Chapter 6 "April Shower"
Chapter 6
“April Shower”
Dragging Dusk through the alleyways of Manehatten was not easy. Why did Cadence have to make him so heavy and...muscular and well bui-NO Bad Pruena!
I managed to find my destination though, a small clinic nestled on a street corner. It was a smaller clinic, a bit shabby-looking. There was a sign out front, advertising the fact it was a clinic, but there were bars on the windows, considering the less-than-ideal location. Even at this time, the waiting room had a few ponies, there, waiting to receive medical attention.
Red Cross Clinic, Fenlock used to frequent here whenever he needed medical attention and didn’t want questions to be asked. The secretary looked up at me, she frowned and said, “I’m sorry, you’re going to have to wa-” She stopped and saw Dusk with his bullet wound. “Oh my goodness!”
“Get Nurse Red Cross,” I said firmly. “She’s the only one I trust with him.”
The secretary nodded and went into the other room. About five minutes later, a white coated mare with silver hair came out. She looked over at me and said, “What happened?”
“We were attacked,” I said to her. “Some crazed gun pony attacked my coltfriend here.” That was mostly the truth, hopefully it’ll get Dusk help.
She narrowed her blue eyes and said, “My secretary said you mentioned me by name.”
Damn, think fast Pruena. “Private Eye, he told me where the clinic would be. Please you have to help him!” I implored.
“The hospital is down the way,” She said. “You could’ve gone there and received better care than some simple clinic.”
“There’s uh, something rather unique about me I want to keep quiet.” Dusk said.
“And who are you supposed to be?” Red Cross asked sarcastically, “Some kind of a secret agent?”
“Something like that,” Dusk said with a smile.
The nurse sighed and said, “I’m going to regret this.” She then turned and shouted at a pair of mares coming with a stretcher. “Get him to a bed, and if any of you so much as tell your mothers about what you see I’ll put cyanide in your next flu shots.”
No wonder Fenlock loved her...
The nurses nodded and put Dusk onto the stretcher. Dusk looked at me and said, “I’ll be fine Pru, I’ve been shot before.”
I looked at him, and gave my love a kiss on the cheek. At his blushing face I just said, “Idiot…”
With that, Red Cross rolled Dusk away into the clinic. I walked over to the secretary and signed a few papers. “If he wakes up, tell him I’m going to visit my mother at an old folks home.”
________________________________________________________
This place looked really commercial. It had a bright, glass-fronted foyer, with comfortable seating for ponies who were waiting to visit their relatives, or just didn’t want to go inside. The walls were a cream color, with pretty scenic pictures, or inspirational sayings done in decorative cross-stitch, or even pictures of the residents with their families or a favorite nurse. In an enclosure, where the residents could be watched, was an area with a lot of exercise machines. All in all not a bad place to stay, but…
I never much cared for old pony homes. Grandma would’ve avoided the place like it was plague or something. But here I was, hoping to find August Breeze’s marefriend. Hopefully it won’t be too difficult.
I kept trying to distract myself from what happened earlier. But it kept bugging me, that shooter knew who we were, knew that we were investigating the case, and was asking about the pendent of all things. I’m starting to think the killer i-
“Can I help you dear?”
I blinked, realizing I had walked up to the desk. A plump, cream coated nurse smiled at me. “Welcome to East Brooks, where retirement is comfort. Are you visiting anypony dear?”
“Uh,” I said, regaining my composure. “Yes actually, I’m looking for the mother of Mayflower.”
“April?” She asked, with a smile. “Oh, she’s, one of our more... interesting patients.”
“How so?” I asked.
The nurse sighed, and said, “Mayflower brought the poor mare in a few years after she started attending college full time. She had both of her children when she was older, she’s also not really in her right mind. We were lucky to have Bedside to help us, such a sweet girl.”
“Bedside?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“She’s the nurse that was a friend of the family,” She said with a smile, she then pointed to the doorway, “Here she comes now.”
Standing in the doorway was a brown haired mare with a bright bluish coat and a cutie mark of a medicine bottle on her flank. She sighed and walked over to the head nurse, “Sorry, Spoonful, I was held up at the station.” She said, walking forward.
“It’s quite alright dear,” Spoonful said, “This young lady was hoping to meet your future mother in law.”
“Oh it’s not official and you know it,” Bedside said with a good natured laugh. “August hasn’t gotten me the ring yet.”
“You are August’s marefriend?” I asked.
“Yes, and who might you be…?” She said, looking at me with a smile on her face.
“Pruena Oculia,” I said, “I’m a freelance journalist, I was hoping to interview April about the whole Black Widow thing.”
“Oh you really don’t want to do that,” Bedside said, waving her hoof. “She’s, not exactly in her right mind when anypony mentions the Black Widow killer.”
“I’m mostly doing a piece on your future sister in law,” I said with a good natured smile. “To, get the truth about the movement.”
“Mayflower has always been known for making a spectacle of things.” Bedside said with a sigh. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to get a small interview if you avoid asking about the Black Widow.”
“I’ll do my best.” I said, “Can I see her now?”
“She should be up from her nap, I’ll take you to the room.” Bedside said, trotting down the hallway.
I followed her as we made our way towards April’s room...hopefully I’ll finally get some answers…
___________________________________________________________
The room looked a bit like a hospital room. It had the bed, of course, and the television mounted on a platform on the wall, along with the two sturdy bedside tables. The couch, though, looked a lot more comfortable, as did the chairs. Family photos were scattered around the room, and books where near the bed. The room also had a rather nice pastel floral print wallpaper, unlike hospital rooms that had blue, gray or white painted walls. All in all, it had a homier vibe than your average hospital room. There were even curtains on the windows, along with the ubiquitous venetian blinds.
April Shower herself was a green coated Earth Pony with silver hair, a set of glasses on her nose and wrinkles to rival Granny Smith. Age had not been kind to her, but I could tell there had to be beauty at one time. She looked up from the book she was reading to look at Bedside. “Ah, Bedside, how nice to see you,” She said with a smile.
“Hello, Mrs. Shower,” Bedside replied, walking into the room.
“I told you, you don’t need to call me that,” April replied. “If August Breeze can just muster up the courage, you’ll be calling me mom one of these days.”
Bedside laughed a little. “We still have a little while before that.” She then gestured to me. “This is Pruena, April, she’s a reporter who wants to talk to you.”
April’s blue eyes blinked as she said. “But whatever would she want to interview this old horse for? This young lady should be out having fun, not interviewing an old mare like me.”
I smiled and said, “As much as I would love to go out clubbing with my coltfriend, I have a job to do. I’m trying to get details about your daughter, Mayflower.”
“Oh…” April said, looking...unsure.
“You don’t have to get interviewed Ap-” Bedside began.
“Oh no, it’s alright dear,” April said with a small smile. “I can give a few...details. Bedside, I believe it’s time for Mr. Freepony to get his throat medication again.”
Bedside checked her watch, “Yeah, though honestly if he didn’t read so much to the visiting kids we wouldn’t have this problem. If you need anything, just give me a yell...mom.”
Bedside left and I pulled up a chair to sit. I pulled out my notebook and said, “So where can I-”
“You can drop the pretense dear, Bedside can’t hear us,” She said, smiling over at me.
“Pretense, ma’am?” I said, pretending to be ignorant.
“I may be old, but I’m not senile yet,” She admonished. “I know exactly what you are here about, you’re here to talk about the Black Widow aren’tcha?”
“I...well…” I said nervously.
“Oh I saw what my daughter did on the television, I feel sorry for all those poor ponies down in that small town,” April said with a sigh. “I figured sooner or later, somepony would come to lil old me and ask questions.”
“I did interview your daughter,” I admitted.
“Then you know first hoof her views and how dangerous they can be.” April said, shaking her head.
Not to mention short sided, wrong, and any other ways that Grapes can snark.
“A friend of mine said she started up the movement after her father left the family?” I asked.
“Yes,” She said, with a sigh. “She did, she was barely a filly at the time. But, he didn’t leave the family.”
“He didn’t?” I said, shocked.
“No, my husband was a traveling doctor, he was flying over to the Zebra Lands to provide aid. But one of the criminals there caught wind of what he was doing and he died in a bombing,” She said sadly.
He did leave the family, only to get killed…?
“But, you guys weren’t divorced or anything?” I asked.
“Mayflower wouldn’t believe me when I said that her father died overseas. She had it in her mind that her father left us and used the relief effort as an excuse to get away. I did argue with my husband but it was just because I thought it was too dangerous for him to leave.”
“You were protecting him,” I realized.
“Of course I was,” She said, looking at me. “I tried to tell him to stay, but his heart was too good to ignore those who don’t have as good of doctors as we do. I argued with him all the way to the airport...worst mistake of my life.” She wiped her eyes with a hoofkerchief.
“Ma’am, I’m sorry to bring up bad memories,” I said reassuringly.
“Oh, don’t fret dear,” She said, calming down. “I’m quite alright, I’ve had years to mourn my husband’s death.”
“Mayflower didn’t believe you, you said?” I asked.
“Bedside told you I was crazy didn’t she?” She asked in turn.
“What do-”
“She did, didn’t she.”
“Yes…” I admitted.
“I figured as much, it was the same conclusion that Mayflower came up with. No matter how many times I tried to say I was just concerned for my husband, she believed wholeheartedly that he was leaving me for another mare.” She shook her head. “Then she found some of my sister’s papers she wrote when the killings started, and started her Mares for Justice nonsense.”
“You don’t believe her philosophy?” I asked.
“Of course I don’t, anypony with half a brain cell and a lick of decency can understand one fundamental truth. All of us are on this earth together, whether we like it or not ponies are going to be different. Just because there are two genders doesn't mean one should be dominate over the other, it’s all a matter of finding a balance and working together for the good of all.” She then sighed, and added, “But, Mayflower continued to call me mad until she was old enough to have me put in here.”
She was telling the truth. I may not have had proof, but, there was no way she was lying. She wasn’t mad either, I’ve seen what madness looks like…
She’s nothing like Glimmer…
“Your sister started the movement?” I said, fishing for another topic.
“She did, around the time we were both in high school,” She said, looking down. “She and I were seniors, both going to change the world with our revolutionary social reforms, maybe go into politics. Back in those days, it was difficult for commoners, let alone mares to get into office.”
“Mayflower looked up to her?” I asked.
“She died years before Mayflower was even born, but she was her hero nonetheless,” She said with a smile.
“What was she like?” I asked. “Could give readers a little history.”
“She was so passionate, free and firm in her belief we were going to change the world. She got her first job as a secretary to a noble named Stock, a rather...interesting fellow…” She said, looking away.
Wait, Stock...where have I heard that…
STOCK EXCHANGE!? The first victim of the Black Widow killings?!
“Was the full name of the stallion she worked for called Stock Exchange?” I asked quickly.
“Yes it was,” She said. “He was a rather uncouth stallion. Him and his wife were going through a divorce. He would gamble, drink, and lust over his wife in a very nasty way. But as his wife got older, she fell out of love with him and filed a divorce. My sister was caught in the crossfire. Stock would hit her and attack her for the slightest thing.”
“Didn’t she go to the police?” I asked.
“We didn’t have laws back then that protected employees like we do now.” She said, shaking her head. “Going to the cops would’ve just gotten her berated for being a slut.”
Never thought I’d hear an old mare say it like that.
“She tried to quit but he threatened to make sure she’d never find another job anywhere else. Finding the job in the first place was hard enough. My sister suffered under him for months…”
“You seem to known him very well…” I pointed out.
“Of course I did dear,” She looked at me..and said…
“Because I was the one who killed him.”
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HOLY SHIT!
What the hell? That was unexpected, didn't think April was this much involved in this Black Widow thing.
WHAT!!!!!!!!! I thought it was someone else. Man this is going to go down in flames in the next chapter. Glad your back from the tour.
Hmm, interesting.
*GASP*
i2.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/490/099/3fe.gif
Wait... But that... If she... Then that means...!
*IDA Official.exe has shut down due to plot twist overload. Please smack over the head with a wrench to reactivate, or consult the nearest Hyperion Engineer. Thank you and have a pleasant day.*
Called it
<processing..... processing.... processing....>
Oh... crap...
4170841 "Where's my mallet."
Sagebrony07 uses wooden mallet.
It is super effective.
"I hope that wakes you up. I don't think you can take a critical hit."
Well now...that happened...
Oh shit.....this should be interesting.
*brain overload. activating reboot*
Boop. Boop. Boop
OMFF (oh my freakin' Faust)
Saw this coming from a galaxy away, I think I'm getting too smart for mystery stories. I conclude that Mayflower is Black Widow, she just took the name from April. Do I get an award?
4174528 No you do not my friend, we at Equestria Noir Productions do not have the budget to do so...plus you're close, but not close enough...
DUN DUN DUUUUUNNNNNN
LITTLE BLUNT
p.s glimmer is mention lots in this story do i even have to do a hint hint
Bedside is the new Black Widow this time is my bet. She's been complaining to August about a missing piece of jewelry and our two protagonists were nearly killed by someone trying to get a piece of jewelry back. Coincidence, I think not. Also, she is literally caring for the original, any takers on the possibility that a few stories may have been involved?
DUN DUN DUUUUN!
Well.....that happened.