Dancing Mad

Against all odds, Pinkie Pie managed to get almost all of Ponyville assembled in one place for her "quiet social gathering". Many ponies showed up hoping to find a missing friend or family member among the crowds, and many more showed up in hopes that the whole "safety in numbers" thing would work in their favor. All in all, the mood could be described as somber. Pinkie wasn't quite sure whether to call her party a success or not.

Sugarcube Corner proved to be insufficient for the larger than average guest list, and so the street just outside the bakery had been repurposed as a designated party zone, complete with buffet tables loaded with snacks and a record player, though that remained silent for the time being. Nopony even bothered to pay the apple bobbing tub any mind. Rarity sighed as she cast a weary eye over the "festivities".

"I still think this was a terrible idea. Pinkie is probably running herself ragged trying to liven things up, the poor dear." Rarity eyed the unicorn standing next to her, who appeared to be lost in thought. "Twilight, is something the matter? You've been silent ever since we got here."

Twilight perked up at the sound of her own name. "Oh, sorry. I've had a lot on my mind today." She stretched her neck to get a better view over the surrounding crowds. "I don't suppose you've seen this Kefka guy, have you? I need to talk to him, but I don't actually know what he looks like."

Rarity scoffed. "Consider yourself lucky, dear. I simply can't believe anypony would willingly wear something so dreadfully tacky in public. Believe me, you'll know him when you see him."

"Oh ho ho ho! Looks like there's a bigger crowd than I expected. How wonderful!" Kefka set foot on the stone streets that marked the entrance to Ponyville. Even at a distance, the crowd outside Sugarcube Corner could be seen clearly. "Good thing I'm always prepared to entertain. Lyra, bring that around back, and do not allow yourself to be seen."

Lyra nodded and ducked between two nearby houses. A large cask followed her into the darkness, surrounded by a golden glow. Meanwhile, Kefka continued along the main road towards Sugarcube Corner.

"Vwee hee hee hee! After dealing with those blasted Returners, these horses are mere insects! Look at them, so gullible, they line up for the slaughter like the good little animals they are." Kefka stopped in the middle of the road. He reached for his own magic, testing the reaction of the harmonic magic within him. He could feel only a weak resistance, though he still couldn't quite wrestle full control away from the peaceful intruder. "Ugh, how do these things live like this, tied down by their... friendship and love? Blech!" Kefka resumed his steady pace towards Pinkie's party. "No matter. After tonight, I'll regain full control over my magic, and then nothing will stop me from becoming the ruler of this world! Oh ho ho ho ho ho!"

"Hello there, are you Mr. Kefka?"

"Uh wha?" Kefka looked around to find that, during his monologue, he had arrived at Sugarcube Corner and was currently standing face to face with a purple unicorn that was staring at him with equal parts curiosity and caution. "You didn't hear any of that, did you?"

"Only that you seemed to find something to be particularly funny. Though, I find it odd," the intrusive unicorn continued. "What might you find so entertaining, considering these circumstances?"

As enticing as it was, Kefka resisted the urge to simply dispose of the meddlesome creature. The risk of ruining his plan was too great with the number of witnesses present. Instead, he gathered his thoughts and prepared to endure an unexpected bump in an otherwise very well paved road.

"You may address me as Lord Kefka."

Twilight's eye began to twitch, as it does under situations of extreme irritation. She had spent at least half an hour now grilling Kefka on a plethora of questions regarding his "magic sight" among other things, and he refused to say anything on the matter other than that it was an old family heirloom. He had become very defensive when she had asked to see it, claiming that it was far too valuable to be waving around in public. Rarity and Applejack, who had joined the conversation after leaving their sisters to hang out elsewhere, listened intently, though they didn't seem to share in Twilight's same level of frustration. Seeing that she wasn't going to make any headway on the mystery rock, Twilight decided to change the topic.

"So, what brings you to Ponyville?"

"Visiting my niece."

"Lyra, right? How's she doing, by the way?"

"She's fine."

"Pretty bad luck, coming to town for a visit on the same day that her marefriend dies. Must be hard on both of you, though you seem to be in pretty good spirits."

"What exactly are you insinuating?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all. You say you're from Canterlot?"

"Yes, and I hope you're going somewhere with this."

"Well, it's just that, I'm from Canterlot myself, and I've never heard of a noble family by the name of Palazzo."

"We're new, gained the title when we married into Lyra's family."

"Which is the...?"

"..." Son of a submariner! I knew I should have remembered her last name! "The Lyra clan?"

"Lyra clan?" Twilight deadpanned. Applejack and Rarity exchanged puzzled glances.

Beads of sweat began to form on Kefka's brow. Why can't I just kill her? I need to end this. "You know, some families prefer to be referred to by their surname. Is there something wrong with that?"

"Nothing at all. Many families of Neighsian descent still follow the naming conventions of their ancestors, but as far as I can tell, the Heartstrings family isn't one of them."

Who is this know-it-all? "Fine, I didn't bother to run a background check on my in-laws. Sue me."

"That's fine, I have some other things I'd like to ask about. What's your special talent?"

"Magic."

Twilight found it difficult to hide her surprise. "Really? That just happens to be my special talent, too! Can I see your cutie mark?"

Kefka found it difficult to hide his absolute bewilderment. "My what now?"

"Your cutie mark, you know, the thing that represents that one thing that makes each pony special?" Twilight turned her body to display her own star shaped mark.

"Oh, is that what those are?" Kefka turned his head to look at his own rear end, which was completely obscured by his colorful cloak. "You know, I haven't bothered to check my own. Just kinda figured the whole town was into branding or something."

Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity shared a brief moment of silence as they attempted to puzzle out what exactly had just occurred. Kefka took their slack jaws as confirmation that the conversation was finally over. Perfect timing too, since Lyra had just appeared in his peripheral vision by the door to Sugarcube Corner.

"Well, I'd love to stay and chat some more but my dear niece is looking for me. Goodbye, Miss..."

"Twilight Sparkle."

"Ah, yes. Goodbye, Miss Sparkle." Kefka confidently strutted away, disappearing into the crowd.

After Kefka was out of sight, Rarity finally recovered enough to address her friends. "Was he being serious just now?"

"I can honestly say, I think he was," Applejack replied.

Twilight shook her head in bewilderment. "Okay, I think we can all agree that was really weird. Can you two stay here and keep an eye out for anything suspicious? I'm going to ask around to see if anypony else knows anything."

Rarity and Applejack nodded their heads, still too confused to say much else.

Pinkie Pie dashed back and forth through the crowds, visibly winded but still as perky as ever. She had thrown this party to cheer up all of Ponyville, and that's exactly what she was going to do. It was a more ambitious project than usual, but nothing was going to stop her from being the best hostess in all of Equestria.

"Hey, Caramel, having a good time? Cheerilee, try one of these cupcakes! Hey there, Aloe, where's Lotus? No, Sweetie Belle, I'm all set in the kitchen, thanks for the offer though. Mr. Filthy, how's business lately?"

Every single pony she talked to, their responses were the same; Gloomy with a side order of frowny face. What kind of party is this? Ponies should be laughing and playing. Did I do something wrong? Was it something I said?

As Pinkie wallowed in self pity, trying to think of what had gone wrong with her carefully planned party, she began to feel a familiar tingling sensation in her leg.

Huh, my Pinkie sense is trying to tell me something. Pinchy knee? But that means something scary is going to happen! And it's going to happen in... the kitchen?

Pinkie wasn't sure what kind of scary thing could possibly happen at a party, but as the party's hostess, it was her job to find it and stop it before it could ruin everypony's good time. She darted through the crowd, skillfully dodging party goers and snack tables, and slipped into Sugarcube Corner through the front door. As she approached the door to the kitchen, she began to hear voices.

"This was almost too easy! Wee hee hee! That purple one is certainly nosy, though. I can't wait to see her suffer."

Audible gasp! What kind of dastardly fiendishness could be going on in there?

Pinkie slowly pushed the door open a crack to peek inside. Is that Mr. Kefka? And Lyra? What are they doing in there? Wait, what are they mixing into the punch? Nopony adds secret ingredients to the punch but me!

Kefka twisted his head at the sound of a door being slammed open at full force. Pinkie stood in the doorway, hooves spread in an aggressive stance, ready to charge. "I've caught you red hoofed, Mr. Suspicious! Drop the punch bowl and nopony gets hurt! Or thirsty!"

Kefka craned his head to see behind the pink intruder. The room was empty, save for Pinkie, Lyra, and himself. "I don't think you've planned this out as well as you think you have. Besides, I thought you liked surprises."

"Surprises are supposed to be fun! You're just being a big meany!"

"That's hardly fair," Kefka pouted. "I'm having loads of fun, and once your friends drink your special punch, they'll be pushing up daisies! Horses like daisies, right?"

Pinkie snorted, shooting steam out of her nostrils. "Yes, daisies are delicious, but that doesn't matter. I'm going to stop you, right here. I won't let you hurt my friends!" The muscles in her legs tensed as she prepared to charge at the clearly unstable clown, but her hooves refused to budge from their position on the floor. She looked down to see ice crystals forming around her legs, slowly freezing her into place. Lyra was standing nearby, horn aglow as she concentrated on her magic. Kefka cackled at the sight.

"Oh ho ho ho ho ho! You should see the look on your face right now! Betrayed by one you called friend, how delightful! Oh, these are the moments I treasure most, when you realize how worthless your efforts truly are."

Pinkie's eyes began to tear up. "Why... why are you doing this?"

"Hmm? Why am I doing what? Poisoning the town? Destroying everything you hold dear? You want to know why?"

Pinkie merely nodded. The ice had reached her throat, and her mouth was no longer capable of forming words.

"Hmm... that is a good question. I suppose I could say I did it for power or to conquer the world, but honestly, at the moment, I think I'm just bored."

Kefka turned towards the pink mare to see her reaction, but she was already frozen solid. He inspected the new ice statue with a critical eye.

"Nice work, Lyra. Very nice attention to detail. The frozen tears are an excellent touch, really brings emotion to the piece. A shame it'll melt away, it does make a lovely display."

Rarity felt a chill overcome her suddenly as she continued to mingle, as per her orders. Her thoughts had turned to a very dark place since the conversation with Kefka from earlier.

Where even did he get that atrocious outfit? Next time I'm in Canterlot, I'll report this crime against fashion to Fancypants, and we will have the designer responsible blacklisted forever. Nopony should be able to get away with bringing something that hideous into this world. Who even wears a cloak with fake pegasus wings? Really!

"Rarity."

I mean, the idea isn't terrible, but the execution is all wrong. The colors just don't match at all, and the fabric texture in the cloak simply clashes with the feather pattern in the wings. Actually, if I were to change the colors around a bit and take out one of the pairs of wings... yes, I think that could work.

"Rarity!"

Startled, Rarity jumped about a foot off the ground. After a less than graceful landing, she regarded the offending pony with just a tiny hint of malice. "What, Applejack? What did you want, that you had to scare me halfway to the moon?"

"Sorry Rare, but I gotta take Apple Bloom back home." Applejack turned to display the little yellow filly, soundly asleep on her back. "She's been helping pick up some of the slack at the farm while Mac is gone, and she's plumb tuckered out. I shouldn't be too long. Think you can handle things while I'm gone?"

Rarity's icy glare warmed a bit as she watched the tired filly snoozing so peacefully. "Of course, Applejack, take as long as you need." She waved a hoof toward the morose crowd surrounding them. "I hardly think anything of interest is going to happen that Twilight and I can't handle."

"Thanks, Rarity. I'll try to be back as soon as possible."

Rarity sighed as Applejack made her way through the crowd. "I wish something interesting would happen. This 'party' is more like a funeral than anything. Oh, is that more punch being brought out? I do hope Pinkie made it sans alligator this time, I am absolutely parched."

Kefka surveyed the crowds for any signs of a reaction as Lyra wheeled out one of their special punch bowls. A few of the ponies peeled off from the central group to quench their thirst, including one that he identified as the annoying white unicorn that had almost put a stop to the party before it was even in the planning stages.

So hasty. You couldn't wait just a little longer? You see, this right here is why I used a slow acting poison. We can't have a few impatient idiots ruin the surprise for everyone else, can we?

Kefka smirked at the small throng that had gathered around the punch bowl. Still, I need to play my part soon. After all, the clock is ticking now.

After straightening his cloak out, Kefka stepped out of Sugarcube Corner and slowly made his way to the small stage that Pinkie had conveniently set up in case of a surprise musical number.

Twilight's frustration began to reach peak levels. Nopony had any information that she didn't already know, she couldn't find Applejack anywhere, Pinkie had disappeared, and Rarity was too busy mingling at the punch bowl to be of any real use. With a reluctant sigh, she made her way to the one friend she at least knew the location of.

"Twilight, dear, any luck with the search?"

"No, Rarity, I'm afraid not. I don't suppose you've seen anything?"

"No, I haven't, sorry darling." Rarity emptied her glass. As she was setting her glass down, something odd caught her eye. "Twilight, you might want to direct your attention to the stage. I think something interesting is finally about to happen."

Twilight turned her attention to the aforementioned stage, only to see the unlikeliest of ponies preparing to address the crowd. Kefka cleared his throat before he began.

"Hello, Ponyville. You may not know who I am, but I feel like I know all of you like you're my own family. I came here, a stranger to you all, and yet you welcomed me with open arms, and treated me like one of your own."

Twilight could hear murmurs of disagreement throughout the crowd. Nopony seemed too fond of the clownish noble, and it was clear that "open arms" was a bit of an exaggeration. This only peaked Twilight's curiosity.

He obviously wasn't met with a warm reception. Why would he lie about something like that, on stage no less?

"This isn't about me, however," Kefka continued. "As you well know, my dear niece, Lyra, was stricken with great tragedy recently. Many of you are dealing with your own losses as well, right now, and yet, the support we've received from the community has been overwhelming."

The murmurs were less dissenting, but still, there was little warmth to be had. Twilight scratched her head.

This is so strange. It's all obviously a lie. What is his game?

"As such, I would like to propose a toast. To all of you, who have been so supportive in these trying times."

Is Lyra handing out drinks? Does nopony else find that a little odd?

"To those of you who have lost loved ones of your own."

Why would he mention those disappearances? How much does he know?

"And to Lyra, a pony who has gone through pain I can only dream of, and still has the strength to carry on."

Rarity wrapped a hoof over Twilight's back for support. "Oh my, I think I may have drank too much. I'm beginning to feel light headed."

"May you find only happiness, for the rest of your days."

Kefka raised a glass in his hoof. Twilight was surprised to see that nearly every pony in the crowd had raised a glass of their own.

When did they all get those?

Twilight suddenly felt as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She looked down to find Rarity lying on the ground at her hooves. Most of the other ponies around the punch bowl had begun to collapse as well.

"To an end to suffering."

Kefka drained his glass and all the ponies in the crowd with a drink followed suit. Twilight gasped as all the puzzle pieces fell into place a second too late.

"No, it can't be. All along, he just wanted..." She looked at her friend lying on the ground, her eyes wide open and beginning to cloud over. "No no no no no, this can't be happening." She looked back at the stage, but Kefka was already gone. The ponies that had participated in the toast were still standing, though some of the smaller mares were already starting to feel the effects.

Twilight could feel moisture building in her eyes. "How could anypony do something like this? This is sick, twisted." The other party goers had begun to notice what was happening as more ponies succumbed to the effects of the poison. The survivors had begun to panic.

"Flitter, I don't feel so good."

"Carrot, honey, what's wrong? What's happening?"

"Please get up, mommy. I'm scared."

"The end is nigh!"

"Don't leave me!"

Twilight could do naught but stare at the chaos around her, as she was overwhelmed with emotions, bombarded with grief from all sides. Children who would never hug their parents again. Lovers who would never again share eachother's warm embrace. Siblings who would never see their brother or sister's smile. All of it was just too much.

"Rarity?"

Twilight was startled out of her thoughts by the sound of a small, white unicorn filly calling her sister's name.

"Sweetie Belle..."

Sweetie Belle turned her head up to match Twilight's gaze, her emerald eyes brimming with tears.

"She's just sleeping, right?" Sweetie managed to choke out. "She'll wake up soon, won't she?"

Twilight stared at the filly as the implications really started to sink in.

All these ponies are dead. Rarity is dead. One of my best friends is dead. If he was behind this, then it's possible that my other friends... no. I can't think like that. Not yet.

Sweetie Belle watched the older mare with pleading eyes, but her silence was confirmation enough. "She's gone, isn't she?"

"Yes, I think so." Twilight stepped towards the bakery where Kefka had disappeared, leaving Sweetie Belle behind, wailing over her sister's corpse. "I could have stopped this, if I had only seen it sooner. No pony could do something like this. No pony is capable of such atrocities." She picked up speed, charging for the door that stood between her and the greatest foe she had ever encountered.

"But, Kefka is no pony. The signs were all there, I was just too stupid to see it." As the door came nearer, Twilight focused her magic into her horn. "He's a monster, and I'm going to stop him, right here, right now!"