Chapter 2
“Why do you hurt me like you do?”
I just stared at Shelter. I could not believe what he'd just said. Somepony murdered my mother?
“You had better not be shitting me, Doctor!” I growled, getting to my hooves. My nose was inches from his, my nostrils flared as my fury became obvious.
“I swear it’s true.” Shelter retorted. “The Mandrake given to your mother wasn’t a simple accident. I was told to give her a lethal dose while she was pregnant.”
“Why? What possible reason could you possibly give me to justify that?” I yelled, my rage boiling over. I levitated open the window and grabbed him by the hooves with my magic.
“I was told to! You think I would willingly let a patient die if I could save her?”
“There's no excuse for what you did!” I yelled, dangling him out the open window by his hooves. “Do no harm, that's the first RULE! Who told you to do it?”
“I don’t know! I got a letter ten years ago that said somepony would make sure I’d lose everything if I didn’t!”
“Where is this letter?” I roared, my grey eyes brimming with barely restrained fury. I released two of his hooves causing him to drop a couple feet.
“I have it! Just don't drop me,” he cried, panicked.
I took a deep breath, resisting the almost overwhelming desire to just let him go, and fall to his death. Where's the voice when you need him? I pulled him inside and dropped him on a heap on the floor. He reached inside his coat jacket after catching his breath. He pulled out a letter and my magic yanked it out of his hooves. I looked at it.
Dear Doctor Shelter,
It is in our best interest that Sparrow not give birth to her son. We know all about your little drug business on the side. It would be unfortunate if that were to come to light. We want you to give her a lethal dose of Mandrake. If you can’t kill her child, then kill her instead.
I.E.
“What’s this about drug activities?” I asked slowly, through clenched teeth.
“I had a business going on the side,” Shelter said, looking up at me pathetically. “I serve the Disciples of Discord. The church requires certain drugs and I provided them.”
“You should’ve stayed dead in that jungle,” I said, darkly. “This is more than enough to put you away for the rest of your miserable life. Now, who is this I.E?”
“I don’t know,” Shelter said, still balled up on the floor. “I just know he could destroy my life if he told anypony about the drugs.”
I glared down at him; I could not honestly believe this man could be so selfish. To kill my mother, and cripple Tailspin, and for what? To save his own skin, I couldn’t find it in my heart to forgive him. I simply said, “I’m placing you under arrest for drug trafficking, defiling the dead, and whatever the hell else they can get you on.”
I walked out without another word.
______________________________________________________________
Twilight was waiting for me, and she looked very concerned. I didn’t say a word as we walked outside of the detention center. She looked at me sideways. “Private, back there you almost lost it again.”
“What did you expect?” I asked, looking over at her. “A supposedly dead pony comes along and says that somepony had my mother killed. I just can’t believe it!”
Twilight put a comforting hoof around my shoulder. “I’m always here for you, you know?”
“I know, Twilight,” I replied, with a sigh, “but now we gotta find the monster that did this.”
After we walked inside the library, Twilight showed me the medallion. “I did a little research, as it turns out this does belong to a cult called the Disciples of Discord.”
“Some crazy cult worshipped a god of chaos?” I asked, looking at the book she had open. Discord was a strange being indeed. About half a year ago, he tried to take over Equestria after being freed from his stone prison. Apparently long before even Celestia was around, he had ruled the land with an iron fist. Granted no modern history books can tell us exactly what happened all those years ago, but that didn’t make this insane creature of chaos any less dangerous.
Hard to believe there were ponies that worshipped such a dark being. Then again, some worshiped Nightmare Moon. I guess a cult that worshipped Discord can’t be too far-fetched.
“Apparently, the actual cult was started centuries ago. I even looked in some of the books that survived the fire at Glimmer’s place. As it turns out, Discord had a cult of followers that tried several times throughout history to take over Equestria. The Cult of the Blood Moon was a proxy cult to them.”
“Well, they died out with the banishment of Luna,” I said, knowingly. “What kind of activities did they perform?”
“Assassinations, manipulating businesses, drug smuggling, you name it, they had some hoof in crime everywhere.” Twilight looked at me. “Private, we should probably inform Celestia about this.”
“Good idea. You do that,” I said, with a nod. “I’m getting the next train to Manhattan.”
“What for?” Twilight asked, looking at me.
“I’m going to see an old friend.” I turned and walked out.
____________________________________________________________
I entered the Violet Rose and found her sitting at the booth she usually relaxed in between songs. Her blue eyes looked up at me and a small unreadable smile crossed her face. I sat in the seat opposite her.
“For somepony hell bent on avoiding me, you sure come around a lot,” Larksong said smoothly.
“Larksong, please,” I said, looking across at her. “I need your help.”
“This is a change of pace,” she said, looking at me with an unreadable expression. “You're asking politely this time around?”
“I'm not in the mood for your games,” I snapped.
“Now you’re back to usual Private,” she said, with a roll of her eyes. “Just once I’d like to have a conversation that doesn’t involve a case.”
“Lark, I need to know something. Did you dad have anything to do with a certain cult?” I asked, hesitantly.
Her blue eyes didn’t break their gaze on me. She sighed and said bitterly, “You know that’s a sour subject for me as well.”
“That was three years ago,” I said, looking down.
“That’s not long enough to forget what happened it seems,” she said, looking down as well.
I remember everything…
_____________________________________________________________
Three Years ago…
Big Wig, a pony with a long silver mane and a golden coat, entered his office just as the rain was starting to really come down. Big Wig owned a large pharmaceutical company; several drugs were made by his company as well as several other products.
He turned on the light with his magic and found me sitting in his chair. He let out a yelp of surprise and then a sigh of relief when he realized it was me. “Private, don’t scare an old man like that.”
“Oh you’d better be scared of me,” I said, keeping my steely grey eyes trained on him.
“What are you talking about?” Big Wig said, with a smile. “You’re going to be my son in law soon. I do believe there should be trust between us.”
“Then will you tell me why a shipment of 24 billion bits worth of medical mageth suddenly disappeared off the coast?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” He replied too fast.
“Oh I know it all,” I said, getting up from the chair. “I know that you've been selling it on the side. Your business not making enough for you?”
“You have no proof!”
“Wrong,” I said, pulling a sheet of paper out of my brown trench coat. “I have 12.”
“12 what?”
“Twelve officers of the vice department, all of them were found with at least several hundred bits worth of the stuff. All of them delivered it to various drug dealers, I found out. The pony they reported to? You, Big Wig.”
“Think rationally about what you are doing,” Big Wig said, as I advanced on him. I grabbed the old pony with my magic and pushed him against the wall. I pulled out my .32 revolver and aimed it at his head.
“You honestly expect me to believe that you had nothing to do with this?” I asked, keeping the gun pressed against his head. “You already had all the bits you could want through your company, why’d you have to drag those officers down to satisfy your own greed?”
“They didn’t have any choice,” Big Wig retorted. “If word got out they even looked at the stuff, they would never see a badge again. They have families, Private, foals and some even had grand foals. They needed the money, and they were willing to look the other way to get it.”
I hit him with a free hoof in the stomach. He let out a gasp of pain, and I just glared at him. “You were going to hold that against them. Have them be your little puppets on the police force. Well no longer, I’ve taken care of them all”
“You arrested them?” Big Wig said, astonished.
“All of them, I wanted to make sure nopony could help you anymore. They all squealed about their deal with you.”
“So, are you going to arrest me?”
“I was planning on it,” I said, slowly.
Big Wig spoke frantically, “You need me! You need to marry Larksong, if you don’t you cripple of a brother will di-“
I bucked him in the face and he slammed against the wall. I aimed my gun at his head. “Don’t you dare talk about my brother like that, you monster.”
“Larksong will never marry you now, you need me…”
“What?” I asked, my grey eyes growing wide.
“Did you really think she would fall for a stallion like you?” Big Wig said, with a smirk. “Did you really think out of all the stallions at that college she would choose you? Some poor detective with no future? I knew you would be trouble when I saw how fast you climbed the ranks.”
“So,” I said, with slow realization, “you had Larksong pretend to be in love with me. You used her so I would choose to let you go to keep her.”
He smirked slowly. “What are you going to do now?”
I just looked down at him and slowly opened my trench coat. Inside the inner pockets was a tape recorder. I saw Big Wig’s eyes grow wide “Fenlock always said to keep one of these on at all times. You never know who you might need to get a confession out of.”
“You can’t do this to me!” Big Wig, pleaded.
“I can, and I will.”
“What about Larksong? What about your brother? I’ll give you anything!”
I delivered a swift kick to his face and he fell over unconscious. I glared down at him. “I don’t want your dirty money.”
I wandered around in a daze, my heart broken, for an hour. Then it was time for me to meet Larksong. It was time for her to explain herself...
I stood on the bridge facing Larksong. The rain was pouring down with a ferocity equaling my own. Larksong looked at me with those eyes I once was enchanted by. Not anymore.
“Why did you lie to me, Larksong?” I asked, looking at her. “Why didn’t you tell me your father was forcing you?”
Larksong shook her gold head, her green mane was falling around her eyes “Private, I know what I did was wrong. I just knew that if I told you, something like this would happen”
“What?” I yelled. “That I’d find out the truth? That I would find out the mare I love was only pretending to love me?”
“It may have been that way at first!” Tears fell from her eyes mixing with the rain. “Then I found that you are nothing like other stallions! You’re kind and gentle, but also strong and brave! You aren’t a show off, and you always do what’s right! I’ve grown to love you, despite why I dated you in the first place.”
I closed my grey eyes and looked down. “I was going to propose, Larksong…”
“What?” Larksong asked. I didn’t see the reaction she had.
“I guess if my trust can so easily be tossed aside, you aren't the mare I thought you were.” I reached into my trench coat and pulled out a small box. It contained the ring that I was going to give her. I threw it onto the ground and turned around, unable to even look at her anymore.
I walked off as Larksong cried on the middle of the bridge.
I’ve never liked the rain…
_______________________________________________________
Present Day…
“I was serious that night you know,” Larksong said, looking up at me. “I really did fall in love with you.”
“I was too angry to hear anything that night,” I said, slowly.
“You’ve changed,” Larksong said.
“What do you mean?”
“You didn’t care back then about the officers you put in prison.” Larksong observed. “Now I hear about you helping ponies, even when the case doesn’t benefit from it.”
“Do you think I should’ve let it go?” I asked.
“Honestly,” she said, with a shake of her head, “you did what many cops wouldn’t do. You stood up and did what was right, despite everything. In the end, I think you did the right thing.”
“Even though it cost us our engagement?”
“Eh, I would’ve gotten tired of you after the first week or so.”
We both laughed a little. It was interesting joking around with Larksong again. She smiled a little. “Twilight is a lucky girl to have you.”
“I’m lucky to have her,” I said, smiling. “Now, do you have any info about drugs going to a cult called the Disciples of Discord?”
“I don’t,” Larksong said, “but I know who would.”
“You’re not suggesting what I think you are…” I said, warily.
“Him, I have no problem with you kicking the snot out of.”
______________________________________________________________
Vegas walked out of the bar with a smirk on his face. I could imagine he’d scored some mare or something like that. Being a detective had its benefits; Vegas took advantage of every one.
He was a couple of years older than I was. His white and black spotted coat reflected his dice cutie mark. He wore a brown trench coat that kept him warm in the chilly night air. His black and white streaked mane allowed him to stand out on the crowded streets of Manehattan.
I followed him slowly, keeping to the shadows of the alleyways. I felt almost a supernatural instinct as I followed him. When it came to tailing, there was nopony better than I. Vegas however knew me from our work together. He caught on that I was following him.
His green eyes turned around just as I ducked into an alley. He broke off into a run and I went after him. I shoved several civilians out of the way as he ran. Vegas took a side street and I noticed he was heading for the peer. I knew Manehattan far better than he did however.
About ten minutes later Vegas came to a deserted dock and tried to catch his breath. He turned around and I walked to him slowly, pulling out Blackbird. He tried to make a run for it, but I shot him in the leg and he came tumbling down onto the dock.
He glared up at me as he nursed his shot leg. “What the hell, Private?”
“The hell is that you ran before I could talk to you,” I said, as I advanced on him.
“What do you want? I’m bleeding here!”
I pointed the gun right at his head. “Vegas, you know vice better than anypony. There is a cult that had something to do with killing my mother. I want to find said cult, and I need you to tell me how they got supplied with their drugs”
“I ain’t telling you shit!” Vegas shouted “Now call the hospital I’m bleeding!”
“You’ll bleed a lot more if you don’t give me what I want” I admonished “I would also like to direct your attention to exhibit B” I pointed to the Horson River just off the dock that Vegas was on. “You do know that’s the Horson right? If I dump your body in there the chances of somepony finding it is next to none”
“You aren’t going to kill me, Private,” Vegas said, smugly. “You ain’t got the balls.”
Bang!
I fired again, this time shooting him in his hind leg. He yelled in pain as I spoke again, “Here’s how it’s going to go down, I’m going to ask you a question. If I don’t like the answer, I’ll shoot you. There are four bullets left in this gun. You can imagine what I’m going to do with the last one…”
“You’re crazy, you know that!”
“No, just want answers,” I lowered my head to face Vegas. “Now tell me, how would somepony get a hold of Mandrake or Mageth in Manehattan?”
“Local grocery,” he said, with a smirk. “Aisle four.”
Bang!
I shot him in his other hind leg. He let out another screech of pain and I simply said, “Three left.”
“You’re insane!”
“Start singing, little birdie,” I said slowly.
“All right!” Vegas shouted “It’s a griffon! A griffon was the one supplying Big Wig with that Mageth. He’s some kind of drug lord.”
“What’s his name?”
“Big Bird,” he smirked.
Bang!
“Two left.”
“Shit!” He exclaimed, holding his other foreleg. “What the hell, Private?”
“Give me a name.” I pointed the gun at his hind leg again.
“I ain’t telling you,” Vegas fired back. “If I do they’ll kill me!”
“What makes you think I won’t?” I asked, menacingly.
“I know you, Private! You’ve gone soft! Always caring about the ponies in the cases! You won’t kill me! You’re nothing but a pansy, a no good lousy dete-“
Bang!
“Shit!” Vegas swore as I shot the gun in his hind leg again.
“One left.”
“You didn’t ask me a question!” Vegas pointed out.
“No, I did ask you a question, rhetorical questions count”
Vegas looked at my gun as I slowly levitated it to his head. “Wait Private, we can work this out.”
“You know I don’t take bribes, Vegas”
“All right!” Vegas shouted. “It was a griffon named Talonbreak! I don’t know anything else, I swear!”
I just gazed at him. I used my magic to start pulling the trigger ever so slowly…
“Private, you aren’t going to kill me!” s
Slowly…
“Private don’t joke around!”
Slowly…
“Private!!!”
BANG!!!!
Vegas opened his eyes as I shot Blackbird into the air and holstered her. “That’s all of my bullets.” I turned away from Vegas.
Vegas yelled back at me “What the hell was that? You really have gone soft!”
I ignored him as I walked away.
“Three years ago you would’ve killed me!”