Applejack calmly watched as her little sister slept in her bed, holding Mr. Snuffles tight in her grip. The past few nights Apple Bloom had been plagued with nightmares. Staying up so late put a toll on her work in the morning, but Applejack's duties as big sister always came first. Except for when the guards came to question her, Apple Bloom hadn’t spoken at all about the event, nor did she leave home. Not even the idea of seeing her friends made her want to step outside. From what Applejack learned, Scootaloo was the only one coping, thanks to Rainbow Dash's constant presence. She was also going to see someone in Canterlot to help with the emotional trauma, and the crown would cover the cost. Sweetie Belle was just like Apple Bloom, too scared and nervous to deal with what she witnessed. Her parents and Rarity were considering taking the family on a vacation. They were hoping that being away from Ponyville for a stretch would help Sweetie Belle recover.

Despite official word from Twilight that Roseluck was killed in an animal attack, Applejack couldn’t help but feel this entire situation was heading south in a hurry. Applejack had seen animal attacks before, but nothing like this. Applejack had seen animal attacks around these parts before, but nothing like this. They didn't leave their kills behind and definitely not in a tree. Still, she had nothing except her gut feelings and the last thing she wanted to do was start a panic by spreading her thoughts around.

Not much Ah can do anyway, thought Applejack as she slowly closed the door to her sister’s room and made for the stairs. Big Macintosh was already in bed, while Granny Smith watched the fireplace from her rocking chair with a glare that made her seem older than usual.

“She’s asleep,” said Applejack as she took a seat on the couch. “Ah think she’ll sleep well tonight. Ah asked Twilight to send a message to Princess Luna to make sure she gets no bad dreams.”

“It ain’t the dreams durin’ the night that scare her,” whispered Granny Smith, shaking her head. “It’s the visions she sees durin’ the day.”

“Are ya sure ya want to go with her to Manehatten?” asked Applejack.

“AJ, Ah’m old but when an Apple needs help Ah’m as fit as a fiddle,” smirked Granny Smith. “Besides, been awhile since Ah’ve seen yer Aunt and Uncle Orange. It would be nice to catch up while they help Apple Bloom.”

Applejack nodded. “Ah just hope we can put this behind us.”

“Tragedies are never put behind us,” said Granny Smith with a sorrowful sigh. “They stay with us and we just have to live with it. Apple Bloom will move on. Yer brother and ya did when yer ma and pa died.”

But I didn’t see their bleeding corpses... thought Applejack bitterly. Her last view of her parents was at their funeral, all primed and proper for their final rest. She would rather take that than what Apple Bloom had seen.

“Be careful when we leave tomorrow,” warned Granny Smith as she glared back into the fire. “There's a darkness in these parts now... somethin’ is happenin’ and it ain’t good. Ah fear when me and Bloom come back... a few new graves will be added along with Roseluck.”

Applejack’s eyes widened as she stared at her grandmother with knowing eyes. “Ya think this ain’t over too, huh?”

“Yer friend Twilight is a smart pony, but Ah fear she focuses too much on her brain and not her instincts,” said Granny Smith, shaking her head. “There are some things in this world that neither logic nor science can explain. Things in the dark that are as evil as they come. Ah don’t know what it is, but my instincts have never lied to me before when events such as this happen.”

She then stared into Applejack’s eyes. “This, Ah fear, is only the beginnin'...”

***

Pokey Pierce hated the dark. Ever since he was a little colt, he was always terrified of the crawling darkness whenever nighttime came around. He even kept a nightlight in his room despite being in his mid-twenties. He wasn’t ashamed of it, and it was the only way he was able to get any sleep. Roseluck's death had seen to that.

It made him wonder what the hay he was doing out here trying to head home so late in the evening. Oh, right. Because my boss is an uptight flankhole! thought Pokey and he growled out loud.

Most ponies assumed that Pokey was involved in something that, well, poked things, but that was far from the truth. Pierce was his family’s last name, common for unicorns, and Pokey was because his parents were fans of Polka music. The truth was his special talent was baby care, a responsibility that gave him love while he worked in the neonatal unit as a nurse at Ponyville hospital. He always worked during the day, until one of his coworkers quit and he was stuck dealing with his new shift.

A late night shift.

Pokey begged for someone else to take it, from Nurse Redheart to Nurse Loving Care, but he was the only one flexible to do it. While it was an uneventful night, it was a long walk from the hospital to his house. And there was a new moon tonight, meaning little to no light.

In other words, Pokey was in his own little tartarus.

Walking through town, Pokey felt his hair stand straight up as he nervously looked around the streets. Even though Ponyville had a very low crime rate, the recent attack on Roseluck had put everypony on edge. A few trashcans nearby shook and he jumped, ready to run, until he saw a stray cat scamper from behind them.

Taking a deep breath, Pokey sighed in relief, but still felt like something was watching him. He looked to his left and then his right, even behind his flank, but there was nopony. Come on, Pokey. You’re not far from home. Just keep going. Just keep going.

He made his way through the shopping district, and he was about to turn the corner when he heard something flapping above. Looking up, he saw a retreating figure fly past him in a split second. Pokey let out a silent gasp and gulped. M-m-maybe it’s Rainbow Dash doing some late night exercises?

It took Pokey five minutes to finally put energy into his legs as he tried keeping his wits about him in an effort to get home. However, just as he turned around, something grabbed him by the neck and threw him into an alley. He slammed his back against a brick wall and staggered, dazed, unable to see what it was that had attacked him.

That’s when he felt something sharp bite into his neck. For only a split second he felt immense pain... and then nothing as the life drained from his eyes and spilled blood red trails down his neck.

***

It was a scream that all of Ponyville heard, so loud that even those who slept in late were awakened. It continued and amplified as more voices joined like some unholy chorus. Rainbow Dash heard the screaming get louder as she flew towards Ponyville as fast as she could. She was doing her morning exercises when she first heard it.

The seriousness of the situation hit her when she saw the guards pushing ponies away from an alley and Twilight was already there, a small pile of vomit next to her as she took deep breaths. Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened. No... not again...

She landed in an instant and was at Twilight’s side. The unicorn looked at her with both relief and terror. A guard stepped forward, but Twilight held her hoof out and let him know it was okay. When that was done, Rainbow Dash looked towards the alley, which was blocked by two pegasi guards with their wings fully extended. “Is... is it...”

“Yes,” muttered Twilight, closing her eyes. “It’s Pokey... a pony found him when she was taking out her trash.”

“No,” whispered Dash, closing her eyes as she stomped her hoof on the ground. Another life taken. Another townspony dead. Someone or something was killing her friends and she wasn’t around to stop it again. I’ll hunt this monster down, and I will kill it... I swear to Faust, to St. Megan and all the other gods in this world that I will end its life!

“How bad?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“W-worse...” muttered Twilight, shaking her head. “It’s too horrible.” Rainbow Dash stared at her friend for a bit before she walked over the guards blocking the entrance to the alley. “Dash! Don’t!”

Rainbow Dash ignored her. She had to see it. She had to have it burned inside her memory, so she could think about Pokey and Roseluck once she found this monster. The guards stared at her, but she glared back with a look that said not to mess with her. The two looked at each other before reluctantly lowering their wings and allowing her to pass.

Rainbow Dash only stepped forward a few steps before she felt all the blood in her body turn to ice based on what she saw.

***

Everything had turned into a nightmare. Twilight had hoped that Roseluck’s death would be an isolated incident, but now, as she looked at Pokey’s half eaten corpse on the morgue table, she began to curse herself for not taking steps to prevent this just in case she was wrong. Just by looking at the body it was clear that this was done in a more savage manner than with Roseluck. The earth pony had had a clear, clean cut on her throat when she died. This... this is just brutal...

Twilight had faced great evils before such as Nightmare Moon, Discord, and changelings. None of them showed this kind of savagery though. Dr. Stiff walked in and rushed towards Twilight with fear in his eyes. “I need to talk to you,” said Dr. Stiff.

“I do as well, doctor,” said Twilight, nodding. “You first though.”

Dr. Stiff sighed and rubbed his forehead. “You aren’t going to believe this. I’m struggling to believe this, but I’m afraid that after concluding my autopsy report on Pokey Pierce... this wasn’t an animal attack.” Twilight’s eyes widened. “I took your advice and sent my findings to your friend, Professor Zooling. He said that the bite mark on Roseluck was not from an animal... at least not entirely.”

“W-what are you saying?” asked Twilight.

Dr. Stiff walked over to his desk and retrieved two photos. One of the bite mark on Roseluck, and another that was on Pokey’s body. “The bite marks... they’re closest to one type of race... ponies.”

The silence that followed was so quiet a pin could drop and it would have had the same impact as a bomb. Twilight’s brain completely froze for a good few minutes as she tried to process what was going on. A pony had done this. A pony had killed both Roseluck and Pokey Pierce. A pony had eaten their flesh.

There was a word for this. A word that was only used by griffins, dragons, minotaurs, and other predator-like races: cannibalism.

“T-that’s not possible! That’s just impossible!” shouted Twilight, stomping her hoof. “Pony teeth are not designed to eat flesh! Hay, we’re not designed to eat meat in general! Any pony that tries would be sick to their stomach or even die! Even bat ponies can’t do it!”

“My Princess,” Dr. Stiff bowed, “I’m sorry, but the two of us have reached the same conclusion. While it’s not a familiar set of teeth, we are sorry to say that the closest resemblance is equine. We would say bat pony, but the fangs that were used to rip and tear the flesh were too long to be one of theirs. Maybe it’s a mutation or something, but we are looking for a pony. Bat or otherwise”

Twilight bit her lip and lowered her head. If this was true then everything was going to change. This wasn’t an animal anymore. This was a sentient being. This was murder. Serial murder now, thought Twilight as she glanced at Pokey.

“Can you tell me how he died?” asked Twilight, turning away from everything and focusing on the wall in front of her.

“Slashed in the throat first, most likely to prevent him from screaming. The murderer then proceeded to rip his intestines out. He’s... missing some organs,” grumbled Dr. Stiff. “He or she also ripped out his legs with their teeth before feasting... most likely to preserve some of the body for later.”

“No pony should have that much strength to rip out a limb,” muttered Twilight. “Even Princess Celestia doesn’t have that unless she used magic.”

“We found no unicorn magic in the area, meaning this was all done by hoof or by teeth,” answered Dr. Stiff.

Again, impossible. Not even Applejack or Big Macintosh could rip a limb off. Snap a neck, break a bone, rupture an organ, but not rip a limb off, thought Twilight as she closed her eyes. Impossibility after impossibility was being shoved into her face, and she was trying to find a way to make sense of it all. Maybe I need some time to think on my own.

“Dr. Stiff, for now I would like this information to not be shared yet. I need to figure out a proper time to explain all of this to the public,” ordered Twilight.

“Of course, Princess,” said Dr. Stiff as Twilight began to exit the room. “I just hope we can catch whoever is responsible for this before more lives are lost.”

“We will,” whispered Twilight. “We will...”

***

Not wanting to deal with the gathering press outside the morgue, Twilight teleported back to her treehouse where, thankfully, nopony was nearby. Most likely, they were hiding in their homes and praying that whatever danger was around would go away. All Twilight wanted to do now was head inside, get some tea, and pretend all was right in the world for a few minutes before she had to back to work.

Requesting new guards, patrol schedules, curfew, buddy system, Pokey’s obituary, and the statements to the press... how does Celestia do it all? She thought as she entered into her home. “I’m home.”

“Good, because time is not on my side. I must speak to you, Twilight, of an evil that resides.”

Twilight blinked a few times before realizing that she had company. Zecora sat on her reading chair, putting away a book as she got up and walked towards Twilight with fearful determination in her eyes. “Zecora? What are you doing here? I haven’t seen you since Fluttershy’s funeral.”

“A sad day that was indeed. But come here I have for the danger we have seen,” whispered Zecora as she and Twilight sat down. Tea was already made for them and Twilight gladly welcomed it. After a few sips, she allowed Zecora to continue. “Because of the serious nature of the situation, I must speak plainly with no hesitation. There is darkness growing, Twilight Sparkle. Evil so foul that even nature itself is whispering in fear. Something perverted and unholy has come and it is very near.”

“Are you talking about the murders? Do you know who is doing them?” asked Twilight with wide eyes.

“No, but I fear this evil that walks among us is not something normal. Infact, I fear it may be paranormal,” spoke Zecora as she stared into her cup. “As a shaman, I have a connection with spirits of all kinds. The earth, water, and air all speak to me and they are afraid of the darkening signs. Something ancient... something evil... is lurking and causing an upheavel.”

“Are you saying this is something supernatural, Zecora?” sighed Twilight as she rubbed her forehead.

“Yes” said Zecora, shaking her head. “I know you are not a believer in things you cannot see, but this book may be your only key.”

Twilight sighed. “Zecora, I respect you greatly, but you know that such things like this don’t exist. Spirits and Gods were thought up by ponies who didn’t know how things worked in the world before science and reason made it possible to understand,” explained Twilight. “I’m not saying you don’t have a right to believe in things like this, but I don’t. I just... don’t...”

Zecora tilted her head. “May I ask why you are so sure that things such as gods, spirits, curses, and the like are not real? You believe in magic that can cause damage as well as heal.”

“I guess I just always believed that something needs proof to exist,” said Twilight, shrugging her shoulders. “That’s why I don’t believe in Faust. They say there is proof, but I don’t see it or at least not enough of it exists. Same reason I don’t believe in zombies or any of that mythical stuff. It’s just lore and stories from ancient times. We live in the modern era where we can explain everything.”

“Can we?” asked Zecora, raising an eyebrow. “Can you explain why we live and why we pass away? Can you explain why magic exists in the first place in any essay? Can you explain Pinkie Sense and Elements of Harmony? Why is Discord able to do what he can do in all forms of disharmony? Why do these myths and legends even exist in the first place, even in societies well advanced for their prime? Why do so many still believe in miracles today if we have learned so much as you have said all this time?” She placed a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “Sometimes faith provides more than proof. Sometimes one needs to believe that there unnatural truths.”

“Then why did Fluttershy die?” asked Twilight, growling. “If there is a Faust goddess, why did she let the kindest and most gentle pony in the world die in her prime?”

“Of that, I cannot say,” said Zecora sighing. “The gods are mysterious in their ways.” She slowly got up and made for the door. “Head my words, Twilight Sparkle. I have a feeling faith will be your shield. To end this evil before we are all buried in the flowery fields.”

Twilight stared at Zecora as she shut the door behind her. She sat there for a long time, thinking on what Zecora said before deciding to take a bath to clear her head.

Author's Note

I might as well say this now since I know somebody is going to say something about what I've been doing with Twilight. I am not using her as some kind of shot against people who are in anyway disbelieving in religion. Yes, I have established that Twilight is an atheist but this is in no way trying to challenge atheist beliefs. I am simply taking Twilight who focuses on logic and science and putting her into a situation where that isn't going to help her because this is supernatural and logic is thrown out the window, in a sense. Yes, I am religious but I am friends with many atheists and this is in no way trying to insult or cause harm in any way.

I wanted to get that out of the way because I'm sure there will be at least one reader who will think that.

You can find the artwork here.