Hours Loom 2: Electric Boogaloo

Chapters

Introduction: An Hour of Arrival
Chapter 1: 2:00 PM - 7:00 AM
Chapter 2: 7:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Chapter 3: 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Chapter 4: 10:00 PM - 12:00 AM
Chapter 5: 12:00 AM - 2:00 AM
Chapter 6: 2:00 AM - 4:00 AM
Chapter 7: 4:00 AM - 7:00 AM
Epilogue: A Shore Minute

Introduction: An Hour of Arrival

Author's Note

Just as a reminder, this story is a sequel. While you do not have to read the previous to enjoy this one, it does contain major spoilers to that story. If you're like me and don't care, then have fun!

Introduction: An Hour of Arrival

Dock workers shuffled in front of her carrying crates, luggage, and equipment. Twilight Sparkle stood side by side with Princess Celestia, watching and waiting for the other passengers to arrive. The summer sun and ocean air created a pleasant humidity for their wait. The workers loaded the crates one by one onto the enormous ship that sat in the water behind them. It waited patiently to cruise out into the deep sea. The cruise ship was monstrous, meant to hold three hundred guests and crew. The sun shined down on its paint giving it a shine whiter than Celestia’s own fur. It would not be holding as many guests as it usually would be. Today’s departure was a special trip meant for the families of those who were victims of the Castle of Friendship massacre.

The first arrivals were Twilight Sparkle’s parents, Twilight Velvet and Night Light. They had known about the cruise long before their daughter had but they took no part in its planning. When Twilight Sparkle learned of the trip she did not want to sit idly by like her parents. She had been wanting to prove that she was still a princess, that she could still lead. Of course, it helped to have Celestia by her side. Greeting her parents was easy, she’d been living with them since her hospital release. The dock workers took their luggage up onto the ship as she told them their room number. With a hug and a kiss, they boarded the ship to find their room, leaving her to greet the other passengers.

It wasn’t long before the second set of guests arrived. The Shy family bowed as they greeted the two alicorns. It was the first time Twilight had seen the Shy family since they buried Fluttershy. Her brother, Zephyr Breeze, had given a very thoughtful and emotional speech at the funeral, which was a surprise as he was not usually so charismatic. Things had apparently gotten back to normal for them as Zephyr appeared to be his old, goofy self. Celestia had found his behavior rather charming but Twilight quickly gave them their room numbers and pressed them on.

Two more ponies came wandering up as the Shy family boarded. It was another set of pegasus. Spitfire and Soarin gave their luggage to the loaders and greeted Celestia and Twilight. “It’s good to see you again, Princess Twilight,” Spitfire remarked with a smile. The Wonderbolts had shown up in full force for Rainbow Dash’s funeral but that had been the last time Twilight had seen any of them. She was happy to see them, though she had been expecting Rainbow’s parents. When she voiced her concern on whether or not they were coming, Spitfire answered, “We’re taking their spot on the trip. Soarin and I tried visiting them once or twice but were always turned away. We even personally delivered the letter for this cruise but they turned that away too.”

With Rainbow’s family cut from the list, it made sense to Celestia to invite Rainbow’s second family, The Wonderbolts. After a few conditions, they happily accepted a stay on the seven-day cruise. “It’s quite alright,” Twilight replied. “I’m sure the other guests will be just as excited to meet and greet two of the star Wonderbolts.” Her courteous words had left the two with smiles as they boarded the ship. She took a look back at the cruise liner, studying the massive amounts of windows that ran down the side. Two sets of families had already arrived, but without Rainbow’s family tagging along it made the ship seem even bigger.

As she stared up at the ship a slam of luggage startled her, catching her attention. She cringed at the sight of those who had made the startling noise but she forced a blank face. Two unicorns had shown up in full beach gear. Sunglasses, a straw hat, floral shirts, and sandals around their hooves. It was Hondo Flanks and Cookie Crumbles, Rarity’s parents. She had always wondered if they were really Rarity’s parents, especially because Hondo was wearing socks with his sandals, a clear fashion faux pas. She had to look past that because they weren’t here for her, they were here for Sweetie Belle and her memory. Of course, just seeing them again reminded her of when she found Sweetie Belle, dead and covered in mud. She wasn’t able to attend the filly’s funeral nor Apple Bloom’s or Scootaloo’s. They had all been within a few days of each other, all at the same time she was recovering from surgery.

“When we got word of a free cruise we immediately started packing our bags,” Cookie Crumbles had mentioned. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen your mother but I know she’ll ask me about my blueberry pie recipe. I made sure that was the first thing I packed.” The unicorn went on and on, rambling about how nice Twilight’s parents had been to them. Twilight simply stood still, smiling and nodding, waiting patiently for an opening to give them their room numbers and force them onto the ship. This was a moment Twilight was glad to have Celestia by her side as she broke through the chatty unicorn’s blathering, giving them their room number and sending them on their way.

Once they were out of earshot, Celestia leaned down and asked, “Are you quite certain you’re okay with them being here?”

“Of course, of course. They lost somepony just as much as the rest of us.” Her words were saying yes but the sweat on her brow and the slight grimace in her cheeks said otherwise. Regardless, Celestia let the subject go, not wanting to cause stress on the young alicorn. This was meant to be a happy occasion.

Two final families were making their way up from the road through the designated paths. Twilight strained her eyes, hoping and aching to see who all was within this groups of ponies. She had hoped to see one with orange fur, a brown hat, and golden hair. Of course, she was only getting her hopes up. She knew Applejack had already declined the invitation. Her family had not, however, leaving Applejack to tend to Sweet Apple Acres while they went on the cruise. Granny Smith and Big Mac strolled up first, greeting and bowing to the two princesses. Twilight had been to visit Sweet Apple Acres a few times after she had been released from the hospital. Applejack hadn’t really seemed herself since the massacre, of course, none of the survivors did. She enjoyed Granny Smith’s company and Big Mac was always the charming, silent stallion.

Their smiling faces were enough for her to keep going. She gave them their room numbers and they were on their way up the steps. Of course, smiling faces were practically unheard of in the Pie family. The only one that would have smiled would have been Pinkie Pie, but that smile had long been buried. Cloudy Quartz and Igneous Rock Pie had taken Pinkie’s body back to the Pie farm, burying her without a ceremony like the other families had. It was rare that Twilight visited them but they still held the same droopy faces they had when she last saw them. “Welcome!” she greeted. “I’m so glad you all could make it.” The Pie family was rather large. Igneous and Cloudy were the proud parents of Pinkie, but she also had three other sisters. Maud, Limestone, and Marble.

From her visits to their rock farm, Maud always seemed to be the most distant. Compared to Maud, Marble was a canary. The youngest Pie sister’s attitude had changed with her sister’s death. It was as if she took up the role of being the talkative one after losing Pinkie. Maud, however, had become even more silent and emotionless – if that was even possible. Whenever Twilight visited she hoped to connect with Maud but it always ended the same way. “It is good to see you too, Twilight,” Limestone answered for her family. They got their room number and went on their merry way. It was a rather short conversation for Twilight’s liking but they’d have plenty of time to catch up within the seven days.

All the guests had arrived and boarded except for Twilight. Celestia called up to the captain of the boat and he came striding down with his first mate in tow. “Yes, Princess Celestia?” he asked.

“All the guests have arrived and you’re free to depart. But first, I’d like to introduce you to one of your passengers, Princess Twilight Sparkle.”

He bowed his head and so did the first mate. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Princess Twilight Sparkle. My name is Starboard and I’ll be your captain for this cruise.” The captain was a gruff stallion with slick black hair, brown fur, and a grey beard to rival Igneous’s sideburns. “And this is my first mate, Porter.” He motioned to the pure white stallion that stood behind him. The first mate waved his hoof, a gentle smile across his face below his dark blue hair. He was a skinny first mate, smaller in size than Twilight and just her height. “Celestia had said you might have some questions before we leave. I would happily answer any of them.”

“Oh, I, well,” Twilight stuttered. “It’s just a few… that’s all. Like, how many crew members do you have, what’s the ship like, and can you, y’know, maybe show me how the ship works?” It was an odd assortment of questions, especially the last one.

Celestia had warned the captain ahead of time and so he took no surprise. “Of course. There’s six crew in total, including me and Porter. There’s Chef Savory. The waiter, Hors D’oeuvre. The maid, Gale Wind, and finally, our maintenance provider, Tricky Spanner.” He then motioned to the ship. “I can answer the second question by simply showing you around and I would be happy to give you a tour of the control room.”

“Six? That’s it?”

“Do not worry. Those four can easily take care of all the guests, and the ship is completely electronic and automated. Technically, neither I nor Porter really need to be here as we don’t control anything. We are simply here to make sure the system runs accordingly. If something does break we fix it.” As soon as he finished his explanation he noticed the twinkle in her eyes. “Of course, if you would like to learn how to manage the ship as well I’d be happy to teach you.”

She gave a nod. Ever since her recovery Twilight had taken to learning everything about every situation she was in. She knew every window within her home, the Canterlot Castle, and even her old castle in Ponyville – though, she never stayed there anymore. It was her little way of coping, and learning how the ship ran was just another thing she’d do to make her feel safe.

The captain and the first mate departed up the steps, waiting at the top for her to say her goodbyes to the eldest alicorn. “You take care, young one. I know this will be hard for you but I also know it will do you some good. You deserve a fun scenic cruise, so please, have some fun. For my sake.”

“I will. Don’t you worry,” replied Twilight. The two alicorns nuzzled each other and hugged, giving one last goodbye before Twilight trotted up the steps. She stood at the top, smiling down at her old teacher. The boat blew a horn as the first mate pulled up the bridge. Slowly, the cruise ship began to move. She waved goodbye to Celestia until she became a white dot in the distance. For a moment, she thought to run to the other end of the boat just so she could continue waving to her beloved mentor, but the ship’s size was already overwhelming. Her hooves were already aching from the amount of walking she knew she’d be doing along the cedar deck.

Unbeknownst to Twilight, her hooves would most certainly be aching soon enough but for a very different reason. Soon she would be dealing with more than she bargained for, as did all the other passengers and crew. For some, these would be their final days, as minutes pass by and the hours loom.

Chapter 1: 2:00 PM - 7:00 AM

A boat this big should have a name, Twilight thought as she walked along the deck. The top floor of the ship was on the deck, containing the rooms that were used for the week’s guests. Her room was the furthest from everyone else. The second floor of the ship was below deck. It held all the other rooms that were meant for a populated cruise. She wondered if she would have preferred the second level, but after seeing the size she thought better of her decision. A short rest before she met up with the other guests was something she needed. She quickly found her room and went inside, locking both locks and checking each corner of the room. It was a very large and accommodating room, most likely meant for someone with a lot of money or of high nobility, such as herself.

With every inch checked, she laid herself down on the bed, lying on her back. It was uncomfortable on her stub. The bed she had at home was plush foam, folding and molding itself to fit whatever pressed against it. This bed was soft but not foam or plush. Her stub pressed against it like a pencil’s eraser on a piece of paper. She rolled to her right side and sighed, letting the stub breathe. Her remaining wing pressed between her and the bed, ruffling her feathers. The room was stuffy and humid, not unlike Canterlot, only warmer. A large mirror sat to the right of the door near the bathroom. She found herself staring at it from the bed as she contemplated getting up and meeting with the rest of the guests.

Before her body could doze off, she rose from the bed and wandered off to find her parents. She made extra care to lock her room’s door behind her, stuffing the key within her wing. With her room being more towards the bow of the ship, which was close to the control room, she headed towards the stern, which was the opposite way. She walked the deck and came across stairs to the lower levels, though she was unsure what lied beneath the second floor. As she passed the other top floor guest rooms she stumbled upon the other passengers. Lazy chairs, tables with umbrellas, and cushioned benches lined the outside of the dining hall. She passed by Hondo Flanks and Cookie Crumbles, greeting them warmly. They appeared to be chatting with each other and taking pictures as they got comfortable amongst the deck’s furniture.

The dining hall was surrounded by glass windows on two sides. On one side, at the very end of the ship, the glass reflected the large pool that sat outside the hall. More tables lined the pool along with two speakers that sat closer to the windows rather than the pool. The other glass wall held a second set of doors, which she used. Once she entered the hall she could see the opposite side was just a wall, and the final side lead to the kitchen. The aroma of bread baking and soups stirring filled the room, wetting her appetite. An open frame ran along the wall in the kitchen, displaying the chef and waiter inside. The hall was more expansive than it looked on the outside, though it didn’t feel like it. Chairs still sat upside down atop the tabletops. It made sense for the few guests that were aboard the ship, but it made things rather cozy. She didn’t like being cozy with others.

Her parents were sitting with Spitfire, Soarin, and Granny Smith. She took her place next to her mother and listened to their conversation. It was mostly about stuff she already knew, having lived with her parents for some time now. “Of course, I just laughed it off,” Twilight Velvet had said. Her husband then added, “Laughed it off? You were red for a week!” The table laughed and joked and told of their lives. At some point, the topic switched to the other passengers that had come along.

“Why didn’t Applejack want to come?” Twilight Sparkle asked. She never had a full answer but there was no better explanation than the words from Granny Smith.

“Well, that girl’s got a stick up her butt over Hondo and Cookie. Ever since she blew her top at them at Apple Bloom’s funeral she hasn’t had the nerve to face them,” Granny explained. “Or apologize.”

“Eeyup.” The red stallion seemed to appear from nowhere, taking his seat next to Granny Smith.

Blew up at them? the alicorn wondered. “I hadn’t heard about that. What happened?”

Granny Smith removed her dentures and splashed them within her glass of water, getting them nice and soaked before plopping them back in. She grinded her gums for a moment before retelling the tale. “From my understandin’, Hondo Flanks and Cookie Crumbles had attended each of the fillies’ funerals. They seemed polite ‘nuff to me but somethin’ they said set off Applejack worse than a pack of timber wolves. It might have gotten violent had she not still been injured. Since then she hasn’t had the nerve to see them or apologize for her outburst. I don’t know if she would even want to apologize.”

As they spoke of the Element of Honesty, Hondo Flanks and Cookie Crumbles entered the dining hall with Mr. and Mrs. Shy. The two sets of parents sat down at a table together, joking and bantering with one another. All the guests began piling into the hall and the conversation at Twilight Sparkle’s table shifted back into a happier tone. However, she couldn’t seem to take her eyes off Hondo and Cookie. Their mouths never once faltered from a smile or a laugh, their eyes bright and gleeful. Was it right to invite them? Applejack should be here, shouldn’t she? It seemed she stared at them for too long as her mother noticed and prodded at her cheek, grabbing her attention.

“Dear, are you feeling alright?” her mother asked.

The alicorn nodded in response. “Just a lot of things to take in, don’t worry. I’ll be alright.”

Soup was served to all the passengers and Twilight Sparkle was the first to finish. Her nerves hadn’t broken her appetite as she pushed the bowl away, happy with the warmth in her belly. The rest of the guests seemed so lively to Twilight, even Zephyr Breeze and Limestone who sat together. It was rare to see Limestone smile but somehow Zephyr had garnered one or two, though, it was mostly from burning his muzzle on the hot soup or spilling some on a wing.

It wasn’t too long before the captain, Starboard, entered the dining hall. He had come to make a few announcements and greet the guests formally. “I hope you all will have a great seven days aboard this vessel,” he had said. “If you have any questions, please, come find me or my first mate Porter in the control room at the bow of the ship.” The captain then left and the rest of the passengers went back to eating.

Twilight rose from her seat and patted her mother and father. They knew where she was going but said nothing to stop her. There was little point in trying to sway her to enjoy herself, she no longer enjoyed crowded groups or parties. The thought of checking every inch of the ship once or twice had crossed her mind as well but she knew that would be too crazy even for her. Instead, this would calm her concerns. “Captain! Captain Starboard!” she called out as she came up behind him.

He turned to face her, his grey beard swaying with the wind coming across the sea. “Hello, Princess Twilight. A little anxious to learn about the ship, aren’t you?” She was surprised he knew exactly what she wanted but nodded anyways. “Come. I’m heading to the control room now.”

They entered the cabin that sat atop the bow of the ship, staring out into the sea. Buttons, knobs, and levers lined panels, and a ships wheel sat in the middle of it all. The room had a single door with large windows lining the front of the space. “Captain Starboard!” the first mate raised his hoof and greeted his superior. “I’m so glad you’re back. I’ve really gotta go!” Porter struggled with his back legs, dancing and trotting in place.

Starboard let out a guffaw. “Relieved! Now go relieve yourself! And hurry back!” Porter rushed out the door, leaving the alicorn and captain to laugh with each other. He began to go over the specifications of the room and the automated system.

“So how did you know I was going to ask to learn more about the ship?” she asked after a few minutes, interrupting his detailing of how the ship ran.

A smug grin appeared between his mustache and beard. “Princess Celestia told us a bit about you and your preferences. We are to be very accommodating to whatever you demand, regardless of how strange it might be. In fact-” He reached down to one of the compartments of the panels “-I’m to give you this. Please don’t lose it as I’ll want it back at the end of the voyage.”

It was a large rolled up document detailing the map of the ship. “Oh my!” Her face lit up as she eyed over the rooms and facilities labeled within the diagram. “Celestia knows me too well,” she murmured more loudly than she meant.

“That seems to be true, but nevertheless, she arranged all this for you. Maybe now you can enjoy yourself.”

“With this-” She rolled the map back up “-I can certainly start. Though, if you see me examining random areas of the ship I have to assume you won’t be surprised.”

He shook his head and grinned. “Of course not. Which is why I may as well tell you how to work the automated system. Maybe whenever you get bored you can run the ship and give me and Porter a break.” He let out another guffaw. He was a bit too cheery for Twilight’s taste but it certainly made her feel more comfortable.

An hour went by before Porter returned. By that time Twilight had already learned how to work the automated system. The captain was impressed by her learning speed and assumed that’s why she was an alicorn and he was not. “Well, I’m going to get some rest. Porter here has got first watch.” He patted the first mate on the shoulder. “Lay off the coffee, boy. Can’t have you relieving yourself over the side of the boat in the middle of the night.” He chuckled all the way out the door, leaving Twilight and Porter alone.

Porter took his paper cup of coffee in both hooves, the smell filling the air of the cabin, choking it like a drowning filly. “Princess Twilight, is there something I can help you with?” he asked, unsure of what she and his captain had been speaking about.

She shook her head and smiled. He was handsome, she’d give him that. His blue hair was a bit curly and a patch of fur was fluffed just below his bottom lip. “I just have a hard time with large groups,” she answered as she moved closer, leaning next to the colt. “I’ll probably be in here most of the time until I feel settled.”

“That’s quite alright. It’s nice to have company. The trips can get pretty boring for me and the captain.” The coffee was still steaming as he sat it down next to the console, still more than half full. “Luckily the captain is pretty fun to be around. Otherwise, I would have quit long ago.” His laugh was sweet, so innocent. “Passengers rarely ever come to the control room except to complain,” he said, continuing into a story of a previous cruise. She listened and laughed, enjoying the recounted tale.

The sun had already begun to set in the horizon before she excused herself from the control room. Porter wished her a good night’s sleep and she was gone. She wandered down the deck towards her room with the map in her grasp. Mr. and Mrs. Shy were holding each other, staring out at the sun. “Are you two having a good time?” she asked as she came across them, only meaning to greet them before continuing on.

“Oh, Princess. Yes, we are,” Mr. Shy said.

“Please, call me Twilight. There’s no need to be so formal, especially since you’re F-” She stopped herself, biting her lip as she thought of the yellow pegasus.

Mrs. Shy patted the railing, calling over the alicorn. “Don’t get upset, dear. It’s okay to speak her name.”

“Right,” Twilight muttered under her breath as she stepped beside the older mare. “How have things been? I can’t believe it’s already been a year and a half since…” she trailed off.

Mr. Shy leaned forward with his head past the railing. His mustache seemed to glow from the light reflecting off the open water, twinkling as his mouth moved. “It’s been hard. However, she had already moved out and been a grown mare for a long while. That doesn’t make it any easier, though.” His arm pulled Mrs. Shy closer, nuzzling their foreheads together.

“We’re just happy for this trip. It’s good to be around others going through the same mourning.” Mrs. Shy smiled and wiped a tear from underneath her glasses. “It’ll be good for you too, Pri… er, Twilight.”

“I hope you’re right,” Twilight replied as she rubbed Mrs. Shy’s back, comforting the mare, and herself. “I’ll catch you two tomorrow. Early to bed, early to rise.” She nervously chuckled and swung a foreleg awkwardly, leaving the two alone as she trotted off.

Her hopes to catch some sleep would become strained as she drew to her door. She lifted her wing, pulling the key from underneath and placing the map in its stead. As she placed a hoof on the knob the door moved. She twisted and pushed, opening the supposedly locked door. The room was dark and silent as she stepped in. I know I locked it. Her teeth gritted as she flipped on the light, preparing for the worst. She checked behind the door, underneath the bed, in the closet, and in the bathroom. There was nothing. Her luggage was unmoved, nothing was stolen, and nothing seemed to have moved. She locked both locks and levitated a chair over, placing it directly underneath the handle just as she did at home.

She threw the map to the counter underneath the giant mirror and flicked the lights off. The bed was softer than earlier, or perhaps she no longer cared how it felt. Her head rested gently on the pillow as thoughts raced through her mind. Why was her door unlocked? Who could have entered her room? Who would have wanted to enter her room and not move anything? It was a strange predicament but the answer could have easily been that the key hadn’t locked like she had thought. She didn’t know what to believe but felt safe enough with the deadbolt and chair. There was always one last thing she did before she fell asleep.

A light flashed from her horn, shrouding the room in a purple glow before fading into the blackness. It was a spell to prevent other magic users from casting anything within the shroud. Her stay in Canterlot had only increased her knowledge in defensive magic, she was prepared at any moment for the inevitable return of her.

With the spell set and the door blocked, her mind finally began to give way to the subconscious, and it wasn’t long before she began to dream. It wasn’t always the same dream she had, there was a rotation, but this one was always the worst. It was the worst because it always started out great. A book in one hoof, a fork in the other. Spike sitting in her lap, her friends all around her. She always got a good look at their smiling faces. There was Fluttershy, so kind. Rainbow Dash, so loyal. Applejack always, always tipped her hat. When it got to Pinkie Pie it would always start to go sour. Her neck would always be twisted and her head was upside down, but she was smiling and carefree.

When it got to her, when it got to Rarity, the dream would turn into a nightmare. Her pretty white face was bruised and bloodied and it would always scream at her. “Why couldn’t you save them!?” As the focus went back to each of the ponies, it would be much worse. Pinkie Pie’s mouth would let a flow of blood while Applejack fought a rope that got tighter around her neck. Rainbow Dash’s eyes were always rolled back in her head, her torso ripped from sternum to stomach. The worst was Fluttershy. She sat in her chair, smiling at Twilight. Nothing was ever wrong with Fluttershy at first. It wasn’t until she stared at the yellow pegasus for a long while before a cut appeared through her throat, pouring blood down her chest. The pegasus just smiled as it happened.

Twilight awoke in a sweat with heavy breathing and her heart racing. She always did whenever that nightmare happened. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she sat up in the bed, dripping down her muzzle. Her stub ached and cried out; phantom pains of a wing wanting to be free. After throwing the sheets off and heading for the bathroom, she climbed into the shower. She turned the cold knob on and closed the curtain. The cold water helped. It rained down on her, wetting her fur and hair. She turned her back end to the shower’s head, showering her stub and rump with the coolness.

After the quick rinse, she turned the spigot off and climbed out, toweling off her hair before the rest of her body. As she dried her rear, rubbing the towel back and forth, a strange thump echoed from her room. Slowly and cautiously, she opened the bathroom door, blaring the light of the bathroom into the darkness of the rest of the cabin. With her towel wrapped around her, she once again checked the closet and underneath the bed. No one. A groan echoed from her throat as she slapped her temple with the back of her hoof. She removed the chair and unlocked the deadbolt, throwing the towels on the bed. Levitating the key to the door, she pressed it in and made sure it would lock. After doing this three times in a row, she closed the door and locked it, tucking the key underneath her wing before leaving for a walk.

It was just a dream, she told herself. You’re being stupid. She walked to the stern of the ship, not wanting to alarm Porter or Starboard or any other crew member. The ship wasn’t dark by any means. Lights lit the deck’s paths, making the ship a beacon out at sea. If that wasn’t enough, the full moon gave even more light to the large ship. It was a long, bright walk to the pool, though it wasn’t long enough for her. She barely got herself straightened out as she sat down on one of the cushioned benches against the railing of the ship. Resting both forelegs along the rail, she leaned against them. A slight wind breezed her wet hair and the ocean waves were a pleasant, soothing white noise.

The noise was disturbed by another and she looked to see what it could be. A pony she had seen but didn’t know was exiting the dining hall. His fur was forest green and his hair was pure white. His face was unsightly, matted fur and scars running up and down his cheeks. He was an earth pony like the captain and first mate. A food tray was being carried in one hoof, a meal for the night owl. She thought to speak to him then and there but he had caught sight of her. The curves of his muzzle seemed to frown harder as he saw her. He said nothing, instead, he turned away and left, carrying his tray.

She let a few minutes pass to see if he would return but he did not. What a strange stallion, she thought to herself as she walked along the deck, heading back to her room. Though, perhaps he thought I was just as strange.

As she passed by the stairs to the lower level a voice rang out, startling her. “Boo!” it said. She pressed her body against the railing, standing far enough away from the shadowed pony. Her heart raced as the bright mint colored stallion stepped up from the steps with a smile on his face. “Of all the ponies to be wandering around at night, I wouldn’t have expected you,” Zephyr said, his blonde hair in a bun.

“Zephyr!” she growled and smacked the slacker in his shoulder. “You shouldn’t scare ponies like that!”

“Oh come on. Boo isn’t scary,” he said as he rolled his eyes. “Heck, you’re the one here that should know the most about things that go bump in the night.” A giggle left his lips as if he meant to tell a joke.

“That’s not funny, Zephyr.”

He simply shrugged and then went about his business, heading the way she had just come. His careless attitude was enough to get under her skin, and her heart racing would definitely be keeping her up for the rest of the night. Nevertheless, she returned to her room, her door had remained locked this time. She didn’t feel it necessary to check the closet and bathroom again, she assumed she wouldn’t sleep anyways. The deadbolt and chair were enough to make her feel safe.

It wasn’t long before she did fall asleep, though. This time, there was no dreams. She liked that. No dreams meant no nightmares, and no nightmares meant no waking up in a cold sweat. Unfortunately, she was still woken at an early hour, banging coming from her door. Her stub ached as she rose and removed the chair, unlocking both locks at the same time. The door swung open and a mare in a white outfit stood before her. She was a short mare with brown hair and tan fur. Two wings extended through holes in the outfit. She seemed to be trembling, her hooves wrapped around a broom.

“G-Good morning, Princess Twilight. I, uh, I’m s-sorry to have disturbed you so early,” the mare said.

“It’s alright,” Twilight replied, sternly and sleepily. “What is it you need?”

“We-well, t-the uh, the captain and first mate aren’t in the control room. I was, well, I had hoped you might h-have seen them or knew where they were.”

Starboard and Porter were missing? She didn’t want to show it to the already nervous mare but that made her very worried. They said that there must always be one pony in there, that’s what they said. Twilight waved her hoof at the maid. “I’m sure they’re fine, Porter seemed like the type of colt to drink a little too much liquid. I’ll bet one of them is already back but I’ll make sure.” She gave a reassuring smile, though, she was unsure if it was for the maid or herself.

“Oh! T-Thank you, Princess!” The mare seemed to have calmed down.

“Please, call me Twilight. And what is your name?”

“I’m G-Gale, Gale Wind. It’s an honor to meet you, Twilight.”

“It’s my pleasure as well,” Twilight answered most graciously. The maid walked off and Twilight grabbed her key, closing and locking the door behind her. She quickly made her way to the front of the ship and stepped inside the open control room. The maid had been right, there was no one there. She carefully examined the room, noticing the coffee cup that sat closely to where Porter had it the previous night. It was cold but still half full.

Quickly, she raced down the deck. She knew where the crew’s quarters were and wanted to wake the captain, or at least, that’s what she hoped would happen. As she got to the stairs, her mother and father called to her from one of the tables with the umbrellas. Mr. and Mrs. Shy were sitting with them, enjoying fruit drinks with fancy straws. “Hey, something has gone wrong,” Twilight said as she drew close. “There’s nobody in the control room and even the maid was nervous about that.” She didn’t wait to speak pleasantries, too focused on the absence of two important crew members.

“Twilight, calm down,” Night Light said. “I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation for that.”

“Have any of you seen them?” The four parents shook their heads. The sun had just barely risen from the horizon, too early for some of the passengers. “I’m going to check the captain’s quarters.”

“Twilight!” her mother called out, but it was too late, she had already turned and rushed down the steps to the second level.

It was dimmer in the halls than that on the deck. Rows upon rows of cabins lined the halls. None of these rooms were used for the current passengers, all meant for the regular amount of guests. At the end of the floor was the crew’s quarters. It was a separate wall and hall from the guests but still close enough to be reached if need be. The captain’s was at the very end of the final hall. She rushed up and slammed on the door, removing any courtesy she would have once had.

When the door did not open and no noise came from inside, she teleported into the room. It was dark, incredibly dark. Her horn quickly ignited, brightening the room. She unlocked the door and flipped the switch, giving the rest of the room its light. There was no sign of the captain. The bed sheets hadn’t been moved and the shower and sink remained dry. She did the same for the first mate’s quarters but to the same result. It was as if they fell overboard in the middle of the night, vanishing in an instant.

She trotted back up to the deck, searching for her parents. They had been right where she left them. Their faces and the Shy’s faces looked worried, though, it was only because her own face was panicked. “They’re not in their cabin, they’re not at the control room. I can’t find them!”

“Oh dear, what should we do?” Mr. Shy asked, a lilt of discomfort in his voice.

“Now, calm down. Twilight, you’re sure they’re not in the control room?” Night Light asked as if he didn’t believe his daughter. “They might have been forced to go below deck, they could be back there right now. They might have gone up a different set of stairs even.”

His words did little to comfort the alicorn. “No! I’m telling you something is wrong.”

“Dear, go with her to the control room and have a look for yourself. I’ll take the Shy’s here to the dining hall and we’ll wait with the others till you get back with news, okay?” Twilight Velvet placed her hoof on her husband’s cheek, her eyes saying more than her words. Whether she believed something had happened or not, it did not matter, because her child believed something had.

He gave a sigh and rose from his seat, sipping down the last of whatever he was drinking. “Alright honey, let’s go.”

Twilight led him across the deck to the bow of the ship, entering the control and giving a mocking tone. “See? No pony! They both said that one of them has to be in here at all times in order to make sure the ship is…”

As Night Light examined the room for himself, he asked, “Is what?” He turned to look at her but she was gone. He rushed out of the room and found her staring down over the side of the boat. “Hello? Equestria to Twilight?” He stepped closer. “What do they make sure the ship is doing?”

Her face turned to him, pale and grimacing. Her lips barely moved as she answered through clenched teeth. “They make sure the ship is moving.”

Chapter 2: 7:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Waves slapped the side of the still ship. There was no movement coming from the large vessel. Twilight Sparkle and her father stood bipedal, staring down at the water. “We have to find Starboard or Porter. If the ship is stopped and they’re missing then something has gone wrong.” The alicorn stepped back into the control room, staring at the controls she barely understood how to use. “We should start a search, everyone will need to know of their disappearance,” she said as she turned back to her father.

His face seemed to scoff at the thought of her plan but he gave a nod. She was still an alicorn and a princess, and he had more faith in her than most ponies would. “Let’s go back and meet with your mother, we’ll tell the others and form parties to search the ship.” As they trotted back to the dining hall he asked, “Do you think they might have fallen overboard?”

She shook her head. “A captain and first mate? Maybe one or the other but not both, and it wouldn’t explain why the ship has stopped.”

The dining hall had been packed with the guests, chatting and wondering why they were all being cooped up so early in the morn. Twilight Velvet ushered everyone to remain calm but could only do so much. She smiled with glee at her husband and daughter as they opened the glass doors, only to frown when she saw their expressions. The crowd of ponies shifted to silence at the sight of the two. “Any news?” Igneous Rock asked, his monotone inflection held little emotion other than curiosity.

“I couldn’t find the captain or the first mate, neither seemed to have slept at all during the night.” She trotted down the two steps into the dining hall, noticing one of the crew. “You there!” she called to the chef. “Do you know of any place where the captain could have gone? Any places he might stow away for the night other than his quarters?”

Chef Savory slammed the bulky blade down on a row of asparagus. His chubby face didn’t even look up at the alicorn as he answered. “No. If Starboard’s gone missing and the ship isn’t running then the radio bay is what you’ll want. I ain’t got half the brain to know how to use it, though. Porter would, but apparently, that stupid colt’s missing too.” Another slice cut down on the spears of the asparagus. “They’ll turn up eventually.” His eyes shifted up from the cutting board to match Twilight’s. “Unless they went overboard. Perhaps, thrown overboard in the middle of night.”

Murmurs spread throughout the group of ponies, they were all thinking the same thing Twilight had been. She turned back to the crowd who waited with bated breath for her leadership. She was an alicorn, she was a princess, and she could lead them to safety if need be. Sweat dribbled down her brow as she saw that all eyes were on her. “Alright, everypony,” she started. “Let’s form a few groups to go and search for the captain and the first mate. We’ll have to search every nook and cranny. If we don’t find them we’ll have to assume they’ve gone overboard and I’ll have to try to reset the automated system myself.”

“That’s a good idea. If we all search the ship then surely we could find some clues as to where they went,” Twilight Velvet agreed.

“Some of us are too old to be scamperin’ through the bowels of this here ship,” Granny Smith rejected the notion. “Perhaps it’d be better to send the youngin’s instead. All of us bumpin’ and scarin’ the living daylights out of each other just spells bad news.”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac agreed, he usually did with Granny.

The parent ponies stuck together outside the dining hall or headed back to their guest rooms. Twilight was left in charge of the rest. Of course, the rest was only Limestone and Maud, Zephyr Breeze, and Spitfire and Soarin. “Big Mac, you and Marble want to-” She stopped herself as she noticed the red stallion comforting the shaken mare. Marble had returned to her silent nature, humming responses and nodding or shaking her head. “Er, nevermind.” She turned back to the five ponies, glancing over the Pie’s and Zephyr with unease. “Limestone and Zephyr can check the second floor guest bedrooms. Soarin and Spitfire, you two should investigate up here and question the chef a bit more.”

The two sets of ponies nodded and took their leave. Maud was the only one who remained. The blank stare of the earth pony was enough to unnerve the most hardened of ponies. “I would recommend checking the bottom levels first.” Her voice was devoid of emotion, leaving those to hear it unsure if she was sarcastic or enthusiastic.

Twilight simply smiled in response, motioning for Maud to lead the way. She would have preferred to look with Marble but this was the card she had been dealt. She looked at Marble and Big Mac, giving the stallion a nod before exiting the hall. She caught up to Maud who walked with Zephyr and Limestone. The two groups broke off, one to go lower down the stairs while the other checked the second floor. Maud and Twilight went straight for the fifth floor, which was also the last floor of the ship, and began the search for the missing crew. She thought to strike up a conversation with the silent mare but figured it was better to keep an eye out for Starboard and Porter. The stairs lead directly into a hall of storage containers with rooms on both sides.

It was a fairly large room and would take a decent while to check. However, Maud stayed by Twilight’s side, following along with wherever she went. “Perhaps we should split up, cover more ground?” Twilight suggested, hoping to be rid of the shadow.

“It would be unwise to leave your side as two sets of eyes are better than one. Covering more ground would be pointless if you or I miss something.”

Maud’s argument was sound, Twilight couldn’t deny that, but she didn’t have to like it. The storage room was filled with containers that could be holding a tied up pony, however, very few of them seemed to be opened and those that had been also had their lids tossed away. They searched between and behind every crate, finding nothing, and moving on to the next room. It was there that they came across the maid who was busily folding sheets and blankets fresh out of the dryers. As they entered the cold, metal room, they startled the mare, causing her to yelp.

The maid placed a hoof on her heart. “Oh my, s-sorry. You two scared me. Wait, p-princess? What’s going on?”

“Sorry. We’re looking for Starboard and Porter. At the moment, we’re checking over every inch to find them. For some reason the boat has stopped moving and we need them to fix it,” Twilight explained as she came closer to the maid.

“S-Stopped!?” Gale shouted, unhappy with the revelation. “And you still haven’t found them? This isn’t good. This isn’t good at all!” She dropped the clean blanket to the ground and ran past them out of the room, leaving the dryer open and the sheet where it lay.

After the maid had gone, the two finished searching the laundry room. The way she had acted sparked a memory within Twilight. Running off by her lonesome, that’s what the girls did. She grimaced at the idea of anypony ending up like they had. Two were choked by mud and slathered in it, another was burned to death at a stake. She could still vividly remember the sight of the melted flesh of Scootaloo, pulsing and mashing blood and muscle with blackened bits.

“Twilight.”

The sudden call of her named startled her, dragging her back out from the horrid memory. She looked to Maud who stared blankly, waiting and watching. “Y-Yes, Maud?”

“There is nothing here and you were daydreaming.”

She hadn’t realized she had been staring at the inside of the dryer for the last few minutes. “Right, sorry. Let’s head to the other side of the storage area. Maybe we’ll find them there.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

“So, you think somepony may have pushed them overboard?”

Spitfire was more interested in the somepony rather than the may have. Soarin looked through the cabinets within the kitchen as she questioned the chef. He was a chubby fellow with a light red fur and brown hair. His cutie mark expanded with the size of his flank, a set of different kinds of vegetables. Spitfire wondered if he might have tried to eat his own rump once or twice.

“I have always hated working skeleton shifts. They always call on me to help but I am just a chef, I know nothing except how to cook. This they know,” the stallion replied as he removed his apron.

“Who do you think would have reason to push them? Do you know the other crew members fairly well, maybe one of them?”

He groaned and threw the apron in the sink. “Maybe no one push. Maybe they jump into ocean and drown themselves because they hate skeleton shift just as much as me. Who knows, who cares? Let’s just get in lifeboats and go home.”

Soarin perked up from one of the cabinets. “Where are the lifeboats? Do you know?”

“Storage room, crew quarters, control room. All over. It is on all the maps. I may just go get mine and inflate it now. They can dock my pay if they want. I was five-star chef in Manehattan once, I do not have to put up with other amateur staff.” The chef rambled and ranted as he shoved open the kitchen door and exited the room, leaving the two Wonderbolts alone.

“I like him. Seems down to earth,” Soarin said with a bit of snark. “I’ve checked in here. Nothing to be seen except some cluttered kitchen utensils.”

Spitfire chewed on her bottom lip as she became lost in thought. Soarin gave a bump on her rump to gain her attention. “Hm? Oh. Did you check in there?” She pointed to the freezer.

“It’s cold in there, of course I didn’t.”

She slapped him across his hide and gave a grin. “As your superior, I command you to get in there!”

His eyes met hers as he glared and grimaced, exaggerating a groan as he waltzed over and opened the frozen metal container. He leaned his head in to get a good look at all the frozen walls, only to be shoved in a moment later. His chin skidded against the frost and he slipped to regain his balance. The sound of the freezer door closing prompted him to turn around. Spitfire had joined him in the cold room, shutting the door behind her. “Spitfire?”

With a quick grasp, she grabbed onto his shoulders and pulled him close. “This was supposed to be a fun little vacation. How is it supposed to be fun when we have to look for some AWOL captain and his first in command? Right now I should be doing more inventive things with my time.”

“S-Spitfire? W-We shouldn’t b-be in here.” His teeth clattered as he spoke, the frozen room was already getting to him.

“Don’t worry, we’ll only be a moment.” She shoved him onto his back, his wings flattened out against the ground and spread the frost around him. “Is the cold too much for you?” she asked as she sat atop his pelvis. “Maybe I could warm you up.”

Their muzzles met, kissing and rubbing together. The cold wouldn’t stop Soarin, not today. “I wanted to do this last night you know,” he mentioned between cramming his tongue into her mouth. “That stupid Z-Zephyr caught me sneaking out an-and over to your room. I thought since w-we were away fr-from the Wonderbolt Academy I wouldn’t have to wor-worry.”

“Sounds no different from usual. Sneaking out in the middle of the night to do some dirty d-deeds. Just like home.” She reached down between her legs, grabbing at something that was poking her. “Let’s make this quick. I’m barely keeping my teeth from chattering.”

“Y-You’re doing b-b-better than I a-am.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

Night Light leaned against the railing, listening as his wife spoke with Hondo Flanks and Cookie Crumbles. The other guests had returned to their rooms except for them and the Shy’s. They couldn’t seem to stray from the topic of death as it was always brought back around in their conversation. The Shy’s were concerned for the safety of the captain and worried if it wasn’t an accident of some sort. Twilight Velvet did her best to calm them but it was ruined when Rarity was brought up.

“From the pictures I saw, I don’t know how any one pony could do such a thing. I’m sure the captain and the first mate are all hunky-dory somewhere seeing as how there’s no trails leading to them. Maybe they planned to sell us off to some open seas pirates and they just went to get them?” Hondo rambled on and Cookie nodded in agreement.

“P-Pirates?” Mrs. Shy questioned, fidgeting in her seat.

“Oh yeah. They’ll come aboard and take hostages, then sell ‘em back to whoever wants to pay. If nobody does, they’ll sell ‘em to dragons as slaves.”

The blue unicorn had already had just about enough of the crazy conspiracy theories. “Have you ever met a dragon?” Night Light asked. “Dragons don’t take ponies as captives. What would they need ponies for? They’re dragons.”

Hondo tipped his straw hat up and sipped his fruity little drink. “I suppose that could be true. Only dragon fella I ever met was that little purple one your girl had.”

“Spike,” Twilight Velvet said his name aloud. “We miss him dearly. He was definitely part of the family. I remember the day Twilight hatched him. We buried him in the family crypt, though, we had never planned on outlasting him. It’s heart breaking whenever Twilight goes to visit his grave.”

“I know how you feel, dear.” Cookie’s voice was grating on the ears, though her attitude was far more cheery. “Having Sweetie Belle and Rarity around the house when they were just little fillies? Oh that brings back memories of the good ol’ days,” she said with a laugh.

“Well, surely some of the memories are tainted, right? I mean, what Rarity turned into was unforgivable.” Velvet’s hadn’t realized how strong her tone had been but the others around the table did.

Cookie’s smile faltered for a second, just a second, but she held steady for what she was about to say. “Rarity turned out to be a monster, yes, but she was still our daughter at one point. I don’t know why she threw everything she had away just for some petty thrills. We loved her and raised her the best we could but something else must have spoken to her more.”

Loved. Sounds to me that you still love her, even after she took everything away from us, Velvet opined in her own mind. An awkward air filled the table and she quickly lifted her glass, pressing it to her lips. She didn’t want to be the one to start another conversation or add to the last. She might explode at them if she did. They didn’t deserve it, though, she knew that. If Twilight had killed all her friends, would I have loved her all the same?

~*~*~*~*~*~

The auburn door slammed shut, echoing the sound down the hall. “You’re really getting on my nerves, Zephyr. One more joke about being alone in a bedroom and I might actually lock you in one of these.” Limestone pushed open the next room and flipped on the light. She opened the bathroom and looked inside, then opened the closet and looked there too. With no sign of anything, she leaned down and pulled up the skirt of the bed, checking the final hiding spot of the room.

Zephyr grinned at the sight of her head underneath the bed and her rump firmly in the air. “You find anything good? I sure did.”

She pulled her head out and glared at the pegasus. “You’re supposed to be helping me, y’know.”

“Oh baby, I could be helping you remove so much tension. But you just won’t let me,” he replied, a smug grin on his face. Limestone pushed him out into the hall, slamming closed another door.

“Out of all the mares on this boat, why’d you have to pick me to try and hit on?” She didn’t wait for a response. The next door opened and the light flipped on. “For goodness sake, you’ve got an alicorn princess you could be trying to get it on with, yet here you are, hitting on me.”

With a smooth, sauntering step he leaned in close, placing a foreleg around her neck. “’Cause. Out of all the mares on the ship, you’re the prettiest.”

The compliment was almost charming and almost made her blush, but in the end, it was still Zephyr who said it. She shoved him hard in the stomach, pushing him into the bathroom. “Just check in there you goof,” she barked as she went to the closet door.

He rubbed his ribs as he flicked the light on. They’re gonna be sore by the end of the day, but it might be worth it, he concluded. “Nothing.” He flicked the light off and turned back to the earth pony. He was surprised and startled to see her standing with her muzzle so close to his.

“Maybe I was the one to push the captain and first mate overboard. Maybe I’m planning on cutting you into pieces and hiding you in one of these rooms.” Her malicious grin seemed too perfect, too convincing. Instead of the fear she wanted it roused a chuckle from the pegasus.

“Hey, I know one piece of me that’s going to take at least thirty minutes to cut up.”

Her hoof slammed into her face as she groaned from his horrid joke. “Just slit my throat right now and get it over with. You’re too much.”

Limestone walked out of the room and he followed, closing the door behind him. His pearly white smile burned into the back of her head. Well, it would have if that had been what he was staring at. “I get it, you’re from a rock farm. You love rock puns. I can work with that.”

“Please don’t,” she replied as she opened the next door. As it opened a mop came flying out and landing on the floor. The sudden, quick movement had made her jump. She screamed at the top of her lungs but only for a moment before she saw what it was that had spooked her. By then it was too late, she had already grasped on to the stallion, a foreleg around his neck. When she realized her mistake she pushed him away, only to see the smug look on his face.

“The big bad Limestone, scared by a mop.” He lifted the mop up from the ground and threw it into the tiny closet. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone – in exchange for a little make out fun.”

She groaned and spat out her tongue, rolling her eyes at the same time. “Tell whoever you want. I’m not giving into your perverted demands.” She continued on to the next room, swaying her hips and flaunting her tail to tease him even more.

“Perverted?” His tone was exaggerated with shock. He followed her in, standing at the doorway with a look of disapproval. “I take offense to that! I do not go around trying to sleep with every mare I meet.”

“So you’re just trying to sleep with me. Is that it?” She stared at the mirror in the bathroom, unamused. “What about… Rainbow Dash?” Her head tilted out from the toiletry. Her eyes became fixated on his reaction.

Zephyr stood leaning against the doorframe, a frown on his muzzle and his eyes focused elsewhere. “It’s been over a year. She’s not coming back from the dead, Lime. Neither’s my sis. It’s time we move on.” He turned around and walked back into the hall, out of her view.

She shook her head and bit her lip. “Zephyr…” she quietly called out. “Zephyr wait!” she called out again, louder and chasing after him. The hall was empty and the next room was open. She peered into the lit room, catching Zephyr as he checked the closet. He didn’t even bother to look at her as he moved around the bed to the bath. “Hey… C’mon, don’t be like that. It was just a joke. You hit on me, I bring up past crushes. This little game we have…” her voice trailed off into an embarrassed chuckle.

He finished giving a glance over the room and headed for the door, the door she blocked. When he went to move around her, she moved with him. “Lime, we’ve got work to do,” he said, staring across the hall.

“Look, I’m sorry okay? How can I make it up to you?”

“There’s nothing to be made up. Let’s just drop it and move on.” He attempted to push past her again only to be blocked once more.

“A kiss? How about that? Would that suffice?”

His eyes moved from the wall to match hers, a frown still on his face. “You’re a real tease. I want to be mad but I also want that kiss.”

Without a second thought, Limestone reached up and grabbed him by his neck, pulling his head down to hers and giving him a long, wet kiss on his lips. As she let go she got a good glimpse of his dulled expression, a huge smile across his mouth and up the sides of his cheeks. She wasn’t the only one to get a glimpse. A mass was in her peripherals. When she turned, she almost went pure white. Neither of them had expected a pony to be watching them from the end of the hall. He was green with white hair and a mug worse than Limestone’s attitude. When Zephyr noticed the stallion he shut the door behind him and motioned for the mare to move with him, onto the next room. As he did, the green pony walked away, out of view from their hall.

“Who was that?” he muttered.

“I don’t know. Thankfully it wasn’t my father or any one from my family.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because then I’d have to throw you overboard.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

A groan of frustration rang out, echoing amongst the metal walls. Stomping followed as Twilight angrily found herself on the third level of the ship. “We haven’t found anything! They have to be overboard, there’s no doubt about it! They could be stranded in the sea and we wouldn’t even know it.”

“That would not explain the ship being stopped.” Maud followed behind the angry alicorn. “If we have a piece of their clothing we can use Boulder to sniff them out.” She raised the pet rock from inside her sleeve, presenting him to the alicorn.

Twilight looked back, glaring at both Maud and the pebble. “Maud. Are you being serious right now?” she asked, sternly and harshly.

“Yes.”

The face of the earth pony didn’t falter. It never did. The fact that it didn’t forced Twilight to grunt, sigh, and groan all at the same time. “Honestly? That sounds insane and illogical. However, I’m not going to doubt somepony who’s the sister of Pinkie Pie. That pony was a box of insane and illogical.” She rolled her eyes and motioned the earth pony to follow.

They traveled up, back to the second level, and entered the crew’s hall. At the end was the green stallion, shaking his keys as he searched through the keychain. Carefully, the mares crept close, not wanting to spook the crew member. He noticed them out of the corner of his scarred eye. Not a word was said as he placed a key into the door handle, turning the knob and entering the room. They passed by, making eye contact with the disturbing gentlecolt who grimaced at them. As his door shut, Twilight gave a sigh of relief.

“Twilight. Who was that?” Maud asked.

“I believe that’s Tricky Spanner. He’s the only crew member I haven’t met. Captain Starboard was supposed to introduce me to the crew but seeing as how he ended up missing…” she trailed off. “Anyways, here’s the captain’s quarters.” She pushed the slightly jarred door open, flicking on the light.

A swift rummage through the captain’s dresser revealed little in worn clothing. Twilight continued to search until Maud called out. White and black with a yellow anchor plastered on the middle, the captain’s well-worn hat sat on a desk. Fibers of black hair could still be seen on the inside. Twilight watched as Maud lifted Boulder out from her shirt and shoved him into the hat. She was unsure what made her feel more silly, the fact that she let Maud talk her into this or that she was waiting for the inanimate object to sniff the hat. A second later and Maud pulled him out.

“He’s got the scent. Let’s go.” Maud held him in a hoof and walked out into the hall.

Twilight shook her head and followed. They stopped at each pathway, waiting to see if the rock could discern which way. They followed the smell down the steps and then down more steps to the fourth floor. This was the ship’s essentials, the engine room and several other pieces that made the ship run and operate. They had already searched the area from top to bottom. “Are you sure he knows where he’s going?” Twilight asked, almost sarcastically.

“Yes.”

Boulder led them to the water room. Clean water was stored here along with the boilers to make the water hot or usable. It was the hottest room on the boat, causing the two mares to begin sweltering as soon as they entered. Maud stopped in the center of this room. The machines were loud but only because the noise bounced between the metal walls. It was enough to stop a pony from hearing their own thoughts. Maud began moving once more towards a corner of the room.

“Did he find something?” yelled the alicorn.

“They’re here. The trail ends in this corner,” Maud replied, her voice barely audible over the sounds of whirring gears.

Eyeing the corner gave little help. The only things in the corner were two boilers that sat side by side. They were small, thin boilers compared to the large machinery in the rest of the room. One boiler was about a few inches taller than Celestia and the other just shorter than that. Twilight eyed them over carefully, sweat dripping into her eyes. “Wait, what’s this?” she called, noticing the red that had been splattered and smeared at the very top of the taller boiler.

A window to the inside of the boiler was at pony height. Maud wiped the steam from the glass but the heat brought it back in an instant. “I cannot see inside. I will find a way to turn it off.” She followed the piping from the boiler in the hopes of finding a way to turn it off.

As Maud searched, Twilight examined the window for herself. It was a small window barely the size of a pony’s head. Using her magic, she cast a light spell, attempting to brighten the inside of the container. With both the light and wiping the steam off the window, she could catch a glimpse of what was inside. She caught it for a moment only to have the steam return. With another wipe, she caught the full view of two melting corpses inside the boiler.

Such a sight startled the alicorn, causing her to scream and reel back in terror. Maud had just found the valve as well and had been turning it, shutting off the flow of water. The bodies slammed against the window with a sickening thud. The sight, sound, and sweltering heat were too much for Twilight. She fell to the ground and was out like a light.

Chapter 3: 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM

The castle walls were dim and dark, reflecting nothing across the blue and purple surface. No lights were on, thundering and the clattering of rain could be heard hitting the shut window. The purple alicorn trembled at the bottom of the steps, crying and screaming surrounded her, halting her progress. Heat. Heat could be felt as the foyer became ablaze, forcing her to run up the stairs. She couldn’t outrun the flames. Her wings caught fire and melted down to the bone as she trampled up the steps. The flame burst around her, leading her down the corridor into the great hall.

Spike and the other Elements of Harmony sat around the circular table. As she entered and saw the group, she stopped, and the doors slammed behind her, locking her in and preventing her escape. She cautiously drew closer to the table. Blood blanketed it, pouring down into the laps of the ponies and dragon. When she went to speak, to call to them, nothing came out. She stuck out her tongue but it had been cut out. That’s when all of them turned their black eyes to her. They were not just black as if the pupils were dark or if their eyes had been removed and replaced with something black. No, there was simply nothing. A blackness that was like a void, empty.

In an instant, all the ponies slit their own throats, leaving the baby dragon to step up from his seat and walk to the center of the table. Footprints were made in the blood like snow. He raised his claw to her, wanting her to take his hand. As she drew closer to the bloody table, the doors flew open and flames shot in. She turned to look at the flames. When she turned back to the dragon, he was covered in flames. The bodies of her friends were burning into ash, except one. One was missing. She turned to the entryway once more. Princess Celestia came from the fires, unscathed and unburned. Twilight reached out, crying for her beloved mentor.

“You have to wake up, my dear Twilight,” Celestia said in a voice that wasn’t her own. “You have to wake up before-“

Before she could finish her sentence, a white unicorn the size of a house appeared from the flames behind Celestia. The purple hair from this unicorn entangled the alicorn mere seconds before the jaws came down, clamping down on her neck. With a swift tug, the head came off and blood spewed from the open neck.

From the blood came another. Rarity’s head pushed through from the gaping hole. “Hello, Twilight.”

The alicorn jolted from her sleep. The room was black and she screamed in terror. Tears streamed down her cheeks. “Twilight!” a voice called from the darkness. “Twilight! Calm down!” the voice said. The light flicked on and she didn’t recognize the room. Her mother sat forward from a loveseat near the wall. “Twilight? Are you alright? You’re safe!” she soothed.

Twilight didn’t recognize the room but believed her mother. “Where am I? The last thing I remember…” A thud against glass echoed in her mind. “Where’s Maud?” she firmly asked, wiping tears from her cheeks.

“Maud’s the one that brought you up to us.” Twilight Velvet rose from her seat and came to her child’s bedside. “She took some of the others to go fish out the bodies from what you two found. I haven’t heard anything since then. What happened down there, Twilight?”

The memory of the corpses flashed in her mind and she shook her head. “I’ve got to get to the control room. Without Starboard or Porter, I’m the one that can fix the automated controls.” She began to get up from the bed only for her mother to hold her back.

“What you need is a shower, food, and a bit of relaxation. You can’t work on anything if your hooves are shaking from starvation.” Velvet slid her hoof down her daughter’s cheek, caressing the alicorn. “We need to get home and we can’t do that without you. However, you need to be at your best to fix the ship. Promise me you’ll do two of those things before you head to the control room.” She watched as her daughter shifted her eyes. “Promise me, Twilight.”

With a groan and a roll of her eyes, the alicorn made the promise. “Shower and food but that’s it,” she bartered.

Velvet kissed the alicorn on her forehead. “Alright, that’s good enough for me. They’ve turned off the other boilers, though. You’ll have to take a cold shower,” she said as she made her way to the door.

“That’s fine,” replied the alicorn. The bathroom light turned on. “I’ll catch up with you in a little while, okay?”

“Alright, dear.” The unicorn began to exit the room, already halfway out the door before her daughter called to her. “Yes?” she replied, sticking her head back in.

“I love you!”

“I love you too, dear.” Velvet smiled as she closed the door.

Twilight Sparkle loved to see her mother smile, however, this time was different. With two ponies dead she wondered if a serial killer was on the loose. No. It was more like she knew a serial killer was on the loose. She had to take extra care to tell her loved ones how she felt, for it might be her only chance. As she turned the knob on the shower she wondered if it could be the return of something worse. I knew I should have checked every inch of the ship, she regretted.

After a quick rinse of cold against her fur, Twilight dried off and headed out of her parent’s cabin. They were closer to the dining hall than her lodging, and so she stuck to her promise. She had thought of just sneaking off to the control room, but her mother had been right. She skipped breakfast and lunch to search for the missing crew members, and her hooves were shaking from how famished she had become. When she got to the dining hall she found her mother speaking with Mr. and Mrs. Shy along with Granny Smith. Her mind immediately wondered where the others had gone.

“Twilight, get yourself some food. The chef made you a plate.” Twilight Velvet pointed to the kitchen and then turned back to the other ponies.

She waltzed to the large opening between the kitchen and dining hall, greeting Chef Savory as she grabbed the covered saucer. “Hey, you!” he called to her as she started to walk away. “You, ehh, you were the one to find captain and first mate, yes?” She nodded in response, to which he said, “You did good thing, finding them. I made sure to put extra serving for you, you deserve treat.”

“Thank you, Chef Savory,” she replied with a smile and took a seat. After lifting the lid, she dug into the steamed vegetables, listening in on her mother’s conversation. Granny Smith was the most vocal of the four, and she could barely hear the Shy’s.

“I’m tellin’ you it’s them! Them and their rotten daughter! They’d be here right now if it weren’t them!” Granny Smith must’ve been talking about Hondo Flanks and Cookie Crumbles. They were the only parents who had a rotten daughter. Possibly the most rotten daughter of anypony in Equestria.

She listened for a while before she noticed that something was missing. “Hey, mom?” she spoke up. “Where’s dad?”

“He went to get the others and bring them here. Maud and her parents are down on the fifth floor in the medical bay there. The other kids are searching for some of the crew,” she answered and turned back to the others.

Her worry of her father wasn’t subsided, but she had a job to do. She scarfed down the food so fast she got hiccups. She hiccupped the entire way to the front of the ship. It was already dark and the light of the control room wasn’t bright enough to see inside the compartment panels. She had hoped she wouldn’t need to look at the wiring within these compartments, however, the knowledge she gained from the captain hadn’t been helping. The knobs and levers she had been shown did very little. It was as if the automated system had been cut off from the rest of the mainframe, like a spine being severed, leaving the victim paralyzed but conscious.

It was an analogy that reminded Twilight of her sister-in-law. Her spine hadn’t been struck, but her achilles tendons had been severed. It took the surgeons many hours to repair what they could but she still hobbled when she walked. Of course, it didn’t help that her blindness prevented her from seeing where she stepped. Twilight often wondered how Cadance felt being so helpless. She had lost so much more. Her eyes, her horn, and her husband. Those were bad, sure, but it failed to compare to the greatest thing she lost that day. From all her wounds she had, she could not sustain the life that was growing inside her belly.

Twilight shivered at the thought. She had only lost a wing, and she would give up the other just to have her friends back. But now, she had to make sure no one else was killed on her watch. All the panels within the control room had been opened and she began looking over each. It wasn’t long before she discovered the main power that led from the automated system to somewhere below deck. She needed to remove it from the main power system and attach the auxiliary power. Whoever had damaged the automated system had cut the main power but they couldn’t cut the backup power.

Time passed quickly for the alicorn as she rewired the power. After a few challenges, she found a way to connect the automated system to the backup terminal. With the flick of a switch, the controls shifted and turned. She changed the dial to the returning coordinates and the ship began to move. Wind blew her hair as she walked out onto the deck. The vessel turned with little grace, rotating the moon around to the other side of the ship. After closing up all the panels, she wiped her hooves off and smiled. It was a proud moment for her, only to be ruined by the lights going off.

From bright light, to darkness, and then finally to a red glow. The main power had been turned off and the boat stopped once more. Running everything on backup power meant it could only run lights and basic systems or the automated system, but not both. Unfortunately for Twilight, the ship chose the automated system to be turned off. They were now stuck in the water until whatever triggered the auxiliary system was corrected.

In her panic, Twilight rushed down the deck. Red here, red there. All she could see was everything in a red tint. She came upon the dining hall, praying that her parents had brought everypony back from below. Upon thrusting the glass doors open, she found that the dining hall was barren of life. “Is anyone here!?” she yelled. When no response came she turned to the doors that lead out to the pool, only to be confronted with blood seemingly trickling down the glass. She backed away, bumping into tables and chairs.

She rushed into the kitchen, slamming the door behind her and collapsing on the floor. “It’s happening. It’s happening again,” she muttered over and over, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her fear had gotten the best of her and her breathing became too rapid, too quickly. She slumped against the kitchen door, her vision going dark before she passed out.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Seriously?” Limestone screamed at the red light that spread amongst the hall. “I’m already getting a headache from this crap.” Big Mac and Marble hummed in agreement.

Zephyr opened another door to a guest room, calling out and hearing nothing. “Why’d we get stuck checking these halls? Why would anypony even be in here?”

“Would you rather have gone down with my sister to investigate the dead bodies?” Limestone asked, opening a door of her own.

He shook his head. “Only body I want to be with is yours.” The sensual quip caught glares from all three of the ponies. “What?” he asked as he shut the door.

“Honestly, I’d rather just hide Big Mac and Marble in a room, go and grab our families, and then bring them back to the room. Twilight and her folks can survive just fine and Spitfire and Soarin are both Wonderbolts! They can handle anything. I, however, will feel a lot safer when Maud is here.”

The pegasus wrapped a wing around her neck, pushing his face next to hers. “Don’t worry babe, I’ll make you feel safe ‘til your sis gets back.” He then let go and opened a room. “Though, the idea of leaving these two in a room while we grab our families ain’t a bad idea. Heck, if we grab Maud first she can haul Granny Smith over here no problem.” He turned his head to Limestone and whispered loudly, “Did you see her carrying Twilight Sparkle? She did it like it was nothing!”

Marble leaned into Limestone and hummed something short, to which Limestone nodded. “I’ve got to agree with my sister. The fact that you think carrying Twilight is a feat of strength shows how weak you are.” She gave a proud flex of a foreleg, attempting to tease the pegasus. “We haul rocks for a living. What do you do?”

His face almost touched hers as he came closer, grinning like a madmare. “I love strong, independent mares. There is almost nothing more attractive.” He looked over at Big Mac and said, “Right Big M?”

The red stallion looked at Zephyr, then at Marble. “Eenope.”

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?” Limestone growled at Big Mac, causing him to lean away from the angry mare. “You got a problem with strong, independent mares?”

Big Mac shriveled against the wall, fearing the mare half his size. She moved closer but was dragged away by Zephyr. “I think you may be on to something, though. We should stick your sister and Big M in a room and go grab our families. Even if there was a supposed killer on the loose, which just sounds ridiculous, then we should get the ponies we trust the most. Our families. Forget searching for the other crew members. Let them fend for themselves.”

“Fine. You two, inside! Now!” She pointed at the open door, room ninety-five. They both trotted in and she grabbed the knob. “Keep this door locked and we’ll come back with all of our families as soon as we can,” she said as she slammed the door shut, not giving them a chance to agree or disagree. When she turned to Zephyr, she saw that he was immobile as a one hundred-year-old stone.

The stallion stared down the hall through the mist-like red tint, his mouth refused to move to speak the words as if to be choked by brambles and thorns. When Limestone focused at where he stared, she saw it. It was there and then it was gone, a passing glance at the end of the hall. But she did recognize the outfit, especially the black mask. Without thinking, she rushed down the hall, forcing Zephyr to break his stupor and chase after her. When she got to the end of the hall, she turned to follow the way the mysterious pony had gone. However, there was hall after hall of almost endless doors that the pony could have entered.

They passed each hall, making sure whatever they saw wasn’t still out and about. When they came to the stairs, Limestone looked down the steps, hoping to see someone or something. “Are we really going down!? Why not up!?” Zephyr asked, his voice cracking as he spoke.

“You saw it, I saw it. I’m not letting that thing get away! Now shut up and come on!” she growled in reply, grabbing him by his loose hairs and dragging him down with her.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The fur and hair had been completely stripped of the body and the skin had been scorched to a dark red with lines of pink strung about. The lines were where the skin had been pushed together, preventing water from entering and boiling the outside areas. Where the eyes had been the sockets had puffed up, creating a wall of flesh within the bone of the skull. The loosest of skin had been burnt away, such as the lips and genitals.

Whether it was the captain or the first mate, Igneous couldn’t say. He zipped up the body bag, sealing the corpse safely away from the outside air. It was unsightly to even look at but he knew what it meant, they had all known what it meant. “We’ll need to gather the others and hide in a single room.” Cloudy and Maud looked at him and nodded. “Cloudy, go get the girls. I’ll grab the Wonderbolts. Maud-“

“I’ll find Twilight and her family. I know where they are.” She then unraveled the map on the marble counter. “I’ll go up the sideway, there’s a path that opens up on the right side of the control room from the third floor. I’m sure she’s already there.”

“You have more experience with her than I.” He nodded. “Keep her safe.”

The three then split off from the large medical bay, ascending in different directions. Maud trotted quietly up the steps, listening for voices, noises, and anything else she could hear. The red tint of the lights grew brighter the closer she got to the surface. As her head popped up from the deck, she found herself closer to the control room than she had expected. From her stairs, she could see where they had boarded, halfway down the deck. To the opposite side was the bright red control room, vacant of life. She drew around the steps and walked along the outside, hoping for the alicorn to be hiding close by.

Panels had been shifted and there were screws littering the floor with tools recently used. Quick as a scared mouse, she rummaged through a container of tools, lifting out a small flashlight from the chest. Twilight can cast magic, she won’t need this, she surmised as she stuffed it down into her shirt, saving it if the need were to come arise. With no trace of where the alicorn had gone, she stepped out onto the deck, wind brushing her hair forward in the process. It blocked her eyesight for a moment, but she saw it. The black mask, white shirt, and blue overalls.

She shoved her body back into the control room, ducking below the window and out of sight. She did not know if the killer had seen her or not. A quick glimpse revealed the masked murderer to have vanished, or perhaps had not been there at all. Whether it was simply waiting for her to make a move or not, she couldn’t say. Nor could she stay trapped in the control room forever. A quick burst in her steps and she rushed to the opposite side of the boat. She ran down this right side of the deck, hoping the masked pony wouldn’t hear her hooves clopping against the wood. It was a large ship, but it was also eerily quiet. The sound of waves slapping the ship had been the only occasional noise emitted.

When she got to the walled off section outside of the dining hall, she stopped and caught her breath. Her nerves shook like a pulsing violin, though, no expression of worry showed on her face. If it really was the return of the unicorn who murdered her sister, if it was the return of Rarity, then she would need Twilight’s help. Twilight had defeated the unicorn before, barely, and with the help of Applejack. But time had passed and Rarity had been out there, plotting her return. That could mean she had grown immensely powerful, she thought. All the more reason to find Twilight Sparkle.

Her eye peered cautiously round the corner, studying the pool and the tables that sat around it. The water seemed as still as the sky’s zenith. She crept low, pushing her body to the ground as she drew from the corner. Using the tables as cover, she kept crouched as she moved to the dining hall, the pool to her left. It was there she saw it. She stood in front of the pool, staring up above the doors of the dining room. Blood had trickled down the glass and flooded the floor in front of the entryway. She had always been quiet with her words but this silenced her completely. Her face still failed to express itself, but her body trembled and shook.

Five blades and a sliced open stomach. Four knives for each leg, piercing and keeping the body pinned. The fifth dangled in the open cavity, along with the large intestines and other organs. The fat, jelly-like body of Chef Savory had been preserved like an art piece on the wall. But it wasn’t the gruesomeness that disturbed the oldest Pie sister. She remembered the pictures the photographers had taken of all the corpses in the Castle of Friendship. Her mind would never forget the worst picture, the one taken of Rainbow Dash’s dead body. It had been painted up just the same. Pinned to a wall and ripped from sternum to pelvis. Except, one had a message and this one had nothing. Perhaps the body itself was the message.

Nevertheless, she knew what it meant. Rarity had returned, this was proof enough. Nopony could have done something like this without having done it prior. After soaking in the scene for a moment, she rushed down the left side, past the other entrance of the dining hall. Twilight was important to defeating this wretched monster, but it would be pointless if she could not keep her family protected first. As she ran along the deck, trailing closer to an entrance to the second floor, she heard a muffled noise. She stood as still as the corpse in the fifth-floor medical bay, waiting to hear something more. Another whimper came from one of the cushioned benches that sat against the railing.

With a hint of caution, Maud drew close to the supposed noisy seat, waiting for another whimper. When it came, she threw up the cushion, revealing a pony crying out underneath. The white clothing and tan fur, she had seen the pony earlier in the day. “Who are you?” Maud questioned.

The maid sluggishly rose from the container, sobbing and whimpering as she did. “I-I’m Gale Wind,” she answered as if unsure of her own name.

“Have you seen anypony else?”

Gale began to sob harder, choking back her desire to completely break down. “I-I-I saw Chef… Chef Savory. H-He, uh, he got… He was…”

“I saw him. He’s dead. Rarity has returned,” Maud informed her. “We must find Twilight Sparkle and the rest of the passengers.” The maid nodded in agreement, wiping the snot from her nose.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Sweat dripped down Soarin’s brow as he lifted the dumbbell. One, two, three, four, he counted. It wasn’t a large gym but it was enough for him and Spitfire. Many of the ships amenities were meant to be open as the cruise went on but the gym was open day one. He hated working out, but he loved watching Spitfire. “I’ve been thinking,” he said as he returned the dumbbell.

“Uh oh. That can’t be a good thing,” she sarcastically remarked. Spitfire raised her head above the pull-up bar, held only by her wings. She then switched to her forelegs before dropping to the ground. “Alright,” she said. “Let’s hear it.”

“You fly back to the mainland and tell them about what happened. If there is a killer on board, I’ll protect the princess and her family.” He drew closer and toweled the sweat off his muzzle. “It’s probably one of the crew that killed those two. No sense in jumping to conclusions. Right?”

Spitfire slammed back a water bottle, pouring the liquid down her throat. She gasped as she finished, and asked, “And if it is Rarity? What then?”

His mind wandered for a moment and his face shifted to anger. “If it is her… Well, she killed Rainbow Dash. I’ll serve up some justice for her memory. That or I’ll die trying.”

“I will not lose another member of my team, Soarin. Not to frivolously die when they could be saved and be doing something far more important. Rescuing the ponies on this boat is top priority, more so than getting revenge. Do I make myself clear?”

His look grew stubborn. “You are the fastest flyer in the Wonderbolts, Spitfire. There is no one else faster than you.”

“Speed doesn’t matter when we are at least a day away from shore. You have the endurance of a bull.” She grabbed the side of his cheek, brushing down his neck. “I’ve seen it in more ways than one.”

“We have no time for that, Spitfire.”

“Do you think I don’t know that?” she said. “I would keep you by my side if I could rely on Zephyr or his parents. However, they are weak flyers and you are strong. You are the only one I can trust to do this, I have to send you away.”

She saw the anger raging in his eyes, but in a flash, they were gone and he understood. “I know,” he said. “I was hoping I could convince you but it seems you’ve convinced me.” He grabbed her by the neck and pushed his own into her. “Just a little more exercise and a short rest after, okay? I want to be by your side a little longer. I don’t know what I would do without you, Spitfire.” He nuzzled his muzzle into her hair, nipping at her neck. “I am glad this boat has a gym, otherwise, I’d be relying on you for a workout.”

Spitfire pushed him away, smiling. “I’ll give you a long, hard work out once we are back in Cloudsdale. Though a short one wouldn’t hurt, I suppose...”

His muzzle pushed into hers, kissing her lips with an intense ferocity. They slowly began to get more intimate before a click sound interrupted their fun. Through the red tint, near the door of the gym, they could see the outline of a dark, shadowed pony standing at the door. Soarin began to move closer, trying to get a better look at the mysterious figure. But Spitfire stopped him, grabbing a back leg and saying, “Soarin, don’t. It’s… her.”

Chapter 4: 10:00 PM - 12:00 AM

“It’s a no go,” Night Light said, tossing the headphones to the table. “Without the main power on this piece of junk is just a ninety-pound paper weight.”

Mr. Shy sighed as he continuously flipped switches, trying everything he could to get it working. Mrs. Shy stood at the doorway of the radio bay, watching for anything suspicious coming down the red tinted hallways. “Why don’t we go and find a way to restore power then? There must be some way to turn it on if it was turned off,” she suggested.

Night Light shifted in his seat. “Well, we are a level above the engine room I believe. It might be our only option. Though it may not be just turned off. It could be cut. I’m not sure I could fix something like that.”

“If there is a killer on board the ship then surely they wouldn’t break the power. They’ll want to go home after were all…” Mr. Shy’s voice trailed off as he trembled at the thought. “On the other hoof, they may have broken it in a way only they’d know how to fix. We could just be ruining their escape plans.”

As Night Light was about to speak, the red lights turned off. The normal, white lights turned on a second later. Beeps and static flooded the room as power restored to the radio bay and the rest of the ship. Mr. Shy turned a few dials and pulled the microphone towards Night Light, giving him command of the radio waves. He flicked a few more dials and gave a nod. However, just as Night Light was about to speak, the lights turned off, cutting him off again. The power that had been restored was now gone, along with the auxiliary power.

“Oh, my,” Mrs. Shy said, worriedly. She could barely make out the silhouette of her husband sitting across the room.

A light spell lit the room, shining from Night Light’s horn. “I’m already missing the burning red in my eyes,” he said, half joking and half groaning.

Mr. Shy rose from his seat and began rummaging around in the cubbies near the radio equipment. The room wasn’t very large and looked even smaller in the dim light, but it did hold spare tools like flashlights. They were the size of Night Light’s horn and just as bright. He gave one to his wife who turned it on and shoved it in her mouth, and he did the same. “I guess it’s the electrical room, then?” he said just before placing the flashlight in his mouth.

Night Light had never thought how tragic being anything other than a unicorn could be. “I suppose we shall. Maybe we’ll run into the others coming up from the medical bay.” He rose from his seat and followed the couple out the door.

The halls were dark even with the flashlights, but they drudged on. As they turned a corner of a very narrow corridor, they came across something moving at the end of the hallway. A black mass struggled near the floor, only for it to rise up slowly. A mask pitch black rose with the pony wearing it, traveling up the steps towards the trio. The three dove back around the corner, tripping and shoving each other all the way back to the intersection of hallways. Night Light turned back to see if the killer had followed, only to witness the masked pony sprinting out from around the corner towards them.

“Everypony run!” He pushed Mr. Shy down one hall and Mrs. Shy down the other, leaving the way they came for himself. In an attempt to stall, he ignited his horn with a furious spell. He couldn’t get a shot off before the masked, knife-wielding pony was upon him. Mr. Shy glimpsed back just to see Night Light get cut across the cheek by the tip of the blade.

“Hey! You get away from him!” Mr. Shy felt very brave in that instance, only for his confidence to shatter as the killer’s red-filled gaze turned to him.

Night Light held his hoof against his cheek, turning away and running past the radio bay. The killer looked back at Night Light but changed its choice of victim, galloping after the pegasus instead. The unicorn rushed as quickly as he could down the hall and up the steps. The stairs went straight up into the passenger guestrooms, but not before passing the nurse’s office. As he barged in, shutting the door behind him, he rushed to find a rag. An unused towel was in a cabinet, which he soaked in water and pressed to his wound.

“That was a close one,” he muttered through panted breath, pressing the towel against his face. He took a quick glance of the small room, noticing a desk, a few locked cabinets, and a board on the wall. There was nothing he could use to defend himself if the masked pony had decided to chase after him. I should try and find Twilight, he noted. She’ll have a plan.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Screaming and hollering echoed from the dining hall. Maud was the first one through the door with the maid following behind. Once they were inside, Maud pointed the flashlight towards the kitchen where the yelling was coming from. While the maid went around the side to the kitchen door, Maud hopped across the open wall from the dining hall to the kitchen, rushing to the aid of Twilight Sparkle. The alicorn screamed and cried but was still asleep until Maud shook her awake. Her eyes were wide from the sudden jolt, only to go blind from the flashlight’s brightness shining in her face. Maud pulled Twilight to her hooves, allowing the maid to enter the kitchen from the door she had been slumping against.

“What’s going on!?” Twilight asked, rubbing her eyes and allowing them to adjust.

“The lights have gone out and a killer is on board.” Maud knew not to tell Twilight of the masked pony she had seen. She needed the alicorn to save them and she couldn’t do that if she was passed out. “Can you get the power back on to the ship?”

Twilight dried her tears and shook her head. “I hooked up the automated system to the backup power. If that’s out too then there’s no way to get the ship running. Not unless we want to head down into the engine room. Though I don’t know how to fix something like that. The captain didn’t show me before he…”

“You h-hooked it up t-to the backup power?” Gale interjected. “The ship’s system w-won’t run on the backup generators. T-They’re not powerful e-eno-enough. It – I mean – I think it only runs on the main power. If th-the backup generators go off then the main generators will power the engines only. I-It was designed so that maintenance could go fix the problem if the backup power came on or to have the ship still move if the backup was shut off. That way w-we’d never be stranded. T-Though we usually have m-more crew members for this sort of t-thing.”

“Are you sure that’s true?” Maud asked.

Gale nodded. “Well, um, I’ve been part of the cleaning crew for a while. T-This isn’t the first time power has gone out. It’s happened quite a f-few times.”

I wonder if this isn’t the first time somepony has been murdered here, too, Twilight thought. She pushed past the maid, igniting her horn and casting a radiant light from it. “Come on. If what you say is true then I need to fix my mistake.” Maud and Gale followed the alicorn, walking at a brisk pace out onto the deck. The wind of the late night sea brushed against the heavy ship, chilling the air around them.

The trio scurried towards the bow of the boat. As they drew closer to the control room, screaming echoed from somewhere close. The three startled ponies looked around and saw nothing. Eventually, Maud caught a glimpse of two pony silhouettes atop the control room’s roof, lit up by the moon’s brilliant light. The shape of the control room formed up like a spin top, bigger on the bottom and skinnier as it went up. One pony grabbed the other and shoved them off, sending them sailing down to the deck with an earth-shattering crunch. The silhouetted pony then turned the other way and vanished beyond their sight.

Twilight couldn’t believe what she had seen. It wasn’t the act of pushing off the pony that had frightened her, it was what the one pony had been wearing. “B-B-Black mask!” she shouted, repeating it over and over. She knew who was wearing the deranged black mask, the only pony to have ever worn it. “Rar-” She couldn’t finish saying the unicorn’s name before she passed out, slamming face forward onto the deck.

Maud didn’t take her eyes off of where the killer could be going, but she knew she had to move Twilight somewhere safe. Heaving the alicorn onto her back, Maud lifted Twilight and carried her to one of the guestrooms. She opened the first unlocked one and threw Twilight to the floor inside the cabin. “Gale, bar the door and keep her safe until she wakes.” Maud didn’t wait for a response. She charged off, heading to where the killer had been, hoping she could meet them head on before they disappeared into the dark bowels of the ship.

It was pitch black in the cabin after Gale shut the door. She locked both locks and pushed a dresser in front of the door, hoping it would be enough to keep out whoever. As she sat down next to the unconscious alicorn, a sound rustled from the bed. Her heart shot up into her throat and strangled her, keeping her from making any noise. She tried to tap the alicorn awake, eventually pushing and shaking as well. The rustling grew and the lamp on a nightstand switched on, brightening the room. Gale screamed, causing the other pony to scream. Their screams awoke the passed out princess, causing her to join in the screaming as well.

“What in the blazes are you two doin’ in here!?” Granny Smith yelled from the bed.

“G-Granny Smith?” Twilight rubbed her nose as she glanced around the room. “Where are we? What happened to… wait, where’s Maud?” She rose to her hooves, noticing the barred door.

“She went to chase a-after the killer,” answer the maid. “I-I was to-told to wait here until you were awake.”

Banging interrupted their conversation. The dresser shifted as some unknown pony attempted to push open the door, trying their best to bust the lock down. “That must be Maud!” Twilight said, almost sure of herself. She tossed away the dresser with her magic and undid the locks.

Twilight Velvet was a blur as she rushed in and grabbed onto her daughter, wrapping her in a hug. “Thank goodness you’re alright! I was so worried!”

“Mom!? What are you doing here?”

“Can someone explain to me what the dagnabit is goin’ on round here?” Granny Smith yelled from the bed. “I’m tryin’ to get to sleep and you all come bargin’ in here hootin’ and hollerin’ like a pack of diamond dogs.”

Velvet held her daughter close, glancing between the old mare and the maid. “There’s a killer on board the ship.” She twisted the locks tight and levitated the dresser back in front of the door. “If it’s that witch coming back to finish my baby girl, then I’m going to do everything in my power to prevent that from happening.”

Twilight Sparkle pushed her mother away but her grasp was too tight. “Mother, please! We have to get to the control room. I can get us home if you get me there!”

“No!” the unicorn shouted. “I will not lose another child! Not today!” Her eyes swelled with tears as her grasp tightened, preventing the young alicorn from moving.

A flash of light and Velvet dropped forward. Twilight Sparkle teleported from her mother’s grasp and had begun removing the dresser once more. “I’m sorry mother, but for your safety, this is what I need to do. For all of our safety.” She turned back to the three mares. “I won’t sit here when I can be doing something to prevent more ponies’ deaths.”

Her mother remained stubborn, but she understood. “I’m sticking by your side until this is through. You’re not leaving my sight.”

The oldest mare in the room took her time clambering off the bed. “I suppose I’ll come too, though, I hope you don’t expect us to move quick. I ain’t as young as I used to be and this here lil’ adventure is ruinin’ my bones’ sleep.”

Twilight Sparkle grabbed Granny Smith with her magic, levitating the old earth pony onto her mother’s back. Granny Smith was as light as she was slow, but very boney. Velvet sidled for a moment, shifting her weight before nodding to her daughter to open the door. The light of the moon and the wind from the sea blew into the room, blowing the covers around the bed. It was getting windier but the sky held no clouds. The group of ponies skulked out onto the deck, close to the railing, keeping an eye out for anything that seemed suspicious.

As they crept to the control room, they got a good glance at the pony that had fallen. It was the waiter that had been pushed, his neck broken on impact and a pool of blood surrounded the now corpse. I don’t even remember his name, Twilight Sparkle thought, grimacing at the sight. They pushed past the grisly spectacle into the control room. Velvet gently set the old mare to the ground as the maid shut the door. Not that it would do much good as the cabin was surrounded by windows that a demented murderer could easily break.

Twilight Sparkle and Twilight Velvet lit their horns, lighting up the room. “Alright, let me quickly move the wiring back over.” The alicorn rushed behind the consoles and ripped the panel from the floor. Gale and Granny Smith kept lookout while Twilight Velvet stood with her daughter.

“Do you need any help?” Velvet asked.

“Just make sure no one is coming. After I can fix this then I’ll seal this place up tight,” answered the alicorn.

“I’m not leaving your side. I meant do you need me to hold a tool or move my light around.”

Twilight looked up at her mother, giving a smile. “No, thank you. I am happy that you’re here. I’ll feel a lot better once-” Granny Smith whistled at them and banging on the metal door followed. The two unicorns lifted their horns to see who it could be. They could only hope it was not the masked murderer, wanting to be let in.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Thank goodness we found you.”

Zephyr held the only flashlight as Limestone greeted her parents. They had been traveling down to the lower decks in search of the masked pony but instead had found her parents who were stumbling around in the dark. “Where is your sisters?” Igneous asked as they traveled back up to the second floor.

“I have no idea where Maud went but Marble’s stashed in one of the unused guestrooms with Big Mac. I’ll take you to them so that you can hide there and then I’ll go look for the others,” Limestone answered.

“Forget the others,” he replied. “We’re going to find Maud and then hide.” He turned to Zephyr who had been silent, only because of the flashlight held in his mouth. “We’ll find your parents too and Granny Smith. You two are the ones that need to hide with Marble.”

Limestone stomped her hoof. “No! We just found you and we’re the ones with the flashlight. We’re going with you.”

As much as he wanted to scold his daughter for talking to him with a harsh tone, he knew he would feel better if he could see her at all times. He wanted to see Marble too but knew they had to find Maud first. It had been a mistake searching for the others. Neither he nor his wife had found the Wonderbolts or the Shy’s yet, and they were now blind in the heart of the ship. “Alright. Let’s head up to the control room. Your sister said she would most likely find Twilight Sparkle there, working on a way to move the ship.”

Zephyr led the way with the flashlight still in his mouth, heading down the hall and up the steps onto the deck of the ship. It was a cautious walk, especially as he was the one leading the charge. He would be the first to see the killer and the first to take a hit. His nerves rattled but he held strong, wanting to look tough in front of Limestone. Through the flashlight and the saliva that had been coating it, he asked a question. When no one understood, simply shaking or shrugging in reply, he removed the flashlight from his mouth. “Which way?” he asked, pointing to both sides of the deck.

Igneous pushed past him, heading left towards the stern. “The control room would be a good place to check, however, we should find a weapon.” He came to the dining hall and looked inside the glass. He opened the door and listened for a moment, attempting to hear if anyone was already rummaging around in the kitchen. Before he took a step in, he noticed blood in his peripheral. He trotted backwards out the door and around to the pool, only to trip over his own hooves. The sight he saw forced him to call out to the others. “Stay back! You don’t need to see this!”

The arrogant pegasus thought himself better as he came closer, though, he wished he hadn’t as he saw what had happened. “Oh Celestia!” he shrieked in an octave higher than most stallions could reach.

Igneous pushed him back towards the girls, wanting to be as far away from the mutilated chef as he could be. “C’mon, forget grabbing a weapon,” he said in a stern, shaken voice.

They rushed along the deck and saw a light shining at the end of the boat, inside of the control room. Zephyr almost lost his lunch over the railing when they came upon the waiter’s fresh corpse. The older stallion shielded his wife’s eyes, preventing her from having the memory of such a broken body. Limestone had already brushed passed it and began banging on the metal door. “Hurry up Zephyr!” she said in a low tone as if to yell a whisper.

As the mint colored stallion rushed over, wiping his mouth off, the door shifted open and both the unicorns inside stared them down, ready to fire their magical spells. “Limestone?” Twilight said, surprised. She saw the group gathering around the earth mare. “Come inside, quickly.”

“Do you have Maud with you?” Igneous asked as the door shut behind them.

Twilight went back to work with her mother following close behind. “No. She was with us and then disappeared, chasing after the killer.”

“I don’t see Big Mac or your other girl with ya. Where are they?” Granny questioned, annoyed that she had yet to see her grandson. If she had not seen the grotesqueness of the body outside she would have thought the whole thing to be folly or the work of Rarity’s parents.

“She’s safe, Big Mac is with her in the guestrooms on the second floor. Room ninety-five,” answered Limestone. “Why are we all in here? What’s going on?”

As Limestone asked her questions the lights of the cabin turned on, illuminating the room. “I’ve done it!” the alicorn shouted. The boat shifted for a moment as it began to move. Granny Smith tumbled a little, barely maintaining her balance as they set sail. “Alright, I need everypony out.”

“What? Why?” Limestone growled.

“I’m going to seal this room with a spell. No pony will be able to enter and mess with the controls unless I say so.” She forced them out onto the deck. “If I die then the spell will be broken. I’ll try to stay alive long enough to keep that from happening. Maybe then we can make it home safely.” With a flash of light, the room shimmered and sealed, closing off the windows and door with a magical bubble. “I just hope I’m strong enough, otherwise…” she trailed off.

Velvet caressed the alicorn, rubbing her shoulder. “It’s been over a year, you’ve grown stronger every day. You’re powerful, and you’ve got this. I believe in you.”

Her mother’s encouraging words were all she needed to lift her spirits. “Alright, everypony. We should go and grab Marble and Big Mac, a bigger group is always better. Does anyone know where my father is? Mr. and Mrs. Shy?”

“He should be with them, down in the radio bay,” Velvet answered. “I hope.”

With no objections, the group headed for the stairs, only to stop once they saw a masked pony coming from the stairway. The pony was in a white shirt and blue overalls that covered their hooves, hiding their tail and possible wings. A black mask with red painted eyes was atop their head, glowing bright in the moonlit night. It was the same outfit right down to the misshapen size of the mask. Twilight could barely believe her eyes. That night was happening all over again, right in front of her.

With all the ponies standing around her, she felt more confident than she should have been. “Rarity! Let’s finish this! I’m gonna kill you, right here, right now!” Her horn sparked up, readying to cast a powerful spell. But her horn’s magic faded when the masked pony giggled.

“Kill… me?” the voice said. It was different from Rarity’s. The voice spoke with a cold echo as if it were a changeling’s voice speaking out. It didn’t sound natural. “No, little Twilight. I’ve worked too hard to pull this all together. My work isn’t finished because I-” The masked pony reached into their overalls and pulled out a shiny knife from the pocket “-am going to kill you.” It pointed the knife at the group and shouted in its eerie, machinelike voice, “I’m going to kill all of you.”

Before they could react, the killer blurred back down the steps, vanishing down the stairs. Twilight hesitated for a moment. She had not expected the killer to speak, let alone speak in a strange, ambiguous way. Her memories flooded back, the brutal scenes in the castle. She shrugged them off and rushed to the steps, only to come face to face with a strung up pony that had been hung by their neck. The green fur she recognized. It was the maintenance pony. She hadn’t even had the chance to meet him and he was already gone, just like the waiter.

Crew members were dropping like flies and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Before too long it would be the families of her dead friends, and then her. Her stub ached as if it knew. She slumped down at the edge of the steps and let out a scream of frustration and anger. The other ponies surrounded her with uncertainty, and Twilight Velvet wrapped around the alicorn, shielding her from their eyes.

~*~*~*~*~*~

With a flashlight in her mouth, Maud trotted up the steps into the first hall of the second-floor guestrooms. She had hoped to find her parents or the killer within the lower bowels of the level, but neither had turned up. It had been a while since she had lost sight of the killer. With the boat moving again she had assumed Twilight had reached the control room and had been working. She had hoped the others had found each other. Luckily, she was never quite alone either.

“I am hungry too, Boulder, but we have to find the others.” She held the inanimate object in her hoof, speaking with lisps as she rolled the flashlight from cheek to cheek.

A noise echoed from one of the halls she was coming towards. Maud quickly turned off her flashlight and tucked it away in her shirt, along with Boulder. The noise became clear, trotting coming from down one of the halls. In an instant, it was there and then it was gone. It was not followed up with a door closing or opening, nor the sound of talking or whispering. She peeked around the corner and saw the silhouette of the pony. Heavy breathing resonated within the mask.

“Hello, Maud,” the voice said, smooth and modulated, as if it spoke with a stolen voice.

The earth pony didn’t hesitate, sending a punch to the masked pony’s face. She was eager for a fight, that is until the killer pulled the knife from the overall’s pocket. They swung and sliced, attempting to cut Maud but she was too quick. Her form danced in the darkness as she kicked off the wall and shoved both forelegs into the killer’s torso. As they fell, the killer managed to nick her face, creating a gash across her chin. Droplets of blood hit the floor as the masked pony rose back to their feet.

Applejack and Twilight Sparkle could not kill Rarity alone. I cannot take her head on, she contemplated as she dodged the swings of the knife. If I can get her distracted, then maybe I could do something. As the killer attempted to slice and dice her, Maud turned tail and ran, rushing back down the hall she had come from and down the steps. The killer chased her, slamming into the wall and tripping down the stairs.

As she hit the fourth-floor, she rushed down to the next staircase and out into the fifth-floor storage. She hid between crates, waiting for the right moment to pop out and catch the killer by surprise. I could strangle her or snap her neck, but she may use her magic to levitate me. This is just a game of cat and mouse to her, but I refuse to be the mouse. But she wouldn’t get the chance to enact a plan as it seemed she hid too well. The killer didn’t even bother coming down into the fifth floor.

She stepped out into the open and turned on her flashlight, pointing it up the stairs and waiting. The killer never came. It was a long while before she used the flashlight to look around the room, hoping to see a name on a container filled with knives or axes. If I had a weapon I could finish this right now, she believed. Her shirt moved as she searched. “Yes, Boulder. If worse comes to it, I know you will protect me.” The shirt moved once more and she reached in, grabbing the small stone and glancing down at him. She listened for a moment and then looked in a direction, the direction that held a single open crate.

It was a small box, hidden between three larger ones that held various food. She placed the stone back into her shirt and said, “Good boy, Boulder. You deserve a treat later.” Her expression was as close to a smile as it could be as she patted her shirt where the pebble sat. She raised her flashlight, pointing it down into the open container. It wasn’t buried treasure or the find of the century, but to her, it was the most eye-opening thing she had ever discovered.

With her muzzle, she lifted out a black mask, plopping it to the floor in front of the crate. Then another. And another. Then she moved on to white shirts and blue overalls. Pairs littered the floor around her. How had the crate gotten here? How did it get past the dock workers search? It must have been brought aboard with some of the other crates or luggage. Wait. Maybe Rarity isn’t working alone, she drew her conclusion.

“Who would have brought aboard an insane, unhinged murderer bent on killing everypony?” she asked, specifically to Boulder. She understood what the rock supposedly replied with. “I have to find Twilight before Hondo and Cookie do.”

Before she left the storage room, she dropped all the clothing back into the crate and sealed it up tight. She dragged it away and hid it in the corner of the room and then brought a similar sized one back in its place. Now I know where these are and she doesn’t, maybe that will give us an edge. I hope.

Chapter 5: 12:00 AM - 2:00 AM

Twilight Velvet watched as her daughter cut the rope. Limestone and Zephyr caught the maintenance worker’s body and rested it on the outside wall. Igneous took the flashlight that had been lodged in the victim’s throat, whether by accident or on purpose nopony could say. They all stood around the lifeless corpse, unsure of what to say or do now. “Twilight,” Velvet turned to her daughter. “We need to find your father. He’s down there, somewhere, with that monster.”

The alicorn didn’t know how to respond. Instead, Igneous spoke up. “We also need to grab Marble and Big Mac, not to mention the Shy’s and the two Wonderbolts. I haven’t seen Hondo Flanks or his wife since this morn.”

“I need to find Big Mac. I’ll give that there charlatan a proper beatin’ if she so much touches one of his red hairs!” Granny Smith added.

“Well, Granny could join me and Limestone in grabbing Big M and Marble. Gale could go with Igneous and Cloudy to find Hondo and Cookie. Though I suppose that leaves an odd number for the two Twilight’s, but that’s the best I could come up with,” Zephyr said.

Velvet shook her head. “It’s fine. Night Light shouldn’t have left the radio bay. We’ll go straight for it.”

Limestone tapped Zephyr on the shoulder. “For once, you’ve actually come up with something helpful. Good job.”

He gave a slight blush. “I come up with them every once in a while.”

The three groups separated. Twilight Velvet traveled down the steps with her daughter, the maid, and the Pie parents before splitting off at the third floor. The alicorn was quiet the entire walk and her mother noticed. She didn’t need to talk though, as they reached the radio bay quickly enough. Their horns lit up the room like a beacon of light in the heart of the ship. An empty heart. The radio bay was devoid of their husband and father.

“Where do you think they went?” Velvet asked.

“They couldn’t have gotten far, I hope.” Twilight Sparkle trotted back out into the hall and down the next corridor.

Light shined at the end of this corridor. Twilight Sparkle rushed ahead, thinking it could be her father. She got to the light and was immediately disappointed, it was just a reflection of glass from her own horn’s glow. The glass was from the door to the gym. It was open into the hall as if someone had rushed out and forgot to shut it. When Twilight turned to call to her mother, hoping to explain what it was, her mother interrupted with a shout. “Behind you!” echoed from down the hall.

Twilight turned and saw the knife-wielding maniac sprinting towards her from beyond the door. As she ran back down the hall, her mother came at her and faced the killer head on. “Mom!? What are you doing, we have to go!” she yelled as she passed the unicorn.

In an instant, the killer was upon the two mares but Velvet refused to be taken down so easily. She slammed a hoof into the mask just as the knife swung up, slicing at her cheek. The elder mare pushed the killer to the floor and yelled for her daughter to split up. She ran down one path while Twilight ran the other, confusing the masked pony as it stood up.

Her mother’s light had turned down a corner and she could see the killer chasing after her. But as it reached the corner it stopped. She too stopped and turned back, wanting to chase the chaser and save her mother. But the silhouette hadn’t moved beyond the corner and eventually faded when Velvet’s light faded. It was then she realized the silhouette was moving but not around the corner, instead, it was coming for her.

She turned to flee once more, not realizing she had been so close to the steps of the staircase. Toppling down the set of stairs, she reached the fourth floor, though, not the way she had been expecting. She dimmed her light and bolted down the second set of stairs onto the fifth floor. Another light, much brighter than her own, moved around in the laundry area. She couldn’t tell who the pony was but as she drew closer, she whispered loudly, “It’s me, Twilight. Hide now!”

The mare turned her flashlight on herself, showing it to be Maud. As Twilight hurried over, Maud flipped her flashlight off and pointed the mare to the dirty sheet baskets. Twilight levitated them out and wrapped them around both her and Maud. They slunk to the ground and she covered them with even more before going silent. The silence of the room was eventually cut short as somepony entered the laundry area and trotted in place for a moment. The mares could hear heavy breathing and then the sound of galloping hooves. As they thought they were free of whatever pony had come, the sound of a crate opening rang out. A moment later and there was a smash of something, crashing into metal and destroying whatever it had been on impact.

After the pony ran off and they waited for a long while, the two mares removed the sheets and stood up. Twilight rushed out into the storage area and lit her horn, bearing witness to a substantial amount of broken crates, crushed food, and torn clothing. “What in Equestria happened?” she mumbled.

“It seems someone lost their toys.” Maud stepped next to the alicorn. “I believe Hondo Flanks and Cookie Crumbles allowed Rarity to get aboard the ship.”

“Why do you think that?” Twilight whispered.

Maud motioned her over to a crate in the corner. She lifted the lid off and the alicorn peered in. “I don’t know why Rarity would need multiple sets of clothes but I can only speculate, and the speculations aren’t good.”

Twilight was baffled by the sight. “Why would there be more costumes for just one pony?” Then it hit her. “Hondo and Cookie! They must also be parading around in the same costume with her!”

“I haven’t seen multiple ponies in that costume though, so as I said, speculation.”

There was a hole in the theory, but Twilight understood that if the costumes had not been removed yet then perhaps Rarity’s parents had just been waiting for an opportunity to join in. “We should find the others and tell them to avoid Hondo and Cookie until the masked marauder has been captured or vanquished.”

Maud nodded and followed the alicorn up the steps. They went a different way than how Twilight had come, past the boiler room and engine room, up a mini staircase, and onto the third floor. It was becoming less of a maze for the two mares. Twilight wished she had spent more time looking at the map rather than the hours of restless sleep she had gotten. As they reached the third floor they came into a much larger corridor. Sounds echoed from down the hall and lights flickered within the gaps of the two sets of double doors. The earth pony looked to the alicorn, waiting for her to make a move.

They stepped next to a double door set, one mare on each side. Slowly, they pushed open the doors and the lights filled the hall. It was the theater. The movie lit the screen from the projector above, between both sets of double doors. During their stay, the theater was meant to be closed unless the entire group wanted to watch something, as it was more meant for a bustling ship. Now, it was being used for something far more demented. The only sound they had been hearing was that of the projector clicking as it ran the film rolls.

It wasn’t a normal movie, as normal movies have music or sound effects. This had neither. No, this movie was just a series of zooms and focuses on still pictures. Twilight stepped into the room and watched it for a moment, realizing what it was that it was showing. Maud shut the doors and stared with her, watching as the photos were thrown one at a time into an open fire. The photo melted and another was shown, then it too was thrown in and burned.

Every photo was different but all contained the same pony. Rarity. Photo after photo were of Rarity at different stages in her life. One with her and Sweetie Belle. One with her and Opal. One of the day she moved to Ponyville. One as Pinkie Pie smashed her face into her cake, followed with Rarity’s cake covered face grown angry at the party pony. It would have been sweet if they hadn’t all been of the monster that later murdered all of her friends. It was then Twilight felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked to Maud who pointed down at the front row. Two ponies sat staring up at the screen.

One final photo was thrown into the fire, the photo of Twilight and all her friends sitting together happily. The film sat on the open flames, watching the destruction of the photos. Twilight couldn’t bear to watch the photo of her friends burning. She marched down the steps of the theater and came to the bottom, hoping to angrily yell at whoever had been watching this sick movie.

Her heart sunk and she fell on her rump, covering her mouth to prevent herself from screaming. She would need to rethink her theory. The two who sat in the chairs were Hondo Flanks and Cookie Crumbles. Blood covered their torsos and their cheeks had been cut into, making red smiles on both their faces. As she came closer she could tell their eyelids had been removed. She wondered if that had been before or after they died. Maud had followed her down and glanced over the bodies, looking to make sure they had truly kicked the bucket and weren’t faking.

The slits in their necks were proof enough to her. “What are you thinking?” Maud asked, trying to understand the events.

“Rarity killed them, there’s no deniability. They may have gotten her on board they may have not, but she is on board and this is the proof I needed to believe.” Twilight shook her head and turned to the earth pony. “We need to-” As she began to speak the movie shut off, darkening the theater. She lit her horn just as the doors they had entered from were shoved open. A glow emitted from behind the masked pony.

“Look who it is, Twilight Sparkle and Maud Pie,” the smoothly mechanical voice said. “Did you save any popcorn for me? You better have, because if you didn’t…” The masked murderer ran down the steps towards the screen. “I’ll gut you and pour your blood like butter!”

The two mares ran up the other aisle and out of the theater. They didn’t look back but could hear the killer yell, “Where you going? The movies just about to start!”

~*~*~*~*~*~

“I thought you said seventy-five?”

Zephyr held the flashlight on the open doorway. The room was barren of life. They had gotten the room number wrong after a slow walk with Granny Smith. They’d have to walk another hall over to get to the room they needed. Limestone groaned and took the flashlight from the pegasus, leading the two down the hall and around to the next aisle of rooms. It took them a long while, waiting for the earth pony to walk, but they eventually made it.

Limestone knocked on the door and it swayed open. “I thought I told them to lock up tight,” she mumbled. She flipped the switch to light the lights but had forgotten they had been out. “Marble? McIntosh?” she called out to no response. The flashlight showed nopony was dead or alive in the room.

“So, they’re not here, and now we have to go find them don’t we?” Zephyr complained, his eyes leaning towards the old mare.

“I suppose it could have been another room,” Limestone replied as she noticed the resentment in his eyes. “We’ll have to search.”

The stallion groaned. But he then got an idea. “Hey, Granny Smith. I’ll bet they probably went to the captain’s quarters since that room is bigger. Big M’s probably already there, waiting for you. Why don’t you go check and we’ll make sure we’ve got the right room.”

Granny Smith raised an eyebrow. Her mouth hummed and sloshed around as she thought about it. “Well, if you say so,” she finally replied and then turned away.

As she walked down the hall Limestone gave Zephyr a smack in the shoulder. “Why’d you do that? She could run into that masked freak and die!”

“Well, if she gets stabbed I’m sure she’ll bleed as slow as she walks,” he replied, rolling his eyes.

“That’s not funny, Zephyr. Crew members have died, our families could be next.” Limestone closed room ninety-five’s door and pointed the flashlight at him.

“Hey I’m worried about my parents and all but I’m pretty sure the killer is targeting Twilight Sparkle.” He gave a shrug. “I’m more worried about dying a virgin.”

She groaned for a moment and turned away. “You and me both.” As the words left her mouth she realized what she had said, slapping her forehead. “I-I mean, I’m worried about my parents. That’s all!”

When she turned back to the pegasus she could see the hugest grin on his face. “You know-”

“No!”

“Aw c’mon. You’re here, I’m here. We’re alone. Maybe might die. It’s the perfect opportunity.” Zephyr slinked around to her side and caressed her cheek. “What’s wrong with just having some fun?”

Her face was fully blushed as she tried to hide it from the pegasus’s view. “You’re really getting on my nerves!” She threw open a door and shoved Zephyr inside, knocking him all the way to the edge of the bed. “Fine. You want to do it? Let’s do it!” She threw the flashlight to the side and pushed him once more onto the bed. The light shined over them, barely illuminating their field of view.

Limestone lifted her body onto the pegasus as he lay on his back, staring up at the earth pony and grinning. She wanted to wipe the smug look off his face but didn’t know how, that is, until he pulled her down and kissed her. They were entangled in each other’s mouths for quite a bit, their muzzles pressed hard against one another. Limestone eventually felt tapping between her legs. His stallionhood was fully erect and throbbing, wanting to be let in. She broke muzzles with him and leaned back, rubbing her wetness against his mass. She took a moment to look down to see how big he was in the dim light. He was bigger than she had expected.

Rainbow must have been a fillyfooler to pass up something like this, she thought as she bit her lip. Her whole body pressed down on him and he entered her. She couldn’t contain her moaning as she sat down on him, feeling the entire rod inside of her.

Zephyr could feel himself throbbing and he purposefully wiggled inside her, inciting her to moan more. She hadn’t started to move and so he pressed his rump against the bed and then pushed up, sending his cock all the way in once more. He did this several times and then stopped, teasing her with slow movements. She finally took it upon herself to start riding him, placing a hoof on his chest and throwing her head back in excitement. He could feel her squeezing on him as she did. It was then he realized she must have orgasmed, as she slowed and her squeezing let up. She took several pants before starting again, this time going faster and harder. Slapping echoed and the bed shook rapidly as she rode him.

He could feel himself getting closer and closer to climax. This is way better than using wings. His tongue escaped his mouth and he rolled his head back, closing his eyes. She wasn’t going to stop and he wasn’t going to make her. He let go. His cock pulsed as his seed flowed into her, filling her up. She had stopped moving and he held her back legs down, preventing her from trying to get up off of him. With his eyes still closed, he felt liquid warmth spreading onto his belly. I must have been more pent up than I thought, she couldn’t keep it all in her, he alleged as he grinned.

When he opened his eyes he saw blood pouring down onto him from her neck. Her throat had been slit and the red eyes of the killer were behind her head. The killer had held Limestone in place, preventing her from slumping over onto him. When it noticed he had seen the mask it let go and the fresh corpse fell onto him. He screamed and tried to push her off but his cock was still stuck inside her. The killer stepped around the bed and lifted the knife, plunging it down at him. He twisted and turned and moved out of the way of the blade. As the killer stabbed into the bedding, sending fluff everywhere, Zephyr managed to break free and roll off the bed. Blood and semen trailed out the door as he ran into the hall.

The killer chased after him but he was too quick. Zephyr opened doors, blocking the killer’s path. He managed to reach the staircase with the killer right on his tail. As he climbed the steps he saw the open night air. Once he stepped out onto the deck he spread his wings to fly, but it was too late. The masked pony plunged a knife into an open wing, preventing Zephyr from flying. He slammed his chin onto the railing as he fell, blood spewing from both his wing and muzzle as he landed on the wooden deck. His body flopped and turned. The killer stood above him, staring down with those bright red eyes. Zephyr looked up and asked, “W-Why?”

“Well, at least you didn’t die a virgin.”

The knife slid in-between Zephyr’s ribs, straight into his heart.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Thanks for getting us out of there. I don’t know how long we were trapped,” Soarin said as the trio walked the dark hall. Spitfire led the way with Mrs. Shy’s flashlight. The pegasus had found them locked in the gym after running from a masked pony.

“I’m just glad I found you two. It’s been crazy and I lost m-my husband. I need t-to find him and Zephyr.”

“I’ll help you look for him once we get to the deck. Soarin here is going to fly back to shore and get help, then you and I can go look for your husband and son. Hopefully we’ll run into Twilight Sparkle along the way,” Spitfire replied as they reached an intersection. She shined the light down both side paths, making sure no one was waiting or hiding.

They continued on past the radio bay and around the corner. Soarin trotted up closer to Spitfire, leaving Mrs. Shy in the back. He then asked, “Are you sure it’s smart for me to leave you behind? I know you have your reasons but I can’t feel like I’d be more helpful here.”

Spitfire shook her head. “Princess Celestia needs to be told immediately. She will raise an army and navy just to find the killer. You know what she told us in our acceptance on this cruise.”

He sighed. “Yeah, we’re to protect Princess Twilight at all costs. Still, I don’t see how me running off is protecting her. That sounds more like leaving her to die, and worse, you as well.”

She stopped and smiled, then turned to look at him. “You know Soarin, you’re a real sweetheart. Once we get home you and I should-”

Screams interrupted the two’s conversation. It was coming from behind them. Spitfire turned and shined the flashlight down the hall. Mrs. Shy was being dragged by her back legs at an incredibly rapid pace. She was pulled around the corner and out of their sight. The screams increased as the two Wonderbolts rushed down the hall after her. She was nowhere to be seen when they turned the corner and her screams had stopped. They dashed down to the intersection and Spitfire shined the light on each of the paths, revealing nothing.

A sound of trotting came from behind them but when she shined her light there was nothing. She quickly returned to the radio bay and flashed the light, finding a bloody trail on the floor that led to the yellow pegasus. Soarin rushed in behind her, hoping that she found the mare to be okay. Spitfire shined the light down, showing the mare lying face up and slumped against the desk. Her throat had been slit, an eye gouged out, and six or seven stab wounds had pierced her torso and belly.

As Spitfire glanced over the corpse, grimacing in both horror and fear, a noise spooked her. She turned to shine the light on the door but saw nothing. It was then she realized what the noise was and shined over Soarin and the floor below him. He had pissed himself and still was, pouring urine onto the floor. She glanced up at his face and saw the pure terror in his expression. “Soarin!”

The yell had jolted him from his pissing stupor. He looked over to her, his eyes were almost bulging from his skull. He didn’t respond. She grabbed him by the hair and dragged him away, forcing him to step in more of his own pee. She pulled him out the door and began running. He followed after her and they rushed up the steps into the second-floor guestrooms. They ran down the hall and turned for another, reaching another set of stairs.

Once they came up from that staircase, they found the body of Zephyr lying in front of them, slumping against the railing with a pool of blood around him. “W-Wha.” Soarin tried to speak but he couldn’t get the words out. His throat had closed up as if he was choking on fear itself. “I-I” Spitfire placed a hoof over his mouth, shushing him.

“Fly in the direction the boat is heading. Fly as quickly as you can. Get help, tell Celestia, and keep safe.” Spitfire planted a kiss on his lips and then pointed to the sky. “Go!” she yelled. He hesitated, looking to her and then Zephyr’s corpse. “As your superior, I command you to go!”

He finally did as he was told, taking a running start and spreading his wings. He flew up high, glancing down every so often at the mare he loved. She watched him go, waiting for him to completely vanish into the night sky before finally shedding tears. She could only cry for a moment before she heard tapping. The moonlight lit up the white shirt and the black mask. The killer had been waiting against the wall, tapping a hoof impatiently. “Well, that poses a problem,” the smooth, ambiguous voice said.

Spitfire frowned and gritted her teeth. Her muzzle scrunched at the sight of the killer. She knew what she had to do. The killer rubbed a blood coated knife on Zephyr’s corpse, cleaning it off before turning back to Spitfire, pointing the blade at her. As they stood facing each other, they waited for the other to make a move. Eventually, they both did. They ran straight for each other, hoping to be the one to land the first of several blows.

Chapter 6: 2:00 AM - 4:00 AM

The pegasus ran and hid behind the engine’s whirring mechanisms. He had been working on restoring power in the hopes of turning the lights back on, however, he had seen the masked pony and was forced to hide. He could see the killer checking every inch and corner but it had not seen him yet. As the masked pony drew closer to Mr. Shy’s hiding spot, it heard a noise and moved away. The pegasus gave a sigh of relief and poked his head out. He should have waited longer as the killer grabbed him immediately, throwing him to the floor by his hair. Another quick jab came from the knife, stabbing him directly in the spine. He screamed out in pain and fell unconscious.

Another sound echoing in the distance caught the killer’s attention, just as the first had. It decided to drag Mr. Shy with him, the knife still dug into a vertebrae. The killer dragged the pegasus out from the engine room, down the hall, and towards the resonating hoofsteps of an unsuspecting victim. A door slammed shut and the killer followed, listening for a moment before turning the metal knob. With Mr. Shy still in its grasp, the killer entered the room and could see two silhouettes huddled against the wall. It was the anchor room, the metal chains sat tethered next to the two ponies. When they saw the killer they began whimpering in fear.

The killer took the knife from Mr. Shy’s back and slit his throat, killing the pegasus. The killer shook the blade in their direction, sending blood spattering on the floor and at them. A trap was sprung as the masked pony stepped into the middle of the room. Twilight Sparkle and Maud threw the net from the shadows, landing on the masked marauder with heavy iron balls weighing it down. The killer fell to the ground under its weight. It tried to shake it off and cut the rope but neither worked. “What is this sorcery!?” the killer yelled in its strange voice.

“We did it!” Twilight Sparkle cheered as the four ponies surrounded the killer. “You’ll never get out of that! I placed a spell on it to prevent it from being destroyed. Your little game is over, Rarity!” She stomped her hoof, something was finally going good for them. Her horn lit up, revealing the costumed killer in full detail. Big Mac and Marble were startled to see the outfit so up close, especially the painted red eyes.

Maud reached down to grab the mask but the killer swiped at her and almost sliced her hoof. “What do we do now?” she asked.

“With the killer trapped we’re free to gather up the others and just wait for the boat to reach shore.” She watched as the masked pony struggled and squirmed. “We’ll need one of us to stay down here just in case she manages to get free.”

Big Mac nodded and raised his hoof. “Eeyup!” he said, volunteering.

“Then that settles it. Let’s head to the top deck. Big Mac, if something happens just run away,” Twilight advised. “Okay?” The stallion nodded in response and she motioned for the other two mares to exit. “I just hope everypony else is alright,” she said, staring down at Mr. Shy’s corpse.

Marble looked back at Big Mac, frowning as she exited the room with her sister. He waved to her but the dim light faded before she could see.

The trio of females rushed up into the crispy night air only to be slapped in the face with another dead body. Zephyr laid sprawled out and covered in blood, a single stab wound through the chest. As they made their way to the control room they discovered Spitfire’s bloody remains. Bruises and cuts had been strung about the body, but none of the mares wanted to get close enough to see how mutilated she was. With the waiter’s body still splattered on the deck, the cruise ship was slowly becoming a graveyard. Fortunately, the control room was empty like Twilight had hoped, nopony could enter without her allowed approval. Unfortunately, they had not found any of the other guests on their way up. At least, not living ones.

“Maybe they’ve hidden somewhere. Your parents may be down in the medical bay. I lost my mom on the third floor and haven’t seen my dad. Let’s grab the map from my room before we go searching.” The Pie sisters agreed and they began to walk back to Twilight’s room. Twilight checked her door once they arrived, forgetting it had been locked since that morning. When she lifted her wing to grab the key it was gone. “Great. I lost it somewhere, probably trying to escape Rarity. Who knows where it could be now.”

She jiggled the knob and thought to teleport in and unlock it from the other side, except Maud tapped her shoulder. “Not now, Maud. I’ve got a map just inside-” Maud tapped her shoulder again and this time she looked. The killer stood near the railing, holding a bloody knife. “She escaped!?”

They didn’t wait for the killer to move. The trio of mares rushed down the other side of the ship, passing stairs to the second level and the other sets of guest cabins. They ran all the way to the pool and huddled along the outside wall of the dining hall. “If the lights were on we could push the killer into the pool and throw in a speaker,” Maud pointed out. “It’s clear magic won’t stop her. We need a weapon.”

Marble hummed in agreement and ran the length of the pool. She dared not look at the chef as she made her way to the other glass entrance. She skidded to a stop as she came face to face with the masked murderer. “Hello, Marble,” the killer said as it grabbed the silent mare by her mane, slamming her face to the ground. Twilight and Maud had stopped at the chef. They attempted to pull a knife down. When they heard the voice they immediately rushed around the side to help the youngest sister. They had gotten there too late as the killer had gotten her by the throat with the knife firmly pressed against it. “What’s the matter you two? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” it remarked, then its painted red eyes shifted to Maud. “Well, one of you at least. Come on, Maud. Show us a frown, some tears. Beg a little for your sister’s life.”

Twilight slowly stepped to the killer’s left, leaving Maud where she stood. “Look, it’s me you want. Just let Marble go and I’ll take her place. You’ll have finally won. Isn’t that what you want?” She tried to think of a plan as she spoke.

As Twilight got the killer’s attention, Maud pulled Boulder from her shirt and whispered to him. She had to wait until Twilight fully held the killer’s attention. “If I wanted just you I would have killed you in your bedroom the first night, Twilight. I would have slit your throat and watched your blood run cold just like I did for Big Mac. You should have seen the look on his face when he realized I wasn’t actually trapped.” The killer laughed a high-pitched, noisy laugh.

Marble squirmed and cried as she was held. It was at this moment that Maud sent Boulder flying like an arrow at the killer’s mask. Marble was released and she scattered away, but Boulder was caught midair. The killer turned to face Maud as if to show a frown or grimace, but the mask held no expression. Boulder hadn’t been caught by the killer’s hoof, no, it was caught by the killer’s telekinesis. Maud’s mouth fell open and her eyes went wide as the killer stared into her soul.

Instead of sending the pebble back at Maud, the killer tossed him over the ship into the water. “Sink like the rock you are.” This enraged the earth pony. Her expression went from its blank face to a slight frown. Maud charged the killer, slamming a hoof into the mask and sending the rock-killer to the ground.

As Maud laid into the killer, Twilight rushed to Marble’s aid, hoping the mare to be alright. The mare had passed out from freight. She turned back to see the fight and was horrified with what she saw. If catching Boulder hadn’t been enough proof, raising Maud into the air and slamming her on her back was. Rarity was a truly powerful unicorn and seemed to have gotten stronger over time. Twilight had to try something to save the earth pony. Her horn lit up and she fired a stream of magic at the masked pony. She held the stream of energy on the murderer but they had shielded themselves. The killer wasn’t moving as Twilight attacked, giving enough time for Maud to get out of the way and rush back to the alicorn’s side. “Get Marble into the kitchen and find a knife! My magic won’t stop her but she’s no god! Find something – anything, that might kill her!”

Maud nodded and hoisted her sister onto her back, leaving the alicorn to deal with the killer. She carried Marble past the glass doors and into the kitchen, dropping her sister near the door. Quick as a rabbit, Maud rifled through the drawers, leaving them open as she searched. The lack of light had made it impossible to see the blades but she could feel the insides of each. Spoons, forks, potholders, larger spoons, skewers, a drawer full of aluminum foil. Her search was in vain as the knives had all been used to pin up the chef on the outside of the hall or stored elsewhere.

She had taken too much time to search. The killer opened the door with a passed out Twilight on its back. “Looking for this?” it asked as it plunged the knife into Marble’s skull with such a force that a crunch rang out. Maud stepped forward and was about to charge before the killer commanded her to stop. “You don’t want little Twilight Sparkle here to die too, do you?”

It was pointless to try to fight with Twilight in harm’s way. She had to get the alicorn to safety before she ended up like Marble. “What do you want?” Maud asked, gritting her teeth.

“March out to the pool,” it demanded.

Maud did just that. The killer held the knife to Twilight’s throat as Maud exited the kitchen and stepped into the dining hall. She was marched out the doors underneath the chef, forcing her to step in the blood. The killer pointed to the right as they exited, at the short side of the pool. She walked all the way over and halted before turning around. When she did she caught the sight of the other end of the pool. Her parents had been tied up and hoisted over the railing, above the open sea. They wiggled in their ropes and muffled cries as they hung upside down.

“How did you manage-”

The killer dumped Twilight’s body to the ground, interrupting the earth pony. “Do you want to play a little game, Maud? It’s a real fun game. Pinkie used to love games.”

She had no choice but to nod.

“Good. Here’s the rules. If you can get to the edge of the boat before your parent’s rope are cut and they are tragically sent drowning into the sea, then you and them get to live! However, if you don’t then they die!” the killer explained with a piercing, howling cackle.

“That doesn’t sound like a game I can win. You’ll just use-”

“Magic? No. No magic. I won’t even throw the knife. What do you say? Will you play?” Without answering, Maud began running down the long side of the pool. “And she’s off! Will she make it in time folks!?” the killer yelled but didn’t move from the spot they stood.

Maud knew it was a trick, somehow, but she didn’t expect what was coming. Another masked pony stepped out from the wall near her parents and walked to the rope. Maud skidded to a stop, taking a moment to look at this new pony and then the other. This second killer cut the rope and sent her parents into the depths below. There had been two all along.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Twilight Sparkle closed the book she had been reading. It was her favorite novel. A pony had been trapped with witches and went along a road to meet a superb sorceress. As she got up to put the book back on a shelf she could smell smoke. She looked around and saw no open flames amongst her tree home and no smoke overhead. Spike sat dreaming in his bed like usual, so he couldn’t be the cause. Deciding not to wake him, she trotted down the steps and the smell of smoke worsened. She opened the door to the Golden Oak Library and stepped outside into Ponyville. The night air filled her lungs and the smoke followed. She walked out, turned, and then looked up. Fire had engulfed the tree branches in a matter of seconds. When she tried to run back inside to save Spike, the door shut on her face. No matter how hard she tried it wouldn’t budge.

Rarity’s voice called out from behind her and she turned, facing a darkness of fog that had begun to overwhelm the town. The tree had already started to collapse in on itself. Fear forced her to run around the side and attempt to fly. Her wings were nothing, not even stubs. She was unicorn again, forced to run as hard as she could with the fog chasing after her. It chased her all the way to the foot of the Everfree Forest. She didn’t stop running once it backed off, instead she continued on. Voices echoed around her. Some she recognized, others she wished she hadn’t. When she got further into the forest she stopped to catch her breath. “I’ll rip your heart from your ribs!” Rarity called out, it sounded close.

She started running again, unsure of where the voice was coming from. Stomping followed behind her, getting louder and louder with each passing second. In an attempt to hide, Twilight found an open tree trunk barely big enough to fit her. She squeezed into the gap and sat in the darkness. The stomping came closer and closer but then further and further away it went. She gave a sigh of relief before the floor opened up below her and she fell into darkness.

The darkness surrounded her as she screamed herself awake. Her horn lit up and she found herself in her cabin aboard the ship. She couldn’t move anything other than her head. She was paralyzed. It was as if something sat on her chest and sucked the air right from her lungs. A few seconds passed, then a minute. Nothing seemed to be happening until the door to her room swung open. Darkness was in the doorframe. Not even her horn could light up such a dark void.

A pony stepped out from this incredible darkness, a pony she hated to see. The white fur and purple mane brightened the room, and her blue piercing eyes stared at the immobile alicorn. “Twilight. Twilight. Twilight.” Rarity moved slowly, edging herself towards the end of the bed. “What a predicament you’ve found yourself in, thinking you were dealing with me.” Her words were jumbled to Twilight and made no sense. Why was she here and what was she doing? “I have no need to kill the families of our beloved friends. You’re the only one I want.” A knife appeared in Rarity’s grasp, along with a grin on her face.

Twilight opened her mouth to speak but nothing came. She struggled and cried, hoping to break free from whatever had been cast on her. “Shh, Twilight. It’s alright, darling.” Rarity hopped onto the bed and sauntered atop the alicorn, laying her body on Twilight’s chest. She lowered the knife down, slicing at Twilight’s face and creating deep gashes. “Do you really think it’s me? Come on, Twilight. You know me better than that.”

With her words spoken, Rarity vanished along with the rest of the room. Twilight was wrapped in darkness for a moment before she heard another voice. It was Maud’s voice, but she could not see her. Another spoke and she realized where she was. Her eyes opened in time to see Igneous and Cloudy drop into the ocean, forever lost to the sea. Maud spoke to the killer and looked to the other. That’s when Twilight realized what Rarity had meant. Two killer ponies. Two killer ponies she knew.

Her magic snapped the ropes that tied her and she rose up from the ground like a rabbit jumping a downed tree to escape a fox. She grabbed onto the killer that was closest to her and bit down on their shoulder. As the masked pony screamed in pain, Twilight lifted the black mask straight up into the air, throwing it overboard in the process. It was revealed who one of the killers had been, the moonlight shining down on their open head. Maud and Twilight stared as the unmasked pony shook their head, letting the purple and white hair flow.

“Well, this is a problem,” Twilight Velvet remarked.

Chapter 7: 4:00 AM - 7:00 AM

The mask fell to the deck. “I was afraid this would happen,” Night Light said. “I told you it could happen. It happened to Rarity, it could happen to us. Now it has.”

Twilight Sparkle stared at her mother who stared back. She couldn’t believe her own parents would be ill enough to murder other ponies. What reason could they have to do something so heinous? “You two won’t get away with this! Now that I know you aren’t Rarity, I also know you aren’t as powerful!” Her horn lit and she fired a magical blast directly at her mother. There was no way Velvet could dodge a blast that close and so she didn’t try. She forced her own blast, sending both of them flying in different directions.

“Velvet! Forget about her. We’ll kill the others first!” Night Light yelled, but before he could move to try and kill the earth pony he was struck in the back of the head. He fell to the ground only to rise a second later to slash at the pony who had hit him. “I was wondering where you went you little feather brain! You did a good disappearing act.” He swiped at the maid and missed, inches away from her throat.

Maud was on him in an instant. She sucker punched Night Light, sending him toppling over the side of the boat. “Go,” she told Gale. “I’ll grab Twilight.”

The alicorn was pushed to her hooves and led off with the two mares. Velvet eventually snapped up, rubbing her head and looking for her husband. He was climbing back over the railing slower than a snail. “Come on you idiot, they’re getting away!” she called out before chasing after her daughter.

“They won’t get far now that we’re both out and about,” he replied as he hurried behind her. “It’ll be fun to no longer hide.” As they chased them down through the second-floor guestrooms, he said, “We won’t be able to remove her memory. We have to kill her.”

“I know. Once we deal with them I’ll stop the ship and we can plant all the evidence of Rarity’s return. I was hoping we could avoid this.” They had lost the trio of mares on the third floor, however Night Light had a trick up his sleeve. He lit his horn and their hoofprints were barely visible. “They think they’re so clever,” he said as they entered the fourth-floor corridors.

A set of two hoofprints lead one way. “I’ll take these,” Velvet said, leaving the other for Night Light.

They parted ways and Velvet followed the magical glow. She lit her horn with a dim light, allowing her to see exactly where she was going. They were heading back into the ship’s engine room. The hoofprints started to disappear but Velvet could tell where they had headed. “Really, Twilight? You’re hiding somewhere near here? Didn’t you try this earlier? The net was a cute trap.”

As she searched for her daughter, the sound of clopping came closer and closer. She was then slammed into by Maud who continued on past her. Her husband followed behind shortly. “Hello dear, fancy meeting you here,” he said as he passed.

“Go get her, tiger!” she yelled in response. The lights of the ship suddenly came on, blinding her. “Oh, so that’s where you are.”

Night Light wouldn’t let Maud escape a second time. She had been getting on his nerves with every attempt he had made to strike her down. Doors were thrown in his way as he barreled after her. She managed to make her way up into the third floor, passing by the spa and foal’s playroom. Night Light followed her up but she had been too quick. Before he could get her, she locked herself in the gym by placing a dumbbell bar on the door, preventing it from opening.

“You dumb little hick. You really think this can prevent me from getting in?” he said, growling with a vicious grin on his face. “I don’t have to hide being a unicorn anymore. Let me show you why your race is so outmatched!”

Dumbbells began flying off the racks, smashing the glass windows of the gym. He tried to send a few into Maud but she dodged each weight he sent her way. With the glass smashed, Maud jumped out through a window, getting her hooves cut with glass. She ran down the hall and up the stairs to the second floor, but Night Light stayed on her tail. He lost her when they came across a hall with many of the doors already open, possibly from Limestone and Zephyr’s search.

“You’re just delaying the inevitable,” he called out as he examined each room. “I’ve gotten to kill most of you Pies. Is Marble still alive?” he asked as he searched, finding no trace of her. “She’s the only one I didn’t get to kill. Limestone on the other hoof. I enjoyed watching her bounce up and down on Zephyr as I waited to strike.” His horn lit up, casting a spell to see where her hoofprints had been, but the overhead light made it too bright to trace them. “Her getting it on with that little loser of a pegasus really made me want to show her a good time. Maybe I’ll give you a taste as I drain the blood from your body. It’d be nice to see you express something for once.”

At that instant, Maud shoved a door into his muzzle, sending him to the ground with blood spewing from his nostrils. She threw herself onto him, slamming hoof after hoof into his face before he sent his knife up her torso. The knife had only cut the fabric of her shirt, ripping it in half. Another swift punch and she rolled onto all fours, throwing the shirt off in the process.

“Maybe I won’t give you a taste now!” he yelled as he wiped his nose off, smearing the blood on his shirt’s foreleg. “I’m still going to remove all the blood from your body!” He was forced to chase after her again, up to the deck. When he reached the top he found that he had lost the earth pony. However, the waves weren’t loud enough to hide the sound of the glass doors closing, and he knew exactly where she had went – the dining hall. He pushed open the glass doors and waited, anticipating another sound to come from the mare.

He carefully looked around the room, preventing another surprise and sucker punch. After lifting the table cloths with his magic he turned his focus to the kitchen. The open window between the two rooms showed nothing. As he leaned his head over the counter, the mare head-butted him, slamming him backwards to the ground. Before she could get on top of him, he used his magic to lift her into the air and slam her down on an empty table, breaking it in half. He did it again on a table covered in plates, silverware, and glass. Before a third slam, Maud tossed a fork at him and it struck in a foreleg. It barely broke the skin and he removed it immediately, tossing it to the floor. Blood spluttered out onto the rug. “Now I’m really forking mad.” Night Light pulled his knife out from underneath his overalls, pointing it at the earth pony.

The stallion charged at her but she managed to grab the foreleg that held the knife, swinging him around into the broken table. He bounced off the table and threw the knife, sending it sailing and cutting her scalp. She held her hoof against the gash but it wasn’t too deep. As she felt the wound, Night Light charged once more, slamming into the mare. He fell on top of her and pushed his weight so she couldn’t move. Pressing his forelegs down on her throat, he attempted to choke the life out of her.

She sent her back legs sailing into his stomach with a swift kick. The kick sent him flying across the room and into the glass doors. Glass shattered around and on top of him, nicking and cutting his costume and face. Maud trotted across the broken glass and grabbed him by the mane, dragging him to the pool. He struggled to be free but she was too strong, stronger than any normal earth pony should’ve been. A second later and he was submerged in water. He writhed and thrashed, trying to swim but it was hard to move whilst in the costume. When he finally got to the surface he gasped for air and found the earth pony was gone.

“Over here,” she called from one of the speakers. As he attempted to get out of the water she kicked the speaker in, sending a wave of electricity into the pool and electrocuting the stallion. He screamed in pain for a few moments as the water danced with electricity, frying him. When it finally stopped, he no longer moved. Air poured from his lungs as he sunk to the bottom. “I know my face doesn’t show it, but, I found this to be quite… shocking,” she described, a small curve to her lips revealed a sense of satisfaction in his death.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Turning on the power won’t do you any good when you’re dead,” Velvet called out as she searched for her daughter. “Why don’t you come out and join us instead? A trio family of murderers. Maybe we’ll all hunt down Rarity afterwards. A nice little family bonding experience.” She pushed open a door knife first, searching every inch for her daughter.

As she entered the engine room, she could hear a piece of metal falling to the ground. She could barely hear it over the roar of the ship’s engine, but it was there. The purple alicorn was hiding between four barrels, cowering and hoping not to be seen. It was too late. “There you are,” Velvet said as she raised the knife. “Don’t worry dear, I’ll make this quick. You’ve been through enough already.”

Before Velvet could do the deed, another pony came alongside her. “Dear, Maud’s been taken care of,” the smooth, strangely mechanical voice said. Velvet turned to see the masked pony standing next to her. She hadn’t expected her husband to be so quick.

“Oh, my. Already? I’m just glad you aren’t this quick in bed,” she replied, tapping her mate. “Would you like to-”

“Would you like me to take care of you?” the masked pony interrupted before she could say anything more.

Velvet was bewildered by the question, but then it hit her. Quite literally, actually, as the masked pony slammed a hoof into her face. She fell to the ground and the knife slid across the floor and in between the barrels. “You’re not Night Light!” Velvet yelled as she jumped up, striking the fake killer and grabbing the mask. She ripped it from Gale’s head and then slammed another hoof into the pegasus’s face. “I’ll kill you first you winged rat!”

“Stop right there!” Twilight Sparkle yelled, pointing the knife with her magic at her mother. “This has gone on long enough!”

The maid was bloody and bruised, and going slowly unconscious before Twilight could intervene. Velvet dropped Gale to the ground and turned to her daughter, staring down the sharp end of the knife. “Honey, it’s me, your mother. Put the knife down and we can talk about this,” she said, pleading with her child with blood still on her hooves. “We can still be a family. You know me, Twilight.”

Just as it looked like Twilight was going to give in, she shot the knife at her mother, slicing her shoulder. The elder mare clamped down on the wound and shouted, “You worthless little foal! You can’t even kill me right!” The knife then came back around and stabbed her in the other shoulder. Velvet fell forward but caught herself. Her face raged with anger as she looked up at Twilight. She then grabbed the knife with her own magic and ran off with the bloody blade.

Twilight ran out to chase her but stopped at Gale’s side. “Gale, are you alright?” She slumped down and grabbed the maid, pulling her up and leaning her against the side of one of the barrels. The maid mumbled something that Twilight couldn’t understand. “Listen, you stay here. I’m going to go finish this!” Twilight rose to her hooves and galloped off, out of the engine room.

Her mother was quick but bleeding. The blood trail led down the steps and past the storage room. Twilight followed it as best she could, eventually making her way to the large medical bay. When she entered the room she flipped the switch on. Dozens of gurneys held body bags that were closed up. The blood trail had stopped at the door. She got an uneasy feeling in the quietness of the room. As she trotted in-between body bags, she noticed one was moving. She stood a safe distance at the edge of the gurney and unzipped the bag.

Two large mice came crawling out of the bag that had been filled with now spoiling food. She then unzipped another body bag, revealing the boiled captain. Then another, and another, and another. When she came to the last body bag she noticed where it sat. The light above it had burnt out, leaving the bag in darkness. Before opening the final body bag, Twilight grabbed a syringe from one of the open drawers. She stepped closer and closer before levitating the zipper down its teeth. Inside was Limestone’s corpse. She hadn’t expected to see the young mare and so she dropped the syringe and threw her hooves to her mouth.

As soon as the syringe fell, Velvet rushed out from the doctor’s office, sprinting at her daughter with knife in hoof. Twilight levitated the gurneys in front of her mother and she slammed into them, falling to the ground. With her mother on the floor, Twilight ran out of the medical bay, flipping the light off on her way out. Velvet chased after her, pushing the gurneys out of the way as she attempted to follow.

The alicorn ran up the steps to the third floor and made her way over broken glass that had been scattered on the ground. Her hooves got cut up as fragments were stepped on, but she had little choice except to run through. After making her way through the painful glass, she rushed to the end of the hall and through a set of double doors. “You never were the bright one, that was always Shining. Who runs through broken glass?” Velvet yelled as she walked over the glass, unfazed.

Twilight moved to the end of the theater and stood near the screen, waiting for her mother to appear. She planned to run down the other aisle and out into the hall, except her mother came through the door she was going to exit through. Twilight screamed as the knife sailed over her head, striking the theater screen. “Why are you doing this!?” the alicorn yelled her question as she moved back to the other aisle.

“Me!?” Velvet yelled in reply as she trotted down the steps. “I was planning on letting you live, Twilight. I wanted us to be a family. You’re the one that stupidly complicated this!”

“But why do this at all? Why kill all these ponies? You’re no better than Rarity! There’s no reason to be doing these sort of things!”

“Oh, I have my reasons. So does your father,” Velvet replied as she pulled the knife from the screen, a devious smirk spread across her face.

“What reasons could you have!?”

Velvet turned the blade towards Twilight and said, “Because my Shining Armor was taken away! These other families think they lost their child, but I was forced to lose my pride and joy and his pride and joy! A grandchild! It would have been so nice to see his child been born into the world. Yet here I am, having to share a cruise with ponies who think they lost somepony of importance. They lost nothing! They are nothing!”

“What about me!? I can still have children, yet here you are, trying to kill me!” Twilight reasoned.

“It wouldn’t be the same, it wouldn’t be part of our family! You’d just have some stupid stallion’s foal who wasn’t even worth our time! Tartarus be, you’ve proven you’re not even worth impregnating with how stupid you’ve been tonight. Really? Rarity’s returned? Anyone with half a brain could see it wasn’t her.” Velvet ran the knife down one of the theater seats before stabbing it repeatedly. “Y’know, I thought to have your father put his seed in you, that way you’d have something good happen to you. But then I worried what the public would say once they found out. You’d be labeled the sluttiest princess, ruining the family name.”

Twilight couldn’t take it anymore. “Me? Ruin the family name? What do you think they’ll say when they find out about you and dad? There’s enough evidence here to convict you both even if you kill me.”

With a shake of her head, Velvet smiled. “We’ve been practicing how to hide evidence on the nobodies that like to hang around on the outside of Canterlot. Random little passersby that nobody will miss. We’ve gotten very good.” Her smile turned into a smirk, a very evil looking smirk.

“Y-You… and dad are the ones that…”

“Oh, and we even have a backup plan for killing you. Once we’re back in Canterlot we’ll wait a while and announce a new baby. We may as well make another to replace you. We’ll be in the Canterlot spotlight for quite a while, and once the foal is born Celestia will have no choice but to accept him or her into her counsel. If it’s a stallion, even better. He can then impregnate Cadance if she isn’t too old by then. Even Cadance is more worthy than you.”

Twilight had heard just about all she needed. Maud had slinked into the room out of sight of Velvet, waiting for the perfect moment to attack. Twilight wanted to hear every bit of information she could, just as she had with Rarity. Rarity’s reasons were insane but this was just off the deep end. Before signaling to attack, she lit her horn and flashed a light, blinding her mother for a moment.

“You really think that will work, Twilight?” her mother asked as she raised a foreleg, hiding her eyes from the light. As the shine faded, she lowered her leg and then felt the slam of a metal rod across the back of her head. She fell to the ground like a bag of potatoes.

“Was that the type of spotlight you were expecting?” Maud asked as she slammed the mare with the metal rod again. She had grabbed one of the barbells from the gym and removed the weights. It was light weight but still hurt worse than a punch to the head.

Before she could swing it down a third time, Velvet caught it with her magic. She used it to smack Maud across the face before standing to her hooves. Now she had both the knife and the rod. With Maud laying on the ground, Velvet sent the rod piercing into her side, sending it all the way through her torso. She tried to pull it out but it was caught in-between something on her insides. Maud coughed up blood and looked up at the unicorn. “Never anger an alicorn.”

Velvet didn’t understand it at first, but when she turned she saw Twilight with a massive amount of energy built up. Her daughter released it but Velvet was too fast. Her shield spell went up and she avoided the magical blast. She could not keep the levitation and the shield spell up at the same time. The knife went sailing somewhere into the upper chair section. When the dust cleared, Twilight had already began running up the steps. Velvet chased after her, angrier than ever. “You think I’m going to be another Rarity, just going to lie down and take it?” she yelled. “I brought you into this world, and now I’m going to murder the ever-loving Celestia out of you!”

Twilight ran up and up, all the way to the deck. The sun had begun to rise and the light shined against the ship. Her mother had been on her tail the entire way, and as she reached the pool Velvet had caught her. The two Twilight’s slammed their heads together, wrestling and hitting into the poolside furniture. Twilight slammed Velvet in the face with one of the chairs and she landed at the edge of the water. The mother then noticed a drowned body at the bottom of the pool.

Her head rings as she gets a clear look at who it is. Blue overalls and white shirt with a dark blue mane. “N-Night Light?” she called out, realizing the only pony who it could be. “Night Light!” she called out again as she stood to her hooves. She turned back to Twilight and began to cry. “Your emotionless little friend did this! I’ll gut her after I’m done gutting you!” Using her magic, Velvet levitated the tables and chairs of the pool, pushing them altogether. She launches them at Twilight to try and squish her, but Twilight grabbed the ball with her own magic. The two begin to fight over it, trying to maintain control and squash the other.

“Here’s an emotion for you. Pain,” Maud said as she swung the rod into the back of Velvet’s head. It was the same rod that Velvet had pierced her side. The ball became loose and Twilight tossed it out into the sea. Maud gets another swing on Velvet, hitting square in the cranium. On the third swing, Velvet grabbed the rod with her magic. The unicorn then sent the rod back into Maud’s face as the earth pony still held it.

Before she could take the rod from Maud, Twilight grabbed onto Velvet’s neck with both hooves and pushed her to the ground. Velvet returned the favor by grabbing and trying to apply enough pressure to choke her daughter out. “Just die, Twilight! Tell Shining to wait for me!”

Maud rose to her hooves and slammed the rod over Velvet’s head, loosening her hooves on the alicorn. “Tell him yourself.” She slammed the rod into Velvet’s face over and over, fighting off the magical strength of the unicorn who tried to levitate it away. Maud was stronger than Velvet, even with the gaping wound in her side. She beat the unicorn’s face until an eye began to bulge. When Velvet didn’t move anymore, Maud dropped the rod and fell to her rump, collapsing to the deck. “That was for Boulder and Marble, and everypony else.”

Twilight grabbed the rod off the ground. “Is she dead?” she choked to say.

“Yes. There’s nopony that could survive such a beating,” replied Maud. Twilight stared at Maud for a moment with a blank look on her face before turning back to Velvet. Just as she did, Velvet sprung to life. One of her eyes had popped from its socket and she let out a blood-curdling scream, only to be silenced as Twilight sent the rod through her open eye and out the back of her throat. Velvet collapsed once more with the rod still in her. Maud could barely believe her eyes. “Though I suppose you would know more about ponies supposedly dying.”

Twilight huffed and puffed as she dropped to the ground. “That’s… That’s not funny, Maud.”

“It wasn’t a joke.”

“Right…”

As they spoke, they heard stumbling coming up from the stairs. Gale had managed to rise up from the engine room, clutching a knife in her hoof. “I-Is it s-safe?” she asked as she trotted closer to them.

Twilight smiled at the maid. “Yeah, it’s over,” she said in between breaths. She stared down at the knife that shook in the maid’s hoof. “Here, let me take that from you.” The maid carefully gave the knife to Twilight, hilt first. “Just in case she comes back a second time.”

“S-Sorry, I wasn’t ver-very much help, Twilight.” Gale stared down at Velvet’s bloody corpse. “I’m glad this is ov-over though.”

“Me too-” Just as Twilight was about to agree with the maid, Night Light burst from the water, gasping for air. The sudden noise and sight startled all three of the mares. As he climbed up from the poolside, Twilight threw the knife directly into her father’s throat, sending him back to the chlorine depths. His body sunk and blood filled the pool. “For the love of Equestria, what does it take to kill a pony!?” she yelled with a disgusted groan.

The three sat in silence after Twilight’s question, until Maud began to laugh. A smile was on the earth ponies face as she did, causing Twilight and Gale to laugh as well. They sat there giggling like fillies for a while.

Twilight leaned back and laid her head on the deck, laughing still. She then looked past the ship’s railing, noticing that shore could be seen. Several groups of pegasus could be seen overhead in the distance. “Calvary’s here,” the alicorn said.

Maud let out an exhausted sigh. “Better late than never, right?”

Twilight smiled. “Now that’s a funny joke.”

Epilogue: A Shore Minute

Twilight sat with a blanket covering her, holding a cup of hot coffee, and Gale Wind sat beside her. The pegasus was being checked over by the medic pony. She had plenty of bandages and a foreleg in a sling, but she fared better than Maud. Twilight had already spoken to Maud before she was wheeled off to the hospital, suffering from internal bleeding. She knew the earth pony would be alright, she was probably the strongest pony Twilight would ever know. The medic had said something about Twilight being the strongest, having survived three murderous ponies, but Twilight knew it wasn’t true.

She waited for Celestia to arrive, once she had Twilight knew she could break down and cry. Until then, she would be strong. This time was different from the last but the feeling was worse. Now she would have to go home to an empty house. There was no one she cared to be around now, except for her fellow princesses. Not even they, except Cadance, could know how she felt. She’d have to return to Ponyville to tell Applejack, she’d have to see Maud again and talk about her dead family. Would they hate her for her parents being murders?

She looked to Gale who stared into her own coffee cup. “Hey, Gale,” she said. Gale looked up with exhausted eyes. “Do you want to be my friend?”

“Friend?” Gale replied.

“Yeah. Having survived something like this, well, it changes you. I know that for a fact, perhaps too well. You shouldn’t go through it alone like I did the first time.”

Gale seemed to think about it for a long while. Twilight was worried she would say no, that she’d hate her. Instead, she said, “S-Sure. I’ve never been friends with a p-princess before.”

Twilight smiled. Princess of Friendship, that’s me, she sarcastically thought. As they sat in silence a pegasus pushed through the crowd. His blue hair waved above the other ponies and the guards attempted to prevent his entrance. “Let him through!” Twilight called out, recognizing the stallion’s voice. The guards moved and the pegasus passed through, rushing up to the alicorn.

“Twilight! I can’t believe you’re alright! D-Do you know where, um, Spitfire is?”

She looked at him and his sullen eyes. He had flown all night and hadn’t had a wink of sleep, just like her, just like the other survivors. “Soarin…” she whispered. “I-I’m sorry.”

He sucked in air through his nose, knowing what she was saying. He had prepared for it but the look in his eyes struck her heart. “I… I see,” he replied. “She knew what she was getting into. She knew that when she sent me away.”

Twilight wanted to reach out and wrap him in a hug. She couldn’t bear to see him so distraught while she remained desensitized. It wasn’t right, but then, having your own parents be murderers isn’t right either. She offered him a seat next to her, opposite Gale. He could wait until they carted her remains down and then go with the coroners. As they waited, a voice yelled from the ship. “We’ve got a live one!”

None of them could believe their eyes. The green, old mare was led down the steps by the detective, yawning as she reached the dock. “Granny Smith!?” Twilight yelled, waving to the earth pony. “How did you survive?”

The old mare was still too much asleep to answer, instead, she rocked back and forth with her eyes closed. “We found her in the captain’s quarters. She was asleep under the covers,” the detective answered. “She was really lucky, the door was unlocked and half opened.”

The detective led her away as Twilight sat there in disbelief. Gale let out a chuckle. “I guess y-you don’t live to that a-age without some sort of luck being on your side.”

Guards had begun wheeling out the corpses of the fallen. When Spitfire’s came, Soarin followed the guard off. A moment later and Twilight’s parents had come down the ramp. One was covered in blood and water, the other’s face completely destroyed. She couldn’t bear to look at them, so instead she stared out into the crowd.

For a moment she thought she saw her. Purple mane, white fur, blue eyes. She blinked and it was all gone except for the white fur. The crowd parted and the majestic mane blew as the princess strolled forward. “Twilight!” Celestia called as she rushed beside the wounded alicorn. “I came as quickly as I could. What happened!?”

Twilight looked up at her mentor. She couldn’t hold back any longer. Tears streamed down her face until it became full blown sobbing. She pushed her face into Celestia’s chest and the elder alicorn wrapped a foreleg around her student. “M-My ow-own…” she tried to speak.

“It’s okay, Twilight. We can talk about this later. Let’s get you a hotel.”

“C-Can I come w-with you? I, uh, I don’t really k-know anypony here in Manehattan,” Gale asked.

Celestia looked to the injured pegasus and smiled, only for it to falter as Twilight began to laugh. “Twilight?” she inquired, unsure of the alicorn’s mental state.

As her laughing subsided, Twilight replied, “Rarity loved Manehattan. Let’s go back to Canterlot.” She then wiped the tears from her eyes and gave a sniff. “Nothing bad seems to happen in Canterlot.”

Celestia stared at her with wide eyes. At first, Celestia thought to try and talk sense, but she knew that it wasn’t what Twilight needed to hear. She gave another smile and looked back and forth between Twilight and Gale. “Canterlot it is, then.”