"And, for some reason, you had to just go spoil it all."
"Spoil what all, Twilight? Dashie said she already knew we're going there!"
Twilight groaned as Pinkie bounced along the path, humming a small tune. The pink pony had finally mustered up enough courage to apologize to her friend yesterday night, much to Rainbow Dash's relief.
"How would she even know that?" the unicorn asked perplexedly.
"Did you tell her? You Pinkie Promised you won't tell any single soul in the world."
"That's what I did, but she asked me to Pinkie Promise that if you're taking us anywhere, I'll let her know. So... I did!"
Twilight slapped herself on her forehead. She couldn't believe it.
"You know it's suppose to be a surprise, Pinkie!"
"A surprise party?!"
Pinkie leaped with a gasp, her eyes bulging in disbelief.
"Why didn't you say so! It could've been the besty-best birthday party for Rainbow Dash EVER!!"
Her friend sighed, chuckling a little at the pink pony's enthusiasm.
The pegasus's birthday was today, if Twilight was not mistaken. Everything that had been happening around them had messed up her schedule and she couldn't catch up with any of the plans she made.
They've already missed Rarity's birthday, although Twilight knew Spike would have prepared something special for her.
Spike... the dragon had matured greatly since their arrival to Ponyville.
Twilight chuckled at the thought of him. Rarity was one lucky mare.
"Hello? Twily-Twinks?"
Pinkie was waving her pink hoof over her face, snapping her out of her daydream.
"What's with the stargazing?" she said with a giggle, "there ain't any stars yet!"
Twilight laughed at her friend's joke, raising her eyebrow in surprise.
"Twily-Twinks? What is that, some kind of candy?"
Pinkie snorted with laughter, giggling endlessly down the path.
The lavender unicorn could never understand her. One minute she's the cheerful, energetic party-planner that her friends know her for, the next she's some depressed, anger-filled and broken mare with a disturbing, overprotective personality.
Pigs would fly if somepony understands Pinkie Pie. Sounds catchy, she thought to herself.
"Anyways Twilight, I got a superiffic idea!"
The unicorn groaned. Here it comes...
"So, since Dashie already knows that we're going to celebrate her birthday at the far side of town, and she's going to be not surprised since I ruined the surprise, which means I'm not going to pop out of that box you made and shout SURPRISE because she wouldn't still be surprised since I told her about that as well..."
"Wait," Twilight raised her hoof, her actions oblivious to the pink pony.
"You told her about that too?"
"...so I was thinking: why not we change everything? Instead of a surprise birthday party, we make her believe we're going to make that party, but instead we make another one! Then she'll be double surprised! It'll be like SURPRISE SURPRISE!! She'll go all bonkers and crazy like 'whoopee! Best birthday ever!', maybe even do the Sonic Rainboom again-!"
"Even if we want to," Twilight managed to cut her off.
"how are we supposed to do it? There isn't enough time to prepare everything, much less the streamers, the party hats, the balloons, everything!"
"Ooh, I know! I know!"
Pinkie was hopping into the air with anticipation, her eyes brightened with an idea.
"How about a date? A dinner date! That would be super!"
"Dinner date with who?" she asked with sarcasm, "Tourist Trap?"
Twilight chuckled at her friend, slightly shaking her head.
"Do you even know her type of stallion, Pinkie?"
Pinkie suddenly grinned coyly, making her friend gasp in disbelief.
"You've already arranged everything, didn't you?" the unicorn asked.
"Eeyup!" she said with a giggle, imitating Big Macintosh's deep voice.
"And you're sure she would like it? Him, I mean?"
"Of course! We're talking about one of the biggest biggity-bungle stallions in Equestria, Twilight!"
Pinkie cleared her throat, inviting a pegasus into their ring. He gave them a nervous wave, making the unicorn's eyes widened in astonishment, her jaw agape at the stallion before her.
"No... bucking... way..."
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The pine woodlands of the north was always sweet in autumn.
Rarity would've never thought that the forest around Pendant Lakes had such magnificence, diverse in both flora and fauna. Compared to the Everfree Forest, it seemed so safe, as if it was her home.
Cruel irony; that the town itself is more dangerous than its outskirts.
Spike, Octavia and Crimson were all behind, taking care not to stumble the fallen logs around the place, all covered in a deep green coat of moss. They had been busy wandering around the forest for the past hour, trying to find the perfect spot for their arranged picnic.
"Can't we just stop for a break?" Crimson complained, the stallion now panting and heaving a little.
Spike would agree with him but, knowing Rarity, he decided not to.
"I'm guessing just a little bit further, Crimson."
"Cheer up Crimson! We'll find a spot eventually."
Octavia gave her coltfriend a hooves up, giving him a wink.
The red stallion sighed, making Rarity chuckle.
"If you say so..."
"So Rarity..." Octavia called out to the white mare, bringing her closer out of earshot from the other two.
"There had been things circulating around... about you and Spike..."
"I see.... and?"
"Was it true? Did you.... 'do' it?"
Rarity's eyes widened in disbelief. Something like this from the grey mare...
"What do you mean by... 'do' it?"
"You know? Kiss, hugs then... I don't know...."
Octavia twirled a little, grinning slyly at her friend, who was beginning to blush.
"Something memorable..."
"Seriously, Octavia. You're getting way over your head here."
Rarity didn't want to cut her friend off, but a part of her felt it was necessary to quell the increasing excitement she felt from the grey mare.
"It's really ridiculous!" she exclaimed, before her tone changed into a slight whisper.
"I mean, we've touched a little at night sometimes, but we didn't go that far..."
"I see, I see."
Octavia deepened her voice, sounding like that of a therapist, making the both mares laugh aloud.
"Rarity, 'Tavi! Come quick!"
Crimson was standing on the edge of a cliff, with Spike looking beyond it, his eyes lit up with amazement.
Rarity and Octavia quickly clambered up the steep, rocky mountain, reaching them in no time. They immediately gasped in disbelief at the sight before them.
Two big, grand lakes shimmered in the sunlight below the rocky cliffside, the surface a crystalline clear azure. It seemed shallow, yet deep enough for them to swim inside.
Spike was the first to slide down the cliff, his two claws like hooks gripping against the sloped surface. The other ponies soon followed down, nearly stumbling over their hooves.
Rarity could only gape in awe as they approached the twin lakes. The pine trees opened into a clearing; a remote haven just outside of civilization, with the freshwater fish swimming across. A river split into the both of them, spewing water into both lakes before joining back up at the other side.
The sounds of nature echo strongly here, as they found out. Chirps and squawks of birds harmonized with the rustling of leaves and the loud, booming roar of the distant waterfall on Hoovingaar Mountain.
"This place is beautiful!" Octavia said, gazing at the sanctuary around her.
"I can't believe it wasn't on the map!"
Rarity could only nod along, the picnic basket on her hoof swaying side by side. She settled it down on a miniscule plateau rising from the ground, away from the sprinkling of water and the foul texture of mud.
"Perfect!" she praised herself, draping a blanket over it as she started placing out the dishes.
Spike and Crimson were already in the water, playfully splashing and spraying water towards each other. The mares could only shake their heads, letting out a sigh simultaneously at their respective mates.
"Come on, Spikey!" she called out with a whistle.
"All right, all right!" he said, shaking the water off his legs. He wasn't used to the chilling feel of water, being a dragon and all, yet it still felt so refreshing.
"So what did you get for me?"
"Really, Spike?" Rarity said, detached from the hungry spark in his green pupils.
Octavia giggled beside the mare.
"So that's what you mean by 'insatiable', Rarity."
"He has that uncouth appetite of his." the white unicorn said aloud teasingly, making Spike scratch his head in humility.
"Celestia knows why he's even bothering to eat everything he sees."
"Woah, woah, woah!"
Spike raised his claws in his own defense, settling down onto the picnic blanket as he began:
"At least I gave you things you wouldn't have thought of having!"
"Like what? Name a few for me, then!"
Rarity giggled, watching as the dragon munched on a brown muffin, before snapping his claws.
"The fire ruby. A helping hand in your boutique. Somepony to protect you in the future..."
"Alright, you satisfied me."
The white unicorn tossed him another muffin.
"Rewarding enough?" she cooed.
Spike just shook his head, his mouth still chewing on the previous one.
His nose suddenly twitched a little, making him wince in disgust.
"What's wrong?" Octavia asked, watching the dragon sniff around in the air like a curious canine.
Rarity started to worry as he looked around without a response, as if aware of an unknown danger coming towards them. He was completely oblivious to the three ponies, which only worried the white unicorn much more.
"Spike?"
"Yes, Rarity?" the dragon replied suddenly, blinking his eyes.
"What is it?"
Rarity held his claw. She was troubled by him since the day Spike was possessed by the crystal, which Stellar explained it was some sort of security system to ward off intruders.
"Spike?"
"It's.... I don't know..."
The dragon shrugged with uncertainty. The others could see his face turning a little green, as he continued:
"I thought I smelled something... like a dead body or..."
"Dead body?"
Crimson's face instantly grimaced, glancing around the forest dubiously.
"Where's it coming from?"
"Over there... I guess..."
Spike pointed over to the far side of the lakes, amidst the dense undergrowth, making them realize how big this crater of a beauty actually is.
"It wouldn't hurt to have a look, I-I... think." Octavia spoke up nervously, already shuddering at the thousand possibilities forming in her head.
"We'll all have a look, alright?"
Rarity wasn't used to taking charge (other than Sweetie Belle and Spike, of course), but since nopony wanted to step out...
"I'll go first."
"Wait!" Spike raised his claw, scampering towards the white mare.
"I'll go with you!"
"I guess we'll join you as well."
Octavia and Crimson stood up, kicking a little dust off their hooves.
The four of them trudged through the forest floor, ignoring the spray of water around them. The mellow sweetness soon became raw and bitter for Spike, the smell intensifying in his nose.
"I don't know if I can take this..." he said, trying not to gag.
Rarity held his claw tighter as they make their way through the tall bushes. She bit her lip; something was telling her she isn't going to like what she would find.
The strong smell was at its peak point, tossing Spike's head into a daze. He would've stumbled back into the lake if it hadn't for Rarity's tight grip on his claw.
A stone structure came into view, covered in moss and overgrown ivy. It stood menacingly in the middle of a barren, leaf-free ground, the only entrance to it being a pair of bronze doors that stood, guarding whatever recesses inside.
Four gargoyles perched on the corners of its granite roof, with one already lost it's head to the growing vines wrapped around it's neck.
The four of them could only stand there, gazing at the old, ruined foreign building in the center of the woodland.
"Well..." Crimson quipped, stepping forward. He gave the brass door a gentle push, before turning back to say:
"It doesn't hurt to explore, right?"
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"Twilight. You gotta be joking."
"Look, Rainbow. It's your birthday and I thought you should look much... better than you should."
The unicorn had tried not to lose her cool for the eighth time. They had been walking across Fenderville, tirelessly toiling through the streets to shop for clothes.
Both knew that Pinkie had prepped the location, a place called Canopy Oaks, up for Rainbow's birthday party, but only Twilight knew of the 'surprise-within-a-surprise', as Pinkie had called it.
Score one for Pinkie.
"Excuse me," she asked one of the passing mares.
"Have you had any idea where Canopy Oaks is?"
"... Canopy... oh! You mean that Canopy Oaks!"
The mare laughed a little at her, although the unicorn couldn't understand what's so funny.
"Do you know where it is? My friend and I had to see somepony urgently."
"Sorry Miss." the mare replied, shaking her head.
"Canopy Oaks was demolished a year ago."
"Demo-what?"
Twilight couldn't believe her ears. The place where Pinkie had set up the party was demolished?!
She gave out an embarrassing laugh, a small bead of sweat dripped from her face. Why did Pinkie put her in such situations?
"Hehe, I didn't know about that... but could you perhaps just tell us... where it is?"
"If seeing a destroyed cafe is your thing..."
The mare giggled between her friends, before answering:
"Far side of town, just close to Rattleraw Forest."
"Thank you."
Twilight slapped herself on the forehead again. She could've asked Pinkie where it was earlier...
Rainbow Dash was trying hard to hide her laugh, already trembling uncontrollably with her hoof covering her mouth. Twilight just shot her an annoyed glare, letting out an indignant 'harrumph'.
The both of them trotted along the avenue, enjoying the baroque scene and lifestyle. Foals play on the plaza, usually chasing off the swarms of pigeons nestled near the stone benches. The adults would usually do some outdoor exercises or organize meetings with their friends.
Even the elderly had their own plans; talks about the past over a fine game of chess and cups of warm, rose tea. Majority of the shops here were restaurants and boutiques, no doubt to suit the needs of tourists that usually populate the streets.
Unlike Ponyville, Twilight noticed, there wasn't any farms or schools, only churches and fountains. As if it was a different world, isolated from the rest of Equestria.
Pinkie said the other towns like Pendant Lakes were like this in the north. She should do some research about them more often.
"I think this is it." Rainbow's raspy voice broke into her thoughts.
Both mares were now standing at one of the numerous iron gates out of Fenderville, staring at the small woodlands before them. It seemed inviting enough for Twilight, who took the first step.
"Come on!"
In no time at all, the two ponies galloped into the forest, admiring the quiet sounds of nature and the small rustle of leaves in the breeze.
They soon emerged unscathed, with only a few leaves trapped in their manes, to the bright lights and sounds of cheering and music, making them gasp in amazement.
Indeed, there was a wreck of wood and stone, yet somehow it has fallen so perfectly, forming a stage, a table and even a few chairs. A part of it was still standing, containing only a small window which faced the cliff.
"SURPRISE!!" the dozens of ponies chorused. Despite already knowing about it, Rainbow still gaped in disbelief; the venue, the guests, everything.
"Wow..." was all she could say, making the others chuckle. Everything had rendered her speechless.
Pinkie bounced from the crowd, wearing some sort of soda-hat.
"Do you like it? I know you did! It took a little planning, with some help from all our friends here!"
Everypony cheered and clopped, inviting the two mares inside.
"Here!" the pink pony squealed, guiding them through the crowd.
"I'll show you around!"
The first place they wandered to was, of course, the center stage itself. The drinks served were the usual: grape punch, apple fizzy and Pinkie's special Pink Poppin' Cola. It was soothing yet gassy at the same time and is only kept secret to the elusive party pony herself.
The food was the usual, with one exception: a glass bowl filled with striped, pear-shaped fruits stood out from the diverse platters.
Twilight was immediately fascinated by it. She crept closer, taking one of the fruits to examine.
"What is this?" she asked Pinkie, flushed with anticipation. "I never seen anything like it!"
"Oh that! That's the Rattle Pear. It only grows in, guess where? Rattleraw Forest!"
Pinkie squeaked out a grin as she continued: "That's not for eating, though. That's for shaking! Try it!"
Sure enough, Twilight did, to widen her eyes in surprise. The fruit responded with a jangle, as if something inside was striking against the walls.
Rainbow grabbed her own as well. It wasn't long before the three of them danced around with the rattling beat, the maraca-like fruits jiggling in their hooves.
"Come on! There's still so much more to see!"
Pinkie grabbed Rainbow's hoof, dragging her hastily across the ruins. Twilight just galloped after them, letting out a chuckle.
The loud, deafening roar of water was soon evident. Pinkie halted, with the pegasus teetering off the edge of a cliff, only to gasp in amazement.
A giant pit stood before them, the bottom filled with water. There were ponies paddling about at the bottom, with some beside the mares preparing to dive in.
Twilight nearly fainted from fright when the ponies beside them jumped, screaming in their long fall before splashing into the water below.
"Damn, Pinks!" Rainbow exclaimed, nudging her friend.
"I didn't know you could think of this!"
"Wait! There's still one more spot!"
Again, the three of them whirled across the party. It was much livelier now, with some of the lights flaring out neon-like colors from the trees.
"Here we are! Canopy Cliff!"
They were now standing at the edge of the cliff, just in front of the standing part of Canopy Oaks. Rainbow was slightly confused; from rattling fruits, to waterholes, to this? What are her friends planning?
"Can't we go back to the party?" she asked, faking a yawn.
"I'm so bored here!"
"Here he is!"
The pegasus rolled her eyes as her two friends turned around. She couldn't help but groan, staring at her friends' direction.
"What are you both looki- ohhhh~..."
A light blue pegasus stepped up to her, giving her a warm smile. He reached out his hoof with a wink, as he said:
"Happy Birthday, Rainbow Dash."
"S-Soarin'?!" Rainbow exclaimed in disbelief.
"What are you doing here?!"
Twilight and Pinkie giggled, stepping aside as the Wonderbolt explained:
"Just visiting Fenderville for awhile. Spitfire and I planned to organize a flight show here!"
Rainbow managed to giggle, something unheard from the usually pride-filled pegasus. Twilight could see hearts dancing in her friend's magenta eyes, giving Pinkie a high five.
"So..." the Wonderbolt began, trying to break the awkward silence.
"Wanna go somewhere for awhile? Somewhere quiet?"
The birthday mare's mind instantly stopped. Pinkie cheered quietly, fizzing about like a firecracker waiting to explode.
Rainbow began to stammer: "I... uh... I mean... of course! Sure!"
"How bad could it be?"
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"Why are all these old ruins always so dusty?"
Rarity already knew the answer to her own question, but she just had to shout it out to extinguish the stirring annoyance in her.
She frowned at the sight of her dust-covered hooves. She would've done the same back when the palace was under attack, but Spike wasn't there at that time.
The dragon chuckled beside her, helping her dust it off. Crimson was leading the way, trying to squint through the darkness. His eyes suddenly lit up in anticipation, turning back to the rest.
"I... I think I see light!"
Octavia pushed him forward, giving him an annoyed stare. The four of them slowly squeezed through the narrow passage, with Spike struggling the most.
Stepping out of the passage, all of them gasped simultaneously looking around in amazement.
Beyond them were statues. Tall, stone statues built upon the marble stands of a bridge heading into the darkness. They stood valiantly, stalwart as a knight with a fierce expression frozen onto their faces.
"What is this place?" Octavia could only ask, her glances jumping from statue to statue.
Rarity approached one of the statues, shuddering a little as it frowned down upon her, the statue's eyes affixed in a broken stare.
"What are they doing down here?"
"Something the Palgiots don't want the world to know, I guess."
Spike was ahead of them, already heading to the giant mausoleum beyond them.
"I think it's time to find out what's here."
A giant set of stone stairs led up into the pillar-covered entrance, all coated under a fine layer of dust. The three ponies quickly scampered up after the dragon, feeling the crumble of rock beneath their hooves.
In front of them were a set of coffins, mostly empty or filled with broken rocks, with the exception of one.
The lid was still intact, unlike many of the others. Spike approached it cautiously, making Rarity widen her eyes in astonishment.
"You don't think...."
"I'm doing it, for the sake of everypony."
Spike held his breath, his claws gripping tightly onto the stone lid.
"Here goes..."
He gave it a strong push, the lid budging only a little. The dragon's face turned a pale blue as he mustered up all his energy, trying to push the stone lid away.
Crimson joined in, his hooves straining with Spike's claws. Sweat started to fall off both of their backs, as the lid finally slammed onto the floor, scattering the dust all around.
Rarity peered inside, only to see total darkness staring back at her.
"Spike," she called the teenage dragon, "give us some light."
Without hesitation, he churned up a small ball of fire, tossing it towards a torch above them.
Rarity immediately shrieked in horror, tumbling backwards into the dragon's arms as the face of a skeletal pony grinned back at her, its 'eyes' smiling in their hollow sockets.
In its bony hands, a black, tattered notebook laid there, beckoning them to open.
Octavia reached in, wincing in disgust as her hoof reached around the cracks in the ribs, before managing to pull it out.
Crimson blew the dust off the cover, sweeping away the tangled spiderwebs around it.
"Anypony wanna guess what's inside?" he mused.
"Just open it already!"
Octavia's scowl instantly made him open the latch, flipping it towards the last few pages. Text was scrawled upon the yellowed papers, as Crimson read out:
Today wasn't a good day for Pendant Lakes. Something was wrong, very wrong....
One of the members of the organisation had conjured something. Summoned something evil.... very evil...
A demon that lusted for power, hungered for death. The deaths of thousands.It was a new threat. A threat that we have to stop fast, or risk the deaths of everypony at the Palace and the town itself.
I had to call another Congregation for Sicarius Nox. The elder members weren't content with the sudden gathering, but they knew it was necessary. It was rare for the Patriarch to call for a Congregation, after all.
The pony that had summoned this demon was, as usual, one of the fledgling rookies of Academia Nox. He was researching on using pony magic into weaponry and soul-stealing, even though I had told him it wasn't part of the training. It's too dangerous to perform such an outrageous task; of putting a soul into a weapon.
We had planned to calm this demon down. As such, I'm reconsidering on the biological weapon, as some of the members had started calling it. Maybe if we can cooperate on separate terms, it would benefit not only Sicarius, but possibly to the economy of Pendant Lakes as well...Axle Palgiot.
"Wait, if this is Axle's diary, then the dead pony must be-"
Spike instantly froze, unable to finish his sentence. Rarity gave him a small nod.
Crimson flipped the page as he asked:
"If I'm not wrong, this so-called demon was Mirror Mare, right?"
"Should be," his marefriend answered.
"But Axle said it was a threat. Why did they want to cooperate with it in the first place?"
"This page might say something about it. Let's see..."
I don't have enough time to note everything down.
The demon was harder to find than expected. It took us a few hours, before we finally tracked him down at the palace gardens. It seemed as it was expecting us, the demon's.... limbs already bloodied with the carnage of animals and maybe a few unlucky souls.
Going everything to the plan was hard, as we found out. We proposed a deal: that we recruit him into our higher ranks, let him know our rules, our boundaries, how we act, how we work. In return, every pony he killed, we would let it feed on its soul to quell his hunger.I'll have to do research on how to transport it back to Tartarus or wherever it came from, just to make sure. We would have to work things out from there.
But first: he can't travel out like that in his dark, ethereal form. He would need something to hide his identity.A guise.... no, a shell...
Axle Palgiot.
"Mirror Mare...."
Spike put one and one in his head, before concluding:
"So Mirror Mare was just a demon-possessed body wanting to kill others to satisfy himself?"
"I guess..." Rarity said, shuddering a little.
"What's on the next page?"
I must say, I'm impressed with how things turned out.
It seems the demon has a lot of potential. To silently dart through the town, being able to kill a pony in plain sight without getting caught. I've been studying a lot about it recently, and this was what I compiled so far:
The demon wasn't any ordinary demon. It was a Time Demon: an incubus that has the ability to manipulate time itself. Scholars blamed it on the sudden disappearances of countless numbers of ponies, especially those that happen amongst everypony else.
That also worries me; if this demon had any idea how powerful it was, it can immediately control Sicarius Nox. Maybe even the whole of Equestria! That immense power would also mean that it would be harder to send it back to Tartarus in cases of emergency.The demon was starting to get the hang of our assassin rules. I just hope it wouldn't go out of hand.
Axle Palgiot.
"Time Demon...."
Rarity thought to herself as Crimson flipped to the next page. If the power of Mirror Mare came from a demon, how is it possible that she can step into a time warp such as that then?
Her worried face became evident to Spike, who gave her a reassuring smile, placing his arm on the mare's shoulder.
She managed to smile back, although the dragon could still feel something was bothering her.
Two months. Accomplishes were many.
We had successfully contained the dark spirit into a dead body of a pony, although it has weakened his original form by a lot. It was effortlessly tiring, but it was a worthwhile experience.
The demon still had its abilities even in the body, being able to teleport from place to place, although we all knew it traveled into a paradox of halted time.I was, by far, the most intrigued of the ponies. This demon could possibly end the rivalry between our cousins forever, and even kill off our enemies.
Of course, the weakened state would mean that the demon could never return back into its full form. Further experiments showed that if the shell is, how shall I put it, killed, the demon could only float aimlessly, finding a sense of purpose before possessing another dead pony. The sense of purpose that it retained would mean that it can only choose specific victims to kill.
That would narrow down the victims, which means it will benefit us. Of course, its power is still not to be taken for granted. We have no idea what can power it or weaken it.Sicarius Nox had asked me to propose a name to our honored member.
...
Mirror Mare, perhaps?
Axle Palgiot.
"That's it." Crimson said with a sigh.
"Remaining pages are empty."
"I can't believe it," Octavia said, tossing her hooves up in frustration.
"They created Mirror Mare and now it's turning loose all over Equestria."
"Axle had it all under control, that's what I'm assuming."
Rarity looked back at the faded words on the diary, still pondering in her head.
"Somepony else made Mirror Mare what it is today. Power-hungry, merciless, gruesome."
"But who?"
Spike looked at the mare perplexedly, scratching his head in confusion.
"Who would dare to make a demon more powerful than he already is?"
"I don't know," the white unicorn replied, her expression turning serious.
"But I believe Winter might know something about this."
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"So Ah'll guess we'll be seein' you again, Charter?"
"I'll be happy to." the stallion said, wearing a grin on his face.
"Be sure to say hi to Rainbow Dash for me, Fluttershy."
"I will." the yellow pegasus muttered silently, her mind still pondering over the recent passing of her mother.
"Don't worry, Miss Fallows. You'll make it just fine."
Charter gave her a reassuring smile, although deep down he himself was grieving over the loss of his best friend.
"...Oh... I'll try..."
"Quickly, 'Shy. Ah don't have much time left!"
Applejack was impatiently trampling on the clouds, making Fluttershy giggle.
"Zecora's potion don't work for'ver, 'ya know."
"Goodbye, Charter." she said, waving happily at the stallion.
"Goodbye... Miss Fallows..."
He solemnly watched as the two mares walked down the avenue, chatting happily between each other. Fluttershy's bright smile was stuck in his head, making him chuckle a little as he stared into the sky.
"Every bit like you, Raven."
Without a second thought, Charter trotted back into his house, letting out a dejected sigh. He quickly leafed through a yellow file, showing a recent murder case that had practically took over the news around town.
The death of Solaris Followfirm, the CEO of sugar giant Followfirm Sugar Trades, established by her father many years ago. It had since become one of the largest trading companies in Cloudsdale, just behind Pegasus Express, the package delivering company.
The way it was planned out, though...
Charter sighed. There was only one possibility.
"You just had to do it, do you?"
"It was a necessary message, Mr. Freewings."
A masked pony sat up from the couch, snickering at the grim face the stallion was giving.
"District Attorney of Cloudsdale.... you came a long way, Charter, unlike Dresden, though..."
"I've heard."
Charter stayed in his seat. His hoof reached around his back pocket, readying himself.
"So... I'm next, huh?"
"Fortunately for the others, yes."
Mirror Mare's mask glinted tauntingly at the pegasus, who was steadily shuffling around his seat.
"The oldest of the Six... how.... interesting..."
"Of course, I'm sorry for the death of Ravenshy." the masked pony continued.
"Unnecessary consequence for her, really."
"Says you, Mirror Mare."
Charter scoffed, grimacing at the killer.
"You were responsible for her downfall in the first place."
"Oh, of course...."
Mirror Mare readied the signature twin blades, licking the serrated tips of one of them.
"Ripple Fallows. A fine fellow he is." the pony giggled at the unintended pun.
"You tore Raven apart! You tore her daughter apart! Do you even realize what you have done?"
"I'm doing my job. That's all I need to know."
Mirror Mare smiled from beneath its mask.
"I'll leave for now. Don't want to keep them waiting."
"You're sparing me?"
Charter raised his eyebrow in suspicion. He drew his gun out of his belt. Now was his chance.
"What happened? Turned over a new leaf?"
"No..." Mirror Mare chuckled, the blades sliding back into their respective sheaths.
"Just saving up some time..."
Suddenly, Charter's body exploded in flames, engulfed in a hellish fireball. The masked pony sat back down onto the couch, silently sipping on a cup of tea as the pegasus scampered around, screaming aloud in agony.
Charter could feel it: the flames singeing his lungs, the intense embers razing his wings away. The pegasus yelled in pain, with the flames now enveloping over his eyes.
He tripped backwards, falling out the window and through the clouds. Charter could feel his burning body fall down, the searing feeling of air seeping though his charring wings as he pummeled towards the distant ground below.
Mirror Mare looked out the window, watching the burning figure become a mere, glowing dot from the sky.
"You brought this upon yourself, Charter. Oblivion."
That was the Second... or so it would effectively put it, Fourth...
Next on the list...
It smiled.