Sorrowby dedaccountChaptersInterlude 1Interlude 2End of the crusadeInterlude 3RevelationsThe beginning4 months laterMemoriesInterlude 1Der ritter looked at the young philly in his hands as he removed the tendril. Where it had entered her chest, an x with a circle over it marked the place where he had stabbed her. Cradling her in one arm he looked at his feet knowing what he would find. A white unopened rose had sprouted at his feet. He reached down and plucked it from the ground. He then began to head for Ponyville. Once he was in town, now empty at the night hours, he headed for the home of Diamond Tiara. Once there he knocked on the door and gently placed the philly's body on the doorstep along with the rose. He heard shuffling inside and warped back into the forest. He knew that this would not be the last scream of children that he heard. Once in the forest he began to walk slowly along the main path. Observing his new home. He had been watching the beings of this world for some time now. Interested with much curiosity that they were horses, or ponies as they called themselves. He was mostly suprised at the names they had, And the marks on their flanks. Indicating what they did in life. He instantly knew hew had chosen the right place for his feeding ground, even if he didn't like it. He had selected his first victim within 3 weeks of when he came here. When the screams first started. She had a strange name yes, but she was happy enough and was oblivious to the harshness of reality. He figured that unlike most of his victims he would not let her know he was watching here. That he would let her enjoy the short remainder of her life. She came into the forest a day before he planned on feeding. This did not bother him but it made him wonder if she did know he was watching her, and had come to find the pages. But that couldn't have been right. He had been invisible the entire time he was watching her. Hell, he had walked right into the middle of a street and nobody seemed to notice. He would have to be more careful next time. When the screams, with a new voice added, started again. Interlude 2Der ritter had been wandering the forest for some time now. He new that the screams would come again tonight but he didn't ponder on that to much. He was looking for something new. So far the only thing of interest that he found was a small hut that housed a zebra with an odd hobby of rhyming. He thought that it was interesting that he had a neighbor( he internally chuckled at the unintentional pun), but decided to leave her to her own devices. Today he felt...drawn to something. He had been walking along this path for about an hour now, not knowing where he was heading. The path then began to widen becoming more and more like a road. He soon breached the trees and found that he had stumbled upon a half built castle. He could tell that it was being rebuilt as some of the stones were lighter than the older more faded ones. He cocked his head in curiosity and began to head for the door. He soon came upon a grand court yard that held many wrecked statues. He looked upon the bases of the statues and found the names of old ponies engraved upon them. He then continued to the large mahogany doors that lead into the castle. He opened them without effort and stepped into the large hall. Two thrones sat at the end. One a brilliant gold. The other, a dark shade of blue. He walked toward them and saw that two hallways branched off from the thrones. After considering where to go he took the hall on the left. He continued to follow the main hall until he came across a pair of oak doors. He had to duck in order to get his tall frame through the doors. When he looked up he had to do a double take at the massive library he was in. Row upon row of books were put neatly into shelves around 20 feet high. How long had it been since he last read a book? He ran his long fingers across the worn leather spines of the liturature until he found a book that looked as if it was a good read. A dust cloud formed around him as he pulled the book from its place and opened it to the first page. The words were nothing but lines of uninteligable scribbling, and a sound like a high pitched static filled his head. He closed the book in disapointment. That's why he never read. He re-shelved the book and headed out of the library to see what was in the hall to the right. Once he was heading down the the right hall he decided to do the same thing as he did with the left hall, but something made him stop. There was a door slightly ajar. He peeked through and saw a dark round room with something glimmerind in the middle. He fully opened the door to let the light in and saw that the object in the middle was a massive pipe organ. He walked toward the the instrument and pressed down on a key. A pipe t his left blew the note. It sounded surprisingly well for how old it looked. He sat down on the dusty velvet bench and began to play. He had no idea what the tune was but he kept playing it, and didn't stop for hours. Each key seemed to get darker with his touch until some were as black as midnight. He only stopped when the screams started. Before he left to find his target he decided that this was his new home. End of the crusade'Hoorayhoorayhooray!" Apple Bloom exclaimed. "Babs is comin'! Babs is comin'!." "Now hold on a second sugarcube." Applejack said to her younger sibling. "I know you're excited n all, but try not to wear your cousin out." "We've got so much stuff to do! We've got ta see how the crusaders in Manehattan are doin', try to get our own cutie marks..." Applejack sighed as she put a hoof to her forehead. There was no use trying to talk to her sister when she was this excited. The train staition was unusualy empty today. She guessed no one was expecting anyone. Except her and her sister of course. About 20 minutes later the train from Manehattan pulled into the station. "She's here!" Applebloom squeeled with excitement. The door opened to reveal the small orange philly. "Hey Apple-" she wasn't able to finish as her cousin rushed into her with a tackle hug. "Babs!" "How ya doin' cus?" "Great! Better now that you're here! Me and the other crusaders have so much planned to do!" She continued on as her and her cousin headed toward the treehouse. Applejack sighed again. That left her to do the unpacking. Again. " Are you sure you want to go today?" Rarity said to her sister as she finished a caughing fit. "I'm sure the other crusaders would be okay if you missed just one day." "No can do sis." The young unicorn replied. Wiping at her nose. "Babs is here today, and we're gonna get a lot done." Sweetie Belle said with enthusiasm. "That reminds me." Rarity said. "Could you pass out these fliers for my next line for me. It shouldn't take that long." She said putting saddlebags heavy with papers on Sweetie Belle's back. The philly groaned. "Do I have to?" "It would be much appreciated." Her sister replied, combing her mane. Sweetie sighed in dissapointment and opened the doors. "And don't talk to strangers. Strange ponies are wondering about." Rarity warned. "I'll be fine." Sweetie replied and headed for the treehouse. Almost instantly forgetting her sister's warning. "Sweetie you made it!" Scootaloo said as the unicorn came up the ladder. "We'd thought you might have forgotten." "And miss the Manehattan branch of the crusaders? I don't think so!" They all began giggle until Sweetie Belle broke into a violent fit of caughing. "Are you all right Sweetie Belle?" Apple Bloom asked. "I'll be-woah." The room began to spin as a wave of nausea rushed over the unicorn. "Sweetie Belle?" Apple Bloom asked again. The room stopped spinning and she didn't have the urge to throw up anymore. "I-I'll be fine." "All right." Apple Bloom said giving Sweetie a questioning look. "Hey Babs." "Heya Sweets. Whats in the bags?" Sweetie Belle groaned. She'd almost forgotten. "Rarity gave me some fliers to pass out for her new line." "Seriously?" Scootaloo said. "Did you tell her Babs was here? "Yes." "Sometimes your sister can be a killjoy." Scootaloo told her. "Well I figured if we each cover a part of town, we can get it done faster and get to crusading!" "Yeah!" The other ponies said, and set out for town. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom covered the upper part of town while Sweetie and Babs got the lower. Apple Bloom complained that she wouldn't get any personal time with Babs, but they all agreed that she and Scootaloo were the fastest, that they would cover more ground. So the crusaders set off. "All right." Sweetie said to Babs. "You start by Sugarcube corner and I'll start here. We'll work toward the middle." "Whatever you say boss." And with that the orange pony set off at a gallop. About 20 minutes later Sweetie was almost out of fliers to hang up, but still had a few more. She began looking for empty places to put fliers and saw an alley. It was dark and she couldn't see why anypony would go down there...but she felt drawn to it. She cautiously entered the alley. "He-hello?" Nothing. She turned around only to find her exit blocked. She began to look up to see what it was but it kept going. Her eyes finally rested on a red neck tie, and moments later she was being lifted of the ground. She felt a rush of nausea and moaned. She opened her eyes to find she was looking into a face. Or rather a lack of one. She tried to scream but there was no air. All she could do was let out a small whimper. Then she heard a voice. "Forgi-" THWACK! A rock hit the thing on the back of the head and she heard Babs yell, "Leave her alone you monster!" At this the thing seemed to freeze. All of a sudden she was on the ground and the thing held Babs by the throat. A cold voice full of anger washed over Sweetie Belle. "I can show you the monster you think me to be." Tendrils erupted from his back and began to twist around his other arm. They went past his hand and ended in a deadly point. Realizing what was about to happen Sweetie began to run toward her friend. But was to late. With impossible speed the thing thrusted its arm into the chest of the philly. a flower of red sprouted from Babs' back. The thing dropped Babs and turned towards Sweetie. It took a step foward but stopped. The tendrils came up from its arm and went into its back. It brought its hands up to its face and seemed to be trembling. It closed its hands into fists and vanished. Realizing the thing was gone Sweetie ran to her friend. "Babs!" No response. Babs no' please!" Still nothing. Sweetie Bell cradled Babs head and began to cry. Interlude 3What had he done? He didn't even know her name. And he killed her. He had never killed a child like that. He had only used the spear twice in his immortal life. He had no idea where he was but he saw the forest so he knew he hadn't gone far. He turned around to see a cottage with the a glint of water poking out from behind it. Remembering he was covered in blood he went to the water to cleanse himself. Once by the pool he was startled to hear the cawing of chickens. He turned around to see a coop within a fenced off area. "Animals." He said. "Just what I needed." He knelt beside the small pond and began to wash his hands and face of blood. Innocent blood. What happened? He had been called a monster hundereds of times and this never happened. All he remembered was hearing the word and having something inside of him snap. The next thing he knew he was facing Sweetie Belle with the spear around one arm and a dead pony in the other. He stood up and looked at his reflection now slightly tinted with red. He remembered his first two victims he killed with the spear. His former wfe and her new husband. He turned to leave but stopped when he heard a door opening. "Girls calm down." A soft voice said. "Excuse me but, who are you?" He knew the question was directed at him. He paused before sayiing, "I am Sorrow." And warped into the forest. Author's Note I know this one's short but I couldn't really decide what to do with it. RevelationsSweetie Belle!" Rarity called out. "Where are you?" "Babs! Babs!" Rarity heard Apple Bloom call out. "Guys! Over here!" Scootaloo shouted. Rarity ran toward the pegasus. She stopped at the mouth of an alley, Apple Bloom right beside her. She heard what sounded like crying coming from inside. "Stay behind me girls." Rarity said and began to walk towards the sound. She began to make out a small figure and a glint of purple. She breathed a sigh of relief. "Sweetie. It's time to go home." No response except for the crying. "Sweetie Belle?" Rarity quickened her pace. "Sweetie what's-" She stopped when her hoof landed in something warm. She looked down into a pool of dark red. She galloped over to her sister "Sweetie!" She yelled. She got in front of her sister and almost screamed. In the phillys hooves with, her eyes half lidded, Was the body of Babs. "Babs no!" Apple Bloom screamed. "She saved me." Sweetie said. "She saved me from that...that thing. But now she's gone." Sweetie Belle's eyes fluttered and she fell to the ground. "How could this have happened?" Applejack said. She was sitting next to Rarity outside of Sweetie Belle's room in the hospital. "Who would want to hurt them?" The doctor came out of the room. Rarity perked up. "How is she?" She asked with fear in her eyes. "She'll be all right." Rarity let out a sigh of relief. "There was no damage done physically. As for mentally, she seems to be very truamatized with Babs' death. I only got her up for a minute or 2 and she kept going on about this thing with no face. I'm sure the delusions will stop in time, but right now it's best to let her rest." Rarity resumed her sad posistion. "I'll leave you two be." The doctor said and left. After a minute or two Applejack looked up. "What is it?" Rarity said. After a moment of silence Applejack said, "It's your fault." "What!" "If you hadn't given your sister those fliers to pass, out Babs would still be alive!" "I didn't know this would happen!" "Well it did didn't it?" "Your cousin didn't have to come flying to the rescue!" "And let Sweetie be killed!" "You would have preffered that wouldn't you?" "You're right I would've." Rarity glared at Applejack and with a cold hate filled voice said, "Bitch." At that Applejack turned and bucked Rarity in the face sending a tooth flying. Rarity recovered and rubbed her aching jaw with her hoof. "You'll pay for that." She said and rushed at the other pony. Rarity grabbed a mouthful of Applejacks blond mane and yanked. Hard. The earth pony cried out in pain and kicked the unicorn off of her. The two looked at each other with resentful stares and charged. Right into a wall of purple magic. "Girls!" Twilight shouted. "What are you doing?" "She blamed me for Babs' death!" Rarity said, blood coming from her mouth and forehead. "She called me a bitch!" Applejack yelled, now with her own missing tooth. "Well you'll both have to stop." Twilight said. "I know you're both sad and angry but we can't go blaming each other for things we didn't mean to do! Applejack apologize." Applejack put her head down and muttered something that sounded like an apology. "You to Rarity." Rarity did the same. Twilight lowered the wall of magic and the two ponies glared at each other. "Why are you here Twilight?" Applejack asked. Twilight sighed. Glad to talk about something else. "I got a letter from the princess." The two looked at her with surprised faces. "She needs us at the palace. Rainbow Dash And Pinkie are outside. Lets go." Once outside the blue pegasus and the pink party pony looked at their friends with shocked expressions. "What happened?" Rainbow Dash asked. "They got in a fight." Twilight answered. "With who? Were they big and scary?" Pinkie Pie puffed out her chest and flexed her fore legs trying to look tough. "With each other." "What? Why?" "That's for another time. Let's get Fluttershy." Upon ariving at the shy pegasus' cottage, the group stopped. The chimney was smoking. Fluttershy never had a fire going this late. "The windows are boarded up." Rainbow Dash said. Twilight approached the door and knocked. The door slightly opened to reveal a frightened eye. "Oh it's you." Fluttershy said. "Come in." The door fully opened to reveal all of her animals in the living room. "What's going on Fluttershy?" Twilight asked. "Well about 20 minutes ago somepony was by the koi pond. I asked him what his name was and he said that it was Sorrow and after he said that he dissapeared." "Woah. Hold on a second." Rainbow Dash said "Nopony just dissapears." "I can! Watch!" Pinkie dashed out of the room at lightning speed and returned a second later. "This was different. He didn't run. He just vanished. And he wasn't a pony." They all gave her shocked looks. Fluttershy continued. "He was very tall and thin. And he had a pale white head." "Fluttershy?" Rarity asked "What did his face look like?" "I don't know. I only saw him from behind. After that I got really scared so I brought everyone in here. What happened to you and Applejack?" "We got in a fight." Applejack said. "Oh." Fluttershy said seeing that they didn't want to talk about it. "What is everypony doing here anyway?" She asked. "We got a letter from Celestia." Twilight said. "She wants us at the palace." "Why?" "I don't know. Everypony get in close." A bright light came from the alicorn's horn and began to envelope the group. When the light faded, they were standing in front of the palace doors in Canterlot. Celestia paced in the throne room. How could ths happen. How did he get past the barrier she designed specifically for him? She checked to make sure if it was still intact earlier and it was fine. She let out a huff of frustration. The door to the throneroom glowed with magic as it opened to reveal Twilight and her friends. The princess smiled. Even if her student could be a pain, she could be counted on for results. "What's wrong princess?" Celestia''s smile faded. I've called you here regarding the recent killings in Ponyville. All of a sudden Applejack and Rarity were standing in front of her. "What about them?" Applejack asked frantically. "What happened to you two?" Celestia asked, seeing their injuries. The two ponies looked at the ground and explained what happened. "Oh my." Celestia said. She then sighed and began to heal the two Ponies. "I'm afraid that that's what he does do ponies." "Who?" Rarity asked. Celestia paused for a moment. "Der ritter." "Who's that?" Pinkie Pie asked. "A creature of pure hatred that feeds upon young ponies. I banished him to the human world centuries ago. Or so I thought." "The human world?" Twilight asked. "Humans are a race outside of our world. Der ritter was once one of them before he turned into a monster. I shall tell you no more about their world because that is all I know." "Celestia. What does Der ritter look like?" Rarity asked "He is tall and unnaturally thin and without a face. I am almost certain he is the one who killed Babs and the other ponies." "How do we stop it?" Rainbow Dash asked. "First we need the elements." "Then what?" "We kill it." The beginningDiamond Tiara was walking along the edge of the Everfree forest, contemplating on whether or not to go in. "If those blank flanks can do it, then so can I," she said to herself. She paused, took a breath, and went in. The forest was dark even in the summer twilight and Diamond Tiaria concidered going back. "No. I have to show that I'm better then the blank flanks." She continued on. Then she heard something. It sounded like hoofsteps, except they were softer, and they were getting closer. She turned to run out of the forest but something was blocking her way. It was something tall and black. She kept looking up expecting to see a head but it just kept on going. She was looking almost directly up when she saw a scarlet neck tie, but something made her stop there. The thing spread its arms out, tendrils erupted from its back and began to ripple. Her eyes glazed over as she began walking forward. The thing picked her up with its unaturally long arms, and as she was brought to face level with it she heard two words, "Forgive me." Those two words snapped her out of the trance and she began to scream, but was immediatly silenced as a tendril pierced her heart. Author's Note First story so please don't rage to much. 4 months laterTwilight was coming out of Sugarcube corners with a bag of cupcakes for Spike. Today was a good day. She was getting a new set of books today. A set on astronomy. And since she was in a good mood, she decided to do something nice for a friend, and she figured Spike deserved a reward for all of his good work. She was halfway to the library when she decided to stop at the news stand and see what was going on with the rest of Equestria. "Good day." She said cheerily to the man at the stand, paying him for a news paper. He grunted an unintelligable response and went back to sleep. "Okay then." She muttered to herself. She then proceeded to skip the rest of the way to the library. Just as expected a large crate sat in front of the door. She could barely contain a squeal of excitement. As she opened the door and lifted up the crate, glowing purple as it levitated with magic. As she entered the room she heard the familiar sound of snoring. "Spike" she said sternly. "Huh!" He said as he woke with a start. "Could you please clear off the table so I can set down this new book order." "Sure thing." Spike said as he cleared off the table. She set the books down and put her sattlebag on the floor. "There are some cupcakes in the right pouch if you want them." She told him. "All right!" He said as he dove into the bag. "Hey Twilight." Spike said around a mouthful of cupcake. "Have you seen this newspaper?" "What do you mean?" She responded. In answer Spike held up the front page to her. In big black letters it read: WHITE ROSE KILLER STILL AT LARGE Local law enforcement still have no leads on this mysterious pony. The only pieces of evidence they have are the white roses that the killer has left with his now 6 victims. You can find the names of these victims, all phillies and colts, in the obituary page. Will this sick pony ever stop? We may never know. White rose killer? What kind of sick pony would kill children? She decided to write to Celestia about this. "Spike." She said. "Take a note." Spike quickly picked up a quill and parchment. Twilight began to speak her letter to the princess. "Dear princess Celestia, I have just read a newspaper colum of a pony by the name of the White rose killer. I would like to ask if I can help in anyway with the investigation. Signed, Twilight Sparkle" Spike rolled up the parchment and sent it to Celestia via dragon fire. In about 15 minutes Spike coughed up her answer. "Dear Twilight Sparkle, I appreciate the offer for help but I would like for you to continue your studies and the rebuilding of the castle. I will keep you posted on the investigation. Signed, Princess Celestia" "Hmm." Twilight said to herself. "What's going on?" MemoriesCelestia was pacing in front of her throne. A killer? In Equestria? In Ponyville more specifically. There had been killings long ago. Somepony would snap and end the lives of a few unlucky mares or stallions. But never phillies and colts. The strange mark on the children's chests seemed vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place her hoof on it. She had no recollection of white roses. And how did this pony kill its victims? There were no signs of puncture marks or strangulation. The forensic unicorns had detected no poisons either. "Sister." Said the familiar voice of her sister Luna. "The gaurd is expanding the search for this killer into the Everfree forest." "Let us hope they can find something there." Celestia said in response. "Are you sure that you do not want Twilight Sparkle assisting in the search?" Luna asked. The last thing Celestia needed was her student droning on about the principles of criminal investigation. "No, it is better if she continued her studies." "If you say so." Luna said under her breath. "Luna?" "Yes sister?" "The mark on the chests of the victims. Does it seem...familiar tou you?" Luna thought for a minute. "I do recall seeing it before. But I don't remember where." So it wasn't just Celestia. Her sister remembered it to. "I am going to the library to see if I can find anything." She told her sister. "I will let you know if anything happens." Once Celestia was in the tower that held the library, she headed for the Starswirl the bearded wing. Once there she headed immediatly to the left, where a small star was engraved in the cobblestone. She lit her hor with magic and touched it to the star. A section in the wall about 3 feet long opened up revealing a jet black book with yellowed pages. She removed the book from the dusty wooden stand and began skimming through the pages. She stopped once she found the symbol. An X with a circle above. "I knew i saw it somewhere." She wispered to herself. She began to read the ancient text. Almost as soon as she began, the memories came flooding back into her mind. The dark suit, the symbol, and the face. More like the white circle that lacked in facial features. The more she read the more fear began to show itself on her face. How could this happen? She had banished this creature to the human world centuries ago. How could it have gotten past the barrier? She dropped the book an golloped to the throne room.
Interlude 1Der ritter looked at the young philly in his hands as he removed the tendril. Where it had entered her chest, an x with a circle over it marked the place where he had stabbed her. Cradling her in one arm he looked at his feet knowing what he would find. A white unopened rose had sprouted at his feet. He reached down and plucked it from the ground. He then began to head for Ponyville. Once he was in town, now empty at the night hours, he headed for the home of Diamond Tiara. Once there he knocked on the door and gently placed the philly's body on the doorstep along with the rose. He heard shuffling inside and warped back into the forest. He knew that this would not be the last scream of children that he heard. Once in the forest he began to walk slowly along the main path. Observing his new home. He had been watching the beings of this world for some time now. Interested with much curiosity that they were horses, or ponies as they called themselves. He was mostly suprised at the names they had, And the marks on their flanks. Indicating what they did in life. He instantly knew hew had chosen the right place for his feeding ground, even if he didn't like it. He had selected his first victim within 3 weeks of when he came here. When the screams first started. She had a strange name yes, but she was happy enough and was oblivious to the harshness of reality. He figured that unlike most of his victims he would not let her know he was watching here. That he would let her enjoy the short remainder of her life. She came into the forest a day before he planned on feeding. This did not bother him but it made him wonder if she did know he was watching her, and had come to find the pages. But that couldn't have been right. He had been invisible the entire time he was watching her. Hell, he had walked right into the middle of a street and nobody seemed to notice. He would have to be more careful next time. When the screams, with a new voice added, started again.
Interlude 2Der ritter had been wandering the forest for some time now. He new that the screams would come again tonight but he didn't ponder on that to much. He was looking for something new. So far the only thing of interest that he found was a small hut that housed a zebra with an odd hobby of rhyming. He thought that it was interesting that he had a neighbor( he internally chuckled at the unintentional pun), but decided to leave her to her own devices. Today he felt...drawn to something. He had been walking along this path for about an hour now, not knowing where he was heading. The path then began to widen becoming more and more like a road. He soon breached the trees and found that he had stumbled upon a half built castle. He could tell that it was being rebuilt as some of the stones were lighter than the older more faded ones. He cocked his head in curiosity and began to head for the door. He soon came upon a grand court yard that held many wrecked statues. He looked upon the bases of the statues and found the names of old ponies engraved upon them. He then continued to the large mahogany doors that lead into the castle. He opened them without effort and stepped into the large hall. Two thrones sat at the end. One a brilliant gold. The other, a dark shade of blue. He walked toward them and saw that two hallways branched off from the thrones. After considering where to go he took the hall on the left. He continued to follow the main hall until he came across a pair of oak doors. He had to duck in order to get his tall frame through the doors. When he looked up he had to do a double take at the massive library he was in. Row upon row of books were put neatly into shelves around 20 feet high. How long had it been since he last read a book? He ran his long fingers across the worn leather spines of the liturature until he found a book that looked as if it was a good read. A dust cloud formed around him as he pulled the book from its place and opened it to the first page. The words were nothing but lines of uninteligable scribbling, and a sound like a high pitched static filled his head. He closed the book in disapointment. That's why he never read. He re-shelved the book and headed out of the library to see what was in the hall to the right. Once he was heading down the the right hall he decided to do the same thing as he did with the left hall, but something made him stop. There was a door slightly ajar. He peeked through and saw a dark round room with something glimmerind in the middle. He fully opened the door to let the light in and saw that the object in the middle was a massive pipe organ. He walked toward the the instrument and pressed down on a key. A pipe t his left blew the note. It sounded surprisingly well for how old it looked. He sat down on the dusty velvet bench and began to play. He had no idea what the tune was but he kept playing it, and didn't stop for hours. Each key seemed to get darker with his touch until some were as black as midnight. He only stopped when the screams started. Before he left to find his target he decided that this was his new home.
End of the crusade'Hoorayhoorayhooray!" Apple Bloom exclaimed. "Babs is comin'! Babs is comin'!." "Now hold on a second sugarcube." Applejack said to her younger sibling. "I know you're excited n all, but try not to wear your cousin out." "We've got so much stuff to do! We've got ta see how the crusaders in Manehattan are doin', try to get our own cutie marks..." Applejack sighed as she put a hoof to her forehead. There was no use trying to talk to her sister when she was this excited. The train staition was unusualy empty today. She guessed no one was expecting anyone. Except her and her sister of course. About 20 minutes later the train from Manehattan pulled into the station. "She's here!" Applebloom squeeled with excitement. The door opened to reveal the small orange philly. "Hey Apple-" she wasn't able to finish as her cousin rushed into her with a tackle hug. "Babs!" "How ya doin' cus?" "Great! Better now that you're here! Me and the other crusaders have so much planned to do!" She continued on as her and her cousin headed toward the treehouse. Applejack sighed again. That left her to do the unpacking. Again. " Are you sure you want to go today?" Rarity said to her sister as she finished a caughing fit. "I'm sure the other crusaders would be okay if you missed just one day." "No can do sis." The young unicorn replied. Wiping at her nose. "Babs is here today, and we're gonna get a lot done." Sweetie Belle said with enthusiasm. "That reminds me." Rarity said. "Could you pass out these fliers for my next line for me. It shouldn't take that long." She said putting saddlebags heavy with papers on Sweetie Belle's back. The philly groaned. "Do I have to?" "It would be much appreciated." Her sister replied, combing her mane. Sweetie sighed in dissapointment and opened the doors. "And don't talk to strangers. Strange ponies are wondering about." Rarity warned. "I'll be fine." Sweetie replied and headed for the treehouse. Almost instantly forgetting her sister's warning. "Sweetie you made it!" Scootaloo said as the unicorn came up the ladder. "We'd thought you might have forgotten." "And miss the Manehattan branch of the crusaders? I don't think so!" They all began giggle until Sweetie Belle broke into a violent fit of caughing. "Are you all right Sweetie Belle?" Apple Bloom asked. "I'll be-woah." The room began to spin as a wave of nausea rushed over the unicorn. "Sweetie Belle?" Apple Bloom asked again. The room stopped spinning and she didn't have the urge to throw up anymore. "I-I'll be fine." "All right." Apple Bloom said giving Sweetie a questioning look. "Hey Babs." "Heya Sweets. Whats in the bags?" Sweetie Belle groaned. She'd almost forgotten. "Rarity gave me some fliers to pass out for her new line." "Seriously?" Scootaloo said. "Did you tell her Babs was here? "Yes." "Sometimes your sister can be a killjoy." Scootaloo told her. "Well I figured if we each cover a part of town, we can get it done faster and get to crusading!" "Yeah!" The other ponies said, and set out for town. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom covered the upper part of town while Sweetie and Babs got the lower. Apple Bloom complained that she wouldn't get any personal time with Babs, but they all agreed that she and Scootaloo were the fastest, that they would cover more ground. So the crusaders set off. "All right." Sweetie said to Babs. "You start by Sugarcube corner and I'll start here. We'll work toward the middle." "Whatever you say boss." And with that the orange pony set off at a gallop. About 20 minutes later Sweetie was almost out of fliers to hang up, but still had a few more. She began looking for empty places to put fliers and saw an alley. It was dark and she couldn't see why anypony would go down there...but she felt drawn to it. She cautiously entered the alley. "He-hello?" Nothing. She turned around only to find her exit blocked. She began to look up to see what it was but it kept going. Her eyes finally rested on a red neck tie, and moments later she was being lifted of the ground. She felt a rush of nausea and moaned. She opened her eyes to find she was looking into a face. Or rather a lack of one. She tried to scream but there was no air. All she could do was let out a small whimper. Then she heard a voice. "Forgi-" THWACK! A rock hit the thing on the back of the head and she heard Babs yell, "Leave her alone you monster!" At this the thing seemed to freeze. All of a sudden she was on the ground and the thing held Babs by the throat. A cold voice full of anger washed over Sweetie Belle. "I can show you the monster you think me to be." Tendrils erupted from his back and began to twist around his other arm. They went past his hand and ended in a deadly point. Realizing what was about to happen Sweetie began to run toward her friend. But was to late. With impossible speed the thing thrusted its arm into the chest of the philly. a flower of red sprouted from Babs' back. The thing dropped Babs and turned towards Sweetie. It took a step foward but stopped. The tendrils came up from its arm and went into its back. It brought its hands up to its face and seemed to be trembling. It closed its hands into fists and vanished. Realizing the thing was gone Sweetie ran to her friend. "Babs!" No response. Babs no' please!" Still nothing. Sweetie Bell cradled Babs head and began to cry.
Interlude 3What had he done? He didn't even know her name. And he killed her. He had never killed a child like that. He had only used the spear twice in his immortal life. He had no idea where he was but he saw the forest so he knew he hadn't gone far. He turned around to see a cottage with the a glint of water poking out from behind it. Remembering he was covered in blood he went to the water to cleanse himself. Once by the pool he was startled to hear the cawing of chickens. He turned around to see a coop within a fenced off area. "Animals." He said. "Just what I needed." He knelt beside the small pond and began to wash his hands and face of blood. Innocent blood. What happened? He had been called a monster hundereds of times and this never happened. All he remembered was hearing the word and having something inside of him snap. The next thing he knew he was facing Sweetie Belle with the spear around one arm and a dead pony in the other. He stood up and looked at his reflection now slightly tinted with red. He remembered his first two victims he killed with the spear. His former wfe and her new husband. He turned to leave but stopped when he heard a door opening. "Girls calm down." A soft voice said. "Excuse me but, who are you?" He knew the question was directed at him. He paused before sayiing, "I am Sorrow." And warped into the forest. Author's Note I know this one's short but I couldn't really decide what to do with it.
RevelationsSweetie Belle!" Rarity called out. "Where are you?" "Babs! Babs!" Rarity heard Apple Bloom call out. "Guys! Over here!" Scootaloo shouted. Rarity ran toward the pegasus. She stopped at the mouth of an alley, Apple Bloom right beside her. She heard what sounded like crying coming from inside. "Stay behind me girls." Rarity said and began to walk towards the sound. She began to make out a small figure and a glint of purple. She breathed a sigh of relief. "Sweetie. It's time to go home." No response except for the crying. "Sweetie Belle?" Rarity quickened her pace. "Sweetie what's-" She stopped when her hoof landed in something warm. She looked down into a pool of dark red. She galloped over to her sister "Sweetie!" She yelled. She got in front of her sister and almost screamed. In the phillys hooves with, her eyes half lidded, Was the body of Babs. "Babs no!" Apple Bloom screamed. "She saved me." Sweetie said. "She saved me from that...that thing. But now she's gone." Sweetie Belle's eyes fluttered and she fell to the ground. "How could this have happened?" Applejack said. She was sitting next to Rarity outside of Sweetie Belle's room in the hospital. "Who would want to hurt them?" The doctor came out of the room. Rarity perked up. "How is she?" She asked with fear in her eyes. "She'll be all right." Rarity let out a sigh of relief. "There was no damage done physically. As for mentally, she seems to be very truamatized with Babs' death. I only got her up for a minute or 2 and she kept going on about this thing with no face. I'm sure the delusions will stop in time, but right now it's best to let her rest." Rarity resumed her sad posistion. "I'll leave you two be." The doctor said and left. After a minute or two Applejack looked up. "What is it?" Rarity said. After a moment of silence Applejack said, "It's your fault." "What!" "If you hadn't given your sister those fliers to pass, out Babs would still be alive!" "I didn't know this would happen!" "Well it did didn't it?" "Your cousin didn't have to come flying to the rescue!" "And let Sweetie be killed!" "You would have preffered that wouldn't you?" "You're right I would've." Rarity glared at Applejack and with a cold hate filled voice said, "Bitch." At that Applejack turned and bucked Rarity in the face sending a tooth flying. Rarity recovered and rubbed her aching jaw with her hoof. "You'll pay for that." She said and rushed at the other pony. Rarity grabbed a mouthful of Applejacks blond mane and yanked. Hard. The earth pony cried out in pain and kicked the unicorn off of her. The two looked at each other with resentful stares and charged. Right into a wall of purple magic. "Girls!" Twilight shouted. "What are you doing?" "She blamed me for Babs' death!" Rarity said, blood coming from her mouth and forehead. "She called me a bitch!" Applejack yelled, now with her own missing tooth. "Well you'll both have to stop." Twilight said. "I know you're both sad and angry but we can't go blaming each other for things we didn't mean to do! Applejack apologize." Applejack put her head down and muttered something that sounded like an apology. "You to Rarity." Rarity did the same. Twilight lowered the wall of magic and the two ponies glared at each other. "Why are you here Twilight?" Applejack asked. Twilight sighed. Glad to talk about something else. "I got a letter from the princess." The two looked at her with surprised faces. "She needs us at the palace. Rainbow Dash And Pinkie are outside. Lets go." Once outside the blue pegasus and the pink party pony looked at their friends with shocked expressions. "What happened?" Rainbow Dash asked. "They got in a fight." Twilight answered. "With who? Were they big and scary?" Pinkie Pie puffed out her chest and flexed her fore legs trying to look tough. "With each other." "What? Why?" "That's for another time. Let's get Fluttershy." Upon ariving at the shy pegasus' cottage, the group stopped. The chimney was smoking. Fluttershy never had a fire going this late. "The windows are boarded up." Rainbow Dash said. Twilight approached the door and knocked. The door slightly opened to reveal a frightened eye. "Oh it's you." Fluttershy said. "Come in." The door fully opened to reveal all of her animals in the living room. "What's going on Fluttershy?" Twilight asked. "Well about 20 minutes ago somepony was by the koi pond. I asked him what his name was and he said that it was Sorrow and after he said that he dissapeared." "Woah. Hold on a second." Rainbow Dash said "Nopony just dissapears." "I can! Watch!" Pinkie dashed out of the room at lightning speed and returned a second later. "This was different. He didn't run. He just vanished. And he wasn't a pony." They all gave her shocked looks. Fluttershy continued. "He was very tall and thin. And he had a pale white head." "Fluttershy?" Rarity asked "What did his face look like?" "I don't know. I only saw him from behind. After that I got really scared so I brought everyone in here. What happened to you and Applejack?" "We got in a fight." Applejack said. "Oh." Fluttershy said seeing that they didn't want to talk about it. "What is everypony doing here anyway?" She asked. "We got a letter from Celestia." Twilight said. "She wants us at the palace." "Why?" "I don't know. Everypony get in close." A bright light came from the alicorn's horn and began to envelope the group. When the light faded, they were standing in front of the palace doors in Canterlot. Celestia paced in the throne room. How could ths happen. How did he get past the barrier she designed specifically for him? She checked to make sure if it was still intact earlier and it was fine. She let out a huff of frustration. The door to the throneroom glowed with magic as it opened to reveal Twilight and her friends. The princess smiled. Even if her student could be a pain, she could be counted on for results. "What's wrong princess?" Celestia''s smile faded. I've called you here regarding the recent killings in Ponyville. All of a sudden Applejack and Rarity were standing in front of her. "What about them?" Applejack asked frantically. "What happened to you two?" Celestia asked, seeing their injuries. The two ponies looked at the ground and explained what happened. "Oh my." Celestia said. She then sighed and began to heal the two Ponies. "I'm afraid that that's what he does do ponies." "Who?" Rarity asked. Celestia paused for a moment. "Der ritter." "Who's that?" Pinkie Pie asked. "A creature of pure hatred that feeds upon young ponies. I banished him to the human world centuries ago. Or so I thought." "The human world?" Twilight asked. "Humans are a race outside of our world. Der ritter was once one of them before he turned into a monster. I shall tell you no more about their world because that is all I know." "Celestia. What does Der ritter look like?" Rarity asked "He is tall and unnaturally thin and without a face. I am almost certain he is the one who killed Babs and the other ponies." "How do we stop it?" Rainbow Dash asked. "First we need the elements." "Then what?" "We kill it."
The beginningDiamond Tiara was walking along the edge of the Everfree forest, contemplating on whether or not to go in. "If those blank flanks can do it, then so can I," she said to herself. She paused, took a breath, and went in. The forest was dark even in the summer twilight and Diamond Tiaria concidered going back. "No. I have to show that I'm better then the blank flanks." She continued on. Then she heard something. It sounded like hoofsteps, except they were softer, and they were getting closer. She turned to run out of the forest but something was blocking her way. It was something tall and black. She kept looking up expecting to see a head but it just kept on going. She was looking almost directly up when she saw a scarlet neck tie, but something made her stop there. The thing spread its arms out, tendrils erupted from its back and began to ripple. Her eyes glazed over as she began walking forward. The thing picked her up with its unaturally long arms, and as she was brought to face level with it she heard two words, "Forgive me." Those two words snapped her out of the trance and she began to scream, but was immediatly silenced as a tendril pierced her heart. Author's Note First story so please don't rage to much.
4 months laterTwilight was coming out of Sugarcube corners with a bag of cupcakes for Spike. Today was a good day. She was getting a new set of books today. A set on astronomy. And since she was in a good mood, she decided to do something nice for a friend, and she figured Spike deserved a reward for all of his good work. She was halfway to the library when she decided to stop at the news stand and see what was going on with the rest of Equestria. "Good day." She said cheerily to the man at the stand, paying him for a news paper. He grunted an unintelligable response and went back to sleep. "Okay then." She muttered to herself. She then proceeded to skip the rest of the way to the library. Just as expected a large crate sat in front of the door. She could barely contain a squeal of excitement. As she opened the door and lifted up the crate, glowing purple as it levitated with magic. As she entered the room she heard the familiar sound of snoring. "Spike" she said sternly. "Huh!" He said as he woke with a start. "Could you please clear off the table so I can set down this new book order." "Sure thing." Spike said as he cleared off the table. She set the books down and put her sattlebag on the floor. "There are some cupcakes in the right pouch if you want them." She told him. "All right!" He said as he dove into the bag. "Hey Twilight." Spike said around a mouthful of cupcake. "Have you seen this newspaper?" "What do you mean?" She responded. In answer Spike held up the front page to her. In big black letters it read: WHITE ROSE KILLER STILL AT LARGE Local law enforcement still have no leads on this mysterious pony. The only pieces of evidence they have are the white roses that the killer has left with his now 6 victims. You can find the names of these victims, all phillies and colts, in the obituary page. Will this sick pony ever stop? We may never know. White rose killer? What kind of sick pony would kill children? She decided to write to Celestia about this. "Spike." She said. "Take a note." Spike quickly picked up a quill and parchment. Twilight began to speak her letter to the princess. "Dear princess Celestia, I have just read a newspaper colum of a pony by the name of the White rose killer. I would like to ask if I can help in anyway with the investigation. Signed, Twilight Sparkle" Spike rolled up the parchment and sent it to Celestia via dragon fire. In about 15 minutes Spike coughed up her answer. "Dear Twilight Sparkle, I appreciate the offer for help but I would like for you to continue your studies and the rebuilding of the castle. I will keep you posted on the investigation. Signed, Princess Celestia" "Hmm." Twilight said to herself. "What's going on?"
MemoriesCelestia was pacing in front of her throne. A killer? In Equestria? In Ponyville more specifically. There had been killings long ago. Somepony would snap and end the lives of a few unlucky mares or stallions. But never phillies and colts. The strange mark on the children's chests seemed vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place her hoof on it. She had no recollection of white roses. And how did this pony kill its victims? There were no signs of puncture marks or strangulation. The forensic unicorns had detected no poisons either. "Sister." Said the familiar voice of her sister Luna. "The gaurd is expanding the search for this killer into the Everfree forest." "Let us hope they can find something there." Celestia said in response. "Are you sure that you do not want Twilight Sparkle assisting in the search?" Luna asked. The last thing Celestia needed was her student droning on about the principles of criminal investigation. "No, it is better if she continued her studies." "If you say so." Luna said under her breath. "Luna?" "Yes sister?" "The mark on the chests of the victims. Does it seem...familiar tou you?" Luna thought for a minute. "I do recall seeing it before. But I don't remember where." So it wasn't just Celestia. Her sister remembered it to. "I am going to the library to see if I can find anything." She told her sister. "I will let you know if anything happens." Once Celestia was in the tower that held the library, she headed for the Starswirl the bearded wing. Once there she headed immediatly to the left, where a small star was engraved in the cobblestone. She lit her hor with magic and touched it to the star. A section in the wall about 3 feet long opened up revealing a jet black book with yellowed pages. She removed the book from the dusty wooden stand and began skimming through the pages. She stopped once she found the symbol. An X with a circle above. "I knew i saw it somewhere." She wispered to herself. She began to read the ancient text. Almost as soon as she began, the memories came flooding back into her mind. The dark suit, the symbol, and the face. More like the white circle that lacked in facial features. The more she read the more fear began to show itself on her face. How could this happen? She had banished this creature to the human world centuries ago. How could it have gotten past the barrier? She dropped the book an golloped to the throne room.
