Chapter 1: Faster!
It was storming outside the train car. I stared blankly out of the foggy window, watching the rain pour down.
It seemed to fit. Today had been filled with sadness for me, so the ferocity of the storm didn't make much of a difference. Even now, hours after, it was still hardly comprehensible. I'd never truly experienced loss before but now that I had, I felt hollow. Because today, something terrible happened.
Shining Armor, my BBBFF, had been killed.
Nobody knew who the assailant was. Not that it mattered to me. All I could focus on was the fact that the most important stallion in my life was gone, forever. I'd been holding back tears, trying to keep my composure, but in the quiet train car with my five best friends in the world and my number one assistant, I could let go.
The dam I'd constructed broke, and salty tears flowed down my face, bringing with it the pent up sorrow I'd been containing all day.
"Twi? Are you ok?" I heard from the bunk across the car.
I sniffed "Yeah Applejack, I'm just really confused."
"It's ok Twi. We understand," Applejack spoke softly.
"No you don't! None of you do! My brother's dead! He's gone! Forever!" I screamed at Applejack and tears stung my eyes. I didn't know why I yelled at her, I was just so angry that my BBBFF was killed. Applejack just looked down and bit her lip, I know I had upset her. I turned over on my bed and faced the window again. We were on the way back from Canterlot to Ponyville from Shining Armor's funeral. Princess Cadence was crushed. They were just married of course. The royal guard had to assign a new captain as well. He was just given that title as well and it was stripped away from him. The worst thing of all was, Cadence was pregnant. She had a foal on the way and the father was dead. I buried my head in my pillow and tuned all of my other friends out. I stared out the window and cried myself to sleep.
I woke up after one of the longest nights I had ever endured. Celestia's sun brightly shown in my eyes. I rubbed the sleep away from my eyes with my hooves and yawned. Everypony else was still asleep I assumed, there were no other sounds in the room. I got up from my bunk and looked around, yep, nopony was awake. I walked out of the train car and into the next one, a passenger car. I sat down on one of the seats and began to sob. I heard the door to the sleeping car open and I turned my head towards the door. It was Fluttershy. She sat down next to me but didn't say anything at first. Finally she spoke
"Twilight," she paused "Its hard isn't it." I stopped sobbing and looked up at her
"O-Of *sniff* C-course it is!" I mumbled. She nodded. "Shining Armor, my BBBFF is now DEAD! I can't believe it! I mean he was-" I yelled but came to a pause then I turned back to Fluttershy and mumbled "Shouldn't you be trying to help me with the meaningless words like 'We understand' or 'He's in a better place'"
"Sometimes ponies just need to vent their feelings towards something." She brushed my mane with her hoof.
"Thanks Fluttershy, you're such a *sniff* great friend." I leaned my head on her. I probally stayed like that for an hour or more until Ponyville came into view and the other four flooded into the passenger car. I finally lifted my head and stood up to see Ponyville. It was how it usually was, bustling with ponies playing with each other. I loved Ponyville so much for that. The town hall stood above all of Ponyville like a monument.
The train pulled to a halt and the doors swung open. The six of us quickly trotted (and hopped) off the train and onto the metal platform. I started off back to my home at the Ponyville Library. Before I could really get on my way I was stopped by a bouncing flurry of pink.
"Heya Twilight! Do ya think we can have a party for-" She stopped and I saw it too. There was a cloaked black figure on the very tip of the town hall. I gasped, he was keeping perfect balance on the pinlike pole on top of the town hall. It was amazing, like a balancing act. I turned towards the others to see if they were watching, which they were. I turned back to the cloaked figure but it was gone into nowhere. I had been so entranced by the pony, I hadn't realized the nonsense Pinkie was spewing out of her nonstop mouth.
"-aybe he's from the circus! I love the circus! Or maybe he's a spy! Like Rainbow Dash!"
I buried my face in my hooves "Pinkie I find all of that highly unlikely. It was probally some pegasus trying to show off"
"Like Rainbow Dash!" She added.
"Hey!"
"Yeah, maybe, whatever! I'm going home!" I stormed past them. I really just wanted to fume alone at home. I was tired of all of this. I was still curious about the cloaked pony however.
I walked through town with my head hung low. My life was sinking into depression quickly, and I welcomed it. Out of the corner of my eye I saw something. I spun my head around to see what it was but it was gone. Maybe I was starting to see things. Maybe I was going insane. It didn't matter, nothing did anymore. I swear I saw something though.
"Uh..hey Twi?" I heard a hoarse voice say. I spun around to see my #1 assistant, Spike. He was quiet during the entire trip, I almost forgot he was even with us. He hadn't been talking since we received word about Shining Armor's death. Spike had hatched when I was just a filly so he grew up with Shining as a brother to him. I couldn't blame him, he was still just a baby dragon.
"Y-yeah Spike?" I croaked, still stuttering from my sobs.
"I-its not f-f-air!" he screamed clenching his claws into fists and turning his head down. I was startled and I stepped back. This was the first time I had seen Spike like this instead of his usual laid-back self.
"Why! Why do they have to take him away from us! It's not fair!" Spike broke down into sobs. I kneeled down and hugged the little dragon. He collapsed on to me and cried into my back, soaking my fur. I couldn't hold back my tears any longer, I cried to.
So there we were, in the middle of the street, crying into the other. Other ponies might have thought we were wierd but we didn't care. We just wanted the comfort from the only pony or dragon that understood the pain. We finally collected ourselves and stood up. We continued to walk to the library in silence. It made my miserable day just a bit better to know that I could talk to someone who understood.
Faster, fly faster! I heard the buzz again. Dammit! It's catching up! I looked behind me, and as I feared the pegasus was gaining on me. I flapped my wings harder and faster, pushing my body to it's limit. An arrow flew past my head. Shit, he has weapons too! I saw a cloud home up ahead. I flew faster as I felt a sharp piercing pain in my back. I turned back to see an arrow protruding from my flank. Dammit, he shot me! Faster! Just a little further! The cloud home was coming up. I crashed onto the porch and tried to open the door but to no avail, it was locked. Dammit! I knocked hard on the cloud door. Oh no! Oh no! Oh no! A wave of agony and pain shot through me. I coughed hard and blood splattered on the cloud floor. Another arrow. This was it, it was over. Another arrow on my right shoulder. Wait. I knew this house. It was the house of R- another arrow pierced right through my back and I collaped onto the porch and I heard a bloody murder scream. I was finished.
What They Saw That Morning
Chapter 2: What They Saw That Morning
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Rainbow Dash's eyes slowly slid open to the commotion downstairs. She slowly sat up, yawned and fell back onto her left side. If it was something important they could come get her, it was probably Ditzy with the mail being loud as usual. Another loud set of thumps made her sit up again. Her brow furrowed and she decided, after some thinking, that she would see who was at the door. Reluctantly and groggily she lifted herself out of her bed.
She yawned again and walked into the cloud bathroom, with a small window on the end of the room where Rainbow Dash could see the sun slowly rising in the east. Rainbow Dash always worried about pervs peeking through her window while she was in the shower, you never know who the fan club could bring in. Rainbow Dash turned towards the her mirror that was outlined in cloud right next to her door. A large portion of her mane, especially her bangs, were sticking straight up. Rainbow slid a hoof over the her wild hair which went down and then sprang back up.
Shrugging, Rainbow trotted down the stairs as she heard a very large thump. Going towards the door, her pace got faster. She swung open the door to reveal the most horrifying and gruesome sight a pegasus like Rainbow Dash could find. Literaly dead on her doorstep, was her childhood idol, Soarin' the Wonderbolt pierced through with several shining arrows, and a pool of blood starting to form. His dark blue mane was mangled, and he was still in his Wonderbolt uniform. His strong white wings were limp on the cloud beside him. There were also a few gashes in his uniform where you could see cuts in his body.
Rainbow Dash let out a bloodcurdling scream that must've pierced the eardrum of everypony in a 10 mile radius. Rainbow Dash crumpled into a ball and hid behind a wall, hyperventilating. Her breaths were quick and shallow but she couldn't bring in enough oxygen into her body. Different thoughts shot across Rainbow's mind like more arrows. This couldn't be happening, she was going insane! Her heart sprinted at a mile a minute and felt like it was going to burst out of her chest at any second. Rainbow Dash, without even looking at the body again, screamed. She was going to go completely mad if she stayed here, she had to get away, she didn't know what to do. She blitzed through an open window and screamed through the sky at Mach 10, as she flew away from both sense and insanity.
I slowly got up from the creaking bed, I hadn't slept much. Sighing, I walked down the wooden stairs and into the kitchen. "Morning, Twi" I heard a young voice say. It was Spike, of course, and I turned and saw that he was cooking breakfast. I gave a small smile and sat down at the table, leaned back, and closed my eyes. The smell of breakfast wafted in the air. I sighed, mornings like this were so peaceful. There was a light knock at the door. Spike, knowing that I was in my 'morning trance' walked happily to the door. I heard a small bit of talking, mostly Spike, but I could also make out a soft voice, Fluttershy.
A few seconds later, Spike walked back into the kitchen with Fluttershy, where she planned to relay what she told Spike to me. In her own quiet voice she spoke up, although her voice was mixed with concern.
"Um Twilight, have you seen Rainbow Dash at all this morning?"
I opened my eyes and sat up croaking through my sore morning throat "No why?"
"Well, you see, we were planning on going on a pet playdate, Angel and Tank. But she didn't show up to my cottage this morning so I got rather concerned and came here" Fluttershy meekly put.
Twilight tilted her head, very entranced by this mystery. Rainbow Dash was a very reliable pony, she stayed loyal to her commitments, hints the Element of Loyalty title. Also, Rainbow Dash made herself very known, it just wasn't like her for her to completely slip off the radar. They'd better start at her house, maybe they could find her there.
Twilight Sparkle relayed her thought process back to Fluttershy who agreed to start at Rainbow's cloud home. Spike offered to stay behind incase she showed up and so the pancakes wouldn't burn. Moments later Fluttershy and I were off to Rainbow Dash's flying cloud house.
Courtesy of Pinkie Pie's balloon, we were up to Rainbow Dash's house with ease. Fluttershy flew out of the balloon as I stepped out. Pinkie stayed inside to keep it aloft and from falling through the cloud. We walked up to the front porch of the rainbow-overflowing cloud home. The silence of the house was interrupted however by Fluttershy scream as she scurried behind me and I could feel warm tears sinking into the fur on my flank.
I walked up the porch leaving a shivering Fluttershy behind me on the cloud. I screamed when I saw it, just what I needed to see this morning, just a few days after my brothers death. It was terrifying, seeing another dead body, but much different from my brother, of course this time it wasn't my brother, it was Soarin' the Wonderbolt. Being at the crime scene just felt different from receiving news about it. Nonetheless I was terrified, images kept flashing through my concious vision. They were happy at first, it was me smiling, jumping alongside my big brother, Shining Armor. Then the images changed in theme. Then I was looking at memories from his funeral, the casket, the service and so on. I started to cry again, but this time I didn't know why, it wasn't someone I was attached to that I had just found. But then it hit me, Rainbow Dash must be feeling the same thing. First thing's first though
"Fluttershy," I almost croaked, breaking the silence "Go to the Ponyville Police Department and get them up here to examine the body." Fluttershy who was still on the ground, shakily stood up and flew away to Ponyville. I then trotted back to Pinkie Pie
"We need to find Rainbow Dash now! Come on, I'll stabilize the balloon" I ordered at Pinkie Pie who saluted back and hopped out of the balloon. She ran up into the house, trying not to look at the body. I cast a quick cloud-walking spell to the balloon and it sat quietly on the clouds. Walking back up to the porch, I got a better look at the body, it was definitely Soarin', but the cause of death was strange. He had several glittering arrows portuding from various parts in his back. I tried to take my mind off the dead for a moment and walked into the house after Pinkie Pie. I was only in the entranceway when Pinkie came back downstairs.
"She's not here," she stated, slightly confused.
"We need to find her, let's go to Applejack's, maybe she-"
I tried to get us moving to Sweet Apple Acres but Pinkie Pie cut me off.
"Twilight, what did you want to do when Shining Armor died," Pinkie asked. I cringed at the words that I had been trying not to think about. To be honest I wanted to be alone when I heard about Shining Armor, and like what Fluttershy said to me on the train ride back, I needed to vent my feelings.
"I wanted to be alone," I choked, holding back more tears. Pinkie nodded softly, and responded just as softly
"So don't you think that Rainbow feels the same way now?" Pinkie asked. I knew she was right, I really couldn't argue, I just turned back to the balloon.
"Just give her some time, she'll be fine...soon enough." Pinkie reasured me.
"I know, I just feel so sorry for her." Why though? I couldn't care less about anypony yesterday. Maybe it's because I had gone through the same thing.
"It's strange though," I pointed out "Soarin' and Shining Armor were both killed by another pony, which rarely happens in Equestria, both around the same time. Plus, both of them were connected to us. I think these two deaths are connected."
Pinkie nodded and jumped back into the balloon. I hopped in after her and commanded "Come on! Let's go to Ponyville, we might be able to stop another death."
As we made our descent towards Ponyville I tried to find a connection between Soarin' and Shining Armor's death besides their connections to me and Rainbow. Finally something clicked in my head. The military! Equestria's military! Shining Armor was obviously the captain of the Royal Guard, and Soarin was a Wonderbolt, which were used to help stop Spike when he went on his greedy rampage. This murderer wasn't just a threat to me, my friends, or even Ponyville! It could be a big threat to Equestria! This murderer was not to be taken lightly, he was very dangerous.
I was to busy putting 2 and 2 together to notice that we had touched down in Ponyville and Pinkie had already hopped out of the balloon. I snapped out of my trance and hopped out after Pinkie Pie, blushing sheepishly. Pinkie wasn't paying attention to me or the balloon though, she was looking up at the clouds. I saw it to, a huge group of police ponies were flying in the direction of Rainbow Dash's house. Looks like Fluttershy got to the police alright. As soon as I thought of her I heard her voice, although she was panting
"I...made it," She managed between breaths. I wrapped my hooves around her and gave her a hug, Pinkie Pie did the same. There we were, 3 friends hugging in the middle of a crisis. I smiled for what had seemed like almost forever. It reminded me how nice it was to have friends. We stopped our group hug and I explained what I had figured out on the balloon to them, and they both agreed. I knew that I had better contact Princess Celestia about this.
"I got to head back to library, girls" I said "I'll meet up with you later" I finished as I trotted off to the library. There were police ponies on almost every block, they were definitely taking Soarin's death seriously.
I finally opened the front door to the library, Spike was nowhere to be found. I levitated up a quill and some parchment and began to write to the Princess.
Dear Princess Celestia,
As you may have heard, Soarin was found dead this morning on Rainbow Dash's porch. Rainbow Dash has also disappeared, but I wouldn't believe for a second that she had been hurt.
However, I may have found a connection between Shining Armor's death and Soarin's. Both of them were military officials, so I can only imagine that this killer is not targeting just these certain ponies, but Equestria as a whole. I will tell you more when I can.
Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle
I closed the letter up and was going to give it to Spike when I realized again, that he wasn't here.
"SPIIIIIIIKE" I called through the library. No response. I called again "SPIIIIIIIKE!" Once again, no response. Scowling I trudged upstairs, searching for the green dragon. I checked in the bedroom but there was nobody there, Spike's bed was made which suggested that he had done his morning chores. I walked into the bathroom to find no Spike yet again. Sighing, I gave up and walked back downstairs when I heard somepony knock on my door.
I opened the door and looked outside, but there was nopony there. Instead there was a poster nailed to my door. The poster terrified me just as much, if not more, than what I had saw this morning. Nailed to my door was a poster that said
"Wanted
Rainbow Dash
For the murder of Soarin the Wonderbolt"
Below there was a picture of Rainbow Dash in a cocky pose. I couldn't believe what I had just seen, they were accusing Rainbow Dash for Soarin's death! Rainbow Dash would never kill her idol. They didn't even have a motive for her to kill him. I angriliy tore down the preposterous poster and burned it with my magic, it was all lies! I was near to tears but not as near to tears as the pony who knocked on my door next.
"T-twilight! Do y-you here what they ac-cused Rainbow Dash of?It's ridiculous! She would nev.." Fluttershy's words drifted off into mumbles as she buried into my coat. I had forgot that Fluttershy and Rainbow had been friends since fillyhood. I tried to comfort Fluttershy but she continued to cry into my fur. I patted her on the back with my hoof, I really felt sorry for her. Sweet, little Fluttershy had seen a crime scene and her fillyhood friend accused of murder all in one day. If there was one thing I knew for sure right now, it's that we needed to find Rainbow Dash, and soon.
Rarity waved goodbye to some of her friends as she prepared to board the train to Canterlot to see her good friend, Fancypants. Applejack saw her off, where her other friends could be, Rarity had no clue. She made the stallions load her 500 bags onto the train. Other passengers looked upon her as if she was insane but she ignored them for she was to spend the week in Canterlot.
She stepped off the platform and onto the train and her friends began to drift out of view on the platform. She sat back in her bed that she reluctantly had to take. She thought back to Fancypants and how nice he was to her when everypony else wasn't. Whenever they couldn't see eachother they still kept in touch by form of letters. He told her about the life of a Canterlot millionaire and she told him about the life of a fashionista with a 'charmingly rustic' town. She watched the trees move past the windows and the train pick up more speed.
