Chapter One: Just a New Case
Chapter One: Just A New Case
Manhattan was a city in every sense of the word. Hell, in Equestria if was damn near the only thing that qualified. Sure there was Fillydelphia, Vanhoover, or even Los Pegasus, but when people talked about THE city, it could only mean one place.
Towering above the gritty streets of the expansive city were darkly ominous buildings; seeming to stretch infinitely skyward. The very kind of city to make you feel small and insignificant what with the colossal heights of the city’s many structures. Even the very smallest of them all didn’t fail in the intimidation factor, as they too were puzzle pieces to complete the set.
Street lamps adorned the streets, casting bright yet shadowed glows upon the environment, all of them tall and blackened. Many passed them every day, most of which not sparing them a glance were it not for the dead of night. Only then would they serve such purpose, as they became the very things that would show the way home. The city’s very own yellow brick road to the Emerald City.
Day by day, peopled walked, going about their fast-paced, bustling excursions. Nothing could stop them if they tried. Vehicles of all kinds went along the paved ways of the city streets, equally as fast-paced in getting from Point A to Point B as the people who drove them.
Manehattan was, above all else, a study in contrasts. It was a place where the wealthy could get the very best of anything they wanted. This is, of course, regardless of trifles like legal status. It is in this same place that the city’s poor were left to scrape whatever living they could from whatever was left. The city could somehow hold within itself both love and hate, order and chaos, violence and charity.
In short, it was paradise for the private eye. All those people, and all those problems, and so long as the client had a wallet, well, they might be able to find themselves some help. Either that or wind up in the gutter wondering what went wrong. Manehattan could do that to you. It was just something the residents accepted, attributing it to the grim faced god upon whose back they trod.
However, the good gumshoe had no time for such superstition. Rabbits feet and multi-leafed clovers may do for the average Joe or Jane on the street just fine, but when you lived and died by your wits alone trinkets and charms left something to be desired. Sharp. It was more than a frame of mind, or the state thereof, it was the way you had to live. Of course this was a good way to get paranoid, but is it really paranoia if someone’s out to get you? There are many buildings in Manehatten, who’s to say what lays within each.
One building stood among the rest, yet it didn't stand out in any sort of way. But what lay within comes to be an intrigue of its own. The building was modestly tall, though nothing compared to the rest around it. On the eighth floor of the complex, with one open window, lay an office. An office that many might just pass off as any other kind of office, for just any sort of business; but it wasn't just any office. Inside, there was more than meets the eye.
She sat at her desk, alone in her office. She wore the uniform of her profession, or at least that’s how she liked to think of it. She had always secretly been taken by the romanticized images of dime-store novel detectives, and she hadn’t met enough others that shared her line of work to disabuse her of her admittedly silly notion. So here she sat, wearing dark slacks and a white button down dress shirt, with the top several buttons undone for good measure. Around her neck hung a skinny black tie, loosened to match the undone buttons. To top it all off - figuratively and literally - she had perched atop her head a rumpled fedora with a few poly-chromatic strands of her bangs peeking out the front.
Rainbow Dash, detective for hire, snorted in disgust at a mug of cold coffee that was in the process of leaving a dull brown ring on the edge of a newspaper. The Manehatten Times to be specific. No finer paper, in this private eye’s opinion, especially when it came to killing time. Unfortunately this copy had been roundly abused and pursued several times over.
She groaned as she sat up in her chair, debating the merit of seeing her office hours through to completion. She had spent a fruitless day staring at her phone, browsing the paper, cleaning the old service revolver which she kept in her long coat, ‘just in case’. She had even broken a half dozen pencils in frustration after trying to solve the day’s crossword, and on top of all of that, her coffee had gone cold.
No. No more. She was going to end this travesty of a day before it had the chance to bring her more nothingness and boredom.
“Hey I ain’t much a of a believer,” Dash said, raising her eyes to the ceiling, “but if you up there got something for me, now would be a pretty good time to give it to me.”
Of course, then she walked in. That’s when everything started to change.
The door opened, with a tall figure walking in, and closing it behind her. Timid, the woman looked around for a moment, before her eyes settled on the detective. At least, mostly, considering she wasn't meeting her eye to eye. The woman stuffed something dark, revealed to be a short brown wig, into her purse, along with the sunglasses she was wearing on her head, even if it wasn't sunny outside.
The woman was tall, quite slender, but with very feminine curves. Long, soft pink hair fell down her back, reaching a bit past her waist. Her eyes were teal, glimmering with fear and uncertainty, but beautiful all the same. It also didn’t help that she was wearing a very flattering yellow summer dress decorated with flowers and butterflies printed on it, the fabric just barely reaching past her knees, showing off her long, pale, shapely legs. The straps were thin, showing off creamy shoulders and long pale arms.
“Um...” The woman spoke, her voice soft and timid. “E-Excuse me...I hope I’m not interrupting...but I...um... I...I needed to...see you about...s-something. Um...are you...Rainbow Dash? Private Eye?”
There was an odd look in the woman’s eyes as she studied Dash, not in a scrutinizing way, just curious. But as she did so, there was a strange look of recognition in her face.
“Yeah, I am...Huh...” Rainbow mused as she looked over the lovely girl. She looked oddly familiar as if... Oh. Rainbow made a mental note to either kill or thank that hyperactive bartender.
“You know, you’re very good.” Rainbow replied, a smile growing across her lips. “You’re a dead ringer for her.”
Now the woman looked confused, and a bit more nervous than before. “...Uh...I-I beg your pardon?”
“You know, That model. She was everywhere last year. Real beauty.” Dash said waving an airy hand, “Guess Pinkie didn’t tell you who you were supposed to be, huh? So what’s your thing? Do you dance? Kiss-o-gram? Roleplay?”
“I-you know who I am?” The woman sounded a mixture of amazed yet disappointed. “....Y-Yes, I am Fluttershy... I-I need your help...” She approached the desk, looking to her with despondency. “Y-You’re the only one who can...”
“Thanks, couldn’t remember her name,” Dash said before clearing her throat. She idly wondered if ‘Fluttershy’ here was really that green, or if the shyness was part of her character. Either way Rainbow was more than happy to play along - the girl was quite attractive, after all - and her smile became ever so slightly predatory.“Please miss, take a seat, and let me see what I can do to help you with your... case~”
Despite how nervous the woman looked, there was a strange glint in her eyes, as well as something curling at her luscious pink lips. She nervously stepped forward, her sandals clacking at the floor, and sat down on a nearby chair.
“Um...thank you! Thank you very much... I-I really...had no one else to turn to...and I...would appreciate it so much if you could try to help me. I-I know that this may sound...weird of me to say, but you’re...you’re my only hope.... thank you, Miss Dash...” The woman looked at her with a sweet smile. “I-I’d do anything if you could help me...anything...”
“Well Miss Fluttershy, I’m certain we can work out an arrangement,” Rainbow’s usually hard cerise eyes softened as she continued to observe the young woman, though her smoky voice still held an edge of playful suggestiveness. “How about you tell me all about your problem and I’ll see what I can do for you, and then we can see what you can do for me.”
“I-I need....help....t-tracking down a stalker...” Fluttershy said nervously, wringing her hands on her lap. “I’ll go into as much detail as I can where you need it, but that is...the gist of it at the moment. I have a stalker, and I want him caught. I’ve tried everything, but the police can’t help me... I-I heard...you were...the best, if not one of the best, in the city...” She looked at her with plead, yet there was a tinge of something else Dash couldn’t place. “Um... I’ll pay you, of course... I-I don’t know your rates off by heart, but I can pay you very well... And um...if there’s...anything else I can do for you...just tell me...and I will...” She leaned over a bit, holding her fingers together, raising her arms and inadvertently squishing them against her buxom chest.
Though Dash was enjoying the view immensely, something else was niggling at the edges of her mind. This encounter had certainly taken an odd turn. The girl’s story felt too genuine to be one of the paltry fabrications that most escorts stuck too. The pleading look in her eyes too convincing.
“Of course I’ll take the case...” Rainbow replied, her confusion creeping into her voice. Suddenly a terribly embarrassing thought crept into her mind. Maybe she had just been too distracted to notice, or maybe the reality was entirely too unbelievable, but it made an unfortunate amount of sense.
“I...uh... Do you have some identification I could see?” The gumshoe queried.
“Um...oh! Yes, I do...” Fluttershy reached into her purse, searching through it, before producing a yellow wallet. She reached into one of the card slots, pulled one out, and held it over. “Will an Animal Care license do?”
“Yeah...” Dash’s voice sounded hollow as she read the name on the card. It was true. Without a doubt, the beautiful girl seated across from her was the once-famous Fluttershy. Though with it, the realization brought along a shift in the P.I.’s demeanor. Her voice, once flirtatious, was now all business... well mostly. Fluttershy was still quite attractive.
“I’m sorry if I acted a bit odd before. I have this friend, and after a few drinks the other night I told her that... You know what, never mind. My rates are quite reasonable. I charge a flat daily rate and with it you can be assured that your case will be my exclusive concern. I usually also charge expenses as well but that mostly covers coffee if I’ll be working any stakeouts. So what do you think, gonna be any late nights?”
“M-More than likely...” Fluttershy responded, looking to her with a grateful smile. “It won’t be a problem, of course... Um...would you like an advance? For the first...um...week or so? Just to be safe? I don’t mind paying extra in case, but I also know it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
Dash’s eyebrows shot up. Extra. Who offered to pay extra?
“You don’t need to do that ma’am.” Rainbow half-regretted not taking Fluttershy up on her offer, but the girl had clearly never done this kind of thing before, and Dash couldn’t take advantage of her like that. “But the advance might not be such a bad idea. After all if I’m going to be pounding the pavement for you, it never hurts to have a few extra dollars to loosen some lips.”
Fluttershy smiled brightly, then reached into her purse to pull out a pen and a chequebook. “Done!” She opened it up, wrote a few things down on one cheque and ripped it off. She held it over the desk, the thin slice of paper seeming to glow under the dim light. “Here you are, I think that about covers the first week.”
“Yeah... yeah that’ll cover it.” Dash replied her eyes going a bit wide as they alighted upon the cheque. It had been quite a while since she had a client so eager to fork over that much money. Quickly though, Rainbow attempted to recover her professional demeanor. She took the cheque and slid it into a pocket.
“Well, it's official. I’m your gal now, so lets see what I can do for you.” Dash rubbed at her chin thoughtfully. “I think the best thing for me to do with a case like this is to follow you around. Shadow you in hopes of catching your shadow. Now if you’re stalker is any good, he’s probably got all kinds of spots where he can watch you while you go to all of your usual places. So let’s take you someplace unusual. If we throw him off his game, we might be able spot ‘em.”
“Like a crocodile...” Fluttershy remarked, seeming to like this idea.
“Yeah...uh... just like that,” Dash replied, the odd comment momentarily derailing her train of thought. However as her plan returned to her, Rainbow could feel a grin spread her lips.
“What do say to dinner and drinks?”
“Yes! I’d love to!” Fluttershy said happily, but then retracted, blushing a bit. “I mean...that’d be nice, yes... I think I’d feel better having someone else out there with me.”
“Now, I think I got just the place in mind and trust me, it isn’t the type of place I think you would have been before.”
“What is it?”
“A little dive I like to frequent,” Rainbow replied as she thought fondly of the bar. “Kind of a hole in the wall, but it’s got a small kitchen and some live music. Goes by the name of The Rock Farm.”
“I see...” Fluttershy bit her lip, frowning thoughtfully. “I don’t believe I’ve heard of it, but that sounds fine to me.”
Rainbow found herself chuckling at Fluttershy’s expression. She wasn’t sure if it was the prospect of having a professional excuse to hit up her favorite watering hole, or just something about her client, but Dash could feel an odd feeling of mirth bubble up within her chest.
“Well,” the detective said as she rose from her seat. “Let me grab my coat and we can be on our way.”
With that Rainbow crossed the room to the little coat rack by the door and pulled on her long trench coat. Glancing back at Fluttershy, she held open the door to her office and beckoned her client onward, “After you.”
Blushing a bit, Fluttershy stood as well, going to the door and stepping out into the corridor. She tied her hair back into a tight pile on her head, before taking out her wig and slipping it on. “Th-Thank you, Miss Dash...”
Rainbow closed the door behind them, locking it with a key from the pocket of her coat. As she did she stole another glance at the gorgeous former model turned client. One thing was certain, this was going to be an interesting case.
XXXX
In the dimming light of dusk, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy arrived at a bar along the streets of a neighborhood not far off from Dash’s office. The two had been walking along, not thinking much on the fact of what was at hand. At least, to a degree.
Fluttershy felt herself looking everywhere she could. Over her shoulder, left and right, anywhere she knew was a blind spot. Then again, this was nothing new, considering she’d spent the year of her life having to keep an eye for anything. Having someone beside her, willing to help, did put her mind at ease. But it still didn’t help the unsettling coiling in her stomach, followed by the butterflies fluttering about. She’d had to fight the urge to hold Dash’s hand. Which she of course scolded herself for.
Nonetheless, Fluttershy felt...pretty good. She couldn’t help but steal glances at the shorter woman, and even think back to her more...playful and suggestive remarks from earlier. While nerve-wracking, it was oddly thrilling to her. Dash was attractive, at least to her, and she wasn’t exactly above the idea...
Fluttershy inwardly slapped herself. It was not the time to think about that. Especially since she now could see that they were at the bar.
The Rock Farm wasn’t exactly the prettiest of establishments, especially from the exterior, in fact it wasn’t much of anything from the exterior. A first glance at the building may lead the casual observer to miss the establishment entirely. Set slightly above ground level, up a small set of stairs was a little bakery, home-spun and charming, located in one of the ubiquitous brownstones found around the nieghborhood. However sitting to the side of the stairs up to the bakery were a second set of stairs heading down into the basement of the building. A little hand painted wooden sign on the exterior wall of the building proclaimed the name of the bar along with an arrow that pointed proudly down the stairs.
Rainbow lead Fluttershy down the concrete steps until they came to a small alcove within which was set a violently pink wooden door.
“Welcome to The Rock Farm.” Rainbow said as she pushed open the door for her client.
Fluttershy smiled, a soft blush tinting her cheeks. She was quite flattered by her chivalry, something that wasn’t quite often displayed to her, at least not like this. “Thank you...” She said, slipping toward the door, only to be stopped by a bouncer once she was inside. “Oh!”
“Got an ID there miss?” The bouncer drawled gruffly. She was an incredibly tall woman, towering over the relatively tall Fluttershy by several inches at least. She had a light dusting of freckles across her cheeks, and her long blonde hair was gathered in a loose ponytail that hung over her shoulder.
Her apple green eyes scanned the somewhat stunned Fluttershy, “Miss?”
“U-Um! Yes...I...I’m sorry...yes, I do...um...” Fluttershy pulled out her wallet, producing her Animal Care license once again. “H-Here you go...I-I swear I’m over legal age.”
“Can’t tell ya how often ah hear that one,” The taller woman took the card and turned it over, examining its legitimacy.
“C’mon AJ enough with the third degree.” Came Rainbow’s voice from behind her client. “I can vouch for her. She’s with me.”
“Well, ah’ll be.” The blonde woman began to grin in spite of herself, “Looks like Rainbow Dash ain’t coming here to drink alone.”
“Yeah, like I could be so lucky,” Dash retorted good-naturedly to the jibe. “Between you, Pinkie, and that waitress-slash-lounge act of yours, I don’t think I’ll ever get the privilege to drink alone. Not at this bar anyway.”
Fluttershy glanced toward her employee, then over at the bouncer with a kind smile. “Um, regardless...I do apologize for any trouble, Miss....” She looked at the taller woman’s nametag. “Applejack. You were just doing your job, that’s all... I certainly don’t fault you for it.”
“Shoot, I know it,” Applejack replied, the words themselves sounding harsh but the grin on her lips and smile in her eyes contradicted them. As she stepped aside to allow the pair of women entrance, Fluttershy received her first full view of the bar in earnest.
The bar itself was rather dimly lit, but the soft light of incandescent bulbs glowing in mismatched wrought-iron chandeliers was enough to reveal the tavern’s interior. The walls consisted of an exposed brick, covered here and there with lengths of fabric. The effect was an interesting contrast of hard and soft textures that never the less resulted in an over all cozy impression.
The room was a bit narrow, however it was still quite long. Set along the right wall about halfway back and extending towards the back wall, was a solid wood bar top. Placed periodically along it were leather topped bar stools, though no two appeared to have come from the same source. The rest of the room contained a number of wooden tables, and along the wall opposite the bar, a number of booths with squishy-looking leather seats.
In an overall sense, the bar was quite disorganized and didn’t seem to have a consistent theme or tone to it. Everything was all over the place, which even the lighting adhered to. Some lights were coloured, others were basic, and there was even a disco ball hanging over the stage. A disco ball.
Yet, Fluttershy couldn’t deny just how inviting the place was. There was a sense of a fun sort of comfort, like it was just the kind of place that you wanted to spend time at. To just kick back, relax, and not care about being conventional. She wasn’t used to this kind of environment, but there was something so infectious and interesting about it, that she couldn’t fault it for being a mess. The bar didn’t know what it wanted to be in terms of a theme, look and tone, but maybe it didn’t have to. It seemed to be happy doing its own thing, and hoped that you’d enjoy yourself when you came in. If that was the intent, Fluttershy really had to give credit to the owner and decorator of the place, because it was truly something unique and fun.
Removing her wig, Fluttershy took in the place a bit further as they walked in, heading over to the bar top. She liked it so far, it seemed like a fun place. It was probably no wonder that Dash seemed to like it, let alone frequent to it.
Suddenly Fluttershy’s field of vision was filled by a smiling face and poofy pink hair.
“Hi! Welcome to my bar, I’m Pinkie Pie! Well its not all mine but it mostly is, so what can I get for you, huh?” The words poured forth from the bartender in rapid succession. but before Fluttershy could open her mouth, the pink-haired dynamo continued “Hey you know what? Without that wig you look a lot like that one girl.”
Dash coughed as a means of getting the bartender’s attention. This worked, but only in a sense, as Dash too was cut off before she could address Pinkie.
“Doesn’t she Dashie? She looks just like her and I knooooow you know which one I’m talking about~” The barkeep added with a sly wink of her bright blue eye.
“Pinkie!” Rainbow Dash found herself saying a bit louder than she would have normally. Perhaps it was just the odd coloring of the lights, but Fluttershy could have sworn she had seen a light blush cross the P.I.’s features. “How’s about you just get us some drinks and chow?”
“Okie dokie lokie!” The energetic woman replied, “The usual okay?” Rainbow nodded curtly. “And for your friend?”
“Um....” Fluttershy finally caught sight of a menu sitting next to her. She picked it up, hastily reading over it. “I’ll uh...just have a club sandwich...a-and a grape soda, please.”
“Got’cha girly,” Pinkie said before disappearing under the bar and reappearing a moment later with two bottles placing each in front of the two patrons. “One grape soda and one Apple-Family Special cider. I’ll get back to you in a moment with your food.”
And with that Pinkie Pie bounced off through a door to the kitchen.
Rainbow looked at her own bottle a bit sheepishly, not knowing that Fluttershy would order something non-alcoholic. She ground her teeth slightly and shrugged off the feeling, taking a little swig of her drink. Its not as though a single drink would throw her off her game or anything.
“So...” Rainbow began as she set her bottle back down on a coaster. “I suppose while we wait to see if your lurker shows himself, how’s about you tell me how it all started.”
Nodding, Fluttershy took a sip of her own drink to calm her nerves, before setting it down. She looked around the bar, making sure no one was within close hearing range. Satisfied, she looked over at the detective, managing to get her story out.
“Well, it was some time after my modeling career took off,” she said, feeling a bitter taste come to her mouth at these memories, “and I was an unwitting centre of attention. All over the city, as I...see you know... Well, for a while, I was receiving all of this fan mail from this one person. All of his letters to me were typed, either on a computer or typewriter; which according to the police, was a way of evading having his handwriting caught on to. At first, he just sent way too many letters to me at a time. But as they went on...they became...creepy, and very...very unsettling to me. I eventually had to get two P.O. boxes, just to avoid anything further. I was even close to closing down sending me fan mail altogether.
“My agent eventually got me a filter, who looked through my letters before giving them to me. The letters continued for some time, though I never saw his. He never left a return address, you see. So there was no way to trace him. All they had were stamps, but printed on the envelope as opposed to pasting them. Eventually, he sent me gifts. All kinds of expensive things, jewelry, and other such things. Because I couldn’t return them, I had no choice but to give them away, or sell them for money I could donate to charity. Eventually I put a cease and desist on sending me gifts. But that didn’t stop him....
“A-After that...he sent me photos. All kinds of photos of me. On my day to day life. They weren’t photo prints from the shoots I’d done or anything. He said in these letters and photos that he was following me. I-I knew then...that he was stalking me for some time. I don’t know how or when that started, but it had gone on for a long while, and I never knew it. When this happened, I tried going to the police. But I had absolutely no evidence. Nothing he sent me had traces, or even fingerprints. There was only one thing...he signed his letters as ‘King Sombra’, which sounds like a stage alias or something. But even then, it wasn’t proven that he’s the guy, even if his patterns are similar. You...know about Sombra, right?”
Rainbow had grown increasingly more alert throughout Fluttershy’s tale, but she had most certainly not expected to hear the name Sombra.
“Damn.” She swore under her breath. “Yeah I’ve heard of him. He’s the suspect in a number of disappearances. Never worked a Sombra case myself, but the woman I trained under, Firefly, she said she had the misfortune of working one. Said the girl just vanished without a trace. Gone in a puff of smoke, as they say. Police couldn’t do much so the family went to Firefly.”
Dash’s voice dropped a bit, her tone less assured than usual. “She couldn’t do much either though. Had to drop the case. She apologized to the family, but told them to continue would just be a waste of their money. ’Don’t take people’s money if you can’t help them, that’s rule number three,’ She used to tell me, ‘and never give them false hope, that’s number one.’”
“...Oh....then you know...” Fluttershy murmured, her eyes darting about nervously. “Well, so Sombra has been stalking me...f-for whatever reason, I don’t know... All he has ever said was that I was his ‘inspiration’, and...other sorts of creepy things. And from those other stories...he stalks these girls and...they disappear. The police couldn’t help me because of this. They’ve been after him for years, and could never recover the bodies of his victims. Whether or not they’re still alive is unknown. He can’t be traced, so that was part of why they couldn’t help me... I...I had...n-no one else I could turn to... I even tried leaving the country. ...But he found me. He found me... I know that I’m no safe anywhere else than I am here. You’re....you’re my only hope in stopping this...”
The pinkette’s voice became shakier, her shoulders trembled.
“I’m scared... I think this man is capable of so much more than I know... Even after I quit being a model, he still followed me...he’s still following me today...it’s part of why I go out in disguise often. Not just because I don’t want to be recognized... I-I know this is a very hard case, and I am so sorry...but I-I need help...” She looked to Dash with pleading despondency.
Some people may have gotten scared. Some may have begun to empathetically feel as trapped as Fluttershy. Others would have given up the case right then and there, feeling it was a lost cause. Rainbow felt none of these things. Rainbow got angry.
Rainbow’s eyes hardened. She thought of this Sombra, this nebulous villain who got off on scaring girls half to death before she he finished the job. That gutless piece of trash wasn’t going to get this one. Not if Rainbow had anything to say about it.
“Fluttershy,” Rainbow said, a growl in her voice. “I’m going to find this guy,okay? I’m gonna find him, and he won’t hurt anyone else. Especially not you.”
Rainbow placed a hand on her client’s shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Not you, got it?”
The reassuring touch jolted through Fluttershy as she finally looked up, meeting Dash’s eyes. She felt her breathing slow, her body relaxing, and like she had nothing to worry about. The determined look in those cerise eyes were inspiring. Not only captivating and so beautiful to look at, despite how hard and stony they were, but determined. She felt her heart skip a beat, her stomach warming up...
“...I-I got it... Thank you, Miss Dash... I-I really appreciate you trying to help me...” She managed, smiling a little bit.
Rainbow attempted to mirror the expression, flashing a determined grin, meeting those watery teal eyes of Fluttershy’s. They really were quite beautiful. Rainbow found herself musing idly if thats why she had been so successful in her short lived modeling career, those expressive eyes. Suddenly she felt the fire in her redouble. She would be damned if she let some creepy slug lay his hands on this girl. As long as she drew breath, she was determined to insure that Fluttershy did the same.
Their gazes were locked, with neither looking away. Fluttershy even reached up to her shoulder, touching Dash’s hand with her own. A strange spark ran through her upon the contact of their skin, but not in the sense of static or a jolt. It was just a strange little jump within herself. The skin was fairly soft, if not a bit rough, and far from unpleasant to the touch.
Fluttershy felt safe, protected, like Dash truly was going to keep to her word. Everything in her eyes and her overall facial expression said everything. For once, she didn’t feel nervous or intimidated looking someone in the eye. If anything, it made her feel better. More connected to who she was with. Especially since the cerise eyes of the detective were captivating, fascinating even. She was just so curious to what secrets they held, what they would tell her of the woman before her.
It didn’t help that Dash was indeed attractive. While her nose told the signs of once having been broken, her skin roughened in slight ways, and her hardened eyes... Fluttershy found her pretty. Even her short, somewhat scruffy rainbow hair added to her appeal.
Suddenly Dash began to feel as though they were being watched. Fearing the worst she whipped her gaze about wildly, only to be met by a pair of wide blue eyes.
“Arg! Pinkie!” Dash groaned.
“What?” Pinkie responded in her innocent yet energetic manner. “You two were having such fun looking into each other’s I said to myself ‘Pinkie, maybe they have something special there, like they can hypnotize people!’ Naturally I responded to my self with, ‘that’s so cool!’ So I had to see for myself, but nope not hypnotism.
“Oh! You’re sandwiches are ready, I put them down right there for you, but like I said you were so distracted...” Suddenly Pinkie became rather thoughtful, tapping her chin in an almost cartoonish manner as she thought. After a moment she finally added with the air of someone reaching a profound conclusion, “Maybe you two should make-out.”
“Pinkie! Don’t make me leave you a crap tip!” Dash growled at the bartender, though she couldn’t suppress the flush that had begun to heat up her face. The idea certainly had its merits, Dash couldn’t deny that. Don’t take advantage of clients. That had been another of Firefly’s rules (number seven to be specific) and Dash certainly didn’t intend to break it, though she would be lying to herself she said she wasn’t thinking about it. No. When this was over maybe... when she wasn’t a client anymore.
The out-of-nowhere statement was both surprising and shocking to Fluttershy...and yet appealing. Of course, it was ridiculous, considering they didn’t even know one another on a personal level. Yet, if there was one thing Fluttershy couldn’t deny liking, it was kissing. Sweet kissing always had a way of sending shivers up her spine, most especially with other girls, she found in her lifetime. The ideal now flashed in her mind, which she tried to force out. Especially since she felt certain that the detective she’d hired for her case would not break a professional code like that.
Still, it didn’t help that Fluttershy’s eyes were now focused on Rainbow Dash’s lips. If there was one attractive feature, aside from her eyes, it was her lips. While average on a whole scale, there was nothing really wrong with them. They looked...soft, if a bit dry, and like they would really feel nice to touch with her own...
Blushing immensely, Fluttershy trembled as she tried to keep her thoughts in control. ‘No, no! I can’t think of her that way... This woman...Pinkie, is just being quirky! Quirky! Come on, don’t think into this! ...Maybe...after it’s all over...? ...No, she probably wouldn’t think of me in that way even after it’s all over. I know she...flirted with me earlier, but that was probably just her being silly and knowing it was me.’
“Um...” Fluttershy spoke up, trying hard to break the tension. “M-Maybe that’d be better if it were in private?”
‘You...Fluttershy, why did you say that?! Nice going...’ The pinkette thought, kicking herself under the bar, quietly.
Dash’s eyes went a bit wide, but then she felt a smile stretch her lips. Then she found herself chuckling.
“Yeah Pinks, here that? We’ll wait ‘til we’re in private, til then lay off ‘kay?” Her tone was playful, but at the same time made it clear that she had chosen to interpret Fluttershy’s comment as a joke.
Pinkie gave the gumshoe a skeptical eye, “Okie. dokie. lokie.” She said slowly as she slipped away to deal with other customers.
“That was a good one Fluttershy,” Rainbow said as she took another swig of her cider, “quick thinking too, that should at least get her off our backs.”
‘Of course she could have been serious...’ Rainbow thought with a bit of a blush as the tart liquid slid down her throat. ‘...when the case is done...’ She repeated in her mind, ‘...when the case is done, we can sort that out...’
A soft blush marred Fluttershy’s cheeks, to which she laughed a bit more in relief, glad to see that what she’d said wasn’t taken the wrong way.
“I-I try...besides...even if we....did take her up on that-not saying we should! Just um...that it’s true...right? We would...take that kind of thing...behind closed doors, in private...right?” She managed, looking to her employee with a shy smile.
“Hey if you don’t want to make out in the middle of a bar, who am I to make you?” Dash chuckled a bit herself again. Regardless of Pinkie’s intention when she intruded on the pair a few moments ago, it had at least gotten Fluttershy’s mind off the horrors of her situation.
“And...who am I to make you?” Fluttershy smiled a little more, even giggling. “I-I do like a nice kiss....of course...but um, in public I don’t go much more than a peck.”
“Classy, that’s the way to do things. Well in the ideal world I suppose.” Rainbow mused, though as she did her eyes darted around the room. She figured she may as well seize the opportunity for looking around for their intended target. Unfortunately a quick sweep turned up nothing. No one new had entered the bar since they had. There was no one peering into any of the highly placed windows. Nothing.
“Mm-hm...” Fluttershy had started to munch on her sandwich a bit. “Oh, I have to use the bathroom...um...are there...any windows in the bathroom?”
Dash shook her head as she picked up her own sandwich, her usual BLT, and took a thoughtful bite.
“Nope, just four walls and the stalls.” She managed after she had swallowed her mouthful of sandwich.
“No huge human-sized vents, either?” Fluttershy asked, caution in her tone.
“Just a little fan, nothing human-sized.” Dash responded. While at any other time the question may have sounded ridiculous, Rainbow understood the seriousness of the situation.
Managing a nod, Fluttershy stood up, looking all around her, before then heading to the lavatories. No one cast a second glance, nor followed, especially since the doors were in plain sight of the bar itself.
“Ooohh!!” Pinkie came back into view again, grinning. “That was Fluttershy, wasn’t it? That pretty model, who you were pretty much crushing all over?! Wow, Dashie! I never thought you’d finally get to her!”
“Look,” Dash replied to the bartender, and possibly the closest thing she had to a friend, ”I didn’t get to her okay, she came to me. She’s a client. Doesn’t matter if I am... was crushing on her, okay?”
Pinkie giggled, taking a glass and wiping it with a dishcloth, “So you admit it, then! Come on, I saw the way you looked at her... And I think the feeling’s mutual! See the way she looked at you? She looked curious and interested, and was always looking at your eyes! I think she likes you, Dashie!”
“Doesn’t matter.” Dash said flatly, though the observation did intrigue her. She figured when all was said and done maybe Fluttershy would agree to a date or two, but what Pinkie was describing sounded like they had already made a love connection. Sure Dash loved the look in those turquoise eyes, and the way her pink plump lips curved when she smiled. And naturally she wanted to tear this Sombra character limb from limb and make sure no harm ever befell her beautiful pink-headed charge ever again...
“She’s a client...” Rainbow repeated again, though the resolution had ebbed a bit. “Rule seven: Don’t take advantage of a client...”
While Pinkie gave a slow, solemn nod, she was immediately smiling again. “Of course, Dashie! You always live out by your code. But...what if she came on to you?”
“I...well...” Dash felt her mouth go a bit dry at the rather exciting thought. Fluttershy, the Fluttershy, coming onto her. That was quite tempting... but still. “Well. She wouldn’t be herself. I mean, not till this is all over. Maybe when she’s not scared for her life...”
“I know, Dashie... But you two have some pretty sweet chemistry!” Pinkie winked at her, then went to go and serve other customers.
XXXX
Inside the bathroom, Fluttershy finished with her business, and was now at the mirror, purse set on the countertop. Rainbow Dash had been correct, there were no windows, large vents, or any sort of access point. All of the stalls were empty, with their doors open, and no blind spots to be found. She was safe.
Hopefully.
Every now and then, her eyes darted to the door, keeping an eye for anyone coming in. So far, no one had. It was just her, alone in the public bathroom. Hopefully, Sombra didn’t see where she went. But she had a feeling that he could have had accomplices either following her, or were in the bar right now, posing as regular customers. Considering no one else had come in since they’d arrived, it was unlikely.
She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. Then took to re-applying her makeup, as any kind of means to distract herself.
Creak.
Pausing, she looked all around her upon hearing the sound. Nothing.
‘It’s an old building...there’s nothing to worry about. Sometimes they’re noisy...’ Fluttershy thought, and went back to work.
Creeeeeak.
Tensing, Fluttershy placed her tube of lipstick back into her purse.
Creeeeeeeeeeak.
Before she could grab her purse and get out of there, another sound hit her ears. Footsteps. Where they came from, she couldn’t tell. But they were close. Fluttershy looked all around her again, trying to reassure herself that there was nothing that could get to her in here. All except at the door. Just the door.
Looking to the door, it was still tightly closed.
Fluttershy took another breath, managing to calm down a bit. She leaned against the wall, closing her eyes for a moment. Her body relaxed, trying to tense up again, before she managed to will herself to calm down. The wall against her back felt cold, but she endured it, trying to keep herself alert.
Exhaling once more, the former model stood straight, bringing her purse to her shoulder. With nothing else to do, she went to the door.
Only to see a sneering, shadowed face looking in on her through an open crack in the door.
Fluttershy screamed bloody murder.
XXXX
Rainbow heard it. In a flash she was at the door to the bathroom, kicking it open violently.
“Fluttershy!” Rainbow called into the small room.
In a corner, near the sink countertop, Fluttershy stood there; wide-eyed and trembling like a leaf. She noticed Dash, looking relieved, though still scared.
“S-Someone...someone there! At-the-the door!” She squeaked, whimpering. “Someone was there! Looking in!”
Rainbow turned around sharply scanning the bar, just as she had done only minutes ago. Still there was nothing out of the ordinary. Gripped by a sudden idea Rainbow quickly vanished from the doorway to the woman’s room and kicked down the door to the men’s room.
“Empty.... damn...” Rainbow muttered under her breath.
She returned to the woman’s room and a trembling Fluttershy. Squatting down beside her, Rainbow placed a hand on her client's shoulder.
“It’s okay... I’m here now okay. He can’t get you.”
Looking to the detective, Fluttershy let out a whimper and threw her arms around Dash, tightly. She nuzzled into her neck, seeking comfort and trying to calm herself down. Whatever had happened, she didn’t even know right now. All she could feel now was a mixture of shock and relief, knowing that she wasn’t alone.
“...I’m scared...” Fluttershy whimpered, clinging to the shorter woman tightly. “Please don’t leave me alone...”
Rainbow held tight to her Fluttershy. She was unsure if this was crossing a line, but then again she didn’t care. Fluttershy needed her in this moment and she sure as hell wasn’t going to let a scared, trembling girl suffer to appease some sense of decency. Priorities. That was rule eight.
“It’s okay,” Rainbow whispered, “I’m not going to leave you alone, okay? You’re my client. Satisfaction guaranteed, right?” Dash said managing a slight smile. It was gallows humor really, but Dash was hoping it might cut the tension.
Managing to look at her, Fluttershy wiped pooling tears from her eyes, managing a tiny smile. It wasn’t exactly funny, or enough to make her feel better. But, the fact that Dash was trying to make her feel better and just being there for her was enough to help the situation a bit.
“....Mm-hmm...” Was pretty much all she could say in response.
Rainbow just sat there, holding the pinkette in her arms, rocking her back and forth in what she hoped was a gentle and comforting manner. Fluttershy cuddled into her, arms around her neck, now resting her cheek against her shoulder.
“Did you get a good look?” Rainbow asked tentatively. Her voice was still soft, but she couldn’t completely mask the sense of urgency that danced at its edges. She knew the woman was shaken, but if she was going to take down this stalker she would need all the information she could get. The sooner the better.
Shaking her head a bit, Fluttershy let out a shaky breath. “I-I didn’t see them...very well...it was very dark... All I saw was a shadowed face.”
The P.I. suppressed a disappointed groan. She had at least been hoping that such a close encounter would have at least been more fruitful from an investigative standpoint, but Fluttershy didn’t need to know that. Not on top of everything else.
“All I saw were...red eyes...” Fluttershy added, her voice soft.
“Good...That’s good Fluttershy, that’s something we can identify this guy with.” She gave the ex-model another little half-smile. “You did good.”
“...You really think so?” Fluttershy looked up at her then, wide-eyed.
“Yeah I do. Hey, it’s something right?” Rainbow looked down into those bright eyes. They were still filled with shock and fear, but there somewhere in there depths Rainbow could see that spark of hope and courage. Hope that one day this nightmare could end, and the courage to see it through.
‘She just needs a little help,’ Dash thought herself. ‘Just gotta fan the flames a little, she’s stronger than she knows. Stand by your client and see this through.’
“And don’t worry about tonight, I’ll see you back to your place. You hired me for long nights, remember?”
“R-Really?” The pinkette looked at her hopefully, a smile forming at her lips. “Oh, thank you, Rainbow Dash... I-I really...don’t think I’d be able to make it home alone... I-I don’t feel safe... I haven’t felt safe in months...”
“Then its a good thing you came to me.” Rainbow said, puffing her self up a bit, and hoping that Fluttershy could draw on her confidence. “I’m not just any old gumshoe. I’m the Rainbow Dash, and around me you’ll always be safe, got it?”
Considering how the woman had come to her aid only moments after she’d screamed, Fluttershy felt a sense of security she hadn’t felt in a long time. Of course, Rainbow Dash was only doing her job, as part of the case; but it still helped. At least, at some level, she could count on her.
“I got it...thank you so much...” Fluttershy smiled more, even snuggling closer in thanks. She wasn’t sure why, it just felt right to do so.
The private eye felt her face heat up ever so slightly at the affectionate gesture.
“Yeah... well... like I said, you hired the best.” Dash then coughed a bit awkwardly. It wasn't that she wasn't enjoying the closeness, rather it was the fact that the opposite was true; and that was the problem. “How’s about we head back out into the bar. I bet our food’s still good, and our drinks are still cold.”
Fluttershy nodded, attempting to try standing up, “Yes, of course...let’s go... I-I think...whoever was out there is gone now...”
“Yeah, no way he’d risk another encounter now that our guard is up.” Rainbow replied, rising to her feet.
Fluttershy stood up, clutching her purse, and taking one last glance around the bathroom. “That’s true. Um...let’s go, shall we?”
Dash lead the way out of the restroom. As she looked across the bar she caught Applejack’s eye. The blonde gave her a questioning look. Rainbow simply nodded giving the bouncer the all’s clear.
As they once again reached their seats Rainbow took another swig of her hard cider. She savored the flavor before setting it down with a clink and taking her seat on the stool.
Fluttershy sat back on her stool, proceeding to continue eating her sandwich and drinking her soda. Getting some more food and liquid in her helped calm her nerves, as well as further assure her that nothing further could happen now. She caught Dash glancing at her, to which she smiled, letting her know that she was all right.
Further down the bar, the pair was often observed by a keen-eyed Pinkie Pie. She kept her smile, giggling at the displays the two women conveyed. Never would she forget the look on Rainbow Dash’s face when upon hearing Fluttershy’s scream. This was definitely going to be an interesting development.
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Well for a first collab, that's pretty good.
How did you organized yourself for this fic ?
I usually don't go for noir stories but this looks really good. Plus it's flutterdash and I can never say no to flutterdash
Y'know, this is probably the first serious noir story I found on this site. Most of them involve Pinkie being silly and playing with tropes of such a story. Here it is being played straight, and...
Well...
DARN MY LOVE OF A GOOD NOIR STORY!!!
This looks to be really good, with just a mix of the supernatural to make it even more intriguing. I love seeing what the girls are in this world (though my money is on: Rarity-lounge singer, Twi-librarian or that dective cheif that usually helps the PI in the story, Scoots-the lovable kid character) and the mood is just perfect. Now, if I could only stop hearing Dash talking like Humphery Bogart, I would be in heaven.
Very very good so far. more than worth the upvote and follow.
Reading this with ponyify turned on, It took me a while to realize the story was a human story and not ponies
Its an intriuging start and if there were already more chapters, I would move onto them right away. I can't wait to see what happens next
Suspence. Drama. Real fear. And fantastic story telling and character development all lead me to believe this is going to be a fantastic story. Don't dissappoint. Chapter 2 will have to wait another day. DAMN YOU MARINE CORP PT!
Btw can't wait to see what yo did with twilight
Sombra is The Stalker
Everything seems to be in check, you don't need another peep to tell you how great this noir is.
I don't see the point of Pinkie acting the same as her canon self, or jumping into romance the first chapter rather than builing up romantic tension. The mood and Rainbow's code certainly overshadow my complaints.
tgjackson93.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/heres-johnny.jpg?w=392&h=300
~Wywint
Her fluttershy? I see you rainbow dash
Now this is what I call a good night read