Undercover

by Silverwings Productions

Rating: teen
Tags: Gore, Violence, Princess Celestia, Dark, Death, Alternate Universe, Thriller, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Mystery, Bon-Bon
Length: 7062

A Canterlot detective must find a way to bring down an enemy from her past after an accident lands her in the present day.

Royal Detective Marnie Nightingale, a unicorn mare, leads a great life. She's a prodigal detective, working her flank off to protect the public, sometimes going undercover to bust the bad guys. However, after a tragic accident which nearly costs Nightingale her life, she finds herself in the present day... or future, from her perspective.

And then she finds out the mafia she was trying to defeat is still around.

And then the police chief is corrupt.

Can she manage to expose the chief and save Equestria from the iron hoof of the mob?

Published 2020-07-15 06:10:01 UTC
Last updated 2020-07-15 06:10:01 UTC

Part I: Bring Me To Life

Canterlot Star Evening Special: Hayseed Mafia Capo Arrested after Battle with Guards

by Ocean Blossom, reporter with the CSNN

16 June, 990 CS

A lone unicorn mare trotted her way down the cobblestone streets of Canterlot, glancing around in no particular fashion as she went. The moon was out, shining brightly down on the cobblestone walkways, giving everything a somewhat eerie look. A light breeze ruffled the leaves on some nearby trees and the lapels of the mare's trench coat, yet she paid no mind. She couldn't possibly care any less about the weather. She had her mind set on the mission. He'd come into sight any time now, walking by like he owned these streets. "Well," thought the mare, "Sorry, but these streets aren't yours."

She ruled the streets, and she knew it.

And sure enough, here came this handsome-looking stallion in a business suit, trotting by on the other side of the street. The mare glanced his way, and upon making absolute certain that nopony else was around, briskly doubled back to follow the business-pony at a safe distance. They continued on like this for some time, until the mare checked her surroundings one last time. Once she was sure nopony was around, she began the process.

"Freeze!" she ordered the stallion.

The stallion immediately froze in place. He turned around to see a unicorn mare in a tan trench coat levitating a silver badge in her teal aura, icily staring him down behind a pair of sunglasses. "I'm with the Royal Guard," she continued. "You are under arrest for racketeering."

"Racketeering?!" thought the stallion. So they'd caught him. Perhaps one of his own was the informant. He made a futile attempt to protest his innocence, but to no avail. All that came out was some sort of mumbled stutter as his mind worked overtime to make a solution.

"Hey, are you even listening to me?!" the mare barked.

And with that, the business-pony dashed away at a gallop, the mare following close behind. He ran down the street, attempting to get away from this pony who had the intent to arrest him and bring him before the Day Court. He couldn't get turned in, he had far too much at stake! He began to shove ponies out of his way as he came upon the shopping district, and with a sudden crash, a collision with a bellhop's loaded luggage trolley sent him sprawling through the air, the pristine streets being littered by suitcases as the trolley fell over. He landed on the cobblestone with a sickening crunch, blood running down his muzzle. But he refused to give up. Instead, he slowly and painfully lifted his head, and fired a laser spell at the pursuing detective. She expertly dodged it, casting a shield spell before returning the favor. So began a magical shoot-out on the streets of the city, causing the many civilians to scatter about for their own safety.

"It was nuts!" an eyewitness told the Canterlot Star. "These magical beams were like totally everywhere, and the stallion had retreated to cover despite his injuries! I called the police to back up their detective, and when they did arrive, boy did it get intense!"

Another witness, whose name was withheld for anonymity, stated: "I felt like I was watching an action film."

As it turns out, the suspect had backup of his own, for he was no ordinary criminal. He was a member of the Hayseed Mafia, the most feared crime family on the streets of Canterlot. According to our interview with the Canterlot police chief, he was a mob capo, so he was rather high in rank within his criminal organization. And by the time the additional Royal Guards arrived, the stallion's grunts were on the scene. They too were clad in the same all-black suit that the first mobster was wearing, and upon arrival began to fire their magic towards the courageous guards, who fought back with full force.

Unintelligible shouting could be heard amidst the destruction according to our reporters. We believe it to be either orders shouted by the sergeant on scene or vocal commands to get the mob to surrender. And as the battle wore on, one by one, the Guards took the mobsters into custody, but not before one of them fired off a spell in a last-ditch effort.

His spell flew off and hit the side of a building, where the detective was standing. The building's side exploded into rubble, some of the bits of plaster, cement, and rock impacting the mare's right side. According to Royal Canterlot Guard Police Officer Hammond, some of the shrapnel tore into the detective's side and face, becoming lodged there.

"And then, a burst of magic, an explosion, and the detective fell," an eyewitness told the Canterlot Star. "There was blood everywhere, and we were like 'Sweet Celestia, hope she's okay.' She was just laying there, bits of rock lodged in her right side." According to the RCGP, the detective, whose name is Marnie Nightingale, is in critical condition, and it's unclear whether or not she'll survive.

"Our hopes and prayers are with Nightingale's family," Royal Guard Military Police chief Gold Star told us. "We are uncertain on Nightingale's state at this time."

After the detective was rushed away to the hospital, more Guards moved in to investigate the scene. Crime scene tape was put up, and evidence markers set about. Several mobsters were also taken to hospital, where they remain in serious but stable condition. We cannot say for certain as to why this was, but according to our reporter, the RCGP was not willing to answer any further questions regarding their investigation of this incident.

According to a press release by the police, the instigator of the shootout had several warrants for crimes ranging from racketeering to conspiracy to commit murder, along with ties to the Hayseed Mafia. He had a bounty on his head weighing in at no less that ten thousand bits, and as stated in previous news reports, the Guard urged those with any information to step forwards.

After a dastardly murder gone wrong in the alleys of Canterlot, the capo forgot to cover his tracks, and the Guard was able to trace his hoofprints. They were able to track the stallion to his residence, where the detective was sent tonight with a warrant in her possession. However, upon the detective's arrival, she learned from neighbours the home was empty. Once more according to several sources, she performed a search of the residence, which turned up no results. The detective then asked around, being told that the stallion had proceeded towards the shopping district, where the shootout happened.

Stay posted for updates regarding this situation.

Police Detective Involved In Shootout Placed In 'Cryogenic Storage'

by Ocean Blossom, CSNN reporter

17 June 990 CS

We have received word that Detective Marnie Nightingale has been placed in a state of cryogenic storage after her injuries following the explosion during the shootout on the streets of Canterlot were deemed too severe to heal by magic or medicine. Said Chief Gold Star: "It is with deep sadness that we announce that earlier today, Detective Nightingale's injuries were deemed too bad for us to heal. As such, the doctors in the hospital saw fit to place Miss Nightingale in a state of cryogenic storage to preserve her body and mind should the technology or medicine or magic be developed one day to fully heal her. There is a highly advanced spell in place which will prevent Nightingale from aging, so that she may take up her duties as a detective once more should the technology come about."

The Nightingale family is deeply saddened by this news. Our thoughts and prayers will be with them.

Miss Nightingale's relatives have refused to speak on this incident.

The extent of Detective Nightingale's injuries are not known for certain, but our sources believe them to be extensive chest damage, including several broken ribs. The doctors have helped her to the best of their abilities, but they were not able to fully heal her grievous wounds. We hope that Miss Nightingale will survive her injuries, yet we cannot say for sure.

"With all due respect, we need someone with her skills on the streets."

"She's an old relic! Why would we need a pony who's spent the past ten years frozen in an ice cube?"

"Because much like you, the detectives Celestia uses are woefully incompetent."

He was silent for a moment. "Fine. I'll go contact the Princess about this."

"What the? Where am I?"

"Canterlot Castle, Detective Nightingale."

"But-but I was on the streets last time I checked!"

"Nightingale..."

"This can't be happening! What the Tartarus is going on here?! Everything's so different!"

"Calm down, Detective. You're fine."

"...Am I dead?"

"No, Nightingale, you're not dead. Knowing that you've been comatose and in cryogenic storage in this laboratory under the castle for the past ten years, you're probably going through quite a bit of shock right now."

"You think?"

"Well, allow me to catch you up on things. Today is 17 June 1000, exactly ten years to the day that you were put in cryo-freeze. We've brought you out of storage at the request of SMILE to take up a role on the royal force once more."

"You want me to work for SMILE?"

"Well, not exactly. You see, I want you to work as my own personal detective. Nopony today possesses the sheer investigative skills which you have. You, of course, will have the final say in whether or not you will accept my offer, but there is always cryogenic storage."

"So you're still a bitch, huh? Well, nopony threatens me like that, Princess or not, got it? And fine, I'll take up that offer, but I'm not saying that I buy that cryogenic storage horse-shit!"

"Perfect. I'm glad to see you haven't lost your snarky spirit in the slightest. Now, as your first assignment, I'm sending you back out on the streets. You're going to Ponyville."

"Ponyville? This place in the middle of nowhere?"

"Correct."

"What's so important there that your royal detective absolutely must to look in to?"

"Remember the Hayseed Mafia?"

"The ones responsible for my accident?"

"Exactly. Even ten years after that shootout, their boss still is Public Enemy Number One. I need a pony with your skills out there to counter that threat. And I'm sending you to Ponyville because that is where, according to the Guard, many of his informants reside."

"So, you want me to bring this guy in? Sure thing, Princess."

Marnie Nightingale rapidly trotted down the streets she now knew to be her home, her badge on the necklace she wore flapping in the breeze as she ran. She had just seen this pony, a silver-coated pegasus stallion. She recognized him as someone with ties to the Hayseed Mafia, and upon attempting to make contact, he fled, leaving barely a trace. Where in Equestria did he go? She cast a quick spell to reveal his hoofprints, and quickly concluded that the fugitive had ducked down an alley. Continuing down the street, she feigned disinterest and trotted right past the alley before doubling back and glancing around. Upon making certain nopony was following her, she moved in.

The night made the alley darker than normal, but with the aid of a quick light spell, Marnie could make out several ladders and fire escapes dangling down into the darkness, adding a creepy feeling to the place. They creaked as they swung in the breeze, giving the detective the impression that they could come crashing down at any moment and bring a swift end to her... again. Oh, how that reminds me of that incident, Marnie thought. Was it really ten years ago? Or was this some sort of prank on a grand scale?

For the sake of quelling her own racing thoughts, Marnie tapped the side of her head with a hoof. No, definitely not a prank. That being settled, she continued down the alleyway, clearing left, up, and right, just as she had been taught to do in basic training. And oddly enough, there was nothing. That's not right... She checked once more, this time going about and overturning various crates and barrels in search of any place this suspect could have gone. Her frustration mounted as her search wore on, muttering and cursing to herself as she treated each crate with seemingly an equal amount of force and frustration. She had just lifted a wooden crate in her teal aura when suddenly...

Wham! Hoof made contact with fur, in a spot Marnie pinpointed to be behind her right ear. Stars filled her vision as she whipped around to see the assailant, the very same stallion she had been chasing earlier, fleeing the alleyway. She cast a teleportation spell and warped to the end of the alley before taking off at a full gallop in pursuit of the pegasus. Duh, no wonder he landed a sneak attack! She barked orders to the crowd of curious ponies to get out of her way as she came barreling through at full speed, the wind ruffling her tan coat and her long black mane flowing out behind her as she went. She easily closed the distance between her and the suspect, and once she estimated the distance to be close enough, she cast a teleportation spell and tackled the pegasus from behind right before he tried to enter a small shop in an attempt to throw off the detective. The two collapsed and crashed through the pair of wooden front doors that made up the entrance, landing on the establishment's hard tile floor. Here began a scuffle, Marnie dodging the attempts of the stallion to land a punch on her, and the pegasus in turn trying to throw the mare off of him. She wrestled with him for a few moments longer before hoof hit fur once more and she heard her jaw crack painfully. She froze in surprise; a rookie mistake. In that moment, the stallion was able to knock her to the ground, pinning her between his hooves. However, before he could do any more damage, Marnie swept her back legs across in a leg-sweep tactic, knocking the stallion to the floor. She scrambled to her feet and attempted to tackle him, but he was able to slip away by flying.

In response, Marnie cast a freezing spell on him, for not only was she a strong mare, but she was more than talented when it came to wizardry. Her knowledge of spells still far surpassed that of even most of Celestia's own magic researchers, and she knew it too. There was only one mare smarter than she was, and that was none other than Celestia's protege. And even then, it was a close match.

The spell had the desired effect, for it locked the suspect in place long enough for her to cast the secondary restraining spell. And then, she realized that the fight had moved outside the building, taking notice of the rather large crowd of spectators. With both spells in place, she lowered the pegasus to the floor, her magic still in place. "Don't move," she ordered bluntly. "You are under arrest for evading and assaulting a royal agent."

The stallion groaned in response.

"Alright. Now listen up. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You also have the right to consult with an attorney before you answer any questions. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you. You may choose to exercise these rights at any time, and refuse to answer questions. That being said, do you wish to answer my questions?"

A practically shouted "No!" was the only response.

"Do you require medical treatment?" Marnie asked while she cast a communication spell to request backup. Once that was done, she ran a quick medical scan spell over her captured suspect, and to her great relief, found that she had not injured him. Sure, there were a few minor scrapes and bruises, but it was nothing a quick spell couldn't fix. She considered herself lucky, for she knew that wrestling with a pegasus risked damage to their wing bones, which were incredibly fragile and extremely difficult to heal. That, and without any major injury to the suspect, she'd managed to weasel herself out of any extensive paperwork.

She decided then to check herself over in order to determine the damage he'd done to her. She was no stranger to being kicked, beaten, spat at, knocked down, you name it. It was all in the line of work she chose to do. She chose to become a detective, and she knew the abuse that would come with it. In fact, she'd had an abusive family growing up, so she was no stranger to the beatings. However, something about this seemed more painful than usual. Perhaps it was the fact that this was only her second week after being brought out of cryogenic storage, but she couldn't say for certain. Her spell revealed the damage, which to her relief was only a fractured jaw and some blood on her coat from a slight gash in her side. Marnie quickly cast a basic first aid spell to disinfect and prevent the side wound from becoming infected, and by that time, her backup was on scene.

The backup consisted of a pair of ponies from the Royal Guard Police's Ponyville Division, who took the stallion away on charges of fleeing and assault. They'd question him later, after Marnie returned from her twelve-hour patrol. That was the only downside of this job; the long hours. She would oftentimes work grueling and sometimes utterly boring twelve-hour patrols, only to return to her substation and spend an additional two-plus hours doing whatever needed to be done with the endless piles of reports, files upon files of paperwork, and questioning. It paid nice, that was for sure, and the perks were great, but deep down, she resented the fact that she'd only manage to get four hours of sleep on a good day. Oh well, she'd often tell herself, That's what energy drinks are for. While the other agents cleared out and the crowd dispersed, she removed her first-aid kit from her saddlebag and popped a painkiller to ease the shooting feeling in her jaw before adjusting her badge necklace and disappearing back into the crowd, becoming an ordinary pony once more.

By the time the sun began to rise, Marnie was once more trotting up the steps to the Ponyville police station, incredibly worn out. She opened the large double doors with her magic, and once inside, flashed her silver sun-shaped badge to the pony behind the spell-proofed reception counter. The pony, a uniformed older mare with a brown mane, nodded and let the detective pass, using a hoof to open a door for her.

Nodding her thanks to the earth pony, Marnie proceeded through the door and into the small portion of the town center building dedicated to law enforcement. Since it was a largely peaceful town, Ponyville only had a force of four cops plus the admin at the desk. There was no need for a force the size of the one in Manehattan or Canterlot, and even with the PPD's small numbers, many seemed to think that it was too much. Marnie would oftentimes find herself wondering the same, if this town really needed a police force at all. It wasn't like they worked much, for one had a day shift and the other three patrolled around at night without much to do.

At least I have something that's actually important to do in this town, Marnie thought as she entered the large conference room. She passively noticed the time on the analog clock that jutted out from the wooden wall as she sat down in one of the plush black chairs, stretching her legs and sighing contentedly, finally able to relax a tiny bit. She took a minute to gather her thoughts before casting the communication spell, bringing an image of the Princess forth. "Good morning, Marnie," the princess spoke, her tone ever so cheery.

"Morning," Marnie replied through gritted teeth. Here came the ever-so-annoying small talk. She absolutely despised small talk, for in her mind it served absolutely no purpose whatsoever. It was like the bread of the conversation, holding no nutritional value and just being a filler.

"And how is my private detective today?"

Marnie grunted and rolled her eyes. "I'm fine."

"Any updates?"

"I arrested someone who matches the description of an informant to our target. He put up a good fight, too."

"Oh?"

"I'll see to it that he gets sent to Canterlot for questioning."

"Good. In the meantime, I'm going to send a supervisor to Ponyville-"

Marnie cut her off. "I work alone. And I'm no rookie. I don't need a supervisor."

The image of the Princess wavered a bit, her expression changing ever so slightly. "It's ill advised to be a lone wolf. I don't want something to happen to you out there."

"You sent me to a small town in the middle of nowhere; nothing's going to happen to me. Send the supervisor if you want, but keep in mind that I don't need one!"

Celestia was silent once more. She knew her detective was snarky and oftentimes overly confident. She also knew that Marnie could jump to conclusions rather quickly, and it seemed that this is what was happening here.

"Is there anything else?" Marnie continued.

"No, no, nothing else. We'll talk tomorrow. I bid you good day." With a nearly inaudible click, the spell ended, and Marnie was once more alone in the expansive conference room. She again stole a tired glance at the clock, noting the time to be around six. She stood up and trotted over to the entrance, turning the doorknob in her aura and proceeding back down the hallway. She reached the reception desk and simply walked by without greeting the receptionist, going so far as to literally and intentionally knock two officers going in to work out of her way before she angrily stormed out the door.

She trotted up to her small home in one of the residential areas, a quaint straw-roof cottage identical to every single residence in the town. Wearily she opened the door and immediately went straight for the bathroom, closing the front door behind her. Once inside the white-tiled room, she glanced at herself in the mirror above the sink, taking note of the minor wounds she sustained from last night's patrol. She was no stranger to scars and things like that, but something about it made her cringe. Perhaps it was the vivid memory of the arrest gone wrong all those years ago. All those years ago, and I haven't aged a day, she thought. It was true, there was some sort of anti-aging spell imposed upon her body while in cold storage, but something about it was disturbing. Why did they care if she aged?

And there I go, overthinking things again.

She felt too worn down to take a shower, so she retreated to her bedroom. An unmade bed greeted her, its pillows and covers all lying about at odd angles, with the comforter lying mostly on the floor. The mattress sat slightly shifted off its box spring, the fitted sheet somehow clinging on to the sides, undisturbed. Her floor was strewn with cans of energy drinks, some crushed, others just there. With a yawn, she made sure the curtains were closed and hung up her saddlebags along with her badge necklace, and crawled into bed. As a last thought, she opened the drawer of her nightstand and saw, much to her satisfaction and great relief, that her switchblade knife was still where she kept it. With that reassurance of self-defense in mind, she closed her eyes with a sigh and began to drift off...

...Only to be rudely awoken by her neighbours playing their music incredulously loud. The booms of bass mixed with the high-pitched noise of a violin echoed throughout the street, the sound making the detective's head throb. How in Equestria did ponies consider something as awful as that music? Still exhausted, Marnie sat up and drew back the heavy violet curtains, bathing the room in sunlight. She glanced out the window, and much to her surprise, realised the windows and doors of her neighbour's place were all shut. With a groan, she grabbed a pillow and placed it over her head, attempting to drown out the noise.

Marnie woke from her horrible nightmare with a start, glancing over at the clock. It was eleven in the morning, and the neighbours were still blasting their music. Quickly, she decided that pursuing any form of rest or sleep was pointless, and rolled herself out of bed. She headed over to the mirror and ran a brush through her mane, smoothing out the snarls and tangled bits in the thick black mop. Once that was taken care of, she smoothed down her tan coat, and grabbed her badge, placing it around her neck. Next, she made sure everything was locked, and proceeded out to the streets. She had her destination in mind, given that they were still open.

And as she trotted up to the red-roofed establishment, her face lit up with a slight smile. The small golden bell above the door chimed as she walked in, signaling the arrival of a new customer. The pleasing scent of fresh-brewed coffee was a welcome scent indeed, having a rejuvenating effect. Some cheerful music was playing as she entered, and she even went so far as to nod to the beat of the popular Candle Light Orchestra song. As she slid into the bar, Marnie was welcomed by the owner of the shop, a burly earth pony stallion with a stubble and a gruff but friendly voice. "Ah, Detective Nightingale!" he greeted happily. "How goes it?"

"Fine," Marnie yawned. "Tough shift last night."

"Looks like it," the stallion replied, glancing the slight mare over. "What'll it be for you? The usual?"

"Sure thing. Thanks, Burt."

As the stallion prepared her coffee, the detective glanced around the familiar coffee shop, looking for anything out of place. Nothing seemed wrong, but she did catch a nearby conversation which piqued her interest. Slyly, she cast her glance to the left without turning her head and swiveled her ears to listen in.

"...I'm telling you," the first pony, a younger pegasus mare with a long brown mane said, "The heist is pointless. Might as well just rob it when everyone's looking, that would work wonders!"

The second pony, a greasy-looking stallion with a blonde mane, sighed in frustration. "This is why we don't let you make the plans, Stratus!"

"What's your idea then, if you're so smart?"

Silence. Which meant consideration. Studying. Planning. Inwardly, Marnie laughed to herself. This stallion was an open book. He was far too easy to read. She turned her attention back to Burt, muttering to herself. "A heist, huh? Heh, shouldn't talk about stuff like that in public now, should we?"

"What was that, Gale?" Burt replied, a bit confused.

"Nothing," Marnie replied with a slight smirk. She hadn't been called 'Gale' by anypony for quite some time. True, it was her nickname, but only those closest to her would address her in that manner. Which was no-one.

Burt shrugged and slid the coffee over to the detective, who thanked him promptly and took a sip. The coffee felt good on her tongue, its bitter taste energising and satisfying as the caffeine began to set in. This was exactly what she needed. Nothing like a good pick-me-up after being awake all night and barely sleeping. However, something about the chat she overheard puzzled her. Why discuss your plans for a heist in public? She mused on this subject as she sipped her coffee. It was like they had wanted to attract attention. As if they were trying to elude to something... almost as if they wanted her to hear it...

Oh, no.

Quickly, Marnie finished her coffee and slammed some bits down on the table, thanking Burt as she practically galloped out the door. She had to find those two ponies. Her first stop would be the police station, in order to search the records for the name of the pegasus mare. She muttered the name to herself over and over, burning it into her memory. "Stratus, her name was Stratus."

She burst through the door to the Ponyville Police Department and flashed her badge, not bothering to wait for the receptionist's approval. Immediately she made her way to the records room, an expansive dome lined with file cabinets stacked all the way to the roof. Using nothing but dead reckoning, she deduced that the files were in alphabetical order and arranged by category, and Stratus' records would be under C for Criminal Records and S for Stratus. Once again using her sheer logical thinking capabilities, Marnie discerned the location of the files and quickly teleported herself there. She rifled through the drawer, holding several folders in her aura as she went. Nothing seemed to match, no records on a mare called 'Stratus' at all. Perhaps Stratus was her surname. It was within the realm of possibility, and somewhat likely. Either that or it was an alias.

Why didn't I think of that sooner? Marnie asked herself as she began to go through the S files in the surname sub-section. Regardless of her searching, she was unable to uncover any results whatsoever. Slightly discouraged and very frustrated, she left the station, making her way over to a convenience store to purchase an energy drink.

"Alright everypony!" a greasy stallion with a grey coat and blonde mane shouted, various kinds of knives strapped to his side. "This is a hold up! Nopony move!" He took one of the sharper knives in his teeth, making swinging motions to drive back the ponies crowding by the bank's entrance. So far, all was going according to plan.

"Listen up," his companion, a pegasus mare with a brown mane continued. "We have a bomb in here. If any of you move, we'll blow this place sky-high." She advanced towards one of the teller windows, holding a knife in her wing. She leveled it at the neck of the young earth pony mare behind the window, barking out her next order. "The cash, bitch."

The mare shivered and slowly began to hand over the bits. Unbeknownst to the robbers, the teller had already contacted the authorities, and it wasn't long before an apparition of a tan-coated mare with a long black mane and a badge around her neck appeared in the center of the room. She had a confident air about her, and a can of Mountain Mist held aloft in her teal aura.

"Hey!" the stallion barked. "How did she get in here?!"

The mare pretended not to notice before her ears twitched, prompting her to turn around. Her eyes widened with mock surprise, as if not expecting to see the robbers. "Oh my," she drawled. "Looks like I found myself a little robbery."

"Who the Tartarus are you?" A gruff voice said.

Perfect. Just what I need. "Good day," Marnie replied. "I am Detective Nightingale with the Royal Guard."

"A detective, huh? That was quick."

"I'll just get to the point. Surrender now or we'll have no choice but to force entry."

"We will only surrender once our demands are met."

Typical hostage situation. Oh, how this reminded her of training. She had responded to many a hostage crisis before her accident, and was a very skilled negotiator. She took a long, drawn-out sip from her can of Mountain Mist before replying. "What is it you require?" she asked with a roll of her aquamarine eyes.

"Two million bits for ransom. You have one hour before we start killing hostages."

Marnie sighed. If there was one thing she hated about being a detective, it was all the sloppy crime. It's no fun when you could bring someone in within a matter of hours after the crime was committed. She loved the drama, the adventure of hunting down her suspects. Where was that element of adventure if you forgot to cover your hoof prints? And this was indeed a case of sloppy crime.

She raised a eyebrow, deep in consideration. "I will give you this: You and your affiliates have ten minutes to surrender before the Royal Guard arrives. Fail to surrender within that time limit and we will force entry. Understand?"

"You have one hour."

Marnie finished casting her spell and turned to the two Ponyville officers standing behind her. They were largely silent, refusing to take action thus far into this sensitive situation. They stood there rigid as statues, the evening sun glinting off their gold badges. "Are you going to call the Guard for backup?" The first officer, a grey-coated blue-maned pegasus mare asked.

"Of course not. Not now, at least." Of course, if it got to that, she would call in the Guards, but at this point it was a matter of bluffing. The bluff strategy was largely effective with resisting suspects; you make them think you'll do something to get them to surrender. Here, it seemed to be taking effect, but very slowly.

The tense hour passed, and as soon as the clock tower struck the time, Marnie cast her spell once more. "Good day. This is your last warning. We are forcing entry." She cut the spell and ordered the pegasus officer to stack up behind her while the second, a unicorn, provided crowd control. Once certain that the second officer had set up the barrier spell to keep the crowd safe, she motioned for her to join the other two.

With them lined up on the side of the building crouched just below the windows, Marnie whispered, "Do you know how to perform a standard breach entry?"

"Affirmative," they replied, to which the detective nodded. She waited for the signal, and it wasn't long before the unicorn placed a hoof on the pegasus' back. Upon feeling the pegasus' hoof on her back, Marnie slowly took the door of the bank in her aura and opened it, transferring from the simple grab spell to a charged magic missile spell as she shoulder-rushed into the room. The other two fanned out behind her, the pegasus holding a baton in her teeth while the other unicorn held a spell at the ready.

"Police!" Marnie barked. "Get down!"

Her ear picked up the sound of a spell rushing her way, and she ducked just in time to avoid having her head blown off. Instead, the spell hit the side of a pillar, causing it to shatter into a thousand bits of stone. She took cover behind a potted plant and fired back in the direction of the caster, hearing a shout of pain as the spell hit home. Slowly she emerged from behind the plant, crossing the stone floor now littered with rubble to the spot where the incapacitated stallion lay. She charged her magic once more, and gave him an order. "Don't move. Where are the hostages?"

"Western corner. They're tied up." His mouth curled up into a nasty smile, the kind of smile that signified something dastardly.

"What are you smiling at?" Marnie half-shouted as her frustration rose.

"We have a bomb inside the bank. You just fell into our trap." A maniacal laugh followed as Marnie broke off at a full gallop towards the west corner of the building, her frustration turning to worry in an instant.

Upon reaching the corner, she found no hostages. Had she been fooled? "Detective Nightingale," a voice said.

Marnie whipped around to face the pegasus officer. "Don't bucking scare me like that!"

"Well sorry! I just wanted to report that we've evacuated all the hostages."

"Did you find a bomb?"

"Bomb?"

"Sweep this building. None of us leave until we find it." With an audible snap, Marnie vanished in a teleportation spell. She reappeared in the center of the lobby, using a light spell to see through the dark and dust. As she walked along, bits of rubble and dust settled in her mane and coat, but she paid no mind. She had to find that bomb. She cast a scanning spell to aid her in her search, but soon she had swept the entire building and found no bomb. Had she been bluffed? She met the other detectives at the front of the building, feeling rather flustered.

"Well?" she asked.

"No bomb," both officers reported.

"Son of a-!" A sudden scream from outside the building cut off the detective mid-sentence. She burst through the main door to see the hostages shrinking away from one of their own, whose saddlebags seemed rather laden. He too looked rather panicked, and it was then that Marnie realised that the bomb wasn't in the bank, it was in this stallion's saddlebags. Her training kicked in, causing her to order the other two to get the other hostages outside the spell barrier and check them for any other explosives before she slowly advanced towards the stallion. The stallion was nearly mad now, so she decided to abandon the careful approach and tackle him head on. Instinctively the hostage tried to free himself, and in the tussle Marnie was able to remove him of his saddlebags. Able to regain her footing once more, she quickly lifted the bags up in her aura, holding them at a safe enough distance as to not harm anypony. The bag carrier had now taken shelter outside the barrier surrounding the bank, which gave the detective a sense of reassurance. She braced for the explosion...
KABOOM!

Everything grew muffled. She saw the streets of Canterlot, mobsters in a row, guards in a defensive line, spells flying without rhyme or reason. Oh, buck! Suddenly fearing for her life, Marnie threw herself into the fight. Expertly she dodged lethal spells, but then the building next to her exploded. A searing pain resonated through her as the rubble impacted her, burying itself into her skull and ribs. She was thrown like a rag doll to the hard floor, blacking out from the concussion and loss of blood...

"You're alright! Get a hold of yourself!"

"Exploded! It exploded!" Marnie lay on the dirt ground, quaking. Slowly she realised where she was. At the bank. In Ponyville. Hostage situation. One of the officers was standing above her, a look of worry on her face. "Wait, what just happened?"

"The bomb exploded in your aura," the officer said. "Everyone's safe, but you started acting erratic. You started ranting and raving, before you lost consciousness and keeled over."

"Well," Marnie said, sitting up. "That's strange. How long was I out?"

"Long enough to have some investigators from Canterlot come in and take over. But thank Celestia you're alright."

"Yeah." Marnie began to stand up, glancing around. "Guess we're done here, huh?"

"Yup. See you on the beat."

Hours after the robbery, she was again making her way home. She trotted by an alley which was darkened by the shadows of the buildings in the late moonlight, but as she passed her ears caught a conversation. Her interest grew, and she stopped just shy of the entrance, her silky tan ears swiveling about to allow the detective to listen in.

"-It didn't work."

"That's obvious!"

"Now what?"

"We can't try it again. We need to get their attention in some other way."

Nightingale was so invested in her eavesdropping that she failed to notice a pony trotting up behind her until his gravelly, deep voice tore her from her thoughts. "This ain't no place for a beautiful mare like yourself."

She instantly whipped around, startled by the appearance of this stallion. "I-I... uh, well... um," she stuttered. Come on, cover story, cover story! Think, Marnie! She cleared her throat, finally grasping her thoughts. "Just passing through."

The stallion's eyebrow raised. "Need a place to stay, miss?" he asked as he reached a hoof out, brushing the detective's cheek.

"No!" Marnie shot back. She defensively took a step back. "Keep your hooves off me. I'm warning you once."

The stallion grinned. "You're a feisty one, aren't you?"

"Shut up. Get lost."

"Aw, you're so cute when you get angry."

That was the last straw. She had had enough. She tackled him head on, taking him to the pavement. She pinned him there between her hooves, snarling into his face. "Get lost, scumbag." Nopony touched her that way. She had no time for stuff like that. Thankfully the stallion complied before the situation escalated, but she now knew her cover had likely been blown. Couldn't a detective get any work done around here without being ratted out?

By the time she stumbled through her door, she felt like she could collapse right there in the doorframe. Groggily she locked the door behind her and continued to her kitchen, opening the refrigerator in search of something to eat. After a few minutes of searching she withdrew an energy drink and a prepackaged salad, and retreated to the sofa. Yet, when fur met plush upholstery, she couldn't take it any longer and nodded off.

She woke up some time later to a rapping on her door. With a groan, Marnie rolled herself off the sofa and glanced in the mirror, using a spell to make herself presentable. The rapping still came. "Coming!" she barked. Popping a pair of breath mints into her mouth, she trotted over and opened the door to see a light-tan earth pony mare with a pink and blue mane and dark sunglasses in her doorway. "Good day," the pony greeted.

"What's good about it?" Marnie snarked.

The mare produced a badge. "My name is Special Agent Sweetie Drops. I'm here from Canterlot. You have a new assignment from the Princess."

To Be Continued...