The Collectionby ChurchyChaptersbookplayerChurchysparkfyreFuturexjuggernaughtxKrazyTheFoxKitsuneRisubookplayerThis chapter was written by bookplayer o----o “Did you see it?” Twilight Sparkle asked Applejack, grinning eagerly. Applejack was standing next to her apple cart, trying to decide if she should start offering golden delicious apples two for a bit, since they were looking slightly less than delicious at that point. She looked up when Twilight spoke, but had the feeling she had missed the first part of the conversation. “Did I see what now?” “Last night! Did you see it? It was amazing!” Applejack thought back to last night. Unless Twilight was talking about the B+ Apple Bloom brought home on her spelling test, Applejack had seen nothing amazing. The B+ had been amazing, but only because the Apples were all awful at spelling- sounding out words was hard when you talked different from other ponies. As proud as Applejack was, she doubted that Twilight would be that impressed by the passing grade. “I can't say I did. What was it?” “It was-” “Hey, can I buy some apples?” a blue mare with a white mane interrupted. Applejack turned cheerfully to the paying customer. “Sorry ma'am, what can I do for ya'?” “I'll talk to you when you aren't working, I'm going to go find out if Fluttershy saw it!” Twilight said over Applejack's shoulder, then Applejack heard the sound of hoof beats trotting away. Applejack returned her attention to selling some apples. When she finished the transaction, having unloaded six of the problematic yellow apples along with some much nicer red ones, curiosity started creeping back into her mind. What had Twilight seen last night? Some stars thing, which would be much more exciting to her than anypony else, seemed like the most logical answer. Of course, Twilight might have learned to do some magic thing. Or maybe it was something somepony might have brought over to show her, maybe Rarity had made a new dress, or Pinkie invented a new. . . something. Applejack looked at the ponies passing by, wondering if any of them might know what Twilight was talking about. Everypony was going about their business. None of them seemed to be excited about seeing something amazing. Her eyes finally settled on Rainbow Dash, flying down the street with a can of paint tucked under her foreleg. “Hey, Dash!” Applejack called, causing the pegasus to notice her and fly right over. Rainbow Dash hovered in front of her. “Hey, AJ, what's up?” “Did you see it last night?” Dash stared at her, confused. “Did I see what last night?” “I dunno.” Applejack shrugged. “But I hear it was amazin'.” “But you don't know what it was?” AJ nodded. “Twilight was by, and she asked if I saw it, but she didn't get to tellin' me what it was. I was hopin' you'd know.” “She said it was amazing?” Dash thought for a moment. “But, I was home, asleep.” “Ya' know, Dash, there are more wonders in Equestria than your flank.” Applejack said dryly. “I know.” Dash grinned. “There's my mane, and my wings, and that's not even counting all the tricks I can do, like-” “It wasn't you,” Applejack broke in to avoid being subjected to the litany. Dash nodded. “Right, I know. Okay, then what could it be?” “Somethin' in the sky only Twilight would notice?” Applejack suggested. “Probably not. We get reports of all that stuff at weather patrol. They all say stuff like 'planetary thingamabob numbers numbers numbers.' Ya' know, in case ponies ask us about the glowy thing in the sky.” “Ponies ask about that stuff?” “All the time.” Dash rolled her eyes. “Like they expect me to remember that! I always just tell them it was a loose balloon.” “So, no loose balloons last night?” “Not that anypony mentioned to me. So, what's Twilight so excited about?” “She said she was goin' to see if Fluttershy saw it. Why don't you go find Twilight, and come back and tell me what it was?” “I'm on the case!” Dash smiled, and gave a salute. Then she took off down the street, still carrying her paint. “Wait! Dash!” Applejack called, but Rainbow Dash was already moving fast in the direction of Fluttershy's cottage, leaving Applejack to wonder both what it was that got Twilight so excited, and why Rainbow Dash was carrying a can of paint. ChurchyThis chapter was written by Churchy o----o Rainbow Dash scurried down the old dirt road that led to Fluttershy’s little cottage at the edge of the Everfree. She cradled the bucket of paint close to her chest, like a mother would her foal. Passersby watched with interest as the mare speedily trotted down the dusty path. It was not uncommon for them to see her around, oh no, but what was the paint can for? Nopony asked. It was best not to ask Rainbow Dash questions. Bugs buzzed to life in the flowers and the trees that Dash passed as she neared the outskirts of town. Birds chirped merrily to one another in the branches, harmonizing perfectly in a cacophony of bright, uplifting music. Dash hated it. She never did find it nice at all, and she didn’t like birds, either. Stupid birds. But enough of that. She tried to think back to what Applejack had said to her as she trotted. It hadn’t been entirely clear to her in the first place, and with the wonderful assistance of the nuisance emanating from the branches, an even denser fog clouded her mind. What was it again? Something about Twilight finding something in the sky last night? Is that what Applejack was talking about? What could Twilight have possibly found in the sky? Stars, probably. It was Twilight Sparkle, after all. She shouldn’t worry herself over the matter. Dash swiftly came upon Fluttershy’s cottage. Up to the front door, she went. She rapped her free hoof on it, the other held firmly the can of paint. There, she whistled pleasantly to herself while she awaited her greeting. There she waited. And waited. Those damn birds were beginning to numb her brain, either Fluttershy or Twilight had better open the blasted door promptly. But the moment never came. Dash knocked again. She could hear nothing stir from inside the cottage. Odd behavior, even from the recluse that was her friend Fluttershy. And didn't Twilight just come this way? Dash decided it would be her duty as a friend to investigate the matter. This, as Dashie began to over-think things, would require strength, cunning, stealth, and a sharp mind. Dash bucked the front door down with a very powerful kick from her hind legs. “Fluttershy!” Dash called into the vacated cottage. “Fluttershy, Twilight, are you here?” Dash gently set the can of paint she had been carrying down among the shattered remnants of what was once the front door. She spun in circles there in the center of the room. “Fluttershy, this is no time to play games. Do you have your bucket of paint?” The cottage solicited no response other than a slight groan in the floorboards as Dash shifted uncomfortably about its surface. “Hm,” Dash uttered. The pegasus hopped up into the air and hovered there in thought. Slowly, she drifted into the kitchen. No Fluttershy or Twilight there. From there, she wandered into the bedroom. They weren't there, either. But they could not have left her house. Fluttershy said she would meet Rainbow Dash here at precisely this hour. Well, precisely one hour ago. But she knew well by now that Dash was never on time. Something was wrong. Dash had to think. Things didn’t add up. Twilight told Applejack that something was in the sky last night. Dash was sure that she hadn’t seen it. She had been asleep. But now she was concerned. What was in the sky last night? What was so important, so amazing about what had been in the sky? More importantly, where were Fluttershy and Twilight? As she so fervently paced back and forth, she noticed something that she had failed to spot before. It was hiding behind the sofa. Fortunately, a sliver of sunshine had shone into the improperly lit room, and it struck a gleaming metal surface there. Dash immediately rushed to the metallic thing that had been concealed, placed by hoof, behind the couch. It was Fluttershy’s paint can. On it, was a note: “Rainbow Dash. Gone fishin’ with Luna. Be back later. - Fluttershy” Well, buck. There was something terribly off-putting about this entire ordeal. One- Fluttershy despises fishing. Even watching the monstrous, barbarous sport is enough to drive her to tears. Two- the note wasn’t even written in her own hoof. Dash decided it would be best to take the note to Twilight... wherever she was. She was the one that had seen whatever it was in the sky last night. Perhaps that was a clue as to Fluttershy’s whereabouts? Dash floated listlessly back to her paint can, where she snatched it up and hauled it away, out the front door, or where the front door had once been, and into the remarkably warm sunshine. “Gone fishin’,” Dash said aloud. She idled near the entrance to the cottage. Suddenly, brilliance. Dash knew just what to do. A visit to Twilight would have to wait. A visit to Applejack would have to wait as well. She could find out about whatever had been roaming the skies upon her return. Or, she could find out as soon as she had found Fluttershy. She had a hunch. Fluttershy had been there last night. These events were related somehow. Dash’s theories were indeed far-fetched and indefinitive, but she had a hunch. And so, Rainbow Dash, self-proclaimed best selling novelist and adventurer extraordinaire, came round the side of the quaint little cottage, into the backyard. She stopped and looked to the bucket of paint she was still lugging around. A deep breath was taken, a sturdy breath. She exhaled. Then, eyes ahead, she followed the path that stretched out before her... which led right to the Everfree Forest. sparkfyreThis chapter was written by sparkfyre o----o Her teeth chattered only slightly as she looked out into the dark, wooded area from her spot on the cobblestone pathway. She tediously took her first step out into the shaded area, then quickened her pace slightly as she trotted toward her destination; the Castle of the Two Pony Sisters. With each passing second, her confidence in her plan waned. Still, she kept trotting along, her paint can sloshing along with her, the bright hue spilling over the metal rim occasionally and dripping down the side onto the grass and rocks. Suddenly, there was a loud banging noise. Being paranoid already about Fluttershy's safety and whereabouts, she stopped in her tracks, tensing as she slowly looked around for the perpetrator. "Who's there?" she called out, if not meekly, though not really expecting an answer from whatever it was making the loud noise. Nothing. She blinked a few times and shook her head to clear it before starting back up on her journey, though much more wary of who or whatever might be lurking around this time. After she had finally begun to relax, she heard more noise, though not of the same kind. It was a shrill call, sounding like a caged bird or one of the Cake twins. Finally she arrived. The ancient marble-and-stone castle loomed above her head, its medieval construction and look giving off an aura of power and might. Taking a moment to look once again at the relic where she and her five best friends once took down a goddess, she trotted toward it, entering through one of the stone pathways. As she made her way into the first corridor, she faintly heard some voices talking. Her ears perked up in hopes that it might be Fluttershy, or Twilight, or better yet, both. At first, it wasn't perceptible, but as she made her way closer to the noise, it became easier to understand. "Do you really think that'll work, dear Fluttershy?" When she heard the name of her shy, pink-maned friend, Rainbow raised one hoof in a fist-pump. "Score," she whispered. "Well, um… it should. I mean, they should be just fine if we do it this way…" "If you are sure." "I… I am, Princess." Using her remarkable detective skills, Rainbow Dash figured that Princess Luna was with Fluttershy. Their chatter continued, but Rainbow Dash wasn't listening to what they were saying, only using the sound as an indicator of how close she was to them. Finally, she reached a long hallway where the voices seemed to echo much louder. She ran down it, skidding to a halt in front of a pair of tall, ancient-looking doors, which likely were the only things standing in-between her and Fluttershy. Standing on her haunches, she tried to pull the doors open by the large circular hooks hanging on them, but they wouldn't budge. She then decided to try and push them open, slamming her small, athletic figure against the old metal and pushing with all her might. With a cry, she pushed herself against the door so hard that she thought her ribs might hurt for days. She honestly didn't expect it to work, but alas, the doors opened, and Rainbow tumbled in, rolling along the slightly sloped floor until she hit… water? She made no effort to get out on her own, but a second or two later she was grasped by a cold aura of magic and brought out of the pool and set upon the ground, soaking wet. Head still spinning, she wobbled some, but was able to tell that Fluttershy and Luna were standing in front of her, both of them giving her odd looks, though hints of a smile were creeping upon both. "Uh… hi, Rainbow," Fluttershy said. Rainbow Dash could only stare. "Hello, young Rainbow Dash," Luna said. Rainbow made a feeble attempt to bow before the princess, but ended up falling on her side on the floor. Fluttershy rushed over to help her up, and when she stood straight again, her head cleared out. "Um. Sorry…. about that? I'm still kind of dizzy from that tumble there." "Why are you here, young Rainbow Dash?" the Lunar Princess asked. Rainbow scratched the back of her head before answering. "Well, I was supposed to meet up with Flutters today, and Twilight said something about the stars, and when I went to meet up with Fluttershy, neither of them were there, and, um… I wasn't worried at all or anything, but…" Her voice drifted off as she mumbled something incomprehensible. Fluttershy was giving her an amused look, used to her antics, but Luna's was more questioning. "Young subject, what is it with the tub of paint you were carrying?" The paint. "Damn," Rainbow cursed under her breath. The bright red was streaked in a curved trail across the large room, where she had apparently tumbled with it until it curved on its own trail, ending far on the other side of the room. "Me and… well, Fluttershy was gonna help me with a prank, and we needed the paint, and for whatever reason, when I came out to look for her and Twilight, I brought it with me." "Twilight Sparkle?" Luna asked, her eyes widening. "Is there something wrong with Twilight Sparkle? Is she in peril?" "Well, um, Princess, I don't know… that's why I came looking for her. If you don't mind me asking… why are the two of you here anyway?" "For whatever reason, this room has caved in, and with the ceilings being cracked and letting in rainwater, creating this pond and bringing in these tiny fish," Fluttershy said as she gestured to a group of small bluish-purple fish in the pond. "Princess Luna wanted my help with carrying them out to safety." So that's where 'gone fishin'' came from, Rainbow thought as she nodded. "Well… Fluttershy, we can hang out later, right?" "Of course, Rainbow." "Well," Rainbow took a deep breath and looked at the Princess before bowing again, "I'm gonna go look for Twilight. I don't have a good feeling about her." FutureThis chapter was written by Future o----o Twilight took one last, wistful, look at the speckled canvas that was the night sky. Turning her head, she made for the pinpricks of light that signified her distant home. Stargazing had long ago become one of Twilight Sparkle's favorite hobbies, overshadowed only by reading, learning, organizing, and making lists of her favorite hobbies. She found it very soothing, especially after a stressful day of being the town librarian. Introduced to her by a friend and mentor when she was still in Canterlot, the complex arrangement of stars fascinated and bewildered the young unicorn's eager mind. Night after night she would steal away to the rooftop gardens of the city and watch, amazed, as the cosmos twinkled away for all to see. Twilight's delight with stars was rekindled when she moved to Ponyville and discovered that, to her supreme glee, the city lights that overpowered some of the fainter stars were gone, unveiling a convoluted web of dull brilliance. Minutes ago, she had been laying down, facing the familiar constellations that kept the moon quiet company. Now, she was on a familiar cobblestone path, beside a familiar forest, facing something entirely unfamiliar on her habitual journey. Blood. She nearly missed the drop of radiant red liquid, until its bright hue stood out among the dark greens and browns of the forest's edge. Twilight looked into the gloom of the dense woodland, her eyes already noticing more crimson stains picking their way through the timber. She wanted nothing more than to hurry back to the safety of her tree, to feel the warmth of the hearth and hear the soft snores of Spike. She was about to turn tail and make haste to her home. Until she remembered where she was supposed to meet Rainbow Dash. o---o As Rainbow Dash hastily made her way from the old castle, an idea alighted into Fluttershy's mind. “Umm, Princess? What if we just rinsed the paint bucket and used that?” Fluttershy said in her quiet yet subliminally persuasive voice. “Excellent! Here, I’ll hold them with my magic while you rinse it and fill it with water,” Luna said in her loud yet surprisingly tender voice. Fluttershy walked over to where the bucket lay after being dropped and violently emptied by Rainbow Dash’s eager entrance. Grabbing it gingerly with her mouth, she rinsed it in the shallow pond and placed it under the magical bubble that held several confused, yet content, fish. Reverently placed in their temporary container, the fish swam in small, lazy, circles. Fluttershy looked up at the Princess of the Night, her partner in saving aquatic critters. They smiled to each other and with the help of Luna’s magic, began taking their rescuees to a nearby lake. o---o After leaving the castle, Rainbow Dash took to the skies on the pair of appendages that were her pride and joy. From her altitude she could see the first rays of sunlight rising in the east, heralding dawn for Equestria. Rainbow Dash almost never saw a sunrise; she was usually fast asleep. There was no time to admire its pleasant colours however; she had to find Twilight. Flying ever expanding circles over the vast expanse of the forest, Rainbow Dash looked for a streak of pink, a blur of purple fur, or anything that might point out Twilight in the arborous sea. Nothing, she thought, then amended her pessimistic mind. Nothing yet. o---o Having carefully tracked the surprisingly fresh trail, Twilight now found herself immersed deep within the brush. She had lost almost all sense of direction, and the dense foliage did nothing to help. So deep was she in the thicket, as well as in concentration on the path, that the foreboding castle the trail lead into came as quite a surprise. Fearing for her friend's safety, she valiantly made her way through the marble and stone archway that was the door. Twilight almost thought she could sense a sinister aura envelop her as she passed through the forsaken gateway. Trotting through the empty halls of the castle, she could not help but imagine the gruesome circumstances that could explain her following a trail of blood into an abandoned castle. Her imagination ran rampant with the stuff of nightmares. Doing her best to banish such thoughts from her mind, she continued to follow the trail through the twisting corridors. There was something about this place. Some familiarity that Twilight couldn't place. Every tapestry on the wall seemed to be mocking her, challenging her to remember them. Twilight, however, had little interest in sifting through years of memories, devoting her mind instead to finding her friend. As Twilight turned another corner, she happened upon a hallway, longer than the rest. At the end she could see a pair of wooden doors left open. It seemed the trail led right to them. Taking her first few paces towards the doors, Twilight noticed her hoofsteps echoing off the walls. To add to the eerie setting, the room past the doors seemed to be partially caved in. Almost never a reassuring sign. Twilight came to a tentative stop at the threshold of the doors, peering down a slight incline to a horrific scene. A swath of sanguine substance stained the stone floor, reaffirming Twilight’s suspicions of this sinister place. Scanning the rest of the room Twilight noticed a small puddle of blood in the middle of the room, slowly being diluted by an irregular drip from high above. After a few moments of heart-throbbing terror, Twilight spun around and dashed for the exit. Retracing her steps through the castle, she quickly found the rays of the morning that seemed to signify safety from the horrors of the fortress in the forest. Twilight came barrelling down the stone path leading out of the castle just as a streak of cyan bathed in the warm hues of the early morning passed overhead. xjuggernaughtxThis chapter was written by xjuggernaughtx o----o Twilight glanced back at the castle as she bolted away, blanching at the way the open portcullis glimmered in the pre-dawn gloom. She knew that it was only the morning dew, condensing on the cool steel, but the resemblance to the slavering jaws of some evil monster, hungry for pony blood, was so strong that she gasped and poured on more speed. I’ve got to get out of here! I’ve got to tell some— Stars swam in Twilight’s vision as she slammed full speed into something pink. Suddenly, they were rolling off the castle’s winding path and into the brush-chocked ditch that ran on either side. “Pinkie, what—ow—oof!” she attempted, biting her tongue. “Whee—uuh—whee!” Pinkie cried out, her giggles interrupted with each tumbling revolution. Finally, they both grunted as they slammed into a bush. Twilight shook her head vigorously to clear the black spots swirling in front of her, but she found standing to be impossible. Somehow, Pinkie had twined herself completely around her friend, and was attempting to hug Twilight with all four legs and her tail. “Wow, Twilight! You really put the ‘crack’ in crack of dawn!” Pinkie said, still grinning as she rubbed her forehead. Twilight blushed furiously as she watched a small lump begin to rise there. “Oh, Pinkie, I’m so sorry! I wasn’t even looking—” Twilight said, the words rushing out until a thought hit her. “Wait, what are you doing here? The sun’s not even up.” “Well, I like to come up here sometimes when I really want to get my party skills in shape! I call it my Sunrise Fun-cise!” Pinkie said, loosening her grip on her friend. “Rainbow Dash says I should just plain ol’ ‘exercise’, but that sounds boring and sweaty!” Rising, she opened up her saddle bag to let Twilight peer inside. “See, I’ve got my rubber chicken, some whoopee cushions, three joybuzzers and twelve packs of balloons! If this stuff can’t help me bone up on tickling some funny bones, then I’ll have to go to the Farm!” “Let me guess. Twilight said, rubbing the area between her eyes. “The Funny Farm?” Pinkie’s eyes grew wide as her jaw dropped open. “Whoa, Twilight! You really do know everything!” she said, bouncing rapidly in place. “If you can’t feel the funny, they’ll help you cultivate a sense of humor. They’re giggle growers!” Pinkie suddenly sat down, rolling her eyes to the sky and placing a hoof on her chin. “Or are they titter tillers?” She turned to Twilight, shrugging. “Snicker pickers?” Twilight shook her head, a grin slowly spreading across her face. Of all the ponies to run into on the way out of that castle—wait! The castle! Twilight jumped back to her hooves. “Pinkie, we have to tell somepony about the castle!" Pinkie cocked an eyebrow as Twilight seemed to be trying to go in two directions simultaneously. The unicorn’s head was rotated back toward the crumbling castle, but her hooves seemed to be trying to head back to town. In the end, Twilight ended up running in small circles, and Pinkie joined her, laughing! “No, Pinkie, this is serious!” Twilight said, finally stopping. Taking a few deep breaths, she tried to compose herself. Something awful had happened and she couldn’t afford to panic. “Okay,” Twilight said, grabbing her friend by the shoulders, “I need you to run to town and tell the Mayor that somepony has been hurt in the castle. Maybe even… well, just tell them something happened and to send help!” “What?” Pinkie gasped, her pupils dilating to pinpoints. “Somepony is hurt?! Who is it?” Pinkie took off like a shot toward the castle, leaving Twilight coughing in a cloud of dust. “We’ve gotta go help!” she called back over her shoulder. “No, wait!” Twilight croaked, trying to work the dust out of her mouth. “Pinkie, don’t go in—oh, that pony!” Biting her lip, Twilight cast a glance back down the path toward town, and then started up after her friend. “This is a bad idea! A very bad idea!” she muttered to herself as she surged up the winding trail. ~~~ Twilight leaned up against the rough wall just inside the castle’s gate, pressing on her chest with a hoof. She always forgot how quickly Pinkie could move when she wanted to. As she gasped for air, she watched as Pinkie cautiously moved toward the huge pool of blood smeared across the floor, preparing for the evitable freak out. Somewhere high above them, something moaned. Twilight found herself cringing, and fought to stand again. “It’s n-nothing, Twilight,” she muttered to herself as she trotted after Pinkie. “It’s just the wind. These old castles are so drafty.” “EEEEEEEEKKK!!!” Twilight’s mane bristled wildly as she jumped straight into the air. Somewhere, Pinkie was screaming, but Twilight had banged her head on the ceiling. Eyes watering, she ran toward where the high-pitched squeal seemed to be the loudest. “Hold on, Pinkie," she cried. “I’ll save you!” “Oh, Twilight!” Pinkie said, throwing a leg around the unicorn to slow her down. “This isn’t blood, silly! It’s strawberry syrup! Doesn't that just make you want to scream?” Twilight eyed the red substance critically. “A-are you sure, Pinkie?” she asked, bending down to sniff it. “I don’t think—” Pinkie threw a hoof up, stopping Twilight in mid-sentence. “Trust me on this one, Twi. I know strawberry syrup with I see it! And when I taste it!” Before Twilight could stop her, Pinkie dipped a hoof into the smeared, red mess and shoved it into her mouth. Seconds later, she spat it out, gagging. “This is some icky syrup! Remember that ham flavored syrup the girls made for their dessert cutie marks?” Pinkie screwed up her face, sticking out her tongue. “Yeah, worse. No wonder they threw it on the floor!” Twilight dragged her friend away from the pool, wincing at the red hoofprint Pinkie was leaving behind her. “That’s because it’s not syrup, it’s blood! Twilight cried. “And now we have to get out of this castle before whoever did this comes for us, too. “At least Rainbow’s gone already! We won’t have to go upstairs and get her!” Pinkie said. “Wait, what?” Twilight gasped, turning slowly to her friend. “Did you say that Rainbow… was just here?” “Yeah, she zoomed out of one of the windows. She went right over us when we were rolling into that bush!” Pinkie said as Twilight’s eyes widened. KrazyTheFoxThis chapter was written by KrazyTheFox o----o Twilight paced around the room, carefully stepping around the pooled blood. “Oh, this is not good. No, no, no, this is not good at all.” Pinkie looked up from frantically running her hooves over her tongue. “You’re right, Twilight. I still can’t get the taste of the syrup off of my tongue. Blegh.” “Ugh. Of all the ponies.” Massaging her temples, Twilight sat down. “Pinkie, you said Rainbow left from one of the windows, right?” Pinkie nodded. “Did you see which way she went?” “Of course, silly. She went up! Waaay up over us.” “I meant which direction!” growled Twilight. “Oh, that. I don’t know. She just went up! Uppity up, up, up!” Trotting up to Pinkie, Twilight stuck her hoof in her mouth. “Can you please try to remember?” She pointed towards the pool of blood with her free hoof. “She could be really hurt, Pinkie, and we need to go find her.” Pinkie stared rather blankly at her friend. Twilight started toward the entrance of the castle, extracting her hoof from Pinkie’s mouth. “Now, will you shut up and help me look for where she might have gone?” “Mhmm!” As Twilight neared the gate, a loud crack echoed throughout the room, and the portcullis fell, crashing into the ground. “Augh!” She backpedaled a few steps. “What in the name of Celestia was that!?” “It looks like the gate closed, Twilight,” Pinkie deadpanned. “You know what? I can’t take this anymore! And we need to find Rainbow Dash.” Twilight scrunched up her face in concentration. “—what?” she gasped. Pinkie tilted her head, once again attempting to scrape the taste off her tongue. “Wath wrong Thwilight?” “What’s wrong? What’s wrong is I can’t seem to teleport us out of here!” She focused again and attempted a light spell, her horn not even beginning to light up. “It looks like I can’t do any magic here and now we’re locked in.” “Well that’s not very good.” “No, it’s not.” A deafening, low rumble shook the castle under the pair’s hooves, causing rafters to creak and a cloud of dust to descend upon the room, covering its occupants. Twilight backed up and pressed herself against Pinkie. “A—And then there’s… whatever did whatever it did to Rainbow.” “Hmmm… If I were Rainbow…” Following suit, Pinkie leaned on Twilight. “That’s it! A window!” “A… window?” “Yeah, Twilight. Remember?” Twilight scanned the room, looking for any alternatives. “Pinkie, the nearest window is probably at least two stories up.” She motioned towards the spiral stairs at the back of the room. “And seeing as I can’t seem to do any magic, I don’t know how you think we’re supposed to get out from that high.” “Uhhh.” “I thought so.” The castle trembled as another loud groan echoed throughout the halls. Twilight took a step towards the stairs. “M—maybe we should look for something upstairs.” “Waaaay ahead of you!” Pinkie darted ahead and donned her inspector and bubble pipe, scouring the floor with a magnifying glass. “Wait!” Twilight yelled, running after her friend. “We don’t know what could be in here! We should be careful.” Pinkie stopped at the base of the stairs, her eyes widening. “Oh, look! More syrup!” Just as Pinkie stuck out her tongue, Twilight pulled her head back and stood in the way. “Pinkie, for the last time, that is not syrup.” She paced around the newly discovered pool of blood on the bottom step, then started to follow what seemed to be a trail smeared up the rest of the steps, winding up into the darkness. “This is not good.” “You’re telling me! All I wanted was some syrup but nooooo.” Twilight clamped her hooves around Pinkie Pie’s mouth and whispered harshly, “Quiet!” She released her grip once Pinkie nodded. “This is blood, Pinkie. Blood! Somepony, probably Rainbow Dash, could be seriously hurt. And that means whatever hurt her is probably in this castle. A castle that we are currently stuck in, need I remind you?” Pinkie blew a volley of bubbles from her pipe. “That means we need to be quiet and very careful while we look for a way out. Now come on, let’s figure out where this trail leads us.” Twilight took a few cautious steps up, avoiding touching any of the blood. Darkness descended upon the two ponies and they made their way up what looked increasingly like a tower. Thankfully, nothing happened on the way up, but that did little to ease Twilight’s tensions. Ever present was the thick, dank smell of mold and freshly disturbed dust. Upon rounding the last few steps into the top of the tower, the darkness finally gave way to pale moonlight streaming in through a single window, illuminating just enough of the room to see where another small pool of blood had collected. “Hm, I don’t see anything here that can help us.” Twilight trotted to the window and peered out. “Wow, that’s a long way down. This must be where Rainbow left from, but I don’t see how we’re going to get out from here.” Pinkie followed Twilight into the room and sat down on an aging bed tucked away in a corner. “What about the curtains?” “What about the curtains?” “We could tie them together and climb out.” “We’d need at least three hundred hooves of curtain to get down. There’s, at most, fifty, and I don’t even know if it’ll be strong enough. Celestia knows how long those have been rotting away here.” Just as Twilight was about to conduct another search, the tower shuddered and shook violently, almost causing her to lose her footing. A rumble reverberated up the stairs and… didn’t stop. “Twilight? What was that?” asked Pinkie, her voice quivering. The noise sounded as if it were… No, it couldn’t be. Twilight swallowed a lump in her throat and a chill ran up her spine. “Pinkie?” “Y—yeah, Twilight?” “I—” Twilight backed up against the wall, her voice dropping to a soft whisper. “I think it’s getting closer.” KitsuneRisuThis chapter was written by KitsuneRisu o----o ~ A conveniently unspecifed amount of time later ~ Detective Celestia stepped over to the pool of blood, peering down at it with all the fury of a thousand suns. She squinted at it, because when an investigator is sleuthing a scene, squinting always helps. Always. “Sister, I dare say…” Luna squeaked, trailing behind. “Silence, Luna!” Celestia thundered, a lit cigar hanging off the edge of her lips. “I am in… detective mode!” “Y-yes, sister,” Luna replied, meekly. Slung around the younger sister’s back was a plethora of tools and equipment that filled up a pair of over-stuffed saddlebags. The edge of a microscope there, the peek of a powder-brush here, and it all made for some rather zealous packing indeed. “This is… syrup,” Celestia declared, pulling back up to full height, allowing her mane to blow over her face. She pulled the cigar from her mouth with a burst of magic, hovering it impactfully in front of her. “Sister, I do think it might be blood,” Luna pointed out. “Fantastic deduction, Luna!” Celestia thundered. “But you are wrong. Clearly, this is syrup.” Luna looked to the ceiling. “Yes, sister, if you say so,” she muttered, pressing the matter no further. “This must be where Twilight Sparkle died,” Celestia continued, nodding away, floating the cigar from left to right. “Right here.” “Um… sister,” Luna pushed forward again. “She’s not dead. She’s downstairs. She was the one who called us.” “Nonsense! She died here, and left this horrible blood puddle for us to inspect. It is a clue, you see. The last piece of the puzzle. The last chapter of our sordid tale.” “Um… but you just said it was syrup, surely,” Luna said with a sigh. She hated it when her sister role-played. It was always so… obnoxious. “Indeed it is!” Celestia yelled, tossing the cigar away with relish. It was what detectives did. “Argh! Not the face!” Luna yelled, ducking from the burning stick. “The face is exactly the key to this mystery, Luna!” Celestia admonished. “Shall I tell you what happened here?” “Please. Please do,” Luna moaned. “Let’s not drag this out further, I emplore you, sister. I have to go back and finish my crochet!” “Your pointless needlework can wait, Luna! We have a mystery to uncover,” Celestia said, with a knowing twinkle in her eye. “So listen, for this is how the story ends...” ~ “It’s getting closer, Pinkie!” Twilight shrieked, losing all calm and coolness. “Yes, you said that! You said that already!” Pinkle burbled back happily. “Hooray!” “W-what are you so happy about?” Twilight shot back, frantically looking around for a way to escape. Out the window was not an option, and whatever was causing the rumblings in the first place was slowly making its way up the only other avenue out – the stairs. For all intents and purposes, they were trapped. “Because I love meeting new friends!” Pinkie chortled. “That’s not a new friend!” Twilight yelled. “That’s that thing from earlier! Or maybe it’s something entirely new! Or maybe It’s something we’re assuming as something from earlier but has actually never been established before!” “Yep,” Pinkie agreed. “That just about covers it.” “Whatever it is, it’s big and dangerous!” “How can you tell?” Pinkie tilted her head quizzically. “Because only big, dangerous things make an entrance with thundering hoofsteps, Pinkie! C-could… could that have been the thing that got Dash?” Pinkie rolled her eyes. Twice. “Dash flew away, remember? She flew up!” “Pinkie!” Twilight screamed, each thunderous thump causing her heart to leap further and further. “She didn’t just fly up, alright? She had to have flown in a compass direction!” An azure smear fell. As they both turned, they pushed their heads out the window to see a rainbow-flecked blue streak blur its way toward the ground, falling directly outside the window at which they stood. “Like I told you, Twilight, straight up. She probably flew so high that she escaped our atmosphere and suffocated.” Pinkie nodded sagely. “What,” Twilight intoned, eyes boggling. “It’s just science, Twilight. I thought you knew about that kind of stuff.” The sciency one’s rebuttal was cut short, however, as a final crash reverberated around the room at the top of the tower, calling the two ponies’ attention. “Ah-hah!” Pinkie yelled again, pointing her hoof at the creature that had crawled up the tower. “I was right again!” “What,” Twilight whispered to herself, the image of what was in front of her escaping any sort of reasonable explanation. The creature was a round, thick thing, like an oversized manhole cover clambering upon three spindly legs. Although, they were not legs – they were metallic spikes, crooked and craggly, like twisted tin foil, supporting up a shiny, metal plate. Like a spider it crawled up and into the room, a behemoth that spewed out an odorous steam that smelt faintly of burnt sugar and boiled fruit. Upon its top was a brown, cracked crust, a volcano of baked dough and golden crisp pastry, flaking skin and blobs of scarred choux. From a couple of holes pierced through its top, it spewed a thick red liquid, fountaining it across the room and onto the floor where it coagulated in thick, steamy pools. “It was syrup!” Pinkie cried gleefully. “Wh...what is that thing?” Twilight muttered, almost to herself as she didn’t expect an answer. “Giant Pie Monster,” Pinkie stated. “It must have been what was causing everything! Everything!” “I… I...” Twilight stammered. “And now I have to cut off your head!” Pinkie laughed, bouncing around the room like a slinky. “What? What? Why?” Twilight exclaimed, shocked, pushing herself back against the wall. Between the weird pie thing that stood there and erupted cherry goop everywhere, and Pinkie who was currently now hopping around the room in an anti-clockwise direction, and… well, whatever it was that happened to Rainbow Dash, there was very little else she could do. “Because that’s how the story ends!” Pinkie yelled. “The story…?” “It’s the only way!” Pinkie said, her bouncing coming to a stop. She slowly approached Twilight, a samurai sword in her hooves. “It’s the only way to explain it all.” Pinkie smiled. “The only way.” ~ “Look, sister, this is getting quite ridicu-” “Silence!” Celestia yelled. “It is the only way to explain everything that happened from start to end based on the evidence!” Luna looked around the room. There were no signs at all of pie monsters or deaths or any other things she had mentioned. In fact, from the very beginning of the story, a lot of things didn’t really make sense. It felt to Luna as if she were just making things up as she went along. “Sister, I really do think that there is a far simpler explanation than the whole story that you have subjected me to…” Luna argued, furrowing her brow. “Nonsense. This has to be the way. The only way.” Celestia shook her head. She was adamant. “It sounds like something Discord would have m-” “How dare you compare me to that cretin!” Celestia spat. “He is a third of the detective that I am! He never manages to solve the mystery at all those murder dinner things we go to!” “Princess. Pinkie Pie’s downstairs with the medic ponies right now. If you really wanted to find out the truth, why not just ask her?” “Because she’s the murderer! And she’ll lie!” “The murderer of…” “Twilight Sparkle, of course.” “With a…” “Samurai sword. Like I said.” “Pinkie Pie murdered Twilight Sparkle – the pony who called us in the first place – who is currently downstairs sitting with her own murderer,” Luna said, deeming to clarify. A moment passed while Celestia thought about it. “Yes, that’s right,” she said, after giving it due consideration. Luna sighed. There was no getting through to her sister when she was like this. “And what about all the other loose ends from the first parts of your story? Like for example the c-” “Unimportant.” “Well then what about what happened to-” “Doesn’t matter.” “At least explain th-” “Come, Luna. We are done here. We have solved this mystery and there are plenty of others to tackle in the days to come,” Celestia said, sweeping down the stairs. “Come!” Luna sighed yet again. She didn’t know why she played along to her Sister’s madness. Perhaps it was just a result of her own pity. It had started, simply enough, with Celestia’s own pupil’s request to help on what was a rather mundane and straightforward quest. Along the way, Celestia had decided to fill in the blanks herself with a rather peculiar imagination. Although it didn’t make sense, at least it was amusing. Luna gave herself a wry grin, looking over the room one last time. The real story about what happened there at the tower and all the events that led up to it was easily found, but… Well. Perhaps it wouldn’t have been as fun. With a little shrug, Luna left the room. The truth was for another day. All they had now was the story, and that was what she had to be satisfied with. The End
bookplayerThis chapter was written by bookplayer o----o “Did you see it?” Twilight Sparkle asked Applejack, grinning eagerly. Applejack was standing next to her apple cart, trying to decide if she should start offering golden delicious apples two for a bit, since they were looking slightly less than delicious at that point. She looked up when Twilight spoke, but had the feeling she had missed the first part of the conversation. “Did I see what now?” “Last night! Did you see it? It was amazing!” Applejack thought back to last night. Unless Twilight was talking about the B+ Apple Bloom brought home on her spelling test, Applejack had seen nothing amazing. The B+ had been amazing, but only because the Apples were all awful at spelling- sounding out words was hard when you talked different from other ponies. As proud as Applejack was, she doubted that Twilight would be that impressed by the passing grade. “I can't say I did. What was it?” “It was-” “Hey, can I buy some apples?” a blue mare with a white mane interrupted. Applejack turned cheerfully to the paying customer. “Sorry ma'am, what can I do for ya'?” “I'll talk to you when you aren't working, I'm going to go find out if Fluttershy saw it!” Twilight said over Applejack's shoulder, then Applejack heard the sound of hoof beats trotting away. Applejack returned her attention to selling some apples. When she finished the transaction, having unloaded six of the problematic yellow apples along with some much nicer red ones, curiosity started creeping back into her mind. What had Twilight seen last night? Some stars thing, which would be much more exciting to her than anypony else, seemed like the most logical answer. Of course, Twilight might have learned to do some magic thing. Or maybe it was something somepony might have brought over to show her, maybe Rarity had made a new dress, or Pinkie invented a new. . . something. Applejack looked at the ponies passing by, wondering if any of them might know what Twilight was talking about. Everypony was going about their business. None of them seemed to be excited about seeing something amazing. Her eyes finally settled on Rainbow Dash, flying down the street with a can of paint tucked under her foreleg. “Hey, Dash!” Applejack called, causing the pegasus to notice her and fly right over. Rainbow Dash hovered in front of her. “Hey, AJ, what's up?” “Did you see it last night?” Dash stared at her, confused. “Did I see what last night?” “I dunno.” Applejack shrugged. “But I hear it was amazin'.” “But you don't know what it was?” AJ nodded. “Twilight was by, and she asked if I saw it, but she didn't get to tellin' me what it was. I was hopin' you'd know.” “She said it was amazing?” Dash thought for a moment. “But, I was home, asleep.” “Ya' know, Dash, there are more wonders in Equestria than your flank.” Applejack said dryly. “I know.” Dash grinned. “There's my mane, and my wings, and that's not even counting all the tricks I can do, like-” “It wasn't you,” Applejack broke in to avoid being subjected to the litany. Dash nodded. “Right, I know. Okay, then what could it be?” “Somethin' in the sky only Twilight would notice?” Applejack suggested. “Probably not. We get reports of all that stuff at weather patrol. They all say stuff like 'planetary thingamabob numbers numbers numbers.' Ya' know, in case ponies ask us about the glowy thing in the sky.” “Ponies ask about that stuff?” “All the time.” Dash rolled her eyes. “Like they expect me to remember that! I always just tell them it was a loose balloon.” “So, no loose balloons last night?” “Not that anypony mentioned to me. So, what's Twilight so excited about?” “She said she was goin' to see if Fluttershy saw it. Why don't you go find Twilight, and come back and tell me what it was?” “I'm on the case!” Dash smiled, and gave a salute. Then she took off down the street, still carrying her paint. “Wait! Dash!” Applejack called, but Rainbow Dash was already moving fast in the direction of Fluttershy's cottage, leaving Applejack to wonder both what it was that got Twilight so excited, and why Rainbow Dash was carrying a can of paint.
ChurchyThis chapter was written by Churchy o----o Rainbow Dash scurried down the old dirt road that led to Fluttershy’s little cottage at the edge of the Everfree. She cradled the bucket of paint close to her chest, like a mother would her foal. Passersby watched with interest as the mare speedily trotted down the dusty path. It was not uncommon for them to see her around, oh no, but what was the paint can for? Nopony asked. It was best not to ask Rainbow Dash questions. Bugs buzzed to life in the flowers and the trees that Dash passed as she neared the outskirts of town. Birds chirped merrily to one another in the branches, harmonizing perfectly in a cacophony of bright, uplifting music. Dash hated it. She never did find it nice at all, and she didn’t like birds, either. Stupid birds. But enough of that. She tried to think back to what Applejack had said to her as she trotted. It hadn’t been entirely clear to her in the first place, and with the wonderful assistance of the nuisance emanating from the branches, an even denser fog clouded her mind. What was it again? Something about Twilight finding something in the sky last night? Is that what Applejack was talking about? What could Twilight have possibly found in the sky? Stars, probably. It was Twilight Sparkle, after all. She shouldn’t worry herself over the matter. Dash swiftly came upon Fluttershy’s cottage. Up to the front door, she went. She rapped her free hoof on it, the other held firmly the can of paint. There, she whistled pleasantly to herself while she awaited her greeting. There she waited. And waited. Those damn birds were beginning to numb her brain, either Fluttershy or Twilight had better open the blasted door promptly. But the moment never came. Dash knocked again. She could hear nothing stir from inside the cottage. Odd behavior, even from the recluse that was her friend Fluttershy. And didn't Twilight just come this way? Dash decided it would be her duty as a friend to investigate the matter. This, as Dashie began to over-think things, would require strength, cunning, stealth, and a sharp mind. Dash bucked the front door down with a very powerful kick from her hind legs. “Fluttershy!” Dash called into the vacated cottage. “Fluttershy, Twilight, are you here?” Dash gently set the can of paint she had been carrying down among the shattered remnants of what was once the front door. She spun in circles there in the center of the room. “Fluttershy, this is no time to play games. Do you have your bucket of paint?” The cottage solicited no response other than a slight groan in the floorboards as Dash shifted uncomfortably about its surface. “Hm,” Dash uttered. The pegasus hopped up into the air and hovered there in thought. Slowly, she drifted into the kitchen. No Fluttershy or Twilight there. From there, she wandered into the bedroom. They weren't there, either. But they could not have left her house. Fluttershy said she would meet Rainbow Dash here at precisely this hour. Well, precisely one hour ago. But she knew well by now that Dash was never on time. Something was wrong. Dash had to think. Things didn’t add up. Twilight told Applejack that something was in the sky last night. Dash was sure that she hadn’t seen it. She had been asleep. But now she was concerned. What was in the sky last night? What was so important, so amazing about what had been in the sky? More importantly, where were Fluttershy and Twilight? As she so fervently paced back and forth, she noticed something that she had failed to spot before. It was hiding behind the sofa. Fortunately, a sliver of sunshine had shone into the improperly lit room, and it struck a gleaming metal surface there. Dash immediately rushed to the metallic thing that had been concealed, placed by hoof, behind the couch. It was Fluttershy’s paint can. On it, was a note: “Rainbow Dash. Gone fishin’ with Luna. Be back later. - Fluttershy” Well, buck. There was something terribly off-putting about this entire ordeal. One- Fluttershy despises fishing. Even watching the monstrous, barbarous sport is enough to drive her to tears. Two- the note wasn’t even written in her own hoof. Dash decided it would be best to take the note to Twilight... wherever she was. She was the one that had seen whatever it was in the sky last night. Perhaps that was a clue as to Fluttershy’s whereabouts? Dash floated listlessly back to her paint can, where she snatched it up and hauled it away, out the front door, or where the front door had once been, and into the remarkably warm sunshine. “Gone fishin’,” Dash said aloud. She idled near the entrance to the cottage. Suddenly, brilliance. Dash knew just what to do. A visit to Twilight would have to wait. A visit to Applejack would have to wait as well. She could find out about whatever had been roaming the skies upon her return. Or, she could find out as soon as she had found Fluttershy. She had a hunch. Fluttershy had been there last night. These events were related somehow. Dash’s theories were indeed far-fetched and indefinitive, but she had a hunch. And so, Rainbow Dash, self-proclaimed best selling novelist and adventurer extraordinaire, came round the side of the quaint little cottage, into the backyard. She stopped and looked to the bucket of paint she was still lugging around. A deep breath was taken, a sturdy breath. She exhaled. Then, eyes ahead, she followed the path that stretched out before her... which led right to the Everfree Forest.
sparkfyreThis chapter was written by sparkfyre o----o Her teeth chattered only slightly as she looked out into the dark, wooded area from her spot on the cobblestone pathway. She tediously took her first step out into the shaded area, then quickened her pace slightly as she trotted toward her destination; the Castle of the Two Pony Sisters. With each passing second, her confidence in her plan waned. Still, she kept trotting along, her paint can sloshing along with her, the bright hue spilling over the metal rim occasionally and dripping down the side onto the grass and rocks. Suddenly, there was a loud banging noise. Being paranoid already about Fluttershy's safety and whereabouts, she stopped in her tracks, tensing as she slowly looked around for the perpetrator. "Who's there?" she called out, if not meekly, though not really expecting an answer from whatever it was making the loud noise. Nothing. She blinked a few times and shook her head to clear it before starting back up on her journey, though much more wary of who or whatever might be lurking around this time. After she had finally begun to relax, she heard more noise, though not of the same kind. It was a shrill call, sounding like a caged bird or one of the Cake twins. Finally she arrived. The ancient marble-and-stone castle loomed above her head, its medieval construction and look giving off an aura of power and might. Taking a moment to look once again at the relic where she and her five best friends once took down a goddess, she trotted toward it, entering through one of the stone pathways. As she made her way into the first corridor, she faintly heard some voices talking. Her ears perked up in hopes that it might be Fluttershy, or Twilight, or better yet, both. At first, it wasn't perceptible, but as she made her way closer to the noise, it became easier to understand. "Do you really think that'll work, dear Fluttershy?" When she heard the name of her shy, pink-maned friend, Rainbow raised one hoof in a fist-pump. "Score," she whispered. "Well, um… it should. I mean, they should be just fine if we do it this way…" "If you are sure." "I… I am, Princess." Using her remarkable detective skills, Rainbow Dash figured that Princess Luna was with Fluttershy. Their chatter continued, but Rainbow Dash wasn't listening to what they were saying, only using the sound as an indicator of how close she was to them. Finally, she reached a long hallway where the voices seemed to echo much louder. She ran down it, skidding to a halt in front of a pair of tall, ancient-looking doors, which likely were the only things standing in-between her and Fluttershy. Standing on her haunches, she tried to pull the doors open by the large circular hooks hanging on them, but they wouldn't budge. She then decided to try and push them open, slamming her small, athletic figure against the old metal and pushing with all her might. With a cry, she pushed herself against the door so hard that she thought her ribs might hurt for days. She honestly didn't expect it to work, but alas, the doors opened, and Rainbow tumbled in, rolling along the slightly sloped floor until she hit… water? She made no effort to get out on her own, but a second or two later she was grasped by a cold aura of magic and brought out of the pool and set upon the ground, soaking wet. Head still spinning, she wobbled some, but was able to tell that Fluttershy and Luna were standing in front of her, both of them giving her odd looks, though hints of a smile were creeping upon both. "Uh… hi, Rainbow," Fluttershy said. Rainbow Dash could only stare. "Hello, young Rainbow Dash," Luna said. Rainbow made a feeble attempt to bow before the princess, but ended up falling on her side on the floor. Fluttershy rushed over to help her up, and when she stood straight again, her head cleared out. "Um. Sorry…. about that? I'm still kind of dizzy from that tumble there." "Why are you here, young Rainbow Dash?" the Lunar Princess asked. Rainbow scratched the back of her head before answering. "Well, I was supposed to meet up with Flutters today, and Twilight said something about the stars, and when I went to meet up with Fluttershy, neither of them were there, and, um… I wasn't worried at all or anything, but…" Her voice drifted off as she mumbled something incomprehensible. Fluttershy was giving her an amused look, used to her antics, but Luna's was more questioning. "Young subject, what is it with the tub of paint you were carrying?" The paint. "Damn," Rainbow cursed under her breath. The bright red was streaked in a curved trail across the large room, where she had apparently tumbled with it until it curved on its own trail, ending far on the other side of the room. "Me and… well, Fluttershy was gonna help me with a prank, and we needed the paint, and for whatever reason, when I came out to look for her and Twilight, I brought it with me." "Twilight Sparkle?" Luna asked, her eyes widening. "Is there something wrong with Twilight Sparkle? Is she in peril?" "Well, um, Princess, I don't know… that's why I came looking for her. If you don't mind me asking… why are the two of you here anyway?" "For whatever reason, this room has caved in, and with the ceilings being cracked and letting in rainwater, creating this pond and bringing in these tiny fish," Fluttershy said as she gestured to a group of small bluish-purple fish in the pond. "Princess Luna wanted my help with carrying them out to safety." So that's where 'gone fishin'' came from, Rainbow thought as she nodded. "Well… Fluttershy, we can hang out later, right?" "Of course, Rainbow." "Well," Rainbow took a deep breath and looked at the Princess before bowing again, "I'm gonna go look for Twilight. I don't have a good feeling about her."
FutureThis chapter was written by Future o----o Twilight took one last, wistful, look at the speckled canvas that was the night sky. Turning her head, she made for the pinpricks of light that signified her distant home. Stargazing had long ago become one of Twilight Sparkle's favorite hobbies, overshadowed only by reading, learning, organizing, and making lists of her favorite hobbies. She found it very soothing, especially after a stressful day of being the town librarian. Introduced to her by a friend and mentor when she was still in Canterlot, the complex arrangement of stars fascinated and bewildered the young unicorn's eager mind. Night after night she would steal away to the rooftop gardens of the city and watch, amazed, as the cosmos twinkled away for all to see. Twilight's delight with stars was rekindled when she moved to Ponyville and discovered that, to her supreme glee, the city lights that overpowered some of the fainter stars were gone, unveiling a convoluted web of dull brilliance. Minutes ago, she had been laying down, facing the familiar constellations that kept the moon quiet company. Now, she was on a familiar cobblestone path, beside a familiar forest, facing something entirely unfamiliar on her habitual journey. Blood. She nearly missed the drop of radiant red liquid, until its bright hue stood out among the dark greens and browns of the forest's edge. Twilight looked into the gloom of the dense woodland, her eyes already noticing more crimson stains picking their way through the timber. She wanted nothing more than to hurry back to the safety of her tree, to feel the warmth of the hearth and hear the soft snores of Spike. She was about to turn tail and make haste to her home. Until she remembered where she was supposed to meet Rainbow Dash. o---o As Rainbow Dash hastily made her way from the old castle, an idea alighted into Fluttershy's mind. “Umm, Princess? What if we just rinsed the paint bucket and used that?” Fluttershy said in her quiet yet subliminally persuasive voice. “Excellent! Here, I’ll hold them with my magic while you rinse it and fill it with water,” Luna said in her loud yet surprisingly tender voice. Fluttershy walked over to where the bucket lay after being dropped and violently emptied by Rainbow Dash’s eager entrance. Grabbing it gingerly with her mouth, she rinsed it in the shallow pond and placed it under the magical bubble that held several confused, yet content, fish. Reverently placed in their temporary container, the fish swam in small, lazy, circles. Fluttershy looked up at the Princess of the Night, her partner in saving aquatic critters. They smiled to each other and with the help of Luna’s magic, began taking their rescuees to a nearby lake. o---o After leaving the castle, Rainbow Dash took to the skies on the pair of appendages that were her pride and joy. From her altitude she could see the first rays of sunlight rising in the east, heralding dawn for Equestria. Rainbow Dash almost never saw a sunrise; she was usually fast asleep. There was no time to admire its pleasant colours however; she had to find Twilight. Flying ever expanding circles over the vast expanse of the forest, Rainbow Dash looked for a streak of pink, a blur of purple fur, or anything that might point out Twilight in the arborous sea. Nothing, she thought, then amended her pessimistic mind. Nothing yet. o---o Having carefully tracked the surprisingly fresh trail, Twilight now found herself immersed deep within the brush. She had lost almost all sense of direction, and the dense foliage did nothing to help. So deep was she in the thicket, as well as in concentration on the path, that the foreboding castle the trail lead into came as quite a surprise. Fearing for her friend's safety, she valiantly made her way through the marble and stone archway that was the door. Twilight almost thought she could sense a sinister aura envelop her as she passed through the forsaken gateway. Trotting through the empty halls of the castle, she could not help but imagine the gruesome circumstances that could explain her following a trail of blood into an abandoned castle. Her imagination ran rampant with the stuff of nightmares. Doing her best to banish such thoughts from her mind, she continued to follow the trail through the twisting corridors. There was something about this place. Some familiarity that Twilight couldn't place. Every tapestry on the wall seemed to be mocking her, challenging her to remember them. Twilight, however, had little interest in sifting through years of memories, devoting her mind instead to finding her friend. As Twilight turned another corner, she happened upon a hallway, longer than the rest. At the end she could see a pair of wooden doors left open. It seemed the trail led right to them. Taking her first few paces towards the doors, Twilight noticed her hoofsteps echoing off the walls. To add to the eerie setting, the room past the doors seemed to be partially caved in. Almost never a reassuring sign. Twilight came to a tentative stop at the threshold of the doors, peering down a slight incline to a horrific scene. A swath of sanguine substance stained the stone floor, reaffirming Twilight’s suspicions of this sinister place. Scanning the rest of the room Twilight noticed a small puddle of blood in the middle of the room, slowly being diluted by an irregular drip from high above. After a few moments of heart-throbbing terror, Twilight spun around and dashed for the exit. Retracing her steps through the castle, she quickly found the rays of the morning that seemed to signify safety from the horrors of the fortress in the forest. Twilight came barrelling down the stone path leading out of the castle just as a streak of cyan bathed in the warm hues of the early morning passed overhead.
xjuggernaughtxThis chapter was written by xjuggernaughtx o----o Twilight glanced back at the castle as she bolted away, blanching at the way the open portcullis glimmered in the pre-dawn gloom. She knew that it was only the morning dew, condensing on the cool steel, but the resemblance to the slavering jaws of some evil monster, hungry for pony blood, was so strong that she gasped and poured on more speed. I’ve got to get out of here! I’ve got to tell some— Stars swam in Twilight’s vision as she slammed full speed into something pink. Suddenly, they were rolling off the castle’s winding path and into the brush-chocked ditch that ran on either side. “Pinkie, what—ow—oof!” she attempted, biting her tongue. “Whee—uuh—whee!” Pinkie cried out, her giggles interrupted with each tumbling revolution. Finally, they both grunted as they slammed into a bush. Twilight shook her head vigorously to clear the black spots swirling in front of her, but she found standing to be impossible. Somehow, Pinkie had twined herself completely around her friend, and was attempting to hug Twilight with all four legs and her tail. “Wow, Twilight! You really put the ‘crack’ in crack of dawn!” Pinkie said, still grinning as she rubbed her forehead. Twilight blushed furiously as she watched a small lump begin to rise there. “Oh, Pinkie, I’m so sorry! I wasn’t even looking—” Twilight said, the words rushing out until a thought hit her. “Wait, what are you doing here? The sun’s not even up.” “Well, I like to come up here sometimes when I really want to get my party skills in shape! I call it my Sunrise Fun-cise!” Pinkie said, loosening her grip on her friend. “Rainbow Dash says I should just plain ol’ ‘exercise’, but that sounds boring and sweaty!” Rising, she opened up her saddle bag to let Twilight peer inside. “See, I’ve got my rubber chicken, some whoopee cushions, three joybuzzers and twelve packs of balloons! If this stuff can’t help me bone up on tickling some funny bones, then I’ll have to go to the Farm!” “Let me guess. Twilight said, rubbing the area between her eyes. “The Funny Farm?” Pinkie’s eyes grew wide as her jaw dropped open. “Whoa, Twilight! You really do know everything!” she said, bouncing rapidly in place. “If you can’t feel the funny, they’ll help you cultivate a sense of humor. They’re giggle growers!” Pinkie suddenly sat down, rolling her eyes to the sky and placing a hoof on her chin. “Or are they titter tillers?” She turned to Twilight, shrugging. “Snicker pickers?” Twilight shook her head, a grin slowly spreading across her face. Of all the ponies to run into on the way out of that castle—wait! The castle! Twilight jumped back to her hooves. “Pinkie, we have to tell somepony about the castle!" Pinkie cocked an eyebrow as Twilight seemed to be trying to go in two directions simultaneously. The unicorn’s head was rotated back toward the crumbling castle, but her hooves seemed to be trying to head back to town. In the end, Twilight ended up running in small circles, and Pinkie joined her, laughing! “No, Pinkie, this is serious!” Twilight said, finally stopping. Taking a few deep breaths, she tried to compose herself. Something awful had happened and she couldn’t afford to panic. “Okay,” Twilight said, grabbing her friend by the shoulders, “I need you to run to town and tell the Mayor that somepony has been hurt in the castle. Maybe even… well, just tell them something happened and to send help!” “What?” Pinkie gasped, her pupils dilating to pinpoints. “Somepony is hurt?! Who is it?” Pinkie took off like a shot toward the castle, leaving Twilight coughing in a cloud of dust. “We’ve gotta go help!” she called back over her shoulder. “No, wait!” Twilight croaked, trying to work the dust out of her mouth. “Pinkie, don’t go in—oh, that pony!” Biting her lip, Twilight cast a glance back down the path toward town, and then started up after her friend. “This is a bad idea! A very bad idea!” she muttered to herself as she surged up the winding trail. ~~~ Twilight leaned up against the rough wall just inside the castle’s gate, pressing on her chest with a hoof. She always forgot how quickly Pinkie could move when she wanted to. As she gasped for air, she watched as Pinkie cautiously moved toward the huge pool of blood smeared across the floor, preparing for the evitable freak out. Somewhere high above them, something moaned. Twilight found herself cringing, and fought to stand again. “It’s n-nothing, Twilight,” she muttered to herself as she trotted after Pinkie. “It’s just the wind. These old castles are so drafty.” “EEEEEEEEKKK!!!” Twilight’s mane bristled wildly as she jumped straight into the air. Somewhere, Pinkie was screaming, but Twilight had banged her head on the ceiling. Eyes watering, she ran toward where the high-pitched squeal seemed to be the loudest. “Hold on, Pinkie," she cried. “I’ll save you!” “Oh, Twilight!” Pinkie said, throwing a leg around the unicorn to slow her down. “This isn’t blood, silly! It’s strawberry syrup! Doesn't that just make you want to scream?” Twilight eyed the red substance critically. “A-are you sure, Pinkie?” she asked, bending down to sniff it. “I don’t think—” Pinkie threw a hoof up, stopping Twilight in mid-sentence. “Trust me on this one, Twi. I know strawberry syrup with I see it! And when I taste it!” Before Twilight could stop her, Pinkie dipped a hoof into the smeared, red mess and shoved it into her mouth. Seconds later, she spat it out, gagging. “This is some icky syrup! Remember that ham flavored syrup the girls made for their dessert cutie marks?” Pinkie screwed up her face, sticking out her tongue. “Yeah, worse. No wonder they threw it on the floor!” Twilight dragged her friend away from the pool, wincing at the red hoofprint Pinkie was leaving behind her. “That’s because it’s not syrup, it’s blood! Twilight cried. “And now we have to get out of this castle before whoever did this comes for us, too. “At least Rainbow’s gone already! We won’t have to go upstairs and get her!” Pinkie said. “Wait, what?” Twilight gasped, turning slowly to her friend. “Did you say that Rainbow… was just here?” “Yeah, she zoomed out of one of the windows. She went right over us when we were rolling into that bush!” Pinkie said as Twilight’s eyes widened.
KrazyTheFoxThis chapter was written by KrazyTheFox o----o Twilight paced around the room, carefully stepping around the pooled blood. “Oh, this is not good. No, no, no, this is not good at all.” Pinkie looked up from frantically running her hooves over her tongue. “You’re right, Twilight. I still can’t get the taste of the syrup off of my tongue. Blegh.” “Ugh. Of all the ponies.” Massaging her temples, Twilight sat down. “Pinkie, you said Rainbow left from one of the windows, right?” Pinkie nodded. “Did you see which way she went?” “Of course, silly. She went up! Waaay up over us.” “I meant which direction!” growled Twilight. “Oh, that. I don’t know. She just went up! Uppity up, up, up!” Trotting up to Pinkie, Twilight stuck her hoof in her mouth. “Can you please try to remember?” She pointed towards the pool of blood with her free hoof. “She could be really hurt, Pinkie, and we need to go find her.” Pinkie stared rather blankly at her friend. Twilight started toward the entrance of the castle, extracting her hoof from Pinkie’s mouth. “Now, will you shut up and help me look for where she might have gone?” “Mhmm!” As Twilight neared the gate, a loud crack echoed throughout the room, and the portcullis fell, crashing into the ground. “Augh!” She backpedaled a few steps. “What in the name of Celestia was that!?” “It looks like the gate closed, Twilight,” Pinkie deadpanned. “You know what? I can’t take this anymore! And we need to find Rainbow Dash.” Twilight scrunched up her face in concentration. “—what?” she gasped. Pinkie tilted her head, once again attempting to scrape the taste off her tongue. “Wath wrong Thwilight?” “What’s wrong? What’s wrong is I can’t seem to teleport us out of here!” She focused again and attempted a light spell, her horn not even beginning to light up. “It looks like I can’t do any magic here and now we’re locked in.” “Well that’s not very good.” “No, it’s not.” A deafening, low rumble shook the castle under the pair’s hooves, causing rafters to creak and a cloud of dust to descend upon the room, covering its occupants. Twilight backed up and pressed herself against Pinkie. “A—And then there’s… whatever did whatever it did to Rainbow.” “Hmmm… If I were Rainbow…” Following suit, Pinkie leaned on Twilight. “That’s it! A window!” “A… window?” “Yeah, Twilight. Remember?” Twilight scanned the room, looking for any alternatives. “Pinkie, the nearest window is probably at least two stories up.” She motioned towards the spiral stairs at the back of the room. “And seeing as I can’t seem to do any magic, I don’t know how you think we’re supposed to get out from that high.” “Uhhh.” “I thought so.” The castle trembled as another loud groan echoed throughout the halls. Twilight took a step towards the stairs. “M—maybe we should look for something upstairs.” “Waaaay ahead of you!” Pinkie darted ahead and donned her inspector and bubble pipe, scouring the floor with a magnifying glass. “Wait!” Twilight yelled, running after her friend. “We don’t know what could be in here! We should be careful.” Pinkie stopped at the base of the stairs, her eyes widening. “Oh, look! More syrup!” Just as Pinkie stuck out her tongue, Twilight pulled her head back and stood in the way. “Pinkie, for the last time, that is not syrup.” She paced around the newly discovered pool of blood on the bottom step, then started to follow what seemed to be a trail smeared up the rest of the steps, winding up into the darkness. “This is not good.” “You’re telling me! All I wanted was some syrup but nooooo.” Twilight clamped her hooves around Pinkie Pie’s mouth and whispered harshly, “Quiet!” She released her grip once Pinkie nodded. “This is blood, Pinkie. Blood! Somepony, probably Rainbow Dash, could be seriously hurt. And that means whatever hurt her is probably in this castle. A castle that we are currently stuck in, need I remind you?” Pinkie blew a volley of bubbles from her pipe. “That means we need to be quiet and very careful while we look for a way out. Now come on, let’s figure out where this trail leads us.” Twilight took a few cautious steps up, avoiding touching any of the blood. Darkness descended upon the two ponies and they made their way up what looked increasingly like a tower. Thankfully, nothing happened on the way up, but that did little to ease Twilight’s tensions. Ever present was the thick, dank smell of mold and freshly disturbed dust. Upon rounding the last few steps into the top of the tower, the darkness finally gave way to pale moonlight streaming in through a single window, illuminating just enough of the room to see where another small pool of blood had collected. “Hm, I don’t see anything here that can help us.” Twilight trotted to the window and peered out. “Wow, that’s a long way down. This must be where Rainbow left from, but I don’t see how we’re going to get out from here.” Pinkie followed Twilight into the room and sat down on an aging bed tucked away in a corner. “What about the curtains?” “What about the curtains?” “We could tie them together and climb out.” “We’d need at least three hundred hooves of curtain to get down. There’s, at most, fifty, and I don’t even know if it’ll be strong enough. Celestia knows how long those have been rotting away here.” Just as Twilight was about to conduct another search, the tower shuddered and shook violently, almost causing her to lose her footing. A rumble reverberated up the stairs and… didn’t stop. “Twilight? What was that?” asked Pinkie, her voice quivering. The noise sounded as if it were… No, it couldn’t be. Twilight swallowed a lump in her throat and a chill ran up her spine. “Pinkie?” “Y—yeah, Twilight?” “I—” Twilight backed up against the wall, her voice dropping to a soft whisper. “I think it’s getting closer.”
KitsuneRisuThis chapter was written by KitsuneRisu o----o ~ A conveniently unspecifed amount of time later ~ Detective Celestia stepped over to the pool of blood, peering down at it with all the fury of a thousand suns. She squinted at it, because when an investigator is sleuthing a scene, squinting always helps. Always. “Sister, I dare say…” Luna squeaked, trailing behind. “Silence, Luna!” Celestia thundered, a lit cigar hanging off the edge of her lips. “I am in… detective mode!” “Y-yes, sister,” Luna replied, meekly. Slung around the younger sister’s back was a plethora of tools and equipment that filled up a pair of over-stuffed saddlebags. The edge of a microscope there, the peek of a powder-brush here, and it all made for some rather zealous packing indeed. “This is… syrup,” Celestia declared, pulling back up to full height, allowing her mane to blow over her face. She pulled the cigar from her mouth with a burst of magic, hovering it impactfully in front of her. “Sister, I do think it might be blood,” Luna pointed out. “Fantastic deduction, Luna!” Celestia thundered. “But you are wrong. Clearly, this is syrup.” Luna looked to the ceiling. “Yes, sister, if you say so,” she muttered, pressing the matter no further. “This must be where Twilight Sparkle died,” Celestia continued, nodding away, floating the cigar from left to right. “Right here.” “Um… sister,” Luna pushed forward again. “She’s not dead. She’s downstairs. She was the one who called us.” “Nonsense! She died here, and left this horrible blood puddle for us to inspect. It is a clue, you see. The last piece of the puzzle. The last chapter of our sordid tale.” “Um… but you just said it was syrup, surely,” Luna said with a sigh. She hated it when her sister role-played. It was always so… obnoxious. “Indeed it is!” Celestia yelled, tossing the cigar away with relish. It was what detectives did. “Argh! Not the face!” Luna yelled, ducking from the burning stick. “The face is exactly the key to this mystery, Luna!” Celestia admonished. “Shall I tell you what happened here?” “Please. Please do,” Luna moaned. “Let’s not drag this out further, I emplore you, sister. I have to go back and finish my crochet!” “Your pointless needlework can wait, Luna! We have a mystery to uncover,” Celestia said, with a knowing twinkle in her eye. “So listen, for this is how the story ends...” ~ “It’s getting closer, Pinkie!” Twilight shrieked, losing all calm and coolness. “Yes, you said that! You said that already!” Pinkle burbled back happily. “Hooray!” “W-what are you so happy about?” Twilight shot back, frantically looking around for a way to escape. Out the window was not an option, and whatever was causing the rumblings in the first place was slowly making its way up the only other avenue out – the stairs. For all intents and purposes, they were trapped. “Because I love meeting new friends!” Pinkie chortled. “That’s not a new friend!” Twilight yelled. “That’s that thing from earlier! Or maybe it’s something entirely new! Or maybe It’s something we’re assuming as something from earlier but has actually never been established before!” “Yep,” Pinkie agreed. “That just about covers it.” “Whatever it is, it’s big and dangerous!” “How can you tell?” Pinkie tilted her head quizzically. “Because only big, dangerous things make an entrance with thundering hoofsteps, Pinkie! C-could… could that have been the thing that got Dash?” Pinkie rolled her eyes. Twice. “Dash flew away, remember? She flew up!” “Pinkie!” Twilight screamed, each thunderous thump causing her heart to leap further and further. “She didn’t just fly up, alright? She had to have flown in a compass direction!” An azure smear fell. As they both turned, they pushed their heads out the window to see a rainbow-flecked blue streak blur its way toward the ground, falling directly outside the window at which they stood. “Like I told you, Twilight, straight up. She probably flew so high that she escaped our atmosphere and suffocated.” Pinkie nodded sagely. “What,” Twilight intoned, eyes boggling. “It’s just science, Twilight. I thought you knew about that kind of stuff.” The sciency one’s rebuttal was cut short, however, as a final crash reverberated around the room at the top of the tower, calling the two ponies’ attention. “Ah-hah!” Pinkie yelled again, pointing her hoof at the creature that had crawled up the tower. “I was right again!” “What,” Twilight whispered to herself, the image of what was in front of her escaping any sort of reasonable explanation. The creature was a round, thick thing, like an oversized manhole cover clambering upon three spindly legs. Although, they were not legs – they were metallic spikes, crooked and craggly, like twisted tin foil, supporting up a shiny, metal plate. Like a spider it crawled up and into the room, a behemoth that spewed out an odorous steam that smelt faintly of burnt sugar and boiled fruit. Upon its top was a brown, cracked crust, a volcano of baked dough and golden crisp pastry, flaking skin and blobs of scarred choux. From a couple of holes pierced through its top, it spewed a thick red liquid, fountaining it across the room and onto the floor where it coagulated in thick, steamy pools. “It was syrup!” Pinkie cried gleefully. “Wh...what is that thing?” Twilight muttered, almost to herself as she didn’t expect an answer. “Giant Pie Monster,” Pinkie stated. “It must have been what was causing everything! Everything!” “I… I...” Twilight stammered. “And now I have to cut off your head!” Pinkie laughed, bouncing around the room like a slinky. “What? What? Why?” Twilight exclaimed, shocked, pushing herself back against the wall. Between the weird pie thing that stood there and erupted cherry goop everywhere, and Pinkie who was currently now hopping around the room in an anti-clockwise direction, and… well, whatever it was that happened to Rainbow Dash, there was very little else she could do. “Because that’s how the story ends!” Pinkie yelled. “The story…?” “It’s the only way!” Pinkie said, her bouncing coming to a stop. She slowly approached Twilight, a samurai sword in her hooves. “It’s the only way to explain it all.” Pinkie smiled. “The only way.” ~ “Look, sister, this is getting quite ridicu-” “Silence!” Celestia yelled. “It is the only way to explain everything that happened from start to end based on the evidence!” Luna looked around the room. There were no signs at all of pie monsters or deaths or any other things she had mentioned. In fact, from the very beginning of the story, a lot of things didn’t really make sense. It felt to Luna as if she were just making things up as she went along. “Sister, I really do think that there is a far simpler explanation than the whole story that you have subjected me to…” Luna argued, furrowing her brow. “Nonsense. This has to be the way. The only way.” Celestia shook her head. She was adamant. “It sounds like something Discord would have m-” “How dare you compare me to that cretin!” Celestia spat. “He is a third of the detective that I am! He never manages to solve the mystery at all those murder dinner things we go to!” “Princess. Pinkie Pie’s downstairs with the medic ponies right now. If you really wanted to find out the truth, why not just ask her?” “Because she’s the murderer! And she’ll lie!” “The murderer of…” “Twilight Sparkle, of course.” “With a…” “Samurai sword. Like I said.” “Pinkie Pie murdered Twilight Sparkle – the pony who called us in the first place – who is currently downstairs sitting with her own murderer,” Luna said, deeming to clarify. A moment passed while Celestia thought about it. “Yes, that’s right,” she said, after giving it due consideration. Luna sighed. There was no getting through to her sister when she was like this. “And what about all the other loose ends from the first parts of your story? Like for example the c-” “Unimportant.” “Well then what about what happened to-” “Doesn’t matter.” “At least explain th-” “Come, Luna. We are done here. We have solved this mystery and there are plenty of others to tackle in the days to come,” Celestia said, sweeping down the stairs. “Come!” Luna sighed yet again. She didn’t know why she played along to her Sister’s madness. Perhaps it was just a result of her own pity. It had started, simply enough, with Celestia’s own pupil’s request to help on what was a rather mundane and straightforward quest. Along the way, Celestia had decided to fill in the blanks herself with a rather peculiar imagination. Although it didn’t make sense, at least it was amusing. Luna gave herself a wry grin, looking over the room one last time. The real story about what happened there at the tower and all the events that led up to it was easily found, but… Well. Perhaps it wouldn’t have been as fun. With a little shrug, Luna left the room. The truth was for another day. All they had now was the story, and that was what she had to be satisfied with. The End
