Twilight sat, motionless, on the balcony that overlooked Ponyville's serene landscape, the chilling breeze rustling her mane. Her solemn eyes, a cheery shade of lavender, did not express her mood as they were covered momentarily by fluttering eyelids.
The unicorn sat on the balcony, alone.
The unicorn sat on the balcony, and thought.
She thought back to the last few days in Ponyville. All had seemed quite normal at first, since Pinkie wasn't singing and the whole town wasn't cooped up in their respective homes. What she had planned for those days seemed normal as well, most of the bullet points consisting of "help somepony with something" or "finish a certain book for a friendship report." But as the day went on and the sun descended lower in the sky, the sweet things during Twilight's day became as sour as could be.
The studious mare cringed at the events of Monday, when Pinkie Pie- Pinkie Pie, the pony who was known for sharing and caring and making ponies smile- began sneaking her own ingredients into the competition's sweets. Nopony even noticed her, Twilight Sparkle thought grimly. She simply walked into Bon Bon's famous candy shoppe, a malicious smile upon her face, and walked a few moments later with an empty vial in her mouth. The same cruel smile remained.
On Tuesday, in the local newspaper, Pinkie's actions were revealed as an article told of strange tastes in Bon Bon's candies, including one similar to pony flesh. The reporter promised to have more coverage on the issue, including who was responsible, as Bon Bon denied all the questions in despair. Even to this day nopony- except herself, of course- knew the villain was in fact the one who would not be suspected at all.
But that was not the only event on Tuesday, Twilight reminded herself. Still reeling from Pinkie Pie's mischievous deed, she almost thought she was hallucinating as Rainbow Dash, mane a clear banner in the summer wind, flew out of the market with a bag overflowing with bits in tow. Something seemed a little off with her eyes, normally a mesmerizing magenta. They seemed shadowed by greed, clouded with rebellion. This time a witness was available, but she was of no use as the poor mare had just arrived and didn't know anypony's name.
Wetness threatened to overflow at the edges of her eyelids. How could her friends even think about doing these things?
Wednesday brought only more misfortunes, as a break-in at a premier galley in Canterlot was reported. Normally these things were kept only to the confines of the district it happened in, as most events weren't important enough for the rest of Equestria to know about, but this was special because it involved the most well-known gallery in, arguably, the three continents. A courier pony said two of the newest paintings, both involving fantasy worlds and handsome stallions, were taken as well a some older creations, all sharing these same traits. He also brought a security camera photograph of the pony as it ran from the scene, depicting a stunning white unicorn dressed in black. Later that day Twilight went to Rarity's boutique to check on a dress for an upcoming meeting, and her friend had seven new paintings in her possession. The unicorn replied, when asked, that she commissioned them when in Canterlot the day before.
But what had truly blown her away- after all the crimes, committed by the Elements of Harmony themselves- was Thursday. Not only because of the rude words said to her at the market, not only because she saw Applejack tip over Carrot Top's stock and laugh all the while. What had truly blown the unicorn away, what had convinced her the town was, in fact, crazy...
...Was Fluttershy.
It hurt her to think about it. The sweet, kind pegasus that wouldn't damage a flower! The memory still hung in her head, fresh as if it were yesterday.
She walked out of the crowded, mischievous market with a low head and light scratches across her flank. All that was left on her list that day was to visit the pegasus in question and help her with the animals that had just arrived.
Along the way to the cottage, she spotted Fluttershy walking right in front of her, with an unusually heavy saddlebag. She tried calling out to her friend, but she didn't listen.
"Fluttershy!" Twilight tried a new approach. "Need some help with those saddlebags?"
Strangely Fluttershy didn't answer, nor express her gratitude. She kept walking until both of them passed by the park, in which a grand barbecue of sorts was going on. The savory smell of hay on a grill was almost enough to make her ask to join.
Although she didn't answer her fellow Element of Harmony, Fluttershy made a sharp turn and began to speak with one of the stallions manning the grill. The family was obviously living in first class, as their clothing simply shimmered in the sunlight and the foals' coats were perfectly groomed (Though they played rough, so it all went to waste).
"Why hello there, miss!" the stallion exclaimed, holding up a hoof. "What can I do ya for? Maybe a salad, made by yours truly?"
Fluttershy smiled, a devious smile which Twilight came to recognize across all of her friends' faces. She flared her wings, closed her eyes and landed a hard blow on the stallion's chest, knocking him onto his hind legs with a loud crack. His pupils rolled backwards and he fell onto the merciless cement. A tiny trickle of blood ran from his skull onto the hot ground.
The pegasus proceeded to pick at his pockets while the rest of the party's attention was on a speaking mare in the front of the park. Twilight watched in horror as she moved with ease from the small pocket on his chest to the much larger ones covered by his tailcoat, fetching piles of shiny bits and other miscellaneous items.
"Fluttershy?"
She looked up from her handiwork with a grim scowl. "Help me already!" she whispered, baring her teeth.
Scared to the point of screaming, she had no choice but to grab some of the items already retrieved by Fluttershy and hold onto them as she dug out at least half of the stallion's life savings.
"Please don't, stop..." Twilight silently begged, hoping the mare wouldn't direct the attention to her and Fluttershy. "Occupy them a little longer..." She thought of the consequences Fluttershy would receive for assault, and what she would receive for aiding her.
The pony, a brilliant silver with a mess of white hair, smiled and adjusted her glasses. "Another round of applause for Ink Scribble, for getting her work put in the exquisite Canterlot Gallery!"
A loud round of applause arose from the audience, directed at a blushing mare with a party hat.
She looked back at Fluttershy, who was now tearing the clothing off the unconscious stallion in animal-like fashion, using her teeth with vicious precision. At first the action seemed intimate, as if Fluttershy had other plans for him, but as she looked closer it was apparent the fabric was laden with flecks of silver and gold.
"Not only did she get her piece in, it was also stolen!" the speaker persisted.
Instead of the silent sound of mourning, the group actually cheered louder for Ink Scribble, who buried her blushing cheeks in a glass of wine.
"Such a pleasure! Now, who's hungry?"
She gasped and looked nervously at Fluttershy, still collecting patches of his coat. "Hurry up, Fluttershy-"
Her friend looked up and her eyes became shadowed with rage. "Shut up and grab more stuff!" She went back to pulling the fabric from his almost bare chest.
Then his eyes opened, blinked twice, and caught sight of Fluttershy's mane above his chest. "Now what do you think yer doing?" he asked drowsily. Fluttershy's eyes shot daggers and she shushed him before continuing.
Twilight heard the group rise and yell for food- the only problem was, the chef had been assaulted and the food was burned to a crisp.
"What is the meaning of this?" the mare's voice cut through her mind, and she glanced at Fluttershy. The pegasus stared back at her, and in a yellow flash bolted for the Everfree Forest a few miles away, a portion of her findings in her mouth. The rest was with a surprised and scared Twilight, who was given a fashionable bracelet and put on house probation.
She looked down at the bracelet, which was adorned with two lights- one lime green and one a bright scarlet, the former off. She already learned that the red one had two purposes- one to show the bracelet was firmly locked in place, the other being blinking rapidly to show the wearer of the bracelet had stepped outside his or her limitations. The green one she had no idea what it represented.
The unicorn turned her attention to the view below her humble balcony, draped in shadows, thanks to the setting sun. She sighed and held her weary head up with a hoof as she watched ponies walk and talk below. Their coats came from the corners of the color spectrum, with an equal amount of pegasi, unicorns and earth ponies up and about at this hour. Coming from the Town Hall was a tired Mayor Mare, her steps weary as she headed towards one of the few bars in Ponyville, The Dirty Stable. The town was dealing with a financial crisis, so it was obvious what her reasons were to have a few drinks.
She also spotted Lyra and Bon Bon, both mellow ponies most of the time, sitting on a bench under an early streetlight that couldn't wait for the pitch-black of night. Their faces were tinted red with anger, and they went back and forth viciously with sharp tongues.
"Don't you know I'm in a desperate time?!" Bon Bon nearly shrieked. "A little kindness would be appreciated!"
Twilight saw Lyra begin to cry, the salty tears easily seen thanks to the light directly above her. "I have a life too, Bon Bon! Things aren't going swimmingly for me either!"
"That's no excuse for abandoning me when the Equestria Daily team came to question me about the candies!" Bon Bon's curls bounced as she spoke.
"I had a concert! You know, something that is incredibly important to me and gives us the roof over our heads?" The unicorn's eyes were ablaze with rage.
The earth pony mused for a moment, the only sound in the air being her heavy breathing. "...Are you saying your concerts are on a higher pedestal than my business?!"
"They're a lot better than your rancid sweets, that's for sure. How did you even get your cutie mark if everything in your store tastes worse than dirt?" Lyra blinked back a large tear, hoping to appear stronger than Bon Bon, who was slowly collapsing.
Her friend's face underwent a metamorphosis from fury to sadness. She struggled to get her words out as the tears flowed. "...Says the pony who claims she can play the harp!"
"I can! You've seen me perform!"
Bon Bon sighed, trying in vain to control her steep breathing. "You know what, Lyra?" She rose from her seat, stepping in her own pool of tears. "Just go." A hoof pointed the way down the road.
Lyra stuck out her tongue in childish defiance, refusing to rise.
Bon Bon grumbled loudly, and with a final, fiery look at Lyra, she galloped into the sunset without looking back.
Twilight watched in awe as the lone unicorn stared at the unoccupied wood where her partner once was, as if she could simply use her mind to will her back. Her face contorted back into one of blind rage and she stood up from the bench and into the streetlight.
"Witless foal... She'll come crying back to me within a day." She suppressed her rage by kicking a small stone across the road, where a select few ponies were still out.
Just as she began to stalk into the shadows of an alley, another shadow came from within to meet her. It held a small, empty pouch in its mouth, and before Lyra could react she was hit by a hard hoof and knocked to the ground, drool already pooling by her mouth. Twilight wanted to help somehow, to put the shadow pony to justice, but the anklet and the distance stood in her path. She could only watch in horror as Lyra, unconscious, was first purloined of her available bits and dragged into the depths of the alley, limp and lifeless.
Twilight Sparkle, face long with sadness, straightened her back against the wind as it picked up and gave her slender body goosebumps. The wind's effects on her skin were like her memories' effects on her mind, as well as the current events.
"I'm not going to stand for these horrible crimes- neither should anypony."
She stood slowly, her mane whipping in the wind, outlined in the dusky sky. A determined look was now plastered on her face, leaving no evidence of the bright and cheerful pony she once was.
Twilight Sparkle, head already hatching a grand plan, lowered her head and disappeared into the library, the bracelet emitting soft beeps as she walked.