The house was eerie quiet, the only sound was the gentle clink! of teacups as the five ponies and blue octopus sat around the table. Mr Bubbles flopped lazily, cuddling Applejack close while Rarity looked on in repulsion. Applejack, ignoring Rarity's looks, snuggled back, smiling as the creature gurgled in content.
Fluttershy sat quietly, her eyes trained on Mr Bubbles. She ever so wanted to hug the little guy, he was adorable. As if sensing her gaze the octopus turned around, reaching out a sickly tentacle to the pegasus. With all the grace of a bowl of porridge he slumped to the floor, slithering himself over to Fluttershy.
"So, Fluttershy dear" said Rarity, her eyes fixed on the blue squid now being cuddled vigorously by Fluttershy "Do tell us what appears to be the problem"
Fluttershy looked up from Mr Bubbles, her eyes confused.
"Um...I don't actually know" she said quietly "I don't even know how I got here"
"What were ya doing before ya ended up here?" asked Applejack, watching Mr Bubbles carefully as his tentacle slipped down Fluttershy's face, earning a smile from the pegasus and a shudder from Rarity.
"I was..." Fluttershy began, a frown forming on her delicate face "...I can't remember"
The others looked at her curiously.
"What do you mean you can't remember? Did you lose your memory? Where did you drop it? Oh, of course you wouldn't remember where you-"
Pinkie's rant was cut short by a thin tentacle wrapping itself around her muzzle, reducing her speech to mere mumbles.
"Ahh!" cooed Applejack, walking over to the creature "Who's a good boy? Yes you are!"
Mr Bubbles wrapped another tentacle round her neck, swinging off of Fluttershy's lap to embrace Applejack while keeping his appendage firmly round Pinkie's mouth.
"Anyway..." continued Rarity, diverting her eyes from the tentacles "What's the last thing you do remember dear?"
"I remember... going to bed last night" she said uncertainly "This morning however, there's just a blank"
Applejack looked up from Mr Bubbles, a frown on her face.
"Ah bet that no good Narrator has somethin' to do with it" she said sourly "He's probably been amessin' with ya memories."
As if He had been waiting for her to say those exact words, which Applejack reminded herself was well within His powers, The Narrator began whistling innocently.
"You know" said Rarity "Whistling has never made anypony look innocent. Ever"
"I'm pretty sure it does, my book says so"
Applejack snorted "What book's that? 100 Commonly Used Clichés?"
When The Narrator didn't answer she raised an eyebrow.
"Seriously? That was meant to be a joke! Are ya telling me ya actually have that book?"
The Narrator mumbled something that sounded like 'clearance sale' before clearing His throat.
"I would never mess with a sapient creatures memories! How dare you accuse me of sure a heinous crime!"
"Then why can't Fluttershy remember anything past last night?" enquired Rarity.
"Well, her integration into the story was less than smooth I will admit"
"Whatcha mean by 'less that smooth'?" said Applejack suspiciously.
"I may have accidentally, kind of partially dropped her on her head"
"You WHAT?!" screeched Rarity
"Its not my fault! The doorbell rang, my phone went off and the universe in my living room started collapsing, pulling many innocents to their demise!"
His response was met with a brief moment of silence as the mares tried to comprehend what He had said.
"That sounds horrible.." whispered Rarity.
"I know right?! It left a mark on my wallpaper that will never come out!"
The ponies, disturbed by The Narrator's seeming lack of concern for sentient life, decided it would be best to get the story moving again, hoping the end was not far off.
"Now where were we? Ah yes, here we go! The Butler began informing the Inspector about the strange goings on she had experienced around the house"
The others eyed Fluttershy expectantly, waiting for her to elaborate.
"Well...um...the vase on the landing wobbled a little bit" she said, clearly unsure of what to say "And a door on the third floor keeps closing but I think that might just be the wind."
Her eyes widened "I hope its just the wind" she squeaked.
"Don't worry dear" said Rarity as she moved over to comfort the shaking pegasus "We're pretty sure its just Twilight"
Fluttershy's ears perked up "Twilight's here?! Oh my goodness, I'm so relieved. But why has she been avoiding me? Is it some sort of game? Because I don't find it funny"
Rarity and Applejack looked at each other nervously, unsure how to proceed.
"Well ya see sugarcube, Twilight kind of-"
Before Applejack could finish her sentence, Pinkie jumped up in front of Fluttershy, leaving Mr Bubbles looking confused at his now empty tentacles.
"Twilight died in the last Chapter!" cried Pinkie, leaving Fluttershy looking at her in horror.
"Twilight...died?" choked Fluttershy, tears coming to her eyes.
"Yeah! She took a bullet to the chest and there was lots of blood and-"
Pinkie was once again cut off as Mr Bubbles flung himself at her face, clinging on with all his might to muffle her speech. She began giggling, poking at the slimy mass. Meanwhile, Fluttershy was in the middle of a full blown panic attack, her chest heaving as she tried to calm her self.
"Please Fluttershy" said Rarity "Twilight is fine. The Narrator wouldn't kill anyone permanently"
Fluttershy, not taking any comfort from Rarity's words, began to look pale as her breathing sped up more and more.
"Narrator!" cried Applejack "Can ya tell Fluttershy that Twilight is just fine?"
"Hmm? Oh but of course! She completely fine. Dead. But fine. In fact, she's here with us right now"
The mares gasped, looking around franticly for their friend.
"Look at you all! Have you never read a ghost story? She's invisible!"
"Can she talk to us?" asked Rarity.
"Nope. However she can communicate through other means.
"Like?"
"Girls.." whispered Fluttershy, her eyes wide in fear.
They looked at her, their hearts beating faster as she lifted a hoof towards the other end of the room.
They turned, watching as the door opposite them swung open with a loud creak.
They stood petrified. That is until The Narrator killed the moment with an obnoxiously loud sound effect.
"Like that, my dear. Anyway, I have a collapsing universe to watch. Until the next Chapter, cheerio!"
The mares stared at each other, or in one case, the underside of a blue octopus, unsure of what to expect next.