//------------------------------// // IT'S ME // Story: Catatonic // by FaelaArts //------------------------------// “Luna, we have news from Twilight.” Walking into her sister’s room after a polite knock, Celestia held out the letter. Rubbing sleep out of her eyes, Luna began to skim it, before slamming awake and giving it a second read. “So we can confirm the killer is a purple colt. Does this help your search sister?” Raising her head, Luna looked to Celestia, who gave a nod. “Thankfully, yes. There aren’t that many purple ponies born in Equestria, it allows me to greatly reduce the amount of names I will have to search. Hopefully we can find his family.” Sighing, Celestia rubbed her temple. While neither of them had been getting much sleep, Celestia couldn’t help but worry there was more she could be doing. “Sister, do not worry, we will apprehend him. Surely your records will lead us to the current name of our killer, yes?” Standing up, Luna held out the letter, which Celestia took. “I hope so Luna. Too many have suffered already. What sort of leader am I, if I cannot protect my subjects?” Closing her eyes, Celestia leaned into the hug Luna offered, and the two shared a quiet moment. “You are a leader that is trying their best, and that is all we can both do.” Looking toward the tinted window, Luna sighed. “Still no luck in his dreams either?” Stepping back, Celestia gave a sad smile. “I have found him, however upon entering his dreams, it was incredibly abhorrent. I am having trouble…stomaching his fantasies enough to give him nightmares.” Luna grimaced, dismayed at herself for being unable to handle a simple dream. “Don’t stress yourself too much, Luna. Dreams are close to the waking mind. If you get in too deep, he may drag you down with him.” Sighing, Celestia also looked to the window. If they could just find out one critical piece of information… “Nay sister, if this is the single thing I can do that others cannot that may bring us a lead, then I must do so. For those that have suffered by his hooves.” Narrowing her eyes, Luna looked to Celestia. “Are you sure that this pony could not have dyed his coat so as to elude suspicion?” Raising an eyebrow, Luna wanted to ensure this option had been explored. “Twilight mentioned it was raining. Most dyes and paint are water dissolvable. You know, since Pegasi make sure the weather is always clear on days that might otherwise need it not to be.” Holding the letter up slightly, Celestia smiled. “This means if we keep it raining for two weeks nonstop, we might be able to smoke him out due to the change in his normal pattern.” It was a long shot, but well worth it. Celestia folded up the letter, putting it away. “I shall do my best on my end as well sister. If I am able to fill his dreams with nightmares, we may force him into a stupid decision yet.” Nodding, Luna swore to herself that she would enter his dream tonight, regardless of what she saw. “Then you should get some rest. I wish you the best of luck tonight.” Embracing for a quick moment, Celestia lent her heart out to her sister. Turning, she stepped out of the room, and quietly closed the door. Sadly, a kingdom did not run itself. Luna slipped once more into her blankets, knowing sleep was something she would most definitely need. “So it really is him,” spoke one guard, brown in color. Looking to the others, his eyes focused on the chief. The black pony sighed, giving a nod. “He jus’ ‘on’t stay ‘ead, will ‘e?” A dusty orange pony shook his head, rubbing one eye uncomfortably. “What are we gonna do then? What if they come after me?” The purple pony with a whiter underside, glanced to the four nervously. “We’ve got an alibi for you. Don’t worry, they’re not going to arrest every single pony with a purple coloration. Hopefully.” The buttercup yellow pony was the only female of the group, and her blonde hair stood out like a sore thumb compared to her much darker colored friends. “I’m sure ‘Music Box’ over here has a plan.” All turned their heads toward the black pony, who rolled his eyes. “Look, we’re in a perfect position to find him as we are. We just need to be vigilant. Country Singer, Sprinter Surprise, Guitar String, Pizza Party. Those are your names here, right?” Glancing between them, Music Box received a nod from each pony in their respective order. “Got it?” Once more, all nodded. “Taking my break!” Fritz shouted back towards the manager and the other staff, who gave quick waves in response. Closing the back door behind him, Fritz sighed. ‘Would you like lies with that burger?’ Rubbing his forehead, Fritz wondered just why he had thought working here would be a good idea. Grimacing, his ears flickered, and he noticed voices coming from the front of the restaurant. Glancing around the corner, he narrowed his eyes, seeing five guards talking separately from the others. ‘Music Box huh…’ Eyes narrowing further, he listened in as the conversation continued. They were discussing the murderer, and how to best apprehend him. One of them, the one called Music Box, glanced in his direction, and he ducked behind the corner. Maybe he hadn’t been seen. “Yes, we saw you.” The five ponies slowly walked over, and looked to his nametag. Giving a nervous laugh, Fritz glanced toward the back door. “Uh, I kinda need to get back to…work…” Trailing off, Fritz had a feeling he would be taking a longer break than he had meant to. Music Box leaned down, looking into Fritz’s eyes. “Very well, but you better meet us here after your shift is over. We know where you work.” Stepping back, Music Box nodded to the others, and they returned to their original position. Turning, Fritz walked robotically back inside. “There you are! A five minute break is five minutes, not ten!” Pulled back to the desk by another member of staff, Fritz pushed his thoughts away for the moment. “S-So what do you know about him?” Fluttershy hid behind her cup, wondering if she was being too intrusive. “Not as much as you’d think. All I know for sure is he likely has access to the Restaurant, or somewhere close by, where he can store the bodies until it’s time to put them in front of the building.” Closing his eyes, the stallion sighed, rubbing his forehead. “T-There are guards patrolling the area,” offered Fluttershy. “It’s possible, but he won’t be easy to find. There is one thing I know for sure, and that’s the fact he is anything but reckless.” Narrowing his eyes, the stallion took a sip of his drink, and then closed them. “Thank you for letting me stay here. I don’t…think I can stand being in that town until he’s moved on.” Blinking his eyes open, the stallion noticed the comforting hoof placed on his shaking foreleg. “I understand, it’s quite scary to think somepony like that exists, and in our town too.” Giving a gentle smile, Fluttershy blinked as the stallion turned away, and gave a shudder. “Sorry,” was all he said in response. Fritz waited. It was so long his wait, that he almost considered leaving. Where were they? Leaning against the wall, he closed his eyes. “Sorry for the wait.” Opening his eyes, he was greeted by the sudden materialisation of the five guards. Jumping slightly, he tried to smile, but only managed a grimace. “So uh, what did you five want to talk about?” Once more grimacing, he began to sweat as Music Box began to get uncomfortably close. “Are you behind this?” Eyes narrowed, Music Box forced Fritz to look him directly in the eyes. Gulping, Fritz managed a shake of his head. “Is there anyone with a purple coat on the staff?” Popping his brown head up, Country Singer looked between them. “Uh no, why?” Confusion overcoming fear, Fritz frowned for a moment. Glancing back at the others, Music Box sighed, taking three steps back. “The murderer is purple, that’s all we know.” Music Box rubbed his temple, glancing back toward the four guards. Fritz slowly relaxed, realising that he wasn’t the target of their anger. “I’ll keep an eye out, but I haven’t seen much purple beyond the old uniforms.” Glancing toward the back door, Fitz wondered just when those rags had been discontinued. “Please do, we’ll be in touch.” Nodding once, the five turned in perfect sync, and walked away. Picking up his bag, Fritz began walking on his own way home. Luna glanced to the moon, and judged that everypony would be asleep by now. Closing her eyes, magic enveloped her horn, and she descended into the world of dreams. Flying past the dreams of many ponies, she quickly found the only dream that differed so drastically from that of the norm. Breathing in, she mustered her courage, and poked her head inside. The purple pony quietly hummed a tune as he chipped away at what was most likely his latest victim. If he noticed the intrusion to his dreams, he made no move suggesting so. Chuckling suddenly, he pulled out something from the body, and breathed in through his nose deeply. Opening his mouth, he began to- Jumping immediately back to reality, Luna reached for a nearby bucket and retched uncontrollably into it. Shuddering, she registered the door opening, and the form of her sister embracing her. Forcing back horrified tears, Luna placed the bucket down, and wiped her muzzle. “I-I have to do this,” she spoke to Celestia. Hugging her sister, Celestia closed her eyes, unable to stay properly awake, but wanting to be there for her sister. Giving a warm smile, Luna narrowed her eyes, and once more entered the dreamscape. Finding his dream, she dove right into it head first, and quickly began to stretch her power around the dream. The stallion noticed everything suddenly becoming a shimmering starry blue around him, and looked to what had been a body mere moments ago. Now, he was sitting at a blank table, and a midnight mare was staring daggers at him. Waving a hoof through the air, the stallion tested his power, smiling as words began to hover in the air between them. ’Look who got the courage to finally enter.’ Smile reaching both sides of his face, the stallion sniggered. “Laugh while you can, you can’t hide forever. We will find you murderer.” Slamming her hooves down, Luna made cracks appear, and dropped the stallion into a gaping hole that led to lava. Looking up toward it as he fell upside down, the smile never left his face. Being dangled inches from it, the stallion didn’t so much as flinch. ’We’ll see whose easier to find, and catch, when I manage to climb my way into your pretty little castle.’ Once more, words hovered in the air, and the stallion broke into maniacal laughter. Luna sighed, and they returned back to the desk with blank space around them. “We know you’re purple coloration! We can find out more about you. You can’t hide forever.” Smiling, Luna felt proud with the knowledge that this was indisputable fact. Maybe she could convince him to turn himself in. For a brief moment, the stallion stopped smiling, and frowned, pointing a hoof towards Luna. ‘It is quite easy to dye fur, surely you know this? You will find it hard to get anything out of my dreams, miss ‘Princess’, not even my voice.’ Smile once more returning, the stallion leaned forward on the desk, resting his head in his hooves. “Aha! But you do not know that Equestria does not have water-proof dye!” Realising her mistake, Luna swore mentally, but gave nothing away. The stallion’s smile grew, even with his face already brimming with it, and he chuckled. ’You have me there, I did not know that little fact. Thank you.’ Smirking, the stallion leaned back on the chair, and a thoughtful look emerged on his face. ’You know what? Let’s make a game out of this. For every bit of information you provide me, I’ll provide you something in return. As thanks for that little fact, here’s a bonus.’ Sniggering, he leaned forward, pointing a hoof at Luna. ’You’ll never catch me laughing.’ After saying this, the stallion, predictably, burst into laughter. Narrowing her eyes, Luna leaned over him, flaring her wings. “I will show you your worst nightmares! You will never have a good night’s rest while I am here!” Concentrating, Luna began working her magic already on the room. Surprisingly, the stallion merely looked at the room, smile fading as he gave it a distant look. ’Nightmares huh?’ Closing his eyes, he barked a short laugh. ’What could you possibly show me, that I have not already borne witness to?’ The room paused mid-change, and Luna hesitated. The stallion had a point. If his dreams were that horrifying, what could she show him that would be worse? Biting her lip, she let her magic run its course, and looked around the room. It was empty, there were no nightmares.