The Invisible

A soft beeping, a scent of antiseptic and bright light invaded Alice's pupils as she slowly opened her eyes. Looking around, she saw a drag aquamarine colored room, she lay in a hospital bed; in a gown that matched the curtains and bedsheets. Looking down at her arm, she saw several tubes protruding from her veins, slowly looking around; in blurred vision she noticed the familiar outlines of her friends. Her head throbbed, her leg and shoulder felt like they were on fire.

"Is she going to be okay Doctor?" AJ heard a familiar voice, smiling she gripped her lovers hand. Rebecca was surprised, yelping when she felt pressure on her hand in a tight squeeze, ecstatic with joy that she was awake Dash kissed Alice on the cheek. "Your awake, AJ do you remember what happened?" Nodding, she slowly tried to lift her head, Nurse Redheart a petite middle aged woman stopped her slowly easing her head down.

"Ahm gon' be ok sugarcube." AJ said, softly queezing her hand. Looking around her vision slowly began to focus and she saw all her friends around the bed. Pinkie, Rarity, Twilight and Flutter all smiled with happiness as they each gave her a soft hug. "We were so worried, darling; you've been unconscious for nearly two weeks." Alice got wide eyed "Two weeks?!" She regretted that, screaming like she did only made the throbbing worse. The bandage that wrapped around her head felt like a vice, threatening to crush her fragile skull.

"Where's Applebloom and Big Mac?" AJ asked, slowly looking around. "Are they okay?" Her voice shuttered as she frantically looked around. And just at that moment Granny Smith, Big Mac and Applebloom came walking in; Mac had to nearly duck just to fit in the door. He towered above everyone else as he playfully socked his sister in the arm. "We're okay, but it suure was scary seein' ya carried away by the ambulance people.

Applebloom said, "I was so worried we'd lose ya like ma and pa, sis..." She cried as she said the words, frantically rubbing her tears away. Alice slowly reached her hand over, drying her tears; "ya aint gonna lose nobody little sis; ahm not going anywhere." Appleblooms tears slowly stopped, Big Mac smile pulling his little sister close. "Eeyup" Applebloom laughed, hugging her older sis. "Now i gots ta talk to Big Mac alone for a while." Everyone seemed to nod at the same time and soon filed one by one out of the room.

"What happened?" Alice asked, checking over her wounds; they were healed for the most part. Thanks to Zacora, she was a strange person who lived by herself in the woods; she came from a far away country that know one knew of. But she could make potions and ointments that put the towns modern medicine to shame. "Well, after you were brought to the hospital i came back and investigated the crime scene ."

Mac pulled a folder out of his bag that sat next to the door "But its too much to talk about in a simple converstation so i brought ya the file i put together." He handed AJ the file and she opened the first page and nearly lost her stomach when she saw the picture of the victim. A red headed woman, wearing a blue and green dress laid sprawled out on the ground. Her fuscha colored eyes and drab red hair lay in shambles, her dress torn to near shreds; her breasts lay exposed and there was a large cut that lead from her neck down to her navel. On her hip rested a colored tattoo of a vine of grapes and a strawberry.

Alice continued to read the file outloud; "the victims name; according to what remained inside of her purse, was Becky Parks. Her live in room mate and friend Caroline Gates discovered the body at 1:54am, cause of death was the severing of the jugular veins on both sides of the throat. Upon death the victim was cut open from the top of the throat down to her navel. Upon closer inspection the killer had surgically removed the victims uterus and ovaries. Cause of reasoning behind this is yet unknown." AJ read this from the morgue technicians notes. "A letter found at the crime scene underneath the corpse had only one thing written on it; the number fourteen." She read, "Fourteen?" She asked Mac.

He shrugged his shoulders, "That aint the half of it sis" After a few minutes, there was a knock on the door; Big Mac stepped towards the knock, his hand firmly placed on his side arm. Opening the door he saw a hulking man who was nearly taller than he was. He wore a black leather trench coat with a matching fedora hat. "An who might you be?" Big Mac asked, shoving him back when the man tried to shove his way into the room.

The towering man grunted, reaching his hand into his coat. Big Mac withdrew his pistol, to which the man raised only the flat of his hand. "I'm not here to harm you Sheriff Jackson. The man pulled a small wallet out of his coat and flipped the cover open. "My name is Agent Alexander, i'm with the Canterlot Royal Bureau of Investigation. Special Investigations department, I'm here to take your statement" Big Mac reholstered his massive firearm. "Statement?" He asked, still unsure if he could trust him to get so close to his sister. "Yes, the man who assaulted you is the same man i have been hunting for twenty years.."

He said, sitting down in a nearby chair. "I have taken to calling him The Invisible Killer, because every time i get close to arresting him he's always gone, its like the guys is a complete ghost." AJ laughed mockingly, "Take a good look darlin' no ghost did this to me." She said, pointing to her wounds. "Unless he's a pipe swinging ghost who can shoot a gun" She leaned up, now that the throbbing in her brain stopped. "If ya want a statement get a copy of this file from mah brother here; everything that happened is in this.

Alice said, looking down. "Ah knew the girl who was killed that night, she an i went to high school together. We never really talked by she was nice, kinda reserved type who knew how to have fun. I always told her that drinking would kill her one day, just...not like this." She chided, looking down; "Now, if you'll excuse us; ah need some rest." She said, handing Mac the file.

Several days later, Try as she might; she could not get the image of Becky Parks out of her head, the image haunted her nightmares and that night played over and over again; keeping AJ awake until she fell asleep from exhaustion. That morning Nurse Redheart walked into Alice's room and opened the blinds to the window. It was a bright day, the sun shined through the window like an unwanted pest that threatened to make her still throbbing head explode. "Wake up miss, you're checking out today. The doctor will be here in a few minutes to have you sign some paperwork and give you some medications." AJ nodded, rubbing her eyes. "Thank you nurse" Redheart smiled, walking over as she carefully removed the I.V. lines in Alice's arms, placing a cotton ball over the punctures before tieing them down with self adhering tape.

"I know what you saw, and i know what you must be going be going through; be always remember. If you need someone to talk to i'm always here, so its Doctor Pennyworth." Alice smiled, as she held her arm bent as the bandage was applied. "Now, get dressed and the doctor will be here shortly." Alice smiled, nodding as she crawled out of the bed and walked over to the wardrobe and retrieved her clothes. Inside was a pair of rough blue jeans, emboidered with three red apples on the hip and a low cut green top. She took the shirt and lifted it over her shoulders, groaning as the now healed bullet wound reminded her to never get shot again.

Once she was dressed, she looked at herself in the mirror; her face held the fact that she had a serious lack of a full nights rest, she kept all but the last few buttons on her shirt open, she never cared for wearing a bra; she thought it was rather uncomfortable. She sighed, grabbing her handbang and hat, slipping it on and awaited for the doctor to arrive.

Dr Horse came in, he was a kind of short doctor with brown hair and wrinkles under his eyes. "Alice, if you will just sign here i can distribute your medication and release you; however for your sake i am requesting that you discuss this traumatic experience with Doctor Pennyworth or if you prefer a different mental health physician i know several throughout Equestria." AJ nodded and signed the paperwork; "Thank ya Doctor, i suppose if it wasn't for you i wouldn't have made it that night." Doctor Horse nodded, shaking her hand. "If theres anything i can do to repay ya; just say the word." Doctor Horse smiled, chuckling. "Its my job Sheriff, and my responsibility to help those in need; as it is your responsibility to catch the guy who did that to you."

Alice nodded, smiling as she tipped her hat and walked out of the hospital room. Down the hall, she saw the familiar tall figure; Agent Alexander. "Miss Jackson, i will need you to come with me to Manehattan" Alice frowned, "An whys dat?" She asked, placing her hands on her hips. Alexander grimaced, lowering his voice as to not alarm others nearby. "There has been another murder, and other than me; you are the only one with any experience in this case." Alice nearly lost her mind, "Any experience?! This was my first ever crime, here in Ponyville we don't have anything we could call crime, not one assault, robbery, theft or anythin' why should i help you?" She said her voice filled with anger that force a vein to bulge in her forehead."

"Because the victim, is Palena Faine" AJ was shocked, again; she wished this would really stop happening to her. For a down home girl, she was easily spooked and surprised. "Photo Finish, the famous photographer? Are you sure the perpetrator isn't some crazed fan?" Agent Alexander handed her the file, "My men are on the scene as we speak." AJ glanced over the file, once her eyes caught a glimpse of the crime scene photo and the body she rushed to a nearby trash can; vomiting up what remained of last nights dinner. "Its...its exactly the same."

Alexander sighed, handing her a handkerchief; "We have Equestria's first serial killer" AJ took the handkerchief and wiped her mouth, "How many has he killed?" She asked, but did she really want to know? Would it bother her to know the numbers? She thought so at first but once she heard the number, she immediately regretted it.

Alexander came back from the nearby water fountain with two small paper cups of water. "Fifteen, all killed in the same way; the only thing that is different is each time the killer takes a different organ." AJ again shoved her head into the trash can, spewing up more dinner. Once finished she nearly fainted as she sat down on the nearby bench. "What is he doing with 'em?" Alexander sighed in frustration "I don't know, but nothing pleasant you can be sure of that."

Alice took the small cup, downing its contents before tossing it into the small bin next to the bench. "So whats ya reasoning behind wantin me ta help?" She readjusted her purse before tipping her hat forward to hide her eyes. "I've never seen anything like this, Ponyville is a quiet little town, we never had anything like this before. All my job entails it harvestin apples and helping out with any disputes at the local market. Other than Pinkies club its a very quiet town."

The Agent smiled, handing her his cup. "Because i think you have something i lack, natural talent." AJ looked up, taking the cup from him. "Natural talent like what?" She asked sipping from the fragile cup, her hands shaking; turning the contents of the small object in a small hurricane. "When you heard the scream, your first reaction was not to run away; but instead to run into the alley and even after that you escorted the witness and gave her means to protect herself. Then you went deeper into the alley to attempt an arrest; something you have never done before." He said, reassuring her.

"Thats just instinct darlin' I count everyone in Ponyville as a friend and would do anything in mah power to protect 'em" Alexander nodded, resting his hands on her to calm her uneasiness. "Thats why i need you, your gutsy." He said, helping her to her feet. "So how about it? Want to help me catch a murderer? You'll be paid of course." She looked down, sipping her drink. "Yea ah'll come; i just need ta handle a few things first." She said, tossing the cup along side its paper friend in the small can.

"Take as much time as you need. You can find me at the Ponyville Hotel." He said and turned to walk away. Later that day, after several errands, packing and discussing her situation with the mayor. She said a heart filled goodbye to each of her friends, Dash hugged her lover long and hard. "Promise me you'll be careful" Alice smiled, resting her hand on Rebecca's cheek. "Ah promise sugarcube, i will see you again." She said kissing Dash on the lips, Agent Alexander stood near the train; checking his watch every ten minutes and once the train arrive she boarded. Once at her seat she opened the window and waved bye to her friends. After several moments the train was barreling down the tracks at full speed. By 12:00Pm tomorrow she would embark on the greatest challenge she had ever attempted.

How was she going to catch a Murderer?