The Checklist

by ProbableSarcasm

Rating: teen
Tags: Twilight Sparkle, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe, Main 6, Other, Trixie, Comedy, Crossover
Length: 3907

A tormented mind with a crimson brick road he traveled down, Dusk Shine did not become Celestia's personal student. With six mares head over hooves for him, making the cut is a challenge but he controls the chopping block.

The Unexpected Love Life Of Dusk Shine and Darkly Dreaming Dexter.

Dusk Shine did not become Celestia's personal student, he did embedded himself into the chaos and a haunted mind of a stallion damaged beyond repair. While chaos rules his brain he has a solution; The Checklist.

The Element of Magic split into two, causing Dusk Shine to be the unwanted hero of Ponyville. They wouldn't praise him for his other work, however. Not even his brother would condone his other work.

They involve a lot of steps, all in order.

Published 2015-10-29 19:30:02 UTC
Last updated 2015-10-30 19:09:30 UTC

Sincere Lover's Sinister Sin

A mosquito landed on the leg of the purple stallion, it plunges it’s nozzle-like nose into his flesh and begins to drain his life essence. His hoof slammed down and squashed the bug instantly, obliterating the poor insect. He grinned at it’s demise, maybe if he was on a internal hunt for insects that dare to cross his path he wouldn’t have gone down this dark road trip that insanity is.

Is it right to call him insane, after all, he’s doing the world a favor. One less mosquito to plague the world of all that’s going to suck all that is innocent from the world. Met at the demise of Dusk Shine; Darkly, Deviously, Dreadfully Dreaming Dusk Shine. Any insect to cross his line of sight is to be obliterated with extreme prejudice, in the court of The Dark Passenger and himself.

Dusk Shine sat up from his desk face plant, in front of him was a series of finished assignment with scribbles about this problem being incorrect or this mathematical formula is impossible – basically homework. Completed homework. Oh how the assignments are just dull now, the semester of Advanced Magic University for Gifted Unicorns were running out of skilled teachers to teach the stallion anything new.

I like the school, but there’s not much to learn. I practically passed, flying colors as well. I am not returning to the school.

Speaking of colors… what’s this?

Dusk Shine lit up his horn and held up a colorful sheet of paper close to his face. The author’s penmanship is top notch, not even Dusk Shine could match that sort of writing with years of careful letter placement. How this escaped his eyes last night goes beyond him, doesn’t matter why.

“Dusk Shine,
How would you like to meet after class to discuss the details of running for SCT (Student, Council, and Teacher) President and what troubles you faced to even attempt at democracy?
Blogger…”

…

I didn’t run for SCT President...

Dusk Shine knew Blogger, she was in the majority of his classes. Blogger was the journalist, really pretty in today’s standards, but completely not Dusk Shine’s type—not like Dusk Shine had a type. This mare had the blushes for Dusk Shine for the longest, she would not take no for an answer – Dusk Shine felt bad about it.

I feel bad because I’m never going to feel that fire for her, or for any one.

That, and I’m moving out of Canterlot.

Hopefully a new scenery will be beneficial to support my needs.

“Dusky!” screamed Shining Armor, yelling from the hall way. Dusk Shine groaned at his use of his pet name he got from his parents, finding it completely uncalled for. Dusk Shine pushed himself away from his desk with a scowl, if he could love he’d love his sister but he somehow finds a way to get under his skin. “Get your lazy ass up!”

“It’s almost four in the morning!” complained Dusk Shine, he rubbed his eyes disdainfully. Sleep was not part of his checklist last night, he literally just fell asleep a mere two hours ago. Dusk Shine kicked the crimson stained tools back under his bed, making paintings was a disaster recovery to his own personal cleanliness. “At least give me time to prepare!”

Dusk Shine opened the "211th Books" box and took out a sheet of paper with red writing.

The only thing left on The Checklist is “execute”.

Tonight’s the night, and it’s going to happen again and again.

It has to.

Dusk Shine pulled out the last box in his room to the side, looking and watching over the barren walls now. Dusk Shine left everything intact with the exception of The Checklist, that has to stay with Dusk Shine – no matter what. Making another would not be the best, thinking about replacing the Checklist horrified Dusk Shine slightly.

There's a peocess to rewriting The Checklist if the blood doesn't work anymore.

It’s moving day.

Good thing I came prepared—

Dusk Shine opened his closet and pulled out a black trash bag, he dug through the bag to pull out a can of Blue Bull energy drink. He cracked the can opened with his magic and watched the foam flow to the top and bottom of the aluminum can.

Bottom’s up, I guess.

He will not let up, regardless of how many times I tell him that I am not depressed.

I can’t be depressed.

I can’t feel emotion.

The Checklist dictates how I can pretend to be like everyone else, a mask to cover the monster inside. A wall to hide the mind of a psychologically damaged stallion. A persona to hide a mentality much more ill than your wildest dreams.

Great, the voices are back. Giddy.

“A librarian,” deadpanned Shining Armor, he shoves a box off of the golden chariot and looked up at Dusk Shine’s house, his new home. “A stallion as smart as you are, could possibly find the cure to cancer, and you waste your talents as a librarian?! You could have been Celestia’s personal student or something!”

“We’ve been over this,” replied Dusk with haste, he carried the boxes of books off of the chariot. Dusk Shine held the box in his magic while also flipping through his saddlebag to find the house key. “I live for books, I love magic. Get it; magic is love, books are life.”

Shining Armor scoffed. “You’re such a fucking geek I can taste it.”

That foul-mouthed stallion who followed me to my new home from my parents’ home is my brother. He’s nice, but I wouldn’t cross him.

Dusk Shine looked at the scars on the bottom of his hooves, they were self-inflicted; Dusk Shine had to commence a Rewriting Process of The Checklist. Shining Armor obviously didn’t see what Dusk Shine saw, what Dusk Shine saw was the consequence of his standard procedure to copy down the rules of his life with his own life essence. Shining Armor was not happy about the scars, neither were the confused psychologists.

Dusk Shine had rules about his life.

First Rule: Do not share the torment, even to helping hooves.

Second Rule: Guard The Checklist at all times, never break the sequence order on the Checklist.

A little while later, Dusk Shine sat in his empty house. The Golden Oaks Library, in the outskirts of town – there’s not a chance Dusk Shine was living by the Everfree Forest, the middle of town would be impossible to navigate peacefully.

Alone, he was. The only furniture in sight was bookshelves, a sofa, and a coffee table. Dusk Shine went to one of the cardboard boxes and opened the box with the words “211th Books”

The Checklist.

Oh the sweet relief of order in his life, straighten the tormented mind.

Dusk Shine dug through the box and pulled out Cracker Jack and lifted her on his shoulders.

Time to go to the kill room.

Dusk Shine had already set up the Kill Room along with an exit strategy that will only work today.

Only for today.

Cracker Jack’s light breathing brushed against Dusk Shine’s body, she twitched in her sleep.

Dusk Shine used his magic to open the door to his plastic covered basement, he flicked on the lights.

Plastic.

Table.

Walls.

Pictures.

Evidence.

Cracker Jack the Poisonous rival to Bon-Bon met her final resting place.

The thunder and rain in Dusk Shine’s mind silence themselves as he watched the mare on the plastic covered metal table, she was strapped down from her head to her hoof tips. His eyes gaze her body, feelings void from his body. She was beautiful, as far as feme fatale goes. Not Dusk Shine’s type, again, not like Dusk Shine can feel love or lust.

Should I use the power saw or a screw driver?

Dusk Shine’s mind grew heavy again, frizzling his brain. His eyes viewed only in a tunnel, he’s not following The Checklist – he has to execute. He has to take this mare’s life, Dusk Shine caught her eyes opening.

“D…Dexterity…?” called out Cracker Jack, Dusk Shine felt his mind melt with the sound of fear in her voice. The fear of death, Dusk Shine loved hearing it on their breath. “D-Dexter?”

“Hello, my darling,” said Dusk Shine casually, toying with the screwdriver in his hooves. Dusk Shine felt bored with the options he had, however, to his right was another tool – Giddy how Dusk Shine felt. “I thought you weren’t going to wake up, from all of the sugars you swallow I thought your heart was not healthy enough for tranquilizers.”

“Why can’t I move…?” Cracker Jack struggled against her restraints, Dusk Shine gave a irritated look before looking back at the took with a memorized look. “D…Dexterity… this isn’t funny…”

“Don’t call me that,” said Dusk Shine as he sharply shoved his hoof tip on her unicorn horn, holding her still as he takes his scalpel and make a delicate slice on her cheek. Dusk Shine took a pique and placed the nozzle on her cut, he took a small amount of blood and donated it to a blood slide. Cracker Jack whimpered. “It’s not my name, at least not my real name.”

“Cracker Jack, no relation to Apple Jack of Sweet Apple Acres… you are a poisonous female in this town…” Dusk Shine shot his eyes down at her, she was breathing heavily with her eyes bulging out of their sockets. Dusk Shine lowered his scalpel to her mouth. “If you scream, I’ll take your tongue.”

“Why… why are you doing this…?” feebly asked Cracker Jack, she moved her eyes to the right to find pictures of seemingly random ponies. Dusk Shine removed his scalpel, he dropped it in a bowl of warm water. Cracker Jack looked at the row of ponies, six ponies, all of them deceased. Dusk Shine watched them with her. “I thought you love me…”

“Remember them?” asked Dusk Shine, he traced his hoof along the frame of a young blue colt. “They weren’t your biggest customers—in fact, they criticized you.”

“I don’t… I don’t know…” lied Cracker Jack as she struggled more, Dusk Shine simply placed his hooves and tightly gripped her horn. "I didn't do anything, please, Dexterity!"

“I don’t care if you admit it or not, you’re still going to die,” mused Dusk Shine darkly, he turned around on his hooves to grab the object he was looking for. He levitated the tool into his magic and pulled the cord, the roar of the engine filled the air and drowned out the panicking screams of the mare below him. "You couldn't take criticism, not even from a twelve year old. So you used ricin to sweeten things up, purposely."

Chainsaws are effective way to spice things up in the bedroom.

Dusk Shine placed a ball gag in her mouth as he lowered the chainsaw to her neck. He began his nullification of her body.

Finally, the chaos has subsided. For now.

Nowhere Near Night

“It’s hip to be square…” whispered Dusk Shine as he lowered the chainsaw onto her neck, his protective wielder’s mask splattered red. The best thing about watching the mare’s death was the imagination that it came with her death.

Teeth bit into the red fruit, the forbidden fruit of Eden: apples. The apple was paid for with Cracker Jack’s bits, laundered though the profits of his library. Dusk Shine smiled, skin stuck between his teeth. How great it felt, under him was the bleeding body of Cracker Jack, Dusk Shine revved the chainsaw once more with his magic. Cracker Jack weakly throbbed, one last attempt to move her limbs. There’s no limbs for her to move.

WWWWWHHHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRRRR

Dusk Shine pushed the last beet into the juicer, a slew of blood red liquid fell into a large bottle. Dusk Shine loved his juicer but it’s incredibly loud. Louder than a lawn mower prototype, his ears flicked and flickered to escape the light whine in his ears. Dusk Shine looked to his right to dip his hoof in the bowl of reddish cream batter. He sucked on his hoof, a drip fell to the plastic covered white counter.

“Mmm…” hummed Dusk Shine. Red velvet cake, the best cake to have ever grace his lips. Dusk Shine took a rag from his sink and wiped up the droplets of blood from the plastic covered counter, Cracker Jack’s head sat comfortably next to the bowl of cake batter. Dusk Shine smirked at the mare’s disembodied head, his hooves picked up a plastic covered spoon. “Open wide…”

Cracker Jack’s lips scrapped against the spoon, the batter dripping from her lips along with blood. Dusk Shine smiled, tranquil he was this day. To think he managed to romance Cracker Jack was a neat feat, The Checklist really knows it’s stuff. Dusk Shine isn’t the romantic type, he preferred to not even get close to the targets until it’s too late.

“Oh, look… Oh goodie...” hummed Dusk Shine. Toying with disembodied parts of Cracker Jack is not part of The Checklist, in fact – it’s against the fourth rule. Dusk Shine was just offering her a final gift before he took surgical tools and took her innards from her. “The walls are in jeopardy…”

“Nebuchadnezzar’s chaotic walls crumbled like a wet cookie…” continued Dusk Shine as he hummed the poem. He bagged the individual pieces of the deceased Cracker Jack. Dusk Shine poured wet cement into each bag, encasing her in stone. The cement filled her empty body pieces, replacing her organs and bones for rock. “Ohh… Nebuchadnezzar’s walls keep tumbling down…”

The early morning still provided Dusk Shine the opportunity to slip through town with a chariot that carried the “211th Books” box, filled with Dusk Shine’s costume bricks. The Everfree Forest, full of monsters according to legend—why should Dusk Shine be excluded in the monster list, he kills ponies too. Here will be his dumping grounds.

Dusk Shine did his homework, he knows everything about everywhere. He has to. If this town is to be his new hunting ground, he had to own every zone. He had to know everything about every-pony, he planned to do that today. He’ll never be friends with them, he can’t; he cannot learn to feel emotion if he must control the chaos in his head.

The last of Cracker Jack’s bagged pieces sunk to the bottom of the quick sand, never to be seen again, ever. Dusk Shine mentally crossed off the final step on The Checklist, oh the sweet tranquility flood that followed suit. The peace, finally, after days of hunting and planning – he made the kill. Dusk Shine’s head felt lighter, the rainstorm and hail finally silenced for some time.

In the dark and monster filled forest, Dusk Shine felt more at home than anything else. The chaos that reign his head has been replaced with a harmonious silence, that is –until the Dark Passenger arrives. The Dark Passenger, however, is welcomed in Dusk Shine’s life. Dusk Shine’s Dark Passenger, the only one who shares the torment.

Hell.

Ponies consider the Everfree Forest to be the link to hell, is that why Dusk Shine felt like home?

Tonight’s the night, and it’s going to happen again and again.

It has to.

But tonight is special, I’m not hunting.

Dusk Shine looked to his hoof, to his wrist watch. The watch exposed the time to be Seven O’clock in the morning, Dusk Shine yawned deeply while stretching. He should get some sleep, the stalking of ponies can come later.

Whose this?

Dusk Shine stopped, his eyes gaze over the pony in his yard. Near his mailbox. Dusk Shine shrugged, he yawned again and trudged onwards towards his front door until he saw her eyes.

“Hi, you must be the new stallion!” greeted the winged grey mare bubbly, her voice irritated Dusk Shine’s ears. Dusk Shine noticed that she had a bag sling around her and a full bag to her side. The town must make a lot of mail, then again, this town is the in between two capital cities. “I was just about to slip your letter into your mailbox, but since you’re here—here you go!”

“Thanks,” said Dusk Shine, grabbing the letter in his magic. “I’m guessing you already know my name, given you had to look at the letter.”

“Dusk Shine, right?” said the mail mare, she tilted her head and leaned forward slightly. Dusk Shine leaned back, not comfortable with the proximity of the mare to him. Dusk Shine nodded his head, remembering way to act as the Checklist demands. Acting friendly was easy: small smiles periodically, small movements based on the topic, divert eye contact for a small amount of time before reconnecting.

Why does her left eye travel…?

“That’s right…” replied Dusk Shine, breaking eye contact to look at the letter. He almost lost his breath at the seal he had not seen since he was little. There was no mistaking the regal sun design on the red wax, this letter is from Celestia herself. Dusk Shine mentally fidgeted, what could she want with him? “I’m actually coming from Canterlot to be alibrarian.”

“A librarian, wow,” said the mare, she had stars in her eyes when Dusk Shine moved his eyes back towards her. “You must be pretty smart!”

Not every-pony can be a librarian, it’s not exactly the part of putting away books but learning to read and write languages other than Equine is pretty tough.

Not for me.

Pretty smart is the understatement of the year.

“I wouldn’t say so,” replied Dusk Shine, he faked being humble. “I guess it’s the amount of traveling I did.”

“I bet you could have been Celestia’s personal student...” The watch on the mare beeped, Dusk Shine silently thanked the universe for being so generous with their timing. “Oh—sorry, I got to go…”

“You too,” Dusk Shine flubbed up the goodbye, he unlocked his door and shot inside. Dusk slammed it shut. He growled at the door, anything in general – blaming his awkwardness on a flowerpot. By smashing the poor thing.

Seriously? “You too?”

Goddess help you.

Dusk Shine walked over to his sofa and ripped open the letter, not caring for courtesy. Dusk Shine pulled out the written content, his eyes traveled over it carefully; why did the Princess contact Dusk after all this time?

Celestia never showed up to my final exam, that was the day The Checklist was created.

That was the day the monster became organized.

From that day forward, I still haven’t gotten a single letter from the Princess. The only reason I know she exists is the Summer Sun Celebrations that happens yearly—it’s tonight..

Dusk Shine sat down, grimacing as he reread the letter over and over again. The letter wasn’t even personal, it was a task that’s imperative to the festival tonight. Tonight was the night indeed, the night Nightmare Night comes back to Equestria. Her death under Dusk Shine’s kill-list would substantially quell the chaos.

Dusk Shine was tasked with helping Celestia’s personal student with the Summer Sun Celebration, watch over and make sure that everything is ready and perfect. Dusk Shine lit up his horn with magic and folded the paper, he placed it in a random book. How does she even know he’s living here now, unless Shining Armor blabbed about it.

I know everything about Celestia’s personal student, Trixie Lulamoon. She’s a magician—was a magician. I never met her, I didn’t plan to. I don’t want to either, but now that I’m forced to do this I have no choice but to play along.

Dusk Shine felt the familiar weight in his head—the chaos was returning. Cracker Jack the poisoner wasn’t enough to satisfy The Dark Passenger, Nightmare Moon – however – should be plentiful. His teeth erected in tension, his tongue swished over his teeth, his temples felt like a sharp whine was burrowing in.

Dusk Shine had to kill again, but not now. The Need only comes periodically, it gets worse as time goes on. Dusk Shine was only in the first phase of the withdrawal, maybe he’ll go hunting later on with a speedy process.

Dusky Husky doesn’t hunt just killers.

The beautiful sun, why can’t you burn me now?

Dusk Shine sat in the torturous glare of the afternoon sun, awaiting patiently for Trixie’s arrival. She was late, very late. The only thing that caught Dusk Shine’s eye away from his book was a pink mare watching him from a distance, out of the way, but she disappeared as quickly as Dusk Shine saw her.

Trixie can come later, I think I miight have found my appetizer for the evening.

Dusk Shine sat up from the train station bench and quickly moved to her last known position, any clues to her whereabouts or some samples of DNA to cross over would be beneficial in the preparation of his investigation. Her name would be great in his hunt.

Shoving past ponies gently, he stood exactly where she stood. Dusk Shine examined the ground, it was near the entrance so there’s too many objects and litter on the ground to properly grab any object that looked out of place. No hair either.

Dammit, cough drop wrappers and cigarette butts doesn’t help anyone right now.

Dusk Shine growled and trudged onto Town Center, trying to remember the figure that stood mere yards away from him. Dusk Shine’s ear twitched, he looked to his right to find The Dark Passenger sniffling among the litter truffles. His shadowy figure outlining that of a pony but with a horn and a wing, an Alicorn… maybe.

Dusk Shine would have gave up and gone home if it wasn’t for the familiar golden chariot landing on the ground in the middle of town, Dusk Shine paused to grab a good look at Trixie and her brilliantly blue cape with stars as white as snow –and a hat to match. Dusk Shine gave a disgusted look, completely judging her.

Dusk Shine used magic to light up the book he was studying into smoke, a moon with a wand on the cover turning into micro-flames before becoming nothing. The Dark Passenger trotted towards her, already thinking of the persona he had to be… Dusk Shine groaned, he shook his head slightly before making his way to Trixie.

“Where in Celestia’s name is Trixie’s doughboy?!” Dusk Shine regretted his decision to not make the death of innocents part of The Checklist, with every syllable she pronounced—Dusk Shine fantasized about slitting her neck. “You! Purple stallion, where is the character “Dusk Shine”?!”

Oh god, her voice is like rubbing a spiked mace against a chalkboard.

“You’re talking to him,” smiled Dusk Shine, he gently offered a hoof shake. Trixie furrowed her eyebrow and scrunched up her nose—bad reaction. Dusk Shine lowered his hooves, faltered his smile and tilted his head slightly. “Not a big fan of greetings, I’m gathering?”

“Shut it, doughboy,” Trixie scoffed, throwing her nose upwards she shoved past Dusk Shine. Dusk Shine gritted his teeth, maybe he should look into Trixie’s records a little more—she’s being investigated after the ceremony. “Trixie does not shake the hooves of filthy commoners,”

If I could kill her, she’s dying tonight.