> A Nightmare on Stirrup Street Part 3: Last Rites
>  by Equestria Buck Yeah
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight shut the Pie's door a step behind Celestia.  The sun was already sinking below the horizon, Princess Luna having lowered it to make way for the evening from Canterlot.  The first few stars had begun peeking out and the moon was just starting to make its initial appearance over the skyline.

Unfortunately, they knew they couldn't linger and admire the scenery.  Spike had gotten in touch with them not long ago, requesting they return to Ponyville as fast as possible.  Twilight had yet to see the letter though and not because she hadn't asked to.  Now was simply not the time to sit around and talk, even if for only a minute.

The Princess laid down on the ground and nodded at her back, silently instructing Twilight to climb aboard.  They were a long walk from Dodge Junction where their train ride home was, so flying back was the fastest option they had.  Hopefully it wouldn't be too late in the day to get a ticket and start making their way home.

"What'd that letter say, Celestia?" Twilight asked once they were in the air for a few minutes.


-----


Spike followed Private Eye inside his front door, closing it softly.  It had been another grueling day at the station and both parties were dragging their feet.  The little dragon wished he could go back to doing the list of chores he had to do at the library.  Though there weren't as many duties for him at the police station, the stress of what had been going on for the last few weeks now was starting to get to him.

It was barely half past five o'clock when they got home, welcomed by the smell of a loving dinner being prepared by the white earth pony in the kitchen.  The mare came out to the living room to greet her husband and his purple companion.

"Hey sweetie," she said, kissing the worn out detective.  "Hey Spike.  You guys look beat."

"Hey hon.  Yeah, another rough one today."  He slowly followed his wife into the kitchen, taking in the pleasant scent as he walked.  He wrapped a foreleg around her neck, curling up against her wavy, orange mane.  "How was your day?"

"Eh, the usual.  Just started putting together a casserole a few minutes ago."

"Sorry to interrupt," Spike said groggily, "but do you guys mind if I go lay down?  I'm just...I'm just so tired lately.  I wish this would all just be over and done with, y'know?"

"All too well," Private Eye said glumly.  "Go ahead.  We'll call you when dinner's ready."

With a yawn and a stretch of his back, Spike smiled as brightly as his exhaustion would allow.  "Cool, thanks."

The dragon headed into the master bedroom where his basket laid in the corner waiting for him.  He crawled into bed and pulled his blanket over his chest.  Almost as soon as his head hit the feather-soft pillow, he drifted off to sleep.

He woke only a few minutes later.  Strangely, he felt much more rested than he had in a few days.  The young drake tossed the covers aside and rotated his head, working out the kinks in his neck.  He started heading back into the kitchen, but stopped short upon passing through the bedroom doorway and entering the living area.

The furniture was overturned, shredded and burned in several places.  The coffee table was split in two.  The living room window was shattered, leaving pieces of glass all over the rug.  The large bookshelf across from the couch had most of its contents scattered across the floor, many of the pages torn and crumpled up.  The front door was barely hanging on by a single hinge.  Spike looked to his left and saw the kitchen in similar disarray.

Plates and glasses were smashed against the floor, and the refrigerator had been pulled to the ground, one of its doors hanging open lifelessly.  The dinner table was missing a chunk from one of its sides and one of the legs was mostly splintered, keeping itself together by only a few thin pieces of wood.  Most of the counter tops were scratched and discolored from neglect and exposure.  A dank, moldy smell hung in the air as the house looked like it had been abandoned and forgotten about for many years.

The terrified dragon crept through the house, finding disaster in every room he searched.  He gradually made his way back to the central part of the house and stuck his head out the door.

"Hello?  Hello?!  Can anypony hear me?!"

The deafening silence didn't respond.  He darted his eyes back and forth, trying to piece together when an apparent war passed through Private Eye's home.

"What's going...oh no..."

"Hm!  I'm kind of impressed, Spike," a familiar voice rang out behind him.  He spun around and found Pinkie slouched back on the broken couch, her hooves folded in her lap.  "It didn't take you as long as I expected to figure out what was going on.  Bravo!"

"Ah!  Get away!" he shouted, quickly turning to run out the door only to slam face first into it.  He patted up and down the suddenly solid barricade, frantically looking for a way through.  He grabbed the doorknob and twisted with every ounce of his strength.  It wouldn't move.

Realizing he was trapped with a psychotic mare approaching him, Spike slammed his back against the door.  His pulse was skyrocketing and he was having trouble keeping air in his lungs.  He shrank away in horror, shaking like a leaf with every step she got closer.

"Silly little dragon.  Even if you were able to run, do you honestly think you can escape me here?"

She bit down on Spike's arm and flung him across the room, smashing him into the couch and knocking it over.

"I really had hoped I didn't have to see you again," she groaned as she continued stalking her prey.  "But unfortunately, there's nopony else I can get in touch with about this...little situation."

"Wh-what's that?" Spike asked, pulling himself off of the floor, never taking his eyes off the pink menace bearing down on him.

"The other night, I smelled Twilight somewhere.  It was a brief, barely noticeable scent, but there was no mistaking that it was her.  I haven't felt her anywhere since then.  Now, I'm only going to ask this once," –she dove into his face, bumping her snout into his nose– "where is she?!"

"She's with Celestia!"

"I figured she was, but that still doesn't answer my question!"

"I-I don't know!  I swear I don't know where she went!  They're probably trying to find some..."

Spike huddled into a ball, frozen in fear.  He couldn't finish his sentence lest Pinkie be thrown into a rage over what he suspected his two mother figures were doing.

"To find something to get rid of me?" she finished for him, grabbing the baby dragon and holding him up against the wall.  "Don't be stupid!  There's only one thing I want and then maybe I'll go away!  I'm going to give one last chance, shrimpy.  Tell your mommy that I want her in Ponyville, and I want her there now.  I want the rest of the town to watch the last of the Elements go down screaming!  And, for every night she isn't there, I'm going to kill a random pony!  So far, everypony who's died I've had a reason to kill.  Now, it'll be for fun.  We'll see how she likes that on her conscience, won't we?"

"Alright, alright!" the dragon hollered.  "I'll do whatever you say!  Just don't hurt me, please!"

"I won't, so long as I get what I want.  But I'm going to tell you right now, Spike.  If I have to come visit you again," –she reached up and broke a piece of her mane off, the hairs merging together into a single, sharp dagger just below his chin– "then that's it.  Do I make myself clear?"

"Y-y-yes!  I'll get her the message, I promise!"

"I know you will."  The insane pony let the helpless dragon go, landing him hard on the floor.  "Keep this in mind, Spike," she said, sliding the make-shift blade down the front of his body as she went on, "if I'm not mistaken, the weakest part of a dragon is below the belly, right?"

In a flash, she dragged the shank across his stomach and disappeared.  He shrieked in pain, his short life suddenly flashing in front of him.

"Aaah!  Aaaaaah!"

Private Eye and his wife burst into the bedroom, running straight for the petrified sleeper.

"Spike!  Spike!  Wake up!"

The cop shook the dragon out of his slumber, surprised for a moment that more was required to bring him out of his nightmare.  After registering that Private Eye was in front of him, his claws felt around his stomach, still hidden beneath his blanket, and found a strange warmth.  He lifted his hands up and saw bits of blood, making him scream again.

His guardians yanked the blanket away and spotted the wound.  "Go get some towels or something!  Hurry!"

The mare dashed into the bathroom and grabbed a washcloth, wetting it down in the sink.  While she did this, Private Eye scanned over the slash across his belly, carefully rubbing a hoof along it to inspect the damage.  Though the wound was a bit deep, the skin was mercifully not split all the way through.

He took the wet cloth from his wife when she arrived and applied it firmly to the dragon's injury.  "Spike, it's okay!  It's okay!  Calm down!  It's a nasty cut but it'll be alright!"

The detective's wife took the dragon's chin in a hoof.  "Spike, look at me.  Look at me!"

"Ah!  It's...I'm...agh!"

"Shhhh.  Sweetie, it's alright.  We're here.  Nopony's going to hurt you, we promise."

Spike slowly caught his breath and calmed back down while Private Eye tended to the bleeding cut.  Even though it wasn't life threatening, it still stung horribly, and tears welled up in his frightened green eyes.

The detective looked over his patient with worry, and he felt his stomach drop.  He was more than used to seeing ponies seriously injured or dying in front of him at crime scenes; it was another thing to see it happening in his own home, caused by somepony that he couldn't do anything about.  At least Spike would be fine.  Private Eye couldn't imagine how devastated Twilight would become if he somehow managed to lose the little guy.  He had been with her all his young life.  If anything happened to him...

"It was Pinkie, wasn't it?" Private Eye asked.

After a few long breaths, the dragon whispered, "Y-yes."

Sighing, the officer said, "We'll get you taken care of.  You won't have to go to a hospital or anything, so that's good news."

"Gotta...gotta...s-send letter."

"Easy, kid.  You just had quite a scare.  You need to take it easy for a minute."

"No.  Pi...Pinkie said she...she wants Tw-Twilight here, or sh-sh-she'll kill more...just because."

"What?!"

"Yeah."

The couple shared a nervous glance.  Scowling, Private Eye knew there was no way around the maniac's demands.  "Here, take the cloth for a minute.  I'll be right back," he said to his wife.  A moment later, the detective returned with a notepad and quill and laid down beside the still-shaking youth.  "Tell you what.  I'll write it for you, and when it's done and you're ready, we can send it.  Just take your time, okay?"


-----


About forty five minutes passed by the time Celestia landed at the train station.  Once Twilight dismounted, they raced off to the ticket window, hoping beyond hope that there was at least one more train leaving for Ponyville that day.  They turned a corner and arrived at their destination to find a dark green stallion working at the window.

"Your Highness!" he gasped, bowing.  "I-I didn't know you were here.  What can I do for you?"

"Are there any more trains heading to Ponyville tonight?  We need to leave as soon as possible."

Wincing, he turned to his left and looked over the daily schedule hanging on the wall.  After finding the answer, he bit his lip and turned back to the Princess.

"I'm sorry, your Highness, but the last one left about twenty minutes ago.  The next one goes out tomorrow at 7:50 in the morning."

Twilight and Celestia's eyes met, horrified at the implications.  It was already going to be a day and a half's travel from Dodge Junction to Ponyville alone.  Adding another night into the mix meant that, if Pinkie was serious – and there was no reason to believe she wasn't – somepony else could very well die.

"Please.  There's nothing you can do?  Maybe a ticket to someplace on the way and they could move us to a different train, something!" the Princess begged.

"I'm sorry, but even if I put you on a train to a different destination, they'd likely be do such a thing by the time you arrived.  The nearest town on the way to Ponyville is seven hours from here.  I can't imagine that anypony would still be there so late."

The majestic alicorn's head slowly sank and she fell to her haunches.  She could feel her heart breaking.

"Princess," the stallion spoke up, "if you need to get to Ponyville in such a hurry, can't you just...fly there over the night?"

"She's not really in any condition to fly such a distance," Twilight said.  "It's too long and painful a story to get into."  She looked up at her mentor, who had begun to weep.  The young unicorn's spirits sank at the sight.  "Princess, I...I don't know if there's anything more we can do right now.  Please, let's just get the tickets for tomorrow and...well, if Pinkie does do what she said she would, then...then we just have to hope she runs into somepony who can deal with her."

"And who would that be?" Celestia growled, wiping a tear away.  "Aside from myself, my sister, you, Spike and Private Eye, who else knows how to handle her?"

Twilight had no answer.  Defeated, she hung her head in regret, trying and failing not to think about who may be next on Pinkie's sick mind.  It didn't help being chewed out by the one pony she respected more than anypony else.

Sighing heavily, the Princess turned back to the stallion.  "Just give us the tickets, please.  How much is that?"

The worker slid the stubs under the metal grate separating them without a second thought.  "Don't worry about it, your Highness.  I wouldn't think of charging you, and you're obviously very upset.  It's not much, but if it helps make you feel a little better in any way..." the stallion murmured.

Celestia took the tickets in her magical grasp and stood back up, clearing away the last of her tears.  "We appreciate your generosity, sir.  Thank you."

"You're welcome, your Highness, and good luck with whatever it is you're looking to do."

One of the tickets floated its way down to the melancholy unicorn beside the large royal mare.  She glanced up, seeing her mentor's pained face looking down upon her, and took hold of her pass.  Together, teacher and student started heading slowly back toward the center of town.  Several silent paces passed before anypony said anything.

"I apologize for snapping at you earlier, Twilight," Celestia sighed.  "I had no right to take my frustrations out on you."

"You don't have to apologize, Princess.  This hasn't been easy on any of us."

"I suppose not, but it still doesn't excuse my actions.  Come, we need to find some lodging for the night."
> Chapter 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The door to the quaint motel opened with a gentle, magical push.  The moonlight overhead cast the long shadow of the Sun Princess into the already-dark room.  Twilight trailed a step behind her mentor as they walked inside and lit the small lamp between the pair of beds they requested.  Even though Celestia had no need of sleep, she was in no mood to rest nor could she allow her student to slumber without keeping an eye on her.  At least now that they had everything they needed, it could only mean it was a matter of time before this whole nightmare was put to bed.

Twilight set the small bag she found at the Pie residence on the floor next to the night stand and pulled out the small, smiling stone.  She stared into its eyes, curious about all the stories it could have told them.  With a sigh, she set it beside the lamp, its lifeless gaze drilling straight into her.  The only thing she could think about was Pinkie's latest threat and staring at a rock wasn't going to clear her mind.

As she tried to get comfortable on the bed, Celestia slowly walked to the bathroom and found her reflection in the mirror.  For a moment, she wasn't sure exactly who was looking back at her.  She may have been thousands of years old, but in the last couple weeks, she felt as if she was starting to show her age.  While there were plenty of times she had skipped a few night's sleep to catch up on some activities, those previous times were for fun or education.  Now, she had been awake far longer than she'd ever been at one time and was worrying herself sick in the process.

If only she wasn't so thoroughly exhausted, she could have simply followed the tracks back by air, provided she knew the way at all.  Even if she did, however, with the way she was feeling, succumbing to fatigue a hundred feet in the air was a risk she didn't want to take.

The alicorn turned on the sink and splashed some cool water on her face, but it did nothing to remove the heavy bags from under her eyes.  With a twist of her neck and a stretch of her wings, Celestia dried herself off and left the room.

As she walked past the closer bed, she and Twilight shared a quiet glance.  The Princess tried to put on a reassuring smile, but Twilight knew better.  Every night away from Ponyville meant another innocent casualty.  They could only hope Private Eye was working on something that would minimize the damage, if that could be done at all.

Across from the beds was a small bookcase with a couple dozen novels to kill some time.  Eventually, Twilight would want to rest, but there wasn't much else to do until then.  The Princess turned and scanned over the titles until finding one that caught her eye.  It was a comedy, one she had read before.  Considering how things had been lately, she figured she could use a laugh, even if would only help for a moment.

Sitting down on the bed closer to the door, Celestia opened the book and started reading.  She was only a few pages in when the silence was broken.

"Princess, I've been thinking, and I have an idea I'd like to try."

"What's that, Twilight?"

The unicorn looked down at the bag on the floor and pursed her lips.  "I can't imagine that Pinkie would know we're not in Ponyville yet.  At least I hope not.  We honestly don't know how much Spike told her.  Plus, we have the item needed for the ceremony like you said.  Why can't we try the ritual and see if it works?  I mean, I don't know how else we're supposed to go after her when she's just in our dreams."

"I'm not sure.  I never saw anything in that ancient book that mentioned such a thing, but I also doubt anypony was able to haunt dreams when the spell was originally created," the Princess replied, setting the book down.  "If you wish, we can try and see if it works.  I'll still be able to pull you to safety if it fails."

"Do we need to construct a ritual circle or anything before we begin?"

"Fortunately, no.  As long as everything is present, the spell should work properly."

Out of the corner of her eye, Twilight spotted Rocky's chalky smile.  She hesitated for a brief moment, knowing what it could mean if her gambit paid off.  Despite everything that's transpired, a part of her still saw Pinkie as a friend.  Still, Twilight knew what ultimately needed to be done.

The smooth rock glowed lavender and floated onto the blanket beside her.  "Then let's get started."  With a yawn, Twilight continued, "I really do hope this works.  I can't remember the last time I had a good night's sleep."


-----


There was a knock at the door to the motel.  Twilight rolled over and saw the first lights of the morning creeping in between the blinds, shining brightly onto the empty bed beside her.  Taking in a deep, waking breath, she scanned over the room.  The Princess was nowhere to be found, and strangely, neither was Rocky.  Another knock rang out, this time followed by a voice.

"Housekeeping!"

Shaking a few cobwebs off, the unicorn rubbed her eyes and headed to the door, groaning the whole way.  So much for a restful sleep.  She opened the door to find a young, beige mare with a frizzy, fiery red mane hiding half her eyes standing in front of her.  Her short, black dress with white frills along the base clung tightly around her waist.  She held a feather duster between her teeth and smiled at the groggy student.

"Uh, yeah, sure.  Come on in."

With a bounce, the maid strutted inside, shaking her hips seductively as she went past Twilight.  Though her sultry walk was enough to get Twilight's tired attention, she also found it a tad strange that an old west-style motel would require the hired help to wear high heels, stockings and what appeared to be a garter belt on her right hind leg.

The housekeeper giggled at Twilight and nudged her with her hip.  "Go lay down and relax.  I've got work to do."

"You don't want me to get out of here for a bit?"

"Oh no, you can just lay on the bed, kick your hooves up.  I won't be long."

Shrugging, Twilight did as the maid suggested, stretching out in the middle of the mattress and gently bumping her head against the headboard.  Wait, was that there last night?  The unicorn let the question go and breathed deeply as she got comfortable.  Maybe she could sneak in a few extra minutes of shut-eye while the young mare worked.

"Y'know," the redhead spoke up, "there was a note in the office that you looked rather tense when you signed in last night.  The manager suggested I make your morning...extra special for you!  And I have just the thing!"

Before Twilight could respond, the maid dropped the feather duster and trotted out the door, returning with a fresh silk sheet a moment later.  The unicorn lifted her head, curious as to what the worker was going on about.  The housekeeper walked up to Twilight's bed on her hind legs, rolling the sheet into a rope and swaying heavily as she approached.  Her ocean-blue eyes met Twilight's and she shot the suddenly nervous unicorn a wink.

"Um, that's...quite alright.  I'm really not in the mood for such things right now, and, well, no offense, but I'm not particularly into mares.  And why would management write down such a thing?"

Ignoring the interrogation, the beige pony crawled onto the bed, making Twilight sit up and attempt a retreat only to be confined by the lack of room.  The maid sat on top of the lavender mare and leaned in, kissing her softly on the snout.

"I'd normally say you don't want to know what goes on in these motel rooms, but I guess you'll find out soon enough!"

"N-n-no, I'd rather not, thank you!" Twilight begged as her forelegs were stretched out and tied tightly to the bedposts.  Though she struggled to pull herself free the entire time, her captor's earth pony strength was more than enough to keep her subdued.

Finally, after most of her strength had left her, Twilight fell limp, short of breath.  She looked up, both angry and confused, at the grinning housekeeper, only to watch her place the garter belt on her horn.  Growing more annoyed by the moment, she swung her head side to side, trying and failing to fling the garment from her appendage.

"Why are you doing this?!  Let me go!" Twilight growled.  "Celestia!  Help!"

The cleaning mare climbed up and wrapped her hind legs around the unicorn's shoulders, laughing as she went.  "Oh, she's not here."

She took Twilight's head in her hoof and buried her face under her skirt, grinding it into her bare crotch.  Panicking and doing everything she could not to be smothered, Twilight slammed her eyes shut and gritted her teeth, summoning her magic to throw her attacker away.

Except nothing happened.

"M-my magic!  What's...going on?!"  A heartbeat later, it hit her.  "Oh no!"

The maid pulled her skirt up and gave her a moment to breathe.  More accurately, a moment to gasp in horror.

"Hey Twilight!" Pinkie Pie shouted.  "Good to see you again!  I must say, I didn't know you felt that way about me!  I mean, you didn't even wine me and dine me first!  But enough talk!  Let's get down to business!"

Before Twilight knew it, Pinkamena shut her legs tight, crushing her long, purple neck between them.  With her air supply suddenly being cut off, the unicorn wasted no time in reciting the lines of the practiced spell whenever she could suck in a breath.

By the third, foreign-sounding phrase, Twilight's horn began to glow.  Surprised by the turn of events, Pinkie loosened her grip, overtaken by curiosity.  Twilight was clearly trying to perform some kind of spell or chant.  But, she couldn't perform magic in the dream; she simply wasn't powerful enough!  Was it something Celestia taught her?  What were they up to?

Twilight completed her spell, and her eyes glowed brightly for a moment.  Unfortunately, they eventually fizzled out and returned to their normal, purple state.  The unicorn's pupils shrank to pinprick size when she realized the spell hadn't worked.

The maniac threw her head back and laughed.  "What was that?  What, were you trying to get rid of me?  When are you going to learn that you just!  Can't!  Do it!" she screamed, slapping Twilight around as she chastised her.  "Well, it's been fun, it really, really has, but it's time to die now!  Say hi to your friends for me!"

But just as Pinkie was ready to resume squeezing the life out of the terrified mare between her powerful thighs, she flopped onto the bed, Twilight having suddenly disappeared from beneath her.  Once surprise had left her, she growled under her breath and narrowed her eyes.

"Alright, Twilight," she mumbled, "if that's how you want to do things, fine by me."

Letting out the last bits of her rage, the lunatic punched the headboard in front of her, splintering it to pieces.


-----


Twilight snapped her eyes open and clawed at her throat, gasping fitfully for breath.  Darting her sight back and forth across the room, she quickly spotted her mentor looking over her and began to relax.  She sat up, taking one last look around, before seeing the small rock by her hooves.  It's unmoving smile sent a shiver down her spine.  She had enough smiles for one night.

"Are you alright, Twilight?"

"Yeah.  I'm fine."  Frustrated, she gave Rocky a light kick.  "Didn't work."

"I saw.  I honestly had no idea if that spell was going to function properly in the dream, but when I didn't see the offering being broken down like when I cast it myself millennia ago, I had a bad feeling."

With a long sigh, the unicorn's face fell into the blanket.  "So now what?  How are we supposed to do it?"

"First things first," Celestia said calmly, "we need to get home.  We'll figure something out, I promise.  Now, get some rest.  We've got an early train tomorrow."

The young pony looked up at her concerned teacher, spying her bloodshot eyes.  "What about you?  No offense, Princess, but...you look awful.  Are you sure you don't want to rest yourself?  Maybe you could teach me how to monitor sleep patterns like you can and we can sleep in shifts or–"

"It's alright, Twilight.  I appreciate your concern for my well-being, but I'll be fine.  Don't worry."


-----


The Ponyville clock tower's moonlit face read half past three.  Though the night itself was quiet enough, the chirping of crickets and the fluttering of leaves in a cool breeze playing the citizens a relaxing lullaby, one particular section of town stirred with unwanted life.

Outside a small home near the center of the neighborhood stood several angry residents, banging on the door and windows and yelling as loudly as the hour would allow them.  Unfortunately, their shouts were unable to penetrate the loud humming pouring from inside.  The furious stallions and mares could even feel the ground vibrating under their hooves.

Finally, an exhausted, gray mare opened the door to greet them.  The bags under her eyes and her unkempt mane told a lot of the story.

"What the hay is going on in there?!" one stallion barked.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"My kids have to go to school in the morning and they can't get to sleep!"

Octavia stepped outside and closed the door, drowning out the loud music as best she could.  As the crowd grew louder and more restless, she raised a hoof to quiet them.  This wasn't the first time this situation had occurred – and likely wouldn't be the last – but that didn't mean she had to like being screamed at.  If only her roommate would come talk to the neighbors just once.

"Listen, everypony, I know you're upset.  I know you just want to go home and get to bed.  I mean, how do you think I feel?  It isn't any fun for me either when she does her recording sessions."

"Why does she have to do them at this hour anyway?  Why can't she just do them during the day?"

"I...I don't know, she just always seems to be more awake at night and more focused.  I'll go talk to her...again.  But, I promise I'll have her knock this off tonight.  Now, please, go home."

The crowd grumbled their annoyance as they started to leave.  Some shook their heads at Octavia, others waved their hooves in disgust, and others simply sneered.  The worn-out musician sighed and went back inside, leaning against the door as she closed it.  At least this kind of thing happened only so often.  If Vinyl woke the neighborhood on a weekly basis, she would have moved out a while ago.

The house-shaking sounds were like a magnet that drew in the cellist.  She finally reached the small studio and banged on the door.  "Vinyl!  Vinyl!"  Unsurprisingly, there was no response.  "Oh, for the love of..."

Upon opening the door, Octavia felt a shockwave that almost knock her off her hooves.  Once she restored her balance, she marched into the room covering her ears, for what little good it did.  How Vinyl wasn't completely deaf by now was anypony's guess.

The DJ was sitting in her chair, focusing hard on the recording equipment and adjusting the tones, pitches and volumes of her latest work, trying to find the perfect sound.  With each pulse of the bass or slam of a synthetic drum, the analyzer's lights danced for its head-bobbing composer.  Whether or not she was any closer to finding what she was looking for was a mystery.

Despite slamming her hoof on the wall several times and screaming her roommate's name at the top of her lungs, Octavia still couldn't get Vinyl's attention.  She rolled her eyes and stomped up to the system, turning the volume knob all the way down.  Finally!

"Hey!  What gives?" the DJ spat.

"Vinyl, do you have any idea what time it is?!"

She froze for a moment, knowing the correct answer was probably one that Octavia was going to take no joy in telling her.  "Uhhh...ten?  Ten-thirty?"

"It's three-thirty in the morning!" Octavia shouted.

The stunned unicorn blinked.  "Oh.  Um...heh, and you probably want me to turn this down."

"So does the rest of the neighborhood."

"Ugh, I'm so, so sorry, Octy!  I guess I got lost in the music again.  Come on, you know how I get when I'm in the zone," Vinyl said with a laugh.

"Look, Vinyl, I don't mind if you work on your music, quite the contrary.  I just wish you'd use your headset when it gets this late.  I think it's pretty obvious that all the soundproofing you've tried to do to this room just...somehow isn't working.  You want me to have a clock installed on the console or something?  You seem to be plugged into this thing enough as it is, maybe you'd see it that way," she said with a smirk.

"Yeah, yeah, I know."  With the loud distraction suddenly out of the picture, Vinyl stretched in her chair and yawned.  Perhaps it was getting to be about that time.

"Are you alright?" Octavia asked.

"Yeah, I'm good.  Gimme, like, ten minutes here, I'll finish up."  Vinyl's headset floated over and sat itself on her head, the plug finding the jack as well.  "See?  You won't even know I'm here!"

"Fine, fine," the posh pony sighed, turning to leave.  "Good night, Vinyl."

"Night, Octy!"

As the door to the studio closed, the DJ rubbed her falling eyelids.  Now that she was coming down off her adrenaline rush, she could feel how exhausted she truly was.  Vinyl arched her back and felt a couple cracks up her spine.  Yeesh, maybe she had been sitting there way too long.  She fell back into the chair and stared vacantly at the ceiling.  It wasn't long before her vision started to blur.  A few long blinks later, the unicorn nodded off.


-----


Vinyl jolted awake with a loud snort.  Wiping a bit of drool from her lips, she looked around the room and gathered her bearings.  That's right, she working on a new album.  Feeling around the top of her head, the DJ found the headset right where she left it.  She followed the cord and saw that it was still plugged in.  Good, she can get back to where she left off.

Rolling her chair back up to the console, Vinyl raised the volume but left it at a more respectable level than before.  Didn't want to disturb Octy.

There was a knock at the door.  At least she could hear it this time, despite the headphones.

"Octavia, I'm being quiet.  What is it this time?" the DJ whined.

The door creaked open and a smiling pink pony craned her neck inside.

"Hey, you!  How's it going?"

Vinyl's jaw fell to the floor.  She placed her headphones on the console and lunged out of the chair.

"Pinkie Pie?!  Is that you?" she gasped.

"Yepperooni!  What's going on?"

"I-I heard you...well...a-and all of your friends–"

"Yeah, what can I say?  Life is just unpredictable sometimes.  What can you do?" she interrupted, shrugging and wrapping a hoof around the DJ's shoulder.  "Doesn't mean I still can't come say hello in my own little way.  So, what's up?  Working on something as always?"

"Hay yeah!  Just finishing putting the final touches on another track to this album I've been putting together.  Couple more songs and I should be able to get it in stores.  Coming out great!"

Without waiting – or even asking – permission, the flat-maned mare snatched up the headset and put it on.  "Oooo!  Sounds fun!  Let me hear some!"

"Right on!"

With a flick of a switch or two and the cranking of the volume, the music blared in Pinkie's ears.  As the song played, she swayed her hips and banged her head, soaking in the melody.

After a couple minutes, the party pony replaced the headphones and turned to Vinyl with a large, toothy grin.

"That was sooooo cool!  Y'know, I did a little experimenting from time to time with some tunes.  In fact," –she reached behind herself and pulled out a record– "I happen to have one of my own albums right here!  Care to take it for a spin?"

The DJ lifted a curious eyebrow.  "I didn't know you knew anything about music.  Sheesh, Pinks, if you would've told me sooner, I would've asked you to help me record some stuff!  Yeah, let me see that."

As Vinyl replaced her own record with Pinkie's, the party pony grabbed hold of the arm of the DJ's chair and spun, spun, spun her around.

"Whaaaat aaaare yoooou dooooiiiiiing?!"

In just as swift a motion, she grabbed the headset and flung it in the opposite direction, tying the unicorn up in a suddenly long cord.  When the dizzy unicorn – and the room – finally stopped spinning, she found herself wrapped tightly against the chair.  After a brief, although halfhearted struggle, she chuckled at Pinkie Pie.

"I had no idea you were into this sort of thing, but uh, this feels kinda weird.  N-not that I haven't messed around with the ladies before or anything.  Just thought you wanted me to hear some of your stuff."

The madmare dug a hoof into the DJ's spiky mane.  "Oh, you will.  How much you wanna bet your neighbors would hate to hear what you're about to hear?"

"Probably.  I gotta admit though, sometimes I lose track of time."

"They tell you they have to work in the morning, right?"

"Yeah, usually."

Pinkie took hold of the dangling headphones and casually tossed them up and down, looking over them curiously.  She suddenly turned to the DJ, glaring coldly at her with those baby-blue eyes.  Vinyl winced nervously, never having seen Pinkie look so absolutely venomous before.

She leaned in and growled, "Believe it or not, I sympathize with them.  Despite my...current situation, I too have things to do.  It's just that ponies have to be asleep in order for me to do them.  So, when you keep them up all night, I can't get anything done!"

The unicorn could hear malice dripping from every syllable Pinkie spoke and it made her flesh crawl, her blood freeze.  She wanted to struggle again, to break free, but every muscle in her body tensed up in fear.  Why was she acting like this?  What did she ever do to Pinkie Pie?

"I-I-I don't understand.  What are you talking about?"

"Vinyl, Vinyl, Vinyl," she laughed, shaking her head, "don't you get it?  It's the middle of the night.  Ponies are trying to sleep," –Pinkie suddenly bared her teeth and hollered– "and I'm trying to work here!"

With that, the maniac slammed the headphones onto the DJ's head and moved every slider on the console as high as they'd go.  She slapped the volume knob hard enough for to spin to its maximum setting.  However, it continue to spin on its own, faster and faster and without end.  A thin wisp of smoke began to pour from below the knob and a small shower of sparks flew.  The needle finally touched down on the record, and after a second, an explosion of sound erupted straight into Vinyl's ears.

The unicorn screamed as her skull fought against the sudden overpowering shockwave, and it only got worse.  Each throb of the bass stabbed at her eardrums, and the steady hum of electronic noise vibrated every inch of her head.  It wasn't long before she heard a faint pop and then nothing.  As the DJ thrashed in agony, the volume steadily increasing, Pinkie pulled the mare's signature sunglasses from nowhere and put them on, headbanging to the hellish symphony.

Vinyl could feel her throat being torn apart by her unending shrieks, but that was just the start.  Little by little, she could feel warm drops of blood start to trickle from inside her ears and then from her nostrils.  After only several, long seconds had passed, small red pools had gathered behind the headphones, the mare was leaking tears of blood, and a pair of red rivers stained her lips.  Finally, her brain succumbed to the horrifically high decibels and burst inside her head, ending the mare's pain.  Her head slumped over, her ruby eyes left staring at nothing, as her last breath escaped her.

A few moments later, the song came to a close, and Pinkie addressed the corpse.  "So, what'd you think?  Can I turn it up to eleven or what?"

Silence was her reply.

"Tsk, everypony's a critic."
> Chapter 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Private Eye sat in his office early that morning, the rays of the sun blocked off by the blinds on the window.  Spike, ever the diligent assistant even in such dark times, had finished filing away some of the papers given to him by his temporary guardian.  The detective took another sip of coffee and stood up, walked tiredly over to the window and pulled on the cord, flooding the room with warmth and light.  He cringed briefly at the brightness, almost annoyed by it.  It was almost insulting to him in a way, given that only about a week had gone by since the last of the Elements of Harmony, save for Twilight, had been killed and he still had to pretend to be researching the subject matter.

But there wasn't anything he could do about that.  Their killer was still loose, according to what the rest of the precinct and the media believed, and there was no way they were going to consider what he knew to be anything but insane.  Tell them somepony was murdering others in their dreams as a ghost and they'd lock him away in a nuthouse.

With a sigh, he sat back down at his desk right as Spike laid another small stack of papers on it.  More work.  It never ended.  Not that he wasn't used to such things, but it was still allowed to irk him from time to time.  The little dragon returned to one of the two chairs opposite Private Eye and also breathed a heavy sigh.  Private Eye glanced up, finding Spike hunched over and gazing at nothing lethargically.

He frowned, knowing how hard this whole ordeal must be on the youngster.  No doubt he missed Twilight and his other friends, even though the gifted unicorn was alive and likely on the way home.

As the detective reached for his pencil, the door to his office creaked open and his partner stuck his head instead.

"P.E.?"

"Morning, Gumshoe.  What's going on?"

"There's...been another murder."


-----


Private Eye and Gumshoe approached the busy house without a word said between the two.  What point was there?  It wasn't that long ago that they were dealing with five deaths in five days, and Private Eye had already been briefed as they left the station.  Apparently a loud DJ was found in her recording studio by her roommate that morning as she was heading out to run some errands.

Barely being held back by the three security guards at the door were a dozen or so press and paparazzi, snapping their cameras and throwing a barrage of questions at the stoic stallions.  A flash of the badges hanging around the detectives' necks got them past the blockade with little trouble, much to the annoyance of the reporters.

Once inside, the pair took a quick look around the living room, seeing the usual goings on in a crime scene: prints were being dusted for, window locks were being checked, information was being taken down.  Private Eye parted ways with Gumshoe and curled his ear toward the sound of a distraught mare coming from the next room, which turned out to be the kitchen.  He went inside, finding a gray mare sitting at the table in the dining area shaking visibly while she talked to one of his fellow officers.

Private Eye waited until there was a break in the questioning.  While he did, he glanced over the terrified mare and saw the same misery on her face that he saw on Twilight's not that long ago.  It didn't look like the cellist had slept a wink in a month.  No doubt every once of her energy had been spent that awful morning.

"Miss Octavia, is it?" Private Eye said between statements.

"Y-Yes, that's me."

"My name's Private Eye."  He leaned over to the policepony beside him that was speaking with Octavia.  "Can you give me a moment alone with her, please?"

"Sure thing."

Once the room was clear, he sat beside her and continued, "I heard about what happened on the way over here.  I'm very sorry.  I know you might have already told my friend about what happened this morning.  Can you tell me?"

"Um...well, I got up and made some breakfast for us.  I wanted to get some grocery shopping done before heading to practice.  I'm trying to land a part in the Canterlot Symphony Orchestra.  I-I went to Vinyl's room to see if she wanted anything to eat, if she could even get up.  Sh-She likes...liked to work on her music late into the night sometimes.  When I didn't find her in bed, I thought I'd check to see if she fell asleep in her studio.  She's done so before.  When I hoped the door, I...she..."

As much as she wanted to finish, she simply couldn't.  Remembering the gruesome scene she stumbled upon reopened the floodgates.  Her tear-stained cheeks became wet once again, and she collapsed onto the table, sobbing.

"I-I know she was a handful sometimes, and...and she could annoy the neighbors with her late nights, but wh-who would do this?!"

The detective lifted a curious eyebrow.  Late nights?

"Vinyl was up late last night?" he asked.

Sitting back up, she nodded, not even bothering to wipe her tears away.  "Yes, a few of the neighbors were banging on the door.  It was...it was at about half past three when I told her to keep it down.  Why?"

His eyes narrowed and the wheels inside his head started to crank.  "Tell me, did Vinyl happen to know any of the Elements of Harmony by any chance?"

"The Elements?  Um...I think she was a little chummy with...oh, what was her name?  She was always very lively and full of good cheer.  I didn't know her terribly well myself, but–"

"Pinkie Pie?" Private Eye suggested.

"Yes, that's her!  They would hang out from time to time.  I...I heard about what happened to them not long ago.  It was all over the papers.  Why did you want to know?  What do they have to do with this?"

Sneering, he looked away, still trying to determine if what he was starting to fear was true.  But he still needed to give Octavia an answer.  Spike did mention the other night that Pinkie told him her attacks were going to be unpredictable.  So, what could she want with Vinyl Scratch if they were friends?  Then again, she was friends with Twilight and the others and look what she did.

He answered her question, choosing his words carefully.  "I haven't seen the body just yet, and we won't know the cause of death until later.  But I'm...starting to wonder if the same pony who murdered Pinkie's friends may have had a hoof in this too.  The Elements, save for Pinkie, were killed late at night like Vinyl was."

"Do you know who did this?" Octavia asked, anger and rage sneaking into her voice.

"We have a few suspects.  I can't really name names just yet.  Whoever it is has been covering their tracks pretty well so far, but they'll slip up.  They always do."

It wasn't what she wanted to hear.  All it would have taken was a hint or two as to the identity of the killer and she would have probably stormed out of the house right then and there, taking matters into her own hooves.  But deep down, she knew it would make her no better than them.

She hung her head and sniffled, a million things racing through her head at once.  Sorrow.  Fury.  Confusion.  Hatred.  But mostly, Octavia felt numb.  As nuts as Vinyl made her sometimes, she was still her friend.

"Listen," Private Eye spoke up, "do you have anyplace you can go for a few days?  Friends, relatives?"

"Yes, I–"

"Shh!  Don't say," he quickly hushed.  "Just go.  Don't want them to get their hooves on you too.  I have an assistant at the station who can help me get in touch with you when we've straightened this all out."

"Alright.  Once you're done here, I'll grab a few things and head out.  Thank you."

Private Eye stood and rested a comforting hoof on her shoulder.  "We'll get them.  I promise."

He turned and headed out of the room, wanting to see the body at the scene.  A small sigh escaped his lips.  He hoped he was doing the right thing by sending Octavia away.  Pinkie did say she wanted Twilight in Ponyville immediately.  Did that mean she would only attack ponies in town, provided that she was the cause here too?   


-----


The detective stood on one side of the body of the popular DJ, laid out on the examining table at the city morgue.  Across from him was an off-yellow unicorn, the medical examiner that Private eye had asked to look over the corpse the moment it was moved in.

"So, what all were you able to figure out?" Private Eye asked.

"Well, not as much as I had hoped, given that you wanted me to do this autopsy as fast as possible.  You do realize it takes more than just a single day to determine cause of death and all that, right?" the doctor said as he pulled the sheet down with his magic, revealing Vinyl Scratch's frozen, dead face.

"I know, I know.  I do appreciate it though."

"May I ask why you needed to know so quickly?"

The detective wanted to grit his teeth everytime somepony wanted information regarding the killings.  Having to keep up the lie was beginning to bother him.  As much as he wanted to be a bit more honest, he also liked having a job and living with his wife.

"Trying to determine if Vinyl's death here could be connected to a recent string of murders.  The killer seems to work at night, particular when the victims should be asleep.  I thought they may have skipped town, but this may show otherwise and I want to try and prevent another death if possible.  Plus, my assistant, um...received an anonymous note from somepony, threatening to come home, so to speak.  I was hoping it was only a sick joke."

"Fair enough."  Hovering a scalpel up to one of the body's ears, the examiner scraped delicately at the dried blood and continued.  "As far as time of death goes, I'd place it between four and four-fifteen in the morning."

"Well, there's strike one," the detective said with a grimace.  "Her roommate did say she last saw her at about three-thirty."

"I haven't been able just yet to determine cause of death – haven't opened her up yet – but I did happen to spot something interesting."  Once the doctor had gathered what he needed on the instrument, he levitated it up to Private Eye for a closer look.  "Take a look at that."

Private Eye had seen more than his fair share of blood in his time.  It came with the job after all.  But the spot of caked maroon fluid he expected to see in actuality made him cock his head.  A tiny bit of greyish-brown sat alongside it.

"What is that?"

Setting the surgical piece back on its tray, the examiner said, "Can't be completely sure until I do a more thorough investigation, but based on what I know, I'd say that was grey matter."

"You mean it's her brain?"

"I believe so.  It almost looks like it was somehow liquified and began to leak out of the cavities in her skull."

"Gruesome death, strike two," the detective muttered, pursing his lips.

"Where was the body found?  There's not much that can do this to a pony brain." the examiner asked as he covered Vinyl back up.

"She has an in-home recording studio.  Her roommate claims that she found the body with her headset on."

The unicorn rubbed his chin, thinking hard.  "Interesting.  I do know that high decibel levels and intense sound vibrations can do damage to a pony's eardrums and affect their hearing.  I think everypony with a teenager at home knows that much.  It's possible that she had her music playing too loudly in her headset and this was all an accident, but I can't imagine that she wouldn't have taken them off if it got to be too much, even for her."

"There's no way.  When I was in college, I lived in a small apartment with a roommate that slept two rooms away, and he woke me up more than once because he'd decide to play his rock music way too loud at all hours.  Can't deny those were more fun times though," he said with a chuckle.

"Well, something or somepony prevented her from removing them and her mind was literally blown."

Private Eye stared solemnly at the covered body on the table for a moment before contorting his face in anger.  "Thanks, doc."  He turned to leave and said under his breath, "Strike three."


-----


The door to Private Eye's office swung open with a loud creak, waking the napping baby dragon inside.  Spike was startled away completely as the detective closed the door a little harder than he wanted, his frustration slowly reaching a boiling point.

"Hey.  What happened?  Who was it?" Spike said, rubbing his eyes.

The earth pony sat down hard in his chair, pulled his badge from around his neck and slammed it on the desk.  He shook his head and growled through his teeth.

"Here we go again.  Dammit!"

Spike cringed at the outburst, seeing something in the policepony's eyes that he hadn't really seen up until this point: a subtle hint of panic.  Granted, he still had no idea how to combat Pinkie, but seeing her attacking other places in the papers gave him a moment to breathe.  Perhaps he would have been able to figure something out on his own or simply wait for Celestia and Twilight to return from their journey.  Now, it was falling back onto his shoulders all over again. 

"Private Eye?"

Sighing, he replied, "Sorry kid.  Was Vinyl Scratch.  Local DJ."

"Vinyl?!"

"You knew her?"

"Sort of," the downtrodden dragon said.  "If it wasn't Pinkie throwing the best parties, it'd be Vinyl.  She was DJ'ing Twilight's brother's wedding up in Canterlot not too long ago when the changelings invaded.  She was...pretty cool."

"I remember that.  Did Pinkie know her?  I know she told you that she wasn't going to be holding back now.  Any particular reason she'd select Vinyl?"

"Yeah, Pinkie knew her.  Whenever she threw a really big party, she'd ask Vinyl to come play some music for her.  She never said no."  With a shrug, he continued, "I-I really don't know why she'd...you know."

"Unless she really, truly doesn't care at all anymore.  Going after ponies she has no reason to..."

"Should I write to Celestia?" the baby dragon asked.

"No real reason to.  We're not going to tell her anything she's not really expecting," Private Eye grunted.

A moment of uncomfortable silence passed.  Spike finally broke it.

"So...what do we do?"

The detective stared and stared at the desk, unable to come up with an answer.
> Chapter 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight stood from her seat on the train and stretched out her back.  She looked out of the window at the afternoon sun and frowned.  Still another day until they were home.  She figured she would be rather bored with such a long, relatively quiet ride, what with her mentor laying on the cushy bench across from her, having barely said a word the entire ride home so far.  She was likely thinking of her subjects, hoping that even if only for a night, Pinkie would show an ounce of mercy.

However, the unicorn's stomach was turning inside her; she felt like she could throw up at a moment's notice.  Despite last night being the first time she had dealt with Pinkie Pie face to face, the previous few days hadn't been kind to her either, physically or emotionally.  Every time she blinked, she was afraid she'd be closing her eyes for the last time.  When the evenings came and fatigue started to take her, she worried that she'd open her eyes to see her old friend standing in front of her, ready to finish her off.  It seemed the fear had decided to creep into the waking hours as well.

As she headed to the door to her cabin, a tired voice spoke up.  "Heading out for a bit?"

Twilight turned and faced the Princess.  Even though she knew the millennia-old alicorn could forgo sleep as long as she wanted, the bags under her eyes could have easily told a different story.  No doubt if Celestia wasn't riddled with stress too that she would look at bright and warm as the body she normally guided across the heavens.

"Yeah, I just need to move a little, stretch my legs.  May head down to the dining car and get something in me.  Something light.  I don't know if it's hunger or nerves or maybe a bit of both.  Gotta stop thinking about...well, all this."

"Easier said than done, hm?" Celestia retorted.

"No kidding.  You want anything?  Probably going to eat over there.  Maybe if there's somepony there I can just shoot the breeze with for a little while, I can calm down some."

With a gentle smile, the Princess answered, "If you want to bring back a large cup of coffee, I won't say no!"

"Cream, sugar?"

"Two of each, please."

"Sounds good.  Be back in a bit."

As Twilight stepped out and closed the door behind her, Celestia stretched her neck out, feeling a couple cracks up her spine.  It'd been a while since she was conscious for so long, but she had to remain aware for her student's sake.  If she failed to get rid of Pinkie, who knows how far the pink freak would go?

Various ideas ran through her mind as her eyes got heavy.  Would Pinkie continue to hunt ponies down as they slept?  How would she be able to control that?  If something horrible happened to Twilight in spite of her efforts, would that be the end of all this?  How would she handle losing Twilight?

Why was this train's bench so comfortable?

She rubbed her eyes and sighed heavily.  Celestia looked at the large stack of paperwork sitting in front of her as she adjusted herself in her throne.  Another day, another series of boring royal duties.  She called over the quill presented to her by her brown-maned unicorn assistant, but for whatever reason, her powerful magic failed her.  Odd.  Perhaps she'd just been working too hard lately and couldn't focus like she normally could.

The Princess groaned loudly, annoyed that a usually simple task had suddenly gotten monumentally more difficult.  She hadn't gone without the use of her magic since she was a tiny filly and goodness knows how long ago that was.  The assistant magically lifted the large pile of orders, taxes and ordinances up to Celestia as she took the quill between her teeth and got to work.

One sheet after another after another after another met with the Princess' royal signature.  Most of the text she didn't even bother to read.  She didn't want to be there and for some reason felt that she wasn't actually supposed to be.  Was this a weekend or a holiday?  She couldn't remember.

She also couldn't seem to remember how long she had been sitting there signing her life away before she was near the end of the stack.  It felt like a few minutes and a few hours all at once.  Whatever the case was, she was finally finishing up.  As she signed the last sheet, the patient assistant began to walk away with the pile of documentation and quill in tow, only to pause suddenly as she looked over the first few pages.

"Oh no no no, this will never do," the young brunette growled.

"What is it now?" Celestia snapped.

Setting the papers down, the unicorn turned around, grinning maniacally at the Princess.

"You're still alive!"

Quickly snatching the feather between her teeth, she swung her head and launched it at the shocked alicorn.  In a flash, Celestia yanked to the side, the quill narrowly missing her neck and piercing through her ever-flowing mane.  As her ethereal hair repaired itself, the Princess looked behind her, seeing the make-shift weapon jammed deep into the back of her throne.

"Oh come on!  You weren't supposed to move!  Don't you know how the game works?  For as long as you've been around, I'd have thought you knew how to play it."

Realizing whose voice it was, Celestia gasped and took to the sky, angrily facing her pink attacker.

"You!  How dare you come here!  Leave at once!"

"No.  No, I don't think I will.  Even though I was so hoping for this to be over and done with right there, I suppose this gives us a unique opportunity!" Pinkie said, rubbing her chin curiously.

"What are you talking about?  What opportunity?"

"Why, to talk with you."

Unconvinced, Celestia narrowed her eyes.

"I know, I know.  Totally out of character for me," Pinkie joked, "but I'm completely serious."

"We have nothing to discuss!  You been murdering my little ponies!  And for what?  Because an accident happened?" Celestia snarled.

"That's just it though.  I could have easily been gone if I had just gotten what I wanted from the beginning.  But then, you came into the picture and...well, let's just say that I had to redirect my frustrations for a little while."

"What you wanted?"

Sneering, Pinkie replied, "I think you know what I'm talking about."

The furious pair stared each other down, neither side about to budge.  After a tense moment, the Princess spoke up.  "I'll never give you Twilight."

"Oh really?  Then why did I find her last time and sense her presence the time before that?  If I didn't know any better, I'd say you've considered it."

"We were testing something if you must know.  I was more than prepared to get her away from you if necessary," Celestia fired back.

The murderous mare shrugged.  "If you say so.  I have to admit I'm rather disappointed in you.  I'd have figured you'd want to keep your little subjects safe, and let's face it, giving her to me would be the best thing for everypony."

"What makes you think I'd ever do such a thing?"

"Because if my last real target were to join me in such a wonderful afterlife, then you'd never see me again!" Pinkie answered, smiling widely and, strangely enough, sincerely.

Celestia paused, subtly lifting a curious eyebrow as she floated high over the earth pony's head.  Knowing that Pinkie Pie loved her little games when she was alive, she was reasonably suspect of the killer's intent.

"See?  You're thinking about it, aren't you?  Be reasonable, Princess!  Nopony else would ever be hurt again and I'd go about my merry way!  What's one life weighed against the rest of your precious kingdom, hm?"

Perhaps it was because she had practically raised Twilight like a daughter for so many years, teaching and guiding her.  It was something she knew Pinkie couldn't understand, what with her never having any children of her own.  If she did, maybe Celestia's response would have made more sense to her.

"I know how precious each and every life of my subjects is, including Twilight's and including yours.  I do wish that things would have turned out different.  But under no circumstances will I sacrifice Twilight to you.  How would I even know you'd keep your word?"

"You don't," the pink pony giggled.  "But, any chance is better than none at all, isn't it?"

"You've already given me no reason to believe you.  If Twilight was all you wanted, you would have never done what you did in Appleloosa or to..."  The Princess hesitated, not wanting to accidentally reveal something that could ruin their plans.  Though Pinkie wasn't as wise in the ways of magic as she and Twilight were, there was no reason to give the deceased maniac a reason to suspect something.

"Or to what?"  Celestia remained silent.  "Ah, you probably saw it in the papers or something.  What can I say?  I needed something to do while I waited for you to slip up.  But, if that's your final answer, then I suggest you don't blink.  You don't want to miss the fun!"

"What are you talking about now?"

Without responding, Pinkie snatched up the stack of papers at her hooves and took aim.  One after another, she rapidly launched the suddenly sharp sheets like razors at the high-flying alicorn.  Celestia expertly juked, dodged and spun out of the way of the deadly projectiles, making carefully sure not for her wings to get clipped.

But eventually, the sheer number of blades overwhelmed her, slicing across her side, then a leg, then the side of her neck, narrowly missing her jugular.  Each cut made her growl in pain as she tried valiantly to endure the unending assault.  Finally, one caught her right wing just enough and she slowly began to fall, fighting against gravity and her injury.

Seeing an opportunity as the Princess descended, Pinkie dropped the sheets and launched herself into the air.  However, Celestia saw it coming.  Mustering what strength she could, she spun and swatted at her enemy with her good wing, sending her careening through a stained-glass window.  The menace screamed as she was thrown from the room, her voice trailing off as she plummeted away.

Sighing heavily in relief, the alicorn landed softly and stretched her wing, assessing the extent of the damage.  She should be fine, but it still stung nonetheless.

"Hey," a voice echoed in the long hall.  Celestia gasped, quickly taking a defensive position and scanning around the room.  There's no way!

...Was there?

"You blinked."

When Celestia's back was turned, Pinkie let go off the chandelier high overhead and landed squarely on the Princess' back, slamming her hard to the floor.  She tried to stand but a pink hoof dragged aggressively across the wound on her neck brought her to her knees.

A pair of limbs suddenly wrapped themselves tight around the Princess' throat.  Pinkie used Celestia's struggling against her and yanked her to the floor, landing her large frame onto her bad wing.  She howled in agony as the sharp pain doubled.  In that instant, Pinkie reached with both hooves and grabbed onto her jaw, intent on tearing her mouth and face apart.

"Come on, Princess!  You always had such words of wisdom for us!  Let's see if we can't get one last thing out of you!" Pinkie mocked.

Though the pink mare was an earth pony, Celestia had plenty of physical strength of her own and stood her ground in spite of the stinging, biting pain from her injuries.  But the Princess was trapped.  If she tried to get up or take to the air again, that little redirection of energy could leave her vulnerable, and Pinkie certainly wasn't going to tire out.

As the slumbering princess fought against her attacker, Twilight, with a steaming hot cup of joe in her magical grasp, approached the door to their cabin and slid it open.  She gasped and the cup fell, shattering on the floor.

"Princess Celestia!"

The unicorn popped beside her mentor, panic setting in when she noticed the bloody slices across her body and the way she was convulsing.  Twilight hadn't been shown the spell her teacher used to keep an eye on her while she slept.  She knew she should have asked her, but she'd just been so preoccupied with everything that had been going on recently!

Twilight violently shoved Celestia, screaming and begging for her to awaken but to no avail.  Come on, think!  Spike was able to wake her the first time with some of his fire, but she didn't have anything like that around!  If only she didn't drop the coffee, she could have doused her with a little!

She darted her eyes around the room, looking for something with which she may be able to jolt the Princess awake with.  Ugh, nothing!  Frustrated, she started hitting herself in the head, wishing for an idea to come to her.  It wasn't until her hoof grazed her horn that she got a crazy idea.

Biting her lip, Twilight magically corralled her mentor's high legs together, holding them in place as tightly as she could.  With the way she was twitching and shaking, a stray limb could result in a concussion or worse.  She carefully dragged Celestia's flank closer to the edge of the seat, doing her best to make sure she wasn't hurting her or aggravating her injuries.

Once everything was set, Twilight planted her hooves and lunged her head forward, stabbing at Celestia's hamstring.  The Princess screamed, the hard jab enough to bring the her back to the waking world.

Celestia jumped in fright as her student wrapped her forelegs around her neck, hugging her so tightly she almost had trouble taking in a breath.

"Thank goodness!" Twilight sobbed.  "I-I saw you were asleep and shaking and...I-I thought you–"

A long white leg curled around the small unicorn, holding her close and smiling proudly.  "It's okay, it's okay.  You saved my life.  Thank you, Twilight.  Thank you so much."

"It was Pinkie Pie, wasn't it?"

"I'm afraid so.  She tried to convince me to hoof you over, that she'd stop doing all this if I did.  When I refused, she attacked me," –Celestia looked at her open wounds– "as I'm sure you can guess."

The two looked over the multiple bleeding slashes with only Twilight feeling the need to cringe.  Celestia's horn lit up, her magic enveloping the cuts.  Little by little, they started to seal, the healing process stinging like iodine.  After a moment, the last of the cuts closed and the pain subsided.

Though she was relieved that her teacher was safe, the unicorn looked glum nonetheless.  As she turned away, trying to hide her eyes, Celestia asked, "What's the matter?"

"Just starting to wonder again if I should just...y'know.  I mean, she told you–"

"I have no reason to believe her after everything that's transpired.  Besides, I already told you before that I'm not going to just give you to her like a sacrificial lamb.  If the two of us had intended for such a thing in the first place, we would never agreed that the best course of action was to figure a way to banish her to Tartarus permanently, now would we?"

"No.  No, I suppose not," Twilight replied, a touch of guilt still remaining in her voice.  Her attention shifted, albeit briefly, to the pieces of porcelain on the floor and the stain beneath it.  "Err, sorry about your coffee."

"That's alright," Celestia chuckled.  "We can go get another.  I wouldn't mind stretching my legs too."  As she moved to stand up, a hind leg cramped up, making her wince.

"Oh.  Sorry about that too," Twilight interjected, grinning in embarrassment.  "I may have jabbed you in the back of the leg with my horn to wake you up."

The Princess shrugged.  "You did what you had to.  Our walk can wait a minute."

"You think maybe you can show me how to perform the spell you use on me just in case you want to take a nap?  Honestly, you look, well, terrible."

"Considering we won't be back in Ponyville until later on tomorrow and it could help avoid any unfortunately incidents, of course I can."  Celestia stretched her legs, flexing them several times until the soreness was gone.  "There we go.  Come now, let's go get that coffee.  I'll show you the spell when we get back to our cabin."
> Chapter 5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike sat on the couch in Private Eye's living room, gazing quietly out the window at the clear, starry night.  He had tried to talk to the detective a few times, to convince him to make a public address to the citizens of Ponyville about what had been happening recently.  Granted, they agreed that the truth would have to be spun a bit if such a thing were to occur, but Private Eye was still reluctant to do so.

Thanks to his most recent encounter with Pinkie Pie, the young dragon was forced to get in touch with Celestia with Pinkie's demands that Twilight make a nocturnal appearance immediately.  Hopefully they were on their way back home with something that could help.  Spike suspected this was true, but he hadn't heard from them.  Considering how dire the letter sounded, it was probable they were en route.

Still, he couldn't help but miss them.  Both Twilight and Celestia had had a hoof in raising him since he was hatched and he didn't want anything to happen to them.  For the time though, he considered himself lucky to be under the watchful eye of the detective whose house he was staying at in the meantime.

His thoughts drifted as he looked at the bright, pale moon.  It almost looked to be the same shade of white that–

"Spike," Private Eye spoke up as he approached from the kitchen, "they're on their way.  If they left right away, they'll be back in a couple days at the most."

"Yeah, I know.  It's just..."

The stallion sat beside him and patted him on his scaly back.  "Hey, considering what you've been through, you've shown to be remarkably strong."

"Thanks."  His soft but heavy sigh was the only sound in the room for a moment.  "I miss them.  Especially..."

Private Eye waited, but Spike couldn't bring himself to finish.  Even though his friends knew about his feelings for a certain lady, it was still too awkward for him to just come out and say it, even now after she was gone.  The heartache was written all over his face though.

"I'm sorry, kid."

"Huh?"

The detective frowned sympathetically.  "I've seen that look plenty of times in my line of work.  She must have been very special."

A single tear fell down his cheek as he looked back at the moon.  For a moment, he saw a pair of bright blue eyes looking back at him.  He only wished it simply wasn't his imagination.

"She was," he whispered.

Over the years, Private Eye had dealt with numerous mares and colts who had lost somepony close.  It was always strictly his job to take down the details and move on to whatever the next step was, depending on the situation.  Now, here in his own home, he needed to console a youngster and he just didn't know what to do.

While his guardian was away with the Princess, Spike had fallen under his protection.  He had no kids of his own.  At first, he was, like with Twilight, a diligent assistant despite the horrific circumstances.  Though Private Eye wouldn't admit it and risk complicating things, he had grown fond of the little dragon recently.

Maybe it was when Pinkie came to him the first time a hoofful of nights ago.  Maybe it was the other day when he was visibly injured thanks to the maniac's second visit.  Whatever the reason was, he wanted to tell Spike that everything would be okay no matter how big a lie it may have been; it was never okay.

The detective slouched back on his seat.  "I've been doing some thinking."

"What about?"

"About asking the mayor to set up an emergency meeting.  About telling the citizens what's going on...to an extent."

"Do you think she'll go for it?"

It was a simple question with ultimately a simple answer.  Still, Private Eye felt that Spike needed to understand exactly why he knew Mayor Mare would let him speak.

"Spike...before I went to Sweet Apple Acres to check out what happened to your friend Applejack, there hadn't been a murder committed in Ponyville in about six or seven months.  You know what happened?  A stallion had a few too many drinks at this little dive bar on the east end of town.  Got into an argument with somepony over...I don't even remember.  Took a bottle, smashed it on the counter and went after the guy right in front of a few dozen witnesses.  The guy's in jail, wishing he could take it all back.

"But that was just some random pony.  Your friends were the Element bearers.  If something serious happened in Equestria, Princess Celestia could always count on them to step up to the plate and help protect this world.  You know better than just about anypony else what kind of trouble Equestria has dealt with in recent memory."

Shrugging, the detective continued, "But when it comes to regular crimes?  Things that I'm used to dealing with on a daily basis?  Most of the time, it was things like domestic disturbances, breaking and entering, petty theft.  Heck, on slow days, even a lost dog case can show up on my desk.

"Murder just isn't something that happens in Ponyville.  It's just a quiet little town.  If this were Manehattan or Fillydelphia or some other big city, I'd probably be as busy every day as I have been since Pinkie started...all this.

"I can see the worry and fear on ponies' faces when I walk around this town.  No doubt they've seen what the papers have said recently, what with that stuff out in Appleloosa.  Ponies have been dying left and right in increasingly terrifying ways.  Like I've said before, if I told anypony the truth, they'd lock me up and throw away the key.  I've wanted to tell the my superiors something other than 'I'm working on it', but I hadn't really come up with a good story yet.  But ever since I saw what happened to your DJ friend, I've been putting something together that I think may sound believable.  I just...I'm sick of seeing this go on anymore, and I'm not going to just sit on the sideline anymore."

He glanced down at the attentive dragon.  "You think you have time to write a letter before bed?" Private Eye asked.  "It's getting a little late for you, but the mayor is probably still up."

"Yeah, I think I can do that," Spike answered.

The pair got up and trotted inside to Private Eye's workroom.  In the middle was a desk, similarly decorated like the one in his office.  Along one of the walls were a set of bookshelves, full to the brim of texts containing mostly legal information.  As much as he preferred to keep work solely at the office, from time to time he had to bring it home.  This was one of those times, and he had been spending an awful lot of it there lately.

Spike dragged one of the two chairs sitting against the wall up to the desk and grabbed a sheet of paper and quill.  Private Eye sat across from him and cleared his throat.  Making sure to pick his words carefully, he began narrating.

"'Mayor Mare, This is Private Eye.  I've been working the cases involving the recent deaths of the Elements of Harmony.  I've recently stumbled upon some information that we need the populace to know about right away..."


-----


"Sweetie, come to bed.  It's getting late."

Cranky set his toothbrush in its holder and twisted a painful kink out of his neck.  Nopony ever said getting old was any fun, but at least he could spend his later years with his lady.  That was enough for him.

He headed into the bedroom where Matilda was already laying in bed, waiting patiently for him.  She patted the empty space next to her and he happily – albeit slowly – trotted over and curled up under the sheets.  Once he was comfortable, Matilda snuggled up beside him and laid her head on his chest and closed her eyes.

He wrapped his forelimb around her and smiled.  It was nice not having to worry about laying in bed and chatting away for an hour like some folks probably did with their significant others; aside from reminiscing from time to time, the pair didn't really never felt the need to talk too much.  Their company together was all they needed.

He glanced out the window, the night sky catching his eye for a moment.  Its numerous stars twinkled in the endless darkness, almost as if they were somehow trying to speak to him.  It was rather beautiful tonight, more than most nights.  Luna must have been working overtime, he assumed.

Looking across the calm, quiet sky at such hours was always very peaceful for Cranky, and it had helped relax him off to sleep more than once.  Tonight, it seemed that it was to be no exception.

But despite how heavy his eyes were starting to get, he shivered.  For whatever reason, there seemed to be quite the cold draft in the air, one that chilled him to the bone.  Not that that was terribly hard at his age, but this breeze felt odd.  He couldn't explain it, but it felt very sudden, like it came out of nowhere despite that it was supposed to be a pleasant temperature outside.  At least, that's what the projected weather was supposed to be.  Eh, perhaps a pegasus or two got their duties screwed up or something.

As he shook, he heard a soft moan and felt a certain lady's grip tighten around him.  Hopefully the fact that he was shaking like a leaf wasn't bothering her.  Fortunately, what she mumbled put his concerns to bed.

"Good night, Doodle."

He leaned over and kissed her on her forehead.

"Night, hon."

A few minutes later, Cranky heard a loud banging at the front door, despite having a few walls and a closed bedroom door between them.

Growling in annoyance, he rubbed his eyes and sat up.  The bangs came again.  What kind of lunatic would be knocking on ponies' doors at this hour?

It took a moment before he came completely to his senses.  When he did, he immediately found that Matilda was gone.  He called out for her, figuring maybe she heard the obnoxiousness going on outside before he did and simply got up to see what the commotion was.  He yelled again.

The loud bangs suddenly erupted from the bedroom door.

Cranky froze and shook again.  He held his breath, terrified to make a sound.  Finally, he whispered, "W-Who's there?  Matilda, is that you?"

The knocks came again, and Cranky ducked under the sheets.

"Who are you?  What do you want?!"

No response came.  A moment of silence went by, and the donkey slowly peeked out from his hiding place.  A silhouette stood on his bed before him, glaring with hard blue eyes.

"Gahhh!"

"Hey, Doodle."

Cranky's eyes came into focus after a moment.  He recognized the voice, but upon finally seeing her, he could only stare vacantly.  He'd never seen his old friend looking so bizarre.  The flat mane, the angry look...this wasn't the same mare he knew.

"Pinkie Pie?  What are you doing here?  Where's Matilda?"

She patted him not-so-reassuringly on his head with the full weight of a limp limb.  "Don't you worry.  She's safe for now.  How've you been, Doodle?"

Cranky gulped hard.  It was one thing dealing with Pinkie when she tried incessantly to be friendly to him but how she was staring at him on his bed was genuinely frightening to the old donkey.

"Uh, I've been alright.  I heard about...what happened.  I'm so sorry, Pinkie."

The mare smirked at her prey.  "I'm sure.  Did you enjoy the funeral at least?"

"I...I-I didn't go," he mumbled, shrinking away and averting his gaze.  "I heard what happened a couple days after the fact.  The funeral had already taken place.  I would have gone if I had known when it was, you know this."

"Uh huh.  Funny, I would have thought everypony in town would have known almost right away, seeing as how I knew everypony to begin with.  Ah, I'm sure it must have been quite the spectacle."  She tapped her chin, a wild idea suddenly popping into her head.  "I do hope that there was at least some celebration."

"Celebration?"

"Of my life, silly!  With all the ponies you must have known over your long life, I would have figured you'd have attended at least a funeral or two," she said as she jabbed her snout into his, all the while grinning wickedly.

"Hey, there's no need to say such a thing–"

"And you know what always goes perfect with a celebration?"  Without waiting for answer, the crazy mare stretched and reached under the bed, tossing out a few books, a drum set, a rubber chicken and various other novelties before pulling out what she was searching for: An E-Z Bake oven.  She patted its top and gave the timer a twist.  "A cake!"

"...A cake?" Cranky asked, growing more confused by the moment.

"You know it!  I made this one just for you!  It's an extra special recipe that I made in my extra special oven for an extra special friend."  The timer suddenly started to count down.  "You remember this one, right?  It was on my Welcome Wagon when you first came to town, and I finally loaded it up correctly!  I can't believe how many times I screwed that up."

"Um...thanks?"

"I just know you're going to love it!"

"Well, that's...very nice of you, Pinkie."

"Uh huh!  You wanna know what the secret ingredient is?" she whispered.

"Err, sure, why not?"

She opened the oven door and reached inside.  After a second, she yanked out her hoof, exposing the answer, which just happened to be dug into numerous parts of her flesh.  "Razor blades!" Pinkie said with a bounce.

Cranky's eyes almost exploded out of his head.  "Huh?!"

"Yepperooni!  Just for you, friend."

He shot her hoof a panicked glance. then one to the appliance and back to her.  His breaths became rapid and uneven, and his heart began to race.

"Eeee, this is so exciting!  A few more minutes and we'll be able to celebrate the right way!  Though I don't know if I'll be able to attend your funeral since, y'know, I'm kinda dead," Pinkie deadpanned.

The old donkey let out a shriek and tumbled out of his bed, falling hard on his face, before sprinting out of the house as fast as his legs would carry him.  Pinkie turned to watch him disappear from sight and bounced happily.

"Oh, a chase!  I haven't experienced one in a while!  This is gonna be so much fun!"

Cranky ran through the strangely dark, lifeless streets of Ponyville and rounded a corner, coming to a stop behind the Town Hall.  He paused to try catch his breath but the sudden sharp pain in his chest wouldn't allow him.  Neither did the tap on his shoulder.

"What kind of frosting did you want?" Pinkie asked, holding the oven up.

"Ahhh!"

The maniac giggled gleefully as the screaming donkey raced away into the darkness, the moon being the only light that guided him.  He ducked into a nearby alley and slammed his back up against the wall.  He flexed his burning joints.  He couldn't continue to move like this or he could seriously hurt himself, but he had to get away from his stalker.

If that was at all possible.  Memories of his first encounter with the insane pink pony flashed through his mind as he looked over his surroundings.  Oh Celestia, what was he supposed to do?!  He couldn't escape her before!

Another terrible pain stabbed at his chest and he winced through his teeth.  He glanced down at his heart and his levels of panic shot up tenfold.  As his chest tightened up, one trickle of sweat after another began to cascade down his forehead.

"Y'know–" a voice suddenly spoke up from beside him.  He spun around to find Pinkamena standing there with her oven balanced perfectly on her back, facing him.  "–this all feels sooooo...familiar."

Nearly jumping out of his skin, Cranky tripped and staggered out of his hiding spot.  But he was only able to take a few steps before his chest clenched up harder than ever, making him fall to the ground, barely able to breath.  The pink pony crept out of the shadow and into view, a large, hideous smile never leaving her face.  With a flick of her rump, the oven landed hard on the ground, aimed directly at him.

Desperate and scared, he reached out to her with tears in his eyes.  He didn't want to face it but the inevitable was quickly catching up with him with every labored breath.  If only he hadn't run so hard and so fast.

"Pink...Pinkie...wh......w-why?" he barely could whisper.

As his pain visibly escalated, Pinkie's eerie grin slowly turned into an irritated snarl.

"You're kidding.  Tell me you're kidding!" she hollered, irate as she watched his eyes roll into the back of his head.

After a moment of convulsions, his forelimb fell onto the ground and his body went limp.  His last breath left his lungs, and his body slowly faded away, leaving the furious mare alone in her world.  A few seconds later, the timer dinged and splattered a wad of cake batter, filled with her secret ingredient, onto the spot where her target just laid.

"Oh, come on!"
> Chapter 6
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was almost half past ten when Private Eye sat at his desk.  He just finished speaking with Mayor Mare not twenty minutes ago about the recent string of murders, including reminding her of what happened to the former Elements.  He considered himself fortunate that she was willing to sit down with him as soon as Town Hall opened for work, but ultimately it wasn't surprising.

Her citizens were dying left and right lately, something that just didn't happen in Ponyville.  If there was some way to stop whoever was behind it, she was all ears.  After their long talk, she – or at least her associates – were going to be all hooves too.

Almost as soon as her door closed and Private Eye headed to his office for the first time that morning, the mayor instructed her many assistants to quickly get started writing up a few dozen fliers and spreading them around town.  The detective wanted to call an emergency, mandatory meeting for everypony in town.

They were to meet outside Town Hall at five o'clock sharp regardless of whatever plans they may have.  If they were unable to attend for whatever reason, what Private Eye was to tell them must reach them one way or another by the end of the day.

As he got comfortable in his chair and Spike in his, the dragon snatched up some papers and a quill.  No doubt his caretaker would want his instructions and responses to any possible questions the media would inevitably have written down.

The two had barely gotten anywhere when the door creaked open, eliciting a sigh of annoyance from both the detective and from Spike.

"Hey, partner," Gumshoe said as he leaned against the door frame.  "Where've you been this morning?"

"Hey.  Had to stop by the mayor's office about something.  Was pretty important."  He could see in Gumshoe's eyes the same look of irritation and gloom that he'd seen on an almost daily basis.  Something must have happened again.  "Let me guess..."

His fellow officer nodded.

"Who was it now?"

Gumshoe went to speak, paused in doubt, and started again.  "Well, it's a donkey, goes by the name of Doodle.  Wife found him this morning motionless in bed.  Here's the thing though..."

Private Eye raised an eyebrow.

"...there doesn't seem to be any foul play involved.  No forced entry, no signs of a struggle, no visible signs of injury, nothing.  We're ruling it as it appears to be so far: a simple heart attack.  He was older, so it's entirely possible we're not really needed in this case."

The detective tapped his hoof on his desk and glanced away, deep in thought.  It sounded too good to be true, and knowing what Pinkie said she was going to do made it that much more difficult for Private Eye to believe this was just an unfortunate, albeit natural, occurrence.

"Sir?"

After another moment, Private Eye turned to his partner, his mind having been made up.  "Do me a favor.  Find whatever you can about the deceased's health.  Check with hospitals, see if you can get in touch with any family of his, get their medical history, anything.  Considering what's been going on lately, I want to make absolutely sure that's all this is."

"That's going to take some time."

"I know.  Do whatever you can as quick as you can.  Until I see Princess Celestia and Twilight Sparkle again, time is a luxury we don't have.  If we can make heads or tails as to his cause of death by the time they return from their expedition, then great.  If not, well..."  He finished with a shrug.

"Understood.  Anything else you need, P.E.?"

"Just some peace.  I called for a press conference at five in front of Town Hall and I've got to write up what I'm going to say.  I need you and everypony else to be there.  Can you let the rest of the precinct know while I work on this?"

"Uh, sure.  What's it about?  The recent murders?"

"Mhm."

"Alright, I'll let the others know then.  I'll see you later."

"Thanks," Private Eye said as his partner closed the door.  He turned to the patient little dragon sitting across from him and sighed.  "Now, where to begin?"


-----


The large crowd in front of the podium murmured curiously as five o'clock quickly approached.  Various newspaper reporters and cameraponies sat in the front rows, whispering between each other about what could be so important as to call a meeting the same day you post fliers about it.  The fliers themselves certainly left enough up to the imagination.

The mayor and the detective shared a few quiet words before the meeting officially began, going over some information before things got started.  Though she wasn't aware, he would never tell her that what he had written down were only half-truths and distractions.  While they chatted, Spike sat on a small chair behind them.  He wished he didn't need to be there, but it was part of Private Eye's plan.  Plus, if Celestia or Twilight happened to send a message during the press conference, it couldn't hurt to hoof it over to his caregiver as quickly as possible.

Private Eye and Mayor Mare looked out at the large gathering and were overall pleased with the turn-out.  Whether or not it was everypony they obviously had no idea.  Hopefully the message would be relayed the way Private Eye intended, if it had to be at all.

After what felt like forever, the clock tower rang in the distance, signaling the turn of the hour.  The mayor cut their discussion short and approached the stand.  With a quick clear of her throat, she began.

"Good evening, fillies and gentlecolts, and thank you for coming on such short notice.  As I'm sure you're all aware of, recently there has been a string of – I'm not going to sugarcoat it – murders in town, the first several of which were most of the Elements of Harmony, Twilight Sparkle being the only surviving member.  Since then, others have occurred and, up until recently, the Ponyville Police Department was at a loss as to how they were happening.

"Fortunately, the stallion who's been investigating the deaths since they began informed me late last night that he had a breakthrough in the cases and wanted to let us all know what was going on as soon as possible.  Together, we set up this meeting for just that.  I ask that you hold all questions until the end.  Now, Mr. Private Eye?"

Taking in a breath, he stepped up to the podium as the mayor moved to the side.  Hopefully, everypony would buy what he was about to tell them.  It sounded plausible enough when he and Spike reviewed it earlier.  He set the few sheets of paper on the stand and greeted the crowd.

"Thank you, Mayor Mare, and thank you all again for coming.  I'll start off by saying that if you happen to know anypony who couldn't attend, I urge you to speak to them about what we're going to discuss before the day is done.  As the mayor said, several of the Element bearers were indeed taken from us not long ago and since then, a few others were found dead the next morning since and in just-as-horrific ways.

"For a while, we did not have any solid leads as their deaths also seemed to happen in very mysterious ways.  We had always assumed that the Element bearers probably had enemies, given what they've done for Equestria, and that the killer had a pattern.  Unfortunately, once others were found murdered in similarly gruesome ways, we had to throw that idea out the window.  Either way, it was nearly impossible to come up with any suspects.

"But just the other night, the killer slipped up.  Spike, would you come up here please?"

The little dragon walked up and stood next to the stand, clutching his tail nervously.  While he didn't mind being the center of attention, he wished the circumstances could be different.

"Some of you may recognize Spike here as Twilight Sparkle's assistant.  For those of you who are unaware, Twilight is the last of the Element bearers to still be alive as well as Ponyville's librarian.  She is also Princess Celestia's star student."

Private Eye glanced down at the miserable drake.  He wish there was another way, but despite staying up half the night previous, they couldn't seem to think of anything that would sound good.  They did agree, however, that if they could convince the populace that even Celestia's pupil and assistant were in danger, the Ponyvillians would be more inclined to believe the seemingly outlandish tale he was about to tell.

"Princess Celestia and Twilight have been away for several days, having agreed to assist us with the investigation.  The Princess claimed that she had a few ideas that she needed to research further which may be able to help us but that the sources of information were not in Ponyville or Canterlot.  Since the two departed, I have been looking after Spike for them.

A couple nights ago, while Spike was asleep, he began to panic and no matter what I did, I couldn't wake him.  When he eventually did wake, I thought it was nothing more than a simple nightmare.  But, he told me he had an encounter with a mare who claimed to be his friends' killer.  Many of the details he claims to have been given matched what appeared to have happened to the other Element bearers."

As he told his lie, he noticed several ponies sharing disbelieving looks or outright trying to hold in giggling.  He suspected this may happened, but he wasn't about to stop at this point.  He raised a hoof to quiet the increasing hum from the crowd.

"Like I said, at first, I thought it was just his grief.  I didn't think anything of it.  Then, later that night, I too fell into a sleep that I was unable to wake from.  Spike finally snapped me awake when he took a chance and hit me with a small blast of his fire.  Though the little guy here couldn't put together a complete description of who he claims visited him, I wrote down what I could recall and...it seemed that we both had an encounter with whoever's behind all this.

"We contacted Celestia and asked if there was any kind of magic that she could think of that would allow somepony to be able to manipulate another in such a way.  Turns out that...yes, there is.  It's rare but exceptionally powerful.

"I can understand that some of you may be skeptical, and until recently, I would have been in the same boat as you.  However, I have further reason to believe that myself and Spike did indeed come into contact with the murderer.  About a week and a half ago, Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash, the last of the Element bearers to have died, were under heavy guard at the Ponyville library.  Several troops, including royal guards, were positioned at every possible entrance and those entrances were all locked.  Those who could see the two all claimed the same thing: that Rainbow Dash, while still asleep, appeared to be attacked by magical means.

"I don't see these events as mere coincidences nor is it in my job description to blow off things that seem outlandish, especially when magic is potentially involved.  I also don't see it as a coincidence when the Princess herself confirms the existence of such magic."

As he scanned across the masses, he noticed that many of the unbelievers from before displayed a touch of worry in their eyes.  Seemed he was able to convert a good portion of them.  Though, why would anypony doubt the word of the Princess, directly or not?

"While I have been able to draw up a short list of suspects, based on who Spike and I met, I do not wish just yet to reveal any specifics.  I don't want a mob running around dispensing their own form of justice based on minimal detail," Private Eye said with a firm tap of his hoof on the pedestal.

"However, I can tell you what you can do to help prevent anymore tragedy from befalling Ponyville.  Until further notice, it's highly recommended that you bunk with at least one other pony in the same room.  Even if they're only taking a short nap, never leave that pony unattended.  If that friend or family member appears to be struggling as they sleep and you're unable to wake them, holding the flame of a candle against them should be enough to snap them out of it.  Since a sharp burst of pain was able to wake me during my encounter, I could also recommend using something with a sharp end such as a letter opener or a quill or something of that nature.

"Once we've tracked down the culprit and have dealt with them in full accordance with the law, you will be able to resume your lives to the way they were before.  Until that time, I implore you to heed this advice and make sure you don't end up as just another statistic.  I'll now be taking any questions you may have."  In an instant, nearly half of the reporters hooves shot into the air.  Private Eye picked one at random and its owner stood up.

"Why didn't you reveal any of this information before?" a chocolate-colored pegasus asked.

"Like I said, we had very little to go on until Spike and I ran into the killer.  With Spike forcing me awake, we were able to determine how to handle such a situation but I was still unsure exactly what was going on.  I had my theories but that simply wasn't enough.  Once Celestia informed me that such forms of magic did indeed exist, then...well, here we are.  I seriously doubt any of you would have had any reason to believe me if I came to you before I spoke to the Princess," he replied.  "Next question?"

Barely a third of the hooves went into the air this time.  Maybe this would be a shorter second half than he thought.  Private Eye selected a yellow earth pony.

"You mentioned that the Princess and Twilight Sparkle were away.  How long have they been absent and where exactly did they go?"

"I'm not at liberty to say, but we did speak to them only a couple nights ago and they said they were on their way back."

A grey earth pony was the detective's next choice.  There were only a few less hooves than the last time.

"You'll forgive me, Mr. Private Eye, but do you really expect us to honestly believe that somepony is capable of murdering somepony else in their sleep seemingly without them being aware of it?  How in Equestria are they capable of doing this?  Where could they have found this magic?"

"You can believe whatever you want.  I'm telling you what I and others have experienced and you can take away from that what you will," the officer snapped back.  "As far as the magic goes, I didn't bother to ask where it may have come from because it ultimately doesn't matter, but if you'd like to question Celestia when she returns, be my guest.  It's only cost her the lives of her student's closest friends as well as several others.  Okay, I have time for one last question."  He pointed to a blue forelimb belonging to a unicorn.  "Yes, you, go ahead."

"Thank you.  Assuming everything you've told us turns out to be true, could you give us a description of who you saw in case they were to come to one of us at some point?"

Ah, one of the potential questions he and Spike had imagined.

"Even though we both remember vague bits and pieces about the mare, unfortunately, I'm not one hundred percent sure if what I could tell you would be accurate."

"Why's that?"

"If this mare is capable of literally messing with our minds as we slumber, it's within the realm of possibility that who we saw may be masking what they really look like.  The only thing I can really say is that your friend or family member be swift in waking you up if something looks amiss."

Several hooves still waved in the air and questions were thrown at the detective.  He raised his own hooves to try and quiet the unrest as he left.  "Fillies and gentlecolts, Mayor Mare, I again thank you for coming to this press conference tonight.  Once I have more information, I'll let you all know.  Goodnight."

Spike and Private Eye shared a nod and quietly walked off the stage as the mayor tried to further calm the crowd and send them on their way.  They did their best but still ended up having to dodge a few reporters on the way back home.  The earth pony happened to spot Gumshoe as he crept from the crowd.  They too nodded to each other, both hoping this gambit was going to work.


-----


Nearly a half hour later, they were opening the door to their residence.  The first scents of dinner being prepared wafted through the air.  Smelled like itailian.  Haven't had that in a while.

"Hey honey!" the wife called out.  "Come on inside, we have guests!"

Guests?  He wasn't expecting anypony.  He looked quizzically at the dragon, who only shrugged in response.  Any question of who was visiting quickly disappeared when a large, white alicorn and a smaller purple unicorn turned and smiled at the pair as they entered the kitchen.
> Chapter 7
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Twilight!  Princess!" Spike said as he dashed into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around his purple mother figure.  She returned the sentiment, despite her number one assistant being two steps away from cutting off her circulation.  "You're back!  I've missed you so much!"

"We've missed you too, Spike.  We just got back in about an hour ago."  She eyed the detective as she released the little dragon, who promptly jumped up and embraced Celestia's long neck.  Twilight's warm smile evaporated as she addressed the stallion.  "How've things gone over here, Private Eye?"

He undid his tie and tossed it over the back of the chair, letting out a telling sigh.  His jacket followed right behind.  "Not good."

"We saw fliers around town as we made our way here," Celestia interjected, setting Spike back down in the process.  "I imagine you spoke to the press as well?"

"I did, your Highness."

"What all did you tell them?"

"Only what they needed to hear," he explained as he sat down hard at the table.  "I didn't specifically say anything like 'watch out for Pinkie Pie', if that's what you're asking.  Spike and I sat down the other night and tried to put together a good story for them."

"Oh?"

"Mhm," he said, half-grinning at the little dragon.  "He's really been a huge help.  I honestly can't thank you enough for letting him stay."

"He's always been pretty good at that," Twilight affirmed, nuzzling a blushing Spike.

"Anyway, we told them somepony we can't quite identify but are close to doing so has been using a rare type of magic to attack ponies as they sleep, to never sleep alone, and we told them how to snap ponies awake if something unusual seems to be happening."

The Princess sipped her drink as Private Eye went on.  "Just like you said.  Exactly what they needed to hear."

"What about you?" the detective asked.  "You ladies find out anything on your trip out of town?"

"Indeed," Celestia nodded, lighting her horn up.  Beside the kitchen door, a soft yellow glow emanated from Twilight's saddlebag.  A small, smooth rock with a happy, smiling face floated into the air and over to Private Eye.

He took the stone in his hooves and studied it curiously.  Aside from the child-like drawing, he didn't find any unusual markings or fractures.  "I don't get it."

"We plan to use a spell on Pinkie.  One that requires something of particular significance to her.  It's...a very old spell, one far older than even me," the Princess explained.

"According to a diary we found," Twilight spoke up, "that was her first friend.  Considering what the book said, I don't find it hard to believe at all."

The stallion turned the rock until it stared back at him.  He looked into his faded crayon eyes and shook his head.  "Sad, really."  The stone glowed once more and found its way back into the bag on the floor.  "Can't imagine how miserable that must have made her.  So, how are you supposed to use that thing against her?"

"It's offered as a sacrifice.  Once it's accepted, it should banish her permanently to Tartarus.  It's..."  Celestia fought off wanting to cry and simultaneously wanting to spit in disgust as memories of her previous use of the incantation flooded her mind.  She had to remain cool.  "...I had to use it on somepony a long, long time ago.  We tried to use it on her a couple nights ago, but to no avail.  As far as we can gather, it's simply unable to work properly in a dream."

"Then what are we supposed to do?"

"We were probably going to go through my library and see if we can find something that could help us," Twilight chimed in.  "If that doesn't pan out, we'll check the Canterlot Archives next."

The detective's wife set five full plates on the table for the hungry group as the plans were discussed, having just put the finishing touches on their dinner.  "Well, before you get started with any of that, you should get a little something in you.  You're probably going to be searching for a while and you could use the energy."

Twilight leaned in and took in a good, long smell of the delicious-looking meal.  Her stomach voiced its opinion rather loudly too, resulting in the unicorn's cheeks turning a rosy shade of red.  "Heh, sorry.  It feels like forever since we had a real meal.  Train food just...isn't very good."

"Bow tie pasta with veggies?  You spoil me, babe," Private Eye crooned, playfully poking at his mare's flank.  She gasped and flashed him a flabbergasted smile.  Jeez, did he have to be so fresh in front of the Princess of all ponies?

Though, being as old as she was, it was nothing Celestia hadn't seen before.  Chuckling under her breath, she rolled her eyes and dug into her dish.  As the others took their seats and followed suit, the detective spoke up.

"Guess now that you're back in town, you'll want Spike back.  Don't really need to send letters to you when you're only a few blocks away."

"Yeah, probably not."  The young unicorn glanced at the little dragon.  "What do you say, Spike?  We could definitely use another set of eyes around the library."

"Sounds good to me," he said with a full mouth.

"If anything does come up on my end, of course I'd let you know immediately," Private Eye added.

"As would we.  Even though this hasn't been easy on you, I would like to see you stay on with us until this awful situation has finally ended.  I would also wish to see you rewarded for your bravery and hard work."

He shook his head.  "I appreciate it, your Highness, but there's really no need.  Just doing my job as best I can."


-----


As the late-day hours became night, Celestia, Twilight and Spike had begun combing through each and every book Golden Oaks Library had.  Whether or not the books dealt with magic, dreams, sleeping or anything of relevance in between didn't matter.  The three needed to find an answer as to how they were going to get to Pinkie Pie.  Sometimes, such answers come from unexpected sources.

They had only been through about a fifth of the total stock despite searching for only a few hours.  If it wasn't for that scrumptious dinner, they probably would have all contemplated resting up and starting in the morning.  But, after hearing the details of the most recent victims found in their absence, they felt that they couldn't afford to wait.

While Celestia could handle long bouts without sleep and was fully rested thanks to her student keeping an eye on her the other day, Twilight had downed a few bottles of soda since they arrived at the library.  She could easily get sucked into a good book and forget the time, this was not one of those situations - this was work, and a steady stream of caffeine was going to be needed.

However, aside from the sugar rush provided by Pinkie Pie on the eve of their first Summer Sun Celebration in Ponyville, Spike couldn't handle the long hours and was quickly falling behind his mentors.  Even the few drinks he had wasn't doing what he wished it could.

A heavy, exhausted sigh caught Twilight's attention.  She set her book down and crept up to the tired dragon.  "You doing okay, Spike?"

"S-Sure!  Never–"  A yawn interrupted him.  "–never better."

"You don't look it."

"Nah, s'okay.  I'm totally fine.  I just gotta...I just..."  Rubbing his eyes didn't help his case either.

With a soft smile, Twilight said, "It's getting late for you, Spike.  Why don't you try and get some sleep?  We'll be okay, and if you need us, we'll be here for you.  If you'd feel more comfortable, bring your bed downstairs so we can keep an eye on you."

A small groan escaped his lips.  He knew he could help them more if they'd just give him a few more minutes for the soda to kick in.  But, he also knew he wasn't going to win in an argument with the unicorn.

"Alright, alright.  Just...let me know if you need some help or something, okay?" he pouted as he dragged himself upstairs to grab his basket.

"Sure thing."


-----


As the night went on, one by one, the homes around Ponyville turned out their lights.  Most of the residents had taken the detective's advice and were sleeping in pairs at the very least.  Two particular mares had been fast asleep for roughly an hour before something stirred one of them.

She wasn't sure what it was that she heard, but Bon Bon was going to find out.  She crawled out from under her sheet, gave her head a good shake and headed out of the bedroom.  Hopefully it was nothing, but one never really knew, especially if the cop was telling the truth earlier.

Instead of the hallway though, she found herself stepping into the candy shop she owned.  After a double-take and a quick glance around the store, she cautiously crept forward.  Did she somehow end up sleepwalking to work or something?

A giggle whispered through the door to the kitchen and then another.  It sounded like a couple of kids.  What were they doing?  They should know they aren't allowed back there.  Frowning, Bon Bon picked up her pace and trotted around the counter and up to the door.  Hopefully they hadn't broken anything yet.

As the door creaked open, she expected to see bags of flour splayed out all over the floor or jars of her sugary treats in pieces.  Much to her surprise, she found only a pair of babies sitting face to face, playing patty cake.  Were those Mr. and Mrs. Cake's foals?

Her question took a back seat to the sudden frigid chill that blew through the room.  It didn't compare to the shiver that ran up her spine when the little ones began to sing.

"One, two, Pinkie's coming for you...
Three, four, better lock your door..."

Bon Bon took a nervous step back and turned around, ready to bolt for the door, only to find the foals in front of her again.

"Five, six, get your friendship fixed...
Seven, eight, gonna stay up late..."

Wait, how did they...?  She looked back into the kitchen, finding it empty, and spun back to face the two.  They were gone.  A cold wind then whispered to her.

"Nine, ten, never sleep again..."

In an instant, she dashed around the counter and made for the exit.  Her heart raced and her lungs burned as she almost forgot to breathe.  She grabbed hold of the doorknob and tugged and fought against it.  It was open when she came in here!  What's going on?!

Her battle against the knob came to an end, however, when it faded out of existence in her hoof.  She pounded against the door, screaming in terror.

"Lyra!  Lyra, help!"

"Bon Bon..." a voice echoed.

The mare jumped away and tiptoed back to the middle of the room, searching for the source.  It sounded familiar, but in her panicked state, she couldn't be sure.

"Bon Bon..."

The candy maker trembled.  She could feel her stomach twisting inside her.

"You silly, stupid girl.  This shop of yours was always so pathetic.  You could never match me when it came to making treats.  It was really quite laughable to watch you try.  Tell me, did it ever make you angry that I was so much better than you?  Did it make you jealous?  Eh, it doesn't matter.  I figured out why everypony loved my goodies so much more than yours a long time ago.  Do you want to know what it is?"

Bon Bon turned around, still hunting for who was trying to chip away at her emotions, when she came nose to nose with Pinkie.  The flat-maned menace sported a sadistic grin as she grabbed her rival by the throat and slammed her to the floor.  She raised her free hoof over Bon Bon's face and it began to liquify, pouring itself down her throat like a pink waterfall.

"The cream filling!"

The beige mare struggled and bucked against her attacker, but Pinkie was too strong for her.  As Bon Bon's insides began to fill, both she and Pinkie could feel her body slowly shutting down.  The lunatic laughed with glee as she appeared to claim another life.

But, just before all hope was lost, Bon Bon instantly disappeared from under her.  The river that was Pinkie's limb splashed harmlessly onto the floor and the rest of her fell right behind it.  It took her only a second to realize what had happened, and she furiously smashed her hooves on the ground, screaming in rage.

Bon Bon snapped awake in bed.  Her sheets were soaked in a layer of sweat.  Her heart felt as if it was about to explode.  Quickly she looked around and found herself home, but after what just happened, she didn't know what to think.

Beside her, a worried Lyra sat hunched over, having just jabbed Bon Bon with her horn in an effort to wake her.  It seemed to have worked.  The sudden, noticeable throbbing sensation in her flank was evidence enough of that.

"You okay, Bon Bon?"

She received her response in a pair of forelimbs wrapping tightly around her neck and a sobbing mare's tears coating her shoulder.

"Hey, it's alright.  I'm here," Lyra said, holding her old friend close.  She steeled herself and asked something she was afraid to.  "Was...was it what that Private Eye guy talked about earlier?  Somepony tried to hurt you?"  The crying mare nodded, squeezing against her green friend.  "Did you see who it was?"

After she calmed down a bit more and her stomach stopped turning, Bon Bon answered, "It...it looked like Pinkie Pie."

"Pinkie?  But she died not long ago."

"Didn't that guy say that whoever's doing this could probably mess with our heads?"

"Yeah, he did.  Maybe that's why you saw her?"

"I don't know," Bon Bon sighed.  She let her friend go, her legs falling limply at her side.  Every bit of energy she had had been spent in a matter of seconds.  "I'd prefer not to think about it if I don't have to."

She felt a comforting hoof on her shoulder.  "I won't let anypony hurt you, I promise.  It's over now.  Let's try and get back to sleep, okay?"

"No!" Bon Bon snapped back.  "Err, sorry.  I-I really don't want to.  Not just yet.  Can we, like, go make some coffee or something?  Please?"

"Sure," Lyra said, tossing the covers away with a smile.  "How do you want it?"

"As strong as you can make it."


-----


Daisy opened the door to her home and looked up at the sky.  A bit cloudy out.  Was there rain scheduled for today?  Either way, she and two roommates had a garden to maintain.  She craned her neck back and called for Rose and Lily but got no response.  Maybe they were already out back getting their hooves dirty.

She headed outside and around back to where their prize garden was waiting.  Strange, the girls weren't anywhere in sight.  Better get started without them.  Hopefully they'd show up soon and she can chew them out.

She poked her snout through the flowers, searching for any weeds that may be strangling their prized posies.  Here and there, Daisy bit down and yanked them away, but as she worked, she caught something out of the corner of her eye.  Must have been Rose and Lily.  Those late bloomers!

However, her roommates weren't who greeted her.  A pair of foals, still young enough to be in diapers, stared silently at her.  Their beady eyes drilled into her soul and she felt her flesh crawl as she watched them.  Almost methodically, they faced each other and began to play patty cake.  Slowly, she turned back to her garden, making sure not to break eye contact for as long as she could.  One weed later, she glanced back and found the children to be gone.

The air came to life, singing the mare's name.  "Daaaaisy, Daaaaisy..."

The magenta pony froze up at the sound.  Her ears swiveled about, listening for where the voice came from.  It didn't sound like her friends, but nonetheless it was familiar.  While Daisy tried to focus, several weeds crept out of the ground and crawled straight for her.

"Give me your answer, do..."

Suddenly, the worthless plants lunged forth and attacked.  The horrified mare battled her bizarre captor, but as much as she fought, the weed continued unhindered, coiling itself around and around her until all that anypony could see were her terrified emerald eyes.  Any screams she let loose were drowned out by the vines.

With a blink, the source of the eerie voice stood above her, dressed as an old, battered scarecrow.  But the hairs hanging from under its hat weren't made of hay.  Instead, they were pink as was its face.  Pinkie raised up a gardening hoe and continued her terrible song.

"I'm half...crazy," she said with emphasis, "all for the love of you!"

As Pinkie swung her weapon down, Daisy vanished, the remaining weeds landing in the dirt.  Livid that yet another pony somehow got away, the maniac took out her frustration on the flowers, tearing them to shreds with the garden tool.

"What the heck's going on?!" she screamed, flinging the hoe into the air.  "How is everypony suddenly surviving?!  There's no reason they should..."

A plausible idea suddenly came to her as she ranted.  There were only three ponies she could think of who were still alive after a visit from her.  They must be behind this!  She closed her eyes, searching through the dream, and found one of them already asleep.  Maybe it was about time to correct the mistake.  She did warn him, after all.

In a burst of pink light, the murderer disappeared and instantly reappeared inside what looked to be one of the most familiar places she'd ever been in: The Golden Oaks Library.  She was done with subtlety with this pony.  Well, maybe not 'pony'.

"Spike!"
> Chapter 8
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Though Spike was relieved to finally see Celestia and Twilight again after what felt like an eternity, he couldn't help but feel worried anyway.  They had all the means to get rid of the homicidal pink lunatic, but they still had no way to use it against her effectively.  From what they told at dinner, the one time they tried proved fruitless.

Lying down while they continued to plunge ahead into the night brought a twinge of guilt as he slowly closed his eyes.  He should help them – he had to help them!  It was only the right thing to do!

And yet, everything he tried to do to keep going failed.  As usual, Twilight's suggestion to get some rest was probably correct.  He was still young, and hopefully he'd be able to get old some day.  Only a moment passed after the little dragon had laid his head on his pillow before he fell asleep.

Any questions he had about growing old jumped to the forefront of his mind just as quickly.

"Spike!"

He snapped up in a second.  His mind hadn't had enough time to wander and he saw himself still sitting in the library.  Frantically, he searched for the source of the furious voice he had come to dread.  It was an unmistakeable one.

The world echoed again.  "Spike!"

The dragon tumbled out of bed, slamming his shoulder into the floor.  He clawed his way back to his feet, wheezing in terror.  His heart began to beat like a drum.  He could feel every muscle in his small body tightening up as he slowly turned around, hoping beyond hope that it was simply his imagination running wild.

His gaze came across the window just above Twilight's bed when it suddenly blew open with a freezing gust that bit at his scales.  Through the pitch black outside, a pair of hate-filled blue eyes emerged.  Their pink owner glided into the bedroom and set herself down gently on the wood floors, the window slamming shut as she landed.  Spike's own pupils became pinpricks as his terrifying reality set in.

He tried to move his feet, to make a break for it, regardless of how futile it may prove to be.  But he was glued to the floor.  Pinkie coldly stared down her target as she approached.

"You just had to do it, didn't you?" she asked as she broke off a piece of her flat mane and straightened it into a makeshift blade.

"Wh-what are you t-talking about?"

"Don't play games with me, Spike!  I've had a busy yet unproductive night tonight.  I tell you that I'm going to guilt-trip Twilight into giving herself to me, and then suddenly, I can't seem to finish anypony off.  Aside from Twilight and the Princess, who else would know how to get away from me, hm?"

Pinkie jabbed her snout into his as she ranted, knocking the baby dragon onto his back.

"You told them!  You told them how to get away from me if I showed up!  And after all I did for you, like letting you live,"  she growled, grabbing his head and poking at his neck with her dagger.  "Look at it this way, kiddo.  You'll get to see your precious Wawity again.  Won't that be nice?"

Just as she was about to strike and end his short life, Spike shouted out in a panic, "It was Private Eye!  Private Eye!"

It was enough for the killer to pause.  Though she had no reason to believe him, she did know everypony in Ponyville, including the detective.  Curious, she raised an eyebrow and slackened her grip on the weapon.  "Private Eye?  What's he got to do with anything?"

"He-he's been the one investigating things ever since what happened to Applejack!  I helped him and the Princess keep in touch about all this while she and Twilight were away!  He's the one who came up with idea, not me, I swear to you!"

With an icy glare, she considered what the shaking dragon told her.  It did make a bit of sense.  He was a cop, and if he was the most involved with her victims, particularly the former Elements, then it's understandable that he'd wish to keep in touch with the Princess, especially if she was guarding Twilight.  Besides, the citizenry would be more likely to listen to an officer of the law about something so serious rather than an immature dragon that was known to occasionally blow things out of proportion.

"Y'know, kiddo?  I believe you, I really do."  Her sudden, strangely calm demeanor quickly evaporated.  "But, that still means you helped him out."

Without a second thought, Pinkie drove her mane-made blade into Spike's soft neck.

In his bed, the little dragon clawed at his new wound and struggled against his unseen assailant.  His strangled, bloodied gasps for life and the relentless creaks of his wicker basket caught Twilight's attention downstairs and for a moment, she felt her heart stop.  A final, sickening gurgle set off alarms in her head.  The book she was reading fell to the floor with a thud as she raced upstairs.

From the far room, the Princess' ear swiveled when she heard the frantic clopping of hooves on the floor.  She trotted into the lobby to see Twilight's tail disappear from sight as she galloped the top of the staircase.  "Twilight?"

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"


-----


Private Eye paced behind the suspect as he sat at the table in the interrogation room.  The cocky scumbag knew where the drugs came from, and it was only a matter of time when he'd spill the beans, one way or another.  The detective felt like he had asked the same three questions repeatedly for what must have been an eternity and it was getting him nowhere.  Despite being in a similar situation more times than he can count, something just felt...off.

Sick of wasting time with the despicable pegasus, Private Eye lunged for the winged pony's neck and picked him up out of his chair, violently kicking it to into the corner.  The look he shot the criminal could have killed him.

"You're going to tell me where you got the stuff and you're gonna tell me now!  Do you hear me?!  I'm sick of wasting my time with you!"

"Alright, alright, fine!  You got me.  I'll tell you who gave them to me," the suspect sneered.  He pointed at the one-way mirror by the entrance of the room.  "They're right over there."

The officer turned his head at the reflection, not quite sure what he was supposed to see.  He gasped when he found himself standing there holding Pinkie Pie in his hooves, smiling at him.

A quick shot to the gut followed by a hard uppercut knocked the detective to the ground.  The murderer flew into a rage and launched herself at Private Eye, but he quickly blocked her with a hind hoof, shoving her away and against the wall.  He got to his hooves and blocked another incoming right hook, countering with a fast jab to the snout.

With lightning fast speed, he grabbed her by one of her haunches as well as her throat.  His hatred for Pinkie over what she had done came to a boil.  He growled, letting loose his fury, picked her up into the air and slammed her head into the table, splitting it in two.

"You picked the wrong pony to come after, you maniac!" he spat.

The stunned mare could only laugh at his efforts.  "Ohhh, this is going to be fun!  I haven't had anypony stand up to me like this in a while!"

A quick buck to the shin brought Private Eye to his knee.  "Agh!"

With a smirk, Pinkie spun and got back up.  She grabbed the hardened cop by the shoulders.  He grabbed onto hers, battling for control, but his injured leg gave her just enough leverage.  Using his bad leg as a launching pad, she swung her body around and took his with her, tossing him through the mirror like a rag doll.

"Come on, come on!  Wake up, dammit!"

His wife shook him as hard as she could as he laid in bed when suddenly Private Eye was rocketed through the air and slammed into the wall of their room.  If he was conscious, he would have felt two of his ribs crack, though the hard landing on the floor would have knocked him out as well.

Pinkie walked through the wall of the interrogation room and snatched the detective up by the throat.  "One question," he hissed, spitting blood.  "What finally tipped you off?"

She answered with a depraved smile that made his skin crawl.  "Spike.  Hope you two shared a special moment or something at some point."

"Huh?"

"Let's just say he won't be sending any more letters."

As her response sunk in, he became lost in his anger.  Seething, he grabbed Pinkie Pie's skull and struck her with a vicious headbutt, causing her to drop him.

"You witch!  He was just a kid!"

"Everypony dies, bucko.  You of all ponies should know that."

"Nnnngh!"

He galloped full speed at the evil mare and tackled her to the floor, throttling Pinkie with one livid punch after another.  She took every one without missing a beat and caught his muzzle with a swing of her own.  As he stumbled back, Pinkie stood up, turned around and bucked him in the chest, knocking most of the wind out of him and sending him careening into the lobby of his nocturnal police station.

Private Eye's slumbering body was thrown across the room as he continued to fight in the dream.  When he came to a stop, his wife, thinking quickly, darted around to her side of the bed where a lantern sat.  She snatched the glass piece from its stand and shattered it against the night stand.

The detective did wake Spike not long ago by sticking him with a letter opener, but there was no time to run and grab one from his office down the hall.  Plus, there was no telling what may happen if she left him alone, even for a second.

Quickly surveying the damage, she spotted a larger shard of glass and took it with her to her struggling husband.  She approached carefully, not wanting to accidentally injure herself or him in the process.  A sudden swing of his forelimb made her jump back and steady herself for a better opportunity.

While his wife fought against the clock, Private Eye and Pinkie continued to brawl.  They found themselves twisting and spinning around in each other's grip, banging into nearly everything in the way.  As they made their way to one of the desks in the dark station, Private Eye had slid a leg between hers and kicked one out from under her.  She fell and smashed her eye square into the corner, black bile seeping out instead of blood.

"Gah!  Mmmph, that smarts!  Not bad – oof!"

The cop jumped onto the mare's back, cutting off her unneeded mockery.  As Pinkie tried to buck her foe off, she took a moment to rub her eye, restoring it to its normal state.  Despite deep down knowing she could dispose of Private Eye at any time, she continued to struggle against him.  The fight was a rush she hadn't felt quite some time, so what harm was there in dragging it out a bit?

She reached back but couldn't quite get a hold of him.  Each time she tried to smash the back of her head into his muzzle, he dodged out of the way, usually getting a mouthful of mane for his trouble.  All she seemed to receive for her trouble was another punch in the jaw.

Sick of the attacks, Pinkie drove an elbow into his side as hard as she could, sending him sliding off her.  Still, he refused to let the bits of her mane loose from his teeth and caused her to twist her neck awkwardly.

Private Eye's wife finally saw a chance.  He laid on the floor, a limb reaching out for empty air.  Using her earth pony strength, she held down her husband by his stomach and quickly jabbed at his hindquarters with the glass, being careful not to drive it in too deep.

He howled in pain as he woke from his nightmare, several pink strands of hair flying from his mouth.  He collapsed his limbs onto the floor and saw his wife sitting over him, scared half to death that either she or Pinkie had hurt him.  Once he caught his breath, he sat up, rubbing his aching head.

"You okay?" his mare asked.

"Yeah.  Yeah, I'm fine."  Pinkie's revelation found its way into his mind and a somber ache crept into the pit of his stomach.  "Spike..."

"What about him?"

He didn't want to believe it, but Pinkie hadn't lied to them yet; every single time, she had kept her word.  There was no reason for him to think it was any different now.  The detective's hanging head told his wife everything.

"No..."

She sobbed into a hoof and let the tears come.  Spike had become a welcome addition to their home, a reliable friend, even if it was to only be for a short while.  Now, all that was left was a memory.

As he gazed sadly at his distraught wife, he spied something strange on the carpet as well as on one of his legs: long, straight strands of hair – pink ones.  There was only one pony they could belong to.  He replayed the last few moments of his fight in his mind, trying to piece together how in the world they could suddenly be here.  With a gasp, the answer came to him.  One by one, he seized the hairs and ran like a bullet for the bedroom door.

"Wh-where are you going?" she asked through her tears.

"To the library!"

"What?"

"To Twilight and Celestia!"
> Chapter 9
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Celestia dashed across the lobby and up the quick staircase only to come to a screeching halt at the sight of her student.  Twilight sat beside Spike's blood-soaked bed, cradling him against her chest and rocking back and forth.  His motionless head laid on her shoulder, telling the Princess everything she needed to know.

Twilight's sobbed whispers echoed through the suddenly somber library.  "It's okay.  It's okay!  Everything's going to be okay, Spike.  Everything's... I'm sorry!  I'm so sorry!"

The Princess' stomach turned as the first of her tears ran down her cheek.  She couldn't imagine how distraught Twilight was nor did she know herself what to do.  What words could be said to bring her any comfort?  Hardly making a sound, Celestia walked up and sat beside the heartbroken unicorn, wrapping her in a gentle, reassuring hug.

Any restraint Twilight had left her when she felt her mentor's soft touch, her grief flooding to the surface.  She shrieked in despair and her body shook as she sank into hopelessness.

Nearly every day of his short life he stood beside her, always willing and ready to help with whatever was asked of him.  She had vowed to take good care of him and keep him safe since the day he was hatched.  She had failed him.

Celestia glanced at Spike's lifeless form and furrowed her brow.  She never thought she could actively hate somepony she used to call a friend.  She could understand why Pinkie would be angry, but doing what she had done from the start crossed so many lines.  Enough was enough.

Fortunately, the answer to her nightmare slammed open the door downstairs.  "Twilight!  Princess!  I've got something you need to see!"

"Up here, Private Eye."

Only a step inside and the detective could hear Twilight sobbing and whimpering uncontrollably.  He thought hard about what Pinkie told him during their scuffle and wondered if he could believe anything she said.  His stomach dropped as he climbed the stairs and quickly noticed the small pool of blood by the basket.

"Oh no..."  He turned away, gritting his teeth, and punched the wall.  "Not like this."

The Princess watched sadly as Private Eye let out his sorrow and rage.  After what the two of them had gone through while Twilight and Celestia were away, this wasn't easy on him either, regardless of how many ponies he's found dead over his career.

"You...had something for us?" Celestia finally asked.

"Yeah," Private Eye sighed.  "I just had an unwanted visitor.  She...told me she did this.  I was hoping she was just trying to rile me up, but... I'm so sorry."

The alicorn nodded appreciatively.  The pink strands of hair in the detective's grip caught her curious attention.  "What's that?"

"It's what I had for you," he answered, sneering at what he brought.  For a moment, he almost wished he was asleep again so he could strangle the murderer.  But something told him he'd have another shot real soon.  "When my wife woke me, these came with me."

"What do you mean?"

"I was fighting Pinkie.  While we were beating the hell out of each other, I ended up grabbing onto some of her mane.  When I was jolted awake, this bit of her mane came too.  It's like I pulled a piece of her out of the dream."

The realization was immediate.  "Then, that means..."

"Mhm."

Celestia turned Twilight's head to face her own.  Her cheeks were soaked to the bone and her eyes dried out and cracked.  Barely any strength or breath was left in her.

"Twilight, listen to me," the Princess whispered soothingly, "Private Eye found our answer; he discovered how we can banish Pinkie Pie for good.  I...I know this couldn't come at a worse time for you, but we have to act and we have to do it now."

Her eyes as well as her heart.  All she wanted to do was sit there, left to her misery, and say goodbye to her surrogate son.  Even the words she spoke scratched painfully at her ravaged throat as she answered.  "What would I need to do?"

Private Eye stepped up, resting a hoof on her shoulder.  "We'll need you to fall asleep.  When she comes after you – and she will – do everything you can to grab hold of her and not let go.  If what happened to me happens for you too, you should be able to bring her out of the dream and into reality.  Then you can...do your thing."

"How can you expect me to go to sleep at a time like this?" she murmured.

"What would Spike want you to do?" Celestia asked.  She and Twilight shared a miserable, sympathetic glance.  "He'd want you to put an end to this.  You know that."

"Why can't somepony else do it?  I don't want to deal with this anymore!"

"She wants you, Twilight," the detective spoke up.  "Don't give her the chance to do this to anyone else."

Silence deafened the room.  She knew they were right, but it didn't make it things any easier.  "What about the cost of the ritual?"

"We'll worry about that when the time comes," Celestia said.

Twilight's purple eyes shifted to her assistant once more, and she softly caressed his head.  She didn't want to let him go.  One loved one at a time, her world had been falling apart.  No matter how much she wished for it all to stop, her life continued to spiral out of control.  The only ones still left that she cared about were in Canterlot, the Crystal Empire, and right at her side.  It had to end here before there was nothing left for her.

She let out an exasperated sigh.  "The rock is downstairs in my bag.  By the table in the middle of the room.  Just...just give me a minute here."

With a tender nuzzle, Celestia let her student be and made her way downstairs with Private Eye a step behind.  As they departed, Twilight floated the little dragon back into his basket and folded his claws on his chest.

"Forgive me, Spike," she whispered, kissing him on his forehead and covering him with his blanket.  She closed her eyes and said a silent prayer, her tears finding new life.  A few empty moments passed by when she turned and dragged herself downstairs to her waiting teacher and the patient officer.

Celestia already had Rocky sitting on the floor, ready to begin the ceremony.  Twilight shuffled up to the pair and slumped onto the floor a few feet from the stone.

"Do we need to draw any kind of ritual circle or anything, Princess?"

"No, fortunately.  All that's required is the offering and the words."

With barely a nod and a sigh, she laid down on the floor and tried to close her eyes.  She was exhausted, sick to her stomach, but she continued to picture Spike and better times.

"I'm sorry, Celestia.  I'm trying, but..."

"You don't have to apologize, Twilight.  I understand.  If you want, I do know a sleeping spell that will help."

"It's probably the only thing that'll work right now.  My nerves, they're...they're just shot right now."

The alicorn stepped over to her student, resting a consoling hoof on her shoulder.  She needed to get Twilight to calm down, even just a little, if that was at all possible.  If her mind was going a mile a minute, it may prove difficult for her to be in the deep slumber needed to dream, spell or not.

"I know.  Just try to relax as best you can.  Even though I'll be watching over you, you still need to remain focused on the task at hoof."

"She's right," Private Eye added.  "Pinkie's going to be coming at you pretty hard, and you'll need to act fast to grab a hold of her.  If she happens to figure out what you're trying to do, we may not get another chance at this.  But don't be afraid to fight her if you have to.  I know she was once your friend, but that Pinkie Pie is gone.  This one's a shadow of what she once was."

"Do you still remember the incantation, Twilight?"  Celestia asked, recalling the most important part of their efforts.

"Yeah, I do."

"Good.  It's important you keep your mind clear for that as well.  Once you begin, you must finish all the lines for it to work," the Princess explained.  "If you speak different words or are interrupted, you'll have to start all over again.  Once you bring Pinkie Pie into the real world, every second will count."

Twilight stared at the crayon face on the smooth rock but could only see Pinkie's evil eyes looking back at her.  Even if she had all the moral support in the world, it wouldn't have made doing what she was about to do any easier.  Despite Celestia looking out for her, ready to bring her back to reality, what if she failed again?  What if Pinkie does something too quick for the Princess to react in time?

The unicorn shut her eyes and took several slow, deep breaths.  She couldn't afford to be afraid, but that didn't stop her stomach from twisting in knots.  It took a few minutes, but Twilight finally managed to calm down as best as she going to.  Her body had stopped quivering and her pulse had slowed.  It wasn't ideal, but it would have to do.

The enormous amount of stress and anguish over the course of the last few weeks had chipped away at her spirit significantly.  With the rest of it torn apart just a few moments ago, it didn't take much for Twilight to begin to nod off.  The Princess' faint, golden magic encircled her pupil's head as she slowly laid down on the floor, succumbing to mind-numbing exhaustion.

As she drifted, Private Eye looked on with worry on his face.  "Good luck, kid."


-----


Her purple eyes opened.  Twilight quickly looked around and found herself still in her library, but Celestia and Private Eye had disappeared.  In their place, however, were numerous balloons, streamers, party favors and a cake on the table where her statue bust should have been.  Alright, she must have been dreaming.  And with all the random decorations around the room, Pinkie couldn't be far–

"Surprise!"

Twilight jumped back in a heartbeat when the sick mare appeared before her, grinning in wicked delight.  The unicorn's shock melted into a hard glare.

"Sorry, I threw this party just for me.  Do you like it?"

No response.

"I'm so glad to see you again, Twilight, and after such a short time, too!  For a little while, I wondered if I'd ever see you again.  Boy, would that have ever left egg on your face as the bodies piled up!  Oh, and Celestia?  Because I have a feeling you're watching," she called out to the room.  "I don't know if Twilight being here is simply an accident or what, but if she gets away again... well, you know you can't protect her forever!"

"Why?" Twilight snarled.

"Hmmm?"

"Why Spike?!"

"Psh!  I gave that little runt plenty of chances to stay out of my way, and he still betrayed my trust by helping that Private Eye guy!" the pink pony growled.

"Betrayed your...?!  You murdered our friends and then have the nerve to talk about trust?!"

A lightning fast swing caught Twilight in the jaw and slammed her to the floor.  "You murdered me first!  I trusted you all to listen to me before that tree came crashing down and you spat in my face!  What, did you think I could never be serious about anything?!"

Pinkie grabbed hold of Twilight's mane as she finished her question, lifted her to her hooves and dragged her over to a nearby bookcase.  The killer then snatched her by the head and violently smashed it into a row of books.  Twilight – as well as several of the novels – fell hard to the floor, her vision blurred and spinning.  Hopefully she didn't end up with a concussion in the waking world.

"W-we didn't...mean to.  You...you know that," Twilight wheezed.

"And I'm still dead, so what difference does it make?"  When the unicorn didn't respond, she received a vicious kick in the gut.  "Come on, get up!"

"Ngh!  I...don't w-want to...fight you."

"So you're just going to give yourself to me the way I said you should have from the start?  Oh good!  That makes things so much easier for me."

Twilight hoisted herself to one knee, subtly grabbing onto one of the fallen books, and swiped Pinkie's foreleg out from under her.  The hard edge would have snapped the limb if she still had bones.

"I didn't say I wouldn't fight you.  And even if I did just lay down and die, I doubt that'd stop you.  You had no reason to hurt anypony in Appleloosa.  They had nothing to do with what happened to you!"

"I still had a bone to pick with them," Pinkie said as she got back to her hooves.  Twilight tossed away her weapon and the two stared each other down.  "So, what's it going to be?  Are we going to dance or are you going to run and hide just like Spike would?"

Her laughter was what finally did it.

Flying into a blind rage, Twilight tackled Pinkie to the floor, mauling her face with punch after punch.  A trail of black bile began to leak from the earth pony's snout as the unicorn unleashed her bottled-up fury.

"That's it, Twilight!  Let it all out!  Give me everything you've got!" the maniac roared, eventually sinking into the floor.  The room echoed with more mocking laughs.

Twilight spun about, keeping her eyes peeled for anything unusual.  Her enemy's escape only fueled her growing anger.  She paused, mentally cursing at herself for wasting a golden opportunity and letting her emotions get the better of her.  She needed to remember that, above all, she had a job to do.  As she took a quick, calming breath, an ear swiveled backwards...

...followed by a savage left hook that sent Pinkie reeling.  The carving knife she took from beside the cake clanked loudly as it hit the wooden floor.

"You're losing your touch, Pinkie.  Or do you just not know how to deal with somepony who's expecting you?"  Baring her teeth, the killer mare lunged and bit down into Twilight's neck, throwing her off-balance.  "Aaagh!"

The wound took shape and bled as Celestia and Private Eye watched the unicorn struggle against her assailant.  As much as the Princess wanted to step in, so far she was holding her own.  Hopefully she'd be able to keep it up.

Pinkie continued her brutal assault, slugging Twilight square in the jaw.  The purple mare stumbled back and eventually dropped onto her stomach.  Ready to finish her enemy off, Pinkie snatched up the knife and dove at her old friend.  At the last second, Twilight spun out of the way, the knife carving into the floor.

The bloodthirsty pink pony shot right back to her hooves and went to stab her adversary again only for the unicorn to dodge out of the way once more.  But she was quickly running out of room.  Thankfully, the blade lodged itself in the wood, if only for a second, giving Twilight a chance to take up one of the thicker books that had spilled onto to floor.

With a forceful yank, the knife came free and Pinkie jumped at purple mare, anxious to deliver the final blow.  But as the cold steel came racing down, Twilight spun the large tome in its path, halting Pinkie's momentum, but not before the blade pierced straight through.

The unstoppable force clashed with the immoveable object; the two mares poured everything they had into the fight.  But it wasn't long before Pinkie's earth pony strength gave her the advantage.  Little by little, the blade pushed through the hundreds of pages until the handle came together with the book's cover, halting the knife's advance.

But Twilight refused to panic.  As the pair had struggled for control, Pinkie had begun to teeter.  Despite putting nearly all of her weight behind the blade, choosing to lean hard with both front hooves on the handle, she had sacrificed balance to do so.  While the tip of the knife wobbled dangerously in front of – and slowly crept toward – her lavender snout, Twilight summoned her strength and began to sway her forelegs back and forth, using her makeshift shield to further throw Pinkie off-balance.  With the knife now only mere inches from her face, the unicorn finally got enough momentum to roll her attacker off of her, collapsing her to the ground.  With a slam of a hoof on the party pony's wrist, Twilight was able to disarm her and toss the embedded weapon to the other side of the room.

It still didn't leave Pinkie exhausted by any means however.  She got back to her hooves and helped Twilight back onto hers only to hurl her into the table chest first, knocking what little wind she had left out of her.  She didn't know how much longer she could keep this up.  Pinkie simply didn't tire!

Twilight ached all over as she pulled herself up using the table.  Only for a second did she notice the cake in front of her, parodying the desperate situation she was in, before her face was thrust into it from behind.  Pinkie laughed again as she held Twilight's head down in the sugary dish.

"I gotta admit, you've surprised me!  This has been a lot more fun than I expected!"

The unicorn bucked and wrestled frantically, looking for an escape.  Fortunately, she found one of Pinkie's hind legs and kicked at it as hard as she could, bringing the earth pony's chin crashing down on the edge of the table.  Twilight stumbled back and fell on her haunches, gasping for air, while Pinkie eventually sat up herself, woozy and gripping tightly at her jaw.

She saw an opening.  With Pinkie's back to her, Twilight quickly pounced on top of the killer and wrapped her legs around her as tightly as she could.  The two rolled on the ground as Pinkie tried to get free, but in her dazed state, her efforts weren't as successful as she hoped.

"There!" Celestia cried out in the real world.  "She's got her!"

Without a second's hesitation, the glow on her horn intensified.

Just as Pinkie was about to break away from Twilight's grip, the two faded away.
> Chapter 10
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"There!  She's got her!" Celestia cried out, doubling her horn's glow.

Twilight fidgeted on the floor in front of her mentor and Private Eye, her legs wrapped around an unseen enemy.  But the pair knew exactly who she was latched onto.  The detective readied himself for the inevitable conflict.  Did he ever want another shot at Pinkie!

As the unicorn was pulled out of her slumber, a form began to fade into existence on top of her, kicking and struggling.  When Twilight opened her eyes, Pinkie Pie's body became whole.

"Let go of me so I can kill you already!"

"Get off her!" a familiar voice shouted.

"Huh?"

A set of teeth chomped down on Pinkie's tail and tossed her across the room.  Dazed and confused, she glanced up to see an angry cop, a glaring Princess, and a weary unicorn sitting up and rubbing the wound on her neck.  The pink mare stood and stepped back, not sure of what to do for the first time in a long while.

"What is this?  What did you do?!"

As she inched away from the trio, her hoof bumped into something on the floor.  She snapped her attention to the potential new threat only to gasp in surprise.  Any rage she felt evaporated into heartache, and for a moment, her eyes began to water.

She picked Rocky up and gazed sadly at its smiling, crayon face, caressing it like a loved one's cheek.  After a moment, it dawned on her where Twilight – and probably Celestia – must have gone.  Her fury began to resurface at the revelation, and she turned to stare death at her enemies.

She was on Twilight before anypony could even react, her little rock still in hoof.  "What are you doing with Rocky?!" she shrieked, wailing on the unicorn with her stone friend.

A golden glow overtook the maniac and tossed her to the side.  Rocky slipped out of her grasp and was snatched away by Celestia's magic.

"Give him back!"

The Princess turned to Private Eye as Pinkie got back up.  "We have to keep her off Twilight while she performs the spell!"

With a nod, the detective bolted at the killer, tackling her to the floor.  But his momentum worked against him as she launched him right over her head.  The combatants got to their hooves and came together again, exchanging one punch after another.

While the two earth ponies brawled, Celestia helped Twilight back to her feet.  A trickle of blood leaked from her snout and a gash was starting to swell up on her lip.  "Are you alright?"

She wobbled but was able to stand upright.  "Y-yeah.  I'll be fine."

"Remember, you mustn't stop performing the incantation once you've begun, even if something happens to me."

"I understand.  Just...please be careful."

As the Princess set the offering down several feet away, Pinkie had managed to get the upper hoof on Private Eye, shoving him viciously into the wall.  He collapsed in a heap but managed to grab one of her hind legs before she could go after Twilight again, bringing her down with him.

The star student watched as the two ponies fought.  During the scuffle, Twilight happened to catch Pinkie scowling at her like a savage animal.  Her eyes sank, ultimately saddened by what she about to do.  But her old friend had left her no choice.  She took a breath, steeled herself, and began to speak in the dead language.  Her horn, her eyes and the stone all glowed vibrantly as she went.

"Konn'ach tolah vandun'ash jeena vool plent'esh."

Private Eye leapt up, taking Pinkie by a foreleg, and hurled her through the nearby door that led to the moonlit kitchen.  Cautiously, the detective waited outside, not wishing to go diving headfirst into a room where he could barely see.

"Den'goranos xinthor na bensecht."

He planted his hooves, ready for whatever assault Pinkie may throw his way.  Several quick scrapes of what sounded like metal raised an eyebrow.  He took a step back but quickly jumped out of the way of a knife that flew mere inches past his head.  "Whoa!"

"Thralen dah forchant, thral ulan ornakhin."

Several more sharp objects –  knives, forks, anything Pinkie could find – forced Private Eye to dive behind the wall as they shot from the darkness.  Even Twilight and Celestia had to watch their hooves as the weapons crashed to the floor and slid their way.  Despite the momentary distraction, Twilight pushed forward.

"Amaalthos na menthek bin hortego ven."

With a path clear, a pink blur raced out of the darkness and headed straight for the biggest threat in the room.  Before the Princess could even react, Pinkie had wrapped her legs around her regal neck and chomped down on her prominent horn.  "Gaaah!"

Twilight froze at the shriek.  She wanted to call out to her mentor or even rip Pinkie off her completely, but she knew she couldn't stop the spell, especially now.  Seeing Celestia struggling only made things worse.  The vicious, painful attack was preventing the Princess from using her magic to dislodge the psychotic pony.  Swinging her head around and kicking at the pink mare didn't seem to be doing any good either.

Fortunately, the scuffle didn't last long.  Private Eye had galloped a few steps behind Pinkie when she darted from the kitchen.  Once he saw an opening, he grabbed onto Pinkie's waist and held on for dear life.  The extra weight was more than she could handle, and she began to feel herself slipping.

"Finish it!" he yelled at Twilight.

She nodded and composed herself quickly.  "Ammalthes na menthek Pinkie Pie todam beth."

As Pinkie's mouth gave way and she collapsed on top of Private Eye, Celestia stumbled and fell to a knee.  Other than her horn feeling like it was on fire, she was alright.  She winced as she rubbed at the burning spot, still unable to cast any spells.

With the Princess out of the picture for the moment, PInkie took hold of one of the detective's forelimbs and yanked at it with all her strength, ripping his shoulder out of its socket.  "Nnnngh!"  As she rolled off Private Eye and set her eyes on Twilight, the unicorn spoke the final line.

"Ammal thul menthek ilyana korvosh!"

Her purple eyes burst forth with a bright flash, but that wasn't the one that made Pinkie cover her eyes.  The flood of light that erupted from her first little friend did that.  As the intensity cooled, the rock broke down, little by little, into a stream of tiny glistening sparks of magic.  They twirled around several times in the air before flowing like a sparkling waterfall toward the floor a few feet beyond the carnage.  Gasping, Pinkie bounded at the display, swatting at it helplessly, almost tearfully, as the last bits of Rocky's crayon smile dissipated into nothing and followed its brethren.

"No!  No no no no!  Don't go!"  Her panic turned back to hatred in an instant, and before Twilight could blink, she had a pair of hooves on her throat.  "What did you do?!  Bring him back!  Bring him back!"

As the last of what was left of Rocky vanished, something rumbled from below the floor, making the deranged maniac pause.  One large crack split along the panels, revealing a familiar stone door as it dug itself out of seemingly nowhere.  All present except the still-woozy Princess gazed in shock at its appearance though Twilight was aware of what it was.

The same ancient runes that were found on the doorway to Tartarus came to life on this portal as well.  With a long, loud moan, the doors opened inward and four sets of ghostly chains with shackles shot forth, latching themselves onto Pinkie's wrists and ankles.

A firm, unseen tug yanked Pinkie off and began to pull her inch by inch toward oblivion.  A terrible wind kicked up, sucking itself into the gate, but only the murderer seemed affected by it in any way.  No matter how much she fought, she lost two steps for every one she made.  It wasn't long before Pinkie realized what was happening

The exhausted unicorn and the injured detective sat up.  While Private Eye worked his way over to check on the foggy Princess, Twilight managed to catch eyes with her old friend.  Despite everything that was happening, the same fury and hatred she felt for Twilight was still painted all over her face.  Heartbroken over what she was forced to do, Twilight glanced away, unable to even look at Pinkie Pie anymore, as the end slowly came for her. 

With only a few feet left, Pinkie spotted one of the larger knives she had thrown laying on the ground.  She grabbed it and, fighting against the void with every last ounce of strength, hurled it at Twilight as hard she could.

Only one saw it coming.

A large white wing shoved Twilight out of the way.  Its owner was not as lucky, and the blade plunged deep into Celestia's chest.  Time suddenly slowed to a crawl for the horrified student as she watched her teacher collapse onto the floor.

As she fell, the doorway finished claiming Pinkie Pie and slammed shut with a thunderous boom.  With its task complete, it burrowed back into the ground, repairing the floor back to normal and erasing any evidence of its existence.

Twilight and Private Eye rushed to the Princess' side.  She winced as a soft purple glow carefully removed the knife and threw it away.  Celestia's vision had already begun to blur and she could feel herself growing cold as her blood rapidly pooled on the floor.  Even her normally flowing mane laid motionless.

She reached up to caress her student's tearing face one last time.  "I knew you could...do it.  You've...made me...so proud.  Tell Luna.......tell...Lun......"

And with that, her hoof fell.


-----


Pinkie slowly opened her eyes and took in her surroundings.  She remembered being drawn into some kind of gateway with chains around her limbs.  After noticing the fires, the sulfuric stench and the cries of despair that wafted through the air, it dawned on her where she was.

"Tartarus?  Really?  They sent me to Tartarus?  Be easier to get back to work than I thought!"

She motioned to tear open a hole to escape how she always did, but nothing happened.  Annoyed, she tried again and again.  Still nothing?  Growing increasingly bothered, she spotted a nearby surface she could duck behind and hopefully pop up in some poor fool's nightmares.  Unfortunately, some dirt in her face was all she got for her troubles.

"Huh?  The heck's going on?"

An amused voice echoed from out of nowhere, turning Pinkie confusion into something she hadn't felt since she was alive: fear.

"Y'know, I really should give Celestia more credit.  She always was good to her word."

A twisted fireball emerged from the ether in front of the earth pony, forming the demonic alicorn that ruled over the bleak world.  He spread his bone wings and smiled wickedly as he closed in on her.

"And now, my little pink nuisance," Mordrid said with glee, "what am I going to do with you?"


-----


To say Canterlot was overcrowded a few days later was an understatement; half of the kingdom must have come out to say goodbye to Celestia.  Even Cadance and Shining Armor came from the Crystal Empire when they got the news.  It was only right.

A memorial was erected in the castle courtyard, and the Princess' body was buried beneath it.  Luna was understandably distraught at the funeral.  Only a couple years ago, Luna returned after being away from her sister for a thousand years; now, she wouldn't see her again.  Since then, she had done her best to remain strong for the citizens.  Even so, she had been found alone in her room by her guards more than once, crying to herself.  None of them had the heart to interrupt her.

Twilight had felt numb more than anything.  All that was left was her mom and dad, her brother and his wife.  She didn't feel much like talking to any of them.

She had Spike buried next to Rarity.  It's what he would have wanted.  Before his funeral, which was scheduled the day after Celestia's, Twilight had made a special request – she wanted his tombstone to be placed up against hers, which wasn't a problem for the cemetery.

Only those who had gotten to know Spike were there to say farewell to him:  Twilight and her family, the Crusaders and their families, the Cakes, and lastly Private Eye and his wife.  Twilight stayed long after the others had left.  When she was finally ready to leave, she levitated the item she requested from the fashionista's parents from her saddlebag – the fire ruby necklace.

Calling upon a spell she went out of her way to learn just for this, the necklace began to glow.  Two narrow rectangles, one on each of the tombstones, also lit up.  Gradually, the ends of the lavaliere made their way through the concrete and out the back.  Once they were connected, Twilight adjusted the necklace to fit snugly in place.  With one last flicker of her horn, she placed an enchantment on the pendant to prevent it from being stolen.

She hoped this would be enough for Spike to forgive her, wherever he may be.  With her stomach turning and a new tear falling down her cheek, she headed home.


-----


Twilight had gotten up early the following morning.  Even with a full night's sleep, she felt utterly miserable.  However, she had plans for that day.  She had come to a rather easy decision before she went to bed the night before.

She skipped breakfast and headed out with the morning sun.  Despite her belly being extremely angry at her, she couldn't care less.  She had barely eaten anything since that tragic night anyway.  As she dragged herself along, she glanced up at the star and felt her stomach drop again.

It didn't take as long as she expected to make her rounds.  She stopped by Sweet Apple Acres, Zecora's home in the Everfree Forest, Sugarcube Corner, and Rarity's parent's home over the course of the morning to tell them the news – she was returning to Canterlot.  Though they would miss her, none of them could really blame her.

Once she returned to the library, she sat down and wrote to Rainbow Dash's and Fluttershy's folks to say farewell.  She wanted to leave as soon as possible, and while she could just use her cloud-walking spell to see them in person, trying to find them in Cloudsdale could very well take all day.  Hopefully they wouldn't see this as rude.  After she finished, she sealed them, stamped them and left them in the mailbox with the flag up.

Mercifully, the packing wouldn't take long.  Aside from the photos that had been taken of her friends and family, she didn't have much that she wanted to take with her.  Barely an hour later, she was on the way to the train station.


-----


Twilight found herself usually wandering the castle aimlessly after she returned to the royal city.  Sometimes she'd catch herself staring at nothing in the kitchens, in the archives, in Celestia's old room.  The only thing she ever seemed to consciously gaze upon were the photos she brought with her.  Even Pinkie would capture her attention from time to time, and memories of better days would always flood her mind.

That night, she happened to make her way to the throne room and turned to gaze out the window.  She made her way to the balcony where she stood on hung over the guard rail and just stared out in the distance.  The bright moon and twinkling stars did nothing for her.  The normally breathtaking view of the valley didn't do anything either.  It was like every other evening for her – cold.

She didn't hear the hoofsteps approaching from behind nor did she acknowledge the comforting hoof that Luna rested on her shoulder.  The Princess of the Night – and now the Day – had tried numerous times to get Twilight to open up, to cry, to scream, anything just to help ease the pain, even if only a little.  She hated seeing her like this even though she too felt just as hollow on most days.

Sighing at another failed attempt at reaching her, Luna leaned in and hugged the unicorn tightly.  Twilight still remained motionless.  She knew the Princess was just trying to help, but she wasn't interested.  Nothing interested her anymore.  Luna broke the embrace and left the broken young mare to her thoughts.

As the last of Luna's steps faded into the next room, Twilight slowly glanced down, a tear sliding down her cheek.  The city below was bathed in the soft lunar glow as it was every night.  At such a height, it almost looked...peaceful.

It sure was a long...long way down.