A cake? I must be crazy, I'm about to enter the lion's den and I plan to take an olive branch as my best defense? What the hell am I thinking? However, the voice of the person on the phone sounded so calm and so distant from the situation that I feel disturbingly safe. I park the car, the bakery is still open; it's almost eleven at night, but to Grandma Pie likes to close later. Upon entering the place, the smell of the ovens and in general, of delicious preparations she creates, welcomes me.
"Grandma Pie? ... Grandma Pie, Where are you?"
In the blink of an eye she appears in front of me causing me a startle. Despite having more than seventy years; one could say it has the attitude and vitality of a teenager. Grandma Pinkie is one of the most beloved people in the neighborhood, and their preparations are very famous for the love she puts into each one of them. Do not know what may they have, but I can assure you that; if you are having the worst day of your life, it would suffice to get into her business, let her watch you for a moment and then, try just one piece of the slice of cake that she chooses. That will make you the happiest person on the planet.
"Wow, Leon, boy, was beginning to think you'd already forgotten this old woman." Some pink hair falls over her face and she apart it with blow, "Tell me how you've been, how´s the work, how are you doing with the girls, when you're going to use the department, and what name should I put on the cake birthday you've come to buy? "
I stay with my mouth open and looking at her completely surprised. I try to imagine her when she was, I do not know, twenty maybe? Laughing I shake my head to accommodate my thoughts before answering.
"C´mon granny. You know I never forget you, is just that I don´t have much time lately." Taking a deep breath; I start to talk, "I'm fine, each new case leaves me with more enemies that want to send me to my funeral; of course, if I did not send them to theirs first." I fail to contain a smile full of malice. "It is very difficult to maintain a relationship when you are someone who flirts with danger. I promise you will soon I’ll start to bring some of the things I have in the office. And finally ... How you know I come for a birthday cake? "
Silence floats between the two. She looks at me so seriously that I even feel like a little kid about to be punished. Gradually a smile appears on her tired face and finally bursts into a loud laugh; her laugh is infectious and I end up embracing her and kissing her tenderly on the cheek.
"You're a demon Leon. You really know how to bring joy to this old lady. C´mon; choose the cake you want. Courtesy of the house."
I want to ask what flavor should I carry a date with a complete stranger; in which the chances of it being my last day are so high? Without realizing it, I take the picture of Fluttershy and show it to her. She studies it for a while, seems surprised and raises a finger. She leans to take from the showcase a chocolate mint cake. She takes a decorator and with pink letters begins to write "Happy Birthday ..." She looks up at me as if to ask me something.
"Fluttershy ... her name is Fluttershy."
----- An hour later -----
The docks are dark; the place is so quiet as a cemetery. The gentle murmuring of the surf is a sleepy melody and echoes of the bells of buoys complement the tune. When turning to one of the warehouses, the car lights are reflected in three guys that close the crossing; are dressed in gabardines and carry short submachine guns; they point at me but do not shoot. One begins to approach. I take the colt and pull the hammer. He gets to the door of the car and knocks on the glass; with a gesture tells me to down the glass.
"We thought you weren´t coming detective, the boss is a little upset; for your own sake, I hope you brought the cake to the lady. Keep driving, after three warehouses turn right, there my other colleagues will tell you what to do."
With the head tells the other two that move from the road. Floor the throttle slightly and the car moves slowly. As they indicated me, rotating after the third warehouse I find myself faced with a huge house. Three subjects more get closer. I turn off the engine and leave the car.
"Leave the guns on the hood sir." Orders me one.
Without putting more resistance, I obey taking off the colt, shotgun and finally Matilda. one of them look at my Thompson and loose a whistle, "Such a beauty my friend." He takes her without my permission. That annoys me, but I can´t do anything. He admires her as if it were the finest piece of art in a museum; I feel jealous. Another one records me to make sure I don´t carry hidden surprises. Finally he leaves her on the hood.
"Well, detective; follow me."
"One moment." Leaning into the car I take the cake box. "It´s for your boss."
They escort me to the inside of the house; the place is well protected; there are men in every corner. In the place are several boxes with different names, some in another language. After passing the front door, the place amazes me; it is decorated in victorian style, there are great pictures on the walls; a large red carpet descends the staircase leading to the upper levels, there is even a fountain in the center of the room.
"Ah, detective, you finally have arrived."
At the top of the stairs there´s a man; his skin is brown and has large and bushy eyebrows that combine with his gray beard and hair.
"I was beginning to get worried for you detective; that would have been disappointing. don´t you think?"
His voice is deep but calm, he down the stairs and walks over to me. I'm surprised when he takes me by the shoulders and kisses me on both cheeks, a tradition rooted in the Italian mafia whereby a Don, shows that a person is worthy of his trust. At least it lets me know that I am not in danger ... yet.
Even without being able to understand what happens I start talking. "What kind of guest would I consider myself, if I would come to the appointment without a present for the Don´s family?" I tell him showing him the package containing the cake; his eyes sparkle and pats me on the back. For a person of his age, the strength of the gesture is awesome.
"Excellent detective; follow me, let´s go to a better place."
"Detective is very formal; please, call me Leon... Mister?" The question remains in the air for a few moments
"Name´s Discord"
Discord?... his name seems familiar. We keep silence as we go through a long hallway. The place is packed with display cases that keep countless treasures. I find myself more surprised and I assure myself that I´m walking next to one of the biggest mafia bosses in the city. A couple of his men open the door to an office; we enter, in the center is a large round table, a maid comes over and takes off the cake my hands; I see her disappear behind a curtain.
I admire the decor of the place and suddenly I fix my eyes on a wall. in it, there´s a picture in which there are three persons; one of them is my host, has a huge smile on his face while he´s standing behind a high chair in which there is a beautiful woman, her face is serene, her long hair falls over her shoulders. In her arms there´s a baby; has deep blue eyes and pink hair. I think I know who it is. Before I even succeed in forming the question in my mind, the man next to me starts talking.
"Are they not beautiful?" I nod, "They are the most precious treasure in my life. My beautiful Celestia; she filled my life with joy for over sixty great years, losing her was one of the most painful things that I have ever faced." There is sadness in his voice "When our daughter was born, I was the happiest man on the planet, the first time I had that little and defenseless creature in my arms, I felt something that does not have any description. Our love was transformed into a precious girl. Since that day I promised her that nothing would be missing, and that I would always be by her side. But I must tell you that things do not always go as you want."
Hear him saying that puts me on alert. I begin to weave more and more theories about in what am I entering. I feel on a crossroads. I look at the picture, things don´t end up joining, my confusion grows more and more.
"Sir, I don´t want to be rude, but you know something more about the lady who visited me tonight, also, you seem to know something I do not understand completely, and it appears that the person who I was supposed to rescue, is not other than... your... daughter..." I almost spell the words, I begin to feel concern not only for me, but for her, what is her your role in this plot?
"You don´t take nonsenses, isn´t it, Leon?" He lets out a sigh and sits on the couch in the room, with a gesture he invites me to do the same, I sit in front of him.
"First of all, you're absolutely right, the little in the picture is my baby; my Fluttershy. I tried to keep her away from this lifestyle, but when her mother died, she suffered a lot, maybe more than I. The depression turned her into a shy girl; she didn´t want to be around anyone, that worried me; so I always kept her close to me. Even when I had to fix some ... issues." He makes the gesture of the quotes with his fingers. "Little by little she started out of her depression, but not in the right way; I saw her talking to my men. They love her and respect her, and they began to treat her like one of them. That was not of my like and one day I decided to stop her, we discussed and I said things that hurt her; she escaped the next day. I spent a week looking for her everywhere, but couldn´t find her, it was as if he had vanished. Some days later, I received a letter, my little girl had been kidnaped by one of my greatest enemies, and possibly one of the greatest threats ever faced by this city, the name Sombra sounds familiar to you?"
His words left me in shock and a chill ran down my body. During my time as police, many of my partners were tracking a subject who was just called Sombra; was said to be the master of half the city, some minor gangs ended up joining to his forces; the darkness sons, those who didn´t joined to him were eliminated. Those bastards caused us many problems; I lost a lot of friends who sought to stop them. One day, the case passed to dead file, no one else wanted to look for problems. Often, I revised the tracks and research done by others, but never managed to connect the dots.
"By the look on your face I can say that you know whom I´m talking about, now imagine my reaction to know that my baby was in his hands. The letter said that if I wanted to see her alive again, I needed to give him... something very valuable, so I accepted and put a date for the change. The day arrived, after I gave them the object and they let her go, Sparkle said that Fluttershy has hear something she shouldn’t, and without warning that bitch shot my daughter. Fluttershy was left in coma"
I look at him getting up and look out the window, his voice takes on a more serious tone.
"She commands you to come for my little girl for two reasons; one is because you are the best at what you do, and most important... because Fluttershy is a loose end in their plans... I do not know exactly what happened while she was captive, but she knows something very important, maybe she knows what Sombra is planning, the problem is that she doesn´t remember it. During her recovery, there were nights when she awakens terrified, screaming to be let go, that they didn´t do.... something." His voice begins to crack. "Seeing her like that broke my heart, but one day, she started saying things that at first seemed to have no sense, she was talking about a kind of installation, machinery and scientists working in something, she often mentioned that bastard and to Sparkle, until finally it was over. When she left the trauma, she didn´t remembered the kidnaping. She only remembered her name, the death of his mother, and me; the doctors said it was the worst case of amnesia they have seen, she suffers of a emotional regression; she acts as she did after the death of Celestia, they say it is unlikely to know if she will recover."
Now I understand everything. Before I can speak, someone else enters the room.
"Dad?"
Listening to her speak my heart contracts, her voice so soft and sweet; almost like a whisper. He turns to look at her and I get up from my seat. At looking at her, I stay frozen. She is so beautiful.
"Oh, my dear Shy ... Happy Birthday." He embraces her almost tearfully. "Let me introduce you to someone, Detective Leon ... she is my daughter ... Fluttershy."
"Gl-gl-glad to-to meet you..." I extend the hand, she takes it with hers. God her eyes; her deep blue eyes...
From outside, we begin to hear voices chanting a song of congratulations. We go outside the room and from the balcony, I can see several men gathered to congratulate her. They have the cake with lighted candles. We descend the stairs. Both, she and her father seem to be happy. After the song ends, they all scream hurrah. She turn off the candles, and everyone burst into joy again. Discord just looks at her, his smile is gone and concern falls on his face. I get away some meters of them. I think again in Miss Sparkle; something is not right, maybe it is best to leave this place before...
"Detective?... please, take it... or maybe... do not want cake?"
Her voice brings me back to reality. "Oh, thank you very much.... Hope you like it.... Please, do call me detective, you make me feel... old." I say with a laugh, she closes her eyes and smiles. We taste the cake; the explosion of flavor is amazing.
"Oh my God, is the best cake that I tasted in my life." She pretty much eats it in a bite, "Granny Pie, You did it again," I say to myself.
A couple of hours later all is quiet, she happily chats with a couple of guys, Discord looks at her from the top, I approach him.
Sir... I... I know how you feel, and I see that it must be very hard for you, I ... I have to tell you something, the situation is more serious than you think, I can´t say how they knew that your daughter is still alive, nor if they know her current status, but they will not stop until they catch her; Sparkle told me how to get here, so I conclude that they may be here any minute, I do not buy the story of the curfew, and I think you either, or I'm wrong?.... She's not safe here."
His hands clench tightly the railing, its stance hardens and turns to look at me; I can see in his eyes anger and frustration. Almost shouting he speaks to me.
"You think I do not know? Of course they will come, and if I can´t stop them; she will be taken away and I will never see her again. I don´t know exactly why they sent you, but now that you know all this, you will become a serious problem, an obstacle..." His voice softens. "So I need you to promise me something."
My eyes open wide; I know what he will say. "No... Please don´t ask me that... I can´t..."
"I have no choice... with what you've shown tonight, I know you're the only one who can keep her safe, please take her away, protect her of all this before..."
Shootings? ... Does that sound like?... I look to one end of the pier, darkness is cut by beams of light that indicate that someone is unloading their weapons, more and more people start running in that direction, but one of they do the opposite, his clothes are stained with blood. Discord downs the stairs at full speed; I follow him.
"Sir... they are too many... I do not think we can delay them for long ..."
An explosion is hear in the distance, and the silence of the night is cut by cries and sounds of shots that are closer and closer to our position. She runs to her father, the terror on his face is overwhelming.
"Dad, what's going on?"
He dare not tell her. They´re getting closer, we need to act.
"Sir... what are your orders?"
"Fluttershy... listen to me... do you remember the bad men I spoke of?" She nods. "They´re here and they want to take; you have to get out of here." She watches in shock; begins to decline the idea.
"What will happen to you, will you come too?" Her eyes fill with tears.
Saying nothing, taking her hand begins to run out of the house; both, his ally and I follow them; I know perfectly what he will do, and I will not stop him. Explosions and gunfire are hear coming closer and part of the pier is in flames. Between all sounds, sirens are heard; it seems that the police is coming. We cut way through one of the warehouses; another guy approaches us and gives a rifle to his boss. He offers me a gun and I refuse smiling, to his surprise, they see me taking out a couple of guns of my jacket. "Do you think I would be naked?" The two loose a laugh.
We continued until get out of the warehouse, then I distinguish several men dressed in black trench coats; the symbol worn on the chest indicates that they are Sparkle´s men. Before they can discover us; Discord kills them. But someone else has found us and start calling his comrades. One of the Discord´s men starts shooting, shouts us that we move forward, we do so and we enter to another warehouse, a few seconds after I turn around only to see him fall.
I hide behind a dumpster. When our enemies pass without noticing me, I jump behind them and shot them until there is no one standing; moments after I reach my companions who are under fire behind some boxes. I go by the side door and find myself face to face with two more, a moment later I put a bullet their head. Surrounding the building, I notice those who fence Discord; no time for stealth now, so I just shoot them. They thank me with a nod and we move on. Ahead I distinguish my car. Out of nowhere a flash in the darkness sends Discord to the floor, Fluttershy screams and leans over to hug her father; his shirt begins to turn red. Quickly between the other guy and I we put Discord behind some barrels.
"Well done detective, I see you have the girl with you." I know that voice. "Now give her to me and I will let you live."
"Fuck you bitch." Discord shouts with all his might. "I will never let you put a finger on her." She does not stop mourn. My partner gets up and starts firing at nothing, another flash and a bullet pass through his head. We are at an impasse.
"Arrogant until death, Discord; we gave you the opportunity to join us and despised it. That was your worst mistakes... No, wait; your biggest mistake was having that brat, she knows important things, cannot stay alive. Do not complicate the matters, not repeating it again, give her to me immediately. "
I need to think, get them out of here.
"Fluttershy, you know how to drive? I whisper her and she nod. "Ok, my car is outside." I point to it and she nods. "This is not going to like you, but you have to trust me, when I say it, you must run to it and come back for your father, then go..."
I wink to his father and he smiles. Taking her by surprise, I hug her and took her off the cover; I slide the car keys in his pocket.
"What the hell are you doing Leon? Damn you, let her go, I thought ..."
"You thought wrong friend, Sparkle pay me much for her, time to fulfill my end of the bargain."
"Well done detective, I see that I was not wrong when looking for your services."
Fluttershy begins to tremble when she sees Sparkle getting out of the darkness with a pistol in her hand. "Come closer, closer, just a little more". Releasing Fluttershy; I throw myself over Sparkle. "Now." I yell to Fluttershy. She runs out to the car, while I wrestle with my enemy.
"What the hell are you doing detective?" She screams. I silence her with a header; she let out a growl and pulls his gun. I let loose one of my hands and hit her directly in the face, she steps back, but to my surprise starts laughing.
"So, you already decided which side will you be, eh? Ok, I will enjoy killing you."
"I will not let you hurt the girl. You already made her suffer enough."
She runs toward me; I barely can dodge his punches. I should suppose that I will not put her out of action so easily. A punch goes straight to my jaw, She´s very strong to be a woman; before I could react a kick sends me to the ground. She tries to run but I send her to the floor with my feet. She tries to reach for his gun, but before, I pull her back towards me and I send my fist in her pretty face. She hits me and with a jump she stands up. Still groggy I make the same and she attacks again; this time I can´t defend me. To my good fortune, the car lights illuminate the place and blind her momentarily, I take the opportunity to kick her with all my strength and she falls as a sack.
I run toward the box and lifted Discord; I put him in the back seat and then climb into the passenger seat. Some shots cross the glass and I see that Sparkle is shooting toward us; Fluttershy accelerates and takes us out of the place.
We get on the road, but this is not finished yet; a group of cars are following us and the guys in the cars begin to shoot us; she gets scared and almost lost control of the car. I put my hand on his shoulder and reassured her. She stares at me and his face takes a seriousness that makes me feel safe. Tightening the flywheel accelerates it thoroughly.
"Resist Discord, soon we'll be safe." He just lift his thumb and laughs; his breathing is becoming slower, leaning with difficulty he gives me Matilda. I under the car window and pull half body outside the car. "Here we go." I pull the trigger and bullets impact directly on the glass of one of the cars; apparently was a direct hit as it role over almost instantly. Three more are fast approaching, and they keep firing; the bullets pass inches from me, but that does not stop me to continue shooting. One of the cars accelerates and gets right behind us, before the guy inside it achieve to reload his gun I shot, the glass fills with blood and the car stops, the remaining two are coming. We enter a tunnel and I enter the car to change the charger. When we get out of the tunnel, looking to one side I find myself looking down the barrel of a gun. I put the parking brake; the car skids but the shot does not touch us, I take it off and she accelerates, we now have one forward and one back. Back out the window, I concentrate fire on the car behind us until the engine starts on fire and finally explodes. She yells at me and I turn quickly to see that the guys on the front car are setting behind a machine gun. I press the accelerator and we crash them making them to throw the gun. I take the moment and shot them. I order her accelerate again and this time it's with such force that we send them to the bar of containment; this gives way and they fall to the cannon. In the mirror I see the explosion.
"Well done Fluttershy… Well done." She smiles and I do the same. "Discord, your daughter is great at the wheel... Discord?... Discord?" Glancing at him, I realize the sad reality.
"Dad?... stop playing... Dad? “She begins to mourn, and stops at the roadside. “No ... Please ... wake up…"
She turns to look at her father, I look her getting out of the car and run to the other side, I go out too and stop her before she can open the door. I hug her tightly; she cries in a heartrending way.
Screams his father do not leave ...
That he can´t go...
That he promised her that they would always be together...
"Fluttershy... Fluttershy. Listen, you can´t let yourself go down now, he died defending you, you have to be strong." She calms down a bit and look at me directly, "He made me promise that I would not let anything happen to you, and I swear, I will keep that promise, I'll make them pay, please ... do not let yourself fall, I need you, I will not let anyone hurt you again. "
"Promise me you will not go... promise me you'll stay with me."
"Fluttershy... I swear on my life... I'll stay with you until the end."
Her eyes fill with tears and she embraces me again this time with more strength, as if to merge into me.
Is dawning and the first rays of the sun illuminate us.