Shatteredby Arksight101ChaptersCHAPTER ONECHAPTER THREECHAPTER TWOCHAPTER FOURCHAPTER FIVECHAPTER SIXCHAPTER SEVENCHAPTER EIGHTCHAPTER ONEYou backed up. Your friends Rainbow Dash and Applejack were being attacked by a strange pony. The stranger was holding a knife to their throats. "Nopony hurts my friends!" You exclaimed. Everything sped by in a blur. The shadows killed the stranger, freeing Rainbow Dashand Applejack. Your friends were safe. But you didn't care. You looked at the corpse, knowing you'd done... something. Had you... used Blood Magic? "Oh no. No, no, no, no, no, no..." you gasped in a panic. The myth... the myth about blood magic... was more than just a myth. And you had been born with it. "No, no, no, no, no," you sobbed, curling into a ball. "Please, no." You had to speak to Twilight. You galloped back to Ponyville, terrified. You knocked on the door. Twilight answered the door. "Pinkie?"She asked, confused. "Please," you gasped. "I... I need to talk to you." Twilight nodded. "Okay." she said. She led you to the library. "What's going on?" "I-I-I think I just used... B-Blood Magic," you sobbed. Twilight flinched in shock. But almost instantly, she regained her composure. "Tell. Me. Everything." She said, her voice hardening. "A strange mare tried to kill Rainbow Dash and Applejack. I stopped her, but... I'm pretty sure I used Blood Magic." You whimpered. Twilight's eyes narrowed. "Do you know who this mare was?" "I... I don't know. She wore a hooded cloak so I couldn't see her face. She... she had a knife..." That's when you remembered something. "Oh! Her cloak had a broken heart logo." "Oh no..." Twilight gasped. "What's wrong?" "The pony you saw was a Shadow Hooves cultist." "Huh?" You asked. "Shadow Hooves. Only the most evil cult in Equestria." "And... why did they try to kill Rainbow Dash and Applejack?" "I'm not sure, but I know it can't be good." You frowned. "Look, Pinkie. We need to do an investigation. I need you to take me to the body.Can you do that?" "Uh-huh." "Good. Come on." CHAPTER THREENext morning, you set off to tell your friends about the threat. The two you saved, Rainbow Dash and Applejack, were the easiest to find. They were usually together, acting like they weren't a couple, even though it was evident they were. They were at Sweet Apple Acres, and you caught them kissing. "Caught in 4K." You joke to yourself. "Gah! Pinkie!" Rainbow Dash gasped. "Rainbow, relax. It's not like I haven't caught you two kissing before." You replied. Rainbow blushes awkwardly. "You have?" "Uh-huh. Multiple times." "w-w-well, it was a dare, that-that's all." Rainbow said, flustered. You chuckled. "Y'know, you're terrible at lying." "Well, I'm not lying!" "RD, it's no use. She's already caught us. No point in lyin' now." Applejack explains. Rainbow blushed. "Yeah, you're right." "Anyways, there's something I need to tell you two lovebirds about." You say. "Yes, Pinkie?" Rainbow asked. "Remember the weird pony I saved you two from yesterday? She was a member of the Shadow Hooves." "W-whoa, whoa, whoa. What the hay is the Shadow Hooves?" Applejack asked. "Shadow Hooves. Only the most evil cult in Equestria. And it was trying to kill you two. Which brings me to the next point. I need you guys to swear secrecy. We don't know who to trust." "W-whoa, whoa, whoa. What the hay is the Shadow Hooves?" Applejack asked. "Shadow Hooves. Only the most evil cult in Equestria. And it was trying to kill you two. Which brings me to the next point. I need you guys to swear secrecy. We don't know who to trust." "Don't worry, my lips are a closed zipper." Rainbow Dash replied. You looked at Rainbow, confused. "Huh?" Rainbow rolls her eyes. "It means my lips are sealed." "Ooooh. Thanks, Dashie." You replied. CHAPTER TWO"Here it is." You pointed to the corpse. "It's definitely a Shadow Hooves cultist. That mark is their logo." Twilight replied. "Mark?" I asked. "Yeah. Their logo is a broken heart." "Oh. I guess that explains why her cloak had a broken heart logo." Twilight nodded. "That is their logo. So the mare you saw must've been a member of Shadow Hooves." "Uh-huh. She had a knife." "Okay. Do you know why she attacked?" "Not exactly." you saw something move out of the corner of your eye. "Huh?" you turned to look at where you'd seen the movement. There was nothing there. "What's wrong, Pinkie?" "I-I thought I saw something." "Well, I'm not seeing anything." "Weird. It's gone now, though." Twilight nodded. You were on your way back to Ponyville when you noticed a pony in a hooded cloak running away from Ponyville with the Element of Laughter, one of the Elements of Harmony, in their hooves. "Hey! Stop!" You and Twilight chased the pony, but a few hours into the chase Twilight got exhausted, so you had to continue the chase alone. That was when the pony dropped the element... and a piece of paper. You grabbed both. The piece of paper just read, in big, red letters: TRAIN STATION. MIDNIGHT. COME ALONE. You frowned. You looked at the time. It was 8:00 PM. You had four hours until midnight. You decided to go back and give Twilight the note. "Twilight, I got a note." You said. "What does it say?" You showed her. "It's blank." "Huh? But I-" You checked. It wasn't blank. "Sorry. It's not blank. It's the same as when I found it. 'TRAIN STATION. MIDNIGHT. COME ALONE.'" "Well, it seems blank to me." Twilight cast a spell. "Just as I thought. This note is written in blood magic. It's a message meant for you and you only." "Huh?" "The letter is being magically changed into something you can read. I can't see the words, but you can." "Weird." "It's blood magic. Everything about it is weird." You nodded. "I'm gonna head over to the train station and find out what's going on. Don't worry, Twi. I'll be okay." Twilight sighed. "Pinkie, we don't know who the pony is. For all we know, it could be a trap." "I know, but I have to take the risk. I mean, this pony might have information about the Shadow Hooves cult." Twilight nodded. "Fine. But be safe." "I'll be careful." You promised. You galloped off to the train station, and saw the pony in the hooded cloak. "I got your note." You said, holding the note up. The pony stepped into the light, pulling his hood off. "Let's make this quick, as Shadow Hooves spies are everywhere." He replied. "My name's Moonstone Facade. And I need help." "Why me? And why should I trust you?" "You've been chosen. As for trust, I guess you'll just have to take my word for it." You sighed. "Okay, fine. With?" "Taking down the Shadow Hooves. They're getting more powerful." "And why should I trust you, Moonstone? I've never met you before." "That's the thing, Pinkie. You have met me." You frowned. "Huh?" "Oh, uh, nevermind." "What's that supposed to mean?!" "Nothing. Nothing at all." "Did you... jump into one of my dreams?" You asked, irritated. "Caught. Yeah, last week. But that's irrelevant." "No, it's not. It's very relevant. Why did you do that?!" "It was the only way to get a hold of you without getting the attention of the cult." You frowned. "Fine. Just don't do it again." "I promise I won't jump into your dreams again." "Pinkie promise?" "Sure." "Say the magic words!" "I promise to not jump into your dreams ever again, cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." "One more question. What do you have to gain by stopping the Shadow Hooves?" You ask. Moonstone Facade used magic to make an illusion of the Cutie Mark Crusader, then an illusion of Princess Cadance with her daughter, Flurry Heart. "This is what I fight for. Friendship and family." He explains. Then he does an illusion of Rainbow Dash being torn apart, then one of Rarity's throat being slit. "And this is what the Shadow Hooves fight for. Death and despair. Now, what would you rather fight for?" You noticed somepony in the shadows. So did Moonstone. "Come out, I know you're there!" He shouted. A pony trotted out. It was... Twilight. "How do we know you're not tricking Pinkie Pie, Moonstone Facade? You could be lying to us." "That's the thing, Princess of friendship. I'm not lying. I'm on your side. And besides." Moonstone opened a new illusion, one of a unicorn filly struggling against chains. His eyes watered as he watched, so his concentration faltered and the illusion dissipated after a minute. "My daughter... was stolen from me... by the Shadow Hooves..." He was sobbing. "We're sorry for your loss." Moonstone took a deep breath, his voice quavering. "That's why I'm fighting. That's why I need your help." "We're with you." You replied. Twilight nodded. "Thank you, both. Thank you. But be careful. The cult is everywhere." "We will. We won't tell anypony." Twilight assured him. Moonstone smiled. But he thought deeply. "Well, I suppose you could tell the other members of the Mane 6. They're trustworthy." "Of course." "Well, I should be off. Remember: if the Shadow Hooves hear you talking, you're as good as dead." You nodded. "I'll remember." CHAPTER FOURA minute later, you and Twilight met up back at Sugarcube Corner. "So, I spoke to Dashie and Applejack." You said. "Great. I spoke to Fluttershy and Rarity." Twilight replied, taking a sip of wine. You nodded. "Good. Did they swear secrecy?" "Yes. Fluttershy and Rarity both did. Did Rainbow Dash and Applejack swear secrecy?" "Yep. They did." You said, then drank a whole gallon of soda in one gulp. Twilight facehooves. "Pinkie, that soda was supposed to last for at least a few days." "Oops." You replied, chuckling awkwardly. You hear a chuckle. "I think it's cute, how you drank the soda so very quickly." You turned around. Moonstone. "Dude! Stop creeping up on ponies like that!" You exclaimed. "Hehe, sorry. Can't help it." He replied, taking a drug. Twilight sighed. "Alright, spill. What are the drugs for?" "Antidepressants." He replied, yawning. "So, uh, is tiredness a symptom of antidepressants?" You ask. "Nope." Then he slapped himself awake. He read the label. "Darn! Benzodiazepine! Somepony must've switched the pills!" He exclaimed. Twilight gasped. "Benzodiazepine?!" "Um... just wondering. What is benzodiazepine?" You asked. "A sleeping drug. A powerful one." Twilight explained. "Ooooh. That's bad." You reply. Twilight nods. "Very bad." She turns to Moonstone. "I swear to Celestia, if you have an overdose and die on me, I'm gonna kick your flank in the afterlife." Moonstone chuckled. "Well, it's a good thing I don't ever overdose." And then he fell asleep. While sleeping, he slapped himself awake. "And whenever I fall asleep due..." He fell asleep again, then slapped himself awake again. "...to unnatural methods..." He fell asleep again. Then he slapped himself awake. Again. It was kinda funny, or at least you thought so. "...of sleep, I automatically slap..." and he fell asleep again, then slapped himself awake yet again. You almost laughed. "...myself awake." He notices your amusement. "I'm sorry. Was that funny to you?" You laugh. "Kinda, yeah." He nods. "Well, glad someone's getting some entertainment out of that." CHAPTER FIVEA few minutes of Moonstone falling asleep and slapping himself awake, he was finally full alert. "Well, let's get to business." He said. "Hang on, you never told us the name of your daughter so we can actually save her." You replied. "Aurora. Aurora Facade." "Aurora Facade, got it." Twilight nodded. "Now, onto business." Moonstone repeated. "Righty-o." You reply. "So, here's the plan. Since me and Pinkie both have Blood Magic, we disguise as members of the Shadow Hooves." You nodded. Moonstone then spoke to Twilight. "Meanwhile, you, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy purposefully 'get captured'." "Wait." You replied. "Let's not have Twilight get captured." "Pinkie." Twilight replied, mildly irritated. "It's for the good of Equestria." "I know, but you're a princess. And my friend." "I'll be fine. If they capture me, we'll be able to get information about them. Plus, I can hide my wings by illusion. They won't know I'm an Alicorn Princess." "Fine. Don't get hurt." You replied. Twilight chuckled. "I'll be fine, Pinkie." You nodded. "Alright." CHAPTER SIXIt was time. Okay, not exactly. It was just a day away though, so... It was time. Dramatically speaking. You rolled your eyes. "Narrarator!" You exclaimed. Oops. Forgot you could break the Fourth Wall. Sorry about that. CHAPTER SEVENOkay, now it's time. Actually. Truly. A day did pass, after all. You and Moonstone disguised yourselves as members of the Shadow Hooves, and infiltrated their lair to scout. Soon enough, you got a mental message. I̵̳̓'̸̼͗m̷̯̊ ̴̏ͅn̷̠̚o̸̗͋w̵̡̿ ̶͈͊į̶̉ṅ̶̩ ̴̅͜t̷̬̅ḫ̸̈́ḙ̸̛ ̴̼̓c̷͖̈́ȅ̴̥l̴̬̚l̴̋͜s̶͔̒.̷̮̔ ̶͈̈́Ľ̴͔o̷̺͝õ̵͉k̸̬̄ ̷͖̋f̴͉̑o̷͕̍r̵͔̊ ̶͚̾a̸͖̕ ̶͉͐l̷̯̓a̶̪̿ř̵͚g̴͓͛ẻ̷͍ ̶͚̊b̴̙͘u̵̥͂z̵̨̑ẓ̶͋-̶̠̽s̸̗͑a̶̬̽w̴͚̓.̷̱͆ ̷̨͗T̴̗̀h̵̞̃e̸̪͛r̵̗̋ȅ̴̯'̴͈̋s̷̩̈ ̴̣͗å̴̟ ̶͍̕s̶̨̄ë̸̱́c̵̳͝r̸̠͠e̴͓̓t̷̗͒ ̶̖̏s̴̡̃t̵͎̽å̴̧i̵̠̿r̵̺̂ẃ̶̢a̴̭͝y̵͎͛ ̴̢̓ḇ̶̒e̸͈͠h̵́ͅḯ̷͕n̵̠̈d̷̬̉ ̸̠̌ḯ̷̠t̶̀͜.̵͉͆ It was Twilight. She sent an undetectable telepathic message. Good. She's in position. Moonstone looked over at you. "Did you get a mental message too?" You nodded. "So Twilight's in." You nodded. "Alright. Let's go." You and Moonstone went into the lair, finding a large buzz-saw. Behind it was a secret door, hidden in the shadows. "Here we are." Moonstone muttered. "Yeah. Let's go." You reply. You and Moonstone opened the secret door, going down a long, winding staircase. You eventually got to a dungeon. "This is where we split up to search for Aurora." Moonstone explained. An undetectable mental message replied to that. F̵̢̃i̶̯͛͝f̵̰͌t̵̠͖̅͘ḥ̵̰́͘ ̵̤̟̓c̶̙͠e̷̳͠l̷̟͑͌l̶̻̏ ̸̼͐̓o̸̯̎̏͜n̶͇͎͠ ̶͈́̉t̷̜͓̍h̷̻͇̚ḛ̷̩̆ ̴̰͒ṟ̷̀͆i̸͌̆ͅg̶̘̳͌h̶̘͂̔t̴̰̍͌.̴͙̄ Twilight again. You and Moonstone nodded. Sure enough, there was a teenaged unicorn chained up in the fifth cell on the right. "Hey." Moonstone whispered, using magic to open the cell door. Aurora flinched. "Father?" Moonstone removed his hood. "Yeah, it's me." he replied, helping his daughter out of her chains. Aurora nuzzled her father. "Thank you. Oh, uh, who's she?" You removed your hood. "Alright, guess that answered my question." Aurora replied, almost laughing. "It's Pinkie." You chuckled. "Yep, it's me. We gotta get you to safety." "Agreed. We can talk about everything else once we get to Ponyville." Moonstone replied. Meanwhile, you unlocked the cages that held your friends. "Thanks." Rarity replied, her voice a bit raspy. "How long were you all in there?" You asked. "Not too long. Maybe an hour or two." Rainbow Dash replied. "WHAT????!!!!!" You exclaimed. "AN HOUR????!!!!!" "Woah, woah, woah, don't panic! We're fine!" Applejack reassured. "Are you sure?" "Of course." Rarity replied. You nod. "Alright." You heard the sounds of the guards coming down. "Hide." Aurora ordered. Everypony hid. "Hey, who let the prisoners out?" One guard asked. "I dunno." Another replied. You and Moonstone used Blood Magic to summon illusions of large white snakes. "AHHHH! SNAKES!" The first guard shrieked. The guards fled, and you and Moonstone dissolved the illusions, chuckling. "Not all blood magic is dark and twisted." Moonstone said to you. "That's true. Some of it is pretty cute or even funny." You replied. Moonstone nodded. But as you all went upstairs, the guards were waiting for you. "Oh, drat." Moonstone groaned. "What do we do?" You asked. "We run for our lives." He replied. "Good plan." And with that, the chase began. That was when Twilight decided to stay behind. "All of you, keep on running. I'll hold them back." "Are you crazy?!?!" You exclaimed. "Just go!" Twilight replied. You shook your head. "No, I'm not leaving you behind." "You have to, Pinkie! It's the only way to save Equestria." You were being dragged out forcefully. But before you were fully dragged out, you saw one of the Shadow Hooves members slit Twilight's throat with a knife of shadows. You fainted in horror. CHAPTER EIGHTYou were splashed awake by water in your own bed. "Mmh!" You exclaimed, getting up. "Everypony, I had the strangest dream. Twilight was-" "Dead?" Applejack finished. You nodded. "How'd you know?" "It wasn't a dream, Pinkie." "What?" You gasp. "No no nononono! Please, tell me it's not true!" "I'm afraid it is." You felt a tear form in your eye. "Oh, Twi." Applejack nodded. "So, what happened after I fainted?" You asked. "Moonstone took the lead. He used the Blood Magic power to get us out. Aurora's back at his house, by the way." "How's she doing?" "She's fine, for the most part." "Good. Good." You replied. "Any word from Moonstone?" "No, nothing. He's been off the grid since the attack. We're not sure why, though." Fluttershy raised her hoof, holding a piece of paper in it. "Well, this was given to us by Aurora. We don't know why it's empty." "Lemme see." You said, reading the paper. It wasn't empty. It read, in red: PINKIE, if you're reading this, that means that I've decided to take the Shadow Hooves out myself. DO NOT follow me. The plan I made failed, which killed Twilight. I need to make it right, to end the cult. I repeat, DO NOT FOLLOW ME. Moonstone Facade You frowned. "Oh. It's not blank. It's a blood-written letter." "A blood-written letter?" "It's a letter that can only be seen by the pony it's written for." You explain. "Ooooh." Applejack replied. "What does it say?" "It says 'If you're reading this, that means that I've decided to take the Shadow Hooves out myself. DO NOT follow me.'" "Well, darn." "And there's more. 'The plan I made failed, which killed Twilight. I need to make it right, to end the cult. I repeat, DO NOT FOLLOW ME.' - signed Moonstone Facade." Applejack sighed. "Oh boy." You nod. "So, what do we do?" Fluttershy asked. "Well, it's obvious, ain't it?" Applejack replied. "We listen." You shake your head. "No, AJ. We don't. We help him." "I agree with Pinkie Pie." Rarity added. Applejack sighed. "Oh, fine, y'all go. But I'm not coming with." "I'm coming too." rainbow replied. "Change of plans." Applejack corrected herself. "I'm coming." You nod, hopping out of bed. As you exit your room, though, you notice a hooded pony in front of the door. "Gah!" "Relax. C'est moi." Replied the pony, removing her hood. "A... Aurora? Is that you?" "Yep." "You're here?" "I overheard EVERYTHING." Aurora said. "And I'm coming with." "But your father wouldn't want-" "My father can't stop me. Plus..." She put her hood back up and said: "cachée." Her entire body turned clear. "I have a CLOAKing spell on this CLOAK." She joked. You chuckled. "Okay, fine. Stay hidden." "You know, 'cachée' translates to that." "Don't know why you say 'that' for an invisible spell." "Not what I meant. What I meant by 'that' was hidden." "Ooooh. Oops. "You chuckle. "Anyways, let's go." You and your entourage galloped out of Sugarcube Corner.
CHAPTER ONEYou backed up. Your friends Rainbow Dash and Applejack were being attacked by a strange pony. The stranger was holding a knife to their throats. "Nopony hurts my friends!" You exclaimed. Everything sped by in a blur. The shadows killed the stranger, freeing Rainbow Dashand Applejack. Your friends were safe. But you didn't care. You looked at the corpse, knowing you'd done... something. Had you... used Blood Magic? "Oh no. No, no, no, no, no, no..." you gasped in a panic. The myth... the myth about blood magic... was more than just a myth. And you had been born with it. "No, no, no, no, no," you sobbed, curling into a ball. "Please, no." You had to speak to Twilight. You galloped back to Ponyville, terrified. You knocked on the door. Twilight answered the door. "Pinkie?"She asked, confused. "Please," you gasped. "I... I need to talk to you." Twilight nodded. "Okay." she said. She led you to the library. "What's going on?" "I-I-I think I just used... B-Blood Magic," you sobbed. Twilight flinched in shock. But almost instantly, she regained her composure. "Tell. Me. Everything." She said, her voice hardening. "A strange mare tried to kill Rainbow Dash and Applejack. I stopped her, but... I'm pretty sure I used Blood Magic." You whimpered. Twilight's eyes narrowed. "Do you know who this mare was?" "I... I don't know. She wore a hooded cloak so I couldn't see her face. She... she had a knife..." That's when you remembered something. "Oh! Her cloak had a broken heart logo." "Oh no..." Twilight gasped. "What's wrong?" "The pony you saw was a Shadow Hooves cultist." "Huh?" You asked. "Shadow Hooves. Only the most evil cult in Equestria." "And... why did they try to kill Rainbow Dash and Applejack?" "I'm not sure, but I know it can't be good." You frowned. "Look, Pinkie. We need to do an investigation. I need you to take me to the body.Can you do that?" "Uh-huh." "Good. Come on."
CHAPTER THREENext morning, you set off to tell your friends about the threat. The two you saved, Rainbow Dash and Applejack, were the easiest to find. They were usually together, acting like they weren't a couple, even though it was evident they were. They were at Sweet Apple Acres, and you caught them kissing. "Caught in 4K." You joke to yourself. "Gah! Pinkie!" Rainbow Dash gasped. "Rainbow, relax. It's not like I haven't caught you two kissing before." You replied. Rainbow blushes awkwardly. "You have?" "Uh-huh. Multiple times." "w-w-well, it was a dare, that-that's all." Rainbow said, flustered. You chuckled. "Y'know, you're terrible at lying." "Well, I'm not lying!" "RD, it's no use. She's already caught us. No point in lyin' now." Applejack explains. Rainbow blushed. "Yeah, you're right." "Anyways, there's something I need to tell you two lovebirds about." You say. "Yes, Pinkie?" Rainbow asked. "Remember the weird pony I saved you two from yesterday? She was a member of the Shadow Hooves." "W-whoa, whoa, whoa. What the hay is the Shadow Hooves?" Applejack asked. "Shadow Hooves. Only the most evil cult in Equestria. And it was trying to kill you two. Which brings me to the next point. I need you guys to swear secrecy. We don't know who to trust." "W-whoa, whoa, whoa. What the hay is the Shadow Hooves?" Applejack asked. "Shadow Hooves. Only the most evil cult in Equestria. And it was trying to kill you two. Which brings me to the next point. I need you guys to swear secrecy. We don't know who to trust." "Don't worry, my lips are a closed zipper." Rainbow Dash replied. You looked at Rainbow, confused. "Huh?" Rainbow rolls her eyes. "It means my lips are sealed." "Ooooh. Thanks, Dashie." You replied.
CHAPTER TWO"Here it is." You pointed to the corpse. "It's definitely a Shadow Hooves cultist. That mark is their logo." Twilight replied. "Mark?" I asked. "Yeah. Their logo is a broken heart." "Oh. I guess that explains why her cloak had a broken heart logo." Twilight nodded. "That is their logo. So the mare you saw must've been a member of Shadow Hooves." "Uh-huh. She had a knife." "Okay. Do you know why she attacked?" "Not exactly." you saw something move out of the corner of your eye. "Huh?" you turned to look at where you'd seen the movement. There was nothing there. "What's wrong, Pinkie?" "I-I thought I saw something." "Well, I'm not seeing anything." "Weird. It's gone now, though." Twilight nodded. You were on your way back to Ponyville when you noticed a pony in a hooded cloak running away from Ponyville with the Element of Laughter, one of the Elements of Harmony, in their hooves. "Hey! Stop!" You and Twilight chased the pony, but a few hours into the chase Twilight got exhausted, so you had to continue the chase alone. That was when the pony dropped the element... and a piece of paper. You grabbed both. The piece of paper just read, in big, red letters: TRAIN STATION. MIDNIGHT. COME ALONE. You frowned. You looked at the time. It was 8:00 PM. You had four hours until midnight. You decided to go back and give Twilight the note. "Twilight, I got a note." You said. "What does it say?" You showed her. "It's blank." "Huh? But I-" You checked. It wasn't blank. "Sorry. It's not blank. It's the same as when I found it. 'TRAIN STATION. MIDNIGHT. COME ALONE.'" "Well, it seems blank to me." Twilight cast a spell. "Just as I thought. This note is written in blood magic. It's a message meant for you and you only." "Huh?" "The letter is being magically changed into something you can read. I can't see the words, but you can." "Weird." "It's blood magic. Everything about it is weird." You nodded. "I'm gonna head over to the train station and find out what's going on. Don't worry, Twi. I'll be okay." Twilight sighed. "Pinkie, we don't know who the pony is. For all we know, it could be a trap." "I know, but I have to take the risk. I mean, this pony might have information about the Shadow Hooves cult." Twilight nodded. "Fine. But be safe." "I'll be careful." You promised. You galloped off to the train station, and saw the pony in the hooded cloak. "I got your note." You said, holding the note up. The pony stepped into the light, pulling his hood off. "Let's make this quick, as Shadow Hooves spies are everywhere." He replied. "My name's Moonstone Facade. And I need help." "Why me? And why should I trust you?" "You've been chosen. As for trust, I guess you'll just have to take my word for it." You sighed. "Okay, fine. With?" "Taking down the Shadow Hooves. They're getting more powerful." "And why should I trust you, Moonstone? I've never met you before." "That's the thing, Pinkie. You have met me." You frowned. "Huh?" "Oh, uh, nevermind." "What's that supposed to mean?!" "Nothing. Nothing at all." "Did you... jump into one of my dreams?" You asked, irritated. "Caught. Yeah, last week. But that's irrelevant." "No, it's not. It's very relevant. Why did you do that?!" "It was the only way to get a hold of you without getting the attention of the cult." You frowned. "Fine. Just don't do it again." "I promise I won't jump into your dreams again." "Pinkie promise?" "Sure." "Say the magic words!" "I promise to not jump into your dreams ever again, cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." "One more question. What do you have to gain by stopping the Shadow Hooves?" You ask. Moonstone Facade used magic to make an illusion of the Cutie Mark Crusader, then an illusion of Princess Cadance with her daughter, Flurry Heart. "This is what I fight for. Friendship and family." He explains. Then he does an illusion of Rainbow Dash being torn apart, then one of Rarity's throat being slit. "And this is what the Shadow Hooves fight for. Death and despair. Now, what would you rather fight for?" You noticed somepony in the shadows. So did Moonstone. "Come out, I know you're there!" He shouted. A pony trotted out. It was... Twilight. "How do we know you're not tricking Pinkie Pie, Moonstone Facade? You could be lying to us." "That's the thing, Princess of friendship. I'm not lying. I'm on your side. And besides." Moonstone opened a new illusion, one of a unicorn filly struggling against chains. His eyes watered as he watched, so his concentration faltered and the illusion dissipated after a minute. "My daughter... was stolen from me... by the Shadow Hooves..." He was sobbing. "We're sorry for your loss." Moonstone took a deep breath, his voice quavering. "That's why I'm fighting. That's why I need your help." "We're with you." You replied. Twilight nodded. "Thank you, both. Thank you. But be careful. The cult is everywhere." "We will. We won't tell anypony." Twilight assured him. Moonstone smiled. But he thought deeply. "Well, I suppose you could tell the other members of the Mane 6. They're trustworthy." "Of course." "Well, I should be off. Remember: if the Shadow Hooves hear you talking, you're as good as dead." You nodded. "I'll remember."
CHAPTER FOURA minute later, you and Twilight met up back at Sugarcube Corner. "So, I spoke to Dashie and Applejack." You said. "Great. I spoke to Fluttershy and Rarity." Twilight replied, taking a sip of wine. You nodded. "Good. Did they swear secrecy?" "Yes. Fluttershy and Rarity both did. Did Rainbow Dash and Applejack swear secrecy?" "Yep. They did." You said, then drank a whole gallon of soda in one gulp. Twilight facehooves. "Pinkie, that soda was supposed to last for at least a few days." "Oops." You replied, chuckling awkwardly. You hear a chuckle. "I think it's cute, how you drank the soda so very quickly." You turned around. Moonstone. "Dude! Stop creeping up on ponies like that!" You exclaimed. "Hehe, sorry. Can't help it." He replied, taking a drug. Twilight sighed. "Alright, spill. What are the drugs for?" "Antidepressants." He replied, yawning. "So, uh, is tiredness a symptom of antidepressants?" You ask. "Nope." Then he slapped himself awake. He read the label. "Darn! Benzodiazepine! Somepony must've switched the pills!" He exclaimed. Twilight gasped. "Benzodiazepine?!" "Um... just wondering. What is benzodiazepine?" You asked. "A sleeping drug. A powerful one." Twilight explained. "Ooooh. That's bad." You reply. Twilight nods. "Very bad." She turns to Moonstone. "I swear to Celestia, if you have an overdose and die on me, I'm gonna kick your flank in the afterlife." Moonstone chuckled. "Well, it's a good thing I don't ever overdose." And then he fell asleep. While sleeping, he slapped himself awake. "And whenever I fall asleep due..." He fell asleep again, then slapped himself awake again. "...to unnatural methods..." He fell asleep again. Then he slapped himself awake. Again. It was kinda funny, or at least you thought so. "...of sleep, I automatically slap..." and he fell asleep again, then slapped himself awake yet again. You almost laughed. "...myself awake." He notices your amusement. "I'm sorry. Was that funny to you?" You laugh. "Kinda, yeah." He nods. "Well, glad someone's getting some entertainment out of that."
CHAPTER FIVEA few minutes of Moonstone falling asleep and slapping himself awake, he was finally full alert. "Well, let's get to business." He said. "Hang on, you never told us the name of your daughter so we can actually save her." You replied. "Aurora. Aurora Facade." "Aurora Facade, got it." Twilight nodded. "Now, onto business." Moonstone repeated. "Righty-o." You reply. "So, here's the plan. Since me and Pinkie both have Blood Magic, we disguise as members of the Shadow Hooves." You nodded. Moonstone then spoke to Twilight. "Meanwhile, you, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy purposefully 'get captured'." "Wait." You replied. "Let's not have Twilight get captured." "Pinkie." Twilight replied, mildly irritated. "It's for the good of Equestria." "I know, but you're a princess. And my friend." "I'll be fine. If they capture me, we'll be able to get information about them. Plus, I can hide my wings by illusion. They won't know I'm an Alicorn Princess." "Fine. Don't get hurt." You replied. Twilight chuckled. "I'll be fine, Pinkie." You nodded. "Alright."
CHAPTER SIXIt was time. Okay, not exactly. It was just a day away though, so... It was time. Dramatically speaking. You rolled your eyes. "Narrarator!" You exclaimed. Oops. Forgot you could break the Fourth Wall. Sorry about that.
CHAPTER SEVENOkay, now it's time. Actually. Truly. A day did pass, after all. You and Moonstone disguised yourselves as members of the Shadow Hooves, and infiltrated their lair to scout. Soon enough, you got a mental message. I̵̳̓'̸̼͗m̷̯̊ ̴̏ͅn̷̠̚o̸̗͋w̵̡̿ ̶͈͊į̶̉ṅ̶̩ ̴̅͜t̷̬̅ḫ̸̈́ḙ̸̛ ̴̼̓c̷͖̈́ȅ̴̥l̴̬̚l̴̋͜s̶͔̒.̷̮̔ ̶͈̈́Ľ̴͔o̷̺͝õ̵͉k̸̬̄ ̷͖̋f̴͉̑o̷͕̍r̵͔̊ ̶͚̾a̸͖̕ ̶͉͐l̷̯̓a̶̪̿ř̵͚g̴͓͛ẻ̷͍ ̶͚̊b̴̙͘u̵̥͂z̵̨̑ẓ̶͋-̶̠̽s̸̗͑a̶̬̽w̴͚̓.̷̱͆ ̷̨͗T̴̗̀h̵̞̃e̸̪͛r̵̗̋ȅ̴̯'̴͈̋s̷̩̈ ̴̣͗å̴̟ ̶͍̕s̶̨̄ë̸̱́c̵̳͝r̸̠͠e̴͓̓t̷̗͒ ̶̖̏s̴̡̃t̵͎̽å̴̧i̵̠̿r̵̺̂ẃ̶̢a̴̭͝y̵͎͛ ̴̢̓ḇ̶̒e̸͈͠h̵́ͅḯ̷͕n̵̠̈d̷̬̉ ̸̠̌ḯ̷̠t̶̀͜.̵͉͆ It was Twilight. She sent an undetectable telepathic message. Good. She's in position. Moonstone looked over at you. "Did you get a mental message too?" You nodded. "So Twilight's in." You nodded. "Alright. Let's go." You and Moonstone went into the lair, finding a large buzz-saw. Behind it was a secret door, hidden in the shadows. "Here we are." Moonstone muttered. "Yeah. Let's go." You reply. You and Moonstone opened the secret door, going down a long, winding staircase. You eventually got to a dungeon. "This is where we split up to search for Aurora." Moonstone explained. An undetectable mental message replied to that. F̵̢̃i̶̯͛͝f̵̰͌t̵̠͖̅͘ḥ̵̰́͘ ̵̤̟̓c̶̙͠e̷̳͠l̷̟͑͌l̶̻̏ ̸̼͐̓o̸̯̎̏͜n̶͇͎͠ ̶͈́̉t̷̜͓̍h̷̻͇̚ḛ̷̩̆ ̴̰͒ṟ̷̀͆i̸͌̆ͅg̶̘̳͌h̶̘͂̔t̴̰̍͌.̴͙̄ Twilight again. You and Moonstone nodded. Sure enough, there was a teenaged unicorn chained up in the fifth cell on the right. "Hey." Moonstone whispered, using magic to open the cell door. Aurora flinched. "Father?" Moonstone removed his hood. "Yeah, it's me." he replied, helping his daughter out of her chains. Aurora nuzzled her father. "Thank you. Oh, uh, who's she?" You removed your hood. "Alright, guess that answered my question." Aurora replied, almost laughing. "It's Pinkie." You chuckled. "Yep, it's me. We gotta get you to safety." "Agreed. We can talk about everything else once we get to Ponyville." Moonstone replied. Meanwhile, you unlocked the cages that held your friends. "Thanks." Rarity replied, her voice a bit raspy. "How long were you all in there?" You asked. "Not too long. Maybe an hour or two." Rainbow Dash replied. "WHAT????!!!!!" You exclaimed. "AN HOUR????!!!!!" "Woah, woah, woah, don't panic! We're fine!" Applejack reassured. "Are you sure?" "Of course." Rarity replied. You nod. "Alright." You heard the sounds of the guards coming down. "Hide." Aurora ordered. Everypony hid. "Hey, who let the prisoners out?" One guard asked. "I dunno." Another replied. You and Moonstone used Blood Magic to summon illusions of large white snakes. "AHHHH! SNAKES!" The first guard shrieked. The guards fled, and you and Moonstone dissolved the illusions, chuckling. "Not all blood magic is dark and twisted." Moonstone said to you. "That's true. Some of it is pretty cute or even funny." You replied. Moonstone nodded. But as you all went upstairs, the guards were waiting for you. "Oh, drat." Moonstone groaned. "What do we do?" You asked. "We run for our lives." He replied. "Good plan." And with that, the chase began. That was when Twilight decided to stay behind. "All of you, keep on running. I'll hold them back." "Are you crazy?!?!" You exclaimed. "Just go!" Twilight replied. You shook your head. "No, I'm not leaving you behind." "You have to, Pinkie! It's the only way to save Equestria." You were being dragged out forcefully. But before you were fully dragged out, you saw one of the Shadow Hooves members slit Twilight's throat with a knife of shadows. You fainted in horror.
CHAPTER EIGHTYou were splashed awake by water in your own bed. "Mmh!" You exclaimed, getting up. "Everypony, I had the strangest dream. Twilight was-" "Dead?" Applejack finished. You nodded. "How'd you know?" "It wasn't a dream, Pinkie." "What?" You gasp. "No no nononono! Please, tell me it's not true!" "I'm afraid it is." You felt a tear form in your eye. "Oh, Twi." Applejack nodded. "So, what happened after I fainted?" You asked. "Moonstone took the lead. He used the Blood Magic power to get us out. Aurora's back at his house, by the way." "How's she doing?" "She's fine, for the most part." "Good. Good." You replied. "Any word from Moonstone?" "No, nothing. He's been off the grid since the attack. We're not sure why, though." Fluttershy raised her hoof, holding a piece of paper in it. "Well, this was given to us by Aurora. We don't know why it's empty." "Lemme see." You said, reading the paper. It wasn't empty. It read, in red: PINKIE, if you're reading this, that means that I've decided to take the Shadow Hooves out myself. DO NOT follow me. The plan I made failed, which killed Twilight. I need to make it right, to end the cult. I repeat, DO NOT FOLLOW ME. Moonstone Facade You frowned. "Oh. It's not blank. It's a blood-written letter." "A blood-written letter?" "It's a letter that can only be seen by the pony it's written for." You explain. "Ooooh." Applejack replied. "What does it say?" "It says 'If you're reading this, that means that I've decided to take the Shadow Hooves out myself. DO NOT follow me.'" "Well, darn." "And there's more. 'The plan I made failed, which killed Twilight. I need to make it right, to end the cult. I repeat, DO NOT FOLLOW ME.' - signed Moonstone Facade." Applejack sighed. "Oh boy." You nod. "So, what do we do?" Fluttershy asked. "Well, it's obvious, ain't it?" Applejack replied. "We listen." You shake your head. "No, AJ. We don't. We help him." "I agree with Pinkie Pie." Rarity added. Applejack sighed. "Oh, fine, y'all go. But I'm not coming with." "I'm coming too." rainbow replied. "Change of plans." Applejack corrected herself. "I'm coming." You nod, hopping out of bed. As you exit your room, though, you notice a hooded pony in front of the door. "Gah!" "Relax. C'est moi." Replied the pony, removing her hood. "A... Aurora? Is that you?" "Yep." "You're here?" "I overheard EVERYTHING." Aurora said. "And I'm coming with." "But your father wouldn't want-" "My father can't stop me. Plus..." She put her hood back up and said: "cachée." Her entire body turned clear. "I have a CLOAKing spell on this CLOAK." She joked. You chuckled. "Okay, fine. Stay hidden." "You know, 'cachée' translates to that." "Don't know why you say 'that' for an invisible spell." "Not what I meant. What I meant by 'that' was hidden." "Ooooh. Oops. "You chuckle. "Anyways, let's go." You and your entourage galloped out of Sugarcube Corner.
