The Filly Without a Name

by Scribble Script

Chapter 7

In the meantime, the sun was setting in the west. A chilly wind was blowing down from the northern mountains, across Cauldron lake, and rippled the surface of the dark, mysterious waters. It was due to Firefly’s thirst for action that the two guards on their quest for the missing filly had went to the lake that same evening. A thirst for action, by the way, that Sliderule didn’t share at all. There was so much he had wanted to prepare for this field mission but Firefly almost hadn’t allowed him time to bundle together thick cloaks for himself and the pegasus, let alone anything else he had wanted to bring along!
A little hesitatingly and feeling hopelessly underequipped, the paymaster followed Firefly out of town. By the time they had walked down the cobbled street until the shores of the lake came in sight between the scrawny firs, he had fallen a fair way behind. Firefly now left the road and stepped onto the shingle beach. The pebbles were still wet from yesterday’s rain but the evening sky was clear, except for a few clouds the north wind was driving along. The weather appeared to keep up, which was good fortune because so far away from Canterlot, weather still was uncontrolled and unpredictable, especially in autumn and winter. Firefly, however, knew nothing of this. She just was glad no more rain seemed to be scheduled for this night.

“Alright, here we are at Cauldron Lake”, Sliderule huffed. “So… um… and what now?”

Firefly had to admit that she didn’t have a clear notion what they should do now. What had she expected? That somehow everything would magically make sense once they reached the lake? No, indeed, but she had hoped their trip would’ve been a bit more… enlightening, perhaps. Yet nothing about these dark waters was enlightening at all. At most Firefly began to experience the strange attraction of the lake first-hoof:
It was always quiet at Cauldron Lake, animals, with birds leading the way, avoided the reed growing on its shores. The lake itself was frightening, with barely any shallows and infinitely deep, deeper than anypony had ever measured, and ice-cold, even during midsummer. And yet these dark waters – at evenfall and in the shades of the nearby mountains they were almost pitch-black - bore an enormous fascination to a curious mind: Who could tell what secrets were lying dormant in this lightless abyss?

“Shouldn’t we go back now? The gates will be closed in an hour or so, and Cauldron Lake at night, is that really necessary?” Sliderule knew a lot more stories about the lake than his companion and he had no intentions on finding out whether they were true or not!

Firefly saw how serious Sliderule was about going back to town but she didn’t want to give in just now. No, ‘want’ wasn’t exactly the right word, it was more like she really couldn’t give in just now, like if a feint yet determined voice in her head whispered to her it was of utmost importance that she stayed at the lake, at least until their theory the filly would come to the lake eventually would be proven completely wrong.

“I won't be cross if you want to go back”, she thus said. “ But I’d like to stay here, at least for some time longer. Just look around for a bit, y’know?”

“Yes, I know”, Sliderule sighed. “But I also know the rules, Firefly: Guard ponies must not go on patrol alone. There always have to be at least two ponies who go together. As your commanding officer I have to follow these rules.” He planted himself in front of Firefly. “And that means either both of us go back to town or none of us does!”

“None of us, then”, Firefly just replied. “No offence, but I’m not going back now.”

The paymaster grimaced. “I figured you’d say something like that”, he sombrely said. “And I haven’t even brought flint and steel, let alone a lantern… Just great!”

Firefly faced his bad mood with winning optimism: “Aw, c’mon, it’s not that bad. We have warm clothes, thanks to you, and still at least an hour of daylight. And have you forgotten? You’re a unicorn, you can cast a light spell. We don’t need a lamp at all!”

To her surprise Sliderule’s expression darkened even more. “As if I would play torch all night!” he snapped.

Firefly wasn’t able to follow up. This seemed to be about more than just that another unpleasant night was pending for Sliderule, somehow she had hit a raw nerve there, without even noticing. But that didn’t mean she would be spoken to like that! “Sheesh, sorry I said something”, she muttered sulkily.

Sliderule’s expression changed from sour to guilty at instant. The situation was visibly embarrassing for him. “I didn’t mean it like that”, he apologized hesitatingly. “It's just that… um, you know… I’m not good at practical magic.”

Doubtfully Firefly raised one eyebrow. “Not good at practical magic?”

“No… um, I mean yes. As embarrassing as it is… My magic is very weak. But a proposal for kindness: If you can get hold of some dry wood I’ll do my best to light a proper campfire, alright?”

“Yes, sir”, Firefly moaned but she was smiling. That sounded fair enough to her.

The fire was to become direly needful, for as the night closed in the damp air became quite cold an unpleasant. The rain-soaked ground and trees were steaming and thin wafts of mist were coming up from fields and forests as an almost full moon rose in the east. Firefly stared into the flames. It couldn’t hurt to wait, she thought. If there was anypony out there this night the fire would have surely drawn their attention, and hopefully it would be the right one’s attention. About that she wasn’t all too sure anymore, by the way. Her enthusiasm had waned together with the last light of day, and although she had wanted to send Sliderule home earlier, she now was glad that she wasn’t alone out here. However, she wouldn’t have minded if her company had said something instead of just glumly sitting there. But clearly small talk wasn’t his strong side…

“Y’know?”, Firefly spoke up once she couldn’t stand the awkward silence anymore. “I think you’ve done a good job with the fire.”

Sliderule slowly raised his head. He looked confused, as if he wasn’t sure to whom Firefly was speaking. “Um… thank you… I guess…”, he eventually replied, and then felt silent again.

Firefly had to wait for another minute or so, then Sliderule had struggled with himself enough. Slowly he continued, more like to speaking to himself: “I have memorized every spell in every book I’ve ever read, but my magic is so weak that I can’t put any of them to use. A lighting spell is almost the ultimate feeling and even that I can’t sustain for more than fifteen minutes! I’m able to work out most complex calculations in my head but I’m always so absentminded that I permanently misplace my keys! Do you know how that feels?”

“Perhaps, a little like having the wrong Cutie Mark”, Firefly answered. She had said it airily but a bitter feature darkened her expression. Her father was a carpenter in Canterlot, she explained to Sliderule, a modest stallion, but needed because as a pegasus he could easily work even at the rooftops of the highest buildings in Canterlot. And as his oldest child she had actually been supposed to follow in his hoofsteps, but timber, hammer and nails just didn’t suit her: She liked flying and speed. Her father had never been fond of his daughter’s passion, but after she had gained her Cutie Mark, he had to accept for better or worse that she would never become a carpenter; since that day Firefly had always thought to see disappointment in her father’s eyes whenever she looked at him. That was the reason she had joined the Royal Guard in the first place: The hope her father would one day be proud in her again.

“See, everypony has to carry their cross”, Firefly concluded, flashing her opposite a brave smile. “No need to be so embarrassed about it! So that’s why I can’t even read properly, because I’ve never been meant for -how do they say? - higher education.”

“But at least you weren’t named after your first toy”, Sliderule half-heartedly objected.

“Do you think ‘Firefly’ is my birth name?”, the blue pegasus gave a laugh. To talk about these matters seemed to help them both but she wanted to win that self-pity-competition. “I’ve no problem to admit it: I’ve changed my name because my birth name was terrible.”

“So, what is your birth name then?”, Sliderule broached the subject again. Firefly sheepishly rubbed the back of her head.

“Ah shucks, what does a name matter?”, she eluded. Hastily she tried to think about a different topic they could talk about. The fact she had changed her name maybe wasn’t embarrassing for her, but very well her old name itself. “That reminds me: There’s something I wanted to ask you…”

“No chance…” Sliderule interrupted her, smirking. “You’ve started it, now finish it! What’s your birth name?”

“Sky Blossom, alright”, Firefly blurted out. “My name’s Sky Blossom. Now go ahead and laugh at me!”

Sliderule blinked. “Why would I? That, um… It’s not all that bad. It’s a nice name. It sounds… um, sweet", he finished a little sheepishly.

“But that’s just it”, Firefly exclaimed. “The name’s so prissy and sweet, and I’m none of those. Never have been. The name simply doesn’t suit me, alright?”

“I won't use your real name if you don't like it, but... But I don’t think I can agree, actually”, Sliderule drawled, but he didn’t elaborate that thought any further because Firefly flashed him an angry glare. “Um… anyway…”, he said, blushing again beneath his sandy coloured fur. “You had wanted to ask me something?”

“Oh, yeah, that’s right!” Firefly exclaimed, happy about that change of topic. “I wanted to ask you about these Children of the Night. You said the crescent moon was their symbol, and I’ve seen it all over Hollow Shades. But who are they anyway?”

“The Children of the Night have their offspring over five hundred years ago”, Sliderule at once started to lecture precociously. “While most ponies are adoring Princess Celestia and the light of the sun, some others betake themselves to the moon instead; to the princess of the moon, more precisely, to Princess Celestia’s sister Luna. The Children of the Night believe she hasn’t really passed away as is hooved down in history, that she still is out there and watches over them from the moon, a bit like a mother, perhaps. That’s why they call themselves Children of the Night. Naturally, the High Council has always wanted to get rid of this worship but especially in the borderlands of Equestria, where Canterlot’s lustre doesn’t fall, they persist until today.”

“Unbelievable! Who would’ve thought a sophisticated mare like Calm Mind was part of some cult?”, Firefly wondered.

“But it makes sense”, Sliderule declared. “Not only poets, bards and all the other dreamers, but many powerful ponies - magicians, scientist, and pioneers all alike - have all been Children of the Night. They say all ideas spring from dreams, and Princess Luna used to be known as the Warden of Dreams. I think it’s only logical they behold her as their patron saint.”

Firefly had to think of the black pendant she had seen jingling at Silver Blaze’s neck and wondered whether Her Majesty Princess Celestia knew that the captain was actually a follower of her departed sister, that he was preferring the night orb over that of day. Maybe she had chosen him especially for that reason, as a memory for the sister she had lost, who knew? But what was the deal with the Children of the Night, anyway? Were they really some kind of secret society or just a bunch of odd ponies? Were they all just about superstition or did they maybe have some kind of secret agenda?

At this moment, the town bell sounded, it proclaimed the beginning of the second night watch. It was getting late, after this surprisingly pleasant talk about unpleasant topics and the chatter about the Children of the Night, Firefly hadn’t noticed how long they had been sitting at the fire-site already. She wrapped herself tighter into her coat, even if she didn't like the feeling how the loden cloth constrained her wings. Now the night was bringing itself to mind again with might. How the moon stood over the forest, large and bright, it was quite easy to understand the belief that the Princess of the Night was still alive. This wasn’t Princess Celestia’s realm anymore, it was a darker kingdom that complied with its own rules alone. The fire created an unstable circle of orange light around them and outside this circle only existed a world of black and white: White only the moon and the cold distant stars, and black evrything else.

And again Firefly had the same feeling she had felt in the nocturnal House of Healing. It sent cold shivers down her spine and made the fur in her neck stand out as some primal instinct buried deep inside any pony’s subconsciousness reacted. Firefly strained her ears and she saw Sliderule doing exactly the same.

“Did you hear that?” he asked in a whisper. Firefly silently nodded. There had been a sound, a cracking that hadn’t come from the fire, but from the nearby edge of the forest. Somepony or something had come to watch them. Sliderule was gazing intently over Firefly’s shoulder, he tried to make something out in the dark. Unfortunately, Firefly was sitting with her back turned against the forest. She couldn’t possible see anything without turning around.

There: Another cracking in the twigs, followed by the rustling of leafs. Whatever was out there, now it was moving. Still Firefly blankly stared ahead. Not being able to face the sound was driving her well-nigh crazy, but she was too scared to turn around or even to move a single inch.

“Who goes there?” Sliderule’s voice burst the silence like a whip crack. His shout came so suddenly that Firefly jolted up in shock. She was already up on her hooves when Sliderule called out again: “Don’t you w-want to come over hear a-and take a seat? It-It’s cold out here!”

It was impressive how he could call the danger just like that, even if he couldn’t ban a slight trembling of fear from his voice. There was no way Firefly could stand back now, she couldn’t show such a weakness in front of Sliderule, who she was viewing not only as a comrade (and commanding officer) but also as her friend by now. She forced herself to turn around just as the leafs started to rustle again, louder and closer this time.

She was just in time to see something come forth from the forest. But it wasn’t a monster, and not a robber band either. It also wasn’t a wild animal.

It was a unicorn filly.

“Go away”, the filly called to Firefly and Sliderule. “It’s not safe here!”

There was no doubt it was their missing filly. She was filthy and dishevelled, but she still looked a little like herself beneath all that dirt. The ankle of her right foreleg was bandaged and she was still wearing a gown like they were used in the House of Healing. But clearly, the linen tunic wasn’t enough for the wet and cold weather and the filly was shivering, whether with cold or with fear they couldn’t tell.

“P-please, go away!”, she stuttered, looking at them like a scared rabbit.

Now struck Firefly’s hour. Maybe her drill wouldn’t help her but she wasn’t big sister of five siblings for nothing! “Hello there”, she said in a conversational tone and rose a hoof for salutation. “I’m Firefly, and this is my friend Sliderule. Oh Celestia, look at you, you must be halfway frozen to death!”

She made a step towards the filly. The poor thing wimped out a little, but she didn’t run away.

“The offer still stands”, Firefly tempted her. “We’ve still got room at our fire for you.”

Firefly surely was trying her best to not intimidate the filly. And whether she did a good job or simply was able to catch her out, either way she managed to steer her to the fire with gentle force where she placed her on the fallen trunk she had sat on earlier and took place next to her.
“Now c’mon, you need to warm yourself first, and we’ll take it from there”, she said, took of her winter coat and draped it around the filly’s shoulders.

The filly looked up to her with large, sad eyes. “Are you going to bring me back to the hospital?”, she wanted to know with a voice so hopeless it was downright heart-breaking.

“No, no, no, of course not!” Firefly exclaimed in shock. “We’re going to find you a place where you’re save. Nopony will hurt you anymore, right, Sliderule?”

“Huh?” the paymaster mouthed absentmindedly. Then his mind followed up and he quickly added: “Oh… Oh, yes. Of course, of course, of course. Like you say Firefly…”

Not really helpful, Sliderule, Firefly tried to convene him with her look. But most likely the paymaster had already thought ahead and mulled over that problem with the save place. Where should they find such a place?

The filly looked from one to the other and then into the empty air. “I know”, she slowly said. “But I’m simply tired of running away…” She clearly wasn’t speaking to Firefly or Sliderule, but to whom else? The pegasus hoped that in the end they hadn’t knocked a screw loose in her head after all.

“Listen”, Firefly thus said to her comrade. “We need to get her indoor where it’s warm, and quick, or she will probably catch her death out here…” She then turned towards the filly: “So, what do you think, about that offer, um…?” She grimaced. “That’s no good”, she then decided. “I can’t keep calling you filly, don’t you think you need a name?”

“Guess so…” the foal admitted meekly. “But I don’t know my name?”

“Don’t you worry, we’ll take care about that later”, Firefly tried to cheer her up. “Sliderule here’s a genius. I’m sure he’ll find out your name in not time!”

Sliderule didn’t look half as confident as Firefly had spoken, but he nodded. “Until then”, he added. “Maybe we could give her an, um… working title… I mean a name we can call her by, you know?”

“Good idea!” Firefly concurred. She tapped her hoof against her chin while she thought. “I know”, she eventually exclaimed happily. “I’ve got a perfect name for you: It’s brief, easy to recall and positive and…”

“… And would please stop putting us on the racks, dear colleague”, Sliderule quite worldly interrupted her pathos. “And spell the name, already?”

“Alright”, Firefly pouted. “I suggest ‘Dawn’. I like that name. It’s sounds like hope, and I think you of all pony could use a little hope, right?”

The filly nodded. “Dawn sounds nice…” she said.

The filly tried the sound of the name in her head. ‘Dawn’… The mare, Firefly, was right: She really could use some hope. She was still alive, alright, but that was due to Clouds assistance for the bigger part. Even if he maybe was just her imagination, because he had always been on the ball, she had survived until now, even if only barely. Grass was neither very tasty nor very sustaining, and she hadn’t gotten sated since her escape. And not knowing whom she could trust, she even had wallowed through the rubbish like a wild animal in the end.

“Dawn sounds nice…” she said. Yes, she wanted to hope that there was silver lining on the horizon after all.

“Nice to meet you then, Dawn”, Cloud smirked. He was still at her side, of course, unnoticed by all others. “I like the name, too. It’s cute, suits you very well…”

The filly - No: Dawn - turned away to hide that Cloud’s straightforward way to talk once again embarrassed her a little. And then she saw the fog.
They all must’ve noticed it almost at the same time: It had always been there, for the whole evening, but the wafts of mist hadn’t dampened the starlit night. They hadn’t even noticed it gathering, and now it had consumed the whole world. A sudden, creeping fear came over them, it brewed up like the fog, seeped into their hearts and souls and made them nervous and anxious. Even more than before. Their fire casted restless, orange will-o’-wisps onto the white swirling around them. Up above, only one small part of the night sky still was visible, with the pale moon in its middle.
Dawn was on the verge of tears. “It’s everywhere!” she whispered. “Cloud, it’s everywhere!”

“It’s all my fault!” Cloud Dash scolded himself. “I should’ve known better than to come back to the lake! It has been my doom, and now it’ll be yours as well…”

The filly tried to reason with him but, he wasn’t reasonable anymore. And to Firefly and Sliderule it had to look really weird how she talked to the thin air…

“Cloud?” Sliderule followed up. “You mean Cloud Dash? What about him?”

He had to figure her for mad… And maybe she was, Dawn thought. Maybe she really had lost it. Maybe all this wasn’t more than just a terrible nightmare, but if so, she sure wasn’t about to wake up any time soon. And considering that she wouldn’t start to quine her best friend, imaginary or no…
“He’s here”, she thus said. “Right by my side. He talks to me.”

“Dawn, please”, Firefly snapped. “We have no time for the voices you’re hearing!”

Her fear was getting the better of her and thus making her sound vile. “Save maybe they have any sage advice what we should do now!” she added.

The filly wasn’t in any better state of mind. “I’m not hearing voices!” she objected fiercely, tears in her eyes. “Just this one voice! And Cloud IS here, I swear, even if you can’t see him. He’s a ghost or something. But if you don’t believe me, fine…!”

“Would you kindly save this argument for later?” Sliderule barged in. The fog didn’t seem to affect him as much as it did with Firefly and Dawn. Maybe his mind just worked in a different way than those of other ponies, anyway, he managed to remain at least somewhat sober. In fact, he was appearing even more sober than ever.

“If this is natural weather then it’s unlike any I’ve ever seen. If this fog’s getting any thicker, we’ll be able to cut it with a knife. We need to get back to Hollow Shades!”

“That was meant seriously!” Firefly grimaced howsoever. Now she was sounding almost panicky. “Does Cloud have any advice? Because I’d be willing to follow any if it gets us out of here!”

It’s too late…!

They all froze. There had been no call, no voice at all, and nevertheless the ponies all had heard these words, in their heads, their minds, and the words’ impact scared them stiff. Above them, the fog devoured even the last bit of open sky and trapped the ponies in an eerie white dome. None of them dared to make a single step in any direction.

“It’s too late”, Cloud picked up the ghostly words. “It’s too late, it’s too late…” He curled up on the ground to a ball and covered his face with his hooves. “He’s here! He’s come to get me…!”

As if to proof his words true, Dawn could see something shifting in the fog. It was visible like something was moving behind a white bedsheet or pressing against it from behind.

“Celestia help us”, the filly heard Sliderule mutter. “We’re trapped. Stay together, everypony, and close to the fire!”

Tighter and tighter the noose was pulled. Barely the glow of the fire was still keeping off the mist, but this shelter was constantly shrinking, inch by inch, hoof by hoof, as the ungodly fog appeared to choke light itself with its greasy wafts. There was no escape, Dawn realized. No way out, not this time, and this thought seemed as final and irrevocable as death itself.
Death, she thought. That’s it. I’m going to die here. This is the end. Slowly Dawn sat down on the wet ground, next to Cloud Dash. She tightly hugged her friend, it didn’t matter whether she was imagining him or not.
At least I’m not alone, she thought. Thank you for the name, Firefly and Sliderule. Thank you for everything. Then Dawn shut her eyes tightly and waited, waited for her death.

Firefly’s mind rebelled against what she saw. Not like weather at all but like something alive the fog appeared to her. Like a wide number of snakes and other winding, slimy and loathsome creatures, the malice lying within the white swirls was almost physically sensible. But how was she supposed to fight when the enemy literally wasn’t more solid than mist?

Some instructions Sliderule had given! Stay together, everypony, and close to the fire… But the treacherous safety of the flames was already melting like snow in midsummer. From everywhere this vicious, sleazy haze was comprising them and stretched out his clammy arms for them. If Firefly wanted to stay any closer to the fire she would have had to step into the embers. No further retreat was possible. At least not unless she tried to escape through the air, to fly higher than the mist could reach. The filly didn't seam very heavy, so maybe…
A quick glance above made discard that plan at once. Over her head the fog was loomed like white dripstones from a cavern ceiling. This way out wasn’t tempting either. Not at all… Sliderule was right: They were trapped here. Whatever was out there in the fog, or -more fittingly- whatever the fog was itself, it would snatch them one by one the very moment they dared to step into the white. Almost mockingly, the mist was slowly coiling in front of her eyes…
And then softly tipped her muzzle! It was an icky feeling that made Firefly shiver marrow-deep. Frantically brandishing one foreleg she dispelled the wisps of fog in front of her.

“Sliderule, we’re running out of options!” she hissed.

“I know, I know”, the paymaster replied. He had defiantly lowered his head for a counterattack with his horn but of course fog didn’t make a good target. An unsteady light flickered from the tip of his horn, he was really mobilising the last bit of his magic to keep the fog at bay. “Just… Just watch over the filly”, he gnarled. “I’ll think of… something…”

For a moment Firefly felt a deep regret because the name she had given the filly hadn’t brought her luck at all. Dawn was lying on the ground, her eyes shut tight and she looked like she was embracing somepony invisible. She wasn’t crying, and didn’t seem to notice what was going on around her anymore. But there was no peace for her: Something like ghostly arm, like a bird’s claw had already stretched out of nowhere, crawling and groping forward. Forward towards Dawn!

That was the final straw. Firefly was certainly not a coward and right now her protective instinct kicked in. She wouldn’t leave the filly to the mist! With a defiant scream she leapt forward and onto the crawling arm. The arm wasn’t any more catchable than the fog from which it had come, but Firefly nevertheless was bucking and biting around until nothing was left of that thing.

It was too late when she realised her mistake. Maybe she had saved the filly but in return she now was in deadly danger herself. She had stepped out of the circle of light and was now standing halfway in the dark. The horrified look in Sliderule’s eyes told her she was doomed, and then, before she could do anything or even say a single word, the fog welled up around her, seizing Firefly like a spider ensnaring its prey.