Since time long forgotten, scholars and crafters of various fields long desired to surpass their compatriots. Alchemists longed to turn lead into gold, scientists desired the power to command the powers of the world, and kings longed to leave behind immortal legacies. From the day hubris entered the world of mortals to the end of days, the desire to move past the masters of the past and present will aways fill the hearts of all sapient life. It was in a kitchen in Canterlot City that a formerly wall-eyed teen found herself on such an timeless struggle. For her, it was a matter of great personal pride, a challenge that was a true test of her skills; how to create a Neapolitan Muffin.
"Let's see," Derpy hummed, chin cradled in the crook between her thumb and index finger as she staring at her tools. "Should I use the tri-dispenser bag or the divider molds for the batter?"
She thought for a moment, then shrugged as she looked over her ingredients.
"I should have enough to try both," she muttered, then grinned widely as she added, "I wonder if Sunset will like it."
Ever since Sunset came into her life, everyday's been an adventure for the former hacker. Literally in some cases, thanks in no small part to her girlfriend's origin and everything connected to it. Granted, maybe a little monotony wasn't all that bad from time to time. The fact that Sunset could sneeze fire made things difficult for a bit, especially when she did it a little too close to a box of fireworks. Thankfully, Lyra helped fix that problem, though she still felt bad about essentially kicking her girlfriend out of the house for a day. Now her sweet dragon was spending time with Octavia and Vinyl at their mansion while she toiled away in her mother's kitchen trying to make culinary history.
"I hope she's okay," she whispered to herself as she started making some strawberry batter.
She silently pondered what kind of hi-jinx Sunset was being dragged into as she carefully made the needed flavored batter for her creations. As she pored her concoctions into a dispenser bag, her sister walked into the kitchen.
"Hey sis," Derpy smiled, sliding a muffin tray towards her from across the kitchen counter. "What's up?"
Dinky frowned and huffed with crossed arms as she said, "There's a really pretty girl at the door that wants to see you."
"Oh?" she asked, raising a brow as she filled the tray. "Did she say who she was?"
"Flutter something," Dinky growled, frown deepening.
"Oh! That must be Fluttershy," Derpy smiled, sliding her loaded tray into the oven. "Could you let her in for me?"
Silence was the only answer she got as she set a timer on her phone. Confused and concerned, she turned towards her still irate-looking sister.
"What?" Derpy asked, a bit unnerved by her sister's behavior.
"Are you cheating on Sunset?" she growled.
"WHAT?!" Derpy gaped. "Where the heck did that come from?"
Dinky raised a brow at that as she pointed a thumb over her shoulder.
Derpy laughed at that.
"She's just a friend," Derpy smiled. "Don't worry sis, no one's cheating on anyone."
"If you say so," Dinky sighed, then glared sharply at her sister as she added, "But I'm watching you two."
"Go ahead," Derpy chuckled as she pulled another muffin tray out from under the kitchen counter along with a handful of divider molds. "Now can you please go get her?"
"Yeah, yeah," Dinky grumbled, rolling her eyes as she left the kitchen.
Derpy chuckled to herself, shaking her head at her sister's antics as she put the dividers into the molds in the muffin tray and started poring batter into them. By the time Dinky and Fluttershy entered the kitchen, she was already removing the dividers and placing the tray into the oven. With a satisfied smirk, she set the heat, started her timer, and turned to face her sister and guest.
"Hey Fluttershy," Derpy smiled as she took a seat at the kitchen's island. "What's up?"
Fluttershy sighed then took a seat across from her, her teal jacket and white scarf soaked and covered with flecks of fresh snow. Her long hair didn't fair much better as it hung heavily around her shoulders. Small bags hung under her eyes as she leveled a stiff frown at the gray teen.
"Pinkie's missing," she said softly, worry heavy in her features.
Derpy's smile died at that.
"For how long," she said, back straight and hands resting on the table with her fingers steepled together.
"About eleven days now," she sighed, nervously staring at the table.
"Didn't her parents call the cops?"
Fluttershy nodded, then grimaced as she added, "They said that they could make a report, but couldn't do anything else at the moment."
"And I'm guessing you didn't come to see me just to vent," Derpy deadpanned.
Again, she nodded.
An awkward silence filled the kitchen, Dinky watching the girls with nervous eyes as she tried to find a way to help. Forgetting her previous suspicions, the young girl approached her sister and hugged her arm tightly. Derpy gave her sister a warm smile then let out a sigh as she shifted her gaze back to her scared friend.
"Tell me everything you know," she sighed.
A wide relieved smile spread across Fluttershy's face and she nodded.
"Thank you."
***
Derpy frowned as she stared at her computer screen, one of her experimental neapolitans sitting half-eaten on a plate on her desk to her left. Finding Pinkie's trail wasn't too difficult for her. As soon as she had a basic time frame and visual starting point, it was a simple matter of hacking the visual records of the various cameras in the area and track her throughout the city. Granted, the trench coat she was wearing at the time gave her a little bit of trouble, but it was an obstacle she could quickly adapt to. What made things a little difficult for her was where the camera's feed told her about Pinkie's last possible location.
The bridge, she thought with a frustrated groan as she roughly ran a hand through her hair. Why did it have to be the bridge?
"Any luck?" Fluttershy asked, nervously nibbling on her own muffin as she walked into the bedroom.
"Eeyup," she said flatly with an audible pop of her lips. "And I don't like what I've found."
"What did you find?" she asked, moving to her friend's side.
Derpy sighed as she pointed at the screen. Fluttershy's eyes widened as she stared at the display, color fading from her face as dread filled her veins.
"P-Please tell me you're kidding," she stammered.
Derpy somberly shook her head.
"All the cameras in the area showed her heading towards the bridge and her phone's GPS winked out directly on the thing. From what I can tell, the last place she was at before she disappeared was Canter Bridge."
Tears slowly fell down Fluttershy's face as the implications of the news fell into place.
She jumped. She jumped. She jumped. She jumped. She jumped.
Her legs trembled as her broken thought echoed through her mind like some sick mantra, her muffin long forgotten as it fell out of her hand. Worried, Derpy jumped to her feet and pulled the trembling girl into a hug. A gentle warmth filled the gentle teen as a faint golden glow washed over them. Slowly, her trembling ceased as the magic of their two elements eased the dread out of her system. The glow faded as the two girls parted, a relaxed sigh rolling past Fluttershy's slightly trembling lips.
"Are you okay?" Derpy asked.
Fluttershy nodded, her lips pulled into a stiff smile.
"Yeah," she sighed. "It's just that...it turns out that that bridge has a reputation."
"Really?" Derpy asked, raising a brow.
Fluttershy nodded, her smile shifting into a worried frown as she stared at the ground.
"Apparently, people have been going there to commit suicide for a really long time."
Derpy's eyes widened at that, her face paling as the current situation's implications fell into place. She quickly ran to her computer and went back to work, eyes frantically moving across the screen as her fingers frantically hammered her keyboard. Fluttershy watched dozens of new windows appeared and vanished faster then she could keep up as Derpy frantically scanned the screen for something beyond the animal-lover's understanding. After an hour of nonstop clicks and button taps, Derpy let out a relieved sigh as she fell back into her chair and turned towards her nervous friend.
"Okay," she smiled. "From what I've found, there have been no cases of any bodies in the area of Canter Creek in the last couple months. So odds are she didn't jump or do anything to herself there."
"Are you sure?" Fluttershy asked, hope heavy in her eyes.
"Positive," Derpy nodded. "If she did, there would be coverage all over the news or there would be some kind of investigation at the very least."
"Do you think she was kidnapped?" Fluttershy asked.
"Maybe," she hummed. "The cameras didn't catch any people or vehicles going through the bridge at the time, but that doesn't guarantee anything."
"Right," Fluttershy sighed, staring at the ground.
"Still," Derpy smirked. "It's a start."
As she said that, she jumped to her feet and slipped on a thick gray jacket.
"Let's head out," she said, smirk growing more daring as she looked at her nervous friend.
"Right," she nodded, a relived smile forming on her lips. "Let's do this."
***
A cold tranquility dominated the melancholic scene that was Canter Bridge's main civilian platform. Frosted sheet metal and lightly rusted girders greeted all who came to visit the titanic structure, many not bothering to take notice of the bridge's aesthetics as they went about their business. To most, the bridge was nothing beyond a means to cross the stream it stretched across. For others, it was a means to a much less temporary end as they used it to cross a river many try to avoid for as long as possible. Two teenage girls stood at the heart of the bridge, both very familiar with the its sorted history in one way or another.
Derpy let out a sigh as she gave the platform a slow once-over. While everything looked different in the late afternoon light, it didn't change her impressions of the scene. She could still remember that horrible night. The growing dread as she watched the girl she would later call her dragon march towards her own noose. The heartbreaking tears that stained her jacket as she held Sunset close on this very same platform. The weight on her arm as she desperately struggled to pull the girl back over the guardrail to safety. Yes, this bridge left a mark on the girl in ways no one her age should experience. A burden both her and Sunset shared along with the burning love that came into being not long after.
A faint trembling out the corner of her eye dragged the gray teen out of her musings as she turned towards its source. Fluttershy scanned her surroundings with a fierce intensity, eyes wide and fingers curled like claws as her head quickly shifted from side to side. She reminded her of a cat in the den of a much stronger predator, constantly on edge and ready to strike the second she found an opening.
"Are you okay Fluttershy?" Derpy asked.
"No," she whispered, eyes still scanning her surroundings. "There's something about this place that doesn't feel right."
"Like what?" she asked, tone just as hushed as she continued her cursory investigation.
"I don't know," she scowled. "But whatever it is, my magic doesn't like it."
As she said that, her eyes briefly flashed red as her magic raged against her control.The sight put Derpy on edge as she continued her investigation. While it was brief, she saw first hand what her new friend's magic was capable of. The fury she saw in the corners of those red eyes still sent a chill down her spine whenever she thought about it.
I should probably ask her how her magic works later, she thought with a gulp as she paced the perimeter of the platform for clues.
She got as close to the guardrail as she dared, but stopped a foot away when her foot hit something laying on the ground. Curious, she looked down and was greeted by the sight of a small rectangular box. She raised a brow as she picked it up and opened it. Inside was a small cluster of slightly water damaged cigarettes. She grimaced as she closed the box and threw it over her shoulder into the middle of the platform.
"Nasty things," she grumbled as she resumed her search.
A soft gasp caught her attention as she turned back towards its source. Her eyes widened as saw Fluttershy with a cigarette in her mouth.
"You smoke?!" she asked flabbergasted.
"No," she deadpanned as she pulled the offending object out of her mouth.
Before Derpy could argue, Fluttershy peeled what should've been the first layer of paper off of the cancer stick to reveal a thin green cylinder. While Derpy's knowledge of such things were limited, she knew that cigarettes didn't look like that under the paper.
"There candy," Fluttershy sighed, staring listlessly at the small box in her hand. "Pinkie liked this brand."
"I never pegged her for a candy cigarettes kind of girl," Derpy said, cocking her head to the side and raising a brow.
"She isn't really," Fluttershy frowned, still staring at the box of candy. "Back in junior high, she threw a party for one of her friends. Someone talked her into giving smoking a try and she was hooked for a year. She told me Maud helped her quit before it could do any lasting damage to her. These are her way of keeping the urges under control."
As she said that, she gestured to the fake cigarettes in her hand before she put the box in her pocket.
At the same time, Derpy took note of where she found the candy and frowned. Considering how close the box was to the guardrail, the story of what happened to Pinkie didn't look very optimistic.
I need to broaden my search sources, she thought, stepping back from the rails.
A chill shot down her back as she heard a light chuckling behind her. Slowly, she turned around to face the source, her dread growing with every second. What she saw scared her to her core. Instead of the sheet metal and rust of the bridge, she was greeted by the sight of pitch-black sky and an open field covered with ash-gray flowers. At the center of the field about fifteen feet away from her stood an obsidian throne with black ivy coiled around it from top to bottom. Sat on the throne was a light-gray woman dressed in an elegant black ball gown. Her long black hair trailed past her neckline to her navel like thick wavy streams of ink as she leveled a pair of cold golden eyes with black sclera. The look in those eyes turned the blood in Derpy's veins into ice as pure fear filled her gut. It was like looking into the eyes of a feral animal as it moved in for the kill. The woman barely moved as she starred at the trembling girl, a manic grin slowly growing on her face. Derpy let out a strangled gasp as she saw pointed teeth peek past the woman's grinning lips.
She needed to run! She had to get away!
She tried to force her legs to move, but her fear trapped them in place like a vice. She could only let out a terrified squeak as the woman pointed her hand out towards her. Her pupils shrank to pinpricks as she saw small holes about the size of baseballs split open across the woman's outstretched arm, revealing dozens of lamprey like mouths with needle-like teeth covering the limb. The woman let out a manic cackle as her arm stretched towards her like a twisted demonic vine, her fear keeping her trapped in place as it closed in on her. Panicked tears rolled down her cheeks as the limb's hand slowly closed in on her face, a mouth with rows of jagged teeth forming in its palm.
"Food," the woman moaned, her manic grin growing more twisted. "FOOD!!!"
With that final manic cry, the limb lunged towards her. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the sting of fangs. Instead, she heard the clang of something hitting metal and felt a warm hand on her shoulder. Slowly, she opened her eyes and was greeted by a sight that filled her with both shock and wonder. She saw herself, only instead of being dressed in a thick gray jacket and dark blue snow pants this version of her was wearing light golden armor without a helmet with a massive seven foot tall rectangular tower shield strapped to her arm. Her double held Derpy back with a hand to the shoulder while she used her shield to hold back the monstrous woman's hand.
"No. You will not have this one," the double frowned, her eyes narrowed as she easily held back the demonic limb.
"Wh-Who are you?" she asked, her fear fading away in the presence of her armored double.
The double smiled gently and said, "I have many names, but to my siblings and your lover I go by Kindness."
Derpy smiled, her fear gone in the presence of the armored girl as her shield held back the monster's advance. A furious demonic screech could be heard from behind the shield as something on the other side slammed into it. Kindness glared through the shield as her hand on Derpy's shoulder tightened.
"You must leave this place," she frowned. "It isn't safe for you or your friends."
"How can I-?"
Before she could finish her question, Kindness shoved her back and with a literal blink she found herself standing on the bridge. Deep gasps fell past her lips as her head spun around, fear and relief whirling through her heart as she took in her more familiar surroundings.
"Are you okay?" Fluttershy asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.
Derpy flinched, then carefully hid her fear as best she could as she said, "Yeah, just a lot of bad memories about this place. Let's head back for now. I think I might've missed something in the camera feeds."
"Okay," Fluttershy nodded, though Derpy could tell there was a bit of doubt in her smile.
With that, the two girls made their way off of the bridge. As they walked, Derpy let out a shaky breath as she gave the structure behind her one last glance. A cold chill shot down her spine as for the briefest of seconds, she could've sworn she saw a figure in black standing behind the guardrails on the bridge's main platform. She tore her gaze away from the bridge and continued to walk, sweat-soaked trembling hands hidden in her jacket pockets.