Chapter 6: Teeth on Hooves
She entered one of the second floors many hallways and noticed one of the cracked doors was brightened by a light. Dimming her own horns illumination, she cautiously approached the door.
It was a smaller reading room, set up with a small round bed where she and Spike would lay on cozy nights. A pedestal sat up in the corner holding a book, a few comic books lie in another.
Peeking inside revealed the back of Shining Armor. He sat still in front of the bed, under the shine of the disco balls reflective light.
"B.B.B.F.F?" Twilight called out.
She drew close to Shining Armor, unmoved by her presence.
Twilight raised her hoof to tap his shoulder but as she did his head spun around. His eyes were gouged out, his mouth stitched together. She had started to scream as his head fell off from his neck.
The lights darkened, the room became pitch black as the door slammed shut.
She quickly illuminated her horn bright enough to light the entire room.
Shining Armor was gone, the shattered disco ball laid where his head had fallen.
Twilight started to tear up, then stomped her hoof and shook her head.
"What's happening t-to me? Am I… going crazy?"
Her legs shook and she collapsed to the floor.
"I can feel my sanity slipping. It's like I'm losing my mind. I'm even talking to myself!"
The scattered pieces of the disco ball lie in front of her. Her entire body was shaking from her internal doubts, fears, and thoughts.
"Why am I seeing these things? Is it my own fears projecting themselves through my eyes?" She pushed some of the broken shards.
As she pushed the shards away some dirt came off her hoof.
"What? Why are my hooves dirty?" She said as she stared down at her front hooves.
Guilt overcame her and her thoughts. 'What if I'm the killer and didn't realize it? Or even if I am subconsciously and am trying to tell my conscious self?'
She sat in silence, her eyes fixated on the purple soles of her hooves. A slight stain of mud and dirt remained.
"What if I am the killer? Is that why I'm having these visions? Visions of… myself? Did I kill my brother? I saw the masked pony surrounded by fire… and… and Scootaloo."
Tears dropped on her hooves, running the dirt down the sides of her forelegs in muddy trails like rain sliding down a window.
"It all makes sense. Why else would I be unable to take down the barrier unless my subconscious didn't really want to? The masked pony didn't speak at all to me. Maybe the mask I found was my mask?"
She sniveled, tears running down her face, the fur turning even rougher from all the crying she had been doing. Her eyes were red and cloudy, she rubbed the tears away and smudging dirt across her face as well.
"If I am the cause then in this moment of clarity, in this moment of sanity, I know what I must do." Her voice was withered, but as she was only talking to herself the tone did not matter.
Looking at the shattered disco ball, she noticed the rope the once held it in the dance hall.
"I'll stop myself. For Pinkie and the girls." She flew up to tie the rope, using her magic to tie it into a noose.
Rarity lay next to Spike's bed, her head brushing against the sheets.
She remained this way for a few minutes in dead silence, no tears or whining.
Her attitude was calm for the situation, but the stress of all the running around had taken its toll.
'This night will end soon.'
Covering her head in the blanket she sighed. The blanket was blue, specifically made for Spike by Rarity herself. She rubbed her face into it, getting a good whiff of Spike's scent.
'I miss you Spikey-wikey.' She thought to herself as she raised her head. Looking around the room showed many of his toys and comic books.
She used her magic to bring down a portrait containing her and the other main five hugging Spike.
"Ohhh, darling." She said as a slam had come from another room.
She perked her head up, listening for any noise that could be heard. A rattling and slamming coming from the other room caused her to get up and peek from the wooden door.
Unable to tell who it was, she decided to get a better look. Perhaps to find a friend, or to find a killer.
Shining Armor found himself trapped in the third floor bathroom. The entire room was stylized in crystal much like the rest of the castle, except a much whiter coloring compared to the rest of the castle, and styled much like the stereotype that is most bathrooms.
The bathtub was an ivory with its rims a golden tint. The cold water was filled to the brim as if somepony wanted a few hours of relaxation alone and never got the chance. The mirror contained a cabinet, half opened above the sink.
Slamming on the door could be heard by Shining as somepony tried to break it down to get to him.
Shining quickly searched the cabinet behind the mirror trying to find a pair of scissors or something sharp.
"Toothpaste? Come on Twilly, why have a cabinet if you have nothing in it!"
He slammed the mirror shut in an attempt to shatter the glass for a sharp tool of defense.
The door pulled open, the masked pony stared as Shining turned and faced the malevolent pony. He pointed his horn and dug in his hooves. Charging at the masked pony was his last attempt to defend himself, magic proved useless against the disguised.
The masked pony slammed the door as Shining charged, smashing his horn and face against the purple and blue door. A large crack flowed through the crystal as Shining fell to the ground, bleeding and barely conscious.
"Ah ah ah, Shining. You need to be awake to see what happens to you and your wife." The masked pony said as it walked over to Shining.
Shining looked up as the pony grabbed him by his mane and dragged him over to the tub.
"Rubba dub dub. Who's going in the tub?"
The pony shoved Shining's head under the water, as he struggled to push back against the evil pony.
"Oh don't worry Shining, I'm not going to drown you. I've already got someone else on that job for tonight." The masked pony pulled Shining's mane back out of the water, allowing him a moment to catch his breath. "If you however don't stay awake, I can't help it if you drown yourself."
The pony then shoved Shining's back legs over the tub, pushing him down into the bottom of the tub and keeping him there.
"I'd check Twilight's room if you manage to stay alive." The pony said as it let go of Shining.
The masked pony walked out the door, slamming it closed on its way out.
Shining quickly rose his head out of the water, gasping for air. He illuminated the room, hair covered his eyes as he tried to get out of the tub. He fell to the ground face first, slipping on the now wet floor. Blood ran from his nose as he turned the knob with his magic and opened the door.
He grasped a towel and applied pressure as he went out into the hallway, no sign of the murderer. Immediately throwing the towel to the ground and rushing over to Twilight's room, Shining noticed the door had been completely brought off its hinges.
The large wooden door was covered in blood, a candle sat beside some ash on the floor.
Shining jumped over the bloody door and immediately searched the room.
"Show yourself coward!" He snarled, blood dripping down his chin. "What have you done with her?!"
Sparks flowed from the tip of his horn as his fury rose. He let out a blast of energy, breaking a pole of the bed causing the purple tinted see-through canopy to fall to the sheets.
He turned to look around the room but noticed that as the canopy fell, something was out of the ordinary on the bed.
The light flickered from the candle as he moved across the room.
Moving the broken canopy revealed a horn of a pony. It was a pink horn that largely resembled Cadences. The fat end of the horn looked like it was sawn cleanly and meticulously right off its owner.
Shining knew what had happened, he grabbed the horn with his teeth and jumped back over the door.
The noose had been tied to beam attached to the ceiling and wrapped around her neck. She held in her place flapping her wings as she prepared to simply let go of it all.
'This is it. Just stop flying Twilight. You can do it.'
She gulped, closed her eyes, and stopped her flying. Just as she did the door slammed open.
Startled, she quickly grabbed the rope and held herself steady, looking down at the lone pony entering the room.
A black mask covered their face, Twilight recognized the outline of who it was.
"Twilight. Where did you go, my little pony?" The masked pony said in its deep dark stallion-like voice.
'Wait. Did he just talk?' Twilight thought. 'If that thing can talk, then it's not me?! I'm not crazy?!'
A big smile appeared on her face as she removed her head from the noose.
"I'm not crazy!" She yelled, raising her hooves to the air and flapping her wings. Quickly covering her mouth after she realized her mistake.
The pony looked up at Twilight and tilted its head in amusement and intrigue. The red eyes of the mask looked to have lit up in glee, almost as if they were a filly excited to enter an amusement park.
"There you are. I was getting worried. What's the matter? Trying to take the easy way…" The dark voice paused for a moment. Pulling out a knife from the shirts collar, it continued. "…out?"
The masked pony threw the knife at Twilight. She managed to dodge with her body but the blade sliced her wing and struck the crystal ceiling, bouncing off and falling to the ground with Twilight.
Blood spewed out from the severed tendon of her wing, hitting her face and blinding her eyes as she slammed the ground.
She wiped her eyes with her hoof as the masked pony walked over to her. As she looked up from clearing away the blood the pony grabbed her, putting its arm around her neck.
Twilight tried to squirm and struggle as it dragged her out into the hall by her head.
"Oh don't worry Twily, I'm not going to kill you unless I have to."
"Let me g-" She choked a little on her words as she managed to pull herself to her feet.
As she rose she was forced onto a closed door, damaged wing first, following with a shove from the mysterious mask. The door flung open, Twilight fell and rolled onto the floor, blood smearing across it.
"Have fun Twily." The masked pony said, shutting the door.
Her eyes opened to the white ceiling. "Wh… what?" She raised her head to look around, candles shimmering off the water like a full moon on a lake.
The entire room was lit, perhaps the brightest room in the whole castle. Being the brightest, and perhaps the darkest, showered Twilight with dread.
She got up to see three stones in the bath, and one floating yellow furred corpse in the middle.
Her mouth widened, tears pouring down, she jumped into the water and started to swim over.
Blood mixed with the water, turning it a dark muddy red.
She reached the body of Fluttershy, her head and neck still tied to the boulders underneath the water. Twilight was unsure how long she had been under, water still flowed from the faucet.
Using her magic she cut the ropes that bind Fluttershy through use of her magic. As the last rope snapped she grabbed it with her teeth and paddled backwards. Pulling Fluttershy was a challenge as the body had become waterlogged, but Twilight pushed through pulling her friend onto the edge of the bath.
Shining Armor had jumped over Twilight's bloody door and entered the hallway. As he did the opposing door to the guest room had shut in front of him. He dropped Cadence's horn from his mouth and ran over to the wooden door.
He turned his body around and bucked the door open. Hurling himself into the room, he snarled at the lit up pony.
The blonde hair moved out of her face as Applejack turned to look at him. Three candles lit the guest bedroom, one on the nightstand, two on the desk. It was bright enough to see the multicolored pink piles of hair that lie beneath Applejacks feet.
"You?" He said as he stepped forward, stepping in water. He looked back and noticed the trail led into the room and to the bed. Blue overalls lay across the bedspread.
"S-Shining?" Applejack said, the horror on her face spelled fear from the sudden confrontation.
"You?! What are you doing with my wife's hair?" He charged her, slamming his shoulder into her neck as she flipped over the bed.
She put her arm on the bed and got up to her feet, hat still on her golden locks.
"Now Shining, I know what yah be thinkin' and-" Cut off from her sentence, Shining head butt her square between the eyes.
His horn knocking off her hat as she fell to the ground, blood pouring from her mouth. She quickly rose and slammed her head square into the already bloody chin, sending him back a few feet.
"WHERE IS MY WIFE?!" He yelled as he shook off the blow.
Applejack turned with one swift movement, bucking him in the face and sending him to his back.
She panted, taking a moment to breathe and then answer.
"Listen Shining Armor, I am the element of honesty. If there is anythin' yah can do, it's trusting my words sugarcube."
Shining got back to his feet. He looked at her with sharp, pain-filled eyes.
"If you're the element of honesty, then quit skipping around the explanation!" He barked as he pointed his scratched horn at her and shot out a blast.
Applejack was lucky to be so fast, as she quickly jumped backwards out of the way. Burns marks now etched into the guest beds wooden footboard.
"Your sister wouldn't like you doin' this Shining." She yelled from behind the side of the bed. "Just stop and we can talk this over."
As he rounded the bed to face her, the door screeched open as another entered the room. He looked away from Applejack to see who the new face was and as he did Applejack took the opportunity to strike. Bucking him backwards into the desk, toppling it forward onto the ground with him. The candles on the desk went dark in the fall, dimming the room.
Shining quickly got up and shot another blast at Applejack, grazing her cheek and causing blood to trickle down her face.
Applejack returned in kind, grabbing him in a bear hug with her arms around his neck, wrestling him to the floor.
The mysterious third pony walked over slowly to them as Shining got the upperhoof. He slammed his hooves down onto her arms, pinning her to the ground.
'Where is my WIFE." He screamed in her face.
"She's dead."
Twilight quickly tried to resuscitate Fluttershy, unbeknownst to her if she was recoverable. She had excelled in the study of CPR much like most of her academics.
'Don't press on the chest. Wait three seconds. Three. One-hundred presses every minute, come ON!' She thought to herself, reassuring the basics.
A few deeps breaths into Fluttershy's mouth amounted to nothing.
"No. NO!" Twilight yelled as she slammed her hooves on Fluttershy's chest. A burst of water threw up from Fluttershy's mouth as she did.
Fluttershy's eyes opened as she spat out more water.
"T-T-Twilight?" She said as she looked upon Twilight's smile. Tears ran down her wide smiling cheeks and onto Fluttershy's face.
Fluttershy's red eyes teared up at the sight of her friend crying over her. "T-T-Thank you…"
Her face then turned from a teary smile to a grimace as Twilight replied.
"I can't believe you're alive! I thought you were a goner for-"
Twilight was cut off.
A hoof on a blade, one quick stab from a knife pierced Fluttershy right through the throat. The masked pony stood behind Twilight, arm over her shoulder.
"Mind if I cut in?"