//------------------------------//
// Candy Coated (No. 91) 
// Story: The Hitlist 
// by TopWanted 
//------------------------------//

Previously on the Hitlist...


"All it takes is a little practice and anypony can become somepony else."

---

"Shut up, Pinkie!  I’ve had enough of your bullshit tonight!"

---

“I can tell when somepony is acting out of kindness.” 

---

“Shining Armor and I have no secrets from each other."

---

“If you won’t tell me what’s going on.  Then I will find out on my own.”




Candy Coated (No. 91)




It is often cold in Whinnyapolis.  The large metropolitan city nearly rivals Manehattan or Canterlot in its size yet not many ponies prefer to call it home.  In actuality Whinnyapolis is home to a more diverse collection of creatures than either the two cities or any other Equestrian town.  Since the city is so close to the northern mountains, and by extension the Crystal Empire, 15% of citizens are crystal ponies.  25% are griffins.  20% are dragons.  And only 40% are ponies.  In any normal situation a city like this would be lauded for its diversity, however Whinnyapolis currently holds the title of highest crime rate in Equestria.  Gangs of thieves and cutthroats prowl the streets at night in search of easy prey, while even more dangerous forces lie beneath the surface.  A pony would do well to get home before dark in the city to the north.

One month ago…

A sparkling blue crystal unicorn mare with a striped yellow and violet mane walked out of the diner where she worked.  The manager had left an hour ago and it was her turn to close up.  She pulled off her apron and slung it over her shoulder as she turned to lock the door.  When she turned back a smiling face greeted her.  She gasped in surprise and backed up as a brown earth pony in a red wool hat stepped toward her, his smile never faltering.  “Hey, mare, what’s up?” he mused with a tone like acid.

Her horn glowed and she levitated a small cylinder from her apron pocket.  “Get out of here before I spray you with mace,” she said as fearlessly as she could.

The earth pony chuckled.  “Oh, looks like this kitten’s got some fangs.”  He waved a hoof in dismissal.  “Don’chu worry nothin’, ma’am.  I ain’t gonna do anything to you.  I simply want inside.”

The mare looked behind her at the diner and frowned.  “You want to rob a diner?  Is that seriously what the criminals of this city are coming to now?”

The earth pony scowled and whistled through his teeth.  The mare looked past him as a couple of other ponies including a griffin walked out from the alleyways toward them.  “I ain’t gonna ask again, little lady.  Either hand over the keys or get yourself in trouble.”

The mare eyed him before sighing and dropping the keys from her apron.  She stood to the side as the criminals chuckled and walked past her inside.  The earth pony stopped at the door and turned to the mare.  “Good call.”  He whistled again and two of his gang circled around behind the mare to grab her.  The mare was caught off guard as the two hooked their hooves under her forelegs and held her up, unable to move.  She tried to yell but the leader clapped a hoof to her mouth and did a swing upward at her horn.  The mare screamed in shock as her horn was ripped off by a strong blow and she passed out from shock.  “Take her inside.  We can probably get a couple bits out of her later.”  He put her chin in his hoof and turned her unconscious face side to side admiring it.  “She’s not that bad lookin’ even without the horn.”

His gang had already begun tearing up the small diner as the leader entered, the other two carrying the mare behind him.  They set her on a chair and went to work alongside the others.  “Hey boss!” the griffin shouted from the kitchen.  “There’s like twenty pounds of aged cheddar back here.”

“Oh, that’s the good stuff,” another pony said as he rubbed his stomach.  “Put that on a lettuce and tomato sandwich with toast, delicious!”

“Yeah, you and your stomach,” the leader muttered.  “We’re not here for the cheese, just trash the place and grab the bits.”

“Hey, boss,” a smaller blue pony with a bandana spoke up.  “Don’t mean to be rude, but why are we robbin’ a diner?”

“Cause we’re low profile,” the boss said with a grin, “for now.  Soon as we make a name for ourselves we’ll be playing with the big leagues.”

“Speaking of big leagues,” the pony who loved cheese spoke up, “You guys hear about that rumor going around?”

“No, what?” the griffin replied from the kitchen, his mouth full.

“Apparently this is news from the underworld, you know, the baddest of the bad guys?  Well, word on the street is that there’s some big high profile bounty on somepony.”

The boss’s ears perked up.  “You got a name?”

The pony frowned as he tried to recall everything he’d heard.  “I think it was supposed to be one of those Elements of Harmony.  Apparently somepony hates their guts.”

“How much he hate them?” the boss asked with an evil smile.

“800 million bits.”  The whole gang stopped for a moment and whistled in appreciation at the amount.

“That sounds like a dump truck full a’ bits!” the bandana pony shouted.

“Indeed it does,” the boss said.  “You got a contact for this info?”

“Stallion I know on the upper west side told me,” the pony replied.  “Nice guy.  Makes a terrible cherry tart.”

“I think mines pretty good,” came a feminine voice from behind them.  The boss and the other ponies trashing the joint turned but saw nopony there.

“You say somethin’, boss?” the griffin asked.

“No!” the boss shouted back.  “And which one of you moved the mare?”

The members of the gang all shrugged.  The boss went over to the chair where they’d left her and examined it.  Blood from her horn wound was still present and dripping down onto the floor but the mare was nowhere in sight.  He uneasily reached out to the small pool of blood before a drop of the same red liquid fell on his hoof.  He drew his hoof back in confusion as he gulped and looked up.  The mare stared back at him from the ceiling, her face a bloody mess with an insane grin plastered across her face.  “Hello,” she cooed.

The boss tried to jump back but the mare was too fast.  She pounced down on him and chomped down on his ear, biting it off.  The boss screamed in pain as the mare seemed to slither her body around him and locked her hooves under his chin and above his head.  She twisted her grip and the boss’s neck made a sound like a snap before his body crumpled to the floor.  Everypony else in the diner watched in horror as the events unfolded.

The mare steadily stood, or more seemed to slither back up as if her body had no bones to speak of.  She stood tall and rolled her shoulders before placing a hoof on her forehead.  She pulled it back and looked at the blood for a moment before sticking her tongue out and licking the blood dripping from her face. She grinned as she turned and saw the attention of the room on her.  “You know, I was beginning to really like this horn.”

“G… Get her!” the bandana pony shouted.  He and another pony charge as the cheese lover ducked behind the counter.  He didn’t see what happened but heard as the sound of his friend’s bones cracking echoed through the diner.  He didn’t even hear them scream before their bodies hit the floor. 

The griffin followed suit as he burst out from the kitchen and flew at her.  The mare slammed a hoof against a table and a knife was launched into the air.  She grabbed it and slid under the attack before driving the knife into the griffin’s heart and cutting him down the middle.  The griffin slammed into the front window of the diner as his body crumpled to the sidewalk in a pool of blood. 

The mare looked around at her hoofiwork and began to count.  “One two, three, four… Now, now.  Think you can hide from me?”  The pony shook uncontrollably as he hid beneath the bar.  The mare noticed a utensil on the bar begin to vibrate.  She smiled wickedly as she sauntered over.  The pony screamed in shock as the bar was ripped out of its foundation.  He scooted along the floor to the wall as he looked up at the mare lifting the whole bar counter over her head.  “There you are,” she laughed.

“What the hay are you?!” he shouted hysterically.

The mare let the bar drop behind her as she walked forward.  “Now what kind of a question is that to ask a lady?”

He rifled with the window behind him, trying to find something to throw at her or protect himself with.  He grabbed a glass of water and without thinking tossed it at her.  The mare simply let it smash against her.  She chuckled as she wiped the water from her face.  “You done?”

The pony looked on in horror as the crystal blue in her coat began to wash away, replaced by an almost feverish shade of pink.  Her mane’s color was also changing, replaced with blood red.  “What are you?!” he shouted again.

The mare grinned ear to ear and hefted the bar to the side.  “Just a pony that likes to pretend.  What about you?”  She leaned in close to his face and whispered in his ear.  “Do you like to pretend?”

“Pretend what?” he asked, scared out of his wits.

“That you’re alive, silly!” she chuckled.  “Everypony’s dead inside.  I’m just the only one that seems to get it.”  She drew back her blood covered knife.  The pony screwed his eyes shut in preparation for the worst.  She was about to bring it down when something recurred to her.  She leaned down to the pony again and tapped him on the head.  He opened his eyes with a start.  “Hey, that whole thing about a bounty.  That true?”

The pony eagerly shook his head, trying to please the psychotic mare.  “Yeahyeahyeah.  I swear!  I heard it from a friend!”

“And you’ll tell me where this friend is without me having to do anything unsavory?”  She flicked the knife back and forth.

“Of course!” he told her everything he knew and how to find out more.  She nodded in appreciation before jumping up and down in excitement.

“Oooooh!  This is going to be so much super duper fun!” she chanted.  “I was getting bored of Whinnyapolis anyway.  Ponyville, huh?”

“S-So you’ll let me go?” the pony asked.

The mare stopped bouncing and looked at the pony for a moment, seeming to consider something.  Finally she shrugged.  “Nah, your seriously uncute.”  She flung the knife toward him as it impale him through the chest killing him instantly.  She turned around and began brushing off the paint that had covered her coat for the past couple of months under this identity.  She began to think of all the fun she could have with 800 million bits.  “Ooooh!  This is going to be fun fun fun!”

---

Twilight opened her eyes groggily and yawned.  At first she was unfazed as she found herself in her room at the castle like always, but then she remembered what had happened.  She had come home from a long day in Canterlot and then she broke down and cried in Applejack’s hooves.  Remembering her tears brought back the memories that created them and she shivered.  Then she noticed something.

Applejack slept soundly on the sofa in her room with her Stetson hat draped over her head.  Her hoof was still wrapped in a black cast though she slept around it by letting it hang off the side of the couch.  Twilight smiled at the fact that her friend had stayed and probably even carried her to bed when she’d fallen asleep crying.  The bad memories began to fade away as she chuckled at Applejack letting out a small snore.

Twilight leaned back in bed and looked up at her ceiling, a colorful mosaic of stars adorning it.  This was what she wanted to protect.  This was why she was working with Redwood and her brother.  To protect things like Applejack’s snoring.  To protect this sense of calm that she’d always loved about Ponyville.  She let out a small melancholy sigh as she closed her eyes again, just wanting to let this moment last one minute longer.

“Mornin’, Twi,” Applejack said as she got up and stretched.

Twilight regretfully opened her eyes but smiled at her.  “Good morning, Applejack.”

Applejack returned the smile before getting embarrassed and looking off to the side.  “Um, Ah can make some breakfast fer us if ya want?”

Twilight sniffed the air and smiled.  “I think Spike’s got that covered.”

Applejack sniffed and noticed the distinct smell of haycakes.  She was proud of her cooking skills but Spike’s smelled pretty good too.  “Yeah, Ah guess he does.”

An awkward moment followed and the two rubbed the back of their necks in silence.  “I just wanted…” they both spoke at the same time and laughed.

“You first,” Applejack said.

“No, you,” Twilight replied.

Applejack nodded.  “Alright… Twilight, Ah just wanted to say Ah’m sorry fer accusin’ you like that.  Sometimes Ah ferget that even though Ah’m the Element of Honesty, not everypony will… or even should be upfront with me.  Everypony is entitled to their secrets, even me.  Ah want you to know that… while Ah know you’re keepin’ a secret, Ah understand that it’s your secret to keep and if you feel like it would hurt fer us to be a part of it then Ah understand.”

Twilight nearly felt like crying again.  To hear Applejack just say those words was impressive but to hear that she was willing to give up her pride to let Twilight keep a secret meant that they were truly friends.  Suddenly she felt like the truth and hiding it didn’t matter anymore.  The weight of the past few weeks seemed to recede and the only thing she could think of was telling Applejack everything.  She took a deep breath.  “Applejack, I-”

“Breakfast is on!” Spike pronounced proudly as he walked in the room uninvited.  He wore a small apron with the words “dragons do it right” on it.  He spied Twilight sitting up in bed.  “Oh.  Glad you’re already up.  When Applejack brought you in I was worried.”

Twilight smiled at her assistant.  “I’m fine, Spike.”

“So what did you wanna say, Twi?” Applejack asked.

Twilight opened her mouth but shut it as a thought occurred to her.  “You know what?  I’ll tell you later when the whole gang’s together.”

Applejack chuckled.  “Sounds like a plan.”  Then she frowned.  “Though I think it may be hard to get Rainbow or Pinkie Pie.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow as she got out of bed.  “Why?”

Applejack chewed her lip as she thought.  “Not sure.  Rainbow just hasn’t left her house in a while and Pinkie shut herself in her room all day yesterday.”

Twilight probably knew why Rainbow had been so elusive, but she couldn’t figure why Pinkie would.  “I’ll go talk to Rainbow.  See if I can find out anything.”

Applejack nodded appreciatively.  “Thanks, Twi.  Ah’d volunteer, but… no wings.”  The two shared a brief laugh and walked downstairs with Spike to have breakfast.

---

Cadence set down in the courtyard of the Crystal Heart, just having flown back from Canterlot.  Shining Armor had opted to stay since after the death of Inferno, Celestia had been bombarding the ex-captain with questions.  She didn’t exactly envy her husband’s situation though she did wonder if hers was any worse.

“Thank you for letting me stay here for a while, Cadence,” Luna said as they walked through the gates to the Crystal Castle.  The princess of the night had apparently had a little falling out with her older sister after the Summit.  Right before leaving Cadence was blindsided by her aunt with a declaration that she would be visiting the Crystal Empire.  In truth, Cadence didn’t think anything of it at first.  In fact, she’d been looking for an opportunity to get to know her long lost aunt a little better.  Unfortunately, Luna couldn’t stop talking about Celestia.  “I just don’t know what she was thinking!  I mean, if there was a clear and present danger then she should have halted or at least rescheduled the Summit!”

“Yes, Aunty Luna,” Cadence mumbled as they continued to walk through the halls.  They finally came to the large double doors that led to the throne room.  To her surprise, Cadence saw a pale yellow earth pony with a blonde mane standing by her door.  She wore a brown coat and a warm brown hat that made it appear as if she’d just walked in from a snowstorm.  Her cutie mark was in the shape of a cup of coffee.

“Princess!” the pony said with a slightly odd accent as she saw her approach.  “I’m glad your back.”

Cadence paused at the door to speak to her.  “Yes, can I help you?”

The pony reached into her coat and pulled out a small golden shield with the initials W.P.D on it.  “My name is Detective Cold Case.  I’ve been trying to get a meeting with you for a couple of weeks now but your staff keeps pushing me back.”

Cadence frowned.  “Well, I’m sorry to hear that.  But unfortunately it’s been a rather long couple of days and I don’t know if I can handle a meeting right now.”

She opened the door to her throne room and walked in with Luna by her side.  Cold Case followed her.  “Princess, please.  I know how busy you must be but I’m here on official Whinnyapolis business.”

Luna paused and turned to Cold Case.  “Whinnyapolis?”

Cold Case suddenly seemed to take notice of Luna.  “Oh, I’m sorry, your majesty I really didn’t mean to speak out of turn.”

Luna waved a dismissive hoof.  “No, it’s alright.  What does a policemare from Whinnyapolis want from the Crystal Empire?”

Cadence stopped and turned back to the conversation.  “This happens more often than you’d think.  After the Empire returned many crystal ponies decided to leave.  Whinnyapolis is our closest city in proximity so many end up going there.”

Cold Case nodded.  “Mmhmm.  Though it pains me to say that some of those folks aren’t that lucky with their new lives.”

Cadence lowered her head in slight despair.  “Every now and then we get word that a crystal pony has died or was even involved in some… less than reputable actions.”  She turned back to Cold Case.  “So if that is the reason you’re here detective, then I’m sorry but I simply can’t deal with tragic news right now.”

Cold Case waved her hooves in protest.  “No, princess!  I’m not here for that.  Though it still might be a bit depressing.  I’m following up on a missing pony’s reports.”

Cadence’s ears perked up.  Luna was the first to respond.  “What exactly does that entail, detective?”

Cold Case pulled out a small notepad and began to flip through it.  “About a month ago there was a ponycide downtown.  Not surprising considering the area.”  Cadence gave Luna a look that said, ‘you see?’  “However what’s odd about it was that a crystal pony by the name of Blue Quartz disappeared right after.  The site was a diner and the owner called in the ponycide first.  His waitress the pony in question didn’t come in for another couple days so the boss filed a missing pony’s report.”

Cadence frowned.  “You think something could have happened to this Blue Quartz?”

Cold Case looked at Cadence over her notepad and folded it back into her pocket.   She sighed as she looked at the ground and bit her lip.  “On the contrary, princess.  I think she’s the suspect.”

---

The pony that until a month ago had been Blue Quartz, sat in a small darkly lit room.  She gazed at the pictures adorning the wall of the hotel room she’d rented out.  The wall was literally covered from top to bottom in secret photos taken of the Elements of Harmony.  She had been in Ponyville close to three weeks now and after so many days of surveillance she was ready to make her move.

A small trickle of something warm and red rolled down her muzzle and close to her lips.  She shot her tongue out and licked it before putting a hoof to her forehead and groaning as she pulled away a bloody bandage.  “Ugh, this might complicate things.”

The horn had been surgically grafted close to a year ago so no vital nerve endings had been damaged or hurt.  Though now that it was out, there was no going back.  At least not until she got her bits.  The pony sat in the middle of the room, the bed and dresser pushed off to the side to give her all the room she could need.  She had some deciding to do.

She looked at a picture of the Elements all playing with their pets in the park.  She focused her eyes on Fluttershy.  “Seems the most obvious choice.  No familial connection nearby.  Lives in the woods, so secluded.”  She turned her attention to a picture of Fluttershy playing with the animals at her house.  “Though animals can smell a fake quite well.”  She shrugged and ripped Fluttershy’s pictures off the wall.

Her attention then turned to Twilight.  “Or maybe I just skip the middlemare and go for you, princess,” she giggled.  She stroked a hoof on a picture of Twilight sleeping on a couch surrounded by books.  “Then again, that might be tough considering the situation.  Don’t want anypony coming after me.”

She tore Twilight’s pictures down as well and then tore through Applejack and Rarity’s.  “Two left,” she smiled viciously.  “Who to choose?  Who to choose?”  A picture of Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash laughing together was all that was left on the bare wall.  “On the one hoof, one’s been a loner ever since that traumatic experience a couple weeks back.”  Her smile grew wider as she looked to Pinkie.  “On the other hoof,” she ripped Rainbow out of the picture and pulled Pinkie’s picture closer.  “This one would be a lot more fun.”

---

Cloudy Gust waited stalwartly outside the door to the throne room.  Inside were two ponies that she respected above all else, and they were discussing how to punish her.

Honestly though, Cloudy couldn’t blame them.  What she had done during the Summit was reckless and nearly cost some very important ponies their lives.  After Princess Celestia had finished debriefing Shining Armor, her turn would be next.  Though she had no idea how she was going to explain her actions.

The door opened slightly and Shining Armor stuck his neck out.  “Captain, it’s time.”

Cloudy nodded and walked into the room, ready to accept whatever fate awaited her.  Shining Armor walked alongside her, which helped a little, as she approached the princess in her throne.  “Captain Gust,” she greeted.

Cloudy gave a deep bow.  “Your majesty.”

Celestia’s face was emotional to be sure, though Cloudy could see no sign of malice in it.  She sighed as she spoke on.  “First of all, I’d like to thank you for your discretion in these… trying times.”

“Of course, princess,” Cloudy replied militarily.

Celestia smiled a little and continued on.  “Both Shining Armor and I have been notified as to the choices you made during the Summit.”  Her smile faltered.  “While I cannot condone such a brash action, I will thank you for ending the situation without Inferno and I having to trade blows.”  Her expression became serious.  “But that does not alleviate the trouble that your actions have caused.”

Shining Armor spoke up.  “Your majesty, I understand that this could have gone better, but can I just state that if I were in the same situation I would most likely have done the same.”  Cloudy looked to him and gave him a small smile that said “thank you.”

“You’re feelings are noted, Prince Armor,” Celestia stated in a less informal manner.  “However this is not a matter of what you would have done.  It is what Captain Gust is responsible for.”  Cloudy hung her head as Celestia continued on.  “I recognize the duty of the Guard is primarily to protect myself as well as my sister.  However, I must remind you that we can take care of ourselves.  In a situation like this you must take into account all life.  While my sister and I might have been safe from the effects of oxygen deprivation, many other ponies weren’t.”

Cloudy tried to butt in.  “I understand that, princess, but I-”

Celestia raised a hoof to silence her.  Cloudy lowered her head again which made Celestia shake her head with a sigh.  “I thank you for your concern and your stellar duty, captain.  However, I have come to notice a certain trend in your actions.  You have isolated yourself from others.  You have let the call of duty override your own life.”  A small smile crept up on her.  “Therefore I have a ‘punishment’ that I believe will be beneficial to both you and our mutual friend.”

Cloudy raised an eyebrow in confusion and turned to Shining Armor.  The prince rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly as he tried to avoid eye contact.  “It’s just going to be for a little while,” he assured her.

“What is?” she asked.

---

Rainbow lay with her face in pillows, still in her nightgown.  She hadn’t left her house in a couple days now, often calling in sick for weather duty.  A knock came from her door and she groaned as she slumped off her bed to the floor.  “It’s open,” she murmured.

Twilight let herself in and immediately drew a hoof to her nose as she looked at the mess around her.  “Ugh!  Rainbow how can you live like this?”

Rainbow placed her head on the floor and began to slump forward with her back legs until she’d made it to the kitchen.  “Easy,” she mumbled again.  “Just don’t think about it.”

Twilight frowned as she followed her friend to the kitchen.  “Any reason you refuse to stand up?”

Rainbow tried to reach for a high cabinet but since her head never left the floor her legs just weren’t long enough.  Twilight reached above her and pulled out a bowl for her.  Rainbow took it reluctantly.  “I don’t deserve to stand up,” she mumbled.  “In fact I don’t deserve anything.”

Twilight was getting concerned now.  Sure Rainbow had been through something she could only imagine, but the usually chipper Pegasus often hid her insecurities through a veneer of showboating or jokes.  She hadn’t seen Rainbow this dejected since she found out her pet turtle Tank had to hibernate during the winter.  “What do you mean?”

Rainbow finally lifted her head a little as she frowned at Twilight.  She got out a box of oats and began to pour it into the bowl.  “I… I did something that’s pretty hard to take back.”

Twilight walked over to Rainbow and put a hoof on her shoulder.  “Rainbow, you can tell me what’s bothering you.”

Rainbow looked at Twilight with a smile for a second, then a painful flash of memory shot through her.  She remembered that feeling of electricity pulsing through her and the lies written by that Mailmare.  She flinched and backed away from Twilight.  “I just… did something bad, okay?  And I don’t feel like talking about it.”  She walked over to her fridge and pulled out some milk.  “Do… Do you?”

Twilight blinked.  “Pardon?”

Rainbow bit her lip.  “It’s just…  When I was captured by that… well he talked a lot about you.”

Twilight’s eyes widened.  This was the first tie she’d heard this.  She wondered if the Mailmare had told Rainbow everything.  About the bounty as well.  She cleared her throat hesitantly.  “Actually that’s kind of one of the reasons that I came here, besides to get you out.  There’s something I need to tell you, all of you.  And I don’t want to do it until we’re all together.”

Rainbow poured the milk in her oats.  She gave Twilight a curious look before shrugging with a sigh.  “Alright.”

“Great!” Twilight responded happily.  “We’d better get going.  I want us to all meet at Sugarcube Corner.”

Rainbow’s eyes widened and she spit out her first bite of oats.  “Um, uh, how about I just meet you there?”

Twilight nodded.  “Okay.  And please clean this place up a little bit.”

“No promises.”  Twilight rolled her eyes as she left the kitchen and closed the front door.  Rainbow sat at her table and began to rub her hooves into her temples.  She needed to prepare herself if she was going to apologize to Pinkie Pie.

---

Cadence, Luna and Detective Cold Case had adjourned themselves to the study where Cold Case presented the situation.  She reached into her coat and pulled out a manila folder.  “This is all the information on the ponycide last month.”  She placed the folder on a table, it falling like a feather.  She then reached into the saddle bag she carried drew out a large stack of similar manila folders.  “And this is all the lists of similar ponycides across Equestria I sanctioned from various other task forces.”  She let it plop down next to the smaller folder with a slam.

Luna looked at the enormous stack.  “I’m sorry, detective.  What do you mean similar ponycides?”

Cadence went to pick up the small folder but Cold Case placed a warning hoof on her before she could.  “I wouldn’t look in there unless you’re ready to see some bad things, princess.”  Cadence nodded shakily and backed away.  “In answer to your question, your majesty.  This quintuple murder in Whinnyapolis was unlike anything I or anypony else on the force had seen.  The perp took out four earth ponies and a griffin single hoofed.  In fact the establishment’s bar counter was ripped clean from its foundation and tossed to the side like a branch.  It wasn’t until I learned about the missing mare that I contacted you, princess.  However the murder itself had me contemplating.”

Cold Case began to pace.  “Everything was too clean.  If you saw the scene you’d agree that whatever happened it was over too quickly for there to be any real struggle.  Whoever attacked these four was skilled.  As in, most likely done this before skilled.  So I followed up by contacting some friends I have in surrounding cities, even reached all the way to Baltimare, asking about any similar unsolved cases.  This is what I got.”  She pointed to the large stack.

Luna brought a hoof to her mouth in disgust as she looked at the stack.  “I… I thought this was the Age of Harmony?”

Cold Case sighed with a chuckle.  “That’s what Princess Celestia likes to promote, yes.  But the truth of the matter is that things haven’t changed a lot since the dark ages.”  She caught herself and hurriedly bowed.  “I- I’m sorry, princess.  I meant no disrespect to your sister.”

Luna frowned a bit, though her attitude was not directed toward Cold Case.  “No, you have nothing to apologize for, detective.”

Cold Case continued on.  “Anyway, I found a common factor connecting all these murders.  In each one, a pony went missing.  Most of the time a mare.”

“I thought you said Blue Quartz was the murderer,” Cadence spoke up.  “If this criminal is foalnapping ponies from murder sites then wouldn’t that make her the victim?”

“Normally,” Cold Case agreed, “however something doesn’t feel quite right about this.  And since your staff gave me plenty of time to do some research while I waited to speak with you, I talked to a couple of ponies that were directly related to some of the victims.  They professed to seeing the missing ponies exhibit odd, often unusual behavior.”

Cadence narrowed her eyes.  “What are you saying, detective?”

“I’m saying that there might be a chameleon killer on the loose.”

---

Applejack strolled through Ponyville on her way to see Pinkie Pie.  Twilight had gone to see Rainbow Dash as well.  Between the two of them she was hoping they could comfort their friends and get them out of whatever funk had afflicted them.  Last she saw of Pinkie Pie, the premier party pony had holed herself up in her room in Sugarcube Corner so that’s where Applejack was headed.

While she was walking down the street a door opened up with a loud array of flashing lights and music.  A white unicorn with a neon blue mane and purple shades stumbled out.  She shook her head to regain her balance as she covered her eyes from the sun.  Applejack noticed the tough time the pony was having and decided to help her out.  The unicorn stumbled as she descended the stairs to the building she was in and Applejack caught her.  “Easy now, partner,” she chuckled.  The unicorn straightened herself up and nodded a thank you to her.  “Ah know you, right?  From Cadence and Shining Armor’s weddin’?  What was it… Vinyl Scratch?”

Vinyl nodded again and smiled.  Applejack smiled back.  “Don’t talk much, huh?  Hey, you know Pinkie Pie, right?”  Vinyl nodded again.  “Great, maybe you can help me pull her away from her room.  She seems to be in some kind of bad mood.”  Vinyl tilted her head and looked again at the sun before shrugging.  “Alright, let’s go.”

The two began to walk in silence as Vinyl never seemed to react to anything around her, even stumbling into things on the street as well.  “Uh, you sure you can see out of those things?” Applejack asked.  Vinyl gave a dismissive wave of her hoof and walked on.  Though she asked that Applejack was pretty sure she knew what was really causing the unicorn’s discombobulation.  Hittin’ the cider pretty hard, eh, she thought.

“So Ah don’t know that much about ya,” Applejack spoke on.  “You and that fancy pony, Octavia, live just outside town, right?”  Vinyl nodded.  “So are ya sisters or…?”  Vinyl smiled and shook her head before tilting her head in thought.  She smirked and made a weird motion with her hooves.  Applejack wasn’t sure what it meant but for some reason it made her blush.  “Yeah, Ah can see why you and Pinkie might be friends.”

Applejack had never felt so awkward.  In truth, she had been meaning to learn a little more about her neighbors.  Perhaps even expand her inner circle of friends.  However, she hadn’t felt this uncomfortable since she had to meet Pinkie’s older sister Maud.  Though looking back on that encounter she could now see that Pinkie had a certain type of pony she liked to be around.  “Soooo… you’re both musicians, right?  That must be interestin’.”  Vinyl simply nodded.  

Applejack sighed with relief as they finally reached Sugarcube Corner.  She was surprised to see a line beginning to form outside the café.  Applejack and Vinyl walked to the door and scooted their way through.  “Hey!  No cuts!” a pony shouted.

“We’re not here to eat,” Applejack said.  “Just here to see a friend.”

“Applejack?” came a familiar motherly voice.  Cup Cake approached the farmpony while balancing three trays of desserts and drinks.  On either side of her in saddle pouches were the infamous Cake twins giggling and trying to interfere with their mother’s work.  “Oh thank goodness you’re here.”

“Is Pinkie not here today?” Applejack asked.

“On the contrary,” Cup Cake sighed.  “She’s upstairs, but she doesn’t want to open the door to me.  We’ve been swamped all morning.  Maybe you could go up and talk to her?”

Applejack tipped her hat.  “Ah’ll certainly try.  Come on, Vinyl.”  She and Vinyl headed to the stairs before a blur of pink shot past them from the front door and darted into the kitchen.  Applejack and Vinyl looked at each other blankly before Pinkie popped her head out.

“Hey, Applejack!  Hey, Vinyl!  Wish I could talk but can’t!  Lotsa hungry tummies!”  Pinkie dashed back into the kitchen where Mister Cake was.  He let out a yelp of surprise as Pinkie rushed around him in a pink blur and prepared more desserts than he could even process.  She dashed back out and instantly restocked the display case before flashing over to Cup Cake and grabbing her trays.  Pinkie served the designated tables in an almost imperceptible speed and then stopped in front of Applejack and Vinyl.

“Pinkie, how did you do that so quickly?”  Applejack asked.  Vinyl nodded with a grin.

“Even I’m not that fast,” Pinkie replied as she lifted her back legs to reveal roller skates.  She rolled forward a little and began to skate a little circle.

Cup Cake walked up to them.  “Well, I’m glad to see your doing better, Pinkie.”

“I’m doing just peachy kean!” Pinkie replied.  She caught sight of the twins and smiled even wider.  “Aww, you two are just too adorable!”

Pound Cake lips began to tremble as Pinkie reached out to pet him and he began to bawl, Pumpkin joined in soon after.  “Oh no,” Cup Cake moaned.  “I’ll put them down for a bit.  Pinkie could I ask you to-”

“No problem,” Pinkie saluted and rolled over to the counter.  Cup Cake smiled and walked upstairs.

“Ah can help too,” Applejack added.  Vinyl nodded her agreement as well.

“Okay,” Pinkie agreed.  “Vinyl, you take the counter.  Applejack you help Mister Cake in the back.  And I’ll help serve.”

“Sounds good.”  Applejack headed for the kitchen but Vinyl stayed still for a second giving Pinkie an odd look before shrugging.  Close to an hour passed as the three including Mister Cake and Cup Cake who had finished putting the twins down, went about their work.  Many customers found it odd that a seemingly mute pony was taking their orders, but she never seemed to get it wrong.  Applejack was having fun in the back talking with Mister Cake as they prepared various different treats.  On the floor, Pinkie skated around while humming a happy tune while Cup Cake helped her take orders at the tables.  Finally the customers began to die down and the café slowed down enough for everypony to take a break.

Applejack and Mister Cake walked out of the kitchen, Mister Cake slumping into a chair.  “Ugh, remind me again how we ever managed this place without Pinkie Pie?” he muttered.

“Oh you,” Pinkie laughed as she skated past him and dropped a cupcake in his lap.  She did this for everypony present.

“Ah got to hoof it to ya, Pinkie,” Applejack said as she took a bite of the cupcake, “ah never imagined anypony’s job was as difficult as mine.”

“I’m glad you seem to be feeling better, dear,” Cup Cake smiled.  “Though why did you leave without telling us?  I thought you were still in your room.”

Pinkie laughed.  “Sorry, I just needed to rush out and get these skates.”

“So you went out the window?” Mister Cake asked incredulously.

“Eeyup, that sounds about right,” Applejack muttered.  Everypony shared a small laugh.  “So what were you all choked up about in the first place, sugarcube?”

“Well,” Pinkie began but another pony entered the café to interrupt her.

“Here’s where you all were,” Rarity said.

“Rarity!” Pinkie shouted happily as she threw her hooves around her.  “You missed out on a super fun morning!”

Rarity chuckled as she pried the pink pony off of her.  “Yes, well.  As fun as it may be, Twilight sent me here to gather you all.”

“Ah thought we were meetin’ here?” Applejack asked.

“Well, she has something to talk about and she told me to bring you all to the castle.  Fluttershy should be acquiring Rainbow Dash.”

“Okey dokey lokey,” Pinkie said and removed her apron.  “Mrs. Cake, would you mind if I go?”

Cup Cake chuckled.  “Pinkie when have you ever spoken that formally.  And sure.”

Pinkie hopped out the door following Rarity.

Applejack shrugged and began to leave.  She turned to Vinyl as they exited the café.  “Well, it was nice gettin’ to know you, Ah guess.”  Vinyl reached out a hoof and Applejack accepted it with a small hoofbump.  The white unicorn began to walk away.

Pinkie hopped back in and leaned toward Applejack.  “I think that means she likes you,” she giggled.  Applejack smirked and tried to swat her friend with her hat but the pink pony merely dodged with her skates.  They followed after Rarity.

---

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash touched down on the lawn in front of Twilight’s castle.  “Okay, so how is this so important that we have to meet at Twilight’s again?” she asked despairingly.

Fluttershy shrugged.  “I’m not sure.  Twilight just said that everypony had to meet her at the castle.”

They knocked twice on the door and Spike answered, his face slightly grim.  “Oh, hey Rainbow, Fluttershy.”

“Everything okay, Spike?” Rainbow asked.  Spike sighed as he just pushed the door open and bid them enter.

“You’ll see for yourself,” he groaned.

The two pegasi entered the large hallway and immediately heard a racket in the throne room.  “At least let me keep my uniform, sir!” a familiar voice blurted out.

“This is a secret mission, captain,” Shining Armor replied.  “Being in uniform would just draw too much unwanted attention to Twilight.”

Rainbow and Fluttershy walked into the throne and Rainbow froze as she saw a familiar face.  Cloudy Gust was out her red uniform and arguing with Shining Armor about something.  Twilight sat at her throne as well with a look of dejected confusion.

“Shiny, I have to agree,” she spoke up.  “This is overkill even for the princess.”

Shining turned to his sister.  “It’s not going to be for too long.  Just a couple of weeks… months tops.”

“Months!?” Cloudy shouted.  “I’m not staying here for a couple months!”

“Vice Captain Trigger Finger and I will take over most of your duties while you’re gone,” Shining continued unfazed.  “Rest assured.  This is far from a demotion.  Your position is still intact for when the princess decides to reinstate you.”

“So this is just a fancy form of house arrest,” Cloudy scowled.  “Now I see what you had to go through, Sparkle.”

It was Shining’s turn to scowl.  “Captain!  She is your princess and you will keep that in mind when addressing her.”

Cloudy opened her mouth to reply but shut it as she saw the seriousness in Shining’s eyes.  “Yes, sir.”

Shining finally noticed the two pegasi join them.  “Good to see you two.  And you Rainbow Dash.  I hope everything went well with those sessions.”

“Wait, sessions?” Twilight asked quizzically.

Rainbow threw Shining a death glare that made even him freeze up.  Rainbow finally let out a sigh as she sat in her throne.  “It’s nothing, alright?”

A brief silence followed as Shining cleared his throat.  “Yes, well, regardless I’m glad to see you’re okay.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she grumbled.

“Howdy, ya’ll,” Applejack’s voice came from the entrance to the throne room.  Everypony turned to see her enter with Pinkie Pie and Rarity.

“We’re all here Twilight,” Rarity said.  “So what’s this all about?”

The six all took their seat and Shining and Cloudy stood beside Twilight.  Twilight was about to speak when Pinkie suddenly slipped off her seat and crashed to the floor.  “Pinkie, are you alright?”

Pinkie jumped back up immediately and dusted herself off.  “I’m fine!  Just… wanted to see what it’s like on sitting on the floor today.”

Twilight and the others raised their eyebrows.  “Okay…  Anyway I needed to tell all of you something important but now my brother’s dropped this on me so…”  She pointed to Cloudy who simply glared at the six.  “You all remember Captain Gust?”

“Yeah,” Rainbow grumbled along with everypony else.

“Good, because she’s going to be staying here for a while,” Twilight finished.  Rainbow was about to interject when Twilight spoke up again.  “Just until Princess Celestia deems her able to return to her duties.”

Rainbow became curious.  “What did she do?”

Cloudy buttoned up but Shining cleared his throat to answer.  “There were some… indiscretions committed a couple days ago.”

“I heard she nearly killed a couple of ponies,” Pinkie spat out with a smile.  At first everypony looked at her in surprise that such a fun loving pony would say something so blunt and cruel but then Rainbow drew their attention as she laughed out loud.

“Guess you’re not the wonderpony you seem to be,” she mocked.

Cloudy ground her teeth and slammed her hooves on the table.  “Hey, what’s your problem?”

“My problem!?” Rainbow shot back.  “You’re the one that apparently nearly killed somepony.”

“It’s not like I meant it,” Cloudy hissed.  “I noticed this before, what’s your deal with me?”

Rainbow pulled her head back as her cheeks went red.  “I… I don’t have a deal with you!”  Rainbow’s eyes widened as an idea came to her.  “And to prove it, how about a race!  Right here, right now!  That’ll prove I don’t have a deal!”

Applejack rubbed the back her neck awkwardly.  “Uh, hate to say it, sugarcube.  But that sounds like the very definition of a ‘havin’ a deal’.”

Cloudy narrowed her eyes at Rainbow.  “Fine!  If it gets you off my back.”  The two pegasi dashed out the window to the castle grounds, leaving everypony behind.

Twilight sighed as she rubbed her temples.  “Well, that worked out well.”

“Come on,” Applejack sighed.  “Let’s go see if we can’t stop them from hurtin’ each other.”

Everypony dejectedly left their seats and walked to the front door, except one pony who stayed behind.  “Are you coming, Pinkie?” Fluttershy asked.

“Uh, yeah!  One sec!” Pinkie replied.  When she was sure she was alone she looked at the throne with the three balloons symbol.  Pinkie reached out to it and received a jolt of energy.  She snatched her hoof back and grinned maliciously.  “Stupid chair,” she mumbled as she kicked it and received another jolt.

---

“A chameleon?” Cadence asked.  “You mean a changeling?”

Cold Case frowned.  “I’m not so sure.”  She opened the thin folder and pulled out a picture of a bloody unicorn horn.  It was blue and sparkling, obviously having belonged to a crystal pony.  “This was found at the crime scene as well.  I had some of our magicians do a magical trace on it and they’ve no doubt that it belonged to Blue Quartz.”

“So she’s a victim again?” Cadence asked in desperation.

“No,” Luna spoke up as she picked up some of the folders in her magic and began to inspect them.  Her face grew pale as the implications of what Cold Case was trying to say fell on her.  “Detective, are you theorizing that this was all the work of one pony?”

Cold Case nodded grimly.  “A changeling wouldn’t need the horn.  Plus blood not belonging to any of the victims was present at the scene.  We’ve still yet to discover the identity of the pony behind the blood, but our magicians have determined that some similar traces have been found at the various other crime scenes.  Whoever this pony is, she’s a professional killer.  Probably even been working for close to twenty years.  The only reason she’s stayed hidden for so long was because she would hide her identity by becoming somepony new.”

Cadence simply stared in disbelief.  “I’m sorry, detective, but this all sounds very wishy washy.  How do you know Blue Quartz wasn’t simply maimed and foalnapped?”

Cold Case sighed.  “That’s actually the reason I’ve been trying to get in contact with the Crystal Empire authorities.  I’ve sent at least three requests for immigration records of crystal pony citizens.  I wanted to see if Blue Quartz was a real pony or simply a pseudonym.”

“I’m not sure I follow,” Luna said.

Cadence’s faced her.  “After the reemergence of the Crystal Empire, a census was taken.  However as you know a lot of the old records from Sombra’s rule were destroyed.”

Cold Case placed a hoof on the stack of folders and frowned.  “It would be a perfect opportunity for some pony to slip their way right into another identity.  One she probably wouldn’t even need to corroborate.”

Cadence’s face went slightly pale, all thoughts of tiredness now subverted.  “I’ll get you you’re records.”

“Thank you, princess,” Cold Case said with a bow.

“But I’ll check them with you,” she finished.  “If a member of my empire was taken or worse… I know the only right thing to do would be to bring her home.”

Luna looked at Cadence with a new sense of respect.  “I will assist as well.”

“Glad to hear it,” Cold Case said with a grin.

---

Pinkie sat in the dark of her room on her bed.  At first after meeting with Rainbow Dash, she truly was sad and cried for a few hours.  Now after a day or two had passed (she had no way of knowing, she kept the curtains closed) she had gotten over it.  Now she was just waiting on her friends.  Surely by now they should have noticed something was up.  Weren’t they going to visit her?

Pinkie threw her hooves up in boredom and laid down, her head hanging over her bed so she saw the world upside down.  Her pet alligator, Gummy was a few hooves away gnawing on a rubber ball too big for him.  Pinkie smiled as she drew in a huge breath and puffed at the ball.  Gummy and the ball began to roll away and Gummy head hit the floor, though the wide eyed reptile didn’t seem to notice.

Pinkie giggled at her little joke with Gummy but after a moment or two the silliness passed and she was back to being bored.  “That’s it!” she shouted.  She got up from bed and trudged over to the windows.  She pulled the curtains up and covered her face as the sun shown in.  She turned back to her room and walked over to her dresser.  “They don’t want to comfort me?  Fine!  What am I doing anyway?”

“Nothing, that’s what you’re doing!” her reflection in the dresser mirror replied in an attempt to hype her up.  “You’re Pinkamena Diane Pie!  You don’t get cheered up, you doing the cheering!”

“Darn skippy!” she agreed and dashed to her door her reflection staying.  She quickly dashed back to the mirror and frowned at her reflection.  “You coming?”

“Oh, right!” the reflection said as it dashed away with her again.

Pinkie hopped down the stairs to the café and jumped in front of Cup Cake.  “Good Morning, Mrs. Cake!”

Cup Cake raised an eyebrow.  “Pinkie?  What are you doing here?”

“I live here, silly,” she chuckled.

“But didn’t you have to go to meet your friends somewhere?” Mr. Cake asked as he exited the kitchen.

“Oh golly gosh!  You’re right!” she ran toward the door.  “I’ve got to cheer up Rainbow Dash!”

When Pinkie was out of sight, Mr. Cake scratched his head in confusion.  “Didn’t she leave with everypony?  And how did she get back upstairs?”

Cup Cake simply shrugged it off.  “It’s Pinkie, who knows.”

“Y-Yeah,” Mr. Cake chuckled, though he couldn’t quite put his hoof on this feeling he had.

Pinkie started at Rainbow Dash’s house.  Though she was in such a hurry that she forgot her balloon that she usually used to get there.  She had to stop right below the floating cloud house.  “Rainbow Dash!” she shouted at the sky.  “I’m sorry for bothering you!  And don’t worry about an apology, cause I forgive you!”  She waited for an answer but none came.  “Rainbow!?” she shouted again.  “Rainbow!!!!!!”

“Quiet!” a voice shouted from above her.  Pinkie looked up and saw a black Pegasus stallion with a white mane lounging on a nearby cloud.  “I only get a twenty minute break today and I don’t want to lose my sleep.”

Pinkie shrank down and whisper shouted.  “Sorry!  By the way have you seen Rainbow Dash?”

The stallion frowned.  “You mean she’s not home?  That mare called in sick!  I’ve had to cover for her all week!”

Pinkie saw that she had obviously hit a sore spot and decided it was time to go.  “I’ll just move on then.”

“When I get my hooves on her!” the stallion shouted as his voice began to die down in the distance.  Pinkie’s smile began to turn as wondered where Dash could have gone.  She seemed pretty upset.

“I’ll bet she’s at Twilight’s!” Pinkie surmised.  “The others must have prepared their own party for her!  That must have been what Mr. and Mrs. Cake were talking about!”  She happily hopped along the road again, this time on her way to Twilight’s castle.

---

Rainbow stretched her hooves as the two pegasi prepared for a race.  Cloudy simply sat with her hooves together and her eyes closed in meditation.  “You’re not going to get anywhere like that,” Rainbow smirked.  “If you wanna get fast you gotta loosen up.”

“I think my methods work best,” Cloudy sneered with her eyes still closed.  She gave one final deep breath and stood up opening her eyes.  “Okay, I’m ready.”

“Perfect,” Rainbow said while finishing her stretches.  “How about first pony to Town Hall and back is the winner?”

Cloudy raised a hoof to her eyes and measured the distance.  Town Hall seemed to be a short range away for a Pegasus, though she saw why Rainbow Dash chose the course.  The town between them and the goal was rife with chimneys and high buildings, perfect obstacles.  “I take it no high gliding?”

“Of course,” Rainbow grinned.

Twilight and the rest walked out of the castle to see the two preparing on the lawn.  “Enough of this, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said exasperatedly.  “You have nothing to prove so-”

“I have everything to prove to this joker,” Rainbow retorted.  Cloudy simply rolled her eyes.

“Are we doing this or what?” she moaned.

Rainbow got into a readying stance by pulling her flank back and digging her hooves into the ground.  “You got it.”  Cloudy responded by simply standing still, instead opting to flap out her wings and lean forward, pointing her muzzle toward the sky.  Rainbow laughed at how silly she looked.  “What kind of position is that?”

“Just start it,” Cloudy groaned.  Rainbow gritted her teeth.  

“Go!”  Rainbow took off in a blur.  She grinned as she turned back expecting to see Cloudy behind her, but to her surprise the mare was neck and neck and slowly edging ahead by barely flapping her wings.  “How did..”  Rainbow scowled and flapped her wings even harder.

She began to push ahead of Cloudy once more, however that changed when the racers hit their first obstacle.  Rainbow had to slow down at points in order to safely get around the chimneys and buildings, however Cloudy’s more mellow way of flying was allowing her to acrobatically soar toss and turn through the air like a leaf, narrowly avoiding obstacles without sacrificing speed.  Rainbow growled.  How is she doing that?

Rainbow was blown away when Cloudy reached the town hall first and flew back the way they’d come, passing her.  It was at that brief moment, a millisecond tops, when the two were parallel to each other that drove Rainbow over the edge.  She could forgive an opponent for smirking at her, or even just not noticing her.  But Cloudy did the unthinkable.  In that one moment, Cloudy saw her and shrugged before passing.

Rainbow had never seen those eyes in an opponent.  Usually there was a fire in them.  The drive to win.  But Cloudy Gust held nothing but indifference to her and the race they were in.  For the second time in her life, Rainbow felt small.

Her nostrils flared and she yelled at the top of her lungs before crashing her hooves down on the side of the Town Hall.  The force of her impact made a spider crack appear along the wall and she shot off again.  This time Dash was going all out.

She pumped her wings faster than she ever gone before in such an obstacle ridden course.  Pipes and roofs nearly clipped her multiple times as she barely dodged.  But it was worth it to see herself coming up on Cloudy.  She let out one last scream of defiance to get her opponent’s attention but to her chagrin, Cloudy did not respond.  Rainbow felt her anger well up and she actually veered off course toward her opponent.  Just then though Cloudy swerved around a chimney.  Rainbow was going too fast and too strong to turn in time so she felt the full impact against the red brick column.  It shattered against her and she began to topple to the ground.  Rainbow landed with a thud.  She could barely register what was going on as the world around her rang.  She thought she could make out Fluttershy and Applejack coming down the street.  They ran up to her and helped her up but she was having a hard time hearing them.  So much ringing.  Finally they lifted her up and began to walk her back to the castle.

Rainbow’s hearing gradually came back and she could hear Applejack chewing her out.  “What in tarnation were you thinkin’?!”

“You’re eye!” Fluttershy said in sympathetic pain.  Rainbow raised a weary hoof to her face and flinched as it touched a large swelling around her right eye.

“You’re lucky that’s the worst of what you got,” Applejack scolded.  They finally reached the end of town and the others on the lawn ran over to see to her.  Shining and Cloudy stayed behind, Shining seeming to give Cloudy a lecture.  The purple Pegasus seemed to listen intently, all her focus on the unicorn in front of her.

Rainbow gritted her teeth as the words of her friends began to drown out.  She pushed herself off of Applejack and Fluttershy and began to limp toward Cloudy.  Shining took notice and stopped talking making Cloudy turn around to face her.  “That doesn’t look good,” Cloudy said unsympathetically.

Rainbow ground her teeth together as futile anger welled up in her stomach.  “Why?” she breathed.

“Why what?” Cloudy asked in a condescending tone.

“If you’re so fast why don’t you join the Wonderbolts?” Rainbow asked, finally giving words to the feeling she had had since meeting her.  If this Pegasus was so good, so much… better than her, then why hadn’t she joined them?  She could have done it so easily, too.

“Why would I want to be a part of those petty performers?” Cloudy replied harshly.

Rainbow’s eyes widened and she let her mouth hang a bit.  The troop she had idolized since foalhood being called petty?

“The Wonderbolts haven’t been truly combat effective for decades,” Cloudy continued.  “They’re nothing but overrated showponies now.”

Rainbow’s anger built up again and she could actually feel bile at the back of her throat.  Here was a pony with every opportunity she could ever hope for.  Yet when she looked at the dreams of a pony like Rainbow Dash, she saw them as petty.  All the work and all the training she’d put in just to become a reserve member.  Cloudy saw it all as a pointless endeavor.  

“Shut up!!” Rainbow shouted.  Her anger got the attention of everypony and the lawn went quiet.  “You don’t get to talk like that!”

“Oh really,” Cloudy shouted back, now equally invested in the argument.  “Name one major attack in the past ten years in which the Wonderbolts have had any effectiveness.”

Rainbow scowled.  “I… I don’t have to answer to you.”

“You can’t because there are none!” Cloudy shouted.  She narrowed her eyes and smirked.  “I think I get it now.  You’re a chariot chaser.  Always struggling to stay just close enough to the limelight without ever having to risk anything.  Do you know why I beat you?”  Rainbow was silent.  “Because I thought for a second!  A Pegasus doesn’t have to take off in a launch position if the wind will launch her for it.  Sure, you’re fast.  Probably one of the fastest I’ve ever seen, but speed means nothing on the battlefield.  You need to be able to read the wind.  Tell what breezes will blow you off course or into an enemy barrage.  I learned so much more about flight in boot camp then I would ever know in the Wonderbolts.  You want to be like them?  Fine, go be a celebrity.  But stop trying to make it my business!”

Rainbow listened to her rant with a seething rage, finally letting it all go.  She screamed and lunged at Cloudy.  Her friends moved to intercept while Cloudy merely splayed her legs in preparation to fight.  But it was ended as Rainbow fell head first into a magical pink sphere that surrounded Cloudy.  “That’s enough!” Shining Armor shouted, his horn aglow.

Everypony stopped and stared at him.  Twilight was the first to move toward Rainbow Dash and lend her a hoof.  Rainbow shakily got to her hooves and glared at Cloudy while she was still protected.  “Are we done?” Shining asked in a serious tone Twilight and the others had never heard him use before.

Even Cloudy seemed a bit surprised at the tone.  “Yes, sir.”

Shining sighed and lowered the bubble.  He looked up at the sky and saw how late it was getting.  “I’m sorry to leave, Twily, but I need to get back.”  He walked over to his sister and Rainbow giving his sister a semi-warm smile before frowning at Rainbow.  “Miss Dash, I hope you’ll seriously consider ACTUALLY attending those sessions.”

He walked away toward a chariot parked to the side and a pegasus in gold armor took him away.  Twilight and the others hurried to Rainbow’s side.  “What sessions?  What was he talking about?”  Twilight asked.

Rainbow took a long sigh before sitting down.  “Shining… offered me a free round of psychiatric sessions after… you know…”

Fluttershy gasped as she sat down as well.  “Oh, Rainbow.”

Twilight frowned but smiled.  “Well that’s good, isn’t it?  I mean you have to talk to somepony about stuff like that.”  Rainbow didn’t respond.  “You… didn’t go, did you?”

Rainbow scowled again.  “No!  Of course not!”

“Rainbow you have to talk to somepony about this,” Rarity interjected.  “It’s not healthy to keep something like that bottled up.”

“Rarity’s right,” Applejack agreed.  “You need to get that off your chest.”

A thought occurred to Twilight and glanced at Cloudy.  “Um, Captain Gust, do you think you could give us all a moment alone?”

Cloudy stared between her and Rainbow before shrugging.  “Alright.”  She walked toward the castle and Spike let her in before closing the door.

Twilight took a deep breath.  “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell everypony,” she started, Applejack was especially attentive.

“What in the hay is going on here!?” Everypony turned to see Pinkie Pie approach from the side.  Then they turned their heads to see Pinkie Pie standing with them.  They all turned their heads again towards the approaching Pinkie just to be safe that they weren’t hallucinating or she didn’t teleport, as Pinkie was known to do.  The new Pinkie stopped in front of them with a confounded expression.

“Um, Pinkie?” Twilight said curiously.  “You didn’t copy yourself again did you?”

“Not to my knowledge,” both Pinkies said at the same time.  “Ooh!  Jinx!  You owe me a soda!  I owe you a soda?  I haven’t got any bits on me!”

The other five all watched this “exchange” with wide eyes.  “Out of the fryin’ pan into the fire, eh?” Applejack said.  Twilight couldn’t help but nod.

---

Cadence had called for every available emigration record her staff could find.  The three ponies, two royals and one detective all poured through the long list of names as more staff came into the dining room they had decided to use for studying.  Each one brought a new pile of lists and then left to gather more.  “This is going to take forever,” Cadence groaned.

“Not necessarily, princess,” Cold Case assured her.  “If Blue Quartz is a pseudonym then it may take forever, but if she’s real…”

“Then it’s a one in a million chance of us finding her,” Cadence pouted.  “Why didn’t the castle staff work alphabetically?  I feel like I’m trying to look through Twilight’s library.  Why in Equestria would they separate names by neighbor proximity?”

Luna picked up a new piece of parchment and shouted.  “Eureka!”  Cadence and Cold Case looked to her in surprise.  Luna lifted the paper toward them and pointed to a name at the top.  “It appears I have found her!”

Cold Case took the parchment and grinned.  “Good work, princess.”

“So we know she’s real,” Cadence said.  “What’s your next move, detective?”

Cold Case scrolled her hoof down on the list to the next name.  “We check out a neighbor, perhaps somepony who knew her.  If they can corroborate that Blue Quartz was acting strange before she moved away then I might have proved my killer theory.”

“And this will help you find where the killer has gone?” Luna asked.

Cold Case lowered the paper with a frown.  “No, but it’s a start.”

---

“Pinkie, are you absolutely certain that you didn’t copy yourself?” Rarity asked as they lined up both Pinkies side by side.

“I don’t think so,” the Pinkie on the left replied.  “What do you think?”

“I don’t think so too,” the Pinkie on the right replied.

Twilight rubbed her temples.  “Then, how did this happen?”  Both the Pinkies merely shrugged in answer.

“Long lost twin?” Fluttershy suggested.

Applejack shuddered a little.  “Ah certainly hope not.  One Pinkie is enough.  No offense, sugarcube.”

“None taken,” they both responded.

Applejack rubbed her chin.  “Okay, why don’t Ah just ask you two some questions.  That way we can tell who’s lyin’.”  The two Pinkies nodded in agreement.  “Alright, what’s your name?”

“Pinkamena Diane Pie!” both replied.

Applejack widened her eyes in surprise and scratched her head.  “Well?” Rarity asked.

“Ah, um,” Applejack stammered.  “They’re both tellin’ the truth.”  The mares all looked to each other in confusion.

Twilight stared at the two deep in thought.  “I’ll start assembling some scientific tests.  Maybe we can find out what happened then.”

“Uh, Twi,” Applejack caught her shoulder as she was about to leave.  “Wasn’t there somethin’ you wanted to tell us?”

Twilight faltered for a moment as she looked between the Pinkie Pies.  She wasn’t sure, but something about this situation felt off.  Whatever was up, this wasn’t a time to divulge national secrets.  “I’ll… tell you later.  Right now we should deal with this.”

Applejack looked a bit disappointed but nodded.  “Alright, Ah understand.”  She let Twilight go and the alicorn proceeded back into her home leaving the six outside.

“So what do we do now?” Rarity asked.  She looked over to Rainbow who had been oddly quiet.  The blue Pegasus sat off to the side with her head slumped, nursing her wounds.  Her eye had begun to swell.  Rarity sighed and walked over.  “I wish you’d let us take you to the hospital, dear.”

Rainbow looked up briefly, her eyes seeming to look right past Rarity.  “I’ll be okay.  I just… need some time alone.”  She got up to fly away but was struck with a jolt of pain through her wing.  She cried out and fell back to the ground.

“Rainbow!” Both Pinkies shouted before running over to her.  Each one got on either side and lifted her up.

“I’m fine,” Rainbow assured them angrily and pushed them away.  The Pinkies both looked at her with sad but compassionate eyes.  Rainbow felt a surge of guilt overtake her and lowered her head.  “Uh, listen, Pinkie…”  Suddenly the Mailmare’s words echoed in her ears.  ‘All it takes is a little practice and anypony can become somepony else.’  Rainbow’s eyes widened as she looked at the two Pinkies and she began to hyperventilate.  “I-I gotta go!”  Rainbow ran off toward town.

“Wait!  Rainbow!” Both Pinkies shouted as they ran after her but stopped before they could follow her.

Off to the side Applejack discussed with Fluttershy and Rarity.  “This is weird, right?  Ah mean, Pinkie or both Pinkies said she didn’t go near the reflecting pool.  So how come there’re two of her?  And shouldn’t we be a little bit more cautious?”

Rarity raised an eyebrow.  “I suppose.  This is an odd situation.”  She looked over toward the two and saw them in perfect sync as they sighed and trudged back over to the group.  “But they seem so similar.  What other explanation could there be?”

Applejack looked at the two suspiciously.  “Ah don’t know.  But Ah intend to find out.”

---

Cadence, Luna, and Cold Case stood before a simple looking house.  Cadence was the one to knock as the door opened immediately.  A shiny crystal stallion greeted them.  “Your highness!” he shouted in surprise then bowed.

“Pardon the intrusion,” Cadence said with a slight head tilt of her own.

“No!  No!  Please come in!”  Cadence entered followed by Luna and Cold Case.  “And Princess Luna too.  What an honor.”

Sorry to interrupt the festivities,” Cold Case spoke up.  “But would you happen to be Brilliant Emerald?”

“That’s me,” the pony replied before closing the door.  “What can I do for you?”

“We were hoping to learn if you knew a pony named Blue Quartz?” Cadence asked.

Emerald scratched his head in thought.  “Blue?  Yeah, I knew her.  We were friends before Sombra’s curse.”

Luna frowned.  “What do you mean ‘before Sombra’s curse’?”

Emerald sat down as he recalled events.  “Well, I heard she moved away.  Not that she told me anything.  We were close friends in foalhood but when our memories returned after a thousand years she just seemed… distant.  I’d try to invite her out some nights but she seemed to want nothing to do with me.  I assume it was because of the stress of being reintroduced to society after a thousand years.  Hay, even I had to talk to a therapist a little.  Yeah, I’m pretty sure she moved.  Probably wanted a new start.  Why?  Is she in trouble for something?”

Cadence glanced at Luna and Cold Case, the detective being completely silent.  “Let’s just say we’re interested in her wellbeing.”  

“You mentioned you moved, would you happen to know where she lived?”  Cold Case spoke up.

Emerald smiled.  “Of course.  321 Crystalberry Lane.  I lived on the opposite side of the street.”

Cadence looked to Cold Case with a puzzled look.  She leaned over and whispered in her ear.  “Why would you need that?”

Cold Case’s eye narrowed.  “A hunch.”

The group went to the address.  A pony was living there and didn’t seem too happy to see them.  Especially when Cold Case asked Luna to take apart the floor boards.  Cadence was able to calm the pony down and send him away for a while so they could work.  “Are you sure about this?”  Cadence asked.

“Yes,” Cold Case assured her with a grim look.  Cadence nodded to Luna whose horn began to glow as her telekinesis pried the planks from the floor, nails and all.  Just as they removed the second layer of planks from the reinforced floor a sudden stench caught their attention.

“Oh Faust,” Luna swore as she covered her nose.  The three looked down into the hole they’d created and gasped simultaneously.  There at the bottom of a pit dug beneath the house, was a decaying body.  A blue crystal pony with her horn removed.

Cadence backed away immediately and held her hoof to her mouth as her stomach threatened to retch.  “Damn,” Cold Case mumbled.  “You have to investigate it, but you always hope you never have to see it.”

Luna’s face was pale as well, but her eyes showed no disgust, only anger.  “Detective, have you any clue as to the whereabouts of this villain?”

Cold Case shook her head.  “No idea, princess.”

Luna reeled on her.  “How can that be?  You have proven yourself to be a magnificent investigator!”

Cold Case sighed.  “It’s because the last killing doesn’t fit the M. O.”  She pointed to the body.  “Everything about this murder says final straw.  She chooses a new untraceable identity and goes into hiding in one of the most crime filled cities in Equestria.  Perfect hunting ground for her.  Deaths happen all the time on the street.  But I’ve scoured Whinnyapolis.  Shook down cosmetic surgeons, magicians and even party supply stores about a mare that might be looking for a disguise.  But everything, including my gut tells me she left the city.  I just can’t understand why she would leave.”

Cadence finished quelling her stomach only for a thought to cross her mind and bring her bile back up again.  “Oh Faust, no,” she whispered in horror.  Luna’s keen ears heard her.

“Cadence, what is it?” she asked.

Cadence turned to Luna, her lips trembling and her eyes wide.  “I… I think I know where she’s going.”

---

Twilight worked diligently in her fancy lab underneath the castle.  She loved her old lab but this one felt a lot more professional.  The crystal walls were lined with books on magical theorems and scientific discoveries.  She also had row after row of special cribs for all her potions and vials.  Not to mention the place was sparkling clean.  She had begun to pull out a large old device in the shape of a seat with a metal bowl with wires coming out of it.  To the side of the seat was a readout display that printed a line representing variables.  She wiped her brow in relief as she finished pulling the old hunk of junk out.

“Glad this thing survived the explosion,” she said to herself.

Applejack entered through the door and walked over to Twilight.  “Twi, Ah think we need to discuss some things…” She stopped as she caught sight of the room around her.  “Wow, Ah’ve never actually been in here.”

“It’s amazing isn’t it?” Twilight squealed.  “It’s got everything I could ever ask for in a lab.”

Applejack shook her head to get back on topic.  “Wait, Twilight, we need to talk.”

“Oh my,” Fluttershy gasped as she walked in too.  Rarity and the two Pinkies followed her.

“This place is ten times the size of your old one, Twilight!” the right Pinkie shouted.

Twilight smiled at the two.  “Pinkie, do you remember this?”  She moved to reveal the device.  The Pinkie on the right gasped happily and rushed forward the other Pinkie following her.

“Is this the thingy!?” she asked.

“Uh, yeah,” Twilight replied.  “It’s my readout machine.  I used it to try to define Pinkie’s Pinkie sense before but it can also be used to detect anomalies.”

Twilight proceeded to put them both in the chair one by one and strap the helmet to them.  They were ordered to stay still for a minute while the machine read their brain waves, which was asking a lot of two Pinkie Pies.  When the tests were done Twilight held the two graph sheets side by side for all to see.  One graph showed an erratic wibbly wobbly line that seemed to go in all directions.  While the other…  “Well?” Rarity asked.

Twilight opened her mouth to speak but stopped as she couldn’t quite find the words.  “What’s wrong?” Fluttershy asked.  “They look different.”

“That’s just it,” Twilight grimaced.  “Their completely different.  In fact complete opposite of one another.  I could probably tell who was Pinkie by who had the most erratic graph, but they’re both equally erratic”  She lined the graphs up and they saw that indeed both seemed to be a mirror reflection of the other.

“What does that mean?” Rarity asked.

“It means… I don’t know.”

“Perhaps I do,” a familiar strong voice came from the door.  Everypony turned to see Princess Luna and Cadence walk in.  Cadence looked sick to her stomach while Luna looked for more angered and scary than when they had known her as Nightmare Moon.

“Cadence!” Twilight shouted in delight only to falter as she saw her sister-in-law turn her head guiltily.  Luna walked toward the group and stared down at Twilight in particular.

“We will discuss what you and your brother have been doing at a later date,” she said in a serious tone.  Twilight’s eyes widened as she shrank in place.  Luna turned to the two Pinkies and snarled.  “As for you beast!”  Her horn began to glow incredibly.  Applejack jumped in front of the two.

“Hold on!  Just what are you tryin’ to do?” she shouted.

Luna’s glow did not diminish as her gaze was fixed on the Pinkies.  Both the pink mares shivered in each other’s hooves as they stared frightened at the angered alicorn.  “Out of the way, child.  One of those ponies is a monster beyond your comprehension.”

Applejack felt her heart thump as she could feel the truth in Luna’s words.  “Th-That may be but you can’t just blast them both.”  Luna lowered her guard a little.  

“Then what do you propose, Applejack?”

Applejack looked between her friends and the Pinkies, her eyes falling on a specific friend.  “Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy was cowering behind Rarity but she poked her head out as she heard her name.  “Y-Yes?”

“You told me that you can tell when a pony acts out of the kindness of their heart,” Applejack said.  Rarity and Twilight looked at her curiously but Fluttershy nodded.  Applejack held a hoof out to her.  “You can help us.”

Fluttershy looked between the fuming alicorn and the scared Pinkie Pies.  She shakily got to her hooves and walked forward, trembling at every step.  She reached the two and stopped taking a deep breath to calm herself.  “Um, Pinkie.  What’s your favorite thing to do?”

Both Pinkies perked up.  “To see everypony smile!” they both answered.  Fluttershy’s eyes went wide and she fell to the floor trying to hold in her stomach’s contents.  She pointed to the Pinkie on the left.

“Her!” she cried out.  Luna reeled on the left Pinkie, prepared to fire.  Suddenly the left Pinkie’s smile grew wide with sharp teeth.  Before Luna could get off a shot, the fake Pinkie reached into her mane and pulled out a small cylindrical device and a hoof cloth.  Luna shot a blast of magic at her but she grabbed the real Pinkie from behind with the hoof cloth across her mouth and threw the device on the ground.  It burst apart spreading an acrid smoke all throughout the lab.

“Pinkie!” Twilight shouted as she saw the fake disappear with her friend into the smoke.  In a matter of seconds the whole lab was filled with smoke.  Twilight and the others heard a series of glasses shatter, a puff of color accompanying each break and the smoke growing more and more opaque.  Twilight quickly realized what the fake was doing.  “She’s breaking the potion bottles!  Nopony breathe in!”

Everypony tried to hold their breath as Twilight instructed.  They all heard Cadence cry out as there was the sound of somepony falling to the floor.  Luna finally regained her composure and let out a pulse of wind magic to disperse the cloud of smoke.  When the plumes were forced to the back of the lab everypony began to rise, Fluttershy having a particularly hard time.  Applejack helped her up.

“You okay?” she asked.

Fluttershy could only shake uncontrollably.  “It was like nothing I’d ever felt before.  The cruelty.  I… I couldn’t…”  She began to tear up and put her head into Applejack’s shoulder.

Luna and Twilight glanced at the door where Cadence had once stood.  The princess was now lying on the ground, a wound on forehead.  “Cadence!” Twilight shouted.

“You let her escape?” Luna shouted angrily.

Cadence rubbed her head as she winced getting back to her hooves.  “She… threatened to hurt Pinkie Pie.”

Luna growled in annoyance and rushed out.  Twilight took this moment to take care of Cadence while Rarity and Applejack looked after Fluttershy.  She leaned in close and whispered in her ear.  “Cadence, what was Luna talking about?”

Cadence’s face didn’t change though her complexion became even more pale.  “Twilight, I’m so sorry.”  She looked her in the eyes and began to tear up.  “I told her everything.”

“Told her what?” Applejack asked as she approached Twilight, a look of righteous indignation on her.

“Applejack I-”

“No!  Enough!” the farmpony shouted.  “Ah know ah said that Ah’d trust your judgement.  But not if it’s gonna start costin’ our friends their lives!”  Her face was inches away from Twilight’s.  “The truth!”

Twilight tried to say something, anything.  That they had no time for this.  That the villain was getting away.  But she couldn’t.  Applejack was completely right.  This was her fault because she hadn’t entrusted her friends with information that could protect them.  “Alright…”

---

Pinkie slowly opened her eyes.  Her head was swimming after what had happened.  Last thing she remembered was Fluttershy nearly throwing up.  Then that doppelganger of hers put something with a funny smell over her mouth which made her pretty sleepy.  As she regained consciousness her surroundings came into focus and she realized she was somewhere familiar.  It was a small room with toys and two cribs placed towards the wall.  “Whuh?” she tried to get up but found herself tied to a chair.

“Shh,” a familiar voice whispered.  Pinkie turned her attention toward the cribs and saw herself standing above them.  “You’ll wake the little ones.”  She smiled widely, showing off an array of razor sharp teeth.

Pinkie was now completely awake.  She saw Pound and Pumpkin sleeping in their cribs the pony stood next to.  “Who are you?  And why do you look like me?”

The doppelganger shrugged.  “That’s the question isn’t it?  Why do I look like you?”  She sauntered over to her and placed her hooves on top of her restrained ones, getting right in her face.  “You know I usually have to spend hours doing makeup just to prepare for one of my pretend sessions.  But with you, I only had to put a little chalk in the mane.”  She shook her head and a cloud of dust began to fall out.  Pinkie saw her mane become a brilliant red, her pink body staying the same color though.  “I expected somepony to call me out or something.  Especially when you showed up, I honestly thought I was made.  But nopony seemed to notice.  You’re a real piece of work you know that?”

Pinkie glared at her.  “How come Applejack couldn’t tell you were lying?”

The fake looked offended.  “Because I wasn’t.  I’m the real Pinkie Pie. At least just as real as you’ll ever be.”  A small bandage, previously unseen below her bangs, started to peel off after she shook her head.  Pinkie watched a small stream of blood pour down between her eyes and down her muzzle.

Pinkie saw this horrific sight but kept her cool, steadily glaring at the impostor.  “You seemed like such a nice pony.  But you’re mean!  Just like that Mailmare that attacked Dashie!”

The impostor chuckled and leaned off of her.  “You know I was there for that.  I saw how you reacted to the situation.  How others reacted.  In fact, I’ve been watching you for about a month so I know a lot about you and let me tell you, I didn’t need to change a lot about myself.  I mean I just felt so natural playing you.  I honestly thought we’re completely different but now I see how right Twilight’s test was.  You and I are the same pony!”  Her smile grew again while the blood from her forehead continued to steadily drip down her face and then on the floor.  “It’s like we’re mirror images of the other.  While I make ponies happy by giving them rest, you make them happy by letting them live a little.  If only you knew what I knew, we would be exactly the same.”

Pinkie hadn’t heard craziness on this level before.  That and the fact that she was in now in the Cake’s home and she hadn’t seen hide nor hair of Mr. or Mrs. Cake was worrying her.  “Know what?”

The impostor cocked her head to the side and gave her a look of confusion.  “That we’re all dead already, silly.  Everypony’s dead.  Lots just like to walk around pretending to be alive.  But that’s what makes it interesting.  To pretend.”  She looked back at the cribs and smiled warmly as she reached in for one of the sleeping infants.  Pinkie was about to shout at her but the pony held up a hoof and pulled out a long sharp object from her mane.  It looked like a knife.  She picked up Pumpkin and began to cradle the sleeping foal in her other hoof while holding the knife out to Pinkie with the other.  

“Hush little baby, don’t say a word.  Mama’s gonna buy you a mockingbird.”  Pinkie felt her blood begin to run cold as the full weight of her situation fell on her.  She began to struggle to free herself from her binds.  “And if that mockingbird don’t sing, mama’s gonna buy you a diamond ring.”  The impostor slowly began to walk her way back to Pinkie her knife pointed at her the whole time.  “And if that diamond ring turns brass, mama’s gonna buy you a looking glass.”  Pinkie finally freed one of her hooves and reached over to undo her bonds on the other one.  Suddenly the knife came flying and pierced her free hoof making her draw back in pain.  Instantly the impostor was above her and pinned her free hoof to the side.  Pinkie struggled but she was too weak from being knocked out or the impostor was too strong.  “Now I lost my place,”  She grinned as she began the song over again.  “Hush little baby, don’t say a word.  Mama’s gonna kill for you the whole damn world.”  Pinkie looked between her and Pumpkin, a feeling of dread washing over her.

---

When Twilight was done explaining everything, or at least the short version, to her friends Applejack was not pleased.  She grit her teeth in frustration as she turned away from Twilight.  “Applejack, I just didn’t want you to get hurt.”

“Ah can take care of mahself,” she insisted.  “But right now we need to help Pinkie.”  Applejack ran out the door without looking back.  Rarity stared at Twilight while she left as well.  Fluttershy looked her way briefly with a sick look from before still on her face before she ran outside.  Twilight and Cadence were left alone.  She began to tear up.

“I… I only wanted them to be safe.”  She turned to Cadence.  “Why is this happening?”

Cadence shook her head morosely.  “I don’t have the answer for that.  But come on, we need to go.”  The two princesses got up to follow the others.

“Where is Pinkamena Diane Pie!?” Luna shouted loudly as she hovered above Ponyville.  Her eyes had begun to glow and the clouds seemed to answer her mood as they swirled around her blotting out the setting sun.  Ponies below began to tremble in fear as they cleared the streets though some pointed their hooves toward Sugarcube Corner.

“Princess!” Applejack shouted as she finally caught up with Luna.  The princess of the night barely regarded her as she angrily flew towards the sweet shop.  “We’d better get there fast or she might just hurt Pinkie along with that fake.”  Rarity nodded with Fluttershy who still was having a hard time recollecting herself.  The three began to run in pursuit of the princess.

---

The fake Pinkie heard a rumble and shouts from outside.  She turned her head to the window after retying Pinkie to the chair.  A large grin spread across her face.  “Looks like we have company.”

Pinkie breathed heavily as all she could think about were the twins, Pumpkin still in the fake’s hooves.  “You… you can do what you want with me.  Just let them and Mr. and Mrs. Cake go.”

The fake turned to her.  “A noble sentiment.”  She smiled nonchalantly as she carefully lowered Pumpkin into her crib.  “And I like a bit of nobility.”  Without turning she pulled a new knife out of her mane and tossed it toward Pinkie.  The knife embedded itself in the wall mere inches away from her mane.  In another second the fake was in front of her again and pulling the knife out.  The blood pouring down her face now seemed to be making her mane droop in places losing its fluffiness.  “I wish this could be nice and long, but I’m on a bit of a deadline now.”  She smiled viciously as she raised the knife above her head.

Suddenly a round object flew in from the window and slammed into the fake’s hoof knocking her weapon away.  She swore loudly as she drew her hoof back and looked toward the window and then at the object shattered on the floor.  She raised a curious eyebrow.  “Is that an LP?”

“Stop!” Luna shouted as she appeared at the door.  The fake spun and jumped away from Pinkie to avoid getting blasted by a wave of magic.  She landed with grace on the bars of Pound’s crib and seemed to balance perfectly on it.  She merely grinned as Luna seethed.  “You will pay for your crimes, creature!”

The fake giggled.  “You think I didn’t come prepared to take out an alicorn?”  She reached into her mane and pulled out a small spherical object made of clay.  She quickly threw it on the ground to which it shattered and a blinding flash spread out from it.  Pinkie had to close her eyes as Luna was forced to shield herself with her wings as well.  The next moment Pinkie heard Luna cry out in pain.  When the light diminished the twins were now awake and beginning to cry.  Pinkie looked to Luna and saw that her left wing had been cut and stripped of some of its feathers.  She also lay on the ground with her eyes closed, a trickle of blood falling from her forehead.

---

Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy ran into the café to see Mr. and Mrs. Cake tied up behind the counter.  Both had a gag on them so that was the first thing she removed.  “Where’s Princess Luna?”

Cup Cake was the first to speak.  Her eyes wide and her expression grim.  “She went upstairs.  Oh Celestia, the twins!”

Carrot Cake sputtered as his gag came off.  “What the hay is going on?!”

“Just a little redecorating,” came a bubbly voice from the stairs.  Everypony turned to see the fake Pinkie stroll calmly down the stairs, a knife in her hooves.  Her mane was now a deep red and her face covered in blood.

“Stay back, you!” Rarity shouted fearfully as Fluttershy hid behind her.  “Or I’ll-”

“You’ll what?” the fake retorted.  “You’ll stitch me up with that needle and thread you don’t have on you?”

Fluttershy breathed heavily as she pulled on Rarity’s mane.  “Rarity, don’t!  You have no idea what…”  She stopped as she caught the fake’s glance.  Once again the feeling of unpleasantness Fluttershy had felt before from this pony came surging back up.  This time it was too much.  She passed out.

“Fluttershy!”  Applejack tried to wake her friend up but she would not budge.  She was forced to give up as she turned back to the fake.  “What happened to Princess Luna?” Applejack asked.

“Oh, she’s just taking a well deserved rest.”  The fake began to play with her knife flicking it between her hooves.  She glanced around at the ponies and smirked viciously as she came to Mr. Cake who flinched with wide terrified eyes.  “Honestly, I have no idea how she puts up with any of you.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow.  “What are you talkin’ about?”

“Pinkie Pie,” the fake replied.  “She’s so much better than you.  All of you.  And none of you treat her with the respect she deserves.  I’ve watched you all enough to know just what you all think of her.  ‘She’s so hyper!’  ‘She’s so strange!’  She could have been anything she wanted to be with her talents.  Yet she decided to waste them on… dead things like you.”  Her grin was starting to waver.  “She was… is the best pony.  Damn, why didn’t I realize it sooner?  I love being Pinkie Pie!  This is the best!”  A look of realization over took her and she burst into hysterical laughter.  The rest merely looked at her like she was crazy while the Cakes held each other in fear.  When she was finally done laughing she took a long sigh.  “Yeah, I think I’m going to enjoy it here.”

“Not if I have anything to say about it!” a familiar voice came from behind her.  The fake turned quickly to see a pink mare flying at her down the stairs.  The fake moved but was not fast enough as Pinkie crashed into her.  The two rolled as they fought and crashed into the kitchen.  Applejack took this chance to finish untying the Cakes.  The two parents immediately took the opportunity to run up to their children’s room.

Inside the kitchen Pinkie clawed and punched at her doppelganger.  She managed to land a solid hit to her jaw as the fake stumbled back and fell into an open bag of flour.  She grinned as she got back up, not bothering to shake the flour off.  “That all you got?”

Pinkie frowned and narrowed her eyes at the fake before grabbing a long wooden spoon and waving it in front of her.  “Time somepony gave you a punishment!”

The fake looked between the spoon and Pinkie, her grin faltering for a second in place of a naughty smile.  “Is it weird to think this is kind of hot?”  Pinkie yelled and charged at the fake.  But she was too fast this time and managed to double kick Pinkie across the room into the cabinet.  The shelves of various jams and preserves fell on top of her, a glass of strawberry jam shattering on her head and beginning to drip the red substance down.  Pinkie got up and glared at her assailant.

The two stood silently for a moment as they squared off then both sides charged towards each other once more.

---

Twilight finally made it to the Sugarcube Corner with Cadence at her side.  They walked through the open door and saw Applejack and Rarity tending to Fluttershy.  “Applejack!  Where’s Pinkie?”

Applejack knew this was no time for anger, that would come later.  She answered Twilight quickly.  “In the kitchen, fightin’ off that thing.”

Cadence gasped.  “She can’t handle that pony by herself!”

“We need to get in there!”  Twilight agreed as she and Cadence ran into the kitchen.  Applejack followed.  The three ponies had to stop though when they saw what was in front of them.  Two Pinkies were fighting of course, but with the haze of flour and the fact that both had gooey red liquid dripping from their heads, it made it hard to tell who was who.  “Pinkie!”

“Yeah?” both Pinkie’s replied as they stopped fighting for a moment.  One Pinkie pulling the other’s mane while the other prepared to deliver a punch to the stomach.

Twilight looked frantically between the two.  “Uh, give me a sign that you’re you!”

“What kind of sign?” both Pinkie’s replied, having seemed to have lost interest in the fight.  “A banner?  Or maybe a stop sign!”  They both eyed each other.  “Hey!  Stop copying me!  Stop it!  Shut up!”  The fighting began once more.

Twilight began to fret as their battle took a toll on the kitchen they were in.  “We need Fluttershy again.”

“Fluttershy passed out,” Applejack noted.  “And mah power doesn’t seem to work on this pony.”

“Will somepony please explain what’s going on?” Mr. Cake said as he entered the kitchen followed by Mrs. Cake and the twins in her saddle bags.  Mr. Cake’s eyes went wide as he saw his kitchen in disrepair.  He gave a little sigh before his knees buckled and he fainted.

One Pinkie seemed to have finally had enough of the fighting and grabbed a rack of various utensils hanging on the wall.  She hurled them toward the other Pinkie who ducked to avoid them, but this meant the rack headed straight for Mrs. Cake and the twins.  The Pinkie who dodged heard a cry from behind and her eyes widened as she saw those ponies about to be crushed by a rack.  In a burst of unreal speed she passed the flying rack and stood on her hind legs to spread out and cover them.  Cup Cake looked at her face as the rack hit and splintered against Pinkie Pie’s back, eliciting a cry of pain.  Pinkie crumpled to the floor.

Twilight saw all this and reeled on the Pinkie at the other end of the room.  “You!”  Her eyes began to glow white.

“Uh oh,” the fake Pinkie muttered and tried to run away but a purple aura had enveloped her.  Twilight’s face contorted in rage as she lifted the fake into the air and splayed her legs out.  The fake began to panic as a sharp pain ran through her limbs like they were being pulled apart.  “AAAAAAAahhhh!”

Applejack and Cadence watched as Twilight began to torture the mare.  Cadence grabbed Twilight by the shoulders trying to get a hold of her but she was in some kind of trance.  “Twilight!  Stop it!  I know what she did was wrong but nopony deserves what you’re thinking.”

Twilight grit her teeth as her power only increased and the mare screamed louder.  Applejack watched all this in horror as she was beginning to see the level of power from her friend that had scared her a couple weeks ago.  This just proved everything she was worried about.  Twilight was in over her head.  And no matter how much Applejack hated her for keeping such a dangerous secret, she couldn’t just let her friend do something she would regret.  Applejack took a deep breath and grabbed the sides of Twilight’s head, turning her to face her.  “Twi, listen up.  Ah know you’re feelin’ pretty powerful right about now.  And ah know that ah can’t begin to imagine the kind of things you’re thinkin’ or feelin’.  But understand this, might does not mean right.  Sometimes the most important decision a pony can make is to not give in to power.”  Twilight’s eyes were still bright white and the fake’s screams hadn’t ceased.  “But that decision isn’t mine to make, it’s yours.  So Ah guess Ah’m sayin’… do what you will.  But don’t expect me to come back if you make the wrong choice.”

She let go of Twilight’s face and took a step back.  The purple alicorn stayed in her powered up state for a moment longer before a single tear fell down her cheek.  The light retreated and the fake fell to the floor in a thud, all her limbs seemingly dislocated.  Twilight fell to the floor unconscious next but was caught by Applejack.  “Easy there.  Ah got ya.  Ah got ya.”

---

Cadence proceeded to tie up the criminal and magically bind her.  Cup Cake propped up her husband and began to help Pinkie wash off.  About an hour later Luna finally came to and ran downstairs.  Her anger subsided as she saw the beaten fake off to the side.  Twilight lay asleep in Applejack’s lap with Fluttershy doing the same in Rarity’s.  Pinkie happily greeted her.  “Howdy!  Good to see your okey dokey!”

Luna sighed in relief and nodded.  “Yes, though I’ll probably be flightless for a month or two.”  She lifted her serrated wing.  “I am glad to see that everything turned out well.”

“Yes,” Cadence replied.  “We can take this one over to Canterlot to be properly processed later.”

Luna glared at the unconscious villain wishing she could do more than just arrest her, but rules should be obeyed for now.  Without glancing at Cadence she spoke.  “Don’t think I haven’t forgotten about what you told me.”  Cadence lowered her head in shame.

“I haven’t.”

Luna nodded solemnly and turned to Twilight who was still asleep. Instead she spoke to Applejack.  “I would speak to her when she wakes up.  There are many things you must know.”

“Twilight told me about everything,” Applejack replied.  “About the bounty, about Redwood, and about the danger we’re all in.”

Luna raised an eyebrow.  “Yes, well, let’s pray that is indeed everything.”  She walked to the door and levitated the fake with her, Cadence following.  “Tell her that I have words with my sister.  And that she may be seeing me again quite soon.”  With that she left, Cadence giving a slight nod to the others before trotting after her.

Twilight groggily came to and stretched her hooves.  She hesitantly noticed that she was in Applejack lap and got up with a flush.  “Um, how long was I out?”

Applejack chuckled.  “Bout an hour.”

Twilight chuckled in return.  “Look, I’m sorry that I-”  Applejack raised a hoof to silence her.  The cowpony then got up and headed for the door.

She paused at the door and looked back.  “Ah’ll hear and accept your apology, Twilight.  Really Ah will.  Just… give me some time, alright?”

Twilight nodded and smiled sadly to which Applejack responded in kind before heading out.  She looked over at Rarity.  The fashionista sighed.  “I can’t say I’m not as mad as she is, Twilight.  But… I can understand wanting to protect somepony on your own.”

Twilight smiled.  “Thank you, Rarity.”

“Can somepony please tell me what’s got everypony so worked up?” Pinkie Pie asked.

Twilight chuckled awkwardly.  “Oh yeah, you weren’t there.”  She explained it all.  She expected Pinkie to get angry or at least shout, but the pony merely stayed silent.  Finally she clapped her hooves together in a gesture of realization.

“Ooooooh!  So that’s what the fake was doing.  And why that mean old pony foalnapped Dashie!”  Twilight nodded.

“Well I guess we’d better get going,” Twilight said.  “I’ll take Fluttershy home.”  She lifted the yellow Pegasus off of her friend and began to walk out with Rarity.  They waved and said their goodbyes.

“Bye girls!” Pinkie shouted as they all left.  She turned back inside toward Mrs. Cake who had taken a seat and was tending to the twins.  “Wow, what a day, huh?”

Cup Cake frowned and gave a nod as she seemed to try to avoid eye contact with Pinkie.  The pink mare noticed and raised an eyebrow.

“Wuzzat?” Mr. Cake mumbled as he finally woke up.  Pinkie happily bounced over to him and got in his face.

“Howdy, Mr. Cake!” she said.

“AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!” Carrot cried out as he jumped in the air.  He began to slowly crawl away as Pinkie cocked her head and walked closer.

“What’s wrong?” Pinkie asked.  “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“P-P-P-Pinkie?” he muttered hesitantly.

“Yuppers!” Pinkie replied.

Mr. Cake gave a slight sigh of relief.  Pinkie suddenly appeared right in front of his face again and giggled.  “What?  You thought I was that crazy mare?”  Mr. Cake screamed again and this time jumped onto his wife and hugged her close.  Mrs. Cake patted his back and still tried to avoid eye contact.  “What’s wrong?  You two are acting strange.”

Cup Cake took a deep shaky breath and exhaled.  “Pinkie.  I know you aren’t responsible.  I know that you’re the most heartfelt and loving pony we could ever find.  But… right now…”

“You scare us,” Mr. Cake finished as he hesitantly disentangled himself from his wife.

Pinkie stared at the two of them with confusion.  “What… What are you saying?”

Cup Cake rubbed the back of her head, a sad expression forming on her face.  “Maybe… just for a little while.  You could stay with a friend.  It would only be a little while.”

Pinkie’s expression fell and her hair deflated.  Her patented smile seemed to disappear entirely.  “Oh.  Alright.  I… understand.”  She gave a quick look at the twins who didn’t seem to fear her.  Pumpkin crawled forward and placed a hoof on hers, giggling.  Pinkie smiled at the baby and was about to pick her up when Cup Cake intercepted and picked her up herself.

“Just for a little while,” Cup Cake reiterated.

Pinkie’s smile disappeared again.  “Right.  I… um… right.”  She got to her hooves and trudged toward the door.  She turned back with a sad smile.  “I… just want to see you smile.”

---

Applejack stared at the ground the entire way over to Sweet Apple Acres.  She had been so mad at Twilight.  But now that everything was out in the open all she could think about was security measures.  If everypony Twilight knew were seriously in danger, then that could mean her family as well.  Applejack loved her friend, but family was family.

She opened the screen door just as the sun finally set in the west.  The porch light turned on soon after.  She could hear laughing from the family room as Granny Smith, Big Mac and Applebloom sat on the sofa looking at a book.  Applejack grinned when she saw it.  It was very familiar since it was the family album.

“And that’s your uncle McSeedy,” Granny Smith pointed to a picture of a mustachioed pony in a derby hat and overalls.  “Greatest applebucker on the west coast.”

“Well if it’s just on the west coast,” Applebloom said as Applejack entered.  “Applejack’s the best in all Equestria, right?”

Applejack smiled at her sister’s adoration.  “Maybe,” Granny Smith smiled.  “Though your daddy used to be quite the bucker himself.”  She turned a couple pages to a picture of a familiar orange stallion in a stetson hat.  He was in the middle of bucking an apple tree with the mare to his side, a yellow pony with a braided red mane.  “Wow, sometimes Ah ferget how much you two look like your folks.”

“What about Big Mac?” Applebloom asked.

Granny Smith turned a page to a picture with an overweight red stallion with a green mane.  “He looks like your uncle Caramel.”  Everypony had a laugh except for Big Mac who rolled his eyes.

“What y’all lookin’ at this for?” Applejack asked.

“Just thought we’d take a stroll down memory lane,” Granny Smith replied.  “Though Ah guess it’s time some of us called it a night.”

“Aw, do ah have to?” Applebloom asked with a whimper.

“No whining,” Applejack said.  “Ah’ll be up in a minute too.  Ah need a good rest after the day Ah had.”

Applebloom nodded despairingly and walked upstairs.  Granny Smith walked over to the fridge and poured a cup of cider for Applejack.  “Tough day?”

“You don’t know the half of it,” Applejack sighed as she accepted the beverage.  Big Mac sat at the kitchen table to join the two, still carrying the album.  “Mind if I take a look?”  Big Mac shrugged and hoofed it over to her.  She opened it and began flipping through pages of pictures from family reunions and days past, a smile creeping across her face.  Finally she came to the familiar pictures of her parents.  She really did look like her dad.  She had to smile as she flipped through the pages.  Then something caught her eye.  There was a picture of the lovely couple standing together laughing.  Applejack’s father had his hoof around his wife while they laughed at a joke someone off screen must have said.  What caught Applejack’s eye though was the jagged edge of the photo where her father’s side was.  It almost looked like somepony had ripped out a piece of the photo.  “Hey, Granny?  Do you know why this picture’s ripped?”

Granny Smith leaned over and looked at the picture.  “Huh, Ah’m pretty sure that was taken before you were born.  These were your father’s photos before I put ‘em in the album.  Maybe he just cut something out of it.”

“Yeah,” Applejack agreed.  She couldn’t quite place it, but she thought she saw the barest hint of a hoof extending from the torn edge of the photo.

---

“Go fish.”

Seek and Redwood had been playing cards for a few hours now, the criminal mastermind having specifically asked for the magical technician.  Seek had felt nervous at first but after a couple hours with the stallion behind an impenetrable glass cage he had begun to let his guard down.  Seek was the one who suggested playing cards, though it was difficult to exchange cards between the walls of the cage, Seek had worked out a system.

Redwood drew another card.  “So tell me why you’re here,” he asked.

Seek frowned and looked around in confusion.  “Because… you asked for me?”

“No, no,” Redwood chuckled.  “Why are you here at CRO?”

Seek frowned deeper.  “Uh, I don’t think I want to get into that with a criminal like you.”

“Don’t trust me?” Redwood smirked.  Seek didn’t reply.  “What?  Think that I’ll use anything I learn about you to coerce you into helping me?  I’m locked behind a magical barrier the princess herself erected.”

“You were still able to get out a message,” Seek muttered under his breath.

Even behind the glass Redwood was able to hear it.  He smiled.  “Now we’re getting to business.”  He put down his cards.  “So tell me how you knew.”

Seek bit his lip and looked around.  The only other pony was posted outside the door to the sublevel warehouse.  He took a deep breath and began to talk.  “I’m in charge of the dragon lighter research.  As such I’ve had several off the books spells cast on it, including a records spell.  Every night at midnight a list of the times and usages of the lighter gets transferred to my crystal ball.  For the past few weeks all we’ve been doing is bringing in information and files from the Mailmare’s storage site.  However, a couple nights ago somepony sent an outgoing message with the lighter.”

Redwood began to clap slowly as he smirked.  “Bravo.  You know I really didn’t give you enough credit… Did you read the message?”

Seek shook his head.  “It doesn’t work like that.”

Redwood nodded.  “So I guess now we have to figure out just what you will do with this information.  Will you report it?”

Seek gulped as he looked into Redwood’s eyes.  “Maybe.  That depends on what you can tell me.”

Redwood smiled.  As always it came down to either bits or information.  This pony was no different.  “Shoot.”

“What do you want with Twilight Sparkle?”

Redwood was slightly surprised at the question but he didn’t let it slip.  “To protect her.  That hasn’t changed.”

Seek seemed to wait for him to finish.  “Really?  That’s all you’re going to give me?  No, secret agendas?”

“Oh, I have secret agendas,” Redwood replied.  “I just don’t see why I would tell you.”

Seek grit his teeth as he leaned closer to the glass.  “Fine!  At least tell me if you know the pony that put that bounty on her.”

Redwood was silent.  Seek finally got up in a huff and headed for the door.  “That’s it, I’m just going to tell Captain Armor.”

Redwood clenched his mouth shut as the stress began to hit him.  He seriously didn’t expect a grunt like this pony to find him out.  He would’ve preferred it if this pony just wanted money, but the things he was asking for he just couldn’t give him.  He expected to hear the door slam shut behind him but the sound never came.  Redwood frowned and turned to the door to see Seek frozen in midstep, hooves away from the door.

“Looks like you’re in a pickle,” a twisted voice said from behind him.  Redwood turned to see a serpentine figure made from various parts.  The head of a goat, the tail of a dragon, the paw of a lion and the wings of a bat.  The spirit of chaos grinned ominously at him.  “Or would that be a pickle jar?”  he rapped his knuckles against the glass cage they were now both in.

“Discord, I presume.” Redwood smiled through gritted teeth.

Discord bowed.  “Guilty as charged.”

Redwood got up from his seat and walked over to the draconequus.  “What are you doing here?”

Discord lay back in midair and examined his nails nonchalantly.  “Oh, I was in the neighborverse and heard there was a new chaotic element in town.  Imagine my surprise to find it’s you again, Rayleigh.”

Redwood raised an eyebrow.  “Have we met?”

Discord chuckled.  “No, I suppose not.  Though I know you quite well.  After all, you loved those nights in the castle gardens.”  Redwood’s chilled demeanor dropped for a second.  “You learn so much about ponies when you’re a statue.”  Redwood’s expression now became venomous, his red eyes seemingly trying to burn through Discord’s face.  “Wow, that’s one stare you’ve got.  Nearly puts a friend of mine’s to shame.  Relax, Redwood.  I’m not here to blow your plan or even interrupt it.”

Redwood receded his glare.  “I’d heard you turned soft after the elements got a hold of you.”

Discord smirked.  “I’m not tethered to anypony if that’s what you’re asking.  I’m a free agent.  And as a free agent I came to see the pony that will bring so much chaos to this land.”

Redwood narrowed his eyes at Discord.  “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Discord’s smile grew a little bit sharper.  “On the contrary, I know exactly what I’m talking about.”  He raised his hands and snapped, the whole world outside the cage becoming dark.  “Secrets mean nothing to a god, mortal.”

Redwood looked around coolly, still keeping his demeanor.  “There will be no chaos.”

“You say that,” Discord grinned with cat like eyes.  “But I can smell it on you.  You wreak of chaos.  And not the good kind.”  He disappeared and his head reappeared on Redwood’s shoulder.  “You smell like mayhem.”  Redwood waved him away and the head reappeared under him.  “Turmoil.”  Redwood waved him away again and the face appeared directly in front of him, its eyes deadly serious.  “And pandemonium.”

“Do you have a point?” Redwood asked, beginning to lose his temper.

“As a matter of fact I do,” Discord returned to his happy go lucky self.  “I came here to wish you good luck.”  He snapped his fingers and the world returned.  “And to give you a parting gift.”  He teleported out of the cage and over to Seek.  He then proceeded to pull a key out of his pocket and plunge it into the back of Seek’s head.  He turned it and Seek’s head opened up.  He reached in and pulled out a little version of Redwood holding the dragon lighter.  Discord closed Seek’s head and teleported back into the cage.  He showed the little figure off to Redwood before snuffing it out in his fist.  “That takes care of his memory and I’ve already dealt with the records on his crystal ball.”

Redwood raised an eyebrow.  “Why are you doing this?”

Discord chuckled.  “I’m going to be… indisposed soon.  As such I’d like to know that all the ponies I call friends are safe.  And as much chaos as I can smell on you I know that with the right help you can accomplish that.”

Redwood seemed speechless.  “And what if you’re wrong.  What if I’m everything you’ve made me up not to be?”

Discord’s grin disappeared and his serious face returned.  “Oh, I know what you are, Redwood.  Do not think yourself clever enough to fool a god.  As I said, nothing is secret to me.”  His grin returned.  “I do wonder though, Do you have any idea the kind of monsters that are after you?”

“I can handle monsters,” Redwood replied.  “I’ve been doing so my whole life.”  Discord didn’t seem to believe him.  “While you may have been domesticated, Discord, I can assure you that the villains Ms. Sparkle and her friends are up against cannot be redeemed.  The only way to deal with ponies like them is my way.”

“And are you prepared to see all those you love get swept up in the aftermath?”

It was Redwood’s turn to grin.  “I have nopony I love.”

Discord tutted again.  “No secrets.  Remember?”  One by one his body parts began to disappear starting with his tail and working up.  “I look forward to seeing what you have planned, Rayleigh Redwood.”  The last thing to disappear was his smile.

Suddenly time resumed.  Redwood turned back to the door where Seek was preparing to leave.  He grabbed the handle but stopped, cocking his head to the side.  “Something wrong, agent?”

Seek scratched his head.  “Uh, no, no.  I… just kind of forgot where I was going.”

“I believe you said you were calling it a night.”

Seek frowned but nodded.  “Yeah, I guess.  Good night, Mr. Redwood.”

“Good night, Seek.”  The green stallion left the room, locking the door behind him and leaving Redwood alone.  He had a lot to ponder now, perhaps even some aspects of the plan needed to be rethought out.

---

A silent figure stalked a pony of interest as she made her way home from the town.  She had been tailing the white unicorn ever since the event at Sugarcube Corner.  Her initial investigation into Vinyl Scratch showed that she had been working as a DJ for close to four years.  Other than that, nothing else strange was in her profile at Town Hall.  

Originally she had planned to intervene but this neon blue maned unicorn moved first.  Which was odd since she couldn’t even tell where Vinyl Scratch had shot the disc from.  It took her even longer to actually track the unicorn down.

She watched from afar as Vinyl entered the house she shared with her roommate Octavia Melody, an earth pony specializing in classical music.  The figure edged her way to the window to peer into the house.

“Vinyl, your back,” a gray earth pony she assumed to be Octavia said from the couch.  A blanket was draped over her and a book in her lap.  She couldn’t see Vinyl’s face but the unicorn seemed to give her roommate a concerned look since Octavia smiled.  “No, I’m alright.  That flu was like a week ago.  Anyway, why haven’t I seen you all day?”

Vinyl turned toward the window, on her way to the kitchen.  She merely waved her hoof in a certain motion that Octavia found easy to understand.  “Work?  What do you mean you had work?  Was somepony throwing a party during the day?”

Vinyl grinned turned back to Octavia doing another motion, this one a little rude.  “Oh, shut up,” Octavia chuckled.  Suddenly the figure mistakenly stepped on a twig.  It was a soft sound but somehow enough for the shades wearing pony to notice.  She turned to the window and walked quickly toward it.  The figure had mere moments to act.

Vinyl opened the window hard and peeked her head out, lowering her glasses to scan the night environment.  Her eyes were a deep shade of red.  No matter how hard she looked though she could not see anypony.  “Close the window, please,” Octavia shouted from the living room.  “It’s already getting chilly.”  Vinyl nodded with narrow eyes and closed the window.

Up atop the small house a lone zebra in a black jacket and the shape of a leaf on her flank sat in complete silence, trying to hide her presence.  The zebra proceeded to pull out a small notepad and quill from her pocket.  She quietly added a new note to a long list of other surveillance intel.  “Who is Vinyl Scratch?”