Revenant Wings half thought that the three days of Watchful Eye’s disappearance were going to be at least somewhat peaceful and maybe even slow-paced. They would have to bring Celestia’s and Luna’s reinforcements up to speed, after all, and he was somewhat out of commission with his hoof and heavily-bruised body.
That was not so. Iron Shield himself came along and asked him multiple questions about what happened the previous night when his home was attacked. Revenant gave what details he could about the eyes that he saw and the multiple colors he saw in them, the banging on the door, the feeling of being tied in knots until he couldn’t breathe. But he could see that Iron Shield was somewhat skeptical despite the description he gave over and over again, answering the same question like the captain was trying to get a decent answer.
“Did you get a DNA result from the hair?” Revenant asked.
Iron Shield shook his head. “No results. Nowhere has a pony registered with that exact imprint.”
Revenant was also subject to some media attention. News of his fight with the creature of Whitetail Woods had spread quick and a few had even travelled to his house to examine the damage. Celestia’s guards, instead of prowling the edges of the woods and keeping an eye on things, were relegated to keeping prying eyes away from the crime scene. And since Ponyville was a small town, everyone knew Revenant and came to see him in the hospital.
News must have spread really fast, because there weren’t just reporters from Ponyville’s two papers. There were no less than three from Canterlot papers. However, guards were trained in the art of stoicism if necessary and Revenant put on a face that looked unfazed by everything. It kept the reporters away, but he had to constantly remind the nurses that yes, he was open for talking if it was about treatment matters.
Doctor Stable did a good job keeping the ponies at bay. Eventually he made the second-floor off limits unless it could be proved within seconds there was a blood relation to someone on that floor, which wasn’t too hard since the doctors knew everyone around Ponyville, too. And eventually he himself took over most of Revenant’s check-ups, which primarily consisted of rubbing an ointment on his bruises by a nurse, while asking him questions about what attacked him and looking him over for other injuries. But nothing else emerged and x-rays taken after his surgery on his shoulder showed no internal injuries; he left whatever it was too fast to be hurt terribly.
Only three visitors were allowed to Revenant Wings’ room. Iron Shield came in for questioning and left almost as soon as he was done. The next to come in was Garnet Heart, who ate lunch with him and offered apologies again that Revenant deflected yet again and insisted on it not being his fault. But all too soon, Garnet had to return to work; with Revenant gone, he had extra to do.
The final visitor was Zecora, who had travelled from her home to bring him a small vial of the juice of Vaccinium sammohana; likely the only reason Doctor Stable let her in. Revenant held the vial for a moment, staring at it.
“I’m not bit,” Revenant said. “My cutie mark hasn’t faded.”
“It’s not for the bite I came to give this to you,” Zecora said. Revenant drank the vial of liquid at her urging as she continued. “It is for magical protection and to make you see true.”
“...I’m afraid you’re going to have to clarify that a bit.”
“I have my suspicions about what happened last night. It was only after being hypnotized that I received my bite.”
Revenant’s head twitched. “Hypnosis?”
“You reported eyes filled with spiraling color. That is one form of the hypnotic allure.”
“You mean...” Another twitch. “Huh, I thought that was only in fiction.”
“Do not underestimate magic, young one. No matter the form, it can fascinate and stun.”
Revenant thought quietly for a moment.
“...you do not believe me?” Zecora asked simply.
“It is a lot to digest. I know not what creature would be able to do that, nor in that fashion. It just...”
“Well, let us take a minute to see,” Zecora said when Revenant had trailed off. “You have seen its eyes by its own choice. Have you ever dared to hear its voice?”
“Voice?” Revenant thought long and hard. His head twitched again and eyes widened. “I thought it was just a dream... Something’s...” Another twitch. “...that thing’s been prowling around my window for weeks!”
Doctor Stable, who happened to be walking by, dropped his notebook and felt his magic sizzle out from surprise.
“Revenant!” he exclaimed. “What in the world are you going on about!?”
“Doctor!” Revenant shouted. “Can I be released?”
“Whatever for? You’re supposed to get bed rest all of today!”
“No physical exertion, I get it. But I need to get home!”
There was an unexpected fire in Revenant’s own voice that caused Doctor Stable, fumbling with his notebook, to drop it again. “I think so. But the minute you think you’re going to go running off again, I want you back here, you understand?”
“Yes, yes, I know.”
A nurse was called in to remove Revenant’s bandage and he was cleared for an early release with a doctor’s note not to go into work the next day. Revenant Wings was given a smaller cast that would keep him covered but flexible and he limped as fast as he could out of the hospital, Zecora following behind him.
They returned to the house. There was a slight crowd of ponies there, but Revenant easily slipped around the other side of the house and looked at the place where the broken window was.
There was the scene exactly as Watchful Eye had left it. There was the depression in the grass, the glass shards, the red-stained window, the ruler in the depression, and the line that went all the way to the Whitetail Woods.
Revenant Wings’ head twitched again and he started to limp off towards the Whitetail Woods. But something stopped him and he felt his tail being pulled.
“Zecora...!”
“Calm down, young Guard! You are in no condition!” Zecora said firmly. “Though I agree with your sentiment, you should heal before this mission.”
“This can lead us to what attacked me!” There came another twitch of the head as he turned around to face Zecora again. “This could lead us to whatever took Caramel and Watchful Eye!”
“You were bruised and bleeding after your last confrontation,” Zecora said calmly. “But trying right now I doubt would lead to your destination.”
Revenant wanted to argue, but sadly agreed with another twitch that there was truth in what Zecora said. What had taken Caramel and what had likely taken Watchful Eye was more cunning than that and would not be found so long as Watchful Eye was in its possession. There was nothing more to do except wait and see if the trends could be continued.
Revenant Wings and Garnet Heart stayed the night at a kindly bread-and-breakfast, whose owner promised she wouldn’t say anything about their staying there. It, too, was on the edge of town, but a little further away from Whitetail Woods and closer to the main town. They couldn’t move back in yet; a new window and door with locks had to be installed.
“It’s so strange,” Garnet said as they lay in bed. It was dark and the lights were off, but they weren’t tired at all. “The locks were built in, yet I thought we’d never need to use them.”
“Really makes you wonder, doesn’t it?” Revenant replied. “Everything seemed under control before. Now, though... now there’s two things out there that we are realizing have been under our nose this whole time.”
“And are potentially dangerous,” Garnet added. “I mean, stuff in the Everfree pretty much always stays in the Everfree. But this thing, crawling around our homes. Makes me shudder to think of it.”
“And how could seven other ponies be bit and disappear for three days be unnoticed?”
“It’s never been anyone important,” Garnet said. “It’s all small people. Janitors. Store associates. Aides. No Elements, no government, no company people, and no one living with someone else.”
“And then one day a doctor notices his brother is missing and it all blows up in our faces.”
“Well, I wouldn’t entirely say that.” Garnet shifted from his back to his chest, letting his wings flare out a bit to get some air. “Whatever it is has finally shown its hoof, what cards it’s playing with.”
“Even so, one of those cards is the joker.” Revenant stared outside through a protective screen in the open window. Off in the distance, he could see his house. The shadow under the moonlight lengthened. “I want this creature, Garnet. Whatever it is, I want it. Before it does any more harm.”
Nothing answered his reply but a slight breeze.
Except...
The shadow from the house had disappeared despite the moon staying still, and no trees were moving.
“Garnet... you hear that?”
Garnet mumbled something next to him.
“In the name of Tartarus, wake up!” Revenant shouted.
“...eh?” Garnet muttered sleepily.
“Something’s out there!”
Garnet looked outside. “I don’t see nothing,” he said. “Just... just lay down and go to sleep. You need to for that leg.”
Revenant wanted to keep watching. He stared out the window.
“Resssst...”
Something was close by. It felt near, but Revenant couldn’t see it.
“Relaxssss...”
That voice...
“Nothing to fear... nothing to scare... close your eyessss... for I will be there...”
The deep voice lilted and sang as it slipped softly through the night. Revenant felt himself become heavy and weak and it took all his support to keep looking out the window.
“Slip ssssoftly into gentle sleep... tonight the watch I shall keep...”
Revenant’s eyes jolted wide open despite the increasing heaviness. This... this is what plagued him all those nights. This is what he heard when it felt like he was drifting off. If only he could see...
“The night is cool, the pillow so soft... winds carry your wingssss down from aloft...”
Revenant was surprised he didn’t hit the headboard on the way down, and that Garnet didn’t even wake up as he collapsed on the bed next to him.
“My voice is nary to you but a dream... an illusion of ssssleep, under the moonbeam...”
Revenant’s head twitched. This was not the voice that plagued his dreams. This was the one that came after.
“We shall meet soon enough, my young friend... but close your eyes and resssst until then...”
Revenant listened as the voice faded away and the night became quiet once again. He wanted to see if something was out there so badly. He wanted... he wanted...
“Ssssleep...”
He wanted to sleep.
His eyes closed, unable to resist any longer.
A final twitch, a final thought: something allowed him to relax around one voice, while protected him from another.
Revenant knew not why that was.
“I really think you should follow Doctor Stable’s orders,” Garnet Heart was saying the next morning.
Revenant Wings ignored him. His armor and spear were still clean and good; he might as well use them. He buckled his chest-plate and back-plate as he got himself ready to go and checked to make sure the helmet didn’t have any kinks in it.
“You weren’t supposed to do any physical work,” Garnet said. “You had a terrible ordeal that night, and who knows how long it’ll take for the thing to close up.”
“I can fly or hover from place to place,” Revenant said. “That’s not putting any strain on it. And I have the more flexible cast on it anyways.”
“What do you want to know?”
“The ponies that have been bit. How many did you say there were?”
“...I haven’t said anything of the sort.”
“Right...” Revenant Wings was momentarily checked, but resumed putting on his armor a moment later. “Well, then. There’s got to be some sort of connection, some sort of underlying situation we haven’t been paying attention to thus far.”
“I understand what you’re getting at, but seriously, you think Iron Shield is just going to let you waltz into the office and work given what happened?”
Revenant Wings nodded. “Because I think what happened to me may have happened to Caramel and Zecora. And if it happened to them, it may have happened to these others, too.”
It was harder work getting to the police office than Revenant thought and they were closer to the police station than they had been at their house and the distance was shorter. Even so, Revenant flapped his way to the station and only needed to stop twice before they stopped, though Garnet wasn’t convinced.
“You’re pale,” he said.
“We’re all pale,” Revenant Wings replied. “We’re pure white.”
“Yeah, but I seriously think you should sit down for a while and go home.”
“Might as well do some work before then.”
Revenant limped his way to his desk. Iron Shield noticed him and busted out of his office, heading straight over to Revenant’s desk.
“Doctor Stable called me,” he said. “I can’t have you doing much work until your shoulder is healed. What are you even doing here!?”
“I want to look over the other ponies’ cases.”
Iron Shield gave a mild snort. “I want to myself, but we don’t have many reports. A few came up to me and told me but I have yet to have any full confessions. The only reports we have are Zecora and Caramel.”
Revenant’s head twitched as he pulled over a piece of paper. “Good. You can at least give me rudimentary details, then.”
Iron Shield’s face contorted in ways Garnet Heart didn’t think possible. Revenant, for the most part, ignored him.
“Wait, what!?” Iron Shield finally sputtered after a minute.
“Well? You wanted to look over the other ponies’ cases. I was going to write down some rudimentary details about the ponies and we can look and see if there’s even anything on the surface pointing to potential similarities.”
Iron Shield nodded. “Alright. I think I see where you’re going.” He sat down by Revenant; Garnet sat down at his own desk and watched with vague interest.
“So, let’s start with Caramel,” Revenant Wings said. “He’s an earth pony lives with Doctor Stable by Ponyville Hospital, works at the Apple family farm, and had the bite mark on his shoulder.” He scribbled that information down. “Then we got Zecora, who lives primarily in the Everfree Forest and occasionally walks into Ponyville for supplies.”
Iron Shield watched with a vague interest.
“So, let’s go through some of the names. Name one, anyone, off the top of your head.”
“Roseluck, earth pony. She lives over by Carousel Boutique, and has a garden on the west side of town.”
Revenant scribbled the information down. “Alright. Next?”
“Amethyst Star, unicorn. She lives close to the Apple family farm, but works over by Mayor Mare’s offices in a jewelry shop.”
Revenant scribbled like mad.
“Spectrum, pegasus. Lives in Cloudsdale but serves on Ponyville’s weather team; transferred departments about two years ago.”
Revenant’s head twitched. “Oh, where are the bite marks on all these ponies?”
“Roseluck’s is on the shoulder like Caramel’s was. Amethyst Star had it on the forehead. Spectrum had it near the wing joint. The bites seemed to be surgically placed; no major arteries or ventricles nearby, and all had full use of the limbs afterwards with no major concerns.”
“Alright. Got any more?”
“Rare Find, unicorn. Lives in Canterlot, mostly, but has occasional job as a gem dealer for Amethyst’s jewelry shop and comes down here every once in a while. Bite mark on forehead.”
“A-ha!” Revenant suddenly said. “We have a potential connection. Tell me, do you know of another pegasus in the bunch?”
“Actually, there were two. Evergreen, the most recent, lives in Canterlot but makes a living chopping down trees. He was down here for a while cutting trees from the edges of the Whitetail Woods and Everfree Forest for a Canterlot lumber company. The other’s Tracy Flash, a photographer for the newspaper who lives over by the mayor’s offices.”
“Okay. Where were the bite marks?”
“Well, both were by the... the wing joint.”
Revenant Wings’ head twitched again. “Ah, yes. So there is a potential connection. See, two earth ponies with bites on the shoulder, two unicorns with bites on the forehead by the horn, and three pegasi with bites by the wing joints.”
Iron Shield looked somewhat strangely at Revenant Wings. “If you don’t mind me asking, what in the name of Celestia are you getting at?”
“It’s a center of magic. Each one is bit at the place where their particular race has the strongest magical concentrations. It’s how each pony is stronger than the others at certain tasks; the magic inside them, even if it doesn’t take physical form, is stored and channeled at those areas.”
Iron Shield’s face contorted a bit more. “Explain,” he sputtered again.
“We’re dealing with something that drains the magic out of ponies,” Revenant Wings said. “Caramel’s had the bite mark on his shoulder and was unable to function enough to do his talent with Doctor Stable’s magic tests noticing a low level of magic ability. Zecora also noted a light-headed feeling until she ate a specific berry...”
Revenant Wings’ head twitched again and he suddenly looked surprised.
“...you aren’t getting seizures, are you?” Iron Shield said.
“Zecora!” Revenant Wings suddenly shouted. “We need to see Zecora! Even though Zecora and Caramel were cured, perhaps we can use those berries to refresh their memory!”
“...berries!? Revenant Wings, you’d better explain yourself!”
“There’s a berry that Caramel liked to collect, but consuming the vial of juice from the Nagani berry Vaccinium sammohana caused Caramel and Zecora to recover. But then Zecora came here yesterday after my attack and gave me another vial and told me to drink it. She said it had something to do with protection against hypnosis because that’s what she thought the creature used on me when I became paralyzed with fear.”
Revenant Wings stopped only a moment and twitched yet again. “I’ve been eating the berries for long enough I was able to break out of the trance it caused. And the reason I’m twitching so much is because I keep remembering new things or gaining new insights into situations.”
“How long does the effect of the juice last?”
“I don’t know.”
Iron Shield watched Revenant closely. Revenant had a feeling that, even though it didn’t seem like it, Iron Shield believed him; he watched as though looking for another twitch that would betray him having some new information about his condition.
Iron Shield nodded. “I think we need to go see Zecora.”
“Why? And why ‘we’?”
“She’ll listen to you. But I want to pay her for more vials of that juice. If we’re dealing with something that can take out a pony’s basic magic abilities, we’ll need more of that as an antidote.” Iron Shield gulped, for the first time hesitant in his actions. “Can you go with me, however?”
“I thought I wasn’t supposed to do physical work.”
“...I’ll carry you.”
The option did not leave much room for argument.
A few minutes later, Revenant Wings was perched on top of Iron Shield, balanced mildly precariously, as he directed his captain over to the pathway leading into the Everfree Forest and to Zecora’s hut. The way was a lot rockier than Revenant remembered, as Iron Shield kept jostling him around and he had to constantly re-adjust Revenant on his back. It was also a lot darker; despite coming mid-morning, the shadows of the trees covered anywhere outside the path in heavy shadow that the light barely pierced.
After a while, Iron Shield stopped. “Why don’t I just carry you in my magic?”
“I mean, if it can work for that long,” Revenant Wings said. “I could hardly go from home to work this morning without draining myself.”
“I can do it. Hold on a minute...”
Revenant was soon enveloped in a tingly blue aura and lifted off Iron Shield’s back so he was floating in mid-air. He felt a little guilty due to being a pegasus and supposed to be able to do so himself, but his current condition meant that was a no go.
“Right. Keep an eye out for me.”
“Will do, Captain.”
They continued onwards towards Zecora’s hut much quicker than before; unhindered by Revenant on his back, Iron Shield was able to easily maneuver over the rough terrain and odd bumps and twists in the road. He half wondered why didn’t they do it sooner.
When they reached the door, Revenant was set down and he walked up to the tree and knocked on the door.
“...not exactly an ideal location for a house, is it?” Iron Shield mused.
“It probably is for the herbs and plants she uses,” Revenant replied.
Zecora opened the door and looked at Revenant happily. “Hello, again, my dear Revenant Wings! It’s been a while, how goes things?”
“Miss Zecora, we would like you to do something for us?”
Zecora looked between Revenant Wings and Iron Shield curiously.
“We would like you to create more of those vials of juice from the Nagani berry,” Iron Shield said. “They’ve helped you and Caramel release from the power of whatever is in the Whitetail Woods, and we think it’s entirely possible that may help save or release more later.”
“I’m afraid the berry is in limited supply,” Zecora said. “But I’ll drop them off next time I pass by. Stores are small and hard to find, but I’m sure I could as I am inclined.”
“You will? Thank you!” Iron Shield bowed a little bit. “The Guard will compensate you for their creation and delivery, of course.”
“No compensation required for my skill,” Zecora said happily. “I get all I need selling wares in Ponyville.”
“Even so, we would like to offer you so—”
A crack, a rustle, then silence. Everyone tensed and Revenant about fell over.
“...what was that?” Iron Shield said gruffly.
“Many things dwell here in this dark wood,” Zecora said warily. “But that came and left quick; that doesn’t seem good. You should get out as quick as you can, before whatever that was waylays your plans.”
Iron Shield picked up Revenant Wings in his magic rather forcefully. “Even so, thank you so much for your contribution. We will discuss some form of compensation later. So long, Zecora!”
“Bye, Zecora!” Revenant Wings said as he was dragged away.
Iron Shield, unburdened by Revenant sitting on his back, galloped off down the trail.
“I still can’t understand how she’d want to live in a place like this,” Iron Shield said. “We have enough problems back home; I would want to deal with whatever is in here as well.”
“That’s the first time I’ve heard something that close,” Revenant said. “I’ve never had something close by when I came here before.”
“Yes, yes, you sort of repeated yourself there,” Iron Shield said. “But I don’t like the feel of this place. I’d wager if you stayed longer any other time, there would be more incidents like that... huh?”
Iron Shield suddenly skidded to a stop and he actually dropped Revenant in his magic; the pegasus flew forward a few feet before landing head-first on the dirt path. He looked up at Iron Shield and shook his head.
“Hey!” he said. “What’s with the rough landing? If you wanted me to fly, you could have just told me.”
“It’s not that,” Iron Shield said with a growl. He angled his own spear so that it was battle ready. “There’s something in the woods over there.”
Revenant Wings followed the spear tip until it looked off into the woods. Amongst the shadows was a pair of golden eyes surveying the two ponies; they looked like cat’s eyes with black slits down the middle. They scanned the two ponies back and forth, from Revenant to Iron Shield and back again, before closing and disappearing into the darkness.
Even Iron Shield was flabbergasted. “W-w-what was that?” he asked shakily.
“I have no idea,” Revenant said, also quivering. “Perhaps you’re right, the less time we spend in here the better.”
Iron Shield picked up Revenant Wings and galloped away as fast as he could, but Revenant caught one more glimpse of the eyes watching them as they left the Everfree and catapulted into the sunshine.