Hours Loom

Chapters

Introduction: The Hours Preceding (Updated)
Chapter 1: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM (Updated)
Chapter 2: 9:00 PM - 11:00 PM (Updated)
Chapter 3: 11:00 PM - 12:00 AM (Updated)
Chapter 4: 12:00 AM - 2:00 AM (Updated)
Chapter 6: 4:00 AM - 6:00 AM (Updated)
Final Chapter: 6:00 AM - 7:00 AM (Updated)
Epilogue: The Months After (New)
Chapter 5: 2:00 AM - 4:00 AM (Updated)

Introduction: The Hours Preceding (Updated)

The summer was drawing to a close. Hearth’s Warming Eve was just around the corner. Princess Twilight Sparkle had just met with her brother and sister-in-law at the Ponyville train station. While they mostly only left the Crystal Empire on world shattering business, this was one of the few times they both were able to travel for fun. Today was the day that Spike was hatched, the savior of the Crystal Empire, he deserved the royal visit.

“I really appreciate you guys making the trip, and I know Spike will be just as excited to see you.”

“Of course sis, Spike is family!” Shining Armor replied. “Cadance and I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“As long as that world wasn’t being destroyed again,” Cadance interjected.

As the three reminisced over defeating old enemies, they made their way to the castle.

Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were setting up decorations amongst the castle to prepare for the big night. This year was far more difficult with the expansive rooms of the castle. They had become use to the small, but cozy, Golden Oak Library.

“So, what’d you guys get him?” Rainbow Dash asked, with her usual inquisitive nature.

“OHHH OH OH! I found this one hair designer who makes wigs and had her make SEVEN different styles OF MOUSTACHES! He is going to be SO EXCITED!” the pink pony exclaimed her gift, turning to face the two pegasi with one of the fake moustaches on.

“Oh my!” Fluttershy said, impressed by the quality of Pinkie’s gift.

“Well what’d you get him Fluttershy?”

“Me? Well, I had one of his dragon code cards, so I thought I would have it detailed. Then I had them print off multiples, that way he can give them out instead of just showing one off,” Fluttershy replied, before asking, “You don’t think that’s too much do you?”

Rainbow Dash was shocked by the thought she put into her gift. “I think you may have me beaten on best gift this year, Fluttershy,” she congratulated. “I was actually trying pretty hard to win, too.”

“Rainbow, not everythin’ has to be a competition y’know,” Applejack shouted to her, pushing in some catering.

“Yeah, yeah,” Rainbow Dash said, rolling her eyes out of view of the earth pony.

Applejack lifted the trays of food, placing them on the table. “Plus, I know for a fact I’ve got the best gift,” she smugly said.

Rainbow raised an eyebrow, dropping the streamers and gliding down to the mare. “What’d you get him?” she excitedly asked.

“You’ll just have to wait to find out once we start the party,” Applejack replied, to which Rainbow let out an exaggerated groan.

The party was to begin when the sun started to set. While everypony was preparing for the party, Rarity and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were entertaining the honorable dragon himself. While their duty was to keep him away from the castle, the party itself was not a surprise.

“I must say, you do look ravishing in your elegant attire,” Rarity paused, removing Spike’s bowtie. “Though you should know, this isn’t going to be a fancy celebration. Perhaps you should wear something that is more, well, you.”

The dragon lifted the top hat off his scaly head. He then replied, “Aww, but Shining and Cadance will be there! They’ll be dressing formally! I just know it!” He pushed his lower lip out in an attempt to coerce her.

“Fine, you can wear the top hat.” She gave in quickly at the sight of those sad, green eyes. “However, nothing more! While I won’t spoil it, you may be receiving something quite striking from a certain fashionista. I’d rather not have it clash with anything you wear.”

“I can’t wait for you to open my present, Spike! It’s a-” Sweetie Belle was immediately cut off by Apple Bloom, shoving an apple into the young unicorn’s mouth.

“Don’t tell him! It’s supposed to be a surprise!” Scootaloo mentioned.

Sweetie Belle tried to speak, but only an indistinguishable sentence could be heard from her gagged mouth.

“Please, Sweetie Belle, don’t talk with food in your mouth. It’s rude,” Rarity teased, amused by the situation.

The mares and dragon laughed together, as a frustrated Sweetie Belle tried to remove the stuck apple.

It seemed as if almost everything was coming together swimmingly. It was almost time for Rarity to bring the foals to the castle, and there was still no sign of danger in the skies, attempting to ruin Spike’s hatchday. As a matter of fact, the biggest problem of the day was Princess Luna and Princess Celestia. Due to scheduling differences, they were unable to attend the little dragon’s party.

Nevertheless, the decorations were scattered amongst the halls, the dance room was set up with a disco ball and record player, and the catering was brought together by Applejack. Underneath the roots of the Great Oak sat the presents for Spike, which would become his favorite room of the night.

Twilight had brought her brother and sister-in-law back to the castle. Everyone was together, waiting for the sun to set so that the guest of honor would arrive. Today was going to be a special day, she could feel it. Everything looked perfect for her favorite dragon’s arrival.

Unbeknownst to her, the special day she had planned would become very special indeed, but for a very different reason. It was only a matter of time for these twelve party goers, as their final hours loom.

Chapter 1: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM (Updated)

As the sun set, Rarity traveled with Spike on her back, the Cutie Mark Crusaders in tow. The skies had already darkened, storm clouds had begun to roll in from the distance. The castle’s shine of purple and blue dimmed from the encroaching darkness. Discomfort settled in Rarity’s heart as she opened the castle door with her magic.

“Oh dear, it looks like some storm clouds got loose from Cloudsdale. I hope they take care of them before they reach Ponyville. I’d rather not have my mane ruined by the humidity,” Rarity said.

Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes as she followed the other fillies into the castle. Rarity took one last look at the destructive storm before entering the castle, Spike grasping the handle and pulling it closed behind them. The Crusaders traveled up the stairs, Rarity pacing herself behind them.

After reaching the top, Spike hopped off Rarity’s back and rushed into the Great Oak hall. “Shining Armor! Cadance! You made it!” Spike exclaimed as he ran to them.

“Hey Spike! Of course we’re here, wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Shining Armor wrapped his foreleg around Spike, giving the dragon a hug. “And just wait till you see what we got you! You’re going to blow your top!” he added.

“Really!? I can’t wait!” Spike turned to give Cadance a hug as well.

“You get bigger every time I see you, Spike,” Cadance noted as they hugged. “Soon, you’ll be as big as the statue we have of you in the Crystal Empire.”

Rarity eventually entered the room, greeting Twilight with a gentle smile. The two spoke shortly about the party, while the Crusaders were already off running amok in the dining hall. A loud commotion could be heard from the room away, followed by a frustrated yell.

“Apple Bloom! Get off the table! You know better than that!” Applejack shouted as she exited the room. The filly quickly apologized as she ran past her elder sister and into the dance room. Applejack gave a quick smirk and a shrug as she greeted Rarity.

As the two hugged, a scream of excitement could be heard from anywhere in the castle, startling the entire room. Rarity sarcastically asked, “Was that my little sister, or yours?”

“With a yell like that, it has to be yours. Apple Bloom sure ain’t got the lungs for somethin’ like that,” the earth pony quipped.

“After watching over those three for the entire day, it’s hard to tell which one is the loudest. I swear, I’ll have ringing in my ears for the next three weeks!” Rarity said, bantering with Applejack.

Twilight interjected, “Well, I just have to say how much I appreciate you watching over them and Spike. There’s no way this could have been put together without Spike seeing it.”

“Think nothing of it, Twilight. Nothing’s too good for Spike, and it was my pleasure,” replied Rarity with a pearly white smile.

Balloons and confetti began to shoot off all around the three mares. “You girls are getting way too mushy! Enough with the emotions, let’s get this PAR-TAY STAR-TED!” Pinkie exclaimed, followed up with a cheer from Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash.

“Hey now, we better eat before you start forcin’ ponies out on the dance floor. Don’t want no one to pass out from starvation while they’re dancin’.” Applejack pulled Pinkie into a headlock as she cautioned the party pony.

Pinkie reluctantly agreed and they gathered in the dining hall, all the guests taking their seats around the table. Twilight and Spike sat next to each other, she refused to be too far from the hatchday boy. Even though ponies surrounded the purple dragon, none of them were talking to him.

Rarity was going on about fashion to Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash was exaggerating details of her latest exploits in the Wonderbolts to the Crusaders, and Pinkie Pie was chattering on to Applejack about the delicious food she made.

All the ponies were ignoring him, but he didn’t mind any of this. It wasn’t until a glistening tear rolled down his scaly cheek and onto the plate of half-eaten gems that somepony finally noticed. Twilight placed a hoof on the dragon’s shoulder, asking, “What’s the matter, Spike?”

With Twilight’s question, the room became silent as they noted the tears. Spike quickly wiped his eyes and stood up in his chair. The ponies sat and stared at him, curious as to what he was about to say.

“Don’t worry Twilight, or any of you. These are happy tears,” he said, raising his juice box over his head. “I don’t think I’ve ever realized how lucky I am to know all of you. You’re the greatest friends a dragon could have. I’m so glad you all could come today, you have no idea how happy it makes me. It may be my hatchday, but I’d like to give a toast to all of you… My friends.”

The ponies raised their glasses, tears in their eyes, and liquid pride for Shining Armor. Waterfalls sprayed from Pinkie Pie as Spike finished his speech, gushing all over those who sat next to her. She then ran across the table, knocking food and spilling drinks. She grabbed onto Spike and squeezed him against her body, tears still flooding like an unkempt hose.

“WE LOVE YOU SPIKE!” she screamed as she practically broke the dragon’s spine. Spike returned her hug as she yelled, “Get up here! All of you!”

All of the guests then got up from their seats, stepping onto the table and surrounding the dragon with a great big hug. As they stood and hugged, Apple Bloom worriedly asked, “I’m not gonna get in trouble for standin’ on the table again, am I Applejack?”

The entire party let out a bellow of laughter, but as they laughed the table collapsed underneath their weight. Platters, glasses, plates, and silverware fell to ground with the guests. As they sat covered in food, they continued their laughter.

After the party goers removed the food and drinks from their fur, they continued on into the Great Oak hall where the presents had been stored. The roots of the Great Oak Library held a banner with Spike’s name on it, wishing him a wonderful hatchday.

Spike let out a gasp, surprised by the amount of the wrapped presents that covered the table. He ran up, staring at the gifts, and bouncing up and down. He turned to look at Twilight, a contagious smile on his face. “Can I open them now!?” he asked.

Twilight looked around, making sure everypony else was in the room, and then gave a nod to the dragon. His face lit up as he turned back to the gifts, trying to figure out which he should open first. He grabbed one of cyan color, quickly tearing through the bow.

From the box, he pulled out a little red machine that barely fit in his claws. Letters were wrapped around the edge with a set of numbers on the inside. Double zeroes were fitted to the letter a, and each letter had the number after that, leading all the way up to the letter z.

“Oh hey, that’s my gift! You’re getting older, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get a cool toy every once in a while!” Rainbow Dash said. Spike got up and gave her a hug before moving on to the next gift.

He opened Pinkie’s mustaches, Fluttershy’s dragon code cards, and Twilight’s famous gift, a book. It was a tradition for him to receive a book from Twilight, but this year was different. Instead of a regular book, she had given him a complete graphic novel of the Power Ponies series.

His face lit up once he realized what it was. “Thank you so much Twilight!” he yelled, giving her a hug just like the other ponies, but hers was definitely the longest.

The Crusaders had pulled their talents together to make one big, crayon colored picture of the purple dragon, drawn with love by the three fillies. Shining and Cadance brought a miniature version made of the statue of Spike from the Crystal Empire, one that would surely make his ego soar.

It wasn’t until he got to Applejack’s gift that he truly began to cry. He opened the long present, pulling the lid off and grabbing the wooden carving inside. It was a piece of timber, made into the shape of a bone with Spike’s name carved into the center.

“It’s somethin’ I’ve been thinkin’ of givin’ you for a long time, Spike. A good memory of how you saved me from those awful timber wolves. I’ll never be able to thank you enough. You’re the best scaly, fire breathin’ pal I’ve ever had,” Applejack said, her voice quavering as she spoke.

Spike got up and hugged her, tears running down his cheeks and staining her fur. They hugged for a bit until it was finally time to unwrap the last gift on the table. The most elegantly wrapped gift was all that remained.

Still wiping his tears, he lifted the bow from the box, pulling out a simple, white cloak. He wrapped it around his neck, fitting him perfectly. The warm satin smoothly rubbed against his spine’s scales.

“It’s fire-resistant,” Rarity said, a somber smile across her jaw as he finished putting it on. “I know how much you want to be a true knight, and true knights wear white. Perhaps one day you’ll be my knight.” Rarity blushed and turned her head away, trying to hide her embarrassment.

“I love it!” he shouted as he ran up and hugged Rarity, his cap flowing along behind him. “I’m going to wear it all night!”

Since the presents were unwrapped and the tears were shed, the ponies began to move down into the dance hall. They spent the next hour dancing and socializing with one another. It wasn’t too long that the little fillies were tuckered out, while Pinkie still continued to party on the dance floor.

As the night drew to a close, Spike said his goodbyes to the guests before falling asleep in the Great Oak Hall. Twilight pulled his cloak over him and ushered the ponies out. The Crusaders were carried by their adult counterparts, down the steps of the castle.

“Thank you all so much, I think you guys made this the best hatchday Spike’s ever had,” Twilight said as they arrived at the castle door.

“Think nothing of it Twilight, it was our pleasure. Spike’s our friend too, after all,” Rarity whispered, not wishing to disturb the snoozing Sweetie Belle.

“I’m so glad we were able to make it, this night has been wonderful,” Cadance auspiciously said.

Twilight casted her magic on the door, attempting to pull it open while she said, “It couldn’t have been possible without all of you, and-“ she paused, noticing the door wasn’t budging. “The door is stuck.”

“Let me try I guess,” Shining said as he tried to open the door with his hooves. No matter how hard he pulled, the door remained sealed.

The sudden cause of commotion awoke the Crusaders who stood back onto their own hooves. Scootaloo gave a loud yawn before asking, “What’s going on, Rainbow Dash?”

“The door’s jammed. Hey AJ, let’s give it a try.” Applejack and Rainbow Dash grabbed onto the door handles, pulling as hard as they could before failing and falling onto the ground. “What is with this door!?” Rainbow yelled as she laid on her back.

“How about we try a window?” Fluttershy suggested.

Cadance attempted to open the shutters to one of the windows, but just like the door, it refused to open. “You would think two alicorns and the ex-captain of Celestia’s royal guard could open a simple path. Whatever your castle is made of Twilight, I want it in mine!” she said.

Twilight peered out the shutters before replying, “I can’t see anything. It’s so dark.” She then witnessed a flash of lightning striking the ground, lighting up the surrounding area. “Well, I’m not sure you guys should be heading out in this horrid weather, you guys can stay here ton-“ She was then interrupted by the loud clash of thunder and the castle’s lights going dark.

The ponies shouted and screamed in the darkness, the stomping of hooves could be heard rushing off in all directions.

“Calm down, everypony!” Shining Armor yelled as he lit up the foyer. As the light shined, Twilight noticed that only Shining and Cadance remained in the room. Cadance had wrapped herself against her husband, the overwhelming fear of darkness had stayed with her. The feeling of being trapped underground by the changeling queen was something Cadance could never fully shake.

“Are you two alright?” Twilight asked as she used her own light spell.

“I-I’ll be fine,” Cadance stuttered, lifting herself back to her hooves.

Twilight nodded. “Did you see where the others went?” she asked, looking to the two corridors on both sides of the stairs.

Shining shook his head and answered, “No. We should go find them. They couldn’t have gotten too far in the darkness.”

The three royal ponies traipsed up the steps of the castle as the lights began to flicker on, eventually returning all together. Cadance took a quick inhale as she gave a comforting smile to Shining.

“At least the lights are back. Maybe now we can-“ Twilight was interrupted by three high pitched screams that could be heard throughout the castle. “This way!” she yelled.

Another set of screams led the three all the way up to the second floor, where they caught up with the other five elements. “Girls!” Twilight yelled, only to have it overshadowed by the screaming.

“Twilight!” the five hollered in unison.

The screams got louder as they reached the corridor that held the Great Oak Hall. They skidded to a halt in front of the entry door, another scream piercing their ears as they rushed in. They found the three fillies screaming, crying, and holding one another. Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash grabbed onto the girls, holding them tight.

As the group surrounded the fillies, Twilight turned to see what had frightened them so badly. Her heart sank to the bottom of her stomach as she noticed the bloody corpse. Covered in blood, this mangled, distorted body still held a sliver of purple in coloring. It was the hatchday boy himself, Spike.

Chapter 2: 9:00 PM - 11:00 PM (Updated)

Most of the ponies gathered around the bloody, mangled corpse while Shining and Cadance comforted the fillies outside the hall. Twilight looked over Spike’s body, staring at the blood that had pooled, staining his pearly white cape.

Applejack’s gift, the large wooden bone, was shoved down his throat. Spike’s name was barely legible past the blood that had curdled up from this throat. Twilight noted the lack of burn marks on the wood. Was this done postmortem, she thought as she looked down at the lacerations across his chest.

Rainbow Dash remarked on the cuts, “These three slices are deep, too deep for any animal. Who could have done this?”

“I-I don’t know… I can’t believe this is really happening,” Twilight replied as she fought back tears.

Rarity and Fluttershy had already started to cry. They held onto each other, their tears dripping down and staining their furry cheeks. Applejack held her hat against her chest, tears had already swollen up in her eyes.

“I know this is difficult, but please, I must ask you all to move away from the body. As former captain of the royal guard, I know we must preserve the scene for the authorities to examine. Please move out into the hall while I look around,” Shining commanded.

The group of ponies stepped out into the hall, the Crusaders running to their big sisters with tears still in their eyes. Twilight stood in the doorway, looking back at her older brother. When he finally noticed, he asked, “Twilight, could you please escort everyone to the castle entrance?”

Cadance rushed past Twilight, grabbing onto her stalwart husband. “I’m not leaving you up here alone. Something in this castle did that to Spike and I won’t allow it to happen to you as well,” she insisted.

“I understand dear, but that’s why I need you to go with the group. You and Twilight are the most important things to me, added to the fact that you’re also princesses. I will study the crime scene to see if I can’t find a murder weapon, and then I’ll send an emergency signal to Canterlot,” he sternly replied.

“Fine, just don’t keep me waiting,” she irately pleaded, to which he gave a gentle nod.

Twilight gathered the ponies in the corridor, her eyes had become red from the strain of holding back tears. “Alright everyone, let’s move back to the entrance. If the lights go out again, please try to remain calm.”

Shining wrapped a hoof around Cadance, embracing her in an emotional hug. They gave a parting kiss before Cadance walked back to Twilight and the rest of the ponies. “Twilight, I’ll lead the way while you remain at the back. If you see anything suspicious, cast your bubble around us all.”

“Same goes for you,” Twilight replied. The group began to make their way to the staircase, leaving Shining on his own.

Twilight tried to seem strong and capable for her fellow ponies, but it was clear she was shaken. The shock of losing her closest friend hadn’t fully sunken in, but the tears had started to fall as they made their way to the foyer. The Crusaders cried the entire way down, while Rarity was letting out a light whimpering noise.

As Cadance led the group, she looked back, trying to get a feel for each of the ponies. She had to lead the ponies to safety, but in the back of her mind she knew she had to be by Shining’s side.

Once they arrived at the castle door, the crying had stuttered to a low volume sob. None of the ponies had spoken up since the Great Oak Hall. Each of them lost in their own little world, or trying to comfort another.

“Twilight, I need you,” Cadance called out, startling the rest of the group.

The young alicorn trotted to the front of the line, quickly wiping her eyes. “What is it?” she asked.

“Let’s try blasting the door open. As much as I don’t want to hurt your castle, I think now is a good time to stop caring about formalities,” Cadance slowly said.

“Right. It’s just a wooden door. Let’s do it.” Twilight backed up and aimed her horn at the door as Cadance did the same. The others stood behind, hoping it would work and they would be free from the nightmare.

As the two alicorns formed their magic, they pressed their horns together, creating a large ball of magic. With a release, they sent the ball straight into the wooden door, but as it struck the timber it bounced back, sending the magical ball of energy hurdling towards the group of ponies.

“Oh no. Everypony, get down!” Twilight screamed, attempting to shield the group as quickly as should could.

The magical blast was too quick for the young princess, hurling itself past the barrier before it could form. Scootaloo was directly in the path of the heated blast, but Rainbow Dash was faster than the magic. She rushed to Scootaloo’s aid, pushing the filly out of the way at the last possible second. The speedy pegasus collapsed to the floor in agony, pressing her hoof against her back.

“Rainbow Dash!” the ponies yelled in unison as they rushed to her aide.

“Are you okay? Rainbow Dash!” bellowed a panicked Twilight.

“I-I’m fine! It-It just hit the tip of my wing.” Dash slowly stood to her hooves, extending her damaged wing slowly, wincing in pain the entire time. She quickly retracted it, no longer able to deal with the burnt and bruised nerves. “Scoot’s, you alright?” she asked, thinking of the unharmed filly first before herself.

Scootaloo ran up and wrapped around her in a hug. “I’m so sorry Rainbow Dash, thank you! Are you alright?” she asked with tears in her eyes.

Rainbow held her close. “Don’t worry kid, I’d never let anything bad happen to you.”

“I don’t understand how this could have happened. How can a wooden door withstand such a powerful blast?” Cadance questioned.

Twilight shook her head after carefully examining Rainbow. “I’m not sure, but we are definitely not doing that again. A second longer and you could have lost this wing, Rainbow. We need to get you help as soon as we can.”

“I can go to the hospital after the guards get here. I’m not leaving you guys alone, regardless of how I am,” Dash irritatedly replied.

“We could always try waiting till morning, locking ourselves in a room and barring it for the night,” Fluttershy spoke up.

“Unfortunately, the best place to do that was in the Great Oak Hall, where there’s only one entrance and no windows. I wouldn’t feel comfortable about going back in there, though,” Twilight replied as she lowered her head.

“We should just wait here till Shining comes, he told us to stay put and it’d be better if we don’t split up.” As Cadance finished speaking, a clacking could be heard against the windows. Rain had started to pour down outside, the storm clouds had reached Ponyville and the castle.

“As much as I’d hate to admit it, stayin’ here might be the best thing for us. If there’s something here in this castle, it’d be better to stay where we can see it and not out in the stormin’ night,” Applejack said, putting her two bits into the pot.

In that moment, the lights started to flicker before turning off completely. The three fillies screamed and began to trot off in different directions, but the lights flickered on for a moment, allowing Twilight to see their silhouettes running in different directions. The light shut off once more as she yelled to them, “Girls! Wait! It’s not safe!”

The ponies gathered around Twilight as she lit the room with her magic. She looked around as Applejack called out for her young sister. “Did any of y’all see where they went?” Applejack desperately asked.

“They went off in all different directions!” Twilight fearfully replied. “We should go after the-“ Applejack refused to wait for her to finish the sentence. The earth pony rushed off into the darkness, hoping to quickly find her sister or any of the Crusaders.

“Applejack! Wait!” Twilight yelled, but she was ignored by the stubborn mare. She then moved her horn back to the other ponies. The light shined over Cadance who was slumped to the ground, whimpering and cowering in fear.

As she sniffled, Rarity lit up her horn, adding more light to the foyer. “I-I need t-to go after Sweetie,” she quaveringly claimed.

Twilight looked at the vacant, desperate eyes of her unicorn friend. “Rarity… We will go look for your sister, could you stay here with Cadance and wait for Shining Armor?”

Rarity understood she would be of little help to the search. “P-Plea-Please. Please find her,” she stutteringly replied, tears slowly beginning to fall once more against her snow colored fur.

“We will,” Twilight reassured, placing a hoof on Rarity’s shoulder. “I promise.” Rarity nodded and then sat next to the whimpering princess, basking her in magical light. Twilight watched as they nuzzled, hoping they would be able to comfort each other.

Fluttershy quietly spoke up, asking, “Are we going to stick together?”

The two pegasus and the pink earth pony waited for Twilight’s decision. Rarity and Cadance would not be able to handle whatever killed Spike, but neither would the three fillies. Twilight raised her light to look down one of the corridors. “Rainbow, Fluttershy. One of the fillies went this way. If you two head down and find the storage closet, you can get the candles that are stored there,” she explained.

“I-Into th-the darkness?” Fluttershy frightfully inquired.

“Don’t worry Shy,” Rainbow said, placing a foreleg around her yellow friend. “I’ll protect you, and we’re going to need more light. If we light this place up, it won’t be as scary.”

She gave a nod, knowing full well she’d regret not trying to find the fillies.

“If you find one of the girls, bring them back here immediately. Their safety is far more important than light,” Twilight commanded. “Pinkie and I will be heading up the stairs. If anything happens, yell as loud as possible.”

The pegasus nodded in unison as both teams broke away, each heading in their assigned direction. Twilight gave one last look to Cadance and Rarity as she trotted up the stairs, praying that they would remain safe as they looked for the fillies.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Applejack had already managed to reach the deep sections of the castle. The lack of light had confused her and sent her through a maze of corridors. Eventually, she ran across an open door, a light shined at the other end of the moderately stocked library.

Shelves were slowly being lined with whatever books remained after the Golden Oak Library exploded. Book piles overflowed on the ground, attempting to trip her step as she closed the gap between her and the mysterious light.

She wanted to call out, trying to get the attention of whoever could be the source, perhaps one of the fillies themselves. Even though it could be one of her friends, she decided against it, as Spike’s killer was still on the loose.

Once she was close to the light, she noticed it was coming from a unicorn’s horn. She could only see the silhouette of the adult pony, one that had their back to her as she crept behind them. It could be a friend, she thought. Best not hurt them. With a quick jab to the rump, she knocked them on their tail.

“Ah! What the-“ shouted the male pony as they stumbled to the ground.

Applejack recognized the voice, immediately apologizing, “Shining? I’m so sorry, I wasn’t sure if that was you or not.”

He quickly stood to his hooves and turned around, sharing the light between the two of them. “At least you’re thinking smart. Can’t be too careful, especially now,” he replied.

“What’re you talkin’ about?” she asked.

“Look, I found this.” He lit up the area he had been staring at, between two cramped bookshelves. A bloody, sharpened knife lay shoved in the middle.

The sight of the gory instrument struck a chord with Applejack. “I-Is tha-that the knife fr-from the party!?” she loudly questioned with a stammer, surprised at his find.

“This is the weapon that Spike was killed with,” he replied.

“Sh-Should we take it? Use it to defend ourselves?”

He shook his head and stared into her eyes. “I really wish we could, but it’s evidence. If anypony touches it, we could be tampering with whoever used it. My magical residue would replace another unicorns, and I really don’t want my hoofprints on the thing either.”

“Alright, if you say so sugar cube. I don’t suppose you’ve run into any fillies while you’ve been in here?” she asked.

With another shake of his head, he replied, “No I haven’t. If they’re on their own, we need to find them and stay in a group. They might end up dead if we don’t find them.”

“All of the fillies ran off as soon as the lights went out! If whatever is on the loose finds them, I’ll never forgive myself!”

She turned back around to begin her charge, but just before she could run off, Shining said, “There is nothing loose in this castle. It’s just us.”

“Wh-What?” she said, surprised by his response. “What do you mean?” she asked as she stood with her back to him.

“There is no one else in this castle, I’m one hundred percent certain of it,” he said, his voice exuded confidence and fear as he spoke.

Applejack took a step forward and replied, “I’ve gotta find Apple Bloom!” She then sprinted off, determined to find her sister before any of the others did.

“Wait! At least let me light the path! We’ll be safer together!” Shining called out to her, taking a few steps before he stopped. She had already vanished into the darkness as he thought, I’m not sure I should trust her. He then snapped his head around, lighting up the bloody knife. Better safe than sorry.

Chapter 3: 11:00 PM - 12:00 AM (Updated)

Cadance and Rarity held each other close as they sat at the entrance. Light barely lit the foyer, shining dimly from Rarity’s horn. Occasional whimpers rang out from each of them as Cadance shook with fear, trembling against the unicorn.

“I wish I wasn’t so afraid,” Cadance whispered in a hushed tone.

Rarity let out a sniffle as she replied, “Don’t worry, your husband will be back soon, so will the others.” She attempted to keep Cadance’s spirits high, not knowing if she truly believed her own words.

“I-I know. I just w-wish the lights would return. I hope they find your sister and the other fillies soon.”

“Me too.” As Rarity spoke, a scream rang out, echoing against the walls and startling the two mares. They pressed against each other in fear, looking to see what may have caused the yell. The darkness shrouded them like a fog, barely kept at bay from Rarity’s glow. She attempted a larger light, but failed to see past the first few steps of the staircase.

Cadance placed her face into Rarity’s neck, whimpering as she said, “W-Who wa-was that?”

“Can you cast your light spell?” asked Rarity.

The princess lifted her head to look up at the unicorn, and then attempted to form a spell of her own, failing to create more than a short spark. “I-I’m sorry, my fear has blocked my senses.”

“Cadance, I… I’d hate to do this, but,” Rarity said, biting her lip as she looked down at the dismal face of the alicorn. “I have to investigate the scream. It m-might be Sweetie Belle, I can’t let anything happen to her.”

“It’s n-not s-safe. Wait fo-for Shining and th-then go,” Cadance replied, whimpering and stammering as she feared the thought of being alone and blinded.

Rarity slowly stood up, gently pushing Cadance off of her. “I’m… I’m sorry. Try to use your light spell and wait here for your husband. I’m just going to investigate the scream and then I’ll be right back, don’t worry.” She then trotted off in search of the yell.

As Cadance became alone, the darkness shrouding her like a blanket, she shut her eyes as tight as she could, still shivering in fear. Tears began to roll down her cheeks once more as she laid her head down against the cold marble flooring.

I hate being so useless, she thought. I can’t even open my eyes now.

The sudden sound of clattering hooves rang out with echoes inside the foyer. She shot her head up, opening her eyes in a quick jolt. The sound stopped as she did, her eyes adjusted to the darkness. No silhouettes were visible, she could barely make out the steps of the staircase.

She lowered her head once more, covering her face with her forelegs. Crying and sniffling like a foal, afraid of the monsters in their closet. As she slipped deeper into her depression, a moment of clarity crossed her mind.

Slamming her hooves against the ground, she quickly stood up and attempted to cast a light spell. Light sparked from her horn, shining brighter and brighter as tears streamed down her cheeks. With one final push, she lit the entire foyer.

She began to cheer to herself, letting out a holler, only to have it interrupted by the blackness returning. A sharp pain struck like lightning across the back of her head, dropping her to the floor. As her vision narrowed, she could barely hear the sound of hooves trotting beside her.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Fluttershy laid on the floor, trembling as she covered her head with her forelegs. Even in the darkness, Rainbow could see her silhouette, to which she simply rolled her eyes. “C’mon Fluttershy, it was just a broom.” She lifted the broom up from the ground and shoved it back inside the closet.

“S-Sorry. It surprised me,” Fluttershy whispered, wandering into the closet with Rainbow Dash.

“I think I’m deaf in one ear now,” jested Rainbow.

Fluttershy felt the walls and shelves with her wings, trying to find the candles. “I’m sorry. I’m such a loud mouth.”

“It was a joke, Flutters,” she irksomely replied, feeling the shelves with her one good wing. “Let’s just hope this is the one with the candles.” She continued to feel around, trying to get some semblance of what was inside.

“It’s so dark, I can hardly tell what’s in here.”

Rainbow grunted in agreement, and then added, “Yeah. I wish I could use both wings to search twice as fast.”

“Is your other wing still causing you pain? Should we go find bandages after we get the candles?” the yellow pegasus asked.

“After we find the Crusaders, then I’ll start worrying about me. Until then, let’s just focus on the candles.” Rainbow Dash felt along the other shelves, dust slowly covered her good wing. The two carefully looked over each shelf, until Rainbow finally asked, “Hey Fluttershy, why didn’t you stay back with Cadance? Aren’t you scared?”

Fluttershy paused for a moment, contemplating an answer. “I’m terrified.”

“Then, why are you helping me search in the darkness?” Rainbow turned to her friend’s silhouette, poking her with the one functioning wing.

Fluttershy turned her face to Rainbow, still prodding the shelves with her wings. “I’m going to be as strong as I can right now. Someone or something killed Spike,” she paused, she could feel her whole body shaking. “When we find out who killed Spike, I want to be there. I’m not going to let that happen to any pony else.”

“Wow, Flutters,” Rainbow replied, stupefied by Fluttershy’s brave words. “I know exactly how you feel.”

“I may be the Element of Kindness, but I will be less than kind to his killer,” she said, her voice cracking as tears began to roll down her cheeks.

Rainbow could hear from her inflection how sad and furious Fluttershy was. The blue pegasus wrapped a foreleg around her friend, embracing her in a hug. Happiness and sadness were mixed on her face, it was a great sight to see Fluttershy finally being brave, but the reason behind it left a pain in her stomach.

The yellow pegasus held the hug, still feeling the shelves with her wing. She then yelled, “I found matches!”

“What? Really?” Rainbow replied, releasing the embrace. “That must mean the candles should be nearby!” She rubbed around, slapping against Fluttershy’s wing, and eventually feeling the waxed cylinders. “Hey, hey! We got ‘em!”

Fluttershy snapped a match against the pad, lighting the closet. She then lit the candles Rainbow held in her hoof.

“That’s better,” Rainbow said, looking around the dimly lit closet.

“These’ll help.” Fluttershy noticed a lantern and knapsack. “We should take some of these back to the front, maybe help light up the castle.”

Rainbow placed a candle inside one of the lanterns. “Good idea, who knows when the lights will come back on,” she agreed.

Placing the knapsack on the ground, she began to store plenty of candles and a few lanterns, making sure she had more than enough matches.

Rainbow walked out into the hall, shining the light down both sides. She decided to make sure no one was behind the door, a cliché she had thought no monster would actually try.

“Uh, Rainbow? The light?” Fluttershy said as she tried to pack the knapsack.

“Oh, right. Sorry.” She turned back to the closet, unable to check behind the closet door.

“Alright well I’ve got it mostly in this one bag. We should be good to go.” Fluttershy lifted the knapsack with her mouth and threw it over her back, she then turned to Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow held the lantern in her mouth, lisping as she said, “Let’s go.”

Fluttershy nodded and the two started to walk down back to the entrance. Before they left, she closed the closet door with her back hoof. She did not turn around to see if the door had closed, only hearing it shut. If she had looked, she would have seen a dark black mask staring at her with painted red eyes. The mask itself resembled a pony’s skull, large enough to cover any horn they may have had.

It stared at the two pegasus, clothing covered up the fur, cutie mark, tail, and any wings. The disguise was a simple style, a white shirt and dark blue overalls. It was something easy for any race of pony to get in and out of quickly. The creepy pony titled its head as it watched them walk away.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Pinkie, please stay close to my light,” Twilight anxiously said to the pink pony who bounced around in the hallway.

“Sorry Twilight. I’m trying to keep myself in high spirits.” She stopped and moved closer to the young alicorn. “I don’t wanna freak you out or anything or scare myself or scare our friends or scary anypony we might run into unless maybe-“

“Pinkie! Please!” Twilight shouted, cutting off the loudmouth with a stomp of her hoof.

“Sorry! Quiet!” She quickly placed her hooves over her mouth and made a zipper motion.

Twilight sighed and replied, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell. I just don’t want to get split up right now.” Pinkie gave her a smile, nodding as she bumped her side against the alicorn.

They had taken the stairs up a few levels of the castle and had drawn close to Twilight’s bedroom. There were several other bedrooms down this hall, including Spike’s, but they focused on her room specifically. Even though they started out looking for the girls, Twilight’s main goal was a special book she kept in her room. Breaking the barrier that entrapped her and her friends was just as important as the fillies themselves.

“Okay Pinkie, here’s my room. Let me shine in first to make sure there’s nothing in there,” Twilight commanded, slowly opening the door as the earth pony watched from behind. She shined the light amongst the walls, ceiling, and furniture. With no menacing creatures in view, she walked inside the room. “It looks clear, come on in.”

Pinkie waltzed in and looked around, eventually noticing the wooden door on the opposite side of the room. She gave it a tug but it wouldn’t budge. She turned to Twilight who was busily searching for the barrier breaking spell book. “Hey, this door isn’t opening either,” Pinkie noted.

Twilight shined her light at Pinkie, brightening the wood. “Well, that does go out to the balcony. If downstairs was any inclination, I didn’t expect it to open,” she replied, turning back to the bookcase.

“So, what’s the name of the book?”

“Counter-Defensive Spells for the Magically Superior,” answered Twilight.

Pinkie looked at a book on the nightstand. “Is it this one?” she asked, lifting it up.

Twilight levitated the book out of Pinkie’s hoof, and then said “That’s it! How’d you find it so quickly?!”

“Well, it’s for the magically superior. Where else would it be but right next to where a magically superior pony sleeps?” she said with a giggle and snort.

Twilight rolled her eyes and shot the pink pony a smile. “Okay, let’s see here.” She sat the book on the bed, quickly flipping through the pages, trying to find anything that would get them out of the nightmare.

Pinkie wandered towards the door. “I’ll make sure no sneaky sneaks are sneaking up on us!” she said.

“Uh huh,” Twilight replied, lost in her own little endeavor.

The pink pony poked her head out, peeking down the hall, but with no magic she could barely see anything past the darkness that shrouded the corridor.

“Giggle at the ghosties…” she nervously sang to herself. She walked out into the hallway, tapping her hooves as she waited for her alicorn friend to finish. “Crack up at the creepy…” As she tapped her hooves, she noticed the sound was out of rhythm of her trots.

She stopped her tapping, listening carefully as a tap could still be heard, only stopping a second after she had. She turned around to the other end of the hallway and began tapping once more. The rhythmic sound was out of tune again, to which she quickly stopped, but the second set of taps continued. “Hello? I-is… somepony there?” she called out.

A strike of a match rang out, illuminating the black mask of the pony who held the light. Their painted eyes glistened against flame as it flickered and danced. Pinkie stood is shock, staring at the dark figure, speechless from the encounter. It shook its hoof, causing the match to fade.

“T-TWILIGHT!” Pinkie yelled at the top of her lungs, her hair straightening out of fear.

As soon as the scream had left Pinkie’s lips, Twilight looked up from the book and rushed towards the bedroom door, only to have it slam on her face. “Pinkie?!” she called out, trying to pry open the door by using her magic, but to no avail.

Pinkie screamed louder, calling for help from the trapped alicorn. As she backed away from the masked pony, she could hear the popping of a button. “Whoever you are, just stay back!” she commanded.

The masked pony stopped to Pinkie’s surprise, tilting its head as if it didn’t understand. Darkness impeded her vision, but she could make out the silhouette of the pony reaching into its overall pocket and pulling out a small bag. The sack made no noise as it shook in front of the pony’s face.

Twilight slammed on the bedroom door, first with her own body and then with the furniture that decorated the room. “PINKIE! WHAT’S HAPPENING?!” she yelled, still trying to force the door open.

As she reached the stairs, Pinkie knew she would have to leave Twilight behind in order to escape. “Twilight! Block the door! I’ll go get the others!” yelled the party pony as she turned to flee.

Before she could make her getaway, the masked pony opened the small bag and threw it towards the mare. Small cherries rolled from inside the bag, landing all over the top of the stairs and spreading amongst the steps. The cherries were hard and round, and of many. They rolled down the steps, chasing after Pinkie who hurriedly fled, catching her in a misstep.

The sudden loss of balance caused her to tumble, screaming as she fell forward down the stairs. Her first bounce smashed her face against the edge of a step, the second broke her spine, but the third caused her to land with a gut curdling snap of her neck.

As she laid helpless, blood pouring from her mouth, cherries halted their roll by landing against her rag dolled body. The once puffy, pink hair now flattened, covering her lifeless eyes.

Chapter 4: 12:00 AM - 2:00 AM (Updated)

Everything she tried had failed, from teleportation to melting the hinges, nothing seemed to open the simple wooden door. “Pinkie! Are you out there!?” yelled the alicorn, slamming her hooves on the wood. Just as she gave up and laid on the floor, the door tipped from its unhindered weight and fell into the hall, kicking up dirt and dust as it landed.

She quickly casted an illuminating spell, peering out into the hallway with a suspicious eye. With no sign of a monster nor Pinkie Pie, she called out, “Pinkie? Pinkie! Where are you!?” The dark walls of the hall revealed nothing in her search, just an eerie shadow that reflected from the light of her horn. As she trotted into the hall she noticed a brown bag that laid open on the floor.

Lifting the bag up, she examined the inside. “Cherries?” Two cherries sat smooshed against the inner sides of the small sack. She then looked out over the floor, noting the random few cherries that sat scattered amongst the floor. Slowly, she crept between the cherries and pointed her illumination spell towards the bottom of the stairs.

Tears filled her eyes as the light shined against the pink earth pony, blood coating the floor around her lifeless corpse. She carefully rushed down the steps, cautious as to not share the same fate of her beloved friend. “No, no, no, no, no! This can’t be happening!” she shouted.

Upon reaching the body, she quickly pushed away the hair covering Pinkie’s face only to see the dimmed stare of the once upbeat eyes. “Pinkie…” her voice cracked as she uttered the name. “Who was it Pinkie?” She wrapped her body against the lifeless corpse, holding it in between her forelegs, blood pouring onto her chest. Tears flowed from her muzzle, landing and staining the bright pink fur.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The screaming echoed within the halls, startling Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash who were making their way back to the entrance when they had gotten turned around.

“Even with the candle light, we still managed to lose track of where we came from. This castle is way too big,” mumbled the yellow pegasus.

“I know what you mean, it’s like this place was designed after one of the temples in a Daring Do book,” Rainbow lispingly described. “Except, you know, a lot less spiked traps and alligators.”

They were deep in the back section of the castle, many of the rooms had yet to be utilized or were meant to facilitate other rooms. Piles of books lined the walls, all holding signs with directions specified for each pile. Rainbow used her one good wing to raise the lantern to one of the piles, noticing many were meant for libraries in far off towns.

“Dash, I don’t remember feeling any of these books on the way in. Are you sure we’re going the right way?”

“Beats me, Shy. The amount of books here makes me think were somehow in the upstairs library. You sure that closet didn’t have a secret door we stumbled through?” replied the wounded mare through gritted teeth.

Fluttershy raised the lantern, looking down the hall as they rounded a corner. The pathway led to more shut doors and piles of books against the walls. “Well, I know we didn’t come through a door to get here. Let’s go back the other way.”

As the two turned around, a scream echoed the halls, followed by a pile of books shifting and then tipping over. The pegasi slowly trotted over to the fallen books, noting the door that had been mysteriously hidden. Another scream rang out from behind the secret door.

“Is that one of the Crusaders!?” Rainbow dropped the lantern and rushed to the door, placing her ear against the crystal frame. Another cry for help resonated from inside. “That’s… That’s gotta be Scoots,” she whispered.

As the blue pegasus grabbed and shoved the books out of the way, trying to pull the door open at the same time, Fluttershy quickly rushed over. “Dash!” she exclaimed as she threw the satchel off her hide.

“Help me move these books!” Rainbow commanded as she swiped the books away and attempted to buck the door open.

“For goodness sake Rainbow Dash! It opens inward!” Fluttershy rolled her eyes at Rainbow, moving past her panicked friend and grabbing the handle, pushing the door. As it swung open, smoke exhaled from the room just as the screaming had stopped.

The foal was strapped to a pole and surrounded by newspapers. As the paper burned, so did the pole, burning the little filly from bottom to top. Bits of orange furred skin popped off the bone, splattering on the floor as Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy approached.

“Scoots…” Rainbow said, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Fluttershy placed her forelegs around the blue pegasus, burrowing her head against Rainbow’s neck and bawling her eyes out. Rainbow placed her hoof around the scared mare, still staring at the flesh that dripped onto the burning newspapers, a sizzling pop could be heard for every drop.

The poor little filly didn’t deserve this, Rainbow knew that. Her anger was rising, but so did her fear. Before she could even think about trying to talk to Fluttershy, everything went black. Her body went limp.

Rainbow’s body slumped against Fluttershy’s face, pushing past her and slamming to the ground, out cold. “Rainbow?” she said, looking down with tears still streaming on cheeks. As she wiped her eyes, she looked around to see if something had hit Rainbow, unfortunately at the wrong time. She was bucked in the face and, like Rainbow, was out cold.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Shining Armor had returned to the foyer, finding no trace of the mares he sent to wait. He debated on whether or not to head up the stairs to the rest of the castle, or check the lower halls. Screams had come in from all directions, but a silhouette in the darkness caught his eye. He headed through a hall to the side of the stairs, carefully diming his light in the hopes to not be seen by a possible enemy.

As he came upon the kitchen he could hear the rain hitting the castle, splashing against puddles of water. A light already shined in the room, but the rain covered any sound that somepony could be making. Peeking through the open kitchen doors revealed the light to be a candle on the counter.

He slowly entered the room, carefully checking his corners as he entered. Just as he crossed the threshold, the reason the rain was so clear and loud became obvious. The door to the outside was open. With no one seemingly hidden behind any counter or chair, he drew close to the backdoor. Did they find a way out, he thought to himself. Muddy hoofprints were tracked in from the outside. He followed the mud all the way to one of the counters where they ceased to exist, he noted that whoever came in would probably still have mud on their hooves.

With the door still open, he decided to run outside. With no idea if all the mares had escaped or not, he knew he couldn’t leave. A signal flare above the clouds would have to do. He used his magic to shoot a bolt into the air, to which it exploded into several pink and purple lights lasting for a short while. This was the Canterlot Royal Guard’s distress signal, and if anypony saw it, they’d come to the rescue.

He turned and went back inside, his fur soaked to the bone. The candle had been snuffed out, dimming the entire kitchen. After he casted another illumination spell, he noticed the two filly sized bodies that were swinging upside down, tied by rope from their back legs to the ceiling. He rushed over to the two ropes, only to look on in horror as he found their whole bodies were covered in dried mud.

With a few swift smacks of a hoof the dirt fell apart, revealing a filly of white. He smacked more along the neck and down the head, eventually finding the suffocated face of Sweetie Belle. Her eyes had already rolled into the back of her head, and more mud had been poured down into her throat.

The sight of children being mutilated was far more than he could handle, especially in such a gruesome way. His stomach couldn’t take it, and he began to violently vomit on the ground, the remnants of cake still visible. Perhaps this was a good thing though, as once he finished he looked up at the cabinets, noting the red droplets that had fallen to the floor in front of them.

Painted in dark red, the words ‘YOUR WIFE‘ could be read. The look of shock and horror filled his face, then turned to anger as he snarled, stomping his hooves and rushing out of the room. He was determined to find his beloved.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The castle was too large for a pony without a light. Applejack had found her way back into the Great Oak Hall. She had been led to the room by a candle that had been lit by another. Before she took the candle and returned to the foyer, she stopped and sat before Spike’s corpse.

“Oh Spike,” she whispered to herself, her stetson lowered in front of her face. Some tears dribbled down her cheeks, slowly gravitated by her constant panting. She had been running the entire time, constantly looking for her little sister. When she came across the hall, she couldn’t help but feel for the purple dragon.

“Well I don’t care what that stallion said, you deserve somethin’,” she remarked as she shot to her hooves. The catering tables were still filled with snacks, the cake for the party laid half eaten. She knocked the food off to the side and pulled up the table cloth. Food stains and crumbs still lined the fabric, but Applejack felt it was better than nothing as she laid the cloth over the dragon’s body.

She gave a long, hard stare at the covered corpse, giving a sigh before walking over and grabbing the candleholder with her hoof. She walked out of the room with light in tow, able to continue the search for her sister and the other fillies. The sound of galloping startled her as she exited the room, echoing down the hall.

Applejack carefully walked the hallway, waiting for whomever it was to pass so that she could follow. As she paced herself, she remembered the first time she walked through that very passage. What I wouldn’t give to go back to fighting giant horned centaurs and being a prisoner, she thought, immediately shaking her head. No, can’t let myself think those types of thoughts, gotta find Apple Bloom.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Twilight remained clung to the bloodied corpse of her close friend. Tears solidified against her cheeks, blood stained her purple fur. Her eyes had ran dry, she no longer cried for her dead friend. Though the tears had halted, her mind was lost in a dark depression, which grew even darker as each minute passed.

The clattering sound of somepony walking up the stairs snapped her out of her dark stupor. She raised her head and illuminated the area around her, barely having the strength to cast any form of magic. She opened her mouth to call out to the unknown, but she failed to speak.

To the alicorn’s surprise, the white unicorn trotted up the stairs. Rarity’s light shined bright, illuminating the tired, tear soaked face of the alicorn. She halted herself as she locked eyes with Twilight, her mouth agape from the shock of seeing her blood soaked friend, and the body that laid beneath her.

Her eyes filled with tears, causing Twilight’s to swell up as well. Before Twilight could speak, she rushed over and placed her forelegs around the alicorns neck, embracing her in an exhausted hug. As she held her, she asked, “Wh-What hap-happened Twilight?”

“I don’t know!” Twilight yelled, her crying in full blast. The two held each other, crying and sniffling into the other’s fur.

“Have you,” she paused, taking a moment to sniffle and rub her eye. “Have you seen any of the others? I left Cadance down stairs.”

Twilight pulled away from the unicorn’s embrace, looking down at the pink body below her. “N-No,” she replied, her voice barely audible.

“We have to get out of here Twilight.” Rarity placed a hoof on the pink mane and gently brushed it. “You’re the only one that knows all the exits of this castle. Do you think we can find another door out?”

Twilight sniffled, slowly calming herself from her hysterics. “Well, since the front door is locked we could try the kitchen or maybe the backdoor in the basement…” her voice trailed off.

Rarity frowned and gave a nod, wiping the alicorn’s tears away. “Then we should try the kitchen first. We have to get out of here and call for help.”

“Y-You’re right…” replied Twilight as she slowly stood to her hooves.

“Would you mind going on ahead? I’d…” she paused, placing a hoof on Pinkie’s body. “I’d like just a few minutes with the poor girl.” Twilight gave a nod, allowing her request. As the alicorn took a step down the stairs, Rarity spoke up, “Oh, and if you find my sister or the other Crusaders, take them to the exit with you. If the exit is open… just go. I don’t care who you have with you, none of those innocent fillies should have to suffer the pain that we are.”

Surprised by the sudden mention of the fillies, Twilight turned her head back to look at Rarity. “Leave? Shouldn’t I come back for you, for the others? Aren’t you coming with me?”

“I will, I’ll catch up to you, but I won’t be leaving,” the unicorn replied as she stared down at the pink body. “I’m going to find the monster who did this and sew their eyes shut, their mouth closed, and pierce their heart with my needle. They’re going to pay for Spike… and Pinkie.”

The alicorn’s mouth fell agape in shock, she quickly turned around and began trotting down the steps once more, slightly out of fear of her unicorn friend. Whoever this monster is, they better not run into Rarity, as I’m sure we won’t be able to get any answers out of them once she’s gotten ahold, she thought, her face contorted to a look of pleasure and horror. A piece of her didn’t want Rarity to find the killer first, another piece wanted to watch what Rarity would do if she did.

Chapter 6: 4:00 AM - 6:00 AM (Updated)

Twilight made her way up the steps to the second floor, determined to find some bandages in the large room that was the multi-pony bath. It wasn’t a literal bathroom, more of a spa – she knew that – but she had prepared every room that had water with a first aid kit, just in case somepony slipped. Before she had even reached the bath, she stopped in the dance hall. The door was just barely cracked, but for a moment she thought something shined at her.

The door creaked as she slowly opened it, the shine nowhere to be seen. Instead, a body laid in the middle of the floor tied in rope. Horror filled her face as she bore witness to the gruesome sight, bile rose within her gullet. She stared down at herself, her own mangled corpse lay before her. Cuts and bruises, missing wings and horn, bloodied beyond that of how she looked now.

She placed a hoof over her eyes and shook her head, a piercing sound rutted against her eardrums. When she looked back, the body was gone. Instead, a shiny, broken disco ball lay shattered into pieces. The rope it was held with still wrapped around the shards.

“I… I must be going mad. Why do I keep seeing these things? What’s wrong with me!?”

Her rump flopped to the ground as she sat, wallowing in her self-pity. She placed a hoof over the towel, which was slowly soaking the blood beyond its capacity to hold. Maybe this is for the best, she thought. Maybe I should just give up now. The rope danced in front of her, begging to be strung up and tied into a noose.

“This murderer is skilled in getting around the castle,” she spoke to herself as she threw the knapsack down in front of her. “Maybe they’re playing some sort of trick on me, or maybe…” her voice trailed off. The mask and knife was levitated out of the sack and placed on the ground. She stared intently at the mask, wondering if she had the backbone to subconsciously kill all her friends.

“Did I take this off the killer, or was this already mine?” she whispered. “Maybe I’m seeing these things to pay for my own crimes?” The more questions she asked herself, the less answers she could come up with. “Nopony knows this castle better than me. Why would I want to kill everypony? This isn’t making sense!” She slammed her hooves down in frustration.

Minutes went by as she sat in silence, contemplating who the killer could be. It was then she heard a door latching closed. In an instant, she was up to her hooves and over to the door. Carefully peering through the crack, she took care not to make a sound. The hallway lit up as the bath’s door was opened, the silhouette of a pony waltzing out. After the door was closed, the latch once again sounded off.

She watched as the pony walked the other way, her eyes barely adjusted to the darkness just in time to see the white shirt and blue overalls turn the corner and disappear from sight. It’s not me, she thought over and over. I can’t be here and there, it’s not possible. I’m not the killer. Her heart raced, beating faster than ever before. I’m not the killer, I’m just insane. I’m okay with that.

After calming herself down, she wondered why the bath was lit up and why the masked pony had come from the room. How do they get around so quickly, she wondered. Careful not to cause the door to creak, she crept on the tips of her hooves over to the bathroom. Light penetrated the darkness as she opened the door, bearing witness to what was happening inside.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The unicorn and earth pony rushed into the last room on the left, turning and slamming the door shut then barring it with their own bodies. They heaved as hard as they could against the rampaging stallion that bashed from the opposite side of the frame. Over and over, he slammed against the door, trying with all his might to break inside.

“We’re not the bad guys, Shining!” Applejack yelled as she stood bipedal, her forelegs holding the door.

“I don’t think he’s the good guy, dear,” replied Rarity as she pressed her back against the wood.

They could hear gibberish from the other side, and then the slamming stopped. “Whew,” Applejack groaned as she still held the door. “I think he stopped-“

With another slam, the door swung open. Applejack flew backwards into a chest of toys, while Rarity slammed face first onto Spike’s bed. The stallion snorted and raged as he stood in the doorway, anger in his eyes as if his pupils had been set ablaze.

“I know it was you two! You’ve been killing everypony! Where’s Twilight!? Where’s my wife!?” he yelled at the two mares as they stood to their hooves.

Applejack glowered as she replied, “I don’t know about Rarity, but if you’re blamin’ me for these deaths, for Spike’s and Pinkie’s, then them’s fightin’ words.”

Slowly, Rarity walked towards the angered stallion, rubbing her back as she stared at him. “Shining, please. I was with your wife a little while ago, and then your sister. They’re both fine, just calm down,” she pleaded.

He raised up on his back legs in an attempt to strike her down, only to be blindside by a tackle from the apple mare. His head slammed against the door, almost knocking him out in a single hit. She raised her hooves to strike him again, but he quickly rolled out of the way and into the hall. The dizziness of his head caused him to stumble as he stood to his hooves and returned to a defensive stance.

The earth pony snarled and dug her hooves into the floor. “Rarity, I think he’s the killer. It all makes sense,” she muttered to the unicorn.

“What makes you say that?” Rarity sharply asked as she drew close to her friend.

“Canterlot, he’s the one that held the barrier protectin’ the city from changelings, kind of like how we’re trapped in this castle. I also found him standin’ over the knife that was used to kill Spike. There’s no way it isn’t him, and him attackin’ us under the guise of these halfwit accusations, well, it just proves it! I know it!” she quickly explained. “Lock the door behind me, I ain’t lettin’ him get away with this!”

True to her word, Applejack charged the concussed stallion, tackling and sending him towards the opposite room. The door flung open as he smashed into the cabinet, his foreleg dangling against the tub. Blood dripped down his forehead and onto his muzzle, clouding his vision. He could barely make out the blonde mane of the pony that stood in front of him.

“I’m not beaten,” he said as he tried to catch his breath. “I’m not beaten so easily!” With the last word uttered, he kicked with both his back legs, slamming them against Applejack’s chest. She landed in the hall on her rump, too slow to stand and charge before he could slam shut the door. Shining laid his body against the door and pressed his back legs against the tub.

With all her strength, Applejack slammed against the door repeatedly, just as Shining had done to her. “You lousy varmint! Come out here and face me!” she yelled, attempting to coax the injured unicorn out.

Her repeated slamming yielded little use, finally giving up on breaking through. She slowly trotted back over to the room the two mares had run into and gave a knock on the door. A meager yelp echoed from behind the frame, followed up with, “Go away!”

“Rares, he ain’t goin’ anywhere. Come on out, let’s go find Twilight,” Applejack replied.

“No! I’m sorry Applejack, I tried to sound tough to Twilight, but I just can’t. I can’t go on anymore. I’m just going to stay here until morning,” her voice quivered as she spoke.

The earth pony frowned, but understood how she felt. The idea of locking one’s self in a room and waiting for daybreak was appealing. She called out once more, “Alright, you stay here. I’m gonna go find Twilight. If that horrid stallion attempts to break in, just give him a good ol’ blast of magic. Okay?”

After a few sniffles, the unicorn responded, “Okay. Be safe, my dear Applejack.”

She gave a quick smile to the door and began trotting off down the hall. She turned her head to look at the bathroom door, making sure it remained closed. As she passed Twilight’s room, a sound caught her attention. She slowly backtracked to the open door, listening for the familiar noise.

Leaning her head in, she caught a glimpse of the open balcony door. Rain pouring into the doorway and flooding the bedroom’s floor. She let out a gasp and rushed outside, just as lightning brightened the city of Ponyville beneath. The rain covered her in moments, drenching her blonde mane and orange fur. She turned back around to head inside, and then noticed the body that sat against the wall, soaked to the bone by the rain.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Light blinded the alicorn at first, as she peered inside the bath – candles lit and filled the area brighter than if the sun itself had poured through the ceiling. She made careful consideration not to let the door’s latch make a sound as she pulled the door shut. The pool was slowly filling with water, already up three of the four steps of the bath.

She quickly rushed over to a cabinet that sat on the opposite wall, near the pouring faucet. Throwing towels out of the way, she pulled out the first aid kit and plopped it onto the floor. Bandages, pills, and other medicines were all stuffed into the container. As she turned her head to look at her wing, she noted the faucet had been running the entire time.

While undoing the towel, she turned the spigot off with her magic, wincing in pain from her notched tendons. As the towel dropped to the ground, she looked out into the bath and saw a bit of yellow in the water, surrounded by three grey accomplices.

This entire time she had assumed there was two, and the two killers would have to be good friends. It would make sense that it would be the two closest friends of the group. But this wasn’t the first time she’d been wrong.

Twilight didn’t think twice, diving into the water and paddling over to the cross of stones. She took a deep breath and dunked her head under the surface, attempting to comprehend the scene that reflected on the water above. The yellow pegasus was still struggling to hold her breath when she saw her friend. A smile broke on her face, causing more bubbles to be sucked out of her mouth.

The alicorn quickly went to work on the rope, casting a magic laser to cut the heavy line. As it slowly pierced the first rope, her magic failed to continue. The night had been long and her spirits low, the magic within her was all used up. She began to panic, forcing her to lift her head out of the water and catch a quick breath. With no magic, how am I supposed to undo this rope, she questioned herself as her head went under.

It was then, in that primal life or death moment, she decided to bite down on the rope and gnaw it in half. Fluttershy’s neck was released from the stones grasp, but she could not extend her head high enough to breathe the air above. Twilight quickly moved around without taking another breath of air, grabbing onto the second rope that constrained the pegasus. She quickly went to town, biting as hard as she could on the rope.

Without the cut from her magic, the rope took longer to break. When it finally did, she rushed to the surface and took another gasp of air, then returned to see how the pegasus was fairing. When she opened her eyes under the water, her vision was clogged by a dark red coloring. Her wing’s wound had been pouring out blood the entire time she worked to free her friend.

She trembled as she searched fruitlessly for the final rope, no longer able to see if the pegasus was still alive or not. Eventually, she found the edge of the rope tied to the boulder and gave it a few quick snaps of her teeth. As the rope broke she grabbed onto the harness of binding that entangled Fluttershy, dragging and pulling her out of the pool.

Fluttershy’s body plopped onto the ground, unresponsive to the air. “Fluttershy? Fluttershy!” Twilight called out, bluntly tapping her friend’s face. With no response, she feared the worst.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Shining Armor awoke bloody and bruised, his head ached from the pounding it took from the earth pony. He knew he got a few good licks in, but was unsure for how long he was out. He cautiously opened the bathroom door as he wiped the blood from his eye. When nopony seemed to be waiting for him, he crept out into the hall.

The door across was still closed, presumably the two mares locking themselves away to prevent another attack. He knew that if they attacked together they could overpower him. As he stood, contemplating his options, the sound of rain was brought to his attention. He could hear the pitter-patter of drops throughout the castle, but this frequency was different, as if they were right next to him.

He crossed the hall and stood atop the door that sat sunken into the floor, shoved off from the doorframe of Twilight’s room. For a moment, he wasn’t sure what he saw. Then, a flash of light painted the image into his skull, and he knew what it was. He rushed over to the bed, water splashing beneath his feet. The bed was covered in rainwater – some blown in by the storm that raged through the open door, and some dripped off by the pink alicorn that laid atop the sheets.

“Cadance? Cadance!” he yelled, placing his forelegs around her torso and neck. “I’m so sorry. I’m sorry.”

She had been mutilated, in more ways than he could count. Her horn, severed at the base. Her hair, shaved off completely. But the worst of all was the two empty holes where her eyes used to be.

Anger boiled inside him as he held the ragged body. He knew he had to find who did this, and make them pay. They couldn’t have gotten far, he thought as he looked around the room, eventually noticing a dimly lit light coming from a crack in the door on the opposite side of the hall. He gently placed the body back down on the bed, giving her a kiss on the forehead.

“I’ll make them pay for what they did to you,” he said through gritted teeth, clenching his jaw.

No longer caring about his own life, he rushed and jumped over Twilight’s broken door, rushing through the hall and slamming into the guest room. He snarled as he looked for the obvious killer, a single candle barely lit the room.

The wet, blonde hair shifted as it turned to focus on the rampaging stallion. The earth pony stood over a white shirt, blue overalls, and a black mask, all freshly dampened by rain water. Her mouth failed to speak as she stared into his furious, teal colored eyes.

“You!” he screamed with such force that it shook the candle’s flame.

“Shining! Your wife, she’s-“

He slammed into her before she could even finish the sentence, no longer willing to listen to the earth pony. “I’ll KILL you!” he yelled as he slammed his head against hers. With all his might, he grabbed the top of her mane with his teeth and yanked her towards the bed, slamming her ribs into the wooden hoofboard.

“Shining, stop!” she yelled, placing a hoof out in front of her. “I’m the Element of Honesty, I’m telling you the truth. You’ve got to listen to me!”

“My wife is dead because of you!” He lifted the wet, plastic mask off the ground and shoved it in her face. “I’ve got all the proof I need, I’m finishing this right here and now!”

The stallion then raised up on his back hooves to slam down on the earth pony, but she quickly retaliated – shoving her head into the unicorn’s stomach and sending him flying onto the dresser. As he came down, the candle shook off and landed on the ground, darkening the entire room.

“She’s not-“

Before she could even start the sentence, he rose to his hooves and tackled her once more. Through all the commotion, they failed to notice the third pony that stood in the door, silent as a mouse during their battle. The two ponies fell onto the bed as Shining managed to pin her down, placing a hoof onto her neck.

“You idiot,” Applejack grunted through choking breaths. With all her might, she sent her back hooves into his stomach, sending him sailing backwards onto the floor. She gasped for air as she rolled off the bed. Still breathing heavily, she finally yelled, “She’s not dead!”

As he stood bipedal with his hooves on the comforter – attempting to climb the hoofboard to fight once more – her words sent a chill down his spine. “Wh-what did you say?”

~*~*~*~*~*~

She pressed the pegasi’s chest over and over, careful to time the beats to what she remembered from her training. “One, two, three, four, five,” she counted, hoping that she could resuscitate her dear friend. Every ten seconds she would place her head against Fluttershy’s chest, attempting to hear the beating of her heart once more.

Do I blow into her mouth, she thought to herself. It’s been too long, I don’t remember if I should or not. As her counting went on, she became more and more desperate, finally giving in to holding Fluttershy’s nose and breathing into her mouth. She did this over and over, hoping each time the pegasus would spit up water.

As she continued, she became more and more frantic, finally beating on Fluttershy’s chest like a rampaging wildebeest. Tears filled her eyes as it became clear she had failed, but just as she had given up hope, the pegasus choked and jetted the water from her mouth.

“Fluttershy! You’re alive!” yelled the alicorn, wrapping the yellow pegasus in a hug just as she spat more water. “Oh, sorry.” She gently held her head in her forelegs, beaming with tears streaming down her cheeks. “I thought I had lost you.”

Through heavy breaths, Fluttershy replied, “Yo-you saved me Twilight? I-I thought I was a gone f-for sure.” She closed her eyes for a moment, smiling as she squirmed her body against the warmth of the alicorn. “Thank you Twilight.”

“Do you know who did this? Did they have their mask off?” she asked as she looked up at the pool of water. Her gaze turned back to the first aid kit that lay across the bath, as she waited to hear an answer.

The silence confused Twilight, causing her to look down at the pegasus once more. Fluttershy had opened her eyes, but the smile she had turned sour, creating a bleak and terrified expression across her face. The fear in the reflection of her pupils sent a shiver down Twilight’s spine. “Flu-Fluttershy?” she worriedly asked.

Before she could fully turn her head to see what the pegasus was staring at, a knife whipped down in front of her, almost cutting her muzzle. Blood splattered onto her cheek and chin. She slowly twitched her head back down, only to bear witness to the gushing and spraying of blood that poured from Fluttershy’s neck. Her forelegs became stained red as the knife was lifted out, leaving an open hole in her throat.

As Twilight stared down in horror of what had just happened, her forelegs still wrapped tight around the dying pegasus, she could hear the heavy breathing coming from inside the plastic mask.

Final Chapter: 6:00 AM - 7:00 AM (Updated)

The masked pony wiped the knife against its shirt, cleaning the blade as it loomed over the alicorn. Twilight looked up at the masked figure with tears in her eyes as she waited for the blade to be used on her. To her surprise, the crazed killer stuffed the knife back into the overalls and began to meander away towards the exit on the far side of the room.

“H-hey!” she yelled out as dropped Fluttershy’s corpse, confused why she wouldn’t be finished off as well. The door was slammed behind the killer as she yelled out once more, but to no avail. She then looked down at the lifeless eyes of her dead friend that still stared back at her. Placing a hoof over her face, she pressed close the eyelids in an attempt to shut them. Fluttershy’s eyes did not stay closed though, only sparking more of the anger Twilight held within herself.

Rising to her hooves, she bolted for the door to give chase and hunt the monster who was stealing all her friends. She grasped the knob and ripped the door violently open, only to stand in shock and awe of the painted, gruesome sight that lay before her.

Blood was strung along the wall opposite the bathroom, covering it from top to bottom. In the center was the bloodied corpse of Rainbow Dash. Her legs and wings were nailed to the wall, her wings had numbers written in blood. The worst of all was the cut that lined from her chin to pelvis, revealing her open organs that had mostly spilled out onto the floor. The entire sadistic art piece was brightly lit by the dozens of candles that filled the hallway.

After feeling sick from staring at the mutilated carcass of her dear friend, she noticed the numbers. The peculiar puzzle caught her attention, more so than the grisly spectacle. “Why are there numbers? Zero, fifteen, fifteen, eleven, four, what does that even mean?” She could feel her sanity slipping as she failed to understand the message, quickly turning her head to vomit onto the floor. After she finished spewing her guts out, she looked up at and noticed the masked pony standing at the end of the hall.

She wiped her mouth with her foreleg, gritting her teeth at the murderer. “You wanted me to see all of this!? For what, why would you do this!?” she screamed. The masked pony began walking towards her, pulling the knife from their overalls. “You want a fight? So be it!”

With a quick charge of magic, she released a powerful blast at the pony, grinning as it took the full force of the explosion. The forceful gust of magic blew many of the candles out, smoke clouded the hall and obstructed her vision of the hopefully fresh corpse. To her surprise and disgust, the masked pony continued to walk towards her, appearing unscathed as it moved past the cloud of smoke.

That’s impossible, my magic had no effect at all, she thought. That was almost the last of my magic, too. With little options she decided to turn tail and run, knowing the masked pony would be on her shortly if she did not find a weapon of some sort. Would an ordinary weapon even work on him?

Twilight rushed up the steps and waited patiently at the top, hiding behind the railing’s mantle. She watched as the masked pony wandered past Pinkie’s corpse and assumingly down towards the castle foyer. Once he was completely out of sight, she gave a content sigh – though she knew it wouldn’t be long before she was discovered once more.

She noted three doors were open, the bathroom, the guest room, and of course her room – Spike’s room seemed sealed tight. What she hadn’t noticed was the water that had been tracked across the hall, that is, until she slipped across it. With an absence of grace, she maintained her balance and tried to blindly see which ways the water was crossing.

Careful to not skid any more than she already had, she cautiously walked into the guest room. A bright white object laid against the bed, clearly out of the ordinary from the rest of the darker objects that littered the room. Her eyes were still adjusting to the darkness, but as she walked over to the white coloring she realized what it was. Her heart sank as she placed a hoof against the white fur.

“Bi-big br-brot-brother?” she dolefully stuttered as her hoof rubbed the stallion’s fur. His forelegs were on the sheets of the bed, but his back legs were contorted beneath his weight. The gentle push sagged the body down off the bed, hitting the ground like a sack of oranges.

Darkness shrouded the room, obstructing her ability to see the cause of his demise – if he even was truly dead. She slowly stepped around the body and onto a candle that laid on the floor. She felt the wax against the frog of her hoof, and quickly lifted it up. After removing the smooshed wax, she sheltered the wick and tried to cast a spell to light the candle.

Focusing all of her magic, she barely managed to create a soft flame. The magic fueled glow barely brightened her own hoof. This won’t last long, better make it count, she remarked. Lowering the candle down, she slowly looked over the body. It was definitely Shining Armor, and his throat had been slit. Tears began to stream down her face as she stared at the lifeless corpse.

Gently, she stroked his blue mane, unaware that she held the candle too close to her face. As she cried, the trickling tears dripped down and extinguished the barely lit flame. The sudden dimming startled her, but she soon realized what had happened. With a backlash of anger, she threw the candle across the room and screamed in anguish.

As she angrily snarled, a voice called out from beyond the room, surprising the alicorn. “H-Hello? Is somepony there?” The splashing of water beneath her hooves barely echoed against the hall as she trotted out into the corridor. The voice called out again, this time much clearer. “Wh-who’s there?”

Twilight stepped over the collapsed door and into her own room, water coated the floor beneath her as she drew near the bed. She could see a body shaking and stirring amongst the covers, curious as to who it could be. “Is… Is that you, Cadance?” she asked, hoping to be right.

The head turned to the direction of Twilight’s voice and said, “T-Twilight? I-I can’t see. Wh-where am I-I?”

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Twilight tried to reassure, wrapping the alicorn in a hug. The lack of mane startled her, surprised that something had happened to the usually elaborate mane. “I’m going to get you out of here. Can you move?”

“N-No. I can’t seem to move m-my back legs,” she responded.

Twilight held her sister-in-law close, not wanting to let go. “Okay, I’ll get something to carry you d-” Before she could finish her sentence, the sound of a match striking interrupted her, along with a light shining from the doorway. The sudden ignition blinded the alicorn, but before she turned to look at who lit the match she gaped at the mutilated Cadance. Her horn, hair, and eyes were missing, and blood coated the back of her back legs.

Twitching her head from the horror, she turned to focus on the light. Bright red eyes glowed in the gleam against the flame. “T-Twilight? What was that?” asked the disfigured alicorn.

“Y-You!” Twilight shouted with a low-pitched inflection. “You’ve hurt or killed everypony I love!” She rushed the monster, tackling him with all the strength she could muster.

The masked pony bounced backward, landing on their hooves with poise. A knife was slowly revealed from the pocket of its overalls. Twilight wasted no time, charging and slamming recklessly into the masked pony, forcing the knife to slip out of its grip and nick the ground. Quickly, she jumped onto it and got it within her grasp. The murderer grabbed onto a back hoof and pulled her away.

She slammed into the mask with her other leg and managed to rise up with the knife. With a glance and a turn, she shifted her weight and threw the knife at the masked pony. Her aim was off, slicing across the right shoulder of the masked pony and cutting the shirt they wore – the knife landed somewhere in the darkness. The killer quickly turned to look at the damaged cloth, feeling the exposed fur from underneath – but too dark for the alicorn to see. To Twilight’s surprise, the masked perpetrator blew by her and began running down the stairs.

Her shock caused her to hesitate, finally snapping back and chasing after the pony. With no idea where they went, she decided to double back to the dance room.

The door creaked as she pushed it open and then slammed it shut. It’s still here, she thought as she rushed up to the knapsack. The ground still held both the mask and the knife that she had brought up from the basement. A tapping sound echoed within the hall outside the room, causing her to quickly gather the contents. She shoved a table to the ground and held the knife with her mouth.

Twilight patiently waited behind the positioned protection, knowing she would soon be found by the murderer, regardless of her attempt to hide. The sound of hoofsteps coming close to the door caused her to grit her teeth around the hilt, gnawing in anticipation of what was coming. As the door creaked, her racing heart managed to skip a beat.

Whoever the pony was walked slowly towards the center of the room and then stopped. She could hear them breathing with panted breath, but was too afraid to leave her position. Another step, her bones stiffened. Another step, her jaw clenched. Another step and she finally stood and pointed the knife in the direction of the assailant.

“Whoa, whoa, it’s me, sugar cube!” the pony yelled whilst simultaneously backing away from the sharp blade that was aimed towards her throat.

As she saw the blonde mane, a smile cracked on Twilight’s face, only to immediately fade to a scorned grimace. “Back off! I don’t trust you! How do I know you aren’t here to kill me?” she growled, swinging the knife in a stabbing motion to threaten the earth pony.

“Me? Twilight, I would never-“

“I can’t trust anypony, not even the Element of Honesty. After everything that’s happened tonight, you’ve got to prove to me you aren’t the killer! Prove it!” she angrily shouted.

Applejack frowned and responded, “Listen Twi, there doesn’t need to be any hostility. I know that you’re afraid, I am too, but we’ve got to work together on this.” She then stepped forward a few inches closer.

“Not another step, Applejack!” demanded the alicorn, still holding the knife pointed towards the apple mare.

“Okay, okay. Take it easy. We’ve both had a rough night, but it ain’t gonna end unless work together.”

“Stop skimming around it AJ, prove to me that you aren’t the killer.”

“And how am I supposed to do that?” the earth pony sassed.

The question caused Twilight’s brow to furrow, unsure of how the earth pony was supposed to prove she wasn’t the supreme serial slaughterer that was lose within the castle. A piece of evidence bugged her, the idea of two killers in the mud stuck out in her mind. “Show me your hooves! Show me them and I’ll believe you!” she ordered as the knife shook in her hooves.

“My hooves?” Applejack questioned as she lifted a foreleg to look at her hoof. “What about-“ A rope swung around and grabbed Applejack by the neck before she could even finish her sentence.

“Twilight! Get away from her, she’s the killer!” a voice rang out from the doorway. The white unicorn with purple mane could barely hold the rope with her forelegs. She quickly transferred the rope to her magic and levitated it up to the ceiling, dragging the earth pony with it.

The alicorn watched as her friend was lifted and strung to the ceiling, struggling the entire way up. “R-Rarity? What are you doing?” she yelled her question over the grunting of the strangling pony.

“I saw her kill your brother, she’s the one killing all of our friends! I told you I’d find the pony responsible, and I’m not letting her get away so easily.” The determined look on Rarity’s face spoke truth to her words. Twilight quickly moved around the table, the knife still in her grasp, rushing and hugging the white unicorn. “The nightmare is finally over, Twilight,” she whispered as she tied the rope to a table leg, leaving Applejack to swing and thrash.

Tears streamed down her cheeks and onto the unicorn’s white fur, whimpering as Rarity wrapped her hooves around the alicorn. The writhing earth pony finally halted her movements. “I can’t believe it’s over,” Twilight spoke in a low tone.

“She had me convinced it was your brother for a moment, just a moment, but I saw her slice your brother’s throat open. Now she’ll never harm anypony ever again.”

Twilight thought back to all the murders that had happened, from Spike being killed by Applejack’s present, to the strange way Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had been murdered. With the strength of earth pony magic she could lift the boulders into the pool and nail Rainbow Dash’s corpse to the wall quite easily. It all makes sense now, even the mask smelled like apples, she concluded.

Rarity motioned for the alicorn to move out into the hall, taking a final look at the strung up Applejack before turning her focus back to Twilight. The worried look of concentration on Twilight’s face struck a chord with Rarity, causing her to ask, “Are you alright?”

“Not really,” she said. Then, after a pause, “I don’t understand why she would go through all of this, why she would kill her own sister. The pieces fall into place, but that doesn’t mean much when there is no motive. What could have possibly drove her to do all of this?” She stared down at her own reflection in the knife, blood still dried near the top of the hilt.

“I don’t know, honestly. Maybe she thought she could get away with it by killing Apple Bloom, since everypony knows the Apple Family always sticks together. Nopony would suspect her to be the killer of her own sister.”

“That makes sense, actually.”

“She had it planned from the start,” she sneered, “to kill all of us. If her and her sister were the only two left, everyone would accuse her.”

Twilight stared up at Applejack, noticing the swinging had finally concluded. “Why though? Why murder all her friends? Why suffocate her sister and Sweetie Belle? What was her overall goal?”

Rarity stepped between her and the hung pony, giving a stern look at the alicorn. “Twilight, we need to focus. It’s clear she also had outside help, she can’t perform magic and there is still a barrier around the castle. We need to head back to the foyer and wait for the sun to rise, maybe by now somepony is awake and can see us in the windows.”

She quickly nodded and then said, “We should stop and get Cadance first – she’s still alive. What Applejack did to her, it makes me just as sick. And Rainbow Dash…” her voice quivered. “It’s grotesque, I hate to even think of how she felt.”

Rarity placed a hoof on the alicorn’s shoulder. “Shush now, it’s over. Let’s let the authorities deal with the bodies, I already feel sick enough about my sister and Apple Bloom. Even worse for Scootaloo, the poor burnt filly, it just makes my insides tingle by thinking about it!” she shuddered as she spoke. “Oh, why are you still carrying that around?” she asked as she pointed to the knife.

Lifting up the knife, she stared down at it. How did Rarity know about Scootaloo, she questioned herself. I only sent Dash and Fluttershy down into the basement. She looked up at the unicorn who simply smiled in return.

“Dear, let’s go to the foyer. Don’t let your adrenaline wear off now – there’s no way I’ll be able to carry you and myself.”

Right then, a whiff of apples filled Twilight’s nostrils. The surprising smell jogged her memory of the last time she smelled something of the same fruit. The aroma worried her, but she knew she couldn’t think those things – Applejack was the killer, it made sense. Still, her sleuthing got the better of her as she asked, “R-Right. Could you light the way? My magic is drained.”

Complying, Rarity lit her horn with grace, brightening both them and the hall with a blue tinted light. “There we go,” she said as she finished. As her eyes adjusted, she stared at the colorless face of her alicorn friend, the sullen expression caused her to ask, “Darling? Are you alright?”

It was there, the light illuminated it well. It was ever so slight, barely shown except for the small tinge of red that stained the area. It wasn’t more than the size of a needle, but it was there. A cut on her right shoulder just the size of a knife’s blade. After a moment, she looked up at the unicorn whose brow had furrowed and muzzle scrunched – clearly annoyed or disgruntled.

“Oh darling,” she spoke up, “You were always the smart one, and a little too clever for your own good.”

The words struck fear into Twilight’s heart, proving she connected the dots. It was her, it was Rarity. Without hesitation, she slammed into the unicorn with what little force she had, barely stumbling the unicorn into the dance hall. With a simple gap between the two, she pointed the knife that shook from panic in her hoof.

As Rarity took a step forward, Twilight threw the knife as hard as she could, but the unicorn easily dodged under and out of the way – the knife sailed past her into the darkness. With a maniacal laugh, Rarity stated, “You tried that once before and that failed miserably, guess you’re not a smart as I thought.”

Twilight had already turned tail and ran, rushing down the steps to the foyer. She didn’t get far, as Rarity tackled her on the stairs, slamming them both down the steps. Rarity was the first to stand up, the light of the morning sun flooding in through the foyer windows. The rays of light lit up the dangerous grin on the unicorn’s face as she stared down at the injured alicorn. She clasped Twilight’s mane in her hoof’s grip, lifting it up and then slamming it into the ground.

“You couldn’t stop, could you?” she asked as she slammed Twilight’s face against the crystal floor again. “You just had to have all the pieces fit together nicely, didn’t you?” She slammed her face again, gritting her teeth with the angry tone of her voice. “You couldn’t stop THINKING!” The final slam, blood spewed from Twilight’s nostrils, her muzzle bruised and battered.

Rarity finally let the mane go after the last slam. “Well, no matter, I’ll just kill you like the rest. Though this will be therapeutic. I can’t believe you managed to save Fluttershy, after all I went through.” As she complained, she lifted the alicorn with her magic and slammed her into the castle door. A bone crunching thud resonated amongst the walls, her body slumped against the door, sunk over and pouring blood from her face.

“R-Rari-Rarity…” her voice quivered. “Wh-Why?”

The question enticed Rarity. “NO!” she screamed as she stomped on Twilight’s wounded wing, pushing on the two tendons that had been severed from the previous stabbing. “You don’t get to speak!” she added as the alicorn cried out in pain and agony. “Quit your screaming. You should have been grateful, you should have stopped!”

Rarity paced back and forth in front of the silent alicorn, a few whimpers coming uncontrollably from her bloody mouth. “I was going to you live, Twilight. I am the Element of Generosity, and now I have to take that generosity back! Look at how foolish you’ve made me!” She then backhoofed Twilight across the face, blood speckled across the floor. “Well, now I have to be more generous with the blood I’m going to spill.”

Slowly, Twilight lifted her head to stare at the eyes of her soon to be killer, noting how well she seemed to look the part. Anger, paranoia, and the adrenaline had been taking a toll on the unicorn, possibly part of the way she wanted to appear – a victim. “W-Why, Rarity?”

“Why? WHY!?” shouted Rarity. “You five have made my life a living nightmare, it’s been absolutely miserable, I prayed every night to be taken in my sleep! When I got my cutie mark, I believed I was going to be a great fashionista, a wonderful designer for ponies all over. Instead, I’m some fighter of evil, friendship-fixer. How many times do I have to forgo completing a line of dresses to go on some stupid adventure with you and the other four idiots before I get my big break?”

Twilight shut an eye as blood clouded its vision, she could feel her time was going to come to an end soon, and she needed a better reason than that. “I-Is that all? Wor-world recognition wasn’t enough for you, huh?” she said as she coughed up blood.

Turning her head so quick Twilight hoped it would snap off, Rarity scoffed with her reply, “You want to know why I killed all of our friends? You really do?” She bent down to be face to face with the alicorn. “It’s because I knew I could.”

Her mouth fell open in amazement, the simple answer from the unicorn shot a wave of anger through her, but knew she was unable to unleash it. Rarity examined the horrid expression on her face and grinned in amusement.

“That’s right, Twilight. You see, there have been many instances where I’ve stopped myself and thought, wow, I don’t really like my friends. That is, until recently, when I learned what true hatred was and understood that I could harness the hate I felt inside.”

“Bu-but, we were friends!”

“It’s true, I’ve known great happiness from you all, I’ve known it better than anypony else in this world – but that’s because I’ve met with the polar opposite, something you or any of our friends could never comprehend outside of Discord’s magic.”

Rarity placed a hoof on Twilight’s chin, locking eyes with the beaten alicorn before continuing, “I’ve got many reasons to hate all of you, actually. Take Rainbow Dash for example – never has a pony’s gloats come back to haunt them so greatly.” She let go of Twilight and turned to look up the stairs. “Do you have any idea how embarrassing her saving me was after my wings burnt in Cloudsdale? I could take that, take the embarrassment, but the gloating? No. Days and days, on and on, she would brag about the competition and how she saved my life. Funny, perhaps now she wishes she hadn’t.”

Twilight tried to speak, but was cut off by another example. “How about the time I had to listen to Pinkie Pie talk about her cherry things while we worked our way back from Dodge Junction? Cherry this, cherry that!” she let out a snarl of anger, the rage building inside her. “Of course, I’m the one laughing now. Those cherries tripping her sassy, pink mouth down the stairs – it was priceless, one of the few moments she made me truly laugh.”

A crazed giggle from the unicorn sent shivers down Twilight’s spine. She rested her head against the wall and asked, “Okay, I-I get it. But wh-why kill my brother? Why mutilate Cadance? Why… Why kill Spike?” Rarity looked over her shoulder at the alicorn as she finished her questions, the piercing stare would have been deadly if looks could kill.

“I had to start with Spike, poor little Spike. He’s the only one that I wish I didn’t have to kill – well, besides you.” Her blue eyes stared down at the alicorn, a tinge of green enveloping inside her pupils. “He knew too much, knew how I gained the power to kill. Not to mention he could have sent a letter to Princess Celestia and ended my fun too early,” she said, grinning hysterically at Twilight. After a pause, she said, “He found something that unleashed my magic and taught me how to hate. A little book he found brought the best out of me.”

“A book?” Twilight blurted, surprised by the idea of a dark book.

“He thought he could free me, but I was far too gone. A façade was needed to make him believe I was fixed, but I didn’t need fixing, I was already better than I’d ever been. Killing Spikey-Wikey was tough, but him knowing the power I held, it had to be done. Of course, I had to frame somepony else, and there was no pony I hated more than Applejack.”

“But why kill us all in the same place?”

“Well I didn’t want to chase you all around the town, and framing her was easy here. Choking Spike with her gift, the cherries were a nice touch since she worked with Cherry Jubilee, and I even wrote the word ‘apple’ on Rainbow Dash. More than enough evidence for guards to work with – but now I have to add you to the mix. I’ll say you and Applejack were working together until she turned on you, killing you and disabling the barrier you magically placed around the castle. Perfect plan.”

“Y-You’re a monster!” Twilight shouted.

Rarity took a moment to catch her breath, ignoring the pathetic insult, instead, she continued on with how she murdered. “I didn’t just plant clues for the guards though, some were for my own satisfaction. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle? Suffocated by mud. Let’s see that little squirt drag me to another disgusting Sisterhooves Social. Horrible, horrible mud. I did prefer killing Scootaloo though, burning her with the equally horrible things they wrote about me in the paper.”

“Th-that’s it? Just for the things in the paper? We all had stuff written about u-us.”

“You’re right, I didn’t have a good enough reason, but I had to kill her nonetheless. I did have a good reason for your brother and sister-in-law though,” she said with a depraved grin. She looked down at the angered alicorn who attempted to lunge forward, only to be stomped in the stomach and slammed against the door once more.

As Twilight slid back down, Rarity continued as if nothing had happened. “I had picked out the spot for Canterlot Carousel years ago, it was the perfect spot. My excuse for not buying it sooner was that I was still looking for the best location, but you know me Twilight, as if I didn’t already have the best spot. No my dear, I was forced to wait because ponies still remembered me from the last atrocity in Canterlot.”

The anger in her face dulled as her eyes shifted and her nose pointed up. “Isn’t that the mare who made the dress for the evil queen Chrysalis? Isn’t that the unicorn who failed to save us from the changelings? Who would want to buy a dress from the bug queen’s dress maker?” she said with a harsh, snooty inflection. “Did you hear those things? No, of course not, because your life doesn’t depend on you craft!” She paused, her anger subsiding, and then continued, “Of course, I was going to let you live. All because their complaints eventually changed to, isn’t that Princess Twilight Sparkle’s friend?”

“Doe-doesn’t that mean you should keep your friend, Princess Twilight Sparkle, around?” Twilight tried to debate as she sat, listening to the horrid reasoning behind the murders.

“I was going to spare you, Twilight. If I had, and we escaped, I’d be hailed a hero. The unicorn who saved Princess Twilight Sparkle! I’d even have let Cadance live, two princesses saved. Maybe they’d treat me just as highly as they treat you. Of course, that was all a pipe dream. I’ll kill Cadance once I’m done here, and I better hurry up. I’m certain your annoying brother managed to call the guard in the middle of the night. My fault really.”

As Rarity pointed her horn down at Twilight, preparing to fire a magical blast, Twilight raised her forelegs out and said, “Rarity, d-don’t! You could still be hailed a hero! Just use your powers to erase my memory instead of killing me! I know your grand power could do it!” She had hoped feeding into Rarity’s ego would help keep her alive.

The horn sparked up, green magic illuminated and formed into a ball of sparks. Underneath the forming magic was a cheek to cheek grin on the unicorn. “I probably could, but maybe they’ll make me a princess instead, being the last of the Elements after all. Not to mention they may reward me for killing Applejack, since she did kill so many of our friends – including you. I’ll be sure to burn your corpse after this, can’t have them detecting magic after all.”

At this point, Twilight had accepted her death, but something caused a big smirk to cross her face as she closed her eye. “After all the detail you put into this, it’s no wonder you were so good at designing dresses. You’ve got a real eye for it, Rarity. It’s a shame when you miss the little things.”

Rarity ceased the magic forming in her horn, the strange words and compliments struck a chord within the unicorn. “What are you talking about?” she sternly asked.

“You missed the only detail that mattered.”

“Me? I missed something? What was it!?” she yelled as she slammed her hoof next to Twilight’s head in an attempt to scare her.

“When I threw the knife, I wasn’t aiming at you.”

The statement confused and worried Rarity, not quite understanding what it meant. She thought back to the slice against her shoulder, trying to put together the puzzle of how it could connect her. It was then she realized the second knife throw, it was too high to be aimed at her. Her face contorted into a look of horror and agony which could only be described as priceless.

Applejack wrapped behind her with a chokehold, locking the unicorn in her mighty grip. She held tight as Rarity bucked and squirmed in an attempt to release the hold. Blasting her magic in all the directions, she managed to land one bolt into the front door, opening and causing Twilight to fall backwards to the outside. Another blast managed to redirect at her, sending the earth pony flying to the ground.

Rarity rushed to Applejack in an instant, grabbing the apple mare’s neck and squeezing as hard as she could. As Applejack tried to release the force, Rarity’s horn lit up with a bright green glow, another spell at a closer range. She quickly grew the advantage, but Applejack threw her back legs into Rarity’s stomach and sent her up and over, slamming her head down hard on the steps of the staircase.

As she began to move, Applejack was upon her just like she had been for her. Applejack grabbed her by the mane and raised her up, then punched her repeatedly square in the face and once in the throat. Blood poured out with every punch, her face becoming more and more disfigured. Her long explanation had backfired, releasing the adrenaline that kept her moving, killing, and plotting. Through all this, she still wasn’t willing to give up.

A quick jab to the throat ceased Applejack’s relentless punches, which was then followed up with Rarity grabbing onto one of the earth pony’s ears and ripping it in half using only her teeth. Applejack cried out as she held her torn ear, blood pouring out in endless streams. With the other half still in her teeth, she spat it out into Applejack’s eyes and head-butted her torso with her horn.

With the jab of the horn, Applejack fell to the center of the foyer’s floor. Blood covered Rarity’s mouth, it was the first thing Applejack saw as the unicorn sat atop her resting body. The second was both hooves slamming down onto her face. “You worthless,” Rarity yelled as she sent another blow into Applejack’s face. “Stubborn.” Another. “Inbred.” And another. “Vermin!” she finished the strand of insults with another head-butt.

Before she could examine the pain she had caused, she was stopped by a voice calling out to her. “Hey Rarity! Open wide!” She immediately looked up and saw Twilight was outside the castle with a charged up ball of magic – she had completely forgotten the blast against the door, disabling the barrier spell she had placed around the castle. As the magic ball left her horn, Twilight collapsed to the ground from fatigue.

“Uh oh,” Rarity said as the blast hurled toward her, unable to dodge fast enough by the strange position she held while atop Applejack.

Her magic was powerful, powerful enough not to take much damage from Twilight’s attack – but since the alicorn was no longer trapped within the barrier, this spell was far greater than the previous. The magic stunned the unicorn long enough for Applejack to have a real chance to counter. A quick left hook knocked Rarity off of her, and then she rolled over to be on top of the unicorn.

The volley of punches made sure there was no way to repeat the brutal fight Rarity was putting up, she was going to finish the unicorn once and for all. The white furred face had already swollen and been stained with blood, now even more so. Applejack panted, finally ceasing the beating. Rarity had stopped moving and squirming, simply lying there dead or too concussed to operate.

She slowly rose up and began moving towards the alicorn that lay sprawled outside, having expended all her energy. Twilight was breathing heavy as she saw Applejack slowly emerge toward her. The alicorn began to speak something about the heroic way she looked, only for her expression to sour and cause her to yell, “Behind you!”

Applejack didn’t have to think twice, simply rearing back and bucking with her back legs, sending both hooves directly into Rarity. Years and years of bucking on the family farm had built up a strength that no magic could ever reach. The force sent Rarity flying into the staircase with a bone shattering crunch. She quickly turned to see if the unicorn would once again move, if she was even still alive.

“Y-You alright?” Twilight asked, unable to see the final resting place of the unicorn.

With no movements, Applejack turned her head back to the alicorn and said, “Yeah, I think I am – now.”

Twilight struggled to move, blood covered her face and blinding an eye, Applejack quickly rushed to her side to lift her up. As she rose to her hooves, Applejack gave a chuckle. “What’s so funny?”

Pointing her hoof up to the sky, she then said, “Cavalry’s here, better late than never.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

The two mares had been strapped into an emergency chariot, soon to be destined for the Ponyville hospital. Their bodies were tied to the moveable beds with a white cloth draped over them. The field medics were busy getting set up to give them doses of knockout gas in preparation for their emergency surgeries they’d be having once they arrived at the hospital. Princess Celestia and Luna stood, speaking to the two before they’d be hauled away.

“I’m so sorry all of this has happened, we weren’t able to get here sooner because of the storm,” Celestia emotionally explained, a rare sight for the young student.

“We wouldn’t even have known you were in trouble had your brother not sent the captain’s emergency flare,” Luna added.

“D-Do you know if Rarity is still alive? What about Cadance?” Just as Twilight asked the questions, two royal guards rushed up the cart.

The first looked horrified but spoke as orderly as he could, “Ma’am, we cannot find the white furred body of the one called Rarity.”

The second added, “We are also bringing Cadance down now, she is in critical condition.”

Luna gave a somber nod and then sternly replied, “We must not let Rarity escape justice. Bar the doors around the castle, I shall search for the witch myself.” She gave another nod to the elder sister and then pardoned herself and left for the castle entrance, passing a stretcher on the way out.

“And I thought I was the stubborn one…” Applejack muttered. “How could she be alive, and movin', after all that?”

The stretcher then pulled up next to the second emergency chariot that stood by, a light pink body sat atop. Celestia noticed and quickly rushed over, almost vomiting at the sight. A face mask had already been tied to Cadance’s muzzle by the medics, leaving her in an unconscious state.

“Is she okay?” Twilight yelled, unable to see from her strapped seat.

Celestia turned her head from Twilight’s view, wiping the tears from her eyes and then turning back to the alicorn. “She’s alive, and that’s thanks to you two.” Twilight feigned a smile before sitting her head back down. Celestia walked back to be by her side just as the field medics began setting up anesthetic tanks in the cart. “They’re going to be taking you soon, I’ll see you once you’re awake.”

Twilight nodded, giving a bloody smile as the eldest alicorn walked away and towards the castle. She looked over the earth pony that lay next to her, a mask being placed over the orange muzzle. Applejack noticed in her peripherals and said, “I guess you’re next. I’ll see you on the other side, Twi.” Her eyes closed shut as the sleeping gas poured into her, knocking her out in a matter of seconds.

The smile faded from her lips as she waited, the mask had been placed over her muzzle. The wait only increased as the field medic called out, “I need another canister – this one is empty! Who put empties on our cart!?” Twilight watched as the medic hopped off and began walking away.

It was then she noticed the heavily armored unicorn guard trotting from the front of the chariot. “Had a long night, huh?” the familiar, feminine voice called out. Twilight immediately recognized the voice and squirmed against her straps. “Ah, ah, I’ve got you,” the unicorn said as she stood bipedal against the side of the cart, staring down at the alicorn. The canister suddenly turned on, filling Twilight’s mask with a burst of anesthetic.

“R-Ra-“ was all she could muster to say.

“You lucked out, Twi. I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye.” The unicorn’s face was covered by a full-plated helmet, barely showing the blue eyes of the mare inside. “I feel bad about killing Spike, I hope you know that. But don’t worry, you’ll be seeing me again one day, and when that time comes you’ll be reunited with him once more.”

“H-H-“ Twilight couldn’t move her lips, her body slowly ceasing her struggling.

The imitation guard stepped down and began walking into the gathering of guards, medics, and other ponies that had filled the muddy yard. The amount of time you spend with others, growing relationships, caring for one another, becoming friends – it’s all just supposed to happen. But it needs a little magic, doesn’t it? Doesn’t it? she thought as she disappeared into the crowd.

Epilogue: The Months After (New)

The desk lamp flicked on, illuminating the papers and pens that lay scattered across the desk. It was the only light source in the room, but it was bright enough for the purple alicorn. Scribbling a few words on one of the papers was all she could manage before slumping down in the chair to relax.

She tried to write as much as she could, but the ability to rest her back on a soft cushion was too pleasant to pass up. It was new to her, for the last few months she hated it whenever something touched the stub. Blankets, cushions, the bandages that were wrapped around it. All of it was a grim reminder of the severed wing. Now, it felt nice to rest her back without the painful stinging.

Though nothing was more painful than the humility she felt, having to live with her parents once more. Canterlot was nice, but she wanted to return home – to her home. Orders had come from Celestia herself to prevent that from happening, worried that the alicorn was not emotionally stable enough for her to return. She was right to worry, Twilight knew that, but Canterlot felt too claustrophobic compared to the quaint town of Ponyville.

A knock came to the bedroom door, startling the alicorn from her relaxed position. “Yes?” she called out.

“Twilight dear, you have some unexpected company!” the singsong voice of her mother rang out from behind the door, followed by the trotting sounds of her leaving.

Company, she thought. At this hour? She exited her room slowly and made way down the steps to the living room, immediately gasping at the two fellow alicorns that stood together. “Princess Celestia! Princess Luna! Wait, Luna? You’re back?”

The moon princess had been gone for a month on a trip to the Crystal Empire, guarding the Princess of Love as she made her first appearance in her kingdom since that dreadful night. If she had returned, then that meant the pink alicorn had returned as well.

“Hello Twilight,” a voice rang out from behind the two elder alicorns, who quickly parted to reveal who had spoken.

A wheelchair bound pony was sitting patiently with a smile on her face. Twilight quickly rushed up and wrapped the mare in a hug, surprising the blind pony. The Princess of Love had far more problems than Twilight did, but they never seemed to get to her. The lack of sight and ability to cast magic had left her weak, but not helpless. What had left her helpless was the slit tendons in her back legs, preventing her from ever walking again.

“It’s so good to see you again!” Twilight exclaimed, and then realized what she had said to the blind mare, causing her to recoil at her own words.

Cadance had worked hard at listening and feeling those around her, she could even tell the awkwardness in Twilight’s tone. She let out a giggle and said, “Don’t worry Twilight, it’s good to see you too. A month was far too long to be apart.”

“I absolutely agree. Your mane is coming in nicely, I think short hair may suit you,” Twilight replied as she fluffed the pink and purple hair.

“We’ll be going again in a few weeks, you should join us next time,” Princess Luna said, placing a hoof around the purple alicorn.

It was true Twilight wanted to get out of the house and Canterlot, but every time the suggestion was brought up, she chickened out. When she wasn’t home, she was usually at the Canterlot castle by Celestia’s side, or hiding away in the Canterlot library.

“I’ll have to think about, but first you should tell me all about your trip and how it went,” she dodged the invitation.

As the three spoke, Celestia meandered her way over to Twilight Velvet and Night Light, who stood at the other end of the room. She motioned them into the kitchen so that they could speak in a more secluded area. Once they were alone, Celestia spoke up, “So, do you think Twilight will go?”

The two looked at each other, then back to the princess. Night Light answered first, “She’ll go as long as we’re going – she wouldn’t want to be left alone here in Canterlot. She’ll also want to see Applejack again, so I can’t imagine she’ll want to stay here.”

Celestia winced at the name spoken, hesitantly replying, “Unfortunately it seems she has declined, while her brother and grandmother have accepted.”

“Oh dear,” Velvet replied. “It may be a good idea to lie about that, then. Her being there is a good incentive for Twilight to go, since they haven’t seen each other since she was moved here.”

“Yes, I see. Then I’ll let her know of who all was invited, but not who has actually accepted.”

The two parents nodded in unison, and then Night Light asked, “When should she be told? Also, will Cadance be coming along?”

“The ship will be ready in two weeks, so I suppose I will tell her tomorrow morning,” Celestia said as she held her hoof to her chin, contemplating for a moment. “Oh, and no, Cadance will be with Luna in the Crystal Empire during that time. I fear she is not yet ready for large crowds, from what I have discussed with Luna after their return.”

“The poor thing,” Velvet whispered her pity. “I suppose that would be for the best.”

“She’ll be in good hooves. As will you two. You should start packing soon, it won’t be long before you’re off to Manehattan!” Celestia said with glee.

Night Light smiled and replied, “Thank you for doing this-“ He was cut off by a sudden gasp.

The trio turned to the kitchen entrance, only to witness the shocked purple alicorn that stood in the frame. “Manehattan?” Twilight confusedly asked. Celestia looked to the two parents who gave a simple shrug, then back to Twilight. She gave a brief smile, knowing the surprise was ruined.

Chapter 5: 2:00 AM - 4:00 AM (Updated)

There was no sign of anypony in the foyer – the large, vacant entrance remained dark and humid. The light of Twilight’s horn barely illuminated the crystal walls as she strolled down the steps. Cadance had already vanished from her spot on the floor. Rain clattered against the windows whilst she lingered at the bottom step, taking a moment to soak in the solitude. Her heart still twinged with fear.

She made her way to the side hall, slowly walking to the kitchen in the hopes of bumping into her friends. As she walked the corridor, a dim light flickered against the walls across from the corner. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy must have found candles, she thought. Once she turned the corner she was met with a roaring fire that lined the walls of the hallway.

Her chin fell, leaving her mouth agape from fright as she stared at the orange inferno that rose to the ceiling. The sound of crackling and burning filled her mind while she watched the burning terror, unable to comprehend how or why the fire had spread there. In the middle of the hall she could see a silhouette walking towards her, through the flame, unscathed by the heat.

The fire gave way as the pony drew closer, a circle around the figure that remained clean of any flames – as if the air around it was chilled by their very presence. It was then she saw who stood calmly in the burning rubble. It was herself. She turned away, promptly shutting her eyes out of fear. She stood there with eyes closed for a short while before she realized the heat against her fur had vanished and she could no longer hear the crackling whipping into her eardrums.

As she opened her eyes, the hall had turned back into its darkened state, the terrible fire had ceased to exist – or, perhaps, never existed in the first place.

“I-I’m losing it,” she said, tears streaming down to her muzzle. She gave a brief sigh as she wiped her cheeks. I’ll be fine, she thought. I’ll just check the kitchen and then wait for Rarity. As she walked the hall, weary about the flames returning, she made her way to the kitchen door with a heightened pace.

Light shined from inside the kitchen, candles lit the entire room like a romantic getaway, but there was no romance in this room. Twilight soon found that out, as her eye caught glimpse of the mudded corpses that hung from the ceiling. She stared at the dangling bodies, quickly rushing over to them only to find that one of the dirt cocoons had already been busted, revealing Sweetie Belle’s cold, lifeless face.

Anger boiled inside her, causing her to smash the mud off of the other cocoon. Apple Bloom’s face was just as dead as Sweetie’s. “No…” she said with distress. Her ears flopped and her head lowered, knowing she was too late to save the two young fillies. As her eyes met the ground, she noticed the blood red liquid she had been stepping in.

The cabinets had been covered in red paint, splattered without a pattern or cause for the reasoning. The thought of it being blood crossed her mind, causing her to step backwards and onto some drying mud. Hoof tracks had yet to fully dry as they lead away from the door – one set stopping next to the island in the middle of the kitchen while the other went off into the hallway.

Two sets of hooves with mud from the outside, she noted. Two ponies with access to the outside. She slowly made the connection of the mud from the outside and the two fillies that hung to the ceiling. It’s not a monster, it’s a pony. And there’s two of them! The very idea sent a shiver down her spine. That has to be it, one to carry each filly body.

She scanned the hoofprints, looking to see if she could make heads or tails of the shape or size. When she failed to recognize the hooves, she looked around the room for more evidence. That’s when it hit her. I sent Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy to get candles. The entire kitchen was lit up by candles, possibly the brightest room in the castle.

“Can it be…” she rhetorically said, dumbfounded by the very idea that shot through her central lobe. “Two sets of tracks, two murderers. Perhaps the two that have been friends the longest out of anypony else?” The questions soured her face, she cursed the very thought of accusing her close friends.

It didn’t take long for her to return to the foyer, the fear of running into any of the other guests sent shivers down her spine. Trust slowly began to crumble as she drew from her conclusion, the two pegasi seemed to be the obvious killers, but there was no reasoning behind it; no purpose. Another choice was the only couple that was in the castle, her own brother and sister-in-law. They both contained magic that was great enough to create a barrier. Her heart sank as the thoughts filled her mind.

The storm was getting worse as thunder crackled, vibrating the windows of the foyer. Rain pitter-pattered against the castle with a rough enough force to echo inside. She sat in the darkened room, a candle next to her – obtained from the kitchen – as she waited for the white unicorn. A flicker of light caught her eye, barely lit down the right side of the steps towards the hall that she pointed Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy towards.

“Rarity?” she called out, echoing up the steps, still keeping an eye on the flame in the distance. Before she could call out once more, the light went silent. Her body trembled as the thoughts crossed her mind, contemplating who it could be. The shame she felt as she pictured one or both of the pegasi turning the corner only faded as she saw the dark silhouette of a single masked pony trotting down the hall.

Her brow furrowed as she tried to figure out the design of the outfit, but stopped once she noticed the speed of the painted red eyes. They were fast approaching, but the sounds of the galloping were overshadowed by the rain’s force. She quickly levitated her candle and tossed it toward the hallway, hoping to slow the masked monster so that she may run up the steps.

The flame of the candle didn’t even get to strike the ground, blown out by the wind as it sailed through the air. The masked pony rushed up the steps and was upon Twilight in an instant, grabbing a back leg and pulling her back down the stairs.

“Let me go!” she screamed in horror as her body slammed against each step, finally smashing to the foyer’s floor. Flopping over, she rolled onto her back and aimed her horn at the brutish attacker – their strength seemed unmatched for the alicorn, but she had magic. Her horn glowed, but before she could fire a blast, a pain sunk into her wing, causing her to scream and holler in pain.

She turned her head and saw the knife plunged into her left wing, right against the ligaments that connected the wing to her back. The masked pony twisted the knife as it remained between tendons, slicing against muscle and bone. Her screaming echoed once more before she couldn’t take it. A kick with her back legs into the masked pony’s face was enough to get them to stumble back and release the knife from their hoof.

It was her only chance to escape, she quickly rose to her hooves with the knife still embedded into her wing and rushed down the corridor the masked pony came from. It was possible that the horror had already sealed the back exit, but it was the only option now that the kitchen door was unmovable. As she hurried down the hall she reached over with her mouth and yanked the knife from the wing. Her pain would have to wait as she turned the corner.

Twilight quickly reached the door at the end of the hall, trotting past a large assortment of books that had been toppled to the ground. She grabbed the doorknob with her magic and pushed the door open, it lead to a large room of crates and boxes. The knife fell out of her mouth as she turned to close the door, witnessing the red paint of the mask turn the corner at the other end.

As she slammed the door, she quickly levitated crates against it, hoping the masked pony was not strong enough to push them out of the way. Unfortunately for her, the crates shifted as they were pushed with the door. The pony slammed against the blockade over and over, causing the alicorn to press herself against the crates. The will of the murderous creature was far more determined than Twilight’s, as the crack allowed it to push its masked head through.

The alicorn noticed and yelled, “No you don’t!” Using her magic, she grabbed onto the mask and pulled as hard as the murderer pushed. The mask slowly ripped from their head. As it pulled back to prevent the mask from being removed, the door ceased its movement. The pony had already managed to pull their head back behind the door and out of sight from Twilight. That didn’t stop her, as the mask flung off and into the room. With no resistance, she shoved the door closed.

Galloping echoed from behind the door, giving her a sigh of relief for a brief moment – only to have it ruined by her screaming as her focus turned to the black mask floating in front of her. She had forgotten she was holding it as the mask flopped to the floor, no longer held by her horn’s magic.

“Oh, oh right,” she said through panted breaths. She scooped the mask off the floor with her hoof, noticing the weight of the plastic disguise. It was large, large enough to hide a horn. She quickly illuminated her own horn and peered inside, hoping to catch a glimpse of a strand of hair or a patch of fur. A distinct smell rose from the mask, causing her to push her muzzle inside.

She let out a snort as the aroma became too much for her to handle. Apples, she thought. Whoever this pony is, they’re certainly a hungry beast. It was then she noticed the eyes were red inside as well, causing the wearer to only see in a red tint.

It wouldn’t be long before the unmasked pony would return, and so she knew now was the time to try and escape. The room she ran into was the one she specifically chose for that very reason, as it held the back exit door of the basement. Storage crates were brought in through this way, mostly presents from citizens praising the latest princess. She quickly navigated the crates to the outside door, blood still dripping from the pierced notch in her wing.

When the door wouldn’t budge, she knew there was only one way out – she would have to kill whoever was behind the mask. There’s no other way around it, she thought. Looking around the room, she eventually came across a purple knapsack that she slowly swung over her back, careful to avoid the damaged wing.

First things first, I need to find bandages, she surmised. After grabbing the mask and the knife and storing them in her newly found knapsack, she slowly removed the crates from the door to the hall. Before she opened the door, she made sure her horn was ready to fire a magical bolt, just in case the murderer was still around.

After scanning the open hall, nopony in sight, she trotted out into the corridor. Her cautiousness gave way to her curiosity as she walked the hall, noticing a door had been cracked with red light barely lighting the inner room. A pile of books had been strung out in front of the door. She slowly peered in only to bear witness to a scorched pole with bones tied to it, the flesh had been completely melted off.

She quickly slammed the door shut out of abhorrence of the gruesome sight. Her throat filled with bile as she realized who the only pony of that size could be, and she knew it wasn’t going to stop until all of her friends were dead. This incited more to the reason that this killer must be killed, by any means necessary.

With pain of her wing slowly returning as her adrenaline slipped, the alicorn crept into the storage closet in the hopes of finding some left over candles. To her surprise, the shelves had been completely emptied of both candles and matches. “Maybe it really is one of them,” she pondered aloud as she grabbed a towel off a higher shelf.

Wincing from the agony, she wrapped the towel around her wing’s tendon, hoping it would stop the bleeding. Tears streamed down her face as she pulled it tight and tied it, her wing barely fitting back against her body. I’ll have to get the first aid kit from one of the bathrooms, I’m not going to bleed to death before I see that monster pay.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The white unicorn sat cuddled against the pink horse body, remaining as silent as she could. The fear of being found by the monster immobilized her. She had remained tough and angry for Twilight’s benefit, but she could only cower as the galloping drew closer and closer. With gritted teeth, she prepared to run or fight the horrid monster, but stopped herself as she noticed the stetson atop the pony’s head.

“Applejack?” she called out, catching the notice of the earth pony who climbed the steps. “Please tell me that’s you, darling.”

Light illuminated from the unicorn’s horn, shining bright against Applejack’s face. Sweat drizzled down the mare’s cheeks as she panted extensively. “Rare? Wh-what happened?” She stared down at the pink, bloody corpse that used to be Pinkie.

Rarity rose to hooves but remained next to the body, her eyes tearing up once more. “I found Twilight next to her, something pushed her down the-“

Before she could finish, Applejack interrupted, “Twilight did this!? She’s the killer!?”

“What are you talking about? Of course she didn’t,” Rarity sternly replied with a grimace forming across her tear stained cheeks.

“Listen Rarity, I found Shining Armor and he said that there’s nothin’ else in this castle. Something didn’t do this to Spike, or to Pinkie. It was somepony, one of our friends,” she explained, “and I’m not sure I trust anypony anymore.”

Rarity remained silent, glancing down at the corpse before her. “You’re saying Twilight could have done this?” The earth pony nodded in return. “I just spoke with her a little while ago, she seemed so distressed. I… I don’t think she did, AJ. I’m not… I’m not sure.”

Her response caused Applejack to feel the grievance in her voice, but she understood what the unicorn was saying. She slowly walked around the corpse and grabbed onto Rarity, pulling her into a hug. “You just stay close to me, alright?”

“Okay. I told Twilight I’d be down to help her though. If I don’t show, she’s sure to come back looking for me.”

“Alright, let’s-“ she paused as she looked down at the unicorn’s face, which was frozen with fear. She quickly turned around and saw what had frightened her so.

The deep voice growled, “You. Both of you.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

She could feel her head being dragged by her mane as she regained consciousness, the pain caused her to gasp as she opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was the blue overalls of the masked pony, and then the dark red eyes staring down at her. Heavy breathing echoed from inside the plastic disguise.

The strength they had to move Fluttershy was inspiring, much less moving her by the roots of her hair. To Fluttershy, this observance was just as terrifying as discovering her legs had been tied, bound together by rope. There was a second set of rope that wrapped around her body and neck, but did not seem to restrain the yellow pegasus.

It was then she realized they had stopped moving, her hair no longer being dragged. She quickly looked around the room, only to realize she was in the bathing room. The room’s bath was the size of a pool, it was meant for many ponies to enjoy and relax all at one time. Benches and towels were strung around the outside, and the bath itself wasn’t very deep. Candles lit the area, almost creating a scene of romance or sensual sophistication.

The masked pony had dragged her down into the middle of the bath, water had yet to fill the pool. She watched as the killer walked away, up the four short steps, and over to a record player. It was the same player from the dance hall, Fluttershy could already tell that, but what she didn’t recognize was the serene music that began to play.

She struggled to move as the murderous pony walked out of her sight, eventually hearing the heaving and struggling coming from behind her. Three loud thumps caused her to jump a little as she struggled to break free from the rope. The pony returned and stood over her, sending spears of anguish into Fluttershy’s heart, and causing her to begin crying hysterically.

“W-why are yo-you doing this to m-me?” Fluttershy asked as she pressed her teary face against the floor.

The pony did not answer, instead it walked away and pushed three small boulders in front of her. The boulders were the size of Fluttershy’s head, though a little uneven on the sides – they were the thumps she had previously heard.

Fluttershy nervously looked at each of the boulders as the masked pony took the rope that was tied around her neck and tied it to two of the stones. The remaining rope was tied around the final rock, preventing her from moving her chest or back. She struggled and writhed, trying to move in any direction.

“Please…” she whimpered.

No matter what she said the masked pony ignored her, as if it was completing a list of chores that needed to be done. It took some towels from one of the purple cushioned benches and plopped them down next to the drain. It began shoving them down into the pipe, clogging the channel, and preventing water from exiting the pool.

“You d-don’t have t-to do this!” she cried and begged as the pony walked up the steps of the pool. She couldn’t bear to watch as she knew what was coming. Turning on the faucet, the murderer let the waters begin to flow into the bath.

With the boulders and ropes tying her down, she would be unable to move as the bath filled with water. It would take some time, but she knew it would eventually happen. She began to scream and yell, panicking and squirming all at once. As the pony walked back down into the bath and over to Fluttershy, she yelled, “Please, stop!”

It stared down at the pegasus, eventually tilting its head as if it understood her request. She started to scream once more, only to stop as the masked pony raised a hoof above her head. Just as her mouth moved to speak, the hoof came down, smacking her in the muzzle with a terrible force.

She was out cold, unconscious yet again.