A Game of Pretend

by Crimson the Magician

Rating: everyone
Tags: Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark
Length: 1162

In the end, was it all just that? A game? Pretend?

Sneak a peek at crime detective Eyeglass' research, as she reads the journal of a victim of one of the worst mass murder cases Equestria has ever experienced.

Published 2012-10-25 06:40:01 UTC
Last updated 2012-10-25 06:40:01 UTC

Dear Journal: We're Trapped

Eyeglass poured over her assortment of evidence. Books and drawings of devices made to torture the innocent, an address of the mansion where it all took place, and now, a pony behind cold iron bars until proven guilty for treacherous crimes.
She was investigating a murder case, but not just any murder case. It was the worst one. Mass murder, torture, and horrible experiments that were done on the young and innocent until their bodies couldn't take it anymore was what this case was made of.

It was almost the end of the investigation road for Eyeglass. She was getting on in years, you see. She wasn't the kind of pony like she was all those years ago, and was retiring soon. But she wanted to finish her career with a bang, and this case was her bang. Eyeglass couldn't wait for her big moment. She imagined a stage full of ponies, some of them relatives of the victims, all cheering for her bravery and devotion. Awards, medals, tearful hugs, and overall celebration for her hard work.

Her imagining and dreaming halted suddenly when a book fell on her desk. It was old, and a blood red. The pages were yellowed, ad dry to the touch. Eyeglass looked up and held her glasses into place, to find a unicorn standing in front of her desk. She was a dark maned green unicorn, a giant hood covering her face. Before leaving the room and the mysterious book behind, she turned and smiled at Eyeglass.

"...It was a good run you had," She said in a sad tone, and left.

Eyeglass felt sad all of a sudden. She realized all to soon what she'd be doing. She'd be leaving everything she loved behind. From her only friends, to her favorite jobs on the street. The satisfaction she felt when she saw an evildoers smile crushed with the weight of hard time. The happiness she felt when she made a safer Equestria with every pony she put behind bars. Less crime with every jail cell filled.

Eyeglass shook her head and straightened her glasses. No no no, Eyeglass! What are you thinking?! she scolded her mind. You're a strong pony! No time for such trivial feelings! Now, what is this surprise here? she reassured herself, turning to the book. She picked it up and turned to the front page. The place where the 'This Journal Belongs To..' Section of a book would normally be.

The writing on the page was... Far from immaculate to say the least. It looked like notes somepony would jot down just before class, when a history pop quiz was to be expected. Eyeglass disregarded it's messiness. She continued to read. Looking at who it belonged to, she saw that it was a journal belonging to a pony by the name of Sunny Skies. Eyeglass remembered this name vividly. It was the name of one of the murder victims. She was the one that survived the very longest, but ended her life all too soon by jumping of a steep cliff, falling into jagged rocks and seawater. A death that Eyeglass has regretted to this day, considering the fact that she was on her way to the cliff the very moment Sunny did it. Eyeglass flipped the page.

She mouthed the words and began to read the scribbles on the parchment. The small echo of her little voice in her now nearly empty office resounded off the walls.

"Dear Journal, we can't find any way out of here," Eyeglass began to read.

"It's been weeks since sunlight has hit my fur. I miss it's warmth. There's not enough food to keep all of us going, and we're getting a bit selfish about rations. It is... To be expected of course. We haven't touched even a daisy in more than three days. I'm always willing to share a portion of my grains, but that is getting harder to do. The three of us now, are trying our best to keep warm. Dust Bowl, the older of us all, found a blanket we could share today. It has holes in it, and it barely constitutes as a blanket, but it will provide us with salvation for now.

"We're currently in a safe house we found. It's an old library in this big mansion we've been trapped in. The books are far from comprehensible, and are spells of olden pony times, but they provide us with well needed entertainment. It's hard not to stifle a few giggles when we pronounce a word we should all know wrong. But even throughout this, we still remember the ones who are.. Not with us anymore...

"There used to be more of us, you see, Journal. Stronger and older ponies, younger and weaker ponies, and everything in between. But the mist got them. I don't know what's in that mist. It appears every time a pony is sent away and never comes back. Twinkle, the second oldest next to Dust in the new 'family' or ours calls it the death mist. It's fitting, to say the least. We stay very close to each other now, so that we can look out for each other, and maybe even provide well needed comfort. We all have jobs too. Twinkle keeps us all safe and sound, with her funny jokes and happy smile, it's hard not to frown when you see her. Dust, on the other hoof, is more serious. He's nice, but he won't smile much, and he finds and salvages whatever food he thinks is edible, wether it be a small patch of flowers, or a potato or even grass, he will bring it back for us so we can have a little something in our bellies.

"I, being the youngest and most vulnerable, need to stay put. So, I write about what is happening. When we get out, or even if we don't make it, I hope that this journal is found. By then, it will have many entries about what's been happening. It makes me glad, because with this, maybe the pony who is doing this to us will be punished.

"Dear Journal, I'm closing for now. I've written on two papers already, and I don't want to waste what little resources I currently have. Dust has just found some vegetables, and we're going to bring them back. The green leaves look... So reassuring!"

Eyeglass finished the journal entry. She looked at the clock. It was nearing closing hours. She'd have to go home very soon.
Closing up the journal, she stacked it on top of the papers she was looking through, grabbed her vintage purse, and closed up her office for the night, making sure that the windows were tight, and the shutters closed.

She wiped a tear from her eye and looked back before getting into the elevator. Now those are strong ponies... she thought to herself with a smile.