It was later that same night. Nassor had left long ago, saying that he would be back in the morning. Vanity was trying to talk to me even though I didn't want to talk. Snow was over by her bed organizing medical supplies, pointedly ignoring me.
“So where were you before here?” Vanity asked from her bed as she brushed her mane.
“New Horseleans,” I said bluntly. I was trying to get settled in my little futon mattress and my stuff put away.
“What’d you do there?” she asked
“Investigations,” I grunted. Seriously, could she not take a hint?
She gasped excitedly. “Did you investigate the death of that Wonderbolt!? Oh, what was his name?”
After a few moments of her struggling with the name I had to say it for her. “Wind Walker.” I felt like I’d just punched myself in the stomach.
“Yeah! Was it exciting? Did you get to see when he--”
“Vanity!” Snow snapped. “That's enough.”
“Why? I heard he was dirty. I just want to know--”
“He was a kid who made a mistake, a mistake that I wasn't fast enough to fix. He died trying to catch a criminal. As far as I'm concerned he’s a hero,” I said firmly.
“Okay, geez. Grumps.” She levitated her charm over to her. “I'm gonna go get a snack.” She put the charm on as she exited so I didn't get a good look at her disguise.
That left me and Snow. In a complete awkward silence. She was now reading a medical journal rather intensely.
“I tried to find you,” I said.
“What?” she asked, annoyance obvious in her tone.
“I've been trying to find you for the past month.”
“Well here I am, surprise,” she said with sarcasm.
I know she was mad at me, but did she have to make this difficult? “I've been wanting to apologize.”
“For what? You have a lot to apologize for.”
“I'm sorry I was a lousy partner. I'm sorry I made a lousy relationship out of us. I'm sorry I broke my promise. I'm sorry for everything.”
Snow remained silent.
I continued. “She asks about you. Jett. Almost daily. If you'll ever come back to her. I have to tell her that I don't know.”
“I…” She tried to say something but stopped.
“I've wished I could know when you made the decision to leave though?” I said as a question.
She glared at me over the journal. “When we were in Canterlot for the dance Luna was hosting for the guard. You went over to some pony with cups to gamble while I went into a shop. You broke your promise then. I knew I couldn't be with someone who can't keep a simple promise.”
I thought back on that day. “I had told that pony to cram it. I went into the shop he was in front of.”
“How can I believe you? It sure looked like you stopped to talk to him,” she said.
I had proof. I still have the engagement ring, but I left it back with my stuff at Atlas’ apartment. “I don't have the proof with me. Didn't think I needed it.”
“So just more lies on top of the pile, eh?” she growled.
I was already getting really tired of her calling me a liar; it felt like she was trying to start a fight. But I had to keep calm. “I don't want to fight or argue. Please. Let's just get some sleep before morning.”
I laid down and pulled the sheets over me. She grew quiet. I was fine with that. I'm just glad I got to know why she left. I had to focus on the job I was here for. This was gonna be a long and difficult mission.
The next morning, we were preparing to make contact with some ponies who would get us into the fighting club. Bob and Weave were their names. Former coaches in pro boxing, but were busted for selling strength enhancing potions that had uncontrollable rage as a side effect.
“My name is Astral Strikes. I’ve been discharged from the Equestrian Army for some time, looking for a gig. Heard a rumor you know of some fights,” I recited my lines.
“Good. Just work all that into a conversation with them,” Nassor grinned. He looked to Vanity for her to say her lines.
“I'm Glossy Finish. I am madly in love with my husband Astral Strikes. Even though he is dishonored, I will follow him anywhere.” She batted her eyelashes exaggeratedly.
“Dial it back a notch or two, but otherwise believable,” Nassor nodded. “Now put on your charms, and get going. Remember your going to the gym on Vinyl and Ixalan.”
I put on my charm and was still uneasy about the change. “Now you look how you should.” Snow bit.
“Keep your cover until you return to this room,” Nassor instructed. “Vanity, your turn, assume your persona.”
Vanity put the charm oh her horn. She turned into a unicorn mare with a deep red coat, a blonde mane, and pale red eyes. I found her hard to look at. Especially since I am supposed to be looking at her as a lover for the cover. I hate that this was my idea. Maybe I can get away with being that jerk of a stallion Snow thinks I am.
“Alright, once you leave you two are on your own. Get going, Bob and Weave should be at their gym soon.” Nassor said opening the door for us.
“Well be back soon with some intel,” I said as we started toward the gym.
I was quiet and focused. Vanity… or “Glossy Finish” as I would be calling her, was already in character. Acting like a snotty Manehattanite who was madly infatuated with a stallion, she slipped her foreleg through mine and rested her head on my shoulder, giving me a very sappy look. Ugh.
“You know if they don't see us kiss at all they'll know something is up.” Vanity grinned.
An uncomfortable chill ran up my spine. “I know,” I muttered.
Kissing another mare. There was a time I had no issue with that. Now it seems like I'd be betraying Snow.
“So?” Vanity hinted.
“‘So’ what?” I looked at her.
“So we should get used to kissing each other to make it look good for our audience,” she reasoned. I hated that she had a point.
“You sure you weren't supposed to be an actor?” I asked.
“It's a backup plan. Now come on, I'm serious. Let's get this down.” She puckered her lips.
I cringed and muscled through the awkwardness. I planted a kiss on her quickly and kept walking.
“Oh come on, that wasn't a kiss!” Vanity protested. “We are gonna get found out near immediately if you can’t stallion-up and kiss me properly.”
I hated her. “Fine!”
I had to imagine in kissing somepony else. I spun around and kissed her again. I couldn't imagine Snow in her place, so I defaulted to Aurora. That wasn't too difficult. I held the kiss a few seconds.
Still irritated, I parted the kiss and continued walking. I hated this. I hated her.
“Wow, surprised Snow let you get away,” she smirked and swished her tail.
Just bear with her Strider, she'll be out of your life soon enough, I thought.
We stepped through the doors to the gym. The smell of worn leather and sweat with just a hint of blood hit my nostrils and I was reminded of hoof-to-hoof training at the academy. I immediately started searching the crowd for our targets: Bob and Weave. According to the dossier, they were both older earth ponies, but still strong for their age. I quickly spotted Bob, the brown pony with the rust red mane hitting the punching bag. All that was left to find was... bingo, Weave, the purple and blue-maned pony with the cigar in his mouth. Time to work.
We approached like we belonged here. Vanity was hanging on me, giving mares we passed the stink eye like she owned me. I slapped on my best impression of a Baltimare citizen as I started to speak. “Hey, I heard a rumor that ya’ll know where I can find some action.”
“What, that pretty dame on your shoulder not enough action for you?” Bob shot.
“Glossy fills that part of my life with action just fine thank you,” I said coolly. Vanity smirked at Bob over my shoulder. “But no…” I lowered my voice for this next part, “...I’m talking about signing up for a fight. You know: kick, buck, and punch until the fight is over. Action.”
Weave narrowed his eyes at me and looked me up and down. “Those kind of questions are liable to get you hurt in these parts. But you sure look like a fighter.” He nodded at the ring in the center of the gym. “Tell you what, you beat that fella over there in that ring, then we talk.”
I looked over at the pony he was referring to, a hulking mass of a green earth pony with a purple mane. As I watched, he punched a cocky pegasus trainee in the face so hard, the smaller pony was sent flying back out of the ring and skidded across the floor. He landed in a heap and didn’t move again.
I looked back at Weave. “I’m game,” I grunted, trying not to cringe.
This was gonna hurt.
Third and final round and the entire gym was cheering and stamping their hooves, half of them rooting for me, and half of them rooting for the giant green boulder with hooves. I was hurting all over, I had a nosebleed, I’m fairly sure I had a tooth or two loose, and I was losing vision in my left eye from swelling.
He was destroying me whenever I tried to get close. I had to find a weak spot, now! And at this point, I’d take anything. He threw another right hook, as he did I saw his shoulder catch and lock briefly before driving home the hit, that could give me an opening to escape. He followed up with a left hook and I noticed a medical issue, his ribs on his left looked rugged and uneven. That meant he had calcium deposits on his left ribs! The weak spot! Thank you, Snow, for leaving your medical journals around the apartment.
As he pulled his right hoof back for another hook, I took advantage of the hang-up and ducked underneath his hook. Coming back up I started to land as many blows as I could on the weak spot. He tried to sidestep away but I moved with him and delivered a few blows to the face before returning to the ribcage. The wind was being knocked out of him with every blow. I had him right where I wanted him.
I delivered two final hard blows the ribcage, and one knock-out worthy uppercut to the jaw. He fell onto the canvas with a loud thud. Somepony who took up the job as referee started counting.
“1...2...” He counted, along with everypony in the room. I looked up and scanned the room for Bob and Weave. They were talking to Glossy Finish, she was scribbling down some information as they talked.
“...9...10! He’s out!” The bell rang at the same time Bob and Weave left the gym.
Vanity looked at me and mouthed the words “We got it.”
“Sweet Celestia what did he hit you with? A train?” Snow asked as she tended to my injuries.
“Sure felt like a train,” I groaned.
“Well with the state your hooves, ribs, and face are in, I assume you did something to him?”
“He won! I have never seen a pony take so much punishment and keep standing, then at the end there where you ducked under his right hook and focused on this left rib cage! I have no idea what you did but it brought that giant to the ground!” Vanity was fangirling.
“I don’t see why we can’t move in on this next fight. We know Bob and Weave will be there,” Snow commented, stitching up a cut over my eye.
“Because of...owch… Bob and Weave are merely spokesponies. They draw in the crowd and the fighters. In order to bring the entire fighting ring down, we need to find out who is setting them up.” I said. “What does that scrap of paper say anyway?”
Vanity looked at it. “Tuesday, twenty-thirty, eight-nine-nine-six-five-seven Goon St.”
“Eight o’clock, on Goon street? I’ll have to be there early if we want to get any further in the investigation.”
“I don’t approve, but it’s what must be done.” Snow sighed and turned away momentarily. I tried to get up and move around except Snow’s magic pushed me, painfully, back onto the couch. “No! You may be lead on this investigation but as my patient, you don’t have a say in the matter of your health. If you want to be in fighting condition by the day after tomorrow, you need to stay put and let me heal you. Vanity, you can help by going to the drugstore and getting me these things.”
Snow levitated her a list of items. “But I wanted to look,” Vanity complained. “He’s nice to look at. Even all beat up.”
“Go! Now!” Snow shouted.
“Fine, fine. I’m going! Sheesh.” She put on her enchantment and left the room.
“Finally some quiet,” Snow sighed in relief.
“Is that the only reason you sent her out?” I asked.
“Kinda. I will need those things later, but for now, it was just so I can get you better without her talking so much.” Snow admitted. “Now I have to reset a rib before I can apply healing potions, numbing spells are only gonna do so much.”
“In other words, ‘this is gonna hurt,’” I grinned. Because of buck my life.
“Yeah.” She levitated a belt up to my mouth and I bit down on it as I felt her magic grab hold of the rib in question. I gave her a nod to signal I was ready. I saw her breathe in slowly and I must have passed out because I don’t remember anything else.