It was a humid Monday morning on the outskirts of Las Pegasus. The city’s biggest electronic music festival just ended hours ago, and everypony either had a good sleep, or just wanted to go go to sleep because they stayed up for the closing DJs that play at dawn - the best part of the SSC according to many.
Some do this by choice. But Sun Beamer did so because he got assigned that shift by the concert lighting company he works for, which was contracted to provide services for this excellent event. Then there was the part where he had a run-in with a unicorn trying to use some type of mind control on him. It wasn’t fun, at all. Of course, this was also the unicorn that Sun Beamer thinks has been up to no good in general, so it’s justified. But how could she tell he was trying to expose her?
This mystery would have to be solved later, however. Sun Beamer, with a saddlebag full of his rave clothes in tow, was making his way to Gigantic Gerry’s Truck Stop -- only a short gallop away from the gates of the festival grounds. On the weekend of the SSC, it practically turns into a bus stop, given that the grounds themselves are about 160 furlongs from downtown, only one out of every 2.99999 ponies are pegasi, and some attendees do things there that you really shouldn’t do before driving.
Sun Beamer, on the other hand, was just tired. He slept on his seat at a table in the truck stop’s restaurant, waiting for someone to wake him up with his order of eggs and pancakes. Others were gathered outside, trying to keep the party going with their boomboxes, MP3 players, and miniature dance circles while they waited for the next bus to arrive.
A tough, yet friendly-looking unicorn waitress galloped over to his table, levitating plates of food down onto it. “AH?! DON’T COME ANY CLOSER, OBSCURUS!! “ Sun Beamer overreacted. “I mean … thank you. Sorry, I’ve only been operating on about one and 6 hundredths of an hour of sleep.”
“Lemme guess, that music festival?” the waitress asked.
“Actually, yes. I was on the staff this year. I work for a lighting company and we were running the lasers and stuff. Gotta be careful, don’t wanna shoot an eye out!” Sun Beamer continued, as he started to pick at his eggs.
“Good, good. As long as you had a safe time, I won’t judge you for your musical tastes. I’m trying to get days off for the Country Kerfuffle in September; it’s also at the grounds too.”
“I’ve heard about that one, but only because I think we got the contract for it too.” Sun Beamer replied. “Oh, and by the way, I don’t think the word ‘safe’ is 100% accurate...”
“Really now?” The waitress seemed a bit shocked. “Y’know, strange things were happening last night; a lot of the truckers who stop here were talking about weird things when they came in for their midnight coffee run. Stuff about centaurs and a ‘Princess of Nightmares’ seemed to be common.”
Something about what the waitress said clicked in Sun Beamer’s mind. “...hold on. Wait, actually …uh, think we could talk about this some other time? I don’t want my bacon to get cold.”
“As you wish.” The waitress went back towards the kitchen. These newly-discovered revelations surrounding Obscurus did not ruin Sun Beamer’s appetite -- it only made him hungry for more.