//------------------------------// // 22 // Story: Happiness Is What You Make Of It // by Nameless Narrator //------------------------------// Poor Grey Shrine. She believed in me, and this is how it worked out. I must have disappointed her so much after she spent her time and effort to help me get here and make the doctors attempt to sort my head out. She even lied and pretended I was a castle employee so that I could get into Border Glades. I made her a liar. Even worse, she risked her position and career for me, just on the off chance that I wasn’t crazy, and look where it led her. She was threatened with an official complaint, possible demotion, and maybe even losing her job. I shouldn’t have told her anything about this changeling venom. Who even knows what a changeling is? Is that a real word? However, if I imagined all that… then what was I doing all the time? Did I really go to the cellars or was it just a dream? Did I talk to Quick Trick and was given the key? No, that part must have been real, so where did the fantasy start? I… I must have given the key back to Trick, right? He did leave the pinboard after getting it back, I saw it. So… did the key… happen? Did I simply talk to Trick twice and go to sleep in between? No, no no no. Stitches. I got Stitches. So I WAS down there, right right right. Oh, I totally forgot, even the doctors said I was down there, although they didn’t see me. I get confused here in the solitary confinement sometimes. So I just imagined the part with the crate full of bottles, right? Grey Shrine was here, nothing was found, and I ruined her career. On the bright side, though, if there is any, I… I mean Grey Shrine… she learned not to bother with me, right? That it doesn’t lead to anything good. She’s a real pony and I’m just a dummy. She’s not going to take a risk because of me again. She’ll forget me, and she’ll be better off. That, or she’ll get punished hard and will hate me forever. It hurts a little to think like this, because she, Eclipse, and Piercing Hit were the first ponies to think I was worth a kind word, but it hurts even more that this is what it led to. No, that’s exactly how things started and how they should be, that’s the right way to think. Anyway, there’s being thoughtful and there’s being brooding, and I’m definitely in the second territory. I can’t help Grey Shrine, or can I? I could ask nurse Chin or doctor Insight to be lenient to Grey Shrine, since she just listened to me, but that might only stir things up in case they didn’t call for any disciplinary action. No, I’ll stay out of the way and do my best to be a model patient. Perhaps if I don’t cause any trouble anymore they’ll forget about everything. One more slippy slide around the room then? Eeeh, no. The wardens didn’t look too happy about me doing it last time. Anyway, now’s not the time to mess around, I have screwed things up far too much. I think I’ll just exercise, it helps with not thinking about what I caused. Coming to that conclusion, I spend as much time as I can by doing pushups and what little yoga I can remember from the earlier lessons. I don’t know how long it will take for the doctors to let me go, but as long and I’m locked in here I won’t ruin anypony else’s life- The door clicks and slides open, and a duo of wardens enters, carefully putting each hoof on the padding. Hey, these guys were here the last time I made the slide! Maybe I can ask them to join- No, bad Greyscale! All serious now. They examine the room before one says: “Your week is up, Greyscale. It’s back to the normal schedule with you. I hope you learned your lesson.” “Ai deed,” I nod. Probably not the one they sent me here for, but a lesson nonetheless. “Good. You get today to rest, and tomorrow you have a scheduled session with doctor Insight. Let me reactivate your collar,” he reaches towards me and taps the thick band around my neck in several places. I was wondering why the magic locket wasn’t talking no matter what I asked. I even believed I forgot the right words. “Schedule for patient Greyscale,” says the warden clearly. “Next scheduled event - tomorrow, ten o’clock, Doctor Clear Insight’s office, third floor. Topic - results of solitary confinement,” the pleasant female voice of my collar answers. “Alright, it’s working. We’ll escort you to your room, Greyscale, and then you’re free to do what you want today.” “Umm, wot taim ees eet? Ai got confyoozd een heer a lot.” “It’s Monday, half past nine. Let’s go.” “Okey.” Head hung low to avoid eye contact with any other pony, I follow the wardens. What should I do today? As it turns out, my sense of day and night got completely turned around inside the room. I stopped counting meals after my failure with Grey Shrine, and since the lights worked the way I wanted them I lost any comparison to real time. Oh well, should I just go to bed since it’s basically my evening? Nah, lunch is in few hours and I don’t want to miss it. I’m kinda tired from my makeshift exercises. There’s yoga class usually starting from ten so that patients can get some light stretching and build up their appetite. That would put me in contact with other ponies, though, ponies I could put in trouble… somehow. I can’t avoid that forever, however, so maybe if I just keep to myself and don’t engage anypony else in the class? Yeah, that should work. My short trip with the wardens ends with them opening the door to my room. I walk inside and take a deep breath, it’s like returning home. Windows shall be opened immediately, even though it will be cold! Anything is better than the stale air pumped into the underground room. “Have a nice day, Greyscale, and don’t cause trouble.” “Yoo too,” I give them a weak smile. I can’t really bring myself to try for a better one, “Ai meen d nais dey, not d trabl. Yoo ken caus trabl eef yoo wont too, Ai teenk.” One of the wardens snickers, pats my head, and closes the door behind him. “Mejic lokkit! Were end wen ees d youga class?” I ask while walking to the window. It opens inside because of the bars on the outside. “Basic yoga class starts in twenty-two minutes. Ground floor, room thirty-five. Next advanced yoga class starts at six o’clock in the evening, room thirty-five as well.” “Tank yoo,” I walk over to the bathroom to at least wash my face before the class. The cold water and almost freezing air dispel my dizziness instantly, and ten minutes later I’m ready to get stretching. Also, thanking an inanimate object might be seen as pointless, but being nice is a good habit, since being smart is a bit over my head. So… thirty-five, was it? Yes. As I enter, there are patients already sitting around on their mats. I recognize Drizzle sitting in the corner, hind legs spread out in a V shape and pulling herself to the hoof of her left one by her forelegs. She’s super bendy. Come to think of it, she always attends the advanced class, so this must be really easy for her. Perhaps she just enjoys yoga that much. Don’t look at her, don’t look at her, don’t look at her! Find your own place, sit down, and try not to break anything. I quietly take a mat and- “Hi, Greyscale! Come sit over here.” Damn, thwarted right at the first step! “Umm, Ai-” No lying! I need to stay away, though. Look away. “-dere ees not much room, mees Dreezel.” I hear the shoving of a mat on the floor. “Nonsense, we can squeeze in. Come on.” With a quiet sigh, I give her a quick apologetic look before hanging my head and unrolling my mat next to hers. “See, it’s fine.” “Yes, mem.” “Is… is anything wrong, Greyscale? You look really crestfallen.” “Nou, nou, Aim fain… Ai teenk.” “Does it have something to do with you being nowhere to be found for a week?” “Ai deed sumteeng reely bed.” “Oh come on, Greyscale. You’re a sweet little thing, I’m sure whatever happened was a honest mistake. You can fix-” I shake my head as my eye mist over again. “Nou, Ai cant. Ai shud not, becuz Ail scroo up eevn more. D best Ai ken doo ees not bother ponees enymore.” “Oh dear, tell me all about it, please. Sometimes just talking about things can help more than you could imagine.” “Ai… Ai dont teenk Ai shud. Ai ruined-” “Good morning, class!” announces a cheery voice of the yoga teacher mare, “Can we begin?” “Later, Greyscale,” hisses Drizzle, “but don’t you dare run off on me after the class. I can’t stand seeing you like this.” “Aim fain-” “Lying is bad, Greyscale.” “Soree. Ai dont nou wots goeeng on enymore.” “It’ll be alright, I promise.” I appreciate the sentiment, and thankfully the class starts so that anything I have got to say doesn’t demoralize Drizzle anymore. The physical effort is demanding. It wouldn’t normally be that bad, but I am too worn out of my own exercises and by the end of the session I can barely stand. “Woah...” I stumble as I’m rolling the mat up to put it away. A spotted grey wing quickly wraps around my barrel to steady me. “Now, where were we, Greyscale?” “Wee are een d youga room,” I try to be helpful. I can still do some simple things like giving directions right. We leave the room along with the other patients while the instructor puts away the leftover mats. As much as I want to be alone right now, Drizzle is walking by my side, her wing brushing my back from time to time. Alright, time to bite the bullet. I’ll tell her everything and then she’ll understand my point of view and keep away for her own good and safety. I can’t let my stupidity harm any more ponies. Stopping by a large potted plant next to the window, I take a deep breath, look around to see if there’s anypony who could overhear us, and tell Drizzle all that’s happened since I first talked to Quick Trick. His theory about yellow pills, my hurting myself, getting the key and visiting the cellars including the part about the changeling venom. I include not knowing what really happened, my solitary confinement, and end on a note about my future of avoiding ponies to prevent myself from harming them. In the end, Drizzle is staring at me intently, quiet. I look away, because the floor suddenly feels extremely interesting. “You know… that is a lot to take in, and it sounds really crazy.” “Ai nou.” Her hoof ends up behind my ear, scratching it absent-mindedly. “Buuuut, I’ve heard rumors about patients lost in the cellars, wardens carrying bags of what clearly weren’t normal supplies, and tons of other weird things. Granted, I chalked most of it to insane patients and pills, but I’m not sure what to think about your case.” “Just forget eet end mee- ow!” I yelp and she immediately rubs the spot on my head where she smacked me. “Don’t be stupid. Your changeling venom story isn’t the most far-fetched thing about this place by a mile, whatever changeling means. That, and… you aren’t a liar, Greyscale. You are prone to misunderstanding things, but I have the feeling you’re not the hallucinating kind, your talking plushie aside. Actually… I might be wrong about that one. That doesn’t matter, though. I’m keeping you company until you cheer up.” Her determined stare leaves no room for discussion, so I just nod. No matter how it affects my plan, she’s doing it out of the goodness of her heart. I should be polite even if I disagree. “Tank yoo.” “Now, the best way to deal with thoughts like these is to get busy,” she taps her collar, “What’s the closest class after lunch?” “Basic arts and crafts. Today’s topic - clay in all forms. Starts at one o’clock in workshop seventeen.” “Excellent, we have just enough time to get settled for lunch. Let’s go.” After a quick sniff of the air, I stick my tongue out in disgust. “Aim ol swetee...” “I’m not letting you hole up in your room. I know that kind of mood. You can shower in mine if you really need to.” “Eep!” “I promise I won’t walk in on you… maybe only on accident, and with one eye closed.” “Aim not shure...” “Look, I will either shower in your room or you can shower in mine, but I’m not letting you out of my sight, metaphorically.” With a sigh, I admit defeat. “Ken wee do eet een main? Ai promees Ai wont peek.” “Perfect, now let’s move before we have to shower together so that we can make it to lunch. Wait, on the other hoof, haste is rarely a good idea-” I’m already walking off. “Damn it!” she darts forward to catch up with me. Silly mare. I just wish she didn’t want to get grabby with me so much. I’m fairly certain it can’t be good for her condition. Too bad it looks like no matter how hard I try I can’t stop myself from making things worse. Ears and head drooping, I lead Drizzle to my room. *** To my surprise and relief, she patiently waited while I did my business. I tried to be quick, but as soon as I turned the water off, she rushed in, saying we didn’t have much time. She towelled my back off, though, with the excuse that I forgot some spots. Well, since I’m not a unicorn I can’t just do my lower back easily. Drizzle, on the other hoof, had no problem with both it and my tail. Drizzle calmed down a bit after her lunch pills, but refused to leave my side anyway. I resigned, thinking she’ll eventually realize I’m not a good influence on her, and just followed her lead. That’s how I ended here, hooves brown from clay and- “Careful!” yelps Drizzle, sitting next to me. -currently severing the top of my pot. I stop pumping my hind legs on the paddle rotating the spinning table, looking dejectedly at the misshapen “blob”. It was supposed to be a decanter eventually… I’m simply way too uncoordinated. When I focused on making the right shape, I forgot to paddle my hind legs, and when I paddled, I moved my forelegs on accident. We’re sitting in the hindmost row of tables, so aside from few quick glances in our direction and the leading mare’s approaching hoofsteps, we don’t draw too much attention. “Ai teenk dis ees too mush for mee,” I shake my head as the leading mare comes over to see what the commotion is about, and give her a guilty look, “Ai shud gou...” “Don’t be like that,” Drizzle pats my head. “Exactly,” the instructor offers a bright smile, “this is about fun more than anything. So how about you try to make something you like? There’s enough modelling clay and time to do something simple. It’s not like you have to use the spinner. Just enjoy yourself.” “Okey,” I shuffle my chair a bit over to the firm workdesk, leaving the treacherous spininng table, “Hmmm...” What would I enjoy? What do I like? A bucket? No, that would require the evil table again. A mop? Too much clay. Ooooh...! With renewed vigor, I get to work. Six noodles of varying thickness, five small blobs, a bigger sphere, and some tiny flat bits. Now to put it all together as it should be. It takes me quite a while, but near the end of the session I’m about done with the quadruped. Oops, I forgot the wings. “Is that a batpony?” I hear Drizzle’s amused voice far too close to my ear, “A big booty one on top.” Why does everypony keep saying that? Am I doing something wrong? It’s not THAT big. “Dats Eklips. Shee wos d first uan to tolk to mee of her own voleeshun. Shee wonted mee to hev a look at her bed.” “Oh really?” Drizzle asks playfully, wiggling her eyebrows in a 'knowing' fashion. “Mhm, Ai fiksed eet. Den shee wonted too see mee een d shaur.” “And you were so shy around me… I wonder, are you interested in this… Eclipse?” Interested, as in romantically? No, especially not now. She just made me feel like I wasn’t just a thing, a breathing broom. “Shee wos nais to mee,” I mumble. Drizzle pushes her chair so close to me that her side presses against mine, and wraps her wing around my barrel. “I can be nice too,” she whispers in my ear and licks it. “Mees Dreezel, deed yoo teik yor peels? Yoo ar nais, but aim… aim… yoo nou, leek mee eef yoo wont. Ai wont reseest eef eet meiks yoo hepee.” Drizzle freezes and leans away. “What are you saying? I… I only want you to cheer up, Greyscale. You look so down, and the thing you said just now… Raincloud said something similar.” “Yor colt?” “Mhm,” she nods, “When we… when I… when we made love to each other he… he wasn’t happy no matter what I tried. I just… your little clay pony… it looks like something little Rainy would make,” she picks my figurine up and examines it from all sides. Great, now I’ve upset her. Unfortunately, I’m starting to think I know what exactly went wrong between Drizzle and her colt. Still, underneath that nymphomania she’s an amazing lady. “Ai hope mai mum wos et leest half as nais as yoo. Without d grabbee part.” “You don’t remember her?” Strangely, I don’t feel sad about the fact, more curious than anything. The thing is that it’s hard to miss something you don’t know I guess. To be honest, I’m surrounded by ponies trying to help me who are nice to me for no reason. I have nothing to complain about, other than me trying not to harm them somehow. “Nou. Aim shure shee luvd mee laik yoo deed yor kolt doe.” The predatory smile that grows on her muzzle makes chill run down my spine as she leans to me again. “I can show you exactly how much I can love, and in what incredible ways,” she whispers so quietly only I can hear it. When I open my mouth to tell her off, she grabs my muzzle, and kisses me. Her tongue brushes my teeth and tongue before she quickly leans away, licking her lips. Our exchange remains completely unnoticed. Thank the almighty mop! “Stop, plees, or we weel get noteesd.” “Why? Why are you refusing to feel good? Why, Rainy?” She stops, blinks, and shakes her head. “Ai em Greyscale, mees Dreezel.” After a second of staring at me with her mouth open, she nods again. “Yeah, yeah, I know I know...” She doesn’t sound too sure, though. Oh well, I guess it’s all coming around. I will hurt her, and she will finally stop caring about me, but I need to tell her what I think. After the class. I spend the final fifteen minutes making my clay stick pony into a more realistic shape, fixing the wings into pegasus ones, and rounding up the shapes. In the end, I decide against making it look like Eclipse, mostly due to bad memory, and after adding some clay in the correct places it ends up like Drizzle . Strangely, it eventually does look like a pretty good likeness, even if I say so. It seems that my inability to grasp the basic concepts and shapes is limited to painting. I manage to finish it in time, and give it to the suddenly thoughtful pegasus when it hardens. “Ai fiksd eet. Eets yoo nau.” He muzzle scrunches as she takes the figurine and walks out of the workshop along with the other ponies. I’m afraid I insulted her because, let’s face it, the likeness wasn’t that great and I think I made her look a little too chubby, so when I walk outside and see her standing by the window while staring at the figure in her hoof I hesitate. Her wing carefully rises and performs a come hither motion. The yoga classes must have made her pretty flexible to be able to do that. “It’s beautiful,” she mutters to my utter amazement. “Nou, eets not,” I chuckle, “but Ai traid mai best. Yoo ar much pretteeyer.” “You are such a sweet little thing, Greyscale,” she runs her wing down my barrel, “Why don’t we run into my room and-” I put my hoof on her chest and shake my head. “Dats wot Ai wonted to tolk about, mees Dreezel. Ai teenk Ai nou wai yor heer.” “Because nopony else could understand how much I loved my son?” A though I can only describe as “not mine” ties everything I felt until now into the perfect answer. Sadly, my mouth disagrees. “Doo yoo nou wot a stetyootoree rayp ees?” “I would NEVER hurt my colt!” she almost barks at me, fire growing in her eyes. Whatever entity is watching over me, please, help me say this in the right way. I know I will hurt her, but at least for a moment give my stupid tongue and head the ability do it for the right reasons. “Ai nou, Ai nou, but d sexee stuff leeds to a fyoocher. A fyoocher of liveeng togedder, of taikeeng kaer of eech odder. Ai kant doo dat. Dets wai Ai dont wont d roumenteek stuff. Aim not reech or good at sexeeng. Ol Ai cud wont nau ees sum holdeeng hooves or maybee a cuddel and kees sumtaim. End… end… Ai teenk yor Rainee wos too yung to teik on d resonsibilitee, but he deednt wont to deesappoint yoo end so he agreed wit wot yoo deed. Ai teenk seks hed noteeng to doo wit eet, dat hee wud do anyteeng yoo asked him too becuz hee laikd yoo as a mum.” And here it is. I’m failing to deliver my point because I can’t say it properly. I just… it’s like with everything else in my life - I must keep trying, and the best I can hope for is that the smarter ponies can make something out of my fumbled attempts. “Eef Ai shud ever bee det close too sumponee, den Ai wud laik eet too be sumponee speshul, sumponee Ai cud trai teengs wit, ekspereement end hev sum stoopid fun eevn eef it eesnt dat gud. Meybee sumponee laik Eklip-” No, bad Greyscale! She’s a real pony and she must be already in a relationship because she’s amazing. Rolled up newspaper on you! “Ai meen… Aim not much of a reel ponee, end Aim not too smart, but Ai thought yor Rainee wud hev wonted to teik hees own taim, eevn eef he failed a bit ferst.” As I look Drizzle in the eyes, horror envelops every fiber of my being. I did much worse than I thought. Gone is her anger, and tears are streaking down her cheeks. Eyes wide, she’s staring at me- no, past me as if I wasn’t even there. “I took his special chance away from him...” she whispers. “Aim soree, Aim soree, Aim soree, Aim soree-” I keep apologizing. Damn it, just for ONCE… I wasn’t allowed to screw this one up specifically, and here we are. She’s crying, and I can’t even say I’m sorry properly. “-Aim soree, Aim soree, Aim-ow!” And now she hit me. Well, bonked me over the head more like. Two soft wings wrap around my thinky ball, and I hear her soft voice say: “Stop it, Greyscale. You did nothing wrong. In fact… you might have done everything just right,” she kisses my forehead, “I have to go. You’ve given me a lot to think about.” I’m kinda confused here, and she catches on. “Umm, okey.” “Greyscale, this… Eclipse… there’s no way in Tartarus she doesn’t like you on some level. It might not be the level you want, but she simply must. You are worth it,” she ends the hug, smiling at me with her eyes still red, but not unhappy, “See you later.” “Umm, bye, mees Dreezel,” I give her a confused wave as she walks away. It worked out… somehow? Maybe? Well, it’s not as if I could change what I said at this point. I just hope I didn’t make things worse, but even if I did… what can I do? Lunch? Yeah, I can eat lunch. My mouth still works just fine for chewing food at least. *** I haven’t seen Drizzle for the rest of the day, so I hope she didn’t spend it moping in her room. As for me, I took a stroll in the gardens again, enjoying the fresh air as much as I could after the long week cooped up underground. They even allowed me to get my painting supplies back, and I spent far too much time trying to improve myself. It proved futile in the end, but it killed most of the day. Perhaps I should just get some modelling clay and make figurines. Yep, great idea for tomorrow. I’ll have to ask somepony. Perhaps Watchful, since he must be back already. Wait, no, the avoiding ponies thing. Alright, first thing tomorrow I’m asking somepony I don’t know where to get modelling clay. With all that planned out, I brush my teeth and curl up in a real bed. The soft padding of the solitary confinement was practical, but lying here is like trying to sleep in a fluffy cloud. Perhaps that’s how pegasi feel all the time! So snug, nice, warm- … … I’m being poked. “Wots-mmph?!” my blanket is pressed against my muzzle, muffling my surprised yelp, and a moment later some oppressive weight presses me so hard into my bed that it creaks . I can’t move. Whoever is in the dark room and sitting on me is doing so in such way that I can barely shuffle. Did some patient mistake my room for theirs? “Be quiet, Greyscale,” I hear a whisper I know is familiar but can’t really place it in my dizzy confusion. “Mmhmm?” I mumble into the blanket choking me. “Shhh, stop struggling!” is a much more forceful whisper, but maybe a bit… desperate? Anyway, it’s not like I’m going to harm a pony, so I may as well wait for an explanation. After all, why would anypony want to harm me here? The rapid lack of air is making me more and more agreeable anyway. Whee… more and more… warm and heavy… “Good, will you be quiet now?” I don’t have the strength to nod. “Ohshi-!” the pony hisses, and withdraws the blanket. When I start gasping for air, it quickly returns, but still this time i have enough space to breathe while making as little noise as possible. My heart stops jackhammering eventually, and I’m allowed to sit up while I hear the bed creak and… no hoofsteps. I know I’m alone in the bed now, but I haven’t heard anypony leave. An appearing dot of light draws my stare and melds the darkness into mere shadowy gloom. “Huh- eeh- wh-?” Longer mane, shorter muzzle, small wrinkles around her eyes. I can’t really make out the colours while still blinded by the new light, but the pony is definitely a mare. “Shhh,” she puts her hoof with a small glowing bead in it to her mouth, “I really, really need you to be quiet now, Greyscale. It’s important. You can do that, right?” I nod, my eyes gradually getting used to the light. The mare’s cyan mane draws my attention, and- It’s Grey Shrine! What the broom? “Gr-” I gasp and immediately clamp my forelegs over my muzzle. She wanted me to be quiet, and I almost messed that up already. Keeping myself forcibly silenced in case my mouth works faster than my head, I nod and keep staring at her. She got kicked out and now she’s out for revenge! That’s why she wants me to stay quiet while she beats me up, she doesn’t want to get into any more trouble. Well, time to be a real pony in at least some aspects and face the problems I caused! Ready to have my muzzle broken, I lower my forelegs and give her an apologetic look. Here it comes, the hoof, the strangely soft hoof, the… ...scratching of my droopy ear? “Looking good, Greyscale,” she whispers, “I was worried they’d do something to you after the last time.” Mega. Confused. “Dey-” I start. She waves her foreleg up and down. “Keep it down, keep it down,” she hisses, and I lower my voice to a whisper. “Dey put me bek to d slayd room were Ai wos ol aloan sou det Ai wudnt put oders een danjer wit mai maid up nonsens. End Ai deednt, so it must hev workd. Oder den yoo, Ai meen. Aim reely soree, Ai deednt meen to meik dem complein about yoo end meik yoo loos yor job. Eef yoo wont to beet mee up to feel bettr Ai wont maind. Ai deserv eet, but Aim still soree.” She stares at me, then cracks a soft smile, “Dummy. I didn’t lose my job, and they didn’t file any complaints.” Oooof, at least something worked out right. My hope that if I stayed put and didn’t cause any more trouble was correct. She notices my relieved sigh. “Look, Greyscale, I need you to carefully listen to me, and then do what I say.” “Mhm,” I nod. If I can make things right then I will, no matter what. “Good. When I left this place, it made me think. There is more to you than meets the eye - you seem rather… slow, but all accounts of you prove the exact opposite. You recovered extremely quickly from near-fatal wounds multiple times. On top of that, you don’t recall anything from about month and a half away. I had to shift my opinion about you a lot afterwards, but then I realized things would make much more sense if I thought about you as if you never were crazy, and everything you said happened really did.” Isn’t that the exact opposite of what I keep being persuaded is the case? “But doktor Eensaid-” “Clear Insight and this institution have been under several investigations over past years for various reasons including maltreatment of patients, but nothing was ever proven.” Hey, Quick Trick said something along those lines. “You see, once I stopped being angry at myself for believing you, really thought about it, and admitted what you saw could have really happened and a cover-up could be in place, I started digging. At my age and in my occupation, your hobbies somewhat become an extension of your job, you can say. What I found was… interesting. The cases against Border Glades kept coming and coming, most of them just tiny complaints, and the big ones never leading to anything. I had to ask some friends who are in a different and yet similar line of work.” Oooh, I know that one! The ponies who protect their stock from the bad guys but aren’t guards. “Ai get eet - kau herders.” “This will be easier if you just listen, Greyscale.” Or maybe not. “Okey.” “For your information, there are few ponies I used to serve with in the military who are now members of the EIS,” she looks at me. I quickly try to make some sense of the letters. “Ekstreemelee Intelleejent Saienteests?” “Equestrian Intelligence Service. The old dogs are supposed to keep their mouths shut about every ongoing investigation, but after some drinks and calling on few favours I was told Border Glades was currently under secret investigation for the use of illegal drugs and unsanctioned mind-altering substances. I have heard the term changelings even before you told me about them, and after me sharing my, by which I mean your, story with my friends, I was granted access to some materials about the case. Off the record, of course.” “Sou… Ai deednt meik eet ol up?” I’ve kind of stopped trying to understand anything. Every real pony is saying a different thing, Grey Shrine is guessing, but doctor Clear Insight might be straight up lying. “Maybe some parts, but that doesn’t explain how a pony who has never heard of changelings managed to paint a perfect picture of changeling residue, imagine medical lingo used to describe semi-magical mind-altering drugs, and be the only pony to have a clear memory of every event that has happened since they came here.” I’m suddenly not so sure about the memory part. “Ai deed ol dat?” “Do certain reports for a pony called Quick Trick ring a bell?” “Ou rite, Ai deed. D taumometamejic teengs. Ai just tought Ai hed a reely gud imejineyshun.” “Imagination doesn’t work like that, Greyscale. There had to be something to what you said, and Quick Trick’s secret report put it all together for me.” “Weit! Yoo meen det Kweek Treek ees a reel seekret ayjent? Det hees not krayzee?” “Sometimes the best way to hide is in plain sight, Greyscale.” I imagine trying to be unseen in the middle of a lit hallway. I’m not so sure about that. But hey, Quick Trick seems to have remained “hidden” for long enough to gather so much information, and Grey Shrine is a real smart pony so they have to be at least partially right. “I’m pretty sure you recognize this,” she telekinetically pulls out Quick Trick’s key from a tiny saddlebag tightly strapped to her side. It looks plastic-y and familiar, “The key you… found before venturing to the cellars to save your plushie.” “Hey, dats Kweek-” I clamp my hooves on my muzzle again. “That’s a key made from a certain adaptive material the EIS agents use to unlock pretty much anything not heavily magically enchanted. It takes time for it to transform, which means I had to use Quick Trick’s pattern so that we won’t have to waste time in the cellars waiting for it to take the lock’s shape. We’re going to use it now, and do some exploring,” she pulls out four strange grey baggy things from her mini-bag, “Put these on your hooves.” As I do so, I notice she takes two more which were lying on the ground. She must have taken hers off when she approached me while I was sleeping. Her quick few steps later, I realize the only thing I’m hearing is my own breathing. Jumping off of the bed, I am now as silent as Grey Shrine. This is so cool! I’m like a real agent, or a ninja. I rear on my hind legs and make some swinging moves with my forelegs. “Stop that, Greyscale.” Awww… “Yes, mem,” I recall something very important for some reason, “Ken Ai teik Steeches wit mee?” She opens her mouth, stops, thinks for a second, and then nods. “That might actually not be a bad idea… I wonder...” Putting the little batpony plush in his place on my back, I feel the reassuring clamp of his forelegs on my neck. I’m ready. Let’s not mess up this time and make Grey Shrine’s career go down the drain for real. Sneaking downstairs is shockingly easy. While there are some obstacles, mostly wardens randomly patrolling the halls, this place isn’t a prison, and since we are completely silent, we can hear any movement and take a different route. Our first real issue comes with the main cellar door. Grey Shrine’s horn shimmers and she puts her horn close to the lock, then on four more spots on the door, and whispers: “Hmm, no magical protection,” her key flies out of her bag and slides into the lock. The door opens, “Let’s go.” “Wot about d ehr teeng? Wont wee chouk?” “I know a spell or two. Lack of oxygen is our last concern. Now lead me to where you found the changeling venom. I have a faint idea, but I’d rather not blunder around.” I lead her straight into my still possibly imagined room through the eerie silence of the cellar complex. I feel watched, but there’s absolutely no movement or noise other than our soft breathing. When I point to the right door, Grey Shrine unlocks it and enters the empty room, closing the door behind us and turning the lights on. “Deres steel noteeng heer, mem. Aim soree, Ai must hev bin wron-ow!” I stop as another smack to the head lands. She must be mad at me on some level despite what she said. That, or she’s trying to fix my head without using pills. “Greyscale, if you don’t trust yourself, at least trust me.” Don’t make her more mad, don’t make her more mad! “Okey. Wot do Ai do den?” “Stand by the door, listen for anything other than the two of us.” Stand still and use my ears? Even I can’t mess that up… hopefully. After some time, she says: “Alright, this place is empty. Let’s go to the next room.” Few rooms full of blankets, the Lost and Found where I couldn’t help myself and rummage through the confiscated stuff. It was mostly personal belongings with sharp edges, but nothing particularly strange or anything. Then the coal storage rooms, one full into which we barely managed to get into, one which had to be the currently used storage, and a mostly empty one, with only few trail of coal dust everywhere around. I could teach the cleaning ponies what to look for, since they obviously missed some spots. Grey Shrine catches me looking at the dirty streaks by the wall, and an evil grin appears on her face. “Well well well...” “Dey need a bettr broom.” “I doubt a broom would sort this one. Look closer.” Leaning in, I discover that the thin line of coal dust isn’t exactly on the floor, but rather INSIDE it. Her horn glows, and an azure line of light fills the coal-y crack like water and follows it, revealing a two ponies long and one pony wide square. Without the coal and Grey Shrine’s light spell, it would be near-impossible to notice any irregularity about the stone floor, especially if there were even more bags of coal lying around. “They must be using a really thin crowbar to open this, or only unicorns are allowed to get inside here,” with a focused huff, her horn flashes and the thin block of floor swings up like a trap door, revealing a short stone staircase into an unlit room. Without hesitation, Grey Shrine walks down the flight of stairs. I, of course, follow. I will finally know what really happened and what didn’t… ...or this can be just a spare room. Really well hidden spare room filled with crates in the back, some with their lids pried off and filled with bottles of green or different goop. “Bingo!” Grey Shrune rushes towards them, levitating a single bottle, shaking it, and watching the green goo slowly slosh in response. Then she turns back to me, “So, Greyscale. Do you still think you’re crazy?” Technically... “Well, yoo sent mee heer becuz Ai hurt maiself wich Ai did eevn more heer, so Ai meen Aim a payshent heer for wot yoo sent me heer, not for imejineeng green bottels.” “Point taken,” she grumbles. However, she doesn’t continue and levitates a small silvery square looking like a pack of cigarettes out of her bag which must be somehow far larger than it looks. The block clicks few times as she makes it fly around the boxes, then she takes a bottle and shoves it into the saddlebag quarter of its size. I shrug. Just unicorn things. “This is perfect, Greyscale,” she returns to me standing in the middle of the spacious room, “With this, we can finish an EIS investigation, put whoever is behind this in prison, and stop them from shoving this crap down the patients’ throats ever again. Now all we need to get out and-” A horrible feeling that Grey Shrine just said something she really shouldn’t washes over me. “Let me just stop you right there. After this, you won’t be leaving anytime soon,” says a deep but female voice followed by hoofsteps creaking on the stone stairs. Chiseled Chin, followed by five especially burly wardens enters, and the six ponies fan out across the room. “Greyscale, Greyscale, I knew I should have asked for some shock therapy for you. If the pills didn’t work for whatever reason, good old frying the brain along with a little lobotomy definitely would. Might even make you smarter.” “What the hay do you think you’re doing?” growls Grey Shrine, walking in front of me like a shield, “I am performing a lawful investigation and-” Chiseled Chin just snickers. “At night, dressed like a thief?” she nods to my and Grey’s muffling hoof thingies, “Don’t try to scare me. I broke little mares like you back in the military on daily basis.” “A fellow ex-soldier then,” Shrine laughs to herself, “Left the army to terrify confused patients, to finally pick on somepony your own size? I’ve always known there’s only one fate for ponies like us when we’re past our prime - a guard, or a mercenary, and only one of those means to be a heartless bitch.” “You misspelled rich,” smirks Chin, “Get them! Try not to ruffle the idiot too much, but I’ll pay extra to whoever makes the unicorn scream the loudest.” Chiseled Chin, along with three wardens charge at Grey Shrine while the last two approach me slowly backing off. I don’t know what to do. I can’t fight, I don’t know how. I can’t help since I’d just get in the way. What can I do? Scream for help? Definitely not, that would just distract Grey Shrine. No no no, the best I can do is what I’m already doing - preventing two more wardens from completely swarming her. My jaw drops as, seemingly undisturbed by the numbers disadvantage, Grey Shrine ducks under the wide swing of the closest warden, jumps like a spring, and punches up with her now muffler-less foreleg. The warden might be crumbling to the floor instantly, but few of his teeth ambitiously try to learn to fly before bouncing off of the low ceiling. So, how did she do it? She kind of waited and backed off while baiting him into a punch. The two walking towards me don’t look as if they’ll go for the same approach unless I force them to. I don’t really want to do that, but I need to buy as much time as I can. I jab my foreleg in the vague direction of the closer warden. “He’s getting aggressive, do we-?” my target asks, and is interrupted. “Just knock him out. We can always make up some bullshit about him going rabid, attacking the guardsmare, and getting hurt in the process afterwards.” “Eeep!” I back off from the following swing. Wrong, wrong, wrong! I need to duck under- “Blrp?!” My muzzle hurts. Everything is spinning. Legs? Legs, please don’t fail me. “Yaaaah!” Grey Shrine’s scream gets through my haze of pain, and I turn my head, suddenly thinking clearly. Thankfully, she’s not the one being hurt, but one more warden is currently sliding along the wall, leaving a bloody smear. I think I’m gonna be sick… “Deal with this guy, I’ll go help the boss,” orders the leading one of my duo. I can’t let that happen, so I pounce straight at him as soon as he turns away. My jump leaves the other one surprised, and I trip the leaving one up, rolling into a ball along with him. Great, I ended up on top, so now to just punch- Why is my chest suddenly hurting and why am I on my back? Still, it’s just pain a bit of confusion this time. That’s alright, I can work with that, I can stand back up and stop the warden again as he does the same. “Hey, crazy!” comes from the left. Somepony is talking to me? Oh it’s the other warden, and he’s carrying something long and thin. Hey, a pipe- A pipe? Where did he get a pi- The floor hits me, or I hit it. I… can’t close my eyes… Good… something red… and dripping... is doing it for me… Hi, Stitches. When did you fall off of my back? “Stee-chz...” Darkness. Rumbling. Screams. Hoofsteps? “Wzzmlp?” The fight is still going on. How long was I out? Judging by the pool of still not dry blood under my mouth, not too long. The rumbling is actually the stomping hoofsteps. I’m covered in blood, but I can raise my legs somewhat. I shouldn’t move, I’m sick. I need to wait for smarter ponies to help me. I got myself into trouble I can’t solve anymore. I need to wait for help. Help. “No help is coming.” “St-ee-ches?” I look at the plushie with his legs wrapped around my foreleg. Did he grab onto me after… after… ...I got hit by an iron pipe while trying to protect Grey Shrine. Grey Shrine! Pushing myself upwards, the world spins again, and I feel bile rising up my throat. I feel so sick, so dizzy and weak. Somepony must have dragged me here, closer to the entrance, judging by the long smear of blood. Stitches maybe? No no no, he’s a plushie. Perhaps one of the wardens currently slowly overwhelming Grey Shrine making lights flash and dodging so fast I can barely see her. “Shield spells along with short-term camouflage. She’s holding her own, but that won’t last long. Chiseled Chin is the one who gave her the bleeding nose, the others are just there as a distraction.” “Steeches?” “I’m THINKING!” “Hey, the guy is waking up and mumbling something!” I hear a warden call out. “Just shove a damn crate onto that idiot and help me subdue this bitch!” roars Chiseled Chin, and a warden splits off from the group assaulting gradually losing Grey Shrine. It’s the pipe guy again. I raise my forelegs as he raises his weapon in his. “Aim soree, but hau ken yoo harm such a nais ponee laik-” The pipe blurs, and everything goes white, if only for a moment. The fighting stops, everypony suddenly looking in my direction. No, the warden holding half of a melting iron rod is staring behind me. I turn my head too, wincing as red hot spikes of pain run through my neck. Quick Trick, in his all pink and grey glory is staring down everypony involved with much more focused stare than I’ve ever seen him use before. His horn flashes, although the glow is quickly absorbed into a thick suppressor ring around it. “Hmm, seems like I can’t go full out until I get this thing off. Hey, stoneface mudpony, where do you keep the keys?” Chiseled Chin growls, pointing at Trick. “He can’t use that kind of magic too often with the suppressor on. Take care about him, I’ll deal with this one myself,” she spins instantly and charges Grey Shrine into a wall before she can react. I can hear the crack even here on the floor. Trick rises on his hind legs, swings his forelegs in a circular motion, and a warden rushing at him ends up flying muzzle-first into the nearest wall. “Nuh uh uh,” Trick chuckles, “I may be old, but just like Shriney there, I’m not rusty.” “Aaaa!” I squeal weakly as a hoof nearly stomps on me. Pink glow envelops me and Stitches, shoving us away from Trick and the wardens. The agent barks at me: “Don’t get in the way! Oh shi-” Trick’s horn flares, and I catch a pink blur from the corner of my eye which turns out to be a shield appearing around Grey Shrine being held by her hind leg and slammed at the end of a wide arc into the floor by Chiseled Chin who scowls as the shield shatters, but manages to keep Grey Shrine’s bones in one piece . “I don’t know what you did in the army, but you hornheads can’t take on a frontline earthpony stormtrooper.” Voices, grunting and blows fill the air. I can barely keep track of everything with the ringing in my head, my stomach threatening escape via my mouth any second, and fighting chaos all around. Hoofsteps are coming closer, ones from… behind? Turning my head, I see another blurry pony… a unicorn? Clearly furious Clear Insight, spirals on his horn lighting up with red shimmer. Nopony else has noticed him. The fight is barely even as it is. If a unicorn joins it, then it’s over, but I can’t stop him. I can barely crawl. I can use my mouth at least. “KAERFUL, DOKTOR EENSAID EES HEE-” Red. Blur. I’m tossed like a rag doll. Crack. Funny. Not is does hurt much too this time. Blood much everywhere. Smear wall all over. Doesn’t drip… “Celestia’s backside, don’t move,” I hear a quiet voice and notice Stitches is still in my hoof. He knows better. I’m so tired. I could just go to sleep and- “Don’t you dare! If you fall asleep after this much head trauma, you won’t wake up again. Heaiing the fire and the stab wound was one thing, but a cracked skull like this is making it really hard for me.” “Yoo tolk a lot,” I mumble, and feel a sting on the left side of my head. I raise my foreleg- “Don’t touch it!” Stitches warns me, “Now, you need to get out of here.” “But Ai kant leev Kweek Treek end Grey Shrain-” “Listen to me! They will hold for a while if they don’t do something dumb. Clear Insight is not a combat mage, I can feel it. There’s a massive difference between breaking your bones by slamming you against a stone wall, and doing it to a trained unicorn. Now, nopony is watching you. You are just sitting by the wall, slowly bleeding out. The longer this lasts, the lower chance you and they will have to survive. Do you want to help them?” “Ai doo,” I mumble and feel blood trickle from the corner of my mouth. “Good, now get out while you still can and get help. Anypony will do, even if they are just to distract the bad guys.” “Okey… okey...” i whisper, slowly standing up on my trembling legs. I can shuffle, and that will have to do. Stairs? One… two… it gets easier after third. I have to lean against the wall at the top of the stairs to stop everything from spinning. Can’t waste time. Must not waste time. Doesn’t matter how much it hurts. Heh, it doesn’t even hurt that much anymore. I feel like throwing up, and the rooms and halls spin from time to time, but it doesn’t hurt. In fact, I can’t feel much of anything anymore. Oh… oh a door. Where am I? There’s a number on it. One… and something… Hehehe, I can’t even read right now. Silly pony. Perhaps the smart pony on the other side will tell me why I’m here and where I am. Knock knock! A dark blue pony with brown mane opens. He has an eye as his booty mark, watching over small ponies like I am. “Helou, meester ponee, ken yoo help-” “GREYSCALE?! Celestia almighty, what happened to you?” I wave the question off, it doesn’t really matter. What matters is what’s going on… somewhere down. Right… down. Cellars, right. Friends are in trouble. I mustn’t forget again. “Meester bloo ponee, mai frends ar beeing hurt bai d bed guys downstaers.” “Greyscale, it’s me, Watchful. What is going on, who’s being hurt?” he shakes me. Bad idea. “Bluuuurgh!” I throw up all over him, “S-ree… mai hed hurts...” He clicks his teeth, scowls, lowers me on the floor and disappears back into his room. I can’t stand back up anymore. I need to get help. “Meester bloo ponee, laik dark bloo ponee… ken yoo plees get… help?” I mumble quietly, “Plees?” The midnight blue eyeball pony rushes back out, holding a bag in his hoof. He shoves it in front of my muzzle and opens it. Sharp scent of mint makes my eyes water, but cleaves through my haze like an axe through soft wood. “W-Washfool?” I can suddenly think again. Maybe even move? I wobble my forelegs at Watchful. “Greyscale, this will keep you awake for a while. What the hay happened to you?” “Grey Shrain and Kweek Treek ar getteeng beeten up bai d bed guys - d haidra and doktor Eensaid becuz Ai told dem about d shenjeeleeng venim! Wee must get help!” “What? You’re making no sense. Let me get a nurse-” “Nou!” my eyes well up with tears, “Dey will hurt dem eevn moar. We need too hurree end get help for dem. Ai hev too, eets ol mai fault. Ai shud hev let dem poisin me end meik mee dum laik evryponee else.” “Damn it, Greyscale! I can’t make a thing out of what you’re saying.” “D cellers, dey ar hurteeng dem een d cellers. Dey need help!” “Alright, I can get some wardens to-” “D wardins ar hurteeng dem! Doktor Eensaid broke mai hed end d haidra ees puncheeng Grey Shrain sou det shee doesnt tell enyponee about d shenjeeleeng goop! We dont hev taim! Kweek Treek ees sheeldeeng, but eet wont last.” “Okay, you stay here and I’ll go down there to see what’s going on-” “Nou, get… get...” “Pyre. Pyre is the only one who can help,” I hear Stitches whisper. “I can see your mouth move, but I can’t understand, Greyscale.” “Payr...” “P-Pyre? Oh gods, this can turn out so wrong,” Watchful takes a long breath, “Damn it, why the hay do I trust you?” He moves himself under my barrel, and puts me on his back. “Steeches...” I wave for the plushie left behind. “Geez,” he swipes it off the floor as he trots by down the hall. The next thing I hear is knocking. How much time has passed again? I raise my head. “Hey, he’s up again,” I hear a female voice. Bluepony’s drugs must have worn off, because I can’t really think again. Watchful, Watchful, right. Oh hey, it’s Drizzle. When did she join us? The door opens, revealing the sought red-maned, orange colt who immediately covers his mouth and his eyes go wide. “The hell-?” is his muffled groan. “Don’t ask me,” Watchful shrugs, “Apparently there’s something bad going on in the cellar and Greyscale escaped to get help. No, I have no clue if it’s even real, but he said you were the one to help. Drizzle heard me run by in the middle of the night and joined when she saw Greyscale like this.” “Where are the wardens?” asks Pyre. “Actually,” Watchful stops, “where IS everypony? There should be somepony on patrol alerted by us running around. Has everypony been called off somewhere?” “Screw it, let’s go!” Pyre slams the door shut behind him, “Yo, pervert, give me a ride. You’re pretty athletic.” Drizzle sweeps Pyre off of the floor and shoves him on her back. “I’d usually tease you for that request until my next dose of pills, but Greyscale here helped me get a bit of a perspective on things.” “I’d love to hear how that guy succeeded where the best psychiatrists in Equestria failed.” “The right kind of empathy, Pyre.” The colt smiles. “Then that makes two of us. Let’s roll!” Once again, I fall into the half-dreamy state of jerking back and forth on Watchful’s back as I’m being carried back down. “So what the hay is going on? A little more details would help,” I hear Pyre’s voice muffled through my returning haze. “D haidra… beeteeng Grey Shrain… cuz of shenjeeleeng… venim. Noponee… must nou...” “Translation, Watchful?” “Something shady is going on, Quick Trick is apparently not completely crazy, and some Greyscale’s friend is being beaten up in the cellars. I wouldn’t believe it myself if it weren’t for the dummy’s shape, because these aren’t wounds a pony can do to himself on his own.” “Wait, you mean the crazy idiot was really a secret agent, not a conspiracy nut?” “Look, let’s just go and see. I don’t know much more other than Greyscale mumbling some apparent nonsense arrived at my door in the middle of the night looking as if he jumped into a blender. Alright, we’re at the cellar entrance. What now, Greyscale? Greyscale?” Hey, somepony is talking to me? Heheh, to me… what a waste of time. But they are nice if they noticed me. “D koul...” “What?” “How about you follow the bloodstains?” “Oh yeah. Holy stars, how much blood is in that guy?” “Just GO!” Things are less blurry now, and I can think a bit again. I perk up on Watchful’s back and point to the correct coal storage door. “Dis uan!” “Glad you’re back with us again.” “Ai wos heer ol d taim, Washfool.” “Of course you were. Of course.” Silly warden. On the other hoof, my diet must be working when he totally forgot he had me on his back all the way. “The hay?” curses Drizzle when she notices the secret door and the blood all over it, accompanied by chaos and hoofsteps from downstairs. Crunch! “Aaaaaaaaaaaaargh!” Grey Shrine’s scream pierces the air. My friends all stop, intently listening to the sharp voices amidst the fighting going quiet. “Told you, hornhead,” Chiseled Chin’s sinister chuckle follows the pained groaning, “Now, do I break your other foreleg, or can we finally give you a full dose?” “Screw… you… how are you going to explain... us missing? The Royal Guard... will be on your backs and this time... you won’t get away with it.” “Oh miss guard,” Clear Insight’s winded voice jumps in, “What my associate here means is that you will get a full dose of our medicine derived from, as you guessed correctly, magically enhanced changeling venom. With that, it will be quite simple to make you remember anything we want to. In fact, I have the perfect story to explain both your and Greyscale’s shape. After all, you cared so much about him to visit him after hours, and the poor confused soul went rabid and broke your leg. In your defense, you managed to crack his skull. After few sessions with me, the idiot will even believe that really happened and will apologize to everypony including you for- WHERE THE HAY IS HE?! DIDN’T ANY OF YOU MORONS THINK TO KEEP AN EYE ON HIM?” “His head was cracked open, I didn’t think-” a confused unknown voice clearly belonging to a warden starts. “No, you obviously didn’t! Get out there and FIND HIM! We can’t have rumors spreading around if anypony sees him.” “Yes, boss.” Two quick sets of hoofsteps are approaching the stairs. “Wee must… help...” I slide off of Watchful’s back, and despite muttered complaints I wobble back down into the nightmare. I don’t even know how I got down so fast, but there are two of the huge wardens in front of me. “There he is, boss!” “Meester paip guy, plees don’t beet me anymoar,” I plop on my backside and cover my head, “Kant yoo just bee nais to dem? Dey deednt do anyteen- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!” My legs… my legs… it’s like they’re on fire, but from the inside. The head wounds before were as if somepony switched me off like a light, but this hurts so bad… “LEAVE THE POOR LITTLE GUY ALONE!” A grey screeching blur lands on the pipe warden, viciously flailing her legs. I’m not that little, am I? No, I’m bigger than Drizzle. I’m just not the smartest pony, so maybe she sees a bit of her colt in me? After the initial assault, the warden recovers and punches the side of Drizzle’s head. She might be athletic and fit, but she clearly is no fighter and her rage is only going to get her so far. Watchful passes by, charging head-first into the second warden sent to get me, but he is smaller and the bigger pony looks more like an ex-soldier similar to Chiseled Chin than the wardens I met who take care of patients. These guys apparently “take care” of problems. I stand up despite the pain shooting through my forelegs. Grey Shrine is backing away from Chiseled Chin, her dangling foreleg glowing white along with her horn. Blurry Quick Trick is being pushed into the corner by three other wardens. Clear Insight is standing, in the middle of the chaos, eye twitching. Drizzle is now being choked out under the pipe warden, and Watchful has just been punched so hard he actually flew up into the air. I… can’t help. I did the best I could and it wasn’t enough. Maybe… I am the problem, so maybe if I ask everypony to stay quiet about this and then take pills like a good pony they might let them go with no more fighting, maybe- The warden about to kick Watchful in the head flares up like a bursting bonfire. In the next fraction of a second, the large room fills completely with the heavy stench of burnt flesh and hair. The pony is dead even before his charred remains drop onto the floor. Pyre, shaking and eyes wide, is descending the stairs and looking at the corpse with his horn glowing bright orange. “GET HIM, JUST KILL HIM OR HE’LL KILL US!” screams Clear Insight, and the wardens around Quick Trick turn as one, charging at the colt. Same goes for the one choking Drizzle, whose target has finally stopped moving. “Hey, kid, focus!” Quick Trick calls out, summoning a pink shield around Pyre into which the wardens slam their hooves. “No, you focus… agent,” growls Clear Insight, using Trick’s moment of distraction. His own horn lights up, red glow appears around Trick’s foreleg, and the pony is yanked around before slamming into the wall himself. His groan as he slides down, bleeding out of his ears and muzzle is something I now know more than well. “Pyre,” Clear Insight yells, “You’ve just killed a pony! Just like you nearly did back in school. That time it was an accident and we tried to help you, no matter our unusual methods, but now you’re a murderer! Just imagine your parents when they hear this! That you failed them, failed to recover despite their trust and effort, the money they paid to get you in here, to the best doctors in Canterlot. Now their son is a killer, a crazy psycho who needs to be locked up behind bars. Imagine the stain on their life you’ve caused just now.” Pyre silently opens and closes his mouth over and over, seemingly not seeing the weakening barrier stopping the wardens. Tears start streaking down his cheeks. “I’m sorry...” he whispers, “I did it again...” The barrier shatters, and a warden immediately tackles him, grabbing his horn and pressing it against the floor. “Alright, two of you keep him restrained. You get the agent. We’ll se if he’s not really crazy by the time we’re done with him,” orders Clear Insight, “How about you, Chin?” Her massive hoof whizzes past quickly dodging Grey Shrine’s face, her horseshoe sending a shower of sparks as she grazes the stone wall. “Just start pumping them, I’ll have this one down in no time.” She’s right. Grey Shrine is clearly a better fighter thanks to her magic, but she has nothing on earthpony resilience and stamina. A minute or two more and she’ll grow slow and unfocused enough for Chiseled Chin to break her everything. There is only one pony who can help, and he’s currently sobbing with two wardens keeping him down. Watchful, Drizzle, and I are the ones who clearly don’t pose enough threat to be watched. I can barely move, but I can use my mouth. My stupid mouth that garbles everything my head tries tu put across, but it’s the best I have. “Payr, PAYR! Yoo ken defend yorself. Dey ar laying too yoo! Yoo ar helpeeng us, we need yoo. Yor parents weel bee proud wen dey heer yoo helpd d gards to stop d bed guys! Just dont geev up, yor not me, yoo nou wots good end bed, yoov olweys noun eet. Just dont geev up! Yoo deednt eevn hurt mee much last taim, yoo ken kontrol yorself! Yoo ar bettr nau! Yoo ken apolojayz to ponees yoo hurt and doo better next taim, but yoo gotta keep traying!” “SHUT UP!” the wave of acoustic rage from Clear Insight is almost physical, and I see red glow around my neck which chokes out everything I want to say further, “You retarded waste of oxygen! You caused me so much trouble that-” WHOOOOOOSH! The pressure stops as the doctor slowly turns to the source of the sudden noise and smell in utter disbelief. “Aaaah aaah aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah?!” the two wardens holding Pyre down are out of nowhere sitting on a small blazing sun. However, as the flames slowly creep up their hooves, the manage to jump away and roll to douse them. “A fire elemental...” Clear Insight whispers. Pyre, the living flame stands up, and I can see his thick suppression ring melt and turn into steam. The wardens who try to move suddenly burst into flames which fade in the next instant. It’s a warning, and a clear one. Pyre is in full control of his power, and this time he won’t “murder” anypony. If the enemies move, it’s their freely chosen suicide. With a swing of his hoof, he sends a ball of fire at Clear Insight who summons a shimmering barrier to protect himself. It breaks, dispersing the projectile. Clear Insight’s focused stare turns to horror when he’s the target of the second fireball a moment later. He can’t react. Just like with the wardens, he’s shot down to the floor, but the flames are quickly doused by their maker. “I can turn you to ash with a thought,” growls Pyre, “Just give me an excuse, you mind-breaking parasite.” “Damn it!” Chiseled Chin curses, pouncing at Grey Shrine taking a sigh of relief. She quickly realizes her mistake when Shrine blurs, appears in the same place but in a compeltely different pose, and throws the larger earthpony as if she was a feather towards me. “Helou, mees haidra,” I dizzily wave at the stunned mare sliding closer and closer along the floor, “Aaah?!” As it turns out, she’s not stunned at all, and turns the slide into a roll which lands her behind me. Out of nowhere, two muscular forelegs clamp around my neck and I’m dragged upwards, choking and flailing. “If you want to see the idiot who ruined this sweet schtick with his neck broken, feel free to make a wrong move,” she threatens and changes her grip slightly. I can now breathe, but she has her hooves on the sides of my head, ready to twist. “I’ll roast you alive, very slowly...” Pyre stares at her but doesn’t move. “Well, that won’t bring this guy back to life, will it? Now, you will let us go, and you will not call the guards until tomorrow, and you might even see this miserable sack of flesh again. If not-” This is all wrong! Have they all forgotten their mythology? I have to remind them what to do or they will lose. “Nou nou nou nou, Payr,” I mince words as fast as I can, “Shees a haidra sou yoo kant just burn her uan hed. Sheel just grow moar end moar end weel end up eevn moar denjerous! Yood hev to keep doeeng dat over end over unteel shee grows too menee heds for her bodee too fill wit blood end only den will shee fall unconshius.” Oh my god, I’m a genius! Umm why is everypony staring at me, completely stumped? Right, that has to be my super smart idea. Wait, I’m about to tell them first, and then they’ll really be surprised. “Does enyponee nou eef haidras ken grou legs too? Becuz eef we cut off her legs den sheel grou moar end wee ken sell dem to greefons for sneks forever end weel get infineet moneez!” Why does my head hurt so bad? Uhh, where am I? Oh well, there are friends all around me so it must be alright. What was I talking about? I don’t even know anymore. “How did such a retarded moron ruin this entire operation?” I hear a disbelieveing whisper by my ear The grip on my head and neck loosens up, and I slide onto the floor, covering my head. “Trick, shield my legs, please!” I hear Grey Shrine. Hoofsteps rush past me. A thud makes me look up. Grey Shrine, her both forelegs glowing, is standing atop Chiseled Chin with her muzzle unnaturally smooshed and clearly unconscious. The unicorn mare looks at me, smiling… proudly? “Now, Trick, can you please keep my leg from breaking completely while I pass out from the FREAKING PAIN?” her eyes roll back, but the glow around her legs doesn’t fade, “Thank… you...” After telekinetically lowering Grey Shrine down, Quick Trick summons ropes which tie Chiseled Chin, Clear Insight, and every single warden excluding Watchful up. “You, Pyre, can you melt my damn suppressor? Even small tricks like this one exhaust me far more than they should,” molten steel drips onto his head, “Ow ow ow ow ow… thanks.” The flames surrounding Pyre’s body fade, leaving only the orange unicorn colt, beaming despite the situation. “I KNEW I could control it,” he looks at me, “With some encouragement, of course.” I feel like I’m home. “Aim not krayzee,” I mumble. Watchful, awake and tending to Drizzle who apparently faked her unconsciousness gives me a relieved grin. “No, maybe a bit simple and confused, but definitely not crazy.” “Gud… Ai ken work… wit seemple...” And finally the adrenaline drains away… I can… sleep… Everything is… alright. It’s dark… but nothing hurts anymore. *** Two days have passed since the chaos in the cellars, and once again everypony was surprised by my quick recovery. Well, not exactly full recovery since I still randomly feel a bit dizzy and my forelegs hurt all the time, but my brain isn’t leaking anymore and I can somewhat uncomfortably walk. What really happened is a bit of a blur, and a lot of phantom pain, but the others seem to recall everything clearly and that is far more important. After all, I could keep trying to explain it to the newsponies and guards now swarming Border Glades and questioning everypony, but it’s much better when somepony who can speak properly does so. Anyway, I’m enjoying my time in the unfortunately too familiar infirmary, because the nurses don’t let the newsponies visit me, and they bring me food and even snacks from the bar FOR LUNCH AND DINNER! I mean, they did it twice, because I slept through most of the past two days, but the thought counts. As I sit in a chair by the window, watching the carts and various newspony assistants bringing coffee, tea, and writing implements, the door behind me opens. Strange, it’s not meal time yet, and I was told to stay put until I completely recovered. “Good morning, Greyscale,” says a pleasant female voice, “How are you feeling?” “Helou, mees Shrain,” I look at her and turn Stitches in my lap to see her too, “Aim olrait. Hau about yoo?” “Tired, honestly. The pen maniacs outside never cease to bother me. I’ve already done interviews for thirteen newspapers from Appleloosa to Manehattan, and there are even more coming. I had no idea this would be so huge, but it seems Clear Insight was quite the catch for them. Anyway, they’ve been asking about the big hero who broke the conspiracy apart.” “Ai teenk Payr ees een hees room.” “You, dummy,” she boops my nose. “Ai deed noteeng,” I lean back. If they think I am responsible for stopping… whatever was going on then perhaps they should be locked in here. I’m still not sure what exactly happened. Something about drugging the patients with weird stuff to stop them from recovering or something? “You did a lot,” Grey Shrine shakes her head, “Oh, I almost forgot. Your friend Drizzle said to give you her goodbye before she left.” “Left? Wot?” “Watchful told me about her situation. She asked the guards to reopen her rape case with the belief she now understands what she did wrong. She left Border Glades yesterday while you were asleep, well - unconscious again, but she wanted you to visit her in prison if you can.” “Ou,” I lower my head, feeling my ears splay back. “Come on, she was happy, Greyscale. This way she’ll serve her sentence which will be significantly shorter due to her admission, and see her colt again in… I think about a year with good behaviour. It’s much better than to be locked up here for another two or three before going in front of a jury, losing the case, and sitting behind bars for another ten to fifteen. You helped a lot.” “Ai gess… Ai just wonted everyteeng to bee over end her to see her colt nau.” “Reality rarely works out like stories do, but a good end is a good end.” “Ken Ai bee een a storee?” “You definitely are a bit of a hero, although a weird one. Speaking of which, you actually can if you want to talk to the newponies. I’m sure they’ll post your picture all over Equestria.” “That must not happen, no matter what!” says Stitches. “What did you mutter there, Greyscale?” “Ai… Ai… ken yoo geev me a moument to teenk?” “Sure. I’ll hop in to the common room bar. Do you want something?” “Orenj joos, plees.” “I’ll be right back,” she pats my head and leaves. “Wot wos det about?” I ask my guard plushie. “You… trust me, do you?” Stitches asks. “Aim not shure enymoar eef yor reel, but yoo deed help a lot.” “I have to settle for that. Now, you can’t be publicly seen. If your face gets out there, somepony smart will put two and two together.” “Fohr?” “Exactly. Look, ponies aren’t always nice. Well, they USUALLY aren’t. You see, there are some really bad ponies after you.” “Ai ken ask Grey Shrain for help den.” “No, you can’t. Guards won’t be on your side when they find out, not even your friends. They have to obey the law, and you… broke it.” What? Did I do something bad? “Deed Ai hurt someponee?” “No, at least not directly. It’s not in your nature.” I take a sigh of relief. “Ken Ai apolojayz?” “No. The best you can do now is trust me, and disappear. Become a shadow nopony notices like you used to be. For your own safety, you have to leave before any smart papparazi gets a glimpe of you and manages to take a photo.“ I don’t know why, but for some reason I KNOW he’s telling the truth. Anyway, Eclipse gave Stitches to me to keep me safe, and now he’s warning me of danger. “Ken Ai sey goodbay to evryponee?” “I wish you could, I really do, but they wouldn’t understand, and if you had to explain… the guards would no longer be friends, as I said.” Why do I trust him? “Aww...” I start taking off my patient gown, bite off a piece, and fold it into a makeshift bag into which I shove few candy bars I got from the nurses. “Look at it like this - you did immense amount of good here already. You’ve proved Watchful is trustworthy so he keeps his job here and gets a promotion. Drizzle is successfully on a way to redemption. Pyre will be returning to the School for Gifter Unicorns soon instead of rotting here. Clear Insight is behind bars where he belongs along with Chiseled Chin and their mooks. The patients here will be significantly better off now as well.” Did I do all that? Wow, that sounds like something what a real smart pony would do. I got really lucky then. Unfortunately, if I have to leave in order to stop my friends becoming my not-friends and regret knowing me, then snacks and free lunches are a worthy sacrifice. Opening the door, I peek outside. There is an unusual amount of voices coming from all over the place, but this hallway is mostly empty. The newsponies must have been told not to roam around the infirmary. With Stitches firmly planted on my back, I walk straight towards the Border Glades entrance. My best bet is that the visitors will think I’m just another patient and not the witness they are looking for, and I’ll be able to pass easily. The lobby is swarming with ponies, but majority of them are crowding the poor receptionist’s desk, and the others are sitting on their own or in groups, writing into small notepads. Sticking to the walls, I manage to get to the main door. “You really should take one of those, it’s still winter and will be for a long time,” whispers Stitches as my eyes pass an umbrella stand. “But none of dose ar main.” “Think of it like this - they are getting rich off of what you did. The least they can do for you is help a bit so you don’t get snowed on. You know what? Take two.” If they’re making that much money off of this story, then shouldn’t I take all of them? I look through the glass door into the snowy gardens, then back at the umbrella stand. I’m not a pony to steal, but there’s something to what Stitches is saying, so I take one at random. “Out of the way,” a busy pony rushes through just as I’m about to pass. As the door swings back, I go through. The frozen air bites the skin underneath my coat. I got used to the warmth inside, but I know this cold is more familiar than anything. It’s where I belong. Taking the curved umbrella handle into my mouth, I make my way down the main garden road. I kind of miss the talking collar, but that has been taken away from me while I was sleeping because nopony knew what possible side-effects its wearing might have. They all thought Clear Insight possibly made the collars into some diabolic devices, but to me they were just chatty mejic lokkits. I miss the nice talking lady inside mine. Thanks to all the visiting ponies and probably the chaos caused by all personnel being questioned, the main gate is unguarded, letting me easily slip past amidst the visitors pouring in and out. Without my patient gown, nopony gives me a second glance. Should I leave for the countryside? I don’t think so. Everything I remember is the mountainside city, and if my situation is as bad as Stitches said, nopony would think about looking for me back where I started. With that in mind, I set onto the long road through lower Canterlot and back into the upper city halfway up the mountain. In the end, my hooves are stinging from the cold, I can barely feel my legs, but with the familiar place firmly mapped inside my mind, I find my good old alley where I used to sleep when the boiler room was occupied. It even comes with a box of some old radio parts and newspapers right next to the dumpster. It doesn’t take long to spread the papers around for isolation, drag the top of the dumpster open so that it forms an overhang above my new home, and lock the umbrella in place to stop the wind from getting into my little corner. Mostly safe from the elements, I poke the cardboard. Just for fun, really… “Hee hee, boks.” I’m back where I belong, right into the trash. Well, next to it. I don’t smell that bad. In a good way, I mean.