Chapters Death Comes to Those Who Wait
I Wish All Your Dreams Come True
"And the police never found the murderer." Rainbow Dash finished her story, looking at the others. Fluttershy hid behind her hair, shaking and whimpering, envisioning what the poor mare had gone through before her final hours, minutes, and seconds. Flutters tensed up as she thought about how much happier she'd be if she hadn't come to the sleepover.
"Okay, okay, I got one!" Twilight Sparkle smiled.
"There was a pony once, she was-" Twilight started her story, but was interrupted.
"There are lots a ponies, sugar cube." Applejack corrected her friend for once.
"Let me finish!" Twilight adjusted her voice. "Ahem, she was a young unicorn, very unskilled in her magic. She was at a party with the entire town of Hoofington. She danced and had fun, and went outside for fresh air. A mysterious pony came up behind her and knocked her out, then took her away. Three weeks after being reported missing, her body was found underneath the floorboards of a cabin. They never found the murderer, but the experts say they know how she died. She was raped, by a stallion and then was choked repetitively, then stabbed and left for dead. If the police had come an hour earlier, she would've lived. The killer left a bunch of riddles and things, but got off Scott free. The murder weapon was also never located, and was thought to be a horn."
"When was this exactly?" Rarity questioned.
"Around forty years ago. Why?" Twilight asked.
"So, he could still be out there?" Rarity asked again.
"I suppose so, yes." Twilight shot back.
"Among us even?" Rarity begged another question.
"Well, sure, I mean the average age of ponies is 200, and the oldest was 219, so he is most likely alive and at large, but probably an older, smarter gentlecolt." Twilight reasoned.
"I think we should stop, look at Fluttershy." Pinkie pointed to Flutters with a hoof and the mare shook with fear.
The six went to sleep after a reassuring talk, and left the candle on.
Fluttershy awoke to the screams of her friends. The candle had fallen over, and started a fire. Twilight rolled on the floor, while Rainbow flew around. Rarity and Applejack rubbed against furniture with Pinkie screamed and hollered in pain. She tried in vain to get to her friends, to help them end the suffering, but couldn't move. Her buttery body lay still as a log while her friends burned alive.
"Flutters! Help!"
"Help!"
"Don't just stand there!"
"Wake up!"
"Fluttershy! Get up!"
Fluttershy opened her eyes and saw all her friends alive and fine. She gave them all a big hug and wiped off the sweat. Applejack started to leave, but looked at the newspaper.
"Oh my God."
"What?"
"Look."
"Equestria Daily, Murder! Doctor Hooves was found murdered last night in his home. He had been home alone that night, his wife Derpy Hooves and daughter Dinky Hooves were in Canterlot for Derpy's laser eye surgery. He was strangled and stabbed, and left for dead. Experts say if the cops had come an hour earlier he would have lived. Many conspirator's claim this to be the same killer from forty years ago tomorrow. The killer is still at large. The murder weapon was never found at the scene, but is thought by weaponologists to be a unicorn's horn."
"Oh dear." Rarity's body got stiff, then went limp. Applejack dropped the paper and caught her mid faint.
After a session of calming exercises, Applejack left the tree library and went home to make sure her family was okay. Rarity did the same to check on Sweetie Belle. Rainbow Dash got worried about Scootaloo, and flew home quickly to check on her adoptive sister. Pinkie Pie's tailed twitched and she ran home to the Cake's to check on the twins. Fluttershy was the last to leave to check on her animals. Twilight waved and put a tracking spell on everypony before they left. Twilight watched as she left, then went to get into a nice, cool summer bath.
Flutters walked home, then galloped, and checked on the pets of hers. She accounted for every pet and critter, then sat on her terrace. She fell asleep, but woke up when rumbling started. She looked around and saw she was in a lavish carriage. She looked to the driver's seat, and saw a stallion unicorn. He was grey with a white mane and no cutie mark. She looked around and they were in Pexus. A rural part of Hoofstin. The stallion pulled her out of the carriage when they reached an old home, and dragged her into the cabin they parked next to.
"Please let me go! Sir! Please!" She fought and kicked, jerked and twisted, contorted and wiggled her butter yellow body, but to no avail. He threw her inside and locked the door. There were no windows and no light.
He opened a door with stairs and pushed the Pegasus down the stairs. She went head over hoof down the wooden stairs, catching splinters all over as she fell, and it seemed she was falling forever until she hit the hard steel. Her left wing cracked and broke, leaving her howling in pain. She looked around after being kicked into a room made of steel. She turned to the door, but it was bolted shut. He pushed carrots through a slot, but only three. She cried in silence, but stopped.
"Twilight can get me out of this..."
"No one will stop me."A raspy voice laughed.
"No! She is the smartest and bravest pony on Equestria! She'll get me and so will the rest of my friends!" Fluttershy yelled to the older stallion.
"Believe what you may, but you are wrong either way."
Fluttershy cried and fell asleep balled up in a fetal position in a corner of steel.
"Help me, Twilight Sparkle," She cried.
Twilight called her friends to her after she found Flutters cottage empty. They panicked, and found a letter.
Twilight started to read the letter made out of newspaper clippings and magazines. "I have taken your Pegasus. If you want her back unharmed, you must figure out my riddles. Here is your first:
She is hidden in a place with wind,
Only a special unicorn can mend
The damage to this plain,
You ponies will never be the same.
Just try and stop me, I guarantee I will get away Scott free."
"He has Fluttershy!"
Death Comes to Those Who Wait
But Remember Nightmares Are Dreams Too
The five worried mares met up with a private investigator later on. Surprisingly enough, she was an alicorn. The five sat in a booth staring down at their coffee.
"Twilight Sparkle and friends?" A deep, soothing, feminine voice cooed.
"Uh, yes." Twilight responded to the alicorn.
"Hello, I am Princess Case File, just call me Case though," She was a pink alicorn, who was as tall as Cadence. Her flowing hair was violet and blue, as well as hot pink. She wore a trench coat that covered her wings, and a fedora that covered her rather long horn poorly.
After some discussion and looking over clues, the princess pulled out a new kind of electronic. After some questioning and explaining, they just watched the princess in work.
"I knew it,"
"What?!" Rainbow shouted, which drew unwanted attention.
"The hoof prints are fakes. The stallion made a mold of a now deceased young stallion, thinking it'd cover him up. Obviously, I am just the right detective. If I just calculate how much pressure he applied to each hoof step, I can see how much he weighed, and essentially-"
"Who he is?!" Rainbow Dash shouted.... again.
"Shh!" Rarity hushed her friend.
"I can essentially calculate how big he is and his stature."
After whirring noises whipped out of the machine, the princess smiled.
"He should be a rather large and strong stallion, like Big Mac, but a bit older than even Granny Smith. But... he's over 90 years old... this- this cannot be correct!"
"What?! What?!" Applejack yelled this time.
"If these calculations are actually correct, then the strength needed to produce the depth, he would have to be your age, equal or slightly greater than! This can't be! It... I... This'll be harder than I thought... Wait a minute, I just got an email. From a pony called MasterMind. It says:
You will not find me,
I am simply better than thee,
If you give me what I desire,
Fluttershy just might not expire."
The six sat in silence. It seemed like they sat for only a second, but when a worker snapped them out of it, it was already 5 PM. They had come at 10 am, so they'd been there quite a while thinking.
"What does he want, money?"
"A mare?"
"I know."
"What?"
"What they all want. Either revenge, or most likely: attention."
The six ponies trotted out of the Ponyville Coffee House and down the street. They stopped at an elegant and tall house, one that was more like a manor. It was very far, and faced the ocean. The ponies walked up to it and opened the door. They followed the alicorn inside and sat on the sofa.
"So, what're we doin' here?" Applejack asked.
"You are all now helping me with a case and an experiment. Okay, who's the heaviest here?"
When no pony spoke up, Case decided to rephrase it. "Who is the strongest? I would prefer to use both Applejack and Rainbow Dash for the experiments."
The two ponies stood up, and waited orders. Case left the room for a minute, then came back carrying a big bag in her magic. She laid out a large tarp, and put a bunch of dirt on it. She used her magic to pat it down to the right size, then got out eight hoof prints. She put one on each hoof of the mares and smiled.
"Now, I want both of you to stand on the dirt, side by side, little to no pressure on the dirt."
The ponies stood on the dirt as instructed and stepped off. Case examined and measured the imprints, then scribbled down some numbers. She put them in her new computer and it whirred, then printed out results. It ruled out some ponies, and highlighted others.
"Now," Case said as she made the dirt the right size again. "push as hard as you can against it."
The two ponies obeyed and pushed, stamping their hooves a bit in the process. They stepped off after a few seconds of pushing very hard. She then measured again and entered numbers, then she looked at the results.
"Well, you two are exactly at the same strength level, and the suspects that match this description are stronger than you, so it ruled out a lot of suspects. The remaining are: Big Mac, Fancy Pants, Flim, Prince Blueblood, Trixie, and Shining Armor."
"What?! Don't accuse my brother! He's been in the Crystal Empire since five months ago! Call and ask any pony there!"
"I'm sorry, but it is just a precaution. I'll call right now." Case walked away and came back with a phone.
"What is that?" Rainbow asked.
"It's new. It's called a cell phone. You can talk to people really far away on it through magic."
"Yes, I'd like to hear from at least 5 ponies that they saw some pony in particular two days ago. Yes, okay, I'll wait." Case stood with the phone next to her ear, covered in pink magic. She tapped her hoof on the ground impatiently. She also had a recorder up to the phone. It was recording. "Yes, okay, next. Okay... mmhmm, okay, next. Uh huh. Uh huh, uh huh, okay next. Yes, uh huh. Uh huh. Next. Okay. Okay, uh huh, uh huh. Thank you, good-bye."
"So? Did he do it?!" Twilight yelled angrily.
Death Comes to Those Who Wait
And Nightmares Are Just Bad Dreams
"Nope." Case stated bluntly.
"Ha! I told you! Told... You?" Twilight stopped her gloating and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."
"That's fine, I know you just want to protect your brother." Case sympathetically stated.
"Well I know my brother didn't do it! I was with him at the time, as well as Apple Bloom and Granny Smith! Ask em!" Applejack yelled in frustration.
"Well, I saw him on my way to the market at the time, does that help?" Rarity asked.
"That just leaves Flim, Trixie, Fancy Pants, and Prince Blueblood."
"It's getting late, is it not?" Rarity asked again.
"Yes, it is about eight at night." Case said bluntly.
The mares went to their given rooms and beds and fell into uneasy sleeping sessions.
Twilight awoke to the sound of tapping on the window. Twilight got up from her bed and went over to the glass pane. Outside stood a stallion in a brown cape. She suddenly heard the clock clack it's hands, and in a flash, the stallion was in her face. Twilight then shot up from her bed, sweaty and frightened, unable to move. She sighed and closed her eyes and finally fell into a slightly comfortable slumber.
Rarity heard Twilight gasp as she slept, but decided not to interfere when she heard her sigh in relief. She fell back into her very uneasy slumber and awoke to the shove of a hoof. She opened her eyes and looked around. She was in a metal box, with a few carrots and a bowl of water sitting on the floor. She felt pain all over her back, and for some reason she had wings instead of a horn. She tried to move, but wasn't able to make any motion whatsoever. A stallion peeked through the slat of a window on the door, then laughed evilly and slammed it shut, waking the poor unicorn from her too real night mare. She awoke and found her horn glowing a pale baby blue in the dark, but dismissed it as nerves.
Over back where Fluttershy lay, crying gently, she felt a familiar aura surround her body, then was taken to an unfamiliar home. She lay n a nice warm bed with a horn instead of wings. Her horn glowed a pinkish color in the dark, and was unable to move. She just lay, enjoying the warmth of the bed, but was suddenly pulled back to where she really was. She looked up at the stallion who stood over her with a hammer. He swung it heavily and hit her wings, breaking them further. The poor Pegasus cried out in pain.
Startled, the five mares in the same room awoke from their sleep. All of their eyes glowed with white light, and started walking. The sound of multiple hooves was heard by Case who came out of her room. She thought that maybe they'd take her to Fluttershy, so she quickly packed a bag with certain necessities and followed them out of the house. Twilight's horn glowed not the usual pink and fuscha tone, but a rainbow color. A rainbow stream similar to the one that punished Discord and Nightmare Moon, spun around them, and when Case got the opportunity to open her eyes, what she a saw astonished her.
Rainbow Dash gained a cyan horn, and Twilight Sparkle gained wings. Applejack and Pinkie Pie were rewarded with both wings and a horn of their coat colors, and Rarity was blessed with white wings. The glowing stopped and the rainbow went off in a circular pattern, mimicking a Sonic Rainboom. The five descended from their height and their eyes regained their normal colors.
"What happened?" Rainbow asked, rubbing her head. "I have a-a horn!"
"Why, I have wings!" Rarity exclaimed and batted the feathers.
"This is just weird." Applejack said rubbing the horn and wings.
"Alicorn party!" Pinkie yelled, and started flying poorly.
"The Elements transformed you into Temporary Alicorns." Case stated, still gaping at the change.
"I heard Fluttershy scream, and I just didn't like it... Is that what caused this?" Twilight asked Case.
"I'm fairly certain that's what happened. Try to get reconnected with the Elements and try to do that agin. Maybe we can find Fluttershy like that."
"I had a strange dream and I was a Pegasus. I was in a metal room with two carrots and a bowl of dirty water. A stallion glared through a hole in the door, then I was brought back."
"Rarity, I'm going to cast a spell on you, and you should remember key things about it, okay?" Case asked as she charged a spell.
Rarity nodded in response and suddenly many memories from the short time in the room popped out at her. "Something with a P. Pex. Pexus! There's a license plate... It says... Hoof. Hoofstin, I think. It's really dark. The room is small. I can't find anything else."
"Good, let's get a carriage to take us there."
"No," Twilight stated. "If we all use our horns and fire up a spell to take us to Hoofstin, it might just bring us there."
After about an hour of teaching the new members of the unicorn family how to use their power, they got in a circle and started firing up a spell. Instead of their normal fuscha and blue and pink, their horns glowed as rainbows and in a tornado of rainbow, the six teleported.
Death Comes to Those Who Wait
In the Hoofstin Marketplace, a sudden rainbow tornado started, startling many creatures in the market. After the rainbow dissipated, the six ponies could be seen clearly. Twilight's eyes now glowed violet, while Rainbow's were red, Applejack's orange, Rarity's purple, and Pinkie's blue. They could only guess that Fluttershy's glowed pink, but had no way of knowing for sure.
Twilight spoke in a doubled voice, similar to Chrysalis'. "Where is Fluttershy?" Her voice sounded of the five's voices put together.
The five started taking off in a random direction, flying as fast as they could. Case could only ditch her coat on the road and fly after them. She soon caught up, and they flew together. But, as luck would have it, their magic reserves were completely dissipated from the teleport. The lights in their eyes died down, and the five took a nose dive into unconsciousness. Case quickly reacted, safely holding them in a magic bubble until they were on the ground. She then descended and gently shook them awake.
After a while of bicker, they continued on the way they were heading. After miles and hours of running, they found a solitary cabin. They stopped in front of it and looked around. There were no carriage marks, and no signs of struggle. They burst through the door and found blood on the walls. Twilight feared the worst, but was relieved to find no dead bodies. In the basement, there was pink hair and yellow fur laying scattered on the floor. A note sat in the middle.
"No more rhymes, my little ponies.
You almost got me, but I'm gone now.
I've taken your friend, and I'm coming back for another one of you.
Watch out. Anyway, on to the clue.
We've left the state, we're now in a common area. Try and find us."
"Damn it!" Rainbow flipped a table next to her, and smiled wide. "I know where they're going."
She held up a map that had Hoofstin marked as one, Ponyville as 2, Cloudsdale as 3, and finally the Ponyville Lake marked in old Greek.
"Chantáki o só̱ma edó̱. Ditch the body here."
"You guys used up a lot of energy. I have just enough reserved magic to teleport us back to Ponyville. Downside, one must stay. I'll teleport you there, and get on the next train to Ponyville."
Before any retaliation could be said, the five were gone, leaving a lone Alicorn straned about one hundred miles from the marketplace.
Death Comes to Those Who Wait
In a flash of bright pink magic, the five ponies were in Twilight's Tree House. They looked around and walked outside, and saw every pony staring at them. After a bit, they went their own ways, leaving the five to think.
"I know who this is. This is Prince Blueblood's hoof writing! And he's partially royalty, and the royalty are all alicorns, or of alicorn descent! That's how he's so old and strong!" Rarity yelled.
The five started on their way to Blueblood's house, when they were stopped by cops. They were taken in for questioning, seeing as they were no longer what they used to look like. After about five hours of getting the correct paperwork done, they trotted back to Twilight's house and sat down.
Twilight served some food and drinks. "We need to be nourished if we want to help her. Rarity, can you try to do that mind meld thing you did before?"
"I don't know. Here, let me try." Rarity's horn glowed bright blue and her eyes became a blue violet color.
She looked around and saw a carriage, food, and an alicorn sitting in the back. Before her very eyes, Fluttershy walked through her and looked at the stallion briefly, cursed, then teleported away. With that, Rarity was brought back to the present, and looked at her friends.
"She teleported from the carriage." After about three seconds, a bright flash of pink filled the room, and Fluttershy was unconscious on the ground before them.
They rushed her to the Ponyville Hospital, where she was fed and taken care of. After the discussion with the police, they located the carriage Prince Blueblood was in, and once he arrived home, he was taken into custody. Blueblood was marked for execution after his trial, and the seven ponies who were involved in the case watched as he was lethally injected. Fluttershy made a full recovery, and went on to live in her cottage as an alicorn. Rainbow Dash was accepted into the Wonderbolts, and made the captain eventually, as well as an alicorn. Applejack lived on to take care of Sweet Apple Acres, her alicorn features a mighty help with apple bucking. Pinkie Pie went on to become the best party thrower of the century after she threw seven Alicorn Parties, a welcome home party, an execution party, and a party party all in the span of three days. Twilight lead the life she'd always wanted, taking care of her books. As an alicorn, she used her wings to get books when Spike wasn't around the house to help. Rarity went on to create many more unique and fashionable dresses, as well as having to fix all her outfits to fit wings.
Twilight is now known as Princess Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Magic.
Rarity is now known as Princess Rarity, Princess of Generosity.
Fluttershy is now know as Princess Fluttershy, Princess of Kindness and Bravery for her actions through out the ordeal.
Rainbow Dash is now know as Princess Rainbow Dash, Princess of Loyalty. But, she still doesn't like being called a princess.
Applejack is now known as Princess Applejack, Princess of Honesty.
Pinkie Pie is now known as Princess Pinkie Pie, Princess of Laughter, as well as Crazy Party Planner Pinkie Pie.
Spike grew up to be a rather giant dragon, and lived on for another twelve thousand years as Twilight's assistant, and died at the old age of 12,013. The six friends and princesses live in Ponyville, and lead happy lives, even though those they loved have long since perished.
Death Comes to Those Who Wait
Case turned after teleporting the five away, and ran. She flared her wings and took to the skies, flying as fast and as long as she could. She made it to the Marketplace where she was helped and taken back to Ponyville, where she quickly met up with the six others. After attending the execution of Prince Blueblood, she went back to her job as a detective, and went on to be the greatest detective in Equestria. Princess Case File also known as Princess of Detective, lead on a great life.
FIN
Death Comes to Those Who Wait
While the five friends became Alicorns, another buttery colored pegasus did the same. A partial rainbow swirled around her, giving her a horn as well. She rubbed her horn, then tried to get up. In another sudden moment, her eyes glowed pink and she started to speak in a loud tone.
"My friends will come for you. They know I am here." She said, but was quickly hit with a stray board on the floor.
The pony set his map on the desk in the room, then picked up Fluttershy in a yellow magic color. She kicked as he picked up the half-conscious Alicorn, and she hit the desk. In a quick flash of her untrained magic, Fluttershy doubled the paper that the foal napper had planned on. The stallion picked up the paper and fled into a carriage, careful to cover the tracks they left behind. He went on his way and started the long journey ahead.
Fluttershy thought about the situation. On one hoof, she could reserve her magic and energy and try to either fly away or risk a teleportation spell. She had seen Twilight and Rarity do it millions of times, and they told her she should just focus on where she wanted to be. Flutters then thought for the next couple hours what she would do. First, the smart alicorn ate the food the napper had left in the back. She drank some water he'd left back with her as well. She stood from her place, and felt more powerful. She sneaked a peek at the stallion driver before she attempted a teleportation. His coat was slightly dirty, and seemed to be naturally white.
His hair, while still strangely matted and dirty, was a blond color. He was definitely a unicorn. Fluttershy then remembered his name. She scowled and said a small curse, then attempted her teleportation. In a quiet and dark flash of pink magic, Fluttershy was no longer in the carriage, and Prince Blueblood wouldn't know until he reached Ponyville.