//------------------------------// // 02 - The Key Ingredient for Devil's Dust (2e) // Story: Product of Friendship // by AzuraKeres //------------------------------// “Hold still,” a purple mare instructed a filly who was shifting about as she steadied the needle upon the filly’s foreleg. “But I don’t like how it feels," the filly argued as she fruitlessly shuffled her hoof from the mare’s hold. "I don’t want to do it.” “Look Wisteria,” the mare started. “Either you let me collect your blood or I cut your whole leg off and take it out then.” “You won’t do that,” Wisteria called the mare’s bluff. “You wouldn’t be able to get much out of me on a weekly basis anymore.” “Oh, I’m sure you’ll get that leg pumping good again with blood when I re-attach it.” “You don’t know how to do that. I’ve never seen you do something like that before.” “Will you just shut up and hold still already, Wist!?” Wist shut her eyes tight as the purple mare poked the needle inside the filly. Green flames then aroused from the filly’s body as she revealed her jet-black skin and long fangs. “Why in Equestria are you even in disguise right now,” the mare questioned. “No creature but us are welcome in this hut.” This mare that has taken upon herself to become the guardian of the nymph referred to herself as Poison Peck. She had told Wisteria that she discovered her a long time ago in an empty cave and had decided, in her so-called "generous heart", to care for her since no creature else was not around to do so. “Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow,” Wist shuddered at the pricking of the needle as its streamed milliliters of her blood into its capsule. After moments of her slow torture, Poison finally removed the needle from the nymph changeling as Wist rubbed her stabbed hoof. “See,” Poison said. “That wasn’t so bad.” “I like to see you try it,” Wist mumbled. “Stop being a baby,” Poison laid the syringe on a table in the middle of the hut and picked up the nymph. “You never see me complain when I feed you.” “That’s different,” Wist argued. “Course it’s not,” Poison said. “There’s only so much love you can take out of me before I run dry.” “That’s not true. You love me so much that you never get tired.” “Now that’s a mighty strong claim you’re making there,” Poison raised a brow. “I could just be putting up an act just so you won't cry about how hard I’m struggling.” “I’m not a crybaby,” Wist retorted. “Course you are,” Poison hugged her. “You’re my precious little gem of a crybaby.” “Why can’t you just admit you love me?” “Not every creature gets what they want," Poison said. "Some of us have to work hard to get the things they desire.” “So, if I don’t complain, then you’ll admit you love me,” Wist widened. “Don’t get your hopes up, but I guess that'd be a start...Are you good now?” “Yup,” Wist confirmed and then Poison let the nymph down the floorboard. “Good, cause I got to hurry and make this new batch.” Poison returned the table and levitated the syringe in a purple aura as she shifted close to a beaker with boiling black liquid. “Does my blood really help make so much money,” Wist asked. “Cause if so, why don’t we have a bigger house? I want to have my own room.” “Stop sounding so ungrateful,” Poison scolded. “Besides, I already told you that the stuff I make is not accepted by many. Do you know how much trouble I could get in if the authorities caught wind of where the devil's dust came from?” “If it’s so bad, then why do it?” “It’s a gold mine Wist,” Poison said. “I’ve already told you this. There’s something special about your blood that no other changeling has. With just a dab of it, you can have an earth pony levitating objects about and also bring so much joy in the hearts of creatures.” “You're also forgetting that it can drive them insane,” Wist added. “Only if they take in too much,” Poison said. “It’s their fault if that happens, I already gave them fair warning of the effects. Besides, you can’t tell me that you find it hilarious.” “Well, they are kind of funny when they go nuts,” Wist admitted. “You’re a devious little thing,” Poison commented. “But you’re my daughter, so what can I do?” Poison slightly pushed upon the syringe with her magic as a bit of Wist’s extorted blood trickled down into the beaker. The moment her blood entered the liquid, a black smoke gushed out of it and then quickly dissipated as Poison removed the beaker from the burner it laid atop of the table. “Can you teach me more hex spells now?” Wist suddenly asked. “What?" Poison faced her head to her daughter. "Wist, I don’t have time for that right now. My clients from across the border are gonna come here in a few days. You wanna learn more spells from me, then go fetch more ingredients for me.” “Oh, come on,” Wist complained. “Isn’t my blood the only thing you need?” “That may be true, but no creature is going to drink plain blood. Now stop complaining and go get me those ingredients. You know where to find them.” Wist flew over the branches and crawled through hollow logs as she scavenged for herbs and plants that she was positive her mother would need to cook another pile of devil's dust. For years, Wist has played and explored the lengths of this forest. Through her countless journeys around these woods, Wist was able to remember the location of all the ingredients she ever needed to find for her mother. A convenience to Poison that saved her time from dirtying her own hooves. Regardless, Wist did enjoy this time of freedom. Her mother trusted her a lot to walk these woods on her own, confident of her daughter's skill to watch over herself after years of raising her. Finding a small patch of fungi growing atop a tree and throwing pieces of it into her small saddlebag, Wist perked her ears upon a voice. “We’re really going in far. You sure this is fine?” Wist peaked below to a dirt road where she saw a group of four foals. There were two colts within the group that was a few distances ahead of two fillies as they appeared to be mouthing off at each other. “Not until he admits that I’m the braver pony,” one of the colts argued. “Well that ain’t happening,” the other colt argued. “Cause I’m the bravest in the class.” “You guys are being a bunch of twits,” said a pink filly that sighed at the colts’ competitive conversation. “Can’t you both just agree that you’re both brave?” “That won’t cut it, Luster,” one of the colts argued. “I need him to realize that I’m bravest of them all. You can go if you want, but I’m gonna show what I’m made of when we find the monster of the forest.” “They say that the monster of the forest is as big as an Ursa Minor,” said the other mare. “It made this whole forest its territory and it gets really upset when some pony comes in when they’re not welcomed.” “Don’t worry,” one of the colts voiced. “When that monster shows up, I’ll protect you.” “Yeah right,” the other colt retorted. “You’re the one that’s going to be chickening out while I’ll be the one saving the day.” “You two are going to end up being its lunch if you keep this up,” Luster groaned. “Come on, it’s not too late to turn back now. I promise I won’t tell the teacher.” “Will you stow it, Luster,” said one of the colts. “I ain’t leaving till he does.” “You two are impossible,” Luster growled. “Are you really going to go that far just to look cool in front of her?” Luster pointed her hoof to the filly that swayed her sights around for the creature. “I just want to see if it's real,” the filly said. “Even if it meant getting eaten?” Luster asked the filly. “I’m not all that scared,” the filly responded. “I have you with me. You know all sorts of magic.” “I-I know some too,” one of the colts voiced. Wist couldn’t help but grin at the nervous colts that were clearly putting up a bravado. If they wanted to see the monster so badly, then she had no objection to oblige. Besides, it would be wrong of her not to put their words to the test, wouldn’t it? Wist placed her saddlebag aside atop the branch as a stream of flames enveloped the small changeling's body as she descended into the bushes. The group of foals paused at the rustle she made from the leaves. “What was that,” the filly asked as the colts gathered in front of her as a defensive line. Wist became giddy of the terror she would strike upon those phony colts trying to be heroes. Wist emerged before the foals, horrifying them with her large body. As tall as the filly had described, Wist earned a scream from the foals in her large body as a black boar. The multiple black rings that surrounded her pupil was an added touch to really give those colts a fright. As Wist had expected, the colts screamed and immediately fled at the sight of her as the filly followed behind them. Luster, however, stepped back carefully with her horn lit. There was indeed fear in her eyes, but there was also an intensity that warned Wist that she would expect resistance from the filly if she took a step towards her. Wist faltered back, not expecting this from a creature her age. At her sudden shock, she quickly noticed the green flames enveloping again. Her form was dissipating only after a moment's loss of concentration. Wist lacked the training to maintain such a large form; even the slightest disturbance could undo her transformation. Luster widened at the inflamed boar and scurried around to find any water to douse the flames with. Wist attempted to flee but then began to feel herself become lighter as her body rolled across the dirt against her will. Luster gritted her teeth as she tried to grind the flames off of the boar. Completely frenzied by the filly’s action, Wist lost all grasp of her magic as the flames deteriorated her form, compacting her down back to her original state. “What the…” Luster paused at the creature before her. Wist immediately raised her body and leaped into the bushes to hide before another word came from the filly. “Wait,” Luster called to her. “Don’t go!” Wist hid low underneath the bushes, carefully observing the filly through the leaves. She made a big mistake just now. Out of everything her mother has told her, there was one rule that she must follow no matter what: never let any creature see her. Her presence in these forests was meant to be unknown to creatures. Her mother would surely be upset with her for this. Wist’s mind scrambled to find an immediate solution to her problem, but she couldn’t think of anything fruitful. “Hey,” Luster continued to call. “Are you still there? I just want to talk to you.” Wist concluded that it was best to bring the filly home somehow. Maybe she can catch her as a creature with a large mouth. She’ll just need to wait for the perfect— “There you are,” Luster said as she crouched her head to the bush Wist hid in. The nymph faltered back at the filly’s sudden appearance, letting the fallen leaves fall into her mouth for her to spit out. “Wait, don’t go,” Luster voiced as her horn illuminated again to whisk the nymph off the ground and pulled Wist before her. “Let me go,” Wist flailed her body. Luster adhered to the nymph's demand and released her grip of Wist, causing the nymph to fall on the ground. “Sorry," Luster hurriedly apologized. "I didn’t mean for that to happen. I just didn’t want you to run away.” Wist picked herself up quickly and jumped back into a defensive stance. Her horn illuminated green as Luster lifted a hoof up. “Wait,” Luster voiced. “I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to talk.” “Talk?” Wist asked while keeping her magic readied. Shapeshifting now would take too long to give the filly more than enough time to respond. However, Wist does have a hex spell she learned that could make the filly more compliant. Well, as long as she cast it right. “You’re a changeling, right?” Luster asked. “...That’s what my mom tells me.” Wist hesitantly answered. She’s never been given a question by a creature before. Those that visit her home are never given the chance to see her since Poison hides her under their floorboard. Although those she comes upon alone have either fled for their life or passed out for her to carry out of the forest when she gives them a fright with her numerous large forms she had seen from books. “I knew it,” Luster’s eyes sparkled. “That had to have been shapeshifting that you did earlier. But I’ve never seen a changeling so black. Are you perhaps a different breed?” “Uh...I don’t know,” Wist admitted. “Does it really matter?” “Of course, it matters!” Luster blurted as she suddenly approached Wist. The nymph faltered back, but Luster still closed the distance between them as she grabbed one of Wist’s hooves. “I’ve never seen a creature with holes through their body. What’s the purpose of them?” Wist gazed at Luster, enamored by the filly’s curiosity in her. “Can... can I ask for your name?” “Hm,” Luster raised her face to meet Wist. It was so close to Wist that she could see the depths of the filly’s eyes. “Oh right, I guess we should introduce ourselves. Well, you can call me Luster Dawn. I live in a town outside of this forest. What’s yours?” “...I’m Wist. I live in this forest with my mom.” “You live in this place,” Luster widened her eyes. “Don’t you think that’s kind of dangerous?” “Nuh-uh,” Wist shook her head. “I know the in and out of this place. Nothing here can touch me. Plus, I have my mom here to protect me.” “Then what’re you doing here alone?” Luster asked. “I’m picking up ingredients for my mom,” Wist answered. “She needs them for her special drug.” “A special drug?” Luster wondered. “Sounds like a specific potion-making. Can I help?” “Mom doesn’t like any creature she doesn’t know to come into her home.” “Aww, but I really want to see it. Well, can I at least help you find the ingredients?” "Why?" Wist was befuddled by the filly's request. "Shouldn't you be more concerned about those foals?" "I'm sure they've long left this place after the scare you gave them. Also, I'm really curious about those ingredients. So, can I come?" “Maybe...but you can’t slow me down.” “Oh, you don’t have to worry about that. You will find that I can take care of myself.” “Are you sure I won’t fall?” Luster anxiously asked the nymph as she was pulled atop a branch far above the ground. “Why do we have to be so high? Are you sure this is the only place where it grows?” “You sure ask a lot of questions when you’re scared,” Wist commented as she ripped a patch of red mosses from the bark of a tree and tossed it in her small saddlebag. "I'm well within my right to when I'm over a yard above the ground." "You won't be going far with the attitude. My mom says that those who can't rise to the challenge are always destined for failure." "Well what I have planned for the future won't have anything to do with tree climbing; at least I hope so." "Really?" Wist startled the filly when she approached her, wobbling the branch a slight. "What do you want to be?" "Easy, Wist," Luster voiced. "You're the only one with wings here." "Come on, tell me. I want to know." "Okay, okay, just stop moving about like that." Luster made a mistake by dawning her eyes below, taking in how high she climbed. Her hooves immediately latched onto Wist. "Sweet Twilight, why did I let you talk me into this?" "Luster," Wist whined. "Why won't you tell me?" "C-can you hold me first?" Luster asked. "If you do that, then I'll tell you." Wist adhered to the filly's request and pulled the filly close to her as she leaned to the bark of the tree. "Wow, how do you feel so cold in this heat?" Luster asked. "Luster," Wist eyed at Luster. "Oh, right… Well, I've always envisioned doing great things. I don't know what that is exactly, but I'm hoping that the Princess will one day point me in the right direction." "The Princess?" "Yeah, Princess Twilight has done a lot of great things for Equestria. Plus, she's said to possess a vast knowledge of magic, surpassing even that of the late Starswirl the Bearded. If I can just have her look my way, I bet she can make me a wise wizard." "So, you want to be a wizard?" Wist concluded. "That almost sounds like what I want to be." "You want to be a wizard too?" "Well, not that. What I want to be is a witch." "A what?" Luster widened at the nymph. "You can't be a witch? A witch is the complete opposite of a wizard. They're bad creatures." "Witches aren't bad," Wist retorted. "My mom is a witch and she hasn't hurt a single creature. Well, except for bugs and animals, but those don't count." "Your mom is a witch!?" "Cool, right?" Wist smiled. "I'm going to be just like her when I grow up. Sprucing up drugs and potions and learning all sorts of magic." "..." "Don't give me that look," Wist glared at Luster's concerned face. "Being a witch is ten times better than being some wizard. Mom said that there's like hundreds of them. But not many can be a witch." "You have a lot of faith in your mother," Luster frowned. "Don't you?" "That's a weird question to ask," Wist furrowed her brow. "Don't you have a mom as well?" "I do...," Luster admitted. "Hey, I have something I want to share with you." "You do?" Luster lit her horn as a pocket within her small saddlebag glimmered, whisking out a necklace with strings of seashells. "Here," Luster floated the necklace around Wist's neck. "I want you to have this." "What is it?" Wist used a hoof to examine the necklace. "It's something I made from school today. I was planning on giving it to my mom, but I think you'll need it more." "Wow, I've never gotten a gift from a stranger before, thanks." "You know my name," Luster voiced. "And we're not strangers anymore. We're friends." "We are? When did that happen?" "Wist, we've spent the whole afternoon together collecting plants. Don't you think we've bonded enough to be pals?" "I don't know," Wist answered. "I've never had a friend before. It's always just me and my mom." "Well, I promise it'll be more than that from here on." "Ugh, I hate promises, they're always so hard to keep." "Well, you'll find that I don't go back on mine." Luster proudly said. "If you say so," Wist grinned. "But don't expect any from me." "You're being selfish, Wist" Luster voiced. "No, I'm not. If I was, I would've let you fall already." "Hey, don't joke about that," Luster tightened her grip around Wist. "Can we please get off this tree already? We already got what we came for, right?" "I'm not carrying you," Wist pointed out. "You have to," Luster argued. "That's what a good friend would do." "Golly," Wist gave a sadistic smile. "I guess I'm a bad one then. Have fun living off the mosses and leaves." "Wist!" Luster hugged Wist after being led out of the forest. The love exuding from the filly was enticing to the nymph, but she didn't want to exhaust Luster while on her way home. Wist awkwardly waved at the filly as the sun was beginning to descend from the land. Now was a good time to return home. Her travel back to her hut was brief after taking the shortest route back. Wist knocked on the door and immediately it opened to a pair of hooves that snatched her inside. "Where have you been," Wist perked to a broken voice as her body was being squeezed into another. Wist raised her head and noted the sobbing mare that was her mother. "You had me so worried. I thought something bad must've happened to you." "You snorted some of it, didn't you?" Her mother was prone to sample the drug herself on occasion to test how it fares on a pony. Wist believed that it was an excuse for her mother to relish on some of it. "Don't ever leave my side again," Poison continued. "Don't you know how much your mommy loves you?" Poison has always told her that the devil's dust is supposed to arouse high levels of joy to those that ingest it. However, there are some exceptions to that, like Wist's mother for example. Poison gets really emotional when she ingests the dust, sobbing about her feelings. To many, it could be seen as an inconvenience, but Wist really likes this side of Poison. To her, the dust simply made Poison honest about her feelings. "I know you do mom," Wist hugged Poison. "I love you too. But look, I brought all the ingredients just like you asked." "You are such a good filly," Poison kissed Wist's forehead, earning a giggle from her daughter. "Stop that," Wist giggled. "Your love is ticklish when you do that." "And you'll be getting many more as punishment for giving your mother a scare." "Noo," Wist playfully voiced as she became smothered by many kisses from her mother. The sound of her laughter resounded across the hut, but she enjoyed it oh so much. “Ugh,” Poison craned her head as she watched Wist mix a black liquid within a beaker with a thin rod. “Why does my head still hurt?” “That depends,” Wist said as she kept her attention on the pot. “How much of the dust did you snort?” “Don’t be asking me questions little filly,” Poison leered at the nymph. “Don’t forget who’s the adult here.” “Yes mom,” Wist blankly said. She then pulled her thin rod out of the pot. “Hey mom, I think I’m finished.” “I’ll be the judge of that,” Poison stepped beside Wist before the table as she tapped her hoof on the liquid and placed her soaked hoof into her mouth. Slurping the liquid to her mouth, Poison clicked her tongue to bask in its taste. “Come on mom,” Wist became antsy of Poison’s prolonged analysis. “I know it just as well as you do it. I’ve seen you make it a hundred times.” “Wist,” Poison pulled her hoof from her mouth. “There is no room for mistakes for the kind of job I do. The slightest sign of skepticism could run the risk of ruining everything I got going here.” “But I made it right, didn’t I?” Poison sighed, “It’ll do. Well then, I guess now is as good a time as any to start on your lessons.” “Yes,” Wist pumped her hoof. Wist was giddy to practice more on the bountiful of curses that her mother knew. Poison had displayed numerous sorts of horrors upon test animals that left Wist in awe. She couldn’t wait to plot on numerous pranks and chaos to set upon the trespassers that would dare to step into their sanctuary. Her mother said that she learned all of these curses from a grimoire that had long been burned to ashes by Celestia. She never provided details as to why the former Princess would do such a ridiculous thing as to get rid of Wist’s best possible reference book, but it matters not since Poison happened to memorize its texts. After Poison gave Wist a lecture of a certain spell she was eager to learn, Poison placed a cage with a hamster before Wist. “Alright,” Poison said. “Let’s do a hooves-on work to make sure you paid attention. So, tell me what’s the first thing I need to do?” “Why don’t I do it,” Wist raised her hoof. “I think I got the gist of it.” “Oh no,” Poison shook her head. “I’m not letting that happen again. You have way too much magic in that small body of yours. You might give this critter enough anger to break out this cage and choke the life out of me.” “It was only one-time mom,” Wist rolled her eyes. “You had a bird eat and poop an entire hut,” Poison raised a brow. “Something like that should be impossible.” “Yeah,” Wist chuckled. “That bird was really hungry, wasn’t it?” “Look, Wist, I just need you to pay close attention. I don’t want to spend another week building another hut.” “I got it, mom,” Wist sighed. “You better. Now, what’s the first step?” “The first step is to imagine the emotion in your body and mind. The spell must emulate from the caster in order to pass on to the target.” “And what emotion is it that I need to develop?” Wist sighed and then answered, “Rage.” “Anger,” Poison voiced. “Rage is too extreme of a word. You’re likely to get carried away with it.” Poison lit her horn in a purple glow that gradually turned pitch black. “Once you’ve created the hate to birth the spell, all that is left is to insert into your target.” The black glow upon Poison’s horn floated off of her and appeared as a black wisp that flung upon the hamster. The eyes of the small critter glow red as it bore its buck teeth and rushed upon the gates of the cage, gnawing viciously upon it. “The intensity of the anger depends on the amount the caster puts into the spell and the limit that the target is potential to possess,” Poison said. "Be sure that you remember that." “This a lot like the other spells you’ve shown me,” Wist said. “You just create the emotion and then slap it onto some creature.” “Wist, there’s a method for creating each emotion. Why do you think I give you those long lectures? You gotta be mindful of how much you give and how exactly to do it or else you're gonna put some creature into the deep end.” “I got it, mom,” Wist harrumphed. “Good, now be a good filly and calm this thing down.” Poison was well adept in placing curses on creatures, but the one thing she lacked was undoing them. Luckily for her, Wist has a convenient ability to suck emotions out of creatures. Wist lit her horn and beamed it upon the feral hamster. The light she enshrouded the critter in pulled out a red aura from its body as Wist inhaled it into her body. Wist canceled her spell immediately and spat her mouth. “Ugh,” Wist spat. “It’s so spicy.” “Stop your complaining and finish eating the rest.” Wist groaned and then began feasting on the critter’s anger again. After surviving the tangy taste burning her tongue, her mother offered her a cup of water that Wist immediately chugged down. “See, that wasn’t so bad.” “I like you to try it and tell me that again,” Wist complained. “Oh Wist,” Poison smiled. “You know ponies can’t eat emotions. I’m afraid it’s a curse for only you to bear.” Wist proved herself to be a fast learner as she went through a dozen spells that morning. Poison would give her snide comments, but deep down, Wist knew that Poison was proud of her. She could give Wist all the salty words she wanted, but her feelings were nakedly exposed to the nymph’s senses. “Why are you so eager to learn all of these spells?” Poison asked as she packed fresh new piles of devil's dust into zip-lock plastic bags. “It’s because I want to be a witch,” Wist answered as she helped her mother store the piles of dust into bags. “Just like you.” “Yeah, I get that. But why?” “Why not? There’s no other better pony I want to be like. I don’t know any other creature who’s cooler than you?” “So, you think I’m cool, huh?” A weak smile was plastered upon the mare. She then turned her head and mumbled, “you could do so much more for yourself than follow my example?” “Hm?” Wist craned her head to Poison. “Is it snack time already?” “No, you stupid leech.” Poison sneered. “You know what, I need some fresh air. You keep packing the dust.” “Aw, but there’s so many.” “What did I say about making—” Before Poison could finish her words, she paused at the front door as a spark briefly lit upon her horn. Her eyes widened as she gasped, “What? But...why are royal guards…” Poison looked to Wist, who pouted as she continued packing the dust. Her head craned back and forth between the door and her child. A moment passed as she then gritted her teeth and approached her daughter. “Wist, I need you to go out and find more ingredients for me.” “Why?” Wist tilted her head. “Haven’t we already made enough?” “No...no, we haven’t. Uh...I just remembered that the client actually needs at least one more box. This much won’t cut it.” “So what? One less box isn’t going to hurt him.” “What did I tell you, Wist,” Poison voiced. “You can’t make any room for mistakes; else you risk ruining everything.” “Fine,” Wist groaned as she left the table and lit her horn to whisk her saddlebag onto her. “I’ll go get some more.” “Good,” Poison smiled. “And don’t rush, I want all of it neatly organized.” “Okay, okay, I got it,” Wist said as she made her way for the front door. But before she left, she felt her mother’s hooves wrap around her from behind. “I thought you said it wasn’t snack time.” “Take it for the road,” Poison said. “Take as much as you like. But be quick about it.” Poison felt her body get heavy as she felt the intense emotions in her body soak inside to her daughter. “Mom, why do you feel sad?” “Because,” Poison's voice suddenly broke, but then she grunted and tried to voice her words out again. “Because I feel so ashamed for this mix-up. You know how much of a perfectionist I am.” “Sure…” “Hey, you know I love you, right?” Wist perked her ears as a smile suddenly raised upon her face. “What was that?” “Ugh, it figures you would do that.” “But mom, I didn’t hear it quite clearly. You’re going to have to speak up.” “I love you, Wist,” Poison finally admitted. “There, are you satisfied now?” “I knew it,” Wist couldn’t hold back the big smile she had on her face. After many times to goad her mother to say those words while not drugged, to hear them come out her mouth made her feel so validated. Validated that she was indeed loved. “Now go on,” Poison prodded her daughter to the door. “And go through the back, okay?” “Yes mom,” Wist giggled as she exited the hut. Poison followed her daughter’s movement through the window as she sighed in relief that Wist went through the back as she instructed. Poison walked back to the table and gazed at the piles of dust that she created with her daughter’s blood. This stuff has made her a fortune, yet she did not risk using the bits anywhere. A rich pony is bound to get attention and she wouldn’t risk that for anything. There was also no way for her to have neighbors. She would attract too much attention because of the daughter she was raising. The only life she could have was here in this lone forest with her daughter. But she had to admit, it was a very eventful one. That mischievous little brat had a talent for creating so much chaos, so much profit, and so much cherishing memories. A tear inevitably escaped the mare. Wist would never have a normal life if they knew she was her daughter. She missed out on so many things because the career Poison chose for herself. She never got to show her hometown that Wist was so eager to know about. She never got to show her the giant cities in Equestria that Wist could only ogle at through posters that Poison brought back from her stealthy travels. She never even got her to make a friend. Celestia knew that she should’ve at least found her one. That may be her biggest regret. Poison perked her ears as she rushed to peer through the windows. There they were, just as the perception spell she set miles around her home had shown her. A group of royal guards stepped out of the woods to the front of her hut. She didn’t know how they found her, but they will find that she won’t be going anywhere without a fight. Poison retreated to the table and glared at the pile of dust. She doesn’t know how much she can handle, but regardless of what happens, the first thing that she must do is get rid of all of the dust along with everything in this room. She can’t give them a single trace of Wist’s existence. Poison grabbed a hoof-full of the dust and breathed it into her nose. “Destroy everything,” she said. “Destroy everything, destroy everything, destroy everything.” She repeated like it was a mantra. A heavy number of tears fell from her eyes as her voice cracked more and more. “Destroy everything, *hic* destroy everything, destroy everything,” Her sad face then lifted to a smile and then to a burst of frantic laughter. Her eyes then gleamed bright green like her daughter’s mane, as a disturbing smile grew upon the mare. “Destroy everything!” Wist was careful to organize all the ingredients in each compartment of her saddlebag. Her mother will give her a mouthful of praises with how tidy she made things. Wist’s careful placing and travels to the various locations in the forest took her hours of labor as the night inevitably dawned upon her during her travel back home. However, when she finally returned to the hut, she discovered that there was no longer one. All around, she could see remnants of her home sprawled all across the clearing that was her yard. Wist furrowed her brow in confusion as she stepped atop the floorboard that appeared to be the only thing recognizable. All of the furniture and decoration that she and her mother had collected over the years were now gone. Her home was in complete ruin. “What in Equestria happened here,” Wist wondered. Her eyes flailed about, trying to find where her mother was. But no matter where she looked, she was nowhere in sight. “Maybe she went to find material to make a new hut. I really hope she doesn’t expect me to help…Who am I kidding, of course, she’s going to.” Wist widened her eyes when they dawned upon a black blanket that was stuck upon a broken beam of the hut. Wist lit her magic and brought the sheet before her. It was her bedroom sheet, now torn apart. Wist frowned. Her mother knitted this blanket. It was poorly made, but the love that came from it made it better than any other her mother bought for her. Maybe her mom could fix it when she comes back from collecting materials. But for now, it was still large enough to cover her body. After placing the saddlebag off of her, Wist lit her horn and pulled a loose floorboard aside. Underneath was a small hiding place that Poison instructs her to go into when she has visitors. Within her hiding place, there laid the necklace seashell she received from her friend. Placing it around her neck, Wist hid underneath the floorboard and pulled the blanket with her to wrap herself around. Though battered, Wist could still clutch upon the residual love that warmed her body. When she wakes up, she’s going to hear a mouthful from her mother and get worked to death making a new home for each other. But as long as she has her mother, that’s all she will ever need.