Chapters Those Who Are Smart Use Smart Weapons
Special Agent Sparks strode into his cubicle in the Manehattan division of the Northern Equestria Investigative Service. He sipped his coffee as he sat in his swivel chair. Unlike most agents, his desk was kept relatively clean of developing paperwork piles. He accomplished this by having his orderly do it. Afterall, that was his job. He was thinking about the intelligence briefing he received in the Operations Room, commonly referred to as Ops by agents, when in walked Special Agent Pearl Night. Agent Night was a liaison officer from the Baltimare Police Department. She'd served there for five years, purposefully volunteering for the high risk grave yard and night shifts. She liked an adrenaline rush. Brash, and a little haughty, she didn't get along well with most ponies, most ponies, except Agent Sparks. The two had only been together for six months, but already it felt as if they'd spent several years together. She was methodical and out of the box, whereas he was logical, tenacious, and aggressive. They complimented each other well, but they hadn't yet served on a case together. Agent Night was so good at her job that she was promoted to Captain of the Baltimare P.D., but she quit when she realized how bureaucratic it became. That was the first thing that she and Sparks had in common, that, and a love for premium coffee.
"Anything new today?" Agent Night asked Sparks as she too sat down in her chair. Sparks looked at her "Nothing new at least for the moment. Had a briefing this morning on a possible case, but nothing's come our way in a long time." Night returned his gaze "I guess that means that we should enjoy getting paid for nothing?" "On the contrary," Sparks said "it means that we need to get more active in searching for a case." At that moment, an orderly walked in and handed Sparks a sealed envelope "This is for you Agent Sparks," he said hurriedly and rushed out of the room after he delivered his package. Sparks, still looking after the pony, tore open the envelope with is teeth and pulled out the papers. Inside, there were ten photographs, and a detailed report on several doctor's patients.
"What's that?" Night asked walking over. Sparks handed the file to her "Sickness reports from a garrison of Celestia's Guards who were taking a little bit of R&R here in Manehattan. They've all come down with the same symptoms in the past twenty four hours." "Poisoned?" Night asked raising an eyebrow.
"Possibly," Sparks said grabbing his saddle bags and holstering a pistol on his hip "we won't know until we get there." Following his lead, Agent Night met him at the door, they got in a car, and sped down the motorway.
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Whinny Fred's Bar and Grill
216 New Donkey Avenue
"What do we got here Doc?" Agent Sparks said leaning over the shoulder of Doctor Gage Luft. He looked up at Agent Sparks through his thick Coke bottle bifocals "Ah," he said with a warm air of greeting "Sparks, I seem to recall giving you that report several minutes ago now if I'm not mistaken."
"Well," Night said "we didn't get a lot of time to go over it so, how about you refresh our memory?"
"I see," Doctor Luft said "comes with being a member of Spark's team doesn't it?"
Sparks gave a nonchalant look at Luft and grinned "Well," Luft continued "the basis for the sicknesses were all the same. It was merely a food poisoning outbreak in the local garrison."
"Was anyone else infected?" Sparks asked curiously.
"No," Luft replied "no one that was in the restaurant even remotely touched?"
"Why would only the garrison be infected and do you think that the poison was administered through the food?" Night asked quizzically.
"It seems," Luft said going back to his notes "that presumption is correct, Agent Night. Um, the food that they got was all different, but that the symptoms were the same. The conclusion which I came to was that who ever gave the food to the garrison members was purposefully trying to do so."
"Thanks Doc," Sparks said as he turned to head into the restaurant.
"Oh one more thing," Luft said raising his leg and waving it slightly "there is something that you should know!"
"What is it Doc?" Sparks said turning around but still walking backward.
"None of the ponies in the garrison who were poisoned had any allergies whatsoever," Luft called back "in fact, they were frequent customers whenever they came to Manehattan on leave time."
"Thanks again Doc," Sparks said turning around and walking into the restaurant. "You think that it could have been a deliberate attempted poisoning case?" Night asked Sparks "Could be," Sparks replied as he opened the door for her and followed in afterward "or it could be merely a coincidence." She looked at him sarcastically and quoted him "Nothing is coincidental."
A chef stood there, still in his stained apron and wearing his lopsided chef's hat, waving his hoofs in the air he exasperatedly asked "Are you cops gonna get done already? I got a mortgage to pay off by the end of the year, and now the reputation of my place has gone down the tubes, because I got ten sick service ponies as a result of my cooking."
"Hold on a minute sir," Agent Night said flashing her badge "besides, we're not cops. Northern Equestria Investigative Service, N.E.I.S."
"Oh, the big G's," the chef said "I got it. What do you suits want with me anyhow?"
"We just want to get a rerun of the general information," Sparks said.
"I told you guys already," the chef said "it's all in the report which those Manehattan boys filled out earlier."
"Just give us a run down," Night said "maybe we can learn something new."
"Okay," the chef said reluctantly "what do you wanna know?"
"Firstly," Night said "how long have you been working here? It seems like quite the place you got here."
"It should," the chef said "I'm Whinny Fred, owner of the place. It's been here ever since I came to Manehattan and I built it from scratch. I used to work as a sous chef in a casino in Los Pegasus, but I got tired of that because I didn't like the atmosphere, it was simply too hot. Also, if you ponies ever think that Manehattan is bad with regards to the crime waves? Forget it, this place is a paradise compared to down there. Here, you got good ponies in a big city. I like it here."
"So this place means a lot to you?" Night asked.
"You bet it does," Whinny Fred exclaimed "this is my life's work, and I liked those ponies who got sick."
"What do you know about'em?" Sparks asked
"Oh," Whinny Fred replied "not a whole lot actually. They always ordered the usual stuff, said that they could only get it here in my grill in Manehattan and nowhere else in Equestria. Actually made me kinda proud if you ask me."
"What they order?" Night asked.
"A carrot and mushroom burger drizzled in a light brown sauteed onion sauce," Whinny Fred began "an apple marmalade pie with fresh hazelnut cream, four rounds of salt, a our signature Egg Sandwich with parsley, oregano, cheese, butter, and a baked potato with sour cream and some more parsley as a garnish, oat cakes with a fresh honey butter spread, a delicious fruit salad made with imported fruits from Maretonia, including oranges, peaches, and grapes, chilled with ice from the Crystal Mountains, and..."
"Alright, alright, already," Agent Night said "we get the picture. And you said that they ordered the same thing every time they came in?"
"That's right," the chef said grinning "I'd always ask, 'the usual colts?' and they'd give me a curt nod and smile."
"Would it be possible for us to interrogate the sous chef and the rest of the staff?"
"Why sure," Whinny Fred said gesturing "but you gotta be quick, regardless of the circumstances, I got customers coming in, we're pretty hot stuff around here."
Sparks and Night walked to the back room and talked with the Sous Chef. He didn't have anything new to add to their current information. Whinny Fred was a good boss who'd long had a passion for cooking. His story checked out and that the service ponies did indeed order everything that was stated by the head chef "Anything unusual happen during that day?" Agent Night asked the Sous Chef.
"Well," the Sous Chef, who's name was Silver Chardonnay "I don't think so. Everything was the hustle and bustle of what usually goes on back here." Pausing, she snapped at one of her co-workers "Hey you," she shouted over the loud din "watch yourself, and be careful with that mousse!" As she spoke, the server slipped on some water and crashed to the ground spilling it everywhere and breaking the mousse glasses.
"Oh for crying out loud!" Silver Chardonnay exclaimed looking around "how many times do I have to tell you Ruby Rose, keep the floors dry or stuff like this happens!"
"Sorry Ms, Chardonnay," Ruby Rose apologized.
"Rookie?" Sparks asked watching Ruby as she hurriedly took a towel and dried off the floor.
"Yeah," Silver Chardonnay replied "had to hire her after my old guy quit last week."
"Why did he quit?" Agent Night asked "He said that he was too bored and wanted something better to do with his time," Chardonnay snorted "he was a good worker but always talked big. Too political if you ask me. He tried recruiting his co-workers to his cause before we threatened to fire him if he didn't shut up. Politics doesn't belong in the work place."
"I see," Sparks said "did he mention any groups that he associated with?"
"Not to me," Silver Chardonnay said "but you can swing by his place and maybe he could tell you himself."
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Swift Vision's Apartment
101C Flare Street
Agent Sparks knocked on the door of Swift Vision's apartment "Hello," he said as he knocked "this is N.E.I.S. open up."
The door remained shut. Sparks looked at Night and Night nodded, she pulled out a lock pick set and in ten seconds the door was wide. She was about to step forward when Sparks placed a hoof across her chest "What?" she began and then she looked down following his gaze. A metal laser went across the floor from the wall on the right hand side and passed right underneath the gap in the door.
"What is it?" Night asked.
"Laser trip wire," Sparks said "pretty high tech stuff for a supposed average pony."
He took out a sack of flour and tossed it into the room. Instantly, the entire room lit up in a sea of red lasers "Infrared ones too," Sparks said, thankfully, I've got the perfect tool for this."
He pulled out, what looked to be a handheld phone with a large copper wire ring fastened to the end with tape "All I've gotta do is find the primary power source."
"I think I found it," Night said gesturing carefully towards the left wall. There was a wall plug with a cord coming from it and leading to a power strip. "I think we'll have to call in backup sir," said Night.
"Or," said a voice "you could simply ask me to press the off button on my remote."
They both turned drawing their pistols and aiming them squarely at the unicorn who had just walked up the stairs wearing his saddle bags.
"Who are you?" he said looking at them curiously.
"Special Agents Sparks and Night from N.E.I.S.," Agent Night responded as they both flashed their badges "The Northern Equestria Investigative Service."
The pony said "I'm honored. Shall I let you into my humble abode?"
"You would," Sparks said "unless you want us to arrest you right now."
"Under what charges?" the pony said setting his saddle bags to the ground.
"For the attempted murder by poisoning ten members of the garrison of Princess Celestia's personal guard," Agent Night declared readying her hoofcuffs.
"Ah," the pony said "I see." Then, he bolted.
"I hate a runner," Sparks said and charged after him. Night went the opposite direction, she was lighter and faster but Sparks was smarter than she was. She may be able to get to him first before Sparks, if Sparks didn't beat the snot out of him. Sparks tore after the suspect, in his ear piece, he tapped and spoke "White Rabbit, White Rabbit! On 101C Flare Street. Suspect is getting away, attempting pursuit!" With that, he added an extra burst of speed. They burst out the door and onto the sidewalk, Swift Vision, the suspect, chanced a glance back at his pursuer and when he looked forward again, received a swift kick to the face, which broke his nose. When Sparks came up to Agent Night she was already cuffing him, looking up from her task she asked "What took you so long?"
Sparks, a little winded said in short breaths "Had to...call it...in." Twenty seconds later, five police cars showed up.
Manehattan Central Police Station
500 E 200 South
"Okay," Swift Vision said his hoofs still cuffed and his nose plugged. He was in the interrogation room with Sparks watching behind the two way mirror and Night giving the interrogation "I'll let you know what I know."
"Firstly," Agent Night said "why did you run?"
"I was being accused of murder," Vision said raising a hoof to gingerly touch his nose "that's a pretty big offense in case you didn't realize that."
"You know," Night said "I could break another part of your body until you give me the answers I need."
"Alright," Swift said "what do you want?"
"I want information," Night began but Swift interrupted "I thought that wasn't obvious."
"...about your recent activities in political extremist groups here in Manehattan."
"Now," Swift said leaning foreward in his chair "you would like to know that wouldn't ya?"
"Oh," Night said "we'll get that information whether you like it or not."
"Is that a fact?" Swift asked sarcastically "you know, you're not very good at this. You're not exactly following procedure here."
"Seems to me," Night said "that you've been through this before."
"Again," Swift said glowering "thank you Lieutenant Obvious."
"That's Captain, actually," Night retorted "I earned that rank unlike most ponies."
"Well," Swift said "I don't care. If you're gonna get the information that I can tell ya, then why did you drag me in here?"
"Because we want to offer you a deal," Night said leaning forward in her chair as well "you're going to get life in prison for murder."
"If you can prove it," Swift interrupted
"Which we will," Night said "but we can ease your time in prison while you're there."
"What do you mean?" Swift asked.
"I mean," Night replied "frequent family visits, holiday parole's, access to TV's, and good food. You'll be living a better life in prison than how you currently live right now."
"Well," he said "I won't say a word until I have my lawyer."
Night got up and left when the door opened. As it closed behind her she gritted her teeth and said "Sparks, that pony won't budge."
"Yeah," Sparks said "I know. Let's go see what we can glean from Ops."
They both walked up two flights of stairs and into a darkened room. Inside it was furnished as a conference room, but without a television or any visible speakers. They pushed a false panel and walked through it into the real Ops room. This was a high tech surveillance platform, every video camera, every phone, and even a DJ's speakers could be hacked and used if the agency wanted it to. A programmer in a white lab coat scooted over in his swivel chair "Sparks!" he said "good to see ya! It seems as though it was yesterday that you were in here."
"That's because it was this morning," Sparks said "what do we got?"
"First off," he said "who is the lovely mare?"
"Special Agent Pearl Night," she said giving him an icy glare.
"Now," the techie said grinning "would you like me to make a snow cone with that ice?"
"How about you use it to cool the burn?" Night retorted.
"Bristle," Sparks said gesturing with his hoof "what do we got that was so urgent?"
Specialist Nimble Bristle scooted back to his station "We have the results of the analysis on the poison that was used on the garrison members."
"Yes," Sparks asked "and?"
"It was actually pretty slick," Bristle continued "normally when looking for poisons you're looking for something extreme or rare, like Laminitis, Anemia, or Snakeroot, but this is pretty cool. I mean, whoever thought of this, was a pure genius. It was virtually undetectable by conventional methods and was actually deemed as clean by most departments, before it came to me of course."
"And you found what the poison was?" Night asked.
"Yes," Bristle said confidently "be impressed. I relish in it."
"Just get to the point Bristle," Sparks said a little agitated
"Calcium Fluoride!" Bristle declared.
"What?" Night asked "Calcium Fluoride," Bristle said as if explaining to a twelve year old colt "it's found in salt licks and is normally part of our daily mineral intake. They got sick from an overdose of Calcium Fluoride in their system. It wasn't detectable by them because they were used to ordering the same meal every time they went to Whinny Fred's and we didn't find it because the other department's hadn't looked for a higher concentration but merely for the content of the salt licks."
"Good work Bristle," Sparks said "anything else?"
"I also ran over the contents of Vision's room. Nothing really too drastic came up. I mean, he is active and has a pretty entertaining webpage but apart from that I don't have anything. The most he does that I can see is make posts to his social media page and that he's constantly on a video game network."
"How often?" Sparks asked.
"Like," Bristle said "almost every day. The guy is close to being one of the games top players. I'm sure he doesn't really have any other social life or actual real life, but maybe..." Bristle looked around behind him, Sparks and Night were gone.
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"So," Vision said smirking to Sparks "are you going to be like your bonehead assistant and threaten me with false evidence again?"
"Who said it was false?" Sparks said returning his smirk with a cold stare "we know that you poisoned the guardsman with an overdose of Calcium Fluoride. The question is...why would some pony like you wanna go through all that trouble."
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Vision said smirking even wider "Just like your mare friend, you don't have anything on me and you know it."
"We know you worked at the grill where the guardsman were eating." Sparks said.
"Big deal," replied Swift Vision "so do lots of people, even that one flopsy mare who replaced me."
"We know that you tried to enlist your co-workers in your politics," Sparks continued unphased.
"Big waste of time," Swift said "and what did I get for it? A broken nose and a slap on the wrists."
"We also know of your connections in the underground movements," Sparks went on "So call me a mole and get over with it," Swift said "you don't got anything..."
"And," Sparks said "we got your dealer." After a pause, Swift asked "My who?"
"Your dealer," Sparks said "your supplier."
"Nah," Swift said "you're bluffing."
"Am I?" Sparks said and raised a hoof to his earpiece standing up "You know, if you're not willing to talk, I know that he will."
"Alright, alright," Swift said "I'll talk, I'll talk." Sparks sat back down and placed a recorder on the table and pressed the button "Talk."
"Okay," Swift said grudgingly "that double crossing two timing cheating little dealer Haze Sundance said that if I did a job for him, than he could use his muscle to get me in the ranks of a political group I wanted to join."
"Which one?" Sparks asked "It was the Canterlot Capall. They're a bunch of freedom fighters who are dissatisfied with the way Celestia's running things in Equestria. They say that she has too much control and that she doesn't give enough of her power to ponies like you and me."
"Go on," Sparks said "I'm listening."
"I don't know everything," Swift said "but there's a plan ahoof. Something big. They had to get rid of the guards because they had to infiltrate their ranks so that they could plant something. I don't know if it was as bomb or more poison or whatever."
"Do you know when?" Sparks asked intrigued "I don't," Swift said "I swear I don't. I never got into their membership, as I said. I didn't wanna kill any pony, just get'em out of the way so that Sundance could do his bit."
"So what you're telling me," Sparks said "is that you don't know anything?"
"No," Swift said his voice rising in pitch "I promise, everything I've said is true."
"Why should we believe you?" Sparks said slamming his hoofs on the table and making it rattle "you'd say anything to save your own skin now wouldn't you? You know that we can put you away for life, and unlike you, I know what those inmates could do to ya on a rainy day, and where you're going, it rains nearly every day."
"Please," Swift said "I promise. I swear, it's true. All of it!"
Sparks left the room and banged the door shut behind him leaving Swift Vision sobbing in his chair.
Coffee Beans and Coffee Brains
"Fear keeps us focused on the past or worried about the future. If we can acknowledge our fear, we can realize that right now we are okay. Right now, today, we are still alive, and our bodies are working marvelously. Our eyes can still see the beautiful sky. Our ears can still hear the voices of our loved ones." - Thich Nhat Hanh
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Hot Leaf Coffee, Tea, and Donuts
22nd Street, Lower Manehattan
"What did you say to him?" Night asked as Sparks left the interrogation room.
" To be honest," Sparks said "I don't know, I like to think it was me. What time is it?"
"About nine a.m. why?"
"Oh," Sparks said "I just haven't had my morning coffee yet."
Sparks and Night left the headquarters building and went down towards 22nd Street. There was a little coffee and donut shop called the Hot Leaf which was a favorite of his. Sparks ordered two hot hazelnut coffees and a muffin for Night. She munched on it daintily while he sipped on the coffee.
"So what do you think about what was said earlier?" Night asked him, taking another petite bite of the muffin.
"Honestly," Sparks said "I don't know. Intel hasn't backed anything up and I haven't heard from any of the other agencies."
"What if," Night said "he's actually telling the truth. That there is a plot to assassinate Celestia, Cadence, Luna, or Twilight?"
"Wouldn't be the first time," Sparks said taking another sip of coffee "there's a reason why you never hear about it on the official news reals. Celestia and Luna wanna keep everything on a pretty low profile."
"I know that," Night said "I've read previous reports myself. But do you think that the Canterlot Capall, or whatever they're called would actually dare to do something like kill Princess Celestia?"
"I wouldn't put it passed them if that were so," Sparks said "the questions are when and how."
At that exact moment an explosion rocked the city. Car alarms were going off from ten blocks down the road. Ponies were rushing outside to see what was the problem. Spark's phone vibrated "Sparks," he said after raising it to his ear.
"Sparks," a voice said "get the hay down here. The blast came from inside!"
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Manehattan Central Police Station
500 E 200 South
"Status?" Doctor Luft said coughing.
"Most of our equipment is totaled doc," his orderly Acute Tinsel said "that includes X-ray, the tables, and our testing computers."
"What happened to Swift Vision?" Luft asked "I thought we had him contained nearby?"
"We did sir," Tinsel responded "that's where the blast originated."
"He had a bomb inside of him?" another orderly named Arrow Light exclaimed.
"No," Doctor Luft corrected "he must have planted it or had it on hidden away. We don't exactly scan for bombs here at the HQ. Which means that it isn't the most secure place in the world."
A phone rang and Doctor Luft picked up "Yes?" he asked "Ah, Sparks. Yes, I was just informing my orderlies as to the current state of affairs here in the Headquarters building."
"The current state of affairs is that the building's on fire Doc," Sparks said while standing outside of the main doors "in fact, I can see several fires developing. Thankfully the Fire Department's here."
"Indeed," Luft said "the blast must have originated from Swift Vision or the belongings he had with him at the time he was brought in. I remember that we didn't scan him properly for any Improvised Explosive Devices."
"Did you find anything interesting Doc?" Sparks asked.
"Well," Luft said "I did find one thing interesting with regards to his blood tests. He also had a high concentration of Calcium Fluoride in his system at the time of the interrogation. I think he must have been an addict."
"So what," Sparks said "he was going through withdrawals when I talked with him?"
"It seems to be the case Sparks," Luft said "unfortunately, you may not have been as intimidating as you thought."
"How did he slip a bomb past us though?" Sparks asked "and also, that was enough explosive to almost knock an entire floor out from underneath his hoofs."
"Quite possibly," Luft said "he could have had it in his shoes. If you get a compound explosive and mix it properly, unless you..."
"Doc?" Sparks asked "What is it?"
"Binary explosives are very stable Sparks," Luft said hurriedly "in order for one to explode it requires a high velocity object to impact on the pre-mixed solution or powder. Say a car or..."
"Or a sniper round?"
"Precisely," Luft said. At that moment, Spark's phone disintegrated in his hand. Sparks dropped to the ground and rolled over drawing his pistol as Night followed his lead.
"Where'd that shot come from?" Sparks asked Night.
"From the second story of that office building across the street," Night said "I saw a muzzle flash a second ago. You alright?"
"Yeah," Sparks said "nothing that a little trotting can take care of. Keep him trained, I want to know exactly where he is when I move ok?"
"Got it," Night said and raised her pistol to the ready position. Sparks dashed from behind the car, zig-zagging across the open street, a bullet zinged past his right ear and pinged off a light pole. He rolled and got behind another car that was parked on the opposite side of the street.
"Where is he?"
"Fourth window to the right," Night said "should I call a counter sniper?"
"No," Sparks said "he's no use to us dead. I'll cover you. Move!"
Sparks popped up and emptied five rounds from his magazine towards the window which was fifty yards away. He knew he probably wouldn't hit anything but he also knew that it would keep the sniper's head down. Night soon joined him. Sparks looked at Night "How many exits do you recon that building has?"
"I'd say about three," Night said "including the garage for the employee's cars."
"He won't take the front," Sparks said "that leaves the rear and the garage. Which one do you want?"
"I'll take the rear," Night said.
"Okay," Sparks replied "I'll go for the garage. Let me know in case anything happens."
They both dashed out quick as a flash, with two more bullets whizzing behind them. Night galloped to the left and Sparks to the right. The garage was on the right side and faced towards the next block on 210 South. Sparks headed there and stopped at the exit and reloaded his pistol. He heard shots fired inside the building and panicked screams. A few minutes later, a car started its ignition. Inside, he could see a male pony with a bad wound across his head that was still bleeding. The car accelerated towards Sparks. He braced himself, and when the car was within thirty feet, he shot the left tire. It sped off right into a fire hydrant and it erupted in a geyser gush of water, drenching the vehicle. The driver stumbled out and tried to run away, Sparks raised his pistol again and fired twice more, one bullet hit the right flank and the other the front left shoulder. The pony went down. Night galloped up to him "You got him?"
"Yeah," Sparks said walking up to the pony who was still trying to crawl away as he pulled out his hoofcuffs "you have the right to remain silent. If you do say anything, it can be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to have a lawyer present during any questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for you if you so desire."
The pony grunted in pain as he was hauled to his hoofs. Blood was now coming from his mouth and he spat it towards Sparks. Sparks dodged and said while wagging a hoof "Now, now. This is a brand new jacket. You wouldn't want me to put one of my trusty bullets where the sun don't shine now do ya?"
He hauled the pony forward with Night acting as a rear guard. The police station wasn't completely trashed, but the floor which contained Swift Vision had disintegrated into a firestorm which was soon put out. The office on the other floors went back to work as if nothing had happened. After several hours in the medical hospital to remove Spark's bullets from the pony's backside, he was given back into N.E.I.S. custody. His name, was Maverick Bolt.
Manehattan Central Police Station
500 E 200 South
"You've got some explaining to do Mr....Bolt," Sparks said grinning "how's the rump?"
"Fine," he said "no thanks to you."
"What were you doing shooting at us?"
"I was trying to tie some loose ends," he said leaning back in the interrogators chair."
"You part of the Capall?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Bolt said with a slight air of arrogance.
"You know," Sparks said "I've been told that a lot lately and I figured that you ponies should know that if I ask you."
"Well," Bolt said "then no. I'm not part of the Capall."
"That's not what our record of you tells us."
"Ain't that a crying shame," Bolt said smugly.
"We have you on direct murder charges Bolt," Sparks said arranging the papers in Bolt's file "on three separate occasions, but all we need is this one to put you behind bars."
"Oh yeah<" Bolt said "I thought it was just attempted ."
"No," Sparks "we found remnants of Vision's shoes and knew that you had stolen them to place a binary compound explosive in each one. Separate they wouldn't have completed the job but together, we now see the end result."
A knock sounded on the door leading in "Enter," Sparks said without taking his eyes away from Bolt. Agent Steele from the Equestria Bureau of Intelligence opened the door and gestured with his hoof. Sparks got up and took the file with him slamming the door behind him.
"What do you want Steele?" Sparks said "I was right in the middle of an interrogation."
As they walked together down the hall Steele said "SecPeg just got a tag on a terror suspect which matches our profile of him."
Agent Night joined them "SecPeg?"
"Pegasi Security, SecPeg is a lot easier to say than that," Sparks said "so we cut it down a long time ago."
"Why not PegSec?"
"Because we wanted it that way," Steele said grinning "anyways, Bolt isn't our main guy, he's just a pawn. The pony who organized Vision's assassination was a Bishop."
"So he was religious?" Night asked
"No Night," Sparks said "chess metaphor."
"We've had him on our database for a while," Steele said "he's wanted for murder, extortion, attempted murder, fraud, and just about anything else you can name off the top of your head."
"What about failure to bring me a steamy latte?"
"We could put that on and sue him for ten coins," Steele said "I like her Sparks, got a little spunk and fire don't she."
"You wait until we get in the field," Sparks said "she kicked Vision's teeth in when we brought him down."
Steele made an O shape with his mouth and snorted "Damn!"
They all wend up to Ops which was located on the floor above the one which was sabotaged and walked inside. Bristle greeted them with a friendly wave "Steele," he said trotting over and carrying a tray of test tubes "it's been awhile sir."
"Yes it has," Steele said "need some help?"
"Not really," Bristle said "just thought I'd give you guys that update on the ping we got in SecPeg."
"What's the scoop?" Sparks said.
"The terrorist's name is Reverent Wing," Bristle said "we think it's just an alias though. He's basically wanted for everything because he's an organizer of crime, and not a committer of it."
"So," Night said "like you said, he's a bishop."
"Right," Bristle said questioningly "are we forming a chess league here? Because I would totally thrash all of you. I was champion for four years in a row in high school."
"Get to the point Bristle," Sparks said.
"Okay," Bristle replied "this pony is basically the one behind the Capall. He's kind of like our version of the AntiPony."
"AntiPony?" asked Steele.
"You know," Bristle said "some religious sects believe that an evil counter of Celestia will appear, similar to Nightmare Moon, only she'll control the day, and that sort of thing..."
"What does that have to do with this?" Sparks asked exasperated.
"Patience Sparks," Bristle said "I'm getting there. We intercepted a transmission after I hacked into Vision's personal computer. Thankfully it wasn't destroyed in the initial blast which took his life. It contained multiple e-mail accounts which led to the same IP address."
"Like the threads leading up to a spider," Night said nodding in acknowledgement.
"Precisely," Bristle said "Vision used multiple screen names in an half-hearted attempt to..."
"What is it Bristle?" Steele said concerned.
"Well," Bristle said "a thought just occurred to me. Reverent Wing would have known that Vision would possibly crack under pressure, so he had the shoes sabotaged with the binary explosive. He also knew that where Vision would be held would be on the same floor as some of our crucial database servers..."
"Yeah," Sparks said "that's why he detonated the explosive, to erase them."
"No," Bristle thought out loud "Vision was just a distraction, same with his dealer."
"Drug dealer," Steel asked.
"No," Bristle said "his poison dealer. He knows that we would merely use him as an actual bluff to try and get information..."
"What is it?" Sparks said emphasizing every word.
"It was planted," Bristle said smacking his forehead "everything that we've done. The computer, the explosion, the Calcium Fluoride, everything was planted!"
"How can you tell?" Night asked.
"Because," Bristle said "everything was too obvious. It was meant to be found. Same with Bolt, the pony we took in. It was all a set up for something bigger."
"Anyway we can find out what that is exactly?" Steele said indignant.
"Sure," Bristle said going over to his rolling swivel chair and scooting towards his computer "basically we can first trace the IP address to the computer which was supposedly being used by Reverent Wing. Then, we can hack into it and if that doesn't work, worst comes to worse I can give you an address to go to. Then I'll send a wire over to Shining Armor and let him know the situation. It's not much, but I'll go from there."
"Alright Bristle," Sparks said "keep it up."
====================================================================================================
Number 8 Warehouse
51st Street, Upper Manehattan
Sparks stood in front of a team of E.B.I. Agents armed with bullet proof vests, helmets, and carrying assault rifles. Night was covering the rear exit. Bristle's address had led them to this ware house in Upper Manehattan. Usually, the wealthy stored their possessions in banks across the booming metropolis, but occasionally they stored things in warehouses. This was one of them. Sparks kicked open the door and they rushed inside, weapons ready. But the room was empty. In the very center of the room, there was a chair with a TV set up. The agents swept over it, and uncovered several crates that were stamped with some strange lettering. The TV winked on "Ah," a voice said. Even though it was on the TV screen was still black "Special Agent Sparks. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Sparks walked over towards the TV, and gestured silently for everyone else to quietly leave the room. He didn't sit, but he stood behind the chair "What do you want Reverent?"
The voice chuckled "You know me? I see, I suppose that Bolt didn't do his job properly?"
"Yes," Sparks said pacing around and observing his surroundings "you've been pretty busy I hear lately."
"Indeed I have," Reverent Wing said "it's regrettably been awhile since we last met."
"Nope," Sparks said "I don't miss a single moment."
"You mean," Reverent said "not even after I killed your wife?"
A lump quickly came to Spark's throat but he subdued it just as fast. "I'll get you Reverent," Sparks said "we're on to you."
"No you're not," Reverent said "you're analyst, Bristle, well, he gave you a couple of false leads."
"I think he figured them out pretty well," Sparks retorted.
"On the contrary," Reverent said "I wanted you to come here. Which is why I gave you this address."
With that, the doors slid and locked and the room was filled with the hiss of gas and made Agent Sparks go unconscious.
"It does not take sharp eyes to see the sun and the moon, nor does it take sharp ears to hear the thunderclap. Wisdom is not obvious. You must see the subtle and notice the hidden to be victorious." - Sun Tzu, The Art of War
"Sparks," a voice from the darkness urgently whispered "Sparks! What in the hay are you doing here?"
Sparks groaned and tried moving his head. He was tied to a chair and couldn't open his eyes "Where am I?"
"In the Canterlot Capall HQ," the voice said "I gotta get you outta here."
The pony started cutting his ropes and Sparks collapsed on the floor.
"It's worse than I thought," the voice whispered.
"Really now?" Sparks said "I thought I just cracked my head open while pole dancing?"
"Come on," the voice said "let's get you out."
The pony dragged Sparks through a series of twisting passages and corridors which went unnoticed by Sparks. Trying to blink his eyes open Sparks asked "Who are you again?"
"A friend Agent Sparks," the pony said. He was dark grey, strongly built, and had a short cropped mane. His eyes were brown and his stride was quietly confident. The pony quickened his place a little "I can get you out of the complex, but you have to help yourself once I get you clear."
"How long was I in there?"
"About three days," the pony said "you don't remember?'
"No," Sparks said "should I have?"
"That must have been the serum they injected you with," the grey pony said "it's an antidote to the gas which they flooded the room you were in with when they kidnapped you."
"What about the other agents?"
"Agent Night is safe, as were the rest of your team. Reverent Wing only wanted you and he predicted that you would send them out so as to try and save as many lives as possible. He also figured that you were preparing more for a bomb blast rather than a simple gas leak," the pony said. They arrived next to a dumpster behind one of the houses in downtown Canterlot. The grey pony set him gently down "I think I should go back," the pony said.
"Nope," said Sparks grunting with the pain of getting up "because..."
At that exact moment, the radio which the grey pony was wearing squawked "Specter, come in, Specter." Specter plucked the radio from his jacket and raised it to his lips "Specter here," he said "come in Con."
"We have an escaped prisoner," the voice on the other end said "Agent Sparks has escaped from his cell. We need all ponies who are not in essential duties to assist in the pony hunt."
"Roger that," Specter said "ten four, Specter out."
"What's up?"
"They're looking for you Sparks," Specter said grinning "now do me a favor."
"Yeah?"
"Punch me eight times in the face," Specter said "then shoot me."
====================================================================================================
Manehattan Central Police Station
500 E 200 South
"Where the hay is he?" Agent Steele slammed his hoof against a filing cabinet.
"Patience Steele," Bristle said sipping a cup of tea "and be nice to the filing cabinet. It is an innocent victim and did absolutely nothing to disrupt the progress of this case."
"How the hay was he taken from directly under our noses?"
"Who Sparks?"
"Nah," Steele exclaimed "a Changling!"
"Okay, okay," Bristle said "it was quite simple actually. There was a storm drain in the basement of the warehouse. It wasn't built with it in, but simply added on by our bad ponies and connected to the existing sewage system."
"You still haven't answered my question Bristle!"
"Alright," Bristle said "after reviewing several sewage and survey maps I've concluded that the only way they could've gotten him away quickly was through helicopter or by boat. Since, we are assuming that these were the Canterlot Capall then it was probably by helicopter."
"Wouldn't that be pretty obvious in Canterlot?" Night asked with curiosity wrinkling her forehead "I mean, they're a pretty common sight here in Manehattan, but not so much there. They'd stick out like a sore hoof."
"Not if they landed on the outskirts of the city," Bristle interjected "if they're about five, maybe, ten miles out, you wouldn't see, let alone hear one of those birds as they landed. These guys are pretty well trained Night. They're not your amateur pie bakers here."
"Pie bakers?"
"Well," Bristle said "I was thinking since they cooked this all up that I'd use a..."
"We get it Bristle," Steele interrupted "so you think that they're in Canterlot?"
"Somewhere there," Bristle said "but that's a safe bet. I mean, the only reason why they'd have their own ponies here would be to damage our capabilities as an agency with monitoring their branches of operations here."
"I'll contact Shining Armor," Steele said "he'll assist in the ponyhunt for Special Agent Sparks. Also, Night if you're ready and able, I want you with me. We got ourselves into this mess with Sparks and we sure's hay not leaving it without him."
"Yes sir," Night said nodding in agreement.
====================================================================================================
Canterlot Castle
Canterlot, Equestria
The streets were crowded with ponies that evening, Sparks didn't know why, but he guessed that there was some sort of function going on, maybe a party at the palace or some other formal function. There were many ponies dressed up, through deduction, he decided on the latter and went inside. Reverent Wing looked through his binoculars with his second in command, Specter standing by him "Well, well," Wing said "good old predictable Sparks. Did he buy your story Specter?"
"Pretty sure he did boss," Specter said grinning wolfishly "guess he's not as smart as those reports we got from the boys in Manehattan."
"Don't be too sure," Wing said "I've had a few tussles with old Sparky back in my younger days. He never caught me, but he also meddled quite a bit in my personal affairs."
"I see boss," Specter said "cigar sir?"
"No thanks," Wing replied "I gotta concentrate on the happenings down below. The Grand Galloping Galla goers are gonna get a nasty surprise."
"What do you mean sir?"
"Remember that bomb we planted in Celestia's chair?" Wing asked.
"Sure boss," Specter said "I remember."
"Well," Wing said "it's not your conventional bomb. We placed a deadly airborne toxin in there, so that when it goes POOF! , everyone playing dress-up down there'll get a nasty surprise."
"How does this serve the interests of the Capall?"
"The Capall? Oh right," Wing said "in reality, it doesn't. I just used their political motivations to get me what I wanted. Think of all the chaos which will be caused by this one, blast! Old Shining Armor will have his shiny rear full of problems. His precious Candace and even his sister Twiley-Wiley or whatever they call her are gonna be so full of gas that they my pass out, and die instantly. Great thing is? I gots the antidote in crates stashed all across Canterlot. When the time comes, I'll announce that I have it and the Royal Treasury will basically be my own personal pocket book."
"So," Specter laughed "you're playing both sides aren't ya boss?"
"Yeah," Wing said "and the very famous, renowned, and respected Special Agent Jolt Sparks, will be the one who sets off the whole shebang."
"So why kidnap him boss?"
"Why," Wing said "to bring him here! You really didn't think we'd interrogate him did ya?"
"I thought we would boss," Specter said "thought maybe, uh, he could give us some valuable information about what N.E.I.S. has on us?"
"Good thinking Specter," Wing said "that's why you're my second in command. Now, the reason why you're not the top pony around here is because I'm the one with the brains of this outfit. Look, I knew that Sparks wouldn't tell us a thing, he's too well trained for that. That's why I had you feed him the false story about how long we kept him, and also about the ponyhunt. I knew that he'd be still dazed from not only the antidote, but also from the knockout drug we gave him on the flight over here. In reality, he was only in our special company for a couple of hours."
"You're right boss," Specter grinned "that's why you're the number one pony!"
====================================================================================================
Sparks stumbled in the bright and well lit room of party goers. Ponies with whom he'd never seen or met before were quietly chatting and drinking. Soft violin music was playing in the background and there was an horderves table. He felt his side. Ironically, and strangely, he felt his gun at his waste. For some reason, Wing had left it there. It was a little too convenient and it made Sparks suspicious. A butler walked up to him "Sir," he said rather snobbishly "I believe that there was a dress code for this function?"
"Sorry I didn't get the memo," Sparks said shoving past him "could you tell me where the Princess is?'
“And it's funny how when somebody saves you, the first thing you want to do is save other people. All other people. Everybody. The kid never knew the man's name. But he never forgot that smile. "Hero" isn't the first word, but it's the first word that comes to mind.” ― Chuck Palahniuk, Choke
====================================================================================================
Canterlot Castle
Canterlot, Equestria
Sparks stumbled towards the dais of the throne room, shoving his way through the courtiers and the party goers. To them, he looked like a homeless drunk, and he felt like it. His head was swimming and he hadn't shaven in a while. When he reached it, Princes Twilight and Princess Celestia were standing there "Princess," Sparks gasped "please, you have to listen to me. You need to evacuate the castle now!"
"On what grounds?" Celestia asked.
"There's a bomb," Spark said "I don't know what kind, but we think it's somewhere in the cereemonial throne room. It's part of an ongoing investigation which began with the poisoning of ten of your personal guard in Manehattan. The Canterlot Capall are behind it."
"The who?" Twilight asked "I've never heard of them."
"Nor did I expect that you should your majesty," Sparks said "please, listen to me. You have to get everyone out!"
"I don't think that we'll stop the Galla," Celestia said "on a mere whim. I'm sorry sir, but I do believe it is you who should leave the building."
"Please!" Sparks begged "you have to get everyone out! I don't know when it'll go off and I don't know who will set it..."
"Guards," Celestia said "please escort this pony out of the Galla, he's worse than Discord."
"Please, your majesty," Sparks said "at least let me use a phone to contact my ponies in the agency."
"Very well," Celestia said begrudgingly "I think there's one by that pillar."
Sparks rushed over and dialed the number to the HQ, a somewhat arrogant and haughty voice answered him back "Hello?"
"Bristle!"
"Sparks?' Bristle asked sitting up in his chair back in Ops at the HQ "how did you get out?"
"No time to explain," Sparks said urgently "I don't know how, but there's a bomb here."
"What do you mean?"
"It's a feeling that I got," he said hurridly "Vision was right after all."
"Who?"
"Swift Vision," Sparks said "remember? We interrogated him yesterday."
"Boss," Bristle said "you okay? I'll send some pony to look after you."
"No," Sparks said closing his eyes, and then opening them "don't send a medical orderly though, send Steele and Night. I need them here as quickly as possible!"
"Roger that," Bristle said "ten four boss."
As soon as he hung up the phone, Sparks walked back over towards the steps, when he reached the bottom of them, he raised his pistol and fired twice "Everypony listen up!" He said "out! Out, out, out, out, out, out!"
====================================================================================================
"What the hay is he doing?" Steele said incredulously as he and Night boarded an agency helicopter.
"Sparks has his own way of doing things," Night said "sometimes, a bit on the melodramatic side."
"A flare for drama you mean?" Steele said grinning as he strapped on his Kevlar vest, Night was copying him and she looked up
"Of course," she said "I mean wouldn't you if you were in his position?"
"You mean," Steele said "constantly putting myself in harms way so that I could be melodramatic?"
"Exactly," Night said, now it was her time to grin.
"You know," Steele said as the helicopter rose in the air like an ungainly brick attempting flight for the first time "I want to know something?"
"Shoot," Night replied.
"How come you two never ended up together?" Steel asked "I mean, you guys would make some wonderful kids."
A now, familiar phrase came up to Agent Night's mind as she retorted "Wouldn't you like to know?"
====================================================================================================
Canterlot Castle
Canterlot, Equestria
Celestia looked down at him indignantly. Both had were standing up and walking towards him. Twilight spoke first exclaiming "What are you doing?'
"Your majesty," Sparks said "I'm not crazy, you simply have to get every pony out of here!"
"What if we do?" Celestia said "what happens then?"
"My ponies will do a bomb sweep," Sparks said "it's possible that it might not..."
At that moment, an explosion rocked the entire castle. Sparks dived slamming his body into Celestia as he felt a hot searing pain in his left shoulder. He looked, and a piece of Celestia's throne was jabbing out about twelve inches. He was still in shock, so therefore, he could move and it wasn't too painful...for the moment. Ponies were screaming and blood was everywhere. Five ponies, apparently friends of Twilight galloped up to him "Are you alright?" one of them asked. She had three butterflies as her cutie mark and Sparks simply grunted as he stood up "I'll be alright," he said "You know Twilight?"
"Know her?" A blue Pegasi with a Rainbow cutie mark exclaimed "of..."
"Then get her out of here," Sparks said taking his good hoof and grabbing the unconscious body of Celestia by the Mane "I don't think it's over yet."
Suddenly, Sparks caught something in the air. The other ponies didn't because they hadn't spent hours in the lab room smelling different poisons. He caught one and he shouted "Get out! For the love of Celestia get out! Gas, gas, gas!"
They stumbled out of the throne room. There were several ponies laying injured on the broken tiles and shattered stained glass. Sparks knew that in a matter of seconds, they could be dead, because devastating as the explosion was, that was only temporary. Blindness, burning pain, heavy breathing or suffocation. That wasn't the way he would want to go. He looked at the ponies that were trotting next to him "You'll have to take Celestia out too," Sparks said "get as far away from the castle as you can. It's the new contaminated zone."
"The what?" asked one of the ponies who had three apples as a cutie mark.
"Just get them both out of here," Spark said and ran as fast as his injured limb would allow him too. He got back to the throne room and two ponies were standing there. Both were wearing filtration masks to protect them from the gas "Well," one of them said. He was the shorter of the two, but he recognized Specter and growled "You lied to me Specter."
"Of course I did," he said "I know who my boss is."
Reverent Wing walked over to one of the groaning ponies on the tile and shot him in the head "Don't look surprised," he said in response to Spark's outrage "you're next!'
With that both Sparks and Specter drew their pistols...and pointed them at Reverent Wing.
"Drop it Wing," Specter said "it's over and you're under arrest."
"Specter," Wing said raising both hands "what is this? Some kind of sick joke?"
"No Wing," Specter said "my name is Jade Specter, undercover agent for the Equestria Bureau of Intelligence. I've been monitoring you for the past six months and I have it all on tape. You're finished Wing. You're crime days are over and this is the last straw."
"Is that a fact?" Wing said and took his pistol and attempted to aim it at Specter, but before he could pull the trigger, Sparks pulled his. The bullet hit the gun and going through his hoof. Sparks, out of no lack of respect, shot him twice more in the knee caps. Wing went down and Specter cuffed him.
"I thought I caught something different about you," Sparks said "you wouldn't have helped me otherwise."
"We'll see in the report," Specter said hauling Wing to his hoofs and handing Sparks a spare mask "how come the gas hasn't affected you?"
"I think you're antidote is still having a little affect," Sparks said as he donned his mask "but also, I kind of got this chair leg protruding from my shoulder. The shock helped reduce the affects."
"And I thought it was simply your amazing stamina," Specter said grinning.
"No soldier should be honored for doing what is expected" - Eric Nylund, *Halo: Fall of Reach *
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Many times, I have seen ponies rise to the occasion to become heroes of Equestria," Princess Celestia said at the award ceremony held in Agent Spark's honor "but very few have I see who had the bravery, courage, and spectacular performance as Special Agent Jolt Sparks of the Northern Equestria Investigative Service. Few have been through so much in such a little bit of time. Few have been as audacious in times of an emergency, and few, very few, have saved my life. Not only that, but through his actions, he saved the life of Princess Twilight of Ponyville. We take this time now, to honor him, and award him the Cross of Glory, which is our highest award for bravery in the face of great danger."
The hall erupted in thunderous applause. After five minutes Celestia awkwardly looked around "Is Special Agent Sparks here?"
There were whispers around the entire hall "Please," Celestia asked "is Special Agent Sparks here?"
She looked down at Shining Armor who slightly cringed under her gaze "Where is he?"
"Who?
"Special Agent Sparks!" she whispered.
====================================================================================================
Whinny Fred's Bar and Grill
216 New Donkey Avenue
"And here," Agent Night said raising her teacup "is to the greatest agent of our time and agency. Special Agent Jolt Sparks!"
They clanged their tea cups and glasses together. Bristle, Steele, and Specter were also there.
"You know," Specter said "it's for times like these that I love my job."
"Don't you think Celestia'll get mad if you don't show up to the award ceremony boss?" Bristle asked concerned "because, you know, I could technically represent..."
"This is as good of an award ceremony that I need," Sparks said "and no, you couldn't Bristle. Besides, the guard would skin you before you could blink. It's a 'Highly prestigious award'. I think only Shining Armor and a few other ponies have it apart from me."
"Well," Steele said taking a sip from his own glass "what do you plan to do now?"
"Me?" Sparks said "how about some good old fashioned R&R?"
"Hey," Whinny Fred exclaimed wiping his hoofs on a towel as he came over "it's the big heroes huh?"
"Whinny," Sparks said grinning as he walked over and they hugged.
"Hey," Whinny Fred said "I wanted to mention to you guys before I forgot, thanks for clearing up the reputation of my restaurant and my cooking."
"No problem," Night said raising her teacup "that's just part of the job."
"You know," Whinny Fred said "how about I make you an eye-popping dish huh? I'll call it the the Special Agent Sparks Shocker."
"Well," Bristle said "he doesn't like hot-sauce all that much."
"I think it sounds just fine Whinny," Sparks said "but in the mean time, how about just another round of drinks on me."