//------------------------------//
// Murphy's Law 
// Story: Mort Takes a Holiday 
// by AnonymousMaterials 
//------------------------------//

“I’m so sorry,” he said. “About everything.”

She smiled patiently. “I know.”

“You do?”

She rolled her eyes good naturedly. “You’ve only said it three or four times already.”

“Oh.” Silence. “Um, sorry.”

She snorted, and he laughed a few seconds later.

They had been walking across chamber for some time. Twilight wasn’t sure how much had passed. It could’ve been hours, for all she knew. In that time, Mort had been telling her all about the shades, their origins, and the way they operated.

At the top was Thanasia, an alicorn who was creator and leader of the shades, and sounded an awful lot like the alicorn Twilight had seen. Apparently there was a time when Thanasia did all the reaping herself, but at some point realized she couldn’t attend to every creature without falling far behind. From that came the idea of shades, and it was these beings who did the actual reaping these days, and Thanasia who merely directed them using “prophecies.” While the prophecies weren’t foolproof, they were extremely accurate within a couple days, but got fuzzier and fuzzier the further out they went.

The prophecies, from what she could gather, were very elaborate predictions, and were made based on the information gathered by the shades. Twilight had caught a glimpse of it when she was linked to Mort earlier, though Mort didn’t look at the world that way all the time. He would end up “missing the trees for the forest,” in his words. That was okay, however; he had trained himself to continue collecting data on a subconcious level. 

It bothered Twilight a little that ponies could be predicted like that, though Mort assured her that it wasn’t that different from knowing what her friends would do in a given situation. Free will didn’t have to mean that every action was unpredictable and equally possible. Knowing a pony wouldn’t stick their hoof in an open flame, for example, didn’t mean the pony had no choices. Just that they had common sense.

It was all fascinating to listen to. She was always a sucker for organization, but she was more interested in the shades themselves. Given that they could drop in and out of the physical world and see all aspects of reality, Twilight was becoming convinced that Mort—and by extension, the other shades and Thanasia—were legitimate four-dimensional beings, or at the least something very close to it. Or maybe five-dimensional? Or maybe dimensions didn’t play into it at all. Maybe it was something that ponies couldn’t even comprehend, or...

Unable to help herself, she squealed in delight. “This is all so exciting!” she said, clopping her hooves together. “How you guys work, what you’re made of, what you can do, and we haven’t even gotten to this place!” She held her forelegs out, gesturing at the tiled floor and torches.

“Well, this is the collective unconsciousness,” he said. “All our minds are connected to it. Whenever Thanasia makes a prophecy, we gather here to receive it.”

“Right, right, and the tiles show you where to stand, right?” She looked at the tiles underneath them. “Do they all look like you?” 

“Oh no, we all look different,” he said. “We all looked the same starting out, but over time the shades for more intelligent races started picking up the characteristics of their given species. Moi, for example.”

“Really? How about… oh.” 

He looked at her, concerned. “What? What’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing, it’s just…” Twilight looked warily at the tile beneath her. The carving looked pony shape, but the legs were perforated and the wings were clearly insect-like. 

“Oh, this is Echo’s tile! She’s the changeling shade, um, if that weren’t obvious enough already. She loves transforming into a bunch of different things and creatures.”

“I’ve never had a good experience with them,” she said.

“Ah, right,” he said. “Almost forgot about that.”

She looked between Mort and the changeling tile. “Is she… evil?”

“Oh, no. No,” he said. He tapped his hoofs together, then said, “Well, she does like to play pranks on some of us when she gets the chance. Usually by changing into something to make us uncomfortable. Or confusing. She has this thing called ‘cee gee ai’ that’s a complete mind bender if you can’t handle higher dimensions. And she might try to freak out a soul or two.”

“So she’s mean?”

He sighed. “I don’t know, I don’t think she’s mean or anything, she just doesn’t have a lot of, er, what’s the word…” He wiggled his toe in a circle, humming to himself then suddenly said, “Empathy, that’s it! A lot of the intelligent shades haven’t developed a strong sense of empathy yet. They just kinda do and say things off-the-cuff without thinking, even to each other.”

“Right,” she said. “So, they might be mean on accident, but they’re not evil?”

“No, I don’t think I’ve ever seen an evil shade. We’re a lot of things, but we haven’t been that.” He paused. “Well, not yet. Not ever, I would hope.”

Well, that was good, wasn’t it? She didn’t like the idea of evil reapers running around. “Did you name her, or…?”

“She chose it,” he said, as they continued to walk. “Actually, she likes changing her name a lot. A while ago she went by Forma, then before that she went by Narcissus. Changes her appearance, too. She’s not one to stick to a single identity.”

“So, all the shades choose their name?”

“Depends,” he said. “A lot of the shades don’t even have names, because they haven’t grasped the concept yet. The others either named themselves or adopted it from the creatures they reaped. Let’s see, there’s Keres the griffin shade, Cloudwalker the bison shade, Du’a the zebra shade, Motzebub the fly shade—fly shades, I should say, it’s kinda complicated—and there’s Gary the cattle shade—”

“Gary?”

He shrugged. “Well, there’s nothing saying the names have to be fancy or thematic. He just likes Gary.” He paused, then added, “And he looks like a cow.”

She tilted her head. “He looks like a cow?”

“On two legs.”

She tried envisioning such a scene. A bipedal cow, walking up to other cows while speaking in a bullish voice…

She shook the surreal image from her head. “What about you? Where did ‘Mort’ come from? Did you make it up on your own?”

“Well, not really,” he said. “Celestia and Luna gave it to me.”

“They did?”

“Yeah,” he said wistfully. “It was their first gift to me, and I’ve been cherishing it ever since.”

That was something else he had touched on. From what she gathered, the princesses were the “They” mentioned in the letter she got. Putting everything together, it all made a certain amount of sense; the princesses certainly would have been very busy, and Mort’s responsibilities couldn’t easily be passed off to someone else. Just like Celestia, Luna was the type to put hidden meanings inside her messages, and approach the facts from “a certain point of view.”

It made other parts of the letter make more sense as well. How his family wasn’t very close, or how he hadn’t had a days rest in his life. All of it sounded pretty consistent with what she’s heard so far.

This was the first time she’s ever heard of a name as a ‘gift’, though. Much less one that’s worth cherishing.

“You’re pretty close to them, aren’t you?”

“Of course,” he said. “They’re practically family.”

“It’s just… unbelievable,” she said, her tone one of awe. “I can’t believe the princesses are friends with the Pale Pony!”

“Well they are,” he snapped.

Twilight reeled back a little from the sudden outburst. Mort blinked and looked in the opposite direction.

“I-I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “Thanasia said something earlier about them, and I’m just a little… sensitive, that’s all. Sorry.”

Twilight looked at him sympathetically. “I didn’t mean it like that,” she said. “It’s just... why haven’t I heard about this? Why hasn’t any one heard about this? It’s huge! Do you have any idea what your existence means? You’d turn everything we know about theology on its head! You’re concrete evidence that there’s such thing as a soul, maybe even an afterlife!”

He paradoxically cleared his throat. “W-well, the thing is—”

“And it goes beyond knowing more about life or death! If Celestia or Luna knew about you, imagine all the things they could learn! They’d know if a pony were sick, or if they were going to have an accident—”

“Let me, uh, let me stop you there,” he said, motioning at her with a hoof. “I know them, I’m friends with them, but… well, it’s not without conditions.”

She tilted her head to one side. “Conditions?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Thanasia allows… well, I guess it’s more accurate to say she tolerates our relationship, so long as I’m not giving them ‘insider info’ or anything like that. She doesn’t want shades interfering too much with the living. Especially when it comes to their life-or-death situations.”

“Why not?” 

“Well, she thinks a shade who feels empowered to save someone might also feel empowered to hurt or even kill someone as well. It’s a slippery slope kind of thing. There’s no guarantee every shade is going to make the most ethical decision if given the choice, so she doesn’t give us that choice to start with. Even one rogue shade could be disastrous for everyone.”

“Have you ever wanted to save somepony, though?”

“W-well, I’m not supposed… I-I mean…” He looked around, confirming that they were still the only two in there. “Maybe a… a few times, I felt that.”

“And hurting them?”

The question came out before she could stop herself, and was almost followed up by an apology. By then, though, Mort had already come to an immediate stop, and was quiet for a long time. Twilight found herself waiting for his reply.

After an uncomfortable silence, he whispered shamefully, “No comment.”

“Oh. Well, that’s okay.” Twilight looked away, mentally kicking herself. On the one hoof she hated how it seem the shades could step in like Mort whenever they wanted, and simply chose not to. There were so many crimes and tragedies they could prevent. 

On the other hoof, Mort was right. If every shade were given that kind of authority, who’s to say they would all have the same idea of good or evil? Just imagine if Chrysalis had the changeling shade on her side during the invasion. A creature that could become undetectable, unstoppable, and have a magic that could sever souls? They would have never made it out the door. And then those differences could divide the shades, and who knew what sort of chaos that would cause.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“Huh? No, no, I’m not mad at you or anything,” she said quickly. “I can definitely see where she’s coming from. It’s just… it’d be nice if shades could do that. Be guardian angels, I mean.”

“Well, it’s not just that she’s worried about us interfering too much,” he said. “I think she’s also afraid that if everypony knew about us, they’d start trying to capture or control us.” He sighed. “Thanasia doesn’t have the greatest opinion of ponies. She thinks Celestia and Luna...” He trailed, off, and Twilight chose not to ask any further about it.

She frowned. She kept receiving mixed signals when it came to Thanasia. Mort would seem to revere her one moment, and then sound intimidated by her the next. The latter popped up often when it came to dealing with her personally. Twilight could sympathize, given her own feelings are Celestia, but the sun princess continued to be one of the kindest, most patient ponies in Equestria. She was getting the impression that Thanasia was not quite as warm.

“Well, you have to be doing something right if she lets you stay friends with them,” she said.

“That’s what I tell myself,” he said. There was silence between them for a moment. “They didn’t just give me a name, you know. What I know, what I am… I owe all of that to them. Before I met them I was dumber than a bag of rocks, but Celestia and Luna taught me how to speak, how to act, showed me what it was like to… live, I guess. I was actually happy, and I liked feeling happy! I didn’t think it would ever end. Or at least, that’s what I thought a thousand years ago.”

“That long?” He nodded. “But… a thousand years? That means you were there when Luna...”

“Yeah,” he said, his tone regretful. “I saw the signs early on, I think, but I… I didn’t think to do or say anything about it. I didn’t understand what it was like to feel sadness, or despair, or anything like that. I couldn’t understand why Luna felt the way she did, or what I could do to help, and… and because of that I got so frustrated with her. I said these horrible things, and…” He kicked at the tiles beneath. “I was so stupid!”

“Hey now—”

“Somehow I didn’t even know it was going to happen!” he said, ignoring her. “Literally, one moment I’m minding my own business, and then I get word that Luna’s renamed herself as Nightmare Moon, and that she was attacking Celestia. The first I heard about it was the moment it had already happened! And I had to be there because… because one or both could…”

Twilight kept quiet this time, waiting for Mort to recompose himself. “I… I never felt so helpless in my life. I, I wanted to do something, but I wasn’t allowed to get in the way! I didn’t know what to do! I wanted to help them, but I didn’t want to disobey Thanasia either, and...” He sat down heavily, his head hanging low. “My friends were hurting each other, and I couldn’t—I didn’t do anything.”

The self-loathing was almost palpable. Twilight wanted to say something, but she didn’t know where to start.

“When… when it was all over, Equestria lost a princess, Celestia lost her sister, and…” He buried his head in his hooves, shaking it miserably. “And I lost one of my only friends.”

“But you knew Luna was coming back, didn’t you?” Twilight asked. “Celestia must’ve told you—”

“And then what?” he asked, his head snapping up. “Use the Elements of Harmony on her again? We didn’t know if it was going to work, Twilight! The Elements of Harmony are forces of good, but they’re primal magic. You can’t tell them what to do. All you can do is point, and hope for the best. Luna could’ve been banished again, or turned to stone, or…” He sighed. “They could’ve even destroyed her. We were both so worried we were going to lose Luna all over again. Maybe even forever.”

Twilight gasped. “I thought… I-I never knew...”  

“And you never had to,” he said, walking over to her. “Because when the time came, you and your friends took up the Elements of Harmony, and… and you saved her, Twilight! You gave Celestia her sister back, and… and I got my friend back.” His shoulders shook, quiet sobs tearing through him. 

“You… you’re the reason I came to Ponyville today, Twilight,” he said. “I-I didn’t want to wait until you were really old, or anything. I wanted to see you know now and do… do something to show you how grateful I am! Repay you somehow! But now… now I don’t know I even can. I-I can’t help you live longer, or help fight your battles, and today’s just been...” He shut his eyes and shook his head. “I-I don’t know what to do…”

She watched him with a heavy heart, unsure what to say. How many ponies have had this many obstacles between them and others? His appearance was frightening, his responsibility was as morbid as it could get, his schedule was unpredictable by nature, and he couldn’t even step in to help anypony if he wanted to. He was powerful and powerless all at once. What do you say to somepony like that?

There was one thing, but… would that be enough? She wanted to believe it was. She had to.

“Mort,” she said, placing a hoof on his shoulder. “I… I want you to know something. I want you to know that—” 

“Oh no.”

She blinked at him, confused and hurt. Where had that come from? “But I haven’t even—”

“Shh, shh!” Twilight closed her mouth and watched Mort raise his head, as if trying to listen for something. Suddenly his eyes widened and he looked at Twilight. “We have to leave.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Thanasia’s going to be here soon,” he said, grabbing her hooves. “It was faint, but I heard her calling the other shades. It won’t be long.”

She could hear the fear in his voice. “You didn’t know?”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he said. “There must have been a disaster, or her schedule’s getting off track because she’s covering for me, or...”

Twilight looked around. She and Mort were still the only ones there, but more and more it was feeling like the calm before the storm.

“Um, assuming she does find me here,” she asked. “What will she do?”

“Nothing,” he said, “because one, she’s beholden to the same rules we are, and two, she’s not going to find you.” She looked in his eyes, and somehow found comfort in the way they didn’t waver when looking at her. “We’re leaving right now. Just close your eyes, and on three you’re going to wake up in the library, and I’ll be right there with you.”

Twilight nodded, and closed her eyes.

“One.”

She splayed her ears back. Were those noises real or imaginary?

“Two.”

She began to silently chant a phrase she read from a foal’s book, while knocking her hooves together.

“Three!”

Twilight braced herself, expecting to fall like she did before. To have the tiles, the torches, and the pillar all fly into the void before being replaced by her library.

She opened her eyes… and saw Mort looking at her. She looked around, and saw she was still in the collective unconsciousness. A feeling of dread began to worm its way in.

“Mort?”

“I got it, I got it!” he said. “Here we go: one, two, three!”

She expected at least Mort to vanish, but he didn’t. He was still standing there, looking flummoxed.

“Mort?” she asked. “When I was linked up to you, did you see anything I saw?”

“No,” he said.

“Alright, so maybe it was one way,” she said. “So, assuming that link is the same one that brought me here, and is still one way...”

His eye shrunk. “Then we can’t go back.”

They stared at each other in silence, those words hanging in the air like a guillotine.

Beneath them, the tiles hummed.





“Spike, are you sure you saw—”

“Yes, yes, YES! I know what I saw, Rarity! We gotta hurry!”

She sighed and continued to trot towards the library, while Spike urged her on from her back.

After she had dropped the materials off for her sister and her friends, she had come back downstairs to find that Spike had left. Puzzled by his sudden and unannounced departure, she got back to work, sewing in silence until the door suddenly burst open. Before she realized what had happened, Spike was tugging her by the tail and going on and on about skeletons and danger.

Rarity was eventually able to calm him down, but even then she barely understood, much less believed, what he was saying. He claimed that the library was a wreck, that Twilight was unconscious, and that Mort—the same pony they had been speaking and walking with all day—was not just a skeleton, but had always been a skeleton.

Understandably, she had a bit of trouble believing that. She tried to explain to Spike how ridiculous it sounded, but the more he insisted, the more Rarity began to doubt. While she was used to hearing these sorts of exaggerations from Sweetie Belle and knew how to spot them, it usually took just a few words to calm her down and have her reconsider what she saw. Spike only continued to become more upset, and Rarity would be lying if she said it wasn’t contagious.

Eventually, she conceded to checking out the library. While she had extreme doubts about the skeleton claim, she could believe that maybe there was some sort of accident. It was on her way out that she met with Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, returning from the cottage. She was surprised to see them so soon, but chose not to ask about it when she overheard mentions of nets and weaponized kitchen utensils. Evidently the animals were still quite upset about Mort, a fact which didn’t escape Spike. He said ponies were getting deceived, and it was only he and the animals who saw through it.

Rarity asked Fluttershy to fetch Applejack, and now it was just her, Spike, and Pinkie Pie rushing to the library. They were almost there when they heard a commotion happening above them.

“Stop tugging on me, featherbrain! What is with you today?!”

“Hoo!”

“You!”

“Hoo!”

“You! Why are you always doing that?!”

“Hoo!”

“Grrrr!”

“Rainbow Dash!” That was from Pinkie Pie, who tried to wave down the pegasus as she flew above. Rainbow Dash got out of Owlowiscious’ face and flew down, her heavy landing announcing her frustration.

“What is with the animals today?!” she demanded, glaring daggers at the agitated owl. “Here I was, trying to take a nap, when this guy—” She jabbed her hoof towards Owlowiscious. “—got all up in my face! What’s going on?”

“Ah’d like to know that myself!” Rarity turned, and was surprised to see it was Applejack, already coming down the road with Fluttershy flying behind her.

“Applejack,” Rarity said, waving her over. “How did you get here so quickly?”

“Big Mac offered to load up the rest of the wood ‘imself, so Ah was already on my way here when Ah spotted Fluttershy.” She stopped in front of them, looking from one to the other. “Now, can anypony tell me what’s goin’ on?”

“Well, it’s Spike,” Rarity said, nodding towards her passenger. “He said—”

“Mort’s a zombie!”

Rarity winced, the shout coming right beside her ear. The reactions were as she expected: Applejack and Rainbow Dash looked at each other skeptically, Pinkie Pie looked surprised, and Fluttershy looked frightened.

Fluttershy gulped, visibly shaken. “Z-z-zombie?” 

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Really? I lost sleep over Spike seein’ things?”

“I am not seeing things!”

Rarity winced again. “Spike, not so close to my ears!”

“Now let’s all calm down,” Applejack said. “Spike, what exactly did y’all see?”

Spike growled in frustration, tugging at his fins. “I keep telling everypony! The library’s messed up, Twilight won’t wake up, and Mort’s nothing but bones!”

“Hoo!” Owlowiscious landed beside Spike, and Rarity’s hair raised as she felt the talons gently clasp onto her back.

“It sounds a tad farfetched,” she said, mindful of Spike’s feelings, “but it is worrying him quite a bit, so I don’t think checking on them would be too much trouble.”

She looked back at her friends for a reaction, but this time noticed the uneasy look between Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. “Do you two have something to add?”

“Oh, uh, well…” Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her neck. “It’s probably nothing, but…”

“W-well, earlier in the day, Angel was drawing a picture of Mort,” Fluttershy said, looking shyly at her hooves. “And in the picture, he kept drawing Mort with...um, skulls and crossbones…”

“He did?” She chose to ignore the idea of a rabbit drawing anything, and focused on what was said. “Has he ever…?”

“Oh, no,” Fluttershy said, shaking her head. “He’s drawn a few times before, but that’s the first time I’ve ever seen something like that.”

“Well, ain’t that just a coincidence,” Spike said bitterly.

“Now calm down Spike,” Applejack said. “Ah’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation for all of this.”

“Well, duh!” Pinkie Pie chimed in. “Obviously, it’s just his mask!”

It was Pinkie Pie, but… “I‘m sorry, dear, did you say ‘mask’?”

“Uh huh!” she said cheerfully. “I saw Derpy earlier today, and she told me all about it! Apparently he was wearing it at the park with Twilight!”

“But… she’s never told any of us about a mask?”

“And Ah ain’t ever seen him wear one,” Applejack said.

“So what did he look like? Huh?”

“Spike, that is no tone for someone like you to take!” Rarity said reproachfully. “But if it’ll humour you, Mort’s face is pale, and thin, and…” She trailed off, digging into her memories, but found that for some reason, they were coming back fuzzy. “Er, his snout was rather petite—”

“I thought it was kinda big!” Pinkie Pie said. “And he had those really pink eyes—”

“Nah, I’m pretty sure they were red,” Rainbow Dash said. “Plus you could kinda see a brown mane—”

“Nuh huh, it were orange,” Applejack said. “Feller always had a smile on his face—”

“Erm, e-excuse me, but I always thought he looked a little, well, sad,” Fluttershy said.

An awkward silence filled the air. Rarity looked from one to the other, seeing faces both confused and embarrassed, which might have mirrored her own.

“Really? All this time we’ve spent with him, all this time we’ve talked with him, and none of us know for sure what he looks like?”

“Kinda suspicious, don’t you think?”

This time, Rarity couldn’t reproach Spike. It was suspicious. Mort might have had that hood on all the time, but it was hardly enough to conceal everything about him. Rarity remembered everypony she’s ever met, and she knew Pinkie Pie never forgot a face, either. How could they not have seen the same thing?

“I… I think we should hurry now,” she said, her words filled with worry. Spike yelped and clung to her back as she took off, and Owlowiscious took the air close by. A moment later she heard everypony else galloping or flapping behind her.





“Okay, here’s what we do,” he said. “First, we hide you—”

“There aren’t exactly a lot of hiding places around, Mort.”

The pony shade looked around, as if hoping something would suddenly pop up.

“Okay, maybe not,” he said.

Twilight was trying to say calm, but there was a humming in the air, something she could feel more than hear. It seemed to be emanating from the tiles under her, and made her think of a stampede. Perhaps it was just her imagination, but it seemed to be getting louder. Were they going to start flying down from above, or come rushing in from the outside, like she had?

Wait. “Maybe we can run away!”

“What?”

“We can go back out there!” she said, pointing out into the void. “They won’t see us if we get far enough away, right?”

“Maybe…” Mort looked out into the infinite blackness, then back at her. “It’s not going to get us back to our bodies, though.”

“Maybe not, but it’ll give us time.”

“And it might be really hard on you,” he said. “There’s literally nothing out there. That could drive a pony, you know…” He twirled his toe in a circle around his head.

“There won’t be nothing, though,” she said. “You’ll be there.”

Mort looked surprised, than embarrassed. “I-I guess.”

“Okay,” she said, walking towards the perimeter. “So let’s get out of here before—”

There was a flash of light, and she bumped into something that had hard skin, knocking them both over. It had the physical characteristics of a changeling queen, but was only a little taller than herself. The thread-like hair was a light blue that had streaks of color that changed from moment to moment. The carapace was the same way, flowing with colors like coral. 

The changeling lifted herself up and turned to look at Twilight, her aquamarine eyes registering surprise. “Twilight Sparkle?”

“Echo! Good to see you!” Mort rushed over and helped Twilight up, leading her away. “Sorry about that! We’re just going to leave now—”

“Wait a minute. Mort?” The changeling shade was on her hooves in an instant, and walked towards them. “Mort, what is going on here?”

“Nothing you need to concern yourself with!” he said cheerfully. “If you can just keep this to yourself I would really—”

Twilight then tripped over something that squirmed and felt like liquid ice. She shrieked and jumped back to her hooves to get a look at it. Writhing on a tile there was a small, amorphous blob, with tiny eyes and what looked like antenna sticking out of its head. It twisted the front half of its body to one side, blinking its eyes at her. Below she saw what looked like a rabbit carving.

“Sorry!” She backed away from it, and looked to see Echo still staring at her. “Um, listen, I know I’m not supposed to be here, but…”

“How did you get here?” Echo asked suspiciously. “What did Mort do?” 

“Mort? Oh, he didn’t do anything! In fact, we were just trying to leave!”

“Right, so, uh, if both of you could keep this to yourselves…”

Twilight returned her attention to the rabbit shade, seeing it hop towards her, making a chirping noise. Twilight didn’t know if it meant “Hello” or “Intruder” and she didn’t want to find out.

“This is serious, you two!” Suddenly her carapace became armor, gilded in gold, and hair and feathers suddenly covered her. She was the spitting image of a royal guardspony. “Do you have any idea how much trouble you’ll be in?!”

“Uh…” Twilight’s eyes darted around. More and more tiles were glowing, and from them dark shapes were arising. If they didn’t move now she’d be surrounded. “Uh…”

The faux-guard changed again, losing the armor and increasing in height, while gaining a horn and royal regalia. The mane became a flowing sea of morning colors. Celestia glared at her. “Well, my student?”

Twilight looked at Mort. “Well?”

“I find most ponies have an appropriate reaction at a time like this,” he said.

The shade-turned-Celestia leaned closer. “And what’s that?”

“Well, it’s nothing special, they have a lot of words for RUN!”

For the second time Twilight ran into Echo, but this time intentionally. She knocked the changeling shade over and began to run as columns of light rose from the tiles. From them shades began to appear, looking at them in surprise as they dashed by.

“Head for the outside!” Mort said, spreading his wings and flying up. Twilight thought back to when she first arrived and how she had ended up walking in upside-down. She just had to think about walking on empty space, but it was difficult to think like that when a floor was clearly beneath her and grounding her imagination, not to mention she was becoming distracted by the torrent of shades coming out of the tiles. 

She ran towards the outside, dodging and weaving around the shades. She ducked under the wing of something armored, and didn’t see the large, hairy shade until she was literally on top of it. She ran up its back and launched herself off, hearing the shade bellow in surprise. Sometimes there were too many shades for her to squeeze through, and all she could do was turn and try to readjust herself when she found another opening. 

She thought she was incredibly lucky to find a large expanse of floor that wasn’t glowing, and more so when she saw it was on the edge. Looking back, the once-vacant floor was now populated by an army of different shades. Many looked like the scribbles of some foal that only had a black marker. A few were far more distinct and colorful, looking very much like animals Twilight recognized. 

“Twilight!” She looked up, and saw Mort flying above her. “Get off that tile!”

She looked down. “Which one? There’s dozens…”

She looked down. There were not, in fact, dozens of tiles. The floor was unbroken and flat, save for the carving. It didn’t make sense until she remembered that the tiles were not uniform in size or shape, and were just large enough for their specified shade. So if this whole thing was one tile—

Light burst out from the floor in front of her, and she skidded to a halt. She tried to run in another direction, but saw the light was traveling in an irregular path around her. She looked down again, and saw she was standing between the jaws of a giant dragon carving. As the implications hit her, the carving came to life and its giant head rose from the tile. Twilight rose with it, and she clung to the bridge of its snout to avoid falling off. The shades beneath her shrunk to the size of tennis balls. Mort shouted her name.

When it finally stopped, Twilight slowly opened her eyes to look at the jet-black scales pressing against her. The scales suddenly parted, revealing a ruby-red eye that focused on her.

Twilight screamed at the exact moment the dragon roared, and she was flung through the air. She flailed her legs in a futile attempt to slow her descent, but then felt something suddenly grab her in midair. 

“Thank you…” She looked up to thank Mort, but instead saw that the one holding her was a griffon, whose forearms and breast were armored. The griffon glared at her from behind a metal mask, which covered everything above the jawline. Twilight gulped.

Wordlessly, the griffon deposited her on the floor and performed a loop in the air, landing with a metal clang. She approached Twilight and was soon joined by the other shades, blocking all escape. Twilight looked down and saw she was on Mort’s tile.

The shades gradually formed a circle around her, chatting amongst themselves. She heard a few words in there somewhere, but she also heard chirping and buzzing. Some of the shades were flashing colors, and a tiny few were even changing their bodies into geometric shapes.

“Um, h-hello, everyone.”

She could barely hear herself over them, but somehow it was enough to bring every conversation to a halt. The shades all focused their attention on her again, as if waiting for something. The silence hung over them awkwardly.

“It’s, uh, i-it’s nice to see you all,” she said, trying to strike a friendly tone. “How’s… how’s that weather, huh?”

She forced a smile, but it started to falter in the face of the blank stares she received.

“Er, pardon me.”

The deep, thunderous voice came from above, and Twilight gasped when she saw the owner was the dragon from before. It seemed to flinch upon seeing her reaction.

“Uh, yes, guten tag, little pony,” he said, waving a giant, clawed hand that looked big enough to carry a small house. “Didn’t mean to frighten you. I am Schwarzer Tod, and you are... Twilight Sparkle, ja?”

This caused something of an uproar, and Twilight shied away as the group broke into broken, often alien, conversations. From the snippets she could understand, she heard her name spoken several times, but more worrisome were the mentions of Mort’s name.

“Twilight! Are you okay?” Mort landed beside her, and circled around, looking her over. “You’re not hurt or anything, are you? I mean, I’m not sure if a consciousness can even feel pain, but—”

“Mort?” He looked up, and she jerked her heads towards the army of shades around them. He followed her lead, and seemed to notice for the first time that they were surrounded. He glanced around nervously.

“Uh… oh, oh! What is this?” Mort said, putting his hooves on his cheekbones in mock-shock. “There, uh, there appears to be a pony in the collective unconsciousness! How could she have gotten here?”

Mort spread his forelegs, giving probably the worst performance of innocence Twilight had ever seen. Even Applejack could be more convincing. Twilight forced a big smile, but she could see some of the more distinct shades facepalming or shaking their heads in disbelief.

“You are a beschissener liar, Mort,” Tod rumbled, sounding sorry for him.

“Not even a D for effort,” Echo added.

“Make way, make way! Coming through!” Something shoved its way to the forefront, knocking several shades over. It looked to be a bison, and Twilight realized it was the shade she had ran across moments ago. He was still readjusting his headdress when he got up front. He tilted his head left and right, squinting his eyes.

“Oh, wow, it really is you,” he said, blinking in surprise. “A little heavier than when I last saw ya, but yer definitely the genuine article.” He looked at Mort and shook his head pityingly. “Mort, I knew you’d jump off the deep end someday, but bringing a pony here? That’s not just crazy, that’s… dumb!”

Mort narrowed his eyes. “Cloudwalker, it’s not like that—”

“I mean, we have three rules,” Cloudwalker said, holding his hoof up. “Don’t kill ‘em, don’t save ‘em, and don’t… uh…” Cloudwalker wiggled his two toes, as if expecting a third, then suddenly grabbed the hand of the griffon beside him, counting on her fingers. “Don’t kill ‘em, don’t save ‘em, and don’t tell ‘em about us!” The griffon pulled her hand away, glaring at the bison.

Mort sighed raggedly. “I-I know the rules—”

“I mean, couldn’t you have brought the pink one at least?” the bison shade continued. “Heck, at least she’s fun! This one’s just kinda, you know, ‘eh’.”

“I’m sorry, but do I know you?” Twilight asked, her agitation seeping through.

“Oh, right, right…” He cleared his throat and stuck his hoof out. “Cloudwalker. Nice to meet ya. You didn’t see me, but I saw you back in Appleloosa.”

She slowly reached out and shook his hoof. “You did?”

“Oh yeah. Remember that whole territory dispute? Big bison, small ponies, anvils, falling clock towers… I’m surprised no one got gored or had their skull caved in. Gotta hand it to that pink friend of yers. She made things way more interesting than they had any right to be.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes. “I never realized war was ‘interesting’.”

“Hey, come on, don’t make it sound like that,” he said, sounding hurt. “It’s the desert. Yer more likely to find water than excitement out there, and that was the most interesting thing to happen in decades! Didn’t Mort tell ya this already?”

“No, because she’s just finding this out,” Mort said. “I know she isn’t supposed to be here, but there was this accident, you see—”

“An accident? Is she feeling well?” This was asked by a rich and soothing voice. Its owner stepped forward, a short figure wearing a tribal mask much like the ones found in Zecora’s hut. Twilight could tell that something equine was wearing it, and he had telltale zebra stripes on his hindquarters. “With just her consciousness, it can be hard to tell.”

“Um, yes. I’m fine, thank you,” she said, struck by the concern he had.

“Her body’s still at the Golden Oaks Library in Ponyville, Du’a,” Mort explained. “It’s unharmed, just… she isn’t ‘home,’ you could say.”

Twilight wasn’t sure what to expect from the other shades when Mort told her about them. She half-expected more skeletons or nightmarish creatures, but many of them looked unintimidating, or were speaking in ways that almost sounded casual. Even the dragon had sounded relatively polite. 

The “unintimidating” part was challenged when something began to buzz in front of her, and Twilight almost screamed at the sight of a giant fly. It wasn’t helped that, upon closer inspections, its skin was literally crawling with an assortment of black shapes.

“Poni never heer beefor,” it said, hovering around her. “Veri strange. Veri diffrent. Iz gud poni, tho. Usez magik element.” It looked at her a little longer, causing Twilight to bite her lip. “I skare poni?”

“J-just a little,” she admitted.

“Sari,” it said, and Twilight could’ve sworn it sounded disappointed.

“Oh, uh, it’s not you, it’s me,” she said, feeling guilty. “I appreciate the compliments. Really.”

“She’s still getting used to this, Motzebub,” Mort said. “Don’t worry, she knows you’re one of the best.”

Twilight hadn’t actually known that, but Motzebub seemed to perk up at this, and floated away. Mort then lenaed in close and whispered, “Thanks for saying that. He—they are kinda sensitive.”

She took another look at the crowd. She didn’t feel much animosity. They seemed more curious than anything. And she didn’t expect them to know her like this.

“I’m sorry, but did I miss something?” she asked. “Why does everyone know me?”

“The world owes you its peace of mind,” said the zebra shade. “‘For want of Twilight’, could history be defined.”

She stared at him blankly. “Huh?”

“He means you’re very significant,” Mort said. “When certain creatures consistently sway the chances of survival and success of those around them, we all tend to take notice.”

“Oh.” Twilight knew this wasn’t her body, but nonetheless it felt like her cheeks were burning. She knew she was partially a celebrity already, but she hadn’t realized it extended so far. “That’s… flattering?”

“You bet it is,” Cloudwalker laughed. “Seriously, do you know how many ponies would be dead if it weren’t for you?”

Twilight’s mouth opened in horror. “W-what—”

“We’re talkin’ hundreds, maybe thousands of ponies,” he said. “Just Nightmare Moon, okay? They’d be starving, or freezing, or getting executed, and that’s not including all the griffons, dragons, cows—”

He was, mercifully, stopped by Echo, who stuck her hoof in his mouth. “What Cloudwalker is trying to say is that a lot of creatures owe their lives to you and your friends.”

And she didn’t want to hear anymore of what could have happened. She was happier knowing what did. 

Twilight looked the changeling shade up and down, trying to reassure herself with what Mort said. “You’re not… upset with me or anything, are you?” she asked.

“Why?” Echo pondered this for a moment. “Ooh, you mean how you and your family launched the changelings out of Canterlot and into the Badlands hundreds of miles away?”

Twilight gulped, and slowly nodded.

“Eh, no biggie,” Echo said, waving her hoof dismissively. “What were you supposed to do, lay down and die? It’s just circle of life stuff. And it’s not like they’re dead or anything.”

Twilight’s ears fell. “They’re not?”

“Nope! Chrysalis was even…” She scratched her chin thoughtfully. “Hmm, what was it she said? Oh, yeah!”

In the span of an eye blink, Echo vanished and was replaced by Queen Chrysalis, who shook her perforated hoof at the void. “Curse you, Twilight Sparkle! I’ll see to it that you and all you love pay dearly for this insult! I swear it!”

Another blink, and Echo was back, smiling innocently. “Or something like that,” she said, then broke into a singsong voice. “Somepony has a mortal enemy!”

“Uh, aren’t we saying too much?” This came from a diamond dog, one that was literally made of diamonds. “They’re not really supposed to know anything.”

Echo rolled her eyes. “Little late for that, I think.”

“Which brings us to our next question.” Cloudwalker was shoved away, and Twilight was confronted by the griffon from before, who glared at her from behind her mask. “How did you get here?”

Cloudwalker puffed his cheeks. “Keres, what’s the big—” He was silenced by the look he got, and Twilight could’ve sworn she saw his shape waver.

Keres returned her attention to Twilight. “What did you two do?”

“Nothing!” Twilight insisted.

“Now honey, it’s not nice to fib.” Twilight turned in shock to see her mother there. “You might as well just tell us what happened. It’ll make it easier on everypony.” The image of her mother walked behind her, and when she turned she was looking at her father. “You should listen to your mother, young lady!”

“Has anyone ever told you how creepy that is?” Twilight asked.

Her father vanished, replaced by Echo. “Hmm, not very often. The changelings aren’t the most invested audience. Mort, on the other hoof—” A dark blue color spread from the bottom of her hooves and seemed to burst out of the top of her head, forming a mane filled with stars and galaxies. “—can be way more fun,” she finished, swaying her hips suggestively.

Twilight’s jaw dropped, and Mort covered his eyes. “All the time,” he muttered in disgust. “She does this all the time.”

“L-look,” Twilight said, trying to keep her voice steady. “I know mistakes have been made. I know I’m not supposed to be here, so please, please, one of you has to help us! We can’t leave on our own!”

Keres seemed to roll her eyes and keep them there, staring upward.

Desperate, Twilight said, “I promise I won’t come here again! I won’t tell anypony about you, or this place, or even—”

“Thanasia.”

“Yes, not even…” That was when Twilight noticed that Keres hadn’t been the only one to roll her eyes up. All of them were looking above her now, towards the top of the pillar. Her heart filling with dread, she spun around.

Had Twilight not looked at the top of the pillar when she did, she wouldn’t have even noticed Thanasia’s entrance. There was no thunder to herald her arrival, no flashy display of fire or light to let everyone know she was there. There was just an empty space, and in an instant that space was filled by her.

The effect was almost immediate. The simpler shades all backed away, lowering their bodies submissively, while the more distinct and intelligent ones stood to attention, all looking very nervous. Mort began to shiver beside her, and Twilight soon followed suit as the ashen alicorn from her vision opened her eyes.

“What’s going on here?” she demanded, scanning the group. “Why are all of you…”

And that’s when she saw them. At first she said nothing, her golden eyes only flickering in surprise. Then they became a glare, and she jumped off the pillar. Without using her wings to slow her, she came crashing down on the tile, causing many of the shades to scatter and return to their tiles. The more intelligent shades were rooted to the spot, curiosity overpowering their instincts.

Thanasia looked down at her with so much contempt that it was a wonder her face remained so stoic. “What are you doing here?” she asked, each word encrusted with prickly ice.

Twilight opened her mouth to answer, but no words came out. She knew Mort said that Thanasia was bound by the same rules as her shades, but if she was the first pony here, could that warrant an exception?

“I asked you a question.” Thanasia stomped her hoof, creating a quake inside a chamber that caused Twilight and Mort to fall. The last of the more skittish shades fled, and the few left were watching in silence, occasionally sharing a nervous look. “What are you doing here?!”

Twilight looked at the shades, not knowing what to hope for. They were quietly navigating off to the sides so that they were not behind her, or rather so that they were not in Thanasia’s line of sight.

“What is the meaning of this?” Thanasia asked, focusing her attention on Mort. “What is she doing here? How did she get here?”

“I… we…” Mort sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat. “I sent her here by accident.”

“What sort of accident?” she asked, her voice quiet but chilly.

“It was a magical accident,” Twilight said, coming forward. “Mort—”

“I did not ask you, Twilight Sparkle! Step away from Mort and stay there!”

Twilight looked uncertainly at Mort, who nodded vigorously. Slowly she backed up, and didn’t stop until Thanasia was looking at Mort again.

“Again,” she said. “What happened?”

“Twilight… Twilight saw through my disguise,” he explained, barely able to keep his voice even. “She panicked and used dispelling magic on me—”

“You attacked him?” Thanasia looked at Twilight, and she could do nothing but look down in shame.

“No, no, it wasn’t an attack,” Mort said quickly. “I wasn’t hurt or anything! It’s just… I think it somehow restored the link you severed earlier, and it ended up going to her.”

“Impossible,” Thanasia said. “My magic cannot be so easily reversed!”

“Well, not many ponies have a special talent in magic like Twilight. I-I’m sorry, I don’t mean to contradict you, but it’s the only thing that makes sense.”

Thanasia looked suspiciously at her. “Supposing this is true, then how did she end up here?”

“I don’t know the specifics, but when we got connected, I had to use my scythe to separate her from me. Somehow the remnants of her spell and my link got her connected to this place. I followed her here, and explained what happened—”

“Why?” Thanasia snapped. “You didn’t need to explain anything. All you had to do was take her back—”

“She was scared, alright?!” Mort covered his mouth, and quickly bowed his head. “I… I didn’t want to bring her back until her consciousness was more stable. That meant assuring her that she wasn’t dead, or going to die, or in any other form of danger. Ponies have never been here, and… and I didn’t want to take any chances on something going wrong.”

“Little late for that, too,” muttered Echo. A glare from Thanasia cowed her, and she looked away.

“So why haven’t you taken her back yet?” Thanasia asked.

“I tried!” he said. “But, but it isn’t working! This link, however it formed, I think it’s only one way! I… I don’t know how to get her back!”

This caused another round of murmuring in the crowd of shades, and with a flick of her hoof, Thanasia silenced them. “How many know?”

“Nopony else!” he said. “I swear, it’s just Twilight!”

“We’ll see.” Thanasia closed her eyes, her horn glowing the same color magic as Mort’s. From the crowd, she saw curtains of light drift up and then spiral towards Thanasia, wrapping around her horn. Her cutie mark glowed as well, and it seemed the flame grew a little taller.

Thanasia reopened her eyes. She looked at Twilight accusingly.

“I’ve just collected the data from several shades around and within Ponyville,” Thanasia said. “Your friends are on their way to the library as we speak.”

“T-they must’ve gotten worried,” she said. “I’ve been here so long—”

“No,” Mort said, sounding worried. “Time’s perceived much more quickly here than it is in the waking world. It couldn’t have been more than twenty minutes since you got here.”

That long? All those hours here, and it was still the middle of the afternoon. “Well, why are they—”

“Your dragon knows.”

Twilight’s head whipped around. “Spike? But he’s with Rarity!”

“Was with Rarity,” Thanasia corrected. “He stumbled upon you two after Mort followed you here.”

“Owlowiscious…” Mort smacked his forehead. “He was outside! He must’ve found Spike!”

“Yes, and it seems circumstances have conspired to bring your friends together at this critical point. They’ll be arriving in only a few minutes.”

“Which is why I need to bring her back!” Mort stepped forward and pointed at Twilight. “You can send us back—”

“Quiet, Mort.”

“—then we can calm her friends down and explain—”

“I said be quiet!”

He was. Thanasia turned away from her Mort with her head down, kneading the base of her skull. She took a breath, and turned back around.

“Do you realize what you’ve done?” she asked.

Mort didn’t say anything. He tried to move his head, but it came out as an undecipherable jerk.

“Let me make perfectly clear what has happened,” she said. “Twenty-four hours ago—less than a day, to be precise—only two ponies knew about us: Celestia and Luna. Within that time, not only has that number grown to potentially eight ponies plus one dragon, but you’ve even led one of them here to our front door step! You’ve exposed yourself in a way that you’ve never managed in the thousands of years in my service! This… holiday has managed to not even meet my lowest of expectations!”

“Thanasia—”

“No,” she said. “Not another word. It is over, Mort. You are to resume your normal duties immediately.”

Mort lowered his head. Twilight watched Thanasia, having the terrible feeling that she wasn’t through yet.

“In addition,” she continued, “I will be reevaluating our other arrangements.”

Mort went stiff, then looked back up. “Other arrangements?”

Twilight felt her heart drop. She wouldn’t. She couldn’t!

“Obviously your time with the princesses has caused more harm than good,” she said. “It was on their advice that we even attempted this, and look where it’s gotten us! I can no longer tolerate their influence if this is the result.”

“W-what’s that supposed to mean?” he asked desperately.

“It means,” she said, her patience wearing thin, “that you are not to see them for the foreseeable future.”

“B-but…” Mort’s body was trembling, on the verge of realizing what everyone else already knew. “H-how long is that supposed to be?”

Thanasia pressed her lips together before answering. “That depends on how long they live.”

Twilight gasped, struck speechless. She knew that’s what Thanasia had meant, and knew it was coming, but to still hear it in such stark terms...

Mort’s eyes widened, and seemed to fade. “No. No, please! You can’t do that!”

“And why not?” Thanasia demanded. “You are my shade, and my responsibility! I told you as much when we started this whole farce! And look what’s happened! How am I to trust you back in the living world? How am I to trust the princesses when their council put us in this situation in the first place?!”

“They’re my friends, Thanasia!”

“They are two ponies, Mort! The world will not end just because you can’t see them!”

Mort looked at her helplessly, then buried his face in his hooves. Twilight looked at the other shades, hoping to find some support, but many of them were either looking away or apathetic. Why weren’t they saying anything? Why wasn’t anyone coming to Mort’s defense? What was wrong with this place?!

“I will send you both back,” Thanasia said, looking at her. “You are to immediately disembark upon your return, and then I shall—”

“No.”

Thanasia stopped. Mort lifted his head from his hooves and looked at Twilight. The ashen alicorn narrowed her eyes, glaring daggers at her.

“Excuse me?”

“No,” Twilight repeated. She thought she should be afraid, but she couldn’t feel fear anymore. She was brimming with anger and defiance, and it had no way to go but out. “You can’t take him away from them!”

The alicorn bristled. “I am his creator,” she said. “I can do what I damn well please!” 

“Well I’m his friend, and I say you can’t!”

Twilight had to admit that she got some satisfaction from the look of shock on Thanasia’s face. “You are his what?”

“You heard me!” She marched over to Mort and then led him away, with Thanasia too stunned to stop her. Mort followed clumsily, looking back and forth between the two. He spoke in short, broken sentences, trying to keep up with what had happened.

“T-Twilight, you can’t just tell her… you’re not supposed to… did you just say I’m your friend?”

“Yeah,” she said. “Of course I am.”

He dwelled on this. “And you’re not just saying this,” he said. “You actually—”

“I mean exactly what I said,” she said. Doubts began to surface. “Unless… you don’t want to be my friend,” she said, shrugging helplessly. “Not that I can blame you after all this.”

Mort didn’t do anything at first. Then he shook his head vigorously. When he spoke, his voice was full of emotion. “Of course I want you as a friend!”

“What is this foolishness?” Thanasia took a few steps toward them, and Twilight put herself between Thanasia and Mort. “What exactly are you expecting out of this? He can’t make you live longer. He can’t fight your enemies, or help save Equestria!”

“I know,” she said defiantly.

This seemed to catch her off guard. “Then is it guilt?” she asked. “Scientific curiosity? Are you afraid of failing the princesses?”

“Of course not!”

“Then why would you want to be his friend? I can understand the princesses wanting some kind of companion that can live as long as they do, but you have hundreds of ponies in your town alone to choose from. Why him?”

“What kind of question is that?” she asked. “I like being around him! He’s nice and considerate, and is always looking out for other’s feelings! He sees things in ways I never even thought of! I had fun listening about all the places he’s been, and my friends had fun playing games with him! He’s a good pony!” Even before she came to Ponyville, she had understood why ponies were friends with each other, even if she hadn’t interested in it at the time. Thanasia made friendship sound like some foreign concept.

“But you can’t benefit from him,” Thanasia insisted, her frustration growing more evident. “Being ‘friends’ with him gives you no special treatment. He will constantly be away, and be forbidden from helping you. He will not defeat your enemies, nor will he save your friends or family. Any one of them could die tomorrow, and he would do nothing to stop it.” Her eyes narrowed, as if she was staring into Twilight’s soul. “Are you truly okay with that?”

Twilight opened her mouth to answer, but found herself hesitating. When she tried to imagine Shining Armor, or Spike, or anyone else dying like that, it made her feel sick. If she knew someone had been there and done nothing, she wasn’t sure if she could forgive them. Mort was different, wasn’t he? There were so many other factors. And yet, when she tried to imagine it, she couldn’t stop feeling queasy, or that perhaps Mort should make an exception, or…

“No,” she admitted. “I don’t like it.”

For a fleeting moment, there was a grin on Thanasia’s face. Mort’s face fell.

“But,” she continued, “I would never blame Mort for it.”

Thanasia’s grin vanished, at the exact moment Mort lifted his head up.

“I wish it was different, but I understand why it is,” she explained. “Actually, if I had been in your hooves, I might’ve done the same thing.”

Thanasia blinked in surprise, then looked at her suspiciously. “You would?”

“Your shades are incredible, Thanasia. They’re easily some of the most marvelous creatures I’ve ever seen. The things they can do, the things they can see and experience, the fact that they can learn and grow, and acquire genuine thoughts and feelings of their own… it’s absolutely amazing! They are amazing!”

She could see some of the shades beaming with pride. Even Thanasia lost some of the hostility in her eyes.

“But I also understand that a lot of the things that make them so special can also make them dangerous. Giving them carte blanche to do whatever they want would just be asking for trouble. Not that they would,” she said, noticing some of the dirty looks, “but I understand the need to play it safe. Not even Celestia gives her guards the freedom to do anything they want.

“I guess what I’m trying to say is that, I know why you can’t play favorites, and let some shades do whatever they want while telling the others they can’t. It’s all or nothing, and since letting all of them do whatever they want could mean trouble, then it has to be none of them.”

Cloudwalker whistled, sounding impressed. A moment later Thanasia was nodding her head slowly.

“Those are some astute observations,” she said. “And correct, as well. I must admit I’m a little impressed.”

“Thank you,” she said. “To be honest, Mort explained most of it to me earlier. He told me he can’t play favorites. I’m not expecting immortality or anything like that, so can you please hear me out?”

Thanasia looked contemplatingly at her, before saying, “Continue, then.”

She nodded. “Thanasia, am I correct to assume that you’re just worried about what will happen to Mort?”

Thanasia was silent, then said, “My concern is for all my shades, Twilight.”

“I understand,” she said, “but what I mean is, are you afraid I’m going to hurt him, or try to use him? Do you… do you think I have some kind of ‘angle’ to all this?”

“Most creatures do,” Thanasia said. “Everything you do is always guided in some part by self-interest, including these relationships you have. The more ponies you’re on good terms with, the more options and help you’ll have in life. That’s why I find this insistence that you’re his ‘friend’ to be rather dubious. He can’t be there for you the same way other ponies can, and he’s expressly forbidden from helping in ways that most ponies would absolutely want.”

“But that isn’t what friendship is all about,” Twilight said. “It’s not just give-and-take. Friendships can form for a variety of reasons, whether it’s just a common hobby or because they can have fun with each other. If a friend genuinely can’t help in some way, then a real friend would understand that. If a friend stops doing something they once both enjoyed, then a real friend would understand that, too. Mort doesn’t have to give me special treatment to be my friend. Just being himself would be enough!”

“Would your friends see it the same way?”

“Maybe not right away,” she said, “but I’m confident that with enough time and understanding, I think they can be friends with Mort, too. We were all getting along so well recently, and it’s not like Mort’s a monster or anything. He just has very different responsibilities.”

Thanasia’s face was impassive. It was a step up from the signs of anger earlier, but Twilight wasn’t sure if it was her speech that was doing it. She took a deep breath.

“Thanasia,” she said. “I know you only want to protect Mort. You think taking him away from the princesses and me would help, but I think it’s only going to hurt him more. Even if he can find friends among the other shades, he’s been with Celestia for most of her life, and Luna’s just gotten back after being gone for a thousand years! I’m begging you, if you can’t trust him around me or my friends, then please… at the very least, please allow him to keep seeing the princesses! Don’t punish them for something I did.”

She bowed her head in respect, and held her metaphorical breath for Thanasia’s response. The chamber was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

“No.”

Twilight’s head snapped up, her jaw dropping at the same time her heart did. She tried to say something, but nothing came out. She looked desperately at Mort, who could only bow his head.

“But...” Twilight forced her mouth to move, trying to form words. “But you can’t—”

“I just did,” she said. “A speech, no matter how passionate or well-intended, does not erase the risk posed by Mort’s identity being known. To merely assume that things will work out is nothing short of naive, and I must act by what is most likely.” Thanasia sat down and closed her eyes. “I am now forming the spell that will send you two back. Remain silent. This will not take long.”

Thanasia may as well have bucked her in the gut. Twilight collapsed on the tile, and looking at the carving of the sleeping alicorn, itself ignorant of the tragedy going on above it. What was she going to tell her friends? Would she be allowed to? If Mort was going away forever, would it even matter? What could she tell Celestia or Luna?

Twilight looked at Mort, who kept his back to her. Twilight couldn’t even begin to imagine what was going through his mind, nor was she sure she wanted to. He was probably so angry with her. She could never be his friend. Not after this.

Thanasia continued to speak under her breath, reminding Twilight that the time they had let was slipping away. “Is it… is it okay if I say something before I go?” she asked.

Thanasia opened one eye, looked at her in annoyance, then closed it again. “Make it quick.”

Twilight couldn’t even muster up any feelings of anger at her. She’d already messed everything else up today. She wouldn’t ruin this.

She walked up to him. “Mort?”

Mort looked up, then turned around wordlessly. His eyes were dim now, barely visible. Twilight almost looked away, but forced herself to keep looking at him. 

“I…” The words got stuck in her throat. Two simple, easy words, that did not feel nearly enough for all this. “I’m sorry, Mort.”

She half-feared he’d shoot back with a bitter retort, but instead he stayed silent. That was worse, in some ways.

“I’m… I’m so sorry, about everything,” she said, feeling her eyes tear up. Was her body doing the same thing right now? “I-I didn’t mean for this to happen. I swear if I knew, I…” She held a hoof to her mouth, her body shaking with sobs. “This is all my fault.”

Mort stood there frozen. Slowly, he approached her, raising his hoof. She thought he was going to strike her, but instead he wrapped it around her shoulders and brought her into a hug. 

She was too shocked to do anything at first. Eventually, she lifted her forelegs and wrapped them around his shoulders, returning the hug. She scrunched her eyes close, squeezing tears out.

“It’s... it’s okay, Twilight,” he said, patting her her back. “This isn’t your fault.”

She buried her head into his shoulder, crying softly. “Yes it is.”

“No,” he stated firmly, and leaned back so he was looking her straight in the eye. “You were right. This wouldn’t have happened if you knew what was really going on. We… I only have myself to blame for that.”

“How…” She sniffed, wiping her nose out of habit. “How am I going to face Celestia or Luna when I get back? They’re going to hate me for this!”

“Don’t be silly,” he said. “Come on, we both know them better than that. They’re not going to hate you.”

“Well maybe they should!” she snapped. “They trust me with you, and look what happened! They’re not going to see you for who knows how long, and you can’t even...”

“Hey, hey, look at me,” he said. “Everything’s going to be okay, alright? You know me, I’ll always see somepony one last time.”

“But that’s only after…” She trailed off, unwilling to finish the sentence.

“True,” he said. “But… it’s better than nothing, right? I’ll always be nearby, and maybe… maybe when I see you again, we can swap stories! You could even follow me for a little bit, see the sights and everything. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

Twilight shook her head, rubbing her eyes. “That’s… that’s not going to be for a long time, Mort.”

“I’ll wait,” he said. “We’re friends, right? If it means seeing you, or Celestia, or Luna again, I’ll wait as long as it takes.”

She sniffed. He shouldn’t have to wait. He shouldn’t have to be waiting there at the end. He should be spending as much time with them as possible.

“When you see Celestia and Luna again, tell them…” Mort shut his eyes, and were he flesh and blood, Twilight could easily envision him fighting back tears. “Please… p-please tell them that I’ll always remember the time we’ve spent together, and… a-and I hope to see them after a long, and fruitful life.” 

Twilight nodded. “I promise.”

“And please, please don’t…” He took a shuddering breath. “P-please, don’t blame Thanasia for this.”

Twilight felt her jaw drop open. She quickly looked at Thanasia, and perhaps it was just her imagination, but the alicorn seemed to have frowned for a second.

“But Mort,” she said in disbelief. “She’s the one—”

“I know, Twilight, but… but she’s just doing her duty, like me. It’s not personal or anything, she’s just…. she’s just looking out for all of us. I can’t even imagine what it’d be like to be in her hooves, and have so much riding on her. That’s not an easy weight to carry.”

Twilight risked another glance. Thanasia had lifted her head up high, and Twilight couldn’t see any sign of her face. It wouldn’t surprise her if Thanasia was secretly gloating.

“You really believe that?” she asked.

“I do,” he said. “It goes beyond belief, or trust, or anything like that. I know she’s always acting in our best interests. I don’t always agree with her, but she isn’t out to hurt anypony. She’s only doing what’s best for us, and… and she did agree to let this holiday happen, remember? She didn’t have to, but she did. It’s… it’s not her fault I screwed up.”

Twilight bit her lip, forcing down a tirade of angry words. Thanasia was taking him away from his best friends for who knew how long, and he was defending her! Few things made her feel as sick as that thought did.

But if this was going to be her last meeting, she didn’t want it to end like that. Every word counts.

“I’ll… I’ll tell them you said that,” she said.

“Thank you,” he said, sounding so relieved it made Twilight’s heart ache. “And please tell your friends I’m sorry about hiding this from them. They’re good ponies, and… and I hope that when I see them again, it’ll be many years down the road, too.”

Twilight sniffed, feeling her tears start up again. “I will.”

“Spike, too,” he said. “He’s not my jurisdiction or anything, but I want to see him again, too. You’re both lucky to have each other. With you around, I’m sure he’ll be a fine dragon when he grows up.”

Twilight squeezed her eyes shut. “I will,” she choked.

“Okay then.” He turned to face his maker, and took a deep breath. “Thanasia?”

Thanasia opened her eyes. “Yes?”

“We’re…” He looked at Twilight for confirmation, and all she could do was nod. “We’re ready.”

“I… see.” She sounded distracted, and Twilight wondered if she had even listened to a word that was said. Again, she had to force herself from saying something she would regret.

Thanasia took a few steps forward, then stopped. She lifted her head, her horn gathering magic. Her eyes swiveled down to look at Twilight. “Twilight Sparkle?”

“What?” It came out harsher than she intended, but Thanasia seemed to pay little notice.

“Before I send you back, I have a question,” she said. “Does one learn more when things go right, or when things go wrong?”

What did this have to do with anything? “When things go wrong. It implies we have more to learn.”

“More than that,” Thanasia said. Her horn now brimmed with magic. “Mistakes are inevitable, and plans rarely remain unchanged. When my prophecies are wrong, not only do I make the necessary corrections, I reevalute my methods so that the prophecies are more accurate in the future. Similarly, a good general will quickly adapt to a changing battlefield, a good doctor will be prepared for a decline in a patient’s health, and a good leader will be able to remain in control and take charge, even in the face of disaster.”

She lowered her head, until her eyes were level with Twilight’s. Twilight stared back, unflinching.

“Your friends are going to find out what Mort is very soon,” she said. “That is inevitable. Soon after, they’re going to tell Ponyville what happened, and then they will know. There will be panic and hysteria in the streets, and word may spread from Ponyville to the other towns and cities.”

Twilight continued to stare, now feeling confused. What was the point of this? Was it just to make her feel guilty, or—

“I give you until sundown.”

Twilight finally blinked, confused. “I’m sorry?”

“Sundown, Twilight,” she said. “My concerns are two-fold: that your friends may spread knowledge of Mort to other ponies, and that everyone aside from them will soon know that the Pale Pony is real. You are to show me, by sundown, that these concerns are unfounded. Consider it an assignment, if you must.”

Twilight’s mouth opened and closed. Did this mean what she thought it meant? “I… I don’t…”

“Then let me explain it in a way most relevant to you,” she said. “If you can complete this assignment to my satisfaction, then I am willing to reconsider my earlier judgement.”

Twilight gasped, wondering if she understood that correctly. “Y-you mean, Mort won’t—”

“I will not forbid him from seeing the princesses,” she said. “And maybe even you, for that matter.”

“Y-you mean it?” Mort asked.

“Before this all started, I was certain that a pony discovering you would only lead to disaster,” she said. “I am still strongly inclined to believe that, but I never expected anypony, short of the princesses, to come to your defense so strongly. Twilight has proven otherwise, it seems, and looking back, she has a strong habit of beating the odds. Now I give her one chance to do so again.”

Twilight was stunned. “I… I-I don’t know what to say.”

“I do!” Mort skipped over to Thanasia. “Thank you! Thank you so—”

He was stopped by Thanasia’s hoof, who kept him grounded. “Again, I stress that I must be satisfied with the result,” she said, motioning for him to stand back. She lowered her head, pointing her horn at them. “Well, Twilight Sparkle? Can you show me that Celestia and Luna are correct to believe in you?”

“I will!” She and Mort quickly stood side-by-side, and Twilight could feel her heart filling with hope. “I promise!”

The ends of Thanasia’s lips turned upward, and Twilight realized she was smiling.

“Surprise me,” she said, and then the magic was shot at the two of them—





—and she woke up, gasping for air. She quickly searched her body, particularly around the area where Thanasia struck her. Though she felt a tingling, there was no pain, and more importantly, no actual wound. Books were strewn out around her, which meant she was back in the library.

She shut her eyes and moaned, feeling a wave of dizziness wash through her. Her brain felt like it was suffering whiplash. Despite that, it was good to feel her heart beating inside her chest. She couldn’t tell if it was beating rapidly, or if it just felt like that after only feeling it beat once every few minutes. She breathed in the air, and it tasted of mildew and oak.

“Twilight?” She twisted her head to the left, and saw Mort looking at her. His eyes had returned to their usual level of brightness, which matched how she felt. “You okay?”

“Yes!” She hugged him, feeling the bones that were underneath this entire time. Admittedly creepy, but she didn’t care.

“Whoa, whoa!” he laughed, picking himself up. “Let’s not celebrate yet. We got a lot of work to do, remember?”

Twilight gasped. He was right! Thanasia had said there were only a couple minutes, and just now she must’ve wasted fifteen seconds. She looked around and despaired at the state of the library. Every shelf was empty, and she could barely see the floor anymore. She couldn’t walk anywhere without stepping on a book.

“We have to clean this up!” she said, levitating a few books. “Except there’s just so many, and… oh no, there’s no way we can clean this up in time!”

“Leave that to me,” he said, taking a position in the center of the room. He raised his head, his horn glowing with magic. “Mind your hooves!”

Twilight was getting ready to ask what he was going to do when the light of Mort’s magic spread across the floor. Soon, books and scrolls were being lifted off the ground. Twilight watched in awe as scrolls were rolled up, maps were folded, and books were closed, but not before the pages had their creases flattened.

Even before the floor was clear, everything was being shuffled and organized. Books were pushed flat against each other, and maps and scrolls were balanced on top of one another in pyramids. Not once did Mort look up. He kept his head down, as if in a trance. With his horn glowing bright in the center of it all, it looked like a star system with books instead of planets.

There was a brief moment when everything floated in place, perfectly still. Then, all at once, they were pushed forward, gracefully sliding into the book shelves. Twilight was so entranced, she almost didn’t see some miscellaneous papers and quills being packed neatly into a nearby desk drawer.

The green light faded. The first floor of the library now looked exactly as it had when she left this morning. She checked, too: she trotted along the bookshelves, reading off titles and authors, comparing it to her own mental blueprint. Everything was where it should be. Even the books that had been leaning were doing so in the exact way she remembered.

“This… this is incredible,” Twilight said, walking along the shelves. “You actually remembered where everything went?”

“We shades have excellent memory,” he said proudly. “Helps quite a bit with the prophecies.”

“This is good,” she said, looking at the clock. How long did that take? Ten seconds? Less than fifteen, certainly. “This is really, really good. Now we just need a story.”

“A story? But Thanasia said—”

“I know, but maybe my friends won’t find out,” she said, pulling some books on magic out. She had to make the impression that they had been studying. “We can tell Spike we knocked ourselves out with an illusion spell, or that maybe we were doing brain communication, or… I don’t know, something!”

“Okay, okay,” he said. “Just kinda feel sorry for Spike, I guess. He’s not wrong or anything.”

“No, he’s not.” Twilight sighed. “Maybe… maybe I’ll have Pinkie Pie cook him a gem-encrusted cake. One with fried worms and extra salt, and I know that sounds weird, but…”

She looked at Mort, who stood patiently near the center of the room. Something was off, she realized. Something was missing, she just wished she—

“Where’s your medallion?”

Mort blinked. “Huh?”

“Your medallion,” she said, looking under the center table. “You know, the one that hides your face?”

“Oh, that’s…” Mort looked along the ground, his eyes widening in horror. His horn glowed and looked all around the bottom floor, before turning his panicked eyes to Twilight. “It’s not here!”

“How can it not be here?!” She looked along the shelves, but knew it was futile. The way Mort saw the world, if he said something wasn’t there, then it wasn’t there. “I know it was in the library before I lost consciousness!”

“I don’t know!” he said, his horn still scanning the room. Even shades were susceptible to denial. “I didn’t put it on, but I know it was here! It couldn’t have just walked away!”

They stopped searching at the same time. They looked at each other, realization hitting both at once.

“Spike!”

And then there was a knock on the door.





They all arrived at the library a minute later. Rarity stood in front of the door, finding herself hesitating. She put a hoof on the doorknob, and felt a chill run up her foreleg. She knocked on the door.

“Twilight?” she called, extending one ear towards the door. “Are you okay, dear?”

When there was no answer, she looked back at the others. They all looked the way she felt, nervous and uncertain. Swallowing, Rarity pushed the door open, and they walked inside.

Already, she was beginning to feel foolish. One of the things Spike told her was that the ground floor was a mess, buried under every book available. She remembered how long it took to clean up the last couple of times that happened, and yet now the ground floor looked relatively spotless, no different than when they left it this morning.

And there were Twilight and Mort, up and about like nothing was wrong. They were standing beside each other and reading a book when they walked in. Twilight turned around upon hearing them, and trotted up to them, flashing a white smile. 

Rarity should’ve felt relieved then, but instead she only felt more troubled. Twilight’s smile was big, toothy, and strained. Rarity had seen it only a few time before, and in all those cases, it said, “I’m fake.”

“Hey, girls! How is everypony?” She glanced from one pony to the next, beads of sweat rolling down her face.

“Twilight!” Spike ran from Rarity before she could stop him, and the little dragon wrapped his arms around Twilight’s leg, looking unwilling to let go any time soon.

“We’re, uh, fine, Twilight.” Rarity looked uncertainly at the others, confirming that they found the situation odd as well. It wasn’t just the smile. There just seemed to be something in the air that put them on edge. In fact, it felt an awful lot like the first time Mort stepped inside.

Speaking of Mort, he seemed to be quite interested in that book. He had yet to look away from it even once. Rarity recalled Spike’s words about a skull, and felt her heart beginning to pound. Why wasn’t he looking their way?

“We, ah, heard some might queer stories from Spike recently,” Applejack said, also looking at Mort. “Is everythin’ alright here, sugarcube?”

“Everything’s perfect,” she said, still smiling. “We’re just taking a little break from the magic lessons.”

“Oh… kay…” Rainbow Dash looked at Applejack, and it was clear they weren’t convinced.

“T-Twilight?” Fluttershy stepped forward, her knees shaking. “I-is everything o-okay with Mort?”

“Of course everything’s fine!” she said with forced cheeriness. “Although, I am thinking of getting back to the lesson, so if you could all just step outside—”

“Hold up, Twilight!” Rainbow Dash swooped down, hovering in front of her. “What’s going on here?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said, still flashing her teeth at them.

“Twilight, what’s with you?!” Spike peeked out from Twilight’s leg to look at Mort. “You were knocked out and everything!”

“Oh, Spike, you’re being silly,” she said through clenched teeth. “We were just tired from a spell, that’s all.”

“That’s doesn’t explain him being a skeleton!”

Twilight laughed, and Rarity had been with Twilight long enough to tell the real ones from the fakes ones. “Oh my goodness, he’s got an imagination, doesn’t he?”

Rarity looked at Mort again. He still had yet to even acknowledge their existence. Rarity thought back to the dressing room, and how he continued to hide behind a dressing screen, and then he got into the sun…

“Mort, could you be a dear and turn around?”

Mort flinched, and then Twilight stepped in front of Rarity. “Oh, you wouldn’t want to do that,” Twilight said, with another fake laugh. “I didn’t want to say anything, but there was this, uh, accident earlier, and he has all these warts on his face now.”

“Ah can handle a few warts,” Applejack said. “Ah’d just feel a lot better if he looked at us.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash said. “I think it’s time we got a clear look at the guy.”

“Oh, come on girls!” Twilight’s smiling facade crumbled, and now she was just angry. “He’s sensitive about his appearance, remember? Just give us a few minutes alone, and—”

“I’m sorry, dear, but not this time.” Rarity strode past Twilight, flanked by both Applejack and Rainbow Dash. She ignored Twilight’s calls to stop, and kept her attention on Mort, who was trembling so hard it sounded like he was rattling. Applejack roughly grabbed his shoulder and spun him around, but he kept his head bowed and… did his horn always look like that?

Rarity gulped, and called forth her magic, wrapping it around the edges of Mort’s hood. Well, she always did want to know what was underneath, right? She pulled back—

—and immediately wished she hadn’t. It took everything she had, plus her quickly paleing hooves, to not scream at the sight. Under the hood rested a skull, its eternal grin seemingly directed at them. 

Spike’s earlier warnings were not enough to lessen the horror she felt. She had assumed that, at the very worst, Mort’s face was just disfigured, and Spike’s imagination had taken over. She hadn’t imagined his head would be a literal skull.

“Celestia have mercy…” Applejack breathed.

“This is bad,” Rainbow Dash said, her teeth grinding together. “T-this is very, very bad.”

“I-I told you so,” Spike said, sounding far meeker than he did on the way here.

“W-w-what happened?” Fluttershy asked, sounding on the brink of tears. “W-w-what did they do? I-is Mort… is Mort…”

“Wearing the coolest mask I’ve ever seen!” Pinkie Pie suddenly darted forward, almost knocking everypony over. “Wow, I knew Derpy said it was good, but I didn’t know it was this good!”

“Pinkie, stop!” Twilight shouted.

Rarity finally found her voice. “Pinkie, for Celestia’s sake, don’t touch it!”

“You silly fillies need to relax!” Pinkie Pie said, without a care in the world. “Come on, I see masks like these all the time! See, there’s this cloth to make you think he’s empty, but if you put your hooves here and pull, then the mask just pops right—”

Pop.

“—off?” The last word came out as a squeak, and Pinkie’s eyes dilated. She held Mort’s head in her hooves, completely separated from the body. Within the confines of the hood, Rarity could see the spinal cord sticking out from a ribcage. The others gaped at the horrifying spectacle, completely speechless.

All of this would have been enough to give Rarity several sleepless nights, and a strong aversion to any skeleton props or costumes for years to come. But then Mort’s sockets lit up, and he peered down at the pony that just decapitated him. His voice echoed from within.

“I can explain.”

His voice was the catalyst for Rarity’s most primal instincts. She screamed, as did her friends and Pinkie Pie, who threw his head high into the air. Almost immediately they ran towards the library door. Had they timed it any other way, they would’ve gotten stuck in the doorway, but Rainbow Dash was already out, followed by Pinkie Pie and Applejack. Rarity was the fourth one out, and she ran down the street screaming as much as her throat would allow.

All rational thought was overridden. Many of her concerns were, if not forgotten, than stashed away for later. Her hair was standing on end and she was terrified of looking back, lest she see that skull again. Now she was running on one, simple thought process: there was danger, and she had to get away from the danger. That meant running home, not just to protect herself, but her sister as well. 

Never had her home seemed so far away.





“No! Wait! Everypony, come back!”

Mort watched Twilight stand in her doorway, yelling for her friends, but it was clear they wouldn’t be returning on their own. Mort glanced up at his horn, embedded in the ceiling. He wiggled his skull, and dislodged himself. Below, his body was already waiting for him.

“Twilight, we gotta get out of here!” Mort tightened his head, and spotted Spike tugging desperately at Twilight’s tail, all the while looking fearfully at him. Owlowiscious was hovering in front of her, daring Mort to come forward.

“Spike, please!” Twilight levitated Spike off the ground and deposited him on her back. She looked apologetically at Mort. “I guess Thanasia was right after all.”

“We got until sundown, remember?” he said, trying to sound calmer than he actually was. “We’ll just need to find them before they tell too many ponies.”

Twilight steeled her face, and nodded. “Right.”

“‘Right’? What do you mean ‘right’?! Twilight, what’s going on?!” Spike pointed a finger at him. “Why isn’t this freaking you out?!”

“Where’s his medallion, Spike?”

“Huh?”

“His medallion, Spike! The one with the moonstone!”

“Oh, uh…” He scratched the back of his head. “I-I don’t know, I think I forgot it at Rarity’s?”

“Then that’s where we’re headed!” She nodded at Mort. “Stay here, Mort! I will fix this!”

“I believe you.”

She smiled, belying the anxiety she felt herself, and galloped out the door, with Spike barely holding on and Owlowiscious close behind.

Mort sat down in the quiet library. He could understand staying here, but Twilight was only one pony, and some of her friends were very fast. What was to stop Rainbow Dash from rushing to the police station, or even Canterlot? It was quite the distance, but she could probably make it on adrenaline alone. He know he was told to stay here, but maybe...

His eyes drifted to his left, and he gasped in shock. Fluttershy was staring at him in complete silence. The yellow pegasus hadn’t budged since Mort’s head popped off.

“Fluttershy?” Mort approached her slowly, waiting for her to freak out like the others. She didn’t. “You’re… not going to run away?”

When she didn’t say anything, Mort felt heartened. So not everypony was scared of him! If Fluttershy could stay this calm, then maybe…

Except everything he knew about Fluttershy told him that this wasn’t normal behavior for her. She should’ve been the first one out the door. So why was she still here?

“Fluttershy?” He gently poked her, and Fluttershy tilted over and landed on her side, stiff as a statue. She continued to stare vacantly into space.

Mort could only sigh.