> The Pegasa's Pizzeria
>  by A_Mormon Brony
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1: The Opening
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Since the beginning of the construction of the new restaurant in Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle had been dying to find out what it was going to be, and what was going to be served there.  Then, when she found out it was going to be a place where they'd serve something called pizza, she had to do research on what a pizza is, or was.  Not an easy job, since information on pizzas was limited, at least in Ponyville.

Twilight had sent to cities across Equestria to find any information she could on this strange new food that'd be served in the new restaurant, with little success.  At one point in her research, she learned that humans, when they existed, used to eat pizza, that it was invented by them.  So, knowing that Lyra was interested in humans, and had done a lot of research on them, Twilight turned to the pale-green unicorn for information.  Unfortunately, it turned out that Lyra had as much information on pizzas as Twilight had.

Then, the purple alicorn got a delivery from the Griffon nation, which contained a booklet about pizzas, their history, their composition, and how to make them.  From this book Twilight learned that some of the many ingredients that went into making pizzas were meats, but she figured that, since these pizzas were going to be served to herbivores, whatever meat might be in the pizzas would be replaced with something else, although she wasn't sure what that was going to be.

When the restaurant, known as The Pegasa's Pizzeria, opened, Twilight was among the first to get an invitation to the opening, which she eagerly accepted.  Upon arriving, when she asked what kind of meat substitute was going to be in the pizzas, the pegasa at the cash register told her that it was going to be tofu.  It sounded reasonable to her; after all, she had heard about it.  From her understanding, it wasn't going to be the same as meat, which she figured was going to be all for the better.

So, there she was, surrounded by her friends, waiting to get her first taste of pizza.

As she looked around, she noticed a stage, on which she saw a lone bear, which seemed oddly familiar to her.  In fact, she was sure it was one of Fluttershy's friends.  So, why wasn't it moving?  Had she trained it that well?  And, why did it look so … ugly?  If Twilight didn't know better, she'd say it was dead.

Then the pizza arrived, and Twilight and her friends started pulling the large, topping-covered pastry apart to get their first taste of it.

Twilight's first bite of her slice of pizza included what looked and smelled very much like the muscle of some type of animal, although she couldn't place it; and the taste was strange to her.  She remembered something about tofu having a smooth texture to it, and this sphere in her mouth didn't seem smooth.  In fact, it was disgustingly coarse.  There was something about it that just wasn't right to her.  But, not wanting to complain, she chose to continue eating; and, none of the other element bearers seemed bothered by it either.  In fact, thanks to Pinkie Pie, everypony seemed to be having fun.

Twilight decided it was time to leave the restaurant when she started feeling sick.  But, she attributed it to being nervous about that one bear that was on the stage, and hadn't done anything the whole time she or her friends were there.  She'd begun to wonder if it was just a display item.  But, if that was the case, then why did it seem so real?  Why did it seem like it was going to come to life?

As Twilight made her way back to the library, she started feeling worse and worse, until, when she finally got inside, she collapsed on the floor and started moaning.

Spike, from the kitchen, came in and started asking, “So, Twilight, how did things go at—?” He cut himself off when he saw Twilight lying on the floor.  Running to her, he asked, “Twilight, what's wrong?”

The purple alicorn opened her mouth to speak, but emitted a loud belch instead.  Then, feeling the contents of her stomach ready to make an escape, she covered her mouth with one front hoof, then used the rest of her legs to gallop as fast as she could to her bathroom upstairs.  She barely made it to the toilet before emptying the contents of her stomach into it.

The pizza tasted worse coming out than it did when she ate it.

Looking at the strange, multi-colored soup in the basin, Twilight began to think of other questions.  Were the other element bearers feeling, reacting, the same way she had?  If so, then the best time to talk about this would be tomorrow, maybe in the morning, when everypony else was feeling well enough to talk about it.  But, what could possibly be in that pizza that would've treated her this badly?

Before Twilight could think of any other questions, she heard her assistant behind her asking worriedly, “Twilight, are you alright?”

The purple alicorn reached out a shaky forelimb to push the lever to allow the toilet to remove the disgusting scene from her view, then turned to her assistant and said, “Until further notice, I don't want you going anywhere near that pizzeria.  I don't know what's wrong with that place; but until I find out, I think it's best that nopony go there anymore.”

As Twilight went to the sink to rinse her mouth out, Spike asked, “Was the food that bad?”

Twilight turned on the cold water, then lapped up some of it, swished it around in her mouth, and spit it out, then, not bothering to turn to her assistant this time, answered, “I don't like to pass judgment the first time I attend a new place, but I also don't like what that pizza did to me.  Tomorrow, I'm going to get my friends together, and we're going to discuss the situation.”  At this point, she turned to her assistant and dropped away from the sink as she added, “I didn't think I'd ever hear myself say this, but I'm hoping the other five had the same experience I had.  If my experience isn't an isolated incident, then that pizzeria needs to be investigated.”  Then, remembering she'd forgotten to turn off the water tap, she used her magic to do so.  Then, realizing what she'd managed to do, she thought to herself that at least she was feeling better.  But, perhaps that was a symptom of a more particular problem with the food served at that pizzeria.

Spike nodded, then asked, “So, what do you wanna do in the mean time?”

Twilight opened her mouth and then yawned.  She then realized just how much her experience with the pizza had taken out of her.  She said, “For right now, let's just go to bed.  I'm tired.  We can figure out what to do next tomorrow.”  And, with that, she headed for her bedroom and crawled into bed.

As Spike watched, for all intents and purposes, his mother head for bed without making any plans, he became worried.  Whatever that pizza had done to her, it had go so far as to rid her of her desire to make plans.  She wasn't even moving the covers so she could crawl under them.  Spike didn't know what he could do, but he knew he had to do something.  To get his Twilight back, if for no other reason.
> Chapter 2: Up For Discussion
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the morning, Twilight awoke to find that she was indeed feeling a lot better.  In fact, unless somepony had seen her the night before, they wouldn't have known she'd been sick.  She went into the bathroom and took a refreshing shower, then dried herself off, then left the bathroom and woke her assistant up to make plans for the day.

At the top of that list of plans was to gather her friends together to discuss what might have been in that pizza they’d eaten that could’ve caused such a reaction as she’d had.  Did the others have the same reaction?  She needed to find out in order to know what to do next.

She’d most frequently made plans in the main room of the library, which was where she was when, in the midst of this planning session, she heard the front door open.  She turned around to see who was coming in, to find that it was Pinkie Pie, who excitedly called out, “Hi, Twily!”  Her expression of excitement melted into worry as she said, “I came because of that pizza yesterday.  I had a bad dream after eating it.”

Twilight smiled and said, “Come on in, Pinkie Pie.  I was just making plans to get you and the rest of the girls together.”

As she approached the purple alicorn, Pinkie said, “Oh.  Well, in that case, I guess I saved you some time.  I’ll just sit over here.”  And, with that, she proceeded toward one of five cushions at the base of the flight of stairs and sat down, while Twilight cantered to the door to close it.

Just as Twilight got to the door, though, she came nose-to-nose with Applejack, who said, “Howdy, Twilight.  Ah hope you don’t mind me visitin’.  That pizza we had last night had me feelin’ sick by the time Ah got home.  Ah thought Ah could come here this mornin’ an’ talk ‘bout it with y'all.”

Again Twilight smiled as she stepped to the side of the door and said, “Well, come on in.  Pinkie’s already here, and she also had a bad reaction to the pizza.  I was hoping to call everypony and get them to come, but it seems that everypony’s coming without me having to call them.”

As the orange earth mare proceeded into the library and chose a place to sit next to Pinkie Pie, Twlight heard Rarity’s voice say, “Indeed.  We really need to discuss that pizza place.  I really don’t think we should be going there anymore.”

Then, from behind Rarity, Twilight heard Rainbow Dash’s voice say, “You’re tellin’ me.  I ended up sleepin' outside because, after eatin' that pizza, I was too weak to fly up to my house.”

Twilight stood at the doorway while her friends cantered on past her, and said, “Alright, everypony, come on in.  We have an important matter to discuss.”  Then, as Rainbow Dash walked past her, she asked, “Uh, by the way, where’s Fluttershy?”

A second after asking the question, she heard the timid pegasa’s voice from outside say, “I’m right here.”  The purple alicorn turned to see Fluttershy galloping toward the entrance.

The yellow pegasa stopped just in front of the doorway, panted a few times, then asked, “Am I late for anything?”

Twilight smiled at her and answered, “Not at all.  In fact, you’re just in time.  Come on in.” Then, as Fluttershy entered the library, the purple alicorn closed the door behind her and said, “Well, seeing that everypony’s here, we can get to discussing that pizzeria that just opened yesterday, … and that pizza we ate there.”  Then, turning to her friends and seeing them lined up side-by-side on the cushions, she cantered a few steps toward them and asked, “So, anypony wanna start?”

Rainbow Dash rose and said, “I don’t know what all was in that pizza, but, like I said to Twilight, I couldn’t get back up to my house again.  I couldn’t even get to my front porch before I blacked out.  I freaked out some squirrel or something when I woke up and puked.  I spent last night right there on the ground, because I didn’t feel like tryin’ to fly up to my house again.”

When Rainbow Dash was finished, Applejack rose to all fours and said, “Ah left that pizza place not feelin’ good.  Ah was lucky to make it outta town ‘fore Ah got sick, an’ Ah was lucky to make it home afterward.  There’s somethin’ wrong with that pizza we ate, at least.”

The next to rise and speak was Rarity, who said, “I was like Applejack, except I made it home before I, as Rainbow Dash put it, puked, just inside the front door, and collapsed.  I woke up in my bed. I can only guess Sweetie Belle somehow managed to drag me up there.”

When Rarity was finished, the other five focused on Pinkie Pie.

The pink earth pony, seeing the others were looking at her, asked, “What?”

Twilight stepped toward her and said, “When you came in, you mentioned something about having a bad dream.  Would you like to tell us about it?”

From the neck up, Pinkie Pie melted as she said, “Alright.”  Then, she pointed her nose at the ground as she said, “I didn’t get sick or anything, I just got really tired.  I went right to bed when I got home, … and I had this really bad dream.”

As Pinkie Pie started sniffling, Applejack draped her closest forelimb over the pink earth pony’s shoulders and said, “It’s alright, Sugarcube.  When you’re ready, you can go ahead and tell us all ‘bout it.”

Twilight was about to speak, but Pinkie Pie, her voice trembling, continued, “I-I was in this b-basement—a-and I had Gilda … chained to a wall.”  She sniffled again before she continued, “Sh-sh-she  was alive … when I … when I …”  Then she turned to Rainbow Dash and bawled out, “I murdered her!”  With tear-filled eyes, she continued, “And, I meant to do it, too!  I just cut and peeled her skin away, … and she just wouldn’t stop talking!  She started sayin’ bad stuff, … and I … had to cut her tongue out!  I butchered her, … and I was enjoyin’ it!”  Pinkie Pie then collapsed on the ground and just bawled.

Rainbow Dash approached her and said, stroking her mane, “Now, Pinkie Pie, it’s alright.  It was just a dream.  Remember, Gilda’s back at her home in Griffonstone.  She’s just fine.”

Pinkie Pie, still trembling and sniffling, but not longer crying, looked up at Rainbow Dash and said, “I hope you’re right.  I-it just felt so real.”

As Pinkie Pie tried to recompose herself with her friends’ help, Twilight turned her attention to the yellow pegasa and asked, “So, Fluttershy, did you have any bad reaction to the pizza last night?”

Fluttershy looked down at the floor in front of her and started drawing circles with a front hoof as she answered, “Well, to be honest, I don’t remember.  I’m sorry, everypony.”

Twilight said to her, “That’s alright, Fluttershy.”  Then, turning back to the others, she continued, “I wasn’t feelin’ very well when I left the pizza place, and I felt worse and worse as I got closer and closer to the library.  I collapsed just inside, and I was lucky to make it into the bathroom and over the toilet before I threw up.”  After a pause, she continued, “So, this is what we know about each of our reactions.  Most of us got weaker and weaker.  Most of us vomited, except for Pinkie Pie who had a nightmare, and probably Fluttershy.  She apparently blocked the whole thing out.”  Finally, she asked, “How long was it before the rest of you left?”

Rainbow Dash turned to the purple alicorn before answering, “We all left, I think, a minute after you, Twilight.  All of us, except … for …”  The azure pegasa trailed off as she turned her attention to Fluttershy.

As three more sets of eyes turned to the yellow pegasa, she tried hiding her face in her mane as she said, “Oh, please don’t look at me that way.  It makes me nervous.”  After a second or two, she added, “I just stayed behind to clean up.  I didn’t want to leave a mess behind.”

At that point, Twilight divided her attention among the other five as she said, “Alright, girls, let’s not go accusing each other before we have the full story.  Until we know for sure, nopony is responsible for our experiences with the pizza at the pizzeria, or afterward.  Is that clear?”

Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Applejack lowered their heads and nodded, and Rainbow Dash said, “Yeah, you’re right, Twilight.”

Pinkie Pie was still too distraught over her memories of her dream to think about anything else.

Twilight, looking at each of her now humbled friends, said, “Well, at any rate, we can agree that each of us had a bad experience with the pizza we had there.  Now, my next question is, how many of you made a full recovery by morning?"

At Twilight's question, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy all stood on all fours.

Seeing this, Twilight said, "Well, that's one more thing we all have in common."  Then, she asked, "Now, my last question is, what are we going to do about this pizzeria?”  After an empty pause, she continued, “It seems to me that we need more evidence, we need to investigate.  So, I propose that I go in there and see what I can find.”  Then, looking up and scratching her chin with a forelimb, she thought aloud, “I wonder if they allow take-outs.”

Fluttershy asked, “Take-outs?”

Twilight turned to the yellow pegasa and restated, “I wonder if they’ll allow somepony to order a pizza and take it home with them.”

Applejack shrugged and said, “Ah don’t see how takin' a pizza home and eatin’ it’s gonna make that much difference.”

Twilight turned to the orange earth mare and answered, “Oh, I won’t be eating it.  I just want a sample to send to some place that can analyze the ingredients.  Once we know what’s in those pizzas, we’ll know better what to do next.”

At this point, Pinkie Pie had sufficiently recomposed herself that she rose to a canine-style sitting position again.  She, along with the other four in Twilight’s audience, exchanged looks, after which Rarity turned to Twilight and said, “Well, if you think that’s best, then go right ahead.  we’ll await your decision.”

With a little uncertainty in her voice, Twilight said, “Uh, alright, then.  I’ll order a pizza to go tomorrow, then send a sample of it to Canterlot for them to analyze, and I’ll get word back to you when I’ve found out what was in that pizza.  Until then, we’ll call this meeting to a close.”

As the purple alicorn held the door open for the other element bearers, she noticed that Fluttershy led the group out, while a calmer but still shaky Pinkie Pie brought up the rear.  After closing the door behind her pink friend, Twilight turned to her assistant and said, “Alright, Spike, we need to make a checklist of things we need to do to investigate the pizzeria.  What do we know about it so far?”

Spike responded by asking, “Uh, shouldn’t we get something to eat first?”

Twilight smiled at her assistant and said, “You’re right, Spike.  Just so long as it isn’t at that pizza place.  No need for me to get sick again.  And, I don’t want you getting sick, either.”

The purple dragon made his way to the kitchen as he said, “I’ll just make some pancakes.” And, before Twilight could respond, he disappeared through the door.

Which was just as well.  It gave Twilight time to gather her thoughts on what she could investigate in and about that pizza place.
> Chapter 3: In Search of Clues
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It wasn't until the next morning when Twilight decided that her best option for investigating the pizzeria was her source for information on pizzas.  Evidently, in the Griffon kingdom, there was at least one griffon with knowledge about these strange foods.  Perhaps Twilight could send that griffon a sample of the pizza served there at the pizzeria, and that griffon could analyze it, and send her information back about what all was in it.

At around noontime, Twilight headed over to the Pegasa’s Pizzeria to order a pizza to go.  And, as it turned out, she was the first one there.  Not having that much experience with pizzerias, or for that matter with pizzas, she just told the pony at the cash register that she wanted a pizza, that she’d wait for it in the theater, and she’d be taking it home with her.  But, before heading to the theater, Twilight did what she was required to do, and payed the two bits for the pizza at the cash register.

Having made and payed for her order, Twilight Sparkle made her way into the theater to wait, taking a seat at one of the tables closest to the doorway.  As she turned to see the stage, she noticed a new prop next to the bear: an unusually large chicken.  And, there was something familiar about that chicken.  Maybe it was the size.  Whatever it was, she figured that if the body was green instead of white, the wings were more like those of a bat or a dragon than those of a bird, and there were teeth in that beak; that prop would almost … look … like …

Before she could complete her thought, Twilight heard a voice next to her, just above a whisper, say, “Twilight, I was wondering when you’d get here.”

Twilight started, then turned to see her yellow pegasa friend next to her.  She said, “Oh, Fluttershy, I didn’t see you there.”

Fluttershy worriedly said, “Oh, I hope I didn’t startle you.”

Twilight answered, “Ah, that’s alright.”  Then, out of curiosity, she asked, “So, what are you doing here?”

Fluttershy turned away from the purple alicorn and said, “Oh, I know you told us not to come here anymore.  But, I figured, as long as I didn’t eat any of the food, I’d be alright.”  Then, she turned back to Twilight and asked, “Um, are you here to get a pizza to study?”

Twilight answered, “To get one to analyze, yes.  I just ordered it, and I’m waiting for it to come so I can take it back to the library.”

Fluttershy said, “Oh, I’m sure the ones that make the pizzas here didn’t mean to poison anypony.  It must’ve been a bad ingredient.  If we just explain it to the pony in charge, I’m sure he or she will look into it, and there won’t be anymore problems.”

Twilight nodded and said, “Yeah, maybe you’re right, Fluttershy.  If you want to go ahead and do that, you’re welcome to.  But, I still want to make an analysis of a sample pizza, just to rule it out.”

Fluttershy was about to say something, but she was interrupted when a pony came with the pizza Twilight had ordered.

Twilight thanked the pony for the delivery, then turned to her yellow pegasa friend and said, “Well, I’ll be off then.  As soon as I get the analysis back on the ingredients of this pizza, hopefully I’ll have an idea of what to do next.  Until then, you’re welcome to tell the staff about the problems we had with the pizza the day before.” Then, she stood up, lifted the pizza with her magic, and headed for the front door, saying, “See you later, Fluttershy.”  And, she walked out the door before her yellow pegasa friend had a chance to answer her.

Spike was putting books away when Twilight got back to the library with the sample pizza.  He turned to her and, seeing the strange disc floating over the alicorn’s head, asked, “Is that the pizza you got from that pizza place?”

Twilight used her magic to close the door behind her, then more of her magic to clear a spot on the table in the middle of the room, then turned to her dragon assistant and said, “That’s right, Spike.  Now, I don’t want you eating any of this.  There’s no telling what it’ll do to you.  And besides, I’m going to send it to the Griffon kingdom, to the source that sent me the information on pizzas.  Once they send me information back on what all is in this pizza, I’ll have an idea of what to do next.”

Spike put away the book he’d been holding, then turned to Twilight and, descending the ladder, asked, “So, what do you want me to do?”

Twilight looked around for a moment, then turned to her assistant and asked, “Uh, do you know where that booklet with the information on pizzas went?”

From his perch on the ladder, before Twilight had come in with the pizza, Spike had seen the booklet with the picture of a circle, which bore a striking resemblance to the pizza which was now the only thing on the table.  He’d also seen Twilight move the booklet, along with other reading materials, onto a stack not far from the table.  So, once he was off of the ladder, he walked and pointed to the stack as he said, “Yeah, you put it on top of this stack when you moved the books away and put the pizza on the table.”

Twilight looked at the stack, then back at her assistant, and said, “Oh, that’s right.  Thanks, Spike.”  She then used her magic to take the booklet from the top of the newest stack of books and put it back on the table next to the pizza.

Spike answered, “You’re welcome,” then grabbed a nearby book and went back to the ladder, climbed it, and put the book away.  Then he started sniffing, then pinched his nostrils closed with a hand.  He expressed his disgust as much with his facial expression as with his groan before saying, “It smells like some creature just died in here.”

Twilight sniffed the air a couple of times, then responded the same way as Spike had done, except covering her nostrils with a front hoof, before saying, “You’re right.”  Then a thought occurred to her, and she uncovered her nose and sniffed at the pizza, which she instantly regretted doing.  She felt the color drain from her face.  Covering her nostrils once more with the front hoof, she backed away a few steps from the strange food and said, “Spike, the smell’s coming from the pizza!”

Spike instantly turned around on the ladder and stared at the pizza.  Then, as Twilight’s message started to sink in more fully, the normally purple parts of his face began to blend in color with his underside, and he covered his mouth in a vain attempt to keep the contents of his stomach from escaping.  In a few seconds, a strangely colorful concrete was covering the hand he’d covered his mouth with, and had also covered a rung or two of the ladder just below him, and formed a puddle under it.  When Spike was finished emptying his stomach, he, no longer able to maintain consciousness, collapsed forward off the ladder.

As nauseated as she was, Twilight couldn’t let Spike take such an evidently hard landing on the solid floor.  So, she used her magic to catch him before letting him down so that he landed safely, and away from his puddle of vomit.

It was at that moment that Pinkie Pie opened the door and entered the library, saying, “Hi, Twily.  Did you get that pizza yet?”  Then she noticed Spike lying on his face on the floor, and Twilight covering her own face with a front hoof.  She opened her mouth to speak when she noticed the smell.  Then, much like Spike and Twilight had done, she covered her own nose with a front hoof and groaned, both vocally and with her facial expression, before asking, “Twilight, what died in here?”

All Twilight could do was point to the pizza, then leave her pink earth pony friend confused as she ran upstairs to her bathroom.

Pinkie Pie grunted in surprised confusion at her purple alicorn friend’s reaction, wondering how a food item could die.  Then, she walked up to the pizza and sniffed at it.  Then realizing that the smell of a dead animal was coming from the pizza, she had her own reaction.  Not one of disgust or nausea, but of grief.  Whatever that pizza was now, it had once been an animal of some kind, one she recognized.

Upstairs in the bathroom, when Twilight was finished emptying her stomach into the toilet, she pushed the lever to start it flushing, then went to the sink to lap up some water from the cold tap, rinsing the taste out of her mouth.  Then, when she turned the tap off, she heard the sound of Pinkie Pie sobbing downstairs.  She stumbled out of the bathroom, and indeed saw the pink party pony pointing her head upwards and bawling, a waterfall of tears coming from the outward corner of each eye.  The sight snapped her out of her own feelings, and she started slowly marching to the stairs as she asked, “Pinkie, are you alright?”

The pink earth mare looked up at her alicorn friend and, sniffling, sobbed, “I, I, I-I-I—recognized—that—p-pizza.”

Confused and incredulous, Twilight descended the stairs as she asked, “What do you mean, you recognized the pizza?”

Pinkie Pie continued to sniffle as she sobbed again, “Th-the—m-m-meat!”

Twilight froze in place.  She knew she’d smelled a dead creature coming from the pizza, but meat?  Actual meat?  Fearing what the answer might be, but still wanting to know, she asked, “Pinkie, what kind of meat?”

Pinkie Pie stammered, “I-I-I th-th-th …” before blurting out, “It was Fluttershy’s bear friend!” and bawling even louder.

Twilight had already emptied her stomach into the toilet, so there was nothing more to come out of her.  But, that didn’t stop her body from rejecting the idea then and there, as though it had been something she’d eaten or drunk.  When she was able to move again, she stumbled toward her earth pony friend and tried nuzzling her to try to calm her down.  When the party pony did seem to relax a little, Twilight asked her, “H-how do you r-recognize it?”

Pinkie Pie squeaked, “I’ve b-been to—Fluttershy’s cottage—and, and s-seen her—taking care of him.  A-a-and, this pizza—s-s-smells—j-just like him.”

The questions played themselves over and over in Twilight’s mind:  ‘Who would do such a thing to a friend of Fluttershy?  What kind of sick creature would murder a bear, then use its meat in a food like this?’  Then, the thought occurred to her, that humans were known for killing creatures and using their meat in various foods.  But, weren’t those supposed to be herbivores like cows, and not carnivores like bears?  And besides, humans don’t exist anymore.  Not in Equestria, and most certainly not here in Ponyville.  So, who would murder a bear, then use a human recipe to get rid of its remains?

Right now, there was another matter that concerned her, and that was Pinkie Pie.  The purple alicorn approached her pink earth pony friend and started hugging her, stroking her back with a front hoof and promising to figure out who it was that had murdered Fluttershy’s bear friend, and was now making pizzas of his meat.

It was maybe a minute or two before the two separated, and Pinkie Pie was composed enough to thank Twilight and leave.  After that, the purple alicorn packaged the pizza in layers of paper and parchment before putting it in a box and mailing it to the Griffon kingdom, with a letter requesting an analysis of the ingredients of the pizza.  She’d learned to trust Pinkie’s instincts long ago, but it didn’t hurt to have confirmation of what Pinkie Pie had identified as one ingredient.

Sure enough, a week or so later, Twilight Sparkle got a list of the ingredients that had gone into the pizza.  She wasn't surprised by the ingredients she recognized: carrots, apples, various edible flowers.  But, sure enough, among the ingredients that Twilight had expected to be there, one of those, which she didn’t want to see, was bear meat.  But, there was another ingredient, another meat, that she hadn’t expected to see: cockatrice meat.  It was more puzzling to her than anything else.  Who in the Griffon kingdom eats cockatrice?  How would they kill such a creature without getting petrified by its stare?  And then it dawned on her.  The last time she was at the pizza place, hadn’t there been an unusually large chicken among the displays?  And, before she’d been interrupted by Fluttershy, hadn’t she considered the possibility that such a large chicken, if colored differently, given bat-like wings and teeth, might’ve been a cockatrice?

The more evidence that mounted, the less Twilight liked it.  It was pointing to somepony, some creature anyway, murdering friends, or at least creatures Fluttershy had met, using their meat in pizzas and serving them to ponies, and stuffing and mounting their skins and putting them on display in the pizzeria.  Was it the pegasa that, based on the name, owned the pizzeria?  Who would know so much about Fluttershy that he, or she, would attack the bearer of the element of kindness like that?  All Twilight Sparkle knew was that she needed to find out, if for no other reason than to defend her yellow pegasa friend.  And, the next step was obvious to her—investigate the pizzeria itself.
> Chapter 4: Not Over Yet
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The following day, Twilight, with the help of Spike, made a list of things she’d have to investigate at the pizzeria in order to find the clues she’d need to find out who was killing Fluttershy’s animal friends, and using their meat for the pizzas’ ingredients.  One of the things she knew she’d need to do was to get the list of employees that worked at the pizzeria, so she could ask each one questions and get more information about how things worked over there.

Also, before she’d gotten the list of ingredients from the Griffon Kingdom, she’d remembered hearing about how the pizzeria had hired a nighttime security guard.  She considered him a likely source of information on what happened at the new restaurant.  There was just one problem.  That security guard had disappeared, and nopony had heard from him since.  He’d become another missing piece of the puzzle.

Among the things Twilight Sparkle considered investigating were the props on the stage, if for no other reason than to confirm whether or not that unusually large chicken was actually a chicken.  She’d been petrified by a cockatrice before, but she decided that, since the chicken, the cockatrice(?), on display was dead, she had nothing to fear from investigating it.  And, maybe she could find out if either that bird or the bear had any incriminating marks on them.  And, considering how long she’d been away from that restaurant, who knew but that there were other displays available?

If there was one thing Twilight Sparkle knew, at least from reading books on restaurants, it was that they usually had a room for storing ingredients, and it was usually kept a lot colder than the rest of the restaurant.  Could such a room hold clues to who would be committing the awful crimes that had been committed against her yellow pegasa friend?  There was just one way for her to find out.  And, for that matter, what about the places designed for heat-preparing the foods?  Those might have some vital clues as well.

Perhaps even the walls, the ceilings, the floors, the stage, even the furniture and appliances would have clues to who would do the things this pegasa might be doing to Fluttershy, if indeed it was a pegasa.  Again, there was just one way to find out.

One thing Twilight knew was that it might not necessarily be a mare that doing these things.  It could be a stallion.  It could be a unicorn, or an earth pony.  For all Twilight knew, it might not even be a pony that was committing these crimes against her friend.

As Twilight was completing her list, the door to the library opened; and Pinkie Pie entered.

The pink party pony, seeing her purple alicorn friend adding one last item to her list, asked her, “Twily, you’re not thinking of investigating that pizzeria, are you?”

Twilight turned to her earth pony friend and answered, “As a matter of fact, I am.  Why?  Do you wanna help?”

Pinkie Pie couldn’t keep the worry out of her face or her voice as she said, “Please, Twily, don’t do this.”

Twilight watched her pink friend start to tear up before she asked, “Why not?”  When she didn’t get an immediate answer, she continued, “Listen.  Somepony’s been killing Fluttershy’s friends, and serving their meat in pizzas.  I can’t rest while whoever it is is attacking one of my friends, especially that way.”

As the purple alicorn strolled around her pink earth pony friend toward the door, Pinkie Pie grabbed her closest leg, the right front one, and cried, “Twilight, please.  You don’t understand.”

Twilight stopped and looked down at her friend and said, “You’re right Pinkie, I don’t understand. That’s why I’m doing this.”  After a brief pause, she continued, “Look, Pinkie, I’m just going in to have a look at the display items and get a list of the employees.  It shouldn’t take very long.  After that, I’ll come right back to the library. I promise.”  Again she tried to move, but Pinkie Pie was refusing to let her go.  So, she looked down at the pink earth pony again and asked, “Pinkie, is there something you know that you aren’t telling me, something you need to tell me?”

Pinkie Pie answered, “Oh, Twily, I wish I could tell you, but I can’t.  If I even knew how I knew these things, then I’d tell you that.  I just know you can’t go in there.”  And, immediately she started sobbing.

Twilight lowered her head to the level of her crying friend and asked, “Pinkie, are you the one that’s been killing Fluttershy’s friends?”

Pinkie Pie cried, “No, you know I’d never do that.  I only do things that make other ponies laugh.  And, killing other ponies’ friends wouldn’t make them laugh.  Killing my own friends wouldn’t make anypony laugh.”

Twilight nuzzled her friend, then said, “Somepony’s hurting Fluttershy, attacking her by killing her friends and turning them into food.  That can’t be making Fluttershy laugh.  In fact, she must be crying right now.  I have to do something about this, at the very least for Fluttershy’s sake.  And, if you’re not going to help me, then you’re going to have to let me go so I can help her.”

Pinkie Pie tried to think of something, anything, to keep Twilight from going back to the pizzeria.  But, when she opened her mouth, all she could do was stammer.  Finally, she let go of her alicorn friend’s leg.  Unable to move, to convince her friend, she just lay there and bawled.

Twilight strolled to the door and opened it with her magic.  But, before she left, she turned to her pink earth pony friend and said, “I’m sorry about this, Pinkie Pie, but this is something I need to do.”  And, with that, she left.

It wasn’t until the door closed that Pinkie Pie finally found her voice and called out, “Twilight, wait until nighttime!”  But, by then it was too late.

A frightened Spike approached the fallen mess that was now Pinkie Pie and said, “Twilight’s right.  She needs to know who’s killing Fluttershy’s friends.  Wouldn’t you do the same if you were in Twilight’s place?”

What Pinkie Pie said through her sobs and sniffles alarmed the baby dragon even more:  “But, you don’t understand.  T-t-twilight’s—n-n-not—com-m-ming—b-b-back!”


As troubled as she was by her pink friend’s behavior, Twilight could not let the matter rest, not until she knew what was going on.  She spoke to nopony as she made her way to the pizzeria and entered.  Only once she was inside and was facing the pony, a pegasus, working at the cash register, did she start asking questions.

Unfortunately, all the pegasus would say was it was the wrong time to be asking questions, and that he would answer them when his shift was over, which would be once the pizzeria was closed.

Without ordering anything, Twilight made her way into the busy theater, only to find two more display items on the stage: a fox and a rabbit.  Twilight didn’t recognize the rabbit as Angel, but she knew whoever was doing this had gone too far.  It was likely that the fox was a friend of Fluttershy’s, just one that Twilight didn’t recognize.

The horrified alicorn backed out of the theater, only to bump into another pony behind her. Startled, she jumped and, in midair, turned a complete one hundred eighty degrees before landing.  Only then did she recognize who she’d run into.  After inhaling and exhaling a few times to try to relax, she said, “Oh, Fluttershy, I didn’t see you there.”

The yellow pegasa responded, “Oh, Twilight, I’m so sorry.  I didn’t mean to scare you.  Are you alright?”

Twilight Sparkle put a front hoof on the closest shoulder of her friend as she said, “I’m fine.  Look, I don’t know who’s doing this to you, but I need to find out.  You have nothing to worry about.”  And, it was then that she noticed the door open next to her, leading into a dark basement.  More on instinct than anything else, she turned and marched into it.

As she made her way down the stairs, she began to realize that something about her pegasa friend’s expression was bothering her.  As she thought about it, she realized that what she was seeing wasn’t fear.  In fact, if she didn’t know better, she’d think her friend was puzzled about what she’d said.

Twilight made her way into the basement, and lit her horn up as she entered the darkness.  Then, as she looked around, she suddenly regretted even entering through that door.

On one wall was the skeleton of what could only be a bear, along with the deteriorated wings of a cockatrice, and the stripped skeletons of a rabbit and a fox.  And then, the smell caught up to her.

Twilight opened her mouth to scream, but all that came out of her mouth was her breakfast.  She couldn’t even vocalize.  And, worse than that, she couldn’t move.  So unprepared was she for what she’d seen that she was barely able to register the sound of something metal penetrating something solid. And then the purple light went out.  The only way she knew she was falling was the shifting scenery, tilting as she collapsed on her side.

She was awakened, maybe a minute or two later, by the sound of a door slamming behind her.  As she arose, she realized that she was able to see clearly, in spite of how dark the room was.  She knew her horn wasn't lit up, but she was still able to make out the objects she'd seen before in the room.  She was even able to make out her body, a butcher knife stuck in her skull, at her side.  Then it occurred to her what had happened.

When she turned to the door behind her, she noticed under it what she realized must have been some of the hair of the tail of the one who'd killed her.  But, if the skeletons in this basement, not to mention the smell, had bothered her, the coloring of that tail hair bothered her even more.  She hoped that what she'd seen was just an illusion, but something told her that she knew better than that.  The color of that tail hair was ... pink.  She didn't want to believe it, but the evidence was overwhelming to her.

As the restaurant was being built, Twilight had told one of her friends, Rarity, that she was dying to find out more about it.  But, this was not what she'd had in mind.  Still, the good news was, now separated from her body, she could investigate the pizzeria without anypony stopping her.  The bad news was ... well, she knew she'd be investigating ... one of her friends.
> Chapter 5: An End to Laughter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

So distraught was Pinkie Pie after being unable to stop Twilight from leaving, so depressed, that she had neither strength nor desire to move from her spot.

When Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Applejack each came to visit the library for reasons not related to the pizza place, invariably they’d see the pink party pony laying on the ground and ask what was wrong with her.

Spike would answer that he didn’t know for sure, something about Twilight leaving for the pizzeria never to come back again.  The little purple dragon wasn’t sure if Pinkie Pie was right nor not, but he began to worry more and more when his pony mother didn’t return.

No one bothered to try to move Pinkie Pie, as they expected her to get back up again in a matter of hours.

Thus, the pink earth pony remained, sleeping in her spot in the library all that night, and on into the next morning.  It was only when she woke up with the sunlight glaring into her face that she finally decided to do something.

The first thing she did was look at the list of ingredients that Twilight Sparkle had gotten from the Griffon kingdom.  She wasn’t surprised that the list of ingredients included bear meat, she’d recognized it when she sniffed the pizza.  But, unlike Twilight, she was also not surprised that one of the ingredients was cockatrice meat.  And, something told her that there would be two more, no, three more types of meat in the pizzas served at that restaurant by now: fox, rabbit, and pony.

Pinkie Pie was about to leave the library for the first time since her last conversation with Twilight, when Spike came downstairs and asked, “Pinkie Pie, has Twilight come back yet?”

The pink earth pony looked down, shook her head slowly, and said, “No.  Don’t you remember?  She’s not coming back.  Not alive anyway.”

The purple dragon glared at Pinkie Pie and said, “Hey, that’s not funny.”

At that point, Pinkie Pie turned and galloped the few paces to the little purple dragon, grabbed him, and held him in a tight hug.

For a moment, Spike was confused.  Then, he pushed away from Pinkie Pie and said, “That’s enough.  You’ll see.  Twilight’s coming back.  And, she’s coming back alive.”

But, the pink earth pony refused to let go of him.

Spike finally managed to struggle out of Pinkie’s grasp by moving under her forelimbs.  Then, pushing away from her, he said, “I mean it, Pinkie.  There are things I need to do.  I have books to put away, parchment and ink to set up, a meal to prepare, and a library to keep in general order.  Either get out, or help me.”

Pinkie Pie said nothing, just went out through the front door and slowly made her way home.  Once there, she locked the door behind her and went to her bed.  Her grief over her lost alicorn friend was far greater in her than any need for food or sleep.  All she could think to do was wait for one more nighttime, so she could investigate the Pegasa’s Pizzeria, and maybe complete the work Twilight had started.


That evening, Pinkie Pie got up out of her bed and made her way outside and to the pizzeria. Once there, she gently pushed on the door, and it opened on its own.  She made no sounds, she didn’t feel like making any sounds anyway.

The door automatically closed behind the pink earth pony once she was completely inside, somewhat startling her as the metal of the door made contact with the metal of the stop on the side.

When Pinkie Pie realized she was the only one inside the building, she sighed with relief, then started exploring the now vacant restaurant.  She sniffed at the displays in the theater, explored the ovens in the kitchen, tested the cash register, sat on benches and chairs and tapped on tables.

The one thing she didn’t expect in an empty building was to hear the quiet voice of her yellow pegasa friend, Fluttershy, ask, “Pinkie Pie, what are you doing here?”

For the first time since her last conversation with Spike, the pink earth pony vocalized.  Before she could stop herself, she let out a split-second shriek.  Then, covering her muzzle with her hooves, she turned to the yellow pegasa and said, “I heo—“  Realizing her inability to talk through her forelimbs, she put them down again before trying again:  “I’m here to continue Twilight’s investigation of this place.  Something’s not right here.”

Confused, Fluttershy asked, “Continue?  Did something happen to Twilight?”

Pinkie Pie sighed deeply, then said, “I’m sorry to have to tell you this, Fluttershy, but Twilight’s been killed.”

Tears welled up in the pegasa’s eyes as she covered her mouth with her forelimbs and gasped.  When she put her forelimbs back on the ground, she asked, “Are you sure, Pinkie?”

Pinkie Pie nodded as she answered, “Yes, I’m sure.  Whoever opened this pizza place has been killing your friends, Fluttershy, and now she’s killed Twily, too.”

Fluttershy stammered for a moment before asking, “Do you have any proof?”

The pink earth pony answered, “Not yet, but I’m running out of places to look.  Wherever the evidence is, I’m sure to find it if I just keep looking.”

Fluttershy said, “Well, I don’t like the idea of you breaking into places where you shouldn’t be.  But, if helping you search for clues is the only way to satisfy you so you’ll leave, then I’ll help you.”

Pinkie Pie looked away from her yellow pegasa friend as she said, “I’ve already checked the theater, the kitchen, the front room, and the bathrooms.  You know, I never knew ponies could be so messy.”

Fluttershy pushed open a nearby door as she asked, “You haven’t checked the basement yet?”

Pinkie Pie immediately turned to her yellow pegasa friend and, in surprise, asked, “This place has a basement?”

Fluttershy backed away and asked, “Doesn’t Sugar Cube Corner have one?”  After a step or two, she stopped and added, “Every building like this that's in the business of serving food has a basement.”

The pink earth pony accepted her yellow pegasa friend’s outstretched forelimb as an invitation to head down the stairs into the dark lower level.  On the way down, she said, “You know, Fluttershy, if there’s any—aghh!”  Before she could say another word, she suddenly felt a strong, painful force on her backside, which forced her to fall forward down the stairs.  At some point in her tumble, she heard a cracking sound which made her feel like something had definitely gone wrong.  She couldn't immediately explain it, she just felt as though her head was suddenly trapped by something; and it scared her.  She began to struggle, but then she felt something prevent her from breathing properly.  And, the more she fought, the more certain seemed her chance at failing to escape; but still she struggled.  With all her strength she wrestled with whatever it was that was keeping her head lowered, until she finally collapsed, and waited for the inevitable.

Minutes passed by before she found herself able to move again, and she was surprised because, in spite of having limited ability to move before, she was completely able to do so now.  Even more surprising, in spite of how dark it was in the room, she could clearly make out objects in the basement … including her purple alicorn friend.  But, there was something … not right about her.  For that matter, there was something not right with Pinkie Pie, something more not right than usual.

Twilight was frowning as she said, “You too, huh Pinkie?”

Pinkie turned and looked down at her body, her neck bent in an unnatural angle, an angle that would make it impossible for her to breath.  And then it dawned on her.  Looking up at her alicorn friend, Pinkie Pie asked, “I’m dead, aren’t I?”

Twilight nodded and answered, “You and me both.”

Pinkie started to cry as she said, “I’m so sorry, Twily.  I just wanted to keep your investigation going.”

Twilight nodded and said, “And, you did well.  I’m happy to see that you took something from your experience with that MMMM cake.”

Pinkie Pie snorted as she said, “Yeah, and a lot of good it did me.”  And, before Twilight could say anything more, the pink earth pony added, “I knew you weren’t coming back alive, and I knew something was wrong with this place.  But, how could it have been … ?”

Twilight took a step toward her pink earth pony friend and said, “I know how you feel.  She betrayed me just as much as she betrayed you.  But, now we’ve got to make sure she doesn’t do anymore damage.”

Pinkie Pie sniffled once more before saying, “You’re right, Twily.  So, where do we begin?”
> Chapter 6: The Owner
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been two days since Twilight had disappeared, and one day since the disappearance of Pinkie Pie.

It was difficult to tell if Rainbow Dash was simply impatient, or if she was worried.

Applejack, on the other hand, if she had been wearing a blouse, would be wearing her worry on her sleeves.  And Rarity, with all her melodrama, couldn’t hide her own worry over the two friends that had mysteriously vanished.

As for Fluttershy, well, she probably hid her true emotions the best of all of them.  Nopony knew if even Fluttershy knew what she was feeling.

Thus were the emotional states of the four element bearers as they met at the library to discuss what they should do next.

As Spike, dutiful in spite of his fears, offered refreshments to the quartet, it was Rainbow Dash who was the first to speak.  She said, “I don’t think we can wait any longer.  We’ve gotta do something about our missing friends!”

Applejack nodded and said, “Ah agree.  The question is, what do we do?  Anypony know what Twilight and Pinkie were studyin’ afore they disappeared?”

Spike turned away from the element bearers, struggling to keep his emotions in check.  When, after a few seconds, he was able to speak without, or so he hoped, his voice betraying the worry and grief he felt, he said, “Twilight sent some of the p-pizza to the G-griffon kingdom to get information on th-the ingredients.”  ‘Well,’ he thought to himself, ‘so much for my voice not betraying me.’  Still, he continued, “Sh-sh-she found out th-th-that o-one of the ingredients was b-b-bear m-m-meat.”  And, he concluded his statement by inhaling a little more sharply than he’d intended.

Rarity was the first to react, trotting toward the distraught dragon and saying, “Oh, Spike.”  She then wrapped a forelimb around him.

At last, Spike couldn’t hold it in any longer.  He buried his face in the fur at the base of Rarity’s neck and started sobbing.

In the mean time, Rainbow Dash started flying around the main room of the library, looking for anything that might look like a list of some kind.

Back on the ground, Applejack was the first to notice a piece of parchment on the table, and noticed it had writing on it.  She trotted to it and, after looking over the list of ingredients, called out, “Ever’pony, c’mere!”  As Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy approached her, Applejack continued, “This must be what Spike was a’talkin’ ‘bout.”  Pointing a front hoof at one of the items on the list, she continued, “Here it says ‘bear meat.’”

Rainbow Dash, still hovering over the orange earth mare, grabbed the list from in front of her and said, “Let me have a look.”  Then, after all but rubbing her nose on the parchment, she pushed it back and said, “Applejack’s right.  No wonder we were so sick.  But, there’s another meat on the list.  Cockatrice.”

For a moment Applejack closed her eyes and bowed her head, removing her hat with a front hoof and placing it in front of her chest.  Then she put her hat back on her head, opened her eyes, and walked over to Fluttershy.  Putting a front hoof on the yellow pegasa’s shoulder, she said, “Now, Fluttershy, Ah know this is a’gonna be hard for ya.  But, Ah need tuh ask ya.  Is there anypony in or outta town that knows ‘bout the critters you’ve been a’keepin’ at your cottage besides us?”

Fluttershy turned away from her orange earth pony friend as she answered, “None that I know of.”  Quickly turning back to her, she asked, “Why?  Do you think somepony out there wants to hurt me by killing my creatures?”

Applejack took a moment to close her eyes and inhale and then exhale.  Afterwards, she opened her eyes again and said, “Ah’m sorry, Sugarcube, but it’s a possibility we need to face.”

As the yellow pegasa put a forelimb to her mouth and started whimpering, Rainbow Dash landed between then, but to the side, and said, “Now, let’s not go jumping to conclusions here.  We don’t know anypony that’d be so mean to any of us, much less Fluttershy.”

Under her breath, Applejack stated, “It’s just a theory anyhow.”

Rarity said, still holding a sobbing Spike in her forelimb, “Well, we simply can’t just stand here and do nothing.  What if whoever is doing such an awful thing kills somepony we know?”

Applejack asked in return, “Well, what if he or she already has?”

Rarity turned a glare on the orange earth pony and said, “Applejack, how dare you say such a thing?”

Applejack turned back to the white unicorn and answered, “Ah hope Ah’m wrong 'bout this, Ah really do.  But, the fact of the matter is Twilight disappeared two days ago, and Pinkie Pie disappeared yesterday.  For all Ah know, they could be a'visitin’ relatives somewheres.  And, honestly, Ah hope they are.  But, nopony’s seen ‘em, nopony Ah know of anyways.”

Rainbow Dash asked, “So, what do you suggest?”

Applejack turned to the blue pegasa and answered, “We need to continue investigatin’ these here disappearances and deaths, and Ah suggest we start with that pizza place.”

For a moment Rainbow Dash hummed to herself in thought.  Thinking out loud, she said, “You know, there is the possibility that some kind of monster’s behind all this.”  The excitement in her voice grew as she started to float above her spot on the floor and continued, “And, if there is a monster killing off Fluttershy’s creatures, it’d be so cool to fight it!”  Finally, she dropped down again and said to Applejack, “Count me in.”

Rarity let go of Spike and said, “Well, if you’re going, then I must go.  From what I understand, Twilight investigated on her own, and she disappeared.  Pinkie Pie must’ve also investigated on her own, and she also disappeared.  It shan’t be just one or two of us that goes into the pizzeria.  Either all of us go, or none of us.”

As three sets of eyes focused on her, Fluttershy looked away for a moment and said, “Well, if it means that I don’t lose any more of my creatures, or any more of my friends, then I guess I’ll have to go, too.”

At Fluttershy’s agreement, Rarity turned to Spike, stroked his head with the front hoof she hadn’t been holding him with, and said, “Now, Spike, it’s best that you not get caught up in this.  I want you to stay here at the library until we return.”

As the white unicorn turned away from him, Spike grabbed her by the closest hind leg and begged, “Please, Rarity, don’t go!  I’ve already lost Twilight and Pinkie Pie!  I don’t wanna lose any more friends!”

Rarity turned to her dragon friend and said, “Neither do I.  And, that’s why we’re doing this.  If it means no more friends will be lost, then isn’t it worth the risk?”

Then, Fluttershy said, “You know, Spike may be right.”

A trio of pony voices grunted in confusion, and Spike ran to the yellow pegasa and said, burying his face in her neck, “Oh, thank you, Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy covered the purple dragon’s back in a forelimb as she continued, “Right now the pizza place is busy.  We should wait until after it closes before we go investigating it.  And besides, Spike shouldn’t be left alone right now.”

Applejack looked down for a moment, then back up at the yellow pegasa, and said, “Yeah, Ah reckon yer right.  We’ll wait ‘til nightfall when the pizza place’s closed.”  Turning to Rainbow Dash and Rarity, she asked, “That sound good to ever’pony?”

The blue pegasa and the white unicorn answered doubtfully, but affirmatively.

And, with that, the four ponies and one dragon waited until nighttime for the Pegasa’s Pizzeria to close.  And, in the mean time, they each took turns comforting Spike, who, more than just simply accepting their efforts to calm him down, seemed to be saying farewell to each of them.

The fact of the matter was they didn’t really know when the restaurant was going to close.  They just waited until it was dark outside before leaving the library and heading to the pizzeria.  But, sure enough, when they arrived, the place was dark with neither customers nor employees in sight.

As the four entered the now silent restaurant and began their investigation, they kept in either visual or vocal contact at all times, so that none of them would get lost, and they wouldn’t lose track of each other in the multi-room structure.

That is, until it came time to investigate the theater, where the props were displayed.

Applejack tried to keep Fluttershy from entering, but the yellow pegasa, strangely curious about what her friend was trying to hide from her, flew over the orange earth mare’s head to see the displays on the stage.

As Fluttershy approached the displays, whining and sniffling, Applejack approached her and said, “Ah’m sorry Sugarcube.  Ah’ll leave ya here to grieve for yer friends, and we’ll search the rest of the pizza place.”  And, with that, Applejack left the sobbing Fluttershy alone while she and the other two ponies investigated the rest of the pizzeria.

The last of the rooms to be investigated was blocked by a door which, just as the front door had been, was easily opened.

The orange earth pony led the way, followed by the white unicorn, with the blue pegasa bringing up the rear.

As they followed the stairs down into the darkness, Rarity lit her horn with her magic, providing enough light so the trio didn’t stumble down the rest of the stairs.

Then, from behind them, they heard a familiar, kindly voice above them from the doorway say, “I really don't want to have to kill any more of my friends.  So, I hope you don't mind.”

While Rarity and Applejack had to struggle for a place to turn around, the hovering Rainbow Dash had no problems making a one-hundred-eighty-degree turn to face the origin of the voice.

The blue pegasa asked, “Mind what, Fluttershy?”

Before Rainbow Dash could think about what her friend had said, the yellow pegasa continued, “If I lock you in here, and hold you against your wills?”

It’s a wonder that Applejack and Rarity didn’t knock their heads together as they turned and looked up at their yellow pegasa friend and, together Rainbow Dash, asked, “Fluttershy?”

The representative, and bearer of the element, of kindness looked down on the other three element bearers and, with a strangely dispassionate expression on her face, and a matching tone in her voice, said, “This is, after all, my pizzeria.  I really didn't want to kill Twilight and Pinkie; but they came here searching for clues, and I had no choice.  Now, you have come searching through my restaurant.  If you had just stayed home, I wouldn't have to do this.  But, like Twilight and Pinkie, you've given me no choice.  I’m sorry, my friends.”  And, with that, she closed the door.

Rainbow Dash was too shocked by what she’d seen and heard to even think about making an escape.  As the clack of a lock closing was deflected around the basement, all the blue pegasa could think to do was slow the flapping of her wings until she settled onto the steps she’d been hovering over.

Applejack was similarly frozen in place.

On the other hand, Rarity turned and continued to make her way down the stairs, her horn providing light as she descended.  Then she noticed two familiar pony shapes at the bottom of the stairs and approached them saying, “Oh, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, I’m so happy to …”  But, her speech died immediately with her elation when she saw that they weren’t moving.  As she prodded the body of the purple alicorn, her absent elation was replaced by terror when she saw the eyes had sunken in.

Before Rainbow Dash and Applejack could fully register what had just happened to them, they heard Rarity scream; and Rainbow Dash jumped at just the right time to avoid the white unicorn ramming into her, as she was backpedaling up the stairs again to get away form whatever it was that had alarmed her.

As the blue pegasa landed again and Applejack turned to see the terrified white unicorn finally stop backing away due to the door behind her, the orange earth mare asked, “Rarity, what’s wrong?”

The white unicorn pointed down the stairs and said, “I f-f-f-found out wh-wh-wh-what h-h-happened t-to T-t-t-twilight.  Sh-sh-she’s d-d-d-dead!”

Rainbow Dash just stopped moving altogether.  If somepony didn’t know better, he or she might think the blue pegasa had either gotten a stare from a cockatrice, or had died standing.  But, the truth of the matter was she felt herself being consumed by a horrifying emptiness.  Not a hunger, but a feeling of being all by herself in a room of horrors.  And, at least she was right about the horrors part.

Applejack, on the other hand, headed down, morbidly curious about what it was that had frightened Rarity so much.  Her display was not her normal melodrama.  She was showing honest terror and grief.

With Rarity’s lit horn as far up as it was, Applejack was lucky to make it down the stairs without tripping and falling.  The first thing she felt when she made it down the stairs was the soft hair of a long tail under her hooves.  As she applied pressure, she felt the hair tighten up on something, causing her to automatically jump over it.

The hair was, based on what Applejack could tell by touch, straight, which must’ve meant it had to belong to Twilight.  In fact, after a sigh of relief, Applejack addressed the purple alicorn by name before continuing, “Thank goodness you’re alright.  You know, you had Rarity thinkin’ …”  Just as Rarity had done, Applejack stopped before she could finish putting her thought into words when she placed a front hoof on what she thought was Twilight’s hip, and realized it was solid.  And, too solid for it to be alive.

Applejack pushed the frozen form of Twilight Sparkle onto all four of her hooves, only to see another pony shape not far from it.  How she was able to identify it as a pony she couldn’t say for sure. She could only tell who it was because of the mane and tail, which were still curly, even in evident death.

The orange earth mare called up the stairs, “Rarity, Ah’m sorry to have to do this, but Ah’m a’gonna need your help down here.  Ah need the light from your horn to let me know if this other pony is who Ah think it is.”

This seemed to snap Rainbow Dash out of her paralysis.  She shook herself out, then turned and headed down the stairs after Applejack, who was still holding Twilight’s body up.  She walked past the orange earth pony, around in a circle to the other body, and nuzzled it.  Then the scent hit her, one that was all too familiar.  Mixed with the stench of death was the smell of the party pony.

As opposed to being numb before, suddenly Rainbow Dash was overwhelmed with the feeling of frustration over the loss of her closest earth pony friend.  Slumping down over the body of the pink earth pony, Rainbow Dash howled out her name:  “Pinkie Pie!”  Then, she collapsed into sobs.

At any other time, what Applejack said next would’ve been funny:  “Never mind, Rarity.”


Twilight Sparkle had seen all she could take from the grieving of her friends.  She turned to her fellow ghost, Pinkie Pie, and said, “We’ve spent enough time in this place.  It’s time for us to take action.”

Twilight ascended the stairs from the basement, followed by the pink party pony’s spirit, as she said, “We need to get a letter to Princess Celestia, and I know of only one way to send it.”

Pinkie Pie, partially phasing through Applejack as she moved up the stairs, asked, “But, what if Spike doesn’t see you?”

As she phased through Rarity and the basement door, Twilight answered, “It’s a risk I’m going to have to take.”
> Chapter 7: "I Need Your Help!"
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It’d been an entire day, and Twilight still hadn’t returned; neither had any of her friends payed a visit since they'd gone to investigate that pizza place.

Spike had never thought he’d feel the absence of the pony he'd always thought of as his mother, nor any of the other five who would frequently visited the library.  But, he was feeling their absence now, and more profoundly than he could’ve imagined.  But, it was more than just loneliness he was feeling.  He was also beginning to worry that Pinkie Pie might be right, and that Twilight would never return alive to the library the dragon and the alicorn called home.  But, he refused to let such feelings get in the way of his duties.  Hope springs eternal, and Spike was going to make sure the library was in order for when Twilight did return.


In the mean time, as the spirits of Twilight and Pinkie Pie left the pizza place together, Twilight said to the pink earth pony, “After I was killed in that basement, I noticed that Fluttershy would come down and cut up some of my meat.  Do you suppose she’s been using that in the pizzas now?”

Pinkie Pie sighed and answered, “I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what she’s been doing.  At least she hasn’t been using your dead body as a display item in her theater.”

Twilight responded, “I”m thinking if that were her intention, she would’ve had me stuffed and mounted first, like she did with her bear, cockatrice, fox, and rabbit friends.  Besides, even in her present state of mind, I’m thinking she’s smarter than that.  Her critters are less well known than her closest friends are in Ponyville.  She wouldn’t risk revealing to everypony that she murdered two of her closest friends, and imprisoned the other three in the basement of her pizza place.”

Pinkie Pie had to struggle a bit before she figured out for herself how Fluttershy putting Twilight’s remains on display would lead to everypony finding out that the bearer of the element of kindness had also kidnapped three of her friends, and killed one more.  When it did finally dawn on her, she rolled her eyes with the significance and said, “Oh!”  Then, taking notice of where the two of them were, she said, “Oh, and we’re at the library now.”  Absentmindedly she reached out for the doorknob, only to find that the front hoof she reached out with passed right through it.  Quickly she pulled it back and looked at it, then looked at Twilight and said, “Oh, that’s right.  We’re ghosties.”  And, she giggled, more at her mistake than at herself.

Twilight walked through the door, literally, as she said, “Let’s just go inside, Pinkie.”

The pink party pony followed her friend inside, saying, “Okie dokie lokie.”  Then, once she was past the doorway, she asked, “Uh, how am I going to go inside myself?  I may be dead, but isn’t that still impossible?”

Before Twilight could respond, they heard a depressed Spike ask, “Oh, Twilight, when are you coming back?”  And, the two turned to see the depressed, purple dragon sitting over a feather duster, clutching his knees in his arms.

The purple alicorn spirit couldn’t help approaching her former assistant from behind before answering, “Oh, Spike, I’m right here.”

Startled, the dragon jumped up into the air and screamed before running upstairs and diving under Twilight’s bed.

As Twilight realized that she’d unintentionally alarmed her former dragon assistant, she covered her muzzle with her forelimbs.

On the other hand, Pinkie Pie giggled at Spike’s response.

Then, what happened dawned on Twilight, and she turned to Pinkie Pie and said, “I guess we don’t need to worry about Spike hearing me, at least.”  She then galloped up the stairs to her bed, then looked under it to see a trembling purple hatchling dragon there.  She asked, “Are you alright, Spike?”

The frightened dragon stammered, “Wh-wh-who’s th-th-there?  Sh-sh-show yourself!”

Twilight answered, “I’m sorry, Spike.  I didn’t mean to scare you.  it’s me, Twilight Sparkle.”

Spike started to crawl slowly out from under Twilight’s bed as he asked, “Twilight, is that really you?”

Twilight answered, “That’s right.  And, I need your help if I’m going to send a letter to Princess Celestia.”

Spike, hearing the voice he’d grown up with speaking soothingly to him, calmed down considerably.  He crawled out from under Twilight’s bed and said, “Alright.”  He then got a parchment and a quill from Twilight’s desk, then said, “Alright, Twilight, let’s get this letter written.”

Twilight replied, “Thank you, Spike.  The letter goes as follows:

“Dear Princess Celestia,

“It is my sad duty to inform you by way of this letter that I’ve been murdered by Fluttershy while I was investigating her pizzeria.  Pinkie Pie also investigated the Pegasa’s Pizzeria, and Fluttershy murdered her as well.  Not only that, but Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity have been imprisoned by Fluttershy in the pizzeria's basement.

“During my investigation, I have learned that she has also killed four of her animal friends: a bear, a cockatrice, a fox, and a rabbit.  And, she’s been using their meat, as well as mine, as ingredients in her pizzas.  We don’t know but that Fluttershy also plans to murder the rest of the element bearers, and we need your help to stop her and free them.

“Please do what you can to help Fluttershy.  I sincerely hope she can be saved.  And, also, please free Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity from their captivity.

“Your faithful, former student, Twilight Sparkle.”

As the purple dragon wrote the letter, he either couldn’t or wouldn’t reign in his emotions.  He simply let the tears flow down his cheeks.  How, through all his trembling and sniffling, he managed to keep the letter readable will forever be a mystery, even to him.  But, when he was finished, he inhaled deeply, then exhaled a green flame that consumed the rolled-up parchment and sent it to Princess Celestia.

Twilight, frowning with her eyes but smiling with her mouth, said, “Thank you, Spike.”  She then turned to her fellow spirit, Pinkie Pie, and said, “Now, all we can do is wait.”

Finally, Spike let go of the quill he’d used to write the letter.  He started to sob as he said, “Oh, Twilight,” then collapsed and continued to sob.

Together, Twilight and Pinkie Pie said, “Oh, Spike,” and the two pony spirits joined the dragon in mutual grief.
> Chapter 8: A Message Out of the Purple
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

In Canterlot Castle, Princess Celestia was in the castle library looking at a scroll, though she had trouble keeping her attention on its contents.  She couldn’t say exactly what it was, but she could sense something was wrong.  And, she wasn’t the only one that was troubled.

Princess Luna entered the library looking for her older sister.  And, she came around one bookcase to see the daytime alicorn staring at an open scroll, but clearly not paying attention to what was written in it.  The nighttime alicorn asked her sister, “Tia, what’s wrong?”

In surprise, the white alicorn jumped to her feet and flared her wings out.  Then, seeing that it was just her younger sister, she folded her wings again and, looking down, answered, “I … can’t say for sure.  I can sense something is wrong, but I can’t say for sure what it is, exactly.”

The nighttime alicorn took a few steps toward her older sister and said, “It’s alright.  We too have been sensing something … amiss.  We could sense unusual dreams during the night, frightening dreams.  We know not what they mean, and we have been too frightened of them to approach them.”

Princess Celestia stated, “Well, whatever it is, I fear my former student, Twilight Sparkle, is involved somehow.  And, I sense it is not in a good way.”

Before the two sister alicorns could discuss their fears any further, a scroll appeared between the two of them; and the daytime alicorn caught it in her magic.  With her magic, she opened the seal, unrolled the scroll, and started reading.  Then, suddenly, her irises and pupils shrunk until they were barely visible; and she released the scroll form her magic.

Princess Luna, seeing this reaction from her older sister, asked with, sincere worry in her voice, “Sister, what is wrong?”

Princess Celestia didn’t respond, at least not vocally.  Instead, she sat down on her haunches. But, she kept staring into the space ahead of her.

Not knowing what else to do, the nighttime princess picked up and opened the scroll with her own magic and started reading it for herself:  “‘Dear Princess Celestia:

“‘It is my sad duty to inform you … by way of this letter … that I’ve been m-m-m—’”

The word, with its connotations, was so painful and frightening to the nighttime princess that her mind didn’t want to acknowledge it.  She swallowed hard, then continued, “‘M-m-murd-d-dered b-by F-fluttershy while I w-was investigating her p-pizzeria.  P-pinkie Pie also investigated the Pegasa’s P-pizzeria, and F-fluttershy m-m-murdered her as w-well.’”  She was startled by a noisy sniffle from her older sister, but still, after taking a deep breath and letting it out, she continued, “‘Not only that, but Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity have been imprisoned by Fluttershy in the basement of her pizzeria.’”  She turned to Princess Celestia and said, “There’s more,” before continuing, “‘During my investigation, I have learned that she has also killed four of her animal friends: a bear, a cockatrice, a fox, and a rabbit.  And, she’s been using their meat, as well as mine, and possibly Pinkie Pie’s as well, as ingredients in her pizzas.  We don’t know but that Fluttershy also plans to murder the rest of the element bearers, and we need your help to stop her and free them.  Please do what you can to help Fluttershy.  I sincerely hope she can be saved.  And, also please free Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity from their captivity.’”

At this point, the daytime alicorn’s defense against the news started to give way, and she found herself confronting the emotional effects of the news she’d received.  Her best student, the newest alicorn and bearer of the element of magic, had been brutally removed from her mortal existence, and by, of all creatures, the bearer of the element of kindness.  What had happened to Fluttershy that she would do such a thing?  To Princess Celestia, Twilight Sparkle had been more than a student; she’d been the daughter the daytime alicorn might’ve hoped to have one day, and never would.  And now, for reasons unknown, Fluttershy had killed her.  Whatever the reason or reasons might be, the fact remained.  Twilight Sparkle’s life had been cut short.  And, the daytime princess had to stop Fluttershy before she killed the rest of her fellow element bearers.

And, then there was Pinkie Pie.  How often had she done things that no normal pony could have done?  And, she had been killed by Fluttershy as well.  Was this another misguided attempt on Fluttershy’s part to prove she could be assertive?  But, why involve her friends this way?

The confusion and pain proved to be too much for the daytime princess, and she slid her front hooves forward until she was lying sphinx-style on the floor, then buried her face in her forelimbs, and started sobbing.

And, wouldn’t you know it, that’s when the ruler of chaos, Discord, appeared.  Seeing Princess Celestia thus on the floor of the library, he asked, “Is there something I should know about?”

Princess Luna wasn’t holding up much better than her older sister.  After all, it was this team of element bearers that had freed her from being Nightmare Moon.  And, they had defeated other enemies, including Discord himself.

But, Discord was even more personally involved.  Fluttershy, who had murdered Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie, and imprisoned the other element bearers, had played the vital role in Discord’s reformation.  How was he going to react to this news?  Well, now was as good a time as any to find out.

For a few seconds, Princess Luna tried to form words.  But, all she could do was stammer.  Finally, she just used her magic to pass the letter to the draconequus, and said, “J-just read it for yourself.”  And, she went to her sister to try to console her.

Discord, thinking the two sisters might be overreacting to some trivial thing that could easily be solved by a slight adjustment to the gravitational constant, or something similar, started reading incredulously through the letter.  Then, his eyes grew and bulged out a little as he read about Fluttershy murdering the author of the letter, and then Pinkie Pie.  Deciding he’d read enough, he crumpled the parchment up and tossed it behind him, saying, “It’s a trick.  Some pony’s playing a trick on me, on you, on us.  I know Fluttershy, and she’d never do what that letter is accusing her of.”

And, before he was finished with his statement, the letter disappeared into the floor, making a splash as though the floor had been water.  And, for that moment, for all intents and purposes, the floor under that crumpled-up parchment was water.

At Discord’s remark, in the mean time, Princess Celestia glared up at the draconequus and said, no, growled, “Well, I know Twilight Sparkle.  That letter came from her, and she would never lie to me.”  She then sniffled before continuing, “She’s dead, and so … so is Pinkie Pie.”  She then buried her face in her forelimbs again and cried, “Oh, Fluttershy, what happened to you?”

Discord, scowling, arms folded, remained silent for a few seconds.  When he spoke again, he said, “There’s another pegasa that looks like Fluttershy.  She could’ve murdered Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie, imprisoned the other three, and made herself look enough like Fluttershy that the blame could easily fall on her.”

Now, it was Luna’s turn to glare at the draconequus.  But, not satisfied with just growling at him, she also marched toward him as she said, “We know the pony of whom you speak, and she would do no such thing.  She may look like Fluttershy, and the two may be rivals; but the other yellow pegasa would never kill, especially not to prove any kind of point.  She has no reason to kill any of Fluttershy’s friends, anyway.”

Presently, Discord threw his mismatched arms into the air, literally, and shouted, “Oh, come on now!  You’ve got to give me something to work with here!”  Then, his arms reappeared in their proper place on each side of him, and he covered his face, whether in shame or in thought, neither princess could tell for sure.  When he uncovered his face and spoke again, after a few more seconds, he continued, more calmly, “We’re talking about the pony I had to personally touch in order to turn her.  She’s the pony that gave me her friendship, and only threatened to take it back if I wasn’t kind to her friends.  She’s the pony that reformed me.”

Princess Luna said, “She’s also the pony that murdered Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie.”

Again Discord shouted, “I can’t accept that!  There’s a part of this puzzle we don’t have yet!”

And, while he spoke, a jigsaw puzzle appeared, floating in the air, with a piece missing from its center.

He continued, “We can’t make any judgments until we know the full story.  And, in order to do that, we have to go to Ponyville and see for ourselves.”

At this last statement from the ruler of chaos, the two alicorns looked up at each other, then at the draconequus.  Could it be that the news had hit Discord so hard that he’s become the voice of reason?  The news of the loss of Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie was hard enough for the two sisters to take, and compounded by the news that it was at the hooves of Fluttershy.  This was the difficulty facing the two sister alicorns.  But, now Discord was making sense.  Could the ruler of chaos be crumbling under the burden presented to him by the prospect of losing his first real pony mare friend?  And yet, he really did have a point.

Princess Celestia, still very much shaken by the news of her faithful student’s murder, still rose to her hooves and shook herself out.  Still looking at Discord, she said, “You’re right.  We must go to Ponyville and find out what happened to Fluttershy.  But, we must also rescue Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Applejack.”  She then stumbled past the draconequus, saying, “Let’s get going.”

As Princess Luna also passed him, he straightened out in surprise as he asked, “Wait, I’m right?”  Then, a second later, he relaxed again and, following the nighttime alicorn, answered himself, “Of course I’m right.  Let’s just get going to Ponyville.”
> Chapter 9: A Day and a Night with Chaos
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the basement of the pizzeria, Rainbow Dash, still holding on to the remains of Pinkie Pie, wailed, “Why did it have to be Fluttershy?  Of all ponies, why did it have to be Fluttershy that betrayed us, that murdered Pinkie Pie?”

From the bottom of the staircase, Applejack said, “Ah know how ya feel, Rainbow Dash.  Ah didn’t expect it to be Fluttershy neither.  And now, all three of us are stuck down here until we’re rescued, released, or until we die.  But, more than that, Fluttershy didn’t just murder Pinkie Pie.  She also murdered an alicorn, a princess.”

Rainbow Dash growled back, “And, why didn't they see it coming, huh?"  Looking down at the body of her friend, she again cried, "Pinkie Pie, why didn’t you see this coming?”

In the mean time, Rarity, in a corner of the basement, could do nothing but tremble.  Since finding out that she’d been locked in the basement with a pony corpse, no, make the two pony corpses, she’d been overcome by terror.  She was going to need therapy for a long time to get past this, if she ever was going to, that is.

At any rate, Applejack said, “None of us saw it comin', Sugar Cube.”

Rainbow Dash growled, “Well, Pinkie Pie should’ve.  And, she should’ve warned us about it.”

Applejack asked, “Well, what if Pinkie Pie did see it comin’, and just didn’t have time to warn us?”

For a few seconds Rainbow Dash growled as loudly as she could in the direction she last heard Applejack’s voice.  Then, she said, “You’re lucky, Applejack, that I can’t see you right now.  Because if I could, I’d kick your teeth out for even suggesting that Pinkie Pie wanted to—”

Before Rainbow Dash could finish her statement, the door to the basement opened, and Fluttershy descended the stairs, carrying a butcher’s knife in her mouth.  As she approached Applejack, she glared at her and dropped the knife as she said, “Move out of the way.  I need more meat for the pizzas, and since Rainbow Dash isn’t finished with Pinkie Pie’s body yet, I’m left with Twilight’s meat.”

Backing away from the glaring pegasa, Applejack said, “Fluttershy, I think it’s time fer us tuh have a talk.”

The yellow pegasa asked, “And, since when are you so big on talking, huh?  Doesn’t the Apple family always shoot first and ask questions later?”

After a momentary pause, Applejack said, “Fluttershy, you represent kindness.  How could you betray your element like this?”

From behind the yellow pegasa came a sound like a wheezing exhale, then she heard Discord ask, “Yes, Fluttershy, how could you do this sort of thing?”  As she turned to face the draconequus, he continued, “I didn’t want to believe that you, of all creatures, were capable of doing this, but ... now I have no choice.”

Fluttershy seemed almost fearful as she said, “Discord, what’re you doing here?”

As the sound of activity beyond the basement door suddenly ceased, Discord answered, “I came here to find out if what I’d read about you was true.”  He then picked up the butcher knife with his tail and, studying it, added, “And, it looks like it was true, is true.”

Just then, Princess Luna appeared in the basement, next to Applejack.  Turning to each of the ponies held prisoner, she asked, “Are you ready to leave now?”

Applejack nodded, then said, “You’ll also have to remove the bodies of Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie.  And, Ah’m sure Rarity’s gonna need some takin’ care of when she’s outta here.”

The last thing the nighttime princess said before she, along with three other living ponies and two pony corpses, disappeared, was, “Yes.”

Then, from behind Discord, the yellow pegasa heard Princess Celestia say, “Fluttershy, you have been accused of grave crimes.  And, from what I’ve seen, they are all true.”  As Discord backed away and allowed the daytime alicorn to approach, she continued, “You are guilty of introducing omnivory and cannibalism to my little ponies, and reinforcing it by murdering and imprisoning your fellow element bearers.  Fluttershy, what happened to you?”

Fluttershy, after looking around and seeing that her captives were suddenly gone, along with the bodies of Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie, turned and glared at the daytime princess and asked, “Who do you think you are, coming here and ruining my business like this?”

Both figuratively and literally, fire flared up in Princess Celestia’s eyes as she approached the yellow pegasa and touched her head with her glowing, sparking, white horn, and she said, “Your business.  Your business was to take care of the creatures of the Everfree forest.  Your business was to represent kindness, to bear its element; and instead you betrayed it.  Your business was to defend Equestria from those who would destroy it.  And, instead, you are setting the foundation for the destruction of Equestria!  If you continue on this course, you will most certainly destroy Equestria, and I cannot allow that to happen!”

At this point, Discord sighed, then said, “Ugh, I’m no good at this, but if it means I can have Fluttershy back, I guess I have no choice.”  He then snapped his fingers, and Princess Celestia disappeared, only to reappear back in her castle, glaring at one of the guard ponies.  But, as the daytime princess disappeared, Discord said, “Let me take care of this.”

If a female voice could sound like thunder, Princess Celestia’s did, as she could be heard even in the basement of the pizzeria when she roared out, “Discord!”

Ignoring the call, the draconequus grabbed up the yellow pegasa and asked, “How could you do this, Fluttershy?  Don’t you remember you were the only one I had to touch in order to turn?” Stroking her mane was one would stroke a cat’s fur, he continued, “You were the one that reformed me.  You threatened to withhold your friendship from me if I wasn’t kind to your friends.”  He then held her up to his face in his mismatched forelimbs as he concluded, “Only a creature as humble as you could’ve tamed me, made me see the error of my ways.  Only a creature of such humility could’ve done that.  What happened to you, Fluttershy?  What happened to the pony I’ve come to love and respect?”

Fluttershy reached out a front hoof and gently stroked the draconequus’ nose as she said, “Oh, I love you too, Discord.”  She then used that hoof to point around the basement as she added, “And, don’t you just love what I did to the place?”

At this point, Discord tucked Fluttershy under one arm and, waving with the other arm, growled, “Yes, I can see what you did to the place.”  He then marched down into the basement and approached the skeletal remains of a bear, then poked at the head and said, “Look at this friend of yours.  He’s dead!  Is this what you think I would’ve done to him?  You, more than any pony, should know me better than that!  I don’t kill creatures, I turn them into monsters for my amusement!  And, if any were to die, I would most certainly not feed them to other creatures, herbivorous or otherwise!”  At this point, Discord found himself choking up.  He held the yellow pegasa up to his face again and asked, “Fluttershy, is there any chance that I could get you back?  Is there any chance that I could have back the Fluttershy I love?”

Now, Fluttershy glared at Discord and said, “Oh, I know what you want.  You want the kind, timid Fluttershy back, is that right?”

Discord’s eyes came out of their sockets and developed arms and legs, then walked down the end of his snout and knelt down in front of the yellow pegasa, hands clasping as if to plead.

In the mean time, Discord answered, “That’s right.  Can I please have her back?”

Fluttershy continued, “You want the pushover Fluttershy, isn’t that right?”

Presently, Discord said, “Yes.”  Then, realizing what he was agreeing to, he shook his head vigorously, and his eyes snapped back into their sockets, as he corrected himself by saying, “No, no, that’s not what I meant.”

Fluttershy then started flapping her wings as she continued, “You want the Fluttershy you can control, is that it?”  As the draconequus continued to negate her questions, she concluded, “Well, Mister Discord, you can’t have her back.  She’s gone now.  I’m Fluttershy the business pony.  I run a successful pizzeria, and everypony loves my pizzas.  So, if you can’t accept me as I am now, then you can go ahead and leave.”

A stunned Discord released Fluttershy, who hovered there in front of him.  After a few seconds, he sniffled loudly, enough to shake the foundations of the pizzeria, or so it seemed to Fluttershy.  He then turned away from her, once again ascending the stairs, and waved his reptilian forelimb as he said, “Alright then.  But, you have some friends who want to have a few words with you first.”

As the distraught draconequus made his way out of the basement, he remained in the doorway to hear a deep, rumbling voice say, “Fluttershy, I know you didn’t mean to kill me.  It wasn’t your fault.  I should’ve relaxed when you twisted my neck that last time, but instead I tensed up.  You aren’t responsible for my death, I am.”

Fluttershy turned to the sound and, to her surprise, saw the skeleton of her bear friend dressed in the skin she’d removed and stuffed with, for the most part, dirt.  She said, “Oh, Mr. Bear, I’m happy to see you up and about again.”

A screechy voice then spoke and said, “Are you then?  And what about me, huh?”

Fluttershy looked to the source of the voice and, recognizing it, said, “Why Mr. Cockatrice.  You know you can’t turn anypony to stone anymore.”

Just then, the body of the fox, also dressed in his own skin, jumped up on the banister of the staircase behind Fluttershy and barked in a high-pitched voice, “You had an excuse for the death of the bear, but that was all.  You killed me because I knew that and why you killed the cockatrice.”

Then, next to the fox, the rabbit skeleton, also dressed in his own skin, jumped up on the banister and asked, no, squeaked, “And, what about me?  I was you closest friend, your pet, your angel bunny.  You had no reason to kill me.”  He then looked down at his fur, then back up at Fluttershy, and asked, “And, look what you did to my fur.  How could you do this to me?”

At this point, surrounded by the revived corpses of former animal friends, Fluttershy desperately grasped at anything she could think of, any concept at all, that she could use to excuse herself.  But, as she flew over the two mammals perched on top of the banister, all she could do was stammer.

Then, Mr. Bear said, “And, worst of all, you killed two of your best friends, first Twilight Sparkle, and then Pinkie Pie.  And, you used our flesh to feed your fellow ponies.”

Now, Fluttershy’s fears got the best of her; and her wings instantly folded, causing her to fall painfully on the step directly under her.  After rubbing a hip with a front hoof, she turned to the four undead creatures and said, “Oh, w-well, that I c-can explain.  You see, …”

But, before she could even begin her explanation, Mr. Bear walked around the staircase, then ascended them up to the yellow pegasa, then removed the skin from his face, as he said, “Well, if you want to know what it’s like to eat meat as well as plants, then you can have a look at life through my eyes.”  And, he flipped the dehydrated face around and proceeded toward Fluttershy with it.

At this point, Discord could handle no more.  He quickly exited the basement, then closed the door behind him, and leaned his back against it, keeping it closed.

In the mean time, Fluttershy backpedaled up the stairs until her back hit the closed door, as she said, “Now, now, there’s no need for this.  Remember, I used to feed you and take care of you.  We were friends, remember?”

Mr. Bear continued up the stairs after Fluttershy, saying, “And, we can become closer friends now.  You can have this piece of me to wear for the rest of your life.”

Finally realizing she was unable to escape this nightmare come to life, Fluttershy started screaming.  And, that was all she could do.  With her back against the door, her limbs were suddenly frozen in their place.  All she could do was sit there, human-style, screaming, waiting for the inevitable.  And, when the mask was finally applied, for a reason no one that heard it could explain, the dehydrated skin vibrated with her final scream, simulating the trumpet of an elephant.


On the opposite side of the door, when he could no longer hear Fluttershy’s screams, Discord slid down, hid his face in his forelimbs, and started sobbing.


When Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and the two sister alicorns finally arrived, none of them would, none of them could, know how long Discord had been like that.

After a minute of silence, Princess Celestia, the first to speak, said, “Discord, the two of us need to have a talk.”

The draconequus struggled to stand up.  When he was finally on his feet, he covered his face with one hand and gestured to the basement door with the other as he said, “It doesn’t matter now.  It’s all over.  Fluttershy is … Fluttershy …”  But, Discord couldn’t bring himself to say that Fluttershy was dead.  All he could do was stumble his way out of the restaurant, bawling.


When the spirits of Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie returned to the pizzeria a couple days later, they saw the spirit of Fluttershy sitting canine-style in front of the basement door, trembling and whimpering.

The spirit of the purple alicorn approached her and offered to touch her with a forelimb as she said, “Fluttershy, it’s me, Twilight Sparkle.”

But, other than her fearful vibrations, the yellow pegasa wouldn’t move from her spot.  And, she’d only stare ahead.

Pinkie Pie stared straight into her yellow friend’s eyes for a few seconds, then turned to Twilight Sparkle and asked, “Do you think Fluttershy’s gonna be alright?”

Twilight, flatly, said, “I don’t think so.  She died terrified, and I’m afraid she’ll be stuck like that forever.”

If Pinkie Pie had wanted anything for her yellow pegasa friend, it most certainly was not this.  She tried to give Fluttershy a hug; but, since both were without their bodies, she only fell through her.  Unable to help her friend, Pinkie Pie started whimpering.

Twilight couldn’t keep the grief out of her own voice as she said, “I know how you feel, but it’s too late for her.  We need to head to the afterlife now.”

Pinkie Pie rose to a canine-style sitting position and turned to her purple alicorn friend.  Seeing the spirit of the purple alicorn proceeding toward a white, glowing circle, the pink party pony spirit rose up to all fours and followed her, only looking once behind her for a split second to see the yellow pegasa, perpetually frozen in fear.
> Chapter 10: One Year Later
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



Canterlot Castle, Throne Room



Princess Celestia rose from her canine-style sitting position on her throne to all fours as two stallions; one a dark blue earth pony with a white head and hooves, brownish-orange eyes, and black mane and tail, with the image of a pen evidently finishing the writing of the word “off” on each of his hips; the other a light-gray pegasus with light-brown head and hooves, brownish-green eyes, white mane and tail, and the image of a closed suit case on each of his hips; approached her.  They stopped about a yard from the daytime alicorn and bowed.

Princess Celestia nodded to them and said, “Case Closed, Signing Off, please rise and give your reports.”

The two stallions rose and looked at each other, then turned back to their daytime princess, and the pegasus said, “Yes, ma’am.  When we went to Ponyville to see why the Pegasa’s Pizzeria hadn’t been torn down yet, we learned from the residents that they didn’t dare go near the structure.  It seems there were reports of the ghost of Fluttershy sitting in the doorway of the basement, trembling, eyes wide, ears folded back.”

The earth pony continued, “I went to look inside the building, and I did see an apparition of a yellow pegasa fitting Fluttershy’s description, posed as described.  Whatever happened to her when she died, it was clearly more traumatic than anything I’ve ever faced.”

The pegasus added, “The remaining three, well two, element bearers refused to go near the structure because three of them had died there; and it represented memories that they didn’t want to relive.  So, we had to hire a team of royal guards to disassemble the building and take the pieces out of Ponyville into the desert, where they were burned.  All physical evidence of the Pegasa’s Pizzeria is gone from Ponyville.”

Princess Celestia turned to the pegasus and said, “Thank you, Case Closed.”  She then turned to the earth pony and asked, “Signing Off, is there something else?”

Signing Off answered, “Actually, yes there is.  We were able to remove the entire structure and destroy it, then bury the remaining hole so that nopony would know the building was there.  But, there is still that yellow pegasa’s apparition sitting there where the doorway to the basement used to be.”

Princess Celestia sighed deeply, then said, “That can’t be helped.  I’ve never been able to get the story about how Fluttershy died, but I don’t think I could do anything even if I did know.”  She then nodded again to the two stallions and said, “Thank you, Case Closed, Signing Off.  You are dismissed.”

Again the stallions bowed to their daytime princess, then rose again and turned and cantered out of the throne room.

Alone in the room again, Princess Celestia took a moment to collect herself after a wave of grief once again washed over her.  Memories had arisen of her former student and the letters she’d sent to her, along with the friends the purple unicorn had made in Ponyville, friends that had helped the purple unicorn earn her wings, and thus her position as an alicorn.  It had been one of those five friends that had betrayed and murdered Princess Twilight Sparkle, as well as Pinkie Pie, and taken the other three hostage.  The traitor had been the one that had reformed Discord, and Discord had been forced to execute her.

Princess Celestia had seen generations of ponies be born, live out their lives, and die.  She had been forced to send her younger sister to the moon.  But, this was the first time she’d had one of her subjects turn against her and murder two of her other subjects, not to mention deeply traumatize another one.

Not knowing if Rarity would ever recover from her experience in that basement, the daytime princess had been forced to take from the white unicorn the rights to the element of generosity, and bestow them on another pony, just as she’d had to do with the elements of magic, laughter, and kindness. She could only hope that the remaining original bearers of the elements of loyalty and honesty could guide the new element bearers and help them best represent their elements.

After taking a deep, unsteady breath, Princess Celestia left the throne room through a side door.



Canterlot Dungeons, Below the Castle



It had made sense to both princesses that Discord would have great difficulty accepting the death of Fluttershy.  After all, she was the first, no, the only, friend the draconequus had ever had.  But, to lock himself in a dungeon and refuse to come out again?  Wasn’t that going a bit far?

Such was one of the many questions roaming through Princess Luna’s mind as she approached the cell were Discord was.  And, as she took a canine-style sitting position in front of the cell, seeing the draconequus lying motionless on the floor, facing away from the bars, she thought it strange how, considering the spirit of chaos was immortal, if she didn’t know better, she’d think he was dead.

That is, until Discord groaned, “Yes, what do you want?”

The nighttime alicorn answered, “We want you to know that … we understand how thou feels.”

At this point, Discord rose up and turned to Princess Luna.  Glaring at her, he asked, “Do you? Do you really?”

Princess Luna found herself intimidated by the draconequus’ glare.  But still, she answered, “Yes, we do.  Fluttershy was one of the six that rescued us from being Nightmare Moon.  She befriended and reformed you, and you had to end her life.”

Discord turned away from her again and, sighing, said, “You don’t understand at all.”

The nighttime princess stretched out a forelimb toward the draconequus and said, “Then, help us understand.  Explain why thou refuses to leave this dungeon.”

In response, Discord sighed, “I deserve it.”

Princess Luna took a moment to sigh as well, then asked, “Why, Discord?  Why does thou deserve to be locked away in a dungeon?”

Discord’s patience with the intrusive alicorn was wearing thin.  Hoping she’d take the hint and leave, he groaned, “Because I do.  Let’s just leave it at that.”

Instead of leaving, though, Princess Luna said, “Thou are not the only one to feel the loss of Fluttershy, you know.  Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, our sister and we, and all of Ponyville, Canterlot, Appleoosa, …”

Presently, Discord turned and jumped at the nighttime alicorn, causing her, in alarm, to fall over backwards.  He said, “You don’t have to keep reminding me of the trouble I’ve caused!  I know how much pain I caused every pony!  I’m the one that made her … I’m the one … I …”  And, he collapsed on the ground and started sobbing.

Princess Luna rolled back onto her hooves, turned to face the weeping draconequus, returned to her canine-style sitting position, and asked, “Discord, thou made Fluttershy what?  What did thou make of Fluttershy?”

Discord seemed to struggle as he used his mismatched forelimbs to drag himself away from the bars, away from Princess Luna.  When he was stretched out so he could touch the back wall with his nose and the bars with his tail at the same time, he answered, “It w-was … b-before sh-she built … th-that pizzeria.  I just wanted to pop in and pay her a visit.  So, I popped in.”  After unsuccessfully trying to stifle a sob, he continued, “Sh-she was outside, giving a d-deep tissue massage to her b-bear friend.  How was I supposed to know that I’d pop in just as she was twisting the bear’s neck?”

In an effort to show empathy, Princess Luna started to reach out a forelimb again as she said, “Discord.”

The draconequus wailed, “I heard the bones snap, I saw Fluttershy drop his head, and I saw, … I saw …”

At this point, Princess Luna put her front hoof down, rose to all fours, and asked, “What did thou see?”

Discord continued, “I didn’t know my sudden appearance was going to literally scare the creature to death!  I just wanted to visit Fluttershy!  I didn’t want to make her kill one of her creatures!”

Princess Luna then said, “Thou can not be held responsible for what thou did not know.”

The spirit of chaos started to float upward as he continued, “I couldn’t bear to see Fluttershy after that, so I popped out of there.  That’s why I’ve been staying here in Canterlot, because I couldn’t face Fluttershy after what I made her do!”  He sighed heavily before continuing, “I didn’t think she was going to take the death of that bear the way she did.  I didn’t think she was going to build a restaurant to get rid of the remains.  I didn’t think she was going to become a murderer.  And, I didn’t think I was going to have to kill her.”  At this point, he fell onto the floor of the prison cell, and didn’t bounce.  He concluded, “Well, I hope you’re happy.  You know the full story.  Now you can leave.”

The nighttime princess opened her mouth to say something, but she found herself unable to say it.  She turned and ambled away from the cell, then turned back again and tried to speak.  But, each time she opened her mouth to say what she wanted to say, to reiterate that Discord was not responsible for what had happened, she’d forget what she was about to say; and she’d end up closing her mouth again and turning back to the entrance of the dungeon, to canter a few more steps and repeat the process until she got to the door.  And even then, when she tried one last time, she couldn’t speak the words of comfort she wanted to speak.  So, she just left the dungeon to deliver her report to her sister.



Ponyville Hospital, Psychiatric Ward



Three ponies stood in front of the door.  One was an orange earth mare with yellow hair, green eyes, and the cutie mark of three red apples; one was a blue pegasa with hair of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple in that order, dark-pink eyes, and a cutie mark of a cloud with a red-yellow-and-blue lightning bolt coming out of it; and behind them was a pink earth mare with yellow hair, yellow eyes, and the cutie mark of three lilies.

The orange earth pony and the blue pegasa took two steps away from each other and looked between them.

The orange earth mare said, “C’mon, Lily.  We’re here to visit Rarity.”

Lily lowered her head and said, “I really don’t know if I should.  She’s your friend, after all, not mine.”

Angrily, the blue pegasa said, “Come on.  She’s just as much a friend of you as she is of us.  You bear the element she used to bear because she can’t anymore.”  She then backed up a few steps until she was right next to Lily before continuing, “Look, the bearers of magic and laughter are visiting the graves of Twilight and Pinkie, and the bearer of kindness is visiting the ghost of Fluttershy.  Rarity’s still alive, and the least you can do is visit her.”

Lily just stammered, “B-b-but, …”

Presently, the orange earth mare backed up until she was next to Lily, opposite the blue pegasa, and said, “Trust me, Lily, she ain’t gonna hold it against ya because you represent the element of generosity and she can’t no more.  Who knows?  You just might jes' be the one that helps her feel better.  Don’tcha want that?”

Lily raised her head again, glared at the orange earth mare, and shouted, “Of course I do, Applejack!  It’s just that …”  Then, after being shushed by ponies around the trio, she lowered her voice as she continued, “It’s just that, well, she knows you better than me.”

The blue pegasa responded, “That’s a real lame excuse, y’know.  To other ponies, you’re generosity now.  And, how do you think others are gonna think about you if you don’t visit Rarity at least once?”

Immediately Applejack eyed the blue pegasa and said, “Rainbow Dash, Ah really don’t think that’s a'helpin’.”  She then focused on the pink earth mare again and said, “Look, Lily, ya did come with a gift for Rarity, didn’tcha?”

For a moment the pink earth mare hesitated as she said, “Well.”  Then, she continued, “I suppose I could give her my flower.  Maybe that’d cheer her up.”

Applejack smiled as she said, “Ya know, that jes' might work.  C’mon, let’s go.”  And, to set an example, she proceeded toward the door.

Rainbow Dash, in an effort to keep Lily from backing out, kept pace with Applejack, trapping the pink earth mare between her and the orange earth pony.

So, Lily only moved forward unwillingly, although she still struggled to maintain her position, as she asked, “But, what if Rarity hates my present?”

Rainbow Dash growled for a second before stating, “Look, you’ve never hated any of the gifts that Rarity gave you, right?  So, she has no reason to hate any gift you’d give her.”  Pausing just long enough to extend her closest wing over the earth mare, she then said, “Let’s just get going.  You’ll see. Rarity won’t hate you.”

Defeated, Lily inhaled and exhaled, then said, “Well, alright, if you say so.”

And, so the three proceeded through the door and into the psychiatric ward.

As the group proceeded through the hallway, it was clear that any ponies there, besides the three going to visit their friend, were probably unable to move on their own; as many just sat in the hallways, some drooling.

The first door they passed, after they passed, vibrated with a loud thud as the pony behind the door apparently attempted to run through it.  But, that was the only evidence that any of the rooms there were occupied by anything living.

It took a minute for the trio to reach the room, at which point Applejack reached out and opened the door to allow the three inside.  And, she lingered long enough for Lily to enter before she herself entered and closed the door behind her.

Inside the room, on the bed, was Rarity, apparently asleep, although one eye was open and staring off into space.

Next to the bed was her sister, Sweetie Belle, who, hearing the door open, had turned to the sound, and was watching the three ponies as they marched toward Rarity’s bed.  In the mean time, she rose and said, “Oh, hi, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Lily Valley.  I’ve been here hoping to see if I could get my sister to say something or do something.  But, so far, nothing.”

Applejack smiled and nodded and said, “That’s alright, Sugar Cube.  Lily here’s jes' come to visit 'er.”

Taking that as her invitation, Lily proceeded toward the white unicorn, who was lying on her side as though dead, and she placed herself between the former bearer of the element of generosity and her little sister, and said, “Uh, hello, Rarity.  I’m Lily Valley, the one that bares your element of generosity now.”  She waited for a few seconds for a response, then, when she got none, she continued, “I’m still working at the flower shop in town.  And, I’ve been working on being more generous with the flowers we sell.  I’ve made a few mistakes, but I am learning.”  And, she proceeded to take Rarity’s left front hoof in her own two.

In response, Sweetie Belle called out, “No, Lily, wait!”

But, it was too late.  As soon as Lily grabbed Rarity’s left front hoof, Rarity immediately got up and screamed.  And, she continued to scream and struggle until Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Sweetie Belle were able to calm her down, at which point she rolled over to her other side.

In the mean time, an alarmed Lily backed away from the bed and into the wall behind her.

When Rarity was finally calm again, Applejack approached Lily and said, “It’s alright, Sugar Cube.  The hoof you grabbed was the one Rarity’d touched Twilight’s dead body with.  You didn’t do nothin’ wrong.”

Clearly shaken, Lily rose to all fours again and said, “W-well, if you s-say so.”  She then returned to the white unicorn mare’s side and said, “I can see that what happened to you must’ve been horrible.”  She then forced a chuckle as she continued, “We flower mares freak out when we find a flower with a broken stem.”  Her voice then took on a more serious tone as she said, “But, none of us could imagine what it would’ve been like to be in your position, and have to touch a dead body.  None of us have ever had to be in that situation.”  She paused for a moment before removing the flower from between her mane and ear and placing it in that visible position on Rarity’s head before saying, “I hope I can learn to represent generosity the way you did.”  And, with that, she lowered her head and rested it on Rarity’s ribs, feeling them rise and fall with the white unicorn’s breathing.

For a second it seemed that Rarity’s breathing became irregular, then the white unicorn took a deep breath before saying, “Thank you, Lily.”  Then, as Lily rose up again and looked at Rarity, the white unicorn continued, “You’ll learn, and you’ll represent generosity as well as I did, maybe even better.  I still have a ways to go before I can go back to work, but I will likely never have the element of generosity again.  Keep it, and make the best of it.”  And, with that, she rested her head on her pillow again.

A surprised Sweetie Belle looked at Lily and said, “That’s more than my sister said in the past year.  Maybe she is getting better after all.”

At this comment from the little white unicorn, Lily smiled and said, “I hope you’re right. Maybe I’ll come and visit again tomorrow.”

Applejack replied, “Good idea.  In the mean time, let’s go so Rarity can get her rest.”

And, with that, the three element bearers left the room.



Ponyville Cemetery



Vinyl kept an all-fours stance over Pinkie’s grave, seemingly unable to move.

Next to her, Twilight’s father sat canine-style in front of the tombstone of his daughter, directly over where her body was.  Reaching out a front hoof to touch the grave stone, he said, “Well, it turns out that my position of bearer of your element was just temporary.  Princess Celestia and I helped train an earth pony.  And, she’s earned her horn now.  It shouldn’t be too much longer now before she also earns her wings.  I hear you may be familiar with her.”  He then turned to the grave stone of Pinkie Pie as he added, “I’m sure your friend, Pinkie Pie, here, knows her.”  He then rose to all fours and strolled off.

From behind him, a gray unicorn with lavender mane and tail and wearing a faded-azure frock approached the grave next.  With an expression and voice almost completely devoid of emotion, she said, “Hi.  I’m Maud, Pinkie’s sister.  I would have preferred to bear my sister’s element, but I can bear yours instead.”  She then approached and sniffed the tombstone, then grunted and said, “Marble.” Then, she backed away from the stone and continued, “Your father and Princess Celestia, as your father has said, have trained me in magic, and I have earned my horn.  They also suggested that a visit to your grave might help me earn my wings.  But, so far, I sense no change.”  She then turned to her sister’s tombstone and said, “I had thought you would live longer than any of the rest of us, maybe become an alicorn yourself.  I suppose, when you get close to somepony, you run the risk of getting too close, and not seeing them turn into something different from what they should be.  If I cannot carry your element, sister, then I can carry the element of a friend of yours.”  Then, unable to speak anymore, Maud Pie just stood there, fighting a losing battle with her feelings of loss.


Pinkie Pie’s spirit, seeing her sister start to cry, reached out to her with a front hoof and said, “Oh, Maud, I know you’ll represent magic as well as Twily did.  You were always the strong one, and that’s why you were my favorite.  I knew you’d always be there for me.  Now, you can be there for my friends, and the other element bearers.  You have them to care for now.”

To the surprise of everyone there, including the spirits of Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle, Maud said, “I know.  Maybe I can take better care of them than I could of you.”

Pinkie Pie opened her mouth to say more to her sister, but was unable to find the words she wanted to say.  Finally, she turned to her friend, Vinyl, and said, “Vinyl, I know you’ve been struggling to make everypony laugh.  But, if you can just make everypony smile, that’ll be enough.  As long as everypony is happy, that’s what matters most, not if everypony’s laughing.”

The DJ Pony also showed signs of understanding what the pink party pony’s spirit had said, as she answered, “I’ve tried everything I saw you do to make ponies laugh, but nothing worked.  But, if I can use my music to make everypony smile, then maybe you’re right.  Maybe that is all I need to do.” She then smiled as she backed away from Pinkie’s grave.

In the mean time, Twilight approached her father and said, “Thank you, dad, for representing magic as well as you did.  I know it wasn’t easy for you, but I also know you put in as much effort as you could.  It doesn’t matter who bears the element of magic, it just matters that you represented it the best you could.”  She then turned to the gray earth unicorn and said, “I earned my wings by correcting a spell with a better understanding of friendship than what Starswirl had.  I don’t know for sure what you need to do to earn your wings, but I know my friend Rainbow Dash can help you with that, and maybe Applejack as well.  Maybe even Derpy could help you.  Maybe Vinyl and Lily.  The best advice I can give you is to trust in your friends.  Support them, and they’ll support you.”

Neither Maud nor Twilight’s father showed any signs of understanding, or even hearing, what Twilight had said, at least not on any conscious level.  After a few more seconds, the three unicorns turned and wandered away.

Seeing the stallion and the two mares leave the cemetery, Twilight turned to Pinkie Pie and asked, “Do you think they understood me?”

Pinkie Pie answered, “I’m sure they did, even if they didn’t show it.  Now, let’s go back.”  And, with that, Pinkie Pie, then Twilight Sparkle, disappeared.



Former Site of the Pizzeria



A gray pegasa with light-yellow hair and yellow eyes, and a cutie mark of seven bubbles, made her approach toward the ghost of the pink-haired, yellow pegasa who had once represented kindness, then sat canine-style in front of her.  Why she still tried to reach out to the trembling spirit she couldn’t say for sure.  Certainly there was some effort to comfort her, hopeless as it might be.  After all, she was bearing the element of kindness, just as Fluttershy had before.  Only, she had it set firmly in her mind to be more careful, and not kill any creatures as Fluttershy had done.

When her front hoof was close enough to touch the trembling apparition of the yellow pegasa, the gray one said, “Hi.  Remember me?  I’m Derpy Hooves.  I just came here to talk to you.”  She then retracted her front hoof, put it down under her, and continued, “Your friends, Applejack and Rainbow Dash, have been training me, and I’ve been working on representing kindness the way you used to, you know, before you …”  She trailed off, then switched mental tracks and looked down as she added, “None of your creatures trusted me the way they trusted you, so I couldn’t take care of them.  They don’t even live in your cottage any more.  They're living in the Everfree forest again.”  Then, she looked up into Fluttershy’s empty gaze, and her right eye balanced with her left eye so that she was completely focused on the yellow pegasa's ghost as she concluded, “Even if you betrayed your element, I want you to know that your example has been a real learning tool to me, a real inspiration.  And, I just came here to thank you for that.”  After that, the gray pegasa rose to all fours again, and her right eye pointed down again as she turned away from the spirit of the yellow pegasa and strolled off.

And, still the ghost of Fluttershy sat, canine-style, eyes wide open, ears folded back against her head, immobile except for her constant trembling.