The Equestrian Event

The Carousel Boutique was located closer to the center of Ponyville, about a block or two away from the town square. Even though this area was quite crowded with ponies who were still making preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration, it turned out to be easier to pass through than one might think.

Most ponies continued the trend of making way for Jay as he came near. This proved to be quite a useful trait, seeing that it would have normally been a hassle to try and navigate such a crowd.

Arriving at the boutique, Jay once again made a point of examining the structure’s design choices. He was beginning to notice that Twilight’s friends all lived or worked at places that seemed to have a little more “personality” than most other buildings around town. Or rather, all of the buildings around town.

The boutique lived up to its name. It did indeed resemble a carousel. If a carousel had been stretched vertically and given windows. This central theme puzzled Jay. Why would ponies have carousels? Would they ride themselves? Is it morbid that the horses have poles through them?

“Best not to dwell on it,” Jay thought as Twilight knocked on the door.

A second later, the door opened, revealing a white unicorn with a curled purple mane.

“Ah, Twilight!” she greeted in an accent that, to Jay, sounded all too English.

“I was wondering when you might show up. Spike and I wer-”

She stopped speaking when she looked past Twilight and saw Jay. The smile she previously wore had now disappeared.

“Twilight, dear… Who is this?” she asked.

“Rarity,” Twilight said, taking a step back. “This is Jay. He’s-”

“Oh!” Rarity exclaimed, the smile returning to her face once more. “Yes, of course. Spike was telling me about you earlier. I apologize for not recognizing you sooner. Please, come in, won’t you?”

Rarity held open the door, allowing Jay and Twilight to enter. Once inside, Jay began his process of examining the furnishings of the room. Various red and pink curtains were draped down from the ceiling to form fitting stalls. A wide assortment of dresses were displayed on mannequins or hung neatly throughout the main room. A row of mirrors were positioned around a central turntable so that customers could view themselves from multiple angles when trying on the wares. Just past this display was a staircase which supposedly led to where Rarity did most of her work.

“Please, have a seat,” Rarity said, ushering the pair onto a red sofa.

“Thank you,” Jay said. He unslung his bag and took a seat.

“Spike, dear!” Rarity called out. “Twilight and Jay are here.”

“Just a sec,” Spike replied from upstairs. He soon came hopping down the stairs as fast as he could.

“Hey,” Spike said, panting slightly. “How did it go with the council? Are they letting you help out with the investigation?”

“More or less,” Jay said, flashing a glance at Twilight. “I’m working as a sort of informant for Princess Luna.”

“That’s awesome!” Spike said with a grin.

“Yes, how exciting...” Rarity said, her focus shifting from the conversation as she examined Jay.

“Um, forgive my brashness, Jay, but I must ask. What are you wearing?”

“I… beg your pardon?” Jay asked. While he was used to ponies questioning him at every turn, he hadn’t expected an opening inquiry such as this.

“I hope you don’t take offense,” Rarity continued. “But, I must say that your attire is in quite a dreadful state of disarray.”

She trotted closer to Jay, inspecting every thread of his outfit. Her eyes locked on the red spots that dotted his wrinkled shirt.

“What are these?” she inquired, scrunching up her nose.

“I had a little mishap earlier,” Jay explained, somewhat uncomfortable with how close Rarity was getting to him.

“No, no, no,” Rarity said. “This simply won’t do. You are in need of a profile update as soon as possible. Spike, get my measuring kit from upstairs, would you darling?”

“Actually, Rarity” Twilight interjected before Spike could run off. “We were just stopping by to pick up Spike. We have to head back to the library to get some work done. I don’t think we have time for you to try new styling techniques. Sorry.”

“Oh,” Rarity said, backing off from Jay. “I see. Well then, another time, perhaps.”

“Sure…” Jay said as he stood up. “Thanks for the offer though.”

“Of course, darling,” Rarity said. “Think nothing of it.”

“C’mon, Spike,” Twilight said, getting up from the sofa with a yawn. “We should get going.”

“Fine,” Spike grumbled, hanging his arms. “See ya later, Rarity.”

“Goodbye, dear,” Rarity said, leading the group to the door. “Thanks for all your help. Good luck with… well, whatever it is that you’re doing, Twilight.”

******

“Well… That felt a bit rushed,” Jay said to Twilight as they were walking back to the library. “In a hurry to get home?”

“This whole plan was a failure from the start,” Twilight said, her head drooping. “It’s just not a good time to go around and visit with friends.”

“Maybe she’s just tired of having to babysit you, Jay,” Spike jested.

“Oh, I’m sure she is,” Jay said with a grin. “Don’t worry, Twilight. When I leave for Canterlot, you’ll be free of me. For awhile at least.”

“Good,” Twilight said flatly. “I’m beginning to feel like I need a break from all this nonsense.”

“And I need something to eat,” Spike said, patting his stomach.

“You eat gems, right?” Jay asked, looking down at Spike. “I think I may still have some. Hold on a sec.”

Jay reached down to his side to remove the bag of gems that he had been carrying around, only to find an empty space.

“Shit!” Jay exclaimed.

“Jay!” Twilight glared at the human. “You should be more mindful of your language. I’ve had about enough of it.”

“Sorry,” Jay said. “I think I left my bag back at Rarity’s. How close are we to the library?”

“It’s not far,” Spike said.

“Okay,” Jay said, looking back the way they had come. “You two go on ahead. I’ll go back and get my bag. It’ll just be a minute.”

“Alright,” Twilight sighed as she continued in the direction of the library. “Just be quick about it.”

“Right,” Jay said, beginning to jog back in the direction of the boutique. “I’ll see you in a bit.”

Spike and Twilight continued walking to the library in mutual silence for a bit, before Spike decided to talk.

“So, are you two, uh, okay?” Spike asked.

“I can’t really tell at this point,” Twilight said, looking down at her companion. “He’s been acting weirder. At least, I think he has.”

“You sound kind of tired,” Spike commented. “Did something happen while you were in Canterlot?”

“A lot of stuff has happened lately, Spike,” Twilight said, stifling a yawn. “Honestly, I think I’ll be glad when he does leave. At least then I’ll have some peace.”

“That bad, huh?” Spike asked.

The library was now visible and seeing it rejuvenated Twilight to some degree. As she trotted up to the front door however, she noticed something.

“Spike,” Twilight sighed. “How many times have I told you to make sure the door is shut and locked before you leave?” she asked, looking at the crack between the door and its frame.

“Sorry,” Spike said, scratching the back of his neck. “I was pretty sure I locked it. Must have forgot.”

“Never mind,” Twilight said as she opened the door and walked inside, Spike trailing close behind. “Right now all I want to do is lie down and fi-”

CRASH!

The door to the library abruptly slammed shut, drowning out the rest of Twilight’s sentence and causing her to jump with fright.

“Spike!” she exclaimed, turning to scold the dragon. “You should be more car-”

This was all Twilight was able to say before she felt something strike the side of her head with a loud thwack. She let out a soft grunt and crumpled to the ground, her vision fading away into blackness.

******

“Thanks for bringing this back my way, Miss Rarity,” Jay said, patting his bag. “Saved me the trouble of walking all the way back.”

“Oh, it was no trouble at all, darling,” Rarity said. “And please, as much as I appreciate your politeness, just call me ‘Rarity.’ ‘Miss,’ makes me sound like some old mare.”

“Noted,” Jay said with a laugh. “Thanks all the same.”

The pair had now arrived at the library and Jay shifted his bag on his shoulder as he walked up to the door.

“It was nice of you to walk back with me. I enjoyed the company,” Jay said as he reached for the door handle. “Did you want to-”

Jay stopped talking as he looked past his hand to the wood surrounding the handle. There was a hairline crack that split it horizontally from the edge of the handle to the frame. It was so small, it was hardly visible.

Nonetheless, Jay saw it, clear as day.

“Is something wro-” Rarity began to ask before Jay raised a hand, a call for silence. He turned around and whispered to Rarity.

“I just remembered something,” Jay said, bending to Rarity’s height. “It might be nothing, but I need a favor, just in case.”

“What?” Rarity whispered nervously.

“I need you to wait by that lamp post over there,” Jay said, pointing to the nearby street corner. “Stay there until I come back out and wave you over. Can you do that?”

“Is this really necessary?” Rarity asked.

“Hopefully not,” Jay sighed. “If I’m wrong, I’ll just wave you over. But only come if I give you the signal. Understand?”

“I suppose,” Rarity said. She huffed and trotted off to wait by the lamp post.

Jay turned back to the door and took a deep breath. He raised a hand and rapped his knuckles against the hard wood of the library door. For a moment, he heard nothing. Then, the door opened and Twilight stuck her head out.

“Jay!” Twilight exclaimed. A look of relief and panic flashed across her face, but only for a moment.

“You’re awfully jumpy,” Jay said, placing a hand on the door frame. “Everything okay?”

“What?” Twilight asked. She winced in pain for a moment, flinching. “I mean- Of course everything is okay.”

“Good to hear...” Jay said, narrowing his eyes. He took out his notebook and held a finger up to his lips before he began to write something down.

“Well, I just talked to Rarity at the boutique,” Jay said. He stepped out of the way and pointed at Rarity across the street. “She was wondering at what time Spike could come by tomorrow.”

Jay held up the notebook for Twilight to read.

“How many? What race?”

Twilight’s eyes widened and she nodded her head.

“Oh… I’d say around three or so,” Twilight said. “You know, he’s just… Just been so… so dog tired lately.”

Jay raised an eyebrow and wrote something else down on the notebook. He showed it to Twilight again.

“Dogs?”

“Yeah,” Twilight said. “I think around three should be fine.”

“Right then,” Jay said, placing the notebook back in his bag. “Well, step out of the way. I need to get my stuff.”

“Are you su-” Twilight began to say before gritting her teeth in pain. “I mean… Sure thing, Jay.”

Twilight stepped back, letting the door open all the way. Jay flexed his fingers and strode inside. Hearing the door slam behind him, he slowly turned around. He couldn’t help but raise his brow in curiosity at what he saw.

Standing in front of the door was a large, dusty brown dog. He wore scuffed, metallic armor on his chest, shoulders, and head, giving him the appearance of a football player. He stood on three legs, a crudely fashioned spear held in his fourth. Next to him was another mutt of almost the same caliber. He had a foreleg wrapped around Twilight’s neck, his own spear dangerously close to the unicorn’s face. Finally, there was one other dog.

This one was slightly smaller than the others. His fur was a dusky grey color, his eyes lime green, and his ears coming to a sharp point. Instead of armor, he wore a red vest, along with a black collar that was studded with gems. At his feet lay Spike, unmoving. The dog took a menacing step toward Jay and began to speak.

“I am Rover,” the dog began. “And you are-”

“Quick question,” Jay interjected. “You’re a diamond dog, right?”

“Yes,” Rover growled, annoyed that the human had interrupted his introduction. “We are diamond dogs. Now, are you-”

“I thought you guys were all about stealing stuff,” Jay said. “That’s what the books said anyway. This all has a bit more of a ‘murdery’ vibe going for it. You are here to kill us, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” Rover said, flattening his ears. “We were told to get rid of you and the pony. Now, enough talking. Are you ready to die?”

“Not particularly,” Jay sighed. “Out of curiousity, how much are you getting payed for this job?”

“A lot,” Rover laughed. “Those ponies must really hate you.”

“Haha, understandably,” Jay laughed. “Here’s a thought, though. How about you don’t kill us?”

“And why would we do that?” Rover asked, pulling a gleaming dagger out of his vest.

“Because it would be nice?” Jay suggested.

“No,” Rover said. He took another step toward Jay.

“Right, right,” Jay said, scratching his chin. “Because I can pay you more than the people you work for?”

Rover stopped walking and cocked his head.

“How much more?” he asked.

“What if I told you that I had a tool that could make anyone one do whatever you wanted?” Jay said. “And that I would be willing to give it to you, if you let us go. How does that sound?”

“Jay, what are you doing?” Twilight asked. The dog holding her tightened his grip, a sign that she should avoid speaking.

“Anything we wanted?” Rover asked, thinking the prospect over.

“It would make robbing people a whole lot easier,” Jay said.

Rover narrowed his eyes and raised his dagger to the human.

“Prove it.”

“Sure thing,” Jay said with a smile. “There are two black bags under the bed in the upstairs guest room. Have one of your friends bring them down and I can show you the goods.”

Rover gave a toothy, greedy grin. He nodded his head at the dog standing in front of the door, who barked and made his way up the stairs.

“If you’re lying…” Rover said, pointing his dagger at Jay. “You won’t like what happens next.”

“Oh, you won’t be disappointed,” Jay said. “Trust me.”

After a minute of listening to the sounds of thumping coming from above, Jay turned and saw the dog that had gone upstairs stumble back down. He tossed the two black bags he carried down in front of Jay and backed up, raising his spear. Jay looked up to Rover and held out his hands.

“May I?”

Rover nodded, watching Jay closely.

Jay knelt down beside the bag closest to him and unzipped it. He dug around inside until he found what he was looking for. Standing up, he presented two separate items, one in either hand. Twilight struggled to get a better look at what was going on.

In his left hand, Jay held a sort of rectangular block. It was a shiny black and appeared to contain some sort of small, golden capsules at one end. In his right hand, he held an item that possessed the form of a capital ‘L.’ A small trigger was located on its inner corner. Its color matched that of the rectangular box, only it was matte and non-reflective. Jay presented the items to Rover for examination.

“What does it do?” Rover asked, looking at the objects. “How does it work?”

“It’s very simple,” Jay said, taking a step back. “Just take this little thing and jam it in here like so...”

Jay shoved the block into the shorter end of the L-shaped object, which resulted in a metallic click.

“Then you grab your slide on top, pull it back, and let go,” Jay said as he demonstrated the motion. The ‘slide’ snapped back into its starting position.

“And that’s how you get it ready,” Jay said. “Then, you just point it at someone and ask them to do what you want. Now, it can sometimes be easier to get what you want if you are trying to convince a group, rather than a lone individual.”

“What do you mean?” Rover asked, eyeing the device in Jay’s hand.

“Well, it always helps if you have others to aid in demonstrating what will happen if they don’t do what you tell them to,” Jay said. “Observe.”

He leveled the end of the object with the eyes of the dog who was holding Twilight.

“You,” Jay said. “Let her go.”

The dog, feeling no urge to heed Jay’s command, looked to Rover and shrugged.

“You were lying,” Rover growled. “Your little toy does not work.”

“Just wait,” Jay said, placing his finger on the device’s trigger. “I’ll only say this one more time. Let. Her. Go.”

The dog tightened his hold further, causing Twilight to struggle for air.

“Enough tricks!” Rover barked. “Now, you die.”

“Oh, wait!” Jay laughed. “I almost forgot the most important part.”

He squeezed the trigger.

The sound was deafening, an eruption that left Rover clutching his ears in pain.

A brilliant flash of light exploded from the tip of the device with great violence, causing it to buck.

Twilight felt something wet and hot splash across her face in the form of little droplets.

The dog restraining her slackened his grip, his arm becoming limp.

He then collapsed to the floor in a great heap of fur and metal.

Behind Twilight, a splatter of red liquid dripped down the wall, small chunks of grey scattered among it.

“You,” Jay said to the other dog who was still holding his spear.

“Drop it.”

The dog shook his muzzle in confused anger, attempting to clear the horrid ringing from his head. He lifted his spear and rushed at Jay, barking.

“Wrong move, pupper,” Jay said as he turned his device on the assailant.

Jay squeezed the trigger again and the process repeated itself.

A flash, a bang, and a burst of red escaping from the back of the dog’s head.

The dog stumbled and fell with a crash to Jay’s feet.

As this new ringing faded away from both the dog’s and the pony’s ears, another sound entered.

Jay, who was now hunched over in front of them, was laughing uncontrollably.

But something was different.

Twilight listened to the sound echo off the walls of the library as she stood frozen, red droplets rolling down her cheek.

This was not the laugh she knew.

No.

No, this… this was something darker.

It filled Twilight with a kind of fear she had never felt before.

It was not a laugh of joy, or nervousness, or sarcasm.

It was a laugh of pure madness.

“Ha! AHAHAHA!” Jay laughed, his face turning bright red.

He stood up straight and wiped a tear from his eye, doing his best to control his giggles.

“Now, eh hehe… Now, Mister Rover. Are you ready to die?”

Rover quickly shook his head in terror, shrinking to the floor.

“Then toss your dagger away,” Jay commanded.

Rover dropped his knife and kicked it to the other side of the room.

“Good,” Jay said. “You know, I’m surprised no one around here knows what a gun is.”

He waved the black device in Rover’s direction.

“Funny how such a little thing can do so much damage. I really ought to thank you, though. I’ve been itching for a change in pace. Now, lie down on the floor and put your hands behind your head.”

“P-please-” Rover stuttered, pressing himself against the floor. “I-”

“Shut up,” Jay said. He stepped past Rover to examine Spike.

Jay rested his free hand on the dragon’s back and felt for any sign of life.

“He’s out cold, but he’ll live,” Jay said, turning to Twilight. “You okay?”

“You…” Twilight murmured, still frozen in her rigid stance.

“Hey, hey,” Jay said, walking in front of Twilight. He snapped his fingers a few times to get her attention. Twilight’s eyes locked with Jay’s, her pupils the size of pinheads.

“Are you alright?” Jay asked, placing a hand on the unicorn’s shoulder.

Twilight recoiled from Jay’s touch and stared at him with a mixture of confusion and horror.

“You… You killed them,” she whispered. “Wh-why did you do that?”

“Maybe it had something to do with the fact that they were going to kill us?” Jay said. “Or did you miss that conversation? Besides, I only killed two of them.”

He walked over to where Rover lay and gave him a swift kick in the ribs, causing the dog to whimper in pain.

“This one is still alive. And as long as he does what he’s told, I won’t have to put him down. Now, stay there. I’ll be right back.”

Jay hid his gun behind his back and went over to the front door. He opened it and waved to Rarity who was still waiting by the lamp post. Rarity quickly trotted over to meet Jay at the door, an expression of worry on her face.

“Is everything alright?” Rarity asked, attempting to look past Jay. “I swear I heard the most awful noise just a moment ago.”

“We’ve got a bit of a situation on our hands right now,” Jay said, obscuring Rarity’s view with the door. “I don’t want to freak you out, so I’ll start by telling you that Twilight and Spike are okay.”

“Why wouldn’t they be?” Rarity asked in alarm. “Did something happen to them?”

“Okay, that’s freaking out,” Jay sighed. “Yes, something happened. We had a run in with a few diamond dogs.”

“What?” Rarity cried out.

“Calm down, I took care of it,” Jay reassured her. “Which brings me to the situation at hand. I need your help, but you have to promise not to freak out.”

“Of course, of course,” Rarity said, taking a deep breath. “I can be calm.”

“Right...” Jay said. “Well, come on in.”

He stepped back and opened the door fully, allowing Rarity to enter. Once she was inside, Jay shut the door and prepared for the inevitable.

“Oh my!” Rarity gasped, seeing the diamond dogs on the floor. She spun around, analyzing the room.

“Well, that was actually a lot less dramatic than-” Jay began to say.

“Dear sweet Celestia!” Rarity cried upon seeing the red splatters on the wall.

“Ah, there it is,” Jay sighed.

“What in Equestria happened?” Rarity asked, beginning to panic. She turned around and saw Twilight attending to Spike.

“Twilight!” she exclaimed. “Are you alright? What happened to Spike? Is he-”

“He’s unconscious,” Twilight mumbled. “The diamond dogs, they were waiting for us. They knocked me over the head. They told me that if I didn’t do what they said that they would… that they’d…”

Twilight broke down and began to sob, tears rolling down her cheeks and mixing with the drops of red that had begun to dry on her face.

“Oh, darling,” Rarity said, trotting over to comfort Twilight. “I’m so sorry. But it’s okay. It’s alright now.”

“No it’s not!” Twilight cried. “He- Jay killed them!”

Rarity looked up at Jay with a hint of fear in her eyes.

“Jay… Is this true? Did you…”

“Yep,” Jay said flatly. “Now, help me find a rope or something. I need to make sure that this one doesn’t go anywhere.”

He bent down and pressed the muzzle of his gun to Rover’s head.

“I’ve got some questions for him.”

“What about... them?” Rarity asked, looking at the bodies of the other two dogs. She gagged at the sight, struggling to maintain her composure.

“Find some sheets,” Jay said. “I’ll take care of the rest. Get the rope first though.”

Rarity stayed by Twilight for a moment longer before leaving the room to search for some form of restraints.

Alone with Twilight once again, Jay took a deep breath and walked over to stand next to her.

“I’m sorry that you had to see all that,” Jay said. “I guess you can take my apology with a grain of salt, though.”

“Please,” Twilight whispered, stroking Spike with her hoof. “Just- Please don’t talk to me right now.”

“Sure thing,” Jay sighed.

At that point, Rarity trotted back into the room with a length of rope and a stack of folded sheets.

“I found these,” she said as Jay took the items from her.

“How convenient,” Jay said. He set the stack of sheets on the floor and walked over to Rover, rope in hand.

“Put your hands behind your back,” Jay told the dog.

Rover did as he was told, shaking all the while. Jay took the rope and bound Rover’s paws together tightly. He then grabbed the dog by the scruff of his neck and dragged him across the room, shoving him into the corner.

“Now stay.”

Next, Jay walked over to the stack of sheets and took one. He went over to the dog who had been holding Twilight and wrapped the body in the sheet. Once it was tightly bound, Jay repeated the actions with the other body, Twilight and Rarity watching him with a sense of detached surrealism.

“Why don’t you take Spike upstairs?” Jay suggested as he walked over to the bookshelf near the basement door. He felt around behind a row of books until he found the key to the basement that Spike had hid there the night before last.

“He’ll probably be more comfortable,” Jay said.

He took the key and unlocked the door before placing it in his back pocket. Walking over to one of the shrouded corpses, Jay grasped the end of the wrapping with both hands and started to drag it toward the basement stairs, painting a trail of red across the wooden floor.

As he descended into the darkness, Twilight and Rarity could hear the thumping of his burden as it was pulled down each step.

“Come now, dear,” Rarity whispered to Twilight. Using her magic, she gently lifted Spike off of the floor. “Let me get him to bed. This floor is much too hard to rest on.”

“Thank you, Rarity,” Twilight sniffed.

As Rarity made her way upstairs, Twilight turned her gaze to the basement entrance, hearing the stomping of Jay’s boots as he returned to complete his morbid errand.

“I apologize for the mess,” Jay grunted as he pulled the other body to the basement door to be united with its companion. It too left streaks of crimson behind it as it was dragged into the darkness.

“I’ll clean it up later,” Jay called out from below.

A muffled thud could be heard, followed by the sound of Jay running up the stairs one final time. He turned around and shut the door, locking it with the key.

“This is all I can do for now, though,” Jay said, placing the key back on the bookshelf.

He took a step back and surveyed the room, taking in the damage that had been caused by the scuffle with the diamond dogs. Aside from two holes in the wall, the splotches of red, and the busted door frame, everything else seemed to be in order. Jay started to walk over to the black bags at the base of the stairs.

“I need to get in contact with… get in… need to… to tell-”

Jay’s speech began to slur, his vision clouding with red spots.

The room felt like it was spinning around him.

A steady whine was started to crawl into his ears.

He tried to take another step forward, but failed, stumbling onto his hands and knees.

“Jay?” Twilight asked, suddenly much more concerned about the human now than she thought she’d ever be again. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m not- Don’t…”

The words barely had time to escape Jay’s mouth before he collapsed to the floor, his mind slipping into a dark abyss.