Author's Note

Well, writer's block and laziness are my two biggest enemies.

Anyway, here we have a new chapter; I hope you guys like it.

Stay tuned, because I'll try to have part four ready soon, and we'll reach the conclusion to find the one behind Sapphire's murder!

Edit: The last part was getting too long, so I added the last interrogation to this chapter.

Broken Sapphire (Part 3)

Discord spent the night walking around the city, questioning all those that were close to Sapphire. Most were annoyed at being woken up so early, but either cooperated out of friendship to the late singer, fear of Discord and the rumors about his strange powers, or just to go back to sleep.

Around 9 am, he crossed paths with the detective again. And with 'crossed paths', I mean arresting him for hanging an earth pony from his balcony to get him to talk.

Pushing the complaining draconequus out of the building with his paws cuffed behind his back, Rainbow couldn't help but curse her luck. The club owner just happened to as stubborn as her.

"You know, I have more important things to do than play 'Cops and Robbers' right now," he complained, tossing the handcuffs at her. Rainbow caught them in disbelief.

They not only adjusted to fit the person, but were also magic-proof due to having cold iron on the inner side. You either used the key to open them or applied a lot of brute strength to break them. And Discord had done neither.

"How...?"

"It wasn't a challenge at all. Maybe one day I'll teach you how to do it, but now I'm busy," he simply stated, turning around and walking away.

In a dash, she was hovering in front of him stopping his advance with a hoof pressing his muzzle. "You're not going anywhere," she ordered, reaching with her other front leg to the weapon at her belt.

It looked like a wand, big enough for her to hold with one hoof. A white crystal shone in the top, charged with magic. She had the setting to 'stun' by default, so it wouldn't do too much harm to him.

"Detective, I'm immortal; getting shot will just ruin my suit," he snorted, getting her hoof off his muzzle and spinning around with her in a dance, sending the pegasus away while twirling like a ballerina.

Rainbow blinked, trying to process what just happened before once again blocking his path. "Why do you insist in getting in the way?"

Discord groaned but decided to humor her; maybe being honest he could convince her to stop pestering him. It always worked in movies, after all.

"An injustice has been committed; something... I can't ignore. Something I don't want to ignore." That had him confused. Sapphire was good company, but in the end they weren't that close. And yet here he was, taking a temporary leave from his retirement just to find the ones responsible for her murder.

Well, there was a reason he'd been given that accursed job in the first place: he didn't tolerate evil going unpunished. So that was probably why.

Rainbow looked at his quieter attitude, and a part of her understood. If a friend of hers was killed, she would do anything in her power to throw their murderers to jail.

Still...

"I can't have you messing in this case and getting yourself or someone else killed."

"I'm touched, detective, but you seem to forget that I'm immortal. No one in this world can kill me," he assured with the utmost conviction.

"Forgive me if I don't want to take the risk," she deadpanned. The draconequus took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Ok, this is taking us nowhere. I want to catch whoever's behind this murder, you want to catch whoever's behind this murder, no force in the universe is going to stop me, I get the feeling you won't stop annoying me about that..." he said, gesturing at himself and at her alternatively before sharing his idea, "...so how about we work together to solve this?"

She blinked, not expecting that. "Are you serious?"

"Why not? That way we'll both get what we want. You could use the help, if the fact you're the only officer here is any indication," he added, looking around to see if he could catch sight of any other cop in the vicinity.

She ruminated that for a while, her gaze never leaving him as he patiently waited. Finally, she sighed.

"Fine. But only because I can keep my eyes on you that way."

"I assure you, I can be pretty useful." Seeing her reluctantly gesture with her hoof for him to continue, he complied. "I have the power to bring out people's innermost desires."

"So, you read minds?" she asked skeptically; Discord's eyebrow rose in confusion as he looked at her.

"Wha-no, that's not what I said. I can make people reveal those secrets they wish to hide from everyone, those desires they don't share with anyone. I ask, and no lie can come out of their lips."

"That sure would make my job easier," she mumbled.

"Here, let me show you; look into my eyes and tell me: what do you wish the most in life?" His red eyes stared into her reddish-violet ones, his mind focusing on that raw emotion in her, those things she kept buried within.

Rainbow just lifted an eyebrow. "Apart from you acting like any normal person?" she deadpanned.

Discord blinked, bemused, before gazing at her more intently; he was pretty sure his power was in the 'on' position. But she just gazed at him unimpressed.

"Well, this has never happened to me before," he said in utter confusion."It seems my power doesn't work on you."

"How convenient," she answered sarcastically while flying away, wondering if she's going to have to drag him to the asylum at the end of the day. Discord followed her, still looking befuddled.

'This pegasus...' he shook his head, a smirk pulling at his lips. 'Just when I thought nothing could surprise me anymore.'

Fast Beat was an old, brown pegasus that worked as a manager. He had worked for many a person, from utter failures to a couple of stars, and gone through so much drama that few things could scare him.

Opening his door to find Discord at the other side did the job.

"Nice to see you too, Beaty. Mind if we come in?" the draconequus greeted, ignoring the stallion's girlish scream and entering the house with Rainbow behind.

"What are you doing here?" he managed to say once he managed to get over the surprise. And fear.

"Just came to find out if you were the one who had Sapphire killed," he answered nonchalantly, making the pegasus even more nervous.

"WHAT?!"

"Let me handle this," interjected Rainbow, pushing Discord aside and showing her badge." Detective Rainbow Dash; I'm working in Sapphire's homicide last night and came to ask you some questions, if you don't mind."

"No!" he exclaimed quickly, before clearing his throat and talking in a more controlled tone." No, it's ok."

Being interrogated by a detective was way better than being interrogated by Discord, after all.

"You were Sapphire's manager, right?"

"Yes, she hired me a couple of years ago and I like to think I did a good job in helping her reach the stardom. She had all the potential, of course; but she was bad at making a schedule or choosing the right events. And don't get me started on her albums!"

"Have you had any problems with her lately?" questioned the detective.

"No, not at all," he said too quickly.

"Don't lie to us, buddy; did you two had problems lately?" Asked the draconequus, looking straight at his eyes while walking closer, aiming at the ager and resentment inside the pony.

Fast Beat panicked and closed his eyes, facing anywhere but Discord's gaze.

"Fine, I'll talk! But no freaky powers, please!"

While Rainbow looked confused-and with a hint of disbelief- Discord snorted in amusement and looked at her sideways.

"Sometimes all you need is the right reputation," he explained smugly.

"We ... had something between us," he confessed before frowing. "But when it was getting somewhat serious... well, I caught her in bed with a younger stallion."

"Heh, I guess she didn't like them old in the end, did she?” chuckled Discord before Rainbow elbowed him. "Hey!"

"So, what happened after?” she asked, glaring at the draconequus.

"We argued and broke up... but we kept working together; we gained a lot of bits, after all,” he finished, before noticing Rainbow's incredulous look. "What? It's hard to get a job as a manager these days, and not everyone could deal with Sapphire's horrendous lack of business savvyness. It was for our mutual benefit to keep working together."

"Mutual benefit for their wallets, maybe; though experience have taught me that we can trust the greed of mortals in these cases, "murmured Discord to the detective. "But just to be sure: no deep-buried wish to take revenge?"

"Well, yes... but I didn't have her killed!" he answered defensively. "I... may have been the one to give those gossip magazines the dirty, juicy details of her private life as payback."

"Oh, so it was you! I suppose it was a fitting punishment for her, all things considered," Discord mused; it was hard to tell with so little information. It depended on how serious that relationship was, and what Fast Beat had revealed. You wouldn't believe the number of magazines published that talked about the lives and scandals of the famous.

Ignoring the draconequus, she addressed the stallion again. "Where were you last night?"

"I was working on the studio; paperwork."

She'd check his alibi later; she then showed him a picture of the murderer.

"Have you ever seen or had any contact with this dragon?"

"No; who would want to deal with those reptiles?" he scoffed.

"Like you furry mammals were any better," Discord pointed out, grabbing the stallion in a mocking hug with one arm. "If you're not responsible, do you know of anyone that could have wanted her dead?"

Fast Beat rolled his eyes and snorted. "A name does come to mind..."

If Applewood was the top of the cinema world, Manehattan was the top of the musical one: every great musician and singer of Equestria had worked or even launched their careers from there. The city was full of studios, opportunities and a mountain of broken dreams.

Rising Wings Studios was one of these places, were the few rose to fame and glory beyond their wildest dreams while the many run away in tears and utter failure.

"I never understood what is it with ponies and their need to put such names to everything." muttered Discord, glancing at the humongous sign at the front of the building. "I mean, 'Rising Wings'? That's not even a good one."

"It's just how we are," answered the pegasus. "Though I admit sometimes we come up with ridiculous ones."

The interior was elegantly decorated, with red carpets and lustrous furniture. Multiple pictures of famous singers and bands adorned the walls.

A light blue unicorn with yellow mane approached, cautious of the strange pair.

"Can I help you?"

The pegasus flashed her badge. "Detective Rainbow Dash; we came to talk with Swift Lyrics. Is she here?"

The mare nodded. "She's busy finishing Sapphire's album."

"What?" they both asked.

Seeing as she was dealing with a detective, she gestured with her hoof for them to follow, taking the pair through a lateral hall and into the depths of the studios.

"In her memory, a group of friends are finishing her last album."

"And donating every bit to charity, I presume," inquired the draconequus, arching an eyebrow.

"Er... I guess?" She didn't sound so sure about that last part."Anyway, Swift Lyrics is one of them."

They arrived to a room full of singers, musicians and producers, checking instruments and chatting between them. The mare gestured to the group with her head. "She's the unicorn mare with the white mane."

Thanking her, the pair continued forward, catching the attention of almost anyone thanks to Discord's appearance.

"Swift Lyrics?"

The mare in question was tall, with a red coat and her mane was braided in an elegant ponytail; she wore a simple white dress.

"Yes?" She answered, stepping forward.

"Hello, I'm detective Rainbow Dash and-"

"Discord, yes; I know him," she interrupted, looking at him nervously.

"Now, that's no way to greet someone, Swifty," chastised the draconequus, coiling around her. "It's not like you had something to hide from me, something you don't want people to know..."

His face rested right in front of her, his red eyes piercing right into her soul. "Like orchestrating a crime. Or do you?"

She closed her eyes and covered them with her hooves. "Could we please talk about it in private? And without that freaky glare?!"

Rainbow pushed Discord aside, to the latter's annoyance. "Of course."

They retreated to a side room; Discord threw himself over the expensive couch while the ponies sat in a near table.

"This has to do with Sapphire's death, right?"

"Yes; we believe someone hire this dragon to kill her," Rainbow answered, showing her the photo. Swift's eyes widened almost imperceptively. "You know him?"

"O-oh, no. No, I don't. It's just... he's ugly." She reluctantly admitted.

Discord gestured with his talon for her to continue. "And it's wrong to give your opinion of his appearance because...?"

"I have enough issues already without people saying I'm a dragon-hater. More than one great artist has had their careers ruined for expressing such opinions on other species."

Rainbow nodded in understanding; even though it's been decades since the equestrian monarchy approved the citizenship for the non-pony species and allowed them to take residence in Equestria, there was still ways to go in the social aspect.

"Ok, let's get back on track; how was your relationship with Sapphire?"

"We were good friends," Swift answered.

"That's not what we've heard," pointed out Discord with a smile, like he'd caught her stealling a cookie from a jar. "So, how did your relationship went from good friends to orchestrate her death?"

"I didn't kill her!" she jumped, slamming her hooves on the table.

"I know you didn't; I found the responsible, and it seemed like someone killed him," he added, picking something between his teeth with a claw. "So, am I wrong? Or did you have her killed?"

Switf Lyrics looked away as Rainbow chastised Discord.

"Let me do this, ok?"

Discord snorted but lifted his paws in surrender."Okay, fine. She's all yours."

"We've been told that you weren't exactly close, or even amicable as of late."

"...We met when we both arrived at this city. Manehattan is the dream of every colt and filly that wants to reach stardom. We suffered together, always relying on each other for help. Finally, we got our chance to become singers," she remembered with a longing smile that promptly disappeared."But the music world is fierce, and you can only trust yourself when you want to become a star. Our friendship suffered a lot, and we ended up becoming rivals."

"So, given the choice between your dreams and your friendship, you both chose the former. Understandable, if somewhat disappointing," resumed the draconequus.

"Where were you last night?" questioned the detective.

"In a party with some friends; they are in the other room, if you want to check."

"I'll check the alibi; you finish here." Discord leaped from the couch and walked through the door.

Rainbow turned back to the singer. "You may not been closed as of late, but can you think of anyone that might have any reason to have Sapphire killed?"

The unicorn thought it over for a few seconds. “Well, there's her manager, Fast Beat. And her lover, Fancy Pants..."

After checking out the unicorn's alibi, they left the studios to search for their new suspect. An hour later, the peculiar duo emerged from a train station, having taken the subway to the other side of the city. It would've been faster for Rainbow to go flying, but this was less tiresome and Discord couldn't run as fast as she could fly. Reluctant as she was, they were working together and they were going to stick together.

Being noon, Discord took the chance to buy a pair of sandwiches from a fast food place at the station.

"You know, they may have gone with one of the most uncreative names I've ever heard, but they sure know how to make a good meal," he commented while eating his extra large sandwich.

"Yeah, I think I'm going to order there from now on," she agreed, munching on her normal-size one. "So, who's Fancy Pants? There are so many noble families I can't keep track of all of them."

"He's a descendant of a long line of soldiers; his family originally amassed their fortune through the pillage of other nations and rewards given to them by the crown. I think that's how they became nobles in the first place," the draconequus answered as he finished his sandwich. "When Equestria stopped their conquering and warmorgering ways, they decided to try their luck in other fields; Fancy's grandfather opened a wine cellar, and managed to survive two economic recessions. His father almost put them on the street due to never working a single day on his spoiled life and living off of every bit earned through decades of hard work. Luckily, Fancy Pants is more restrained and wiser than his progenitor."

They'd reached a luxurious building, way taller than Discord's club and house. "Though he might not be as restrained as he seems to be, if he was Sapphire's lover."

"What do you mean?" she inquired as they entered, flashing her badge to the doorman.

"He's married, if I'm not wrong."

After taking the elevator the the penthouse -and Rainbow almost shooting the speaker to stop the most obnoxious elevator music in the universe-, they came out to a small hallway leading to a elegant door, with a small plate that read 'Pants'.

They knocked, and a maid opened the door. After the usual scream of terror Discord got from the most skittish beings that roamed the planet, they were led to a room were several ponies in elegant suits were sitting by a table. If the snobbishness in the air was any indication they were nobles, businessmen, or both.

"Master Fancy Pants?" The maid guiding them called. "I'm very sorry for interrupting, but this is urgent."

The smartly dressd, white unicorn with blue mane, tail and moustache looked at the newcomers and his eyes widened when he recognized Discord. The noble excused himself from the group and walked towards the pair.

"Thank you Golden Chalice, that will be all." The mare bowed and left the room. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Discord. I've heard about you, your successful night club and your growing influence in the city."

The draconequus smirked. "Seems like my reputation precedes me."

"I presume you wish to conduct business with me? Though I don't know why it could be so urgent for Golden Chalice to interrupt this reunion."

Instead of answering, Discord turned to the pegasus. "So, do you want to do the honors or should I do it?"

Rainbow showed the unicorn her badge. "Mr. Fancy Pants, I'm Detective Rainbow Dash from Manehattan's Police Department. I-we are investigating a murder, and we wanted to make you some questions."

The ponies on the table looked among themselves while Fancy Pants looked alarmed for a second.

"A murder?"

Before Rainbow could answer, Discord butted in."Yes, Sapphire Shores' murder, to be exact. We've been told you two were lovers, so we came to see if this was a passional crime or, in case you're innocent, if you could give us any clue to catch the responsible."

Fancy Pants grew more horrified with every word; now the ponies looked aghast, murmuring with between them in an alarmed tone. Rainbow facehoofed and elbowed him in the side.

"What? That's why we came here for."

"Why don't you let me do the talking?"

"Le-let's talk about this in private, please." The unicorn practically pushed them to a nearby room, sweating bullets. When he closed the door he turned to Discord, angry and nervous.

"Why did you have to say that in front of them? This could very well ruin my standing among the upper class!"

"Solving this crime is more important to me than your reputation, little mortal," Discord answered almost nonchalantly.

"We are getting out of track. Though I apologize for his lack of tact." Rainbow tried to amend, shooting the draconequus a glare.

Fancy Pants sighed in resignation. "Well, what's done is done. I'll have to talk to them and explain things before rumors spread."

"We came here to make you some questions. We were told that you and Sapphire were lovers; is that true?" The detective started.

"Yes, we were. We met like a year ago in a party... well, more like waking up the day after in the same bed, with no recollection of how we got there."

Discord chuckled. "Never happened to me, but I've seen it before; it's hilarious."

"From there, we got together once or twice a week to chat, one thing led to another and it wasn't long before we shared a bed again." He explained in a hushed tone, like he didn't want anyone listening. Unbeknownst to the ponies, there was someone listening through the door.

"It's sad what happened to her, but... c'est la vie. You never know when it'll be over." He finished, a genuine expression of sadness in his face.

"Or when your wife is going to spy on you through the door." Discord pointed out, a smirk in his face.

As the ponies turned towards the door- the stallion utterly scared- a tall, slender mare of white coat and pink mane and tail entered the room, her steps elegant and her expression... well, it wasn't a friendly one.

"F-Fleur, my dear!" The unicorn said, sweating even more now.

"Fancy." Was her cold acknowledgement. The alluded turned towards his guests.

"She's my wife, Fleur De Lis. My dear, Detective Rainbow Dash and Discord."

They nodded in greeting and Rainbow shook hooves with her. "A pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise. So, have you come to interrogate my husband about his lover's death?"

Fancy looked like he'd received the death penalty. Fleur looked at him and rolled her eyes.

"Oh, yes, I knew. You weren't exactly subtle."

"Okay, before this descends into a fight between a cheating husband and a betrayed wife, I'll make the questions." Discord held Fancy's head and glared into his eyes. "Did you have any reason to kill Sapphire?"

He couldn't turn his eyes away, and he felt the word pouring out of his lips. "No."

Discord let him go as Rainbow stepped forward. "Where were you last night?"

"In a party, with my wife and a few friends." The pegasus turned to Fleur for confirmation, and she nodded.

"Ok, then let's go to the potential suspect number four!" He turned to Fleur so fast the slender pony took a step back, startled. "Did you have Sapphire killed to take revenge on your husband?"

The mare couldn't stop the words from coming out her mouth. "N-no. I've been sleeping with Stormwing as payback." She answered almost robotically before shaking her head in disbelief. 'Did I actually say that?'

"STORMWING?!" Fancy Pants exploded. "My rival?! My archnemesis?! That pompous, arrogant, SAD EXCUSE OF A PEGASUS?"

Fleur looked at him, utterly furious. "Who better to take revenge with?! And let me tell you, hypocrite, he sure knows how to please a mare! You should call him and ask for advice!"

"WHAT?!"

"Excuse me-" Rainbow tried to interrupt, to no avail.

"Yes, you heard right! Not only is he richer and a better businesspony, but he's a better lay! Another thing he surpasses you in!"

As they argued, their guests forgotten, Discord leaned towards Rainbow.

"I think I broke the dam holding her anger back."