//------------------------------//
// Chapter 5. He is your brother. 
// Story: Possession in the Crystal Empire 
// by Askre 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 5

Flash Sentry looked at Barricade and started to walk closer, all eyes were back on him watching his every move. The Unicorn didn’t budge but the guard could see a slight worry in his eyes. He recognized this look, it was the look of someone who thought he was in trouble.

“Barricade, I’m Guard Flash Sentry of the Crystal Empire Royal Guard, I’m here to see you about your brother, Private Iceland,” Flash simply told him, hoping this would ease the tension a little bit. This wasn’t his jurisdiction anyway.

“Oh? Ooooh.” Barricade blinked and seemed to ease up a little bit when hearing that. As the guard had hoped some of the ponies started to look more relaxed.

“Let’s talk in my office,” the Unicorn said and turned to walk towards an office door further in the gym. Flash followed and as soon as they were in the office and the door closed, he could hear the music start again, no doubt the ponies now daring to continue their work out.

The guard noted how sparsely furnished the office was, there was a file cabinet and some shelves that contained trophies. On the desk were three picture frames, one was of Barricade with the mare at the counter and the other two were of fillies he didn’t recognize.

“So, dare I ask why a royal guard from the Crystal Empire would come here about my estranged brother?” Barricade asked as he sat down behind the desk.

The word estranged caught Flash’s attention the most and he couldn’t help but wonder what could have happened between the brothers. He quickly shook it off and decided to focus on what was important. So he told Barricade what happened to his brother and where was located.

“Is he alright?” Barricade asked and sounded concerned. “And uh, just so you know he has friends in Fillydelphia who should probably be hearing this first.”

“He’s alright for the most part but he’s being kept at the hospital for observation. As for his friends, they are on a vacation all the way in Los Pegasus, it was shorter to come to you first, I would have tried going to your parents but I was told they are often away on digs,” Flash explained to him.

“Yeah, they are in the San Palomino Desert right now, impossible to reach them,” Barricade muttered and sighed, he seemed to be debating with himself.

“We would really like to know why your brother suddenly arrived in the Crystal Empire. From what his supervisor in Fillydelphia said, he doesn’t like travelling and he hasn’t really cooperated with us when we tried asking him,” Flash told him.

“Yeah, that sounds about right for him, not liking to talk to strangers unless he absolutely has to, though it is odd he would travel anywhere if not doing something for his friends.” The Unicorn frowned heavily and rubbed his muzzle with a hoof. “And if they are in Los Pegasus on a vacation, I can’t see them having sent him to the Crystal Empire.”

“Yeah your brother told us that he wasn’t comfortable talking to strangers.” Flash nodded. Barricade gave him a funny look.

“He told you that he wasn’t comfortable talking to strangers?” The dark gray pony’s frown changed into scowl when Flash confirmed that.

Flash Sentry wondered if something was wrong, Barricade had turned silent and looked uncannily like his brother as he considered what the Pegasus had just told him.

“Let me tell you something about my brother,” the Unicorn then spoke up. “He does not say ‘I don’t want to talk with you’ or say ‘I am not comfortable talking to strangers.’ He just stares and glares at you, if he doesn’t want to talk, he doesn’t talk.”

“Private lives up to the first half of his name, he is really private. I still think it’s a miracle that he actually lives in the same house and two mares and a foal. He hates being touched, he hates ponies coming to close to him, he hates hugs and all kinds of physical contact unless he trusts you and let me tell you, the list of ponies he trusts is in the single digits,” Barricade continued and shook his head.

Flash had to consider this. What Barricade was telling him definitely matched the pony at the Crystal Center hospital for the most part. Now that he thought about it, when he suddenly spoke clearly to Shining Armor it had sounded and looked a little off. 

“Something is wrong if my brother is speaking like that,” the Unicorn concluded.

“Then perhaps you should come to the Crystal Empire with me and talk with him, maybe he will respond better to a familiar face,” Flash suggested.

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea, last time we met we didn’t part on a very good terms. In fact, I think I’m the last pony in Equestria he wants to meet right now,” Barricade muttered and shook his head.

“He is your brother, I’m sure despite your differences he will appreciate you coming to see him in a time of need,” Flash Sentry pointed out.

“This goes a little deeper than me and him being different and having some minor spat. I don’t want to go into the details with you, no offense, but let’s just say that I royally messed up, crossed a line, probably several lines and they have all but cut contact with me. Even my parents have told me that they rather not speak with me, I don’t blame them,” the Unicorn snorted and didn’t seem likely to budge on this issue.

Flash sighed, already seeing that in some areas Private and Barricade were very alike. Both were very stubborn. He thought back to what he had witnessed when first entering the gym, the ponies falling silent at seeing the guard, some even trying to look inconspicuous. How the mare outside had asked almost hopefully if Barricade was in trouble. 

This gym certainly seemed to him to be harboring criminals or at least ponies who rather not be around law enforcement officers. Even Barricade had stared at Flash at first like someone who was worried that his crimes had finally caught up with him. 

“I’m not going to even pretend to know what happened between the two of you, but I can tell you this, some bridges are worth rebuilding,” Flash Sentry said, Barricade didn’t respond just stared back at him rather unimpressed.

“Your brother lies right now in a hospital in a city he’s never been too, surrounded by nothing but strangers. From what you’ve told me, he certainly can’t be very comfortable right now. Now I could fly all the way to Los Pegasus to look for his roommates or go to the San Palomino Desert to search for his parents but I just don’t have time for that right now, I need to go back to the Crystal Empire to report on what I’ve discovered to my superior,” the Pegasus continued not really caring if the Unicorn was really listening or not, he just felt this needed to be said.

“If you won’t come, will you at least see if you can contact his roommates or your parents and let them know where your brother is. He might be a recluse, but right now I really think he needs to see someone he knows,” he finished and now stared intently at Barricade.

“I’ll think about it,” was the only response that came from the gray pony.

Flash nodded, figuring that was the best he could hope for. He really wondered what had happened between the two brothers, Barricade had sounded concerned about him but yet was reluctant to just go right away to see him.

“Then I thank you for your help and information you supplied to me, I’ll see myself out,” he said and walked to the office door. He heard no protest coming from the Unicorn so the guard left.

Once again ponies halted their workout when seeing the guard, Flash Sentry ignored them and headed straight out of the gym. He didn’t notice that Barricade had followed him and watched from the entrance of his office as the Pegasus left, a thoughtful frown on his face.

Outside Flash took to the air and headed straight to the nearest train station, intending to take the next train to the Crystal Empire. He wasn’t very lucky with the train schedule, the next one wouldn’t be for another hour, with a sigh the Pegasus found a bench to sit down on and wait.

In his mind he went over what he had learned so far. Though it all really just summed up one thing, Private was an anti-social recluse who rather avoid ponies than interact with them. Flash had to agree with Barricade that it was then strange that he suffered to live with two other ponies plus a child. Maybe he wasn’t as reclusive or anti-social as ponies painted him as.

But the main question has not been answered. Flash frowned. Why did he come to the Crystal Empire? I think only he can answer this one, because nopony that knew him knew where he had gone and were surprised that he had gone anywhere.

Flash Sentry was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he paid no attention to a pony sitting down with him on the bench and started reading a newspaper. When the guard noticed he scooted a bit away so there was more room for both of them. Flash glanced at the station clock, another forty-five minutes before the train came. Without really knowing why he glanced to the pony sitting next to him and at the newspaper.

Strange epidemic? Flash frowned when seeing one of the news on the front page, it came with a picture of a sleeping pony on a hospital bed.

Since he had plenty of time, Flash dropped down from the bench and hurried to the nearest newsstand and bought his own copy of the newspaper. The Pegasus sat down and started to read the news bit that caught his attention.

‘Strange epidemic. All over Equestria, ponies fell unconscious Saturday and still haven’t woken up. More on page 14.’ Flash immediately turned to page 14. It had pictures from different kind of hospitals, all with unconscious ponies in bed.

‘No one is sure what happened nor what is ailing these ponies. But it is been confirmed that all of them fell unconscious around Saturday afternoon. Reports were made of them suddenly behaving strangely and then heading towards the nearest mode of transport, most often the local train station. Some made it aboard trains heading to the Crystal Empire while others barely made it through the door of their houses. Doctors can’t find anything physically wrong but further tests are being undertaken,’ he read in the article.

In the afternoon and some were heading to the Crystal Empire, the guard thought this over. They all fall unconscious around the same time Private Iceland has already arrived there.

Must be a coincident, this can’t be connected, besides Private has woken up. Flash shook his head and rolled up the rest of the paper and placed it under his wing. He was going to read the rest while onboard the train.

When Flash Sentry returned to the platform he was surprised to see Barricade sitting there. The Unicorn was grumbling something to himself and didn’t look too happy. The guard looked at the time table and confirmed that this was the platform for the Crystal Empire train. Now very curious the Pegasus approached.

“Well you didn’t think about it for very long,” Flash mentioned, causing Barricade to look sharply at him. The guard was pretty sure barely half an hour had passed since he had been in the Unicorn’s office.

“I’m just making sure he hasn’t managed to almost kill himself or something,” Barricade grunted and glared back to the ground. “Besides it will take forever to find the others and since I know already, I might as well go.”

“Sounds logical enough to me.” The Pegasus shrugged and sat down nearby.

“So anypony you know struck by this epidemic?” Flash asked and brought up the newspaper to show Barricade.

“Nopony in my gan… group no.” Barricade glanced at the newspaper, the guard raised an eyebrow at the correction. Pretty sure the Unicorn was about to say gang.

“But I heard of a couple of ponies in Hoofington who just dropped,” he then added with a careless shrug and looked away.

“Your brother was found unconscious around the time these ponies were ‘dropping’ as you put it, but he’s already woken up while these ones haven’t,” Flash mentioned and returned the paper under his wing.

Ugh, what have you gotten yourself into this time, Private? Barricade thought and shook his head.





Ponyville

“I’m here Doctor Horse, what is it you need help with?” Twilight Sparkle asked the amber Unicorn when she entered the hospital.

“Thank you for coming, Princess, it’s about Berry Punch and the others,” the doctor said and motioned to her to follow him. “As you know she and two other ponies just dropped unexpectedly unconscious few days ago and nothing we did could wake them up. All we could do was keep them here at the hospital under observation.”

“Yes, it’s been happening all over Equestria according to the news.” Twilight nodded remembering when it had happened. 

According to Berry’s daughter, Berry Pinch, her mother had started to act strangely, looking around as if she hearing something. Then suddenly Punch had just started walking away, muttering something she couldn’t hear, Pinch had followed and was surprised to see her head towards the train station. Before she could get there, her mother suddenly just dropped down, two other ponies who had been on their way there as well did the same, the local florist Roseluck and the weather pony Thunderlane. They were all three rushed to the hospital.

The princess frowned when hearing a loud voice as she followed the doctor down the corridor. She didn’t need to wonder for too long what was going on, Doctor Horse was taking her right to the room it was coming from.

“HE’S COMING! HE’S COMING! THE SHADOW RETURNS!”

Twilight winched at the sight. Berry Punch was thrashing around in her bed, screaming at the top of her lungs. Nurse Redheart and Nurse Tenderheart were desperately trying to restrain the pinkish Earth Mare.

“What is going on?” The princess looked at the doctor with bewilderment.

“I don’t know, Princess, this is why I asked you to come. She woke up few hours ago, began screaming at the top of her lungs then fell unconscious again,” he told her and sounded rather desperate. “There is nothing wrong with her physically, but like clockwork, every hour or so she wakes up again and does this.”

“HE WILL CONSUME US ALL! HE HAS FOUND A HOST!” Berry Punch almost landed a kick on Tenderheart who narrowly managed to avoid it. The trashing stopped, Berry’s whole body stiffened before going limp and there was silence in the room.

Twilight dared now to walk closer and examined the unconscious pony with her eyes. Nothing looked out of the ordinary, it was almost as if she was just fast asleep. The alicorn glanced further into the room, on two other beds lay Roseluck and Thunderlane, they hadn’t been disturbed by this at all.

“They haven’t woken up yet?” she looked at the doctor who shook his head.

“Fear has returned.” Suddenly Roseluck’s eyes opened, they shone terror and unlike Berry, she just lay still, staring forward as if mare was afraid to move.

“Fear? What do you mean Rose?” Twilight walked over to her bed, but the bedridden pony didn’t look at her.

“Shadow and fear have returned. The Shadow will consume us all. It will lay our fears bare. A host has been claimed.” She whispered and then her face grimaced and she let out a scream in horror before falling asleep once more.

What is wrong with these ponies? The purple pony frowned heavily and looked at the last pony, Thunderlane was waking up.

“Ehehehe…. hahaha… ahahaha…” the stallion started to laugh hysterically.

“Thunderlane?” Twilight stepped over to his bed, he looked at her with a hideous grin and strange mad glint in his eyes.

“He is coming. He has found a host. He will consume his fears and regain his form. He will cover us all in shadow, drive us mad with fear, make us wild with hate! Hehehe…ahahaha… he will destroy us all. Canterlot will burn. Equestria will burn. IT WILL ALL BURN. AHAHAHA!” the black pony ranted in a mad voice before he as well dropped back down to an unconscious state.

Twilight just stared in shock and was mildly disturbed. It was almost like these ponies were possessed or under some sort of a spell. She looked at the doctor and the nurses who could only watch, just as confused and disturbed as her.

“Continue to observe them and try and see if there is a pattern when they wake up,” the princess told them and glanced uncertainly at the beds. “I’ve got some reading to do and I need to speak with Princess Celestia.”

“We will, Princess Twilight,” Doctor Horse assured her.

End chapter 5