Always The Quiet Ones

Chapters

Eat Your Heart Out 'Cupcakes'

Eat Your Heart Out 'Cupcakes'

The streets were dark, and thick heavy clouds blocked out the moon and the stars as the young girl was heading home.

"Alright, that's it" Sunset said sternly to herself as her legs pumped up and down "From now on, I end my evening jogs at sunset. Pushing myself to keep going till there's no sunlight is going to get me lost one day."

Fortunately for Sunset, she was in a familiar neighborhood, so she was able to navigate her way home in the dark.

"Okay, if I turn right at the corner, that will take me into Fluttershy's street. From there, I'll only be three blocks away from my house."

Making the turn, the bacon-color haired girl went straight down the street. Having been in this area so many times before, walking through it felt like second nature to her.

By now, the streetlamps were flickering on, giving the teen some illumination. As Sunset walked on, the wind started picking up, a howling, banshee-like wail echoing off everything it blew over, it being the only thing that could be heard in the eerily silent street.

"Okay" Sunset muttered to herself "Things are starting to get a little creepy around here."

At that moment, a loud clatter sounded behind her.

"Aah!" Sunset cried as she turned around to the see the source, eying a knocked over trashcan and an alley cat digging into the pile of overturned garbage.

Calming herself, the teen turned to continue her way.

"Okay, keep it together, Sunset" she was reassuring herself "You're just letting the surroundings get to you. Just get home and you'll be fine."

By now, Sunset could Fluttershy's house in the distance, causing her to relax. She knew that once she passed that, she'd only be halfway away from her house.

Coming up on her shy friend's home, Sunset felt her highly strung nerves fade away. Feeling more composed, she was about pick up her pace and jog faster back home, not a care in the world on her mind. Taking a quick glimpse of her friend's home, Sunset saw a single light on in Fluttershy's upstairs bedroom.

"Guess she's doing some late night studying" Sunset thought to herself as she was about to continue on her way.

"Fluttershy, what are you doing?" came a girl's voice from the lighted room, causing Sunset to stop in her tracks and turn back to the house, a brow raised in confusion. That sounded like Rainbow Dash. That's strange. What would Rainbow Dash be doing at Fluttershy's house this late?

"Now Rainbow, don't resist" came another voice that Sunset recognized, though seemed to lack the normal timidness. "You've known this was coming for a long time."

That manner of speaking surprised Sunset. Was that really Fluttershy?

"Okay, Fluttershy, enough's enough" Rainbow Dash sounded oddly terrified, much to Sunset's surprise. She thought the athletic girl rarely got scared. "The joke's over!"

"Who is joking?" Fluttershy's voice said in an aggressive, almost dangerous tone "I'm downright serious about this."

Sunset's eyes widened in shock. What was going on in there?

"Fluttershy, think for a second!" Rainbow's voice sounded panicking. "This isn't like you at all!"

"Well, that's where you're wrong, Rainbow" Fluttershy's voice said in a manner which sent a chill down Sunset's spine "I'm not the shy, timid girl you and the others think I am. There's more to me than you could even imagine."

Sunset couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was that really Fluttershy saying all that?

"F-Fluttershy," Dash's voice said quiveringly "You're scaring me!"

"Good" Fluttershy's voice said with a malicious chuckle "That's what I want."

By now, Sunset was sweating like she had just run a 1,000 mile marathon, her teeth were chattering and her knees were knocking as she slowly began to back away. Just then, there was sound of rummaging followed by something being picked up.

"Fl-Fluttershy, what are you doing with that?" Rainbow Dash's voice said in absolute terror "Put that down!"

"Oh, I think not, Rainbow" Fluttershy's voice said wickedly "I've been looking forward to this for a long time."

Sunset's eyes widened in terror and her skin turned pale. Was Fluttershy about to do what she thought?

"F-Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash's voice spoke, her usual bravado and confidence gone, sounding like she had become a scared, little girl "Keep away from me with that!"

"Now, stop squirming and hold still, Rainbow Dash" Fluttershy's voice ordered "It won't be any fun if you keep moving." Another horrifying chuckle "But then again, maybe it will."

Sunset's pupils couldn't grow any larger as she backed up even faster, her heart in her throat. Fluttershy wasn't...

"Fluttershy" Rainbow Dash's voice whispered "No. No! NO!"

"NOOOOO!"

A horrifying crash and clatter erupted from Fluttershy's bedroom, causing Sunset to jump in shock and land in a heap on the ground. With wide eyes, her hair standing on end, her breath caught in her lungs, and skin as white as a ghost, Sunset looked back up to the bedroom window.

"Please let me hear Rainbow's voice" she pleaded to herself "Please let me hear Rainbow's voice. Please let me hear Rainbow's voice."

Unfortunately, there was nothing but silence hanging in the air as Sunset continued looking up with suspense. Suddenly, the light in Fluttershy's bedroom went out, and the whole house was dark.

Without wasting a second, Sunset immediately leaped off the ground and sped down the street to the corner, where she stopped for a moment, pressed herself to the side of the fence, her heart beating like never before.

"Okay" she was saying to herself in a frenzied manner "I did not just hear what I thought I heard! I did NOT hear Fluttershy murder Rainbow Dash!"

Despite her words, she didn't feel any reassured as she continued her fast-paced walk back to her house.

The next morning came fairly quickly, and Sunset looked like she had barely gotten any sleep, her mind still fixated on what she had heard the previous night.

"A bad dream" she was trying to convince herself as she forced herself out of bed and got ready for the day "That's all it was. It was just a bad dream."

Uneasily, Sunset came out of her house and stepped off the porch, taking in the view of her surroundings. Everything seemed to look eerie to her. Dark clouds appeared to be hanging in the sky, making it looking dreary and things were oddly quiet and everything seemed dully colored.

As Sunset walked along the sidewalk, she couldn't help but feel apprehensively, like as if something was going to leap out and attack her at any moment.

"Calm yourself, Sunset" she tried to alleviate herself "You have nothing to worry about. Last night did not happen. One of your friends was not butchered by another. There is nothing to be stressed out about."

"Hey, Sunset! What are you thinking about?!"

"AAAHH!" Sunset jumped in surprise while letting a startled yelp.

"Wow" Pinkie Pie said in amazement "You're more jittery than me after twelve hours of espresso!"

Beating on her chest to restart her heart, Sunset turned to address the partythrower. "Pinkie, how many times do I have to tell you not to do that?!"

"Sorry," Pinkie said apologetically "I saw you from the other side of the street and you looked like you were in deep thought, so I decided to see what was up. So, what's on your mind, Sunny?'"

Sunset sighed "I think I heard something bad happen last night."

"Uh oh" Pinkie said with a frown "That's never good. What was it?"

"No, I can't say it here" Sunset shook her head and looked around in case they were being watched before whispering to the party-loving girl "Look, call Twilight, Rarity, and Applejack and tell them to meet us at Sugarcube Corner before school."

"Alright," Pinkie Pie said as she reached into her pocket for her cell phone "But why not Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash?"

"No!" Sunset cried in panic before calming herself "I mean, this is something I need to tell just you four."

"Whoa" Pinkie Pie said with wide eyes "This really is a big thing, isn't it?"

"Possibly" Sunset replied nervously.

Once Pinkie had assembled those Sunset had wanted present at Sugarcube Corner, she began explaining to the group everything she had witnessed the previous night. The four girls and one talking dog listened with wide eyes and open mouths as Sunset went on.

"And then the upstairs light went off, and I just ran like crazy all the way back home" Sunset eventually finished before taking a deep breath after her long-winded tale. "And that's what happened."

"Oh my" Rarity gasped as she and the others finished taking in what they just heard "Sunset, that's...Are you sure you weren't mistaken in what you heard?"

The bacon-color haired girl reluctantly shook her head "I wish I did, but I know what I heard."

"Still," Rarity continued "I mean, the idea of Fluttershy doing something so...horrifying. I just can't comprehend it!"

"Neither can I" Twilight imputed "After all the time I've spent with her, I think I've gotten a grasp on Fluttershy's character. I find it difficult to believe that she has the capacity to do anything atrocious."

"Yeah" Spike added "Anyone who can give the best belly rubs can't be the malicious type."

"Yeah" Pinkie Pie pipped in "Fluttershy offing Rainbow would be as crazy as saying I'm like Sweety Toad, turning people into pastries!" That got a look from everyone "What?"

"Have tah say," Applejack sat up "Ah'm inclined tah agree with tha majority, Sunset. Ah think that yah misheard wha was goin' on in Fluttershy's house last night."

"I'd like to believe that" Sunset said "but I also believe what I heard with my own two ears."

"Then believe yer eyes" Applejack said with conviction "All tha we need tah do is go tah school and we'll find Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash waitin' for us in tha courtyard."

"She's right, Sunset" Rarity added "The two of them are probably waiting for us at the school right now."

"It does seem the best way to prove that you didn't hear what you thought" Twilight shrugged.

"Yeah" Pinkie Pie said with a grin "And once we sort out the misunderstanding and get Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash's side of the story, we can all have a big laugh about it!"

Sunset smiled as she felt a weight lift off her shoulders. "You girls are probably right. When we get to the school and see Rainbow Dash, I'll know I was just fretting over nothing."

Sure enough, upon arriving at the school, the group of five found Fluttershy standing around in the courtyard...all by herself with Rainbow Dash nowhere in sight.

"Then again, maybe not" Sunset said monotonously, her earlier positive attitude dropping like a stone.

"Now, don't panic" Rarity said reassuringly "Rainbow's absence is probably perfectly innocent."

"O' course it is" Applejack added "Dash is probably just off somewhere else around here. Don' worry, Fluttershy can tell us where she is. Come on."

With that, the group walked over to the school statue where Fluttershy was standing.

"Hey, Fluttershy!" Applejack called out with a wave.

"Oh!" the pink-haired girl jumped in surprise before addressing the group. "Uh, hi, girls!"

"How are you doing, Deary?" Rarity greeted.

"Oh, just fine" Fluttershy said with a small smile.

"So, where'd Dash wander off tah?" Applejack said as she scanned the courtyard "Ah don' see hind nor hair of her out here."

'Oh" Fluttershy was caught off-guard before replying "Uh, I'm afraid Rainbow...won't be here today."

The unexpected reply actually caused the girls to pause for a second and look towards Sunset, who merely shrugged. Shaking her head of any suspicious thoughts, Applejack turned back to Fluttershy "Uh, why not? She doesn' usually play hooky."

"Uh" Fluttershy seemed to ponder the question for a fraction of a moment before saying "She, uh, had...sort of an accident."

"An accident?!" Rarity gasped in shock "Oh, my! What happened?!"

"Um" Fluttershy averted her gaze from the group "She wouldn't tell me."

Just then, the school bell rang.

"Oh, that's the bell" Fluttershy said almost too enthusiastically "Gotta get to class."

With that, she was off like a shot, leaving the rest of the group bewildered.

"Uh, did that feel weird to anybody else besides me?" Pinkie Pie asked the group.

"Not just yah, Pinkie" Applejack said befuddled "There was clearly somethin' she wasn't tellin' us, and Ah don' need mah skill at bluff callin' tah see it."

"Oh my" Rarity gasped "You don't suppose Sunset's right, do you? Cause that would mean..."

"Rarity, calm down!" Twilight cried "I admit that it appears there's something funny going on with Fluttershy, but we can't just assume she's a.....murderer. Considering you all have known her longer than I have, I'm surprised you're so quick to judge."

Applejack sighed. "Yer right, Twilight. Whatever Fluttershy is hidin', Ah doubt it's anythin' malicious. Rainbow probably just sprained her leg from tah much practice and didn' want Fluttershy tah tell us. Fer now, let's just get tah class and we'll figure out what's up with Flutters later."

The others nodded in agreement while Sunset just sighed. "Alright, but I just hope you're right."

The lesson in class that day was a slow one, and Applejack soon found her attention drifting away from the teacher as she lazily looked around the classroom, thinking about earlier that morning. She knew that Sunset had to have been mistaken. Fluttershy would never harm anybody, least of all, her friends. And whatever she wasn't willing to tell them, they'd figure it out eventually.

Absentmindedly, Applejack chanced to look out the window, and she caught a peculiar sight.

For outside, a good ten feet from the window near the school's track and field was Fluttershy, her back turned and a shovel in her hands, digging a rather large hole.

That caused Applejack to stop and wonder. Why in the world was Fluttershy digging a hole outside instead of being in class? She wasn't digging...Nah, that was impossible.

Wasn't it?

She was so deep in wondering that she didn't notice that the teacher had been calling her until the tenth time.

Whistling happily, Pinkie Pie skipped through the halls.

"I hope whatever accident Rainbow suffered isn't too serious" she said to no one in particular "Hopefully, she'll be back by the end of this story!"

At that moment, however, someone was coming down the hallway at the corner, and between not knowing they were coming and having her attention focused on whatever went on in her mind, Pinkie Pie unexpectedly bumped into the coming student, sending both them tumbling to the ground in a shower of books, papers, and pencils.

"Whoa" Pinkie said as her eyes spun "That was a doozy of a headbutt!" Looking up, she saw who it was she smashed into "Oh! Sorry about that, Fluttershy! Are you okay?"

Fluttershy shook her head to recover from her collision daze. "Oh! I'm fine, Pinkie" she then looked at her scattered supplies around the two "But my things are everywhere!"

"No problem, Flutters!" Pinkie Pie said with a grin as she started picking up books and papers "I'll help you!"

"Oh, that's really nice of you, Pinkie" Fluttershy said gratefully as she held open her bag for Pinkie to drop her stuff in.

"There!" Pinkie said a minute later as she dumped in a final load "That looks like all of it!"

"Thank you very much, Pinkie" Fluttershy said.

"No problem at all!" Pinkie Pie replied "Especially since...hey, what's that?" Reaching down, she picked up what appeared to be a bit of rainbow-colored hair.

"Oh!" Fluttershy cried as she snatched the hair from Pinkie Pie and stuffed it into her pocket "Just a leftover from a wig I made earlier this week! Gotta go, Pinkie! Bye!"

And before Pinkie Pie could even blink, Fluttershy was gone.

"Wow" Pinkie said in amazement "She's almost as good at that as me! But why exactly did she make a rainbow-colored wig?"

Lunchtime rolled around and Rarity was soon sitting at the table she and her friends usually occupied.

"Oh, I do hope that the others will be arriving shortly" the fashionista said outloud as she waited for the group. It was then she spotted Fluttershy passing by. "Oh, Fluttershy, Dear!"

"Oh, hi, Rarity" the pink-haired girl replied without stopping.

"Fluttershy, where are you going?" Rarity asked as she stood up in front of the girl "Aren't you going to stay for lunch? Our friends will be here soon."

"Oh, thanks, Rarity" Fluttershy said sincerely "But I'm not feeling very hungry at the moment. And besides, I've got something to do."

Rarity thought the behavior was odd, but she wasn't about to force Fluttershy to stay if she didn't want to. "Alright, if you're sure, Deary."

"I'm really sorry, but I'll join you girls next time, I promise" Fluttershy said regretfully.

"Well, then, I guess I'll see you later, Dear" Rarity bid good-bye with a curtsy. As her head dipped, she happened to catch sight of the bag on Fluttershy's arm. More precise, the contents of it, namely what appeared to be a familiar blue jersey covered in stains.

"Uh, Fluttershy..." she started but was interrupted.

"Oh, sorry, Rarity" Fluttershy said quickly as she went by "But I've got to go now! Bye!"

Rarity stood focused on where Fluttershy disappeared from sight.

"Was that really Rainbow's....?"

Rarity was snapped back when the others arrived at the table and she quickly joined them, but even while having casual conversations, she still kept shooting glances at where Fluttershy went off.

It was moving towards the afternoon when Twilight walked through the empty halls to her locker.

"I can't believe I actually forgot my abacus" she shook her head in dismay "I'm usually more organized than that."

"That's not the only thing you've forgotten" came a disgruntled voice from inside her backpack "You didn't share any of your lunch with me!"

"Spike, keep it down!" Twilight said in a hushed whisper "Even if some of the people here know about you, there's still a 'no pets' policy! That's why I didn't chance letting you out to give you some!"

"Well, it's still a waste" Spike huffed as Twilight reached her locker "Do you know how much high school food goes uneaten? Enough to feed starving animals throughout the city!"

"Look, can we talk about this later, when we're not in danger of getting caught?" Twilight asked the dog as she opened her locker and grabbed her abacus "I got to get back to class before...What was that?"

"What was what, Twilight?" Spike said as he chanced to poke his head out of the bag.

"I thought I heard a door squeak open" Twilight whispered.

Just then, a small, grunting sound was coming down the hall.

"Someone's coming!" Twilight cried in a whisper "We need to hide!"

Ducking behind a column, Twilight glanced back, Spike poking his head out from behind her.

At that moment, the grunting noise stopped. Then, from out of the adjacent hallway, Fluttershy poked her head out and looked around, as if checking to see she was alone. Before she caught sight of them, Twilight and Spike ducked back behind their hiding spot. Believing she was the only one in the halls, Fluttershy ducked back down the way she came.

"What's Fluttershy doing?" Spike asked.

"I don't know" Twilight replied in genuine confusion before the grunting she had hear earlier resumed "Shhh! Listen."

Peaking out from behind the corner, the duo saw Fluttershy dragging a large, bulging, white trash bag behind her, grunting and groaning the whole way.

Puzzled and confused, Twilight and Spike watched from their hiding place until Fluttershy disappeared with her bag down the corridor, finally coming out in the open.

"What do you suppose Fluttershy was doing with that bag?" Spike asked.

"The question that has my attention is 'What was in that bag?'" Twilight said with wide eyes.

Eventually, the final bell rang, and the students were glad to be getting out.

Standing out in the hall, Sunset waited for her friends to show up so they could do something together, her earlier worries from that morning had vanished. Her friends were right. She probably misheard what happened the previous night. She could get the full story after Rainbow Dash came back.

Just then, Sunset caught sight of Fluttershy heading to her locker. She was about to call out to her, when she saw Fluttershy looking around as if to make sure nobody was watching her. Seeing that the coast was apparently clear, she dialed in her locker combination. Curious, Sunset watched as Fluttershy opened her locker and reached in to grab something.

Sunset's eyes widened and her heart leaped into her throat when she saw Fluttershy pull out a long, bloody-looking pipe. Holding in her gasp, she watched as Fluttershy stow the pipe into her bag discreetly.

Immediately, Sunset ducked behind the corner to keep from being seen, memories from last night flashing through here. "Fluttershy, what are you doing with that?" Rainbow Dash's voice cried. "Put that down! Keep away from me with that! No. No! NO!"

"NOOOOO!"

"That's it" Sunset thought to herself nervously "That's what Fluttershy used to..."

"Sunset?"

"Waaaah!" Sunset cried upon hearing her name. Gasping for breath, she turned to her addresser...coming face to face with Fluttershy!

"Sorry if I scared you" the pink-haired girl said "But I wanted to tell you that I'm going to be busy at the shelter tonight, so I can't hang out with you and the girls."

Sunset silently gulped before speaking, her fear masked with a grin "That's okay, Fluttershy. I'll let the others know you can't make it."

"Thanks, Sunset" Fluttershy said with a smile "I have to go now. Bye!" And then she was gone.

Sunset kept her forced grin on her face until Fluttershy was out of sight, before it morphed into a look of pure, unrestrained terror.

"Sunset?" she felt a prob on her shoulder.

"Aaahh!" she cried again before turning around to see...Twilight, along with Spike, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie, all of whom had a look of despondence.

"I think we need to talk about something."

"Okay" Applejack said after the group reconvened at Sugarcube Corner "Ah admit tha all those strange sights we saw are a mite suspicious, but tha doesn' mean wha we're all thinkin' it means, right?"

"Uh, what are we all thinking?" Pinkie Pie inquired.

"Tha Fluttershy done away with Rainbow Dash!" Applejack replied.

"Oh, really?" Pinkie Pie asked "Cause that's not what I was thinking. I was wondering why she made a rainbow wig."

Rarity shook her head. "Pinkie, that wasn't a piece of a wig you found. That was Rainbow Dash's hair!"

"Oh!" Pinkie Pie said understanding, before the realization hit her "FLUTTERSHY MURDERED RAINBOW DASH!"

"Now, let's not assume that just yet" Sunset said as she was pacing around the floor "First we'd need actual confirmation that Fluttershy did it."

"And how are we goin' tah get it?" Applejack asked "In case it's true, we can' just walk up tah Flutters and ask her."

"Yeah, she might lie" Pinkie Pie added "Or bury us alongside Rainbow."

"But we need to do something to learn the truth" Rarity said "I'll never be able to relax until I find out."

"There's only one way" Sunset said with determination "Fluttershy told me that she's going to be at the shelter today."

"Wait a minute" Applejack said suspiciously "Yer not suggestin' we break in tah Fluttershy's house, are ya?"

"You got a better idea?" Sunset asked. "It's the only way to prove whether or not Fluttershy did it."

"But suppose Fluttershy comes home while we're still inside?" Twilight asked.

"Well, if she's not a murderer, then she'll be understanding of the situation" Pinkie Pie answered.

"And if she is?" Rarity asked.

"Then we're dead" Pinkie Pie replied, her grin never leaving her face while the others groaned.

The group of six soon arrived at Fluttershy's house. Even with there still being daylight, it felt downright eerie.

"Hard to believe I'm actually nervous about entering Fluttershy's abode" Rarity said uneasily "It seems like we've been here hundreds of times and this is the first when it feels like a foreboding place."

"No kiddin'" Applejack agreed "Let's just hope tha we find proof tha we're wrong about all this."

Walking up the porch, Sunset grabbed the door knob and tried to turn it, only to find it wouldn't budge.

"The door's locked" she muttered "Terrific."

"Maybe we can get in through a window" Applejack surveyed the outside of the house.

"I don't know" Twilight said as she scanned the walls "It looks like the only window open is at the top of the right side of the house."

"How are we supposed to reach that?" Sunset pondered.

"Maybe we can form a human ladder." Applejack suggested.

"What?" Rarity cried in shock "I am not about to have somebody stand on my shoulders, even if it is one of you!"

"Yah got a better idea?" Applejack asked.

"Sure" Pinkie Pie called out "We can use the door."

Sure enough, the party girl was standing beside the front door that was wide open.

"Pinkie, how did you do that?" Sunset asked in shock.

"Easy" Pinkie Pie replied as she held up the object she had used to open the door "I've got a skeleton key!"

"Okay," Applejack said uneasily "Tha gives disturbin' applications, but we'll sat that aside fer now and focus on tha disturbin' thing we're already dealing wit'."

"Agreed" Sunset nodded as she walked up to the door "Come on, Girls."

Creeping into the house, the group looked around the foyer.

"Hmm" Rarity thought as she looked over the house's interior "Looks as pleasant as it usually does. Doesn't feel like the home of someone who just committed murder."

"Oh, come on, Rarity" Pinkie Pie shook her head "Despite what is shown on television, murderers don't furnish their homes with weapons and scary-looking things. That's too big of a giveaway."

"Well, let's hurry and find something and get out of here before Fluttershy gets back." Sunset said as she started looking around the living room for anything suspicious.

"Easier said than done, Deary" Rarity replied as she carefully opened a small jewelry box on a table. "Finding something that looks suspicious will be like - AAAHH!" Rarity was cut off when the lid of the jewelry box fell on her fingers.

"Are you alright, Rarity?!" Twilight asked as Rarity wrenched her hand out of the box.

"No!" Rarity shrieked as she held up her hand "I just broke five nails!"

Applejack gave her a flat look. "Yer kiddin'. Yer flippin' out over that?!"

"Oh, you don't understand, Applejack!" Rarity cried overdramatically "I had just gotten a manicure over the weekend!"

Applejack was still unimpressed "Look, let's just see if Fluttershy is hidin' anythin' and go, okay? And no more gettin' worked up over nothin'!"

Before Rarity could retaliate, there was a clatter coming from the kitchen, causing the girls to jump in shock. Turning, they saw a certain puppy come out the door, with what appeared to be a mouthful of kibble and doggie treats.

"The kitchen is clean" Spike said as he swallowed his purloined chow while Twilight shook her head in admonishment over her dog's appetite.

"So is all the furniture" Pinkie Pie said as she popped out from under a couch cushion, much to the shock of the others "Didn't find a single thing that says Fluttershy is bad."

"Uh" Sunset said as she turned her attention away from Pinkie Pie's antics "Applejack, anything in the closet?"

"Nothin' so far" the cowgirl said as she rummaged through the living room closet. "Fluttershy has a strange habit of collectin' caterpillar cocoons, but nothin' suspic-Wait, what's this?"

"What's what?" Sunset asked.

In response, Applejack pulled out some peculiar items.

"A hockey stick, a baseball mitt, and a soccer ball?" the farmer asked in surprise as she held up each item in turn.

"That's strange" Rarity said while still fretting over her hand's worth of broken nails "Fluttershy is not the athletic type, so what would she be doing with sports' equipment?"

Pinkie Pie gasped. "Maybe Fluttershy did away with Rainbow Dash so she could take her place on the school's sports teams!"

"I don't know." Sunset said with a hand to her chin in thought "I think we need to keep looking for more clues."

"But we've searched the whole house" Spike said.

"Not entirely" Sunset said as she walked towards the stairs "We still haven't checked upstairs yet. Follow me."

Carefully, the group began to ascend the staircase, which was made more nerve-wracking thanks to a creepy squeak that came with every step.

"Pinkie, do you have to make that noise?" Twilight asked the partygirl in annoyance.

"What?" Pinkie Pie asked as she bent a piece of rubber and leather "I thought it would help set the mood."

"Well, would you please stop?" Sunset admonished the partygirl from the front "That sound is so distracting, we might not look where we're going and walk into some-aaahh!"

Sunset had been so focused on lecturing Pinkie Pie that she didn't see the banister's large baluster at the top of the steps and ended up walking face first into it.

"Like that?" Pinkie Pie asked in curiosity.

"Pretty much" Sunset groaned before she turned back to the group "How does it look?"

The others cringed. Sunset was now sporting a huge, blistering, disgusting, black eye on the left side of her face. The bruise was so great that Sunset's eye was left squinting.

"Uh" Rarity struggled to find the right words "You might want to put some make up on that later, Deary."

Sunset shook her head in frustration. "I'll do that later. Right now, we have a search to finish."

The six were now on the second floor of the house. Looking around, they saw a long hallway stretched out in both directions, acres of doors as far as the eye could see, even Sunset's black eye.

"We'll have to search these rooms one by one" Sunset surmised.

"I think I'll check in here." Pinkie Pie said as she opened one of the door and stepped into the room. Suddenly, there was a loud clatter from behind the door, followed by the sounds of someone squealing 'Ooh! Yeow! Ouchie!'. Looking to the door with worry, the group saw Pinkie Pie emerge from the room...covered in needles.

"Fluttershy has a lot of used porcupine quills in there" she said nonchalantly.

The others merely shook their heads before continuing the search. Walking up to a door at the far end, Rarity opened it to get a good look before closing it.

"The bathroom, though it doesn't look like anything is weird with it." she replied.

Applejack then opened a door in front of her "Just a guestroom." she said with her head through the doorframe, before pulling back and closing the door. "Doesn' seem out of the ordinary."

Twilight then opened a door on the far right.

"Nothing in here but some boxes of broken wasp stingers."

"Hmm, so far nothing weird" Sunset pondered as she led the group down the hall "And we're running out of places to search."

"Hey, if we don't find anything up here, do you think maybe we should go out back and check Fluttershy's shed?" Pinkie Pie asked as the group crept through the hallway while she casually plucked quills out of her skin.

"I don't think we'll need to go to that extent, Pinkie" Sunset replied as she grabbed the knob of another door "Let's just finish searching up here, and if nothing is found, we'll just drop this whole thing and leave." With that, she opened the door...and she and the others got an eyeful of a sight that shocked them to the core.

For there before the group was a room with an interior of pure red and black. Stands with ceremonial candles were positioned in a circle around the room. Spears were hung around the room's perimeter, and chains dangled from the walls, and in one corner was a cage, next to what appeared to be a rack.

The whole place looked like a dungeon.

"Uh, why does Fluttershy have a torture chamber?" Pinkie Pie asked nervously.

"I've got a few guesses, but I don't want to say them" Twilight replied slack-jawed.

Hesitantly, the girls slowly walked into the room, their eyes panning over every inch of the startling discovery.

"I can't believe that Fluttershy actually has a room like this!" Rarity gasped in shock before calmly adding "Though I must say, the combination of red and black is quite tasteful."

"Now is not tha time fer style approval, Rarity!" Applejack cried in annoyance.

"How is it we never knew about this place before?" Sunset commented with wide eyes, causing her bruise to wince. "All the times Fluttershy had us over and we were completely unaware she had a place like this!"

"If Ah remember correctly, didn' Fluttershy always have an upstairs door locked whenever she had us ov'r?" Applejack inquired.

"That's right" Sunset said in realization "It must've been this room. She's been hiding this from us the whole time." she began to back up in disbelief "I can't believe that Fluttershy could-"

"Sunset, watch out!" Twilight called out.

It was too late. Sunset walked right into the stand of one of the spears, banging her head on it with a 'THONG!'.

"Yeowch!" Sunset shrieked as she held her blistering head, feeling like she had the grandfather of all splitting headaches. She was in such pain that she ended up bumping against the wall behind with a 'BANG!'.

The resulting jar caused the spear whose hold that Sunset bumped into to tip forward. The shift in balanced weight caused the bottom of the holder to swing forward at incredibly speed. Like a spring-loaded catapult, the spear launched from its perch and made a beeline straight for Applejack's head!

"Applejack, look out!" Rarity shrieked.

"Yikes!" Applejack cried as she ducked her head, causing the spear to sail right through her Stetson before hitting the wall opposite where it was hung.

Unfortunately, the jar caused by the spear caused the spear on that wall to fall forward and be launched like the last one. Once again, the spear pierced right through Applejack's hat and hit a wall on the other side. Unfortunately, this prolonged the chain reaction, causing the spears all over the room to launch through the air and sail right through Applejack's poor Stetson.

Finally, when the last of the spears embedded itself in the wall (knocking her hat onto the floor in the process), Applejack finally got off the ground and surveyed the damage to her Stetson.

"Dang it!" the cowgirl groaned as she picked up the battered headwear "Mah hat looks like a piece of swish cheese!"

"Now who's flipping out over nothing?" Rarity asked snidely.

"I am so sorry about that, Applejack" Sunset said sincerely as she tenderly rubbed her throbbing head "I didn't mean for that to happen!"

Applejack sighed. "It wasn' yer fault, Sunset. Ah know ya didn' do this on purpose. Perhaps it's not as bad as Ah think." she placed the holey hat back on her head "How's it lookin'?"

"Uh" Rarity stammered, thinking that Applejack looked absolutely ridiculous "I think it's definitely you!"

"Oh yeah!" Sunset nodded.

"Totally!" Twilight agreed.

"It could be the start of a new look!" Pinkie Pie said sincerely, which was her actually thoughts, unaware that the others were just sugarcoating.

"Are you kidding?" Spike barked in disbelief "That thing looks absolutely ridiculous!"

Twilight facepalmed. "Spike, there are times where I wish you were still a barker!"

"So, do you think we have enough proof that Fluttershy did a bad thing to Rainbow Dash?" Pinkie Pie asked Sunset.

Sunset reluctantly shook her head. "Not yet. There's still one more place to check. But first," she walked over to one of the spears and plucked it from the wall "we better return this room to the way it was before we came in here. Fluttershy will no doubt find it odd if all her spears are lodged into the walls."

"Ooh, good point" Pinkie Pie agreed, the others nodding.

Carefully plucking each spear from the walls, the girls gently and easily returned each one to their stands. Unfortunately, they were unable to tell where each spear originated from, so they were forced to just put them back in a random order.

"I just hope that Fluttershy hasn't organized these things" Rarity said as they placed the last spear in the only remaining empty stand "If she discovers that they're out of order, she might get suspicious."

"Relax, Rarity" Pinkie Pie said dismissively "No one has that big an eye for detail except you."

"Well, let's just amscray" Applejack said as she headed for the door "This place is giving me the creeps."

The others agreed and all-to-gladly vacated the disturbing room, hoping to forget the sights they saw in there.

"Alright, Sunset" Applejack commented as the group was back in the hallway "What's this last place we need tah look in?"

Sunset sighed as she led the way. "The place where I heard Fluttershy attack Rainbow Dash. Her bedroom."

Slowly approaching the door of the desired room, the girls grew more nervous and anxious with each step, unaware of what secrets they would discover next.

Reaching the door, Sunset grabbed the knob before turning to the others.

"Now, let's prepare ourselves" she whispered to the group "We have no idea what could be behind this door. We have to be ready for anything."

Gulping nervously, the girls nodded in agreement before Sunset turned back to the door. With her teeth clenched, the bacon-color haired girl took a deep breath like she was about to jump into a deep pool before yanking open the door.

Reluctantly, the girls looked through the open door to see what resided inside, only to see...

...an ordinary bedroom.

The room was dark and obscured, however, nothing looked out of place. It looked like the same room the six had visited so many times before when Fluttershy had them over.

Sharing a confused look, the group moved through the door to make sure they weren't mistaken. Slowly stepping into the room, the girls looked around its shadowed interior, nothing suspicious in sight. Upon confirmation of the lack of disturbing details, their nerves instantly vanished and they felt at ease.

"Well, this doesn't look incriminating at all." Pinkie Pie said in relief.

Then Applejack flipped the light switch.

In an instant, the group's at eased looks melted away and were replaced with looks of shock and horror as the light revealed what had been hidden in the dark. The front left leg of Fluttershy's bed was broken, smashed glass was scattered everywhere, books on the adjacent shelf had been knocked off, a table had been tipped over, its content spilled all across the floor; the dresser had fallen forward, and most horrifying of all, the walls of the room were covered in dark red stains.

"Uh, can I take that back?" Pinkie Pie asked uneasily.

"Wha-What in tha?" Applejack stuttered.

"It's just like what I heard last night" Sunset said in fear "Something terrible happened in here."

"It looks like it was a very nasty fight" Twilight said as she examined the room "The walls look like they're coated in...blood."

"How can this get any creepier?" Rarity shivered.

"Uh, how about this?" Spike pipped up.

For there, at the dog's feet, among the fragments of broken glass besides the bed, was a familiar looking rainbow-colored guitar pick.

"'GASP!'" Pinkie Pie squeaked in horror "That's Rainbow's lucky guitar pick! She never goes anywhere without it!"

"Then that means...it's all true!" Applejack said in shock "She did it! Fluttershy actually went and..." she couldn't finish the sentence.

"Oh, I just can't believe that Fluttershy could actually do this!" Rarity moaned.

"I thought I understood her perfectly" Twilight said in astonishment.

"She was always so gentle with me" Spike said monotonously.

"Poor Dashie" Pinkie Pie said sadly before blowing her nose on a tissue, sounding a lot like a noisemaker.

Sunset, meanwhile, just stood in shock, overwhelmed that she had received confirmation that what she had feared had indeed happened. Needing an answer for why it had happened, she quickly scanned the room for anything that could explain it. Looking to the dainty desk that sat opposite the bed, Sunset spotted a small black book labeled "My Secrets" on it. Obvious to what it was, she walked over to the desk and picked it up.

"Sunset, what are you doing?!" Rarity cried in shock "That's Fluttershy's private diary! We can't read that! It'd be an intimate invasion of her privacy!"

"That's okay. We're invading her privacy already" Pinkie Pie said dismissively. "Besides, she pretty much lost her rights when she whacked Rainbow."

"Besides, it might be the only way to explain why Fluttershy did this" Sunset commented.

"Sunset does have a point" Twilight agreed with the leader.

"Hate tah say it, but it needs tah be done, Rarity" Applejack said reluctantly.

Rarity sighed. "Oh, very well. Just know for the record that I find this idea appalling."

Opening the book, Sunset began flipping through pages to find the last entry, when she felt the sting of paper slice into her skin.

"Ow!" she cried as she dropped the diary and shook her hands vigorously. "I got a paper cut on both my palms!"

"Boy, you're a magnet for physical injury today, aren't you, Sunset?" Pinkie Pie commented.

Ignoring the party girl, Sunset picked up the diary and resumed searching until finally she reached the latest entry. Upon looking at it, Sunset's eyes instantly darkened (well, even darker in her bruised eye's case) as her blood ran cold and she experienced a feeling of dread.

"Oh no." she whispered.

"What's tha matter, Sun?" Applejack asked.

"Listen to this" Sunset said monotonously as she began to read the page. "My waiting and patience are finally paying off." This garnered looks of confusion from the group. "Having spent five years integrating myself amongst those musicians and securing my cover, I can finally begin the next phase of my plan." The girls gulped in distress, not liking the sound of that. "Tonight, my spree will begin anew, starting with the one I've gotten the closest to. I suppose I should at least feel an ounce of regret over it, considering all we've been through, but to tell the truth, it doesn't bother in me in the slightest. My real concern is that once I get her...who...should...be...next?"

The entry finished, Sunset slowly closed the book before looking back up to the others with one wide regular eye and one wide black eye.

"How-How horrifying!" Rarity gasped.

"Ah can't believe it" Applejack said in disbelief "All these years, Fluttershy has been using us? Everthin' we've been through together doesn' mean nothin' to her?"

"She didn't even care about what she did to Dashie" Pinkie Pie gaped.

Sunset, meanwhile, was in deep thought as she placed the diary back on the desk. "Last night, I heard Fluttershy tell Rainbow Dash that she's not the girl we think she is and there's more to her than we could ever know" she said to the others. "What if it's true? What if we really don't know anything at all about Fluttershy? Everything we've found here seems to indicate that."

"What if the person we think is our friend...really isn't?"

"It can't be possible, can it?" Rarity said in disbelief "Everything we think we know about Fluttershy is all a lie? All the times we spent together, her love of animals, her shy demeanor, all of it just a cover story?"

Sunset shrugged. "For all we know, Fluttershy might not even be her real name."

"If that's tha case, then who have we been hangin' out with fer all these years?" Applejack asked in bewilderment.

"Apparently, somebody with a very creepy Halloween costume" Pinkie Pie commented as she pointed.

Looking in the direction Pinkie was pointing, the girls saw something that took their breath away: a hideous, disturbing, black and white skull mask.

"Um" Rarity felt her heart in her throat "Is that...?"

"The kind of mask a psychotic serial killer wears?" Applejack finished. "Yeah, pretty much."

"Okay, I think that's enough for me" Spike said as he slowly backed away to the door. "Let me know when we're ready to leave, okay, Twilight?" Silence. "Twilight?"

Twilight said nothing. In fact, she hadn't said anything the whole discussion, much to the surprise of Sunset and the others. Taking notice of her for the first time since reading the diary, they saw her standing frozen over a section of Fluttershy's desk, her eyes wide in fear and a look of absolute terror on her face.

"What is it, Twilight?" Sunset asked as she and the others gathered around the bookworm.

Twilight still said nothing, instead pointing at what she was staring at. Looking down at the desk, the rest of the group became as terrified as Twilight.

It was a picture of the seven friends, with Fluttershy at the end, followed by Rainbow Dash, then Rarity, then Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Twilight holding Spike and then finally Sunset. What was disturbing, however, was that Rainbow Dash had been crossed through and everybody else except Fluttershy had been circled. Even worse, the circled five each had an arrow drawn above them, each one leading to the top of the picture, converging around...a big...black...question mark.

The group was silent for a fraction of a second before Sunset meeped a single sentence.

"We're next."

In a flash, the group dashed out the door as fast as they could, yelling at the top of their lungs.

"SHE'S GONNA KILL US!" Pinkie Pie screeched as the girls raced through the halls to get out of the house.

"We have to get out of here before Fluttershy gets home!" Sunset cried as they ran for the steps to reach the front door.

At that moment, they all froze in terror as they heard an unmistakable sound: the sound of a car pulling into the drive way.

"Oh, no! It's too late!" Rarity gasped "Fluttershy's back!"

"Ack! What are we going to do?!" Pinkie Pie yelped "If she finds us, we're dead meat!"

"We have to figure a way to get out of here without her seeing us!" Twilight declared.

"But how? We're trapped!" Spike said from the bookworm's hands "What other way out is there?!"

"I know!" Sunset cried "The open window we saw from outside! We can get out from there! Come on!"

With that, the group turned down a corridor on the right.

"Oh, I'm too young to have my beautiful face mutilated by a timid psycho!" Rarity whined as the group ran for their lives.

"Just keep running!" Sunset cried from the front "Quick, down this hall!"

"Hey, wait up!" Pinkie Pie cried as she brought up the rear as the group made a sharp turn at the left. Unbeknownst to her, the turn was so sharp that when she turned on her heel, the shoe on her outstretched right leg flew off. Unaware that one of her feet was bare, Pinkie Pie followed after the others.

"We're almost there!" Sunset called out "The window should be around here!"

Unfortunately, the group was going so fast that they didn't see a loose board in the middle of the hall. As a result, Twilight ended up bumping into it and tripping, causing Spike and her glasses to go flying.

"Aah!" the fallen girl groaned as she couldn't see.

"Hang on, Twi!" Applejack cried as she ran back to help her up.

"Thanks, Applejack" the newest member said as she was handed her glasses before checking her dog "Are you okay, Spike?"

"Yeah, but that was a rough trip" Spike replied.

It was then that they heard a car door slam and someone walking across the gravel to the house.

"Come on, Girl!" Applejack cried as she helped Twilight up "We gotta move!"

"I think I cracked my glasses!" Twilight cried as she found herself looking through fragmented vision while following Applejack.

"Worry about it later!" Sunset called back as they reached the end of the hall "Here's the window!"

At that moment, they heard someone coming up onto the steps of the porch outside.

"Time for us to leave!" Sunset cried before leaping out the window. "This won't be good for my head!"

"Um" Rarity said as she looked out the window to see how high they were from the ground "I'm not really sure if I'm up for..."

"Rarity, we don' have time ta argue!" Applejack yelled before shoving the screaming fashionista out the window and following suit, both of them landing in the bushes underneath the window.

"Well, guess it's our turn" Twilight said as she picked up her dog and climbed out the window.

"There are times when I wish cats weren't the only ones who can land on their feet!" Spike cried as the duo jumped at the same time someone was placing a key in the lock of the front door.

"Hey, wait for me!" Pinkie Pie said as she raced to the window and hopped out, hanging in midair for a few seconds before falling "Whee!"

Just as Fluttershy was entering her house, the group was getting to their feet after the jump.

"That was fun!" Pinkie Pie cried excitedly.

"You've got an odd definition of 'fun', Pinkie" Twilight moaned.

"I think I lost my stomach in that jump" Spike said woozily.

"Ugh, Applejack, you just tore my skirt!" Rarity shrieked as she inspected her clothes.

"If it makes yah feel any better" Applejack groaned as she got up and tenderly rubbed her backside "Ah just landed in some brambles."

"Come on!" Sunset cried, her black eye even worse and her head throbbing more than ever "We've got to get away from here before Fluttershy sees us!"

With that, the Rainbooms started off through the yards to get as far away as they could. Unfortunately, thanks to her cracked glasses, Twilight couldn't see very well and ended up stumbling again.

"Aah!" she cried as she felt a sharp pain in her knee.

"Are you alright, Twilight?!" Sunset asked worriedly.

"No! Ooh! I think I just twisted my ankle!" the girl groaned as she tenderly rubbed her left knee.

"Pinkie, help me!" Sunset directed the party girl as the two helped Twilight to her feet "Now, come on!"

With Twilight leaning on Sunset and Pinkie for support, the group raced from Fluttershy's house as fast as they could.

Fluttershy was completely unaware of their presence and had no idea that her house had been invaded.

"Okay," Pinkie Pie said as she and Spike looked out Sunset's window "I don't think she saw us, so we should be safe."

Turning away from the window, Pinkie Pie looked to her friends. Twilight was sitting on the couch gingerly rubbing her ankle. Beside her was Rarity who was moaning over her nails and skirt. Applejack, meanwhile, was trying to ease her sore rump into a chair. Pinkie Pie herself was covered in bandage 'X's.

As for Sunset, after triple bolting her front door, she was currently bandaging her head.

"Ooh" the bacon-color haired girl groaned after she finished applying the wrap "That was a rough experience."

"At least we've learned the truth." Twilight said with a sigh, trying to ignore the pain in her knee.

"Indeed" Rarity added with disappointment "I can't believe that Fluttershy has been deceiving us for all this time."

"Yeah," Applejack agreed as she winced from the touch of the cushion beneath her "Tah think that this whole time, she was really a psychotic serial killer using us as her cov'r. Not tah mention that she knocked off Rainbow Dash."

"She's even worse than Sunset was during her 'Villain' phase" Pinkie Pie commented before turning to the reformed bully "No offense."

"None taken." Sunset replied with a shake of her bandaged head, which caused her to momentarily wince "Even I didn't go to the lengths that Fluttershy has taken."

"And she managed to do all this without magic" Spike commented.

The comment from the talking dog caused Sunset to pause and her eyes to widen in fear, even her black eye. Coincidentally, at the same time, there was a crackle of thunder as a tremendous storm began.

"Oh, no."

"What's wrong, Sunset?" Applejack asked.

"Think about it" Sunset said fearfully "If Fluttershy could do all this without magic, what do you think she'll be capable of if she starts using it, especially if it keeps growing?"

A bolt of lightning flashed outside the window and thunder cracked as the group realized the implications of Sunset's words.

"She'll be even worse than Midnight Sparkle." Twilight said with realization.

"Wh-What are we going to do?" Pinkie Pie asked in fright.

"For starters, I'm going to call the police and have them go to Fluttershy's house and arrest her." Sunset said as she went to the phone.

"Why not contact Princess Twilight?" Twilight asked.

"Fluttershy hasn't done anything evil with magic, so this is relegated to the authorities here" Sunset explained as she picked up the phone and started to dial "Once Fluttershy is in custody, however, I will have to contact the Princess so we can come up with a way to remove Fluttershy's magic. Besides, I'll need to tell her the truth about Fluttershy, not to mention what's happened to Rainbow Dash. She'll be heartbroken, of course, but she deserves to know."

"Yeah, well, Ah'm just glad it's all ov'r now" Applejack said as she easily sat down to relax.

At that moment, another flash of lightning appeared in the window before all the lights in the house went out.

"Applejack, don't you know you're not suppose to give fate a challenge like that?" Pinkie Pie said scoldingly.

"Terrific, the phone's dead" Sunset muttered as she couldn't get a dial tone.

"What about your cell phone, Deary?" Rarity asked.

Sunset pulled her phone out of her pocket. "Darn it. No service."

The others pulled out their phones and checked them as well.

"No signal on mine." Applejack sighed.

"Same with mine." Rarity commented.

"Likewise." Twilight said.

"Mine's being temperamental." Pinkie Pie grumbled.

"Great" Sunset groaned "It looks like we'll have to wait to call the police."

"While you're waiting, maybe you can contact Princess Twilight now" Pinkie Pie suggested.

Sunset shook her head. "I can't tell where my journal is in the dark, and even if I found it, I'd need light in order to write a message."

"Then we'll just have to wait until the power comes back before we can do anything." Twilight shrugged. "Hopefully, we won't be waiting too long."

"Uh, girls" Spike said as he looked out the window. "I think there's somebody in front of the house."

"What?" Sunset asked "Who in the world would be out there is this weather?"

"Uh, someone with a skirt, a tank top, tennis sneakers, long fluttering hair and what looks like something sharp in their hand!" Spike cried as he backed away in fright.

"Uh, you don't suppose...?" Rarity asked but trailed off.

"Nah" Applejack shook her head "Spike's probably just seeing things out there."

At that moment, there was another flash of lightning, illuminating a familiar figure that was at the end of the driveway, its long hair fluttering madly and a strange implement clenched in their right hand.

"Then again..." Applejack meeped as she slowly pulled down the shade over the window.

Suddenly, there was a loud knock at Sunset's front door.

"Aah!" Rarity cried "It's Fluttershy! She's found us! She knows we're onto her and she's come to silence us!"

"But how did she even know we were at her house?!" Twilight cried.

"Oops" Pinkie said as she finally took notice of her feet "Lost one of my shoes."

"Pinkie!" Applejack shouted.

The banging on the door repeated, much harder and louder the second time.

"Barricade the door!" Sunset shrieked.

In a flash the girls started piling everything that wasn't nailed down in front of the door: the couch, chairs, the tables, lamps, the desk, the shelves, and the dressers.

"That should do it" Applejack said as she caught her breath "We've used everythin' but tha..."

In a flash, a piece of porcelain and plumbing landed on top of the pile.

"Didn't want to take any chances" Pinkie Pie said simply.

As Sunset was wondering if her kitchen was about to be flooded, the knocking on the door grew sharper and something began to shove the door, budging the blockade away with each push.

"That won't keep her out for much longer!" Sunset shouted.

"Quick!" Pinkie Pie cried "Out the back door!"

"But I don't have a back door!" Sunset retorted.

"You will in a minute!" Pinkie Pie cried as she prepared to run through the wall.

"Let's try somethin' easier" Applejack stopped her. "Quick, out the window!"

"Again?!" Rarity groaned.

"Yah'd rather stay here with Fluttershy?" Applejack quipped.

The banging on the door intensified.

"Fair point" Rarity conceded before the group dashed to the back of the house.

"Hurry, Sunny!" Pinkie cried as Sunset fumbled with the window.

"I'm trying!" the lead Rainboom retorted before managing to unlock and raise the window "There! Everybody out!"

In a flash, Pinkie, Twilight and Spike, and Applejack leaped out the window. Unfortunately, both Rarity and Sunset were in such a hurry to get out, they ended up going through at the same time and getting stuck.

"Oh, I knew I should've started cutting down on sweets last week!" Rarity moaned as she and Sunset tried to pry themselves free.

"How about goin' back in and then comin' out one at a time?" Applejack asked.

"We can't!" Sunset cried, unable to budge an inch "We're wedged in here but good!"

"Hurry, pull them out before Fluttershy decides to come around back!" Twilight cried to the others.

Quickly, Twilight grabbed Sunset's hands while Applejack and Pinkie Pie grabbed Rarity's. Pulling with all their might, the trio began to tug the two stuck Rainbooms out of the window little by little.

"Keep goin'!" Applejack moaned "Ah can feel them comin'! Almost there, just a little more! We've just about...got it!"

In a flash, Rarity and Sunset were yanked free from the window and crashed into the others in a heap on the ground.

"Ooh, thanks for the help, Girls" Rarity said as she and Sunset looked up to address the others, only to see them looking shocked "What? Don't tell me Fluttershy is standing right behind us!"

"Uh, no" Applejack shook her head. "But tell me, did ya hear a ripping sound as we were pulling you out of there?"

"Actually, yes" Sunset nodded "I just thought it might've been my jacket. It's not that big a deal, I can get it fixed later."

"Um, I'm afraid it's a little something more than your jacket" Twilight said nervously.

"What do you mean?" Rarity asked.

"Well, uh, feel your heads" Spike instructed.

The duo did, and were shocked when they felt the lack of something that wasn't there anymore.

"No. No! NO!" Rarity shrieked at the top of her lungs "Some of my beautiful hair got ripped out!"

"So did mine!" Sunset gasped as she realized a chunk of her own hair was missing.

"Well, on the bright side, you two might just start a new hairstyle at school tomorrow" Pinkie Pie said optimistically while Rarity moaned about not being able to look in a mirror for the next few weeks. "That is, if we see tomorrow."

"Well, never mind that now" Sunset said as she got up "Come on!"

"Wait, where are we going?" Rarity asked.

"To the police station" Sunset explained "We'll have to notify them directly! Let's go before Fluttershy realizes we're not inside anymore!"

With Twilight being supported by Sunset, the group started running through the yards as the rain beat down on them, lightning flashing and thunder crashing. Because there was so much rain, the ground became extremely muddy, the girls splashing through puddles on every step.

"Oh, I don't know how much more of this I can bear!" Rarity whined.

"Just keep going!" Sunset instructed "The police station isn't much further!"

"Wait!" Applejack cried as she skidded to a stop, sending mud flying "Tha police won't believe us without evidence, and by time they get tah Fluttershy's house, she might've gotten rid of everythin'!"

"Then what do we do?!" Rarity asked with a shriek over the thunder.

"Fluttershy is back there" Applejack explained as she directed her thumb behind her "Let's get back to her house, grab her diary and take it to the police before she finds out that nobody is home!"

"Good plan!" Sunset agreed before leading the way while hoisting Twilight "Come on!"

With their new destination in mind, the group double timed it in their pace, the rain, lightning, and thunder intensifying as the ground became even muddier.

"Keep going!" Sunset instructed as she saw Fluttershy's house in view "We're almost there!"

"Oh, I think I'm going to be sick!" Rarity cried as she saw how much mud had splashed on her clothes.

Unfortunately, in her worry, she lost her footing, and as a result, fell forward and knocked into Applejack. Due to how slippery the grass had become, the lack of friction sent them flying across the grass.

"Look out!" Applejack cried out to Twilight and Sunset who were ahead of the out of control pair.

Looking back, Sunset and Twilight immediately began going faster to keep away from the runaway heap. Unfortunately, Applejack and Rarity's momentum soon overtook them and crashed right into them. Carrying Sunset, Twilight, and Spike forward, the heap propelled right toward Fluttershy's house...and even moreso, a huge mud puddle right beside it!

Unable to stop themselves, the group braced for the impact with the puddle, but just as they were a few feet away from it, their momentum started slowing down and they skidded to a stop just a few inches away from the puddle.

"Whew!" Sunset sighed with relief "That was close!"

"Whee!" came a voice behind the group.

Eyes wide, they turned to see Pinkie Pie skidding through the grass, of her own freewill, right towards them!

"Pinkie, NO!"

It was too late. In an instant, Pinkie Pie crashed into the others, sending them all into the mud puddle with a 'SPLASH!', covering them all completely in mud from head to toe.

"Ooh!" Pinkie Pie said excitedly as the group squirmed about in the puddle "I saw you guys doing that, and I thought 'That looks like fun! I wanna do that!'. And I was right! Can we do it again?!"

"Urgh, let's not and say we did, Pinkie" Rarity said in disgust as she climbed out of the mud hole.

"Ah, you humans just don't like getting dirty" Spike said, quite happy with the current situation.

"Well, nevermind" Sunset said as she took charge of the situation and got up "We're here. Let's get in, grab the diary, and get out before Fluttershy gets back!"

In a flash, the mud-covered group was on the porch, fumbling with the door.

"Hurry up with tha skeleton key, Pinkie!" Applejack cried "Fluttershy may show up at any minute!"

"Well, sorry, but my hands are a bit slippery!" Pinkie Pie replied.

"Well, somebody probably should've thought of that before knocking us all into a mud puddle!" Rarity retorted with a shriek.

"Hang on" Pinkie said under her breath, her tongue stuck out...until she tasted the mud on her face "Yuck! Mud is not yummy! Got it!"

Sure enough, the door was wide open.

After the muddy group filed inside and shut the door before anyone saw them, they took stock of their surroundings.

"This place seems a lot more disturbing in the dark" Rarity commented as a flash of lightning illuminated the living room.

Walking over to the switch by the door, Applejack attempted to flick on the lights...but the group remained in the dark.

"The storm must've taken out the power here as well" Sunset surmised "We'll have to find the diary in the dark."

The group was trudging to the stairs when they heard a noise outside.

"What was that?" Twilight asked in a panic.

"Oh, nothing much" Pinkie Pie said cheerfully as she looked out the window from her vantage point "Just a car pulling into the driveway."

"A CAR PULLING INTO THE DRIVEWAY?!!" the others screamed.

"It's Fluttershy!" Sunset said in a panic "She's back!"

"If she finds us in here, we're toast!" Spike whined.

"We have tah find a place tah hide!" Applejack declared.

"But where?!" Rarity asked in terror.

"Quick!" Sunset cried as she pointed to the basement door "We'll hide down there."

In a huddle, the mud-covered group dashed towards the door, but between the slippery mud and the door frame, one of them tripped, causing the entire group to tumble head over heels. Like a ball, the group rolled down the steps, banging their heads the whole way, grunting and groaning in pain.

When they reached the bottom, rather than stop, the slickness of the mud propelled them full speed into the wall. Screaming in panic (or in Pinkie Pie's case, excitement), the group flew into the wall with a 'CRASH!'

The group was left in a mild daze from their collision, and to make matters worse, a barrel on a shelf above them was shaken by the knock against the wall, causing the barrel to tip over and spill its contents on the group, covering them from head to toe in feathers.

"Only Fluttershy would have a barrel of feathers" Applejack sputtered as she spat out feathers.

"Quiet!" Sunset ordered in a harsh whisper "I thing I hear somebody!"

Getting to their feet, the feathered group held their breath and listened with anxiety and panic as the front door opened.

"What in the-?" came a gruff voice from upstairs "Where did all this mud come from?!"

"Uh oh," Pinkie Pie whispered "Fluttershy sounds mad."

"Don't worry." Sunset said "We'll just wait down here and be quiet until she goes upstairs, then we can sneak out of the basement, find the diary and get out of here."

Unfortunately, rather than move further away, the voice was getting closer.

"It looks like it leads...right to the basement!"

"Oh no! She's got us!" Pinkie Pie gasped "We're dead ducks! Our goose is cooked!"

"Pinkie, could yah not use bird analogies right now, please? Applejack asked exasperated.

The basement door opened and someone started coming down the stairs. "Who's down here?"

"Oh, man!" Applejack said nervously as she held onto Rarity "This is it fer us! We're goners!"

The footsteps grew louder as the person descending them drew closer.

"Girls, I just want you to know that I don't have any regrets over meeting any of you" Twilight whispered.

"Except maybe Fluttershy." a shivering Spike added.

The person reached the bottom of the stairs and began walking towards the huddled group.

"Well, it was nice knowing you girls!" Sunset said frantically.

"Indeed" Rarity agreed with a gulp "We all had a good run."

Bracing themselves for what was coming, the girls shut their eyes in fear as the basement light went on.

"Don't kill us!" Pinkie Pie cried as she threw herself to the floor in a begging position.

There was a moment of silence before a voice spoke.

"Well, I'm a little irked you got the house dirty, but I'm not gonna kill you over it."

The girls froze in shock as their eyes shot open. That voice! It couldn't be! Turning towards the speaker, the group saw...

"RAINBOW DASH?!"

"Yeah, it's me, alright" the very much alive and kicking prismatic athlete said grumpily, her arms folded and a frown on her face as she looked down at the group "Would you guys mind explaining what you're doing down here at this time of night? And why you look like a bunch of overgrown chickens?"

Unable to process the sight before her, Sunset was left stuttering before finally blurting out "Rainbow Dash?! You're alive?!"

"Of course I'm alive" Rainbow Dash answered back "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you're supposed to be dead, silly!" Pinkie Pie explained.

"Wait, what?" Rainbow Dash asked in confusion.

"Yeah" Pinkie Pie went on "Fluttershy went and gave you the..." she made a neck slicing gesture while going 'kckk!".

"I repeat, WHAT?!" Rainbow Dash shouted in disbelief "Where did you get a crazy idea like that?!"

"Rainbow, is that you?" came a familiar voice from upstairs "I saw the power was back."

"I'm down here, Shy!" Rainbow called out to the girl.

Following the voice, Fluttershy came down the stairs.

"Rainbow, why is there mud all over the floor?" she asked as she descended the steps.

"We have a few surprise visitors" Rainbow replied before gesturing towards the feather covered group in the corner.

"Girls?" Fluttershy gawked in surprise "What are you doing here? And how did you get covered in my barrel of feathers?"

"Good question, Shy" Rainbow Dash said with a frown pointed at the group "Well? Out with it! What's going on here?!"

"Now hold on just a tick!" Applejack said abruptly "What are yah doing here, Dash?!"

At this query, the prismatic girl paused, as if contemplating how to answer. After exchanging a nervous glance with Fluttershy, who nodded, Rainbow Dash reluctantly sighed before turning back towards the group.

"Well" she said slowly "It's because..." she sighed before finishing "...I live here."

"Wait, are you sure?" Pinkie Pie asked in surprise "I thought this was Fluttershy's house."

"Um" Fluttershy said slowly "It is."

The girls stood with gawking looks at the pair before them.

"I...moved in a month ago" Rainbow Dash explained slowly. "Sorry to keep it a secret from you, but we didn't know when we should tell you."

"Ah thought tha somethin' seemed up with the two of yah over the past month" Applejack commented.

"Well" Rarity said in clarification "That would explain the sports' equipment in the closet."

"Sports' equip...you guys went through our stuff?!" Rainbow Dash asked in rage. "Seriously, what has gotten into you guys?!"

"W-We thought Fluttershy was a murderous psychopath who whacked you and was coming for us next after we learned her secret!" Pinkie Pie explained rapidly.

"Wh-WHAT?!" Rainbow Dash exploded.

"Oh my" Fluttershy gasped in shock ""Why would you girls ever think I'd do something like that to Rainbow?"

"Because" Sunset stuttered a moment before blurting out "Last night, I was passing by this house on my way home, and I heard what sounded like you attacking Rainbow Dash!"

Rainbow and Fluttershy's eyes widened in shock.

"Wait, really?" Rainbow Dash asked in surprise "You heard that? And thought it was real?"

"Wow" Fluttershy said in amazement "Guess we're better actors than we thought, Rainbow."

"What? Actors?" Sunset asked in surprise. "What are you two talking about?"

Realizing the slip, the yellow and blue pair paused and exchanged hesitant glances. It looked like they had no choice but to tell their secret.

"Well, you see" Fluttershy said with red cheeks "What you heard last night, Sunset, was our roleplaying."

"Roleplaying?" Sunset asked in confusion, the others equally perplexed.

"Yeah" Rainbow Dash admitted slowly "We have a thing about acting out different scenarios when it's just us. Unfortunately, last night's game got a little out of hand."

"Fluttershy, what are you doing?" Rainbow Dash act asked while lashed to the bed.

"Now Rainbow, don't resist" Fluttershy, dressed as a dominatrix, said with faux confidence "You've known this was coming for a long time."

"Okay, Fluttershy, enough's enough" Rainbow Dash said quite convincingly "The joke's over!"

"Who is joking?" Fluttershy said with an acting smirk as she walked over to the bed "I'm downright serious about this."

"Fluttershy, think for a second!" Rainbow acted nervously "This isn't like you at all!"

"Well, that's where you're wrong, Rainbow" Fluttershy said in her role quite well "I'm not the shy, timid girl you and the others think I am. There's more to me than you could even imagine."

"F-Fluttershy," Dash said, almost authentically "You're scaring me!"

"Good" Fluttershy wickedly chuckled a little too well "That's what I want."

As part of the act, Fluttershy walked over to her dresser and rummaged through it, eventually pulling out a long prod-like paddle.

"Fl-Fluttershy, what are you doing with that?" Rainbow Dash said like she almost meant it "Put that down!"

"Oh, I think not, Rainbow" Fluttershy, caught up too much in her role, said as she sashayed back to the bed "I've been looking forward to this for a long time."

"F-Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash meeped, making herself sound as insecure as possible while pretending to struggle against her binds "Keep away from me with that!"

"Now, stop squirming and hold still, Rainbow Dash" Fluttershy commanded as she turned Rainbow Dash on her side as much as she could "It won't be any fun if you keep moving." Chuckling, she raised the paddle "But then again, maybe it will."

"Fluttershy" Rainbow Dash gaped as the paddle reached its height "No. No! NO!"

"NOOOOO!"

The paddle came down on Rainbow's thigh as hard as it could. Unfortunately, Fluttershy ended up swinging it too hard and as a result, the bed's leg broke, causing Rainbow Dash to tip off the bed and hit the floor while banging into the shelf besides the bed. The resulting jar caused books to fall off. What's more it begun a chain reaction that knocked over the dresser besides the shelf, which in turn caused the table in the corner to crash. A jar of red paint on the desk was sent flying and crashed right at Rainbow's feet, drenching Rainbow Dash and the walls with its contents.

"Oh my" Fluttershy gasped in her soft voice, dropping her role as she addressed the prismatic girl "Are you alright, Rainbow?"

"Get the lights!" Rainbow ordered in a harsh whisper "Get the lights before anyone sees!"

Doing what she was told, Fluttershy raced over and flipped off the light switch before turning back towards Rainbow.

"Rainbow, what's wrong?"

"Oh, I think I threw out my back!" the prismatic girl responded with a groan.

"Oh dear" Fluttershy said in concern "Rainbow, I'm so sorry!"

"It's alright, Flutters" Rainbow replied through gritted teeth "You didn't mean it. Just help me up and get me to the doctor! And don't breath a word about this to anybody! It's too embarrassing!"

"So yah weren' kiddin' when you said that Rainbow had an accident." Applejack commented to Fluttershy.

"I had to spend the whole day in the hospital while they examined my back" Rainbow Dash explained "I only just got out."

"Sorry if I didn't sound convincing, but I was just having a hard time covering for Rainbow" Fluttershy admitted.

"Ah kinda figured yah were" Applejack commented.

"I guess that also explains why you had Rainbow Dash's clothes earlier today" Rarity figured.

Fluttershy nodded. "I was having them cleaned while she was gone."

"Still, if you had only told us about what happened last night, we wouldn't have assumed the worst." Rarity went on "Why in the world you decided to keep this a secret from us is beyond me." Suddenly, her eyes lit up in realization "Unless..."

Twilight picked up from there. "Are you...and you...?"

With a sigh, Rainbow Dash reached out and took Fluttershy's hand, the timid girl gently squeezing Rainbow's hand back "Yeah, it's true. We were going to tell you guys eventually, but we were just too nervous to mention it."

"Well, this is an interesting way to find out." Pinkie Pie commented with a shrug.

"But hold on" Applejack said to Fluttershy "While Ah was in class today, Ah saw yah diggin' a big hole out by tha track an' field. If yah didn' knock anybody off, what was tha all about?"

"Oh, you saw that?" Fluttershy asked in surprise "Well, uh, don't tell anyone, but Principal Celestia asked me if I wouldn't mind putting in a flower bed beside the track. It was going to be a surprise for the school."

"Ooh, what a nice surprise!" Pinkie Pie squealed. "Oh! But how come you had a bit of Dashie's hair with you?"

"Because I gave it to her." Rainbow Dash explained "I know it's a little mushy, but I decided we should exchange locks of each others' hair. See? I have Fluttershy's" Reaching into her pocket, Rainbow Dash pulled out a lock of pink hair and showed it to the group.

"You're more romantic than I would've thought, Rainbow" Rarity commented in amazement.

"Hold on, there's something that's been bugging me" Twilight pipped up as she looked to Fluttershy "This afternoon, Spike and I saw you dragging a big bag through the halls, and you looked like you didn't want anyone to see you."

At this, Fluttershy turned away, actually looking guilty.

"Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I'm sorry!" the pink haired girl cried out in guilt "I was swiping some of the leftover food from the school cafeteria!"

"Huh?" everybody asked.

"Since so much food gets thrown away at lunchtime and the animals at the shelter are so hungry, I decided to take some of it to feed them!" Fluttershy explained, feeling ashamed.

"Told ya" Spike said proudly to Twilight.

"That's what I was doing after school this afternoon" Fluttershy went on ""I didn't want anyone to see me because I was stealing!" she started sobbing "I'm so sorry!"

"Fluttershy, calm down" Rainbow Dash said soothingly "You didn't do anything wrong."

Fluttershy's weeping slowed "I-I didn't?"

"No way" Rainbow Dash said encouragingly "In fact, we can probably talk to Principal Celestia about donating those leftovers to the shelter."

"R-Really?" Fluttershy said hopefully.

"You bet" Rainbow Dash nodded.

"Oh, thank you, Dashie!" Fluttershy cried before giving Dash a hug.

"Wow, they really are together" Applejack mumbled to Rarity, who merely nodded.

"And that long thing I saw you pull out of your locker after school...?" Sunset asked to get the conversation back on track.

"The paddle we use in our roleplaying" Fluttershy explained. "Rainbow likes to play rough."

"But hold on" Applejack jumped in "Wha about tha other stuff we found here?"

"You guys had enough time to search our whole house before I arrived?" Rainbow Dash asked in annoyance.

"No, she means when we broke in earlier, Silly" Pinkie Pie elaborated.

"What?! You broke in twice?!" Rainbow cried in shock before groaning "Oh, I just knew Pinkie's skeleton key would be trouble one day!"

"We were looking for proof that Fluttershy was a killer" Rarity explained, though Dash was still frowning. "And her diary said..."

"You broke in and read Fluttershy's diary?!" Rainbow Dash exploded.

"...that she was really a psychotic killer who was hiding among us as her cover and was planning to restart her murderous spree." Rarity finished while giving Rainbow a look for interrupting.

"Hold on" Fluttershy spoke first before Rainbow Dash could yell again "What diary are you talking about?"

"The small black book on your desk that said 'My Secrets' on the cover" Sunset explained.

"That? That's not my diary. It's the story I'm writing as my assignment for English class." Fluttershy explained "Remember? Last week, we were asked to write fictional stories with ourselves as the main characters?"

"Oh yeah." Sunset said with realization "That reminds me, I still haven't finished mine."

"But wha about that creepy mask on yer desk?" Applejack asked.

"Oh, that's a project I'm working on for Art class." Fluttershy elaborated.

"Boy, Fluttershy has a very disturbing imagination" Pinkie Pie said "Oh, that reminds me. Why do you have that creepy dungeon-like room upstairs?"

Upon being asked that, the yellow and blue pair before her looked away, nervous, embarrassed looks on their faces.

"Oh" Pinkie Pie said in realization, her eyes wide in surprise "Didn't know you guys were into that kind of thing."

"You'd be surprised how hot Fluttershy is when she's assertive" Rainbow Dash said with blushing cheeks.

"Like I said" Fluttershy mumbled "Rainbow likes to play rough."

"But what about that photo of us?" Twilight asked in confusion "Rainbow was crossed out and the rest of us were circled."

"I was trying to decide which one of you I should emulate during our next roleplaying" Fluttershy said "I try to display different personalities when we play, and since I already imitated Rainbow Dash's personality, I thought I'd try impersonating the rest of you."

"I don't know whether to be flattered or disturbed" Rarity said slackjawed.

"Wait, you acted like Rainbow one time?" Pinkie asked in surprise "What, did you also put on blue make-up, a rainbow wig, and a jersey and acted like Rainbow Dash was making out with herself?"

Fluttershy said nothing, instead turning away with flushed cheeks.

"Okay, this is startin' tah get even freakier than when we thought she was ax-crazy" Applejack meeped with wide eyes.

"Are you lunatics satisfied now?" Rainbow Dash asked in annoyance.

"Just one more thing." Sunset said before turning to Fluttershy "Earlier tonight, you came over to my house and it looked like you had something sharp in your hand."

"What, this?" Fluttershy asked as she pulled a flashlight out of her pocket, which obscured, could be mistaken for a sharp implement "When the house lost power, I figured that you were stuck in the dark too so I went over to check on you" she explained "However, it felt like something heavy was blocking your door. When I figured there wasn't anyone home and noticed that the lights were on here, I decided to come home."

"Oh" Sunset replied awkwardly before laughing in an embarrassed manner "Boy, we jumped to some pretty crazy conclusions."

"Yeah," Pinkie Pied added "Guess it's a good thing the power at Sunset's house went out before she could reach the cops."

"You tried to call the police?!" Rainbow Dash shouted in shock.

"We really jumped tah some crazy conclusions" Applejack explained.

"Oh, girls" Fluttershy said frantically "I'm so sorry for leading you into thinking I was a killer!"

"Fluttershy, don't apologize!" Rainbow Dash said fiercely "They accused you of being a murderer and snooped around our house. They should apologize to you!"

"She's right, Fluttershy" Sunset said with an ashamed sigh "We're the ones that were wrong here. We're really sorry."

"Yeah, we really are."

"Sorry, girl."

"So sorry, Dear."

"Sorry, Flutters."

"Sorry to misjudge you, Shy."

"Oh girls" Spike gave Fluttershy a look "and Spike, I forgive you."

"Well, it's not like we didn't pay for our misjudging" Twilight said with a giggle as she took a look at herself for the first time "Frankly, we all look ridiculous!"

"Oh, my goodness!" Rarity cried as she realized how dirty she was "I'm a mess! Fluttershy, may I bother you for the use of your bathroom before I leave?"

In response, she got a glare from Rainbow Dash.

"Right" Rarity said stiffly "I suppose being forced to walk home as I am would be penance for my actions. Now if you'll excuse me" she said as she walked towards the stairs "I have to get home and work on covering up the fact that half my hair is missing."

One by one, the feather-covered girls embarrassingly followed Rarity to the stairs, mumbling words of apology.

"Our bad on this whole incident" Applejack said as she tailed Rarity up the stairs, feeling quite humiliated.

"Really sorry about the misunderstanding" Twilight said as she carried Spike to the stairs while limping "Oh, by the way," she said nervously before disappearing up the steps "Congratulations!"

"Yeah, we're really happy for ya!" Spike's voice called out.

"You bet!" Pinkie Pie piped up as she followed Twilight "I'll have a 'Congratulations-on-getting-together' party ready for you by the end of the week!"

"You better be clean for it!" Rainbow Dash called out.

With the others gone, Sunset was left alone with Rainbow and Fluttershy.

"I'm really sorry for causing all this" she said guiltily to the pair.

"Well, you should" Rainbow Dash said bluntly, her arms crossed. "What do you plan to do to make up for it?"

"I'll talk to the girls and tomorrow, we'll clean up the mud we tracked through your house" Sunset offered.

"Here's a better idea" Rainbow said "How about you girls clean the whole house."

"WHAT?!" Rarity's voice could be heard shrieking from upstairs.

"Done" Sunset agreed to the consequences despite the loud, wailing moan coming from upstairs.

Rainbow nodded pointedly "You can start in the bedroom. Make sure to bring an extra large bottle of Dr. Cleanser. That place is a mess."

Sunset sighed. "Let me tell you, I've learned my lesson from all this" she said with a shake of her head "No more nighttime jogs for me. And I'll never take something I overhear out of context again. From now on, I'll gather all the facts before assuming anything. I just hope you can forgive me for all this trouble I caused."

"Oh, of course I can." Fluttershy said before nodding.

"And I promise, the others and I won't tell anybody about you two until you're ready" Sunset added.

"That could be a very long wait" Rainbow Dash commented.

"Well, I better go" Sunset said as she headed for the stairs "The others are probably trying to revive Rarity." she turned back one more time "See you both tomorrow at school?"

"If you don't, don't get the wrong idea!" Rainbow Dash called out.

Giving one more sheepish grin, Sunset disappeared up the steps, leaving the blue and yellow pair alone.

Rainbow Dash stood there for a few moments, completely silent as she stared in the direction the surprise guests had gone. Finally, with a sigh, she shook her head.

"Can you believe that?" the prismatic girl said to her girlfriend with astonishment as she gestured to where their friends had been.

"Now Rainbow" Fluttershy said soothingly "They were just concerned that something had happened to you. I would've thought you of all people would appreciate loyalty. And besides, it's partially our fault because we didn't tell them about our relationship."

"Yeah, I guess that's true" Rainbow Dash mumbled "But still, they needed a better reason than that to decide to snoop around the house!"

"Well, I guess that's true" Fluttershy conceded.

"Imagine," Rainbow Dash said in amazement "them actually thinking that you could kill me. How crazy can an imagination get?"

"I know, right?" Fluttershy agreed in surprise. "I would've thought they would've known better than that."

"Yeah, I can't believe they actually believed that I couldn't fight back" Rainbow Dash shook her head again "I mean, really, you overpowering me? That's a little farfetched isn't it?"

At those words, Fluttershy's eyes went into mischievous slits.

"Oh, really?" she spoke in her dominatrix voice "Care to put that theory to a test?"

Rainbow Dash, catching onto what Fluttershy was implying, grinned.

"Sure. You're on."

From outside the house, two voices could be heard.

"Hey! Let go! Fluttershy, what are you doing?!"

"What's the matter, Rainbow? Unable to fight back against a delicate flower like me?"

"Wait! No! Don't do that! Stop! Oh, no fair! I want a turn!"

Author's Note

Hope you all enjoyed this little comedic thriller. This was an interesting experiment for me. Not only was it my first foray into writing suspenseful MLP stories, but it was also my first time using the EG characters. I hope I did well. Also, I wanted to have this done by Halloween, but the project was too big for me to finish by then (having started it two or three days before then), so I decided to get it out when I could. It still counts, doesn't it? For those of you who think the ending looks different, well, I did a little rewriting to get it the way I originally imagined. I do believe it fits my vision now.