> A Nightmare on Stirrup Street Part 2: Belly of the Beast
>  by Equestria Buck Yeah
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was starting to get late in the day, and Spike had been through the most miserable week of his young life.  Save for his mother figure, all of his closest friends had been brutally murdered by the vengeful spirit of who he once thought of as the most carefree, fun-loving pony he would ever know.

Even though he believed all of his tears were spent, his thoughts drifted to his beloved again.  Her pristine shimmering coat, her delicate flowing mane, her sparkling eyes so blue that one could fall into them and drown.  They were all gone.  Just gone.  Spike had lost count at how many times he cried that day.

The heartbroken dragon looked around the detective's office for the hundredth time that early evening.  With Private Eye's permission, as well as an armed escort, Spike was allowed to run home to the Golden Oaks Library and pick up a few things for himself, as nopony was sure how long the baby dragon would be under Private Eye's care.  Bundled in the corner was his bed, some snacks, and a few books, mostly dealing with dreams and sleep patterns, to pass the time.  He had thought about picking up one of the books and skimming through it for Twilight, but his depression got the better of him.

While the vigilant cop filled out forms and filed various paperwork away, Spike's eyes started to get heavy.  Back when things were.. well, normal, Twilight would have Spike doing random chores or help her with her books to keep busy.  Here, at Private Eye's workplace, there wasn't really anything the young dragon could do.  He didn't know where any of the files went or who to give them to if they needed to be moved to another department.

Spike leaned against the wall and rolled his eyes up at the ceiling.  He glanced at the busy detective and sighed.  Long hours at work was something Private Eye, as well as his loving wife, was used to.  For Spike, it was a rare occurrence for things to go this late into the day.  He should have been asleep by now.  The moon had come up an hour or two ago and it was getting late for the dragon.  The combination of the hour, the boredom, and the stresses of recent events finally got to Spike, and with a loud yawn, he slumped over, fast asleep.


-----


Rarity walked alongside the chivalrous young drake through the meadow to the crystal clear lake located on a small hill to the south of Ponyville.  Pools of brand new, vibrant yellow daisies and dark violets welcomed them when they arrived.  The cool, crisp air carried a cornucopia of heavenly scents and fragrances.   They sat down side by side at the shoreline and took in the beautiful scenery.

They looked up at the bright blue sky, and the sun's warm rays caressed their faces.  Today was the type of day where one was thankful to be alive.  Everything was perfect, and Spike was with the perfect mare.

"Thanks for coming with me to the lake today, Rarity," the little dragon said.  "I know you probably had some orders to fill and all, but the fact that you decided to join me here.. it really means a lot to me."

"Best decision I've made in a long time, Spike.  I just couldn't miss out on such a gorgeous day with such a wonderful gentledrake."  She leaned over and gently nuzzled his cheek.

He reached over and laid his claw at the base of her neck.  It was a touch so subtle, she squeaked in surprise but soon relaxed.  The unicorn smiled sweetly and averted her gaze, her cheeks becoming flushed.  Spike's one little motion was more sensual and caring than any stallion's before.  Even with his sharp talons, she knew she had nothing to fear from him.  Her heart began to beat passionately.

"Spike, I know I've.. probably done some things in the past that have hurt you, and for that I'm sorry."

"Rarity, it's alright.  We– "

"Please," she whispered.  "I need to do this.  I've been incredibly foolish.  I chased shallow, selfish imbeciles like Blueblood or that jerk from the newspaper and always ended up hurt.  But every time, there you were to help me forget about them.  I've had something wonderful in a scaly purple suit this entire time and I should have realized it before now.  I wish I knew why it took me so long.  I don't honestly know how you've been so patient with me.  Most other ponies would have given up and moved on, but you always stayed by my side."

"Rarity, I would have waited my entire long life for you.  I love you.  I always have."

Her eyes began to water and overflowed.  Almost instinctively, Spike brushed his finger on her cheeks and tenderly wiped away her tears.  "I love you too, my little Spikey Wikey."

He took her cheeks in his claws, confidently leaned in and kissed her deeply.  Their lips parted and their tongues danced together in harmony.  The unusual texture of Spike's tongue was a welcome change from the untalented boors Rarity had been courted by.  Moaning softly, their breaths quickened and their hearts raced as they got lost in their passionate embrace.  Neither of them wanted the moment to end.

When their kiss finally broke, Spike opened his eyes and gazed lovingly into the most amazing pair of blue eyes he would ever imagine.  Then, she spoke.

"Mmmm, you're good, Spike!  It's a shame Rarity never got to find out.  But, I won't tell her you kissed me!  Pinkie Promise!"

"Gaaah!"

A grinning pink face with a flattened pink mane sat an inch away from his face.  He shrieked and fumbled his way backwards away from the monster that killed four of his closest friends, including his beloved.

The lake and the open meadow were gone.  He now found himself in a darkened version of Rarity's inspiration room, and it was in the same state as he saw it last in the waking world.  Two of the ponyquinns were knocked over, rolls of fabric were unwound on the floor, and a familiar stain of blood was embedded in the carpet that he sat on.

The terrified baby dragon shook as Pinkie slowly approached him.  "I-i-it's you!  Twilight was t-t-telling the truth the whole time!  I'm sorry for whatever I did, Pinkie!  Please don't kill me!" he screamed as he slammed his eyes shut and braced for the inevitable.  Despite crying out of fear, a part of him almost wished she would do it.  At least then, he could be with his angel once more.

"Oh, there's no need to worry, Spike!" the maniacal pink pony said, patting his head.  "You're not on my list.  If you're smart and play your cards right, you may just avoid finding yourself on it at all!"

"Y-y-y-you're not gonna k-kill me?"

"Nope!"

Spike slowly dropped his guard and eyed the deceased pony curiously.  "Th-then why are you here?"

"Because you're just the dragon who can answer a question for me!" she said, gently poking his snout.

"What's that?"

"A couple nights ago, Twilight and I were spending some time together in her dream!  It was such a fun game!  But then, something happened.  She decided she wasn't going to play anymore and left me all alone," she explained, staring vacantly at nothing as she went.  Spike noticed the distant look in her eyes and cringed a little.

She continued, "I'm assuming that Celestia must have gotten to her.  Who else would she call out to for help in such a situation?  What I want to know is, do you happen to know where Twilight may have gone off to?  I've been searching high and low all day long and haven't found a trace of her!  I do still need to talk to her.  It's awfully rude to just up and abandon someone when you're trying to have fun with them!"

"I-I honestly have no idea where she went.  I know she's with Celestia, but I didn't hear what they were going to do, I swear!"

Pinkie rubbed her chin and squinted, deep in thought.  What could those two be up to?  No doubt trying to figure a way to get to her.  Fortunately, she had yet to discover anything that could put a stop to her version of justice.  She shrugged and chuckled maliciously.

"Eh, regardless if you're telling the truth or not, I have a little message for you to give to Twilight.  By the way, if I learn you're not telling me the truth– "

"No, no, I am!" he said, panicking, knowing exactly what Pinkie implied.  "What did you want to tell her?"

"Twilight can't stay away from here forever.  Even with Celestia around, they're bound to mess something up eventually.  It's only a matter of time before I run into her again.  But, until then, I'm going to take a little trip out of town!  There are wrongs against me out there that still need to be righted, and they will suffer for it!  After all, everypony sleeps, and everypony dreams.  Now, run along, Spike!  You've got an errand to run!"

She grabbed the rug with her teeth and yanked it out from under him.  He fell, but not onto the floor.  Somehow, Spike just kept falling into a sudden empty abyss, as if he had been thrown from a zeppelin.  He screamed as his descent into the blackness continued forever.


-----


The young dragon was laying up against the wall, panicking and clawing at nothing.  Private Eye knelt beside him, trying to shake him awake.  Nothing seemed to be working.

"Spike!  Spike!  Wake up!"  Frustrated, he grunted and darted his eyes around the room.  "Fire... fire... something that burns.  Dammit!"

An idea occurred and he raced over to his desk and yanked the top right drawer open with his teeth.  He quickly shuffled through the various office supplies and found a letter opener.  Grabbing it in his mouth, he returned to Spike and aggressively poked it into his belly, doing his best not to jab him too hard and accidentally injure him.

"Aaah!  Aa-oow!"  Spike was torn out of the dream and back into the real world.

The detective spat out the opener and grabbed the dragon's shoulders.  "Spike!  Look at me!"  His attention was immediately grabbed.  "You OK, kid?"

Slowly, his heart rate returned to normal as he looked around and realized he was awake again.  The little drake was so panic stricken and shaking like a leaf, he didn't even bother to wipe his brow clean of the sweat that started accumulating.  He rubbed at the spot on his stomach that Private Eye had stuck him and cringed at the barely lingering pain.

"Yeah, I.. I think so," he sighed.

"You saw her, didn't you?" Private Eye asked, despite already correctly assuming the answer.

"Y-yeah.  She– "  He cut himself off and held back crying again.  All he could think about was the object of his affections suddenly mutating into a killer.

"Spike," the hard-snouted cop said softly, trying to calm the shaken youth, "what happened in there?  Did she say anything?"

He took a deep breath and collected himself.  The worst may have been over for the moment, but the pain was going to linger for a while.  At first, he believed Pinkie only showed up to torture him.  To toy with him and laugh.  But then, she mentioned a message.

"She said she was going away for a little while on a trip outside Ponyville.  It almost sounds like she's going to find other ponies in other towns."

"Anything else?"

Spike rubbed his temples.  His head had started throbbing over all this.  "I think she mentioned wrongs that she needed right, something like that."

Private Eye released Spike and sat down, deep in thought.  Could Pinkie have had run-ins at some point in her life with others that were so negative she could harbor ill will toward them?  He needed to do some research into her history, if there was any available.  He knew the first place he'd have to go, but there was something else that needed to be done first.

"Spike, do you think you could write some letters and send them away for me?" the detective asked.  "Twilight told me about that ability of yours in one of our interviews."

"Uh, y-yeah, I think so.  How many are we talking?"

"A lot, I'm afraid.  If Pinkie is going to be attacking others elsewhere, we need to inform the police departments around Equestria before she can strike.  If that's at all possible."

"You're really going to tell them about the whole killing-you-in-your-dreams thing?  They'll never believe that."

Private Eye returned to his desk and found a multitude of blank sheets of paper in the large lower drawer to his left.  He slammed them down and removed his quill from its holster, setting it next to the paper.  "Not exactly.  We'll tell them somepony dangerous escaped our prison the other day and unfortunately, we have no idea where they went or if they're going to go after anypony.  We'll mention she tended to attack her victims at night and was particularly brutal."

"But, how is that going to stop her at all?  All they're going to do is find more bodies!" Spike argued.

"I don't know!" Private Eye yelled.  He rubbed his forehead and sighed heavily.  "Look, I'm aware that they're going to end up in the same position as us.  If we can find a pattern somehow, then maybe we can get to some ponies we think she'd have it in for before she can get to them.  It's.. not much, but right now, from what you told me, it's one of the only options we have."

"You're just sacrificing ponies then!" the dragon yelled.

"Do you think I like knowing that?!" he snapped back.  "I have no idea how to combat this!  Assault charges I can handle!  Petty theft is easy enough!  We're talking about a murderer that I can't even physically touch!  What do you expect me to do?!"  Private Eye slammed his hooves down on his desk to drive his question home.

Spike opened his mouth to answer, but couldn't think of anything to say.  He slouched, realizing his guardian had a point.  Dejectedly, the detective slowly sat back down on his pillow and pursed his lips.  He shouldn't have yelled, but the last week had been exceptionally frustrating.

"Come on," Private Eye spoke up, "we've got some writing to do, and my plate's already full tomorrow.  Need to get home and get some rest soon.  I just hope that Twilight or the Princess can do something from their end."


-----


Celestia led the way through the Everfree Forest with her student a step behind.  Barely a word had been said between the two of them as they went.  It wasn't the first time either of them had been through the mysterious woods, but it still didn't make it any less creepy.  At least, not according to Twilight.  The fact that her mentor hadn't said much wasn't helping matters either.  She noticed that the Princess' gaze seemed cold yet focused, almost as if she didn't want to be going to wherever it was they were heading, but Twilight couldn't blame her.  There were a million other places she'd rather be as well.

The unicorn did notice one thing, however.  Something felt familiar about the direction the Princess was going.  Twilight could swear she had been there before, but she couldn't place why or when.  Several trees in a row that they passed were broken, laying dead on the ground by their stumps.  Judging by the condition of the leaves and branches, it seemed that they had been snapped off a while ago.  Another oddity.  Twilight knew she had seen those trees that way before, but why?

Finally, after hours of trudging through the woods and the unicorn picking burs off her legs, they came across a clearing where a large, dark cave greeted them.  It all suddenly came flooding back to Twilight.

"No..." she whispered.

"We're here," Celestia said bluntly.

"Princess," Twilight hissed under her breath, "you.. you don't mean to go in there, do you?"

"Yes, my faithful student.  Inside is where we will hopefully find a means to stop Pinkie, and.. somepony I wish I never had to think about again.  Stay close."

With a nervous gulp and a nod, the lavender mare walked in beside her teacher, barely six inches away.  Celestia's regal horn lit up as they stepped inside, illuminating the darkness several yards in front of them.  Shadows danced upon the walls as the two trekked deeper into the hole, giving the impression they were not alone.  An occasional drip echoed in the distance, breaking the eery silence.  Twilight began to sweat, but not because of any moisture.  Strangely, the cave seemed to have exceedingly little of it.  Her surroundings were simply making her skin crawl.

The only tunnel the cave seemed to have took them straight ahead.  For whatever reason, through natural means or not, there were no twists or turns inside.  Without seeing terribly far ahead of them, Twilight had no idea how long they had been walking.  She knew now exactly where she was, but was too frightened to figure out exactly how far in they were.  It had been a long while since she first went there.

She turned around and couldn't even see the entrance anymore.  Though, the way the Everfree Forest blocked off the sunlight must have had a hoof in that.  Four steps later, a trio of low, gutteral growls emerged from the darkness in front of them, causing the mares to come to a sudden halt.
> Chapter 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

From the blackness ahead of them, just out of the light pouring from Celestia's horn, the growls the two mares heard were followed by a series of heavy thuds crunching against the tunnel floor.  There was no mistaking that they were footsteps nor of whom they belonged to.  Celestia and Twilight looked up as the monstrosity came into view.  Despite the Princess being unphased, the unicorn held her breath and shrank into herself.

"H-Hey Cerberus," Twilight mumbled as cordially as she could.  "Uh.. long time, no see!"

The only response she received was more intense growling.  Tendrils of thick saliva dripped from the sides of his three mouths and splattered onto the rocks at his feet.  The massive dog's breath had a foul smell of decay behind it, causing Twilight to fight off retching right in front of him.  It was a bit of a struggle, but she managed not to empty her stomach, fearing it could possibly offend the guardian and invite his wrath.

"I don't understand, Princess," she whispered after composing herself.  "He knows me.  Why is he acting like this?"

Not taking her eyes off Cerberus, Celestia replied, "I heard about when he got loose and you escorted him back here.  For that, I have no doubt that he was grateful.  But now, we're intruders.  Nopony would normally actively seek this place out, and I know you know why he's here."

"Yes.  He guards the gates of Tartarus to make sure nothing gets in or out."

"And that's precisely why we're here."  The princess took a step forward and addressed the large three-headed dog.  "It seems you, and this foul place's ruler, have been having some difficulty keeping the spirit of a certain pink pony in check, Cerberus.  Quite an embarrassing predicament.  I intend to find out why, but I also intend to find a way to stop her.  You know the answers are behind that door.  Let us in."

The large canine remained in place and growled loudly at the Princess' request.  He slowly began to sway his shoulders back and forth threateningly, as if telling the mares he was intent on striking if they didn't leave this place.

Undaunted, Celestia squinted angrily and scratched at the ground.  "You know what I'm capable of, Cerberus.  Don't make this difficult."

The hellhound snorted and stared back at the Princess.  Their growls subsided slightly but still rumbled in the back of their throats.  The middle head suddenly snapped in Celestia's direction, spraying a few strings of drool into the air.  Twilight jumped back as one of the blobs narrowly missed landing on her.  The alicorn stood her ground and puffed out her wings, showing no signs of fear.

When she refused to move, Cerberus became agitated.  The middle head pursed his lips and muttered a quiet, bothered grunt.  His right head snapped at him, furious that he could be vexed so easily.  The other two heads snarled back and the initial aggressor pulled back defensively, his ears prone and his teeth bared.  Once the scuffle ended, the three turned their attention back to the unmoving mare.  She remained as calm and stoic as a statue in her royal gardens.

With a less than intimidating bark, Cerberus took a slow step backward, and then another.  Eventually, he stepped to the side of the tunnel and allowed them passage.  Celestia cautiously folded in her wings, keeping a watchful eye on the beast.  He sat down and briefly licked his right forelimb with his right head, fighting off a sudden itch.  The other two were relatively relaxed by now as well; their growling and bravado was no longer a concern for the two mares.  Still, their eyes never left the passing ponies and readied themselves for any possible altercation.

"Come, Twilight.  It's just a few more feet now.  Once we're inside, let me do the talking, and stay close," the Princess whispered.  Despite the softness of her voice, it carried throughout the cavern surprisingly loud.  The young unicorn nodded nervously.

The alicorn resumed her march down the dark tunnel with Twilight huddled up beside her.  They walked about another minute forward when they came into an enormous, open area.  The tunnel they followed was already quite large; Cerberus was able to stand on his hind legs with plenty of room overhead still if he so desired.  The sprawling room before them utterly dwarfed the size of the corridor before it.

The glow that radiated from Celestia's horn lit brighter and revealed several meters ahead, at the far end of the room, two massive stone rectangles directly beside each other, easily twenty feet tall and fifteen feet wide from one side to the other.  Despite the room having been undisturbed for as long as it had been, there were little to no signs of aging or deterioration.

Twilight gasped at the sight.  She had brought Cerberus back to his cave once before in the past.  She never bothered to venture farther ahead.  There was no reason to once the guardian was returned.  Seeing the enormous wall with what must have been the gate to the underworld made her wish she had.  It was one of the most fascinating, and yet terrifying, things she had ever seen in her short life.

"We're going in there, aren't we?" the unicorn asked.

"I'm afraid so.  We must get to the bottom of this.  For whatever reason, Pinkie's spirit is being allowed to run rampant.  Even after everything that's happened, I simply can't believe she's done what she has.  She was one of your dearest friends, and the most easygoing ponies you could ever know!  There has to be an explanation for all this," Celestia said grimly.

"I hope we can find one."  Twilight looked at the enormous doorway in front of them and breathed deeply.  Her sudden nervousness twisted her stomach in knots.  "S-So, how do we get inside?"

"Leave that to me."  Celestia took two steps forward, a look of deceptive determination in her eyes.  She would never admit it, but she too was feeling uneasy about entering such a place again.

Twilight's ears stood at attention and she blinked hard.  "You know how to open the door?  How?  Why would you know something like that?"

"Once we are done here with this place, I will explain everything.  Though, I.. don't like to talk about it.  Too many memories I wish I could forget," Celestia whispered as she hung her head.  After a moment of quiet reminiscence, she returned her focus to the stone doors.

She cleared her throat and breathed deeply.  The Princess began to speak in a dialect not heard for thousands of years.  As she did, the glow from her horn intensified.

"Khul'aba m'nishtu xel gajika'necht.  Ostyrioj ub niqiroloh vas.  Y jeirdu tahz'vudahm!"

At the end of the incantation, several ancient, unintelligible symbols and hieroglyphics appeared across the doors, glowing shades of fiery orange and red.  The colors almost appeared to be alive, pulsing and shifting about.  A low hum filled their ears and the world around them began to shake slightly.  Suddenly, the doors began to open inward, slowly, grinding against the floor inside.  From within, a bright light peeked around the frames of the doors before illuminating the entire room, causing the mares to shield their eyes.

Once the blinding light subsided, Twilight and Celestia looked ahead into the unknown.  The unicorn felt a shiver go up her spine as her mentor took the lead and walked inside.  A step behind, she followed.  Once they cleared the double doors, Celestia turned around and repeated the spell, shutting the gate with a loud, echoing boom.

The Princess took a deep breath and resumed her trek into the heart of the hellish world.  Twilight's eyes raced back and forth as they walked, taking in every detail around them.

Jagged rock formations lined the sides of the path they traveled on.  Off to the sides, jets of flame burst from the cavernous pits below and dissipated in the air just as quickly as they appeared.  Other passages broke away in random directions, some being directly exposed to the nightmarish world while others seemed to lead down tunnels like the one they ventured through earlier.  The air was heavy with the stench of sulfur and it made it difficult to breathe.

Bizarrely shaped skeletons belonging to creatures that Twilight was unfamiliar with laid next to some artificial walls they passed.  There appeared to be large, curled horns protruding from some of the skulls, but others had numerous small spikes covering them.  What must have been tails laid curled up on the ground between the legs of some of the dead.  The spines on the vertebrae of some of the creatures looked bigger than they should, and the unicorn bit her lip as she pictured what they must have looked like when they were still alive.  She quickly side stepped past another set of bones that laid sprawled out with a clawed hand extended, almost as if it was lunging to attack her.

Twilight heard screeches of terrifying, winged monsters flying overhead through the impossibly high, bronze sky.  She had no idea how big they could be in the distance, but she had no desire to find out.  The fact that they were there in a perfect position to snatch her away without warning was enough to make her want to duck behind a rock and never come out.  That is, until she heard the chattering of an indecipherable language being spoken by who knows what coming from the shadows.  She swung her head in its direction and saw small silhouettes, complimented by tiny yellow eyes, ducking into the darkness upon being spotted.

Twilight wanted to scream.  She wanted to run back to the gate and smash it open, leave this forsaken place, and simply figure out a way to never sleep again.  But she couldn't.  She needed to have faith in Celestia.  She hadn't flinched once at the horrors around them or said anything since before they entered.  The Princess could handle any threat that tried anything, even in this place, right?  She was able to make Cerberus, the fierce guardian of the gate to Tartarus, back down with some strong words.  Even so, they were in Tartarus.

After about another hour of pushing deeper into the bowels of the goddess-forsaken world, a large throne comprised almost singularly of fanged skulls appeared at the top of a small, smooth set of stairs in the distance.  It sat overlooking a massive, circular clearing with several footpaths emptying out if it, presumably leading to other equally horrific areas.

Twilight swallowed her fear, but her shaking gave her away.  Her heart started racing.  There was only one thing that would require a throne in a place like this.  A few pebbles suddenly clacked against a large stone behind them and Twilight spun around.  The silhouettes were back and all around them now, leering at them curiously, but this time they didn't run off.  Instead, they snarled and giggled at their guests.  Celestia continued toward the empty throne, unphased by the devilish imps in their presence.

With only twenty feet separating the two mares from the sickening chair, their little visitors suddenly darted away in a panicked state, shrieking and chirping loudly.  The sky lost its hue and became noticeably darker.  Unsure of what to think, Twilight gasped and curled up against Celestia's leg.  The Princess kept her eyes forward as she had the entire time.  Out of seemingly nowhere, trails of living fire appeared from the left, right, and above and spun into a ball in front of the throne.  A form began taking shape.

One by one, four long legs extended to the floor.  A slender neck next.  Then, an equine body and head with a horn as long as Celestia's.  Finally, a set of wings, devoid of any flesh, extended from the creature's sides, flapped twice and retracted, the bones and sinew crackling as they moved.  The flames shrank away to reveal a bluish silver coat.  The mane and tail, however, continued to burn.  A white pony skull appeared on his flank.  The demonic alicorn now standing before them opened his dark green eyes and smiled drily.

"Oh, Celestia, it's so nice to see you again after all these centuries!  I was beginning to think you had forgotten about me!"
> Chapter 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Believe me, Mordrid, if I never felt it necessary to come to this horrible place, I wouldn't have," Celestia growled.

"Yes, I can't imagine most ponies would be interested in a social call around here.  I mean, the good curtains aren't even up!  But, there's no reason we can't at least try," the abomination quipped.  "So, Celestia, how are the folks?"

Mordrid grinned widely at the question, and the Princess sneered in outrage.  Twilight noticed the look on her face and blinked in surprise.  It was something she never saw her mentor ever express before:  Hatred.  She kept quiet as Celestia had requested earlier, but intended to talk to her after they had finally left.  Surely what was about to transpire was going to leave her with even more questions that she wanted answered.

"I'm sorry, was it something I said?"

"You're still a monster," Celestia said in disgust.

"Hm, and here I thought time healed all wounds, and we both know how much time you've had, Celestia.  Ah well.  Seems some ponies just can't forgive and forget, now can they?" he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

It was obvious to Twilight now that these two had a history, but the Princess never spoke about this freakish alicorn before.  She recalled the nervousness and sorrow in Her Majesty's voice from earlier in the day.  She spoke of some things she wished she could forget.  What exactly happened?  The unicorn put it on her mental checklist to ask about later, if the Princess would be willing to talk about it.

"A million years could pass and I still would never forgive you for what you did."

"That wounds me deeply, my dear," Mordrid jested, dramatically pressing a hoof to his chest.  "But I digress.  I suppose we should skip the small talk and get right down to business, yes?"

"The sooner we can end this visit, the better.  Your very name sickens me, so you can imagine what being in the same room with you again is like," Celestia spat.  "I'm sure you know why we're here anyway."

"Of course I do!  There isn't exactly much for one to do around here except watch the living."  Mordrid put a hoof to his chin and continued his ridicule.  "Although, I'm not exactly what you would call dead.  Care to try again just for old time's sake, Celestia?"

The Princess glared.  The fiery alicorn shrugged and went back to his rambling.  "Hmph.  You were so much more fun before you chained me here.  I will admit that there simply aren't any creatures quite as divine and.. enthusiastic.. as you once were, but that's to be expected in a place like this."

Celestia cut Mordrid off, trying to speed things along.  "What do you hope to accomplish by corrupting Pinkie Pie's spirit and turning her into a killer?  How is she even able to escape this place?"

"Such a stick in the mud!  Anyway, I didn't do a thing to her.  When she died, she was quite angry with you and the others," he said, pointing to Twilight.  She shrunk back and averted her gaze.  "That anger stayed with her after she moved on, and when spirits are in such a state, complete with feelings of revenge and the like, they come here.  She felt betrayed by you all, and can you blame her?  It was your negligence and complete disregard of her opinion that led to her getting killed!  I'd be pissed too."

"B-But, we were her friends!  It was an accident!"

"Those kinds of things don't really matter in the afterlife.  I would be a little more familiar with the subject than you, y'know.  As far as her getting out of here," he paused and looked away, extremely annoyed, "I haven't done that either."

"Then what's going on?"

He sighed, frowning.  "I honestly have no idea with that one.  She's.. unusual, and if I have to say that, then, yeah, there's something extremely wrong."

Celestia's eyes shot wide open.  "She's been getting out on her own?"

"I'm afraid so, and whether you believe it or not, that's bad news for the both of us."

"How do you mean?"

"Well, it's obvious how an angry, vengeful, murderous, dream-walking ghost could be bad for you and your little subjects," Mordrid mocked, "but it's not exactly great for me either, which would also make it not great for you.  Again."

The royal mare lifted an eyebrow.  "Explain."

"I don't mind being the Lord of Tartarus, I really don't.  But, I rule through my immense power and through fear.  Even though I'm permanently bound to this place and unable to open the gates thanks to you – unless of course, you'd like to undo the spell and we can try and patch things up?" he asked derisively.  Celestia responded with an irritated stare.  "No?  Well, I tried.  Anyway, not all my minions are brutes and imbeciles.  If they see that a little pink pony is able to make me look like a fool and leave whenever she wants, they may see me as an inept ruler and try to overthrow me."

The Princess glared at Mordrid and growled under her breath, "You're breaking my heart."

"Oh, it's not quite that simple.  As I was saying, there are some of them that are rather cunning and fairly intelligent, and they've wanted to get back outside and spread chaos again for a while now.  Now, If I was ever freed from my bonds, mark my words, I would open the door and let my armies loose on your world again."  A large, toothy grin spread across his face.

The smile faded away almost instantaneously.  "But, if some of these lesser demons figured a way out of here on their own, they'd rampage across Equestria themselves, and I'm not going to let some peons take credit for all the work I've been putting into readying my troops.  I like my seat.  It's rather comfy once you get used to it," he said, patting the seat of the skull throne behind him.  "So, yes, only because of the fear I inflict upon these creatures is your home and everything you know and love still even around.  Are you willing to put them all at risk just because I make your stomach turn?"

After a moment of contemplative silence by the Princess and a knowing smirk by Mordrid, coupled with his breathing on a hoof and wiping it clean on his coat, she sighed.  "Fine.  What can we do to help?"

He set his hoof down and blinked at her in disbelief.  "You're serious?  You haven't thought of it?"

"If it has anything to do with you in any way, then no, I haven't thought of it," Celestia retorted angrily.  "Why don't you tell me what you're referring to so we can leave?"

Mordrid rolled his eyes and smirked.  "Oh, very well.  I know you found my notes long ago and used them to chain me here.  Maybe it's time you whipped out that dusty old book again.  I'm willing to bet you still have it.  You were never the kind to discard antiquity."

"How am I supposed to cast those spells on her when she isn't even in this plane of existence?" the Princess asked.

He vanished and reappeared next to Twilight, causing her to jump in surprise.  She slinked away as a hoof caressed her cheek.  "Not my concern.  I just suggest you figure out a way quickly, if not for my sake, but the sake of your precious little followers like this lovely little flower here.  Goodness knows you wouldn't want any more misery and death to befall them."

In a burst of magic, he popped himself back to his throne and smiled wryly at them.  Celestia wrapped a comforting wing around her faithful student and glared at her old enemy.  "Don't you touch her," she scowled.

"Oh, come on.  It's not like I infected her with anything.  It was just a harmless gesture!  If I didn't know any better, I'd detect a hint of jealousy in your voice.  Now, you really should be off.  You've got a pink nuisance to deal with," Mordrid said, waving them away.  With a final, loathsome look at their host, the mares turned around and began to leave.

"Oh, and Celestia?"

She craned her head back and glared. 

"Visit again soon!"  He wiggled his eyebrows in mock seduction.

Snorting, she turned back and continued her exit with Twilight right beside her.  Mordrid waved goodbye as they walked away.  He chuckled to himself once they were out of sight and burst into flames, vanishing into thin air.

As Celestia and Twilight entered one of the closest tunnels that lead back to the entrance of Tartarus, she looked at one of the demonic skeletons laying on the ground and got an idea.  Glancing over the bones, she spotted three of the larger ones and picked them up with her magic.  The pair continued ahead and after about fifteen more minutes of walking, they came across the gate that led between worlds.  Reciting the chant from before, the doors opened, spewing forth their bright glow.  Twilight was at a loss as to where the light came from, considering the cave outside was as black as night.

Once they left the wretched world, Celestia sealed the gate behind them and lit the room with her horn.  They exited the large chamber where the door to the underworld was, and once outside it, the Princess marched up to the vigilant, three-headed guardian.  Cerberus had been scratching behind one of his six ears and set his leg down upon seeing them.  Those same ears perked up when three large, juicy bones levitated in front of him.

"Thank you, Cerberus.  Please accept these tokens of my appreciation," the Princess said.

With tongues happily hanging out and drool cascading, he greedily snatched the bones out of the air and flopped to the ground, gnawing hungrily on them.  Satisfied, Celestia pressed on toward the distant mouth of the cave.  Twilight watched Cerberus tearing into the bones for a moment before deciding to catch up with her teacher.


-----


The fur on Twilight's neck stood on end as they finally reached the entrance to the cave.  She shivered.  After witnessing the horrors Tartarus had inside it, finding herself in the Everfree Forest, with or without her teacher by her side, was a welcome change.  Even the Princess sighed a breath of relief once they were outside, but she looked as if she was about to cry.  Twilight couldn't begin to imagine what must have been going through Celestia's mind after seeing that Mordrid pony.  She needed to know.  Maybe she could help.

"Princess, what.. who was that?  How did you know him?  I just never pictured you of all ponies to know somepony like that."

Her head fell as did her spirits.  She knew Twilight was going to want to know everything, so there no longer a point in keeping it from her.

"He wasn't always like that.  A long, long time ago, he.. was actually somepony very special to me."

Twilight's jaw nearly hit the ground.  "Wha.. how?  What happened?"

Celestia walked down the path leading away from the cave and continued her tale, her student beside her.  "It was roughly forty-eight hundred years ago.  The ruins of the castle not far from here, where you and your friends found the Elements of Harmony, used to be as beautiful and alive as Canterlot is now.  It was where my.. my father and mother ruled over Equestria when Luna and I were still young.  Young for us, at least.

"Mordrid was a powerful mage, one of my father's finest magic users.  He was a chancellor and frequently visited foreign lands as one of our representatives.  But he loved to study magic more than anything, just as you do now.  He'd return from many of his trips with books to read and spells to learn.

"I think it was his thirst for knowledge that originally drew me to him.  He was always so eager about magic, it was so much fun to be with him and listen to him talk about what he had seen and learned.  It didn't hurt that he was.. well, rather charming and handsome.  At the time, his mane was midnight black with some hints of grays and whites streaked through.  Very regal, very wise looking.  We began to see each other behind my parents' backs.  I knew they would never see him the same way I did, but I didn't care.

"After he returned from one particular excursion, he seemed a changed pony.  He was suddenly very distant and we didn't spend much time together.  Whenever I tried to ask him what was wrong, he would tell me not to worry, that there was something he needed to do to fix this thing he never wanted to mention."

The Princess lifted a low-hanging branch out of their way and lit her horn as they entered a dark part of the forest.  Her story went on.

"Finally, I convinced him to tell me.  He came across a tome with spells almost as ancient as the world.  The spells described summoning demons and gates to Tartarus and other such horrible things.  He worried about the possibility that these incantations may have already been done at some point somewhere and suggested to my parents that we summon a gate and open it so that our armies could go in and destroy whatever may be waiting for us.

"They dismissed his idea as unnecessary.. crazy.  They argued that as long as nothing was going on there, there was no need to worry.  My father also told him to stay away from me.  Apparently, he had been aware of our affair for a while and this gave him the perfect reason to break us off.  Despite his protests, I still tried to see him when I could, but after my father tried to break us up, Mordrid suddenly became extremely cold and distant to everypony and everything.  He kept insisting they were wrong and being short-sighted.  I tried to console him, but nothing seemed to work."

Celestia closed her eyes and tried to hold back tears that were forming.  Reviving memories she wanted to remain forgotten was taking its toll on her.  Twilight reasoned that whatever they felt for each other so long ago must have been heartfelt and genuine enough to have such a lasting impression.

"A few weeks passed and one day, I went to see him, but he wasn't anywhere to be found.  I checked his chambers to see if there was a note or something telling of where he may be.  He couldn't have been away on royal business anywhere; Father didn't assign him any tasks.  I found the tome open to a series of spells that I recalled him speaking of.  He must have been studying and memorizing them.  I looked through the book and found so many terrible spells.  I tried not to look for long, lest I be tempted to learn them myself.

"Not two hours later, there was a rumbling that shook the palace.  It felt like it came from the southwest.  I learned later that it came from that very cave we were just in.  Within the hour, an army of foul creatures descended upon the castle, destroying anything they could.  Our armies fought bravely, but the battle ended up dragging on for days.

"Later that first day, Mordrid appeared before my parents, myself, and my sister.  He looked like how you saw him earlier.  I was.. horrified.  He told us that he wanted to show my father and mother exactly why they should have listened to him, so he unleashed the armies of Tartarus into our world.  Just to prove a point.

"I asked him what happened to his appearance.  He told of a spell he found in that cursed book that could grant you immeasurable power, but it had a cost.  He gave the evil spirits the spell summoned his soul in exchange for that power, and with it, he was given those skeletal wings and his beautiful mane and tail turned into flames that wouldn't burn him.  Everything I knew and loved about Mordrid had been changed into this.. thing.

"During the days and nights of fighting, I retreated to his room again and looked through that tome, trying to find something that could reverse things.  I found nothing, but I did find another spell that caught my attention.  I.. I-I didn't want to do it.  But I had no choice.  He would have destroyed everything!"

Celestia stopped short and fell to her haunches.  She started to cry, even as the worst had yet to have come.

"Princess?"

Sniffling and wiping her snout, she resumed the story, trying not to let her emotions get the best of her again.  "The spell chained the victim to Tartarus permanently, but it required two things.  First, an object precious to the one who you sought to use it again, and a sacrifice by the user themselves.  Another cost.  It never specified how long it would take for any of these prices to be paid.  All it said was that it could be five minutes, five days, five years.. anything really.  I found a particular totem of his in his chambers that he used with many of his more powerful spells, grabbed the book and sought out my parents.

"I learned from one of the soldiers fighting for us that they decided to join the frey.  They were about to finish pushing Mordrid into Tartarus.  They were thrilled to see that I found the words used to open and seal the gate and figured they'd use the book against him.  They were also happy to see me there so they could show me what kind of a monster Mordrid really was.  I used the binding enchantment against him, but right as he was being pulled into that place, he lashed out and.. a-and.. "

Hot tears cascaded down her cheeks.  Twilight's stomach turned as she shared her pain.  She never thought she would ever see the Princess in such a state.  She rested a hoof on her royal shoulder, trying to comfort her.

"I'm here.  What happened?"

"He.. he killed them!  He took my mother and father away!"

It was too much.  Her head fell slowly into her folded legs and hid from sight.  She wept loudly in the dark heart of the forest.  If a feral beast had heard her and silenced her tears right then and there, it would have been considered a blessing to her.  Twilight's mouth hung agape as she took in the devastating news.

"Princess, I.. I'm so sorry.  I never knew."

Celestia gazed at her student and caressed her mane.  She tried as best she could to smile warmly at Twilight's concern.

"It's alright, my student.  I.. don't like talking about it."

She sniffled as the last of her tears finally fell from her eyes.  A handkerchief popped into existence, surrounded by a purple glow.  They exchanged a soft glance and the Princess smiled, took hold of the cloth and wiped her cheeks dry.

"Right there in that cave, as soon as I shackled Mordrid to that place, I figured out that.. that they were the sacrifice.  I'll never forgive him for it."

"I wouldn't either."

The alicorn sighed and rose to her hooves after a moment of quiet mourning and they began their trek home again.  Celestia wasn't quite finished and spoke of the tragic events more.

"Even after he was gone, things never completely recovered.  The castle was destroyed, so we had to relocate.  We eventually constructed Canterlot as it is today.

"But, the forest suffered as well.  Despite our best efforts, a few demons escaped imprisonment.  Our armies caught up with them eventually and slew them, but their influence spread and corrupted everything.  The trees, the flowers, the animals.. it even feels like the air was affected.  Creatures like the timberwolves, the Ursas, the cockatrices, they all exist because of the demonic infection.

"Nothing we did to try and reverse the effects worked either.  It's been so many centuries that the influence has become a permanent part of things here.  I cast a spell over the forest long ago to at least stop the spread.  I assume that your zebra friend who lives here was aware of the corruption and cast a spell that protects her from it as well."

They traveled for a few minutes in quiet contemplation.  The last bits of sunlight snuck through the overgrowth as the end of the day approached.  They must have been in there longer than they thought.  Either that or time doesn't move at the same speed in Tartarus.  Twilight finally broke the silence.

"I assume that we're going to use those same spells against Pinkie if we can?"

The alicorn nodded firmly.  "That seems to be the only real course of action, provided they can work against her.  Mordrid was correct, though.  I do still have those notes of his.  They're hidden in a secret chamber in the Starswirl the Bearded wing in the Canterlot archives.  Up until now, only myself and Luna knew of their existence.  Now, you will as well."

"Then we have to hurry.  Even though a part of me still cares about her, she needs to be stopped."
> Chapter 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A hoofful of hours had passed as Celestia and Twilight trekked back through the Everfree Forest.  By the time they reached the edge of the woods and found themselves in front of Fluttershy's now-empty cottage, it was well into the late evening.  Twilight's stomach did somersaults when she saw the abandoned home.  Only a few days ago, she caught a glimpse of one her closest friends laying in pieces on her floor.  The scene was enough to make even the toughest ponies nauseous.  She shuddered and barely managed to hold herself together.

Most of an entire day had passed and Twilight was starting to feel fatigued.  Her hooves dragged along the dirt, leaving scrapes along the path, and her eyes started to droop.  She could have passed out at any moment, but even at this goddess forsaken hour, she wanted to push forward.  There was work to be done, notes and books to be found.  Doubtless wherever Mordrid's old texts was their next stop.

Celestia noticed Twilight's condition and unfurled her wing, taking her in a comforting embrace.  It had been extraordinarily difficult on the Princess reliving the horrors of the past when her parents were stolen away from her thanks to some dark spells and her former lover.  As they walked, she eventually was able to regain her regal composure.  Perhaps talking about it really was the best medicine.  But, either way, the pain would likely endure for a lifetime.

"Twilight, my student," Celestia said, "I know this has been difficult on you, and it's rather late for you.  I know you've pulled all nighters before, but never with such troubles on your mind."

"It's OK, Princess.  I can handle it."

"Be that as it may, I would still like you to get some rest.  The texts we seek are in Canterlot in the Starswirl the Bearded wing, hidden by a spell only Luna and I can see and cast.  We didn't dare leave what he wrote and read out in the open, lest somepony else try to follow his dark path."

Twilight started to nod in understanding, but fatigue started to hit her again.  Her head slumped, and she snapped back to attention, shaking off the cobwebs as best she could.  Celestia bit her lip and laid down on the cool ground.

"Here, climb on.  I'll fly real slow," she said, smiling warmly.

Sluggish, Twilight reluctantly did as she was asked.  She was too tired and wasn't going to argue, no matter how much she didn't want to be treated like a little filly.  Once she was prone on Celestia's back and comfortable, the Princess spread her wings and gently glided in the direction of the royal city.  Once they arrived, the first thing she would do was get her faithful student to a cozy bed.


-----


Far to the east, where ponies didn't dwell, a group of four half-lion, half-eagle creatures were gathered at the bar in a local club, shooting the breeze and laughing at the misfortunes of others whose names came up in conversation.  They were rather loud and obnoxious, the throbbing music doing little to drown their cacophony.  Several of the patrons sitting nearby glared in annoyance, wishing the booze they were guzzling down would do something to make the pain of listening to them go away.

"Hey, barkeep!" Gilda yelled, her words slurred.  "Another round of cider here, and hurry the buck up!"

She was obviously more than tipsy and had snapped at some of the other customers earlier for no other reason than they got too close to what she believed at the time was her drink.  Her friends got more than a kick out of it.  In their own show of bravado, one of her male friends kicked a bar stool out from under a fellow griffon and almost got a beating for his trouble.  The only thing that saved him was a friend of the victim restraining him and suggesting they go elsewhere.  The other male swiped a glass and drank it down when another customer was distracted by a female at the end of the bar.

"Forget it, kid!  You've had too many as it is, and you've all been nothing but a nuisance to my bar and my customers!  I'm cutting you off!" the barkeeper shouted over the bass.

"Hey, I'm.. I'm a payin' cuts.. cuts.. I got money to spend too!  Now gimme another!" Gilda said, slamming her claw down on the bar.

"If you don't stop acting like a lunatic, I'm going to have to ask you to leave!"

"Hey, buck you, ya.. ya dweeb!  Who do ya th-think you are, anyway?  You know what you are?  You really wanna know?  You're a f-f-f-frickin' loser!"

"Alright, that's it," the barkeeper angrily said.  He turned to his left and waved over some large security guards who had been keeping an eye on the situation.  Dealing with drunks was a fairly typical ordeal in a bar, and this would be no exception.  "Get these four out of here," he instructed them.

With a firm nod, the lead guard took Gilda by the shoulders and his burly co-workers grabbed her friends.  They thrashed and flapped their wings in protest.

"Get off me!"

"Easy, bro!  What the buck?"

"Hey, let go or I'll kick your flank!"

Several nearby patrons cheered and whooped as the troublemakers were forcibly dragged from the establishment and tossed outside onto the street.  The door slammed behind them, signaling the end of their night.

"Bah, screw that place!" Gilda shouted, waving a dismissive claw at the building.  "We'll go somewhere else, right guys?"

"I don't know.  I'm.. I'm kinda beat," the larger, gray colored male mumbled.

"Yeah, same," the other female said.  "Getting late."

"You guys suck."

"Y'know, Gilda, if you're s-still up for some fun, we could go back to my nest," the smaller, beige male suggested, adding in a wink for good measure.

"Pffff, over my dead body, Leo," the loud griffon said.  "Fine, if you want to call it, we'll call it.  Most places are p-probably closin' anyway.  Maybe we can score some beak candy tomorrow night or somethin'.  Haven't had any in a while.  Alright, I'll see you clowns later."

They said their drunken good nights and flew off rather wobbly to their respective homes.  After several feet however, Gilda's head started to spin and she touched down on the cobblestone.  Maybe she did have one too many that night.  Whatever.  She'd just sleep it off as she had before.

A cold wind blew, shaking her to the bone.  Her feathers and fur stood on end.  She rubbed her forelimbs, trying to keep in a bit of warmth.  Suddenly, the howling wind seemed to grow a voice.

One, two, Pinkie's coming for you...

She spun in the direction it appeared to come from.  Looking around, she saw nothing.  She shook her head hard and rubbed her eyes.  Perhaps her friends were right.  Some sleep would be nice right now.  But after flying only a few feet before getting lightheaded, she figured maybe it would be a good idea to stay lower to the ground until she got home.  Lazily, she continued her journey.

Making a right turn a few blocks down the road, in her dizzy stupor, Gilda saw an incredibly bizarre sight.  A pair of tiny foals were playing patty cake on the sidewalk in front of her.  It sounded for a moment like they were singing.

Three, four, better lock your door...

The youngsters turned and stared at her with a haunting look in their large eyes.  She blinked tightly and snapped her eyes back open.  The kids were gone.  Was the alcohol causing her to hallucinate?  Her inebriation was quickly fading away, but the weird sights and sounds were turning her stomach.  She felt like she could throw up at any moment.

"Yeesh, this is too weird.  Come on, Gilda.  Only about six more blocks to go and you can sleep off this.. whatever it is."

She crossed four more streets and heard the voices again.

Five, six, get your friendship fixed...

She stopped short again and looked around.  No signs of them.  Given the hour, it wasn't a surprise that there would be no one out.  So, what was going on?  Perhaps it was because her eyes were swimming around in her head.  That had to be contributing.

"Who's out there?  Show yourself!  I'm not s-s-scared of you!"

When no response came, she snorted defiantly and continued on.  She turned left and finally arrived at a dark gray house, landing by the door.  Was she ever glad to be home.  While the evening itself was entertaining, the last twenty minutes had been rather unsettling.

Gilda reached under the ragged doormat and found the key to the lock.  She popped the lock open and replaced the key, hiding it where she always did.  Grabbing the doorknob, she heard the singing again and froze up.

Seven, eight, gonna stay up late...
Nine, ten, never sleep again...

She angrily spun around, screaming.  "What do you want?!"

"Hey, shut up out there!  Some of us are trying to sleep!" she heard from a neighbor's window.

"Kiss my flank, you old buzzard!"

The 'buzzard' muttered something under his breath, and Gilda sneered angrily in response.  Gritting her teeth, she threw the door open, walked in and slammed it behind her.  Not even bothering to lock herself in, she stomped to her nest.  She needed this night to be over with already.  With a fluff of her pillow, she laid in the nest and slammed her head down.

"Friggin' losers, all of 'em.. " she mumbled as she quickly drifted off to sleep.


-----


Ah, Ponyville.

How could Gilda forget?  This was the place where her life suddenly started to go down the tubes.  Her friend.. well, former friend.. Rainbow Dash pretty much just told her to get lost and never come back.  But Gilda was the typical bad penny; she always had a way of turning up.

She marched down the main road in Town Square, causing mayhem where she went.  An apple cart was ripped to pieces with a single swipe of her claw.  The orange, stetson-wearing pony yelled and cursed at her.  Unconcerned, she pressed on and noticed a somehow familiar yellow pegasus walking down the road with a furry white bunny on her back.

Strange.  She remembered that mare escorting a family of ducks the last time she visited Ponyville only because of her deliciously loud crying at the time.  Whatever.  A critter's a critter.  Grinning wickedly, Gilda dug her claws into the ground and charged forward.  The pink-maned pony jumped in fright at the sudden attacker, but Gilda wasn't interested in her.  She leapt into the air and punted the rabbit off her back and over the rooftops.  The pegasus broke down into tears as the griffon laughed.

Oh, it was a great day.

"Gilda!" a familiar voice cried out from behind.  A polychromatic mane came into view from the surrounding crowd.

"You!  What do you want?"

"Stop treating my friends like crap, Gilda!" Rainbow Dash scolded.

"Why should I?  They're are crap!  They're lame and pathetic!"

"Awww, that's not a very nice thing to say!  My party was definitely not lame!"

Gilda paused, blinking.  "What the heck are you talking about?  You set up the pranks.  It was your ridiculous pink friend that threw the party."

Rainbow's voice suddenly contorted and increased in pitch.  "You're right.  That was me."

The pegasus' colorful mane suddenly fell flat and grew an extra foot.  The red stripe in her hair spread like water across the other colors and faded until everything was a distinct shade of pink.  Her ruby eyes morphed into a bright blue, and her scowl turned upside down into a toothy grin.

The ponies watching the scene moaned and dissolved into puddles on the ground, and the surrounding area twisted and reshaped into the middle of Sugarcube Corner.  Gilda's eyes burst wide as everything around her suddenly had a mind of its own.  Her pulse started to race and she could barely catch her breath.  She spat when she finally realized where she was and who she was with.

"You!  What's going on?  Wh-What are you doing?!"

"You were the guest of honor at the party and you left before it was over!  Now we have a chance to finish things up right!" Pinkie said cheerfully.

Gilda's brow furled in anger.  "I don't care about you or your stupid party!  Now leave me alone, you worthless idiot!"

"But we haven't even played any games yet!"  She approached one slow step at a time, her smile and hollow stare never fading.  Once she was nose to nose with the enraged griffon, she stood on her hind legs and threw her forelimbs in the air.  "It's going to be so much fun!"

"Stay away from me!"

With a lightning quick swing, Gilda slashed across Pinkie's stomach, spilling her intestines onto the floor.  Amused surprise trickled onto the party pony's face.  Gilda started to panic as maggots and worms started squirming out of the large wound on her belly.

"Hm.  Well, that's looked better," Pinkie joked.

Gilda recoiled in horror.  "You...y-y-you're a freak!  Somepony get me outta here!"

In a flash, the griffon turned and bolted for the door.  As she raced away, Pinkie nonchalantly reached down and grabbed her intestines, tying them into a lasso while humming a merry tune.  Gilda threw open the door and tried to speed off only to suddenly have a disgusting rope wrap itself tightly around her throat.

"Gah!  Agh!  Take this thing –ngh!– off me!" she screamed as she was dragged back inside.

Once Gilda was at her hooves, Pinkie tossed the intestinal rope over a support beam overhead and pulled it down firmly, securing it to one of the tables that was bolted to the floor.  The griffon was a few feet off the ground, kicking at the air and clawing at the tube around her neck.  Her wings clumsily flapped about and started to lift her body toward the roof.  Hopefully she'd be able to slip around the beam and get herself free.

"Now, now, we can't have you running off again.  You'll spoil the surprise!  Let's go ahead and fix that," Pinkie said.

The homicidal pony hopped over to one of the chairs against the wall and placed it behind Gilda's twisting body.  With a jump, she landed on the seat and bit down onto her left wing, ripping a mouthful of feathers from her flesh.  Streams of blood flew from the bony protrusions, landing on the floor and splattering against Pinkie's cheek.

The griffon shrieked in agony.  Unable to lift herself further, Gilda fell limp and wheezed pathetically, strangled by the fleshy rope.  Pinkie ripped one feather after another after another from her body until both wings were completely barren and soaked in a layer of red.  The flowing blood dripped down her back and hind legs, pooling below her.  She tried to scream and cry for help, but barely managed a whisper.  Her heart felt as if it was about to pound out of her chest as her air supply quickly was diminishing.  The scene was the same from her nest.  She clawed and scratched at nothing around her neck.  The off-yellow branches that composed her bed had been soaked red.

"There we go!  Now we can get started with a game everypony likes to play!"  Pinkie reached behind herself and pulled out a three-foot long stick from nowhere between her teeth.  "Piñata!"

Donning a blindfold and smiling wickedly, the pink menace smashed the stick into Gilda's ribcage.  Loud cracks erupted from her torso, indicating her bones had snapped.  The griffon yelled as loud as the noose let her.  Another swing broke a hind leg.  After a few missed attempts, Pinkie connected with Gilda's side again, mostly in the flesh.  The next smacked into the side of her neck, leaving a stinging bright red welt.  The stick then connected with her forelimb and her face, slicing her forehead open.

Gilda's talons desperately clawed at the rope as she hung on for dear life, despite it slowly slipping away.  Her eyes began to water as the pain worsened with each brutal thrashing and air continued to become a more and more precious commodity.  With a last bit of strength, she managed to scratch through the loop and fell hard to the floor.  The sudden rush of oxygen into her system made her dizzy.  Her body quivered as every nerve burned.

The thump at her hooves made Pinkie remove the band around her eyes.  Her eager smiled fell into a sad pout.  "Aww, we weren't even finished yet!  That's OK though.  We have another game or two we can play!"

Barely, Gilda managed to lift her shaking head and look into Pinkie's menacing blue eyes.  She wiped the blood from her face and tears rolled down her feathery cheeks.

"P-P-Please.. !" was all she could muster.

"Oh!  I know what you're gonna say!  'Please, Pinkie, can we play Pin the Tail on the Pony?'  Well, of course we can, silly!  We just need a tail, and I know just where to get one!" she prattled on with a happy bounce.  "But first, I need to put the rope away.  Don't think we'll need it anymore!"

The pink mare trotted over to the table anchor and undid the knot in the intestine.  Once she pulled it together into a ball, she stuffed it unceremoniously back into her gaping wound and it sealed itself shut, appearing as if it never existed.

After patting her now uninjured belly, Pinkie proceeded over to the beaten and broken griffon.  She bit down on Gilda's tail, planted her hooves on her golden flank and pulled back with all her might.  Gilda wailed as little by little, the skin separated, then the muscle and sinew, and finally the vertebrae snapped apart, sending Pinkie somersaulting backward.  Shockwaves of agony shot straight up the griffon's spine.  Her limbs convulsed from the excruciating pain.  Gilda couldn't even move enough to grab futilely at its source in an effort to make it stop throbbing uncontrollably.  Her screams could have shattered glass.

Outside her home, three of her neighbors were banging on the door, calling out for an answer.  Her howls and shrieks woke up half of her block.  They flew from window to window, trying to get a glimpse of what could be going on inside.  Once they found her, bloody, screaming, wingless and now tailless, one dashed off to the authorities while the others broke in.  They tried yelling and shaking her awake, but nothing seemed to work.

In the phantasmal Sugarcube Corner, the murderous pony sat up with her trophy between her teeth.  She spat it onto the floor and picked it back up, looking carefully at the hint of bone sticking out.

"No fair!" Pinkie cried out.  "There's no pin on this at all!  Oh, this simply won't do!  Hmmm."

She rubbed her chin, deep in thought, her eyes facing the floor.  Suddenly, something grabbed her attention and she beamed with joy.  With a quick snatch, Pinkie took a feather in her hoof and stared at the quill.

"That's it!  Weee have a piiiii-iiiiiin!" she sang.  "Though this isn't really a tail.  Oh well!  Details."

Pinkie cantered up to Gilda's head and sat down.  The exhausted griffin gazed up at her.  Gilda's vision was beginning to blur.  She twitched involuntarily as her strength began to leave her.

"Boy, wasn't this fun?  I do so love parties!  But, I think it's time to go.  I just can't come up with any more games to play!  I gotta tell ya though, Gilda.  It was a bad idea to challenge me to a game of Pin the Tail on the Pony.  Nopony's ever beaten me before!  Anyway, hope you had fun, because I sure did!"

With that, Pinkie raised the feather and drove the tip down hard between Gilda's eyes, killing her instantly.  Her head flopped onto the floor,  her suffering finally over.  The insane mare bounced around the body, thrilled with the outcome.

"Yay!  I won I won I won I won!  See?  I told you nopony could beat me!"
> Chapter 5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight stretched and yawned.  Whatever she was laying on was remarkably comfortable.  She looked around upon opening her eyes and found herself in a place she hadn't been in a long time:  Princess Celestia's room.  Scanning the area, she saw her mentor at the balcony, looking over her kingdom, her horn glowing dimly.  Twilight's stirring caught the Princess' attention.

"Good morning, Twilight.  I trust you slept well?"

She must have.  She didn't even remember crawling into bed.  Granted, recent events had left her mentally exhausted and emotionally drained.  Perhaps knowing she was under the Princess' magical protection helped her rest as well as she did that night.  It didn't hurt that the mattress was amazingly soft either.

"Yes, thanks."

"Good.  You passed almost immediately after you climbed onto my back last night."  Celestia's long horn returned to its inert state.

"What time is it?"

"A little after ten o'clock."

Twilight rubbed her eyes and breathed in the morning air.  She couldn't believe she had slept in so late.  But, her normal schedule wasn't going to apply until she and Celestia had dealt with Pinkie.  She looked at the floor to her left, half expecting to see a basket with a small purple dragon in it, snoring away happily.  Hopefully Spike was doing alright.

"Did you get any sleep yourself?" Twilight asked.

"No.  I was monitoring you the entire night.  Not that I really need to sleep if I don't want to.  Go ahead and do whatever you need to get your day started," Celestia said as she headed toward her door.

"What are you going to do?"

"Just going to ask the guards outside to have the chefs prepare us a late breakfast."

"And once we're done, we're heading to the Starswirl the Bearded wing, I assume," Twilight said.

"Yes," Celestia confirmed.  "We need to get started as soon as possible."

"Princess, I.. I know you already know the spells we intend to use on Pinkie, but.. well, I'm one of those responsible for her becoming.. what she is."  The unicorn hung her head as memories of her friends came to mind.  "Teach me those spells.  I should be the one to lay her to rest.  It would only be right."

Celestia gazed in silent contemplation at her prized student.  It didn't surprise her in the least that she would want to fix things herself.  That was always in her nature.

"It will take a while.  The incantations can only be recited in their ancient dialect.  Luna and I are the only ones who would even be able to read them."

Twilight threw the covers off and marched up to her teacher with a sudden, fierce determination in her eyes.

"I can do it.  You know I can."

The Princess paused, then nodded.  "Very well.  But first, we should eat.  This isn't something you want to tackle on an empty stomach."


-----


A short while later, roughly an hour and a half, Celestia and Twilight approached the closed gate leading to the Starswirl the Bearded wing of the royal archives.  With a thought, the gate glowed a faint yellow hue and swung open.  Twilight followed her mentor ahead to the hourglass in the center of the room.  Turning right, they walked down the aisle and came to a stop in front of an empty wall.  Just to the left and right of the Princess were a set of pillars, standing beside each other against the wall.

"Here it is.  I know this spot far too well," Celestia said.

Twilight stared at the wall for a moment, puzzled, until she recalled what the royal mare said.  It was magically hidden in plain sight.

Celestia took a deep breath and her horn and eyes lit up brightly.  An outline of a doorway beamed from the empty space before them and eventually became whole.  The knob came to life and the door swung open.  Celestia quickly glanced over her shoulder.  Clear.  She led the way inside and Twilight followed a step behind.  She closed the door behind them and magically hid it from sight again.  The half melted candles in the corners over their heads burst awake thanks to the Princess' magic.

Several dozen texts, scrolls and books rested peacefully, free from the influences of time and wear, on four shelves, two on the left and right sides of the small room.  On an oaken table in front of them laid their target.  It was a thick, bound tome with a red, wordless cover.

"Wow," Twilight whispered.  "What are all these?"

"Over the millennia, there have been others who have tried to practice various forms of black, evil magic.  Anything we could find about those spells eventually found its way here."

"Why keep them at all though?  And what happened to the ponies who wrote these?"

"We needed to hold onto them in case, at any point in the future, a similar incantation would appear and we would need to figure out how to counter or undo its effects.  As far as the ponies, most of them were imprisoned or killed at the time.  However, the last time I placed a text in this room was nearly six hundred years ago.  Anypony who was responsible for these spells is long, long gone," Celestia explained.

Mordrid's book floated off the table and hovered between the mares, surrounded by a soft golden light.  It opened near the center and the pages one by one flipped on their own.  Finally, after several page turns, the alicorn found what she was looking for.

"Here.  This was what I used to seal Mordrid away for good," she said, pointing to the left page.

Twilight squinted at the unusual letters and skimmed through the entirety of the spell quickly.  "These words look somewhat familiar.  This is ancient Equestrian, isn't it?"

"It is indeed."

"I've seen this type of script in some old history books back at the library, but I never was able to translate it."  The unicorn sighed heavily.  "And I have to learn how to speak this as quick as equinely possible.  Great."

A comforting hoof found her shoulder.

"You'll do fine.  I'll be helping you the entire time," Celestia said, smiling gracefully.  "Now come, we'll go over this in the privacy of my room.  We shouldn't risk being discovered here by any means, accidental or not."


-----


Twilight groaned and rubbed her forehead.  Several repetitive hours had passed with little progress.  Celestia originally translated the spell and the instructions for how to use it, including where it stated that an object important to the recipient and a sacrifice by the speaker were both required for this particular incantation to work properly.  The old complex language was remarkably difficult to speak.  How the Princess was able to say it the evening before without any complications, despite having not used such a tongue in a few thousand years, was nothing short of amazing to the young unicorn.

"How long did it take you to learn this, Princess?" Twilight asked.

"You must remember, Twilight, this was common language when I used it against Mordrid all those years ago.  Believe it or not, the fact that you've gotten the first portion of it as clearly as you do is exceptional," Celestia praised, smiling softly.  "But it comes as no surprise to me.  You've always been a wonderful student and an incredibly fast learner.  I don't suppose you'd want to take a short break?  You've been at this for hours."

"No.  I simply can't.  Not as long as lives hang in the balance."

"Alright.  Just promise me you won't run yourself ragged studying this.  It won't help anypony if you wear yourself out so much that you start to lose the progress you've made."

"I promise.  I can't deny that this is all rather fascinating despite the circumstances.  I.. I just wish we never needed to use it," she said painfully, her ears and her heart sinking.  Twilight's thoughts drifted to the day it all happened.  Pinkie's pleas for help.  Her angry shouts.  The cracking of wood.  Silence.

A tear fell to the floor.  The young mare felt a wing wrap around her.

"I'm sorry.  For everything that's happened to you and the others.  I felt the same way when I did what I had to do to Mordrid."

Twilight saw the pain in her teacher's eyes and heard it in her sigh.  Memories must have started to resurface for her as well.

"How long did it take for you to be able to move on after it all happened?" the lavender unicorn quietly asked.

"Many years.  It hit Luna just as hard for obvious reasons."

They sat together in silence for a moment before the Princess cleared her throat and stood up, desperate to change the subject and forget the events of her past again.

"It's getting close to supper.  I'll have one of the guards bring us something to eat."

With a nod, the diligent unicorn took a breath and steeled herself for the rest of the evening.  There were six phrases to the binding spells and she had only gotten one down so far cleanly.  The second was coming along, but there was still so much more to go, and in only a few more hours, she'd likely have to think about heading to bed again.

She wished she could forgo sleep like the Princesses.  The one thing that could have easily gotten her killed without Celestia's help was the one thing that was going to slow her down the most.  But if she could sleep easy after this whole ordeal was done, it was something Twilight would simply have to deal with.


-----


The following morning and afternoon came and went similarly to the previous day's.  Celestia had watched over her student during the night and detected no unusual activity, much to their relief.  They had sat together in her royal bedroom, reciting the second and now the third parts of the spell, barely moving aside from stretching their legs and using the bathroom.  Even Twilight's personal hygiene was overlooked, as she was too engrossed by learning how to speak the dead language in front of her.

It was mid-afternoon when the monotony was disrupted.  Under normal circumstances, both Celestia and Twilight could easily spent an entire day in one place with their nose in a book or going over some royal paperwork.  However, this situation had them a bit on edge.  The appearance of a simple scroll over their heads made them jump a little, even though it was nothing they hadn't seen a hundred times before.  It plopped onto the ground and the Princess unfurled it.

"A letter from Spike?" Twilight asked.

Celestia nodded, reading the note aloud.

"Dear Princess Celestia and Twilight,

I hope everything's going well on your end.  It was going rather slowly over here, as we don't have many options, until earlier today.  I would have contacted you yesterday myself over something else, but I was so busy writing and sending letters around to the authorities in so many other cities and towns across Equestria that I wore myself out.

Anyway, I have some rather bad news about Pinkie.  The other night, she visited me.  Don't worry, I'm alright.  She told me to tell you that even though she lost track of Twilight, there were other wrongs to be righted or something.  I wasn't sure at first, but it sounded to me like she was intent on going after others who she may be have been angry with at some point in her life.

A headline that Private Eye happened to spot in the afternoon edition of the Ponyville Express while he was out seems to have confirmed this.  He brought the paper back to his office and we went over what it said.  In the international section, it said that two nights ago, in the Griffon Kingdoms, Rainbow Dash's old friend Gilda was found screaming in her sleep and eventually died.  According to witnesses, her wing feathers were ripped out and her tail was somehow torn off right in front of them, among other things.  There aren't any leads and nopony could explain what happened.

There's no doubt in our minds that Pinkie was behind this.  The only reason we didn't hear about anything from the authorities over in the Griffon Kingdoms first is because I never thought to send a letter there.  I don't even know if my magic would reach that far away to be honest.  But either way, it seems I was right, and we still don't have any real ideas who she may go after next.

We'll contact you if anything else comes up.  Good luck.

Your faithful subject,
Spike"

Celestia lowered the letter with a mournful look in her eyes.  She didn't oversee the Griffon Kingdoms by any means, but her heart still went out to Gilda.  A part of her felt responsible for the senseless brutality since Pinkie used to be one of her most fun-loving subjects.  Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do for Gilda or for anypony else the monster had already killed.

"I remember her," Twilight spoke up, sighing.  "She was rather mean to us at the party Pinkie threw for her when she came to visit Rainbow Dash a while back.  She had a falling out with Rainbow and was particularly nasty to Pinkie the entire time.  But that doesn't mean I'd want to see her die over it.  I guess Pinkie saw things differently.  I just can't believe what she's become."

"All the more reason to learn this spell as quickly as you can."

"Yeah, and then we need to find something of hers that she found important.  We can start at Sugarcube Corner, see if the Cakes still have any of her things or if they've cleared it out already."

"We will," Celestia assured her.  "But focus on what you need to for now.  We'll worry about her possession later.  Now, go ahead, from the top."

Nodding, Twilight closed her eyes and recited the first two lines of the binding spell, slightly misspeaking a few of the words.  Together, she and the Princess worked on perfecting the ancient dialect and improving upon the third verse until the end of the evening.
> Chapter 6
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Another evening had passed along with another busy morning.  It was mid-afternoon once more and Twilight had gotten the third line in the ancient spell down.  The fourth had been easy enough for her; she was starting to get more and more used to the grammatical rules from long ago.  Previewing the fifth and sixth verses, she noticed that the first halves of each were the same.  Likely, the way it was written was meant to be almost ritualistic in its execution.  To Twilight, that just meant less learning.

"Shouldn't be too long now," the unicorn stated.  "At this pace, I should have the last two parts down by tonight.  The second half of this whole incantation is fairly repetitive."

"Indeed.  I'm impressed with how fast you've gotten this down.  Perhaps later, we can attempt to hold a conversation using only this language?" Celestia joked.  As serious as things were, she needed to keep Twilight at ease at best she could and keep her mind off everything that had been happening.

"I don't know if I've figured all that out yet.  I'm always willing to learn though.  Maybe after I've used this we can try to."

Twilight resumed practicing the fifth verse when she paused, Gilda appearing in her thoughts.

"What's on your mind?" Celestia asked.

"Just thinking about what happened to Gilda again.  Trying to figure out who else she may have a grudge with.  We went over the rest of Ponyville when we spoke to Private Eye a few nights ago and couldn't think of anypony."

"Well, aside from the Crystal Empire, where else did you and your friends visit?"

"Let's see, we've been to Appleloosa, Dodge Junction, um... we were able to get to Cloudsdale with that cloud-walking spell.. been to Canterlot obviously.. hmm.. the Crystal Empire like you said.  I can't think of anywhere else we went at the moment.  Why?"

The Princess rubbed her chin in contemplation.  An idea was beginning to form.  She realized, based on Spike's letter, that the detective had already sent warnings ahead to everypony he could think of.  Perhaps a notice from royalty would garner more immediate attention.  Though she didn't find it necessary to send correspondence to the authorities in any towns Pinkie hadn't visited.  Unless she had become completely unhinged, there was at least a method to her madness that they were aware of.

A quill and several sheets of parchment popped into existence in front of Celestia.  She quickly began to write, rousing Twilight's curiosity.

"Princess?  What are you up to?"

She continued writing as she addressed her student.  "Well, we know Spike and Private Eye have gotten in touch with who they could.  I don't know what they said, but we do know, based on your encounter with Pinkie and how you were able to escape, that a good, sudden jolt of pain from the waking world is enough to bring you out of the nightmares.  I'm going to send a few letters to the mayors of the places you've been and tell them to issue a.. well, warning isn't the right word.. more like a suggestion from me."

"I don't follow."

The first of the notices evaporated and the mist floated out the balcony's open door, on its way to its intended destination.

Celestia continued, clarifying.  "If everypony had a partner to sleep by, with proper preparations, they can forcefully wake their friend, whether using a small bit of fire, poking at them with something sharp, whatever works.  I'm also asking those in charge to call emergency meetings to inform the citizens of these instructions.  Even though the situation is dire, they may not respond so quickly to a missive from a detective as they would from me.  If this works, we could prevent the worst from happening."

"What about the nightmares themselves?  Won't ponies start to wonder what was happening if suddenly Pinkie shows up and tries to kill them?"

"We'll dismiss it as just night terrors, nothing more."

Twilight boggled at the Princess' actions.  Outright lying to her subjects was something she never expected out of her teacher.

"That.. just doesn't seem right.  Shouldn't you at least tell them what would be happening?"

"The last thing we need is for ponies to start panicking.  The first thing that they would do is try to fight off rest, and we know fatigue takes its toll not only on the body but on the mind as well.  Who knows what they could end up doing to themselves or to others in such a situation?" Celestia said as she finished putting together the second letter.

"I suppose that makes sense.  I just hope it works."

"So do I."


-----


The sun was starting to set in the dusty little town of Appleloosa.  The orange and red tints painting the sky blended with the ground so well that one could have a hard time seeing where one began and the other ended.  A gentle, cool breeze tickled the coats of the celebrating citizenry.

It had been a year to the day when the ponies of Appleloosa and the buffalo tribe of the plains put aside their grudge, learned to work together and share the land in harmony.  It was a festive occasion that had the streets full of party goers from both sides singing and dancing merrily.  It seemed like everypony in town and every buffalo in the herd were present.  The most popular treats for the celebration were, of course, the famous apple pies that made it all possible.

However, sitting alone in front of the local store, was Braeburn.  Despite the joy filling the air, he could help but feel horrible.  It was just a week ago that he heard his cousin Applejack had mysteriously burned to death in her home in the middle of the night.  So far, nopony had any answer as to what happened.  Foul play was suspected, but there were no leads.

The last thing the brokenhearted stallion wanted to do was celebrate.  But, Braeburn was fairly well known around town, being one of the suppliers of the trees that made up their orchards.  He had to make an appearance, whether he wanted to or not.  As hard as he tried, he couldn't maintain a smile for longer than it took to greet an occasional passerby.  From behind, another pony familiar to the townsfolk sat down next to him, a frosty mug of cider in hoof.

"How're you holdin' up, Brae?" Sheriff Silverstar asked.

"Alright, Ah guess.  Ah just don't wanna be here, y'know?"

"I understand.  Still going to be a while before the party starts to break up.  I don't suppose you've had anything to drink?  I know that kind of thing sometimes helps ease the pain a bit," the Sheriff suggested.

"Naw, ain't had nothin'.  Ah always felt that that kinda thing was meant for good times like this.  Wouldn't help me none," Braeburn said sadly.

The Apple felt a hoof on his shoulder.  "Look at it this way, son.  You think Applejack would want to see you moping around like this?  Course not!  She'd want you up and about and having fun with what you have right now.  I ain't suggesting you forget about her, nothing like that.  Remember the good times you had and go from there.  Celebrate her life, you know what I'm saying?"

"Yeah, Ah know what you're gettin' at.  Just been rough is all."

"Will just take time.  You'll be OK."  Silverstar looked just down the road and saw two friends approaching.  Judging by the looks on their faces, they saw what bad shape Braeburn was in as well.  "Besides," the Sheriff continued, "your friends wouldn't want to see you like this, especially one in particular."

"Huh?"

Braeburn's question was met with a pointing hoof.  He looked and saw Chief Thunderhooves and Little Strongheart a few paces away.  Seeing the young buffalo helped bring a small smile to his face.

"Hello, Sheriff.  Hello, Braeburn," Thunderhooves said pleasantly.  "Quite the celebration today, isn't it?"

"Yessiree!  Been great so far!"

The little calf looked away nervously and her cheeks flushed when her gaze met Braeburn's.  For a moment, the young stallion thought that maybe he could forget about how lousy he felt.  Unfortunately, the bit of happiness faded as fast as it came.

"Braeburn?  You OK?" Little Strongheart asked.

"Not really.  Just.. just thinkin' 'bout Applejack."

She sat beside him and rested a hoof on his shoulder.  "I'm sorry about what happened.  I wish there was something I could do."

"S'alright, darlin'.  Ah'll be fine."

Little Strongheart laid her head against Braeburn.  Though he was grateful for the support, he was too upset to show it.  Silverstar cleared his throat and glanced at Chief Thunderhooves.

"Say Chief, want to go get a drink?  I think the Salt Lick has this new brew they made up for tonight."

"Sure, Sheriff.  Lead the way."

As they drifted further away from the grieving couple, the stallion peeked back and grinned.  He had noticed Braeburn and Little Strongheart hanging around together a lot over the last several months, but his friend never really said much about what they'd do while they were out and about.  But, he had his suspicions.  It was becoming obvious to Thunderhooves as well back in his tribal home too.  Neither party had a problem with the two seeing each other.  Besides bringing them some happiness, it helped strengthen the bond the town and the tribe shared.

"Hopefully she'll be able to bring him out of his funk," Silverstar remarked.  "He's been miserable for a few days now, but that can't be helped."

"What's wrong?"

"His cousin Applejack was.. found dead about a week ago in her home.  Nopony has any idea what happened."

"Oh my.  I'm sorry, Sheriff.  I hope he'll be alright."

"I think he will be after a while.  See?"

The large buffalo glanced back.  Little Strongheart and Braeburn were curled up together, doing their best to get through the stallion's heartache.

"Yes, he should be.  Those two have been getting rather close lately.  She hasn't been exactly keeping it a secret around the village.  Granted, she hasn't said anything outright, but we're all pretty aware of how she feels."

Silverstar nodded as they walked to the watering hole.  "Well, I'm glad they seem to be happy.  But, I ain't gonna lie, Chief.  There isn't any new drink the bar has.  I was just trying to give them some privacy.  But, I'll still get you a drink or two.  Everything's free today thanks to the party."

Thunderhooves chuckled at the revelation.  "That's OK, Sheriff.  I had a feeling that's what you were up to.  How have things been here in town otherwise?"

"Quiet as usual.  Nothing really ever happens here that makes me have to fill out reports or nothin'.  I did get some weird letter from a.. oh, what was the name?.. Private Eye or something the other day.  Said some nutjob pony got loose and ran off to who knows where.  Haven't seen anything unusual yet.  Hopefully it'll stay that way."

As the buffalo and stallion continued their trek to the tavern, they passed the sheriff's office.  It had been locked up, closed for the evening, about an hour ago.  Through the window to the right of the front door, Silverstar's room, a brief flash appeared from inside.  Though it was noticeable enough to be seen in the fading sunlight, neither of them saw it.

A scroll embroidered with the Equestrian royal seal landed on his desk.


-----


The torches were lit up and down the streets of Appleloosa.  The night had arrived a little over an hour ago, and a few minutes previous, Silverstar and Chief Thunderhooves stumbled out of the Salt Lick, laughing loudly and smelling of what would normally be expensive booze.  The small stallion was somehow standing up straight as the large, inebriated buffalo laid a drunken foreleg across his comparatively tiny back.

"I.. haha!.. I can't believe you said that to her, Sheriff!"

"I'm tellin' ya, she was comin' on to me, and.. and it was.. it was so terrible, I had to.. to embarrass her like that.  She left me alone after that, I tell you what!" Silverstar slurred, poking his friend in the chest as they enjoyed a merry story on the way out.

"Oh goddess, that's great!"  The Chief looked up, his eyes swimming, at the full moon in the clear, twinkling sky.  "Getting kind of late.  Should.. should round up the tribe and s-start heading home."

"Nah, nah, come with me.  I can.. probably set up s-somethin' in my office.  I've caught myself s-s-sleeping there sometimes on real slow days.  'Sides, I th-think I saw a few of your brothers leaving with a f-f-f-few of the town's mares, so I'm not sure if they'd want to go anywhere just yet!"  the sheriff said, chuckling in a fit.  His level of intoxication was no better than Thunderhooves'.

The buffalo glanced around, barely able to stand up straight.  "Hm.  Where's Strongheart?"

"Aw, she's probably with Braeburn somewhere."

"Those two make a cute couple."

"Yeah."

Thunderhooves took another step and promptly fell, chin first, into the dirt.  He rubbed his forehead, already feeling the painful punishment that came with too much alcohol as his head continued to spin.  Silverstar stumbled back a step, drunkenly surprised at what happened to the tumbling buffalo.

"Whoa!  Easy, big guy!  Come on, let's.. go to my office."

With a weak tug, the stallion helped the chief up to his hooves and they slowly made their way down the block.  When they arrived, Silverstar reached for his pocket four times before his hoof finally landed in it, pulling out the keys.  After jabbing at the lock several times, grunting in increased frustration, he finally connected and unlocked the door, leading his friend inside and to the main area on the right, next to his office.

On the far side of the room was a large, blue couch where ponies would wait before being summoned for questioning or making statements.  Right now, to Thunderhooves, it was the most wonderful couch in the world, even if he may have been a little big for it.  They walked clumsily to the sofa and the bison sat down as gently as his girth, and level of intoxication, would allow.  Somehow, the couch didn't collapse.

"I'm gonna turn in in my office right over there," Silverstar said, nodding backwards and almost toppling over, "so if you need anything, just let me know.  I don't think I'd.. make it home right now."

"Thanks, sheriff.  I'll s-see you in the morning."

"Night!"

Thunderhooves plopped his head down on the couch's wonderfully soft arm and almost immediately passed out.  Silverstar's door shut behind him and he hobbled over to his desk, kicked his hooves up and closed his eyes.  A soft crunching sound, like that of paper being crumpled, spoke out from under his hooves, but Silverstar was too groggy to notice.  It wasn't long before he was quietly snoring as well.


-----


Chief Thunderhooves stood before his tribe's ceremonial fire, stomping the dirt in a rhythmic fashion.  Four other buffalo were each banging on a small drum, mimicking the chief's steps.  The rest of his clan followed suit for a few moments before the music and the hoofsteps stopped in sync.

Silverstar stood on the opposite side of the campfire, his head held up proudly.  Thunderhooves was making him an honorary member of their tribe, and he couldn't be happier.  He was to be the first of the Appleloosans, and any others who wished to follow suit were more than welcome.  They had become almost like a family after they settled their differences, and becoming an honorary member was the highest honor an outsider could be given, according to their ancient customs.

"Silverstar," the chief began, "we once didn't see eye to eye with your apple orchard and our stampeding grounds.  We had threatened to destroy your way of life instead of try to compromise.  Looking back, I can see how horrible it would have been if such things had come to pass.

"But now, we stand together as friends.  And, if you would accept our humble gift, we wish for you to stand together with us as family."

In his hooves was a headdress with numerous large feathers of whites and faint blues with red tips.  Happily, Chief Thunderhooves offered it to his pony companion, fully expecting for the ceremony to end on a high note.

"No," he said with an unusually high voice.

Shock hit the herd like a train.  "I'm.. sorry?"

"After how much you didn't want to listen to me and went ahead and did what I suggested anyway?  Without so much as an apology?  No thanks, sir."

"Sheriff, I.. I don't understand.  Why would you say no?  And.. what's with your voice?"

"Never you mind that.  Why don't you ask your family what they think?" the fake sheriff said, pointing at the others.

"Can't believe you would side with them."

"A real chief fights for his tribe!"

"It was our land first!"

"Why would you be OK with me and Braeburn being together?" Little Strongheart asked.  "Are you trying to thin out the herd so much we eventually disappear?  Why not just wait for them to come invade and kill us all?"

One by one, they turned their back on their leader, including the young calf, and walked away, fading into nothingness after a few steps.  Thunderhooves could only watch in helpless confusion as he was abandoned by his companions.  He tried to call out to them, reason with them, but no words came from his mouth.  After a moment, he was alone.

He spun around to plead with Silverstar, but suddenly found himself in the middle of an empty Appleloosa.  A dry gust carried dirt into the air, spinning it around in a small vortex, before floating away.  The bright sun beat on the back of his neck and he began to sweat.

"Hello?" his voice echoed.

No answer.

Another quick burst of wind passed by, and he heard the saloon doors flopping open from behind.  He turned and saw a shadow disappear into the building.  Desperate to find help, he sprinted to the tavern and threw the swinging doors open only to find it empty, save for the bartender, who hopped up from behind the counter.

It was a pink mare with a straight mane and a rather unusual smile.  In her mane was a frilly purple feather, and she wore a matching purple dress with a black halter top and stockings.  Her stare crept to the right and met his eyes, causing him to shrink back uncomfortably.

"Howdy there, Chiefy!" Pinkie said with a bad accent.  "Can I interest you in sharing a delicious, Appleloosa-baked apple pie?  Perfect for the celebration today!"

"Uh.. but, I didn't see anypony around.  What's going on?"

"Hey now, no reason just the two of us can't celebrate, is there?"

"Well, um.. I suppose not."  The buffalo cautiously approached the bar and sat down, never taking his eyes off the unmoving gaze.  Something about the familiar pink pony was unsettling to say the least.  "Do I know you?  I feel like we've met and I just can't place your face."

"Of course we have!  I sang for you, remember?"

It suddenly hit him and he felt his stomach drop.  How could he have forgotten that.. mess?

"Oh!  Yes.. yes, now I remember.  That was.. uh.. such a.. delightful tune!  And it had such a wonderful message.  Yes, you were absolutely right.  Sharing and caring was.. definitely the right way to go," Thunderhooves stuttered, putting on an unconvincing smile.

Pinkie didn't bat an eye at the obvious attempt at a fake compliment.  "So nice of you to say!  Now, let's dig into that pie!"

She reached below and pulled out a fresh, piping hot piece of heaven.  The chief's nervousness was quickly forgotten at the sight of the delectable, wonderful smelling treat.  A second later, his fear returned when Pinkie pulled out a knife, still smiling widely and staring right at him.

The blade came down hard in the center of the dessert and carved it carefully.  A quarter of the pie was sliced into two equal parts, one for each of them.  They both took a piece, Thunderhooves keeping one eye on the pie and the other on his bizarre host.  Pinkie's smile grew wider and she swallowed the slice in a single gulp, half of it getting all over the counter.

Now a bit less nervous, the large buffalo took a few cautious bites.  Slowly, a grin crept across his face.  It certainly was delicious.  Maybe he was worried about nothing.  He continued to enjoy his pastry when suddenly, his throat felt like it was on fire.  No, it was worse.  This wasn't just a sudden, unusual spiciness that one wouldn't get from a pie.  It was utterly excruciating.  He tried to scream, but nothing but pained wheezes came from his mouth.

"Oh gosh!  Are you OK?" Pinkie gasped.  "Quick!  Have some water!"

She ducked down behind the counter and instantly returned with a glass and a jug of clear liquid.  She poured a tall one and the chief snatched it away, guzzling it down hard.  That only made the burning worse.  He clawed at his neck, desperately trying to make the agony go away.

Chief Thunderhooves laid on the couch, clutching his throat and shrieking loudly.  He rolled and tumbled to the floor with a loud thud, landing on his stomach.  The horrific noises snapped the still tipsy Silverstar awake, almost throwing him off his chair and onto the floor himself.  He stumbled off his makeshift bed and out his office door in a panic.  His head almost instantly started throbbing thanks to the sudden, jerky motions.  Wincing through a single open eye, he watched as Thunderhooves fought against nothing, utterly baffled at the situation.

"Chief!  What's going on?!" he shouted.   He received no response beside more screaming.

He wobbled toward the buffalo and tripped over his own hooves, slamming the side of his head into the desk next to his friend and crashing hard to the floor.  "Oof!"  A tiny river of blood trickled out from under the unconscious stallion's skull.

The scent of flesh and fur being burned away filled the chief's nostrils, and it made him sick to his stomach.  A hoof found a hole in his neck that was slowly growing in size, and a slow, steady drip of blood flowed from the wound and down his chest.  His eyes darted around searchingly as he wondered what in the world was happening to him.

"Why isn't the water helping?" Pinkie pondered.  "It's the same stuff I used when I baked the pie!"

She turned the jug and faced the large white label that said 'Water', eying it suspiciously.  A second later, one of the corners peeled away to reveal another white label hidden underneath.

"Huh?"

The pink mare grabbed the false label and pulled it completely off, revealing the jug to be filled with strychnine.

"Ooh!  It all makes sense now!  Wait a second.. "

She poked at her own neck and found a similar gaping hole.  Wanting to see it for herself, she raised a small hoofheld mirror from out of nowhere and gazed curiously at the wound, giggling at the sight.

"Well, it doesn't do a thing for me, so let's get rid of that."

With a quick swing of her hoof in front of her throat, the maw disappeared, leaving her skin as good as new.  Tossing the mirror away, she trotted with purpose around the bar and stood before Thunderhooves.  He reached for Pinkie's hooves, pleading with watering eyes for her to stop or even help.  She was a statue before him with a hideous, menacing grin.

"Y'know, Chiefy," she said, "I do care, believe it or not!  Normally, one might see you laying there and give you a hoof, maybe take you to a hospital or something, which would only prolong your suffering.  Me?"  She whipped out a tomahawk from behind her body.  "I'm just going to make it quick.  Because I care."

The psychotic pony hopped up beside him, grabbing the fur on his head and pulling back hard.  In a single, fluid motion, she dug the sharp stone blade of the axe into his forehead and ripped it across his scalp and neck.  As his skin was suddenly torn off his skull, he sharply gasped, and his body began to twitch.  After a moment, his muscles went limp and he slumped over.


-----


The next morning was gloomy with thick gray clouds hiding the bright sun.  Under several balconies along the road, buffalo and ponies alike were found laid out, fast asleep or just starting to rise.  Seemed that some had partied harder than others the night before and were probably going to be paying for it once some beams of sunlight peaked through.

A dark green stallion with a blonde coat and a ten-gallon hat sauntered toward the sheriff's office.  His cutie mark was that of a small rust-colored twister.  Deputy Dusty was as awake as the others in town and it showed.  Fortunately, his fatigue wasn't due to an excessive amount of alcohol.  But, he still needed to get the day's law and order going.  Even in quiet towns such as Appleloosa, you couldn't be too careful, especially with reports of an escaped madpony possibly running loose through Equestria somewhere.

He tested the doorknob when he arrived.  Locked.  No big deal though; he did have a key.  In a single try, he popped the door open and headed inside.  He hung his hat up on the rack to his left and headed into the main office, ready to begin going over some papers or sending some letters out or whatever else needed to be done.

He stepped through the doorway and found Silverstar laying in a small puddle of dried blood on the floor.  His eyes began to twitch when a beam of light came in through the window and warmed his face.  Beside him, in front of the couch, Chief Thunderhooves was sprawled out.  The top of his head had been torn off and tossed onto the carpet on which he laid.  His exposed skull had bled all over his face and onto the floor.  The deputy's pulse began to race at the grotesque sight.

"What in tarnation?!"
> Chapter 7
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight slammed the ancient book closed, jolting Celestia's attention away from the legal forms she was asked to go over at the beginning of the day that Luna had been unable to.  The young alicorn still wasn't completely used to doing a majority of the ruling, but now was not the time to fuss over such things.

It was almost eleven in the morning, and the studious young unicorn had practiced and repeated the mantra since late the previous night when she finally managed to piece together the final of the six lines.  After being able to speak the words without looking at them several times, she was completely confident in her ability to perform the spell.  She made a mental note to occasionally say the verses again after they began the second part of their mission, just to keep the words fresh in her mind.

"Done.  I've got it down."

The Princess set the scrolls and quill down on her nightstand and walked up to her student, putting a congratulatory hoof on her shoulder.

"Excellent work, Twilight.  Now, we must find a trinket of some kind that Pinkie Pie would have held dear to her."

"First place to look would be Sugarcube Corner.  I just hope the Cakes haven't gotten rid of her things yet," she said, her ears drooping.

"Then we must make haste.  But first, we need to return this book to its chamber.  As I said before, I don't want to risk it falling into the wrong hooves," Celestia said, taking the tome with her magic and escorting it back to the archives.  Nodding, Twilight rose and joined her teacher.


-----


Silverstar laid on the bench in his holding cell, his back to the bars.  A few hours ago, his deputy found him laying on the floor beside the body of one of his best friends.  As much as Dusty didn't want to do it, he had no other choice but to slap the cuffs on him and lock him away for questioning once they moved Chief Thunderhooves corpse from the building.

Seeing the once proud tribe leader being carted out of the sheriff's office missing a chunk of his head made the morning hangovers of the citizens who were just waking up and getting their days started completely disappear.  Once again, the Appleloosans and the buffalo herd came together, but not for celebrating.  All everypony could do was ask 'Why?'.  Those who saw the pair drunkenly step inside the station saw them leaning on each other for support while others mentioned how they were laughing, most likely thanks to some jokes and stories brought on by alcohol, through the streets during the last leg of the party.

Everything Dusty asked Silverstar was met with a response that nopony found satisfactory.  Talk of how he found the buffalo shrieking on the floor and fighting a ghost or something was making Silverstar sound like he had suddenly gone mad.  After going over the doors and windows, as well as leaving everything where it lay so as not to disturb the crime scene, there was nothing to indicate that somepony had broken in with the intent to murder Thunderhooves.  Not only that, why leave Silverstar alive?  None of it made any sense.

The only thing that anypony could come up with was that, for whatever reason, Silverstar attacked Thunderhooves, there was a struggle, and the sheriff came out on top, despite falling and hitting his head.  The only things they didn't have were a motive and a murder weapon, unless the sheriff had hidden it really well before slipping and injuring himself.  Unfortunately, everything else was pretty airtight, and Silverstar's reasons would come out eventually.

A loud squeak came from the far side of the room, followed by a loud klank.  Three sets of hoof steps made their way to his cell.  He rolled over and looked up through the bars at Dusty, Braeburn, and Little Strongheart.  Each of them were as mind-boggled as the rest of the town.

"Sheriff.. what.. what happened?  Why'd you do it?" Dusty asked.

"I told you already.  It wasn't me!  I can't explain what I saw other than what I said earlier!  I know it doesn't make any sense, but it's the truth!"

"You know we went over this place from top to bottom, Silverstar.  Nopony else came in or out.  It was just you two."  Dusty sighed heavily.  "Look, later today, we're going to start getting a jury lined up, and I'll see what I can do about getting you a good lawyer, but.. I gotta be honest.  It doesn't look good for you."

"You monster!" Little Strongheart chimed in.  "How could you?!  After everything we've done for you!  He was your friend and you.. you.. !"

She gritted her teeth and turned away.  Looking at him disgusted her right now.  As much as Braeburn wanted to try and comfort her, he knew it wouldn't do any good.  She might not want to even look at him either, given that he was a friend of Silverstar's as well.

She knew Braeburn had nothing to do with what transpired, but at the moment, she wanted nothing to do with anypony or anything Appleloosan.  She turned and faced her special somepony with tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Brae," she said, sobbing, "I.. I think we need to keep our distance for a little while, y'know?"

"Ah understand.  Ah hope we can get through this mess.  Still can't believe it myself.  Wish there was something Ah could do to fix this."

"Just promise me he'll pay for what he's done.  Please?"

"Ah will, darlin'.  Ah swear to it."

She leaned in and hugged him tightly, still crying and sniffling.  He reciprocated and nuzzled her cheek.  "Thank you.  I'm going to go round up the others and we'll head back home.  I don't know how they're going to react, but.. "

"Wouldn't surprise me if they may want to seek some retribution.  Wouldn't blame them, to be honest."

"Yeah, that's what worries me.  Nopony here except him had anything to do with this.  I'll try and make them see that."  Little Strongheart released Braeburn from their embrace and took a step toward the gate.

"Ah know you will.  They'll listen to you.  If there's anything you need, you let me know, OK?"

Glancing sadly at the floor as she made her way out, she nodded.  "Thanks, Braeburn.  I'll let you know what happens.  Take care."

"You too."

As Little Strongheart left the detention area and disappeared from sight, Braeburn let out a heavy, miserable sigh.  "First Applejack, and now this.  What the hay is going on?"

"Braeburn, you know me.  Why would I do such a thing?" Silverstar pleaded.

"Ah'm not the one you're gonna have to convince, sheriff.  The jury is, once it's put together.  Ah'm gonna go, Dusty.  Ah.. Ah just can't be here right now."

The deputy nodded and watched the distraught stallion exit the premises.  He turned and glared angrily at the inmate.

"Dusty, come on, how long've you been working with me?  You know I didn't do anything!"

"How long I've been working with you ain't the point," Dusty said.  "We've got the body of a chief on our hooves!  If Little Strongheart can't convince the rest of the tribe to just be angry at you, it'll be like what almost happened a year ago all over again, except this time, they won't stop trampling the town until there ain't anything left!  Everything that we worked through will be for nothing!"

Silverstar slumped over as, little by little, he saw all the good times and fond memories of the past year being erased.  Dusty was entirely right, too.  If it wasn't for a well-placed pastry, the town would have been decimated.  The buffalo were bigger, stronger, faster, and had more of a fighting spirit than the Appleloosans ever did.  Looking back, he realized they never would have stood a chance in the end.  Now, it seemed quite likely that the events that never happened would come to pass after all.

"I'm sorry, Dusty," the sheriff whispered.

"I'm sorry, too."  The deputy took a step toward the gate and paused, smirking and practically growling his disgust.  "You might as well get comfortable in there.  Won't be until tomorrow by the time we get the trial going.  Next day at the latest.  I'll be back in a little while with some food."

Without another word, Dusty left the officer alone in the quiet, dank cell staring at the floor, losing himself to his misery.  He laid back down on the bench and curled up in the same position they found him earlier, his back to the bar.  With nothing really to do to occupy his time, he closed his eyes and dozed off.


-----


Silverstar slowly walked down the main road at the center of Appleloosa.  The citizens were going about their usual daily business; hitting up the general store, fixing a carriage, carrying groceries home.  Nothing out of the ordinary.

The sun overheard was brutally, oppressively hot.  He wiped his brow clean of sweat, only for it to be dampened again a moment later.  A dry smell wafted through the air, almost tickling his nose with traces of dirt and dust.  What he wouldn't give for a nearby water trough.

"Sheriff!" a voice yelled out from behind.

At the sound of his name, the townsfolk dropped what they were doing and raced inside the closest buildings, slamming and locking the doors closed.  In an instant, Appleloosa turned from a bustling little village into an abandoned ghost town.

Silverstar squinted and slowly turned his head.  In the distance, a shadowy figure stood.  A low, wide-brimmed hat hid the intruder's face.  A loose-fitting, tan poncho was wrapped around their neck, concealing most of their upper body and flapping ominously in a welcome, gentle breeze.  Around the mystery visitor's waist was a tight, fake leather belt with a slingshot on one side and a small bag with pellets and stones in the other.

"I've been lookin' fer you," they said with a fake accent.

"There a problem, stranger?"

"Eeyup.  I'm lookin' right at it."

Now angry, Silverstar turned and faced the mysterious adversary.  He couldn't make out who it was, but somehow this guest knew them.  He had to have bumped into them at some point.  It was only a matter of time until he discovered their identity, he reasoned.  Ponies like this one always felt the need to let you know who they were before they did the deed.

"What've you got against me?" Silverstar asked.

"You 'n Chiefy have shared a lot these last several months.  But there's still one thing left you boys gotta share.  If you cared about him at all, that is."

The sheriff's blood suddenly boiled.  Thunderhooves was a close friend, and this lunatic wasn't about to bring the recent tragedy into this.  Not if he had anything to say about it.

"Who are you?!  What do you want?"

The newcomer flipper their hat out of way of their face.  A flat pink mane fell from the side and dangled freely.  A pair of angry blue eyes peered out from under the brim, and a grizzly smile reached across her face.  Silverstar gasped when he saw her.  Though it had been a while, he remembered the mare as clear as day.  Her and that awful song that nearly led to the town being destroyed, if it weren't for a well placed pie.

"Howdy, par'ner!" Pinkie growled.

"You!  Wh-what're you doing here?"

She spat on the ground, never taking her eyes off Silverstar.  "I'm 'ere to kill ye."

"What?  Is this some kind of joke?"

Pinkie didn't respond.  They stared each other down, he in confusion and she with a fury in her eyes that burned as hot as the sun overhead.  A light gust of wind blew a tumbleweed by and kicked up a swirl of reddish dust.

"Draw," she said quickly.

"Huh?"

"Draw!"  In a flash, she stood on her hind legs, pulled out her slingshot and a pellet, rocketing it at the shocked sheriff.  He ducked out of the way just as quick and unholstered his pistol, firing off a single shot at the psychotic pony and catching her square in the chest.

"Ooo!  Ye... ye got me!  Everythin's.. goin' dark!  So cold... uuugh!"

With a hoof held dramatically at her forehead, Pinkie fell backwards, seemingly dead.  Silverstar gritted his teeth behind his lips, angry with himself for what may have been a justifiable death, but another body on his conscience nonetheless.  He returned his pistol to its case and slowly crept up to the motionless pink pony.

He stopped his approach about ten feet from her body.  She didn't appear to be breathing.  Silverstar's stomach started turning.  It was a rare thing that he actually had to do something as drastic as he just did, but it had to be done.  He sighed heavily, grateful that the worst was over.

Suddenly, Pinkie sat up and fired again at the sheriff before he could react, hitting him square in the eye.

"Aaagh!"

"Aww darnit!  I was aiming between your eyes!  I must be getting rusty!"  She gracelessly hopped up and threw her garments off, bowing to an audience that didn't exist.

"Thank you, thank you!  You're a terrific crowd!  Thank you!"

The only sound in the air was the screaming sheriff.  She looked around and, finding the area empty, snorted disappointedly.

"No fair!  I was sure I was going to win an award for that performance!  Ah well.  Guess I'll just do what I came here to do and call it a day," she said to herself.

She grabbed the poncho and, in a rapid series of twirls, twists and bends of her hooves, unwove and threaded it back together in the shape of a noose.  She wrapped it around Silverstar's neck, catching one of his limbs under the rope, and pulled it tight.

Pinkie put on the fake accent again, addressing her latest victim.  "Sheriff Silverstar, fer the crime I committed of murderin' yer dear friend Chiefy, I sentence ya ta death!  By hangin'!"

With that, a six-foot tall platform with a drop-down section sprang out of the ground below the pair.  As it rose from the earth, Pinkie tied the rope around the suspension beam that built itself over their heads.  The sheriff's free hooves settled on the trap door as Pinkie adorned a black executioner's hood.  A release lever grew from the floor in front of the maniacal pony.

"Does the condemned have any last words?"

"I didn't do- !"

"Too late!"

Flicking the large switch, the trap door fell open and Silverstar right behind it.  The hoof trapped against his throat prevented the rope from completely tightening itself around his neck, much to the annoyance of Pinkie.  His hind limbs kicked at the air desperately as he tried to pull himself up from the sudden black pit below him that somehow appeared out of nowhere.

"Oh come on!  This couldn't be easy and quick?" Pinkie snarled.  "Well, I do have an idea that will help speed this along!"

Reaching behind the platform, she clumsily dragged up the scalped dead body of Chief Thunderhooves and flopped it onto the floor.  It had a rope already tied to his neck similarly to the sheriff's.  Silverstar's eyes widened at the grisly sight of his deceased friend and kicked even harder.  The hole that the condemned was hanging through grew larger on its own as Pinkie strapped Thunderhooves' body to Silverstar's hoof and rolled him down into the chasm.  The sheriff gasped and wheezed as the rope around his neck suddenly tightened, but he still managed to fight, barely.

"Wow, you're tough!  Must be the earth pony in you!  OK, you forced me to pull out the big guns!"

Ducking below again, Pinkie yanked a refrigerator, a large rock, the barred door of his jail cell, two life sized dolls in her own image, and a kitchen sink from out of nowhere.  Each item already had their own rope wrapped around them as well.  With an unspoken command, she pointed at Silverstar and the ropes came to life, darting after and around his legs and hips, tying themselves tight.  The floor opened again and swallowed everything whole.

With the excessive weight too much for his fragile body to handle, Silverstar's midsection tore and spilled his innards into the abyss, dragged down with the plethora of items Pinkie found.  What was left of the sheriff's body sputtered and twitched involuntarily for a few seconds before his eyes rolled into the back of his head.  Satisfied with her latest kill, Pinkie bounced with joy, squealing with delight.

"Well, I should be off now.  Appleloosa's been good to me, but there's someplace else I need to be in a little while," Pinkie said.  Suddenly, an idea came to her and she smiled widely.  "Ohohoh!  This whole thing here reminds me of a song!  Silverstar, you want to help me sing it?"

He didn't answer.

"Phooey on you!"  She cleared her throat and began to dance.  "I hung the sheriiiiiiff!  But I did not hang the deputy!  Ha cha cha cha!"


-----


A few hours had passed and it was getting close to lunch.  Deputy Dusty stepped inside the sheriff's office and headed into the kitchen.  Pulling out a plastic tray from a cabinet by his hooves, he set a plate with a few bits of chilled fruit from the fridge onto it.  Even though it was likely that Silverstar was going to be found guilty of murder, he could still at least try and be gracious with him.  He rarely showed any signs of hostility to anypony and certainly not to his buffalo chums.  He balanced the tray on his back and closed the refrigerator door.

"Sheriff?  I've got some stuff for you," he said, unlocking the detention wing's gate and stepping inside.

He took a few steps until he saw Silverstar's body hanging by his vest that had been wrapped around his neck from the highest horizontal bar.  But that wasn't what caused him to jump in fright and spill the plate and its contents onto the floor.  Below his torso was his lower half, and his intestines, stomach and just about everything else laid in a terrible pile, leaving no evidence as to how something like this could have happened.  The awful stench and the buzzing flies almost made Dusty vomit where he stood.

"Oh dear goddess.. help!  Somepony help!" he screamed as he ran out the building.
> Chapter 8
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight and Princess Celestia stepped out of Sugarcube Corner dejectedly.  The hopes of finding a trinket of some sort that Pinkie Pie held dear had been dashed the moment they saw her old room empty of all its contents.  Even though it hadn't been long since the party mare had died, the Cakes felt that selling or donating her things would help speed up the healing process.  They loved her dearly, after all, and it still hurt to see her not bouncing around the bakery making all kinds of crazy, delicious things.

"So now what?" Twilight asked her mentor.  "Where do we go now?  I was sure we'd find something here."

"I suppose we could travel to her old home from when she was a filly.  However," Celestia said, "I'm afraid I don't know exactly where it is nor would I know what to look for even if I did."

The unicorn thought for a moment and stepped back inside the oversized gingerbread house while the Princess waited patiently outside.  It made sense to ask the Cakes if Pinkie ever mentioned where her rock farm home was.  Surely it had come up from time to time.  Shortly after, Twilight stepped back outside with a cautiously optimistic look.

"They told me her home was a bit southeast of Dodge Junction, about eight or ten miles from town," Twilight said.

"Then we had best get a move on.  It's easily a day and a half travel by train.  Hopefully we'll be able to find somepony who knows exactly where her old home is."

"Couldn't you just fly us there?"

"I'm afraid even at my top speed, it wouldn't be that much quicker.  Your friend Rainbow Dash really was the fastest flier in Equestria," Celestia stated.

"Even faster than you?"

"Yes, my student.  I also thought of using a long-range teleportation spell, but over such distances, the results can be rather unpredictable.  We could inadvertently end up hopelessly lost in the middle of nowhere.  The safest method is by train."

The lavender mare sighed, frustrated.  "It just feels like it's taking longer than it should to get prepared for this ritual."

"Which is why we mustn't tarry any longer.  Now, come.  We have a train to catch."


-----


It was ten after four when the next ride to Dodge Junction finally left the station.  According to the signs posted, they should arrive at half past nine o'clock the day after tomorrow, provided there weren't any unusual delays.  As long as the trip itself was a smooth one, the only real delay they'd run into is finding somepony who knew the whereabouts of the Pie family.

Twilight and Celestia hadn't said much to each other as they traveled.  Most of their time had been spent looking out the window at the scenery and reflecting on the horrific events as of late.  Periodically, Twilight would quietly repeat the mantra she studied, making sure she was able to remember it when the time to use it came.  She, like her teacher, just hoped that this journey to Dodge Junction wasn't going to go as badly as things had at Sugarcube Corner.  They had to find something to use.

The Princess watched calmly as the sun began to set a few hours later.  She was pleased that Luna was able to manage both celestial bodies with relative ease.  It didn't come as a surprise to her though.  Both of them were immensely powerful and capable of incredible things.  Besides, if she was capable of raising the moon for a thousand years on her own, then the Princess of the Night should have no trouble with the operating of the sun.

Once the bright ball of light had faded away and the skies turned a dark violet, Celestia's thoughts drifted to Pinkie Pie.  With the night now upon them, it was possible that some ponies were about to head to bed soon.  If only she knew where the pink mare would go next.  Despite all her power, being able to see the future was beyond her limits.  Even beyond the legendary Starswirl's.  She needed to draw Pinkie away from her intended targets.  The only question was how.

As the stars came out one by one, Celestia quietly retired to their cabin, still trying to figure a way to bait Pinkie Pie.  Whatever she eventually came up with, she had to be subtle, but she also had to remember that she and Twilight weren't completely ready.  A cautious approach was necessary.

Twilight had entered the cabin a short while ago, and not long after, had fallen asleep for the night.  Celestia couldn't imagine what must have been going on in her mind.  All the stress, the heartache.  It reminded her of what she went through when her younger sister had become the twisted monstrosity that was Nightmare Moon and the actions that soon followed.

As always, Celestia cast her protective spells over Twilight as she rested.  She was not going to lose her student and friend, no matter the cost.  She continued to think of a way to get Pinkie's attention as the hours passed.  It was proving to be more difficult than she originally anticipated.  Celestia needed a carrot to dangle in front of the pink pony's nose, but what could it be?

An idea suddenly came to her.  Based on what Spike mentioned in his letter, she reasoned that Pinkie wanted one thing more than anything else:  Twilight.  She hated the idea of using her precious student to lure Pinkie away from her rampage, but it was one of the only plausible options she was able to think of.  It was a fair risk, but her spells masking Twilight's presence in the dream world could be modified a bit without entirely leaving her unprotected.  If the unicorn were to find herself in trouble, the Princess could easily restore the spell back to its full potential and Twilight would be safe again.

She sighed, wishing Luna wasn't so busy being stuck with her workload all day and night.  Her dreamwalking abilities would come in extremely handy with such a situation.  At the same time, Celestia didn't want to put her sister in harm's way.  She had to deal without her by her side for a thousand years.  The thought of never seeing her again would be too much for the ancient alicorn.

As Twilight slept, Celestia's horn glowed faintly so as not to disturb her, the protective spells hard at work.  Taking in a deep, nervous breath, the Princess eased up on her magic, her horn fading slightly, leaving the room illuminated almost solely by the full moon's light shining in through the window.


-----


A tan-colored, older stallion sat in his dark green rocking chair, reading the paper he picked up from town earlier in the day.  It was the evening edition.  It always was.  Being as far out of town as he and his wife were made it virtually impossible to get an early morning newspaper, but at least he was still relatively in the loop.  An odd headline caught his attention and he had been reading through the article carefully.

Apparently the previous evening had been rather interesting as well as the early afternoon that day.  Clyde had heard about some tale with the Appleloosans and a nearby buffalo tribe fighting about something and later on making amends a while back.  Seems that, according to the story in the paper, the buffalo chief was found dead in the sheriff's office and the sheriff himself was the only suspect they had.  Unfortunately, the following day, the officer was found disemboweled and hanging from the bars of his jail cell before his trial even began.  The old stallion was happy that such things didn't happen around his rock farm or in Dodge Junction.  He wondered as he read who could have done such terrible things.

The warm glow of the fireplace on the other side of the room helped to alleviate the concern he felt as he read.  For some reason, it had been chillier than it was supposed to have been for most of the day, and that evening was practically stone cold.  It almost felt like a chill blew threw the quaint cottage despite the windows being shut.  The fur stood on end on his forelimbs briefly and he shivered as his off-white wife stepped into the room and sat on the adjacent chair.

"Strange cold we're having today," Sue said.  She undid the blue and white striped scarf she was wearing and rubbed her small glasses clean.

"Mmm," was all Clyde responded with.  He was never much for talking.

A quiet moment passed before the mare spoke up again as she enjoyed the fire.

"I don't know about you, dear, but I wouldn't mind having an extra hoof around the farm tomorrow.  Been rather exhausted lately.  The south side has some particularly large rocks that need to be worked on and I'll be honest, I don't look forward to it," she stated bluntly.

"Was nice when the girls were still around.  Hard workers."

"Indeed.  Well, all except Pinkie after that one day.  Granted, it was still a pleasant, if not unusual, day.  But she did get her cutie mark, so that was nice."  Sue paused, unsure if she should ask what she wanted to.  She threw caution to the wind.  "Do you ever think about them, Clyde?  The girls, I mean."

"Occasionally.  They have their own lives now.  Couldn't keep them here even if we wanted to," he said mundanely as he turned a page.

"I suppose so.  I do hope things turned out OK for them."

"I'm sure they're fine."

Sue shivered hard and hugged herself tightly as another gust of unseen wind swept through their den.  If Clyde was feeling chilled, he sure wasn't letting on.

"Dear, it's getting a bit late.  Do you want to turn in?  We do have to get started early tomorrow, you know that."

He glanced at the clock and blinked in mild surprise.  "Hm.  Guess you're right.  Go ahead and get ready.  I'll put out the fire in the meantime."

Clyde folded up the paper and set it down on the end table next to his rocking chair while Sue retired to the bedroom.  Grunting, his old bones aching in the cold, he trotted up to the fireplace and grabbed the bucket of water next to it, gently pouring it onto the burning wood.  He made it a point in his mind to clean it up tomorrow after the chores were done.  It was too chilly to do anything like that tonight, and he was getting tired.  Once the last bits of fire melted out of existence, he replaced the bucket and headed to bed where his wife lay waiting to say goodnight.  He couldn't deny that, right now, the blanket looked and felt great.  A few minutes after getting comfortable, the couple turned and fell asleep.


-----


Sue looked over to Inkie and Blinkie after swinging her pickaxe down on the rock in front of her.  She and Clyde were breaking up the rocks on the west field while the two grey fillies were shifting the ones just to the north, pushing them along on the ground in the direction of their parents.  The kids never could figure out exactly what the purpose of the whole routine was.  There were rarely ever any gems found in the stones, and if any were, they were unceremoniously tossed away like trash.

They missed their younger sister.  For whatever reason, in the dead, grey home they lived in, she was a bright shade of pink.  Well, bright enough.  There was still a faint dim quality behind the color of her coat though.  But after she got her cutie mark, she was a lively, cheerful little pony, something the family never understood or experienced.

"Come on girls, pick up the pace," Clyde shouted.  "We got half the farm to go still."

An eye twitched for them both and they glared at their parents from behind a small pile of rocks they had accumulated.  They looked at each other and sat down out of sight, giggling and laughing out loud suddenly.  This piqued the older couple's curiosity and they walked to where they heard the commotion.  When they arrived, they blinked in surprise.  Their daughters had changed into a pair of babies playing patty cake and somehow talking despite their obviously young age.

"One, two, Pinkie's coming for you...
Three, four, better lock your door...
Five, six, get your friendship fixed...
Seven, eight, gonna stay up late...
Nine, ten, never sleep again..."

Sue took a step back at the freaking sight when Pumpkin and Pound Cake turned and glazed over them with large, empty eyes.  The children turned back to each other and repeated their song.

"C-Clyde, I don't like this."

He stared motionlessly at the peculiar pair before speaking up.  "Yeah.  What's going on?  Where're Inkie and Blinkie?"

The husband and wife called out for the kids, unaware of the large number of rocks rolling into a pile behind them.  The stones spun around in a circle as the stash grew bigger in size, coalescing into a giant round boulder.  When it finally reached its intended massive size, it began to roll at them.  The rumbling on the ground caught Clyde's and Sue's attention, and they shrieked in panic.

They turned back quickly at the babies, but the little ones were nowhere to found.  After a second of confusion, Clyde and Sue forgot about the mystery children and made a mad dash for their cottage, the enormous boulder turning pink as it closed in on them and growing a pair of huge blue eyes.  They could have sworn they heard a familiar laugh as Clyde opened the door, let his wife sprint in and slam it closed behind him.

Their eyes shut tight as they braced themselves against the door, waiting for the inevitable, but nothing came.  Shaking, they slowly opened their eyes as they held their breath.  They glanced out of the corners of their eyes toward the door, wondering what was going on.  Relieved that the bizarre incident seemed to be over, they sighed in relief.  That relief slowly disappeared when they noticed they were somehow back in their bedroom, even though they went in through the front door.  With a quick look around the room, they also found that there was only a single window in the room, high over their heads, letting in a faded beam of moonlight.

On the bed before them, they saw a pair of figures laying on their sides, facing away from each other.  Stepping forward, Clyde and Sue gasped when it became clear who was in front of them.  It was them, sound asleep.  Suddenly from the other side of the house, a grinding noise, like metal scraping against the wood floor, faded into existence just loud enough for them to hear through the door, coupled with what sounded like hoofsteps.  With each passing second, it got closer.

In a panic, Clyde reached for the doorknob to lock it, but the knob faded away.  The couple backed up and hit the foot of the bed, but were too terrified to try and move.  Not that they had anywhere to go.

The bedroom door was encircled by a faint glow of light that leaked in from an unknown source.  The scraping sound halted just outside, and a final pair of steps reached the entrance.  A shadow of the intruder's hooves leaked in from under the lip of the door, and the couple's stomach turned, fearing what was about to become of them.

With a loud creak, the door came open, revealing a welcome sight to Clyde and Sue.

"Pinkamena?  Pinkamena Diane Pie, is that you?" Sue asked, cautiously optimistic.

"Celestia, it is you, Pinkamena!  Err, Pinkie!  How've you been?  What are you doing here?"

She stared at them, a numb look in her eyes.  For once, the party pony wasn't smiling.  A silent fury burned from her core, and she showed it clear as day on her face.  The pickaxe she was dragging on the floor helped drive the idea home.

"Hi, mom.  Hi, dad."

"Dear," Sue said, nervously smiling, when she noticed the tool, "wh-what are you doing with that?  You scared half to death!"

"Funny you should say that.  What I want to know is why you're smiling.  We don't smile here on the Pie Family Rock Farm, remember?" she asked harshly.

"That was a long time ago, Pinkie," her father spoke up.  "W-We've been through some things, a-a-and..."

"Shut it," Pinkie angrily said, cutting him short.  She stepped inside, scratching the pickaxe against the floor like claws on a chalkboard, and pushed her parents over the edge of the bed onto, and into, their own bodies.  The motionless husks absorbed their own images and snapped awake, immediately spotting their demented daughter.

"Pinkie, what's going on?!" Sue cried out.

In an instant, a series of vines and branches swung out from under the bed and wrapped themselves around their limbs, digging in tight.  They grunted and struggled against the insanity, desperately, and fruitlessly, trying to get free.  As they fought their restraints, Pinkie's right eye began to twitch.  She shook her head, getting rid of the unusual spasm.  Pinkie never felt that before.  She glanced away, confused, but decided it was best to ignore it and focus on what she came here for.

"You're still laying in bed right now.  This is only a dream.  You can keep telling yourself that all you want, but it won't help you wake up," she informed her parents.

"Wait.  How are we both in the same dream?  That doesn't make any sense," Clyde said.

"I arranged it.  I wanted to see you both.  Particularly the look on your faces when I..."  She tapped the pickaxe.  Another spasm hit her cheek.

"What?!  Why?!"

Trying to hold back her hatred, she squinted angrily and gritted her teeth behind her lips.  "Because I was born here.  You never allowed me or my sisters to smile.  To laugh.  To be fillies and do what little fillies do.  No, instead, we worked ourselves to the bone doing some ridiculous job that had absolutely no meaning to anypony!  Perhaps if these rocks had gems in it, like how somepony I knew used to find them, then maybe it would have made sense, but no.  They were just.  Rocks.  You never had any idea how much I hated and resented you for everything you did!"

"B-But you were so happy after you got your cutie mark!" Sue said frantically.  "What about that?  Was it never real?!"

"Oh, it was.  But my hatred remained nonetheless, buried nice and deep.  There were a couple of times where it even came out to the surface despite the cutie mark.  And to think, if you had been intelligent, caring parents, it likely would never have happened.  Heck, for all we know, I might still be living –and I emphasize living–"

Her parents gasped in shock, realizing what she was saying.

"...on the farm.  Perhaps I would have even been OK with pushing around your stupid rocks like an idiot.  But that's neither here nor there anymore.  Tell me, dad, do you still bring home the evening paper every night like clockwork?"

After slowing down his horrified breathing, he squeaked out a "yes".

"I'm willing to bet there was some.. interesting activity going on in Appleloosa recently?"

The old stallion stared at the maniac intently, his thoughts going a mile a minute.  Bit by bit, everything sank in and his mouth fell open in disbelief.

"You.  It was you, wasn't it?"

"Clyde, what's she talking about?"

"Yes, Clyde, what are you talking about?" Pinkie parroted.

"The murders.  I-In Appleloosa."

"What?  Pinkie, you didn't!"

With a slow lick of her lips and a gentle caress of her pickaxe, Pinkie smiled for the first time that night.  Sue wept as her daughter wordlessly confirmed her father's suspicions.

"Heeeeey!  Don't feel bad.  In just a few moments, we'll have ourselves our very own little family reunion, aside from my sisters.  But they won't be harmed.  They didn't do anything," the pink mare said, twitching again.  She turned and stared at her panicking mother and father.

"Pinkie!  We're sorry!"

"Please don't do this!  We only wanted you–"

The couple screamed as Pinkie lifted the pickaxe over her head, ready to drive it into them, when she quickly lowered it back down and looked off into the distance, fascinated by something she sensed.  Her smile grew wider and she chuckled to herself.  Pinkie's sudden pause gave her mom and dad a bit of hope that she had come to her senses.

"Hmph.  I knew she'd slip up sooner or later.  But.. she seems to be shrouded or something.  Must be Celestia's work, put a protective spell on her or something and it must be fading.  Still, I seeeee yoooou, Twilight!"  She bit her lip and bounced with glee.  "Oooh, this night had suddenly turned out even better than I expected!  As much as I'd like to stick around and, um.. reminisce, I kinda have to go.  But this mood I'm suddenly in?  It makes me want to sing a song!  And I know just the one!"

She leaped onto the bed and swung her pickaxe into the air, slamming it into her parents' bodies in sync with the words.

"I've been working on the rooock farm
All the live-long daaaays!
I've been working on the rooock farm
To take your life awaaay!

Can't you hear the ponies screaming
Oh so early in the morn?
When I feel that I am finished
You'll wish you weren't boooorn!"

Clyde and Sue stopped screaming almost immediately.
> Chapter 9
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Spike, you have the morning paper?" Private Eye asked.

"Yeah, right here."

The detective took it and unfolded it on his desk, taking a sip of his coffee.  Ever since reading a couple days ago about how a griffon was brutally killed in her sleep, he dreaded opening up the newspaper.  He figured seeing somepony else die out in some far off place, way outside his jurisdiction, was going to become a regular occurrence.  One that he wished he could do something more about.  Yesterday, however, had been quiet.  Even that was unsettling to him in a weird way instead of comforting.

The top headline quickly shattered Private Eye's already waning peace of mind.  He sighed heavily, pulled the newspaper up and read it aloud.

"'Buffalo Chief, Sheriff Found Dead'.  You don't suppose– "

"Wait, a buffalo chief?" Spike queried, cutting him off.

"Yeah," Private Eye said, glancing up at the dragon.  He quickly studied Spike's surprised yet knowing face.  The detective knew almost instantly.  He always was good at spotting details.  "You know one, don't you?"

Spike looked away sadly and grabbed onto his tail.  A nervous habit of his when something was bothering him.  He responded slowly, "If.. what that headline indicates, I have a feeling you should've asked if I..knew one.  But.. yeah.  Yeah, I do."

"And the sheriff?"

"I wasn't as familiar with him as the Chief, but I met him too.  Wh-What does it say?"

Private Eye skimmed through the article, looking for anything that mentioned their bodies.  It didn't take long for him to find it.  "The Chief was scalped and had some burn wound on his throat, and the sheriff.. well, it looks like he hung himself in his jail cell, but that's not it.  His.." the detective paused, trying to find the right way to tell Spike the gruesome details without making them both sick, "it looked like he was ripped apart.  He was the only suspect they had, but it didn't seem to matter in the end."

"And this all happened in Appleloosa, I'll bet?"

The stressed officer silently laid down the paper and nodded.  The young drake's head and heart sunk.  "It's her.  No question in my mind.  I don't have to be there to know it after reading this."

"Does it mention anypony else?" Spike whispered.

"'Fraid not.  They look like they're the only ones, unless something else has happened since then."

The paper gently fell back onto the desk and Private Eye rubbed his forehead.  He felt another migraine coming on, and he didn't need to deal with one this early in the day just yet.

"Spike, take a letter.  May as well let the Princess and Twilight know about this."


-----


Celestia looked out the window and studied the empty desert landscape from the comfort of the train's VIP car.  The foreground zoomed by, teasing with an occasional shade of green, most likely from a random cactus.  In the distance, soft purple and red mountains watched over the scenery, barely moving with train as the two mares readied themselves for the last leg of their journey to Dodge Junction.  Twilight whispered the spell to herself a few times while her teacher proudly looked at her from the corner of her eye.

They had been awake for a couple hours now.  The sun had risen without any delays just like the other recent days with Luna controlling the motions of the heavenly bodies.  Even though she had been relieved that her younger sister had shown she was indeed capable of such feats, she hoped this whole ordeal with Pinkie would be over with soon so she could get back to her regular duties.  Handling paperwork and dealing with upset citizens was far less stressful than what she had been going through lately.

In a quick flash of magic, a letter dropped out of the air and landed in front of the Princess.  The soft rapping of the scroll on the floor caught Twilight's attention as well, pulling her away from her practice.  A soft golden glow took hold of the parchment and unrolled it for Celestia.  She looked over it quickly, her calm demeanor slowly giving way to helplessness as she learned the fates of Pinkie's latest victims.

She turned to her student.  "Do the names Thunderhooves or Sheriff Silverstar ring any bells, Twilight?"

"A bit, yes.  I.. seem to recall Thunderhooves from.. gah, where was it?"

"Appleloosa?" Celestia asked bluntly.

"That's it, yes!"  Twilight froze up when it occurred to her why the Princess was asking such a thing.  The last time they received a letter, it was grim news about Gilda.  "Oh no."

Celestia nodded sadly and popped the scroll away.  "Private Eye suspects it's Pinkie Pie again.  He didn't go into detail in the letter, but he mentioned seeing some.. descriptive terms in the paper.  I have a feeling he's probably correct again."

Twilight's eyes fell to the floor.  Hearing about one murder after another, with her unable to do anything about it, was making her frustrated.  It didn't help that a part of her was angry because, thanks to seeing things spiral out of control as of late, she hadn't died that night so she could be with her friends again.  Maybe then, this nightmare would have already been over.  From what Spike told them in his first letter to them, Pinkie only wanted Twilight.  Now it seemed that she was killing these others out of spite more than anything else.

She gritted her teeth behind angry, pursed lips.  Her head started to throb just enough to get her to notice.  Finally, she snarled out loud, "Ugh!  Can't this train go any faster?!  We need to find a trinket of hers now!"

"It's going as fast as it can, Twilight.  Please calm down."

"I can't calm down!" she snapped without thought.  "Gilda, Thunderhooves, the sheriff, they're all dead because of me!  Spike said it himself!  She wants me!  Maybe.. maybe it'd be easier if.. if I just– "

"No," the Princess cut her off.  "I know what you're thinking, and you're wrong.  We have no idea if doing such a thing would make her stop.  I'm not going to take that chance.  We've both already lost so much.  I don't want to lose you too."

Ashamed, the young mare looked away, still seething a little.  She stomped a hoof on the bench cushion.  "But.. it's– "

Celestia quieted Twilight by lifting her up and laying her gently next to her large white body.  It seemed to soothe her enough; the unicorn was still upset, but not as much as she was a minute ago.

"This hasn't been easy on anypony, my student.  But we will stop her.  I promise.  You already know what you need to know."

"I guess," Twilight mumbled.  She took a calming breath.  "How much longer do you think we'll be until we arrive?"

"You know we still another day until we reach Dodge Junction."

"Ugh!  Listen, when we arrive, Princess, to be honest, I'd prefer to start asking around, see if anypony knows where her old home is, as quickly as possible.  I don't want to stop until we've found the place," Twilight demanded.

Her forward attitude surprised Celestia, but only briefly.  She couldn't blame her student for feeling aggravated.  The sooner they get their hooves on a keepsake of Pinkie's, the sooner they could put this to bed.

"I understand.  Until then, do try and remain calm.  Losing your cool isn't going to help anypony, and we need you to be focused when we are ready to perform the ritual.  You don't want to stress yourself out so much you forget the lines," Celestia said with a relaxing tone.

Twilight sighed, regretting her outburst.  "I'll.. I'll try.  I'm sorry, Princess."

"It's alright, my student.  It's alright."


-----


The arrival at the train station couldn't come soon enough for Twilight.  As soon as the loudspeakers announced that the train had come to a complete stop, she was off the bench and out their cabin door in a flash.

Once the two mares where outside, Twilight trotted across the road to a local market.  Nopony who worked there knew who the Pie family was nor had heard about a rock farm.  They stopped in one building after the next, asking everypony who worked there and had even started asking the customers.  If Princess Celestia hadn't been there, the store owners would likely have thrown Twilight out after a while.

Nopony at the local restaurants, the bank, the police station, any of the manufacturing buildings, or anywhere else seemed to know who Pinkie's family was.  It was beginning to look more and more like a dead end as the day crept on, so much so that it was becoming probable that they would have to venture outside of town and simply hope and pray that they happened to run into a farm of some sort.

With every other defeat, Twilight became more disheveled and worried.  Was their trip going to be all for nothing?  Pinkie needed to be stopped.  They were so close they could taste it!  It was then that a sudden stroke of good luck found them in the form of a newspaper stand.

"Oh yeah, I know that old guy," a stallion with a faded teal coat and a short white beard said.  "Comes by every day about five or six o'clock asking for the evening edition.  Sometimes hangs out for a little while, talks a bit.  Think I'm the only one he says much to.  Never seems to know much about what other ponies in town are doing.

"But, he seems pleasant enough.  Even invited me over for dinner a couple of times.  Why do you want to know?  He in some kind of trouble or something?"

The mares looked at each other nervously.  "No, not exactly," Twilight said, picking her words carefully.  "We need to find something that belonged to one of his daughters.  It's for.. an experiment of sorts.  It has to be something from when she was very young.  Crazy magic stuff, you know?"

"Is that right?  Well, to get to his place, you head down that way," he pointed east, "and head right at the last building at the end of the street.  You don't want to make a hard right, just about half way, and you keep going straight until you come to a half-dead tree with three real big branches forking up, you'll know it when you see it.  About fifty or so feet ahead, you'll spot a trail in the road.  Follow that trail and his place is about a good hour and a half, maybe two at a slow pace, away.  Ain't much to look at out there.  Mostly just a bunch of rocks all over the place.

"By the way, any idea how his little girls are doing?  You seem to know at least one of them by what you said."

"We knew one, yes.  Her name was Pinkie.  She.."  Twilight hung her head, misery being replaced by anger.  She repressed her emotions and fought off furrowing her brow.  "She was a friend.  She isn't with us anymore though."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.  I'll let you be on your way then.  Has the old man found out yet?"

"I'm not really sure to be honest.  She never said much about her home life from when she was young."

"Well, give them my regards and my sympathies.  Take care, little missy, your Highness," the newspaper pony said, bowing to the Princess.


-----


According to the sun's position in the sky, Celestia estimated that it was somewhere between three and four o'clock when they arrived at a rather run-down looking farm.  Just as the old stallion said, there were rocks decorating most of what could be considered fields if one squinted hard enough.  A long dead tree stood about fifty feet away from a silo that had seen better days.  Most of the wood that made up its walls was rotted and cracked thanks to years of neglect.  The topsoil was loose and grainy under their hooves, puffing into tiny dust clouds every time the two mares stepped.

How anypony could live in such a place was a question that ate at both Twilight and the Princess as they approached the small house with the faded brown roof in front of them.  Its empty, forgotten appearance made them shiver uncomfortably.  Everything around the pair just screamed creepy.  Seemingly just to drive the point home, the windmill beside it, which was lacking a few blades, spun a few inches as a gust of wind blew by.  It spoke with a loud, jarring squeak.

Twilight took a deep breath when they reached the front door.  She knocked softly.  Nothing.  She bit her lip and glanced at her teacher, who looked back at her.  Twilight gathered her courage and tested the doorknob.  It was open.  She pushed it ajar, and a long creak filled their ears.

"Hello?  Anypony home?"

Silence.

"Hello?" Twilight repeated.

Still nothing.

Cautiously, she and her teacher entered the home, the low sun casting the only light in through the windows.  Were they at the right place?  It was the only sign of life down the path so far, not counting Dodge Junction itself.  They walked unsteadily through the living room, going over the details of the place.

There wasn't any dust anywhere.  Not on the furniture, not on the chairs.  On one of the end tables was a folded up newspaper.  Celestia lifted it up and looked at the date at the top.  It was from the day before.  Seemed like the stallion at the stand was telling the truth.

Their suspicions were proven correct when Twilight noticed the mantle over the fireplace.  It had some typical decorations:  A couple candles, a small potted plant, a few scattered books.  But what caught her eye was the picture frame near the center.  On it were a four dull-colored ponies, two young and grey with two older ponies, one grey and the other a light tan color, standing behind them.  Most noticeable, however, was on the right side of the picture.

A small pink ball of fluff stood beside the young pair in the photo with a subtle look of melancholy on her face.  A tiny pout of her lips and the sad angle of her brow were enough details for Twilight to see that, when the picture was taken, she was unhappy.  The others in the shot had neutral expressions, not looking terribly concerned about being photographed at the time or of anything else, one could argue.

"Pinkie.."

Celestia set the paper down and magically reached for the photograph.  Pulling it in for a close look, she asked, "That's her as a filly, I assume?"

"It has to be.  The only thing that looks different is her mane, but I've seen it like that before.  She was furious with us when we threw her a surprise birthday party a couple years ago because she thought we were ignoring her.  Her mane had flattened against her head, and.. she looked the same when she attacked me in my dream."

The Princess replaced the picture frame and the two quickly looked over the room.  To the left of the fireplace was door, and to the right was a hallway that led to a table in what they reasoned was the dining room.  Before the archway, to its left, was another door.

"I'll check this room," Celestia pointed to the left doorway.  "You check the other.  See if we can find anything that could have been precious to Pinkie, provided they still have of her things."

Nodding, Twilight trotted to right and cautiously entered the hallway behind the door.  Almost as soon as Celestia stepped into the room in front of her, she let out a loud gasp.  Twilight heard her teacher and feared the worst.  She raced the short distance across the room and barreled into the Pie's master bedroom, almost knocking the Princess over.  Twilight was going to protect her mentor, regardless of the danger.

Twilight's breath suddenly escaped her upon seeing the carnage laying on the bed.  Her eyes shrank and she began to shake in panic.  In an instant, she dove back out of the room, covering her mouth and failing to stop herself from sobbing in terror.  Her pounding heart threatened to break through her chest.

The Princess slowly backed away from the grisly scene and quietly shut the door.  Somehow, she managed to appear even whiter than she normally was.  She wrapped her foreleg around her horrified student and pulled her close.

"Twilight," she paused, wiping away her tears with a conjured tissue, "go search the rest of the house.  We.. we still need to find something of Pinkie's.  Just pray there's something here.  If we can't, I.. I may not be sure what to do."

Celestia glanced at the door to the bedroom and sighed.  "I'll give the Pies a proper burial outside while you look around.  It's the least I can do for them."


-----


The Princess solemnly entered through the front door, a heavy weight in her heart.  She had just finished giving some silent words of comfort to the deceased and arranging some of the rocks into a pair of make-shift memorials.  She hoped that what she did was acceptable to them in some way.  While Celestia had attended many, many funerals over her long life, including those of her own parents, she never personally buried anypony before.

Actually laying them to rest herself made her think about the lives of some of the closest companions she had to say goodbye to and what it must have been like on their family and friends.  It made her think about her own life as well.  Immortality did not make one invincible.  Alicorns like her didn't need food or sleep or even air, but they could still be injured or killed.  Just like her mother and father.  Just like she almost was when Chrysalis revealed herself at the royal wedding some time ago.

As she magically closed the door behind her, she headed down the hallway that Twilight ventured.  The first door to the left revealed a pair of small beds, likely for children, with very little else in the room.  There was some normal furniture one would find in a bedroom, like a set of shelves and a dress, but no toy chests.  No board games.  No dolls.  It was as barren and dull as the farm itself was.

The next door led to a bathroom.  She moved on and up to the last door on the left, finding Twilight laying on the floor in the center of her room with a book in front of her.  The unicorn looked away from the pages upon hearing the clip-clopping of hooves on the hard wood floor.

"Pinkie's diary," she stated.  "There wasn't anything in the other room, and I reasoned that it must have belonged to the other two fillies from that picture.  Maybe they were twins or something.  As far as I can figure, her parents left everything as it was when they left home.  There's just so much dust on.. well, everything.  It doesn't look like things have been touched in a long time. 

"But this book of hers, this diary I found, it's.. it's just so depressing."

"Did she mention anything important to her that we may be able to use, provided we can even find it?"

"I think I saw something that sounded interesting.  Let me find it."  With several flips of pages backward, Twilight came across the entry and began reading.  "Here we are."

'I made a new friend today.  Actually, it's my first one.  I really don't count my sisters because we don't really say much between us.  Nothing bad, but nothing good either.  I doubt I could ever go to them and talk to them about how sad this place makes me.

I found a rock outside while working earlier today.  It was so perfectly smooth.  I found it kind of' –she skipped over three attempts Pinkie made to spell 'fascinating' and crossing out each try– 'cool.  I took it inside at the end of the day and drew a happy little smiley face on it.  At least one pony should be happy in this place.  I call him Rocky.  It's the only thing I can think of.  Can't imagine why.'

Twilight turned a couple pages ahead and continued, "There's something else here too."

'Rocky's such a good listener!  I can tell him jokes and share with him my wishes and hopes and dreams and not worry about being looked at like I'm stupid or worthless.  I've tried talking to my parents about what I want to do with my life and about what kind of cutie mark I may get, but they ignore me more than anything.  I wonder if they even love me at all.  They probably just want me to stay on this stupid rock farm forever.'

"It seems that this rock was especially important to her.  That just may work," Celestia thought out loud, rubbing a hoof on her chin.  "Does it say where it may be anywhere in the diary?"

"I haven't found anything yet.  She just mentions a lot about how much she doesn't like it here.  I came across an entry just before you came in that mentioned her getting her cutie mark.  After that, the entries seem to sound more like the Pinkie Pie I knew.  Upbeat, full of joy.. happy," Twilight explained.  "But not long after, it seemed to get bleak again.  She was still happy, but I guess the novelty of a new cutie mark ran out quickly for her family.  Looks like she was the first of the sisters to get one too."

Celestia slowly went over the mostly empty room while Twilight jumped to several blank pages in the second half of the journal.  Pinkie must have stopped writing, either out of disinterest or moving away.  She bounced back and forth between entries and empty pages until she found the last piece of writing.  She skimmed through quickly, looking for anything that may have mentioned Rocky.  Suddenly, she raised an eyebrow.

"I think I have something," she said.  Clearing her throat, she read from the journal again.

'I think this is going to be the last time I write in this.  For the last several days, I've been going through some books about other cities around Equestria.  Total snoresville!  You think they'd add in some excitement when talking about other places to make them sound, well, exciting!

I suppose I just need to get out of here.  Even with Rocky around to keep me company, I know I'll never be happy here, and now that I have my cutie mark, I just have to spread the kind of joy that I felt the day I saw that amazing rainbow and the next day when I got my cutie mark to others.

I read about this place called Ponyville.  It's a short distance from Canterlot, the royal city where this Princess lives!  That's just so cool!  It looks like it's a nice, quiet little town that has plenty going on all the time.  Festivals, games, fun, the kind of things I want to do!  And if I want to see a big city, I can just take a train ride and bam!  Canterlot!  I wonder how nice the ponies out there are?

To be honest, I'm not sure if I'd want to visit here again.  Everything around here, except for Rocky, did nothing but make me so sad, and I don't want to be sad anymore!  I just know that meeting all those ponies in that Ponyville place will be the bestest thing I could imagine, but just in case things don't work out and I have to come back here, I want what will hopefully used to be my only friend in the whole world waiting for me with the rest of his friends!  Yes, I went outside and gave Rocky his own friends and family!  Aren't I weird?  I like it, it's fun!

I put them in a small box in the corner of my closet, just in case I don't remember.  If I really don't remember, hopefully it'll because I'm making so many new friends that I won't have time to remember!  This diary got me through a lot of bad days, and I had it a lot longer than Rocky, so I know I won't forget where I put this.  I suppose I should ask my parents not to move this book too.  Hopefully they'll actually respect my wishes for once.  I'm going to miss you lots, Rocky, but I know you're happy for me!  Wish me luck!

Pinkie Pie'

Twilight rose quickly and whipped open the closest, her eyes darting from corner to corner.  She spotted a small box in the third one, just like Pinkie wrote.  It glowed a light shade of purple and floated toward the center of the bedroom.  Setting it down, Twilight pulled open the box and found several plain but jagged rocks randomly tossed in.  One by one, they lifted themselves into the air and were placed on the floor.  Finally, when the box was mostly empty, Twilight saw it.

She reached in with her hoof and pulled out the only smooth stone she saw.  It had a pair of big, blue eyes and a wide, blue smile.  The color was faded quite a bit, as it appeared to have been drawn in chalk that likely hadn't been reapplied since the last time Pinkie played with it.  Twilight stared at Rocky with a renewed sense of comfort; she had what they came for.

A second later, a scroll fluttered into the room in a puff of smoke and landed in front of Celestia.  With a curious eyebrow raised, she raised it to her face and unrolled it.  Her features hardened as she sped through the letter.

"We have a situation."

"What's wrong?"

"We need to return to Ponyville."



TO BE CONCLUDED...

> Chapter 10
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The final chapter in the saga begins here!