//-------------------------------------------------------// The Translucent Metropolis -by TheEPICskwock- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// The Commencement of Chaos! //-------------------------------------------------------// The Commencement of Chaos! I knew this day would come, the day that I got a partner. Why did it have to be her though? I mean, she is clearly inexperienced, if not  just downright stupid. Do they not trust me, do they think I can't do this job by myself? I have been doing this for 5 years now! I paced back and forth. Do they think, I have lost it? I quickly dismissed the idea mainly because I didn't like the thought of it. Just then a young stallion walks into the room. "Ah yes, you will be partnering up with Ms. Hooves." he explained. "I know I know, but why?" I inquired. "Well i'm afraid I am not the right person to be asking but if you must know, I think the job is to discover why the city people are acting so strange lately from what I've heard. "Okay well this new recruit better not get in my way." The stallion just walks away laughing, knowing exactly what kind of situation I was just put in. I hear some footsteps and turn my head. It was the young recruit. She walks up to me and just stares. "Is there a problem?" I ask harshly. "Sir no sir!' "Well then could you stop staring at me with those crazy eyes!?" "Oh yes sorry." I notice that she continues to stare at me but I decide to ignore it. "What's your name" I ask. "My name is Detective Hooves, but you can just call me by my first name, Derpy." "Your parents gave you that name?" "No, it was my nickname around all my friends that called me that so I just decided to change my name to it." "Ah, I see. Well lets get going, we have a lot of work to do." "Okay." We trotted outside the brightly lit hallways into the dark metropolis. It was raining and the city was lit up like a Christmas tree. "I didn't get your name." "It's Dash, Detective Dash." I put on my shades even though it is as dark as space right now but let's be honest, I want to look like a bad ass. "Okay, well we need to go to mission briefing so you want to hail a cab or just fly over there?" I question. "My flying skills are not that good Ms. Dash." "Too bad, we're flying, and that's Detective Dash." "Oh, okay, my bad." I lifted off the ground and finally felt free. I started to fly upward but realized that I had a problem. I looked behind me and noticed Derpy having some trouble. "Oh jeez." I muttered. "What's the problem Derpy?" "I have a hard time flying, could you go slow?" "If I must" I answered. I began flying through the city dodging the tall buildings. Derpy was still pretty far behind me but I didn't care, I love the breeze through my mane. I couldn't help but admire how beautiful the metropolis was at night, the way it was lit up. I looked down at the ponies just minding there own business. Some smoking, others reading the paper. I became so interested in the activities that I almost didn't hear the chatter over my head piece. "Ah yes sir" I finally answered. "I apologize for the inconvenience but I need to brief you over the com instead of at the location we decided on earlier." "Why is that?" I wondered. "That is not the importance of the situation, just listen. Your goal is to discover where the ponies are getting methamphetamine." "Excuse me sir but I haven't heard anything about any drug deals recen-" "You do that or you're fired!" He interrupted. I paused to answer. "Yes sir" I finally answered. He hung up but I couldn't help feeling this strange feeling in the pit of my stomach. "Who was that?" Derpy asked innocently. "Didn't you hear? You have an earpiece too." "What? Oh yeah, I couldn't figure out how to turn the thing on." I sighed. "C,mon, let's go." "Okay." I knew something was going on, I knew that my boss sounded strange when I talked to him? Drug deals, yeah right. I needed to investigate this further, after all, I am a Detective. I continued to fly around and decided to land on a nearby rooftop since the plan to fly to the briefing area was totally ruined. The sky was filled with stars and was just gorgeous. I grabbed my high tech smartphone out of my coat pocket and dialed my friend Twilight, perhaps she has some answers to all this. "Twilight, what's going on?" I heard a faint sound that I could barely make out. "Twilight you need to speak up." Again I could hear only whispers then the call cut off. "Twilight, Twilight?!" I went to replay the conversation and enhanced the audio to hear better. I put the speaker next to my ear and heard "Rainbow, can't talk, they got me. The changlings" *static* coming for you!" The audio ended and I knew immediately that she was in trouble, and so was I. //-------------------------------------------------------// Following the Hoofprints //-------------------------------------------------------// Following the Hoofprints "C,mon Derpy, we need to go!" I shot through the air like a lightning bolt. "Wait Ms, Dash, I can't keep up!" She barely got that sentence out before she began to nose dive. I flew to her and caught her. "What's your problem? I asked. "I'm sorry, I just don't know what went wrong, I guess I blacked out." "Of course." I responded. I carried her back to my beat up old apartment. It was quite sad really, I was a detective that lived in one of the worst apartments in the city. I set Derpy down and walked to the gate to my apartment. "Wait here." I told her. "Yeah sure." She answered, but I wasn't sure she was quite listening because she answered my question while staring at herself in a puddle. I pulled my keys out of my coat pocket and began sorting through them. "which key is it?" I mumbled to myself. "Ah, okay." I walked inside, the place was a mess like always. I walked over to my kitchen and grabbed my arm. It was a mechanical arm with five fingers that you just attach to the hoof, I loved it dearly. I opened my knife cabinet and grabbed my 9mm pistol. I checked to see if it was loaded and then cocked it back. I walked into my living room and exchanged my sun glasses for some holographic glasses that gave me a feed of everything and everyone. I couldn't help but notice the red stain on my carpet. I was so tempted to try to scrub it out but resisted the urge. I stepped outside my apartment and locked the door. It was about 11:30 P.M. now and I started to feel my eyes get a little bit heavy from the partying I did the other night. I shook it off and walked down my steps. "Whoa Detective Dash, Your hoof!" "Yes I know, don't worry about it, lets get going." "Righto." Derpy responded. I realized that the first place to find out what's going on would be wherever Twilight is at. The only problem was that I didn't trace the call and I couldn't call back because I knew there would be nobody there to answer. What other ways could I figure out whats going on, I pondered. Perhaps somepony else might have seen her and could tell me where they saw her going. "C,mon Derpy, we need to go ask some ponies some questions." She kindly followed. To be honest having a partner wasn't that bad, I mean, I kind of like her, she doesn't talk to much either. We walked down the sidewalk next to my apartment and stumbled upon a sweet couple walking their dog. They were the only ponies around so I just decided to ask them. "Excuse me but have you happen to see a young purple pony recently?" I felt like a Filly resorting to these tactics. Derpy was just standing there looking at her hoof like an idiot. Then, something happened that I could have never suspected, something that blew my mind. The ponies began to morph it something. It was very disturbing and I didn't know what to make of it. "Freeze, or I will have to use deadly force!" I shouted. Derpy was screaming at the top of her longs which was frankly hurting my ears. I pulled out my 9mm pistol and aimed it at the creature. "I am not going to ask again." Just then I realized what it was, it was a changling! I aimed my pistol and proceeded to fire to rounds into the changlings chest. It hit the ground faster than my bullet shells did. The other changling began to sprint in the opposite direction. I began chasing after it. I could hear Derpy's hoofsteps behind me but to be honest it was hard to hear much of anything because my ears were ringing so bad from the gunshots and Derpy screaming. The changling was running down alleyways and it was hard to keep track of where it was. I turned on my holographic tracker and it allowed me to see it's exact location around corners. I turned a corner and saw it climbing up a fire escape. I grabbed it's leg and pulled it to the ground. This was the point where I just completely lost it. I was no longer Detective Dash, I was a savage animal instead. I proceeded to kick it's face in thirteen times. Afterwards I had to wipe the blood off of my holographic glasses. I heard Derpy behind me so I turned around. She was leaning against the brick wall crying her eyes out. I trotted over to her. "Hey hey hey, it's okay, everything is okay." I patted her on the back, I couldn't stand to see her like this. "We need to finish this, all we need to do is follow the hoofprints." I trotted over to the changling and reached into there coat pocket, it seemed like everypony was stealing my fashion style. "Evidence." I murmured. There was a picture of me and a cell phone. "Aha, now I got you." I cloned the phone over to mine and called the number labeled 'boss". I made sure I traced the call this time. "Hello, who is this?" I questioned." i heard a very rough, intimidating voice on the other end. "Ah Dash, following the bread crumbs I see."  "Whoever you are, whatever you have done the these ponies, I am going to make you pay you son of a bitch!" 'In good time Detective, toots." The call ended, I traced the number though, now I just need to get him  and make him pay. C,mon Derpy, we're gonna go kick some ass. //-------------------------------------------------------// The Prelude to the Denouement //-------------------------------------------------------// The Prelude to the Denouement Somepony called me, which was rare, and the number was blocked so I debated with myself on wether I should answer it or not.