Special Agent Anon: Chapter 3

>As you stood there like a deer caught in headlights, you're stricken with a flashback.

>It was about four months after becoming an agent.

>Your partner, a veteran on the force, had personally picked you out of the others in your team to help him with a special investigation.

>Long story short, after three weeks of tracking down a known human trafficker, you caught the bastard.

>Between the two of you, it took just over an hour of working the fucker over until he spilled a location.

>A shipping container in the L.A. Harbour, the busiest in the United States.

>Over an hour of scouring the labyrinth of containers, you finally find it.

>Ten Korean girls were packed into that container, with only some sheets and enough food to last the trip.

>None of them were over 16.

>You'll never forget that feeling when you first opened that door.

>Nor will you forget the look on their faces when your interpretor told them they were safe.

>That same feeling creeps up on you again as you stare at the two ponies.

>A gagged muffle kicks you out of your trance.

>You look down at the ponies, practically frantic now.

>Shit, how long were you just standing there for?

>The pegasus(grey with a black mane), and the earth mare(red on yellow) are pleading through their gags now. The mare is tearing up at your hesitation.

>You pull off the gag on the pagasus first, then the mare.

>They catch their breathes and flex their jaws.

>The colt's eyes well up with pure gratitude.

>"Oh thank Celestia! Than you so much, mister!"

>The mare says nothing, but she is starting to calm down now. Tears are still streaking down her eyes.

>Unbeknownst to the two ponies, you switch your phone to video, and hit record.

>You straighten yourself up and begin in a clear voice.

"How did you two get here?"

>The pegasus speaks up first.

 

>"I-I came here from Cloudsdale, visiting a friend here. We went for a couple of drinks the other night and he left early. I stayed a little longer and left by myself. I... I can't remember anything after that."

>Probably a hangover.

"How about you?"

>The mare has finally stopped crying and has regained some of her composure.

>"I had just finished a late shift at work. I t-took a shortcut through an alley to get back h-home. Next thing I know..."

>Her composure starts crumbling.

>"Two... two dogs threw a bag over my head and... and..."

>She's crying again. Oh jeez. You hate it when girls cry. Your heart can't take it.

>You focus back on the stallion.

"Are you being held here against your will?"

>The pegasus looks at you for a second.

>"Of course we are, look at us!"

>He shakes his bound forelegs at you in emphasis.

"Do you know where you are being taken?"

>"I-I don't know. Why are you asking us this? Please, just get us out of here!"

>No, he's right. You have plenty for now. You stop the recording, and reach for the knife in your pocket.

>You flip the folder open, both of the captive ponies beaming at your for their release.

>Right before you start on the pegasus, you stop.

>As much as you're going to hate yourself. You can't free these two.

>If you release them, it'll be that much harder to get off the Corgi, especially if you run into drunken dogs on your way out.

>And there is no way you, or the ponies, will escape that unscathed.

>You think back to something your boss had said to you once.

>"Leave no trace. Always catch the perps with as much evidence as you can."

>And, unfortunately, these two scared ponies were just that.

>You had to leave them.

>You retract your knife, and the pegasus looks at you in bewilderment.

>"What are you doing?"

>You don't reply as you reach for his gag.

>He reels back, realizing what you trying to do.

>The mare is hysterical now at your actions.

>"No! Stop! Please, don't leave us!"

 

>He is far too loud now for your liking.

>Even this far in the boat it's getting dangerous.

>You can't deal with this. You already feel like a bastard enough as it is.

>You shoot your arm into the crate and close his muzzle shut, which shocks him into submission. The mare halts her crying as you hold her other captive.

"Listen. I can't get you two out of here without drawing attention."

>He tries to break you grasp, but you just push him into the back of the crate harder.

"I have to come back with the police. Then we'll get you out."

>His eyes relax a bit, and you do the same with your grip.

"You two have to stay in here just a bit longer. Do you understand?"

>The stallion nods silently.

>The mare finally speaks up.

>"D-do you promise?"

>You look at her for a few moments, and slowly crack a smile.

"I promise."

>You reach for the gags again, but the stallion refuses.

>"Please, keep them off. It's bad enough in here. We'll stay quiet, we swear."

>You don't even think over the request.

"Alright. The next time you see anyone other than a dog, you'll be out of this hell hole."

>Both ponies share hopeful smiles as you close the door on them and do the latch.

>You lean against the crate, taking in a long breath as you clear your head.

>You have to take care of one more thing.

>As you head over to the opened barrel of powder, you hear some whispering behind you in the crate.

>"So. Now that we don't have those gags on, what's your name?"

>Damn, that dude works fast.

>You look down at the barrel you had broken into.

>Yeah, this'll have to be covered up.

>You set the pry bar back where you found it, and move a small light crate over the puncture in the barrel.

>That'll work.

>You head up out of the hold and into the crew deck.

>Before you make it topside, you here some commotion coming from the dock.

>Drunk commotion.

>The voices are deep and almost sound like growls and barks.

>And they're getting louder.

>Dogs. Damn, you were hoping you'd be out of here by now.

 

>You peek out, trying to see how close the dogs were from the ship.

>The railing was too high to see anything.

>You can hear them getting even closer now.

>Just as you think your cover is blown, a new voice pops up in the conversation.

>"Hey, what are you two doing out here?"

>Wait, that sounds like Cuff. What is he doing?

>Oh right, exactly what you told him.

>"Get out of here, dumb pony!"

>You hear two distinct dog voices laugh at your partner.

>"I'll show you who's dumb!"

>Wait, he's not going to.

>"Ow! Hey!"

>"Come get me you flea-bitten mongrels!"

>You hear Cuff gallop away, the dogs giving chase.

>Why the fuck are you still hiding?!

>Time to help out your partner.

>You run up the stairs and onto the deck, just catching one of the dogs run into an alley.

>Sprinting across the gangplank and onto the dock, you dash right into the alley and follow the sound of frantic hooves.

>You take turn after turn, trying to keep track of the chase.

>You turn a corner into a dead end, the two dogs' backs to you.

>They are far too busy having cornered Cuff to notice your arrival.

>Cuff is not so well off.

>He's been ruffled up, and his left eye has a pretty nice welt forming under it.

>He notices you as you approach the dog on your right from behind, and give the dogs a small smirk.

>"What you smiling at pony?!"

>The dog raises a fist to pummel Cuff again.

>But it never comes down on him.

>At its peak you grab the dog's arm and twist it around behind his back, howling in pain as you hike it up as far as you can.

>This is enough opportunity for Cuff to hop up and tackle the other dog.

>You lose Cuff out of the corner of your eye as you hold the first dog.

>Just as you think you have him, you are lifted off your feet and are smashed into the wall behind you.

>The dog turns around to you and growls menacingly. He's still swaying slightly.

>For being drunk these dogs are still pretty coordinated. And strong.

>He swings his right paw at you, but you block it with your left.

 

>You send a right jab right square into his throat.

>He backs up and clutches his neck, choking and trying to catch a breath.

>There is know way you're letting this play out any longer..

>You reach to the right side of your belt.

"Don't move or I'll..."

>Where is it?

>Oh shit.

>You left your side arm in Canterlot!

>How did you manage to leave without your fucking Sig on you?!

>The dog regains his stance and charges you.

"Ah!"

>You just barely dodge as his body slams into the brick wall to your right.

>You give him no time to recover again as you wrap your left arm around his neck, putting him in a rear naked choke.

>As he thrashes about, you kick his feet out underneath him, and he falls into your hold like a noose around his neck.

>The dog manages to scratch up your arms with his claws before he finally succumbs to unconsciousness.

>As you slump your opponent onto the ground, the second enters your vision.

>He flies into the wall next to you and crumbles to the ground, unmoving.

>You turn around to Cuff, who has just brought his rear legs back after a devastating buck.

>Damn, nice hit.

>Catching your breath, you move over to him.

"Nice job, Cuff. You alright?"

>He rubs the bruise under his eye, and gives you a nod.

>"Yeah. I'll put some ice on it. You look like you got torn up pretty bad."

>You give yourself a once over.

>Your back is going to be sore tomorrow, that's for sure.

>The scratches on your arms are superficial, if you weren't including your jacket.

>The sleeves were ripped to shreds, and you can definitely see some of your blood seeping through the layers.

>It's a slow ooze, so your not really concerned. A quick patch, maybe some stitches.

>Mutt better not have rabies or hook work.

>"Did you get what we needed?"

>You smirk and reach into your jacket pocket.

"Yeah, I got someOW!"

>You reel back as something sharp jabs you in your finger.

>"What happened?"

 

>You reach back in, carefully this time. A few shards of glass trail around your hand as you feel around.

"Dammit. The bottle I had filled with blast powder broke."

>You pull your hand back out, taking enough of the powder out for him to see.

"It's all still in there. I'll empty it out when we get back to the station."

>Cuff looks past to to the dogs behind you.

>"What do we do with them? Take them in?"

>You turn your head to look at the dogs as well, neither one moving an inch.

"Something tells me their hangovers will black this out of their memory, if not the beat down."

>You both share a laugh at your triumph.

"Haha. But yeah, we should really leave before they wake up."

>"Right behind you."

>You both wind through the alleys and back onto the quiet main street.

>"Hey do you think the chief and captain will be angry with what we did?"

>You let out a nervous chuckle.

"I don't know about you, but Shining Armor is going to kill me."

--------------------

 

>"WHAT IN ALL OF EQURSTRIA IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

>Oh man, Shiny is completely livid now.

>After you and Cuff made it back to the precinct, you had gathered Armor and Badge into the chief's office.

>You had started explaining your night with Cuff, but you didn't get that far until Shining Armor cut you off.

>And now, you were getting your ass chewed out.

>Big time.

>Chief Badge isn't yelling as much, but he took to leering at his officer the whole time instead.

>Also, it being past midnight probably didn't helping either.

>"I didn't bring you down here just to play Batmare!"

>Hey, you like the Batmare comics.

>Jeez, he's laying it on hard. No wonder he's the captain.

>You're actually pretty intimidated by him now.

>"Sneaking onto a dog merchant ship and going through everything? The buck is wrong with you?!"

"Shiny, if you just let me explain-"

>"Do you know how many international laws you've broken? If any one finds out-"

"Nobody is going to find out!"

 

>You hit him with your own hardened stare and he shuts his mouth, waiting for you to continue.

"Except for the fight, Cuff and I weren't spotted. Those two were so blasted they're not going to remember anything the next two days."

>Shining Armor throws his head back in frustration, clearly not satisfied.

>Before he can go off on you again, you pull out your phone and bring up your pictures.

>Flipping through the many you took, you stop at the picture of the opened keg of blastpowder.

>You firmly place the phone on the table facing Shiny and Badge.

>The unicorn blinks and looks down at it, even Badge breaks his stare to look at the device.

"There's your evidence."

>As a plus, you reach into the inner pocket of your shredded jacket and grab a now intact bottle full of powder.

>You place it onto the desk as well.

>"Is that what I think it is?"

"You better believe it."

>"That's hard evidence right there."

>You're relieved Badge finally spoke up.

"There's pictures on there that date this kind of crap back for months. Blackbone keeps a separate manifest for all of his illegal movings in it."

>"I see."

>Shiny has definitely cooled off now.

>That's good for what you're about to do next.

>You lower your voice.

"There's something else too."

>You flip to the video of the two ponies and you asking them questions.

>As they watch the video, Shiny's face falls as well as Badge's into a sickening shock.

>When the video ends both just stare blankly at your phone, as if it were to play more.

>Shiny finally blinks, ending his trance on your phone.

>"Well, this changes things."

>Badge exhales loudly. Full duty face kicks in, ready to bust some dog.

>"I'll send my boys to alert the dockmaster to lock the Corgi in port until further notice. Cuff, you'll get the honors of arresting the captain and bring him in."

>The blue colt nods and salutes his superior.

>"And I'll have my guards hold the crew and conduct a search of the ship. Anon, I assume you know where everything is?"

>You nod.

 

"Most of the items are in his sleeping quarters, in the end table. Honestly, I would just bag and tag everything in his cabin."

>"Let's stop talking about it and get this son of a bitch!"

>You don't think that's a big as an insult as it should be.

>Badge moves from behind the desk as everyone heads for the door. Before any of you can leave the room, you stand in front of it, blocking their exit.

>The chief and captain, even Cuff, look at you oddly.

"I know this is going to be difficult, but we need to do this as discreetly as possible. No press."

>Badge gives you a look of disbelief.

>"Anon, you need to understand how big this bust for Manehattan is going to be. This is going to put a lot of ponies as well as local merchants at ease. Peace of mind and all."

>You understand his point, but it doesn't keep you from clenching your teeth.

"I think there's other factors in play here that we're not seeing. If the media gets a load of this, whoever else is going to as well. I read Blackbone's letters. I don't believe he's kidnapping-"

>"Ponynapping."

>You eye Cuff for correcting you, but you shake it off.

"Ponynapping , whatever. I don't believe he's doing it. Someone else is bringing him ponies to load in his ship, and we have to find out who."

>Badge scratches his chin in thought.

>"We'll keep it under wraps, for now."

>That's the most you can ask for.

>You say nothing else, your point being made. You turn around to open the door.

"Well boys, looks like it's time we bring this dog..."

>You realise you don't have any sunglasses on you.

>And none of them would get the reference anyway.

>You'll have to fix that the first opportunity you get.

--------------------

 

>You cross you arms as you look at Captain Blackbone through the two-way window.

>The bandages on your arms itched something fierce and you couldn't help but scratch around the tape.

>He sits in a chair across a table from two empty ones.

 

>You told the police to let him stew while his ship was searched thoroughly.

>Also, it gave him time to think about what he's in for.

>He doesn't look confident, more angry if anything.

>What drives someone to such heinous acts.

>At this point, you don't even care about the blastpowder, but you have to address it.

>All you want is everything he has on the ponies.

>You have a bad feeling in your gut to where this could possibly go.

>And it can go anywhere.

>The clopping of hooves come toward you from your left.

>It's Shiny and Badge with satisfied looks on their faces.

>"I have my guards finishing up cleaning out the Corgi's hold. They also found the manifest as well as the letters."

"And the two found in the hold?"

>Badge clears his throat.

>"We just brought them in. Cuff is their statements now."

>That's good. Out of that box must've been a godsend.

>"They were asking for you too. Wanted to know where the monkey in the suit was."

>You're not sure if you should be offended or flattered.

"I'll see them later. Right now..."

>You point to the dog inside the interrogation room.

"How do want to handle this?"

>"I don't have the patience to interrogate anyp0ny. If you and the captain want to, be my guest."

>Badge leaves you and Shiny in the hall.

"So how do you want to do this?"

>"Well, I do have some experience in extracting information. You seem to know what what you want out of him."

"Let's both go in."

>You look back into the room to Blackbone, who just sits there silently.

"You think you can play off me?"

>He nods.

>"Yeah."

"Alright. Let's do this."

>You open the door to the room and let Shining in first, you close the door behind you.

>Blackbone eyes you strangely as you and the captain take seats across from him.

>"Hmm, I expected ponies. What in the blazes are you supposed to be?"

>Oh god, an English accent. You hate him already.

"Human. Look, we're just going to get right to the chase here."

>Shiny adds on.

 

>"We've found eight kegs full of high grade blastpowder on your ship, not including the two ponies you had tied up with your cargo."

"That's not including all the paperwork we found in your quarters. It's more than enough to impound your ship and keep you, as well as your crew, locked up for quite a long time."

>You lean onto the table, resting your arms on it.

"You give us everything we ask for, and we'll make sure you get a good deal."

>You finish with a sly smirk, which he sneers at.

>"How good of a deal?"

>You mull over something off the top of your head. You look over to Shiny who nods, having got this.

>"One month suspension on your trading permit, as well as the fines for any prohibited goods."

>He let's out a low growl, but nothing else.

>You'll take that as a yes.

"Which one do you you want to start off with?"

>He doesn't answer.

>You attempt to lean back in the pony-sized chair with no luck.

"Who was the blast powder for? Let's start off with that."

>The dog stares at you for a few more seconds before letting out a breath of defeat.

>"The powder is for by brother, Rover. He has a mining operation over in Rambling Rock Ridge. His dogs are strong diggers, but not that strong. It's the only thing potent enough to blast through solid rock and release the gems inside."

"And I assume you get a cut of sort?"

>Blackbone scoffs at you.

>"Can't siblings do something for one another without a deal involved."

"Suppose so."

>You turn to Shiny.

"Let's make sure to check this 'Rover's' permits."

>"Got it."

>You look back at the dog.

"So, tell us about the two ponies."

>He hesitates on your question.

>"We can always send you to Canterlot. Celestia will be more than happy to know why her ponies are being expedited out of her kingdom."

>That broke him.

>"Okay, fine!"

>Blackbone clears his throat.

>"You know about the letters, right?"

"Yeah?"

 

>"Every time I make port, a dog off the docks delivers me one of 'em. The messenger gives me the location and I send some of my boys to retrieve them. I get my cut when I return to the territories."

>"Who do you give the ponies to in the territories?"

>Blackbone shakes his head.

>"I never get names, just bits."

>You'll assume he's lying and try to follow up on it some other way later.

"Who gives you the ponies here?"

>He leans in onto the table and looks right at you.

>"Like I said, I never get names and I never ask for them. But here, any dog worth his kibble would know who they work for."

"And that would be?"

>"The dog mafia, of course."

>He smirks as he leans back into the chair, as if smugly giving away some secret.

>"You've got to be kidding me."

>You look at Shiny, who's stunned at Blackbone's assumption.

>You're more pissed off at the lack of originality.

"Yeah really, who names their mob the 'dog mafia'? I bet the leader is called the dog father too."

>You expect Shiny, to reply, but your arrestee does instead.

>"Actually, his name IS the dog father. At least, that's what everyone else calls him."

"I hate this place."

>Shiny looks at you.

>"Anonymous, the dog mafia is well connected throughout Manehattan. I'm actually hating myself I've never considered them being part of this."

>Blackbone snickers.

>"If it's anything worth dealing with, you bet the mafia has some sort of paw in it."

>You eye him.

"Shiny, notepad."

>Armor hovers a pad and pencil over on his side and onto the table and pushes it towards Blackbone.

"You're going to write down every location you've ever picked up ponies at."

>The merchant captain nods reluctantly, and begins to scribble onto the pad.

>"I suppose you'll see if any more dogs attempt a trade there, well your wrong. Once the mob learns of my arrest, you won't have a single scent to chase."

>He's right. Such and operation will have to go underground to avoid detection.

 

>It will either completely stop for a while, or be even harder to detect.

>You frown at this realization.

"Do you know if any other ships are in on this with the mafia?"

>Blackbone looks off to the wall on your left.

>"There is one I know of. We're supposed to keep it to ourselves, but it slipped out one night at the Barnacle."

>You and Shiny listen intently as he is about to give a name.

>"Captain Toto. He owns the Bulldog. He's the only other I know of."

>There it is, you've got your next lead.

>You look to Armor, and you nod in satisfaction.

"I think we're done here."

>You both get up from your chairs, leaving the dog to look at both of you.

>"I'm going to get my deal, right?"

"I'll make sure to tell the chief."

>You both leave the room and close the door behind you.

>The chief and Cuff are standing there on the other side and out of view of the doorway.

>"Good work Captain. Anonymous."

>The Chief nods in approval.

"Thank you, Chief. So, where do we go from here?"

>Shiny jabs you in the leg.

>"We, as in you and I, need to be on a train back to Canterlot in six hours."

"Is it that late already?"

>You look at your watch.

>Wow, it 2 AM.

"Huh, look at that."

>The chief lets out a yawn, which temps you to do the same.

>"I think we should all get some rest. My boys can take care of it from here."

>"I agree with the chief. Come on, Anonymous. I actually DID book a hotel, not like we've been to it yet."

>You sigh in defeat.

"Fine. Let's go."

>You look back and nod at the two cops.

"Badge, Cuff."

>They both nod back at you.

>As you both make for the exit, you notice the two captive ponies sitting in the foyer.

>Blankets were over their backs with what smelled like hot chocolate on their hooves.

>You nudge Shiny in the neck.

"You go on, I have one thing to do."

>He gives you a confused look, until he spots the two ponies as well.

>"The hotel is on West Main. Your room's number four."

 

>He levitates a key over two you, and you pocket it, and leaves out the double doors into the night.

>With only you remaining, you walk over two the pegasus and earth pony, who have just noticed you.

>Both of them have tired smiles on as you crouch down to their level.

"Hey, how you two holding up?"

>The grey stallion speaks up first.

>"We're doing okay now."

>"Thanks to you."

>The mare adds in.

>You smile and nod at their gratitude.

>This truly was the best part of your job.

"I never got a chance to introduce myself. My name is Anonymous."

>You hold your hand out. Most ponies never figure out what it means until they figure it out for themselves.

>"High Flyer."

>He holds his hoof out, not expecting your shake. You do the same with the mare.

>"Carnation."

"It's nice knowing you two are alright. I have to be on my way, you take care now."

>You wave farewell as you leave through the doors.

>You make your way down the steps in the cool night when you hear a voice behind you.

>"Anonymous, hold up!"

>You turn as you make it onto the sidewalk.

>Cuff hurries down the steps to you.

"Cuff, it's late."

>"I know, but I looked up the Bulldog in my files. That ship has been suspected of illegal trading as well."

"Hmm. So Blackbone's confession checks out, to a degree."

>His ears pull back a bit.

>"It's scheduled to dock in a few days."

"You handled yourself well so far, I'm sure you can take care of anything that comes your way."

>"But what about what Blackbone said. If I don't try hard enough, more ponies can slip right under my hooves."

>He lowers his head down in disappointment.

>"I became a cop to help the ponies of Manehattan. The only time I've felt that was tonight."

>You look at the sad stallion, and come up with an idea.

"How about this. If you find anything, ANYTHING at all, you send me a letter in Canterlot. I'll come right down to help you however I can."

>He looks up at you, his spirits brought up.

>"You will?"

 

>You nod.

"This is some serious stuff here, Cuff. You alone shouldn't have to deal with it yourself."

>"No. Luckily, Chief Badge is going to assign some more officers to the docks from now on. But none of us know how to do what you do."

>You chuckle.

"What, sneaking onto ships? Breaking laws and red tape? Trust me, you don't want to be doing that on a daily basis."

>He shakes his head.

>"No, not that. You're not afraid to get the job done. You can do a lot of good here, Anonymous."

"Hmm. It's not the first time I've considered it."

>In truth, you've given it thought once of continuing your old job here. You were always told by those professors in Canterlot that such crimes you told stories about didn't exist in Equestria.

>Boy, if you wish they were here now.

>This would only help your cause, and you are stricken with brilliant idea.

>"Uh, Anonymous?"

>You're shaken out of your daydream, as he looks at you weirdly.

"I should be going. Take it easy, Cuff."

>You're already walking off as you leave Cuff in front of the station.

>"Okay. I'll make sure to send you that letter."

>Now, where the hell is West Main?

--------------------

 

>You stretch you back as you wait on the station platform along with Shiny and his guards.

"Aw man, I can not wait until I get back in my old bed. I swear, I'm going to ruin my back on your midget beds."

>"Well, I a few hours you can sleep as long as you want."

>You look back at the the metropolis that is Manehattan. Armor notices you just staring off.

"Do you think they can handle this?"

>He murmurs something to himself, then addresses you.

>"Anon, I know you want to stay and finish this whole thing, but I can't let you."

"Why not? It's shit like this that made MY world a living hell. Seeing it here..."

>You put your hands on your hips.

"It just bring up bad memories."

>Shining nods sympathetically.

>"After what you did last night, I wouldn't mind leaving you here for a few days. Weeks even."

>You let out a laugh.

 

"Trying to get rid of me?"

>He laughs back.

>"Ha, no. I don't think I ever could. You're a good friend, Anonymous."

"Then why not?"

"Whatever you did in your homeworld, nop0ny cares here. You're not a member of the Royal Guard or the Manehattan Police, or any police in that matter. Both you and I can get in a lot of trouble if anything on you got out."

>Shining is right.

>You may have been a cop back on Earth, but you're not here.

>No authority, no jurisdiction, no badge.

>You think back on what Cuff told you last night.

>Manehattan, no, Equestria needs someone like you.

>And you have a plan that's been brewing since you laid down on that cruddy hotel bed.

>The train pulls up to the station and the guards start to pile in, you and Armor last to get on.

"Shiny?"

>You smirk at him as you enter the traincar.

"I think we can change that."