Swift in the Chaos

The calm wind settling in over Canterlot's cool blue morning is soothing to Swift Wind's silky, light grey mane as he gazes upon the bustling city. Sitting on his faded yellow pool side chair, he picks up the bottle of scotch sitting on the embroidered glass table to his right, pouring the fine liquid into a glass of ice. His button up shirt flaps openly in the breeze, lapping at his body with inconsistant movements.

Today is just like any other off-duty day, Swift relaxing by his personal penthouse pool. Despite being the pony he is, he always enjoyed the finer things in life. Scotch that costs nearly a thousand bits alone, a penthouse suite in the finest hotel in Canterlot with the most gorgeous view of the city that money can buy.

He does what he does to be able to keep up his luxurious lifestyle. He is a bodyguard, a spy, an assassin and things of the like. He doesn't do anything with discrimination and he doesn't accept jobs that will benefit the employer just because he wants. His motivation is money. The golden bits that can buy him whatever he likes is his reason for doing the things he does.

He doesn't care much for politics or anything else that creates a problem or complication that is deemed unnecessary. Like music and subgenres, only purpose in existence is to stoke everypony's constant fire of hatred to those around them.

In his eyes, life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer to the end you get, the faster it goes and he isn't one to waste each little sheet on pointless matters that only cause problems. That's why for the right price, he will do anything. You need a bodyguard? Nothing he can't handle. Need someone to gather sensitive information with open ears but a closed muzzle? He's got you covered. Need somepony who is causing you a problem to disappear? He is your pony.

He has been hired to murder cheating boyfriends, greedy politicians, and more. Some might think that killing a pony of importance would be a bold and risky move; not to Swift.

For Swift, titles and badges hold no more weight than the balance on a scale. Your prefix doesn't put you in a higher place than anypony else. One of his greatest philosophies is if you bleed red, you are no different from anypony else on Celestia's sunlit earth.

A loud beep breaks the peaceful silence that has fallen over the opulent high rise from behind the glass back doors of the suite. Gulping down the last of the aged beverage, he stands up over his chair and takes a glance at the distant sunrise, rays of yellow glistening off the ripples of blue on the pool's surface.

He turns and heads to the door and once inside walks over to the intercom on the wall and the red button next to it. "Yes?"

"Mr. Wind," the feminine voice of the receptionist in the lobby comes through the intercom clearly. "There is somepony down here looking for you."

"What's their name, Gemma?" Gemma is a former accountant, age twenty-three with a deceased husband and three kids. Swift has known her for years having met just after high school and knows these things through an extensive background check as she is on his payroll, along with many other ponies in Canterlot.

"He says his name is Zephyr."

"What does Zephyr want?" Swift asks.

"He says he has a business proposition for you."

Swift ponders this for a moment. He just recently finished a job last week with enough money to last him for at least another two or three months. Thinking over his options, the idea of having a possible five or six month vacation crosses his mind and he is pleased with the possibility. "Have a guard pat him down and send him up."

Swift flies up to the indoor balcony that holds his bedroom and looks through one of his wardrobe's for a nice suit. His eyes focusing in on a beige linen suit, he pulls it down from the rack gently with his teeth and slides the suit on and walks into the bathroom. Staring at himself in the mirror, he straightens the turquoise bow and the pocket square and looks at himself for a moment more. His turquoise eyes match the bow and square perfectly in terms of shading and the suit itself is almost a complete match for his sandpaper colored coat.

Knocking at the door brings his attention from his appearance back to reality. He flies over the balcony and down to the first floor and lands in front of the door. Peaking through the hole on the door, Swift sees a roughly styled blonde mane with strands of grey coursing through it and a midnight blue coat. The pony is wearing a black, business tux and a black top hat and is hovering with magic a black with silver hardware case directly behind him.

Swift opens the door, the pony immediately greeting him with "Mr. Wave?"

Accepting the use of his false alias, Swift responds with a smile, "The one and only. Come in," Swift steps aside and motions his hoof for Zephyr to enter.

After taking in the size and elegance of the penthouse suite, Zephyr says, "I can see you are doing well for yourself, Mr. Wave."

"I do enough to get by," Swift says smoothly, closing the door and walking over to a small table and pouring two glasses of the finest wine in Canterlot.

"Let's talk business shall we?" Bringing the two crystalized glasses over to Zephyr, Swift nods his head. Taking the glass in his telekinetic grasp, Zephyr begins, "So there is some information that I need to get ahold of. Very sensative information." Zephyr takes a small, experimental sip of the wine that he is given and nods his head in approval, hovering the glass away from him to get a better look at the dark red liquid.

"Sounds like my kind of thing," Swift says to him, motioning for Zephyr to sit on one of the soft couches whilst also taking a seat for himself in a chair across the coffee table from him.

"I'm hoping so," Zephyr begins before taking another sip of the exotic drink. "The problem is, only one pony holds this information. I don't know if you know who I am, but I own one of the most well-known drug import and export operations in Canterlot and this pony stole from me."

Great, another 'he stole my drugs' scandal, Swift says to himself, whilst mentally rolling his eyes.

"A drug deal went wrong when one of my men figured out one among the buyers was a snitch. Something leads me to believe that the entire ordeal was setup, as the one who my soldiers tell me is the snitch, ran away with an entire crate of the purest drug money can buy during the chaos of local authorities arriving.

"Any idea who this pony is?" Swift asks with a twinge of hope in his voice. He really hopes that Zephyr at least has a name for snitch because if he doesn't, that means this job is going to require him to put more effort than what is comfortable to him.

"One of my crew members said something about a Blue Sapphire," Zephyr says to Swift's relieved face.

"Alright, I think I can work with that. What information are you wanting and how do you want me to go about getting it?" With the amount of money that Swift's services cost, he likes to provide options for the buyer. Of course, there is a base price for everything; being a bodyguard is definitely his cheapest service with a flat rate. However, information gathering is a bit more expensive. If it is something simple such as eavesdropping or breaking into an office and stealing or making copies of file, you are looking at ten grand. Seven grand is for the service, two is for the risk and one is for secrecy. While the first two are mandatory, secrecy is not. He wouldn't go and tell anyone but if someone asked, there wouldn't be anything holding his lips together.

When we get down to a darker side of information gathering, which is the type of job this is starting to look like, you are looking at a minimum of thirty grand.

Prices are based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to the popularity of the victim and special requests. Usually rich wives or husbands are the ones with special requests of how they want their cheating significant other dealt with. But every case is special and Swift is indifferent.

In response to Swift's question, Zephyr replies, "I almost don't care about the two employees dying, but I do care about the coke," this is when Swift realizes that Zephyr is an asshole but the money this job will earn him will keep his opinion to himself. "I want to know where the merchandise is and do whatever you have to get the information.

"And for the snitch?"

"Dump him in the pond under the city," Zephyr gulps down the last bit of the wine. "Alive."

~~~~~~~~

Swift grabs his beige fedora with a turquoise band from the hat rack and puts it on, his ears slipping through the ear holes comfortably. He closes the backdoor and locks it and takes to the sky. After negotiating prices, he let Zephyr go on his way and now Swift is on his way to the police station to pull some information on his new target.

He flies in between the skyscrapers of the never sleeping city of Canterlot. It's about one-thirty in the afternoon which means Swift's contact should be getting off soon. The police station is now in sight but it doesn't seem that all is well.

The streets all around the station are blocked off and three medical wagons are outside of the stations front doors and several swat units armed with batons and crossbows line the streets and entrance. A pool of blood is visible from the on the side walk in front of the stations doors. Something definitely happened down there.

Swift floats down to the outside of the perimeter and lands about ten feet in front of the roped off crime scene. A uniformed pony notices Swift approaching the ropes, but Swift notices the pony moving to intercept him.

The uniformed pony says, "Sir, this area is off limits I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Swift responds by pulling a counterfeit badge adorned with a real picture of him but a fake alias from his pocket. He allows the officer a long glance before returning it to his pocket. "I'm Agent Shock Wave of the Equestrian Bureau of Investigation. Mind briefing me on what happened here?" Swift tacks on the question for the legitimacy of his false identification.

"A couple of goons from what is presumed to be a gang attempted a jailbreak on a recently incarcerated fugitive. Two injured officers and a deceased assailant."

This is actually an eyebrow raiser for Swift considering the current circumstances. "In broad daylight?"

"Yep, and motive isn't very clear either."

"Who were they trying to break out?"

"Somepony named Sapphire, although not really sure why."

Jackpot. The pony he is looking for is has been arrested. He might be getting slightly over payed for this job.

He walks up the steps to the front doors and enters the building, the officer who was accompanying him going his own way. The receptionist on the right is scurrying about in her little office space. "Excuse me," Swift says to grab her attention. One she stops, he continues, "Do you know where Lt. Sliverwing is?" Swift pulls up his badge from his front pocket to ensure he gets a response worth his time.

"He should be in his office." Right as Swift is about to thank her, she says, "I'll warn you, he isn't in the greatest of moods."

"I can imagine," Swift says as he is about to walk away. "Thank you."

Swift begins to make his way through the building towards Sliverwing's office. A group of medics with a gurney rush by Swift, a uniformed officer groaning, his hooves rapped around the shaft of an arrow, blood caking his uniform and the gurney under him.

Once upon the door with a name plate in the center reading "Lt. Sliverwing", he knocks on the closed door. A shout from the other side giving him the okay to come in, Swift opens the door.

Sliverwing is shuffling through all kinds of different papers says with a hint of aggravation, "Hello, Swift."

Swift nods his head,"Sliverwing."

"What brings you by? I know it isn't because of this recent event."

"As always, you are right," Swift says, walking up to the desk. "Although I am sorry about your ponies-"

"You're sorry for them?" Sliverwing asks in mock shock. "They'll live! The amount of paperwork I'm stuck with is going to put me under."

After a light chuckle, Swift makes the reason he is here known. "So, I need to speak to the pony they were trying to break out."

"Okay, might I ask what for?" Swift gives a glare as a response. Sliverwing sighs, "Right. He's in the holding cells. I've heard that he has been making quite the ruckus so it should be easy to tell which one is him."

"Thanks, Sliverwing."

"Yeah, yeah," Sliverwing responds passively.

Swift exits the office and turns down the hall to his left, back the way he came. The hallway ends and the sectional offices begin, several ponies in cuffs and horn-locks sitting at various desks through out the room. The room's ceiling is high with a large moon roof in the center, the morning sun gleaming into at an angle.

Continuing across the back end of the building to the other side, he meets another hallway and walks down it to a flight of stairs. When enters the stairwell that only goes down, Swift hears shouting somewhere at the bottom.

Swift sighs and walks down the stairs. At the bottom he opens the door and enters a hallway with many cells to the left and the right. Many remain empty but there are five that have occupants.

As he glances into each occupied cell, one pony catches his eye. A younger stallion, couldn't be older than sixteen, sits on a mattress atop a concrete slab against the wall, head hanging low and staring at the ground.

Swift resists the urge to stop. For a split second he saw himself at that age in cell. His past moving from foster home to foster home always kept him in trouble. Whether it was sneaking out or stealing. He always used sneaking out more as a way tontrain himself more than it was for getting away. He knew if he ran they would get him and they'd just bring him right back.

Despite his urge, Swift continues farther down to the holding cells. The yelling gets gradually louder, bouncing off the painted, cinderblock walls.

"I did what you asked! You wanted to know and now you do! I held up my end of the deal!"

Swift sighs again.

"Hey," a pony from the last cell on the row grabs Swift's attention. "Are you going back to the holding cells?"

"What's it to you?" Swift asks the pony who is now standing up off his own bed and is walking over to the bars. Speaking up loud enough for everyone in the downstairs part of the P.D. to hear, "I was just hoping you could shut that crying bitch up!"

Swift looks at the pony for a moment but to his surprise the pony that was yelling stops. Swift looks at the pony in the cell expectantly. "Is that really all it took?! Sweet Celestia," the pony mumbles and walks back over to the bed. Swift chuckles and continues walking and turning left down the hallway to the holding cells.

Each cell has a wooden door with a rectangular, bullet proof window above the door knob. Swift passes by three of the cells before finally seeing a pony.

The pony is a soft but dark blue, with a light blue mane that kinks up in the front, as if it were trying curl.

Swift puts his fake badge to the door's card lock and inserts it. The light on the lock flashes red and then green and the door opens. The pony looks up at Swift with a tear in his eye, then he looks back down. "Here to tell me another broken promise?"

Swift scoffs sarcastically. "Such hostility"

"I have a right to be hostile! They lied to me," the stallion yells. He doesn't seem much younger than Swift, maybe his early twenties.

"What did they lie to you about," Swift asks him. Cooperation is key.

"They told me that if I gave up to the location of that drug deal, they would let me go free and no charges."

"How did you get into this situation?" The pony starts to stand up and Swift gets in a defensive stance and says in a stern voice, "Sit back down!"

The pony looks at him in shock and sits back down. Returning back to the question, the pony answers, "I got busted during a previous drug deal and was arrested and they said if I turned on the others they would let me go and put me in witness protection."

This news is good for Swift because now he has an easy reason to take this pony with him. "What did you say your name was?" Swift asks.

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours," the pony responds, Swift's eyes narrowing.

"This is not a game that two colt's play when their parents aren't looking," Swift begins to raise his voice to make sure the point comes across loud and clear. "You can either tell me your name and I can go fulfill that promise they failed to keep or you can keep playing games and rot in this cell for a length of time based on your judge's discretion. Choose now," Swift finishes, relying on the pony to not overthink it.

And he doesn't. "Okay, okay! My name is Sapphire!"

"That wasn't so hard was it?" Swift asks but instead of letting him answer, Swift continues, "I'm Agent Shock Wave with the Equestrian Bureau of Investigation."

"That's how you are going to fulfill your promise right," Sapphire asks him more rhetorically than anything.

"Correct. I'll be back with some papers to get you released. Sit tight." Swift lets the door close behind as he makes his way back up to the offices to get the release papers. On his way down the hallway of cells the inmate that stopped him earlier says, "Thank Celestia for whatever you did back there to shut his ass up."

Swift smiles as he continues walking and says "You're welcome."

Swift then passes the cell with the young stallion in it. He is now lying on his back with his wings spread out against the cold, stone floor.

~~~~~~~~

Swift stops back by Sliverwing's office and enters unannounced. "Sliverwing, I need release papers for Sapphire."

"I can't just let you-"

"Not optional."

Sliverwing sighs after attempting and failing to make another remark. He pulls the papers out of his desk and slides them towards Swift. "Thanks," then Swift thought about the colt down in the cells. "Hey, what is that colt doing down there? How'd he get here?"

"Simple theft, again."

"Let me get another set of those papers."

"Swift, come on," Swift clears his throat in warning to Sliverwing for using his real name, which Sliverwing ignores. "You can't release every single pony in here, you know?"

"I know that. Think about the favor I'm doing for the tax payers though," Swift says, knowing that either way Sliverwing will give him the papers. That's what being on a payroll means. Swift doesn't like to threaten the ones he pays to be on his side. By bringing that up in brings a level of mistrust and that's just not something you want when dealing with these type of things.

"Fine, here," Sliverwing reluctantly pulls out another set of papers and slides them across the desk. "I hope there is a favor coming my way."

"As always," Swift responds as he leaves the room.

~~~~~~~~

After going through the long process of signatures and authorization, Swift is heading back down to the cells to give them to the respective ponies.

He decides to surprise the colt by walking past him and continues walking to Sapphire in the holding cells. Opening the door to the holding cell, Swift walks in and flops the stack of papers on the floor and drops a pen next to it.

"I've marked everywhere you need to sign so go ahead and hop to it," Swift tells an eager looking Sapphire as he scurries over to the papers.

He quickly and quietly fills the papers out and gives them to Swift. When he finishes, Swift takes them and motions for him to go first out the door.

As they go back down the hallway, Swift stops Sapphire by stepping on his tail and drops the papers and tells him to wait.

Swift slides the papers across the floor and into the cell that the colt is in. The papers bump him on the head and the colt jumps up and spins around. He first looks at me and to the papers looking a little confused. "My name is Agent Shock Wave with the EBI and today is your lucky day."