The House

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Epilogue & Afterword

Chapter 1

Rainbow Dash sighed happily as she walked through the Ponyville market. She hadn't been there for quite some time and had figured that it wasn't too bad of an idea to restock her food cabinets when she went to make breakfast that morning and only found half a box of hay oats. She had been out to eat so many times recently that her pantry had slowly, unnoticed to the Pegasus, become empty. The evening had begun to set on Ponyville and the temperature had begun to drop with the rising of the moon. Rainbow looked at her grocery list, mentally checking off several items that she had written down.

"Lettuce, tomatoes, cherries, daffodils, cheese, oranges...All I need now is Carrots and Apples." She whispered to herself. She cleared her throat as she took her time walking through the market, taking care to avoid spilling any of her recently acquired groceries from her saddlebags. "I've gotta find a new way to carry this stuff around..."

To her surprise, Rainbow Dash laid her eyes upon Twilight Sparkle, one of her best friends, approaching the same carrot stand she was. Rainbow quickened her pace as she caught up to the princess.

"Hey, Twilight!" Rainbow said with a smile.

"Oh hi, Rainbow Dash!" Twilight said with a smile. "What brings you to the market today?" Rainbow smirked cheekily.

"Uh..." Rainbow turned to the side, showing her filled saddlebags to Twilight, exposing the self-evidence of her purpose at the market to the alicorn, making her blush.

"Oh, wow." Twilight said, throwing a hoof against her forehead. "I feel like a regular idiot right now."

"It's alright, Twilight." Rainbow said. "Same thing happens to me sometimes. So what, you're just...making a carrot run or something?" Twilight giggled.

"Oh, no. It turns out that carrots are an ingredient to a certain potion I'm concocting at home." She explained. "It has to be stirred constantly, and I've got Spike back at the library stirring it. So I actually have to get back as soon as possible."

"Oh, Princess Twilight!" The pony in front of her said. "I didn't even know you were there. Please, move ahead of me." Twilight shook her head.

"No thank you. I'm no different than I was before." Twilight said with a genuine smile. The stallion nodded and smiled.

"So...I guess that's a no to hanging out today, huh?" Rainbow asked.

"I'm afraid I can't, Rainbow." Twilight said with a frown. "Sorry."

"No problem, Twi." Rainbow said. "I'm sure Pinkie or Fluttershy are up for it."

"Are you off work today?" Twilight asked.

"Pretty much." Rainbow said. "Boss said I can go early. Not much else needed to be done today."

"I must admit, I envy you." Twilight said with a sigh.

"Why?" Rainbow asked with a small laugh, raising a hoof. "You're a freakin' princess."

"Well, it's not really that. The princess thing is actually pretty cool." Twilight said with a smile. "I've just had a lot to do lately, and I'm kinda tired."

"Well do you need help?" Rainbow asked. "Like I said, I don't really have much to do."

"I wouldn't really have anything for you to do, Rainbow Dash." Twilight said. "Spike and I have it under control."

"Alright, then." Rainbow said. Twilight must have read disappointment in Rainbow's tone, because she immediately frowned in worry. In reality, Rainbow felt no disappointment at all.

"I'm sorry! You can come if you'd like." Twilight spouted, earning a raised eyebrow from Rainbow Dash.

"Uh, it's okay, Twi." Rainbow stated. "Seriously."

"Okay." Twilight said. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure." Rainbow said with a small laugh. "Geez, Twilight, what's gotten into you?" Twilight realizing her misperception of Rainbow, blushed heavily and giggled nervously at her mistake.

"Nothing, really." Twilight said before hearing Carrot top call to her.

"Next, please." The carrot selling mare announced. Twilight turned to her and smiled.

"Yes, I'd like five large carrots, please." Twilight said curtly. "I'm kind of in a hurry."

"Five large carrots." Carrot top said, laying Twilight's order on the counter. "Anything else?"

"No, thank you, that'll do it." Twilight said with a small nod.

"Five gold bits is your total." Carrot top said with a smile. Twilight paid the mare, earning a smile from her. "Thank you for your patronage." Twilight nodded and turned to Rainbow.

"Bye, Rainbow. We'll hang out soon. Maybe even fly around a little." Twilight said.

"Totally." Rainbow said with a nod. "See ya." Twilight Sparkle waved as she flew back in the direction of Golden Oaks Library. Rainbow turned to Carrot Top as she stepped up to the counter.

"Hey there." Rainbow said. "I'll have what she had."

"Five gold bits, please." Carrot Top said as she placed the carrots before Rainbow Dash. After putting the money on the counter, Rainbow Dash took the carrots and put them in her saddlebag before continuing on to Applejack's apple stand.

Applejack sighed heavily as she propped her head up with a forehoof. She had been at the stand all day and the boredom was eating away at her insides like a parasitic bug. Business had been rather slow that day, with only a few customers. But when Applejack saw Rainbow Dash walking toward her stand, she smiled happily.

"Howdy, Rainbow Dash!" Applejack said. "What're you doin' here?"

"I'm buying apples, duh." Rainbow said jovially with a smirk.

"Oh, look at you, a regular comedian." Applejack said, raising an eyebrow. "Ah meant Ah haven't seen you here much lately."

"Yeah well, I've been eating at restaurants lately, so I haven't needed to come by here in a while. My pantry is completely cleaned out so I need to go ahead an refill it." Rainbow said. "And you kinda sell the best Apples in Equestria, so..." Applejack blushed at the comment and smiled.

"Well, thank ya, Dash." Applejack said. "That's awfully sweet of ya to say."

"Wouldn't say it if it wasn't the truth." Rainbow said with a smile. "I'll take five apples and a carton of apple juice."

"Two gold bits." Applejack said.

"Wow. Are you having a sale or something?" Rainbow asked with a smile. Applejack shook her head.

"That's just the friend price here." Applejack said, giving Rainbow Dash a small nod as she handed her the sack of Apples and the carton of apple juice. "So how have things been goin' for ya lately, Dash?"

"Can't complain, I guess." Rainbow said. "Weather Patrol is alright. Some days are great and some days aren't so great."

"Ah hear ya." Applejack said. "The buckin' part of my job is over until next summer, so now I feel like I'm missin' a part of me." Applejack laughed subtly.

"Yeah. I've been really bored lately." Rainbow said with a small sigh. This statement sparked an idea in Applejack.

"Well how about you and me hang out tonight?" Applejack asked. "Business is pretty slow today, so Ah could close up shop early."

"That sounds awesome, AJ." Rainbow said. "I was actually going to go ask Pinkie Pie or Fluttershy. The only reason I wasn't gonna ask you is because you were working. But it would be awesome to chill."

"Alright, then." Applejack said, beginning to take out the "Closed" sign for her stand. "What do ya wanna do first?"

"I actually need to take my groceries home." Rainbow said. "I'll meet you back here in twenty minutes." Applejack nodded.

"Ah'll gotta go home and let my family know Ah'll be out tonight anyway. See ya then." Applejack said. Rainbow nodded and took to the skies in the direction of her cloud home. The cool autumn evening air was pleasant for the Pegasus. Mild enough to keep her relaxed, but not completely frigid either. It was the perfect night to take a stroll around Ponyville.

Rainbow arrived at her house and eagerly went about putting away her groceries. She stopped and considered which cabinets to put the food in, but in the spirit of getting back to Applejack, Rainbow decided against proper organization. Taking extra care not to bruise the Apples, Rainbow finished with her groceries and regarded her pet tortoise Tank who had come to greet her. Rainbow smiled down at him and picked him up before giving him a quick nuzzle.

"Hey, Tank." Rainbow said. "Got some new food for ya. It says on the can that it promotes 'Speedy reactions among turtles and tortoises.' I figured you'd like to try it." Rainbow poured the recommended serving amount printed on the can into Tank's food bowl. The tortoise slowly approached it and took a bite. His eyes widened as he went into his shell. Rainbow grimaced for her tortoise.

"Sorry, buddy." Rainbow said before picking up his food bowl and throwing the food in the garbage. She gagged at the smell of it. "I'll get you the old stuff real quick." She then poured Tank's usual food into the bowl and watched as he began to munch on it happily.

"Enjoy, little guy." Rainbow said. "I'll be back soon. I'm gonna go hang out with Applejack for a bit." With that, the cyan mare left the house and flew down back toward Ponyville. She landed in the market and approached Applejack happily.

"Alrighty! Ready to go?" Rainbow asked. She smiled widely when she saw Fluttershy standing by Applejack. "Hey, Fluttershy. Whats up?"

"Oh, I stopped by to say hello to Applejack, and she told me that we were going to do something fun together." Fluttershy said, returning Rainbow Dash's smile.

"Ah invited her, if that's okay, Dash." Applejack said.

"What are you kidding?" Rainbow asked. "Of course its okay! So what did you guys want to do?"

"Oh, I know the sweetest little place that just opened that serves good-" Fluttershy began to say quietly.

"Why don't we go to the bar for drinks?" Applejack asked, not hearing her timid friend. "Maybe we could grab a little bite to eat there too."

"Sounds good to me." Rainbow said. "It's been a long day. Somethin' to take the edge off seems nice. Fluttershy? You okay with that?" Fluttershy looked down toward the ground blushing.

"Oh, I-I'm okay with anything." Fluttershy said.

"Alright, its settled, then!" Rainbow said. "Let's get going!" The three friends left the market and moved through town to the local bar and eatery. Only four other ponies were at the bar, allowing for the three mares to relax. They rarely went to the bar, and when they did, it was either with friends or alone to forget something. The inviting atmosphere of the bar was nice and homey. Cheerful music played on a jukebox across the building from the three of them. They sat at the bar and flagged the bartender, a middle-aged blue unicorn with a silver mane.

"Evenin', ladies." He said. "Night on the town tonight?"

"Yep." Applejack said.

"I'm gonna start off with a shot of Lone Star's Whiskey." Rainbow said.

"Yeah, Ah'll have that too." Applejack added.

"Startin' off strong tonight, huh?" The bartender said.

"Hay yeah!" Rainbow said with a smirk. The bartender nodded and looked at Fluttershy, who blushed heavily.

"And, uh...what'll you have?" He asked her. Fluttershy looked to the side.

"We're not getting wasted tonight, Fluttershy. Just start out with a shot of whiskey like Applejack and me. After that, we'll get some mixed drinks." Rainbow said. Fluttershy gulped.

"I don't know..." Fluttershy said. "I've never...really had whiskey before."

"Well that's a completely different story!" The bartender said with a laugh. "If you've never tried whiskey, the first shot's free!"

"Well, how 'bout that, Fluttershy?" Applejack said. "Ya get it free!"

"Oh well, I guess if it's free..." Fluttershy said.

"Couldn't somepony exploit that system?" Rainbow asked. "You know, just keep changing their appearance and keep coming in for a free shot?" The bartender shook his head.

"No one really ever has. And besides," He looked at the three of them and smirked. "I'm good with faces. I'll be back with your shots." As he left, Applejack looked at Rainbow.

"He's nice." The farm mare said.

"Yeah, he is really cool." Rainbow said. "Never heard anything about that whiskey thing." The bartender brought three shot glasses and a bottle of whiskey.

"Alright, two shots." He said, pouring the alcohol into the small glasses. He looked at Fluttershy and winked.

"And a free one for the newbie." He said. "Enjoy, ladies. Anything else for you three?"

"Yeah, some chili cheese hay fries." Applejack said. "Y'all wanna share?"

"Sounds good to me." Rainbow said before downing her shot and clenching her teeth briefly. "That's good." Applejack giggled and drank her shot as well, letting out a small,

"Whoo!"

"Alright, Fluttershy." Rainbow said. "Your turn." Fluttershy eyed her shot in fear as she picked it up.

"What's it like?" Fluttershy asked.

"Oh, it burns like fire." Rainbow said with an evil grin.

"Well thanks for not lying to me." Fluttershy said with a gulp. "I...I'm still not sure."

"Oh, come on, Fluttershy..." Rainbow said.

"Rainbow, we don't have to make her."

"But he gave it to her for free." Rainbow said. "He might be insulted." Rainbow raised her eyebrows at her shy friend. Applejack sighed heavily and rolled her eyes.

"Fluttershy, just do it so Rainbow can rest easy tonight." Applejack said, furrowing her eyebrows. Fluttershy looked at the glass again.

"I guess just this once..." Fluttershy said with a small gulp. "Oh, Goddesses..." The yellow pegasus drank the liquid and immediately spat it back up, coughing and gasping. Rainbow burst into wild laughter.

"Rainbow Dash! You quit laughin' right now!" Applejack said to the daredevil, who was bent over the counter, banging her hoof on the wooden surface.

"Oh! Oh!" Fluttershy gasped. "I'm never...trying that again!" When Rainbow calmed down, she sighed and looked at Fluttershy.

"So, how was it?" Rainbow asked.

"It was awful." Fluttershy said with a small cough. "I can't believe either of you drink it..."

"It's all in what you're used to, Fluttershy." Applejack said. "Ah reacted the same way with my first shot. And Ah'd bet fifty gold bits that Rainbow reacted the exact same way too."

"No I didn't!" Rainbow immediately spouted incredulously, raising an eyebrow.

"And there's the proof." Applejack said, elbowing Fluttershy. The yellow mare giggled as the bartender brought their hay fries out and put them down before the three mares.

"So, how'd you like it?" He asked Fluttershy.

"Uhm...I can see how some would like it, but I'm not too big a fan." Fluttershy said. "I'll just have a mild drink now. What would you recommend?"

"Well I'd say you should have a screwdriver. It's a shot of vodka in a glass of orange juice. It's about as mild as it gets." The bartender said.

"I'll have that." Fluttershy said with a smile.

"Bring me a whiskey and cola, half-and-half." Rainbow Dash said.

"Ah'll have that too." Applejack said.

"Comin' right up." The bartender said. Rainbow and Applejack dug into the hay fries, while Fluttershy mildly took one fry at a time.

"Oh, this is so good." Rainbow said with a sigh. "Maybe it's because I was so hungry."

"Ah hear that." Applejack added. "Ah was cravin' somethin' nice and fatty. Haven't had anything like this in a while." The bartender returned with their drinks and set them before the three mares.

"You just flag me down if you need anything else." He said with a smile and a nod. Fluttershy cautiously sipped the screwdriver through the straw in the cup.

"Oh, that's much better." She said with a smile.

"Girls," Rainbow said as she raised her glass. "I propose a toast...To Fluttershy. May your tolerance grow stronger someday in the future." Applejack and Fluttershy laughed as they knocked their glasses together in preparation for the rest of the night.

_____

The excursion lasted for quite some time longer after the three mares left the bar. True to their word, none of them were intoxicated completely, but the feeling of euphoria that came with very slight inebriation had set in for the three of them, making their night all the better without the future embarrassment of pure drunkenness. They had walked around Ponyville, having a grand time and gone to the local movie theater and seen a comedy movie afterwards.

"That movie was awesome!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed as they exited the theater.

"Ah couldn't stop laughin'! Every five minutes it had me bustin' a gut!" Applejack said with a wide grin.

"It was a tad vulgar for my tastes, but I enjoyed it." Fluttershy said.

"At least you've lightened up." Rainbow Dash said. "Three hours ago, you wouldn't have even thought about going to see that movie."

"I suppose you're right. I guess I'm more flexible about things when I'm...what was it?...zipped?" Fluttershy said before giving off a small yawn. Rainbow and Applejack burst into uncontrollable laughter, making Fluttershy blush heavily. They eventually settled down and Applejack placed a hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder.

"Its buzzed. You tired, sugarcube?" Applejack asked the yellow mare.

"Yeah." Fluttershy said. "I didn't get much sleep last night. Angel kept waking me up because he was scared."

"Ugh, that rabbit." Rainbow said. "He needs to respect you more."

"He was scared, Rainbow Dash." Fluttershy said. "It wasn't a matter of respect."

"I didn't mean that. I meant in general. Whenever I come over to hang out, he asks you for something ridiculous, and when you say that you can't do it, he gets all mean and stuff." Rainbow said. "I'm just saying you should demand respect from him, or you're never going to get it."

"I don't mind." Fluttershy said.

"But don't you want him to...ah forget it." Rainbow said.

The three mares continued walking through the night, the autumn breeze chilling the three of them pleasantly. They walked along the outside of Ponyville, on the path that they all knew led to Fluttershy's cabin. An owl hooted, making Fluttershy jump and let out a small squeak.

"It's okay, Fluttershy." Applejack said putting a hoof on her friend's shoulder. "It's just an owl."

"It just surprised me." Fluttershy said with a small sigh.

"Well, there's your house." Rainbow said with a smirk. "You can make a break for it before the owl gets you." Applejack slugged Rainbow in the shoulder, earning an exclamation from the pegasus.

"Ow! Geez..."

"Don't listen to her, Fluttershy." Applejack reassured Fluttershy.

"I was just kidding, you know." Rainbow said, rubbing her shoulder.

"It's okay, Rainbow." Fluttershy said. "I know you were kidding." They approached the doorstep of Fluttershy's cabin and Fluttershy turned around to address her friends.

"Thank you for a lovely night." Fluttershy said. "I needed something like this."

"No problem, Fluttershy." Rainbow said with a nod.

"Happy you could be there." Applejack stated. Fluttershy hugged each of her friends and stepped back.

"Goodnight." Fluttershy said with a smile.

"'Night, Flutters!" Rainbow said with a grin.

"Sleep well." Applejack said, tipping her Stetson hat at her friend. After Fluttershy went into her cabin and shut the door, Rainbow and Applejack turned around and headed for Ponyville.

"Why do ya give her such a hard time?" Applejack asked Rainbow Dash.

"She needs to grow a thicker skin." Rainbow said. "It's worked out pretty well so far, save for the whole Angel thing."

"Ah get what your tryin' to do, Rainbow." Applejack said. "But you've hurt Fluttershy's feelings before..."

"I know that." Rainbow said. "And I've apologized to her every time. But I've known her for a long time and ever since she was a filly she's been the doormat of others, and I just...hate it so much, you know?"

"Yeah, Ah get it." Applejack said with a nod. "Makes sense now that you've put it that way."

"See? I'm not just some stupid jock!" Rainbow said, giving Applejack a small shove. Applejack laughed and jumped at Rainbow. The pegasus dodged it and snickered tauntingly at the farm mare. Applejack smiled and began chasing Rainbow toward Ponyville and eventually cornered her cyan friend against a building.

"Now you've got nowhere to go." Applejack said with a wide grin.

"Who says I'm trying to escape?" Rainbow countered and vaulted off the wall, flying into Applejack. This surprised the farm mare and knocked her over. The two of them began to wrestle, laughing and growling loudly. The lights to a nearby building turned on and a stallion came out onto the porch.

"Do you mind? We're trying to sleep." He said with furrowed eyebrows. Rainbow and Applejack immediately separated and nodded, Rainbow clearing her throat. Applejack quickly retrieved her Stetson which had fallen from her head.

"Right. Sorry, sir." Rainbow said promptly. "Let's go, AJ."

"Apologies, Mister." Applejack said. "We'll leave now." As they left, Rainbow shoved Applejack playfully.

"Nice going, you woke up the whole town." Rainbow said, smirking.

"What're ya talkin' about?" Applejack asked. "You're the one who went and tackled me!" The two mares left and walked through Ponyville in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres, playfully arguing with each other. They arrived to the front gate to the orchard and stood for a moment.

"Well, it's been fun, Dash." Applejack said with a smile before turning around. "G'night."

"Wait a sec, AJ." Rainbow said. The farm mare stopped and turned back around toward Rainbow Dash.

"Alright. What's up?" The farm mare inquired.

"This may seem kinda random....and it is. Like, totally spur-of-the-moment. But..." Rainbow said before narrowing her eyes at Applejack. "Let's race."

"Race? At this hour?" Applejack asked with a small smile. Rainbow nodded enthusiastically. "Ah...Ah don't think so, Dash. It's really late and-"

"Oh come on!" Rainbow asked. "Your family probably isn't gonna be expecting you to be back for a while."

"Still...Ah really don't think tonight's that good of a night." Applejack said.

"What, are you wussing out on me?" Rainbow asked with a raised eyebrow. Applejack furrowed her eyebrows.

"No. Ah'm-"

"You're actually being a wuss right now!" Rainbow said. "I can't believe it!"

"Seriously? Come on, Rainbow, Ah-"

"I mean, I've always thought you were brave, but I guess I was wrong." Rainbow continued.

"Rainbow, this is really childish-"

"You're a wuuuusss!" Rainbow sang annoyingly.

"Alright, fine!" Applejack said with a small laugh. "Ah'll do it if ya shut your trap!" Rainbow smirked to herself, satisfied.

"Okay." Rainbow said. "We're gonnna race around Ponyville, to this very spot, along the edge of the Everfree, if you think you're mare enough." Applejack huffed to herself.

"Let's just get this over with so Ah can beat you and go to bed." Applejack said. Rainbow snickered and drew a line in the sand. They both crouched behind the line and focused on their goal.

'Easy as pie.' The pegasus thought to herself.

"Ready..." Rainbow said with a smile.

"Set..."

"GO!"

With the final word, both mares took off into a sprint, moving like lightning through a storm cloud. Applejack pumped her legs powerfully, propelling her forward with a speed that nearly matched her strength. Speed came naturally to Rainbow Dash, who was quite possibly the quickest pony in Equestria when her wings were used, and on her hooves she was far from a slouch. The buildings of Ponyville whizzed by the competing mares, blurs that ran along side their focal point, which was the imaginary track that stretched around the town.

"Getting tired yet?" Rainbow taunted her friend.

"Are you kiddin'?" Applejack asked. "Ah could go on for hours!"

"We'll see!" Rainbow responded as she pulled ahead of the farm mare by a few feet. Applejack suppressed a gasp and worked harder and harder to propel herself forward to come into a tie once again. Applejack looked over at Rainbow Dash, who was panting nearly as much as she was.

'If she wins this, Ah wont hear the end of it for weeks!' Applejack thought to herself and growled as she tapped into a reserve of energy she didn't know she had to bring herself further ahead of her cyan friend. The urge to use her wings rose up within Rainbow Dash, but she suppressed it immediately, knowing that cheating would bring her the win, but it wouldn't be right.

They were halfway around Ponyville at this time, and nearing the Everfree more and more. Applejack became nervous at the sight of the dark woods, looming over her head so intimidatingly. But she pressed on despite this and reveled in the fact that she was winning the race. She took another glance toward the Everfree and caught a glimpse of something. Something that sparked her curiosity. It seemed to sparkle in the moon light. The caused Applejack to stop and back up to try to get a better glimpse of what she had seen. This, in turn, stopped Rainbow Dash. The pegasus turned around and raised a hoof, narrowing her eyes.

"Applejack! What the hay?" Rainbow said. "Why'd you stop?"

"Dash, come look at this." Applejack said. "Ah think Ah see somethin'."

"I mean, I was about to pull ahead and turn around at you and raise my eyebrow all cool and stuff..." Rainbow said, disappointed.

"Rainbow, seriously, come look at this." Applejack said.

"What? What is it?" Rainbow asked.

"Well come over here and see, consarnit!" Applejack said with a smile. Rainbow Dash sighed heavily and moved next to Applejack, her eyebrows furrowed. Her eyes widened when she saw what Applejack had seen herself.

"Woah." Rainbow said.

"Yeah, ya see it?" Applejack asked.

"Yeah. What do you think it is?" Rainbow asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ah don't know, but its shiny." Applejack said.

"Let's go see what it is." Rainbow said, beginning to move toward it.

"Rainbow, we need to be careful about this!" Applejack said. "We don't know what that is! It could be some kinda predator!"

"Yeah, and I know that even if it was, I could put you on my back and outfly it in a second." Rainbow said. "Come on! Where's your sense of adventure?" Applejack shook her head and followed Rainbow Dash into the forest. The object came closer slowly. It was much farther away than it seemed from outside the forest, but it was steadily getting closer and closer. Applejack admired Rainbow's courage in this situation, the ability to enter the woods without fear in the pursuit of discovery of whatever the thing was. Before long, Rainbow Dash and Applejack came upon the object. It wasn't shiny and it wasn't anything of value.

It was a house.

"Well now, look at that." Applejack said, regarding the structure. "Ah wonder how long this has been here."

The house was a testament to how time can degrade almost anything. Probably once beautiful and strong, it sat in the middle of a small clearing, dilapidated and worn, the white paint chipping and the wood that composed most of the house looking to be rotten. Plants grew up the sides of the house like hideous, green veins and several of the windows were broken. Overgrown grass grew around it like some sort of natural barrier. A former behemoth of wood and metal, now worn down to a tired husk.

"We saw the window shining in the moonlight." Applejack said with a sigh. "That's a bummer."

"I can't believe I've never noticed this place." Rainbow said. "I fly around Ponyville all the time."

"How often do ya look half a mile out into the Everfree Forest though?" Applejack asked.

"You've got a good point." Rainbow said. "This is the perfect Nightmare Night attraction."

"Yeah, its creepy alright." Applejack said.

"I'll give you ten bits to go in and stay there for ten minutes." Rainbow said.

"Seems like a waste of time to me." Applejack said. "It's just an old house."

"Come on, Applejack. Don't make me do the whole 'wuss' thing again." Rainbow said. "Wussie, wussie, wuss-" She was silenced by Applejack's hoof being placed on her mouth.

"Let me save ya the trouble, sugarcube." Applejack said as she furrowed her eyebrows and began to walk toward the dilapidated house. "Besides, its your money."

But Applejack stopped dead in her tracks when they heard something.

Something coming straight from inside the house.

It was a scream.

Obligatory End-of-Chapter Author's Note: I'm back, baby! It's been a nice little break but I have missed writing my pony fiction so. Consider this more of a prologue to the story more than anything. I am a huge horror junkie and it was only a matter of time until I wrote a story like this. The stuff I have planned is gonna get freaking nuts! Don't be afraid to leave a comment and tell me what you think. Cheers!

Chapter 2

The scream was unlike any either Rainbow Dash or Applejack had ever heard. Long and drawn out, it was feminine in nature and resonated throughout the night and seemed to echo throughout the forest behind them. It was the kind of screech that was painful to listen to, the kind that curdles the blood and chills the bones. A scream of pure, unadulterated fear. Rainbow and Applejack's eyes widened immediately before they looked at each other.

"Come on!" Applejack said as she ran for the house. Rainbow immediately jumped into action and followed Applejack to the front door. Applejack attempted to turn the doorknob but it was rusted in its position. The door was locked.

"Buck! It's locked!" Applejack said before standing back. "On three Dash!" Rainbow nodded and stood back with Applejack.

"One..." Applejack said breathing heavily. Both mares were scared out of their minds, but they both knew that there was a mare inside the house that was most likely in some kind of trouble.

"Two...THREE!"

With a mighty grunt, they both threw themselves into the door, knocking it open. The door stayed on its hinges and made an unbearably loud squeaking sound as it flew to reveal the main living atrium of the house. The house was as dilapidated on the inside as it was on the outside. Mold plagued everything and the stench of a rotting corpse wafted throughout the entire house. Cobwebs were in virtually every corner and hanging from the sparsely scattered furniture. The only light produced in the building was from the full moon outside. A single staircase led to the upstairs section of the house.

"Okay, Rainbow. Ah'll go right and check the kitchen too, you go left." Applejack whispered. "We meet back here in five minutes." Rainbow nodded, her eyebrows furrowed seriously.

"Right." The Pegasus said quietly as she began to move toward the staircase leading upstairs.

"Rainbow." Applejack whispered, earning the attention of the pegasus. "Be quiet. We don't know who else is here besides that mare. If anything goes wrong, call out." Rainbow nodded again as she continued walking. Suddenly, something under the house rumbled, making the floorboards tremble under the hooves of the two mares. This shocked the two of them, making Applejack let out a small squeak of surprise.

"What the hay was that?" Rainbow asked. Applejack looked at Rainbow, wide-eyed.

"Ah don't know." Applejack said with a gulp. "Let's just find her and get out of here." As Rainbow continued toward the staircase, Applejack turned and moved slowly through the downstairs living area, attempting to make her hoof-falls as light as she possibly could. She moved through the kitchen area that seemed to have doubled as a dining room sometime in the past and into a small hallway with three rooms with a door to the back porch at the end.

Applejack carefully looked into each one, peeking around the corners. She heard a whimper come from the last door on the left. Slowly, Applejack approached the room and opened the door cringing as it squeaked. Inside there was a closet that was slightly ajar. Applejack's stomach sunk in fear as she approached the closet, but she was a brave mare and she thought that she could see it through. The whimpering sounded like a mare, possibly the one that produced the scream. Applejack pulled the closet open to see nothing, but the crying continued, seemingly coming from something directly in front of her. She backed up slowly, her eyes widening in disbelief. She turned around and exited the room. She turned and noticed the door at the end of the hallway standing wide open. It shut slowly and easily.

"It's breezy tonight." Applejack whispered to herself. "Nothin' to worry about..."

_____

Rainbow Dash began to move up the old, foreboding stairs. The hoof-rail was broken in several places, producing jagged, wooden points that certainly looked to be dangerous to anyone climbing the stairs. At the top, nothing but pure darkness awaited Rainbow Dash. Slowly and steadily she stepped up the stairs, taking care not to make any of them creak too loudly. The pegasus would have used her wings to move up, but the stairs quickly led up to a small cramped space that wouldn't have allowed her wings to carry her. So she continued up on hoof and before long, she came to an upstairs hallway to her right, with five rooms.

She gulped to herself as she began to move down the long hallway. It was completely dark except for one beam of weak light produced by the moon from a room that's door was slightly ajar. She could barely see her hooves in front of her. Rainbow wished she could sing the song Pinkie Pie had taught her and her friends once about laughing at scary things, but she didn't feel much like laughing at that moment. She opened a door and looked inside, seeing absolutely nothing but cracked walls and chipped paint. She withdrew her head from the room and walked quietly to the next one. She opened the door slowly and looked around the inside of it. This one did not have a window, and the inside of it was barely visible thanks to the light produced from the room she had just checked.

She looked back and forth several times before seeing what looked like a shadow in the corner. Fear jolted through Rianbow Dash as she quickly closed her eyes and shook her head before opening them again and seeing absolutely nothing.

'I'm seeing things...' Rainbow thought to herself before moving on to check the next room.

_____

After checking the rest of the rooms, Applejack moved quietly back down the small hallway. She heard what sounded like hoof falls coming from behind her. She immediately turned around to see nothing. She breathed heavily and continued on before hearing them again. Again, she saw nothing behind her. Applejack's eyes widened slightly as she barely saw something moving around in the back yard of the house. Her breathing quickened and deepened so much that she had to stop herself and control the respirations. She continued on into the kitchen.

The stove was rusty and completely unusable. The counters were covered with grime and the icebox was disgustingly dirty and the wooden cabinets were rotten, much like the majority of the house. She stepped quietly through the kitchen, figuring that it was safe to go check on Rainbow Dash now, having explored the entirety of the downstairs of the house. Suddenly, as she left the kitchen, the faucet over the sink turned on, seemingly by itself.

Applejack slowly turned around, her eyes widening in fear. The water coming from the faucet was a dark brown, full of mud and what looked to be rust. It gurgled and popped, spitting its disgusting water out into the sink, the unstable flow causing some of it to fall onto the counter next to it.

"It's just...Old plumbing...backed up. Yeah, that's what it is." Applejack said to herself. This explanation did nothing to help Applejack's fear, which was steadily rising within her. The feeling that something was wrong there in that house grew steadily stronger and stronger. One of the upper cabinets above the sink slowly creaked open. Another one opened on its own across the kitchen, followed by another one. Applejack's fear and dread increased as each cabinet opened, until every single cabinet in the kitchen was standing wide open, exposing dirty, unkempt insides. Inside the lower leftmost cabinet, Applejack saw a dead rat. It was decomposing, its belly distended greatly. Blowflies flew in and around the small rotting corpse.

All the cabinets then slammed shut at the same time, making Applejack jump and cry out quietly in fear.

"What the hay is goin' on here?" She whispered to herself, her voice trembling as much as her legs were.

_____

Only one room remained in the dark hallway, and it was the room Rainbow Dash had been dreading the most. If something awful truly had happened, it would be in this last room. She hadn't heard Applejack make a sound, so she had assumed that her friend had not found anything of interest. She gently nudged the door, making it open slowly with a long, drawn-out creak. Rainbow slowly stepped into the room to behold a mare sitting and facing a corner. She was a dark blue earth pony with a blonde mane and tail. The cutie mark adorning her flank appeared to be a well-frosted cake with several sparkles around it. Aside from the fact that she was sitting and facing a corner, she seemed to be free of harm. Rainbow Dash quickly moved to the closet and looked inside it, seeing nothing and no one.

"Hey...are you okay?" Rainbow asked, figuring the mare to be the source of the scream she and Applejack heard earlier. The mare was completely silent as she continued to face the corner, not moving or saying a word to Rainbow Dash. "Why did you scream?" She still said nothing in reply. Rainbow Dash moved to the doorway.

"Hey Applejack, come here! I found her! She's okay!" Rainbow called. When she received no response, she gulped slowly and approached the mare.

"Hey, why did you scream? I need you to tell me, okay?" The moon suddenly was blotted out by a rather large cloud, causing darkness to encompass the room.

"Don't be scared." Rainbow said to the mare. "When I can actually see again, I'll get you out of here." Rainbow suddenly saw something moving in the dark and felt something push her against the wall she stood in front of. She gasped in fear and tried to fight whatever held her, but it seemed to hold her, embrace her even. The moon came out from behind the cloud to reveal that the force that held Rainbow Dash against the wall was the mare that was sitting in the corner.

She was astoundingly beautiful. A small amount of makeup was on her face so as to bring out her nearly perfectly symmetrical facial features. Her flowing blonde mane was nearly perfectly done into a curly pattern somewhat akin to Rarity's. Her bright green eyes seemed to glow in the darkness, and her lips were curved up in a sultry smirk. Rainbow had associated with her fair share of stallions in the past, but she had also dated several mares as well, and Rainbow could not deny that this particular mare emanated a distinct sexual charm.

"What the hay are you doing?" Rainbow asked, snapping out of her short stupor. "Get off of me!" Rainbow attempted to push the mare off of her, but she was stronger than she looked. Suddenly and completely arbitrarily, the mare placed her lips upon Rainbows, making Rainbow gasp. The pegasus pushed the mare off for a short time.

"Stop it!" Rainbow said before the mare reconnected their lips. "Cut it out, this...is..." Rainbow was smothered by the mare's lips. Still completely astounded by this unprecedented and extremely forward gesture from the mare that she had met just seconds before, Rainbow stopped attempting to push her off and gradually let the mare kiss her. She was a good kisser, among the best Rainbow had ever encountered. The mare subtly squeezed Rainbow's sides and smiled into the kiss, looking Rainbow straight in her eyes as she continued to lock lip with the stunned pegasus. Rainbow began to blush heavily as this extremely attractive mare continued to kiss her. Suddenly, an unexpected flow of libido shot through Rainbow's body and slowly, Rainbow began to return the kiss.

'Well, she seems to be alone...This is weird...' Rainbow thought as her mind began to get clouded with sexual arousal. 'Oh, what the hay...'

Rainbow Dash returned the kiss in full, slipping her tongue into the mare's mouth. The mare reciprocated this motion, making Rainbow moan with need into the kiss. Rainbow did not know why she was suddenly giving into the temptations of this beautiful mystery mare, but she was loving it.

As she continued to move her body against this mare's, Rainbow Dash barely registered footfalls coming down the hallway outside the room.

_____

Applejack's breathing quickened and her heart pounded heavily in her chest as her eyes darted back and forth quickly around the kitchen. She quickly turned to leave the kitchen, only to have the door to the main atrium shut in her face, hitting her nose. Applejack cried out in pain and stumbled back, clutching her nose. She felt a warm liquid begin to flow onto her hoof and discovered that her nose was bleeding.

"Oh...Ow..." Applejack said, blinking back tears. Suddenly Applejack heard a moan coming from the dark, suddenly pitch-black small hallway. It was a moan of someone in horrible pain. The kind of moan that would make one sick to their stomach. The moaning grew louder and louder, escalating exponentially in volume. Heavy hoof falls then began to echo down the small hallway, making Applejack back up quickly into the wall farthest away from the hallway. Louder and louder the steps became, coming closer and closer to the end of the hallway, becoming unbearably loud. Applejack began to hyperventilate in fear as she whimpered, her eyes widening. The steps suddenly stopped, as well as the moaning. All Applejack heard was her own terrified whimpering and the huffs of her breathing.

The one chair at the table in the middle of the kitchen began to slowly move out from underneath the table. It made an unbearable dragging sound against the floor that seemed to be amplified to be louder than possible. It then creaked, as if someone or something sat in it, but Applejack saw nothing. Silence encompassed the room once more, nothing moving or making a sound. For minutes this silence continued, making Applejack's heart beat faster and faster.

"Join me." A low voice whispered next to Applejack's ear.

Applejack screamed in pure terror and sprinted to the door, attempting to open it, shaking the knob wildly. Applejack looked back at the kitchen as she tried to open the door. Nothing moved. Nothing made a sound. Applejack stood back from the door and ran at it with all her might, knocking it off its hinges and sending her down into the main atrium of the house. Applejack's shoulder burned with pain.

'Gotta find Rainbow Dash!...' Applejack thought as she sprinted up the stairs. 'Gotta get out...'

_____

Rainbow Dash moved her hooves up the back of her newfound and unexpected sexual partner. She moaned loudly as the mare moved her hooves down to Rainbow's flank and began to massage it slowly. If Rainbow's wings weren't pressed against a wall, they would have flared out in arousal. The mare moved her lips to Rainbow's neck and began to suck on the sensitive skin, causing Rainbow to moan once more and close her eyes, basking in the euphoria.

"I don't...nya!...know why you're doing this..." Rainbow whispered in between breaths. "But please...don't stop." The mare suddenly moved one of her back legs up to meet Rainbow Dash's aching marehood, making her gasp loudly. She bit her lip and closed her eyes as she was overtaken by the sensations this mare was providing her with. Rainbow moved her fore hooves around the mare's waist, giving herself a better hold. The mare drew her tongue up Rainbow Dash's neck in a slow, arousing motion. With a strange popping noise, the tongue moved quickly in a strange direction away from it's path on Rainbow's neck. Rainbow opened her eyes and turned to look at the mare.

"Are you oka..." Rainbow said but stopped her sentence early as she laid her eyes upon the mare...or rather, what she had become.

The mare was no longer beautiful. Flesh was hanging from her face. No eyes rested within the empty sockets, and her skin was decaying to where Rainbow could see most of her broken, jagged teeth. Her hair was torn and tangled, a complete mess and the most significant smell of rotting, dead flesh filled Rainbow's nostrils. Whatever clouded Rainbow's mind disappeared instantly as she became clear minded again. Rainbow screamed, pushing the dead mare off of her and ran out of the room as quickly as she could. She ran down the hallway, breathing heavily, before she almost tripped on something.

It was Applejack.

Her friend was laying on her back on the floor, gripping at her throat, which had been cut open. Rainbow screamed and dropped down, taking a hold of Applejack, her best friend, who was now dying in her arms. Applejack choked on her own blood and sputtered at Rainbow Dash pathetically. Rainbow Dash began to hyperventilate, losing more and more oxygen with each frenzied, frantic breath. Her mind buzzed frenetically as she felt Applejack's blood flowing down her body.

"Applejack! Applejack, oh Goddesses, what happened? Oh, oh no no no no!" Rainbow said, tears running down her cheeks as her best friend's blood drenched her. "Don't die, Applejack, please don't die!!!" Rainbow quickly looked behind her and saw the mare's corpse, standing in the moonlight produced by one of the rooms. Rainbow quickly turned back to Applejack and continued to cry. Applejack's eyes began to roll back into her head as she continued to choke and gurgle. Rainbow sobbed and held Applejack closer.

"Applejack, don't you dare die on me!" Rainbow yelled and tried herself to stop the massive bleeding from Applejack's neck. She turned around to see that the corpse had disappeared. She turned back around.

Applejack was dead.

Rainbow Dash's best friend had just died in her hooves.

"Applejack?! APPLEJACK?! APPLEJACK!!!" Rainbow screamed, the volume of her screams growing with her realization of what had just happened. Rainbow began sobbing over Applejack's corpse, mourning the loss of her companion. Tears flowed endlessly down Rainbow's cheeks and onto Applejack's corpse.

"Rainbow Dash?" Rainbow heard a familiar voice say. Rainbow looked up and saw Applejack standing there with a bloody nose and tears running down her cheeks, but otherwise alive and well. The pegasus then looked down at where Applejack's corpse was seconds previously. It was gone. Completely vanished. What Rainbow had seen had only been an illusion. Rainbow looked up at Applejack and screamed,

"APPLEJACK!!!" The pegasus leaped forward and wrapped her forehooves around the farm mare, holding her tightly as she began to sob uncontrollably, her tears wetting Applejack's coat. Applejack held Rainbow and sobbed herself.

"Ah'm here, Dash." Applejack said. "Ah'm here."

"I...I...thought you were dead!" Rainbow cried. Applejack's eyes widened heavily as she took Rainbow Dash off of her.

"Rainbow Dash." Applejack said. "We need to leave. We need to leave right now!"

_____

Rainbow Dash and Applejack ran as fast as they possibly could through the Everfree Forest, away from the terrible place. Fresh images of what they had seen still flashed frequently through their minds as they tried their hardest to put as much distance between them and the house as much as possible. Small branches flew against their faces and spider's webs caught in their manes. They didn't care though, as long as they got away from that house. Rainbow Dash's body was drained almost completely of energy by the time they got out of the Everfree and Ponyville came into their sights. She wheezed heavily as a result of her previous hyperventilation at the sight of what she thought was Applejack dying on the floor.

They both began to run down the hill toward Ponyville before Rainbow tripped and began tumbling. She came to a stop and spoke weakly to Applejack.

"Applejack!" She called. "Wait!" Applejack quickly turned around and saw Rainbow Dash on the ground, struggling to get up. Worried for her friend's safety, Applejack ran to Rainbow Dash. The pegasus was gasping for air and her legs were trembling. Her face was extremely pale from lack of air, and her ears were splayed back from all the stress.

"Rainbow! Are you okay?" Applejack said between heavy breaths.

"Can't...go on...anymore..." Rainbow gasped. She coughed roughly. "Can't..."

"Hold on, Dash." Applejack said as she began to help Rainbow up. "Here get on my back." The pegasus climbed up onto the farm mare's back and held on tight. Applejack then began to run back to Ponyville. Once they entered the town, Applejack found a bench and sat Rainbow Dash down on it before taking a seat next to her. Rainbow had gotten some control over her breathing back and some color had returned to her face. They both sat there for what seemed like an hour before either of them said anything.

"Are you okay?" Applejack asked Rainbow Dash, who sat next to her, trembling.

"N-no..." Rainbow said. "No I'm not."

"What happened, Rainbow?" Applejack asked.

"I...I...." Rainbow struggled to get the words out as a fresh wave of tears began to flow from her eyes. She sobbed as she wrapped Applejack into another embrace Applejack held Rainbow close and squeezed her reassuringly. Rainbow cried for about a minute before she said anything. "I thought y-you were d-dead..."

"You thought Ah was dead?" Applejack asked. Rainbow looked at her and nodded, tears continuing to flow down her cheeks as she suppressed another sob. Applejack tenderly wiped Rainbow's tears away and stroked her mane out of her eyes. "Start from the beginnin' Dash. What happened to you?" Applejack said. Rainbow attempted to control herself long enough to tell Applejack just what she had seen.

"Well...I went up the s-stairs to look for the m-mare that screamed. It w-was...dark. Really dark. So I w-went into the different rooms and I saw a...a shadow in the dark...like something w-was standing there. But I b-blinked and it was gone, so I moved on the next rooms. I didn't see anything until...until I came to...that room." Rainbow said before sniffling, taking a few more deep breaths and continuing. "There was...a mare. Sitting and facing the corner. I thought for s-sure that she must have been the source of the scream. So I asked her if she was okay. She didn't say anything. I called out to you from the room. Why didn't you answer?"

"Ah didn't hear a thing, Rainbow." Applejack said. "Honest." Rainbow sighed and slowly nodded.

"Well, the moon went behind a cloud and it was really dark. All of a sudden, this mare pushed me against a wall, and...and just kissed me." Rainbow continued.

"She kissed you?" Applejack asked, her eyes widening slightly. "That doesn't make any sense."

"I'm telling you, it's true!" Rainbow said. "She had this...way about her. My mind went all foggy and I actually started to..." Rainbow Dash blushed heavily. "...reciprocate her kiss. It's like she had some kind of power over me. I close my eyes for a second and when I open them again..." Rainbow shuddered heavily. "She was...a corpse."

"A corpse?" Applejack asked. "Like a dead body?"

"Yeah, a rotting corpse. She...S-she had no eyes and I could see her teeth and...I...I c-could smell her. Goddesses, it was the worst thing I have ever smelled. So I...I pushed her off and I ran out of the room, and...and..." Fresh tears came and Rainbow sobbed once more, bending over and clenching her teeth. Applejack put a fore hoof over Rainbow's shoulders. Rainbow continued to cry as she continued. "I saw you...I saw you on the floor. Your n-n-neck had been cut open and you b-blood was everywhere. I tried to save you...You...You died in my hooves...Your blood was all over me, Applejack! I felt it!" Rainbow broke down once more and grabbed onto Applejack, sobbing heavily. Applejack stroked her mane slowly in a vain attempt to calm the terrified pegasus.

"Please believe me..." Rainbow said after she had cried for what seemed like half an hour. "Please, I'm not making this up."

"Ah believe ya, sugarcube." Applejack said. "What happened to me makes it a lot easier." Rainbow sat up off Applejack.

"What happened to you, AJ?" Rainbow asked, worried.

"Well, Ah went through the downstairs kitchen and didn't really see anything strange. After that, Ah went down this small hallway. In one of the rooms, Ah heard somepony crying...So Ah went into the room and looked into the closet it was coming from, but no one was there. Ah walked out of the room and went down the hallway into the kitchen. The door leading into the backyard shut on its own, but Ah chalked it up to the wind." Applejack sighed before she continued. "Ah went back into the kitchen and the faucet turned on by itself. Then, every single cabinet in the kitchen opened by itself, one by one." Tears flooded Applejack's eyes as she continued.

"Ah, uh...tried to leave the kitchen at that point, but the door slammed in my face. Then Ah...Ah hear this moanin'...this terrible moanin' coming from the hallway Ah had just left minutes before...Goddesses, it was awful...It sounded like someone dyin', Dash." Applejack said. "These footsteps start stompin' down the hallway slowly. They got so loud Ah felt like Ah was gonna go deaf. Then they stopped...the moanin' too...And...the chair at the table...it got pulled out by itself and somethin' sat in it, but Ah couldn't see anything. Everything was quiet for a few minutes. Then...Then..." Applejack sniffled and put a hoof on her forehead.

"Then what, Applejack?" Rainbow said quietly.

"Then...somethin'...spoke to me. Right next to my ear." Applejack said with a shudder.

"What did it say, Applejack?" Rainbow asked. Applejack looked at Rainbow Dash slowly and inhaled sharply before wiping tears from her eyes.

"It said...'Join me.'" Applejack said. "Ah broke the door down after that and went up the stairs to find you cradlin'...well, nothin'. You were screaming and crying and Ah thought you were hurt."

"What I was cradling was you, Applejack." Rainbow said. "Or...at least...I thought it was."

A cold wind blew at that moment, but it didn't make either mare cold. Their bones were chilled enough as it was.

"Well..." Applejack asked. "What...What do we do?"

"We need to go to Twilight and tell her what happened." Rainbow said. "What was in that house...that...thing... It's evil. We need to get the Elements of Harmony together." Rainbow said, her eyebrows furrowing. Applejack nodded.

"When?" Applejack asked.

"Tomorrow." Rainbow said. "Twilight would just be grumpy and not want to listen to us if we went to her now."

"Well, Ah guess...Ah'll...see ya tomorrow mornin', Dash." Applejack said as she stood up shakily and began to walk away.

"Applejack, wait!" Rainbow said.

"What is it?" Applejack asked.

"Could I..." Rainbow began with a gulp. "Forget it." Rainbow stood and began to unfurl her wings.

"No, Rainbow." Applejack said. "What is it? Tell me." Rainbow sighed and closed her eyes. She looked at Applejack, more tears running down her cheeks.

"Could I...stay with you tonight?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I...don't want to be alone." Applejack immediately nodded and motioned for Rainbow Dash to come closer to her. Rainbow moved to Applejack, the farm mare putting a foreleg around her shoulders.

"Let's get some sleep." Applejack said as they headed for Sweet Apple Acres. "We'll feel better in the morning."

But both mares knew all too well that neither of them would be getting a minute of sleep that night.

Obligatory End-of-Chapter Author's Note: Good God (or should I say Goddesses?) I have been dying to write that chapter. I had so much fun with it that my heart actually started pounding as I was writing the scary stuff. Perhaps that was just me typing in the pitch black dark with creepy music playing for inspiration. I hope you guys had as much creepy fun reading this as I did writing it! This tale of terror has only just begun. Cheers!

Chapter 3

Twilight Sparkle hummed happily to herself as she used her magic to dust off the books lining the many shelves of Golden Oaks Library. Even as a Princess, she enjoyed cleaning her workspace herself and getting any small imperfections Spike may have missed had he been cleaning. She prided herself on keeping the library absolutely and irrevocably clean. The alicorn brought the duster down and placed it upon a small table before going into a hover and looking around the different shelves for spots or residual dust. Upon seeing that her job of dusting was done, Twilight sighed with satisfaction as she gently landed on the ground again. She moved into the kitchen and removed a potato from the cabinet and washed it off in the sink. Afterwards, Twilight then grated the potato easily into a bowl and heated some butter up in a skillet, watching it fondly as it melted into a puddle of yellow liquid. She poured the grated potatoes and began frying them. Her ears perked up when she heard a small yawn come from the staircase behind her.

"Morning." Spike said groggily as he slowly tromped down the stairs, rubbing his eyes. Twilight giggled lightly and nodded at him.

"Good morning, Spike." Twilight said. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, I guess..." Spike said. "I didn't exactly want to get out of my bed, so I guess I slept well."

"Well have a seat at the table, my baby dragon friend!" Twilight said with a beaming smile. "These hash browns are almost ready, and you know they're not good unless they're hot."

"Oh, I know." Spike said, taking a seat at the table and licking his lips. "Y'know, Twilight, I don't get it."

"Don't get what?" Twilight asked, not turning away from the hash browns.

"You stayed up pretty much all night last night." Spike said. "Then, you get up hours before me this morning. What's your secret? Some kind of new alicorn ability?" Twilight stood and thought for a moment.

"Well, possibly." Twilight responded. "I have noticed that I've been less tired lately. I've stayed up studying a lot before...maybe I just kind of adapted to it normally."

"Makes sense." Spike said. "Any milk in there?" Twilight nodded and used her magic to pour Spike a glass of milk, all while continuing to cook the hash browns. She then put the milk back in the fridge neatly and shut it, all without lifting a hoof.

"Wow, Twilight." Spike said, marveling at Twilight's magical prowess. "You're really getting good!"

"Well thank you, Spike." Twilight said while salting and peppering the hash browns. "I really have been working on it. Now that I'm an alicorn, my potential for magical ability has been boosted at least twofold." The alicorn princess put the milk in front of Spike.

"Well, it shows. Believe me." Spike said before taking a swallow of the milk. Twilight took the hash browns off the stove and served Spike and herself a portion before taking a bottle of ketchup out of the refrigerator and sitting down with the dragon.

"Enjoy!" Twilight said happily. Spike poured the ketchup onto his hash browns and took a bite and smiled before giving Twilight a thumbs up. Twilight smiled and blushed before taking a bite from her own plate.

Breakfast was eaten between Twilight and her assistant relatively quietly, idle chatter flying back and forth occasionally. When they finished, Twilight took the dirty dishes to the sink and began to wash them. Spike stood up and stretched before looking at her.

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" Spike asked, jogging in place a moment.

"Well, I'm thinking I need to run a few errands. Then after that, we can go grocery shopping." Twilight said.

"But you went to the market yesterday." Spike said.

"True, I did, but that was just to get carrots." Twilight said. "What, did you think I got a whole load of groceries?" Spike blushed and kicked a foot, putting his hands behind his back.

"Uh...yeah, kinda." Spike said.

"Well, we'll go get some groceries today." Twilight said. "After that, I have to look at a few documents for Princess Celestia. And after thaaaat...." Twilight slowly looked at Spike. "We'll go get a treat at Sugarcube Corner." Spike threw a fist into the air.

"Yes!" Spike said.

"Go get ready if you want to run those errands with me." Twilight said. "We're leaving in ten minutes." Spike nodded and ran back up the stairs quickly to prepare for the day's activities. Twilight shook her head and smiled to herself in fondness of her dragon companion. She finished cleaning the dishes and put them away into the cabinets and sat waiting for Spike when from the door came three curt knocks. Twilight approached the door and opened it to reveal Rainbow Dash and Applejack, with happy, albeit nervous looks on their faces. Both of them looked ragged and completely exhausted, both of their manes disheveled. Both mares had bags under their tired eyes.

"Rainbow Dash! Applejack!" Twilight said happily at the sight of her friends. "What brings you here? And are you guys okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine." Applejack said with a smile. "We were wonderin' if we could talk to ya about somethin', Twi."

"Sure, absolutely." Twilight said with a smile before stepping aside. "Come on in."

"Thanks." Rainbow Dash said. "Could we, uh...sit down somewhere?" Twilight nodded and turned around.

"Yes we can." Twilight said. "Follow me." By that time, Twilight had realized that there was something amiss between her two friends, the nature of which, she was not sure. Neither of them ever came to the library this early in the day and when they did see her, they were almost always cheerful and happy.

"Okay." Twilight said before sitting down across from Rainbow and Applejack. "Did you guys want to tell me something?" Rainbow Dash looked at Applejack, then at Twilight and nodded.

"Yeah, Twilight. We did." Rainbow said before pursing her lips. "I'm not exactly sure how to say this, but...me and Applejack believe that there is something...evil...near Ponyville." Twilight raised her eyebrows and leaned forward.

"Something evil?" Twilight asked. "Like what?"

"Well...It's just outside Ponyville in the Everfree." Applejack said. "It's a house. An old house...Well, it's not technically the house, it's what's inside the house."

"Hmm. And I presume that you two saw something there?" Twilight said. They both nodded. "Well what did you see?"

"You wanna go first or should Ah?" Applejack asked Rainbow. Rainbow sighed.

"You go first, AJ." Rainbow said.

"Alright then. Now, Twilight, what Ah'm about to tell you may sound like a joke or somethin', but Ah swear it's true." Applejack said. Twilight nodded, signifying for her to go on. "Me and Rainbow were racin' last night and we came across this house...this really old house. Maybe older than Ponyville. We both heard a scream come from inside...like the kinda scream that makes ya sick."

"What was it?" Twilight asked.

"Ah'm gettin' to that. Thinkin' that it was somepony in trouble, me and Rainbow ran inside. Ah went right and Rainbow went left. Ah went through the kitchen and checked a couple rooms. Ah heard someone cryin' so Ah checked it out but nothin' was there. As Ah left the room, the door leadin' to the back porch closed...by itself. After that, Ah was goin' back through the kitchen, the sink turned on by itself and all the cabinets opened by themselves too." Applejack put a forehoof to her head as she continued. "Then Ah heard this moanin'...this awful moanin'...and hoofsteps comin' down from those rooms toward the kitchen. They stopped before Ah saw anything. After that...the...chair at the dinin' room table came out by itself and somethin' sat in it, even though Ah couldn't see anything. Then somethin' whispered the words 'Join me.' in my ear. Ah broke the door down and ran to find Dash...your turn, sugarcube." Applejack said, choking back tears as she sat down.

Twilight attempted to process what Applejack had just told her. Her apple bucking friend had never been one to lie about anything at all, but even now hearing this from the honest mare it was hard to believe. Rainbow Dash cleared her throat and inhaled deeply, in an attempt to calm herself as she began her side of the experience.

"I went upstairs to check for the source of the scream. When I checked the rooms upstairs out, in one of them I saw a shadow...like there was something there in the dark. But we all know how when somepony gets nervous, they can start seeing things that aren't really there. So...I went into the last room and found this mare sitting there in the corner, just doing nothing. I asked if she was alright, but she never said anything. Then, out of the blue, this mare uh...kissed me. I don't know why." Rainbow said with a heavy blush. Twilight looked at Rainbow, raising an eyebrow in disbelief. "Then in an instant, she turned into a rotting corpse standing there. Its eyes were gone, and...and its flesh was rotting, and I could smell it too. So I, uh...ran out of the room and I found Applejack on the floor. Her throat...had been slit..." Twilight's eyes widened heavily as she looked at Applejack, who nodded at her.

"I tried to stop the bleeding, but it was useless. She died as I held her...Suddenly, Applejack comes up the stairs in front of me, absolutely fine. I looked down and I didn't see anything. Everything I thought I had seen...Applejack laying on the floor dying...It was an illusion." Rainbow said. "Now...I know how this sounds, Twilight..."

"Yeah, I know what this sounds like too." Twilight said with a small laugh. "I'll admit, you had me believing you, Applejack...but when Rainbow came in, I pretty much knew at that point. How'd you convince Applejack to lie, Rainbow?" Twilight asked the cyan pegasus jovially, who was immediately filled with rage.

"Are you kidding me?!" Rainbow said, standing up. "This isn't something I would joke about, Twilight! I thought Applejack was dead!" Applejack stopped Rainbow just as she started to yell. Spike walked into the room with a worried look on his face.

"Uhm...is everything okay here?" Spike asked. "Sorry to interrupt anything, but I heard yelling..."

"It's fine, Spike." Twilight said. "Just...go wait for me in the study." Spike nodded and quickly left the room. She turned and looked at Rainbow, whose eyes were brimming with tears. Applejack furrowed her eyebrows at Twilight.

"Twilight. We're telllin' the truth. Ah know for sure what happened to me happened. I'm not as sure about Rainbow Dash, but..." Applejack leaned in toward Twilight, who had raised her eyebrows in regret. The farm mare spoke, trying to contain her own anger. "Ah have never seen Rainbow as scared as she was last night. She was completely different than she ever was."

"I...I..." Twilight stuttered, feeling shame rise within her.

"We came here looking for your help." Rainbow Dash said, having regained control of herself. "Now I'm starting to wish we could find help somewhere else." Twilight immediately stood up.

"No, no I'm sorry." Twilight said. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know it was this serious...Please, forgive me." Rainbow and Applejack nodded at Twilight. They all sat down once more.

"So why exactly did you come to me?" Twilight asked.

"Twilight, what is in that house..." Rainbow said. "It's evil. It needs to be stopped before more ponies get hurt...We need to assemble the elements of harmony." Twilight widened her eyes.

"Is it truly that serious?" Twilight asked before putting a forehoof on her head. "Goddesses..." Rainbow leaned toward Twilight.

"Twilight, you don't understand..." Rainbow said. "I...held Applejack in my hooves as she died. I felt her blood on me...I...I..." Rainbow lowered her head for a moment. Applejack put a fore hoof on Rainbow's shoulder.

"It's okay, Dash." Applejack said. "Twi, what's in that house is powerful."

"I'll have to get the elements from Princess Celestia's castle, but that shouldn't be too hard." Twilight said. "You're both absolutely sure about this?" Both of the tired mares nodded.

"Okay, then." Twilight said. "I'll get the elements and you go let Pinkie, Rarity and Fluttershy know."

"It'll take a miracle to get Fluttershy into that place." Rainbow Dash said with a small laugh. "You know...with all the awful things I've seen in the past twenty-four hours...it feels wrong to laugh."

_____

"Oh, dear. That is awful." Rarity said after hearing the events that Applejack and Rainbow Dash endured. "I just...It's so hard to believe..."

"I know." Rainbow Dash said. "But it happened. I swear."

Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rarity had all gathered at Golden Oaks Library with the elements of harmony. They convened their meeting in the main atrium of the hollowed out tree as they discussed what to do about this rising menace.

"That's why we need alla y'all." Applejack said. "We need the elements together to try to wipe this...thing out."

"I'm in." Pinkie Pie immediately said with a serious look on her face, very much unlike the usual countenance of the bubbly party pony. "There's no way I'd let...whatever this is go on existing after what it did to the two of you."

"I'll be coming as well." Rarity said. "If what the two of you have told us is indeed true...Then this entity is too dangerous for us to just sit back here and do absolutely nothing." Twilight looked at Rarity and nodded.

"Thank you, Rarity." Twilight said before she looked at Fluttershy. "Fluttershy, you're the final piece of the puzzle. It won't work without you."

"I...I don't know..." Fluttershy said. "I mean...It's absolutely awful what happened to you two...but...I..." The timid Pegasus blushed heavily and closed her eyes, looking away.

"Fluttershy, come on." Pinkie Pie said putting a hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder. "Mare up. We've got to do this!" The timid mare looked up at the group. Crying, she spoke shakily.

"I...I just...Every time I think about going there...I get sick to my stomach..." Fluttershy said. "I hate being such a coward..." Rainbow Dash approached the crying pegasus at a slow walk.

"Go easy on her, Dash..." Applejack whispered, worry lacing her words.

Rainbow Dash wrapped Fluttershy into an embrace and held her there as she cried. This surprised the rest of the group, who had thought the headstrong pegasus was going to yell at Fluttershy. Rainbow held Fluttershy and stroked her mane slowly and comfortingly.

"I know...I know you're scared Fluttershy." Rainbow said with a sigh. "I'm scared too..."

"You're never scared of anything." Fluttershy said, muffled by Rainbow Dash's mane.

"That's not true anymore..." Rainbow whispered. The statement was painful for the prideful pegasus to say, but it was true, and she had to try to inspire her friend in some way. She sighed heavily and continued to stroke Fluttershy's mane. "I know you're scared, Flutters...but I'm asking you...please...come with us. We can't do it without you." Fluttershy inhaled deeply as she nodded.

"Okay...I'll do it." Fluttershy said, wiping her eyes. "It would be selfish to refuse." Rainbow nodded at Fluttershy, smiling.

"Thank you." Rainbow said.

"Alright." Twilight said. "Here are the elements. We've still got at least two more hours of daylight. We should get moving." The six friends left the library and stood, preparing themselves.

"Let's go." Applejack said as she got onto Rainbow Dash's back. "Time to end this, Dash." Applejack said, Rainbow Dash nodding at her. Pinkie Pie got onto Twilight's back and Rarity got onto Fluttershy's before they took off into flight toward the house. Not many words were spoken among the three solemn friends on the way, as none of them felt like making idle conversation with each other on the way to such a grim place. Before long, with Rainbow and Applejack's direction, they arrived at the abandoned, broken down house. A general intimidation spread throughout the mares as they looked on at what they were all sure was a deathtrap.

"Okay..." Twilight said with a sigh. "Looks like we're here. Rainbow, Applejack, before we go in, would you like to advise us on anything?"

"Yeah, Ah would." Applejack said. "No matter what ya see or hear, do not panic. So far, neither me or Rainbow have been physically harmed by this thing so if ya see or hear somethin' that doesn't sit right with ya, ignore it and stay focused on the group."

"If you see anything that could even begin to be considered out of the ordinary, do not trust it whatever it is. This thing...plays games with your mind. It makes you see and hear and even feel things that aren't really there." Rainbow said. "Don't let it break you...Like I let it break me."

"It's okay, Dash." Applejack said, putting a forehoof on Rainbow's shoulder. "It's okay, ya didn't know..."

"But I'm glad you're all here!" Rainbow said suddenly and angrily. "Because I'm mad as hay, and I want some payback!"

"Alright, everypony." Twilight said. "Take your elements." The six friends put their elements on and stood together, looking at the house.

"Stay together, no matter what happens." Rainbow Dash uttered as they began to approach the house. Fluttershy whimpered quietly as she became less and less assured the closer they got. The house loomed over the six of them like a monster about to devour its prey. It silently cursed at them and began heavily grinding down on all of their nerves. Rainbow and Applejack in particular had at least some semblance of an idea of what to expect from the awful house and did not want to go through what they did again. Twilight pushed the door open, the hinges giving off that terrible squealing that was still fresh on Rainbow and Applejack's minds.

Twilight Sparkle looked back at Rainbow Dash and Applejack, the bravest of the six of them. Both of them looked fearful of the place they were entering. This instilled an uneasiness within the princess that made her slightly sick to her stomach.

"I don't think...I can do this." Fluttershy whispered to Rarity, who walked beside her. "But I don't want to leave you all..." Rarity placed a foreleg around Fluttershy's shoulders and shushed her soothingly.

"It's alright dear." Rarity said with a smile before looking up at the main atrium, her smile fading away into a frown of apprehension. "Everything's going to be...fine...I'm...here..."

"Where is it?" Pinkie Pie whispered to Rainbow Dash, who looked at the party pony.

"I don't know." Rainbow Dash said. "It messed with Applejack downstairs and messed with me upstairs...It could be anywhere."

"I don't like this..." Rarity said, shuddering violently as she walked through a spider's web. "How long do we have to be here?"

"Until this entity reveals itself." Twilight said. "We'll all wait here until it does."

"It might only come out at night." Pinkie Pie said. "That's when you and Applejack first met it...at night, right?"

"Yeah." Rainbow Dash said. "Twilight she may have a point. What if it does only reveal itself at night?"

"Then we'll wait until night." Twilight responded. "I don't intend to let...whatever this thing is continue to exist after what it did to the two of you. If it did it to you guys, it'd do it to anypony."

The interior of the house, admittedly, looked more inviting in the light of day, with the light of the setting sun playing off the old, deteriorating furniture and architecture to make it look simply like an old house.

That is, until they all began to hear the whispering.

Indiscernible whispering echoed throughout the house, seemingly from different areas of the building. It came and went, seemingly with the wind.

"A-...Are the rest of you hearing this?" Rarity asked, her eyes widening.

"Yeah..." Rainbow said. "Stay together!" The six friends moved closer to one another, preparing themselves. The daylight outside the house began to fade at an accelerated rate, making the house become darker and darker by the second. No moonlight showed with this unnatural darkness, proving to make the house more and more frightening. The mares struggled to see as a small nightstand flew from the floor across the room, making Fluttershy cry out in fear.

"Where are you?!" Twilight Sparkle nearly screamed. "Show yourself, you coward!"

"I don't think it's going to listen to you, Twilight!" Rarity said before letting out a screech of fear, feeling her mane get pulled and let go.

"Are you okay?!" Pinkie Pie cried. Rarity nodded.

"Yes, I'm fine." Rarity said, breathing deeply. "It just...pulled my mane." A chair began dragging across the floor before their eyes, tearing the rotted top layer of the wood floor off with it. Applejack's stomach sunk as she attempted to stand tall, but she could not help but shrink back in fright as a loud slamming noise came from the kitchen area, where her first terror took place. Everything that was moving stopped as well as the whispering, causing a certain uneasiness to fall over the group.

"I d-don't want to do this anymore..." Fluttershy whispered through her tears. "I-I wanna g-go home."

"Not until we finish this!" Rainbow Dash said. "Not until its done!"

"For all we know it's done right now." Applejack said. "All the stuff stopped movin' and Ah can't hear that whisperin' anymore."

"Me neither." Pinkie Pie said with a small smile. "Maybe it's gone."

"If it's gone, then why is it still dark?" Twilight said. "I don't think we're out of this-"

She was interrupted by heavy hoof falls coming from the dark in front of them. Slowly they came forward as the six friends steeled themselves for whatever horror they could possibly encounter. Forward came the corpse. The same corpse that had assaulted Rainbow Dash. It's head was lowered as it lurched toward the three of them. The cyan pegasus gasped in fear and backed up a step before sighing and straightening herself to face it.

"What do you want?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Why are you doing this?"

Slowly it came, not answering their question, jerking about and swaying as if it didn't know what to do. Its exposed joints popped with every movement it made. The profound stench of decay filled the room, nauseating the six mares standing before it. It slowly raised its head, the individual cracked vertebrae in it's neck making a sickening crackling noise. It stared at them with its empty eye sockets, a strange dim light coming from the very back of them. It slowly opened what was left of its torn mouth and let out a scream.

The screech was deafening, so loud the six mares standing before the corpse stumbled back, groaning in pain. Accompanying the scream was what sounded like a thousand loud voices speaking at one time. Every object in the room began to get thrown about wildly, creating a dangerous chaos in the room.

"Use your elements! NOW!" Twilight yelled. The five necklaces and tiara began to glow with magical power as the six friends floated into the air together. "You, spirit of malice and hate! You, terror to the innocent and bane of peace! The power of friendship and unity is the ultimate key to stopping your reign, which ends here!" A beam of light flashed from the six mares and flew straight into the entity, which continued to scream, uninterrupted. The bearers of the elements of harmony touched down upon the ground, now hopeless in the face of this manifestation of terror.

"What do we do now?!" Rarity screeched. Twilight, too stunned that the elements of harmony were useless against the spirit, stood wide eyed and spellbound.

"We're going to die!" Pinkie Pie cried in fear.

"Like hay we are!" Rainbow Dash said before slamming her shoulder into the front door of the house. "Applejack! Help me!" The farm mare jumped into action and began to buck the door in time with Rainbow's slams. It didn't move an inch but that didn't stop them from trying.

"We...We can't stop it..." Twilight muttered to herself, looking at her friends. Rainbow and Applejack continued in vain to slam into the door. Rarity and Pinkie Pie held Fluttershy, who was in hysterics and cried together. "We..can't..."

"What the hay are you all doing?!" Rainbow Dash cried before slamming into the door again. "Help us!" Pinkie Pie and Rarity moved quickly to the door, Pinkie Pie assisting with the bucking and Rarity assisting with blasts of magic. Fluttershy continued to cry by herself, mentally shutting down where she stood.

"Stop..." Twilight said before snapping out of her stupor. "Stop!"

"What?! Why?!" Rainbow Dash said, momentarily stopping her slamming.

"It's no use!" Twilight said, tears brimming in her eyes. "Don't you think you would have knocked that door down by now?"

"What do you plan to do, huh?!" Rainbow yelled. "Just sit back and have us die without even trying?! How about helping here?!"

"Because you're all just killing yourselves!" Twilight said. "We're not getting out of here, can't you see that?!"

"Buck that!" Rainbow Dash cried. "There's no way I'm just giving up!"

"Maybe she's right, Rainbow Dash!" Rarity said, tears falling from her eyes. "We're trapped!"

"We've gotta try!" Applejack said. "Ah have to get back to my family!"

"That's reason enough for me!" Rainbow Dash said as she prepared to slam into the door again.

As Fluttershy cried, a candlestick flew across the room, striking her in the head, causing the yellow Pegasus to pitch forward completely limp. Rainbow's stomach dropped as only she witnessed this, her eyes widening and her pupils shrinking to pinpricks. Tears flooded her eyes as she looked at the entity floating in the middle of the atrium in rage. Rainbow Dash let out a cry of fury as she shot toward it at full speed.

"Rainbow?! What are you doing?!" Twilight screamed.

As Rainbow hit it dead on, the entity disappeared completely, and the voices stopped completely. The light of the setting sun flashed through the windows and the door broke off it's hinges as Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Rarity hit it once more. They all looked at each other with glee before crying out in happiness.

"I can't believe we did it!" Applejack cried. "Ah can't wait to get home and see my family!"

"It's all thanks to Rainbow Dash!" Twilight said.

"Oh, I'm so happy, I could-" Rarity began but stopped short of finishing her sentence. "Fluttershy!" Rarity ran over to the pegasus, still laying limp on the ground. Rarity looked her over and sighed in relief. "I've got a pulse! She's unconscious, but she's alive."

"Ah didn't even see her!" Applejack said in worry as she lifted her friend onto her back. Pinkie Pie ran to Applejack's side and adjusted Fluttershy's body to where it wouldn't fall off as they rushed to the hospital.

"We've got to get her to the hospital! Come on!" Twilight yelled. "Rainbow Dash! Let's go!" They began to leave the house before Twilight turned around once more. "Rainbow Dash! Come on!" Twilight was filled with dread when she saw Rainbow Dash on the ground, convulsing. Her eyes rolled back into her head as blood poured from her nose.

"Girls! Come back!" Twilight screamed. "Rainbow Dash is down!"

Obligatory End-of-Chapter Author's Note: OOOOHHHH!!!! What is happening to Rainbow Dash?! We'll be finding out in the next chapter, that is for sure. Or maybe we won't?! Ahh, we'll see. Ah well. Cheers!

Chapter 4

Rainbow Dash groggily began to wake up. She groaned as her eyelids flitted momentarily before she finally regained her bearings on where exactly she was. As she looked around, she noticed that she was still in the house. But what she saw struck a chord within her. The house was actually in pristine condition. The lanterns that hung from the ceiling were completely intact and lit, much unlike their condition when she last saw them. Every window was cleaned and perfectly in place. The floorboards were firm and beautiful, not destitute and rotted. But something perturbed her more so than anything else she saw in the house.

Before her stood a stallion.

He was a relatively plain looking and moderately attractive earth pony, sporting a silver coat and a light brown mane. A cutie mark of a racetrack adorned his flank, and he looked at her with an expression of sorrow in his eyes. He looked as if he had just been through some sort of intense heartbreak.

"Please!" He said, tears flooding his eyes. "Please don't leave me! All I ever wanted was you!"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Rainbow Dash tried to say, but as hard as she tried, the words wouldn't come out of her mouth. Instead what she said was- "I'm sorry Silver! I really am, but this can't happen anymore. I have a husband."

"That doesn't matter!" He cried. "I love you, and that's all that should matter! I know you don't love him anymore."

"You're wrong!" Rainbow spouted involuntarily. "I do love him. The times with you...were just selfishness on my part. I'm sorry that I hurt you, but it's the truth." Rainbow Dash's mind tried to comprehend what exactly was happening to her as she said the words. She didn't seem to be in control of what she said or did at all. Her head would involuntarily look away from the stallion at different times, and the things she said were not what she wanted to say.

"Please...Come away with me. " He sobbed. "We can be happy together!" He roughly grabbed Rainbow Dash's foreleg.

"Let go of me!" Rainbow Dash did mean to shout that phrase, but it still didn't seem like it was her saying it. She wrenched her fore hoof from the stallions grip and angrily turned around to leave. The stallion spoke with an angry and desperate tone.

"If you don't stay with me, you'll come to regret it, I assure you." He growled. Rainbow Dash turned around to face him.

"That is a risk I'm willing to take for the sake of my family!" Her tone was angry, but Rainbow Dash was definitely more confused than anything. "Good bye!" She turned around and began to walk out of the house.

"Feel." Rainbow Dash heard a voice whisper to her.

Suddenly, the stallion grabbed her by the tail and pulled her inside so hard, she slid on her belly, letting out a pained shout.

"Silver! What are you-" She was muffled by his hoof as he turned her over onto her back and leaned down toward her.

"I know you still l-love me...You're just...guilty...You're guilty....I'll show you why you'd want to stay with me." He whispered as he slowly began to lower himself down onto Rainbow Dash, who screamed into his hoof. She looked down and gasped with horror at what she saw. He began to grind his groin into hers as he prepared to violate her, smiling down at her. "Here we go..."

Her body lashed one of it's lower hooves out which luckily connected with the stallion's testicles, making him cry out in agony. It then lashed a fore hoof out which struck him across the face, knocking him back long enough for her to wrench out from his grip and run.

'What the hay is happening?!' Rainbow Dash thought to herself. She attempted to take off into flight, her stomach dropping when she realized she now lacked wings. 'Am I in somepony else's body?!' Her body was wracked with pain as she felt the much larger stallion collide with her, sending her onto her back once more. He screamed at her as he punched her in her face multiple times in succession. She cried and let out screams of pain as he relentlessly pounded her into the ground. She felt several of her teeth break and crack. He relentlessly punched her until she laid back on the floor dazed. Blood and tears flowed down her face as she felt her eye swell painfully. Her jaw, which felt like it was fractured, ached horribly as she groaned. He roughly grabbed her by her mane with his teeth and flung her across the living quarters, tearing some of her mane out and sending her into a tumble.

She tried with all her strength to crawl away from this assailant. She hadn't moved three feet before he grabbed her by her mane again and pulled her into the kitchen.

"Please!" She cried. "Please don't kill me I have a family..." He threw her on the floor.

"You were my only!!!" He screamed loudly, making her flinch. He walked back and forth in front of her, twitching occasionally before screaming again. "I love you!....Get up, Spring." He said. No energy remained in Rainbow Dash's new limbs. She couldn't stand, and her face was so clotted with blood and swelling that she couldn't see anything. He picked her up and handled her in front of him.

"I...I...Please don't do this..." She sobbed.

"I...love...you..." He said, beginning to cry as well. "I always have and I always will. I just...I have to know that you love me....That you love me. It's all I need. Please..." He began to kiss her, moving his tongue along her broken teeth and torn open tongue. His saliva mixed with her blood as she cried into the kiss, thoroughly disgusted. She bit down on his tongue as hard as she could, nearly severing it and making him scream in agony. He punched her head, making her release her grip and fall backward. He picked her up and slammed her mouth on the kitchen table, completely shattering her teeth and breaking her jaw. He then punched her in the ribs and let her fall down as she spat out her teeth and more blood.

"See...Y-you have n-no idea...no idea. What it's like to love someone...love someone so much that it hurts....It hurts bad...It hurts worse than what you're feeling...But I have to try to make it even..." He continued, his speech now garbled by his mutilated tongue. He twitched as he looked down at her. "I have....to set things right..." He then pulled the table over on Rainbow Dash's, or whoever she was currently inhabiting's body, making her cough roughly.

"Pl...Pluh..." She struggled in vain to say 'Please' once more.

"I can make it better for us...I promise..." He said. "Just...you and me..." He grabbed her head in both of his forehooves and held her there as he looked into her eyes. "Goddesses, you are so beautiful..." He grunted and made a motion that made Rainbow's vision blur as she felt several incredibly painful pops in her neck.

Rainbow saw nothing but black. Her mind reeled from the incredible pain she had just endured, as she struggled to comprehend what exactly she had just endured...or who had endured it before her.

_____

Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie sat in the waiting room of Ponyville General hospital. The anxiety among the four friends was palpable as they nervously looked around, attempting to find any kind of indication of what might have happened. They all knew for certain that Fluttershy would be alright, but Rainbow Dash had been in bad condition when they had arrived. She had been convulsing violently and hadn't stopped until they were about a mile from the hospital. Once the cyan Pegasus stopped moving, she had shown absolutely no signs of life. She merely laid limp as they handed her over to the doctors who had a stretcher waiting for her.

"Do you..." Rarity began before shakily inhaling. "Think she'll be alright?"

"I don't know, Rarity." Twilight said. "I don't think I've ever seen that happen to Rainbow Dash....let alone anypony else."

"What if..." Pinkie Pie began before sniffling and wiping her eyes. "What if she doesn't...make it?"

"I really couldn't say." Twilight said. "But...I think I know what caused it."

"What?" Applejack asked.

"It was when she flew into the...what are we going to call it?" Twilight asked.

"Monster!" Pinkie Pie cried in anger.

"I'd say entity." Rarity said. "Since we don't know exactly what it is, but it seems to possess some level of intelligence."

"Entity is alright." Twilight said before continuing. "It was when she flew into the entity to protect us. It silenced it, but the entity...did something to her."

"Ah swear, Twilight..." Applejack said. "If Rainbow Dash dies in there...Ah'll...Ah'll..."

"You'll what, Applejack?" Twilight asked her friend with furrowed eyebrows. "Destroy it?"

"Yeah!" Applejack said.

"How would you do that, Applejack?" Twilight asked. "You saw how useless the elements of harmony were against it....it can't be stopped."

"Ah'll find a way!" Applejack cried. "You sound like you're just givin' up!"

"Frankly, Applejack...I am." Twilight said. "If the elements were that powerless against it, there's nothing you or I, or anypony could do at all to stop it!"

"Ah can not believe what Ah am hearin'..." Applejack said, narrowing her eyes. "You saw what it did to one of your best friends... and you're just givin' up?!"

"Applejack! Listen to the words that are coming out of my mouth." Twilight said. "We can't do anything to stop it!" By the end of her sentence, Twilight had moved closer to Applejack. The farm mare pushed Twilight back and threw a hoof into the air.

"You could at least try! Come up with some spell or somethin'!" Applejack said. The tension between the two mares was beginning to build until it was noticeable among all else to everypony in the room, which thankfully was just Rarity and Pinkie Pie.

"It's. Not. That. Simple!" Twilight yelled in rebuttal.

"Stop it!" Rarity nearly screamed, interrupting the two of them. They looked over at usually stately white unicorn to behold a look of anger on her face. "You two are acting like foals! Both of you shut up and try to remember that we're still waiting to hear if Rainbow Dash is even still alive at this point! So sit down and stop this pointless arguing!" Twilight looked at Applejack, and Applejack at Twilight. Regret stained both of their facial expressions.

"Ah'm...Ah'm sorry, Twilight." Applejack said. "Ah'm just stressed and-"

"We're both stressed..." Twilight said. "I'm sorry too." They shared a hug before sitting down once more.

"So..." Pinkie Pie said quietly. "What are we going to do about...the entity?" Twilight Sparkle sighed before sitting back in her seat.

"Well...I suppose I'll have to begin doing research on different spells..." Twilight said before sending a small smile toward Applejack, who blushed and smiled back at her gratefully. As if on cue, Nurse Redheart walked into the room and regarded the four friends.

"How are they, nurse?" Twilight asked, her eyebrows raised in concern.

"Fluttershy's fine. She just suffered a knock in the head. She'll be able to go home tomorrow. And as for Rainbow Dash, she's stable." Redheart replied. "The doctors can't pinpoint the cause of her seizure, but her C.T. scan showed no problems with her brain or nervous system. So they're sure she'll be fine."

"But they can't even guess what happened to her?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"They said that sometimes, the nervous system has small hiccups like any well known power source, and that it's just the nervous system resetting." The nurse said.

"Well...can we see 'em?" Applejack asked. The nurse nodded.

"Yes, but only for a little while." Nurse Redheart said. "They both need their rest." The four mares nodded and followed Nurse Redheart to a room where she stood aside for them.

"Thank you, nurse." Twilight said with a smile.

"I'm just doing my job." The nurse replied with a friendly nod. The four friends entered the hospital room, where Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy laid on two adjacent beds. They were both awake and looked to have been in the middle of a conversation when they arrived. Both mares brightened up significantly upon seeing their friends.

"Hey, guys." Rainbow Dash said with a smile. The four friends moved between the two and showed their signs of affection before taking their seats before the two.

"Total bull." Rainbow said. "Fluttershy gets to go home tomorrow and I have to be here for three freakin' days."

"Oh, relax, Rainbow Dash." Twilight said with a small laugh. "You get free ice cream."

"Meh, I've never liked ice cream that much..." Rainbow said with an indifferent shrug. Pinkie Pie gasped exorbitantly before racing up to Rainbow Dash.

"You. Don't. Like. ICE CREAM?" Pinkie said frantically, making Rainbow shrink back uncomfortably with a raised eyebrow, causing everyone else to burst into laughter. Seeing Pinkie Pie back to her hilarious, random, bubbly self set an ease over the everyone present and helped them all to forget what they had all just seen hours previously, if only for a time.

"Geez, Pinkie Pie!" Rainbow said, half laughing. "I said 'not that much.' that doesn't mean I don't like it at all." Pinkie Pie smiled and leaned back.

"Oh, okay!" Pinkie said. "What's your favorite flavor?"

"Does it really matter?" Rainbow asked, causing Pinkie Pie to lean in once more, her eyes widened heavily.

"YES." She said jovially. Rainbow laughed once more.

"Okay, okay!" Rainbow said. Pinkie Pie leaned back away from Rainbow Dash once more and smiled. "I guess it'd have to be vanilla."

"Hey, guys?" Fluttershy said quietly, garnering the attention of her friends. This actually startled the yellow pegasus, as she wasn't used to her friends actually hearing her after the first try. "What happened? All I remember is crying and suddenly blacking out."

"Oh, uh...I could actually answer that better than anyone else." Rainbow said, rubbing the back of her head. "When you were crying, that...thing hurled a candlestick that hit you straight in the head. You were out like a light."

"Oh..." Fluttershy said with a small sigh. "So...about the...thing..."

"We've actually decided to call it...an entity." Rarity said. "To be perfectly honest, I was actually hoping this wouldn't come up."

"It had to come up, Rarity." Rainbow said. "What happened to me and Fluttershy was directly caused by it."

"I know, I know." Rarity said. "I just wish with all my heart that things could...return to normal."

"I understand." Rainbow said. "I wish it could too..."

"So...it just...resisted the elements of harmony." Fluttershy said. "Then...how are we supposed to...beat it?"

"We don't know, Fluttershy." Twilight said. "I suppose I'll begin looking at different spells. There's got to be one of that nature somewhere in my library..."

"Why don't we just try to get Princess Celestia and Princess Luna down here?" Applejack asked. "They've got the most powerful magic in Equestria..."

"They're busy ruling a kingdom right now." Twilight said. "Besides, most of their power against evil stems from the elements of harmony, so odds are that they're magic would be just as effective as mine."

"Ah suppose that's true." Applejack said with a small sigh. "Ah'll help ya look for spells, then."

"Actually, guys..." Rainbow said. "I think I know of a way." This gained Rainbow the attention of everypony in the room. They looked at her expectantly, awaiting an explanation.

"Well, what is it?" Twilight asked.

"What I'm about to tell you guys..." Rainbow said with a sigh. "Isn't gonna be fun to listen to."

"Alright." Rarity said. "Go ahead and tell us."

"Well, we're going to have to go back to the house..." Rainbow said. This earned a gasp from nearly all of her friends.

"Why would we have to go back there?" Pinkie Pie asked with a dismayed frown. "Can't we just...leave it alone?"

"No." Rainbow said. "And I'm getting to the reason we have to go back."

"Well, go on." Rarity said with a sigh. "As much as I'm sure I don't want to hear it."

"After I flew into the...entity, wasn't it? I blacked out..." Rainbow began.

"That's when we found you just convulsing on the ground." Twilight said.

"Right. Well, after I blacked out, I woke up in what looked like the house. But it was like it was new. The hanging lanterns were lit and the floorboards actually looked like they could support something. There was this...stallion there. He was crying, and he kept talking about how he didn't want me to leave him. He kept begging me to stay with him. I tried to tell him that I didn't know him, that I'd never seen him before. But the words wouldn't come out. I said something else entirely. It's like I wasn't in control of myself. That's when I realized that I wasn't even in my body. I...I was in an earth pony's body. It was the entity's body. I heard it talk to me. It said 'Feel.' So then she tried to leave, but he, uh...pulled her back and tried to rape her." Every single one of her friends gasped. Rarity put a hoof over her mouth. "She kicked him off and tried to get away, but he caught her and beat her relentlessly. It happened to her, but I could feel every punch, every strike. Everything that happened to her was happening to me. It was unbelievably painful. He threw her into the kitchen and tried to kiss her, but the body I was in punched him and tried to get away again, but he..." Rainbow shuddered heavily before continuing. "...smashed her teeth in on the kitchen table. The pain was so intense...I've...never felt anything like it. And after that, he snapped her neck."

"So...let me get this straight..." Applejack said. "You're sayin' you were in this entity's body, and you felt everything that happened to her before she was...murdered by this mystery stallion?" Rainbow nodded.

"Yeah. I know how crazy it sounds, but-" Rainbow began.

"Actually, it makes sense." Applejack said, rubbing her chin. "T'would mesh darn near perfectly with everything else that's happened."

"Rainbow, how do you know that it wasn't all a dream?" Twilight asked Rainbow. "I'm not saying that I don't believe you, but the Doctors believe that your nervous system was reworking itself. It's possible that the pain you felt was a result of that bodily function."

"Twilight, what I felt was real." Rainbow said. "Or...at least it was real at a point sometime in the past. My point being that I wasn't dreaming." Truthfully, Rainbow Dash was mildly offended by Twilight Sparkle's comment. The alicorn sensed this and put a hoof up.

"Okay, okay, I believe you." Twilight said with a sigh.

"So...please tell me why we'd need to go back to the house." Rarity said with a frown.

"This spirit...it isn't a spirit of hate and malice. It's a tormented spirit of fear and regret." Rainbow Dash said. "This entity...used to be an innocent mare until she was murdered. She was killed in cold blood for whatever reason, and she has to be put to rest...and avenged."

"So I suppose you're suggesting that we go and ask it where its remains are and bury it properly..." Twilight asked. Rainbow Dash nodded with a serious expression on her face. "...and attempt to seek justice for her murder?"

"Yeah, in a nutshell." Rainbow said.

"But how would we know if her killer is even still alive?" Applejack asked.

"We don't." Rainbow said. "But I'm sure that some form of justice can be achieved. We can end this...I'm confident of that."

"...Uhm...If it's...all the same to you..." Fluttershy said. "I'll stay here in Ponyville if you don't need me. I'd prefer never to go near that house again." Rainbow Dash nodded.

"I guess we wouldn't need you for any of that stuff." Rainbow said. "What about you, AJ?" Rainbow asked Applejack, who thought for a moment and sighed.

"Ah...Ah dunno, Dash." Applejack said. "On one hoof, Ah gotta think about my family...on the other, Ah don't think Ah could let this spirit continue in her torment in good consciousness...Ah'll help ya." Rainbow smiled widely and nodded at her friend.

"Thanks, Applejack." Rainbow said. "What about you, Rarity?"

"I, um...I don't think I'll be going either." Rarity said. "I will definitely go there at any time if you do really need me, but I'd prefer to stay here if that's alright." Rainbow nodded.

"Oh, same for me." Fluttershy said. "I'll go if I'm needed."

"Same here, Rainbow Dash." Pinkie Pie said, quickly putting a hoof up. "I just really don't feel comfortable going back...I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Pinkie." Rainbow Dash said with a small smile. "I understand completely. If I didn't know for sure that she was wrongly murdered, I wouldn't want to go back either." Rainbow Dash then looked over at Applejack, then at Twilight, who stood before her with a small frown on her face. "Well what about you, Twilight?" Rainbow asked.

"I'm going. I...I promise to do everything I possibly can to help you. If she truly was murdered unjustly, then she does deserve justice." Twilight said before looking at Applejack briefly. "To tell the truth, I wasn't going to go back...ever. But somepony managed to change my mind." Applejack couldn't hide a blush and a smile.

"And besides, who doesn't like a little detective work?" Twilight asked with a small laugh. Rainbow smiled back at her and nodded happily.

"Alright." Rainbow Dash said. "Still, it looks like I'm here for the next three days. After I get out, we should meet in the library and discuss what exactly to do." Applejack and Twilight nodded.

"Right." Applejack said. "Are ya sure you'll be okay, though? Ya had it pretty rough back at the house."

"Honestly, I feel fine now." Rainbow said before Nurse Redheart poked her head into the room.

"I'm sorry, but the doctor would like Rainbow and Fluttershy to get their rest now." She said with a frown.

"Alright." Applejack said. "Ah'll come visit ya soon, Dash." Rainbow nodded.

"Okay." Rainbow said. "Bye you guys."

"Bye..." Fluttershy said. The friends said their goodbyes and left Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy in the hospital room. Nurse Redheart entered the room and regarded the two of them.

"Again, I'm sorry for running your friends off like that." She said. "Hospital protocols and all."

"I understand." Rainbow Dash said with a small smile.

"Would you two like the light off while you sleep?" Redheart asked.

"Yeah, go ahead and turn it off." Rainbow said. "It's kinda funny. I've been out for the past few hours, but I still feel like I need sleep." Nurse Redheart giggled and reached for the light switch.

"That's actually more common than you'd think." She said. "Goodnight."

"Wait!" Fluttershy said quickly before the nurse shut the light off, earning her attention.

"Yes?" Redheart replied.

"Could you...leave that little lamp over there on?" Fluttershy asked with a deep blush. Nurse Redheart smiled and nodded before walking across the room over to the lamp and turning it on. She then turned the main light off and left, shutting the door behind her.

The lamp cast a pleasant, mild glow across the room that instilled a feeling of peace within Fluttershy. She snuggled in under her blankets and slowly shut her eyes. Sleep had just begun to fall over her as Rainbow spoke to her.

"Pretty crazy, huh?" Rainbow said. "All the stuff we've been through. I'll tell you what, I never even knew stuff like that could happen three days ago."

"Um...yeah." Fluttershy said before turning onto her side. Her mind began moving toward the house and what it contained, and the entity that lurked inside. She thought about how it was once a mare who, according to Rainbow Dash, had been murdered wrongly and brutally. This brought Rainbow Dash to her mind. The cyan rainbow-maned pegasus, still brave as ever, was now determined to put the entity to rest and have justice for her death. She needed all the help she could get, and while she had a lot of help in the form of Applejack and Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy couldn't help but feel that it still would be just short of enough.

"Uhm...Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy said, catching Rainbow's attention, making her turn around.

"Yeah?" Rainbow replied. "What is it?"

"I'm...going to go with you." Fluttershy said.

"Fluttershy, are you sure?" Rainbow Dash asked with a raised eyebrow.

"...Yes?" The statement tasted a lie as it came from her mouth, but she knew it was what Rainbow Dash wanted to hear.

"Fluttershy, I know you're lying." Rainbow said, making Fluttershy blush deeply and turn away from her friend. "I'm serious when I say that you don't have to come if you don't want to. We don't need the elements of harmony for this."

"But...I feel so useless." Fluttershy said, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Fluttershy, you're not useless." Rainbow Dash said with a small smile. "You had the courage to come the first time when we used the elements. That in and of itself is enough. Besides, I've got Applejack and Twilight helping me out."

"Are you sure you won't be mad at me?" Fluttershy asked, slowly turning around again.

"I promise." Rainbow said. "Now we should get some sleep." Fluttershy nodded and turned around.

"Goodnight, Rainbow Dash." Fluttershy said.

"Goodnight, Fluttershy." Rainbow replied.

Sleep enveloped Fluttershy as she felt a burden lift from her shoulders.

_____

Rainbow Dash walked out of the hospital and breathed in deeply, knowing that the task ahead of her was going to take all of her effort to accomplish. She jumped off the ground into flight toward Golden Oaks Library as she continued to contemplate what could possibly happen to her or her friends during their endeavors. In all of her years of living, the pegasus had never once thought that she'd be solving a murder one day. Within two minutes, she touched down in front of Twilight's library and knocked on the door, to have it promptly opened by the alicorn princess.

"Hi, Rainbow." Twilight said. "Come in. Applejack's already here." Rainbow nodded before following Twilight inside and shutting the door behind her. They entered the parlor and sat with Applejack who was waiting for them.

"So where's Spike?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"He's down at the farm with Applebloom. Granny Smith's babysittin' 'em." Applejack said. "How ya doin' Dash?"

"I'm fine, thanks for asking." Rainbow said. "Just a little anxious is all."

"I think we're all as anxious as we could possibly get." Twilight said with a sigh. "So Rainbow, what would you suggest our first step in this investigation to be?"

"I've been thinking in the hospital." Rainbow said. "I think first, we should go to the Town Hall and look through the public records. If the murder was discovered by authorities at any time, it would be documented there, right?" Twilight nodded.

"That sounds reasonable enough." Twilight said.

"But what'll they think when they see Princess Twilight Sparkle lookin' through public records?" Applejack asks. "Ah mean, last time Ah checked, Ah've never heard of Princess Celestia, Princess Luna or Princess Cadence riflin' through darn public records to solve a murder."

"That's a good point." Rainbow said. "We don't want to draw attention to ourselves."

"If anypony asks..." Twilight thought for a moment. "I'm just working on a little history project. Everypony knows how much I love to study."

"Alright." Rainbow said. "That sounds like a solid plan."

"Guys..." Applejack said with a small. "Just what're we gettin' into?"

"What if we can't solve it?" Twilight asked. "Do we just...let it go and never speak about it again?"

"I've been wondering that too, you guys." Rainbow Dash said. "All I can say is, we're going to find out."

Obligatory End-of-Chapter Author's Note: Alrighty, guys! There's that chapter. That opening sequence was crazy to write. I was sitting and thinking for the longest time about how I was going to do it, and I just decided to start writing and let whatever was the product of my horror-loving imagination be what it is. I'm pretty proud of what resulted from that. I must admit, I am extremely excited for what is to come what with the investigation and all. Leave a like if you're enjoying the story and leave me a comment telling me what you think so far! Cheers!

Chapter 5

Twilight Sparkle's tired eyes ached as she struggled to look through each and every file at the Ponyville Town Hall. She had been searching through all the files for the last four hours, and even the seasoned reader was beginning to get tired of coming up with no results. Twilight looked at Rainbow Dash and Applejack, who were also looking through as many files as they could. Applejack seemed to be as tired as she was, slowly flipping through each of the files. But Rainbow went from file to file with intense speed, seemingly unfazed by the drawn out time they had been searching.

"Ya know..." Applejack said before sitting back and tipping her Stetson back to wipe her forehead. "When Ah thought about investigatin' this murder, somehow this wasn't what Ah had in mind." Twilight sighed and nodded at her.

"Yeah." Twilight responded. "I'm pretty tired myself. I've come up with absolutely nothing not a single thing. The only crime I've found is thievery. And even then it's extremely rare. Not one thing on murder or even an investigation on a murder."

"Well remember, guys." Rainbow Dash said. "We don't even know whether or not the authorities found out about this murder. This is just to weed some things out so we can narrow it down."

"Weeding files in the Town Hall isn't nearly as fun as actually weeding in a garden." Twilight said sarcastically.

"Come on, guys. We're almost done. Just a few more files." Rainbow said with a small smirk before continuing to search through the files with a new determination. With a small sigh, Applejack returned to her searching herself, as did Twilight. When not a single result revealed itself, the three friends stood before each other, confused as to what to do next.

"Okay, so we're done with all the public files." Twilight said with a small frown. "And we found absolutely nothing."

"So what now?" Applejack asked.

"We should ask around town." Rainbow Dash said. "Elderly ponies. They're the most likely to know about anything that's happened in the past sixty or seventy years." Applejack and Twilight looked at each other and nodded.

"Yeah, that sounds logical." Twilight responded with a small smile. "Now we're actually getting somewhere. Time to do some actual investigating."

"Alright." Applejack said with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. "Ah know just the mare to start with."

_____

When the three friends arrived at Sweet Apple Acres, they stopped outside Applejack's farmhouse and briefly considered how to approach the situation.

"So I'm guessing we're not gonna walk in there and say 'Hey, Granny Smith! Do you remember anything about a murder in Ponyville ever?' I mean, it might freak her out." Rainbow Dash said.

"Yeah, it would. Ah'll tell ya." Applejack said while rubbing her chin. "She's pretty sensitive about that kinda stuff."

"Then how are we going to do it?" Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Maybe y'all should stay out here for a bit while Ah go in and talk to her." Applejack said. "Ah could tell her that me and Twilight are workin' on some history project. Ah'll eventually get down to the history of crime in Ponyville." Twilight Sparkle nodded.

"Great idea, Appleajck." Twilight said. "It's probably the best thing to come up with at this time. Rainbow?"

"Sure, I'm cool with it." Rainbow said with a small shrug.

"Alright. Y'all pop a squat." Applejack said. "Ah'll be back in a bit." With that, Applejack turned and ambled nonchalantly into the house to find Granny Smith in her usual spot, knitting what looked to be some sort of cloth. She looked up at Applejack and smiled happily.

"Applejack. How are ya, sweetie?" Granny Smith asked.

"Ah'm alright, Granny Smith." Applejack said. "Just a little tired is all."

"How're things goin' with you and Twilight's business meetin'?" Granny Smith asked. "And where is Twilight if ya don't mind me askin'."

"Oh she's back at the library." Applejack said with a small chuckle. "Told her that Ah was comin' home to grab a little somethin'-somethin' to eat." Granny Smith smiled and nodded.

"Some sandwich fixin's are in the fridge." Granny Smith said. "The tomaters, lettuce and cheese are all sliced up and ready for ya. There's a little mustard and mayo too if that tickles your fancy."

"Sounds great, Granny Smith." Applejack said before walking into the kitchen and opening the refrigerator to prepare her sandwich.

'Alright, Applejack...' The mare thought to herself as she haphazardly threw her lunch together. 'Just casually bring it up...Don't freak her out.' When the farm mare finished her sandwich she put it on a small plate which she brought into the living room. She sighed as she sat on the couch across from Granny Smith.

"Hey, Granny?" Applejack said.

"Hmm? Whatcha need, baby?" The old mare responded.

"Could you tell me a little bit about Ponyville way back when it was founded again?" Applejack asked. Granny Smith stopped her knitting and looked at Applejack with a raised eyebrow.

"Now this is new." Granny said with a small smirk. "Ya never really ask me about any of that kinda stuff."

"It's part of me and Twilight's research." Applejack said. "She wants to write a history book."

"Ah, alright." Granny Smith said. "Well, it all started way back when your old-as-dirt grandmammy was just a little filly..." Granny Smith began. Applejack toned out the vast majority of Granny Smith's story, having heard of it previously. The lie she had to tell Granny Smith to get her to talk about the murder was painful for her, but it was the easiest way to know anything true about the murder.

"And that's how it all happened." Granny Smith finished after about five minutes. "There ya go, that's all ah really remember."

"Uh okay, Granny." Applejack said. "Thanks for that. Now could you tell me about the history of...uh...crime in Ponyville?"

"Crime? Oh, Ah suppose so." Granny Smith said. "Ah remember seein' more than a few foals stealin' stuff from the market...and adults who stole things much more valuable than anything like, say, an apple... And there have been quite a few fights, too. Some assault...Ah couldn't really talk about all of it specifi-specififi...exactly."

"Okay." Applejack said with a nod. "Hasn't there ever been a, uh...Murder?" This immediately sparked Granny Smith's attention as the small smile faded from her face and she raised an eyebrow.

"A murder?" Granny Smith said with a small frown. "Uh...I, uh...No." The old mare looked nervously to the side.

"Are ya sure?" Applejack asked. "Anypony just randomly go missin' or uh..."

"Oh, that's what this is about." Granny Smith said. "Ah knew ya weren't just comin' to ask about history."

"What's...that Granny?" Applejack asked. The old mare looked to the side and frowned before shakin' her head.

"Don't you play dumb with me, missy." Granny Smith said. "Ah know what you're askin' me about." Applejack sighed before nodding subtly.

"Okay." Applejack said. "Ah just need to know...was a mare really murdered here?" Granny Smith nodded.

"Oh, yeah." Granny Smith said. "She was murdered. There was never an official announcement about it...but we all knew."

"Well...what happened?" Applejack asked.

"Back when Ah was just about five years younger than you and your friends, there was this baker mare..." Granny Smith said. "Spring Moon. Nicest mare ya'd ever meet. She set up shop in Ponyville long before Mrs. Cake's momma came and established Sugarcube Corner."

"Well, what happened?" Applejack asked.

"Spring went missin' one day. Just gone. Without a trace." Granny Smith said. "Now many ponies...myself included...cared about Spring Moon. She had a husband with a baby on the way." Applejack's stomach sunk at hearing the words come from Granny Smith's mouth.

'Goddesses...' Applejack thought, suppressing tears from flooding her eyes. 'She was pregnant...'

"The police had an investigation, and we knew they'd found somethin', but they wouldn't tell us." Granny Smith said bitterly. "They said that she'd just left...run away. But we all knew better. She had a husband, and she darn well couldn't have raised that foal by herself. That bakery was all she had and she hadn't taken any of her belongings."

"So you're sayin' that the police covered it up?" Applejack asked, cocking her head slightly. "That just don't make any sense..."

"You're tellin' me." Granny Smith said looking down sadly. "She was a friend of mine...If she was still alive...she'd probably have grandbabies too." Granny Smith looked at Applejack. "Applejack...Ah don't know how ya found out about it...but please...whatever your plannin' on doin'...be careful." Applejack nodded and moved over to her grandmother to give her a hug.

"Ah will, Granny." Applejack said before stepping back. "Where's Applebloom?"

"She's in her room playin' with Spike." Granny Smith said. Applejack nodded before moving to the hallway toward Applebloom's bedroom. The farm mare listened at her little sister's door for a moment before opening the door slowly. Applebloom looked up at her sister and smiled widely. She had several of her dolls on the floor between her and Spike. It looked as if they were playing with them.

"Hey sis!" Applebloom said. "What's up?" Spike jumped up quickly and walked to the other side of the room and sat on the filly's bed.

"Hey, Applejack." Spike said as he nonchalantly leaned back on the bed. Applejack giggled and smirked at the blushing dragon who was pretending he wasn't.

"Hey y'all." Applejack said as she entered the room. "Just thought Ah'd check up on the both of ya. What're y'all doin'?"

"Oh, we're just playin' with my dolls." Applebloom said with a smile.

"I'm not playing with them!" Spike spouted quickly before clearing his throat. "I'm just chilling, see?" Applejack laughed and nodded, making the baby dragon's blush intensify.

"Yeah, Ah see, hun." Applejack said before approaching her sister and giving her a hug and a kiss on the head. Applebloom giggled.

"Yuck! What was that for?" Applebloom asked with a smile.

"Oh, Ah don't know." Applejack said before giving her little sister a noogie. She turned around and began to leave the room. "Ah'll see y'all later."

"Wait, Applejack." Spike said from the bed, making Applejack turn around. "Where's Twilight?"

"Oh she's still back at the library. Ah just came back for some lunch." Applejack held up her sandwich and turned to leave, but not before giving Spike a wink as she left the room. "Ah didn't see anything, Spike." Spike smiled bashfully and blushed as she closed the door. As she walked through the hallway and the living room, bidding farewell to her Grandmother, Applejack thought about exactly why she had given her sister a kiss on the head.

She didn't quite know exactly why she had, but she had a strange feeling that she might not see her sister again.

_____

Ten Minutes Ago

"So...why exactly did we wait here?" Rainbow asked. "Why didn't we just go back to the library?"

"Because." Twilight replied. "Would you like it if Applejack and I just left you behind while you tried to help out our cause?"

"Well I mean, we're just wasting time here." Rainbow said. "We could be back at City Hall, looking through more of those records."

"We already went through all the records and found nothing." Twilight said. "Why are you acting like this?" Rainbow sat down and sighed.

"You're right, you're right. Sorry." Rainbow said. "I guess I'm just a little antsy to get this done, you know?"

"I understand." Twilight said with a small sigh. "I kinda want this over with too. I don't do well with violence and that sort of thing." The two mares continued to sit and wait outside the farmhouse for their friend.

"So...when you..." Twilight said after a short while. "Experienced what the entity went through...what was it like?"

"It was awful. The absolute worst thing I've ever experienced." Rainbow Dash said. "I went through everything she did."

"So you felt everything?" Twilight asked. "What...what was the worst part?"

"Why do you want to know so much about it?" Rainbow asked, raising and eyebrow and narrowing her eyes at her alicorn friend. Twilight put her forehooves up and raised her eyebrows.

"I'm sorry! I don't really mean anything by it." Twilight said. "I just have a naturally inquisitive mind, I guess." Rainbow Dash sighed and squeezed her eyes shut in pain just remembering the experience.

"Okay. I guess..." Rainbow sniffled momentarily and wiped her eyes. "It was when he...broke my teeth on the table.... Or her teeth. It felt so real..." Twilight gently laid a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder.

"I'm sorry." Twilight said. "I didn't know it was such a sensitive subject for you. I won't ask about it again." Rainbow smiled at Twilight and nodded.

"Thanks." She said.

"Howdy, Rainbow Dash." Big Macintosh said suddenly from behind the two mares. The turned and he gave them a small bow. "Princess Twilight."

"Oh please, Big Macintosh." Twilight said. "I'm still just the same old mare. Just call me Twilight." The stallion nodded.

"Will do, Princess Twilight." He said with a smile. "So what brings y'all to Sweet Apple Acres?"

"Oh, we're just..." Rainbow said before thinking a moment. "Hanging out. Yeah, hanging out."

"Uhmm...Okay." Big Mac said nodding subtly.

"Applejack and I are working on a history project." Twilight said. "Rainbow Dash had nothing to do so she's tagging along with us." Big Mac nodded much more noticeably.

"Ah okay." He said. "Well, y'all have fun." He went into the barn and closed the door behind him.

"You couldn't have just said that when he asked you?" Twilight asked with a small giggle once she was certain he couldn't hear them.

"I...don't know." Rainbow said, getting flustered. "I guess I just...I don't know, okay?"

Applejack walked out of the farmhouse with a grim look on her face. She regarded her friends and began walking toward the exit of the orchard.

"Come on, y'all. There's a lot we gotta discuss..." Applejack said. Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash looked at each other before following Applejack down the path. The farm mare walked a good distance away from her house before finally sitting on a small bench. Rainbow Dash sat next her and gestured toward her sandwich.

"Are you gonna eat that?" Rainbow asked. Applejack rolled her eyes as she gave her sandwich to her cyan friend.

"What Ah'm about to tell y'all isn't gonna be fun to listen to." Applejack said.

"Did you find out anything about the murder?" Twilight asked. Applejack looked at her and nodded, her eyebrows never ceasing to be furrowed.

"Well, tell us." Rainbow Dash said.

"Alright Ah suppose now is as good a time as any...Granny told me everything." Applejack said with a sigh.

"Okay, so what is everything?" Twilight asked.

"Back when she was a bit younger than us, there was this baker mare named Spring Moon." Applejack said. "Everypony liked her, Granny Smith included. One day, she just went missin' without a trace. Well the police had an investigation, but they said that they didn't find anything and that she probably just ran away. The townsfolk knew better...she had a husband...and girls...she was pregnant." Twilight put a hoof over her mouth and gasped, her eyes widening. Rainbow Dash looked down toward the ground, a small sniffle coming from her.

"That monster killed Spring Moon and her baby." Applejack said. "And the police covered it up. Ah'm now more determined than ever to find out who did this."

"But what do we do?" Twilight asked. "We don't exactly have the best idea of what to look for or who to talk to..."

"Actually, we do." Rainbow Dash said. "Think about it, you guys. Who was mayor at the time when Granny Smith was our age?" After a moment of thought Twilight answered the question.

"Mayor Mare's grandfather!" Twilight said.

"Right." Rainbow said. "So we need to find Mayor Mare and talk to her about it. If her grandfather was mayor, then there's a good chance she knows about it." The three mares began walking toward Ponyville as Applejack spoke up.

"It's not like the Mayor's just gonna spill it as soon as we ask her any kind of question." Applejack said.

"Yeah." Rainbow said. "That's why we're gonna have to chip away at her until she tells us."

"That seems kind of harsh." Twilight said. "What if she's taken a vow of secrecy?"

"Twilight, this is a mare's soul we're talking about." Rainbow Dash said with a frown. "What's more important? Letting Spring Moon free from torment or some stupid vow?"

"I take your point," Twilight responded. "But still, it feels wrong..." They approached Ponyville in relative silence, none of them feeling much like talking about what they were about to do.

"By the way, Rainbow, how did you know that Mayor Mare's grandfather was mayor then?" Twilight asked the cyan mare.

"I just knew." Rainbow said. "I'm not just some stupid jock."

_____

When the three mares entered the town hall they were in an hour earlier, Twilight smiled as she approached the front desk, regarding the receptionist. The young earth pony smiled back at the princess.

"Hello again, princess Twilight." She said. "How can I assist you?"

"Hello." Twilight responded. "Could you perhaps get myself and my friends back to see Mayor Mare? It's an urgent matter." The receptionist nodded.

"Well I'm sure for the princess, the mayor can make time if need be." She said courteously. "One moment please." She picked up her small phone and spoke into it softly. Only small words like "She", "Yes, ma'am." and "Uh huh." could be made out among the murmuring. She turned her phone off and looked at Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Applejack.

"She says 'Please come in.'" The receptionist said. "I hope your matter is resolved." She pressed a small button and opened the door that led into the hallway back to the Mayor's office.

"Goddesses, Ah thought that would have been more difficult." Applejack said, rubbing the back of her head. Twilight giggled.

"Well, being a princess does have its privileges." Twilight responded as they came closer and closer to the mayor's office. They stopped just outside the door. "Now remember girls, go easy." Twilight took a moment to look specifically at Rainbow Dash who raised an eyebrow at her.

"Okay, okay." Rainbow said. "Geez." Twilight nodded before delivering three curt knocks to the Mayor's door.

"Come in!" A cheerful voice replied, prompting Twilight to push the door open and walk in to behold Mayor Mare sitting at her desk. "Hello, princess Twilight! Rainbow Dash, Applejack. How are you all doing today?"

"We're doing fine, mayor. Thank you for asking." Twilight said as they came to stand before the mare sitting at the desk.

"So what can I do for you?" The mayor asked.

"Mayor, we wanted to ask you...does the name Spring Moon mean anything to you?" Twilight asked. As if on cue, the rosy glow almost immediately faded from the mayor's cheeks as her eyes widened.

"Wh-Where did you hear that name?" The mayor stuttered nervously.

"Answer the question, Mayor Mare." Rainbow Dash said, furrowing her eyebrows.

"I...I..." The mayor said, breaking a cold sweat as she rubbed a hoof back through her silver hair.

"Mayor, please." Applejack said with a small frown. "All we wanna do is help."

"Help?" The mayor said before giving off a small laugh. "There's nothing you can help with this. The Spring Moon case? Oh, no. There's nothing you can help about it..."

"So you do know about it?" Rainbow Dash said. The mayor sighed heavily and looked down for a moment.

"Yes, I know about it." She said. "She ran away. That's what happened."

"Bull!" Rainbow spouted suddenly, making the mayor and her friends jump. They looked on at her in surprise.

"Rainbow! Calm down." Twilight said in an attempt to calm her friend.

"She was murdered and you know it! We all know it!" Rainbow said, her eyes narrowing with anger.

"Rainbow Dash, I don't know what you're-" The mayor began.

"I swear to Celestia if you say you don't know what I'm talking about I am going to-"

"Rainbow Dash!" Applejack yelled, making Rainbow stop in the middle of her sentence. "Ah'm sorry, mayor. She's very passionate about this. It's a long story." The mayor shook her head and put her head in one of her forehooves.

"No, no...it's quite alright. I....I...." She stuttered before looking up at them. "She's right."

"Start from the beginning, Mayor Mare." Twilight said. "Take your time."

"Thank you." The mayor responded. "It happened when my grandfather was mayor of Ponyville. And I was a filly, so there's a lot that I can't remember, but I'll tell you everything I do know. Spring Moon was a well-known and well-respected baker. Everypony loved her. She used to bake cookies for me with my name on them and have them there for me when I would visit her every Saturday. She had a husband and I believe she was pregnant..." Rainbow Dash turned and walked away for a moment after hearing the words.

"I remember her just...disappearing one day." Mayor Mare said with a heavy frown. "From this point is what I've learned from the official case file. The police launched an investigation to find her. The search went on for months, before they found the house where...I'm sorry it still makes me a little queasy to talk about..."

"Don't worry." Twilight said. "Get your bearings."

"The house seemed to be nearly finished, but abandoned in mid-construction. Inside the kitchen they found a plate of partially eaten cooked meat....blood stained the counters..." The mayor put a hoof over her mouth and shook her head slowly. "I'm sorry. They then found one of her earrings in the living room of the house. The husband confirmed that it was hers..."

"So you're sayin' that whoever killed her...ate her too?" Applejack said. The mayor nodded.

"At least partially." Mayor Mare said. Applejack gagged and put a hoof over her mouth. "Under the orders of my grandfather, the police told the public that she had run away and that was the official excuse."

"He sounds like a scumbag." Rainbow Dash said. The mayor immediately stood up with a look of rage on her face.

"You shut your mouth." She said, shaking. "My grandfather was a noble and courageous stallion!"

"Oh yeah, I bet he was!" Rainbow spouted back. "Covering up the wrongful murder of Spring Moon. So heroic."

"You don't get it!" The mayor nearly screamed. "Do you have any idea what a fledgling town Ponyville was at the time?! We had virtually nothing here! Back then we depended solely on the immigration of other ponies from other towns, cities and provinces! Nopony would come to Ponyville if they all knew there was a murderer on the loose, and the town would have died! This town is still here today because of the decisions my grandfather made!"

"But mayor, that's awful!" Twilight said, her eyes widening. "How could he just let him go?!"

"They increased security around Ponyville tenfold!" The mayor replied. "They searched as far as Las Pegasus for the murderer. We never found him and there hasn't been a murder in Ponyville since." Twilight shook her head and sighed.

"Fair enough." Twilight said. "I think we're done here."

"But Twilight-" Rainbow began.

"We're done here, Rainbow." Twilight said through her teeth before regarding the mayor once more. "Show us the case file." The mayor nodded and walked from behind her desk.

"Follow me." She said with a small sigh as she led the three mares through the hallway. She used a key and opened a door that read,

AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY

As they entered the room, the mayor took them to the very back of the room. Only the light from the front of the room illuminated the back where the small file cabinet was, creating an eerie fluorescent glow. The mayor opened the file cabinet and slowly looked through each file before finding the one labeled "Spring Moon". She blew the dust off of it and slowly handed it to Twilight.

"When you're done with it, please return it to it's place." Mayor Mare said. "I have it marked. I'm just going to stand over here..."

"Wait, Mayor." Rainbow said. "Whatever happened to your grandfather?" The mayor sighed and shook her head.

"He retired when he was sixty five." Mayor Mare replied. "After a while, he left for Fillydelphia. He left a note saying that he wouldn't be back, and that his marriage had failed. My father always told me that my grandmother was a terrible pony."

"I'm sorry that happened to your family." Rainbow said.

"Oh, don't worry about it." The mayor replied. "That was a long time ago. I barely remember him." She slowly walked to the other side of the room and waited for Rainbow Dash, Twilight sparkle and Applejack to look at the file. Twilight gulped before she slowly opened the file to see a picture of Spring Moon.

"You were right, Rainbow Dash." Twilight said. "She was beautiful."

"She died...so young." Applejack said as Twilight flipped the page to see many pages filled with tiny printed text. She eventually came upon a picture that made her want to vomit. There in the black and white picture, was the cooked piece of meat presumed to be part of Spring Moon. A third was seemingly cut away from it.

"Oh, Goddesses..." Twilight gagged as she handed the file to Applejack who turned the page. A picture of Spring Moon's beautiful earring waited for them.

"Ah just can't believe someone would do this to her..." Applejack said. "Ah'm just angry that he's probably not around anymore."

"I agree." Twilight said. "Whoever did this needs to be punished." As Applejack continued to flip through the file to see more text, Rainbow sighed through her nose and sat down.

"We might as well get comfortable here, girls." Rainbow said. "We've got a lot of reading to do."

Obligatory End-of-Chapter Author's Note: Now we all know about who the entity is, and why she's so tormented! What will come of Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Twilight's escalating investigation?! You're gonna find out! Cheers!

Chapter 6

Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash and Applejack apprehensively walked through the everfree forest in the direction of the house. Not one of the mares present spoke a word to one another. They all merely continued to walk forward toward their intimidating goal. With a small sigh, Applejack finally spoke up.

"So...what are we gonna do when we get there?" She asked her friends. "It hasn't been the most welcoming entity around the past two times we've been there."

"I've actually been thinking about that." Twilight said, continuing to look ahead. "Perhaps if we present ourselves to it as allies that only want to help..."

"Why are you two referring to Spring Moon as an it?" Rainbow asked with a frown. "Just because she's dead doesn't mean she's lost her being as a pony."

"Well Rainbow, she's dead. That's the point." Twilight said. "I don't think she'd care about what she was referred to as."

"I still think its awful." Rainbow said. "How would you like it if I was dead and someone referred to me as an it?"

"Okay, okay. I take your point." Twilight said. "We'll call Spring Moon a she from now on. Right, Applejack?" The farm mare nodded.

"Yeah." Applejack replied. "Sorry for hurting your feelings, Dash."

"It's fine." Rainbow said. "I just...I feel connected to her now that I've gone through what she did...And I just want to...help her, you know? I want to avenge her."

"Now Rainbow, don't go doin' anything stupid." Applejack said. "Odds are, the stallion that killed her is long dead of old age. But if it turns out he's not, Ah don't want ya goin' off to kill him or anything like that."

"I get it." Rainbow said. "I'm not some vigilante. But he deserves whatever's coming to him." The pegasus then looked ahead and furrowed her eyebrows, beginning to walk with a newfound determination toward the house. Before long, they arrived at their destination. The house stood just as intimidatingly as ever. It towered over the three mares with its two stories. The door still laid broken off its hinges on the front porch. The sun shined on the house, illuminating it to look like nothing more than an abandoned old building, incapable of harming anyone.

But it was what was inside the house that did harm.

"Wh...what if Spring Moon...doesn't want help?" Applejack asked with a raised eyebrow, her eyes widening slightly. "What if she just attacks us again?"

"Applejack, if she didn't want help, she wouldn't have put me through her experience." Rainbow said. "And I don't think she attacked us. I think she was just defending herself. Remember, the last pony she associated with murdered her."

"But for all we know, she's just going to do it again." Twilight said. "She might kill us."

"Now is the time when you two have reservations?" Rainbow asked the two mares. The cyan mare moved forward and addressed her friends. "Look, you both said you'd help me out with this. Now if I have to go in there alone, I will. But we all had an agreement."

"We know that, Rainbow." Twilight said. "But after what happened last time we were in there, can you blame us for having second thoughts?"

"You're the one who...felt...whatever Spring Moon went through." Applejack said. "It's hard to have the same kinda passion about this that you do."

"Well are you coming or not?" Rainbow Dash asked, raising an eyebrow. Twilight pursed her lips and Applejack looked to the side nervously. Rainbow continued to look at her friends for a while before turning back around and walking toward the house.

"I'm coming, okay?" Twilight said in slight irritation, moving to catch up with Rainbow Dash.

"Me too." Applejack said before stepping forward. "Let's go." They walked up to the front porch and through the front door of the house. The floorboards squeaked as they walked, each hoofstep feeling as if it would send the mares plummeting through the floor.

"Don't worry!" Rainbow called nearly immediately. "We're not here to harm you. We're not here to take anything from you. We only want to help." No sounds came from anywhere in the house and nothing moved. The three mares waited for minutes before Rainbow Dash spoke up again.

"We know you're here! You showed me what you went through for a reason! Show us how we can help you!" Rainbow Dash said, furrowing her eyebrows. She became even more agitated when no answer came yet again. "Spring Moon!"

The entire house seemed to rumble and it made an unbearable sequence of cracking and scraping sounds. Caked on dust fell from the rafters, and a candlestick sitting on the fireplace mantle inexplicably fell to the ground and broke in two. Rainbow, realizing now that she had the spirit's attention, breathed deeply before continuing.

"You showed me what happened to you. I want to help you...to avenge you." Rainbow said. "Tell us what to do. Please."

More silence followed Rainbow's words. The eerie stillness crept into the three mare's senses until it was nearly unbearable. A moaning suddenly came from the kitchen, making Twilight and Applejack jump.

"Th-that's the same moanin' Ah heard when Ah w-was first here with Rainbow." Applejack whispered, trembling. "Oh, Goddesses, it's happening again!"

"No." Rainbow said. "It's not. We have to follow it."

"Are ya crazy?!" Applejack asked in a hushed tone. "She'll kill us!"

"No she won't." Rainbow said. "She knows we want to help now. Come on, just follow me."

"We should trust Rainbow's judgment, Applejack." Twilight said. "She's the most connected to Spring Moon out of the three of us. I know this is hard for you, but we need to be there with her in case something happens." Applejack sighed and nodded slowly.

"Ah don't trust this one bit, but Celestia help me, Ah'll come with y'all..." Applejack said. "Ah just hope we're makin' the right choice."

The three mares steadily approached the kitchen, the moaning growing louder and louder the closer they came. It seemed pained and woeful, full of regret. As they entered the kitchen, it escalated to a scream, sending chills down their spines before dying down to a muted moan once more. Nothing moved in the kitchen. The cabinets all stayed shut and in their proper places, the sink did not turn on. Even the table, which sported a sickening dark stain on the edge that the mares had not noticed before, did not budge an inch.

"Ah-Ah don't like this." Applejack said.

"Stand your ground, AJ. This'll all be over soon." Rainbow Dash said to her friend comfortingly. "Alright! We've followed your signs, Spring Moon. What do we do now-" The cyan mare stopped in the middle of her speech, straightened and went wide-eyed where she stood. Confused by this sudden development, Twilight and Applejack slowly approached Rainbow Dash and saw her face.

"Rainbow Dash, are you okay?" Twilight asked.

_____

Rainbow Dash saw blackness...empty blackness. But something in her gut told her that she'd be seeing something that would give her some sort of direction of where to take her friends next. A vision of a cave suddenly flooded her sight. It had a peculiar look to it, seeming to be lopsided to the right. But the entrance of the cave remained intact and clearly defined. Rainbow knew in her being that she and her friends had to find that cave. Inside the cave, she saw a skeleton in a deep hole that seemed to be freshly dug. The vision seemed to focus on one of the teeth in the bottom jaw.

Hold a town meeting... A garbled and distorted voice that seemed to fade in and out of her hearing told her. Bring it... Rainbow knew the voice was referring to the tooth. Her vision suddenly went black again. She waited for another vision to come, but none came. Instead, a series of blurred colors and a faint voice called her name.

"Rainbow Dash..." It said. Before long, Rainbow's friends began to appear among the blurs. "Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash!" Twilight Sparkle lightly shook the pegasus. She shook her head and put a fore hoof on her forehead lightly.

"Ugh...I'm...I'm alright..." Rainbow said, stumbling to the side slightly before gaining her footing. "How long was I gone?" Twilight looked at Applejack briefly before turning back toward Rainbow Dash.

"About five seconds." Twilight said. "We just though you were having another seizure or something."

"I just...Spring Moon showed me..." Rainbow looked up and nearly dropped her jaw at what she saw. Burned into the rotten, wooden wall of the kitchen was-

FIND HIM

BRING HIM

Applejack gulped before looking at Twilight and Rainbow Dash.

"Ah suppose 'him' is the murderer. Well that's all fine and dandy..." Applejack said. "But how're we supposed to 'Find him and bring him.'?"

"I don't know, Applejack." Rainbow Dash said. "But...I know what we need to do next. She showed me." As soon as the words left Rainbow Dash's mouth, the door leading to the backyard flew open with such force, it cracked, nearly breaking off its hinges.

"I think...she wants us to go that way." Twilight said as they began walking toward the door. Rainbow Dash nodded at Applejack as they moved out of the door and onto the back porch. "Well, Rainbow...what did she show you?"

"She showed me...a cave." Rainbow said. "I think it's where her bones are."

"So Ah'm guessin' we just find her bones and bury her right...and this whole thing'll be over?" Applejack asked.

"I don't know for sure, Applejack." Rainbow said with a small sigh. "But it's a good place to start."

"Well then, Rainbow Dash, she showed it to you." Twilight said. "You have a better idea of where to go than we do. Lead the way." With a small exhale, Rainbow Dash led her friends off the back porch and through the overgrown grass. They walked for a short while and saw absolutely nothing.

"Well, the cave's gotta be somewhere near here." Applejack said. "Ah mean, he couldn't have carried her corpse that far...could he?"

"Why don't we just fly?" Twilight asked. "We could cover the grounds twice as fast."

"Because in my vision, the cave looked like it would be easy to miss." Rainbow said. "It wasn't that big...and it seemed to go underground some."

"Well do you have any idea of where we could possibly look?" The alicorn princess asked. "Because I can't see any cave as far as I can see."

"I...I..." Rainbow began to say that she had no earthly idea where the cave could be. That it could be miles away for all she knew. She began to say that it was probably a fool's errand to attempt to find the cave, especially this deep in the Everfree Forest. But something in the back of her head buzzed very subtly. A sort of extrasensory feeling enticed her to make an immediate left. "Follow me, girls...I think I know where it is!" The three mares, now sped up to a brisk canter, moved through the forest, dodging low reaching branches and overturned logs. The farther they went, the closer Rainbow knew they were coming to their goal.

"I'm almost positive it's straight ahead!" Rainbow said excitedly. But they came upon a rock wall, blanketed in moss, crushing their high spirits.

"Aw, Dash." Applejack said. "Don't worry. We can still try to find it." Rainbow shook her head and moved toward the rock wall.

"It's not what it seems..." Rainbow said quietly as she came closer and closer to the moss.

"Seems like a rock wall to me." Twilight Sparkle said before letting her rump fall to the ground. "Any other ideas on where to g-" The alicorn princess stopped in the middle of her sentence as she witnessed Rainbow's hoof disappear into the wall of rock and moss. Applejack, after doing a double take of her own, walked closer to the moss herself and put her own hoof through. She turned to Twilight and smiled.

"There's an entryway behind the moss. It's just hangin' here." Applejack said as Rainbow moved past the moss. Applejack and Twilight followed her in to behold a hidden oasis; featuring a small lake and, as Rainbow described, a cave. The pegasus looked back at her friends and raised an eyebrow.

"Rainbow, I...You..." Twilight said, stunned at both the beauty of the hidden spot and Rainbow's apparent extra sense. "I can't believe it."

"This is amazin'..." Applejack said. "But...Ah'm pretty sure we're gonna have to go into that there cave..."

"You're right, AJ." Rainbow said as she began to walk toward the mouth of the cave fearlessly. "Come on. Twilight, I'm gonna need you up front so you can provide light." With a nod, Twilight walked in front of Rainbow and performed a simple light spell that illuminated the cave rather nicely.

"Okay. Let's go." Twilight said as they began to move forward. "So, how far in do we have to go, Rainbow Dash?"

"I'm not exactly sure..." Rainbow replied as she took care to step over a rather large rock. "The visions were sparse and pretty vague. But I know for sure that this is the cave I saw..."

"Well Ah sure hope it's not too far in. Ah'm a little claustrophobic..." Applejack said with a small sigh. They continued walking for what seemed like ten minutes, looking at the walls beside them and nothing in front of them. The spell, even as meager and simple as it was, began to put a slowly increasing strain to Twilight the longer she had to sustain it. Rainbow Dash felt a familar buzz in the back of her head...the same buzz she felt earlier. She suddenly decided to look to her lower left.

"Stop." Rainbow said before gesturing toward the spot she was looking at. "We need to stop here. She's buried here."

"Are ya sure?" Applejack asked, unsure of Rainbow Dash's judgement. "The ground doesn't look any different than anywhere else in the cave."

"I'm sure." Rainbow said. "Spring Moon is buried right there. We need to dig up her bones."

"Okay..." Twilight said. "As much as I was expecting you to say that, it's still freaking me out to hear it..."

"You don't have to dig, Twi." Rainbow said to the alicorn. "Applejack and I will do it. You just give us some light."

"Ah hope you're right, Rainbow." Applejack said. "'Cuz if you aren't, Ah'm leavin'."

"That won't happen." Rainbow said. "Trust me. She's here." With that, the two mares began digging in the spot, scraping off deep layers of dirt with their hooves. Thankfully, the natural dampness of the cave kept the dirt loose and easy to manipulate, so the first part of the dig was relatively simple. For Applejack, the task wasn't difficult in the slightest; she was a farm mare after all. Rainbow had some difficulty in excavating, but it wasn't anything the fit and physically adept pegasus couldn't handle. Twilight's nerves began to grate as she continued to hold the spell as time went on. Still only very mildly tired, she continued to hold the spell before looking around nervously.

"Uh, Twilight..." Rainbow said between heavy breaths. "We need a steady light."

"Sorry, Rainbow." Twilight said. "I just heard some noises...I'm kinda nervous."

"Well just stay there a little longer." Rainbow said. "We're getting closer, I can feel it." As if on cue, after the words left Rainbow's mouth, Rainbow's hoof struck something hard; the action produced a loud thump, audible to all three mares present.

"Dear sweet Celestia..." Applejack murmured. "Ah can't believe it..." Rainbow and Applejack, newly empowered by their new find, dug the dirt away with newfound vigor, quickly clearing off the top of what appeared to be a rather large trunk. They continued digging and discovered it to be locked.

"Twilight! Do you think you can lift this out of here?" Rainbow asked before looking up at her friend. The pegasus' jaw nearly dropped as she noticed how deep in the hole she and Applejack were. The hole was almost over their heads. Twilight nodded down at them and huffed.

"Yeah." Twilight said as her horn glowed even brighter than it had already been as she then employed a levitation spell alongside her already draining light spell to lift the trunk out. She grunted as she laid it outside the hole and sighed as she released the levitation spell, going back to only the light.

"It looks like it's locked..." Twilight said upon observing it. Rainbow flew out of the hole and landed next to her.

"Yeah, we knew that." Applejack said, climbing out of the hole with a small grunt. "Don't worry about that, Twi. One quick buck and that thing'll be open like...geez Ah'm so winded Ah can't even think of somethin' snappy to say..." With a heavy grunt, Applejack bucked the lock. It crumpled slightly, but it held fast. This stunned Applejack as she winded up to try again. The second buck did the lock in as it completely popped, causing the trunk to open slightly.

"C'mon, Twilight. I need that light over here." Rainbow said, gesturing for Twilight to follow her to the trunk. All three mares approached the trunk with apprehension. The tension in the air was palpable as Rainbow began to push the lid up. A shriveled skeleton of what appeared to be a female pony laid in the trunk. Its four legs were hideously broken, most likely to help the corpse fit into the trunk efficiently. Applejack gagged and stumbled away from the trunk while Twilight merely looked away. Rainbow stood and stared at the bones, her bottom lip quivering as a single tear fell from her eye.

"Oh...." She mumbled quietly to herself before snapping back into her senses. "Twilight! Come on I need that light!"

"Well forgive me for momentarily retreating at the sight of the bones of a murdered mare!" Twilight said, frustration evident in her voice. "And also, do you have any idea what a strain it is to hold a light spell for two and a half hours, even for an alicorn?! I'm doing this to help you Rainbow!" Rainbow put her forehooves up in a gesture of penitence.

"Okay, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Twilight." Rainbow said. "It's just...I'm under a lot of stress too, and I just want to get this over with..."

"Alright." Twilight said with a small sigh, leaning back over the trunk. Applejack had rejoined them by this point as well.

"That sick monster..." Applejack murmured as they looked the bones over. A sickening odor was present, but it wasn't as strong as a corpse with rotting flesh. The eye socket's seemed bottomless, staring widely at everything and seeing nothing. Surprising her friends, Rainbow Dash reached her two forehooves into the trunk and took a hold of a tooth in the top jaw. The same tooth that the entity had shown her in the vision.

"Uh, Rainbow, what're ya doin'?" Applejack asked her friend. Her eyes widened heavily as Rainbow pulled the tooth loose from the jaw, producing a sickening snapping noise. This caused her two friends to jump back and scream.

"Rainbow Dash! What the hay?!" Twilight exclaimed in disgust. "Why would you do that?!"

"Guys..." Rainbow began.

"Rainbow, that's sick!" Applejack cried.

"Guys!" Rainbow said louder.

"I just can't believe you'd-"

"GUYS!" The pegasus nearly screamed, producing a deafening echo that shut her two friends up. "I pulled this tooth out of her jaw for a reason."

"And...what might that be?" Twilight asked as she rubbed her ear.

"When Spring Moon gave me the vision, she also showed me her bones and...told me to pull her tooth out." Rainbow said.

"Why would she tell you to defile her bones?" Applejack asked.

"I'm getting to that." Rainbow said. "She told me that we need to call a town meeting and bring the tooth. If we do this, we'll find her killer."

"Hm..." Twilight said. "This seems so strange and unorthodox..."

"I know it seems weird and depraved, but I'm only doing what she told me to do." Rainbow said, raising an eyebrow and smiling at her two friends. "We're getting closer, guys. I can feel it!"

"So he really is still alive...This just keeps gettin' better and better..." Applejack said with a sigh. "But Ah'll take your word for it, sugarcube...But just one thing."

"Yeah, what's that?" Rainbow inquired.

"What do we do with the remains?" Applejack asked.

"We should bury her properly in a cemetery." Rainbow said. "I figured it'd be the best thing we could do with them."

"Well I could have guessed that." Twilight said. "Thank Celestia it's only bones in there. Otherwise I'd say we have a monster task ahead of us."

"Yep." Rainbow said. "Applejack and I will tag team the trunk. Twilight, when we get to the cemetery, could you find a rock and make her a tombstone?"

"Sounds reasonable enough." Twilight said. "You guys need help putting the trunk on your backs?"

"Yeah, that'd be great, hun." Applejack said as she stood right beside Rainbow Dash. Twilight lifted the trunk with her magic and placed it on their backs.

"Now let's get out of here." Twilight said with a small gulp, looking up at the ceiling of the cave. "I really don't like this place."

"Agreed." Applejack said. "Oh, and another thing, what if somepony sees us buryin' bones in the cemetery? Seems awfully suspicious, doesn't it?"

"We'll have to be real quick about it, I guess." Rainbow said with a sigh. "By then, that'll officially be the end of the hard part of this investigation of ours."

"You say that now." Twilight said to her friend. "I still have to get the mayor to organize a town meeting. How am I supposed to do that?"

"That's a really good question..." Rainbow said with a small huff. "Just be honest. Tell her that this has something do with our investigation, and that she just needs to lie about renovations to the town or something."

"Ah don't have a problem with that." Applejack said with a small laugh. "Ah wouldn't mind hearin' some straight-up honesty right now..." Twilight Sparkle nodded at her friends.

"Alright, its settled then." Rainbow said. "And it's not like you're going to have to do this alone, Twilight. Me and Applejack will be with you." The three mares continued to move through the caves until they finally began to see the moonlight at the entrance.

"Oh, thank Celestia!" Twilight said as she finally stopped her light spell after a full three hours of use. "Great...now I have a headache..."

"Sorry, Twilight." Rainbow said with a small smile. "We could stop and get you some asprin."

"No, we shouldn't bother..." Twilight said with a small sigh. "The sun's already set and by the time we get to the cemetery, it's going to be completely dark. Might as well just get it done."

"Sounds good to me." Applejack said. "Y'know, now that we're really gettin' into it, Ah'm gettin' more and more tired of this. Ah just want it all to be over."

"We're already in it, AJ." Rainbow said. "We can't just stop."

"Ah know, Ah know..." Applejack said, looking to the side. "Ah just want for it to be done."

"Are you sure you know where we're going?" Twilight asked Rainbow Dash who nodded.

"Yeah. We're on the right track. Don't worry." Rainbow said. "I got us here and I can get us out."

The three mares continued to walk through the Everfree Forest, every single strange or out-of-place sound scaring them or making them uneasy. The bright moonlight provided just enough illumination to light the three friend's ways through the forest, showing them sticks and logs they could've possibly tripped over had they not seen them. The house eventually came into their view, and the sight of it repulsed the mares as they passed it, preferring not to enter it. They were all too exhausted and drained to face the entity that resided within the decaying place. Now that all of the mares were fully aware of where exactly they were, it was exceedingly simple for the three of them to find their way back to the outskirts of Ponyville.

"There's the cemetery..." Twilight said with a small tired smile. "Thank Celestia that this is almost over..."

"We've still got a bit to do, sugarcube." Applejack said with a raised eyebrow. "Not to mention potentially bein' found buryin' a corpse and sent to jail..."

"Don't worry, guys." Rainbow said. "If there's even a possibility we've been seen, Twilight will teleport away and I'll fly you out of there. It'll be fine."

"Yeah, ya say that now." Applejack said as she rolled her eyes subtly. It didn't escape Rainbow's attention.

"Have a little faith, Applejack." Rainbow said, furrowing her eyebrows. Applejack merely huffed and looked forward at the cemetery, continuing to walk. Twilight Sparkle giggled at the two friends.

"Even in this situation, you're butting heads like a married couple." Twilight said.

They reached the cemetery before very long and found a vacant spot. It was an older cemetery, so nopony would likely notice the new headstone. Rainbow and Applejack put the crate down on the ground and began to dig as fast as they could with their hooves. As they dug, Rainbow Dash regarded Twilight Sparkle, who stood and watched them.

"Twilight, I need you to make a headstone for her, remember?" Rainbow said, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh! Oh, yeah. Sorry." Twilight said. "I must be really tired."

"We're almost done." Rainbow said. "Just a little longer and we can stop." As Rainbow and Applejack dug, Twilight moved through the cemetery, looking for any kind of large stone that she could possibly use for Spring Moon's headstone. Not believing her luck, Twilight managed to find a medium sized boulder that would fit perfectly over the grave. She levitated it and carried it back to her two friends, who had already made a decent dent in the ground.

"Wow, you guys are working a lot faster than you were in the cave." Twilight said with an approving smile.

"Yeah, well, the risk of bein' caught and arrested kinda accelerates the urgency of the thing." Applejack said. Twilight sat before her stone and began to employ an engraving spell to do her work. Her horn lit up with magic as a small beam shot out and pierced the top layer of the stone, creating a perfectly smooth groove. After appraising the nature of the small start, she smiled and continued, slowly carving out letters in the stone. Rainbow and Applejack continued to dig, now up to their knees.

"My knees are killin' me." Applejack said between breaths. She looked over to see that Rainbow was sweaty, but continuing on with her normal speed. "How are ya still goin' so fast?"

"I don't know..." Rainbow said, as she kept digging. "I'm just...getting these sudden bursts of energy."

"Ah don't know how you're doin' it." Applejack said. "Ah'm got-dang exhausted..."

"We don't have much father to go, AJ." Rainbow said. "C'mon, let's get this done." Shaking her head and exhaling deeply, Applejack resumed digging with her pegasus friend. Time passed by seemingly slowly for the three mares, the nature and situation of their work taking a toll on their morale.

"How's it coming down there?" Twilight asked from above, as she finished engraving the headstone.

"We're pretty much done." Rainbow said with a small huff. "What about you?"

"Same." Twilight said. "Now that's what I call convenient." Rainbow and Applejack climbed out of the hole, which came up to the bottom of their necks, and placed the trunk inside. Twilight easily picked up the dirt and buried Spring Moon in her grave before placing the headstone on it. It read,

Here lies Spring Moon

A Baker

A Family Mare

Gone but not forgotten.

"Good job, Twi." Applejack said with a small smile. Twilight, upon looking at Rainbow Dash, noticed she merely stood wistfully at the headstone. This caused worry to bubble up within the alicorn.

"Rainbow?" Twilight asked, gaining her attention. "Are you okay?" Rainbow Dash immediately nodded and smiled.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." Rainbow Dash said. "It's great, Twilight. Let's get out of here."

_____

Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle and Applejack moved through Ponyville slowly and tiredly. After their long day's work, they were all completely and utterly exhausted to their very core. Every step felt like it was up a staircase for them. Applejack groaned as she moved forward, her eyes droopy.

"Ah can not wait to drop down in my bed." Applejack said with a sigh. "Ah'm more tired than a rabbit tryin' to escape a timber wolf. Y'all doin' okay?"

"I'm alright, I guess." Twilight said. "I certainly am not opposed to getting in bed now. Rainbow Dash?"

"Tired. That's for sure." Rainbow said, raising an eyebrow. "You know...I think it's best that it's just the three of us doing this, and not Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rarity."

"Why do you say that?" Twilight inquired.

"Well, Pinkie Pie's always cheerful and happy, so this might put her into a pretty bad funk like when she thought we were ignoring her...Rarity's a prim little fashionista, so none of this would be her cup of tea...And Fluttershy...No explanation needed." This caused Twilight and Applejack to giggle. The three friends felt guilty for laughing, but they couldn't help it. After such a long, grim day, a little laughter was needed.

"That's true." Applejack said. "Ah mean, Ah love 'em to death, but they wouldn't be much help."

"Yeah." Twilight said, just getting over a binge of laughter. "Could you imagine what Rarity would do if she got dirt in her mane?"

"Probably go absolutely crazy until she could get a shower." Rainbow said with a smile.

"Hey, y'all just want to crash at my house tonight?" Applejack asked. "Ah don't really have any beds available, but the couches in the living room are mighty comfy."

"Yeah, I think I will." Twilight said with a small nod. "Spike's there right now, so it'd make sense."

"I definitely don't feel like going all the way back to my house right now." Rainbow said. "So I'll sleep there too." Suddenly, they saw a police officer, making his normal rounds on the streets. His flashlight illuminating the area in front of him.

"Act natural." Rainbow whispered to her friends. "He's seen us. If we run, he'll chase us down." They all stood and began talking about different things, like shopping and different ponies they would be interested in. They all prayed that the cop wouldn't notice the excessive dirt on their bodies, but sure enough, he stopped them. He was a rather large black earth pony with a white mane and a handlebar mustache.

"Evening, ladies." He said. "Would you mind telling me why two of you are caked in dirt?"

"Why we're caked in dirt?" Rainbow asked before looking at herself and then at Applejack. "Oh...Oh we we're wrestling."

"Wrestling?"

"Yessir, wrestling."

"At three-thirty in the morning?" The question made Rainbow's eyes widen momentarily before she continued and nodded.

"Yeah, we're all kinda night owls." Rainbow said with a smile. "Just ask Princess Twilight." The police officer looked past Rainbow and Applejack to see Twilight, who waved somewhat sheepishly.

"It's true, officer." Twilight said.

"Alright, then." He said with a small smile. "You girls have a good night. And try to get some sleep."

"You got it, sir!" Rainbow said as they continued walking. Once they got a significant distance away from the officer, they all relaxed at their close call.

"Glad we made it out of that one." Applejack said with a small chuckle. "Now, let's get to my house so Ah can shower and get some sleep."

"Save us some hot water." Twilight said to her friend with a smile. Sweet Apple Acres came into their views, an inviting beacon of rest and recuperation from the day's activities.

"Ah just can't believe that as soon as we wake up, we're gonna be back at it again, tryin' to solve this ridiculously entangled mystery." Applejack said. "And that we're really gonna find out who did this...At least we hope we will."

"Don't worry, Applejack." Rainbow Dash said. "We're getting closer. I can feel it." The pegasus adjusted the wing she kept Spring Moon's tooth nestled in as she felt it digging into her skin.

Obligatory End-of-Chapter Author's Note: Okay, there's that one, guys! I must admit, I've been in the biggest horror mood lately because I've been playing the horror video game Outlast. Its freakin' terrifying! There's still plenty of twists and turns in this horror mystery to come! Stay tuned. Cheers!

Chapter 7

Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Twilight Sparkle sat in the dining room of the Sweet Apple Acres farm house in near silence. They all munched on their meager breakfasts of hay oats with milk slowly and methodically, thinking about the task that lied ahead of them. Applejack had expressed her regret to her friends that they didn't have anything better than the cereal, but they dismissed it and took the hay oats gratefully. All three mares were still extremely tired from their efforts the previous day, but they knew that there was much more work to be done that day. None of them had any reservations on it, for it absolutely had to be done. It was now obligatory for them, considering that they had already buried Spring Moon's remains in the cemetery the previous night.

"So..." Applejack said after she had finished her cereal. "Just to recap, we're all gonna get the mayor to call a town meeting and have her yak about bull for half an hour, just so we can try to find the murderer of Spring Moon and bring him back to her?" Rainbow Dash looked at her friend and nodded.

"Yeah. That's the plan." Rainbow Dash said. "Doesn't sound too effective when you say it like that though..."

"But what's going to happen to him?" Twilight asked, a tinge of worry in her voice.

"I don't know for sure." Rainbow said. "But I know it won't be good. And whatever it is, he deserves it."

"Rainbow..." Twilight said.

"What, you deny it?" Rainbow replied. Twilight pursed her lips and looked down, seeing Rainbow's point.

"So how exactly are we gonna find him?" Applejack asked.

"We're gonna use the tooth." Applejack looked at her friend with widened eyes.

"Please tell me that ya didn't bring that thing to the table." Applejack said. Rainbow giggled quietly. The small laugh seemed out of place in their situation.

"Of course not." Rainbow said. "I have it in a small purse in the living room."

"Good." Applejack replied, sitting back in her chair. Twilight and Rainbow finished their cereal at virtually the same time and pushed their bowls away slightly as a sign of this.

"I'd imagine that getting the mayor to call a town meeting wouldn't be too difficult." Twilight said with a small sigh. "I don't think she'd refuse a request from a princess."

"Well we still have to tread lightly, Twilight." Rainbow said. "Even though it was mostly my fault, we almost wore out our welcome with her last time."

"I understand that, but the Mayor is a good pony." Twilight said. "She'd have to listen to reason, especially if she knows we're going to find the killer."

"What killer?" Spike asked groggily as he walked into the dining room, surprising the three mares. Twilight, Applejack and Rainbow Dash all looked at each other frantically, searching for a logical explanation to describe their perfectly illogical task.

"Uh, uh...The killer in our novel we're writing on the side!" Twilight quickly said. "We've been writing a mystery novel, the three of us."

"Really?" Spike said, raising an eyebrow. "I've never seen you writing a mystery novel."

"Okay then, what do I usually write about?" Twilight asked.

"I dunno...Princessy stuff?" The baby dragon replied.

"Aha. That's where you're wrong. About half the time you see me writing, I'm writing the novel. I don't have as much work as you think I do. Applejack and Rainbow have helped me work out the plot of it all. Isn't that right, you two?"

"Totally." Rainbow said with a smirk. "I've been giving her all kinds of advice to keep it edgy and suspenseful."

"And Ah've also been givin' her pointers to keep it grounded in reality." Applejack added with a genuine smile. After looking at the three mares, Spike shrugged his shoulder and sighed.

"Fair enough." He said before regarding Twilight. "How did everything go yesterday?"

"Things went well." Twilight replied. "I'm afraid that we're going to need one more day though, Spike. You can go stay with Rarity if you'd like and play with Sweetie Belle." Spike groaned before exhaling through his nose.

"Oh, fine." Spike said before looking at Applejack and raising his hands. "It's not that I don't like Applebloom..."

"It's fine, sugarcube." Applejack said. "Ah can barely stand to spend more than a couple days in here anyways before gettin' out for some fresh air. And we all know how much you're in love with Rarity." Spike blushed and indignantly looked at the three mares who giggled at him.

"No, I'm..." Spike said before sighing. "Screw it. I am."

"Spike! Language!" Twilight said to the baby dragon who groaned once more.

"Alright, alright." Spike said before turning around. "Fine." As the baby dragon walked out, Twilight called after him.

"Get ready! We're leaving in ten minutes!" She said before sighing to herself. "I swear, that dragon..."

"Ah get it, Twi." Applejack said. "Applebloom's gettin' to be at that age too."

"I suppose we'd better get going." Rainbow said with a small sigh. "With any luck, we can end this by tonight."

"We'd all be so lucky." Applejack said as the three of them stood to embark on the second day of their nobile task.

_____

"Twilight! Rainbow! Applejack! This is unexpected." Rarity said with a small smile. "What brings you three here today?"

"We still have some research left to do so do you think Spike could stay the night here?" Twilight asked, raising her eyebrows nervously. "I know it's sudden and unexpected..."

"Oh, nonsense!" Rarity said before looking down at Spike, who leaned coolly on the doorframe. "My little Spikie-Wykie is always welcome here!" Spike struggled to suppress a goofy laugh as he looked up at Rarity and blushed heavily.

"Hey, Rarity..." Spike said, enamored with the prim white unicorn.

"And I see Applebloom's here too." Rarity said. "I assume she wants to stay here as well."

"She can stay for a bit and walk home from here." Applejack said. "She knows the way. Ah don't wanna inconvenience ya, Rarity."

"Oh, don't be silly! Sweetie Belle is up in her room playing." Rarity said kindly. Spike and Applebloom moved past the adults to the staircase leading to the second floor of the boutique. When Rarity saw that the dragon and the filly were out of earshot, she turned back to her friends and smiled, but her expression was much more serious. "Would you three like to come in for a cup of tea? I have some made."

"That sounds great, actually." Twilight said with a small nod. The trio followed Rarity into her parlor and took their seats.

"I'll be back in a moment." Rarity said before ambling quickly to the kitchen. Rainbow Dash looked quickly at Twilight and Applejack.

"Should we tell her?" Rainbow asked. "Y'know, about yesterday and what we plan on doing today?"

"I honestly don't see why not." Twilight responded. "Rarity has always been a bit of a gossiper, but she hasn't told anypony about the house as far as we know."

"Still, do you think we can trust her with this?" Applejack asked. "Ah mean, we don't know what Spring Moon is gonna do to the murderer when we bring him to her. What if Rarity goes off and tells somepony about it? We could be arrested."

"We don't know what she's going to do to him." Twilight said. "So I say we trust her."

"Well Ah'm against it." Applejack said. "Rainbow Dash?" The pegasus looked at her two friends and thought a moment. It could be good to tell a friend about the plan, but it could include dire consequences, depending on how Rarity would handle the information.

"We tell her." Rainbow said. "We might regret it...but what the hay. I don't think she'll tell anypony besides Pinkie or Fluttershy." Applejack sighed and shook her head as Rarity walked into the room, clutching a tray of teacups. She gingerly laid them down on the coffee table and sat down next to Applejack.

"So how has everything gone?" Rarity asked. "I haven't heard from any of you since you started."

"Well, we've come pretty far, that's for sure." Rainbow Dash said. "We went and questioned the mayor and found out that the murder happened a long time ago, back when Granny Smith was a little younger than us. The mare who was murdered was called Spring Moon. She was a well-respected baker and many ponies loved her before she just up and disappeared one day. You know what happened to her. The police covered up the murder in an attempt to keep Ponyville alive, and they never found the killer."

"Gracious..." Rarity said. "How did covering up the murder save Ponyville?"

"Because back in those days, Ponyville was a fledgling town and far from self-sufficient. It depended on ponies staying to keep the town's economy in check. If anypony found out that a murder took place around Ponyville and that the murderer was still loose, the town would have become deserted and died." Twilight Sparkle said with a small sigh.

"I understand why they did that." Rarity said. "But I can't help but think they went about it in the completely wrong way by covering it up."

"I agree with that completely." Rainbow Dash added.

"What did they do about the murderer?" Rarity said. "They never found him?"

"No." Rainbow Dash said to her. "They increased security around the town, but there hasn't been a murder in Ponyville since."

"Well what happened after that?" Rarity asked. "It doesn't seem like that's all that happened yesterday."

"Oh, we're just gettin' started, sugarcube." Applejack said. "Things are about to take a turn for the weird."

"I doubt at this point that anything will surprise me." Rarity said with a small sigh. "The things we saw in that house..."

"Upon examining the case file in town hall, which was kept under lock and key away from the public files, we read that it was in fact Spring Moon that was murdered. They found one of her earrings at the scene. Her husband confirmed it." Twilight Sparkle said. "The police found the kitchen counter drenched in blood and they found a partially eaten piece of cooked meat...suggesting...that the killer at least partially cannibalized her." Rarity seemed to go green immediately as she covered her mouth with a fore hoof.

"Oh, Goddesses..." She said. "I...I don't..."

"Ah think she's surprised." Applejack said to Twilight and Rainbow Dash, attempting to make light of the situation. Her attempt failed miserably, as her friends sent angry looks her way. The tension in the room was almost a solid presence among the four mares.

"After reading the case files, the three of us went back to the house..." Twilight said. "You take it from here, Rainbow Dash." The pegasus nodded before beginning.

"We went inside and began talking to Spring Moon. She suddenly showed me a whole bunch of visions. After I came to...and Twilight told me I'd only been catatonic for about five seconds, it was like I knew exactly where to go and what to do. She wanted us to find the killer and bring him to her. There were burned words in the wall that said 'FIND HIM. BRING HIM.' So I lead Twilight and Applejack to a cave hidden in the Everfree...Inside we dug and found Spring Moon's bones. We took her to the cemetery and gave her a proper burial and headstone."

"Today, we're going to call a town meeting so we can find the murderer." Twilight said. "Rainbow Dash has worked out a way with Spring Moon to find him." The princess decided to spare her friend the grisly details of finding the killer, as to avoid making her vomit completely. "After that, we'll take him to the house."

"What will Spring Moon do to him?" Rarity asked. "Will she kill him?"

"We're not sure." Rainbow said. "She didn't tell us."

"Well if she does kill him, good riddance." Rarity said with a small huff. "What an absolute monster."

"Rarity, it is absolutely imperative that you don't tell a soul." Twilight said. "No one outside our group of six."

"Why in the world would I tell anyone?" Rarity asked, slightly indignant as she tilted her head and narrowed her eyes.

"Well, you've always been kinda a gossiper, sugarcube." Applejack said.

"That's always only been about trivial things like 'I heard that Roseluck has a crush on Big Macintosh.'. I would never speak of this to anyone. I haven't told anyone about that day, if that is what you're implying." Rarity said, hurt by her friend's statements.

"That's not it at all." Rainbow Dash said. "We're not saying you're some kind of bimbo who can't keep secrets. We just can't take any chances at all." Rarity sighed and nodded.

"Alright. I understand." Rarity said. "When are you planning on doing this?"

"The town meeting is going to be held later today." Twilight said. "Hopefully we can end this thing for good before tonight."

"We would all be so lucky." Rarity said with a sigh.

"Hey, Ah said that earlier too!" Applejack said with another attempt to lighten the mood.

The farm mare once again failed.

_____

It had taken quite a bit of convincing, and even a small threat to expose the secret from Rainbow Dash, but Mayor Mare eventually agreed to hold a faux town meeting. The general consensus among the group would be that she would talk about renovations to the town that had already been announced sometime prior. If anypony inquired why the meeting was being held, the mayor would explain that it is just to cover all the bases in conjunction to the renovations in case anyone happened to miss any details. The mayor had stipulated a condition that the three mares found hard to refuse. Princess Twilight Sparkle was to address the crowd halfway through the meeting to alleviate the pressure from her shoulders. Since Twilight was a naturally gifted speaker, and the job of finding the killer could be easily done by Rainbow Dash and Applejack, they took the deal and began to prepare for the town meeting as the Mayor sent out messengers to go door to door. They were to express the mandatory nature of the meeting. Twilight Sparkle regarded Rainbow Dash as they walked through Ponyville toward the town square. The meeting was about to begin.

"I'm pretty sure that you've completely worn out any favor you had with the mayor with that little threat, Rainbow Dash." Twilight said, raising an eyebrow at the headstrong pegasus, who merely shook her head and smirked.

"She was about to say no, Twilight. Couldn't you tell?" Rainbow said. "Anyways, who cares? I'm best friends with Princess Twilight Sparkle, so I doubt that I'm gonna need to be in the Mayor's favor any time soon."

"Still, Rainbow Dash, it's good to be couth about these kinds of things." Twilight said. "You didn't have to threaten to blacken her family name forever. I think we could have convinced her otherwise."

"Would you have wanted to take that chance?" Rainbow Dash asked. "If the mayor didn't get the town together today we were never going to find the killer."

"She's got a point, Twilight." Applejack said with a small sigh. "While Dash could have gone about it better, we now have a much better chance of findin' him than we did before."

"Exactly." Rainbow said. "With everypony in Ponyville assembled, the tooth will lead us to him...somehow..."

"That sends chills down my spine." Applejack said with a heavy frown. "Our whole entire lives, we've been livin' with a sick murderer among us."

"He's extremely old at this point." Rainbow Dash said. "You've seen how slow Granny Smith is."

"Now, you just choose your next words carefully when you're talkin' about my Granny, Dash." Applejack said, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Sorry. I didn't mean any offense by it." Rainbow said. "What I meant was that we all know that Stallions age worse than mares, so he's gonna be extremely frail, whoever he is. Unless he's immortal or something."

"I actually wouldn't be too surprised if that was true." Twilight said. "It'd be in keeping with the rest of the weird stuff we've been through."

"Let's just hope that he's skin and bone." Applejack said with a small sigh as they assembled in the town square close to the small stage that was set up. Most of the ponies in Ponyville were assembled, including their three friends who were not taking part in their investigation. A podium stood in the center of it, signifying where Mayor Mare and eventually Twilight would be speaking. They approached the mayor, who stood preparing her useless speech. The mayor turned to them and frowned.

"I hope this is all worth it." The mayor said in a frustrated tone. "I'm having to throw together this completely worthless speech. I actually can't believe this is happening. You had me assemble this town meeting based on a hunch you three had." The trio hadn't bothered to tell the mayor about Rainbow Dash's vision because, in all likelihood, the mayor probably would have immediately had them escorted from her office.

"Don't worry, Mayor." Twilight said. "We'll have found him by the time we've finished the address."

"Well, we have ten minutes." Mayor Mare said. "I'd suggest that you make them count. I don't want to be up there for any longer than I have to be." Rainbow Dash looked behind them to see that Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Fluttershy were assembled and waving them over.

"Uh, guys, we have something we have to do real quick." Rainbow said, gesturing to their friends. Twilight and Applejack acknowledged the statement and turned back to the mayor.

"I'll be back in five minutes." Twilight said.

"Where are you going?" The Mayor asked, slightly panicked.

"Don't worry about that." Twilight responded as they walked over to their friends.

"Okay, I told Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy everything and we want to help in any way possible." Rarity said with a small nod. "Just tell us what to do to make this easier for you three."

"Alright. Applejack and I are going to try to find the murderer. While we do that, we need the three of you to buy us some time to do our work. I figure we'll need ten minutes...fifteen tops. Spread out in the crowd and when Twilight gets up there, ask her some really loaded questions to keep her talking. Odds are that quite a few ponies will have something to ask about, but when all the questions are out, we need the three of you to jump in and keep it going if we haven't found him yet. If everyone goes home, we might as well consider the murderer lost."

"Alright, that sounds simple enough." Rarity said. "Twilight, I'll be asking you about the fountain and whether or not there is going to be an expansion." Twilight regarded Rarity with a nod.

"I suppose I'll ask if renovations will be made to the pet shop." Fluttershy said with a small smile.

"And I'll ask about Sugarcube Corner and ask if the paint is going to be redone! Because the paint is really starting to fade super duper fast!" Pinkie Pie said excitedly.

"Thank you guys." Twilight said. "Now that I know your questions, I can start thinking of some long, drawn-out answers."

"Looks like the meeting is starting!" Applejack said as she pointed toward the Mayor stepping up on the stage. "You'd better get over there, Twilight!" The alicorn hurried to stand behind the stage. She smiled up at the mayor as she turned around to look, checking to see if she had fulfilled her end of the bargain. With a heavy and deep breath, the Mayor began.

"Fillies and Gentlecolts!" She said. "Thank you for attending this short town meeting, and I apologize for any inconvenience caused."

"What's this all about, Mayor?" A gruff-sounding stallion inquired. "I've gotta get back to work quick." The statement did nothing to ease the Mayor's already faltering composure.

"This meeting is to go over and discuss new renovations that will be made to Ponyville in the coming weeks." She said. Grumbles and dissenting speech was heard among the crowd. "Now I am aware that this subject has already been covered at a previous time, but this is to 'Cover all the bases' so to speak and make sure everypony knows exactly what is going on because several safety issues are involved." As the mayor began to dive into the meat of the speech, Rainbow Dash turned to Applejack and smirked.

"Let's get this started." She said, reaching into the small purse hanging around her shoulder. Slowly and carefully, she pulled the tooth out, making sure that nopony was watching her and her friend. She held it for a moment and sighed lightly.

"Well?" Applejack asked. "What's it supposed to do?" Rainbow looked at her for a moment and placed the tooth on the ground in front of them. Applejack sighed and turned away, raising a forehoof.

"Ah knew it! How could Ah have trusted a tooth to help us out with this? Ah mean really, Ah-"

"Applejack." Rainbow said, gaining the attention of her friend for a moment. "Look." Applejack's jaw nearly dropped as she witnessed Spring Moon's tooth begin to tumble over the ground on its own. Rainbow looked at Applejack's stunned expression and smirked.

"Tarnation..." Applejack said, completely aghast.

"Right." Rainbow said. "Let's go catch a murderer." The tooth moved slowly but surely along the ground. Thankfully, the ponies attending the meeting were focused on Mayor Mare, who was mid-speech, nervous in her bones.

"And new roofs will be added to the bowling alley, as there has been a noticeable deterioration there." She wiped the sweat from her forehead as she continued. The tooth began to pick up speed, causing Rainbow and Applejack to pick up theirs as well. It began moving toward a concentrated crowd of ponies. Alarmed to the dilemma, Rainbow quickly turned to Applejack.

"Quick, AJ! You go around, I'll go through the crowd." Rainbow said.

"Are ya sure about that?" Applejack asked. "There's quite a few over there..."

"Yeah, I'm sure." Rainbow said with a small nod. "I can make it through. We just cannot lose focus on that tooth!" With a gulp, Rainbow moved forward before diving into the crowd, hunkered down low and trying her absolute hardest to avoid knocking into any others.

"Oh! How rude!" One mare exclaimed.

"Sorry!" Rainbow said, not taking her focus off of the tooth, which continued to pick up speed. This caused her to lose much of her caution in her attempts to keep up with it and bump into even more of the attending citizens. "My bad! Excuse me!" The tooth moved faster and faster, rolling and tumbling faster than Rainbow could get past the ponies. Suddenly, the tooth disappeared. She had lost sight of it.

"No..." She whispered to herself as she moved as quickly as she possibly could, almost knocking a stallion over.

"Hey, watch it!" He yelled.

"Sorry!" Rainbow said quickly.

"And furthermore, I...I..." The mayor trailed off as she saw the center crowd get disrupted by Rainbow Dash. Ponies began to turn around toward the commotion, and the mayor knew she had to create a diversion. "And due to a sudden rise in town revenue, the interest payments for loans for small businesses will be decreased by fifteen percent!" This gained the attention of most of the ponies at the town meeting as they applauded happily. The mayor hadn't made the announcement before, but it was a plan that had already been put in motion by herself and the town administration. It decrease was originally going to be ten percent, but she was sure she could swing fifteen with the proper persuasion. As Rainbow Dash came forth from the opposite side of the crowd. Applejack met her where she stood.

"Applejack! I've lost track of the tooth!" Rainbow said in dismay.

"Ah haven't. It's right there." Applejack said, pointing to it. It was moving faster and faster, causing the two mares to break into a slow gallop after it. At this point, Twilight Sparkle took the stand and began speaking.

"Citizens of Ponyville! It has been an honor to be your princess and to oversee these new renovations. I will now be taking questions."

"That business about the small business loan interests!" A stallion called. "Is that true?" Twilight looked back at the mayor, and upon seeing her nod, turned back toward the stallion and nodded herself.

"Yes, I am quite happy to confirm that it is true. As the overseers of this great town, we feel as if it is our duty to make it easier for small businesses to thrive. They are, after all, the backbone of our town. Any others?"

Not a soul stirred. And it appeared that Rainbow and Applejack were still following what looked to be the tooth around. Suddenly, Rarity raised her hoof.

"I have a question!" Rarity called, sending a quick wink toward the princess.

"Yes, Rarity?" Twilight responded.

"I've noticed that the town fountain is somewhat lacking in design and tone. Are there plans to renovate and expand the fountain? If not, why?" Rarity said. Twilight smiled and gave a small nod toward her friend.

"At this point in time, the administration does not believe that the fountain is in need of an expansion. It looks perfectly fine as it is. Perhaps at some point in the future, some new design choices may be implemented, but for now, we do not currently have the funds to add the fountain to our list of changes." Rarity nodded.

"That is all from me, thank you!" Rarity called. Twilight nodded.

"Alright, any other questions?" Twilight called. After a few seconds of no replies, Fluttershy hovered over the crowd and raised a hoof.

"Yes, Fluttershy. What is your question?" Twilight asked. What followed was a nearly completely unintelligible series of words from the timid pegasus. "Fluttershy, please state your question more clearly. I can't hear you."

"Come on! It must be getting closer!" Rainbow said to Applejack. Seemingly arbitrarily, the tooth began to slow down. This confused Rainbow Dash and Applejack until they saw where the tooth was leading them. Several senior ponies stood together, most likely from the nursing home. Eight in all, the ones that could stand and move around. Three of the seniors were female, so they were immediately out of the running. The tooth then made a turn toward another unseen senior and knocked into his right fore hoof. He stood alone and completely quiet. He seemed to be completely emotionless, staring ahead blankly. Rainbow Dash and Applejack looked at him with disdain and horror. Before them stood a sick and twisted murderer, responsible for the tortured soul residing back in the house in the Everfree. The stallion looked at them and grunted before kicking the tooth back toward them. He didn't even inquire as to how they had acquired it. Scowling at the old stallion, Rainbow picked up the tooth and placed it back into the purse.

"That's him?" Applejack whispered to Rainbow Dash. The pegasus nodded, her anger never leaving her expression.

"Yep." Rainbow said, eyeing the same racetrack cutie mark that she saw in the vision. "That's him."

"We can't take him now." Applejack said. "Come on, let's get back to Twilight, so we can come up with a plan." Rainbow stayed focused at the stallion, staring at him intently for a few moments before snapping out of her trance and nodding toward Applejack. As they returned to where they started, Rainbow looked at Twilight and gave her a nod, signifying that they were finished.

"...So yes, Pinkie Pie, the paint on Sugarcube Corner will be renewed, as per the prior arrangements. Thank you all for your cooperation. I'll no longer be taking questions. You are all dismissed." Twilight sighed as she turned away from the podium toward the Mayor.

"You seemed to stop pretty suddenly." The aged mare said with a scowl, not quite directed at Twilight.

"We've done what we needed to, so you didn't hold the meeting for nothing." Twilight said. "I guess it's just too much of an inconvenience to see that justice is achieved for the mare your grandfather chose to forget about all those years ago." The mayor, guiltily lowered her head. "Thanks for your help." Twilight said in contempt as she passed the mare and stepped down from the stage to meet her friends.

"We've got him, Twilight." Rainbow Dash said with a grim expression. "The murderer."

"Who is he?" Twilight asked.

"No one we know." Applejack said. "Just some really old guy. Older than Granny Smith, Ah know that for sure. But he can still move around it looks like, so there shouldn't be any trouble moving him."

"You know for sure that's him?" Twilight asked.

"The tooth rolled right up to him and knocked into his hoof." Rainbow said. "We're sure."

"We need to form a game plan." Applejack said before turning to Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. "If y'all wanna go home, now's the time. Whatever's gonna happen tonight to that stallion...it ain't gonna be nothin' good." Rarity nodded.

"Please come and see me tomorrow so I know you're alright." Rarity said.

"I'll be there too." Fluttershy said. "Rarity would you mind if I stayed with you tonight?"

"Not at all, Fluttershy." Rarity said. "Pinkie would you like to come too?" The pink party pony jumped up and down excitedly before regaining her grip on the grim situation at hand and nodded before laughing nervously.

"Sure." Pinkie said, rubbing the back of her head.

"Remember, come see us tomorrow, or we'll come looking for you." Rarity said as she turned back to Applejack, Rainbow and Twilight. The friends all said their goodbyes and separated. Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash and Applejack all came to a rest at a bench in the quiet side of Ponyville.

"So, how are we gonna do this?" Rainbow Dash said. "We can't just waltz in there and take him away."

"Maybe we can say we're gonna do an interview." Applejack said with a raised eyebrow.

"But that wouldn't explain why he would suddenly go missing." Twilight said.

"But we don't know for sure if he's going missing." Applejack said to the alicorn.

"He's about to come into contact with the mare her murdered in cold blood years ago." Twilight responded. "I think we should presume that he's going to go missing."

"We should make it look like he escaped." Rainbow Dash said. "Find him in the middle of the night, open his window and take him."

"That seems kind of brutal." Twilight Sparkle said in worry.

"He's a murderer Twilight." Rainbow Dash said, narrowing her eyes and furrowing her brows. "He deserves whatever he's getting, remember?" Twilight sighed and nodded slowly.

"How...how do we do it?" Twilight asked. Rainbow thought for a moment and smirked.

"Okay, Twilight, you and I will fly up to his window. Applejack will cut the power to the building and while the lights are off, we take him, in and out as quickly as we got there!" Rainbow said.

"What about the security guards?" Applejack asked. "They're patrollin' the place like guard dogs."

"The power outage will take them off guard." Rainbow said. "As long as we get him out and make as little noise as possible, we should be okay."

"That sounds pretty risky..." Twilight said.

"You got a better plan?" Rainbow asked her friend flatly. Twilight thought for a moment. If they did "borrow" him, they'd expect them to return him by at least the next day. They would have to make it look like he escaped to pull it off to where they wouldn't be sought out in any way. Twilight Sparkle sighed and nodded slowly.

"I...I suppose that its our only option at this point." Twilight said. "We'll be arrested if we're caught. I would lose my title as princess...Applejack would probably lose her family business...and you would never be a Wonderbolt...Are we all sure we want to take that risk?"

"Ah...well..." Applejack said, putting a fore hoof on her mouth. "Ah'm ready to get this over with. We can pull it off."

"I'd rather lose my chances of being a Wonderbolt than let Spring Moon continued to live in her torment forever." Rainbow Dash said with a serious look. Twilight Sparkle looked between her two friends for a few brief moments. Serious risks were involved in this venture...but was she willing to let an innocent soul suffer for all eternity?

"I...Well, I guess I just can't leave the two of you now." Twilight said with a sigh. Rainbow smirked and nodded.

"Alright." Rainbow said. "In fifteen minutes, we're gonna go catch ourselves a murderer."

Obligatory End-Of-Chapter Author's Note: Things are about to get really good, ladies and gents. With the next chapter comes the daring operation where Rainbow, Applejack and Twilight take the murderer from his nursing home, it also includes the reunion of Spring Moon and her killer, plus several new exciting revelations! I'm extremely excited! Cheers!

Chapter 8

Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Twilight Sparkle slowly and carefully approached the nursing home that housed the murderer they were all so keen on capturing. He was likely laying silently in bed alone and unguarded. This task came with an exceptional amount of risks, and all three mares knew it. But, the preservation of the greater good was the only thing spurring the three of them to continue in their venture. The three of them, after what seemed like hours of sneaking and skulking around, stood before the nursing home and looked up at their seemingly unobtainable goal.

"Well, here we are." Rainbow Dash said with a small sigh. She looked at her two friends who looked up at the building, intimidation on both of their faces.

"What if the window is locked, Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow. "I can't believe that the question hasn't crossed my mind until now..."

"Even if it is locked, I can pick it." Rainbow Dash said with a smirk.

"And where exactly did ya acquire such skills?" Applejack inquired with a raised eyebrow. Rainbow Dash scoffed and looked ahead.

"Come on, it's me." Rainbow said. "Now let's go. You both remember the plan? Twilight, you and me search around until we find his room."

"Ah go and cut the power..." Applejack said. "Assumin' ah can figure it out."

"If worse comes to worst, just buck the fuse box." Rainbow said.

"And after Applejack cuts the power, you and I get into the murderer's room and take him. You'll be carrying the murderer and I'll be carrying Applejack." Twilight said. "I still can't help but feel guilty about this."

"This monster killed and ate part of Spring Moon, Twilight." Rainbow said.

"I know, I know! I'm still going to do it. I still just can't help it." Twilight said with a sigh.

"Alright, Twilight." Rainbow said. "Let's go. The sooner we find him and give Applejack the go, the sooner we can get this done."

Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash flew forward as quickly as they could and began looking into each and every window. Some windows actually had the curtains drawn, which completely threw everything off. For some stupid reason, they had forgotten to account for curtains. If the worst happened, they could go and visit the nursing home under the guise of helping the elderly at a different date. Still going to the different cleared windows, Rainbow Dash eventually came to the window where the elderly killer slept. He had luckily kept his curtains open. Rainbow flew as quickly as she could to find Twilight.

"I found him!" Rainbow whispered.

"Oh, thank the goddesses." Twilight responded. "I thought he would have had his curtains drawn. I can't believe none of us thought of that."

"Come on! Let's give Applejack the signal!" Rainbow said. They both flew out before their farm mare friend, who stood before the fuse box. They both spread their wings as widely as they possibly could. Receiving the signal, Applejack nodded and approached the fuse box. The farm mare's legs shook as she walked, her breathing increased in frequency. She had never committed a crime in her life, even for the right reasons. She examined the box and the padlock hanging from it. She knew that there was no possible way she could pick the lock so she groaned and turned around.

"Oh, consarn it!" Applejack said. "Ah'm sorry!" The farm mare let loose a powerful buck that nearly crushed the entire fuse box. She then ran as quickly as she could to the other side of the building to hide in a bush a good distance away from the care center. She knew eventually that the security guards would come looking in the immediate vicinity of the building. She prayed Twilight and Rainbow could achieve their goal in time.

Rainbow and Twilight waited patiently, hovering under the window of the killer, trying their hardest to keep the sound of their flapping wings to a minimum. When the pegasus and the alicorn registered the sound of the fuse box being crushed and they caught a glimpse of their friend sprinting away, they immediately came up to the window. Luckily, the old stallion remained asleep in his bed. The two mares placed their fore hooves on the window and pushed up. It didn't budge an inch.

"Buck! It's locked!" Rainbow Dash whispered.

"So? Pick the lock!" Twilight responded. Rainbow Dash lowered her ears and blushed.

"I...don't really know how to pick locks. I just said that so you'd come." Rainbow said, rubbing the back of her head.

"What?! Are you bucking kidding me?!" Twilight whispered shrilly.

"Calm down! Calm down!" Rainbow responded. "We...we can still get in." Rainbow Dash then flew back a good distance away from the window.

"Rainbow?! What are you doing?!" Twilight asked before she realized just what it was her friend was planning to do. "No...No Rainbow, NO!" But the pleas fell on deaf ears as Rainbow barreled toward the window, breaking through it loudly. Twilight immediately rushed up to see Rainbow Dash wrestling with the stallion. The alicorn quickly entered the room, shocked with disbelief.

"You, shut up you pathetic piece of trash! I'll kill you right here, I swear to Celestia!" Rainbow snarled uncharacteristically. It actually sounded evil.

"Rainbow! Let's go! NOW!" Twilight said as Rainbow pulled the stallion toward the window.

"What the buck are you doing?" The stallion cried.

"If you struggle, I'll drop you and you'll break your back. Then you won't be able to struggle anymore." Rainbow said, holding the stallion's head between her fore hooves and jerking him around roughly. He breathed heavily and stopped struggling as Rainbow held him and the two of them flew out of the window. Twilight, seeing so many errors in the plan, decided to take action. She let herself drop to the ground. Her body collided and she cried out quietly in pain. She then stood up and ran quickly toward the bush where Applejack was hiding.

"What the buck happened?" Applejack asked, her eyes wide.

"Applejack! Let's go, now!" Twilight said as the cries of security guards echoed from the broken window. The alicorn allowed Applejack to climb atop her back before she took off and flew as quickly as she could after Rainbow Dash. Applejack was a lot heavier than she looked, her weight causing Twilight to run out of energy much quicker than she thought. By the time she reached Rainbow Dash and the killer, she nearly fell on the ground as she landed.

"Whew!" Rainbow said. "That was some escape, huh? Why did you fall on the ground like that, anyway-" The pegasus was interrupted by Twilight's fore hoof flying against her face. Rainbow stumbled back, completely stunned at Twilight's outburst. The pegasus quickly regained her senses and began moving toward Twilight, her eyes narrowed and her teeth gritting together, preparing for a fight. Applejack quickly jumped between the two of them and stopped the confrontation.

"Stop right there!" Applejack said, pushing Rainbow Dash back.

"Are you bucking kidding me, Rainbow Dash?!" Twilight screamed, still out of breath from her fly with Applejack. "Why would you do that?!"

"There was no other way to get in!" Rainbow yelled back, not nearly as loudly as Twilight.

"We could have gone back tomorrow!" Twilight immediately cried. "You risked everything by doing that!"

"I had it under control!" Rainbow said.

"Bull!" Twilight responded before finally catching her breath. "You...I...If...If we had been caught...We all would have lost everything."

"Now hold on a gosh darn second here!" Applejack yelled at the quarreling duo. "What the hay happened?"

"Me and Twilight flew up to his window..." Rainbow said, gesturing to their still-stunned captive. "But it was locked, So-"

"Rainbow made the completely ridiculous and idiotic decision to smash through the thing!" Twilight yelled.

"We weren't gonna get him out any other way!" Rainbow countered.

"We could have gone back!" Twilight said.

"Alright, alright!" Applejack yelled loudly, shutting the two mares up. "Yeah, that was a stupid decision Rainbow. But it's in the past! We have him now, so let's get goin' on our task." Rainbow and Twilight scowled at each other before continuing to walk. The stallion regarded the two of them.

"The two of you have some issues or something?" He asked in a gruff voice.

"Shut the hay up." Rainbow growled, shoving him forward roughly.

The group moved through the Everfree along the path they now knew well in complete silence. The tension between Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle was palpable. They sent angry glares back and forth at each other along the way. Applejack awkwardly moved, being the only force stopping the two of them from tearing each other to pieces. It was an emotional burden for the farm mare, having two of her closest friends wanting to strangle one another. The stallion moved as best as he could. He was noticeably quicker than Granny Smith, moving with relative ease for such an old pony.

"So..." He said. "What did I do?"

"You know what you did." Rainbow said.

"Really, I don't." He said as he looked around. He actually had the audacity to pretend that he hadn't committed the atrocity that he did.

"Yes you do." Twilight said, now feeling the unadulterated hatred for him described by Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow, you're right. He deserves whatever he gets." The agreement seemed to be the antidote for the stress between the two friends. It lifted the angry cloud from above them and helped Rainbow to turn to Twilight and smile. Twilight guiltily looked away from Rainbow Dash.

"Look, Rainbow I-"

"Don't worry about it." Rainbow stopped Twilight. "It was a really stupid thing for me to do."

"But I still shouldn't have hit you." Twilight said.

"Hit me? I barely felt it." Rainbow said. "You hit like a foal." Twilight blushed and smiled sheepishly. Several landmarks along the way confirmed that they were in fact nearing their goal.

"I seriously have no idea what any of you are talking about!" He said.

"Even if your tellin' the truth." Applejack said. "You'll start rememberin' in just a few minutes." The stallion grumbled as the three mares forced him further down the trail. As soon as the house came into their view, the stallion's eyes widened.

"I...I...You all...How..." He stuttered.

"How do we know?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Good question. It's a secret."

"I...I didn't do it!" He said as he turned around to them. "You've got the wrong guy!"

"Actually, I'm sure we do. Right, girls?" Twilight said, earning nods from her friends. "I'd like to inquire if you're familiar with the name Spring Moon." The stallion's eyes clouded with tears as he sat down. He looked to be full of regret for a moment.

"My...My love..." He said as he looked at them. "She...She was the only mare for me. We were destined to be together. She's always gonna be part of me. She'll always be inside me." Rainbow Dash grimaced and groaned in disgust before turning him around and shoving him forward.

"Disgusting!" Rainbow cried. "Get moving!" The stallion began sobbing as they moved closer and closer to the old, dilapidated house. His crying became more and more frantic as they got ever closer. He looked up at the house as they reached the front staircase.

"Still as beautiful as ever." He said before twitching violently. "You're still a gem!"

"Shut up!" Rainbow said. "Get up the steps!" He slowly and steadily moved up the steps before coming to the front door. He stopped at the doorway.

"Move!" Twilight said as she pushed him forward into the house.

"This is the place where we first became one." He said with a small smile as tears continued streaming down his face. He sobbed as he continued. His words became very shrill with his closing words. "This is where we became one forever!" The entire house seemed to shift violently as something underneath the house rumbled.

"Say her name!" Applejack said.

"Say it!" The three friends said nearly in unison. The stallion seemed to search within the depths of himself for the words to say. His breathing rapidly increased to hyperventilation as he raised his face to the ceiling.

"Spring Moon!" He cried. The entire house went completely silent for a moment. Nothing within eyesight stirred, not even the dust on the several surfaces in the living chamber. Suddenly, the sound of rapidly approaching hoof falls reverberated throughout the chamber right before the stallion was thrown violently across the room away from the three mares who had brought him. A small snapping sound was heard as one of his fragile legs broke. He cried out in agony as he struggled to get up.

"Spring! Spring, I love you! Don't you see?! We'll be together forever! But you have to wait for me!" He said before some unseen force lifted him from the ground. It turned him to where his belly faced the three mares and pulled his limbs to extend outward, putting him in a vulnerable position before the three mares. "Spring, please! It can't be this way! It'll only work if you wait for me!"

He floated in the air for a few moments frantically working around to see anything at all. A loud shriek then sounded throughout the house, very similar to the scream Rainbow Dash and Applejack heard their first time at this house. His broken right foreleg began to rotate slowly. It wasn't long before the limits of its rotation were met, but it kept rotating anyway. The fragile bones did nothing to prevent themselves from breaking as his limb was slowly twisted in the air. The sickening sound of his bones shattering sounded throughout the room as he began crying out pitifully in pure, unadulterated agony. Twilight let out a scream of horror as she backed up, covering her mouth. Applejack's face went completely pale as she stood and watched the awful fate of the stallion. Rainbow Dash nearly stood where she was, her eyes narrowed and her mouth contorted in a happy smirk at the scene before her. This stunned Twilight and Applejack, but they said nothing.

Shattered bones broke from horribly twisted skin, sending blood pouring down the stallion's body. Soon, his other foreleg moved in the same manner, as did his right and left hind legs. Blood had pooled beneath him as he screamed himself hoarse at his slow and grisly torture. His mangled body still hung suspended in midair before. Spring Moon had seemed to finish in her retribution as he stallion panted heavily, sweat and blood pouring down over his body and tears pouring down his face. Twilight Sparkle and Applejack had just begun to thank Celestia that it was over when his neck began rotating, along with his limbs once more.

"Spring! PLEASE, NO! I'll wait for you! We can be together if you'd just-" The stallion was interrupted by his neck snapping. Even after his death, the horrible rotations of his neck and limbs continued. His face slowly turned to reveal his eyes rolled back in their sockets and his mouth hanging open, his tongue lolling out in a grim death mask. The neck and limbs rotated until they were completely severed, blood pouring from the individual pieces as they were dropped down to the floor finally.

Twilight Sparkle, unable to stop herself from trembling looked over at Applejack and Rainbow Dash. The happy look had strangely disappeared from Rainbow Dash's face, now replaced with a look of horror similar to Applejack's and her own.

"Are you guys..." Twilight gulped loudly. "...Okay?"

"Yeah..." Rainbow said. "Yeah, I'm alright." Applejack breathed heavily and looked at Rainbow and Twilight.

"Ah...Ah didn't think she'd exactly do...that to him..." Applejack said. "But Ah guess Ah'm alright. Just gotta remember what he did to her first...What he said confirms it."

"I'm glad that the two of you now know for yourselves." Rainbow Dash said as a strange, dark veil began to envelop the three of them. Stunned and frightened, Rainbow looked at Twilight and Applejack. "What's happening?!"

"I don't know!" Twilight said, equally frightened. A distorted, horrifying voice suddenly called out to them.

"See..."

_____

Spring Moon hummed happily as she wiped the glass that comprised the front of her display case clean. She was preparing herself for her busy day of baking sweets for the various regulars she knew would be visiting her bakery that day. Once she finished, she sighed in satisfaction, appraising her job. She'd done better before to be sure, but it'd do for that day. The baker mare turned and walked outside her shop. It was still relatively early in the morning, the dark shadow of the building still covering the dirt road in front of her bakery. The mare walked around the back of her building and looked to the sky with fondness. Spring Moon always loved waking up early in the morning to watch the sunrise come over this newly established town called Ponyville. It had only been in existence about a year, and Spring Moon and her husband had just moved to Ponyville several months prior. That being said, they both loved it in the town. He husband was frequently away on business, however. He would be returning that night and Spring Moon had everything planned out for his arrival. She smiled to herself and began to move back into the bakery when she spotted a familiar mare approaching her.

"Miss Smith! So good to see you!" Spring Moon said with a wide smile. "I suppose you'll be wanting your usual order?" The beautiful, light green mare moved toward her and smiled happily before nodding.

"Yes ma'am!" She said with a cheery tone. "Ah love the apple pies and apple fritters back in the orchard don't get me wrong, but your chocolate chip cookies are just too hard to ignore!"

"Well I'm very glad your of that opinion, Miss Smith." Spring Moon said. "Please come in. The cookies are baking as we speak."

"Whoo-Whee! Fresh baked! Ah love your cookies, but when they're fresh outta the oven..." Granny Smith closed her eyes and shook her head and hummed lightly as she followed Spring Moon back into the bakery. Spring Moon giggled.

"Just take a seat. They'll be done in just a minute or two." She said before moving back into the kitchen. She opened the oven and smiled to see that her estimate had been absolutely correct. The cookies were a rich golden-brown, ready to be cooled for the farm mare waiting outside. Spring Moon pulled the cookies from the oven and laid the rack on top with a small smile before moving back out.

"So, Granny- Oh, I'm so sorry. I know you prefer to be called Miss Smith." Spring Moon said with a heavy blush. The young farm mare smiled and threw a fore hoof in Spring Moon's direction.

"Oh don't worry about it, sugar." Granny Smith said with a small eye-roll and a shrug. "Ah do prefer to be called Miss for now, but Granny Smith's the name my mama gave me, for whatever reason. You were sayin'?"

"I can't believe I've never asked you this, but why are you here so early every morning?" Spring Moon inquired.

"Well every mornin' until fall Ah get up and buck the apples down from the apple trees from dawn 'till dusk." Granny Smith replied. "It's heavy work, but every now and again, Ah find some time to get down here and get a cookie or two before gettin' to work."

"Sounds as solid as any plan to me." Spring Moon said before moving to the kitchen. "How many did you want?"

"Ah'm gonna go ahead and pig out today. Ah'll take four." Granny Smith said.

"Four it is!" Spring Moon said. "One moment." The baker mare went back into the kitchen and slid four cookies down into a small, white paper bag before delivering them to Granny Smith.

"There you go. Have a nice day!" She said cheerfully before Granny Smith left the building. With a small sigh, Spring Moon looked around her bakery and waited behind the counter.

What followed was the incredibly long, drawn-out and awkward part of the day when ponies were just getting out to work and getting sweets at the bakery was the last thing on their mind. Truthfully, Spring Moon didn't mind this part of the day much. She would sit in one of the comfortable chairs in the small lounge area of her bakery and read the book she was currently going through, occasionally getting up to run to the kitchen to take out a cake and decorate it or let some more cookies cool. Between the baking and reading, the slow part of the day passed by rather quickly for the baker mare. Ponies were beginning to get out of work and school and some of them were feeling in the mood for a delicious treat.

Spring Moon served several school foals, smiling happily at their expressions when they'd take a first bite of their brownie or cookie. She'd always be extra cheerful for them, delighting in the way they'd interact with her. Many adults came in as well, requesting more complex things like pies or even a cake at one point, which Spring Moon luckily had one of the variety they had requested premade. The midday rush was beginning to cool down when another two familiar ponies walked through the door. The mayor and his daughter that stopped by her bakery at least three times a week.

"Mr. Mayor! So good to see you!" Spring Moon said happily. She addressed the timid-looking foal standing behind him. "Hello there, sweetie."

"Go on, baby girl. Go and order your cookie." The mayor said softly to his daughter. The small tan, pink-maned foal blushed heavily as her father ushered her to move up to the counter. When the foal arrived before spring moon, she blushed heavily and looked away from the mare before barely squeaking out-

"I'd like one chocolate chip cookie."

"Say please, honey." The stallion said with a smile.

"Please." The foal added. Spring Moon giggled and slid two cookies into a small white paper bag before leaning down and whispering to her.

"You can have two." She said. "But don't tell your father." The foal smiled brightly and hopped up and down before taking the bag.

"Thank you, missus Moon." She said, louder than previously before immediately running back to hide behind her father.

"How much do I owe you?" The mayor said as he approached the register.

"One silver bit." The baker said with a small nod. "Second cookie's on the house because your daughter's so darn cute." The mayor smiled happily and nodded at her before turning to exit the store.

"Thank you very much, Mrs. Moon." He said with a small nod. "If you need anything, just give me a call."

"Will do!" Spring Moon said with a small nod as the door closed. Truthfully, the mare was waiting for the father and daughter to leave so she could close up the shop. As she walked toward the door, a stallion suddenly entered. She immediately recognized his silver coat, brown mane and racetrack cutie mark.

"Oh. Hello, Silver Sprint." Spring Moon said with a small nod. "What can I get for you?" Spring Moon wasn't thrilled in the slightest to see him. It was no secret to the mare that he harbored strong feelings for her. He was a perfectly nice pony, never sparing her any courtesy whenever they interacted, but he seemed to have a natural aversion to her husband. When she and her husband moved to Ponyville, he was one of the very first ponies she befriended, but their relationship had become rather thin when she had discovered his affection for her.

"Oh, I'd like a brownie." Silver said with a small smile. "So, whatcha doing?"

"I was just about to close up shop." Spring Moon said before slipping his brownie into a bag for him.

"Oh, I didn't keep you for getting something done, did I?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, no you're fine." Spring Moon said with a small sigh. "It's not like I wouldn't do it for anypony else."

"Well, that's good." Silver Runner said with a sigh. "Hey, I'd like to ask you something."

"Alright." Spring Moon said. "Shoot."

"Well, there's this house I found out in the Everfree Forest just past that apple farm. It seems to be completely built and everything. It even has furniture. I checked for any records to see who it could have belonged to, but I couldn't find anything. I've even spent a few nights there. Part of the house isn't done, so I think it's a house that was going to be shown for sale when the people who were building the darn thing realized they'd built it in the Everfree Forest..." Silver began to ramble slightly.

"What were you going to ask me, Silver?" Spring Moon asked with a raised eyebrow.

"The kitchen works. I'd like to know if you'd join me there for dinner tonight." Silver said with a small smile. The request immediately sounded strange to Spring Moon. She trusted Silver, sure, but this seemed very off the wall. "Or maybe just a coffee..."

"Silver..." Spring Moons said, shaking her head. "You know I don't feel that way about you. I'm married."

"I know that." Silver said. "Just a friendly visit is all I ask. I'd just like a conversation companion for a while."

'No. Absolutely not.' She said in her head. Her husband was to return that very evening from one of his many business trips. There was no way she'd even consider doing this. That night or any other given night, for that matter. Still, Silver seemed so hopelessly stuck on her that she feared he might go into a deep depression if she shut him down outright.

"I'll think about it." Spring Moon said. She had no intention of going, but the statement was merely to get him off her back and away from her.

"Alright, then." Silver said, a small glimmer of hope in his eye. "It's visible from the path leading past the Apple Farm. You can't miss it. If you can't make it, I'll understand." He took his brownie and left the shop without another word. Spring Moon sighed to herself and waited a few moments before moving to close up the bakery for the day. Her mind stopped fretting over the stress of Silver Runner's constant affections and began focusing on her plan for her husband when he returned home from his trip.

First, she'd prepare a candlelit dinner of lasagna and red wine, which would take quite a bit of effort to arrange, decorations and all. After the dinner, a delectable dessert of her trademark triple chocolate cake for the both of them. Then, to wrap up the night, a bout of sex between the two of them would finish things off quite nicely. Spring Moon and her husband hadn't engaged in any intimate activities since he had left.

Spring Moon happily ambled toward her house in anticipation of the coming night. She smiled as she opened her front door and moved inside before using her telephone to call her husband at the number for his train he had told her he could reach her at. After waiting for several moments a stallion answered.

"Hello?" He said.

"Oh, yes. Um, may I speak to a Mr. Rough Axel? It's his wife." Spring Moon said.

"One moment please." The stallion said politely. Spring Moon waited for a short while before she heard her husband pick up the phone.

"Hello?" Spring Moon heard her husband say.

"Hey, honey!" Spring Moon said happily. "How are you?"

"Bone tired." The stallion replied with an audible sigh. "What about you?"

"Oh, just waiting for you to get home." Spring Moon said. "I've missed you."

"Well I'll be home in about three hours." Rough Axel told her. "Then I can spend as much time with you as I want until my next assignment, which shouldn't be for a week at the very least."

"I can't wait." Spring Moon said. "Our bed's chilly without you." She put a saucy tone on the second statement.

"Alright, well I only get a set amount of time on this thing." He said to her. "I see you at eight."

"Eight o'clock." Spring Moon said. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"Bye."

As Spring Moon hung up the phone, she turned to her kitchen, knowing that all the supplies for her lasagna and cake were present in her kitchen.

"Alright. Time to get to work." Spring Moon said cheerfully to herself.

_____

With a heavy sigh, Spring Moon took another bite of her lasagna, staring into the flickering candle before her. It was ten thirty at night and Rough Axel still hadn't arrived. She felt like a complete idiot sitting there, waiting for him to come through the door and smile at her. Now feeling slightly sick to her stomach after eating too much lasagna and feeling impaired after drinking half of the bottle of wine, she regretted completely setting up this elaborate surprise for a no-show husband. As she slowly chewed her food, she heard the phone ring. Sighing as she stood, Spring Moon skulked to the phone and answered it.

"Hello?" She said tiredly.

"Spring Moon?" Rough Axel said to her.

"Axel?" Spring Moon said. "Where the hay are you?"

"I've stopped on the way home last minute for one more business meeting." Rough Axel said. "I won't be home until late tomorrow night."

Spring Moon's stomach sank. She had just slaved away for three hours straight preparing a dinner and decorating their dining room for absolutely nothing. He had let her waste five hours before telling her he wasn't going to be there. Anger welled up in Spring Moon as she replied to his statement.

"Well thanks for not wasting a minute telling me!" Spring Moon said angrily.

"Whoa whoa! What the hay's gotten into you?" Rough Axel said.

"What's gotten into me? Well, I've cooked you a welcome home supper of lasagna and red wine, and you didn't show up, so I ate it. I guess that's what's gotten into me. We were gonna have a candlelight dinner, Axel." Spring Moon said.

"Well don't get mad at me!" The stallion angrily replied. "It's not my fault that I've been called away again!"

"We were gonna do it tonight, Axel." Spring Moon said with a frown. "I was gonna rock your world."

"Why am I at fault here?" He said. "I didn't ask for any of that!"

"You just don't get it..." Spring Moon said, scowling at her phone.

"No, I guess I don't." He said. "Bye." Spring Moon heard the audible crack of her husband slamming the phone back on the receiver. She growled as she knocked the phone over off of the table. She walked back into the dining room and blew out the candle before taking the leftover lasagna to the kitchen and placing it inside a container. She then placed the container in the icebox before shutting it softly. She was just impaired enough to feel a sharp pain in her head, but still maintain her motor skills. She took the dish the lasagna was in and placed it in the sink before washing it out. As Spring Moon placed the pan on the drying rack, she let out a small sob and moved into her living room. She plopped down onto her couch and laid down for a moment. She pondered what to do next. Perhaps she'd go to sleep and wake up for the next ritual the next day. But she was feeling the need for companionship this night, and against her better judgement, she stood up and left her house.

She was going to see Silver Runner.

Spring Moon knew she was wrong to do what she was doing. It didn't suit her personality. She had always been a fairly loyal pony, especially to her husband. But she knew that this was not the first time her husband disappointed her. He often neglected her in favor of spending time with his friends gambling. He was also vocally abusive, screaming at Spring Moon most of the times she angered him. Rough Axel was not without his loving moments however. He was a good husband a good amount of the time, kind and gentle to his wife as a husband should be. But for every time he'd prove himself a good husband, he'd disprove the notion with a burst of rage or a bout of negligence; and Spring Moon had had enough of it.

The walk to the place that Silver Runner had described was a lot longer than she had anticipated. But that was probably because of her inebriation. The night air was chilly, but Spring Moon cared not about the temperature or the repercussions of the actions she was about to take. All she cared about in that moment was getting back at her husband who had scorned her. Eventually, she found her way to what she was sure was the house Silver Runner had described. She straightened herself as much as she could and knocked on the door. Silver Runner answered and smiled at her happily.

"Spring Moon! I'm so very glad you came." He said. "I was sure you wouldn't." His smile was a bit creepy, but he was a good-looking stallion. She smiled back at him and stepped into the house. The place indeed looked to be ready to be shown for anypony willing to buy. It was slightly incomplete, but that didn't matter. It was still a nice-looking place.

"I decided 'What the hay.'" Spring Moon said with a small nod. "So, how often do you come here?"

"Oh, whenever I need to clear my head." He said. "With so many crazy things happening, I find this to be a nice retreat from my cluttered home."

"It is really homey." Spring Moon said with a small nod, taking a seat on a chair. Silver Runner poured himself a glass of wine he had apparently brought. He held the bottle up to her and raised his eyebrows. "None for me, thank you. Do you have water here?"

"Ah, that I do." Silver Runner said with a smirk before pouring her a glass of water. He had made a fire in the fireplace, giving off a warm, happy feel to the house.

What followed the drinks was light and humorous banter between the two ponies. They talked and had fun, and deciding to go all the way with her bad judgement, Spring Moon eventually accepted more wine. Completely intoxicated, she smiled at him.

"You're actually a good stallion, Silver." She slurred. "I like you." Silver chuckled to himself and looked at her.

"Spring Moon, can I tell you something?" The silver-coated stallion asked. She nodded with a smile.

"Go ahead." Silver Runner sat down next to the mare and sighed.

"I...I know you have a husband...But...I love you. I know that it's really early to be saying that, but ever since I first met you, I can't stop thinking about you. You smile, your laugh, the way you walk through the streets after you get off work...the way you brush your mane at your window every night..." He said. The statements would have alarmed Spring Moon in any other circumstances, but tonight, she was too tired, too beat down and too drunk to care.

"That's..." Spring Moon said before letting out a small hiccup. "Really...sweet." She moved her muzzle closer to his and connected their lips in a soft kiss. Silver Runner let out an audible moan into her mouth before pulling her closer to him, gripping her shoulders and impassioning the kiss more and more. Spring Moon returned the kiss and separated from him.

"Lay me down..." Spring Moon whispered huskily as Silver Runner did as he was told. Knowing what was going to happen, his member had completely revealed itself. Spring Moon looked down at it and smiled. He was definitely bigger than her husband. She kissed his ear before whispering saucily to him. "Let's do it..."

Without another word, Silver Runner pushed himself into her and moaned loudly. The size of her new partner stretched Spring Moon, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. She moaned happily at the physical pleasure she received from their exchange and breathed heavily as he thrust into her.

"Oh...Oh, goddesses! Spring Moon! I-I love you!" Silver Runner yelled as he sped up his thrusting, smacking into Spring Moon's bottom harder and harder. As his thrusting became rougher and rougher, his large member actually began to hurt Spring Moon. But she still didn't care. "Spring Moon! I'm...I'm..." With horror, Spring Moon realized what was about to happen.

"Pull out, Silver!" Spring Moon said, seeing past her intoxication. Seemingly not hearing her, Silver kept thrusting and moaning. Feeling a spark of pleasure, Spring Moon couldn't help but moan herself, but she once again yelled. "Pull out!"

The mare barely shoved the stallions pelvic area away from hers in time. He moaned loudly as he let his seed loose on her lower belly. She moaned herself as she felt her own orgasm, but she grimaced at the sticky goo now on her belly. Still, it was better than inside her. He flopped down on her and panted heavily into her ear.

"That...was...amazing..." He said to her with a smile.

"The next time I tell you to pull out..." Spring Moon said before moving the stallion's head to look at her in the eyes. "You'd better bucking pull out."

"You mean...there's gonna be a next time?" Silver said with hope. Spring Moon sighed before standing up in front of the spent stallion and raising an eyebrow.

"Just tell me where the bathroom is so I can wash off and go home."

_____

Rough Axel returned home as he said he would when he said he would. He had been penitent for his tone with Spring Moon, but persisted that he had done no wrong under the circumstances. This led to another long, drawn-out argument between the two the resulted in Spring Moon going to bed and Rough Axel going out for a drink. The couple eventually made up however, but their relationship continued to be strained from that point. They got into more fights and became less and less intimate when opportunities presented themselves. They certainly still had sex, but the encounters lacked any sort of passion or connection. It'd always end in only momentary pleasure, presenting no satisfying afterglow. Rough Axel began to drink more and more, and Spring Moon began to visit Silver Runner more and more. Every time Spring Moon would return home from one of her excursions, she'd give Rough Axel an excuse as to why she was home so late or why she didn't give him any notice about leaving. He became more and more spiteful as time went on.

The seasons came and went. Rough Axel's relationship with Spring Moon slowly died as her relationship with Silver Runner flourished. Her new lover was very strange at times, exposing his unhealthy obsession with Spring Moon to her at times. She craved the attention though and merely accepted his fawning over her. They met up as much as they possibly could, caring less and less whether or not Rough Axel knew. But one day, something happened to Spring Moon that completely filled her with debilitating fear.

She had missed her cycle.

She was pregnant.

Once she sat down and thought long and hard about it, she eventually came to a decision about what to do. Her sexual escapades with Silver Runner were selfish and wrong. She had never felt true feelings for him, only being attracted to his physical form. But she had married Rough Axel for a reason. He may have been mean to her, and he may have treated her wrongly on several occasions, but she knew that he still loved her dearly, and she loved him. She had even heard him sobbing down in the living room one night after they had a particularly brutal argument. She would visit Silver Runner one last time, break off her relationship with him, and raise this foal with its father. She would rekindle her relationship with her husband or die trying. On their coffee table, Spring Moon left Rough Axel a note.

Axel,

I know things between us lately have been very rough, and I acknowledge that it is just as much my fault as it is yours. I miss the days when we'd lie together under the stars and just talk to each other. I miss you and I going to do fun things like taking walks and visiting with friends. Why don't we fix things and make it right again? I'm going out to run some errands, and when I get back, how about we go to dinner?

I love you so much.
Spring Moon

Obligatory End-of-Chapter Author's Note: Hey guys! I know it's been a long time since I updated last. I've recently had a death in the family and it's been rough between that and college. I've come to a decision on my updating times. I'm going to take my time with updates. No one has ever told me that I absolutely have to update weekly. I will update whenever I update. I'm not on any sort of schedule with this. I hope that you guys can survive with just my promise that no matter how long it takes, I will update. Now, this small sub-plot is not yet finished. Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle and Applejack still have a few things to see. Cheers!

Chapter 9

Silver Runner sat inside the unfinished house that he and Spring Moon had met at several times before to fulfill their bodily desires. His pulse raced on its own volition, against his wishes, but he couldn't help it no matter how hard he tried. Spring Moon had been acting very...off lately. She was very distant in any conversations they had and seemed to care less and less about what the stallion had today.

'She doesn't love you anymore.' Arson said. Arson was Silver Runner's friend and confidant, always there for him when he needed some sort of advice. Though at times, arson didn't really give the best suggestions. 'She's gonna dump you out in the street. Think about it. You'll be cold.'

"No. She's not going to leave me. We're going to be with each other through thick and thin. Throughout all the good and bad times." Silver said, attempting to reassure himself.

'That's what you think.' Arson replied snidely, making Silver grimace as he walked up to one of the front windows of the house before looking outside, longing for Spring Moon's presence. 'She's half an hour late.'

"She probably just ran out of things to do." Silver said angrily. "Now shut up. You're bothering me."

'I'm helping you, is what I'm doing, you idiot.' Arson snarled. 'I'm just trying to prepare you for the worst.'

"Well, I don't need your help!" Silver cried, his rage increasing. "So SHUT UP!" Silver then bashed his head against the wall. Arson didn't like it when Silver did that. Sure, it hurt, but it would stop Arson from bugging him with his oftentimes useless advice. Silver, grew anxious at his current position, despite what he had said to Arson. After all, Spring Moon hadn't shown up at their agreed time. She was showing up later and later every single night.

The stallion entertained himself by walking up and down the stairs for a while. His fit physical frame allowed for him to expend his energy in vast amounts of cardiovascular exercise before requiring a rest, and even then, he'd only have to rest for a short amount of time before he could get back to it. When he eventually became bored of his workout, he moved into the bathroom and took a short shower before coming back into the living room and sitting down. With a small sigh, he continued to wait in angst. But he gained a happy smile on his face when he heard three polite knocks at the door. He jumped up and ambled toward the door before opening it. He beamed at Spring Moon, who waited on the porch, a nervous smile on her face.

"Spring Moon!" He practically yelled before leaning in close to her for a kiss. The mare subtly moved her head to the side and moved into the house.

"Hey, Silver..." Spring Moon said, coughing lightly into her hoof. "We...We need to talk."

'Uh oh.' Arson said. 'Lookee what we have here.' Silver ignored Arson and smiled at Spring Moon.

"Uh...Okay." He said before taking a seat on the couch present in the living room. "What is it that you need?"

"I...I don't want to waste your time..." Spring Moon said. "We can't see each other anymore."

'I BUCKIN' KNEW IT!' Arson screamed as Silver's world felt like it shattered around him.

"I...I, I, I don't understand..." The stallion said, his eyes growing wide.

"I'm pregnant, Silver." Spring Moon said, her ears laying back. "I'm going to have a baby."

"You're pregnant?" Silver said. "But...What if the baby is mine?"

"It doesn't matter if it's yours!" Spring Moon snapped. "I...I had a cycle after the last time you and I had sex. I missed it a few days after my husband and I did."

"That doesn't matter, I-It could still be m-mine!" Silver Runner stuttered as tears began to flood her eyes. Spring Moon stood up.

"I already told you." Spring Moon said. "This foal's rightful father is going to raise it! And you are not the father. You're not." The mare turned and began to move toward the front door. She opened it and turned around to look at the heartbroken stallion.

"Goodbye, Silver."

'She's getting away...' Arson said.

"Wait!" Silver cried as he grabbed her and turned her to face him. "Please! Please don't leave me! All I ever wanted was you!"

"I'm sorry Silver! I really am, but this can't happen anymore." Spring Moon said before shaking her head and looking the stallion dead in the eyes. "I. Have. A. Husband."

"That doesn't matter!" Silver said quickly, trying with every fiber of his being to keep the love of his life there at the house. "I love you, and that's all that should matter! I know you don't love him anymore."

"You're wrong! I do love him. The times with you...were just selfishness on my part. I'm sorry that I hurt you...but that's the truth." Spring Moon said to him with a heavy breath. Silver searched his frazzled mind as quickly as he could to find a request...some kind of cushion that could change Spring Moon's mind. The stallion sobbed pathetically.

"Please..." He said. "Come away with me. We can be happy together!"

'Don't let this happen...' Arson growled. Silver took Arson's advice this time and grabbed Spring Moon's foreleg.

"Let go of me!" Spring Moon cried as she yanked her hoof away from Silver Runner and turned to leave.

'She's gonna leave!' Arson said to Silver. 'Can you believe that after everything you two have been through, she's just gonna walk out of you? Who the hay does she think she is?!'

"If you don't stay with me, you'll come to regret it, I assure you." Silver Runner said, a scowl forming on his face. Spring Moon turned and looked at him momentarily.

"That's a risk I'm willing to take for the sake of my family. Goodbye!" Spring Moon said before turning around once more to leave.

'She's leaving! You have to stop her!' Arbor said, growing more and more frantic. "You're going to lose everything!'

Silver shook his head, not resisting a twitch from cocking his head to the side for a split second. He began moving toward Spring Moon from behind.

'Get her...'

Silver increased his pace to where he moved faster.

'Get that bitch.'

Silver Runner let out his forehoof in the direction of Spring Moon's tail and grabbed it before dragging the mare back into the house on her belly. She cried out in pain and surprise.

"Silver!" Spring Moon shouted.

'Shut her up.' Arson said. 'The more she talks, the less she'll listen to you.'

"What are you-" Silver took the opportunity to slap his fore hoof over Spring Moon's mouth, effectively silencing her. He moved her and turned her onto her back before moving down on top of her. Silver would just show her why he's superior to her husband...that way, she'd take him back for sure.

'Convince her.' Arson said.

"I know you still l-love me...You're just...guilty...You're guilty....I'll show you why you'd want to stay with me." Silver said. As he lowered himself, Silver felt his member harden in anticipation as he began to grind himself against her. "Here we go..."

Spring Moon shot her back leg up and delivered a hard kick to Silver's testes, making him cry out in pain. She then hit him straight in the face, knocking him back long enough for her to get away.

'Get her!' Arson said as Silver stood up and winced in pain as he pursued the mare.

'She's leaving you!'

Silver increased his pace.

'Alone!'

Silver's breaths deepened.

'Forever'

Silver threw himself against Spring Moon just as she reached the door and attempted to open it. After tackling her to the ground, he screamed himself hoarse as he smashed his fore hooves into her face over and over again.

'Who does she think she is?! She's just going to leave you behind like a piece of trash! WHY WOULD SHE DO THAT?! SHE HAS NO RIGHT!!!' Arson screamed with Silver as he repeatedly hit Spring Moon, smashing her face until it was bloody. By the time Silver Runner had finished, she laid back on the floor, her eye swelled, her teeth broken. Blood ran from several places on her face. He grabbed her mane and picked her up by it, earning a pained cry from his former lover.

'Make her stay, Silver!' Arson said.

Silver threw Spring Moon across the room by her mane, tearing out a large chunk of it. She tumbled before trying to escape from him, crawling desperately on the floor. He grabbed her by her mane and pulled her into the kitchen.

"Please!" Spring Moon sputtered, sending blood from her mouth forward onto the floor. "Don't kill me...I have a family..." Silver Runner threw Spring Moon onto the floor.

"You were my only!!!" He screamed as he paced back and forth. Arson grabbed his head and jerked it to the side several times, making him slightly uncomfortable, but he could live past it. "I love you!...get up, Spring."

'There...You've already shown her that she can't leave.' Arson said to Silver. 'This is where you show her that she can be happy here with you.'

Silver looked down and saw that Spring Moon could not stand up. He sighed lightly and picked her up and held her in front of him.

"I...I...Please don't do this..." Spring Moon sobbed. This made Silver cry too. Tears flooded his eyes as he held her before him, battered and beaten senseless. He felt so deeply for her, that there was no way, he'd let her leave him. Nothing would stop their love. Nothing.

"I...love...you..." Silver said as tears fell from his own eyes. Emotions welled up within him as he sobbed to her. "I always have and I always will. I just...I have to know that you love me....That you love me. It's all I need. Please..." He began to lean his head forward toward Spring Moon's.

'Seal the deal, Silver.' Arson whispered. 'Seal it with a kiss...'

He connected his lips with hers in what he felt to be a passionate kiss. The bitter taste of Spring Moon's blood hit his tongue, but he was too enamored with the mare to notice in the slightest. Spring Moon sobbed into his mouth, her tears mixing with his own.

'See? She can't help herself. She's crying too.' Arson said. 'Way to go, buddy. You got her back.'

Elation filled Silver Runner as his tongue slipped against Spring Moon's lovingly, tenderly; but that love and tenderness was immediately extinguished as Spring Moon bit down on his tongue, causing blood to shoot into his mouth and down his throat. Silver Runner screamed in pure misery as she bit down with all of the strength she could muster, which wasn't much, but enough to tear straight into the muscle. Silver Runner brought his hoof against the side of Spring Moon's head, causing her jaw to lose it's grip. She swayed a bit before pitching backward onto her back, completely beaten and exhausted.

'She deceived you again!' Arson screamed. 'YOU FELL FOR IT AGAIN, YOU IDIOT!'

Silver Runner roared in rage as he picked Spring Moon up and slammed her mouth on the table in the kitchen, completely shattering her teeth on it and breaking her jaw. The ivory-white pieces clattered onto the floor and clumps of clotted blood mutely thumped as they hit the area beneath the table. He delivered another punch to her ribs, feeling a crack before she hit the ground once more.

'Do you have any idea how much she's made you suffer? Only for her own selfish desires! She played with your heart like it was a toy!' Arson snarled to him. 'What she's feeling right now...it's nothing. But you have to try. Try to make her understand.'

"See...Y-you have n-no idea...no idea. What it's like to love someone...love someone so much that it hurts....It hurts bad...It hurts worse than what you're feeling...But I have to try to make it even..." Silver said, continuing to feel Arson jerk his head several times. It was horribly painful to speak now with his nearly severed tongue, but he knew what had to be said. "I have....to set things right..."

"Pluh...Pluh..." Spring Moon barely got out, her snapped jaw and toothless mouth struggling to produce coherent words.

'Listen to her. She's begging for forgiveness.' Arson said to Silver. 'Looks to me like you've finally taught her a lesson. Now the only way you can truly forgive her and live with her forever is if you do exactly as I say from here on out. Do you understand me?'

Silver Runner nodded as he approached her.

'Good.'

"I can make it better for us...I promise..." Silver Runner said. "Just...you and me..." The stallion picked the mare up by her head with both of his fore hooves and held her up in front of him. He smiled at her broken visage. "Goddesses, you are so beautiful..."

'Do it.' Arson spouted.

Without a second thought, Silver Runner twisted Spring Moon's neck, creating a multitude of snapping noises. Her body shook violently and her eyes rolled back into her head, but eventually it stopped before he let it simply fall to the floor limp in front of him.

'Put her on the counter.' Arson said.

Silver Runner grabbed the corpse's hind legs and dragged it up to the counter before straining heavily to pick it up. Eventually he got the body on the counter before exhaling deeply and taking a seat where he was.

'You know how a lot of the lions in Zebrica partake in cannibalism to get in touch with their loved ones? You remember that right? You read it in that book.' Arson said. 'Well, there's actually some truth to that.' Silver Runner's heart skipped a complete beat as his eyes widened.

"No...N-no, I can't..." He whispered to Arson. "I can't...eat her."

'Yes you can. And you will.' Arson said. 'This is the only way to become one with her forever.' Silver Runner stood and looked down at Spring Moon's mangled corpse. He gulped heavily as he took a cooking knife from one of the drawers and held it directly above Spring Moon's thigh. His breathing increased further and further as he considered just what he was about to do. After all, there were entire clans of lions in Zebrica that believed in it, and Arson knew it was true too, so it must have been the only way. Silver Runner began cutting into Spring Moon's flesh, grimacing as he did so.

"This is for you, Spring..." He whispered to himself as he cut a decent-sized chunk of flesh from the mare's leg. "Do I...Have to eat it...raw?" He asked.

'Hay no!' Arson said with a small laugh. 'Cook it!'

Silver started a burner on the stove and put a frying pan down on it and allowed it to heat up before putting the freshly-cut flesh down in it. A horrible smell wafted throughout the house as he cooked a piece of his former lover. But eventually it was done, and he brought the pan to the table. Blood had seeped from the gash in the corpse's thigh and pooled on the floor. He couldn't bear to look at it as he ate, so he turned around. Terrified and cautious, the stallion took a small bite of the meat and vomited all over the floor. The regurgitation seemed to have an almost immediate effect on him. For the first time in that entire night, he was able to see what he had done to the one mare he loved clearly. He began crying hysterically, cradling the corpse and speaking to it, apologizing and attempting to atone for what he did. But he knew there was no forgiveness for what he had done. He sat on the kitchen floor for hours on end and simply moaned. He moaned in emotional agony, even screaming himself hoarse at some points. He moaned until he found himself just sitting in the kitchen in an emotionless stupor.

He knew he had to get rid of the body. He knew that if the police found him here, at the scene of so many heinous crimes, he'd most likely be executed. He thought for a long time, thinking of a plan, of an alibi and anything else he could possibly use to clarify his "innocence". He stressed for what felt like hours. He moved back and forth, speaking to himself nonsensically. He remembered that in the storage room of the house, there was an old steamer trunk, just about the right size to hide something large and cumbersome. As he moved throughout the house, Spring Moon's pathetic pleas for help continued to ring throughout his head, tormenting him to no end. He eventually found the trunk and struggled to move it into the kitchen, barely fitting it through the small doorway. The overwhelmed stallion breathed heavily as he looked at the trunk and the corpse, which was still laying lifeless on the counter, the chunk still missing from it's thigh.

The trunk was too small.

Her legs would still hang out of it.

Unless he could do something with the legs...

He breathed heavily and moved the trunk to where it was directly underneath the body, the blood dripping mutely into it. With a small grunt, he pulled the corpse off of the counter, wincing as it unceremoniously flopped into the steamer. He had been right. The legs still dangled out of the side of the trunk. He cried, feeling the tears run down his face as he adjusted the body to where it was laying on its back, the dead eyes staring up at him accusingly.

'You did this!' They screamed at him. 'You ended my life!'

He tried to ignore these voices and looked down at the troublesome legs. He thought for a moment and moved to get a chair from the table. The back of it happened to fit perfectly on the body's knees, directly above the empty space where there was nothing. His breathing increased in anticipation at what exactly he was about to do. He held the chair in place with his fore hooves on the bottom of it.

Silver Runner cried out in hate of himself as he pushed down on the chair with all of his might, feeling the bones crack. But the legs still stood firm, refusing to be bent. He did it again, and the cracking became a little more noticeable. A third, mighty push broke the legs backwards, sending the corpse to lay perfectly within the confines of the steamer. He screamed and cried some more, sinking down to the ground.

"She's gone...She's all gone, because of me!" He cried.

'She's not gone, Silver.' Arson said. 'She's here, with us.'

"What?" Silver spouted.

'It's okay, Silver.' Silver Runner heard Spring Moon's voice say comfortingly. 'I'm here.'

"But I...I, I, I don't understand..." He stuttered.

'I'm waiting for you, Silver.' Spring Moon said. 'But we can't be together again for a while. You have to die on your own...Then, we can be together.'

"But Spring! What am I going to do?" Silver said. "Spring! SPRING!"

'She's all gone for now.' Arson said. 'But you'll be together again soon. Now shut that trunk.' Silver nodded as he shut the trunk and latched it closed. Now all he needed was a way to move the trunk, and a place to hide the body. He looked in the storage space and found an old rope.

"Use this to...tie the trunk and...drag it..." He whispered to himself frantically. He tied the trunk and sat on it, thinking of any sort of place he could hide the corpse where it would never, ever be found.

There was that secret spot with the cave he was planning to take Spring Moon to on a date at some point...

_____

As the veil surrounding them dissipated, Twilight Sparkle and Applejack fell to the ground. They breathed heavily and sweat poured down their bodies. Applejack trembled heavily, her eyes widened heavily and full of sadness and fear. Twilight vomited onto the floor, gagging for a few seconds afterwards. Applejack looked at Rainbow Dash, who stood solemn and stoic, seemingly unaffected by the vision that they had all shared.

"Rainbow...Ah...Why aren't..." The farm mare gasped.

"I've seen it before." Rainbow Dash said, a tear falling down her cheek. "I've experienced it." Twilight stood up and sighed deeply, making a vain attempt to control herself.

"What...what do we do now." Twilight said.

"We leave." Rainbow Dash said. "Spring Moon has had her vengeance. It's all over now."

"Ya don't have to tell me twice." Applejack said, getting up quickly before noticing a burning smell. "Anyone else smell that?"

"The kitchen's burning!" Twilight said frantically as she began to move backward. "Should we put it out?"

"NO!" Rainbow said quickly. "It's all over, and this evidence has to be destroyed. We let it burn."

"Then let's leave!" Applejack cried. "Now!" The three mares exited the house and moved away from it, Applejack and Twilight looking back at some points to watch the burning building. Rainbow merely walked, never taking her eyes off of her goal, which was the town of Ponyville. Home.

"Ah...Ah'm just..." Applejack said before gulping nervously. "Ah'm so glad we're goin' home..."

"Me too." Twilight said. "Do you guys think that anypony will look too much into Silver Runner's disappearance? I mean, it was really sudden."

"Even if they did, Ah'm not too inclined to say that they'd suspect Princess Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash the Captain of the Weather Patrol and Applejack the owner of Sweet Apple Acres too much." Applejack said. "At least on that front, we'll be right as rain."

"Goddesses, I just..." Twilight said. "I can't stop thinking about what Silver Runner did to her, just because she wanted to make her life right again..."

"It was horrible to be sure." Applejack said.

"What we did..." Twilight said. "What we did was the right thing to do, right?"

"Twilight, he murdered his lover in cold blood and partially ate her, then stuffed her body into a trunk and hid it to where nopony would ever find it." Applejack said. "We did the right thing."

"What do you think, Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked. Rainbow Dash said absolutely nothing, only looking ahead at Ponyville. Twilight looked at Applejack then at Rainbow again. "Okay, then...Do you guys want to come over to my house? I can get some tea made."

"Sounds good to me, Twi." Applejack said.

"Sure." Was all that came from Rainbow's mouth. Twilight looked at Applejack again, who merely shrugged. They moved through the fields, and once they came upon Ponyville's main entrance, they all looked back to see that the smoke was hidden by the cloudy night sky. The three of them turned around and beheld Ponyville, in all its glory. Never once had any of the three of them been so happy to be home.

They moved silently through the town until they arrived at Twilight's library. The princess took a moment to unlock the door and step aside for her friends to enter. The place was dark until Twilight turned on a few warm and pleasant lights. She smiled at her friends and moved closer to the kitchen.

"Just go ahead and sit down." Twilight said. "I'll be out with the tea in a moment." As the alicorn moved to the kitchen to prepare the tea, she moved a few logs into the fire place and lit a fire using some flint with her magic. Applejack looked nervously over at Rainbow Dash, who still seemed to be in some sort of trance.

"Are ya alright?" Applejack asked in concern for her friend. Rainbow merely looked forward and nodded slowly. This worried Applejack even further. The farm mare sat back on the couch and fiddled with her hooves for a bit before regarding Rainbow Dash again.

"So, you were right all along, sugarcube." Applejack said. "About everything. We did the right thing in the situation we were given."

"i know." Rainbow said in a monotone voice. Applejack sighed and looked over at a lamp, which was burning brightly, cheerfully. Much in contrast to the events they had just undergone and the tragedy they had witnessed. Rainbow Dash and Applejack sat in silence, not speaking another word to each other. Applejack understood why her friend was acting this way. She had just exacted vengeance on a murderer, and watched him die painfully and slowly right before her eyes. Twilight ambled into the room cheerfully and laid the tray down on the table before taking a cup of tea for herself, smiling and nodding at her friends. Applejack and Rainbow Dash slowly took a mug for themselves. They both sipped. Applejack moaned in appreciation. Rainbow Dash didn't make a sound.

"So..." Twilight said. "It's finally over. We can actually get back to our daily lives tomorrow."

"Ah think Ah might take a little me time." Applejack said. "Ah figure that Ah deserve it!" Twilight and Applejack laughed heartily. They both looked at Rainbow Dash, expecting some sort of witty response or exclamation of bravado, but the usually peppy Pegasus merely sat where she was, fixated on some point in front of her. Twilight looked over at Applejack who merely shrugged in response. The alicorn moved over to her and whispered,

"What's wrong with her?" Twilight asked before looking over to see if Rainbow Dash had noticed her whispering. SHe hadn't. "She's acting so strangely."

"You're guess is as good as mine, sugarcube." Applejack said. "She's been like that since we left the house..." Twilight sighed and looked over at the pegasus before moving closer to her.

"Rainbow Dash?" Twilight said, moving ever closer. "Are you...okay?" Rainbow Dash still didn't respond. Twilight looked back at Applejack, and then at Rainbow. For some strange reason, Twilight's heart rate increased as she lifted a hoof to touch Rainbow's shoulder. The closer and closer she came to making contact, the more and more nervous she got.

"Rainbow-"

Rainbow Dash immediately lashed out and grabbed Twilight's hoof before pulling her forward and looking straight into her eyes. Rainbow's irises had seemingly disappeared, leaving nothing but black holes in the middle of her eyes. As the pegasus began to convulse violently, Twilight screamed. Applejack immediately leaped into action to assist her friend, who she saw now gripped by Rainbow Dash.

"Rainbow!" Applejack cried. "Rainbow Dash, let go of her!"

Twilight saw nothing in Rainbow Dash's eyes as her body convulsed. It was as if Rainbow Dash was completely gone, taken away from inside her body. Twilight felt nothing but fear as she stared into the abysses. The fear of nothingness. Suddenly, Rainbow's irises returned to their usual rose color and seemed to go blank before the pegasus pitched backwards onto the floor. Released from the grip, Twilight and Applejack fell backward. Seeing Rainbow Dash now lifeless on the floor, Twilight jumped forward and held the pegasus' head between her hooves.

"Rainbow! Rainbow Dash!" Twilight screamed as she registered that Rainbow Dash's life had slipped away. She felt for a pulse.

Nothing.

The alicorn looked over at Applejack, tears flowing from her eyes and sobbed. "She's gone." Applejack's eyes suddenly went wide as she fell back slightly as tears began falling from her own eyes.

"No...No, that can't..." Applejack said, looking back and forth from Rainbow Dash's body to Twilight's watery eyes. "...No..." Applejack cried and held Twilight as she sobbed violently at the loss of her friend. Somehow, in some awful form of the worst luck imaginable, Rainbow Dash had died.

"Ah...Ah..." Applejack sobbed. "Ah just can't-"

A gurgling sound interrupted her. It sounded as if it came from Rainbow Dash.

"Wait, Twilight!" Applejack said, her eyes growing wide as she leaned forward.

Another gurgling sound.

"Ah think she's-"

Rainbow's eyes shot open as she screamed. She screamed the loudest scream that either of the completely surprised mares had ever heard. Shocked nearly out of their minds, Twilight and Applejack tried to calm the frightened pegasus.

"Rainbow! Rainbow Dash, calm down." Applejack said, with both fear and happiness. "It's okay, we're here!" Rainbow Dash stopped screaming and frantically looked back and forth from Twilight and Applejack.

"You're going to be okay, Rainbow." Twilight said. Rainbow looked at Twilight and immediately broke down, flopping her head down onto the floor. She cried harder than Applejack or Twilight had ever seen her. The way she cried the night she and Applejack had first entered the house was nothing compared to the way she cried now. Confident that this was just the built up stress of recent events releasing itself, Twilight and Applejack let Rainbow Dash cry it all out. They even cried along with her, completely relieved that she was alright after fearing she was dead.

"H-Horrible..." Rainbow barely got out, muffled by Applejack's lap.

"What's that, sugarcube?" Applejack asked, wiping her eyes.

"I-It was h-horrible..." Rainbow said.

"Ah know, sweetie." Applejack said. "It was horrible for all of us."

"You m-mean you guys got murdered over and over again too?" Rainbow Dash asked, looking up at Applejack and Twilight Sparkle with wide, terrified eyes.

"Wait...what?" Twilight asked.

"I...I relived what happened to that mare..." Rainbow said, breathing heavily. "Over and o-over again for what f-felt like weeks..." Twilight and Rainbow Dash looked at each other in extreme confusion. Twilight leaned down toward Rainbow Dash, who was trembling violently.

"Wait, Rainbow..." Twilight said. "You're talking about Spring Moon, right?"

"That's her n-name?" Rainbow asked. "How'd you k-know that?"

"Rainbow, we all found out together..." Applejack said.

"What are you talking about?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Tell us what you remember, Rainbow." Twilight said.

"I remember...I remember being in another mare's body...I know that that's what it was for sure..." Rainbow said. "And....and she gets beaten....she gets her jaw broken and her neck gets broken...She dies...And I lived it...felt it over and over again." Twilight attempted to put the pieces that were being formed in her mind together.

"Before that, I remember going to the house with all of you...She showed up...and...Fluttershy! Oh Goddesses, is Fluttershy okay?" Rainbow asked. "She got hit in the head, is she okay?"

Twilight's mind buzzed. The pieces began to come together. Several things she had seen and heard went together. Rainbow had known exactly where the corpse was...She had known exactly what to do to find the killer...

"He deserves everything he gets..."

"He's a monster..."

"I've experienced it..."

The words replayed themselves in Twilight's head as she looked at Applejack in terror. Applejack thought for a moment, her own eyes widening as well as she realized what had just occurred. Rainbow Dash looked back and forth between Applejack and Twilight, confused at their terrified faces.

"Twilight?" She said. "Applejack? Are you guys alright?"

THE END

Obligatory End-of-Story Author's Note: Well, that is it for The House my friends! I hope you enjoyed it! I'll be posting an epilogue soon, featuring the aftermath of what just occurred, as well as my inspirations for the story. Cheers!

Epilogue & Afterword

Epilogue

"So...you just...lived through what Spring Moon went through...over and over again...for days, you said?" Twilight Sparkle asked, her eyebrows raised. Rainbow Dash nodded solemnly and took a sip of the coffee that the alicorn princess had supplied for her. Applejack gulped.

"You...felt all of it?" Applejack asked. Rainbow Dash nodded once again.

"I can still remember the pain of my teeth shattering." Rainbow said as she sniffled, struggling not to spill the coffee that she clutched in her trembling fore hooves.

"Goddesses, I'm so sorry..." Twilight said, her voice going quiet for a moment.

Morning had dawned on Ponyville, and even though it was the dawn of a brand new day of triumph, none of them felt like celebrating at all. There was an overcast of clouds, providing a glum and depressing feel for the day. Rainbow Dash had cried herself to sleep the previous night. She had never cried that hard in her life. She cried so deeply and screamed so loudly, that her friends had worried for her sanity until she eventually fell into a peaceful slumber. Twilight and Applejack had debated on what to do next for their friend, but they eventually just settled on letting her sleep, and getting some sleep themselves. When Rainbow had awoken the next morning, she seemed somewhat calmer, but the feelings, emotions and fear were still fresh on her mind.

"So tell me what happened with you guys while I was...out." Rainbow said with a small sigh.

"It's a long story." Twilight said.

"Well, we have a long time." Rainbow said and raised an eyebrow.

"I know, I know. I didn't say I wouldn't tell you." Twilight said with a small sigh. "You remember as much as when Fluttershy got knocked out, right?" Rainbow nodded.

"Yeah." The pegasus said. "Then I got angry, flew toward...the thing and blacked out as soon as I hit her."

"Okay, well next thing I knew, I look over and saw you on the ground. You were...convulsing. Pretty violently, too. We rushed you and Fluttershy to the hospital, and you both turned out to be okay. You both woke up." Twilight said.

"I don't remember waking up in the hospital. I remember going through...all that, and waking up here with you guys." Rainbow said. Twilight nodded.

"Yeah, I know. That's why I think..." Twilight said. "She..."

"Stole my...body..." Rainbow said with a frown, her brows furrowing. "I feel violated."

"I don't blame you." Twilight said. "She must have been using you to show us how to find Silver Runner."

"I gotta figure that he was the one who murdered her." Rainbow said, putting her coffee down on the small table beside the couch she sat on. Twilight nodded.

"Precisely." Twilight said. "After Pinkie, Rarity and Fluttershy dropped out, we eventually decided to go see the mayor. After quite a long time, we were able to convince her to show us the case file of the murder. It was under the jurisdiction of her father at the time, and the murderer hadn't been caught."

"Why not?" Rainbow asked.

"Because he thought it was the 'noble' thing to do to save Ponyville from the drama of a murder investigation than actually findin' the monster." Applejack said.

"That's terrible." Rainbow said. Twilight nodded before continuing.

"We went back to the house and asked Spring Moon to show us what to do...and she led us to her bones, through you." Twilight said. "She then told us to take one of her teeth and use it at a town meeting to find the killer. Then after that, we would bring him to her."

"I can't..." Rainbow said. "This is almost too much to take in..."

"I know, it's shocking." Twilight said. "So using the tooth, we found the killer and took him from his nursing home in the middle of the night to the house. He was insane...completely unusable to society...he served no purpose... We had to..." Twilight's breathing increased as she continued. Rainbow became quite confused at her apparent distress. Before the situation got out of control, Twilight was stopped by Applejack.

"It's alright, sugarcube. Ah'll take it from here." Applejack said. Twilight nodded and sighed deeply to herself. Rainbow's ears perked up as Applejack began talking. "Well, when we took Silver Runner into the house, Spring Moon didn't waste any time. She killed him."

"How?" Rainbow asked.

"Ah don't really think that matters much, Dash." Applejack said, Rainbow's eyes glazed and took on a very grim look.

"Applejack, I was beaten and murdered by that monster over and over again for days." Rainbow said. "Tell me." Uncomfortable, Applejack gulped as she continued.

"She, uh...twisted his front and back legs off and then his head..." Applejack said. "That's all Ah care to say..." Rainbow nodded.

"Alright." Rainbow said. "Go on."

"Well, Spring Moon basically showed us how she died after that. The house lit itself on fire, so we left from there." Applejack said. "We came back here and ya...well, ya 'woke up'." Rainbow Dash nodded.

"So...it's over?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"We think so, yeah." Applejack said, rubbing the back of her head.

"There's still the matter of the missing senior..." Twilight said. "Hopefully, they'll say he escaped."

"They ain't gonna look at upstanding citizens such as ourselves, Ah'll guarantee you that." Applejack said before a loud knocking came from the front door. Curious as to who it was to be knocking so furiously, they all approached the door. Praying that it wasn't the authorities with evidence of their necessary crime, Twilight opened the door to see Rarity. She looked panicked.

"Have you heard?" Rarity asked, nearly out of breath, presumably from running. The three mares looked at each other before shaking their heads. Rarity held up a newspaper that she'd been levitating. The headline read,

MAYOR MARE FOUND DEAD IN HOUSE

ESCAPED MENTALLY UNSTABLE SENIOR CITIZEN SUSPECTED

Afterword:

This is going to be a relatively short afterword, because I honestly don't have much to say.

I've always been a huge fan of horror. It is my favorite genre of anything...ever. I love to be scared and I love scaring others. The idea for this story came into my head as I was listening to this song:

Right from the start it has a grim and slightly comedic sound. If you didn't get it from the lyrics, the song is about a man who is shot down by his lover in a marriage proposal, so he kills her, rapes her corpse, partially eats her and preserves what is left of her so that they can be together forever. This plan doesn't work out when his lover's spirit comes back and re-inhabits the corpse and begins hunting him. I love Avenged Sevenfold. Always have, always will. I just love the story and the idea of revenge being taken for unjust and horrible murders. It's such a perfect blend of evil, macabre horror, comedy and romance.

It's so grim and dark, that I really wanted to write a story here on that level. Because I love My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and I love horror. It was bound to happen at some point.

I drew the parallel between the two characters of A Little Piece of Heaven and Spring Moon and Silver Runner. It was great going through my head, so I just had to write it.

I'd like to thank the few of you that actually have kept up with the updates! Until next time. Cheers!