The Dragon's Notebook

Chapters

Rebirth
Resolute
Redacted
Reaction
Repulsion
Reverie
Reservoir
Retiring
Resolve
Regret - The Promise
OOC: Live Reading
The Scaled Tower
Revenge
Repent - The Last Name

Rebirth

“You should have seen how skilled Blackhoof was at the piano. I've never seen a pianist play that well,” Rarity exclaimed while she levitated a needle and thread.

“I'll bet,” I responded, holding a box of supplies.

“The 'Moonlight Sonata' was effortlessly played, and he never broke a sweat! His Cutie Mark does not even relate to music,” Rarity continued while constructing a dress. “Spike, could you tell me what you think of this dress, so far?”

Rarity stepped out of the way, revealing the dress-form she was working on. It was a flowing, charcoal-black dress that clung to the body of the mannequin she worked from. In hindsight, it was a beautiful dress, almost like a lingerie. Another beautiful creation.

“It's okay,” I lied in my attempt to mask the anger in my voice.

She stared back at the dress, frowning. She hummed to herself, circling the dress in total contrast to what I did. I stared at it while my dull gaze was the only clue to my less-than-pleasant attitude. She stopped circling it and looked back to me.

“Okay? Is there anything you don't like about it?” Rarity asked, biting her lip.

I rolled my eyes then. “I just think that it lacks a theme,” I spat out.

Rarity's expression had saddened, and she looked back to her dress, then back to me. She did that several more times before she settled her gaze on me. She attempted to speak, before sighing, levitating more fabrics out of her shelf.

“I suppose I could add elements of midnight to it.” She perked up. “Speaking of midnight, Blackhoof has an amazing range of knowledge regarding the stars. He took a picture of us with a camera, catching the starry skies in the background. Would you like to see it?” Rarity offered.

A gift I held for her remained hidden using my fire breath. Exhaling coarsely, I knew I would regret the decision, but I made it anyways. “Sure, Rarity.” She didn't reply to me, levitating the picture over to me. Rarity had the most beautiful smile in this picture. Her face was cheery, and the glow of a streetlamp seemed to illuminate her face. It was a beautiful picture of her... excluding the black stallion next to her. His face I remembered extensively; bent brow, a grey, shaggy mane, green eyes, and a stupid, shit-eating grin. It angers me to this day, but the anger I felt then was intense. I had withheld my emotional outburst, resisted the urge to set fire to the picture there, or Rarity herself. I've done so much with her, for her, and she repays me by bragging about her new boy-toy. Sighing, I held it up in the air and she promptly took it back.

“You look nice. In the picture,” I said, fighting the cracking of my voice.

It would be another twenty minutes before Rarity finished her work, sending me home without a second thought, and it was another thirty minutes before I had released my anger on a bush. I didn't go straight home. Instead, I wandered through Ponyville, arriving at the outskirts of the town. I paced in one area, thinking before I released my flame breath on a large bush. I had calmed down shortly after, but stayed to make sure the fire would burn out. I sat on a stump roadside, looking down the path back to Ponyville, before looking the other way that led to the area below Cloudsdale.

I continued to sit there, the bush having burnt out half an hour prior. I continued to think, the urge to cry had risen the moment the flame went out as if synchronized with my anger. I thought long, and I thought hard. Rarity wouldn't have gotten with me. I'm a dragon, but it wasn't just that. It was the fact that she could never stay still. Her 'Prince Charming' changed every week based on what the tabloids said.

Deciding that Twilight probably wondered where I was, I stood up, huffing the smoke left by the bush. Leaving the smokey area probably helped, because I soon accepted my place in the friend-zone. I ran back to the library, passing by buildings, benches, couples, and other ponies wandering the streets of Ponyville. Several droplets fell from the sky before it turned into a regular shower. I stopped running and stood in the rain. I tensed up my body, shoulders raised to my head. I shivered, not from the rain, but from the eventual outburst. I had to cry, and nothing was going to stop me.

I wanted to see that gift, the gift I bought specifically for her. I quickly belched out a small box. I looked at the red, velvet case and quickly opened it up, staring at the flame-shaped ruby sitting inside. Flame, to represent passion. I closed the box up roughly, denting the cheap case, and grit my teeth. My brow bent, and I felt the wild growl in my throat trying to escape. I looked over to a nearby trash bin, then back at the gift box. I opened my mouth to release a breath I involuntarily held in, and that was it.

I roared like a dragon would. Loud. Wild. Fearsome. I twisted my body to the side, setting one foot forward while I yanked the hand holding the gift box behind my head, continuing my roar while I tossed it as hard as possible in the general direction of the trash bin. My eyes stung with water, and I still don't know if it was the rain or tears. Either way, I started wailing.

“Rarity! No! This isn't how we're supposed! I'm just-” I wasn't even speaking coherent sentences, but I didn't care. I looked up, hoping to trick myself into believing I wasn't crying and the rain was the cause of the stinging, but it failed. “I love you!” I shouted, looking back to the ground to hide my shameful eyes from no-one in particular. In the corner of my eyes, I saw the gift box, broken, the ruby next to it.

I felt no anger after that. I only felt sadness and failure nagging at my mind. I slowly stepped over to the gift box, bent down to pick up the ruby, and stood up while I contemplated making it my midnight snack.

I heard a slap reminiscent of papers landing on a desk behind me. I turned my head, and out of the corner of my eye, spotted a notebook lying on the ground. I payed no attention to it and picked up the gift box, fixed the dents I made by throwing it, and placed the ruby back into it. I used my flame breath to hold onto it once more, and turned to finish the walk home. This time, I saw the notebook with both eyes. I would have passed by it and continued home if it wasn't for the strangest thing yet.

The notebook was black, lying in the centre of the street. It looked like an ordinary notebook with a humble cover that boasted only two words written in white. I didn't care about the words, though. I took a step closer to make sure what I was seeing was actually happening, and it was. The ground the book landed on was perfectly dry. There was no rain landing on the notebook at all. I bent down and picked it up, and it still got no rain on it despite my arms and head getting soaked. I looked around the street, spotting no one, and started walking home. I held the notebook over my head to avoid the rain.

Stepping into the library, I wasn't met by anypony. It was dim, Twilight nowhere in sight. I looked at a clock on the wall, barely illuminated, to discover I left Rarity's boutique two hours prior. Twilight was asleep then, and I silently thanked Celestia for the luck. I looked around the darkened library, spotting a desk with a lamp. I ran over there and quickly turned on the lamp, practically slamming the black notebook on the top. It was still dry, and I stared at the cover. In white words, thick and easily visible, were two words that made zero sense:

DEATH NOTE.

I raised an eyebrow, repeated the words in my mind, before I decided it to be a teenager's notebook with a fancy name to appear cool. In hindsight, that was an absolutely hilarious notion. I opened the notebook, and noticed the first pages were in black with white text. The first page was labelled 'HOW TO USE: I.” I read the page, smirking when I finished. Then I read it out loud.

“'The pony who's name is written in this notebook shall die.' What?” I chuckled before stopping. I tried to stay quiet so Twilight could stay asleep, or else she'd freak about two things. “'If the cause of death is specified within sixty seconds, you have six minutes and forty seconds to add details. If the type of death is not specified, the pony will die of a simple heart attack,'” I said with a humoured edge to my voice.

Jeez, this is an elaborate prank. A notebook that actually kills, and you can specify the death? It's a sick prank... right up Rainbow Dash's alley. I'll have to congratulate her for this one, but, that doesn't explain why it didn't get wet, does it? I had thought, another humorous thought in hindsight.

I looked around the library to make sure I was truly alone, a good plan at the time. I looked to the top of the desk and pulled out a quill, opened an inkwell, and dipped it in. I flipped through the notebook to the first page that was blank.

“If I were to kill somepony, who would it be?” I asked myself as I held back a fit of giggles. “Ooh! That's easy! Nasty, stupid, poo-poo head Prince Blueblood,” I said while gagging. The sheer name of that uncouth bastard was enough to sicken me. How dare he hurt Rarity!? I don't care if she treats me like a disposable wrapper, Blueblood would deserve this.

I flipped back to the rules of the notebook, and checked the first few pages. Only three rules stood out to me, the aforementioned two, and the third: “You must know the name and face of the pony.” There were several others that stated it can't be an alias, and the view of the face has to be recent and unobstructed; if a pony dyed their mane, the memory of their look is out-of-date, or if it's blocked by glasses, you don't know their face... but I knew Blueblood. Never have I felt anymore rage towards such a vile creature.

I cackled like a generic villain and flipped back to the blank page. I wrote on the very top line, “Prince Blueblood” while kept the disgusting face of that pony in my mind. After, I pondered the thought of being creative with his death. I looked back down at the notebook, and at the time, my childish nature kicked in. I then utilized yet another rule I spotted; you can set their date of death from the instant you wrote the name up to twenty-three days.

“Accident; he slips on a bar of soap in his royal bathtub in the morning of Saturday, 12th, 1002 ANMS, and dies from the fall,” I spat out as an immature cackle escaped my mouth.

I cleaned the quill, closed the inkwell, closed the notebook, and tucked it under my arm. I figured I should humour Rainbow Dash when I showed her I wrote a name... if only I knew.

The next morning was the usual: I had to wake up Twilight after an hour's time to prepare her for the day's work. Stashed the notebook under my bed's mattress, grabbed the Equestria Daily newspaper from the doorstep, and I stepped into the kitchen, slumped into a seat, shoved a spoon into my cereal, and ate. I opened the Equestria Daily and spotted today's headline:

“PRINCE BLUEBLOOD DIES IN TRAGIC ACCIDENT – FAMILY REFUSES TO SUPPLY THE DETAILS.”

As I discovered, that was one hell of a way to wake me up entirely. I pushed the bowl of cereal aside and attempted to contemplate the situation. I looked around the cover, spotted two ponies from the hospital carrying Prince Blueblood out on a stretcher, zipping up a bag. The story was located on page 7, and I quickly flipped to it. I felt something in my chest at the time which I realize now to be absolute fear. I began to read the story.

“'Prince Blueblood, nephew of the lovely Princess Celestia, was found dead this morning by maids of Canterlot Castle. The staff and close-family of Princess Celestia refuse to deliver the details on how he died, but medical crew state he had broken his neck. More coverage will be released when possible.'”

I let go of the newspaper, letting it drop to the ground, and I looked up at the ceiling, frozen in fear. I stammered as if talking to myself would somehow help me cope with the situation. I hopped off the chair, snatched the paper, and ran upstairs. Again, in hindsight, my fear was hilarious.

I had hopped onto my bed and snatched the notebook up, rereading what I wrote the previous night. The details were too similar for it to be a coincidence, and I still attempted to shut it out. I hid the notebook and hopped onto Twilight's bed, newspaper in claws. I had furiously shaken her until she woke up, groaning from the repeated shakes.

“Spike, when did you get in last night? I waited an hour for you to get back,” she asked me, making no attempt to hide her anger.

“Never mind that, look at the Equestria Daily!” I shouted, slapping the paper onto her side.

She groaned, sitting up in her bed while I shuffled off to the side. She levitated the paper to her face, blinked several times, and dropped it onto the ground. Her expression was unreadable, and still is.

“That's awful! I wonder if Princess Celestia is okay,” Twilight said, jumping out of bed immediately.

I shook my head right away and followed her. “No no, that Bluejerk was a jerk! I'm sure she's-” I was cut off, belching out a scroll. Twilight turned around immediately, and I opened the scroll.

“Dear Twilight Sparkle, as I write this, I am grieving the loss of yet another family member. Prince Blueblood has died this morning after slipping in his shower...” I trailed off, realizing that it matched what I wrote exactly. Twilight looked at me with wide eyes, stepping closer.

“Hurry Spike, what else does it say?” she practically demanded.

I attempted to speak, but nothing came out. I looked away from the scroll slowly, staring at my bed: the location of the Death Note. Twilight groaned before snatching the letter out of my claws.

“... after slipping in his shower on a bar of soap, and breaking his neck on the side. Please do not deliver this information to anypony else other than you and your friends, I do not want the tabloids to post something that will make him an object of laughter,” Twilight read.

I killed him, I thought, feeling myself shivering.

“I wish to speak with you immediately here at Canterlot Castle. Feel free to bring your friends, Luna and I could truly use your company. Sincerely, Princess Celestia.” Twilight finished off.

I killed him.

“Oh no, this is terrible. Spike, we need to cancel all plans. Send a letter back, request a royal chariot. I'm going to get the girls,” Twilight spat out, the entire time, she didn't look once at me.

I killed him.

Twilight ran downstairs, and before I could say a thing, I heard the front door opening and slamming shut. I snapped to attention and crawled to the side of the bed, leaning out towards the door with tears flowing down my eyes.

“NO WAIT TWILIGHT! I KILLED HIM!” I shouted, my voice heard by nopony.

Unlike the days of now, I burst into tears, curled up on Twilight's bed, and cried myself to sleep.

“Spike, we're going to arrive late because you fell asleep instead of sending a letter,” Twilight said to me.

Holding a bag around my waist, I payed no attention while I stared over the edge of the chariot, watching the trees below. The rest of the girls were here; Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash... Rarity. I had felt too many emotions in the past twenty-four hours, and then, I had a chance to really sort it out. I wasn't not being nagged by my conscious to get home, I was just killing time.

“Ah can't believe somepony could go 'n die in a shower. How clumsy do ya haf'ta be?” Applejack asked, not wearing her stetson.

“Believe me, that Prince was anything but clumsy. I'm surprised nopony was in the bathtub, scrubbing his fat royal flank,” Rarity said as she expressed more anger than sadness.

I looked over to Rarity and wondered if she was truly sad about the ordeal. I learned over the course of the ride that she wasn't, and even as we dove in for Canterlot, they were still talking about it.

“Rarity, you met him. Aren't you even sad that he's dead?” Rainbow Dash asked bluntly.

Rarity didn't respond immediately, and raised her head. “Not really, but I shall pay respects to the stallion I knew.”

I checked the bag I brought with my claw, and felt the notebook. I stared over the side of the chariot, and attempted to remember what Rarity talked about the previous night.

“He is from Canterlot too, and he even performed at the Grand Galloping Gala a few years ago!” the memory of Rarity said.

We landed near Canterlot Castle, and quickly, the girls hopped off while I slumped off, dragging my bag and my shoulders. I looked to the rest of them.

“Before I go to the castle, I want to just walk around a bit, maybe clear my head,” I stated.

The six girls looked at me with surprise, while Twilight's expression quickly changed to anger.

“Spike! We're late because of you, and... somepony died! You're staying!” she demanded, slamming a hoof on the ground.

I didn't listen to her, and immediately turned away. I began walking away from them, Twilight shouted at me once more. I didn't even process her words that time, and continued walking. She exhaled coarsely, and I was soon left alone. Looking up, I noticed the streets were crowded with ponies, mourning the loss of Prince Blueblood. I walked through the streets for minutes, maybe even hours before I stopped at a streetlight. Carriages started walking by, carrying important personal of all kinds. I heard an obnoxious voice next to me, a few meters away, and I tilted my head to the side to look around a mess of ponies. Standing there, was Rarity's precious Blackhoof, talking with several other stallions.

“Ah man, she has the sweetest flank ever, but she's so, so~ clingy,” Blackhoof exclaimed.

“I hear ya, but seriously, how did you get a toy like famous fashionista Rarity?” another stallion asked.

“It's easy, you just gotta say what the ladies wanna hear, and they'll be giving you access to their beds in no time at all,” Blackhoof nonchalantly said.

I didn't think it was possible at the time, but I was more pissed than the previous night. I resisted the urge to go over there and set fire to him immediately. I still think I should have, regardless, but they would have arrested me. I remembered the black notebook I had in my possession, and I looked down at my bag. I opened it up, and took out the notebook which I hid in a magazine about jewels, as well as a pen.

Is it truly a killer notebook? I can test it out right now, where I see instant results, I thought while biting my lip.

I sighed, opened it up, and looked at the page where I wrote Blueblood's name. I looked at it, feeling guilt as I lifted the pen to the paper. I mouthed the words I wrote down:

“Blackhoof – Heart Attack; dies 40 seconds after the writing of this is finished from massive heart failure.” I closed the book, setting it and the pen inside my bag, and I waited. The seconds ticked by as slow as ever while I counted them in my head.

35...

“When we kiss, she's got a great tongue-”

36...

“I can only imagine what it's like when-”

37...

“She eventually gives me a little head action.”

38...

Their laughter earned several looks from bystanders.

39...

Their laughter at using Rarity.

“40!” I said, barely audible due to the chatter.

Right on cue, Blackhoof stopped laughing, and his eyes shot wide open. He twitched a few times, grit his teeth, and looked down to the ground. His friends stopped laughing as well, and quickly looked at him.

“Hey, Blackhoof, are you alright?”

I watched as he writhed in pain, before lifting a hoof up to his barrel. He stumbled around for a bit, my eyes widening as I realized that the effects were happening. He fell to the ground, and started screaming in pain. The ponies nearby stepped back to give him space while his friends frantically shook him, attempted to hold him still, pretty much anything one would do in a panic. I still stared, feeling more scared than before.

Blackhoof stopped moving, and his friends shook him several more times before stopping. There was silence from the ponies in the area, and his friends stood up, taking a step back.

“He's dead.”

And I killed two ponies.

I had stepped into Celestia's personal chamber, led there by the guards. Sitting in a circle were Princesses Celestia and Luna, my friends, and several other ponies I didn't recognize. Their attention turned to me as I closed the door. I made no attempt to hide the dried tears that were on my face, and I looked up. Twilight's face wore an angry scowl, but softened upon meeting my eyes. I slowly walked across the floor, and practically fell against Twilight, wrapping my stubby arms around her while her forelegs wrapped around me. I made no sounds, made no noises, I just held on to the mother I grew up with, and felt her comfort warming me up. Celestia had given us a small smile before returning to her somber attitude.

“Rarity, as I was saying, I would like to apologize for Prince Blueblood's attitude on the night of the Grand Galloping Gala. He may have been rude and snotty, but he was not just a Canterlot snob. More importantly, he was family, and it hurts me as well to think that he had acted such a way towards you,” Celestia spoke.

“It's fine, princess. I also wish to apologize, even though he has passed on, I still feel resentment towards him, and feel as if I shouldn't be here for that reason,” Rarity responded, her voice also bore a saddened tone.

“It's fine. I'm curious as to why you did show up, though,” the princess replied.

Rarity sighed. “I don't like him. Never did, still don't but he is a pony just like the rest of us, and even if his attitude could have used some work, I still knew him, and that is reason enough to pay respects. Nopony deserves to die.”

That's when I sat up. I looked at her for a second, resisting the urge to laugh sadly. If only you knew what just happened, Rarity, I thought.

Several days had passed. Several days of waiting. Several days of thinking, and dreaming. Standing at the funeral of Prince Blueblood presents me with numerous mixed emotions. It's true, that I should at least pay respects to the pony I murdered in cold blood, I was still thinking about what Rarity said, allowing it to sink in. I spent the nights restless excluding the night prior to the funeral. I had gotten a decent sleep, I was able to live with what I did... well, that was a lie. At the time, I had merely accepted it as an accident, and calmed myself down.

I tuned out the obituaries from his family, figuring I didn't deserve to hear it. I learned later on that if I had, I would have heard things that would make me burst out laughing. I looked over at Rarity, stared at her face which bore an almost stone-cold expression behind her stylized mane. It was almost saddened, probably because she had learned of Blackhoof's death.

If only you knew, my sweet. But she didn't know, and she never will. I don't want her to feel weak because her lover cheated on her, or was using her. Either way, I won't ever tell her. I can't break her heart. It's better to have her mourning the loss of her colt.

She can't know, and never will know. I did her a favour, even if it was horrible. I killed somepony that wronged her, and even if it was wrong of me to take a life, she could continue, not knowing the truth. Nopony will treat her properly. They'll hurt her, and I can't let that happen. I'll protect her at the cost of my own innocence and the ability to live with myself. I looked away from Rarity, back to the front. I tilted my head down, spotting Twilight's look of concern. I smiled at my thoughts. She didn't see it. Nopony else did. I made a steely, iron resolve that day.

I'm going to kill every stallion that threatens my Rarity.

Resolute

Having a once-asocial bookworm in your home, you were bound to be subject to numerous questions when blatantly depressed. I never gave Rarity the gift since the memory of her bragging was clear as day. Add that to my 'just killed two ponies' guilt, and I was doomed to be a wreck the morning after the funeral. Never mind my steel resolve, I still can't, to this day, get the image depicting the look of pain on Blackhoof's face out of my head. It was the pain only a dying pony could feel, and it shook me to my core. I could only imagine what Blueblood's death was like.

Back to the point; Twilight was always a keen observer of behavior when she found friends, and when it came to lil' old me, she perked up when she had the chance. Specifically, when she made a long breakfast of pancakes.

“Spike, you've been depressed ever since you learned Prince Blueblood died, Celestia rest his soul, and it's rather odd considering how Rarity felt towards him in the past,” Twilight said, eating a slice of pancake.

Glancing at her, I saw the look of a caring mother, and I almost confessed that I found a killer notebook, and had already killed two ponies.

“It's got nothing to do with that, Twi.” I passed the time by picking at the strawberry atop the pancakes. I was gonna be there for a while, might as well take my time. “He was a jerk. I knew that much from my years at the castle, but I knew him, and he's the first pony I know to die. He's gone, and I can't change that.” But I could have prevented it.

I looked up to see Twilight's expression, saddened as one would expect. I cut a chunk off the stack and threw it in my mouth. It was the same as the many times Twilight or I made pancakes, but it certainly didn't feel like it. It was as if my taste buds dulled with my happy state of mind.

“Twilight, what will happen the day you leave me?” I muttered, swallowing the chunk.

When I looked at Twilight that time, her face bore an expression of sheer horror. Her eyes were wide open, pupils like slits, tears threatening to drop down to her bared teeth. Her entire body shook, and she immediately dropped her fork from her magic grasp. Yet another look that I can't get out of my head. I stopped eating when she got up from the table and ran around it. Dropping my fork, I held my arms out as she practically tackled me to the floor, holding me in a tight embrace.

Instinctively, I wrapped my stubby arms around her neck as her forelegs almost squeezed the life out of me. Her body pressed against mine, I felt her shudders, I felt her tears drip onto my shoulder, and I only felt worse for mentioning the inevitable future.

“I will be here with you, no matter what. When you’re sick in bed, I’ll be making you soup. When you’re carrying your bride onto your chariot, I’ll be there to congratulate you.” She paused, taking a sharp breath. “Even if Equestria hates you as an adult, I will be there to protect you... at any cost. Don’t ever think about leaving me, because you’ll miss the good times in between.”

She drove the point home hard... and by that, I mean she didn’t let go of me for ten minutes. I caressed her forelegs, apologized continuously, and let her cry on my shoulder.

“Alright. I won’t let you worry about me again,” I replied.

Being a librarian’s assistant was never easy. I couldn’t count the times I picked up after Twilight’s study sessions. It was almost a daily thing. Occasionally, I would have a day to myself, courtesy of one of Twilight’s friends, or a task Princess Celestia gave her. Only then, I didn’t realize the joy of working. That day, I managed to shut out the thoughts reminding me of my murderous act the previous day, and I actually fooled both Twilight and myself into believing the bit about not worrying Twilight.

Then we finished for the day, and Twilight left to speak to one of her friends, I wasn’t too sure. The instant she left, I was brought back to my thoughts about the killer notebook. Running upstairs seemed to be a common occurrence for me, but that was the only time I felt actual danger, as if the notebook had a mind of its own. Throwing my cushion out of my small bed, I grabbed the black notebook and stared at the cover. I contemplated telling Twilight or Princess Celestia about it, but they would see the names written down, and my handwriting.

Would waiting be better? Wait until it gets to the point where my conscious breaks down and reveals it? Would I wait until I was found out, and then confess? Considering Celestia’s reaction, I could never tell her. I hid the notebook, reminding myself of why I hid the notebook in the first place: to protect Rarity.

I couldn’t let Rarity know that her precious Spikey-wikey was a murderous freak, or that I happened to have killed her lover. It would break her heart, but it was necessary to keep her safe from the clutches of the world.

I opened the book, turned to the page with the names, and stared at my handiwork. Blueblood was a jerk, and expected Rarity to bend to his whim; he treated her like dirt and a slave. He deserved it. Blackhoof? He was using her for his own pleasure. Rarity’s ‘best night ever’ was ruined because she discovered the truth about Blueblood. Killing them was mandatory, even if it was totally evil. Some things had to be done for the greater good, with Celestia’s banishment of her sister being a prime example. It was necessary evil to keep the good. Was I the evil one for doing this, or was the notebook evil one?

The better question was, could I keep protecting Rarity?

The days passed, and like every major injury, my wounds healed to the point where I could face Rarity without being reminded of my heinous crime. I could smile at her, and mean it... but major injuries never fade. If one payed attention, they’d notice the scars in my personality. They never faded, even to this day.

It had been two months since I made my first kill. I constantly reminded myself each day, that it was for Rarity’s sake. She had slowly returned to her former glory, allowing herself to live with her lover’s death. It pained me to watch her come to the library every so often, speak with Twilight, and get a book or two before leaving. Every time she tried to talk to me, I feigned sickness. I may have convinced myself that I did a good deed, but every time Rarity came to me while alone, I felt as if I would spill the secrets. It kept on bugging my conscious, and eventually, Rarity stopped trying to talk to me. I heard every few days, she’d tell Twilight I wouldn’t talk to her... and Twilight never did anything. She just seemed to observe.

“Spike, I’ve decided something.”

Grudgingly, I looked up from my novel and met Twilight’s gaze with droopy eyes. She furrowed her brow, keeping a puckered up face, a bad sign that she was angry.

“Uh, yes, Twi?” I asked innocently.

“I noticed how you’ve been acting.” I flinched, averting my gaze. “You refuse to talk to Rarity, you act fine when with the others, and even when I talk about Rarity, you avoid eye contact, like right now!” Twilight exclaimed.

Sighing, I took my eyes off the floor and locked gazes with Twilight once more.

“Spike, I know what’s going on with you,” she declared.

I swear, my heart stopped for those five seconds of silence. She followed up, oblivious to my mental battle.

“You’re guilty that Rarity is feeling sad about Blackhoof because you want her affection!”

And I swear, my heart jumped as if hit by a defibrillator. A smile grew on my face and I chuckled, closing my novel with the bookmark in place. Twilight raised a brow, her expectations shattered. I set the book aside, leaned back in the chair, and breathed a sigh of relief.

“No, it’s not that, Twilight. I’m just not sure that Rarity wants little Spikey-wikey acting like his crushy-wushy self when she’s dealing with the loss of her colt,” I responded, more cocky than intended.

Twilight loosened up. She didn’t smile, but her frown vanished. The mare with the smarts didn’t move, and I took that as a cue to continue.

“I just don’t think Rarity wants to deal with any nonsense, and maybe unwind.”

Twilight shook her head. “No, you’re dead wrong, Spike.” Then I was the confused one. “She kept wanting to talk to you, because she believed you would understand what she was going through,” she said with regret poisoning her voice. I leaned forward in my chair, processing it. “She wanted to talk to you about it over dinner, but she quit two days ago, so she’s taking another pony.”

It hit me then, that I was doing nothing but pushing her away. I wasn’t protecting her like I declared, I wasn’t helping her. I was setting her up for pain. Twilight looked at me sympathetically, mostly due to the horror-struck face I had, and walked downstairs. I looked around the room frantically, resisting the urge to beat myself up for my mess-up. Remembering what I could do, I looked back to my bed. I spotted the basket I knew as home.

I walked over to the basket, bent over, and lifted the cushion. There was the killer notebook, still in the same hiding spot since I found out what it could do. It was a childish hiding spot, but it certainly worked with my childish nature. I opened the cover, skimmed the rules, and laid my eyes on the page with the names.

BLUEBLOOD

BLACKHOOF

I shivered, remembering the entire ordeal... and remembered my resolve. It was for Rarity. They had to die, for her sake. This pony Rarity was with for the evening; he would do the same. The others wont fit her criteria. She’s too beautiful to find her ideal mate that easily. No, she attracted scumbags. Lowlifes looking to cash in on her perfect posterior... like third-rate high-class wannabes.

The thoughts still fought through. Murder. It was murder. This notebook was real, and it was never going to fade from my mind. I feel the guilt of murder still. The look on Blackhoof’s face... one never forgets their first time, intentional or not. Could I really use this notebook? I would protect Rarity at any costs, but...

Murder...

. . .

“TWILIGHT!” I shouted.

Short silence, followed by a response. “Yeah?” she shouted through the library.

“I’M GOING TO TAKE A WALK!”

“Right, Spike. You’re lookin’ good. Lookin’ re~al good,” I said to my reflection in the Carousel Boutique window. “If I’m lucky, Sweetie Belle will be here. If not-” I paused, gritting my teeth. I looked towards downtown. “I’ll rip his name out of his voice box.”

I exhaled, rung the doorbell. The notebook was hidden in my fire breath, and I exhaled once more. I was ready... for silence. After a good sixty seconds, I rang it once more.

“Alright, hold on, I’m coming!” a young voice shouted from inside the shop.

I exhaled and smirked as my brilliant plan started. A few seconds passed, and the front door to the Carousel Boutique opened up, revealing Sweetie Belle’s figure.

“Oh, hi, Spike, I didn’t know it was you,” she said with a smile.

“Well obviously, you can’t see through doors,” I replied, leaning against the doorframe.

Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes. “Anyways, Rarity left with her new boyfriend-” I cringed, feeling those words seep into my mind. “Or I think boyfriend. She was going to take you, but you were sick.”

I was pretty sure she glared at me, but I couldn’t tell. I sighed, reminded of my idiotic choice. “I know, I goofed, but I thought that Rarity wouldn’t want to deal with it.”

Sweetie Belle smiled, stepping back. “Well what are you standing out there for? We’ll wait for Rarity to come home from her not-date.”

Reluctantly, I stepped into the boutique. I had only wanted to speak shortly, but this worked just fine. Sweetie Belle quickly made tea, or something related to it.

“So, how did Rarity meet her current date?” I asked. He’s going to die either way... yeah.

Sweetie Belle took an elegant sip of what was probably decaffeinated coffee as she ‘savoured’ the so-called taste this sludge has.

“He works for a Las Pegasus magazine, ‘The Archive,’ and wanted to talk to Rarity about her business. Rarity couldn’t focus on her interview, and used reservations she got for you two, and decided to enjoy herself,” Sweetie Belle said, taking another sip of her coffee.

Looking down at my own cup of joe, I saw a black-reflection of my scaly eyes staring back at me. The bent brow, the look of uncertainty shimmering as if to mock my choices made. It shook me a little, how dastardly one could look staring at their own, black reflection. I shook my head, reluctantly took a sip, and looked at Sweetie Belle.

“Sweetie, what is this colt’s job at The Archive?” I asked, feeling the tingle of flame in my gut.

She put a hoof to her chin and stared at the ceiling, humming in thought. I looked back down at my coffee while waiting, seeing my eyes... no, those eyes. Wide-eyed, full of shock, and pain... innocence? No, there is no innocence. Not in him, or in myself... but somebody has to put down the wild dogs, no? I looked back to Sweetie Belle, swallowing the sludge with a grimace, and as if on cue, Sweetie Belle responded.

“He works as a freelance photographer, but the Archive has payed him the most. He called me a ‘little gem,’” Sweetie Belle giggled, sipping her beverage.

I looked down at my empty cup and twisted it around, watching the liquid in the bottom move. Setting the cup down, I nodded before standing. Sweetie Belle looked at me, puzzled.

“Aren’t you going to wait for my sister?” she asked, daintily sipping her ‘tea.’

I shook my head, feeling the tingle in my stomach, reminding me of the notebook’s presence. “No, I just remembered I had a thing to do, only intended to stop by. Thanks for the, uh, ‘tea.’” I turned towards the door, waving to the filly.

“Alright, see you later, Spike!” she piped up, happily waving back.

I glanced over my shoulder and spotted her smile. Her innocent smile... she’s Rarity’s sister. I could... protect her too? Yeah, that sounded right. I approached the door and opened it, stopping short of the front mat.

“Could you not tell Rarity I was here? Don’t want her to think I just came and left without waiting,” I said.

“Sure!”

Sifting through archives of The Archive left me less than pleased. I didn’t ask Twilight, I just went into the storage room, and then the magazine boxes, and picked out more recent issues of The Archive. The logo was stylized like a casino’s header while the decal depicted large, exotic buildings. It was littered with text, and clipart, basically anything normal pop culture magazines a popular city like Las Pegasus would get. The photo depicted some new hip band on the rise, another depicted a celebrity breakup, one that caught my eye featured Rarity on the cover with Fancypants, and it was dated days before Twilight’s birthday.

“Fancypants... should I kill him, too?” I asked myself.

Deciding not to, due to the fact that Fancypants was only an acquaintance, married to Fleur de Lis, and too liked to just off so simply. Fancypants would definitely require surveillance, however.

I looked in the magazine with Rarity, deciding it to be a decent spot to start, and checked the credits. There were numerous names printed for freelance photographers, which irritated me to no end. The total for this magazine was seven, much to my dismay. My only plan of action was difficult, and it would take a while, no doubt. I opened the rest of the magazines, and began checking the freelance photographers in the credits.

It was several hours before I checked all possible names. I didn’t stick with freelance photographers, by the off-chance that Sweetie Belle had made an error. I checked all photographers credited in the past three years, totaling over eighty-six photographers. Their address was listed under each of them, and if I wanted to get my colt, I would have to find a way to get his face, and make sure that he was the one with Rarity.

I checked the library before initiating stage 2 of my plan, which was the ever-so tedious part. Twilight was gone, and it was almost dinner time, meaning that I’d fend for myself that night. I could skip one dinner, so I did that.

I checked the addressed, prepared a lot of parchment, cracked my knuckles, readied disappearing ink, and proceeded to write a letter. I wrote a special letter to each photographer I listed, attempting to alter my penmanship for the sake of suspicion. One, two, three hours rolled by, I spent making sure my penmanship was unique and the writing of each letter up to my standard. Stashing them in envelopes, I did every time I finished a letter.

When all was said and done, I had eighty-six letters prepped for delivery. I had read a book describing a seal that would delay the effects of disappearing ink. To think, I went through such an effort just to get confirmation of a name. Each letter I wrote, asked if the photographer ever met with Rarity. Some were written as a fan, some were written as a business proposition, and some were written just as Rarity’s generous assistant. This was an extremely risky gamble early on, and it shouldn’t have worked. On top of that, I had to send three letters a day in separate mailboxes to avoid suspicion, and I only ever had ten out at a time, waiting for a response.

Days rolled by, helping Twilight with her research, discovering what Pinkie will do for friendship, stopping a Changeling invasion, the usual sort of stuff. Each day, whenever I had the chance, I delivered at least one letter. Needless to say, I’ve never been so thankful for my flame breath in all my life. I got some replies, thanking me for my feedback, and some replies thanking me for my offers with rejections. When all was said and done, I narrowed my search down to three photographers out of the eighty-six; two freelance photographers, and one full-time photographer.

“Final Flash, Golden Shutter, and Snap-trap. Odd lineup, but I can’t be too picky,” I said upon receiving replies.

All replies that didn’t suffice I burned and buried. I kept the three good replies for the sake of reference, and stashed the letters in the cover of the killer notebook. The names definitely sounded familiar, as expected from a company, but I had didn’t know the faces, and I was unsure which one Rarity had had dinner with. I couldn’t ask her directly nor try to get it out of Sweetie Belle. I don’t want too much attention to myself. I mean, I could barely keep myself quiet, Celestia forbid I waltz up to somepony and ask them the name of the pony I’m about to murder.

Murder... whenever I think about that word, I always ask myself if I could really live with myself... the answer is always no, but I could certainly accept my role as a monster. I’m okay with that. I’ll already grow up into a monster, and even if Rarity never falls in love with me... that’s okay. I don’t think I could keep my heinous acts secret. So I’ll continue, growing up to be the monster I am. I’ll be fine. I won’t be completely satisfied with myself, but I’ll be fine.

Twilight said she’ll be there for me, protecting me at any cost... just like I would for Rarity. She’ll understand what I’m doing... right?

Redacted

Days later, I sent a reply to the three photographers, requesting them to come check out Rarity's newest lineup. They've all met her, so they all accepted, not specifying the exact date but a general idea. Final Flash responded, stating how popular she was with the Canterlot Elite being his reason for accepting. He would be here in four weeks. Golden Shutter accepted due to Rarity's behaviour being more tolerable than the average Canterlot fashionista, which means he was a likeable guy... I hope he's not the one. He stated he'd arrive in a month's time. Good for the schedule. Snap-trap said he wasn't sure when he'd arrive, but he would love to see Rarity... I'll bet.

I’m still surprised by my ability to write without succumbing to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, and even more surprised by how much scrolls Twilight manages to waste. Even after her ordeal regarding Future Twilight, she still managed to burn through paper almost as fast as Rainbow can fly. Nonetheless, I happily accepted the lessened workload ever since that day.

I guess I could blame the most recent scroll-shortage on myself, because at the moment, Twilight decided it would be a grand idea to investigate the scroll shortage. I decided to stay quiet while she relentlessly checked her records and order forms. It hadn’t occurred to me that Twilight would check on the mysteriously vanished parchment, so I had a last-minute plan.

Twilight was sifting through the various compartments and shelves in her laboratory basement while I sat on a chair, waiting on Twilight’s request. I nervously looked around, unsure if my behaviour was actual nervousness or genius acting. Either way, I held back on telling Twilight my lie, to make myself seem more guilty, innocent, and scared of an eventual lecture.

“Spike, are you sure I stored my parchment in the paper rack? If so, we must have had thieves steal my parchment.” Twilight stood up straight when she said that, her expression hidden from my own gaze. “Argh! Do I seriously have to put magically generated recognition spells on the door to my basement?”

“Yeah, you did,” I responded, chuckling nervously.

Turning to me, she pursed her lips in disbelief, crinkling her snout. “Are you. One-hundred percent sure. I put them. In the paper rack?” she asked, stepping forward with each short sentence.

Gulping, I avoided eye contact, feeling sweat dripping down my face. Grand acting, or actual fear, I wasn’t quite sure, but it was time to try my lie.

“Well, you did, but maybe-and follow me here-maybe I made a bunch of paper aeroplanes and used up a lot of paper?” I chuckled, staring back at her with a sheepish grin.

She did a double take, her mouth opening and eyes wide open. She stammered out a few words, looked around the library, then back at me before gritting her teeth. She clenched her eyes shut and seemed to growl before sighing.

“So, you wasted over one-hundred scrolls, on a paper craft?” she asked quietly, eyes closed but no longer clenched.

I nodded my head slowly, looking away from her once again. “Yeah. I burned my failures. I didn’t want you to be mad at me,” I responded while putting forward my best sad voice.

I heard a ‘tsk tsk’ from Twilight before feeling a hoof flicking my forehead. I looked back to her to see a saddened smile.

“Spike, if you wanted to make crafts that badly, you could have asked, and I would have bought you crafting paper,” she replied, setting her hoof back on the ground.

I studied her facial expression for any signs of a fake-out, something that indicated she was still peeved at me. Nothing. I felt my lip tremble for a second before saying something.

“R-really?”

She nodded, smiling at me. “I’m a little mad you used, then burned up perfectly fine paper, but getting mad won’t do anypony any good, will it?”

Very few things could make me cry, such as the sight of a Fire Ruby cupcake, thinking my surrogate mother didn’t love me, or my life torn apart by a murderous notebook. This scene was then added to that list. I felt my eyes watering up, feeling absolute shame. The murders, making Rarity cry with Blackhoof’s murder, making Celestia and the entirety of Equestria mourn the loss of their prince, and now, knowing Twilight forgave me for such a stupid lie, and the fact it was a lie to begin with. I looked away from Twilight.

I was right. She does understand. She would protect me through anything, and everything... It should have been clear when she rescued me from a big, green dragon with help from her number two assistant, but I guess all the pressure and guilt I felt decided to justify its placement in my mind in reaction to this act of undeserved kindness.

I choked out a sob. “I’m so sorry! I’ll ask next time! I’m sorry!” I exclaimed, clenching my eyelids shut.

It didn’t lessen the pain, but it made it easier to confess. It was an indirect apology of a murderous dragon, but at least I did it. I felt Twilight’s hooves wrap around me, and I returned the hug. To her, I felt really bad about ruining parchment, but to me, I found the utmost comfort using this to let out my pain of recent, so I did. I let out all of my guilt to the mother who would protect me, no matter the cost. This was the only truth I could face, the one thing that cheered me up since I murdered Blackhoof.

“It’s alright, Spike. It’s only parchment. We can get more, and when I do, I’ll get you some materials,” she whispered to me, shushing me at the same time.

Dammit, I did not deserve her love and protection, but it’s what I needed, and probably what kept me from breaking down and confessing my sins. My resolve to protect Rarity was in the back of my mind, replaced by the guilt.

Our embrace, lasting for ten minutes, consisted of Twilight caressing the back of my head, telling me it was alright while I let out sobs and wails. I eventually leaned back in the chair, releasing my hug. She did the same, quickly brushing off her tear-soaked shoulder. I wiped my eyes, and hoped to Tartarus that Twilight didn't ask me why I had such a hard breakdown.

“Spike, next time, please don't lie. I may get mad at you for something, and I may yell at you, but I don't want you to be scared of me. If you think that, tell me,” she said.

I nodded, blinking as I rubbed my eyes. Looking up, Twilight was reorganizing her basement laboratory. I slumped off the chair, wondering if I'll ever get the courage to tell Twilight what I did. I will, of course, but until then, I'll happily accept being seen as a baby dragon vulnerable to the world’s hardship.

“Twilight, would you like some help?” I offered.

She shook her head. “It's alright, Spike. Why don't you go take a break? You can have a few of your snack gems if you want,” she responded, levitating stacks of used paper into storage.

I felt a pang of excitement flow over my mind, considering I haven't had gems in a few days. I almost ran upstairs immediately to grab the treat, but I stopped. Twilight was radiating motherly affection right now, and I wasn't about to let it go unpaid. There was so much I let Twilight do on her own.

“I can have my treats after I've helped you. I need to earn my treats,” I responded, wiping my eyes once more.

“But Spi-”

“No buts. Those who want to eat want to work as well. I'll earn my treats first,” I said while lifting a stack of records.

Sighing, Twilight picked up another stack of paper. “Alright, Spike. Could you set those records over by the Neuro-feedback machine?”

Raising an eyebrow, I opened my mouth to ask before being cut off immediately.

“The machine I modified to decipher Pinkie Sense, Spike.”

I nodded, setting the records down in front of the strange contraption. I stared at it for a few seconds, pondering what Twilight had said.

Modified... for Pinkie Sense. So, what was its original purpose?

I shrugged and began lifting more papers, Twilight directing me and the other stacks she moved. We made idle chatter while we reorganized her lab, which had played victim to a total dissection. It was my fault, but this entire experience made me a better dragon in the end. I never did abuse Twilight's love for me. I always repaid her in some way, and even to this day, found myself doing small favours for her without request. I tidied up the library whenever I thought it was dusty, I made her a snack every time she came home from whatever. She was my mother, and I decided to prove myself as a good son. Regardless of my lesson from the ordeal, Twilight still managed to remind me that I had a mission.

“I learned something interesting about Rarity's new boyfriend recently,” she said, locking a cabinet.

I perked up instantly, from sadness, and urgency. “Boyfriend?”

“Yes, her boyfriend of three weeks now.”

It has to be that photographer, nopony else could have, or... maybe?

“You don't say,” I responded, dusting a chair mindlessly.

“Yes. He's a full-time photographer for a Las Pegasus magazine called 'The Archive,’” she said while sweeping.

Full-time photographer? Snap-trap. Gotcha, you son of a bitch. Now, for your face, I thought, hiding my smirk.

“A photographer for The Archive? That's great news! Rarity could get a lot of buzz from this,” I responded.

“She is. He's going to appear in Ponyville next week to take some photos of Rarity's new lineup,” Twilight said while setting the broom in a cupboard.

Nodding, I tossed the duster into a nearby box. I looked around, admiring the cleanup we did. The basement lab seemed to benefit from my charade, since it was now completely cleaned, and in the reorganization, we disposed of a lot of outdated, unusable things. It looked brand new.

“It looks nice. Great job, number one assistant!” she exclaimed, looking over our work.

I smirked, puffing my chest out. “Only because you told me where to put everything. I mean, how do you remember where everything goes?” I asked, walking towards the stairs.

“Well, it comes with the brains.” She looked back at the lab, shutting off the light with her magic. “And I guess from the experience, too.”

We walked upstairs, both heading towards the kitchen. Twilight levitated a bowl of gems over to the table, and I hopped up immediately. She brought out several items for making a sandwich and sat down.

“Thanks, mother,” I blurted out before stashing a handful of gems in my mouth.

Twilight paused and looked at me just as I realized what I said. I stopped chewing on the treats and looked over at Twilight. She slowly smiled, chuckling while resuming the creation of her food.

“You're welcome, Spike. I love you,” she responded.

I almost choked on the gem, feeling pressure on my chest. I felt tears bugging my eyes before rubbing them with a free claw. It was there again; the guilt versus the love. Twilight loved me, and she was the only thing keeping my guilt at bay.

“I love you too,” I responded, hearing my voice crack.

It was as if those words cast a protection spell on my subconscious. I no longer felt guilty. Saddened, maybe, but not guilt. I had murdered two ponies. That will never change, and I would murder many more if that is what it takes to keep Rarity safe... and my next kill, was Snap-trap. I just hoped that this next pony wouldn't drive me over the edge. It's hard enough watching Rarity break down each time I slaughter a lover, but it's all worth it in the end.

The week went by faster than I could process it. It was just as boring as the previous ones, and like I said, I treated Twilight differently. I cleaned up whenever, made her a snack, anything to keep her happy and knowing I loved her. Anything to hear those words again. 'I love you.' It worked each time I was sad, and made a bright and sunny day radiating with joy. I felt ready to do my dirty work, knowing that Twilight would still love me as a son. But as the saying goes, 'easier said than done.'

The day he was supposed to arrive, I stood with the rest of the girls; Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity herself, and Twilight. A carriage pulled up near the Carousal Boutique, boasting a rather flashy design expected of Las Pegasus. It was pulled by two stallions dressed in a disgusting uniform of green and red. The door opened up, and out stepped the photographer behind it all.

A silver-coated pegasus stepped out clad in a black jacket, saddlebags on his back with a picture of a camera on it. His flank showed his cutie mark depicting a a silhouetted pony almost cowering in fear from a flash. His mane had a slick look to it, brushed in such a way that made him look almost like a prissy Canterlot snob. His smile looked forced to the point where it looked almost like it belonged on a doll. Nothing about this guy struck me as trustworthy or redeemable. The cutie mark and name indicated exactly that; a paparazzi... and the typical reputation of Ponyville is that none of us are sophisticated. This was a chance to see Rarity's shaky friends, photograph us, and make an article about her... a true paparazzi scum.

I had his stupid face, I had his stupid name, and I had his stupid fate planned out. I knew what I was going to do, but I had yet to decide when. Two reasons: I wondered if killing him right there was the best choice, or if it was easier to kill him later in secret. Reason two, was because what I said about it being easier said than done was hitting me hard. I felt myself shaking, anticipating the moment of truth.

I hid the notebook in plain sight, having stashed it into a book jacket to hide the cover, and wore my cap from the Mare Do Well incident. I looked exactly like a reporter, nothing suspicious about me scribbling things down. I just had to make sure nopony saw what I wrote. That, combined with my shaking kneecaps made me realize how stupid it was to bring the notebook with me.

It was the time I dreaded. Blueblood was accidental, Blackhoof was a test, this was an intentional murder. There would be no guilt about manslaughter. It was full-blown, murderer’s guilt this time, and if I couldn't ride it out, that was it.

I was oblivious to the world around me. Snap-trap introduced himself, met the others, and was already ushering us into Rarity's boutique. I slumped after them, clamping the book shut with the pen inside. Entering the boutique, I actually processed his voice.

“I still can't get over your cultural tastes, Rarity. It's so classical. It's nice, but out-of-date with The Archive. We'll have to photograph elsewhere, dear,” he said in a prissy accent that made me cringe with every word.

Rarity seemed to cringe as well, but didn't retort. “Alright, wherever you see fit. My lineup truly doesn't match the classical theme of my shop,” she chortled awkwardly.

The others frowned on the scene, obviously sharing my disagreement with the entire scenario. Sighing, I tucked the notebook under my arm, and decided to wait. Killing, no matter how much I wanted to shut him up, was out of the question for the moment.

The rest of the day, my friends were the models behind each dress on Rarity's request while Snap-trap kept a light-crew on their toes at all times. Rarity and the others were caught up listening to directions for each photo, but I saw it all. The snobby attitude, the grin he hid at all times, and his sloppy manners. He was dressed up like a Canterlot pony, but had worse manners than, no offence, the Apple Family. How did Rarity hook up with this... thing? It must have been for his role in The Archive.

Every so often, he'd take a photo regardless of somepony being in front of the camera or not. It seemed, to me at least, that he was taking photos of the way my friends acted off-camera, and if that's the case, suspicion confirmed, target acquired. The day itself was long and hard for me, but I stayed by. I thought that growing to hate this guy more would help with the eventual murder.

When all was said and done, he and Rarity went into the boutique to 'discuss things,' but his tone disregarded the notion of physical activity or anything pleasant... I knew it was going to be bad, but I shut it out to not seem like a snooping creep in front of the others. We sat outside, the girls putting their dresses away, the light-crew packing up their lights, and me, the second bastard of the pack. I didn't partake in any discussion, opting to remind myself of what I'm about to do.

Murder.

No matter how many times I say the word, it never gets easier. The weight of the word seems to increase whenever I do, and it reminded me how precious life is. Twilight fought valiantly to protect her friends in the past, and her brother. So did the others. They fought to protect each other, and did regardless of what got in the way. Old, rude griffon friend? Send her along her way. Omnipotent prankster? Stash him in stone. Giant, rampaging me? Eenope! They jumped into action to protect them. So why was it so hard for me to do the same?

Maybe it was because they never intended to kill them, or maybe the threat was one that they didn't care if they did? No, that's stupid. They recognize the value of life, and that's why they protect them. They would never take it. Is it right of me to do this, even if it's to protect one pony? Who died and made me king, the one with the last say?

“GET OUT YOU LYING, MISERABLE EXCUSE FOR A BOYFRIEND!”

Whoever it was, he wanted me to work immediately. We all turned our heads towards the boutique to see Snap-trap exiting the boutique in a huff, Rarity chasing him out of her boutique. She had tears streaming down her eyes, an angry stare, and stomped her hoof.

I was stupid. Rarity was hurt because I didn't do my job. He did something, and she got hurt. At the time, I felt myself too overwhelmed by sadness to remember the killing, to notice Snap-trap leaving in his carriage, to notice my friends following me as I ran over to Rarity.

“Rarity! Are you alright? What happened?” I asked, fighting back the regret I felt.

She sniffled, rubbing her eyes. Her mascara was running, but she didn't seem to care. She huffed, and backed into her shop, choking on her own words. I ran over to a table and snatched a tissue from a box before pausing, and just grabbed the whole box. I ran back over to Rarity and held them forward, which she took with magic and began wiping her eyes and nose. The others waited for her response, as did I.

“That jerk! He, he came in and told me that... he told me that I don't have the proper stuff for The Archive, and that he was cheating on me! He was cheating, on me! For some office bimbo, that's his boss!” she cried out, sobbing in the process.

I didn't know what to do, so I stepped forward to put an arm over her shoulder, but stopped.

This isn't the time for that, Spike. Cheer her up, I chastised myself.

Rarity didn't seem to care, and she wrapped her forelegs around me and pulled me in.

“Oh Spikey-wikey! I can't believe a pony like him could even exist! That... that uncouth, cheating, lying,” she said, stopping on each word. “That BASTARD!”

My pain was completely washed away after that line. I didn't feel regret, or guilt. I wasn't scared, or ashamed. I was angry. Each minute passed, and my rage grew like a growing flame... or maybe that was the tingling in my gut due to the notebook. Either way, Rarity sobbed and drowned her sorrows with us for the next few hours. We sat on her upper floor, drinking whatever the sweet liquid was, eating small snacks, pretty much having a cheer-up party, courtesy of Pinkie Pie. I took my time thinking, and grit my teeth whenever coming to the horrible scene from earlier.

Rarity's tear-soaked face with running makeup. The look of absolute depression. The look of failure. That pissed me off. I screwed up, and Rarity was suffering. I stood up and wiped off a few crumbs before turning towards the door.

“Spike, where are you going?” Twilight asked.

Looking back, I saw the whole group staring at me, plus one Sweetie Belle. I had to think of something quickly.

“Ah, I'm going back to the library for a second. Forgot something there, mom,” I responded, stepping through the door.

As I closed the door, I heard a small commotion inside Rarity's bedroom.

“Mom?”

“What did 'e say?”

“Have you adopted the dear?”

I smiled, feeling genuinely happy about that. I remembered something from long ago.

“Spike, wake up wake up it's Winter Wrap Up Day!”

“Mommy...?”

“Winter Wrap Up!”

“... you're not mommy.”

I frowned, chuckling at the memory. You're the greatest 'mommy' ever, Twi. I'm so glad you're in my life. I smiled, stepping out of the boutique. As soon as I did, I stopped basking in the light of the street lamp. I looked up at it, spotting a flew flies mindlessly buzz around. I ran all the way back to the library, non-stop through the darkened streets. I burst through the front door and stood in the dimly lit library's first floor. Now, lets see how well your protection works.

I sat back down in the chair where I wrote my first name. I spat out the notebook, and stared at the cover again.

DEATH NOTE.

I shivered once more... but it was noticeably less than last time. It's not just a notebook. It's the Death Note. It kills others as if it were a simple thing. The pony whose name is written in this notebook shall die. You have forty seconds to specify a death or the pony will simply die of a heart attack. If the death is specified, you have six minutes and forty seconds to write the details. I killed Blueblood by specifying 'accident.' I detailed it by having him slip in the shower. I killed Blackhoof with the standard death.

Now it's time for an accident.

I opened the notebook, and looked at the page with Blueblood and Blackhoof's name. Blackhoof's facial expression as he died... it was horrible. No heart attacks. Something simple. Rarity was right... nopony deserved to die, nopony normal at least... but not even scum deserves a painful death. I grabbed the pen from the notebook and placed it in my claw, preparing to write below the other names. I felt my arms trembling, my knees following suit. My entire body was shaking in fear. It always does, never changing. I felt tears stinging my eyes while remembering the look of horror on Blackhoof's face. The realization and value of life the others cared for. The dreaded path I was taking by my own volition. I took a deep breath, sighing heavily.

“Forgive me, Twilight, for I am about to sin.”

I set pen to paper. I put his face into my mind, and started with the first hurdle, the thing that would seal his fate: the name.

SNAP-SHOT

Sighing, feeling a weight lifted as I crossed the point of no return, I focused on the name before remembering my timer. Next up: the death.

ACCIDENT

My whole body tensed up while I condemned a pony to death. I felt myself wanting to turn back, hoping there was a way to stop this. Destroying it? No, it can kill like that, there is no way. I don't want to do this, but he hurt Rarity. It's to protect her, and to serve justice because he broke no law.

“I will be here with you, no matter what.” Owlowiscious and Twilight rescued me from the cave. “When you’re sick in bed, I’ll be making you soup.” Twilight saved me when I fell into Froggy Bottom Bog. “When you’re carrying your bride onto your chariot, I’ll be there to congratulate you.” She worked hard to save me when I was being greedy and destroying her home. “Even if Equestria hates you as an adult-” Several tears dripped down my face as I remembered how she saved me from the dragons. “I will be there to protect you... at any cost.”

“On his way back to Las Pegasus, Snap-shot winds up stopping for a break before being hit by a falling rock near the mountains. He falls off a cliff and his body is never found, leaving his fate unknown to Equestria,” I read while writing.

I closed the pen, and clamped it in the Death Note's pages before running upstairs and tossing the book under my mattress. I exhaled, feeling the guilt temporarily wash over before I remembered Twilight's words.

“I am so sorry, but somepony has to do this,” I said, looking out towards the moon.

I ran back to the Carousal Boutique to check on Rarity.

The next morning, I woke up in my bed, said good morning to Twilight, and ran downstairs. I did the usual, preparing her a delicious breakfast, as well as myself, and as I walked to the front door, I opened it just as Derpy delivered our newspaper. I waved, picked up the Equestria Daily, and unrolled it, locking my eyes on the front page.

“PHOTOGRAPHER FOR LAS PEGASUS MAGAZINE 'THE ARCHIVE' GOES MISSING.”

I almost smiled sadly at it, almost burst into tears from the guilt as well before I closed the door, and sighed. I stood on the front mat, pondering before tossing the newspaper on a nearby table. Justice has been served. Do your worst, Death Note. I'm Rarity's protector, and Twilight is mine. I will protect her at any cost!

That moment, my height grew an extra centimetre, and my spines sharpened. I was preparing for the ensuing pain, without even knowing it.

Reaction

Reactions to the disappearance of Snap-trap had been mixed. Some ponies at The Archive were saddened, while others that worked for him were unsure. Rarity... I couldn't decipher her reaction. She never brought him up again, and that was fine by me.

What did bring out a reaction was when his carriage was searched for clues, and his drivers were investigated. He had inappropriate photos of us with numerous captions such as, “IMMATURE CHILDREN,” “UNFIT TO MODEL DUE TO BUTCH ATTITUDE,” and so on. I felt glad that I hadn't killed an asshat boyfriend, but an actually disgusting creature. It still never made the weight of the word 'murder' any lighter.

Needless to say, Rarity had organized a spa visit for all of us to remove our troubles, while Rainbow was content with sitting on a nearby chair. I have to say, she misses out on a lot when ignoring the spa treatments. Even this helped me unwind from the troubles.

“Mister Spike, you are very tense, and it appears you've grown, if memory serves me correctly,” Aloe said during a massage.

I opened my eyes in surprise, and the others piped up immediately.

“Grown? What do you mean?” Rarity asked mid-hooficure.

“It seems mister Spike has grown an inch since his last visit,” Aloe replied as she started pressing into my shoulder blades.

“Huh, you don't say. I feel like an old man already,” I lazily responded, closing my eyes.

“You've certainly matured in the past few weeks, Spike,” Twilight commented, lying back in her chaise longue.

“Thanks, mom.” I exhaled comfortably, feeling my arms go numb.

Thankfully, the others didn't question my growth as a negative thing. It seemed I truly did grow that day. This spa visit was rather boring, until this next tidbit happened:

“So, I have received a post-card from another photographer from The Archive, stating he wanted to look at my new lineup,” Rarity said. Oddly enough, she didn't sound excited.

“Normally, Ah'd say that's great news, but after... well, y'know, Ah'm not so sure,” Applejack said in the middle of her own massage.

“I don't think she should care. All buzz is good buzz, and I'll model for you again if it helps your business,” Rainbow said, looking up from her magazine.

“I don't know, I'm not sure. Surely, it'll be a less than pleasant visit,” Rarity murmured.

“Nuh uh, you need this, girl! You've had the worst week anypony could ask for. You need something to put the fuzz back in your buzz!” Pinkie exclaimed.

“And if you get some praise, it could help you forget what happened,” Fluttershy said, lying back into the chaise longue.

Rarity didn't reply, and laid her head down on the massage table. Opening my eyes, I could see her exhausted expression, taking in all the information.

“Rarity, take every opportunity you can get. In a business as widespread as fashion, something like this could be the difference from local clothes store to international fashion empire. A lot of ponies would give up everything to be even in the presence of company photographers, and here is one, letting you know that he's coming here to see you!” Twilight exclaimed just as Lotus started to file her horn.

Rarity once sighed, opening her eyes. She looked around the room at her friends who all smiled in support. Rarity finally smiled, and then, I did too. Seeing her gentle smile was one of the greatest things I could ask for as a dragon. It was the one goal I had in mind, but as most ponies have realized by now, you can't go through life without some pain. I just regret being the one to inflict it, even if it was indirect.

“Alright, I will welcome this photographer. Thank you, girls,” Rarity responded, allowing herself to relax.

This next photographer was different than the last one, and by that, I mean he wasn't a slimy bastard that deserved to die. Upon meeting him, he immediately gave off an aura similar to Fluttershy; nice, reserved, shy, and an absolutely great guy. When he stopped in front of the Carousal Boutique, he didn't sport a fancy carriage, or his own cronies. He walked up, stood on her doormat, and gave the quietest knocks possible, and there was no answer. He waited a minute, and knocked louder. Nearby, I hid in a bush to see how the introduction worked out. Poor guy actually stood there and didn't leave or knock louder. It was only when Rarity opened the door to leave that he was found out.

“Oh, greetings, miss Rarity. Hello, I'm, uh, Golden Shutter, and I work for The Archive,” he said, lifting a tender hoof to shake.

“Greetings. How are you?” she asked, shaking his hoof delicately.

He retracted his hoof, avoiding eye contact with Rarity while struggling to speak. Eventually, he spat out his apologies towards Rarity for Snap-trap, to which both Rarity and I nodded. Eventually, they retreated into the Boutique, prompting me out of my hiding spot. I ran, keeping low in hopes my latent ninja skill would arise. Whether it did or not, I made it to the bush outside of the shop, and coincidentally, I saw the room where they conversed with an open window, allowing me to hear everything.

“I'm uneasy, I heard that the last photographer had photos that... well, it's made The Archive look bad, and by extension, me as well. I'm scared that I'll be ruining your reputation,” I heard Golden Shutter say.

“Don't worry dear, you need something good to lighten up your dreadful week, as do I. If this works out, both of us will benefit,” Rarity replied.

I leaned against a tree next to the bush, and listened to the conversation. That moment was the moment in my life where I most felt like a stalker... but I had to make sure this guy wasn't trying to move in. He certainly wouldn't be an easy guy to kill if it came down to it... he was a nice guy.

It was like a reluctant hunter; like a wild animal, I stalked my prey, but the added conscious reminded me that I was killing a living being. Even if I, as a dragon, required meat, I don't think I would enjoy killing a wild creature for food. I'd rather die, so why am I killing more sentient creatures? To protect somepony I love? That's selfish. I'm a selfish bastard. A murderous bastard with a noble goal, which is selfish. So, this selfish bastard continued listening to the conversation. Golden Shutter never seemed to make a move, or hint at a potential interest in Rarity. He seemed to be very business oriented, and that was fine by me.

The gist of the event merely set up a time to model for photographs, and nothing more. He never once hinted at an interest in Rarity, but he did mention the one who sent a letter, recommending a visit to Rarity a 'Spock the Draconis.'

I decided that I was terrible at code names from there on, and stuck with a different one... but I'll get to that later. For now, I listened to the conversation. There was a silence after the explanation, and Rarity started laughing. It made me smile, mostly because she was laughing, but also because it was funny how she tried to keep her sophisticated attitude in her nonstop laughter.

“Oh, that was my lovely little Spikey-wikey. He helps me with my work now and then, a true gentledrake.”

I smirked, nodding in approval.

“I'll have to remember to thank him later for this opportunity. Now, speaking of this opportunity...”

Days later, and still nothing wrong with Golden Shutter. He still stayed his usual self and never showed any interest in Rarity... but that could have been due to his shy nature. It gave off an odd vibe, one that kept me watching him in a stalking manner. I followed them around, discretely of course, and watched them whenever I had free time. They walked Ponyville, looking at locations to photograph, and Golden Shutter kept looking around awkwardly. He never made eye contact with Rarity, and was frequently praised by the mare for having an excellent eye for scenery.

Rarity was giving him too much praise. She gave them out more frequently than she did to myself, but granted, he was able to boost her career, and she had to get on his good side. I kept watching as the stallion nodded, looking away from Rarity each time. He sheepishly grinned, kicking the ground at each comment... and that was a bad sign. She was getting to him, but... he wasn't just your typical scum. He had an innocence similar to Fluttershy, and to kill that off just like that... it's scary.

Today, I decided to make a difference. After he and Rarity had finished scouting for locations that day, I caught him as he left the Carousel Boutique. The skies above rumbled from the clouds due to the forecast calling for rain. Hidden in my scales was a piece of the Death Note, since I needed paper to record details down, since I didn't want to steal from Twilight's stash again... or use up my own craft supplies. Even if it happened from a lie, I took a liking to crafts.

Anyways, I ran up behind the stallion, and finally saw him up close, well enough to take in his full appearance. A teal pegasus with a humble saddlebags atop his back, not too fancy. His mane was styled in a way that allowed him to retreat behind his bangs similar to Fluttershy, and it was short... almost like Big Macintosh. His Cutie Mark was a camera with a golden lens on it.

As I approached him, he noticed me and seemed to cower, instantly avoiding eye contact. I stopped a few feet in front of him, waiting for a response, but nothing came. I scratched the back of my head, let out an 'uh,' and shrugged.

“Hi! What's your name?” I asked, extending a claw.

He seemed to lighten up a bit, looking in my general direction. He still never made eye contact. He smiled and extended a hoof, and we quickly shook.

“Golden Shutter. I work for, um, The Archive,” he responded, looking off to the side.

I let go, doing a quick stretch. “The Archive? Didn't Snap-trap work there?”

“Yeah,” he said, trailing off.

“Ah, don't worry. He was just one pony. Anyways, I've seen you working with Rarity, or such the past week?” I asked, trying to sound oblivious.

He nodded, and kicked the ground lightly, clearing his throat.

“And... uh, you work for Rarity, yes? Spock, or Spikey?”

I chuckled, shaking my head. “Yeah, I am her Spikey, but my name is Spike. Spike the Dragon.” I smirked, pounding my chest. “Always reliable assistant numero uno!”

“So I've heard, Rarity goes on and on about you.” He looked around. “It's almost dinner time, let's walk. I can... um, we can eat dinner. I'd like to know more about Rarity. I've met her once, at the Grand Galloping Gala a year or two ago.”

I stopped my giddy attitude, pausing as I took that in. Yeah, I'll bet you'd like to know more, I thought.

“Alright. Ask away, Mr. Shutter,” I said, walking down the street.

“Please, call me Golden.”

A typical restaurant with the typical service. Sat down, got menu, made order, received order, and ate. Sometimes, it was the perfect lunch date. Sometimes, it was a perfect spot to hold a meeting. I found I to be the perfect place to think about murder.

No, seriously. I sat on my side of the table, eating my hay fries, and tuned out most of what Golden Shutter said... and pondered writing his name down. Was it ethical? Certainly not. It was murder... but I've done it before. I killed Blueblood, even if it was an accident, and I killed Blackhoof as well as Snap-trap. They were all scum, all who were, or have hurt Rarity.

This guy? He never gave me that vibe. He honestly seemed trustworthy. He seemed like a guy I could pair with Rarity, but that's the thing... there is too many uncertainties with the scenario. What is this guy like when he has confidence? What is he like when faced with the gang? Would he screw the relationship up with his shyness? I wanted to know this guy better than I knew Owlowisius.

“Excuse me, Mr. Spike?”

I shook my head, snapping out of my daydream. “Sorry, what was the question?” I asked, stashing a handful of hayfries into my mouth.

“I wanted to know when Rarity employed you, or are you not allowed to say?” he asked, sipping out of his glass of water.

I shook my head. “I'm not employed by her, I work free of charge.” Her smile... the mare behind that smile, everything about her, just knowing her is payment enough for me. I stopped chewing, a goofy smile breaking out on my face.

“Oh? Is there a reason? Like, um-” He once again looked away from me. I looked over to him and raised an eyebrow, just as he looked at me too. He lowered his face, hiding it behind his mane. “Are... are you two, 'together?'”

I did a double take, swallowing my fries suddenly. I felt my face growing hot from the question, and quickly took a sip of my water before chuckling awkwardly. I looked up to Golden Shutter, who still refused to look at me.

“Oh, no, nothing like that. She doesn't see me that way,” I responded.

Noticeably even to myself, my voice took a solemn tone. No matter how many times I reminded myself, it hurt. I hurt. I hurt every time I remember it, and it never gets easier. Her smile was worth everything. It was one of the most valuable things in my life... but I don't deserve her. I'm sure she notices my stares. When I stare at her, she sees the fire in my eyes... the need to just make her happy. Why I sacrifice my time for her. She doesn't see the fire source. These aren't eyes of love. These aren't eyes of the gentledrake she mentioned earlier.

These are the eyes of a murderer. And I will never change these eyes for anything. I took this path, knowing fully well it would change my stare. So, now that I have the eyes of a murderer, why is it so hard to just off this potential threat to Rarity? I can't stare at her without being reminded of why I stare at her awaiting her smile, and why I don't act on those feelings. I wanted her to know, and to reciprocate my feelings, but she can't, and she never will. If I keep up this gentledrake attitude of mine, she could reciprocate my feelings... completely oblivious to the danger.

I could hurt her... and when that happens? My own name in the Death Note... but Rarity would move on. Would he hurt her? Who would protect her when I'm gone? Rarity is delicate. She's lovely, beautiful, and generous. She has a heart of gold, and a heart that once belonged to me. I gave it to her long ago, merely a week before my last birthday... the kindest, sweetest, and most generous act she's ever experienced. I literally gave her my heart, and she still frolics around with these dangerous creatures... stallions, that is.

She treats them like toys; always playing with them, hogging them from the other children, and when she breaks them and don't work, disposal. Like every good thing about somepony, there is always something bad. Rarity may be generosity, but she has her moments of greed. It's almost as if she sets herself up to be hurt... so should I protect Rarity, by killing her...?

NO! How could I have thought that?! My mind wasn't listening. It wanted to protect her, so why drop the fact that she could hurt herself from the list? Easy... she doesn't deserve to die. I would give up my own thousand years of life if it meant she could like an extra minute. She deserved it... she's like a perfect gem. One to be adored by everypony for centuries. The crown jewels of society. I loved her, that much I knew. I knew that when I read the murderin' job description.

Rarity needed protection. I don't care if she never returns my feelings. I don't need it. All I need to know, is that Rarity is safe. If I have to kill every stallion she meets, fine. So why is it hard to accept that I may have to kill this stallion? Is it because he's not scum? Either way...

“No, I just offer my assistance to her because it benefits the both of us. Seeing her happy is incredible. Seeing the smiling face of any one of my friends is incredible, and worth all the effort,” I said, shoving another handful of fries into my mouth.

“Ah. I was wondering if she was single.”

And that was when my fears began to escalate once more. All of my previous thoughts seemed to vanish, and I stared directly at his face. I also forgot I had food, which I proceeded to choke on. Quickly hacking them up into a napkin, I looked at Golden Shutter, watching the blush redden in his cheeks.

“I'm sorry, that shouldn't be a normal question, but I figured a mare such as Rarity would warrant a stallion,” he followed up.

I shook my head, eyes widened. I no longer had my chilled expression on, replaced by my attempt to mentally pierce his mind. I tried to stare through his eyes to disband any deception, or signs of discourse from this kind stallion... and nothing. His face only revealed that he was shyly asking if Rarity was available. Of course, I couldn't make a fuss, Celestia forbid that I draw attention to myself.

I have to kill this kind, innocent and shy pony... but why? Was he a threat? Yes. All stallions were threats. There will come a time where he would wind up hurting her. Someway, somehow, he will. It's how the scum-infested world works. Celestia's utopia of Equestria was a life. It was full of scum... mares of all sorts hooking up with a piece of scum here and there, their lives being turned from the innocent lives of fun and colours to the dirty underbelly of nightclubs, adult hell-zones, basically anything beyond the norm. Rarity was sweet, and deserved to stay in the light. She deserved her friends, and a stallion would change that. Her time would be focused elsewhere, she'd devote herself to him... throw her heart at his mercy, and he could do what he wanted with it. He could crush her when he wanted, and leave her broken on the sidewalk.

Could this shy pegasus really be the scum I describe? It's impossible. Nothing about him was threatening. I could throw the Cake Twins at him, and he'd give up his lunch money to the twins... or so he acted. I almost reached forward to touch his foreleg, just to see if he was brittle like a snowflake. Like origami, would he fold under pressure? He wasn't entirely shy, or else he wouldn't have his job, but it still gave him a sweet innocence.

And as a murderous bastard, I would gladly do it. And as a murderous bastard making his resolve, I grew another inch.

I finished up my hayfries quickly, and he did the same for his food. Lucky too, because it just started drizzling. We quickly left the restaurant and took a stroll through town. Nowhere in particular, just a 'friendly walk,' so to speak.

“So, how did you first meet Rarity?” Golden asked me.

I scratched my head at the memory, grinning sheepishly. Regardless of the impending murder, I still smirked.

“Well, two years ago, my mother, Twilight Sparkle, was sent to Ponyville by Princess Celestia to check on the Summer Sun Celebration preparations. Rarity was the one in charge of the decor,” I responded, looking at the surrounding area for a suitable death choice.

“Your mother is Twilight Sparkle?”

I nodded my head, sighing happily at the day I dubbed her so.

“It's odd. Wonderful, but you're a dragon... and she's the Princess' protege! Lucky guy,” he chuckled, trailing off down another street.

I turned down the street as well, looking at the empty area.

“So yeah, that's how I met her. What about you,” I asked, looking at the various buildings.

This led to the train station, both of which were damaged by the last storm. Scaffolding and tools lay in front of each area, and several planks of wood lay loose on the buildings. This was the perfect place for an accident... but I don't want to. I need a death that works.

“Well, I did mention the Grand Galloping Gala...”

“Right, but how? Was it awkward?”

He was a nice guy. He didn't seem like he'd hurt Rarity, but many ponies can hide things. I can't take a chance. Looking over to a scaffolding, I felt as the rain intensified. I looked up, and sighed.

“Hey, why don't we stand under that scaffolding for now,” I said, pointing to said scaffolding. “You have camera equipment, right?”

He nodded. “Alright.”

We jogged over to the scaffolding and stood out of the rain. I shook my head off, sitting down on a nearby tool box. I squinted my right eye and reached a claw up, pulling a small scrap of paper from the scales. Awkwardly, I set it on my hand and unfolded the small scrap to a size I could write on. I had nothing decent to write with, so while he was looking around the street, I pierced a small hole on the bottom of my tail. My claw had blood on the tip, and I quickly began writing. First, I wrote 'Golden' before stopping. A train just pulled into Ponyville train station, causing Golden to look around the street.

Does the Death Note's power still work if I tear a sheet out? I mean, it kills somehow by writing a name down. Who's to say it doesn't work on a torn sheet? I thought, watching the streets and looking over to Golden Shutter. He still looked down the street, back and forth as if he were looking for somepony. If it does, lucky me... forgive me, Twilight, for I am about to sin.

GOLDEN SHUTTER

“So, what's it like, being raised by ponies if you don't mind me asking? I'd love to have an interview with you, actually,” he asked, looking back to me.

To him, I was scratching my hand.

ACCIDENT

“It's interesting. Different, and I've learned the value in life instead of being a greedy monster. I've met other dragons, but they're 'out of it,' so to speak,” I replied, scratching down the details.

'Hit by a falling plank of wood,' was all I wrote.

“Ah, interesting,” he responded.

I quickly blew a flame into my palm, burning the scrap of the notebook. I looked up to him, who watched in confusion.

“Helps with an itch,” I responded. He shrugged in response, and I looked at him. “So, what do you think of Rarity? She's a real looker, right?” I asked, masking my anger. The anger that he could hurt Rarity... and anger at myself.

“Yeah, she certainly is,” he responded, ducking his head.

I sighed, standing up while I did. I stepped away from the scaffolding, standing in the rain. I looked up at the sky, before looking back over to him. He had a smile on his face, looking in the direction of the train station.

“Think you have a chance with her?” I finally asked, having enough of the small hints.

He shook his head. “Nope. Besides, I have a girlfriend. She came to meet me in Ponyville. She's right there, walking from the train station.”

What? My eyes widened. I looked at him for a sign of a joke. He waved a hoof off into the distance, and I slowly turned my head to see another pegasus, hovering over to Golden Shutter. Her smile was huge, sheer delight on her face, same as Golden Shutter. Golden stepped out from under the scaffolding, and walked towards the mare.

What did I do!? No! This wasn't supposed to happen! I heard a snap, and looked above to the building. A plank cracked, and fell from on top of the roof, just as the Death Note's detail had. It confirmed that the paper works when ripped, and that was it. I looked back down to the oblivious pegasus as he stepped forward. The weight of everything hit me.

I doomed an innocent stallion!

Time seemed to slowdown that moment. I lunged my arm forward, starting a run towards him. The plank fell, the two pegasi walked towards each other, preparing to nuzzle one another. I was wrong. He wouldn't hurt Rarity. He had no chance. He was an innocent pony. He was a good pony.

“WAIT-”

I didn't process the next second. Next thing I realized, I was standing still, with my arm extended out. My eyes stared at the building in front of me, and Golden Shutter wasn't standing there. In the corner of my eye, I could see the mare screaming, backing away. The wall, and my arm had splotches of red on them... and not just there. I could feel it on my body, and on my face. I tilted my head down slightly, and stopped when I saw a wooden plank sticking up.

I didn't take that in, but what I did was the liquid on my arms. I could feel it dripping off my claws, and down my face. I turned my hand, staring at the red liquid on it. Blood. It was blood dripping down my arm. It was blood on my body. Blood of an innocent pony. His blood was literally on my hands... and my face, and my body, and my arms.

Murder.

I murdered somepony. The look on his face... was it the same as Blackhoof? Was he lying in pain? Was he unable to handle it? I murdered him. I murdered a pony. She was a pony. She? He! He was! It pony! He didn't want Rarity! He was taken! Was! Why was? I killed him! He's not an is, but now a was! I didn't mean to!

“No! He just! Wanted it and... I told him! I hadn't, I mean! No!” I shouted, looking at my bloodied body.

Help! Mommy! Help me! I didn't mean to! He's innocent!

“MOMMY!”

I fell to the ground, rain splashing on my head.

“MOMMY!”

I was levitated by magic.

“MOMMY!”

I heard a knocking on a door.

“MOMMY!”

And mommy picked me up. Finally taking in the scenery, I was looking up at my mother. Twilight. She cradled me in her forehooves, looking at me solemnly. I looked around, seeing the others were here; Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack... and Rarity. Twilight was holding me close, shushing me like a crying foal.

“Rarity, can you hold Spike for me?” Twilight asked, releasing her grip on me.

She nodded and moved over to me, and I instantly panicked. RARITY!? NO! I wrapped my own arms around Twilight's neck, almost digging my claws into her neck. She took in a sharp breath as I scratched her.

“MOMMY!” I shouted again, refusing to let go.

Twilight once again wrapped her forehooves around me, shushing me again.

“Never mind, can you go get me a towel and a wet cloth so I can wash him?” she said.

I felt tears on my face, and started choking on my sobs as I started to openly cry. Rarity walked out of my line of sight. Then it got the best of me. The guilt. It had been breaking when Twilight asked about her scrolls, but it was open now. It was flowing.

“I KILLED HIM!” I shouted into Twilight's chest, pressing my face against it. “I TOLD HIM TO GO THERE! I SAW THE PLANK BREAK! IT'S MY FAULT!”

“No, Spike. It's not your fault, it was an accident. You didn't kill him,” Twilight replied, tightening her brace.

“YES! I-I TOLD HIM! WE H-HAD TO... RAIN! IT RAINED! I TOLD HIM TO G-GO UNDER THE SCA-AFFOLDING!”

Twilight began stroking the back of my head. “Stop crying, it's alright. You didn't make the plank break. You didn't. It's not your fault, Spike. It was an accident.”

“I'M SORRY, MOMMY! I'M SO SORRY!” Yes, I was. I truly was. I am a murderer. I killed. Not just that, but because I lied to her before. Because I killed an innocent pony. I lied to Rarity. I took a good stallion away from a good mare. “I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!”

It happened so fast. I wrote a name down, wrote a death, and wrote details. I killed somepony. I ended a pony's life just like that. And for what? To protect Rarity? Protect her from what? Are stallions really that bad? No. I just killed somepony who was proof of that. I killed a good stallion. I killed him like I was writing off things from my shopping list.

A murder checklist. I wrote something off, and that was that. Like all murderous bastards, I found it easier as I went along, but one time, you do something you regret, and all hell breaks loose. Life isn't something I should kill that easily. Blueblood was an accident, while Blackhoof was... he deserved it. Right? Yeah. He was scum. So was Snap-trap. So why did Golden Shutter have to die?

I didn't know the value of life. I treated it like a paper bag; disposable. I screwed up a mare's life because of that. Is life really that valuable? Yes. I didn't treat it like so, and that was that. I killed a good stallion... and even scum has a life. Or else, why would they exist? They have a life, and maybe they throw it away. It's up to society to reinstall the value, so I don't have the right to do it.

No matter the reason, murder is always wrong. Even if I'm doing it to protect somepony I love with my heart, it's wrong. And after that, I never took it for granted again.

Repulsion

I refused to come out of the library for the next week of my own volition. Twilight attempted to get me out of the house, and even Rarity tried to regardless of her own sadness. She kept insisting on getting me to go play with the Cutie Mark Crusaders, or help Rarity, or anything that didn't involve working. One of the few times where she wanted me not doing my job, and I refused. As earlier, work took my mind off of the bad memories. I kept thinking about where books went, sorted, and the like. The perfect distraction. Being with Rarity would only remind me of the ponies I killed.

I would have gotten better faster if I didn't go to sleep every night atop of the dreaded notebook. I wanted to tell Twilight about the Death Note so badly and get it out of my life. I could have been disowned, or ratted out to the Princess, but I didn't care. I just wanted the ability to sleep another night without thinking about the murders. I never did tell her, obviously, so it took me longer to recover.

After that week of seclusion, I actually stepped foot outside of the library to try and cheer myself up. Almost right after I left, the Cutie Mark Crusaders practically kidnapped me and took me to Sugar Cube Corner.

“Hiya Spike! Are you finally ready to have a cheer up party? Should we invite the entire town of Ponyville?” Pinkie piped up, shoving a cupcake into my claws.

It was similar to the cupcake the Cakes gave me on my birthday. I ignored the looks the CMC and Pinkie gave me, looking at the sapphire-encrusted cupcake. I didn't know what to say, so I took a small bite of the cupcake, grinding the pastry and sapphires in my teeth. I looked down at the floor, but I felt the eyes watching me. Pinkie, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo... even Mr. & Mrs. Cake were watching to see if I had a positive reaction.

Looking up to Pinkie, I saw her hopeful smile dampen into a tepid grin. I realized my expression must have sapped the life out of her, and I did my best to smile.

“I guess, Pinkie,” I responded, swallowing what was in my mouth.

“YA~Y!” Pinkie exclaimed, hopping over the counter and bear hugging me.

The three fillies cheered quickly, and I found myself smirking along with them. I may be a guilty murderer, but that doesn't mean laughter still doesn't get to me.

I wandered through Ponyville after leaving Sugar Cube Corner, seeing the usual folk parading the town. Regardless of my mood, I kept a sheet of the Death Note hidden in my scales, just in case I had to 'take care of somepony.' And wouldn't you know it, just the opportunity popped up.

While passing by a park that day, I overheard some chatter about Rarity. Glancing in the direction, I spotted a group of stallions. None of them looked respectable. Rebellious manecuts, ghetto clothing and an irritable voice to match an irritable personality.

“Heh, Rarity is sad right now. She just needs somepony to cheer her up, and if nopony else will, why not this pony? Ha!” a stallion with a distinguishable sickly green mohawk said.

“Hey, back off. I called dibs,” another stallion with a humble, shaggy brown mane retorted.

“C'mon, the lady requires a stallion, not a colt,” the third one replied, sporting a typical bandana.

I rolled my eyes in disgust. They may not have a single chance, but they still plan on approaching Rarity... in THIS vulnerable state.

“Shut up, Madmax,” the mohawk said to the shaggy maned pony.

“I'm speaking the truth, Snap,” Madmax replied to the mohawk.

“And this is why you don't have any girls,” the bandana said over the quarrelling.

“Go away, Delt,” they shouted.

Thank Celestia they have pea pods for brains, I thought, pulling out my sheet of paper from my scales.

I poked a small hole in my underbelly once more, allowed some blood to flow onto the tip of my claw, and looked at the sheet of paper. Everything was set, yet I froze up when staring at the paper.

Murder. It wasn't right, but somepony had to do it. Forgive me, Twilight, for I am about to sin.

I quickly wrote their names down, specifying their deaths as SUICIDE. The details entailed the three going to a secluded location they know, and killing themselves in a way that they couldn't be found... easily. After the 40 seconds passed, they promptly left the park, presumably to die like idiots. I almost vomited as I committed the act, but I held on. I was calm, even. I didn't shake when writing, or even before writing. I froze up, but... I guess it shows how much easier this has become. Not to mention, killing those three bozos was a done-deal. Offing them wasn't just protecting Rarity, but the others as well.

I quickly burned the paper I wrote on, and refused to empty that cupcake into a nearby garbage bin. It was sickening that I was adjusting this much to... murder. Even if I had adjusted, I would never be okay with it.

Some things just had to be done, though... and I grew another inch.

The entirety of Ponyville didn't come to that party, but quite a few did beyond the usual circle. Of course, you had Twi and the gang as well as the CMC, and that was good enough for me. Several others came since Rarity has also gone through a tough time. The other photographer had cancelled his appointment due to the string of murders, and even if he attempted to hit on Rarity in that last week, I probably wouldn't have killed him. The party itself managed to change it, and I found myself smiling once more. I wasn't perfect, but I was able to look at that notebook.

Still never found murder to be easier, but I've gotten the worst out of my system. I realized how much harm it could do, and the power was too tempting for one as unstable as I.

The light, cheery attitude of Pinkie and the rest was just what I needed. Unlike working relentlessly in the library, this was a fun, light-hearted distraction. I lost myself in cupcakes, hot chocolate, smores, and other treats Pinkie threw together in her usual record time. I played a few games such as pin the tail on the pony, bashed in a pinata, and indulged in other party games. I didn't know at the time, but my smiling face brightened up the mood of the others.

Rarity was still the same. I couldn't tell her reaction. Ever since the deaths started, she's been unsure how to proceed with her business. Afraid to take ventures, or make partners. She even asked Fancypants to keep his distance. I felt very, very bad that her business actually suffered from my selfish attempts at keeping her safe. It got to a point where I wondered if my three kills actually amounted to anything good. Sure, a couple of scumbags died, and Rarity hasn't pursued another reckless relationship, but that could have been due to fear... or, hopefully, a realization that random dates could lead to something terrible. I hoped so much that it was the latter... but ever since I got the Death Note, I learned that every time I hope, I'm dead wrong. More on that later.

After I had exhausted myself with games and sweets, I had sat down next to Twilight, resting on her shoulder with one of her forelegs wrapped around my head. She hummed joyfully, sipping hot chocolate through a straw while the party proceeded. It was funny, thinking back to our days in Canterlot. While most ponies, and sometimes myself, were out partying and playing games, Twilight Sparkle would be in her room, grumbling about incorrect theories in textbooks, or how she doesn't have the latest volume of so on and so forth. This was completely different; no longer a boss or shut in, but instead my mother and a loving friend. The fact that she's here, cradling my head, is a direct testament to how much Twilight has changed, and how much she cares for me. Her friends are partying, celebrating life and happiness, and she's cradling the head of a sorry bastard. It almost brought me to tears right there. I nuzzled myself into her coat, and exhaled sweetly.

“Mom, I'm glad that we came to Ponyville,” I mumbled.

Twilight stopped, humming questioningly. “What do you mean?”

“In Canterlot, you were such an egghead. Shut in, never had fun, reclusive. I had hung out with a few ponies, but never truly had... friends, myself. I was merely a dragon, seen as a pet. We come to Ponyville, and we both gained friends,” I responded.

Twilight acknowledged me by kissing me on the head before sighing happily. I almost lost myself entirely in happiness, but one thought kept nagging at my mind.

“I fell in love, mom. I fell in love, and I've had to watch the one I love grow sadder each and every day.” I paused, remembering why. “And I'm scared of loving her, because all these others close to her are dying.”

Scared of loving her for fear of dying myself? It was certainly true. If she returned my love, it's like taking advantage of the situation I caused. Taking advantage of the deaths... the murders. It was slimy, and I would be lost in the love and affection so fast, so easily. I would lose sight of myself. The true me would die, replaced by a sick bastard who murdered others for his own happiness. But I'm not.

I murdered others for her happiness. The road may be bumpy, and she will feel pain, but I can't help it. In order for one to be happy, they have to experience pain. If we lived in a world without suffering, we wouldn't know happiness. This was worth it in the end.

“Why, Spike?” she asked.

Because I'm scared of dying...? Yes.

“Because I'm scared of dying,” I replied.

She gave me a tight embrace, nuzzling my scalp. “Spike, everypony is scared of dying.”

“No, they're scared of things such as spiders, or height. Who actually grasps death? To not exist, to die in a horrible manner? Golden Shutter... it came out of nowhere, and even if I don't blame myself, I just...” ... need to stop, Spike, before you give away what you've done.

“It's alright, Spike. I'm here, and not even death will claim you before your time. Just enjoy yourself. If you truly love Rarity, then you'll do what makes you both happy,” she said, taking another sip of her drink.

Count on Twilight to be an egghead and a sweetheart at the same time. I love Rarity. I have since we first met. Maybe at first, it was physical, but the more I got to know her, the more I felt a need to make her happy.

I love Rarity, and I thought, for sure, that I will make her happy. I don't care if I die. If she ever discovered what I've done, and my death would make her happy, I will willingly accept it.

I may not be in tip-top shape and bright and peppy for good, but this party was definitely what I needed, regardless of how much I loathed my dirty work.

Now, about Rarity... I had learned this only recently, but after I got up again to play games with the others, Rarity dragged Twilight up to Pinkie's bedroom...

“Twilight, I do apologize for dragging you up here when you were nuzzling little Spikey-wikey, but I have something to discuss,” Rarity said, closing the door to Pinkie's bedroom.

Twilight sat down on Pinkie's bed, shifting uncomfortably. “Does Pinkie Pie even know we're up here, Rarity?”

Rarity sighed, turning around to Twilight. Their eyes met and Twilight responded by looking away. Rarity frowned, furrowing her brow.

“Yes she does, but don't try to diffuse the situation, Twilight. I have something very important to discuss, and I want you to be honest with me. No attempts to make me smile and whatnot,” Rarity declared.

Twilight didn't respond, looking back to meet Rarity's gaze. She pondered attempting to talk her way out of it, Celestia knows it wouldn't be hard, but Rarity would only fight back more aggressive in the future. Sighing, she nodded. Looking to the floor, Rarity took a deep breath before speaking.

“These deaths, all of them have one thing in common. Me.” Rarity looked up.

“No. Just no, Rarity. It isn't your fault, either,” Twilight responded.

Shaking her head, Rarity stepped forward. “I'm not saying that, Twilight. All I know is that each of the victims have had some form of interaction with me. Only Golden Shutter has had positive interaction with me before passing on, Celestia rest his soul. My point being is, Twilight, I am not one to believe in coincidences like this.” She walked to the bed, sitting next to Twilight. “I don't know if it's a curse-and don't tell me there is no such thing-or if it is a sick, divine prank, but-” Rarity bit her lip, pondering her next words. She scanned the room for potential inspiration before looking over to Twilight. “I'm scared for you girls, and I'm scared for our little Spikey-wikey.”

Twilight nodded, resting a hoof on Rarity' shoulder. “I understand, Rarity. Things have been out of the norm, and it's natural to think something is up-”

“But Twili-”

“Ah, let me finish.” She looked over to Rarity, seeing her nod. “Which is why I want to understand it myself. An accident or two may be unlikely, but this many deaths in close proximity, relating to you? It's definitely weird.”

“Not just that, but I have pursued a relationship with them all at some point, excluding Golden Shutter. Only Golden Shutter and Blackhoof were nice to me, while the others that died... starting with Prince Blueblood, had all been uncouthly arrogant,” Rarity said.

“What's more is that all of the deaths have been accidents, excluding that dreadful Snap-trap and Blackhoof. About those two, it's rather convenient that the moment I have a breakdown with that fool, he goes missing the same day. Blackhoof was a sweetheart, and had a literal sweetheart. No records of heart problems.” She exhaled coarsely. “Yet he died of massive heart failure, and not the kind that sneaks up on you like a wild beast hunting his prey. He died of something that should have been detected earlier than when it occurred. Whether or not it's a string of accidents, they have all been close to me at some point.” Rarity stopped, waiting for Twilight's response.

“I've thought that myself, and it's why I have been so iffy on talking to you. I was sure you'd think I was being too analytical, but it's strange no matter how much we look at it. If I want to check for anything abnormal, I'd have to ask for records on medical conditions, histories of mannerisms and whatnot to see how these accidents could have occurred. One thing we'd have to do is find out where Snap-trap is, and if he's dead, that adds more to this potentially supernatural mystery,” Twilight said, rubbing her chin.

Rarity shook her head. “And that's why I fear for you, and...” she stopped, shaking her head and clenching her eyes shut. “Twilight, I believe you know Spike's feelings towards me, correct?” Twilight seemed taken aback, but nodded. “I've known about them, and before you ask, I haven't been ignoring them. After all that's happened, Spike fighting to protect me from the Diamond Dogs, cheering me up after the Grand Galloping Gala, getting Hoity Toity to come see my fashion lineup, even sacrificing his magnificent fire ruby...”

“I love him through and through, Twilight. He's just so young, though. He's comforted me in the past, and even if I love him, I do a horrible thing by seeking other stallions. To pass the time, maybe to help me remove this nagging feeling about Spike. Celestia's sake, he's a dragon! This isn't natural, and even if it's not illegal, I'm scared of proceeding any further than now. I love the little darling, but what if it's ruined? I've taken and taken from him, and now that all of this is happening, what if-” she choked, feeling tears dripping from her eyes. “What if I take away his life? Am I dooming those close to me? I can't bear the thought of ending little Spikey-wikey's life early! What is a mare supposed to do when love leaves her shaken to the core and the ones doing the shaking are dropping like flies?” She burst into tears, wrapping her forehooves around Twilight.

Twilight's recently discovered motherly instincts kicked in, and she quickly wrapped her forelegs around Rarity, petting her mane and shushing her.

“Spike is strong, and his love for you is even stronger. If you claim to love him, do what you think will make him happy. Make use of the time you have with him.”

Rarity blinked, her sobbing slowing to a halt. She leaned backwards, staring at Twilight. Upon seeing her face, Twilight levitated a box of tissues over to Rarity who quickly cleaned her running mascara.

“Then I shall. Twilight, we are going to dispel anything that could possibly endanger Spike, and if it comes to it, I will die trying.”

Being poked on the head, I sniffled out of a reverie pre-bedtime, I looked to the poky source. Twilight had nudged me, and I did a quick stretch from atop the wooden stool at her work desk.

“Yeah, mom?” I asked, scratching my scalp.

“Spike, you're tired. Normally, I'd respect your choice to sleep when you're tired, but you looked like you were petrified on the stool. I called your name twice, and I had to physically touch you to wake you,” she responded.

Looking around the library, it was dark, lit only by the glow of a lamp sitting on the work desk. Looking down at what I was crafting, it was an attempt to recreate the famed Sonic Rainboom by Rainbow Dash. The Rainboom was perfect, but Rainbow looked like bad cavepony drawings. I chuckled.

“Yeah, I guess I should sleep,” I said, pushing the stool back and sliding off the edge. I yawned again, stretching my arms into the air. “Mom, where'd you go earlier? You were gone when I came back from whack-a-diamond-dog.”

Twilight chuckled. “Well, I had to tinkle. Couldn't keep my hooves off of the hot chocolate. Pinkie makes great cocoa.”

“Well okay. I'm gonna sleep now. G'night, mom,” I said, strolling upstairs.

Twilight eyes me from behind. “G'night, Spike. Sweet dreams.”

“Downfall the Dark's Definitive Discoveries on the Dastardly Defect of Life: Death, Vol 1,” Twilight said, plopping said book onto the work desk.

She looked at the black cover, taking note of the '3rd Edition' on the cover before delving into the story itself. She saw the table of contents, skipping the first three and looking at the last two: Potential Supernatural, and Confirmed Supernatural. Her instinct told her to run, due to her inner scientist debunking the thought of supernatural, but after what happened with Pinkie and Zecora, anything was a possibility. She flipped to the pages of Potential Supernatural, and skimmed the topics.

“'Smiting,' 'Holy Suicide,' 'Five-senses Destruction,' and 'Bad Luck?' This is by far one of the more mature books of this library,” Twilight said to herself. “Shame I haven't read it, it could be very informative.” She flipped over to Confirmed Supernatural, noting the abundance of topics there.

“'Voodoo,' 'Curses,' 'Divine Wrath,' 'Supernatural Disasters,' 'Killer Notebook,' 'Shadow Execution,' and 'Liquified Souls?' What a bunch of hoopla! UGH!” Twilight shouted, tossing the book across the room onto the shelf. “I can't believe the 'confirmed' supernatural is more hocus than the potentials!” She exhaled coarsely.

She looked up to her room, praying that Spike was asleep before sighing. She walked across the room and pulled out a book as she walked into the kitchen. She sat down at the table, levitating bread and jam along with a butter knife as she opened up the book. Just a simple book; Solar Tzu's The Art of War. She sighed, smiling happy.

“Might as well get some light reading before bed,” she said, spreading the jam atop the bread. She put the jam and butter knife away before flipping to bookmarked page. “Where was I? Oh yes,” she said, removing the bookmark.

She read the page quickly, flipping to the next one before coming up to a particular line that always irked her. She sighed, resiting the urge to hunt down the translator.

“'Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.' I loathe how many ponies misquote this, not to mention it's totally untrue.” She smirked, quickly losing it. “If I believed that, the girls... and Spike, would all be suspicious characters. Ha!”

Reverie

Equestria is full of scum. It always will be, so I have to do what I can to ensure the current generation can play their roles in the scum filled world. And by generation, I mean Rarity. She is the only one that matters to me, the one I would give my life for. Sure, Twilight is my mother, but she started feeling somewhat distant after the party. Maybe she thought I was growing up and needed my space, or maybe she wanted me to learn that I can't be running to her for my problems. I still hugged her, and ran to her for comfort, but she seemed to have her snout in a book every minute of the day. She made dinner now and then, but read while eating. I could never see the titles, but I knew what they were about. I learned only recently what Twilight and Rarity were doing.

Murder. She was researching murder, methods of murder, historical murders, no matter how rare a murder actually is. She seemed obsessed with murder. The topic of murder, not committing. Not just murder, too. Deaths, suicide, heart failures, organ failures, anything that would involve death. I would have asked what she was reading, but at the time, I was too scared to break her concentration, mostly due to the fact that I was scared of myself. Paranoia sucks.

“Spike, I was thinking,” Twilight said.

“Oh brother,” I responded, spinning the cereal in my bowl around.

“About the past few months in particular,” she said, picking at her toast.

“I swear, I don't shave with the kitchen scissors,” I responded, absent-minded.

“I was thinking about taking a trip to what the hay did you say?”

Looking up, I could spot a confused glare from Twilight. “Something about... you? Whaddaya want again?”

Shaking her head, Twilight resumed. “I was thinking about taking a trip to Canterlot.”

Perking up, I swallowed a spoonful of cheerios. “Canterlot? Any reason?”

“I figured, why not go see home? See the family, and the big city again. Go to a bookstore or two, check out the restricted section in Canterlot, the usual,” she replied.

Nodding my head, I finished off the cheerios. “We doing anything today?”

“Not really, Spike. My schedule has this as an off-day. We haven't had a good one since Golden's passing, and that was three weeks ago. I figured we could both use this to have fun,” Twilight responded, closing her book.

Not glancing at the title, I drank the milk from the bowl. I swallowed it quickly and set the bowl on the counter.

“Let's go today. Right now. It's early, and we can catch a train immediately!” I exclaimed, placing my bowl in the sink.

“Today!? But it's spontaneous; we'd need a schedule, something to keep us organized and focused,” she said, ignoring her toast.

I shook my head, looking towards the main area. “No, we don't, mom. You've followed a schedule all of your life. Unwind for a bit, let somepony else take charge. You'll be organizing your own death and funeral at this rate,”I chuckled.

She sighed, chuckling at the same time. She finished her toast, finished her drink, and placed both hooves on her head to think. This was something I found great about her. Give her something simple with a million possibilities, and she'll shut down for a while.

“I'm going to go upstairs for a bit. I'm merely making a guess here, but I'll be getting ready,” I responded, dashing out of the kitchen.

Running into the room, I wondered how long Twilight would realize before she remembered I had nothing to get ready for. Merely a ruse, and to toy with her. But on the other claw... I looked over to my basket, feeling my heart skip a beat. I took cautious steps up the stairs to my bed before lifting the cushion and picking up the black notebook. I stared at the cover, and like most other times, felt flashbacks to each heinous moment.

DEATH NOTE

I opened it up and looked at the rules. If I wanted to utilize it fully, I had to study the rules. I got to emulate Twilight. Opening, I actually realized how many rules there were. Looking at them, I got a feel for how specific it was.

“'The notebook shall become the property of the equine world, once it touches the ground of (arrives in) the equine world.' So, once it lands in Equestria, it's owned by Equestria?” I looked around, making sure Twilight wasn't here. Gulping, I looked back at the rules. “'The owner of the note can recognize the image and voice of... of the original owner!?'” I asked myself.

I looked out the window, wondering who could the original owner have been. It's definitely a divine book, I learned that much. A divine entity? But, wouldn't that be Princess Celestia? Well, no. In monarchy, a princess and prince come before a queen and king... did anypony come before Princess Celestia or Luna? Are they waiting for a king and queen to return. Was this made by them? Gulping once more, I looked back down to the book, and then I read a rule that still scares me.

“'The one who uses the notebook can neither go to Heaven nor Hell.'” I stopped, feeling my breaths shorten. I reread the sentence before it dawned on me. I felt scared once more, and my fear of death from two weeks ago arose once more. I looked to the next rule, and this one merely confused me.

“'If someone uses the note, a God of Death usually appears in front of him/her within 39 days after he/she uses the note,” I said, raising an eyebrow. “A God of Death? What's a God of Death? And... it's been more than 39 days. I got this book over four months ago, so what gives?”

I looked around the room, wondering if I could spot the God in part of the room. I became painfully aware of how loud silence could be. Every single sound shot panic through my mind and my eyes snapped into the direction of the sound. I felt sweat drip down my face as I contemplated the possibility that a God of Death was watching me at that moment. Does this God of Death take pleasure in watching me wander in paranoia? Does it take pleasure in seeing my life fall into a wreck from my duty? Does this God of Death drop Death Notes into Equestria for fun? Is it bored, and this game of murder only a sick joke? No matter how much I looked, I found nothing. To this day, I have yet to see a God of Death... but Celestia forbid, I researched them. I took a look at one last rule that was interesting to me.

“'The Death Note will be rendered useless if the victim's name is misspelled four times,'” I said, nodding my head. “So, I can't look at somepony, hear the name, and try as many times as I want to guess the proper spelling.”

I looked around the room, then back outside. God of Death, if you're watching me, just know that you're a bastard, just like me, I thought. I burned the notebook with the magical flame, keeping it hidden inside. I still had the gift I owed Rarity, but giving it to her now would be meaningless. When the scum of the world are gone from Rarity's life, I can retire. I looked around the top part of the library, keeping the topic of Gods of Death on my mind. Scanning the books of the upper floor, I discovered something interesting.

“Avatars of Death: The Many faces of the Reaper,” I mumbled, looking down at the cover.

It had a white cover with a visible cross on it embedded in black with shiny gold text stating the name. It was a thin book and it dated back to 998 ANMS. Looking around quickly, I grabbed two other books to make a small stack of reading material for the train ride. I strolled downstairs with a copy of Spectacle Prisms, and a more popular issue of The Archive, detailing Fancypants' rise to popularity. I sandwiched AoD in between the other two and stumbled into the kitchen, just as Twilight snapped out of her reverie.

“Spike, I find it cute how you display such confidence.” She smiled at me. “Reading material for the train ride?” she asked. I nodded my head. “Alright. You go to the train station to purchase the tickets, and I'll grab my saddlebags. Sound good?” She quickly levitated the book out of my sight.

“Sure thing, mom. See you there,” I responded, walking out of the library.

I loved when Twilight never followed a schedule. She always asks questions, and I get to be the smart guy for a change. She's enlightened, and her knowledge increases. It was great being in charge, so to speak. Looking at my age and my size, it was apparent I was growing. I was entering my teenage years. I wasn't her baby dragon anymore. I'm not little 'Spikey-wikey.' That's a lie. I am. Totally. Always will be. Rarity's Spikey-wikey. Ah, well, anyways, I was growing, and being able to easily convince Twilight to go on a schedule-less trip was great. It was empowering, and made me feel like a big man. I was almost eye-to-eye with her, and this added power that I had thanks to this trip was the perfect mixture.

We sat on the train, and as usual, I nuzzled up close to Twilight. Unlike the usual, I had my nose in a book while Twilight looked around the train, smiling at the scenery outside. Unknown to her, thankfully, I was nose-deep in the book regarding Death. Death. Death death death. Twilight and I were apparently obsessed with death those days, and we still missed out on each other when we were reading about it.

In that book, the most prominent form of Death, that I found, was as a God. A God of Death. A God of Death was the one responsible for all death in the world and was thought to be the reason behind suicide and such... what made me pay attention was the mention of 'Death's list.'

'Death's list is believed to be a supernatural document upon which the God of Death executes the living. Methods for distinction are believed to be the full name of an equine and/or other living creature as well as a face as to not cause deaths between those who share a name. Rather than simply killing, Death may be able to alter the conditions of death to meet his twisted design, be it suicide or fatal accident. Spot on,' I thought.

I closed the book, sliding it under the two books and picked up The Archive issue. I figured I could learn more about Fancypants, maybe use him a bit to try and cheer Rarity up to make her forget the issues of the past month. The article about Fancypants didn't detail anything I found useful, merely being actually positive and nice towards the guy's image, something I thought not possible for pop culture magazines.

Closing the magazine, I shoved the small stack of books aside, feeling the tingle of the hidden notebook. I sighed, leaning into Twilight's body. We were almost at Canterlot, and we could do the events for the day. Twilight wrapped her foreleg around my body, and I sighed happily. I didn't feel any depression, and all nagging feelings I felt while researching death had vanished. My mother loved me and protected me, and it was just us going to Canterlot for a day of unwinding, no headache-inducing schedules.

Growing tired of the silence, I asked, “mom, d'you think I have a chance at making Rarity happy?”

Twilight gave me a light noogie, making me giggle quickly. “Of course you do, big guy. The little things may go unnoticed at first, but when the time comes, I'm sure Rarity will remember them.”

“Celestia knows I've done more than small things. I mean, I totally kicked the crud outta those Diamond Dogs. They just had me outnumbered is all,” I responded, gagging at the mention of them.

“Yes, Spike. It was brave of you, and I'm surprised that... Rarity hasn't mentioned it yet,” she said, chuckling on Rarity's name.

I looked down at my skinny arms, admiring the growth I've had recently. I smirked, baring my teeth.

“If any of those dogs come again, I'm sure I can fight them off with my new and improved body! Just you see, mother!” I exclaimed in the empty car.

“Not on my watch, mister. No fighting until you're old enough,” Twilight replied with a almost-perfect stern voice.

“Celestia knows that you're too old for fighting,” I chuckled. Twilight flicked me on the nose. “Ha, sorry.” I rubbed my nose before looking out the window. The curve we were on showed us coming up to Canterlot. “So, what first? I suggest saving the family visit for the end of the day after your brother comes home.”

“That's genius, Spike. It's been a while since I've seen Shining,” Twilight replied, stretching her hindlegs.

Twilight looked down at me, and I obliviously stared up, meeting her gaze. I shifted my eyes to the left before back at her. “Yes?”

“Can we please please puh~lease visit Coles Bookstore first? I haven't been there since I moved to Ponyville!” she exclaimed, begging with her shimmering eyes.

“Sure, mom.”

It felt great being the one in charge.

“A'ight, Rar'ty, gonna 'splain why ya rounded us all up, save f' Twi,” Applejack asked, plopping down on a cushion in Rarity's boutique.

Rarity looked down at Applejack, sighing coarsely. She made sure the ears of the others, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy were all on her before nodding.

“I'll make this short by saying that Twilight and I both agree that the deaths in recent times, starting with the late Prince Blueblood up to the tragic death of Golden Shutter, are connected to myself in some way whether it be supernatural or a curse. One death may have been something to brush-off, but these many, all whom have known me in one shape or form, that's no coincidence,” Rarity stated.

“What the hay? Rarity, I know your boytoys keep dropping like flies, but it's not a darn conspiracy. They were just accidents,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, slapping her head against Rarity's bed.

“I don't want to call you a liar, but... um, I'll stop talking,” Fluttershy said while cowering into Rarity's pillows.

Rarity shook her head, just as Pinkie piped up.

“Now stop right there! Both you and Spike have had a rough time, and he's not making any conspiracy theories of his own! Spike is being Spike, with Twilight!” She looked around the room. “As a matter of fact, where is Spike and Twilight?”

“Canterlot, dear,” Rarity replied.

“Oh, okay then,” Pinkie said, falling onto Rarity's bed.

Clearing her throat, Rarity sat down on the edge of her bed and sighed. “Look, I knew you all would say this, but we're going through with this. Twilight knew she could do some proper research as well as gather books on the subject of death and whatnot in Canterlot, either from bookstores or the Canterlot Archives. Knowing little Spikey-wikey and that today was their day off, Twilight essentially manipulated Spike into getting them to go as to not arouse suspicion.” She bit her lip, leaning against a bedpost. “It was dirty, but Twilight can get the materials needed for her research, Spike doesn't have to be involved since I am doing this for him, and we can work on our part of this mystery,” she said.

“Whaddaya mean? Spike deserves t' be a part of this, an' this still sounds like nonsense,” Applejack said.

“I agree with Applejack. Rarity, I never thought I'd say this, but get your head out of the clouds! This is nonsense talk! This is death, not divine punishment!” Rainbow exclaimed.

“No, I just noticed that all, excluding Golden Shutter, I have pursued a relationship with in the past, or attempted to. I know by now that Spike's feelings for me are known,” Rarity said, pausing for confirmation.

The four nodded, and Rarity continued. “I understand entirely, and even if I am unsure on how to proceed, I know that I love Spike, but if those close to me are dying, I cannot risk Spikey-wikey like that until we make sure that this isn't some supernatural curse at work.”

There was short silence, broken by Pinkie. She shot up to her hooves and punched a hoof into the air. “I knew you loved the little guy! I just wondered when you were going to admit it!” She stopped, falling back onto the bed with a solemn look. “But, I guess you're right. We can't risk little Spikey until we make sure that this isn't some curse.”

“Now hold on a minute, Ah'm not so sure that we need to do anythin' at all. Ah say we wait for Twi an' Spike t' get back from Canterlot so Twi can give us the verdict,” Applejack responded.

“I like Applejack's plan... but I'd rather not get involved with... death...” Fluttershy said, burying her face in the pillows once more.

Rarity looked around the group, taking in the numerous inquiries. She stood up and paced around her room in thought, and kept the others waiting for minutes. She looked outside every so often, looked to her friends, to a mirror, anything worth looking at. She eventually nodded her head, and sat back on her bed.

“I understand where all of you are coming from, but Twilight has already written to Princess Celestia with a request, which was granted. I have gotten several records and comments regarding the victims, including Prince Blueblood,” Rarity responded while levitating a small box into the centre of the room. “And before you ask, Princess Celestia was extremely reluctant, but when Twilight wrote mentioning the possibility of a supernatural presence at work, the princess allowed Twilight the data as to debunk this fiasco, then we can put this behind us. Twilight nor I are able to have restful minds.” She paused once more. “If we can't, then I doubt Spikey-wikey, who has had arguably the worst experience of us all at such a tender age, will fare better. It's better if we don't involve him... but I will tell him in the future.”

Applejack scoffed. “Y'all can go ahead and indulge y'self in this hocus, but Ah have work t' do.” She stood up and walked to the door, stopping short of leaving. “Sorry, Rar'ty, Ah know how tough this is f' ya, but Ah jus' can't do this mumbo-jumbo... and the fact that we're bringin' th' rested into it is even more nerve-wreckin'. 'til next time,” she said before leaving the room.

Rarity smiled as she left. “It's alright. Thanks for at least listening to me.”

Rainbow shifted uncomfortably. “I... don't know what to think. Twilight once told us that curses and whatnot are just hoopla, and now she's diving headfirst into one? And you're with her?” Rainbow looked around at the others. “But Applejack left...”

Shaking her head, Rarity stepped forward and rested a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder.

“Same goes to you, Rainbow. Thank you for at least listening to me. You don't have to help right now, or ever, but I'm glad you came,” Rarity said.

All eyes fell on Rainbow, which she attempted to shut out. She pressed both hooves against her head, rubbing her temples. She grunted a few times in thought, before sighing and letting her hooves drop.

“I may not agree with you, but I could read some data and tell you what's interesting. I can't leave you with all this paper work, can I?” Rainbow responded, shrugging her shoulders.

“And of course, I'm in! We'll giggle at those ghosties so Rarity can giggle with her Spikies!” Pinkie exclaimed, hopping off the bed and grabbing the box.

“Oh, thank you Pinkie, and you too, Rainbow Dash!” She looked over to her pillows to see Fluttershy poking them, an uneasy look on her face. “What about you, dear?”

Fluttershy looked at Rarity, shaking a bit when she did. She shook her head and rested her chin on the surface of the bed and sighed.

“I don't know, Rarity. I mean, you and Twi both thing this is a curse, and others are d... dying,” she said, stopping. Rarity stepped onto her bed and waited for Fluttershy to continue. Fluttershy looked up to Rarity, tears welling up in her eyes. “I'm s-scared... I don't want to die!”

Rainbow and Pinkie immediately turned around, lunging themselves onto the bed as well.

“Fluttershy, drop the nonsense! You aren't going to die, and anybody that tries to make it happen will be talking to Nurse Redheart, because I'll beat them into pulp!” Rainbow shouted, pounding a hoof onto the bed.

“Yeah, and while she's beating them into a pulp, I'll be throwing you a 'get well' party!” Pinkie shouted as well.

Fluttershy buried her head into the bed, sobbing every few seconds. The three present quickly embraced her, allowing her to calm down. After a few minutes, Fluttershy stopped sobbing and raised her head.

“I'm sorry, Rarity... the topic of... death is heavy, and I'm scared for myself. I know I won't be alone, but I-” Fluttershy was cut off by a hoof to her mouth.

“I understand, Fluttershy. Again, thank you for listening.”

Nodding, Fluttershy pushed herself to her hooves and quickly left the room after bidding them goodbye. Looking at the others, Rarity nodded while opening the box. Four envelopes flew out, landing between them.

“Alright, one envelope for each pony. They contain their medical history, and comments regarding mannerisms. The comments were gathered from the guard when families were questioned. Snap-trap still has yet to be found, unfortunately,” Rarity said.

She set one of them aside at random and handed them out. “Prince Blueblood was a regal pony, and the probability of slipping on a bar of soap is too farfetched for somepony as careful and stuck-up as he was. I'm surprised he didn't have maidens cleaning him.” She looked at her envelope and opened it, revealing the Prince Himself. “Blackhoof has had no health issues, yet he dies of massive heart failure, and not the random kind. It was one that he would have noticed weeks earlier, yet autopsy revealed no poison, adding more to the mystery.” She looked up as the other two pulled out their files. “Golden Shutter...” Rarity fought back the tears before focusing. “Just speak up if something is off. Be analytical to the fullest, and thank you once again for helping, girls.”

“No problem at all, Rarity!” both ponies exclaimed.

Sitting down, I examined the living room of the Sparkle residence. It was pristine, sophisticated, had fine art, and a loving family. Shining Armour and Twilight were playing a game of chess while I watched. Twilight had a plethora of books she bought from the bookstore in numerous boxes and bags. I bought myself a few games and puzzles. I discovered something called a 'Rubix cube,' and it soon became one of my favourite (and frustrating) games. Twilight had already one-upped me by completing the darn thing in under a minute, and then moved on to her current game. Mr. & Mrs. Sparkle sat by, talking while watching the game. Princess Cadence was sitting next to me, watching the scene unfold.

As expected, Twilight dominated Shining's defences fell worse than Applejack's lies. Twilight shot through his pieces in record time.

“Argh, you're too good at this game, Twilie. Go easy. We haven't seen each other in a while, and the first thing you do is remind me of my inability to master this thing?” Shining said, scratching his head as Twilight claimed his Solar piece.

Snickering, Twilight responded. “That defeats the whole purpose of using my wits, Shining.”

“C'mon, go easy on him, mom. A thick skull doesn't equal thick defences,” I quipped.

“Hey, c'mon, I'm Captain of the Royal Guard! I'm suppose to be good at this, and my little sister is brushing me aside like a kindergarten colt!” He paused. “Wait, mom?”

Twilight's parents looked at me with confusion as did the other two. Twilight snickered.

“Well, he started calling me mother recently after several tragedies... I mean, I already treated him like a son,” she said, resetting the chessboard.

“I've always wanted grandchildren!” Mrs. Sparkle exclaimed. “Although great grandchildren will confuse me.”

“C'mon, grandma. You're speaking nonsense again,” I replied.

A quick laugh later, I looked down at the Rubix cube in my claws. I felt a hoof nudging my shoulder. Looking to my right, Cadence was getting my attention.

“Spike, I've noticed, in the time we've known each other, that you've been making googly eyes at one of your friends. The white mare known as Rarity, correct?” she asked in a low voice.

Blushing, I sheepishly grinned and chuckled. “Well, yeah. Nothing major... I just love her, is all,” I responded, sinking back into the chair as if I could vanish.

“I think it's sweet, but as Twilight said, tragedies have occurred in Ponyville, and I was wondering how Rarity, and you, have been doing,” Cadence asked.

Sighing, I twiddled my thumbs for a second before looking over to the princess.

“Ya really wanna know?”

“Of course, why would I want to help out my nephew?”

Nodding, I sighed, and began to recap my reaction to the events of the past few weeks.

“The only thing suspicious we found is that Snap-trap was infamous among The Archive, and his disappearance could have been a kidnapping, or even a murder. The other thing is that Blackhoof suffered from Type 2 myocardial infarction, in simple terms, a heart attack due to the body requiring more or less oxygen and overworks itself in spasms,” Rarity said.

She looked up to Rainbow Dash, who looked like she was going to be sick. Pinkie looked focused, but she definitely wasn't peppy.

“I say we need to go find Snap-trap so we can confirm this buzz before jumping to conclusions,” Rainbow said, looking out the window.

“In due time. For now, I want to get Blackhoof out of the way.” She looked solemn, almost angry.

Pinkie looked over at Rarity, raising an eyebrow. “Rarity, are you okay? What did the comments about Blackhoof say?”

Rarity bit her lip, resisting the urge to shout. Her eyes watered, and she clenched them shut.

“According to his friends, 'he was using his girlfriend for physical pleasure' prior to his death,” she spat out, burying her head into her hooves.

Pinkie immediately hugged Rarity. “Oh, I am so sorry! Please don't be sad, Rarity! You're already sad because of what's happened, and you're sad because of this potential curse! Don't be sad again! That's three layers, we don't know if that's even possible!”

Rarity rubbed Pinkie's shoulder, pushing herself back. “Don't worry, Pinkie. I'll be fine. I just spent the longest time, believing him to be sweet, but that does raise something new...”

Rubbing her eyes, Rarity exhaled coarsely. Rainbow and Pinkie looked at each other for a second before looking back to Rarity.

“And?” they both asked.

“None of them, excluding Golden Shutter, have treated me honestly and nicely.”

“I'm so sorry, Spike. You've been through a lot for such a young dragon,” Cadence said, patting me on the shoulder.

“So I've been told. S'all good. I'll be fine,” I said, looking down at my arms.

It was almost as if I could still smell the blood. I shook my head and dropped my arms. I sighed, leaning back into the chair once more. Looking up at the Princess of Love, I sighed.

“I love her, but I'm scared of what could happen if she returns my feelings,” I said, crossing my legs.

Cadence smiled softly, and adjusted her sitting position quickly. “Do what you think is necessary. If you love her and she loves you, act on it while you still have lives to act with. Make the best use of your time.”

I almost burst into laughter, but settled for a chuckle instead.

“Mother and the Love Princess have both told me that, so maybe I should do that,” I said, looking at Twilight.

“Love is one of the most powerful things in the world. Harmony, peace, friendship and love all work together, and when they are together, they are unstoppable.” Cadence looked over to her husband, smiling as he let out an aggravated scream at another loss. “Nothing in Equestria could stand between it.”

True words flew far, and the words of love soared like a Sonic Rainboom. I loved Rarity, and if I wanted to prove it to her, and become her lover, I would have to address my sins in the future. Looking over as they played another chess game, I nodded my head.

“My love for her save her, Ponyville, and myself. I would do anything, for Rarity,” I said, feeling warmth growing in my cheeks.

“It will all work out in the end. Every little thing counts, and one day, Rarity will notice that. Love can't be ignored that easily, Spike the Dragon,” Cadence replied, sitting up.

I nodded my head and did the same. “Now, before Shining Armour pops a blood vessel, what say we do something all of us could enjoy?” I said, walking over to the chess game.

“Ooh! We can read my new books!” Twilight exclaimed, happily clopping her hooves.

We stared at her with no verbal response, and she chuckled sheepishly.

“Or... we could play a family friendly, fun-for-all board game?” she said, packing up the chessboard.

“We'd love to,” the whole family said at once.

Family. Me, my mother, and her family. A loving bond that couldn't be shattered by anything, and a love that motivated me to rush forward... but Celestia knows, something is nagging at my heartstrings.

Reservoir

The train ride home was pleasant, regardless of the stack of books surrounding us. The sun was setting, and it was marking the end of a great day. I had done some reading on the many forms of death, and now I'm certain a God of Death exists. So why hasn't he shown up? I didn't know nor did I want to know. I even forgot I had the Death Note with me. I may have attempted to hide the notebook about forms of Death from Twilight, but that was explainable. We all had death on our minds, and even if we were young, the tragedies caused by myself have been the focal point in driving death into our conscious. The Death Note? That was entirely unexplainable.

We arrived in Ponyville and made our way to the library where Twilight, almost immediately, sat down to read her mountain of books. I put the ones I had away and quickly remembered I had the notebook. One of the reasons why I couldn't keep it hidden 24/7; items tingle while hidden, and a notebook which happens to be the cause of all my problems is one of the things that would cause me to reveal the notebook in public.

I belched the notebook onto my bed, and stared at the cover, once again having a flashback. I did my best to ignore it and hid the book under my bed's cushion. Sniffing the air, it had the familiar scent of oak, and the scent of home helped calm my nerves. I sighed, and sat down on my mattress, pondering what to do next. Nopony approached Rarity in a while, and that was expected. Some, excluding the scumbags, didn't want to bother her while she was in her state of depression.

I briefly thought if the others knew we left for the day before laying down on the bed for a quick nap.

Twilight pranced around the second floor of Carousel Boutique, slapping down research notes in front of Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie. She looked around at them as Rarity lifted the notes in front of the three of them, looking through the notes. As expected, they stared mindlessly. Twilight, watching their wondering eyes, sighing.

“Death is believed to have been a physical entity at some point in time, known by many as a Reaper, God of Death, Holy Angel, or 'Grim,'” Twilight explained.

“Okay, so you've concluded that the grim reaper is a thing. Okay?” Rainbow asked, flipping through pages of the research.

“Four common methods of death is shared between each variation and incarnation of death.” She paced around the room, stopping in front of Rarity. “Death's list, a list of ponies including their date of death as well as the details regarding their death. Something like this we could never discover since it's only a speculation.”

“So why are we talking about a speculatron or whatever? We need the cold hard facts!” Pinkie exclaimed, reading the book upside down.

“We all need to know these things just in case they come up again in the future, such as in books. Now, the next method is one more commonly used by many, even here in Equestria,” Twilight said. She looked to Pinkie. “Madame Pinkie does it. Tarot cards. Death decides the details of everyone using Tarot cards. Those in olden Equestria believed that death knew what cards he'd pick up and dubbed it one of the reaper's killing techniques,” Twilight said, sitting down on the floor.

“Tarot cards as a technique for the reaper to use makes perfect sense, but we've got no proof that a God of Death truly exists, Twilight. Not to mention summarizing these deaths as a supernatural murder on account of a supernatural being disguising them as destiny is hard to buy. We've certainly seen an omnipotent being in the past, so we can't rule out the existence of Gods of Death yet,” Rarity said, looking through the notes.

“Exactly. Discord. He is the Spirit of Disharmony, but his magic is definitely omnipotent. Princess Celestia would come after along with Princess Luna and Princess Cadence. After that, I'm unsure what would be a close contender for omnipotent magic. Discord was twisted, and if it is omnipotent murder aiming at Rarity, Discord would be a contender. However, he is in the Canterlot Gardens, so we don't have any omnipotent suspects,” Twilight said, moving next to Rarity.

“Twilight, I was reading through your notes that looks like a mixture between Tarot cards and death's list. You mention a killer notebook which ponies believe to have killed someone when the reaper wrote a name down. How did this start?” Rainbow asked.

Twilight sighed, remembering the notes. “Sometime before Princess Celestia and Luna rose to power, somepony had discovered a book that killed others by writing their name down, putting them into death's list, and they could specify the details of death. It would decide their fate, and was used as an execution in court. The history was rather bloody...” Twilight looked to the side, uncomfortably.

Rarity looked over at Pinkie, who looked over at Rainbow. Looking back to Twilight, Pinkie asked, “what do you mean, bloody?”

Twilight looked back at the three mares, sighing. “Somepony used this notebook, and executed unicorns because magic was always associated to Discord. Eventually, ponies discovered who it was, and lynched the one responsible. The book was burned, and hasn't been seen since. The legend is one of the older ones, but it's one of the potential methods at work here if this truly isn't a coincidence...” Twilight looked to her notes.

“And the final method that could work, is absolutely impossible to prove. Simply willing another dead in a certain way. If that's the case, it'd make trying to discover what this is one-hundred percent more dangerous, because I can imagine one wouldn't want to be discovered in light of murder.”

“What's more interesting, is if it is foul play at work, the one responsible has some fascination with Rarity. We could go with the option that it is somepony regular given one of the powers mentioned and is killing out of jealousy; the option that a divine being is killing; the option that a divine being has given a normal pony the power to murder; and the option that there is no divine presence, and it's calculated, professional murder at play in which case, we'd have to notify Princess Celestia and Shining Armour.”

Looking up, Twilight studied the expressions of her friends. Rarity had a sickly grimace on her face while Pinkie's usual bounce was dampened, expressed by the lack of a smile on her face. Rainbow Dash seemed nervous about the whole ordeal, but nodded. Twilight sighed, deep in thought.

I walked through Ponyville Town Square, constantly checking my surroundings Ever since I learned of the God of Death's presence, I constantly checked for anything God of Deathly. I carried the Death Note with me at all time, hidden using my flame breath. I was scared of Twilight finding it during a random cleanup, so I felt a tingly sensation every time I went out that reminded me of my misdeeds.

Going into Sugar Cube Corner, I was greeted by a short line of ponies, and quickly took my place.

What if somepony I know, like a friend, tries to hit on Rarity? Could I kill them? Like, what if Applejack hit on Rarity? Gay is more common these days, but could I do that? Applejack is a great friend, but... ugh, this is a conversation I shouldn't be having, I thought, moving forward with the line.

Speaking of this murder, would I really get in trouble if the notebook came to light? I mean, who would believe a notebook could kill others? It was last spoken of in a legend made thousands of years ago. Is it truly a murder notebook, or am I just having insane coincidences? No, that's stupid, Spike. You've seen it firsthand.

What I'm doing isn't morally right or ethical, yet I do it because somepony has to. Is 'somepony has to do it' truly a justification? Murder... is wrong, no matter what, so am I truly entitled to protect? We've had war, and many die in wars to protect the ones at home. They do it just fine, so why can't I? We have covert ops, for sure. Ponies that do murder in the dark to protect the public. It's no different from what I'm doing, except I don't have any authorization? I moved ahead in the line again.

It's not murder, is it? I'm specifying accidents. I'm not physically stabbing the life out of them, but detailing an accidental death. Is it the same thing as murder? I am sealing their fates, but executioners do that all the time. The only difference between covert ops, soldiers, executioners against myself, is that they have authorization. What they're doing is for the greater good, but it's still murder, right? I moved ahead once more.

Or did the condemned bring it on themselves? It is their fault they require an execution, and it's the fault of the scum that they're being erased by myself. What about these Gods of Death? Do they orchestrate the events leading to one's death? By that, I mean, do they change a pony's mindset so that they put themselves in a position that ends up with them on the electric chair? Or does the God of Death and Death Note only specify their actual death? If that's so, then it would alter a pony's mindset to wind up in such a position. I stepped forward again, being the next one in line.

My friends are apparently immune to the law, with how much they've tarnished Ponyville and Equestria... myself included. The law is awkward, so... is execution legal in Equestria given justification? If so, is 'scumbag disposal' acceptable form of execution? Would my friends even think it okay? Or is it one big load? I stepped forward to the counter, finally, and was greeted by Pinkie. Apparently, I was the last in line.

“Hiya Spike! Uh, how are you?” Pinkie asked, showing an odd reluctance in her voice.

Shutting it out, I looked at the sweets. “Hi Pinkie. I'm okay. Bit out of it, but otherwise fine. How about you?”

She looked around, shrugging. I shrugged as well and quickly selected a doughnut. I didn't take note of Pinkie's weird attitude, but I did have a question.

“Hey, Rarity hasn't come out of the boutique in a few days, and Twilight keeps going over there. Do you know why?” I asked, paying for the doughnut

Pinkie looked around nervously, chuckling just as awkwardly. “Uh, no, not really. Maybe she just has a big project?”

Sighing, I nodded and left the shop. It may have been rude, but I was feeling down anyways.

“Alright, I've spent the last two days thinking. We're going to have to rule out two murder methods,” Twilight said, sprawling more notes onto the floor.

“Alrighty, but... Twilight, I think you're going to have to talk to Spike soon. He keeps wondering why you're going over to Rarity's, and why Rarity hasn't come out of the shop,” Pinkie said, looking over the notes.

The two mares exchanged looks and looked back to Pinkie. “I won't say something unless he asks. I don't want to seem suspicious by mentioning it,” Twilight responded.

Nodding, Rarity sighed. “I should make a new dress rather than beat around the bush. I haven't focused on my business since I came to the conclusion that this isn't coincidental. Two weeks of no-buzz from fashionista Rarity certainly instigated rumours,” she said. She sighed, and laid her head on Pinkie's shoulder, lazily scrolling through one of Twilight's various research notes. “I have to invite Spike when I do. I miss the little darling's company, and I don't want him to get curious.”

“I just wonder how Applejack and Fluttershy are doing. We haven't hung out since we started this, and I'm sure others around town are getting curious too. We need to lighten up a bit, take a break from all this drabby murder and such,” Rainbow said, tossing the notes onto the floor in front of her.

Twilight sighed and lifted the notes. “Anyways, the two methods of murder we have to outlaw are willingly murdering others, and death's list. There has been no physical evidence nor has there been any reason to believe in them. I'm chalking it up to a mere hoax started by fanatics.” She looked around to see the confirmation on all of their faces before looking back down at her notes. “Tarot cards and a killer book are more likely since they've actually been seen, no matter how long. Tarot cards are the less likely bit of these two, since they're popular among astrologists. Ouija boards and whatnot, those kinds of things. It's possible, but if Tarot cards really could kill, we'd have a lot more deaths among friends who use Tarot cards, and the thought of Pinkie killing is absolutely ridiculous!”

“I'll say! I wouldn't kill unless I had a good reason!” she exclaimed.

Awkward stares lasted for a few seconds before chatter resumed. “Thing is, this killer book has only been sighted once in history, and there are many versions of the story. The verdict that is common, is that writing a name would kill somepony, and the user was lynched. How he was lynched changes often. Burning, stoned, or killed using the book itself. Point being, is that Tarot cards and this book are on equal terms. While one is commonly used, it's lack of murder is apparent, unless the reaper used some special deck. The other, is hardly used, but it'd fit the bill pretty well regardless of the version of the story told.” Twilight flipped several pages, landing on one near the centre of the book.

“I've used Tarot cards a few times, and they've been mostly accurate. I have yet to use cards that deal with this deathy kind of stuffy, but if Tarot cards are used by the reaper, I'd rather dealy with these cards of normally,” Pinkie said, sifting through various loose notes.

They each looked at some of Twilight's notes as well as clips from books regarding death and murder. Twilight continued reading her note book before closing it. She looked up and slapped a hoof on the ground to gain attention.

“If we consider what would be necessary for this killer book, the reaper would need a way to not kill two ponies who could potentially share a name. Two possibilities would be including middle names, and or differing them by their faces. Maybe even cutie marks,” Twilight said.

“What about non-Pony species? Like...” Rainbow looked around. “Dragons?”

Rarity gasped immediately and shook her head. “No! Just, no! Let's stick with what Twilight has,” she exclaimed.

However, Twilight shook her head. “No, she's right, Rarity. As much as I don't want to think about it, we do have to take other species into consideration. I think it's safe to say that a name and face, at the very least, would have to be take into consideration.” She looked at a notebook directed at the killer book. “If we take into account the legends, the one using this killer book kills with a name and can specify the death. If that's so, then it's entirely possible that these 'accidents' are a disgusting murder.”

“If it's murder, what about Blackhoof, or Snap-trap?” Pinkie asked.

“Blackhoof may have been a test for a natural case, failing only because the type of death itself shouldn't have happened to begin with.” Looking at the clock, she sighed. “Snap-trap was reported to have gone missing while on a break near Ghastly Gorge. The gorge itself has many places where somepony could get lost, and if utilized in such a way that could make a death seem like a tragic accident such as being knocked into the gorge, it would be easy to dub it a murder.”

“But Snap-trap was a pegasus pony! He could have flown easily if knocked in,” Rainbow said, flapping her wings for emphasis.

“Twilight mentioned that if you could specify the death, you could easily make it seem like an accident. If that's the case, we could take into consideration that due to the rocky, and avalanche-prone area, he could have been struck with a boulder of sorts,” Rarity replied.

“His drivers would have heard something like a boulder. Something smaller would have had to be the instigator, or his driver's aren't telling us something,” Twilight said. She rubbed her chin for a second before exhaling. “Thing is, we can't go question them. We aren't police, and Princess Celestia gave us the data on the deceased reluctantly, only because we mentioned potential supernatural causes. The Royal Guard aren't our personalized soldiers, we can't go seize his drivers, and with other things that go on in Equestria, it could be days by the time we see them, and by then, we could have debunked the notion that they hid it.”

The four ponies pondered what she said, reading through the notes once more. Twilight kept reading her book about death before Rarity spoke up.

“Twilight, if the lives of our friends are in danger, I would give up my business to question his drivers if it brought us closer to the truth. Every possibility must be explored in an investigation,” she said.

Twilight sighed, levitating her notes out of the hooves of the others. “I'll take what you said into consideration, and you should do the same. Remember, try to socialize more, or else we'll start appearing suspicious.” She looked over to Rarity. “Should I tell Spike to come over later?”

Shaking her head, Rarity stood up and stretched, looking at Twilight. “No, I have nothing to work on right now, and I'm absolutely exhausted. I missed two spa visits, so I'm sure Aloe and Lotus think I must have traversed the world or passed away myself. I also would like to see how Fluttershy is doing, since I haven't spoken to her since. It probably would have been nice to tell her beforehand.”

Rainbow stood up and stretched, fluttering her wings. “I'm heading over to Applejack's place to check on her, I'll go tell Fluttershy to meet you at the spa today,” she said, walking to the door.

“Thank you, dear,” Rarity replied, falling back onto her bed.

“I believe I have to go make dinner for a certain teenage dragon,” Twilight said, waving goodbye.

“See ya tomorrow!” Pinkie bounced out the door.

I walked towards Sweet Apple Acres, still feeling my depression. What was it from? Probably from the lack of interaction with Twilight and Rarity. Looking back, Pinkie was acting suspicious two days ago, I thought.

Walking through the familiar arch, I passed by Apple Bloom, waving to her and the other Crusaders as I approached the front door. I knocked on the door quickly, and Applejack answered the door.

“Well howdy, Spike. What can I do ya for?” she asked immediately.

Scratching the back of my head, I looked to the side. “I was wondering if you've noticed something odd about Pinkie, or Twilight, or Rarity.” I looked up for a second. “Or all three.”

Applejack shifted uncomfortably, kicked her hooves while refusing to make eye contact again. She chuckled nervously, and looked up to the sky like I did. I could tell she was trying to think of something, mostly because it took 30 seconds of 'ah' and 'um's.'

“Well, not that Ah know of, Spike. Ah mean, y'all are doin' yer own thing,” she chuckled out.

Sighing, I looked to the orchards. “I figured as much,” I turned and looked back towards Ponyville. I looked back at Applejack quickly, before rolling my eyes and shaking my head. I turned back to Ponyville, walking without so much as a goodbye.

I don't know what came over me, but I was angry. Angry, sad, and all signs pointed to being ignored by Twilight and Rarity. I wanted to see Rarity, and see her smiling face. I wanted to see her making a beautiful dress, and ask me to help her, and see her happy upon seeing my face. Celestia help the world if it fails.

I knocked on the door to the Carousel Boutique, and waited. And waited. And waited. I knocked again... and waited. Exhaling coarsely, I opened the door to the boutique, ignoring the 'closed' sign, and stepped in. The curtains were drawn and inside the boutique was darkened.

“Rarity! Are you here?” I shouted.

In hindsight, I should have waited for Rarity to return home rather than barge into her house. I was angry and stupid, but...

“I guess not,” I said.

Remembering my mission, I looked around the boutique's main room. I spotted several racks of dresses, mannequins, and several sewing machines. There were a few photos put on the walls, mostly of our friends and her family, but there was one of her and Blackhoof.

Blackhoof... how much pain did he feel? Was it a quick death? I thought, looking at the images. I felt tears prickling my eyes that I quickly blinked out. I looked towards the stairs, and hesitated. I'd do anything for Rarity, and something plagued my mind since I spoke with Pinkie and Applejack.

Rarity and Twilight have been spending an awful lot of time together. Too much. Has Twilight... gotten with Rarity?

I froze up, and fell to my knees. I fell forward onto my arms, and felt tears streaming down my face. True or not, my emotions fell free.

“No! Mommy, you can't do that! You just can't! You told me my work would pay off. You're not one of them! You're not a scumbag, mommy! You can't be! You said you would protect me!” I cried out into the rug, curling up into a ball.

I sobbed into the rug for minutes on end, not realizing I was clawing it up. I sniffled into it. Mommy! You're not a scumbag, please don't be! You're not like them! You're an old friend with her! And... I stopped my thoughts as well as well as my sobs. I pushed myself up to my feet and looked towards the stairs.

“Old friends... what if one of Rarity's old boyfriends attempted to come after?” I paused. “Wait, they're her old boyfriends for a reason... they hurt her, and that's why she dumped them,” I said, walking towards the stairs.

I decided to go upstairs and entered Rarity's bedroom. Looking around, I felt my anger resurfacing.

“Ignored by mom, ignored by Rarity, ignored by Fluttershy and Rainbow, the others refusing to tell me the truth... the possibility of Twilight getting with my Rarity... and her old boyfriends? Like hay I'm going to sit back and let them be involved!” I said, practically running to her drawer.

I stopped short of grabbing her diary, finally registering what I was doing. I looked around, seeing the room's gentle atmosphere ease my mind. I didn't want to invade her privacy. Bad enough I came into her house when nopony was home, now I was in her room. I felt the tears swell up on the edges of my eyes once again.

I was feeling regret for what I almost did. I almost killed Twilight... my mother, and I almost invaded Rarity's privacy. And for what? Murder? Bad enough I was doing it in the first place, but now I'm dropping to an all-new low. Sighing, I walked over to Rarity's bed and jumped onto the mattress, practically sinking into the silky blankets atop the queen-sized mattress. I laid my head down in a way I stared at the room, and resisted the urge to run home crying.

Her bedroom was sweet, and had signs of recent company over. Twilight. I clenched my eyes shut, imagining Twilight with Rarity, and curled up into a ball once more.

“Is this what I want? If Twilight makes her happy, then I have no right refusing her,” I said. I grit my teeth. “So, why did Twilight tell me my work would pay off? To rub it in when she comes home, foreleg slumped over Rarity's nape?” I grew another inch. “I'm angry. If she does wind up dating Rarity, she knows how angry I'll be, she's not stupid. I probably would kill her in my confusion and anger, and my life would be ruined. I would have killed my mother, depressed Rarity and the others... even Princes Celestia.”

I opened my eyes, sighing. Spotting a bookcase, I sat up and looked at it from across the room. Something caught my eye, and I slid off the bed and walked over to the shelf. I darted across the room and pulled the book I saw off. It was a yearbook, showing a class Rarity was in during school. I opened it up to see the relatively small class, with numerous comments... and exactly what I wanted.

I may not want to kill Twilight, but these others hurt Rarity in the past. They've doomed themselves in their foolishness... but they could have changed. Maybe they're honest ponies? Not everypony stays evil, but not everypony recovers this fast. Maybe they're scumbags... and that's it. I spotted three colts, each having been confirmed to be Rarity's old boyfriends due to the comments and scratched out names.

Realizing what I had to do, I belched out the notebook, I stared at the cover, suddenly able to hear my own heartbeat over the drowning silence.

DEATH NOTE

Did his death hurt? I asked myself once more in regards to Blackhoof. Sighing, I opened up the dreaded notebook and poked my underbelly, coating my fingertip in blood. Forgive me, Twilight, for I am about to sin. I wrote the three names down.

ACCIDENT

I detailed each of them dying work-related deaths. Instead of offing them off at the same time, I set their dates of death seven days apart, with one of them dying six minutes and forty seconds after I finished my deed. I quickly slapped the notebook shut and hid it using my flame breath. I sighed, and slid the yearbook back onto Rarity's shelf. I slumped to my hands and knees, and again, I couldn't stop the waterworks.

I put my hands to my eyes and sobbed like a foal would, whimpering for my mommy to save me. Truly pathetic, but I wasn't right in the head. I'm still not, and I can recognize when I let my emotions speak for my mind. Truly, it would come to a head. I couldn't keep this up forever... no. I want the notebook gone. Gone. Want it away with the graves. Name of my own, perhaps? A way to even the odds and pay for my sins?

No, Twilight loved me. She would protect me, even from myself. Twilight would break my wrist to prevent me from writing my name down, and she'd lecture me until I got it into my system that she was there as my protector whether or not I cared at the time.

Twilight was my impenetrable shield, and I knew it. Rarity was my damsel in distress, and it was my sworn duty to protect her. Not as a knight in shining armour, but a dark guardian. I would sacrifice anything and everything for her, and I stayed true to that.

I gave up my life.

Eight days after the four mares came to the conclusion that there were two logical choices, they had made an incognito request to Shining Armour and quickly arranged a meeting with Snap-trap's old drivers. The place was Ponyville Town Hall, in one of the meeting rooms. Those present involved Twilight Sparkle, her brother, and the two drivers.

“Listen, you two aren't in trouble. We just need to ask some questions regarding what happened,” Shining said from his shadowed corner.

The two drivers sighed coarsely, nodding in response to Shining Armour. They looked at Twilight, not nervously, but more scared. They nodded, looking around the room. The two ponies themselves were both pegasi with black coats and spiked grey manes, and their cutie marks had red vests on them.

“Alright. Bad enough we were accused for the boss' disappearance. We've already lost our jobs because of that,” the one on the right said.

Twilight sighed. “That's sad, and I feel sorry for you. We can help you find a new job, but we need to ask you a few things. First off, have you heard any noises between the time your boss left the carriage to the point where you realized he was missing?”

They nodded. “It sounded like the wind, but it also sounded like some rocks in the distance,” the left one said.

Twilight nodded. “Obviously, they weren't big rocks or else you would have heard much larger noise, and considering how close you were to the gorge, Snap-trap would have had to fly across the gorge for it to be sounding like rocks in the distance,” she said, looking at her notes.

They nodded, looking around the room. Twilight wrote what they said on a separate notepad, and looked up to them.

“I mean no offence, but Snap-trap wasn't too well liked at The Archive. Has anypony over there or in Las Pegasus ever expressed an interest that could have led to a kidnapping or murder of the photographer?”

They thought for a few seconds before shaking their heads. “None. Sure, some ponies hated him, but not enough to murder him. Rough him up a bit at the most, but not kill.”

Twilight closed her notepad and quickly levitated her books into the air and quickly left the room. Shining Armour did a double take, looking between the door and the two pegasi.

“Um, one minute please,” he said, quickly leaving into the main room.

Twilight exhaled coarsely, approaching Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash. She sat down on a stool nearby, and slapped her head against the surface of the table. Shining trotted from behind.

“Twilie, what's wrong? You only asked two questions?” he asked, setting a hoof on her shoulder.

Twilight groaned. “Doesn't matter, all logical thought points to those two answers being true. I mean, they're scared, and dealing with the Captain of the Royal Guard... and as much as I don't want to use this card, they are also dealing with the Element of Magic. Lying to us would do nothing but ruin them far worse than murder charges would,” Twilight said, slapping her notes on the desk.

Shining Armour nodded. “Well, that is true, but what does that answer for you? Also, I can send them home now, correct?”

“It answers a lot, Shiny... and no, I still want to talk to them. I'll even pay for their bed and breakfast in Ponyville,” she responded, looking to the others.

“Does this bring us any closer to closing this case?” Rainbow asked, sitting down.

“I wish I knew what the case was so I could help more,” Shining Armour said in an obvious attempt to extract info.

“No, you're a stallion, and if my hunch is correct, you'd be in more danger than us. Just as much danger as my son,” Twilight said, slapping her notes lightly against his face.

“If Twilight says it is, it has to be true. I'd stay outta this if I were you,” Rainbow said.

Shining looked at the others, all nodding in confirmation. He sighed, and looked down to Twilight.

“I can't stand the thought of you and your friends in danger, but if my involvement would make it worse, okay.” He sighed, looking back to the room where the two pegasi waited. He looked back to them, nodding. “I'll see you back at the library before I head back to Canterlot.”

Twilight waved as did the others present as Shining Armour left the building. When the doors closed, Twilight sighed. She slapped her face against the table again, lost in thought once more.

“Fluttershy wants to help out, but she can't escape the nagging fear of death, so she's still in the same area as before. I can't blame her, but Applejack is a different story, according to Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said.

They all looked over to Rainbow, just in time for her to sigh and spread her forelegs out on the table.

“Applejack says she doesn't want to be reminded of omnipotent beings after what happened with Discord. She's shutting out the truth,” Rainbow said, slapping her own face onto the table.

“Oh no! That's horrible news,” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

“I think we need to go talk to her, and force her to acknowledge the truth,” Rarity said.

Twilight shook her head and threw her notes across the room. “This entire ordeal is wrecking all of our nerves, and mentioning that it may not be a coincidence to those two was a bad idea. Fluttershy would have gotten scared, of course, but Applejack is honestly stubborn. If she thought she was in danger or her family and friends were in danger, she'd try the solution that helps her take all the blame,” she said.

“How is hiding at home taking the blame?” Rainbow asked, retrieving Twilight's notes.

Sighing, Twilight sat up. “The mention of those close to Rarity dying got to her. She's close to Rarity, and if she dies, we'd have to live with it and try and cope without her. She thinks that ignoring the truth that something could be up is going to help her stay alive. It may be true, but it's causing a rift between us to grow.”

“I see what you mean. So many ponies thought that I was entering a depression regarding the deaths of those close to me,” Rarity said. “I'm glad that I cleared that up, but I haven't seen much of Applejack at all, not even at our Pony Pet Play dates. Fluttershy still arrives just fine.”

The entire group sighed, collectively, and Twilight looked back to the room. She stood up and trotted to the meeting room and peeked her head into the door.

“You're free to go for now, but don't go back to Las Pegasus. I still have some questions,” Twilight said while the two pegasi groaned. “I can pay for your bed and breakfast, or if you prefer, you could stay at the library with Spike and I.”

They shook their head. “Nah, we'll pay for a hotel ourselves.” They stood up and Twilight raised a hoof to argue before sighing.

“See you next time,” she said as they passed the table.

“Sees ya,” they said while leaving.

Twilight plopped back down at the table, snout inches away from her notes. She looked at the writing from the awkward angle, and sighed again. She raised her head and read the notes regarding death and the killer notebook. She tilted her head, raising an eyebrow. She looked down at her notes and reread everything. She had an idea, which caught the attention of the others. They saw Twilight's excited, curious expression, and leaned in closer for the eventual revelation. Twilight looked straight at them, not smirking but not frowning either. She looked back at her notes, then back at the others. They raised eyebrows, waiting in suspense.

“C'mon, spit it out, Twi,” Rainbow said.

Twilight looked directly at Rainbow and the others. “I get it. This is it. These deaths are strings of murder!” Twilight exclaimed.

The other three looked at each other and then back at Twilight. “What do you mean?”

She shook her head, groaning. “We need to speak with Spike and the Princess immediately!”

Retiring

“What do you mean we have to see Spike and Princess Celestia?” Rainbow asked, trotting through town with the other three.

“You're right. I need to speak to Shining Armour, first in regards to missing ponies,” Twilight stated.

They began cantering towards the library before spotting Shining Armour coming up to the tree house. Twilight then galloped to her brother, stopping right in front of him.

“Yes, Twilight?” he asked, attempting to walk around her.

“No, don't go back to the library. I don't want Spike to be involved,” Twilight responded, pointing to another part of town.

Shining Armour looked, shrugging in confusion. Twilight quickly galloped towards the Carousel Boutique with the other four following. Making way to Rarity's bedroom, Twilight practically dove into the floor before looking at her notes one more time.

“Shining Armour, you gave me a list of ponies missing on my behalf, and I asked you to get information from several civilians in Ponyville, and hinted that you should direct questions to the topic of Rarity. Did you?” she asked, looking through all of her notes.

“Um, yes I did. I haven't looked at them since they're about Rarity,” he said, levitating a few envelopes from underneath his armour.

Twilight snatched them and tore them open, muttering a thank you as she distributed them between the ponies present. Twilight looked up at the others to see their waiting expressions.

“Mention anything regarding Rarity in terms of criticism and/or praise, no matter how small,” she demanded. They nodded, and Twilight cleared her throat. “Please.”

The group started reading through the data, slowly and carefully. Twilight was the most concentrated, staring at the paper with a fierce glare. She scanned each word she wrote over the past few weeks while her friends and brother took much longer.

“Two colts praised Rarity's looks. Age is no older than Sweetie Belle. Went missing months ago,” Pinkie responded.

“One mare declared Rarity to be a drama queen,” Rainbow snorted.

Rarity glared at Rainbow quickly before looking down at the sheet. “Three stallions commented crudely regarding my appearance before, strangely, leaving the park they were in and haven't been seen since,” she said.

“A stallion went missing four days after he stated his negative opinion on Rarity's dresses,” Shining Armour said.

Twilight opened her mouth and immediately closed it, looking at her file. Looking up to the others, she spoke. “Wait a minute.” The others looked at her. “Rarity, what was that you said?”

Rarity looked at her book nervously for a second. “Um, I said three stallions had made a crude comment regarding my physical appearance before leaving the park right after, and they haven't been seen since. They headed towards the Everfree Forest,” she said.

Twilight closed her notebook and put her list of comments down. “Shining Armour, I want you to have your guards comb parts of the forest that are safe,” she demanded, standing up.

He chuckled. “Hey, who's captain of the Royal Guard here?”

Twilight walked by without so much as a glance, the data in tow. “You are, so prove it and mobilize your troops, please.” She quickly opened the door and went downstairs.

The others got up and followed her. She trotted out the door and turned towards the Everfree Forest. Rainbow flew up next to her while the others cantered. Shining Armour took a different direction towards Town Hall.

“Hey, where are you going?” Rainbow asked. “Wait, you're going to Fluttershy's house?”

“Yes. She could have seen them, and if not, we can get her to communicate with the animals to find the bodies. If we can confirm that they're dead, and together, we may have another potential murder on our hooves,” Twilight said. She looked up to Rainbow. “Fly to Fluttershy's house and quickly ask her. Do not let up, even if she doesn't want to talk about it. This is important.”

“Got it!” Rainbow replied before speeding towards Fluttershy's cottage.

Twilight looked at Pinkie Pie and Rarity. “Rarity, could you go check on Spike for me? I'll...” She stopped, shaking her head. “No, as much as I'm sure Spike thinks low of you and I right now. I have to steer this investigation forward, and you going could potentially put Spike in danger.” She exhaled as they ran down the path towards Fluttershy's cottage.

“And if this is murder at play, and if my son is killed, I will relentlessly hunt down the one responsible, and kill him myself,” Twilight growled.

The three of them slowed to a trot as Pinkie Pie and Rarity exchanged uneasy glances and looked ahead. Twilight stopped in front of the bridge near Fluttershy's cottage. She looked back to Pinkie Pie, nodding.

“I'm counting on you to make sure Spike is okay, Pinkie,” she said.

Pinkie didn't respond immediately, but a bright smile grew on her face and she nodded.

“Okie doki loki!” she exclaimed, turning and bouncing into Ponyville.

Twilight smiled, and quickly crossed the bridge. “C'mon, Rarity. Let's see how Rainbow fared,” she said with Rarity following closely.

They knocked on the door, which was opened by Fluttershy. She bore a solemn look on her face, but she knew why they were there. Rainbow was in the background, sitting on a couch, rubbing the back of her head.

“Come on in, girls,” Fluttershy said, stepping out of the way.

The two outside stepped in, closing the door behind them. They were greeted by the typical scent of an animal-traffic area and quickly sat down on the couch next to Rainbow. Fluttershy paced around in front of the table.

“Rainbow told me what's going on.” She looked at the three on the couch, shivering slightly. “Even if I'm scared, if this would help keep Spike and others out of danger, okay. I'll do it,” she said, looking to the animals in her home.

“I'm so sorry to bring you into this, Fluttershy, but this is too large for us to handle normally. It's definitely not a coincidental string of accidents, but a chain of murders. I'm so sorry, and I'm very thankful for your cooperation, Fluttershy.” Twilight stood up and walked to Fluttershy.

She set a hoof on Fluttershy just as her head drooped and she started shaking. She was sobbing, and Rarity and Rainbow quickly jumped up and hugged Fluttershy.

“I'm so s-sorry for being scared. I'm so sorry!” she cried, quickly wiping her tears away.

“It's alright, Fluttershy. All of us are in danger since we even know Rarity, and are in danger moreso since we're actively searching,” Twilight said.

“And as I said before, if anypony attempts to hurt you, I'll rip them to shreds,” Rainbow exclaimed.

“Ditto,” Rarity said.

Twilight, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity proceeded back to Town Hall where the met with Shining Armour immediately. He explained that his guards were searching for missing ponies, and nothing more.

“Twilie, how'd things go with Fluttershy?” Shining Armour asked.

“She cooperated pretty easily, according to Rainbow Dash. She's got her animal friends to scour the forest in search of the missing ponies. If we find other missing ponies, that's a bonus, but I'm concerned about the three missing ponies mentioned. If we discover them dead, together, and use what we know to discover the time of death, we can confirm one thing,” Twilight said, smirking.

“Creepy, confident Twilight grin is good news. That, or you've snapped. Go on, Twi. 'splain,” Rainbow said, leaning towards Twilight.

“We can confirm that it's the killer book of legend at play, and that makes discovering the culprit a hundred times easier. We can use the method of murder to zero in on the one responsible,” Twilight said.

“The killer book? How did you deduce that?” Rarity asked.

“The coincidental deaths all relating to an accident, and relating to Rarity is too precise for Tarot cards and if those three stallions really did die in the same area, we can use that to back up the theory that it was somepony writing their names down, and following several of the legends, is able to specify the details of death.” Twilight tapped her notes on the desk. “All that's happened up to now as well as the scenarios planned in my head... it's an eighty percent chance that it's the killer book, and again, we can use what he know, including the fact that most of the victims were involved with Rarity, to execute a plan I have.”

“Spikey, c'mo~n, don't ya wanna play Jenga with Pinkie?” Pinkie asked, slapping a box down on a table.

“No, I don't want to play any games Pinkie Pie,” I replied, slapping the box off the table.

“Well, aren't we being a grumpy goose today! We're gonna have to fix that,” Pinkie said, reaching behind her to reveal a game of Candyland. She slapped it on the table, and I sighed, resisting the urge to incinerate the table. “C'mon, frowny pants! Just one game?”

I shook my head. “No, Pinkie. I don't want to play any games. I just want to read a bit, maybe go help Rarity with a dress.” I bit my lip. “I want to hang out with my mother for once, I don't want to be stuck in this crummy old library, alone, for another stupid day.” I stood up.

“I WANT MY MOTHER, PINKIE! I don't want any lies, I want to see her. I don't care if I have to fake a letter from Princess Celestia and come up with some year-long assignment. I don't want to be ignored anymore.” I slammed a fist onto the table. “She keeps running off with Rarity, doing Celestia knows what, ignoring me at home, and I...”

Once more, the paranoia struck my nervous centre. I didn't even see the look of pity and sadness on Pinkie's face, or her bouncy attitude deflating. Like the whiny baby I am, I started crying once more. “I killed somepony, and she doesn't even care!” Somepony? White lie. I've killed many, but it's starting to reach it's peak.

The murders were the start. I couldn't keep it up forever, could I? Killing others? Certainly not, but was it worth it in the end? I could have let Rarity sort it out and learn her lesson hard, and that's the best way to learn lessons. I could have left her to seek her lover out on her own, and love him with all her heart until the scumbag broke her fragile little heart. She was tough, but was letting her be hurt worth it? What about any of this was worth it? The Death Note has driven me over the edge ever since I found it.

Twilight could be the one investigating the murders. She could be piecing together that I'm behind it. Would she love me then? Or would she cast me to the side? It's a laughable thought that I could maintain my sanity, Twilight's love, protect Rarity, and expect to get off scot-free. This isn't a perfect world, or else I wouldn't have had to kill anypony.

But the thing is, Twilight was my mother. She would protect me through anything, and everything. She was the most loving parent in all of Equestria, and if she found out what I'd done... whether or not she hated me, or wanted me dead, I'd get on my hands and knees and beg for forgiveness. I'd apologize until she forgave me, anything to earn her respect. I couldn't get the image of Blackhoof's death out of my head. It was getting worse and worse, and I was finding sleep more of a chore than time to recharge my energy. I hated it, and I hated what I had become.

This wasn't the Spike my friends knew and loved. The Spike who cracked jokes about silly names when affected by Poison Joke, or the one that fought against the Diamond Dogs. This Spike... me, is a murderous bastard that can't save anypony with his own power, and plunged his friends into depression, chaos, and death. My own mother was working her hardest to take me down.

I slammed both fists onto the table top over and over again, crying like a lost foal. Twilight could have been working her hardest to bring me to justice,

“Silly, you didn't kill anypony! It was only an accident. Nopony blames you for what happened,” Pinkie Pie responded, trying to lighten the mood with a laugh.

I shot up to my feet and pointed accusingly at her. “THEN WHY DOESN'T SHE LOVE ME ENOUGH TO TAKE CARE OF ME!?” I shouted, not understanding my volume.

It dawned on me then how tall I was, since I stood taller than Pinkie Pie. I grit my teeth, growling as the tears flowed down my face. I let out several aggravated screams, and I looked down. I crouched and swung an arm out, grabbing an edge of the small table, and I flung it across the room to Pinkie Pie's shock. I spun around and staggered to the stairs leading to my bed. I couldn't even see where I was going due to the tears and how much I swayed. I fell on the staircase, and curled up once more.

“Mommy, stop it,” I muttered, trying to wipe my face dry with my arms.

Pinkie galloped across the room and looked down at me sympathetically. She sat down on the stairs and lifted me, holding me in her forelegs. I didn't fight back or scream, letting her have free reign. I choked out sobs while I struggled to refrain from screaming.

I killed them all! It's not worth it! None of this was ever worth it! Rarity could protect herself! I gave up my life for no reason! NONE OF IT WAS WORTH IT! My mother is going to hate me! She's going to kill me! No, she'll watch me die! I'm going to be executed! She said she'd protect me! SHE LIED!

I continued arguing with myself in my head, comforted slightly by Pinkie Pie's attitude. It was peppy, bright, cheery, and showed no depression. She wanted me to smile, and she wasn't going to leave me until she did. A damn good friend if I ever saw one.

“I'm sorry, Pinkie! I'll play Candyland with you. Using Jenga pieces,” I said, pushing myself to my feet.

“It's fine, Spike. You shouldn't keep your feelings bottled up like that, because bottles are glass, so when they burst, shards fly everywhere and then you have to spend five minutes cleaning up when you could be playing,” she said, cantering across the room to pick up the table.

I looked over at my bed, reminding myself of why I just broke down. I looked away and sighed.

“Could we play downstairs?”

“They've found the three stallions, together, in the Everfree forest. Fluttershy's animals found the bodies and the Royal Guards retrieved them,” Shining Armour said.

“Excellent. The date of death?” Twilight asked, looking at medical records on the three.

“Either the same day or the day after they disappeared.” Shining Armour slapped the report on their deaths.

Twilight would have smirked if it weren't for the subject. “Bingo.” She slapped the notes onto the table.

Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Shining Armour, and Twilight all surrounded the table. Twilight sighed, looking at the stacks of notes, documents, records, files, and other things lying at the table.

“This is murder, the murder book is involved, and now, we have to find out who is behind it,” Twilight said.

Pinkie Pie slapped her hoof on the table, startling the others.

“Twilight, I need to speak with you seriously. Spike has cried his heart out yesterday because he still believes that he killed Golden Shutter, and thinks that is why you're ignoring him!” Pinkie exclaimed angrily. Twilight's eyes widened and she sat up in her chair, looking at Pinkie. “He thinks that the reason you and Rarity aren't seeing him is because you blame him for murder. I will not stop until you promise me that little Spikey will be your first priority!”

Twilight sighed, resisting the urge to sob at what was said. “He is, Pinkie. I'm working so hard, because Spike is close to Rarity. Closer than most others that have passed since the start of this fiasco, putting him at the most risk. We can't have him and Rarity interacting too much,” Twilight said, leaning her head onto the table.

“This isn't about Spikey and Rarity, this is about Spikey and Twilighty! You're ignoring him, hiding behind 'I'm protecting him' to justify ignoring him! I don't ever want to see Spike as sad as he was yesterday. He...” Pinkie paused, thinking. “He looked worse than when you went all cuckoo over Friendship Reports!”

“Pinkie, I-”

“No interruptions! You're ignoring your son, leaving him home alone all the time, and you expect him to be fine, or suck it up and accept that his mother keeps leaving and won't tell him why? Be a smarty smart pants, and talk to him after this!” Pinkie shouted, slamming a hoof onto the table again.

Twilight exhaled. “I understand. I'll take a break tomorrow, since we've made a major breakthrough. We only need to instigate my plan, and we'll have the one responsible for this fiasco.”

Sitting home alone was boring beyond belief. I sat, coloured, made crafts, and never once thought about the notebook. I wanted it gone, but I couldn't just get rid of it. It's more complicated than that. I can't keep my guilt hidden forever, so I'd confess someday. But for now, I focused on this terrible colouring job of Princess Celestia. Not only did I lazily colour outside the lines, but I coloured her pink. Of course.

I heard the door downstairs open and close at the same time as previous days, and I thought nothing good.

“A terrible mother coming home from her girlfriend's house,” I said out loud.

“Is that what you think of me?”

I turned my head slowly to see Twilight standing at the door to the room, looking directly at me with a solemn look on her face. Her eyes were puffy as if she was crying. I wanted to run up to her and beg her to never leave. I knew it wasn't possible, but I wanted to try so much. I opted to look away bitterly, and continue my terrible colouring.

“Spike, I'm sorry I haven't been here lately,” she said, slowly walking towards me.

“Your girlfriend certainly isn't,” I snapped back, breaking my crayon tip.

Sighing, I began sharpening the crayon with my claw. Twilight didn't respond and walked over, sitting down next to me. I wanted to stab her with the crayon, lethal or not, for putting me through this paranoia... her fault or not. She kept leaving, going to Rarity's, coming back in time for dinner then bed... what was I supposed to think? Would I kill her? Thought never crossed my mind. I meant it when I said I didn't think of the Death Note.

“'Pinklestia,' I take it?” she asked.

“Yeah, I figured since the page is already white, and it's a colouring book, I'd do it like that,” I responded half-heartedly.

“I think it's funny. I'd love to show Princess Celestia. Maybe we could convince her to get a pink coat makeover,” she giggled.

Whether I wanted to or not, I giggled along with the thought of a Pink Celestia. I finished sharpening my crayon and continued my Pinklestia makeover, almost in silence. Eventually, Twilight wrapped a foreleg around my body, and caressed my side. It was calming, and I'm pretty sure she could feel how tense I was. I was jittery, paranoid, and shivering like an addict all day.

“Spike, have I ever told you how stupid I am?” she asked.

I stopped colouring, feeling my wrist trembling. I shook my head, refusing the tears to flow yet again. I continued colouring outside of the lines, and Twilight continued.

“Twilight Sparkle is an anti-social, party animal-wannabe, with friends who value her as the problem solver and voice of reason, and a son she doesn't deserve,” she said, voice trembling throughout the sentence.

“I don't deserve a mother at all,” I responded, dropping the crayon. “I'm a dragon, in pony society... and I killed a pony.”

“No! You did not, Spike,” Twilight shot back. “You deserve a mother more than anypony I know! You're the only civilized dragon in Equestria, and the only other dragon's you've met haven't done anything but terrorize you. You deserve a mother more than I deserve friends!” She wrapped her other foreleg around me, and I felt my entire body shaking.

“Equestria could hate you. Princess Celestia could announce a bounty on your head. Rarity herself could want you out of her life. It wouldn't matter. I would fight against everything if it meant making you happy, Spike,” she said, pressing her head against mine.

I wrapped my arms around her, and started to cry once more. Apparently, it was a week of crying like dumb foals, but I still did it anyways. Nothing wrong with crying, and with the stress, I could use another good cry.

“Mommy, I just want you home more often! I'm scared, you keep going out, leaving me here, going to see Rarity, what happened to my place in the group? Is it because I don't fit in with adults?” I asked. Twilight tightened her grip on me. “Is it because I'm-”

“I love you, Spike,” she said, cutting me off.

I began vocally crying, holding the mare that loved me regardless of what I thought and how I acted. I felt her gentle touch on my back, soothing me like a foal yet again. All of this stress, and paranoia, was really starting to ruin us both. I'm the moron who accepted the Death Note without thinking things through, and now I'm paying for it.

“I love you too, mommy. Can you at least tell me why you're going out?” I asked, wanting to sort out the charade.

“Spike...” She let go, leaning back. I let go too, wiping my eyes. We looked at each other, me waiting, her sighing. “The deaths regarding Blueblood, Blackhoof, and several others are murders.”

My eyes widened, and my jaw dropped. How did she find out!? And... she is leading an investigation!

“And they're using a killer book that kills others when you write their name in it... and I'm going to find out who it is with the others help. Why?” She looked outside to the setting sun.

I turned away, hiding my horrified expression. My paranoia just came true then, and I was doing well to hold up.

“Because the victims are related to Rarity, and looking at the details, you're the one at the highest risk here.”

I walked around the main room of the library, deep in thought regarding a disturbing breakthrough. I paced through the room, looking outside every few seconds. I sighed, lying down on my small bed.

“Rarity is depressed even more than before,” I said, grabbing a newspaper next to my bed.

I unfolded it and stared at the cover of the Equestria Daily. The headline was loud and clear. The Royal Guards searched, and found more than one thing.

MURDER IN EQUESTRIA?

The article detailed how the guards discovered Snap-trap's body in Ghastly Gorge, further away from where his carriage was. What was worse, was that the three I sent to suicide a few weeks ago were discovered. I didn't know how they found them or even how they discovered it was murder, but I wasn't the same since I saw the article. Twilight discovered, and dubbed it murder.

I sprawled myself out over the bed, hanging my head over the edge of the basket. I looked at the upside down door, sighing. I closed my eyes, attempting to sort through the mess in my head.

“Murder. This is murder. The officials wonder if it's murder, and the leader of this apparent investigation think it's murder. What I thought last week? Wrong. This is murder. I'm committing murder. Offing the scumbags. Retaliation of the most extreme kind.” I clenched my eyes shut, and my nose trembled. “I've been ending ponies lives recklessly. What gave me the right? Certainly not natural selection,” I said.

I grit my teeth, feeling my entire body tense up. The nagging feeling in my chest has only grown, and it wasn't the Death Note. I felt a tugging in my chest that made it hard to breathe, and my head started to hurt. Suddenly, I felt a heaving in my stomach, and I rolled over on the bread and emptied my lunch onto the floor next to my bed. I coughed several times, shaking my head before struggling to my feet.

I was physically sick now just from processing it all. The fear from being caught by the Royal Guards for my murders have driven me over the edge. I keep finding myself checking my shoulder every few seconds, for guards, and a God of Death to show up. I'm sure my shifty attitude was suspicious... maybe citizens ignored it because of the accident I witnessed.

Yeah... 'accident.' Twilight seemed to be the one behind the investigation for these deaths. She was able to deduce they weren't accidents and tragic deaths. She was spending time with the others, searching the deaths. My questions are, how did she come to the conclusion?

Resolve

I murdered a Prince of Equestria. Murdered a boyfriend. Numerous times. Killed several ex-boyfriends. Killed an innocent pony. Killed scumbags. Killed the kidnapper of my Rarity. My sweet, lovely angel. And I killed my peace of mind. Why did I do it all? I wasn't too sure. I think I wanted to protect Rarity, but after nearly kissing Rarity, and hearing her confession, I just wanted that kiss. I wanted to feel it's sweet embrace, washing away my pains and troubles. Her confession made me forget my pain, so I sought out the love she felt for me. I thought that it would wash away my pain, so I chased her. I chased her to the Carousel Boutique, and ran into the doors. I saw Rarity's shadow upstairs, so I ran up there, tracking blood everywhere. I saw her run into a room to the left, so I ran into that room also.

A guest room for Sweetie Belle; it was empty. Window wasn't open. I looked around, feeling oddly calm. I am protecting Rarity, I had no reason to feel guilty. The murders before? Necessary. Golden Shutter? Trial and error; you learn from your mistakes, and I did. I wasn't doing anything wrong, I was protecting many in the name of love. Many; the many faces of Rarity. All of them. Generous, beautiful, charming, seductive, dramatic; all of her faces.

“Rarity? Dear, I don't want you to be scared! Come out dear,” I said, standing on my backlegs.

I belched out the Death Note, and used the blood practically oozing off my arm. I opened it up and the blood slowly dripped onto the notebook. I grew another inch, and my spines sharpened into blades.

“I won't hide it anymore. I want to have an honest relationship. Please? I killed them. I don't like it, and I don't want to, but I have to. Tonight was proof! You need protection, and this tool lets me!” I checked the closet of the room, finding nothing. I poked my head in. “Ra~rity! I love you! I need you to love me! I need you to understand why! Twilight will protect me, so I must protect you! It is a circle of love, and it will always return to you!”

I stopped speaking, and turned around. I looked around frantically, starting to hyperventilate.

“Ra-Rarity? Come o-on out, my l-love. Please, you love me!” I walked to the door, noticing it closed after I swung it open. I growled. “OUT OF MY WAY!” I shouted, kicking the wooden door in.

I ran down the stairs and took a corner into the kitchen. I looked around before flicking on the light. I felt tears stinging my eyes, and I felt the panic returning. I started breathing eratically, and I opened the cupboards.

“Rarity? Did you lie to me? You couldn't lie! I...” I stopped, remembering her face earlier. “You were in tears? You cried? Who made you cry? Was it Blue Star? I killed him already! The bad pony is gone!”

I flipped through the pages of the Death Note, looking at all the names I killed.

“It's easy, you just gotta say what the ladies wanna hear, and they'll be giving you access to their beds in no time at all.”

“Did it hurt? Your face screamed pain, right? I'm sorry! I had to kill you! You were going to hurt her. Ha! She doesn't deserve pain!” I shouted, closing the Death Note.

“GET OUT YOU LYING, MISERABLE EXCUSE FOR A BOYFRIEND!” a voice rang through my head.

“Yes, you told that bastard your thoughts! He hurt you, and you decided his fate!” I shouted again, holding the Death Note on the new page once more, regardless of the blood drips.

I ran out of the boutique, stumbling as I did. My head felt dizzy and my mind was numb. I looked around the area, seeing the streets almost barren. A trail of blood followed me into the boutique as the blood dripped off me on my way there. I followed it back to the forest with my gaze, and saw a lavender mare running towards me. She had tears on her face, and she slowed down upon seeing me. She almost cowered immediately, and the silence only made it worse. Crickets chirping in the background, and clopping in the distance. I saw her, and smiled. I dropped the Death Note and ran up to Twilight. She took several steps back, shaking her head. I reached my arms out and knelt down, lifted Twilight off the ground, and hugged her.

“Mommy! I am so glad you're here! The bad pony kidnapped Rarity, but I got him! I can't find Rarity, though! I need to find my love, Twilight!” I shouted, setting Twilight down gently.

I turned and ran back to where I dropped the Death Note. I looked at it and turned around, seeing Twilight's shock at the note' cover.

“Twilight, I'm a flippin' hero! I protected Rarity with this!” I said, walking forward and flipping the pages open. I wasn't sure what page she saw, but it made her shriek.

“NO! SPIKE! TELL ME THIS IS A SICK JOKE!” she shouted.

I lowered the notebook and my expression of urgency faltered. I looked at her with confusion. Twilight continued shaking her head. I turned the page to see the names of the three ex-boyfriends. I sighed, and closed the notebook.

“Mother, I am so sorry. I never wanted this. I never wanted to kill. I accidentally killed Blueblood. After that, I couldn't stop. I was too far in, and I couldn't stop. I wasn't able to. I knew after I heard Blackhoof badmouthing Rarity, that she would hurt herself,” I said, looking down.

I glanced up to see Twilight's face with tears flowing freely, and she didn't shake her head. Her mouth moved, but no words came out. I resisted the urge to cry myself.

“I had to protect her, mother. I love her. I can't stand seeing her get hurt, and the other ponies...” I shook my head again. “I couldn't let that happen, mother! You told me that everything would work out, but I couldn't wait for that. I had to make sure she was safe,” I said, shaking the Death Note.

“No, Spike. You weren't protecting her. You were hurting her, and us. You hurt me, Spike. I love you so, so much, and I'm willing to die if it meant protecting you, but this? I would never take another pony's life to save you. The only chance of me taking a life would be to extract revenge for you, and that's just out of hot-blooded passion.” She stepped forward, closer to me. I felt my entire composure crack, and I looked down at the Death Note. “I worked so hard to catch the one responsible, Spike. Helping Rarity sleep a good night was a nice goal, cracking open this case and ending these deaths... these murders-”

Murder. This was murder. I murdered Blackhoof in cold blood, and watched his agonized face as he died.

“-no matter the reason, Spike, murder is always wrong. I love you more than anything in the world. I would fight Princess Celestia herself if it would protect you, but,” she said, looking away.

I felt my heart crack and shatter as she spoke. She looked at her hooves, before looking back up at me. Her brow was furrowed, and she sniffled.

“I can't accept this. This is murder, Spike. You've murdered many ponies, and I can't accept that,” she said, stepping closer.

I shook my head, hyperventilating even more. My eyes widened as I looked down at the lavender mare. I coarsely groaned, and my shoulders went tense. I clenched my eyes shut, and felt my body violently shaking. Her voice rang in my head.

“When you’re sick in bed, I’ll be making you soup.”

I deepened the claws on the Death Note's cover, and felt a pang of guilt rising in my chest. That nagging feeling, tugging at my heartstrings. It suffocated me, and I couldn't take it.

“When you’re carrying your bride onto your chariot, I’ll be there to congratulate you.”

I threw my arms, opened my mouth, and prepared to roar, feeling my dry throat bugging me. I felt my anger swirling around like an intense flame.

“Even if Equestria hates you as an adult, I will be there to protect you... at any cost.”

I didn't roar. I swung my arm around blindly, opening my claw and grabbing at what I thought was an appropriate time. I heard the sound of magic, halted instantly as my claws grasped a horn. My head snapped into position, and I saw Twilight's pained, scared expression.

“YOU SAID YOU WOULD PROTECT ME YOU LIAR!” I shouted, lifting Twilight off the ground.

She let out a pained scream as she slapped at my arms with her forelegs. I roared coarsely. I didn't loosen my grip, and I didn't feel remorse. I felt my claws disturbing the skin on her back, and I could see the pain on her face. But I didn't care.

“YOU LET ME USE THE DEATH NOTE! YOU DIDN'T STOP ME! AND NOW YOU BLAME IT ON ME!” I shouted, tossing Twilight away.

She flew pretty far; across the street, and was heading for a corner of a house. A purple glow surrounded her, and she gently touched down on the ground. I looked away to see Shining Armour staring me down, unable to believe what he was seeing. Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie arrived next to Shining Armour, and each of them bore horrified expressions. Rarity didn't look like she was looking at a friend dying, or a friend in pain. She looked at me like a monster, and quickly, Shining Armour stepped forward.

“STAY BACK, GIRLS!” Shining Armour shouted, his horn lighting up and his Royal Guard armour appearing on his body.

“Wait!” Rarity exclaimed, voice cracking.

Shining Armour ignored her, and immediately ran forward, his horn lighting up. I growled, falling on all fours and taking a deep breath. I unleashed an intense green flame that spread in different directions. Shining Armour generated a shield around him, and he jumped into the air. I saw him up, and stopped breathing flames. I leaned back, crossing my arms preparing for Shining Armour's hit. Nothing happened, and I instead felt the ground below me slam into my gut, knocking me up.

Shining Armour landed on the around, and he let out a grunt as his horn lit up once more. I quickly recovered, and realized that even on all fours, I was taller than Shining Armour. I glared at him, feeling the tears evaporating on my hot cheeks. I quickly spat out a gob of fire which impacted the ground right at the base of Shining Armour's legs, and he shouted from the pain. He looked down and quickly extinguished the flames. His leg armour was still steaming, but he ignored it. His horn glowed once more, and I decided no more. I lunged forward, immediately closing the distance. Shining Armour attempted to jump back, but I swung my arm forward, wrapping my claws around his forelegs. The cold metal clashed with my fiery hot body.

He yelped in pain as my grip tightened, cracking his leg armour. He still managed to focus his magic enough to create a flash bang in front of my eyes. I released my grip, instead swing my arm again to throw Shining Armour across the street. He rolled into a set of flower pots, and I felt my eyes struggling to adjust to the darkness after the flash. It was like I wore a pair of sunglasses at nighttime.

“STOP IT!” Rainbow shouted, dashing forward.

I turned my head just as Rainbow tackled me in the neck, wrapping her legs around me and using the momentum to push me over. I stumbled to the left before falling on my side. I felt Rainbow Dash pounding on my neck, but it was more like a constant pinching. It annoyed me, and I stood up effortlessly. I reached my arm up, tearing up again.

“You're loyal to your friends! Why are you attacking me? YOU LIED WITH TWILIGHT,” I shouted, grabbing her with my right claw.

Applejack let out a shout, galloping and bucking me in the wrist. Without even grabbing Rainbow, I retracted my hand, and swatted at Applejack. Applejack was quickly yanked back by a magical presence along with Rainbow Dash. Shining and Twilight yanked the two athletic ponies back. Another pony stepped forward, this recognized as Rarity. She had a pleading look in her eyes that expressed her sadness.

“Spike, please stop!” Rarity exclaimed.

I ignored her, shutting my eyes to try and forget the pain in her eyes. I killed many for her, and now, she's scared of me... no, she's not. She approached me. She wanted me to stop, but I can't. I couldn't. I had gone too far... and Twilight lied to me.

“RAH!” I shouted, swinging my head through the air while blasting fire into the skies.

I aimed at Shining Armour, and he couldn't react as he dropped Rainbow Dash. Instead, another shield appeared in front of him, and my eyes steered to the right to spot Twilight lifting Applejack and shielding Shining Armour at the same time. I stopped blasting fire and faced Twilight fully. Shining Armour's horn lit up again, but Twilight waved her hoof.

“Do not do a darn thing, Shining Armour!” Twilight exclaimed.

Rarity stepped next to Twilight, and before Twilight could object, Rarity raised a hoof. She approached me, taking slow, cautious steps. I would have attempted to roast Twilight again, just to ignore her angered, disappointed glare. Rarity's expression only seemed to have sadness and regret.

“Spike, please stop. This isn't who you are! You're not a murderous, mean dragon,” she said calmly, regardless of the commotion.

I looked to the left of her, seeing Twilight's sad look, then the right to see Shining Armour with a curious expression. The others were scared, unnaturally so. I felt my stomach tying into a knot. My chest felt a huge pressure in it, my heart beating miles a minute. I looked back to Rarity, feeling my anger starting to disappear.

“Murder. It was murder, Rarity. I...” I heard my voice cracking, and I felt the tears steaming on my face. “I... Blueblood... accident. Blackhoof was... he was using you. He was using you for your looks. He was hurting you. And the others were going to as well.” I looked around frantically, realizing that I dropped the Death Note a while back. I reached around and grabbed the Death Note, noticing how I only held it by the tips of my claws or else I'd shred it. I held it in front of Rarity.

“I didn't want to! It was an accident, but I couldn't stop after Blueblood. It was too far, and I couldn't get rid of it! I'd never live with myself! I protected you. I just wanted...” I stopped looking to Twilight. I started choking as I attempted to breathe normally. My arms shook, and the Death Note slipped out of my claws. It dropped to the ground in front of me, open, revealing the pages for the rules. “And now I hurt Twilight. And I hurt you. And I killed Blue Star. And I liked it. I can't stop. I've gone too far. I-” My legs and arms trembled. I opened my mouth to speak, but couldn't. I stumbled forward, ducking down so I was below Twilight and Rarity's heads.

“I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, mom! I didn't mean to, I didn't want to! I couldn't, and I thought you would protect me! I thought you could keep me safe! I'm sorry mom! D-don't hate me!” I shouted, crying. I closed my eyes, and laid flat against the ground. I covered my face, and trembled furiously. “I'm sorry Rarity! I love you so much! I thought I was protecting you. I just... I didn't want you to be hurt by others! I just, and you with the boyfriend, and the pain of...”

I felt two sets of hooves wrapping around my head, and I opened my eyes to see Twilight and Rarity wrapping their forelegs around my head, and I couldn't speak anymore. I sobbed into their arms, and I let out all of the pain I felt up to then. The guilt, the sadness, the regret, and the knowledge that I would be finally paying for what I've done. I felt the emotions reduce me to a weeping foal, and it only served to intensify when Pinkie, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash all wrapped their forelegs around me. Even with the numerous ponies blocking the path, I felt myself looking at the Death Note.

“You're welcome, Spike. I love you.”

“I fell in love, mom. I fell in love, and I've had to watch the one I love grow sadder each and every day.”

“Well, yeah. Nothing major... I just love her, is all.”

I knew love the entire time. I felt it, I received it, and I gave it. My body shrunk, and it continued to shrink. I felt their forelegs wrap around me easier as I continued to shrink until I got to a point where I was eye level with the ponies. It seems this was my true height after months of ageing. I opened my eyes, looking at Twilight. My eyes shot open, and I shoved the others away, and ran backwards towards the boutique. The smaller body reminded me of the Death Note sheets hidden in my scales. I pulled it out, and quickly attempted to start writing name into it. I heard clopping behind me, just as I turned to see Twilight creating a small firework on my hands, launching my Death Note sheet away from me. I fell onto the ground, and Twilight stopped, looking at the sheet.

“What is... 'Spiek teh Doragn?' Spike, you tried writing your name down? You tried to kill yourself?” she asked.

I rolled over, looking at Twilight from behind my bloodied arm. I saw her saddened expression, and she walked over to me. I attempted to scurry backwards, shaking my head. Twilight's horn lit up, and engulfed me entirely. I was lifted off the ground, regardless of my shaking. Twilight's forelegs engulfed me, and I felt even more regret. She was hugging me, holding onto me and nursing me like a foal in pain. I wrapped my arms around her, holding her as tight as I could without choking her. Her cradle provided comfort I couldn't comprehend.

“I l-love you, m-mom. I am so, so sorry!” I choked out.

“I don't care what it is, I will protect you, Spike. Even if it's from you,” Twilight replied, suppressing her sobs. “You're my son, and I would do anything to protect you.

“And now, here we are,” I say as I look at the Death Note.

I avert my gaze and stare at the group. Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Shining Armour... even Princess Celestia and Cadence are here. I sigh while some of them cry at my story. Princess Celestia and Cadence have expressions I can't decipher. Twilight and Rarity both carry saddened expressions.

“Well, Spike, taking the law of Equestria into account, we have every right to execute you,” Princess Celestia says, to which I close my eyes. I sigh instead of argue with Princess Celestia.

Twilight shoots up to her hooves and stares at Celestia. “I will not let you, Princess Celestia. There is no way in Tartarus that I would let that happen,” she says, expressing no fear.

Princess Celestia smiles, while Cadence frowns. I look back and forth between them, wondering what Twilight could possibly do.

“I knew you would say that. It's why I looked at all the rules of the Death Note that you asked me too, and I understand what you want to do,” the Princess replies as she sips her tea.

I raise an eyebrow, looking back to the princess, then back to Twilight. “What could possibly happen? I've done so much,” I say, shaking my head.

I hear hoofsteps, and spot white legs sitting down next to me. I look up and see Rarity's warm smile directing itself straight into my mind. I smile back and lean into her side, closing my eyes to nuzzle her without the room distracting me.

“Twilight, if this is correct, destroying the Death Note will erase all of Spike's memories of the Death Note,” I hear Princess Celestia say.

My eyes open wide, and I look over to her, just as the other ponies present stare at me.

“That will happen?” I ask, wrapping my arms around Rarity.

“Yes, it's true, Princess,” Twilight says, looking at me with her attempt at a warm smile.

“But, if I forget, I wouldn't have learned everything! I...” I look around frantically, checking my body. “I still need to write a Friendship Report! I want to tell you guys what I learned! I don't want to forget this!” I shout, shivering at the same time.

Twilight shakes her head, sadly. Once more, tears fall down my face. I shake my head. “So, all of this I'll just forget?”

I look over to the Death Note, lying on a table in the centre of the room. I didn't feel the guilt I had before... just sadness that I'd forget everything. I look around the room to the others, seeing them all giving me a solemn look. I look back to Twilight as she approaches me.

“Is there really no other way?” I finally ask. “Won't I forget everything else that's happened?”

Twilight shakes her head. “It states only your memory of the Death Note. Everything else will be untouched,” she says.

I looked to the others, seeing reassuring smiles. I look back to Rarity, seeing a tearful smile of her own. She reaches a hoof out, touching my cheek tenderly. I reach my hand up, caressing her hoof. Looking back to Twilight, I smile.

“Okay.”

Twilight levitates the Death Note as well as a metal bin. She sets the metal bin on the table, and levitates the Death Note in front of me. I look at her, confused.

“Would you like to do it, Spike?” she asks.

I look through the open window, staring at the setting sun. The gentle breeze blew through my face, and I closed my eyes. This sensation is very calming, and reminds me of the fact that I have a life. A life my friends are giving back to me. A second chance, and I couldn't be happier. I turn back to Twilight, grabbing the Death Note. I stare back down at the cover, spotting the words.

DEATH NOTE

My three claw marks are on the left side of the cover, reminding me of my rage.

“YOU SAID YOU WOULD PROTECT ME YOU LIAR!”

I smirk, shaking my head. “You didn't lie to me, mom. I was being stupid,” I say, looking directly at her. She opens her mouth, but I raise a claw. “Thanks, mom.” I say, looking to the others. “Rainbow Dash, Applejack, I'm sorry I grabbed you. I don't know what would have happened if you two didn't jump in.” They both smile, no malice visible at all. I look over to Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. “I'm sorry I stole your yearbook, and scared you, Fluttershy.” Like the others, they smiled, even if Fluttershy still expresses fear. I nod, and look to Princess Celestia and Cadence. “Princesses, I am so sorry for what I did. I am so sorry I took Blueblood away from you.”

“Spike, it was an accident. This entire ordeal was an accident, and I want you to know, I don't hold any resentment towards you,” Celestia replies.

“Nor do I, Spike,” Cadence follows up.

I smile, looking back to Rarity. I feel some regret once more, and sigh.

“Rarity, I never wanted to hurt you. Even if I forget everything that has happened, I want you to know...” I start choking, feeling my tears flow once more. “I will always love you. Even if I don't act like it all the time, or if I don't...” I paused.

The tingly feeling. I quickly massaged my belly, feeling a tingle begin to intensify. Finally, I belch out a small box with a small dent on the top.

“Rarity, I got this for you several months ago. You were talking about Blackhoof, and I felt betrayed. I didn't give it to you, and I ran home like a sobbing filly.” I look up to see Rarity's bottom lip trembling, reminding me of the situation. “I threw it at a trash bin, before pulling myself together. I picked it up, and right there is when I found the Death Note. I ran home, thought it was a crude Rainbow Dash prank. I thought about who I would kill, not knowing it was a supernatural notebook.”

I opened up the box, revealing the flame-shaped ruby inside. I held it out towards Rarity, and looked over to the Death Note in my hand.

“This ruby, I looked and got specifically for you.” I tightened my grip on the notebook, and felt heat intensify. The Death Note started to burn, and I tossed it into the metal bin. “I love you, and I jus-”

She cuts me off with a kiss, completely surprising me. Rarity is kissing me. I closed my eyes, relax, and lean in myself, feeling her soft lips on my own. I'm feeling joy unlike any I've ever had before, and I don't feel guilty. Rarity pulls back a small distance, and whispers.

“I love you, Spike the Dragon.”

I smile, looking at her teary face. “Smile for me, Rarity. I don't want to see you sad ever again.” I lean back in, kissing her once more. I wrap my arms around her, and enjoy it as much as possible. I'm oblivious to the obvious looks of happiness, sadness, and such behind me, and I feel my head growing heavy. My eyes close on me, regardless of what I want. Behind me, the Death Note burns into a crisp, and finally, I fall unconscious, held onto by the arms of my love.

“So, that's how you end this? I figured you mortals would have learned after the last pony abused the notebook thousands of years ago. It took one lynching to solidify it's place as a legend. You mortals are certainly interesting... your free will, and power to change the world is incredible... and I'm sure these ponies know this lesson well; you alone, cannot change the world. Goodbye, Equestria.”

“Spike, are you done yet?” I hear my mothers voice call out.

“One sec, mom!” I shout.

I quickly stash my clothes and various books into the suitcase and attempt to close it, struggling against the tight fit. I grunt as I lean onto it, using my weight to press it closed.

“Need some help?” Twilight asks, obviously watching me struggle.

Sighing, I slide off my suitcase and turn to her. “Yeah, yeah.”

She smirks, and her horn lights up. The suitcase opens up, the items inside fly out and fold up quickly before being placed into the suitcase, and then it closes normally with no hassle. I shake my head, sighing.

“You're great, mother,” I say, shaking my head at her display.

“I am pretty great, yeah,” she replies, giggling.

I walk over to it, picking it up before looking up at the bedroom. It has a mystifying atmosphere that suddenly made it hard to leave. The tree was so familiar and reminiscent of something that's eluding my mind, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

“Shame Final Flash died. Rarity really needed a break,” I say, saluting as the sunrise peaks through the window. It gave the room a golden brilliance unmatched by anything I've ever seen. Mornings were great.

“... at least she's getting one now. I'm so excited that the others agreed to come with us on the Zebra homeland vacation!” Twilight exclaims, clopping her hooves.

I smirk. “Yeah, I just can't believe that I'm going to be with Rarity on a twenty-four/seven basis.”

I feel a weird sensation in my head, to which I quickly respond by rubbing my temple. Twilight looks at me as I stare at my bed.

“Something wrong, Spike?” she asks.

I don't catch her nervous glance, focusing on the pain. I sigh after I realize it wasn't leaving, and turn to her.

“I just feel like I forgot something important, mom. Like there's a gap in my memory,” I say, chuckling sheepishly.

She chuckles as well, waving a hoof. “C'mon, we're already keeping the others waiting.”

She walks down the stairs, and I sigh. I look back at the room, specifically at my bed. I have this weird, nagging feeling in my chest. I shake it off, etching in the memory of the last time I'll see the room for the next month. I nod, smiling at the warm scenery.

“I'll need a bigger bed, soon. Old one's too small,” I say before turning and walking into the stair case. I give the room one more look, shaking off the weird feeling in my head, locked the door, and closed it.

The nightmare was over.

THE END

I would like to thank every person who read this story from beginning to end, who wrote a comment/review, offered opinions, and such. This story is my most popular to date, either because it's a Death Note crossover, my followers have escalated, or because I was just that damn good. This wouldn't have been possible without you guys. I would also love to thank my editor, Static Shock.

Thanks for everything you guys,
Arby Works.

Regret - The Promise

THIS IS A NON-CANON ALTERNATE ENDING. THIS WILL NOT FACE EDITS, NOR DOES IT COUNT AS PART OF THE STORY

---Twilight fulfills her promise.---

Links to an off-site source:
Pony Fiction Archive
Fanfiction.net

OOC: Live Reading

FOR THOSE THAT CARE, this story now has a live reading at two parts so far covering the first two chapters. Go and give the guy some likes, favourites and subscriptions to give him the drive and motivation to continue:

~Arby Works~

The Scaled Tower

The new story starts now.

Revenge

I'm no longer in charge. Whatever I felt when I dragged Twilight to Canterlot was gone. Now, Twilight was in charge. Her mind is excellent, and because of her smarts, she had her friends, her brother, and even Princess Celestia under her command. She read into everything, pinpointed murder as the topic here, and is now the reason for my paranoia. Equestria was in a tiff because of these murders, and so far, only Twilight and the gang along with Shining Armour and Princess Celestia know that the deaths all involve Rarity. Twilight told me everything the previous day. Why she was gone, why she left during the party at Sugar Cube Corner, everything.

What really made it hurt was telling me that she would make sure the one responsible for the murders got what he deserved, and then tell me that she would protect me at all costs, even if she died. That was it. I would be hiding from her the rest of my life, and she would continue hunting me down until I was caught. Getting rid of the Death Note was impossible, because I would never live with myself, and keeping it only provoked me into using it. I couldn't kill the others, especially not Twilight or Rarity. They were everything to me, yet both of them were trying to hunt me down.

Twilight never told me she was planning to capture me, no. I learned that later. She just told me she'd be busy the next few days, and lo and behold, I was alone yet again. I understood more and felt comforted that I knew what Twilight was doing, but had a different fear in mind. This one I knew, and knew would be addressed soon. I would have to confront Twilight soon.

“Twilight, something has happened!” Rainbow shouted, touching down in the library.

Turning, Twilight set down a vacation guide booklet. She saw the exhausted look on Rainbow's face and immediately hid her perky smile.

“What is it?” Twilight asked, standing up. “Wait.” She looked around the library. “Spike, are you here?” Twilight and Rainbow looked around the library, hearing nothing. “He's not here. Proceed.”

Clearing her throat, Rainbow began. “Two stallions that went to school with Rarity years ago have been discovered dead,” Rainbow said.

Gritting her teeth, Twilight walked towards the doors. “I assume they've had a bad relationship?”

Rainbow looked at a notebook and nodded. “The two of them had a bad break up with Rarity. One cheated on her, while the other called her a wh-”

“Don't need to use the vulgar terms, Rainbow. Just need to know if they had a bad relationship,” Twilight said as they left the library, Rainbow sighed as she floated after. “Anything else?”

“Yeah, they died seven days after each other at the same time of each day, and...” Rainbow sighed. Twilight raised an eyebrow as the Carousel Boutique came into view. “There were three boyfriends that went to school with her. All three have had a relationship with Rarity, but the third one has yet to die.”

Twilight groaned. “So by that, the third will die seven days from the second. When did the second die?”

“Earlier today. Both of the deaths were work-related accidents. The first, Demetri, worked in Manehatten, selling carts. Earth pony, was on a cart when it went out of control down a hill and crashed into a shop. The second, Craven, was a Unicorn working in Neighagra Falls. Fell down the waterfall when a bridge snapped,” Rainbow said.

They knocked on the door of the boutique, and waited. Twilight looked down to the welcome mat, thinking. She looked over to Rainbow. “The third?”

“Ex-boyfriend number three is named Final Flash. Pegasus pony, works as a photographer for The Archive,” Rainbow said.

“The Archive is taking some prominence in this case, Twilight,” Rarity said as she opened the door.

“So it seems. How are you holding up, Rarity?” Twilight asked as she and Rainbow entered.

“Just fine, dear. As expected, I am shedding some tears,” Rarity said. The three of them sat down at a couch, and Rarity laid her head against the arm. “I may have had some resentment towards them, but they were good friends in the past, and bad breakup or not, we've resolved things since.”

Twilight nodded. “It's likely that this Final Flash is the next to die, and if that's the case, we're going to have to change up destiny,” she said.

“How so, dear?” Rarity asked.

“Work related deaths, meaning that Final Flash is going to die in The Archive offices, or while photographing. We're going to force him not to at any cost, and if he still dies, then we're going to use that to start the plan,” Twilight said, unravelling a scroll on the table. It displayed a huge list of actions, notes, and roles of several ponies. “For the plan, we need Applejack to get her to stop this attitude of hers and pony up.”

Rainbow sat up and slapped a hoof on the table, smirking. “Finally! I can knock some sense into that gal!” she exclaimed.

Twilight facehoofed. “No, that will make things worse. We need to make her see that she's being selfish, and we need to have her see how much Equestria needs her.”

“Saying something like that will only put more weight on her shoulders, Twilight. We need to speak to her calmly, and ask politely for her assistance,” Rarity said, looking at the scroll.

“Right. I want to get Applejack to guard the library, without Spike knowing,” Twilight said.

“Hey, I thought you said you'd tell him everything?” Rainbow asked.

“I did, but this plan requires Spike to be oblivious. We all know that if he knew we were planning to do something as dangerous as this, he'd become involved directly. Everypony in Ponyville knows how far Spike would go to protect Rarity,” she said, looking over to Rarity. She nodded, her expression blank. “And if I died, Spike would go on a manhunt of his own. We've got one shot at this.”

Rarity and Rainbow gulped, nodding as they did. They looked down and read the large scroll. Their expressions showed surprise every now and then, and they looked up after finishing. Rainbow shook her head, rubbing her temples. Rarity looked over at Twilight, the lavender mare looking back with a stern expression.

“You're serious about all of this?” Rarity asked.

“Celestia herself would probably say the same thing,” Twilight responded.

“Well, I've learned to listen to you when it comes to insanity on paper,” Rainbow said. “So, who will be going to smarten Applejack up?”

Twilight looked up at Rainbow with Rarity doing the same. The pegasus pointed a hoof at herself, raising an eyebrow. The unicorns nodded, and Rainbow smirked.

“Alright then! I've got two days to change her mind!” she said, standing up and running for the door.

“Good luck, Rainbow. Remember, Thursday is Spa day this week, so make sure Applejack is ready,” Rarity said, waving.

Rainbow waved her hoof and ran outside, taking off immediately. Twilight closed the door with her magic, and then lifted the scroll into the air. Rarity sighed.

“Twilight, even I could tell something is up. Your plan doesn't mention you or I in it. It relies on Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow, Pinkie and Shining Armour. What is it you're not telling me?” Rarity said.

“Rarity, Final Flash is going to die regardless of what we do, and as much as I don't want to do this, we're going to have to use Spike for this plan,” Twilight said.

Rarity gasped, and looked back down at the scroll. She looked back and forth between it and Twilight.

“You mean... Spike is going to be in direct danger?”

Twilight nodded. Rarity shook her head. “No! We can't use him! If he dies, I won't... that's why you wanted the library monitored! Why we need Spike oblivious! You're going to use him as bait. Twilight, I can't believe you!” Rarity shouted, standing up. She furrowed her brow and bared her teeth.

“Rarity, I don't want to do this, and with what I'm doing, Spike should come to no harm. We all know what's on the line here, and Spike's obliviousness is exactly what we need for this to work,” Twilight responded, standing up.

“But what if he dies, Twilight? What am I supposed to do?” Rarity said, holding a hoof on her forehead.

“If he dies, I won't stop until his killer dies too,” she responded. “Now, we need to go to the library. You write a letter, and beg Final Flash to come to Ponyville. Use express Pegasi delivery. Mark it as urgent, call it a favour for Princess Celestia, anything to get him down to Ponyville. The plan starts in two days,” Twilight said, rolling up the scroll.

Rarity sighed. “Alright, Twilight,” she said, her voice cracking.

I sat at the top of the staircase, listening just as Rainbow informed Twilight of the two stallions deaths. Twilight left without much of a reaction to it, but I knew that she'd bring it up somewhere else. She was going to utilize it in some plan, but I didn't know how. I ran up the other staircase and grabbed the Death Note, not giving it so much as a look as I hid it with my flame breath. I ran down the stairs and to Twilight's work desk. I contemplated writing right there, but I stopped. I turned and ran towards the basement door, flinging it open and running down. I turned on the lights and practically tore off the locks, not caring that I broke them. I opened each door, closing when I didn't find what I wanted.

I looked over to the machine Twilight modified to detect Pinkie Sense, and I bit my lip, looking frantically around the room before spotting a notebook with a diagram of the machine. I opened it up and spotted all the modifications and additions Twilight has given it. Things for scanning minds for brain-waves, an addition for testing reaction time, something for scanning magic in an object... and that was what I needed. It would scan it and be able to detect the type of magic it had, no matter how small and relate it to the source. Twilight used it once when testing out the effects of my magical flame breath on scrolls, and discovered it had the distinct connection to me.

I ran over to the machine and looked at the various lights on it, trying to remember how Twilight set it up. The helmet she slapped on Pinkie previously sat on top, and I remembered what Twilight did. She put the parchment into a slot on the machine and it came out with another machine printing the results. I opened the Death Note after retrieving it, and ripped out a sheet with Blueblood's name on it. I jammed it into the slot, and the machine kicked to life. I flipped the switch on another machine, and it prepared to scan the results. The Death Note sheet slid into the machine, and I sighed. It would print out the general area of the magic's origin, but not an exact area. Twilight sent me to the Carousel Boutique, and the machine pinpointed the flame-sent parchment to the Carousel Boutique, and Celestia's tower in Canterlot. Pretty nifty.

Since it was going to take a while, I hid the Death Note once more and ran upstairs, shutting the lights off and closing the doors. I ran out of the library and took a turn for Sugar Cube Corner. I ran nonstop and burst into the front doors of the shop, disregarding the 'Be Back Soon' sign hanging up and ran up stairs to Pinkie Pie's room.

Looking back, Pinkie Pie went to school with Rarity as well. She has a yearbook, and I need that yearbook right now. There could have been more than one murder, I thought, running to Pinkie Pie's room.

Any guilt that I had before was bubbling furiously in my mind, reminding me of the invasion of privacy at work. I ignored it, realizing that I had to find a way to execute a plan of my own. I knocked on the door once, and got no answer. I knocked again, nonstop for thirty seconds. No answer still, so I opened the door cautiously, finding nopony in Pinkie's room. I looked around for a yearbook or bookshelf, finding nothing of interest. Her shelf had photos, and party favours, and such. I looked near the bottom, finding a small box. Without thinking, I yanked it from under a small pile and opened it up. Inside was what I was looking for, a yearbook. I almost grabbed it before stopping, and I dumped the contents onto the floor. Using the box, I pushed the book out of the pile, and retrieved it using my flame breath.

“Hi! Is somepony up there? Somepony who want's to pa~rtay?” Pinkie's voice said from downstairs.

Oh shoot! I thought, running for the window.

“Ooh! Dashie!?”

I threw it open, jumped outside and fell hard into solid ground. I bit my lip trying to suppress the scream of agony, and thanked Celestia that my leg didn’t break from the fall. I stood up, still feeling a tingling in my feet, and quickly ran around the corner, heading towards the Carousel Boutique. I knew where Twilight was, now I just had to go make sure she stayed there. Celestia forbid she touch the sheet of the Death Note, or discover I'm messing with her machine. I saw Rainbow fly overhead in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres, presumably to get Applejack moving. I haven't seen her in weeks, so it made sense. I eventually found myself in front of her door, about to knock on it, stopping on account of the voices.

“You mean... Spike is going to be in direct danger?” came Rarity's voice.

“No! We can't use him! If he dies, I won't... that's why you wanted the library monitored! Why we need Spike oblivious! You're going to use him as bait. Twilight, I can't believe you!” came her voice again.

What? Twilight has the library being monitored!? I thought, feeling panic shoot through my mind. I turned and ran back to the library, just hearing Twilight's words fade.

“Rarity, I don't want to do this, and with what I'm...”

I kept running and burst through the front doors of the library.

Rainbow Dash knocked on the front door of the Apple family house and waited, tapping her hooves impatiently. Soon, Applejack answered, smiling as she saw Rainbow.

“Applejack, hi, no time to explain, let us go walk my Earthly, fine filly friend,” Rainbow said, reaching a hoof around Applejack's foreleg and yanking her forward.

“What the hay? Rainbow, what're y'all doin'?” Applejack asked, stumbling down the steps.

“Applejack, we have to talk, and you're going to listen, even if I have to take your rope and tie you to the moon to keep you still,” Rainbow shouted, yanking Applejack to a bench near the orchards.

Applejack grit her teeth, growling obscenities at Rainbow before sitting down at the bench, where Rainbow finally let go of her leg.

“You've seen the papers. There are murders in Equestria. Flippin' murders, and the gang as well as myself are in danger. Spike himself is at higher risk, and here you are, hiding at home and ignoring the situation,” Rainbow said.

“Argh, Rainbow! Ah've got work t' do here. Ah've gotta buck apples, and such to keep my family secured! Ah would love t' help, bu-”

“Then help, Applejack! Stop hiding at home,” Rainbow shouted, glaring at the farmer.

Applejack shook her head. “Ah can't, Rainbow. What if Ah die? You... the girls, and my family will 'ave to live with it, and Ah can't do that t' ya,” Applejack replied, resting her head on her forelegs.

“Hey, if I die, the others will be sad too. The weather will suffer, you'll have let me down, and I'll have died for the good of Equestria! Now is my death something you want on your conscious because you didn't want to pony up and help? What about the others?” Rainbow replied, her expression softening. “What about Twilight? She jumped in with only Spike's safety in her mind. She doesn't care if she dies, just as long as Spike is safe. She knows he'll get over it sometime, but she also knows that if she doesn't take that risk, he could die.”

Applejack lifted her head, staring at the table in front of her. She stared at her forelegs, deep in thought. Rainbow waited a few seconds before speaking again.

“Applejack, we need you, and I do too. I can't save Spike and the others without my best friend there with me, and I'll need somepony to argue with me over snagging the bad guy. I need you, Applejack, and Spike needs you too.”

Applejack looked up at Rainbow, seeing the pleading, anxious look in her eyes. Furrowed brow, biting her lip, anything to calm herself down. Applejack sighed.

“Fine. Ah 'spose Ah can do it if Ah get all these apples bucked before t'morrow's end,” she responded.

Rainbow shot up to her hooves and walked around the table, yanking Applejack with her.

“What the hay?” Applejack shouted in surprise.

“No arguing, cowgirl. We're going to buck the hay out of these apples, execute the hay out of Twilight's plan, and save the hay out of Spike,” Rainbow shouted.

“Stop saying hay, you hayseed,” Applejack retorted, yanking her hoof back and cantering towards the orchards.

“Then get a move on, apple seed,” Rainbow said, smirking as she took off towards the orchards.

I ran into the basement and saw that the machine itself was done faster than before. Either Twilight upgraded it, or time being dragged out by waiting screwed with my head. Either way, I grabbed the Death Note sheet, belched the Death Note out, and slapped the sheet in. Retrieved the notebook again, I ran over to the results printed out by the machine. I took the long parchment with the lines and quickly threw it into a nearby metal bin, setting the data on fire before grabbing another sheet that gave me the location.

It pinpointed the source of this notebook's magical presence to be myself, due to the flame breath, and an unknown magic... in the library itself. I froze up, and looked around. Maybe it couldn't determine the location... but no, if it couldn't, it'd leave the space blank. I turned around, spotting nothing behind me. I looked up, seeing nothing on the ceiling. I turned around and shut down the machine, made sure the place looked orderly, and ran upstairs.

I incinerated the paper, making sure that it burned safely in my hands, and looked to the window, spotting Twilight, Shining Armour, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie heading to the library. I looked around, feeling my head go into a rush and I ran upstairs, grabbed a feather duster, and proceeded to start dusting the shelves.

The door opened downstairs, and I could hear their hoofsteps as the group made their way upstairs. The door opened, and Twilight stepped in, looking around before spotting me. A smile broke out on her face, as did mine, regardless of the situation. My mother was there, and I was happy. I ran over to her, and wrapped my arms around her in a hug.

“Hey mom, how are you?” I asked, letting go.

“Iffy,” she responded, looking at me strangely.

I walked over to the shelf and continued dusting. “Okay, why?”

“I just realized, I'm looking up to you, now,” she said, laughing as the others came in.

The others looked in surprise before laughing too. “Oh, she's right,” Pinkie exclaimed.

I snorted. I was growing, and it was nice. I continued dusting, and the four of them sat down in the room.

“So, somepony stole your yearbook?” Twilight asked.

I turned my head a bit while dusting. Pinkie nodded. “I went upstairs, and I found my box of stuff all on the floor, and my stuff lacked the most important stuff of all! My precious yearbook!” Pinkie exclaimed.

I looked back to the shelf, hoping nopony would notice my expression, and continued dusting.

“You had a class with Rarity, so whoever it was, they obviously wanted names. Rarity, have you had any boyfriends other than the three mentioned?” Twilight asked.

“There was one, Twilight. He asked not to be in the yearbook, by name or anything. He hated leaving a record of himself,” Rarity responded.

There was another? Darn it! I can't let him go unpunished, but the others are on to me. I can't be found out. I don't want them to hate me, I thought.

“I see... Spike?” Twilight asked.

I swallowed and turned around to see the group staring at me. “Yeah?”

“Can you go to Sweet Apple Acres to see how Applejack and Rainbow Dash are doing?” she asked, looking at her notepads again.

I raised an eyebrow. “Why are they there? Is Rainbow actually trying to get Applejack to come out of the house?”

Twilight nodded, and I shrugged. I tossed the feather duster onto the shelf and promptly left, glad to be rid of this tension. I ran downstairs after waving goodbye and ran out the door to Sweet Apple Acres. I slowed down while walking, noticing how calm the town was in comparison to the tension my life had. I constantly checked around the town to make sure that I wasn't being monitored, and made sure nopony was looking at me suspiciously. I completely forgot that I was the most suspicious due to my shifty attitude, but I ignored it.

I pressed on to Sweet Apple Acres to hear various shouts and grunts coming from the orchards. I walked through the acres, following the sounds until I started hearing beats. Eventually, I stumbled across the duo of Applejack and Rainbow Dash, bucking trees at record speeds.

“Hey Spike! What brings ya 'round these parts?” Applejack asked, quickly running to the next tree.

Looking to Rainbow, who seemed to know I was here, I cleared my throat. “I was told to check up on you and Rainbow... so, check.”

“Ah, well, Ah'm doin' jus' dandy,” Applejack responded, not missing a beat.

“I'm working my flank off because Applejack will help us only if she has these apples done,” Rainbow said, switching to the next tree.

I nodded, and looked over to Applejack. I smiled because she decided to stop being stuck up, but frowned because she would now be chasing me, unwillingly. I sighed, and sat against at tree.

“You guys don't mind if I hang here for a while, do ya? I kinda don't wanna go back to the library,” I asked.

“Help y'self, Spike. It's nice not havin' somepony who's tryin' t' buck every single apple tree like it's a pinata,” Applejack spat out to Rainbow.

I smirked, and sighed. In the shade, watching a friend get better regardless of the scenario, and trying to forget my troubles... because I have to, for these new troubles. I belched out Pinkie's yearbook, and opened it up. The girls didn't notice me at all, too caught up in their headbutting.

Whether or not he likes records, the guy will be in the yearbook regardless. He just won't be in the spotlight. He will appear in the class list, rule of all yearbooks, I thought, flipping through the various pages. I came to the end of the book, which listed the class list for each grade. I looked through all of them until I came up to the ones around Rarity's year. The previous year, the same year, and the year before. All I have to do is match up the class list to the photographs and pages for each student. Fortunately, my search was over soon. Only one pony had their names omitted from the class photos and such.

A Pegasus by the name of Blue Skies. I had to locate one Pegasus out of many, and it wasn't hard. I recognize him from when Ponyville had to launch the water to Cloudsdale for the weather. The blue coat, the blonde mane, and goofy smile. He wasn't that bad of a pony. He was actually a rather good pony, but work had to be done.

Looking up to the bucking mares, they were several trees down, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I belched out the Death Note, poked my underbelly, and began writing in the notebook.

BLUE SKIES

ACCIDENT

I didn't do anything more. I closed the book, and left him to his accident. I retrieved the notebook, retrieved the yearbook, and stood up. I continued watching the girls work for the rest of the afternoon.

“I knew it,” Twilight said.

“Knew what, Twilight?” Shining Armour asked.

“Rarity and Pinkie shared a class, and I remember during one of Rarity's many reminiscences regarding her love life, that she dated Blue Skies in the past. I told Rarity to hide her yearbook after we discovered it was murder, knowing that Pinkie had one as well. I knew that somepony would try to steal it if they really loved Rarity. Pinkie is friends with everypony, that much is known, and it's not hard learning who shard a class with who in Ponyville. Anypony would realize that, and since the one responsible for the murders is obviously Ponyville local, so it's not out of the question to believe the one behind these would steal Pinkie's yearbook. If this murderer really wanted to kill Rarity's dates, they would have done the research. The knowledge that Rarity had another date would have become apparent,” Twilight said, proudly.

“So, your plan has already started, Twilight?” Rarity asked.

“Yes, now we just need you to get Final Flash to Ponyville. Blue Skies may die soon, and if that happens, then I've failed yet again. I failed to stop the one behind this, and another will die, but the death won't be in vain. You know why?” Twilight asked, looking around.

“Don't make us wait, c'mon Twi!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

“Sugar Cube Corner is empty today, so I set up a detection spell. We'll learn who comes to the door today, and we can use that to determine who stole the yearbook. The real plan hasn't even started yet, and we're coming to the end,” Twilight said, standing up.

“Fantastic job, Twilight. I am so glad we have you as a friend,” Rarity said, applauding.

“I'll say, you're amazing, Twilie,” Shining Armour said.

“Thank you, but please, hold your applause until the end of the show!” Twilight said.

She walked to the window of her room and looked out at Ponyville, taking in the gentle warmth of the sun as the town bustled regardless of the chaos, or the coming storm. She turned her head to the others, all grinning. Twilight smirked at them, and Rarity stepped forward.

“It's about time we stop this nightmare, Twilight,” Rarity said.

Two days passed like nothing, and before I knew it, Twilight was asking me if I wanted to go on a vacation when the entire ordeal was over. She handed me a booklet that led out of the country. It toured the Zebra homelands, and Twilight wanted me there with her. She wanted to take some proper notes, her son and assistant with her throughout the ride. I looked at it, smirking like a child.

“A vacation? Shed your disguise, Changeling!” I said, tossing the pamphlet at Twilight jokingly.

She put a hoof up, smiling as she walked closer to me. “I shall not! Twilight isn't here, but if you want her back, you will go with her to the Zebra homelands, young dragon!” She responded in a deep voice, glaring at me.

“Only if she promises to stop with the goofy voice,” I responded, rolling my eyes as I went back to sweeping the floor.

“Okay, fine. So anyways, you want to go, Spike? I'd love to go on a vacation for once, enjoy the sites, and even take some notes. If all works well, maybe the others can come with us. Imagine, a whole month living in a tent with Rarity, five feet away from you,” Twilight said, turning her back to me.

I spat. “Oh, that is not fair,” I responded. “You're mean, Twilight. Now I have to go,” I responded.

“Well, I've been wanting to go for months, but I got held up due to all of this craziness,” she said.

I didn't respond, remembering I'm the cause of all of this. I smirked, looking back to Twilight.

“Well, this is exactly what we need, mom. A vacation,” I responded.

“Alright, Final Flash is at the Carousel Boutique. It's been two days since Blue Skies died, and Twilight has managed to narrow the seventeen names extracted. She immediately scratched out the names of Spike, Pinkie Pie, Mr. Cake, Mrs. Cake, Pound and Pumpkin Cake, as well as herself. They were the only ones alongside three suspects that have infiltrated the boutique at the time of Pinkie's yearbook disappearance.” Shining Armour overlooked three Royal Guards, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Applejack. “A stallion named Filthy Rich, a younger stallion named Joe, and a mare named Flounder. Filthy Rich owns Rich's Barnyard Bargains. Joe owns a Doughnut Shop in Canterlot. Flounder works at a club in Ponyville. The one that stands out the most from these three is Filthy Rich. If her plan works out, we'll be able to ween out the one responsible for this heinous, supernatural crime. Twilight, if you may?”

Twilight nodded, stepping up and standing next to Shining Armour. She looked at the group present, taking a deep breath.

“Everything points to a murder notebook being the tool behind this all. Out of everything that's happened, we have the word of Spike and Rarity finally going on a date. Tonight, Spike and Rarity are going to the most luxurious restaurant in Ponyville, and we're going to have somepony try and kidnap Rarity. That is the plan,” Twilight said.

“Gotcha. Who's gonna do the kidnappin'?” Applejack asked.

Twilight shook her head. “Can't say. He's going to be strong enough to overpower Rarity and Spike without hurting them. As for you guys, I want you to stay in the library. Shining Armour and I will watch the restaurant, disguised as two ponies having a dinner.” There was silence, and Twilight shrugged. “What?”

“You're going to a fancy restaurant where couples date, with your brother,” Rainbow said.

Twilight looked at her with a shocked expression before shuddering.

So, Rarity and I dressed up. I was excited as I could ever be, in a tuxedo. I didn't know the plan, I just knew that Twilight included a date between Rarity and I. They didn't know I knew about the plan, but I did. I wasn't prepared for when Rarity invited me, but I knew it was coming anyways. It was 7:38 PM, I had my best clothes on, resisted the urge to use a cologne, and bought some flowers. Without wasting any time, I left the library and headed for the Carousel Boutique. I knocked on the door, exhaling as I prepared myself for the night. Fake or not, I wasn't prepared. The door opened, and Rarity appeared... and holy sweet Celesta, was she gorgeous.

She stood in a flowing, silky red dress with her hair done up in a French twist. The dress itself wasn't overly elegant or simple; it's only a Ponyville restaurant after all. Light makeup that doesn't put too much focus on one part of her face... her entire body was a pleasure to the eyes. I stopped gawking and cleared my throat, extending the flowers forward.

“For you, m'lady,” I said, bowing.

“Oh Spike, these are lovely!” She said, levitating them into a nearby vase. “I'll fill that up with water when we get back tonight.”

I didn't care about the flowers, even if I should have. I grabbed whatever was recommended for a fancy night, and took it. I waited patiently as she quickly checked herself in the mirror before shutting the lights off and coming to the door.

“Alright, off we go, Spikey-wikey... and I must say, you look rather dashing,” she said.

I giggled like a child and quickly stopped myself. “You look beautiful, Rarity. As if to compliment your looks, the moon is out and about tonight, providing a gentle glow to your dress.” I looked over to her, seeing the stylized purple mane, shining in the moonlight. I forgot that I was walking into Twilight's setup, truly believing that Rarity wanted me with her. I decided to enjoy my night.

Rarity gently sighed, looking around the elegant restaurant. “I'm so glad we could have this night, Spikey-wikey. The past few months have been chaotic... and today, Final Flash, from The Archive, arrived in Ponyville. He was excited to have a break from all the chaos of the past few months as well, and we will be photographing my new lineup tomorrow. Your help has been gigantic, and I can't thank you enough.”

Rarity took a sip from a wineglass, taking in very few liquids. I gazed at her like a drunken fool, sighing. I poked at my... caramelized pears, I think.

“No thanks necessary. You deserve only the best, especially after what you've been through,” I responded, taking a bite of the pear.

Rarity shook her head, taking a quick bite of her lasagna. I must say, I regret not choosing that myself. Cheesy, tomato-y, and pasta...y. She quickly swallowed, sighing.

“You are such a gentledrake, Spike. I'm a fool for not realizing this earlier,” she said.

I bit my lip, brought back to my homicidal activities. “You're no fool, you just followed your heart, and your heart decided to place itself in my hands.” I looked up to see a loving gaze from her that almost mesmerized me as well as kill what I was about to say, but I gulped and averted my gaze. “I'm a dangerous creature, and your heart could be another piece of my hoard, Rarity. I'm a dragon, and that alone would complicate your image.”

Rarity scoffed. “Now stop right there, Spike. You are one of the most civilized and kind creatures I've had the pleasure to meet. You're not just some run-of-the-mill dragon that should keep to itself. You've literally given your heart to me, and a week before your birthday, no less. I've tampered, toyed, and abused what you've given me, and I'm going to make sure that never happens again.” She took a larger swig of the wine while I gulped down half my glass of water.

“Enough with this, let's just enjoy each others' company,” I responded.

“Haha, I can't believe you start to get a drunken high from doughnuts, Spike!” Rarity exclaimed, laughing as she did.

I scratched the back of my head, sheepishly laughing it off as well. “Yeah, that was why I was scarfing them down at Pony Joe's at the Gala. Took my mind off the terrible night.”

“I am so sorry, Spikey. I knew you wanted to give us a tour, but we were being such pigheads about the whole thing with our silly expectations,” she responded, finishing her lasagna.

I shook my head. “It's the Grand Galloping Gala, the 'Best Night Ever' of Equestria! You should have expectations, and I had no right debunking them or complaining,” I said, biting into a pear.

I looked around, spotting something out of the corner of my eye. I turned my head around and found nothing, so I shrugged and looked back to the dinner table. I looked down, and felt uneasy, as if something was watching me. I shivered quickly, and looked up as Rarity finished her glass of wine. I wiped my claws on the napkin and stood up, pushing the chair back.

“Rarity, I don't think I can eat another bite,” I said, stretching my arms.

“You and me both,” she said, elegantly standing up.

It's as if Rarity can do anything elegantly. Totally not fair for us normal folk. I waived my hand, and the check was brought over. I looked down, frowning at the impossibly high price. I sighed, and left the amount of bits down at the table and escorted Rarity to the door. I felt the nagging feeling in my mind, reminding me why I shouldn't be enjoying this. As I thought earlier, I went on a date, and felt like a selfish prick. I felt like I killed the others just so I could get with her. All thoughts relating to Twilight's plan were gone, and I felt myself resisting the urge to vomit at my disgusting act. I looked up to Luna's sky, just as I heard Rarity calling my name.

“Spike, I just want to say... thank you for a splendid night,” she said.

I looked over to her, seeing an amazingly warm smile. It made me want to vomit even more, because I didn't deserve it. I still smiled back.

“No problem.”

She looked down at the ground, kicking gently, before turning and starting a walk down the street. I followed her, and boldly placed an arm around her nape. She responded by leaning in closer, nuzzling my side. I sighed happily, feeling the nagging feeling vanish. I just wanted to enjoy the moment while it lasted.

“Spike, why couldn't I have been born a dragon, or you in Ponyville?” she asked quietly.

I shook my head again. “Because it would have made falling in love too easy. Love isn't something simple. It requires effort and nurturing to grow.”

She stopped walking, and I looked around. We were alone in Town Square, the fountain of Ponyville visible behind us. Rarity stepped away from me and faced me directly. I turned to face her entirely. She smiled at me, and I felt my heart skip a beat.

“Spike, regardless of how I've acted in the past, I love you.”

I felt as if my heart punched me from the inside. Breathing became hard as I felt myself overcome with bliss and excitement from the declaration. My cheeks burned with fire and my mouth contorted into an uncontrollable smile. I felt myself choking a few laughs out and tears well up in my eyes. All of my guilt was gone, and now I was here.

“I've loved you for a long time, and I will never stop, Rarity,” I responded.

She leaned her head in closer, and her eyes closed gently and slowly. I gulped, leaning in forward myself. I felt my limbs trembling, and my lips involuntarily puckered up. I leaned in forward, feeling the pressure of the past two years I've known Rarity as well as the tension of the last few months hitting me full force. I felt tears rolling down my face as the guilt and overwhelming feelings hit me, and I leaned in closer.

The next few seconds were unexpected entirely. I got a solid object to the side, launched off my feet, and Rarity was shrieking. I groaned, grabbing my sides and turned my head to see a large Earth pony looking at Rarity. Her horn lit up to stop him, and he reached forward, bucking Rarity in the side. I felt my rage swell up to immeasurable levels, and I shot to my feet. The Earth pony looked to me, and his face seemed familiar, but I didn't process it. He attempted to buck me, but I found my newer, tall body working better than my old one. I sidestepped the buck and punched my left fist into the back of the stallion's head. He stumbled forward and I attempted to swing my right fist from a lower angle into his face. He leaned his head towards me, falling into me which threw me off balance.

I fell over, feeling the weight of the Earth pony falling into me. He quickly stumbled to his hooves and galloped towards Rarity. I pushed myself up and ran towards the attacker, easily catching up, and leaping into the air. I threw my body forward, body-checking the stallion's hindquarters.

“RARITY, GO!” I shouted as she watched the scene unfold.

She looked back and took a step, before looking back to me. She kept looking around unsure of what to do, and I grit my teeth as the stallion quickly stood up, pushing me off his back. He prepared to buck me again and I jumped back, feeling the weaker force of the buck hitting me in the gut. In the heat of the fight, I felt my stomach rumbling, and the buck only made it top off.

I released a ball of flame, much larger than I could before. Green fire shot out wide, striking the hindquarters of the pony. He let out a yell, and Rarity shrieked in fear as the flames spread across the grounds. My legs were engulfed in flames, protected by my scales. I landed on the ground, coughing and rubbing my gut. The pony growled and walked backwards, bucking me in the face hard. I fell backwards, blacking out.

I woke up a minute later feeling groggy. I shook my head and stumbled to my feet. I recognized that pony, and looked around. The stallion was gone, Rarity was gone, and the sign of the fight was gone from the ground. I grit my teeth, grew another inch, and extended my claws, slamming them into the ground.

And I roared like a mighty dragon. I didn't sound like a kitten, hissing at passing dogs. I didn't sound like a dog, barking at birds. I didn't sound like a bird, squawking at other birds. I sounded like a dragon, releasing my dragon rage. I roared, spewing fire like a flamethrower, all over the ground, into the sky, anywhere that it could be. I didn't stand up on my hind legs, but I instead ran on all fours, madly dashing towards the library. I ran faster than I could on my hind legs and got to the library in record time. I jumped through the doors, ripping the top door off it's hinges. It shocked the hay out of Twilight, Shining, and the others. They all immediately started acting shifty, but I ignored it, running past them and up the stairs.

“Spike, what happened? Did the date go bad?” Twilight asked.

I growled as I passed her, running upstairs. As I did, I scratched the library's stairs and sent wood chips all over the room. I heard hoof steps after me, and I ran up faster. I ran through the doors, jumped up to my bed, and quickly retrieved the Death Note and Pinkie Pie's yearbook from under the bed's cushions. I clawed the Death Note, leaving three claw marks on the part where it opens, to which I disregarded. I retrieved the books with my flame breath, and ran over to the window.

“Spike, what are you doing? What happened!?” Twilight shouted from the room.

I snapped my head into Twilight's direction, seeing the rest of them looking at me with worried expressions. Twilight cared for me then, even if she did plan it. The tension, the undeserved love, Rarity being kidnapped... it hit me. Tears practically flowed like a fire hose, and I grit my teeth yet again. Surely, my teeth-gritting would ruin me later on, but I ignored it. I roared once more, louder than before. It scared the hay out of the girls and Shining, and Fluttershy never looked so scared in her life. I shut it out.

“RARITY WAS KIDNAPPED!” I shouted, feeling some sparks fly out of my mouth.

I turned and ran to the window, disregarding it's presence, and jumped through it. Twilight called me out, begging me to wait, but I didn't. I fell down the higher height, landed on all fours, and disregarded the numbing sensation in my claws. I dashed towards the one spot where I thought I could find her. I ran to the Carousel Boutique, bust through the doors and looked around the area. Signs of a struggle were apparent; the vase was knocked over, the couch was tipped, mannequins were knocked around, and the staircase had hairpins lying on them. I ran up the stairs and right into Rarity's bedroom. She wasn't there, so I turned and ran into her inspiration room. I saw the window cracked open, a shelf knocked over, and out the window, the stallion carrying Rarity. Something was wrong here, and I looked around the room. I spared it no more thought, and jumped out the window.

I ran after the stallion, chasing him with a determination that couldn't be described. It was insane, and I felt fire in my chest. It was intense fire that even burned inside my chest. It was hot, fire-proof scales or not. I felt the tingling of the Death Note and the yearbook inside my chest, but I disregarded it. Too many things to disregard, such as the life of scumbags. I furiously chased him, and I caught up slowly.

“Shoot! I didn't take Spike's new body into account! He's quickly ruining the plan!” Twilight shouted, the rest of them chasing.

“I'll go after him!” Rainbow said, taking off into the skies.

“No! Rainbow, don't!” Twilight shouted. “You need to stay down!”

Rainbow growled, dropping back down to the ground and resuming her gallop. Shining Armour ran next to Twilight.

“Twilie, I'm going ahead! There are lives at stake, and right now, both Spike and Rarity's old classmate, Blue Star, are going to die!” he shouted.

Twilight nodded, and Shining Armour sped up, easily showing off his training. It wasn't long before he took off into the distance. Twilight smiled before straightening her glare.

“We're coming, Spike!”

I brushed aside bushes, being as careful and quiet as could be. Ahead, I spotted the stallion and Rarity passing through a clearing. Rarity was unconscious on the stallions back, and I belched out the two books. The stallion looked around the area after hearing the sound, and I opened the yearbook. The moonlight illuminated the pages, and I flipped to the page with Rarity's class. I looked to the photo, and found a dead ringer for the stallion. I grit my teeth, flipped the page to a blank sheet, and quickly poked my underbelly. I looked intensely as the blood dripped down my claw. It was worse than before, as it was soaked, but I didn't care. I looked down at the Death Note, and practically scratched the page.

BLUE STAR

MURDERED

“Murdered by a rampaging beast.”

I slapped the notebook shut, retrieved it, and walked into the clearing. I left the yearbook, and never realized the loose page where I wrote Blueblood's name had fallen out. I stepped into the clearing, and the stallion looked over to me. His face didn't have any fear, or anger on it. He seemed nervous. He let Rarity slide off his back onto the ground, and stepped away from her. I growled, and I was pretty sure he was scared. He and I both realized my intense height, my rage, and my strength.

“You like kidnapping mares? Kidnapping my Rarity?” I asked, stepping forward slowly.

His face expressed fear, no doubt. He knew he was outmatched, but I didn't care. I growled, and felt my shoulders tense up. I clenched my hand into a fist, and let out a feral growl. I never processed what happened next. The next thing I realized was the stallion was on the ground, and there was blood on the ground. I never took in the expression on the stallion, the look of his battered body, or Rarity's screaming. I looked down, feeling my entire body violently shaking. I tasted the blood in my mouth. I sunk my teeth into this guy for sure. I tasted it in my mouth. I looked over to Rarity, seeing the tears flowing out of her eyes and her scared expression. I stepped away from Blue Star and moved towards her.

“Rarity, it's alright. Everything is going to be fine,” I said, not realizing my voice cracking, or realizing that I was laughing maniacally.

I reached an arm out, blood coating my arms. I didn't care, I just wanted to rub my claw across her face. I wanted to move the hair out of her beautiful blue eyes. Her hair looked messy, and it irritated me. This wasn't how Rarity was supposed to be. She was a beautiful mare. She didn't deserve this rugged look. I looked over to her, and almost touched her face. Her eyes shifted to my blood-stained arm, and she looked back at my face. I must have looked terrible, or scary, or... like a monster, because she screamed, swatted my arm away, and attempted to run away, slipping on the ground. I looked over to Rarity, and shook my head. I felt oddly calm, as if all my anger was gone.

“Come back to me, Rarity! I was protecting you. I saved you,” I said as calm as possible.

I walked after her, jogged, ran, then broke into a mad dash on all fours. I chased Rarity just so I could calm her down. I loved her so much, and I wanted her to be okay. I didn't even consider that I was the reason for her fear. I lost track of her, and ran right by a bush where she dived into. I ran towards the Carousel Boutique.

Shining Armour ran into the clearing and stopped just short of the bloodied body of Blue Star. He stopped, gritting his teeth and looked around the area.

“RARITY! SPIKE! WHERE ARE YOU?” he shouted, looking around the area.

His horn lit up and the area was illuminated. Rarity stumbled out of the bushes and ran down the path to Shining Armour, dropping to the ground. He knelt down and lifted Rarity's chin up with a hoof. He saw the tear-stained eyes and wiped her eyes quickly. She stopped sobbing and attempted to stop crying altogether.

“Rarity, where is Spike?” Shining asked calmly.

Twilight and the others arrived just then, looking at the bloody corpse. Fluttershy immediately looked away, suppressing screams of her own. Twilight looked at Blue Star and ran over to Rarity.

“The entire plan backfired. Rarity, who did...” she stopped as her eyes widened, tears staining them too.

“Spike did this,” Rarity said. “He started s-screaming, and y-yelling and I... I couldn't take it. I ran from him! Twilight, I am so sorry!” Rarity cried out.

Shining Armour looked around the clearing, and Twilight did the same. She spotted something hidden in the bushes, and stopped panicking. She slowly stepped forward, illuminating her own horn up. She moved the leaves and levitated what she saw. What she did see, made her jaw drop.

“Pinkie Pie, it's your yearbook,” Twilight said, levitating it to Pinkie.

She snatched it up, and gasped. “But, who would drop my yearbook? Why? There was nopony else here?”

Twilight looked at the other object; a sheet with writing on it. She looked at it, and read it out loud.

“'Prince Blueblood; accident; he slips on a bar of soap in his royal bathtub in the morning of Saturday, 12th, 1002 After-Nghtmare-Moon's-Sealing, and dies from the fall,'” Twilight read out slowly. She looked up to the others as they turned to her. “It's the killer notebook, but...”

Her eyes widened and she looked back down to the paper. She looked at it carefully, and she slowly lifted a hoof to her mouth. Tears began flowing from her eyes now, and she shook her head.

“No... no no no. This is... no. This isn't... it can't be,” Twilight stammered.

Shining Armour stepped forward. “What is it?”

Rarity and the others moved forward, Rarity crouching in front of her. She looked down at the sheet and back to Twilight.

“It's the killer notebook for sure, but what is it, Twilight?” she asked, no longer bawling.

Twilight looked up and her expression pained the others. She shook her head, grit her teeth, and exhaled coarsely.

“This is Spike's handwriting.”

Repent - The Last Name

THIS IS A NON-CANON ALTERNATE ENDING. THIS WILL NOT FACE EDITS, NOR DOES IT COUNT AS PART OF THE STORY

---Spike writes the final name in the Death Note.---

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