Fact Finder: The Show Must Go On

by Zombi

No more

Fact Finder: The Show Must Go On

-Chapter 3: No more-

Upon closer examination, the stallion, who had referred to himself as 'Zombi', did not seem quite as frightening as Fact Finder had initially thought. As he lay, sprawled on the wet concrete, he actually looked kind of... innocent. His eyes were large and round, and even in his unconscious state he retained an anxious crease in his brow. His dark mane had a ruffled, wind-swept look to it and his coat was smooth, yet slightly tarnished by dirt. Looking at the unusual Pegasus now, Fact almost felt guilty for punching his lights out. Almost. The weary unicorn mare had seen her fair share of psychopaths that had been innocent on the outside, but possessed a twisted, blackened mind within them. Not taking any chances, Fact Finder knelt down beside the sleeping stallion, lowering her head slowly and pressing the tip of her pale grey horn against his wrists, never once taking her eyes off him. An emerald glow emanated from her horn and wound its way around Zombi's motionless wrists, restraining them in magical bonds.
"Thank you for cooperating..." Fact chuckled breathlessly, certain her heart was about to give out from the excitement, several decades before its time. To her surprise, Zombi's leathery wings fluttered and he murmured.
"You're welcome..." The mare leapt back in shock, her horn glowing fiercly, preparing to retaliate. But the grotesque pony did not move. It seemed he had responded to her giddy statement in his sleep. Fact Finder raised an eyebrow inquiringly and stepped closer. Still nothing. She leaned down and gave Zombi another thorough study. She still could not come to terms with how... frightening... yet innocent, he appeared.
"I've seen some crazy stuff in my time..." She breathed. "But you... you're just.. just..." The unicorn's mind seemed unable to come up with a word that could even come close to describing the being lying before her.

Thunder rumbled suddenly; causing Fact to raise her head to the moonlit sky. A light drizzle began, which soon developed into a heavy downpour. Zombi stirred slightly as the rainwater fell upon his limp body, soaking his fur and running into his open mouth. The stallion spluttered and his face contorted into a look of shock. His blood-red eyes opened slowly, trying to keep the icy rain from flowing into them.
"Unnhh... Oh!" He groaned, clutching his snowy muzzle as the sharp pain suddenly took effect. "W-What happened...?" Fact fixed Zombi with a piercing gaze, from which he shrank back and whimpered pathetically. "Y-you punched me..." Fact rolled her eyes.
"No shit." She exclaimed, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "What gave it away? Was it the hoof hitting you in the face, perhaps?" The grey stallion frowned heavily, obviously taken aback by the detective's less than apologetic attitude.
"B-but... What have I ever done to you...? I never hurt you..." He sounded as if he were about to burst into tears. Fact, however, was not falling for it... She knew this creature was a cold-blooded killer... Although she could not prove it; it was obvious. How could he not be, with his frightening features and over-the-top fragility? It must all be an act to save his sorry hide...
"No." THe mare said bluntly; displaying her polished silver badge. "Not me." Her expression was as hard as stone as she recalled the victims' lifeless faces... all seventeen of them. All of which murdered brutally at the hooves of this freak. Any sympathy she had felt for this creature disintegrated in an instant. "You are under arrest on suspicion of murder..." Zombi paled; his dull grey coat becoming as white as his muzzle.
"M-murder...?" He squeaked in distress, The odd pegasus scrambled into a sitting position, wringing his hooves desperately. "There... Must be some mistake! I... I never-" Fact cut into his sentence abruptly, nearly screaming into his grotesque face.
"Don't play games with me!" She growled, her eyes blazing with fiery rage. "Their blood is on your hooves, you bastard! And I swear; You're going to pay for every last drop!" The furious mare puctuated each emphasised word with a stomp; causing Zombi to flinch every time her hoof struck the ground. Rain pounded her, matting her Scarlet mane against her head. Fact Finder leaned in close, her breathing ragged, so that their noses were mere millimetres apart. "I'm gonna make you wish you'd never-" She was interuppted by a piercing scream. The detective whirled and cursed. The sound had come from within the city, not far from her current position. She seized Zombi by the scruff of the neck with her magic and proceeded to dash towards the source of the shriek at breakneck speed, dragging the stallion along behind her.

Soon, they were rushing through the busy streets of Canterlot, dodging ponies and attempting to pinpoint the origin point of the sound. What could possibly be happening that could cause such panic? This was just one of the many questions circling through Fact Finder's mind as she forced her way through the crowd of despairing ponies. The bustling rabble was becoming rapidly denser as the grey-coated unicorn progressed; pushing civilians out of her path as she galloped through the rain to the centre of the disturbance.

Then she stopped.

Somewhere amid the excitement, Zombi had disappeared. Fact had been so caught up that she had been unable to maintain the magical restraints binding his wrists, allowing him to slip away, unnoticed. "Buck!" She hissed, scanning the crowd for any trace of the unnatural stallion, which of course proved to be completely in vain. Shaking her head and focusng on the task at hoof, the furious detective worked her way to the source of the noise and gasped. How...? she thought, struggling to keep her quaking knees from buckling beneath her. How!?

There was a unicorn, lying in the middle of the cobbled street as rain beat the ground in a relentless rythm around her. She was very young, very pretty... and very dead... Fact knelt down, examining the corpse in disbelief; as the blood merged with the already murkly puddle which surrounded her. The beige pony's once spectacular dress was now bloodied and torn; her pale face bearing the same expression that had been frozen on the faces of all the other victims... She even bore the same wounds... "How could this happen...?" The trembling mare breathed, the spot in which she knelt pooled with the orange glow of the streetlamp, as if it was all some kind of performance... in which she played the starring role. But Fact Finder did not feel like a star... She felt stupid... helpless... a failure... "I'm sorry..." She whispered in a quivering voice, reaching down to grasp the deceased mare's already cold hoof in her own. A single tear rolled down her cheek as her eyes closed, blocking out the collective sounds of the muttering crowd which surrounded her. "I let you down... While I made mistakes... You lost your life..." Fact Finders's heart felt heavy in her soaking chest, yet empty.So Zombi was not the killer... It seemed the unicorn had simply wasted vital time; judging a pony by his appearance. Yes... That's all it was wasn't it? She had no proof of him being even remotely related to the murders... She merely Judged. And now this beautiful young mare with so much to live for has become just another lifeless shell... because the detective had judged.

Fact lowered her head in anguish, staring into the crimson puddle, as it gleamed in the amber glow of the streetlamp.Her murky reflecton sighed and wiped the tears from it's eyes, just as the detective did the same. The distinctive sound of hooves gallopping through the murmuring mass of panicked ponies caused her to raise her head; tears still streaming from her red-rimmed eyes. She could hear shouts of authority and reassurance as a group of officers forced their way to the center; backed by a pair of guards clad in silver armour, and led by a familiar face.
"Alright, everypony, back off! This is-" The caramel coated stallion froze when he laid eyes on the despairing mare, and the lifeless corpse that lay beside her. "Fact!?" He cried, kneeling down. "What in Luna's moon happened here!?" Fact Finder shook her head furiously, raindrops scattering around her, as she struggled to find her voice.
"I... Pursuit... I just..." She muttered helplessly. The stallion named Pursuit... Or Hot Pursuit, as is his full name, held the scarlet -maned unicorn close; stroking her soaking mane comfortingly as the rain continued to beat down around them.
"Shhh..." He whispered in an attempt to console her. "Keep calm... breathe slowly..." Fact followed his instructions; slowing her ragged breaths and gathering her senses. Pursuit had always been close to the fiery mare. Not in a romantic way; but more as if he were an older brother to her. He had always been there to defend her when she'd needed it most, to comfort her in times of stress and to give her a hoof to hold, when nopony else understood. "I don't know what happened..." Fact Finder nodded toward the young mare's cold, motionless body solemnly. "I heard a scream... I came running... She was just... dead... when I got here..." The raven-maned unicorn officer stood slowly, and carefully helped Fact to her hooves.
"It's not your fault FF." He patted her on the back gently. Pursuit was always gentle with those he cared about; especially Fact Finder. "There was nothing more you could do." Fact opened her mouth to protest, but the stallion raised a hoof abruptly, cutting the grey-coated detective off before she could even begin. "And don't you dare try to blame this on yourself." He snarled sternly. Yet despite his tone, deep concern was evident in Pursuit's sapphire eyes. "I know you, Fact... You just can't accept that it's impossible to save everypony.You have to learn that you can't blame yourself every time a life is lost..." Fact looked away, glancing around at the bustling crowd of well-dressed mares and stallions, before Pursuit turned her head back gently to face him. "You can't have that kind of guilt riding on your shoulders..." Fact stared into his eyes; her expression as hard as the strongest steel.
"I have failed eighteen ponies." She breathed; her voice filled with determination. "eighteen ponies. Believe me, HP... I'm feeling the guilt." She turned to one of the guards; the last of the tears leaving her to merge with the rainwater which ran down her cheeks, which were down red with rage. "You." The crimson-maned detective said bluntly. "What'syername. Any witnesses?" The guard bit his lower lip; blushing fiercly.
"W-Well..." Fact grew increasingly impatient as Pursuit backed away a little; fearful of the mare's reaction to the incoming answer.
"Oh!" The detectives hooves clamped her head in despair. "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me!" She stepped forward and jabbed the snowy-coated guard in the dripping, silver chest plate with a firm hoof. "Are you telling me..." She growled; struggling to suppress the scream that rose in her throat. "...That this guy jumped an innocent mare in a busy street and absolutely nopony saw it!?" The frightened stallion looked down at her, trembling violently. An amusing sight, despite the circumstances, as Fact was significantly smaller than the guard.
"I-I'll ask around again..." He muttered hastily, scurrying away. Fact brushed her damp, red mane out of her eyes as the downpour persisted.
"Yeah." She sighed heavily. "You do that..." The unicorn turned back to Hot Pursuit; shaking her head slowly. "I don't believe this Pursuit. This poor kid was killed in public and nopony saw a bucking thing!" She lifted her gaze with a look of dire helplessness on her pale grey face. "Sometimes I-"

She stopped.

Pursuit wasn't looking at her. He was looking up, past her.
"Fact... look." Fact Finder turned, slowly and followed the stallion's gaze; squinting through the heavy rainfall. She gasped when she caught sight of a figure... standing on the rooftop, overlooking the scene; a twisted, maniacal grin pasted across it's shrouded face.
"Son of a bitch..." She breathed. A smile worked it's way aross Pursuit's lips.
"we've got him now. Hey!" The caramel coated officer signalled to his team and pointed toward the figure, who immediately began to flee. The officers and guards followed suit, galloping, full pelt, away from the scene; leaving Fact and Pursuit alone in the rain. The crowd parted as if it were cut with a blade, and a group of ponies dressed in specialised suits and masks made there way toward the crime scene. "So, whaddaya say FF?" Pursuit grinned, nodding at the soaking mare with his trademark mischievous wink (that never failed to make the mares swoon). "Wanna give me a hand with this?" Fact took one final glance at the pony she had failed. No more.
"We're taking that bucker down." She growled icily, before galloping, full speed, after the suspect; pursuit not far behind.

The chase was on.

End of Chapter

Comments

[moguera]

"We can't arrest someone solely on the grounds that they're creepy."
..."Hey, you know that guy we've got in holding?"
"The creepy one?"
"Better let him go."

[Zombi]

Apparently Fact has never heard that >.< But she's crrrazy desperate!

[strongiron]

Awesome story, keep on writing.

[Zombi]

533243 Thanks for the encouragement!