Shattered

"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."