Manehattan Law

The dim lights of the interrogation room was turned on and the Don was sat down. He didn't look too worried or anything and judging by his clothing and smell, the Don had been living rough for the past couple of days. Chase sat down opposite the Don while Sharp chose to pace around the room, keeping a careful eye on the Don.

The Don was a pegasus and as per police protocol, his wings were tied to prevent escape. He had a balding brown mane and was dressed sloppily in what looked like the remnants of a tuxedo.

"Okay Don Copa- whatever. Start talking!" demanded Sharp, banging his hooves on the table.

"Haha!" laughed the Don. "Where'd ya get this guy Chase? This colt's been watchin' too many crime dramas on TV."

"You don't talk like that to an officer of the law, criminal scum!" spat Sharp.

"Oh boy, this keeps gettin' better and better don't it!" chuckled Copacello.

"Sharp, zip your mouth," whispered Chase, getting a huge headache.

"You're lucky Chase here is more forgiving than I am cos' if he wasn't here, they'd be scraping your brains off of the floor!"

"Whoa Chase, he's good," snickered Don, still not convinced. "Anyways Chase, let's get down to business."

"I'm listening."

"Can you guess why a rich and successful leader of one of the most powerful families in Manehattan is robbing a jewelry store all by himself?"

"I dunno, you tell me," Chase folded his arms.

"Because everything I own... is gone. The cars, the mansions, the businesses, the money, the territory, my colts... poof," explained the Don, making an exploding motion with his hooves.

"Just like that? All in an instant?"

"Just like that."

"Well too bad Copacello, kingdoms rise and fall. I guess your time had come."

"Maybe. But there's something off about the pony who kicked me off my throne."

"Yeah? And what's that?"

"He was a unicorn. Came out of nowhere one day and asked to join the family. Within a month, almost all my colts was on his side. Then in the night, he struck. He and his colts assaulted my mansion and what few trusted bodyguards I still had didn't stand a chance. He beat me up and threw me down the mansion steps. Said I wasn't even worth killing. That I was weak and that my criminal empire belonged to him now."

"What's so weird about that? That happens all the time. You should've been more careful."

"I just found out a few days ago Chase. This unicorn's been goin' all around Manehattan takin' over gangs! He's becomin' too powerful. Even the Commission's under his control."

Well, that can't be good. The only thing keeping Manehattan from spiraling into chaos was that the gangs often fought amongst each other. Kept each other weak and in check. If all the gangs are united, that could mean trouble. Big trouble.

"What's his name? If I'm ever gonna stop this guy, I'm gonna need a lead here Copacello."

"Nopony knows, Chase. He just goes by the name of Shadow."

"Why come to me though? Why not just tell the Chief?"

"Cos' if there's ever somepony I can trust, it would be the colts I fought. We understand each other."

"Alright Copacello, I'll look into this. But I ain't making promises."

"Nopony's supposed to get that much power Chase. Even I understand that. This 'Shadow' needs to be stopped or this whole city will be razed to the ground."

Chase motioned to Sharp, who had been silently listening to the conversation from the corner of the room. He nodded and led the Don out of the room. Chase sat silently on the chair, thinking hard about the conversation that had just transpired.

After a few minutes, Chase exited the room to meet with Sharp.

"What was that?" asked Chase.

"What was what?"

"That!"

"I don't..."

"The interrogation! Don Copacello was right, you've been watching far too many crime shows. Either that or the Academy changed the interrogation techniques sometime ago. Just please... don't act angry... it just... doesn't work for you."

"Okay, I'll be the good cop and you'll be the bad cop."

"Uh... no. How about you be the silent cop that doesn't say anything and I'll be the cop that talks to the suspect. Okay?"

"But come on! All you've ever done is do everything yourself! You gotta let me help! You gotta let me do something!"

"No!" shouted Chase, maybe a little too loudly. "You mess everything up! Back at the jewelry store: if I wasn't there, the hostage would've probably been dead. It was pure luck that it was Don Copacello who 'wanted' to get captured. What if it was a random robber desperate for a way out!? This is why I don't do partners! They're never good for anything!"

It was as if the whole station suddenly went quiet. Sharp stared down at the floor and shifted his hooves a little. It looked as if he was gonna bolt any second. Chase looked around him. The whole department had stopped what they were doing and were listening intently on the conversation. Chase felt a little embarrassed at the whole fiasco. The rookie started to back away from Chase before turning round and galloping off.

The whole department was still staring slack-jawed.

"This ain't a free show! Get back to work!" barked out Chase, clearly annoyed.

Chase had had enough. He just wanted to get home.