The Black Cello Mafia

by WolfOblivion

Chapter 3: Reinstatement

The Black Cello Mafia
Chapter 3: Reinstatement

Octavia sat inside of the uncomfortably warm hallway of Filthy Rich's office building. After being let out of the prison facility, she was given her clean and reassembled suit and shipped off in a carriage to the building. Sighing, she looked around with anxiety coursing her veins.

I wonder whats going to happen. I've been gone for awhile and hadn't reported to Filthy after the job. She thought. It was no use of standing around, so she had gotten up and opened the door. Filthy was there, behind his desk and shoveling some papers into his desk cabinet. At the sound of the door opening he looked up with wide eyes.

"Octavia!" He had sat straight up to correct his messy posture, but he still looked ruffled.

Octavia could see the anger take his eyes. He stood up from his desk, beginning to speak.

"It's been three days Octavia, if you couldn't come back here, you should've called. What happened?"

Octavia stayed seated, staring her boss right in the face. "Well, after i killed the senator, i ran to my apartment to dump the gun. After then i ran to the apartment, and stayed there for two days. The third i spent around Manehattan to view the aftermath of the job. And to get a drink at Applejack's speak." Octavia hadn't planned a lie, cursing her self afterwards for not doing so. Thank you police force for allowing me such great options of death.

Filthy Rich looked at Octavia suspiciously, and Octavia noticed how disgruntled the stallion looked. His hair was in a mess, and his tie was slightly undone.

"This has been a hard week Octavia, I lost two executives and now I have heat from the zebras. After that little stint at the warehouse, they've been questioning me. I've also been losing some of my men, and my patience wears thin." Filthy sighed, shaking his head and walking to a whiskey rack lining the left wall. Octavia hadn't noticed it was there, but now she eye'd it while craving a scotch on the rocks.

Filthy Rich had walked back to his desk, picking up a file to look over. He threw it to Octavia, sliding across the ground to her hooves. She pawed at the flap, opening it to see another picture of Ace.

"The zebra's have killed Ace, and you most likely know already from visiting Applejack's speak that she has too been killed. What I need you to do is hunt the assassin that had killed Ace." A picture of a zebra was notched in a paperclip next to Ace's picture.

Octavia thought it over before coming up with her next question. "And Applejack? Who killed her?"

Filthy Rich shook his head. "Along with the knowledge of HOW she died, we also don't know who." He threw the brown liquid down his throat, giving a harsh gulp as it ran down it.

Octavia looked back, blowing air out of her nostrils. What the hell happened to you Applejack?

Octavia looked down to see the face of a zebra on the next page. "And the assassin is a zebra? Do zebra's go through different training methods than pony assassins?"

Filthy gave a shrug. "Damned if i know. The only time i went to the zebra homeland was to have a meeting with a drug lord, and i never indulged in the culture."

Octavia sighed within herself. She began to feel hollow from the indifference she was experiencing from herself and all the ponies around her. Closing the file and tossing it in her bag, Octavia stood from her sitting position and put her hoof to the door, ready to leave. Just as she was turning the knob, Filthy cleared his throat, causing the bored mare to turn her equally bored face towards the stallion.

"And come back this time Octavia." Filthy said while looking down his glass, as if he were going to find all the answers to his problems there. Most likely than not.

Octavia gave a shrug of her own, smiling devilishly on her way out as Filthy gave a snort of annoyance and frustration.

Now sitting in a cab driving towards her objective, Octavia thought to herself. Am i really equipped to fight a trained assassin? I've only really fought thugs with some small know-how on guns. Aside from Detective Sparkle, who is probably trained in magic and combat. So i guess my chances of winning against an immigrant is rather high.

=-=-=-=

Octavia reloaded her revolver as fast as she could, dodging the stray bullets whizzing past her head as she dived to an overturned desk. Bracing against her haunches, she peeked over the edge and ducked back down in just enough time to watch as three nine millimeters holes were punched into a wall by an automatic thompson. Octavia watched as blood oozed out of the sword gash she had obtained from the zebra on her left leg, then snapped her head and blindly fired twice over the desk. Gritting her teeth, Octavia ran out of her cover and flung herself towards the corner wall of the hallway entrance the zebra was currently hiding in. Clicking the hammer back and readying her shoulders, Octavia concentrated her fire down the iron sights and pulled off two more cracks, causing the zebra to yip and duck back behind the wall. This needs to end soon, the cops are probably on their way right now. And i really don't want to go to bed early.

Octavia broke from cover as the zebra bursted more fire and lighted up the glossy wooden desk. Mane now long and messy, she looked around the small kitchen of the apartment to find something of use. I can't just waltz down the hallway like Flim and Flam's, I need some protection. Octavia thought as she came to her decision.

Angling herself while squatting down, Octavia struck out with her two back legs, bucking the stove door right off of its hinges. She watched as it came down with a barrage of loud metallic bangs, and walked over to it to right the makeshift shield. Checking it to reach up to her breast, she flipped it so that the outside face would be towards her, the stronger metal facing outward. She trotted with the door on her back, quickly putting it to the ground and waiting. Sure enough, bullets struck at the metal like a sledgehammer to a bus, the recoil was present and hard, almost enough to make Octavia stumble behind it. Smiling at her quick genius, Octavia advanced towards the zebra.

Octavia pulled to the right side of the shield, firing once at the baffled zebra. The bullet grazed the snout of the black and grey creature, making her squeal and crash into a unseen door. Octavia shifted her stove door so that when she pushed it went ahead of her, turning the corner to see the zebra toting a twelve gauge in her hooves.

"Oh shit." Octavia murmured as she braced herself to the door. In an instant, Octavia went flying to the wall behind her, bleeding from two pellets scattered throughout her right back leg. But alive nonetheless as she barreled into the drywall, blood painting in little splurges from her sword wound. She watched the zebra move towards her in a fuzzy daze, her head pounding and growing hot from the blood loss. The zebra now stood over her like a colossus, pulling out her katana from her shoulder sheath to execute. Octavia swept her hoof to find the revolver beside her, pulling it up in just enough time to fire her last round into the knee cap of the zebra.

The assassin screamed out in pain and fury as she buckled and fell to the floor, dropping in her growing pool of blood. Octavia felt annoyed as the zebra still clung to the idea of standing, half way up to a full posture. Octavia hunched up and clocked the zebra in the jaw, forcing her to collapse to the ground.

The whole apartment smelt of gunpowder and blood, anger and a small bit of fear. Octavia noted this as she clambered to stand over the painting zebra on the ground. The pool of blood was starting to grow ridiculously fast for a knee cap wound, but Octavia hadn't cared much for that fact.

"You know, i have to thank you on killing the stallion you did." Octavia began to praise the gasping zebra, creating a scowl of disgust down on her pained target. "You saved me a lot of time a explanations by that. But, now i have to end you for these wonderful wounds you've given me. Good fight though, helped me get back in the game." Octavia reached past the whimpering zebra to grasp the sword in her teeth. She propped the sharp edge against the temple of the creature, who was now openly crying.

"Please don't kill me." The zebra whined.

Octavia shrugged. "Under different circumstances, maybe not. But for this? Yeah." Was all she said before shoving the sword through her skull, grimacing from the thick and heavy sound of metal going through brain. Octavia quickly left the warzone of an apartment, not looking back as she pulled her suit off and trotted through the pain down the street.

It was some time and a circumstantial amount of police carriages before she made it to the Applejack's speak. With the moon ascending the sky, and the speak warm and teaming with tipsy ponies, Octavia was now healed and sitting by the bar with her usual scotch on the rocks. Mugs still operated the bar, and shared condolences with Octavia over Applejack.

"Yeah, it was a bit of a shock. It happened the night the speak was closed and the senator was assassinated." Mugs said dutifully as he wiped the bar down. Octavia withdrew her lips from the glass to speak.

"So with Applejack gone, who runs the alcohol branch?"

"Well it's not a lasting thing, but for right now Filthy is the controler of the Manehattan branch for the time being. It would've been Big Mac, but he's a bit daft to run numbers and to organize operations."

Octavia nodded. "Wait, how do you know this?"

Mugs stopped and looked up to Octavia. "I was told because I operate the bar, and with the office not being used, it was within my right apparently to know."

Octavia shrugged, accepting the answer. Time passed and the moon was now on it's descent, yet the population inside of the speak had not dwindled. Octavia had moved on to her third glass and was taking place in a rough poker match. Two had already busted, but two others remained. Octavia was stuck in a folding streak due to bad cards, and decided to opt out a couple turns for a break. Looking around, the speak was warmly lit, as though nothing ever had happened to it. A hearty piano strung out in a harmonic rhythm along the drunken banter and conversations of a variety of ponies. Walking back to the bar, Octavia sat on the stool to wait for her refil.

Her eye's twitched when a dull green color swished for a moment in the corner of her vision. Turning her head, a small figure inside of a long coat was sitting beside Octavia. Could you look any more suspicious?

Who ever the pony was, they were definitely reluctant to be known. The coat covered their cutie mark and tail, along with the collar covering the lower half of the head. Gloves were worn over the hooves along with drawn sleeves, and hat equipped with a black shawl covered the top half of their head. Their mane was completely hidden behind the mess of clothing. How did you even get in? There's no way to even identify you.

Octavia flinched when the pony turned their head to her, giving her an unseen stare. The pony shifted off the seat and kept staring at Octavia. The black maned mare drew a hoof up to her breast, giving the coat clad a menacing stare and a frown.

"What do you want?" Octavia spat.

The pony reached into one of the small front pockets of the coat, bringing out a small weathered piece of paper and placing it on the bar in front of the mare. Octavia took a unconscious sniff, breathing in the small ponies stench. UGH! Smells like the sewer! But wait...something behind that...something feminine.

The coated pony looked at the mare slowly and creepily, making Octavia shiver. Almost like the pony knew Octavia had smelled them. The pony broke off, dashing out the door and down the street. Octavia was completely confused. What the hell was that?

Mugs had apparently set down her new glass during the encounter, and Octavia swiped the glass from the bar, stuffing the small paper in her undershirt pocket. Walking to the table with her glass in her teeth, Octavia told her poker mates she was out of the game. Turning back, Octavia climbed up to the old office of her friend. Opening the door, Octavia looked about the room. It was even cleaner then when Applejack had occupied it. She went to the desk, sitting down behind it. Glass of scotch to her right, Octavia sat looking around.

This could be the perfect time to look through her stuff. If it's all still here. Octavia thought, opening the drawers of the desk. All of the drawers held no items besides reports and papers to the brother and sister branches around Equestria, except the third bottom drawer on the left. Octavia stared in wonder by the item inside. A large necklace, golden and glossy, with a ruby-red apple embedded in the center.

"What is this thing?" Octavia said out loud as she brought the necklace from the drawer to the desk. Octavia set it down, reluctant to break her stare from it to read the note she was given by the mystery pony. Pulling it out and setting it down in the center of items, Octavia was almost scared to read what was inside. Ignoring her anxiety and fearful thoughts, she unfolded the paper.

Dear Octavia,

Do not trust the mare with blue hair. She is deceiving you under false claims. Come to the address on the bottom tomorrow at noon. See you there.

Faust & 30th

~H

Octavia read the note again and again. Who was this mare with blue hair? Who was H? Why the hell were they so anxious to keep hidden?

Octavia couldn't keep her thoughts running in her alcohol addled mind, and decided to go back to the police station to sleep. Out on the street, she halted a cab and sped down to the precinct. The world had grown fuzzy and her balance had left her as she stumbled down the halls of the police station. Finally in what seemed eons of time, Octavia collapsed to the cot of her luxury cell, the alcohol running strong and making her sleepy, shifting off in a dizzy spin of drunken dreams.

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This chapter was sort of weird to write, I kept doubting credibility and pacing while writing before giving in to my wanting to finish. So if it seems rushed or short, then at least you get progression.

The next two chapters the action takes a backseat to let me pace my dialog and character development, which will lead to the end of the second act. Also, cutting the chapter limit between acts from six to five to make it faster.

Thanks for reading!

Comments

[reader238]

hmm i wonder if that address has a double meaning besides the obvious