Author's Note

Okay, first off. I am sorry this is late. I'm having some stressful times right now. But, hey, Merry Christmas

"...And Some Caramel..."

[Rarity's Boutique - Work Room - Rarity's POV.]

"Ah, dear, it's time to clean the catalog again," I signed. Honestly, I wouldn't need to do this every so often if I didn't create so much in my downtime. Oh, well. There is no time like the present. I opened my closet to reveal three clothing racks from past seasons, galas, and other functions. Three racks of ensembles lay before me. "Oh, dear. I might be here a while." I had to shake my head at my impulsiveness. I took each dress out one by one and neatly packed them away for charity. One does not waste clothes after all. It wasn't until I got to a particular dress I made for the last Grand Glapping Gala. "O-Oh my! This dress is Pinkie's!!!"

I clutched the dress in my hooves as my magic failed me. I still remember when she made the request. For some reason, I struggled more with her dress than the others. Did she claim any lives when she asked me to make this? Or was she attempting to act like an average mare for one night? I remember when the word got out of Pinkie's atrocities. The journalist camped out of my home—the questioning from the royal guards. And the horrid gossip about us somehow being involved with the murders by association! I gritted my teeth and took every article of clothing I made for that monster. Once collected, I took the bin and went out of my home. I made a small flare spell before shooting it into the bin and watched my former friend's dresses go up in flames.

Unfortunately, I was not as quiet as I believed because the door behind me opened to reveal Fluttershy. The poor dear hasn't been able to stay at home, even with her little critters. There's also the paparazzi, the questioning, and the whispers and glares. Fluttershy's just been a bundle of nerves for this entire ordeal. "R-Rarity? Why are you burning your dresses?"

"Oh, I am sorry, dear. I didn't mean to wake you. You can go back inside. This endeavor won't take long."

Fluttershy did not go back inside. Instead, she trots to me and sits down while observing the bin. "...You're burning Pinkie's dresses?"

"Well, you know it is around the time for me to clean out the collection," I said.

"But you would never do something like this. You're so proud of your work. I can't even imagine you even thinking about burning it. Especially if it's one of our fri--"

"That monster is not our friend!!!" I shouted, causing Fluttershy to flinch. I sighed as I went to hug her. "I am sorry for yelling, but I cannot in good conscience think of that mare as a friend any longer. Not after the killings. Not after what she did to Rainbow Dash."

Fluttershy shivers in my embrace at the reminder. "I-I know. I should accept things as they are now. But what if this wasn't Pinkie's fault? What if this was a changeling disguising themselves as her?"

"Changelings feed on love, darling. What good would it do to kill their prey?"

"It could be Chrysalis seeking revenge!"

"Why would she wait so long to get to us then? Why kill random ponies when Twilight, Cadence, or Shining Armor would be her targets? Besides, Twilight herself confirmed that it is Pinkie Pie."

"W-well, what if she's under a spell like mind control?"

That could be a possibility. We haven't heard anything from Canterlot regarding a psychiatric report. Then again, I imagine Princess Luna's health will take precedence. "...I suppose that is possible. Chrysalis could've planted a spell. And I did hear Twilight say she is looking into the subject."

"Then, we should go to her. After all this time, Twilight must've found something out. We should hurry to her Library now!" Fluttershy said with determination.

I sigh as I watch the fire die down, leaving scorched tatters of clothing. "Yes, let's visit Twilight. I imagine she could also use some company."

Our walk took slightly longer than usual as there were a few ponies up and about in the streets. I knew Fluttershy and was hardly in the mood to deal with the staring and whispers, so I suggested we move through the buildings for cover until we reached Golden Oaks Library's back door. With a few knocks, Spike answered the door and greeted us with a warm hug. Poor dear. "Spike, what happened to you, darling? You look ragged."

"...Yeah, things are rough right now."

"We're happy to see you, Spike. Do you know where Twilight is?" Fluttershy asked.

Spiky-Wiky rubs his arm while looking away from us. "She's taking everything hard. You should see for yourselves..." Fluttershy and I share a look as Spike leads us to Twilight's location. We found her in her study in the basement, with various scrolls and books on the floor. The room is in complete disarray. Looking at the desk, we saw Twilight. She was fretting over some beakers encased in her aura. Whatever experiment she is performing must not be going well, as I can see signs of a frayed mane and tail, a dirty coat, and a distinctive smell from lack of bathing. "See what I mean."

"Oh, goodness. Twilight, are you okay?" Fluttershy asked.

"No, no. It's not right." Twilight mumbles.

We all share a look before I press forward and tap her shoulder. "Twilight, it's us. Flutteshy, Spike, Rarity. Your friends are here--"

Twilight instantly spun around to face. There is a distinctly manic expression in her eyes. "Friends?! No, no! It's too early. You can't be here yet. You'll ruin the surprise!"

"Um, surprise?" Fluttershy asked tentatively.

"Yes, I plan for the surprise when I finally crack the spell over Pinkie Pie. Granted, Pinkie is always better at surprise parties. She should plan it after the birthday fiasco. Look at my beakers."

We did as Twilight asked and looked over her desk. Inside the three beakers, there was some strange liquid. One was sickly green, the other purple with orange spots, and the last vibrant pink. "Are you making a new juice flavor?" Fluttershy asked.

"No, these beakers hold concentrated magic in its purest form. They are samples from a changeling, Discord, and Pinkie Pie."

"Twilight has been here for days running tests on Pinkie's magic," Spike informs.

I may not be as magically knowledgeable as Twilight, but I can piece together the puzzle. "Are you attempting to see if Pinkie is in the right frame of mind?"

"Really? That's wonderful! We can help Pinkie before it's too late." Fluttershy exclaimed while I shared her sentiments. However, Spike looks away in shame, and Twilight grows more frantic.

"Twilight?" I asked.

"Well, I'm testing the magical properties of changeling and Draconequus. First, I did a test on the changeling magic." Twilight's horn glowed as she shot a stream of magic at the vial with changeling magic. The magic seems to distort before settling down. "See? That spell causes a function within a changeling, forcing them to drop their disguise. Now, watch the effect Discord's magic has on pony magic." Twilight summons another vial and adds Discord chaos magic to it. The pony magic turned gray. "Discord's chaos magic can corrupt the average pony's magic, and the pony would visibly turn gray while displaying an inversion of their personality traits. It's the same as when he did it to us."

"Please. Let's not bring up that unpleasantness." I said with a cringe.

"Oh yeah, like when you pushed around a big rock because you thought it was a giant gemstone. Or when Fluttershy became mean and nasty.

"I said we will not mention that incident again!" Fluttershy nods behind her wing in embarrassment as well.

"Knowing all these factors, I connected the Princess. She told me that Pinkie Pie isn't a change. My magical simple isn't corrupt, nor are there any lingering spells or commands within Pinkie right now..."

Twilight pauses as she begins to tremble. "W-What does that mean, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked in a small voice.

"It means that Pinkie did it," SSpike said in a dead tone. "Pinkie is the one that did those things to the other ponies. Nopony made her do it. It was all her..."

"Oh no!" Fluttershy said in horror as she shrinks into her mane.

I was about to comfort her before Twilight spoke up again. "It's alright, Fluttershy. All of this is just a bad dream, anyway."

We all looked at Twilight as if she had become a hydra. "Twilight, what are you talking about?" Spike asks in concern.

"Oh, come on, Spike. I think the game has gone on far enough. If we look at all the facts, they point to this scenario as nothing more than a horrible nightmare!"

"A nightmare?" The three of us said together.

"It's the only scenario that makes the most logical sense. Think about it; all the murdered ponies had friends and family that were all across Equestria. Eventually, somepony would've noticed the disappearances. Sure, Pinkie said she tampered with their memories, but not even she could do that to so many ponies without notice."

"Twilight," I called, but she ignored me.

"Then, there's the murders themselves. Not only are they wildly out of character, but it's impossible that all this occurred under Sugarcube Corner, and Mr. and Mrs. Cake did not notice anything once. Ha! Next, you'll tell me they and the cake twins are somehow accomplices."

"Twilight, the Cakes got taken into custody a few days ago. Princess Celestia is serious about getting to the bottom of this mess. The twins are in foster care until further notice." Spike solemnly said.

"I had no idea!" I gasped.

"The poor foals! How could this happen?" Fluttershy said.

To my surprise, Twilight waves it off. "Pfft, of course, the Nightmare would adjust its conditions to distract me. It doesn't matter. I am sure Princess Luna is bound to swing by sooner or later and finally wake me up."

Oh, dear. Twilight is compartmentalizing everything all wrong. I moved closer to Twilight and placed a firm hoof on her shoulder. "Darling, we're not dreaming."

"Of course, it's all a dream. It's the only thing that can explain the irregularities."

"Okay, how long have you been researching these magics? I imagine from the moment you found Pinkie, yes?"

"Yes,"

"Alright, and surely you have gone to sleep at some point, correct?"

"No, trying to figure this out was far too important."

"I had to slip sleeping pills in her coffee when she refused to listen," Spike said with a frown.

"Ha, see? That proves everything that's happening is a dream."

"Twilight, I started using the pills after the third day."

"Regardless, Twilight, don't you think this is far too complex for a simple dream?" I asked as Twilight seemed to later.

"Yes, and this situation can't be a recurring dream since things are changing daily," Fluttershy said.

"And Princess Luna would not let anypony suffer a nightmare like this for days at a time." Spike made a good point.

Twilight grew more frantic as she looked between us. "W-Well, maybe we never defeated Nightmare Moon! Perhaps we lost, and she has all locked up somewhere."

"Why would Nightmare be fine with letting Princess Celestia rule even in a dream? Wouldn't she want us to know that we failed?" I countered.

"S-She must be torturing us individually! Of course, she would target me the most. I discovered her plan to return. I led the girls into the Everfree forest and the elements. I--"

*Slap*

I could no longer stand this as I swiftly brought my hoof across my friend's face. Twilight looks positively in shock, and I am sure Spike and Fluttershy are equally surprised by my actions. It took all I had to keep my voice steady as tears started to form. "If this was a dream, would you feel any pain?"

"I-I, you--"

"I am sorry, Twilight. Truly, I wish I could deny everything as well. But you are the smartest of us. And you know, going on like this isn't very reasonable. It is a bitter pill we all have to swallow. But, it is a reality we must accept. Pinkie Pie is--"

"NO!!! I CAN'T ACCEPT THAT! DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND!? ACCEPTING THAT EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENING WOULD BE BETRAYING OUR FRIENDSHIP! IT WOULD BELITTLE EVERYTHING WE ACCOMPLISH AS FRIENDS! PINKIE ISN'T A KILLER!!!!"
Watching Twilight break down is heart-wrenching. Slowly, all of us approach her and pull her into a hug. Twilight doesn't fight us while she continues to cry. "...Pinkie is a killer. A murder!!! Why would she do this?"