offenders in and out of cells, along with an atmosphere of camaraderie that made it feel safe. Hard Case and Emblazon told Thunderlane to leave his saddelbags at the front desk, to his chagrin but he did as he was told, and they led him towards the interrogation rooms. "The suspect we have in custody is a Sirian Dog named Ralph Brador," Hard Case explained, "See, last night, a security guard got roughed up and knocked out. He didn't get a clear look but he was able to see the thief was a Dog. We rounded up some Dogs, that was an ordeal... and had them all do a lineup before we called the guard over here. "He wasn't a hundred percent but in the end he pointed out Ralph Brador." "Um... any reason to suspect this Ralph Brador guy other than the guard pointing him out from the lineup?" asked Thunderlane. "Nothing much really," Emblazon Shield answered as he pointed out an interrogation window and they looked in to see a Dog sitting at the interrogation table, looking worried. Ralpha Brador was tall, a little chubby, had floppy ears, and was covered with soft yellow fur and had big brown eyes that made Thunderlane instantly feel sorry for him. He wore a brown vest over a white t-shirt, a wristwatch, which he glanced at every now and then, and his bushy tail drooped in light of his current predicament. "He... doesn't look like a hardened criminal," Thunderlane commented. "Well, he's the only suspect we've got," Hard Case said with a heavy tone, "and since the security guard pointed him out, we have to run through this with a fine-toothed comb. To be honest though, kid, I don't think Ralph is the perp. If anything, he's just a tourist." "Tourist?" Thunderlane glanced at Hard Case and saw the big guy's tough guy look had softened with compassion. "During my initial questioning, Ralph said he's here in Vanhoover on vacation with his son, cute little pup named Wags," explained Hard Case, "he's in another room, being watched by a female officer to keep him company. I asked him where he was last night, he said he and his boy were sleeping in their hotel room. We still haven't verified his claim, but... From what I can tell, he's a good guy and it'd be real shitty of him to pull off something like this with his son nearby." "Which is why we must clear him so we can carry on with the proper investigation," Emblazon added, "Every minute the brass forces us to waste on this is another minute the true culprit has to get farther and farther away with his prize." "But what was stolen?" Thunderlane asked, "The curator said she wasn't at liberty to say what the thief took when the press was grilling her." "That's kinda why this is such a big deal," Hard Case admitted, "The thief stole a very big and very valuable gemstone that was donated to the museum by Lucky Finds, one of the richest guys in town. Since it was stolen from the museum, that means curator owes a substantial amount of compensation money to Finds for losing it under her management. But if we can recover the gemstone quick enough, the curator won't have to pay up." “I have one question,” Thunderlane spoke up. “Shoot,” Emblazon responded. “Why haven't you really pushed to confirm his alibi?” he asked the cops. “Because the police captain says that we have the main player,” Hard Case sounded irritated by that order. “But, being a father myself, my gut instincts are telling me that Ralph isn't our guy.” Thunderlane sighed. There had to be something they could do. Their puzzlings were interrupted by a throat being cleared. They turned to see a tall, almost limber unicorn stallion. Dark, parchment yellow coat with a feather white mane, with a gold plaque cutie mark, and soft faded honey yellow eyes. “Commissioner Parchment Warrant?” Emblazon gave a respectful nod. “What brings you here?” “Can I see you three in my office? It's a matter of confidential urgency,” Warrant appeared steady but the look in his eyes was troubled. The three followed him to a large corner office. The three officers walked in and after Thunderlane entered the office, he shut the door and Parchment turned to them. “Look, you're not going to get Ralph out of here whatever theories or evidence you may have,” he explained with a heavy tone. “There's too many officers who wanna see him behind bars with no chance for a trial and see his pup sent to foster care with no hope of a good future. I'm giving you three an order to take them to the Bureau of Internal Affairs.” “Yes sir,” Emblazon nodded. Thunderlane was confused, but now he was beginning to suspect there was more to all this than a simple theft. Before long, Ralph and a Pup with a collar and green shirt were brought in by a female officer who was dismissed while the father and son looked nervous. "Ralpha Brador, we are relocating you and your boy somewhere else for your own safety," Warrant informed, "There's more to this crime than a simple stolen gemstone and I'm sorry to say you've gotten caught up in it. I give you my word we will do our very best to protect you and your boy, as well as to clear your name." "Thank you, sir," Ralph said with worry while picking up his son and hugging him close. The Pup, Wags, looked over to Thunderlane, looking afraid, and Thunderlane smiled encouragingly at the Pup, which seemed to work a little to provide some small comfort. Minutes later, a swirling portal of white, blue and yellow appeared in the office, to the surprise of Thunderlane and the Dogs, but not to the commissioner and the detectives. Stepping through were two large stallions, one a unicorn and the other an earthy pony, that looked like twins, with brown coats and manes of flame red and gentle yellow, both wearing uniforms that concealed their cutie-marks. “Allow me to introduce Searchlight and his brother, Hot Trail,” Parchment introduced the arrivals respectively, both ponies nodding when they were named in turn. “I asked their superior to open a portal to the office as it would be way too dangerous to take Ralph and his son to the bureau out in public.” “Gotcha," Hard Case nodded."Alright, all, let's go. Ralph, you and your boy first." One by one, they all stepped through the portal, Searchlight and Hot Trailbringing up the rear, and into a large office that overlooked a large harbor and many warehouses. It was oddly relaxing and even mystic. Thunderlane noticed a table with all sorts of sandwiches, drinks and even some delicacies from back in the early days of Vanhoover. “I wonder who put this together,” Emblazon asked, in a rhetorical tone. "That would be me, gentlecolts,” said a voice. Thunderlane turned and saw a unicorn mare with rose pink eyes, in which there was a gentle strength, a pale blue coat and silvery white mane. Her cutie-mark was a sparkling swirl of mist. She gave off a commanding presence but the kind of which where a soldier commanded out of respect and trust, not out of oppression. “Who are you?” he asked. “Misty Miracle,” she said. “Former police inspector, now an Internal Affairs investigator. Just reactivated for this case. Please, let's eat and discuss matters.” They all sat down to eat, except for Gas Light and Flame Wick, who stood nearby, silent vigils, and Misty began. "Ralph Brador, we believe there is some kind of conspiracy going on and you're just a patsy, I'm afraid. We are unsure of the aims of whoever is behind the theft at the museum, but regardless of whatever evidence we may find to defend your case, there are individuals who are working to make you the fall-guy. You will not get a fair trial and your son will be sent to foster care, unless we can get to the root of this corruption." Ralph whimpered as he hugged his son close, little Wags burying his face in his father's furry chest. "Um, excuse me," Misty turned to look at Thunderlane, "Forgive me for asking this, but..." "It's alright, Thunderlane, you are entitled your questions," Misty said kindly, "As I just said, I am a former police officer, until I was promoted to Internal Affairs. Wasn't a popular choice, but too many times I've worked on the beat and saw cases get thrown out because some cop got dirty and took a bribe or gave in to a threat. I used to rant about it in private with my husband and he spoke with the VPD Comissioner and he made me the offer, which, obviously I accepted." "Your husband?" Thunderlane asked, curious of who could pull those kind of strings. "Pipe Glass, Head of House Clue and the Duke of Magic and Mysteries." The look on Thunderlane's face froze up at what he'd just been told, which made some among the table chuckle a bit before Misty spoke, "But we're getting off track here. Trail share with everyony what you and Searchight were able to dig up." Hot Trail stepped forward, holding a file holding some notes and papers before declaring, "To start off, the crime Ralph is being suspected of occurred last night are 12:35 am, during which he and his son, Wags, were asleep. However, we went to the hotel where they stayed and as it turns out the owner wasn't at the hotel and thus cannot be counted on to verify Ralph's presence. Apparently, he was out for a... night on the town. "In the museum, eight security measures, half of them technological, the other half magical, were tripped. The guard who pointed Ralph out of the lineup was knocked out before the crime occurred even though he was able to glimpse the culprit and see he was a dog. We were able to access footage from a surveillance camera, but upon observing it we suspected something was amiss. I worked on the footage and confirmed our suspicions that the footage had been doctored, and was able to clear up the editing to reveal the truth. Observe the monitor over there." All eyes turned to see Searchight rolling over a TV with a VCR as Hot Trail switched the TV on and Searchlight pressed play on the player. Everypony watched as a large and hulking bipedal shape approached a large gemstone within a display case, and the moonlight shining through the skylight window above showed the figure to indeed be a Dog but looked very similar to some miserable mutts Thunderlane had seen before. "Is that...?" he began to ask but Ralph Brador beat him to the punch. "A Diamond Dog!" He growled as they noticed how similar the brute did in fact look compared to him and could see why the guard had picked Ralph out of the lineup. He was a little taller and heavier than Ralph, but unlike the friendly and nice demeanor Ralph had, this beast looked vicious and predatory. His fur was dirty yellow, one of his floppy ears was torn, he wore a thick black leather collar rife with gems, and his tail had some unusually pointed spikes growing out of the tip, and his claws were filthy but definitely looked sharp and dangerous. They watched as he smashed the display case, not at all concerned of the security measures, and grabbed the gemstone before running off, disappearing from the view of the camera. At that point, Hot Trail and Searchlight turned the TV and player off. "And not just any Diamond Dog, I know that guy!" Ralph went on, "He's Gem Cutter, one of the nastiest Diamond Dogs out there and a thief for hire. He doesn't steal anything for anyone unless he's paid practically a king's ransom in gems!" "Ralph, I couldn't help but notice that you speak of Dogs and Diamond Dogs in distinction," Emblazon pointed out, "What's the difference between the two?" Ralph saw them all looking at him and sighed, "Diamond Dogs used to be just like regular Dogs, like me and my boy. But, I dunno, something happened a long-long time ago that turned a bunch of Dog explorers into what we eventually called Diamond Dogs. They're corrupted with something that makes them look and act the way they do, causes them to become obsessed with hoarding gems and there is nothing they won't do to get `em. Thankfully, most of them aren't as smart as they oughta be, but they're still pretty much predators and that, along with their single-minded obsession for gems, is what makes them so dangerous." "What could have happened that turned them into Diamond Dogs in the first place?" Thunderlane wondered aloud. "Dunno, but from what I know, once the Dogs saw these canines as the corrupted and dangerous monsters they'd become," Ralph went on, "they were banished forever from our country, because we feared whatever had turned them into what they are now might be contagious or something. We avoid Diamond Dogs like the plague because we can just feel something about them that scares us deep down inside whenever they're near us." "But what do they do with all the gems they collect?" asked Thunderlane. "The better question is, why would a Diamond Dog go to all the trouble to steal one gemstone in a city museum?" responded Hard Case. "Sure it's a big rock, but it seems like a lot of trouble to go through for just one." "Like I said, Gem Cutter's a thief for hire," Ralph reminded them, "someone paid him to steal that gem. As for what they do with the gems aside from studding their collars with them, I have no idea. Diamond Dogs are vicious but they're also reclusive." "Well, it might help to question the security guard a little more carefully," Misty suggested, "Warrant informed me that the guard woke up in his hospital bed half an hour ago." "I'll go question the guard," Emblazon volunteered, "but... I think it'd be safer to have backup. Thunderlane, would you like to come along?" "Count me in. I'm here to help any way I can," Thunderlane stood up from the table. "I'll send Searchlight along with you two," Misty added, "It might help to have a changeling watching your backs." The security guard, an earth pony named Lock Keep, was lying in his hospital bed as Emblazon, Thunderlane, and Searchlight looked upon him, as Emblazon said, "Mr. Keep, as I understand it, you were the museum security guard who was attacked the other night before the theft. I know you've already been through this but some recent facts have come up in the investigation, and so we need to ask you some more questions, if that's alright with you." "Um, sure, I... I'll answer what I can," Lock replied hesitantly. The poor guy had been banged up pretty bad, given the shiner he was sporting over his right eye, and his foreleg in cast. "Very good. To start off, let's go over the events of that night," Emblazon suggested, "Describe it to us. Anything you can recall, even the smallest detail can have greater significance than you might think." "W-well... It seemed like any other night," Lock began, looking slightly nervous, "I was making my rounds through the wings, checking on the exhibits. I checked my watch to see midnight had passed me by. Shortly after, I stepped into the geology section and thought I heard something. They weren't... hoofsteps, they were too quiet for that. I held my flashlight, trying to see if there was an intruder and..." Lock paused, to the confusion of his visitors, before he took a deep sigh, before he confessed, "Look. Ralph Brador didn't commit the crime. I know he was at the hotel all night with his son, asleep." "But you pointed him out from the lineup," Thunderlane reminded him. "I did, but only because he looked similar to the real culprit, Gem Cut-" Lock stopped talking, instead groaning and choking as something was now suddenly sticking out of his throat! “What in the hell?!” Thunderlane yelped, jumping back, and they watched in horror as Lock clutched his throat, blood flowing profusely. "WE NEED A MEDIC IN HERE!!!" Emblazon shouted into the hallway, Thunderlane and Searchlight hurrying to Lock's sides but they both knew the wound was mortal, as Lock didn't fidget or struggle much longer before going still. “LOOK!” shouted Searchlight, pointing to the open hospital window.They turned to see a figure running away. The three of them bolted from the hospital and tore off after the mystery figure. “I- I don't understand! Why'd that guy kill Lock Keep?” Thunderlane asked, keeping it together despite being freaked out by what he'd just seen, as they kept on the figure's trail. “Because he's a contradiction,” Searchlight called up to the fast flying pegasus. “A what?” Thunderlane called back. “He contradicts the evidence that has Ralph tagged as guilty,” Emblazon called up. “And whoever hired Gem Cutter and this pony to kill Lock Keep doesn't want the truth to be known. The truth could expose something more than what this simple crime appears to be." Thunderlane nodded and continued to fly, keeping his eye on the figure. The three of them saw the figure turn down an empty alley between two high end restaurants, one Prench and one Chineighse. They headed down, but saw no sign of the figure amongst all the trash bags, crates, boxes and large dumpsters. “Dammit all,” Searchlight growled. “Cold trail.” Emblazon joined in the growling. To any cop, a cold trail meant nothing. It meant no leads, no suspects, no new evidence, no alternate path to the truth....it was, in essence, a dead end. “Should we he- Thunderlane began, but something smashed hard against his head, sending him sprawling. Searchlight hurried over to pull Thunderlane to his hooves while Emblazon readied himself for combat. There, with a sword in his grimy, yellowish colored paw-like hand, was Gem Cutter, with a sick, mad dog-like grin on his face, his lips pulled back to show some sharp and yellow teeth, a dribble of slobber dripping like syrup from the corner of his mouth. “Da boss don't like dem dere loose ends,” he cackled. “And now, to erase yous from history and from da boss's memories.” He raised his sword and swiftly brought it down, aiming to kill Emblazon. The older officer braced himself for a swift end, but a loud OOMPH surprised him and he saw that Thunderlane had knocked the Diamond Dog away. He met the vicious gaze of Cutter, and was momentarily bewildered by his leap into action. He hadn't even thought to do it as he'd seen the brute move into to kill Emblazon, but something inside spurred Thunderlane forward and before he'd known it, he'd called upon something inside of him and the sword appeared in his hoof, which he instinctively held in a pose he'd seen kendo practitioners use. “You two!” Thunderlane called over to them, “Block this alley! We don't want any innocents involved here!” Searchlight understood and threw up a wall of burning red mana that was impenetrable and would keep the battle from being seen. Thunderlane turned his concentration back to the Diamond Dog and jumped back, readying himself for more combat. “Yous tink some shiny stick is gunna save yous from me?!" Cutter snarled with a sneer that showed he was eager to crack some skulls or spill blood. Which ever came first. "At least I know the difference between a sword and a cap opener," taunted Thunderlane, "would you like some liver chunks, doggy?" “You little...” Gem Cutter snarled and raised his sword. The Diamond Dog charged at Thunderlane and managed to nick his left wing as Thunderlane moved to dodge. Thunderlane, however, rolled clear and after knocking the sword out of Cutter's paw like hand, he landed a hard buck on Cutter's back, sending him sprawling onto the ground. Cutter, not paying attention, cut himself on his arms from the crate he broke over Thunderlane's head. “Yous bastards!” Cutter growled. “You're done, criminal,” Emblazon glared boldly at the Diamond Dog. “Give it up and come with us.” Gem Cutter snarled and began breaking all sorts of crates and kicked up a huge dust cloud. Thunderlane took to the air immediately and began blowing the dust away, but Gem Cutter had vanished. “Dammit,” he growled. “So close!” “Thunderlane, come down here!” Searchlight called up. Thunderlane dropped down and noticed all sorts of pictures, papers, envelopes, what looked to be receipts, a brown burlap sack and what looked to be a manila file folder of some kind. “What was he doing with all this?” Thunderlane asked as Emblazon levitated the papers fro them to look at but mouthing 'look but don't touch'. “It seems to be his orders, payment receipts, pictures of the gem, the layout of the exhibit and I don't know what else,” Searchlight theorized. Thunderlane had more questions, but they had to get out of there. The fight had stirred quite some attention from the kitchen staff of both restaurants. Walking back to the office that was their headquarters, Thunderlane kept quiet, but they could tell he was sore. “Look, don't get down,” Searchlight assured, “Not every encounter with a criminal leads to an arrest. I remember my first encounters and they didn't end well. Hell, I was in hospital every Friday for stitches or to have an arrow dug out of my leg, or even getting a magical treatment for some unfortunate hex placed upon me. However, I did nail one arrest. A money laundering ring with a dragon as the head of the operation.” Thunderlane turned to his partner and sighed, “But we had him!” “Every rookie officer 'has them',” Emblazon pointed out. “I was the same way.” “Yeah, but look at you two. Experienced, you know what you're doing. I haven't got a clue if I have an ass or a hole in the ground,” the dark gray pegasus griped in self-deprecation. “You know, I shouldn't but it's time you heard something,” Searchlight spoke up. “I had a case where I was chasing down a few drug smugglers, but couldn't catch them. Eventually though, we did catch them.” “How so?” Thunderlane asked. “Simple. The idiots tried to rob a doughnut store,” Emblazon finished. “The two of us were on the same force. It was hilarious, but it did end a huge drug ring we'd been dealing with for years.” Thunderlane had to chuckle, “Thanks. I needed that... It's awful though, Lock Keep...” "We are not to blame for what happened," Emblazon said to the young pegasus solemnly, "Lock... apparently made bad choices and the consequences of those choices caught up with him. There was nothing we could do, but we can get justice for him by solving this case and bringing in the real criminals." "...You're right, Emblazon," Thunderlane gave his sword another look before willing it go into its dormant form and stow it in his saddlebag. "Enough of this pity fest," Searchlight interjected, pulling both ponies in, "I worked up another appetite and that Chineighse restaurant over there has some egg fu young with my name on it!" "A bite will do us good," Emblazon agreed as they followed Searchlight into the restaurant, "and we'll report what's happened to our friends and the commissioner."