//------------------------------// // Prison Search, Chain Pains // Story: The Return of Mare Do Well // by L_Wolf //------------------------------// Chapter 16 Mare Do Well soon reached the area near the prison looking the building over. It would be tricky to sneak in and after what happen with the papers she doubt they would just let her walk in. She looked around the area quietly wondering if she could glide over the wall, but she didn't see anything close enough to launch herself from. "Hmm, this wont be easy.... but maybe." She said softly to herself sneaking around the side of the prison to a darker area and made her way close to the wall looking up the side. She hunched down before launching herself up used her wall jump until she got close to the top. She pushed herself up and away to avoid hitting the barb wire a burst of energy to push herself forward and over the wall. She used the nearby watch tower to get herself down using it and the wall to wall jump. She let out a deep breath once she was finally on solid ground again, she was lucky the guard in the tower didn't see her come over the wall. Now that she was in she kept herself low and moved swiftly through the prison making her way first to the warden's office using her magic to jimmy the lock and slip inside searching the desk for clues. "Hmm visitor's log for yesterday, at the time of the killing it says the visitor Silver Spoon had was named Nightshade... not Mare Do well...." She said softly as she slipped the camera out and took a picture of the page before stashing the camera way. "Wonder who Nightshade is..." she wondered to herself putting the camera away. She put everything away and took the spare keys the warden kept in his desk moving to the door slipping out. She carefully and quietly made her way to the laundry room tilting her head. "No crime tape?" She thought to herself and frowned her suspicions raised as she unlocked the door and slipped inside. She searched around quietly there was definitely a killing here, she could see blood on the floor, and wash basins. She looked up and saw the bed sheet frowning she tilted her head. She took out the camera and started to take some pictures of what she saw. She spotted some hairs and used her magic to grab them storing them in a pouch. She was about to take more pictures when she heard the door. "Who's in here?!" She heard a guard yell opening the door using his magic to light up the room. Mare Do Well quickly putting the camera away and slipping behind a large wash bin to hide swearing quietly to herself. "I know someone is in here. Come out here now!" Mare Do Well looked around quietly trying to find a way to escape with out hurting the guard. Something caught her eye and she used her magic to throw a bunch of sheets on the guard before galloping quickly to a sewer access hatch and opened it dropping down and pulling it closed before the guard had a chance to recover. "Ugh... this stinks..." She groaned softly landing in the sewer water looking around then up at the access hatch moving quickly away from it before the guard looks inside. Hopping out of the water onto the walkway next to it. The filter in the masked helped a little with the smell, but just a little. She looked around before activating the vision enhancements on her suit, the eye covers starting to glow softly. She galloped down the path in the sewer to make her way out as fast as she could, "Why was the access hatch unlocked?" She asked herself quietly as she moved, she was glad it was open but it should of been locked. Things about this case wasn't adding up for her. She came to a large grate at the end of the sewer and noticed it had been cut so a pony could go through it. "Hmmm... this is curious." She said to herself pulling out the camera and took a picture of the grate before storing the camera and slipped out of the grate exiting the sewer. She looked at the prison and frowned, something was going on and it was bothering her. The Nightshade pony, the lack of crime tape, the unlocked sewer access and grate. It was adding up to a troubling thought and she didn't like it. She winced when her eye covers flickered and went back to normal shaking her head a bit. She started to head back to the city. Once in the city she got to the roof tops again and made her way into the heart of the city. She went to the roof of her building and looked around removing the belt and stored it in a safe location before starting her patrol. Most of the night was pretty uneventful, other then a handful of muggers, she didn't have to many issues. As she started on her way back home she heard some cries for help and made her way to the source of the trouble and looked down seeing a young pegasus filly being harassed by a group of older unicorn colts wearing matching jackets. She swooped down from the roof and landed behind the filly. "You boys have a problem?" She asked looking over the group. She looking to the pegasus, "Head on home now," She said softly to her before turning her attention back to the colts. "Come on now, we're just havin` some fun," the larger of the colts said, clearly drunk, "We aint causin` no trouble." He added frowning as the pegasus flew off to go home then looked at Mare Do Well, "Why ya go an do that? Come on boys let's teach her a lesson." Mare Do Well sighed rolling her eyes. "Drunk and stupid, great combination." She muttered to herself narrowing her eyes watching the unicorn colts start to advance on her, each grabbing some sort of weapon from the ally. The leader staying back though to watch. Two of the unicorns ran towards her and she crouched low before leaping up and over them onto there backs bucking back into there heads knocking them forward and out. She jumped off their backs ducking under a piece of wood coming at her head throwing a trash can at one of them knocking him over. The one hit with the trash can scrambled back up and threw the can back at Mare Do Well, she ducked under it and shot a rotten apple from the ground that fell out of the can into his head staggering him before running forward. The one who threw the wood at her bucking at her, she rolled to the side out of the way spinning and bucked him hard enough to knock him into the one she hit with the apple causing both to fall over. She raised her fore hooves up and whacked both firmly on the head knocking them out before leaping over them landing in front of the leader. Looking at him her eyes narrowed, snorting and scuffing a fore hoof on the ground. The leader of the gang snorting back at her and held a piece of chain in his magic swinging it around. He swung it at her faster then she expected and tried to avoid getting hit but took the blow firm against her side staggering her. "Ya aint so tough Mare Do Well." He said laughing at her swinging the chain around again. She growled moving back to her hooves and watched the chain carefully as he spun it around, ducking as he swung it at her again, but he changed the angle and she felt it hit her across the back letting out a sharp cry of pain. She turned quick to buck him but when she did she felt the chain smack her across the back again. She tried to grab it with her magic, but his own magical force and the speed he kept it moving made it nearly impossible. When she tried to concentrate the chain came at her and hit her across the shoulder breaking her concentration and she winced at the sharp pain in her shoulder. She growled more shaking lightly, the chain was causing her more trouble then she thought it would. She moved to avoid another strike, but instead of getting hit she felt it wrap around her forelegs and got jerk forward squealing as she hit the ground. Looking up at him her eyes narrowing. "I have had enough!" she yelled and her gems on her headband glowed bright enough to be seen through the mask. The unicorn's eyes went wide as he felt a shockwave of kinetic magic hit him and throw him down the ally bouncing a few times before he slide to a stop. Mare Do Well growling loudly as she struggled to get herself loose from the chain before moving to her hooves and galloped over. She checked him over, he was out cold but alive. She let out a deep breath and bucked a wall hard grumbling before wall jumping to the roof and made her way home, she got her belt and went inside carefully closing the window and curtains before turning on the lights taking a few slow deep breaths to ease her temper. She pulled off her uniform carefully shuddering and biting her bottom lip so not to make to much noise and wake up Sweetie Belle. She used her magic to take one of her pain pills before looking herself over carefully. She frowned seeing bruises forming under her fur from the repeated blows from the chain. Sweetie was not going be happy when she saw this. She used her magic to put the suit in the bathroom to be cleaned and get the sewer smell off it. She pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and curled up on the cushions under the blanket nuzzling a pillow. She turned off the lights and drifted to sleep, it had been a rough night and she was to sore to try to get into bed with out waking up Sweetie.