//------------------------------// // Chapter 13: Mission Shy (I Know You Finale) // Story: Red Dead ReDerption // by CompleteChaos21 //------------------------------// Chapter 13: (I Know You pt. 3) “Ah! Joan, this is some lovely land you own.” The suited pony said with a stark grin. Like the last times his body was clothed in his blue suit and top hat, the skin of his face was of a sickly pallor, it was so white as if he was a marshmallow. Underneath his cold blue eyes was a very pernicious shadow. But different this time was his suit was torn in several places as if someone had thrown him off a cliff. “What are you doing here!?!” Joan questioned him sharply. “This is a very nice spot. I really like this spot, overlooks the apple tree, can see the whole plot of land…a nice spot.” His tone was… “sludgy,” Joan thought, his words seemed to slowly and disgustingly or frighteningly ooze out towards her. Her spine tingled at his speech. “Mr…umm, I’d love it if you would kindly get the buck off my land!...What’s your name anyhow, strange pony…?” She asked… He smiled, the shadows of his face glowing a sinister black, “Like my being, I have multiple names, depends what you see me as. Some call me one name, others call me another.” He slowly trotted around Joan in a mini-circle. “That’s not an answer…” Joan grunted, she quickly grabbed for her pistol. “Tell me your name!” she yelled at him. He looked at her once more, “I am the Discord of Harmony, the Placid Lake in a Panicked Storm, the Chaos of Concord. I go by many, same as you have…” He turned his back to her and looked towards the sun, Joan’s hoof tensed around the gun, “Theif,” Joan fired, but she missed, she couldn’t believe it herself but she missed. “Killer,” she fired again, and again she had missed. Joan could feel the familiar cold breeze into her mane, it helped enough. She turned away from the suited stallion’s cold blue gaze. “Oh! And Joan,” She stopped walking, but refused to look towards him. “You have another name too…but you have yet to earn it though.” He continued to look around Joan’s farm land. “This is some very nice land…” Joan ignored him and walked down the hill, still fuming at the arrogant stallion. Suddenly a rustle of leaves and breaking of branches, a cacophony of noise poured from behind Joan. She turned around and saw a stallion hanging from the apple tree. It was not the stallion she had just been talking to, yet he had his suit and the hat hung from a branch nearby him. A tightly knit noose around his throat, blood from some injury in his side dripped down his ruined suit…Joan shivered, the blood swelled in the same area she had been shot in. An old revolver lay beneath his hanging body, it had rusted away any shine. Joan forced herself to look away from the image, another breeze came into the area, nearly taking off Joan’s hat. When she looked towards the body…it was gone. ----- The Agents were easy to spot, being the only two on the edge of town. Trottingham was a strange town, it was the most northeastern piece of Equestria before you reached the Arctic North where snow draped every piece of land. Trottingham’s location made it a very diverse place, Equestrians were the most prominent species but Griffons and Saddle Arabians could be found amongst the citizens. To the east was the gateway to the Griffon Kingdom, to the south was Trottingham Port, the Great Ocean, and Manehatten. To the west and north was Trottingham’s Ranches (including Joan’s), vast woodland areas, and the Arctic North. Joan landed next to the Agents who smiled lightly. “Good Timing Joan.” Spike Fordham said as a greeting, Twilight Ross was looking towards the forests to the north. “Stephamina went to find our forest contact, she lives in the wild around this area, although her husband and son live in Manehatten.” A rustling in the forest bushes disturbed the scene, Stephamina McPie gamboled out of the forest scene. She stopped suddenly in front of Agent Ross, “I Found Her!” she cheerfully bellowed. She turned towards the forest, nothing happened. Ross rolled her eyes and stepped forward, “Please do not tarry. We have much to do, Nastashy.” “NO I DON’T WANT TO!” She screamed with an adorable hush to her voice. The foliage moved slightly and a creamy yellow colored hoof shot out of it. “THAT ONE PLANS TO LEAD ME INTO DEBAUCHERY!” Joan’s eyes became very cross, as they normally did. “SHE WISHES TO BEGUILE ME! I CAN SEE THE DEVIOUSNESS IN HER EYES!” More adorable hushed screams arouse from the bushes. Joan responded first to her verbal attacker, “Now what in Luna’s name are you ‘spackin’ about?” Ross shifted slightly at the mention of Luna… “I ain’t even said a single word to you and you’re judgin’ my morals on my eyes?!” “Joan is trustworthy, she’s here to stop Epileps. She freed Fort Cloudsdale.” Ross added. The hoof disappeared from the bush, she seemed to muse over her situation for only a small second. A creamy yellow colored Pegasus emerged from the foliage, her coat was a little dirty and her mane was ratty. But she seemed like a rugged outdoorsmare otherwise. She wore a moderately worn blue coat and a red head band that held a red feather in it. Her cutie mark was three bird feathers of different hues. She spoke, once again extremely hushed, “I’m sorry, Miss Joan, for my diatribe. It was very….umm…well I was acting in a precipitous manner…” She looked towards Ross who nodded slightly with a smile. “My name is Nastashy, I live in the woods mostly, with the animals. But I am co-owner and caretaker at The Atrium Wildlife Study Center in Manehatten.” She reached out her left hoof, which contained a silver band over it. “Please accept my apology, I am normally in more of a staid manner.” Joan connected her left hoof to Nastashy, accepting her apology. Joan didn’t have a band like Nastashy’s, she wasn’t technically married to the Doctor, though in her heart she knew she was. Ross interrupted, “Daylights burning Nastashy, what information do you have to pass on to us.” Nastashy pointed to the small mountains exactly north of Trottingham, “The Pego-Griff Mountain Range, I’ve seen them gallop to and from that area. There are lots of caves with animals in that area too, so plenty of hiding places.” She looked back into the forest from whence she came, “The fastest way there is through the Timberwolf Ridge. But even the bandits have been avoiding that area. Instead they move around the entire Trottingham Forest and enter the range from where the Arctic North begins to eat away at the land.” Ross placed her hoof towards her muzzle, she looked towards the forest, the ground, and the mountains. “Ok…” Her thoughts were mired on something. “Alright, Joan and Nastashy you’ll fly near the range, look for any sign of camps set up and try to get a knowledge for the land. But be careful not to stray too close to the Griffon borders, they’re still at war with the Emperius Chimera Dominion.” She turned towards Stephamina, “Stephamina, I need you to research the mountain range and the Timberwolf Ridge as best as you can. Spike, we’ll return to Princess Celestia and inform her of the news, while we’re there we can work with the Bureau and the Royal Guard to get ready for attack.” She returned her gaze to Joan, “We’ll all meet at Stephamina’s lab in Canterlot Town by sunrise tomorrow. Good Luck you two.” She nodded at Joan then Nastashy. Joan tipped her hat, smiled, and nodded to Nastashy, together they spread their wings and flew towards the northern mountain range. A cool breeze filled the area, but soon dissipated.