YHAY:TP Sneak Peak

Ponies in armor had the area cordoned off, with many out of armor crowding around worriedly. Serin could see the herd instincts taking over, the ponies in a tight-knit group with no possible flanking position. Unicorn Guards swiveled their heads to and fro, horns glowing softly as they surveyed the crowd. One unicorn Guard in heavy armor spoke to a few of his stallions and mares, their expressions grim. Spreading her wings, Serin dove over the crowd and pulled her badge out from sling-bag. Her flight was halted in a swirl of magic, every limb secured completely. “Detective Serin Caelum! I have pertinent information on the case!”

The unicorn in heavy armor gave her a look, his soft lavender eyes passing over the gleaming Griffonian badge. With a nod, Serin dropped on all fours, striding past the unicorns quickly. The heavily-armored unicorn approached Serin, his charcoal coat shifting in the soft light of the street. “What have you got?” he asked in a deep rumble.

“The individual inside may be the suspect I’ve been tracking for a few days now. He is to be considered armed and incredibly dangerous.” Serin could see that the unicorn didn’t believe her. “He killed three griffons on his own and went on to murder two others later.” This time his eyes did widen slightly.

“Lieutenant Rolling Stone. Come with me.” Serin moved with the imposing unicorn, getting wary looks from the Guards. “Ease up, this is Detective Caelum, she has information regarding whatever is holed up inside.” Their expressions quickly shifted to show their attention. “You have the floor, Detective.”

“Thank you. The suspect uses stealth and brute force to incapacitate and kill his victims. For whatever reason he seems to be posing as a human. We don’t know why, we just know that he is. Stick together and watch one another’s backs. Furthermore, from what we’ve experienced, he is clever. He can slip in and out of locations with ease and should not be taken lightly.”

“So what is he?” asked a unicorn mare with green eyes.

“We don’t know, but we are quite sure he has no magic to speak of. Griffon seems unlikely.” Serin hated lying through her teeth, but what could be done? Telling these ponies that the murderer was a human would get her thrown out of the operation and into a cell to clear her head. “I would like to ask your permission to join you in apprehending him.”

Lieutenant Stone’s face shifted to match his namesake. “Absolutely not. You don’t have a grip on our tactics in the slightest.” Serin glared at him, her wings shifting a bit.

“And you don’t have any experience with what this monster is capable of. I’ll hang back and watch your flanks, you can take him down. I need to see this through, for the griffons that he’s brutalized.” Stone’s face fell into an even deeper frown and he opened his mouth. A bone-warping scream pulled the entire crowd into silence, stunning even the Guards.

Quiet reigned. Nopony uttered a word. No breath was taken.

“Shit. Fine, you’re in the back, so don’t get distracted by a mouse or something.”

Serin shrugged off the comment, making one of her own. “Don’t go grazing on any mold and lose track of the mission.”

Stone smirked and signaled to his three Guards. The green-eyed unicorn mare, a stocky earth pony stallion, and another lithe earth pony, nodded and moved behind him. “Stick close, follow Detective Caelum’s advice, and take the target down on sight. No hesitation.” They gave another collective nod. “Alright. You ready?” he asked Serin.

She sucked in a breath and let it out. “Yeah. Let’s get this bastard.”

The five moved into the rotting building’s front door.

Unedited. Making headway. Still working. October 31st.