Silence in the city
By Taranasaurus
Manehatten.
Not exactly a city of angels, but far from the worst. This chaotic excuse for an urban sprawl was split into two halves: the Upper; and the Lower. The Lower was packed full of low life scum, all under the iron fist of Big Apple, the largest crime boss this side of Appleoosa. Many ponies who grew up in the lower either moved out of the city, or lived their lives out in fear and hiding. Don't get me wrong, the Upper wasn't much better. On the outside it was the perfect example of refined society, but, under the surface, corruption reigned. Money was passed around as if it were trash, the government took from the poor and gave nothing back, and people were murdered in the streets. It truly was the city of Sin.
But, in the centre of all the mess stood one beacon of hope: Two Stones Towers, a new residential block being built and funded by the princesses themselves. They had watched the people of the city suffer enough, and had stepped in with a proposal: free housing for all the homeless.
And that brings you to me, Private Eye, Manehatten's best, and only, freelance detective. I'd grown up in the Lower, and had my share of life in the Upper, so really I was a middle man. Recently my cases had run dry, and I'd lost all source of income, running my bank account dry. But just this morning my luck had sprung up again: when a velvet blue mare had stalked into my office, her mane tangled and her eyes drooping. She had sat down in front of me and produced a large file with two words on it: Wrecking Ball. She'd explained to me, with references to pictures and statements, what had happened to this stallion. He'd been shot in the front of the head, while in a kneeling position. Only one other worker had been on the site at the time, and he had told them that he wasn't in the room during the attack. After all this, she had dropped the file on the desk, along with her name and address, and left.
In the back of the file was a map of Manehatten, with various areas circled in red. There was a circle in the market district, around a small coffee shop, which I knew was in the Big Apple's turf. Another two, smaller circles surrounded the cloud district, high in the Upper where the Pegasi lived. And the final circle was at the Tower itself, ringing around the final floor, where the shootings had taken place.
I had checked the map twice before heading off in the direction of the market district, in hopes of some answers to the questions that ran circles through my head.
****
I pushed my way past the crowded stalls, wrapping my large coat around my shoulders. I could make out the cafe through the steady weave of bobbing heads that the crowd formed. With my mind set, I broke free of the flowing masses and pulled open the cafe door, leading into a short reprieve. I sighed, leaning back against the door and wiping the beads of sweat from my brow. I stood up from the door, glancing around the smoke filled room. A mass of tables dominated the left side, filled with a mix of colours and races. The right was mostly empty, aside from the line that lead up to the counter. However, one table was set out near the back, surrounded by about five ponies. The one sitting in the center of the five slowly rose as he saw me approach, throwing his hooves into the air.
"'ey!" he shouted, his accent thick and heavy. "Well if it ain't me ol' pall Private!" He beckoned towards me, a smile playing on his lips.
"Appleseed!" I started gruffly, returning the smile. "Just the pony I wanted to see."
He raised one hoof in defense, his smile replaced with a frown momentarily. "Hey, whatever it is, I didn' do it!" He stared at me for a moment, before bursting into laughter. As he sat back down, he turned to face his companions. "Leave us, we're done here." He waved a hoof, and the group obliged, each of them throwing me a look as they departed.
Appleseed pointed to a seat, and I complied, pulling it out from under the table. "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything," I said as I sat.
"No no," he waved his hooves. "Nothing that can't wait 'til another time. Now," He wrapped his hooves together as he faced me. "Why did you come here?" His voice had dropped, as had his accent, and his eyes had become hard and unforgiving.
"There was a shooting at the construction site of Two Stone towers." I pulled the file from within my coat and laid it out on the table. "A guy by the name of Wrecking Ball was shot in the face, with no witnesses." I offered the photo of the wound, and he took it, wrapping his own magical aura around the piece of film.
He brought it up to his face and studied the photo closely. "Nope, not one o' my boys, we usually leave a message," he said, handing the photo back to me.
"I didn't come here to accuse. I came here to ask you if you could recognize the style and, more importantly, point me in the right direction." I looked at him closely as he looked over the photos. I saw him twitch slightly as he looked at the gunshot wound again.
"Yeah," he said, after a minute of silence. "Yeah I recognize it." He looked up at me, his lips stretched into a thin line. "This is the work of the Cold Ripper."
I stifled a gasp as I grabbed the photo from him, looking straight towards the gunshot wound. Sure enough, just below the entry hole was a thin line of blood. "H-how did I miss this?" I asked myself, before looking up to face Appleseed. "Where can I find him?"
****
"You don't just find the Ripper." Appleseed had told me. "You find the boss first."
The boss wasn't exactly a name I was familiar with, nor was it one I wanted to be. But there was somone I needed to see. She was in the ice district, or so I had been told, one of the coldest and most unforgiving places in the city. Directly below it was the cities cooling crystals, which generated the magical energy required to cool the Upper homes. This caused magical fluctuations in the district above, causing it to snow constantly, and thus was almost always frozen. It was number three on the list of places you have to go if you want to die.
I rapped my hoof on the door, before stepping back and breathing a sigh. My breath froze before me, swirling and falling down to the snow underhoof (can you say that?). After a few short moments, the door slowly creaked open, and a timid yellow pony pulled open the door. At the sight of me she blushed and hid her face back slightly beyond her mane.
"H-hello?" she squeaked out.
"Uh, hi." I glanced around for a moment, before looking back to her. "I'm looking for a pony named Fluttershy."
"Oh, uh, that's me." she waved a little, before blushing and pulling open the door fully and stepping back. "Come in, you must be freezing." As I entered I felt a gust of cold wind press against me from behind as the door was pushed closed. The small house glowed and orangy yellow both from the candles that sat on the table, and from the fire that burned in the hearth.
Fluttershy stood in the center of the room, pawing the ground nervously. After a few moments of silence, she slowly raised her head to look at me. "U-uh, what brings you h-h-here?"
"My name is Private Eye, and I was sent by a pony named Appleseed. He said you knew Wrecking Ball." I saw her flinch at the name, but I pressed on. " I was hoping you could answer a few questions."
The mare seemed to sigh, before looking up to me. "What has he done this time?"
"W-what?" I asked, taken aback.
"I've had police come in here three times this month, all about him. Look, just because we live together, doesn't mean we're related, or married. He's just a friend."
I paused for a moment, my mouth hanging in shock and anxiety. "Y-you mean no one's told you?" I asked, moving to sit next to her on the couch. Her look of anger was replaced with one of worry.
"Told me what?" she looked up at me, her eyes large and innocent.
I took her hooves in mine and looked at her, a lump forming in my throat. "Miss Fluttershy," I started, searching my mind for something to make this any easier on her. "I regret to inform you that Wrecking Ball is dead." I felt her freeze, and saw her eyes begin to tremble. She blinked once, tears forming on the corners of her eyes. Her lips trembled and her eyes slammed shut as she tried to hold back a tide of emotions. After a few seconds she burst, and a flood of tears poured forth. She leapt forward, throwing her hooves around me and clinging to me for support as she wept into my chest. I could feel her tears wet my coat, but I pulled her close and squeezed, attempting to hold back tears of my own. I had never had to do this before, usually my cases were from the family themselves, and they had already stopped grieving. But I had just told, most likely, the most timid mare in Manehatten, that her best friend was dead. It was unusually... Taxing.
She wailed into my chest, her hooves squeezing against my back. We sat like this for hours, her holding me, and vice versa. Eventually she fell asleep in my hooves, nestling her puffy eyes into my chest. I wanted to get up, to make some coffee and sit and wait for her to wake. But, looking down at her, I could tell that she needed this. And so, I too fell into a restless sleep.
****
I awoke instantly, my nostrils filling with an insufferable aroma. My eyes shot open, and I instinctively pulled myself from the couch, and out into the hall. I drifted into what seemed to be the source of the smell, the kitchen. Surprisingly, Fluttershy was floating in front of the stove, her soft voice humming an unknown tune. As I entered, she spun around, confusion on her face.
This was quickly replaced with a smile as she greeted me. "Good morning Private." She blushed as she lifted a pan from the stove, a sizzling pop echoing throughout the kitchen. "It's good to see that your coat has, um... Dried." She stopped, staring down at the ground as her cheeks flushed.
I tried to smile my warmest smile as I sat at the table. She brightened as she floated over to me, lowering the pan down so she could tip its contents onto the plate in front of me. My mouth almost dropped to the floor as I beheld what was on the china before me. What had to be Equestria's best looking pancake steamed in front of me. Fluttershy giggled, despite her earlier mood, at my hanging jaw.
"I take it you don't eat much food outside of a cafe?" she asked, moving herself to the other side of the table and sitting down.
I shook my head, my mouth already full of the heavenly food. She giggled again, before turning and switching off the stove.
"So," she started, as I lifted my plate with magic and dropped it in the sink. "What did you want to ask me?"
"Ask you?" I paused. "Oh, right. Well there were a few things, let me just grab my file from my jacket." I stood, and she nodded, turning to the sink and starting to run the water. I looked over her as she scrubbed plates, her fragile body swaying slightly. I knew last night's conversation had taken its toll on her, but from the way she was acting, I may have been wrong. That or she was very good at hiding emotion. I shook my head mistfully, before turning and walking towards the coat rack next to the door. I reached for my coat with my magic, rubbing the frost from the small window next to the door. I glanced out, rummaging in my pockets absent mindedly. The street was mostly empty, aside from a few parked carriages. But, the more I looked, the more I started to realise that the carriages weren't all abandoned. A dark black carriage across the street had an orangey glow protruding from it's main window. The curtain lifted, and my breath caught in my throat, as I slowly backed away from the window.
"Fluttershy." I called out softly, and a softer answer returned from the kitchen.
"Yes?"
"Do you have a back door?" I pushed through the kitchen doorway, my coat around my shoulders.
"Well... Yes, but-" she started, but I cut her off, grabbing her around the waist with my magical grip, and wrenching her in the direction she had pointed.
"No time," I said, pushing open the door, just as a loud crash exploded from the front of the house. The two of us toppled out of the door and crashed down the stairs, before coming to a stop in the snow. I jumped up, checking Fluttershy over as I offered a hoof. She took it graciously and pulled herself up, glancing up at the house. Through the windows we could see a black clad pony swinging around wildly, curse words spouting from his mouth. Slowly Fluttershy turned, and I followed in suit, making my way towards the closest fence.
As I reached to climb up, Fluttershy burst out, her voice filled with shock. "But we can't go that way, that goes to the back alley!" Before she could protest more, I grabbed her around the waist, eliciting a small squeal from her. Straining, I tossed her above the fence, before hauling myself over. I panded with a thump, my eyes searching for Fluttershy. I jumped up, calling for her softly. Something tapped me on the head, and I glanced up to see a very cross Fluttershy.
"How dare you force me to go somewhere I don't want to go?!" she scolded me, waving a hoof and pointing at me. Despite just saving her life, I still felt bad for what I had done. It was a little odd, but my day had already gone from weird to downright creepy, so this was kind of expected. After a few moments of silence as Fluttershy cooled down, her face was instantly converted to a look of fear. Slowly she floated back down next to me, glancing around with worried eyes.
I looked at her, a smile growing on my lips. I shook my head before turning to the mouth of the alley and leading her out into the street.
"W-well I'm glad that's over," Fluttershy glanced back at the alley with a fearful look, before turning back to me.
"We're not out of the clear yet," I warned, motioning towards the motionless cart, where two ponies were talking. One of them glanced up to see the pair of us slowly retreating towards the closest exit. He pointed towards us, and his buddy jumped up, shouting something.
I turned to Fluttershy, the smile gone from my lips. "Run!" We both turned and, without a second thought, began to sprint forward. Snow sprays behind us as we veered around the corner, knocking through a pile of old newspapers. I could hear the screech of speeding hooves as our chasers rounded the corner. I could feel Fluttershy lift off the ground beside me as she attempted to gain speed. I pushed harder as we came up to a large group of parked carriages. I reached out with my magic and grasped the handle of the closest carriage as we passed. Pulling, I wrenched the door open, causing a squealing sound, followed by a loud smack. I glanced behind me momentarily and smiled as I saw one of the black-clad ponies smash into the open door. I rounded the corner as I followed Fluttershy into an alley. I could feel the wind rush through my mane as I narrowly missed colliding with a wall.
"Where does this lead?" I called out to Fluttershy, who weaved and spun through the alley.
"Towards the food district!" She turned to flash a smile at me, but her face froze. "Look out!" She screamed, pointing behind me. I spun, my coat whirling around me. Something heavy whirled towards me and, before I had time to dodge, smashed directly into my leg. A sickening crunch rang in my ears as I dropped down onto the ground, tears blurring my vision. I could hear Fluttershy scream something behind me, and my body jumped up as I tried to see what was happening. I blinked rapidly, clearing my eyes as I searched for the yellow mare. I heard a piercing scream, and my eyes shot upwards, to where I could see Fluttershy desperately trying to avoid blasts of magic. I looked for the source; the black pony from before was firing them from his horn.
Very slowly I pulled myself up, wincing as I felt a wave of pain surge through my body. I ignored it, instead lighting up my horn. I knew I had just enough energy for one burst, so I couldn't miss. The pony sprang and jumped as he shot at Fluttershy. I raised my head, my eyes searching for something, anything to help Fluttershy. In one final attempt I shot my magic outwards, towards the metal railings below Fluttershy, before collapsing into the dark tendrils of unconsciousness.
****
Waking up on a street wasn't exactly the best way to start your afternoon, but I had had worse. The first thing I noticed when my eyes opened, was that bright yellow is quite painful to the sensitive. The second was that hugging a broken leg was equally as painful as breaking it. Nevertheless, when Fluttershy finally detached herself from me, it certainly did feel better. Slowly I pulled myself into a sitting position, moving my broken hoof gingerly as I did so. It was wrapped in white cloth and tied to two sticks as a makeshift stilt.
"Oh I'm so happy you're okay!" Fluttershy squealed, wrapping me in another hug. "I don't know what I would do- oh goodness, let's get you up, you most certainly can't stay here." Cautiously she wrapped her hooves around my right forehoof and slowly rose up, her wings flapping softly. Grunting, I positioned myself so all four of my legs were pointing straight down, before nodding to Fluttershy. She let go, and I dropped, landing softly. She lowered herself down to my side, her wings pulling taught by her
"Where do you live? We need to get you someplace you can lie down." She looked concerned, even worried, which was odd for someone I'd known for twenty four hours.
"No time, we have to get to the cloud district, it's time we spoke to the boss." I stopped, turning to face my new friend. "We need to get you to a safe place.
Fluttershy shook her head. "Oh no, I am not letting you out of my sight." She stepped forward to face me, a triumphant look on her face. "We're in this together now."
"Bu-"
"No buts. This is final." She gave me a stern gaze, and slowly I felt resolve melt.
"Alright alright," I said, throwing my hooves up in defeat. "Let's take the underground there." I pointed towards the station tunnel at the end of the alley. She nodded, and we hobbled off.
****
The cloud district wasn't originally intended as part of the lower world. It was originally created as a getaway for the pegasi of the city, floating high above. However, a cloud density problem caused the city to become overweight, and, coincidently causing it to crash. It was then reestablished as a stay for pegasi in the Upper district.
But it had become one of the highest marketed areas, and such housing was owned by the rich of all races. In order to allow walking ponies to enter the cloud district, a device to help them walk on clouds. A pair of ugly boots that were as uncomfortable as they were unfashionable.
"Celestia be damned, these boots hurt." I stopped for what must have been the hundredth time to readjust my shoes. Fluttershy only giggled. That giggle was adorably infectious, and I couldn't help but return with a chuckle.
She stopped as she noticed our location, before pointing up at the house in front of us. "Hey isn't that-"
"Yes."
"Well... Are we going in?" She looked at me quizzically, her eyes glancing back and forth between the house and me.
"Yes, but quietly." I pushed open the cloud gate that surrounded the otherwise brick structure. As I ascended the stairs, I could feel Fluttershy push against me in fear. We reached the door within seconds, and I slowly rapped against the wooden frame.
After a few moments the door opened, and a large pony wearing pressed suit glared down at us. "Can I... 'elp you?"
"Yes, I think you can." Before he could react I sent a burst of stunning magic from my horn directly into his torso. His face dropped into an O as he flew backwards into the hall. A pony peeked his head around the corner.
"Hey, stop them!"
I pushed through the door, Fluttershy glaring at me as she followed. "What happened to 'quietly'?"
I shrugged as I glanced around the corner. A large group of ponies were rushing down the corridor. As they gained speed I quickly called up a shield spell, and they smashed into the invisible wall.
I dropped the wall as the group hit the floor, unconscious. I made my way down the corridor, Fluttershy close behind me. As I entered the large living room I could see a large collection of couches at the far end of the room. Two ponies were still there, a red stallion and a thin green mare. The mare turned to the stallion and nodded. He stood slowly and he turned to face me, the horn on his head glowing a bright orange. Slowly he raised his head and sent a cone of energy spiralling towards me. I dodged, before sending my own energy back at him. He fired shot after shot as I dodged, and I could feel myself losing energy as I leaped from side to side.
He sent a massive wall of orange light directly at me, and I felt myself get sent flying backwards into a wall. As I struggled to stand I could see him approaching me, smug smile on his face. As he lowered his head for one final blow I heard a loud clang.
"You big meanie!" The stallion glanced up and was met with a frying pan to the face. He toppled over backwards, smashing into the ground. Instantly Fluttershy dropped to the ground. "O-oh my, I'm sorry." She stopped before rushing to help me up. When I was ready to walk again the two of us headed towards where the mare sat, a look of bewilderment on her face.
"W-what do you want?" she asked, glancing between us.
"Why was Ripper hired to kill Wrecking Ball?" I lit my horn up, my expression intimidating.
She flinched, before continuing. "He was hired by the mayor."
I stopped. "The mayor?! Why?"
"Apparently this whole construction business is going to ruin her, and she needed to stop it." The pony was sweating, gulping loudly.
"But why Wrecking Ball?" Fluttershy asked, the frying pan still between her hooves.
"Ripper got the wrong target. He was supposed to kill the site manager, but he got them confused." She shook her head. "Look-"
I stopped her. "Where's Ripper now?"
She gulped. "On his way to finish the job."
****
The tube was fast. But for the events of today, it went too slow. Fluttershy kept glancing between me and the window, her eyes filled with worry. As we approached the city center, I felt the train begin to halt.
"This is our stop." I patted Fluttershy, before pushing my way through the doors. The train stop was directly outside of the construction site, which was lucky. I walked forward, my bandaged leg clinking on the ground behind me, a twinge of pain shooting up my leg every time it connected. Fluttershy floated above me, her hoof brushing against my mane. We reached the front doors of the building, and I paused.
"Fluttershy, before we go in, are you sure you want to do this?" She looked at me for a few seconds before dropping to the ground.
She nodded, and I turned to head inside.
"Wait," she called and I turned. Before I knew what was happening she had pressed her face against mine in a full fledged kiss. My eyes shot open and I wasn't exactly sure what to do. After a few seconds she pulled away, her cheeks flushing a deep red. She looked away from me and pawed the ground nervously.
"Uh... Thanks?" I said, blushing.
"Oh no problem," she squeaked, before pushing through the doors. I followed her in, readjusting my coat. We were instantly confronted with a large desk, at which sat an equally large mare.
"How can I help you two?" she asked, peering over her thick glasses.
"Uh, where would the project manager be about now?" I asked, eyeing Fluttershy, who still seemed to be blushing nervously.
"Oh, why he'd be at the top of the site by now." She smiled at us, before returning to her work. I thanked her, before leading Fluttershy over to the large elevator doors at the end of the room. I pressed the up button with my hoof, and the doors slid open. We stepped inside and I jammed the twenty first floor button in, my hoof twitching nervously.
"You know who's going to be up there, right?" She nodded, hoisting her frying pan in front of her. I chuckled at the sight. "I see you're prepared."
After a few moments of silence, she spoke up. "... About before, th-that was just nerves." She stammered out.
I smiled. "Just nerves?"
She nodded. "Yup." The elevator dinged, and the doors slowly slid open. I steeled myself, before stepping out onto the rickety flooring. I could feel the tower swaying in the breeze as I walked, and I could tell Fluttershy could too. Voices floated to us from ahead. A male's and a female's. The male seemed to be calm, his voice low and even. The female seemed to be erratic and crashes could be heard from the section ahead.
"...nd you thought you could just hide up here forever, didn't you?! But guess what, I've found you now."
There was another loud crash. "Oh Celestia somepony please help me!"
A loud laugh echoed throughout the complex. "Oh stop, you said yourself that there's no one up here, who's going to hear you?"
I stepped out into the room, my horn glowing. "Me."
A black pony spun, the smile vanishing from his face. After a few moments it returned. "Ah, the little detective, finally found me, have we?" His grin grew wider. "Good, I was hoping for a fight."
His horn began to glow a deep midnight blue, and bars of iron began to float around him. A small dagger floated up from his belt, it's steel glinting in the moonlight. He flashed me another wicked smile. "And there's no one around to hear your screams." He whirled, sending the iron bars flying towards me. I side stepped around the first bar, before pulling up a barrier. The rest of the bars crumpled into the wall of grey. I dropped the spell and sent out a counter attack, small discs of light heading straight for the Ripper. He jumped over the projectiles, his grin still solid on his face. He flicked his dagger towards my head and I ducked, with milliseconds to spare. It collided with the wood behind me with a metallic twang.
His grin dropped momentarily, and I launched forward, catching him off guard. We spiralled forwards into the wall and out onto the mass of steel beams beyond. The ripper was up in a second, a dagger floating before him. He leapt forward, his smile replaced with a grimace. I dodged to the side as his knife clattered downwards. I could see him overthrow his balance and he toppled sideways. He caught the edge of the beam with his forehooves and clung on. I moved to stand over him, my face cold and hard.
I could see his eyes pleading with me, but I shook my head. "P-please..."
"No," I crouched down to him. "Your killing spree ends today." I lifted my hoof, and stamped it down onto his.
His scream echoed on as he fell from the edge, his limbs flailing around him. And then... Silence.
He was gone.
I stepped back into the room where Fluttershy and the manager were waiting.
Fluttershy looked up as I entered, and a smile spread across her face. It dropped again as she noticed that I was alone. Her eyes questioned me, searching for answers. I nodded, and she threw her forehooves around me, wrapping me in a hug.
And there was silence in the city.
The end
A/N: Hey guys, long time no see!
I realized, recently, that my writing has been being neglected, so I entered a competition in the hopes of refueling the fire. Hope it's as good as most of my other work!
Comments and Criticism will be graciously accepted.
-Taranasaurus
