Hatoful Ponyfriend - Bad Ponies Love

Chapters

Class 1
Class 2
Class 3
Class 4
Class 5
Class 6
Class 7
Introduction

Class 1

"Look away, Miss Hooves. Looking will only hurt you." Princesses Luna places a hoof on my shoulder. "A terrible and gruesome sight to behold. "

I turn around and see Rarity approaching us. "Derpy Hooves!" she calls, sounding angry. "I need to have a word with you."

"Rarity," I reply as she gets closer, "Please, I don't think you want to-"

"I received a very disturbing box on the doorstep of my house and I would like to know the meaning of this!" She refuses to stop walking toward us.

With a soft sigh, Princess Luna looks up and says, "There has been an incident. You may wish to keep your distance."

"Princess Luna, are you a part of this? When I opened the box on my doorstep, I found-" Rarity takes a final step and glances into the bloodstained box containing the head of the baby dragon. "Oh. Oh, dear. This is bad." She closes her eyes and looks away.

"Rarity," The alicorn says, "I received a box as well. I doubt that Miss Hooves knows anything about this.

"He. .." I take a moment to catch my breath. "I saw him only yesterday. "

I remember flying to the library to drop off a book delivery, the tenth delivery in the same week. For the last few days, Spike had been ordering a great many new volumes for a pony who I never met or even saw. He had invited me to step in and have as cup of tea and...

"...I said no and left. I was the last one to see him alive." Everything's a blur, like everything that happened at the library never occurred. What else had I done that day?

"What are you babbling?" Rarity breaks my train of thought with her question. She speaks sharply, impatiently. "This is very disturbing for all of us, but we cannot afford to lose our heads. There's is a dangerous pony loose and we only put ourselves in danger if we stay here."

A loud, blaring alarm sounds from the center of town shortly followed by the voice of Mayor Mare. "All citizens please gather in the town hall. We are in a state of emergency. All citizens please gather in the town hall." The message monotonously repeats itself, as if the mare announcing it is unaware of the emergency that she broadcasts to every pony in earshot.

"I suppose we should go, then," Princess Luna says, straightening herself up. She and Rarity begin walking towards the town hall, but I can only look back to the box. There is no longer string wrapped around the box and it would be difficult to carry it on its own. Looking into the box, I consider taking the head out and carrying it on its own. I can't stand the thought of leaving him alone here.

"He is gone, Derpy." I hear Rarity call back to me. "That is not Spike anymore. We can't wait any longer, we have to go."

"It would alarm the other citizens to see you carrying a decapitated head, Miss Hooves," Princess Luna says, picking up the box with her glowing blue magic. She closes the box and sets it in a nearby bush. "We shall return for him."

By the time we arrive, the town hall is packed with ponies. It's much bigger on the inside, but I didn't really expect it to be able to hold all of Ponyville. Older mares and stallions sit with foals in their laps. Younger, impatient ponies pace around the borders of the room. There is barely enough room to move. Whispers of speculation come from the old and the young alike.

"Is this another emergency drill? It's too soon."

"Nonsense. It must just be a mistake."

"Maybe it's because of the box with a severed Dragon tail I received."

"I got one with a foot. It scared my poor filly half to death!"

"Mine was severed claws. At least it wasn't as pony or anything. "

"It was probably a fake."

I stand between Luna and Rarity, numbly listening the ponies talk amongst themselves. I can't see anypony I recognize, not in this crowd.

"It seems we have all come together calmly." The mayor's voice echoes through the room but we see no trace of her. The sound comes only from the loudspeakers at each corner. "As always, please remain here until we have made a decision on the disaster at hand. Thank you."

"What is this nonsense? " Rarity demands. "Mayor, we require an explanation!"

She only repeats herself, as if she can not hear us at all. It is just like the emergency alert.

"We will be getting no answers from her," Princess Luna sighs. "Perhaps I will go retrieve the head. "

"She just said we can't go outside, " I protest, frowning. "Shouldn't we wait to go get it?"

"I respect the rules of your town," The Princess replies, "but I may need to report this to my sister. The head is evidence of a murder. I don't want to risk anypony tampering with it."

I follow as she walks to the door. "He was a friend," I say. "If this emergency has to do with Spike's death, I want to help. I want to find out who did this to him.

"I will follow as well," Rarity says with some hesitation in her voice. "He was crude, foolish, and had no sense of fashion, but he never deserved a fate anywhere near as horrible as this. I will find his killer and bring him to justice if it is the last thing I do, I swear."

We tell nopony as we leave, as to prevent a panic. Princess Luna exits first, Rarity and I follow. I can't help but wonder. Who would do this to Spike? Why? And why wouldn't the Mayor explain what was going on, if there was a real emergency?

The first thing we notice when we get outside is that the sky is completely black and there is no warmth of Celestia's Sun.

"What is this nonsense? " Luna exclaims, stomping a hoof. She flaps her wings in irritation and a soft blue light glows from her horn.

"Is this not your doing? " Rarity asks.

"There are no stars," I point out. "This isn't nighttime, it was noon only a few minutes ago."

"I shall check." Princess Luna takes off toward the inky blackness, leaving us in darkness. As she flies away, up and over us and out of sight, Rarity lights her own horn, giving us a bit of light.

"Howdy, there. " I hear a voice I could recognize anywhere. An orange earth pony wearing a hat approaches us, holding a lantern. "Y'all notice the sky too? "

"It is quite hard not to miss, Applejack," Rarity says before I can say anything. "I suppose you decided to come back to civilization, then? "

"Hey now," says Applejack, calm as ever, "That's not nice, Rarity. I still live in a house just like everypony else."

"Calm down, you two," I step in before an argument breaks out. "Applejack, do you know about this at all?"

There is a pop in the distance, like a firework, followed by a blue explosion of sparks in the distance. Other than a fading fog, the darkness remains solid. In a matter of seconds we can see the glow of Princess Luna's horn and she is landing with us again.

"It appears that a solid wall of stone or crystal has been erected over Ponyville," Luna states. "None of my spells are able to break through it and I can not find a way over or under it."

"So we are stuck here?" Rarity asks.

"It seems to be."

"We are stuck inside with whoever killed Spike, " I say. I feel my knees tremble a bit.

"Ah, yes. Applejack." Rarity pulls herself up to her full height and speaks in a formal, authoritative tone. "Do you know of the murder? "

The farm pony nods sadly. "I received a box with a green dragon leg in it, I could only assume the worst."

"Tell me, what else do you know about the murder?" The white unicorn takes a step closer, lowering her head ever so slightly.

"Rarity..." Luna warns.

"Naw, it's okay. " Applejack waves a hoof. "She's just got the town's best interests in mind. I was not in town at all yesterday or today. This morning, I was with Zecora in my orchard, testing out a new fertilizer formula."

"Zecora is here? " I ask suspiciously.

"Yup. She is gathering Spike's body parts for examination. "

"Whatever for?" Luna asks, raising a brow. "Surely there are detectives and surgeons here. "

"They are all in town hall," I say. "If we were to go in there and ask for them, everypony would know that something is wrong. Still, I don't like the sound of Zecora wandering around freely. Especially now of all times. Where is she now?" Rarity frowns at me.

"She's probably in the hospital," Applejack says. "If either of you have parts of Spike, maybe you should go get them, in case she missed them. We want as much information as possible, right?"

Rarity nods stiffly. "Fine. I'll meet you three at the hospital." She turns to head back to her home.

"Wait, Rarity." I fly to her side and raise a wing in front of her chest, stopping her. "We can't risk going out there alone if there is a murderer on the loose."

"I'll go with her," Applejack says, walking to Rarity's other side. "Don't worry. I'll take good care of her."

"Hmph. I don't need your help." Rarity flattens her ears and turns up her nose, but makes no further protest as she heads to her home.

I shake my head and say, "I suppose we go to back to the town square now?"

Princess Luna nods and the two of us take off into the sky. I follow the glow of the alicorn's horn back to the place where we left the box.

"You do not seem to like Zecora, Miss Hooves," she says as we fly. "What makes you uneasy?"

"She's not from around here. When she is, she hardly ever speaks to anyone. She lives in the Everfree Forest, you know."

The princess frowns lightly. "You should not judge her just because she is different." She puts stress on the word 'different.'

I nod in reply, closing my eyes for a moment. "I know, but there's something about her that just... it worries me. I always feel like she's hiding something."

"She could be, she could not be." We land, and Princess Luna continues talking as she walks over to the bush where we hid the box. "We can't let idle rumors and suspicions get in the way of what could be right in front of our-" She stops.

"What's wrong?" I trot to her side and look into the box at her hooves. It's empty.

"She's already been here, then," Princess Luna says flatly. "Interesting, how she didn't take the box."

I shrug. "It just means she doesn't mind getting her hooves dirty." Or bloody, in this case. A thought occurs to me. "What if Zecora didn't take it? What if somepony else did?"

"We shall know soon enough," Princess Luna replies, levitating the bloody box into a nearby disposal can.

Our walk to the hospital is silent, but questions continue to come up, one after the other, accompanying the questions I was already trying to answer. Who would want Spike dead? What would they gain? What if somepony else slipped out of the town hall, the murderer, perhaps? Why is the dome over our town at all?

The lights in the hospital are on, but they are dim. We walk in and hear only our hoofsteps. Princess Luna holds her wings close to her body, and I can't say that I'm not any less tense. One of the rooms at the end of the hall has a light on and the door is unlocked. Inside, we see Applejack and Zecora inspecting something covered by cloth on the examination table.

The zebra turns and looks at us. "Applejack said to expect two more, a pegasus and an alicorn. Greetings, Princess of the Moon, and greetings to you, Miss Derpy Hooves." She bows her head.

I narrow my eyes

The princess politely dips her head in return and asks. "Have you found any information on the corpse?"

Zecora stares at me. "Why do you look at me with such dislike? Do you not want to know of the death of Spike? Do not allow your blind hatred to expand, simply because I come from a far off land."

I shake my head. "It's nothing," I say quietly.

"It's there anything we can help with, Zecora?" Rarity asks politely.

The zebra turns to look a Rarity. "The body? I have only finished assembling it. An examination will take more than a minute. Occupy yourselves, if you wish, mill about. Do what you like, but just get out."

"Thank you, Zecora," Rarity says, turning and walking out the door, Applejack following behind her. Princess Luna bows her head again before joining the two of them in the hall.

I turn to leave, but I hear Zecora say, "Miss Hooves, please wait before you go. I have something you should know."

"What is it?" I ask, turning around.

A small smile creeps onto the zebra's face. "You may choose to believe me or not, but tell me, is there anything that you forgot?"

My brow furrows and I think, trying to remember everything that had happened today. "I don't know. If I did, I can't remember what I forgot." I begin walking to the door.

"Your life crumbles more with each step you take. Be careful, or you could make a fatal mistake."

I sigh. She is most likely trying to lead me astray. I'm more suspicious of her than ever. As the door closes behind me, I hear her say one more thing.

"It’s a shame, if only you knew. She enjoyed mysteries too."

"She knows something," I say out in the hall.

Applejack frowns and says, "She might be talking about something else, you know." Neither Rarity or Princess Luna have anything to say. After a brief silence, the earth pony asks, "So what do you plan to do now?"

"I was thinking we could take another look at the dome outside. " Rarity says. "We could see if there's anything to see up close."

I shrug. "It's a start"

"Before you go," Applejack says, "You might want to visit the cottage outside of town. The pony who lives there, Fluttershy, can help you. If she asks, tell her I sent you."

I frown. "You mean that pegasus hermit who never shows herself outside for more than five minutes\?" I don't know much about her, nopony does. Occasionally, we see her outside, tending animals or quietly walking into town to buy food, but that's always it. As far as anypony knows, she has always been here.

"That's her," Applejack replies. "She is a good pony, there's nothing really bad about her. She might know more than I do. "

"We will go there first, then," I say. Rarity nods.

"If you wish, I will stay here" Princess Luna says. "I will see to it that all is well. Be at ease, Miss Hooves."

"Thanks Luna" I say. "It makes me feel better that you are here with him."

The princess nods and slowly blinks. "Good luck, you two," she says to Rarity and me as we leave.

As Rarity and I walk to the cottage, the unicorn's blue glow lighting our way, I mutter without thinking,"I don't like it."

"What, dear?" Rarity looks surprised.

"Zecora. She makes me nervous. She creeps me out."

I hear Rarity stop and I turn to look at her. "Do not speak badly of Zecora," she says. "She is a great healer. With the knowledge from her homeland, she has concocted many cures for ailments that were otherwise incurable by science and magic alike. One of these medicines she created personally, to save my mother's life."

"That may be true, but don't believe everything she says just because she did you one favor." I begin to doubt Rarity just a little bit.

"Nonsense," the unicorn shakes her head. "One favor it may have been, but a big favor nonetheless. Either way, we are here."

The cottage is small and the lights inside are on. We can hear animal noises coming from inside the house, as well as from all around us as we approach the door. Rarity knocks on the door and it's a few moments before it opens and a yellow pegasus peeks her head out.

" Um. .. didn't you hear the alarm? " she asks in a voice barely higher than a whisper. "Everypony else is in the town hall."

"My name is Rarity, and this is Derpy Hooves." Rarity speaks formally, with an air of authority. "We are investigating a murder, Fluttershy. Why aren't you in the town all?"

Fluttershy shrinks back behind the door. "No panic, no noise, no opening the curtains. Ever. That is what I do when something like this happens. You two should probably do the same."

I step forward and say, "Applejack sent us. She said you could help us solve the mystery of Spike's death."

"Oh my goodness!" Fluttershy says, her voice raising an octave. "Come in, tell me what happened." She opens the door so we can barely squeeze through, as if opening it any wider would let in some sort of horrible beast.

As we walk into the little cottage, I say, "Rarity, could you...?"

"Of course," she says, speaking kindly. Our brief argument about Zecora seems to have blown over.

Rarity begins speaking, telling the story starting from when she found her piece of Spike. Every now and then, I add in a word or two, but I am mostly silent. It feels like I will break down if I try to say more than two or three words about what had happened.

When Rarity finishes, Fluttershy nods. "I'm so sorry, Derpy Hooves. I will help you in any way I can. If you want me to."

"Please, do what you can," I reply. I can't be sure how this timid little Pegasus can help us, but we could use any help possible at this point.

"Alright." Fluttershy nods. "If you find anything out, or you just need a place to hide, come back to me. I'm going to check something." She walks to a painting on the wall and pulls at it to reveal a large, thick book. She never struck me as the reading type, but when I look around, I notice there aren't any other books in the room.

When she turns around and sees us still here, she hesitantly says, "Maybe you can go look at the dome outside. See what else you can learn. Maybe there's something about it here." It sounded like a nice way of telling us to leave, so we show ourselves out.

"Do you really think she can help us, Rarity? " I ask. She strikes me as a pony who means well, but might not be very helpful.

"Do not turn down an offer of this sort Derpy Hooves. Even if she is a bit odd. "

"Right."

We walk quietly until we reach a part of the dome. It encloses Ponyville from all sides, so no matter what direction we walked in, we would have found it anyway.

"It's like stone," I say, pounding at it with a hoof. "It sounds dense. I wonder if we could break it."

"If Princess Luna couldn't, I doubt that we could," Rarity replies. "You saw that explosion. This thing must be many inches thick."

We check the perimeter, Rarity walking on the ground as I fly above her. We check for cracks or inconsistencies.

"It's smooth. Too smooth. " Rarity says. "Like metal, maybe."

I sigh as I land next to her. "Do you think Princess Celestia will notice that something is wrong?"

Rarity frowns lightly. "She is the most powerful being in all of Equestria, and if she can't break this wall, nopony can. Maybe she's out there, right now."

We fall silent, as if waiting for a miracle. We see nothing and hear nothing for several seconds. Suddenly we both hear a soft creak, but we can't pinpoint where it comes from.

"Did you hear that?" Rarity whispers, her light dimming.

I nod. "Yeah, do you think that's someone on the outside?"

"No, it sounds close."

Silence, then we hear it again. A creak, a thump, and a scraping sound. We can hear it getting closer and it becomes easier to hear where it comes from.

Creak, thump, scrape... Creak, thump, scrape...

It comes from behind us.

Creak, thump, scrape...

We turn around and Rarity's light falls on a creature, a thing, that nopony has ever seen before.

It walks on two legs, standing well past Princess Luna's height, a stained burlap sack where its head should be. Its torso appears to be a another, larger, burlap sack wrapped with string, causing folds of the material to sag out in certain places. More burlap wraps around thin, heavy legs with vaguely-shaped metal feet, also wrapped in string. Its upper limbs are bare. The left arm seems to be nothing more than a burlap limb hanging at its side, stuffed with straw. Its right limb reaches to its legs and scrapes on the ground as it walks slowly but surely towards us. It is made of solid metal ending in sharp blade-like claws, clearly dangerous to anypony who would dare get within its reach.

"Run, Rarity," I whisper.

It lunges at us.

"RUN!"

Class 2

We waste no time. I take off into the sky and Rarity gallops as fast as she can away from the monstrosity. Her horn is still lit, I follow her light from the sky as she runs back to the hospital. The last thing we need it to get separated with that thing trapped in here with us.

I land when Rarity stops outside the hospital. "What was that?" She gasps, panting. "No beast I've ever heard of, that's for sure."

"No clue," I reply, shaking my head. "Good thing we're together, though. I don't know what I would have done without your light. to follow."

The unicorn smiles. "I think you would have been just fine, dear," she says, but I can tell that she's flattered by the compliment.

"Really, thanks." I smile in return. "We should warn the others."

We walk into the hospital and back to the room where the examination of Spike's remains takes place. Zecora stands at the examination table with Princess Luna watching her as if out of curiosity. They turn as we stand in the doorway.

"Welcome back," the Princess Luna says. "I trust your investigations went well?"

"Princess, there was an incident," Rarity says, keeping her composure surprisingly well.

"Incident? We were could have been killed!" I burst out. I feel my wings flap as I shout and they knock over a table of medical equipment. "... Sorry."

The alicorn frowns. "Something happened?"

"We ran into a monster," Rarity explains. "It was fairly large, and resembled those those crude effigies that Applejack places in her garden to ward off vermin."

"We might be in danger, the whole town might be in danger," I say. "It's trapped in here with us. What if it attacks the town hall?"

Princess Luna puts a hoof to her chin in thought. "Safety in numbers. It's better than letting it pick them off one by one. That does raise a question, how did it get in?"

Rarity's face brightens and I feel a surge of hope. "If it got in, there must be a way out! That wall can't be completely solid!" Rarity looks triumphant.

"But what if it was here all along?" I asks quietly.

The room is silent. None of us want to consider this possibility. If this... thing had been in here all along, that means that somepony planned this from the inside. And we're trapped in here with them too. It's now I realize that Applejack is no longer in the room. I look at Rarity and I can tell that she noticed it too. She looks suspicious, but doesn't want to say anything in front of Princess Luna or Zecora.

"Never mind that," Rarity finally says, breaking the silence. She looks to Zecora, who has simply stood in silence. "Have you discovered anything from the corpse?"

The zebra nods. "While you were not around, many things I have found. From the meaty chunks which were once your friend, I was able to learn how he met his end. My conclusion from this investigation is that the cause of death was asphyxiation. His death was the cause of poison or illness. I have found no evidence that a pony did this."

She motions at the covered chunks of Spike as she continues. "There was no bleeding, not in the least. He was cut up once he was deceased. One more thing, did the evidence betray. He died in the evening yesterday. And with no warning, he was found well after morning."

I frown. Spike never showed any sign of illness. Nothing fatal, anyway. "He must have been poisoned," I say. "Cutting up his body, sending it across town, this must have been planned out."

"Sitting around waiting for him to get sick would be too unpredictable if this was to be a carefully timed plot" Rarity says. "You said he was found after morning?"

Zecora nods in reply.

The white unicorn turns to me. "You said you saw him at the library, did you not?"

"I did." I feel tears at the corners of my eyes. "He asked me in for tea, I said I had to go. Maybe if I had stayed..." I choke back a sob. "I would have been able to see... to stop..."

"We can't change the past," Princess Luna says, approaching me. "We can only go on and solve this mystery."

"Maybe we should take another look around," Rarity suggests. "There might be other ponies out. We can talk to Fluttershy about what we've learned."

"Please," Princess Luna looks at us seriously, "Be careful. We can't lose you two as well. I wish I knew more, but I only know what you've told me." She looks at me strangely. Is it regret? Suspicion? It's hard to tell. Part of me wants her to come with us, but I feel more comfortable knowing that she's here with Zecora. Something about that mare sets me on edge.

"I helped at the apple farm from dusk 'till dawn. In town, I know nothing of what went on." The zebra looks me in the eyes. Would she lie in front of these other ponies?

"We will be back," I say, trying not to doubt it myself. Rarity and I walk out the door and back into the darkness of the town.

"Who do you think did it?" I ask as we walk. The silence is eerie enough as is, I feel like I'll have some kind of breakdown if I don't say something.

"Applejack." Rarity speaks without a hint of doubt in her voice.

"You still trust Zecora, don't you?" The way I say it, it doesn't really sound like a question.

"Of course I do. That farm pony, on the other hoof,I don't trust her. I don't like her." Rarity shakes her head and I get a brief glance of our surroundings as she illuminates them with the light on her horn. "I never see her in town. She's always at that farm of hers. What does she lose from all of this?"

"But what does she gain? Rarity, we can't just jump to conclusions."

"Like you are with Zecora?"

"That's completely-"

"HEY!"

Our argument is interrupted as a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail lands in front of us. She stands with her chest out, looking indignant.

"Hey! You guys went out exploring and you didn't invite me?" She demands.

"Rainbow Dash," Rarity sighs, exasperated, "It's dangerous out here. Why aren't you in Cloudsdale? You'd be safe there."

"It's a good thing I'm not there, you guys need me!" Rainbow Dash replies. "I should have come out sooner. What are you doing out here, anyway? What's going on?"

It takes me a moment for her words to process in my mind. Yes. The dome. Does she know about the murder, though? I shake my head. "Spike's dead, we're trapped in here, and there's a metal monster on the loose." I really don't feel like saying much more.

"A metal monster?" Rainbow Dash boldly stomps a hoof. "If I was there, I would have kicked it then and there! Bam!" She lifts off into the air and kicks out with her powerful hind legs. "I guess you two just had to sneak off, though."

Rarity sighs and puts a hoof to her forehead. "Listen, Rainbow Dash. Don't let anypony else know about this, if you can help it."

"We want to ask you something, actually," I say. I figure it would be best to get straight to the point. "Did you see Spike at all, yesterday? Or anything unusual?"

Rainbow Dash looks at the ground, frowning in thought. "Nah, I didn't see Spike. I guess he was in that library, as always. But..." she rest her chin on a forehoof for a moment. "I did hear somepony shouting and screaming real loud while I was practicing my flying tricks. I mean, real loud. Not 'Come buy my carrots!' loud, but 'MY HOUSE IS ON FIRE!!!!' loud. Is that normal?"

"Was there a house on fire?" Rarity asks.

"Nope."

"Just checking."

"Was it a mare or a stallion?" I ask. I realize that if it was a stallion, we would be even worse off than we started.

"A mare. Definitely." Rainbow Dash nods. "It sounded like it was coming from around Sweet Apple Acres."

Rarity and I exchange looks.

"Listen," the white unicorn gives the pegasus a serious look. "If the rest of the town knows about this, there's going to be some serious trouble. Can you do us a big favor?"

"Of course," Rainbow Dash replies without a second thought.

"Go back to the town Hall. Pretend nothing's happened. Don't let anypony leave." Rarity stares unblinkingly into the eyes of the other mare. This whole event seems to have the white unicorn shaken. I've never seen this side of her before. She's more serious, stern, but I can hear the fear in her voice.

I can see the disappointment in Rainbow Dash's eyes, even by the dim light. "But you guys need me! The monster-"

"-might attack the town hall." Rarity finishes. "If that happens, we need you there to rely on."

"One kick," I say, nodding. I feel bad sending her off, but it feels like bringing anyone else along with us would only slow us down. Time is of the essence.

Rainbow Dash looks between me and Rarity. "Promise me you two will be okay?"

We nod. "Do not worry, Rainbow Dash," Rarity says. "We will return."

"Thank you," I tell her. "Really."

"Not a problem." The cyan pegasus turns away and flies back the way she came. Somehow, I feel safer knowing that if the monster does attack the town hall, she will be there to beat it away.

We continue on to Fluttershy's cottage in silence. This time, neither of us can think of anything to say. The two of us are still thinking about what Rainbow Dash told us about the screaming mare. Was somepony else being murdered at the same time? Could it be entirely unrelated? It's strange, though, because it would draw attention to the second murder, right? Did somepony just burn themselves on the stove or something? She had said the sound was coming from Sweet Apple Acres. That implicates both Zecora and Applejack.

Once we arrive at Fluttershy's cottage, we can see her looking out the window as we approach. As soon as our hooves touch the welcome mat, she flings the door open, ushers us in, and slams the door shut.

"Did you learn anything new?" Fluttershy asks in her barely audible voice.

"Nothing really," I sigh. "We're trapped in here with a monster and Spike was probably poisoned."

"Well, that's not nothing," I hear a the voice of a familiar farm pony.

"Applejack! You're here too?" Rarity looks and sounds displeased, but not very surprised. "I guess Fluttershy did offer her cottage as a place to hide."

"Y'all would want to hide too if you saw what I saw," Applejack replies coolly. "Derpy Hooves mentioned a monster. Did it happen to be an ugly, two-legged creature made of metal and burlap sacks?"

"So you saw it too," I confirm. I hear a soft sound of hoofsteps and I turn around. Fluttershy has backed up several steps."Are you sure you will be okay here, Fluttershy?"

"Oh, you don't need to worry about me," she says in a voice that I'm sure she thinks is reassuring. "You have your own friend to worry about. Do you plan to keep going?"

"Better than sitting here waiting for something to happen, I guess."

"Where are you going?" I hear Rarity demand. Turning around, I see Applejack heading out the door.

"Back to the hospital," Applejack says, not seeming at all bothered by the interruption. "Did you need something?"

"Did you see Spike yesterday, around the evening?" I ask. "Zecora said that's around when he died."

Applejack nods slowly. "Ahh. She also mentioned that she was with me on the apple farm, right?"

I nod.

"Well, there you go. I was there with her. I could give you a whole list of what we did, every hour of the day, but you have more important things to do."

Rarity looks at me triumphantly. "See? Zecora could not have committed the crime."

"Neither could Applejack," I point out. "That does bring up something else, though." I look at Applejack again. "Were either of you screaming yesterday? I know it sounds crazy, but-"

"No," Applejack interrupts. "We heard that racket, but it sure wasn't us."

Rarity narrows her eyes at the farm pony. "Rainbow Dash said the sound was coming from around Sweet Apple Acres."

"Around, Rarity." Applejack says calmly, holding up a hoof. "Not necessarily from. Neither of us were screaming. I'd best be going now. Good luck, y'all." Applejack tips her hat and walks out the door.

I turn back to Fluttershy. "Do you have any suggestions? Have you found anything?"

"I will continue my research," the mare replies, returning to her books. "I have found little to no relevant information."

"The Mayor," Rarity says suddenly. "Why didn't I think of it sooner?" She slaps a hoof to her forehead.

I jump slightly, nearly knocking over a small table. "Did you think of something?"

"We should talk to Mayor Mare." It's not even up for debate as far as Rarity is concerned. "She's the one who issued the emergency alert, she must know something. I do hope you find something useful," she adds meaningfully to Fluttershy.

"Thanks again, Fluttershy," I say apologetically. I wish Rarity wouldn't be so rude sometimes.

"Good luck," I hear the pegasus whisper as we leave the cottage.

"I will storm in there and I will demand answers! I will knock down the door if need be, march up to that old mare, and tell her what a commotion she has caused!" Rarity is ranting as we walk to the Mayor's office. Sparks fly from her horn, no doubt caused by the strong feelings that she shamelessly shows. "I will demand a reelection. She will have no further political career. This is the last mistake she has made!"

"Keep it down." I nudge her in the side. "We don't want to stir everypony up. That can wait."

When we arrive at the mayor's office we are both surprised to find out that the door is locked. "Maybe she's not in?" I suggest, as silly as it sounds.

"Nonsense. Mayor Mare!" Rarity pounds on the door with a hoof. "Let us in now!" She takes a moment to catch her breath, then begins her furious assault on the door. "We know you are in there! We demand answers!"

Rarity seems really worked up. It's as if she's taking this whole thing personally, like this whole thing is one big insult to herself and her family. "Maybe there's a key under the mat," I say quietly.

But Rarity was having none of that. She turned on her heels and, with a very unladylike grunt, brought the door to pieces with three kicks. A part of me thinks that Rainbow Dash could have brought it down in only one, but that's not important. We walk over the splinters into the deserted waiting room. There are no signs of life. It's black but for the light on Rarity's horn, which has yet to go out.

"Hello?" I call out. Something about being alone in an unlit building gives me a bad feeling. "Mayor Mare?"

The assertive air around Rarity is gone, she seems worried as well. "Please," she says into the darkness, "We need answers."

There's a quiet creak down the hall, like that a door. Sure enough, a door at the end of the hall slowly swings open to reveal a desk and a single chair. A thing in the shape of a pony sits turned away in the swivel chair as if waiting for us, illuminated faintly by a flickering desk lamp.

"Mayor!" I shout and I trot towards her. I hear Rarity call something out behind me. I don't care if it's rude anymore. I don't even care if it's her. There must be a reason this pony sits in Mayor Mare's desk in her office. I stop in the doorway.

"Mayor?" I approach slowly. The pony in the chair is silent. I reach a hoof over the desk and turn the chair to face me and fall back in disgust.

The thing here is not Mayor Mare. Not anymore. Her eyes are glassy and half-closed and her mouth hangs open. Rarity was right. This was the end of her political career.

Class 3

"It appears that as of late nothing other than poison sealed the Mayor's fate."

Zecora walks out of the late Mayor Mare's office. Rarity and I had fled the building as soon as we discovered the corpse and returned to the hospital to tell Princess Luna and Zecora what we had found. The two of them had accompanied us back to the scene of the crime for a second examination.

"She was most likely dead when the alarm was sent out." Zecora continues. "What you saw and heard was a recording, no doubt."

"I found something as well." Princess Luna emerges from a small side room with a tangle of wires and tapes levitated in her blue magic. "It seems that someone has used old recordings from previous disaster drills and broadcasted it on a timer. This plan was very well thought-out."

"So they gather everypony in the town hall? Why?" Rarity looks a bit defeated.

"Maybe to keep them out of the way?" I suggest. I realize that if that was the plan all along, it's a good thing we left Rainbow Dash there to protect the citizens.

"I expect we will be keeping this to ourselves as well?" Princess Luna asks, the sentence sounding more like a command than a question. We nod, and I can't help wondering if Spike and Mayor Mare were poisoned by the same pony.

There's a moment of silence before I take a look around the room. The lamp is still flickering and I can see shelves and cabinets filled with papers and documents. "Do you think there's any information here? Something we can use?"

"We might as well take a look." Rarity says, starting on a bookshelf to her left. I hear her mutter something about a needle in a haystack.

Occupying the desk are books and papers, of course, the flickering metal lamp, a small pile of messily-sealed envelopes, most likely school projects from young colts and fillies. I turn to the books and papers and nothing is useful. Ten Things to Never Do in Politics. No. A Lecture on the History of Equestria and How It Benefits Our Youth. No. Fifty Shades of Neigh. Definitely not. Everything else I find is similar.

"Have you found anything?" I hear Rarity call to me.

"No," I reply, turning to check the shelf behind me. In my haste, I bump the desk a bit harder than I would have liked and the lamp crashes forward heavily, landing on the floor with a noise that makes all of us jump. There's a bright flash that makes me blink and the bulb is out. Once again, we are in darkness.

"Derpy!" Rarity hisses in frustration.

There's a moment before Princess Luna, still standing in the doorway, lights her horn and gives us just enough light to see by.

"Was that always there?" I hear the princess ask, and I turn around again, this time careful not to knock anything over.

The lamp has pushed up a floorboard, revealing a hidden compartment about the size of a large watermelon. I'm afraid of what could be inside, but I take a step closer and peer into the rectangular compartment. Inside are two things: A flat, rectangular locked box and a large, egg-shaped stone with a hole in one side.

"What are these?" I bring the two items to Princess Luna. Rarity comes to join us, it seems she hasn't found anything.

"An egg, by the looks of it," Rarity says, almost sounding impressed. "Why is there a hole in it, though?"

"It's a fake, possibly," Princess Luna says, lifting it in her magic and examining it from all angles. "Or, it is not an egg at all." She carefully lifts the flat box. "I'm afraid I do not know how to open this, either." The glow illuminating the room goes out until the only light comes from that surrounding the two items. The light around the box sparkles and flashes for a moment before the midnight blue alicorn sets it down.

"This box is enchanted," she says, a worried expression on her face. "I'm afraid I do not know enough to safely unlock it. I have to wonder though," her expression changes to one of puzzlement, "why Mayor Mare was in possession of these objects."

"I don't think we can find anything more in here," Rarity says. "Do you think Fluttershy will know anything about these things?"

Our options are fairly limited, so there's not much we can do but leave the building. Zecora stands outside with Mayor Mare's corpse on her back. "We will take the Mayor back to the hospital," Princess Luna says. She lowers the box to the ground, keeping the egg in her magic. "I will continue to examine this at the hospital," She looks at me and Rarity. "I trust the box will be safe in your hooves?"

"Of course, Princess," Rarity bows her head.

I hear somepony clearing her throat and Zecora is looking at me. She makes a beckoning motion and I hesitantly walk over to her. "Derpy Hooves, come speak to me. I need a moment, if you please."

"Yes, Zecora?" I ask, still suspicious.

"You still do not trust me, I can tell. In you heart does suspicion dwell. Nopony here conspires against you. This whole thing is yours for you alone to work through. You are in this whether you like it or not. I ask again, do you remember what you forgot?"

The zebra looks at me with her piercing blue-green eyes. It's hard to believe that she's not conspiring against me, not when she says something like that. "I don't remember if I've forgotten anything, Zecora. Thank you." I turn and follow Rarity to Fluttershy's cottage as quickly as possible. I need to get as much distance between that crazy striped mare and me as possible.

Fluttershy seems resigned to the fact that we will keep coming back and simply opens the door when we arrive, making no attempt to delay whatever apocalypse the thinks will strike her cottage first, of all places. We hastily explain what happened at the Mayor's office and show her the box we found in the secret compartment.

"You didn't try to open this, right?" Fluttershy asks urgently, tapping the box with a hoof.

"Princess Luna said it would be unsafe," I say, backing away from the table where we stand on the off-chance that Fluttershy does, in fact, manage to set it off somehow.

"Well, she's right," Fluttershy replies. "If she had forced it open with magic, or if somepony used a hammer on it, the box would explode. Simple. And it would probably take out any nearby ponies." She speaks casually, as if she is talking about the eating and sleeping habitats of one of her animals. "If you give me some of your patience, I believe I can get this box open."

Rarity and I watch in silence as she walks over to a rug, pulls it aside, and removes a loose floorboard. She returns to the table with what appears to be a briefcase. When she opens it, Rarity and I both see that it's filled with about fifty tiny, metal tools.

"You can pick locks?" Rarity's eyebrows look like they're about to fly off her face. "I thought... I mean... what?!"

"It comes with the job description. Stand back please." Fluttershy picks a particularly tiny instrument and aims carefully at the keyhole of the lock on the flat box.

"Job desc-" I begin.

"Stand. Back."

Rarity and I take a few steps back. Then, for good measure, a few more. The only noise in the room is the quiet clicking of Fluttershy picking at the lock.

Click!

"Got it. Oh, b-" She stops herself before she finishes the word. "...unnies."

"What's wrong?" I ask, walking forward. "What's in it?"

"Who puts a sealed case inside a sealed case?" She demands, her shouting voice barely higher than her normal voice. It's absolutely-" she stops again and clears her throat. "Well. It must be important. On the bright side, there's also this." She reaches into the box and pulls out a small, crystal key with her teeth. Rarity takes it from her.

"Do you think it fits in that egg?" I ask? The key is small, but larger than the keyhole in the still-smaller case that Fluttershy has uncovered.

"It must," Rarity nods. "Thank you, Fluttershy. You have proven most helpful."

The pegasus is already working on the second box. "This one will take some time. Go on, do what you need to do. Come back in a few minutes."

I want to ask her about Zecora, what she meant about all of this being for me, if she meant it at all. I don't want to disturb her as she delicately unlocks the second case, just in case it explodes. I back out of the cottage to join Rarity and we make our way to the hospital.

We quickly trot towards the hospital. Hopefully, whatever this key does will give us some answers. We don't have many other options at this point.

Creak... thump... CRASH!

Out of nowhere, the metal monster lunges out at us, swinging it's heavy arm. I hear Rarity scream as I panic and fly straight upwards. I spin upwards and I can feel myself falling back towards the ground. Frantically, I flap my wings, not caring where they take me as long as I don't face-plant into the thing I'm running from.

I'm back in the air, spinning again. It takes me some time to even out into a steady hover. I can't see Rarity's light, the hospital, or the monster at all. The town is nothing more than a vague black blur. I realize something, though. We didn't hear the monster at all before it attacked us. This means that it's either intelligent enough to know how to hunt us and lie in wait, or someone is following us and is giving it orders. Either way, I can't trust that it's not lurking beneath me. I'm afraid to touch the ground. I'm afraid to land, but I don't have a choice.

Slowly, steadily, I begin to lower myself until I feel the hard ground beneath my hooves. Only, that's not what I feel. Instead, I feel leaves brushing against my legs. That's impossible, I couldn't have left Ponyville. It's probably a bush. No, when I lower myself further, I land on what is none other than the branch of a tree. I step off and land find myself on solid ground. A really short tree? I take a few steps forward and walk into a railing. I seem to have landed on the balcony of someone's house. A tree house.

I feel around for a door and it's unlocked. I feel bad for breaking into someone's house, but this is an emergency. I trip several times as I make my way through the pitch-black room.

"Don't let there be stairs," I say to myself before tumbling down a spiral staircase and landing on my back in a candle-lit room. A library.

Spike's library.

My breath catches in my throat and all I can think about is every single I delivered heavy boxes of books to this library for a librarian I never even met.

"Come in for some tea, Derpy?"

"I'm sorry, I have lots of things to get done."

"Just one cup? I even have muffins, your favorite."

"Oh... why not?"

The M-word always got me. Every single time. He said the librarian didn't like eating in the library, but that never stopped us. I never saw her, but Spike always talked about her.

"You."

I whirl around and knock over a stack of books. A purple unicorn is looking at me with a completely expressionless face. She stares unblinkingly and I nod slowly.

"Yes?"

"You eat in the library, Derpy Hooves."

"Oh." Then it clicks. "You're the librarian!"

She is silent.

I don't know whether it's the library, the candle-light, or the presence of this strange purple unicorn, but I feel like I should talk quietly. "What's your name?"

"Twilight Sparkle." Simple enough.

I take a breath. This is the hard part. "Twilight Sparkle, Spike-"

"Don't worry," she interrupts. "I already know. He told me." She sounds blunt, but not uncaring, like she's accepted the truth long ago.

"He told you? How?" Her words confuse me, but I realize now is not the time to think about it. "How do I get to the hospital from here? It's too dark outside to see."

"Fly straight out from the door, you should find it soon enough."

"Thanks, Twili-" I blink. She's gone. I didn't hear her leave. I want to find her, but there are more important things to do.

Rarity is pacing when I return to the hospital and when I land at the doors, she flings her hooves around me and wails, "Darling! You're safe!" She straightens up and clears her throat. "That's good."

It's great to see Rarity again. That's not something I ever thought I'd think. "I'm glad you're safe," I tell her, and I mean every word. "Did the key work?"

"We wanted to wait for you, in case something happened and we need to be together." She offers a smile which I return. Princess Luna and Applejack come out of the examination room, the princess levitating the egg and the key in her magic.

Looking between us, Princess Luna prepares to unlock the egg. "Are we ready?" Rarity, Applejack, and I nod. She insets the key into the lock and turns it.

Nothing happens. I'm almost disappointed. It doesn't open. It doesn't explode.

Suddenly, I feel my feel fall out from under me as the ground shakes beneath us like an earthquake. There's a deafening grinding and crashing.

It stops as suddenly as it starts. When we look out, we can see a single shaft of light shining down through the darkness that once covered Ponyville. I can see the other mares looking at each other in alarm. We are probably thinking the same thing: There is no way that everypony will not have noticed that.

Princess Luna is the first to her feet. "Let's go and see what happened," she sighs and leaves building.

"So much for not causing a panic," Rarity sighs as she lends me a hoof up.

As we expected, all of Ponyville is outside. I look up and I see a single square opening at the top of the dome. This confuses me, it would only allow pegasi to escape.

"We should check around the edge for exits for earth ponies," I say, but Princess Luna holds a wing out, stopping me.

"Wait," she says. She sounds concerned. "Something isn't right."

We approach the crowd and I can hear Rainbow Dash going through the crowd, doing her best to calm a townsworth of panicking ponies and failing.

"No, wait!" I hear her calling. "Don't go up there!" I hear her call. An earth pony tries to gallop off and she flies to stop her. "We don't know what's out there!"

"Be still!"

I leap sideways as Princess Luna's magically amplified voice blasts into my ears. I had forgotten she could do that. The ponies stop their shouting and stomping and turn to look at her. All but one.

Before anyone can stop her, a purple pegasus I don't know frantically flies towards the hatch. "I'm not staying in here any longer!" I hear her shout before she disappears through the opening. As soon as she is out of sight, we hear a roar and a scream of agony. A gout of fire blasts through the opening and I see the pegasus fall back through the hole, limp and burning. She screams until she hits the ground in the center of town.

I can only stand there in shock. Somepony just tried to leave the dome. And died. Princess Luna goes to calm the townsfolk, Rainbow Dash takes a group of ponies to look for the fallen pegasus, and Rarity stands beside me. I can't hear her words.

With a rumbling, like the sealing of a stone coffin lid, the dome is shut and we are plunged into darkness once more.

Class 4

I can hear screams as everyone is in darkness again. Some unicorns light their horns, but most of the ponies are too scared to think straight. I am too. Rarity leads me back to the hospital and I can hear Princess Luna giving directions to the crowd behind us.

"Something's going on outside," the white unicorn says, pointing out the obvious. "Something bigger and more important than ourselves." She speaks calmly, but I can hear fear in her voice. "But we can't give up. If we give up now, we're doomed for sure."

I nod. We can't let that pony's death be for nothing. "We can't stop now," I say in agreement. "Let's go to Fluttershy. Maybe she has that box open."

The mayhem outside seems to have died down a bit when we go back out. Princess Luna seems to have a certain amount of authority now. I had wondered why, until now, she didn't have a more important role in Ponyville.

When we arrive at Fluttershy's cottage, we tell her everything. I don't expect her to stand there calmly, listening to every word, nodding every once and a while, but she does.

"It sounds like the worst possible outcome has happened just like we thought," she says simply when we finish.

"Wait a second!" Rarity stomps a hoof. "Do you know something we do not? Who is 'we'? Are you plotting something?"

The yellow pegasus shakes her head. "Don't confuse predictions with reality, Rarity," she says. "Predicting something doesn't mean it will come true."

"Still," I say slowly, "Who is 'we'? Neither of us have talked with you much."

Fluttershy gives us a small smile. "I suppose I can't hide it any longer, now that we have lost an innocent pony. Stand back please."

Rarity and I, once again, press back against the wall. Fluttershy walks over to a lamp, lifts it, and presses a red button beneath it. She hurries to the middle of the room and for a backdrop painted with flames unfurls behind her, accompanied by a fanfare playing from an unknown source, probably a radio. This whole spectacle startles me so badly that I panic and fly straight up into the ceiling.

"I am Hurricane Fluttershy. Undercover agent of the Unicorn Party, at your service." Fluttershy gives us a nod and a small smile.

When I find my feet again, the first thing I can say to her is, "But you're a pegasus, not a unicorn."

"The Unicorn Party?" Rarity takes a step forward. "Isn't that the secret organization that supports peace with the dragons of Equestria? I thought they were just stories!"

"Sometimes the best place to hide something is right in plain sight," Fluttershy replies simply.

All of this new information is unfamiliar to me. "Wait. What is the Unicorn Party?" I ask. "Why are the dragons a problem? Doesn't Princess Celestia have that all under control?"

"I'm afraid it's more complicated than that, dear," Rarity says to me. "Do you know nothing of the history of Equestria? Long before our time, there were wars between ponies and dragons. We beat them of course, but a lot of good mares and stallions had lost their lives in the process. Even today, the pony population outnumbers that of the dragons ten to one."

She taps a hoof on the ground. "This is where the Unicorn Party is involved. It is one of the two political parties on the subject of dragons. The Unicorn Party wishes to continue to live peacefully with dragons and the Lion Party would rather wipe them from the face of Equestria entirely. They would have dragons exterminated completely."

To think that there were two factions of ponies within our peaceful town secretly fighting between war and peace... "Is what is happening today because of the Lion Party?"

"Yes." Fluttershy nods. "I'm afraid so. We have discovered Lion Party activity here in Ponyville, that is why I am here. Unfortunately, I could not stop all of this."

One thing hits me. "Spike is- I mean was- a dragon. Wouldn't the Lion Party want to exterminate him too?" I trip over the last few words. Could they be why he is dead? It must be.

"I opened the case," Fluttershy says and she motions for us to follow her to the table which I just now notice is covered in papers. "I think this will explain some things to you."

She points out a particularly official-looking document. Rarity reads it aloud:

The Dragon Representative

It has been decreed by Princess Celestia, ruler of the ponies of Equestria, and King Flarethrone the Magnificent, King of the dragons, that a young dragon will be chosen to live in a small pony community once every century, effective once the first suitable candidate has been found.

He will be the dragon representative. We will pick a baby dragon who shows a hereditary resistance to Equidae Influenza. The representative will live among the ponies until maturity, when he will return to his native lands to report on the experiences as representative.

"Does this mean Spike is the dragon representative?" I wonder aloud.

"Yes," Fluttershy says simply.

The dragon in question will be the symbol of all of his kind within the community in which he lives. If he is to die within said community, the entire town, city, or village in question will be sealed off. One sunrise after the death is confirmed, the ponies will be at the mercy of the dragons, to be dealt with as the dragons see fit.

I find myself shaking, with fear or rage, I can't be sure. "Why?" I ask through my teeth. "Why would Princess Celestia agree to such a horrible thing?!"

"This is dreadful!" Rarity shouts. "Spike died, so all of Ponyville is taking the blame for it? We don't even know who did it, or how!"

"She didn't do it lightly," Fluttershy replies softly. "It took nearly fifty years for her to reach this agreement with King Flarethrone, during which the war was still going on. Innocent ponies were dying. Something had to be done about it."

I stare at the floor. All this time inside this dome, dragons have been flying to Ponyville to kill us once the dome is opened and nothing can be done about it at all. Not even Princess Celestia herself. They're waiting outside, just waiting for the sun to fall and rise. But Princess Luna can't raise the moon from in here, can she? Perhaps Princess Celestia would take up that responsibility once again.

"What was that part at the beginning?" I ask, looking over at the paper again. "Equidae Influenza?"

"It's a disease," Fluttershy explains, "a virus that is harmless to ponies, but fatal to dragons. It is what started the war between ponies and dragons. They didn't want their representative getting sick during their stay. This agreement was signed a thousand years ago. Up until now, all of the known dragon representatives have been successful."

"Why would this happen now?" Rarity asks. "Why wait?"

"Ponyville is largely occupied by those who support the Unicorn Party," Fluttershy sadly shakes her head, "But more and more members of the Lion Party have been coming to weaken their influence, and it's been working. And now, as soon as that dome outside opens, another war will begin."

"It doesn't matter if we get outside," I say quietly. "The fire will destroy everything. And everypony. There must be more we can do."

"You said that Ponyville has been under the Unicorn Party's support, right?" Rarity asks Fluttershy. She sounds like the has an idea. "Do you think there might be something in the town's history that could help us?"

"We should do it." I feel something I've never felt before, a hard, cold feeling.

My friend is dead and we are going to die. That dome is going to open and Ponyville will burn along with everypony in it. I know the ending to this story now, but I'm not going to just wait for it to happen. If there is nothing we can do to stop it, the least we can do is learn why this is happening. There are still unanswered questions, I don't want to die until I know the whole story.

"Are you alright," Rarity stares at me with a concerned look on her face. "You have been pawed a dent into the floor, dear."

I look down and notice that while lost in thought, I was indeed scraping one of my forelegs against the hardwood floor of Fluttershy's cottage. "Sorry about that, Fluttershy."

"Don't worry about it," the pegasus shakes her head.

"To the library?" I look at Rarity.

"The library."

We thank Fluttershy and exit the cottage, heading for the tree where I had crash-landed not so long ago.

It seems that Princess Luna has successfully cleared the crowds once we are back outside. Maybe they're back in the town hall? A couple of the street lamps have been lit, but Rarity keeps her horn lit nonetheless. That gentle blue glow makes me feel safe.

"It's amazing how much Fluttershy knows," I say as we walk.

"A Unicorn Party agent, right in Ponyville," the white unicorn shakes her head as she marvels. "Who would have thought?"

"She hid it well."

"She would have to, if there were Lion Party agents among us."

The library is still filled lit with candles when we walk into the large tree. There is no sign of the purple unicorn I saw when I was here last. It's a bit eerie, but there's no time to waste. Rarity and I begin looking through the books, shelf by shelf, pile by pile. I find myself over by a row of encyclopedias that don't look like they've been touched for at least a hundred years.

"Why isn't there a volume six?" I ask myself. It's not a big deal, really, but the skip from five to seven surprises me as I read along the spines of the books.

"What you are looking for is not here."

I turn around and I see Twilight Sparkle looking at me, half of her face lit by candlelight, the other half almost completely in shadow. Her stare is as blank as always. "I'm not looking for an encyclopedia," I say quickly.

"I know," she replies. "You are looking for the Ponyville records. They're not here."

"Can you tell me where to find them?"

"I can."

We stare at each other for a few seconds.

"Will you tell me how to find them?"

"Yes." She doesn't even blink.

"Where do I find them?" I have to try really hard not to raise my voice.

"By request."

"That was a request!"

"Say please."

"Please!"

It might have been the lighting, but I could have sworn I saw the tiniest of smiles at the edge of Twilight Sparkle's mouth. "The records aren't kept in public. They're over there." She motions to a desk at the back of the room. "In the back room, behind the desk."

"Thank you, Twilight Sparkle."

"Erm... Derpy Hooves?" Rarity walks up next to the purple unicorn and raises an eyebrow. "Are you feeling quite well?"

I am a bit hungry, but that's about it. "I'm fine, Rarity. Why?"

"You were talking to yourself."

"I was just talking to her." I point at Twilight Sparkle, who turns her head to stare at Rarity.

With a sigh, Rarity says, "Maybe you're dehydrated. I'd be worried if I found myself talking to the candles. I'll be right back, maybe there's some water here." Rarity turns around and walks up the stairs in search of a glass of water.

Twilight Sparkle turns her unblinking gaze back to me. "Well, she was a bit rude."

I don't want to consider the fact that she might not be real, that might mean that the information she gave me might not actually be helpful. I can't help but wonder, though.

"I'm sorry, Twilight Sparkle," I say. I try to word the question delicately, but I can't seem to find a way to do so. Finally, I give up and ask, re you a hallucination?"

She doesn't answer, she just stares at me like she did earlier. And the time before that. And before that. Then, she says, "I've never been able to talk to a pony I've just met before. Just you and Spike." Now, it's as if she looks through me. She sounds distant when she says, "Maybe I'll remember everything I've forgotten. Will you?"

"What?!"

"I found some water!" Before Twilight Sparkle can answer, Rarity comes back down the stairs, levitating a glass of water. "The first ten rooms I checked were either filled with books or- is something the matter?"

I'm distracted only for just a moment, but by the time I look back to the purple unicorn, she is gone. I shake my head and silently take the water. Does this hallucination, or whoever she is, know something about what's going on? We have no other leads, so there's no harm in going to see if the records of Ponyville are where she said they are.

Sure enough, on a shelf behind the desk, are the books we are looking for. "A History of Ponyville," Rarity reads aloud. She flips through the book, skimming the pages. "Wow, Ponyville is hundreds of years old," she remarks, pointing to a section on the Winter Wrap-Up tradition.

"Is there anything useful? About dragons?"

"Nothing we don't already know," Rarity snorts in frustration. She flips to the index. "Hoofball records, Pony of the Year awards, the legend of the haunted bakery. Wait. Do you know about the Amore group?"

I shake my head. The name doesn't sound familiar at all.

Flipping to somewhere near the end of the book, Rarity reads for a few seconds then says, "It says that about two hundred years ago, there was a fire in a medical facility of some sort that was home to a project hosted by the Amore group. There's not a lot of information- what's wrong?"

I lean over Rarity to take a closer look at the page. Something has caught my eye and I read to myself, "...years later, the facility was unfortunately shut down due to a fire. No employees were harmed, but one Twilight Sparkle was killed in the basement, where the fire seems to have originated. With research halted..."

"Did you find something useful?" Rarity asks, another concerned look on me.

"A ghost."

"Come again, dear?"

I shake my head and step away from the desk. "It says that somepony named Twilight Sparkle died in the basement of the Amore facility. That's the same name as the pony who I saw when I crashed here and just now. That's the only explanation."

"Ghosts are imaginary creatures," the white unicorn says as she levitates the book back onto its shelf with her magic. "They don't exist." She puts a hoof on my shoulder and leads me out of the candle-lit library. There must be more to the story than just that. Who is Twilight Sparkle?

We decide that the Amore Medical Facility is the next place to go. The only problem is that we don't actually know where it is. The book did mention that it had a basement, so all we would have to do would be to dig underground until we found it. We can't really do that, though.

We're on our way back to the hospital when a frantic shout startles us both. I panic and fly straight up like at Fluttershy's cottage but before I can bolt, the loud newcomer shouts, "Stop!"

I look down and I see a mint-colored unicorn staring at Rarity with a frantic look in her eyes. I land and she looks at me. "I am glad I could find you here. I have been looking all over for you." She speaks loudly as if she is in a theatre.

Rarity and I exchange looks. "Do you know her?" she asks me. I shake my head.

The mint unicorn puffs out her chest and lowers her horn aggressively. "I am Lyra, the Hand of the Sun Queen!"

I remember now. The crazy magic dabbler who lives on the edge of town. Nothing she says ever makes sense.

"Mother of Banished Snow!" She looks at me and leans so our noses touch. "Can you hear it? Can you see it? The beginning of the end?"

I lean back, I'm not really sure what to do about this. "That's not my name. What do you want?"

Lyra takes a few steps back. "I have no choice, Mother of Banished Snow, I must put an end to this before the darkness spreads any further! Draw!" She swings her horn down in an arc in front of her. "I shall grant you a swift death!"

Something ripples through me from my ears to my hooves. It's like a warm breeze, but I don't hear any leaves rustling. My mind goes blank. I feel words rising to my lips.

"Hand of the Queen!" I declare, "I shall end you here and now! Come!"

...

"Derpy Hooves! Are you crazy? We can't have you fooling around right now, of all times!" I feel like I'm waking up from a deep sleep. There's a pain on my left cheek and I'm lying on the ground.

"What happened?" I ask, trying to shake myself awake.

"The Glorious Enchantress of Inspiration interrupted our battle," Lyra declares, stamping a hoof.

"I had to pull you two apart before you tore each other to bits!" Rarity helps me up and I blink until I stop seeing double. "What made you think that was a good idea?"

Nothing comes to mind. I can't remember anything. I look at Lyra and ask, "What are you doing out here? Why did you attack me?"

"I must do my sacred duty as the Hand of the Queen! I must follow the Scourge of Wyrms!"

"Worms?" Rarity look a bit disgusted. "Why would you follow worms at a time like this? Are you sure you are not in shock from recent events?"

"NO!" I jump a bit as Lyra shouts at Rarity. "I am Lyra, Hand of the Sun Queen, Crosser of Realms, Breaker of the Wall of Time!" Her voice is rising. At this rate, she'll draw all of Ponyville out again. "I may not return to Fillydelphia until my task is complete! The walls shall be broken! They call me! THEY CALL ME!" Her voice cracks as she screams at the top of her lungs. I cover my ears.

"Hang on," Rarity holds a hoof in front of the other unicorn's face before she breaks any windows. "Where were you yesterday evening?"

"I was battling the Moon-Shifters, they invade ever still, and following the Scourge of Wyrms."

"No, really." Rarity growls impatiently. "Where were you?"

"The Faraway Travelers required my aid into the stars."

Rarity rears up onto her hind legs. "What the hay is wrong with you, Lyra?! Give us a straight answer!"

"The Scourge of Wyrms, it feasts on your anger! Be cautious, Glorious Enchantress of Inspiration! Bah!" She huffs and says, "Very well. Those who inhabit Ponyville know this place as Sweet Apple Acres." She spits out the words as if they're dirty insects flying from her mouth.

"Was that so hard?" Rarity says, calming down.

"Yes."

The two unicorns lower their horns, glaring daggers at each other. Before another fight breaks out, I look at Lyra and ask, "Did anything happen when you were there?"

Lyra looks a bit happier. "I saw Ignuntius Regina Solis brave the depths of the premises!"

"Who?" Rarity and I say at the same time.

"The Sun Queen's Messenger of the Flame, Ignuntius Regina Solis!" Grudgingly, she adds, "I suppose ponies normally called him Spike."

Spike went to Sweet Apple Acres? Applejack and Zecora both saw him before he died?

They said that nothing had happened.

Applejack and Zecora lied to us.

Class 5

"So they both lied to us!" Rarity stomps a front hoof. "I can hardly believe it!"

We have just found out that Applejack and Zecora may very likely have seen Spike before he was killed. I am more suspicious of Zecora than ever. She could have poisoned him right then and there.

"Do you fools not understand?" Lyra demands, stomping up to me to shout in my face, "The Guardian of the Blooming Hearts works not of her own accord, but under the dark influence of the Oathbound Shaman of Thorns! She twists the powers linking two hearts, a power stronger than could have possibly been believed! The-"

"Stop that!" Rarity bumps Lyra on the shoulder, just slightly harder than she may have needed to. "We appreciate your help, but do not bother if you cannot speak in ways we cannot understand!"

"You will see, Glorious Enchantress of Inspiration. Mark my words, you will see!" Lyra wheels around and gallops off into the darkness.

"That was odd..." I say, scratching the back of my head. I had heard she was crazy, but that was beyond what I could have possibly imagined. Then again, I shouldn't be surprised after today.

"Now what?" Rarity asks. "Should we check Sweet Apple Acres for clues?"

"That sounds like the best idea, but," I say with a frown, "What if Zecora and Applejack find us?"

"One of us will just have to distract them." Rarity says. I don't need to ask, she doesn't want to go to that farm. There is one more problem, though.

"How will I be able to see without you there?" I realize that there's no point in going to the farm if I'm just going to be stumbling around in the dark.

"Hmm..." Rarity puts a hoof to her chin in thought. "Let's stop by the library and pick up one of the candles there. Nopony will mind." I figure that Twilight Sparkle would have something to say about it, but it's not like she's there all that often to object. I think.

The two of us trot to the library in silence. I pick one of the biggest, brightest candles out and take it with me to Sweet Apple Acres as Rarity heads to the hospital. I have to fly slowly to keep the candle from going out in the wind. To think that only a few hours ago, life was completely normal. Now this. I hope that there are answers waiting for me at the farm.

I've only been here once or twice on delivery buisness and I never took the time to look around. I hold the candle up and see trees on either side of me and a path beneath my hooves. Following the path took me past the hen houses, from which I could hear the soft clucks of the birds inside, to the pens holding the goats and sheep, and finally to a large barn, one door left wide open. It seems too much like a trap, but something it telling me that the answers that I am looking for are inside.

I leave the candle by the door and step inside.

I'm not sure what I'm seeing at first, but it's not what I expected. Instead of bales of hay, sacks of grain, and other things one might see in a barn, I saw tables with vials and bottles filled with many colored liquids. There were small bags of herbs and a mortar and pestle. Zecora has definitely been working here. I look around, careful not to touch anything, until I see something that looks like a long list sitting on one of the tables. The end of the paper curls off the end of the table and rolls at least eight inches on the floor.

I can't be certain, but it looks like it's a list of names of some sort. Some sound like pony names, but others come across more as the names of plants or foods. I quickly scan the list and nothing stands out. Then, I see the name Twilight Sparkle and I have to read it again. Zecora knows about Twilight? Does that mean that she can see her too? A little farther down the list is my name, Derpy Hooves, directly below Spike's. Something catches my eye an inch or so higher, something I missed. Rarity? Applejack? What are their names doing on this paper? What is this paper even for?

Before I can consider this further, I hear hoofsteps and a sharp pain explodes in the back of my head.

"Derpy Hooves! Wake up! Are you alive?"

Fluttershy is shaking me by the shoulders. My face is damp. I sit up and look around. We're in the cottage.

"My head hurts," I groan, rubbing the back of my aching skull. "What happened?"

With a look of concern, Fluttershy says, "Rarity came by about a half hour ago and dropped you off. She said that she expected you to be back at the hospital and went to look for you, but found you lying unconscious in Applejack's barn."

"Where is she?"

"She didn't stay long," the pegasus frowns lightly. "She said something about finding out the truth and left."

A horrible realization hits me. "Rarity's going to talk to Zecora. She's already gone!" I sit up and my head spins. "I need to go after her, she's in danger!"

"You can't go in this state," Fluttershy objects, "You're only endangering yourself! Rarity will have to be on her own for now," she adds grimly.

I would pray to Princess Celestia right now, but I know that she couldn't save us even if she wanted to. All I can do is hope that Rarity will be okay.

Ah, that pegasus is lighter than she looks, Rarity thought as she left the cottage. I sort of feel bad, leaving her like that, but I want to talk to Zecora and learn the truth for myself, without her there.

The unicorn walked quietly through Ponyville, lighting her own way to Applejack's barn. Why did it have to be there? Couldn't the potential crime scene have been somewhere that was a bit... cleaner? I didn't get a chance to see any evidence there, I was more worried about Derpy Hooves' health.

As she entered the orchard, she couldn't help but think about the farm pony who lived there with disgust. It started out with the first day she moved to Ponyville. Applejack had walked into her sparkling clean home with dirt-laden hooves without even a word of warning. She had offered an old, battered-looking welcoming basket that, in Rarity's opinion, was not a worthy gift to welcome a pony to a new town. Although, she had to admit, the treats inside were quite good. And she hated it.

Next came the incident at the cafe. It was a crowded Sunday afternoon and Rarity was about to enjoy a nice, quiet cup of tea at a table with a fine window view, sketching a design for a new dress, when one of the waitresses brought the farm pony over and had the nerve to sit her down on the opposite chair. Applejack had apologized and said that this was her favorite tables and that she hoped Rarity didn't mind the company. Rarity was about to object to the waitress that she did, indeed, mind the company, but she had already gone.

For the rest of the afternoon, Applejack had tried, undaunted, to make Rarity laugh, to tell her stories, to spark a conversation. At one point, she had tried to see Rarity's sketches, leaned over the table, and knocked her beverage onto the unicorn's work. Furious, Rarity had flipped the table over as she stood and stormed out of the cafe. She hadn't bothered to heed Applejack's apologies.

It had been like that ever since. Applejack never ceased attempting to make amends with Rarity, but her attempts were always met with stubborn failure. Rarity's resolve had almost broken when a line of chattering ponies awoke her on the first morning of cider season. She had remembered the treats that the farm pony had brought her on her first day, but her pride wouldn't allow her to join the other ponies in line.

Finally, Rarity reached the barn. The candle that Derpy Hooves had left hadn't moved one bit. It flickered against the barn walls and the door. As Rarity walked in, she saw the faint silhouette of a pony standing at the back of the large room.

"Hello?"

"Ah, you've come at last, I see. Do step inside, miss Rarity."

Nervous and stiff, Rarity walked into the barn and stood before Zecora. She thought she caught the faint shifting of another shadow, but she paid it little mind.

"I need to ask you some questions."

The zebra turned around and lit a second candle that stood on a table behind her. When she turned back, the shadows around her face made Rarity shudder inwardly.

"By the light of the fire's glow, ask me what you wish to know."

After some consideration, Rarity asked, "Did you kill Spike? Is Derpy Hooves right?"

Zecora shook her head. "This question, it is on your mind still? Very well, Spike I did not kill."

Rarity breathed a sigh of relief. "That means it was Applejack all along. I knew she couldn't be trusted!"

But to Rarity's surprise, the zebra raised an eyebrow. "I did not say I had no hoof in the deed, I merely said I did not make him bleed. Neither did Applejack commit the crime. You will learn the truth all in good time." She smiled, but it wasn't friendly.

"So wait... neither of you killed him?" Rarity took a step back and shook her head, furrowing her brow. "You were both involved though? I don't understand."

Zecora chuckled darkly. "For now, let's put this nasty business aside. How does it feel to be where you did once did reside?" She took a threatening step forward and Rarity took another step back. "You wanted the truth? Well, this I shall give: Here, in this orchard, you used to live."

Rarity shook her head again, stepping back a third time. Zecora was beginning to unnerve her. "What are you saying? Why does that matter?"

"Oh dear, the time has bested me," In a sudden flash of stripes, the zebra turned her back to Rarity. "I have somewhere I need to be."

Her voice lowered and she spoke slowly, calmly. "Everything so far has gone according to plan. You have helped Derpy Hooves as best as you can. I need you no more, you will not see day light. And now," Rarity saw her body tense, "Rarity, good night."

Before Rarity could even flinch, Zecora blew out the candle and swept her hoof across the table, sending numerous vials and powders flying through the air at her.

Acids? Poisons? Rarity closed her eyes, preparing for the worst, but was met with no pain or even splashes of liquid on her face. There was a heavy thump and Rarity opened her eyes. Between herself and Zecora, Applejack lay on the floor of the barn, coughing and shuddering. Patches of her fur were missing where the concoctions that had been meant for Rarity had hit her. In some places, her fur had been leeched of its color. One of her eyes was shut and around it was a large helping of some kind of paste that made a soft, sizzling sound.

"Stop, Zecora," the earth pony grunted as she tried to stand. "We had a deal, remember? You said you wouldn't hurt Rarity at all."

Zecora started to walk to the door. "I told nopony else, I did not lie. But not to tell her? You did not specify. Oh, a message to Derpy Hooves, when you go: Follow me, find me, down below."

Rarity turned to follow Zecora, but Applejack placed a hoof on one of hers. "Don't. We need to talk."

"She's getting away!"

"Please, Rarity?" Applejack coughed again. "There's something I need to tell you now. Sit down."

"D'you remember Mama and Papa? I don't blame you if you don't, you were only a little foal the last time you saw them. Papa always said I looked exactly like him before he... Anyways, you get your white coat from Mama and your mane comes from a distant part of Papa's side of the family, the Plums. They're all Unicorns up until Papa and his Papa. They were good folk.

"I'm ramblin', aren't I? Alright, I'll get straight to it. The Plums are a high society family that live in Manehattan, even higher than the Oranges. They ain't the family type, though. When Uncle Avalon, Papa's brother, heard about how well Papa was doin' with Sweet Apple Acres, he came all the way down here to learn his secret.

"While he was here, he took a likin' to Mama. One day, when she and I were in town, Uncle Avalon killed Papa while he was playing with you. When we got home, you were sitting in your crib, crying and Uncle Avalon simply said that Mama was his now. He said he would be taking us to Manehattan the next day, and we shouldn't even try to run.

"He didn't want you, Rarity. Mama begged to take us both, but Uncle Avalon said that only one of us could come. The next morning, while Mama was on the phone, making arrangements with Granny Smith to come home early and take care of the farm, I planned to sneak you onto the train. You slept in an old apple crate that I had padded with bedsheets. I said it was full of my old things and on the way there and I wanted to make sure they got there safely. I sat there with you. Uncle Avalon didn't care, he didn't miss me. You didn't wake up once.

"I hid you in my room, feeding you scraps from the kitchen, until Mama had a new foal with Uncle Avalon. She looked just like you. This would be my only opportunity. One night, I crept into the room of the new foal and I put you, still sleeping, in her crib, and I took her away. Now you'd be raised right, in a nice bed, in a beautiful house, not stuck in the back of my closet, livin' on scraps. He would love you, because he would believe you to be his.

"Rarity, I took her into my room and I pressed my pillow to her face until she stopped moving. Then, I threw her into the ocean. Nopony ever found out. I ain't ashamed of what I did. You're my sister. You're family.

"Not long after, I was sent to live with the Oranges for a couple o' months. They lived across the street and my window looked into your room. It was nice, but it wasn't home. It was always loud downstairs, all the parties and dances kept me awake. I could never get the hang of wearing something that looked so nice but felt so uncomfortable.

"One day, I looked out my window and saw Mama with you in her lap, reading a book to you as you fell asleep. That's when I decided that you would be alright without me. She loved you, even though she didn't know it was you. She would take care of you.

"For the rest of my life, I worked at Sweet Apple Acres. I could only imagine the life you were leading. That is the life you remember, ain't it? Fancy parties, pretty dresses, prim and proper like? I see you nodding your head. Then you came here, to promote and expand Avalon's business? Rumor has it that he had two more foals with other mares after Mama.

"Never mind that now. Zecora noticed and threatened to tell the world. It would have ruined you and everything Avalon had worked for. I couldn't do that to you. You're so proud of yourself. Why should I take that away?

"It's alright, I forgive you. Everything you said, everything you did. You didn't know.

"I forgive you, Sister."

Class 6

Rarity arrives at the cottage just as I'm about to go out to find her. Without a word, she walks to the kitchen table and sits down. She stares straight ahead for a good ten minutes or so until Fluttershy asks her what happened. It takes some time, but we get the story out. Sisters... And what was it Zecora had said?

"What did she mean, find her down below?" I ask. "She doesn't expect us to look through every basement in Ponyville or dig until we find her, does she?"

"Of course not," Fluttershy shakes her head. "But maybe..."

"Yes?"

"It's a long shot, no. It won't work."

"What is it?" The pegasus can't be turning back to her timid self now of all times, can she?

She looks up at me and taps her chin thoughtfully. "I was looking through my documents. They mentioned when the Amore Group's medical center was destroyed, the town bakery was deserted shortly after. Is that a coincidence?"

I look at Rarity, who gives no sign that she heard anything. "I don't know," I continue. "We don't have any other leads, though, so we'd best be going."

"Go on without me." Rarity says softly. "I'd... I'd rather stay here for a while longer."

As much as I don't want to leave the cottage alone, I feel like Rarity should have some time to grieve.

It's not easy to find the bakery, but I don't run into the monster on my way. The windows are all boarded up and the door is locked. It's still dark outside, but a couple more street lamps have been lit, just enough to see by. It's going to be nearly impossible to look around inside, though. With a few kicks, I break down the door and step inside. There are moldy, stale cookies and cakes in the display windows. I can't even bear to look at the atrocities that once were muffins.

Despite the situation, I can't help but chuckle just a tiny bit, if only in a feeble attempt to lighten the mood. I only have the light from the street lamps to look by and there could be anything waiting in the shadows. I'm looking for a passage, though. Where would a secret passage be? As silly as it is, I go to look at the bookshelf behind the counter, full of dessert recipes of every shape and size. I pull on the bookshelf itself first, but it doesn't just fall over. I can't find any hidden levers, so I start pulling out books one by one. Maybe there's a switch behind one, or maybe the book is the switch.

I glance at the spines as I pull each book down. No two are exactly alike, they differ in shape, size, and color. I can't even believe there are this many books on baking. The bottom shelf is different from the others, though. The books are all the same. I take them off the shelf, one by one, and they seem to be a list of every food and ingredient in existence.

The sixth book is not like the others. I turn it over in my hooves and it's not a part of the series at all. Wait. The missing book in the library. Could this be it? I open it and look inside but there's no use, I can't read in this light.

Taking the book under my wing, I decide to head out and go back to the library. I can read by the candle light there and maybe Twilight Sparkle will know something.

I can see the tree-house-library from here. It's a blotchy, tree-shaped silhouette against the complete blackness of the dome covering Ponyville. It's a quiet walk, strangely enough. There is still no sign of the monster. Is it gone for good?

"Twilight Sparkle?" I call out as I walk into the library.

"Please be quiet in the library," I hear her say from one of the corners. She doesn't look up from her book. "What do you want this time?"

"I found out some things," I say, not even bothered by her response. "There are some things I'd like to ask about the town, and about you."

Twilight Sparkle raises her eyes to me and heaves a deep sigh. She stares at me for ten seconds or so, as if hoping I would leave, before closing the book and standing up. With a tilt of her head, she notices the encyclopedia under my wing.

"What is that? Where did you find that?" she asks, a faint hint of curiosity in her voice.

"It was in the bakery," I reply, walking forward and giving her the book. "Do you know about it?"

"I knew a lot of things," Twilight Sparkle replies as she begins pacing. "I can't quite remember it all."

I take a deep breath and try to remember all of the questions I have for her. "Did you really die here a long time ago?"

"I did." She stops to nod at me, then continues walking in circles. "I didn't just die in the accident in the basement. I was the accident. I destroyed it, I destroyed myself. I can never leave this place."

My breath catches in my throat. "You-"

"But why did I?" I'm interrupted. She doesn't seem to be talking to me, but to herself at this point. "Something to hide? Something to end? The books..."

"Wait," I say, "If you died in the Amore group's basement, why are you here in the Library?"

The purple unicorn shrugs and turns to the shelf with the encyclopedias on them. "I don't know yet." She runs her hooves along the spines of the books slowly, thoughtfully, before pulling out one of the volume nines.

"Read this." Her horn glows purple and she levitates the book to me.

I open the book, but it's not what I expected. The pages are glued together and the inside is hollowed out like a box. Inside the box are papers and files, just like the ones that Rarity and I found at Fluttershy's cottage. I move closer to one of the candles to go through the papers one by one, careful not to burn the precious evidence.

"Did you do this?" I ask, looking up at Twilight Sparkle, who is pacing again.

"Maybe." She comes over to me and stands at my shoulder. "What does it say?"

I begin reading the first page. It uses a lot of complex, science-y words that I don't understand, but there is enough to get the idea of it. They wanted to create a new disease, like the one before, that would be able to exterminate the dragons. They would send ponies to the dragons to spread it. The ponies would be the carriers.

The next few pages are labeled "Subject 07" and are mostly dates with the same notes beside them.

March 5: No progress has been made.

March 6: No progress has been made.

March 7: No progress has been made.

March 8: No progress has been made.

On the next page, something more is written.

March 15: We have isolated strains of Equidae Influenza from Twilight Sparkle. It has proven to be lethal to young dragons, we wait for results on older test subjects. It has been named Exodus Virus and research will continue.

I look at Twilight Sparkle to see if she remembers anything.

"They always brought young dragons to me underground. They would get very sick very quickly..." she walks away and begins pacing again. "They did things. The scientists did things to me, with me. They wouldn't let me leave, I stole the papers and hid them. I had to destroy the virus. I had to tell my family. My family? Did I have a family?"

I let her continue for a little bit until she begins asking the same questions again. Before I can stop her, though, she turns to me and looks me in the eyes. There's an intensity in her gaze.

"I remember now."

"Many, many years ago, I lived in an orphanage in Canterlot. Many of the other ponies I lived with had suffered family losses from the war. I understood their hatred for them, but I didn't feel it myself. I was young, it was home. That was how I grew up.

"One day, we heard screaming outside and we all ran to see what was going on. There were two brilliant lights outside, one golden-yellow, one fiery red,, clashing into each other with malicious intent. Ponies were panicking and there were dragons in the sky, setting rooftops alight.

"Just as we got back inside, one of the dragons ripped off the roof of the house. It reached inside and ate my siblings one by one, uncovering every hiding place with a single sweep of its claws. Just as it reached me, there were shouts and a roar followed by a loud crash outside. Ponies galloped into the house and found my hiding place. As we walked outside, I saw the body of the dragon collapsed beside the house.

"One of my siblings had survived. She had been running errands during the attack. The two of us lived together in a small house that we could barely afford. She worked as a part-time hoofmaiden at Canterlot Castle.

"That was when I got the invitation. I received a letter one day that invited me to an institution where I "would receive the finest training and care that can be provided to a young pony" such as myself. I didn't want to leave my sister, but she said that it would be good for me to have friends. It was true that she spent most of her day at work and I was usually alone, but I just liked knowing that she would come home. Secretly, though, I knew that I was holding her back. I wanted the best for her. I was sent here. It would one day become Ponyville.

"It wasn't until I arrived that I realized that it wasn't a school. It was worse than a prison. It was an underground facility dedicated to utterly wiping out all of dragonkind. Apparently, I had something that other ponies didn't have. They fed me, they gave me books to read, but there were always tests to be done. They would inject something into me, or remove something from my body. They would bring dragons into my room, as large as they could fit, and I would watch them die, simply by being in my presence.

"I heard them talking about trouble one day. About shutting down the facility, about needing to lie low for a while. Maybe this would be the end. I would be able to go home and live with my sister again.

"Of course, that was not the case. Instead, I was preserved, body and mind, with an ancient spell that froze me in time. My body was kept in one of the giant freezers while I was trapped within my own mind, blind, deaf, and mute. I tried to remember the happy days back in Canterlot, but I could only remember the deaths of the dragons I had caused during my time at the facility. I relived them for ten years, then twenty, fifty, a hundred, five hundred, until I lost count.

"I was awoken by a new pony, but she had still wanted to continue what the last ones had started. I couldn't let them do that. Dragons may have killed everyone I knew and loved, but it wasn't right. I felt myself dying with them, bit by bit. I took the papers on their research, hid them, and returned to the facility.

"The laboratory in the basement was where most of the experiments were conducted on me. That was where I disappeared. I had read books about magic and I never forgot them. I started the fire and I burned."

I stare at her, dumbstruck. It seems so incredible and so impossible, yet here I am talking to a ghost. "Could..." I speak slowly, just in case she has anything else to say, "Could that disease be the one that killed Spike?"

"That's impossible," Twilight Sparkle replies, much too quickly. "There is no trace of the disease left. The Exodus Virus died with me."

The rest of the notes don't seem to have any useful information, but there's a map of Ponyville at the bottom of the stack.

"Didn't you say that the facility existed before Ponyville?" Even as I ask the question, I notice that something's wrong with the map. No matter which way I turn it, there's no way it could be Ponyville. There are certain similarities, but not many.

"That's not a map of Ponyville," I hear Twilight Sparkle say softly. When I give her a confused look, she walks to my other shoulder and points at where the library would be. "This is the basement."

I stand up, sending papers flying. None of them hit any candles, thank goodness. "You're amazing!" I put the papers back into the encyclopedia and tuck it under my wing again. "Do you know how to get down there?"

"I do not." The unicorn shakes her head, "But I wish you good luck."

As I turn to leave, I hear her say, "Say hello to Spike for me."

I spin around. "What?! He's down there?"

But she's gone.

Class 7

I'm surprised at what I see when I return to Fluttershy's cottage. Princess Luna and Rainbow Dash are at the kitchen table with Rarity, and Fluttershy is looking for something under her floorboards. I tell them what Twilight Sparkle told me and I show them the encyclopedia. Princess Luna looks triumphant.

"We have her now!" she exclaims. "Rarity told me about what happened in the barn. That mare shall be brought to justice!"

"One problem, though," I say. "We still don't know how to get down there."

"Let's check the bakery a second time," she suggests, "Maybe you'll see something that you missed."

When I look at Rarity and Rainbow Dash to see what they think, neither look up. They speak softly to each other, not loud enough for me to hear.

"We should leave them," Princess Luna says quietly. "Rarity still seems troubled by..." she doesn't finish her sentence.

I nod and we head out the door. It troubles me a bit, but I can only hope that Rarity will recover. What happened to her can't have been easy. We are heading somewhere dark and terrible and a small voice in the back of my head tells me that not all of us will return alive.

When we arrive at the bakery, we hear a loud crashing and shouting. Princess Luna is the first to enter the building and she lowers her horn, preparing to strike at potential enemies. I wait outside until I hear a familiar voice, and I know that we are relatively safe.

"Mother of Banished Snow!" I hear Lyra declare as she bolts out of the shadows. "And Selene, Two-Faced Dreamer! I have found the source of the Scourge of Wyrms, we must make haste and bring judgement upon the Oathbound Shaman of Thorns."

Princess Luna looks at me. "What is she talking about?"

"I still don't know," I reply, shrugging at her before looking back at the unicorn. "Do you know how to get underground?"

"Indeed, I know the way to the Gate of the Abyss! Be you prepared, Mother of Banished Snow, for what lies beyond the pool into the underworld?"

"I guess so."

"Then let us go!"

Lyra spins around and gallops into the darkness. "She should not be running inside," I hear Princess Luna remark from beside me. "Especially when it is so dark. Did you hear that? She just broke something."

It's true, I hear the sound of breaking glass, then Lyra shouting, "The Gate to the Abyss is open! Come, brave warriors, it is time to depart! Quickly, quickly!"

Princess Luna walks forward without a word, horn alight. I follow hesitantly and we turn into a room at the back of the bakery. Inside is a very triumphant-looking Lyra beside a very smashed-looking mirror. Behind the mirror is a staircase leading down, and next to it is a lever, probably for moving the mirror aside.

"Wow," I say. "That was... something. How did you know that was back there?" I ask in puzzlement.

Lyra narrows her eyes. "Do you not sense the breaking of the walls between worlds? Am I alone able to see the light, its arcs and curves, the paths it leads to the end? No." She tilts her head a bit. "You could not know. The Scourge of Wyrms lies below, as does the Oathbound Shaman!"

I need to stop expecting a straight answer from her. "So we're going down there?" I ask. "Is it time to see if Zecora is down there, and get some answers?"

"Derpy Hooves," Princess Luna says, looking very serious, "Nopony wants answers more than I. Let us go."

We walk down the dark staircase for some time, saying nothing, our are hoofsteps the only sound in the silence. How deep down does this go, I wonder? Far below Ponyville, our happy, peaceful little town, ponies were working to eliminate dragons. They had used other ponies as well, as Twilight Sparkle said. How many others had suffered down here? This all feels like a trap, but we have no other options.

"Stop!" Lyra shouts suddenly. I feel my heart skip a beat as it struggles to leave through my mouth. "Beware! The Metal Amalgam approaches! Steel yourselves, and prepare for battle!"

Silence. Then I hear a familiar creak, thump, scrape...

"That's the metal monster Rarity and I told you about," I whisper to Princess Luna. "What is it doing down here?"

"Zecora created it, I expect." The princess lowers her horn at the monster. "Is it dangerous?"

"We never let it get close enough to-"

I stop. The monster stops. It raises its heavy metal arm and makes a wheezing, groaning sound. "Hhhhh... hhhaaa... uhhhh... saaahhh..."

"Enough of this!" Princess Luna slashes her horn, drawing an arc in the air and sending a crescent of silver moonlight into the monster. It slices it clean in two. Is that oil or blood leaking from the halves of its body? I don't check as we walk past its motionless halves.

"Ahhhh... saaahhh... hhhhaaaa..." I turn around. The top half of the monster is looking at me, reaching the remains of its metal arm towards my face. "Hhhhhhaaaa..."

"You're not eating me today," I tell it before joining Princess Luna and Lyra again. It's time to move on.

After a few more minutes of walking, we come to a dimly lit laboratory. It looks untouched, as if somepony left it this way for show. There are lots of vials, bottles, and advanced-looking equipment. One wall is lined with nothing but shelves with folders on them, papers filed neatly away.

Princess Luna pulls out one of the files. "Subject 003865: Rainbow Dash," she reads. "Can easily fly five times the speed of sound and is able to manipulate the visual color spectrum."

"So this is information on every single pony in Ponyville and their talents?" I look for the folder marked 'Lyra' and pull it out. "Subject 008214: Lyra. Possesses the ability to see into other dimensions and realities. Can produce a hallucinogenic aura that causes the consciousness of ponies near her to be pulled into the world she is seeing. Currently uncontrollable."

This explains what happened back when I first saw her earlier today. Maybe this is why she's so crazy, she's forgotten which world she is really living in?

"You do not have a file here, Derpy Hooves," I hear Princess Luna say. "Maybe Zecora has it?"

That snaps me back into the present. "We should move on," I say. There are many doors that lead out of this room, but only one other open one. That must be the way Zecora went.

Lyra, Princess Luna, and I continue on. At the end of the hall is another set of stairs leading down. The air becomes musty and thick the further down we go. Lyra was right, it is like walking into the underworld. The stairs end and we walk down a straight hallway with doors on either side of us. Was Twilight Sparkle kept in one of these cells?

At the end of the hall is a heavy iron door, open just enough to see into. I'm the first to look in and see the blackened walls and floor by the light of a flickering light attached to the ceiling. It smells of fire. This must be where she burned. She must have been very brave. Brave, or...

"You have come, Derpy Hooves, but you are late. You have learned it is inevitable to fight your fate?"

Zecora stands, her face half in shadow, in one of the corners of the room. Her eyes are glowing slightly in the dim light. She watches us. "Do step in, if you would be so kind," she says to me. "However, you must leave your friends behind."

I walk forward as if in a trance. Maybe her words really are magic. Before Lyra and Princess Luna can follow, Zecora presses an unseen button and the door slams shut behind me. It's time for answers.

Ignoring the pounding and blasting against the door, I stare straight into Zecora's eyes. "You killed Spike and Mayor Mare," I say. "You were involved with the Exodus Virus as well. Zecora, you're evil! Ponyville is going to be destroyed, and it's going to be your fault!"

I want to fly at her, knock her over, hurt her, but that won't bring anypony back. It would feel good though.

Zecora gives me a slow nod. "I worked on the virus, this much is true, but do not believe this plan does not involve you." She moves forward slowly, speaking softly so I can barely hear. "The virus was rare and they knew that day that the we could not let the samples simply slip away. In the bodies of ponies it could not be borne, but it was found in the body of a sick unicorn. Her body was weak, her immune system a mess, so it was on her that they began their tests."

"You caused her to destroy herself because of your experiments!" I shout at the top of my lungs. "That was cruel!"

"Her body was preserved until before her demise, I worked alone and in secret, away from prying eyes. After her death, I preserved what little remained until there came a carrier in which they could be contained. Before I could plant it, every day I would have to chip her immune system away. I gave her a substance that would wear her down, then I applied the virus and here we are now."

We are almost nose-to-nose now. I'm shaking. I have all of the pieces of the puzzle, but one thing just wasn't adding up."

"There is one question unanswered, is there not?" She takes her final step towards me and stares unblinkingly into my eyes. "What is the thing that you forgot?"

Something in that stare sends me back to the blank part of my mind, yesterday. Right before everything went black. I was delivering the regular box of books to the library. I helped him unpack them the way I did every day and, as always, he asked me to stay for tea. As always, I was about to say no, but he suddenly doubled over, coughing violently. He fell to his knees and he began to choke. I tried to spread my wings to fly and get help, but I was rooted to the spot in horror. Every breath I drew felt like I was moving sandbags in my chest. Soon, even standing became too much of an effort and I fell, my head spinning as I fell into unconsciousness.

"I..." Snapping back to reality, the truth finally dawns on me. "You were using me? You used me to carry the Exodus virus to Spike?"

"Every box to the library was sent by me. The dust inside weakened your immunity. Yesterday I gave you the virus to take and the plan all went right, without a mistake. I hid in the bushes until Spike fell and used the fumes of a potion to put you out as well." There is a small smile on the zebra's face as she watches me cower away.

"You did this! You're wrong!" I feel tears coming to my eyes. "This is all your fault!"

"Did you take a look, before you came here, at the metal beast which you came to fear?" Zecora continues. I can't reply to her, sobs wrack my body and prevent me from speaking.

"Although Spike's body was scattered abound, there is one part that I kept around. I constructed the monster to clear your way so you could solve the mystery and find me today. Perhaps I was vague, I shall ask this instead: Did you ever look closely at the monster's head?"

"No!" This is too much. I turn around and try to open the door, but it's shut and locked. There is no moving it. "Spike's head is in there, isn't it? What more can you do? Isn't this enough?" I sink to the floor and Zecora stands over me.

"No, not the head," she says, "up above it remains. What powers the machine is what is left of Spike's brain."

It's too much. I close my eyes and rest my head on the door. All of this information sits like a stone in the pit of my stomach. Spike, the monster, the Exodus Virus. I can't bear it anymore.

I hear a pop, a soft sizzle, and a strange smell fills the room. It's familiar, but I can't quite recall it, like the mix of warm summers, blooming flowers, and sweet food. Muffins? No, much better. It's the smell of happy. The floor feels like it's falling out from below me, or I'm rising up. Clouds in all the colors of sunrises surround me. I would do anything to stay in this state of euphoria forever and forget everything that's happened today. What has happened today?

A voice, it must be Zecora's, floats into my consciousness. "I have given a mixture to soothe your mind. Inside your body is the savior of Ponykind. Fly fast and fly high, you can end it today. Every living dragon in Equestria shall pay. The conflict will end, the fighting will cease. You alone can bring about a world of peace."

It sounds good. I unfurl my wings and begin to fly slowly through the clouds. It is peaceful and quiet, I've already forgotten my name, who I am, where I am. The events of the day are a blur and are slowly slipping away when I am stopped by a very solid cloud. It turns into a pony who looks straight at me, but I take little mind and brush my hoof through it to continue on my way. A faint, shouting sound follows the cloud's immediate removal from my path and another pony takes her place, keeping her shape for a little bit longer. Once again, I push her away and there is another shout. Why is there noise? Isn't this my place? It's the clouds, yes, the clouds that are causing them. I need to get rid of them.

With furious wingbeats, I begin to blow them away one by one until there is nothing but a clear, sunny sky and one particularly stubborn cloud left. Just one more, and I can continue my blissful flight onwards into the sun.

Suddenly, everything goes dark. My world is engulfed in a black haze and I hear a new voice coming from the direction of that final cloud.

"Mother of Banished Snow, you must break free of the control of the Oathbound Shaman of Thorns!" The voice is familiar, it's as if I had heard it once before in a dream. "Discover your true self! Let the voices of your comrades carry you onwards!"

I am standing in an empty battlefield with a mint-colored pony clad in red in front of me. Yes, I think. I must find myself again and defeat the Oathbound Shaman of- wait. This isn't right.

"Hey! Derpy Hooves!" A second voice shouts at me and the world around me shifts. I am standing above the clouds again, but this time the sky is bright and sunny. The pony in red is distorted and replaced by a blue pony silhouetted with rainbows. "This isn't you! You aren't the pony to kill thousands of dragons just because somepony tells you to. Come be yourself again!"

As if time speeds up, the sun drops and the sky is filled with stars. I look down and the world is beneath my hooves. A lifetime's worth of hopes and wishes, dreams and memories, wash over me and I begin to remember a little. Derpy Hooves. That's the name she used for me. Is that my name?

"We are doing our best to help you," I hear somepony say and I look up to see an alicorn made of stars in the sky. "But you need to break free on your own. Please, come back!"

I could lose myself in that voice, but a sharp voice breaks me from its trance and I'm falling out of the sky. A white pony with a purple mane is waiting for me when I land on the ground. I'm surrounded by buildings. Ponyville? Is that what this place is called?

"We've come so far, and we only have so much time!" she says to me. "We've all lost something tonight, we can't lose you too!"

That's right, I remember now. Spike, the barrier, Applejack. I remember what I have been trying so hard to forget. I want it all to end. Like trying to grasp at a dream after waking up, I try to find my way back to that golden, peaceful place in the sky. I want to never worry again.

Once more, I am jerked into a new place. It's dark, but there are little glowing lights flickering on the walls. It's the library. A purple pony begins to swirl into being in front of me. Twilight Sparkle?

No, she's too short to be Twilight Sparkle. Green begins to join the purple and tears begin to well up in my eyes. A ghostly version of Spike stands in front of me. He looks sad.

"I don't want to see you hurting anyone, Derpy Hooves," he says to me, locking my eyes with his. "Right now, your friends are trying to keep you from doing something horrible. Please wake up."

It's like waking up from a bad dream. Through bleary eyes I can see Princess Luna, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Lyra standing in a circle around me.

"She awakens!" Lyra declares. "We have done it, brave heroes! The Mother of Banished Snow has returned from the brink of the abyss!"

"Are you alright, Derpy Hooves?" Princess Luna asks me.

I nod. "Thank you, Princess. What happened?"

"Lyra was able to pull you into a hallucination and stop you from going on a rampage, then we were able to talk to you. We hoped we would be able to get through to you." The princess looks Rainbow Dash and Rarity. "You gave those two quite a bump."

I blink and realize something. "Rarity!" I begin to babble. "Are you okay? What are you doing here? I'm sorry!!!"

The white unicorn shakes her head and gives me a smile. "I can't bring Applejack back by crying over it," she says.

Lyra turns away and I notice that Zecora has been standing, watching us with an surprised but amused look on her face. She seems to have done nothing this entire time.

"You are conscious again? Now what a surprise. My elixir ensured you would rain death from the skies."

"Your time is up, Oathbound Shaman!" Lyra bellows at Zecora. "I shall judge you myself, and the gods above shall decide your punishment!"

"Er..." Princess Luna raised a hoof.

"Hang on." I stand up and I immediately fall back down again. My legs are still wobbly. "I need to know something." Looking Zecora straight in the eyes, I ask, "Why did you do this? You must have had a reason that you picked me, of all ponies."

The zebra closes her eyes and sighs a bit. "It is nothing of note, I can not pretend. It is merely a test that has come to an end." She looks around the room at all of the other ponies whose eyes are all locked on her, "But a hint of curiosity I do detect. Believe me, the story is not what you would expect."

Introduction

I'm late! It's noon already! I throw myself out of bed and I land face-first on the floor. There's a knocking at the door. I panic as I attempt to make it to the front door. When I finally manage to get the door open, I see Princess Luna standing on my doorstep. I bow, slamming my face into the floor again.

"Good morning, miss Hooves," the princess of the night says, a little smile on her face.

"Oh, good morning Princess Luna," I reply, flustered. "How can I help you?"

The midnight-blue alicorn smiles. "I'm sorry to bother you, miss Hooves, but I must ask a favor. I'm needed in the square very soon and I must pick up a box of papers at the Ponyville Post office. You are a dependable mail pony, I was wondering if you would be able to fly over, pick it up, and bring it to me in the square. I would do it myself, but I'm afraid that I'm running quite low on time and the post office is on the other side of town."

A delivery request from a princess! What a fantastic job! "I won't let you down, Princess! You can count on me!" I bring a hoof to my forehead in a salute.

"Thank you, miss Hooves," Princess Luna says as she turns around. "I appreciate it." She spreads her wings and takes off into the sky, heading toward the town square. She certainly has seemed happy ever since she took a job as a magic teacher here in Ponyville.

As soon as she is gone, I turn around and head to the kitchen for a quick breakfast. Two muffins, an apple, and juice, just like every morning. I bolt out of the door and fly in the opposite direction. My first royal delivery job. How exciting! As I fly, it occurs to me that it still is a bit odd that such an important pony would decide to teach in a small town such as Ponyville. Why did she even come looking for the job? She must have many responsibilities that she left behind when she moved. It's a mystery, but nopony's complaining. Her vast knowledge can only bring good changes to Ponyville. I hadn't thought about it until now.

I'm so lost in my thoughts that I don't notice the large tree in front of me until I nearly collide with it and spin out of the way with grace that even Rainbow Dash could be proud of. Or she would, if I hadn't hit the sign in front of the Ponyville Post Office and back-flipped haphazardly through the front door.

"You are only five minutes late, Derpy Hooves," my boss, Posthaste, says as he looks at his watch. He sits the front desk, as always. "Right on time. Your delivery assignments are over there." He points at the clipboards neatly hung on the far wall.

I walk over and check my clipboard, the only one with stickers on it. It seems that Princess Luna's box isn't on my list. I turn around and head back to the front desk.

"Sir, I was sent to pick up a specific package. Would it be alright if I took care of it before I start today's work?"

He looks up at me from his own paperwork and frowns. "Miss Hooves, you should know better than to put personal matters before your work."

"It's for Princess Luna," I add.

"Is it now?" My boss frowns. "She said she would come by to pick it up herself."

"She's running late, sir. She asked me to take it to her in the park myself. I'd hate to make her angry."

"Right. She didn't mention what's in the box, did she?"

I'm hesitant to reply, but I say, "Paper, sir."

My boss looks down and starts searching under the front desk. "Hmph. Little Flickerwing had trouble getting it here, it's so heavy. She's small, but even she can carry a whole stack of porcelain plates from one end of town to the other. Unharmed, mind you." He peeks his eyes over the desk and glares at me for a moment.

"It must be very heavy paper, sir," I reply simply. After a few seconds, I add, "Long Haul says you can't break paper, that's why she gives me the paperwork deliveries to take to the courthouse." The accident with the plates was an honest mistake. People shouldn't just leave lampposts in the middle of the street like that, anyway.

Posthaste pulls the package out and sets it on the desk and it lands with a hearty thunk. "You be careful now, miss Hooves," he warns. "Don't break the princess's delivery." He goes back to his paperwork.

As I take the strings around the box in my teeth, I say, "Sir, I really don't think you can break paper."

"I'm sure you would find a way, miss Hooves," Posthaste says, not looking up. "Off you go. And give the princess my regards."

He is right, the box is heavier than most boxes of paper, even the heavy legal texts I've carried. It's a struggle to even get off the ground, but the flight isn't as hard once I get used to the weight. The square is a little ways away, so I decide to make a grand appearance.

I begin a steady climb into the air as I think it through. I'll dive straight to the ground, drop the box at the princess's hooves, and fly back up with a set of spins and twirls before landing in front of her. Maybe a casual head toss at the end, no, a dramatic pose! This will make up for my little accident with the tree.

I can see Princess Luna from here, standing near the fountain. With a deep breath, I turn in a dive and begin speeding toward the princess. Only seconds after I begin my trick, it occurs to me that I had not considered the weight of the package. Frantically, I try to stop, but the weight keeps dragging me down. I want to scream, to call out and warn everypony to look out, but I can't risk dropping the package and no doubt finding a miraculous way to break the paper inside.

When I'm almost at the ground, I take careful aim and drop the package. It lands at Princess Luna's hooves. She looks around and calls out, "Miss Hooves?" right as I crash into the ground beside her.

"Delivery successful," I say, the words a bit harder to pronounce than I last remember. "Please take a form and rate my service, we at Ponyville Shipping and Handling value your opinion and we hope to serve you again soon..." The last words come out as I slump back down on the floor.

"Miss Hooves!" Princess Luna looks down at me with concern. "Are you injured?"

"Right as rain, Princess!" I reply as I stand once again, a bit wobblier than last time. "Gee... when did you grow another horn?"

She smiles and shakes her head. "Good, thank you." Frowning, the alicorn leans close to look at me. "That's quite the nosebleed you have there, miss Hooves."

"Huh?" I blink and sniff. "My nose is fine, Princess."

"You are bleeding."

I squint and look at the tip of my nose. There's a large splotch of blood on it. I don't feel any pain, nothing feels out of place. "That's not my blood." I forget to address the princess as I lift a hoof to wipe the sticky red substance off.

Princess Luna frowns, then looks at her package. "Are you sure you picked up the right box, miss Hooves?"

I follow her gaze and, confused, I say, "Posthaste is never wrong. That's your package, he said. He also says hi."

"Impossible..." the princess says quietly as she lifts up the box with magic and unties the string.

My face falls. "You mean I really did find a way to break paper?" I can see my life and career flash before my eyes.

"Miss Hooves, you tell Posthaste that paper cannot be broken no matter how hard you try. It can be ripped, burned, and ruined by the elements, but it cannot be broken. No, you did not break the paper. I... what do I tell my sister?"

"What is it?" I walk toward the box and look inside.

When I do, I wish I hadn't.

There is paper in the box, yes, but that is not all. The sides and top of the box are splattered with blood and the paper itself is completely soaked. I never see the writing on it, all I can see is the decapitated head of a baby dragon, eyes glassy and scales dull. I can recognize him, even like this. The only baby dragon in Ponyville.

Spike is dead.