Chapter VII
Guilty Until Proven Innocent
===============
“Open up!” screamed Twilight, bashing a hoof against the Ponyville clock tower door as hard as she could. “Let – me – in!”
“They can't hear you.”
Twilight felt the blood freeze in her veins. I recognize that voice... but... how is this even possible? She spun around, knowing what she would see. A few feet behind her stood the creature, but there were two significant differences. The first was that Ponyville was not on fire; it was a cool, tranquil evening. The streets were desolate with the exception of Twilight and the dark mare. The second difference unsettled Twilight more than the first. It now possessed a pair of large, lantern-like eyes that glowed a bright white.
“W-what do you want?” spluttered Twilight, anger dripping from her every word. I don't understand! That protective spell should've worked! Why is this happening again?
The mare chuckled. “You continue to foalishly disregard my warnings. Now you are facing the consequences.”
For a moment, Twilight prepared herself for battle, calling upon her magic. Then, she paused. I – I can't fight this – whatever it is... it's just too powerful. Exhaling slowly, she released her grip on the magic, lowering her defenses completely. “What do you want from me? Who is this 'evil one' that I'm meant to destroy?” she demanded.
Remaining stationary, the thing's eyes bored into Twilight like a pair of white-hot branding irons. “The answer has always been laid before you. All you must do is listen...” It turned its bright eyes to the left. If Twilight didn't know better, she would say that it was grinning.
A light purple earth pony with a puffy white mane emerged from the shadows. “Hey, Twilight, what's with all the racket? I'm –” Cotton Top stopped mid-sentence when she noticed the dark mare. She opened her mouth to scream, but the dark mare's eyes glowed even brighter.
“You're next!” hissed the mare, enveloping Cotton Top in a thin veil of purple smoke. Within seconds, Cotton Top was over fifty feet in the air, the smog around her growing more dense as she ascended.
Twilight tried to free the helpless pony, but her magic was unable to pierce the surrounding smoke. “Put her down now!”
“Normally I don't take requests...” The dark mare's eyes flashed and Cotton Top suddenly burst into flames high above the two.
Twilight could only watch in horror as the ball of fire that was once Cotton Top hurtled toward the clock tower like a meteor. Upon impact, the entire tower exploded, creating a blazing shockwave which covered the entire town in flames. Feeling her legs buckle beneath her, Twilight fell to the ground, overcome by pain and confusion, the inferno roaring around her.
“This is your last chance to destroy the evil one, Twilight Sparkle!” jeered the creature, its voice cutting into Twilight like razorblades. “Soon, somepony close to you shall be claimed by the evil one, and you will be powerless to stop it!”
The flames suddenly closed in on Twilight. Unable to slow them with her magic, she flailed her hooves wildly as the fire overtook her ineffectual defenses. Her vision abruptly went black, and the flames vanished. She opened her eyes to find herself in her bed in the library, her blanket in a crumpled heap on the floor, no doubt the result of her flailing.
Twilight vaguely remembered storming off to the library after Greyhoof's imprisonment, ignoring everypony she met along the way. She could feel the pillow beneath her head was still slightly damp from when she had cried herself to sleep. When she finally brought herself to climb out of bed, she was startled to see her five closest friends gathered downstairs, waiting for her.
“Girls – what – what are you doing here?” asked Twilight in astonishment, pausing halfway down the stairs.
“We figured ya could use a shoulder to cry on, sugarcube.” Applejack removed her hat and set it down beside her. “Spike let us in a while ago. We didn't wake ya because, well...”
Twilight nodded. “I certainly needed the rest. Spike did send my letter to the Princess, didn't he?”
“Yeah huh!” said Pinkie. “He definitely said something about that. He also –”
Fluttershy flew up to Twilight and hugged her so hard, it nearly sent her tumbling down the rest of the stairs. “What they did to poor Greyhoof was horrible, just horrible!”
Gratefully returning Fluttershy's embrace, Twilight thanked her and ambled down the rest of the stairs, giving the rest of her friends a forlorn look.
Rarity's mane swished as she turned her head indignantly. She let out a humph. “This is simply outrageous! The Mayor's lost her mind!”
“I know what you need...” exclaimed Pinkie gleefully, shuddering with excitement. “A pa–”
“No!” interrupted Rainbow, unfurling her wings. “Don't you pay attention, Pinkie? Considering what's going on, this is not the time.”
Pinkie's expression went from jubilant to crestfallen in the blink of an eye. “Oh, you're right, Dashie...” Turning dejectedly, she began walking out of the room until something on a nearby desk caught her eye. “Ooh! Lookie what I found! Spike probably left it here. I think this'll help for sure!”
What in Equestria is she on about? Twilight looked in Pinkie's direction and immediately perked up when she saw what Pinkie was indicating. “A letter!” Dashing toward the desk, Twilight grabbed the rolled scroll with newfound enthusiasm. “Yesterday I sent a letter to the Princess about this whole mess. I'm just glad she got back to me so quickly. Maybe she can even help free Greyhoof!” Wasting no further time with explanation, Twilight feverishly unraveled the scroll and began to read.
Dear Twilight,
How are ya doing, kid? I know I promised I'd write more often after my honeymoon, but being a Prince is really time-consuming. Retiring as Captain of the Royal Guard has made little real difference. I do hope Phalanx is handling his promotion okay. I'm sure he's doing fine. Anyway, I'm afraid I won't be able to see you until the Summer Sun Celebration in Canterlot, which Cadence and I are being sent all around Equestria to promote.
Really, who needs to be told about the Summer Sun Celebration, especially when it's being held in Canterlot itself? When I brought this up to the Princess, she insisted that Cadence and I attend to these matters, saying something about it being some royal tradition or other. Bah!
At least Stalliongrad is nice. It's just north of the Crystal Mountains, so we're staying there while we visit the northern Equestrian cities. I should show you around, if I can ever find the time. Maybe we can –
Clenching her teeth in frustration, Twilight incinerated it, the ashy remains slowly falling to the floor.
“Twi!” cried Applejack in alarm. “What's wrong? What'd it say?”
“It wasn't from the Princess at all,” said Twilight bitterly. “It was from my brother. Since he's technically royalty now, the Princess sent him to northeast Equestria to do something or other related to the Summer Sun Celebration.”
Fluttershy slowly approached Twilight and began to nuzzle her left cheek like she would a wounded animal. “I'm sorry to hear that... I'm sure Princess Celestia will send a reply soon.”
Twilight couldn't help but smile faintly. “So... what's happening today? More search parties?”
Shaking her head solemnly, Rarity rested a comforting hoof on Twilight's shoulder. “They're... holding a funeral.”
Twilight froze. “A funeral? Whose funeral?”
“It's...” Rarity winced, as if breaking the news was too much for her to bear.
“Twist, Holly, and Cloud Kicker,” said Rainbow. “The Mayor thinks now that Greyhoof is safely behind bars, the best idea is to just give 'em a funeral and move on.”
Twilight began to feel the pure rage she had experienced the night before swelling deep within her, blossoming into a deadly force that threatened to take over her whole body. “She – did – what?” she demanded, grinding out every syllable.
Applejack picked her hat back up and placed it on her head a little harder than usual. “Trust me, we ain't too fond of the idea, either!”
“This is far from over,” said Twilight almost threateningly. Everypony froze and stared at her. Noticing their shocked expressions, Twilight sighed, allowing her anger to subside. “Look, there's something I haven't been telling any of you. I've been having nightmares for days. These aren't ordinary nightmares, either; they're somehow connected with reality.”
Rainbow arched an eyebrow and gave Twilight a look that suggested she was questioning her sanity. “What are you talking about?”
Twilight shuddered as she called upon her memories of those horrific visions. “I – I saw them getting killed. All of them, in my dreams. What they were murdered by isn't real, but when I saw one of them die in my nightmare, they wound up missing the next day. Yesterday, I saw Cloud Kicker killed...”
“Why didn't you say somethin' sooner? We could've saved 'em!” cried Applejack.
“At first... I said nothing to anypony. How could I? Everypony would think I was insane,” said Twilight defensively. “There's a lot more to the dreams than just ponies getting murdered – things I don't understand. Yesterday I had Greyhoof perform a spell on me to prevent the dreams, but it seems to have done nothing.” Twilight looked at the floor in despair. “Last night I saw another, an earth pony named Cotton Top, getting murdered. Her life may already be forfeit.”
“We have to warn her!” shouted Rainbow in a sudden outburst that made everypony jump. “Twilight, open the window!”
Twilight nodded at Rainbow. Her horn shimmered and the library window opened. The second there was room enough, Rainbow shot out at blinding speed. The others stood in there in silence after Rainbow's departure. Eventually, Twilight decided to break speak. “I've got it.”
Applejack cocked an eyebrow at Twilight. “Got what, sugarcube?”
“Everypony will be at this big funeral, right? It's the perfect distraction!” Twilight's left ear began to twitch as she spoke. “If the Mayor won't see sense, I'll just use my magic and break Greyhoof out of prison!”
“Um, I don't think that's a very good idea,” squeaked Fluttershy, slowly backing away from Twilight.
“Please, darling, I know this is wrong, but that isn't the answer!” Rarity implored gently.
Twilight felt her stomach knot up. “It is the answer!” she snapped. “My friend is sitting in a prison for unjust reasons! Helping a friend is the least I can do. I – we need him; we're having a hard enough time solving this as it is, and it'll only get worse without him. With Greyhoof free, we just might stand a chance. By breaking a few asinine rules, we can save lives.”
“Twi, listen to yourself!” Applejack shook Twilight. “Regardless of whether it's 'for the greater good' or not, it's breakin' the law! You saw how the Mayor and everypony treated Grey, didn't you? If anything, you'll be lumped in with him as a criminal!”
“I don't care,” spat Twilight, “I'll become a fugitive in Ponyville until we catch the real killer if I have to! Who cares if we defy the Mayor, as long as we save lives in the process?”
Applejack shook her head. “No, sugarcube, there has to be another way. Do you remember when Grey broke into Zecora's hut to get that cure for you? Remember how you gave him what for? This is no better than what he did.”
Twilight slumped. “You're right...” she moaned reluctantly, “but what can I do otherwise?”
“Duh!” exclaimed Pinkie. “Throw on your detective cap and get to work, silly!”
“Pinkie, you're a genius!” Twilight leapt forward and hugged Pinkie so forcefully, it almost knocked her off her hooves. “Why didn't I think of it sooner?”
“Oh, that's easy,” said Pinkie, patting Twilight on the back. “You've been going through a lot lately. It's no wonder things would be getting to your head a little.”
Twilight released Pinkie and exhaled slowly. “Right,” she said to herself more than anypony else, “I'm going to need scrolls. Lots of scrolls. Everypony in all of Ponyville is going to be accounted for, as well as the whereabouts of all of the missing ponies. Once I've compiled all of that information, I can begin cross-referencing them with the possible motives of everypony else. This is going to take some time...”
“You get right on that, sugarcube,” said Applejack. “Meanwhile we'll keep an eye out for anything that happens while yer doin' all this here detective work.”
Applejack's words went unanswered, as Twilight was already immersed in a whirlwind of scrolls, which began to form a small mountain in the centre of the room. Once they were stacked, Twilight grabbed one at the top of the pile and laid it out before her. She grabbed a bottle of ink and a quill, and began to write furiously.
“Look out!”
Twilight had scarcely written more than a dozen lines before Rainbow hurtled through the window like a small meteor and crashed into the mountain of scrolls, sending parchment flying in all directions.
“Uh, sorry about that...” said Rainbow sheepishly.
Twilight cleared the scrolls from around Rainbow and began rearranging the pile next to her. “It's okay,” she said, mildly annoyed. “So, did you warn Cotton Top?”
Springing to her hooves, Rainbow unfurled her wings. “No! I couldn't find her anywhere, and I mean anywhere. Either she's on vacation, or...”
“Oh no!” Fluttershy covered her face.
“W-what do we do?” stammered Rarity.
Twilight put a hoof down loudly in front of her. “We make the best of this.”
“Uh, come again? Somepony else just possibly went missin'.” Applejack cocked an eyebrow at Twilight.
“It's so simple,” said Twilight, a grin slowly creeping onto her face. “If another pony went missing after Greyhoof was put in jail...”
Rarity's face lit up. “Then that means –”
“We've got evidence!” Twilight finished breathlessly. “Once they hear of this, they'll know Greyhoof is innocent! If we're lucky, we can save Cotton Top as well. Girls, what do you know of the funeral plans?”
“I reckon they're gonna be starting soon,” said Applejack. “I was helping them set up before we came to see you.”
Spinning around, Twilight abandoned the parchment on the floor and advanced purposefully toward the door. “Good. We're going to the funeral. Now.”
They had scarcely left the library when Twilight slammed the door loudly enough to make Fluttershy give a startled yelp and jump a few feet into the air.
“Um, Twilight?” said Rainbow, flying beside her as they made their way through the deserted streets of Ponyville. “Are you feeling okay? It's just that –”
“Just what, Rainbow?” snapped Twilight.
Rarity cleared her throat delicately. “Well, you've –”
“You've been actin' kinda strange, sugarcube,” finished Applejack. “I think I can speak for all of us when I say, we're worried about ya.”
“What do you mean?” asked Twilight, her voice faltering.
“It... almost feels like... that you're becoming a different pony,” said Rarity, wincing as she spoke. “This is so unlike you, darling.”
Twilight's eyes widened. “What?”
“Not five minutes ago, ya were talkin' about breaking Grey outta prison, just like that!” exclaimed Applejack.
“A-and you – you thought of how to use poor Cotton Top's disappearance to our advantage instead of what we could do to help that poor pony...” added Fluttershy.
“The point is,” said Rainbow sternly, “that you don't seem to be the same Twilight. You're... different, somehow.”
Twilight's face scrunched as she tried to bite back the well of emotions that her friends' words had suddenly conjured up. Are they right? What am I doing? Was I really planning on doing something so irrational and careless? She exhaled slowly. “I don't know, girls, I really don't. These nightmares have been weighing on me, bringing me down. It's like I'm being shown the future, a dark future, and I'm powerless to stop it. In my dreams, I fight the dark mare with everything I've got, but nothing I do has any effect on it. Each time, it seems to get even more powerful, and everypony it destroys in the dreams vanishes not too soon after I wake up.”
Pausing for a moment, Twilight used her hoof to wipe tears from her eyes. “Greyhoof felt like the last bastion of sanity I had. He seems to understand what I'm going through, and is the only pony with enough knowledge and magical ability to truly help me. I'm... sorry. I promise I'll try to think more clearly before I propose something as drastic as breaking the law. It's just... without him, I don't know what to do or who to turn to. Princess Celestia hasn't even replied to my letter...”
“You can turn to us,” said Fluttershy. “I know I can't magic away your dreams, or free Greyhoof, or stop that mean, nasty ponynapper from taking more ponies, but I will be there for you and help you in any way I can.”
“Even if I can't catch the ponynapper or help you with your dreams, I can throw you a party when you catch him!” chirped Pinkie.
“Just have faith in yourself, Twi,” said Applejack. “And if you ever need to, lean on us. We'll be there.”
“If worse comes to worst, and the Mayor won't see reason... I suppose I could try to practice that spell you had Greyhoof perform, at least as a substitute,” offered Rarity. “I know it won't be as good, but I would think it'd be better than nothing.”
Looking from side to side, Twilight smiled as she saw her friends trotting faithfully beside her. “Girls, I just wanted to say... thank you for everything.”
“Don't sweat it, Twilight,” said Rainbow, giving Twilight a friendly nudge. “We'll always be here for you, and you know that.”
Twilight smiled. “You have no idea how much this means to me. I know I've been out of sorts lately, but the whole situation seems to be getting worse and worse with no end in sight. Sometimes, I just don't know what I'm supposed to do.”
“I'm sure you'll think of something,” said Rarity. “You always do.”
Twilight glanced at the clock tower as they moved past it, and felt a familiar sense of gloom seeping back into her body. “I hope so, before it's too late...”
“Too late for what?” asked Pinkie, who, to Twilight's dismay, bounced merrily alongside her.
“The dark mare – it said... that somepony close to me is next.” Twilight gave the clock tower one last forlorn look as they rounded a corner. “I don't know who it was talking about. Maybe the Mayor is planning on executing him...”
“I will not stand for such an atrocity!” exclaimed Rarity.
“And neither will he,” added Applejack. “Some of us have seen what Grey can do. If they try to lay a hoof on him beyond what they've already done, I don't think he'll just sit there and let 'em have their way with him.” She shook her head. “Nope, he'll show 'em how he's able to fight a masticore!”
Twilight tried to smile, but an ever-present sense of dread kept her spirits low. “That may be, but what if it's the killer after him? What if... the dark mare meant it was one of you?”
Rainbow puffed her chest out. “Don't talk like that! I'm not letting some dirty ponynapper get me!”
“Yeah, you've gotta wake up pretty early in the morning to pull one on Pinkie Pie!”
As they turned around another corner, the grim sight of the funeral greeted them. The Mayor stood on a ramshackle wooden platform next to three headstones. Twilight froze as the scenes of their deaths at the dark mare's hooves flashed before her all at once in a flurry of carnage. She hardly noticed her other friends walking past her and joining the crowd solemnly gathered before the Mayor, whose words sounded unintelligible to Twilight.
The spectacle before her seemed to melt away as Twilight began vividly recalling the previous days' events. First, discussing the situation with Spike back at the library after he had sent the letter, then the growing unease she had felt when Greyhoof did not return. Some hours later, she had abandoned her research and began frantically looking for him in town, only to find that the Mayor had issued a warrant for his arrest. The pain she felt when her pleas for sanity fell on deaf ears as the Mayor announced a town meeting to publicly imprison him came back in full force and nearly brought her to her knees.
Twilight closed her eyes and bowed her head. Who does she think she is, saying that Greyhoof is to blame? The Mayor is just afraid, and all she's doing is using him as a scapegoat. Well, I won't let her. Twilight looked up and glared at the Mayor bitterly. “ENOUGH!”
Whatever the Mayor was saying was halted mid-sentence by Twilight's sudden outburst. Everypony in the crowd turned around and stared at Twilight as they began to murmur uneasily. The Mayor cleared her throat loudly. “I would think that you might show more respect for the dead, Twilight Sparkle.”
Twilight stormed through the crowd, which hastily cleared a path for her, allowing her to stand next to the Mayor on the platform. “This whole thing is a farce!” shouted Twilight. “You've got the wrong pony, and I can prove it!”
The Mayor shook her head. “No, Twilight, we are not having this discussion here –”
“Shut up.” Twilight didn't scream or shout, but the even calmness of her statement silenced the Mayor. “Everypony in Ponyville is here now, correct?” Noticing the Mayor nod slowly, Twilight continued. “Good. I have a way to settle this once and for all. If everypony in Ponyville is gathered here, and the 'killer' Greyhoof is safely behind bars, then nopony will be missing if we do a headcount, right?”
The Mayor blinked. “Well, I suppose so –”
“Then do it,” demanded Twilight.
“You seem awfully confident.” The Mayor eyed Twilight suspiciously.
“Miss Mayor!” said Rarity incredulously. “You are not suggesting that Twilight has something to do with this, are you? Why, she's been asleep and we've been with her ever since she's woken up.”
“Ya heard the lady!” hollered Applejack. “Just call it a hunch.”
The Mayor glanced nervously around her, first at Twilight, and then at her friends gathered in the audience. “Fine. The memorial services will be postponed until we have completed a headcount. Bring me the town census.”
A grey pegasus took off toward the town hall upon hearing the Mayor's words. The crowd stood in silence as they awaited her return. Only a few minutes had passed before the pegasus returned with a hefty scroll in her mouth, which she unrolled on the platform next to the Mayor. Gruffly clearing her throat, the Mayor began to rattle off the names written upon it. The tension in the crowd began to dissipate as the Mayor made it through the A's and B's without incident. Some of the gathered ponies began shooting Twilight glares as the Mayor was plowing through the C's.
“Cotton Top,” said the Mayor mechanically. There was no answer. “Cotton Top,” she repeated, increasing the volume of her voice. Silence was once again the only response. “Cotton Top?” shouted the Mayor a third time. Dread rippled through the crowd like a wave as the Mayor's knees buckled beneath her and she fell on her flank, looking blankly in front of her. “Oh no...” She gulped. “S-send a couple of pegasi to her house! Where was Cotton Top the last time anypony saw her?”
Two pegasi took off toward Ponyville, soaring overhead. A light pink earth pony named Millie half-galloped to the stage. “I-I was with her just this morning!” she stammered. “S-she was going to pay Rarity a visit, I think. Yeah, it was to check out that order of dresses she's been working on before they were shipped to Canterlot.”
“Has anypony else seen her after that time?” asked the Mayor. When nopony answered her, she bowed her head. “That means... unless she's at her house –”
“Miss Mayor!” shouted Flitter, one of the pegasi that had been sent to town. “Cotton Top's house is deserted!” She landed next to the Mayor, panting as she was joined by Cloudchaser.
The Mayor slowly turned to Twilight. “I... think I owe you an apology,” she said. “All I ever wanted was the best for Ponyville. I'm so sorry. I've made a terrible mistake.”
Twilight could feel joy beginning to blossom inside of her. Finally, this injustice ends! It won't be long now, Greyhoof. I promise. Yet, while her relief was immense, a dull ache filled her stomach. How many more have to die before the end of this? “Greyhoof and I will find the killer. I promise.”
“Thank you.” The Mayor gave a quick pause before standing back on her hooves and stepping beside Twilight. “It seems we have made a gross misjudgment. Let it be known that Greyhoof is an innocent stallion. Return to your homes at once, everypony, and travel in groups of three or more at all times. Greyhoof is to be released immediately. Twilight Sparkle and Greyhoof as well as anypony willing to lend a hoof will lead the investigation to get to the bottom of this catastrophe.”
After she finished speaking, the Mayor stepped off the stage, Twilight joining her. Unable to contain herself any longer, Twilight set off toward the clock tower at a full gallop. By the time she arrived, Twilight found herself gasping for air. Pausing to catch her breath, she looked around and found nopony in sight. Giving the handle a try, she found the door to be locked.
Narrowing her eyes, Twilight fired a magenta blast from her horn, which caused the door's handle to shatter into a thousand pieces. Kicking the door open, she bolted up the wooden stairs, which emitted a loud creak with each of her hoofsteps. Upon reaching the top, Twilight spotted a hallway on her right. She grimaced when she spotted the same two stallions, had taken Greyhoof away, standing at the end of it. They were standing guard over a cell with steel bars.
“Greyhoof!” shouted Twilight.
Rising to his hooves from a crude bed of straw, Greyhoof blinked and advanced forward until his face was at the bars of his cell. “Twilight?”
“State your business,” said Vigilance, the brown stallion with the silver mohawk, gruffly.
“Greyhoof is an innocent stallion. Release him, now!” ordered Twilight, struggling to keep her voice even.
The light brown stallion with a short brown mane and tail, Jim Beam, looked impassively at Twilight, and rubbed the stubble on his muzzle. “On whose authority?”
“The Mayor's.”
“Papers?” grunted Vigilance.
Twilight blinked. “What?”
“Papers,” he repeated. “If you have no proof of this statement, then I'm going to have to ask you to leave.”
Taking a purposeful step forward, Twilight gritted her teeth. “She's coming here now. Let – him – go.”
“Halt!” barked Jim.
“Twilight, what happened?” asked Greyhoof.
“There's been another abduction,” said Twilight, exhaling slowly. She flicked a furious glance toward Vigilance. “All the more reason for you two to release him immediately.”
Greyhoof hung his head low, ears drooping. Twilight looked at him, but found herself at a loss for words. He thinks this is somehow his fault, doesn't he? Trapped in here while the killer still roams free, unable to lift a hoof to help save lives. And yet here I stand, full of more relief than remorse for Cotton Top's fate. The sound of a set of hooves clopping up the stairs behind her cut into her thoughts. Finally!
A few seconds later, the Mayor stood at the end of the hallway, breathing heavily. “Release him.”
“Ma'am?” asked Jim in disbelief.
“I said release him,” repeated the Mayor. “We've got the wrong pony.”
The stallions looked at each other, blinking in surprise. It took a second reiteration of the Mayor's command before Jim reached for a set of keys and opened the cell door. The moment there was sufficient clearance, Twilight lunged through the door, hugging Greyhoof fiercely.
“I thought I'd lost you,” whispered Twilight, crying into Greyhoof's shoulder.
Gently patting Twilight, Greyhoof smiled. “Thank you for freeing me. I promise you, I will not let this happen again, and I will get to the bottom of this.” He withdrew from Twilight's embrace and looked at her, and then the Mayor, his eyes ablaze.
Drying her eyes, Twilight nodded at Greyhoof. “Let's go home.”
Twilight and Greyhoof began to leave. As they reached the end of the hallway, Greyhoof looked back, first at the Mayor, and then at the stallion guards. Finally, his gaze rested on his cell. For a split second, his eyes flared as his face contorted in pure rage. “Next time, don't be so hasty about locking somepony up. Part of being a wise leader is thinking things through before acting.”
Leaving the Mayor to dwell on this, Twilight and Greyhoof briskly trotted down the stairs and left the tower behind them. When they left the prison, they saw the beaming faces of Applejack, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rainbow, and Rarity, waiting for them.
“Glad to see you're free,” said Rainbow sarcastically. “I was beginning to get used to you being locked up.”
“Not the time, Rainbow!” said Twilight darkly.
“Whatever,” said Rainbow, flapping away from the group, landing at least thirty feet away from them.
“Grey, are ya okay?” Applejack clapped a hoof on Greyhoof's shoulder, staring into his smoldering eyes with a worried look.
“No,” said Greyhoof. “I know that I only walk free because of the probable demise of yet another innocent pony. This can't continue. It's getting late. All of you should travel in pairs and head back to your homes. Twilight and I will get to the bottom of this... I hope.”
The ponies nodded to each other and went their separate ways, traveling in pairs as per Greyhoof's suggestion. When they were alone, Twilight and Greyhoof walked at a leisurely pace toward the library. Despite the gravity of the situation, Twilight couldn't help but smile at Greyhoof for most of the journey. When they reached the library, they found Spike snoring in his basket. Twilight gave the sleeping Spike a soft smile as she levitated his basket to the top floor, gently setting it beside her own bed.
“What's that for?” asked Greyhoof, closing the door behind them.
“You were right,” said Twilight. “This has got to stop. I know it's been a long day, but I feel we should get started tonight.”
“About that,” said Greyhoof, smiling sheepishly. “Do... you have anything to eat? The food at the clock tower wasn't exactly Manehatten cuisine, you know.”
Twilight laughed a little louder than she'd have liked; she heard a snort from upstairs. Pausing until she heard Spike's snores resume, she smiled. “I'm sure I've got something. I'll tell you what. Tomorrow, we can get something from Sugarcube Corner. I'm sure Pinkie will have something whipped up for us, actually.”
Greyhoof nodded. “I guess I can ignore my hunger until then. So, what were you working on yesterday?”
“Well,” said Twilight, indicating the mound of scrolls. “I was beginning to write up short dossiers on everypony in Ponyville, listing motives, known recent activity, and –”
“Stop.” Greyhoof raised a hoof. “I have a feeling that those will not be much help to us. I'd be happy to help continue work on those tomorrow, but now we have something more important to discuss.”
Twilight gulped. “Your... mind control theory?”
“Yes,” said Greyhoof. “I may not be right, but if I am, then these documents are all but worthless. All we will be able to do with what information we have is to make an educated guess based on the whereabouts of the ponies just before they went missing.”
“You mean?”
Greyhoof nodded again. “I refer to my previous stories of similar incidents. Murders without rhyme or reason, ponies seemingly going on berserk killing sprees. Of course, they were executed as soon as they were discovered, making the possibility of mind control as the culprit impossible to uncover. Call it a hunch.”
Twilight's heart sank. “Then how do we catch whoever it is?”
Greyhoof averted his eyes from Twilight. “I don't know. We have one advantage: knowledge of the 'Want It, Need It' spell. You said you knew how to reverse it, correct?” Noticing Twilight's nod, Greyhoof met her eyes once again, regaining his focus. “Then, if I'm correct, that will be our sole advantage.”
“Well, it all depends on what sort of mind control we're talking about,” said Twilight. “This spell works differently than true mind control. True mind control requires a great deal of power – more power than I think either of us are capable of.”
“Indeed; there are few ponies who can accomplish such a feat,” said Greyhoof heavily. “Though I fear that we are, in fact, dealing with true mind control. Apart from being panic-stricken, everypony seems to be acting relatively normal, don't they?”
“I think so...” said Twilight. “At least I hadn't heard of anything unusual before this all started.”
The fire in Greyhoof's eyes intensified. “Wait, did you ever send that letter to the Princess? What's her take on the situation? We could certainly use her wisdom at a time like this.”
Twilight struck the floor with a hoof. “Nothing. She hasn't responded at all, and I don't understand why. Normally, Princess Celestia would answer a letter as serious as this one within minutes. It's been over twenty-four hours.”
“Remember what I said earlier? I was truly hoping that I was wrong, but –”
“No, don't say it,” whispered Twilight.
Greyhoof rested a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. “I know, and I won't. But the nature of these murders and her lack of response are not good signs. The both of us know that few ponies possess the necessary power to use mind control magic, and Princess Celestia is one of them. It's the perfect weapon, if you think about it.”
Staring into Twilight's eyes, Greyhoof's face fell. “At first, I imagined that mind control magic would force a pony to act oddly, as their will was no longer their own, but now it seems that this isn't the case. Whoever our killer is, he or she must be acting normally, and is likely even ignorant of being responsible for this. Only in the moments of the act will they lose control and obey their mistress. I've heard an old saying that rings true in this circumstance. None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe that they are free.”
Twilight shuddered. Why do his words make more and more sense the more I hear them? I can't believe I'm beginning to agree with him, but who else could be capable of such a spell? The Princess herself said that she'd never met a unicorn with my potential, and even I couldn't do this even if I wanted to. What's more, if this happened mere centuries ago, Princess Luna is ruled out, as she was imprisoned in the moon...
While Twilight was lost in her own thoughts, Greyhoof had grabbed the sheets from his bed and set up a small cushion on the floor. Once his work was done, he extracted over a dozen books from the shelves in the library and sorted them into two stacks next to it.
“I think these are most of the relevant books in your collection,” said Greyhoof, snapping Twilight out of her stupor.
“Wha, huh?” mumbled Twilight.
“If we get to work on these books, we should be able to devise a spell that can break the mind control magic. I can only hope that we won't need it, but there's no sense in being unprepared.”
Twilight curled herself up on the cushion and smiled at Greyhoof as he sat next to her. “Thank you, Greyhoof. Thank you for everything. I was starting to lose hope, but with you at my side, I know we can do this.”
Twilight affectionately began nuzzling Greyhoof's neck with her head, wrapping a hoof around him. Greyhoof's face flushed as he smiled awkwardly and levitated the topmost book on one of the stacks, opening it in front of them and turning to page one.