“The Third Eye of Discord.”
I muttered the name to myself several times over. How ominous it sounds, referencing one of Equestria’s all-time greatest threats. If you’d never heard of him before, a trickster god who makes clouds rain chocolate milk may not sound scary. Perhaps he showed some restraint in turning our world into his chaotic playground, with us as the toys to do with as he pleased.
The nightmares of that day continue to haunt me, as it does for us all.
Perhaps that is why the Night Shift goes to such great lengths to contain anything remotely related to him - and why I’m here, ushering in the ponies who have volunteered to aid us in our efforts. One by one, the passenger carriages are filled with unicorns, each compartment fitting four aside. I help the guards restrain them, locking their chained hooves to their seats and administering the sedative drugs once their spells are cast.
Luna bless those poor sods. From their downcast, steeled expressions, I gather these magi are doing their best to cope with the freezing conditions, to say nothing of their impending journey to Tartarus and back. Even wrapped up tight in long, hooded robes and thick winter boots, they’re still shivering. The full weight of what they signed up for must finally be sinking in. I doubt they know the specifics, but if they want to join the Night Shift, then they must realise what we do is not for the faint of heart.
With every pony onboard, the pained whistle of the old engine chimes, creaking to life as exhaust steam hisses out from the drain cocks. Slowly, the train eases out of the freight yard and onto the mountain pass. To the engineer’s credit, they are doing their best to manage the imposing slopes and slippery rails. The train’s length may be modest, a mixed set of three wagons and two passenger carriages, but it still requires a substantial effort on the part of the small, four-wheeled locomotive.
I feel my fur stand on end as the magical barriers are raised. By now, the mages should have fallen into a deep, meditative state – conscious enough to maintain their spells without risk of distraction. The whole process is a bit much if you ask me, but that’s not my call to make. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
Despite the cold, I chose not to sit with the other guards inside the caboose wagon. If I’m to guard, I’ll do so where I can get the best view. I’ve never been known to be a social pony, anyway.
My ears pricked up as the caboose window opened behind me, audibly creaking with rusted metal.
“Hey, Captain Echo Chaser. What are you doing there?”
The pony asking was Sharp Shadow, a fellow bat pony two decades younger than me – barely an adult. She looked freshly converted, too, lacking many of the scars or wing ailments that plague our kind as we age. Princess Luna is still refining the magic that transforms regular pegasi, but you wouldn’t know it from looking at her.
“My job,” I said simply, flicking away the wind-deposited snow from my short mane.
“Well, obviously. I mean what are you doing on the carriage roof? Do you wanna get frostbite?”
I didn’t dignify that with a response. She should know by now that bat ponies are tougher than the average Pegasi.
“Look, I know you want to be all broody and serious, but for the love of Luna, come inside! Ye can’t work for the Night Shift if your wings are frozen.”
To this, I cocked an eyebrow and extended my wings, flexing them as I would in flight. I couldn’t be too hard on rookies. We all started somewhere, and I could tell from her inflexion that she was sincere. Besides, the way I do things isn’t exactly conventional.
Tapping the amulet on her breastplate, she shadow-stepped through the window gap, stumbling as she re-materialised next to me. I managed to catch her before she could tumble off the side of the carriage, grumbling under my breath. This was going to be a long night.
“Ugh, how do Unicorns do it?” Sharp moaned.
“Do what?”
“The whole teleportation thingy. I can never get the landing right.”
“Have you tried practising?”
She looked offended by that question. “Of course, I have. I’m just not good at it, yet.”
“I can tell.”
“Look, forget all that. You read the mission briefing, right?” Shadow spoke slowly as if I were a senile old stallion; she is half-right in that regard. “The Third Eye of Discord is secured inside the wagon. There are more magical layers around that bloody thing than a hundred packs of Trottingham cheese slices. The thing couldn’t be safer, so why can’t ye just let yourself enjoy the basics of shelter, eh?”
“Unless any would-be thief can teleport onto a moving train from miles away,” I counter, continuing to scan the horizon. “They’ll have to get in from the outside.”
“And if they do, we’ll catch ‘em before they even get close. Why are you being such a pain in the arse? I’m trying to help you.”
“Emphasis on ‘trying’. Rule number sixty-six of Luna’s Containment Guide: It is better to suffer for Equestria than to comfort yourself. I refuse to cut corners, even if it means doing things the hard way. If it makes you feel any better, I know teamwork is important—I’ve heard Twilight Sparkle’s friendship seminars hundreds of times over. I will take a warm-up break when the train stops for water. Deal?”
Shadow pursed her lips, her cheeks turning red. I don’t expect the youngsters to be as by-the-book as I am, but her reaction tells me she only skim-read the guide, if that. Though we never made eye contact, she still looked away before muttering a quiet, “Sorry.”
“Relax, kiddo. You’re not in trouble. I may be a grumpy old fart, but I have no reason to doubt your dedication. The worst I’ll get is a light sniffle, so give me some space, and we’ll be done with this miserable cold before you know it. Besides, with a high-profile job like this, we’ll have earned ourselves a trip to the Bahamares.”
Shadow chuckled. It’s good to know I haven’t completely lost my sense of humour. She reached for her amulet, only to pause mid-activation.
“You saw that, right?”
“An intruder?” I ask, my expression turning dire.
She didn’t give an answer, instead shadow-stepping back onto the carriage’s rear balcony. I didn’t know what she saw, but if there is an intruder, they can’t have gotten far.
Bucking open the doors, I rushed into the first compartment, but all I found were two, startled Lunar unicorns. They were trained for this as much as I have been, so it only takes a glance to inform them of the situation. One turns to follow me, horn alight, leaving the other to remain on the lookout.
The unicorn mages had dedicated themselves to maintaining the protective wards in addition to illusionary compartment dividers, all of which should have made catching any would-be thieves easy.
Nothing can escape our watch.
One by one, we search the compartments, each seating half a dozen hooded unicorns. We didn’t bother questioning them; there would be no point considering their trance.
When I finally converged in the middle with Sharp Shadow, I had found nothing out of the ordinary.
“False alarm?” I asked, plainly but not unkindly.
“He should be here!” Shadow growled, stomping her hind hoof in frustration. “I saw him, a unicorn stallion. I cornered him in the caboose before chasing him through this carriage. Ask Spirit Shine, he’ll back me up, he’s still on watch.”
“Are you sure he didn’t give you the slip, rookie?” scoffed the deep-voiced unicorn next to me with a smug grin. I shot him a disapproving glare. Right or wrong, his tone was needlessly aggressive.
“Don’t you give me that load of cow crap, Spell Twister! I was right on his tail, I was. I swear to Luna!”
“Stand down, both of you; this is neither the time nor place for petty grudges. Shadow, do you realise the seriousness of this accusation?”
“This is no joke, Cap. I—”
“I didn’t say it was a joke. I’ve seen enough newbies to know that pranksters don’t make it past recruitment, let alone transformation, but that doesn’t mean you saw what you think you saw. Rule number forty-eight: before you conclude, first consider any relevant alternatives. For now, the most we can do is stop the next passing loop and double-check the wards. If the barriers are flickering already, we’ve got problems, but it’s nothing we can’t handle.”
“Hey, uh, ‘scuse me, Captain Echo?” the Lunar unicorn asked. “May I offer a suggestion?”
“Name and rank?” I asked, keeping my tone neutral. Despite the stallion’s fresh-faced appearance and narrower shoulders, he looks older than Shadow – though knowing his full status within would be critical, depending on his suggestion.
“Sergeant Spell Twister, eighth company, pronouns he/him, Captain,” he said, saluting. “A full ward check would take time, but I can try teleporting back to the balcony. If the wards are secure, then magical translocation should be blocked.”
Shadow rolled her eyes. “Oh, sure. Let’s just try breaking through a potentially weakened magical field. I bet that’ll help contain a cursed object.”
“Watch your mouth, rookie,” Twister snapped back. “Don’t talk like you understand Unicorn magic.”
“In fairness to the Cadet, I’m not well-versed in Unicorn spells, either – though my concern is what it’ll do to you. Can you assure us you’ll be safe?”
“I give ya my word, Captain. I know my own limits.”
“Then by all means, proceed.”
Twister took his time, gradually increasing the glittering aura that wrapped around his body in preparation for the jump. Clenching his teeth, large beads of sweat rolled down his face as he strained to increase power – and still he didn’t move.
As I understand it, teleportation is one of the most basic unicorn spells, the distance travelled equal to magic consumed. By that measure, Spell Twister should’ve been halfway across Equestria by now.
“I can’t do it,” he said at last, the magical aura dissipating. “The carriage’s sealed up real good, sir. If any pony did get through, then they can’t have made it far without running into one of us.”
“Unless the culprit is one of us.” Before I could react, Sharp Shadow pounced, baring her fangs and knocking Spell Twister off his hooves, almost colliding with a doped-up mage in the process.
“That’s enough!” Grappling the rookie in my forehooves, I managed to drag her off the stricken unicorn and pinned her to the floor, ending the brawl before it could begin.
“Start talking, traitorous prick!” Her tone was as biting as her accusations, her voice dropped to an animalistic growl. “What the buck do ye want with the Eye?”
“I said that’s enough!” Turning her over, I drew upon my innate Lunar Pegasus magic the second we made eye contact. My hypnosis carried but a fraction of the average unicorn’s power, but it was enough to calm her down.
“Now you listen to me, First Cadet Sharp Shadow. I have not once doubted your honesty and commitment to this mission, but that does not give you the excuse to go around making unfounded accusations toward fellow Night Shift operatives. We’re supposed to be professionals, so I don’t give a flying buck what you saw; your behaviour is completely unacceptable.
“Once this mission is completed, I will be reporting directly to Princess Luna and see that you are re-trained appropriately. For now, I’m ordering you to return to your caboose and stay put until I suggest otherwise. Do I make myself clear?”
“But the intruder—”
“I said, do I make myself clear, Cadet?”
“….Orders received, loud and clear, Captain.”
I dislike the way she slurred my title, but I let it slide. We have bigger things to worry about.
Then the screaming began.
A single mage kicked things off, wailing and thrashing at her restraints as their spell grew stronger. Then another joins in, and another, their eyes shooting open as their slumbering minds battled against the brutal magics assaulting them. It was a terrible, ear-splitting din. Spell Twister’s quick thinking saved our hearing from the worst, forming a noise-isolating magic shield.
“What’s all that about?” Sharp Shadow asked, as if she couldn’t have woken the unicorn.
“You really are new here, aren’t ya, kid?” Twister scoffed, earning himself another scornful growl from the Cadet. “This is the price of containing and transporting cursed objects. So, you wanna keep up the wards, holding against evil magic? Well, you’d better have some pony putting up a fight against it. All this? That’s the fight.”
Hearing the explanation, Shadow eased her stance, her expression falling as she looked over the screaming magi. “Bloody hell,” she remarked softly. “Does every Unicorn have to do that? Before joining the Night Shift, I mean.”
“Maybe not exactly this, but something like it.”
There was a certain uneasiness in Twister’s words, subtly cringing as he looked over the mages with a thousand-yard stare.
“It is indeed an unpleasant process,” I said, clearing my throat. “But it’s something we take on for the greater good. Our trauma makes us stronger, and in turn makes for a safer Equestria. For now, I suggest we return to our guard duties, but rest assured, Sharp Shadow, we will keep our eyes peeled for any further disturbances.”
“Aye, Captain.”
“You got it, Cap.”
My comrades saluted in unison, though Shadow couldn’t help but continue side-eyeing the mages. I did consider putting a positive spin on her actions. Perhaps, she didn’t slack on studying the manual, since rule number twenty states that it’s better to overreact than under-react in this line of work. If only rookies weren’t so headache-inducing.
Adding to my growling list of annoyances, I realised that, in the rush of heated arguments, I’d lost count of the compartment dividers I’d traversed. I knew the uniformity was by design, but with each ensuing projection we passed, we seemed to be getting no closer to the end.
“Erm, Spell Twister?” Shadow asked. “You didn’t cast any looping spells on this carriage, did you?” Her tone suggested curiosity, not suspicion, as if she’d expected him to do it.
“No, I didn’t think it was necessary. It’s not like there’s anywhere else for an intruder to go.”
It was certainly plausible for another guard to have cast the spell, but to do so without informing us would be an absurdly bad idea. With nothing else to do, we press on, traversing compartment after compartment with no end in sight.
Yet with each cycle, I start noticing small differences here and there - subtle details like an extra row of benches, wider corridor space, or window’s view changed from long, ascending curves to a flat plateau.
Glancing back at my comrades, I took in their reactions to judge if they shared my concerns. One could easily dismiss these differences as the result of our limited pony perception. We expect consistency, so when we stop observing the details, we forget that which does not conform.
Shadow was the more skittish of the two, though even this wouldn’t be obvious if you weren’t paying attention. Every time we passed through a barrier, she would pause for half a step, her eyes darting around the room to spot any observable differences.
By contrast, Twister remained stone-faced, his stride unwavering. The only clue toward his suspicions was a small, almost imperceptible spark of magic on the tip of his horn. This small trickle of magic wasn’t nearly enough to cast a spell—continuous or otherwise—rather it was the unicorn equivalent of keeping your guard up.
“Sweet Celestia!”
Passing through our twentieth loop, Sharp Shadow’s startled cry brought us to an abrupt stop. Splayed out in the aisle before us was a horrific sight - the corpse of a green-robed unicorn mage. Their limbs were snapped backwards at unnatural angles, their horn split down the middle and face mangled beyond recognition.
Shadow turned her back on the corpse, face contorted in revulsion, but Twister continued to stare, his eyes wide at the sudden, violent fate that had befallen the unfortunate pony.
Holding my breath, I managed to suppress my gag reflex long enough to get a closer look. This isn’t my first time dealing with ghastly deaths, but rarely are the bodies in such a putrid state. If the level of decomposition was to be believed, this unicorn had been dead for several days, if not weeks. Yet another contradiction upon a mounting pile of impossibilities.
Light of Lady Luna, give me strength.
“What the bloody Tartarus happened here?” Shadow asked, turning back to me while shielding her eyes from the body. “This can’t be a reaction to the warding spells, can it?”
“I wish I could say it was,” I answered, taking long, slow breaths through my mouth to keep my heart rate under control. “There are magically induced seizures, and then there’s… whatever this is supposed to be. It looks more like a wild animal attack.”
Spell Twister didn’t comment, instead using his magic to hold his nostrils closed as he looked closer. “Oh, no…”
“What is it? What have you found?”
“Well, Cap, it’s… more what I haven’t found.”
“Haven’t found?” Shadow tilted her head.
“This pony’s shackles are gone.”
“No way.” Suppressing her disgust, Sharp pushed past Twister to see for herself. “I knew it! I knew I saw an intruder. You didn’t believe me, but here we have it: irrefutable, bloody evidence.”
“Nonsense! There’s gotta be another explanation.”
“So, what are you suggesting? That this unicorn freed itself in its sleep?”
“I… I dunno. It’d be super unlikely—”
“But not impossible, right?” She then turned to me. “C’mon, Cap, tell him.”
I looked upon my comrades with stoicism, considering my next words carefully. “You aren’t wrong, Cadet, but you aren’t wholly right. A mage has died in the line of duty; if we don’t find out why, others could follow. Even so, it’s still too early to suspect foul play.”
“Too early?” Sharp’s eye twitched, looking at me as if I were the one who had their head on backwards. “Like bucking Tartarus, it’s too early! I don’t care how strong their magic is, ye just don’t see ponies tying themselves in knots like that. If I’m supposed to believe there’s nowt wrong with the barrier, then some pony’s keepin’ us here, far away from our precious cargo.”
Overzealous as she may be, I couldn’t deny she had had a point. Any sense of normality within this train was quickly diminishing, and there would only be so much time to figure it out.
“All right, I have a plan. Sergeant Twister?”
“Huh?” the sergeant snapped to attention, a thick bead of sweat rolling down the side of his head.
“This may sound vague, but from the next compartment onwards, I need you to scan for magical anomalies. Right now, we need any leads we can get, so if anything looks even the smallest bit out of place, report it directly to me. Understood?”
“Yeah, uh, sure thing, Captain. Right away.”
It wasn’t long before the screaming returned. They were quieter—perhaps coming from the next carriage over—but no less intense. Upon crossing through, we caught sight of what they were screaming about.
The compartment illusion vanished, giving us a front-row seat of all the terrified unicorns in the carriage. Tears of coagulated blood streamed from their blank eyes, spewing waves of bubbling black tar from every orifice that wrapped around their bodies like blankets. Helpless, the liquid took its time in snapping their bones like twigs, savouring their screams until finally silencing them with one, sharp twist of their necks.
“You!” Once again, Sharp Shadow was the first to leap into action. This time, however, I saw exactly what she was chasing. It looked to my eyes like a silhouette, a pitch-black substance oozing over from a dead unicorn, as if to steal its form.
Shadow pounced, catching the dark pony between her hooves, for what little good it did. In its semi-fluid state, all it had to do was abandon its pony host and slip out from under her.
“Oh no, you don’t!” Pulling out a dagger from her armoured wing-tip, she wound up her shot before throwing it with all her strength.
Her dagger’s aim was true, but it wasn’t fast enough. The thing had already slipped away, squeezing through the cracks in the carriage door while the weapon embedded itself harmlessly into the frame.
Slumping to her knees, Shadow screamed with a deep, feral roar of frustration, slamming her forehooves on the flood. “Dammit, dammit, dammit! I bucking had it, I had the bucking kill!”
For a moment, all was silent, save for the defeated sobs of the young bat pony before me. Though I kept my expression impassive, I felt every bit of the gut punch that was her failure. Her instincts were as sharp as a razor, and for that, she had been effectively gaslit, made to look like an impulsive fool.
Light of Lady Luna, give me strength…
I moved to comfort her, but Spell Twister got there first, reaching out to put a hoof on her shoulder.
She spun around, drawing her remaining dagger with such speed that Twister had to teleport to avoid it.
“Don’t you bucking touch me!” she screams. “I don’t need yer pity or yer scorn! I know what you think I am: some foul-mouthed kid who thinks she’s all that. Well, guess bloody what? I’m a Bat Pony and part of the Night Shift, as much as you or the Captain, no matter what.”
“I know.”
“You… what?”
“I’m not an idiot, Sharp Shadow. I may be a real jerk to newbies, but I can’t ignore what’s right in front of my face. You said there was an intruder, I wanted evidence, and well, here we are. If you wanna punch me in the face for bein’ so dismissive, go right ahead; ‘Cause if a rookie like you has better instincts than me, then I deserve it for not doing my damned job well enough. This is a tough line of work, kid. Slackers need not apply, including myself.”
Shadow’s twitching eye was all the prompting I needed to intervene yet again. I swear, any lesser Captain would’ve told them to clear off by now. Thankfully, I know better, no matter how much it makes my head hurt. The faltering carriage lights didn’t help matters, all of which flickered and died one after another.
An awkward silence fell between us, but this newfound quiet was more than a simple absence of arguments.
This was silence like I’d never experienced before, an unearthly quiet which robbed the surroundings of any regular ambience. I heard no chuff from the engine, no clatter of carriage wheels over each section of track, nor even the flange squeal as we rounded tight corners.
The loudest thing in the room was my own heartbeat, spurred on by stress hormones up to a galloping crescendo. I almost preferred the bickering of my comrades to a quiet like this.
“As should be obvious, at this point,” I said, as much to fill the dead air as to give orders. “We have a serious containment breach on our hooves. I don’t know how or why this dark entity has gotten loose, but rule number one states to find, capture, and contain anomalous creatures at all costs. But first, Spell Twister, I need you to call for backup.”
“You got it, Captain.” The second he began the spell, his magic surged, erupting in a shower of wild, burning sparks. Fighting for control, he grabbed his horn, but the magic persisted, almost setting his hooves ablaze. Suddenly, the power burst in a flash, his magic dissipating all at once with a loud bang.
Shadow-stepping behind him, I managed to catch Spell Twister just as he collapsed backwards. “Are you okay?”
“I’ll be okay, Captain. Just a little burn.” He tried to downplay his injury with a weak smile, but his horn’s reddened scar suggested otherwise. “We’ve got a bigger problem, though. The barrier ain’t just active, it’s stronger.”
“Why would this thing, whatever it is, want the containment field to be stronger?” Shadow asked, though I suspect she already knew the answer.
“If we’re to get out of here,” I said, helping Twister to his hooves, “we should be prepared to change our mission. Rule number ten: where containment fails, extermination must follow.”
With bated breath, I led my comrades on and pulled open the balcony doors at the end of the carriage. This time, we found ourselves not in any compartment, but the full, unobstructed openness of the carriage we had just left.
My headache is getting worse, forcing me to stop regularly to steady myself and get my bearings. Whatever looping magic was keeping us trapped, it was certainly taking a toll on my mind. There are only so many impossibilities a pony’s mind can take in a single day, even for us.
The next loop changed the environment further. There was no trace of any unicorn mages, alive or dead, nor any of the furnishings they’d been attached to.
Despite his injury, Twister managed to maintain a simple light spell, guiding us through the darkness. None of us spoke a word. We’d done enough speculating for one night. Whatever we thought we were containing, we are almost assuredly wrong.
A sharp snapping noise captures my attention, stopping me dead in my tracks. I held up one of my wings, signalling for my team to stop. Closing my eyes, I clicked my tongue against the roof of my mouth, exploring the room through echolocation to potentially identify the sound’s origin. Alas, this, too, came up empty.
When I opened my eyes again, a wave of dizziness consumed me, blurring my vision and sending the room into a spin. Steeling myself, I threw out my wings, flapping them just enough to keep myself stable.
It was then that I saw it, a dark figure creeping across the ceiling.
I have faced vampires, werewolves, and daemons of all varieties, but nothing like this. It is a long, black shape, a light-absorbing void that looked vaguely equine, but with long, rake-like claws and sunken, glowing eyes.
The sound it made… oh Luna, it was horrible! A reverberating chatter, a throaty groan that set every hair to stand on end. It was looking straight at me, creeping towards me. Were my comrades seeing this?
Light of Lady Luna, grant me my strength. Light of Lady Luna, grant me my strength. Light of—
Its mouth opened – or rather, mouths, plural.
Its jaws clicked as it opened wide, wider, then wider still, ratcheting and splitting in four, still ever wider and—
“You alright there, Captain?”
Sharp Shadow’s voice shook me from my trance. I blinked, for a moment confused as the monster vanished.
“Oi, Captain. Equestria to Captain! Are ye still with us?”
I took a moment to breathe before responding, looking back and forth across the room. Only when I’m sure the thing is gone do I answer truthfully, as lying would certainly endanger us further.
“No, I’m not,” I said at last, my voice heavy with fatigue. “I think this thing, whatever it is, is hunting us. Myself in particular.”
“No offence, Cap, but why would it want you?” Spell Twister asked, brightening his light spell to accentuate his point.
“If you’re wondering why it’s not after you, I can only guess.”
“I bet that thing thinks we’re weak,” Shadow remarked, scraping her hoof across the floor like a bull before a charge. “I swear, when I finally get me hooves on that thing…”
“Um, Captain.” Twister raised his hoof hesitantly. “There’s, uh, something I think you should know.”
“Speak freely, Sergeant.”
“Since everything started goin’ wrong, I’ve been getting these headaches.”
“Wait, did you say headaches?”
“Uh, yeah, that’s right. I thought it was nothing at first, but they’ve been getting stronger. I think they have something to do with all this.”
“What about you, Cadet?”
“Me? Well… I guess I’ve been a little under the weather, but it doesn’t matter. I can still fight!”
“It does matter. If we’ve all been experiencing it, then it suggests the containment breach happened long before the unicorn magi were killed.”
Twister gulped. “Does that mean what I think it means?”
I wish I had the words to ease his fears. We had just exposed a serious flaw in the Night Shift’s containment methods, and the only reason we were still alive was a tragic lack of strategic importance.
“Yes,” I answered. “This train is lost. If we can no longer contain the artefact, then our only option is to destroy it. Shadow, break open the window. It’s time for us to leave.”
“On it!” Launching herself with a single flap of her wings, Shadow charged the window, hoof tensed as she wound up a punch.
The glass shattered, but she didn’t get through. Something else had already filled the void. Thousands of tiny, black insects swarm inside, biting at her with thick mandibles as they skitter down the length of her arm. Falling backwards, she landed on her wings hard, screaming as she broke into a roll to shake off the chattering bugs.
Rushing to Shadow’s side, I stamp my forehooves twice on the floor, clicking into place the hidden claws stored within my gauntlets. With all the fury I can muster, I slashed away at the swarm, yet no matter how many I cut down, there are always more to take their place.
Thus, it was Spell Twister’s turn to intervene, pushing through the pain to surge magic across his horn.
“Hey, bug boys! How about you ditch the appetisers and chow down on the main course?”
Like moths to a flame, the bugs abandon Sharp Shadow, following the call of unicorn power.
Panting heavily and drenched in sweat, Twister turned to me and smiled. “I suggest you look away.”
Realising what he was about to do, I threw myself over the fallen cadet, covering her eyes while shielding my own.
Then, his magic went critical. A searing blast of infrared heat washes over us, raining shattered pieces of horn that clatter around us. By the time my eyes re-focused, there was little left of him beyond a smouldering pile of ash.
“No!” Wriggling out from under me, Shadow scrambled over to Spell Twister’s remains, digging through them as if it were just another illusion. If only it were. “No, no, no! You weren’t supposed to die first, ye bucking idiot! That glory was supposed to be mine!”
“Get a hold of yourself, Cadet!” I tried to pull the rookie away, but she grabbed me first, pinning me to the floor.
“Shut up! You don’t get it.” She snapped, tears streaming down her face. “You don’t get it at all. All my life I’ve been fighting for recognition, to be more than just some petite damsel in distress. Do ye have any idea what it’s like to be considered the runt of the litter? I needed this!”
I wait a moment before responding. She was right; I didn’t know the sting of prejudice, not in the way she did. Even so, doing my due diligence as her commander and listening to her was the least I could do.
“I know we’re supposed to be working for the greater good of Equestria,” she continued, quieter this time. “I’m not stupid. I didn’t sign up to become a bat pony for fortune or fame or any of that shit. I did it because I need to be useful, to achieve something in my life that actually matters.”
“And you shall have that chance,” I replied, offering my hoof to help her up. “Rule Number One: Only in death does duty end. If you have fought to your last breath, you have made a difference, no questions asked.”
To this, she responded with a small, but mirthful chuckle. “Always by the book, aren’t ye? Even in the hardest of times, ye never once falter.” Drying her eyes, she looks up at me with a gentle smile and accepts my hoof. “Thanks, Captain. You’re one amazing leader.”
“It is my honour to serve,” I replied, reflecting her smile in equal measure. “Luna’s Containment Manual is more than just a foundational text for dangerous jobs like ours. It gives me structure, a way to contextualise things that would make the average pony go mad; though I must admit, even I have my limits.”
Shadow’s expression fell. I meant what I said when I mentioned contextualising. Now, it was time to put that to the test.
“What we’re dealing with… I’m no longer certain it’s caused by chaos magic.”
“What d’ye mean? Why would an artefact named after Discord, of all creatures, not be born of chaos magic?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted, pushing the words. “But I think whatever it is we’re dealing with, regardless of its origins, is something far worse than any god of chaos.”
Shadow gulped hard and sucked in a quick breath, puffing out her chest – an admirable show of restraint for a pony of her rank. “And if we’re to beat this thing, that’s what we have to find out, right?”
If only it were that simple. This was a creature listed in no bestiary, no legends or historical records. I barely had enough words to define what it was I saw before, beyond it being the very definition of dark magic made manifest.
And it was far from being done with us.
The sound was faint at first, and we both felt the chill shoot down our spines well before it became audible. But when we did, it came as laughter, bringing with it the creaking and snapping of wood as the carriage around us warped.
Walls bent, the floor twisted, windows compressed and then vanished. We both took flight, fighting to keep ourselves oriented as the outside moonlight dwindled away. The carriage didn’t remain dark for long, however; this time, the creatures wanted to be seen.
Hundreds of sickly green eyes with deep, purple pupils rippled open, transforming the railway carriage into a fleshy cavern, pulsating and contracting like the inside of a worm’s gut.
As before, the ethereal figure that stood before us was only vaguely equine in shape, sporting a curved, razor-thin horn that more closely resembled a sickle than any unicorn horn I’d seen. The rest of its body was much harder to define, a constantly shifting mass of magic that changed shape on a whim.
“Umbra Pony.” I mouthed the words silently, my mind desperately searching for something, anything within the Equish language to describe what I was seeing.
If what we deal with in the Night Shift is the stuff of nightmares, this goes far beyond even that – instilling all who witness it with the most primal sense of dread over the sheer wrongness of its existence. It was enough to make even my knees shake. Its long tendrils reached out to us, imposing a pressuring magical aura that made it hard to look away.
Hard, yes, but not impossible.
“Light of Lady Luna, grant me my strength!”
Willing myself to move, I used my hypnosis magic to wrench myself free of the dark bindings, slowly turning to look at my comrade. I will never forget the look of wide-eyed terror on Shadow’s face. It was like her breath had been ripped straight from her mouth, forcing her lungs to work overtime and catch up.
“Fight it, Cadet!” I yelled, crafting a fine balance of vocal authority and encouragement to appeal to her sense of reason. “Remember your purpose, the glory you seek!”
“C-Captain,” she stammered, her voice strained as the Umbra Pony dug its claws into her flesh. “I… must, but I… can’t hold…”
Gritting my teeth, I continued chanting my mantra, fighting back against the darkness with everything I had. No matter what this thing was, I still had a job to do, and I would see it to the end, one way or another.
“Sharp Shadow, listen carefully and repeat after me. Light of Lady Luna, grant me my strength.”
“L-light— Light of Lady Lu-Luna, grant m-me my… strength…”
“Again! Light of Lady Luna, grant me my strength.”
“Light of… Lady Luna, grant me my strength!”
With each repetition, Shadow pushed herself forward, fighting back against the Umbra pony one step at a time. Screaming this mantra at the top of her lungs, she lunged for it with wing blades drawn. I watched with bated breath as she flew at the monster, a look of pure rage burning behind her eyes.
She only made it halfway.
The Umbra Pony’s magic surged, catching her in mid-air. The dark power crept over her, starting with her wings, then her hooves, then her body, dissolving flesh and bone as if it were submerged in a vat of acid. I could do nothing but watch as Sharp Shadow screamed her lungs out, crying as she frantically tried to wriggle her way out of its magical grasp.
Her screaming stopped when it reached her chest. Her eyes rolled back, and her head went limp, once again leaving me in total silence.
It was upon her death that I realised something. It wasn’t until she’d broken free from that she had been consumed. It had never been out to kill us; it was eliminating obstacles.
“All right, demon,” I proudly announced, holding my head high. “Let's bargain.”
The Umbra Pony looked at me, tilting its head.
“You want the Third Eye of Discord, but you need a host to access it. If that’s the case, I willingly submit myself to you. Make me your host and try to control me, because I guarantee I am the only pony on this train who will ever be resilient enough to handle you. So, what is your decision? Will you go around murdering ponies until you find the perfect fit? Or choose me, the longest-serving Bat Pony in Equestrian History?”
To that, the Umbra Pony only had one answer. Opening its jaws wide, it lunged for me, enveloping me for the final time in total darkness.
They found me when the train stopped for water. All the other Night Shift soldiers in the caboose had been completely oblivious to the unfolding events of the next carriage over. I can only imagine their shock as they laid eyes upon the busted-up interior, finding me lying amongst the bloodied corpses of every unicorn I’d sworn to protect.
None of that mattered to me. I had contained the threat. I had done my job. The Third Eye of Discord was safe, the Umbra Pony’s magic locked away within my body. That is where it shall stay forever, no matter what it does to me.
And so, this brings me to my fate, locked within the highest-security confinement cell within Night Shift headquarters. By Luna’s decree, I am to be kept on life support, immobile in an antimagic field, until such a time they can safely study the Umbra Ponies – if indeed there is more than one.
Call it blind faith, call it desperation, but I still have hope for the future. Perhaps beyond the Everhoof Mountains, so long abandoned, we will find a way to vanquish this hidden evil, once and for all.
Only then will I be permitted to die.