Equestria Crimes: Fillydelphia

Vinyl followed Chief Haybale and Lt. Scarlet into the chief’s office. Vinyl still couldn’t figure out who chief was talking about. Throughout the entire car ride back to the headquarters he nor would Scarlet say anything.

Chief Haybale led Vinyl and Scarlet into his office. There was another pony inside wearing sunglasses and a trench coat, a pony Vinyl remembered.

“Vinyl, you remember Harry Tail, right?” Haybale asked, raising his hoof to Harry from behind his desk and then sitting down in his chair.

Harry Tail, Earth Pony, is part of the EBI (Equestrian Bureau of Investigation) and helped out in the case to track down and arrest Ratchet Scratch- Vinyl’s father. Vinyl and Harry infiltrated Ratchet’s night club and after a huge gunfight through the club, they finally found him in his little board room. At the time, Ratchet was in charge of the Green Hummingbirds until Vinyl arrested him the week before.

“Nice to see you again, detective, I’m sure you’re doing well,” Harry guessed.

“You know me: arresting perps and DJ’n and stuff,” Vinyl replied with a shrug.

Harry just laughed and patted her on the shoulder, “Some ponies never change. That’s why I like you.” He toke out a folder from inside his trench coat and laid it out on the chief’s desk. It was labeled: “Case #059: The Cardinal’s Nest.”

“The hell’s this?” Vinyl asked, looking at the folder on the desk.

“This,” Harry put his hoof on the folder, “is all the info we have on the Red Cardinals.”

Vinyl huffed, “We have enough info on them. And we’re supposed to find Green, remember?”

“Ok Miss Holmes, maybe I should just go home, maybe vacation in Ponyville, sightsee or something, because, it looks like you’ve got the whole case figured out, is that right?” Harry smirked.

“Would I be here if I did? Educate me,” Vinyl said.

“Alright, for the past 26 years, Ratchet Scratch was in charge of one of Fillydelphia’s top crime syndicates, The Green Hummingbirds.”

Vinyl cut in, “I know this too well, I grew up with them.”

“Yes, and as you know, he had connections; connections to other gangs. And one of these gangs was the Red Cardinals.

“Wait, wait, wait… My dad had connections to the Cardinals?”

“See, you don’t know squat,” Harry said. “Anyway, yes he did have connections with them; for the past 10 years actually. According to our spies, they have a new pony in power, Robin Green. They said he still has connections with the Cardinals and that he goes to several meet ups with them in different parts of the city, just like your father did. The spies gave us this info before their covers were blown and were shot dead.”

“Oh my,” Lt. Scarlet mumbled.

Harry turned his head towards her, “Oh my is right, and unless we stop them, they’re gonna do worse. These three gangs are big enough and rich enough to come on by uninvited and take over this whole building!”

Vinyl stepped in once more, “Oh come on they can’t really do that, right?” She looked at Harry, who gave her a serious look. She turned to Scarlet and then Haybale. “Right?” Vinyl’s voice and expression became worrisome.

“It’s quite possible,” Haybale confirmed sadly.

“But they most likely won’t,” Harry said. “Anyway, we need a new spy, somepony who can get shit done and not be detected easily and I’m thinkin’ you detective.” He pointed his hoof at her.

Vinyl just stood there. “So, you want me to go and join the Red Cardinals? So what, do I get anypony else to help me?”

“I’m afraid not. This is a one pony job and plus if there were to be multiple ponies joining the Cardinals all at once, it’d be too obvious.”

“No support, huh?” Vinyl walked over to Haybale’s desk and sat in the seat across from him. She shook her head and sighed, “I dunno, man.”

“C’mon Scratch, you’re our best detective. And it’s the only way,” Scarlet urged.

“Listen Scratch, you wanna take down these gangs? Do what Tail says. And that’s an order,” Haybale exclaimed.

Vinyl sighed. “Where do I sign up?”

“Excellent,” Harry said happily. “Now let’s get down to business.”

He walked over to the folder on the desk, opened it and spread the photos and paperwork onto the desk. The other three officers joined him and gathered around the desk.

“The Red Cardinals are the city’s main drug dealing syndicate and runs 75% of the stores in the 2nd District, mainly pharmacies. And as you know, they’re a shadowy organization, leadership unknown. But, we’re curtain one of their usual meeting spots is in an underground parking lot on Skyward St. in the 2nd District. Reports say that the pony that usually meets up with Scratch there is named: Hella Fire, formally known as, Applestreak- used to be related to the famed Apple Family in Ponyville and throughout the country before he seceded from the family and changed his name and joined the Cardinals- sad story really, he should write a book. Anyway, he meets up with Green now, so go meet Hella Fire at the underground parking lot I mentioned before he does, try to get all the info he has out of him without your cover getting blown, and make sure you gain his trust.”

Vinyl nodded. “Alright, I got it.”

Lt. Scarlet picked up the folder and gave it to Vinyl. “Better hold on to this.”

Vinyl toke it, unzipped her hoodie about halfway, put it in and zipped it back up. She nodded once more before heading out the door.

“Hey,” Harry called, “you be careful now. I don’t want you dying on me.”

She chuckled, “You guys worry too much. I’ll be fine. You can count on me.”

Harry sighed and rubbed his head. “I need a smoke.” He left the room after Vinyl.

She made her way through the office where many police ponies were working on computers or whatever. Her friend Tracey stopped her before she made it to the elevator to go down to the garage.

“Vinyl, there you are,” she said in her usual happy voice. “How’d the meeting go? You have a new case?”

“Yeah, but I’d rather keep it to myself,” Vinyl said.

“Oh OK. So, did you arrest Green today?”

“No,” Vinyl sighed. “But, we did manage to get Greenback in custody. He’s in questioning right now.”

“Oh, well that’s good,” Tracey replied.

Vinyl pushed the elevator button on the wall. “Yeah, let’s hope he talks. If not, I’ll make the bugger talk.”

Vinyl entered the elevator when the doors opened. She pushed the button that read “B1” with her hoof and nodded a final time to Tracey before the doors closed, separating the two mares.

The elevator toke Vinyl to the garage, where she would go to pick up her car. But not before going into her locker. She turned the dial on her lock to three different numbers: 3-17-20 to unlock it. The lock unlocked with a kachunk and the door opened with a squeak, a familiar squeak she hears every time she opens her rusty old locker. Inside was a spare pair of sun glasses she wears when she goes out to clubs on weekends to play music, some spare ammo for any emergencies and a baseball cap for when it’s summer- except its autumn now. And taped on her locker door is a picture of Octavia and herself at the Canterlot Royal Wedding. She had a great time there, playing the music as that purple Unicorn sang that song as the bride and groom left in that carriage- but not so much getting over that hangover the day after. Luckily, Octavia let her stay the rest of the week before she went back to Fillydelphia to resume her duties as officer.

“Well, wish me luck, Octy,” Vinyl sighed, taking some of her extra ammunition and putting them in her pocket. “It’s gonna be one tough mission. I have to pretend I’m joining the Red Cardinals, that’s how tough it is.” Vinyl started to be sarcastic, but then she stared at the picture for a good 10 seconds.

“See you in a couple weeks, I guess,” she said to the photo, closing her locker door and heading to the garage.