//------------------------------// // Reservoir // Story: The Dragon's Notebook // by Arby //------------------------------// The train ride home was pleasant, regardless of the stack of books surrounding us. The sun was setting, and it was marking the end of a great day. I had done some reading on the many forms of death, and now I'm certain a God of Death exists. So why hasn't he shown up? I didn't know nor did I want to know. I even forgot I had the Death Note with me. I may have attempted to hide the notebook about forms of Death from Twilight, but that was explainable. We all had death on our minds, and even if we were young, the tragedies caused by myself have been the focal point in driving death into our conscious. The Death Note? That was entirely unexplainable. We arrived in Ponyville and made our way to the library where Twilight, almost immediately, sat down to read her mountain of books. I put the ones I had away and quickly remembered I had the notebook. One of the reasons why I couldn't keep it hidden 24/7; items tingle while hidden, and a notebook which happens to be the cause of all my problems is one of the things that would cause me to reveal the notebook in public. I belched the notebook onto my bed, and stared at the cover, once again having a flashback. I did my best to ignore it and hid the book under my bed's cushion. Sniffing the air, it had the familiar scent of oak, and the scent of home helped calm my nerves. I sighed, and sat down on my mattress, pondering what to do next. Nopony approached Rarity in a while, and that was expected. Some, excluding the scumbags, didn't want to bother her while she was in her state of depression. I briefly thought if the others knew we left for the day before laying down on the bed for a quick nap. Twilight pranced around the second floor of Carousel Boutique, slapping down research notes in front of Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie. She looked around at them as Rarity lifted the notes in front of the three of them, looking through the notes. As expected, they stared mindlessly. Twilight, watching their wondering eyes, sighing. “Death is believed to have been a physical entity at some point in time, known by many as a Reaper, God of Death, Holy Angel, or 'Grim,'” Twilight explained. “Okay, so you've concluded that the grim reaper is a thing. Okay?” Rainbow asked, flipping through pages of the research. “Four common methods of death is shared between each variation and incarnation of death.” She paced around the room, stopping in front of Rarity. “Death's list, a list of ponies including their date of death as well as the details regarding their death. Something like this we could never discover since it's only a speculation.” “So why are we talking about a speculatron or whatever? We need the cold hard facts!” Pinkie exclaimed, reading the book upside down. “We all need to know these things just in case they come up again in the future, such as in books. Now, the next method is one more commonly used by many, even here in Equestria,” Twilight said. She looked to Pinkie. “Madame Pinkie does it. Tarot cards. Death decides the details of everyone using Tarot cards. Those in olden Equestria believed that death knew what cards he'd pick up and dubbed it one of the reaper's killing techniques,” Twilight said, sitting down on the floor. “Tarot cards as a technique for the reaper to use makes perfect sense, but we've got no proof that a God of Death truly exists, Twilight. Not to mention summarizing these deaths as a supernatural murder on account of a supernatural being disguising them as destiny is hard to buy. We've certainly seen an omnipotent being in the past, so we can't rule out the existence of Gods of Death yet,” Rarity said, looking through the notes. “Exactly. Discord. He is the Spirit of Disharmony, but his magic is definitely omnipotent. Princess Celestia would come after along with Princess Luna and Princess Cadence. After that, I'm unsure what would be a close contender for omnipotent magic. Discord was twisted, and if it is omnipotent murder aiming at Rarity, Discord would be a contender. However, he is in the Canterlot Gardens, so we don't have any omnipotent suspects,” Twilight said, moving next to Rarity. “Twilight, I was reading through your notes that looks like a mixture between Tarot cards and death's list. You mention a killer notebook which ponies believe to have killed someone when the reaper wrote a name down. How did this start?” Rainbow asked. Twilight sighed, remembering the notes. “Sometime before Princess Celestia and Luna rose to power, somepony had discovered a book that killed others by writing their name down, putting them into death's list, and they could specify the details of death. It would decide their fate, and was used as an execution in court. The history was rather bloody...” Twilight looked to the side, uncomfortably. Rarity looked over at Pinkie, who looked over at Rainbow. Looking back to Twilight, Pinkie asked, “what do you mean, bloody?” Twilight looked back at the three mares, sighing. “Somepony used this notebook, and executed unicorns because magic was always associated to Discord. Eventually, ponies discovered who it was, and lynched the one responsible. The book was burned, and hasn't been seen since. The legend is one of the older ones, but it's one of the potential methods at work here if this truly isn't a coincidence...” Twilight looked to her notes. “And the final method that could work, is absolutely impossible to prove. Simply willing another dead in a certain way. If that's the case, it'd make trying to discover what this is one-hundred percent more dangerous, because I can imagine one wouldn't want to be discovered in light of murder.” “What's more interesting, is if it is foul play at work, the one responsible has some fascination with Rarity. We could go with the option that it is somepony regular given one of the powers mentioned and is killing out of jealousy; the option that a divine being is killing; the option that a divine being has given a normal pony the power to murder; and the option that there is no divine presence, and it's calculated, professional murder at play in which case, we'd have to notify Princess Celestia and Shining Armour.” Looking up, Twilight studied the expressions of her friends. Rarity had a sickly grimace on her face while Pinkie's usual bounce was dampened, expressed by the lack of a smile on her face. Rainbow Dash seemed nervous about the whole ordeal, but nodded. Twilight sighed, deep in thought. I walked through Ponyville Town Square, constantly checking my surroundings Ever since I learned of the God of Death's presence, I constantly checked for anything God of Deathly. I carried the Death Note with me at all time, hidden using my flame breath. I was scared of Twilight finding it during a random cleanup, so I felt a tingly sensation every time I went out that reminded me of my misdeeds. Going into Sugar Cube Corner, I was greeted by a short line of ponies, and quickly took my place. What if somepony I know, like a friend, tries to hit on Rarity? Could I kill them? Like, what if Applejack hit on Rarity? Gay is more common these days, but could I do that? Applejack is a great friend, but... ugh, this is a conversation I shouldn't be having, I thought, moving forward with the line. Speaking of this murder, would I really get in trouble if the notebook came to light? I mean, who would believe a notebook could kill others? It was last spoken of in a legend made thousands of years ago. Is it truly a murder notebook, or am I just having insane coincidences? No, that's stupid, Spike. You've seen it firsthand. What I'm doing isn't morally right or ethical, yet I do it because somepony has to. Is 'somepony has to do it' truly a justification? Murder... is wrong, no matter what, so am I truly entitled to protect? We've had war, and many die in wars to protect the ones at home. They do it just fine, so why can't I? We have covert ops, for sure. Ponies that do murder in the dark to protect the public. It's no different from what I'm doing, except I don't have any authorization? I moved ahead in the line again. It's not murder, is it? I'm specifying accidents. I'm not physically stabbing the life out of them, but detailing an accidental death. Is it the same thing as murder? I am sealing their fates, but executioners do that all the time. The only difference between covert ops, soldiers, executioners against myself, is that they have authorization. What they're doing is for the greater good, but it's still murder, right? I moved ahead once more. Or did the condemned bring it on themselves? It is their fault they require an execution, and it's the fault of the scum that they're being erased by myself. What about these Gods of Death? Do they orchestrate the events leading to one's death? By that, I mean, do they change a pony's mindset so that they put themselves in a position that ends up with them on the electric chair? Or does the God of Death and Death Note only specify their actual death? If that's so, then it would alter a pony's mindset to wind up in such a position. I stepped forward again, being the next one in line. My friends are apparently immune to the law, with how much they've tarnished Ponyville and Equestria... myself included. The law is awkward, so... is execution legal in Equestria given justification? If so, is 'scumbag disposal' acceptable form of execution? Would my friends even think it okay? Or is it one big load? I stepped forward to the counter, finally, and was greeted by Pinkie. Apparently, I was the last in line. “Hiya Spike! Uh, how are you?” Pinkie asked, showing an odd reluctance in her voice. Shutting it out, I looked at the sweets. “Hi Pinkie. I'm okay. Bit out of it, but otherwise fine. How about you?” She looked around, shrugging. I shrugged as well and quickly selected a doughnut. I didn't take note of Pinkie's weird attitude, but I did have a question. “Hey, Rarity hasn't come out of the boutique in a few days, and Twilight keeps going over there. Do you know why?” I asked, paying for the doughnut Pinkie looked around nervously, chuckling just as awkwardly. “Uh, no, not really. Maybe she just has a big project?” Sighing, I nodded and left the shop. It may have been rude, but I was feeling down anyways. “Alright, I've spent the last two days thinking. We're going to have to rule out two murder methods,” Twilight said, sprawling more notes onto the floor. “Alrighty, but... Twilight, I think you're going to have to talk to Spike soon. He keeps wondering why you're going over to Rarity's, and why Rarity hasn't come out of the shop,” Pinkie said, looking over the notes. The two mares exchanged looks and looked back to Pinkie. “I won't say something unless he asks. I don't want to seem suspicious by mentioning it,” Twilight responded. Nodding, Rarity sighed. “I should make a new dress rather than beat around the bush. I haven't focused on my business since I came to the conclusion that this isn't coincidental. Two weeks of no-buzz from fashionista Rarity certainly instigated rumours,” she said. She sighed, and laid her head on Pinkie's shoulder, lazily scrolling through one of Twilight's various research notes. “I have to invite Spike when I do. I miss the little darling's company, and I don't want him to get curious.” “I just wonder how Applejack and Fluttershy are doing. We haven't hung out since we started this, and I'm sure others around town are getting curious too. We need to lighten up a bit, take a break from all this drabby murder and such,” Rainbow said, tossing the notes onto the floor in front of her. Twilight sighed and lifted the notes. “Anyways, the two methods of murder we have to outlaw are willingly murdering others, and death's list. There has been no physical evidence nor has there been any reason to believe in them. I'm chalking it up to a mere hoax started by fanatics.” She looked around to see the confirmation on all of their faces before looking back down at her notes. “Tarot cards and a killer book are more likely since they've actually been seen, no matter how long. Tarot cards are the less likely bit of these two, since they're popular among astrologists. Ouija boards and whatnot, those kinds of things. It's possible, but if Tarot cards really could kill, we'd have a lot more deaths among friends who use Tarot cards, and the thought of Pinkie killing is absolutely ridiculous!” “I'll say! I wouldn't kill unless I had a good reason!” she exclaimed. Awkward stares lasted for a few seconds before chatter resumed. “Thing is, this killer book has only been sighted once in history, and there are many versions of the story. The verdict that is common, is that writing a name would kill somepony, and the user was lynched. How he was lynched changes often. Burning, stoned, or killed using the book itself. Point being, is that Tarot cards and this book are on equal terms. While one is commonly used, it's lack of murder is apparent, unless the reaper used some special deck. The other, is hardly used, but it'd fit the bill pretty well regardless of the version of the story told.” Twilight flipped several pages, landing on one near the centre of the book. “I've used Tarot cards a few times, and they've been mostly accurate. I have yet to use cards that deal with this deathy kind of stuffy, but if Tarot cards are used by the reaper, I'd rather dealy with these cards of normally,” Pinkie said, sifting through various loose notes. They each looked at some of Twilight's notes as well as clips from books regarding death and murder. Twilight continued reading her note book before closing it. She looked up and slapped a hoof on the ground to gain attention. “If we consider what would be necessary for this killer book, the reaper would need a way to not kill two ponies who could potentially share a name. Two possibilities would be including middle names, and or differing them by their faces. Maybe even cutie marks,” Twilight said. “What about non-Pony species? Like...” Rainbow looked around. “Dragons?” Rarity gasped immediately and shook her head. “No! Just, no! Let's stick with what Twilight has,” she exclaimed. However, Twilight shook her head. “No, she's right, Rarity. As much as I don't want to think about it, we do have to take other species into consideration. I think it's safe to say that a name and face, at the very least, would have to be take into consideration.” She looked at a notebook directed at the killer book. “If we take into account the legends, the one using this killer book kills with a name and can specify the death. If that's so, then it's entirely possible that these 'accidents' are a disgusting murder.” “If it's murder, what about Blackhoof, or Snap-trap?” Pinkie asked. “Blackhoof may have been a test for a natural case, failing only because the type of death itself shouldn't have happened to begin with.” Looking at the clock, she sighed. “Snap-trap was reported to have gone missing while on a break near Ghastly Gorge. The gorge itself has many places where somepony could get lost, and if utilized in such a way that could make a death seem like a tragic accident such as being knocked into the gorge, it would be easy to dub it a murder.” “But Snap-trap was a pegasus pony! He could have flown easily if knocked in,” Rainbow said, flapping her wings for emphasis. “Twilight mentioned that if you could specify the death, you could easily make it seem like an accident. If that's the case, we could take into consideration that due to the rocky, and avalanche-prone area, he could have been struck with a boulder of sorts,” Rarity replied. “His drivers would have heard something like a boulder. Something smaller would have had to be the instigator, or his driver's aren't telling us something,” Twilight said. She rubbed her chin for a second before exhaling. “Thing is, we can't go question them. We aren't police, and Princess Celestia gave us the data on the deceased reluctantly, only because we mentioned potential supernatural causes. The Royal Guard aren't our personalized soldiers, we can't go seize his drivers, and with other things that go on in Equestria, it could be days by the time we see them, and by then, we could have debunked the notion that they hid it.” The four ponies pondered what she said, reading through the notes once more. Twilight kept reading her book about death before Rarity spoke up. “Twilight, if the lives of our friends are in danger, I would give up my business to question his drivers if it brought us closer to the truth. Every possibility must be explored in an investigation,” she said. Twilight sighed, levitating her notes out of the hooves of the others. “I'll take what you said into consideration, and you should do the same. Remember, try to socialize more, or else we'll start appearing suspicious.” She looked over to Rarity. “Should I tell Spike to come over later?” Shaking her head, Rarity stood up and stretched, looking at Twilight. “No, I have nothing to work on right now, and I'm absolutely exhausted. I missed two spa visits, so I'm sure Aloe and Lotus think I must have traversed the world or passed away myself. I also would like to see how Fluttershy is doing, since I haven't spoken to her since. It probably would have been nice to tell her beforehand.” Rainbow stood up and stretched, fluttering her wings. “I'm heading over to Applejack's place to check on her, I'll go tell Fluttershy to meet you at the spa today,” she said, walking to the door. “Thank you, dear,” Rarity replied, falling back onto her bed. “I believe I have to go make dinner for a certain teenage dragon,” Twilight said, waving goodbye. “See ya tomorrow!” Pinkie bounced out the door. I walked towards Sweet Apple Acres, still feeling my depression. What was it from? Probably from the lack of interaction with Twilight and Rarity. Looking back, Pinkie was acting suspicious two days ago, I thought. Walking through the familiar arch, I passed by Apple Bloom, waving to her and the other Crusaders as I approached the front door. I knocked on the door quickly, and Applejack answered the door. “Well howdy, Spike. What can I do ya for?” she asked immediately. Scratching the back of my head, I looked to the side. “I was wondering if you've noticed something odd about Pinkie, or Twilight, or Rarity.” I looked up for a second. “Or all three.” Applejack shifted uncomfortably, kicked her hooves while refusing to make eye contact again. She chuckled nervously, and looked up to the sky like I did. I could tell she was trying to think of something, mostly because it took 30 seconds of 'ah' and 'um's.' “Well, not that Ah know of, Spike. Ah mean, y'all are doin' yer own thing,” she chuckled out. Sighing, I looked to the orchards. “I figured as much,” I turned and looked back towards Ponyville. I looked back at Applejack quickly, before rolling my eyes and shaking my head. I turned back to Ponyville, walking without so much as a goodbye. I don't know what came over me, but I was angry. Angry, sad, and all signs pointed to being ignored by Twilight and Rarity. I wanted to see Rarity, and see her smiling face. I wanted to see her making a beautiful dress, and ask me to help her, and see her happy upon seeing my face. Celestia help the world if it fails. I knocked on the door to the Carousel Boutique, and waited. And waited. And waited. I knocked again... and waited. Exhaling coarsely, I opened the door to the boutique, ignoring the 'closed' sign, and stepped in. The curtains were drawn and inside the boutique was darkened. “Rarity! Are you here?” I shouted. In hindsight, I should have waited for Rarity to return home rather than barge into her house. I was angry and stupid, but... “I guess not,” I said. Remembering my mission, I looked around the boutique's main room. I spotted several racks of dresses, mannequins, and several sewing machines. There were a few photos put on the walls, mostly of our friends and her family, but there was one of her and Blackhoof. Blackhoof... how much pain did he feel? Was it a quick death? I thought, looking at the images. I felt tears prickling my eyes that I quickly blinked out. I looked towards the stairs, and hesitated. I'd do anything for Rarity, and something plagued my mind since I spoke with Pinkie and Applejack. Rarity and Twilight have been spending an awful lot of time together. Too much. Has Twilight... gotten with Rarity? I froze up, and fell to my knees. I fell forward onto my arms, and felt tears streaming down my face. True or not, my emotions fell free. “No! Mommy, you can't do that! You just can't! You told me my work would pay off. You're not one of them! You're not a scumbag, mommy! You can't be! You said you would protect me!” I cried out into the rug, curling up into a ball. I sobbed into the rug for minutes on end, not realizing I was clawing it up. I sniffled into it. Mommy! You're not a scumbag, please don't be! You're not like them! You're an old friend with her! And... I stopped my thoughts as well as well as my sobs. I pushed myself up to my feet and looked towards the stairs. “Old friends... what if one of Rarity's old boyfriends attempted to come after?” I paused. “Wait, they're her old boyfriends for a reason... they hurt her, and that's why she dumped them,” I said, walking towards the stairs. I decided to go upstairs and entered Rarity's bedroom. Looking around, I felt my anger resurfacing. “Ignored by mom, ignored by Rarity, ignored by Fluttershy and Rainbow, the others refusing to tell me the truth... the possibility of Twilight getting with my Rarity... and her old boyfriends? Like hay I'm going to sit back and let them be involved!” I said, practically running to her drawer. I stopped short of grabbing her diary, finally registering what I was doing. I looked around, seeing the room's gentle atmosphere ease my mind. I didn't want to invade her privacy. Bad enough I came into her house when nopony was home, now I was in her room. I felt the tears swell up on the edges of my eyes once again. I was feeling regret for what I almost did. I almost killed Twilight... my mother, and I almost invaded Rarity's privacy. And for what? Murder? Bad enough I was doing it in the first place, but now I'm dropping to an all-new low. Sighing, I walked over to Rarity's bed and jumped onto the mattress, practically sinking into the silky blankets atop the queen-sized mattress. I laid my head down in a way I stared at the room, and resisted the urge to run home crying. Her bedroom was sweet, and had signs of recent company over. Twilight. I clenched my eyes shut, imagining Twilight with Rarity, and curled up into a ball once more. “Is this what I want? If Twilight makes her happy, then I have no right refusing her,” I said. I grit my teeth. “So, why did Twilight tell me my work would pay off? To rub it in when she comes home, foreleg slumped over Rarity's nape?” I grew another inch. “I'm angry. If she does wind up dating Rarity, she knows how angry I'll be, she's not stupid. I probably would kill her in my confusion and anger, and my life would be ruined. I would have killed my mother, depressed Rarity and the others... even Princes Celestia.” I opened my eyes, sighing. Spotting a bookcase, I sat up and looked at it from across the room. Something caught my eye, and I slid off the bed and walked over to the shelf. I darted across the room and pulled the book I saw off. It was a yearbook, showing a class Rarity was in during school. I opened it up to see the relatively small class, with numerous comments... and exactly what I wanted. I may not want to kill Twilight, but these others hurt Rarity in the past. They've doomed themselves in their foolishness... but they could have changed. Maybe they're honest ponies? Not everypony stays evil, but not everypony recovers this fast. Maybe they're scumbags... and that's it. I spotted three colts, each having been confirmed to be Rarity's old boyfriends due to the comments and scratched out names. Realizing what I had to do, I belched out the notebook, I stared at the cover, suddenly able to hear my own heartbeat over the drowning silence. DEATH NOTE Did his death hurt? I asked myself once more in regards to Blackhoof. Sighing, I opened up the dreaded notebook and poked my underbelly, coating my fingertip in blood. Forgive me, Twilight, for I am about to sin. I wrote the three names down. ACCIDENT I detailed each of them dying work-related deaths. Instead of offing them off at the same time, I set their dates of death seven days apart, with one of them dying six minutes and forty seconds after I finished my deed. I quickly slapped the notebook shut and hid it using my flame breath. I sighed, and slid the yearbook back onto Rarity's shelf. I slumped to my hands and knees, and again, I couldn't stop the waterworks. I put my hands to my eyes and sobbed like a foal would, whimpering for my mommy to save me. Truly pathetic, but I wasn't right in the head. I'm still not, and I can recognize when I let my emotions speak for my mind. Truly, it would come to a head. I couldn't keep this up forever... no. I want the notebook gone. Gone. Want it away with the graves. Name of my own, perhaps? A way to even the odds and pay for my sins? No, Twilight loved me. She would protect me, even from myself. Twilight would break my wrist to prevent me from writing my name down, and she'd lecture me until I got it into my system that she was there as my protector whether or not I cared at the time. Twilight was my impenetrable shield, and I knew it. Rarity was my damsel in distress, and it was my sworn duty to protect her. Not as a knight in shining armour, but a dark guardian. I would sacrifice anything and everything for her, and I stayed true to that. I gave up my life. Eight days after the four mares came to the conclusion that there were two logical choices, they had made an incognito request to Shining Armour and quickly arranged a meeting with Snap-trap's old drivers. The place was Ponyville Town Hall, in one of the meeting rooms. Those present involved Twilight Sparkle, her brother, and the two drivers. “Listen, you two aren't in trouble. We just need to ask some questions regarding what happened,” Shining said from his shadowed corner. The two drivers sighed coarsely, nodding in response to Shining Armour. They looked at Twilight, not nervously, but more scared. They nodded, looking around the room. The two ponies themselves were both pegasi with black coats and spiked grey manes, and their cutie marks had red vests on them. “Alright. Bad enough we were accused for the boss' disappearance. We've already lost our jobs because of that,” the one on the right said. Twilight sighed. “That's sad, and I feel sorry for you. We can help you find a new job, but we need to ask you a few things. First off, have you heard any noises between the time your boss left the carriage to the point where you realized he was missing?” They nodded. “It sounded like the wind, but it also sounded like some rocks in the distance,” the left one said. Twilight nodded. “Obviously, they weren't big rocks or else you would have heard much larger noise, and considering how close you were to the gorge, Snap-trap would have had to fly across the gorge for it to be sounding like rocks in the distance,” she said, looking at her notes. They nodded, looking around the room. Twilight wrote what they said on a separate notepad, and looked up to them. “I mean no offence, but Snap-trap wasn't too well liked at The Archive. Has anypony over there or in Las Pegasus ever expressed an interest that could have led to a kidnapping or murder of the photographer?” They thought for a few seconds before shaking their heads. “None. Sure, some ponies hated him, but not enough to murder him. Rough him up a bit at the most, but not kill.” Twilight closed her notepad and quickly levitated her books into the air and quickly left the room. Shining Armour did a double take, looking between the door and the two pegasi. “Um, one minute please,” he said, quickly leaving into the main room. Twilight exhaled coarsely, approaching Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash. She sat down on a stool nearby, and slapped her head against the surface of the table. Shining trotted from behind. “Twilie, what's wrong? You only asked two questions?” he asked, setting a hoof on her shoulder. Twilight groaned. “Doesn't matter, all logical thought points to those two answers being true. I mean, they're scared, and dealing with the Captain of the Royal Guard... and as much as I don't want to use this card, they are also dealing with the Element of Magic. Lying to us would do nothing but ruin them far worse than murder charges would,” Twilight said, slapping her notes on the desk. Shining Armour nodded. “Well, that is true, but what does that answer for you? Also, I can send them home now, correct?” “It answers a lot, Shiny... and no, I still want to talk to them. I'll even pay for their bed and breakfast in Ponyville,” she responded, looking to the others. “Does this bring us any closer to closing this case?” Rainbow asked, sitting down. “I wish I knew what the case was so I could help more,” Shining Armour said in an obvious attempt to extract info. “No, you're a stallion, and if my hunch is correct, you'd be in more danger than us. Just as much danger as my son,” Twilight said, slapping her notes lightly against his face. “If Twilight says it is, it has to be true. I'd stay outta this if I were you,” Rainbow said. Shining looked at the others, all nodding in confirmation. He sighed, and looked down to Twilight. “I can't stand the thought of you and your friends in danger, but if my involvement would make it worse, okay.” He sighed, looking back to the room where the two pegasi waited. He looked back to them, nodding. “I'll see you back at the library before I head back to Canterlot.” Twilight waved as did the others present as Shining Armour left the building. When the doors closed, Twilight sighed. She slapped her face against the table again, lost in thought once more. “Fluttershy wants to help out, but she can't escape the nagging fear of death, so she's still in the same area as before. I can't blame her, but Applejack is a different story, according to Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said. They all looked over to Rainbow, just in time for her to sigh and spread her forelegs out on the table. “Applejack says she doesn't want to be reminded of omnipotent beings after what happened with Discord. She's shutting out the truth,” Rainbow said, slapping her own face onto the table. “Oh no! That's horrible news,” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “I think we need to go talk to her, and force her to acknowledge the truth,” Rarity said. Twilight shook her head and threw her notes across the room. “This entire ordeal is wrecking all of our nerves, and mentioning that it may not be a coincidence to those two was a bad idea. Fluttershy would have gotten scared, of course, but Applejack is honestly stubborn. If she thought she was in danger or her family and friends were in danger, she'd try the solution that helps her take all the blame,” she said. “How is hiding at home taking the blame?” Rainbow asked, retrieving Twilight's notes. Sighing, Twilight sat up. “The mention of those close to Rarity dying got to her. She's close to Rarity, and if she dies, we'd have to live with it and try and cope without her. She thinks that ignoring the truth that something could be up is going to help her stay alive. It may be true, but it's causing a rift between us to grow.” “I see what you mean. So many ponies thought that I was entering a depression regarding the deaths of those close to me,” Rarity said. “I'm glad that I cleared that up, but I haven't seen much of Applejack at all, not even at our Pony Pet Play dates. Fluttershy still arrives just fine.” The entire group sighed, collectively, and Twilight looked back to the room. She stood up and trotted to the meeting room and peeked her head into the door. “You're free to go for now, but don't go back to Las Pegasus. I still have some questions,” Twilight said while the two pegasi groaned. “I can pay for your bed and breakfast, or if you prefer, you could stay at the library with Spike and I.” They shook their head. “Nah, we'll pay for a hotel ourselves.” They stood up and Twilight raised a hoof to argue before sighing. “See you next time,” she said as they passed the table. “Sees ya,” they said while leaving. Twilight plopped back down at the table, snout inches away from her notes. She looked at the writing from the awkward angle, and sighed again. She raised her head and read the notes regarding death and the killer notebook. She tilted her head, raising an eyebrow. She looked down at her notes and reread everything. She had an idea, which caught the attention of the others. They saw Twilight's excited, curious expression, and leaned in closer for the eventual revelation. Twilight looked straight at them, not smirking but not frowning either. She looked back at her notes, then back at the others. They raised eyebrows, waiting in suspense. “C'mon, spit it out, Twi,” Rainbow said. Twilight looked directly at Rainbow and the others. “I get it. This is it. These deaths are strings of murder!” Twilight exclaimed. The other three looked at each other and then back at Twilight. “What do you mean?” She shook her head, groaning. “We need to speak with Spike and the Princess immediately!”