A/N: It may be the third time I've used this word in my Author's Notes, but wow. When I check my gmail, I always have at least one email from telling me someone added my story as a favorite, added it to their alert list, etc. This is a glorious feeling. In this chapter, the emphasis changes from "romance" to "drama". Let me know how you like this new twist! R&R!
Two weeks later
Big Mac was feeling on top of the world. The harvest looked like it was going to be a bumper crop, he and his family were healthy, and he finally had a wonderful woman in his life. He felt like nothing could stop him.
Celestia apparently thought his life was getting boring.
It had all started so innocently. Six friends had decided to spend a night out on the town. All of Equestria was experiencing a renaissance, and they wanted to be a part of it. Party after party, club after club, the six began to get all partied out. They ended up in a greasy spoon, wolfing down mysterious pink burgers at two in the morning.
Rainbow Dash managed to choke out a sentence through a mouthful of meat and bread.
"Oh. My. God. Crap has never tasted so good."
"Didn't you mother tell you ta never chew at the table?" Applejack said with mock seriousness, setting off several bouts of laughter. If they hadn't been so drunk, they might have noticed the lone man sitting in the corner with a hungry gleam in his eye.
"I don't think I've been this drunk before," Rarity slurred. At that statement, the man in the corner quietly slipped outside. No one noticed him.
"We should be getting back home. I think Spike's going to pick me up." Twilight.
"Mr. Cake said he'd send a cab." Pinkie.
"I'm going with Twi." Rainbow Dash.
"Same here." Fluttershy.
"Mah pickup's somewhere around here." Applejack.
"Big Mac said he'd -hic- gimme a ride." Rarity...
"Mah brother should be here soon. What time is it anyway?" Applejack pulled out her phone to check the clock.
"Two in the mornin'. Damn. I won't be able to get anything done tomorrow. Too hungover." Applejack giggled.
"Ah 'spose ah should get goin'. Don't want Big Mac to have to do all mah work tomorrow. He needs the energy, from what ah hear upstairs," She winked at Rarity, who blushed.
"I suppose we could be a bit more... discrete."
Once again, the six burst into laughter. The store owner sighed.
"I'm afraid I have to close up shop now. You ladies can run along." His voice was edged with solid granite.
"Oh look, Spike's here!" Pinkie Pie pointed out the window, where a red convertible was pulling up to the building. Spike was in the driver's seat, his hair still standing at attention.
"Alright, girls. Let's go." Twilight stood up and yawned. The other three that were traveling with her did the same.
"Mr. Cake's cab is here, too!"
"Ah think ah still know where mah car is..."
The six friends filed out the door. None of them saw the silhouette of a man ducking into a nearby alley. Twilight hesitated as she got in the car.
"Rarity? Are you going to be alright all by yourself?"
Rarity seemed almost offended at the question.
"Of course I can. Don't worry darling, I know how to handle myself. Besides, Big Mac just texted me saying he was on his way. See you tomorrow!"
"Yeah... see you tomorrow!"
Rarity giggled a bit as she stepped back from the curb and Spike hit the gas. Pinkie Pie waved as her cab rolled by, and Rarity could hear Applejack's old four-door wheezing as it started. She leaned against the wall of the diner, closing her eyes and drifting into a semi-conscious state..
Unfortunately for her, the night was just beginning.
She didn't see the shadow creeping out of the alley. She didn't hear his breath getting louder and louder as he came closer. She did notice the rough hand clamping over her mouth. That got her attention. Her eyes shot open, but before she could scream, she became aware of something poking into her lower chest. Someone growled into her ear, "You scream, you blood fills the gutter. You understand?" She had no choice but to nod.
Big Mac pulled up in his pickup. Huh, he thought. Rarity said she'd be out here. Eh. She must be in the bathroom or somethin'.
The man slowly guided her into the alleyway, where no one could see them. No one could hear them. Rarity was screwed, and she was about to get screwed.
"You got fancy clothes there, miss." His breath smelled of cheap whiskey and stale tobacco. "I don't think you'll need them, though." He laughed. It sounded oddly rusty, like he hadn't done it in a while. Rarity's face was down to the ground, but she could hear him unbuckling his pants.
Big Mac was really starting to get concerned he hat been waiting far too long for it to be a simply bathroom break. He dismounted, checking his phone to see if she had texted him. Nope. He began to search the area around the diner. He could hear someone speaking faintly in a nearby alleyway.
Can't be her... can it?
Marcus couldn't believe his luck. It was almost as if Celestia herself had delivered this drunken beauty right into his hands. He had prepared himself. Now it was her turn. He reached for the knife in his back pocket, planning to cut the straps of her dress before making her squeal...
Rarity waited for him to start...
Big Mac turned into the alleyway...
A large hand prevented Marcus's knife from completing its journey. Adrenaline began coursing through his veins. Whoever's hand was wrapped around his must be giant. He turned his head, and his suspicions were confirmed. A massive profile blotted out the moon. The giant's words were quiet, making them all the more threatening.
"Boy, you are in a heap of trouble."
The giant began squeezing, and Marcus's hand involuntarily dropped the knife. A pair of strong hands gripped the side of his head, and rammed it into a brick wall. Marcus wasn't dead.
He just wished he was.
Is that Big Mac's voice? Dear Celestia, let it be him. Let it be him...
A pair of strong arms wrapped around Rarity's and pulled her up. She looked wight into Big Mac's green eyes and lost it right then and there. A large farmer hold a slim, bawling fashion designer in his arms while her would-be rapist lay unconscious next to them. An odd scene, to say the least.
After about 5 minutes, Rarity began to calm down. She pulled away from Big Mac's strong chest and looked down at her attacker.
"Is... he..."
Big Mac bent down and pressed two fingers against the man's neck. Sure enough, a steady pulse beat beneath.
"Nnnope. Jus' out cold."
He straightened up and looked into her eyes. They were still full of fear.
"Let's head down to th' police station and report this. Ah'll throw him the back of the truck."
Showing little regard for the other man's welfare, Big Mac through him over his shoulder like a sack of flour. Soon, the criminal was bouncing around the back of a pickup truck. Before long, his mind pushed through the fog.
The hell am I doing in the back of pickup truck?
His head throbbing and his hand beginning to swell, he took a quick peek into the cab. The driver he didn't recognize, but his passenger sure as hell looked familiar. He had been caught, and they most likely weren't taking him out for ice cream. He realized something very important: his captors had forgotten to bind his hands. He could easily escape. Once the truck stopped at a red light, he slipped out the back. The darkness and the fact that neither Big Mac nor Rarity were expecting his escape, he easily slipped away. Once out of the truck's sight, he breathed a sigh of relief that soon turned into a gasp of pain. He need a doctor, right now. He limped his way to the hospital, already thinking of excuse stories.
The battered pickup pulled into the parking lot of the Canterlot Police Station. Big Mac got out of the cab first, grabbing a wheat stalk from a secret stash he kept under the driver's seat and chomping down on it. He checked the bed of the truck. Sure enough, their friends wasn't back there.
Jus' like ah suspected.
He knew that unconsciousness didn't last forever, and it would be likely the scumbag would recover mid-journey. One red light would be all he needed. Rarity gasped as she made the discovery.
"He... he's gone."
"Eeeyup. Musta gotten out on tha way here. Good thing ah took some pitchers a' him."
Rarity snorted.
"Yeah. Good thing."
The only sign of life in the station was a pair of boots up on the front desk. Attached to the boots was an older sergeant, with graying hair and a bored expression. His head was buried in the latest issue of Batman, and he didn't notice his visitors until Big Mac cleared his throat.
Peeking over the top of his comic book, the first thought the desk sergeant had was Wow, that guy is big. His second was What an odd couple. A farm boy in jeans and a flannel with heavy looking boots and a city girl wearing a (now grimy) party dress with high heels.. Taking his boots off the desk and straightening up in the chair, he began to recite a speech he had used maybe once in the past month.
"Welcome to the Canterlot Police Station. Are you here to report a crime?"
"Eeeyup."
This surprised the sergeant. Crime was nearly non-existent in Equestria; he mostly dealt with tourists who thought they had been pick pocketed, only to discover their wallet in their XXL fanny packs. After booting up his computer and opening up the relevant form, the desk sergeant continued with his routine.
"What crime do you wish to report?"
This time, the girl answered.
"Attempted rape."
Any trace of boredom left his system immediately. Attempted rape? Christ, this was serious.
"N-name of victim?"
"Rarity L'fey."
"Can I see an ID?"
Rarity passed over her driver's license. The sergeant held it under a scanner, and all the relevant information filled itself out in the form.
"Location of crime?"
"Alleyway outside Barney's diner."
"Time of crime?"
"About a half an hour ago."
Glancing at the clock and subtracting 30 minutes, the sergeant soon had the entire report filled.
"Do you remember anything that identified the perpetrator?"
Perpetrator, Big Mac thought, This piece of slime tries to violate an innocent girl, and they call him a perpetrator?
"Ah have pitchers." Big Mac opened up the relevant file on his phone and handed it over. Soon, both pictures would be beamed to all nearby law enforcement officers.
"Thank you. Your report has been filed. Do either of you have an address that you can be reached at?"
"Sweet Apple Acres, Ponyville."
"167 Main Street, Ponyville."
"Alright. You'll probably receive a court subpoena in a couple days, when we catch this bastard."
He stood up and smiled a bit.
"I got your number off of this phone. I'll send you texts when I can, keep you posted."
"Ah 'preciate it, Mr...?"
"Sergeant Gold. Pleased to meet you."
The sergeant stood up and offered his hand. Big Mac took it, surprised at the firmness of the older man's grip.
"Ah'm Big Mac. Thank you, again."
"A pleasure."
The sergeant sat back down and began filing papers and typing furiously. Big Mac and Rarity exited, leaving the matter in the law's capable hands. Sergeant Gold turned on the radio mic.
"All units, this is Home Base. We have a report of attempted rape. Yes, I'm serious, attempted rape. They got pictures of they guy that did it, too. The file will be sent to you shortly. Concentrate on the route between Barney's Diner and Home Base. Home Base out."
Sergeant Gold went up to grab himself another cup of coffee. This was going to be a long night...
One and half hours later
Marcus stumbled along the ally, using the brick wall on his right to keep from tripping. He had gone to the hospital, and they had bandaged up his head, covering up one of his eyes in the process. They had been about to fix his hand when the cops came in looking for a rapist, and he knew he had to get out of there. This proved to be a bad decision. He stumbled on a unseen rock and faceplanted. When he managed to crack open an eye again, he found himself staring at a pair of steel-toed boots. Boot met face at high velocity. That was just a warm up. For the next ten minutes, Marcus's body was slammed around in more ways than he ever wanted to imagine. Finally, he lay on his back, struggling to breath. Four ribs cracked. every bone in his hand broken, his skull fractured, and his mouth and nose bleeding. Looking up, Marcus saw the silhouette of man raising his boot above Marcus's head, framed by the most beautiful sunrise he had ever seen.
Two days later
"Wow. An attempted rape, then the rapist gets killed." John Rickers leaned back and sighed. He had never seen crimes of this level in his ten years as District Attorney of Canterlot (and thus de facto Attorney General for all of Equestria), let alone in one night.
"We got any suspects?" Jimmy Corbitt was the Assistant DA.
"Uh... one. Name of Macintosh Apple. Reported that the victim had tried to rape his girlfriend a couple hours before his death."
"A revenge killing?"
Boy, for all his competence, Jimmy can be stupid, Rickers thought.
"Yes. Hayseed's girlfriend get attacked, he gets pissed, kills the guy in revenge."
"We got any evidence?"
"Yes. Autopsy guys report the cause of death was boot meeting head. Security shows he was wearing the same boots as the killer."
"That's enough evidence?"
"We got a motive. Got a piece of forensic evidence. If you can make sure he has no alibi, we can nail him."
"Alright."
"Take some guys with you. Get his boots, send 'em to the lab. See if they've been washed."
"Alright."
"What are you waiting here for?"
Noon
Sweet Apple Acres
It was a lazy day at the farm. Granny was asleep in her rocking chair, Apple Bloom was watching TV, Applejack was reading the paper, and Big Mac was worried. Mostly about Rarity. He had gotten a text from Sergeant Gold, telling him that the attempted rapist had been killed a little while after he had escaped from Mac. He decided to check on his girlfriend.
"Hey Applejack!"
"What?"
"Ah'm goin' t' go check on Rarity!"
"Okay!"
Grabbing his keys on the way out, Big Mac noticed two police pull into the driveway. He paused on the porch, and saw two men get out of the first car. One was wearing a sharp business suit, the other had on a police uniform. The two ambled up to the porch.
"Howdy, gentlemen."
"Hello, sir. I'm Jim Corbitt, the assistant DA up at Canterlot. Are you Mr. Macintosh Apple?"
"Eeeyup. You can call me Big Mac, though."
The two shook hands, and Big Mac noticed that the lawyer's hands were soft and manicured. He had never done a day's hard labor.
"I'm here to ask you a couple questions about the incident with Miss L'fey yesterday morning," he said while pulling out a small notepad and pencil.
"Alright."
The police officer, still silent and grim faced, climbed up onto the porch and began to look around.
"What did you do after reporting the incident to our sergeant?"
"Well, ah took Miss Rarity home. Stayed their a while, made sure she was okay. Then ah came back here."
"Do you know exactly when you came back?"
" 'Bout four in th' mornin'."
"Can anyone confirm that?"
Big Mac was a bit confused.
"What?"
"Can anyone confirm that you were home at that time?"
"Ah don't think so. Everybody was asleep."
The Assistant DA flipped his notebook shut and sighed.
"Mr. Apple, I'm going to have to ask you to put your hands behind your head."
Big Mac was really confused now, but he did as he was told. A pair of steel handcuffs locked around his wrists, and the officer shoved him against one of the porch's support column before beginning to pat him down.
"Wha-"
"Macintosh Apple, you are under arrest for the murder of Marcus Murdoc. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in court."
Corbitt gave a signal, and several officers came swarming out of the second car. They entered the house, the first one running right into Applebloom.
"What're you doin' to mah brother?" she said, shocked. One of the officers scooped her up without an answer.
"If you cannot afford an attorney, the court will appoint one for you-"
"Lil' Bloom? Whats all this commotion?" Applejack turned the corner, seeing a sight she thought impossible: police officers swarming around the kitchen and the entryway. One of them was holding Applebloom in his arms; she was bawling her little eyes out.
"What's wrong?"
"Th-they're takng away Big Mac!"
"WHAT?"
One of the officers stopped and faced Applejack.
"Ma'am, your brother has been accused of murder."
MURDER?
Applejack pushed through the officers to the porch, getting there just in time to see her brother in the back of a police car.
A/N: Shit just got real. Once again, read and review!