The following week brought along gloomier, rainier days. Pinkamena was out and about more often but spent some time alone in her bedroom arguing with Pinkie Pie. The investigation at Sweet Apple Acres came to a standstill due to the constant rain but more and more bodies were beginning to be uncovered from the loosening, muddy earth. Sunkick spent countless hours in his room at Rainbow Dash's house thinking of some way to tell somepony about Pinkamena without tarnishing Scootaloo's chances for survival. Whenever he left the house, Pinkamena was there to watch him. He could always see her lurking behind trees, sitting in buildings, or peeping through a lush bush. She was always there, waiting for him to snap so that she could kill her little hostage and make off to another town or city to continue her bloody crimes. Stormflower finally awoke from her seemingly-endless sleep but she was still too weak to leave the hospital. Joan visited her often and continued their relationship within the safety of the hospital. Twilight was beginning to lose hope but something was always there to keep her alert and daring enough to continue. Applejack visited the library constantly and found solace in one of the few ponies that didn't suspect her of murder. Scootaloo's disappearance was quickly noticed by Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle and fear of another murder began to sweep through the town. It was only a matter of time now before the suspicions would be strong enough to cause an arrest of the Apple Family. The Princesses tried to calm down the panic in town but, due to other national matters, had to leave town three days following Aaron's funeral.

Rainbow Dash watched sadly as the world she left behind proceeded to crumble. She had felt so happy after talking to Sunkick but now she just felt empty...almost as empty as she had felt when she had seen Pinkie Pie turning her corpse into a puppet. The afterlife had basically returned to its dull normalcy following the disruption of the dome and both Bellamina and Susie had fallen silent. Rainbow returned to being like she was towards the beginning of her afterlife: alone. She avoided contact with the others and spent a lot of time sulking around Sweet Apple Acres instead of lying on top of the Overlook.

It was now exactly a week following Aaron's funeral and Rainbow was walking through the empty Sweet Apple Acres farmhouse. She remembered the countless days she had spent in there with Applejack, eating apple products, talking with the others, and just lying about. She missed life but she missed the other afterlife even more. That endless wheat field with the single tree of bird leaves seemed to constantly call out to her from beyond the gray clouds. She wanted to break through and join Susie in an afterlife of eternal happiness. She wanted the others to come with her and experience it all too...but this dream seemed further away now than had been earlier. The dark prophecy lingered in her mind. She and the others would not move on completely until Pinkie Pie and Pinkamena were dead and Twilight, Sunkick, and Applejack would each have a hand in this. Sunkick had already figured out Pinkamena's secrets but he was now caught in her grasp because of her possession of Scootaloo. Poor Scootaloo. Rainbow had visited her many times, though the young filly had never been able to sense her presence.

Rainbow exited the house, turned towards the sky, and closed her eyes. When she opened them she was standing in a dark room with a single, yellowish light dangling from the ceiling. Scootaloo was lying on the cold, cement floor a few feet away from her. The room was around the size the death chamber that had once existed underneath Sugar Cube Corner. It was basically empty aside from a bowl of half-eaten pastries and a metal bin that had been placed there for Scootaloo's waste. Scootaloo didn't know where she was or why she was here. She couldn't even deduce the fact that Pinkie Pie was the one who had kidnapped her. Whenever Pinkamena visited her, she always wore her black outfit and spoke in her Pinkamena voice. She now only spoke in her Pinkie Pie voice when she was around other ponies aside from Sunkick and Scootaloo. Rainbow had watched her tease Sunkick from a short distance away.

"You've been a good boy. That little cunt lives to breathe another day," she would say as she passed by Sunkick in town. Rainbow hated Pinkamena but most of her anger turned to sadness at the thought of Pinkie witnessing all of this.

"Pinkie Pie," she breathed as she looked around the darkened room. Scootaloo may have been unaware of her surroundings but Rainbow knew exactly where she was. She was in a tiny shack that stood on the outskirts of Ponyville. It was located in the Everfree Forest, somewhere between the entrance and Zecora's house. She wanted to tell Sunkick this but her connection with him seemed to be broken. It must be the depression or the instability of the afterlife. It would take a spiritual miracle now for Rainbow to talk to her brother at the moment. She took one last look at the weakened Scootaloo before heading back to the afterlife. Aaron was waiting for her.

"You've gone to check up on her again?" he asked sadly. He knew about Scootaloo's predicament and felt just as powerless as she did. "How's she doing?"

"She's not dying but I'm still worried about her. Pinkamena could break her deal with Sunkick at any moment and kill her. Or Sunkick might snap and tell somepony."

"Or Pinkamena might kill him."

Rainbow had thought of this but she didn't like to. Pinkamena had killed her and had attempted to kill Stormflower. Sunkick dying or getting attacked would be too much for their parents. Thunder Storm and Caroline were already on the edge of the iceberg when it came to this. They were already making plans to head back to Cloudsdale. However, something told Rainbow that Pinkamena wouldn't kill Sunkick.

"I don't think she's gonna kill him."

"How can you be so sure, Rainbow Dash?"

"I dunno. I think Pinkie might be reaching through."

"What do you mean?"

"Pinkie might be regaining some control. Pinkamena could have killed Sunkick in the bakery but she didn't. Pinkie might have had a role to play in that."

"Maybe."

"Even if Pinkie does have a hold over Pinkamena, it won't last long. It's a race against time. Sooner or later...Pinkamena will probably go after my brother and Scootaloo."

"And the rest of Ponyville would be next on the list."

"There has to be a way to help them!"

"The time is near," said a familiar voice. Rainbow and Aaron looked to see Bellamina standing a few feet away from them.

"What do you mean?" Aaron asked.

"The time of judgment. There's going to be one last death in Ponyville and it's going to happen very soon."

"Pinkamena," Rainbow breathed.

"And Pinkie Pie along with her."

"Are Twilight, Sunkick, and Applejack going to kill her?"

"I cannot be for certain. I just know that the time is near and that they will play a role in the chain of events leading to her death."

"How can you be so certain that it's almost time?" Aaron asked.

"The signs are obvious. The weakening of the dome, Pinkie's mental hold on Pinkamena, Sunkick learning the murderer's identity, and the breaking of the barriers."

"The breaking of the barriers?" Rainbow asked.

"Yes. The barriers are breaking. The mental barriers, the spiritual barriers, and all of the others. Can you two feel the pull?"

Rainbow fell silent. She could feel something. It was faint but it was if some invisible force was tugging on her insides with a light pull. She turned to Aaron and he nodded.

"What does this mean?" Aaron asked.

"It means that it's about time for you two to make another trip to the world of the living together. This will be the trip that decides everything. Use your time wisely."

The world began to slowly fade around them as two pony images appeared before them: Sunkick and Applejack. Aaron was confused but Rainbow knew exactly what was happening. The barriers between her and her brother were broken, thanks to Applejack. The cyan pegasus took a deep breath as she and Aaron fell through the spiritual earth and flew towards their vessels in the world of the living.