Author's Note: I'm still very sorry for killing Dash. But keep reading! It's about to get crazier!
Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic or The Number 23, the cool movie this story is based on.
THE NUMBER 22
Chapter 16
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I knew exactly what I had to do now. Laura Toffee's tombstone made it all come to me....I immediately headed over to Carousel Botique, knowing that all the girls were there having tea. Rarity had invited them there after she heard the news.......Man,....I was still missing her terribly.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
"Rarity, it's Twilight. May I come in?"
The door opened slowly, revealing Rarity. You could tell she'd been crying because of the eyeliner running down her cheek. Normally, she'd have a freak-out about that sort of thing,.....but, that evening, she just didn't feel the need to.
"O-Of course, Twilight. Come on in.....The girls are here, too."
Everyone except Dash.
"Rarity?"
"Yes, Twilight?"
"I was actually hoping that I could talk to you all about something I discovered."
"Well,....sure, I guess. What's it about?"
"....Well,....that's the thing...."
"What?"
"It's about......the curse."
"...Twilight,....do you really think we should be talking about that after......"
She fell silent upon hearing that, looking down at the floor. I could see her trying to hold back tears. I knew this wasn't the most appropriate topic to be discussing at the moment, but I had found out something very important and I needed to tell them.
"I'm sorry, Rarity. But, this is very important."
"Well,...alright, then......I just want this all to be over....."
"I know......So do I."
I despised the curse with all my soul.....and I knew the girls did too. Why did it have to be Dash?!.....Why couldn't it have been me?
"Everyone! Twilight has something very important to talk to us about."
Everyone was gathered around in a circle, some on the couch and some in chairs. They all had cups in their hooves,....but no one was drinking any of the tea. They were all trying to hold back tears. When Rarity made the announcement, everyone looked up at us, but without changing their sad expressions. I knew nothing in the world was gonna lift their spirits. Rarity pulled a chair away from the kitchen table and placed it in the main room for me to sit in. I sat down, waited for her to take a seat, and began.
"Well,....I was out at the Ponyville Cemetary when I came across this grave......One of a Laura Toffee."
I was expecting Pinkie Pie to say something funny about toffee, you know, like the normal Pinkie Pie would do.....Well, normal for her, at least......But, no. This was a totally new Pinkie Pie...No happy face, no poofed-up mane, no joy.......No joy at all......Just like everypony else.
"Anyways," I continued, " I noticed that Ms. Toffee died on her....23rd birthday..."
After saying this, everypony in the room tensed up. It was as if a cold wind had blown through the room, chilling everypony to the bone. However, after a few moments, everypony's face changed to that of sadness....and, soon after,...anger.
"Um, Twilight?" asked Rarity.
"Yes?"
"What does Ms. Toffee dying on her 23rd birthday have to do with our......situation?"
"Well, that's just what I went into researching about today.....and I came up with this."
Saying this, I pulled a newspaper out of my saddlebag and placed it on the coffee table for everypony to see. Rarity was the one to finally read it out loud.
"Young Woman Killed By Secret Lover. The Full Story?"
"Yep. Turns out Ms. Toffee was having a secret relationship with the town's doctor."
"Where exactly are you going with this, Twilight?" asked Rarity.
"Well, you see, out of nowhere, she was found dead on her apartment bed. The doctor's DNA was found on the knife, so he was taken to prison...However, he claims that he didn't do it!.....Do you guys see where I'm going with this?!......Her doctor.....is Topsy Kretts!"
"Are you sure about that, Twilght?" spoke up Fluttershy.
"It seems pretty convincing.....The book seems to be his.....warped literary confession to the murder.....And I've got to go and visit him...."
"What?!" yelled Applejack. "You can't be serious, Twilight!"
"Yes, I am. Why wouldn't I be?"
"Well,....I mean,....you're going to visit with a convicted murderer?!"
"Yes.....I'm doing it for us,.....and Dash..."
At that, everypony got quiet. We stayed silent for a little bit, until Pinkie Pie finally broke the silence.
"Well,....you just come back to us safe, Twilight."
"Thanks, Pinkie. I will."
"Pinkie Promise?"
I was relieved to see a little bit of that Pinkie Pie humor still left in her,....even if she didn't smile when she asked it.
"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."
Saying that, I let myself out. I was gonna have to call about three cabs and tell each of them to take me as far as they could, because the prison's address was on the far side of Equestria.
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After a couple of hours on the road, the third taxi finally made it to the prison. It was a big gray-bricked castle-looking building surrounded by a giant fence of razor wire. I counted twelve guards guarding the place, some on the watchtowers and some at the main entrance. Storm clouds hung above the place, casting gloom over the entire perimeter.
"Well, this place looks joyful."
"That's gonna be twenty-two bits, ma'am."
"Of course, sir."
After giving him the money, I noticed him looking me over, a look of concern in his eyes.
"Um,...is there something wrong, sir?"
"No, ma'am. I'm just getting some weird vibes from you."
"Oh.....I get that a lot."
I started to get out of the cab when he placed his hoof on my shoulder. I turned back to look him in the eyes. That concerned look was still in them.
"You be careful, ma'am."
".....I will."
Hearing that, he nodded, closed the door, and drove off. I watched until the cab disappeared into the distance.
"Why is everypony telling me to be careful? I'm not in any real danger,....am I?"
I turned toward the prison and began walking to the entrance. The guards let me in once I told them I was hear to visit one of the prisoners. I made it to the main desk. A middle-aged gray stallion was behind the desk, not doing anything. It was as if he was expecting me.
"Hello, sir. I'm here to see a Dr.-"
"Bonsworth?"
"Yeah....How'd ya know?"
"He's the only Dr. we got here.....But, he doesn't really go by that title anymore...Not since the murder, anyway"
"Yes....I understand."
He led me into the visiting room. I was to stand behind the glass while he would come in on the other side. We would communicate through a little voice box......Funny...I was confined in a little white room and he had a vast area of space to walk around in...After waiting a few minutes, I saw him enter through the door. He was a handsome forty-something stallion with a gray coat and a black mane.....However, that black mane was in a big mess, not looking like it had been combed in years. He had a few scars on his hooves, possibly from trying to cut himself. He walked right over to the glass and stopped right in front of me where our eyes could meet. He had obviously done this before.
"Good afternoon," he spoke.
At first, I didn't exactly know what to say. I mean, I had never met him before and it would've been kind of strange if I would've just blurted out something about the curse. I was going to start off our conversation with a "hello", but, before I knew it, something inside me took over my vocal chords and made me yell.
"Good afternoon,...TOPSY KRETTS!"
Saying this, I slammed the book against the glass for him to see it. He didn't flinch at all.
"What is that?"
"Oh, don't play dumb with me! I've been reading your book! Don't act like you don't know!"
He still said nothing, nor did he move.
"Well, don't you have something to say for yourself?! I mean, because of your book, my life has been a living hell for the past week!!"
".......Listen,....I don't know what the hell you're going on about, but I've never written a book...And, if I did, I certainly wouldn't have chosen a ridiculous pen name like "Topsy Kretts."
I had never really thought about that.....It seems Topsy Kretts is actually a homophone for "Top Secrets." But, I wasn't gonna let that distract my anger.
".....I don't believe you....YOU LYING BASTARD!!"
It was then that he finally looked into my eyes closely, seeming to scan my soul as he did.
"My best friend just took her own life because of this!!...And I'm not leaving until you tell me how you found out about this curse!.....And why you wrote this book!.....And why it seems to mirror my past and seemingly predict my future!!"
He walked closer to the glass where his nose was almost touching and, still staring into my eyes, began to whisper to me.
"Do you know what it's like to be charged for a murder you know you didn't do?........Your mom and dad tell you that it's gonna be okay and that they'll come to visit you every day......That they'll help you get through this......But, you soon notice something.....Your dad doesn't want to look you in the eyes when he comes to see you......And he's crying.....Not because he's sad,......but because he's angry.......Soon, both of them just stop coming.....Your sister soon does the same......Then, you get the call from mom and dad that your sister couldn't bear her big brother being in jail.....and it eventually drove her to the point of taking her own life......And, now, you're sitting in here every day,....wondering what could've been.........I loved Laura.....and I still do.....But, I can't help you with your problem........But, I can tell you this......I know what it's like to have someone close to you suddenly leave...."
Saying this, he walked to the door and let himself out. I was left alone,....thinking about what he had said.
"Wow.....I guess he didn't do it......But, then,....who did?"
I called the taxi service. They said it would be about 5 minutes. I decided to read another chapter while I waited. I opened to Chapter 16......It was very short.
Chapter 16
Regrets
".......What have I done?......"
"You've done well, Hoofling! I knew you could do it!...I just KNEW IT!!"
I didn't have the energy to argue with it, so I just let it continue.....There was no point of me trying to resist anymore.....I was a murderer in hiding.....The curse was eventually gonna get worse and, soon, it would take me,.....just like the Italian Blonde.
"What's wrong, Hoofling? This isn't a time of sorrow. It's a time for CELEBRATING!! Hooray!"
"Can you please just leave me alone? I'm not in the mood for talking to you."
"But, I'm always in the mood to talk to YOU! You see, Hoofling, even if I wasn't, you still couldn't get rid of me. We're a part of each other, you and I. There's no seperating us. We're a pair.....Two of a kind..."
That's when I snapped.
"I am NOT LIKE YOU!! You're just saying this shit to mess with my mind!....STOP IT!!"
".....I'm not saying this to mess with you......You're just afraid to accept the truth..."
He was right. I was just running away from it all. There was no way I was gonna win against the curse.....I thought that I should just try to live my life like normal until the curse kills me....I mean, nopony could help me......Both of the town's sorcerers were dead,.....one because of me,......and Officer Bookworm would just give me some more useless information......I was screwed.
"BASTARD! It's messing with my head again! It's making me think there's no way out of this!!...."
"Well, I'M NOT LISTENING!!"
I realized not long after that I had yelled that last part. I looked around to make sure nopony had heard me. Just then, the taxi pulled up. It was the same driver that drove me here. However, he had nothing more to say to me. He wanted me to be careful and that was all.
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After a long while, I finally arrived at my house. I was ready to go to bed and prepare for another sleepless night when my phone rang. It was Rarity.
"Oh,Twilight, thank Celestia I've gotten ahold of you! I've been so stupid!!"
"Wait, Rarity! Why are you saying that? You're not stupid!"
"Yes I am, Twilight! There's a piece of information I found about the book that I forgot to tell you!"
"Well, what is it?!"
"I'll tell you tomorrow. Wake up bright and early and come to the Botique.......And bring the book."
End of Chapter 16!
Author's Note: What information could Rarity possibly have to give Twilight? What other horrors will the curse use against Twilight? How many more chapters am I gonna have to put Twilight through?!...Find out next time!....Well, except for that last one....You'll find that out when the story's finished. :3
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