//------------------------------// // Night Zero // Story: The Four and One Erebi Nights // by RandomBlank //------------------------------// The Four and One Erebi Nights or The Reading of the Yeherebi Dastan in four parts, days in between included. Night Zero during which Princess Luna costs Ice Pack a customer. Ice Pack dragged his hooves in and closed the door behind him. Home at last. His little, cozy, private home where he can feel somewhat safe. Need shower, need lunch... later. Now, rest. He took a look over the luxurious oversized sofas and armchairs he’d managed to get cheap from one of his customers. No, he’d stain the expensive upholstery with secretions of his customers. He lay on the soft carpet and pulled a warm blanket over himself. A hour or two of sleep... then bath, meal and maybe a new book. A few hours of calm. Unless there’s a customer through the agency. Sleep... blissful sleep. A harsh knocking on the door. Ice Pack dragged his hooves to the door. He pulled them open, still dazed. “Service us, zebra!” His heart jumped. There were the two fillies. One pink, with a purple-white mane and a tiara on her head, and the other light grey filly with bigger-than-needed glasses. His heart crawled up his throat. “I... really can not. You are too young. I will get in trouble if I do.” “You’ll get in trouble if you don’t...” “Please, girls! Really, I am on probation already!” “That means if you don’t do what we want, you’re going to prison, right?” The pink one was more assertive. “I will make it worth your while,” the grey one grinned. “I want to TASTE IT!” The two grinned maliciously. Their teeth began showing in their grins. They licked their lips, their teeth way too triangular, way too sharp. The insides of their mouths dark, their eyes gaining a red tint around the edges. He slammed the door shut, breathing hard and resting against it. Another hard knock. “Police, open up you scoundrel!” He began to run, trying to squeeze under a couch as the door burst open. A dark silhouette stepped in. The heavy, iron-shod hooves approached his hiding spot and stopped dead. Ice Pack’s heart was pounding impossibly fast. Then the pony peered under the couch. A pair of big, rather friendly eyes in a pretty, elongated face adorned with a long horn and flowy mane peered into terror-filled eyes of the zebra. Then, in one long sigh, the fear was gone. The zebra deadpanned. “Will you lecture me about facing my fears again?” “Again?” “You are a mental projection of Princess Luna. You help ponies deal with their fears.” He crawled from under the bed and sat on the couch, inviting the image of Princess to take place opposite. “Can we skip the argument this time? Just send me somewhere nice to relax?” “What argument?” The image frowned. “I may be just a throwaway figment of the Princess’ imagination to dissolve the moment you wake up, but might you at least give me the skinny of it? Maybe I can do something?” “Convincing me to act up will not work. Last time I tried, the nice policeponies beat me really bad. They told not to say lies on daughter of nice mister Rich. I asked him to have a talk with me. They visited me again and beat me for showing up near his house. He blackmailed the teacher. She will not dare to help. I am on a probation based on their lies. I can only dream about appealing it to Canterlot.” The astral projection frowned. “This seems really bad. And you say one of us visited you already and decided giving you a nice, restful dream is all that can be done?” “One told me to face my fears. Then I got beaten. Twice. Then I had an argument with another. She promised good, restful dreams. She promised my nightmares would not return. It did not work, as you see. You are the third.” The mare frowned deeper, not even trying to conceal her ire. “And my short-sighted original did not foresee this and didn’t give me any way to contact her or do anything about the real world. Of course you won’t solve your problem all by yourself. Can’t you ask another pony for help?” “And get them beaten by the police too? This way, at least, I am the only one getting beaten.” “That’s... quite noble of you.” “I can always move out... run away. A different place may be nicer. Break probation, escape Equestria.” “I hate to admit it, but you may be right. But give me one more chance to help.” “What can you do?” The mental projection of Luna closed her eyes. “...I can’t do powerful magic, and you are a zebra, not a unicorn, so I can’t use yours... There is barely enough of my substance to power a weak spell. This must be subtle, a gentle nudge that will set events in motion... affect the chance... alter the fates... and you are a nice zebra. My original should like you enough once you meet...” The projection of alicorn opened her eyes brightly aglow. “I won’t give you nice dreams this time, I need all the power I have. Give the fortune a chance...” A ring of magic appeared around the alicorn’s horn, a very complex though subtle ring of symbols and arcane shapes. And as the figment began vanishing, starting with tail and hind hooves, the spell filled with light... Her abdomen, front hooves, chest and neck vanished, feeding its power through the horn to the spell, and then after her head was gone, the horn itself was consumed as the ring of magical symbols shone one more time and vanished in bright lights. “Give the fortune a chance... chance... chance...” Ice Pack lay back trying to relax. He didn’t hold his hopes too high, but then... would he dare to throw this all away and run again? Seek refuge... where? He thought about the encounter... No relaxing in warm tropical beach this time, but at least he was lucid, he could just wish any horrors away... If the original is as kind as these figments... Eh, stupid, him meeting the Princess? Stop dreaming, Ice Pack... *RING*RING* There, he jinxed it. He forced his eyes open and crawled up to the phone. “Ice Pack, Can I help?” “Hi,” a friendly voice sounded. “It’s Silky Voice, just calling you to tell you the customer has canceled the four next nights.” “Thank you.” He winced. Breaking even during the cold season was hard. Four whole nights, that’s some good money. “Did she tell why?” “She had a dream about her coltfriend finding out.” “She does not have a coltfriend.” “You’re telling me.” One could almost hear the shrug from the receiver. “Okay, bye.” “Take care.”