//------------------------------// // Investigation (Part 4) (Edited 07/22/20) // Story: Live By The Sword... // by redandready45 //------------------------------// "Applejack!" "Applejack!" "Applejack!" "Applejack!" "It is great to hear so many people are concerned about me," Gilda quipped weakly from the other side of the nurse's office. Both Applejack and Gilda laid in beds on opposite sides of the room and were clad in hospital gowns. Applejack laid in the bed closest to the door. Her right cheek covered in a thick bandage, and she laid down, a traumatized expression on her face. Gilda sat in the bed furthest from the door, gauze wrapped around her eyes, her mouth twisted into a forlorn frown. Applejack's friends and the Apple Family laid next to Applejack, holding her tight and crying over what had been done to her. Applejack didn't respond to their hugs, looking like an empty shell. Sunset also hugged Applejack, tearfully apologizing for creating the monster that carved up her face. "Gilda!" two voices echoed. Lightning Dust and Rolling Thunder burst in, running up to hug the blindfolded girl. "Guys," Gilda said, her morose expression relaxing into a calm smile, as her two best friends embraced her. "What happened to you?" Lightning Dust asked her blindfolded friend. "I hurt my ankle," Gilda said in an ironic tone, "as you can tell by my-WHAT DO YOU THINK HAPPENED?!" "Nurse," Rolling Thunder asked the nurse, her wild Sydneigh accent becoming more relaxed, "is Gilda gonna be OK?" "Is she gonna be blind for life?" Fluttershy asked with some horror. "Don't worry, she isn't going to be blind," Nurse Redheart reassured the purple-skinned brawler, "her eyes are too sensitive today, but by tomorrow, she can take off the blindfold." "Well that's a relief," another female voice said. Everyone looked to the door, and saw a tall, athletic woman in blue military uniform and sunglasses marching in. Her skin was yellow, her hair resembled an orange flame, and she wore a smirk that was both disarming and confident. "For me," the woman continued. "I'd hate to have to do your chores, Gilds." Everyone, especially Rainbow Dash, looked in awe at who entered in the room. "You're Spitfire!" Rainbow Dash said in an excitable fangirl voice. "Yes," Spitfire said with a neutral expression. "And the sky is also blue." "You rescued those hostages from the Changeling Army ten years ago," Rainbow continued excitedly. "Even got the Star of Valor from the Chief Minister [1] himself. It was awesome-" "Rainbow Dash," Rarity scolded, "I know you're excited to meet a celebrity, but let's not forget the situation at hand." She gestured toward the still shaken and forlorn Applejack. Rainbow Dash's good mood died, remembering what happened to her friend. "I'm so proud of you, Little Sis," Spitfire said empathetically, climbing into bed with Gilda to give her a hug too. "Doing what you could to protect someone." Rainbow almost asked how Spitfire knew Gilda, but barely remembered that Gilda lived on a military base. "I guess," Gilda said, her normally manic voice becoming unusually soft as she leaned into the hug. "GILDA!" A panicked voice said. Everyone turned around and saw Micro Chips coming into the room, breathing heavily and holding some brown bag. "When I heard about what happened, I ran to Barnyard Bargains and got your favorite foods," the tech geek said. "Jelly donuts, beef jerky, chicken ramen, peppermint cookies, and Diamond Princess cereal bars." Gilda frowned in dismay, not wanting her love of Diamond Princess to be known. "Hey Micro," Gilda said with a forced smile and gritted teeth, "you didn't have to be do this. You really...didn't." "I didn't know Little Sis had a boyfriend," Spitfire said in a teasing voice. "We're not dating," the two said in unison. "Denial," Spitfire said in a fluttery tone, "the sign of true love." The two began blushing in embarrassment. His blushing vanished as Micro Chips noticed Sunset was in the room and gave her a cold look. Sunset flinched, remembering that Micro Chips was still angry over her mistreatment of him. "I'm sorry to interrupt this adorable family moment," Rarity said in a humorless voice, "but can we please focus on what happened." "That's what where I'm here fah," a weirdly accented voice said. An officer in the Canterlot Police Department strode in, clad in a blue uniform and a hat.. The man had shamrock green skin, red sideburns, a thick red mustache, and an overweight build. His appearance and his accent indicated he was of Capallan [2] heritage. "I'm Officah Garda! "What in the name of Terrah Prime[3] is happening here?" the man asked in frustration, confused at such a large crowd, "Is this some kind of party?" "Nope," Spitfire said. "Just a lot of concerned citizens." Officer Garda rolled his eyes. "I need Ms. Griffon and Ms. Smith to tell me what occurred," the man said, pulling out a notepad. "Is the situation really that bad to warrant police?" Rarity asked with trepidation. "Young lady, this is no ordinary punk," Officer Garda said with some fear. "He left bloody footprints on the ground when he ran away-" "Did they lead anywhere?" Spitfire asked hopefully. "He apparently realized what he was doing and took them off," Officer Garda said. Everyone's jaw dropped in surprise and horror. "This kid is both slick and knows how to cover his tracks." He looked at the farmer and the military brat with a serious and desperate gaze. "Anything you have to offer is absolutely necessary to capture this thug." With a sigh, the two began revealing what happened. Applejack explained how her cowboy hat had been stolen from her, and the thief, with lightning speed, lured her into the storage closet. Before she could see who it was, a cloth covered in chloroform was thrown over her mouth, knocking her out. Every ten seconds, she would tremble fearfully as she recalled the horrible incident. Gilda explained how she was looking for toilet paper when she walked in on the freak's torture session, and how the freak managed to knock her to the ground and blind her. Everyone else provided what details they could about the thug, including the threatening notes Sunset received. "There were a few things that were...odd about this guy," Gilda said with a frown. "This bogan is a knife-wielding psycho," Rolling Thunder said with bitter sarcasm. "Odd is an understatement." "Think about it," Gilda said with an uncomfortable expression. "He goes to all this effort to slice up Apple Girl's cheek. He looks like he can barely stand, and he pulls a wrestling move on me." Her mouth set into a thin line. "And even though I was helpless, he didn't bother to slit open my throat, despite the fact that I was a witness. I have a feeling he could've gutted me any time, but was...holding back, for some reason." Fluttershy began tapping her chin in deep thought. "Could be a pragmatic psycho," Officer Garda mused as he wrote on his clipboard. "He carved...a word into Applejack's cheek," Nurse Redheart said uncomfortably. "What was it?" Officer Garda asked the nurse. With hesitation, Nurse Redheart held up a picture of Applejack's face for all to see. Several letters had been carved into Applejack's cheek. B I T C Everyone looked shocked and horrified. A whimper erupted from Applejack. "Put it away," she yelled, tears flowing down her cheek. Her soft country voice was horribly numbed by the painkillers that had been injected into her face. Granny and Big Mac hugged her again, while Apple Bloom patted her head, the way Applejack would do for her whenever she felt scared, while Nurse Redheart immediately hid the picture. "And, he left...a note in Applejack's skirt," Nurse Redheart said ominously. "Read it to me," Officer Garda said. With even more hesitation, Nurse Redheart read the note. "Hello, Sunny," the note began, "It appears you've gotten yourself some meat shields. Little bodyguards to protect you from the wrath you so deserve. I'm not surprised. You've always hurt people from where they couldn't reach you." Sunset's head bowed in shame. Pinkie Pie tried to put a comforting hand on Sunset's shoulder, but she pushed it away. "To anyone dumb enough to protect the coward. I will give you only one warning: if you choose to associate with vermin, you will become vermin in my eyes. In my eyes, all vermin deserve to be exterminated." Nurse Redheart turned the card around with reluctance. It was a picture of Applejack and her friends, edited to have x's drawn over their eyes, and nooses doodled around their necks. Everyone looked at Nurse Redheart with horror. Sunset began shaking with terror.