Chapters The thoughts of a murderer
Author's Note
I use three stars, (* * *) on flashbacks and the line when switching days or places.
Chapter 1
In manehattan prison there was only one cell, nopony wanted to approach: Solitary confinement cell cast from reinforced concreate with an inch thick iron door, closed inside it was the deadliest murderer Equestria had ever seen. He was known amongst the guards as a violent maniac, every time he was moved from the cell someone got hurt. During the three years he had been in the prison, he had wounded nearly 15 guards. After the incidents, the Manehattan Correctional Institution was given the special permission of keeping him in the room, without yard time. Only times when anyone entered or exited the room, was the monthly clean-up of the cell, and even then, they sent two guards to suppress the inmate. When the prisoner was first brought in, the guards couldn't believe that he had murdered nine ponies. His appearance seemed to radiate innocence, he was thin and tall, his coat was ivory, and his mane was beige, his emerald eyes seemed to sparkle with joy. When he had walked through the doors he had smiled and waved at the nearby guards. When they spoke to him, his personality seemed to be kind and calm instead of violent and threatening. But when one of the guards had walked too close, he had seized the opportunity and bitten her on the neck. The guard was barely saved, and the others had seen this inmate's true colors. In file that held his info, had only one name on it, Kvetch.
He laid on the bed, staring at the clock on the opposite wall. In the room were very few items, his bed, a small table next to the bed, a small chair on the other side of the table, and the clock. From the objects in the room, it was most entertaining to watch. A small hatch in the door slid ajar, "Kvetch, you got a visitor." the hatch closed and after a while the door creaked open. Two guards walked into the room, batons at ready, behind them walked an orange pegasus mare with a white mane and yellow eyes. Under her wing she carried a clipboard. She walked over to the chair and sat down, placing the clipboard on the table. "Good day, my name is Solarspot. I requested for a permission of interviewing you and got lucky, the MCI has generously arranged a small two-hour window every Tuesday so I can talk with you." she smiled at him. "I hope you'll co-operate."
Solarspot chuckled nervously, her eyes glancing between him and the guards. "You could say that, but first I'd like to know if you are willing to participate."
Kvetch laughed a little, "Are you kidding me? of course I want to participate!"
"Great! I hope starting tomorrow isn't too soon?" Solarspot asked, smiling widely.
"Not at all, I got nothing but time." Was his answer, the guards and the reporter left his room.
The newspaper Solarspot worked for resided on the third highest floor of a 20-story high-rise, the company had rented it as an office space because it was the only one, they could afford. Tightly packed cubicles filled the floor, leaving only narrow paths between them. She sighed and pushed her way to her own small workspace, just as she was about to sit down, the phone on her desk started to ring. She picked it up, "Solar on the phone."
Solarspot walked into her boss's private office, and saw her employer shouting into a phone. "I know that we haven't paid yet but I can't magically create more bits! If I could, I wouldn't be talking to you!" He noticed Solarspot and pointed at her, "You! Don't move!" He yelled into the phone for a while longer before finally hanging up, his eyes slowly turned to look at her. "You haven't given us any good stories for a while, I fear we have to let you go."
Solarspot stared at him in shock, "Do you mean that-"
"Yes, that means your fired, we don't need reporters without good stories." He gave her a dismissive gesture, "There's the door, pack your stuff and leave."
Solarspot practically jumped on his desk, "Wait! I have a story, or not yet, but soon!" She dropped the clipboard on the desk. "He already agreed to be interviewed, all I need is time!"
Her boss read through the notes and sighed, "Fine, I'll give you time to finish this interview, but if it sucks, you're out."
She hugged him, "Thank you so much! You'll not regret this!" Solarspot hurried out of the room, leaving her boss yelling at the phones.
Kvetch was yet again staring at the clock, he frowned. The ticking was slowly losing its entertainment value, becoming more irritating. He looked around the room, trying to find something else to observe. The door slowly opened, he watched in surprise as the two guards walked into his room. Behind them walked Solarspot, "Hello, today is the first day of our interview." she walked to the table and placed the clipboard atop of it. She looked at Kvetch, "Mind if I sit?" He shook his head, Solarspot sat down and pulled out one of her feathers. "I brought the ink but forgot my quill, strange, isn't it?"
Kvetch shrugged, "Wouldn't know, I never used quills." He slowly walked to his bed and sat on its edge, "So, what do you want to know?"
Solarspot pondered for a moment, "I'd like to know about your family."
Kvetch thought for a while before answering, "My mom had me when she was around 19, my father left her when he heard that she was pregnant, and my brother was born eight years after me."
Solarspot wrote down some notes, "Where's your brother now?"
Kvetch leaned back, resting his head against the wall. "Don't know, we lost contact a long time ago."
Solarspot dropped the feather on the table, "I heard that your mother mistreated you, is that correct?"
His left eye twitched, "Pass, I'm not answering that."
Solar was taken a bit aback at his response, "Oookay, when was the first time you acted violently?"
Kvetch leaned away from the wall, "I think it was when I was ten, and trying to train my dog."
* * *
"Come on Duke, sit." The old dalmatian in front of him tilted its head, "Sit, sit, come on, it's not so hard." Kvetch looked at the dog, he pushed its lower back gently downwards "Sit, you can do it, sit." the dog turned around, about to walk away. "I said sit!" He shouted angrily and kicked the dog, the dalmatian spun around and bit his leg. He yelped from the pain, his horn lit, and he hit the with a stone. He heard the dog wince and try to run away, his magic surrounded the dog's tail and pulled it back. He hit the dog with the rock repeatedly until it stopped howling and whining, Kvetch staggered backwards and stared at the dog in horror. "Oh, oh Celestia what have I done!?"
* * *
Solarspot was speechless, she stared at him in utter shock, mouth hanging open. One of the guards shuddered in disgust. Kvetch sat on his bed, smiling, as if he had told a bedtime story.
"I'm sorry, you beat your dog to death!? Why!?" Solarspot watched him in confusion, as if demanding an explanation.
Kvetch crossed his legs over his chest, "Well, he disobeyed me, and he bit me. There's two good reasons."
Solarspot felt sick, she looked at the clock, only half an hour to go. "Did your family know about what you did?"
His left eye twitched again, "Pass, another question."
Solarspot arched an eyebrow, "Are you, afraid to talk about your family?"
Another eye twitch, "Pass."
Solarspot frowned and placed her front hooves on the table, "What did your mother do to you?"
Kvetch seemed to get angry, his left eye twitched. "Pass."
"You can't just-"
"Pass!"
Solarspot pulled away from him, his voice was loud and commanding, almost like her boss when he was angry.
Kvetch calmed down, he looked her in the eyes. "I will tell you next time, if the guards stay outside."
Solar nodded, "Deal."
Solar opened her front door and stepped in, she lived in a surprisingly big apartment. She had three rooms, bedroom living room and a kitchen. Her houses furniture included a living room table, kitchen table, a sofa, few chairs and a bed. Solar looked at the living room and sighed, "What a mess, I should probably clean up." she stared at the tower of empty pizza boxes and tin cans covering the table. "Maybe tomorrow."
Solar gulped, "Hi mom, I'm fine, how are things on your end?"
"Everything's great! This town near Cantrelot is so cool, there's always something going on. But I was curious, how are your classes."
Solar froze on the spot, "My...Classes?"
"Yes, in university, you told me you got in. I'm so proud of you."
Solar felt ashamed, she had lied to her mother about getting in the university and forgotten about it. "Oh those classes, they are doing fine, don't worry about them, but listen I'm in a bit of a hurry so..."
"Oh, of course, by honey, I love you."
Solar hung up, she stared at the wall for a moment. Closing the bedroom door, she walked to the bed and slipped under the blanket. "Tomorrows a new day
The thoughts of a murderer
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. The thoughts of a murderer
The files that Solarspot had taken from the police station had sparked her interest, but after reading the first three, her the eagerness had started to fade. Every murder was more brutal than the last one, the methods ranged from stabbing to choking, to drowning. While reading the investigation reports, Solar found it surprising that they had ever caught the culprit, there was nothing in common between the victims, no motive, no eyewitnesses, each murder had happened at random times in random places. She closed the file of victim 8 and rubbed her eyes, she turned to look at the alarm clock on her nightstand. 1.34 AM
Last victim of Manehattan mass murderer was identified as Cinnabar, 22 years old. The suspect was caught in the scene of the crime. She was found after her neighbor had contacted the authorities; the neighbor had been concerned for the victim's wellbeing because he hadn't seen her leave the apartment for over seven days, he tried to contact her by knocking on her door. He was alarmed when a completely unknown pony to opened the door, he had made an excuse about needing ingredients for cooking. When the unknown pony had closed the door, he had hurried back to his apartment and called police. Two officers were sent to check out the situation, 20 minutes after they had reached the destination, one of the officers requested immediate back-up. When the reinforcements arrived at the scene, one of the officers was lying on the hallway, bleeding from multiple stab wounds. The second officer had succeeded in knocking out the suspect, but in the fighting, she had lost her left eye, broken three ribs and had dislocated her elbow.
The victim was still alive, when she was taken out from the apartment. She told the police that the suspect had drugged her, tied her to bed and tortured her. She perished from her wounds, on the way to hospital.
From the autopsy was later revealed, that the suspect had kept her alive for four days, her skin was full of small cuts with remains of salt in them. Cause of death, blood loss.
Solarspot looked up from the file, her face a shade of sickly green. She dropped it on the bed and turned around to run into the bathroom to vomit.
Solar walked to the confinement area, the two guards looked at her and walked over. One of the guards floated a quill in front of her, "Is this your pen?" the quill was coated in blood, its sharp end had bended and broken in half.
Solar stared at the pen, "Wha-What happened to it?"
The second guard shook his head, "The prisoner used it to harm himself, when we looked in at the morning, the whole cell was covered in..." the guard shivered. "Blood."
Solar walked into the solitary confinement cell, she tried to act normal despite the news she had heard. "Good morning, Kvetch." her voice wavered, cracking slightly.
Solar shivered, the thought that he had managed to hurt himself to that degree with a simple quill, scared her. She felt a weak pinch of guilt as she observed the walls, "Why would you do that?"
He looked at her, visibly confused. "Do what?"
Solar pointed at the bandages, "Why would you hurt yourself?"
He glanced at his bandaged front legs, "I'm not sure, I guess I got bored."
Solar decided to change subject, "While reading the files, I noticed that none of your, 'targets' had anything in common. Why did you do it, was there a motive?"
Kvetch glanced at the clock, "How about this, you tell me the victim's number along with a name, and I'll tell you how it happened. It will make this a lot faster."
Solar inhaled deeply, trying to prepare her mind for the horrors she was about to hear. "Number 9, Cinnabar."
Kvetch smiled, "The last one."
* * *
A knock on the door pulled Cinnabar from her thoughts, she stood up and started to walk towards the apartment's front door, while walking she tried to remember if she had forgotten a visit from her family. She pulled the door open, finding herself face to face with a white unicorn. "Can I help you?" she asked hesitantly.
The unicorn smiled at her, "Why hello there, I'm here to deliver your mail."
Cinnabar eyed him suspiciously, "What happened to the previous post worker?"
The white unicorn's smile was replaced by a sad expression, "He got into an accident and broke his leg."
Cinnabar blinked, "He?"
The unicorn looked at her, seemingly confused before starting to smile. "Yes, she broke her leg, and I was sent to replace her." he pulled a small parcel from his saddlebag, "Here."
Cinnabar took the parcel, "What is this?" she opened the small box and saw a syringe. "What-"
Kvetch watched as Cinnabar woke up, he walked next to her, floating a knife in his magic. She saw him moving closer and tried to get up, she was stopped by the ropes tied to her hooves. Cinnabar looked at him, panic rising in her, "Who are you!? What do you want!?"
* * *
Solar wrote something on her clipboard, "From the files, I know that you tortured her by making small cuts on her skin and sprinkled salt over them, why?"
Kvetch scratched one of the bandages, "That's a trick I learned from my mother, these wrappings are really itchy."
Solar dropped the quill on the table, "So you were creating a scenario where you were your mother?"
Kvetch halted all movement and stared at Solar, for a moment the room was eerily quiet. He slowly stood up from his bed, "I wanted to create maximum amounts of pain, I didn't create a scenario or fulfill some weird fantasy." his voice was calm and deep, trickling with venom. "I, am nothing like my mother, she was a demon and I'm a pony."
Solar felt fear grow inside her, she pulled out another file, "Number 8, officer Trotter." her plan to distract Kvetch worked perfectly.
"That officer got close at apprehending me, I respected her enough to kill her quickly."
* * *
Officer Trotter was on her night patrol, she liked them more than day patrol, the streets were emptier during at night. While walking near the outer edge of the town, she noticed something on a small alleyway, a white pony was laying on his back, unmoving, his head was hidden under a brown hood. She turned to the alleyway and walked to the pony, "Hello, sir? are you alright." The pony didn't respond.
Trotter was sweating nervously, "Lower the knife and back away, you are threatening a police officer."
The white unicorn on her back chuckled, "I know, that's what makes this exciting. Walk backwards to the end of this alley."
She complied and started to slowly retreat, for her surprise, the unicorn felt very light. An idea came to her head, "I'm giving you one last chance to lower your weapon." the unicorn started to laugh quietly. Trotter braced herself and jumped back first against a wall, her assailant lost his grip on the knife. She turned around and pushed him against the wall, "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to a-"
"Shut the hell up!" The unicorn kicked her in the stomach, air escaped her lungs forcing her to let go. She quickly recomposed herself and pulled out her baton, she struck him on the back, causing him to fall to the ground. He shouted angrily and charged towards her, before she could stop him, he tackled her to the ground.
She stood up and lifted the baton, breathing heavily. "W-who are you?"
The unicorn smiled sadistically, "I'm what you call Manehattan mass murderer , a flattering nickname, really. But my actual name is Kvetch."
Trotter suddenly felt cold, in front of her was the one pony who had made the night feared again. She levitated the baton between them, "Y-you don't have to do this." tears started to form in her eyes.
Kvetch laughed, "I don't have to, but I want to!" he launched the knife towards her. She felt the blade digging into her shoulder, she screamed in pain and swiped her baton towards Kvetch. He lifted his left front leg and blocked the strike aimed at his head, she could hear the bone crack. He twisted the knife and pulled it out, stabbing it into her chest. Trotter fell to her knees in agony, her focus shattered, and the baton dropped on the street. She slowly lifted her tear-filled eyes to look at Kvetch, "Please, don't do this!"
Kvetch pushed her head against the wall, "You fought well, now, you will rest better." he placed his right hoof under her chin and his left hoof atop her head, he pulled her head back and pushed her chin sideways, snapping her neck.
* * *
A tear rolled down Solarspot's cheek, "I think, that this is enough for today."
Kvetch seemed sad, "I didn't want to kill her."
Solar stopped to look at him, "What?"
Kvetch sighed, "She was a fighter, not like those guards who pretend to be, she broke one of my bones and outwitted me. She shouldn't have died, but, she saw me and there was no other option."
Solar stood up and walked out of the door, mixed thoughts in her head.
Author's Note
9 Cinnabar
8 Officer Trotter
Who's next?
The thoughts of a murderer
Solar pushed open her apartments door, she walked in and dropped her bags on the cough. "Another visit, another clue." She walked over to a nearby door, pulling it open. Inside was a small closet with a whiteboard attached to the opposite wall from the door, on the floor laid dozens of paper stacks ranging from casefiles to newspaper clippings. On the whiteboard was a jungle of differently colored lines, pointing from a picture to a name or witness report.
Solar picked up a read pen and wrote on the board, VIOLENCE.
Solar started to read through the different files, trying to find anything important that could help her. On one of the pages, she noticed something interesting. After the suspect had been brought to custody, he had one visitor. "Who would want to visit a murder suspect?"
Solar knocked on a green door with a number eight embedded on it, she listened as footsteps moved closer, A black pegasus with a lightgray mane opened the door.
The pegasus smiled happily, "Sure, come on in."
Solar walked inside, "Thanks! I'd like to talk about your relationship with your brother, I'm writing an ar-"
"Get out." The pegasus turned around to glare at her with his bright red eyes, "Get, out, now."
Solar blinked, "Sir?"
The pegasus walked over to her and started to push her towards the door, "I'm not talking to any reporters about me, my childhood or my brother, please leave."
Solar managed to stop herself by grasping the door frame, "But I really need to know, can't you make an exception?"
"No!" The pegasus violently showed her into the hallway and slammed the door shut.
Solar knocked on the door, "Come on! Why not?"
"Leave me alone or I'll call the police!"
Solar groaned in annoyance, "Fine, I'll leave!" she turned around and walked away.
Kvetch watched as the cell door was slowly pulled open, a smile crept on to his face as Solar stepped through the door.
Solar rolled her eyes, "If you were wrongly accused then I'm the queen of Equestria."
Kvetch's smile widened, "When is the coronation, your highness?" his eyes locked on a bruise on her side. His smile faltered slightly, "Where did that come from?"
Solar followed his gaze, "What, the bruise? Your brother caused it."
Kvetch stared at her silently for awhile before bursting up laughing, "You went out to find him?! Why?!"
Solar sighed and sat down, "I thought I could interview him as well, to get his side of the story."
Kvetch stifled his laughter and shook his head, "He clearly didn't agree with you. Tell me, was he as kind as I remember?"
Solar scoffed, "He was anything but kind, he literally kicked me out from his house!"
"To be fair, he was pestered by reporters for a long while after I got caught."
Solar glanced at the bruise on her side, "Even so, he could have been a bit more polite."
"Talk about polite, I see that the guards are still staying outside." Kvetch tilted his head slightly, "Why?"
Solar glanced at the door, "I thought you would be more comfortable if they weren't eavesdropping on our conversations."
Kvetch chuckled, "At least you still have a sense of humor, most who talked to me lost it quite quickly."
Solar smiled weakly, "I wonder why."
Kvetch stood up from his bed and walked to the other side of the table, "So, any new inquiries for today?"
"Yes, when we met the second time, you told me a psychiatrist diagnosed you with ASPD, what kind exactly?"
Kvetch looked at the clock in thought, "She said that I had sociopathic tendencies, but she was never very good at her job."
Solar nodded, "Okay, my next question: What was your reason for torturing victim 9? You didn't do that to others, was it personal?"
Kvetch thought for a moment, "Do you know why some ponies love music or organizing?"
Solar raised an eyebrow, "Yes, but what does that have to do with this?"
"Simple," Kvetch sat back on the edge of the bed, "When a pony who composes music finishes a piece, they are filled with pride and joy. When a pony who loves to organize creates a perfect event such as wedding or birthday party, they feel accomplished and happy."
Solar glanced at Kvetch nervously, pieces of a puzzle slowly clicking in place. "Are you saying, that killing makes you happy?"
Kvetch grinned, "No, I'm saying killing made me proud, it made feel important, powerful. The fear in their eyes just before their deaths, made me feel alive."
Solar felt a shiver of disgust travel down her spine, "That's so wrong! Why?!"
Kvetch leaned forwards, his eyes locked on hers. "Because only god can create life, and only I could end it, for a few fading seconds, I was as equal with god. I held in my hooves the power to decide if they would live or die, I existed above your kind of fools who bow down to society."
Solar knocked on the cell door, signaling the guards to open it, practically jumping out as soon as she had a chance. After Solar had left the cell, Kvetch turned to look at the table. "She left her clipboard behind."
As soon as Solar got out, she hurried to the restrooms. She kicked a stall open and vomited, missing the toilet completely. Solar backed away from the stall into one of the corners of the restroom, she curled up into a ball and covered herself with her wings. The thought of somepony torturing other for joy made her want to throw up again, she sat still for hours, shaking and sobbing.
The door opened and a guard walked in, she noticed Solar in the corner and blinked in confusion. "Miss, are you alright? Do I have to call an ambulance?"
Solar lifted her head and looked at the guard, "No, I'm fine. Just, distraught."
The guard sighed, "You're the one interviewing inmate 487, aren't you?" Solar nodded. "I understand, I was the one who brought him here." the guard walked to Solar and sat down in front of her, she removed her helmet. "I'm the one he bit."
The guard stood up and offered Solar a hoof, "His tales might be horrifying, but those can't hurt you. You are safe."
Solar sighed deeply and took her hoof, she stood back up and hugged the guard. "Thank you."
The guard chuckled, "You're welcome." she turned around and walked out, leaving Solar alone again.
Solar stepped out from a elevator and walked through the news office, she stopped in front of her bosses office and knocked on the door. The door was opened and she walked in, her boss was sitting behind his table.
Solar walked to the desk, "I can't do it, I can't write an article about 'Manehattan mass murderer'."
Her boss slowly leaned forwards, "You will or you're fired, Solarspot."
Solar shook her head, "I can't, his stories are just, too grisly. I can't handle that!"
"Well you begged me for a chance and I gave you one, you'll either write me an article or pack up your stuff. Your choice."
"You can't do this, you know I need this job!"
Her boss smirked, "Yeah, I know. I just don't care, you will write that article, Solarspot, because no-one else agrees to do it."
Solar turned around, defeated. She walked out of the office and headed for the elevator, "That fucking arrogant son of a bitch!"
Author's Note
"It's hard to recognize the devil when his hand is on your shoulder.
