A Shadow of a Whisperby cold revengeChaptersA unicorn lostThe other ApplesDeeper into the mysteryThe journalA unicorn lostDear Princess Celestia, This week so far has not contained any lesson of friendship so I am apologizing for being late, again. Although I am going to inform you that I will be helping my friends all day tomorrow so I hope to learn something by then, I do hope you can forgive me. I have made a list on the various activities I will partake in with them: 1. Bottle cider with Applejack at Sweet Apple Acres. 2. Help Fluttershy take care of her animals. 3. Give Rarity some inspiration for her new dress. I really hope you can forgive me for being late on my friendship report. Your Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle The sun hung over Ponyville when a lone unicorn stumbled over a hill, admiring the apple trees that had just lost their precious fruit, and were preparing for the chilling winter ahead. Twilight was beginning to start her activities for the day, reading off a mental check list of all the promises she had made to her friends. "So, first I have to help Applejack with cider bottling, then I should go and help Fluttershy with her animals..." Twilight mumbled to herself. She was walking through Sweet Apple Acres on her way to help the farm filly. It may have been boring work, but she thought she might've been able to learn a lesson in friendship from it. She was still Celestia's student, so any opportunity to learn was a blessing for her. "Oh, I'm early. Well, I guess I could rest a little." Twilight said, leaning against the barn. It had been a long and tiring walk, especially for a pony that had woken up an hour earlier than usual. Even against the hard wood of the barn, the young unicorn fell asleep quickly. "Wake up. Come on Twilight, Wake up." said a voice. "Where am I?" Twilight asked. She was surrounded by black. It was a cold black, growing ever closer. It was slowly devouring her. It was like a dream, but she had never had a dream like this. "How does it feel to be dead?" the voice asked. It was soft, soothing, and inviting. Almost too much so. "What do you mean? I'm not..." Twilight trailed off. She became aware of the cavity that had been dug out of her chest. As she looked down at the rough opening, she could see scenes from several biology books. She could see her own heart, nestled between several eggshell white ribs. Her heart was weak, barely throbbing. Twilight screamed and vomited at the sight, some of it dripping into the wound. The acidic vomit only made her scream again, this time in agony, not shock. Tears flowed endlessly from her eyes as she realized that she would never see any of her friends, or anypony else, ever again. "Who are you? Discord?" She pleaded. "No, no. I am not the one you call Discord. I cannot tell you much about what happened to you, but I can tell you that your death was not accidental. No, you were not the victim of some freak farm accident." The voice calmly said, reading her thoughts. "You were attacked, and then you bled to death. I believe the first laceration started near the top.” A dark figure began to emerge from the darkness, bringing with it a bright white light. There was something strange about the light though. Twilight couldn't put her hoof on it, but there was something familiar about it. "What do you mean? Who are you?" Twilight asked, growing more and more fearful of this creature. She began to back away from it, not wanting to be hurt by it. "Why, my dear child, you should know by now. You were murdered. I want to play a little game though, it's been so long since I've had any fun." the voice replied. Twilight stopped her retreat to listen. She was frozen in fear of what exactly the creature meant by 'Fun'. "I want to share some of my power with you. I can give you the power to change your fate." "Change my... fate?" Twilight asked in fear and disbelief. "Yes, I want to see if you can outwit Destiny. Be warned though, Destiny doesn't like to be tricked. Here, take it." As it said this, it tossed her a small necklace. It was golden, adorned with small rubies that shone in the creature’s bright light. "Just think of when you want to travel to, and you will go there. It only travels through time, so if you want to be somewhere else, you'll have to travel there yourself. I know you have a spell for time travel, but this doesn't have such a short time limit, and won't cost you magical energy." Twilight began to scream, partially because magic like that was unheard of, but mostly because one of her lungs was now sitting in front of her hooves, still slightly throbbing as the cords linking it to her body pulsed with what little blood she had left. "Don't think you can just live out your days in the past though." The figure calmly proceeded, as if nothing had happened. "The necklace has a clock concealed inside the center gemstone. It measures time on the day you were murdered. If you don't return in time to be killed, you'll die. Even I can't bring you back then. It will sound an alarm when you have five minutes left, so you won't forget. If you manage to save yourself, the clock will shatter." "What's the catch?" Twilight weakly laughed, beginning to lose her sanity from the intense pain coursing through her nerves. "Catch? There is no catch." The figure said, confused as to why the decomposing unicorn would ask such a thing. "But, why are you helping me?" Twilight asked, bursting into tears. She had finally accepted that she was dead. She stood in awe at the kindness and mercy that this stranger was showing her. It had given her a new lease on life, and a chance to live again. "Hm, you're no longer dead, so you can't stay here. I'll put you in your house the morning of your death. Stop it as best you can." It said with a chuckle. Twilight awoke in her room, a small golden necklace around her neck. The early dawn light made the rubies on her necklace shine. She had hoped that everything that happened was just a nightmare from Luna, the guardian of dreams, and notorious prankster, but the necklace around her throat convinced her otherwise. That meant she would be dead tomorrow. Twilight tried to remove the necklace from her neck, but as she did so, she realized it had become part of her. Her wound had closed around the metal jewelery, forcing it to become one with her own flesh. She could not remove it, at least not until she solved her murder, for then it would demolish itself. That's what the figure had said, at least. "Twilight, Are you awake yet? Rarity needed you to bring her those books on embroidery, remember?" Spike called from outside Twilight's bedroom door. "I'm awake, Spike." Twilight replied. She had to act normally, lest everypony become suspicious of her. She knew two things: she had been murdered, and she had the power to travel through time indefinitely. She quickly thought of all her enemies, and if they could have murdered her. Trixie would never go that far, and now that she thought about it more, neither would Discord. Sombra didn't really know who she was, or where she lived. Chrysalis could've, but she had taken refuge in Saddle Arabia after the invasion’s failure. Nightmare Moon wasn't around anymore, ever since Luna had returned from the moon. The list went on and on, but Twilight couldn't think of who would've done it. Twilight made her way into the Library's main room, and was greeted by breakfast, courtesy of Spike. After she ate, she made her way to Rarity's boutique, with the requested books in her saddle bag. It was then that she decided to use the necklace. All she had to do was think of a time, say one week ago... "Hey Twilight!" Rainbow Dash called. The cyan pegasus had just finished clearing clouds, and was hoping she could have some fun with her egghead friend. "What is it Rainbow?" Twilight asked her friend. Rainbow Dash had just burst through the doors of the library, waking up Owlicious, who had just fallen asleep. This was strange, it hadn't happened the first time Twilight had died. "I found this great new spot to chill! I was flying over Saddle Lake, and I found this great little clearing, want to go?" Rainbow Dash asked. She spoke hastily, as if something was planned there. "Sure, to be honest, I could use a change of pace. I need to clear my head." Twilight sighed. A thought rushed through her mind, but it was crazy. There was no way Rainbow Dash would ever murder her, right? "Woah, what's with the jewels?" the eager pegasus asked, looking down at Twilight's chest. "Did Rarity give you those?" "What? Oh, um, it's nothing. Just a family heirloom." Twilight lied. She was glad she wasn't the Element of Honesty. "Why were you looking at my chest anyways?" "No reason!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, her wings bolting upright. "Anyways, it looks good on you." A streak of red crossed her face. "Thanks" Twilight replied. She knew that her friend was fond of her. Extremely fond, but the pegasus never admitted it. "So this is the place?" Twilight asked, looking around. It was perfect, a clear lake, as smooth as glass. White statues glistened in the reflection of the sun off the lake. Nearby, a small choir of birds were chirping. Twilight quickly glanced at her clock, she had fifteen minutes left. "Yeah... do you like it?" Rainbow Dash asked, crossing her forelegs as another red river flowed over her face. "Like it? I love it!" Twilight exclaimed. She had read about them, but now she was standing in front of one of the ancient divining pools. "Yeah... love." Rainbow quietly said, walking closer to Twilight. "About that word..." "What? The etymology?" Twilight asked. She loved etymology, it combined two of her favorite things: literature and history. "Not exactly." Rainbow Dash sighed, brushing shoulders with Twilight. The two mares stood side by side, watching the lake for an instant that seemed to last hours. "What then?" Twilight asked. If she could do something for her friend, she would love to be of service. She might even gain some information on her future death. "Well, we're good friends, right?" Rainbow Dash asked. She refused to make eye contact with Twilight. "Yeah, we're great…” Twilight was cut off by her friend, or more precisely, her friend’s tongue. Twilight could feel Rainbow Dash inside her mouth. She knew it was strange, but she didn't pull away. She felt enticed by her friend. After a few minutes, Rainbow Dash stopped and pulled back. "Um... sorry, I... I..." Rainbow Dash stuttered. The river of red that was on her face quickly grew into an ocean. She flew off, leaving only a quickly receding rainbow trail behind her. Just then, Twilight's necklace began to sound. Twilight thought of the time and date of her murder, and found herself still at the lake. The only notification that time had passed was the sun, as it was directly overhead. The fact that her alarm had gone off told Twilight that her 'experience' with Rainbow Dash had not changed her fate, at least not to a future where she lived. Twilight began running back to Sweet Apple Acres, the scene of her murder. If she didn't want to die for good, she needed to get back there. She would just barely return in time if she ran as fast as she could. It was roughly a four minute run back to the farm, and she had four minutes and thirty seconds. She was going to make note of her murderer's face, and confront them the next time she went back. A rustle came from behind one of the trees, but Twilight couldn't pay it any attention, she had to keep pressing forward. A silver tube peeked out from between two bushes behind Twilight. A dart came rushing out of the end of it, and found its target. Twilight felt a sharp pain in the back of her neck, and collapsed on the ground. "So, you still haven't solved the mystery?" The voice asked. Twilight found herself awaking in the same black void as before. This time, she had a small hole in her neck that was dying the back of her mane scarlet. "I don't get it, I didn't make it back to the farm, so why am I here?" Twilight asked, shocked at her lack of permanent death. "My dear Twilight Sparkle, you don't understand it, do you? You have to return in time to be murdered, but the place has nothing to do with it. Where you are determines where you killer is, don't you see? You will die at that time no matter where you are." The voice explained. "Well, at least I can go search for clues in farther away places, right?" Twilight asked. She was beginning to grow accustomed to the creature's calm, relaxed way of toying with her. "Sure, if you think you'll find any. Your stench of death has worn off, so you can't remain here. I'm going to send you back." the voice said. "Fine, but tell me one more thing, who are you?" Twilight tried to ask, but she found herself awaking in her bed before she could finish. The other Apples"Twilight, are you aw–" Spike called from the main hall of the library. "I'm awake, Spike," Twilight replied. It was the same as last time, but this time she wouldn't waste her precious time. Twilight quickly got herself prepared for the day, and made her way out the door. Her breakfast lay untouched. Twilight made her way towards the scene of her death, remembering to act casual. She had no idea what she would do once she found out who it was, but she would think about that later. Now she had to focus. "There you are, Sugarcube!" Applejack called. the orange mare stood in front of her barn, awaiting the arrival of her friend. Twilight would normally not be of much use on the farm, but a simple job like cider bottling should be something she could do. "I've been lookin' all over for you!" "Listen, Applejack," Twilight began. She wanted to gather information this time, she knew she wouldn't solve her murder just yet. "I read a book on mysteries, and was wondering if you could answer a question." Twilight lied. "Sure thing, but then we gotta get started here. What's the question?" Applejack asked, turning back towards the barn. She wondered why Twilight would wear jewelery when she would be working, but figured it must be a unicorn thing. Rarity probably would have done the same thing. She also didn't know why Twilight would ask her of all ponies, but she wasn't going to turn down her friend. "Is there anypony in Ponyville that would benefit if somepony was dead?" Twilight inquired. She knew it was a weird question, and Applejack's face confirmed it's oddity. "Whata ya mean by that?! I don' think anypony would ever do somethin' like that!" Applejack shouted in response. Twilight sighed. She hadn't really expected an answer, but still... "If I think about it though, there are some ponies, but they ain't in Ponyville, they live in Canterlot." Applejack replied. "Who are they? You have to tell me who they are!" Twilight pleaded, laying on the ground and clasping the orange hooves in front of her. This was the best lead she had so far, and she couldn't let it slip through her hooves. "Boot Leg and Smuggle Run. They're my second cousins, at least Boot Leg is, Smuggle run is his stepbrother. The family don't like them much though; we heard they have some weird stuff goin' on in the city. Matter a' fact, if Apple Bloom, Big Mac, Granny Smith and myself weren't here, they'd have the farm torn down!" Applejack answered. Twilight stood up, composing herself. "How can I find them?" Twilight asked, her voice showing how serious she was. If she could find these two, she just might find her killer. "I saw them at the Grand Galloping Gala, and they said they lived and worked at their warehouse, I have the address somewhere around here..." Applejack replied, beginning to look around at her workbench in the barn. "Did you say the Grand Galloping Gala? What were they doing there?" Twilight questioned. The Apple family wasn't exactly known for being the type of ponies that would go to a gala. "They're really well known by the upper class. Princess Luna invited them. Here it is!" Applejack exclaimed, pulling out a wrinkled sheet of paper. On it was scrawled 'Painted Avenue', underneath a number: 5741. Twilight took it and ran without another word. "Only ten hours left! I don't know if I'll make it." Twilight mumbled to herself aboard the Canterlot Express. The train pulled into the station, and Twilight headed straight for the industrial district. She remembered the address layout of Canterlot from her time there as a filly. If she remembered right, the 5700's should be just around this- "Wake up already!" A voice said as Twilight awoke. The voice was accompanied by a swift kick to the ribs. The voice was not the same as the time keeper, as Twilight had begun to call him. Twilight glanced around as she stood up. She was in a large, dimly-lit warehouse. Around the edge stood stallions in suits, who did not look friendly. "Where am I?" Twilight asked, making a point to sound defensive. She didn't know how she got here, but at least she was alive, for now. "According to this slip of paper here, you're exactly where you want to be. I assume that's also why you stepped on our territory," said a second voice. Twilight now focused on the two ponies in front of her. The one that she presumed had kicked her was very thuggish; a large, bulky monster. He had an emerald green coat, with a neon yellow mane that was gelled down. Next to him was the second voice, a slim, tall stallion. He had white fur, which slowly turned to maroon near his hooves. His dark gray mane was neat and trim, yet also slicked down. He looked far more approachable than his companion. Both wore black suits, with ties that matched their deep blue eyes. "So you two are Boot Leg and Smuggle Run?" Twilight asked, still wary of the two stallions. "Yes, and Boot Leg here has been wondering why you have come to us." The second pony declared. Twilight could tell he was highly educated, unlike his brother. "Come, we can talk on our way to my home." Twilight followed the two as they made their way across the cold cement floor. "My friend Applejack told me you could answer some questions I have, but what is that?" Twilight asked, gesturing towards a large machine in the corner as they passed. Above the main pipe were seven clear tubes, each containing a different color of the rainbow. Several of the suited ponies were gathered around it, filling barrels with a strange rainbow colored liquid. "Oh, Applejack sent you? Hmmm. That's the reason our family isn't too fond of us. We run a zap apple distillery. We artificially make zap apple jam, add water, and let it ferment. It's not exactly legal, but you won't tell anyone, right?" Smuggle Run explained. At his last statement, two of the suited ponies began walking very close to Twilight, making the threat clear. "Right..." Twilight said, trying not to draw the wrong kind of attention, even though she might already have it. Boot Leg opened a door, and the five ponies walked inside. Twilight instantly knew that these two were part of Canterlot's upperclass. She was met by a mahogany floor, with several intricate designs inlaid into the wood. A gold chandelier hung from the ceiling, with gold sconces illuminating the corners of the room. In the room stood two oak wingback chairs, covered with blue linen. Twilight stood behind the small oak table in front of the chairs, while the stepbrothers took their seats. The two suited ponies maintained their post on either side of Twilight. "So you have questions?" Smuggle Run asked as he motioned to the ponies behind Twilight. The pair left silently out the door that the group had come through. "Now that it's just the three of us, ask away." "First and foremost, do you know who I am?" Twilight asked. If they didn't know who she was, they couldn't be her killer. Then again, she wouldn't be able to tell if they were lying. If she could keep them talking, they might reveal something important, regardless of their possible guilt. "We know all about you. We know everything that there is to know in Canterlot. You are Twilight Sparkle, a student of Celestia's. You usually stay out of the city, and your connection to Applejack suggests you stay in Ponyville." Smuggle run replied, earning him an eye roll from Boot Leg. "Next question?" "Have I done anything to... upset you?" Twilight asked. If they had a motive, they would become prime candidates for closer observation. "Hmm... Can't say you have." Smuggle Run answered. "Except for coming here." Boot Leg shot back. " Pardon my brother, he doesn't respond well to visitors." The kinder brother apologized. "You might have irritated some of our associates though. Do you know a certain mare by the name of Rainbow Dash?" "Yes, why? Is she mad at me?" Twilight inquired. After that kiss, surely Rainbow Dash wouldn't be her killer! "No, but her relatives might be. Have you met her family?" He asked. "I can't say I have." Twilight responded "Hmm, I see. She has two older brothers that live in Cloudsdale; Cloak Dash and Dagger Dash. We call them when we have to... take care of somepony. Rainbow Dash didn't follow her family's business, so they disowned her, and did their best to make her life miserable. That's why she fled her home. I fear that if you make her life happy, they would be extremely upset to hear about it." Twilight's jaw dropped. She had not known any of this about her friend. Even though the kiss hadn't happened in this timeline, what if her brothers had heard of her intentions? Deeper into the mysteryA loud crash came from the direction of the warehouse. The three ponies in the room shot out of their chairs, the two criminals rushing towards the doors that stood between them and the warehouse. "Bucking hell! It's Bolted!" Boot Leg said, panicking as he peeked out the door. "Bolted? What's bolted, and why is it bad?" Twilight asked as Smuggle Run ran towards a window. "Bolted Snow. The Snow family was sniffing around us, so we ruffled their feathers a little. Now I presume they want to return the favor." Smuggle Run calmly said, snapping open the window. "Shit! We gotta get out, Smuggle! They made the Refinery burst!" Boot Leg called back, slamming the door shut as he ran towards the window. A small amount of the zap apple cider began seeping under the door. "That's bad, isn't it?" Twilight flatly asked, already knowing the answer. She realised that she hadn't checked her necklace after waking up in the warehouse. Upon checking it, she saw that she had roughly five minutes left. "Is it bad?! Is it bad?! Zap apples are fine in small quantities, but too much of it in one place causes it to behave like a strong acid!" Boot Leg shot back. "It's much like cyanide in regular apples, a little bit will be destroyed quickly by your immune system, but too much and it becomes a serious concern." Smuggle Run replied, keeping his calm demeanor. The two ponies jumped out the window at the exact time the door to the room burst open. Twilight felt a strange, burning sensation sweeping over her. She opened her mouth to scream in agony, but instead of sound coming out, the acid rushed in. she could actually feel that her mouth and esophagus were dissolving, and once they had, she could feel the acid spread to the rest of her body cavity. "I'm impressed! I've never seen somepony drown in acid before! I thought for sure you would dissolve before your lungs filled, but I guess you must have some thick tissue! For that, I will let you stay here as long as you would like. I'll even build you a place to assemble your clues, if you find any." The voice said. Instantly the black void became a lavish laboratory, outfitted with bulletin boards, paper, quills, ink, desks, chairs, and, curiously enough, a refrigerator. "What's the deal with the fridge?" Twilight asked. The voice still remained bodiless. "I thought I'd make it look roomy. There's nothing inside of it though, sorry." The time keeper answered. Twilight verified it's claim. Twilight proceeded to one of the desks, where she wrote down what she had learned about the Apple family and the Dash family. "Wait a second, other time's I've been here, the cause of my death was visible. Shouldn't I be covered in acid burns?" Twilight asked. "Didn't you hear what I said? The acid burns didn't kill you, the acid filling your lungs did. You can't die more when your in this place, so the acid is just sitting in your lungs right now, not burning or choking you at all." The time keeper said in a condescending tone. "Okay, I guess I had better head back then. I can't find out anything more while I'm here." Twilight said. Twilight Awoke in her bed, and decided to keep out of Spike's sight. Before she went to Cloudsdale, Twilight wanted to do some more exploring around Ponyville. First, Twilight headed towards Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie Pie was always good for a laugh, and after dying three times, Twilight could use some relaxation. Upon nearing the shop, Twilight was promptly approached by a bouncing pink blur. The blur grew ever closer to her, causing her to take several steps back off of the shop's front steps. "Twilght! Twilight! Twilight!" The blur repeatedly squealed. The blur stopped shaking, and, after brushing aside the blur's pink mane, Twilight met the ever excited eyes of Pinkie Pie. "I've been working on something all day!" "What is it Pinkie?" Twilight cautiously asked, attempting to hide her fear under the guise of interest. Pinkie Pie always scared Twilight slightly. Her random, overdone acts were ruining Twilight's usually peaceful life. Compared to recent events, however, Pinkie Pie was a relaxing break. "I've been making my balloon even balloonier!" Pinkie Pie said, rushing Twilight into the shop. Twilight was faced with a wide array of desserts. Cakes lined the walls, with frosting of every color. On Twilight's right was a pyramid of cupcakes, and on her left was a massive pile of purple fabric. "Your balloon looks the same, Pinkie." Twilight observed. Pinkie gasped and took a step back from Twilight. "No it doesn't silly! I made it exactly nine percent bigger!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. Twilight was about to ask why she chose nine percent, but thought better of it. Pinkie Pie is Pinkie Pie after all. Maybe Twilight couldn't handle Pinkie as well as she thought. "Hey Pinkie, I'm going to go see how Fluttershy's doing, okay?" Twilight asked, beginning to leave the confectionery If she couldn't deal with Pinkie Pie, at least she could do some more searching for clues. "Okie Dokie Lokie!" Pinkie Pie replied, turning back to her balloon. "Fluttershy, are you in there?" Twilight quietly asked, knocking on the door of a small, beige cottage. Several birds flew out of the foliage that formed the roof. "Oh, Twilight. I didn't know you were coming." Said a small voice from behind the door. The door opened, and the blue eyes of a yellow pegasus met Twilight's own. "I was just about to feed Angel." "That's alright, go ahead. I wanted to talk to you about something." Twilight replied. Fluttershy knew Rainbow Dash better than anypony else in Ponyville; maybe she knew her family too. "What is it? Is something the matter? I hope anyone's not hurt!" Fluttershy replied. Twilight followed her friend inside, closing the oak door behind her. "Do you know anything about Rainbow Dash's family?" Twilight asked bluntly. Fluttershy froze. "Why are you asking about them?" Fluttershy asked in response, gaining a cold, serious monotone. Twilight knew that she must know something if she was changing this drastically. "I've just always been curious. I've never met them, and thought maybe you had." Twilight lied. Fluttershy turned around to face the unicorn. Twilight saw a mixture of fear and anger sweep across her friend's face, unlike any expression she had ever seen before. This was absolute dread. "I've never met them." Fluttershy quickly responded. Twilight could tell that whatever Fluttershy knew, it was something important. "Fluttershy, I know that you know something. Why won't you tell me?" Twilight goaded. "Meet me outside Zecora's hut in one hour. She should be in town then, so it'll be private." Fluttershy replied, her face and tone returning to normal. "Alright. You'll tell me when I get there?" Twilight asked, making a mental note. Fluttershy went back to searching for her rabbit's food as she replied, "I'll tell you everything you want to know." The journalA twig snapped amongst the brush of the Everfree Forest. The trees were so dense that no light came through. Fluttershy had gotten over her fear of the forest thanks to Zecora, and had even begun befriending the wildlife that lived within. "Twilight, is that you?" Fluttershy called. Zecora had left a few minutes ago, just as she always did. Fluttershy saw a pony shaped silhouette emerge from the undergrowth. "It's me Fluttershy, now what do you know about -" Twilight asked, before being silenced by Fluttershy. Twilight brushed away her friend's hoof, and wondered what her friend could be so worried about. "Quiet Twilight, the forest may block light, but sound still travels. They might be listening." Fluttershy whispered. Fluttershy into her brown leather saddle bag and presented to Twilight a small black journal. Twilight began to page through it. "That's a photo of her family." Fluttershy stated as Twilight reached a page with a photo taped to it. "Left to right, top to bottom: her mother, Firefly, her father, Rainbow Strike, her brothers, Cloak and Dagger, and Rainbow. Her brothers and her father are the concern here." Fluttershy explained. Twilight took a closer look at the photo. Firefly was a pink mare with a royal blue mane and violet eyes. She could see from where her friend had inherited her beauty. Rainbow Strike was a steel blue stallion, with Rainbow Dash's rainbow mane. His amber eyes seemed to glare at Twilight through the photograph. Rainbow Dash's brothers were both a light lilac in color. They had inherited their father's mane, yet both retained their mothers eyes. They both looked intimidating, their mere image threatening Twilight. "Firefly was a Wonderbolt, taken captive by pony traffickers. Rainbow Strike was a Hitpony hired by another Wonderbolt to save her. After he rescued her, they fell in love." Fluttershy continued. "When Rainbow Dash's older brothers came of age, they learned their father's business, pressuring her to do the same. Rainbow Dash wanted to follow her mother and become a Wonderbolt instead. She ran away from home several times, fearing her father and brothers. they chased after her, believing she knew information that would lead to their arrest. They caught her many times, and tortured her. She managed to lose them by coming to Ponyville, but refuses to alert authorities. She fears that if they escape, they'd be able to find her. She rarely visits Cloudsdale anymore. She always talks about some day becoming a Wonderbolt, but deep down she knows that'll never happen. Becoming a Wonderbolt would make her famous, and her brothers would kill her on sight if they ever found her." Twilight wiped away her tears and continued flipping through the journal. She stopped on a page containing an entry written in brown ink, instead of the black that the other entries were in. "I'm not going to explain that one, just read it." Fluttershy mumbled, staring at the ground. Twilight could see tears falling from behind her friend's pink mane. Twilight began to read. Dear Diary, today my greatest fears have been realized. They've found me. I'm writing from inside the basement cell, but I nearly made it to Cloudsdale's border today! I'm getting closer every time I try, but I don't know how many more times I'll be able to try to escape again. This time they only broke my back knees and and sliced me a little. I'm just glad they didn't gouge out my good eye, my bad one is nearly healed now. They should both be back to normal in a few days, if Cloak and Dagger leave them alone that is. I read about a place in the newspaper I think I could run to, but I don't want to write it here in case they find my diary. Dagger took away my ink and quill, so I'm using one of my feathers and the blood from one of the cuts they gave me. Anyway, once I break out of here, I'll head straight for the place I was talking about earlier. I think I hear somepony coming, so that's all I can write for now. "Fluttershy, how did you get this book?" Twilight asked her friend, tears rushing out of her eyes. "I found Rainbow Dash when she first came here. I had lived here for a while already, when I heard a crash from here in the forest. I searched for any wounded animals, and found my old friend, bloody and torn. I nursed her back to health, and now she stays with me most of the time. She told me once that she had hidden a book that she wanted me to find. When I returned to Cloudsdale to visit my parents' grave, and found this in the place she told me to look." Fluttershy responded, her head pointed down. "Spike, have you seen Rainbow Dash anywhere?" Twilight frantically called into the library. "She came looking for you earlier, but I haven't seen her since then." Spike calmly answered. "What's the rush?" Twilight had ran off to search elsewhere before she could answer. She only had half an hour left, and desperately needed to talk to her friend. Twilight saw a rainbow streak in the sky, ending near the town hall. Twilight ran towards her friend, who promptly greeted her. "Hi Twilight! I just broke my record! I flew from Sweet Apple Acres to here in ten seconds flat!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "Actually it was ten and a half seconds." Scootaloo replied, earning a quick glare from the larger pegasus. "That's still really impressive!" "Rainbow Dash, I need to talk to you about something." Twilight whispered. Twilight lowered her voice until it was barely audible. "Fluttershy showed me your diary." Rainbow Dash took a step back, shocked at what she had just heard. "I...I don't know what you're talking about!" Rainbow Dash shot back, whispering as well. "Stop lying to me, I need to ask you about your brothers." Twilight pleaded. "I don't have anything to tell you. Please, just... leave me alone." A rainbow streak was all that remained by the time Twilight heard the words from her friend. Twilight tried to follow the trail, and had almost reached the end. She suddenly felt a strange wave of haziness wash over her. She stumbled and fell to the ground. "Buck! Not again!" Twilight called, before finally succumbing to her death. "Let me guess, drugs?" Twilight called out. "Yep, very unoriginal. I was hoping for something spectacular, like being ground up into little bits, or being force fed your own entrails. I guess we can't all have our way though." The voice called back. Twilight searched her body, and found a small hole in the bottom of her front right hoof. "So somepony set up caltrops coated in the drug?" Twilight thought aloud to herself. "Strange." Twilight walked over to one of the bulletin boards. She posted notes of what she had learned about her friend, as well as her means of death. "So what do you think will happen next?" The timekeeper asked. He sounded much closer to Twilight than before. Twilight spun around in shock, and beheld in front of her the timekeeper. An immense white stallion, with a scarlet mane and tail, both of which were neatly trimmed. His mane was tied back in a single braid, his tail the same. His eyes were a dark crimson ocean in which Twilight was drowning. He filled Twilight's vision, which the small unicorn found pleasing. His horn was nearly the height of Twilight, and his wings spread at least three times the width of a normal pegasus. "I see you're shocked, don't be afraid." The timekeeper calmly said. "I decided to make myself visible to you. I figured I was too ominous when I was just a voice. My name, as you asked me about so many times, is Silent Chime." The massive alicorn proceeded to take a seat at one of the tables he had conjured. "You;re... different than I had pictured you..." Twilight muttered. She wasn't sure exactly what she thought the timekeeper would look like, but certainly not this. He was a magnificent specimen of everything Twilight found attractive. He seemed suave, intelligent, and alluring. Everything about him, from the manner in which he carried himself to his tone of voice, reminded Twilight of Canterlot nobility. "I suppose I would. Then again, you are the first pony I've talked with. Nopony else has ever seen me. I usually just sit back and watch everypony else run around, living their lives. I can tell you're different though. When you died, I wanted you to entertain me more." The timekeeper replied. Twilight blushed as he continued. "I wanted to see what you could do, you have a lot of potential you know." Twilight could barely contain herself. If she didn't leave right away, she knew she would embarrass herself. "I'm ready to go back." Twilight stated, barely shrouding the excitement and arousal in her voice. "Very well." Silent said as Twilight's vision grew dark.
A unicorn lostDear Princess Celestia, This week so far has not contained any lesson of friendship so I am apologizing for being late, again. Although I am going to inform you that I will be helping my friends all day tomorrow so I hope to learn something by then, I do hope you can forgive me. I have made a list on the various activities I will partake in with them: 1. Bottle cider with Applejack at Sweet Apple Acres. 2. Help Fluttershy take care of her animals. 3. Give Rarity some inspiration for her new dress. I really hope you can forgive me for being late on my friendship report. Your Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle The sun hung over Ponyville when a lone unicorn stumbled over a hill, admiring the apple trees that had just lost their precious fruit, and were preparing for the chilling winter ahead. Twilight was beginning to start her activities for the day, reading off a mental check list of all the promises she had made to her friends. "So, first I have to help Applejack with cider bottling, then I should go and help Fluttershy with her animals..." Twilight mumbled to herself. She was walking through Sweet Apple Acres on her way to help the farm filly. It may have been boring work, but she thought she might've been able to learn a lesson in friendship from it. She was still Celestia's student, so any opportunity to learn was a blessing for her. "Oh, I'm early. Well, I guess I could rest a little." Twilight said, leaning against the barn. It had been a long and tiring walk, especially for a pony that had woken up an hour earlier than usual. Even against the hard wood of the barn, the young unicorn fell asleep quickly. "Wake up. Come on Twilight, Wake up." said a voice. "Where am I?" Twilight asked. She was surrounded by black. It was a cold black, growing ever closer. It was slowly devouring her. It was like a dream, but she had never had a dream like this. "How does it feel to be dead?" the voice asked. It was soft, soothing, and inviting. Almost too much so. "What do you mean? I'm not..." Twilight trailed off. She became aware of the cavity that had been dug out of her chest. As she looked down at the rough opening, she could see scenes from several biology books. She could see her own heart, nestled between several eggshell white ribs. Her heart was weak, barely throbbing. Twilight screamed and vomited at the sight, some of it dripping into the wound. The acidic vomit only made her scream again, this time in agony, not shock. Tears flowed endlessly from her eyes as she realized that she would never see any of her friends, or anypony else, ever again. "Who are you? Discord?" She pleaded. "No, no. I am not the one you call Discord. I cannot tell you much about what happened to you, but I can tell you that your death was not accidental. No, you were not the victim of some freak farm accident." The voice calmly said, reading her thoughts. "You were attacked, and then you bled to death. I believe the first laceration started near the top.” A dark figure began to emerge from the darkness, bringing with it a bright white light. There was something strange about the light though. Twilight couldn't put her hoof on it, but there was something familiar about it. "What do you mean? Who are you?" Twilight asked, growing more and more fearful of this creature. She began to back away from it, not wanting to be hurt by it. "Why, my dear child, you should know by now. You were murdered. I want to play a little game though, it's been so long since I've had any fun." the voice replied. Twilight stopped her retreat to listen. She was frozen in fear of what exactly the creature meant by 'Fun'. "I want to share some of my power with you. I can give you the power to change your fate." "Change my... fate?" Twilight asked in fear and disbelief. "Yes, I want to see if you can outwit Destiny. Be warned though, Destiny doesn't like to be tricked. Here, take it." As it said this, it tossed her a small necklace. It was golden, adorned with small rubies that shone in the creature’s bright light. "Just think of when you want to travel to, and you will go there. It only travels through time, so if you want to be somewhere else, you'll have to travel there yourself. I know you have a spell for time travel, but this doesn't have such a short time limit, and won't cost you magical energy." Twilight began to scream, partially because magic like that was unheard of, but mostly because one of her lungs was now sitting in front of her hooves, still slightly throbbing as the cords linking it to her body pulsed with what little blood she had left. "Don't think you can just live out your days in the past though." The figure calmly proceeded, as if nothing had happened. "The necklace has a clock concealed inside the center gemstone. It measures time on the day you were murdered. If you don't return in time to be killed, you'll die. Even I can't bring you back then. It will sound an alarm when you have five minutes left, so you won't forget. If you manage to save yourself, the clock will shatter." "What's the catch?" Twilight weakly laughed, beginning to lose her sanity from the intense pain coursing through her nerves. "Catch? There is no catch." The figure said, confused as to why the decomposing unicorn would ask such a thing. "But, why are you helping me?" Twilight asked, bursting into tears. She had finally accepted that she was dead. She stood in awe at the kindness and mercy that this stranger was showing her. It had given her a new lease on life, and a chance to live again. "Hm, you're no longer dead, so you can't stay here. I'll put you in your house the morning of your death. Stop it as best you can." It said with a chuckle. Twilight awoke in her room, a small golden necklace around her neck. The early dawn light made the rubies on her necklace shine. She had hoped that everything that happened was just a nightmare from Luna, the guardian of dreams, and notorious prankster, but the necklace around her throat convinced her otherwise. That meant she would be dead tomorrow. Twilight tried to remove the necklace from her neck, but as she did so, she realized it had become part of her. Her wound had closed around the metal jewelery, forcing it to become one with her own flesh. She could not remove it, at least not until she solved her murder, for then it would demolish itself. That's what the figure had said, at least. "Twilight, Are you awake yet? Rarity needed you to bring her those books on embroidery, remember?" Spike called from outside Twilight's bedroom door. "I'm awake, Spike." Twilight replied. She had to act normally, lest everypony become suspicious of her. She knew two things: she had been murdered, and she had the power to travel through time indefinitely. She quickly thought of all her enemies, and if they could have murdered her. Trixie would never go that far, and now that she thought about it more, neither would Discord. Sombra didn't really know who she was, or where she lived. Chrysalis could've, but she had taken refuge in Saddle Arabia after the invasion’s failure. Nightmare Moon wasn't around anymore, ever since Luna had returned from the moon. The list went on and on, but Twilight couldn't think of who would've done it. Twilight made her way into the Library's main room, and was greeted by breakfast, courtesy of Spike. After she ate, she made her way to Rarity's boutique, with the requested books in her saddle bag. It was then that she decided to use the necklace. All she had to do was think of a time, say one week ago... "Hey Twilight!" Rainbow Dash called. The cyan pegasus had just finished clearing clouds, and was hoping she could have some fun with her egghead friend. "What is it Rainbow?" Twilight asked her friend. Rainbow Dash had just burst through the doors of the library, waking up Owlicious, who had just fallen asleep. This was strange, it hadn't happened the first time Twilight had died. "I found this great new spot to chill! I was flying over Saddle Lake, and I found this great little clearing, want to go?" Rainbow Dash asked. She spoke hastily, as if something was planned there. "Sure, to be honest, I could use a change of pace. I need to clear my head." Twilight sighed. A thought rushed through her mind, but it was crazy. There was no way Rainbow Dash would ever murder her, right? "Woah, what's with the jewels?" the eager pegasus asked, looking down at Twilight's chest. "Did Rarity give you those?" "What? Oh, um, it's nothing. Just a family heirloom." Twilight lied. She was glad she wasn't the Element of Honesty. "Why were you looking at my chest anyways?" "No reason!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, her wings bolting upright. "Anyways, it looks good on you." A streak of red crossed her face. "Thanks" Twilight replied. She knew that her friend was fond of her. Extremely fond, but the pegasus never admitted it. "So this is the place?" Twilight asked, looking around. It was perfect, a clear lake, as smooth as glass. White statues glistened in the reflection of the sun off the lake. Nearby, a small choir of birds were chirping. Twilight quickly glanced at her clock, she had fifteen minutes left. "Yeah... do you like it?" Rainbow Dash asked, crossing her forelegs as another red river flowed over her face. "Like it? I love it!" Twilight exclaimed. She had read about them, but now she was standing in front of one of the ancient divining pools. "Yeah... love." Rainbow quietly said, walking closer to Twilight. "About that word..." "What? The etymology?" Twilight asked. She loved etymology, it combined two of her favorite things: literature and history. "Not exactly." Rainbow Dash sighed, brushing shoulders with Twilight. The two mares stood side by side, watching the lake for an instant that seemed to last hours. "What then?" Twilight asked. If she could do something for her friend, she would love to be of service. She might even gain some information on her future death. "Well, we're good friends, right?" Rainbow Dash asked. She refused to make eye contact with Twilight. "Yeah, we're great…” Twilight was cut off by her friend, or more precisely, her friend’s tongue. Twilight could feel Rainbow Dash inside her mouth. She knew it was strange, but she didn't pull away. She felt enticed by her friend. After a few minutes, Rainbow Dash stopped and pulled back. "Um... sorry, I... I..." Rainbow Dash stuttered. The river of red that was on her face quickly grew into an ocean. She flew off, leaving only a quickly receding rainbow trail behind her. Just then, Twilight's necklace began to sound. Twilight thought of the time and date of her murder, and found herself still at the lake. The only notification that time had passed was the sun, as it was directly overhead. The fact that her alarm had gone off told Twilight that her 'experience' with Rainbow Dash had not changed her fate, at least not to a future where she lived. Twilight began running back to Sweet Apple Acres, the scene of her murder. If she didn't want to die for good, she needed to get back there. She would just barely return in time if she ran as fast as she could. It was roughly a four minute run back to the farm, and she had four minutes and thirty seconds. She was going to make note of her murderer's face, and confront them the next time she went back. A rustle came from behind one of the trees, but Twilight couldn't pay it any attention, she had to keep pressing forward. A silver tube peeked out from between two bushes behind Twilight. A dart came rushing out of the end of it, and found its target. Twilight felt a sharp pain in the back of her neck, and collapsed on the ground. "So, you still haven't solved the mystery?" The voice asked. Twilight found herself awaking in the same black void as before. This time, she had a small hole in her neck that was dying the back of her mane scarlet. "I don't get it, I didn't make it back to the farm, so why am I here?" Twilight asked, shocked at her lack of permanent death. "My dear Twilight Sparkle, you don't understand it, do you? You have to return in time to be murdered, but the place has nothing to do with it. Where you are determines where you killer is, don't you see? You will die at that time no matter where you are." The voice explained. "Well, at least I can go search for clues in farther away places, right?" Twilight asked. She was beginning to grow accustomed to the creature's calm, relaxed way of toying with her. "Sure, if you think you'll find any. Your stench of death has worn off, so you can't remain here. I'm going to send you back." the voice said. "Fine, but tell me one more thing, who are you?" Twilight tried to ask, but she found herself awaking in her bed before she could finish.
The other Apples"Twilight, are you aw–" Spike called from the main hall of the library. "I'm awake, Spike," Twilight replied. It was the same as last time, but this time she wouldn't waste her precious time. Twilight quickly got herself prepared for the day, and made her way out the door. Her breakfast lay untouched. Twilight made her way towards the scene of her death, remembering to act casual. She had no idea what she would do once she found out who it was, but she would think about that later. Now she had to focus. "There you are, Sugarcube!" Applejack called. the orange mare stood in front of her barn, awaiting the arrival of her friend. Twilight would normally not be of much use on the farm, but a simple job like cider bottling should be something she could do. "I've been lookin' all over for you!" "Listen, Applejack," Twilight began. She wanted to gather information this time, she knew she wouldn't solve her murder just yet. "I read a book on mysteries, and was wondering if you could answer a question." Twilight lied. "Sure thing, but then we gotta get started here. What's the question?" Applejack asked, turning back towards the barn. She wondered why Twilight would wear jewelery when she would be working, but figured it must be a unicorn thing. Rarity probably would have done the same thing. She also didn't know why Twilight would ask her of all ponies, but she wasn't going to turn down her friend. "Is there anypony in Ponyville that would benefit if somepony was dead?" Twilight inquired. She knew it was a weird question, and Applejack's face confirmed it's oddity. "Whata ya mean by that?! I don' think anypony would ever do somethin' like that!" Applejack shouted in response. Twilight sighed. She hadn't really expected an answer, but still... "If I think about it though, there are some ponies, but they ain't in Ponyville, they live in Canterlot." Applejack replied. "Who are they? You have to tell me who they are!" Twilight pleaded, laying on the ground and clasping the orange hooves in front of her. This was the best lead she had so far, and she couldn't let it slip through her hooves. "Boot Leg and Smuggle Run. They're my second cousins, at least Boot Leg is, Smuggle run is his stepbrother. The family don't like them much though; we heard they have some weird stuff goin' on in the city. Matter a' fact, if Apple Bloom, Big Mac, Granny Smith and myself weren't here, they'd have the farm torn down!" Applejack answered. Twilight stood up, composing herself. "How can I find them?" Twilight asked, her voice showing how serious she was. If she could find these two, she just might find her killer. "I saw them at the Grand Galloping Gala, and they said they lived and worked at their warehouse, I have the address somewhere around here..." Applejack replied, beginning to look around at her workbench in the barn. "Did you say the Grand Galloping Gala? What were they doing there?" Twilight questioned. The Apple family wasn't exactly known for being the type of ponies that would go to a gala. "They're really well known by the upper class. Princess Luna invited them. Here it is!" Applejack exclaimed, pulling out a wrinkled sheet of paper. On it was scrawled 'Painted Avenue', underneath a number: 5741. Twilight took it and ran without another word. "Only ten hours left! I don't know if I'll make it." Twilight mumbled to herself aboard the Canterlot Express. The train pulled into the station, and Twilight headed straight for the industrial district. She remembered the address layout of Canterlot from her time there as a filly. If she remembered right, the 5700's should be just around this- "Wake up already!" A voice said as Twilight awoke. The voice was accompanied by a swift kick to the ribs. The voice was not the same as the time keeper, as Twilight had begun to call him. Twilight glanced around as she stood up. She was in a large, dimly-lit warehouse. Around the edge stood stallions in suits, who did not look friendly. "Where am I?" Twilight asked, making a point to sound defensive. She didn't know how she got here, but at least she was alive, for now. "According to this slip of paper here, you're exactly where you want to be. I assume that's also why you stepped on our territory," said a second voice. Twilight now focused on the two ponies in front of her. The one that she presumed had kicked her was very thuggish; a large, bulky monster. He had an emerald green coat, with a neon yellow mane that was gelled down. Next to him was the second voice, a slim, tall stallion. He had white fur, which slowly turned to maroon near his hooves. His dark gray mane was neat and trim, yet also slicked down. He looked far more approachable than his companion. Both wore black suits, with ties that matched their deep blue eyes. "So you two are Boot Leg and Smuggle Run?" Twilight asked, still wary of the two stallions. "Yes, and Boot Leg here has been wondering why you have come to us." The second pony declared. Twilight could tell he was highly educated, unlike his brother. "Come, we can talk on our way to my home." Twilight followed the two as they made their way across the cold cement floor. "My friend Applejack told me you could answer some questions I have, but what is that?" Twilight asked, gesturing towards a large machine in the corner as they passed. Above the main pipe were seven clear tubes, each containing a different color of the rainbow. Several of the suited ponies were gathered around it, filling barrels with a strange rainbow colored liquid. "Oh, Applejack sent you? Hmmm. That's the reason our family isn't too fond of us. We run a zap apple distillery. We artificially make zap apple jam, add water, and let it ferment. It's not exactly legal, but you won't tell anyone, right?" Smuggle Run explained. At his last statement, two of the suited ponies began walking very close to Twilight, making the threat clear. "Right..." Twilight said, trying not to draw the wrong kind of attention, even though she might already have it. Boot Leg opened a door, and the five ponies walked inside. Twilight instantly knew that these two were part of Canterlot's upperclass. She was met by a mahogany floor, with several intricate designs inlaid into the wood. A gold chandelier hung from the ceiling, with gold sconces illuminating the corners of the room. In the room stood two oak wingback chairs, covered with blue linen. Twilight stood behind the small oak table in front of the chairs, while the stepbrothers took their seats. The two suited ponies maintained their post on either side of Twilight. "So you have questions?" Smuggle Run asked as he motioned to the ponies behind Twilight. The pair left silently out the door that the group had come through. "Now that it's just the three of us, ask away." "First and foremost, do you know who I am?" Twilight asked. If they didn't know who she was, they couldn't be her killer. Then again, she wouldn't be able to tell if they were lying. If she could keep them talking, they might reveal something important, regardless of their possible guilt. "We know all about you. We know everything that there is to know in Canterlot. You are Twilight Sparkle, a student of Celestia's. You usually stay out of the city, and your connection to Applejack suggests you stay in Ponyville." Smuggle run replied, earning him an eye roll from Boot Leg. "Next question?" "Have I done anything to... upset you?" Twilight asked. If they had a motive, they would become prime candidates for closer observation. "Hmm... Can't say you have." Smuggle Run answered. "Except for coming here." Boot Leg shot back. " Pardon my brother, he doesn't respond well to visitors." The kinder brother apologized. "You might have irritated some of our associates though. Do you know a certain mare by the name of Rainbow Dash?" "Yes, why? Is she mad at me?" Twilight inquired. After that kiss, surely Rainbow Dash wouldn't be her killer! "No, but her relatives might be. Have you met her family?" He asked. "I can't say I have." Twilight responded "Hmm, I see. She has two older brothers that live in Cloudsdale; Cloak Dash and Dagger Dash. We call them when we have to... take care of somepony. Rainbow Dash didn't follow her family's business, so they disowned her, and did their best to make her life miserable. That's why she fled her home. I fear that if you make her life happy, they would be extremely upset to hear about it." Twilight's jaw dropped. She had not known any of this about her friend. Even though the kiss hadn't happened in this timeline, what if her brothers had heard of her intentions?
Deeper into the mysteryA loud crash came from the direction of the warehouse. The three ponies in the room shot out of their chairs, the two criminals rushing towards the doors that stood between them and the warehouse. "Bucking hell! It's Bolted!" Boot Leg said, panicking as he peeked out the door. "Bolted? What's bolted, and why is it bad?" Twilight asked as Smuggle Run ran towards a window. "Bolted Snow. The Snow family was sniffing around us, so we ruffled their feathers a little. Now I presume they want to return the favor." Smuggle Run calmly said, snapping open the window. "Shit! We gotta get out, Smuggle! They made the Refinery burst!" Boot Leg called back, slamming the door shut as he ran towards the window. A small amount of the zap apple cider began seeping under the door. "That's bad, isn't it?" Twilight flatly asked, already knowing the answer. She realised that she hadn't checked her necklace after waking up in the warehouse. Upon checking it, she saw that she had roughly five minutes left. "Is it bad?! Is it bad?! Zap apples are fine in small quantities, but too much of it in one place causes it to behave like a strong acid!" Boot Leg shot back. "It's much like cyanide in regular apples, a little bit will be destroyed quickly by your immune system, but too much and it becomes a serious concern." Smuggle Run replied, keeping his calm demeanor. The two ponies jumped out the window at the exact time the door to the room burst open. Twilight felt a strange, burning sensation sweeping over her. She opened her mouth to scream in agony, but instead of sound coming out, the acid rushed in. she could actually feel that her mouth and esophagus were dissolving, and once they had, she could feel the acid spread to the rest of her body cavity. "I'm impressed! I've never seen somepony drown in acid before! I thought for sure you would dissolve before your lungs filled, but I guess you must have some thick tissue! For that, I will let you stay here as long as you would like. I'll even build you a place to assemble your clues, if you find any." The voice said. Instantly the black void became a lavish laboratory, outfitted with bulletin boards, paper, quills, ink, desks, chairs, and, curiously enough, a refrigerator. "What's the deal with the fridge?" Twilight asked. The voice still remained bodiless. "I thought I'd make it look roomy. There's nothing inside of it though, sorry." The time keeper answered. Twilight verified it's claim. Twilight proceeded to one of the desks, where she wrote down what she had learned about the Apple family and the Dash family. "Wait a second, other time's I've been here, the cause of my death was visible. Shouldn't I be covered in acid burns?" Twilight asked. "Didn't you hear what I said? The acid burns didn't kill you, the acid filling your lungs did. You can't die more when your in this place, so the acid is just sitting in your lungs right now, not burning or choking you at all." The time keeper said in a condescending tone. "Okay, I guess I had better head back then. I can't find out anything more while I'm here." Twilight said. Twilight Awoke in her bed, and decided to keep out of Spike's sight. Before she went to Cloudsdale, Twilight wanted to do some more exploring around Ponyville. First, Twilight headed towards Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie Pie was always good for a laugh, and after dying three times, Twilight could use some relaxation. Upon nearing the shop, Twilight was promptly approached by a bouncing pink blur. The blur grew ever closer to her, causing her to take several steps back off of the shop's front steps. "Twilght! Twilight! Twilight!" The blur repeatedly squealed. The blur stopped shaking, and, after brushing aside the blur's pink mane, Twilight met the ever excited eyes of Pinkie Pie. "I've been working on something all day!" "What is it Pinkie?" Twilight cautiously asked, attempting to hide her fear under the guise of interest. Pinkie Pie always scared Twilight slightly. Her random, overdone acts were ruining Twilight's usually peaceful life. Compared to recent events, however, Pinkie Pie was a relaxing break. "I've been making my balloon even balloonier!" Pinkie Pie said, rushing Twilight into the shop. Twilight was faced with a wide array of desserts. Cakes lined the walls, with frosting of every color. On Twilight's right was a pyramid of cupcakes, and on her left was a massive pile of purple fabric. "Your balloon looks the same, Pinkie." Twilight observed. Pinkie gasped and took a step back from Twilight. "No it doesn't silly! I made it exactly nine percent bigger!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. Twilight was about to ask why she chose nine percent, but thought better of it. Pinkie Pie is Pinkie Pie after all. Maybe Twilight couldn't handle Pinkie as well as she thought. "Hey Pinkie, I'm going to go see how Fluttershy's doing, okay?" Twilight asked, beginning to leave the confectionery If she couldn't deal with Pinkie Pie, at least she could do some more searching for clues. "Okie Dokie Lokie!" Pinkie Pie replied, turning back to her balloon. "Fluttershy, are you in there?" Twilight quietly asked, knocking on the door of a small, beige cottage. Several birds flew out of the foliage that formed the roof. "Oh, Twilight. I didn't know you were coming." Said a small voice from behind the door. The door opened, and the blue eyes of a yellow pegasus met Twilight's own. "I was just about to feed Angel." "That's alright, go ahead. I wanted to talk to you about something." Twilight replied. Fluttershy knew Rainbow Dash better than anypony else in Ponyville; maybe she knew her family too. "What is it? Is something the matter? I hope anyone's not hurt!" Fluttershy replied. Twilight followed her friend inside, closing the oak door behind her. "Do you know anything about Rainbow Dash's family?" Twilight asked bluntly. Fluttershy froze. "Why are you asking about them?" Fluttershy asked in response, gaining a cold, serious monotone. Twilight knew that she must know something if she was changing this drastically. "I've just always been curious. I've never met them, and thought maybe you had." Twilight lied. Fluttershy turned around to face the unicorn. Twilight saw a mixture of fear and anger sweep across her friend's face, unlike any expression she had ever seen before. This was absolute dread. "I've never met them." Fluttershy quickly responded. Twilight could tell that whatever Fluttershy knew, it was something important. "Fluttershy, I know that you know something. Why won't you tell me?" Twilight goaded. "Meet me outside Zecora's hut in one hour. She should be in town then, so it'll be private." Fluttershy replied, her face and tone returning to normal. "Alright. You'll tell me when I get there?" Twilight asked, making a mental note. Fluttershy went back to searching for her rabbit's food as she replied, "I'll tell you everything you want to know."
The journalA twig snapped amongst the brush of the Everfree Forest. The trees were so dense that no light came through. Fluttershy had gotten over her fear of the forest thanks to Zecora, and had even begun befriending the wildlife that lived within. "Twilight, is that you?" Fluttershy called. Zecora had left a few minutes ago, just as she always did. Fluttershy saw a pony shaped silhouette emerge from the undergrowth. "It's me Fluttershy, now what do you know about -" Twilight asked, before being silenced by Fluttershy. Twilight brushed away her friend's hoof, and wondered what her friend could be so worried about. "Quiet Twilight, the forest may block light, but sound still travels. They might be listening." Fluttershy whispered. Fluttershy into her brown leather saddle bag and presented to Twilight a small black journal. Twilight began to page through it. "That's a photo of her family." Fluttershy stated as Twilight reached a page with a photo taped to it. "Left to right, top to bottom: her mother, Firefly, her father, Rainbow Strike, her brothers, Cloak and Dagger, and Rainbow. Her brothers and her father are the concern here." Fluttershy explained. Twilight took a closer look at the photo. Firefly was a pink mare with a royal blue mane and violet eyes. She could see from where her friend had inherited her beauty. Rainbow Strike was a steel blue stallion, with Rainbow Dash's rainbow mane. His amber eyes seemed to glare at Twilight through the photograph. Rainbow Dash's brothers were both a light lilac in color. They had inherited their father's mane, yet both retained their mothers eyes. They both looked intimidating, their mere image threatening Twilight. "Firefly was a Wonderbolt, taken captive by pony traffickers. Rainbow Strike was a Hitpony hired by another Wonderbolt to save her. After he rescued her, they fell in love." Fluttershy continued. "When Rainbow Dash's older brothers came of age, they learned their father's business, pressuring her to do the same. Rainbow Dash wanted to follow her mother and become a Wonderbolt instead. She ran away from home several times, fearing her father and brothers. they chased after her, believing she knew information that would lead to their arrest. They caught her many times, and tortured her. She managed to lose them by coming to Ponyville, but refuses to alert authorities. She fears that if they escape, they'd be able to find her. She rarely visits Cloudsdale anymore. She always talks about some day becoming a Wonderbolt, but deep down she knows that'll never happen. Becoming a Wonderbolt would make her famous, and her brothers would kill her on sight if they ever found her." Twilight wiped away her tears and continued flipping through the journal. She stopped on a page containing an entry written in brown ink, instead of the black that the other entries were in. "I'm not going to explain that one, just read it." Fluttershy mumbled, staring at the ground. Twilight could see tears falling from behind her friend's pink mane. Twilight began to read. Dear Diary, today my greatest fears have been realized. They've found me. I'm writing from inside the basement cell, but I nearly made it to Cloudsdale's border today! I'm getting closer every time I try, but I don't know how many more times I'll be able to try to escape again. This time they only broke my back knees and and sliced me a little. I'm just glad they didn't gouge out my good eye, my bad one is nearly healed now. They should both be back to normal in a few days, if Cloak and Dagger leave them alone that is. I read about a place in the newspaper I think I could run to, but I don't want to write it here in case they find my diary. Dagger took away my ink and quill, so I'm using one of my feathers and the blood from one of the cuts they gave me. Anyway, once I break out of here, I'll head straight for the place I was talking about earlier. I think I hear somepony coming, so that's all I can write for now. "Fluttershy, how did you get this book?" Twilight asked her friend, tears rushing out of her eyes. "I found Rainbow Dash when she first came here. I had lived here for a while already, when I heard a crash from here in the forest. I searched for any wounded animals, and found my old friend, bloody and torn. I nursed her back to health, and now she stays with me most of the time. She told me once that she had hidden a book that she wanted me to find. When I returned to Cloudsdale to visit my parents' grave, and found this in the place she told me to look." Fluttershy responded, her head pointed down. "Spike, have you seen Rainbow Dash anywhere?" Twilight frantically called into the library. "She came looking for you earlier, but I haven't seen her since then." Spike calmly answered. "What's the rush?" Twilight had ran off to search elsewhere before she could answer. She only had half an hour left, and desperately needed to talk to her friend. Twilight saw a rainbow streak in the sky, ending near the town hall. Twilight ran towards her friend, who promptly greeted her. "Hi Twilight! I just broke my record! I flew from Sweet Apple Acres to here in ten seconds flat!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "Actually it was ten and a half seconds." Scootaloo replied, earning a quick glare from the larger pegasus. "That's still really impressive!" "Rainbow Dash, I need to talk to you about something." Twilight whispered. Twilight lowered her voice until it was barely audible. "Fluttershy showed me your diary." Rainbow Dash took a step back, shocked at what she had just heard. "I...I don't know what you're talking about!" Rainbow Dash shot back, whispering as well. "Stop lying to me, I need to ask you about your brothers." Twilight pleaded. "I don't have anything to tell you. Please, just... leave me alone." A rainbow streak was all that remained by the time Twilight heard the words from her friend. Twilight tried to follow the trail, and had almost reached the end. She suddenly felt a strange wave of haziness wash over her. She stumbled and fell to the ground. "Buck! Not again!" Twilight called, before finally succumbing to her death. "Let me guess, drugs?" Twilight called out. "Yep, very unoriginal. I was hoping for something spectacular, like being ground up into little bits, or being force fed your own entrails. I guess we can't all have our way though." The voice called back. Twilight searched her body, and found a small hole in the bottom of her front right hoof. "So somepony set up caltrops coated in the drug?" Twilight thought aloud to herself. "Strange." Twilight walked over to one of the bulletin boards. She posted notes of what she had learned about her friend, as well as her means of death. "So what do you think will happen next?" The timekeeper asked. He sounded much closer to Twilight than before. Twilight spun around in shock, and beheld in front of her the timekeeper. An immense white stallion, with a scarlet mane and tail, both of which were neatly trimmed. His mane was tied back in a single braid, his tail the same. His eyes were a dark crimson ocean in which Twilight was drowning. He filled Twilight's vision, which the small unicorn found pleasing. His horn was nearly the height of Twilight, and his wings spread at least three times the width of a normal pegasus. "I see you're shocked, don't be afraid." The timekeeper calmly said. "I decided to make myself visible to you. I figured I was too ominous when I was just a voice. My name, as you asked me about so many times, is Silent Chime." The massive alicorn proceeded to take a seat at one of the tables he had conjured. "You;re... different than I had pictured you..." Twilight muttered. She wasn't sure exactly what she thought the timekeeper would look like, but certainly not this. He was a magnificent specimen of everything Twilight found attractive. He seemed suave, intelligent, and alluring. Everything about him, from the manner in which he carried himself to his tone of voice, reminded Twilight of Canterlot nobility. "I suppose I would. Then again, you are the first pony I've talked with. Nopony else has ever seen me. I usually just sit back and watch everypony else run around, living their lives. I can tell you're different though. When you died, I wanted you to entertain me more." The timekeeper replied. Twilight blushed as he continued. "I wanted to see what you could do, you have a lot of potential you know." Twilight could barely contain herself. If she didn't leave right away, she knew she would embarrass herself. "I'm ready to go back." Twilight stated, barely shrouding the excitement and arousal in her voice. "Very well." Silent said as Twilight's vision grew dark.
