Jeff the Killer

"(W-Wha... What IS that?)"

"...."

A hushed, masculine voice resonates in Spike's head, as he wakes up and regains control over his body. Spike opens his eyes to see the face of a white pony with a brown mane and yellow eyes.

"...Woah, ...... Waaauh..?" Spike gripped, staggering. He keeps himself from falling again, pushing himself up with his claws. After a couple of seconds, Spike groggily stood up, while the stallion just stared intently.

"What are you ...and how do you know Twilight?" A curious but mellow voice asks Spike. It took a second to realize the question was directed at him, still dizzy from having the air in his lungs kicked out.

To be fair, Spike's head was still throbbing from the fall, and the darkness of the night didn't help. Spike takes a better look at the stallion he mistook as Twilight; A unicorn with shiny white fur and a modest, brown mane. The stallion had only two solid colors of brown and white, the exception being his eyes, being a tinted yellow with a ring of gold around his irises. Studying his facial features, the stallion seemed apologetic, maybe even fearful. Of him, Spike guessed.

Well, Spike thought, would be scared too if *I* kicked a dragon in the gut!

Hiding his irritation, Spike straightens his bruised body, successfully holding back tears. Spike's eyes meet the stallion, forcing a weak grin.

"H-Hi.. My name is Spike. I," Spike points a claw toward his chest,  "am Twilight Sparkle's Number One Assistant!" Spike declared proudly.

Hearing this, the stallion's body gestures noticeably seemed to relax, as he took a large step towards Spike. A large smile slowly grew on his face. Creepy.

"Great!" the somewhat shy stallion replied with conflicting vigor. "Do you know where she is? Also, I’m afraid you didn't answer my question."

"What? I told yo- Oh! Oh.." Spike sighed. Didn't he ever see a baby dragon before? He is definitely new to the neighborhood, I guess.

"I’m a dragon."

The stallion's smile seemed to quiver for a second, which Spike easily noticed. He didn't think too much into it, though.

"Ha!" The stallion replied in a deep-throated laugh, almost causing Spike to step back at the outburst. "So you’re like a bodyguard or something, right?" The stallion joked, trying to cut the tension. Spike, recognizing the awkwardness of the situation, decided to let it pass.

   After being woken up from sleep and then knocked down by a stallion he never met before at the dead of the night, he couldn't care less anymore.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Spike flashes a smug smile and  puffs out his chest, something the stallion just barely cringed at.

Spike's ego boost was thwarted, though, as he falls over to a creepy noise. The noise recognized a second later as a timberwolf's howl in the distance. "heehehe.."

__________

-Ponyville

Rainbow Dash was returning to her cloud home, after a long day working at the weather over Ponyville.

'Rain on Tuesday, check. Sunny days all rest of the week, sweet! Perfect for... activities...' Rainbow Dash laughed maniacally. She was outmatched, though, by the the 'laughter' in her stomach, reminding her its almost time for dinner.

"Hmm..." Rainbow Dash hovered for a second, before racing to her kitchen cabinets. She opened the cabinets labeled 'food'  (pretty easy to find). She opened it to find... nothing. Sure, there was lots of old leftovers and she can always make a great hay sandwich, but where’s the fun in that?

"Buck it. I should check on Pinkie and see if I can get her to slip me some food!" Rainbow Dash grinned deviously, a sly smile forming on her face. "Thats a lot tastier than eating a boring sandwich... Plus I could hang out with Pinkie at the same time!"

Rainbow Dash slips out of her house and races down to ground level. She passes by the market, to see it still buzzing with activity. A lot of activity.

She flies above the market to witness ponies shoving and pushing each other, getting on a giant line. The line was huge, so big that it actually cut through most of the market square! A line for what, though? Not mentioning the sun was setting, and most ponies didn't stick around at night in Ponyville.

Kind of like a curfew, now that I think about it. Rainbow Dash thought.

She landed to the ground, gracefully, and pushed through the crowd to see what the commotion was.

They were selling strawberries. Rainbow stood still for a solid two seconds until she finally recoiled, revolted by the discovery.

"EW, why does everyone like those things?!" Rainbow Dash demanded irritability, ignoring a few glares she earned from some of the ponies.

Rainbow Dash HATES strawberries, with a burning passion. If she was in the desert with only strawberries as a food source, she would feed them to the sand lizards. If all edible foods in the world except strawberries and cold medicine were to be wiped off the planet, she would never have to worry about getting a stuffy nose ever again. She will never, ever eat strawberries if its the last thing she does. NEVER.

The reasonable reaction to seeing a stand selling the cursed fruit? Blast out of there, tail behind our backs. And that is exactly what she did, to the mob's annoyance (and awe, in some cases). Apparently the air friction from accelerating from still to breakneck speeds in an instant are too loud for most people to appreciate. Oh well. She sticks her tongue out at the crowd, before blasting off once again.

Once high enough, Rainbow Dash zipped to... or was about to zip to Pinkie's, until something caught her eye. Being a pegasus and having been hanging around a griffin for much of her life, it isn't an exaggeration that her eyesight fits her reputation: being awesome. Saying this, it would be quite easy to simply spot three fillies dangerously close to the Everfree Forest.

And the name of those fillies are..... well at this point it's kind of obvious.

Most ponies, especially foals, would stay far away from the Everfree Forest, Rainbow Dash included, but not the Cutie Mark Crusaders. They seemingly flourish, no, live on doing stupidly dangerous stuff. Rainbow Dash sighs.  Was I like this when I was a squirt?

Alas, Rainbow Dash was bored.

"What are they up to now?" She wonders with a spike of interest, as she quietly glides behind a bush and tip hoofs towards them, getting in close enough that she was in earshot.

"So, are we really gonna do this?" Rainbow Dash heard Scootaloo say.

"Yah, I ain't chicken! I ain't afraid of no old forest!" Spoke Apple Bloom, with confident vigor, an attitude never scarce  for the three. "Besides, Zecora already said it was okay, so we have to!"

Ah... the mind of a filly... Wait. Are they going into the Everfree?! Rainbow Dash squinted before sighing again. Well, I rest my case. I better stop them before they start a forest fire or something. Again.

Rainbow jumps towards the crusaders, alerting all three of them. Two of the crusaders, once recovered from their shock, wore confused faces, while the last wore a large smile.

"Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo screeches happily.

"Hey, kids." Rainbow Dash chuckles. "I couldn't help but overhear. You aren't planning anything crazy like going into the Everfree forest are you? Because going there is not -"

Rainbow Dash was unable to finish what she was about to say, as all four ponies are interrupted to hear loud clopping and shrieks in the distance.

"RAINBOW DASH!!!" A terrifying voice laced with venom was directed toward Rainbow and the fillies. They turn their heads to see a raging purple mare in full gallop running for them. "GET YOUR FLANK OVER HERE!!"

The four of them freeze, unable to process what was going on. Rainbow Dash, naturally the fastest, was first to recover.

"Girls, run!" Rainbow Dash blurts out, while getting into a pivot stance facing the purple menace.

What would the most reasonable thing to do when a crazy mare is charging at you and a group of innocent, defenseless foals?

Thats right, charge head on, full speed! Once again, that is exactly what Rainbow Dash does.

"Raaaaaaaaaaaaahh!!" Rainbow Dash cries, as the fillies run off, presumably to their respected homes.

__________

Fluttershy exited the library, after waiting for over an hour for Princess Celestia to respond to the letter she and Twilight sent.

Surely the princess must have been very busy. We shouldn't have bothered her.' Fluttershy thought. 'Maybe at another time....

She goes through Ponyville, on the trail heading towards her cottage. She passes by the Market Square, to see an empty table opening up. Normally, shops opened up early in the morning to get as many customers as possible, yet why did this stall choose to open in the afternoon? Fluttershy walks up to the mare opening shop and asked,

"E-Excuse me, but what are you selling today?"

"Why!" The foreigner leading the stand wore an impressed look. "That was fast! I didn't even start shop and already customers are lining up."

Fluttershy, confused, tried to speak up, "B-But ma'am, I don’t und-"

"Strawberries for sale here!" The mare suddenly howled over the market squabble, ignoring the yellow pegasus. "Get'em while they’re fresh!"

Fluttershy turns her head... What happened next would traumatize the poor pegasus for the rest of her life.

In response to the mare's calls, dozens of ponies within radius came rushing in, followed by even more hearing about the news or interested about the commotion. Fluttershy was pushed and shoved, and easily toppled over. A couple of ponies fell over her, but not many batted an eyelash to the scene. It was truly a miracle nopony got seriously hurt.

Hence, In order for Fluttershy to survive further abuse, she had to crawl through the crowd, an action most ponies ignored. After a couple of minutes, she successfully dug herself out. She only suffered  a few bruises and a seriously shriveled mane, which a first aid kit and a comb can easily solve. Fluttershy was disheartened, though, as she felt her injured leg begin to throb again, with increased consistency.

The crowd was soon forced to form a rough line, measuring already over fifty ponies long. Fluttershy slowly recovered from her post-trampled daze, in which seven more ponies were added to the line.

Wait.. S-strawberries are for sale? Fluttershy realized, blinking her eyes repeatedly, shocked at the unusual sight. Completely ignoring the ordeal she went through, her mind cleared at the mention of her favorite fruit. I bet Angel would absolutely love strawberries, it would be a shame if I don't get some while I have the chance.

Reluctantly, Fluttershy got onto the line, with a slight limp, hoping it wouldn't take too long. After all, she didn't want to disappoint her animal friends by not feeding them on time.

_________

• Allentown, Pennsylvania

Jan 12, 2002   12:05 PM

My name is Rick Dimetri. The main reason I am writing this is because there is a person after me.

He is probably a male, around five foot four inches, and wears a white hoodie and black jeans. I've seen this man stalking me at least two or three times, two for sure. Lately I can't tell when he is there or if its my mind tricking me again...

I think hes been following me everywhere. My favorite restaurant, my house, my workplace, who knows where else?

I think I see him right now.

Jan 14, 2002    01:32 AM

HE WAS IN MY HOUSE!

My house is a mess, my door was busted open. He destroyed the TV, stole my wallet, he even ate my food. I don't have enough food to last the rest of the week, but I am too terrified to go out anymore.

He was looking for ME! If I wasn't at the bar with my friends that night, I might not be alive today. I need to call the police, right now.

Jan 15, 2002   3:27 PM

I ran out and bought a shotgun. I normally don't like guns, I think they do more harm then they are worth.

You can see what he is doing to me. I can't trust anyone. I can't go outside, I can't rest. He is making me doubt myself, making me do things I don't believe in. I don't want to kill.

   But I don't want to die either. The police are useless. They think I am crazy. Who will be the crazy one at the end, though?

Police Report, Criminal Murder investigation

"These entries were found in a notebook on the table of the house that the victim, Rick Dimitri, lived in. The book is a regular hard cover notebook, with 'READ ME' written in large black print on the covers. The entries were all written in black ink. The handwritings of the victim and the entries match, giving enough reason to treat the entries as primary evidence for investigation.

The victim hosts multiple stab wounds, many situated in the left thigh and chest. The victim's mouth was mutilated into a smile, similar to many cases heard all around the Northern Hemisphere, mostly in Canada and concentrated in many parts of the United States.

The victim seemed to be in the possession of a Model 1887 shotgun, with the clip full except for a single shot. A bullet shell was discovered near the area, supporting the theory that a shot has been fired at the perpetrator, though the blood proving the act could not be confirmed because of the blood from the victim puddles the entire scene. The fatal wound seems to have been a slit throat, though it is possible that the heavy bleeding wounds could have killed him first before the corpse was mutilated further.

The house has suffered a broken front door as well as a smashed window. It is unsure exactly how the perpetrator entered the vicinity, but it is believed to have entered by one of these entryways.

It is unknown where the suspect could have gone, but the pattern of assault dictates that he will reappear in a different city, to repeat the crime. This person has been assigned to be on consistent look out and manhunt,  dead or alive. This  case is highlighted as the first time the order was issued on a domestic individual in United States history."

__________

-Ponyville

Fluttershy, after patiently waiting almost half an hour for her turn to purchase a batch of strawberries for her and Angel, starts the walk towards her cottage.

Wow, its still hours away until dark, plenty of time to go and feed all the animals before nighttime. Fluttershy quietly rejoices, while reluctantly reminding herself of one of her many fears, Achluophobia.

Being afraid of the dark is something many ponies share, and is nothing to be ashamed of... Fluttershy reassures herself, her mood beginning to lift. She starts thinking about other, more comforting, thoughts, while waving and saying hello to fellow ponies that pass by.

Enjoying the sunset and thinking to herself, Fluttershy slowly paces her walk home, staying content even with the light throbbing in her leg that refused to leave. The peacefulness of the nature around her always makes walks blissfully pleasant for the pegasus. Unfortunately, as she gets visual of her cottage, all those pleasant feelings slip away.

She can automatically feel something wrong.

She looks around the cottage scenery, in odd dismay. All her animal friends left, and silence reigned. No song birds tweeting, no small animals playing in the grass, not even one of her favorites, the butterfly, seemed to be anywhere in sight for her to enjoy. Malicious vibes ruled over the plot, preventing the pegasus from relaxing the tension building up in her mind. Finally, Fluttershy's instincts kicked in, throwing her into her second adrenaline fueled rush of the day. Fluttershy ran into her cottage as fast as she could, narrowly avoiding clipping off her tail on the door. She rested on the door for the moment, taking deep breaths.

Exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale.

Fluttershy rapidly shakes her head. She repeats this for several seconds, holding one hoof to the door and another to her chest. Thinking rapidly, she contemplates her next move.

Should I-I get Twilight? Or stay here? Yet, she feels like she has forgotten something, which causes her to remember she still failed to feed her animal friends. Fluttershy, your animal friends are counting on you! What type of friend would I be if I let them go hungry?

Fluttershy, defeated by her own logic, got up slowly and moved towards the innards of her house, where many of her smaller 'indoor' animals lurked. Or really should have been, if it had been a normal day. Fluttershy calls out to them, but in vain. Her voice has already become lower than a whisper, mute to the ears.

They were nowhere to be found.

   Fluttershy feels her lungs hyperventilating once more, knowing something is wrong. She falls to the ground, shivering in fear. That was when she felt a light tapping on her head. She opens her eyes to see a white bunny take up most of her vision.

"Angel!" Fluttershy yelped in joy, taking the bunny in her hooves and gently hugging him. Angel, on the other hand, was not as receptive. The bunny tries to escape her grasp and relentlessly pounds his paws on her head.

Fluttershy, wincing at the light, uncomfortable thumping gently releases the bunny to the ground, confused.

"..Angel?"

Angel waves his paws around her face frantically, pointing at the front door. Angel then starts hopping toward the door, prompting it to open.

Fluttershy compiled, following the bunny and opening the door for the two of them. Angel started hopping towards the back of the cottage. Fluttershy's instincts told her something horrible has happened, and tries to hold her heart as she follows her favorite bunny. They reach the pens, with a wave of relief as she sees the animals here had not disappeared. Fluttershy lets herself breath as she sees everything was alright... for the most part.

Fluttershy walks up to each pen, to notice the fear each and every animal had in their eyes. They gathered towards her when she reached their pen, as she counted each one.

As she reaches the chicken coup, however, she notices the chickens gather around a spot in the pen. They ignore the yellow pony, yet as she examines closer she realizes that the chickens were seemingly the most bewildered and bothered of all the animals.

Now staring at the scene with hesitant curiosity, Fluttershy unlatches the hook to the pen door and slowly steps toward the chickens. She pauses for a second each step, by which a couple of chickens finally either stared or made way for Fluttershy. They were all silent, not making a sound, and even animals from other pens noticed and added on to the silence. Fluttershy confronts the chickens, and where  almost all eyes were staring at.

"U-U-Um.. w-what is wron-" Fluttershy looks down. She spots the cause of the disturbance, to only recoil in astonishment.

A blood stain.