Manehattan Homicide : The Red Laborer

The brown stallion stood at the entrance of the commissioner's office, her door closed. Drinking had been a horrible idea, because now he was cursed with a horrible hangover. He slumped against the wall, gulping down his steaming coffee, trying to rid himself of his slight drunkenness, and replacing it with the movements of a caffeine junkie. The normal bustle of One Police Plaza happened around him -- the sound of small talk, coffee hitting a clean mug, ponies rushing around on their own cases, the scratching of pencils against paper, and lots more that would give even a yoga instructor headaches. He felt lazy as all hell, his eyelids feeling like lead. He wanted to just go back to his small office, sit in his chair, and take a nap, but he knew that wasn't possible with the commissioner's pissedness. He had really ticked her off, and there was no avoiding the small meeting that was laid before him. He stared at the dark door, no light coming through the cracks. I might as well get it over with.

He pushed the door open and saw her, the impeccable mare, sitting behind a long, polished desk. Unlike most commissioners, her whole room was covered with garbage: posters, pictures, and other things, as well as normal things like documents and family pictures. He stared at one of them, a little lavender foal standing under a dark blue unicorn. He avoided eye contact, just standing at the door. Opposite to the walls, her wooden desk was completely cleared out, besides a golden plaque that had Twilight Sparkle embedded into it. She looked at him expectantly. He knew he couldn't do this forever, so he looked at her. Her dark purple hair gleamed from the light above, with a pink and purple streak. Her horn protruded from her bangs, and below it was an unamused expression.

"Well?" she asked expectantly. D'Agosta slowly sat down on the chair across from the desk, the noises echoing in the silent room. She looked like a lioness about to pounce, ready to counter whatever D'Agosta said.

"Sorry, Miss Sparkle-"

"Commissioner Sparkle," she corrected him.

"I'm sorry, Commissioner Sparkle, but I was working on the case."

"You call drinking in a bar working on a case?" she said viciously, baring her teeth. She was fuming. He was wondering how did she know that, but the answer came just as swiftly. She had eyes everywhere, yet she never used them to solve crime. Instead, she stalked her own. D'Agosta knew that he couldn't tell her about Pendergast coming on the case, since he and the NYPD had some history. The FBI in general had beef with the NYPD, since neither could ever cooperate with each other. This was easily proven by every time the FBI encountered a case that they claimed as federal. D'Agosta, and maybe somepony else that he didn't know, was the only one who was friends with an FBI agent, let alone his best pal.

D'Agosta was snapped back to reality by the commissioner's screeching. "I know you're working with that bastard agent!"

"It's mutual, he has a case that is linked to mine, and so we're helping each other. And besides, you know how good he is."

"That imbecile works off of hunches," she hissed. Now D'Agosta was getting mad. She was only hassling him because she hated Pendergast, but he was going to be damned if he let her keep on insulting him.

"He's better then you ever will be," D'Agosta unintentionally blurted out. His cheeks reddened as the unicorn's face pierced through him.

"Excuse me?" Her voice was venomous. Before she could continue, a loud knocking sounded behind D'Agosta. He turned his head, hearing the knocking again at the door. A voice started coming out of a tiny speaker at the corner of her desk.

"Commissioner Sparkle? Uh, I'm sorry I couldn't do anything, but-" the receptionist's voice died out when the visitor opened the door on his own accord. D'Agosta's eyes immediately lit up when he saw a marble unicorn with a black suit.

Twilight stared at him with more hate than D'Agosta had ever seen. "I'm sorry, but I'm in the middle of a meeting." She said it in a passive aggressive tone that silently said get the fuck out, I'm busy.

Pendergast nodded. "I'm aware." Twilight gave her a lengthy stare. Pendergast disregarded it with his silver eyes, instead looking at the Istallion lieutenant. "Vincent, I would like to have a talk with you. I've formulated a plan, and it is simple in essence, but hard in play. I'd like you're assistance." His southern accent was like honey, but it didn't fool the lavender mare in front of them.

"I said," she hissed, looking ready to kill, "we're in a meeting." Pendergast paid no visible attention to what she said, and rather flashed out his wallet, letting it flop out to reveal a golden logo that said Federal Bureau of Investigation.

"I'm dearly sorry, Twilight, but this is important, and I'm considering moving this case to a," oh shit, here it comes, D'Agosta thought as Pendergast said it, "federal level." The commissioner stomped her hooves, getting up.

"What gives you permission?" she said poisonously, her voice cracking midway.

"You see, Twilight-"

"COMMISSIONER!" she yelled.

"I have an unfinished case in Hooflyn, only a short distance from here, so it's safe to assume that these two cases are linked, since they are almost the exact same. Now if I may-?" He nodded to D'Agosta when he asked the question.

She was about to say no again until giving out a sigh of defeat. "Fine." She directed D'Agosta's attention to her with a jab of a hoof. "Don't expect that this is over."

D'Agosta silently exited with Pendergast, Twilight's eyes following until the door closed. The sounds around them returned, everypony having something to do, such as eating donuts or doing paperwork. "Thanks for pulling me outta that mess. So, what did you need? What's the plan?" he said. Pendergast looked both left and right before answering.

"I think we might need a place a little less public," he replied.

***   ***   ***

After collecting their bits, Applejack got the two pals some cups of mid-way cider. D'Agosta was hesitant, since he still felt a slight hangover, but with some coaxing from the bartender he was filled with both resignation and warm cider. Applejack flashed him and the white stallion beside him a yellow-white smile, her freckles going up. They had decided once they got to the empty bar that Applejack could help with the case, maybe seeing who comes in, or putting up a Missing Pony picture for Mildew. Pendergast was still a little hesitant to let her on the case, since he didn't know her.

"This sure is gonna be fun. Ah'm gonna be a cop, bustin' some perps if I see 'em and lookin' out for criminals," she said, taking a sip of her own hard cider. D'Agosta wondered how she was so alcohol tolerant, since she seemed to be drinking something every time he saw her. He'd call her an alcoholic, but she wasn't. Applejack had proven before that she can go forever without a drink on a trip with him to Ponyville. It was on his vacation days when it turned out that the place he'd wanted to stay, the country of Germane, didn't have any routes available. They were all canceled, and so he had decided to hang out with Applejack. She had to go and get a large shipment of apples, because apparently she'd have somepony who worked run off with them. She didn't care that they'd been stolen, not bringing it up with any law enforcement (besides D'Agosta), and she invited him to come with her to a ranch in Ponyville. It was a five day trip, and it sure was great. Only then did D'Agosta notice how attractive she was. He found himself getting lost in her smile, awoken by Pendergast.

"Huh?" he said.

"I thought that we could get everything sorted out now, with Applejack on our team." He spread out all of the documents with telekinesis, as well as some copies of D'Agosta's that he'd made for him. "Mildew is a high suspect, but there are still three other options. Either it's someone with bad relations to Lapiz's family's past, an angry vagrant, or a poor pony with access to high valued wares." He slipped out a poster that he'd made for Applejack, illustrating a yellow unicorn with a green mane and a swirled tail, with Mildew printed above the image. "If you can, Applejack, I'd be grateful if you can hang this on the door or at the bar."

"Shore thing!" she snatched it out of the air, its glow fading, stuffing it under the counter.

"Now, I did some chemical tests with a piece of hair I found at the crime scene. It was yellow, and I tested it for any signs of dye. There were none, furthering the chances of Mildew being the perpetrator. It could, of course, just be a coincidence that her coat is yellow." When Pendergast was finished, D'Agosta felt something snap into his head, like a puzzle piece finding its brother. Yellow hair... He shook it out of his mind for now. He'd decipher what his gut was saying later.

"So, here's my plan. This is what I need you for, D'Agosta." With the glow of his horn, a blueprint was sprawled across the scratched counter top. "This is a blueprint, or at least the most recent one, of the tunnels under Manehattan. From what I've seen and heard, it seems that there is a large group, at least one pony for each ten ponies on the surface of Manehattan, but that is common knowledge. From rumors from the poor, it sounds that they're organized, lead by a wicked zebra. If we," he gestured at D'Agosta, "can sneak in under some disguises, we might be able to get some information that will solve this case. If the ponies under us aren't responsible for the crimes above them, they can at least shed some light on it."

"Sounds good to me." D'Agosta took another drink from his mug. Pendergast's was untouched, still protruding foam like a volcano. Before they could discuss it further, the bell on the door rang, announcing that somepony was coming in. They all swiveled their heads and saw that many ponies were coming in. Rush hour, D'Agosta suspected. Pendergast had quickly gathered all of his materials. Before leaving, he went to D'Agosta's ear and whispered something.

"Meet me tomorrow at ten o'clock AM at the subway near this bar. Make sure to get some rest. I'll bring supplies." He quickly slipped out. D'Agosta looked at a clock on one of the walls, surrounded by corroded road signs and colorful jerseys. It read somewhere near three-thirty PM. I guess I should probably get going. Hitting the hay early would definitely benefit him tomorrow. He'd go back to work, putting in a couple hours, and go out early, making sure to get home early. He got up out of his stool, scraping it across the wooden floor beneath.

"See you, AJ." He waved his hoof at her, sliding his mug her way before heading out. He looked back and saw that Pendergast's drink was taken up from somepony in scraggly clothes and a black beard, who was chugging it.

"See ya, sugarcube."

He slid out onto the streets and made his way back to work. He didn't want to, since the commissioner would probably be waiting for him, but he had to get it over with. He merged into the crowds on the streets, going with the flow to One Police Plaza.

***   ***   ***

D'Agosta trotted through the thinning crowds of Manehattan under the dark skies, the sun on the horizon. Buildings loomed over him, and it had started to rain. Everypony around him either had an umbrella or didn't give a buck, but D'Agosta certainly did. He had a stack of papers stuffed into his jacket, trying to keep them dry as the rain pelted him. He kept getting off track, however, because he couldn't get a certain thought out of his head. Pendergast had said that the perp's coat or mane was yellow, and there were three options. One, however, was stuck in his head. A poor pony with access to high valued wares, Pendergast had said earlier. A loud boom rang across the sky, penetrating D'Agosta's thoughts. He looked up and saw bolts of thunder coming down with the water. He quickly went back to his thoughts. Yellow hair. Poor pony with money. He ran an imaginary image slide through his head, just about everypony he'd seen recently. An orange mare with freckles. A white unicorn. Twlight. His colleagues. A bearded pony. Someone with a red mane. A dead colt. A blue pegasus with a rainbow mane. A pink earth pony. A gray mare with-

He stopped, both physically and mentally, thinking two ponies back. Rainbow Dash... She had access to large amounts of bits, and she had yellow in her hair-

Thud!

His head clanked against another pony who bumped into him. He was about to tell whoever did it to watch where they were going until he saw the pony.

"Sorry," she said in a gravelly voice, her horn's glow dying out, dropping a soaked newspaper that splashed into the sidewalk. She raised her eyes, and they widened, the pupils doing the opposite. She had a yellow coat and a green mane. D'Agosta moved his head to look down her body. She had a curved tail, and she wore clothes that hid her cutiemark. Before he could inspect her further, she brushed past him quickly, hurrying ahead of him. D'Agosta followed. The stranger's pace quickened, as did D'Agosta. She started going even faster. D'Agosta was on her tail. She was now galloping, knocking ponies over. The lieutenant followed through the rain, his hooves splashing against puddles.

"Get back here!" he yelled out as she ducked into an alley. D'Agosta hastened his run, making sure to not lose her. He turned the corner and saw her tail disappear behind another curve, brick walls looming around them. The rain drummed against a roof overhead, and a trash barrel was aflame, with two homeless ponies eyeing the cop in pursuit. He quickly clomped across the ponies, pursuing the tail. When he turned through the corner, he saw Mildew against a tall brick wall, rain splattering her. Her brow was furrowed in determination. D'Agosta quickly ran at her, getting ready to jump. At the last minute, a burst of light occurred, and he looked around to find her gone. He quickly looked behind himself and saw a yellow flank running away. The bitch teleports!

He hurried after her. The thunder kept on, and hail started to fall. This time when passing the homeless, she kicked the barrel over, one poor pony narrowly avoiding it by skidding into the rain. It's contents spilled out, still on fire under the tin roof. Despite this, D'Agosta jumped right through the flames, singing his tail. It was swiftly put out as he was in the rain again, now in another narrow alley.

"Fuck off, cop!" he heard. She was too far ahead to make out colors, and the rain helped, so all D'Agosta saw was a black outline. Then he saw a door swing open, and an old stallion was pushed outside. The lieutenant quickly went over through the door, ignoring the pony in the rain. His surroundings changed vastly, with a yellow, peeled wallpaper replacing the brick, and the floor was now a lush carpet instead of wet asphalt. A grandfather clock stood under a large family photo, with tons of other knickknacks lining the shelves. More lavish furnishings covered the room, with a staircase winding up to the second floor. He clomped up the stairs, and saw the yellow pony above, cowering in fear. "Go away, man," she said in the same, raspy voice, "I didn't do shit!" Her horn glowed, and before D'Agosta knew it, a book case crashed into him from the wall, crushing him into the ground. He wheezed, gasping for air. He slowly raised it, but the mass above him was pushed down with telekinesis. He slowly moved his hoof towards his service piece. He felt the familiar strap, wrapped it around his hoof, and quickly slung it to his mouth, holding it with his teeth. He used his tongue to push the trigger, shooting wildly into a window. It smashed open, glass shards raining into the yellow criminal's mane.

Her magic stopped, and D'Agosta took this chance to give out one last burst of energy. He bucked the shelf up, pushing it sideways into the staircase. The only way out now was through the sharp edges of the window, but Mildew wasn't taking chances like that. She was still shaking her mane when D'Agosta charged, head down, smashing her into a wall. A loud crack! sounded, and the floor boards and wall started to splinter.

In retaliation, her horn glowed, and a shelf swung off it's hinges, raining trinkets onto D'Agosta.

Boom!

The house shook in its frame, the thunder raking the house. D'Agosta quickly recovered, getting ready to shoot again. His tongue moved to an empty space. He looked down, realizing that his weapon must've fallen into the gleaming pile of gold and silver. He didn't have enough time to search. Mildew slugged him in the barrel and started levitating the shelf over the staircase. A searing pain spread across his neck and stomach, but he put away the pain, adrenaline replacing it. Once she was done, D'Agosta ran over and bucked her right in the ass, sending her toppling over the railing. He heard a sharp crack!, and he guessed he had broken a bone. He peered over the railing, the wind blowing through his mane from behind, and saw her foreleg twisted at an unnatural angle. She gave a sharp cry before her horn started to illuminate. D'Agosta couldn't believe what he saw.

Mildew must've levitated her bone, because it popped right into her socket, or it mended itself. D'Agosta vaulted the railing, stumbling over it and toppling into the bottom of the staircase, falling onto his behind. He heard the snapping of wood and saw that the knickknack shelf had tipped, raining vases and valuables onto his head. They all cracked against his skull, shattering. Agony spread through his head, and he was forced to fall, sprawled across the ground. He heard a loud creak, and turned his head.

Bad idea.

He saw the grandfather clock slowly come down on him, crashing right into his muzzle. He lost all strength. He tried to turn his head, but couldn't. He felt a sharp blow to his jaw, forcing his head sideways, the grandfather clock sliding off of him and onto his neck. He felt the air slide out of him. Magic overtook him, and he felt himself being dragged across the room, nearing towards unconsciousness. His lips felt wet, and he tasted something warm. Blackness started to close over his eyes. The last thing he saw was Mildew, an end table raised over her head.