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Prologue691 words
Chapter I: The Library2,921 words
Chapter II: The Firehall3,248 words
Chapter III: Midnight6,322 words
Epilogue788 words

Epilogue

The phone had been ringing for some time before the Ecto-Tonne pulled back into the empty firehall, Velvet having headed home for the night just after they left. All four GhostStuffers were exhausted, the adrenaline of their first capture had waned on the drive home, and while Sunnie dragged herself up to the shower to wash the drying ectoplasmic remains off of her, Soulful unplugged the phone, and got settled in his chair to finish up with the Pudgewick’s receipt, yawning all the while. Cinder, still wearing her tablecloth, plugged the trap into the ‘reinforced containment cell’ and fiddled with some of the settings while Vozzii munched on a sandwich next to her.

“I got my hooves crossed that this works.” He said, swallowing. “If she gets out of the Fishtank, I’m going to bed.” Cinder tried not to grimace. Sunnie’s nickname for the device had unfortunately been picked up by everyone except her.

“It will work.” Cinder said, tapping the glass with her hoof before pressing a button on the panel. The trap opened with a bright flash, and she was suddenly muzzle to muzzle with Midnight, who seemed to be asleep, and was still as opaque as she had been back at the hotel. Cinder checked the control panel while Vozzii finished his sandwich, and went back to get another. The sound of a refrigerator opening made Midnight’s eyes snap open, and she charged towards the fridge… before slamming into the glass and bouncing backwards. The Fishtank rattled loudly, sparks flying, but it held, and Cinder let out a whoop. “I told you!” Vozzii meandered back, eyes taking in Midnight’s hurt expression as she rubbed her nose, gazing longingly at the sandwich in his hoof.

“You know, GhostToasters have a nice ring to it.” Vozzii said casually. Cinder sighed, but before she could respond to the latest crack at her equipment, the donkey glanced at the top of the Fishtank and saw that there was a gap in the top. “Uhh, is that supposed to be there?” He asked. Cinder gasped.

“Oh no. I gotta close that, give me a second and keep an eye on her.” Cinder hustled as fast as her bloated body could take her over to the spare construction materials left over by the back wall. Vozzii weighed the sandwich, and with a deft flick of his hoof, sent it sailing through the gap. Midnight was on it like cheese on macaroni, and nary a crumb hit the bottom of the enclosure. “Hay!” Cinder exclaimed, waddling back with a large pane of glass. “She could get out if she knows there’s a gap!” Vozzii shrugged.

“I doubt she could fit through there. I know I couldn’t. Neither could y…” He trailed off, seeing Cinder’s glowering expression, and wisely held his tongue. Cinder finished the last few repairs, while Vozzii entertained himself by having Midnight copy some of his dance moves. Cinder was cinching down the last couple of zipties when there was a knock at the door, and the sound of someone trying the knob. Soulful looked up from his computer screen and with a loud yawn, meandered over to the locked door, expecting to see Velvet back to pick up something she’d missed. Instead, he came nose to nose with a green batpony, eyes brimming with fear, and a bloated belly that nearly dragged on the ground. Soul’s sleepiness evaporated instantly as he recognized her.

“River? Are you okay? What happened to you?” He asked, worry etched into his face. River took a hitching breath, a tear rolling down her cheek.

“You have to he-URRRRRRRP-lp me Soul.” She said, her voice quiet in between belches as Soul opened the full firehouse doors to get her inside. Cinder relinquished her tablecloth to cover the shivering batpony, whose gut rivalled Cinder’s despite the rest of her body being quite thin.

“Help how? What happened?” Soulful guided her to the waiting couch, which sagged heavily as River sat down, the old wood creaking in protest.

“I got some groceries, and I was going to put them away, and… my fridge, it, it was glowing. Not the light, but something els-BURRRRRRRP. I opened it and there was… something there. It looked like a dog, but…” She shivered. “I screamed, and slammed the door but… I started eating. I…URRRRRP… I ate everything in the apartment. Everything. Even the salt. I couldn’t stop.” She practically sobbed. Soul sat next to her, rubbing her shoulder. “And, and the whole time… there was a name that kept repeating in my head.” Her head drooped.

“What name was it?” Soul asked. She looked up at him, staring deep into his soul.

“Druul. It was like somepony kept saying Druul.”
~~***~~

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