Chapter two online!

Chapter 2: Breaking the News

"Oh Celestia, that was terrible," Rainbow Dash groaned as she slowly awoke from what she believed to be a bad nightmare. "I can't believe Pinkie would do something like that to me; let alone to anypony. Well, at least it was just a dream, and...wait, where the hay am I," she asked herself as she took in her sudden change of scenery.

The soil she laid on was charcoal in color, and the sky she gazed at was a mixture of deep red, orange, and dark purple with some ambient yellows and several gray-looking clouds that looked almost unnatural. She seemed to be in a cave of some sort, or at least in some sort of path that lead either through a series of mountains or through some cliffs.

"Well, wherever I am, at least I can still fly outta here..." Rainbow began as she leaped to her hooves, attempting to fly up through the small opening above her. However, there was one problem: she couldn't feel her wings. The Pegasus glanced backwards to find something she'd hoped she wouldn't see; her wings were gone, a pair of simple little stubs where the skin and fur of her coat had re-grown replacing them.

"No..." she gasped, her eyes welling up slightly. She closed her eyes, bringing a hoof to her flank; she felt fur and flesh there, so peered back in hope that she had at least survived Pinkie's slaughtering somehow; but that's when she saw that although her cutie mark was back in it's normal place, it appeared as though it had been expertly 'sewed' back onto her flank. Rainbow gasped, tears starting to run down her face slowly. She then regretfully looked down at her chest, and saw the thing that confirmed her fears; stitches held a 'Y' shaped cut that took up her entire front together, running from the bottom of her stomach and splitting around the middle of her chest, as well as several other cuts and deep gashes on her body that were either stitched up or had healed on their own.

"Maybe...maybe I'm still dreaming..." Rainbow Dash muttered, still trying to hold onto any hope she had that she might still be alive somehow.

"I'm afraid that's not the case, ma'am," a voice said a from behind her. The Pegasus pony turned to see a group of four dark ponies clad in armor she'd never seen before walking towards her. "Are you Rainbow Dash?"

"How...how do you know my name? Who are you...what's going on, where am I?"

"I am Captain Gravehoof, commander of the Marebus Royal Legion. You are in the outskirts of Marebus; which is the Equestrian Underworld. In layman's terms: you're dead. Physically. But, your soul has now entered this realm, just like every other mortal soul does. So as I stated earlier, this is not a dream."

Rainbow hung her head in defeat. "So, it did happen."

"Yes, and what you're...friend did was not exactly the way anypony would want to die, either. I know I wouldn't."

"How do you..."

"We receive the reports of every death in Equestria; the whats, who's, whys, whens, and hows. We also receive a file on the departed, that has their name, how they died, and what they're life was like. I believe that answers your other questions."

"So...why come find me if you already know everything?"

"Normally, you'd just be left to wander Marebus on your own. However, our...overseer has taken an interest in you in particular and wishes to have an audience with you."

"Overseer...as in, like, a princess," Rainbow asked.

"More like Prince, but yes, in a sense. Just don't call him prince; he doesn't like that. That's not even his official title, anyway."

"Why me?"

"He didn't say; I guess he found something he liked in your file. Regardless, we have orders to escort you to the capital immediately. I understand this is a lot to take in, so we will leave whenever you're ready."

Rainbow Dash sighed heavily as she took a seat on the ground, collecting herself. "Well, I'm not gonna be doing anything else," She thought after a few moments, standing back up and saying: "OK, let's go."

"Follow us," Gravehoof ordered as the guards turned and began walking the path, Rainbow Dash following closely behind.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Twilight huffed drowsily as her alarm woke her up at 8am sharp, just like she normally would. However, her severely messed up mane and tail, tear stains, and the dark circles under her eyes indicated she'd not slept a wink last night.

Every time she closed her eyes and tried to sleep, all Twilight could see and dream about was Sugarcube, Pinkie, and Rainbow Dash. She'd dreamed several times that she never made it out, Pinkie able to pin her to the ground and strike with that butcher's knife for a fatal blow, waking up panting and in a sweat just before she was struck. The panting soon turned to silent sobbing until she closed her eyes again and the cycle repeated itself.

Fortunately, Twilight was able to finally get to sleep, albeit for only an hour. Regardless, being the strict schedule-keeper she was, she reluctantly got out of bed and lazily trotted to her bathroom, fixing her main as best she could and cleaning her face of the tear stains. After a quick coffee break, Twilight pulled out her planner and checked her chores for the day. As she looked down her schedule, however, she remembered what the princess had said to her in her response letter last night:

"P.S.: You should inform your friends of this as soon as possible. It's tough to take, but I know you can all pull through together."

"The girls..." Twilight said quietly. She still didn't know how to tell them; especially since she knew how they'd take it. Applejack would probably think she was lying, Rarity would probably faint, and Fluttershy would probably break down in tears and almost certainly be inconsolable for a long while. "Oh, but I can't hide it from them forever; AJ would see right through it. Well, I have a break in the morning before I have to do some organizing around here; I'll go gather them up and bring them over and tell them then. Till then, I should just try and act like it's a normal day."

Twilight trotted over to the door to the library and unlocked it, glancing out the window to see something she didn't expect; a small crowd had gathered outside of Sugarcube Corner as several royal Canterlot guards were standing guard at every entrance to the building.

"Celestia did say she was sending a team to investigate first thing in the morning," Twilight mused. She then noticed something else; Rarity, AJ, and Fluttershy were gathered in the crowd as well. "Well, that just made my job easier," Twilight said as she heard a yawn from behind her.

"Mornin', Twi," Spike said sleepily, but then suddenly jolting awake after seeing the shape Twilight was in. "Whoa, you OK? You look like you barely got any sleep last night!"

"It's nothing, Spike, I was just...doing some late-night reading," Twilight lied. "Got a little caught up in the material like always, didn't go to bed until late!"

"Hmph, figures," Spike said, not noticing the lie but noticing the group outside. "Hey, what's going on out there?"

"I'm not sure," Twilight lied again. "I hope Pinkie's alright..."

"You should go over there and check on her," Spike said.

"Uh...I don't know Spike, it looks pretty bad over there."

"If something did happen to her, she needs all the support from her friends she can get. Don't worry, I'll look over the library while you're gone."

"Thanks, Spike," Twilight said, grabbing her saddlebag and planner, hoofing it out the door and towards the crowd. "Phew...that was close. I don't think Spike needs to know just yet; he's just a baby dragon, after all," she said quietly after she was far enough away from the library. Twilight glanced forward as she slowly walked towards Sugarcube, the memories once again flooding her mind with each step she took.

"Twilight," Applejack asked as Twilight approached the girls with a dazed look in her eye. The unicorn shook her head and replied: "Oh, hey, girls."

"You look terrible dear, is everything OK," Rarity asked.

"Oh, just some late night studying is all," Twilight lied. "Anyway, what's going on around here? I went to unlock the library and saw the crowd."

"I wish I knew," AJ replied. "Guards won't tell anypony a darned thing; just keep tellin' us ta move along. Got here around seven this mornin' ta set up the stand for the day and they'd swarmed the place."

"I was in town to get some more food for my animal friends and saw it too," Fluttershy said quietly

"I woke up early to finish a commission and noticed it as well," Rarity added. "I just hope Pinkie Pie is OK..."

"Ah, I'm sure she's...fine," Applejack said with some hesitation but then sighed. "Oh, hay, I don't even know what I'm talkin' about now. Of course it's gotta do with Pinkie, what else could be going on in there?"

"Uh, yeah, about that," Twilight began, but was interrupted when the croud suddenly grew silent, the girls looking to see that the door to Sugarcube had been opened and Princess Luna walked out, an emotionless expression on her face. The crowd bowed respectively as Luna approached a mic stand set up just outside the door.

"Citizens of Ponyville," She said softly. "We...appreciate thine concerns and inquiries regarding Sugarcube Corner, but unfortunately, We are not at liberty to discuss the details with thee at the present time. We ask that thou continue about thine day as normal and We will inform thee of everything when the time is right."

The crowd groaned slightly and began dispersing, Twilight hesitating as the girls went off on their

"Well, it's now or never," Twilight said. "Uh, girls, hold up a sec...there's something I need to tell you."

"What is it, dear," Rairity asked, Twilight hesitating slightly.

"What's wrong, Twi," Applejack asked. "You didn't do nothin' bad, did ya?"

"No, well, not bad, but..."

"Elements of Harmony," Luna suddenly said through the microphone. The girls turned to see the Princess looking at them sternly. "We request thine presence inside Sugarcube Corner immediately. Present thyself to us as soon as possible. That will be all."

"Oh dear, it must be Pinkie Pie," Fluttershy said, rushing towards the building. Twilight gulped audibly, Rarity and Applejack looking at her strangely.

"We'll talk later," Twilight said, her and the other two girls following Fluttershy to Sugarcube Corner. Once Twilight got to the door, Luna put a hoof on her shoulder, signaling her to stop and pulling her aside.

"My sister informed me of the situation last night; at first, I couldn't believe that these atrocities had happened under my watch, and that they were committed by an Element of Harmony! But, once I got here this morning, there was no denying it."

"Thank you for believing me, Princess," Twilight said. There was a slight pause before Luna whispered: "I noticed your hesitation over there; you haven't told them?"

"I...I don't know if I can. I'm afraid of how they'll take it."

"They have to know eventually. If you can't tell them, I will show them. We've left the...crime scene relatively in-tact, with the exception of getting rid of the smell and...body."

"I'll try and tell them," Twilight said. "It's just better if they hear it verbally then see it physically." Luna nodded as the two headed inside. Twilight's mind once again began conjuring images and flashbacks to that night of horror as she walked through the entry hall. Guards were everywhere doing searches, hoof-print dusting, collecting various pieces of evidence, and cleaning up any damage or...stains...they could see.

"Now then," Luna said once they were all gathered inside. "I'm sure you're all wondering what's going on here. I called you in here to tell you such a thing. Or rather, have Twilight tell you."

"Twilight," Applejack said sternly. "What the hay's goin' on? What'd ya do?"

"I...I didn't do anything wrong," Twilight said.

"Well, you obviously know what's been happening here, so out with it already," Rarity said, being unusually blunt.

"Please, Twilight, tell us; if something happened, you need to say something," Fluttershy said quietly. "Especially if it involves Pinkie."

"Uh...well, OK, here goes. Last night, when we'd all left from the search party, I kinda stayed up late doing some thinking, and I tried going to Sugarcube to check on Pinkie since she wasn't out looking for Dash. I kinda used my magic to get in since the door was locked; she was fine, sleeping in her room. I was leaving when...I noticed this...smell that's, well, not as strong now, but you could smell it from up here; it was like, rotting meat, which is weird since the Cakes don't use any meat in their recipies. I found out it was coming from the basement, and I went down to investigate...and...I...I saw..."

Twilight felt tears running down her cheek again as she remembered every painful detail of her meeting with Pinkie and seeing Rainbow Dash's body.

"Saw what," Rarity asked. The girls then heard sobs coming from the lavender Unicorn.

"I...I'm sorry, I can't say it," Twilight sobbed.

"Twi, it's OK, come on, we can take it," AJ replied as the girls moved closer to Twilight.

"Sorry girls, but...I just, I can't..." she replied, the girls holding her close.

"It's OK, dear," Rarity said. "You don't have to tell us if you don't want to."

"I'm...afraid you'll think I'm lying," Twilight admitted.

"I could tell if ya were, and as far as I'm seein', ya ain't," AJ replied. "But...if it's really that bad, we won't press ya."

"Luna...can you...show them...they should still know," Twilght said. The princess nodded and signaled the girls to follow her.

"I'll advise you that it's not as bad as this morning when we arrived here, but you'll still understand what happened," Luna said as she led the girls downstairs. Twilight, meanwhile, was waiting upstairs by the door, waiting to hear their reactions. When they reached the bottom of the stairs and the door to the basement, Luna breathed deeply before saying: "Brace thyselves," and opening the door.

Twilight heard the gasps that came from the girls very clearly from her vantage point, and anyone standing outside the main door to the building could've heard them as well.

"Good Celestia, that ain't right at all," AJ stated.

"Oh..oh my..." Fluttershy said, looking like Twilight when she'd first seen it. Rarity simply fainted.

"All appropriate reactions," Luna stated as the girls fanned Rarity awake, who stomached the image as best she could after recovering. "I believe you've seen enough."

"Yeah, we have," AJ replied as Luna led the girls back up the stairs and to a waiting Twilight, who gave them a 'you see' glance. "Yeah, we believe ya."

"We have one other piece of the puzzle missing; miss Pie is no longer in the building; We believe she fled so as not to be caught. We do not know where she is, as she left no clues as to where she was headed. Anypony's guess is as good as Ours right now."

"Why...why would she do this," Fluttershy asked, visibly disturbed. "She's the nicest pony in ponyville!"

"I think somepony, or something, is influencing her to do this," Twilight said. "If we can prove she wasn't in control of herself when this happened, we can get her help. If not...well, we'll most certainly be down one element."

"Wait, y'all mean they'd..." AJ asked. Twilight nodded.

"If she's found competent and guilty, then, well, execution would be a very viable possibility. If not that, most likely lifetime imprisonment."

"Then we gotta start tryin' ta figure this out," AJ replied. "And we still gotta try n' find Dash, too..."

"Uh...about that..." Twilight said, the girls looking at her strangely. "There's...something else you should see."

Luna took that as a signal, walking out of the room for a brief moment before retrieving what looked like a medical gurney with a bodybag on top of it. The girls jumped slightly at this sudden reveal, Luna wheeling the cart in front of the girls, Twilight turning around as Luna unzipped the bag, the girls gasping at the contents.

"No..." Fluttershy cried as she started to tear up at the sight of Rainbow Dash's hacked up corpse.

"Aw hay no," AJ said angrily. Rarity didn't faint this time, but instead turned away in sorrow.

"I...I'm sorry, but you would've had to know eventually," Twilight said. "I...found her like that strapped to a board last night."

"If ah get my hooves on the demented pony who made Pinkie do this, he's gonna buckin' pay," Applejack said venomously. The girls stared surprisingly at her; even the Princess was speechless.

"Come here, AJ," Fluttershy said, taking the earth pony into a comforting embrace. AJ then did something no pony thought she'd even do; she cried. Fluttershy shushed her as the others joined in on the embrace, even the princess.

Once AJ had calmed down enough, they girls dispersed, Luna breaking the silence by saying: "We have sent a messenger to Cloudsdale to inform her parents of her passing. We didn't inform them of the details, though. We are also holding a vigil later tonight in ponyville after breaking the news later this afternoon. She'd...want you all to come."

"We'll be there," Twilight said, the others nodding. "In the meantime, I believe we have some investigating to do. I'm going back to my library to find all my books about controlling another pony. The princess is doing what she can in Canterlot to find out anything too. We're gonna clear Pinkie's name no matter what it takes!"

"Ah gotta go run the stand but I'll come over and help as soon as I'm free," Applejack said. "We'll get that no good pony for sure!"

"I will join you shortly; I...need a shower," Rarity said.

"I need to go see my animals and make sure they have enough food for a few hours and then I will be right over," Fluttershy said.

"We must stay here and oversee the rest of the investigation," Luna said. "However, we wish you luck in your research."

"Thank you, Princess," Twilight replied. "OK, girls, let's get to work!"

NEXT CHAPTER: Rainbow Dash enters the Marebus Capitol and has her meeting with its ruler! Just what has him so intrigued by her? The girls also begin their research into Pinkie's behavior, and the prayer vigil is held...with a shocking guest.

This next chapter will most likely be the last for a while since I've only gotten so fair in the thought process for this fic; but I will finish eventually cause I do like where I'm going with this.