New Trottland Yard Case 01 - Silver Cross and the horror of Haunchingtonby VisualPonyChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 1Silver Cross and the horror of Haunchington Chapter 1 The old Unicorn stallion was tired of this by now. Somepony had set off the alarm in the morgue again, and he had a pretty good hunch on who it was. It was always the same... Whenever somepony died in Haunchington, some youngsters broke in there on a dare. Some Ponies just didn't seem to respect the dead Ponies right to rest in peace. Rain soaked his gray coat as he stumbled over the muddy paths of the graveyard. He was the caretaker here, and even though he was certain that he did his job right, his boss would blame him for this... again. The last time something like this had happened, the three colts that had broken in there had drawn a mustache on the late mayors muzzle, and put a party hat on him. His relatives had almost caused a riot during the ceremony the next morning. Dead Lantern didn't want something like that to happen ever again, which was why he dragged his old bones through the rainy night. As the door to the morgue came into sight he raised the lantern he was levitating by his side. The padlock on the steel door had been ripped off, together with a sizable chunk of the concrete wall it had been attached to. “Not satisfied with just breaking a window are you? C'mon out you little Parasprites so I can spank your flanks all the way to next Friday!”, Lantern shouted into the darkness of the morgue as he approached the door. He never noticed the Earthpony that was sneaking up behind him. The last thing he felt was a sharp pain in his head, as the other stallion reared up and crushed it beneath it's hooves. Another Unicorn stallion came out of the darkness, floating a package of white cloth next to himself. He looked at the murdered caretaker and just grinned. Soon there would be many more like him. Soon the Ponies at the royal academy would eat their own words, and he would get the recognition that he deserved. OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO Half an hour later the red stallion set the body he had stolen from the morgue down on a marble pedestal in the basement of his manor. The failures of his experiments lay all around the ancient room, filling it with the sweet scent of rotting flesh. He didn't care about that one bit. All that mattered now, was to get it right. This time it would work. He was sure of it! The Unicorns horn began to glow with a sinister green light as the thunderstorm continued to rage on outside. The massive rain was slowly seeping into the ritual chamber, and the murky water already reached up to his Pastern as he let go of the magic on his horn. It enveloped the body of Sunshine Petal and slowly seeped into the dead mare. Panting hard the stallion sat down on his haunches, hoping that he had gotten it right this time. Minutes passed, and nothing happened. Anger began to build up inside of him. Why? Why wouldn't it work? Why was death the final end? He had been so sure that he had found the right combination of spells to bring back a dead Pony, so why didn't it.... The cloth in which Sunshine had been wrapped started to move slowly. The mare didn't speak, nor did she groan as she slowly freed herself of the white linen. She slipped of the pedestal and stood on her hooves, looking around the partially flooded chamber out of her soulless eyes. Full of joy the stallion jumped up to the pedestal, wanting to do a little victory dance, when he fainted. All the nights he had spent working instead of working, and his old age were finally catching up to him. OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO Sunshine looked over to the stallion that lay unconscious on the pedestal she had awoken on. He was unimportant. Nothing more then an insect, and not worth her time. Her heart, although not beating, was burning with desire. She had to kill. She had to kill somepony, but who? Then it came to her, and the mare started to gallop out of the basement... OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO Golden Saddle could feel her husband steer in bed next to her. Both of them found it hard to sleep, since tomorrow would be the funeral of their oldest daughter, Sunshine Petal. Turning over to him, she put one of her forelegs around the Pegasus stallion. “Can't sleep either honey?”, she whispered, as not to wake up the foals next door. The blue stallion looked into his lovers puffy eyes and shook his head. “No. I just can't stop thinking about her. I think I'll go downstairs to get a drink, maybe that will help me sleep. Want one too?” “I don't think so. It's bad enough that we have to bury her. I don't want to do it with a hangover.”, the beige Unicorn mare replied, turning over again. Swift Feather stood up, and trotted downstairs, taking a peek into his foals room on the way. Both of them were fast asleep, but he knew that they were missing their big sister very much. Just as he wanted to pick up one of the bottles of booze in his mouth, the lightning outside illuminated a Pony standing in front of the back door. At first he thought it had been his imagination, or maybe it was the sleep deprivation? A combination of both? It didn't matter as he opened the door to see if he was hallucinating. He wasn't. There, drenched by the rain and muddy from her gallop through the fields, stood his daughter. Sunshine Petal looked at him out of her dead eyes, no hint of emotion on her face. Nonetheless Swift couldn't help himself. He caught his daughters neck in a tight embrace, pulling her into the kitchen in the process. Tears were running down his cheeks as he wanted to call out for his wife to come downstairs as well, but his voice never came out. A green glow surrounded his throat as Sunshine started to choke him with her magic. He let go of her, staring at his daughter in disbelief while he stumbled backwards. A few seconds later, his world went dark. The undead Unicorn mare let go of the stallion the moment he stopped struggling, taking one of the knifes from a drawer and floating it next to her. She completely ignored the faint rising and lowering of the Pegasus's chest as she made her way upstairs. OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO A high pitched scream forced Swift Feather back to his senses. His head hurt, and he fought for every breath as he remembered what had happened. The scream came again and his blood froze in his veins as it was accompanied by a dull thud from upstairs. “The children!”, he shouted, grabbing a hatchet from the counter and rushing upstairs. There were bloody hoof-prints coming out of his and G oldens bedroom. A quick peek revealed that someone had slit his wifes throat in her sleep. He just hoped that she hadn't suffered much as he galloped to the foals room. Daisy Schnapps, his youngest daughter, lay in the doorway. Her neck was twisted in an unnatural angle, making it quite obvious that something had broken her neck. Further in he spotted Sunshine Petal. The yellow Unicorn mare was holding her younger brother in her telekinetic grip, while the little colt was beating his wings in a desperate attempt to fly away. Rage overtook the stallion as he charged his oldest daughter, causing her to loose focus on her magic. Rambler fell to the ground, coughing, while his father struggled with his older sister. The young colt watched in terror, as his father brought down the hatchet he had in his mouth again and again on Sunshines head. His father didn't stop until there was barely anything left of his sisters head, and she had long stopped fighting. When Swift rolled off of his now really dead daughter, he almost fainted from physical and mental exhaustion. He had lost another child, his wife and had to put down this thing that had looked like his oldest daughter... It was just too much for him. Not even his sons cries could stop him from fainting now... The last thing he saw before he went out, was the body of his daughter going up in blue flames. OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO Officer Baton Draw couldn't believe his ears. The neighbors had called him here in the middle of the night, and the scene he had found here was a horrible one. One kid with a twisted neck, their mother bleeding all over the sheets of her bed and the father laying in the kids bedroom with a bloody hatchet next to him. It didn't look good for the stallion, but the story he was trying to sell him was the worst attempt at an alibi that he had ever heard. According to Swift Feather, his dead daughter had come home, had killed her mother and younger sister, and had then erupted in blue flames as he had stopped her with the hatchet. Baton saw a different story. The stallion had been unable to cope with his daughters accident, and had simply snapped, murdering the rest of his family except the little colt. For now, he had sent the colt away to Baltimare general hospital with an ambulance to be treated. The father would have to face interrogation from the homicidal division, but that was barely necessary. All the evidence pointed to the blue stallion as the culprit. About an hour later, a squad from Baltimares homicidal division arrived and took Swift Feather into custody. The stallion would most likely spent the rest of his days in prison, if he wasn't just outright executed. Baton decided to go see Dead Lantern the next morning, to inform him that the family wouldn't make it to the funeral of Sunshine Petal, and that he should just bury the poor mare. OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO Three murders in one night... Even one was unusual for the small sleepy town of Haunchington, but there he was, lying in his own blood. The only thing that enabled Baton Draw to identify the graveyards caretaker was his Cutiemark of an old fashioned lamp in front of a gravestone. His friends head was completely crushed, leaving only a bloody stump on his neck. Whoever had done this, must have possessed strength equal to the legendary Alicorns to cause damage like this. What worried him even more was, that the body of Sunshine Petal was nowhere to be found. After getting back to his small office, he called a few colleagues of his in the surrounding villages. Several of them reported that there had been strange deaths in their area as well, and that the bodies had been stolen in the night before the funeral. None of them had reappeared however. Only Sunshine... Baton shook his head. How could a dead mare stand up and murder almost her whole family? That just wasn't possible! Not even the legendary Alicorns had been able to bring back the dead! Nonetheless, he took out several scrolls from a drawer of his desk and began writing. It ended up being a ten pages long letter to the New Trottlandyard.... Chapter 2Silver Cross and the horror of Haunchington Chapter 2 Superintendent Gruff Tone looked over the mail his assistant had placed on his desk this morning. Most of the scrolls were about minor disturbances in the city. He would redirect those to the Canterlot police station. The New Trottlandyard had better things to do the to look out for pick pockets, or gratify on some high society Ponies front door. Homicide and other major crimes in his departments jurisdiction. Here and there they also took care of the occasional robbery, but only if the stolen object was of great value. The New Trottlandyard was good enough so they could pick their cases after all... A scroll caught his eye. It bore the seal of his hometown, Haunchington. “Something wrong in the good ol' place?”, he mused, starting to read the letter. It was longer then he had expected, and his face darkened with each word he read. Undead Ponies murdering their families? Was his cousin trying to pull his tail? Then again, the letter sounded more then serious. Gruff would have sent a squad of Inspectors immediately, even if only to reassure his cousin, but the publicity would have been a disaster. If the press found out the the Yard was working on such a case... They'd be in the line of fire for months! His gaze fell upon his Inspectors personal files, and a grin formed on his face. There was one Inspector that he could dispatch. A particular mare he had wanted to get rid of for some time now. If that Zombie Pony stuff was true, there might be a good chance that this slacker would be eaten. If it wasn't then he could always deny having sent her on that mission, finally getting rid of her. For him, it was a win win situation as he stood up, taking the scroll along in his magic. OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO I was lying on my couch as usual, a box from Donut Joe's on the table next to me. My job was more boring then I had anticipated when I had signed up for the Yard a year ago. The Unicorn mare, that had tested me, seemed to be personally insulted that an Earthpony passed her test. There had been no way she could deny my transfer here after I passed the test, but they didn't really trust me with any cases either. All of the Yard was made up of Unicorns, with only me as an exception. Officially it didn't have anything to do with my race that I was mostly sitting on my plot, of course. They just didn't have any “suitable” cases for me... I was about to reach out my hoof, to grab another Donut with extra sprinkles, when the door to my office was slammed open. It was enough to make me jump into the air for a few feet, and the window in my door crack a little. After I had extracted my face from the box of Donuts I had landed in, I looked up into the stern face of my boss. Gruff Tone... Not exactly the nicest guy around, but he was the one signing my paycheck. I grinned at him, totally ignoring the icing on my face as I did so. His presence here could only one thing after all. He had a job for me. “Tsk tsk tsk... How you ever passed the entrance exam will forever be a mystery for me.”, he sighed, throwing a scroll he had been floating in front of him onto my desk. Before I could say anything, he added, “Congratulations, there's your first case. Solve it, or it will be your last.” After he had left, by slamming my door so hard that my poor window finally gave out, I jumped up and picked up the scroll. I couldn't wait to see what the old stallion got for me. As my hooves unrolled it, I saw that it wasn't an assignment form. Instead it was a letter that addressed the superintendent directly. My brows lowered on my forehead until they met each other. What the hay was the boss thinking? This just had to be a joke. I was to hunt down... “Zombie Ponies? REALLY?”, I exclaimed, slumping into my chair. I had no choice but to take the job. He had made it quite clear that I would be fired if I didn't solve this ridiculous case. Who knew? Maybe it just turned out to be some Changeling disguising itself, so the Ponies didn't see who the real culprit behind the murder was. No matter what, I was determined to solve this case and finally earn my Cutiemark in hunting down criminals! That in mind, I put my saddlebags onto my back, strapped my guns holsters to my forelegs and went for my office door. On my way there, my gaze fell upon the small mirror that stood next on my desk. A face that was still smeared with frosting looked back at me. A few minutes, and a thorough washing of my face in the little fillies room, later I was ready to go. As a low ranking Inspector, who was constantly in danger of being discharged, the department didn't reserve a chariot for me to use, so I would have to go by train. At least the department payed for that. As I made my way to Dispatch, so I could get the bits for the trip and ammo for my guns, several Inspectors I passed snickered at the sight of me. The had never taken me seriously. An Earthpony in the Yard? A blank flank at that? Some of them actually saw that as an insult. “Hey! Blank Cross! Finally got an assignment, or do you just like taking your gear for a walk?”, one of them, a sleek, blue coated Unicorn mare with a red mane asked me as we passed each other. I turned around, giving her my best glare. It must have looked funny, since she was almost twice as big as I was. “That's Inspector Silver Cross to you, Sweet Hoof! At least I passed the entrance exam, and didn't get stuck as a secretary!”, I shot back, earning a hateful look from the other mare. “Oh, I'm sure your blank flank had something to do with your passing. Good Heart always had a sweet spot for Earthponies after all.”, she retorted a smug grin on her face. Why couldn't we just pass each other once without something like this happening? I was in a good mood, since I got my first assignment, and she was about to ruin it! I decided to end this conversation with one final blow that would give her something to think about. “You know... at least somepony would look at my flank. Yours is so bony that I could hang my hat on it.”, I shot back, turning around after confirming her slack jawed expression. OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO It was already evening when I was finally on my way to Haunchington. The train had been a little late too, so I would most likely arrive in the middle of the night. I had never been there, and I didn't even know if there was an Inn in town. In the worst case scenario, I would have to go to Muzzleton and get a room there tomorrow. For now, I feared I would have to sleep on a bench once I had arrived... “Excuse me, but is this seat taken?”, a beautiful green Pegasus mare asked me while I was staring out of the window. I didn't get what she meant at first, but soon shook my head when she motioned for to the seat next to me. Her orange tail brushed against my side as she turned around to sit down on the bench across from me. All I wanted was to loose myself in my thoughts once again, but her lavender eyes bore into me so hard, that I just couldn't seem to concentrate. “Ehm... Anything the matter?”, I finally asked nervously. Something about this mare shook me to the core. She cocked her head before she replied. “You are heading into great danger, yet I pity those who will stand in your way. Find your name, and you shall survive. Should you not find it, you will end up in a dark wet pit. The son of light must prevail in his trial.”, she murmured, without taking her eyes off of me, or even blinking! I felt as if I had been dipped into ice cold water at this. “Is... Is this a joke? Has Sweet Hoof put you up to this? Besides, if you haven't noticed, I'm a mare!”, I said, my voice much less confident then I would have liked it to be, yet she just continued staring at me. After a while my eyes began to water, and I had to blink. When I reopened my eyes, the mare was gone. I jumped up, opened the door and checked the corridor, but she was nowhere to be seen. The only thing that scattered my doubts about her existence, was the still fresh feeling of her tail brushing against me... What the hay had she meant? She had said that I should find my name to survive whatever it was that I was heading into. Since I already knew my name, Silver Cross, I stopped worrying about it after some time. There were more important things to take care of after all. Opening my saddlebags, I took out a box of fresh Donuts from Donut Joe's and began to take care of them... OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO “Horse-apples!”, I exclaimed as I stood at Haunchington station. It was already past midnight, and there wasn't anypony around whom I could ask for an Inn. Even the station guards office was dark. I had grown up in a small town, but even our lazy station guard had a partner for the night shift. This was horrible! Picking my bag up with my muzzle, I trotted into the direction of the small town. If there was an Inn there, then I just hoped that I could still get a room there. Otherwise I would have to come back here and sleep on one of the benches. Not a very attractive prospect, due to the autumn cold. Nopony in their right mind would willingly sleep outside in such a weather, but knowing my luck I would have to do just that. OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO About twenty minutes after I had trotted into town I sat in front of the door to the Inn. The lights of the lower floor were still on, but the front door was locked. No wonder. These countryponies most likely still believed in Nightmare Moon. Determined not to sleep in this cold, I knocked on the door energetically. I heard a grumbling sound, and hoofsteps approaching the door. A moment later a weathered old stallion opened the door. His dark eyes looked like they had sunken into his skull, and his brown coat missed several patches of fur. “Yes? What do ya want?”, he asked, eying me from head to hoof. “Excuse me sir, are you the proprietor of this fine establishment?” He burst into a fit of laughter as he opened the door to it's full extent. “Citypony, are ya? So what do ya want, Missy?” “Ehm... I would like to know if you have a room I could rent for a few days.” The stallion nodded, gesturing for me to come inside. “Sure Missy. Have six rooms right now. Not much business here anyways. Wanna have two beds or would a double bed do?”, he asked looking at me with a dirty grin on his face. I didn't get what he meant at first, until I cocked my head to my right and collided with something hard. I had to admit that it smelled rather nice. Looking over at the object I had collided with, I spotted the mare from the train. I had accidentally head butted her, but she didn't flinch. She only turned around to me, cocking her head at me. “Holy sweet Celestia!”, I screamed as I realized that this mare had snuck up next to me, without me noticing her. She just turned her attention back to the stallion, nodding and trotting inside, while I sat on my haunches, my heart racing a million miles an hour. “I guess that means two rooms with single beds after all...”, the stallion said, as he helped up back to my hooves. He sounded almost disappointed, as if he had expected some hot mare action later that night. Too bad I had to disappoint him on that account. All I wanted at that moment, was to find out who that mare was, and how she had come so close to me. The only problem with that being, that she disappeared into her room as soon as she got the key, and didn't answer when I knocked. As if my day hadn't been bad enough, the proprietor of the Inn let me pay her bill as well! Chapter 3Silver Cross and the horror of Haunchington Chapter 3 The old Unicorn stallion could not believe it. He had finally succeeded, the mare he had brought back had run off and killed her family! What a disaster. The townsponies were already suspicious of him, because he never visited the town. These superstitious idiots. All they were good for, was to serve as test subjects for his experiments... OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO I sat at the breakfast table, munching on some steamed broccoli, when I overheard the proprietor of the Inn speak to another Unicorn stallion that had walked in just a few minutes ago. I'm usually not a mare that eavesdrops on another Ponies conversation, but the first few words they spoke made my ears perk up. “And I tell you, Swift Feather has hung himself! That family is cursed I tell you. Cursed!”, the newcomer said frantically to his Earthpony friend. “So what if he did? He probably just couldn't accept that he killed his wife and kid. But what would really interest me is, what made him do it. As far as I know he loved his family more then his own life... You don't suppose...” “The Professor? Could be. Baton Draw told me earlier that the other villages around here have reported stolen corpses as well. The only place that from which you could reach all them villages, is Dark Horn Manor. I wonder if the old stallion has anything to do with it...” “Has Baton talked to him? Haven't seen that guy since he moved in there.”, the proprietor said while cleaning the counter. “Are you insane? I bet everything I have that he has something to do with this! Say what you will, but I believe what Swift told Baton. Have never known the stallion to lie before. It was his daughter, Sunshine, that killed the two.” After that the Earthpony just laughed at his friend, ignoring most of what he was saying. I on the other hoof, walked over to him after finishing my meal. Waiting for the mysterious mare from last night was useless, since the proprietor had told me already that she had left early in the morning. It was time to do my job, by trying to get some information on my case. “Hey there, my name is Silver Cross. I'm interested in historic buildings, and I was wondering if you could tell me how I can get up to that Manor on the hill.”, I asked, a big grin on my face. The stallion behind the bar had a point in regard of the disappeared corpses. If that “Professor” was the only one who could comfortably reach the towns in which dead bodies had been stolen, he was the logical choice for my first stop. “Heya Miss. Hard Hammer is my name. I can only advice you not to go up there, if you value your life. That there Professor is as creepy as Nightmare Moons backside. I don't trust the old bucker.”, he explained, looking worried. “So? I don't think he would have anything against me looking at his manor for a while. Besides, I bet he isn't that bad. Sounds to me as if he just wants to be left alone. The worst he can do is tell me to buzz off after all.”, I replied, trying to sound as casual as possible. I didn't want to reveal that I was with the New Trottland Yard just yet. “If ya say so Miss... But be careful. Word has it that he is some kind of dropout from Canterlots magical academy, and that he was kicked out since he studied Changeling magic.” That didn't sound good at all. Even though most Changelings were now living amongst Ponies peacefully, they had been known to practice dark magic before the war that had put an end to their empire. I was more then surprised that nopony seemed to have caught on to this. It was time to pay the Constable of this sleepy little town a visit. I excused myself, still not knowing how I would get up to that hill, and made my way to the Constables office... OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO “I'm Inspector Silver Cross. Superintendent Gruff sent me here to investigate the case of these murders that have occurred around this area.”, I explained to the perplexed Pegasus. “You pipsqueak are the Inspector the Yard sent here? Oh Twilight, what did I do to deserve this?”, he swore under his breath, before looking at me again. I chose to ignore his comment about my size, since an argument about this would only hinder my efforts to get this case solved. To be precise: A dead stallion wouldn't have been able to answer my questions. It didn't stop a vein on my forehead to start pulsing visibly though... “Yes... I am the Inspector, and I would like you to tell me what is going on here. I have heard that there are several corpses missing from the villages in the area, and that you have a Professor who practiced Changeling magic living nearby... Have you questioned him? Is he in custody?”, OK, maybe I didn't stay as calm as would have been appropriate, but my size has always been my sore spot. The Constable began to tell me about the murder, and how he had seen it all. I had to agree that the case seemed waterproof, yet the complete disappearance of Sunshine Petals corpse and the story her father told the Constable made me think. I didn't believe in stories of the undead, no matter if they were about Zombies, Vampires or other resurrected riffraff. Yet there was no other explanation. The “Professor” could have something to do with it, and I was dead set to ask him some questions. It was hard to believe that this stallion had actually missed that connection. He claimed that all of this were mere rumors about a hardworking stallion... “Your words in Celestias ears...”, I thought as he informed me that there had been a new disappearance recently. A young Pegasus mare, only sixteen years old, had vanished without a trace. Her name was Gear Turn apparently. The stallion fulfilled my request, and provided me with a photograph of Gear Turn. I just hoped that I wasn't too late. OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO Gear Turn lay on a marble pedestal. All her legs were bound with chains that were fastened to the pedestal. Even her wings were bound tightly to her body. The room she was in stank of rot and decay, but she couldn't see anything due to the blindfold over her eyes. She struggled as best she could against her bonds, but to no avail. She wasn't a Unicorn after all. With magic she might have been able to free herself... It were times like these that she cursed herself for being born with wings. The worst was, that she didn't even remember how she got here. She had been on her way to her neighbors, to help their young colt with his studies. Something she did to earn some extra pocket money, when she had been enveloped in a green sheath of light. Shortly after, everything had gone dark... Gear could hear hoofsteps that came closer to her. The splish splash on the wet ground was clearly audible. Her captor certainly made no attempt to approach her silently. She was terrified. Her best friend, Knife Wrench, had been raped a few years ago. Was she about to suffer the same fate? The young mare wasn't even able to scream when she felt a sharp pain penetrating her chest. She tried to struggle harder, but the chains holding her were just too strong. The blade slowly pushed in deeper into her body, and finally reached her heart and she gasped. Gear Turn cried, sniffled and tried to beg, but then her heart was impaled and her body fell limp. She didn't die instantly, but it didn't take long either. Her last thought, before her eyes broke and her body started to go cold was,“Why?” OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO Grinning madly, the Professor watched as the mare he had just killed rose once again. His spell was finally perfect. He could bring back the dead. Screw those Ponies in Canterlot. With such an ability, he would be able to rule the whole world! This mare would go and kill even more Ponies. Ponies who would soon join his army. The numbskull's in Canterlot wouldn't be able to stop him. Their military would crumple beneath undead hooves. Hooves that were under his command! “Go! Go and kill!”, he ordered the mare. The creature, that had once been known as Gear Turn, obliged gladly. Life had to be sought out and destroyed. Life was filthy and had to be cleansed from this world! OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO I trotted up the hill to Dark Horn Manor. The mansion looked positively wicked. It had been built out of black marble, and the Gargoyles on it's walls looked like Windigos, Timberwolfs and other vile creatures. Whoever lived here, had a very strange sense of aesthetics. Suddenly a shadow fell over me from above. Since the sky had been clear just a few seconds ago, I looked up to see what it was. I still had to look for that missing Pegasus teenager after all. Maybe she had flown up here on a dare, and was now on her way home? There was indeed a Pegasus mare above me, and it was, without a doubt, Gear Turn. The only problem was, that she was diving directly towards me, her hooves outstretched. I jumped aside as she crashed where I had been standing just a moment ago. I went over to her, wanting to check if she was OK, when she suddenly kicked out at me. The blow caught me straight in the face, and I stumbled backwards. Before I could react, the mare slammed into me, knocking me over on my back. “Miss... Gear Turn... Please... Stop... I don't... want... to … hurt you!”, I gasped as she started to choke me. Her face was expressionless as she did so, and it sent an extra chill through my body as I saw her broken eyes. I realized that I was too late. This mare was dead already. Dead but moving and determined to make me join her in death... My rear hooves came up against her belly, while my forelegs wrapped around her neck. It took some effort but I finally managed to roll her off of me, and draw one of my guns. Before the creature could get up again, I emptied the magazine into her body. To my horror, she still came at me, even with the intensive led therapy! I tossed the gun aside and ran towards the manor. The front door stood wide open, and since it looked pretty sturdy, I thought it would be my best chance. Luckily my shots had shattered the bones in two of the creatures legs and one of her wings, so she couldn't follow me fast enough. Slamming the door behind me, I panted hard, not believing what I had just seen. Something slammed into the door from the other side, and I had to stand on my back legs to press my back against it. There was no key in the lock, and I was not willing to become Zombie food just yet. As I let my gaze roam around, to see if there was any potential weapon I could use aside from my pistol, I caught a movement out of the corner of my eyes. I failed to duck my head fast enough, and soon after everything went dark, as a bright red hoof connected with my right temple... Chapter 4Silver Cross and the horror of Haunchington Chapter 4 Whistle Blower, the station guard of Haunchington, sat down at his desk with a cup of tea as he waited for the last train to pass through tonight. If it was on time, he would only have to keep going for about ten minutes, then he could call it a night. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK The stallion jumped up in surprise. Who would be coming by at this time of night? Confused and a little irritated, the Earthpony stood up an went over to the door. “This isn't a homeless shelter!”, he shouted angrily as he opened the door a crack. Just outside stood his daughter, Gear Turn, and she was covered in blood. The mare held her head low, hiding her eyes behind her blond mane. “Oh sweet Luna! What has happened to you dear? Who did this?”, he asked in horror, pulling his daughter inside, so he could see her injuries better. He saw that her left wing was hanging limp from her side, while both her forelegs seemed to be bent in unnatural angles. Yet the blood on his daughters coat was... dry. How could that be? He saw her injuries but there was not a drop of fresh blood on her... “Quick my dear, I'll call an ambulance. You'll be right as rain in no time.”, Whistle said, turning around to rush to the phone. He didn't get two steps away from his daughter, when she tackled him to the ground. At first he thought that it was simply a late panic reaction from her, and that she wanted to be close to him. That was... until she began to press her hooves against his throat. The stallion tried desperately to shake his daughter off, but her strength was too much for somepony his age. A few minutes later he stopped struggling, and the creature, satisfied with a job well done, moved on to find it's next victim. OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO A minute after the creature had left the station, the last train of the day raced through. It's conductor, a young Earthpony mare, had just enough time to wonder why the signal was red instead of green, when her train was already on the wrong track. She was still wondering what had just happened, when the engine crashed into a long line of parked cargo cars. Metal screeched as the engine was demolished. The passenger cars behind it derailed, Ponies screamed and many of them died. Suddenly Haunchington had a crisis on it's hooves that was much too big for their little town... OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO “Wake up my little Pony, you are in grave danger!”, an ethereal voice called out to me from the darkness. It was like a command that I could not refuse. I slowly came too, but kept my eyes closed. I lay on something soft and was reasonable comfortable, safe for the fact that my head was ringing as if an Ursa Major had used me as a punching ball. I heard the voice of an old stallion, who was talking to somepony else. Since the voice sounded pretty weak, I suspected that it had been the other one that had knocked me out. “Do with her what you want Pain Train, but please wait until I'm out of here. You know how much I hate to see how you... relief yourself. Kill her when you're done and don't fuck her body up too much. I would really like to add her to our little army. At this stage, every soldier counts. I'll go to the graveyard and wake up our “friends”.”, the old voice said, and I heard hoofsteps that got quieter with each step until there was the sound of a door closing. Whatever that “Pain Train” was about to do to me was about to happen, and with a name like that I really didn't want to find out what it was. My eyes snapped open, and what I saw almost made my heart stop. Pain Train was a fitting name for this stallion. He was big. REALLY big. He looked almost like that guy, Saddle Rager, from the old Power Ponies comics, only that his coat was red. Looking down on him, I saw exactly what he had planned for me. Something that was almost as long as my entire body hang there, and I had no intention of letting him put THAT thing in me. It all happened in the fraction of a second. I rolled back to my hooves, kicking the surprised stallion in the chin with my rear legs as I did so. Other then arousing him even more, there didn't seem to be any effect however. There was no chance whatsoever that I could beat him in close combat. I needed my gun! A quick glance at my holsters revealed to me however, that both of them were empty. “Horse-apples!”, I cursed jumping to my right as the enormous stallion charged me. He was faster than he had any right to be, and so he clipped me with his shoulder instead of crushing me outright. The blow sent me flying, and I landed in the glass front of a display case. Several Zebra and Changeling artifacts rained down on me as the shelfs inside broke. The glass itself had left a nasty gash along my left side, causing me to wince in pain as I struggled to get to my hooves. He didn't give me a second to catch my breath. A massive hoof picked me up and threw me to the other side of the room. I almost fainted when I hit another display case. My body felt numb with pain, and it hurt to even take a deep breath. The only thing that kept me going, was my Earthpony stubbornness at that point. When I stood up this time, something fell to the ground in front of me. It was a silver cross, that was attached to a leather string. There was no time to think as he charged me once again. I grabbed the leather string in my mouth and swung the cross as hard as I could against the stallions head. To my surprise, it knocked him into the far wall of the room. Several display cases shattered under his massive bulk, and he seemed to be dazed when he stood up. There was pure murder in his eyes as he charged at me again. I was still so amazed at what I had just done, that I didn't react in time. Pain Train hit me like a freight train, almost crushing me against the wall. When he let go, I slid down the wall like a drop of water. I could taste blood in my mouth as I began to cough. The cross lay uselessly in my lap. The stallions lustful grin widened, as he saw the look of defeat on my face. I had never been a religious Pony. It had been years since I had even attended a service, but right then and there, I picked up the cross in my hooves. “Please... Celestia help me...”, I whimpered, my whole body aching as if every bone in it was broken to pieces. Suddenly a blinding flash of sunlight erupted from the tip of the cross, burning it's way through the stallion before me and into the far wall. The wooden wall caught fire instantly, and I felt myself engulfed in a globe of golden light. OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO When I could see again, I felt... better. There was still blood dripping out of my muzzle, but I didn't feel any pain. Only an intense heat that radiated throughout my body. I was also a few dozen feet away from Dark Horn Manor. The whole place was on fire, destroying whatever research this insane stallion had done in purifying flames. One of the only down points to this was, that all my gear was still in there... Only the silver cross was now dangling from my neck. Ignoring this fact, I broke into a gallop towards the graveyard which I could see clearly from my vantage point. I hoped that I was in time this time... OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO The Professor, better known to his former co-workers as Blade Spin, stood in the middle of Haunchingtons graveyard. Hundreds upon hundreds of potential soldiers for his army. They would conquer this world for his dark mistress, and he would be rewarded for it with everything he had ever wanted. Forgotten were the ambitions to use this kind of magic for medical purposes. It had so much more potential then that! His horn began to glow in a sinister green light, enveloping each and every grave. Seconds later the spell completed it's work. All around him the dead started to break through the muddy earth. Nopony would be able to stop him now... “Not so fast Flankface!”, a young mare called out him. Blade turned around to her, not believing what he saw. It was the Earthpony he and Pain Train had captured in his manor. But... something was different about her as she charged at him. There was a golden light emanating from her body, dyeing her white coat in the color of the sun itself. He avoided being hit by her glowing hooves, as she reached him feeling the heat coming from her even from a few hooves away. If she had actually managed to touch him, she would burn him to a crisp! This wasn't good. Not good at all! OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO I had made it! I had been too late to safe Gear Turn, but I was at the graveyard before any of the Undead had risen out of their graves completely. The red Unicorn was obviously surprised to see me, and I couldn't blame him for it. If our roles had been reversed, I wouldn't have bet on my survival against Pain Train either. The old bastard had managed to avoid my first strike, but I wouldn't give him another chance. But, first things first. I was still a Trottland Yard Inspector after all. “I'm Trottland Yard Inspector Silver Cross, and you are under arrest Professor! You are charged with performing illegal magic, desecrating the dead, murder in at least one case, assisting in murder in three cases and assault on a Yard Inspector. You have the right to...”, I started to say, but a telekinetic blow hit me right in the face. It didn't hurt at all. In fact, it didn't even knock me back. All it did was force my muzzle shut. “You won't stop me! The dark moon shall rise again, and I will be rewarded! I will get the acknowledgment that I deserve!”, the Professor cackled at me, his horn producing a layer of overglow. I was no Unicorn, but even I knew that this was bad news. I had to subdue him as fast as I could, if I didn't want to be turned to paste! I rushed forwards once again, the cross beating against my chest with each strike of my hooves. Then, just as I was about to rear up and knock him out, something grabbed my left hind leg. What was supposed to be a kick to his face, ended up being a tackle as I barreled into him with the full force of my charge. We tumbled over the ground in a tangle of limps, while the stallion did his best to get away from me. He was screaming in pain, and something smelled rather good I had to admit. The stink of burnt flesh hit my nose as we came to a stop, and I freed myself from him. He wasn't moving anymore. In fact, I would have been surprised if he had moved. I could see his ribs through the charred remains of what had once been his hide, and his eyes seemed to have melted in their sockets... It was... a gruesome sight. When I looked around I saw that the corpses had stopped moving as well. Seems that the death of the caster actually interrupted the spell. Just as I wanted to take a step towards the charred corpse of the Professor, I felt my right foreleg give out from under me. I face-planted into the mud, suddenly feeling every scratch and bruise on my body. The most painful one, was the gash along my left side. What the buck was happening here? I had been feeling fine just seconds ago and now... Now I was... weak again. The last thing I saw before I fainted once again, was a familiar green Pegasus mare with an orange mane that smiled down on me... OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO I woke up in Baltimare general hospital, looking more like a mummy then like a Pony. Everything except my right flank had been covered in bandages. The boss was sitting next to my bed, looking as if he had seen a ghost. “So you're finally awake, are ya? Congratulations on yer first case, Silver Cross. Eighty-two dead Ponies, a destroyed passenger train, several demolished freight cars, a burnt down mansion and a burnt culprit. Maybe I should have sent somepony with ya to watch yer back.... or to minimize the damage ya caused.”, he said in a hollow tone. I knew he was trying to be sarcastic, but I also knew that he had hoped to get rid of me on this mission, and that he was regretting that decision now. I think he wouldn't have forgiven himself, if he had actually gotten me killed, because he sent me out without backup. “Thanks boss.”, I mumbled through the bandages over my muzzle. He grinned a humorless grin at that and pointed at my right flank before he left. “Oh, and congratulations on that too, filly. Yer finally a mare.”, he chuckled and I tried to stretch my neck as far as I could to see what he meant. There, on the only part of me that was not covered in bandages, was a picture of the same silver cross that was now laying on my night table...
Chapter 1Silver Cross and the horror of Haunchington Chapter 1 The old Unicorn stallion was tired of this by now. Somepony had set off the alarm in the morgue again, and he had a pretty good hunch on who it was. It was always the same... Whenever somepony died in Haunchington, some youngsters broke in there on a dare. Some Ponies just didn't seem to respect the dead Ponies right to rest in peace. Rain soaked his gray coat as he stumbled over the muddy paths of the graveyard. He was the caretaker here, and even though he was certain that he did his job right, his boss would blame him for this... again. The last time something like this had happened, the three colts that had broken in there had drawn a mustache on the late mayors muzzle, and put a party hat on him. His relatives had almost caused a riot during the ceremony the next morning. Dead Lantern didn't want something like that to happen ever again, which was why he dragged his old bones through the rainy night. As the door to the morgue came into sight he raised the lantern he was levitating by his side. The padlock on the steel door had been ripped off, together with a sizable chunk of the concrete wall it had been attached to. “Not satisfied with just breaking a window are you? C'mon out you little Parasprites so I can spank your flanks all the way to next Friday!”, Lantern shouted into the darkness of the morgue as he approached the door. He never noticed the Earthpony that was sneaking up behind him. The last thing he felt was a sharp pain in his head, as the other stallion reared up and crushed it beneath it's hooves. Another Unicorn stallion came out of the darkness, floating a package of white cloth next to himself. He looked at the murdered caretaker and just grinned. Soon there would be many more like him. Soon the Ponies at the royal academy would eat their own words, and he would get the recognition that he deserved. OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO Half an hour later the red stallion set the body he had stolen from the morgue down on a marble pedestal in the basement of his manor. The failures of his experiments lay all around the ancient room, filling it with the sweet scent of rotting flesh. He didn't care about that one bit. All that mattered now, was to get it right. This time it would work. He was sure of it! The Unicorns horn began to glow with a sinister green light as the thunderstorm continued to rage on outside. The massive rain was slowly seeping into the ritual chamber, and the murky water already reached up to his Pastern as he let go of the magic on his horn. It enveloped the body of Sunshine Petal and slowly seeped into the dead mare. Panting hard the stallion sat down on his haunches, hoping that he had gotten it right this time. Minutes passed, and nothing happened. Anger began to build up inside of him. Why? Why wouldn't it work? Why was death the final end? He had been so sure that he had found the right combination of spells to bring back a dead Pony, so why didn't it.... The cloth in which Sunshine had been wrapped started to move slowly. The mare didn't speak, nor did she groan as she slowly freed herself of the white linen. She slipped of the pedestal and stood on her hooves, looking around the partially flooded chamber out of her soulless eyes. Full of joy the stallion jumped up to the pedestal, wanting to do a little victory dance, when he fainted. All the nights he had spent working instead of working, and his old age were finally catching up to him. OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO Sunshine looked over to the stallion that lay unconscious on the pedestal she had awoken on. He was unimportant. Nothing more then an insect, and not worth her time. Her heart, although not beating, was burning with desire. She had to kill. She had to kill somepony, but who? Then it came to her, and the mare started to gallop out of the basement... OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO Golden Saddle could feel her husband steer in bed next to her. Both of them found it hard to sleep, since tomorrow would be the funeral of their oldest daughter, Sunshine Petal. Turning over to him, she put one of her forelegs around the Pegasus stallion. “Can't sleep either honey?”, she whispered, as not to wake up the foals next door. The blue stallion looked into his lovers puffy eyes and shook his head. “No. I just can't stop thinking about her. I think I'll go downstairs to get a drink, maybe that will help me sleep. Want one too?” “I don't think so. It's bad enough that we have to bury her. I don't want to do it with a hangover.”, the beige Unicorn mare replied, turning over again. Swift Feather stood up, and trotted downstairs, taking a peek into his foals room on the way. Both of them were fast asleep, but he knew that they were missing their big sister very much. Just as he wanted to pick up one of the bottles of booze in his mouth, the lightning outside illuminated a Pony standing in front of the back door. At first he thought it had been his imagination, or maybe it was the sleep deprivation? A combination of both? It didn't matter as he opened the door to see if he was hallucinating. He wasn't. There, drenched by the rain and muddy from her gallop through the fields, stood his daughter. Sunshine Petal looked at him out of her dead eyes, no hint of emotion on her face. Nonetheless Swift couldn't help himself. He caught his daughters neck in a tight embrace, pulling her into the kitchen in the process. Tears were running down his cheeks as he wanted to call out for his wife to come downstairs as well, but his voice never came out. A green glow surrounded his throat as Sunshine started to choke him with her magic. He let go of her, staring at his daughter in disbelief while he stumbled backwards. A few seconds later, his world went dark. The undead Unicorn mare let go of the stallion the moment he stopped struggling, taking one of the knifes from a drawer and floating it next to her. She completely ignored the faint rising and lowering of the Pegasus's chest as she made her way upstairs. OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO A high pitched scream forced Swift Feather back to his senses. His head hurt, and he fought for every breath as he remembered what had happened. The scream came again and his blood froze in his veins as it was accompanied by a dull thud from upstairs. “The children!”, he shouted, grabbing a hatchet from the counter and rushing upstairs. There were bloody hoof-prints coming out of his and G oldens bedroom. A quick peek revealed that someone had slit his wifes throat in her sleep. He just hoped that she hadn't suffered much as he galloped to the foals room. Daisy Schnapps, his youngest daughter, lay in the doorway. Her neck was twisted in an unnatural angle, making it quite obvious that something had broken her neck. Further in he spotted Sunshine Petal. The yellow Unicorn mare was holding her younger brother in her telekinetic grip, while the little colt was beating his wings in a desperate attempt to fly away. Rage overtook the stallion as he charged his oldest daughter, causing her to loose focus on her magic. Rambler fell to the ground, coughing, while his father struggled with his older sister. The young colt watched in terror, as his father brought down the hatchet he had in his mouth again and again on Sunshines head. His father didn't stop until there was barely anything left of his sisters head, and she had long stopped fighting. When Swift rolled off of his now really dead daughter, he almost fainted from physical and mental exhaustion. He had lost another child, his wife and had to put down this thing that had looked like his oldest daughter... It was just too much for him. Not even his sons cries could stop him from fainting now... The last thing he saw before he went out, was the body of his daughter going up in blue flames. OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO Officer Baton Draw couldn't believe his ears. The neighbors had called him here in the middle of the night, and the scene he had found here was a horrible one. One kid with a twisted neck, their mother bleeding all over the sheets of her bed and the father laying in the kids bedroom with a bloody hatchet next to him. It didn't look good for the stallion, but the story he was trying to sell him was the worst attempt at an alibi that he had ever heard. According to Swift Feather, his dead daughter had come home, had killed her mother and younger sister, and had then erupted in blue flames as he had stopped her with the hatchet. Baton saw a different story. The stallion had been unable to cope with his daughters accident, and had simply snapped, murdering the rest of his family except the little colt. For now, he had sent the colt away to Baltimare general hospital with an ambulance to be treated. The father would have to face interrogation from the homicidal division, but that was barely necessary. All the evidence pointed to the blue stallion as the culprit. About an hour later, a squad from Baltimares homicidal division arrived and took Swift Feather into custody. The stallion would most likely spent the rest of his days in prison, if he wasn't just outright executed. Baton decided to go see Dead Lantern the next morning, to inform him that the family wouldn't make it to the funeral of Sunshine Petal, and that he should just bury the poor mare. OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO Three murders in one night... Even one was unusual for the small sleepy town of Haunchington, but there he was, lying in his own blood. The only thing that enabled Baton Draw to identify the graveyards caretaker was his Cutiemark of an old fashioned lamp in front of a gravestone. His friends head was completely crushed, leaving only a bloody stump on his neck. Whoever had done this, must have possessed strength equal to the legendary Alicorns to cause damage like this. What worried him even more was, that the body of Sunshine Petal was nowhere to be found. After getting back to his small office, he called a few colleagues of his in the surrounding villages. Several of them reported that there had been strange deaths in their area as well, and that the bodies had been stolen in the night before the funeral. None of them had reappeared however. Only Sunshine... Baton shook his head. How could a dead mare stand up and murder almost her whole family? That just wasn't possible! Not even the legendary Alicorns had been able to bring back the dead! Nonetheless, he took out several scrolls from a drawer of his desk and began writing. It ended up being a ten pages long letter to the New Trottlandyard....
Chapter 2Silver Cross and the horror of Haunchington Chapter 2 Superintendent Gruff Tone looked over the mail his assistant had placed on his desk this morning. Most of the scrolls were about minor disturbances in the city. He would redirect those to the Canterlot police station. The New Trottlandyard had better things to do the to look out for pick pockets, or gratify on some high society Ponies front door. Homicide and other major crimes in his departments jurisdiction. Here and there they also took care of the occasional robbery, but only if the stolen object was of great value. The New Trottlandyard was good enough so they could pick their cases after all... A scroll caught his eye. It bore the seal of his hometown, Haunchington. “Something wrong in the good ol' place?”, he mused, starting to read the letter. It was longer then he had expected, and his face darkened with each word he read. Undead Ponies murdering their families? Was his cousin trying to pull his tail? Then again, the letter sounded more then serious. Gruff would have sent a squad of Inspectors immediately, even if only to reassure his cousin, but the publicity would have been a disaster. If the press found out the the Yard was working on such a case... They'd be in the line of fire for months! His gaze fell upon his Inspectors personal files, and a grin formed on his face. There was one Inspector that he could dispatch. A particular mare he had wanted to get rid of for some time now. If that Zombie Pony stuff was true, there might be a good chance that this slacker would be eaten. If it wasn't then he could always deny having sent her on that mission, finally getting rid of her. For him, it was a win win situation as he stood up, taking the scroll along in his magic. OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO I was lying on my couch as usual, a box from Donut Joe's on the table next to me. My job was more boring then I had anticipated when I had signed up for the Yard a year ago. The Unicorn mare, that had tested me, seemed to be personally insulted that an Earthpony passed her test. There had been no way she could deny my transfer here after I passed the test, but they didn't really trust me with any cases either. All of the Yard was made up of Unicorns, with only me as an exception. Officially it didn't have anything to do with my race that I was mostly sitting on my plot, of course. They just didn't have any “suitable” cases for me... I was about to reach out my hoof, to grab another Donut with extra sprinkles, when the door to my office was slammed open. It was enough to make me jump into the air for a few feet, and the window in my door crack a little. After I had extracted my face from the box of Donuts I had landed in, I looked up into the stern face of my boss. Gruff Tone... Not exactly the nicest guy around, but he was the one signing my paycheck. I grinned at him, totally ignoring the icing on my face as I did so. His presence here could only one thing after all. He had a job for me. “Tsk tsk tsk... How you ever passed the entrance exam will forever be a mystery for me.”, he sighed, throwing a scroll he had been floating in front of him onto my desk. Before I could say anything, he added, “Congratulations, there's your first case. Solve it, or it will be your last.” After he had left, by slamming my door so hard that my poor window finally gave out, I jumped up and picked up the scroll. I couldn't wait to see what the old stallion got for me. As my hooves unrolled it, I saw that it wasn't an assignment form. Instead it was a letter that addressed the superintendent directly. My brows lowered on my forehead until they met each other. What the hay was the boss thinking? This just had to be a joke. I was to hunt down... “Zombie Ponies? REALLY?”, I exclaimed, slumping into my chair. I had no choice but to take the job. He had made it quite clear that I would be fired if I didn't solve this ridiculous case. Who knew? Maybe it just turned out to be some Changeling disguising itself, so the Ponies didn't see who the real culprit behind the murder was. No matter what, I was determined to solve this case and finally earn my Cutiemark in hunting down criminals! That in mind, I put my saddlebags onto my back, strapped my guns holsters to my forelegs and went for my office door. On my way there, my gaze fell upon the small mirror that stood next on my desk. A face that was still smeared with frosting looked back at me. A few minutes, and a thorough washing of my face in the little fillies room, later I was ready to go. As a low ranking Inspector, who was constantly in danger of being discharged, the department didn't reserve a chariot for me to use, so I would have to go by train. At least the department payed for that. As I made my way to Dispatch, so I could get the bits for the trip and ammo for my guns, several Inspectors I passed snickered at the sight of me. The had never taken me seriously. An Earthpony in the Yard? A blank flank at that? Some of them actually saw that as an insult. “Hey! Blank Cross! Finally got an assignment, or do you just like taking your gear for a walk?”, one of them, a sleek, blue coated Unicorn mare with a red mane asked me as we passed each other. I turned around, giving her my best glare. It must have looked funny, since she was almost twice as big as I was. “That's Inspector Silver Cross to you, Sweet Hoof! At least I passed the entrance exam, and didn't get stuck as a secretary!”, I shot back, earning a hateful look from the other mare. “Oh, I'm sure your blank flank had something to do with your passing. Good Heart always had a sweet spot for Earthponies after all.”, she retorted a smug grin on her face. Why couldn't we just pass each other once without something like this happening? I was in a good mood, since I got my first assignment, and she was about to ruin it! I decided to end this conversation with one final blow that would give her something to think about. “You know... at least somepony would look at my flank. Yours is so bony that I could hang my hat on it.”, I shot back, turning around after confirming her slack jawed expression. OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO It was already evening when I was finally on my way to Haunchington. The train had been a little late too, so I would most likely arrive in the middle of the night. I had never been there, and I didn't even know if there was an Inn in town. In the worst case scenario, I would have to go to Muzzleton and get a room there tomorrow. For now, I feared I would have to sleep on a bench once I had arrived... “Excuse me, but is this seat taken?”, a beautiful green Pegasus mare asked me while I was staring out of the window. I didn't get what she meant at first, but soon shook my head when she motioned for to the seat next to me. Her orange tail brushed against my side as she turned around to sit down on the bench across from me. All I wanted was to loose myself in my thoughts once again, but her lavender eyes bore into me so hard, that I just couldn't seem to concentrate. “Ehm... Anything the matter?”, I finally asked nervously. Something about this mare shook me to the core. She cocked her head before she replied. “You are heading into great danger, yet I pity those who will stand in your way. Find your name, and you shall survive. Should you not find it, you will end up in a dark wet pit. The son of light must prevail in his trial.”, she murmured, without taking her eyes off of me, or even blinking! I felt as if I had been dipped into ice cold water at this. “Is... Is this a joke? Has Sweet Hoof put you up to this? Besides, if you haven't noticed, I'm a mare!”, I said, my voice much less confident then I would have liked it to be, yet she just continued staring at me. After a while my eyes began to water, and I had to blink. When I reopened my eyes, the mare was gone. I jumped up, opened the door and checked the corridor, but she was nowhere to be seen. The only thing that scattered my doubts about her existence, was the still fresh feeling of her tail brushing against me... What the hay had she meant? She had said that I should find my name to survive whatever it was that I was heading into. Since I already knew my name, Silver Cross, I stopped worrying about it after some time. There were more important things to take care of after all. Opening my saddlebags, I took out a box of fresh Donuts from Donut Joe's and began to take care of them... OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO “Horse-apples!”, I exclaimed as I stood at Haunchington station. It was already past midnight, and there wasn't anypony around whom I could ask for an Inn. Even the station guards office was dark. I had grown up in a small town, but even our lazy station guard had a partner for the night shift. This was horrible! Picking my bag up with my muzzle, I trotted into the direction of the small town. If there was an Inn there, then I just hoped that I could still get a room there. Otherwise I would have to come back here and sleep on one of the benches. Not a very attractive prospect, due to the autumn cold. Nopony in their right mind would willingly sleep outside in such a weather, but knowing my luck I would have to do just that. OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO About twenty minutes after I had trotted into town I sat in front of the door to the Inn. The lights of the lower floor were still on, but the front door was locked. No wonder. These countryponies most likely still believed in Nightmare Moon. Determined not to sleep in this cold, I knocked on the door energetically. I heard a grumbling sound, and hoofsteps approaching the door. A moment later a weathered old stallion opened the door. His dark eyes looked like they had sunken into his skull, and his brown coat missed several patches of fur. “Yes? What do ya want?”, he asked, eying me from head to hoof. “Excuse me sir, are you the proprietor of this fine establishment?” He burst into a fit of laughter as he opened the door to it's full extent. “Citypony, are ya? So what do ya want, Missy?” “Ehm... I would like to know if you have a room I could rent for a few days.” The stallion nodded, gesturing for me to come inside. “Sure Missy. Have six rooms right now. Not much business here anyways. Wanna have two beds or would a double bed do?”, he asked looking at me with a dirty grin on his face. I didn't get what he meant at first, until I cocked my head to my right and collided with something hard. I had to admit that it smelled rather nice. Looking over at the object I had collided with, I spotted the mare from the train. I had accidentally head butted her, but she didn't flinch. She only turned around to me, cocking her head at me. “Holy sweet Celestia!”, I screamed as I realized that this mare had snuck up next to me, without me noticing her. She just turned her attention back to the stallion, nodding and trotting inside, while I sat on my haunches, my heart racing a million miles an hour. “I guess that means two rooms with single beds after all...”, the stallion said, as he helped up back to my hooves. He sounded almost disappointed, as if he had expected some hot mare action later that night. Too bad I had to disappoint him on that account. All I wanted at that moment, was to find out who that mare was, and how she had come so close to me. The only problem with that being, that she disappeared into her room as soon as she got the key, and didn't answer when I knocked. As if my day hadn't been bad enough, the proprietor of the Inn let me pay her bill as well!
Chapter 3Silver Cross and the horror of Haunchington Chapter 3 The old Unicorn stallion could not believe it. He had finally succeeded, the mare he had brought back had run off and killed her family! What a disaster. The townsponies were already suspicious of him, because he never visited the town. These superstitious idiots. All they were good for, was to serve as test subjects for his experiments... OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO I sat at the breakfast table, munching on some steamed broccoli, when I overheard the proprietor of the Inn speak to another Unicorn stallion that had walked in just a few minutes ago. I'm usually not a mare that eavesdrops on another Ponies conversation, but the first few words they spoke made my ears perk up. “And I tell you, Swift Feather has hung himself! That family is cursed I tell you. Cursed!”, the newcomer said frantically to his Earthpony friend. “So what if he did? He probably just couldn't accept that he killed his wife and kid. But what would really interest me is, what made him do it. As far as I know he loved his family more then his own life... You don't suppose...” “The Professor? Could be. Baton Draw told me earlier that the other villages around here have reported stolen corpses as well. The only place that from which you could reach all them villages, is Dark Horn Manor. I wonder if the old stallion has anything to do with it...” “Has Baton talked to him? Haven't seen that guy since he moved in there.”, the proprietor said while cleaning the counter. “Are you insane? I bet everything I have that he has something to do with this! Say what you will, but I believe what Swift told Baton. Have never known the stallion to lie before. It was his daughter, Sunshine, that killed the two.” After that the Earthpony just laughed at his friend, ignoring most of what he was saying. I on the other hoof, walked over to him after finishing my meal. Waiting for the mysterious mare from last night was useless, since the proprietor had told me already that she had left early in the morning. It was time to do my job, by trying to get some information on my case. “Hey there, my name is Silver Cross. I'm interested in historic buildings, and I was wondering if you could tell me how I can get up to that Manor on the hill.”, I asked, a big grin on my face. The stallion behind the bar had a point in regard of the disappeared corpses. If that “Professor” was the only one who could comfortably reach the towns in which dead bodies had been stolen, he was the logical choice for my first stop. “Heya Miss. Hard Hammer is my name. I can only advice you not to go up there, if you value your life. That there Professor is as creepy as Nightmare Moons backside. I don't trust the old bucker.”, he explained, looking worried. “So? I don't think he would have anything against me looking at his manor for a while. Besides, I bet he isn't that bad. Sounds to me as if he just wants to be left alone. The worst he can do is tell me to buzz off after all.”, I replied, trying to sound as casual as possible. I didn't want to reveal that I was with the New Trottland Yard just yet. “If ya say so Miss... But be careful. Word has it that he is some kind of dropout from Canterlots magical academy, and that he was kicked out since he studied Changeling magic.” That didn't sound good at all. Even though most Changelings were now living amongst Ponies peacefully, they had been known to practice dark magic before the war that had put an end to their empire. I was more then surprised that nopony seemed to have caught on to this. It was time to pay the Constable of this sleepy little town a visit. I excused myself, still not knowing how I would get up to that hill, and made my way to the Constables office... OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO “I'm Inspector Silver Cross. Superintendent Gruff sent me here to investigate the case of these murders that have occurred around this area.”, I explained to the perplexed Pegasus. “You pipsqueak are the Inspector the Yard sent here? Oh Twilight, what did I do to deserve this?”, he swore under his breath, before looking at me again. I chose to ignore his comment about my size, since an argument about this would only hinder my efforts to get this case solved. To be precise: A dead stallion wouldn't have been able to answer my questions. It didn't stop a vein on my forehead to start pulsing visibly though... “Yes... I am the Inspector, and I would like you to tell me what is going on here. I have heard that there are several corpses missing from the villages in the area, and that you have a Professor who practiced Changeling magic living nearby... Have you questioned him? Is he in custody?”, OK, maybe I didn't stay as calm as would have been appropriate, but my size has always been my sore spot. The Constable began to tell me about the murder, and how he had seen it all. I had to agree that the case seemed waterproof, yet the complete disappearance of Sunshine Petals corpse and the story her father told the Constable made me think. I didn't believe in stories of the undead, no matter if they were about Zombies, Vampires or other resurrected riffraff. Yet there was no other explanation. The “Professor” could have something to do with it, and I was dead set to ask him some questions. It was hard to believe that this stallion had actually missed that connection. He claimed that all of this were mere rumors about a hardworking stallion... “Your words in Celestias ears...”, I thought as he informed me that there had been a new disappearance recently. A young Pegasus mare, only sixteen years old, had vanished without a trace. Her name was Gear Turn apparently. The stallion fulfilled my request, and provided me with a photograph of Gear Turn. I just hoped that I wasn't too late. OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO Gear Turn lay on a marble pedestal. All her legs were bound with chains that were fastened to the pedestal. Even her wings were bound tightly to her body. The room she was in stank of rot and decay, but she couldn't see anything due to the blindfold over her eyes. She struggled as best she could against her bonds, but to no avail. She wasn't a Unicorn after all. With magic she might have been able to free herself... It were times like these that she cursed herself for being born with wings. The worst was, that she didn't even remember how she got here. She had been on her way to her neighbors, to help their young colt with his studies. Something she did to earn some extra pocket money, when she had been enveloped in a green sheath of light. Shortly after, everything had gone dark... Gear could hear hoofsteps that came closer to her. The splish splash on the wet ground was clearly audible. Her captor certainly made no attempt to approach her silently. She was terrified. Her best friend, Knife Wrench, had been raped a few years ago. Was she about to suffer the same fate? The young mare wasn't even able to scream when she felt a sharp pain penetrating her chest. She tried to struggle harder, but the chains holding her were just too strong. The blade slowly pushed in deeper into her body, and finally reached her heart and she gasped. Gear Turn cried, sniffled and tried to beg, but then her heart was impaled and her body fell limp. She didn't die instantly, but it didn't take long either. Her last thought, before her eyes broke and her body started to go cold was,“Why?” OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO Grinning madly, the Professor watched as the mare he had just killed rose once again. His spell was finally perfect. He could bring back the dead. Screw those Ponies in Canterlot. With such an ability, he would be able to rule the whole world! This mare would go and kill even more Ponies. Ponies who would soon join his army. The numbskull's in Canterlot wouldn't be able to stop him. Their military would crumple beneath undead hooves. Hooves that were under his command! “Go! Go and kill!”, he ordered the mare. The creature, that had once been known as Gear Turn, obliged gladly. Life had to be sought out and destroyed. Life was filthy and had to be cleansed from this world! OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO I trotted up the hill to Dark Horn Manor. The mansion looked positively wicked. It had been built out of black marble, and the Gargoyles on it's walls looked like Windigos, Timberwolfs and other vile creatures. Whoever lived here, had a very strange sense of aesthetics. Suddenly a shadow fell over me from above. Since the sky had been clear just a few seconds ago, I looked up to see what it was. I still had to look for that missing Pegasus teenager after all. Maybe she had flown up here on a dare, and was now on her way home? There was indeed a Pegasus mare above me, and it was, without a doubt, Gear Turn. The only problem was, that she was diving directly towards me, her hooves outstretched. I jumped aside as she crashed where I had been standing just a moment ago. I went over to her, wanting to check if she was OK, when she suddenly kicked out at me. The blow caught me straight in the face, and I stumbled backwards. Before I could react, the mare slammed into me, knocking me over on my back. “Miss... Gear Turn... Please... Stop... I don't... want... to … hurt you!”, I gasped as she started to choke me. Her face was expressionless as she did so, and it sent an extra chill through my body as I saw her broken eyes. I realized that I was too late. This mare was dead already. Dead but moving and determined to make me join her in death... My rear hooves came up against her belly, while my forelegs wrapped around her neck. It took some effort but I finally managed to roll her off of me, and draw one of my guns. Before the creature could get up again, I emptied the magazine into her body. To my horror, she still came at me, even with the intensive led therapy! I tossed the gun aside and ran towards the manor. The front door stood wide open, and since it looked pretty sturdy, I thought it would be my best chance. Luckily my shots had shattered the bones in two of the creatures legs and one of her wings, so she couldn't follow me fast enough. Slamming the door behind me, I panted hard, not believing what I had just seen. Something slammed into the door from the other side, and I had to stand on my back legs to press my back against it. There was no key in the lock, and I was not willing to become Zombie food just yet. As I let my gaze roam around, to see if there was any potential weapon I could use aside from my pistol, I caught a movement out of the corner of my eyes. I failed to duck my head fast enough, and soon after everything went dark, as a bright red hoof connected with my right temple...
Chapter 4Silver Cross and the horror of Haunchington Chapter 4 Whistle Blower, the station guard of Haunchington, sat down at his desk with a cup of tea as he waited for the last train to pass through tonight. If it was on time, he would only have to keep going for about ten minutes, then he could call it a night. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK The stallion jumped up in surprise. Who would be coming by at this time of night? Confused and a little irritated, the Earthpony stood up an went over to the door. “This isn't a homeless shelter!”, he shouted angrily as he opened the door a crack. Just outside stood his daughter, Gear Turn, and she was covered in blood. The mare held her head low, hiding her eyes behind her blond mane. “Oh sweet Luna! What has happened to you dear? Who did this?”, he asked in horror, pulling his daughter inside, so he could see her injuries better. He saw that her left wing was hanging limp from her side, while both her forelegs seemed to be bent in unnatural angles. Yet the blood on his daughters coat was... dry. How could that be? He saw her injuries but there was not a drop of fresh blood on her... “Quick my dear, I'll call an ambulance. You'll be right as rain in no time.”, Whistle said, turning around to rush to the phone. He didn't get two steps away from his daughter, when she tackled him to the ground. At first he thought that it was simply a late panic reaction from her, and that she wanted to be close to him. That was... until she began to press her hooves against his throat. The stallion tried desperately to shake his daughter off, but her strength was too much for somepony his age. A few minutes later he stopped struggling, and the creature, satisfied with a job well done, moved on to find it's next victim. OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO A minute after the creature had left the station, the last train of the day raced through. It's conductor, a young Earthpony mare, had just enough time to wonder why the signal was red instead of green, when her train was already on the wrong track. She was still wondering what had just happened, when the engine crashed into a long line of parked cargo cars. Metal screeched as the engine was demolished. The passenger cars behind it derailed, Ponies screamed and many of them died. Suddenly Haunchington had a crisis on it's hooves that was much too big for their little town... OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO “Wake up my little Pony, you are in grave danger!”, an ethereal voice called out to me from the darkness. It was like a command that I could not refuse. I slowly came too, but kept my eyes closed. I lay on something soft and was reasonable comfortable, safe for the fact that my head was ringing as if an Ursa Major had used me as a punching ball. I heard the voice of an old stallion, who was talking to somepony else. Since the voice sounded pretty weak, I suspected that it had been the other one that had knocked me out. “Do with her what you want Pain Train, but please wait until I'm out of here. You know how much I hate to see how you... relief yourself. Kill her when you're done and don't fuck her body up too much. I would really like to add her to our little army. At this stage, every soldier counts. I'll go to the graveyard and wake up our “friends”.”, the old voice said, and I heard hoofsteps that got quieter with each step until there was the sound of a door closing. Whatever that “Pain Train” was about to do to me was about to happen, and with a name like that I really didn't want to find out what it was. My eyes snapped open, and what I saw almost made my heart stop. Pain Train was a fitting name for this stallion. He was big. REALLY big. He looked almost like that guy, Saddle Rager, from the old Power Ponies comics, only that his coat was red. Looking down on him, I saw exactly what he had planned for me. Something that was almost as long as my entire body hang there, and I had no intention of letting him put THAT thing in me. It all happened in the fraction of a second. I rolled back to my hooves, kicking the surprised stallion in the chin with my rear legs as I did so. Other then arousing him even more, there didn't seem to be any effect however. There was no chance whatsoever that I could beat him in close combat. I needed my gun! A quick glance at my holsters revealed to me however, that both of them were empty. “Horse-apples!”, I cursed jumping to my right as the enormous stallion charged me. He was faster than he had any right to be, and so he clipped me with his shoulder instead of crushing me outright. The blow sent me flying, and I landed in the glass front of a display case. Several Zebra and Changeling artifacts rained down on me as the shelfs inside broke. The glass itself had left a nasty gash along my left side, causing me to wince in pain as I struggled to get to my hooves. He didn't give me a second to catch my breath. A massive hoof picked me up and threw me to the other side of the room. I almost fainted when I hit another display case. My body felt numb with pain, and it hurt to even take a deep breath. The only thing that kept me going, was my Earthpony stubbornness at that point. When I stood up this time, something fell to the ground in front of me. It was a silver cross, that was attached to a leather string. There was no time to think as he charged me once again. I grabbed the leather string in my mouth and swung the cross as hard as I could against the stallions head. To my surprise, it knocked him into the far wall of the room. Several display cases shattered under his massive bulk, and he seemed to be dazed when he stood up. There was pure murder in his eyes as he charged at me again. I was still so amazed at what I had just done, that I didn't react in time. Pain Train hit me like a freight train, almost crushing me against the wall. When he let go, I slid down the wall like a drop of water. I could taste blood in my mouth as I began to cough. The cross lay uselessly in my lap. The stallions lustful grin widened, as he saw the look of defeat on my face. I had never been a religious Pony. It had been years since I had even attended a service, but right then and there, I picked up the cross in my hooves. “Please... Celestia help me...”, I whimpered, my whole body aching as if every bone in it was broken to pieces. Suddenly a blinding flash of sunlight erupted from the tip of the cross, burning it's way through the stallion before me and into the far wall. The wooden wall caught fire instantly, and I felt myself engulfed in a globe of golden light. OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO When I could see again, I felt... better. There was still blood dripping out of my muzzle, but I didn't feel any pain. Only an intense heat that radiated throughout my body. I was also a few dozen feet away from Dark Horn Manor. The whole place was on fire, destroying whatever research this insane stallion had done in purifying flames. One of the only down points to this was, that all my gear was still in there... Only the silver cross was now dangling from my neck. Ignoring this fact, I broke into a gallop towards the graveyard which I could see clearly from my vantage point. I hoped that I was in time this time... OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO The Professor, better known to his former co-workers as Blade Spin, stood in the middle of Haunchingtons graveyard. Hundreds upon hundreds of potential soldiers for his army. They would conquer this world for his dark mistress, and he would be rewarded for it with everything he had ever wanted. Forgotten were the ambitions to use this kind of magic for medical purposes. It had so much more potential then that! His horn began to glow in a sinister green light, enveloping each and every grave. Seconds later the spell completed it's work. All around him the dead started to break through the muddy earth. Nopony would be able to stop him now... “Not so fast Flankface!”, a young mare called out him. Blade turned around to her, not believing what he saw. It was the Earthpony he and Pain Train had captured in his manor. But... something was different about her as she charged at him. There was a golden light emanating from her body, dyeing her white coat in the color of the sun itself. He avoided being hit by her glowing hooves, as she reached him feeling the heat coming from her even from a few hooves away. If she had actually managed to touch him, she would burn him to a crisp! This wasn't good. Not good at all! OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO I had made it! I had been too late to safe Gear Turn, but I was at the graveyard before any of the Undead had risen out of their graves completely. The red Unicorn was obviously surprised to see me, and I couldn't blame him for it. If our roles had been reversed, I wouldn't have bet on my survival against Pain Train either. The old bastard had managed to avoid my first strike, but I wouldn't give him another chance. But, first things first. I was still a Trottland Yard Inspector after all. “I'm Trottland Yard Inspector Silver Cross, and you are under arrest Professor! You are charged with performing illegal magic, desecrating the dead, murder in at least one case, assisting in murder in three cases and assault on a Yard Inspector. You have the right to...”, I started to say, but a telekinetic blow hit me right in the face. It didn't hurt at all. In fact, it didn't even knock me back. All it did was force my muzzle shut. “You won't stop me! The dark moon shall rise again, and I will be rewarded! I will get the acknowledgment that I deserve!”, the Professor cackled at me, his horn producing a layer of overglow. I was no Unicorn, but even I knew that this was bad news. I had to subdue him as fast as I could, if I didn't want to be turned to paste! I rushed forwards once again, the cross beating against my chest with each strike of my hooves. Then, just as I was about to rear up and knock him out, something grabbed my left hind leg. What was supposed to be a kick to his face, ended up being a tackle as I barreled into him with the full force of my charge. We tumbled over the ground in a tangle of limps, while the stallion did his best to get away from me. He was screaming in pain, and something smelled rather good I had to admit. The stink of burnt flesh hit my nose as we came to a stop, and I freed myself from him. He wasn't moving anymore. In fact, I would have been surprised if he had moved. I could see his ribs through the charred remains of what had once been his hide, and his eyes seemed to have melted in their sockets... It was... a gruesome sight. When I looked around I saw that the corpses had stopped moving as well. Seems that the death of the caster actually interrupted the spell. Just as I wanted to take a step towards the charred corpse of the Professor, I felt my right foreleg give out from under me. I face-planted into the mud, suddenly feeling every scratch and bruise on my body. The most painful one, was the gash along my left side. What the buck was happening here? I had been feeling fine just seconds ago and now... Now I was... weak again. The last thing I saw before I fainted once again, was a familiar green Pegasus mare with an orange mane that smiled down on me... OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO I woke up in Baltimare general hospital, looking more like a mummy then like a Pony. Everything except my right flank had been covered in bandages. The boss was sitting next to my bed, looking as if he had seen a ghost. “So you're finally awake, are ya? Congratulations on yer first case, Silver Cross. Eighty-two dead Ponies, a destroyed passenger train, several demolished freight cars, a burnt down mansion and a burnt culprit. Maybe I should have sent somepony with ya to watch yer back.... or to minimize the damage ya caused.”, he said in a hollow tone. I knew he was trying to be sarcastic, but I also knew that he had hoped to get rid of me on this mission, and that he was regretting that decision now. I think he wouldn't have forgiven himself, if he had actually gotten me killed, because he sent me out without backup. “Thanks boss.”, I mumbled through the bandages over my muzzle. He grinned a humorless grin at that and pointed at my right flank before he left. “Oh, and congratulations on that too, filly. Yer finally a mare.”, he chuckled and I tried to stretch my neck as far as I could to see what he meant. There, on the only part of me that was not covered in bandages, was a picture of the same silver cross that was now laying on my night table...
