Amazing Grace

by Silver-Spirits-and-Ales

Chapter four: On the case.

Thunderhoof's memoirs.

When I was finally discharged from the forces, I was unhappy. Even though I felt accomplished and pleased with what I had done, all of the medals, decorations, and honours, and meeting three of the four princesses, a part of me still felt disappointed with myself. Though I suppose that dealing with disappointment and impotent rage wasn't really the biggest task to face when I left the guard. Adjusting to civilian life definitely takes the cake. If I had a bit for every time I waited for a bugler to sound the reveille, every time I jumped out of my mane because of a sudden loud noise, expecting a Kudu to come out of nowhere to head-butt me with its giant antlers... But anyway. What has been even more vexing is seeing ponies complain about work hours, their favourite brand of hay being discontinued, or some hay about somepony being mean to them... It really made my skin crawl.

So here I am, using my army pensions to open a private investigator's office. Will it succeed? I sure as hay hope so.

---

"Your alarm call, sir," said the butler, placing Thunderhoof's breakfast tray on his lap, placing the newspaper on top of it, and drawing the curtains. "Quite foggy today, isn't it?"

"And good morning to you too, James," said Thunderhoof, dazzled by the morning light. "Any post?"

James came to Thunderhoof's bedside, and poured the Major's orange juice. "Just a letter from your cousin, sir."

Thunderhoof groaned. "Which one?" he asked, apathetically. "Is this another wedding proposal?"

"Her Royal Highness, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, sir."

"Oh, joy," he said, his mood lightening considerably. "Give it here!" He took the letter from his butler, and ripped it open. There was a letter and his usual ticket for the Grand Galloping Gala.

"Dearest Thunderhoof, my favourite cousin.

How have you been? I know that it hasn't exactly been hugtown between you and the rest of your family, but I do hope you can overlook them and come to the Grand Galloping Gala this year. It's been a while, and we've both been tied to our duties for so long... It goes without saying that you're always welcome around the Crystal Palace, and Shining Armor is constantly asking about you.
Anyway, more about the Gala. When I told Twilight about you, she seemed very interested, and insisted that you should be present. I don't know what it is with her and military ponies lately (she mentioned somepony called Hightower. Maybe you know him), and she really wants to meet you.

Hoping to see you soon! Lots of love,
Cadance.

PS: Bring a date!"

The letter brought a smile to Thunderhoof's face. He placed it on his bedside table, remembering that he had a case to solve, after all. He ate his frugal breakfast in silence, before getting out of bed, having a shower, combing his hair back, and putting his suit on. There was one thing he took, which would prove instrumental to his success.

Thunderhoof looked in his bedside table, and picked up an item that would prove instrumental to his success: he had once worked for the Canterlot chief of police, in a strictly unofficial capacity, stealing some blackmail material back from a known unicorn mobster. As payment, the investigator had asked for only one thing: a detective's badge.

Thunderhoof pinned it to the inside of his jacket, put his hat on, grabbed his newspaper for the way, and left his room.

"I took the liberty of ordering a cab for you, sir," said James, walking Thunderhoof down the stairs of the hotel and into the empty lobby.

"Thank you very much," answered Thunderhoof. "I won't be here for lunch, but I'll probably be back for dinner, though. If I'm not, please put something aside for me."

"Very good, sir," said James, opening the front door and receiving his tip from the resident.

The taxi coach was already waiting in front of the door. "You Thunderhoof, then?" asked the driver.

"Yes," answered the investigator, getting into the taxi and unfolding his newspaper.

"You're off early, sir," remarked the cabby. "Where to?"

"Fancy Pants Banking firm," said Thunderhoof, in a way that screamed 'I've rehearsed this'.

"EQUALISTS ASSEMBLE AGAINST THE SCK, GET TAKEN TO SCHOOL BY VETERAN," read the tag-line.
"'Ban the Crown!' 'Down with the tyrant Celestia!' 'Alicorns are traitors to Ponykind!' These slogans were hollered by the crowd of Equalists who gathered at Blueblood Park, late last night. The leader of the Equal Equines Party, Laura Octirat, had organized the demonstration in response to the creation of the opening of the Special Court for Kudanda, claiming as they always did that the Equestrian Government has no right to interfere in Zebrican or Kudandan affairs. A statement which could be justified if the party's only congresspony hadn't voted to support the war a few years back. In a surprising turn of events, however, a Pegasus stallion who claimed to be a veteran of the Equestrian Armed Forces asked to borrow the microphone. He told the herd that Equestria's role in the Kudandan War was nothing but a peacekeeping operation. He proved that last statement correct by telling the crowd about all the money that Equestria had spent on the war without asking Zebrica for any contribution or refund to the treasury. All in all, same hay, different day: college students go to the library, borrow the Equalist Manifesto, claim that they know what's better, and get corrected by somepony who knows better than them."

Thunderhoof was satisfied with what he'd just read.

"We're here," said the cabby, stopping in front of the massive building. "That'll be seventy-five bits."

"Thanks," answered Thunderhoof, giving the coach-puller his money. "Can I trouble you to wait for me, here?" He gave the driver some extra money as compensation.

He looked across the street at the huge bank. It was an old building, the construction of which went back two hundred years or so. The stone pillars and the general architecture were reminiscent of antique architecture, from the times of Flash Magnus. But Thunderhoof didn't have the time to dwell on the design of the building. After all, in a few minutes or so, the streets would be filling up with ponies going to the bank. So, the earlier he entered, the easier it'd all be.

Save for the few clerks, the lobby was completely empty. The investigator brought his hat down over his face, in case anypony recognized him, and confidently strolled over to one of the reception desk, where a clerk filly was waiting, smiling. "Police," he said, straightening his bust and opening his jacket to show the badge. "I'm here to inquire about one of your clients."

"Oh, is something wrong?" asked the filly. "Maybe you should speak to my manager."

"Yes, please," said Thunderhoof. The filly immediately disappeared behind a door, and came back thirty seconds later, with another Unicorn mare, who looked matronly, to say the least.

"Can I help you, officer?" she asked, concerned that her bank might be in trouble.

"Detective," lied Thunderhoof. "Maybe we should go to your office."

The manager led the 'policecolt' up to her office, closing the door behind her. "Please, have a seat."

Thunderhoof sat down opposite the manager, and opened the hostilities. "I'll get straight to the point," he said. "One of your clients is a criminal. We want to catch him, so I need some information, miss..."

"Dander," answered the filly. "What do you need, Detective?"

"I need the place of residence of mister Dandelion Blackwell, miss Dander," explained Thunderhoof.

"I am terribly sorry, sir, but we cannot divulge a client's personal information," retorted Miss Dander. "Unless you have a warrant, in which case..."

She had said that to ponies before, Thunderhoof could tell. "This one's gonna be tricky," he thought. "Listen, miss." Thunderhoof cleared his throat. "Dandelion Blackwell is a criminal. I need his address so that we can find him. If we don't, who knows what he can do by tonight."

"I am terribly sorry," the manager repeated, firmly. "But as much as I'd like to help you, we simply cannot give you a client's personal information. My standing order is to not do anything that might embarrass the company. Imagine what would happen if our clients knew that we gave away their addresses."

Thunderhoof had found the mare's pressure point. "I understand that you want to do your job," he said. "But imagine what would happen to your company's stock if ponies who aren't clients discover that your company obstructed an investigation." To add more credibility to his cover story, he added "An equicide investigation!"

The mare's lip trembled. She hesitated for a few seconds, trying to find a response. But it never came. Instead, the manager just said "I'll be right back," before leaving the room.

Thunderhoof wasn't very proud of what he'd just done. He had just manipulated (if not blackmailed) a working mare into giving him near-confidential information. "It's a necessary evil," he thought.

The mare came back a few minutes later, levitating a sheet of paper before her.

"Thank you," said Thunderhoof, grabbing the sheet and looking at the contact details of the client. 'Dandelion Blackwell', according to the piece of paper, lived in an apartment at Number Five, Sunrise Boulevard, in Eastern Canterlot. "You've been a great help."

Thunderhoof left the office, and quickly made for the front door. Once he was outside, the investigator climbed into his cab once again, and told the address to the driver.

A short journey later, Thunderhoof found himself at Sunrise Boulevard. It was named as such because it had a clear line of sight on Celestia's sun that rose every day. Case in point, the sun was beginning to rise, and the pavements were slowly filling up with ponies from all trots of life. It brought back some pleasant memories of the Somnambulan sun, rising over the dunes and shining down onto the bugler, who would start sounding the reveille.

The apartment block that Poppy lived in was as nondescript as you could possibly imagine. Stone bricks, about six floors (including the ground floor), and a large door that complied with the Celestia doors act (which said that all doors in Equestria must be big enough for the head of state to fit through), and a gas lamp on the right-hand side of the entrance. Looking closely at the lamp, you could see that the word 'police' had at some time been painted on it. The building had at one time been a police station, home to the now defunct Royal Canterlot Constabulary Special Reserve's barracks, which had been closed for budget reasons.

Entering the lobby, Thunderhoof saw the reception desk, which was now essentially a doorpony's kiosk. A Unicorn stallion was sleeping behind the magic-proof glass.

"Excuse me," said Thunderhoof, approaching the desk.

"Mm-yes?" responded the stallion jerkily, waking up from his trance.

"Police," said the detective, showing his badge once more. "Where does Mr. Blackwell live?"

"Haven't heard about him for a while, now," answered the doorpony. "He isn't the most talkative stallion in Equestria, but he pays his rent in advance. And that's good enough for me. He lives on the third floor, number twenty-one. Did he do something wrong?"

"Thanks," said Thunderhoof, galloping up the steps, three at a time. There wasn't a minute to lose.

Once he'd arrived at the third floor, he looked for number twenty one. It was at the very end of the hallway. Approaching the door, however, he saw that it was ajar. Carefully, the detective pushed the door open, and entered the flat. Instinctively, he scanned the hall for any threats, taking in the number of doors, visible windows, exits, and pieces of furniture that could serve as impromptu weaponry. The flat itself hadn't been visited in a while, if the large amount of dust that lay all over the place was to be believed. However, somewhere along the wall, a wing had swept a bit of dust off, indicating that whoever had visited or was still visiting was a Pegasus.

Thunderhoof's saddlebag would prevent any efficient air combat, so he decided to stay hooves on the ground as he inspected the flat. He hugged the wall on his left, and peeked his head around the doorway to the kitchen. Flicking the light switch on, he saw that nopony had been laying in the shadows. He continued his way forwards, arriving at the living room. The door was open, whereas the door to the bedroom was closed, and there was a single feather on the ground, which was of a brownish-yellow colour. It looked eerily similar to somepony that Thunderhoof had seen before, but he wasn't quite sure where.

Out of nowhere, a purple shawl was flung towards Thunderhoof's face, who immediately rolled over into the living room, got back onto his four legs, and adopted his close quarters stance. He had barely adopted the position when a Pegasus mare wearing a pith helmet came flying out of nowhere, right hoof raised and ready to strike. Thunderhoof dodged, grabbed the Pegasus's wing, and sent her flying across the room. However, in a surprising turn of events, the mare regained her balance, landed on the floor with on her front hooves, turned around, and bucked at Thunderhoof's chest. Thunderhoof reeled, landed on his back, and kicked at the mare's face. It was her turn to recoil, holding her bleeding nose as she did so. The investigator used that moment to lunge at his assailant, force her to the ground, and hold her down with one hoof, preparing a punch with the other.

But as he pressed his horseshoe onto the mare's throat, he knocked her pith back, revealing her face. Thunderhoof recognized her instantly.

"Dazzle?" he asked, hardly daring to believe it.

"Captain?" choked the filly, just as surprised to see Thunderhoof as he was to see her.

Thunderhoof helped his former second-in-command to her hooves, and lent her his handkerchief to wipe her nose, which she refused.

"It's alright, Cap'," she grinned, wiping her muzzle on her foreleg, putting blood all over it.

"No, it isn't, Lieutenant," retorted Thunderhoof, forcibly wiping Daring Do Dazzle's muzzle.

Thunderhoof and Daring Do had been to Saddlehurst together (they'd at some point competed for speed during an air maneuvering exercise), before serving in Saddle Arabia together.

"Who made you the corpspony?" she protested.

"No-one," said Thunderhoof. "How long has it been?"

"Alamane, wasn't it?" asked Lieutenant Dazzle. "What, one year ago? You were an attaché at the embassy, or something."

"More like two," corrected Thunderhoof. "How're your novels coming along? I'm a fan."

"Well, I've, erm..." she hesitated. "You could say that I've got writer's block."

"I see," replied Thunderhoof. "I'm kinda disappointed you don't go more into detail about her past. That intrigued me. Although I suppose that naming the main character after yourself came off as a tad pretentious." He picked up Daring Do's pith helmet off the floor. It was the model designed for the Royal Expeditionary Force in Saddle Arabia and Somnambula. Thunderhoof had the same, back at his hotel. Though Daring's was missing the cap badge that usually went on it. "Here you go," he said, extending his hoof to give the hat back to Daring Do. "Writer's block... Or are you just looking for an adventure?"

"Don't tell anyone," said Daring Do, realizing that Thunderhoof had uncovered her secret in less time than you need to explain it. "Please?"

"You have my word. But tell me, aren't you scared that anypony else might find out?" asked Thunderhoof.

"Well, in the army days, everypony just knew me as 'Dazzle' or 'Lieutenant Dazzle'. Or just 'ma'am'," said the adventurer, putting her hat back on. "Now, tell me: why're you here?" .

"I could ask you the same thing," retorted Thunderhoof, defensively. He hadn't signed any non-disclosure forms, but Miss Pronto probably had. "Case in point, what are you doing here?"

"Alright," said Daring. "I'm looking for Poppy Heart."

Thunderhoof could hear the words of the prosecutor ringing in his head: 'Someone may be after him.'

"Very well," said Thunderhoof. "Why are you looking for him?"

"His sister asked me to find him," answered the adventurer. "She said some spook-ponies came to her house to ask some questions. She figures they want to hurt him or something. So she contacted me."

"I see," said Thunderhoof. "Well, I also happen to be looking for him."

"Why?"

Thunderhoof chose his words very carefully. He had to stay vague enough, while still sounding like he wanted to help Poppy. "Somepony hired me to find him. They think that Poppy Heart's in danger. Maybe we can help each other?"

He knew that Lieutenant Daring Do Dazzle had never been a team player, which was why she had left the EUP guard. But seeing that it was one of these times when teamwork was absolutely necessary, she decided to make an exception. "Alright," she said. "Where should we start?"

"Well..." Thunderhoof looked around the room. He noticed some hoofprints amidst the dust, which hadn't been caused by either him or Daring. They had gone straight to the living room table, before going abruptly towards the front door. Just next to the table, there lay a notebook and a pencil.

"These yours?" asked Thunderhoof to Daring Do, picking up the notebook. A page had hurriedly been ripped from it. Daring shook her head. "And when you arrived here, the door was already open?"

"Yeah," replied the lieutenant. "He must have left in a hurry."

The investigator picked the notebook and pencil up, and sat down at the table. Daring knew what Thunderhoof was about to do: it was an old intelligence trick that they'd both learned in the REF. Thunderhoof placed the pencil sideways on the paper, and rubbed it onto the paper. In doing so, the words that had been written on the previous page would reveal themselves, showing where the pencil had pressed.

"RV 13, Carrot Sticks Boulevard," said Thunderhoof, reading the writing off the notebook.

"Then, that's where we're headed!" answered the Lieutenant, maybe a little too loudly.

As she said that, Thunderhoof heard a loud gallop from outside the flat. He quickly ran to the door, and looked outside, but whoever had been eavesdropping was gone.

"Somepony was listening," said Thunderhoof, as Daring Do put her shawl back on, competing with a cloche hat and some heavy-framed red spectacles.

They both rushed downstairs, and left the building, ignoring the doorpony who was fast asleep.

"We need to get there before they do!" exclaimed Thunderhoof, taking off and soaring up into the sky, Daring Do following suit.

---

"Alright," said Thunderhoof, landing on a pavement in front of a hotel, much to the surprise of passing ponies. "We're here."

"You sure about this one?" asked Daring Do, taking in the dingy lights and the battered front door. "A pony this rich, you'd think he'd stay at the Butterscotch, or something. Not this place."

"Well, what choice do we have?" asked Thunderhoof, walking up the steps of the old building, and opening the door.

Saying that the hotel was cheap didn't really cut it. The paint on the walls was peeling off, there were some rickety old chairs around the atrium, and the building smelt constantly like old cabbage. An Earth Pony stallion, wearing a grubby cook's apron and hat came out of the door behind the front desk, and said "Can I help you?" He tried suppressing a few wheezy coughs, but didn't manage.

"Yes!" exclaimed Daring Do, flying over to the desk and slamming her hooves on it. "Poppy Heart! Where is he?"

"I'm sorry?" asked the stallion.

Thunderhoof sighed, and put his hoof on his erstwhile partner's shoulder, pulling her back. "Excuse her, she's new," he said. "Police." He showed his badge. "We're looking for an Earth Pony stallion. Black, a triangular formation of spears for a cutie mark. Have you seen him?"

"Yes," answered the receptionist. "He checked in just a few hours ago. He's staying in room twelve, second floor. Why, is he in trouble?"

"Sort of," said Thunderhoof. "We want to take him in protective custody. Did somepony else come looking for him, by any chance?"

"Nope," said the stallion. "Why?" he asked, looking rather worried, now.

"As I said," said Thunderhoof. "he's sort of in trouble. Go and hide in the kitchen, things are about to get ugly."

"I don't understand," said the receptionist, as Daring Do bolt-locked the front door, and dimmed the lights.

"There's no time to explain," said Thunderhoof, hurriedly throwing a bag of money to the stallion. "Hide!" he insisted.

Thunderhoof and Daring raced up to the second floor, and looked for room twelve. They found it, and before Thunderhoof could stop Daring Do, she rapped the door with her hoof. "We know you're in there, Griever! Let us in, we're here to help!"

There was a loud clutter from inside, a few knockings, and the noise of a window sliding open.

"Oh, you had to do that," said Thunderhoof, disbelievingly. They both jumped to their forehooves, and bucked the door open together. Once inside, they saw that the room's only window was open. Thunderhoof flew outside, and barely had the time to see Poppy Heart's black rump disappear over the rooftop. He and Daring flew up, and landed on the roof. They could see griever, running to the other end of the building, a heavy saddlebag on his back.

"Come on!" They chased Poppy Heart over the rooftops, jumping from building to building in an effort to catch up with the witness.

Once he'd arrived at the end of a rooftop, and at a gap that he couldn't possibly jump over, Poppy Heart stopped, and turned around to face his pursuers.

"Stay back!" commanded Poppy Heart, in a deep voice. "Stay back or I'll jump!"

The pair stopped. "Poppy Heart, you don't have to do this!" bellowed Daring Do. "We're here to help you!"

Griever was breathing very heavily. He was quite a lot older than Thunderhoof or Daring Do, and he was also much bigger. "I really want to believe that!" he shouted. "But I don't!"

"We have to convince him, somehow," thought Thunderhoof. He analyzed the situation thoroughly, thinking of every possible outcome. If they approached Griever, he'd jump. Daring Do was very fast, and they could probably catch up with him before he hit the ground. Stopping him and pulling him up was another matter. Griever was heavy, and given the height of the building... It was high enough for Griever to jump and kill himself, but maybe not enough to let the investigator and the adventurer help him. All in all, these odds weren't the best.

"Stay where you are!" shouted somepony from behind them.

Thunderhoof turned around, and saw five Earth Ponies, wearing pin-striped suits and fedoras, in a hemi-circular formation.

"What the hay?" asked Daring Do.

"Thank you, detectives," said one of the gangsters, who seemed to be the leader. "We can take it from here."

Daring pursed her lips, and was about to talk, but Thunderhoof gestured her not to do so. He had something in mind. Instead, he stepped aside, and let the gangster have his moment.

"Poppy, Poppy, Poppy," said the criminal, approaching the mercenary. "You have messed with the wrong ponies, my friend. And when I say that, there ain't nothin' personal. I'm just sayin' that because there's a lotta money on your head. So, soldier? Are you gonna fight? 'Cuz I know you ain't gonna flee. There's no escape, now."

"Now," whispered Thunderhoof to Daring Do.

"D'you believe us now?" asked the adventurer to Poppy Heart.

"I think I do," answered the mercenary, who stared back at the gangster in a defying way.

"Trot away, detectives," ordered the gangster, as if he effectively owned Thunderhoof and Daring Do.

The four other flat-capped ponies started closing in. They formed up around Thunderhoof and Daring Do, and looked at the two 'detectives' intently.

"What if we refuse?" asked Thunderhoof, prompting the leader to turn around.

"Are you refusing?" the leader asked. "In which case, I would have to... dispose of the pair of you."

"I think we are refusing," replied Thunderhoof, dangerously approaching the leader. "Now, I'm just warning you. There may be five of you and three of us, but let's just say that when I was in Kudanda, I killed roughly twenty Kudu with my bare hooves. So I'm giving you a chance to walk away."

The leader's confident snarl faded slightly, he blinked a few times, and replied "Kudu... They're small guys, right?"

"Sure they are," said Poppy Heart. "About your size."

At these words, the leader turned back towards Poppy Heart, spurted "Why you little..." before jumping onto him. He and the mercenary got into a hoof brawl, while both Thunderhoof and Daring Do had the four others to deal with. Daring Do ripped her shawl off, and shoved it in the face of one of the gangsters, blinding him. Thunderhoof, meanwhile, reared, and flapped his left wing into one of them, startling him. Then, he grabbed the un-startled gangster, and threw him onto the startled one, sending both flying to the floor. Then, he ran towards Poppy, who was still brawling with the gang leader, jumped to his forelegs, and bucked the gangster away. By then, Daring Do had already dealt with her two assailants, so Thunderhoof jumped onto the floored leader and restrained him.

But what Thunderhoof saw as he looked at the gangpony couldn't be more different from reality. Lodged between his legs wasn't a pony, but rather a Kudu. Thunderhoof head-butted the Kudu, and punched him repeatedly, until both his eyes were black, and his muzzle was bloody and mangled. The gangpony gagged, coughed, spluttered, and fell unconscious.

Thunderhoof stopped punching, and breathed heavily, simultaneously pulling the assailant closer to him and lowering his head to meet the adversary's chest.

"C-Captain?" asked Daring Do cautiously, as Thunderhoof buried his muzzle into the gangpony's suit.

"I'm sorry," said Thunderhoof, getting up and dusting himself down. "I think I got a bit carried away."

"No hay," said Poppy Heart, looking at the severely-wounded gangster. "But, I mean... It was him or us. And thanks for..." He swept his hoof over the scenery of battered gangsters. "This..."

"Don't mention it," said Thunderhoof. "Dazzle, find a cop and a medic. These ones'll need it. I'll escort him."

---

Canta Del Pronto finished writing her cheque, signed it, and slid it over the table to Thunderhoof. "I have to say, Major, you have exceeded my expectations in every way. I send you to find a key witness, and you come back with said witness, and five mobsters arrested."

"Calls for a celebration," said Thunderhoof, getting up and walking towards his bottles. "Drink?"

"I wouldn't mind some spiced rum," answered the prosecutor.

"Rum, eh?" asked Thunderhoof, reaching for his bottle of Zebrican Gold. "You struck me more as the fine wine type."

"I acquired a taste for it when I was part of the Pan-Equestrian inquiry in Zebrica," answered Canta.

"I stuck with gin," said Thunderhoof. "Never really liked rum."

"I see," said Canta, as Thunderhoof gave her her glass, and poured himself his evening gin. "Back to the matter at hand, I think I'll tell you why I hired you specifically, Major."

"I was going to ask that," said Thunderhoof, sitting down opposite his client. "So?"

"Well, one of my advisers picked you," she said. "He told me that you knew first-hoof what had happened during the Kuduandan War, so you'd be more motivated to help the court."

"I just hope Poppy Heart can help you," commented Thunderhoof. "Celestia knows I want to see the culprits face justice." He looked down at the cheque that had just been signed. "As a prosecutor for what is now one of the most important courts in Equestria, I assume you're well connected."

"You could say that," responded Canta. "Wait. Why are you saying that?"

"Good," said Thunderhoof. "I'm going to rip this cheque, now. In lieu of payment, I want Poppy Heart's name to be included on the Hearth's Warming Honours list. Make him a Knight, or something important."

"And why?" spluttered Canta, flabbergasted.

"Poppy Heart Griever was hired by the Equestrian government to risk his neck at every turn to collect proof of Kuduandan war crimes. Until his cover was blown. Do you know what they call Zebrica, Missus Pronto? 'The country of a thousand hills. When Poppy Heart's cover was blown, he had to hide among these hills. Finding a place to sleep, no doubt, in a crater caused by a Kudu mortar strike. Every day, for three years and a half, climbing up one of these hills, and down again. Every day. And once transport to and from Zebrica was re-opened, he sailed to Equestria in a crowded ship, and came under attack by mobster hit-squads. And now that he's evaded the mob yet another time, the price on his head and the number of mafiosi who'll come after him is only going to rise."

"And how is a knighthood going to change that?" asked Canta.

"Criminals are often very cowardly," said Thunderhoof. "They wouldn't dare attack somepony of importance. Also, make sure he's given a job. With his experience as a guardspony, I think he could be very useful in many ways."

"Fair enough," said Canta. "Your demands will be met."

"Good," said Thunderhoof, ripping the cheque into two, then four, then eight, and throwing what was left of it into the waste paper basket.

"I had been told of your sheer skill, merit, and general professionalism, Thunderhoof," said Canta. "But of your generosity and compassion, I had never been told."

"If you don't mind me saying so, ma'am," said Thunderhoof. "Trying to pay me out of your own money means that you're not the biggest hag going around, either."

"If you say so," chuckled the prosecutor, blushing. At that moment, Thunderhoof saw that behind the ruthless professionalism and the stern manners, there lay a mare with her flaws and her quirks, who liked Zebrican spiced rum and simply took pride in her work.

---

"Well, I can't say it isn't nice to see you outside work, Major," said Daring Do Dazzle, as her CO sat down in front of her, at a booth table in a crowded restaurant. "Or rather 'Captain', as I once knew you."

"Likewise, old friend," answered Thunderhoof, raising his glass. "Cheers!"

The two spent their evening chatting and catching up. Daring Do (or rather A.K. Yearling, depending on what she was wearing) told him about some of her adventures, which Thunderhoof had already read about, but they were entertaining nonetheless. Thunderhoof reminded her of the time he'd earned his first Luna Cross because of her reckless attitude which had caused him to save her (much to her embarrassment), and they both exchanged some stories about their professions, their beer only blurring the details each time.

At about fifteen minutes before closing time, they both started singing some old songs, arm in arm, shoulder to shoulder, causing laughter from the ponies who served as audience, whose faces became blurred with every gulp.

When the bartender decided to close up shop, officially putting an end to everypony's fun, the two friends drunkenly left the bar, and instead sung on the pavement.

"Hey, D-Daring," said Thunderhoof, through a haze of spittle and beer. "I've gotta bring a date for this gala thing."

"So?" retorted Daring Do.

"Wellllllllllll," said Thunderhoof. "Do you wanna be my d-date?"

"No way, Thunderhoof," she replied. "But I'll tell you hwhat: come back n' see me when you're short, blonde, and... and a unicorn!"

"Shame," said Thunderhoof. "Hey, why don't we sleep at my hotel, it's like... just around the corner!"

"Sure thing! You're sleeping on the c-couch, though!"

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

If Thunderhoof was voiced, what would he sound like?

[Silver-Spirits-and-Ales]

9003300
Well, I would give you a precise actor, but truth be told, there isn't one. So I'd say the best direction I could give you is Cillian Murphy's voice as Tommy Shelby in peaky blinders (he actually inspired Thunderhoof to an extent), but with a more posh accent.

Alternatively, you can go with Major Zero in Metal Gear Solid 3, but with a deeper voice.

Why do you ask?