Night Class

“Of course you’re faster if you don’t bother getting the star map,” Sunflowers commented drily when Sunset and Sweetie Drops returned with empty hands.

“We tried—“ Sunset started, but Sweetie Drops interrupted her.

“Guys, something is seriously wrong here! It wasn’t only sounds this time! We saw something in one of the junior classrooms. Something super creepy!”

“Yeah, what was it? Spider webs? Maybe even a carved pumpkin?” Sunflowers asked, but nobody laughed at her little joke.

“Just some candles, and a sign about us all being tasty,” Sunset answered.

“And the cupcake! A cupcake with an eye on top of it!” Sweetie Drops added.

“A cupcake with what?” Sunflowers asked, blanching.

“Just a joke article,” Sunset explained.

“The newspaper,” Sunflowers stammered, all her snappishness gone. “It… there was something just like that in the newspaper I just read.”

“What, the cupcake?”

“There was a guy… a criminal! A murderer! He broke into several houses a few years back and, and, he killed the people and ate them! He was a freaking cannibal!” Sunflowers spoke almost too fast to follow. “They caught him while he was still busy with one of his victims. He prepared his victims. He made freaking casserole and, and cupcakes! And he ate them!”

“But if they caught him there’s nothing to worry—“ Micro Chips tried to reason.

“But that’s what was in that newspaper article!” Sunflowers almost screamed. “He was being transferred to some mental facility and he escaped! Not even far from here, right on the road to Fillydelphia!”

“Oh my gosh!” Sweetie Drops shrieked.

Sunset quickly scanned the room for that newspaper Sunflowers had been reading. She found it in the paper bin, and while the others were busy exchanging agitated murmurs, she sat down and opened the paper.

The paper was four days old. Sunset quickly skimmed the story about that jailbreak. It was as Sunflowers had said, including the detail that the killer had been preparing a casserole and some cupcakes when he was finally caught by the police. According to the article, he had been found guilty of fourteen cases of murder. He had also at least partially eaten eight of his victims. Although he had been sentenced to life in prison, he had been on his way to a mental institution to determine just what kind of mental illness had caused him to commit these terrible crimes.

Sunset sighed. “I’m telling you, it’s just a prank. It’s Nightmare Night next week. Do you honestly think there’s a killer on the loose?”

“Are you really sure there isn’t one?” Sweetie Drops shot back.

“She’s probably right,” came unexpected support from Micro Chips. “Why would some escaped killer set up candles and a cupcake? And what about the chains? A Nightmare Night prank is much more probable.” He gave Sweetie Drops a meek smile. “You know how some of our esteemed co-students can be.”

Sweetie Drops shot Sunset a nasty glare upon hearing this, but she also seemed to relax a little. Sunset snapped, “Don’t look at me! Maybe rather think of the guy who’s been conveniently missing all night, what do you think?”

“Poindexter?”

“That’s really not like Dex though,” Micro Chips mused.

“People sometimes do unexpected things. Like me joining the Astronomy Club on a Friday night,” Sunset pointed out.

“Maybe you had a reason,” Sunflowers chimed in. “You show up, and suddenly someone is playing spooky pranks on us. Strange, isn’t it?”

“Oh shut it,” Sunset sighed. ”I’ve been with you guys all this time, I didn’t have time to set it all up. Poindexter on the other hand—“

“I find that very improbable,” Micro Chips repeated, shaking his head. “As far as I can see it, there is only one scientific way to find this out.”

“You can’t mean—“ Sweetie Drops stammered.

“We’ll have a look,” Sunflowers agreed. “Unless Miss Demon Queen doesn’t want us to find out her involvement.”

Miss Demon Queen wants to punch your teeth in, Sunset thought and forced herself to calmly shake her head. “Fine by me, let’s check it out. Let’s just keep it down, we ran into Miss Harshwhinny and she was raging.”

“You know what,” Sweetie Drops remarked, “for once I’m less afraid of Miss Harshwhinny.”

“Don’t worry, Sweetie Drops,” said Micro Chips. “It’s just going to be some Nightmare Night decorations. Just like Billy Bones in the hallway.”

“I wish you’d stop calling that thing by name, as if it were a person,” Sweetie Drops said, shuddering. “Okay. But the second something weird happens, we back off and tell Vice Principal Luna!”

“Sure thing,” Sunflowers said dismissively. “If.”

***

They reached the first floor hallway without any more incidents. The hallway light was still switched off, but the classroom door was closed again—Sunset could have sworn that they had left it open in their almost-flight.

She carefully opened the door, the others close behind her. Everything was unchanged—the candles, the sign, the cupcake. Micro Chips tried the light switch, and Sunset wasn’t surprised when it didn’t have an effect. She nonetheless cautiously moved towards the teacher’s desk to have a good look at the items positioned there.

The candles were unevenly shaped and of an unclear beige color. With some imagination, she thought, one could believe that they were made from, well, what? Human body fat?

“Spooky spooky candles,” she murmured. Sunflowers let escape a short harsh laugh that didn’t sound entirely comfortable.

The cupcake, as she only saw now, was half eaten. There was actually an eye on top of it, stuck into the frosting. It looked real enough—but to Sunset it appeared more like one of the bovine eyes used in biology classes. Disgusting, but not an actual threat.

“Is that a cow’s eye?” Micro Chips asked right behind her, and it took all of Sunset’s willpower to not jump. Which would have been embarrassing.

Micro Chips reached past her and poked the eye. Behind her, Sunflowers made a gagging noise. Micro Chips chuckled and picked the eye from the cupcake. ”Plastic. A joke article.”

As I said.

“Why is the light not working?” Sweetie Drops asked.

“We should ask that Clay Jug,” Sunflowers remarked.

Wondering herself what was wrong with the lights Sunset climbed onto a table and scrutinized the ceiling lamp as good as she could in the candlelight. As she had suspected, the glass cover was slightly tilted, as if someone had hurriedly messed around with the lamp. Sunset pried the glass cover open and tried screwing in the lightbulb. The light went on instantly, startling her for a moment.

“Someone messed with it,” she said, climbing down again.

Sunflowers, apparently encouraged by the light, picked up one of the candles. As they could now see clearly, had simply been warmed up and twisted a bit. The imprints of fingers were clearly visible.

“Red ink,” commented Sweetie Drops with audible relief, pointing at the sign. “Probably.”

“See?” Micro Chips said. “No reason to be afraid.”

“But who would do such a thing?”

The absent guy, duh, Sunset thought. But where is he?

Probably not too far away. He’d want to see their reactions.

Sunset decided to check the hallway again. The light was now better, with the lights in the classroom restored. In the brightly illuminated rectangle in front of the classroom door she saw it almost instantly.

A red smudge.

She knelt down next to it. It was a small part of a footprint, and it was still wet. Someone had probably spilled a drop of red ink and stepped into it.

“What’s that?” Sunflowers asked, following her into the hallway.

“Clue.”

Sunset looked around. About three feet ahead she saw another, smaller, fainter smudge. That was where they had gone. Towards the classroom opposite this one. This was almost too easy. She sneaked up against the door, took a deep breath, and barged into the room.

The room was brightly illuminated. In front of the black board a lifeless body was lying in a thick red pool on the floor, someone with dark brown hair and wearing a beige shirt.

Just what Poindexter had been wearing.

Oh shit I’ve been wrong something is seriously happening—wait a second!

Sweetie Drops shrieked again, and Sunset had to force herself to not wonder what horrible thing might be happening to her. Because the body’s face…

A freaking mannequin! She took a deep breath. This time he almost got me.

“What’s in there?” Micro Chips asked. Then, as he saw the mannequin lying in the fake blood, he gasped, “Dex?”

“Another joke,” Sunset said.

“Not funny,” Micro Chips said, audibly shaking. “Who would do such a thing?”

“The same one who has access to Poindexter’s clothes, I’d think,” Sunflowers said behind them. “It seems Sunset Shimmer was right. Who would have thought.”

“Wow,” said Micro Chips. “That’s so unlike him. But… pretty cool, don’t you think?”

“Not really.”

“No, gross!”

“Can’t say that I do.”

But where are you—ah! While the others were still busy looking at the mutilated mannequin, carefully staying away from the thick puddle of blood, Sunset took a look around and saw, to her great joy, another red smudge—right in front of a large cupboard in the back of the room.

“I’m convinced now,” declared Sweetie Drops, sounding relieved. “It’s just a stupid Nightmare Night prank. But I’m going to give Poindexter a piece of my mind for this.” The others laughed.

“Well, let’s go back upstairs. We still have an ice planet to observe,” Sunflowers said, taking the lead. The others followed her into the hallway.

Except Sunset Shimmer. Going last, she switched off the light and forcefully closed the door before cowering under one of the tables. Let’s see if I can’t return the favor.

***

Sunset didn’t have to wait long before the cupboard door opened and a hooded figure came out, sneaking towards the light switch. Before the figure could reach it, Sunset stood up from behind her hiding place, causing the figure to jump.

“What the hell,” the figure cried in a clearly female voice.

“You’re not Poindexter,” Sunset pointed out.

“Obviously not,” the figure sneered. “I am the Great and Powerful Trixie!” She switched the light on and pulled her hood back. Sunset recognized her as a junior who was, unlikely as it seemed, even more of a freak than the Astronomy Club members. Reclusive, weird, not belonging to any social circle Sunset was aware of, this Trixie had been so far below her radar that she had probably never been involved in any of Sunset’s schemes.

“So are you going to rat the Great and Powerful Trixie out for playing a harmless prank? Or hold me into the toilet again?”

Did I ever do that to her?

I probably can’t rule it out…

“Um, I don’t know. What… what the heck are you doing?”

“Well, it’s Nightmare Night next week,” Trixie said. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is going to teach the Astronomy Club a lesson or two. They have ridiculed me for choosing to believe in magic for the last time!”

“So your solution to them being jerks is a few special effects?”

Trixie hardly wavered. “This is only the beginning!” she declared. “I have a whole lot of setups prepared. I will make them scream in sheer horror!”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “You heard them laugh, right? Not even Sweetie Drops is scared anymore.”

Trixie glared at her. “Well, you had to go and spoil the third stage of my plan. I obviously hadn’t expected anyone with half a brain to be around and rat me out to your stupid friends. The Great and Powerful Trixie applauds you.” She slowly clapped her hands.

Sunset thought of Sunflower. And Sweetie Drops. And the others. “They are not my friends.”

“Then why did you have to ruin everything?” Trixie accused her.

“Excuse me for being curious,” Sunset shot back. “It’s hardly my fault if you leave traces all over the place!” She thought of Sweetie Drops being scared and almost grinned. “You know what, I’m not gonna tell anyone it was you. For all I care, scare them shitless, if you can pull it off now. You’re right, they deserve—“

At this moment they heard a bloodcurdling scream from upstairs, and just like Sweetie Drops before Trixie suddenly held on to Sunset. “What was that?”

“Not part of your plan?” Sunset asked. Trixie shook her head, her eyes wide open like a deer caught in a car’s headlights.

“Let’s check it out. Quietly.”

“The Great and Sneaky Trixie shall not be heard,” Trixie declared.

“Shhh!”

***

“Did you guys hear that?” asked Sweetie Drops. “Another prank?”

“What a horrible scream,” said Sunflowers.

“I think it’s a sample from The Night When Space Zombies Enslaved Earth,” Micro Chips said.

“Vice Principal Luna still hasn’t returned,” Sunflowers said. “Should we go have a look?”

“Yes!” Sweetie Drops said. “I want to know what other sick stuff this guy comes up with.” Her eyes were positively shining, almost feverish. “I’m not going to be scared again.” Micro Chips looked at her admiringly as they descended to the second floor.

When they reached the landing and the door to the hallway, Micro Chips held them back. “The computer lab is around the corner of that hallway. It may have come from there. I’ll take a peek.” He carefully opened the door and looked through the crack. He chuckled.

“What is it?”

“Yeah, we’ve seen this before.” He turned around and winked at the others. “It’s Poindexter’s body. The mannequin we’ve seen in that downstairs classroom.”

“Oooh, how scary,” Sweetie Drops made.

“He’s probably still nearby. Let’s go find him and tell him he’s busted,” Sunflowers said.

“Yeah!”

***

Sunset and Trixie slowly sneaked up the stairs. They had heard some more noises and voices from the third floor, but now everything was quiet. When they reached the landing and the hallway door, they stopped and looked at each other in a short and silent battle of wills.

Then Sunset slowly opened the door—

—and recoiled.

“What is it?” Trixie whispered.

“Please please tell me that you prepared another fake body of Poindexter.”

“What are you talking about?”

“There is a body lying in the corridor, and it looks a lot like the fake one downstairs.”

“But the fake body is downstairs… what?”

“That’s the point!”

“What—“ Sunset could see how the realization hit Trixie. “You’re saying there is a real dead body in the hallway?”

“I think so!”

“But—but—there is no killer!” Trixie said, and Sunset had to put her hand on her mouth to shush her. “It’s just for show! There is no killer! It’s just a Nightmare Night prank!” Her eyes widened. “That’s it! Somebody else is obviously playing us a prank! That’s all!”

“I’d sure love to believe that…” Sunset said.

“Just wait and see!”

Sunset hesitated. She really didn’t want to see. It had looked more real than the mannequin downstairs. She was afraid it might really be the dead body of Poindexter.

Trixie didn’t wait. “Let’s go. You’ll see. Someone is obviously copying my Great and Powerful plan, but I’m not letting them get away with it.” She silently opened the door and tiptoed towards the body on the ground. Sunset, not wanting to be left alone right now, followed her after a short moment of consideration.