• Published 17th Oct 2018
  • 5,241 Views, 224 Comments

Chasing Shadows - zerofireking13



Spike decided to pack his things and disappear completely to get a fresh start on life, under the name of Jack Drake. When his past comes back to haunt him, will he be able to keep up the facade? (Special Thanks to The Faceless Maker for editing!)

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Case File 3

I sat in my apartment thinking about the things that had just transpired earlier. I had talked with my landlord and paid her in advance for next months rent in case of an emergency. She's a very understanding lady and constantly tries to set me up with her daughter in exchange for a reduced rent, while flattered. I still refused, I had gotten a reply in both my letters at around lunch time, because even princesses need to take a lunch break. I needed to have a conversation with her, one on one. I packed my things and looked at my illusion ring, well it's technically called a caster ring. I could cast spells with it in theory, but last time I tried the results were very explosive. Basically, singed clothing and burnt hair, it wasn't my hair though.

I turned off my lights, closed the door, and locked it. There was a woman who lived a couple flights up that was struggling with her groceries. "Oh hello Jack, would you mind helping me with my groceries?"

"My train is in half an hour. I'm sorry Windy." I apologized.

"It's okay Jack, you're being honest." Windy smiled.

I picked up my luggage and walked out to see Quick, "I thought I said I would meet you at the train station." I pointed out.

"The train tickets are much more expensive than you give them credit for, even when we use your membership." Quick said, "I did some calculations and it would be much better if we took your car. I know how frugal you can be at times and it would save us almost 100 bits."

"My car is a deathtrap." I pointed out.

"But is it street legal?" Quick asked.

"Yes, you know it is." I said frowning. "Are you absolutely sure?"

She just pulled out a piece of paper and I looked at it, then sighed. I tilted my head towards the right to the garage next to the apartment building I lived in. It was one of the reasons I lived in that building, the parking garage was a package deal. I walked up to a muscle car and unlocked the door, I then unlocked the door to the passenger side, then I opened up the trunk and put the luggage inside of it. "I got a GPS app on my phone."

"I hate those things."

"Says one of the only people who uses a flip phone." She said as she handed me her luggage.

"It keeps me from being distracted." I say, "When you're on a stakeout you need to pay attention to every little detail."

"Stakeout?" Quick asked.

"Yes, stakeout. Like a police sting operation, and you have to know your jurisdiction. I've accidentally walked into several sting operations, I was put in jail once before because I didn't have the paperwork on me." I said, "Every single detail."

"Oh." Quick said.

"Just get in, there's a map in the glove box...somewhere." I said as I got in and started up the v8 engine. These engines run on a powerful liquid magic, and that liquid magic is very expensive to manufacture, it's essentially squeezing a magi-blood for almost all the magic they have until their magic recharges. From what I've been told it pays well, hence why they keep going back to it. Twilight once did it to see what it was like, she said she didn't like it but she wasn't treated horribly. I just feel like there's something more going on in those places. I shifted the car into reverse and pulled out of my parking space, as soon as I completed pulling out the car I shifted into drive and soon got out of the parking garage. I directed the muscle car onto the highway and followed the directions that Quick told me and I was soon on the interstate and headed towards Canterlot. The engine roared as I had my foot on the accelerator, we had been on the road for a while now and Quick pulled up her GPS much to my unamusement.

I shifted into 6th gear and the car lurched forward even faster. If you're wondering how I got this car, it was given to me by Celestia, or my mother. If I was going to start a new life, I might as well have something to do to occupy my time when I'm not working. The parts were hard to find, especially competing with rich people who have nothing better to do, so the market was very limited. I got it in a working, street legal order, but I haven't been able to drive it as much as I wanted to because traffic in Manehattan is absolute murder. I knew how to take the back roads to avoid toll booths so that whole recalculating bullshit from Quick's GPS annoyed the hell out of me. We were soon out of Manehattan and halfway through passing through Fillydelphia when Quick spoke up. "Uh, Jack?"

"Yeah?" I replied to her question with a question.

"Can we get to the nearest rest stop? I need to use the bathroom." She squirmed.

"Alright, I need to use the bathroom as well." I agreed and went a few more miles before pulling into the nearest rest area and using the restroom. From what I planned I wanted to reach Baltimare by at least nightfall, from there it's a straight shot to Canterlot.

I was finished using the restroom fairly soon and then Quick came up to me. "Hey, uh Jack?"

"No." I immediately dismissed.

"You don't even know what I was going to suggest!" Quick stomped.

"You always start with 'hey, uh' when you want to do something involving criminal activity. Now we have to go, we're on the clock." I said as I walked back to my car and opened the door. Quick got back into the passenger seat and sulked.

"You never let me do anything fun." Quick muttered.

"Fun for you involves jail, which involves me, which means I go to jail, and that means that all the people I put in jail will kill me." I pointed out.

"How many people have you put in jail?" Quick asked me.

"140, that's actually pretty big number for a private investigator. I busted a drug ring once, led to the arrest of 50 to 75 people." I said as I started the car and pulled back out onto the highway.

"Wow, you've done a lot in a short amount of time." Quick said.

"Yeah, I know." I replied.

"I hope I'll be able to do the same." Quick said as she settled down into taking a nap.

I grunted and shifted gears, continuing onward to Canterlot.

Author's Note:

liquid magic is pretty much their version of gasoline. For those of you wondering, Spike's car is a 1970 Plymouth Barracuda Gran Coupe. As always, I crave comments. Whatever you can come up with, spill it on me. Notes, editing, anything, pitch me a plot device and I may just throw it in there.