//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 "Bombshell" // Story: Equestria Noir Case 4: Skies of Cloudsdale // by Jacoboby1 //------------------------------// Chapter 4 “Bombshell ” “You were going to quit the Wonderbolts?” I said my jaw dropping a little. Spitfire hung her head “Yeah” “But, why?” I said shocked “You’re career is at its highest point, you have millions of fans all around the world and not to mention a lot of money goes into your team” “That’s the thing” Spitfire said lifting her orange eyes to meet mine. “It wasn’t ‘my team’ anymore. Once Texem got a hold of my contract it just became show after show…hardly any time for myself” I nodded “So that’s why you had him scared enough to threaten to expose the relationship you and Soarin were having. But even still to quit the Wonderbolts?” “After a while I just got sick of it all” Spitfire said her voice developing an edge “The gossip, the tedious ways that Texem would have us fly, the so called fans that were only there when I flew well…” I leaned forward and looked her right in the eye “You can’t quit” “Didn’t you hear at all what I just said?” Spitfire fired back…no pun intended. “I got tired of it all; I just wanted some time where I could fly how I wanted” I got quiet for a while and then looked at Spitfire again “I remember back at the race track…you were looking for Rainbow Dash weren’t you…?” Spitfire got quiet, sighed a little and then said “Yes…yes I was” “She’s special to you isn’t she? You weren’t even looking at the whole section dedicated to you, you were looking for Dash” She smiled and nodded “Nothing gets past you detective, yes I was looking for Rainbow Dash” “What’s your history with her?” I said taking my seat again. Spitfire’s eyes ventured to a different time “Back when I was just starting out flying seriously Cloudsdale was hosting this flying show for young pegasi. I was so determined to win I stayed up all night perfecting my routine. But on the day of the performance…I choked” “Stage fright?” “That’s putting it mildly, I watched everypony perform tricks that made my routine look like a chicken trying to fly” She sighed “When it came to my turn I fumbled throughout my routine, I made so many mistakes I was convinced that I couldn’t make the cut. I wanted to just walk out and never fly again…” “Well you’re still flying so what changed?” “Out of nowhere I saw this young filly watching me in the front row; she was watching my every move as if I was a sight to behold. Just the look on her face…She was expecting me to perform some awesome feat or trick…I just couldn’t…” A tear came to the eye of the Wonderbolt as she reminisced “I just couldn’t let her down” “That was Rainbow wasn’t it?” I said my grey eyes looking to her. She nodded and wiped the tear from her eye “Yeah that was her. After I saw her my performance picked up. I breezed through the rest of the competition and won the gold. My second half more than made up for the first half performance wise. That show is what would eventually get me on the Wonderbolts. I owe my entire career to that Rainbow maned gal” I smiled and nodded “You are what inspired her to take up flying herself” Spitfire returned my smile “Yeah, the kid’s got a lot of talent, the only thing she really needs is some more experience under her belt and she’ll make Wonderbolts in her sleep” “And maybe some lessons in humility” I mumbled under my breath. Spitfire looked at me “So you think I shouldn’t quit because of her?” I nodded “Yes, Rainbow looks to you for inspiration…what you need to understand Spitfire is that true fans aren’t just ponies who sit in the back and wave a banner every once in a while when things are going well. Fans like Rainbow, who are there even at your bleakest moments…make everything worth fighting for” Spitfire thought for a minute then smiled “You’re right…I’ve been awfully selfish to think about quitting when somepony is counting on me to do my best. I almost let Rainbow down today and I won’t let that happen again” I smiled “That’s what I like to hear” I got up from my table and started walking out. Spitfire looked at me “Don’t tell Rainbow about me wanting to quit…or about what I said about her being close to becoming a Wonderbolt. I want her to keep flying like she’s doing now” I nodded then stepped out of the room. What a strange day this has turned out to be. I guess I can check off “Saving a Wonderbolt’s career” off my checklist of things I wasn’t expecting to do today. Checklists…Twilight…damn it ________________________________________ I got back to the Detention center’s lobby to find Rainbow hanging her head. “Stupid, Stupid…” She mumbled as she stared down at her hooves. “Are you going to be alright?” I said looking at the cyan mare. “I completely embarrassed myself in there!” She said looking at me with her magenta eyes. “She probably thinks I’m some kind of weird pervert!” I raised an eyebrow “Dash I think you’re overreacting a little. She took it all in good humor” Her wings drooped a little “Yeah you’re right…I just can’t believe I embarrassed myself like that" “To be honest Dash” I said putting a hoof on her shoulder “I would’ve done equally as embarrassing if I was talking to my hero” She smiled a little at that “Yeah, I guess you’re right” I returned her smile and nodded “Now are you going to help me solve this case or not?” She puffed out her chest in determination “It’s only fitting that Equestria’s most awesome detective have Equestria’s most awesome flyer as a partner!” She really needed lessons in humility. But I did appreciate the compliment. I wasn’t going to tell her that though. She had a moon sized ego already. _________________________________________ “Now we just need to figure out where the bullet was shot from” I said surveying Texem’s office after CSU had already combed it. “So what are we going to do? Use some awesome gadget or something?” Dash said sounding excited. “Nope…simple math” I said smiling cheekily Dash frowned and pouted “Kill joy…” I looked over at Texem’s desk “Dash could you sit in Texem’s chair? Like you would if you were arguing with somepony” Dash flew over and sat down in the chair leaning forward slightly. “Like this?” “Yeah” I said as I walked over to where the bullet hole in the window was. “Okay…if the hole is there” I pointed my hoof at the hole. “And Texem’s head is there…” I pointed made a motion like the bullet traveling until I touched Dash’s head. “Gah! You got me I’m dead!” Dash said and dramatically fell on the floor. “Really?” I said bemused Dash smiled and chuckled a little “Sorry couldn’t resist” I then started doing the math in my head “Okay…by calculating the trajectory of the bullet hole and the target…the only place he could’ve shot from is…” “Where? Where?” Dash said sounding excited again. “From up there!” I pointed to the top of the nearby weather factory towers. They were pumping out clouds right now to be used all around Equestria. Dash looked up at the towers. “Of course! The clouds would be perfect cover in case anypony could see him!” I nodded “And the noise from the factory would’ve covered any sound of a gunshot. No wonder why we didn’t hear three shots” “Alright! We’re getting somewhere!” Dash said __________________________________________________ “Geez what do you eat that makes you so heavy!?” Dash complained as she lifted me to the top of the weather towers. “It’s not my fault the Apple family are generous tippers” I said trying desperately not to look down. Heights and I didn’t exactly go well together. “Well quit squirming we’re almost at the top” We arrived at the top and Dash dropped me like a dead weight on the rim of the towers. The rims were wide enough for us to stand on. I started looking around and found something on the rim. “Hey Dash take a look at this” Dash looked at the object we found “It looks like an old calling card” It was a calling card, it was very old and torn up. I read the title of the business on it. Crosshair’s Model Airplanes “Who needs wings to fly?” “Dude, worst, slogan, ever” Dash said shaking her head. “Well we have a name now, the address is faded but I think I know how we can find out where the guy lives” “How can we found out where the guy lives by his name alone?” Dash said looking at me with curiosity. “First things first…you’re going to have to get me back down to the clouds” “Work work work…” Dash grumbled as we began our descent. ______________________________________________________ I entered the phone booth and picked up the phone. Many phones still used the old operating system that had hundreds of operating ponies at the other end connecting lines. I spoke into the receiver. “Operator get me KGBL” The female voice on the other end spoke politely “Putting you through now” “Detective Private Eye former badge five, one, seven, eleven” An angry female voice spoke on the other end “PRIVATE?! What the hell are you doing using the phone like this!?” “Good to hear from you to Foundra” I said dryly Foundra opened fire on my eardrums “The hell do you want Private?! I could get fired for this you realize!” “Which is why you’ll be a dear and not tell Shinebadge about this” I said flatly Foundra snorted on the other end “What do you want?” “I need you to help me find somepony, I have a name of a business but I need and address” “What’s the business?” Foundra said dropping her angry voice for her slightly less angry but still very annoyed voice. “Crosshair’s Model Airplanes” I heard Foundra sorting through papers on the other end “Well, I have a Crosshair’s Model Airplanes listed, but it’s been closed for almost a decade” “Can you get me the owner?” “Let’s see…” Foundra made more noise as she continued her search “Ah ha! Crosshair, he used to own the store but he couldn’t keep it open” “What happened?” I asked curious “Made a bunch of bad deals with the mob…several of them were griffons who were using the store as a front for their crimes” This was interesting “Any by the name of Grimwing?” “Grimwing…nope nothing about a Grimwing” “Do you have a residence listed?” “Hold on…nope, no next of kin we can contact either. But according to his credit card account he had recently purchased a hotel room” “When?” “This morning, Private what’s going on?” “I think he might be a killer and I need to track him down, where is that hotel?” “1247 Phelps ave in Cloudsdale. The hotel is called the South Flight Hotel” “Thanks Foundra” “If word of this gets to my boss…” Foundra said her voice slowly rising in fury “Don’t worry about it; I’ll say I roughed up some local to tell me okay?” “Just don’t call again unless it’s an emergency!” Click! She hung up on me, unbelievable. “Who was that?” Rainbow said as I left the phone booth “Just somepony who I can add to the list of mares that hate my guts” Rainbow raised an eyebrow but said nothing. I nodded “Now we know where to find Crosshair” __________________________________________________ South Flight was a little hard to find but that was probably what was intended. A good assassin would need an out of the way hideout. The building was small and well hidden away. In fact it could be hardly called a hotel, just a small two story place. Apparently Nopony every told them that this kind of place should be classified as a motel. “This the place?” Rainbow said looking up at the old beat up building. “Why would Crosshair want to hide in this dump?” “He wasn’t on vacation Dash” I said mildly “He was out to kill somepony, and we’re going to find out why” We we’re about to enter the door when all of a sudden. KABOOM!!!! A huge explosion came from the second floor of the hotel and it knocked me and Rainbow off our hooves. I shook off the disorientation and looked up at the smoke coming from the hotel room. “Dash get up there! I’ll take the stairs” “On it!” Dash flew inside the smoking window while I pushed my way through the door. Several guests were looking around trying to wonder what was going on. I ran up to the front desk. “What room did that explosion come from!?” The pony at the front desk looked just as worried as the guests “It came from the second floor left side! The stairs are that way!” He pointed with his hoof to a set of staircases. I climbed the stairs three at a time and came to the second floor. In hindsight I didn’t really need the guy to give me directions. I could see the smoke coming from a small room to my left side. I walked inside and my hooves crushed rubble. “Private over here!” Dash was in the center of the room holding up a small crystal. “I found this on the ground, but I don’t see Crosshair anywhere” I looked at the crystal Dash was holding and my eyes grew wide. “Dash, that’s a crystalline bomb!” “A crystal what now!?” Dash dropped the crystal on the ground as if it was suddenly hot. “A crystalline bomb, it was created during the reign of the Alicorns to combat dragons…they would eat the bomb thinking it’s a gemstone and well” I gestured at the ruined room around me “This would be the result” “But where’s Crosshair?” Dash said looking around “You’re probably standing on him” Dash flew into the air in surprise to get off the dust on the ground. I looked around “This bomb is designed to completely vaporize anypony within its range…luckily this one was a small charge so it only destroyed the room” I gestured to the dust left behind by Dash “And it’s inhabitant” Dash looked at me “Can we find out who bought the bomb? Like you did with finding out where the hotel was?” I shook my head “Crystalline bombs are highly illegal in Equestria and in most other countries because of the damage they can cause. Nopony would leave records of selling them just lying around…” “So this means…” Dash said looking at me with realization I sat on the ground defeated “That there’s no way for us to find out who hired Crosshair…we’re at a dead end”