Day 7, 07:14

Adjusting the straps on her saddlebags seemed to have become a nervous habit for Pinkie upon first putting them on in the morning. Maud was oddly silent as the pair walked down to the study, although upon further thought Pinkie remembered Maud was generally silent before they arrived here.

“How did you sleep?” Pinkie asked.

“Fine,” Maud replied, not looking at Pinkie.

Pinkie frowned, had she created some gulf between herself and Maud without realising it?

“Is something wrong?” Pinkie asked.

Maud sighed, coming to a stop.

“Pinkie…” Maud began slowly, choosing her words carefully. “Do you want to leave here?”

“What kind of question is that?” Pinkie asked bewildered. “Of course I want to get out of this hellhole.”

Maud opened her mouth, but then closed it, sighing once more before walking on. Pinkie groaned, following after her sister. If she brought it up again, Pinkie would make her explain what was wrong, until then, she would let it lie. Arriving in the study they found it occupied solely by Fleur who was reading a book which she put down upon seeing them enter.

“Good morning,” she greeted. “Any news on the central chamber after yesterday’s trial?”

“Oh, I hadn’t thought about that,” Pinkie said, remembering their earlier hypothesis that the Mastermind moved the stairs after the trials.

“I’ll go take a look,” Maud offered, leaving the study as quickly as she came.

Pinkie stared after her sister, something in her look must have revealed how she felt however because Fleur spoke up just then.

“Did you have a fight?” she asked.

“Sort of,” Pinkie said, walking over and taking her usual seat. “She asked me if I really wanted to leave this place.”

“That… is a very odd question,” Fleur agreed.

“It’s not the first time she’s acted weird around me since we got here,” Pinkie continued. “When I was examining Filthy Rich’s body, she started talking about how she thought… I’m sorry, this doesn’t matter to you.”

“It’s alright Pinkie, I’m here if you need to talk to somepony,” Fleur assured her.

Pinkie gazed around the room, looking for something to change the conversation topic to, when her eyes fell on the broken quill on the coffee table.

“Oh yeah,” Pinkie exclaimed, getting Fleur’s attention once more. “Yesterday, before the trial, I discovered something interesting about my hoof computer.”

Fleur raised an eyebrow as Pinkie held her leg out straight, giving the metal case a sharp thump, causing the two prongs to swing out into position.

“That’s… peculiar,” Fleur said, leaning in to examine the alteration. “What do they do?”

“I have no idea,” Pinkie admitted. “I can move one of them back and forth.”

“Huh, that is most intriguing,” Fleur stated as Pinkie demonstrated the movement. “How did you get them to come out?”

“Here,” Pinkie offered, reaching and taking hold of Fleur’s hoof.

Taking the quill from the table she located the indent and lodged it in, twisting it around until she heard a click followed by the snap of the prongs.

“See, like I said, no idea what they do, but they must have some…” Pinkie drifted off, realising that Fleur wasn’t listening.

She was staring at her hoof computer; a faraway look in her eyes, like she’d just remembered something very important.

“Fleur? Are you okay?” Pinkie asked, slightly concerned.

“Huh?” Fleur said, snapping out of her daze. “Oh, I’m fine. Thank you for showing me that Pinkie, I’m sure it will come in useful.”

Pinkie opened her mouth to reply, but at that moment the study door opened and Maud returned, followed by Rarity, Shining Armour and Fleetfoot.

“Anything?” Pinkie asked.

“No,” Maud replied. “Still the same as yesterday.”

Rarity passed out capsules to everypony who was present and they all downed them using the jug of water on the coffee table. Pinkie stood up and made for the door.

“Once everypony else is up,” Pinkie said, turning back to Fleur, “see that everypony is fed. Other than that, just take it easy until I get back. I need to think about what we’re going to do next.”

Fleur nodded and Pinkie left the study. She intended to walk back to the entrance hall, but quickly darted down to the cellar door in a brief moment of curiosity. Testing the door she found it unlocked. Scowling she left it be and returned the direction she came. The Mastermind could have at least returned the key Derpy took before killing her, or even after.

Derpy lost faith in escaping, she lost faith in me. How long before the rest follow suit? Not that it matters, it only takes one becoming a killer to disrupt our work and put all our lives at risk. We still have yet to translate that damn book in the chapel, on top of that there’s still so much of this castle to see. I had hoped the stairs would change, that we’d get something positive out of yesterday. Octavia said she would explain what she’s figured out so far today, but I haven’t seen her up and about yet.

Pinkie stopped pondering their circumstances when she arrived in the entrance hall and spotted a flash of yellow in her peripheral vision. Turning to the castle gate, she looked out into the courtyard. There, by the gate leading to the town, was Fluttershy.

What’s she doing over there?

Pinkie started walking towards her friend, but as soon as she started walking, Fluttershy slipped out through the gate into the town. Pinkie quickened her pace, curious as to where Fluttershy was sneaking away to this early in the morning. Reaching the gate, she peered through the bars down the main street. Fluttershy was walking casually alongside the houses on the right, Pinkie watched her carefully, pleased that if Fluttershy glanced her way, she wouldn’t see Pinkie through the shade.

Fluttershy seemed to be getting more nervous the further she walked, moving slower, stooping closer to the ground, glancing around her. Pinkie watched, her heart racing as Fluttershy got closer to the entrance of the courtyard where Pinkie had woken up. Then, just as Pinkie was sure her chest was going to explode, Fluttershy stopped… and stepped straight into the courtyard between the two houses.

Pinkie’s eyes narrowed.

What are you up to Fluttershy?

Squeezing through the still open gate, Pinkie moved quietly down the street. She began drawing closer to the stone archway leading into the alley, taking very slow steps so as not to make any noise. Then, just as she reached the edge, ready to poke her head around the corner, Fluttershy stepped out.

“Good morning Fluttershy,” Pinkie said, trying not to show she had been startled by her friend’s sudden appearance.

Fluttershy on the other hoof screamed and leapt into the air where she flapped her wings furiously to keep her away from the perceived threat.

“It’s just me Fluttershy,” Pinkie said calmly.

“Oh,” Fluttershy said, peeking through her eyelids at Pinkie. “I’m sorry Pinkie, you startled me.”

“Well I guess we’re even now,” Pinkie said slowly as Fluttershy dropped down in front of her. “After all you gave me quite the surprise when I saw wondering out here on your own.”

Fluttershy shuffled slightly, looking down at her hooves.

“Are you going to tell me why you were out here?” Pinkie asked.

“I…” Fluttershy began, shaking a little. “I was thinking about those pictures Shining brought back.”

Pinkie blinked, taken aback by Fluttershy’s response.

“I just wanted to look for myself,” Fluttershy continued. “To know… what happened to this place.”

“Is that all,” Pinkie said relieved. “I was worried there Fluttershy, but if that’s all you should have told me earlier.”

“So you’re not angry?” Fluttershy asked.

“No, I’ve been wondering myself,” Pinkie stated, “but haven’t really had the time to search the town. Hey, why don’t we take a quick peek around now? It’ll be safer if we stick together.”

“Oh, yes, that would be much better,” Fluttershy said, sounding a lot happier now.

Together the pair walked down the street, testing doors at random as they passed by. Almost all the ones they tried were locked. After walking for a few minutes, they arrived at a narrow alley way which led down into a much darker street. Pinkie looked over to Fluttershy who gave a small shrug, and together they began walking down the steps. This new street was far dingier than the rest of the town Pinkie had seen, the walls covered in damp moss, puddles of muddy water lying on the ground, the metal drain already overflowing.

Looking back the way they came, Pinkie felt as if the buildings were squeezing in behind them, warping before her very eyes. They arrived at the end of the dark street, rounding a corner into a very bizarre area. They stepped out into a spacious plaza, buildings surrounding it, the whole area bathed in the eerie yellow lights of street lamps dotted around. But the strangest feature of the plaza was a single house dotted in the centre. Walking up, the pair saw that it was supposed to be a terrace house, but appeared to have the houses adjacent to it smashed away, leaving it standing on its own.

“What is this place?” Fluttershy asked, as they walked up the front steps of the house to the front door.

Pinkie didn’t answer, she felt inexorably drawn to the door. Reaching out, she turned the handle and the door swung open. The house was dark; the narrow hall was filled with cardboard boxes, the wallpaper striped down and the carpet pulled up. Weaving in between the boxes littering the floor, Pinkie began walking down the entrance hall, peering through a door frame with no door as she did, only to see a square room resembling the state of the hallway. It was like she had entered the house of somepony who was moving away.

“Pinkie,” Fluttershy said in a panicked whisper from the door where she hadn’t moved from. “I don’t think we should be in here.”

Pinkie didn’t hear Fluttershy, all she could hear was the rhythmic creaking of the house, like she was walking into the mouth of some living, breathing creature. She wasn’t even aware when her hooves began carrying her up the stairs at the end of the hallway. Fluttershy was saying something behind her, but she didn’t hear any of it, just the breathing of the house.

Arriving on the upstairs landing Pinkie turned to see a room straight ahead of her, a room she really wanted to look in for some reason. Putting one hoof in from another, her legs carried her across the upstairs hallway, bringing her ever closer to the door. Fluttershy was shouting now, but still all Pinkie could hear was the long deep breaths of the house.

She stood at the door, blood pumping in her head, she took one final step forward… and the creaking stopped. Pinkie blinked, her senses returning to her in time for her to glance around in confusion at the room her hooves had brought her to.

“Pinkie, please!” Fluttershy screamed, sounding like she was about to start crying.

“It’s okay Fluttershy,” Pinkie called down. “I’m coming down now.”

Pinkie turned back to the empty door frame, fully intent on leaving, but then she saw something, something glinting. It was the light of one of the street lamps, entering through one of the windows and reflecting off something that sat atop a stack of boxes. Curious, Pinkie walked over to the object, picking it up in her hooves. Only when she moved it and the light was no longer bouncing off it, could she tell it was a picture frame.

Pinkie brought up a hoof and wiped the dust from the glass cover.

Day 7, 10:49

Pinkie and Fluttershy walked up the main street in silence, however Pinkie noticed Fluttershy repeatedly glancing at her saddlebags.

“Go ahead,” Pinkie said with a sigh. “Say it.”

“Oh, um, well,” Fluttershy began, panicking at being caught out. “Do you really think it’s best to keep… what you found a secret?”

“Until we know how it got here, yes,” Pinkie answered.

“But what if it means something? What if…”

“Listen Fluttershy,” Pinkie said, stopping outside the gates to the castle courtyard and turning to Fluttershy, grasping her shoulders. “This is what the Mastermind does; he throws curveballs at us to throw us off track. Now maybe this is something important, or maybe it’s just another red herring, but until we know one way or another, this has to stay between us.”

“Alright,” Fluttershy relented. “I trust your judgement Pinkie.”

“Alright,” Pinkie continued, relieved. “Now let’s hurry, the others are no doubt wondering where we are.”

Slipping back through the gate the way they had both left, they started walking across the courtyard.

“So what do we do now?” Fluttershy asked.

“Well, I need to see Octavia,” Pinkie answered. “She said yesterday she would explain what she’s been researching, besides that I need you to…”

Pinkie was cut off by a rainbow blur zoom through the entrance hall just beyond the castle gate, only to come speeding back a split second later, this time speeding towards them.

“Pinkie, where have you been?!” Dash demanded, coming to a sudden halt an inch from Pinkie’s face.

Fluttershy squeaked and hid behind Pinkie, Pinkie meanwhile held her ground, more confused than startled.

“Fluttershy and I were investigating something in the town,” she replied, already having planned out a story with Fluttershy on their way back. “Has something happened?”

“Yes! Well, maybe…” Dash said, sounding panicked. “We don’t know, look just follow me.”

Rainbow took off once more, Pinkie right behind her, Fluttershy sprinting to keep up with the two speedsters. Once through the castle gate they climbed the main staircase, taking it three steps at a time, took a right on the balcony and ran straight to the residence tower. Trotting up the inclined corridor Pinkie found the other ponies gathered outside one of the doors.

“What’s happened?” Pinkie demanded, the ponies parting for her to walk through.

“Octavia isn’t opening her door,” Fleetfoot answered. “Where have you been all morning?”

“I’ll explain later,” Pinkie said impatiently. “Now what do you mean she won’t open up?”

“Well, we were in the study,” Rarity explained, “waiting for you to return. However as time passed, you did not come back, but nor did Fluttershy or Octavia. Well obviously Fluttershy was with you, so there’s no need to worry there, but when we came here searching for Octavia we found her door still locked.”

“I can hear somepony in there,” Applejack reported, her ear pressed to the wooden door. “But try as we might, she ain’t answerin’, and we can’t get in unless she opens the door for us.”

“What about magic?” Pinkie asked, looking over to Rarity, Shining and Fleur. “Can you open it using telekinesis?”

“We can’t I’m afraid,” Rarity admitted. “We need to see the object we’re moving, or know an actual lock opening spell.”

“Ah tried shoutin’ at the Mastermind like you did,” Applejack continued, “but he just started spoutin’ a load about not bein’ able to unlock our room doors.”

“So what do we do?” Fluttershy asked. “If Octavia won’t open the door or… can’t. The Mastermind won’t open it for us and we aren’t allowed to force it, what options do we have?”

Pinkie rested her hoof on her chin, pondering the dilemma. They needed to open a door that was locked, bolted from the other side with no key. They couldn’t force it open.

But what does ‘force’ entail exactly?

“I know what to do,” Pinkie said after minute of silence. “During the last game we discovered we could take locked doors off their hinges by taking the screws out, and that didn’t count as forcing it.”

“Of course!” Soarin exclaimed, suddenly remembering.

“Great, but where do we get a screwdriver?” Shining asked.

“The only place I can think of is…” Pinkie began, before internally groaning. “The forge maybe.”

“But we sealed that place off,” Fleetfoot reminded them.

“And the stairs have moved,” Maud added.

“We’ll think of something,” Pinkie assured them. “Fluttershy, Fleur and Rarity, stay here and keep trying talking to Octavia. The rest of us will head to the central chamber.”

Day 7, 11:09

“Well this is a pain,” Soarin declared, leaning on the banister that had been drawn across where the staircase leading to the forge had originally been.

“At least you can fly,” Applejack reminded him.

“Yeah, but it was Shining Armour who blocked it all up to begin with,” Soarin pointed out. “Even if we fly over there, we won’t be able to move what he put in the way.”

“Can’t Shining just teleport up there?” Rainbow asked.

“I can’t,” Shining informed her. “Anytime I try, something drains my magic.”

“There’s nothing for it,” Pinkie said. “You’ll just have to carry us over.”

“Whoa, hold on,” Fleetfoot said, putting out her forehooves. “You and your sister, sure. Applejack, maybe. But him? We’d pull every muscle in our bodies, and that’s assuming we don’t drop him.”

“I don’t think we have time to argue about this,” Maud stated, looking back at the entrance to the chamber.

“Dammit I am not getting paid enough for this,” Fleetfoot muttered.

“Consider it a service to the crown,” Shining said. “When we get out of here I’ll get you a thank you present from the Crystal Empire treasury.”

“That’s probably the best offer you’re gonna get Fleetfoot,” Rainbow stated.

“Alright,” Fleetfoot said, still sounding disgruntled. “But don’t blame me if we all fall to our deaths.”

Day 7, 11:37

Pinkie and Maud quickly trotted up through the residential tower, the quickly thrown together tool box bouncing on Pinkie’s back. As they turned the last corner the others turned to see them.

“Did you get it?” Rarity asked, sounding half surprised. “Where are the others?”

“Resting,” Pinkie replied, setting the box down and fishing out a screwdriver. “They needed it.”

“Did you get anything out of her while we were away?” Pinkie asked as she started into the first screw.

“Not really,” Fluttershy answered. “We can hear her, she sounds in terrible pain.”

Pinkie quickened her pace upon hearing that. Very quickly with only a couple panicked slips, the door was free of the hinges, and very swiftly fell straight to the floor as nopony had reached out to take hold of it in time. Ignoring the fallen door, Pinkie and Fluttershy rushed in, the others keeping back, presumably giving them space. Reaching the bed, Pinkie was horrified to find Octavia shuddering violently where she lay, making agonising moaning noises.

“Oh goodness, she’s burning up,” Fluttershy said, resting a hoof on her forehead.

Ignoring the dark sweat stain all over Octavia’s sheets, Pinkie took hold of her foreleg with the hoof computer, finding it swollen and puffy, with dribbles of puss running from where the bolts were screwed in.

“Infection,” Pinkie stated, looking over to Rarity. “Was she getting her antibiotics?

“Yes, everypony got them,” Rarity insisted, looking slightly afraid.

“Octavia, can you hear me?” Pinkie said, leaning in close to the other mare.

Octavia’s eyes opened very slightly, a dry heaving noise coming from her throat before her head rolled back.

“We need to get her up to the infirmary,” Pinkie said.

Maud strolled in and crouched down while Pinkie and Fluttershy lifted Octavia onto her back.

“Take it slowly,” Fluttershy instructed.

Maud nodded and began making her way out of the room, Rarity at her side, fanning the semi-conscious mare.

“I don’t understand,” Pinkie said, collapsing onto the floor. “Why didn’t the antibiotics take? Nopony else got infected.”

“Pinkie, there’s lots of different types of antibiotics,” Fluttershy explained, leaning down beside her. “Just because one works for somepony, doesn’t mean it’ll have the same effects for everypony.”

“So what do we give her now?” Pinkie asked.

“We’ll need to switch her to a different antibiotic immediately,” Fluttershy stated. “Other than that she just needs lots of fluids and maybe painkillers.”

“Can you take care of it?” Pinkie asked.

“Of course,” Fluttershy assured her, swiftly departing from the room.

Pinkie sat up, rubbing her temples with her hooves.

“Do you suspect foul play?” Fleur asked, offering a hoof to Pinkie which she accepted.

“Maybe,” Pinkie began, before shaking her head. “No, Fluttershy’s right, she probably just reacted differently to the medicine.”

“If you’re sure,” Fleur said as the pair left the room, stepping over the fallen door. “So what do we do now?”

“I’m not sure,” Pinkie admitted. “Octavia was going to explain what she was working on today; I was hoping it might answer a lot of questions.”

“Well, until she recovers we should inform the others of her condition,” Fleur proposed. “Where did they go?”

“Back down to the study I think,” Pinkie replied.

Day 7, 12:15

Entering the study Pinkie found the others sprawled out on various sofas, armchairs, and in Applejack’s case, the floor in front of the fire. As the pair entered, Rainbow poked her head up from where it had been resting on Soarin’s chest.

“You’re back, what happened?” she asked, sounding concerned.

The others all glanced up as well upon hearing Rainbow’s question.

“She has an infection in her leg from her computer,” Pinkie explained. “Fluttershy thinks she’ll be okay though, she must have just not taken to the antibiotics well.”

“So she’ll be okay?” Applejack repeated. “That’s good; ah think we’ve had more than enough loss in this group.”

“So what are we going to do until she’s better?” Fleetfoot asked. “Also don’t think we’ve forgotten about you and Fluttershy disappearing this morning.”

“I know,” Pinkie replied taking a seat. “As for what we should do… not a lot. Octavia’s been working on something, and until she can tell me about it, I’m at a loss.”

“You’re not giving up are you?!” Rainbow asked, sounding almost angry.

“Of course not, I just… feel out of my depth,” Pinkie specified. “We’ve been here for a week now and we don’t have a single suspect as to who the Mastermind really is.”

“So wait, the Mastermind does have an actual identity?” Applejack asked, sitting up. “It’s not just some idea?”

“I’d like to think we’re up against something more substantial than a concept,” Fleetfoot chipped in, “I can’t beat a concept to death.”

“Yes, the Mastermind is a pony… or a being of some kind,” Pinkie stated.

“Well who was the Mastermind in the last game?” Rainbow asked. “Maybe it’s the same dude.”

Pinkie exchanged the briefest of nervous glances with Soarin.

“It can’t be the same individual,” Pinkie assured her. “They’re dead.”

“Oh,” Rainbow said awkwardly. “Well good! Serves them right for what they put you guys through.”

Rainbow lay back down; tucking her head under Soarin’s neck, unaware of the conflicted look he was giving Pinkie.

“There is one thing that’s been a thorn in my side,” Pinkie said, quickly changing the subject. “That book we found in the chapel, we still haven’t translated it.”

“Well yeah, but don’t forget sugar,” Applejack replied. “Even if you do translate it, that’s things still locked up tight.”

“I know, but it’s one of the few unknown variables I feel we have a good chance of figuring out,” Pinkie explained.

“Well why don’t you bring it down here and we can look at it together,” Shining offered.

Pinkie thought about that idea, it certainly couldn’t hurt. Giving a quick nod she stood up and retreated from the study and made her way to the chapel. One she arrived inside she scooped up the heavy tome along with some of the reading materials they had left there on their last visit. As she made her way back to the study she saw Rarity and Maud approaching her from the other end of the corner.

“Oh Pinkie, we were just coming to look for you,” Maud said as they met in front of the study door.

“I hope you have good news for me,” Pinkie said as Maud took some of her load from her back.

“Octavia’s fine,” Rarity informed her. “She’s looking much better, sleeping peacefully now. Fluttershy said she could watch over her until she came around.”

“That’s good to hear,” Pinkie said leading the way into the study. “We were just about to take another look at this book.”

Once they entered, Pinkie approached the coffee table ready to set the book down, but stopped when she saw what was sitting on it.

“Who was playing chess?” she asked curiously.

“We found that earlier before the incident with Octavia,” Fleur informed her, before looking to the newcomers. “How is she by the way?”

“Looking a lot better,” Rarity repeated. “Gave us all a startle, but she’ll pull through, Fluttershy is sure of it.”

“So this is the book?” Shining said, shifting closer. “And you haven’t been able to translate it?”

“No, we’ve been through a couple dozen different runic languages,” Maud explained. “None of them match up.”

“Not even the one that was used outside?” Fleur asked. “Didn’t you say you made notes on them?”

Maud looked into her saddlebags and pulled out a few sheets of paper folded together, passing them across to Fleur who opened them up and started reading to herself. Meanwhile Soarin glanced at the engraving on the latch of the tome.

“Is this supposed to be a lock?” he asked.

“A glyph I think,” Rarity corrected. “I don’t know enough about magic to be sure though.”

“Well ah don’t see what help ah could be,” Applejack said, pouring herself a glass of water and setting the jug down next to the book. “Rarity says she doesn’t know much about magic, well ah don’t know a thing.”

“Not all runes are magic,” Pinkie pointed out. “Most are just alphabets for dead languages. Although we’ve researched magical and non-magical runes, and we haven’t found anything that could…”

Pinkie’s voice died as her eyes fell on the cover of the book, or rather the reflection of the book in the water jug next to it, her eyes growing wide as obvious realisation hit her in the face.

“Um, Pinkie?” Shining said, sounding concerned by how she had suddenly fallen silent. “Is everything alright?”

“It’s mirrored!” Pinkie shouted, making everypony jump slightly. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of that.”

Standing up, she stormed over to the fireplace, reaching up and taking the framed mirror off the wall. She carried it back and almost broke it as she slammed it down next to the tome.

“Hold that,” she ordered, not talking to anybody specific.

Soarin quickly grabbed it, holding it vertical beside the book as Pinkie crouched down, taking the notes Fleur had set back on the table. Nopony dared speak while Pinkie set to work, occasionally muttering to herself, scratching down notes as she worked. After several tense minutes of everyone watching Pinkie like hawks, she finally set her pen down, sighing with relief.

“There,” she said, rubbing her eyes. “It is… translated.”

She then circled the translation on the paper and stepped back allowing the others to read it.

Five: Behind the face of a Friend.

Day 7, 17:18

Pinkie gazed down at Octavia’s sleeping form, feeling almost serene. The moment was broke when she heard Fluttershy approaching.

“You aren’t going to wake her are you?” she asked in hushed tone. “She needs her rest.”

Pinkie stood up quietly from the seat by the by the infirmary bed and walked a few metres away with Fluttershy.

“No, whatever she wanted to tell me can wait until tomorrow,” Pinkie assured her. “Same with our news.”

“It still seems strange that it was as simple as reflecting the words,” Fluttershy muttered. “So, now that you know what it says, what will you do?”

“No idea,” Pinkie admitted. “The contents of the book are still sealed, so now we have to find some way of unlocking the glyph. Maybe the books cover is a clue…”

“Behind the face of a friend,” Fluttershy recited. “Sounds pretty random to be honest.”

“It does a bit,” Pinkie agreed.

“And ‘five’,” Fluttershy continued. “What could that be referring to?”

“Again, not a clue,” Pinkie said with a sigh, turning to leave the room.

“Still, it’s amazing progress,” Fluttershy insisted following Pinkie out into the waiting room.

“It is good that we might finally be getting somewhere,” Pinkie agreed. “Anyway, I’m going to go see how Octavia’s new room is coming along, I’ll be back later.”

“Of course,” Fluttershy said, starting to walk away, but as she took a few steps, she came to a stop and spoke up one again. “Pinkie…”

“Yeah?” Pinkie asked, looking over her shoulder.

“Who was that friend of yours?” Fluttershy asked in an odd tone. “The one you said was the last to be murdered at the manor.”

“Oh, Vinyl Scratch,” Pinkie answered, surprised at the random question. “Why?”

“Just wondering,” Fluttershy replied quietly before walking away, leaving Pinkie alone.

Day 7, 17:29

“Well, that looks like everything,” Rarity said, surveying the once empty bedroom. “And her little bow tie is in the wash now; I’ll have it brought here before she moves in.”

“Thanks Rarity,” Pinkie said, picking up the portrait of Octavia from the bedside cabinet. “It certainly wouldn’t have done to leave her in a room with no door.”

“It’s not like she had a lot to move,” Fleetfoot reminded them from where she was leaning against the wall.”

“Well, still,” Rarity said curtly. “I think I’ll go get that bow tie now.”

Once Rarity ran off, Pinkie was left alone with Fleetfoot who just glared at her.

“What is it now?” Pinkie asked, exasperated.

“You still haven’t told us where you were this morning,” Fleetfoot said impatiently.

“Oh yeah,” Pinkie replied, having genuinely forgotten. “Fluttershy wanted to investigate those pictures Shining brought back from your initial trip into town.”

While it wasn’t technically a lie, it avoided what really ended up happening while they were out, as well as bringing Fluttershy’s reason for going out at all into question… more so than it was already.

“That’s it?” Fleetfoot asked, surprised. “Fair enough then, did you find anything?”

“Not really, we didn’t want to go too far from the main street but most of the houses on it were locked,” Pinkie stated.

“Tell me about it,” Fleetfoot said moving off the wall. “We had to venture down the weirdest areas to find anything.”

Pinkie and Fleetfoot left the room, shutting the door behind them before continuing down towards the entrance hall. As they entered the room they saw Soarin jogging up the stairs to meet them.

“There you are,” Soarin greeted. “Applejack’s putting some food together. Could I speak to you a moment Pinkie?”

“Sure,” Pinkie said, eying Fleetfoot.

Taking the hint Fleetfoot walked on. Once she was out of sight, Soarin turned to Pinkie, a concerned look on his face.

“I get why you don’t want to talk about… you know, the last Mastermind,” Soarin began. “But the others are starting to ask questions after our talk earlier.”

“I know, I just need a little more time,” Pinkie insisted.

“I know it’s hard for you, and I know why you’d rather keep it a secret from them,” Soarin continued, “but it’s going to come out eventually, I would bet the current Mastermind plans to reveal it at some point. And you know that when it does, things are going to fall apart, more so if we lied about it.”

Pinkie nodded, swallowing a lump in her throat.

“Alright, give me a day or two,” she replied. “I’ll tell them.”

“Who all knows already?” Soarin asked.

“Besides you, me and Fleur,” Pinkie said, “Maud also knows.”

“So that leaves seven who don’t,” Soarin concluded. “Alright, I’ll leave it to you. Come on, we should go get food now.”

Pinkie nodded, following Soarin from the entrance hall down towards the banquet hall. As they approached, Applejack stepped out from the room and waved them over.

“Hey Applejack,” Soarin greeted, sniffing the air. “That smells good.”

“Hopefully it tastes even better,” Applejack said. “Head on in.”

Soarin obeyed, following his nose, Pinkie remained put, knowing full well from the way Applejack had interacted with Soarin, that she was looking to speak to Pinkie privately.

“Is something wrong?” Pinkie asked as the smile disappeared from Applejack’s face, replaced with a scowl.

“You bet there is,” Applejack said in a hushed tone. “Ah was just checking our stocks, we’re missin’ food.”

“Missing food?” Pinkie repeated. “And you’re definitely taking into account the food you’ve cooked.”

“Course ah have,” Applejack replied indignantly. “Ah’m tellin’ you Pinkie, someone has been in through our supplies.”

“Probably someone snacking,” Pinkie suggested. “Whatever it is, it won’t do. That food needs to be rationed for all of us. Keep your eyes open, if you see anypony handling food who shouldn’t be, let me know.”

“You can bet ah will,” Applejack assured her, fixing another false grin to her face as she re-entered the banquet hall.”

Now we have a food thief, just great.

Day 7, 19:43

“Octavia’s walking about just fine,” Fluttershy said as she scrubbed shampoo into her mane. “She says thank you and sorry for all the trouble.”

“I’ll go up and see her once we’re done here,” Pinkie said rinsing herself under the shower head.

“I switched her to Cephalosporins,” Fluttershy explained. “That medical book said they were used for more serious infections, so it seemed appropriate.”

Pinkie nodded, continuing to scrub herself down. Once the pair of them were finished washing, Pinkie turned the shower dial, shutting off the water above them.

“She could probably be allowed to go to her new room now,” Fluttershy said as they began towelling off. “If she feels like it that is…”

Fluttershy silenced as Pinkie held up a hoof, her ears pricked up to the muffled sound of shouting coming from outside. Edging over to the slightly open door, Pinkie peered out, seeing Soarin and Fleetfoot standing several metres down the corridor.

“And she’s dead, and it’s all your fault!” Soarin yelled.

“Hey, don’t blame me for the crap Spitfire did!” Fleetfoot retorted. “I never wanted her to die, I never wanted anypony else to die. Heck, I would have been happy never knowing about how she felt for you, so just lay off.”

“Yeah well you did know,” Soarin retorted. “So this is all on you, and you can be sure I’ll make you pay for it.”

With that, Soarin turned and stormed off, leaving Fleetfoot shaking with rage before she too sped off.

“Oh dear,” Fluttershy whispered behind Pinkie. “I never thought Soarin could be so angry.”

“No,” Pinkie agreed. “Doesn’t seem like him at all.”

Pinkie frowned, and returned to where her stuff lay. Wrapping a towel around her dripping mane, she gathered up her clothes.

“I’m going to head on over to the infirmary now,” Pinkie said. “See how Octavia is holding up.”

Day 8, 06:20

“Sorry to wake you up so early,” Pinkie apologised as Octavia let her into her bedroom. “But I just wanted to make sure you hadn’t taken a turn for the worse overnight.”

“It’s quite alright,” Octavia said, lying back down in bed with a small yawn. “Besides feeling weak and drowsy, I’m perfectly healthy. I appreciate your concern though.”

“Well we have to look out for each other,” Pinkie reminded her, taking a seat on the end of the bed.

“Quite,” Octavia replied in a sleepy tone. “So, you managed to translate the book then?”

“Just the cover,” Pinkie specified. “It read ‘Five: behind the face of a friend’. It’s still locked though.”

“Have you considered the title may be hinting at how to unlock it?” Octavia asked. “It would seem very odd otherwise.”

“It had occurred to me,” Pinkie admitted. “But I haven’t come up with anything. What about you? After the last trial you said you would explain what you’d discovered.”

“Of course, and I still plan to,” Octavia assured her. “However I must request that it wait until later, I don’t feel I have the energy for it now and I must gather up my notes.”

“Of course, take as long as you need,” Pinkie offered, silently hoping it wouldn’t be far too long. “Do you want to lock this door behind me?”

“No, leave it,” Octavia said waving a hoof. “Fluttershy said she’d pop by to stick more needles in me.”

Pinkie nodded and got up to leave. Once in the hallway, she left the tower and began making her way downstairs to the study. It was still so early, so when she entered the study to find Fleur sitting there, she was relatively surprised.

“You’re up early,” Fleur commented, not looking up from the chess board she was staring intently at.

“I was checking with Octavia,” Pinkie replied, “Also I could say the same to you.”

“I couldn’t sleep last night,” Fleur answered, rubbing her eyes with her hooves.

“That’s a first for you,” Pinkie commented.

“I suppose,” Fleur agreed. “I just had a lot to think about.”

“Would a game take your mind off it?” Pinkie asked, nodding at the board.

“Sure, please take a seat,” Fleur said gesturing to the sofa on the other side of the coffee table.

As Pinkie sat down, Fleur quickly assembled the pieces.

“You can take white,” Pinkie offered, Fleur simply nodded.

Fleur contemplated the board for brief minute before moving the pawn in front of her knight forward two squares. Pinkie quirked an eyebrow, she remembered a game that started with that exact move, as such she knew how to win, although against Fleur it was probably doomed to fail. Reaching out she moved the pawn in front of her king forward two spaces. Fleur didn’t react, just observed the board quietly, her hoof hovering over several pieces before final coming to rest on the pawn in front of her bishop, moving it forward one space.

“Fleur,” Pinkie said, surprised that she’d made such a mistake. “Checkmate.”

Pinkie moved her queen diagonally, instantly winning the game. Fleur’s eyes went wide, scanning the board for possible moves before she realised she was beat and fell back huffing slightly.

“It’s just a game,” Pinkie said, hoping to cheer her up. Although inside she was cheering at having won, never having been an avid chess player herself.

Pinkie opened her mouth to console Fleur further, but at that moment the door to the study burst open and Maud, Soarin and Rainbow all charged in, looking around wildly for them.

“What’s going…” Pinkie started to say, only to be cut off by her sister.

“It’s the stairs,” she began in a voice with a surprising amount of emotion in it. “They’ve moved again.”

Pinkie and Fleur exchanged the briefest of glances before they both shot up and ran from the room, following the others as they headed for the central chamber.

Day 8, 08:31

Pinkie leaned against the railing, looking around the central chamber. The route to the armoury and forge remained locked off, however the staircase that had split through the middle of the room leading to the infirmary was also gone, replaced instead by one that curved around the right wall of the room. It had most likely been moved to make room for a new staircase that shot through the middle of the room, leading from its foot at the infirmary to its top at a brand new floor.

Hearing hoofsteps, Pinkie looked over to see Rarity trotting up, the last to arrive besides Octavia.

“Well this is odd,” Shining commented. “Why did they change now?”

“There must be some pattern to it,” Rarity suggested.

“Or it works according to the Mastermind’s whims,” Fleetfoot argued, standing intentionally far away from Soarin.

“We can figure that out later,” Applejack stated. “Right now we gotta figure out where this leads.”

Pinkie nodded, taking the first steps up the curved staircase to the infirmary level. Once there she turned to Fluttershy for a brief second.

“Did you medicate Octavia?” Pinkie asked.

“I did, she’s all set for today,” Fluttershy assured her before quietly adding, “Hopefully.”

Nodding, Pinkie continued up the new staircase, the rest of the group close behind. Once at the top they arrived into a small foyer with a single pair of double doors standing directly opposite them.

“What do you think is through there?” Soarin asked warily.

“Only one way to find out,” Fleur answered, glancing to Pinkie who nodded.

Stepping forward, Pinkie rested her hooves against the door, taking a second to breathe before pushing the open. The door only needed a little help to get started, opening the rest of the way on their own, revealing a long room with a high ceiling, a throne atop a raised platform at the end. Walking forward, Pinkie led the way into the new room, an eerie feeling itching at the back of her mind. The room was lined with marble pillars, and a long, narrow red carpet stretching out from the door to the throne.

As they walked, Pinkie caught glimpses of something colourful in between the pillars; however she was fully prepared to ignore them, until Fluttershy screamed.

“Twilight!”

Pinkie head snapped around, along with everypony else to see what Fluttershy was seeing. On the wall, between two pillars, was a stained glass window reaching from floor to ceiling. It depicted a familiar image of Twilight Sparkle with her new wings, a bright star over her head.

“It can’t be…” Pinkie whispered, turning from the window to look at the other splashes of colour she’d seen.

Each and every one of them was a stained glass window, and Pinkie knew them all. The one that showed them using the Elements of Harmony on Nightmare Moon, and on Discord, and the one where they were all depicted around the elements in their original form. Moving further down the room Pinkie saw more, the window showing Celestia and Luna’s initial defeat of Discord, the one of Spike and the Crystal Heart, even the one Discord had corrupted to show himself pulling the three different pony tribes on puppet strings.

They were all there, every window Celestia had made to show their accomplishments. Pinkie turned to the throne, the eerie itch returning as she stared at it, recognition dawning on her.

“I don’t understand,” Rarity exclaimed. “How can these be here?”

“It’s some sort of trick!” Dash insisted. “It has to be.”

“Maud,” Pinkie called out, interrupting the others desperate questioning. “Are you sure you don’t find this castle familiar?”

“Huh? No, I never did,” Maud answered, confused. “Why?”

Pinkie gulped as she stepped up to the throne, slowly peering around the back of it.

“Because I think I know why that is,” she said. “And where we are.”

“You do?” Fluttershy asked nervously.

Pinkie crept further around the throne.

We all found it familiar, not Maud though.

“We thought we had been taken from the gala,” Pinkie announced. “But we were wrong…”

The things we’ve seen… ballista models used by the Equestrian military… an hourglass I once saw in another library… the kitchen that could pass for a royal kitchen after a little cleaning up…

“We never left…” Pinkie finished as she looked at the tall imposing door that once led to the vault where the elements had been kept. “This place… is Canterlot.”

Day 8, 12:05

“So how are the others taking it?” Octavia asked as her and Pinkie walked towards the library.

“They’re all pretty shaken up,” Pinkie informed her. “Disturbed mostly.”

“I can imagine,” Octavia replied with a small shudder. “To think this awful place was once my own home.”

“That’s right, you lived in Canterlot,” Pinkie said as they passed through the library doors.

“Indeed, I’ve been there… here, my whole life,” Octavia answered. “I’m a member of the Canterlot Symphony Orchestra.”

“So that’s why you play at the gala,” Pinkie said nodding.

“Actually, I’ve only played at the last few galas on special request of Princess Luna,” Octavia admitted. “After her return, courtesy of yourself, she spent a few months sampling the cultural changes in Canterlot. It was a few weeks before the gala, she had seen one of our shows and approached me afterwards, requested that I perform. I was ecstatic, it was the opportunity of a lifetime, although that first gala didn’t turn out quite like I’d imagined, once again, courtesy of yourself.”

“Oh, you remember that,” Pinkie said, slightly embarrassed, but when she looked over to Octavia she saw she was smiling.

“I didn’t mind, it was a change from the normal routine of life in Canterlot,” Octavia continued. “Princess Luna particularly seemed to enjoy it and invited me back the next year and so on until the most recent gala, which I hardly need to go into detail about.”

“No, I suppose you don’t,” Pinkie agreed dully.

“I suppose it makes sense that this place is Canterlot,” Octavia said as they stopped in front of the hourglass. “It certainly ties what I’m about to tell together.”

“Of course, so what did you figure out?” Pinkie asked.

“Well you remember what we discussed the other day here?” Octavia began

“How the Mastermind modernised the infirmary intentionally,” Pinkie recalled, “So he may have also made these intentionally advanced.”

“Correct, now what if I told you it was the exact opposite?” Octavia asked. “That the hourglass and the orrery stayed as they were, while everything else was changed.”

“If I didn’t already know what I figured out earlier,” Pinkie replied, “that would have sounded quite far-fetched.”

“I know, which is what I meant when I said this latest revelation completes my theory,” Octavia continued. “As Shining Armour mentioned, Canterlot had an observatory with an orrery remarkably similar to the one here. And you yourself said the hourglass reminded you of one you saw in Canterlot.”

“Yes, in the Starswirl the Bearded Wing,” Pinkie confirmed.

“Well what I found out was that Starswirl had designed and built those very models,” Octavia explained. “They were designed as prototypes for what you see now.”

“What are they supposed to do?” Pinkie asked.

“Time and space,” Octavia stated. “The hourglass controls time, the orrery controls space. To an extremely limited degree of course. Using both together, it would be possible for the Mastermind to alter an entire city to his image, and as we know now, that’s exactly what he did do.”

“At the gala, when everything got crazy…” Pinkie began.

“No doubt that was the machines being activated,” Octavia answered. “If I’m correct, it would also explain the pitch black sky. For this all to be carried out, the Mastermind would need to have transported the subject matter into a pocket universe. That black sky is simply empty space, where this universe ends.”

“Alright, so let me get this straight,” Pinkie said sitting down. “The Mastermind activated these machines at the gala, to turn Canterlot into this place. In doing so, transported the whole place and us into a separate plane of existence. So if we’re not in Equestria anymore, what are they seeing when they look at Canterlot Mountain?”

“Most likely more empty space,” Octavia replied.

Pinkie quirked an eyebrow, imagining the inhabitants of Ponyville staring up at Canterlot and seeing only a pitch black silhouette where the castle used to be.

“Well this is all fantastic,” Pinkie said sarcastically, “and slightly depressing.”

“But Pinkie, don’t you see what this means?” Octavia asked. “They were only prototypes when you and Shining Armour saw them, that means someone had to have rebuilt them to their full potential. More so if the Mastermind really is controlling them, they would needed to have been at the gala to activate them.”

“So the Mastermind was at the gala?” Pinkie repeated thoughtfully, before groaning. “Well that’s no help. There were hundreds of guests there, not to mention all the castle staff and the general inhabitants of Canterlot.”

“I know it’s a pretty broad lead, but it’s the only one we’ve got,” Octavia reminded her.

“You’re right,” Pinkie said standing up. “We’re closer now to figuring all this out and escaping, I can’t lose hope now. This might be stupid to even suggest, but what if we destroy the machines?”

Octavia shuddered.

“I don’t want to imagine what kind of damage that could cause,” Octavia said in a worried tone. “Not only for us and Canterlot, but for all the ponies that disappeared when this began. No, we need to hit the Mastermind directly if we want to get out of here.”

“Alright, you should get back to your room,” Pinkie suggested. “I’ll round up the others and we’ll start work on figuring this out.”

Octavia nodded and the pair left the library as soon as Pinkie scooped up all her notes.

Day 8, 12:46

Pinkie walked towards the central chamber, the day’s events swimming through her mind. It would help if she could find some of the others; she needed to be able to voice some of her thoughts out loud. She hoped Fluttershy would be in the infirmary. As she started up the curved staircase, she heard hoofsteps from behind her. Turning around she saw Rainbow walking up.

“Hey Pinkie,” Rainbow said in a dull voice. “It’s been a long day and it’s not even one yet.”

“Tell me about it,” Pinkie agreed. “Octavia and I have worked out how this place is… familiar.”

“Now what do we do?” Rainbow asked nodding her head.

“We need to hunt down the Mastermind,” Pinkie said with determination. “And all we know is it had to have been somepony at the gala.”

“Do you want me to go gather the others?” Rainbow asked.

“Not yet,” Pinkie replied, continuing up the stairs. “Everypony’s still reeling after this morning.”

Walking together the pair entered the waiting room and started walking over to the infirmary doors which were lying ajar. Striding up, completely unaware of anything wrong, Pinkie pushed open the door, and froze under the threshold.

The room was looked like it had been hit with a wrecking ball. Beds were knocked over, plastic curtains torn down. Cabinets were smashed and their contents were spilled all over the floor alongside folders and stacks of paper.

“What in Equestria happened here?!” Rainbow asked, her eyes wide and horrified.

“Fluttershy?” Pinkie called, striding into the room, watching to step over fragments of broken glass and other questionable objects.

Reaching Fluttershy’s desk, Pinkie looked around for her friend, seeing her huddled next to one of the fallen beds, her face bloody and bruised.

“Fluttershy!” Pinkie exclaimed, rushing over and dropping down beside her friend who was trembling from head to tail. “What happened? Are you alright?”

“Oh Pinkie, it was horrible, I…” Fluttershy began, but then she stopped dead when she saw Rainbow behind Pinkie. “No! Please, no more!”

Fluttershy was shielding her head with her hooves, tears streaming down her face.

“What…” Rainbow uttered, staring in disbelief at her friend.

“I’m so sorry for whatever I did, just please don’t hurt me anymore,” Fluttershy begged between her wails.

“I don’t…” Rainbow stammered, before she was cut off by Pinkie.

“Rainbow, get out of here!” Pinkie shouted. She didn’t know what was going on, but if Rainbow’s presence was causing Fluttershy distress, then she had to leave. “Now!”

Rainbow stumbled slightly, backing out of the room.

“It’s okay Fluttershy,” Pinkie said in a soothing voice, holding her close. “Nopony’s going to hurt you.”

“I… I don’t understand,” Fluttershy stuttered. “I thought we were friends, why would Rainbow do this to me?”

Pinkie looked around the trashed room and back to Fluttershy in disbelief.

“Rainbow did this?!” she asked, horrified.

“I don’t know why,” Fluttershy wailed. “I was just sitting there, when she stormed in. I thought she was upset about something, but before I could ask her what was wrong, she… she…”

Fluttershy couldn’t continue, breaking into a fresh wave of tears.

“It’s okay Fluttershy,” Pinkie tried to say, her voice hoarse. “It’s over; nopony’s going to hurt you.”

Rainbow attacking Fluttershy! That can’t be right…

Day 8, 14:29

“Can... can I see her?” Rainbow asked weakly, her head still hanging low.

“No,” Pinkie replied sternly.

“But…” Rainbow began, her head snapping up. “I didn’t do this! You know I wouldn’t never do that to Shy.”

“I know that,” Pinkie said calmly. “But right now that’s what Fluttershy believes, and she’s just starting to calm down.”

“I don’t understand how this happened,” Rainbow said weakly. “I was here with Soarin since this morning.”

“She was,” Soarin agreed, holding her tight. “Whatever happened to Fluttershy, Rainbow had nothing to do with it.”

Pinkie sighed and rubbed her temple, accepting a glass of water Maud offered her.

“I don’t know what to think,” Pinkie said finally. “But my decision is final. Until Fluttershy wants to see you, you’re off limits to her. I’m sorry Rainbow, but I have to think about her recovery.”

“I know,” Rainbow said sadly, her head hanging once more.

Pinkie looked around the study at the others. Fleur was frowning, Shining was biting his lip, and Fleetfoot had a pensive look on her face.

“And nopony knows anything else about this?” Pinkie asked again, desperate for anything that might shine some light on this situation.

“No, I was in my room after everything that happened this morning,” Shining stated. “As far as I know, everypony was.”

Pinkie stood up from her armchair, stretching her tired limbs.

“We need to find the Mastermind,” she announced to the room. “But I think it will have to wait until tomorrow while we try to figure this out.”

Day 8, 19:30

Pinkie walked alone down the throne room, occasionally glancing at the stain glass windows preaching the highlights of their friendship. It had been a long trailing day for all of them. Fluttershy was feeling better under Rarity and Applejack’s care, but she was still sticking firmly to her story about Rainbow Dash attacking her. Pinkie just couldn’t accept it though, it was so out of character for Dash, and she had an alibi anyway, she literally couldn’t have done it.

Now the infirmary was wrecked, anypony could go in and lift something and they would never know. Reaching the throne, Pinkie circled around it, making for the tall door, split into six triangular sections, with the star shaped lock in the centre. They had tried briefly to open it upon first discovering it, but quickly gave up; it had after all only ever opened to Celestia herself.

Celestia is right outside, and she’s only a statue now. A statue wouldn’t miss its horn…

Pinkie grabbed her head and shook it furiously, trying to rid herself of the stray thought.

No, I am not mutilating Celestia, despite what she’s done.

Turning on her heel Pinkie made to leave, but then stopped when she noticed something. The back of the faded gold throne was completely flat, and bare apart for a single small etching. Stepping closer, Pinkie peered at the etching. It appeared to be a wave, resembling a cresent moon, with a wand lying across it, topped with a star.

I know that cutie mark…

“Trixie…” Pinkie whispered, absolutely bewildered.

Just as the word was uttered, Pinkie saw a blinding light reflected off the back of the throne. Turning around, Pinkie was forced to shield her eyes against the light that was now pouring from the seam in the vault door. Very slowly, the door began sliding apart, the light washing over Pinkie until she was forced to clench her eyes shut.

Even through her clenched eyelids, Pinkie saw the light fade. Blinking, she opened her eyes, looking at the now open vault. Edging forward she saw a small, circular room inside, absolutely bare beyond a single blank pedestal in the centre. Something was resting a top the pedestal.

Passing through the door, Pinkie approached the object, an uneasy sense of familiarity growing as her eyes washed over the dark metal, the curved handle, the long slender barrel, the trigger.

Pinkie reached out warily, picking up the revolver.

Day 8, 23:10

Pinkie sat at her desk chair, her head in her hooves, the gun before her.

“Shut up!” she bellowed at the door in a desperate attempt to silence the obnoxiously loud whispering.

Leaning back she dragged her hooves down her face, trying to wake herself up. Ignoring the gun, she turned her attention to the row of framed photos Shining had given her. Looking from one happy family to the next. As she looked she started to feel a sense of familiarity.

I’ve been feeling a lot of that lately.

She was tempted just to ignore this one, sick of the discoveries she was making. However, reminding herself what was at stake she picked one up at random and stared intently at it.

What about this is familiar?

There were three ponies, a stallion, a mare, and what was presumably their foal.

Well I don’t know the mare, and I don’t know when I’d ever have seen that baby. Do I know the stallion somehow?

Looking closer at the smiling male, Pinkie frowned. He defiantly looked like someone she’d met before, but who? Pinkie’s stomach growled, reminding her she had hardly eaten all day. Then she remembered, food!

He was one of the waiters at the gala, I’m sure of it.

Looking to the others Pinkie was certain of it; every picture had at least one waiter or waitress she’d seen at the gala.

It can’t be a coincidence…

Pinkie thought back to the gala, to how the waiters wondered around like zombies, almost like they were being directed by remote control. Until the end of course, when they suddenly sprang to life. But what did waiters have to do with anything? Pinkie set the picture she was holding down, alongside the others, her gaze sweeping over the gun and landing on her saddlebags next to her chair.

There’s still one picture…

Reaching down, Pinkie opened the flap of her bag, pulling out the framed picture she’d hidden there. Bringing it up, she set it flat on the table alongside the revolver.

I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised, we know this is Canterlot after all.

Still, Pinkie couldn’t shake the same disturbed feeling she’d first had upon finding the picture, upon first looking down and seeing a filly Twilight Sparkle, Shining Armour and their parents, standing around, happy just to be a family.

Day 9, 07:50

“Are you sure you’ll be alright?” Pinkie asked, still sounding worried.

“I’ll be fine,” Fluttershy insisted form where she lay. “But could you make sure Octavia gets her medicine? She knows what type it is, but she might need help finding it after…”

“I will,” Pinkie assured her.

Leaving the room and closing the door gently, Pinkie walked down the hall just in time to see Shining Armour leaving his own room.

“Shining, I need to speak to you,” Pinkie said.

“Sure, what is it?” Shining asked as they started walking.

“I was looking at those pictures you found last night,” Pinkie began, “and I noticed something interesting. Each one has at least one waiter from the gala.”

“That… is interesting, for lack of a better word,” Shining admitted unsure.

“Don’t you remember?” Pinkie pushed. “All the waiters were acting really off that night, like they were all zombies.”

“I… don’t remember much,” Shining said slowly. “I’d had… kind of a lot to drink. But that does sound suspicious, and you’re sure all the pictures showed waiters?”

“Positive, I’m pretty good a remembering ponies faces,” Pinkie informed him as they trotted down the steps in the entrance hall. “I’m a little out of practice, but I know what I saw.”

“Well explain to me, what exactly made the waiters seem like zombies?” Shining asked.

“They just kind of flopped around, their jaws were slack, their eyes stretched wide, but their pupils were tiny.”

“Well I don’t know what that could mean,” Shining admitted, biting his lower lip thoughtfully. “Maybe…”

He didn’t get much further as he stopped the moment he saw Applejack storming down the corridor towards them.

“Hey Applejack, is something…” he began.

“Rarity!” Applejack shouted, interrupting him. “She’s the one who’s been stealing the food!”

“Wait, seriously?” Pinkie said in disbelief. “Why would Rarity steal food?”

“Ah don’t know, hell, ah don’t care!” Applejack snapped. “All ah know is ah walked in there not ten minutes ago and caught her gorging herself. She ran off before ah could get my hooves ‘round her neck though.”

“Food’s been going missing?” Shining asked, surprised at this sudden revelation.

“Yeah, Applejack noticed yesterday,” Pinkie filled in. “But Rarity wouldn’t steal food Applejack, that doesn’t make any sense.”

“Ah know what ah saw,” Applejack insisted. “It don’t make a lick of sense, but that’s what happened.”

“What’s going on?” a voice asked behind Pinkie.

Pinkie turned to see Maud standing behind them, a length of roped draped over her torso.

“Applejack thinks Rarity stole food,” Pinkie explained.

“Ah don’t think, ah know!” Applejack corrected angrily.

“That’s bad,” Maud replied in a monotonous voice.

“What’s the rope for?” Pinkie asked.

“This?” Maud said glancing back at it. “Found it in the storeroom, never know when something like this will come in useful, thought I’d keep it close.”

“Ah think we have bigger issues right now than rope!” Applejack interrupted. “Like that prissy food thief.”

“Alright, we’d better figure out what’s going on,” Pinkie said. “Shining, can you go back the way we came, if you find Rarity bring her to the study. We’ll look this way.”

What the hell is happening in this castle?!

Day 9, 11:34

“I’m telling you, I never touched the food,” Rarity insisted. “I don’t think I’ve even been in the kitchen on my own since I cleaned it up.”

“Didn’t Derpy help you with that?” Soarin asked, but nobody acknowledged him.

“Are you callin’ me a liar?!” Applejack demanded.

“No, I’m saying you are mistaken,” Rarity clarified bitterly.

And now we have another pony who’s claiming they didn’t do what they were caught doing.

“Alright enough of this,” Pinkie cut in. “We’re getting nowhere.”

“I agree, we need to be focusing on getting out of here,” Fleur added.

“We’re not gonna get out of here if we starve to death first!” Applejack argued.

“How much food was taken?” Rainbow asked.

“Well, ah’d say we have enough to do us another couple days,” Applejack stated.

Pinkie almost choked on the water she was drinking. When Applejack had said food was going missing, she never thought for a second it would be that much.

“Applejack, I don’t think a single pony could have taken that much food in just two days,” Pinkie reasoned.

“Well ah don’t how long it’s been goin’ on for,” Applejack backtracked. “Ah just noticed it yesterday is all.”

“Everyone needs to calm down,” Soarin said loudly, this time the others did take heed of him.

“Alright, let’s just… get today’s dose,” Pinkie said, sounding exhausted.

Rarity nodded, pulling out the lock box. Pinkie reached into her own bag, but didn’t find the key. Panicking she searched the other pockets, breathing in relief when she found it in the other side. Unlocking the box, Pinkie re-deposited the key and Rarity began handing out tablets. Pinkie accepted her own and raised the jug, ready to down it, but stopped just as the capsule was inches from her face.

“Don’t swallow those!” Pinkie ordered, quickly slapping Fleetfoot’s capsule from her hoof just as she was about to pop it into her mouth.

“What the hell?!” Fleetfoot exclaimed.

“Pinkie what’s wrong?” Rarity asked concerned.

“These aren’t the antibiotics,” Pinkie stated, holding up her own blue and yellow capsule. “They’re supposed to be red and yellow.”

“Well… of course they aren’t those ones,” Rarity said, everypony turning to face her. “These are the new ones you gave me yesterday.”

Everypony turned to Pinkie.

“I didn’t give you anything yesterday,” Pinkie stated. “Why would I suggest changing our antibiotics?”

“You told me Fluttershy recommended it so we didn’t have any one else falling sick like Octavia,” Rarity insisted.

“Fluttershy never said anything of the sort,” Pinkie said flatly. “And I definitely did not talk to you yesterday about switching these drugs.”

“So now she’s tryin’ to poison us to!” Applejack declared.

“I am not!” Rarity insisted, sounding hysterical now. “I swear, Pinkie came to me with new pills, said Fluttershy had told her to switch them up. You even had the key to the lockbox; I couldn’t have switched them on my own.”

The room fell deathly silent, broken by Fleur after several long, uncomfortable minutes.

“I think it’s safe to say something is going on here.”

Day 9, 21:11

Pinkie was lying face down on her bed when the knock came to the door. Scrambling to her hooves, Pinkie rushed over to the desk, throwing the gun into the drawer and slamming it shut. Breathing quickly she approached the door, unlatched it and opened it up to reveal Shining Armour.

“Hey Pinkie, everything alright?” Shining asked sounding concerned. “I heard a lot of banging.”

“It’s fine, you just startled me,” Pinkie said brushing it off. “What did you need?”

“Well I was thinking about that dagger you said you found in the chapel,” Shining began. “You said there were runes on it, have you translated those?”

“Oh no, I’d totally forgot about it,” Pinkie admitted, looking over her shoulder at her bed. “I haven’t really had the time.”

“If you want I could take a look at it for you,” Shining offered. “I want to do something helpful, and I know you’ve got a lot on your plate what with… everything that’s happened.”

“Well you’re not wrong,” Pinkie agreed, walking over to her bed and pulling the box out from underneath it. “Maud has the notes if you need them.”

“I should be fine,” Shining said accepting it. “Your books are still in the study.”

Pinkie’s heart began picking up pace as she noticed the picture of Twilight’s family still sitting on her desk.

“Well if you could translate that I’d really appreciate it,” Pinkie said, subtly edging around the room so she positioned herself between Shining Armour and the desk. “Personally I’d rather just forget about that knife, but we can’t rule out that it may be important.”

“That’s what I thought,” Shining agreed. “Well, I won’t keep you up anymore. If I figure anything out I’ll tell you tomorrow.”

“That’s great,” Pinkie replied as Shining left her room. “Goodnight.”

Shining began to reply, but was cut off when Pinkie slammed the door shut, sighing in relief that he hadn’t noticed the picture. Walking over to the desk, she picked up the picture. As she looked down at the innocent Twilight Sparkle, she remembered her promise to Soarin.

Tomorrow… tomorrow I tell them.

Day 10, 11:00

“Whatever’s going on,” Fleur was saying as her, Pinkie and Maud climbed the staircase to the throne room. “I think it’s safe to say it’s all part of some mindless distraction to throw us off our search for the Mastermind.”

“That sounds pretty likely,” Pinkie agreed, “but I don’t see the Mastermind being personally responsible for it. Directly attacking Fluttershy like that…”

“Well whoever is behind it, we can’t fall into their trap,” Fleur continued. “We have to stop thinking about these trivial matters and focus on our primary objective.”

“She’s right Pinkie,” Maud agreed. “Food shortages and personal feuds won’t matter as long as we beat this game.”

“I know,” Pinkie acknowledged. “It’s just…”

Pinkie stopped when they neared the still open doors to the throne room. She felt a light breeze against her face.

Odd, it’s like someone cracked open a window.

Continuing forward, slower this time, Pinkie edged her way into the throne room, the others creeping behind, realising from Pinkie’s sudden shift that something was wrong. As they neared the end of the corridor Pinkie saw something on the ground, something that made her stomach turn.

A trail of blood splashed across the floor, it was spilled recently judging by the light reflecting off it. Halting where she stood, Pinkie panned over the room, looking for the source of the blood or the wind. She spotted one of the pillars, indistinguishable apart from the length of rope looped around it, pulled taught on something Pinkie couldn’t see.

Moving forward, Pinkie neared the pillar, seeing the stained glass window near it had been smashed out, the rope leading out the new hole in the wall. Approaching the rope, Pinkie tugged gently on it. It didn’t give an inch; whatever was on the other end was heavy.

Pinkie had seen enough, she knew what was on the other end, what she didn’t know… was who.

Her heart hammered in her chest as she walked over to the broken window, taking a final breath as she leaned out over the sill. Pinkie pulled back, her eyes closing gently.

“Pinkie, what is it?” Maud asked in a concerned voice.

“Attention everypony,” the Mastermind cut in. “Another body has just been discovered in the throne room. The trial to determine the killer will be called in due course, until then, your time for investigating begins now.”

I’m so sorry…

Applejack.

Author's Notes:

NOOOOOOOOO... Aw well.
So, who killed everyone's favourtie background pony? That is the question.