Whimsy's Fate

Part 1

Kataka-Kataka-Kataka-Kaslpash-Kataka-Kataka

   The hoof beats clattered against the hard, wet pavement. Sound against the silent street. Puddles scattered everwhere. Streetlights illuminating the wet roads. Rain poured down from the dark night sky. Atlas galloped into an alleyway so no-one could see him. He opened his umbrella and pulled out his map. Scattered red and blue dots covering the damp map, black annotations on the side of the margin line.

   "Autumn Orchid . . . Single Unicorn . . . not very social except for close friends . . . doesn't communicate with family much. . . . good . . ." Atlas gently laughed to himself thankful she wouldn't be missed much. As much as Atlas hated doing this, he knew he had to. He looked up into the window of her town house and saw her walking out of the room. The colt pulled his rucksack over his back and slowly trotted to her doorstep.

   Coat drenched, face posed and fake, Atlas knocked in the door. Autumn opened the door and smiled a greeting. Atlas made himself look worn and cold, wasn't that hard to try. Autumn's expression changed, she looked worried now instead of friendly.

   "Miss can I use your telephone to ring my mum?" Atlas said trying not to make his "accent" too desperately British.

   "Of course, Love" She said warmly, backing up to let him in. The lights were warm, welcoming and homely. Dainty furniture here and there. Auntumn used her magic to shut the door behind her. Atlas let a single tear drip on the ground hoping she would assume it was rain.

   "I'm so sorry" Atlas shook. Autumn gazed at him in bewilderment as he collapsed his magic around her throat until she was nothing more than a limp corpse on the ground.

   Before the magic in her faded, Atlas collected it into a gem in his rucksack. Since he was alone, Atlas let the tears flow like the sky above. The room no longer happy and welcoming but now lonely and lost.

   Atlas scurried into the alley way and used an orb of plasma and magic to teleport him home. Somewhere so far that he could never be caught.

.  .  .

   Whimsy sighed, she had been in the train car forever as it seemed. Shimmer bounced impatiently in the seat across from her. Crescent gently tapped the beat of the music she had in her earbuds. Their Mom and Dad were in the seats behind them, equally bored as their children.

   Whimsy glanced at her phone, nothing new. She expected a text from one of her friends but she doubted it. She then returned to watching the British countryside roll on by. The gentle rhythm of the train urged Whimsy to sleep except that's all she had done for the first hour. Plus they should be almost there, at least Whimsy thought that.

   "Woah!" Shimmer said levitating an article in front of Whimsy's face. "There has been 4 murders in Great Britian"

   Crescent's head shot up. She room the paper away and read it swiftly. Then Crescent glared worriedly at her sisters.

   "All unicorns . . . all in the same area. . . . all near Zondy's apartment." Crescent jumped over to their mothers seat and showed her. Astra's eyebrows tensed with concern. She passed it to Artemis who skimmed it and turned it away.

   "Nothings going to happen. If Somepony wants to barge in on our family time he'll have to deal with Rune and I" Artemis said with gentle authority. Rune was Zondrell's father, he wouldn't hurt someone even if his whole family needed him. Rune knew that he couldn't but the thing about him is that he would try, even if in the end he was cowering at the sidlines.

   The train rolled up to the station where Zondrell, her mother Celena, and Rune. Zondrell grinned and tightened her coat before strolling up to the slowing train. Shimmer bound out of her seat as the car stopped. Galloping down the aisle and hopping through the open doors to greet Zondrell outside. Before they could all get together and greet their family rustling of hoof beats stampeded out of the train car.

   Artemis and Rune hooked themeselves up to the carriage while ever one else hopped inside. Whimsy smiled with fake relief since she got out of the train just to hop in another vehicle.

   The landscape went from homes every few minutes to house after house. Apartments and Duplexes galore. The grey sky matching the buildings under.

   "Would you be surprised if I told you  this is actually nice weather" Rune holed through the open carriage window. Whimsy gently laugh while Shimmer's expression changed.

   "You're kidding right? It's overcast" Shimmer scoffed at the grey clouds crowding the blue sky hiding behind. Zondrell laughed and nodded.

   "As much as I wish he was, Dad's not joking" Zondrell rolled her eyes in an endearing way towards Shimmer. She adored the young filly.

   They pulled up to the house and got ready to unload. Artemis gasped and stiffened before unhooking from the carriage to run over the street. Police, Paramedics, everypony. All telling orders to their comrades. Artemis rushed the children inside and slammed the door, shooting a concerned look to Astra.

. . . That makes five . . .