//------------------------------//
// Bonds 
// Story: To Find Equilibrium 
// by Slywolf930 
//------------------------------//

Bonds
“I can explain…” Synth said facing the stern looking alicorn. They were back into the room where Synth had his talk with Luna the night before. Currently, she was talking to them from a close distance on the other side of the room of the door. They had slowly backed away from her as she walked closer to them. Synth and Shade were now in the corner looking at the pissed off Princess.
“We’re sure thou will, but first a word a warning. If we don’t like thy explanation, there will be consequences…” Luna looked towards him without blinking. Synth cowered back a little further in his corner.
“Well you see, I really wanted to win-“ Synth had been thinking of what to say since he’d been escorted to the room.
“We don’t believe thee, the Synth we know would not go to such lengths to win a superficial game. That game was meant to practice thy abilities, not drive out thy competitive nature.” Luna looked more forcefully at him and Synth heard Shade chuckle.
“AND THEE!” Shade nearly hopped to the ceiling as she pointed her hoof at him.
“It is a pleasure to meet thee…” She whispered as she patted his head causing him to flinch.
Synth went into a state of shock and Shade’s eye was twitching. They looked at each other and then at Luna who was now smiling at both of them. Synth was about to respond but Luna put hoof to his mouth and silenced him. She looked towards the doors and magically threw a bucket at the double doors. It made a solid thump as it made contact with the doors.
“Ow! Luna, couldn’t you just ask me to leave?” Came a calm yet slightly irritated voice from the other side. Luna just gave a small laugh before responding.
“I thought I told you to stop snooping into my business. I can rule on my own, sis.” Luna turned back to them as she heard a groan and hoofsteps of someone leaving.
“Okay, now where were we?” Luna turned towards them still smiling. Shade had gotten his eye to stop twitching but Synth was still in shock and looked very confused.
“W-What?” was all Synth said as she continued to look at him.
“Would thee mind telling us the rest of thy explanation?” Luna said her smile not changing. It made Synth feel… safe. He decided to continue what he was going to say and was more relaxed as she continued to smile.
“Well… I know it was a game, but they were being jerks about it. I couldn’t let them just beat me, so I may have let Shade have his moment…” Synth looked up to see she was now more relaxed looking and her smile was only slightly smaller. Shade was mumbling something about superbia until Luna spoke.
“We thought so, thy magic boost was great. When we arrived, we noticed how Comet easily weakened thee. There was no other way thou could have won so easily.” Luna turned towards Shade who was slowly getting out of the same corner that Synth was in.
“We must say that thy decision may have been…rash. But nothing bad came about it.” She her face stopped smiling for a moment as her next words were said. “Until the end, when Shade almost…” She let her voice trail off as she suddenly smiled again.
“But we saw how thou regained control. We wouldn’t have made it if Shade continued, so thankfully his power isn’t as great as we feared.” She noticed Shade frown and she looked at him closely. Her interest changed as Synth was getting out of the corner slowly. Synth saw her look though, and decided to explain.
“Luna, meet Shade.” Synth motioned his hoof forward to Luna and then Shade in turn until she reached out and touched his face.
“Hey! Stop it…” Shade replied as she almost poked his eye.
Luna pulled her hoof back quickly and turned to Synth like he was crazy. She turned back to Shade and then Synth and back to Shade and then reached back out to touch Shade’s face again.
“Don’t do it. I swear I’ll-“ Shade began to say.
‘I’ll punt you as far as I can if you try to threaten her…’ Synth thought to him before he could continue.
‘That wouldn’t be very far…’ Shade replied. Luna just raised an eyebrow as her hoof stopped and she waited for him to continue.
‘I don’t know, the balcony edge is a long drop…’ Synth said and Shade didn’t respond, instead just looking at the princess with the look of an angel on his face.
“That’s what I thought…” Synth said looking at the rabbit who just stared back. Luna was now looking at him and Synth realized he said that out loud.
“Care to explain? Luna asked him and Synth nodded thinking of how he would explain.
“Well, you see… Shade and I can talk in my mind. He can also do everything he could do before, if I let him. So I let him try one of the spells in the book you gave me and here we are…” Synth said pointing to the rabbit that was innocently sniffing the grass.
“So, thou are saying Shade is now an adorable bunny?” Synth saw Luna’s eyes sparkle as she put her face close to Shade’s.
“Would thee enjoy a carrot?” Luna pulled a carrot from somewhere Synth didn’t see and gave it to Synth who devoured it hungrily.
“Much appreciated. Got any Celery?” Shade asked looking up and trying to get his eyes to convince her.
“Aha! So it is true… I’ll have the guards bring some immediately. CELERY!” Luna yelled as she turned towards the door.
“Um, Luna I don’t think-“ Synth started before the doors were slammed and Luna blushed.
She used her magic and the locks on the doors were undone. They were then slowly opened and on the ground was a guard with a tray of celery on his back. A big lump on his head was now forming. He groaned and Luna muttered thanks as she levitated the tray and a few fallen celery pieces into the room. She redid the locks on the door and gave placed the tray on Synth’s back.
“Okay, now let’s continue.” She looked to Shade who was trying to jump on Synth’s back to get the plate. She used her magic and Shade was pulled away before he could grab one.
“Uh Luna, no offense but why the celery?” Synth was looking to his back where the celery was starting to fall off his back.
She smiled and looked to the rabbit as she lifted him down the ground. “Training. We need to teach this new Shade to be a normal bunny. These will be treats for-“ Luna was stopped by Shade’s laughter and how Synth dropped the plate on the ground where the celery fell into a pile.
“Luna… he won’t be a rabbit forever. It’s a summoning spell, Shade just found a way to make himself control it personally…” Synth looked to the rabbit who finished his laughing and was now jumping onto the pile of celery like a pile of diamonds.
Luna frowned and walked up to Shade who was too busy eating to notice her approach. She lifted her hoof above Shade’s head.
“Synth, could thee close thy eyes. Do not open them until we are finished…” Luna gave him a weird smile and Synth closed his eyes.
‘Hey, what is she- ah! She’s covering my mouth!’ Synth heard muffled cries of protest and smiled.
‘Now she’s… why do I feel like this is going to end bad?’ Synth was trying really hard to not open his eyes and Shade’s protests were adding to how much he wanted to see.
‘Why is she shoving my mouth full of Celery? And why do I feel like this is a game?’ Shade said as his rabbit form continued to try and protest.
“Okay, now tell us Synth. What did we do to Shade?” Synth kept his eyes closed but the smile was on his face.
“You put celery in his mouth, and he didn’t like it very much.” He opened his eyes to see Shade choking on the large amounts of celery that were in his mouth. He was jerking around, probably gasping for breath and Synth dropped to the floor in laughter.
“Very good, it seems thou can communicate telepathically,” She said with a sly smile on her face. “Although we’d like to make one more test…” She took the  large amounts of celery out of Shade’s mouth and he gasped for air. He was panting for a long time and Luna just stood above him smiling.
‘I’m going to kill that b-‘ Shade ran forward and Synth quickly picked himself off the floor to literally punt him over the balcony edge. He watched as the rabbit hurled into the foggy depths below.
“Sorry, I should have waited for you to finish your sentence.” Synth lost sight of him and he swore he heard a splash below.
‘What the fuck man? I didn’t even say it out loud!’ Synth heard Shade as he spoke.
“Well how did dying feel?” Was all Synth could ask as Shade quieted down.
‘Actually, it wasn’t bad. My body kind of turned into smoke half way down. At least I feel like I got some power back.’ Synth looked back from over the edge to see Luna looking at him.
“What?” he asked as she continued to stare.
“Can… thou summon another?” Luna looked at Synth but the question was to Shade.
‘Tell her to go fuck herself.’ Shade said suddenly.
“He said not right now, maybe tomorrow Luna.” Synth said, getting a grunt from Shade.
“Oh very well, another time. Maybe we could continue with what we had planned tonight.” She looked to the balcony as, sure enough, the moon was rising.
“Now, about thy practice today…” She looked to Synth who gulped. 
“Thy has beaten the best strategist in Celestia’s guard and nearly…obliterated him in the process. Thy actions will not be ignored…” Synth gulped again and took a step back. Luna reached behind her and pulled out a box.
“Thou gets a cookie!” Luna said levitating a box of chocolate striped sugar cookies.
Synth’s jaw dropped until she shoved one of the cookies into it. He closed it and decided they were actually pretty good. Synth finished the cookie and stopped Luna before she gave him another.
“But I thought that was a bad thing? I almost… killed him!” Synth said but Luna just smiled back before replying.
“But thou didn’t. Thou stopped Shade from killing him, and it’s because of thy training that allowed for thee to get that far. We believe that thou had the right intention, so thou are forgiven.” Luna said again offering the box of cookies towards him.
Synth was about to reach out and grab one but Shade’s voice entered his head.
‘She said a cookie… not plural, see?’ Shade said.
‘Well how about I eat one for you?’ Synth said reaching in and grabbing a second cookie. He put it in his mouth and felt nothing after that.
‘This is good, you’ve gotta try it.’ Shade said as Synth’s mouth was chewing by itself.
‘Hey, how are you controlling my mouth?’ Synth asked as he put his hooves to his face to hide the fact Shade was chewing with his mouth open.
‘Eh, I had some extra magic and this cookie had my name on it…’ Shade said as he finished chewing and Synth slowly began to feel his mouth go back under his control.
“Um, so Luna… If you thought I did so good, why did you seem so angry earlier?” Synth asked as she just looked at him.
“Well we were informed that to rule, one must use force to show dominance. Then when we have them cowering, we display the good news.” Luna said like it was common sense and Synth shook his head.
“And who told you that?” Synth asked.
“Our sister, she told us before we went to see thee… Oh,” Luna sighed and mumbled something under her breath but Synth couldn’t hear her.
‘Wow, Celestia’s a troll. I can’t believe she’s been ruling alone for a thousand years and nopony has said anything…’ Shade said as Luna looked towards the sky.
‘Troll? She doesn’t look that bad.’ Synth said trying to piece together what Shade said.
‘No I meant the kind of troll that-“ Shade was interrupted as Luna turned back to him frowning.
“It’s late. Thou should get some rest. Tomorrow is a new day and we hope to see thee further improve. Thy Night Eye has seemed to improved, so the training has accomplished it’s goal. We will see thee tomorrow.” Luna said as she magically undid the locks on the door.
Synth didn’t argue as he did feel a little worn out from the constant magic usage. He walked out the door and noticed the guard with the bump on his head had now put on his helmet. It looked like the bump caused the helmet to rise a little though, as he nodded to Synth approaching and it wobbled.
Synth nodded back and continued to walk in the direction of the stairs.  He walked up them quickly and found his room without disturbance. He noticed it was cleaned spotless and repeated what he’d done the night before. He fell asleep almost instantly as Shade didn’t say a word.
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Synth was sitting atop a huge tree overlooking a playground. He watched as the fillies ran around and played with each other. Some of them were being rough, but he understood. They’ll grow up eventually and they’ll learn what’s right and wrong.
He looked over to seven specific fillies that were in their little group in the corner of the playground. He watched as one of them took the other’s ball and was given a punch to face by a red coated filly. He tried to get up and stop them but now the tree he was sitting in wrapped it’s limbs around him and held him in place.
He was forced to look back as the other fillies around them reacted differently. One of them picked up the ball that was dropped and ran away, his cutie mark appearing before he went out of sight. It was an orange outlined bit that was filled in with gold.
He looked to the others and found one of male fillies laying in the grass next to a female filly who was stuffing her face with ice cream. He noticed that she just received her cutie mark and it was a yellow outlined bone. The other one also received his and it was light blue outlined pillow. He yawned and fell asleep.
Synth looked at the others and noticed one of the male fillies looking at the two on the ground. His cutie mark appeared and it was a green outlined diamond. He stomped away after a few seconds. The fight was still going on, but it was completely one sided. Suddenly, the last filly in the group jumped into the fray and pulled them apart. The one who was dominating suddenly sat down and his cutie mark appeared a red fire clear on his flank.
The other one with cuts on his face sat down as well looking around for something.  His cutie mark appeared as a red outlined heart filled with grey. The only one still standing suddenly talked to them and his cutie mark appeared flashing dark blue before settling down. It was a Blue outlined crown with a grey fill.
Suddenly the sky darkened and one by one, they all came back. Standing single file, from when their cutie marks appeared. Suddenly half of them disappeared and only four were left standing. It was the one with the fire mark, the one with the blue crown, the one with the green diamond and the one with a red heart.
They looked directly at him before suddenly the blue one started to flicker and fade. The others slowly faded away as well. Leaving him to stare at the barren park. Lightening cut the sky and the light struck the ground. When it finished, there was a colt standing in the park now. He had the same sword from the night before and he dragged it along the ground as he walked towards Synth. His voice echoed across the area as he sung another song.
“You gotta kill when you gotta kill”
“Yeah that’s what they say.”
“And I can’t go against god’s will”
“You better pray.”
The colt disappeared in a flash of lightning and Synth ducked as a slash of the sword went over him. His mind was racing but only one thought went through his head.
“Why are you singing?” Synth asked as he sidestepped a chop from the sword.
“To sing when you’re hurt”
“To sing when you cry”
“To sing when you live”
“And to sing when you die!”
He charged forward and mindlessly slashed. A lightning cut across the sky and Synth saw the flash of his coat color. It was a dark grey. He jumped away from another slash and ran the other direction. He made it to the edge of the playground and he turned around to see the colt gone.
“You put me through hell with this,”
“So fuck you let’s just end this!”
Synth ducked as the sword almost hit his head form behind
“That didn’t rhyme!” He yelled as he ran away again from the colt. He slipped and skid across the ground until he was looking up at the colt with the sword pointed at his throat.
“Checkmate.” He said before thrusting forward with his sword.
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Synth jumped out of his bed as he awakened from his dream. He slipped off the bed and dragged the covers with him. He untangled himself just as Luna came into the room.
“Synth is thee alright?” Luna asked as she closed the door behind her to keep the guards from entering.
“Y-yeah, I just had a nightmare…” Synth looked towards Luna who raised an eyebrow.
“We blocked all of Shade’s intrusions though, that would be impossible.” Luna said.
‘That wasn’t me. Why does she always think it was me?’ Synth heard Shade say and he could tell he wasn’t lying.
“Shade said it wasn’t him, and I believe him.” Synth said.
“Very well, if it wasn’t Shade then whom might have caused thy nightmare?” Luna asked.
‘Let me explain. It was-‘ Shade started but Synth stopped him.
‘Just come out and explain yourself. I don’t want to repeat this…’ Synth said letting Shade take control of his magic.
‘Ugh, Acedia all right.’ Then Shade performed the spell he’d used the day before. At first, there was a dark aura on Synth’s horn, then it faded back to green and a small black shape began to form into the white rabbit. He fell on the ground and stretched his legs.
“Ah, much better…” Shade said and noticed Luna was looking at him with a glint in her eye.
“If you try anything, I’m killing myself and you won’t find out about the prophecy.” Shade said and it caused both Synth and Luna to close their mouth intrigued by his knowledge.
“Okay, well first off that wasn’t a nightmare. Well maybe the second part of it was…” He made sure they were still listening and continued.
“Luna, you created me. Do you remember what it is you gave me?” He turned towards Luna who was scratching her head and then shook it.
“Exactly, the Elements of Harmony had a direct hit on you. The Elements have many side effects, and memory loss is on the list. Synth here,” Shade pointed at Synth who leaned in a little closer. “Was only hit by a small amount.”
Luna and Synth sat on the bed as Shade changed where he was standing. He then cleared his throat and continued.
“I didn’t want to let go, but Synth was trying to force me back in his mind. So he was halfway out when it hit us. The Elements did their best to get rid of me, but half of me was inside him. So it eradicated the outside part, along with Synth’s outside part.” He stopped to make sure they were still paying attention.
“But why did it hurt me?” Synth asked rubbing his head.
“Because of your past… but that’s not important. Right now you just need to realize that I’m still here because you didn’t let the Elements hit me directly. And because you were partially hit, one of the side effects got you too.” Shade took a breath and continued.
“Do you recognize these words: Luxuria, Acedia, Invidia, Gula, Superbia, Avaricia, and Ira?” Shade said to which Synth nodded.
“You said some of those yesterday, when you were describing my behavior…” Synth said as he remembered a few.
“Yes, it was only a hunch but after yesterday’s performance and the nightmare you just had, it can only be one thing…”
“But that doesn’t make sense! Synth is not a devil! Thou are telling lies!” Luna was almost yelling to Shade who took a step back.
“It’s the only answer princess, and I’m surprised you remember. I was sure you’d forgotten about the scroll.” Shade said taking a step forward to the alicorn as she held a surprised expression on her face.
“We… do remember… but how is it that thee knowest of the wicked scroll?” Luna asked to the rabbit who pointed towards Luna as he answered.
“You gave me your memories remember. I know everything that anyone has dreamed of while you were on the moon. And I know what you know before you were banished to the moon. Remember, you were the one who gave me life.” Shade now looked to Luna and she lowered her head a little.
“That’s enough Shade, I think we get it. But what scroll are you talking about?” Synth said but Luna was shaking her head.
“Only tell him the importance. We… must be going…” Luna turned to go and Synth could only watch her go as she solemnly walked out the door and convinced all of the guards to leave.
“Okay, listen I’ll only say this once…” Shade said getting Synth’s attention. “Luxuria, Acedia, Ira, Avaricia, Gula, Invidia, and Superbia are all traits of the devil. Those are the Latin names for the… Seven deadly sins.”
Synth recoiled now recognizing those words from old mythology and history tales. Synth sighed and continued. “You’ve already shown signs of some of those. The others will show up eventually, in the prophecy it talks about a devil with those sins on his shoulders destroying Equestria. Luna and Celestia thought it was a joke when they first got it, but it came with signs to watch out for.” Synth looked over his shoulder probably to make sure Luna really left.
“I shouldn’t tell you the signs, because some of them happened. Just know this… you showed Superbia yesterday when you did all you could to win… you felt pride.” Shade said then stopped to make sure Synth heard that.
“Wait, so the nightmare I had…” Synth said recalling the seven fillies in the playground.
“Those were the seven deadly sins, and it was a warning. Pride was just felt, so next would be Ira. I’m sure that’ll be easy to tell when it happens though…” Shade said and then looked back to Synth with a very serious expression for a rabbit.
“That second part of the nightmare…. It happened two days in a row now. I’m sure you know what it meant…” Shade said and Synth thought about the dark grey colt with the sword.
“No, it was too weird. I don’t even remember that guy…” Synth said trying to place where he’d seen him before.
“Well, I really liked his songs. They’re catchy and the lyrics are easy to remember. I might have to take his advice and sing everything…” Shade said looking at Synth with a smile on his face.
“Don’t even think about it. My life is bad enough… first I find a devil in my head and then I find out I’m a devil too…” Shade said his voice getting lower.
“Actually, the prophecy could be wrong and this could all be a coincidence. It’s not like you plan to destroy Equestria anytime soon…” Shade said trying to comfort Synth and he was a little shocked at that fact.
“Are you… trying to be nice to me?” Synth asked looking at Shade while narrowing his eyes.
“Well, I guess I’ve got a soft side… ugh, did I just make a rabbit joke?” Shade looked to Synth who was smiling warmly.
“Yes… I think you just did...” Synth said before putting on his cloak and necklace and heading out the door.
“Hey where are you going?” Shade asked hopping quickly to catch to him as he reached the stairs.
“Well I just thought… If I’m going to be a devil, I want to be ready for it.” Synth hurried down the stairs and Shade followed him. He thought about tripping him again, but the look on his face made him reconsider.
“And how are you going to do that?” Shade asked as they reached the bottom.
“By training, I’m going not going to give in to the devil. I’m going down fighting…” Shade said as he galloped to the gardens to wait for the guards to begin his training.
Shade could only watch as he opened the doors and walked out into the light of the rising sun. “Oh, there’ll be a fight alright…” He whispered as he jumped on Synth’s back without getting a protest.
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“How many rocks do they have?” Synth asked as he dodged to avoid an incoming boulder.
‘You do know the ground is all rock right?’ Shade said as he watched another boulder be picked up by Nova who hurled it in Synth’s general area.
“Couldn’t you at least give me a warning when they throw ano-“ Synth never finished because he was hit in the back of his leg by the huge rock.
“Stop talking to yourself and use your magic!” He heard Slash say as Silver healed his injury.
“Well, it helps me concentrate… and besides I can’t do this spell for everything they throw at me, it’s one of the tougher ones…” Synth said as his leg was fully recovered for the tenth time that morning.
“That’s why you have to use it more. You wanted a more advanced spell and here it is. Just remember, don’t get hit.” Silver said as Split cast the spell and teleported the pair out of harm’s way.
Almost instantly, another chunk of earth was thrown in his direction. Synth cast the spell and moved clear out of the way of the earth. The spell suddenly stopped and his momentum carried him forward to land on his face.
‘Roll’ Synth heard Shade say from inside his head.
Synth rolled to the left and nearly avoided Streak who landed right where he was before. The ground broke from under his feet and Synth saw the grin on his face before he grabbed a chunk of loosened rock and flew back into the air out of sight.
‘And why can’t you do this with me?’ Synth asked as he saw another boulder being thrown his direction.
‘I’m a rabbit, this has nothing to do with me.’ Shade replied as Synth avoided the rock. The collision of the rock on the ground though, caused a spray of dirt to get in his eyes.
“Fuck…” Synth was blinded and he heard the whiz of a boulder being thrown into the air.
‘Left.’ He heard Shade say and took a few steps to the left. He was hit by the rock and was thrown across the air. He landed on his back and just as he rolled on his side, another rock piece hit his thigh.
“Wow, you okay?” Synth opened his eyes to see Silver healing his wounds again and Shade making a shield of darkness to protect them from Nova’s never-ending rock assault.
“I’m just fine. It’s not like I feel like I’m going to die any second now…” Synth said trying to get sarcasm in his voice but it was just a wheeze as the dust in the air caught in his throat.
“Oh well, I gotta hand it to Streak. He got a bullseye from all the way up there…” Split motioned upward and he noticed Streak waving at them without the rock he picked up earlier.
“Oh, that’s what hit me?” Synth said as he got up from the ground.
“Yeah, next time use the spell a little more…” Silver said as he finished the spell and nodded at Split.
They teleported again, and Synth used his magic to dodge the next two rock throws and Streak’s sudden air to ground landing. His magic drained itself suddenly and Synth ducked to avoid a boulder almost taking his head off.
‘Fuck, this is difficult..’ Synth said to Shade as he activated his magic again to avoid another rock from Nova.
‘Well, if you let me help…’ Shade said and Synth was shaking his head although the rabbit couldn’t see him from that far away.
‘I’m doing this myself, I need the practice not you…’ Synth said as he was nailed in the head by Streak’s falling rock.
His horn actually cut it in half before it hit the floor, but it caused his magic to fail itself and he didn’t dodge the next throw from Nova.
“And you were doing so good…” Synth heard Slash say as he noticed him hovering above with his notepad in his hooves.
“At least I’m improving…” Synth said as Split appeared and blocked the next boulder before it hit him.
“But I’m starting to get tired from the constant healing. Nova also looks like he’s not having the best time… But that’s just Nova.” Silver said gesturing to the unicorn who was still levitating rocks and scratching his name into them before throwing them wildly into the battlefield.
“I don’t get how he can do that… so many rocks and he manages to nail me almost everytime…” Synth said spreading his hooves and laying down on the ground while Silver sat to rest.
“That’s just Nova… Streak looks like he’s having a blast…” Split said pointing up and sure enough, Streak was doing circles in the sky to gain momentum for his next throw. The smile on his face was a cruel one and he looked ready to kill.
“That reminds me, how long is Comet going to keep us waiting?” Synth said as Silver returned to his healing spell.
“Well, his skull was cracked and his left foreleg was dislocated, so I’d say he’ll be back tomorrow.” Slash said as he lifted back to the sky to his vantage point.
“Yeah, just be glad he’s not here today. Otherwise we’d be playing dodgerock…” Split said as he lowered the spell and looked to Silver.
“Isn’t that what this is? Synth asked as he got up slowly ready to continue the practice.
“But… Comet always compacts his rocks before he throws them… It’s different trust me…” Silver said before nodding to Split and they left once again leaving Synth to dodge a very fast throw from Streak and then use his magic to sidestep a small fast rock from Nova.
This is going to be a long morning… Synth thought as he tripped and barely avoided the next throw.
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“Are thee sure thou is alright?” Luna asked looking over his injuries.
“Of course… no pain no gain right?” Synth said from his position on the floor. He was currently holding his head as he felt another headache coming on.
“We are not sure… perhaps a day off is in order.” Luna said as she picked up the rabbit and held it in front of her. “What does thou think of that?” She asked the rabbit almost as if he was a stuffed animal.
“Eh, anything beats watching Synth slowly bleed out. I want to do it myself, not let some dawn guards for me.” Shade said and Luna instantly dropped him.
“Brute, we thought thou had improved in thy attitude.” Luna said looking at the rabbit completely differently.
“Go easy on him Luna. It’s just Shade being Shade. He did make me this after all…” Synth presented Luna his new cloak and she just looked it over before handing it back, not noticing the words on the collar.
“Well, one gift is not enough to trust him. But we suppose that if thee finds him acceptable… he will be forgiven.” Luna walked back to Shade and patted his head slowly before unlocking the doors and walking out.
“We will see thee tomorrow night. Until then, take it easy. No training tomorrow, that will be postponed until further notice.” Luna walked away and Synth slowly followed her out the doors and walked towards the stairs.
Shade was following him and jumped on his back refusing to go up the stairs on his own. Synth just sighed before starting the descent. These stairs felt like they were getting longer every day…
“Now who’s acting Acedia, huh?” Synth asked as he reached the top and walked towards the door to his room.
He opened the door and looked around for anything out of the ordinary, but nothing seemed different. His bed was made for him though, but he was too tired to care. He prepared himself for bed and laid down sighing from the weariness inside of him.
“Goodnight Synth, Sweet dreams…” Shade said before his rabbit body faded from next to the bed and the smoke entered Synth’s horn.
“Night Shade, see you tomorrow…” Synth said as his eyes closed slowly.
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“Greed…”
“Who’s there?” Synth thought as the dark shadows around him whispered words.
“Sloth…”
“Come out!” Synth yelled hearing the voiced getting closer.
“Pride…”
“What do you want?” Synth asked as the shadows suddenly receded and the grey colt came into view.
“Your Lust…” He whispered walking closer.
“Stay back!” Synth yelled backing away.
“Your Envy…” He spoke more loudly, his mouth pulling out the sword on his side.
“Stop!” Synth yelled his eyes going wide at the sight of the blade.
“Your Wrath!” The grey colt raced forward and Synth dodged the slash of the blade.
Synth heard the grey colt start to sing again.
Synth dodged another slash but not before seeing his hooves being coated in red he looked up to the grey colt who had his head tilted and was looking into his eyes.
Unforeseen Edit: I had to take out the lyrics, so this scene makes a lot less sense, but please stop reading, thanks.
Synth instantly started to shake as memories itched the back of his mind. He knew who this was now. It all made sense, the door he came from, the playground, and now he’s here to get revenge.
His evil smile flashes as he drove the blade into Synth’s chest right next to the heart. Synth watched as he took it out and held it above the heart’s location and pressed lightly.
“Please…” Synth whispered as he pushed against Synth’s skin covering his vital organ.
The figure stopped and looked him right in the eye before shaking his head. The shadows surrounded him before he could push it the rest of the way in.
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“AHHHH!” Synth screamed as he was being held down in his bed. The lights were still off and there was no light coming in the window. His shoulders were being pressed down and there was a figure standing next to his bed reaching out towards him.
“What is wrong?” A soft voice whispers next to him as his breathing becomes ragged and forced.
“Get away from me!” Synth tried to kick at the figure standing above him until the magic aura grabbed his entire body and forced him down. The lights suddenly turned on, to reveal a blue alicorn looking hurt.
Synth’s head back flipped and he instantly relaxed. The magic holding him let go and Luna sighed.
“Thou are awake…” Luna said as she moved away from the side of the bed and sat on the ground.
“Luna? What are you doing in here?” Synth asked as his mind slowly woke itself up.
“We heard thy screaming and came to offer comfort. It is our fault that thou must deal with these nightmares, so we will be here to help thee through them.” Luna said smiling.
“Luna, it’s not your fault. You did your best, but I guess these nightmares are here to stay…” Synth said recalling the nightmare clearly.
“We saw what thou saw in thy dream. But we do not understand the significance. Care to explain?” Luna asked but Synth just shook his head.
“No Luna, it’s better you don’t know. “ Synth said as he was about to get out of bed.
“Where are thou headed?” Luna asked but Synth just shrugged and put on his cloak, leaving his necklace on the bedside counter.
“Wherever I think I can get away from these nightmares…” Synth shut the door behind him and walked towards the stairs. He descended them slowly and his head was filled with a fog that clouded his vision. He put a hoof on the wall and took a bit to clear his eyes before continuing.
He reached the bottom and noticed that the guards from before were now stationed looking away from the staircase. He snuck his way into the kitchen where there was no one in sight. He looked in the drawers until his eyes landed on the bottles in the corner shelves.
He slowly took one of the bottles and levitated it over him as he lay on the ground and whispered a few words before undoing the top of the bottle.
‘What do you think you’re doing?’ Shade asked as Synth finally got the top off.
“What does it look like? I’m fixing my problems the old fashion way… Cheers to a new day…” Synth poured the contents of the bottle directly to his mouth and gulped quickly and only breathed when he finished.
‘Cheers… to a new future…’ Shade said as Synth was instantly intoxicated and Shade’s vision also blurred as the alcohol affected his vision as well.
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“We’ve finished searching the right wing, there’s been no sign of him.” A voice drifted to him from somewhere below.
“Well he couldn’t have disappeared. We had guards posted on every exit and they found a bottle of Royal Vodka missing from the kitchen. He’s too intoxicated to walk let alone use magic.”
“Sir, we’ll keep looking but we’ve searched almost every space of this castle…” The voices retreated and Synth found his head throbbing as the words bounced off the inside of his head before exiting the other ear.
“Ugh, what happened?” Synth asked as he picked himself up. The wood underneath him made a slight creak and Synth looked down to see why he was sleeping on wood until the height difference reached his brain.
Synth was looking at a five foot beam holding him up at least fifty feet in the air above the thrones where the alicorns sat. He was too scared to move and his head was still throbbing.
‘Oh, look who decided to wake up…’ Shade said almost as if he was waiting for him to awaken.
‘W-What happened?’ Synth asked as he tried not to unbalance himself and fall off.
‘You decided to wash away your sorrows in alcohol, that’s what. I thought you were better than that…’ Shade said almost disappointedly.
‘I mean, why am I up here right now? I don’t think I used magic…’ Synth said as his head throbbed again causing him to hold it in between his hooves.
‘I don’t know, one second you were on the floor and the next I find us up here. I was affected by the alcohol too… idiot.’ Shade said as Synth heard voices coming again from downstairs.
“Welcome my faithful student. What do you have to report?” Synth could barely hear Celestia’s voice as he watched a purple unicorn walk up to the seated pair of alicorns. The voices of guards nearby droned out the rest of their conversations.
‘Hey, that looks interesting. Mind if I get in closer?’ Shade asked and Synth just thought about it until his head hurt.
‘Eh, go ahead. Just tell me what they’re saying I want to know too.’ Synth said as he let Shade take control of his magic again.
Synth watched as Shade directed his magic into a corner of the room that nobody was watching. His dark blur of magic went unnoticed before forming a white rabbit in the corner. He hopped up to the thrones and only Luna seemed to notice his approach.
“Sha- we mean Synth’s pet!” Luna yelled levitating the rabbit forward and onto her arm rest. He purred as she rubbed his head and Synth groaned.
‘You’re a rabbit not a cat…’ Synth thought as the shade below somehow managed to flick him off without anyone noticing.
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“Luna? Is there something wrong?” Twilight asked as Luna seemed too happy to be holding the rabbit.
“Oh, no we are quite alright. It is just that Synth has gone missing since last night and we believe that we may have a lead to where he is.” Luna held up Shade who sniffed the air like an average rabbit.
“Um, okay Princess good luck with your search,” Twilight said before turning back to Celestia. “So princess, this is the report on the griffon incident. I hope this doesn’t cause any bad relations with the griffons.”
“No, I’m sure they will not think of this the wrong way. But thank you Twilight for getting this to me immediately. I’m sure Gilda didn’t cause too much harm.” Celestia said and Twilight shook her head.
“Not very much trouble, although we lost the chance to make a new friend.” Twilight looked a little sad but Celestia laughed.
“Friends can be made anywhere and anytime. But making the right choice in a friend is also something to consider. Who knows, the best of friends could appear at any time.” Celestia looked up and almost as if on cue, a blur fell out of the sky and landed on the floor in a ground shattering crash.
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Synth’s head started to hurt worse than before. His lungs were on fire and his stomach was about to go inside out. He saw his hooves in front of his face and they started to shake. The last thing he saw was the wooden beam as he slipped off the edge and hurtled towards the ground.
‘FUUUUUU-‘ He thought as the wooden beam grew more and more distant.
‘You deserve a little discipline, but dying would be inconvenient for me…’ Shade said as he was still conscious in Synth’s mind.
Suddenly Synth’s magic left his control and his coat began to turn into a black gloss. He still felt the impact though, as the black gloss couldn’t cover his left hind hoof before he made contact. Or Shade just wanted him to suffer a little, but either way he was in pain.
He slowly got out of the hole that Shade created and looked around. The guards were all pointing there spears in his direction and he lifted his hooves to show no harm but a sudden headache caused him to unbalance and fall back into the hole, his vision going black.
------------
“He’s waking up.” He heard a familiar feminine voice saying from somewhere nearby.
“Is this heaven?” Synth said as his eyes opened and he saw a bright light in front of him.
‘I think you’d go to hell… just saying…’ Shade said not trying to hide his joy in saying that.
“I’ll see you there.” Synth said and then the light lessened and he could make out the face of Twilight looking him.
“Oh, hello there Twilight. Nice day we’re having…” Synth said his head still throbbing slightly.
“Are you sure he’s fine? He’s acting a little… different.” Twilight asked a white coated colt next to her. Apparently a doctor as he had a needle and a heart as his cutie mark.
“Don’t worry, he might still be feeling the effects of the alcohol in his blood stream. He should be okay in a few hours.
Synth saw the doctor leave and Twilight’s face disappeared from his view. He tried to sit himself up and only succeeded in giving himself another headache. He tried a little slower and made progress as he could see the rest of the room now. Three chairs were visible and two were filled as Shade was sleeping in one of them and Twilight was reading a sheet of paper in the other.
‘Hey sonofabitch wake up.’ Synth thought and one cue Shade’s yawn was heard in his head as the rabbit stretched on the chair.
‘Did you have a nice nap? I know I did…’ Shade said and Synth shot him a glare until Twilight noticed he got up.
“You should really stay in bed. The alcohol hasn’t left your system yet…” She sounded serious and Synth was about to comply until the thought hit him. Was he in a…. hospital?
“Hold that thought…” Synth threw up in the conveniently placed trashcan and wiped his mouth before turning back.
“There, all gone. I’ll be leaving now.” Synth got out of the bed and noticed that his headache was lessening. Maybe that actually worked, or it’ll probably send another headache later. Anything was better than staying here though, so he just put on his cloak that was on his bedside drawer and walked out the door getting some protest from Twilight.
Shade followed and jumped on Synth’s back as he walked right out the front door and ignored the nurses and doctor that tried to stop him. He was a good few yards away from the building until he heard Twilight’s voice catch up to him.
“Wait!” She yelled, and Synth actually stopped and turned to her now that they were out of the hospital.
“Yes?” Synth asked as he raised an eyebrow trying to maintain control of his motor functions as the alcohol slowly left his body.
“If you’re going to just leave, at least tell us where you’re going!” Twilight said finally catching up to him. He just shook his head.
“If you really want to know, then why don’t you come with me?” Synth turned and started walking and was surprised to see her comply. She didn’t say anything and Synth turned into a street to see shops on either side.
“Where are you going?” Twilight asked and Shade continued to walk forward.
“I’m just going for a stroll through the town. I have the day off and I’m not going to spend it in a hospital…” Synth rounded a bend and watched some street performers as one of them ate fire. He stomped his hooves and gave him a generous amount of bits from the pouch that was still attached to his leg. Somehow it survived all of the beatings he’d gotten since coming to the town.
“Wow, you look… happy.” Twilight commented as Synth walked by a familiar greenhouse that was currently empty inside other than the plants.
“Well it’s a new day and I plan to spend it the right way… In the place I grew up in.” Synth looked at all of the familiar sights that he’d seen since he was a child. Ponyville felt so much like home to him, but he knew that being raised in Canterlot is something he’ll never forget.
“I know, I grew up here too. My parents actually lived a few blocks down.” Twilight commented as she pointed down the street. Something compelled Synth to comment to that and it was something he regretted instantly.
“My parents live right here.” Synth said and then put a hoof over his mouth as he stared at the house he’d live in until he left home. It was a two story house, like most of Canterlot’s buildings but it was a light blue house with a white stripe in the house’s edges. He looked at it and remembered his parent’s faces the last time he’d seen them. He was cut out of his thoughts as Twilight’s voice entered his head.
“Let’s go visit them!” She started trotting up to the door and Synth was going to stop her but something made him take step forward. And then another step forward caused him to notice his body wasn’t responding to him.
‘We’re going to get this over with, and you don’t get a say in it…’ Shade said as he controlled Synth’s body to slowly take steps forward until he was standing next to Twilight at the door.
‘Fine… I’ll do it. Just let me go.’ Shade released control and Synth took a hard labored breath. He knocked on the door and he heard a soft feminine voice from the inside.
The door slowly opened to reveal a light green coated filly with a dark green mane and a cyan stripe showing in it. Her tail looked the same as her mane, and she wore a confused look on her face. She turned to call somebody and her flank was shown to be blank. Synth wondered who this could be until the realization hit him.
“Are you-“ Synth was interrupted as the sounds of hoofsteps approaching made him look away from the filly and into the eyes of the approaching pair who’s jaws dropped at the sight of him. The green filly walked away inside and Synth left his comfort zone.  His face turned into a scowl and his eyes glared at them. They took a step back until Twilight spoke.
“Good Evening, I’m Twilight Sparkle. I hear you two are Synth’s parents?” Twilight said not noticing the tension around.
They suddenly looked unsure of each other before stepping forward and giving him a hug. Synth was too surprised to return it though, as they pulled back a little too quickly.
“Why hello there Miss Twilight, and you Synth… what brings you to our home?” Synth’s mother asked who had a light green coat and a scarlet mane that curled around her neck. Next to her was Synth’s father who had a dark green coat and an orange mane with random spots of cyan in it.
“Well, we were in the neighborhood and Synth here, said he remembered that you lived here. So we decided to stop by and say hello.” Twilight continued not noticing Synth narrow his eyes at them.
“Well, it’s been ages since we’ve seen him. We’re glad to know that he’s staying out of trouble… care to come in?” Synth’s mother continued stepping inside to let them enter.
“Thanks. It’s great to see you too…” Synth said trying his best to smile. If he was going to be here a while, then he’ll try to make the best of it.
“I hope we’re not intruding. It is starting to get late…” Twilight said and sure enough, the sun was continuing its slow descent out of the sky. How long was he in the hospital?
“Oh no, we were about to sit down for dinner. Care to join us?” Synth’s father asked and Synth took a cautious step inside.
“Well if it isn’t a bother…” Twilight followed Synth’s lead and they entered the house. It was a plain house with a tan wall and a white ceiling. The floor was wooden and the stairs were on the right of the doorway. The green filly returned down the steps and ran into the kitchen where she took a seat at the table. Shade hopped up the steps to the second floor and Synth was too busy to notice his disappearance.
The table easily fit the new guests and two extra plates were laid out for them. The steaming vegetables and fruit slices entered Synth’s nose as the aroma caused his mouth to water. He took a seat and Twilight did the same, apparently just as hungry as he was.  His parents gave him and Twilight one of his favorite drinks and he put the straw into the cup of soda. He was about to dig in to the food, when a look to his parents made him stop. 
Synth sighed and said just loud enough for them to hear. “Thank you for the food.” He said before digging into the vegetables. There were some manners he could tolerate, but eating wasn’t on that list. He tried to make it look as pleasant as he could, but food still stuck to his face as he ignored the supplied eating utensils. It was just his style.
When he was about halfway, he noticed the green filly was also only using her utensils as little as possible. She cut up a carrot enough so she could pop them into her mouth and chew vigorously. The sight made him want to chuckle at how much he saw in her. The stern look she was getting from Synth’s mother though, made him remember when he was a filly.
“If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your name?” Synth asked the green filly as she was now pushing her uneaten vegetables around the plate.
“Oh, my name is Vera. What’s yours?” Vera asked as she brightened at the question. Synth looked at her smile and wanted to meet it with one of his own, but decided to just answer the question.
“My name’s Synth. Synth Me-“ Synth was cut off by a look of fear from her mother looking to Vera. He decided that she probably didn’t tell her anything about him, and tried to finish his sentence another way.
“Synth, nice meeting you. “ Synth turned back to his food and he saw his mother visibly relax. So she didn’t tell her about me… Synth started to drink his soda from his straw as he thought this over.
“Well Synth I’d like to thank you again for visiting us. It’s a pleasure to see you again after all these years. And it’s great to see you brought your marefriend with-“Synth did a spit take as the word entered his head. He started choking from the soda that was still stuck in his throat and it was Twilight who answered calmly.
“Actually, I’m just a friend of his that’s all.” She said as she levitated her own drink to her mouth.
Synth took another drink of his soda to make sure his throat was clear. He was in the middle of the long drink and his father continued.
“Well that’s a shame. You two could have made quite the couple.“ Synth did another spit take and Twilight stopped her drinking to cough some of the soda onto the table where she preceded to clean up the mess and blush.
“Venus, I think that’s enough.” Synth’s mother said as she looked to the once again choking Synth and Twilight who was feeling a little awkward.
“I know Fern, but don’t tell me you thought any differently when you saw them…” Venus, Synth’s dad replied.
“Well…*cough* I’m stuffed. If you’ll excuse me…” Synth said as he walked away and gave his dad a ‘what the fuck’ look before leaving the kitchen and sitting in one of the couches in the living room.
“Yeah, I’m full too. Can I be excused?” Synth heard Vera say as she excused herself and went to join him on the couch that was just big enough for them to sit side by side.
Synth heard her speak softly like she didn’t want the others to hear. “Who are you?” 
The question caught him off guard because she clearly heard him when he told her his name. He realized she was looking at him curiously, and almost with… fear? Synth shook that thought away and cleared his throat softly to respond.
“I’m… your brother…” Synth said and he heard her gasp as she took this in. Suddenly she nodded and Synth felt like she was a lot older than she looked.
“That… makes sense. When you got here… they acted differently.” Vera looked in the direction of their parents and Synth also turned to see they were chatting easily with Twilight. Although, the conversation was too soft for Synth to hear what they were saying.
“They were… scared when they saw you. They acted like they do whenever I get in trouble at school…” She looked at Synth and he could see tears starting to form in her eyes. His heart felt like it was stepped on as he saw the single tear roll down her cheek.
“What… what are you crying about?” Synth asked and she suddenly wiped away her tear and looked away.
“Nothing, I was just remembering something. But there’s something I want to ask…” She looked to make sure their parents were still eating and then turned back to him, her eyes now cold. “What did you do?” She asked and Synth flinched at what she wanted to know.
“It’s… something I can’t tell you…” He responded but she wasn’t going to give up easily.
“Why not? I can handle it…” She said and Synth once again saw the grown up side of her.
“I’m sure you can. But it’s something I have to deal with, and I plan on dealing with it alone. Besides… I could never give that burden to my sister…” Synth said and rubbed her mane.
“I’m your sister? But this is the first time we’ve met…” Vera responded as she tried to get her mane back to the way it was.
“You’re the closest thing to a real family I have here, and I think we’ll get along just fine as siblings.” Synth gave a small chuckle and Vera smiled back. 
Suddenly he heard Twilight call his name and said his farewell to Vera as he went to join them back at the table. He entered and noticed his mother doing the dishes and Twilight was sitting next to his father who had a nervous look on him.
“Yes?” Synth asked as he took a seat next to Twilight and further away from Venus.
“Your father here wants to say something to you…” She responded and Venus shook his head before sighing and looking right at Synth.
“I’m sorry.” He said and it was all he needed to say before Synth’s eye twitched.
“Sorry?” Synth asked hoping he wouldn’t bring up what he thought he was bringing up.
“We’re really sorry for… what we did.” Venus said and now Fern stood next to him as he continued. “We didn’t know how to react, so we did what you did and tried to forget about it.” He went quiet and Synth was about to respond until Twilight spoke up.
“React to what?” Twilight asked and Synth was really hoping that she wouldn’t get her answer.
“Look Twilight, we appreciate you getting us to confront him about this… but this is really a family thing….” Venus said as politely as he could and Twilight thought about this before nodding slowly and walking into the living room and starting a conversation with Vera.
Synth turned to his parents and then sighed. This was going to be a long night. He opened his mouth to speak until he heard Shade in his head.
‘Choose your words wisely…’
‘Fuck that.’ Synth thought as he turned to face his parents. They had fake smiles on their faces. His irritation caused his eye to twitch a little.
“How much did you tell her?” Was all Synth could say as he thought of what Twilight would do if she knew about his past.
“Nothing, she thinks it’s a family quarrel… but she’ll find out. All of your friends will…” Venus said dropping his fake smile. His face showed a stern look at Synth and Synth just stared back at him. He slowly got out of his seat and walked a little ways to the door.
“You didn’t tell us… you moved.” Fern said still showing that fake smile.
“Because I was moving to get away from something…” Synth said and Shade’s voice entered his head again.
‘That’s a lie. That’s not why you left…’ Shade said calmly.
‘Well if you’re going to be like that, can you at least tell me if they’re lying?’ Synth thought back and he heard Shade sigh.
‘You’re going to owe me for this…’ Shade said and Synth heard the white rabbit enter the room and jump on his back.
“Well, who is this?” Fern said moving to touch the rabbit who growled as she approached.
“Meet Shadow, he’s grown accustomed to me. But I don’t think he particularly likes you two…” Synth said and he heard a grunt from Shade.
‘Shadow?’ He thought and Synth shrugged, making Shade lose his balance for a second.
‘It’s all I could think of. And it’s better than calling you the other name I’d thought of giving you…’ Synth thought as Venus looked like he was about to kill Shade.
“Well if you don’t mind me asking, can you at least explain why you treated me like that? I didn’t deserve it, and you know it…” Synth said trying to get them to tell the truth.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about…” Vern said and Shade tapped Synth’s shoulder.
‘I could see that was obviously a lie…’ Synth thought and Shade grunted his response.
“Drop it. Just give me a reason, and I’ll be on my way. I don’t want to be here any longer than I need to…” Synth said and he saw Vern’s face change from the fake smile to a cold frown. Venus stood up and walked next to Fern.
“After the incident, we thought it’d be best to give you a chance to cool down. We didn’t know that you’d take it the other way. When you were gone, we thought you hated us and so we never really tried to fix the relationship between us.” Venus said without hesitation. Synth was about to nod his understanding until Shade tapped his shoulder once again.
“Try again…” Synth said looking into Venus’ eyes and Venus took a step back.
“But, that’s the truth. At first yes, we did feel a little fear. But in the end you were still our son.” Vern said in a cold tone. Synth felt another tap on his shoulder.
He almost yelled out his next words, and he would have, but he knew Twilight was in the room next to them. “I said the truth!” Synth looked into her eyes and her cold face changed for a brief second before it returned his gaze.
“That’s enough, we said everything we needed to. Now we have to kindly ask that you leave…” Vern said as she stared him down. Synth was about to turn and go, but a question itched his mind.
“I have one thing to ask, and then I’ll leave…” Synth said as he made sure they were both in his sight before he asked. “Why didn’t you tell Vera about me?” The looks on their faces told him everything he wanted to know. They were scared, and this was one question that broke their web of lies.
“We… It never came up…” Venus said but he said it softly and there was no mistaking the tap on the shoulder Synth got.
“Well, I told her,” Synth said and instantly their faces morphed into more fear. “She knew something was wrong. She saw you two acting differently when I was around. She accepted the truth, so why won’t you?” Synth was getting progressively louder and he was sure the others could hear him.
They just stared wide eyed at him. Synth felt his insides boil and the fact they weren’t responding only brought out more of his anger. He took a step forward to them and they cringed back.
“Well, what’s stopping you from the truth?” He almost shouted at them, their faces now in pure shock.
“Why are you scared? What is there to be scared of?” Synth yelled into their faces as his face grew red.
“You…” They whispered and then turned away like they were expecting a blow. Synth instantly backed away until he hit the table behind him. His face was a shocked one until the word entered his mind and bounced off the walls inside.
‘They think you’re a monster…’
“I’m not a monster!” Synth yelled as he ran out of the kitchen and out the front door. Shade barely held on to this mane and Synth heard Twilight as she tried to catch up to him.
“Leave me alone!” Synth yelled as he activated his magic now flowing a darker than usual green. He coated his hooves in the Traction Coating and ran as fast as he could towards the darkness in front of him. He activated the Night Eye spell and continued his sprint.
His rage was still inside of him as he dodged around stalls and random ponies. Eventually he heard a yell of a guard and suddenly guards were alerting each other of a speeding green blur. Synth didn’t care. He just wanted to get to bed and go to sleep. Even a nightmare was better than what he was feeling right now.
He jumped over a building and landed on the rooftop of the one next to it. He slid on the roof and noticed how long his spell was lasting. Both the Night Eye and the Traction spell were going well beyond his limit. He didn’t feel a thing though, as the magic continued to work and he jumped from rooftop to rooftop with ease.
Synth’s mind was still thinking of what he heard. He decided when he entered that he’d leave with answers, and he didn’t expect the truth to hurt so much. As he jumped off the roofs and landed on a banner hanging on a wall. He used it to lessen his fall and then continued running in the direction he hoped was the Castle.
Synth chose the right direction, as he saw the doorway to the castle in front of him. Two guards were standing there with spears pointed in his direction. Synth’s head throbbed and he actually felt like letting his rage out on the innocent guards. He dismissed the thought as their eyes were filled with fear at the blur speeding toward them.
“S-Stop!” The guard yelled unsurely as the blur continued to head in their direction. Both guards closed their eyes but left the spears in front of them as the blur was now only feet away.
Synth jumped over the guards and barely missed the points of their spears that they held out. He landed softly on his hooves behind them and continued to run towards the stairs where he could go to sleep and forget what happened today. He ran the length of the throne room in less than a second and looked up the stairs he’d have to climb.
“Fuck this.” Synth whispered as he jumped onto the walls of the stairway. He sighed glad to know that his plan worked, as he ran the wall up to where the stairs ended. When he reached the top, he jumped off the wall and landed on the top step which cracked under his sudden weight. The step gave out and his hoof left a small indentation in it.
Synth heard voices coming from the bottom of the stairs and he ran straight to his room. He locked the door and pulled out the book with the spells in it. He flipped through until he found what he wanted. “Form – Summoning.” He said as he looked over how to do the spell.
‘What do you think you’re doing?’ Shade asked as Synth got himself into a stance to cast the magic.
“I’m making sure I’m not disturbed. I know just what to do…” Synth said as he cast the spell now significantly darker than his normal green aura of magic.
Synth focused all his rage and all of his other emotions into creating three different shadows. He formed them slowly and deliberately. When he finished, he heard Shade gasp and go silent. Synth grinned at his masterpieces. Three Timberwolves were now sitting down and looking up at him.
“What are your commands, master?” The one at the front said, apparently the leader of the pack.
“I want you two to guard the door. Don’t harm anyone, but don’t let them come in…” Synth pointed at the two behind the leader. They nodded before Synth unlocked the door and allowed them outside. He shut the door behind him and looked back to the leader.
“You can wait here, but be on alert. Anypony smart enough will try to teleport inside the room and I don’t feel like dealing with them right now…” Synth said and the leader sat down in the corner of the room while Synth laid himself on the bed.
‘How’d you… what did you do?’ Shade asked instead of talking out loud.
“Well I did the spell, but I put my emotions into it. I didn’t do it like a normal spell… I guess I just had so much emotion that I made a pack of Timberwolves instead of a rabbit like you…” Synth said as he felt completely drained from using that spell for the first time.
“And not just any emotion…” Shade the rabbit said looking up at him nervously from next to the timber wolf. He’d been eyeing the rabbit ever since he sat down and Shade gulped.
“What are you trying to say?” Synth asked as he rolled over to look at the rabbit. It was better to have something to look at than talk to nothing.
“What were you feeling the most when you cast that spell…” Shade said scooting a little away from the leader who licked his lips.
“I don’t know, I guess I was still angry from my parents… wait angry?” Synth said suddenly reaching the conclusion Shade had realized before him.
“Ira, or Wrath. I like using the more technical term, so I’ll say Ira for now… I’m sure that you just used Ira to do all of that. You had an unlimited amount of magic, and you just cast a highly advanced spell. If the prophecy was right, then you’re getting closer to destroying Equestria.” Shade looked up to Synth who had his fore hooves on his face.
“This can’t be happening…” Synth said and he looked up about to continue until another voice entered his head.
‘Someone’s here.’ Came a scratchy voice that sounded almost like rubbing wood against each other. It was the Timberwolves on the other side of the door.
Synth listened and then he heard the faint growl come from the other side. “Oh, my.” Synth heard a calm voice say. The growls grew louder and then Synth heard the calm voice continue. “Okay, okay. I won’t get close.”
“Who’s there?” Synth asked and he heard the growls of the Timberwolves again.
“It’s me, Celestia.  I came to make sure you were alright.” Celestia said and Synth was tempted to let her in. She couldn’t have made his day any worse.
‘She’s the one who put you on the beam above the throne room. I heard her tell the guards about it while you were unconscious.’ Shade said in his head and Synth frowned.
“Princess, were you the one who put me above the throne room?” Synth asked and he didn’t hear anything except for a light shuffling of hooves.
“Who told you about that?” Celestia said and Synth sighed.
‘One of you can get her. Don’t do any harm, but show her who she’s messing with…’ Synth told the Timberwolves and he instantly heard a scream and a figure quickly running away.
“That was cold.” Shade said as he sat on top of the leader.
“No, what she did was cold. I was just returning the favor.” Synth grinned and then raised an eyebrow at Shade.
“This is fun, I’m glad they only do something if you tell them to…” Shade said poking his fingers into the dark green eyes of the Timberwolf. 
“Hey aren’t these things usually yellow?” Shade asked now looking closely at them.
Synth noticed that they weren’t yellow like the forest’s native Timberwolves. He got out of the bed and opened the door to inspect the other one. He looked closely and found he also had green eyes. Shutting the door behind him, he walked back in to find Shade cowering on the bed.
‘He… violated me…’ Shade said and Synth turned to face the Leader who had a grin on his face. Synth just chuckled as he laid back down in the bed.
‘Well you violated his personal space. I think it’s a fair trade…’ Synth said as Shade jumped off the bed but kept his distance from the leader again.
‘Someone’s approaching.’ The Timberwolf said again and Synth turned back towards the door.
“What is it?” Synth asked his anger now almost completely gone.
“Um, may we come in?” He heard Twilight say. He knew she’d want to talk about what he did earlier, so he sighed.
“No, Twilight. I don’t feel like talking about it. Can you just leave me alone until tomorrow?” Synth said.
“That’s not why I came here. There’s someone who wants to see you.” Twilight just finished talking when the door to his room opened.
Two things went through his mind at this moment. One, he forgot to lock the door. Two, the Timberwolf was ignoring the approaching pony. Synth instantly stood up and looked towards the leader who was yawning. He looked over to the door that was now open enough for him to see who was there. It was Vera, and she was smiling.
Synth relaxed before his eyes darted over to the leader who was sniffing Vera as she entered. He then yawned again and went back into his corner. Synth was too confused to say anything as Vera sat down next to him.
“I’ll just be going. I’ve got to get back to Ponyville before the others miss me. I’ll see you there at the end of the week!” Twilight said before he heard her hoof steps fade away. Synth turned to look at the still smiling filly.
“Hey Synth, you okay?” She said and Synth’s confusion washed away as he saw the concerned look on her face.
“Um yeah, just a lot on my mind right now. I’ll be fine tomorrow, but what are you doing here?” Synth asked noticing Shade rub up against Vera.
“Our parents said they needed time to think about something, so they said I could stay with you for now… He’s a cute bunny…” Vera was petting Shade and Synth groaned inwardly.
‘Kiss up.’
‘Kiss my furry tail.’ Shade shook his puffball of a tail in Synth’s face before bouncing away. He lied down at the foot of the bed.
“Well I’m glad they don’t hate me too much. You’re probably the only one I would have let in.” Synth rubbed Vera’s head and she fussed over trying to put her mane back into place. “Even though, I didn’t let you in. You just walked in and those good for nothing Timberwolves didn’t care…” Synth looked over to the leader who was scratching his head. He stopped and looked back to Synth before growling.
‘We know what you know. She’s not a threat and you know it.’ He said in Synth’s mind before returning to his itch.
“Where did they come from anyways? I don’t think those things live here.” Vera asked as she gestured to the Timberwolf who gave a soft bark.
“Let’s just say I didn’t want to be disturbed tonight…” Synth said looking at the door and how it was now quiet. Almost as if…
Synth threw Shade from his slumber and he hit the door. There were two cries of pain and Synth sighed. “Luna, I thought you learned how bothersome eavesdropping is… Honestly you princesses are all the same.” Synth said grinning as he heard Luna mumble before walking away.
‘And you, why did you let her through?’ Synth asked the Timberwolf still on guard.
‘She gave me an offer I couldn’t resist…’ He responded and Synth was thinking about what Luna could give a Timberwolf.
‘Let me guess, meat?’ Synth heard the leader say and the other Timberwolf didn’t respond. ‘Thought so.’
Synth turned back to Vera trying to ignore the conversation the Timberwolves were having and the way Shade was giving him a death stare.
“So anyways, make yourself at home I guess. I’ll be here for another four days, then I’ll be going to Ponyville. If you want to go with me, I wouldn’t mind the company.” Synth said and he saw Vera’s face brighten at the thought.
“So, you moved to Ponyville? Is this because of what happened with our parents?” Vera asked and Synth could see what she wanted to know.
“No, something just came up. But you could say it’s connected in a small way…” Synth said not wanting to answer the question she really wanted to know.
“How is it connected?” Vera asked. Synth didn’t really know how to answer that.
“Well, it’s kind of hard to understand without knowing the full story.” Synth said.
“Start from the beginning please, we have time…” Vera said getting comfortable on the bed. 
Synth sighed, there was no way he would be getting out of this. He had to admit that Vera did act older than most fillies, but she had the same curious nature that all fillies had. He didn’t know what would happen when he told her his story. Venus’ voice came back to him.
“…but she’ll find out. All of your friends will…” Venus had said earlier.
Synth knew that it’ll come out sooner or later but, for Vera it could be a lot sooner because she lived with his parents. He decided that if she would hear the story, then she’d hear it from his side first. Synth slowly nodded and she showed one of her smiles. It made Synth feel good inside, but he knew that it wouldn’t be there at the end of this.
“I’ll start from the beginning… just don’t say I didn’t warn you…” Synth took a breath before giving his best smile as he began.
“It all started with a passing raven…”