“Darkness cannot drive out darkness…”
-Martin
The Gallop who had been circling the Everfree forest finally screamed his frustrations through the rocks he sent flying at the tree line along the road. He couldn’t believe that he lost the draconequus and his friends. Somehow, his compass sent him for loops on end until finally it settled on spinning endlessly. Something was interfering, some exterior power. It made no sense to this Gallop as he smashed the spinning compass against the street. He was tired of it spinning. “No power lines, no planes, and not even a radio tower. There’s nothing here!” It got him thinking. “Is my cover blown, does he know?”
Waiting around to find out wasn’t going to do him any good. Seeing that the road was familiar, he followed it. Thankfully there was no traffic to notice him nor joggers to pester him. The walk was long. Having spent most of his energy throughout the day didn’t help since it prevented him from teleporting. Now, the harder way was the only way left.
“Stupid kids. Stupid forest.” This Gallop wanted to complain about something else. “Stupid Alezander. You’re not even here, and I hate you.” A smell caught his attention. “The best laid plans of mice and stallions…” He kept walking. He knew the smell. But, he dared not to give the smell any suspicion of his noticing. This Gallop wanted the traitor to remain where he was for as long as possible so he could report him.
The hoot of an owl echoed across the wind.
This Gallop slowed down and turned to face the owl. He felt a little insulted. The traitor had dared to trick him. Clever. Any other fool would have kept walking. But, this Gallop knew this game. He looked at the owl long enough to acknowledge it, to give it a deceitful sense of comfort. His walk continued. Fools lose such a game as this. So concentrated on acting like there’s nothing out of the ordinary, they forget how to react. This gallop kept walking but turned once more, passively, to show dying interest in the traitor.
The hooting from the owl continued. However, the game was already played.
As far as this Gallop was concerned, the traitor had lost the game.
*****
“Honey, I’m home.” Dropping Gallop’s keys in their usual spot, this Gallop sniffed at the air. Something was filling the house. Underneath it all was the smell of gas. “Jasmine!” Hurling himself into the kitchen, he half expected to see everything on fire. This wasn’t the case.
Pots and pans rested atop the stovetop with burners set to medium and low temperature. Noodles bubbled up in the pot while creamy sauce simmered in the pan. Jasmine smiled at this Gallop as she moved the sauce around with a spoon. “Hello, sweetums. Dinner's almost ready for you and your colleague.” She kissed this Gallop on the cheek before going back to her sauce.
“Colleague?” This Gallop poked his head around the corner into the dining area. Sitting at the table was a pony of familiar color. Her pink fur and white mane belonged to a different creature, a dragon. “You remind me of a Honeybee I know.”
The pony looked up from the rose she was plucking petals from. “How astounding. I never believed there could be anyone else in the universe with the same name as me.”
This Gallop cautiously took a seat adjacent to her. “You act a lot like her as well.”
“Interesting. I suppose the universe might explode if we ever met in the same room. Then again, we both know that’s not likely to happen.” The pony came close to the end of her flower. “It’s funny, I never thought I’d grow attached to these colors. They’re just so me. Though, this is strictly business attire. Can’t be letting your neighbors think you’re cheating on the Mrs. now can we?”
“I think you sport draconic fashion rather well, other Honeybee.” This Gallop kept his head low, even though he heard the amused laugh from the pony plucking the petals.
“Hm. The dragons, I think, have a better sense of design. They are a brutes at times, but,” a long slithering tongue slurped around the lips of the pony, “their passion really fills my appetite.” The rose she held ran out of petals to pluck. “So this is where your new paycheck has been going, to flowers.” A low squeaky laugh piped from the pony’s throat. “While I’m not against playing with my food, this, this is something else.”
“Call it a company experiment.” This Gallop eyed the kitchen in time to see Jasmine smile his way. “Might I inquire as to your visit. I seemed to have misplaced my callander. Forgive me if I’m a little unprepared for this business meeting. Or was this courtesy call?”
“A bit of both.” The pony leaned over the table. “I’ll be checking on your work production more often now that I’ve placed you in charge of such a promising project. I’m curious about the bird watching.”
“The eagle I’m watching has picked up a notable flock. They don’t inhibit my view of him, though. A song bird seems to have grown attached to the eagle.” This Gallop stared at the flowers around the house. He wasn’t sure why, but he felt that strange sensation of sickness again. “I could smell it, from both of them. I hope that behavior proves to be useful to you.”
The pony grinned. “I would love to see photographs of all these birds. As long as it won’t scare them away.”
This Gallop lowered his voice as he came to his other topic. “Remember that former employee? I passed him after I lost sight of the birds, near the Everfree forest.”
The pony stood up abruptly. “Really?”
“Yes.” This Gallop confirmed.
“Well then,” the pony made her way towards the front door. “Urgent business. I must be going. Sorry I couldn’t stay for dinner.”
This Gallop nodded as he watched the pony close the door behind her. The sound of the door slamming came as a relief to him. He detected fear, but from himself. It was indescribable. The sickness in him came back in full force, compounding the fear.
Jasmine brought a tray out with three plates. “Did your colleague have to leave? Sweetums?”
This Gallop stood up. There it was again, the sickness. He wondered if it was Jasmine’s doing. “How did you do it? How did you make me sick?” His eyes were mad, but not with anger as he glared at her. “What did you do?”
Jasmine’s ears drooped as she looked at the plates. “Did you not want pasta?”
Looking into her eyes, this Gallop saw it, the disease that plagued him. Getting closer, he pressed his face against hers. It burned him from the inside. Everything was on fire for him, yet he started to like the sickness. Pulling his face away, he struggled to breath. He didn’t care, though. The disease that racked his existence and pillaged his brain had become a drug.
“Oh my.” Jasmine giggled. “Gallop, you haven’t kissed me like that since high school.”
This Gallop felt terrible as he ripped his eyes away from Jasmine. “Oh, Mother.” He felt his stomach fill with the disease as it continued to spread, speeding up his heart rate. “What’s happening to me?”
“Sweetums? Is everything okay?”
He forced himself to eat the food in front of him. This gallop knew that if he looked, he would suffocate. He knew he wouldn’t come back from the disease’s next attack.