//------------------------------// // The Avenger - Part 3 // Story: Detective Pie - Episodes from Manehattan // by Random Gamer //------------------------------// At the office of the mayor's secretary, whilst searching through various files concerning Manehattan's citizens. "His profile looks quite familiar to me." said the secretary after being told how the would-be murderer looks like. "I... I think it's Domitz, Jr." Pinkie grabbed a file named 'Domitz Family' and showed it to the secretery. "Yes, that's the file," she replied. "I can never forget that name..." Twilight started listing through it and noticed something very disturbing, something she had no idea ponies were doing. While they were just supposed to bring the mayor the photo of the suspect, Twilight's curiosity got the best of her. "Both parents... murdered?! I've... I've never even heard of ponies thinking about that, let alone carry such things out," she said. "All for just a few bits, too. The only survivor of the event was their one and only child, who was also an eyewitness. " "Indeed he did," said the secretary. "Twenty years ago and yet it seems as if it was just yesterday when Richard and Claudia Domitz were leaving the theather and got killed. The murderer was never found." "Wait... wait wait wait..." said Pinkie. "What's with the weird names?" "What are you talking about Pinkie?" asked Twilight. "They're normal names." "These don't sound like pony names to me!" she said. "They sound griffonish-ish!" "Everyone in Manehattan has a name different from the rest of Equestria." replied the secretary. "It's a sort of tradition in this city." "What became of Randy, their only son?" asked Twilight. "His aunt took care of him and he studied medicine." uttered the secretary. "But instead of staying here, he changed his name and moved to Ponyville. He wanted to leave all of this behind him, start anew. Can't say I blame him." "We got our first suspect!" said Pinkie. "Watson, scribble his name down!" Twilight only stared at Pinkie, confused. "Pinkie, who's 'Whatson?' she asked. "Someone important and because of that, from now on you're called Watson, Twilight!" uttered Pinkie. "Write his name down." Twilight was against Pinkie calling her like that, but since she's the detective, she can do whatever she wants. With the suspect's name scribbled down and his photo 'burrowed' from the secretary, they headed back into the main building of the city hall and reported their findings. "Excellent work, ladies," he said, "I'll have the sketch and name printed and glued to every wall on every avenue and district. If we get lucky, someone might see him and report him." "See Watson?" said Pinkie. "I told you we would succeed. It was... elementary." The mayor had a worried look around, wondering where Pinkie's imaginary friend had gone. "While I don't remember hiring an extra detective named 'Whatson'," explained the mayor. "This isn't over. The fact that we now know who the prime suspect is doesn't mean you two are getting a day off. It would be best if you resumed your search." "But Butterfly only told us how he looked," said Twilight. "She didn't tell us where he went. I would have asked but I really didn't want to make it worse for her. She almost burst into tears when trying to remember how he looked like." "I've sent some invesgators to lollygag about the city, dressed as common folk" replied the mayor. "Asking all around town in a totally non-detective way, they found out someone remarkably similiar to your suspect often goes for a drink at Buck's casino at Westbuck Avenue." "Mr. Mayor, in all due respect," started Twilight. " Why didn't you send the police to seize the place?" "Miss Sparkle, that's not as simple as that," replied the mayor. "We can't risk him escaping and doing something similiar to what he did to Buttefly or worse. For that matter, I'll need you to infiltrate the casine, grab him and bring him here. Execution doesn't matter as long as he's brought alive." "Ooh, ooh! A halloween party?!" Pinkie's moustache mysteriosly appears on her face and so does party cannon beside her. "He'll never know what 'em!" Twilight just sighed, seeing as she's probably going to have to do something silly. "Good to see that both of you are enthusiastic about the infiltration," stated the mayor. "Good luck!" Without saying anything more, the two detective set course for Westbuck Avenue and the similiarly named Buck's Casino. Upon entering the casino, they immediately saw him, playing hold 'em. Or at least, they saw his luck. "Oh, come on Dome, you can't be THAT lucky!" uttered a stallion after losing all his money to Randy. "Of course you can," he said. "All it takes is a little mind and a big amount of know-how." The disgruntled stallion left the table, leaving the pot of over twenty thousand bits all to Randy. He was about to take it all when two mares sat at the table and one of them placed her hoove on his. "What if you went another round," said the mare passionately. "Just for me?" Pinkie's disguise as a daring mare was working quite well and all she had to do was to make him lose. "Sure, darlin,." he said and left the pot on the table. "And your... husband?" He said after seeing Twilight, who, despite all her complains, was dressed up as business stallion with a fake muzzle and bushy moustache. "I..." she said, trying to sound like a stallion. "He's tired after a long, long trip from Stalliongrad," said Pinkie. "Forgot to set his alarm clock, silly, and we had to run all the way to the train station." Twilight just nodded after hearing this. "Alright, ladies and gentlemen, is everyone seated comfortable?" asked the croupier. "Would anyone like a beverage? Frostwave cider, maybe?" "No, thanks," said Pinkie. "Nothing for my husband as well." Twilight let out an annoyed sight and her cheeks filled slightly with anger. She was rather thirsty. "Cherry flavored martinni," said Randy. "Add a lemon and ice please. Stir, don't mix." The croupier left and returned with Randy's beverage, putting it on his side of the table. "Fillies and gentlecolts, today's stakes will be a thousand bits." he said and all three of them put a pouch full of bits on the table. "If you do not have the money, you can also put an item of the same value on the table." This time, the game was poker, with all the bluffing and whatever else ponies do during it. Like Pinkie predicted, Twilight was the first who got out and now, it was just a duel between her and Randy. "Check," he said. "What's your move, pretty?" Having already drunk his martinni, this sounded like flirting. "Imma check that too," she said. She laid her cards on the table and had double pairs. Pinkie did the same and had a royal flush. "Heh," he said. "You're good." Well, that's one way to lose twenty thousand bits. "Well, ladiies and gents, I gotta go." he said. "See ya next thursday!" he said and stood up from the table. Pinkie and Twilight followed him. "Wait!" said Pinkie. "Wouldn't you like if I... and you... went someplace... ehm... silent?" Twilight was acting like she didn't hear anything. "You got a husband." said Randy. "Sure he won't mind?" "That old stuff?" she pointed her hoove at Twilight. "He can't do things anymore! It's almost as if I was alone..." "My place or your place?" he asked. "My place." said Pinkie. "Husband has to visit the Mayor anyway and it's nearby." There were just around Manehattan's city hall when Pinkie executed the second part of their plan. It consisted of telling him to kiss her in the hallways and then giving him hoovecuffs. Pinkie, like the daring mare she was dressed as, had no problems doing this. Randy looked at her in confusion and both her and Twilight put down their disguises. "Crime's the disease," let out Pinkie, now dressed in a red and black jumpsuit, with a matching mask, holding a child's drawing of someone getting arrested. "Meet the cure!" Afterwards, she looked at a wall and proclaimed "Hi, reader!" Both Twilight and Randy stared in confusion. "Ehm... You're arrested," said Twilight. "For the attempted murder of Butterfly." The criminal gave out a laugh. "Clever, clever... You really got me." he said. "The mayor must be all happy to such little helpers. I wonder which if you is gonna get paid tonight!" Despite being calm most of the time, Twilight was now fighting the biggest urge to punch someone in the face. Never before was she insulted like that. "To the Batcave!" with that one-liner said by Pinkie, the two of them led the criminal to the mayor's office, with Twilight not saying a single word.