Meanwhile, Starlight Glimmer tidied up her office in the School of Friendship. It had been a long and, frankly, exhausting semester and she was glad that the summer months were rapidly approaching. Then she could get some well earned rest and relax some. Maybe I could take a solo vacation to Las Pegasus or Baltimare. Yes! Baltimare! I hear they have an even more impressive harbor than the last one! Or maybe…Manehattan! They've jumped in tourism since the rebuild.

As she pondered these things, she raced around her office, sweeping things here and straightening books there. Even though there were still another two weeks before final exams, she just couldn't wait any longer. Her office had been building up quite the layer of dust over the preceding weeks and she had been way too busy to clean it.

The School of Friendship had been bustling all that year. Ever since Midnight was laid to rest, scores and scores of creatures had been sending their young ones to learn about friendship. In fact, the demand was so high for a spot in the school, that Starlight had created a waiting list 15 pages long. She supposed that this was a good thing, but still. It was a hefty load to keep up with.

But she was grateful for the position she held, and even more so since she found out she and Twilight were sisters. They had been simply inseparable. Just like Sunlight and Flurry Heart, they went everywhere and did everything together. They also had many long talks about their friendship, and now they finally understood why they connected on such a deep level. The hugs and words they shared seemed to be so much more personal.

Starlight stopped hurrying for a moment and looked at a framed photograph that rested on her desk. The bottom said "Sisters and Best Friends," and it was a picture of she and Twilight at Las Pegasus the previous summer. She smiled as she used her magic to float the picture over to her. She gave it a thoughtful and loving look. It didn't matter that, technically, they were only half-sisters. To her, they would always be full blooded sisters. She loved Twilight more than anypony she had ever known, and she would always have her back.

Suddenly, the door behind her opened. Twilight stepped in. "Reminiscing?" She asked. Starlight quickly set the photo down and turned to meet the visitor, blushing as she did so. "Just a little bit," she said sheepishly. Twilight maneuvered beside her and the two looked at the photo together. They both smiled.

"Remember how much fun we had?" Starlight asked.

Twilight nodded. "Yeah, I do."

"You know, I was thinking of taking a solo vacation this summer. But I think I'd much rather take another sister trip with you."

Twilight lit up. "Oh, that'd be so much fun, Starlight! I'd love to!"

"Great! How's the first weekend in July sound?"

"Oh," Twilight said as she deflated a bit, "I actually have the annual Friendship Summit in Canterlot that weekend. But I'm free the next weekend!"

"Alright, we'll plan on it, then. But that's not why you came in here. So…what's up?"

Twilight quickly produced the piece of paper that Sunlight and Flurry Heart had shown her. Starlight used her magic to unroll it and flip through it. Her eyes scanned through the names and bit totals, and she was a bit shocked to find that she was the second most valuable pony on the list at 25 million bits. Then she gasped as her mind went to a very dark place.

"What do you think it means?" Her sister asked.

Starlight grimaced and turned to Twilight, "I don't think I know what it means, I know that I know what this means. Twilight, we have to warn Applejack!"

"Applejack? What the hay does she have to do with anything?"

"Twilight, this is a hit list! If we don't warn her, whoever wrote this is going to kill her!" In a flash, Starlight was transported back to her visions when Midnight was a filly. She saw the lake of blood again, and in it, Applejack's head bobbed lifeless. Could this be a fulfillment of that vision?

"We've got to move!" She said urgently.

"Wait," Twilight said, "look, nopony's gonna do something like that."

"That's what you said about Midnight, and look what happened!"

Twilight opened her mouth to argue back, but then realized her sister was absolutely right. The belief and complete trust she had in her fellow pony had been shaken with Midnight's wrath. But, still. A hit list? It just seemed so…drastically evil. Even in an Equestria that had known that a filly's unbridled rampage could rain fire down from the heavens, she still found it extremely hard to accept Starlight's explanation. The evidence was concrete, yet it was still unbelievable.

She sighed. "You're right, Starlight. If we're gonna warn her, we'd better do it fast. That hit pony could be anywhere!"

So she and her sister raced out of the school and dashed down the main street of Ponyville. They made their way over to Sweet Apple Acres. When they galloped through the gate, they nearly ran over Big Mac. He stumbled backward a bit and turned to face the mares. "Sorry, Big Mac!" Twilight said, "but, we're looking for Applejack. Is she free?"

"Yep."

"Is she in the barn?"

"Yep."

"Thanks, Big Mac!"

"Yep!" He said as he walked off to continue his chores.

Starlight watched him go with an air of curiosity. Ever since she had arrived in Ponyville, she wondered whether or not Big Mac said anything other than that one line. True, she had cast a small spell on him to force him to talk, but that brought the wrath of Applejack down on her and she knew never to do that again.

She and Twilight made their way into the barn and found their orange friend. "Howdy, y'all!" Applejack greeted cheerfully. "What can I do fer ya?"

"It's more like what we can do for you," Starlight said. She proceeded to show Applejack the hit list and warn her about it. "I know this seems unbelievable," Starlight finished, "but you'd probably better watch your back for the next few days. Whoever wrote this is liable to be just about anywhere and do just about anything. Shame isn't a factor here. They will kill you in broad daylight if they get the chance."

"Wait, how the hay do you know so much about this here hit list?" Applejack asked.

"Because I knew a pony back in Sire's Hollow who was just like this. I tried talking her out of it, but she went out and killed three other ponies for money. Thankfully, she was caught by the authorities and thrown in jail for years."

"Starlight…do you think it's possible she's broken out of prison?" Twilight asked, "after all, with the rebuilding of Equestria over the past few years, they've had to transport prisoners constantly. Maybe she broke free and went into hiding."

Starlight gasped as she realized Twilight had a good point. Maybe her old acquaintance had broken free from her bonds. If that was the case, then everypony on this list was in terrible danger. The pony she was referring to was excellent with her horn, and could fire a lethal magic blast from hundreds of yards away. She was precise, and precision in this case was very deadly. If they didn't find her, they could all be dead within the week.