“Hush Now”

Chapter Three: Conversations With A Killer

The mare admired her reflection in her vanity.

She tossed her silvery mane and adjusted her perfect coif. She lifted a tube of mascara from the table and popped the cap, using the wand to apply generous layers of pitch-blackness to her the lashes above her deep violet eyes. Her eye-shadow was a glimmery shade of silver that matched her mane. She pouted coyly at her mirror-image.

Absolute perfection.

The powdery-blue mare reluctantly abandoned her reflection, leaving the vanity to venture out into the main part of her home. The living room walls were covered in pale yellow patterned wallpaper. The old, beaten leather furniture was dull and brown. It was rather modest for her tastes, but she had inherited it from her parents and she had not had time enough to re-model the entirety of the interior. She didn’t spend much time here anyway.

She had compensated by covering every inch of the walls with framed photos of herself. She lined the adjacent hallway with gorgeous gilded mirrors, so that she could admire her slender form from every angle while she trotted into the kitchen. She paused for a moment to wink at her reflection.

Her kitchen looked the same way it did when her parents purchased the house over fifty years ago. She had not done much with the room, since she rarely cooked for herself. After all, such menial tasks were below her. It still had the same cracked linoleum floors and turquoise oven from her fillyhood. Tucked in the far corner, was a rickety white card-table that seated four. She vaguely recalled family dinners at that very table: a sweet, happy unicorn with doting parents, proud to remind their daughter of how incredible she was. How great she would be. She dismissed the thought.

The silvery-maned mare turned away from the table and opened the refrigerator with a swift pulse of magic. She peered inside at the sparse contents before settling on a small carrot. She had to watch her figure, after all. She pulled out the vegetable, trotting over to the table and sitting in the chair closest to the wall. The unicorn began nibbling her carrot quietly, thinking to herself. She should really do something with the inside of this house. It was below her. So pedestrian.

The only room she had put any work into was the basement. After all, it was where she kept her friends. It was one of her greatest achievements, really. She had done a lot of the labor herself, wanting as few ponies to know what she was up to as possible. She was immensely proud of herself for the achievement, more so than usual.

The unicorn heard a loud thumping and muffled screams from beneath her hooves. Her guest was awake. She smiled to herself and got up from the table, heading towards the entrance to the basement.

• 0 –

The shrill sound of the alarm filled the small conference room, mercilessly pounding against Rainbow Dash’s eardrums. She blindly waved her hoof in the general direction of the noise until it ceased. She groaned miserably, stretching her fore-legs over her head and unfurling her sore wings. Desperately rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she looked around for the clock. It was nearly nine in the morning. They had only managed to fit in about three hours of sleep.

Dash peered around. The two mares had sequestered themselves in a small conference room, spreading out papers on every available surface and discussing the case until neither could keep their eyes open. Somehow, Rainbow had managed to fall asleep on the floor using her saddlebag as a pillow. She spotted Applejack, who was still snoozing on the couch, her had tugged over her eyes. How could she sleep through that alarm? Rainbow Dash wondered idly. The cyan mare pushed herself up off the floor and trotted over to the exhausted orange pony, placing a hoof on her shoulder and shaking her gently. “Time to get up, AJ.” she told her, “We got a buck-load of shit to do.”

Applejack let out a sound not unlike a mewl and pushed her hat up off her forehead, peering up at Rainbow Dash through blonde bangs. “Oh Celestia! Ah can’t believe Ah fell asleep.” she moaned, ashamed. The orange earth pony sat up and frowned. “Ah should be lookin’ for Rarity.” she said, hopping off the couch and dusting off her vest.

“Don’t sweat it.” Dash reassured her, smiling. “Everypony sleeps. I don’t think either of us would have been much good if we didn’t get at least a few hours.” the cyan pegasus quipped, grinning at the other mare tiredly. She was still exhausted, less than ten hours of sleep over the course of three days was beginning to take its toll on the pegasus. Hell, she hadn’t had a shower in at least forty-eight hours and her mane was beginning to feel grimy. It was downright disgusting.

Suddenly, there was a faint knocking on the door and before either pony could answer it flew open and Twilight Sparkle marched into the conference room. She had obviously gotten more sleep than Applejack and Rainbow Dash, or at least a better dose of caffeine, because her pink and purple mane was back in its perfect bun and the bags under eyes had mysteriously vanished. “Oh good, you’re here.” she said, curtly. She did not bother to let either mare speak before adding, “Applejack, you have some visitors.”

The orange pony looked befuddled, she was obviously not expecting guests. Her confusion lasted only moments before a small, alabaster unicorn forced her way past Twilight and rushed into the room. She ran towards Applejack, slamming directly into her chest and wrapping her teeny forelegs around the older pony, “S—Sweetie Belle?” Applejack stuttered, shocked.

Twilight Sparkle entered, followed by a tall, muscular stallion with a dark coat the same shade of red as the setting sun. His long, dirty-blonde mane was shaggy and unkempt. A splash of freckles across his nose gave him the innocent look of a farmer. His grass-green eyes were identical to Applejack’s own. Rainbow Dash would bet her next month’s salary this stallion was related to the orange mare.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Sweetie Belle sobbed, pounding Applejack’s chest uselessly. The flaxen-maned pony looked down at the ivory filly miserably. She bit her lip and fought back her own tears, placing a hoof on the tiny unicorn’s shaking back. Applejack sighed deeply and looked up, locking eyes with the stoic red stallion and frowning deeply.

“Big Mac, why did ya bring her here?’ she asked, her voice gruff. Applejack’s dark emerald eyes burrowed into her relative’s, but he managed to match her expression with ease. They stared at one another with such intensity, Rainbow Dash was worried they might start a fire. Neither pony even so much as blinked until the ivory unicorn filly broke the momentary stand-off, her squeaky voice drawing their attention to the ground.

“We saw the news, AJ. I asked Big Macintosh to bring me here.” Sweetie Belle piped up, gazing up at Applejack with watery green eyes the size of dinner plates. “Did you really think you could keep the disappearance of my sister a secret forever?” she asked her. The blonde exhaled deeply and stroked Sweetie Belle’s pastel mane in a sisterly manner.

“Ah was hoping ta have her back by now…” she admitted.

The alabaster unicorn released Applejack and peered up at her with the utmost trust reflected in her shimmering pea-green eyes. “It’s okay AJ, I understand.” she reassured the older pony, “I just want you to trust me. I need to know what’s going on. Please?” the alabaster unicorn begged, giving her a pleading gaze. Applejack swallowed thickly and nodded.

“Ah’m sorry Sweetie Belle.” the orange earth pony apologized, patting her head. “Ah’ll tell ya as much as Ah can. How about Ah start by introducin’ the team Ah’ve been workin’ with to you and my bro?” she suggested, gesturing towards her fellow agents. Sweetie Belle smiled and nodded enthusiastically. When they entered the building, both she and Big Macintosh had been so consumed with finding Applejack they were much too distracted to notice anypony else, she didn’t even remember the name of the mare who had taken them to the conference room. The filly looked around at the other agents excitedly.

“This here is Rainbow Dash.” Applejack introduced the pegasus, throwing her foreleg casually over her shoulder and pulling her forward. “She’s been a real help and she’s a heck of a flier. Might even be the best in Equestria!” she bragged, pounding Dash hard on the back. The rainbow-maned mare grinned, detaching herself from the orange earth pony and puffing out her chest with pride. Sweetie Belle’s eyes widened, glittering with admiration, her mouth forming a little “o” of delight.

“We’ll find your sister, kid.” Agent Dash promised Sweetie Belle, giving her a quick salute. “We have some awesome ponies on this case. Twilight here is a total egghead, super smart.” The cyan pegasus stated, giggling. She poked her superior playfully in the side with the tip of her hoof. The violet unicorn smiled amusedly, her cheeks reddening slightly. She wasn’t the ham Rainbow Dash was.

“I will do my best.” Twilight Sparkle said, humbly.

“Hey everypony, I brought some coffee!” Fluttershy sang, her melodious voice ringing down the hallway and into the conference room. The yellow pegasus entered the room backward, pushing the door open with her hindquarters. She was flying about twelve inches off the ground, a tray gripped in her hooves. When she turned around and spotted the new arrivals, her face immediately went pale. “I—I’m sorry,” she stuttered, “Am I interrupting?” the bubblegum-maned mare flushed.

“You’re fine, Fluttershy. Why don’t you put that down over here?” Rainbow Dash suggested, gesturing to of the miniscule corners of bare space on the conference table in the center of the room. The yellow mare nodded and began to glide towards the table when she stumbled. In an instant, before even Dash could react, Big Macintosh was at Fluttershy’s side, pushing up the other side of the tray with his nose. Even the cyan pegasus had to admit she was impressed.

“Lemme help, miss.” he murmured, quietly. Big Macintosh also sported a thick Appaloosean accent similar to Applejack’s, but his voice was several octaves lower. Rainbow Dash got the impression he was much quieter than his hard-headed sister. Fluttershy flushed redder than a tomato and nodded wordlessly. Her blush was considerably darker than the one she usually wore when embarrassed and she looked as if she might drop right out of the air and crash into the ground. Big Mac took the tray from her and cantered over to the table, setting it down gently on the surface.

“T—thank you. Mister—?” Fluttershy whispered, flushing.

“Big Macintosh”

“Big Macintosh” Fluttershy repeated, thoughtfully. She lowered herself gently to the floor.

Applejack watched the exchange between her brother and Fluttershy with a look of amusement on her face. She shook her head smiling and spoke loudly, “Thanks fer the coffee, Fluttershy!” the orange earth pony shouted. The yellow mare jolted and both she and Big Macintosh turned to face the blonde-maned mare, who grinned at them and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. The two ponies blushed and averted their gaze from one another.

Suddenly, an errant beeping filled the room. Twilight Sparkle frowned and unclipped her cell phone from her vest with a small ball of magic. She squinted at the text and her eyes widened behind the frames of her glasses. “We need to get to the conference room now!” the unicorn spat, reattaching her phone to her vest and heading for the door. “We have a lead. A very strange one.” she told everypony, grinding her teeth in agitation and rushing from the room without so much as a goodbye.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack grabbed their saddlebags and ran for the exit, closely followed by Fluttershy before Applejack skidded to a stop, causing the other two mares to crash into her. “WAIT!” she shouted, looking around the room desperately. “Somepony has ta stay with Sweetie Belle and Big Mac!” the orange mare moaned, defeated. She backed away from the door and trotted towards her brother and Rarity’s younger sister. Dash frowned, biting the inside of her cheek. She wished she could do something for her new friend. She knew how badly Applejack wanted to be involved in this case, to know what was going on with her precious fillyfriend.

“Stop,” Fluttershy murmured, Applejack turned to face her. “You go. Rarity is your fillyfriend. You can come back and tell us what happened.” the bubblegum-maned mare smiled, placing a hoof on Applejack’s shoulder and dropping it back to the ground. The orange earth pony’s eyes began to well with tears and she threw her forelegs around Fluttershy and squeezed.

“Thankya.Thankya.Thankya.Thankya.” Applejack squealed, gripping the poor mare so tightly she began to lose oxygen. Fluttershy gently tapped the earth pony on the shoulder and realizing she had the yellow pegasus in a vice-grip, Applejack released her. Fluttershy wheezed slightly as she regulated her breathing. She smiled softly and nodded at the other agents. Applejack grinned back at her, “Ah’ll be back soon, okay?” she assured her family. She quickly kissed Sweetie Belle and Big Macintosh, who pushed her towards the door. They told her they wanted answers as much as the next pony and they trusted Applejack to get them.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack tore from the room.

• 0 –

When Applejack and Rainbow Dash arrived at the briefing, everypony else was already there.

Special Agent Twilight Sparkle looked like she was about to have a mental breakdown. In a mere matter of minutes, she had gone from put-together to an absolute mess. Her mane was disheveled, falling from its once perfect bun and into her face. Her glasses were dangling from one ear. The purple mare looked as if she was on the verge of tears.

“What’s going on?” Caramel demanded irately, slapping a hoof against the table. The other agents agreed loudly, their voices angry. They were on their last leg. Working such long hours was beginning to take its toll in exhaustion and irritation and the ponies were not sure how much more they could take before they snapped, or slept. A bubble of muted conversation broke out around the room.

“There was a call today.” Twilight disclosed, her tone flat. “Somepony said she might have an idea how to help us find the murderer.” the violet unicorn spoke in a hollow voice, like she was reading line off a teleprompter. She looked through the agents, almost as if she was in another world entirely. The ponies glimpsed at one another and then back at their dazed leader. Applejack shot Rainbow Dash a weird look, wasn’t a lead a good thing?

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Doctor Whooves parroted Applejack’s thoughts, scratching the slight stubble forming on his chin with his hoof and giving the dual-maned unicorn a look of concern. Twilight stared at the cream-colored stallion as if she was seeing him for the first time and her right eye twitched slightly. Doctor Whooves felt the uneasy, the hairs on the back of his neck rising.

Twilight Sparkle swallowed thickly and closed her eyes. She took a few measured breaths, trying to slow her heart rate back to normal. The purple mare used her magic to slide her glasses back up her nose and opened her eyes to face the table. “The informant is Pinkamena Diane Pie.”

A foreboding silence swept over the room.

All of a sudden, it felt as if all the air had been sucked from the conference room. The tension was palpable, stifling everypony. Rainbow Dash spotted Lyra at the head of the table. The unicorn looked as if somepony had drained every ounce of life from her. So pale she was almost white, her caramel eyes listless and unreadable. Dash had never seen the hard-bitten mare so utterly terrified.

“What are we gonna do?” Applejack asked, her Appaloosean drawl even thicker than usual. The other ponies, save for Lyra who was still in a trance, turned to her then exchanged glances with one another. Nopony knew the answer.

Special Agent Twilight Sparkle frowned, chewing her bottom lip furiously. “S—somepony is going to have to interview her.” she stammered, unable to keep the fear from her voice. Twilight prided herself on being an example for her agents. She was well aware that she was a bit of a perfectionist and that quality was oftentimes difficult to deal with yet, even if they might dislike her a little bit, Twilight wanted to be somepony her agents could turn to in times of crisis. Maybe even somepony they might come to admire. However, it seemed she was still incapable of controlling some of her anxieties. She still had much to learn before she could become a successful agent and leader. The unicorn was furious with her own inability, but accepted her flaws. The logical conclusion was to assign the job to somepony with experience in the area, preferably somepony who had dealt with Pinkamena Pie in the past. “I was thinking perhaps, since she was on the original case, Agent Heartstr—?”

“NO!”

Lyra shrieked, abruptly snapping out of her stupor and slamming her fore-hooves onto the table with an earth-shattering crash. The other agents stared at her, startled. “I—I can’t.” Lyra moaned, gripping desperately at her mane. Her golden eyes were haunted, tears pouring from them and splattering onto the smooth surface of the table. “I can’t see her again. I can’t.” the sea-green mare repeated, her voice trembling. Her face turned pale and she began to shake violently as if having a terrible flashback. Suddenly, she burst into fresh tears and buried her face in her forelegs, sobbing harshly. Doctor Whooves placed a hoof on her back, trying to soothe her. She simply whimpered, “I can’t.” in a tortured whisper.

The other ponies watched the agonizing display with wide eyes. None of them had ever seen Agent Heartstrings show any emotion that even bordered on fear, let alone anything like this and nopony knew how to handle the situation.

After witnessing Lyra’s breakdown, Agent Dash felt her own fear and doubt begin to gnaw at her. The cyan pegasus felt her stomach twist uncomfortably and she traced an outline on the carpet with the tip of her hoof. Rainbow Dash was ashamed of her own weakness. How would she get anywhere in this job if she let some serial killer scare her? She had to learn to overcome her stupid phobias or she would never make it as an agent. She shook her head roughly. A mare convicted of brutally murdering seventeen innocent ponies, a violent sociopath who changed the face of criminality. Pinkamena Diane Pie. Finally, Rainbow Dash swallowed the fear that threatened to overtake her and stepped forward, “I’ll go.” she said determinedly.

Everypony stared at her, shocked.

“A—are ya sure, Dash?” Applejack asked, her voice shaking slightly. She placed her hoof on Dash’s shoulder gently and whispered, “Rarity is mah fillyfriend, Ah can go.” the orange earth pony suggested weakly. She seemed more than a little terrified by the prospect of coming face-to-face with the Cupcake Killer, but she seemed willing to do it if it meant saving her very special somepony. Rainbow Dash did not feel that Applejack needed to go through any more than she already had. The pegasus shrugged off her hoof and flashed the flaxen-maned mare the biggest grin she could muster.

“I’m one hundred and twenty percent sure.” Rainbow Dash said, smugly.

• 0 –

Rarity awoke with a moan, her head throbbing like speakers in a dance club. The scent of mildew assaulted her refined olfactory senses and she crinkled her nose in disgust. The floor beneath her was as cold as ice and harder than a rock. She groaned again, massaging her aching temples and opening her sapphire eyes weakly and attempted to take in her surroundings. She saw nothing but darkness. Surely she had just opened her eyes, right? The ivory unicorn rubbed her eyes furiously and opened them again to find nothing but inky blackness enveloping her.

She tried to ignite her horn and shed some light on the situation. She was greeted with a fizzling noise and a loud pop, followed by an even worse aching pain in her head. Rarity reached up tentatively, feeling around her forehead. The unicorn gasped when her hoof came in contact with some sort of mysterious device. The alabaster mare continued to trace the outline of the contraption with her hooves. A large metal ring encased the base of her horn, thin spikes digging into the bone just short of the nerve to keep it roughly in place. She was without magic and therefore, any means of protecting herself.

The pale mare tried to piece together the night before. She had been out with Applejack at the bar when they had fought. She had gone outside to get some air when… Oh my Celestia! The shadowy pony! That dark pony must have done something to her. Rarity began to panic, rising quickly to her hooves and feeling around in the darkness for any semblance of a structure. Where the heck was she?

Her hind-leg connected with something metal and it clanged loudly against the ground. Rarity yelped in surprise, before regaining her composure. She reached out cautiously and felt the outline of a pail, the delicate unicorn lifted it up off the ground to examine it. The bucket itself was empty, but it smelled atrocious and she threw it aside with a bang as it crashed into what she could only imagine was a wall of some sort.

Rarity spent the next few minutes feeling her way around her new surroundings. She concluded that she was in some kind of circular room with bricked walls. The show-white mare bit her lip and sat down on the cold ground. She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself by meditating.

The alabaster mare sat in the darkness, thinking. As if on cue, an old memory floated to the surface of her mind. A few months ago, Applejack had been insistent on sharing the details of a particular case with her. Usually, AJ did not like to involve Rarity in such morbid business and she was only too happy to oblige, after all blood and guts were far from ladylike. However, this time her fillyfriend has stood firm, claiming the case involved her.

Applejack told her about a serial killer who was abducting and murdering unicorns, cutting off their horns in the process. There were absolutely no clues as to the identity or location of this mysterious pony. He was known only as the Horn Hawker. Oh dear Celestia…

She started to scream.

• 0 –

Rainbow Dash arrived at Appaloosa National Prison around eleven o’ clock in the morning. She had decided that she needed a shower and change of clothes if she was going to be meeting one of the most infamous serial killers in the annals of pony history. She pulled her still-wet mane into a low ponytail and tugged on her best vest. It was made of black leather with a v-cut neck and the Equestrian Bureau of Investigation logo seared into the back. She pinned her badge to her left breast.

When she entered the building, two hard-faced security ponies ushered her through the main doors. They proceeded to pat her down and run her through the metal detector. Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and endured all the poking and prodding until they were satisfied. Finally, they asked the purpose of her business. “I am here to see Pinkamena Diane Pie.” Dash told the ponies, her voice serious.

“Are you bucking crazy, lady?” the slate-grey stallion barked, taken-aback. He was an older pony with deep lines etched into his face, but he still looked visibly shaken by the very mention of Pinkamena’s name, the same way Lyra had been in the conference room earlier. Rainbow Dash was intrigued. What kind of mare could strike such fear into everypony she had ever met?

“She doesn’t get too many visitors.” the navy mare explained. She pursed her lips, her giant pink eyes darting around nervously. She was several years younger than her partner, but still a good ten years older than Rainbow Dash. “I can take you there, but I won’t stay. She has her own guards, just for her.” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Agent Dash raised her eyebrows, surprised. She had never heard of a prisoner having her own personal guards before.

The security mare jerked her head in the direction of the nearest corridor and Rainbow Dash followed her down the passage. They walked past several cells and Dash ignored the hoots and hollers of the incarcerated inmates. The navy unicorn stopped in front of a large, metal door.
“This is where I take off.” the security pony said, jumpily. She looked like she was ready to take off running in the opposite direction. The cyan mare found herself getting excited, probably more than she should have been. This was exactly the sort of rush she had been looking for in her life.

“Where is her cell?” Dash inquired, eying the gigantic metal door suspiciously. The navy unicorn laughed derisively. Rainbow Dash frowned at her.

“She’s the only prisoner in this block, kid.” she replied. The security mare concentrated, her horn glowing a soft green and the massive lock on the door began to click and whir as the internal cogs began passing over one another. Finally, there was a loud clack and the door swung forward. “Good luck.” the navy pony whispered, backing away from the door and retreating back down the hallway. Dash gave her a quick nod and puffed her chest out, walking with confidence into the prison wing.

The door slammed shut behind her and re-locked. Dash nearly jumped out of her skin, but quickly regained her composure. She began trotting forward slowly, looking around the passageway, her hooves clacking against the concrete floor. It was a long, straight hallway made of heavy-duty concrete. Looming above Dash, were floating candles that barely lit the dank corridor.

Rainbow Dash approached the end of the cell-block to find another large, bolted door even thicker and more intimidating than the first. Two severe looking stallions flanked the entrance. They glared down at the mare, who flashed them her badge. Neither of them spoke, but instead ignited their horns in unison to activate the door lock.

Agent Dash closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She entered the room and the guards shut the door behind her, clicking the lock shut. She opened her eyes swallowed her gasp. The room was large, divided in half by a clear wall made of what looked like glass, but it was even thicker than the metal door. The half of the room farthest from the door was brightly lit and Rainbow Dash could clearly see its contents. The walls were papered in brightly-colored streamers and paintings of party-themed items like hats and cake. Pushed up against the wall in the far corner was a four-poster bed. It was simple prison issue, but somepony had covered it in a fluffy pink and blue comforter plastered in a festive balloon pattern.

Pinkamena Pie had her back to Rainbow Dash. She had her eyes closed and was singing a melody Rainbow couldn’t hear through the sound-proof wall. The cyan mare trotted up to the clear-divider and seated herself in the single straight-back chair facing the cell. A circular piece had been removed from the wall and replaced with a fitted piece of metal with horizontal slits to create a speaker system, she flicked the switch next to the speakers and the Cupcake Killer’s sugary voice filled her ears.

“Nopony knows, the trouble I’ve seen. Nopony knows, but Celestia…”

Rainbow Dash tapped gently on the divider. Pinkamena turned to see the source of the noise and a smile spread across her face. She hopped up from the ground excitedly and began pushing a large, purple armchair from the back of the cell over to the speaker. The pink earth pony seated herself in it, crossing her hind-legs and staring fixatedly at her guest.

Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but stare at the pony sitting in the giant, cushy armchair. The mare sitting before her looked nothing like Dash had expected. Pinkamena Diane Pie was a small, earth pony the same shade of pink as a tulip in bloom. Her mane was long and poker-straight, save for a few stray curls encasing her pleasantly round face. She was dressed in a pristine, white shirt that nearly swallowed her. The sleeves on her forelegs were so long, they covered her hooves. Straps and metal-hooks lined the seams on her waist. It took Dash a moment to realize she was wearing a straight-jacket.

“Why hello, and who do we have here?” the pink earth pony asked in a pleasant voice and Dash felt a chill run down her spine. Rainbow Dash was unsure how such a seemingly-sweet mare could be foreboding, but she was. Pinkamena looked into her eyes and suddenly the cyan pegasus understood what Lyra had been so afraid of. Pinkamena Pie had huge, blue eyes as cold as ice. They flickered in the bright lights of her cell, like a lightning storm was taking place behind the irises. “Are you from the EBI?” she inquired pleasantly.

“Y—yes.” Dash stammered, struggling to keep her cool. “I’m Agent Rainbow Dash.” she showed Pinkamena her badge. The pink earth pony leaned forward to read the name and badge number, humming quietly.

“Daashiiie” Pinkamena sang, letting her name roll off her tongue like the lyrics to an unknown melody. She tucked a piece of stray hair behind her ear and leaned back in her chair, smiling even wider. “I like it.” she stated, giggling. Dash felt her cheeks redden slightly and she fought the urge to cover her face with her hooves. Was the infamous Cupcake Killer, murderer of seventeen ponies, flirting with her?

“So, you said you had some information for us on the Horn Hawker case?” Dash asked, trying to change the subject back to the task at hoof. She shuffled through her saddlebag, digging out a copy of the case file. She began paging through the documents, extracting the victim photographs and laying them out next to one another on the flat metal desk-like surface on her side of the divider. Rainbow Dash angled the pictures so that Pinkamena could see them clearly through the divider.

“I do.” Pinkamena mused, running her hoof gently across the glass in lazy circles. Dash noticed the way her eyes seemed to light up when she saw the photos of the crime scenes. She looked up from the photographs and locked eyes with the cyan mare, a soft smile playing around the corners of her lips.

“What is it?” Rainbow Dash asked. Her voice cracked slightly and she attempted to ignore it. The rose-maned mare winked at her and the agent felt an uncomfortable stirring in her stomach. She was beginning to lose her composure. Pinkamena Pie was playing with her, toying with her like one of her many victims in her famed “party palace” beneath the bakery. Dash absolutely hated being treated like a fool. She glowered at the earth pony.

“Where did you grow up?” Pinkamena Pie inquired in her squeaky voice. Rainbow Dash was unsure if she had misheard her or was choosing to ignore the agent’s question entirely. The pink mare focused her haunting gaze on the pegasus and she felt her heart twist in her chest. Dash was admittedly taken aback, Pinkamena had switched gears so quickly it had thrown her for a loop. The cyan mare sat in silence for a few seconds, unsure how to respond to such a seemingly innocuous question. She couldn’t help but think the cotton-candy colored pony was rather random.

It was getting on her nerves.

“What does that have to do with the Horn Hawker?” Rainbow Dash asked, angrily. She crossed her forelegs over her chest indignantly, glaring at Pinkamena Pie suspiciously. The cyan pegasus had a feeling the other mare was up to something with her supposedly meaningless questions. Serial killer or no, Dash loathed being played by anypony. The pink-maned earth pony proceeded to smile at her innocently, laughing softly, which only served to infuriate Dash more.

“I want to know everything about you, Dashie.” Pinkamena said, her mellifluous voice teasing Rainbow Dash. “I will trade my information on the Hawker for some information on you.” She promised, giggling. Her laugh was high-pitched, a pleasant tinkling noise that sounded more musical than maniacal and another chill ran down Rainbow’s spine. However, this one was unlike the first, instead of settling in the pit of her stomach this chill chose to settle a little further south. Dash frowned. Whenever Pinkamena used that playful nickname, she became both infuriated and intrigued, filled with a feeling that both pleased and sickened her.

“Cloudsdale,” Agent Dash mumbled, swallowing her mixed emotions. She had no idea how she was letting this mare get to her so easily. Rainbow Dash bit the inside of her cheek until she tasted blood. She needed to focus. She was going to show this pony, serial killer or no, the intense, radical, and awesome mare that she knew herself to be.

“Ooh, are you a good flier?” Pinkamena questioned, delighted.

“THE BEST!” Dash yelled insistently, before she could stop herself. She nearly hopped from her chair in her excitement before she realized what she was doing and forced herself back into her seat, blushing ferociously. Pinkamena laughed again, though this time it was a much throatier sound. The cyan mare looked up through her multi-colored bangs and locked eyes with the serial killer for a second time. She was surprised to find that the pink pony’s once cold eyes had gone from an icy-blue to a vibrant shade of azure, the same shade as the sky, glittering like crystals in the bright lights.

“I knew it!” Pinkamena Pie squealed, bouncing in her chair like a filly who had consumed too much sugar. It was as if somepony had flipped a switch inside the pink earth pony’s brain. Her personality had completely changed in what seemed like an instant. She seemed almost normal, albeit a tad hyper and Rainbow Dash was astonished by this side of her personality. It seemed as if the Cupcake Killer whirled through emotions faster than a runaway cyclone and the pegasus was uncertain whether or not she found this intriguing or terrifying.

“Why did you join the EBI?” the rose-hued mare inquired, her voice seductive. She leaned forward so that her mouth was close to the speaker, her voice caressing the airways. Suddenly, it was as if Pinkamena’s voice was surrounding Rainbow Dash, consuming her very soul and filling her with an emotion she could not put a name to.

Out of habit, the cyan pegasus parroted the words she had been taught since her first day at the academy before she could even think about it, even if they were blatant lies. “I want to protect and serve Equestria” the agent fibbed, fluttering her wings in nervous habit. In a split-second, Pinkamena’s effervescent attitude vanished and Rainbow Dash was face-to-face with the Cupcake Killer. Her gaze turned cold enough to freeze lava and she observed the other mare with an expression that Dash could only describe as murderous.

“Do not lie to me.” Pinkamena snapped, angrily. Her voice was chillier than the dead of winter and Rainbow Dash thought her heart might stop. The pink pony’s brow furrowed deeply as she glared at the other mare and Dash felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She desperately fought the urge to throw-up. “Tell me the truth and I’ll forgive you. I don’t like liars, Dashie.” the cotton-candy colored earth pony spoke quietly, but sternly and Rainbow Dash felt as if somepony had just dumped a bucket of ice water over her head. She gulped, nodding.

Not a single newspaper, television report, radio interview, or criminology textbook in all of Equestria had done this mare justice. Pinkamena Diane Pie was one hundred thousand more times more fearsome than any beast one might come across in the Everfree Forest. Manticores and Ursa Majors be damned, this bright-pink earth pony was the true messenger of Hell.

“I wanted an exciting life.” Dash admitted, lowering her gaze. The spectrum-maned pegasus rubbed the back of her neck with her hoof and licked her bottom lip. She was a little embarrassed to admit her true motives for joining the Bureau to anypony, especially somepony like Pinkamena Diane Pie.

The rose-maned earth pony smiled evilly, all feelings of ill-will were forgotten in an instant. “I think I can arrange that.” Pinkamena purred, twirling the end of her mane around her hoof. Dash flushed involuntarily. The cotton-candy colored mare tapped the tip of her hoof against the photo of each victim’s face in turn. “These ponies all have something in common.” she informed her, smiling sweetly.

“Yeah, they’re unicorns.” Dash frowned, pouting slightly. “We already knew that.” the cyan pegasus pointed out. She glanced at the upside-down faces of the victims then re-focused her gaze on the caged mare, who shook her head.

“You need to look closer, my little agent.” Pinkamena teased, running the tip of her hoof across the slates in the speakers. Rainbow Dash furrowed her eyebrows in concentration. The pink pony was messing with her again and she had never been very good with riddles. The cyan pegasus gave the other mare an imploring look, but she simply smiled and tossed her mane. “These ponies were marked from the beginning. The end result isn’t very sweet.” Pinkamena Pie said, playfully before laughing out loud.

Rainbow Dash glared at her, hopping up from her chair. “What the buck is that supposed to mean?” she demanded, slamming her fore-hooves down on the metal surface angrily. Pinkamena jumped slightly at the noise, but her sickeningly sweet grin never wavered. The cyan pegasus wanted to tear through the divider and rip it off her face.

“These ponies were marked from the beginning. The end result isn’t very sweet.” the earth pony repeated, giggling psychotically. Her giant, baby-blue eyes glimmered with wicked glee as she tried desperately to stifle her laughter behind her hooves, smiling up at the furious agent through rose-colored bangs.

The cyan pegasus let out a frustrated moan, stamping her hooves on the ground furiously. “If you don’t want to tell me, fine!” Rainbow Dash huffed, “This was such a waste of time!” she shouted, grabbing her saddlebag from the floor and collecting the case file with one dramatic sweep of her fore-leg. She hefted the bag over her shoulder and stamped towards the exit, pounding loudly on the door until one of the unicorn guards opened it for her. She pushed past him angrily.

“Come back and visit soon, Dashie!” Pinkamena called after her. “I—”

One of the guards flipped off the speaker system with a quick burst of magic and Rainbow Dash did not even bother to turn around as the large door of the cell slammed behind her.

Author's Note

Alternate-Universe. Silence of the Lambs Parody. Agent Rainbow Dash of the EBI is investigating a string of grisly murders in Equestria and needs the help of the infamous “Cupcake Killer” Pinkamena Diane Pie. [Rainbow/Pinkie]

AUTHOR’S NOTES:

Dun. Dun. Dun.

Now we find out who the Horn Hawker is (sort of) and we get to see what became of Rarity. Poor dear, she’s in such a dingy place. It’s the WORST. POSSIBLE. THING! *throws self onto chaise lounge*

I must apologize to anyone who is not a fan of lesbian ponies, but I am a bisexual-brony woman and I will write as I please. I am sure there are plenty of non-homosexual pony stories for you to read so there is no need to be a poopy-pony about mine. Also, I purposefully made Rarity the victim so I could throw in Rarity/Applejack because it is my favorite pony-pairing. :)

This is the first chapter where you will meet Pinkamena. She’s a card. In the Silence books, they often talk about Hannibal’s teeth, which is why I emphasize Pinkie’s eyes. This is also because I believe the eyes are the window to the soul and I truly see death in the eyes of a killer. Pinkie Pie’s eyes are blue and I imagine Pinkamena’s being that dead icy blue like Charlie Manson or Rasputin. She is really difficult to write, because I wanted her to seem scary and intimidating, but still retain a little of that “Pinkie” charm that she used to lure ponies to their doom as the Cupcake Killer. My apologies if it isn’t the best, I promise it will get better as the story goes on.

PS. Did anyone figure out who Doctor Whooves’ second-wife is? I bet you didn’t! Nah, I am sure you did. I’ll just tell you anyway. It’s DERPY! Yay!

WARNINGS: This is a grim-dark story. There is a gratuitous amount of violence, gore, and death. There are also lesbian pairings. Please keep your silly negative comments to yourself. I will not hesitate to block/report you.

PAIRINGS: Rainbow/Pinkie

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic © Lauren Faust & Hasbro
Fanfiction © Courtney Dracon (LuffyKun3695)