//------------------------------// // Eyes of Night // Story: Little Choices // by Skijarama //------------------------------// Hollow Shades looked ominous, even from a distance. Between the thick covering of the forest, the settlement rested in and the spike-like rocks jutting out of the earth like enormous teeth all around it, it was no wonder that the other pony races didn’t come here often. Rainbow could well imagine this town being frightening at night even more so than it was now in broad daylight. The still relatively thick layer of mist smothering the earth wasn’t helping the eeriness of the town. Neither were the many pairs of glowing eyes with slit-pupils staring at the group as they arrived, either from the darkness of the trees or through the windows of the modest homes that seemed to blend in with the foliage. The town looked to be built in four ring-shaped tiers, the ones further from the center rising somewhat higher into the air, forming a natural amphitheater of sorts. Along each of these tiers was a dirt road lined on either side with more Thestral architecture. In the very heart of the town, looking almost like it was pulling the world down with it, was an old well, seemingly no longer in active use, covered in cobwebs and archaic symbols. Nopony else was in sight. Just the six ponies and their dragon, along with the many pairs of eyes looking at them with curiosity. “I don’t like this,” Rarity whispered anxiously, her eyes darting to and fro as if expecting to be attacked at any moment. “Oooh… not to be offensive, but I can see why so many ponies steer clear of this place.” “Be careful what you say, Rarity,” Twilight shot back quietly. “Different or not, they’re still ponies, just like us.” “Then why are they hidin’?” Applejack inquired with a raised eyebrow, also looking a little unnerved. “Are they scared of us, too?” “I don’t think so,” Twilight looked to one of the pairs of eyes, colored a bright, icy blue. “If they were afraid, they wouldn’t be letting us see any of them; glowing eyes included. I think they’re probably just curious.” Spike tapped the tips of his claws together nervously. “Well, can they stop being curious? They’re creeping me out!” “Maybe they’re planning on jumping out at us with a surprise ‘welcome to Hollow Shades Princess Rainbow Dash’ party?” Pinkie suggested hopefully, though she didn’t sound too sure of herself. “Oh, I don’t think I could handle any surprises today,” Fluttershy admitted with a small shake. “Can somepony just get the help we need so we can move on?” Twilight gave a curt nod and moved on to the front of the group, passing Rainbow on the way. She paused and glanced over at Rainbow, who winced and shied away when she did. Stifling a dejected sigh, Twilight came forward and procured the scroll Princess Luna had sent to Spike earlier that morning. “Hello? Anypony? This is Princess Rainbow Dash!” she announced out while gesturing to the pegasus in question. “She needs to see a doctor. Her left wing has been dislocated and needs attention!” The many glowing eyes began to look between each other, almost as if in a silent discussion. After several seconds, the doors of a few homes swung open and the ponies within stepped out. Large, leathery bat-wings were present on the sides of almost every single pony present, their eyes being the most brightly colored parts of them. Their coats were duller than a typical pony’s was, same with their manes and tails. One of them, the mare whom the icy blue eyes belonged to, gradually stepped forward. She was a grayish green color with a darker teal mane and tail. On her flank was a cutie mark depicting a first-aid kit wrapped up in upside-down bat wings. “Are you a doctor?” Twilight asked hopefully, taking a step forward. “Yes, I am. My name is Moonflower Balm,” the mare replied, her voice cool, airy and professional. She looked at Rainbow Dash curiously, then put on a small frown. “Though I do hope you don’t mind my skepticism. It isn’t often that we get visitors here in Hollow Shades, and even less so from royalty. I presume you have proof that she is who you say?” Twilight frowned at the mare’s blunt tone but nodded. “Yes, right here. This scroll came from Princess Luna and has everything you’ll need to confirm Rainbow’s identity,” she said while passing the scroll forward. Moonflower took it in a hoof and examined the seal first. While it had been broken once already, it was definitely the royal seal. Unraveling the scroll, she studied the contents, periodically glancing at Rainbow as if for comparison. Finally, she rolled the scroll back up and returned it to Twilight before grinning widely at Rainbow Dash, putting a pair of sharp fangs on display. Rarity cringed. “I see my doubts were unfounded. Welcome to Hollow Shades, your majesty.” she gave a bow as she spoke. “Nope, nope,” Rainbow cut her off with a gesture of her hoof. “No bowing, no titles, nuh-uh, none of that. Just…” she gestured to her bandaged torso. “Help me with this?” Moonflower rose to a standing position and nodded. “Of course, Rainbow Dash. Please, follow me. The Hollow Shades clinic is on the top ring of the town.” she said before turning and trotting onto one of the dirt paths. The group swiftly fell into step behind her. Rarity shuddered. “Did you see those teeth?” she asked Fluttershy in an unsettled hiss. “I heard that,” Moonflower called back, making Rarity clam up. The mare glanced back with a good-natured smile. “Don’t worry, we’re used to it. And you also don’t need to worry about our teeth; we may be a bit more omnivorous than the other pony races, but for the most part, our fangs are for helping us deal with the stubborn fruits and nuts we evolved around.” Rarity relaxed a little bit, while Fluttershy shot her a disapproving frown. “Oh, aheh, my apologies then, miss Moonflower.” she jittered out with a sheepish laugh. ‘We’re all a little on-edge,” Twilight added with a slow nod. “It’s been a rough few days for all of us.” “Well, I’m sure I’ll know all about it soon enough,” Moonflower said as they ascended a pair of stone steps carved into the side of one of the tiers, letting them rise to the next one. “Before we get there, are there any other symptoms I should know about, Rainbow Dash?” “Just the broken wing,” Rainbow replied simply before looking over the town. “Well, we’ll be there soon enough,” Moonflower hummed before picking up the pace. Rainbow picked up her own pace to match hers, as did the rest of the group. The Hollow Shades Clinic was a modest two-story building sticking out almost like a sore thumb compared to the rest of the town. It was larger than every other building and was easily the most brightly colored. That aside, it was still notably darker than medical facilities in other towns like Ponyville or Canterlot. The inside was darker, as well, but in a more inviting way. The entrance lobby was colored mostly in rich browns and dark, vibrant greens, like the forest the town resided in. Most of the illumination came from lamps that hung close to the ceiling, which were wrapped up in orange paper that made the whole area feel like it was bathed in the soft glow of a campfire. Another thestral mare sat behind the counter and perked up upon seeing Moonflower and the others trot in. “Moonflower! I wasn’t expecting you, today! ...Who are these?” she asked with a high-pitched, chirpy voice. “This is Princess Rainbow Dash, Painkiller, checking in with a dislocated left wing. I take it room twelve is still open?” Moonflower asked simply to the mare, now identified Painkiller. “PRINCESS?!” Painkiller squealed in delight, standing up tall and propping her front hooves on the counter. “OH MY GOSH! A PRINCESS-” she immediately went quiet when Moonflower gave her a less-than-approving glare. She quickly sat back down and chuckled sheepishly. “Oh, um, yes. Sorry, ma’am. Room twelve is still open.” “Thank you,” Moonflower gave a small roll of her eyes. “Try not to squeal about this too loudly on your lunch break, would you?” Painkiller gave a salute. “I shall do my best, ma’am!” she replied enthusiastically. Moonflower chuckled and then turned to Rainbow Dash. “Alright, Rainbow Dash, if you’ll follow me. Unless the rest of you are suffering from some kind of injury or sickness requiring a doctor’s help, I’m going to have to ask you to wait here in the lobby until I’ve taken care of initial examinations and treatments,” she explained simply. “That’s no problem,” Twilight gave a small nod before looking to Rainbow again. “You go get better, okay Dash? We aren’t going anywhere.” Rainbow nodded slightly, still unable to meet Twilight’s gaze with her own. “Y-yeah… sure.” Moonflower looked between the two curiously but opted to not question it. She gestured for Rainbow to follow her as she trotted to a wooden door on one side of the room, leading down a side hall. Rainbow hesitated, then followed her, glancing briefly over her shoulder to the others before the door swung closed. The rest of the group shortly had their names taken by Painkiller before finding places to sit in the lobby. Twilight sat on a small cushioned bench to the side of the door Rainbow had disappeared through. Fluttershy sat right next to her, anxiously tugging on her mane and looking around occasionally. Rarity was trying her best to occupy her mind with what little reading material there was, glancing into magazines and the town’s only newspaper with curiosity. Applejack, however, was looking at Twilight from across the room seriously. She had been at this for several long minutes, almost like she was expecting something. Eventually, she rose from her seat and slowly trotted over to Twilight. “Hey, Twi?” she asked quietly once she was in front of the unicorn. Twilight looked down a little. “I already know what you’re going to say, Applejack… please don’t.” “Did ya talk to her?” Applejack asked anyway, narrowing her eyes just a little. Twilight’s ears flattened. “I tried… but I didn’t know what to say. I told her I wasn’t somepony she needed to be scared of, that I wasn’t going to hurt her,” she said with a heavy sigh. “Twi, that’s a lie an’ you know it,” Applejack snorted bluntly, her ears going flat. “What? No, it’s not!” Twilight defended, leaning back with her ears drooping as well. “I’d never hurt her! We grew up together!” “Then stop hurtin’ her!” Applejack snapped, leaning forward a bit. “Ah dunno what yer definition of ‘hurt’ is, Twilight, but not every wound can be seen.” Twilight blinked, a little of the color draining from her face. Fluttershy whimpered from Twilight’s side. “Applejack, please lower your voice…” she whispered shakily, looking over the farm mare’s shoulder as if afraid. Applejack looked behind her and saw that everypony else in the room was looking at her with varying degrees of disapproval. Painkiller, still behind the counter, just looked confused and uncomfortable. She made a few meaningless gestures with a hoof. “I, uh, I’m just gonna… gonna go, uh… gonna… bye.” she stuttered out before disappearing through a door behind the counter, closing it softly behind her. Several seconds ticked by in silence before Applejack sighed and backed off. “Ah’m sorry, Twilight,” she muttered regretfully before backing away and returning to her seat. Twilight bit her lip and looked down at her hooves on the cushion of her seat. “Yeah… so am I.” she whispered quietly. A sound caught her attention, then. The door to her right clicked and swung open. For a second, Twilight thought that maybe it was Moonflower coming back to give them all a status update. When she looked, however, she wasn’t at all expecting what she saw. Starlight Glimmer glanced to her left as she stepped out of the hallway beyond the door, one of her forehooves wrapped up in bandages. Her eyes locked with Twilight’s. Both of them went rigid.