[HEADING=1]IN CANTERLOT![/HEADING]
Getting off the train, Roach, Braeburn and I storm up the steps of the Office of Truth. The Chief of Security meets us in front of the main entrance.
RaN: "Where's the Director?!"
Chief: "Gone. He left to see to the safety of his daughter. We were prepared to meet you at the sta-"
Braeburn: "No time for small talk, pardner! Where is he?!"
Chief: "Follow us. We'll take you to him."
Following the Chief and her armed security detail through the Canterlot's central park, we arrive at a rather modest home compared to the more elaborate buildings in the district. The Chief kicks down the door with Roach and Braeburn following close behind.
Chief: "You two are with me. We'll search the second story of this house. Bon Bon and Charlie, make sure this floor is clear. Mac, go with RaN and take the basement."
As the others search through the house, Big Mac and I take the stairs down into the basement. At first glance, the room appears as if nothing is out of the ordinary. From the corner of my eye, I catch sight of a small pool of blood leaking from behind a bookcase. I draw my handgun.
RaN: "Pull that bookcase out of the way."
Mac pulls the bookcase out of the wall and away from the opening, revealing a hidden door. I pull the door back, and the body of the Director falls on me. I am barely able to hold my ground and push him away without breaking my back.
Mac: "Oh my God, no!"
Looking at the body, I notice that his throat had been slashed from behind. He never saw the killer coming.
RaN: "Dammit."
I contact Roach and the Chief on my communicator.
RaN: "Squad, we found the Director... He didn't make it. You see the girl up there?"
Roach: "Negative. Second floor is clear."
Chief: "Celestia help us... Alright, we're coming down to you. Everyone else, stay where you are. Make sure no one gets in or out of this house."
Roach and the Chief meet me downstairs. Upon seeing the body, the Chief takes off her cap and presses it to her chest.
RaN: "His cutie mark's been skinned and his tail has been cut to the stub. This is definitely the same guy we're after."
I notice the Chief try and hold back a tear.
Chief: "When we find the bastard, I'll kill him myself. You understand?"
RaN: "Got it. He couldn't have gone too far."
[HEADING=1]IN APPLELOOSA![/HEADING]
Night has fallen and a thunderstorm erupts in the sky. Miles away from town, an abandoned shack lies by a flooded river, sheltered from prying eyes by the trees surrounding it.
A single hand emerges from the ground.
Ghost desperately clambers his way out of the flooded tunnel and breathes in the rain-soaked night air. He laughs and cries out of joy.
Ghost washes the dirt and grime from his face and drags his legs out of the hole. Amazingly,he is able to hear a filly's voice coming from inside the shack.
???: "No. No, get away from me-
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
Ghost clambers back up to his feet and takes cover near the front door. Listening to the other side, he hears the sobs of the young filly as well as the shuffling of hooves. He attempts to load his rifle, only to find the that the grime from the tunnel has ruined the cycle. He discards his weapon and kicks down the door.
Surprised, the masked horse drops his scalpel knife, draws his revolver and fires at Ghost. Ghost takes the shot to the chest but shrugs it off. He rushes at the horse and attempts to pry the revolver from his hooves. The gun goes off, hitting Ghost again in the thigh. Ghost grips the weapon tightly and twists the horse's forelegs, throwing him over his back and onto the ground. The gun goes off again, this timing hitting the horse right in the throat.
In pain but still able to stand, Ghost rips away the horse's hood.
Ghost: "You? But how?"
The Sheriff sputters blood from his mouth. He attempts to speak, but all he can do is cough. He gives a weak nod to Ghost and dies.
Ghost: "No. This can't be right."
???: *sobs* "Please... I'm so scared..."
Ghost stumbles over to the wounded filly.
Ghost: "Are you alright? What's your name?"
"My name is Rosaline... Oh God, I can't feel anything."
Ghost notices that the filly's cutie mark had been skinned off and her tail cut short. There are several small holes along the filly's rear, indicating the use of sedatives. Her skin trembles from the cold, indicating hypothermia.
Rosaline: *sobs* "I want my daddy. Where's my daddy?"
Ghost: "Don't worry kid. I'll get you out of here."
Ghost unstraps the restraints and rests the filly down on the floor, using his body heat to keep her warm.
Rosaline: "It's getting... so dark... I don't like the dark..."
The filly loses consciousness. Ghost checks for a signal on his communicator and is amazed to find he has reception.
[HEADING=1]BACK IN CANTERLOT![/HEADING]
Ghost:
RaN? Roach? You guys there? Respond!
I answer back on the phone.
RaN: "Jeezus, Ghost. We thought you were dead!"
Ghost:
There's a reason they call me 'Ghost'. Listen, I've got a wounded girl here suffering from hypothermia. She might have OD'd on tranquilizers. I need an ERT sent here right away!
RaN: "Got it. Give me a sec to triangulate your coordinates. This girl got a name?"
Ghost:
It's Rosaline.
RaN: "Alright! You found her!"
Ghost:
This is the girl that's been missing? Well... At least something good came out of all this.
RaN: "We've got bad news on this end too. The Director's been taken out. That girl you found was his daughter."
Ghost:
Goddammit... RaN, it was the Sheriff.
RaN: "What?!"
Ghost:
I shit you not, I shot him dead myself. Girl might have been dead if I didn't come in at the last minute.
RaN: "Damn, you can't trust anyone around here. Alright, I think I got a lock on your signal. I'm sending a response crew to you now. And Ghost?"
Ghost:
Yeah?
RaN: "You did good."
Ghost:
Yeah... I guess...
[HEADING=1]IN APPLELOOSA![/HEADING]
Ghost looks down at his wounds. His vest managed to stop the first shot from penetrating, but the bullet wound to the thigh is bleeding profusely. He tries bandaging the wound with gauss tape and applying pressure, but is quickly starting to lose energy. He drinks down a nearby bucket filled with rainwater leaking from the roof to try and keep his blood level high.
Out of the corner of his eye, he spots a small black box tucked in the vest of the Sheriff. He reaches over to find a tape recorder. He rewinds the tape and plays it.
Hello, Sheriff Silverstar. You may know who I am. My name is Krastos, but that is not relevant. What's more important is what I know about you.
I know about your side job selling the Buffalo as slaves to the Orange family in Manehattan. I know of your quiet affair with the wife of the Director of the Office of Truth... Well, former wife.
She's dead, Silverstar, and you won't be the only one to join her if you refuse my offer. You see Sheriff...
I want to play a game...
By the time you hear this, the Director will have already sent three human agents to assassinate me. I cannot allow him to live for this transgression. With this tape, you will find a box and scalpel. Do not open the box. Plant it in the hidden compartment in my room. When the agents discover the evidence, send them back to Canterlot by any means necessary. Once this is done, head for the abandoned home on the river's edge. Once you are there, you will know what to do next.
The tape ends. Horrified, Ghost tries to get a signal back to me.
[HEADING=1]IN CANTERLOT![/HEADING]
Ghost:
RaN! It's me! Pick up!
RaN: "Ghost?"
Ghost:
The Sheriff's been set-up. The killer's in the house! Get outta-
The signal cuts out.
RaN: "Ghost? Talk to me! You there?"
I draw my handgun.
RaN: "We're in trouble."
[HEADING=2]UPSTAIRS![/HEADING]
As Braeburn patrols the hallway, he notices the stairs leading up to the attic are down. Blood trails up the steps. Braeburn draws his revolver and cautiously approaches the set of stairs. He looks around, then starts to climb up. As he peers up into the room, he is stabbed in the back. He lets out a shriek and falls paralyzed to the floor, forcing the knife further into his back. His weapon goes off.
Downstairs on the first floor, Charlie and Bon Bon hear Braeburn's screams and the gunshot.
Charlie: "Braeburn's in trouble! I'll be right back."
Bon Bon: "Are you insane?"