"Twilight! Princess!" Spike said as he dashed into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around his purple mother figure. She returned the sentiment, despite her number one assistant being two steps away from cutting off her circulation. "You're back! I've missed you so much!"

"We've missed you too, Spike. We just got back in about an hour ago." She eyed the detective as she released the little dragon, who promptly jumped up and embraced Celestia's long neck. Twilight's warm smile evaporated as she addressed the stallion. "How've things gone over here, Private Eye?"

He undid his tie and tossed it over the back of the chair, letting out a telling sigh. His jacket followed right behind. "Not good."

"We saw fliers around town as we made our way here," Celestia interjected, setting Spike back down in the process. "I imagine you spoke to the press as well?"

"I did, your Highness."

"What all did you tell them?"

"Only what they needed to hear," he explained as he sat down hard at the table. "I didn't specifically say anything like 'watch out for Pinkie Pie', if that's what you're asking. Spike and I sat down the other night and tried to put together a good story for them."

"Oh?"

"Mhm," he said, half-grinning at the little dragon. "He's really been a huge help. I honestly can't thank you enough for letting him stay."

"He's always been pretty good at that," Twilight affirmed, nuzzling a blushing Spike.

"Anyway, we told them somepony we can't quite identify but are close to doing so has been using a rare type of magic to attack ponies as they sleep, to never sleep alone, and we told them how to snap ponies awake if something unusual seems to be happening."

The Princess sipped her drink as Private Eye went on. "Just like you said. Exactly what they needed to hear."

"What about you?" the detective asked. "You ladies find out anything on your trip out of town?"

"Indeed," Celestia nodded, lighting her horn up. Beside the kitchen door, a soft yellow glow emanated from Twilight's saddlebag. A small, smooth rock with a happy, smiling face floated into the air and over to Private Eye.

He took the stone in his hooves and studied it curiously. Aside from the child-like drawing, he didn't find any unusual markings or fractures. "I don't get it."

"We plan to use a spell on Pinkie. One that requires something of particular significance to her. It's...a very old spell, one far older than even me," the Princess explained.

"According to a diary we found," Twilight spoke up, "that was her first friend. Considering what the book said, I don't find it hard to believe at all."

The stallion turned the rock until it stared back at him. He looked into his faded crayon eyes and shook his head. "Sad, really." The stone glowed once more and found its way back into the bag on the floor. "Can't imagine how miserable that must have made her. So, how are you supposed to use that thing against her?"

"It's offered as a sacrifice. Once it's accepted, it should banish her permanently to Tartarus. It's..." Celestia fought off wanting to cry and simultaneously wanting to spit in disgust as memories of her previous use of the incantation flooded her mind. She had to remain cool. "...I had to use it on somepony a long, long time ago. We tried to use it on her a couple nights ago, but to no avail. As far as we can gather, it's simply unable to work properly in a dream."

"Then what are we supposed to do?"

"We were probably going to go through my library and see if we can find something that could help us," Twilight chimed in. "If that doesn't pan out, we'll check the Canterlot Archives next."

The detective's wife set five full plates on the table for the hungry group as the plans were discussed, having just put the finishing touches on their dinner. "Well, before you get started with any of that, you should get a little something in you. You're probably going to be searching for a while and you could use the energy."

Twilight leaned in and took in a good, long smell of the delicious-looking meal. Her stomach voiced its opinion rather loudly too, resulting in the unicorn's cheeks turning a rosy shade of red. "Heh, sorry. It feels like forever since we had a real meal. Train food just...isn't very good."

"Bow tie pasta with veggies? You spoil me, babe," Private Eye crooned, playfully poking at his mare's flank. She gasped and flashed him a flabbergasted smile. Jeez, did he have to be so fresh in front of the Princess of all ponies?

Though, being as old as she was, it was nothing Celestia hadn't seen before. Chuckling under her breath, she rolled her eyes and dug into her dish. As the others took their seats and followed suit, the detective spoke up.

"Guess now that you're back in town, you'll want Spike back. Don't really need to send letters to you when you're only a few blocks away."

"Yeah, probably not." The young unicorn glanced at the little dragon. "What do you say, Spike? We could definitely use another set of eyes around the library."

"Sounds good to me," he said with a full mouth.

"If anything does come up on my end, of course I'd let you know immediately," Private Eye added.

"As would we. Even though this hasn't been easy on you, I would like to see you stay on with us until this awful situation has finally ended. I would also wish to see you rewarded for your bravery and hard work."

He shook his head. "I appreciate it, your Highness, but there's really no need. Just doing my job as best I can."

As the late-day hours became night, Celestia, Twilight and Spike had begun combing through each and every book Golden Oaks Library had. Whether or not the books dealt with magic, dreams, sleeping or anything of relevance in between didn't matter. The three needed to find an answer as to how they were going to get to Pinkie Pie. Sometimes, such answers come from unexpected sources.

They had only been through about a fifth of the total stock despite searching for only a few hours. If it wasn't for that scrumptious dinner, they probably would have all contemplated resting up and starting in the morning. But, after hearing the details of the most recent victims found in their absence, they felt that they couldn't afford to wait.

While Celestia could handle long bouts without sleep and was fully rested thanks to her student keeping an eye on her the other day, Twilight had downed a few bottles of soda since they arrived at the library. She could easily get sucked into a good book and forget the time, this was not one of those situations - this was work, and a steady stream of caffeine was going to be needed.

However, aside from the sugar rush provided by Pinkie Pie on the eve of their first Summer Sun Celebration in Ponyville, Spike couldn't handle the long hours and was quickly falling behind his mentors. Even the few drinks he had wasn't doing what he wished it could.

A heavy, exhausted sigh caught Twilight's attention. She set her book down and crept up to the tired dragon. "You doing okay, Spike?"

"S-Sure! Never–" A yawn interrupted him. "–never better."

"You don't look it."

"Nah, s'okay. I'm totally fine. I just gotta...I just..." Rubbing his eyes didn't help his case either.

With a soft smile, Twilight said, "It's getting late for you, Spike. Why don't you try and get some sleep? We'll be okay, and if you need us, we'll be here for you. If you'd feel more comfortable, bring your bed downstairs so we can keep an eye on you."

A small groan escaped his lips. He knew he could help them more if they'd just give him a few more minutes for the soda to kick in. But, he also knew he wasn't going to win in an argument with the unicorn.

"Alright, alright. Just...let me know if you need some help or something, okay?" he pouted as he dragged himself upstairs to grab his basket.

"Sure thing."

As the night went on, one by one, the homes around Ponyville turned out their lights. Most of the residents had taken the detective's advice and were sleeping in pairs at the very least. Two particular mares had been fast asleep for roughly an hour before something stirred one of them.

She wasn't sure what it was that she heard, but Bon Bon was going to find out. She crawled out from under her sheet, gave her head a good shake and headed out of the bedroom. Hopefully it was nothing, but one never really knew, especially if the cop was telling the truth earlier.

Instead of the hallway though, she found herself stepping into the candy shop she owned. After a double-take and a quick glance around the store, she cautiously crept forward. Did she somehow end up sleepwalking to work or something?

A giggle whispered through the door to the kitchen and then another. It sounded like a couple of kids. What were they doing? They should know they aren't allowed back there. Frowning, Bon Bon picked up her pace and trotted around the counter and up to the door. Hopefully they hadn't broken anything yet.

As the door creaked open, she expected to see bags of flour splayed out all over the floor or jars of her sugary treats in pieces. Much to her surprise, she found only a pair of babies sitting face to face, playing patty cake. Were those Mr. and Mrs. Cake's foals?

Her question took a back seat to the sudden frigid chill that blew through the room. It didn't compare to the shiver that ran up her spine when the little ones began to sing.

"One, two, Pinkie's coming for you...
Three, four, better lock your door..."

Bon Bon took a nervous step back and turned around, ready to bolt for the door, only to find the foals in front of her again.

"Five, six, get your friendship fixed...
Seven, eight, gonna stay up late..."

Wait, how did they...? She looked back into the kitchen, finding it empty, and spun back to face the two. They were gone. A cold wind then whispered to her.

"Nine, ten, never sleep again..."

In an instant, she dashed around the counter and made for the exit. Her heart raced and her lungs burned as she almost forgot to breathe. She grabbed hold of the doorknob and tugged and fought against it. It was open when she came in here! What's going on?!

Her battle against the knob came to an end, however, when it faded out of existence in her hoof. She pounded against the door, screaming in terror.

"Lyra! Lyra, help!"

"Bon Bon..." a voice echoed.

The mare jumped away and tiptoed back to the middle of the room, searching for the source. It sounded familiar, but in her panicked state, she couldn't be sure.

"Bon Bon..."

The candy maker trembled. She could feel her stomach twisting inside her.

"You silly, stupid girl. This shop of yours was always so pathetic. You could never match me when it came to making treats. It was really quite laughable to watch you try. Tell me, did it ever make you angry that I was so much better than you? Did it make you jealous? Eh, it doesn't matter. I figured out why everypony loved my goodies so much more than yours a long time ago. Do you want to know what it is?"

Bon Bon turned around, still hunting for who was trying to chip away at her emotions, when she came nose to nose with Pinkie. The flat-maned menace sported a sadistic grin as she grabbed her rival by the throat and slammed her to the floor. She raised her free hoof over Bon Bon's face and it began to liquify, pouring itself down her throat like a pink waterfall.

"The cream filling!"

The beige mare struggled and bucked against her attacker, but Pinkie was too strong for her. As Bon Bon's insides began to fill, both she and Pinkie could feel her body slowly shutting down. The lunatic laughed with glee as she appeared to claim another life.

But, just before all hope was lost, Bon Bon instantly disappeared from under her. The river that was Pinkie's limb splashed harmlessly onto the floor and the rest of her fell right behind it. It took her only a second to realize what had happened, and she furiously smashed her hooves on the ground, screaming in rage.

Bon Bon snapped awake in bed. Her sheets were soaked in a layer of sweat. Her heart felt as if it was about to explode. Quickly she looked around and found herself home, but after what just happened, she didn't know what to think.

Beside her, a worried Lyra sat hunched over, having just jabbed Bon Bon with her horn in an effort to wake her. It seemed to have worked. The sudden, noticeable throbbing sensation in her flank was evidence enough of that.

"You okay, Bon Bon?"

She received her response in a pair of forelimbs wrapping tightly around her neck and a sobbing mare's tears coating her shoulder.

"Hey, it's alright. I'm here," Lyra said, holding her old friend close. She steeled herself and asked something she was afraid to. "Was...was it what that Private Eye guy talked about earlier? Somepony tried to hurt you?" The crying mare nodded, squeezing against her green friend. "Did you see who it was?"

After she calmed down a bit more and her stomach stopped turning, Bon Bon answered, "It...it looked like Pinkie Pie."

"Pinkie? But she died not long ago."

"Didn't that guy say that whoever's doing this could probably mess with our heads?"

"Yeah, he did. Maybe that's why you saw her?"

"I don't know," Bon Bon sighed. She let her friend go, her legs falling limply at her side. Every bit of energy she had had been spent in a matter of seconds. "I'd prefer not to think about it if I don't have to."

She felt a comforting hoof on her shoulder. "I won't let anypony hurt you, I promise. It's over now. Let's try and get back to sleep, okay?"

"No!" Bon Bon snapped back. "Err, sorry. I-I really don't want to. Not just yet. Can we, like, go make some coffee or something? Please?"

"Sure," Lyra said, tossing the covers away with a smile. "How do you want it?"

"As strong as you can make it."

Daisy opened the door to her home and looked up at the sky. A bit cloudy out. Was there rain scheduled for today? Either way, she and two roommates had a garden to maintain. She craned her neck back and called for Rose and Lily but got no response. Maybe they were already out back getting their hooves dirty.

She headed outside and around back to where their prize garden was waiting. Strange, the girls weren't anywhere in sight. Better get started without them. Hopefully they'd show up soon and she can chew them out.

She poked her snout through the flowers, searching for any weeds that may be strangling their prized posies. Here and there, Daisy bit down and yanked them away, but as she worked, she caught something out of the corner of her eye. Must have been Rose and Lily. Those late bloomers!

However, her roommates weren't who greeted her. A pair of foals, still young enough to be in diapers, stared silently at her. Their beady eyes drilled into her soul and she felt her flesh crawl as she watched them. Almost methodically, they faced each other and began to play patty cake. Slowly, she turned back to her garden, making sure not to break eye contact for as long as she could. One weed later, she glanced back and found the children to be gone.

The air came to life, singing the mare's name. "Daaaaisy, Daaaaisy..."

The magenta pony froze up at the sound. Her ears swiveled about, listening for where the voice came from. It didn't sound like her friends, but nonetheless it was familiar. While Daisy tried to focus, several weeds crept out of the ground and crawled straight for her.

"Give me your answer, do..."

Suddenly, the worthless plants lunged forth and attacked. The horrified mare battled her bizarre captor, but as much as she fought, the weed continued unhindered, coiling itself around and around her until all that anypony could see were her terrified emerald eyes. Any screams she let loose were drowned out by the vines.

With a blink, the source of the eerie voice stood above her, dressed as an old, battered scarecrow. But the hairs hanging from under its hat weren't made of hay. Instead, they were pink as was its face. Pinkie raised up a gardening hoe and continued her terrible song.

"I'm half...crazy," she said with emphasis, "all for the love of you!"

As Pinkie swung her weapon down, Daisy vanished, the remaining weeds landing in the dirt. Livid that yet another pony somehow got away, the maniac took out her frustration on the flowers, tearing them to shreds with the garden tool.

"What the heck's going on?!" she screamed, flinging the hoe into the air. "How is everypony suddenly surviving?! There's no reason they should..."

A plausible idea suddenly came to her as she ranted. There were only three ponies she could think of who were still alive after a visit from her. They must be behind this! She closed her eyes, searching through the dream, and found one of them already asleep. Maybe it was about time to correct the mistake. She did warn him, after all.

In a burst of pink light, the murderer disappeared and instantly reappeared inside what looked to be one of the most familiar places she'd ever been in: The Golden Oaks Library. She was done with subtlety with this pony. Well, maybe not 'pony'.

"Spike!"