Fairlight - The Frozen Heart

by Bluespectre

Chapter Two - Rogue agent

I spent another week practising with the PDW’s, which, as I’d later found out, actually stood for ‘Pony Defense Weapon’ of all things. Other than the cringe worthy name, I would also discover that the agency had a love affair with not only black outfits and black equipment, but also bloody acronyms. Everything had one, and as the new guy here it took all my time to decipher the conversations going on around me. Each day was a repeat of the last, with tactics, drills, TED protocols and, of course, target practice. After a little while I became quite proficient at handling the deadly little weapon. There were other types too, such as those designed for pegasi and earth ponies, utilising mouth-operated firing mechanisms. They’d been playing with ones you could use with your hooves, but that required balancing on your hind legs which not everypony was comfortable with. Good job the thestrals hadn’t had the things back when Nightmare Moon was on the rampage or else we’d all be clicking and hissing at each other now in that mind warping language of theirs. Still, despite my misgivings I had to admit my own hypocrisy in all of this. I had previously used crossbows to shoot ponies in the watch, but only as a very last resort, like that damned warehouse. At least here in the agency we had the ‘shocker’ which was a non-lethal option that didn’t involve battering some poor bugger senseless with a wooden truncheon. Not that being hit with all that magical energy wouldn’t hurt like hell of course, but it was certainly preferable to having a bloody great hole burnt through you.

What I missed the most in the agency though, was the camaraderie of the watch. I didn’t know anypony here other than Warlock and Wist, and I certainly wouldn’t include them in my list of ‘friends’ by any stretch of the imagination. The agency was a group of ponies who all seemed to have, I don’t know… ‘issues’? Nopony seemed to want to even attempt to get along with one another except on missions, and there was always that deeper sense of distance between them and me, which was decidedly discomforting. Wist was a bit wacky, but there was something beneath that outgoing façade of his which just didn’t sit right with me. It was the same with gruff old Warlock. I didn’t trust either of them, and I imagine the feeling was mutual. One day I would have to find out what was going on here before it drove me crazy, but for now I would keep my head down and do my job. The way I looked at it, the sooner we put a stop to these smugglers the better. With Luna’s help and a healthy dose of the good fortune I was owed, I would soon be reunited with Shadow and we’d both be able to get the hell out of this loony bin. Speaking of which, the ‘facility’ we were in was not much more than an agency version of the watch house. A lot more up-market and clean than my old work place in Manehattan, but lacking a lot of its character. Unless clinically clean and bland was to your taste of course. Wist had explained that the agency ponies stationed in various locations around Equestria operated remotely to the main hub, which I guessed would be the mountain facility I had been taken to that time. ‘That time’ being when I had been forced to hand over my badge and say goodbye to my career. Goddesses, I could never forget that, regardless of the reasons behind it. The memory was still like a dagger through my heart. One morning at breakfast, I decided to broach the subject with Wist. He sat opposite me, yawning expansively whilst stirring his warm oat porridge.

“Late night?” I asked pleasantly.

Wist nodded, stretching his forelegs out for emphasis. “Yeah, card game with Snap and the gang. Goddesses know what time that went on ‘til.” He took a swig of apple juice. “Bit of advice buddy; don’t play against Snap. She’ll wipe the friggin’ floor with yer.”

The breakfast choice in the agency was like its working practices: bland, mechanical, efficient, and necessary. Porridge and apple juice or apple juice and porridge. Delicious… I looked across the table at Wist. He had dark circles under his eyes, poor bugger. I imagined his pockets were pretty light right about now too.

“Hey, Wist, I never asked, how did you end up in the agency?” I asked.

He looked at me with a disinterested expression, “Same way you did, Chief.”

“Oh?”

Wist nodded. “Woke up here. You know: doctors, nurses, bright lights and all that. Same as everypony else.”

“You’re kidding me!” I put my spoon down and stared at him. “What, you’re just walking along one day and ‘poof!’ you’re here in the agency?”

Wist stared down at his porridge. “Pretty much. Thing is, none of us can remember what happened before then, or at least if they do, they’re not saying.”

“Can you remember?” I asked him curiously.

Wist’s eyes narrowed and a dark look ghosted across his face like clouds over the moon. “No. No I don’t. And Nox?” His eyes bored into me. “Don’t ask me again, alright?”

I paused looking into those deep green eyes. There it was again, that fathomless black hole which appeared from time to time in his gaze. “Sure, Wist,” I said calmly. “Didn’t mean to upset you, my friend. I’m sorry.”

With a blink the chirpy piebald stallion re-appeared like he’d never been away. “It’s cool, Chief. Just… y’know, what we don’t know can’t hurt us, right?” he laughed.

“Right,” I said, not believing my own reply. It wasn’t right. Not at all. I had the impression that the agency was full of damaged goods that they’d ‘patched up’ by applying a plaster rather than attempting a proper repair. I hoped I wasn’t working with a bunch of ticking time bombs. Bombs who were armed with magical energy weapons.

Attention to orders. Team Epsilon to briefing room in five minutes. Repeat - Team Epsilon to briefing room in five minutes.

The voice over the tannoy caught our attention. “Come on Chief, let’s shift flank. Don’t wanna be late for your first outing do yer?” Wist smiled ruefully and finished off his porridge with a final spoonful. I followed suit, downing the last mouthful quickly and headed for the door. Warlock was already there waiting for us with all the animation of a glacier.

“Nox, Wist, you’re with me,” the dour orange pony informed us turning away to walk down the brightly lit corridor.

The three of us sat in on the morning briefing together and watched the surveillance images projected onto a large drop-down screen whilst the briefing officer explained the usual whys and wherefores that were familiar to agency and watch alike. It all seemed straight forward enough so far. Instead of being dropped in at the deep end, this looked to be a nice easy routine job, ideal for my first outing with a new team. The target was a coffee shop on the junction of 39th street near Chester’s Movie House. Meadow and I had been there once and I still had a vague recollection of the layout of the area. It was in a typical Manehattan setting, with busy streets, equally busy pavements, and the overhead railway which had so fascinated me the first time I saw it. The sparks from the smoke stack in the early morning light as the locomotives thundered by was magical to behold, and like a foal I’d stood there staring up at them wide eyed. Meadow thought my reaction endearing at first, but after the second locomotive has passed and I hadn’t show any signs of moving she’d pulled me into a local tea shop, rolling her eyes at my behaviour. The inside of the shop itself had been wood panelled, with wooden tables and neat checked table covers. Several photographs of the local area adorned the walls displaying images of a time when ponies apparently all wore three piece suits. That must have been fun in the height of summer! Still, it was all quite quaint and welcoming in its own rustic way. We’d been the only couple in there at that time in the morning and the waitress, a cute cream filly with a yellow and blue striped mane, had cheerily taken our order. The manager had turned out to be her father whose expertise in brewing was the reason behind why Meadow had wanted to visit this part of the city in the first place. She’d always had a fondness for trying anything ‘home made’ and, I suppose, secretly I did myself to a degree. Personally I thought the place a touch run down for my liking and it was an area I’d made several arrests for drunkenness and damage to property when I’d been stationed here. Needless to say I was rather wary about taking Meadow to areas like this, but she had told me off for being ‘overprotective’ and said I needed to ‘relax and loosen up’. She was right of course, I did tend to be a bit stiff when it came to her safety. Not that I’d been able to protect her when I needed to. When it really mattered…

“Hey, Chief!” Wist nudged me, “You get all that?”

I nodded. “Yeah. We go in and secure the place when they’re about to close and all the customers are gone. Team Alpha secure the perimeter, while Beta search the place for contraband. When we’re finished, we take the family in for interrogation and memory alteration. Clean and simple, right?”

Wist smiled, nodding, “Clean and simple.”

I checked my sidearm and shocker. Perhaps a little impulsively I’d made the decision to leave the charger crystal out of the PDW, but there was no way in hell I was blowing holes in ponies with that infernal device. Not after the warehouse, and certainly not when I had a non-lethal means of disabling a target. Maybe I was growing soft in my old age, but… well, perhaps I’d seen too much death. Sometimes I could still see flashes of memories from my time in the Withers: the earl with his cloak of pony hides, the blood, the screaming, the sight of Glimmer dying after she’d... With a toss of my mane I pushed the intrusive thoughts out of my mind and trotted after the others as we headed for the sky carriage compound. I’d let the terror of flying scare those damned memories away, and you never know, I might even be able to get some sleep tonight without waking up in a cold sweat for a change too. It was almost a relief when the carriage lurched in the air. If there was one thing I can say about the agency, it was that they didn’t hang about. Messages flew back and force over the TED’s - none meant for me though, just incessant background chatter about weather conditions and estimated times for arrival at the target area. Out of habit I didn’t look out the window but noticed, with some relief, that my vertigo had simply…vanished. I silently thanked the wendigo part of me for that. Hey, maybe this spirit thing wasn’t so bad after all. In fact it was quite therapeutic watching the city far below with the sparkling river in the distance and the seagulls swooping past us.

Wist noticed me deep in thought and tapped me on the leg. “You okay there, Chief? You seem a bit distant.”

I smiled at him. “Hmm? Oh, sorry, Wist, haven’t been on a mission for a while and it brings back memories. Not all pleasant ones, you know?”

Wist blinked. “No, not really. We have a job to do and I keep focussed on that. It’s the way I keep myself going. Keep telling myself… it’s just a job.”

I don’t know about Wist being worried about me, I was more than a bit worried about the way the piebald stallion would slip between being cold one minute and perky the next. I hate to say it, but I simply didn’t have the same level of faith in my new colleagues that I used to have with my old team in the watch. Still, all things come in time. I was probably just as nervous back when I first joined up, but it all seemed so long ago now I couldn’t remember. Oh bollocks, I was becoming forgetful now too!

We hadn’t been airborne long when the carriage began to lose height, gradually dropping to ground level with a clatter of wheels on cobbles. Moments later the communication hatch opened.

“We’re here, people,” the driver called.

I sat and waited, listening intently to the TED. Surveillance teams were already on scene, the voices chattering back and forth:

One female customer inside. She’s paying for her drinks now. Stand by one.

Wist stared out the window of the chariot. I’m not sure what he thought he could see, we were parked one street over and had no view of the coffee shop from where we were. The radio voice came back:

Female has left the shop. Target male heading for the door now. All teams, move in.

“That’s our cue!” Wist shouted enthusiastically and threw the carriage door open, trotting towards the front of the shop with myself in hot pursuit.

I re-adjusted my sunglasses and patted my pockets to make sure my badge was handy. The air today was warm and dry, the sun dipping below the tops of the buildings casting ever deepening shadows across the road surface. I remembered there had been little wind in this part of the city, probably due to the density of the buildings that blocked out most of the sunlight and added a sense of despondence to the area that I remembered all too well. Unfortunately the lack of air circulation only emphasised the smell of decay and stench from piles of rotting refuse that waited forlornly to be cleared away. Apparently the city, as well as the locals, cared little for this part of Manehattan. But even so, there was the little coffee shop just as I remembered it. Despite the tired paintwork it stood out like a sore hoof amongst its fellows, virtually shining like a jewel. A jewel in a cess pit. My enthusiastic colleague reached the door of the shop just as the male I recognised as the owner was reaching for the ‘closed’ sign. Wist quickly pushed the door open and was stepping through, sporting a grin on his face just as the shocked cyan male backed up, still keeping hold of the handle.

“Um, I’m afraid were closed now gentlemen,” the owner said politely. “We’ll be open again tomorrow at eight.” He tried a smile but I could sense the nervousness in his voice.

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll be able to manage a couple more coffee’s for my friends and I won’t you? There’s a good fellow.” Wist produced his warrant card and the cyan male’s eyes went wide, looking to me as if for help.

I nodded at him and produced my card, holding it up for me to see. “Agent Nox, Celestian Bureau of Investigation. No need for alarm sir, we’re here on official business.”

There was a thump, followed by a small crashing noise from the back of the shop as Warlock and Beta team moved in to begin the search for any smuggled items. The agency briefing officer hadn’t deemed it necessary to give us poor grunts any background on why they thought there was smuggling going on here, but as the ‘new foal’ on the team, I guessed I was on a ‘need to know’ basis. Apparently, I didn’t need to know. I sighed inwardly; this was a completely different set up to what I was used to. The coffee shop owner walked behind the counter and began preparing a couple of cups of coffee while I locked the front door and closed the blinds. Meanwhile Wist followed the poor fellow like a second tail, smiling that knowing smile of his. You couldn’t help but feel sorrow for the owner though, he was visibly shaking in fright and managed to drop one of the cups which, fortunately, I was able to catch with my magic before we had a damages claim. I had to throw him a lifeline if for no other reason than to distract him from Wist’s attention.

“What’s your name, sir?” I asked politely.

“G… Green… Green Gauge,” he stammered, nervousness showing in his dilated pupils. He poured out two cups and leaned down to pull something from under the counter.

Wist clicked his tongue at him, reaching down himself and taking out a jar of sugar lumps. Eyes never leaving the owner, he called over, “Agent Nox, how many sugars do you take?”

“One,” I answered, peering between the blinds. The street was clear in both directions. I needn’t have bothered though, I could see Alpha team members stationed up the street and on the roof top opposite keeping an eye out for potential trouble. But there was nothing. There were no passers by, nor any traffic for that matter. I suspected they’d probably already had the road blocked off.

“None for me.” Wist spoke in a cheeky tone, hooking a foreleg around the beleaguered owner’s neck. He leaned close and whispered loudly into his ear, eyes flicking to me. “I’m sweet enough already...” Green Gauge quailed and pulled away from him, his antagonist laughing, “He’s good! I like him. Hope yer coffee’s good too, squire.” Wist leaned against the counter and sipped his freshly brewed beverage. “Hey! This really is good! Nox, come and get yours buddy.”

I trotted over and tried some of mine. True enough, it really was quite excellent - rich and smooth. The aroma brought back memories of the visit I’d had here with Meadow. Why in Equestria hadn’t we been back here? It was a rare treat to find a place that could produce such a flavoursome cup as this. “Thank you, Mister Gauge, this is excellent,” I said smiling to him.

“You… you’re welcome.” He tried to smile but it never reached his eyes. The poor guy looked like he was going to piss himself.

Suddenly a loud crash from upstairs and a scream caught all of our attention as Warlock’s voice crackled over the TED, “Female heading your way, Epsilon. Head’s up.”

A yellow mare with a red mane rushed at us from a back room, tears flying from her eyes as she rushed to embrace Green Gauge. Wist stepped back and chuckled, pressing his hoof to his TED, “Male and female secure. Anything to report?”

“Negative,” came Warlock’s reply. “Nothing up here. We’ll continue to… Wait… Stand by one.” There was a brief pause. “Contact! Hold it, it’s a female foal. Come here now, it’s okay… Ow! Dammit the little sod bit me! Look out Epsilon team, she’s heading your way!”

There was rumble of hoofsteps and a grass green foal burst into the room running headlong into Wist. He stumbled back, winded, while I scooped up the foal and pushed her back towards her parents. “Here you go, it’s alright little one,” I smiled. “We’re not going to hurt you”.

She glared at us with those typically huge round eyes all foals have. Normally they were quite cute, but this one... “Get out!” she shrieked. “You’re bad ponies! You’re frightening nanna and granddad!” Okay, so ‘grandparents’, not ‘parents’ then. So much for my detective skills! That was when I noticed the small toy pony lying on the floor. It was a plush model of Celestia. I went to pick it up but Wist beat me to it, levitating it up before the frightened foal.

“Looks just her doesn’t it?” he shouted over to me, “bet she’s a right goer, eh?”

I gave him a hard look, “Give her it back Wist, she’s just a child.”

“Give me that back!” the foal screamed stamping a hoof.

Wist ignored her, laughing, “Let’s see how well she can fly shall we?” He threw the toy up into the air, narrowly missing the ceiling fan. The little green foal cried out and rushed forward to tackle Wist, flailing her forelegs and bucking him, with surprising accuracy, right between the legs. It may have been funny except that the enraged piebald male snatched her up in his magic and slammed her tiny body against the wall, snarling, “You little BITCH!”

I rushed over to put a hoof on Wist’s shoulder. “For Celestia’s sake, Wist, chill the buck out will you? She’s just a foal! Put her down.”

The agent’s eyes narrowed as he lowered the foal and turned to me, breathing hard. Pulling off his sunglasses he stalked up to me until we were nose to nose, his bright green eyes boring into mine. “Don’t you ever, EVER, tell ME what to DO!” he yelled, foam spraying from his mouth.

I picked up the toy Celestia and stepped back from Wist. “Easy, Wist, noponies telling you what to do. Let me give the foal her toy back and we can get this job over with, okay?”

He glared at me, hatred and rage burning in his eyes. I’d never seen him like this and it was worrying that the guy was in a position of authority to say the least. I would have to report this when I returned. He was obviously… unstable. And that look in his eyes! Where had I seen it before? A bolt of green light made my vision flare and I ducked back instinctively, Wist doing the same.

“What the buck?!” Wist neighed loudly, staring over the table that was now covered in spilled coffee.

I looked up to see the grandparents cowering behind the counter and the foal standing on her hind legs holding… Oh gods... a PDW. Both Wist and I patted our pockets. As we looked at each other it was obvious from his face what had happened - the little foal had grabbed his pistol in the scuffle and it was now pointing right at him.

“Come on, darling…” he said to the foal, insincerity thick in his voice. “Put that down now, that’s not a toy. Here, look, my friend’s got your dolly. Nox, give her the toy for bucks sake!”

I levitated the Celestia toy to the foal and she started to cry. “You’re a bad pony!” she bawled at Wist, “You’re bad, bad, bad!”

A voice crackled over the TED. It was Warlock. “What’s going on down there, Wist? Nox, report!”

“Chief, we’ve got a situation,” I replied, trying to keep my voice calm so as not to aggravate the situation any more than it already was. “The foal’s got a hold of Wist’s PDW. Keep position until we get the situation back under control”.

Warlock’s voice was heavy with condemnation. “Received. Holding position.”

Shit, this was going to take some explaining back at the facility. Some first job this was turning out to be - a stand-off with an armed child of all things. First off though I had to get the weapon away from the foal before somepony was hurt, and also to somehow keep Wist away from the family. Before I had a chance to react, Wist stepped forward towards the foal.

“Come on now,” he smiled grimly. “Give Uncle Wist the gun…”

The foal shrieked in fright and a bolt of green light shot out again, narrowly missing his ear and punching a hole in the wall behind him. Wis’ts eyes narrowed and I saw him reaching behind his back as a cream filly with a yellow and blue striped mane walked into the room from the restroom.

“Mum? Dad? What’s all the noise?” she asked casually. And paused. Quickly taking in the situation before her, she let out an almighty scream.

Dear Celestia! What happened to our bloody surveillance teams?! Weren’t they supposed to have checked this place before we went in? It was all too clear now how horribly unprepared we’d actually been. I remembered during watch training how planning was drummed into us. Piss poor planning, promotes piss poor performance, my trainer had told us. By the goddesses, he was right. In our excitement at being new recruits, we’d been all too willing to listen to some of the stories the veterans regaled us with. One had told us that when the ‘shit was about to hit the fan’, everything happened in slow motion. It may have been that way for him, but not for me. Not now. Now, everything happened in a terrifying blur. The foal, distracted by her mother’s scream, whirled away from Wist who made a lunge for her whilst reaching out with his magic to grab the PDW. The foal tried to hold onto it with her hooves and in the ensuing tug of war, her tiny hoof hit the trigger and it fired, sending a green lance of energy at Wist’s head. With surprising agility he dodged the full blast, but wasn’t quite fast enough. The magical energy beam clipped his ear and sent blood and burning flesh into the air along with a horrible smell of burning hair. Before the glow from the beam died away, Wist’s hoof had already produced another PDW from a hidden holster beneath his overcoat and took aim at the terrified foal. I shouted, rushing forward to try and wrest the gun from him... but I was too slow. Too damned slow. The beam from Wist’s gun lanced out and the foal’s head exploded into flying chunks of meat like a burst balloon, bits of red mane and yellow fur spattering across the counter and her grandparents alike. The world took a breath. And then, like a bad movie, the mother’s agonised screams echoed throughout the coffee shop.

Warlock and the other agency ponies charged into the room a heartbeat later. While we were distracted by the latest entrants, the grandfather clumsily reached under the counter and pulled out a tubular weapon, similar to the type I’d seen in the warehouse. It didn’t do him any good. Another green flash from Wist burned a hole through him from chest to tail, and he was dead before he even hit the ground.

The now hysterical mother ran for her foal, crying out in anguish and I barely managed to tackle her to the ground. “Stay down!” I shouted at her, but all she wanted to do was reach her daughter. The same daughter whose broken body lay strewn across the floor near her grandfather’s still warm corpse. In a sudden rush the grandmother picked up her husband’s fallen weapon and shot it wildly at Wist who ducked behind the counter in the nick of time. The loud ‘bang’ made my ears ring and pieces of splintered wood showered over me like a cloud burst of hard rain. Shaking the fragments from my muzzle I looked up in time to see Warlock reach around the corner of the counter and place a shot right between the older mare’s eyes. Silence fell, the smell of blood and burning flesh mingling with the blue smoke from singed hair that was hanging in the air around us. I looked down at the mare below me whose eyes had narrowed to pinpricks. She was going into shock and began shaking uncontrollably. I shouted over my TED, “We need a medic in here, now! We have ponies down, repeat, we ponies down.”

Warlock trotted over and pulled me off the mare, holstering his PDW. “Leave her, newbie,” he said in his gravelly monotone voice. “The medics will take care of her.”

Medics? How the hell were they going to ‘take care’ of anything now?! I stood up, wiping spatters of blood and splinters from my muzzle as my anger bubbled up inside me, threatening to overwhelm my conscious mind. In some ways I rather hoped it would. I stared at the impassive orange stallion before me. “You bastard Warlock,” I snarled. “You lousy, miserable, bucking bastard. Is this how you do things in the agency? Is it?! You just gun down ponies, just like that?” I pointed to Wist. “He just shot a foal, a bloody foal for Celestia’s bucking sake! What the hell is wrong with you ponies?” I was starting to lose it and I could feel a hint of rage spark down inside me. Who were we supposed to be here? Who was I for that matter? Gods almighty, weren’t we supposed to be the good guys? Wist picked up his PDW and slipped it back into its holster along with its twin and walked past me without another word. I couldn’t bear to look at him.

Warlock paused as a voice came over the TED, “Agent Warlock, we’ve found something.”

He pressed his hoof to the device, “On our way.”

Turning to me, Warlock hooked a foreleg under mine and hoisted me to my hooves. It was the first vaguely friendly gesture I’d ever had from the stallion, and one I barely noticed. “Come on Nox,” he said levelly, “there’s something you may want to see here.”

I fought back the rising bile in my throat as I followed the orange stallion through to the back of the shop. Radio chatter continued across my ear piece, but in my current state, none of it registered even the slightest. I could still hear the mares scream ringing in my ears, her pain and grief searing through my heart like a white hot lance. I’m sorry little one, I silently prayed. May thegoddesses guide your gentle soul to the peace of the eternal herd.

At the back of the shop a black coated agency pony from Beta team stood by an open hatch in the corridor floor, the rug which had been covering it pulled back to one side. Without another word, Warlock headed down the creaking wooden steps into the cellar beneath. The strong musty smell of damp hit my nostrils almost immediately. Damp, and something else, the smell of… I don’t know, but whatever it was it had my hackles going up like noponies business. Seemingly unaffected by the foul miasma, the big stallion halted at the bottom of the stairs and I drew up alongside him. There, in the dim lamplight, a row of rusty cages sat haphazardly along the side of one of the damp walls. Boxes, jars, and other detritus were piled up nearby. Agency ponies were busy breaking open crates with crowbars, their packaging material spilling out onto the dank floor. One of them levitated out a familiar long tubed device, the same as the one upstairs.

“Sir,” the pony nodded, passing the weapon to Warlock.

He took the thing and then passed it to me, his eyes watching for my reaction. “Equestrian made,” Warlock said levelly. “These get on the streets, Nox, and we’ll have more blood on our hooves than what you’ve seen upstairs today.”

I propped the weapon against the wall and turned to meet his gaze. “Is that an excuse for what happened up there? Warlock, we just killed three ponies - a little girl and her grandparents. Was that part of the plan?”

He spat on the floor, “Of course not. We don’t liquidate ponies unless absolutely necessary.”

I looked at the cages, “But Wist… Celestia’s arse, the guys not right in the head. We could have-”

“We will deal with Wist,” Warlock interrupted. “But this is not the time, nor the place for that.”

I sighed, removing my sunglasses and rubbed my eyes. Goddesses what a bucking mess. The whole situation stank almost as badly as the bloody cellar, and my first operation with the agency had turned into a complete clusterbuck. And then, unexpectedly, the quiet sound of something moving caught my attention. It was only on the very edges of my hearing, barely even audible, but it pulled my attention like iron filings to a magnet. Warlock had heard it too.

“Over here!” he called pulling one of the crates aside.

One of the agency ponies lifted up her lantern, casting light into the darker recesses of the cellar. There, concealed behind one of the crates was another cage, its rusty black metal glinting in the half-light. Disturbing the crate sent the stench I’d noticed earlier to new heights, the foul reek of manure and acrid urine catching the breath in my throat. I reached over and took the lantern from the pony, squeezing into the gap and edging towards the cage. Inside… Oh, dear gods. Two little foals looked up at me with shining eyes wet with tears, too terrified to cry out or even to speak. The two, one a sand colour and one black, hugged each other in terror, their wide pupils reflecting in the lamplight. They didn’t make a sound. Not even so much as a sniffle. I closed my eyes and looked back to the agency pony, levitating his crow-bar over which I then pushed into the padlock securing the cage. I froze. There, in the corner near the foals, lay another little body. Still. Unmoving. I swallowed, and heaved on the metal bar, trying my best not to let my mind wander from what I was doing right at that moment. With a crack the lock gave way and I pulled the rusted door open.

“Warlock, get some medics down here,” I whispered. “Please…” He nodded and turned back to the other ponies in the room. I took off my TED, my hoof half way to removing my glasses before thinking better of it. These three had been through enough. “Hey, what are your names,?” I asked gently. The black one tried to speak, but her dry lips could barely offer any words.

The other one spoke up, her voice cracking. “My… My names Palm. This is… Twinkle Sky.” Neither of them moved a muscle. “Are you… Are you going to hurt us, mister?” she asked shyly, her voice quavering. The black foal’s blue eyes watched me, twitching when I sat down on my haunches.

“No,” I said smiling to them, “I’m here to take you home. It’s all going to be okay now, you’re with friends.” I motioned to the watching agency mare to come over.

She took off her glasses and TED, sidling up next to me. “Come on now my little ones, it’s time to get you home,” she said merrily. “We’ve got some nice hot drinks and some yummy food for you too. You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Of course you would!”

Slowly, carefully, the two moved towards her, the black one catching Palm’s tail in her mouth as she led her out of the cage. The same way Shadow had followed me from the village. Had that really happened? It felt like a dream now. A dream from so long ago... I could feel tears stinging my eyes. Was this what Equestria was coming too? The mare patted me on the back with a hoof before leading the two foals away, but as they passed me I couldn’t help but stare in abject horror at the dreadful condition they were in. Ribs showing through their coats bore witness to a level of cruelty I could never imagine an Equestrian inflicting on any creature, let along a helpless foal. It defied logic. I’d seen some nightmares in my time, but this? No… Nothing like this. And then my eyes drifted to the tiny figure of the unmoving green foal. I carefully reached out, feeling for a pulse. Nothing. Her body was stone cold. Cradling her in the blue glow of my magic, I gently lifted her out and took her in my forelegs. The tiny foal’s eyes were closed just like she was sleeping. And in a way, she truly was. Tears poured down my cheeks, mingling with the filth she had been lying in during her final moments in this stinking dark cellar. I held her close and began to weep, my whole body racked with a level of grief I had hoped I would never feel again. I was lost, lost in a flood of emotions that threatened to overwhelm me, but I didn’t care. What the hell had she done to deserve this? Where are you Celestia? And what about you, Luna? Where were you when this young life, this precious spark of magic in this miserable world, waned and died in your land of sunshine and rainbows?

Nopony spoke. Rising to my hooves I placed her on my back and walked past the others, some turning away, unable to watch. I couldn’t blame them. I headed back up the steps and out the back of the shop where several of the sky carriages were parked up, the medics tending to the mother of the foal from the shop. Warlock shouted something up from behind me, but I didn’t listen. The mare in front of me sat in silence with a blanket around her, shaking, her eyes tight shut against the tears. My magic glowed as I brought the lifeless body of the green foal before her. “Did you know?” My voice was barely a whisper. The mare looked up at me, her eyes bloodshot from crying as she took in the image before her. She said nothing. I advanced on her, my pain and anger growing more palpable by the second. “I said, DID YOU KNOW?” I all but screamed at her, but the mare remained silent, her eyes filled with nothing but the grief of her own loss. She had nothing to say for the green foal. No words of regret. No remorse. She was simply a commodity. A tool. She had to have known. She must have!

“Agent Nox!” Warlock bellowed at me, “Come on now, give me the foal. She shouldn’t see this.”

I looked back at Warlock, my anger soaring. A cold rage was building within me, rising on a tide of pain and bitter heartfelt vengeance. Some bastard was going to pay for this. I would find out who there were, where they were, and Celestia herself would not stop me from exacting retribution for the life of this child. Goddesses help me, they would all pay.

Warlock took the foal from me and passed her to the female agent who had taken the foals earlier. He took my head in his hooves and looked me straight in the eyes. “Get a grip Agent Nox,” he ordered. “I can’t afford to have you going nuts on me too. The mistress trusts you, and whether I like it or not, she believes in you.” He suddenly slapped me across the face with a hoof. “Get a bucking grip, Captain!”

I lifted my head and faced him, my thoughts re-arranging themselves into something approaching coherence. “You knew they were here, didn’t you?” I asked.

Warlock closed his eyes and sighed. “Yes. Or rather, we suspected.” He lead me out of earshot of the mare who was being bundled into one of the sky chariots. “The smugglers have been trading in slaves. Foals mostly. Ponies and gems, traded for guns and drug components.”

I drew a ragged breath, watching the sky carriage take to the air. “Celestia’s mercy…” I breathed.

The orange agent stood next to me. “Do you see now, Agent Nox? Do you see now why we must do what we do? Who’s foal will it be next? Who’s daughter, sister, wife or marefriend will simply not come home one day? If we don’t stop these scum, it won’t stop. It will never stop.” I rubbed the tears from my eyes and readjusted my sunglasses. Warlock shook his mane and called a sky carriage driver over to us. “I blame myself, Nox,” he rumbled. “I should have shown you the truth from the beginning. The mistress wanted me to, but I was worried you might…” He sighed, “End up like Wist.” I looked about myself, but the piebald stallion was nowhere to be seen. “Here, get in,” Warlock said pushing me in through the open door of the carriage.

I felt numb, emotionless… empty. I took a seat in the sky carriage and barely registered it taking to the air. Warlock sat opposite me listening to his TED. Robotically I put mine in, the radio chatter clear and clinical.

Disposal teams clear to move to target area.

Received, moving in now.

Sanitation Team to target area. Clean up procedure to be implemented immediately.

I knew what ‘sanitation’ meant. They’d completely remove any evidence of the terrible events that had unfolded at the coffee shop, which would also conveniently include any link to the agency. A cold thought hit me - Had the horrors in the cellar been going on when Meadow and I had been enjoying a coffee and a slice of cake there that time? Had there been foals, locked in the darkness in those rusting cages below our very hooves, crying in the darkness, calling for their mothers? Calling silently for help that would never come. I pushed the frightening thought away. I couldn’t give in to these feelings, I had to drive them down, to keep myself together the best I could. There was still a lot of work to do; work to help Equestria, and to try and find a way to stop this… this evil from spreading. I couldn’t do that if my head and heart gave in to hate and anger. I noticed Warlock was looking down at something next to me and I followed his gaze. It was my hoof. I’d been pressing it into the seat so hard I’d left a deep indentation in the material. I stared at it for a moment and then, carefully, lifted it up. Gods, what a nightmare this had been. And unfortunately, nightmares were what I was going to be having in abundance after today.

I rubbed my sore hoof and looked Warlock in the eye. “What will happen to them?” I asked.

Warlock turned to gaze out the window. “They’ll be taken to the hub,” he replied. “Memories wiped, families found. The usual.”

“And the mare?” I asked, readjusting my TED. “What about her?”

“Interrogated, then memory wiped. If it’s too deep she’ll be sent for re-education.”

“Re-education?” Wist had mentioned this before, and I still had no idea what it was.

“Total memory reset,” Warlock replied. “False memories implanted. A new I.D. A new start.”

A new start? I couldn’t imagine what it would be like having everything you’ve ever known obliterated. All your family, your loved ones, your memories of who you are, what you’ve done in life… Dear gods, it would be like killing you and yet keeping you alive. It was, frighteningly, exactly what the herd’s goons had wanted to do to me. I felt a felt a chill run down my spine as I asked, “Do some end up in the Agency?”

“Some,” Warlock nodded. “Depending upon temperament.”

I took my glasses off and fixed my gaze on Warlock, “Is that what happened to Wist?”

He glanced at me then back out the window. “We’re here,” he said quietly. But of Wist, he said no more.

Outside the biting cold wind was the first thing to hit me. We were high up in the mountains and I quickly recognised the landing area from my first visit here. This was the agencies central ‘hub’, and I’ll say this for our driver, he was fast. Part of me had hoped to try and catch a few winks in the flight over here, but I’d barely had chance to close my eyes before I felt the bump of the wheels as we touched down. Warlock and I walked across the wide flat expanse and showed our cards to the guards before climbing into one of the magically powered buggies. These things were a marvel of magical innovation: smooth and quiet, with barely a hum from their rubber rimmed tyres. Why we didn’t have more of these in Equestria, I couldn’t say. Pony power was still very much the staple everywhere, but then Equestrians had always been resistant to change. Any change. A case in point were magically powered lights. You would think they were a niche thing, and yet they had been around for decades, if not hundreds of years. They worked. They gave off a clean white light. They certainly weren’t a fire hazard. And better still, they were affordable. Yet despite all of these benefits, paraffin lamps were just as prevalent. Mostly, it has to be said, in earth pony homes. Despite their aversion to magic, pegasi preferred the magical variety as they gave off no heat. Unicorns… I suppose it goes without saying what they preferred as a rule. Personally, I liked both. I loved the warmth and flickering flame of the older lamps, but were they practical? Not when there was a cheap, safer, and more efficient alternative readily available. Besides, I’d been to several fires started by upset paraffin lamps. One, with tragic consequences for the trapped family. Ever since then, Meadow had banned me from having paraffin lamps in the home. So much for nostalgia!

We glided down corridor after corridor, a white line delineating the ‘road’ traffic from the walking areas. It was probably just as well too. Agency ponies walked or drove everywhere I looked, some carrying files, some standing to chat. One thing I noticed though was that they all wore the same dour expression like Warlock, as if the very essence of joy inside them had been sucked clean away. Goddesses alone knew if they’d seen the sort of things I had today. If they had, then I was probably the last one in a position to criticise. Our buggy rolled to a halt near a set of double doors with a guard posted outside. Other than for a larger version of the PDW he held in his forehooves, he looked no different to all the other agency ponies we’d come across. He watched us approach impassively, and after we flashed our I.D cards he let us through to a small chamber beyond without uttering even a single word. What a fun place to work this must be! Well, at least it was clean. I’d even go so far as to say ‘sterile’.

A voice crackled over an intercom, “Wait a moment please, gentlecolts. Scan in progress.” A red light from the ceiling swept over me from nose to tail, then the same with Warlock. The voice returned, “Thank you. You may proceed.”

I watched Warlock, his expression never faltering. “What was the scan for?” I asked him.

He regarded me quietly. “Making sure we’re Equestrian.”

From what Mitre had told me, these ‘humans’ as Wist had called them, had been able to shape shift to look like us, but obviously there was something detectable in their physiology that made them different. I doubted it was little aerials sticking out of their heads somehow, but it would be something… ‘technical’ probably. Damn it all, I wished I’d spent more time studying at school rather than arsing around. We hoofed our weapons in at the desk and were patted down before being scanned once more for anything concealed. Cleared, we entered a long corridor through a sliding door, again guarded by a heavily armed agency pony. A row of rooms that could only be described as cells lined both walls. The first one we came to held a lime coloured pony, cowering in the corner, shaking and talking to himself. I moved closer to the hatch, trying to hear what he was saying.

“Inside you,” he rambled. “Taking you. Listening, watching… Always there, never listening, oh no! Inside… Inside… Yes, yes...”

Warlock closed the hatch. “Seen enough?” he asked.

I nodded. Cell after cell we passed, each containing a solitary, shaking pony. Every one of them was the same. They were just sat there, foaming at the mouth, chattering insanely, rocking back and forth. It was madness. Absolute madness. The last of the cells to our left held a purple filly with deep bite marks on all four legs. She’d been muzzled, but not before she’d done her damnedest to gnaw her own legs off. Her bloodshot eyes regarded us with insane hatred.

Suddenly she charged the door screaming, “YOU! My father’s, brother’s, sister’s bastard WHORE! Drowning in your own blood, I’ll eat your heart and piss in your eyes…”

She growled and hissed, biting at the glass covering the hatch before, with a snap, Warlock closed it firmly. He crossed the room and opened another panel, motioning me to look inside. In the corner sat a filly, not much more than a foal. She was sat on her haunches, rocking back and forth singing a tuneless melody. The walls were covered in formless drawings in crayon.

Warlock called to her, “Lilly? Lilly, it’s Uncle. Lilly…?”

The young unicorn filly, orange coated like the big stallion standing next to me, slowly dragged herself towards the door, pale white eyes staring up, sightlessly. “Uncle Warlock?” She spoke in a distant manner, as if her voice was already well beyond the mortal realm. “Is it time to go home, Uncle? I’ve been here so long. So, so long...”

The big orange stallion smiled at her. “It won’t be long now, Lilly. You’ll be going home to be with you mummy and daddy very soon.”

Lilly smiled. “I’d like that, Uncle. I’d like that...”

The macabre sight made my hackles go up and my mane quiver. There was something frightening about this child, and one that sent a chill down my spine just looking at her. Her face and even her entire bearing was like looking into the face of death itself, her eyes reminding me unnervingly of the lake serpent in the Withers – cold, and lifeless. Warlock closed the hatch and we walked back out the way we came in. In silence we climbed back into the buggy and were rolling quietly down the passageways before he spoke.

“Lilly is blind,” Warlock said calmly. “Her hind legs are withered. Completely useless now. Her mother, my sister...” He paused and took a breath. “She’s the purple coated mare in the room opposite hers. You remember?” I nodded. “She was a user,” Warlock continued. “Shot the breeze one too many times…” He shook his mane and snorted loudly. “Lilly was born an addict. Her mother was too far gone to look after her and the doctors can’t do anything either. The mistress herself had a look at her and she… she said that Lilly is…” The big stallion slammed the brakes on the buggy before closing his eyes against the tears. “…She’s passing over. The herd are calling to her. It’s only a matter of days now…”

I went to put a hoof on Warlocks shoulder and paused. Nothing I could say or do would ease this kind of pain, but to see anypony suffering was too much. “Warlock-” I began, but he interrupted me.

“Forget it,” the big stallion said dismissively. “There’s nothing you or I can do here, Nox. I just wanted you to see what I’ve seen, so you can see for yourself why we sometimes have to take what you think are ‘extreme measures’ to stop this nightmare from spreading any further than it already has.”

Wist had said we were at war, and at first I’d thought he was being overly dramatic. But now, after seeing these ponies, I was beginning to understand the true scale of what had been happening right under the very noses of the Watch. I knew we had a small drug problem in Manehattan, but this? Dear gods, how long had this been going on? And how the hell hadn’t we known about it? Lilly and her mother were but two of its victims; two of only the goddesses knew how many. Even Warlock’s own family had been touched with its deadly poison. It was no wonder he was so detached.

“What will happen to Lilly’s mother?” I asked him, dreading the answer.

Warlock started the buggy up again. “She’ll be retired, Nox.”

“What?” I said incredulously.

“I said she’ll be retired,” Warlock said levelly. “Put to sleep. Euthanized. Do you want me to spell it out for you?”

“Goddesses,” I said quietly half to myself, “they’re going to kill her…”

The big orange stallion briefly glanced at me before returning his attention to the road. “And what’s the alternative then?” he asked. “That’s not life, Nox, it’s not even death. Breeze destroys you by inches, rotting your mind and body until there’s nothing left. It destroys ponies, families, even whole villages. It’s a disease and we have to do whatever it takes to stamp it out.” He closed his eyes briefly. “Whatever it takes.”

We parked up the buggy near the entrance to the hub and headed for the sky chariot park. My mind was reeling with the information Warlock had given me, but no matter how hard I tried to reconcile it in my mind I still couldn’t believe it. We were killing ponies, or ‘putting them to sleep’ as he put it. But whatever fancy words you used as a salve to your conscience, it was still murder repackaged with a more palatable name. I felt sick to my stomach. It may have been necessary in Warlock’s eyes, but surely there was some hope for these ponies, right? I mean, we had medicine didn’t we? We had some incredible magic users who could- “Oh! I’m sorry.” I’d bumped into another agency pony walking in the opposite direction, knocking the files she’d been carrying onto the floor.

She clicked her tongue and took the files from me as I levitated them up to her. The mare shook her short red and white mane irritably, “Keep daydreaming like that agent…” Oh crap! I knew this mare, and she knew me, or at least who I had been. Agent Sweetie held out her hoof, “I.D, if you would be so kind.” It wasn’t a request. I took out my warrant and she inspected it closely, “Agent Nox? A new recruit are you?”

Warlock stood forward. “Showing him the ropes, ma’am,” he said politely.

Sweetie looked me up and down then reached forward, snatching my sunglasses from my face and looked into my eyes. “No. No, I wondered...” She tossed them back to me dismissively and I caught them in my magic. “Nasty horn damage there agent. Had that looked at yet?” she asked me.

“Yes Ma’am,” I confirmed with a polite bob of my head.

Sweetie made to walk away then suddenly whirled round, grabbing the hem of my overcoat and pulled it over my flank to reveal my cutie mark. She gasped, turning back to me with a strange look on her face, her tail swishing side to side. “You! You’re… No…No you’re not him. Excuse me, Agent Nox, Agent Warlock. It’s been a very long day.” Warlock and I watched her go as she hurried on up the corridor.

Climbing into the sky chariot, Warlock scratched his muzzle with his hoof. “Met her before?”

I closed the door behind me, “Yeah, right after I was kicked out of the watch. She had her goons, no offence, bring me here and give me the third degree.”

He smiled, the first time I’d ever actually seen the big lug do that. “I’m surprised you remember. The agency normally blank any memories of interaction with them.”

I nodded, “She flashed me with a rewriter, but all it did was make me see blue spots for an hour. Wist tried one on me too; thinks I must be immune to its effects because of my ‘freaky eyes’ or something.”

Warlock watched me like a bear looking at salmon for dinner. “Interesting,” he said. Part of me felt like I should be nervous about sharing a carriage with Warlock, but deep down I was sure he was just a big softy. Not.

I settled back and leaned into the corner of the carriage, trying to let go of some of the tension that had been building in me all day. The sunset from this height was truly something to behold and a welcome balm to the weary soul. All these years my vertigo had prevented me from travelling by sky carriage except out of necessity, and generally resulted in my stomach trying to empty itself of it own accord. I would have endured all of that, and more, just to be able to see the wondrous beauty of the Equestrian sun as Celestia lowered it below the horizon. The deep orange of this heavenly body illuminated the clouds and sky, bathing the world in its waning light before the slow rise of Luna’s pale moon would eventually take its place as night approached. Just for those precious few minutes I was a foal again, wondering in awe at the splendour of the world and revelling in the elation and joy of simply being alive. I felt a tear trickle down my cheek. It was so… beautiful.

“Nox?” Warlock asked looking concerned.

I didn’t acknowledge him. How could anypony turn away from such majesty, from the warmth of the light the princesses brought to our world. “Beautiful…” I muttered.

“The sunset?”

“Yeah,” I sighed. “Never seen it from so high up. It’s breathtaking.”

Warlock leaned forward to look. “It is,” he agreed. “I never tire of it. The promise of a new tomorrow, and one I hope we can share with every pony, free from pain and fear.”

I nodded, “Amen to that.” Goddesses let it be so. For the sake of our foals and grandfoals, we had to succeed.

We began to descend, the carriage taking longer to bring us back than it did to reach the hub. I was glad of it too. Perhaps the driver simply wanted to take his time and enjoy the flight back as well. I mean, who wouldn’t? We swept in for a smooth landing with barely a jolt, and it was only when we started moving over to the parking bays and the clopping of hooves on concrete entered the carriage that I even realised we’d arrived. I’d have to thank the driver. Whoever he, or she was, they were damned good. Warlock was the first to step out and stretched his legs. His attention was caught by a charcoal grey mare running up to him, panting.

“Sir!” the mare said smartly. “Message from the mistress. We’ve got a situation that needs your immediate attention.”

The orange stallion looked at me, the serious look on his face was back once more. “Get yourself inside and cleaned up, Nox. I’ll see you at the debriefing.” With that, the two galloped away.

I smell apple blossom on the breeze and took a moment to breath it in. I could see the river from here too, the way the sun caught the ripples on its surface was quite mesmerising. Looking out at that artist’s palette of magnificent colours I could almost forget what I’d seen today. Almost. Letting out a long sigh I decided I’d grab a quick shower. Preferably in antiseptic, or possibly even bleach - the stink of that damned cellar was still clinging to me and would probably still be lingering in my nostrils long after I went to bed too. A pity I couldn’t wash my mind clean while I was at it. I couldn’t decide if I was becoming desensitized to the horrors I’d seen or if I was cracking up mentally, but only time would tell if this would have any long term effects on me. Maybe it would eventually transform me into just one more emotionless agency drone with their dead-pan expressions. It was a worrying thought, but hopefully when the princess found Shadow everything would be able to settle down and I could get back to my old life. Whatever was left of it.

Inside the expansive and well appointed bathroom I quickly pulled off my clothes, dumped them in the laundry basket, and got in the shower. I was the only one in there for once too, and it was nice change to have the place to myself. I guess it was a bit early for a shower unless you needed one, and great Luna, I really needed one. The hot water felt amazing against my fur, the blood, stench and who knew what else washing away with the soap suds down the drain. Steam rose and covered the windows with condensation, bringing to mind the wisps of smoke and fog that billowed around us that evening in the cell when Shadow’s eyes blazed with blood red fire. Goddesses, I missed her so much. Meadow, Sparrow... Sometimes I wished I could erase part of my memory to stop these waves of emotion washing across me, but whether I liked it or not they were a part of me, part of who I was. I could never stop loving them all, and one day… Damn it, I had to try and lock these feelings away! I had to push them into that little drawer in my mind, the one that couldn’t be tainted by the likes of what I had seen today. I sat on my haunches in the stream of water, closing my eyes and revelled in the simple feeling of its warmth crossing over me. Concentrating, I imagined the wooden bureau Meadow and I had in our old home, the elegant oak furniture, time worn but serviceable. I pictured the drawer inside, the lock turning, opening. My hoof stretched out, holding a tiny golden butterfly, delicate and precious. It flew into the drawer and it closed, the lock turning. I would return here when the time was right, when it would be safe to feel once again.

I opened my eyes suddenly as the stall next to me opened and another pony trotted in, their hooves clattering on the tiled floor. They sighed loudly then sneezed, swearing under their breath. I couldn’t help but chuckle slightly at the sneezed swear words, and felt my mood lift ever so slight. Maybe being here wasn’t so bad after all. Shrugging, I lathered myself up for another attack on my mane and tail. It was going to take a while to get all the knots out, but it would give me something to do this evening. After a short while I was reaching for the tap as a voice wafted over the dividing wall.

“Hey! Hey there, you got any spare soap? There’s none in here.” The voice was feminine and sounded tired. A few seconds later she swore again, “Ah, bugger it all, there’s no flamin’ feather conditioner either. Who’s meant to maintain these things?” I reached for the soap and was about to pass it over when a tangerine coloured mare’s head appeared over the divider. “Hey! You got any soap?”

I stood on my hind legs to pass the soap up to her. “Yeah, sure. Here you go.” My voice was muffled by the rope, a clever addition which made keeping hold of the slippery thing a lot more manageable.

She stood there staring at me, her mouth hanging open. Oh no, it was these bloody eyes again wasn’t it? I’d have to see about getting something done about them, I was sick of this reaction from ponies. I quickly tossed her the soap and looked away. “Sorry, the eyes freaking you out?” I chirped, turning off the water. No reply. Sighing, I opened the stall door.

A clatter of hooves later, the mare stepped out of her stall and stood before me passing me a towel. “No,” she said in a matter-of-fact manner. “It’s not your eyes. It’s just… you remind me of somepony.”

“Do I?” I remarked not paying much attention. I just wanted to get out of there and away from the inquisitive mare.

Unfortunately she wasn’t finished with me. “You do, aye. I wasn’t sure at first, but the coat, tail, and your mane are the same. Your cutie mark’s different though, and then there’s the eyes and the scar, not to mention the busted up horn. But your voice… It’s still the same.” She stepped closer, looking me up and down nodding, “My goddesses, it’s you, isn’t it! Captain Fairlight! We… We hoped that...” She trailed off, unsure what to say.

I dried off my coat and collected my thing from the laundry basket. “I’m sorry miss, you have me mistaken for somepony else,” I said politely. “The name’s Nox, Agent Nox.”

Her hoof shot out and stopped me short of the door. “Horse shit! I know my old C.O, and you know me too, so don’t buck me about, ‘Nox’ or whatever you call yourself now, I’d know your arse anywhere.”

I jumped in surprise. “My… My what?!”

She smiled, “Don’t worry, Cap. Sorry, I mean ‘Agent Nox’. I won’t let on. Pony feathers, what happened to your horn?”

Hell fire, this was all I needed! I shook my mane, looking for a drier. “It’s a long story, Tingles, but you mustn’t tell anyone who I really am. Some know, but so far as the rest of Equestria is aware, Captain Fairlight died in that fire. Understand?”

Tingles stretched out her wings and took a spare bottle of feather condition from the shelf. “Cap, I think we need to talk, privately. You got a bit of time after the briefing tonight?”

I did. I wasn’t restricted to the facility but I was normally so busy with drills, briefings and avoiding other ponies, the first outing I’d had since arriving was to the coffee shop. The foal’s head exploded in my minds eye and I closed my eyes tight shut against the image. Buck it, I needed a drink… “Sure Tingles,” I said. “I’m free, what do you want to do?”

She smiled broadly, clopping me on the shoulder. “Sweet! I’ll meet you by the landing strip at nine. We’ll go to this little place I know.” And with that, she trotted back into the stall and started the shower.

I’d dropped off my clothes at the laundry department before grabbing a quick sandwich on my way to the debriefing. Unfortunately it was as tedious as it sounded. The officer at the front of the hall had no real interest in hearing anyponies opinion but his own, and I mostly just sat there trying my damnedest to keep my eyes open. I’d sat in on countless debriefs over the years in the watch, and this wasn’t any different, apart from the complete lack of interaction between the chief officer and everypony else. To be honest, we may as well have not even bothered turning up. Let the bloody idiot stand there blabbering away to an empty room. I doubt he’d even notice he was on his own. It was still head-achingly difficult to work out what, if any, my particular role here was. I’d understood that we were part of the agency, but that our loyalties were ‘slanted’ if you like, more towards Luna and dealing with things in a more ‘pro-active’ manner. Exactly why the ‘Mistress’ had singled me out would probably become clear at some point, but I hoped she would bloody well hurry up. I was getting itchy hooves and wanted to get back to my old life, or at least try and see what there was left of it. But if I left, what use would I be to my homeland?Or to the princesses for that matter? I had a duty to perform and my own honour wouldn’t allow me to simply walk away and abandon my morals just like that. And to be fair, if it wasn’t for having to work with such bloody miserable goons as these agency slugs, it probably wouldn’t be so bad. Oh well, I’d leave matters another few days and then I would speak to Luna again and see if she had any progress. After what I saw at the coffee shop I figured I was owed at least some glimmer of hope. Goddesses, I hoped Shadow was safe. Everypony stood to file out of the briefing and I headed back to my room to pick up a few things and get changed into something less… black. Inside my room, the wall mirror taunted me with the now all too familiar blue eyed and scarred visage. With a sigh I leaned a hoof on the mirror and looked closely at the vivid white scar that complemented my broken horn. It was horribly noticeable, running from my cheek, over my eye and into my mane. I reasoned that if I didn’t have a black and white mane already, I’d more than likely have one by now. Not sure if that was a good thing or not though. Anyway, no sense worrying about it now, what was done was done. Grabbing my TED, I was about to put it on and paused. Did I really want that thing droning away when I was off duty? The device folded up quite well anyway, so I settled on pushing it into the depths of my coat pocket.

Checking myself over one last time, I popped on my sunglasses and left the room. Walking down the corridor on my way to meet Tingles, I passed Wist’s quarters. The door was shut. I hadn’t seen him since we’d got back, and I hadn’t seen him in the briefing hall either. Against my better judgement, I knocked tentatively… No reply. Slowly, I reached out and opened the door. It swung open quietly, revealing the clinically clean room beyond. Fresh bedding, clean floor, but no signs of life. In fact there were no signs of occupation either. It was like Wist had never even been there. I suppose it wasn’t that much of a surprise considering what had happened at the coffee shop, but it was Warlock who’d fired that last shot. Had it really been necessary to shoot the grandmother? Did anypony even care? I closed the door and made my way towards the sky carriage park by the landing strip. I hadn’t been particularly bothered about a drink with Tingles initially. In fact I wasn’t much of a drinker at the best of times, but now… yeah, I needed this.

“Evening, Agent Nox,” Tingles called sarcastically from her perch on top of a sleek black and silver sky chariot. She was dressed in a casual top and slim saddle bags. By comparison I looked like… well, Agent Nox-ish, I suppose. I made a mental note to use some of my pay to expand my limited wardrobe into something approaching ‘normal’ attire. “You do know you’re supposed to be off duty don’t you?” she asked with a smirk.

I grimaced. “I know, Tingles, but all my clothes come in one colour at the moment and I think we all know what that is. Come on, let’s get the hell out of here, I need a drink.” With a sarcastic bow, she waved me into the open topped chariot and hopped into the driver’s compartment. Moments later we were soaring over Manehattan, the wind in my mane and little between me and a long fall to a very messy end. “Little Place I know, Cap,” Tingles shouted. “You’ll like it.”

She nodded down to the city below. We were near the docks here, with their vibrant night life and mouth watering street food. I had no idea where we were going. It could have been any one of the myriad bars along the waterfront, their twinkling lights shining like yellow sparks in the darkness, contrasting with the purity of the white stars in the sky above. The night air was fresh and clean despite being over a city. I breathed it in deeply, savouring the enticing aromas of cooking wafting up to us and the salt air from the sea. There was no doubt there were other things in there too, becoming more noticeable as we descended, but it’s best not to ruin a good atmosphere by thinking too much. Tingles shouted something I couldn’t hear over the wind noise and began her final descent. We landed with barely a noticeable bump, something I now associated with Tingles’ flying skills. Stepping down from the chariot I noticed we were in a small parking lot with several other chariots and carriages. I was trying to get my bearings, but I wasn’t familiar with this part of Manehattan. There was one of the obligatory street vendors on the corner, several fast food joints, and any number of outdoor tables and chairs set about with ponies chatting and generally enjoying what I was hoping I’d have my hooves on very soon – an ice cold beer.

“Here we are!” Tingles smiled, and led me to a weather beaten door in the side of a building bordering the parking lot. “Cap, didn’t you hear what I said earlier?”

I shook my head, “Sorry, no. I didn’t want to shout over the wind noise. What did you want to say, anyway?”

“I was pointing out the fire below us,” Tingles explained. “You must have missed it. Doesn’t matter really, a pegasus has pretty good eyesight when it comes to spotting things others can’t you know!” She whinnied and pushed the door open while I rolled my eyes at her cheeky remark.

Inside, the bar was dimly lit with subdued mood lighting and individual stalls down one wall. The bar was a long black wood affair with a couple of mares milling around between the more open tables serving drinks and taking food order. It was odd place to say the least. It had an unusually neutral atmosphere to it, a sort of ‘detachment’ which I presumed was why Tingles had chosen it. There no music, no sign of any acts about to start, and struck me as a touch on the dull side for a mare who was all but overflowing with energy.

At the bar my companion hopped onto a stool and waved a hoof at the bar pony, “Two wheat beers here please.” The bartender nodded and collected two glasses from the rack.

“How did you know I wanted a-” I began.

“The wake, remember?” Tingles laughed. “I couldn’t forget that night, could I!” I could feel myself blushing, which only served to make here laugh even harder. Wiping a tear from her eye, she picked up both beers and we took a seat in one of the stalls. “Sorry…” She held up a hoof apologetically. “I’m sorry, Cap, I shouldn’t really. Anyway...” She took a sip of her beer. “You’re part of Equus now, right?”

“Who?” I asked, genuinely baffled. Tingles leaned in, “We all are. Warlock, me, Wist, everypony at the facility who took an oath to the mistress. You did too, didn’t you?”

I scratched my ear before taking a mouthful of the wheat beer. “Look, Tingles, we can’t discuss this outside of the facility, you should know that. Lets change the-”

“This place we’re in,” she interrupted smiling, “is a place only used by Equus ponies. The stalls are magically warded against intrusion. Carmine, the owner, is a senior pony in the organisation. He knows about you, and in fact most of us do, apparently. After all, the mistress nearly died saving your life, so its no surprise that word got out with that carry on.”

I almost choked on my own beer. “Nearly died!?” I gasped. Great goddesses! Princess Luna had nearly died saving my life? I couldn’t believe it. I wasn’t worth that! I was the one who’d taken an oath to lay down his life to save others, and to serve the princesses. It wasn’t supposed to work both ways! This… This wasn’t right.

Tingles smiled and reached over to put a hoof on mine comfortingly, “I know what you’re thinking, ‘Nox’, and yes, the mistress pushed her powers to the limit to save you. But she’s just that kind of pony. ‘Alicorn’, I mean. Anyway, you’re necessary to the plans of our organisation to deal with these smugglers.”

“Does Warlock know you’re here talking to me?” I asked her.

“No.” Tingles shook her head, “The mistress asked me to keep an eye out for you. Warlock is, um… ‘special’ to her, but he can be a bit overprotective at times. He may be warming to you, I don’t know, but she feels he may not have the confidence in you that she does.”

I leaned back in my seat, “So what does all this mean, Tingles? What was the point of all that stuff about me serving Equestria? All I’ve done so far is shoot targets and go on one operation with a psychopath and watch a foal have her brains blown out. What’s next then?” Tingles looked a little taken aback, and I realised I’d put my hoof right in it. “I’m sorry,” I apologised, “I shouldn’t have snapped at you. It’s not your fault.”

She shook her head, “I know Cap, I was the same when I joined up: sceptical, excited, frightened. It was quite the rollercoaster.”

“Why did you join?” I asked, trying to change the subject. “How? You were a great flyer in the watch and a real asset to us.”

Tingles smiled shyly. “I know, and… thanks, that means a lot. But, Blaze… she changed when Dawn died. She became ‘harder’, cold and unapproachable. She worked us round the clock on jobs that just didn’t seem to be of any real practical benefit, you know? It was all small time stuff, things that gave us higher clear-up rates sure, but all that did was give her career ambitions a boost until she took over Mitre’s old job.”

“What? Blaze is Watch Chief now?” I was stunned. I had no idea.

Tingles shrugged. “Yeah, she became a real bitch, and I had more than one row with her I can tell you. I wanted to take on real missions, take on the smugglers and try to make a difference out there, you know? She said I was being unrealistic, and that the army would deal with them. The army for Celestia’s sake! What a load of crap. Those numb buckers couldn’t organise a piss up in a… Sorry, I’m going a little off topic here.” She paused to take another drink. “Anyway, I was becoming more and more disenchanted with the Watch, until eventually I was approached by a pony who asked if I wanted to ‘make a difference’. And as you can see, here I am.”

A red light flared around us briefly and Tingles held up a hoof stopping any further conversation. One of the waitresses approached the stall. “Can I get you anything folks?” she asked politely.

“Two salt licks please, Nell. Some fries and a radish bowl for two.” Tingles gave me a wink while the filly trotted off to fetch the order.

She certainly had a habit of ‘reading’ me, which was a bit disconcerting to be honest. I knew that observation skills were a pegasi trait, which certainly fit the bill with Tingles, but it was much fun when I was on the receiving end of those big eyes of hers. Either that or she had some kind of mind reading ability I hadn’t heard about. I wasn’t that surprised Blaze was now Watch Chief though, after all she was ambitious, daring, and similar in many ways to how Dawn had been. It broke my heart to hear that the loss of her lover had caused her so much pain. If only I could have done more for her. Goddesses knew, I understood the pain of loss all too well, but to detach herself from those around her was a very lonely, and very dangerous path for her to tread. Dangerous for anypony for that matter.

I watched a small bead of moisture trailing down the outside of my glass. It was surprisingly peaceful somehow, the way it was oblivious of the world around it, heading inexorably down to its final destination. With a sigh I looked back up to Tingles. “How did you end up in Equus though?” I asked. “I mean, the agency’s one thing but-”

“Oh, well that’s easy,” she replied drily. “Mitre was an Equus agent in the Watch.”

I nearly balked, “Mitre?! He was an Equus agent? Damn… It all makes sense now. Bingo, the way he always seemed to have inside information. All the things he knew too… Good grief.”

She nodded, “Yeah, he wasn’t an ‘actual’ agency pony though. He was recruited into Equus years earlier to act as a sort of ‘eyes and ears’ guy. He recommended me to the mistress personally, but it wasn’t until he… You know what happened to Mitre?” I nodded sadly. Tingles looked down at her drink sadly and took a thoughtful sip before continuing, “Well, after that, after Blaze’s behaviour, I just knew it was time to move on. They must have been watching me, ‘coz it wasn’t long until Warlock contacted me and the rest is history I suppose.”

The light flared around us and the waitress trotted up balancing a tray on her back. “Two saltlicks?” she chirped.

Tingles smiled and nodded, the earth pony waitress deftly depositing a pink slab of the stuff in front of each of us, a small side of daisies and a couple of bowls of fries and radishes. The smell of the salt was heady and I took a quick taste. It was amazing! The warm richness had a depth I was surprised with, and it packed a hell of a punch too. This was truly something else.

“Good?” Tingles asked.

It was rude of me, but I couldn’t help myself. I spoke around the lick, “Oh hell, yeah! That’s some good salt right there!” I took another long lick before gulping down a mouthful of my beer. I could happily live here, and if this was the sort of thing they served you’d virtually have to pry me out of the place.

“I thought you’d like it!” she laughed. “The salt here is imported from Saddle Arabia. Top draw pink salt. Kicks like a mule, so go easy. You’ve got some on your nose by the way…” She reached across and brushed the salt away from my muzzle. Surprised, I jumped back almost reflexively, banging my head against the back of the stall.

“I’m sorry!” Tingles squeaked reaching out before putting her hooves back down on the table top. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to…”

I waved a hoof, smiling, “It’s okay, seriously. By Celestia, I’m a bag of nerves! Look, Tingles, there’s nothing to apologise for, it’s just me. Ever since Meadow was…” I stopped. Goddesses, I didn’t want to talk about this now. I distracted myself with a radish and munched it down with a hoofful of fries. Tingles and I sat in silence for a while before an unbidden thought slithered into my mind, “Tingles, do you know what happened after the fire at the safe house?”

She nodded, taking a mouthful of her ale, “Yeah, yeah I know. Damn it, I knew we’d have to talk about this sooner or later, but… best to get it out of the way, right?” With a snort and a shake of her mane, she took a deep breath and continued, “We were sent to the wrong address. Don’t ask me how or why, but the information we got was completely wrong. Blaze was frantic, screaming at the control room to pull their act together like a mare possessed. Eventually we were diverted to the cabin, but we were too late. The whole place had been burnt to the ground. There was smoke everywhere, hoof prints from a lot of ponies and sky carriage tracks. It was only afterwards I found out the agency had beaten us to it and you had been taken to the Manehattan facility.” She paused, scratching her hoof intently. “Meadow… Her body was still there, burnt badly from the fire, but somepony still recognised her cutie mark. Mitre wasn’t far away. He was lying outside with a bolt through his chest. They’d just left him there… left both of them…”

I suspected the Equus ponies had only been after me and left the others for the Watch to recover. The thought of leaving the bodies of my wife and mentor was something I had to drive down for now, I couldn’t afford to become unglued in front of Tingles. I knew I couldn’t change the past; what was done was done, and as much as it hurt I should celebrate the time we had together. In fact, the times we’d had since she’d passed away too, but how could I explain that to Tingles? That I’d slept with my dead wife’s spirit? She’d think I’d had too much lick for sure. No, as much as I was terrified that the whole episode in the Withers had been a figment of my damaged mind and that damnable thing inside me, I had to keep faith that Luna had assured me she would find Shadow. She knew about her, so surely it was true… Wasn’t it?

“Cap?” Tingles asked reaching across and gave my shoulder a shake. “You okay?”

I nodded and wiped away a rogue tear that had rolled down my cheek. “I am… yeah. Bloody brain’s decided to torture me again! Sorry.” I gave my mane a shake and took a pull on my beer mug. “Can we talk about something else?”

She smiled, a look of relief passing over her face. Neither of us should be revisiting painful memories. It served no real purpose in any case. I knew what I knew and that was enough for me. For now at least. Anyway, there was something I needed to take care of and Tingles could help me with it. Just… not tonight. Tonight was for unwinding, and I fully intended to become so completely unwound I would need scraping off the floor at the end of it. Thankfully the rest of the evening passed without incident, the beer flowing and the lick disappearing along with the hours. I felt pleasantly buoyed up by my time with Tingles, our night out together reminding me that despite having convinced myself otherwise, I was still capable of smiling after all, and even laughing at her terrible jokes. Snatching even the smallest moments of happiness in the terrible mess we were all in was the best medicine in the world for a wounded heart and mind. And alcohol didn’t go amiss either of course.

It was well after midnight when, with a huge yawn, Tingles sat up and stretched her legs. She smacked her lips in quite a comical manner and left a tip under the radish bowl for the waitress. “Come on you,” she yawned. “I’m absolutely knackered. Time for home.”

Smiling happily, not that much worse for drink either I have to say, I pulled myself from the stall and followed my companion to the door on slightly wobbly legs. As we crossed the room, from the corner of my eye I thought I saw a pony watching me. I quickly turned to look more closely, but the occupants of the table were heavily engaged in conversation with one another and not paying any attention to little old me after all. Celestia’s grace! Was I becoming paranoid now too? Shrugging the thought off I made a clumsy attempt at buttoning up my coat, gave up, and walked out into the night air. The chill was as refreshing as it was enlivening and I felt oddly invigorated by it. By the gods, I felt so alive! I looked up at the sky and smiled happily to myself. Luna’s stars were extraordinarily beautiful tonight, which wasn’t saying much as they were beautiful every night, but you couldn’t always see them for the cloud layer that tended to hang over the city. Tonight however, the moon shone brightly, bathing the cityscape of Manehattan in its hauntingly otherworldly glow. The stars twinkled like diamonds in the clear black sky, and I suddenly realised just how I’d missed such simple sights as these in the Wither World. To think Shadow was trapped there still… I took a deep breath and sighed. In the morning, I would seek out the Mistress and ask whether there was any news, or something, anything that would give me hope.

Under Tingles’ careful, if rather drink fuelled flying skills, we were soon soaring over Manehattan. The tangerine Pegasus called back over her shoulder, “Hey Cap’, I want to go past that place we saw earlier and see if the fire’s out. You okay with having a look see?”

I leaned forward and shouted in reply, “Sure! Why not?”

We didn’t have to try hard to find the place either, the stink of burnt wood was heavy in the air and fire crews were still damping it down even now. The blackened shell of the building was visible in the floodlights set up to help the crew see what they were doing, but I didn’t need to look any closer. I knew where we were… There passing below us on the overhead line was a steam locomotive, below it the place where I had stood and watched as it rumbled past, steam and sparks flying into the air like some underworld demon. Now there was more smoke, the smoke from lives consumed by the flames of greed and misery. The agency had decided to ‘sanitise’ this place thoroughly alright. There would be no more foals in cages here, no more pain and suffering. Until the bastards found somewhere else to set up shop to perpetuate their particular brand of misery.

Tingles called back to me, “Looks like they’ve done a number on that place. Unusual to go to those lengths though. You seen enough?”

I nodded. With a gentle sway, the sky chariot altered course back to the facility.

The sun was already up when I knocked on the large doors to the mistress’s chambers, but despite my hopes there was no reply. The door was just as magically sealed as it had been the first time I’d tried to gain access, and no amount of banging on it was going to change that fact. I’d try again later. Besides, as the princess of the night, she was probably asleep anyway. Ah, sod it, I’d try and grab something to eat. My mouth felt like something had died in it and my head felt decidedly tender, which considering how much I’d put away last night, it could have been a damned sight worse. Most of the agents had finished their breakfast by the time I wandered into the mess hall and gone off to their various assignments, leaving me sitting there like a spare part. Again. I suppose I was still a bit of an enigma here though; with no specific orders or routine I just sort of ‘hung around’ until somepony remembered I existed and gave me a job to do. Being associated with that nut-case Wist hadn’t helped either, let alone my involvement in the coffee shop debacle. Even so, I had the feeling I’d be called upon before long. What happened next though really was a surprise.

A familiar tangerine pegasus trotted through the mess hall doors and waved to me. “Ah ha! There you are!” She beamed at me as she approached. “Got a message from the mistress for you.” Tingles made a comedically surprised expression. “Aaaand guess who’s going to be working with you from now on?”

I couldn’t believe it! “What… you?” I exclaimed in surprise. “Good goddesses, Tingles, how did that happen? I didn’t even know you were here until yesterday, and then ‘boom’, you’re my partner?”

She hung he head, pawing the ground, “Oh. I… I thought you’d be pleased.”

“I am pleased!” I cried, “Very! I’m just surprised too. I mean… how? What happened to Wist?”

Tingles was suddenly serious, a coldness entering her voice that gave me pause. “I asked Warlock if I could work with you and he agreed. No arguments, no discussions. You know what he’s like.” She shrugged, “As for Wist… I don’t know. His room’s empty and noponies even so much as mentioned him to me in days.”

I nodded, “Yeah, I saw. It’s almost like he never existed, but somepony knows. Honestly, after what happened at the coffee shop I wouldn’t care if I never saw him again anyway.”

“I heard,” she replied. “Come on, what’s the mistress got to say?” The nosy pony pushed her muzzle towards my letter.

“Hey!” I laughed, “Give over, it’s addressed to me, not you.” Tingles nickered and stuck her tongue out at me playfully. Ignoring her antics I opened the letter and read it silently:

Agent Nox,

You are required to make yourself available for mission briefing, two days hence. Until this time you are free to put in order any affairs you may have had outstanding prior to your recruitment date.

Agent Tingles has been assigned to work with you as your partner and I request that you spend your free time getting to know each other better.

Please note that we have not forgotten your request and that enquiries are still ongoing.

M

“Getting to know each other better…” a female voice said over my shoulder. I moved my eyes to see the tangerine mare’s green ones inches from my own.

“Tingles! Bloody hell, I didn’t see you move!” I squeaked.

“Nah,” she huffed, rummaged in her ear with a hoof, “I’m just that good. Like a winged ninja!”

I barely notice the parchment starting to get warm, then hot… burning hot! “Whoa!” I shouted in surprise, dropping it as it burst into flames.

Tingles laughed, her bottle green mane bouncing. “Oh! You may want to watch out for that happening. The mistress’s letters are a one shot deal. I guess you could say the contents are… ‘smoking hot’?”

She burst out laughing and shoulder barged me playfully. I face hoofed; these ponies were all cracked in the noggin. Well, they obviously weren’t all crazed lunatics like Wist of course, that would be unfair, but at the very least they were a bit on the potty side. Saying that, Tingles and I knew each other reasonably well, more so after last night, and although it wasn’t quite like the old days in the watch I was still grateful to Warlock and Luna for allowing me to work with an old comrade. We ordered some food, a coffee each, and wiled away the morning chatting about old times. Eventually, the uncomfortably hard chairs began to get the better of me. It was time to go.

“So, got any plans for the next couple of days?” Tingles asked.

“I hadn’t originally,” I said quietly. “But there are a few things I’d been planning on doing when I had the chance. I’m not sure if it’s something you’d want to get involved with though. I’ve got some… ‘family matters’ I’d like to take care of.”

“Oh? And how are you planning on doing that then exactly?” Tingles moved a little closer, raising an eyebrow curiously.

“Huh? What do you mean?” I asked in surprise.

“I mean,” Tingles said, rolling her eyes. “Are you going to walk everywhere? You only have two days remember, and, newsflash, no wings?”

“I can get a taxi,” I pointed out, “and there’s nothing wrong with my legs.”

“Have you any idea how much taxi’s cost around here?” Tingles snorted. “Yeah… You haven’t had your first pay packet yet, have you?”

“Um… No,” I confessed.

“Hmm! Well then, I guess you’d better take the express then, hadn’t you?”

“Express?”

Tingles beamed widely, “The Tingles Express of course!”

I buried my muzzle in my hooves. “Oh, gods…”

“Yup! We need to make the most of your couple of days off, and we’re already halfway through this one. So, grab your gear and let’s shake off those cobwebs!” The tangerine mare gave her wings a flap and floated nimbly into the air.

It was sometime around lunch when we arrived at my first destination for the day. Fortunately my feathered companion had decided to wait with the carriage whilst I went to collect my order. Chips was busy out the back of the studio, and I could hear the ringing of hammers and the occasional swear word echoing in its depths. A quick ‘ding’ on the old brass counter bell brought him out a moment later, sweat and grey dust matting his dusky fur.

“Sorry about that!” he apologised, wiping a cloth across his face. It didn’t do much to clear up the mess, and if anything it only made the dusty pony look even grimier. His muzzle was encrusted with the by-product of his trade and you couldn’t help but wonder what state the poor fellows lungs were in. Nevertheless he was damned good at his trade, and Chips was most certainly what I would have said was the very definition of a ‘solid’ pony - rather like the medium he worked with.

“Mister Nox, right?” he said smiling. I nodded. “Great, here you go. I’ve used the exact materials you asked for and the dimensions are correct. I inlaid the lettering in gold for you too. I hope it matches your expectations, sir.” He opened a cloth wrapped parcel on the bench and stood back allowing me to inspect his work. It was exactly what I’d asked for. Running my hoof gently along the smooth surface, I could feel the passion he had put into his work, and the extraordinary skill required to produce such a piece.

“You make the stone sing, Chips. You’ve excelled yourself.” I marvelled at the precision of the lettering. There was no magic involved here. No machines either. It was all hoof made by hammer and chisel, sweat, and honest hard work. He charged a fair price and was indeed the very best at his craft.

He smiled at me and I passed him the agreed sum. “Thank you Mister Nox,” he said, bobbing his head. “My work is something I take a personal pride in. Celestia willing, it will last an eternity.”

An eternity. Time without end. “Thanks again,” I said, placing the heavy stone into my pack. It was a small thing really. Something so simple, and yet so precious. Waving goodbye to Chips, I returned to the waiting sky carriage and strapped myself in.

“Get what you wanted, Nox?” Tingles enquired. I nodded. There must have been something in the way I looked at her as her jovial smile faltered momentarily before she asked, “Where to now?”

The sun was high in the sky and I could feel a light breeze blowing in off the river. This was going to be bloody awkward, but it needed to be done I suppose. “Here’s the address partner,” I said trying to sound cheerful. “You still okay to do this with me?”

Tingles looked down at the note and whinnied. “Does this answer your question?” The carriage suddenly rocketed into the air, flinging me back into the seat bodily. Celestia’s ears,she was fast! The world flew by us in a blur of colour, and before I knew it we were out over the river and arrowing towards the mountains beyond. Thankfully, after the initial burst of speed, we began to slow down to a more measured pace and I was able to catch my breath. Bloody pegasi! No wonder I used to have a fear of flying; anypony would be frightened having a nut-case towing you through the sky! Letting out a sigh, I let myself settle back and relax the best I could. This was going to be a fairly long flight and I was glad I’d brought my saddle blanket to keep me warm. Tingles had her own flight coat on which was designed to keep out the wind and avoid chilling her too much. Huh! I wish she’d had a spare!

We continued to climb until I could see the tops of the mountains in the distance, their snow covered white peaks glistened in the sunlight. Here above the clouds, the sky was a pure blue, the sun a bright ball of light so pure it made my heart feel as light as a feather. No wonder ponies worshipped Celestia, the one who brought us such beauty day after day. It was times like these I wished I’d be born a pegasus and been able to see this every whenever I wanted. Goddesses above, I could never tire of this magnificence. I let my mind wander, taking me wherever it wished. Normally I would have been hesitant about doing that, but how could anypony have dark thoughts when all around you was light, silence, and such absolute peace? If I hadn’t known better I could have believed I’d died and gone to heaven. Heaven… The eternal herd. The home of my family. One day… One day I would be with them again. But not today. Today, was a day for me.

Around two hours or so later we began a gentle descent, the clouds whipping past us like white insubstantial fluff. Hoping my companion didn’t see me, I couldn’t resist sticking my tongue out to see what they tasted like. Sadly, they didn’t taste of anything at all, but still, it was bit of foalish fun. A small chortle from the front of the carriage made me sit back down hurriedly. Bugger it! I’d forgotten about Tingles’ ability to spot things, and apparently through the back of her head too! With any luck she’d forget what I’d done or else the cheeky tangerine mare would never let me forget it. I turned my attention back to the view. As we emerged from beneath the cloud layer I could see in the distance a small collection of cottages, the smoke from their chimneys climbing lazily up into the sky. The hamlet was well situated for trade too. Due to their proximity to the expansive forest, many here made their trade from wood based crafts or the various plants which were used for homeopathic medicine. Despite the prevalence of magic in the field of medicine, traditional remedies still dominated and were widely exported. Personally however, I’d rather believe that these days we’d moved on from chewing on a mouthful of weird mushrooms and hoping for a bloody miracle. But some, earth ponies in particular, clung to their traditions with a fervour that was as natural to them as their inherent strength and ties to the land. Each to their own, I suppose.

We began our final approach, and one classic Tingles landing later we were back on terra firma. I patted my pilot on the shoulder as she raised her flying goggles, “Thanks Tingles. This means a lot to me you know.”

She grinned back, “I know Cap’. You want me to come with you? I can stay here If you like.”

I shook my head, “I’d like the company to be honest. We’ll be able to get something to eat while we’re here too. Come on, it’s the next building over.”

The narrow street was cobbled, flanked on both sides by stone cottages. Some were thatched in the old style, whilst some sported some rather natty wave-style roof tiles. The quirky little village had a small population, but despite that they had always been welcoming of strangers. A jade colt and a lilac filly raced past us laughing, daisy chains woven into their manes.

Tingles chuckled and gave me a sidelong glance with her big green eyes, “Young love eh, Cap’?”

Smiling, we both watched them race off into the tree’s. I remembered when I’d chased after Meadow like that once. Those memories were something nopony could take from me, and I would treasure them always. Right now though, my destination lay ahead. The red door with its highly polished bell sitting next to it had never changed. Sure, the paint had been refreshed and the planters maintained, but it was still the same cottage I remembered from my foalhood. I was about to reach out when without warning a tangerine foreleg shot past me and gripped the rope, ringing the bell for all it was worth. Oh, hell! I should have warned her...

“For goodness sake! You bloody kids, pack it in or I’ll be speaking to your parents!” The voice from behind the door was slightly muffled but clearly irritated. I glared at Tingles who shrugged, feigning innocence. The red door burst open. “What the bloody hell do you want? Go on, buck off!”

“Aunt Pewter?” I smirked. Good grief, she hadn’t changed a bit. A few more grey hairs in that black thatch on top of her head maybe, but the explosion of unruly mane was the reason why the locals were convinced she was a witch. Well, that, the black cat, the broom stick, the old iron cauldron, and the plethora of assorted skulls too of course. I think you get the general idea. She looked us both up and down and poked me in the nose. “Ow! Bloody hell, Aunty, what was that for?” I squeaked.

She lifted my sunglasses and peered into my eyes, nodding slowly to herself and, before I could stop her, she peeked at my cutie mark under my coat. “You’d better come in nephew,” she muttered, turning away. “Bring your marefriend too, but no shenanigans though! I won’t have any hanky-panky under my roof. I have a respectable business here and I don’t want ponies going around thinking I’ve turned it into the local bordello. I don’t know, back in my day we had a thing called ‘self control’. Ponies running about, pulling tails and…” She trailed off into mumbling while we followed her into the gloomy interior of my peculiar aunt’s home. Behind me, Tingles was grinning like an idiot.

As strange as it may sound I’d always loved visiting my aunt as a foal. Her house was a magical treasure trove of trinkets, potions, and other wonders that to a child had been brimming over with the mysteries of ancient wisdom. The same bones and skulls hung from the ceiling on cords just as I remembered, and her favourite incense burned in the pot near the recessed fire with its iron cauldron hanging above it. It was like time had stood still here. Even the hamlet itself looked the same.

“Hey…” Tingles nudged me, whispering, “She’s not planning on eating us is she? I mean, those skulls look like… ponies. Kinda.”

“Shut up!” I hissed back.

Aunt Pewter whirled around to face us, her old cloak flaring out behind her, her greying black mane striking against her grey coat and yellow eyes. She was like a mirror image of my mother, and I had inherited the same coat and hair colouring. My brown eyes, when they had been brown of course, had come from my father’s side. The eccentric behaviour however, apparently came from my mother’s lineage…

“Are you going to stand there all day looking untidy or are you going to sit down?” The old unicorn clicked her tongue irritably. “You’re making me feel tired just watching you!”

I smiled at my aunt and sat next to my bemused pegasus companion. Gratefully, we each took a cup each of the hot tea being offered. “I don’t get many guests these days,” Pewter huffed. “Customers, sure, but not many social calls.”

I’d barely taken a sip of my tea when she walked over and took my head in her hooves, muttering something I couldn’t understand. Pulling me this way and that, she gave me a tap on the nose and headed over to the mantelpiece. Pewter took out a long stemmed pipe from the black wooden rack she kept there and proceeded to light it from a taper. When the pipe was lit, the peculiar old mare pulled over a chair with her magic and wriggled into it, staring at me intently. I didn’t know where to put myself as she nodded to herself and took a deep pull on the pipe, blowing its smoke out in a thick cloud. Gods, it stank! I nearly choked as the grey cloud swirled and eddied around me in patterns that made my head spin, and not from the smell either. There were… ‘things’ in the smoke: moving, weaving, speaking. My mind reeled and I pulled back in alarm. I didn’t like what was going on here, even though I’d seen Pewter do this with her customers from time to time. Being the subject of it, however, was a different matter all together. I kept my mouth shut but noticed Tingles staring at us both in shock. Not many ponies could see anything other than the smoke, and I surprised that as a pegasus she could see some of what was going on. From her expression, she’d definitely seen… something.

“I’ve never had a dead pony in my home before,” Pewter snorted. “Not one that walks and talks anyway. So… Come on, who are you then?” Pewter asked curiously. “Truthfully now. You’re not a wraith are you. A lemur, maybe?”

“What?!” I nearly shout out of my chair. “Auntie, it’s me! Fairlight, your sister Tulip’s son. Remember?”

“Of course I bloody well remember,” Pewter huffed irritably. “I’m not senile for the goddess’s sake. Discord’s ball’s nephew, what the hell happened to you?”

I hung my head in despair. “It’s a long story, auntie. I… I’m not sure where to start.”

“The beginning is always a good place,” Pewter suggested without the slightest hint of sarcasm. “But I’m far more interested in what happened to you after you entered the Wither World. And more specifically, how you ended up back here.”

“The Wither World?” I asked in surprise. “How do you know about that place?”

“It’s pretty obvious to somepony with half a brain, nephew,” she sighed, taking another pull on her pipe. “Did you never read those books I gave you when you stayed here? You bear the mark of the Wither World on your flank. That...” she pointed at my cutie mark with her pipe stem, “is the mark of the wendigo, the hungry spirit, the spirit of vengeance, revenge, the harbinger of winter, ice and death…”

I glanced at Tingles who’d gone pale. For Celestia’s sake, all this mumbo jumbo was frightening her. And me! I put my hoof on her leg and she nearly shot through the ceiling. Thankfully, a smile from my aunt helped settle her down and she sat back in her chair. Her eyes however, belied her fear.

“Auntie for Celestia’s sake, please!” I pleaded.

“Don’t mention that bitch’s name in my house!” she shouted at me, her eyes bulging. I hung my head. I’d forgotten her peculiar hatred of the princess of the sun, and now I’d put my bloody hoof right in it. Aunt Pewter turned to my alarmed companion, “And what of you my dear? A pretty young mare like you. Does this frighten you? Do you fear legends?”

Tingles swallowed, her usual bravado vanishing like morning dew. “Yes…” she breathed. “Yes I do…”

Pewter nodded, clearly satisfied at Tingles’ response. “Good girl, and so you should. For one sits next to you now. But don’t worry, he’s on our side. For now at least…”

For goodness sake, I was really starting to wish I hadn’t come here, let alone bring Tingles into my aunt’s lunatic clutches. The old bugger was as mad as a box of frogs. Knowing her she probably had some in the cauldron on a light simmer right now.

“Does it speak to you, Fairlight? The spirit inside you?” Pewter asked.

I stared at my hooves. It had… whispered to me on occasion. In my fear, in my rage, it had answered. Together we had fought and smote my enemies, its power seething through me like a whirlwind. Now, it was little more than a faint presence on the edge of my consciousness. Sleeping. “Yes,” I replied quietly. “Sometimes.”

Pewter leaned forward. “Let me ask you, my nephew… Who is the master, and who the slave?”

I wasn’t sure I understood the question. “What? I… What do you mean?”

She just sat there taking another draw on her pipe.

I shook my mane in exasperation. “I'm in control, Auntie, of course. But please, what did you mean when you said ‘for now?’”

Pewter gave me a pitying look, leaning forward to pat my hind leg with a hoof. “Wendigo are powerful, Fairlight. There is one within you and eventually it will try to take control of you. They are dangerous, yes, but should you be able to control it instead of it controlling you. The spirit is a source of incredible power, the likes of which this world has not seen for over a thousand years.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but Tingles jumped in ahead of me, “What, so the Captain… Fairlight… is one of those demon things? A wendigo? I thought they were an old mares tale - a legend told to frighten naughty foals. The freaky eyes and cutie mark are one thing, sure, but a demon? I mean, come on!”

Aunt Pewter gave a dry laugh, slapping her side with a hoof before turning her bemused gaze on me. “A demon? Hardly! But I suppose it all depends on which side of the fence you belong on my dear. In the great war some sided with the night, others with the day. Have a guess which side the wendigo fought on?”

A cold shudder rippled through my body. I could almost feel Tingles’ stare boring into me. She was terrified of me now, and so she should be. Whatever Aunt Pewter said, I was still ‘possessed’ by this thing, this... spirit. She hadn’t seen what I’d done in the Wither World, nor how I’d revelled in blood, singing a song of devastation as I cut down my enemies. I had been utterly merciless, and I’d loved it. Oh, gods, how I’d loved it. Dear goddesses, was I lost completely? Was there no hope for me?

Pewter stared into my eyes. “Has the hunger taken you yet, Fairlight?”

“The hunger?” I knew what she meant. That terrible need, that desire for absorbing the life energy of others. “No…” I replied quietly. “I’ve been eating the crystal berries. Some are supplied to my room each morning by the agency.”

Aunt Pewter laughed, “They may stave it off my dear nephew, but when you use your power, and you will, you must replenish you reserves. If you do not then the hunger could overwhelm you and the spirit take you. That…” she waved a hoof at me. “That is the time you must be at your strongest.”

I watched her eyes intently. “Auntie, please, can you help me?”

She sighed and leaned back for a draw on her pipe. “No. At least, not much I fear. The berries will help avoid the worst of the hunger, but when you use your power your energy reserves will fall and you’ll have to recover it by drinking. That is, absorbing the life energy of another. In the war the wendigo would drink the life energy of their fallen foe and were rightly feared for it. Nowadays there aren’t that many conflicts, and such ‘needs’ would doubtless be frowned upon by the lickspittle lackies of the white witch.”

Gods help me she was right, I had done this very thing - the terrible, dread act of drinking in the life energy of the fallen. The creature in the lake had been the first, but had there been more? How many others had I drained whilst blinded by my battle rage? I felt sick to my stomach.

Tingles leaned forward, “Aunt Pewter…” The old mare turned to watch her, her expression unmoving as the tangerine mare asked, “Is it possible to… ‘gift’ some of one’s own life energy to another?”

Aunt Pewter nodded solemnly, “Yes girl, but it is highly dangerous. When a wendigo feeds, it will usually do so until its spirit is either sated, or the source of the energy is emptied.”

“Dead,” I corrected. “You mean dead.” Well, that was never going to happen though, was it? I could imagine all the ponies queuing up to offer me some of their life energy. ‘Just a top up please, love!’ For bucks sake…

“I’ll… I will be his… donor,” Tingles said quietly.

What?! Oh, no! Oh, no bucking way! I jumped out of my seat, virtually glowing with anger, “Don’t be so bloody stupid! You haven’t seen that thing, Tingles. You’ve no idea what it does, or what it’s capable of! Goddess’s tits, why the hell would you even think of doing that?”

Tears welled in her eyes, “Because… Because I…”

I didn’t want to hear it. “NO!” I snapped. “And that’s final. I’m not bloody well changing my mind either, so you can forget it. You can both forget it! I don’t have to use the spirits power, I can rely on my own strength. I always did before.”

Aunt Pewter ignored me to comfort Tingles. I was incandescent with rage, furious with my aunt for goading me, and at Tingles for offering her own life. Had the world gone completely insane while I’d been in the Withers? For Luna’s sake, did they both think I was some kind of monster? An uncontrollable beast that sucked the life out of its victims? But… great goddesses, I was wasn’t I? I was a ‘thing’, a creature from a foal’s history book - a vengeful spirit of evil and suffering that should have stayed as nothing more that a frightening bed time story. They both watched me as I stood, anger boiling through me in a torrent. I had to get out of there. “Auntie, I’m going for a walk,” I rumbled. “Look after Tingles please, it’s been a long flight for her.” She nodded, putting a foreleg out to stop the tangerine mare from following me through the door as I swept out. Goddesses, so much for locking my emotions away…

The slog up the hill was heavy going. I’d been a lot younger the last time I’d followed the now overgrown path behind the cottage up through the dense forest. What seemed like five minutes ago was in reality more years than I cared to remember. I was getting older and I could feel it in my bones and muscles. Small aches and pains I’d never had before, maybe as a result of the injuries from the cabin or wear and tear, I don’t know, came and went with complete abandon. I was middle aged now. I should have been happily married with children of my own, and maybe even grandchildren for that matter. Well, there was no hope in hell of that ever happening now was there? Those bastards had put paid to that for me. The image of the piss coloured stallion gloating over the broken body of Meadow haunted my thoughts, laughing at me. He’d won. He knew it too, and he’d made sure it was something I’d take to my grave. The red bastard was next, his sickening stench filling my nose with its reek of decay, the crimson eyes, two blood drenched orbs glowering at me. Haunting laughter filled my ears and I fell to my knees, Meadow’s face floating before me covered in blood, tears running down her cheeks…

“Fairlight… Help…me… Please...”

I reached out to her but she was so far away. I had to get to her. I had to reach her! But the more I tried to reach out, the farther she was, calling out to me in her pain. All the while the laughter of her tormentors echoed around me. I did the only thing I could; I reached out for the calm, the anger, the bubbling rage and power that awaited deep inside my soul. Any thoughts of controlling the thing were gone,vanishing in the heat of raw desire. I needed its unbridled power. I needed it now. I would destroy the creatures who dared to lay a hoof on my precious Meadow, and I would bring her home. Her beautiful yellow eyes floated before me, calling to me, pleading with me. I found the calm spot, releasing its anger, little by little…

“ENOUGH!”

A deafening bellow hit me with enough force to make me lose my grip on the spirit. It shrieked in outrage as its chains covered it once again, my conscious thoughts and senses slamming back to the here and now. The hillside, the thick trees, the ice thick around me. Goddesses, I’d nearly lost it… I looked for the source of the shout and looked up into the shining eyes of a silver-grey pony, his long white mane and beard flowing in the breeze. He had an angry yet oddly gentle expression on his face and at same time seemed, insubstantial somehow. It was like looking at a ghost… in the daylight. I stood, ice and snow showering off my back as I gave myself a quick shake. The old fellow watched me silently with his fathomless golden eyes. Beside him, a green mare stood watching me, her eyes brimming with tears.

“Is he…” she began.

The stallion shook his head. “No, he’s still himself. For now at least. I fear there’s nopony left that can help him in this world, and I can only do so much my dear”

I struggled to remain standing, my strength felt like it had been sucked from me. Goddesses I was so tired…

“Darling, please listen, you have to take control. Try, please, for me?” The green mare pleaded with me, but it was so hard to focus on her.

“Meadow?” I whispered, my eyesight blurring in and out.

The grey stallion leaned toward me, “You must control yourself, boy. Your fate is in your own hooves in this, and nopony else can help you. Few if any would even remember the stories of what dwells within you, let alone how to control it. But remember this, somepony was always there first. They were able to master it and to pass down their knowledge to others. You will have to rediscover that knowledge for yourself and become the ruler, not the ruled. Do you understand what I’m saying to you?”

I nodded dumbly.

Meadow came forward, “We cannot stay long my love, but please, don’t give in to the spirit’s anger. You’re stronger than that, I know you are. You have the power now to help ponies, to truly help those who cannot help themselves, but that power will be of no use to anypony if you allow yourself to succumb to hatred and pain.”

I looked up at her helplessly. “Meadow… I’m a monster, a demon. The look in their eyes when they see me… All they see is horror and death. How can I-”

She knelt before me and smiled with such gentleness I felt my heart melt. “Hasn’t one pony offered her help to you?” Meadow asked softly.

I clenched my eyes shut. I know who she meant, and the answer was ‘no’. I couldn’t, I wouldn’t do that. Not to Tingles, not to anypony.

The grey stallion spoke next. “Don’t be so quick to dismiss a genuine offer of help, my boy. You only need a relatively small amount of life energy to survive, and so long as you remain focussed you can take sparingly from any companion willing to help you recover. They need not die. Life energy is like a well spring, it will replenish over time. It is the hunger itself that you must learn to suppress. Control it, bend it to your will, and use it to your advantage.”

I didn’t reply. There was no way in Equestria I was going to take this ‘life energy’, or whatever the hell they called it, from another living soul no matter how ‘willing’ they were. But… there was another way, wasn’t there? “What about the berries?” I asked. “Can’t I eat them instead? I’ve had them before and the seemed to work.”

The grey stallion shrugged. “Yes, but they only grow in areas of high magical energy concentrations. This is how we could reach you here today. Look about you.” He waved his staff and I followed its travel. Around me were dozens, if not hundreds of silvery leafed bushes, lush and heavy with the crystalline fruits. I nearly bolted forward into the nearest bush but caught myself. Damn it all, I had to stay focussed! The fruit could wait.

Meadow raised her hoof, “My love, I told you once that ponies are not meant to be alone. Don’t cut yourself off from the love of those around you. It is that love which makes your heart stronger, and will give you the strength to master the wendigo spirit.”

“Meadow, I am alone,” I said quietly. “You’re with the herd, Shadow is lost in the Withers. I feel so empty, so afraid… What if I can’t control this thing? What if I can’t find Shadow and return to you and Sparrow? Oh goddesses, I don’t know what to do!” I shook my mane in frustration. So many times in my life I had had to make decisions, sometimes ones that ponies very lives had depended upon. Yet now, now I had no idea what to do nor even which direction in which to turn next. Sure, Luna said she would try and help me find Shadow, but it wasn’t much more than an insubstantial promise. There was no guarantee I would ever see my mate again, nor that Luna truly would try to bring her to Equestria. Maybe it had all been a ruse, a clever game to bend me to her will. Was I just a tool to be used in the battle against the smugglers? Pointed like a crossbow and unleashed at the enemies of the princesses? And what about afterwards? Say we eventually won, and peace was restored once more to the land. Would the princesses really want a demonic spirit wandering about Equestria? I think I already knew the answer to that question. Lilly and her mother could attest to what happened to those who ‘didn’t fit it’.

The grey stallion slammed the base of his staff into the ground, Its impact lifting the earth around it. Thunder rolled across the hillside and shook the leaves in the trees. “See!” he cried. “Your heart is so full of fear and confusion that you cannot see the life all around you. There is always hope, boy. There is always a way to find the path, no matter how well it is hidden from your sight.”

I stomped a hoof angrily. I didn’t know who this character was, and I sure as hell didn’t like the way he kept referring to me as ‘boy’ either! I fixed him with a hard stare. “Everypony’s telling me I have to control this thing like it’s some kind of badly behaved dog that just needs smacking on the muzzle with a rolled up newspaper when it pees on the rug. I know what I have to do! You don’t have to keep telling me over and over and bloody over again. For bucks sake, It’s not like I can just wave my hooves and it’ll all be okay, or else I would have done it already! For the goddess’s sake, can’t you at least give me ‘some’ practical advice here instead of preaching at me?”

The grey pony’s eyes narrowed, “No. Haven’t you been listening, boy? Nopony lives who remembers those times, save for the princesses, and I would advise against seeking their counsel in this. The wendigo kept their lore unto themselves and they kept it well. If anything yet remained it would be in their mountain fortress, but even that, as impregnable as it was built to be, was annihilated during the war. No, you must master yourself in this. It is something only you can do.” He turned to Meadow. “I have said all I can, my dear. The rest, is up to him. I don’t know about the ponies in this age, they seem weaker than the ones in mine. I fear he may not have the strength to overcome this trial.”

Meadow’s eyes brimmed with tears. “I wont lose him, Star Swirl!” she said firmly. Turning to me she took another step forward. “I won’t lose you now. Not again! Damn it, Fairlight, fight this thing! Please, you have to.”

The grey pony put a foreleg around Meadow and nuzzled her neck kindly before fixing me with a hard stare, “This girl loves you, boy, more than I believed was possible. You share that love with her do you not?” I nodded. “Then use that strength,” he said levelly. “Take heart in your friends and believe in yourself.”

Wiping away an errant tear, Meadow smiled at me. “We have to go now, love. I know you’re scared, anypony would be, but please, even if you doubt yourself, never doubt the love we share.”

I watched both of them begin to fade into the air, shimmering like a heat haze. “We will be together again Meadow,” I called to her. “Kiss Sparrow for me and tell her daddy misses her.”

Meadow smiled, “I will. Farewell my love…”

The old grey stallion nodded to me and slammed his staff into the ground once more and their images vanished as if they were no more substantial than a breath in the wind. For a moment I sat there on my haunches staring into the blue sky far overhead, listening to the birds singing and the wind rustling the leaves. Whatever the future held for me, whatever Fate had in store for this wretched pony, I would face it head on. Meadow’s love for me was far more than I deserved, but it would help protect me from becoming dominated by this spirit, of that I was sure. In the days ahead I would need all the help I could get my hooves on in my quest to gain mastery of it, and in so doing would, I hoped, gain access to the herd some day. Unless… Unless there were some way to actually be rid of it? Good gods, that was it! If I could simply purge the damned thing from my body then there would be no need to ‘master’ anything, and all this ‘feeding’ bollocks would be nothing more than a bad memory. Surely somepony, somewhere, had knowledge of these things? Fortunately, I knew just the old bugger to ask too.