Celestia dashed across the lobby and up the quick staircase only to come to a screeching halt at the sight of her student. Twilight sat beside Spike's blood-soaked bed, cradling him against her chest and rocking back and forth. His motionless head laid on her shoulder, telling the Princess everything she needed to know.

Twilight's sobbed whispers echoed through the suddenly somber library. "It's okay. It's okay! Everything's going to be okay, Spike. Everything's... I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

The Princess' stomach turned as the first of her tears ran down her cheek. She couldn't imagine how distraught Twilight was nor did she know herself what to do. What words could be said to bring her any comfort? Hardly making a sound, Celestia walked up and sat beside the heartbroken unicorn, wrapping her in a gentle, reassuring hug.

Any restraint Twilight had left her when she felt her mentor's soft touch, her grief flooding to the surface. She shrieked in despair and her body shook as she sank into hopelessness.

Nearly every day of his short life he stood beside her, always willing and ready to help with whatever was asked of him. She had vowed to take good care of him and keep him safe since the day he was hatched. She had failed him.

Celestia glanced at Spike's lifeless form and furrowed her brow. She never thought she could actively hate somepony she used to call a friend. She could understand why Pinkie would be angry, but doing what she had done from the start crossed so many lines. Enough was enough.

Fortunately, the answer to her nightmare slammed open the door downstairs. "Twilight! Princess! I've got something you need to see!"

"Up here, Private Eye."

Only a step inside and the detective could hear Twilight sobbing and whimpering uncontrollably. He thought hard about what Pinkie told him during their scuffle and wondered if he could believe anything she said. His stomach dropped as he climbed the stairs and quickly noticed the small pool of blood by the basket.

"Oh no..." He turned away, gritting his teeth, and punched the wall. "Not like this."

The Princess watched sadly as Private Eye let out his sorrow and rage. After what the two of them had gone through while Twilight and Celestia were away, this wasn't easy on him either, regardless of how many ponies he's found dead over his career.

"You...had something for us?" Celestia finally asked.

"Yeah," Private Eye sighed. "I just had an unwanted visitor. She...told me she did this. I was hoping she was just trying to rile me up, but... I'm so sorry."

The alicorn nodded appreciatively. The pink strands of hair in the detective's grip caught her curious attention. "What's that?"

"It's what I had for you," he answered, sneering at what he brought. For a moment, he almost wished he was asleep again so he could strangle the murderer. But something told him he'd have another shot real soon. "When my wife woke me, these came with me."

"What do you mean?"

"I was fighting Pinkie. While we were beating the hell out of each other, I ended up grabbing onto some of her mane. When I was jolted awake, this bit of her mane came too. It's like I pulled a piece of her out of the dream."

The realization was immediate. "Then, that means..."

"Mhm."

Celestia turned Twilight's head to face her own. Her cheeks were soaked to the bone and her eyes dried out and cracked. Barely any strength or breath was left in her.

"Twilight, listen to me," the Princess whispered soothingly, "Private Eye found our answer; he discovered how we can banish Pinkie Pie for good. I...I know this couldn't come at a worse time for you, but we have to act and we have to do it now."

Her eyes as well as her heart. All she wanted to do was sit there, left to her misery, and say goodbye to her surrogate son. Even the words she spoke scratched painfully at her ravaged throat as she answered. "What would I need to do?"

Private Eye stepped up, resting a hoof on her shoulder. "We'll need you to fall asleep. When she comes after you – and she will – do everything you can to grab hold of her and not let go. If what happened to me happens for you too, you should be able to bring her out of the dream and into reality. Then you can...do your thing."

"How can you expect me to go to sleep at a time like this?" she murmured.

"What would Spike want you to do?" Celestia asked. She and Twilight shared a miserable, sympathetic glance. "He'd want you to put an end to this. You know that."

"Why can't somepony else do it? I don't want to deal with this anymore!"

"She wants you, Twilight," the detective spoke up. "Don't give her the chance to do this to anyone else."

Silence deafened the room. She knew they were right, but it didn't make it things any easier. "What about the cost of the ritual?"

"We'll worry about that when the time comes," Celestia said.

Twilight's purple eyes shifted to her assistant once more, and she softly caressed his head. She didn't want to let him go. One loved one at a time, her world had been falling apart. No matter how much she wished for it all to stop, her life continued to spiral out of control. The only ones still left that she cared about were in Canterlot, the Crystal Empire, and right at her side. It had to end here before there was nothing left for her.

She let out an exasperated sigh. "The rock is downstairs in my bag. By the table in the middle of the room. Just...just give me a minute here."

With a tender nuzzle, Celestia let her student be and made her way downstairs with Private Eye a step behind. As they departed, Twilight floated the little dragon back into his basket and folded his claws on his chest.

"Forgive me, Spike," she whispered, kissing him on his forehead and covering him with his blanket. She closed her eyes and said a silent prayer, her tears finding new life. A few empty moments passed by when she turned and dragged herself downstairs to her waiting teacher and the patient officer.

Celestia already had Rocky sitting on the floor, ready to begin the ceremony. Twilight shuffled up to the pair and slumped onto the floor a few feet from the stone.

"Do we need to draw any kind of ritual circle or anything, Princess?"

"No, fortunately. All that's required is the offering and the words."

With barely a nod and a sigh, she laid down on the floor and tried to close her eyes. She was exhausted, sick to her stomach, but she continued to picture Spike and better times.

"I'm sorry, Celestia. I'm trying, but..."

"You don't have to apologize, Twilight. I understand. If you want, I do know a sleeping spell that will help."

"It's probably the only thing that'll work right now. My nerves, they're...they're just shot right now."

The alicorn stepped over to her student, resting a consoling hoof on her shoulder. She needed to get Twilight to calm down, even just a little, if that was at all possible. If her mind was going a mile a minute, it may prove difficult for her to be in the deep slumber needed to dream, spell or not.

"I know. Just try to relax as best you can. Even though I'll be watching over you, you still need to remain focused on the task at hoof."

"She's right," Private Eye added. "Pinkie's going to be coming at you pretty hard, and you'll need to act fast to grab a hold of her. If she happens to figure out what you're trying to do, we may not get another chance at this. But don't be afraid to fight her if you have to. I know she was once your friend, but that Pinkie Pie is gone. This one's a shadow of what she once was."

"Do you still remember the incantation, Twilight?" Celestia asked, recalling the most important part of their efforts.

"Yeah, I do."

"Good. It's important you keep your mind clear for that as well. Once you begin, you must finish all the lines for it to work," the Princess explained. "If you speak different words or are interrupted, you'll have to start all over again. Once you bring Pinkie Pie into the real world, every second will count."

Twilight stared at the crayon face on the smooth rock but could only see Pinkie's evil eyes looking back at her. Even if she had all the moral support in the world, it wouldn't have made doing what she was about to do any easier. Despite Celestia looking out for her, ready to bring her back to reality, what if she failed again? What if Pinkie does something too quick for the Princess to react in time?

The unicorn shut her eyes and took several slow, deep breaths. She couldn't afford to be afraid, but that didn't stop her stomach from twisting in knots. It took a few minutes, but Twilight finally managed to calm down as best as she going to. Her body had stopped quivering and her pulse had slowed. It wasn't ideal, but it would have to do.

The enormous amount of stress and anguish over the course of the last few weeks had chipped away at her spirit significantly. With the rest of it torn apart just a few moments ago, it didn't take much for Twilight to begin to nod off. The Princess' faint, golden magic encircled her pupil's head as she slowly laid down on the floor, succumbing to mind-numbing exhaustion.

As she drifted, Private Eye looked on with worry on his face. "Good luck, kid."

Her purple eyes opened. Twilight quickly looked around and found herself still in her library, but Celestia and Private Eye had disappeared. In their place, however, were numerous balloons, streamers, party favors and a cake on the table where her statue bust should have been. Alright, she must have been dreaming. And with all the random decorations around the room, Pinkie couldn't be far–

"Surprise!"

Twilight jumped back in a heartbeat when the sick mare appeared before her, grinning in wicked delight. The unicorn's shock melted into a hard glare.

"Sorry, I threw this party just for me. Do you like it?"

No response.

"I'm so glad to see you again, Twilight, and after such a short time, too! For a little while, I wondered if I'd ever see you again. Boy, would that have ever left egg on your face as the bodies piled up! Oh, and Celestia? Because I have a feeling you're watching," she called out to the room. "I don't know if Twilight being here is simply an accident or what, but if she gets away again... well, you know you can't protect her forever!"

"Why?" Twilight snarled.

"Hmmm?"

"Why Spike?!"

"Psh! I gave that little runt plenty of chances to stay out of my way, and he still betrayed my trust by helping that Private Eye guy!" the pink pony growled.

"Betrayed your...?! You murdered our friends and then have the nerve to talk about trust?!"

A lightning fast swing caught Twilight in the jaw and slammed her to the floor. "You murdered me first! I trusted you all to listen to me before that tree came crashing down and you spat in my face! What, did you think I could never be serious about anything?!"

Pinkie grabbed hold of Twilight's mane as she finished her question, lifted her to her hooves and dragged her over to a nearby bookcase. The killer then snatched her by the head and violently smashed it into a row of books. Twilight – as well as several of the novels – fell hard to the floor, her vision blurred and spinning. Hopefully she didn't end up with a concussion in the waking world.

"W-we didn't...mean to. You...you know that," Twilight wheezed.

"And I'm still dead, so what difference does it make?" When the unicorn didn't respond, she received a vicious kick in the gut. "Come on, get up!"

"Ngh! I...don't w-want to...fight you."

"So you're just going to give yourself to me the way I said you should have from the start? Oh good! That makes things so much easier for me."

Twilight hoisted herself to one knee, subtly grabbing onto one of the fallen books, and swiped Pinkie's foreleg out from under her. The hard edge would have snapped the limb if she still had bones.

"I didn't say I wouldn't fight you. And even if I did just lay down and die, I doubt that'd stop you. You had no reason to hurt anypony in Appleloosa. They had nothing to do with what happened to you!"

"I still had a bone to pick with them," Pinkie said as she got back to her hooves. Twilight tossed away her weapon and the two stared each other down. "So, what's it going to be? Are we going to dance or are you going to run and hide just like Spike would?"

Her laughter was what finally did it.

Flying into a blind rage, Twilight tackled Pinkie to the floor, mauling her face with punch after punch. A trail of black bile began to leak from the earth pony's snout as the unicorn unleashed her bottled-up fury.

"That's it, Twilight! Let it all out! Give me everything you've got!" the maniac roared, eventually sinking into the floor. The room echoed with more mocking laughs.

Twilight spun about, keeping her eyes peeled for anything unusual. Her enemy's escape only fueled her growing anger. She paused, mentally cursing at herself for wasting a golden opportunity and letting her emotions get the better of her. She needed to remember that, above all, she had a job to do. As she took a quick, calming breath, an ear swiveled backwards...

...followed by a savage left hook that sent Pinkie reeling. The carving knife she took from beside the cake clanked loudly as it hit the wooden floor.

"You're losing your touch, Pinkie. Or do you just not know how to deal with somepony who's expecting you?" Baring her teeth, the killer mare lunged and bit down into Twilight's neck, throwing her off-balance. "Aaagh!"

The wound took shape and bled as Celestia and Private Eye watched the unicorn struggle against her assailant. As much as the Princess wanted to step in, so far she was holding her own. Hopefully she'd be able to keep it up.

Pinkie continued her brutal assault, slugging Twilight square in the jaw. The purple mare stumbled back and eventually dropped onto her stomach. Ready to finish her enemy off, Pinkie snatched up the knife and dove at her old friend. At the last second, Twilight spun out of the way, the knife carving into the floor.

The bloodthirsty pink pony shot right back to her hooves and went to stab her adversary again only for the unicorn to dodge out of the way once more. But she was quickly running out of room. Thankfully, the blade lodged itself in the wood, if only for a second, giving Twilight a chance to take up one of the thicker books that had spilled onto to floor.

With a forceful yank, the knife came free and Pinkie jumped at purple mare, anxious to deliver the final blow. But as the cold steel came racing down, Twilight spun the large tome in its path, halting Pinkie's momentum, but not before the blade pierced straight through.

The unstoppable force clashed with the immoveable object; the two mares poured everything they had into the fight. But it wasn't long before Pinkie's earth pony strength gave her the advantage. Little by little, the blade pushed through the hundreds of pages until the handle came together with the book's cover, halting the knife's advance.

But Twilight refused to panic. As the pair had struggled for control, Pinkie had begun to teeter. Despite putting nearly all of her weight behind the blade, choosing to lean hard with both front hooves on the handle, she had sacrificed balance to do so. While the tip of the knife wobbled dangerously in front of – and slowly crept toward – her lavender snout, Twilight summoned her strength and began to sway her forelegs back and forth, using her makeshift shield to further throw Pinkie off-balance. With the knife now only mere inches from her face, the unicorn finally got enough momentum to roll her attacker off of her, collapsing her to the ground. With a slam of a hoof on the party pony's wrist, Twilight was able to disarm her and toss the embedded weapon to the other side of the room.

It still didn't leave Pinkie exhausted by any means however. She got back to her hooves and helped Twilight back onto hers only to hurl her into the table chest first, knocking what little wind she had left out of her. She didn't know how much longer she could keep this up. Pinkie simply didn't tire!

Twilight ached all over as she pulled herself up using the table. Only for a second did she notice the cake in front of her, parodying the desperate situation she was in, before her face was thrust into it from behind. Pinkie laughed again as she held Twilight's head down in the sugary dish.

"I gotta admit, you've surprised me! This has been a lot more fun than I expected!"

The unicorn bucked and wrestled frantically, looking for an escape. Fortunately, she found one of Pinkie's hind legs and kicked at it as hard as she could, bringing the earth pony's chin crashing down on the edge of the table. Twilight stumbled back and fell on her haunches, gasping for air, while Pinkie eventually sat up herself, woozy and gripping tightly at her jaw.

She saw an opening. With Pinkie's back to her, Twilight quickly pounced on top of the killer and wrapped her legs around her as tightly as she could. The two rolled on the ground as Pinkie tried to get free, but in her dazed state, her efforts weren't as successful as she hoped.

"There!" Celestia cried out in the real world. "She's got her!"

Without a second's hesitation, the glow on her horn intensified.

Just as Pinkie was about to break away from Twilight's grip, the two faded away.