• Published 19th Jan 2012
  • 17,160 Views, 1,497 Comments

Sweetie's Mansion - Moon Shooter



A My Little Pony/Luigi's Mansion Crossover

  • ...
30
 1,497
 17,160

PreviousChapters Next
Chapter 22- The Stableville (Escaping the Memory)

The red rubber ball hit the casing of a china cabinet against the wall. Sweetie caught it, not taking her eyes off of the glass, faintly showing her reflection. She threw it again, this time harder than before. She managed to crack the glass a little bit this time.

Every time the ball impacting the glass cabinet made contact with the cabinet each of the silent mares, or at least all of the conscious ones, flinch or seize slightly. Rainbow and Fluttershy’s wings contracted every time, squeezing their sides. Pinkie and Applejack, in a futile attempt to get sleep, had their eyes closed, and squeezed tight, as though being stung by the echo of the ball entered their ear drums. All of the mares were on edge. Between Twilight still unconsciousness, Sweetie’s possession, and the fact that she now had the only thing they could stand a chance against Specter... they were pretty sure they were screwed.

Only Specter remained still as he watched his little associate assault the cabinet with the CMC ball to pass the time as they waited down Gilda’s return. He staring her down with watchful eyes, as though trying to read her mind, or rather expecting something to cross it. Whether or not she would admit it, Specter knew she was worth watching though her repetitive and nervous act of throwing and catching. He knew she was stressed or at least worried about something.

Excluding Specter, everypony jumped when they heard the ball finally penetrate the glass, as it shattered to the ground.

“Where the hay is that slack off of a griffon.” he said finally. “It’s been over an hour since we sent her out to retrieve the body.”

Specter chuckled. “You say that as though you’ve forgotten about the labyrinthine of this mansion. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was still wandering the basement area.”

“You gave her the directions, didn’t you?”

“I gave her the numbers and seconds to get there with her head attached to her shoulders... I may have neglected to tell her how to get back.” Specter admitted. “Though, if Ms. Belle could navigate the mansion mapless... I’m sure even you could agree, she could make her way back.”

Sweetie groaned and bowed her head. She was growing impatient.

“What’s wrong?” Specter asked. There was a severe lack of concern in his voice, oozing with sarcasm. “You talk like we ourselves are running low on time.”

Sweetie didn’t look at him.

“...are we running out of time?” Specter asked, raising a brow. “Let me guess... she’s progressing, isn’t she?”

“It’s under control.” Sweetie snapped.

“If you call her running around in the memories of Stabletown ‘under-control’...” Specter sighed. “Next thing you know, you’ll be calling Ms. Belle’s capture of you a minor security error.”

“...I’ll admit, she’s moving around abnormally fast… she’s lucky... or strong-willed, something among those two. The resonance of six cutie marks certainly isn't helping either -- its like trying to keep five ponies posessed at once on top of something else. Some faint subconscious that’s been hiding from me has been guiding her into blind spots of the memories.”

“Her’s?”

“What else?”

“Pockets of her subconscious mind’s creation... ones to go hoof in hoof with your own?”

“I’m surprised she could even pull that off...”

“Are you? Her cutie marks already were enough to break the anchors you kept on her. Who’s to say her subconscious can’t start manipulating the memory yourself. Especially if you continue to treat her as though she’s ‘just some filly’. She’s already proven to be more than capable of-”

“I said I had it handled.” Sweetie snapped finally. She quickly regained herself and regained a calmer disposition. “...I apologize Master Yield, but I won’t allow her to escape. She’s in the mansion... but there’s nothing in there that will allow her to go anywhere outside of the memory.”

“Is there?” Specter asked.

Sweetie turned around and stared at Specter. “Are you trying to say something? You’ve been acting as though you know something I don’t.”

“I’m only trying to remind you of the mansion’s... memorial value.” Specter explained. “If there were anything that Ms. Belle could use... or anything of interest that could make its way in there, it would be in my manor.”

“Make its way inside...” Sweetie trailed off. What did he mean by-

There was a knock on the door, causing everypony in the room to draw their attention to the exit.

“Hey! Open up, will ya?”

It was Gilda.

“You’re late.” Sweetie said as she approached the door, and opened it for the griffon. She walked in, carrying something on her shoulder, barely larger than herself wrapped in a blanket.

“Kind of wishing you didn’t rip up that map hm?” Specter asked in a humorous tone.

Gilda carefully laid the mass of blanket on the ground. “Here. Nearly got killed getting her but...” She looked over at Rainbow, who’d returned to blankly staring at the ground. “Look, I did what you told me. Held up my part of the deal. Now can I leave with them?”

“...in a moment.”

“What the hay do you want me to do now?”

“Nothing.” Specter responded. “Just need you as a little insurance. You know how wrong this part can go... we could use a few extra talons.”

Gilda groaned.

“Once this is over, you can head back over to the second side basement with Ms. Dash and Ms. Pie.”

At the mention of their names, the two of mares looked up at Gilda. Pinkie opened her mouth to say something, but only let out a groan as the pain returned to her stomach.

“Pinkie?” Rainbow asked. “You alright?”

“...less than 20 minutes I’d say. You should be able to make it over to the area by the memory my dear is taking up before it happens.” Specter explained. “Trust me, we won’t have you around here longer than that.”

“What’s going on? What the hay are you two talking about now?!” Rainbow exclaimed.

Gilda ignored the mare, crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. “Alright, fine. Let’s get this over with. How does this work exactly?”

“...I’m supposing the princess’s spirit is fully conscious right now?”

“I already told you. Bucker nearly killed me. She was trying to get out the whole way here, but she’s been quiet for a little while now.” Gilda recalled. “Still... aren’t you supposed to control these things or something?”

“Spirits like the princesses’ are quite strong-willed and powerful in nature. True, I am able to manipulate the wills of most spirits I come in contact...” Specter glanced at the sick Pinkie Pie. “... Rather, most of them in either case. However, ones like the princesses require a special procedure, especially for the magnitude of the eclipse spell. Since I don’t have the ability to break her will by force, our only option is for her to willingly give me control.”

“You’re kidding right? Why in the hay would she do that?”

“Simply by making some kind of... shall I say incentive?” Specter smiled. “Before, when we were working on Luna, we simply raised her hopes that her sister was alive... and would join her own fate if she didn’t comply.”

“How stupid she must have felt when she found out she was already dead.” Sweetie chuckled.

“So, what are you gonna do with Celestia? The same thing?”

“Celestia is a bit more of a challenge than Luna, not only in the will department but the magic department. We could barely manage to contain Luna’s magic... and with the added years and experience of the sister of the sun, with as much planning time as she’s had now, she will kill us. I actually wasn’t expecting you to even survive Ms. Gilda.”

Gilda glared at him.

“However... we do have something that might make our Princess think before acting... Spiffy? Get into position. Make sure you’re the first thing she sees. The quicker she understands the weight of the situation, the faster we’ll be done.”

“Yes, Master Yield.” Sweetie reached into her bag and took out the knife. He then approached Fluttershy who looked up, her eyes dilated with fear. “Oh, you and I are about to have the most fun, Ms. Shy.”

Fluttershy’s lower lip quivered in fear.

“Hey! Get away from her!” Applejack yelled. Her anger only made Sweetie chuckle.

Once Sweetie put the knife handle in her mouth, she got beside Fluttershy and put her leg around her neck. She put her face next to hers, making the knife’s edge barely touch her snout. Fluttershy resisted the urge to shiver, fearing she would cut her nose by the slightest movement.

Once he was satisfied with how the scene looked, Specter nodded and took a few steps back. He nodded at Gilda, telling her to pull the sheet off. She kept a tough face but was unable to hide her shaking talons as she went for the dark sheet.

In one motion, the griffon grabbed the covering and yanked it off of the princess and flew back. As the sheet disconnected from Celestia, a white lighted explosion surrounding her and threw both the sheet and Gilda herself against the wall. Before Gilda could even get a chance to hit the ground, a beam of magic shot from Celestia’s body and went for Gilda, hitting her with tremendous force. Gilda was then pinned to the wall by the neck, followed by Specter. A white ghostly figure emerged from the body with glowing purple eyes. They looked at Specter furiously, though Specter Yield seemed to be unaffected by their penetrating gaze. There was a good minute of silence before anypony spoke

“Good morning Princess.” Specter finally smiled.

The uninterested voice of Specter made Celestia’s ghostly form even angrier, as she pushed Specter harder against the wall. The ends of his clothes began to singe and grow black as Celestia increased the temperature of her spell, her anger growing further and further as she held the stallion in place.

“I’m getting the impression you’re trying to threaten me, Princess,” Specter said. “... and for a being that’s lived along as you... that seems quite impractical without a full grasp of the situation at hand, no?”

The temperature of the spell increased further, as it became apparent Specter’s coat was burning, and close to catching on fire. Specter simply laughed, indifferent to the intense heat around his body.

“Besides, Celestia... if I may be so bold to call you such, and put the formalities aside...” Specter continued. “You have bigger problems than me.”

Sweetie whistled to Celestia, diverting her gaze from Specter and over to her. “Master Yield has a point. If you value the life of your fellow subjects-” Sweetie yanked Fluttershy’s neck, making her yelp weakly. “- I’d suggest you listened to what he and I have to say... wouldn’t you?”

It happened so quick, it might have made any pony jump just by being close to it. Celestia shot a strike of lightning aiming for Sweetie. The bolt suddenly stopped in midair, as if halted by time itself right in front of Sweetie’s snout.

“Well, well... it looks as though our princess does have a few brains in that fossil of a head. Or at least some semblence of a moral compass,” Sweetie laughed. “I think she’s beginning to figure a thing or two out... wouldn’t you agree?”

“Given you and Ms. Shy aren’t now wriggling on the ground, seizing uncontrollably, I’d imagine so.”

It wasn’t a matter of whether or not Celestia could hit and kill Sweetie with the bolt, but rather that she would hit and kill her. Though she didn’t know the filly as personally as the other mares, she did know who it was. She also knew Sweetie didn’t have yellow eyes but rather green emerald ones. Though her malicious actions were completely apparent, it was just as obvious the filly was possessed. As much as Celestia would have liked to light the grinning thing inside of Sweetie like a Hearths-Warming Pine Tree, she couldn’t do anything to him without hurting or possibly killing Sweetie’s body.

Celestia considered taking her up like Specter and Gilda with telekinesis. Unfortunately, then she might risk Fluttershy poor throat, sitting along the edge of the blade. Even for the percision of an alicorn, it was too risky.

“Power down Princess... so we can discuss matters like civilized adults, hm?” Specter suggested. “And I’d suggest being hasty about it. My friend here tends to get a little... loose-hoofed when it comes to knives.”

Fluttershy whimpered in fear as she felt the knife find its way down to her neck. She felt as Sweetie applied pressure to the blade and lightly pressed it into her neck. Not hard enough to draw blood, but just to cut into an initial layer of skin so the mare could feel its icy chill even more.

“What’ll it be Princess? Will you cooperate? Or will you be the one who gets this cute little mate’s blood spilled all over this mansion?”

After what felt like ages, Celestia finally closed her eyes and the bright light that surrounded her diminished. The figure materialized into the tall, majestic pony all of Equestria identified her by. Gilda and Specter were released from her telekinetic grip and dropped on the ground. While Gilda gripped her neck, thankful to still be alive, Specter simply straightened his suit as though nothing major had even happened.

“I’d suggest you kept your power level no higher than that. I’ll know if you try anything...” Specter said. “And so will my dear butler. He maybe in a filly's body, but boy is he a speed demon.”

The mares who weren’t sick, unconscious, or held hostage looked at Celestia in awe. She looked as strong, leader-like, and powerful as she’d looked when she was alive. And yet here she was, allowing herself to be ordered around by this old stallion.

“C’mon Princess, don’t listen to him!” Rainbow yelled. “You’re the boss not him!”

Celestia didn’t look at her, but only glared at Specter, who smiled wisely.

“Now... I’m sure you’re aware of your sister’s cooperation in this little... er project of mine, no?”

Celestia didn’t respond.

“Of course you are. You’re a 'goddess', are you not? 'Deities' like you tend to know this type of thing.” Specter continued. “Either way, I’m unable to proceed with my project because I’m missing two key things... one of which is you. You see, one of the factors that play a role in my endeavor is an eclipse. A solar eclipse, to be precise. Now, what I plan on achieving with this eclipse is not of your concern, but what is of your concern... is where I need you to place the sun. Now... the trick of this is where I need you and Princess Luna to place the sun. As you know, it’s incredibly difficult for you and Luna to coordinate the sun and moon in the exact same position to create such a phenomenon. Sometimes decades, if I’m not mistaken, to create the celestial lunar and solar alignment.” Specter paused for a moment, looking at the transparent alicorn, giving her another smile. “I can tell I’m boring you with my little ramble and get to my er... request as some might put it. I want your body... or rather, your ghost body.”

Celestia remained silent.

“And as you might already be knowledgeable about, I can’t simply take control over you... I must have your blessings, do you understand?”

The princess and Specter shared yet another eternity of eye contact before Specter sighed.

“Somehow, I figured you would want to do things the hard way. Your sister was so much easier. She was stubborn yes... I suppose that must run in royal bloodlines, hm?” Specter chuckled. “Though, I’ll admit, breaking her will was pretty entertaining. All she could do was whine and cry saying ‘No! Don’t do that to her! You can’t do that! Don’t!’. Image after image of the torture we pushed through that ghost's mind... ah, the look on her face as we told her you were already dead was priceless.”

Celestia gritted her teeth, but continued to play the quiet game.

“Oh, but don’t worry Princess... I won’t bore you with lies or empty threats, oh no...” Specter said. “Will we, Spiffy?”

Sweetie chuckled. “Of course not. For such a respected and powerful princess... we aim to please.” She slid her hoof down Fluttershy’s body and loosened the rope slightly, just enough to get under it and to her side. Sweetie began tenderly petting Fluttershy’s left wing, giving her another chill of unease.

“Now... I’ll ask you one more time Celestia.” Specter said. “And truly, I’d suggest your cold shoulder charade end now... pretending you’re still the one in charge. Pretending you’ve still got the situation control.”

“I agree. Because princess I’d hate to break it to you-” Sweetie said as she quickly grabbed at Fluttershy’s wing and yanked it downward. A sharp crack echoed through the room, followed by a high pitched scream of pain from the yellow mare. “-but you’re just about as trapped as your little friends here.” Sweetie put her face in front of Fluttershy’s. “Hey... that looked like it hurt. Oh, did it hurt? I’m so sorry.”

“Fluttershy!” Rainbow and Applejack yelled.

Rainbow struggled in her bonds. “Get the hay off of her! I’ll-” Rainbow sighed frustrated at her own helplessness. Applejack gritted her teeth in seething rage. Applebloom and Scootaloo simply shut their eyes and looked away.

Sweetie laughed. “Hey, hey hey.” she whispered to the sniveling, whimpering mare. “You see that nice little white ghost over there? Why don’t you ask her to make the pain go away, hm? All it takes is a simple blessing. Look at her.” Sweetie forced Fluttershy’s face towards Celestia’s body. “Look-at-her.”

Celestia’s eyes widened slightly as she saw the tears running down her face. The utter pain and suffering in her eyes. True, she did want to help the mare... but that would mean giving up ultimate power to a bat-guano insane old stallion and his slightly crazier assistant. She couldn’t. Celestia returned to her stone-faced demeanor. She would not fall to his control... even if it meant hurting another pony she considered her friend.

Sweetie shook her head. “Nothing? Oh well... hey, while we wait for your princess to continue considering her little decision...” Sweetie slipped her hoof around to Fluttershy’s other side. “Maybe you could... influence her thinking pace, hm?”

Fluttershy shuddered as she spoke one single word. “N...no...”

Sweetie was a little surprised, as was Specter himself. As they planned out this little will breaking exercise, they’d picked Fluttershy to be first, mainly because of her own weak and defenseless nature. The one pony anymare or stallion would feel numb over, just by seeing her in the slightest bit of pain. And yet she seemed willing to endure the pain, likely to encourage their own princess to keep strong. If she wouldn’t give in, Celestia certainly wouldn't dare.

Nonetheless, Spiffy grinned in glee. “M'Kay.”

Sweetie gave another tug on Fluttershy’s other wing. The snapping rip of muscle and bone made everypony flinch. Though this time, no pony called out for her, knowing it would only be serving the torture’s purpose. Even Fluttershy didn’t scream this time... then again she couldn’t she passed out from shock.

“That’s one...” Sweetie sighed. “She was boring. Oh well. Four left to work with. Maybe they'll scream louder, you think Master,Yield?” Sweetie looked over at Rainbow, grinning.

“Two.” Gilda intervened. “Remember our deal. I get Pinkie and Rainbow.”

Rainbow looked up at the mention of her name.

Specter nodded and sighed. “It’s true, we did reach an agreement accompanied by the promise.” Specter turned to Sweetie “You're not to harm either of them. That's the griffon's pleasure.”

Gilda scoffed. Nopony asked what she meant by thhe sound.

“Right, right... I do recall.” Sweetie frowned. “Disappointing… nonetheless. I haven’t heard wing bones crack that cleanly since my time with those... ahem. Anyway, that’s fine. I suppose we don’t exactly have the time to drag this out for too long... if our friend here is so insistent to be so stubborn.”

Sweetie, let Fluttershy drop to the ground. She then glided over to Applejack, knife in teeth. If Celestia had tried to attack then, she probably wouldn't have made it before Sweetie got her hooves on the mare. Applejack was already horrified at seeing her friend put through so much pain. She was thankful that she’d blacked out before Sweetie could ruin her body further, or worse, draw blood. On the other hand, now that Fluttershy was out, she was the new target. She swallowed and put on a stern face, attempting to emulate Celestia’s, “show no fear” attitude... though her eyes were doomed to fail hiding the intense fear that grew every step the little filly took towards her.

Sweetie laughed. “Oh, what’s wrong Applejack. You aren’t scared of a little filly like me, are you?”

“Me? Heh, yer so darn small, I ain’t got no reason to be scared of a little...” Applejack immediately regretted talking, as she noticed how her voice quivered as Sweetie’s snout got inches from hers. As she breathed on her, rather than warm, she was chilled with a cold breeze coming from her nostrils.

Sweetie laughed. Nervously, Applejack joined her before Sweetie stopped abruptly. She took her hoof and forced her to look into her eyes. “Listen to me, Ms. Jack. I’ll be honest. As much as I enjoy listening to you mares scream, I like you. You're my favorite."

"Y-yer huh?" Applejack's voice betrayed her. It was meant to sound bewildered and came across as hopeful. Sweetie ate that up with how she smiled at the mare.

"You sure are. Suppose I've developed a soft spot for particular brand of the southern bell type -- and hey. I bet you're Sweetie's favorite too. At least you were. But with me, that’s an accomplishment. Normally I can… barely usually stand that damned Appaloosa drivel you applebuckers are so famed for… along with your complete disregard of manners. Unlike the lot of you, you’ve got something that… I suppose I could call it class.” Sweetie cocked her head side to side as if in conflict with herself. "Ah. Aaaah. I don't want to hurt you."

"Y-ya don't huh?" Again, that betrayed quiver to her voice. Applejack couldn't help herself.

"Nope," Sweetie shrugged. "I may sound crazy, but I'm not! I'm a reasonable pony. So can't you make this easy on me? On us?"

Applejack paused and nodded. “Sure.” she said as she leaned past the insane filly to get a better look at Celestia. “Princess? Mind hurrin’ it up in helpin’ this guy buck himself?” She could have been mistaken, but the apple bucker could have sworn she saw a tiny smile on Celestia’s face, slightly increasing Applejack’s confidence and hope. The brief high was abruptly interrupted as Applejack received a hoof to the face.

“Sis! Sweetie! Stop!” Applebloom yelled.

“At least Ms. Shy was decent enough to give a straight answer.” Sweetie spat. “Though I suppose it’s to be expected from a low-class apple bucker such as yourself.”

Applejack spat back, a little more literally, right in the center of her face. “Ya’ll right. Us applebuckers ain’t got no manners for yer kind.”

Sweetie’s eyes widened with anger as she took the knife out of her mouth and prepared to stab her... then stopped. Her smile returned as she laughed.

“What’s so funny?” Applejack asked.

Sweetie wiped the red, gooey substance off of her face. “You, Ms. Jack. You and your... somehow thriving will to rebel against us.”

“Wha-”

“And... it puzzles me, really.” Sweetie lightly put the tip of the knife against the exposed area of her chest. “With all of the odds… you insist on rebellion against Master Specter and myself. Resist. Fight… even in the most futile ways possible.”

Sweetie slowly pushed the knife into Applejack, as she began screaming. She resisted struggling from her grip, as she knew too much movement would only help drive the knife deeper. Right now, all she could do was take the knife and hope it didn’t cut into anything important.

“Why are you all so... insistent on keeping such seditious attitude?” Sweetie halted the knife just about a few millimeters in and began cutting across. Applejack by now had resolved to gritting her teeth to hold herself from screaming anymore. Not only was it not in her best interest to move too much with the knife only millimeters inside her; she knew she was merely being used as a tool to weaken Celestia’s will. The last thing she needed was for the princess to give up on account of her own pain. “I asked you a question Ms. Jack.”

“B-because we ain’t quitters.” Applejack said, keeping her breaths low so it wouldn’t rise further into the knife. “We’re gonna git all of ya’ll dead folk. A… and git the hay out a this hole ya call a home.”

Sweetie laughed. “Dead? You’re basically the same…”

“We… ain’t dead. We’re… alive. We ain’t… gonna die... again.”

“Ah… so that’s it isn’t it. You insist on rebellion because of your… will to survive?” Sweetie began dragging the knife maddeningly slowly across the open area on Applejack’s body. She let out a groan of pain, as well as a quiver as she felt droplets of blood trickle down her coat. She bit her lip in an effort to distract herself from her chest. “Intriguing… pointless, but intriguing.”

Applejack was sure Rainbow was screaming something, though she was too blinded by pain to even acknowledge what kind of bloody murder she was hollering.

“But… I still find it slightly strange.” Sweetie continued, not breaking her snail paced cutting, creating a elongating red line on the orange mare. “Something I can’t seem to understand… possibly resulting from my own immortality is simply your will to… survive. Much more, in such an environment of hopelessness and despair. Even going as far as to delude yourself to believing you’re going to survive this night with your soul still in your body.

“And what brings about this desire of life and delusions of living is what puzzles me so… that said, I’ve noticed a similar trait in a few of your friends... which brings me to another question. A… philosophical query, if you will.” Sweetie stopped cutting, right over her heart, ending the cut at about 6 centimeters in length. “Why is it you want to live?”

Every breath she took hurt her as the knife’s tip sat over her thumping vital organ. Applejack was sure if she didn’t answer, Sweetie would drive the knife into her chest, ending her. She had to respond fast.

“B… because.” She said. She was almost blubbering and her voice was just above a whisper as she took her shallow breaths. “Because… ah… we gotta stop you… and because…” Applejack’s eyes went over to Applebloom and Scootaloo. Scootaloo stared horrified at the scene. Applebloom simply looked away, tears streaming down her neck as she was unable to watch her sister be tortured by her possessed friend.

“And… because ah… a gotta protect who ah care abou- Gah!”

Sweetie snatched the knife out of her and quickly stuck it into the side of her one exposed leg. Much more carelessly than the one in her chest. “Mmhm… go on.”

“…cause… if ah don’t got them… mah sis… mah friends… then…”

“There is no point in living?” Sweetie smiled.

“Nothing… a creep like you’d understand…” Applejack glared. “Yer… to dead ta care.”

“Oh my, Ms. Jack, but I do.” Sweetie smiled as she pushed the knife a whole two inches into her body. She wailed at the pain, though to her relief, Sweetie had let go of the sharp tool, leaving it to sit inside of her leg. Sweetie let the applebucker fall down to the ground on her back to wallow in her suffering. “I simply needed… confirmation.”

“Confirmation for what?” Applejack groaned.

“Oh… just the thing I require to break the will of your dear princess.” Sweetie smiled. “You see, the factor keeping Specter and myself from gaining control over the princess is the simple will to resist. To fight. As you said, to survive so that she can live to protect something. When that something, or more specifically, that somepony close to her is threatened, anyone, even a thousand-year-old princess would do anything to ease their suffering, or in our case, more importantly, keep her alive. Even submit to us… and since her sister is already dead, there’s only one thing left that holds that special value to her. Within our immediate reach and in any case.”

“…no…”

“Our princess’s protégée... possibly the one keeping her hope dangling by a thread.” Sweetie approached Twilight, still lying unconscious on the ground. She stood over her head, and stared for a few minutes before looking up at Celestia.

She sighed. “Before I… start this Princess, I should probably note… this is your last chance to amend your decision. Lest you make your dear student endure the same suffering as the mares you coldly ignored.” Sweetie said. “…no… no I can see it in your eyes, even as dead as they are now. She’s more than a student to you. More than a friend… you two share a special connection, now don’t you? A bond that goes beyond friendship, and may even drift into the realm of materialism or beyond… hm? You see Ms. Sparkle as someone you love with all of your old heart… the daughter you never had. How close am I? One for completely off the mark and ten for ding ding ding, winner winner chicken dinner!”

Celestia turned away from Sweetie, who laughed.

“Well… if you continue this fruitless rebellion of yours… she’ll be the daughter you never strangled, either.”

“You wouldn’t dare.” Celestia snapped her head back toward Sweetie.

“Oh? And praytell what’s keeping me?”

“Because… because there’s nothing holding me back from-“

“Killing me?” Sweetie gasped. “Oh my! I didn’t know you were as low as killing little fillies! You monster!”

“I’ll… I’ll kill your Master. And the griffon.”

Sweetie laughed. “Implying that my immortal master gives a buck as to what you do to his body, or that we even care about the fate of the griffon.”

“Hmph.” Gilda looked away, pretending it didn’t bother her.

“Face it Celestia… you’re powerless here. You’re not a princess, you’re not a queen, you’re barely even an alicorn. You’re just like them. Just another mare desperate for survival. And your only way out is submission.” Sweetie said, as she flipped Twilight on her back. “In which… I can see you’re still insistent on rebellion. Therefore, instead… we’re going to play a game of sorts.”

“Game?” Pinkie raised her head weakly. It sounded just a pitch higher than usual. Somewhat stressed. “I…like games.” Her head fell back down.

Sweetie chuckled. “Pity… you’d probably like this one.” She then turned her attention back to Celestia. “Creative mare she is. Might not have broken Luna so easily without using one or two of her methods. As I was saying… the name of game is Chicken,” She said it grandly as though she were hosting some kind of show. She turned Twilight around so that her hind hooves were pointing at Celestia. She then sat behind Twilight’s head and lifted it to her chest. “Here are the rules in a nutshell. You win… by killing Twilight. You lose by being a chicken. Buck buck. See the beauty of this game is all you have to do is not be the chicken. And to do that, is to just keep on doing what you're doing. Rebell to your hearts content.” She shrugged. “Lucky you too. With her wind pipe blocked off, you won't hear a peep, even. If you close your eyes, you only need to know that Twilight's about to cross that line which, in this mansion, she'll never be able to cross again. And sit there in acceptance that you are killing the one remaining dearest thing in your life. However… you lose by being the chicken, by stopping the game by submitting to Master Yield and myself. Understand?”

“Don’t…”

“What is it, princess? Do I sense a bit of fear in that powerful voice?” Sweetie laughed. “Are we having second thoughts now?”

Sweetie began petting Twilight’s head, moving the hair out of her eyes. “You know… they say that the average pony brain can last 4 minutes without oxygen… more or less if they panic and waste their last breath... what an appropriate time to test that fact, wouldn’t you think?”

“This isn’t an experiment Spiffy… focus.”

Sweetie took Twilight’s head from the cheeks and shook it, attempting to rouse her. Within a few minutes, Twilight began to stir.

“Huh…?” Twilight moaned.

Sweetie chuckled. “Excellent. If there are no other objections… I say we begin. Deep breath Twilight!”

Before Celestia could say anything to stop her, Sweetie wrapped her forelegs around Twilight’s neck and hugged her esophagus with incredible strength. The shocked mare’s eyes widened as she gagged. She’d just woken up, and was incredibly confused. All she knew was the severe lack of oxygen going into her lungs upon her awakening.

For the first minute, all Twilight’s eyes did were shoot around the room, panicked and desperate to find something to help her. She didn’t know what she was looking for as she thrashed in her bonds, trying to free her hooves to release herself from whatever was trying to kill her. She thought about using magic, as in her sleep, she was sure she’d built up enough to cast some kind of spell. However, between the lack of oxygen to her brain, or the inability to think clear enough to process such a spell, it was near impossible.

As it turned out, she had not taken a deep breath after all.

For the first minute, nopony still conscious was watching a mare, but a dog. The way she squeaked and whimpered under the pressure exuded on her windpipe, the way she clawed at everything and everyone she could to no avail. Blindly. Fearfully. Ferrally. Mindlessly. Even Sweetie, she no longer saw a filly, just a force she had to get off of her. She beat at those forelegs with all her life -- the life that was quickly fading away.

As she began calming down, and started getting weak and dizzy from the oxygen deprivation, her eyes rested on Celestia. They were fearful, confused, pleading… and dying. Celestia tried to look away from her student, but found her eyes glued onto her student’s. It wasn’t just torture for Twilight anymore... for all she could see in those purple eyes were the words:

Help me…

They stung Celestia more than any knife, or any bone fracture she could. Her naked soul was aching at the sight of her sufferer. All she could think about as Twilight’s eyes started to flutter shut was the fact that she wouldn’t be suffering if she’d just gave in. That no pony would have to suffer if she’d just submitted. That this whole affair was no one’s fault except herself’s.

After an estimated 2 minutes and thirty seconds, Twilight’s eyes rolled back into her head and she began convulsing before finally… she went still and she was-

“Stop. Stop! STOP!” Celestia’s voice boomed in the tea room.

Sweetie raised an eyebrow.

“I… I submit.” Celestia bowed her head in defeat.

“See?” Sweetie let go of Twilight and let her head hit the ground. “…oh my.”

“What?” Specter asked.

“Well… it appears she’s not breathing.” Sweetie said.

“No…” Celestia’s voice quivered.

“Hold on.” Sweetie sighed. “She hasn’t passed 4 minutes yet. If I’m not mistaken, her brain should be able to survive at least that long…”

Sweetie blew air into her mouth and pumped her chest. She repeated the process several times before simply slamming on her chest once… surprisingly enough, Twilight started breathing again, coughing indicating to Celestia she was in fact alive.

“There we go.” Sweetie said.

“She’ll… she’ll be alright?” Celestia asked.

“Oh Princess, of course she’ll be fine… as long as a certain somepony doesn’t decide to change her mind.”

“…what do you want from me?” Celestia asked.

“We already told you what I want from you. I want to control you… as I said, it was a special puppeting technique that is unique to you alicorns. As long as you remain cooperative-”

“Them.” Celestia said sharply.

“Hm?”

“Their wounds… I won’t… I won’t do anything until you do something about my friends.” Celestia’s voice quivered, fearing she might speak out of place to anger Specter or the possessed Sweetie Belle.

Specter smiled. “Of course. It’d be a shame for such respectable and still useful mares to die. Not much use dead anyway without their marks anyhow. Now… before our friends die of shock or blood loss, I…” Specter went inside of his coat, as though to receive something. “Hmph…”

“You forgot it?” Sweetie asked.

Specter chuckled. “I suppose I’m not the only one who’s age is catching up with him… If I’m right, it should still be in the study though.”

“Wouldn’t imagine why not.” Sweetie considered. “It is the room you’ve most frequently used to get to her. If anywhere…”

“Yes. Gilda. Quickly, would you mind heading to my study to retrieve the spirit sphere, as well as the locket? … And Ms. Sparkle’s gems as well. Four would be a good number to bring.”

“Four? Ms. Sparkle isn’t in need of any immediate attention and there’s only two ponies who need it.”

“I asked for four… and I meant four.” Specter repeated.

Sweetie looked at him suspiciously. “Master…”

“You say that as though you don’t trust me… do you?” Specter smiled. “Besides, wouldn’t you agree it’s within our best interest to keep at least some of Ms. Sparkle’s healing items to keep on hoof?”

Sweetie opened her mouth to rebut, though by one look at Specter’s face, she closed it back. It was apparent he wasn’t inclined to dwell upon such a seemingly trivial subject. All she’d have to do is trust him for now… though lately, she was starting to find that difficult. Especially with the reminder of that GCD add-on she was still questioning its function… even if she was the one to install it.

“Well Ms. Gilda?” Specter said. “Hop to it. We haven’t gotten all day.”

Gilda groaned as she went toward the door.

“And… try not to make a mess.”

As Gilda pulled the door open however, without warning, two armored ponies rushed through it. The black one stopped on a dime, though the white one, unable to stop, charged toward Sweetie, who promptly dodged him. The white stallion eventually hit the wall and fell to the ground with a thud.

“Damn it Buster!”

"Huh," Sweetie said flatly.

“Well well… what do we have here?” Specter asked.

***

Sweetie wandered around the foyer aimlessly, just a little bit anxious. She’d been walking around for the last 20 minutes… or at least as far as the big clock above the paintings pointed out. She weaved through the ponies who socialized around the foyer with other fancy looking ponies. Occasionally, Sweetie noticed a butler or two handing out appetizers to the guests, but other than that… Sweetie couldn’t seem to find a Clef to name.

Squee followed closely behind Sweetie, making sure not to lose her. Despite his affection for the blue dressed filly, he spent more of his time ogling the other ones, who were even more lavishly dressed, than he did at his date. Sweetie might have been vaguely offended in the manner he looked at them if she wasn’t so worried about the location of Harmona or Treble.

Finally, Sweetie sighed and stopped. “Where the hay are they…?”

“Huh?” Squee asked, noticing her break. “Oh you mean that Clef guy you told me about?” Sweetie had previously informed Squee of how she acquired the invitations. “Uh… have you tried looking for somewhere that ponies would… y’know, watch a show, or preform or something?”

Sweetie shook her head. “It’d be nice if I knew where a place like that was.”

Sweetie hadn’t been solely wandering since she entered. She’d done as much exploring of the first floor that her boundaries would allow her. Aside from the staircase, there were only two doors that she could access. The one to the right of the staircase, there was a double door. Unfortunately, that door was locked. Though she found the locked door in and an electrified gate to be active during somewhat peculiar during a supposedly ‘open house’ party, though disregarded it as unimportant.

To the right of the staircase was only a single short hallway that led to the dining hall. There were very few ponies held up in there. Possibly to sample some of the dishes that had already been laid out for the dinner later. Though Sweetie was reminded of her stomach’s emptiness, she was more worried then about finding Mr. Treble and checking in with him… though she was sure there was no way dinner could come fast enough.

The only way that Sweetie could tell she could go was the kitchen, which she had her doubts that there was anything else but food and maybe a few cooks. Definitely not the ideal place to preform one’s works of music.

Sweetie was now thinking about checking the next floor, wondering if her destination could possibly be up there. She did notice ponies heading up that way through the center door. It didn’t make sense to her as she’d assumed that the upper floors would be where ponies slept, or engaged in more personal affairs. Then again, her memory was still a bit foggy on basic matters. There was also that fear that the moment she left to investigate the second floor, that the Clefs would appear just as she left. Then again, as the minutes rolled by, she was beginning to get a little antsy. After a fair amount of hesitation, Sweetie came up with a plan.

“Er… Squee?”

“Yeah Sweetie?” Squee asked, once again, tearing his eyes away from some other pony. “What is it?”

“I’m gonna go on ahead to see if I can’t find the Clefs up there.” Sweetie pointed to the staircase. “But I need you to hold either of the Clefs if you see them.”

“Sure! But uh… what do they look like again?”

“Well… one of them has a poofy mane like mine, and a cream color coat I think… and the other’s like an aquamarine color with a strip of white in her mane.”

“You sure that’s right?”

“I think so. Why?” Sweetie asked.

“Welp… I’ve heard of those new Clefs, but I don’t remember them looking like that. I dunno… still, I’ll keep an eye out for them Sweets.”

“Thanks Squee. I’ll pick you up if I find them myself.”

“Alright. Don’t be long.” Squee nuzzled Sweetie on the neck making her giggle.

“See you.”

Sweetie made her way through the different ponies conversing, barely acknowledging her existence as she had to push through a few walls of them to get to the staircase. She began climbing, and about half way up-

“Hey! Pear-bucker filly!”

“Huh?” Sweetie asked. She’d been referred to as a pear bucker before by the Clefs, grabbing Sweetie’s attention. Though, when she turned her head to the top of the staircase, it was neither Harmona, nor Treble… but a grey coated mare with purple eyes.

Sweetie climbed up to the top to confront the mare. Immediately upon being close enough for her to examine her closely, she began walking around her.

“So… you’re the pear bucker that apparently has the voice of an angel, hm?” Her voice was feminine to Sweetie’s relief.

“Er… I guess. I mean, I don’t sing that well.” Sweetie modestly admitted. “B-but I’m not a pear bucker. One just gave me her hat.”

“Hm… odd fashion design, but that’s not important I suppose.” The mare said. “But you can sing, correct?”

Sweetie shrugged. “Um… Mr. Clef said I could. Wait, do you know him?”

“Who else would tell me about such an obscurely talented filly?” the mare said. “Yes, he did. I’m the one who gave him the-”

“-opportunity to perform?” Sweetie finished.

“…it’s not polite to interrupt an elder while she’s speaking.”

“Sorry. He just used that word a lot.”

“…none the less, you are the filly who he recruited as the third. A strange decision to allow a school-aged pony to sing in a professional environment, but he knows how special this is… and how he’ll never get this chance a second time if he royally fails at this.”

No pressure… Sweetie thought.

“Either way… I suppose you and him have a fair amount of time to prepare for your own act.” The mare said.

“I do?” Sweetie asked.

The mare nodded. “Yes… for some reason, most of the performances will be taking place after dinner, which should be in a little while… only Mr. and Mrs. Clef, myself and my two assistants will be performing any music before the host’s formal introduction. A little background music… nothing more.”

“You mean Mr. Yield?” Sweetie asked.

The mare nodded.

“Okay… so I’m not performing yet. Or at least I don’t have to… That’s cool.” Sweetie smiled. “But just so I know where they are, where are the Clefs?”

The grey mare pointed to the center door. “Take that door right there. Make the second right you can. Then take the first stairwell you can down and you should be able to find your way from there to a theater area. Treble is performing now, and I should be down there eventually after I’ve met up with my second assistant.”

“Where’s your first?” Sweetie asked curiously.

“Right here, of course.”

Sweetie then became aware of the small male purple dragon atop her back. He waved.

“Erm… hi.” Sweetie waved.

“Hiya!” The dragon said in a feminine voice.

You’ve got to be kidding me. Sweetie twitched. Does gender mean anything anymore?!

“My name’s Notetooth.” He smiled. “What’s your name?”

“Sweetie.”

He giggled, slightly disconcerting Sweetie. “Nice to meet you Madame Sweetie.”

“Er… likewise Mas- er, I mean, Madame Notetooth.”

“Hm… it’s getting late. I need to head off.” The mare turned around with a snap and headed for the center door. Notetooth leaned his head the back of her neck, using it as a lounge and closed his eyes, likely to go to sleep.

“Wait! I didn’t get your name.”

The mare stopped and turned her head back towards Sweetie. “Violinist Barra Basso. Don’t forget it.”

No promises Sweetie thought.

“…oh, one last thing.” Barra added.

“Huh?”

“This might be something that you may not already be aware of but… you aren’t to be snooping where your snout isn’t to be around here.” Barra warned. “Specter will kick you out.”

“Really? Why?”

“Because some ponies appreciate it when you respect their privacy.” Barra responded. “You should keep that in mind. When I first met him, that was the first thing he told me. Don’t go wandering around the mansion.”

“…alright.” Sweetie said. “Yeah. I wasn’t planning on doing that much exploring anyway.”

“Good.” Barra turned back around. “Remember to arrive in the dining hall at the appropriate time. Treble will take you to perform from there.”

“Okay, okay…” Sweetie said.

Barra and Notetooth went through the door, and it shut.

Specter really doesn’t want anypony to wander huh? I wonder why… Sweetie shook her head. She didn’t need her curiosity to make her do something stupid. She’d already worked hard enough to get into the manor, she didn’t want to get kicked out… and yet for some reason, she couldn’t help but get the feeling that snooping around was something she had to do. Like it was important for some reason…

Sweetie resolved to heading through the front door. She swung it open… and in fact, there was a long hallway that stretched almost endlessly… what was she expecting to be there anyway?

She began to make her way down the hallway as the door creepily creaked shut. The only light in the hallway were candles hanging off the walls. As Sweetie navigated the hallway, she felt pressure at the back of her head, as well as a bit of dread, which she felt was a little misplaced. The hallway was very well lit and extremely normal looking. The ‘normal’ part was, for some reason was a part of the reason the hall put her off. Despite its obvious openness, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of oppression and despair brooding inside her… why did this hallway seem so threatening?

As Sweetie walked down the strangely lonely hall, she decided to check one of the doors. There were a unreal number of them stretching down the hall. Even more, there was no way there could be a pony in every single one of them… she figured a peek inside one of them couldn’t hurt, if only to satisfy a little of her curiosity as to what could be inside.

Sweetie took a hold of the knob and turned. It wouldn’t budge.

Locked.Sweetie thought. Who woulda thunk it?

She looked down the hall. She still had a few more doors to try before the first turn. There had to be one that was unlocked… maybe she could find one along the path? Besides, it wasn’t like anypony was around to rat her out for her nosy behavior.

She proceeded to check the doors…

Locked…

Locked…

Locked!

Sweetie wasn’t completely sure why she was getting so upset over these locked doors but everyone she came across made her more and more annoyed.

Who in the hay has the time to lock ALL of these doors?! Sweetie wondered.

She sighed. She shouldn’t have been even trying to break into the rooms anyway. She still had to check up with the Clefs anyway… right after she checked this one last door just at her turn. Sweetie put her hoof on the knob-

“Daddy said guest ponies aren’t supposed to be sneaking around the house.”

Sweetie whirled around to find herself met with two fillies, who’d spoken to her in perfect unison. One of them was a yellow pony with a red mane, and the other an orange pony with a purple one. They grinned at her.

“Daddy says,” They continued, “that the nosy ponies are supposed to be punished.”

Sweetie backed against the door, scared of what they were about to do to her… then they both began to giggle.

“You should have seen your face!” the purple filly laughed. There was a hint of masculinity in her voice, though it wasn’t as stressed as the other ones. “I wish my sister was that easy to scare.”

“Lucky for me, you are that easy to scare Marbles.” The other one whipped a tear from her eye.

“Hey shut up Ms. Firebug. At least I didn’t burn down the only fun thing that comes around here.” Marbles retorted.

“That wasn’t my fault! Mommy said so.”

“Uh…” Sweetie said nervously.

They both looked at her and smiled friendly. “And you…” Marbles said. “What are you doing wandering around? Daddy did say that other ponies weren’t to be trying to get into any locked doors…”

“L-look…” Sweetie said, still shaken up. “Please don’t tell your dad I was trying to…”

The red mane giggled. “Weeeellll, I dunno.”

“Look Ms. Firebug I-”

Marbles snickered. “See? Even she knows it was your fault.”

“Shutup! My name is Candy. And this is my idiot brother Marbles.”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it.” Sweetie said.

“It’s fine.” Marbles said. “Listen. I like you. Gave us a little entertainment and proved how big of a dodo my sis is.”

This seems incredibly ironic, but I can’t remember why…

“Maybe we’ll-”

“Hold up…” Candy stopped. “First things first. Who are you?”

“Er… my name’s Sweetie. Sweetie Belle.”

“Cute name.” Marbles looked at her in a way that made her feel a little uncomfortable.

“Hmph… weird name for an-”

“I’m not an pear bucker, if that’s what you’re thinking.” Sweetie cut off. “I just… happened to come across it.”

“A pear bucker hat? You mean like the ones down in Lower Stabletown?”

Sweetie nodded.

“Can I… see it?”

“Uh… sure? Why not.” Sweetie said, taking off the hat and handing it to the red mane. She examined it with extreme interest as Marbles leaned over to take a look at it herself.

“So rough… really warm though. What’s it made of?”

Sweetie shrugged.

“It feels so weird…”Candy mumbled.

“Lemme see.” Marbles snatched the hat from Candy.

“Hey!” Candy sighed and looked back at Sweetie who oddly eyed their curiosity. “Er… we don’t really get to see much stuff from Lower Stabletown.” Candy explained. “Daddy said that wasn’t a really good place to be for ponies like me… what’s it like down there.”

“I don’t think I’ve seen all of it, but really, it’s nothing special.”

“You haven’t?” Candy asked. “Don’t you live there?”

Sweetie shook her head.

“Wait a sec… you’re not from around here then?” Marbles looked up at Sweetie, who nodded. She gave back Sweetie’s hat.

“Nope.”

“Where are you from?”

Sweetie shrugged. “Amnesia… I’m getting better, but I still can’t remember stuff like that.”

“Ah… but wait a second… if you’re not from around here then…” Marbles nudged her sister who nodded. “Sis, this could be the pony we’re looking for…”

“Hey yeah! Sweetie. Mind doing us a favor?”

“Uh…” Sweetie looked to the side, uncertainly.

“Because… well, you didn’t get a library card from Ms. Covri yet, did you?”

“No… plan to get one soon though.”

“And… she hasn’t written down your name or anything?”

“Nope. Not that I know anyway.”

“And you haven’t met Mommy or Daddy yet, right?”

“Not yet.” Sweetie affirmed. “Why?”

“That means… there’s no way Daddy or his butlers know who you are right?” Marbles asked.

“Besides that one at the front who I showed my invitation to, I don’t think so.”

“It hasn’t been too long since the party started. Which means nopony who matters knows who you are!”

“Huh?” Sweetie was lost. “What does Covri listing me down or ponies knowing me have to do with anything?”

Marbles and Candy looked at each other.

“Think it’s worth telling her?” Candy asked.

Marbles shook his head. “Nah. I barely understand it myself really. All she needs to know is that anyone that Specter finds the name of… if they wander on the mansion grounds, they lose their memory.”

“What? Why? How?” Sweetie asked.

“We’re not really sure ‘why’. The ‘how’ has probably got to do with magic. And I’m not really sure how to answer the ‘what’.” Candy said.

Losing memory by wandering… is Mr. Yield somehow related to my memory loss?

“Anyway, if one of those uptight butlers got a hold of your name, it’s probably not long before it gets to Daddy. We won’t get a chance like this ever, if he gets your name.”

“What do you mean?”

“We… we want you to run a mission for us. We want you to go explore a little of the mansion we’ve never gotten to be in.”

“…you’re asking me to snoop around?”

“That’s a sneaky word for it, but yeah.” Candy said.

“Every time we wander around to certain parts of the mansion, one of the butlers comes and picks us up… or we black out and wake up back in our rooms, forgetting just about everything from our exploits.”

“Kind of weird that your dad doesn’t even let you walk around your own house.” Sweetie said. Almost like he’s hiding something he doesn’t even want his own kids to see. Wonder what could be that horrible…?

“You’re telling us.” Candy sighed. “Anyway, we want you to do that… in fact, we need you to do that. Tonight.”

“Huh? Why?” Sweetie asked. “What’s special about tonight… besides this party of course.”

“Check this out.” Marbles reached into her tuxedo and took out a small key with a little heart on the end. It was glowing yellow.

“Whoa…” Sweetie said, mesmerized by it.

“Yeah. We found it in one of Mommy’s powder rooms. It started glowing around the time the sun was almost down. We know it goes into a few doors we found… but we checked those ones. Nothing but bedrooms normally… but every time we try and go in one now, we feel dizzy, and…”

“…nearly blackout?” Sweetie guessed.

They both nodded.

“So you want me to go to the door this opens, and see if anything is different?”

“Yeah!” Marbles said.

“You’re crazy then.” Sweetie said flatly.

“Huh?”

“You checked it, right? I don’t think doors change when you put glowing keys into them.” Sweetie said. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound rude, but… really, I don’t have time to check doors that I know don’t have anything interesting inside.”

“C’mon Sweetie. You’re a unicorn. Ponies like you know this better than anypony else. We live in a world of magic. Stuff like that is normal!”

“You think your dad cast a spell on a room for no apparent reason?”

“I don’t know. Maybe?” Marbles said. “Besides. It’s a glowing key for Celestia’s sake! That’s weird, isn’t it?” Marbles shook the key in front of Sweetie for extra effect.

Sweetie sighed. “Like I said… I don’t have time right now. I’m sorry… maybe a little later?”

Candy shook her head. “No, we’ve got to take every second we’ve got. Listen Sweetie. I like you. Marbles likes you. But if you don’t do this thing, we will tell on you.”

“What?”

“You were wandering around the mansion like a aimless rat-”

“Please don’t talk about rats.” Marbles shivered.

“And we could get you kicked out of here.”

“Y-you wouldn’t.” Sweetie stuttered.

“We won’t if you do what we say.”

“You don’t have any evidence!” Sweetie argued.

“Who is Daddy going to believe? Two of his pure hearted kids? Or some weird low class little pear bucking filly who he’s never met before?”

“I told you, I’m not a-...” Sweetie sighed. “So… where am I going again?”

“That’s the spirit.” Candy smiled. “You want to take the left door, the one to your right as you go back to the foyer. It’s a little twisty, but all you need to do is try a few doors, explore a few hallways… and the next time you see us, tell us what you find.”

“…that’s it?”

“And don’t get caught.” Marbles added.

Obviously.

“Marbles is right… I mean, it’s weird really…” Candy continued. “Daddy threatens to throw ponies out if they snuck, and I’m sure some have tried before… but of every party he’s thrown, it hasn’t happened once.”

“What? You think they never leave?”

Candy shrugged. “I don’t know what happens to them… but who knows? Maybe it has something to do with his ultra big secret.”

“Like I said… if you don’t want to find out the hard way… don’t get caught.” Marbles reiterated.

“…thanks.” Sweetie sighed. She was more nervous than ever about this now.

“Don’t worry Sweetie. You look smart… I’m sure you won’t do anything too stupid to get yourself caught.” Candy said as she gave Sweetie the key. “We’re counting on you.

“Well… We gotta go.” Marbles said. “We’ll see you at dinner.”

“Yeah. We can talk more there.” Candy said. “See you.”

“Bye.” Sweetie said.

The two of them bowed and headed down the hall Sweetie was originally going to go. They took the staircase down… and like that, they were gone. Sweetie looked at the glowing key for a few moments before stuffing under her dress into her saddlebags.

She thought about forgetting about the sneaking mission and just going to her destination… but she feared coming across Marbles and Candy again. She didn’t know if ‘snooping’ counted if she hadn’t found anything interesting to name… but then again, she’d worked too hard to get inside of manor. Then again, going along with the mission could have yielded an even worse consequence.

Decisions… decisions…

Sweetie finally resolved to going along with the Yield kids mission. Between her obnoxiously growling curiosity, the pressure the children had put on her, and the fact she’d been literally handed the key to resolving both issues, how could she resist?

Sweetie headed back to the foyer and took the door she’d been instructed to take. She looked behind her, making sure there were no ponies, butler or guest, that was paying her any attention in particular. When she felt confident enough, she cracked the door open, and slipped through, closing it without a peep. As she’d expected, the door led to a new hallway, one perpendicular to the one she’d just exited. This one however, Sweetie wasn’t too keen on exploring. Unlike the previous one, only the first two candles were lit. The hallway down further was pitch black.

Sweetie swallowed and reached into her saddlebags. She took out her flashlight and lit up the path ahead.

Here we go…

Sweetie walked down the hallway as the candlelight at the beginning of the hallway got dimmer and dimmer as she grew further away from it. The walls, paintings, and even the vases in the reduced light seemed more menacing than before. The chronic dizziness she felt as she went deeper and deeper didn’t make her feel any better. Thankfully, she didn’t get anywhere close the black outs Marbles and Candy claimed to experience. Still though, Sweetie knew there was definitely something sinister about this hallway.

It was when Sweetie felt the chill down her spin that she stopped. She felt as though she were being watched by something. Or more likely, something was looking for her…

This place is giving me the creeps. Alright Sweetie… she thought as she took out her key again. Just test this thing on a few doors and get out… before something I won’t like finds me…

Sweetie picked a random door and stuck her key into the hole underneath the knob. Surprisingly enough, it was a perfect fit. A lucky guess perhaps? Before she got the chance to turn it, the glowing end of the key shocked her.

“Ow!” She yelped as she snatched her hoof back. Dumb electricity

The key became transparent along with the knob of the door, and then began glowing white. Sweetie stood back as the entire door began to glow white, growing to a nearly blinding light. The hallway shuddered for a good minute before the door blew up in a flurry of light, revealing a portal into another room.

“…okay…” Sweetie got from against the wall she must have backed herself against out of fear. “What in the hay was that?”

Hunter detected. Please acquire Ghost Capture Device.” came a voice from inside of the room.

“H-huh? Who said that?” Sweetie asked. There was no response until-

Take it. You don’t have much time…

“W-what?” Sweetie asked. “What’s going-”

TAKE IT. He’s coming now…

Sweetie opened her mouth to ask who, but then she heard a click at the end of the hallway. Somepony had just entered…

Sweetie entered the room and gave it a quick look around. It looked like a bedroom, though Sweetie couldn’t be sure as every piece of furniture was covered with a white cloth. Even more, everything was pushed against the walls in an unorganized fashion, as though some magnetic force pushed everything from the center out. It surrounded the one piece of furniture at the very center of the room in particular covered in a green sheet.

Giving a quick glance back to the hallway, Sweetie proceeded to the piece of furniture under the green sheet. Sweetie yanked it off, and there sitting on a small table, was a grey device in the shape of a rectangular prism, and a glowing cylinder inside of its top with tubing extending to the side of the prism.

Put it on… use your saddlebags to keep it from slipping off…

“Who in the hay-”

Shhh… we don’t have much time I told you. I can’t keep talking to you forever. I’ll explain later, but right now, you need to put that device on and locate this mansion’s memory ‘pocket’. Quickly now!

Sweetie was hasty as she moved her dress to the side, listened the straps on her saddlebags, and used her telekinesis to fit the device snuggly under her dress. Quickly, she hid it under her dress once again.

“So did you find what you were looking for?”

Sweetie whirled around at the sound of the third voice. She was met with the eyes of a cold looking yellow eyed butler stallion. Was this the same one she’d seen at the door? No, this one had a yellow coat and was much more fearsome.

“W-what?”

Don’t bother trying to move. It only quickens the process. Just wait. I’m trying to activate the particle from here.

“Quickens what process? What particle?” Sweetie asked.

“Who are you talking to Sweetie Belle?” the stallion asked.

“I-I… d-don’t you hear him?” Sweetie asked. She shivered. “W-why is it so cold all of a sudden?”

The stallion chuckled. “Don’t worry Sweetie. I’ll find out eventually. I won’t make the same mistake of not searching you before. Then I’ll get back to your friends.”

Five more seconds…

“But right now… everything is fine… relax…”

Sweetie was scared as she felt her body getting colder and colder. She couldn’t move either, leaving her fettered to her spot under the butler’s gaze. Just as her body began to sting from it-

Now.

Spirit Pulse activated. Please refrain from motion.” the device on Sweetie’s back said.

“What the hay?”

“No. That can’t be... the-”

Sweetie was then immediately surrounded by a green explosion that blew everything outside of a foot from her back, including the butler.

It will only work once Sweetie. Run!

Sweetie sprinted through the door, past the stunned stallion against the wall and down the hall.

SWEETIE BELLE!” The stallion roared. His voice sounded much darker, numerous, and demonic than before. The filly barely recognized it.

“What the hay is happening?!” Sweetie screamed fearfully. It was then, Sweetie began hearing the chilling laughter echoing behind her. When she looked back, there was no candlelight, but only a flurry of white figures charging at her. “WHAT THE HAY IS THAT?!”

Left! Here! the voice sounded more faded than before.

Sweetie snapped a turn in the direction the voice had instructed and continued to bolt down the hallway. It seemed to impossibly stretch on forever.

Right! Take a right!

Sweetie bolted right. She heard the stampede behind her cutting through the wind. It’s sound barely meeting the volume of their laughter.

Right!

Sweetie took a right. The ghostly figures were gaining on her. She could feel them getting closer and closer, no matter how fast she ran.

One more right! You’re almost there!

Sweetie took the next right. She was getting tired. She was sure that if she didn’t find someplace to rest, she’d end up tripping over her own hooves.

Take the staircase!

Sweetie looked to her right and in fact there was a stairwell there. She bolted down it and sped to the first floor. She busted through the door and slammed it behind her, panting for breath. The laughing figures faded behind her as she sinked to the ground in relief. She covered her face.

“This can’t be happening. This can’t be happening…” She mumbled to herself.

You should be safe or a few moments now… the voice reassured. Though don’t stick around too long. Mr. Butler will find the memory pocket if you stay too long. Nor can I assist you much longer in this way… I’m really gambling my luck and yours by speaking to you in this manner, which is why we need to move quickly. When you’re ready, take that book out and place it in front of the candle-stand at the center of the room.

Once Sweetie had calmed down enough, she looked up and shined her light around the pitch black room. In front of her, there was in fact a candle-stand with a candle made out of green wax on top.

“The book…?” Sweetie then remembered the book she’d grabbed from the library. She did as the voice had instructed, taking it out of her saddlebags and placing it in front of the candle-stand.

She stood back as the book opened itself and began rapidly flipping through the pages. The book emitted light… and behind it, there was the hologram of a large sillouette figure. Judging by its large snout, and curved spikes along its back, Sweetie assumed it was some kind of dragon. Not a baby, but not quite an adult either.

“Hello there, Hunter Sweetie Belle.” The figure greeted.

“Who the hay are you?!” Sweetie stuttered. “How do you know my name?! What just happened?!”

“Interesting… I suppose by putting so much focus on your memory loss, Mr. Butler assumed you’d fall like the other hunters by your own panic… either that, or to slow down your progress…”

“Huh?” Sweetie asked. “Who are you?”

The figure shook his head. “Who I am… doesn’t matter right now. My name won’t mean a thing after tonight… even if you manage to survive with yourself and your friends physical and psychological wellbeing intact.”

“My friends… you mean Squee.”

The figure shook his head. “No… believe it or not, that colt, along with anyone else here is your enemy.”

“What?” Sweetie asked. “N-no… you’re lying. Squee wouldn’t ever want to hurt me.”

“Oh believe me Sweetie. They are. Even if they’re being protected by the memories of your real friends… they won’t be for long. Once Spiffy takes them by the reins, you won’t even have a prayer for escape.”

“I don’t believe you.” Sweetie said.

“Very well… I suppose wither or not you believe what I say matters at this point. Only what you do now… that you escape.”

“Escape? Escape what?”

“Escape the general Stabletown Ponyville memory. Make it to your spiritual hub and retake control of your body.”

“Huh? What are you talking about? I’m already in control of my body. You’re crazy.”

The form shook his head again. “Says the pony talking to a holographic dragon. As I said. It’s unimportant weither or not you deem my sanity as credible or otherwise. All that matters is how you act for the next 30 minutes… because that’s just about all you have before somepony dies.”

“D-dies?” Sweetie asked.

“Listen to me, for I don’t have much time to explain. My connection with you is weakening. I could barely supply you with analytical advice on the ghosts through the encyclopedia Specter had erased. The only reason I contacted you now, in this form, is to get your attention.”

“So wait… if you’re not here, then where are you?” Sweetie asked.

“It’s not important.”

Sweetie groaned. “Then tell me. What IS important. What did you come to tell me?”

“This room… you need to use it to stop the memory. Crash it, if you will. If you can do that, not only should the rest of your true memories return, but you should be able to have a stab at fighting Spiffy head on. He might have been cocky as to how fast you would progress, though I’m sure he wasn’t expecting to have to deal with the GCD. Why Specter didn’t tell him of its spirit particle de-possession function is peculiar either way.”

“GCD?”

“The Ghost Capture Device.”

“If you say so… and Specter?”

“It would take hours to explain his involvement in this and it’s not worth explaining now. Besides, I have doubts you’d even believe it.”

“So… okay, this room. How do I ‘use’ it?”

“Simple. You must put in the photos in the correct order, play the instruments and light the candle. Simple.”

“Photos… oh!” Sweetie went into her saddlebags and took out the two photos of Romina and Bottle. They now had color to them and showed their faces. There was an “S” on the back of Bottle’s picture, as well as a “P” on the back of Romina’s.

“I would keep them somewhere safe, if I were you.” The figure suggested.

Sweetie nodded and placed them in the book.

“And… playing music?”

“There should be two instruments in here.”

Sweetie shined her light around to find that it was true. There was one large harp, and a bass to either side of the candlestick.

“Okay… I’ve got to get somepony to play those two?”

“At the same time. Yes. I’m sure you already know of two instrumentalists?”

“Hey yeah… the ones that helped me in here.” Sweetie remembered. “A-as well as that one that I met on my way up here!”

“You’ll also need to locate the sheet music for them to play. I can’t help you in that department.”

“Oh… well, maybe I’ll come across it. I’m bound to find it somewhere I go. I was asked to be a musician here so I’ll get to see all the music.”

“One can only hope. Now all you need is a way to light that candle… and if you’re unable to locate a match, you could always use the GCD’s fire spitter feature.”

“Huh?”

“Just… play with the device before you head out. You’ll figure it out. You’re smart when you want to be.”

“Okay… I think I got it. And something’s going to happen once I do all of that?”

The figure nodded. “But I have my doubts you’ll locate everything you need in the time you need. Celestia’s lost her will, and soon, one of your friends will try to escape… at least that’s what I predict. When that happens… as I said, they will die.”

“Then what do I do?” Sweetie asked.

“…the mind is a very interesting thing. Especially yours. It has the ability to dream. Lengthy dreams in as short as minutes… when it could feel like it lasts for hours. Making time pass queerly to the dreamer. Have you noticed any weird changes in time?”

“…kind of. Hours have been passing weirdly now that you mention it.”

“Yes. A bit of a time dilation in one’s own mind. It can be lengthened or even shortened at times. Your mind… somehow, subconsciously, whilst guiding you throughout Stabletown, it’s also activated that inner time dilation in your brain. Making time progress slightly slower, as well as speeding it up a bit on the inside, giving you a reasonable amount of time to get yourself here just before your friends and Spiffy… anyway there’s a way you can slow down time even further for a little longer.”

“Oh really? How?”

“There’s a clock in here. Bring the hands further apart and it should make the next 30 minutes… as long as about one minute in the real world.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it.”

“You won’t notice it... though admittedly, you’ll likely have an easier time getting from place to place, aside from any obstacles associated with the memory itself. All that matters is that you do it. Though… once you do, there will be consequences.”

“Like?”

“For starters, once the extended time dilation process is up, time will begin matching the one of the real world. Everything you do from then on will be in real time… and you really won’t have any time to waste. Secondly, Spiffy has been neglecting you for the time of your possession… though, once he realizes you’re able to manipulate the memory by the end of the phase, he will do everything he can to stop you for good. He may quit trying to deceive you with this illusion… he may try and crash the memory himself with you still inside.”

“What happens if that happens?”

“Your spirit cease to exist.”

“W-what?”

“Inside of a memory… a spirit is just another memory. If the memory is forgotten, or destroyed, the spirit is forgotten… if something abstract is truly forgotten, lost, or somehow dies… it stops existing.”

“That’s… a lot to take in.” Sweetie admitted. “And I’m not really sure if I believe any of this mumbo jumbo.”

“If I’ve said it once… It doesn’t matter that you believe me, or think I’m crazy. Even I question my own sanity sometimes, but… if you don’t do this, you will regret it. Keep that in mind.”

“…I’ll do it.” Sweetie sighed. “If anything, because those things nearly killed me.”

“Oh, and that.” The figure added. “Spiffy will try and attack you with more of those things if you stay alone too long. Even more, if you turn on the time dilation, then we won’t be able to communicate. I won’t be able to assist you in escaping again.”

“Okay… Stay with other ponies then?”

“This memory may be how Spiffy remembers Stabletown, but he won’t set up anyghosts where it would disrupt the memory. As long as you’re around living ponies, and none of those white round things, then you should be okay.”

“Gotcha.” Sweetie shined her light to the corner of the room where she saw the clock the figure had mentioned. “There’s the clock. Just move the hands?”

The figure nodded.

Sweetie climbed up onto some tables against the wall the clock was against. As she put her hooves on the hands, she stopped. “I won’t be able to talk to you again?”

“That’s right. As I said… you’ll be fine. Just keep your wits and you’ll live to see your friends again. You’ll see your sister.”

“My… sister?” Sweetie asked. She had a sister? Somehow, the prospect of having a sibling seemed familiar to her. More familiar than anything else she’d been presented to her that day. The only thing she could almost vaguely remember from her past… something she was fighting for, and at points questioned why.

“Good luck kid.” The figure said. “And food for thought… try not to mess up again once you get out. The pages of this story is already long enough, wouldn’t you say?”

“Yeah.” Sweetie said, not completely sure what she was agreeing with.

Sweetie moved the hands so that they were in an 180 degree angle. The room jerked, knocking Sweetie back on the ground and the flashlight out of her mouth. She got up and put it back in her mouth. When she looked over at the book, the hologram was gone and she was alone again.

Sweetie was definitely not going to go back out to the hallway anytime soon… though, thankfully, there was another door she could take. Though, before trying it, Sweetie went over to the book and looked at it. Inside were the words, written in fancy cursive:

She might still be counting on you…

***


Busby and Paita made it to the top of the narrow spiral staircase and entered the dining hall. Paita stopped in her tracks as the hairs on the back of her neck stood. Busby took a few steps before noticing his partner had stopped.

“Hey Paita, come on.” Busby said he looked around. “This is the... yeah, this is the dining hall. We’re getting close to the foyer, right?”

“This… this is where we last were.”

“What?”

Paita looked over at the kitchen door. “We… they went through that door. The kitchen... somehow, I didn’t go to the same place they did.”

“Should we check out the kitchen first.”

Paita shook her head. “If it didn’t actually take us to the kitchen, it’d take us anywhere they weren’t. Going in there is probably the best way to get us killed right now.”

“Then what’s wrong?”

Paita paused and sighed. "It's just earlier... If I’d gone in there with the rest of them... Hay, I’d probably be in the same boat as them and you’d be wandering that labyrinth on your own… Just that Durate and Black and the others, if they didn't call me out and make me stop, I'd be done. I’m just thinking about how close I was to chasing after that filly. I was the one who made her run away I think… and maybe...”

"...maybe?" Busby asked.

Paita shook her head. "Maybe nothing. Don't worry about it."

Busby shrugged. “If you say so... if means anything, I’m almost glad I wasn't around."

"You're glad you weren't doing your job?"

"No I was investigating... but if I'd been with the rest of you, I'd have probably chased after her because you scared her away.”

“Didn’t scare her.” Paita sighed. “I think she was just the bait everypony else fell for… she just used me as a reason. Somehow, I don’t know what she did, but she made me see something in her eyes that just made me so angry.”

“What?”

“I don’t know. Something familiar… and evil. I can’t really explain.”

“Huh…” Busby stared at Paita, who also stared blankly at the door that could have led her to her end. Finally, she snapped out of the trance.

“What are you waiting for Buster? We’ve got to find the princesses.”

“B-but you’re the one who stopped!”

“Hmph.” She walked past Busby toward the doorway that led to the foyer. “I don’t get distracted by white sheets and creepy dining rooms.”

Why do I even… Did we even have a conversation a second ago?

“Alright. Still… do we have a plan?” Busby said as he followed the mare.

“Find the princesses, obviously,” Busby said. “Either them or the elements.”

“But where do we start?”

The two of them walked into the foyer dimly illuminated by the moonlight outside. The white rock in the sky stood stiller than it’d ever in the black sky.

“Good question. I think... the kitchen was o the right track,” Paita nodded, as though in more agreement with herself than Busby -- how only blinked at the action. “No doubt it’s trapped somehow, but I know for a fact the other guards went somewhere before they fell into whatever trap they did.”

“So?”

So wherever that door led is probably where they’re keeping the bodies, and even more likely…”

“The elements of harmony?”

“Exactly.” Paita said. “Or if we’re lucky, the bearers themselves."

"Paita, I don't think we want to find the mares surrounded by a bunch of bodies."

Paita ignored him. "Though if we want any hope of going there without falling into the same trap, it’d probably be best if we found an alternate route there. It’s the only lead I can think of towards locating the princesses.”

“So where do we find an alternate route?”

“I don’t know!” Paita snapped around to Busby. “Why don’t you try using that peanut in your head for once?”

“Sheesh. Sorry. Just wondering if you plan involved something besides wandering this ghost infested death-trap is all. Which is what we’ve been wasting our time doing for the last hour or so, mind you…”

“Well!... well…” Paita sighed. “Look, I’m sorry I don’t have the best plan, but it’s all I can think of right now. Frankly, this mansion does give me the creeps, and even I’m starting to feel a little cold. Stress is getting to me I guess…”

“It’s fine.” Busby smiled.

“Well… where do you think we should start exploring first?”

“You’re asking my opinion now? We’re moving so fast in this relationship.”

“I’m taking you seriously. Don’t ruin it.”

“Uh…well, I’m guessing taking the kitchen directly is totally out.”

“You couldn’t pay me any amount of bits to try that way,” Paita said flatly.

“And the doors up there…” Busby looked up to the second floor. “I’m guessing it’s not within our best interest to spend the rest of the morning trying to find something in those windy hallways.”

“We both can agree on that.”

“…what about that d-“

“Quickly! Hide!”

“What?” Busby whirled his head around.

“What’s wrong now?” Paita asked.

Busby’s eye went to the fountain.

“Quick. Duck down!”

Without thinking Busby grabbed Paita’s tail by the teeth and yanked her over and down behind the fountain with the cracked mirrors.

“What the hay B-”

Holding her down, Busby covered Paita’s mouth. Barely a second later, a griffon busted through some doors in the dining hall and walked into the foyer. She carried something over her shoulder in a blanket large wrapping something large. Something pony… or possibly princess sized. At that time, whilst giving Paita the silent look to be quiet, they both peeked their heads over the fountain to get a good look at the bird.

The griffon surveyed the foyer.

“Almost there. Give him the princess, and I can go off with Rainbow and that dumb friend of hers… do that and not only have Rainbow, but immortality…” She mumbled. She stumbled to the side before shaking her head, as though she’d had a momentary loss of equilibrium.

Busby glanced over at Paita, who gritted her teeth. Rage seemed to be in her eyes, as her wings awkwardly extended and she looked ready to pounce on her. Her hoof was slowly preparing to draw her sword…

“Restrain your hot-headed friend Billy. She’s about to get the both of you killed.”

Busby lightly touched Paita’s hoof. She looked at him silently, and he shook his head. As he did, he slowly pushed her wings back down in an effort to calm her down.

“Hey HEY!” the griffon said, both making them snap their attention back toward her. The form inside of the blanket began to shuffle and seize, as though trying to escape its grasp. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning shot from the front end of the blanket. As the griffon crouched, using her free arm to cover her head, the beam of light ricocheted around the foyer faster than either guard’s eyes could keep up with.

Finally, the beam of light hit one of the mirrors on the fountain. The mirror, rather than bouncing off the streak, completely absorbed it. A whistle filled the room before the already cracked reflector burst into a million pieces in a flurry of white light. The remains of the mirror disintegrated into ash.

“Damn it!” the griffon got back up. “Really hope this featherbucker’s is worth the times she’s already tried killing me…”

The griffon then continued on her way through the door to the left of the staircase. Once the coast was clear, both Paita and Busby got up.

“Welp… we found one of the princesses.”

“You think?!” Paita said angrily. “I could have easily diced that bird into a chicken salad if you didn’t hold me back.”

But she’s a griffon… Busby thought.

“Plus, griffon meat is incredibly tough… from what I’ve heard. Not the finest dish, I’m sure.”

You!

“Me.”

“What? No remarks?”

“Shh… the voice speaks to me…”

“I do have a name, you know.” Madame said.

I was trying to sound mysterious.

“It’s not working.” Madame said.

Where are you? Busby asked.

“Nearby. That’s all I can tell you for certain. I can see you though.”

Y-you can? But-

“Don’t worry. Only I can see you… or at least for a split second I did. My power over my magic, as well as my clairvoyance spells are extremely limited in this form… but thankfully, I don’t think my ghostly self has enough information to know your exact location or even the first place to start looking.”

Alright… why did you keep us from fighting that griffon and getting the princess?

“I’m fairly sure Gilda has her own little group of ghosts she keeps on her. Even if you don’t see them… they’re there. Hiding in the walls… the paintings… And they would have killed you too, without the proper means of fighting them.”

“Oh.”

“What?” Paita asked.

“Apparently if you’d have attacked that that griffon, you would have been bucked by a bunch of ghosts she keeps around.”

Right?

“…a raw way of stating it, but essentially yes.”

“That voice… does she know her name?”

“What?”

“Does the voice know the griffon’s name?”

“Yeah… Gilda. Not sure why it matters much though.”

“So I was right!”

“Huh? You know her?”

“About a week before you arrived, I remember seeing that griffon around the castle.”

“A week ago?”

Paita nodded. “I knew something was up with her… I couldn’t really figure out what. The way she looked at that Discord statue was the thing that really got to me.”

“Did she do anything suspicious when you saw her?”

“No… I came across her once, but I knew she was up to no good, I could still see it in her eyes. The same look. Devious… Nervous… Untrustworthy as hay.”

“…you really are a paranoid pony, you know that?”

“I’m just telling you I knew something was bad the first time I saw her. And the fact I didn’t see her since then messed with me even more. Besides, I was right wasn’t I?”

“I guess… but I don’t think either of the princesses disappeared until tonight... so if she wasn’t around Canterlot Castle for kidnap, or to lure them to the place… I wonder what she was doing around there. Moreover what’s she’s doing here.”

Paita shook her head. “Doesn’t matter anymore. We know she has the princesses. Can’t we go after her? Maybe smack her around a little?”

Well… can we now?

“…go the way she went… I’ll inform you when or if you can go for an attack.”

“Madame will tell us when it’s not safe, but for now, yes.” Busby reiterated.

“Madame?”

“The ghost voice in my head. The one that nearly killed you, remember?”

Paita blinked.

“D-don’t worry. She’s on our side, I think. She got us out of that jam with those other ghosts, right?”

Paita shook her head. “Still don’t think it’s a good idea trusting any ghost, if I’ll be honest.”

“Not much of a choice. Like you said, we’ve got to follow every possible lead we can to retrieving the elements, rescuing their bearers securing the princesses… and she’s one of them.”

“Still… I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

“I say trust Madame for now…”

“I’m not talking about her anymore. I’m talking about what’s behind that door…”

“Come on then. No use stalling.”

Paita shook off a shiver and looked at Busby. “Hey, I’m the one who’s supposed to be rushing you.”

“Then please. Ladies firs-” Busby was cut off by a hoof to the snout. “Okay, now what was that for?!”

“Don’t bite my tail again Buster. Got it?”

“No ‘or else’ this time?”

“What, do you need a better threat?”

“In a relationship like ours, it feels traditional.” Busby gave her a stupid smile.

Paita opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it, closing it back and sharply turning toward the door. “Come on.”

They both made their way over to the door and cracked it open. They made sure the griffon was nowhere to be seen before they opened and entered.

“Looks like the coast is clear.” Busby sighed quietly.

“Gilda probably took one of these god-damned doors.” Paita figured. “…wait… does that mean we lost her? Can we still follow her through these things?”

Well?

“That hallway… it’s similar to the kitchen. It doesn’t shift as often or as randomly as the rest of the mansion. Only if there’s a specific purpose, trapping and navigating being the common one. Meaning as long as you’re still concealed, wherever those doors go, won’t change.”

“Thankfully no. This place doesn’t change.” Busby reassured.

“…however, the qualities of certain rooms do and can change.”

What? What’s that supposed to mean?

Take a look in front of you…

Busby and Paita looked forward to see that there was a wall. There was a frame around an area as though there was supposed to be a door there. However, all that was apparent was how blank and empty the wall was.

“What the hay is this?” Paita asked. “Don’t tell me… is this where she went?”

“I guess” Busby answered.

“And let me guess… we’re going to have to go through more puzzle crap to get to the other side.”

“Yup.” Busby answered.

“And get caught in some more Celestia-damned traps, right?”

“Probably. Really Paita… at this point, do you even have to ask?”

“I wouldn’t call the activation to that door a puzzle… really, it’s as easy as pushing a button. And given this is the hallway has my husband’s study in it, I doubt he’ll have allowed Pinkamina to set up many deadly traps for you, or himself to fall into.”

“Oh. Madame says it’s easy supposedly. And boobytrapless… supposedly.”

“Fine. Then where do we go from here?”

“To Specter’s study.”

“Specter’s study? Where’s that?”

“Down the hall. Take the right. 3rd door to the right.”

“Just follow me.” Busby told Paita. Without question, they took the directions supplied by Madame. They knew how close they were to the princess, and likely how many ghosts were lurking about, ready to protect their prize. They moved quietly and slowly and quietly, whilst getting the creeping paranoia they were being followed.

Finally, they made it to the door…

“This is it.” Madame confirmed.

Busby put his hoof on the knob and turned. After jiggling it a bit, he sighed defeated. “It’s no use. It’s locked.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Well, Specter tends to keep a fair number of spare keys around.” Madame considered.

“But he keeps his spare keys locked away with special locks… more puzzles?” Busby finished.

“Yes… I suppose if you could find one-”

“Buck that.” Paita said.

“Wha-” Just in time for Busby to get out of dodge, Paita swung her sword at the door.

“Luna! Paita! What the hay?”

The mare didn’t listen as she repeatedly swung her sword around the knob before she disconnected the doorknob and the door itself. She finished by turning around and bucking the door with her hind hooves. Once she was done, she looked down at Busby who lie on his side, his heart beating loudly in his chest.

“…what?” She smiled.

“What the hay was that?!”

“I just saved us a good 2 hours and you know it Buster.”

“You nearly KILLED me!”

“So?”

“For the second time!

“Well you know what they say. Third time’s the charm, hm?”

“What’s that supposed to-?!”

“Come on. Let’s get that stupid door open so we can move on.” Paita entered the study.

“My, Billy. You really know how to pick a good mare, hm?”

Not sure who will get me first. A ghost, or her.

“I know where I'm placing my bet.”

Busby entered the cozy looking room lit by the fireplace inside. It was refreshing to be exposed to a room, not only warm but lit by something other than the moonlight.

“Okay… so where’s the ‘easy’ part of opening the door?” Paita asked. “All I see are a bunch of books and paintings.”

“Last we checked, paintings are pretty important to getting around here. Hiding the occasional secret passage way, or overly deadly trap.”

“Very well done Billy.”

You do know my name isn’t Billy, right Madame?

”You’re right.” Madame continued. “The paintings are the key… and you’ve got the key for the key.”

Pardon?

“Does your marefriend still have that piece of the door? The glass one?” Madame asked.

Piece of the door… what?

“Ask her.”

“Uh… Paita?” the mare looked up. “Are you.… holding a part of a door or something somewhere in that armor?”

“Door? You don’t mean this do you?” Paita took out a small rounded purplish glass piece out of a wedge in her armor. “This peep-hole thing? Didn’t know you knew about it.”

“I didn’t. Madame told me.”

“Right… she grabbed me right after I put it away.” Paita recalled.

“Let me see it.”

Paita tossed the peephole glass piece to Busby. “Go nuts.”

“Take a look through it. It’s able to expose spectral entities even if they’re hidden by real and/or tangible substances.”

Busby put the piece up to his eye.

“You should be able to see different symbols around-”

“Nothing.”

“What?”

“I don’t see anything. No symbols… this is just a normal piece of stained glass.” Busby explained.

“No… that’s definitely the spectral filter… remind me how you got that camera of yours again?”

“Paita tossed it to me.”

“Ah… I should have figured. She’s the one with the light eye.”

“The what?”

“A trait usually passed down through the families associated with the… have you perchance asked your marefriend about her family?”

“Er… she doesn’t like to talk about it… why?”

Paita glanced at Busby, then resumed scanning the room.

“Billy. Do you trust this mare?”

Busby returned the glance before turning the opposite way.

…Not sure I trust her judgment completely… then again mine isn’t the best either. Still, even with every hiccup we’ve had, she’s… kind of been there to help. Heck, I bet she was even a little worried when I got knocked out. I think she’s trustworthy enough… why? What does that ‘light eye’ have to do with-

“Billy… Busby. Listen. Make sure you know she won’t turn on you. That eye means she must have some kind of relation to the family of the ghost hunters.”

The what?

“It’s difficult to explain… but there are others.”

Others?

“Other hunters. Much like my husband once was… only his was a special case.

You think that that Yield might be related Paita? Paita Yield…?

“My husband has been alive for a thousand years… I’ve lost track of his family tree.”

A millennium… don’t go on and tell me Paita could be his daugh-

“No. I know that for a fact.” Madame cut off. “I may not have been alive or particularly conscious during the whole millennium… but I know one thing. Specter wouldn’t cheat on me so openly. He couldn’t.”

What makes you so sure?

“When’s the last time you’ve heard of the dead reproducing?”

To be honest ma’m, I haven’t heard of the dead coming back to life and ripping ponies souls out until tonight either. I barely know anything about the dead... how would I know how they er… did it?

“Fair enough. Regardless, I suggest you maintain some questions for your partner… the sooner you know you know about her past, the better.”

I’ll ask her once we’ve made a little more progress.

“In the meantime, have her locate a tea cup symbol with the glass-piece.”

“Er... Paita? I need you.”

Paita looked over. “Hm?”

“Here.” Busby gave her the peephole glass piece. “Apparently, you’re the only one who can use this thing.”

“What? Why?” She asked.

“Can’t we talk about it later?”

“…what did that lady say about me?”

“Later,” Busby pressed.

Paita stared at Busby, as though attempting to read his thoughts. Eventually, she gave up and took the peephole piece and looked through it.

“See anything?”

“Sure as hay do. Some symbols written in that damned ghost sludge.”

“Tell her to look for the teacup. Take it off of the wall and burn it.”

“See one that kind of looks like a teacup?” Busby asked.

Paita nodded. “Right there.” She pointed to a painting of some ponies drinking tea on some abstract plane.

“Take it down and toss it into the fire.”

Paita shook her head. “Why don’t you do it?”

“Seriousl-”

“My wings are still bucked and it’s too high.” Paita cut off. “Quit being lazy and use your fancy magic to take it down. Save us both a little trouble.”

Sheesh. Just trying to get you to pull some weight around here…

Busby focused his telekinesis spell onto the painting and carefully floated it off the wall. Once it was inside of the fireplace, he dropped it inside. Within seconds, the wooden frame of the fire began to crack and pop hungrily to the newfound kindling.

“Stand back.”

Suddenly, the fireplace exploded in a flurry of fire and sparks. It was as though the little wall pit was giving them a fireworks show. The marvel of embers went on for a good 2 minutes before it gave one final explosion, so large it blinded them for a moment. Once their vision had returned, they saw the fire had changed a completely different color. The flame was no longer the same fire orange, but a very distinct yellow. It was also lost some of its brightness, making the room just a little darker than before

I’m guessing that did it?

“I would imagine so.” Madame agreed. She paused for a moment, as though she’d left Busby’s mind. When she returned, her voice had a much more urgent tone to it. “Oh no… You both need to hurry. They need you.”

Madame? Is something wrong with the princess… you said them. Are both of them in that room?

Madame was silent for a few more moments. Busby felt the hairs raise on the back of his neck. He felt sick to his stomach at her next few words. Barely ten words that sent a chill down his spine.

“Whatever you see in there… he’s not an evil stallion.”

“What are you talking about?” Busby was too unnerved by the utter coldness that was now apparent in the ghostly voice. “What’s in that room? Answer me!”

Madame was gone again.

“Busby? What’s going on?” Paita asked.

“Something’s wrong. We’ve got to get to the princesses now.” Busby said.

“Then come on!” Paita ran over to the study’s exit. “Get the lead out, let’s move!”

Busby didn’t argue as he chased her out of the door and ran along behind her back down the hallway. They forgot caution to the hordes of ghosts that could, or could not be stalking them in the hallways. All they knew was that one of the princesses, or possibly both of them were in danger. Specter was doing something to them…

“It’s that wall, right?”

“I think so. The wall should have a door.” Busby confirmed. “You know where you’re going?”

“If this hallway didn’t change up, it should be… there. That turn.”

Without breaking pace, Paita turned into the hallway smoothly and kept going down as fast as she could. Her wings erected as her heart rate grew. Out of fear or exhaustion, she wasn’t sure. Busby made the same turn, though less gracefully than his nightly friend. He barely avoided falling over to his side as he turned into the hallway; slowing down, regaining his balance, and continuing to chase after Paita. His hooves were shaking now. The same fear he’d managed to quell from the ghosts was now focused upon the discovery of what could be in the room Madame had felt so important to mention the morality of her spouse. What could he be doing… his legs nearly buckled at the thought, or worse, that they may already be too late.

Finally, the two came to a stop in front of what used to be a blank wall. Now, a large wooden double door stood in the space of the wall. They both gave each other a nervous look before they began a more cautious walk toward the door. Busby put his hoof to his mouth, to remind her to remain silent. Paita shot him a look as if to be offended that he thought she didn’t know that.

They both put an ear to the cold wood of the door.

“I don’t feel any chills…” Busby noted. “That means there aren’t any ghost in there or-”

Paita shushed him. They listened.

“You say that as though you don’t trust me… do you?”

Paita crossed her eyebrows and clenched her jaw at the familiar voice. Specter was in that room, she was sure she’d never forgotten the voice of the pony who probably killed her friends. Busby saw the anger building up in her eyes again… this time, he wasn’t sure he could douse it without making their presence known too soon.

“…try not to make a mess.”

Mess? Busby thought. What are they doing in there?

Paita had had enough eavesdropping and backed up from the door. Busby followed her example.

“On three. We bust in there.” Paita whispered. “You focus on the door and I’ll be right behind you. I’ll take care of any hostiles.”

Busby nodded.

“One… Two…”

Busby prepared his head to butt the door and hopefully make their surprise attack a success. Hoping to have enough confusion to take advantage of whoever else could be in the room.

“Three!”

Busby speed toward the door first, Paita was close behind. Unlike Paita, Busby wasn’t in the slightest prepared to stop for any reason besides hitting the door. There was no way he could have stopped without hitting something… which was exactly why he didn’t have a chance of stopping without the conveniently placed wall at the other side of the room. Upon it making contact with his skull, he fell down to the ground and moaned in daze.

Paita, on the other hoof, stopped on a dime in the middle of the room.

“Damn it Buster!”

"Huh."

“Well… what do we have here?”

Paita snapped her head in the direction of Specter, who stood with perfect poise toward the side of the room.

“You!”

Specter smiled a falsely friendly smile. “I’m not familiar with a ‘Mr. You’, ma’m. Please. Call me Specter Yield. Or Mr. Yield, if you prefer. At your service.”

“Cut the crap. Where’s my unit? My team? My Friends?! Tell me!” Paita commanded.

“My, do you look stressed. Could I interest you in some water? I might offer you coffee if you weren’t already so high strung. Perhaps some tea. This would be the perfect place for-”

Paita drew her sword and held it in her mouth in a ready to attack position. This merely made Specter chuckle.

“Quit playing bucking games with me!”

“Oh put that butter knife away Ms. Paita. Before somepony gets hurt.” Specter said. “There’s no need for any more blood to be spilt in here. Not yet anyway. Just ask Ms. Applejack behind you. I’m sure she’d agree.”

Paita didn’t stray her eyes away from Specter, barely giving two stick shakes about the mare. Though, it wasn’t like she’d have received any input to start with, as applebucker had lost consciousness a few moments ago. Wither out of blood loss, pain, seeing Twilight get strangled, or a combination of the three, no one would be able to tell.

“I want to know where my friends are.”

“I wasn’t aware a work associate could be qualified as a ‘friend’ now a days… oh well, I’m sure it won’t matter soon. You’ll be joining your ‘friends’ as well as my dear Rarity shortly.”

“Why… you…”

“And perhaps your bodies will serve as some nice, cozy homes for some of the butler ghosts. Sure you might not be very young, but I’m sure they’ll be most-”

Paita has stopped listening to the yellow eyed stallion speak. Without a Busby to hold her back, she charged at him with all of her might. It was as though an animal or perhaps one of the insane Yield children were possessing here, as she charged, ready to kill. Just as she was ready to take the knife into his throat, she stopped. Her sword fell out of her mouth and clattered onto the ground. She was unable to move as she found herself surrounded by a transparent glowing bubble.

“…appreciative.” Specter finished.

“What the?!” Paita said through gritted teeth. She couldn’t turn her head, but managed to shift her eyeballs enough to see to the side of her the glowing horn of a defeated-looking Celestia.

“I’m sorry.” She said solemnly.

“Please, Princess. Do us a favor and quiet this talkative mare.”

“Princess what the hay are-mmmmph.” Paita’s voice was cut off. Celestia’s horn had changed colors, indicating that she’d activated another spell. Likely one shutting the everlasting mouth of the night guard.

“As you can see Ms. Paita…” Sweetie said. “The princess works for us now. If she hopes of seeing her student leave this experience with her head on her shoulders…”

Paita looked over to Busby, who seemed to have knocked himself out… again.

Damn it Buster… Paita thought. Still… he is free. Hopefully, he can use that little walnut brain to get us out of this…

“So… can I go now, or what?” Gilda asked, standing in the door way.

“I don’t see what could have been keeping you,” Specter said. “Go on now.”

Gilda closed the door behind her and left. The slam echoed throughout the otherwise silent tea room. Twilight lie there with Sweetie next to her. She was silent as she stared at the helpless princess who stared back. She was horrified… not only that her teacher had given up and put herself in Specter’s hooves… but the simple fact that is was her fault. Because she couldn’t quell her panic enough to if necessary, give her life… that Celestia was now to take orders from Specter. In a way, she’d just doomed them all.

***

To her surprise, the exit to the strange little room led back to the foyer. She slipped through the door and closed it back without drawing much attention to herself.

“Alright then…” Sweetie mumbled to herself. Her voice held a tremor to it, still somewhat shaken up from the near death experience with the spectral creature in the hall. She might have remained in the room a little longer, in hopes of digesting what the dragon hologram had said. Possesion, death, and time were somehow a factor in this mansion somehow. All she knew was that she didn’t have that kind of luxury to waste time. She had to solve that room as quickly as possible, supposedly before her 30 minutes were up.

“Now… where to start.” She looked around, unsure of what her next move would be. She likely needed somepony to play those two instruments in the room. Admittedly, the guitar Treble played was incredibly different from the harp in the room, though she supposed it was worth finding out if she could play it. As for Barra… she could ask what she played after she knew what Treble was up to. Though, something about Ms. Basso told Sweetie that she’d be more than capable of playing the oversized cello that accompanied the harp.

“Might as well head the way Barra told me.” Sweetie then moved her way around to the staircase and up to the hallway. She traveled the hallway without seeing another sign of Candy or Marbles. Wasn’t looking forward to talking to them again anyway…

Sweetie finally found the stairwell Barra mentioned and headed down. From there, she could hear the faint sounds of music: A piano, a guitar, and an angelic voice to be specific. Aside from the pianist, she could take a fair guess as to who was performing at this time. Hm… did they start without me? Couldn’t have been that late, right?

Once Sweetie met the bottom, she was met with more generic mansion hallways. More doors, Sweetie assumed were locked, were littered throughout them. About 3 halls later, Sweetie found herself at a door that led to a courtyard. Ponies outside here as well, mingling and conversing like the ones back in the foyer. The music seemed to be coming from across there…

Sweetie entered the courtyard and went to the front where the music was coming from. As it turned out, she was right. A medium sized stage was set up in the middle of the courtyard. Its rim was lined with silver and the sides had a design of flames coming up from all sides painted in gold. On the stage, facing opposite of each other were two of performers playing to the ponies that may or may not have realized they were playing. To the side, on Sweetie’s left, there was a piano that seemed to have been rolled from somewhere… at least according to the dirty wheels.

On the stage, naturally were Harmonica and Treble. Treble stood facing the away from Sweetie, sitting and flowing magic into his guitar to play different chords and notes with Harmonica. At this point, only she could see Sweetie as she sung. They weren’t singing the song that they’d practiced, or in Sweetie’s case, tested on earlier. Even more oddly, Sweetie couldn’t really make out exactly what she was singing, though in all honesty, she wasn’t really trying. She could tell that the music was a little more celebratory than “Sister, Oh Sister”, and she was just fine with that. Though, the only thing she could tell for certain was that Harmonica was annoyed at the filly. She just had that angry look in her eyes that simply said: “You’re late.

Sweetie mouthed the words “Sorry”. She would have also attempted to mouth an explanation but Harmonica turned away to face another side of the audience. She sighed and decided it to try and go talk to Treble, who she couldn’t imagine being in any better of a mood. Then again, they seemed to have gotten off alright with the performance, even if no pony was really paying attention to them in the background. Even more, they had a whole night ahead of them to perform any other duets Treble looked forward to playing.

Not according to that dragon thing though… Sweetie thought. She was then reminded she did have another reason for coming here. She needed to get Treble to come back to that room with her. Unfortunately, when she looked at his face, his eyes were closed, likely more focused on playing his music, rather than anything else. Sweetie didn’t feel it was her place to call out to the mare/stallion in the middle of her show either. She supposed she’d have to wait until they were finished the song to get the chance to talk to her.

In the meanwhile, Sweetie moved over to the piano to find-

“Notetooth?” Sweetie asked, as she saw the purple scales and green spikes. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh hey Sweetie!” she said cheerfully without breaking a note. “Fancy seeing you hear.”

“Technically, this is my show. Besides, Ms. Basso told you I was headed this way, remember?”

“Oh yeah… wondering where you were.”

I bet.

“Weirdest thing. Big Barra said she had to run an errand somewhere and to head here myself. So I came down here, and saw that they were playing the background music. I thought it was missing something… I dunno, a second instrument or voice.”

“Yeah…” Sweetie sighed. …Big Barra?

“So I decided to jump in with the piano. They didn’t seem to oppose.” Notetooth finished. “I usually play next to a violin, or one of Sunglasses Symbol’s drums... but I’ve got a good ear, so I played along.”

Sunglasses Symbol…? Seriously. Where does he come up with this… oh, I’m sorry. Where does she come up with this?

“Ah. Alright… well, thanks, I guess?” Sweetie said. “I was supposed to sing with them but I ran into a few difficulties along the way.”

“Oh, do you want to switch off now? I could stop, and you could hop up there and-”

Sweetie shook her head. “No, you’re doing fine. I actually have a few things I need to do myself. As well as talking to Treble too… hey, do you have any clue when this song will be over? Any guess at all?”

Notetooth shook his head as he did some kind of roll up the piano one of his claws. “This song doesn’t end.”

“Huh?”

“Or at least, it doesn’t have an official one. It’s er… one of those songs that kind of repeat itself. Something that kind of keeps going so there’s no break in the music, but it sounds just different enough that ponies who don’t have all their focus on it won’t notice how repetitive it is. Just listen to Harmonica. She stopped singing actual lyrics a little bit before you arrived. Now she’s just singing bits and pieces of them behind Treble and me.”

What? No nicknames for them?

Sweetie tried again to listen to Harmonica’s singing to see Notetooth was correct. She was just spitting out some kind of classical hybrid between scatting and singing actual words.

“So… they’re not going to stop?” Sweetie asked.

Notetooth shook her head. “Not until it’s time for dinner and we’re called to the dining hall.”

“And that is…”

“Uh… I’d guess about 30 or 40 minutes from now.”

But I’ve already got less than 30 minutes to get that room… I don’t have that long. Sweetie thought.

“There’s got to be some way I can get to Treble before then.”

“Sorry Sweets. Doubt either of them are going to stop just to talk to you. They look pretty into their show. If there’s even a chance somepony will notice they stopped… they probably won’t.”

“But what about Barra. Aren’t they going to let her play something?” Sweetie asked.

“Nope. They’re on until dinner starts. I think she’s on for the next hour after dinner…”

“That’s dumb…” Sweetie mumbled.

“Only way you could get them to stop is if… well, if they couldn’t perform.” Notetooth shrugged. “Sorry Sweetie. I can’t help you.”

Sweetie sighed. “It’s fine. Do you at least know where Barra is?”

“Nope. Though she couldn’t have gotten far. If you look hard enough, I’m sure you’ll find her. Or maybe you’ll find Ms. Symbol”

“Alright… I guess I could go off looking for her then. Thanks.”

“What do you need her for anyway?” Notetooth inquired.

“Er… just want to ask her a question.” Sweetie said.

“I could answer it for you.” Notetooth smiled. “I can multitask, see?” She played a roll back up the keyboard.

“It’s about a bass.”

“I’ve been around her nearly my whole life. I’ve watched her play lots of strings… I’d know.”

“I’d rather ask her.”

“But I can answer you for her.” Notetooth urged. “Look. I’m going to be honest with you, Barra hates talking with… y’know. Lower ponies.”

“She seemed just fine before.” Sweetie argued.

“That’s because she had find you for Treble… heck, even he had a hard time convincing her to get this gig. Anyway, he’d asked to keep an eye out for you. Really Sweetie, he was the only reason she really even thought about talking to you. Kind of a stuck up sometimes if you ask me…”

Sweetie remembered that Barra how short she’d been, aside from that final warning she issued to her. The very same she ignored with so very little hesitation.

“Anyway, unless you’ve got like a legitimate reason for bothering her, she’s not going to waste her time with you, let alone answer whatever question you’ve got.”

Of course. If I could just ask her, this might be simple… something tells me ‘over complications’ is going to become theme.

“Well… what would Ms. Basso care about?” Sweetie asked.

Notetooth thought for a moment as she played some kind of chromatic chord to contrast Harmoncia’s voice. “I suppose if there was a problem with her instrument… or maybe if someone she cared about got hurt or needed something, like me, or Ms. Symbol.”

“Alright…” Sweetie said. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks Notetooth.”

“I saw that.”

“What?”

“In your eye. You’re going to try something… aren’t you?” Notetooth asked, playing an extended rest for a short solo between Harmonica and Treble.

“H-huh? Like what?” Sweetie asked.

Notetooth shrugged. “I dunno. But I can see it in your eye. That… I dunno, nervousness. Or a deviousness… maybe even fear, it’s hard to tell, but you’re thinking about doing something big in that head.”

“N-no… of course not.”

“Don’t lie Sweets. And really… I don’t mind. Be kind of fun to see you pull some kind of prank on Big Basso, or Sunny Symbol. Still, if you do… just make sure it’s nothing too drastic, y’know?” Notetooth’s smile shrunk. “Her and Symbol’s really the only real family I’ve got.”

“I promise. Nothing’s going to happen to them.” Sweetie smiled. Even if I did think of something, what does he think I’m going to do anyway? Kill them?

Notetooth’s turned back to the piano just a beat late as he continued to trail Harmonica and Treble’s sound.

Alright… so I’ve got to figure out a way to get Barra and Treble’s attention… likely in two separate ways. Hm… I suppose I should head back and see if I can’t find Barra. Notetooth might be right, but it’s at least worth a try… In the meantime, maybe I can think of something big to get Treble to at least talk to me…

With her new objective set, Sweetie exited the courtyard. As she went through the glass door that led to the hallway, she was met with two ponies heading the opposite direction. Both of which were familiar, and the other one she was almost positive she knew.

“Ms. Feather?” Sweetie asked, squinting to see if it was really the yellow mare who’d greeted her upon waking up.

The mare looked away from her crimson coated date to meet eyes with her.

“Sweetie?” she asked.

Sweetie walked over to her to confront her. “Hey… I didn’t know you were going to this.” Sweetie smiled. Feather returned with a smaller, shyer one.

“Likewise… how did you get an invitation… let alone a date and a dress?”

“I sung for my invitation, got a dress from Axinite, and Squee decided to take me.” Sweetie explained.

“Oh, that’s wonderful.” Her smile faded. “How is… how is your head?”

“My head? It’s hurting less, I guess.”

“And your memory’s returning fine?”

Sweetie nodded. “For the most part.”

“Have you experienced any… visions?”

“Huh?”

“Visions… hallucinations… anything?”

“Um… I…” Sweetie thought for a few moments. For the first time since she’d exited the room, she was actually being questioned on her sanity. Not only by the yellow mare, but by herself. Did she really see what she thought she saw? Or was it simply another after effect of her head injury.

“N-no. Of course not.” Sweetie didn’t think it’d be in her best interest to go off and say “Nope. But I did see these really bucking scary ghost things chasing after me in a never ending hallway, followed by an dragon who’d bent his spike bones back to look fancy.”. Even thinking about it made Sweetie feel like a crazy pony.

Feather nodded. “Alright… just let me know if you see anything out of the ordinary and I’ll try and help you.”

Yeah, with an inch long needle and a cozy straight jacket. Sweetie thought.

“Thanks Feather.” Sweetie said. “Hey… do you mind if I snap a picture of you?”

“A picture?”

Sweetie nodded as she took out her camera. “For a scrapbook.”

“Er… I don’t see why not.” Feather said. “Do you want the both of us?”

The stallion shook his head. “Don’t like no pony tak’n a photo of me.”

“C’mon Cabbie, it’ll be fun. A little for tonight.”

Cabbie… I know I’ve heard that name before but… ah well. Can’t be too important. Stallion doesn’t even seem to remember me anyway.

“A-actually, Ms. Feather… I just need a picture of you.” Sweetie said.

“Just me?” Feather asked.

Sweetie nodded.

“Alright…” Feather said. Cabbie leaned against one of the walls, waiting for the two to finish their photo-shoot.

“Alright… smile.” Sweetie said as she hit the button.

CLICK!

“Oops...” Feather said. “I blinked.”

The photo fell out of the camera and onto the floor.

“It’s fine, I just-” Sweetie looked down to the photo… of course, it hadn’t developed completely yet, though there was a big green “X” across the whole thing. Welp… I guess it’s not fine then.

“Actually Feather… could I get another picture?”

“Of course Sweetie.”

“Erm… Please make sure you don’t blink this time… okay?”

“Of course. Sorry.”

Sweetie snapped another photo.

CLICK

This time, the photo was just like the others. Sweetie figured she had to see their eyes in order for the picture to come out correctly. She made a mental note of that.

“Thanks Feather.” Sweetie said.

“Anything else I can help you with?”

Sweetie shook her head. “I’m alright, thanks. I’ve actually got to go meet up with somepony right now…”

“Okay. I’ll see you later then Sweetie.”

Sweetie walked past them. “See you.”

“And remember. If you need any help at all… I’ll be happy to.”

Right… I’ll give you a call when I need a ride to the loony-bin… If I don’t already.

***

Sweetie walked up the stairwell continuing her way back to the foyer. She wasn’t sure how much time she had left. Compared to earlier that day, it seemed to be passing much slower now, though she knew that it couldn’t be infinite. She assumed 10 minutes had passed… and dearly hoped so too. Besides Feather’s photo, she hadn’t accomplished a thing. She still had three photos to acquire, some music to find, and some instrumentalists to herd into the room. Even worse, less than 20 minutes to do so… though what would happen at the end of the clock, Sweetie was still unsure.

Just as she made it to the end of the hall, and turned into the second one, she went head to chest with another mare, knocking her to the ground.

“Sorry ma’m, I-” Sweetie looked up to see who she’d bumped into. Oh boy. Of all of the ponies…

“Sweetie!” Covri said. “Looks like you made it after all, hm?”

“Heh… yeah.” Sweetie smiled. “You too?”

Covri nodded. “You wouldn’t believe it. I nearly didn’t actually.”

“Do tell.” Sweetie said apprehensively. Somehow, she had a feeling she knew what had kept her up.

“Well, some pony snuck into the library… and attacked me!”

I didn’t know shining a light in somepony’s face constituted an assault charge…

“Even more, they stole one of my books. THEY STOLE ONE OF MY BOOKS!” She repeated. For a split second, Sweetie could have sworn she was yelling at her, making her flinch slightly.

“W-well… at least somepony knows the good things to steal, h-huh?”

Covri calmed down. “I suppose… at least they’re stealing something to expand their minds… I just can’t believe they stole one of the books Yield had asked me to hold onto… I was supposed to bring it too.”

Sweetie’s side itched as her saddlebags rubbed against them. Specifically the pocket with the very same book she was talking about.

“I’m… sorry to hear that Ms. Covri.” Sweetie said. “I’m sure the thief will show up eventually though. They can’t hide forever… or who knows? Maybe they’ll return it!”

Covri smiled. “Such positive thinking… maybe you’re right. Still… if I catch the pony who stole that book from me I’ll…” There was rage in her eyes. Sweetie made a mental note to never steal a book from this crazy bookworm again.

“Er… anyway, where are you headed to?” Sweetie asked, changing the subject.

“I’m headed to the courtyard… might as well listen to something while I mingle.”

“Your date?”

“Somewhere in the dining hall, sampling some of Yield’s fine wines.” Covri said. “…probably getting drunk while he’s at it.”

“You’re just letting him?”

“Can’t stop him really. He calls it ‘constructive inspiration’, sampling different wines and alcohols to make his own… but really, he’s just trying to drink himself into a hole at this point.

“Huh…” Sweetie said.

“I suppose next time, I’ll actually be a bit more decisive about my date choice.” Covri smiled. “Possibly one that I won’t have to carry on my back all the way back to Stabletown.”

“I guess… Erm, Ms. Covri?” Sweetie asked. “Do you mind if I take your picture?”

“I don’t see why not.” Covri smiled. “You have a camera?”

Sweetie nodded and reached for the pocket. She cautiously did so, realizing that she’d put the book in the same bag as the camera. The last thing she needed was Covri exploding over her book thief again. Finally, Sweetie managed to take it out and aim it at Covri.

“Make sure you don’t blink.” Sweetie said.

“That’s not one of those ‘flashy’ cameras, now is it?”

Sweetie shook her head. “Don’t think so. If it is, I think it’s turned off, so you’re fine.”

Covri nodded and smiled.

CLICK

The picture came out and Sweetie picked it up. “Perfect. Thanks Covri.”

“Anytime Sweetie. Is there anything else you need?”

Sweetie shook her head.

“I’ll see you at dinner.” Covri said, passing by Sweetie. Just as Sweetie continued on her way, from behind her, she heard Covri one last time.

“Sweetie. You don’t know if Squee…”

“He didn’t take it.” Sweetie said quickly.

“How do you know?”

“Um… he didn’t have anything on him… not even any bags to carry them in.”

“And you don’t know anything, do you?”

“N-no.” Sweetie said.

“…alright. See you.”

And then she left.

Sweetie went to the end of the hall and through the door. She found herself back in the foyer, considerably emptier and easier to navigate than before. She went down to the first floor to find Squee flirting with some other pony.

“So then I threw it at ‘em. He got pissed, so just as he was coming at me, I upper bucked him right in the snout.”

The two fillies listening to him, one lightly purple, and the other one, wearing goofy glasses oohed at Squee’s badarsery. He did a little flex with one of his fore legs.

“Yeah… so anyway, what part of Stabletown are you two from?”

“Squee?”

“Sweetie?” Squee turned around to face her and smiled. “Excuse me ladies...”

Squee went up to Sweetie. “I was wondering where you’d run off to. Did you find who you were looking for?”

Sweetie nodded. “Yeah. And then some.”

“What?”

Sweetie opened her mouth, ready to explain what had just happened to her. Then she stopped to reconsider. She wasn’t sure why… but something in her told her that she couldn’t tell Squee what had happened. The reason however, was difficult to place. Maybe it was simply the thought that he’d think whatever came out of her mouth was the drivel of some filly gone mad. Or perhaps… perhaps it was that creeping paranoia that seemed to resurface in the back of her mind. For some reason, despite yet doing anything to earn any distrust, she felt as though she couldn’t trust him with such information.

“Er… I’ll tell you a little later.”
[Not and actual break]

“Well… what are you up to now?”

“I’m trying to see if I can get Mr. Treble’s attention. He’s too busy performing back in the courtyard… so that wasn’t happening. I came back here looking for another of the instrumentalists. Speaking of which, did you see a grey mare pass by here?”

“Wasn’t really paying attention.” Squee shrugged. “Sorry.”

“Dang. Dinners going to be soon too… I need to get a hold of both of them.”

“Want me to help you look for her?”

Sweetie considered allowing Squee to tag along, but ultimately decided against it. The paranoia told her she’d get more done on her own. At least for now.

“Not yet. Just stay around here, in case I do need you.”

“You sure?”

Sweetie nodded.

“I’ll keep an eye out for that grey mare while you do… well, whatever you do.”

“Thanks. I’ll see you soon.” Squee turned back to the two fillies he’d been chatting with. Sweetie place exactly how she felt about Squee’s flirting with the two other fillies. Something in her was offended at the colt, just short of forgetting that he’d come to the party with her as a date. Yet at the same time, a part of her was relieved that it was so simple to keep Squee occupied and from looking over her shoulder when she least desired. At this point, Sweetie was almost positive she had more than one mind working in her head. Something trying to work its way to the surface of her brain… something important.

Sweetie moved over to the small hall leading directly to the kitchen, hoping to catch a glance of Barra, or possible inspiration for a distraction plan to stop the show. Once inside, she didn’t come across Barra, but another pony she needed to speak to.

“Cal?” Sweetie asked the mare who leaned against the wall, boredom reading across her face. She turned her head toward her summoned and gave a small smile.

“Well, look at you little filly.” She got up off the wall. “Don’t you clean up nice?”

Sweetie returned the smile. “Thanks. Ms. Axinite gave it to me.”

“Upper Stabletown girl?”

“You know her?”

“Know her? Anytime there’s a rush for these here dresses, she’s the only one to know. Though, didn’t know she was willin’ to sell to a Lower Stabletown filly at the last Celestia cursed minute. What’d ja do to get her to sell to you?”

“Apparently she knew me from earlier today.” Sweetie explained.

“Must’ve made some impression to make her hassle like that.”

Sweetie shrugged. “I guess.”

“So where are you headed off to now?”

“Er… actually, I’m looking for some pony. Did you see a grey mare pass by?”

“Mmmhmm.” Cal nodded. “Couple times actually.”

“Where did she go?”

“Can’t say for sure. She passed back and forth a few times… though I’m betting I wasn’t paying attention enough to really know which way she was going. I’d check the dining hall if I were you.”

“Thanks for the tip.” Sweetie smiled.

“Anythin’ for another pearbucker.” She winked back.

“By the way, I was also hoping if I couldn’t take a quick picture of you.”

“Huh?”

“It won’t be more than a second. I just need a-”

“Hay no!”

Sweetie stopped in mid-reach for her hidden saddlebags. “What? What do you mean?”

“I ain’t lett’n you put my soul in no little box.”

“…you’re kidding right?” Sweetie let out a few laughs before realizing Cal’s smile had transitioned into an appalled expression.

“No I ain’t.” Cal said firmly.

“Ms. Cal, it doesn’t-”

“Ah don’t believe it. Listen to me Sweetie. If you got one of them demon boxes, then I’d throw it away if ah were you too. Ah’ve seen it. Some pony takes a picture of some pony, and all of a sudden, it bites a chunk of yer soul right out of yer eye sockets.”

“That’s silly. You’re being silly.”

“Then the demons in that damned box can read yer thoughts. They take control of yer mind. Some kind of government conspiracy I tell you. A crime against the princess!”

But I thought the princess kind of was the government…

“But Cal-”

Cal shook her head. “Nope. No magic demon boxes gon’ get my soul. End of story.”

So much for ‘Anythin’ for another pear bucker’.

“Right… right. I was just kidding anyway.” Sweetie attempted. “Heck, I don’t have anything to take a picture of anything anyway.”

Cal raised a brow.

“Really! I was just er… testing to see if some other pony knew about the evil camera conspiracy. I was joking.” Sweetie lied. The last thing Sweetie wanted was for Cal to know about the ‘demon box’ in her bag, and possibly consider smashing it into tiny little pieces. Thankfully, Cal didn’t push it further. She merely leaned back up against the wall. “Alright then. Had me worried for a second.”

“Sorry.”

“Nah, it’s fine.” Her smile returned. “No harm done righ’?”

Sweetie forced one back. “I guess. Well… I’ve got to go.”

“Alright. See you. Ya look good in that there hat, by the way.”

Sweetie nodded and left Cal to enter the dining hall. Once she was sure she was out of earshot, she mumbled a groan. It looked like every time she made progress, or the less time she had, another problem came up. As far as she knew, she needed Cal’s photo to add to the other names on the library sheet. Without it, she was just as stuck as she was without Treble or Barra.

C’mon Sweetie think. You’re somewhat smart enough to work your way through this predicament… just wish there was some kind of hint to point me in the right direct-

“Hey there!” Sweetie snapped her head to the booming sound of some masculine mare in the hall. It was then Sweetie realized how empty the place was, aside from a few butlers setting up the elegant delicacies along the table. The only non-butler currently in there was a purple mare, who without a doubt was intoxicated. It was quite apparent between the empty wine bottle and the slur in her voice. “C’mere little filly.”

Oh boy. And now this.

Against her better judgment, Sweetie approached the mare who squinted at her, as if she were examining her. She didn’t like talking to this mare, though at this point, she was lost. Even if she left now, all she’d do is wander the mansion more until she found Barra, inevitably running into another problem. Just as Sweetie entered the vicinity of her foul alcohol layered breath, she let out a laugh. Sweetie stopped.

“C’mon filly, just a little closer. I’m not gonna bite you.”

You could do a whole lot worse.

“What do you want me for?” Sweetie asked.

“C’mon. I wanna ask you something.”

“You can ask me from right there.” Sweetie said.

She laughed again. “You crack me up little filly.”

“Please call me Sweetie.”

“What are you up to little filly?”

What made me think she was actually listening? Sweetie thought. “Um… stuff. Listen, I’m really busy and I need to go-”

“Where?” the mare asked, surprising Sweetie. Her voice was still slurred and barely comprehensible, though her tone had more structure to it. “You don’t even know… huh?”

“…that’s… not a bad guess I guess.” Sweetie said. Now she was interested. Could this slurred mare have some insight to achieving her goal?

“Yeah… I guess we all find us there some time or another, eh? Something stuff in life just… happens and BAM!” She slammed the table, making Sweetie jump. Even a few of the butlers turned a head to make sure the mare wasn’t preparing to get out of hand. Within the second, they turned back to their tasks. “You find yourself at the bottom of some pit dyin’ or wishing you already were dead.” She snickered. “In my case, at the bottom of some bottle.”

“…you’re drunk.” Sweetie sighed, feeling the glimmer of hope fading. “Listen, I don’t have time for any philosophical-”

“Dah, shut up and let me yap already.” The mare slurred. “Might learn something.”

Sweetie shook her head, annoyed, but didn’t move from her spot, deciding to let her continue to run her mouth some more.

“But when you find your there… and you’re not dead yet, time passes. You start thinking. Start… observing why you went there. Why you fell, you know?”

“I don’t, but go on.”

The mare leaned her head back in her seat and opened her mouth. It was hard to tell, but Sweetie assumed she was thinking. After a moment of silence, she continued. “Ever hear of Dragonshine?”

Sweetie shook her head.

“One shot and you’re out, I’ll tell you. Had to learn that the hard way. Made the mix myself actually. Not a smart idea I’ll tell you though.”

“No offense, but where’s the point to this story?”

“I went for a bottle.”

“…is that bad?”

“A kid got put into the hospital because of me.” She ignored. “Wife left me. Lots of hate on me, I’ll tell you. Funny now that I’ve got myself a pretty library mare to take up and…” he snickered, looked at Sweetie and shook his head. “Suppose that’s something you’ll learn sometime later but… but damn me if I couldn’t hold my own for a while. That’s the ‘stuff’ I was telling you about, you follow?”

“Surprisingly.” Sweetie admitted, amazed that the drunkard’s story did hold some consistency.

“… so then before I had her… my best friend was the bottle, y’know?” the mare continued. “Eventually, not knowing nothing about drinks, I go ahead and start mixing them. Disgusting stuff I’ll tell you, but it did the job. Kind of…”

“What’s the ‘kind of’ part?”

“All it did was numb the brain. Tasted like jack, I’ll tell you.”

“I’ve never tasted ‘jack’ before, so I can’t relate.”

“But eventually, I came across a special mix I named ‘Dragonshine’. Never tasted anything like it. Had the perfect blend of bitterness of Lunashine, and Berdragon wine… with a hint of Kidder’s Hue. It’s fine if you know how to control yourself, which I didn’t.”

“How much?”

“The stuff takes a good 4 or 5 minutes to kick in. Take one shot, you’ll get a nice buzz. Two, you’re out. A whole bottle… well, you might as well have signed your death warrant right there. Bein’ well… me, I took a whole half a bottle. Hay, even that was enough to melt my brain and throw me out. If it wasn’t for some mare finding me on the ground on my back, barely breathing and out cold, I probably wouldn’t be telling you this story right now.”

“Sorry to hear that… but even after that, you kept drinking?”

The mare nodded. “Lying in that hospital that night got me thinking about quitting. And you know what? I couldn’t. Found myself lying at the bottom of some hole because of that stuff, y’know? Anyway, then I got to thinking… if I couldn’t stop, or rather, if I didn’t want to stop, how in the hay could I turn this thing around? Then I realized something. Because of all of that drinking, I got a taste for good and bad wine. Once I was out, I started a business for mixing different wines. Got good enough when I started getting associated with the high class stuff… especially that Dragonshine.”

“Is that the end of the story?” Sweetie asked.

The mare shrugged. “Pretty much.”

“And… the moral was?”

“Weren’t you listening? Because of that hole, I’m the bucking king of wine around here!” she exclaimed. Sweetie flinched at her outburst, and even the butlers gave her a second glance. “Don’t you even know who I am?”

“Not a clue. Even if I did, I’m still sorting out my memories… so if I heard your name-”

The mare lazily pointed over at the empty bottle of wine set on the table. The same mare was on it, leaning against a barrel of wine with her forelegs crossed. It said:

Clasee Crosser’s

Rolling Red Wine

“Huh.”

“How else in the hay do you think I’m as drunk as a spunk and haven’t been kicked out yet? Willing to bet half of the ponies here come for my stuff so they don’t got to buy it themselves.”

“I guess.” Sweetie said. Sweetie looked around the room at a few ponies that had entered the room, likely preparing for the dinner. How much time had she wasted talking to Clasee? She had to get moving.

“Besides, it’s not like I cause a racket when I’m drunk eh? Can’t imagine some of these ponies when they’re drunk and angry.”

Drunk and angry? Sweetie thought. She wondered…

“Thanks for the story Miss… ter Crosser?” Sweetie added. “I really need to get going.”

Sweetie turned around and stopped. A brainstorm came. “Er… Mr. Crosser?”

“Hm?” She asked. She seemed to be slipping further into her drink.

“Actually… an er… mare wanted me to offer them some drink. If I were to, oh, I dunno, get them one, where would I find it?”

“Which one are you looking for?”

“Berdragon.” Sweetie regurgitated.

“Hm… didn’t know you knew about no wine names.”

His memory’s worse than mine!

Sky let out another drunk laugh. “I guess you’d find it in the kitchen, I dunno where the uptight classy Yield keeps his happy juice.”

“Thanks for the tip.” Sweetie walked off, hoping she wouldn’t have to talk to her again. Admittedly though, she did inspire a plan of some sort. A horrible idea, though one that could work…

Sweetie entered the kitchen, thankfully currently empty of any living pony. Even the chef or whoever was cooking originally seemed to be absent. He couldn’t be gone long however, as Sweetie still smelled something cooking, as well as the black burning of the coal in the oven. Next to the oven, she noted a pack of kitchen matches. Sweetie knew they might come in handy as she took them and put them away under her dress.

Sweetie continued to look over the kitchen. Since it was fairly lit, and fairly narrow, Sweetie didn’t take long to find the rows of wine set on their racks.

“Alright… what was that mix again…?” Sweetie mumbled.

Lunashine, Berdragon, and just a hint of Kidder’s Hue…

Sweetie checked the door again, sure that she’d get in trouble if she were caught doing this. Once she was sure she was still undetected, she began scanning the brands. Eventually, she came across each, and set them down to the side. She then took down another random wine bottle that looked just about emptied. Conveniently, each of the corks were pulled out just enough for her to grab onto them with her teeth. Sweetie then proceeded to pour even amounts of each drink into the bottle.

It might have a little bit extra… but that should work. Sweetie thought as she put the cork back onto the previously empty bottle, now holding the Dragonshine mix. She stuffed the bottle in her saddlebag, as well as a separate wine glass, cleaned her mess, and left the kitchen. She moved past Cal, hoping she wouldn’t notice the bottle bulging through her dress. At least not yet.

Once Sweetie was back out in the foyer, she found Squee alone. It looked as though the two he’d been talking with had finally lost interest in him.

“Hey Squee? Mind doing me a really weird favor?”

“Hm? What’s up?”

“In about a minute, I need you to get Cal to follow you.”

“Cal? You mean the pearbucker we met earlier?”

“The same.”

“Why?”

“Later. Right now we’re kind of on crunch time.”

“For-”

“Squee. Later. Just… in a minute, go into that hallway, and lead her, or even better, get her to chase you over to the courtyard where the performance is happening. Make her mad at you if it’ll make her move faster.”

Squee looked at Sweetie unsurely. “Sweetie, what in the hay are you planning to do once she’s over there?”

“C’mon. Please?” Sweetie looked at Squee with puppy dog eyes. He broke instantly.

“Alright, alright, I’ll do it.” Squee said.

“Remember. One minute.” Sweetie ran back to the hall splitting the dining area and the foyer. She didn’t need another tingling nuzzle from Squee to cloud her already thinly laid out plan. Once she was there, she again confronted Cal again.

“Hey Cal.” Sweetie greeted.

“Hey. Ya need something else?”

Sweetie shook her head as she took out the bottle. Cal raised a brow.

“Ya know little fillies ain’t supposed to be carryin’ booze around like that.”

“I just thought you looked like you… er… were thirsty is all.” Sweetie smiled. Sweetie took out her glass next.

“Ah don’t usually drink filly.”

“C’mon…” Sweetie pleaded. “Everypony comes here for the wine.”

“Who told you that?”

“The rambling drunk pony in there.” Sweetie said. “Just give it a try. What harm could one or two glasses do?”

Without the same knowledge as her, Cal nodded. “Ah suppose no pony’s really been hurt by no glass… alright, I’ll take a glass. But you put that back once yer done with it.”

“Definitely.” Sweetie said as she put the glass on the ground and proceeded to pour the Dragonshine. Cal carefully took up the glass and drank it in one gulp. She shook her head as drink hit her stomach.

“Alright I’ll er… just take this back where I found it.”

“Yuh huh…” Cal mumbled. Had the drink already started taking effect? Maybe Cal didn’t have as strong of a tolerance for wine as she’d guessed. “See ya.”

Sweetie put the bottle back away, left the hall and made her way back to the hallway at the top of the stairs. She didn’t see Squee, and was slightly worried for a moment that he wasn’t executing his part of Sweetie’s plan. Sweetie walked through the hall that lead to the courtyard, occasionally glancing back, hoping to hear the patter of a mare chasing a colt…

Finally, Sweetie was back in the courtyard. Not much had changed besides the added guests of Cabbie, Feather and Covri. Treble and Harmonica were still performing and oblivious to Sweetie, and Notetooth was still playing the piano. It was then Sweetie realized her plan was still in jeopardy if she couldn’t get Notetooth to leave her piano for a good minute or so. Sweetie went over to the of the piano opposite of the dragon and stared at the courtyard entrance. She rapidly brainstormed ideas to get her away if the first distraction didn’t.

Just as Sweetie was ready to give up, Squee came running through as fast as he could. He ran over to the filly.

“Where were you?! It’s been like… 5 minutes!” Sweetie asked.

“Oh, it’s only been more like ten.” Squee panted. “Besides, you told me to make her mad, and that’s what I did. Amazing how short somepony’s temper gets when they’re drunk off their flank.”

“Where is she?”

“Last I checked, right behind me.” Squee recalled, also watching the entrance. “Screaming how she was going to beat me into the ground with a pear tree.”

“Fun.”

“If you were trying to get her some attention Sweetie, I bet-”

“Where the hay are ya you little runt?” Came the slurred speech of the pear bucker.

At first, only a few heads turned. It was only when the mare came barreling and tripping through everypony did she really start gaining attention. Her and Squee locked eyes.

“There ya are. I-”

As just about all eyes on Sweetie’s and Squee’s side of the courtyard were turned at the drunk ranch pony, two butlers went to confront her. Though apart of Sweetie expected it, she was somewhat surprised to see how right Notetooth was. Harmonica and Treble didn’t miss a beat even with Cal’s arrival. Notetooth however, in his short attention spanned girl mind, had stopped playing to watch attentively.

“Ma’am. We’re going to have to ask you to calm down.” One of the butlers suggested.

“I need you to do something else.” Sweetie turned to him.

“Don’t tell me I’ve got to get some other nutcase to chase me now.” Squee said, facing her.

“No, not that. Remember when you were flirting to those other ponies earlier?”

“Look Sweetie, I wasn’t flirting with-”

“I don’t care what you call it. I need to do the same thing with him- er, her.”

“Who? That cute looking dragon?” Squee asked.

“Y-yeah. Keep her distracted… at least long enough for Cal to get dragged out.” Sweetie said. “Use your… charm or whatever.”

“Git out of my way! I’m gonna kill ‘em!”

“Ma’m. If you can’t calm down, we’re going to have to restrain you and ask you to leave.” The other butler warned.

“You ain’t the boss of me!” Cal attempted to charge through the butlers who caught her before she could get through.

Squee meanwhile moved over to the other side of the piano. Sweetie couldn’t hear the dialogue between them, though a loud enough giggle told her that Squee had distracted Notetooth for the moment.

Sweetie lifted the piano lid and gave a quick look around to make sure everyone’s eyes were still locked on the rowdy pearbucker, now wrestling the two butlers attempting to restrain her. When she was sure she’d be alright, she gave a look at a corner of the courtyard and studied it for a few moments. Then she looked back at the piano and lifted the lid. She studied the inside of it, so she could see the sound board and hammers with her mind’s eye as well. She closed the lid and crawled under the piano so she’d be out of sight. Once she was sure she wouldn’t bring any attention to herself in the spot, she closed her eyes and cast a teleportation spell into the piano. The next thing she knew, she was lying on the strings of the instrument in claustrophobia inducing darkness.

So far so good. she thought. She then reached into her saddlebags and fished out the gunpowder box. She remembered the racket and sparks it caused on the road… she also remembered the damage it caused to the firework machine because of the amount stuffed inside. That thing was made of metal… the piano was of wood. She wondered what would happen if she planted lit gunpowder in the piano. Maybe it’d do enough to convince Treble and Covri to get off of the stage?

Sweetie set the box as flat as she could on a set of string hammers beside her. She heard Squee outside attempting to convince Notetooth to leave to party with her. Notetooth seemed to sickeningly giggle that masculine giggle that made Sweetie want to gag, every time Squee spoke to him… er, her, in that flirtatious manner. Though it was obvious Squee’s charm was beginning to wear on her. It also sounded like Cal had finally been restrained outside as her thrashing became dimmer and dimmer. She didn’t have much time… but she was almost done in either case.

Sweetie took out one of the matches she found in the kitchen and lit it on the matchbox. She held it in front of her, hesitant to light the box… realizing how close Notetooth was to the box. It’d definitely catch her by surprise, but… could it hurt her?

“Listen…” Notetooth giggled. “You’re really fun, but I’ve really got to get back to playing.”

“Aw c’mon. Don’t be like that. Want to see my muscles?”

“You already showed me.” She giggled again.

“Want to see them again?” Squee insisted.

Sweetie had to do it. Now or never, she supposed. She lit the box on fire and watched as the small flame began to glow. She had to get out now… wouldn’t be long before the sparks started to fly. She closed her eyes and focused whatever magic she had left on a second teleportation spell and appeared behind several ponies in the corner of the courtyard. She saw Squee and caught his eye. She beckoned for him to approach her.

He nodded, said a few words to Notetooth, and began walking toward Sweetie. The colt barely made it halfway to Sweetie, nor did Notetooth play more than two chords before-

BOOM!

The whole courtyard jumped as the piano burst into flames. The explosion was way larger than Sweetie had anticipated. Anyone within a few yards of the piano was blown back from it… including Notetooth, Harmonica and Treble.

“Uh oh.” Sweetie mumbled. Squee gave a few moments of staring at the piano before staring back at Sweetie with a look to say What in the hay did you just do?!

Sweetie ran forward to Squee.

“Sweetie-”

“Shut up and check if Notetooth is alright.” She rushed past him to the scene, as every other pony began chatting panicky, evacuating the courtyard, or frozen over shock the explosion. Sweetie dodged the dropped broken wine glasses and appetizers as she made her way over to Treble and Harmonica. She first checked Harmonica. She was unconscious… and thankfully so. She was alive, but Sweetie wouldn’t have to hear her start complaining over being blown off of the stage. Aside from a few burn marks, she looked like she would live.

Sweetie moved around to the other side of the stage where Treble had fallen. He moaned as he laid on his now shattered guitar.

“Treble. Are you okay?” Sweetie asked.

She shook her head and looked down at his broken instrument with a heavy heart. She almost looked like she was ready to cry, striking Sweetie with a sudden arrow of guilt.

“Treble…” Sweetie tried again. “I’m sorry about your-”

“This… this was the first guitar I’d ever played.” She mumbled, barely audible to Sweetie’s ears. She closed them for a minute and looked sharply at Sweetie. “What the hay just happened?!”

“Er… the piano exploded.” Sweetie recapped.

“HOW?!” She said angrily.

“I-I don’t know!” Sweetie lied. “It j-just happened. I’m sorry…”

Treble took a deep breath, shivering over the entire inhale. Finally, the anger left her eyes. “It’s… not your fault Sweetie I…” She whipped the little water droplets that had accumulated in the sides of her eyes. “Just… really liked this guitar is all.”

Sweetie allowed a minute of silence, for Treble to pay her respects to her special guitar. As she did, a thought came to Sweetie. Something that didn’t just sting her conscience, but weigh on her soul, as she watched Treble cuddle the remnants of her guitar: she did it for her own selfish reason.

It stuck in her mind in a certain way for reasons she couldn’t quite allocate. She heard something in her head, whisper to her…

You did it again you spoiled filly…

Sweetie shook her head, and turned her attention back on Treble.

“M… Mr. Treble?”

It took a moment for the mare to respond before she over at her again. “What is it?”

Hm… maybe I should have a good reason to lure Treble where I need her to. Doesn’t look like she’ll be in the mood to just follow me without one. Sweetie figured. “I… that is, Mr. Yield… he sent me for you actually.”

“Heh… weren’t you supposed to be here?” Treble commented.

“I got a little side tracked and came across him first. He knew who I was apparently.” Sweetie explained.

“I… suppose I did mention you when we arrived... then again, I don’t remember really going into detail about you with anypony else aside from Barra.”

“Maybe he just has a good eye for naming ponies?” Sweetie suggested.

“…what did he want?”

“He er… wanted you to play an instrument for him.” Sweetie said. Treble didn’t look very thrilled at the thought of playing another instrument after the loss of his previous one.

“Hmph… I’d rather decline that opportunity.” Treble said. “I might break it.”

“H-he said it was important. Urgent actually.” Sweetie pressed.

“Why would it be ‘urgent’ to play something?” Treble asked.

“Er, because… his daughter’s been feeling really bad. Hiding it really well but, she’s been sick for a long time.” Sweetie weaved. “But she really likes er… listening to harp music when she’s feeling down. That’s what Mr. Yield told me anyway.”

“Really now… well… I don’t exactly have an instrument to play.”

“That’s fine. He has a harp.” Sweetie said. “You… can play that, can you?”

Treble sighed. “It certainly isn’t my favorite instrument. Hay, in all honesty, I’m better at the lyre, but… I could play the harp for the kid.”

“Great!” Sweetie exclaimed. She calmed down after she noticed the suspicious look Treble darted at her. “Er… let me go check on my friend real quick and I’ll meet you back in the foyer.”

“Hm… yeah, I’ll take the opportunity to check on my wife as well.” Treble said, getting up and leaving her broken guitar on the ground. “See you in a few.”

Sweetie nodded and the two went their separate ways. Sweetie went to go check on Notetooth and Squee.

“How is she?” Sweetie asked out of concern.

“Hm… she’s breathing, but out cold.” Squee diagnosed. “But damn Sweetie! What the heck did you do?”

“…stuff.” Sweetie responded shortly, not eager to get into the specifics of her bomb. “But Notetooth’ll be alright?”

“She’s not bleeding as far as I can tell. Dragons are tough like that but… if you call a bruise or two ‘okay’ then she’s just peachy.”

“I’ll accept that.” Sweetie sighed, happy she at least wouldn’t need to add murder to her list of guilt tonight. “Anyway, could you carry her over to Feather? She should still be around here and-”

“NOTETOOTH!” yelled two voices.

The both of them turned around to find Barra, and another white pony with unkempt blue mane and glasses, running for them. Though Sweetie couldn’t read the expression behind the white pony’s sunglasses, she could see the bright worry and fear of Barra present on her face. Certainly the most emotion she’d seen her display that night.

“What happened!?” Barra asked. “Is she-”

“Calm down, she’s fine.” Squee assured. “Sweetie and I just checked. She just got a little-”

“Move it kid!” The white one pushed Squee to the side, as they both knelt beside their unconscious dragon friend.

This must be that other mare Barra mentioned… Did Notetooth say her name was Symbol or something? Sweetie thought. “Um… Barra?”

“She’s still breathing.” The grey mare sighed in relief.

“Told you.” Squee said. “Just a few bruises is all.”

“Is there a nurse somewhere around here?” Symbol asked.

“Feather is around here somewhere.” Squee noted.

“What’s she look like?”

“Er… yellow mare, pink mane… really quiet looking.” Sweetie said.

“Sym, go look for the mare.” Barra instructed, proceeding to pet Notetooth on his head. “Poor dear…”

“On it Barry.” Symbol gave a quick salute and left the scene, leaving Squee, Sweetie, Barra, and unconscious Notetooth.

“Barra.” Sweetie tried again.

She looked up. “What? Oh, you… what happened?”

Squee gave Sweetie a quick glance. “Er… her piano exploded.” She said.

“What? You mean it just-”

“Blew up out of nowhere, yeah.”

“My… I’ve heard rumors that this mansion wasn’t safe, but this is ridiculous!” Barra said.

Heh, you’d be surprised how unsafe this place really is Sweetie thought, recalling the ghosts that had tailed and attempted to kill her a little over 20 minutes ago.

“Well, I’m sure she’ll be fine.” Sweetie said. “Er… Barra, would you mind doing me a favor?”

Barra shook her head. “Not now Sweetie. I need to wait to make sure my Notetooth will be alright. Ask me a little bit later.”

But I don’t know if I have a little bit later! Sweetie thought, though she resisted the urge to press the issue. It was fairly clear that Barra cared, and was downright scared for Notetooth’s life. Even if she wasn’t in any immediate danger, she’d need a little while, and possibly a diagnosis from Feather to his health, before she could think about doing something else.

“Okay, sorry.” Sweetie said. “I’ve got to run somewhere else anyway, but I still need to talk to you. Don’t go too far, okay?”

“I’m not going anywhere until I’m one hundred percent sure she’s okay.”

Sweetie nodded, and beckoned for Squee to follow her, which he did without question. Once they were out of earshot, Squee whispered to Sweetie, “Alright, now what are you planning tootse?”

“First off, don’t call me tootse.” Sweetie started. “And second off, I’m not planning anything.”

“Feels like déjà vu already.”

“Really.” Sweetie assured. “But I do need you to do something else. Nothing major.”

Reluctantly, Squee sighed. “What?”

“C’mon.” The two of them made their way to the two butlers who were watching the unconscious mare who they lied in a corner. Sweetie looked up at the butlers.

“Um… is she alright?” she checked.

“Yes. Ms. Cal here just blacked out.” One of the butlers said.

“You’re just going to leave her here?” Sweetie asked.

“We’re sure she’ll move herself once she wakes up.” The other butler assured. “Wither or not she wakes up before dinner is over… well, that will be her own fault. It’s quite improper to show up drunk to a gathering such as this.”

“Unless you’re a fellow who maintains some of his class like the Crosser fellow.” The first butler sighed. “But what can you expect from a pear bucker, hm? No offense.”

“None taken, but could I check her for a second?”

“If you insist.” The second butler allowed, stepping aside for Sweetie and Squee.

“So… what do you want me to do?” Squee asked.

“Hold her eyes open.” Sweetie instructed as she went into her bag to fish out her camera. “I’ve got to see her eyes.”

Squee opened his mouth to ask why, and shut it, quickly realizing Sweetie was bound to side step his in inquiry regardless. He went behind the mare, propped her head up, and pulled on the eye lids to display her green eyes. Sweetie took out her camera and aimed it at Cal.

“Smile for the camera.” Sweetie mumbled as she snapped the shot.

CLICK!

Got it! Sweetie cheered in her mind. That was the fifth picture. Now, all she needed was Axinite’s photo… the only problem was that she’d yet to see the mare anywhere around the mansion. Where in the hay could she be? Hopefully she’d come across her somewhere…

“Alright, let her be.” Sweetie said as Squee let go of the pear bucker’s head.

“Now what?” Squee asked.

“I just need you to keep an eye on Barra and Symbol while I’m gone.” Sweetie said. “I’ve er… got to check something else.”

“If you say so Sweets.” Squee said. “Don’t be long though. I want to walk with you into the dining hall at dinner.”

“Sure.” Sweetie nodded as she ran off. She gave a quick glance over at the flaming piano and stage a few butlers had gone over to douse the fires of, noting Treble was now gone. Sweetie figured she’d gone ahead already. Sweetie quickly made her way down to the foyer, afraid to find a clock to tell her how much time she had left.

After a fair amount of sprinting, Sweetie made it to the foyer in what felt like less than a minute. There, she saw Treble, conveniently waiting by the same door that led into the instrument room.

“Mr. Clef!” Sweetie called, gaining his otherwise aloof attention. “In there!”

Treble looked at the door he was next to and pointed to it. After Sweetie gave a nod of confirmation, she headed inside ahead of her. Suddenly, without Treble’s consent, the door swung shut all by itself.

Uh… Sweetie thought, unsure of what just happened. Thankfully, no pony who was still in the foyer commented on the sentient door. Curious on the fate of Treble, Sweetie walked inside herself. It was just as dark as before… but when Sweetie shined her flashlight around, she nearly dropped it when she found Treble.

She was frozen! Completely and fully frozen throughout her body. She was so chilled, that clouds of mist surfaced on her rock solid coat.

Oh Celestia… is she dead? Sweetie wondered. Then, a thought of hope came to her. That… maybe she wasn’t. Perhaps her freezing was somehow apart of the puzzle/scavenger hunt she’d been tasked with. Maybe there was a way of unfreezing her. However, until the time came to figure that out, she still had plenty of other stuff to complete.

“Sorry about this Mr. Clef.” Sweetie said, unsure if she could hear her. “B-but I’ll be back to fix you. Hold on, okay?”

Sweetie left the room, constantly hoping that she didn’t just kill one of the nicest ponies she’d come across… next to Ms. Axinite of course.

***

Sweetie sped back to the courtyard to find Feather bandaging Notetooth. Barra stood by him, watching the dragon intensely. Sweetie was a bit angry to find Squee nowhere to be found, as she assumed he was, once again, flirting with some other filly. The trend was beginning to get annoying to her.

She approached the triplet of mares. “Is she still doing okay?” Sweetie, of course knew the answer, but figured she wasn’t getting far with Barra if she didn’t show some concern for the dragon she cared so much for.

“Dragons are remarkably fast healers.” Feather commented. “She’s healing up fast, but right now, I’m just monitoring her vitals to make sure she doesn’t decline. Other than that, if she keeps up at this rate, she’ll be up and about a little after dinner time.”

“That’s good.” Sweetie said. “Barra-”

“Not now Sweetie.” Barra snapped.

Sweetie resisted a groan. “Barra, listen, I really need you to come with me. Notetooth’s fine. Right Feather?”

“Only concern I can name is the exposed bruising.” She said.

Barra shook her head. “I’m not leaving until my friend is up.”

“But-”

“No, Belle.”

Sweetie was feeling panicked again. She had to be just upon the 30 minute mark then, and she’d be running over time in just a second. Her plan had backfired on her, creating a new problem: how in the heck could she convince Barra to leave sooner?!

Sweetie closed her eyes to think, and come up with another plan… then one did.

“Ms. Feather?” Sweetie asked. “You don’t… have any more bandages on you, do you?”

“What? Why?”

“Well… you just didn’t look like you had any.” Sweetie said. “And even more, there’s other ponies in here that need medical bandage stuff too, right? Like Ms. Clef over there.”

Feather covered her mouth at the mention of a pony she’d neglected to provide medical attention to. “You’re right. I didn’t mean to, I just-”

“It’s fine.” Sweetie said. “I was… just going to offer to go get some more supplies for you. One of the Yield kids showed me where some medical supplies were. A whole infirmary full of stuff.”

“Oh, that would be wonderful!” Feather smiled.

“But… I could use some help in getting those supplies.” Sweetie said. “Maybe… Ms. Symbol could help me?”

Symbol opened her mouth, but was cut off by Barra. “You should help her.” She said.

Feather nodded in agreement. “Some pain killers, some more bandages, perhaps a splint in case she has something broken that requires more healing… enough for the two of them.”

Symbol shrugged. “Sure, I guess.”

“Great! C’mon. Let’s hurry.” Sweetie insisted as she ran out, inviting Symbol to do the same. Matching her speed, the two made it back out into the foyer second floor.

“Through here!” Sweetie said, heading through the right door.

“Slow down, will ya?” Symbol suggested. Sweetie ignored her, continuing through at the same speed. Sweetie raced down the empty hallway, doing her absolute best not to think about the horror that had chased her through it earlier. Finally Sweetie found the door she was looking for, still as wide open as she left it.

Sweetie waited for Symbol inside the room she’d found the GCD in. Her mind continuously thought about how she was going to execute this little point of deception.

“Here? You sure this is it?” Symbol asked, looking at the strange room. “All I see is a bunch of furnature and crap.”

“Er… I’m sure this is it.” Sweetie lied. “Let’s look around, maybe it’s under these sheets or something. Here. Take off those sunglasses so you can see better.”

“But I like my sunglasses. It’s like, my thing.”

“We’ll get back faster alright? Do you really want to stick around here that long?”

“…I got to admit, this room is giving me the creeps… sunglasses aren’t helping much either.” Symbol said.

“Give them to me, I’ll hold on to them.” Sweetie offered.

“…alright kid, sure.” Symbol smiled as she took the glasses off, exposing her red eyes. “Don’t break them.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Symbol turned around to investigate the far wall. “I’ll check this wall. You check the other one.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Sweetie said, as she quietly crept out of the room. She closed the door, thankful that it didn’t creek as obnoxiously as she’d expected it to. Once she clicked it shut, she quickly moved a vase stand conveniently beside the door and propped it up against the knob.

“Filly?” Sweetie heard from the other side of the door. “What the-” There was banging on the door as she tried desperately to force the door open. “Hey! What happened?! Open up!”

“Sorry Ms. Symbol…” Sweetie said, giving a look at the sunglasses before throwing it against the wall. She picked it up, examining it to find it had a nice crack across the lenses. “I’ll come back to let you out if I can.” Sweetie placed the broken sunglasses in her bag.

“FILLY! SWEETIE BELLE!” The banging became progressively more furious as Sweetie ran back the way she came. The same hit of selfish guilt came to her again. She ran her way back to the courtyard, breathlessly. She was getting sick of all the running around bull already.

“Sweetie? Where’s the supplies.” Barra asked when she rushed up to her.

“…Symbol…” Sweetie panted. “Something happened to her. She needs Barra.”

“Me?” Barra asked, looking up from Notetooth. With that, Sweetie presented the broken pair of glasses to them. Both Barra and Feather gasped.

“First Notetooth… now Symbol…”

“She called for you specifically…” Sweetie said. “She’s with the medical supplies to. I need you to follow me.”

“I’ll come too-”

“No!” Sweetie snapped before Feather could complete her sentence. “Er, I mean… you need to keep an eye on Notetooth. So you can make sure she doesn’t decline, or whatever you call it. Symbol’s not seriously hurt… she just needs you.”

Barra glanced unsurely at Feather. “…go. See what’s wrong with your friend… I’ll keep an eye on Notetooth for now, unless you really want me to-”

Barra cut her off, nervousness in her voice. “N-o, no, that’s fine. Sweetie won’t mind coming back for you if… if there’s something to worry about, I’m sure Sweetie will be willing to run back to get you… right?”

“Sure!” Sweetie said, jumping impatiently. “C’mon! Let’s go!”

Barra followed Sweetie the same way she came half way before slowing down, breathing heavily.

“Hold… hold on Belle. I need to catch my breath.” She panted.

Sweetie turned around to see Barra’s head ducked down to the ground as the breathed heavily. As much as Sweetie hated slowing down, she didn’t say anything to urge the mare forward. “Sure.”

“Thank you.” She sniffed. “Could we… possibly slow down? I-I mean, is she really in need of such immediate attention? Is she really that…”

“Er… I suppose we could just speed walk the rest of the way. It’s not much farther.” Sweetie said. “And… she’s not as bad as you think. She just had me worried when she er… fell down that flight of stairs.”

Barra looked up with worry in her eyes.

“L-like I said. She just wanted you to be with her is all.” Sweetie said. “I’m sure she’ll live.”

“I hope… she’s one of the two things that give me purpose these days…” She sighed.

“What?”

“…it’s nothing. Just an old fooler’s self-pity. Nothing more.”

“You’re not that old.” Sweetie commented.

Barra chuckled. “You’re either sarcastic or blind if you’re letting that slip through your teeth. 30 years? Hmph… I’m just about at the end of my life.”

“R…really?”

“They say cardiac problems.” She said.

“What’s that?”

“I supposedly have a weak heart. One that could go out at any second.”

“I’m… I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Hmph. Don’t be. I’ve got Sym to pity me when I need it. Notetooth to… to almost make me forget.”

“What do you mean?” Sweetie asked as they both turned the corner. Sweetie could see the door was open from where she was standing.

“Sym I met a while back. Going on about some ‘musical revolution’ that would change the course of history… something like that. She was just a big fat dreamer, but the way she just talked about music with such interest and… I just fell in love with it. She reminded me of my own love for music during a little slump in my life.”

“A pit.”

“What?”

“Er… just a word somepony used for the same thing. Forget it.”

“The point is… she gave me a bit of meaning to it when my career simply wasn’t doing it. And Notetooth…” She trailed off, and slowed down a bit. For a split second, Sweetie could have sworn it wasn’t her that was moving in slow motion, sped an inch, and returned to normal speed. She shook her head. It had to have been the following loss of equilibrium that nearly made her fall to her side.

“What about Notetooth?”

“What’s that?”

“You were about to tell me about Notetooth.”

“Was I now?” She asked. Sweetie nodded. “Oh… there’s not much to tell. She’s just a dragon I adopted a few decades ago.”

“D-decades?” Sweetie asked.

“Mhm. Late bloomer though. Only recently started looking at other ponies… you included, from the way she talked to you.”

There’s a joke or some irony here… wish I could remember what it was… Sweetie thought. “I dunno, I didn’t really get that vibe when I talked to her again.”

“If you say so…” Barra smiled. “Though I suppose she could forget it. You like that colt you brought with you?”

“Dunno.” Sweetie shrugged. “I’ve thought about him… but I don’t think he’d work out for me. Nice… for the most part, but too flirty. Then again, I don’t remember everything a good gentlestallion’s supposed to act…”

“Well, I’m sure as long as whatever pony or creature that catches your heart treats you right-” Just as the two of them came to the door, it slammed shut, making Sweetie jump back onto her flank. Barra, on the other hand, continued moving as though nothing had even happened. “and they’re your type, you’ll do fine.”

“D-did you see that?!” Sweetie exclaimed. The reaction actually made Barra jump.

“What?” She asked.

“The door! It just-” Sweetie stopped.

“…it just what?”

The gears in Sweetie’s brain began turning. Forgetting that she was talking about Notetooth was one thing. But not noticing the shutting door? Something foreboding made Sweetie sick to her stomach. Something was really wrong about this… and she got the feeling it was only about to get worse.

“F-forget it.” Sweetie said. “C’mon. We’ve got to get to Ms. Symbol. Fast.”

Sweetie quickened her pace, as Barra followed the example. Sweetie pushed the door open, noting how much more difficult it had been than the first time. She guided Barra down the stairs and to the door.

I swear if this is locked…

To Sweetie’s partial surprise, the door wasn’t locked. It even opened with ease.

“Are you sure this is-”

“Yeah, yeah. Quick. Inside.” Sweetie urged. “She’s hurt! Move!”

Barra nodded as Sweetie ushered her inside. She gave a quick glance behind her and noticed something even odder: everypony was gone. The foyer was bare of any life whatsoever, and it was quiet as a graveyard at midnight. If they’d been herded somewhere else, Sweetie swore she would have at least heard them. Instead, all she received was a wind that sneaked through her dress and chilled her spine. To escape the cold, Sweetie snuck into the room she’d put Barra in.

Once she was inside, she attempted to turn the flashlight on only to find it very difficult to turn on. After a few attempts, she managed to make a faint beam emit from it. Out of curiosity, Sweetie went into the bag and began sifting through for her book. Before opening it, she pointed her flashlight at the clock. As she’d guessed, it now read “10:21”… the hands were farther than 30 minute apart now. Her time was most definitely up, and whatever dangers the dragon had mentioned would be upon her soon.

In hopes of reaching him, she opened the book. Now that the ‘time dilation’ or whatever he called it, was done, she should have been able to speak to him. Perhaps get some extra information, or support as to exactly what would happen if she failed to complete her task in the allotted time, as she had now. She still had Axinite’s picture to obtain and sheet music to play…

Sweetie’s heart sunk when she found that every one of the white pages were now covered in a thick black ink. Sweetie flipped through the pages, hoping to find something of usefulness, something that hadn’t been swallowed up in the void of ink. All she found were a few white words that were almost immediately swallowed up in ink:

Leave it.

“What’s that mean?” Sweetie mumbled. Was the book telling her to leave the room? Sweetie went back to the door she’d just come through, only to find that it was locked. No… no, he wouldn’t have locked me in here, would he have…? The dragon said I HAD to be in this room! It was the only place I was safe from those things… right?

Sweetie shook her head. She couldn’t panic. Especially now, if she was in danger. Perhaps she could try the other hallway, as much as she hated to, to get back to the foyer and continue her search. In the meantime, Sweetie got a hunch that the book meant something else by ‘Leave it.’.

“M…maybe it’s talking about my stuff then. That’s got to be it.” Sweetie said. She couldn’t imagine why, but she figured the book-dragon had yet to lead her astray yet. Then again, how long did she know it to begin with?

She took everything off and laid the GCD, her ball, the pictures she took, and the book by the candle stand. She only took the camera, her flashlight and her saddlebags; the few things she needed in order to get Axinite’s photo as well as navigate her way back.

Before leaving, she shined her light on Barra, who held a distinct look of fear on her eyes as she was frozen. Maybe it was misinterpreted worry for Symbol, who was likely, or rather hopefully, still trapped in that room she’d left her in. Or maybe… she was just as scared as Sweetie might have been, to be left in the pitch black room.

“I’ll be back.” She whispered. “I promise, I’ll unfreeze you once I’m done... somehow.”

The statues of ice didn’t respond. Sweetie then left through the door and headed up the stairs to the hallway. She walked around, feeling the hairs on her mane stand on ends. Something was about to happen. She kept repeating the fact to herself. Something was going to happen in a second. Something bad. And she had to be absolutely, positively, one-hundred percent-

“Sup Sweetie Belle.” Squee said from behind her, making Sweetie yelp.

“SQUEE!” Sweetie exclaimed. “Don’t sneak up on me like that. I thought you were some kind of…” Sweetie trailed off, or at least her voice did, lowering its volume to absolutely nothing. She felt her mouth move, but nothing came out. Oddly enough, it didn’t alarm Sweetie very much, as she stared deeply into Squee’s glowing yellow eyes.

Her ears had stopped working. All she could see was Squee’s mouth move, laughing and saying “Sorry about that. Creepy hallway huh?”

Sweetie nodded, unable to take her eyes off of Squee’s. He got closer.

His mouth moved again, though this time, Sweetie could faintly hear him speak. “What’s a pretty filly like you doing wandering creepy mansions?”

Sweetie wasn’t even sure what she said this time. She must have said something though, as Squee laughed and said, “You must have been seeing things. It’s pretty dark in here, even with that little light box of yours. Maybe the darkness was making your hallucinations more vivid, huh? That’s what Feather said, right?”

His voice sounded so convincing. He had to have been right, so she nodded numbly.

“Speaking of which, what’s that little thing you’ve got there. Can I see it?” Squee asked. No, not asked, it sounded more like a command. None the less, Sweetie obeyed and spat out the flashlight. He didn’t look at it as it rolled into his forehoof. “Good girl. See, I know I picked the diamond out of the dirt when I saw you. So obedient. So submissive. So…”

“What’s happening Squee?” Sweetie asked. Squee frowned upon the brief glimpse of his date’s free will, then smiled again.

“Did you find anything else besides this while you were snooping around town?” Squee asked. Once again, Sweetie didn’t have the option to speak. She just did in that silent, mouth moving way. Squee laughed. “It’s okay. I forgive you. I’m sure that Time will as well. Give it to me.”

Sweetie wanted to resist, feeling her will attempting to break through Squee’s stare… or whoever this douche was with Squee’s coat. Ultimately, she failed as she removed the lower part of her dress and removed her saddlebags. She gave them to Squee, still trapped in his eye.

“Is that all Sweetie? I know you found something else. C’mon…” He took the camera out of the saddlebags. “I know you’ve been busy. I’ve been around you all night, remember?”

“N-no.” Sweetie forced. “I-I didn’t-”

Squee slapped Sweetie across the snout, rage coming from his eyes. “DON’T LIE TO ME YOU-” His voice boomed, seeming to make the entire mansion tremor. His voice turned into a laugh. “YOU… you… you can’t escape here. Stop trying, alright? There’s no escape… no matter what anypony told you.” His voice wasn’t Squee’s anymore, but rather, some hybrid between Squee’s and some other pony’s. “I am a god in here. You couldn’t kill me before… and you certainly won’t catch me now.”

Sweetie tasted blood in her mouth as she lie on her side. She got up, barely able to stand on her own four hooves. She stared At Squee who came over to her, and stopped just as his snout was an inch from her own. “Don’t try to challenge me. Because if you do… you’re going to wish you’d died sooner.”

Suddenly, his eyes softened. Still as yellow as before, but now they had a bit of compassion in them. “Sweetie, are you okay?”

“Wh…at?” Sweetie asked. The hit had left her in a daze, making her attempt desperately to remember why she needed to run as fast as physically possible from this mad-colt.

“You were running through the hall and hit your head… remember?” Squee asked. His eyes flashed, and in response, so did Sweetie’s.

“Y…yeah… I did. Somepony was chasing me and- mmph.” Sweetie was cut off by a kiss. Her body tingled again, both pleasurably as well as the opposite feeling. She didn’t know wither to love the kiss, or hate it… or rather, she couldn’t quite remember anymore why she should hate it to begin with.

They separated their faces and starred at each other. The yellowness of Squee’s eye had vanished and was replaced with the normal brown she’d come to love from him.

“C’mon! Dinner’s starting! Don’t want to be late, huh?” Squee asked, running ahead of her. Sweetie starred at him, still in a daze as the saddlebags dangled loosely from his neck. She knew she was supposed to remember something about the situation. Something about those saddlebags, about a pony dying, something…

She touched her snout, as though to wipe something off, but felt nothing but a little snot. Still, it stung when she touched it, as though it were a reminder of something else important. So many important things to remember…

I wonder what they could be…?

***

Gilda entered the tea room carrying a brown bag over her shoulder. Annoyance read across her face at the additional task she had been given thanks to Specter’s forgetfulness. She surveyed the room to see if anything had changed since she’d left. As she’d suspected, the night guard was still trapped in Celesita’s force field bubble; the day guard was still out cold, and the mares, aside from Rainbow, who’d breathlessly given up on squirming to escape and Twilight who kept her head down in shame, and the two fillies who were still looking upon their friends in hopelessness, were unconscious. Only possessed Sweetie and Specter could move freely around the room at this point.

“Gilda. You’re back. You didn’t perchance catch the clock in my study, now did you?”

“Eh… something like 7:00, but I dunno. All these clocks say different crap. 4:00, 2:00, hay I came across one that said twelve for buck’s sake.” She said. “Here’s your toys.” She tossed the bag to Specter who caught it with his own dark yellow telekinesis spell.

“Very good. We should be well past sun-up by now…”

“Now can I go?” She asked impatiently.

“Not yet. First, I need to connect to Celestia’s will… and you need to escort her to the observatory… before you go off and have your fun with your friends.”

“Fine.” Gilda took her leaning place against the wall and folded her arms. “Just make it quick.”

“Now now Gilda. One can’t rush these things. This is a very meticulous process. A mistake could cause spiritual damage to a pony. Even a powerful alicorn like the princess here. Don’t you remember how Luna wailed when we fractured her?” He chuckled, earning a brief, hateful glare from Celestia.

Gilda rolled her eyes and looked over at Sweetie, who was as still as a statue at the center of the room. “Huh. What’s her deal?”

“Who, my assistant?” Specter shook his head. “I warned him something like this would happen. Especially if the filly managed to make it into the memory of the mansion… not to long before you returned, Sweetie had apparently activated an advanced spiritual time dilation to advance in better time. According to him, she’s unnaturally close to crashing the memory.”

Gilda gave a puzzled look.

“Ugh. In short, terms you seem to be more acquainted with understanding, he bucked up.”

“So what’s he doing now?”

“Becoming what he should have been the entire time he possessed her. Paranoid.”

“What?”

“He doesn’t know something. A piece of knowledge I’m surprised he hasn’t taken into consideration.” Specter smiled. “He should have been paying attention to the properties of the particle. He should know that the GCD is designed for these types of situations.”

“What the hay are you-” Gilda asked.

Specter gave another chuckle. “But I digress. I am wasting your time aren’t I?”

“…yeah.”

“Then let’s get down to business.” Specter said as he reached into the bag and pulled out three heart candies. “First things first. Feed these to the bleeding and broken mares over there.” He tossed the candies over to Gilda.

“What?” She barely managed to catch the candy gems out of surprise of her new task. “But don’t these things like… heal them or something? You want them to get better?”

“Sure.” Specter shrugged as he continued to shuffle through the bag.

“Why?” Gilda asked.

“A few reasons actually. For one, at this point, if I leave them now, they’ll bleed out and die. I can’t let them die in this manner or, well… the painting spell will destroy their bodies, and they’ll automatically turn into ghosts… wither I want them to or not. I can’t use, or rather control ghosts that have died, been reanimated by paint, and died again outside of a controlled state. Even more, they don’t have cutie marks, which already makes them pretty useless… it’s also the element I need in order to turn them back at all.”

“What?” Rainbow looked up. “What the heck are you talking about now?”

“Oh, didn’t I tell you already?” Specter chuckled. “That little ‘extra life’ Ms. Belle gave you only works once. Without a cutie mark… let’s just say it’ll really be game over for you. Only you won’t just die… you’ll be stuck on earth for the rest of time until some kind little ghost hunter decides to eradicate your soul. To destroy your existence, or trap you in a painting for centuries to come.” He grinned. “Kind of like me.”

“And the other reason?” Gilda asked.

“C’mon. Torture in a tiny tea room, left to bleed out. Where’s the sport in that? Does that sound like fun?” Specter looked over at Pinkie who’s ears perked and mouth let out a faint, wheezy giggle.

“Fun.” She mumbled. She sounded sick.

Specter took out a little golden locket in the shape of a heart. He opened it and looked inside at the picture of Madame, and a caption that said ‘Love in Savior’s Death’. In the other door of the locket was another heart candy, only it was yellow. He closed it and put the locket around his neck. “Either way, we can’t afford to lose them again. They’re still just as important as Sweetie is right now. Dead or alive. Especially if she manages to catch Rarity.”

“…you’re talking like you’re expecting-”

“Go on, post haste.” Specter interrupted. “Make sure their tongues are wet. They need to dissolve the candies for them to take effect as it goes down their throat.” Gilda went over to the two mares and opened their mouths. She stuck the candies inside, laying them on their tongues. “Isn’t that right Ms. Sparkle? That’s how you designed them, correct?”

Twilight didn’t answer.

“An incredible feat you managed to create such powerful healing supplements.” He took a third out and held it in her direction. “Sure, I had the supplies on hand, but the fact you managed to put them together, and enchant them, even in your elderly state… ”

“…so you’re not going to kill us…?” Twilight finally said.

“At least somepony appreciates it.”

“I think Twi’s still trying to get the ‘why’ part. What the hay do you still need us for?”

“Oh, you’ll see my dears. And besides, we're not done with the princesses, are we? In any event, it would be rude of me to give it away now, hm?” Specter said as he took out an orb with holes in front of it. If it wasn’t for its bronze color, one might have suspected it to be a Changeling egg, considering its holey texture. About half of the holes glowed dark blue, whilst the others were completely dark. “Here it is.”

Just as Specter spoke, Sweetie jerked up, as though being awoken suddenly from deep sleep. She gave a shake of her head and looked at Specter.

“So, has she escaped yet.”

“I told you, she can’t.”

Specter shook her head. “So what is the status of our memory wandering guest?”

“She was doing something… rather, she found something.”

“Did you find out what it was?”

“I’m sure she’s hidden something. I’ve yet to locate the memory pocket… but once I’m done here, I’ll head back and check it out. I did, however, find a camera, as well as a flashlight her mind must have conjured up using the memories. What she’s been using them for… or if she’s even used them at all has yet to be determined.”

“Did you destroy them?”

Sweetie shook her head. “I didn’t see any reason to. Could belong to one of the memories and I didn’t want to risk fracturing or crashing the memory before I have to… or worse, risking the loss of Sweetie’s spirit along with her cutie marks… again, not without good reason.”

Specter shook his head. “You said it yourself. Sweetie may have conjured them up with her own memories. They won’t crash the memories by making them cease to exist.”

“I don’t know that. I have to investigate to make sure.” Sweetie said. “I’m still working on trapping her in order to keep her safe if I do decide to crash the memory…”

“I suppose I was wrong.” He mumbled, just audible enough for Gilda to hear. “You’re paranoid and apprehensive in all of the wrong areas… memory isn’t serving well either.”

“What?”

“Nothing.” Specter turned toward Celestia. “No, Princess. In order for this to work, I need for you to release all thought from that ghost brain of yours.” He twisted the orb and it expanded width wise, exposing a yellow core at the center that occasionally flashed dark blue. “Otherwise, this could prove more painful than it already will be.”

Celestia closed her eyes and took a breath of cold air, as though to calm herself as Specter approached.

“Open.” He said, holding the orb up to her mouth. She followed his instruction silently as he slipped the orb inside and it fell down along the track her throat would have been. It settled down in the middle of her chest, and began to spin. After a minute, the orb was then surrounded by a large red heart, similar to the candies, only with a much smoother surface.

Specter stood back, and closed his eyes. He began mumbling incomprehensible gibberish to Celestia and the orb. As he did, the orb itself jittered, only slightly at first, but eventually it became more violent in its movements. It apparent from her face that she was experiencing from her pain as the orb began sparking out of her ghostly form. This went on for about 5 minutes until the orb was jumping to all parts of Celestia.

“Now… stay still Tia. It’ll be over in just a second.” Specter’s voice sounded… different now. It was mixed in with another voice. When he opened his eyes, just before they became engulfed in light, she noticed they were a different color. A familiar color-

Before she could re-clear her mind of the new eye color, white lightning shot from Specter’s horn, and directly at the crazed orb. Celestia howled and wailed as arch of lightning danced around her body. Her real body disintegrated into ash as her howl became louder and louder. Sweetie gritted her teeth and pulled her hat over her head to attempt to block out the blaring scream. Even the mares and fillies… the conscious ones in any case, gritted their teeth as their eardrums desperately pleaded for the maddening wail to cease.

After what went on for what felt like ages, the scream stopped abruptly as the electric flow stopped. The orb popped out of her ghost formed and rolled over to Specter’s hooves. Celestia collapsed moments later.

“That went better than expected.” Specter said. His old voice had returned. He picked up the orb and inspected it, pleased to see the white light emitting from the holes that were previously dark and void.

“Princess?” Twilight asked the still transparent form of her teacher. “Princess, are you alright?”

“Yes Princess.” Specter said. “Why don’t you rise for us. You’ve got us all very, very worried.”

“Heh… heh…”

“Rise. Celestia.” Specter repeated.

“Heh… heha…”

“…princess?” Twilight said again. “Princess, what did he-”

“Shut up… haha… hahaha….” Celestia’s head snapped up. She now wore the same sadistic grin as the rest of the ghosts in the mansion. She was one of them now. “Can’t you just… haha… heh ha… shut… hahahahaha…”

Princess Celestia rose to a crooked crouching stance. “For once… hahahahahahaha… do you really… hahaha… need to answer so many of th- HAHAHAHA… those STUPID questions?” She cocked her head back for a laughing fit before finally stretching to her full height. “Just shut up already you wide mouthed snobby bitch!”

“Celestia…”

Specter laughed in approval. “A faster transformation than I ever hoped possible. Now Celestia. I have a job for you.”

“Anything for you… Master Yield.” Celestia said, still maintaining a wide eager grin.

“I need you to raise the sun. A task I’m sure you’re quite acquainted with, of course. In the course of the next two hours.”

Celestia’s grin faded, but only slightly. “Raise… the sun? Why? Why can’t I just do something more entertaining? Like killing her?” Celestia motioned her head over to Twilight, who flinched in response.

“Not yet.” Specter said. “Hmph. I’m surprised you’re desire to kill Twilight is so strong so early on. Usually, that’d be a difficult feat unless… my, you really did give up hope, didn’t you?”

Celestia merely laughed in response.

“Either way, you’ll eventually become accustomed to the murderous instinct as time passes. You can wait. She’ll die in due time.” Specter assured. “In either case, I need you to do this for me.”

“Of course, master.” Celestia said.

“Now… Gilda, would you mind escorting Celestia to the-”

“I can see the way.” Celestia laughed. “I know the way to the roof.”

“Oh you can now?” Specter asked. “You do realize you can’t just fly through the ceilings, there’s a particular route through to the observatory that-”

“I know the way.” Celestia said. Her voice almost sounded annoyed. She covered the slight annoyance with a brief spell of laughter. “I’m a goddess, remember?”

“Ex-goddess... and even so only in relative terms.” Specter sighed. “Go on then. Don’t get lost… I don’t want to have to look for you.”

Celestia gave a bow, but only ended up falling over from another brief string of laughs. She got up, and stumbled her way through the door, cackling madly. The ball surrounding Paita flickered for a moment, though no pony besides her seemed to notice. The laughter faded to eventual silence.

“Well… that went much better than Luna.” Sweetie commented.

“Yes… much better indeed.” Specter said. “Perhaps I’m getting quite skilled in this ‘god taming’ business. Or…”

“Or?”

Specter shook his head. “Nothing.”

“I can’t believe…” Twilgiht mumbled. Tears began running down her cheeks. For a moment, as Rainbow looked at him, preparing to enter another wriggling attempt to escape, she could have sworn she saw sympathy in his eyes… but only for an instant.

“Oh, don’t cry Ms. Sparkle. You’ll be seeing her soon enough.” Specter said. “And when you do… well, I’m sure you’ll be crying for a whole different reason.” Specter turned to Gilda. “Now… I’m sure you’re eager to leave, correct?”

“Yeah.” Gilda said. “Now, you’re sure this’ll work?”

“The ghostification? Yes.” Specter said. “As long as you follow my instructions, you can ghostify them so they won’t run off once they die. You do remember them… right?”

“Yeah. Tie them to the thing in the basement and let the ghosts do their thing. I got it.”

“If they escape Ms. Gilda…”

“They won’t escape.” Gilda said, moving over to Pinkie and Rainbow. While Pinkie kept being unconscious, Rainbow looked upon her ex-friend with disgust. Gilda remained unphased. “C’mon you.”

Rainbow opened her mouth to ask ‘where’, and closed it back, realizing she wasn’t going to find out until she got there. But if she could help it, she wasn’t prepared to find out.

To Gilda’s surprise, Rainbow didn’t fight her, or struggle as she untied the bonds that kept her anchored to the tea tables, and picked her up by the ends of the rope she’d been tied up in. She took Rainbow and Pinkie, and swung them over her shoulder like luggage. Gilda then proceded to carry them out of the room.

As she did, Rainbow kept an eye on the bubble Paita was still trapped in, as well as the sword Gilda was about to pass by. Rainbow brainstormed the most practical uses of the sword, considering she might only have one chance at using the thing. As she contemplated a place to hit Gilda on her body, she saw Paita move her lips, likely resulting from Celestia’s increased distance. Rainbow wasn’t a trained lip reader, though she could plainly see her message:

Pop it

It was worth a shot. Besides, though Rainbow knew it probably had to be done, she wasn’t looking forward to cutting the griffon. She may have wanted to beat her within an inch of her life at this point, but she certainly didn’t want to kill her. For all she knew, she could have been another one of Specter’s puppets.

Paita watched in anticipation as Gilda passed by, hoping one of the mares she was carrying so close to the floor would somehow free her…

Just as Gilda passed by the sword, Rainbow made her move. She swung herself in one motion over by the sword and picked it up with her teeth. Then, with every bit of momentum and neck muscle she had, she swung back, and released, aiming to hit the bubble Paita was inside.

Before Gilda had the chance to say “What the hay?” The sword darted and pierced the bubble, popping it, and sending Paita groundward.

The night guard reacted instantly, rolling down to grab her sword by the teeth and run for her target. Though, instead of running for Gilda, she went for Specter, ready to follow through with her initial intent, ready to kill the stallion who’d likely killed her friends. Just as she was about to make the cut at Specter’s throat, Sweetie intervened, snatching the knife out of Applejack and meeting Paita in front of him with impossible speed. She parried the sword with surprising accuracy and strength with her own knife. The movement was so quick and unexpected, Paita was knocked to the side, and away from Specter. Sweetie stood in the path between Specter and Paita in a similar battle stance to Paita’s. They both shared glared at each other for a few moments, locked in each other’s eyes. While Paita’s eyes held hatred for Sweetie, or rather the ghost possessing her, Sweetie’s eyes held a sick enjoyment of the new challenge presented to her.

“Uh…” Gilda was unsure if she needed defend Specter or if she was still clear to go.

Sweetie grinned, waiting for Paita’s next move. “Go on. Don’t worry. I’ve got this little lady you let loose under control.”

"What'd you just call me?" Paita asked.

“You sure?” Gilda asked, hoping the answer would remain unchanged.

“Yes. Just go.” Specter assured. “Just keep your friends on a tighter leash next time. It’d be quite the blunder for them to escape while they’re still tied up.”

“Hey! Cut us loose already!” Rainbow was struggling to get free again. Still to as much futile avail. Paita took her eyes off of Specter and glanced at Rainbow, Pinkie and Gilda. She could use a little help, as her own teammate still appeared to be out cold. The only problem was that when Paita tried to move forward, Sweetie was there, ready to lunge at her legs, or worse her throat, with the sharp knife. She couldn’t get to them.

“A little busy mare.” Paita said through the sword.

“C’mon.” Gilda said as she readjusted her two ponies over her shoulder. Rainbow screamed and kicked to get free, all the way out of the door. Her voice became more and more faded as they went down the hall, before they were gone.

Meanwhile, Paita and Sweetie continued to stare at each other. Paita could have attacked her at any time, as she was confident of her swordsmare skills. The only problem was the fact Sweetie was still a filly was beginning to sink in to her skull. Could she really attack her?

She’s not a kid. Paita coached. She’s not a kid. I’ve got to kill her. I don’t care how old she is. If I don’t kill her… she’s going to kill me.

Just as Paita was beginning to get used to the idea, Sweetie’s patience wore out. She gave the first move with her knife, which Paita parlayed quickly.

Just look at that Celestia damned speed and strength. She’s not normal. She’s not a kid. I’ve got to. I’ve got to! I can’t let her kill me! Stop being just a bucking wimp Paita!

Sweetie jumped and swung her knife for Paita’s snout, grazing it as she stepped back.

Kill her… KILL HER…

And finally, Paita made the first swing to a series of clanks and dings.

CLANK

DING!

TING!

Sparks flew as they clashed swords, or in Sweetie’s case, knives, as they fought around the tea room. Surprisingly, Sweetie force was so great that Paita was still being pushed back, despite her offensive sword swings at her body. If Paita had eyes behind her head, she would have realized she was being led towards one of the tea tables. Specifically the one Applebloom and Scootaloo had been tied up at.

Just as the clashing became uncomfortably close to the two bonded girls, Scootaloo spoke up. “Hey! Watch out!” she warned on impulse.

The warning was just enough of a distraction for Sweetie to spot a weakness in Paita’s already flimsy defense, the crazed little girl made for a stab at her exposed neck. Only barely able to dodge her unreal speed, and strength, the knife hit the sword instead, knocking it out of her mouth and nearly hitting Applebloom and Scootaloo. The force of the sword came with so much force, it impaled the floor and stuck out at a 45 degree angle. With the sharp object in such close vicinity to their bonds, they both saw this as their chance as the squirmed forward, nudging the heavy table they were bonded to along.

Sweetie in the meantime was progressively tiring Paita out as she continued to dodge the knife, now defenseless without a weapon. Paita had even slowed down to the point of occasionally allowing Sweetie to strike her armor, in hopes of reserving energy for the next swing that may, or may not have been the fatal one. Paita couldn’t risk taking her eyes off of Sweetie, knowing another loss of guard would definitely lead her to either a second loss of balance, or an opening for Sweetie to sink the blurred knife into. Paita noticed how sloppy her form was becoming as the strife progressed. It was apparent that Sweetie wasn’t fighting her anymore, rather playing with her; Tossing the somehow standing form around the room like a puppet. She had to figure out how to get over to her sword, though with her vision restricted to Sweetie’s muzzle, and occasional hoof, holding the small blade, she wasn’t sure how she’d-

Paita saw the change in Sweetie’s eye. The loss of crazed amusement that was now replaced with slight indifference and boredom. She knew it was coming before Sweetie had made the lunge for the metal plating around her chest. The force, just like the sword, was impossible in force, especially suggesting Sweetie’s own muscle mass. Though, thanks to the ghostly power-up she now had, it was enough to knock Paita halfway across the room. Particularly onto her awakening and ultimately useless partner, Busby. The impact, thankfully, rather than knocking him out again animated him into at least groaning in annoyance.

“Ugh… what?” he asked, looking over at Paita who fell off to the side of him. He noticed her panting heavily. His head was still raising out of the fogginess of sleep, as well as beginning to comprehend the headache he’d been presented with upon his awakening.

Sweetie laughed. “You two make such a cute couple.” He paused for a moment.

Busby rolled over on his back and looked up at Sweetie who approached. She noticed immediately and leaped over whatever distance she was, right onto his stomach. He could have sworn he heard something crack, only making Sweetie giggle even more. She kicked his hooves away as they tried to grab at whatever bones he’d broken. She proceeded to hop on said broken bones and giggle a little more at his anguish. She thought about giving him a kick to his head to possibly knock him out again, or even better and more likely with her strength, kill him. She motioned her hoof toward his lower jaw, and looked over to Specter for the “okay”.

To her disappointment and slight confusion, he shook his head no. He didn’t even look too amused at her sadistic nature towards the two guards, considering the fruitlessness of it. The point of the torture, and the fight was to keep everypony as down and hopeless as possible. Then again, there was one pony Specter did mention earlier. One that he actually wanted killed. The other sister. Even more, the conditions only proved valid if she miraculously freed herself. The sister of an applebuck-

Sweetie was off guard as she was rammed in her side by the skull of the orange filly, off and over a few feet to the side of the sun-guard.

Sweetie got to her hooves and looked to see Scootaloo standing, battle ready to fight. It took her a few minutes of daze to realize what had just happened. She looked over to the ropes lazily lying next to the tea table, severed and sawed through by Paita’s erect knife. She looked over to the mares, who Applebloom, free, was now attempting to wake.

Sweetie looked back over at Scootaloo, deeply into her eyes. Her fearful eyes, from watching her mentor be dragged away to a fate unknown. Her doubtful eyes, unsure of what to do with the possessed form that was previously her friend. All of these emotions that Sweetie could only grasp were hidden behind one strong stance of desperation. She was ready to fight her friend, likely getting used to the fact she wasn’t her friend, but hay if she knew what to do. And to hell itself, if she could deal with the crazed filly. But that wasn’t the important part, which was making Sweetie chuckle.

“What’s… what’s so funny?” Scootaloo asked.

“You… you just killed your friend. You know that?”

“Huh? What the hay are you talking about Sw… whoever the heck you are.”

Sweetie began approaching Busby and Scootaloo, who’d leapt over him to headbutt her. Scootaloo, tried to resist showing any signs of fear. However, Sweetie’s searing yellow eyes still proved enough to push Scootaloo back across the living hurdle who clutched at his pained body.

“It’s funny really. Funniest thing all night in my opinion.” Sweetie’s laugh grew louder.

Specter turned and left the room for the moment. Applebloom was too occupied shaking Applejack awake.

“Simply put Scootaloo… that is your name, right?”

Scootaloo didn’t respond. She simply stood at the one side of Busby, as Sweetie stopped at the other.

“Simply put… I wasn’t going to hurt either of you. Not even touch you, as long as you both stayed put and quiet… well… maybe smack you around a little bit. Might serve Ms. Belle here some justice hm? Even if she were possessed, I’d like a little revenge for whipping at me, or trying to beat my skull in. Wouldn’t you?”

“It… I wasn’t… Shut-up and give me back my friend, alright?!” Scootaloo’s voice cracked a little bit.

“Perhaps later. Perhaps when you’re broken next to these two lovely ponyfolk, and I’m standing over Applebloom’s bled out body and you looking on in horror. Is that a bad time?”

Scootaloo made her move, pushing forward on her hooves and extending her wings to glide, and collide again with Sweetie. On guard this time, she strafed to the right as Scootaloo flipped over and turned back to face Sweetie.

“I’ll… I’ll… I’ll stop you before you even get the chance you butler buck.”

“My, my. I’d watch the language if I were you Scootaloo. Besides, if this were the last time I was going to hear my friend, the last thing I’d want her to remember me saying is something as silly and offensive as “butler buck”. Besides. I’m not a butler, I’m Sweetie Belle!” Sweetie turned to Applebloom who was only recently rousing Applejack, and beginning to remove her bonds. With the brief distraction, Scootaloo took the point to give Sweetie a swift swing to her face. A direct hit that would have knocked any pony out cold, and admittedly did knock Sweetie to the ground. The hit was so loud, even Applebloom looked up from Applejack before shaking her head, and continuing to figure out how to undo the complex, tightly tied knot.

A good minute passed and Sweetie remained still. Scootaloo cautiously approached Sweetie, hoping that she did in fact knock her out, and could possibly restrain her so when she woke back up-

Just as Scootaloo stood above Sweetie, she hoped up with a movement so quick, and took ahold of her neck. Sweetie raised to her hind hooves, and stood up, managing to pick Scootaloo off the ground. She grinned.

“Now that the gloves are off then… why don’t we have some real fun, hm?” Sweetie then proceded to throw Scootaloo across the room directly at Applebloom, who she collided with. Scootaloo went so fast, they both hit the wall with incredible force. If Applebloom hadn’t shared any force with Scootaloo, the pegasus filly might have broken a bone or two on impact.

Knowing they couldn’t risk wasting a second to let Sweetie get the upper hoof, they both stood up and got into battle stances. Sweetie stood before them, laughing.

“So… you two little girls are going to fight one me?”

“No.”

“Hm?” Sweetie turned around just to see Paita yank her sword out of the floor.

“Three ‘little girls’.” Paita said, getting into her own battle stance. It looked just as unprofessional as Applebloom’s and Scootaloo’s considering how much pain she was in. Sweetie laughed.

“Fun. I’ll enjoy the challenge…” Sweetie turned back to the two crusaders. “Before killing you as violently as I know how dear applebucking filly…”

***

Sweetie's face sting didn't stop after she followed Squee down into the foyer. If anything, the sting only increased as she attempted to conceive where the pain came from. The more she thought, not just remember but simply think at all, the more the invisible sickle seemed to be impaling the side of her cheek.

"C'mon Sweets!" Squee excitedly urged Sweetie to move faster. Sweetie couldn't help but stare at Squee's saddlebags with some kind of subconscious interest she couldn't quite understand. All she knew was that dwelling upon it, and its significance only made her pain.

"I'm... I'm coming." Sweetie assured, stopping at the bottom of the foyer steps to hold her face. Even talking seemed to be connected with her face's new 'no thinking' rule. She expected there to be blood. No, she wished there was blood, though, like the other times before there was none. The fact her nerves were emulating the liquid streaming down her cheek didn't make the fact less maddening.

"You should see the food the Yields put out! Applecreips, Pearsoufle-"

"I-I believe you." Sweetie resumed trailing her new coltfriend. Coltfriend. Then, there was Squee who was leading her to the dining hall she didn't quite recall the location of, or for that matter, attempt to remember. The colt who carried the same saddlebags she could keep from being so interested in. The same colt who had kissed her no more than 3 minutes ago. He kissed her, and for the first minute or so, she'd been very taken by most intent act of affection Sweetie could dare recall. The kiss made her light on her feet, and almost happy... but as the second and third minutes rolled, an unexplainable fear for him began surfacing, accompanied with an equally vague hatred. Once the 61st second passed, somehow she didn't think she could trust him. No... she knew she couldn't trust him anymore because-

"Ah!" Sweetie's cheek shot a particularly sharp wave of pain through her cheek, reverberated throughout her entire skull.

There was almost a bit of a delay before Squee turned around to check on his 'fillyfriend'.

"Huh? You okay Sweetie?"

Wouldn't you like to know... Sweetie's internal monologue spat. "Yeah... just um... just one of my legs aching is all."

"Aw Sweets, why didn't you say something?" Squee asked out of almost genuine sounding concern. "Do you want to sit here for a few-"

"No." she cut Squee off, before grabbing onto her transparent facial wound and hissing in anguish. She didn't want to stop moving. Simply keeping moving, despite her inability to recall where to move next, felt important. That standing still would

kill a pony

The invisible face scar gave her the greatest jolt yet, though Sweetie bit her lip, refusing to publicly expose any more of her pain. She knew it would only encourage slowing down. Losing time she wasn’t sure she could afford to waste.

"I'm... I'm fine Squee. Really." Sweetie looked at him, tears of pain welling in her eyes. To her relief, Squee was too ignorant to notice the little droplets of water.

"If you say so." He shrugged.

The two of them entered the foyer, which was filled with just about evey pony from the party. Those who weren't sitting down and helping themselves to the appetizers, were walking around, still conversing and likely waiting for their host. Out of the crowd, Sweetie picked out Ms. Axinite.

"Squee?" Sweetie asked. "Would you ex-" She hissed painfully before continuing. "Would you excuse me for a few minutes?"

"Hm? For what?" Squee asked in a tone she couldn't help but classify as untrusting. The voice of a colt who'd expected to be backstabbed. Or maybe it was the voice of a colt who she expected to backstab her. She couldn't tell the line between the two. Perhaps it wasn’t a voice to fear, none the less, one she had to get away from.

"I... just want to ask her something. I promise-" Hiss. "I promise to find you when I'm done."

Squee stared at her for a few moments, attempting to read Sweetie. When he either finished, or gave up on doing so, she smiled. "Alright. Don't go too far okay?"

Squee kissed Sweetie again, this time, longer than before. She felt her chest flutter, and her horn tingle in ecstasy. As they disconnected, Sweetie was almost reluctant to turn around and leave her handsome loving colt-

Focus Sweetie, FOCUS!

The cheek pain was gone for the moment, though it was traded with the jelly like legs she'd experienced during the first few moments of affection. The drunken feeling that nearly removed her ability to think at all, rather than threatening thought with unbelievable pain. She wasn't sure which she loathed more.

"Love you Sweets."

"L... love you too." Sweetie turned and walked away from Squee and to Axinite.

Admittedly, she wasn't completely sure why she needed to talk to Axinite. In fact, she had a good feeling she couldn't do anything useful without something. And even more she couldn't get across the fact that approaching her was both a good idea, and the worst one she'd come across all night. The only one thing she knew for certain. Her horn was still tingling.

Upon closer examination, Sweetie realized that she wasn't just standing by herself, but conversation with another pony. A stallion who filled her up with rage even Squee couldn't have influenced.

Axinite was the first to notice her. She motioned for Sweetie to talk to her, though now, she was reluctant to do so. At last with that stallion so close. With a few seconds of hesitation, Sweetie pushed to her.

"Sweetie!" Axinite said happily. "I was beginning to think you hadn't make it."

"Heh... I was close though." Sweetie said. "I actually had to steal a date to get over here."

"Steal a date? Wasn't Squee your..."

"He er... found a way to go ahead of me. He was waiting inside."

"Hmph. Typical of impatient little colts like him. Not even the decency to wait for their own date."

"Well, we were kind of running against the wire. Heck, at the time, I thought I was the one leaving him behind."

"He should have been there none the less. You were not in the wrong Sweetie."

Sweetie smiled at the remark. "I’m wondering if I can lose when it comes to you Ms. Axinite."

"...Oh! I never introduced you to my stallion friend. How impolite of me. Quill?"

As Sweetie turned her gaze from Axinite, and to her date, the smile evaporated into thin air. Sweetie almost had to fight to keep from her lips frowning, and her eyebrows crossing when his eyes locked hers. They stared at each other; he looked at her with indifference as she looked on him with anger and hatred covered up to only show apparent passive aggressiveness.
Axinite seemed oblivious to the apparent bitterness between the two strangers. "Well? Aren't you two going to greet eachother?"

"...Good evening." he said, forcing a smile and offering a hoof.

"...hi." Sweetie said, meeting his hoof with her own. However, she couldn't find the strength to smile.

To her disapproval, rather than a hoof shake, Quill bent down to kiss her hoof, which Sweetie snatched away before he could let his saliva touch her white coat. If Quill was offended by the rejection of his chivalrous the movement, he didn't give off any other responses besides the vanishing of his smile.

"I'm sorry Quill honey. She's just shy." Axinite said quickly, noticing Quill's dampened mood. She turned to Sweetie. "Isn't that right Sweetie Belle?" her voice was harsher than anyway Sweetie had been addressed before.

"Y-yeah. Of course. I didn't mean anything by it." Sweetie lied.

"See? Sweetie's a good filly." Axinite smiled. "Polite, kind-"

"Where are you from Ms. Belle?" Quill asked. His voice only stimulated Sweetie's badly burried anger. It wasn't that the voice was annoying, or sinister in any way, but it was the familiar tone that made her want to kick his teeth into his nostrils. To do violent things she didn't even know she was capable of coming up with.

Rather than cursing his curiosity, she answered as honestly as she knew how. "I'm not sure."

"She's recovering from some type of amnesia." Axinite added.

"Amnesia hm...?" Quill asked. "What's a little filly like you doing running aroun with that?"

"Wouldn't be amnesia if I knew that, now would it?" Sweetie spat back.

"Sweetie!"

Quill waved Axinite off. "She's right. Poor filly doesn't, and rightly wouldn't remember anything. Am I right?"

"...sure." Sweetie agreed. "...what about you? Where did you come from?"

"Oh, no where you'd have heard from. A town a few hundred miles north of here. I doubt you'd remember it if you had, conceivably." Quill looked around the dining hall. "Now where this mediocre date my Axinite mentioned you having?"

"He's not mediocre. His name is Squee... he's over on the other side of the room." Sweetie said.

"Ah... is he the one flirting away with those girls over there?"

Sweetie didn't need to turn to know he was probably right. "He's just really sociable." she responded flatly. "...and sweet." She couldn't quite place why she added the last part. Was it to defend her questionable colt friend, or was it to avoid justifying whatever this stallion was insinuating.

“Oh if you say so Ms. Belle. I didn’t expect a young little pony like you to know anything about relationships anyhow.” Quill said. “Girls like you have to learn the hard way. Through bone breaks, and heart aches.”

“Why don’t we change the subject now, hm?” Axinite said quickly, finally realizing the developing hostility between the two ponies.

“What? Do you mean like our marital plans-”

“NO!” Sweetie yelled. “YOU DON’T DESERVE HER! SHE’S MINE!”She wasn’t sure if say anything, or if so, she was sure she didn’t mean for it to be so loud and sharp. Every pony’s attention was turned towards her. Without thinking, she went for the kitchen, in desperate hopes to escape the situation at hand. Once inside, she found herself panting deeply and clutching her head.

Why had she yelled so loud, and even more at the mention of a mare she’d only met earlier that day. And why did her head feel like exploding for some reason. Then again, as the memories rolled into her head, she was beginning to think “an exploding head” wasn’t the most outlandish possibility. With her newly free mind, Sweetie was remembering. Remembering something horrible about the whole mansion. This room was protecting her memories… or hiding them from Squee-

No, not Squee, but that had hit her, and made it so hard for her to resist forgetting them forever. He wanted her to forget so she couldn’t, as that dragon silhouette had put it “crash the memory”. She had to get her camera back. She to snap Axinite’s photo…she still had to find that sheet music she had NO IDEA WHERE IT-

Food for thought… the pages…

The dragon’s words echoed once in her head again. Perhaps… perhaps the sheet music was in here? In a kitchen?

Not like I have any other choice but to look here… before the others come looking for me Sweetie thought, realizing that someone had to be coming in soon to subdue the loud little filly.

Sweetie looked around and eventually, her eyes began scanning across the mass array of cook books that were on the shelf. Among them, there was one that was a particularly vibrant yellow. It almost seemed to glow in the darkness. Sweetie used her telekinesis to take it off of the shelf without needing to go on a climbing mission for it.

She dropped it in front of her and rapidly began flipping through it, glancing nervously at the door to the dining hall. Her glancing was so erratic, she almost passed by one page of the cook book in particular. One recipe on one side was for something called “Sweetie Apple Surprise” which sounded vaguely familiar, and a second one that didn’t sound familiar at all, but still sent chills down her spine: “Sour Apple Pie”. On the page, there was a crudely drawn staff in green goop, as well as notes for two instruments: Bass and Harp. At the bottom of the 4 staffed, 12 measured song, at the bottom of each page were two separate, equally crude drawn pictures. They were both of Sweetie. In one, she could be seen looking up at some taller pony in anger and disgust, and in the other she could be seen looking down at a shadow of her in even more disgust.

“What in the hay…” Sweetie felt sick to her stomach. She might have threw up then and there if-

“Sweets?” You okay?” Squee asked, coming through the door.

Sweetie didn’t waste a moment in ripping out the two pieces of paper and stuffing them into her hat. “Yeah,” She lied, “I’m fine. How are you doing?”

“…Sweets? Are you sure you’re okay? We’re all worried about you outside.”

He has my camera. I’ve got to get it back… and something tells me he isn’t just going to give it. I don’t think I can even let him know I know he has it!

Sweetie turned around and saw him at the half way point between her and the door.

“N-no, I’m fine. Axinite and I just had a disagreement is all.” Sweetie smiled. “It’s nothing, really.”

“Are you sure?” His voice sounded eerie. Sweetie moved as slowly as Squee over to the wine racks. “Here Sweetie…”

Only got one shot at this

“Let me-”

Squee didn’t get a second to finish his sentence as Sweetie used a quick sweep of telekinesis over one of the wine bottles in the rack. It shot out of its holding like a cannon, and right into Squee’s head. He was down for the count before Sweetie could comprehend it herself.

Sweetie then rushed over to the unconscious Squee, unable to resist whispering “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Over and over again. Her feelings had only lessened for him as the night and events of the night unfolded. However, she couldn’t resist feeling bad for him. After all, it wasn’t his fault, was it? No… she was sure it wasn’t. There was only one that was responsible for what had happened in the hall. She was just still getting used to figuring out who it was.

She picked up the saddlebags and did a quick inventory to make sure everything was where it was. Thankfully, Squee didn’t do anything with them. She put them under her dress and started to head out-

Suddenly, Squee woke up and grabbed Sweetie’s dress with his teeth. Sweetie yelped in surprise. She looked back. His yellow eyes were back. They were different than the yellow she’d seen before. Less bright, but much more dead than before. They didn’t look evil and insane like before, but they looked solely insane.

“Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah.” Squee couldn’t stop laughing, as Sweetie struggled to get herself free from Squee’s grasp. Could the ponies outside not hear this crazy colt’s laugh?

Finally, Sweetie escaped, but not without a tiny price.

RRRIIIIIIIIIIPPPPPP

For some reason, the sheer sound of Axinite’s hard work and trouble ripping seemed like the scariest thing in the world, making her freeze up and almost forget the colt who’d assisted her in it’s distruction. Sweetie looked back at Squee, who’s laughter had died down slightly.

“Hehehehe… you’re going to die here…. Sweetie Belle…. Hehehehehe….” Squee said. His body melted into green goop. Sweetie bolted from the room, not daring to look back at the now, indefinable form that was her “coltfriend”. All she heard was a woosh before she found herself back in the dining hall. The next sound she heard was a scream of terror, right next to her ear.

“SWEETIE! What did you do?!”

Sweetie looked to see Axinite, her face a display of shock and anger. Her eyes contracted with rage and her teeth clenched, she looked at Sweetie with almost absolute hatred.

“A-axinite?” Sweetie asked.

“How could you do something like this to my beautiful dress?!” she asked.

“Huh?”

Sweetie, for the first time looked to see her exposed a few cutie marks, her flank and her back holding her saddlebags. The dress was ripped, threads hanging lazily in the air, the colt goop that somehow managed to get on her was starting staining the remaining portion of the dress. In other words, the half-a-dress looked beyond repair.

“Axinite I didn’t mean to… It was Squee! He-” Sweetie cut off as she noticed every pony looking at her; particularly the butlers, who now had that yellow glow to their eyes. Sweetie knew she had to get her picture and get out of there. Now.

“I can’t believe you Sweetie. I entrust you with one of my finest dresses and you go off and ruin it!”

Sweetie got a strong sense of dejavu. Not word for word, but it was too close to be anything but. She swore she’d held a similar conversation with the mare. Even Sweetie’s sudden sadness felt familiar.

“Rarity I’m…” Sweetie trailed off. Rarity? Her name’s Axinite… right? Who the hay is-

“Fire!” yelled a pony. Sweetie looked to see the pony who’d called was in fact Mrs. Bottle. Sweetie looked above her to see a trail of smoke flowing into the dining hall from the kitchen. Did Squee light the kitchen on fire? Was that the sound she heard? One thing was for sure though. No pony seemed particularly panicked about it, as their attention remained locked to her.

“Sweetie… did you light the kitchen on fire?” Mrs. Bottle asked, approaching her with Mr. Bottle.

“N-no!” Sweetie defended. “It was Squee! It had to be!”

“Squee Sweetie… who the hay is Squee?” Covri came up to Sweetie now. “Is he a pony from around here?” It was then Sweetie realized two things: first, that no one seemed to know Squee, despite the impressions he’d supposedly developed on ponies over the years. And secondly every pony she’d snapped a picture of: Covri, The Bottles, Cal, Feather, all gave her looks of either annoyance, or pity. Axinite though, all she could see in those eyes were hatred. Sweetie wasn’t sure if she even knew the mare anymore. The same mare she’d shared those brief, but warming moments in her shop was now glaring at her, almost as if she were prepared to kill her.

The mares began closing in. The six mares she’d supposedly befriended earlier that day were now cornering her against the burning kitchen like some kind of animal.

“She needs help.” Feather said. “She must be hallucinating. Perhaps it has something to do with that injury… let us help Sweetie.”

“…n-no.” Sweetie stuttered. “You’re not here to help me… you’re not here to help me at all. You never were… were you?”

“Of course we were Sweetie. That’s all we want for you…” Feather’s voice began to decline into some kind of demonic baritone. “We just want to help you…”

“That all we want… to help you Sweetie…” the other five’s voices all began to decline in the same manner. Behind them, she could hear laugher. High pitched laughter that Sweetie was sure she would eventually go deaf from hearing, or possibly mad from the way it mixed with the deep voices. She had to get out of here. She knew without a doubt. She was going to die if she didn’t escape. Memories, Sweetie could feel in the back of her head were banging against its shackles, getting all the more free. Though one memory did come to mind. One in the voice of Covri’s.

No one’s coming to save us.

“They can’t help me anymore… I’m on my own aren’t I…?” Sweetie mumbled.

…you know it kid.

***

At this point, Sweetie wasn’t even fighting the three of them anymore. She danced around them in an airy fashion, dodging whatever attacks they threw at her.

“Come on Paita! I expect more from a Canterlot Guard! You’re the one with a blade for crying out loud” She laughed. “At least try to hit me.”

Paita swung her sword madly, unable to put her training to work as her muscles spazzed at every bit of pain. Precision was impossible wither she used her hooves, or her muzzle to attempt murdering the possessed little ghost hunter.

“Scootaloo! Could you move any slower?!” Sweetie mocked. “Ms. Dash sure expects a lot of a snail-paced foal such as yourself.”

“Shut up!” Scootaloo screamed as she took another swing at Sweetie. Applebloom and Scootaloo, were a bit more coordinated in their attacks on her than Paita. They’d even gotten to the point where they quit fearing the mare might deliver a fatal blow to their white coated crusader. They’d also gotten used to the fact that neither of them would likely land a hoof on her. She was just too fast. Right now, all either of them could do was hope that they could somehow subdue their friend before they became as tired as Paita and they endured whatever consequences that came with their escape.

Sweetie dodged Scootaloo and gave a light jab on her side, knocking her to the side and throwing her to the course of Paita’s latest missed attack. She moved with Sweeie’s force in order to gain enough speed to pass and dodge Paita’s sword, as well as fall over in the process.

“Watch where you’re swinging that thing!”

Sweetie giggled as her eye darted to the left, just to catch Applebloom preparing to buck her in the face. Out of either pity or some twisted desire for pain, she let her get a clean shot in. The applebucker-in-training’s buck possessed 10 times the force of any of Scootaloo’s hoof swings, even if it did trade if off for a 10th of the speed. It wasn’t a room knocker, but it was enough to throw her off of the ground. She fell down with a thud. She tried to remain still, hoping Applebloom would fall for the same trap Scootaloo had minutes ago. To her disappointment, Applebloom was just a little bit smarter, so she just settled for a laugh that at least managed to visually chill the red mane’s spine. She looked up at her, grinning with her bloody nose, the droplets dripping down and staining her teeth.

“Why… why are you doing this to us?” Applebloom asked. “What the hay did we ever do to you? What did Sweetie ever do to you?”

Sweetie simply chuckled. “Believe me Appleboom, I could care less about what you could do, or ever would do to me, or even Specter for that matter.”

“Then why huh?! Why can’tcha just let any of us go?” Applebloom asked.

“Perhaps it’s because of how far in we are to this little scenario…” Sweetie took a few steps toward Applebloom who backed away from the bloody nosed Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo charged at Sweetie, who simply ducked just enough to toss her over her back and against the closest wall. “Perhaps it’s the orders I’ve got to complete this little session and murder each one of you that doesn’t pertain to the plan anymore.”

Paita swung her sword at Sweetie who stopped for a moment to catch it at the edge, and snatch it out of her hoof. She then proceeded to swing it at her and knock her down with the handle. Sweetie then proceded to approach Applebloom, now backed against a wall.

“Applebloom…” Applejack mumbled, looking at her through hazy, wakening eyes.

In an instant, Sweetie lept for using her leg to pin her up against the wall, so she could get her face as close to Applebloom’s as possible.

“Or perhaps it’s sanity, hm?” she said through gritting grinning teeth, even wider than before. “I don’t know why Specter wants you dead specifically. And to be perfectly honest, I don’t care. I’ve been waiting to kill something all night. Playing with your friend… the only reason I didn’t kill her the dozens of opportunities I had… the dozens of times I watched her, with my fellow ghosts, stalking her, when she…”

Her voice was shuddering, as if she were all of a sudden cold now. Her body definitely felt chilled beyond a normal, healthy filly, however, it was odd that it seemed to just start bothering her. She wiped her face with her free hoof, as if she were sweating. She gave it a shake, before regaining eye contact with the struggling Applebloom.

“My patience was wearing thin, you see.” She continued. “It’s funny really.” She gave a low few second laugh before reaching for the blade sticking out of her mouth, sticking horizontally in her mouth. “How painful it was to wait. To let them… get the fun with her, while I had to wait. Even that pink devil seemed to posses more patience than me. Even managing to restrain herself to put Sweetie through those trials… enjoying her struggle. Suffer, to survive. But me?”

Sweetie picked up Applebloom and slammed her against the wall once more, forcing her leg tighter along her neck. Applebloom’s air was cut off completely now.

“I loathe that survival. I loathe a pony that doesn’t know when it’s her turn to die. As sweet as you’re little, innocent friend might be… she’s probably the most bucking annoying of all of you.”

Applebloom was beginning to feel the effects of her strangulation as the world began spinning around her. Scootaloo and Paita attempted to rush to her aid, but were stopped in their tracks by chains of Sweetie’s own telekinesis spell, now supercharged with ghostliness. The magic may have still been draining to Sweetie, despite her ghostly help, but they were enough to keep the both of them anchored to the ground. From that point on, they were stuck there, all but able to watch Applebloom in her last seconds of life.

Sweetie laughed. “Perhaps however… killing you might make up for all of the… missed opportunities to end her life. Those, long, dragging moments of self control I had to execute against my ghostly instincts. Perhaps to see you, her best friend, her hooves on your freezing throat, your sister, and other best friend, watching… staring in disbelief… Why Sweetie… why…” She mocked in Sweetie’s regular voice, rather than the twisted mix of filly and adult stallion she was using moments ago. “Perhaps… you’ll do…”

“Applebloom!” Applejack screamed for her sister. The one dying by her own friend, her own crusader’s hoof.

Applebloom was beginning to struggle less and less. Her consciousness slipping away along with her life. It wouldn’t be more than a few minutes now before-

***

Sweetie acted fast. She had to, knowing instinctively that her time was just about up. That somepony was going to die if she didn’t kick it into high gear stat. As the six mares closed in, looking angrier, and even more pitying with decreased distance, Sweetie reached back. Thankfully, with that cumbersome dress out of the way, Sweetie didn’t have to fumble as much to grab ahold of her camera. She whipped it out and snatched a photo of Axinite.

“What the-”

Sweetie didn’t wait for the mares to charge her with her newly acquired photo. She closed her eyes and focused on the portion of the table closest to the exit. She might have tried another place, but considering how distant the table already was, she dared not teleport any farther, in fear of fainting from magic deprivation.

Behind her eyelids, she saw a flash, before she felt herself land onto the tablecloth, and uncomfortably, several pieces of silver ware. Her brain immediately went into a state of dizziness, removing her basic motor skills for the time being. All she could do was hope the loss of equilibrium didn’t last long enough for anypony to scoop her up and catch her.

“Where’d she go?” Sweetie heard. It sounded like Feather.

She’s over here” came the voice of one of the mares, followed by an insane little giggle. Sweetie saw the blurred figures of several ponies on the opposite side of her, staring at her. Just as they charged, Sweetie put all of her focus on these ponies, and where their eyes might have been. As she hopped, their charge halted just as they were preparing to get on the table.

I can’t see them the best… Sweetie thought. But they can see my stare just fine.

“Somepony! Gra-” It was the voice of Cal this time, though she wasn’t able to finish her sentence, as just as she was preparing to make the “b” sound, a different kind of “b” sound beat her to it.

BOOM

An explosion erupted from the kitchen, blowing anypony within its radius away like burning leaves. Sweetie snapped her head in the direction of the explosion and covered her mouth in shock. As her vision cleared, she was even more horrified to see the burning folk that had assisted her throughout the day.

Is this… my fault?

It was an accident! I swear! screamed a second inner voice, the same as Sweetie’s, though much more distant. A…memory of some kind?

Once Sweetie realized what she’d done by refocusing her attention, she turned back to see the stallions and mares previously frozen now directly on her tail. Just before they could grab her, with incredible speed she rolled back off the table as they flew over her and onto the ground behind her. She got up quickly, jumped over them, and ran out of the dining hall.

SWEEETIIIIIIIIE

The six moaned from the dining hall. They sounded in pain and agony, but at the same time mildly amused at Sweetie’s attempt at escape. Sweetie didn’t dare look back, just about acquainted with the realization they probably wanted to do more than “catch” her. Something much worse.

Once Sweetie entered the foyer once more entered the foyer and gasped. It wasn’t just the side of the dining hall that was on fire now, but the whole mansion! The heat hit her like a bull, nearly throwing her onto her hooves.

“This is insane!” Sweetie yelled. Sweetie covered her mouth with the remaining part of the dress, and lowered her hat to keep as much smoke out of her eyes. She made her way to the other side of the staircase, in hopes of regaining access to that room.

“You’ve GOT to be kidding!”

There was a large piece of bright burning wood. It crackled in Sweetie’s face, making her flinch and turn away from the blockade.

“Okay Sweetie. Don’t panic. Don’t panic.” She wasn’t doing a very good job, as her mind couldn’t think straight, making her have to scream over the blaze to process the simplest thoughts. Her breaths were becoming shorter and shorter, though perhaps the smoke was to blame for that. “There’s… there’s another way! Down the other hall!”

Sweetie abandoned the door and raced up the staircase to the door. She tried to push it.

“No way. NO WAY.” The door was locked. She looked around her. Parts of the ceiling looked just about to cave in on her. “No! I’m not dying here!” Sweetie turned around, and with more force than she knew she had, she kicked at the door. It didn’t come down, but rather it created a hole, just large enough for Sweetie to get through… also jagged enough for Sweetie to gut herself on. She didn’t have enough time to consider it as she heard wood bend above her. She leapt through the jagged wood, managing to only scratch her tummy as she rolled into the hallway.

Sweetie looked back just in time to see the masses of ceiling wood fall and block off her hole. She sighed. “That couldn’t have been closer.” Though the hot little filly wasn’t out of the woods yet. She still had to traverse the hallway without burning to death.

Sweetie’s eyes contracted as she began hearing the screams of the ponies that were still trapped in the holocaust of flames on the first floor. Their screams of pain and suffering echoed in her head, as she attempted covering her head with her hat to block them out.

“Ignore them Sweetie… ignore them they’re… not… real…”

The situation was beginning to clear up as the smoke fogged her vision further. This whole mansion, the town, and everypony inside of it wasn’t real! Or at least not in the way she’d come to think of it as “real”. It was an illusion made to distract her so something could have the chance to

kill a pony…

Sweetie had to move. She had to crash this party as soon as possible… or at least make it to the room so she could escape without it crashing with her inside of it. It took a minute for Sweetie to acknowledge the fact, and cause her to get up and run as fast as she could.

“What did that voice say…?” Sweetie asked herself, trying to remember how to get to the crashing room as efficiently as possible.

Left, right, right, right, staircase she recalled.

The floor creaked under her. It was ready to give in to the heat. Sweetie gave an annoyed groan and bolted from the spot before the floor gave way to a pool of flames. Between the confusion, fire, and screams that surrounded her, Sweetie wasn’t sure which dominated her lungs. Her screams, the smoke seeping through her ripped dress, or the coughs that resulted from a combination of the two. On multiple occasions her coughing caused her to ram into burning tables or walls. Even worse, the giving floor was becoming more and more frequently by her. It was only the fact that the mansion was crumbling around her that she was able to resist slowing down from the lessening oxygen of the air hungry inferno.

Just as Sweetie was preparing to make her first left, she passed by the door that she’d originally trapped Symbol in, the very same mare burst through it. The door hit and crumbled beneath Sweetie in a flurry of embers. Sweetie was dazed for a moment, though before she could get back up to continue her run, and ignore the violent door, the subject mare tacked her and pinned her against the wall. As Sweetie’s vision cleared, she was horrified to see what the fire had done to her. Much of her body was burned, and the part of her previously white coat that wasn’t blackened with soot, exposed patches of bare skin, muscle, and sometimes bone. Sweetie felt an urge to vomit on the zombie mare, though Symbol’s hoof against blocked the bile and sent it straight back down to her stomach.

Symbol laughed as she picked Sweetie up, getting on her hind hooves and preparing to throw her into one of the fire pools Sweetie was running against. With her own unpinned hindlegs, she swung at frizzy light and dark blue, or rather black and dark blue, mane mare’s stomach. She still threw Sweetie, though the kick turned it into more of a sloppy toss. Sweetie hit the ground and rolled into the hole of fire, barely managing to catch the splintery ledge and avoiding falling to her doom.

Symbol was still laughing, telling Sweetie she didn’t have any time to hang around. She pushed through the pain of the jagged wood, feeling bits of blood droplets slip down her leg as the splinters cut into her. Since they weren’t any deeper than the ones she’d acquired from the door, she ignored them. She pulled herself half way up before she saw Symbol walking towards her, prepared to kick her down into the devil’s pit and finish her off.

Sweetie wasn’t going to let her.

Just as the corpse Symbol was within reach, when she kicked, Sweetie let go of the ledge and grabbed onto Symbol’s leg.

Yank!

Sweetie pulled on Symbol and pulled her down into the fire. Unfortunately, Symbol wasn’t as coordinated as Sweetie, and didn’t manage to catch the ledge in time. She fell into the fire and burst into flames. Sweetie climbed back up, and then lost the ability to contain her bile at the act she’d committed. She… she’d just-

She’s not real. None of this is real. It’s Spiffy. It’s Specter. It’s a lie. Sweetie remembered. Her memory was coming back more and more. Specter and Spiffy were her enemies, and they’d taken something from her. Sweetie knew for certain if she pushed to the room that every memory that had somehow been buried would resurface. She just had to stay alive long enough to see them.

“Easier said than done.” Sweetie commented as she shook her head and continued running.

Left! Sweetie remembered.

Right

Right

Ri-

Sweetie skidded to a stop as she came to a large gap, which had to have been a good 40 yards across. One she was almost sure she could neither cross without falling into the inferno, nor teleport across without fainting and being burned alive in her sleep. The worst part was that through the smoke, she could still vaguely make out the passage to the stairwell.

“No…” Sweetie looked back at the falling apart hallway. There was no was she could go back the way she came. “No! C’mon Sweetie! Think! You’ve got 6 cutie marks on you ONE of them has to help here.”

A memory came back to her. One of a carnival where she’d made an impossible jump. Not exactly one as long as this one, but about half as long. Onto… a paper airplane?

Sweetie didn’t take the time to dwell on the peculiar memory, but rather hatched an idea. She might not have been able to jump across with the cutie mark alone… but what if she could consecutively use a combination two of her talents? Would it exhaust her to nearly fainting again? Considering her lessening options along with the thinning wood below her, she figured she didn’t have anything left to lose.

As the hallway behind her continued to crumble, Sweetie used as much runway room as she could and made a run for the ledge. She jumped and could feel herself soar for a few moments, as well as the cloud cutie mark tingle. As she felt gravity kick in, she imagined the passage in her mind and used a teleportation spell in mid air. She reappeared inside the stairwell, only upside down. Once gravity decided to set back in for her, Sweetie found herself tumbling down the stairs, and hitting her head on the floor.

She got up to look around the room. Surprisingly, it was the only part of the mansion that hadn’t drastically changed. The only difference was that smoke had settled at the ceiling and the room was filled with even more unsettling muted screams from outside.

“Ignore them Sweetie, ignore them.” Sweetie said aloud, feeling inexplicable guilt attempt to keep her from moving forward. “I don’t have much more time.”

Sweetie spread out the pictures in front of her and shined her light on them. She looked back around the room at the frames set up, and facing the candle at the center. “Let’s try lighting that candle first.”

Sweetie used one of her new matches and lit the center candle. Despite its small size, it lit the room quite well. Even more, though the room was already hot enough, only after its light flooded it did Treble or Barra start thawing out.

Boy am I going to have some explaining to do when their done.

In the mean time, Sweetie took set up the sheet music in accordance to the corresponding instrument.

“Okay… and now the pictures.” Sweetie looked back at them. Considering there was something written on the back of each of them, she figured there had to be a specific order they had to go in. She turned them over and tried different arrangements.

SECAPE

CAPESE

PEASCE

…ESCAPE!

It was the most valid word, and for that matter, most appropriate word she’d come across yet. It had to be it. She looked back up at surrounding picture frames.

“…now if only I knew where I had to start!”

Sweetie examined each of the picture frames. One wrote:

“This little pony fed their bellies…”

Another one:

“This little pony sped to the hospital…”

Another one:

“This little pony went to get bandages…”

Another one:

“This little pony nearly was broken…”

Another one:

“This little pony danced to town…”

Finally:

“This little pony cried hate, hate, hate, all the way home.”

The little sequence made sense, yet at the same time, none to Sweetie. She knew if she just had a little more memory… but something told her it didn’t matter. As long as she knew where to place one of the “E”s…

“The little pony who cried hate…” Sweetie mumbled. She remembered the specific hate that Axinite held in her eyes. That familiar hate and embarrassment…

Sweetie placed Axinite’s picture in the frame of hate. From there, Sweetie decided to work backwards, getting the feeling the frame of feeding wasn’t the next part in whatever story they were insinuating.

Axinite’s was “E”.

Romina’s was “P”.

Covri’s was “A”

Feather’s was “C”

Bottle’s was “S”

And Cal was “E”.

“That should do it… I hope…”

The room moaned. Sweetie wasn’t sure if that was a direct response to the puzzle, or if it was the sound of the fire working its way into the ceiling’s roof. One thing was for sure however, it was certainly getting hotter-

“Sweetie?”

Sweetie turned to see both Treble and Barra thawed out. They were wet, but it looked like the brief cryo-freeze didn’t harm them. They weren’t even shivering, but considering the room was progressively turning into a black sauna, who would?

“What’s going on? What’s with all of the-”

“Less talky. More play-y.” Sweetie cut Treble off.

Sweetie saw panic fill their faces as they realzed the current situation.

“What’s with this smoke! Are we on fire?!” Treble got up and moved around to Sweetie.

“That screaming… oh my Celestia…” Barra was too paralyzed by fear to move.

“We need to find a way-”

“There is no way out.” Sweetie said sharply. “Look, if you want to… if you want to survive, you’ve got to listen to me.”

“Listen to you?” Barra asked. “Ms. Belle, I have my doubts we’d even be in here if you hadn’t lured us in here. Where’s Symbol?”

“Dead.” Sweetie said flatly. She was almost surprised how easily the morbid word passed her lips. Even more how carelessly, as if it weren’t anything to really consider. As if she didn’t care.

They’re not real. Remember they’re not real.

Barra gasped. “You’re… you’re ly-” she entered a coughing fit as the smoke started to thicken.

“We don’t have time to argue about who lured who.” Sweetie urged. “You need to do exactly as I say or we’re all going to die here.”

“Why should we listen to you?” Treble asked. “Even ignoring the fact that you tricked us into coming here, you’re still just a little kid!”

“Because I said so alright?!” Sweetie exclaimed. “Now play those instruments. Now.”

The two mares looked at each other momentarily before going to their instruments. Treble went over to the harp and took position, while Barra took hers by the bass. In the meantime, Sweetie took a moment to put on her GCD. The name of the device come to her effortlessly, like like the name of a forgotten best friend…

“Play these. Hurry!” Sweetie urged, throwing the pieces of sheet music onto the stands, and hoping she applied each musical piece to the correct musician. There was a moment of hesitation between the two before they finally followed Sweetie’s order. They began playing. As music filled the room, Sweetie began feeling the same strange guilt feel as she had back when she first sung Treble’s first song. Thankfully, or perhaps not, the guilt didn’t last for more than a minute of the song, as it looped back to the beginning. A loud buzzing sound reverberated in Sweetie’s eardrums, giving her the sharpest headache yet. But it wasn’t just the head this time. As the music declined in tempo, she could feel the shockwaves of the instruments increase in volume and force. She could feel them stinging like bees all over her body, as the tone of their playing became more and more twisted with each loop. Sweetie’s hearing left just as the tones began to twist out of seeming possibility. Finally, the candle at the center of the room began glowing green. Any smoke in the room vanished as the candle’s light grew in magnitude. Neither Treble, nor Barra seemed to notice the spectral phenomenon happening before their very eyes. Then again, they didn’t have much time to react as the candle fire branched out and pierced them. They continued playing as the tentacle-like ropes of the candle fire pierced their bodies and went through them, turning their mouths and eyes into fire. Silent wind whirled around the room as the pictures themselves began rounding the room. Faster and faster they went before they were just a blur.

Both Treble and Barra had stopped… no, their names weren’t Treble and Barra, but… but Lyra and Octavia, were the names coming to Sweetie. They both stopped playing their instruments, though echoes of them continued to play the tune, or at least continue strumming the instruments. They both looked at her, giving Sweetie another chill before exploding in a flurry of blinding light, consuming Sweetie in its magnificence.

***

“Applebloom!” Applejack yelled for her sister, who seemed just about ready to give in to Sweetie’s grip. Just as every ounce of hope seemed to be gone, one sparked with Sweetie’s horn. She felt the tingle that turned into searing pain. Normally, the possessed filly could easily forget about any kind of pain, and turn off any nerves that tried to apply any. However, this pain, she couldn’t turn off. This pain wasn’t to her body, but to his spirit! Sweetie wasn’t the one getting hurt anymore but the spirit inside of her. Sweetie was doing something to Spiffy!

Before she could do anything, the pain transitioned into a magical discharge that exploded her horn and threw her across the room away from Applebloom to give her a little breathing room. In that same instance, Applebloom was dropped to the ground to have a little breathing space while Scootaloo and Paita were freed from Sweetie’s telekinetic grasp. While Paita was left a bit dumbfounded, Scootaloo wasted no time rushing to make sure Applebloom was alright. Sweetie on the otherhand… or rather, Spiffy, the ghost possessing her at the moment, was momentarily trapped within the little filly’s body.

***



……….

“Sweetie…”

“Sweetie… you need to get up. Now’s not the time to lollygag. They’re still in grave dan…”

Sweetie moaned as she attempted to force herself up. She looked up and saw a familiar sky. Similar to the one she’d seen in Pinkie’s carnival, but with a green tint to it. It still had those peculiar, menacing, white lined clouds running through them.

“Out of one mess… and into another…” She mumbled. Then she remembered. Something. No, she remembered everything! How she’d gotten here, the possession, the mansion, the ghosts, Specter, her… her sister. “That… he took my memory and tried to trap me there…” Sweetie continued. Her eyes widened when she realized the two ponies she’d kissed to escape were Diamond Tiara and Pipsqueak. She took a moment to spit out any Tiara parasites or Pipsqueak cooties she might have picked up in her momentary memory absence. “I’m gonna have to visit Colgate for a month straight to get that out of my mouth…” She might have vomited to the fact that she also, for the moment, liked each kiss due to her lack of memory. It was a good thing her stomach was already empty. She didn’t need the extra taste in her mouth anyway.

“Well… at least I’m out. Feels like I’ve been there for over half a year…” Sweetie thought. “I hope my friends are still alright.”

“…more or less.”

Sweetie jumped at the voice. “W-who are you?”

“If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you one hundred times. That’s not important. The important part is that you’ve got about 5 minutes before Spiffy’s spirit wakes up from the memory crash trauma and attempts to take another stab at your friend Applebloom… literally, most likely.”

Sweetie shook her head and looked around to get her bearings. She seemed to be on the same surface as the memory crashing room, however all of the walls were gone, exposing a green void, similar to the one she’d seen along the tracks of Pinkie’s rollercoaster ride. Though, instead of miscellaneous items, she saw frozen ponies floating around like statues. Flying around them, there were other ghosts. They seemed to be the same white round ghosts that had chased her in the hallway, as well as seen around the time she kissed Spike.

“Really gotta stop reminding me I did that.” Sweetie commented, unsure who the comment was directed to.

Lyra and Octavia lie dead next to disintegrated instruments, and blackened like coal. The candlestick was now much taller than before, stretching above to another segment of the mansion, floating above her.

“I’m guessing that’s my destination?”

“That’s right. That’s likely where Spiffy will be, manipulating your body’s core. Where your spirit would normally send signals to your brain for the body to perform any tasks… like killing little kids, for example.”

“I get it. She’s in trouble.” Sweetie said, slightly annoyed. “How about telling me how to get up there!”

“You already know.”

Sweetie looked over past the candle and noticed a lever. Her heart sunk. “I have to solve some stupid puzzle, don’t I?”

“You know it kid.”

Sweetie groaned. “I don’t have time for more puzzles though!”

You’re in a haunted mansion. What more do you expect?” The voice commented. “And besides, arguably you didn’t have time about two hours ago real time. What’s another 5 more minutes with your applebucking friend is brutally murdered as incentive, hm? Now get moving!”

Sweetie ran over to the lever in the ground and pulled it toward her. The world moaned as another floating platform came down just beside the memory crash room platform. Dangling from the platform were what looked like millions of dangling threads hanging loosely around the perimeter of the platform. Through the threads, Sweetie could see a large yellow combustion emitting from the center of the platform, likely allowing it to move. From Sweetie’s perspective, and the way they swayed in the intense wind, the platform looked comparable to a purple jellyfish.

The platform Sweetie was currently standing on gave a loud, long creak. With little hesitation, Sweetie jumped and took ahold of a bunch of threads, just as the first platform fell down into the green oblivion. Sweetie then used her applebucking strength, and weather mare speed to ascend up the jelly like platform. Once she got to the top, she noted that this portion of the platform seemed to be a segment of the dining hall. A burnt, broken portion of the table lie in the center, and around it lie the six mares she now remembered then names of: Twilight, Fluttershy, Rainbow, Pinkie, Applejack and Rarity lie on top of each other atop the table remnants. From the looks of it, someone seemed to be preparing to burn the bodies. Sweetie shuddered at the thought… or perhaps it was the chill of the wind blowing through her mane. It must have been, after all, she’d seen worse, right?

“Doesn’t mean I can get used to it though…” Sweetie mumbled.

Sweetie took a moment to look around at her surroundings. From where she was standing, she could see four platforms in the distance. The only problem was that unlike the one she was standing on now, though they had flames to move them around the area, they didn’t have threads… which meant unless there was a way to make them ascend from the platforms themselves, she couldn’t use them! They’d either be uselessly on the same level as her, or too high for her to reach.

“Okay… so how do I do this?”

Sweetie took a look on her own platform to see there were in fact, four levers. Strangely enough, unlike the first one these had symbols on their bases.

Lever 1: “ O ” Tangent

Lever 2: “ | | ” Radius

Lever 3: “ = ” Radius

Lever 4: “ X ” Tangent

They also possessed buttons on the side, going from 1 to 3.

For a moment, Sweetie’s mind went back to Ms. Cheerilee’s class. She remembered a particularly boring geometry lesson discussing different lines of a circle… that must have been what the puzzle was referring to. Perhaps the different levers referred to how each platform moved in accordance with the one she was currently on. Sweetie couldn’t match up the correlation between the signs and the functions of the levers. She supposed she could just test each one out and see what happened.

Just as she prepared to give a good yank on the lever, she heard a ghostly giggle behind her.

“Noooo…” Sweetie said in disbelief.

She turned around, only to see the same dead bodies lying on the wood.

“Nooo…” Sweetie repeated as she went over to the piled bodies.

She poked them with the nozzle of her GCD. Upon touching it, she stared to hear a hissing sound.

“No!” She jumped back before a bursting white flame could blow her face off. The flame didn’t last long, for out of them flew what seemed like hundreds of the white ghosts Sweetie had seen. Only five however, stuck around on the platform to terrorize the little ghost hunter. They didn’t attack her initially however, but instead just flew around her. Sweetie looked around in every direction at the surrounding ball shaped ghosts. They were much smaller than the other ones she’s seen, but their sharp toothed mouths and black beady eyes made up for it.

“Poor poor little Sweetie Belle.”

“Thrown into a nightmarish mansion hell.”

“The little ghosties fly around.”

“Little Sweetie Belle has been found.”

Sweetie swallowed. And prepared to give the ghosts a sweep of her flashlight, and hope light affected them.

“Dancing Sweetie, looking for a friend.”

“A sister who’s hate and loathe she sends.

“Shut up! I’m getting sick of being told the same lie OVER and OVER again.” Sweetie yelled at the ghosts.

“Lies?” One of them giggled. They flew out of the group and confronted Sweetie face to face. Fearfully Sweetie fell back onto her flank from the closeness of its. “We don’t lie Sweetie. It’s stupid to lie. Lies are just another way of cushioning life. To shroud it’s truth and make it look better to everyone else…”

“But we’re dead.” Another one laughed. “What do we have to lie about.”

“T…then you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh! But we do Sweetie! You’re the liar here. You know just as well as everyone else that your sister. Your… Rarity couldn’t forgive you for ruining that once in a lifetime opportunity.”

“Please don’t use that word, it gives me a headache.” Sweetie said, attempting to lower her current panic levels.

“Think about it. You’re smart enough to know that your sister, a nosed up, Canterlot wanna be. A pony who over eats up drama and exploits gossip as a hobby. A pony who could hate… even her own sister if she ruined something, or somethings worth thousands of hard-earned bits.”

“Get out of my face.” Sweetie was doing well in controlling her fear now, but terribly in controlling her anger.

“A sister who put two other ponies in the hospital… and a sister whose fault it is, for ruining their chance at marrage… twice.”

“I said get out of my FACE.” Sweetie swept her flashlight up in the ghost’s face white face.

DING

Sweetie didn’t take the time to suck up the first ghost, but rather rolled past it and gave another sweep to three of the remaining surrounding nine.

DING! DING! DING!

Once behind the circle of ghosts, Sweetie aimed her GCD at the bunch and began sucking them up. Once the two of them were caught, and the other one disappeared to who knew where, in in the current of the device’s suction, they began flailing, making a strange groaning/yelling sound. Sweetie was also reintroduced to being dragged nearly aimlessly by the panicking ghosts.

60,59,58,57

Sweetie gave a good yank!.

56, 55545352515049,48,47

“There we go…” Sweetie smiled as she continued yanking, and attempting to control the two ghosts as they dragged her around, attempting to throw her off the platform.

…14,13,12yank!11,10,9,8-

One of them somehow managed to shake free of Sweetie’s grasp and escape the GCD suction. It disappeared into thin air. Sweetie noted how apt these types seemed to be towards escaping her grasp.

5,4,3,2,1,0

The ghost gave the familiar, satisfying yell as it was dragged into the confines of the GCD. Sweetie spotted another one flying at her. She dodged swiftly, nearly falling over the edge of the platform before. She then shined her light on the ghost-

DING

-and proceded to capture it. It wasn’t the same ghost, but Sweetie wasn’t complaining. As long as she could get them.

4,3,2,1,0 Sweetie managed to suck up yet another ghoul into her GCD before she saw another one charging at her.

Third verse, same as the first… Sweetie thought, and she caught the ghost again, with incredible ease. She wasn’t sure if it was the anger of the ghost’s words that were powering her, or the skill she’d aquited earlier, because despite as much time she felt away from the device she was catching them like a pro!

“C’mon! You’ve gotta do better than that!” Sweetie taunted as she felt was almost done catching the fourth ghost.

“IF YOU INSIST!” Screamed an invisible one. Sweetie looked to her left to see another angry, wide smiled ghost charging at her. This time, Sweetie didn’t have the means to doge this time. Just as the ghost entered her GCD, the white entity knocked her off the platform. It hit her so hard, she wasn’t able to take ahold of the threads of the platform before they became out of her reach.

“Not getting rid of me that easily!” Sweetie quickly switched to her Spectral Throwback and hoped her plan would work. She put the nozzle end of the GCD to her chest and pointed it away from her. She then shot a white ball of ectoplasm. She felt the force of the shot in her chest, as well as felt it push her back toward the threads. She gave another shot and turned around mid air to just barely grab the ends of another bunch of threads.

She heard the white ghost from above laugh as it charged down at her. Sweetie, on the other hoof, was ready for it. She smiled, and risked using telekinesis to aim the nozzle at the ghost. The ghost’s grin turned to a frown, anticipating her next move.

“Not good enough.” Sweetie mumbled as she put more telekinetic pressure around the nozzle. The GCD fired and made direct contact with it, throwing it out of sight. Sweetie sighed in relief as the adrenaline left her body. “Heh. That wasn’t so hard…”

“Just so you know Sweetie, you’re four minutes in.”

“Thanks, Mr. No-Pressure.”

“I suppose I’ve come under the assumption you work well under it.”

Sweetie climbed back to the top.

“Alright… now the puzzle. Hey!” Sweetie looked up at the platforms now. They had ghosts flying around them in circles. Sweetie gave a few seconds of examination before she realized that from her own perspective, they were flying patterns were similar to that of the symbols! Two rings of ghosts flew around each other to create an “X”, another two flew above and below a platform to create a “| |”, another two rings flew horizontal to each other, creating an “ = ” and finally, one group flew around the platform to create an “O”.

“Well… this certainly takes away the experimenting time…” Sweetie squinted at the platforms. There weren’t any bulges on them, so Sweetie figured they likely didn’t possess any levers, as she’d expected. However, she did come up with an idea.

Sweetie first made sure both “tangent” levers were on the same level as her. From the looks of it, they looked as though if she pulled either lever, they’d just skim her platform and keep on going. The “ O ” platform would travel east and pass by the north, and the “ X ” platform would travel south, by the east. The platforms now below her faced the north, the “ | | ” and the south, the “ = ” and would eventually collide into each other if Sweetie were to pull one of the levers. Sweetie judged the distance of the two platforms and nodded when she decided to pull the fourth lever first. She then ran over to the first lever, waited a few seconds while watching the “ X ” before pulling it. She then watched, and bit her lower lip hoping her logic or timing wasn’t too off. As she’d hoped, the two platforms intersected perfectly. While the “ O ” stopped in its tracks, the “ X ” was knocked off course and flew into the void.

The ghosts floating around on it went into a frenzy and scrambled off of it, and headed to the upper platform. A few of the ghosts were startled as well on the “ O ” platform, though many of them seemed indifferent to the impact, or simply didn’t notice, and continued along their course. Sweetie looked over at the other platform and considered just hitting the third level button for the “ X ” and making a jump to the other platform, but between the ghosts still swarming around it and the fact that the chances of her making the jump were almost nothing, Sweetie didn’t think it was worth the risk. Besides, she wouldn’t be completely solving the platform puzzle anyway. She still had the platforms below her.

She looked over the edge and did the same mental calculations determining the distances between the platforms. Once she was sure of herself, she went back and pulled on the “ | | ”, waited a few seconds, and then pulled he “ = ”. Both of the platforms eventually collided below the “ O ”. The “ = ” was more vertical to the “ O ”. Now all she had to do is hit the third level button to the “ = ” and the “ O ” would be knocked up and take her straight to Spiffy! Ha! Who says Geometry doesn’t help anypony? How else could Sweetie have figured that puzzle out in the 55 seconds she did?

“Yeah, because you’ve got to be ready when life throws a demonic ghost puzzle at you. Gotta know those tangent and radii.” Sweetie commented, again clueless to the one she was commenting too. She shrugged it off, and hit the “ = ” third level equal sign. She made the jump over to the “ O ” platform, thankful the ghosts didn’t seem to care about her arrival… or at least remained indifferent as they didn’t alter their previous flight pattern.

“Alrighty, now all I’ve gotta do is wait for the-” Sweetie was interrupted mid sentence by the very platform she was just talking to herself about. “Woah!” The force nearly knocked her off of the platform again. The ghosts around her scattered and retreated to the upper level, just as Sweetie’s platform was thrown up along with them.

“I’m coming for you Spiffy!” Sweetie yelled.

***

“Applebloom, You sure you’re alright?” Scootaloo asked.

“Yeah, ahm alright, but what ‘bout Sweetie?” Applebloom got up to look at her friend.

Scootaloo shrugged. “Dunno. Her horn flashed and threw her over there. She’s out cold, I think. Least she didn’t get up and grab me like before.”

Applebloom finally got up and looked over at her friend. Paita, for the last few minutes, had only been poking the little filly, attempting to rouse her, getting braver and braver towards touching the homicidal little pony with each poke.

“Ya think… you think Sweetie… ah mean the real Sweetie might’ve stopped ‘em?”

“That Yield guy didn’t look too confident in him… maybe he was a pushover and Sweetie’s giving him and old fashioned flan-”

The Sweetie Spiffy thing’s eyes snapped open. Her sockets glowed with fury, anger, and magic, becoming pure balls of energy, rather than eye jelly. Before Paita even had the chance to step back, Sweetie hit her in the chest and threw her against the wall. She pinned her down against it with telekinesis and applied immense pressure. For the moment, only screams, supplied with a crack or two were heard. The guard mare fell silent as she entered unconsciousness.

“O-or not.” Scootaloo shuddered. She replaced her newfound fear with fake determination as she entered a battle stance.

“She shouldn’t have been able to do that. She shouldn’t have been able to crash the memory like that! That WASN’T supposed to happen EITHER.”

“Heh, what’s wrong? Sweetie too much for you?” Scootaloo mocked.

“Silence!” Sweetie wasn’t in the mood for play anymore as she used another telekinetic spell to pick up Scootaloo by the tail and slam her face against the wall. Sweetie did it a second time, satisfied to see a tooth fall to the ground. “It’s improbable, neigh, impossible for her to be able to get as far as her spiritual nexus! She shouldn’t be able to reach her core. She’s not even registered… she’s not special. There’s something else. Something else.”

“Scoots, are you alright?”

Scootaloo only moaned in response. Sweetie then proceeded to tie Scootaloo up by the tail on one of the chandeliers above her, her mouth agape and now with one tooth unaccounted for. Sweetie then proceded to pin Applebloom against the wall. She got up close to her. “Do YOU have anything to do with this?”

“Eh… I ain’t got any clue what ye’re talking about.” Applebloom shuddered fearfully.

“Specter wanted you dead for some reason… maybe killing you is supposed to stop it eh?”

Sweetie called her knife to her hoof, and raised it at the red mane’s stomach. “Why don’t we just test that out?!” Sweetie cackled as she went for the lunge.

***

“One… two…” Sweetie was rapidly approaching the final platform. She had to time it just right or she’d miss her stop. “….three!”

Sweetie leapt from her platform as the one she was riding flew up out of sight. She now found herself on the platform the candle was on. Scattered along the large plane were tables and loose ropes tied to the bases and ends of certain ones.

Do YOU have anything to do with this?

“What the…?” Sweetie looked up. There was some kind of portal displaying Applebloom pinned against a wall by an outline of… white magic. The same aura that her own horn emitted. Somepony was using her telekinesis. “Applebloom!”

Sweetie looked over above the green candle. Above it was Spiffy, floating inside of some kind of transparent bubble. That had to be where he was controlling her from! She looked back at the window, and saw her own hoof holding a knife, aiming at her friend’s stomach.

Why don’t we just test that out?!

“Oh no you don’t!” Sweetie aimed her GCD at Spiffy and fired her last shot of ghost goo at the bubble. It pierced the bubble and hit Spiffy square in the chest.

“Gah!” He yelled in surprise. Rather than disappearing, he simply went a few feet out of the bubble before falling onto the platform, the ectoplasm stuck to his chest. Sweetie glanced at the window, which had now gone black. She sighed in relief that this was the real Spiffy. He looked up at Sweetie. “You… but that’s impossible. You’re too fresh to make it here.”

“I guess your dumb memory erasing trick failed miserably and backfired.” Sweetie aimed her GCD at the downed butler. “I’m gonna get you for making me kiss…” she shuddered. “Tiara…”

Spiffy laughed. “Don’t get so full of yourself yet Ms. Belle.” He got up on all fours. “I’m still quite in control of what happens here. The only reason I haven’t erased your spirit in my own memory crash is because we still need you somewhat alive. After all, I’d be a shame for the cutie marks of the Elements to be lost by a goof like you.”

“Guess it doesn’t even take a goof to beat a poor flank like yours.” Sweetie retorted.

“Enough talk.” He floated up in the air. Just as he did, spikes spat out of the rims of the surrounding tables. They then began spinning like saws, making Sweetie feel uneasy about their closeness to each other. “If you really want to die then… I’d be happy to oblige. I’m sure Specter will understand next we meet. Good bye Sweetie Belle.”

Black smog then started to surround the platform. Sweetie heard thousands of giggles and laughs from the surrounding ghosts.

“I’ve come way too far to have my body stolen by a psychopath like you!” Sweetie said, entering her battle stance. With Twilight’s cutie mark, she could now use her telekinesis to hold the nozzle trained on Spiffy, and she could focus on her leg movement to dodge any of the spinning blades. Sweetie looked around before she started to see shadowy sludge like creatures begin falling out of the smog.

“Sweeeeeetttttiiiieee…” They held a long, groaned version of Rarity’s voice.

“Oh, shut up already.” Sweetie moved around the tables to meet the first smog creature. Instinct told her that Spiffy was going to be fairly tolerable to her own flashlight. She’d need to weaken him before she could take a stab at his magic shield. Sweetie kept a fair distance between herself and the smog creature before shining her light on it.

DING!

Sweetie began sucking up the monster, though the strange thing was that the GCD didn’t register any type of magical count this time. It wasn’t capturing it! Even worse, after about 3 seconds of sucking, the GCD stopped functioning.

Miscellaneous Waste Storage Full. Please Empty In Order To Proceed with Self-Exorcism and Continue to Engage in Spectral Anomalies.” the GCD said in its monotone voice.

“Are you KIDDING?!” Sweetie couldn’t catch this ghost thanks to either what it was made of, or what it was wrapped in. If Sweetie didn’t work fast enough, these things could really swamp her, and she’d really be in trouble. There was only one now, but what would happen when there were ten? Or 100?

Just as the ghost cackled at her futile attempts, it threw a black, slobbery tentacle of darkness at her. Sweetie dodged to the side, and nearly fell into one of the whirling table blades.

Okay, so I can’t catch these things… then please tell me I can at least shoot out what I suck up… Sweetie thought as she aimed her GCD at Spiffy, who was still floating higher in the air.

WHAM!

She got a direct hit just below his muzzle, knocking his head back and down back onto the platform.

“I didn’t hear a ding…” Sweetie mumbled. There had to be something else. Perhaps… perhaps fire? There was the green candle in the center of the room. Hopefully it had a limitless supply.

Sweetie switched back to her capture and sucked up some of the fire. Surprisingly, rather than sucking up fire, it sucked up a pure rope of light that connected to the GCD nozzle. As she looked at the string of light, another hypothesis popped into her head. Rather than wait for the device to fill up, she ran behind Spiffy, sweeping him with the rope of green fire.

He began floating again, this time not on his own accord. He was also screaming in pain as was now wrapped in the rope of green flames. There were loud whooshing sounds as the fire constricted him, but no ding. She knew she was close though… she just needed a little extra light.

Sweetie swept her flashlight up at Spiffy.

DING

“Gotcha now!” Sweetie took a hold of the nozzle by the hooves, sure she wouldn’t be able to have Spiffy drag her around with only her own easy to break telekinesis spell. She let go of the button and hit the capture button a second time. She saw the funnel of air connect with Spiffy… but nothing happened.

Literally, it seemed as though all time had simply paused for a moment.

Oh no, no no, now what?!

“Relax Sweetie. You’re fine. Just wait a moment. This catch is a little different than normal. Just remember to remain aware of your surroundings before I go…”

“Ghost Capture Device Feature, Spirit Kick Function Activated. Please wait while GCD synchs with real time”

Wait! You need to tell me who the hay you are?!

The voice sighed. “You’re a terrible listener kid. I told you, it doesn’t matter now. You won’t even remember my involvement in this little exercise if you win.”

“But-”

“Real Time Synch Complete. Prepare For Foreign Spirit Exorcism”

***

Sweetie had remained as still as a statue, still in that attacking pose aimed at Applebloom’s stomach. Applejack had quit screaming, as did Scootaloo, now curious as to what had stopped the maniac. Was it some kind of new mind game she was playing? Was she having second thoughts? Did Specter have something to do with it? Or was Sweetie… the real Sweetie actually-

“Ghost Capture Device Feature, Spirit Kick Function Activated. Please wait while GCD synchs with real time”

Sweetie dropped the knife as she fell back. She looked at her hooves that were now shaking. “No… no this isn’t supposed to happen. It’s not supposed to happen, it’s impossible. This shouldn’t be in this model device it’s impossible!”

“Is it now, Spiffy?”

Sweetie whirled around to see that Specter was in fact standing there, looking upon him with deadly calming eyes.

“You… knew this would happen.”

“Of course I did. After all… I’ve been counting.”

“Counting?” Sweetie got up. “What the BUCK do numbers have to do with-”

“The… the add-on.” Sweetie looked at the GCD on her back. She tried to take it off, but it was now latched to it.

“It won’t work, you know how Spiritual Kicks work. The pack will be stuck on there until either one spirit remains in the body, or both spirits are calm… and I’m willing to bet Sweetie is anything but ‘calm’ about an old stallion walking around in her skin.”

“But… this is a model 2032, isn’t it? Isn’t it?”

“An adaptable elemental processer, yes. That is the model.”

“This thing shouldn’t have been made for self-exorcism.”

“Your right Spiffy. Very right.” Specter smiled.

“But… the add on. No… it’s still impossible. I know what it was. It was a spirit core! All it should have done is enhance her abilities in times of extreme stress or emotion. That all!”

Specter shook his head. “No Spiffy. Not Spirit Core. Spirit Particle.”

Sweetie’s eyes dilated. “…you’re not serio-”

“Real Time Synch Complete. Prepare For Foreign Spirit Exorcism”

“Oh… oooohhhhhhhaaaaAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!” Sweetie let out a maddening scream, opening her mouth as wide as possible, her eyes glowing the brightness of the sun. And but a moment later, a yellow ghost resembling Spiffy Butler, with his tail still stuck in Sweetie’s throat, popped out. Sweetie, the real Sweetie, now with momentary control over her own muscles, wasted no time in reaching back, grabbing the real world GCD nozzle and pointing it at Spiffy.

“GET THE HAY OUT OF MY BODY!” Sweetie yelled as she squeezed the capture button. No ding was required as the funnel latched right on the butler ghost. And like that, as Spiffy attempted to retreat away from the suction of the funnel, Sweetie started to be dragged nearly uncontrollably around the room. This time, the countdown started.

“75,74,73,72yank!71706968686766…

“C’mon Sweetie!” Scootaloo cheered, spitting out a little blood so it wouldn’t sound too garbled.

Anypony aware of Sweetie’s capture began cheering for her success. Sweetie didn’t notice them however. All she saw, and held attention for, was Mr. Butler at the end of her GCD’s wind funnel.

“GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT! IT WAS MY BODY FIRST!” Sweetie yelled. Then, as she found herself coming up to a table, something came to her.

Remain aware of your surroundings…

Sweetie took her eyes off of Specter for a second to realize that the room was filled with tables, just like the ones on the platform, only these didn’t have any… spinning blades. As Sweetie found herself preparing for her face to cross the side of a table, she questioned if she was also being dragged around in the spirit world, as well as the real world. At this realization, Sweetie dodged to the side. She didn’t bleed physically, though she did feel her spiritual self only barely graze the edge of one of the blades.

Talk about a close shave. Sweetie thought.

Spiffy groaned in anger at the fact his plan of cutting Sweetie’s unaware head off had failed.

“57,56,55,YANK!5453525150494847464544-”

“Got you on the ropes now Butler!”

“Not quite Ms. Belle!” Spiffy said, yanking her over to the side through two tables that were way to close together. There was no way she could dodge the blades on this one being dragged. She had to let go before her head was chopped off!

***

Sweetie let go of the GCD capture button as the world immediately flashed back to the spirit realm.

“C’mon! I just need another good run like that and I’m home free!” Sweetie said.

“You’re not going anywhere Sweetie Belle…” Spiffy moaned from above. He was incredibly high this time, and a much harder target for Sweetie to hit. Sweetie looked over at the candle and was horrified to see that it was now covered in a crystal like substance. She couldn’t get to the flame now!

“No fair!” Sweetie yelled.

“No fair!” Spiffy mocked.

Sweetie looked around and saw there was not one, but four of the shadow creatures now. They flowed like water around the blade spinning tables, much more aggressive than before. Their speed proved Sweetie would need to figure out some way to take care of them before she could gain a good aim on Spiffy.

“I don’t care what kind of ‘add-on’ or trick Specter’s trying to pull. No hunter has caught me for an entire millennia! I WON’T let some filly be the hunter to best ME. Forget preserving your spirit. DiE aLrEaDy!!!”

Sweetie could hear it in his disorienting voice. He was legitimately scared now. Not particularly of being captured, but her breaking his freedom streak. The thought Sweetie could not only catch him, but get revenge by damaging his pride pleased her, and only increased her determination, rather than oppressing her from the added hostiles and inaccessible candle.

Sweetie eased a smile as she charged around the blade tables and toward one of the shadows. Her Pinkie Sense tingled as her tail twitched. Sweetie rolled to the side, just as one of the shadows pounced on her. She rolled to the side and rather than attempt to capture the monster’s essence, Sweetie run. She looked back to see that both of the monsters were in fact chasing her. Her plan was working.

Sweetie ran for the third form and dodged past it. Spiffy looked down on her, questioning what she was trying to do. Sweetie finally attracted the fourth one and now each one was directly on Sweetie. Amazingly, Sweetie was able to use every minute twitch and muscle convulsion to successfully dodge every time the shadows attempted to whip her with their tentacles without breaking her pace. With half of her plan in action, she used a boost of Rainbow’s speed cutie mark to gain some distance between her and the shadow monsters. She touched the crystal for a moment and yanked her hoof back. It was just as freezing as it looked. She couldn’t buck it, lest she risk her hind hoof sticking to the icy surface of the crystal. She also couldn’t be sure that she could break the crystal with one buck. She needed some heat, and time to give the crystal some good bucks.

“Hope I’m right about this…” Sweetie thought as she looked back at the charging shadows. “One… two… three!” She dodged to the side. The four monsters ran into the giant crystal, and ultimately into each other. As they did, their liquid smoky forms forms seemed to morph together, and grow much larger than before, now to the size they were towering over Sweetie. They whirled around indifferent by the impact. “Take this!”

Sweetie switched to her Elemental Capture and squeezed hard. The GCD nozzle let loose a large, yet admittedly short burst of flames. Surprisingly, rather than a green burst, it was the regular fire orange.The monster was then consumed in the fire causing it to scream maddeningly. Sweetie got up. Before it could have the chance to move backwards, Sweetie moved around to make herself directly in front of the monster and noted a small patch of darkness that hadn’t been completely consumed in fire.

She yelled as she charged toward it, and pushed the monster into the crystal. She pushed it into the crystal and held it there, hating the disgusting, slushy, furry texture it held. As she’d feared, the smog began consuming her head from its contact. It didn’t help that she was pushing on the thing either. Feeling that it was enough, Sweetie took hold of her nozzle again and sucked up some of the shadow’s form.

Miscellaneous Waste Storage Full. Please Empty In Order To Proceed with Self-Exorcism and Continue to Engage in Spectral Anomalies.

Sweetie then hit the capture button to expel the goop again, using its force to pull her out of the monster. Sweetie then used her nozzle to knock the now orange and black monster into one of the table blades. It ripped up the darkness into bits and pieces, and spit it back into the four segments that lie idle next to it.

Not for long though… Sweetie thought. Sweetie looked back at the crystal. A patch was now desaturated from the rest of the light blue crystal. Sweetie approached it, and proceeded to buck on it. The first buck didn’t do anything, and quite frankly hurt both of Sweetie’s hind hooves. The second buck, she heard a crack, pleasing her to know her sore hooves were doing something in this case. It was the third buck that shattered the crystal shards to create a small portal to access the candle.

“Do I have to do EVERYTHING?” Spiffy floated down closer to Sweetie.

“Well, you are a butler, so-”

“If they can’t kill you, then I will!”

“Uh-oh.” Sweetie said. She felt her entire body chill, and shiver. She couldn’t tell what was the Pinkie Sense or not anymore as Spiffy charged down on her. Sweetie dodged as he swooped down on her. Sweetie wouldn’t be able to get a clear shot of him with the erratic movements he was making around the area, she’d have to have a good second or two to even hope to hit him.

Just as Sweetie was thinking of ways she could possibly hit Spiffy with another shot of the black sludge, she heard multiple rattling sounds. She looked around to see that it was the spinning blade loosening hold of whatever mechanisms held them centered at their origins.

“Give me a break already!”

Spiffy laughed. “How about a roll?”

Several of the tables popped out and began spinning along the platform like free wheels flying off of a crashed cart. Every time they got to the edge of the platform, a smog tentacle would slap them back the way they came, into another direction. They didn’t go directly after Sweetie, though the fact that the wheels refused to telegraph their paths didn’t make them any easier for Sweetie to dodge them, even with most of her attention on them.

How the hay am I supposed to dodge those when I start catching Spiffy again?!

Sweetie kept her eyes between the renegade death wheels and the maniacal ghost butler circling the lower sky above her as she moved over to the black shadow monsters that were just beginning to stir again. Sweetie knew she’d have to take care of them again, but now that she had the candle on her side, she figured it wouldn’t be as much of a problem until more of the things showed up. For now, she needed to figure out how she’d deal with Spiffy, and the death wheels once she made the jump back to reality. She didn’t want to break the flow again, if she could help it.

She sucked up a little of the black forms and pointed it at Spiffy. As she’d expected, he moved way too fast for her to get a clear shot, though aiming at him seemed to spark an idea. If she could get him to fly at her like before, perhaps she could get a shot in from him being in the same vertical space as her. It was at least worth a try, though the problem aroused in getting him to do just that.

“What kind of nansy pamsy ghost are you anyway?” Sweetie yelled. “C’mon! Face me like a stallion! What are you, scared of a little girl?”

Spiffy continued flying around. The forms were getting up now, and Sweetie looked back at them. With only a whim of thought, Sweetie aimed the GCD nozzle at them and hit fire. One of them flew into the black smog and didn’t come back. Rather, the three instead looked at her, and gave evidence that they did in fact possess mouths. More specifically, the same mouths those white ghosts she previously fought had, only proving that the smog was really nothing more than another protective armor for the ghosts.

Never the less, they smiled at her, and only hoped back into the smog with their comrade. Sweetie heard the giggles, and immediately knew they had come up with some new idea. Sweetie had to act fast now if she didn’t want to see what the spirits had in store for her now. Sweetie racked her brain as she felt it necessary to suck up more of the candle flames for whatever may decide to attack her. This time, she waited until the GCD was completely filled with fire and would accept no more. Was there something that she knew about Spiffy that she could use against him?

Then she recalled what she’d found and seen. The journal entries… the wedding… everything she knew about Specter, Spiffy had been involved. Sweetie was sure the two were something of close friends. Yet, at the same time, Spiffy seemed, at the very least, vaguely shocked she’d managed to gain so much footing on the possession situation.

What if… what if Specter knew something like this would happen. Or at least how possible it was. Maybe…

“Hey! Butler!” Sweetie yelled. “I gotta ask. How did I get out of your stupid trap so easily huh?” It could have been her eyes playing tricks on her, but she could have sworn Spiffy glanced at her. “Specter… Specter’s the guy who made this thing, right? Right?! I felt it you know! The thing!”

“What kind of thing are you going on about Belle?” Spiffy stopped in the air. He floated way above her and definitely outside of her reach. Then again, she couldn’t have tried to aim at him if she wanted to without any of the smog monster’s goop to vacuum up.

Sweetie remembered when she was in that black void. All of her cutie marks blowing up and releasing her from those shackles. “That explosion thing! The cutie marks that freed me!” Sweetie continued. “I didn’t do that though… not alone anyway!”

Spiffy seemed genuinely interested. She was feeding on something that was inside of Spiffy… paranoia?

“Yeah, I didn’t do it. Something ELSE did! Something that wasn’t me! It was HIM.”

Sweetie couldn’t read his expression from where she was, but she knew he was paying attention. She paused for a moment before continuing. “…I had help too! And I know it wasn’t you. It was HIM.”

Sweetie was half lying at that point. The voice she’d heard wasn’t Specter of course, though she felt she might as well try to use it to her advantage.

“You felt it too, didn’t you?! You felt that influence outside of your control! He helped me escape the void thing! HE guided me through the stupid Stabletown-Ponyville limbo you kept me in. HE Betrayed-”

“You know NOTHING.” Spiffy’s voice boomed, shocking Sweetie from the transition of his own silence. “Specter’s always planning. Always planning. Always got some… deal, with a plan of some sort that he keeps secrets about, but I know about ALL of them. I know about the infamous Plan B he developed with Discord. I know EVERYTHING about how he plans on bringing down the Equestrian kingdom. I KNOW what his sins are and I ALONE am the only one who he can communicate them to.” He was laughing nervously now. Sweetie knew he wasn’t sure wither or not to believe the words spilling from his mouth now. “I’m his only friend… he wouldn’t dare think of any mischief to harm me.”

Implying capturing you will ‘harm’ you… Sweetie thought.

“You can’t believe it yourself. You’re in denial! You’re just another ghost to him, you know that? Just another… just another Gilda-”

The comparison to the griffon seemed to do it. He charged at her, this time determined to run her into the ground, or at least through whatever the platform was made of. Just as he did, Sweetie heard the giggles reach their climax. Whatever the smog ghosts were planning, they were just about to make their move. Sweetie had to time her own attack just right to avoid being overtaken by either Spiffy or the monsters.

Just as Spiffy was only a few feet away, a large black bulge of the black smog lunged at Sweetie. In response to the both of them, Sweetie flipped flat on her back and pointed the GCD nozzle upward. Just as the two were above her, Sweetie fired a long blast of fire at both the smog bulge and Spiffy as they met each other in the air. Spiffy screamed in agony as the smog bulge did the same. The smog retreated back into its home surrounding the platform as Spiffy wriggled in pain. Sweetie sighed in relief before she heard the sound of something tumbling forward. Sweetie rolled to the side, barely dodging one of the death table wheels. She looked over at Spiffy.

Now’s my chance!

Sweetie moved into the vertical space between herself, Spiffy, and the candle, and sucked up the green flame, making sure Spiffy was in the middle of the path between them.

DING

“Gotcha now!” Sweetie said as she switched back to normal capture and hit Spiffy with the wind funnel. Just like before, all of time stopped for a moment. Sweetie saw the tables, still randomly rolling around the platform while the other tables that hadn’t left their places remained still. She hoped that while she was stuck in the middle of time that none of the tables would hit her and questioned how she would possibly dodge them while catching Spiffy…

“Ghost Capture Device Feature, Spirit Kick Function Activated. Please wait while GCD synchs with real time”

***

Sweetie lay on her side in between the two tables. Everypony, even Specter, watched with anticipation, waiting for her next move. After what felt like an eternity and a half, Sweetie let off a few twitches, before rolling onto her hooves and looking over at Specter. As she walked toward him, or rather stumbled clumsily in her case, it took a few moments for her to clear out the cobwebs in her head.

“If she’s as talented as she’s proven to be, my dear friend… this might be the last time we talk for quite a bit.”

“You… how…”

“Hm?”

“You… shouldn’t have… she shouldn’t have the…”

“The… oh! The spirit particle! Yes, she really shouldn’t. Such a powerful spectral entity could be dangerous in opposing hands, wouldn’t you agree?”

“What… are you planning…” Her head twitched awkwardly now.

“Planning? What are you talking about?” Specter got close to Sweetie’s face. “You know I’m not the mastermind behind this little exercise. Of all ponies.”

“This has changed… hasn’t it?”

Specter moved his face away from Sweetie’s and backed off. “Yes… yes it has.”

“Oohhh… aaaahhh…. aaaaaAAAAAHHHHHHH!” Sweetie’s eyes started glowing with power again as Spiffy’s spirit flew out of Sweetie’s body in the same manner as before. And again, Sweetie immediately took ahold of her GCD nozzle and pointed it at Spiffy, proceeding to suck him up.

43,42,41,40,39,38,37,36… The GCD counted down.

Sweetie knew she wouldn’t last long blind like this. Though some of the tables did remain hazardous, she knew that the other blade tables were still rolling around in the spirit world, ready to run through her like an out of control steamroller. She focused as hard as she could, trying to see the spirit world again so she could at least remain aware.

After a second of focus, Sweetie developed another maddening headache, though this one actually yielded a positive result. As Sweetie was dragged around the tea room, she kept getting flashes of the real world and the spirit world. She could see the tables running around the platform, and even managed to dodge two of them just in time. She was going to do it now. She was going to catch Spiffy for sure!

15,14,13yank!111098…

Spiffy was yelling and bawling almost pathetically now. After the heck he’d put her through, Sweetie held no sympathy for the stallion and simply laughed at him as he desperately made his last desperate attempts in throwing Sweetie into a blade table or a rolling one, which ultimately failed, and became easier and easier to dodge with each attempt.

“YOU WON’T GET HIM SPECTER YIELD!” Spiffy cried his final words. “WHATEVER YOU’RE TRYING, IT WON’T WORK! YOU WON’T CONTROL HIM! NOT WITHOUT ME!”

Specter laughed. “…oh, don’t you worry dear friend. I already know that’s beyond my grasp…”

“YOU CAN’T USE HER EITHER! I KNOW YOU NEED HER! IT WILL-”

“3,2,1,0”

As Spiffy heard that ‘zero’ from the GCD, he started to cackle madly. “It WILL KILL HER!”

“Wait what?” Sweetie said, though the damage had already been started.

“Self-Exorcism complete. Please insert Primary-Up to avoid certain death in 3…2…1…”

“Wait!” Sweetie said before the second ‘zero’ sounded.

The GCD let out the yellow bolt of capturing lightning and grabbed ahold of Spiffy. The electricity wend down Sweetie’s body, and sent waves of electricity throughout her, then up to the GCD, then through the nozzle back into Spiffy, and so on. The GCD had created some kind of loop of electricity that Sweetie couldn’t stop. It was frying her, cooking her throughout, and she couldn’t stop the pain before Spiffy let out one last cackle and was dragged into the GCD. Sweetie skidded to a stop, stood for a moment, smoke coming out of her mouth, before collapsing onto the ground.

“Capture Complete. Self-Exorcism Complete. Hunter Terminated.” The GCD said before room was silent once more.

Author's Note:

*belches, throws down microphone to go and goes into fetal position in a corner to pretend to be a potato*
I'll edit the rest of the Sweetie's tomorrow. This is way to smucking overdo.
Also, let me know if you want the multicolored ***s for bookmarking fun.

[10/19/2018]
“Well… at least I’m out. Feels like I’ve been there for over half a year…” Sweetie thought.

the absolute worst part about this joke is that im going to have to make it a second time for a significantly longer period of time if i ever get around to finishing this fucking story.

PreviousChapters Next