My Little Serial Killer: Murder is Magic

by TheGentlemanCreeper

Chapter 14: Savior

I was slow to wake up. My head was throbbing, my mouth was dry, and dinner felt like it was at the back of my throat.

I had no idea how long I was out for, but I knew Pinkamena was still out there and needed to go. But when I tried to stand up, I found my hooves shackled to a chair.

“Good. You’re awake.”

And then it all came rushing back.

I looked over to see Twilight at a table, preparing a number of tinctures and chemicals I didn’t recognize immediately. I opened my mouth to say something, anything.

She didn’t seem to care what I had to say.

Twilight’s horn shone and a beam of light hit me right between the eyes and all I could get out was a pained grunt before my whole body went slack.

I was still awake, just paralyzed. My gaze was down at the ground and I could feel myself start to drool.

“What is your name?” Twilight asked.

Without any conscious effort on my end, my body spoke for me.

“Dayglow Mornings.”

“Oh goddess. She hit me with some sort of truth spell,” I thought, panicking.

Those were supposed to be illegal. Ponies have rights. You’re not supposed to force answers out of somebody without a very good reason.

“Where is my friend? Where is Pinkie Pie?”

“Oh, that’ll do it.”

Again, I answered without a choice. “I don’t know.”

I could hear Twilight’s teeth grind.

“Yes, you do. Where is Pinkie Pie?”

“I don’t know.”

This got a frustrated scream out of Twilight and another blast of light. It was like every nerve ending in my brain was on fire and all I wanted to do was scream, but couldn’t. I could feel tears forming in the corners of my eyes and for a brief, horrifying moment I thought the Princess’s student just liquified my brain.

But I could still hear Twilight’s hooves slowly pace back and forth in front of me and as the pain ebbed, I could feel myself think again.

“Okay. Different question. Who was that thing that ponynapped me?”

“Pinkamena.”

Her hooves stopped.

“What?”

“Pinkamena.”

“Okay, what is Pinkamena?”

“She’s a split personality that Pinkie’s unaware of. She’s a murderer that’s lived in Ponyville for years. I loved her.”

That last bit didn’t surprise me, but it still hurt to finally say it out loud. I could hear the scribblings of parchment as Twilight wrote down what I said, uncaring of my internal plight.

“Assuming this is actually true and you aren’t being misled or misinformed, why did you and ‘Pinkamena’ want to kill me?”

“Pinkamena wanted to kill you because you were actively investigating the disappearance of Officer Melliot,” my body droned on. “I didn’t want to kill you.”

Melliot’s name got a deep breath out of Twilight.

“Alright. Who killed officer Melliot?”

“I did.”

I could hear Twilight’s breathing hitch and whatever questions he was going to say next die in her throat. Instead, she took a deep breath and steadied herself.

“Why?”

“He broke into my home. Broke into my basement. Found my tools. Would have found my trophies. I panicked. Pinkamena pushed me.”

The scribbling stopped. “T...Trophies?”

“Yes.”

Silence filled what I began to recognize as Twilight’s basement. After a minute or so, she got close to me and lifted my head so I was looking into her eyes.

“Dayglow Mornings. Have you killed before?”

Her gaze was hard, but I could see the sadness in her eyes. I was technically her friend. And any other time, I would have lied to protect her feelings and friendship. But I couldn’t.

“Yes.”

Twilight’s face contorted in a mix of disgust and rage. “How many?” she asked.

“Thirty-three ponies, four griffons, and a yak.”

Twilight dropped my head like she was disgusted by what she was holding. Like I wasn’t a pony in her eyes anymore.

Just a monster.

“WHY?!?” She cried out.

My response was just as much a surprise to me as it was to her.

“Because I had to.”

“What?” Twilight asked in shock. She didn’t mean to continue the conversation, but I was bound by the spell.

“All of those creatures deserved it. They were monsters that hurt others. They weren’t going to stop.”

“And what about Officer Melliot?” Twilight asked sharply. “Did he deserve it?”

“No,” my body said. “He was innocent. And I hate myself for that.”

I wasn’t wrong.

“And the others? What about them? What did they do to deserve death?”

I don’t think Twilight was ready for the can of worms she had just opened. I started with my first.

“Yardstick: pedophile and child-murderer. Buried foals in his personal flowerbeds after he was done with them.”

I could hear a small gasp from Twilight and she made some sort of noise to ask a question, but the names just kept rolling.

“Potter Barn: serial abuser and attempted murder. Lugnut: rape and murder. Cobalt Blue: ponynapping and torture. Cloudview: ponynapping, sexual torture, and murder. Windchill: murder and cannibalism. Lily Valley: serial poisoner, torture, murder. Stained Gla-”

“Stop, stop, STOP!”

Twilight had tried to over me and get me to stop answering her question but I was still bound by the spell. So for lack of any better idea, she hit me with a bright beam of light again. Only this time, I sucked in a deep breath and let out a groan of pain.

I had control again, but I had no idea for how long. And time was of the essence.

“Twilight. Please. You have to listen to me.”

She looked at me with wary eyes. The same kind of eyes one would give a predator. She didn’t like that I could talk again. She didn’t like that I had some semblance of control.

“It’s true. I’m a killer. I’ve done a lot I’m going to need to answer for but right now, Pinkamena is out there and somepony is going to get hurt because we were here talking.”

She looked at me and the papers, trying to figure something out.

“I just… That can’t be Pinkie. It can’t.”

“It isn’t,” I said, pulling at my restraints. “It’s Pinkamena. In her words, Pinkie is in some sort of deep sleep right now and can’t wake up.”

Twilight was hanging on my every word and I could tell that even without the spell, she was believing me.

“She’s been like that for days. And she knows that we’re still alive and she doesn’t want that. She wants to go on with her life — her new life — without any problems.”

Twilight was biting her lip hard enough to draw blood as she listened.

“Listen, I don’t care what happens to me. You can take me to Celestia herself to hang for what I’ve done, I don’t care anymore.”

I did care, but that was beside the point.

“Just trust me for tonight,” I pleaded. Her eyes went wide at the very idea. “And after that, I’m yours.”

“Why should I trust you?” She sneered.

I thought for a moment and truth be told, I wouldn’t trust me in this situation. But I did have one idea.

“Hit me with that truth spell again,” I said.

“Why?”

I hated giving her more leverage over me, but it was needed. The game was up and dear old Daymos was done for. The best I could do is show there was a reason for all the chaos.

“You can find out if I’m trying to trick you… and you can ask me about the Canterlot World’s Fair and the day Cherry Fizz and Cherry Drop disappeared.”

Twilight’s jaw dropped and she took a few steps back. “You… You didn’t.”

“Please. Trust me.”

The unicorn who held my fate just stared at me with unending ire before her horn glowed again and that familiar sense of paralysis overtook me.

“What happened to Cherry Fizz and Cherry Drop and how were you involved?”

And with that, I told her everything. Thanks to all of it being magically forced, I was able to go into great detail how Cherry Fizz and Cherry Drop dragged me back to their hotel room. How I attacked both of them after confirming what they had planned for me.

How I had no idea that she would be there or that we would meet.

“Why didn’t you just report it to the police?” Twilight asked with self-righteous air.

“I had no physical evidence to present, nor any way to prove what they had planned,” my body answered. “By the time the police were involved, they would have disappeared or have killed again.”

“Would you have killed me had I walked in while you were in the middle of disposing of their bodies?”

“I don’t know.”

I started cursing myself. Twilight had control again and she wasn’t going to let sleeping dogs lie.

“And if I let you go right now, would you kill me?”

“No.”

“If I let you go, would you kill Pinkamena given the chance?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“She’s going to hurt the only pony I care for.”

My mind reeled as it all came into focus. I’d been thinking too broad. Twilight was thinking of what I said and how I flat out admitted I wanted to kill Pinkamena, but I didn’t care. There were bigger stakes.

A final ray of light hit my eyes and I found control returning. I had learned quite a bit about myself thanks to the truth spell, but as it turned out, my subconscious was a lot more observant than I was and better at seeing what was right in front of me.

Because it was only then that the severity of the situation actually hit me.

I was afraid Pinkamena would go out and hurt another innocent pony, but I thought I had time. Not once did I ever consider that the pony she might hurt be someone I care for.

I started thrashing as hard as could, trying to break out of my restraints, much to Twilight’s chagrin.

“What are you doing!?”

“I just hurt Pinkamena!” I yelled, tugging harder. All I accomplished was tearing up my wrists. “Who do you think is going to pay for it if she can’t find me?!?”

It took a second, but Twilight finally figured it out.

“Scootaloo.”

“YES!” I screamed, tugging harder. “NOW LET M-”

The words died in my throat as the restraints came off. I would have ran for the door, but a field of force encased my body.

“You are not to kill Pinkamena. You are to bring her back alive,” Twilight declared. “We’re going to find some way to get rid of Pinkamena and bring Pinkie back. Understand?”

I couldn’t nod, but a single grunt sufficed. A tickle went through my entire body as the forcefield collapsed.

“I put a tracking spell on y-Hey!”

I didn’t care.

I didn’t care if she was tracking me or just put a bomb in my head. I galloped out of the Golden Oaks Library and into the night air of Ponyville.

It was 12:30 a.m. according to the clock tower. I had been out for at least half an hour.

I wasn’t about to let Pinkamena hurt that little filly and I didn’t care what Twilight had to say about it.

“I’ll fucking kill her if she touches her.”

* * *

I gave no pretense to subtlety. My front door was already open. I had been too late.

I wasn’t a killer on a mission for revenge. I was a parent at this point, panicking over the state of their child.

“SCOOTALOO?!?” I called out.

No response.

I barreled up the stairs and threw the door open to her room.

Empty. I didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. I just felt sick and was ready to fall to pieces at a moment’s notice.

But I needed to be strong and put all those swirling emotions into a tight little box that I could unleash on Pinkamena later.

There was no blood, no signs of a struggle, and there wasn’t enough time to clean up.

Looking around for anything, any clue, I found it.

A half-empty bottle of etorphine.

My half-empty bottle of etorphine. Pinkamena had been in my basement again. I didn’t know where the needle was, but I’d wager it was right alongside the bottle of diprenorphine she most likely took with it.

And if she were knocking Scootaloo out, she’d need a place to have her…

Fun.

I rushed out the door again, vaguely aware of Twilight yelling off in the distance for me to slow down.

I didn’t. I didn’t have much time.

In my darkest thoughts, the only thing I could hope for was that Pinkamena wanted me to watch as it happened and that I wasn’t too late.

* * *

Ponies sleep like the dead.

I galloped through the streets as fast as I could — almost barreling into an empty market stall — just to get to Sugarcube Corner as fast as I could.

I threw the doors open and ran down inside and found my worst fear.

There she was.

The little filly who had found a way into my heart.

Tied to a table.

Pinkamena held a knife in her hoof and from the look on her face, she was expecting me.

Her shoulder was bandaged up and she walked with a limp, but the look on her face and the way she held herself made it clear who was in charge.

“Daymos, Daymos, Daymos. Dear predictable Daymos,” Pinkamena chastised.

“Wha-”

“Shhh. You’ll wake her.”

Taking out a little pocket mirror, Pinkamena brought it to Scootaloo’s face.

And I won’t lie, I almost cried with relief when I saw that mirror fog up.

“Oh good, she’s still alive,” Pinkamena said flatly. “I had no idea how much of that stuff I was supposed to use. Thought I killed her… too early.”

She turned to me and for once, she wasn’t wearing that manic grin.

Pinkamena actually looked… hurt. Betrayed, even.

“Why Daymos?” She asked. “I honestly thought we had something special. I thought I finally found somepony who loved me for me.”

I honestly didn’t know what to say, so I said nothing. And that didn’t help one bit.

Pinkamena grit her teeth and brought the knife down, inches away from Scootaloo’s head.

“I thought I finally found somepony who understands!”

There was no way I could get to her without that knife coming down on Scootaloo. And trying to reason with her was out of the question. She hated me and wanted me to suffer.

“You talked about wanting to cut out another pony’s heart and making them watch to show how much they hurt you. I thought I’d do the next best thing,” she said, bringing the knife closer to Scootaloo’s face. “Maybe then you’ll understand.”

So, I did the only logical thing…

“You want to know why?” I asked, laughing. “Because you're a psycho bitch, that’s why. I can’t believe I was so lonely and desperate that I couldn’t see that.”

Pinkamena’s eyes went wide and her jaw went slack. She wasn’t expecting that.

She was expecting begging and pleading. She wanted me to suffer, just like every other kill before her.

She wasn’t used to ponies fighting back.

She opened her mouth to say something, but I didn’t give her the chance.

“I mean honestly, beyond that? You’re a third-rate killer with a fourth-rate schtick,” I said with a condescending scoff. I hoped I wasn’t playing it up too much, but I really had to twist the knife if this was to work. “What, you’re a killer who loves toying with her victims and gets off on it? You’re not the first I’ve run into and you won’t be the last.”

Pinkamena pulled the knife from the table and brought it up and over her head.

“Shut up! I’m warning you, I’ll-”

“You’ll what? Kill the kid? And then what? Die here?” I said, laughing aloud. “What do you think I’m going to do to you if she dies? Fall to pieces and cry?”

Pinkamena’s face started to fall as she looked between me and Scootaloo.

“You really thought you’d get out of here alive after all this?” I asked, laughing harder. “Goddess above, you’re so stupid.”

That got her scowling. “Shut up,” she spat.

“You know, you love insulting Pinkie for being an airhead, but at least she knows how to plan ahead.”

“SHUT UP! SHUT UP!”

The final push.

“You really are her shadow.”

With an angry roar, Pinkamena lunged at me with the knife. Just as planned.

The Whisper was right. Pinkamena’s a psychopath and I’m a sociopath. And I played right into that to get her to focus on me and not Scootaloo.

The truth is, I would cry if she killed Scootaloo. But I wasn’t lying when I said she’d die here.

I’d be killing Pinkie Pie in the process and that would haunt me till the end of days, but no one deserved to be controlled by this monster.

Pinkamena and I rolled on the ground, each trying to get control of the knife that would seal the other’s fate.

Just as I thought I got a grip, Pinkamena threw a punch that caught me in the throat. My breath caught, and I swore I felt something pop. I tried to suck in a breath, but couldn’t.

Things weren’t exactly going to plan, and I had to get control back, but the lack of air weakened me just enough for Pinkamena to get the knife back. And if things couldn’t get worse, Twilight came barreling in.

“Pinkie!” she cried. “Please, stop this! You’re-”

“DON’T CALL ME THAT!” The not-Pinkie bellowed, lunging at Twilight. Credit to her, Twilight put up a barrier just in time as she Pinkamena came swinging with the knife.

“Listen to me! This isn’t you!” Twilight yelled, trying to get through to her. “Pinkie, please!”

Pinkamena just let out a feral scream and started slashing harder and faster, Twilight’s barrier cracking fast. I got to my hooves and sucked in a much-needed breath, just as the barrier fell.

Twilight was acting on instincts and charged a spell, only for Pinkamena to pounce and headbutt her, right between the forehead and horn. A brilliant move, given the situation. But I didn’t have time to admire.

Twilight screamed in agony as the spell dropped and caused a force-feedback that sent her reeling.

Pinkamena took advantage of the opening, but so did I. I launched myself at her and went right back to fighting for the knife.

Twilight would be down for the count for at least a few minutes, so I had to do this fast.

“I hate you. I hate you. I hate you,” Pinkamena chanted under her breath as she kicked and bit to get control of the knife.

With one final tug, I got the knife loose from her grip. But the struggle sent it flying across the room and clattering to the floor. There was a brief pause as Pinkamena’s eyes followed it before they went up. I followed her gaze and saw the pile of knives at the table.

Without another word, we both scrambled to our hooves and made a dive, trying to find a weapon to end this all. Pinkamena connected a hoof with my eye, but I sent her sprawling with a quick jab to her shoulder.

By the time she was picking herself up off the floor, I had the first knife I could find in my hoof and was pouncing on top of her.

I brought the knife above my head and brought it down on her, intent on piercing her heart.

But she caught my wrists and held the blade away, just an inch away.

I stared hard into her eyes, baring my teeth and growling as I tried hard to end her life.

“Please. Please Daymos. Don’t,” she pleaded. “You’re my soulmate.”

I was gritting my teeth so hard, I could feel them creak. I didn’t give her what she wanted. I wasn’t playing here.

This wasn’t murder.

This was a mercy.

I got the knife back and made sure to wrench her bad shoulder in the process, getting a scream out of her.

I brought the knife up.

And put it in her chest.

A small gasp left Pinkamena as the air left her lungs and she stared at the knife, half in and half out of her chest as a small trickle of blood escaped the wound.

She looked up to me, that same betrayal in her eyes as before. Pinkamena tried to mouth something, but her eyes started fluttering and rolled back into her head as she went slack.

I held the knife there for a moment longer, as if to be sure she was actually dead and pulled the knife out…

Only for the blade to pop out.

The adrenaline was wearing off and I was having a hard time grasping just what happened through the haze, but it finally clicked when I realized Pinkamena was still breathing.

The knife I grabbed was the trick knife.

The one she used on me before.

The one that looked so much like a real knife, but collapsed in on itself and deposited fake blood.

I heard Twilight getting up and turned to face her. She looked at me, the knife, and Pinkamena and let out a scream before charging her horn.

I held my hooves up and got out the word “Wait” before getting blasted again.

While the last time she did this she went to stun, this felt more like she was trying to kill me. The force of the blast sent me flying at high speed and I could faintly smell the distinct odor of burning hair and flesh before I collided with the far wall.

And everything went black.

* * *

I woke up with a start and a groan, the pain in my chest and head unreal. Looking down, I found myself hoofcuffed to a bed. Not a hospital bed, but the kind of bed you’d bring out for unexpected guests to spend the night.

At the very least, I had been bandaged up. Looking around, I found three things that shocked me.

First, I had been out for at least three hours if the clock on the far wall was right.

Two, I was back in Twilight’s basement laboratory.

Three, Pinkamena was there with me.

At least, I thought it was Pinkamena.

She wasn’t chained to the bed like I was. She was bandaged up, dead asleep, and looking… brighter.

Her hair had that usual Pinkie-poof and her coat was at least a few shades brighter.

I swallowed dryly, looking around and finding Twilight back at her worktable, only sparing me a glance before going back to work.

“What-”

“I’ve sent a letter to Princess Celestia,” she said flatly.

My eyes bulged and I felt my heart drop. I had hoped to get out of this situation, but those seven words dashed any and all hopes for a happy ending for Daymos.

“She’s normally up in a few hours to begin the raising of the sun,” Twilight continued. “I told her what happened. And to send a contingent of royal guard for your immediate arrest.”

I fell back into bed and felt numb.

“What about Scootaloo?” I asked. I didn’t know if I meant after the Pinkamena incident or what would happen to her in general.

“She’s upstairs. Her vitals are steady. I’ll be bringing her to the doctor’s in the morning for a complete physical.”

“And… her?”

Twilight let out a long breath and got up from her workspace. She walked over to the foot of my bed and glared down at me.

“I thought you killed her,” Twilight said. “And… in a way, you have.”

I didn’t know what to make of what Twilight meant, so I kept my mouth shut.

“I didn’t know what to do, so I brought the three of you to the Library and started trying to get a hold of the Princess,” Twilight said. “And then, Pinkie woke up. Not the other.”

“Not Pinkamena.”

Twilight nodded.

“She was confused, in pain, and panicked. She had no idea what was going on or why she was bleeding. I tried to calm her down, to explain what happened, but she was too hysterical,” Twilight said. “I had to put her under. Her vitals are steady, but I’m afraid to wake her up.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Had you just subdued Pinkamena like I said, none of that would have happened,” Twilight growled. “I could have done-”

“Done what?” I snapped.

Twilight shut her mouth and looked at me angrily. “Anything. Anything other than traumatizing her.”

“Well,” I said flatly. “It seemed to work. If Pinkie’s back in control, that means Pinkamena’s not. And you might be able to fix her.”

Twilight didn’t say anything. She just continued to stare accusingly, as if her gaze could bore a hole through my skull if she tried hard enough.

Listlessly, I fell back into bed and tried to get some rest. I was so tired.

So very tired.

And I didn’t care anymore.

About anything.

* * *

A loud thump and a crash got my attention and I tried to jump out of bed, only for the restraints to keep me locked in place.

Above me, I could hear raised voices arguing but couldn’t make them out.

Pinkam-

...Pinkie Pie was still sleep in the bed beside me and the clock told me it was an hour before sunrise.

“Princess, please! I don’t think...”

My stomach fell through the bed, and I did my best to brace myself.

The Sun Princess was here to judge me. I heard heavy hoofsteps, more prominent than an average pony coming down the stairs. There was the sound of armor clattering against itself. The hefts of spears touching down on the hardwood floor. This was it.

But there was something I didn’t expect — a very distraught Twilight.

“Princess Luna, please! I don’t see why you want to judge him personally!” She said staunchly. “And I sent that letter to Princess Celestia! How did-”

“All messages and missives intended for my sister are sent to me during night court,” the alicorn said, staring down her muzzle at me. “And I thought it appropriate to render swift judgment on the matter. Now please, leave us.”

Twilight balked and bristled at the order. “Princess Luna, I have to insist I stay here!” she cried. “He’s a violent criminal! And this is not the olden days. You can’t just act as judge and jury here! We need to bring him back to Canterlot for trial and-”

“Twilight Sparkle, I’m ordering you as a diarch of Equestria to leave the room. Now.”

I had never met Princess Luna but knew of her return. She was just as majestic as her sister. Tall, strong, commanding, and of an air that let everypony in the room know just who was in charge. And I had no idea she was so old fashioned. She was going to carry out a trial — as judge, jury, and executioner by the way it looked.

Twilight gaped for a moment before squaring herself and standing up straighter.

“No. I refuse. There’s no way Princess Celestia would let-”

“I carry my sister’s authority,” Princess Luna growled. “Are you challenging that now?”

Twilight Sparkle, to her credit, held Princess Luna’s gaze. “I have a direct line. I’m going to write to her. I’m going to have her confirm this is how she wants things done. I’m-”

With a small flash, Twilight’s whole body went stiff and her eyes turned to pinpricks. Princess Luna, her horn still glowing, moved in and lowered herself to Twilight’s eye level.

“I wish you would have listened to me. You have only made things more complicated.”

With a bright flash, Twilight Sparkle fell limp to the floor.

“Carry her up to her bed, I’ll be with her momentarily,” Princess Luna said to one of her guards. “Now…”

The princess of the moon turned her eyes to me, and at that moment, I knew.

I was a dead stallion.

“Dayglow… Mornings.”

My name on her lips cut me to the core, but her eyes were what really terrified me. I knew those eyes. I was still tied to the bed but I tried desperately to shrink away.

To get as far as I could from a real apex predator.

For the briefest moment, her gaze drifted away and to Pinkie Pie next to me. Her gaze softened and she let out a long sigh.

“Doctor Stitch, Doctor Time. Begin treatment. We don’t have much time, so work quickly.”

This threw me for a loop as I watched two unicorns appear from the group of guards in medical scrubs. They immediately set upon Pinkie, pulling back bandages and applying what I could only guess were healing spells.

Princess Luna cleared her throat and I found myself looking up at her, feeling like a child again before an angry teacher or parent.

And I swear, I could feel the Whisper whimpering like a scared puppy somewhere in the back of my mind.

“Dayglow Morning. Explain in your own words what happened to Pinkie Pie tonight,” she said firmly. “And how she ended up in this state.”

I tried to find my words, but it was so hard. I opened my mouth more than a few times, only to let out a choke of fear. I was so afraid.

I was afraid of what would happen to me, sure. But this was different.

I was afraid of Princess Luna on some sort of primal level, and I had no idea.

Her gaze narrowed, and under that scrutiny, I finally found my voice.

“...Pinkamena,” I croaked out. “It was Pinkamena.”

Luna’s gaze shifted to Pinkie once more and waited. She wanted more.

“We fought. I… I was going to kill her,” I said. I had no idea why I admitted that, but every word came out on its own accord. It was like I was a child again, admitting to breaking mother’s favorite vase. “I didn’t. But I wanted to.”

“Why.”

“She was going to hurt somepony I cared about. I ended up using a fake knife by accident. I think we both thought I killed her.”

I don’t know if she was satisfied with that answer but Princess Luna’s gaze left me and turned to Pinkie. From the looks of it, the doctors were stitching together flesh and regrowing hair along the knife wound. Every bruise, bump, and cut was getting the same treatment. I could bet within an hour that Pinkie Pie would look as pristine and pure as the day we met.

With a small chime, a small trail of dark blue, almost black colored magic coiled out of Luna’s horn and touched Pinkie Pie’s forehead doing Faust knows what to the poor mare.

A whole minute passed and nobody said a word. The doctors worked, the guards stood watch, and Luna did whatever sorcery it was to the mare I thought I killed tonight.

Finally, she let out a small breath. She was relieved. Of what, I had no idea.

“She’s clean and ready,” Luna said. “Return her to bed when you’re done with her.”

Princess Luna’s eyes were back on me, and I felt myself shrink under her gaze once more.

With a little flash, the restraints on my wrists disappeared. I honestly was expecting to get blasted with the truth spell again. Or disintegrated.

“Stand up, Dayglow.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat, the threat of vaporization still there. I shakily got to my hooves and tried to face my end with a little dignity intact.

“Kneel.”

The command was simple but carried with it all the weight it needed. I was kneeling in front of her, head down, and waiting for whatever form the headspony’s ax took.

“Dayglow Mornings, do you swear fealty to the crowns and Equestria?”

The question threw me for a loop and I hesitated for a brief moment. Something was wrong.

“I...Yes?”

“You sound unsure. I’ll ask again. Do you swear fealty to the crowns and Equestria?”

“...Yes.”

“Do you swear to promise on your life that you will be faithful to your princess and her ponies? To never cause harm, to act in good faith, and without deceit?”

My heart skipped a beat. This didn’t sound like an execution. This didn’t sound like last rights.

“Yes.”

“Do you swear to be without fear in the face of Equestria’s enemies? To safeguard the helpless and do no wrong from henceforth?”

This wasn’t an execution. This sounded like an oath of fealty.

“Yes.”

“Rise.”

My heart was hammering in my chest, and I couldn’t wipe the stupid look of shock on my face. I wasn’t going to die.

“You speak true and your heart is clear,” she said flatly. “Good.”

The princess’s stony gaze softened slowly until she looked at me less like an angry mother. She looked so sad.

“I am sorry. You have all suffered because of my mistake,” Luna said softly. “You, Laughter, Magic, and many more.”

“...What? I don’t understand.”

I watched as two guards hauled off Pinkie Pie’s sleeping form while two more started giving the basement laboratory a sweep over, removing any evidence they could get their hooves on.

“The filly is upstairs and in good health,” Luna said, ignoring my confusion. “The spell will end with daybreak, and Ponyville will stir once more. Return home and sleep. We will speak, and all will be revealed.”

I wanted to protest, but Princess Luna’s commanding tone brokered no alternative.

I kept my mouth shut and made my way for the stairs. I was sore, and I knew I’d be aching in the morning, but I didn’t care.

I was alive.

And so was Scootaloo.

I scooped the little filly up and started towards the door, just in time to see Princess Luna head upstairs for Twilight next.

For better or for worse, I was part of a cover-up.

I was alive.

But for how long?

* * *

It hit me about halfway home that things were bigger than I suspected. There were a few ponies out in the streets, unconscious — as if they were out for a walk and just dropped where they stood. Several guards moved them, with one mare directing teams as they brought them back to their houses.

I thought it was weird that Mr. and Mrs. Cake hadn’t woken up during my yelling match with Pinkamena. And I hadn’t really thought why nopony went out to check what all the yelling was as Twilight chased me.

But Luna’s mention of a spell made it pretty obvious.

I was too tired to think it over and instead focused on the positives.

We were alive. I wasn’t going to jail. And maybe things could get back to some semblance of normal.

Stepping through the threshold of my home, the weight of everything that had happened finally slipped off, and I could feel myself relax.

It took a great deal of effort not just to collapse and sleep on the couch tonight, but Scootaloo needed to be put to bed.

The little filly was reluctant and first but curled up happily after being tucked into bed.

My own bed was like a siren, calling to me from down the hall. With a few shambling steps, I made it and collapsed.

Sleep came soon after.

* * *

I was at a table.

White walls, white floor, white table, white chairs.

I was holding a cup of tea.

Black and hot.

I could have sworn I just went to bed. In fact, I knew I just went to bed.

The reflection in the tea was my own, but my mane and coat were clean and combed. Something was wrong. I hadn’t showered yet. This couldn’t be real. I was…

“As I promised, my little pony.”

My head shot up, and I found myself sitting across from Princess Luna.

“Answers.”

I was dreaming. I had to be.

“You’re dreaming,” she said. It was like she was reading my mind. “I’m not just the princess of the night. I’m the guardian of dreams. This is as real a meeting as it needs to be.”

I took a breath to steady myself and set the tea down.

“I… alright. Answers. Questions.”

I had a million questions and each one seemed pertinent, but one felt the most obvious.

“Why haven’t I been executed?”

“Because I’ve killed enough ponies like you already,” she said matter-of-factly. “Make no mistake. I would have ended your life at our first meeting had you been like the rest.”

I only had more questions. “Like...me? Like the rest?”

“The worst mistake I made a thousand years ago when the Nightmare took hold,” she said, each word paining her to admit. “When I marked the souls of ten to turn on their fellows.”

My head was swimming. This was too much. Seeing my confusion, Princess Luna’s horn glowed, and that dark blue, almost black magic reached out and started to pull something out of me.

I cried out, my very being feeling like it was being stretched thin. And as soon as it started, it stopped, and I was left staring at a wisp of black smoke, hovering between us.

“Before my sister banished the Nightmare, I cursed ten ponies at the battle with a black spot on their souls. It would drive them to the evilest acts against their fellows and carry on, finding new hosts and new victims.”

The smoke started twisting and changing until a face began to emerge. A face I knew very well.

My face.

It looked at me and smiled, and in an instant, I knew who — or rather what — it was.

“To think. If you only listened, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“The Whisper.”

Comments

[PopsicleTart]

HOHOHOHOHOHOHOOOOO
OKAY.
I could not have guessed this. I am eager to know the rest.
My inner whisper: GIMME MORE

[Ice Justice]

Intriguing. And I imagine Celestia still does not know.

This is an interesting story, a pleasant break from the more common tropes in use.

[YearofLuigiTime18]

Will this still be finished by or around November like you had mentioned earlier a bit back?

[TheGentlemanCreeper]

10497003
I can see it being finished by the end of November. With election season reaching its peak crazy, work at the newspaper has been a little difficult.