Chapter 3- In the Cover of Darkness

"I'm leaving now. I have to go."

"You do? Where?"

"I'm going to Ponyville."

"Ponyville? I thought you only worked in Canterlot. Can't they find somepony else to go there?"

"I got a special letter from Princess Celestia herself. Somepony was murdered."

"A murder case? There hasn't been a murder in Equestria in more than one hundred years. This is serious!"

"Well, I am an inspector after all. I have to go."

"I wish I could go with you. But being part of the Royal Guard prevents me from going just about anywhere."

"I know. We've been married for ten years."

"Roan, you don't have to go."

"Yes, I do. I will be back in week or two. It won't be to dreadfully long. I'll write you when I can."

"I guess I can't stop you from leaving can I?"

"Heh. I'm sorry. You'll be alright while I'm gone, though, right?"

"I'll be fine. You be careful out there, though. I don't want to lose you, too."

"I may be a mare, but I can take care of myself."

"I know you will. Guess you better hurry on; you don't want to be late. I love you, Roan."

"Love you too, Firemane."

---

Scootaloo woke up with a start. Her memories were jostled. It was midday. Where was she? How did she get here? She was at the edge of the woods. Nearby was a stream and birdsong filled the air. Was it the Everfree? No. No birds sang in that dark forest. Then where was she?

She sat up. The young pegasus filly couldn't remember anything. Where had she been last night? She had been staying at Fluttershy's. That was something. Wait. Wasn't that two or three nights ago? Scootaloo shook her head in annoyance. She couldn't remember anything that mattered. It didn't help that her fur clung strangely to her body. She stood and trotted over to the stream. She was about to jump in when she caught sight of her reflection. She gasped. Her face was painted red. Memories swarmed over her. She had killed Fluttershy. But it wasn't she who had done it, it was something else. She jumped into the water with a yowl of rage, shattering the reflection into a thousand water droplets. Scootaloo stood in the cold water, watching the blood-clouded water wash away from her.

Scoots remembered the rest now. She had run away as soon as control over body returned. She had run until she collapsed from exhaustion. When she had awoken she could hear Fluttershy's friends approaching the park. There was no way she could ever face Rainbow Dash. Not now. Not ever again. She had snuck away into the forest where she had cried herself to sleep.

"Why me?" she asked the one who had controlled her. "Why her?"

…Revenge…

"Fluttershy hasn't done anything to anypony!" Scootaloo argued with the voice in her head.

...Ancestor…Descendant…

"What?" There was no reply. The young pegasus stamped in the water with frustration.

After bathing all the blood from her fur, Scootaloo climbed out of the water and shook herself dry. She debated on whether she should return home or not. She wasn't ready to see anypony. She didn't want anypony to know. She had to hide.

Scootaloo turned away from the direction she knew Ponyville lay. If she could fly, she would flee a thousand miles away. But she was grounded. She walked miserably between the tall trunks around her. She was leaving her past behind her.

---

"Fluttershy was a good friend. She may not have been the most self-confident pony, but she had a strong heart. Whenever somepony truly needed her, she was there. She showed more kindness than anypony I know. I pray that Heaven's gates open wide as her spirit journeys to the afterlife. May she rest in peace." Rainbow bowed her head as she finished her eulogy.

The yellow pegasus' friends were weeping around the tombstone. It wasn't a proper burial as there wasn't anything that could really be buried. Most of the gore had been left alone. Twilight had told her friends that the scene should be left alone for evidence. When Rainbow found out that Twilight was out for vengeance, she had been shocked. Twilight wasn't often one to get even, but she knew she was all for justice. With that, she had Rainbow's full support. Whoever had caused this atrocity deserved to be punished.

Dash turned to gaze at her troubled friends. Applejack and Rarity were struggling to hold back tears like herself. Pinkie Pie and Spike were full out bawling. And Twilight was unreadable. It looked like she was enraged and depressed at the same time, resulting in what looked like a blank stare. This was not how she pictured her friends. They were usually so happy and carefree. It was unnerving to see them so distraught. Thinking of it only brought her closer to tears.

To distract herself, Rainbow turned to the other ponies. Most of them, Dash didn't know all that well. She hadn't known Fluttershy had had so many friends. But she knew some of them. Big Macintosh, Granny Smith, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and… Wait. Scootaloo should be here. She was as close to Fluttershy as Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. They were with her many a day, just hanging out in the shy pegasus' company. Why wouldn't she be here for her own friend's funeral? Maybe she was too sad to come. That would be understandable. However, she couldn't break the feeling that there was something wrong with Scootaloo's absence. She worried for her sister. She just knew there was something wrong.

---

Darkness had fallen. It was nighttime yet again. Scootaloo was curled up in a small cave. She was lost out in the wilderness, but that was reassuring in a way. It meant she wouldn't be able to do what she had done a few nights ago. It tortured her soul to know that she had ended a life, even if it wasn't of her own accord. Her heart ached in fear and sadness. She wanted to wake up from this nightmare. But it was all real, and she knew it.

"Maybe I should kill myself," she muttered glumly. The idea was comforting. If she were to commit suicide, she could end the horror, the guilt, the agony.

Scootaloo picked up a rather sharp-looking rock in her hoof. She clenched her eyes shut and brought the stone up to her temple. Only, it didn't connect with her head. Her body was rebelling once again holding the stone away from her skull.

…My revenge is not complete…

Scootaloo's blood ran cold. She regained control and curled into a tight ball on the cold stone. Why did it have to be her? Why couldn't this evil spirit stay in its grave where it belonged?

---

Twilight awoke from her dozing to a knock at the door. She stumbled down the stairs and opened the door. Before her was a brown unicorn mare with blue eyes. Her black mane was pulled back in a ponytail and a suitcase levitated by her side with a blue aura.

"Hello?" Twilight asked, a bit hazy from fatigue.

"Twilight Sparkle I presume. I am Inspector Roan. Princess Celestia sent me here on the account of one of your friends being murdered. I am one of the best investigators in Canterlot, and will try my hardest to make sure justice is served where justice is due," she said.

"Oh! Please come in," Twilight said stepping back from the door to allow her guest to enter. "So, how was the trip here?"

"It was… uneventful. I slept through half the train ride," Roan stated plainly. She set her suitcase down on a table and gazed around the library. "Do you live here? It looks like a library."

"It is. I've lived here for two and a half years now. This is the Golden Oak Library. I work as the librarian and sleep upstairs," Twilight said, tiredness quickly fleeing.

"I see. So, where is the best place to sleep during my stay? Is there a hotel nearby? There wasn't too much information in the letter."

"Save your money. You can stay with me. It'll be my pleasure," Twilight offered happily.

"Thank you very much," Roan said. She turned and opened the suitcase, pulling out a notepad and quill. "Now, if it's not too late, I'd like to begin immediately."

"Right now?" Twilight asked, "It's like eleven at night."

Roan nodded. "I know. But I want to get home soon. You see, my husband, Firemane, hasn't been doing too well since his parents died a month ago. He's strong, but nopony can face that kind of grief alone. So, I want to get back as soon as possible."

"Aw. That's so sad. How did they die?"

"They just got old. They died on the same night, as if they were meant to die together. Their deaths still shake me up a little. They were as close to me as my own parents."

"And here you are to help me with a somepony's death when you could be back at home, working through your own problems," said Twilight sympathetically.

Roan shrugged. "Don't worry about it. It's my job. I'll have plenty of time afterwards to deal with my troubles. But I'm happy you care. Most of my clients wouldn't be so kind."

"So, where do you want to begin?"

"Okay. Let's start with the location…"

---

Rainbow Dash tossed and turned in her cloudy bed. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get the image of the demented cottage out of her head. She also had a hunch that something was up with Scootaloo. After the funeral, she had searched all over town for the young filly, but she was nowhere to be found. She hadn't been to school in days and her friends hadn't seen her either. It was overwhelming. Dash thrust her head under her pillow and held it down with her hooves, trying to block out the pressing thoughts.

After a while, sleep finally crept over her. However, her dreams were filled with blood and gore. She saw Fluttershy's face, contorted in pain as she was skinned alive by a very disturbing pony. It was the same one from her other dream, where Scootaloo was attacked. It was the same one from her story. It was Pathos. His mangled figure continued to rend the yellow pegasus to pieces. However, his black, soulless eyes gazed directly at Rainbow Dash.

---

When Scootaloo opened her eyes again, her heart sunk like a rock. She was walking. The trees around her bore large, delicious-looking red apples. There was no doubt about it. This was Sweet Apple Acres. How had she gotten here so fast? She couldn't have been asleep for more than a couple hours. The moon was directly overhead, casting silvery light over the dark path.

Over the next rise stood the Apple Family's house. Scootaloo stopped in her tracks. A force deep inside her soul struggled to drive her forward. She fought against it as hard as she could.

"Whether you like it or not, this body is mine, Pathos!" she hissed through clenched teeth.

…We'll see…

Just then, her willpower broke and she stumbled forward, knocking over a barrel filled with rakes and shovels. A loud, metallic crash filled the air. Scootaloo darted to the nearby barn without her consent. It unnerved her deeply whenever her body acted on its own. She wished to fight it, but it wore at her heart with each rebellion.

"What was that?" a distant voice could be heard coming from the house. It sounded like Applejack. There was a plaintive reply; probably Apple Bloom. "Don't you worry yer pretty little head. It's probably just some dog diggin' 'round in the barn. You go on back to sleep and I'll take care of it."

"Damn!" Scootaloo cursed, quietly. If Applejack came down here, Pathos would take over entirely. His inexplicable bloodlust would use Scootaloo as a tool to complete its own evil ends. There was a sound of a door opening and hoofsteps approaching the barn door. Scootaloo tried to yowl a warning, but her throat constricted. Then the same feeling of pure loss of control washed over her. She could only watch, as the silhouette of her victim appeared in the barn entryway. She wished she could block it all out.

---

"Hello? Anypony in here?" Applejack asked. She had been sleeping just fine when the crash woke her up. All she wanted was to just curl up back in bed.

"…I'm… here…" a voice croaked from the shadows.

Applejack felt her face flush with alarm. "Hello? Who's there? Are you okay?"

"I…"

"Hello? Hold on. I'll find ya a light," Applejack turned to leave. Whoever was in here sounded badly hurt.

"NO! Just… don't go… stay… where you… are…"

"Um, okay. Yer startin' to creep me out a little," Applejack said. She began to back towards the door. There were rustles in the hay-strewn floor and the door slammed shut behind her and a splintering crack resounded through the dark barn. Then a single lantern came to life, the miniature blaze flickering.

"Whoever you are, show yourself. I'll have you know that yer breakin' and enterin'!" Applejack said in a voice as calm as she could manage.

An orange pegasus filly stepped into the light of the lantern, her head down.

"Oh! Scootaloo! I had no idea it was you. You gave me a bit of a scare."

"Fear is nothing compared to sorrow. I was once a pony just like you. I was a hard worker; I did my best in all that I did. But then she was killed. I didn't know that I had built up years of rage. It all came out at once. That's when they started dying. But there were a few that escaped due punishment because of my fall. It was unfinished business. And now I have returned to bring justice once more."

"Scootaloo. You need to calm down. I don't even know what yer talkin' about. Just go home and get some sleep." Applejack was pressed against the door now. Scootaloo laughed menacingly. Applejack swiftly turned and fumbled around for the doorknob.

"I wouldn't do that…"

AJ found the handle and pulled on it. The handle snapped off and she fell backwards. Scootaloo loomed over the fear-stricken earth pony.

"You should really think about listening to the advice of others. Now you are trapped."

"Get away from me!" Applejack wailed, swinging a hoof at the deranged filly. The young pegasus dodged with unnatural speed and brought a hoof of her own smashing down into her snout. Pain temporarily blinded her.

When her vision returned, Scootaloo was nowhere in sight. She scrambled to her hooves, trying to catch a glimpse of her attacker in the dim light. Shadows clung to everything, the rafters completely hidden in the darkness. The light hardly reached a five foot diameter, hardly enough to fill the immense structure.

Suddenly, something heavy landed on her from above. There was a gut-wrenching snap and pain blazed through her body. She let out an ear-piercing scream. She couldn't move her legs, and her back was bent at an awkward angle. One end of her fractured spine was sticking out of her back, painting her amber coat red.

"Pain is a part of life," Scootaloo whispered, "As well as a part of death."

Applejack flailed with both of her operating hooves, trying vainly to strike her opponent. The pegasus filly laughed menacingly and picked up Applejack's tail in her maw. She felt herself being dragged across the floor. Her protruding spine caught in cracks in the floor, sending shockwaves of agony through her and tearing the flesh across her back further. She struggled to fight back, but with her movement now severely limited, she was writhing pointlessly. She heard her dead haunches thud to the floor as Scootaloo let go.

The orange filly left momentarily, returning with a long coil of rope. Before she could defend herself, the young pegasus kicked her in the temple with both hind hooves, and all went black.

She woke up feeling like she was choking, yet she wasn't. She was hanging from the ceiling. Both of her hooves had been tied together above her head. The end of that length came down to wrap around her throat. The knot was slightly loose, keeping the rope from cutting off her air entirely, but enough to make her struggle painfully for breath.

She couldn't move at all, the effort was too strenuous and the weight of her lifeless legs bore down on her. Applejack then caught a glimpse of Scootaloo on the floor below.

"Goodbye, great-great-granddaughter of Apple Seed, the one who called my work pointless and telling me to kill my own self if I wanted to see what pathos was. I can't say I didn't follow his advice, but the blood payment is about to be fulfilled."

With that, Scootaloo picked up the lantern and crashed it on the ground. Flames immediately caught on the dry hay scattered across the ground. The entire space was illuminated in bright orange light. She watched as Scootaloo broke down the door and dashed into the night.

Smoke started to burn her already tired lungs. Heat rolled over her as her dead hind hooves hung in the galloping flames. She could smell her flesh burning even over the overwhelming scent of smoke. Applejack felt herself becoming strangely lighter as though her hind legs were melting away. The flames were climbing the support masts and catching the ropes now. She struggled in her bonds, trying desperately to free herself. The rope slacked, dipping her further into the flames below. It now reached her ribs, where she still had feeling and the burning sensation was unbearable. Then the last of the rope snapped, plunging her directly into the heart of the flame. She was immersed in bright light and her flesh smoked and melted around her. The rope had lost its tension and she heaved a lungful of smoke to scream. However, she never did. That breath had been her last.