Chapter 6- Dark Wings

Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were pushing through the crowd of partying ponies in the tent. The two fillies were searching for Scootaloo. They hadns death.

Sweetie didnIs here,I don As soon as Sweetie Belle spoke the words, a drunken stallion dressed as a vampire crashed into a table. Ponies around him laughed at the unconscious partyer.

m guessing they weren Apple Bloom stated. With a sigh the two young fillies began to fight the crowd again. Before long they reached the stage where Vinyl Scratch was tearing up the turntables. Partiers danced wildly, a few times nearly hitting the small two friends.

Sweetie Belle suggested, dodging a flailing limb.

agreed Apple Bloom. ll meet at the entrance in half an hour or so.Okay.t blame them, being drenched by the falling rain.

Being alone helped her to calm down. All emotions worries began to melt from her mind like sun melting the cold winterAAAAAHHHHHHH!t seem to be anything wrong with the place besides the door hanging open. Sweetie Belle shut the door behind her and scanned the room for the residents of the sweetshop.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang directly overhead. Sweetie Belle looked straight up. s wrong,SHUT UP!s eyes darted to the mangled corpse that was once Pinkie, then looked back up at Scootaloo.

the tremulous unicorn said in a barely audible whisper.

s not what it looks like. I swear!s eyes hardened at the blood-spattered pegasus. she yelled, taking a threatening step forwards. Scootaloo winced. Sweetie obviously didnListen, remember the story about Pathos Rainbow told us about?Wait! When we were in the Everfree Forest, I ran into his grave and he

Sweetie shouted and bolted out the door. Scootaloo pursued her out and intercepted her at the top of the stairs.

ve got to believe me! We Scoots urged.

Sweetie Belle argued and barged past the pegasus filly. Scootaloo chased her downstairs and saw Sweetie Belle opening the front door. Scoots rushed forward and slammed the door shut, holding it closed with both forehooves. Sweetie tugged desperately at the handle.

said Scootaloo. t leave! You can

t!Let me go! I hate you!s well-being.

Scootaloo reached up and dashed Sweetie Belles head. Scootaloo backed away from her, remorse swelling in her heart. How could she have done it?

t take it! You

s almost over, though

t want to! Leave me alone!Not yet. Peace is not upon us yet...

Scootaloo shook her head. It was hopeless to argue with the dark spirit. She picked up Sweetie Belleve easily had her kill Sweetie Belle. She was a descendent Diamond Star as much as Rarity, wasns best friends, but why? It was with this question on her mind that Scootaloo entered the rainy night, Sweetie Belle draped across her shoulders.

Roan muttered to the unicorn sitting at a table eating breakfast. Roan slid the newspaper to Twilight across the table.

Twilight mumbled sarcastically. ve been dropping like flies, one a day. The question is not so much who died, now, as who will die. I kind of hope I go next. Who Twilight went back to eating her oats without so much as a glance at the paper.

Roan felt sorry for her. It had to be extremely difficult to deal with the death of so many of her friends. She had noticed that, last night as Roan was reviewing evidence from the crime scenes, Twilight was tossing and turning. Not even sleep could be a refuge after all the trauma.

It had been nice to take a break and go to the Nightmare Night party last night, but their problems were waiting for them as soon as the two unicorns returned. Roan had resumed her inspections as Twilight had gone to bed, dragging Spike with her. Thus far, it was clear that the homicides were connected, yet the murderer was still impossible to determinet be impossible to see her as one who would hold a grudge against somepony. Yet, didnt add up that she couldTwilight, I need to tell you something,What? It better be good news. I Twilight muttered.

Roan hesitated. There was no way she could tell Twilight that the last of her best friends was the prime suspect in her case. Not only that, hadnt tell anypony about Rainbow unless she was absolutely sure of her guilt? I think I she found herself saying. It wasnI wish you luck,for both our get enough last night.t be long before the culprit was caught. As soon as she investigated Pinkie Pie or if the blue pegasus wasnt Celestia watching? Couldnt they get rid of the dark clouds and shine one bright day across Ponyville again? The ponies desperately needed one to lighten their spirits. However, there was too much to be upset over. A sunny day wouldn

re real aren Scootaloo was currently in one of those dreams. Pathos sat before her, a blank expression splayed across his distorted face.

He regarded her nonchalantly as he replied,

weird in the dreams?I suppose when I was asleep at the base of the treehouse and Apple Bloom never noticed me. I wasn

Pathos looked up at the orange filly. She reminded him a lot of the filly that had snapped him from his mindless rampage two hundred years prior. The thought brought back memories of fear and hatred and utter disgust, all aimed at himself. The result was his suicide. The poor filly never needed to die. No filly does, no matter how wrong they are. So, Pathos made it a point to never kill the young.

However, there was that incident with Cyan. Pathos had managed to take refuge in the pegasus about fifteen years ago. The pegasus was easy enough to break, his will submitting to Pathos violent influence drove Cyan insane. Cyan took the murderous compulsion to a level Pathos couldns life, but Cyan was too far gone to control; even his own power had its limits. If it wasnve killed the filly, making PathosAren Scootaloo complained.

Pathos retorted.

re evil in a relatable sort of way. But you

Pathos shrugged. t do this if I didnt just ignore this.You know what?You have to get over the fact that not everypony liked you! I am bullied a lot too, but you don

Pathos shot forward and bowled Scootaloo over, pinning her to the black dreamscape by her wings. t right, I know, but sometimes the only answer is to make everypony around you suffer! That Blood from Pathos face as she nodded in submission.

Pathos got off of her and walked off into the shadows.

Roan stood before the floating residence of Rainbow Dash, which levitated far above her head in the midday sky. She had just come from Pinkie Pie body. The sight caused her to puke right then and there, not having any willpower remaining after all of her work with corpses lately. However, she wasns guilt.

Roan told herself. t be too sure yet. Whot bury this body here.t ruthlessly mangled like the other four, the only wound being the knife still embedded in his skull. There were signs of minute deterioration, yet the pegasus had obviously died recently.

Roan jumped at the unexpected voice. She whipped around to see Rainbow Dash who was shivering, eyes wide and wings erect. The pegasus looked as if shet be far off since she was staring at the uncovered body. The reaction was the unwanted piece of evidence Roan had needed.

said Roan, taking a step forward. t

Rainbow took a tremulous step back. t understand. I had to. He-he tried to r-rape me! I had no choice!Rainbow

t! I just can Dash abruptly shot into the cloudy skies, the rainbow she left in her wake seeming washed out.

Roan said, bowing her head. Then the rain plummeted once more from the depressed skies overhead.

Sweetie Belle awoke with a start, sitting straight up as soon as her eyes were open. She was in the Cutie Mark Crusaderss mutilated body filled her mind.

re awake,s eyes dilated with fear. Sweetie shrieked, scrambling backwards to get away from the orange pegasus. She fell off the bed. The impact caused the wound on her head to blaze with new pain, causing her sense of danger to heighten further.

s alright Sweetie Belle. I Scootaloo said as she set the bag of food on the table. m sorry I scared you. Are you feeling okay? How

m Sweetie Belle said. Scoots took a few steps forward, but Sweetie still backed away in fear.

t me doing these terrible things,Pathos is real. He takes control of my body to kill and get revenge. I try my best to stop him, but his spirit is strong. I hate killing. I cry myself to sleep almost every you Sweetie asked.

Scootaloo nodded solemnly. ve tried desperately to stop it, even attempting suicide, but nothing works.t quite convinced, but she was willing to trust herWhy don she asked, standing back up.

t even think you believe me,Plus, getting caught would ruin me. Nopony would trust me even if I was allowed to live. I would go down in history as a heartless , you Sweetie Belle asked.

Scoots shook her head.

A trickle of dread seeped back into Sweetie BelleWhen will it happen next?Tonight

Twilight was busy putting away stacks of books. She hadnYou okay, Twi?I Twilight reassured the young dragon.

The sound of the front door slamming resounded upstairs. It was probably Roan, back from her investigation. The lavender unicorn trotted down the stairs and found the brown mare in disarray. Her black mane was not in its usual ponytail, she had mud all over her coat, and the smell rolling off her was awful.

s going on?I ran over Roan panted.

s great. Maybe you should take a bath,Shut up!Listen, Twilight. If Rainbow Dash comes over, dons the murderer! I know it must be hard, but you have to trust me on this!Rainbow?I well.I Roan trotted off towards the bathroom and the sound of water splashing into the tub filled the air.

The pictures were haunting. A few of them, she had already seen before, but the others were new traumas to behold. Twilights distorted face, and PinkieAero Wing. So, that explains why the weather has been so dark. He hasn She continued to flip through the photos and landed on the one depicted Pinkie PieSpike?What does this remind you of?I don

t it look like anything?Fluttershy?Exactly. It Twilight stated.

I see,Here, take it. I can he said, giving the photograph back to Twilight. She seized the picture with her magic and scrutinized the image closely.

She began to make out the letters scrawled on the body. Twilight sounded out the words as she deciphered them. peace rest.Of peace and rest? What does that The other images on the table caught her vision, specifically the photos containing messages. She took the four photos and placed them in order of death on the table.

will lead me back of peace and rest! That

t you ask her yourself?She

Rainbow Dash called as she knocked on the door to the Golden Oak Library.

The cyan pegasus needed to talk to Twilight about Aero Wing, and she wanted to do so before Roan got to her; at least if she hadnt stop thinking about how the unicorn had reacted after finding the body. Rainbow figured that if she could talk to one of her most trustworthy friends, they could figure out what to do about it. Twilight was her only hope in finding a way out of the mess she was forced to get herself into.

she called again. Still, there was no reply. ve been out, why did you choose now?Rainbow Dash!Rainbow! Help!What Dash asked.

t find Scootaloo! Shes almost dark, so it can

t seen her in almost a week. How did you find her?She With that, Sweetie Belle took off down the street.

Rainbow Dash watched the filly for a minute before launching herself into the cold air. As she soared skywards, she was embraced by the freezing wind. It matched the feeling of her heart when she found ScootalooI know youll be alright, little sister.t here with Scootaloo this time; she was all alone in the pitch black dreamscape. She rather preferred the solitude, at least compared to Pathoss bedroom. It looked vaguely familiar, but the pegasus filly had a hard time placing it.

Scoots heard voices drift up from downstairs.

s gone. . It

t know that it is her, Spike.But Roan said

t think Rainbow would do that. next target. How would he have her mutilate the unicorn this time? She didnt want to think, period. Pathos once more seized control over her, the familiar red hazed vision and aching heart returning for the fifth time. Tonight and Scootaloo wasnI know it isns always better to be safe than sorry,I know,I just don

m sorry. If it doesnd be nothing but a bad dream.Maybe. But wet want to think badly of her. She is the only friend I have left; the only one left I have to turn to. I bet she

t

Twilight interrupted the young dragon, anger beginning to surface inside her. t want to talk about her like that. Dash never killed anypony!As far as you know Spike muttered under his breath.

Twilight spat, turning on him. Twilight abruptly turned away from him and busied herself by looking through the bloody pictures. She would prove it; Rainbow would never kill anypony. It just didnSpike?Spike!s room Scootaloo pinned underneath her. Spike was unconscious against the wall. Scootaloo writhed under her grasp, but she held the young pegasus firmly beneath her.

Dash had been passing Twilights scream. Flying through the window, she found that Scootaloo had attacked the young dragon. Rainbow tackled the young filly and managed to get Scoots under her.

came a frightened voice from the doorway. Rainbow looked up to see Twilight staring at her in shock. There was no doubt that the fear in the unicornNo, Twilight. It

A bolt of magic was fired at her. Dash rolled to avoid getting shot, inadvertently freeing Scootaloo. Twilight continued her assault, raining magic upon the cyan pegasus.

The barrage forced Rainbow towards the window. Seeing no other option, she launched herself out the window. As she flew, one of the magic bolts struck her wing and she plummeted to the ground, landing with a painful crash on her back. The feathers were singed and the wing bent an awkward angle.

Rainbow swore. She needed to get back in there before anything bad happened to Twilight. Who knew what gruesome death awaited her. But she would need help convincing Twilight if she got in before Scootaloo did anything.

Rainbow shook the dirt from her coat and began to search the townSo let me get this straight. Scootaloo, our best friend, is the one who killed both our sisters, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. But she

Sweetie Belle stepped closer and put a hoof on Apple BloomCome on. I didns true. I need your help. We need your help. Scoots escaped and she could strike another pony dead at any second. We need to find her and stop her before itt you?Believe you?s grasp. but a bunch of lies. It makes sense that Scootaloo is the murderer; she hasnd stay away from her. She probably made that excuse up in five seconds. She may have killed your sister, and you still believe her? Yout trust anypony besides you and my family once they started dyint risk relyinll have to find new friends.t want Sweetie to see the tears in her eyes.

Sweetie demanded.

Apple Bloom dried her eyes and steadied her voice before answering; putting on what she hoped was a hard expression. t no way that Scootaloo is being controlled by some make-believe ghost.You weren said Sweetie Belle. Apple Bloom heard her friendYou didn she continued. t know about you, but I believe her. Now more than ever. And if you canm always going to be there for Scoots, even if it means losing you. I Sweetie Belle turned and cantered away from Apple Bloom.

She didnIre right. We need to help Scoots right now. Together we can get her you okay Scootaloo?I Pathos spoke using her voice, forcing her to stand.

said Twilight. She went over to Spike and hoisted the unconscious dragon onto his bed.

Pathos asked.

t you tell me here?Just trust me.t! ItAlright, dismay, Twilight began to follow her down the stairs. This was going to be the end of Twilight Sparkle and she knew it. Pathos led them into the basement of the Golden Oak library. Feigning politeness, Pathos let Twilight go in first, but closed and locked the door behind them.

Twilight asked.

s about Rainbow Dash.What about her?She said Scootaloo. The look of realization was dawning of TwilightIt Scoots caught a glimpse of terror in the unicornHELP!t. Hopefully, Roan had heard. Surely, she was out of the shower by now.

The weight of the bookshelf was lifted from her back. Scootaloo had helped after all. Well, maybe help was too strong a word. She had a dark look in her eyes as if the young pegasus wanted to inflict as much pain to the mare as possible.

As soon as the shelf was off of her, Twilight darted away and bolted for the stairs. Scootaloo instantly intercepted her, hitting her in the face with a hoof. Twilight sprawled backwards, back into the clutter and the puddle of acid. She jumped back to her feet just as the liquid started biting her neck. Twilight backed against the wall, careful not to let her raw back touch it.

Scootaloo gave her a disinterested look.

Twilight was confused. How did the messages explain anything behind ScootsIt said: . But that makes no sense. What has anypony done to you?Why don said Scoots.

Twilight murmured.

d you do it?!Because a debt had to be paid. A two hundred year old debt. And my spirit, as well as Scootaloot leave this world until vengeance is taken.t really Scootaloo? Or was she just trying to play mind tricks? t understand.s anger overflowed. She reared up and slammed Twilight against the wall, pinioning her painfully with her hooves using strength not possible for a pony of any size. s body so I can get revenge on those six who harmed me most! You are a descendent of one of those six! I just want to go home among the dead! So let me kill you so that I can get out of this wretched world!t tell, but there was a certain sincerity and desperation in the filly unless the body had two spirits inside it. Just as she was about to reach the power required to perform the spell, Scoots threw her to into another bookcase. More hazardous chemicals plummeted and shattered on the floor, spraying droplets of acid and toxins across the floor.

Scootaloo splashed right through the puddles unfazed and pulled Twilight up with one hoof and a shattered test tube in the other. It was covered in a chemical Twilight knew to be extremely toxic. Its mere touch could leave you poisoned for days. If it entered the bloodstream, it would almost certainly mean a slow, painful death. And Twilight knew thats neck, but suddenly, she froze. A strange, strained look crossed ScootsNO!No more deaths! I cant let you kill anymore! I refuse to let you She never finished her sentence. Instead Scootss shoulder.