//------------------------------// // Hello, Twilight // Story: Mare Do Well // by Dodringo64 //------------------------------// The doors to Twilight's castle flew open as Applejack returned after searching for Rainbow Dash for about an hour at this point. "Twilight, we're gonna have a problem here!" Applejack came in scared. She didn't have Rainbow with her, but an unconscious Starlight instead. "What happened here!? Where's Rainbow?" Twilight said. She knew what had happened. After receiving a threatening letter, it wasn't that hard to connect the dots. Applejack looks terrified. "I searched everywhere for her, eventually I went into the Everfree Forest and found Starlight unconscious hanging from a tree. The worst part is, Rainbow was next to her...dead! Her body was cut open from head to hoof!" Twilight didn't know what to think. "Oh no, no, no! This must be whoever sent me that letter! But wait, I thought they threatened Starlight, not Rainbow?" Twilight wondered. "Yeah! So why would they kill Rainbow and leave Starlight alive? It doesn't make any sense!?" Pinkie added. "That's true! And it looks like whoever did it left no trace of themselves!" Applejack said. "I honestly didn't think it would get to this point, girls. I'm scared what this pony might do to you next! You should go, at least until this is over." Twilight thought this would be the best course of action. "Are you kidding!? We're your friends, Twilight! Just because some killer is trying to tear us apart, we won't let them!" Pinkie reassured Twilight. "She's not wrong, Sugarcube. We're right here for ya, always." Applejack said. "I agree this is scary, and there are many things I would rather be doing than this, but we are your friends, Twilight. We can't just leave you with a killer!" Fluttershy said. Twilight was surprised even she was willing to stay to help her. "I agree, we are not leaving you, Twilight. Not even if there is a killer on the loose!" Rarity said, dramatically as usual. "Thanks, girls. Now what do we do? We need to think of something before it comes back...if it comes back." Twilight was still upset about Rainbow, and as much as she wanted to show it, she couldn't while the killer was still on the loose. She could tell her friends were the same. "You know, it would be a good idea to let Celestia know what's going on. She'll know exactly what to do." Fluttershy said. "Good idea, Fluttershy! Plus, it'll explain to her why I couldn't make it to Cadence and Shining Armour's anniversary." Although, Twilight couldn't help but feel that if she had alerted Celestia sooner, Rainbow Dash might still be alive. However, before Twilight was able to send a letter to Celestia, Starlight woke up. "Where am I? Twilight!? Where's Mare Do Well!?" Starlight woke up with a shock. She seemed terrified. "Mare Do Well? What are you talking about? It's me, Twilight." Twilight tried to calm Starlight down. "Come on, let's get you inside, the letter can wait." "I'm so sorry, Twilight. I thought I was still in the Everfree Forest." Starlight said. "It's okay. Do you mind explaining what happened?" Twilight was utterly confused about what happened in the Forest. "Yeah, sure. So I was sat at the station as you know, and was coming back to the castle. Then I saw some pony in a weird costume?" "The Mare Do Well costume?" Twilight asked. "That's what Rainbow called it. Anyway, I made a stupid mistake and went after it thinking it was just some prankster. But it knocked me over the head, and tied me up, and it did the same to Rainbow dash soon after. Then the Mare Do Well killed Rainbow right in front of me, it was just so awful." Starlight began to cry, remembering what she had seen. "Did you manage to see who it was exactly?" Applejack asked. "No, the costume covered them up completely. Although, before it killed Rainbow, I think they whispered their name in her ear. Whoever it was though, I think Rainbow Dash recognised them." Twilight saw this as a clue. "So whoever it is, Rainbow Dash knew them in some way." Twilight realised that Starlight was having trouble breathing over the thought of what she saw happen to Rainbow Dash. "Twilight, do you mind if I just go outside for a few moments. I really need to get some air." Starlight asked. "No problem. Take as long as you need, I need to alert Celestia about what's going on. This is a lot to take in." Twilight got up and walked over to Spike. "Twilight, if you don't mind, I'm gonna go out with her. She seems mighty distressed! She looks like she needs a little help." Applejack began to run after Starlight. "No problem. Just make sure she's okay!" Twilight shouted. "I really don't know what to think." "I understand. We'll figure this out, though! They won't be able to hide forever!" Rarity said. "Spike, you know what to do, send a letter to Princess Celestia. Tell her that there is a killer on the loose, that Rainbow Dash is dead and that we need serious help." Spike began writing immediately. "Right away, Twilight!" Spike said. Just then, as Spike was finishing off his letter to Celestia, he felt something. "Uh-oh!" "What is it, Spike?" Twilight was worried. "Somepony is sending me something. Not another one of those letters!" Spike had received another letter, written in the same ink as the last letter from the killer. "This can't be good." Twilight began to read the letter out loud. Hello, Twilight. Did you enjoy my masterpiece? Your friend screamed like a really good sport! It's only a matter of time before I get to the rest of your friends! If you really thought that it was over after just one death, you were dead wrong. This game, MY GAME, has only just begun, Twilight! And we are playing by MY rules. So here's how this goes. If you even think about contacting Celestia in any way about this, then I will make sure that your friends continue to drop like flies. If you don't, It'll be less painful when the time comes. I decide how this goes, Twilight. Until I'm done with you, I'm going to make sure that you suffer! For now, you might want to get down to Sugarcube Corner. Your precious Cutie Mark Crusaders are trying to help me get my cutie mark in murder! Tick tock, Twilight. Tick tock. "Wait, WHAT!? They can't be serious!?" Twilight said, scared. "This is very bad, darling! That thing has my Sweetie Belle!" Rarity said, terrified what might happen to Sweetie Belle. Just then, Starlight and Applejack ran into the room. "What in the hay is going on, we heard you screaming! Did something happen?" Twilight showed Applejack the letter. "WHAT!? That monster has my precious Apple Bloom! We are going down there right now to stop them!" Applejack rushed out of the castle. "Was it the killer again? Do they really have the Cutie Mark Crusaders?" Starlight asked. "Yes. Although, Applejack shouldn't have rushed off like that, we'll have to go too. Are you okay, though?" Twilight asked. "Yeah, I'm feeling much better now. Applejack went to go and check something back on the farm, though, but that doesn't bother me. Did you manage to send a letter to Princess Celestia?" Starlight said. "No, but we don't have time for talking. Come on, we need to get to Sugarcube Corner right now!" Twilight, Starlight, Pinkie and Rarity as well as Spike all ran off towards Sugarcube Corner. When they arrived at Sugarcube Corner, everyone was horrified at what they saw. "Oh my goodness, what have they done!?" Sugarcube Corner was on fire, and they could hear the chilling screams of Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. "Help! Help!! HELP!!" Everypony was shocked, but Applejack and Rarity most of all. "APPLE BLOOM!" Applejack yelled. "SWEETIE BELLE!" Yelled Rarity. "I'M COMING, APPLE BLOOM!" Applejack ran towards the entrance to Sugarcube Corner, ready to risk her life to save her sister. "No, Applejack!!" Twilight realised this was a mistake. Once Applejack had reached the doorway, the Mare Do Well appeared right in front of her and attacked her, stabbing her once before bucking her back to where Twilight and the others were. Twilight ran to her. "Applejack, are you okay!?" Twilight said, worried that she may lose another friend. "I'll be fine, Sugarcube. Just find another way to get them back!" Applejack didn't have any energy to move after being stabbed. The Mare Do Well was still standing in the doorway of Sugarcube Corner. "What are you waiting for!? COME ON!" Twilight yelled, face to face with the Mare Do Well. The Mare Do Well just ran back through the shop, attempting to escape. "Oh, no you don't! You won't get away with what you've done!" Twilight created a bubble to protect her from the flames. She ran into Sugarcube Corner searching for the Mare Do Well. "Where are you!" She asked, before noticing Mr and Mrs Cake cowering in fear with their children, Pumpkin and Pound Cake. "You need to get out of here! Now!" She yelled to them over the sound of the flames. "We can't! The flames are too strong!" Mr Cake said. Twilight realised that she could only save one, The Cakes or The Cutie Mark Crusaders. She didn't want to have to do this. "I'm so sorry." Twilight said before she ran up the stairs hoping to find the Mare Do Well or the Crusaders. Instead, she found something much worse. "A tape recorder!? Oh no!" It was a recording of the Crusader calling for help. Wherever they were, they weren't here. Twilight turned around to find the Mare Do Well with a knife holding up Mr and Mrs Cake. "NO! Don't hurt them! Please." The Mare Do Well shook it's head before slicing the throat of Mr Cake and then Mrs Cake. The Mare Do Well then threw the bodies at Twilight and held the knife up at her, taunting her. "What do you want with me!?" Twilight yelled before the Mare Do well ran downstairs to escape. "You will not get away with this!" Twilight ran after the Mare Do Well, but by time she had gotten downstairs, it had dissapeared. "WHERE ARE YOU!!" Twilight yelled. Twilight walked out of the burning building as it slowly broke down behind her. "Twilight, what happened!? Where is Sweetie Belle?" Rarity asked. "Twilight, where's Apple Bloom? Don't tell me..." Applejack, even injured, began to cry. "They weren't in there. It was just a recording. Wherever the Crusaders are, the killer still has them, he has to! The cakes are dead, though. As well as the children." Twilight felt awful that she couldn't have prevented this from happening. "Wait, the Cakes are dead? And the Baby Cakes!?" Pinkie began to cry...a lot. She had spent a lot of time with the Cakes. "I'm so sorry, Pinkie! I tried to save them, believe me, I did!" Twilight said. "I know, Twilight. Thank you! We have to do something about this MONSTER!" Pinkie said, furious. "Yeah, well it still has my Apple Bloom, so we need to get her back!" Applejack said. "And it has my Sweetie Belle, so we need to stop that thing!" Rarity said. "And it has Scootaloo, so we need to think of what to do, because to be honest...I'm terrified, girls." Twilight admitted, however, it seemed like everyone else was as well. "Oh no, Twilight!" Spike said. He was receiving another message. "What does it want now!?" Twilight picked up the letter and read it out loud once again, even though she really didn't want to. Hello, Twilight You are one smart pony. But you already knew that, didn't you? I still have your little fillies. They're asleep right now, but they won't be waking up soon enough! This was just the start of our little game, Twilight. Remember the rules, Don't tell Celestia or else! I can't wait to see which of your friends I get to mutilate next! This'll be fun, Twilight. But hurry up, or your fillies will be feeling the sharp stab of my blade! "This is bad, so bad!" Twilight said, worryingly. "I wouldn't even know where to look for them!" "It's okay, Twi. We'll search all of Equestria if we have to." Applejack said, able to stand now. "The Mare Do Well may have won this battle but we will find her and take her down!" Rarity said. Twilight felt a little better but still, the Mare Do Well HAD won and as far as she could tell, it was not going to be over any time soon.