//------------------------------// // The Mustang District Slaying // Story: Rainbow of Blood // by knightcommander //------------------------------// THE EUGENICS MURDERS By: Knightcommander CHAPTER ONE: THE MUSTANG DISTRICT SLAYING One of the many striking things about the land of Equestria, apart from its population of talking, intelligent ponies, was the beauty of it's nights, something unmatched anywhere else in the world. The full moon, a gift to the land from Princess Luna herself, shone bright above the sleeping land, bathing it in a soft, bluish-white glow as it slowly trekked across the midnight purple sky studded with rhimestone stars. If one were inclined to look up at it, one could easily see the craters of the moon easily against the bright background, such was the closeness of the moon to the world at this time of the year. Indeed, many did stay up late that night to admire this lovely gift from their night princess, thanking her endlessly for providing them with such a gift. A beautiful city overlooking a wide river valley was no exception to this. This was one was unique in Equestria. For one, it was made entirely out of cloud, the normal puffiness of the clouds shaped, smoothed and built up by centuries of knowledge of the craft by its residents. Second, it hovered above the land, held in place seemingly by magic, which was just how its residents liked it. These ponies were the third unique thing about this city; it was entirely populated by winged ponies, the pegasi. This city was called Cloudsdale, and it was the pride of all pegasi in Equestria. The city had grown from a simple cloud settlement may thousands of years ago into a bustling metropolis, with a population nearly approaching eight hundred and fifty thousand. The city was home to the Weather Factory, which produced the majority of the land's weather, and the Royal Equestrian Weather Service which managed it. It was also home to the elite professional stunt and precision flying team, the Wonderbolts, the idols of many a pegasus child. And, it boasted what was regarded as the finest law enforcement agency in Equestria, the City of Cloudsdale Police Service. The brave officers of the Cloudsdale Police could not afford to stop and take a look at the night sky. Each of them had sworn an oath to uphold the law and protect the ponies of Cloudsdale from crime, and as such they could not allow their eyes and minds to wander away from their duty, not even for a second. Such was the dedication of the stallions and mares of the Police Service. And it certainly helped when you were chasing a suspect, as one such member was doing now. "Freeze," A mare's voice called out as she raced down West Mustang Avenue, a busy thoroughfare in Downtown Cloudsdale, her wings beating rapidly to allow her to keep pace with another pegasus pony, a stallion. "Cloudsdale Police! Stop where you are, now!" She shouted at the stallion, her burnt orange eyes locked on to him. Unlike patrol officers, she wore plain clothes, a simple leather jacket and undershirt, plus a chain bearing her police badge around her neck. Her coat was a light tan, her mane flaming red, and her cutie mark was a silver police badge. Following behind her were two uniformed patrol officers, wearing the characteristic black police uniform and belt laden with flashlight, hoofcuffs, service weapon, pepper spray and tazer, along with, unique to the Cloudsdale Police, black, almost military style berets. Unlike the mare, who was easily keeping pace with her suspect, the two patrol officers were struggling to keep up, finally coming to a stop at an intersection, panting heavily. "Go get him, Detective!" One of them called weakly to her She rolled her eyes in disbelief before continuing the chase. She was about to gain on the suspect when he suddenly dove down and into traffic. She gaped as his seemingly suicidal bid to escape before following... a path which took her into the cabin of an incoming skybus. She somehow managed to slow down an escape serious injury, though she certainly freaked out the passengers. She shook the dizziness form her head. "Sorry folks, looks like it's raining cops in Cloudsdale tonight." She joked before continuing her pursuit. The stallion had gained on her, and it seemed like he would escape, but then she remembered something, and suddenly flew off, hoping he would look back and not see her. The stallion did indeed look back, and not seeing her, assumed he had escaped scot free. He laughed. "Smell ya later, flank-wipe." He said, before slowing down and continuing on a flight path that would take him back to his apartment. A short flight later and he was there, laughing at his success at evading the police, and was about to enter the house when he heard something that sounded like wings, and turned around just in time to see someone slam into him and tackle him to the ground. It turned out to be the detective who was chasing him. He cursed his dumb luck. "Do you see this!?" She asked him, shoving her bade, a silver shield emblazoned with the city seal, the word "POLICE" and "DETECTIVE" on Two banners, one over the seal and one below it, the numbers 21447 stamped across the bottom. A pair of arching wings capped off the badge. "Clouds. Dale. Police. Service! That means you stop when I tell you to stop!" She pinned him roughly to the ground and quickly produced hoofcuffs from her jacket pocket, snapping them over his wrists. She got off him and jerked him up, sitting him down on his haunches before pulling a small radio from her other pocket. "Silver Shield to Central, Code 4, send a wagon." She said. "Copy that, Detective." The radio squawked. She took a good look at her suspect. He was white, with green eyes and a short cropped, blue mane. His cutie mark was a football. "Well, Mr. Gridiron, that was a merry chase you led us on," She said. "Trying to pin a double murder on your landlady was a great trick, but as you can see, you've been sacked, and now it's time for me to do my touchdown dance." She said. "Gridiron, you are under arrest for the murder of Liberty Belle and Star Seeker. You have the right to remain silent...." "Yeah, yeah, and should I choose to forfeit that right, anything I say can and will be used against me in court," He said, in a mocking tone. "I have the right to an attorney, blah blah freakin' blah. I don't care, I'll cop to it. I killed the whore and her little boy toy." He snarled. Silver Shield smiled. "Was that a confession I just heard?" She asked. "You're damn right it was!" Gridiron shouted. "I shot that cheating wench and that little worm she was with! And I'd do it again! I gave that mare twenty years of my life, never did anything to hurt her, and how does she repay me? She sleeps with another stallion! So yeah, I killed them, and I'm glad I did!" Silver Shield was disgusted. "And that gives you the right to corner them in your house, make them kneel in front of you, and shoot them in the back of the head?" She asked. Gridiron just glared at her. "Listen to me, I'm sorry they hurt you, and I'm well aware of how you feel, but that gave you no right to do what you did. Shooting someone in cold blood is never justified. Love, including being able to forgive someone when they wrong us, is something that our society is built on." She said, just as a paddy wagon pulled up. She hoisted Gridiron up and handed him over to the two uniform officers who emerged from the paddy wagon. "Take him to Central for booking. He's being charged with first degree equicide." "Yes, ma'am." One of the officers, a mare, said, forcing Gridiron into the wagon and locking the door before driving off with her partner and their prisoner. Silver Shield radioed in for an escort back to the station. It was going to be her job to fill out the paperwork on the cretin, and probably have to deal with his lawyer, assuming he asked for one. She didn't have long to wait before a second police carriage pulled up and she got in, the officer driving saluting her before they drove off for Central Police Station. *** The carriage soon pulled up to Central Police Station, one of the larger stations of the Cloudsdale Police Service. Being located where it was, smack dab in the middle of downtown, also made if one of the more important ones. Silver Shield got out of the carriage and walked through the front door of the station. She was greeted by a portly stallion, Sergeant Glock, a veteran desk jockey and the current watch commander. "Back so soon?" He asked with a mischievous grin. "I'd say that's record time for a collar." He said. She was too tired to jaw with the ever-jovial desk sergeant at this time, so she simply waved to him and proceeded directly upstairs to the squadroom, and her desk, and sunk down into it, finally able to catch a wind. Just then, she heard a booming voice come from the other side of the room. "Detective!" The thickly accented voice said. She looked up to see her captain, a broadly built, aging stallion with an white coat, orange mane and tail, and emerald green eyes, approaching her. His cutie mark was a shamrock. His beaten old brown fedora was perched on his head. Captain Lucky Charm was a long time veteran of the police service and of the Detective Bureau, and was her immediate superior since transferring to the Equicide Unit per his personal request. "Sir?" She asked. "Masterfully done!" He boomed jovially, giving the detective a gentle cuff on the shoulder. "My sources tell me our friend was vocal when you collared him." She nodded. "Yes, sir," She said. "He copped to it right then and there. Said he'd do it again too. I really hope his lawyer doesn't get this one thrown out." She scowled, Gridiron's justification for his crime still ringing in her ears. "His lawyer won't be able to help him now," Lucky Charm said. "We've got enough evidence to convict this fiend ten times over. A nice showy trial, and he'll be on his way to Proudmoore Penitentiary to stew in his prison cell for the rest of his life." He smiled. "A splendid result you've brought me, young Silver Shield. You keep this up, you'll make Sergeant yet." "I was just about to type up my DD-5, sir." She said, motioning toward her desk. "I want you to head home when you're done," Lucky Charm said. "You've earned yourself a good night's sleep after this one. Don't worry about booking, I've already had the uniforms take care of that for you." She sighed with relief. Less work for the exhausted mare. "Thank you, sir." Lucky Charm gave her another cuff on the shoulder before leaving, presumably to close up his office for the night. She carefully typed up her DD-5 paperwork, signed it, and returned it to the desk sergeant before clocking out and stepping outside, leaping into the air and winging it back to her home on Bridle Street, in the Newtown District. Her house was a modest one, unlike many others in the neighborhood, and though modest, it was cozy. She stepped inside her cloud house and made a beeline for her bedroom, flopping down on the waterbed, stripping her jacket and shirt off before snuggling under the covers. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, the cares of the day quickly forgotten. *** She panted, running as fast as she can through the small woods that made up Cloudsdale's famous Hurricane Park, named after the city's famous founder, Commander Hurricane. The branches tore at her face, leaving scratches. When she finally emerged into the clearing of the park, there were leaves stuck in her purple mane, dirt smeared all over her black uniform-like clothing, her blue coat covered with scratches from the branches and occasional thorn. She collapsed, exhausted from running through the woods, desperate to catch a second wind... or she would have, if he didn't hear heavy hoofsteps quickly approaching. She turned to see the source; another pegasus pony, her colors concealed by the darkness except for a pair of flaming red eyes. She gasped, and took off running again, as fast her legs could carry her. She kept taking furtive glances behind her. Her pursuer was gaining on her. She leaped into the air, desperate to escape, willing herself to fly as fast as she could, despite the protests from her tired body. Her luck would not be holding up tonight, however. "Ah!" She yelped as she clipped a tree that she missed while looking back. She was sent into a dive that she couldn't recover from, and she crashed into ground hard. Her body was wracked with pain as bones broke in her legs and wings, rendering her unable to run or fly. In seconds, her pursuer was on top of her. She looked up at the pony with fear in her eyes. "No," She muttered, tears in her eyes from the fear coursing through her body. "No no no no!" Her pursuer held up one foreleg, revealing a wicked looking curved blade strapped to the hoof. It's razor shard edge gleamed in the moonlight. Bloodlust beamed in the pony's wicked red eyes. "Say your prayers." The pony hissed. "No! Noooo!" The poor mare screamed, to no avail, as the blade was raised above her to strike. All that was heard was a bloodcurdling, tortured shriek that sounded through the stillness of the park. *** "I don't get paid enough to get up this early." Silver Shield said as she entered Central Police Station, her still half-asleep mind not registering the desk sergeant's greeting. She had received a call to come in early from Lucky Charm, and she silently cursed at the idea. She was still tired from the other night, despite the fact that she slept like a baby, and she desperately needed a coffee. Lucky for her, the captain was kind enough to provide hot coffee and donuts for the entire squadroom, and when she entered she made a beeline straight for it, pouring herself a cup. The coffee seemed to rejuvenate her, and she reminded herself to do something to show her appreciation. Her attention was soon focused to the sound of one of the other detectives of the Equicide Unit, Detective Siren, and unusually named mare with a lime green coat, with matching eyes, red siren cutie mark, and blonde mane and tail so bright, it was almost platinum. She was currently engaged in a call over her desk phone, and apparently she was not happy with whoever it was on the other line. "All I want is to book a cruise, and you can't even believe it's my real name?" She asked. "Don't tell me the crew will consider it bad luck... what do you mean you want me to spell it!?" She groaned loudly. "S as in 'simpleton', I as in 'imbecile', R as in 'retard'..." Silver Shield listened with amusement to the rest of the call, before Siren was apparently satisfied and hung the phone up with a growl of frustration. Silver Shield walked over. "Finally going on vacation, Siren?" She asked. Siren moaned. "I swear, either these call center twerps are utterly stupid, or they haven't figured out yet how to speak Equestrian," She looked up at her old friend. "You look like hell." "I was feeling like it." She replied. Siren was about to say something back when they heard the shuffling of hooves entering the squadroom. She turned to see her tan coated, brown-maned partner, Detective Sergeant Nightstick, enter the room. His normally bright green eyes, always full of life, were now dropping and tired, his shorn fetlocks shuffling along the ground as he approached his desk. His gray fedora was perched precariously on his head, as though he had thrown it on at the last minute. His cutie mark was his namesake. "You look like you had it rough, Sticky." Siren said, grinning. He turned to look at her with an annoyed look. "For the last time, don't call me Sticky," He slumped down into his chair and turned his computer on. "You know I hate that." "Oh we know," Silver Shield said. "That's why we like doing it so much." He groaned, annoyed at being teased so early in the morning. "Good morning everyone, and what a grand morning it is!" Boomed the voice of Captain Lucky Charm. He strode up to a podium at the front of the room and shuffled a stack of papers with his hooves. "Morning, Cap." Nightstick said as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "First of all, I want to congratulate Detectives Silver Shield and Nightstick for the successful closing of the Liberty Belle killing," He said. Siren jokingly clapped for them. "Our fiend will be in for a nice showy trial before being shipped off to Proudmoore to begin his long period of reflection over his sins." "And I would've helped catch the creep if Silver hadn't had left me in her dust when he ran." Nightstick quipped, grinning. "Well it's not my fault you're so slow. Maybe you should lay off the cream cheese danishes." Silver joked. Nightstick crumpled up a piece of paper and threw it at her gently. "At ease, everyone." Lucky Charm said. "I hope you and your partner are rested, because I have another case for you." "Is this why you called us in at this hour?" Silver Shield asked. "Precisely," Lucky Charm turned on an projector and pulled up a map of downtown. "A poor mare was found this morning in Hurricane Park." He pointed to a spot on the map of the park. "All of the preliminary signs point to this being an equicide, and a particularly vicious one at that. Get down to the park. The coroner will be there waiting for you. Good luck." They thanked him before leaving the squadroom. "You know this place?" Silver Shield asked. "I've been there a few times, it's a nice place," Nightstick let her go down the stairs leading outside the station first. "I'll direct." They stepped outside and took to the wing, Nightstick leading the way to the park. Silver Shield wondered what horror they were about to walk into this time. Seeing the victims of the last crime with their brains blown out execution-style was bad enough. What were they walking into this time? *** Hurricane Park was named after the city's founder, the legendary Commander Hurricane. Made from earth and plants imported from across Equestria and enchanted to never fall, the park was a favorite spot for early morning joggers, bird watchers, and other assorted types who enjoyed spending some time under Celestia's sun. Now, it was a crime scene, where a life had been tragically cut short by the malice of a mysterious pony whom the police would go to great lengths to find and bring to justice. When the detectives arrived, a few reporters looking for a scoop had already arrived. A uniformed officer was trying his best to keep them from entering the crime scene. The officer has his wings spread out to create a barrier at the entrance to the scene. "Ladies and gentlemen, I need you to stand back and clear a path for the detectives!" He called out. Nightstick and Silver Shield shook their heads and walked up to the crime scene. "Clear a path!" The officer called again, which prompted the reporters to focus on the two detectives instead. "Detective, is it true that a hump was found murdered in the park this morning?" One reporter from the Cloudsdale Examiner asked Silver Shield. Her eyes became as hard as diamond when she noticed that it was Alt Weekly, a particularly well known yellow journalist and smear merchant who made a living off of trashing reputations and exaggerating his stories. It was rumored that he was under investigation by the paper for fabricating stories. "Do you have a mother, flankwipe? A sister?" She asked acidly. "How would you like hearing someone call them that if they were found dead?" Alt Weekly brushed his black mane back. "Just asking questions, detective," He looked her dead in the eye. "Are you going to answer, or will I have to report that the police are withholding information from the press?" She growled and stared him down, causing Nightstick to have to throw his foreleg in front of her. "Ignore the little turd," He said. He turned to the reporters. "Alright folks, you got your pictures and you got your headlines. Now am-scray and let us do our job." He said. His commanding voice convinced the reporters to leave, and they were finally able to speak to the patrol officer. "Officer Lightning, detectives," He introduced himself. "My beat passes through the park." "You found the body, officer?" Silver Shield asked. He shook his head. "No, ma'am. A pair of city workers found the body while on shift. I was first reporting." "What have we got?" Nightstick asked. The officer pointed in the direction of a small grove of trees. "Vic is up there, by those pepper trees," He said. "Perp carved her up like a turkey. There's blood all over the place." He motioned for the detectives to follow him. They followed him up the path to where the body lay, passing a forensic photographer on the way up. "You're gonna love this one." He said to Silver Shield. "I'm sure." She answered. They soon found the coroner, standing over the body. Surprisingly, he was a griffon, rather than a pegasus. Doctor Lars, better known as "Ducky" due to a unique green feather pattern on his head that resembled that of a mallard duck, he was well known throughout the force for his professionalism and his good working relationship with the police. He stood up when he heard them approach, his soft yellow eyes focusing on them. "Miss Silver Shield, wonderful to see you as always," He greeted. "I wish it could be under better circumstances." "Likewise, Ducky. What have we got?" She asked. Ducky led her over to the body. The two detectives immediately winced when they saw the damage. The torso and stomach were covered with deep, bloody gashes cut into her blue coat. Her purple mane was sticky with blood and dirt, with leaves sticking out of it at haphazard angles, the green concealed by the red of her blood. The mare's mouth was open, her teeth stained a sickening shade of red from blood. What her cutie mark was, the blood covering and staining her body wouldn't allow them to see. Curiously, there was also blood coming from her closed eyes and her ears. Her black garment was torn to shreds and soaked through with blood. "Lightning wasn't kidding about the turkey thing," Nightstick remarked. "How do they expect us to get an ID?" "You can start with the victim's wallet." Ducky said. "Which, to my great relief, managed to survive her rather unpleasant encounter." He handed a blood soaked mare's wallet to Silver Shield, who flipped it open to examine the mare's ID card. "Cloud Dancer, twenty-one years old, unmarried..." She rattled off everything the card could tell them. She took a look at the picture on the card, and then at the mare lying on the ground. She had once been quite beautiful, from what she could tell. Now, she looked like this. She sighed. She had only been on the force for a few years, and already she felt like she had seen enough death. "Well, we have a name. Lightning, can you run this by R & I?" She asked. Referring the Records & Investigation office, an invaluable asset during investigations. "Will do, detective." Lightning got on his radio and put the call in. She turned back to Ducky. "What else can you tell us, Ducky?" The aging griffon pointed out the slash wounds. "From a preliminary examination, I would say our poor lady died from exsanguination," He replied. "You'll notice that most of these wounds don't cross any major arteries, but there are enough that she wouldn't have lasted very long, not out here. Poor thing, if only she was attacked closer to the downtown, she might have been saved by a passerby." "What caused them?" Nightstick asked. "From the standpoint of my eyes, I would hazard to guess that the wounds were caused by a large knife. Notice how wide they are?" She looked at the wounds closely. "Butcher's knife, maybe?" She wondered. "Or some other large knife, perhaps even a machete," Ducky explained, leaning over the body to examine some other injuries. "Both wings and her front legs are broken, and bruising on the torso would seem to indicate some fractured ribs. However, I see no signs that our victim was beaten." Nightstick started looking around, and noticed that the ground leading up to the body was disturbed. It was almost like a track leading up to the body. "I think I found the answer to that mystery," He said. "See this skid mark here? Looks like she slid, perhaps after a crash." He began taking a look around, looking for something that would tell them how that had happened. Hearing him gave Silver Shield an idea. She began scanning the trees, zeroing in on one who's top most leaves and branches had been broken, as though something had clipped it. "Nice catch." Nightstick had noticed the damage as well. "I think I see how it happened," Silver Shield began to see the scene with her mind's eye. "She was fleeing her attacker, trying to fly away, when for whatever reason she hit the top of the tree and crashed." "That would explain the broken bones," Ducky said. "It would also explain the mess for the landscaping crew to clean up." Silver Shield chuckled. A little humor went a long way to helping them overlook the grimness of the scene before them. It certainly helped when she turned her attention to the unpleasant task of examining the victim's body. Her attention was first drawn to the head and mouth. The unusual injuries to the eyes and ears were what got her attention first. She peeled the poor mare's eyes back and saw that they had been completely torn out, leaving only empty, bloody sockets. She felt a wave of sympathy come over her, hoping that these injuries were post-mortem. It didn't get much better when she examined her mouth and ears. The blood that had poured from them told her the eardrums had been mutilated, and she was even more shocked to see that the victim's tongue had been cut out. Feeling sick, she withdrew for a bit before composing herself. "The perp ripped her eyes out." She said. "And her tongue's been cut out." "And let me guess, the guy jammed something in her ears." Nightstick replied, pointing at the wounds. She nodded, and then continued examining her. Surprisingly, the bottoms of her hooves were clean, except for the front right one, which had a red spot on it. It was surprisingly bright, and Silver Shield at first thought it might be red paint, but something kept telling her she should sample it for comparison. "There's something on her right front hoof. Have Technical Services swab it," She ordered. "Ducky, can you give me a time of death?" "From her liver temperature and lack of rigor mortis, I would say that she died sometime around midnight last night," He said, reviewing his notes. "However, I'll be able to tell you more once I've completed the autopsy." "Thanks." She replied. She then noticed something in the pocket of the mare's garment. How it survived the vicious assault was beyond her. She carefully removed it from the pocket. It was a folded piece of paper. Despite being stained with the mare's blood, she was able to read it when she opened it. On the paper was written, at the top in blue ink, a series of numbers and letters 4126N7050W It almost looked like some kind of code or cipher. She had no clue what to make of it. Following this was what appeared to be a... poem? She read the words at a whisper. Eyes of red burn with fire The wicked one stalks at night The world is her playground Their situation is dire What could this mean, she wondered. Who is they? And who is this red-eyed mare? Could she be referring to her killer, and if so, how did she survive long enough to write this? She read the next stanza. Watch and observe with twisted psychology Upon the thrones of judgement they sit Their view is polluted by wicked ideology They burn the puzzles pieces that fail to fit "What are you trying to tell us?" She asked as she read the strange words. The last words were a line, rather than a stanza, written in block letters. They were words that chilled her to the bone. YOUR FEARS AND HORRORS COME TRUE NOT A SINGLE SOUL GETS THROUGH "Detective," A voice said behind her. She jumped a bit and turned to face Officer Lightning. "I just got a call from R&I. We have a work address for the vic. She was working in the Spectra Processing level of the Weather Factory when she suddenly stopped coming to work." "She didn't quit?" Silver Shield asked. Lightning shook his head. "According to R&I, she was reported missing two days ago by her supervisor, a Miss Firefly." He said. Silver Shield nodded. "Have Technical Services go over the scene for trace," She said, bagging the poem to take with her. Someone at the factory might recognize the writing as hers. "We're going to follow this lead." "Yes Ma'am." He saluted before going off to inform the crime scene technicians. Nightstick came over, an evidence bag in his hand. "What's that?" She pointed at the bag. "Hairs," He said, holding it up. "They're not the vic's, might be our perp's. You got something?" "We have a lead," She replied. "Her supervisor at the Weather Factory reported her missing two days ago. Might be something to go on." "Lead the way." He said. They both took to the wing and made a beeline for the weather factory. Silver Shield thought about what they had just seen. The horrific sight of the victim was bad enough, but the words of the poem stuck with her the most. Was the victim trying to tell them something? If so, what? Not a single soul gets through. She found herself shuddering at those words. She had a feeling they were about to find something terrible, even worse than the horror they had just left behind them. *** The Cloudsdale Weather Factory was a sprawling complex of offices and production facilities. It was so huge that, in addition to the Cloudsdale Police themselves, the Factory had it's own police force, much like the police forces employed by the various railroad companies. The sight of it, with rainclouds being churned out left and right and huge buildings, never failed to amaze Silver Shield. The sight got even more beautiful when they came to the rainbow works. The mixing pools seemed to glow in the morning light as ponies mixed the spectra produced in the processing level into beautiful rainbows. Technicians went about checking the quality of the mixture, making notes. "It's lovely." Silver Shield said in awe as they landed. Nightstick only nodded as they approached the supervisor for the mixing area, a sunny yellow stallion. "Can I help you folks?" He asked. "Cloudsdale Police," They showed him their badges. "We need to speak to a Miss Firefly." The stallion checked a clipboard. "She's up in Processing," He pointed to a building which loomed over the mixing area. "I can take you to her if you wish." He said. "Please." The stallion led them past the mixing pools and up into the building. Strangely, the cloud architecture was mixed in with an industrial look one would expect when entering the production area of a factory. They could hear a rhythmic clanking noise. They must be running the processors at full capacity, Silver Shield thought. The stallion led them into the production floor, and the clanking got louder. They could see several huge machines, their open maws lined with huge gears. Various tubes and pipes led from the machines to the mixing vats below. "How the fark do those things work?" Nightstick asked, staring at the rather diabolical looking machines. "Those big gears crush up the garbage to make it manageable," The stallion answered. "From there it's converted using a spell imbued in the machine into spectra, which is processed and then sent down to be mixed. Yes, rainbows are made from trash. Something becomes something beautiful." "I'll take your word for it." Nightstick huffed. Soon, they heard a series of swear words being spouted. "That would be our engineer, Torque Wrench," The stallion said. "She's fuming too. Processor number four must have broken down again. There she is." He pointed out two ponies as they approached the processor. A pink mare with an electric blue mane and tail and violet eyes glared as the engineer, a gray mare with her namesake as a cutie mark, fumbled with the machine. "You farking piece of bloody crap!" She shouted, finally bucking the machine, which sputtered to life briefly before going out again. "Ugh, forget this!" The pink mare said in frustration, throwing her hooves in the air. "If this damn thing is going to keep breaking down, I'm taking it offline." "I keep telling the director to get a new one, but all he wants is overhauls, the cheap son of a..." "Boss," The stallion said. "There's some cops here to talk to you." The pink mare, Firefly, turned to them. "Cops?" She asked. "What for?" "Detective Silver Shield, this is my partner Detective Nightstick," She said. "Are you Firefly?" "Yeah, that's the name." Firefly replied. "Is there a place we can talk in private? I'm afraid we have some rather bad news to report." Firefly frowned. "My office is this way." She led them past the processors, up over the cavernous production floor on a catwalk to an enclosed area overlooking the floor. She gestured for them to come inside. The office was simple and quiet, just a desk cluttered with various bits of paper, clipboards and other assorted items. The detectives sat down in front of the desk while Firefly took her chair. "Did you know a Miss Cloud Chaser?" Nighstick asked. "Yeah," Firefly said, suddenly anxious. "She was a friend of mine. She moved here from Hoofington a while ago and was down on her luck. I got her a job here and she crashed at my place until she found her own. We got to be pretty good friends after that." "We understand you reported her missing," Silver Shield said, looking at her notes. "Can you tell us what happened." "Two days ago, she doesn't show up for work" She said, growing more nervous. "I figure maybe she was sick and just forgot to call in, so after I take my lunch break I ring her up. She doesn't answer." She looked at a picture of the two of them, enjoying a day in the park. "I decided to take off early and go check on her. When I get to her apartment... she's not there. I called the police and filed a report right then and there." She looked at them. "This is about her, isn't it? What's going on? Did you find her? What's happened to her?" "Ma'am, can you answer a few questions before we..." "No!" Firefly pounded the desk with her hooves. "I want to know what's going on!" Silver Shield looked her in the eye, a soft expression on her face. "I'm sorry... to have to tell you this," she began, "but... your friend... Cloud Chaser... She's dead." Firefly's jaw dropped and her eyes widened in complete shock. She slowly sunk back into her chair. Her violet eyes began to fill with tears as she dug her face inside her hooves "No..."