The evening sun shone through the windows of Ray Strike's home, as it was setting below the horizon. The sword that hung up in his living room glinted the light off its blade. His dragon head bust cast a large shadow against the wall and the way it was flickering almost made it seem alive. The plentiful furniture appeared comfortable and inviting, but there was nopony there to appreciate this.
There was nopony there. All was quiet and dark, excluding the fading sunlight. Suddenly, a bright flash illuminated the whole room for a second and the house was no longer unoccupied. A somewhat dirty and sweaty Ray appeared, breathing a sigh of relief to be back in the comfort of his home after another long, hard day at the farm.
He yawned tiredly and started to make his way sluggishly to the staircase. After a long day of bucking apples, hauling apples, carrying apples and all sorts of other wondrous work involving apples, he'd felt too exhausted to walk all the way back home. Even if it wasn't that far away. So, he just opted to zap himself back like any sensible pony with his abilities would do.
Now that he was back within the walls of his home, he really felt like just collapsing on the floor. But that would hardly be a proud image for him to be found in, on the off-chance that somepony were to walk in looking for him. That aside, he wasn't just tired; he was also hungry, and he felt dirty, both of which he aimed to rectify before going to bed.
Once he'd gotten a shower, the aftermath of which being only time his mane could be considered neat, he fixed himself a sandwich, brushed his teeth and finally felt like he was ready for some well-earned sleep. One advantage of his job on the farm was that he could always use it as a good excuse for being lazy when he was done.
He entered his room, taken up by a closet filled with mostly useless junk and a writing desk that took up an entire corner of the room. The latter was completely covered in parchment and paper, scrawled with notes and ideas. Surrounding it on all sides were multiple recycling bins, all of which were overflowing with balls of yet more paper and parchment.
Not the most visually appealing of bedrooms, but it was his.
He briefly debated whether or not to try and get some writing done. Another loud yawn and his complaining limbs made his choice for him. His sheets still tangled from that morning, he plopped into bed without even bothering to fix them and sighed loudly. He stared up at the ceiling absently for a bit. His eyes wandered to the clock next to the door. 8:30, apparently. Slowly, his head rolled to the side, giving him a view of his calendar above his writing desk.
The top page displayed the legend for September and the images to go along with it. Griffin themed. On the bottom page, most of the days were crossed off. There really weren't that many special markings on any of the days for September. He'd marked the days for the Harvest Festival on the calendar, the Running of the Leaves, and he'd even humorously drawn a crude image of multiple pink ponies bouncing around to mark the day when Pinkie had decided to make a horde of copies of herself. Other than that though, there really wasn't anything else until the end of September.
Except for one day. One square on the calendar, marked ahead of time with a large red X. Ray never needed to write anything else there. He knew what that day was. The day that he wished he could forget about. The one that he always dreaded year-round.
And it was tomorrow. The continuous line of black crosses marking the days that had already passed, led right up to the box immediately before the one with the red X on it. That meant that he only had another three-and-a-half hours before it all started again.
Relax, he told himself. It's just 24 hours and after that, the calendar resets, so-to-speak. Then you'll have another one to look forward to 365 days later... Sighing again, this time in frustration, he shook his head and forced himself to look away from the calendar and back to the ceiling.
As he moved his head, he felt the now-familiar sensation of something both rubbing his neck and sliding slightly across his chest. Looking down, he saw the necklace Celestia had given him a couple months back. The small blue shard of crystal glowed faintly in the growing darkness of the room, held in place by the thin band of metal chain going around his neck.
After a moment, Ray picked up the part of the necklace on his chest and held it above him. The crystal itself dangled down close to his face. He stared at it, as though entranced. This necklace had originally been a reminder for him of what he'd done during the Changeling invasion. How he'd gone on a rampage, seriously hurt most of his friends and even Chrysalis...
He hurriedly pushed those thoughts away. He didn't like to dwell on them. The necklace had served as a reminder for him that his being in Ponyville was only due to the kindness and leniency of Princess Celestia. Yes, he was grateful to her for agreeing to let him come back here with his friends, but at the same time, he fully understood why she'd wanted to keep him in Canterlot. He was a danger, after all... the things he'd apparently done when he'd lost control...
But even so, it had helped him tremendously. Before, he'd lived with a piece of fear down in the corner of his mind. A fear of not knowing if he, or those around him, were safe. He'd been prone to headaches and migraines on account of his tenant stirring around inside of his head, and he would always hear him in his mind, and had difficulty blocking it out. Now though...the necklace's magic fixed all of that.
According to Celestia, it was supposed to serve as a sort of additional reinforcement to the barriers keeping Wrath inside of him, which would activate the moment any pieces of Wrath's power started to emerge. But it was doing so much more than that. Since he'd started wearing it, it had virtually eliminated all of the headaches he used to have, and made it significantly easier to block out those annoying whisperings. And so it always stayed on him. As per Celestia's explicit instruction, he kept it on at all times. During work, leisure activities, meals, even showers and bathing, he never took it off, ever.
Maybe Celestia hadn't meant it that entirely, but in his mind, she had. Her tone and expression had been enough indication of that. And even if she hadn't, he wouldn't have ever taken it off anyways. By this point, it had become just as vital to his piece of mind as his confident behaviour was. He liked to act like he never worried about these things, that he believed everything would turn out alright and he honestly did, most of the time.
But with his experiences, the things he'd had to live with, the things he'd been forced to see and driven to do, all on account of the monster in his head... had he stayed weak, he would've been consumed by it all. The only way for him to survive his own life had been to adapt. That had meant becoming who he was today. How else could he have lived with a... a Demon... living right beside him, in his own head?
Ray's thoughts froze in their tracks. His grip on the necklace slackened slightly, causing it to drop closer to his face. He wasn't focused on that though; he was staring into space, caught off-guard by the sensation he'd just felt in the back of his head. Or more accurately, in the back of his mind. It had been a while since he'd last felt it...it had only lasted a moment...had he just imagined it?
…
There it was again. A familiar, odd tingling sensation in his head...one that wasn't being caused by something on the outside. So much for just imagining it, then. Speak of the devil, Ray thought to himself glumly...before adding as an afterthought how oddly fitting that saying was for one in his position.
…
Ray sighed once again, though it was more of a groan this time, and rolled over onto his side. He was trying to block out the growing sensation in his head, demanding attention. The feeling usually faded away after a while if he just didn't respond. It was much easier to do nowadays. Again, thanks to Celestia's necklace, what was once a sporadic and painful burning sensation had been reduced to the aforementioned tingle, which was barely noticeable to Ray if he was in the middle of an activity or had his mind on something else. And what with his job at the farm and all of the other stuff he did with his friends around town on a near-daily basis, it was easy for Ray to be distracted. Now though, it was just him, alone in his room with his thoughts...which, by extension, meant him as well. And Ray was all-too-aware of his presence. Frowning, he screwed his eyes shut and tried thinking about something else...maybe his writing...he was still trying to work out that romantic subplot with the main character of his novel...lately though, he'd been repeatedly hitting the same hypothetical brick wall...if he had something, some sort of experience to go off of, then maybe, but right now-
…
Now Ray growled as he sat up and shook his head, trying to get rid of the noise. It wasn't doing any good; in fact, it only seemed to be growing louder. It had started as a faint tingling, but now it was getting closer to a steady vibration emanating from his subconscious. And it wasn't going away.
Without another sound, Ray fell backwards once more onto his bed and stared at the ceiling. In the silence of his room, the dull rumbling in his mind felt almost deafening. He really didn't want to...but if it was the only way to get it to stop… Ray frowned and begrudgingly relented, deciding to get it over with as fast as possible rather than delaying it. Taking a deep breath, in and out, he closed his eyes...and focused.
Slowly...he allowed himself to become detached, losing sensation and awareness in his physical body, at the same time retreating inward, toward his own subconscious. It was an act similar to meditation in its concept. At least, that's what Ray had equated it to. Unfortunately, none of the books he'd read had any details on the exact nature of what he was doing. So he was left to assume that this was something unique to him...and probably, those before him as well. It was in the depths of his mind... past the parts he used all the time, past the lesser-used parts, past even some parts he didn't know existed... there was something different. A new level of subconscious that Ray had long since become aware of. Strangely, accessing this part of his mind wasn't all that difficult; Ray had learned how to do it on his own many years prior. Stranger yet, being this far within his own subconscious didn't put him into any sort of trance... perhaps it did on the outside, to his body, but on the inside... he was fully aware and alert. It didn't affect him in the way he'd read about it affecting others. But then, maybe that was because this part of his mind wasn't meant for him.
It was here, in the farthest depths of Ray's subconscious, that he lived. Ray opened his eyes...and immediately knew that he was where he needed to be. That dreadfully familiar domain, deep in the recesses of his mind.
The musty scent, the cold, damp floor, the incredibly sparse illumination…
Something else that was strange about this realm of Ray's mind... it looked and felt... real. Not like something inside of his head; like an actual place. Of course, over time he'd come to learn that this place was, in fact, not real... everything he felt and saw was again fabricated by his subconscious mind. It was complicated, but Ray had read about the mind sometimes tricking itself by creating fake sensations and experiences, usually when the reality of something is too much for that mind to process. He liked to think that's what this was; this far down into his own mind, in a part where another, much larger mind dwelled, his subconscious was creating a setting that he could look at and understand to some extent.
In the past, he would have spent more time standing in awe of this strange place, taking in every tiny detail... but it was nothing new to him now. He'd been here before on more than a few occasions; it had been the same back then, and it was still the same now. Nothing to report.
He had to admit, though, it would have been nice if he had some form of control over what this place looked like, to some extent. The smell certainly wasn't nice, the extremely dim red lighting made it not only difficult to see, but it also hurt his eyes somewhat, and the floor... it was... well, it was cold, wet, and grimy. Unfortunately, the fact that it was created by his subconscious, thus without him being consciously aware of it, meant that there was really nothing he could do to change it... heck, magic might have also played a part in it.
This was, after all, the place where the great demonic creature was sealed inside of him... it was a prison, and prisons weren't meant to be comfortable. Or look nice, or smell nice for that matter. That was probably why this place looked the way it did; it was Ray's subconscious interpretation of what an appropriate prison should look like. At least for a monster of this calibre, anyways.
Speaking of which, Ray was looking at him now. Behind the towering metal bars that stretched upward into the darkness, mostly concealed by the shadows, he stirred. A loud, deep, rumbling growl filled the chamber, sending ripples through the puddles scattered about... it wasn't the growl of any normal animal or monster... heck, even the biggest of dragons probably couldn't growl like that.
Normally, Ray was able to actually see him to some extent, despite the darkness of the chamber...this time, however, either the torches were dimmer than usual, or he was deliberately hanging back in the darkness. Even his forearms and claws, which were usually the easiest parts to spot what with how often the guy was laying down, were hidden from view. Despite that, however, there was always one part of him that never failed to be visible unless he was deliberately hiding them, no matter how dark it was...they were what Ray was staring at right now. High above and in front of him were two huge, crimson red, slit-pupil eyes, gazing back down at him through the gaps between the metal bars. Right now, the expression in them was more-or-less indiscernible...though it likely had something to do with malice or anger of some kind. It always did.
They both remained like that for a short while, staring at each other without saying a word, before one finally spoke up.
"So...what do you want?" Ray asked bluntly, not even trying to mask his disinterest in being there. In response, another deep growl filled the chamber.
Then, Wrath spoke.
"Hrrn...why the attitude? We have not spoken in quite some time, and this is how you immediately behave? What could I have done to provoke such...animosity?"
Ray knew he'd detected a condescending tone in there somewhere. Toward the end, he could've sworn he'd even seen a hint of an amused smirk in those monstrous eyes. In response, he simply rolled his own eyes and continued.
"Don't even get me started. You and I both know the answer to that question. Now tell me what was so important that you wouldn't leave me alone until I came down here."
Wrath actually chuckled-a horrible, throaty and cracking repetitive noise-before he answered.
"So very eager. Very well. There was nothing of importance, as you would define it, that caused my calling for your presence. I simply wished to... chat. Is that so bad?"
Ray groaned and rubbed his temples. "With anypony or anyone else, no. With you…"
"Oh, don't be like that... though, if I'm honest, I'm surprised you did respond to me this time. After so much time spent successfully ignoring my presence…"
"I had no choice, really. You wouldn't shut the hell up in here. Besides... I thought I might as well indulge you, since it's been so long, like you said."
Another amused look appeared in Wrath's eyes; and now, Ray could even see the shapes of his teeth appearing as his lips began to part into a feral grin, reflecting what little light existed in the chamber.
"Indeed... though, I feel that there is something else to do with it as well…" His eyes looked up for a moment, as though in contemplation, before returning to Ray. "Ah yes... it is nearly that time again, is it not? That anniversary-type ceremony you mortals find such amusement in…"
Ray's eyes widened in genuine surprise. "Wow, I'm shocked. You're actually keeping track?"
Now, Wrath's eyes, lost some of their amused glint. "Well, I need to do something to keep track of the passage of time while I'm in here...though counting each passing day as you mortals do if far too tiresome. I prefer to simply memorize the dates of your petty annual celebrations and go off of those. Even though your mortal perception of time is flawed at best, simply the numbers you assign to yourselves as you scramble about, trying to make something of your meaningless lives before you eventually perish and sink back into the filth from which you came... I would be lying to say that it isn't, at the very least, moderately convenient."
Ray closed his eyes and sighed again in exasperation. "And there you go again, with the whole 'petty mortal' thing. Can't you just give it a rest already?"
The amusement in Wrath's eyes returned now, full-force...mixed with no small amount of viciousness. "And why should I? It is no secret that you mortals are absolutely insignificant in the grand scheme of things... one need only look at the difference between you and I to see the truth of it."
Ray shook his head slowly. It was always like this with Wrath; 'mortals are weak and insignificant' this, 'ultimate revenge' that...it never changed.
"Besides... you've seen it yourself. You've felt it yourself... the power to destroy is such a wondrous thing, is it not?"
Ray glared at him. "You would know about that, wouldn't you?"
If it was possible for the Demon Incarnation of Wrath to look any more amused than at that moment, it would have been severely out-of-character for him.
"Oh yes, I certainly would. And because of that, it is quite clear to me the difference between my power, the power of rage itself, and that of you worms. Hmhmhmm... truly pathetic. Before power such as mine, you are all just specks of dust, lying in the mud... waiting to be stomped on without a second thought."
Now, it was Ray's turn to smile. "Really? So if we're just specks of dust in the mud, what does that say about the monster who got beaten by us?"
In that moment, all traces of amusement left Wrath's eyes. Instead, they were filled with something more fitting of him; anger. A huge growl, far louder than the previous ones, came through the gaps between his giant teeth and seemed to shake the walls of the chamber.
"Watch your tongue, brat. Do not forget your place when before me. Or have you forgotten already what I'm capable of doing to you?"
Ray scoffed and waved his hoof dismissively. "Oh, can it. Give it a rest, would ya? We've already established at this point that you can't do a thing to me from inside of that cage; least not with my lucky charm here." To emphasize his point, Ray grabbed the necklace around his neck, which had stayed with him even to the depths of his subconscious (a testament, again, to how vital it to his piece of mind), and dangled it slightly, as though tauntingly.
Wrath, on the other hoof, displayed bit by bit more and more anger with every word Ray spoke. Now the air itself, fake though it was, was practically vibrating from his vehement growls. He looked at the necklace Ray was so triumphantly displaying to him and snarled all the louder.
"Ah yes... Princess Celestia's necklace... to think that you would resort to accepting the magic within some trinket just to cope with my presence...for the Host of Wrath... that is utterly embarrassing."
"You're just mad because you can't mess with my head anymore," Ray stated calmly, letting the necklace drop back against the top of his chest.
"Were I in your position, I would not be so quick to disregard my power... Ray…" Wrath said slowly, even addressing Ray by name, which he rarely did, in a tone that did nothing to hide his malice. "You of all ponies should know...what I am capable of…if only I obtain the smallest of footholds… Or, in your case, a hoofhold...but what do I care? Allowing you to go through your life naively thinking that I will never trouble you again...will only make it that much more satisfying when I do one day rip free of this imprisonment and destroy you. Unless…" Wrath stopped and hummed for a moment, as though in thought once again. "Unless, of course, you were to decide that you'd want to aid me in my pursuit instead. In that case, I might end up allowing you to live. You simply letting me out would be a much easier and less painful process than me slowly inching my way out on my own. And besides, you have a great deal of wrath within your soul as well... strip away all of those useless morals and notions of friendship... and you would likely make an excellent agent of my power…"
Ray grimaced and made a disgusted sound before looking back up. "Please, like I would ever do that. You've done this countless times before; the answer is the same every single time."
"Oh, but why?" Wrath asked, letting a slight, whining tone into his own voice, though clearly intended as a means of mocking Ray. "Why do you continue to deny your experiences, the things you've felt when under the influence of my power? Don't you remember that one day, all those years ago? The things you felt on that day? Even if you don't, I remember it clearly; I can share the memory with you, if you like. It was the day when we had our first ki-"
"Shut up." Ray cut of the Demon of Wrath with a stern, emotionless voice. "I don't... you don't know anything about me, alright? I-"
"No, Ray, that is where you are WRONG. I know EVERYTHING about you! From the moment you were born, I have been with you, connected to you...there is not a single experience you have that I have not seen, not a SINGLE emotion you've felt that I am not aware of! Whereas I have lived for millennia upon millennia... my life outstrips those of every mortal pony alive, combined! I am ancient, deeper, and more powerful than your mortal mind could possibly come close to understanding... it is YOU who knows nothing about ME, WHELP!" Wrath's voice rose a few times, literally filling the air with pressure as he spoke, before he calmed down, his voice again becoming even. "But this is not about me, is it? No...this is about you. You and your emotions, which you are aware of, but continue to deny. Come now, Ray...deep down, you know that you like having me here to give you this power…"
Ray was still recovering from Wrath's outburst when he heard and registered this last bit. "Are you serious? Ab-... Absolutely...just...NO!" he shouted, trying to muster up enough of his own anger to direct back at Wrath.
Unfortunately, but predictably, the latter was not fazed in the slightest.
"Oh...what's the matter? Are you trying to tell me that you've never enjoyed that rush that comes with the power I give you? The amount of things you're able to do, things that no other pony could ever dream of achieving…you don't like any of it? Being able to instantly take revenge on anyone who hurts you? Being able to destroy anything you so desire? Being able to take beating…after beating…after beating…and still get back up, again and again? You really are lucky, you know…you'd have died a long time ago if it weren't for me…"
Ray was shaking now. "You…you're the reason I get into all these messes in the first place! If you weren't around, I'd be able to have a normal life! If you were never sealed inside of me, I would have been able to have a…perfectly…normal life…" He quieted down at the end, his own words starting to ring in his mind. Wrath once more chuckled in response.
"A normal life? As though that's what you truly want? And what of all the excitement you've grown to love? Running around, almost constantly in some form of danger…never knowing quite what the future will bring…and us, always overcoming whatever your life throws at us…together. And what of your precious friends?" Ray jerked at that; Wrath pressed on, seeing as he'd touched a nerve. "That's right…were it not for me, you never would have met them, would you? No, you never would have had any reason to leave that home of yours, filled with angry, judgmental ponies just looking for somepony to blame for all their woes…you would just be another nameless face in the crowd…no significance whatsoever…"
Wrath's face seemed to lower itself to the same level as Ray's so that Ray no longer had to look up at him; he was right on the floor with him, staring into his soul.
"Face it, Ray…surely by now, you must realize, you would be nothing without me…"
Wrath continued staring at Ray after that. Every moment that passed felt like much longer to both of them. The corners of the Beast's mouth started curving upwards at Ray's perpetual silence, slowly forming a feral grin. Perhaps he'd finally gotten through to the mortal child…
That notion was crushed when Ray began chuckling himself, immediately wiping away Wrath's equivocal smile.
"You know," he said, "this isn't the first time you've tried this tactic. Maybe the first time you've approached it like this, but if you're trying to convince me to let you out willingly, then you might as well just turn around and give up like the caged animal you are. It ain't happening."
Wrath, characteristic of him, took that last insult poorly. Anger flashed through his eyes-real anger, with the thin pupils shrinking down and the irises seeming to glow even brighter red than before-while his teeth clenched audibly, and another loud snarl began resounding through the air…for just a second. Very uncharacteristic of Wrath, his reaction lasted only a moment; his features (what was visible of them) settled and calmed just as quickly as they'd flared up… ironically, this unsettled Ray more than the display of fury. Wrath gazed at Ray once more, taking him in… before snorting in evident disgust.
"Tch... deplorable. You know the truth of my words, and yet still you cling to your useless ideals like a fool… the anger and hate inside of you is evident. I sense it, and even I acknowledge it. Are you truly so hopeless that you-"
"I don't care." Ray cut off the demon yet again. "I don't care about how much anger I might have simmering inside of me, I don't care about how much you want to get out so you can start wrecking everything in sight…I really don't care about anything you have to say." Ray's face hardened. "…yeah, I do hate a lot of things about my life. The way a lot of things turned out… the way I've been treated…the way I never knew anything…the way all of this was just forced on me…and you," he added, making Wrath snort again. "But even so…whether I like it or not, you're my responsibility. Celestia sealed you inside of me, and she's letting me have my go at a normal life. Last thing I'm gonna do is betray her trust, or my friends' trust."
When Ray finished, it was Wrath's turn to be silent. The latter's large, predatory eyes remained planted firmly on Ray, unmoving and unblinking. In the end though, Wrath's silence didn't last as long as Ray's had. While still looking at Ray, he mumbled under his breath,
"Celestia…"
And then he made a noise, something akin to an amused grunt, though coming from him it sounded like a short slightly contorted version of his usual growl. Ray had chatted with him enough times to tell the difference though.
"What's so funny?" he asked, assuming that Wrath was making his freaky version of a smile underneath those shadows.
"…nothing…nothing at all…" Wrath replied slowly. "I just find it amusing, the way your mind works…you're so ready and willing to take any answers you hear. You must wonder…for everything you think you know, how many other vital pieces of knowledge continue to escape you? How many things…aren't you being told?"
"What..?" Ray asked, not understanding what Wrath was getting at.
"As I said before, nothing of your concern. Your continued ignorance of the most obvious facts is your own problem; solve it yourself. Now then, I've had enough of this conversation." With that, Wrath's eyes disappeared, presumably having been closed; at the same moment, the floor rumbled from something behind the cage hitting it.
Ray knew this; Wrath was getting into his sleeping position, which always meant he was done talking. Ray wasn't done, however. "H-hey! Hold on a second! What the heck are you talking about, 'continued ignorance'? What's so obvious that I should know it?"
"Did you not hear me the first time?" Wrath spoke in a slow, deliberate voice. "At first I thought this might be a good way to pass the time, but already I grow weary of this exchange. Now leave."
"But-"
"LEAVE."
The pressure in the surrounding air skyrocketed within the span of a second, and Ray found himself unable to focus. Suddenly his eyes shot open, and he was once again staring at the ceiling of his room. As though nothing had happened…though his forehead did feel a bit sweaty now. Ray sighed; typical. Leaving off with a big cryptic comment and then ending the whole discussion on a dime before ejecting Ray from his own subconscious. Classic Wrath.
Ray noticed that it was somewhat darker now than it had been when he'd 'left' for his meet-up with his tenant. Craning his head to look at the clock, he saw that it now read 9:45. He'd been lying there in a trance for over an hour in real time. It occurred to him that he'd been sighing an awful lot that night as he did so again; he couldn't blame himself. It had been stressful enough before; now he'd just had a lovely discussion with his dear mental roommate, and like always, it'd be stuck on his mind for hours at least, along with the anticipation of the most dreaded day of the year. He wouldn't be getting to sleep anytime soon. And it was a work day tomorrow, too. Perfect.
Nevertheless, he rolled over onto his side and closed his eyes, trying desperately to nod off. Everything is going to be fine, he kept telling himself. You didn't tell anypony about what day tomorrow is, and nopony here knows about it. You'll be able to wake up, go through the day, and get back home without anypony being any the wiser. Everything will be fine…
"Okay, let's just go through it one more time," Twilight said. "Applejack, Pinkie, is the food and punch ready?"
"Yep, yep, yep!" replied Pinkie brightly. "Look at all of this! It's just begging to be eaten and I'm more than tempted to oblige them!"
"Hold on there, Pinkie," chuckled Applejack. "Not till the stallion-a the hour gets here."
"Good." She checked it off her list. "Rarity, Fluttershy, how are the decorations looking?"
"Absolutely splendid, darling!" trilled Rarity, levitating a corner of a banner with her magic. "Even a ruffian such as he would die for these."
"I really hope he likes them too," agreed Fluttershy, lifting the other corner.
"Excellent." Off went another. "Rainbow, the music all set up?"
"Only the best vinyls this side of Equestria," she affirmed. "That's without having the Vinyl, of course, but nothing's perfect. Except me, but that goes without saying."
"Right." Off went another from the list. "Dusk, Spike, you two ready to play your parts when he gets here?"
"Yep, act like everything's normal so it'll be even more of a surprise when we bring him in here," saluted Spike, watching from the window as a lookout.
"And it looks like everything's done," noted Dusk. "If he's on time, he should be here in about fifteen minutes."
"Excellent!" Twilight chirped happily. "That'll be when he gets here per our usual arrangement for studying Wrath, we'll lead him in here where the others are waiting and…"
"SURPRISE!" finished Pinkie. "How was that? Think he'll be surprised?"
"Undoubtedly," said Dusk. "With all the work we've done, Ray's birthday should be an enjoyable affair."
They all nodded and voiced their agreement. All except for Fluttershy, who was nervously fiddling with her hooves and glancing around. Noticing her distress, Dusk approached her and gently placed a hoof on her shoulder.
"Fluttershy, he's going to love it," he assured her.
"I… I don't know," she stammered. "What if we run out of food? Or punch? W-what if he doesn't like the music we picked out? O-or the colour of the streamers and the banners and the balloons? What if he hates it? What if-?!"
"Little sister." His firm but gentle tone was enough to make her stop. "You know what he's like, he'd enjoy a fall off a cliff if it means he gets a rush from it. Of course he'll like it. How could he not, with all the help you gave for it?"
"Um… I just did my part," she mumbled, with a hint of red to her cheeks.
"Oh come on, Fluttershy!" chimed in Pinkie. "I think I put less planning time into this party than you did and I'm the party pony! Are you after my job?"
"N-no, of course not!" she said quickly. "I just… I want everything to be perfect for him."
Pinkie giggled. "I'm only kidding, silly billy. Dusky's right, Ray's gonna love it. So stop being such a worry wart."
"Besides," added Dusk, "worrying hectically is Twilight's forte."
"I heard that!" his marefriend called.
"Okay… sorry…" She took a few deep breaths. "He… he deserves the best time we can give him. He really does. At least, that's what I think."
"We all do, darling," said Rarity. "Though we must thank Pinkie Pie for bringing the matter to our attentions. Even though the methods used were rather… sudden."
"Aw, come on, Rarity!" pouted Pinkie. "I had to keep it secret!"
"Yes, but did you really have to hide in the carriage of the dress I was wearing and then pull me into its folds?"
"Seeeeeeeecret!"
"I didn't even know you knew when his birthday was, Pinkie," remarked Rainbow, balancing a record on her nose.
"Of course. I know everypony's birthday," she replied brightly. "It's what I do."
"Come ta think of it," said Applejack, "how come Ray never told any-a us it was almost his birthday? Did he say anythin' ta you, Dusk?"
Dusk shook his head. "Not a word."
"Maybe he forgot about it?" suggested Spike.
Pinkie gasped violently. "How could anypony forget about their birthday?! That's… that's like forgetting the first time you ate a cupcake!"
"Perhaps he simply didn't want any fuss," forwarded Rarity. "Maybe he's more used to quiet celebrations, being on his own for so long and what."
Rainbow scoffed. "Ray's a lotta things, but he sure as hay ain't quiet."
Dusk couldn't help but wonder briefly himself. Why didn't Ray tell them about his birthday? He had a few ideas, but none of them seemed to fit. He loved being the centre of attention and he was always up for a good time. Why pass up a chance where he would have both in a single stroke and not mention it to any of them? Not even the stallion he considered his best friend.
It just didn't feel right…
"Hey, guys!" Spike snapped him out of his reverie. "He's coming!"
Twilight acted in seconds. "Dusk, Spike, with me. The rest of you, lights off and hide. You'll know when to act."
Dusk followed her out as he heard the others all scrambling for hiding places. He left the room as the door closed behind him and they took up positions in the public section of the North Wing. They all managed to act normally by the time Ray arrived.
"Hey, librarians," he greeted. "I'm here for my session of probing and studying and questioning."
His smile seemed more forced than normal, but they didn't pay it any mind.
"Good timing." Twilight rose from her desk and led him to the door. "Come on, we'll head in the West Wing. I've got a few things set up there. Spike, bring a quill and some parchment. Dusk, be on standby in case I need you for something."
"Got it, Twilight!" Spike grabbed the items and winked at Dusk behind Ray's back.
"As you wish, Miss Sparkle." Dusk returned it and fell in step behind them.
"So, when you say you have 'things' set up," Ray said a little nervously, "I hope you don't mean that weird clamp thing I saw downstairs. I'm not even sure that's a proper scientific instrument."
"No, nothing like that." Though she tried, Twilight was having a hard time suppressing a grin as she opened the door for him to enter first. "In fact, I'd say you're very much going to enjoy this particular experiment."
"I… don't like how that sounds, but if you say so." He paused. "Hey, how come it's so dark in-?"
The lights flared on and Ray gave a yelp of shock. What followed sent him tripping and falling onto his rump.
"SURPRISE!" they all chorused. "Happy Birthday, Ray!"
"Surprise!" Pinkie yelled again and barged right in Ray's face. "Now, I know you're gonna say I was late, but that time I wasn't! You get double, double surprise because today is your birthday, so you deserve double the surprise and DOUBLE THE FUN!" She blew a party blower and offered her biggest grin. "I mean, why shouldn't you, because…"
But as she rambled on in Pinkie fashion, Dusk noticed how Ray's expression seemed to be getting increasingly distraught. He slowly went bug-eyed, and he even appeared to become paler as Pinkie continued. When she was done, there is a long, increasingly awkward silence followed. They all waited for Ray to say something.
Instead, he just kept making squeaking noises, like his voice kept catching in his throat.
"Ray, are you feeling quite alright?" Dusk asked.
"Oh my, you weren't startled, were you?" put in Fluttershy worriedly.
"I… I'm fine," he replied, rather unconvincingly. He looked around at everything almost emotionlessly. "How… did you know it was my birthday anyway, Pinkie?"
"Duh? I know everypony's birthday!" she replied, as if it were obvious.
"Forget it," he groaned. He looked to Applejack. "What about the rest of the workday for us then?"
"It's yer birthday, sugarcube," she said. "Ah'd say that entitles ya ta a day off."
That earned another sigh from Ray. It was like everything was something he didn't want to hear or see.
"Is something wrong, Ray?" Twilight asked.
For a few moments, he was silent. Eventually, he looked up and smiled, even laughing a little this time.
"I'm fine, Twi. Everything's fine," he said. "Thanks for the party, guys. It looks great. Really."
"You sure about that?" asked Rainbow. "You don't exactly seem thrilled."
"It's nothing, don't worry about it," he shrugged. "You just… surprised me, that's all."
"B-but you weren't startled?"
"Not at all, Flutters."
She sighed in relief. "Oh, thank goodness. I'd hate to think we'd startled you. It's not nice."
But Dusk knew Ray and he could tell his smile was somewhat forced and his eyes lacked real enthusiasm. Even his voice sounded groggy, which was unlike him.
"Then, come on!" Pinkie grabbed his hoof and dragged him in. "Let's PARTY!"
The others all began to join in, though Dusk did share a brief look with Twilight before they followed suit.
It was, as usual with Pinkie Pie involved, a flawless setup for a party. They had plenty of the classic party games, a variety of food, mostly from Sugarcube Corner. The gramophone was belting out up-beat tunes with the space in the middle serving as a makeshift dance floor. But as the party went on, it became increasingly clear that Ray just… didn't seem that into it. They'd expected him to relish this kind of attention and throw himself into the activities. He'd done as much during his Welcome-to-Ponyville party all those months ago.
But it just wasn't having the same effect on him. While he was participating in the party games with the others, his effort and interest in said games just seemed… half-hearted at best. And when it came to free food, Ray had proven in the past that he had a voracious appetite. However, despite having an entire table of sweets right in front of him to access at any time, he barely even touched any of it, only grabbing a single cookie at one point to nibble on.
And throughout it all, his eyes. Regardless of what his face showed at the time, they always just seem… dull. Like he wasn't really there, at the party. His body is just going through the motions. Dusk also repeatedly caught him glancing at the clock at varying but short intervals… like he was waiting for something.
It didn't take long for the others to once again start taking notice of his strange behaviour. An hour into the festivities, everypony save for Pinkie had become aware of it. While she was with Ray on one side of the library, trying to get him active in a game of pin-the-tail-on-the-pony, Dusk, Spike, and the rest of the girls were on the other side, watching them with moderately concerned expressions.
"Okay, I don't care what he says, something's up with that stallion," whispered Rainbow. "I've seen zombies with more life than he has."
"I second that," said Spike. "You didn't see any bite marks on him, did you?"
"She doesn't mean that literally, Spike," scorned Twilight. "Ray isn't acting like himself. It's like when we first found out about Wrath."
"Maybe he really doesn't like the party!" squealed Fluttershy. "Oh no, I knew we should have gotten silver banners instead of green!"
"Calm down, dear," soothed Rarity. "Perhaps he simply didn't get enough sleep. His eyes are looking a little baggy."
"Ah'd've thought he'da picked up a lil' by now," remarked Applejack. "He's always so full-a energy, but ah ain't never seen him like this and he gets up pretty early fer workin' the farm. He still manages ta have a bit of a bounce in him."
"He seemed a little weighed down when he came in," noted Dusk. "I would wager there is something wrong."
"Maybe you should talk to him, Dusk," suggested Twilight. "You're closer to him than most of us. He might talk to you."
"My thoughts exactly," he nodded. "You all keep looking like you're having a good time."
"Got it. Hey, Pinkie!" called Rainbow. "Wanna do some apple bobbing? Let's see what surprises you got this time!"
"You're on, Dashie!" she replied. "Be right back, Ray! Look, here comes Dusk to keep you company!"
She dashed off just as Dusk pulled Ray aside into the quieter North Wing to talk to him. The sounds of the party became muffled when he closed the door.
"Now, Ray, let's get straight to the point," Dusk began brusquely. "Something's the matter and you have chosen not to say what it is."
"Dusk, what are you talking about?" He tried to smile. "Nothing's wrong, I'm…" He stopped when he saw Dusk's expression.
"Don't attempt to disguise your problems. I was doing that long before we met. Is everything alright?"
Ray sighed and let his features fall. "No. Everything isn't alright."
"Then, what is it?" he asked.
"It's not a huge issue," he said simply. "Look, I'll tell you about it later, but I think we'd best head back inside before the others start getting worried."
Dusk frowned. He did seem truthful about wanting to talk about it, not just dodging the question. But it must be something significant for him to be acting like this. It made Dusk suspicious, but he chose not to persist.
"Very well," Dusk said. "If you promise to talk about it."
"Pinkie promise," he swore. "In the meantime, I'll try and get my mind off it. Have a good time with the others."
Dusk nodded. "That sounds like a good idea."
Following him back in the West Wing, Dusk held onto the hope that Ray would actually try to have a good time and that his mood would improve.
It didn't.
Well, it did for a little while, at least. Ray seemed to be more conscious of the others and did appear to be trying to enjoy himself more. He played a game of Pin The Tail with Rarity, apple bobbed with Applejack and made Fluttershy blush a little when he talked to her about how nice everything looked. She didn't say anything, but she looked very pleased.
But that lasted only for about an hour. He seemed to try stay positive whenever in close proximity or talking with the others, but regardless, over the course of that time he slowly began reverting back to his original behaviour. He displayed less and less overall interest in the party itself, and just looking tired throughout.
Whether consciously or not, Dusk didn't know, but he and the girls were starting to become worried.
"He told me it wasn't any big issue," Dusk said when he off to one side with Twilight. "But whatever it is, it's really bothering him."
"He did Pinkie Promise, right?" said Twilight. "Maybe you should call him in on that now and find out exactly what it is. I don't like seeing him like this."
"Neither do I." They paused when Rainbow flew over after doing a piñata with him. "How is he?"
"Not great," she reported. "He barely even gave the stick a swing when he had to and then just kind of gave up. It's like he's worn out, but he's barely done a thing."
"He's also getting irritable too," added Twilight. "I asked him if he wanted something to eat and he just snapped at me, saying it didn't matter and he wasn't hungry anyway."
Rainbow nodded. "Yeah, it's like he doesn't want to be here!"
"I'll bring him out," suggested Dusk. "Call him out on that promise and see if I can't figure something out."
Just as he was about to follow through with this, Pinkie made an announcement from next to the gramophone while turning up the music.
"Alright, everypony! Get your dancing hooves on, because it's time to get funky!"
Dusk exchanged a look of terror with Twilight at the implication of this. Sure enough, Pinkie bounded over to Ray.
"Come on, birthday boy, show me what you got!"
"Uh, no thanks, Pinkie," he said uneasily. "I'm not up for it…"
"But it's your party!" she persisted and grabbed his hoof. "You gotta do some dancing or how is it a party?!"
"Pinkie, I really don't…" But she dragged him onto the dance floor despite his protests.
Dusk had to cringe as he watched Pinkie try and force Ray into a dance. She would try to get him moving and he would attempt to push her off, his voice getting louder and increasing with agitation while Pinkie's efforts only grew with it.
"Come on, Ray! What do you wanna do? Jitterbug? Tango? Juke and jive?"
"Nothing, I don't feel like it."
"What about now?" She dashed off and returned in a slim gown with a rose in her mouth. "Come on, don't make me dance alone."
"Sorry to disappoint."
"What about this?" This time, she wore a sombrero and a poncho. "Come on, do a samba, aye carumba!"
"That's offensive to Marexicans."
"Maybe something classier?" Back again in a ball gown and a fan, putting on a posh accent. "Come now, sir. Don't keep a lady waiting."
"Reminds me too much of Rarity and not in a good way."
Rarity spat out her punch. "I beg your pardon?"
Sensing his growing distress, Dusk started forward, but not before Pinkie reached out one more time.
"Come on, Ray!" She gave his hoof another yank. "Loosen up!"
"I SAID NO!" he screamed. "I don't want to dance with you, so stop asking me to!"
As sudden as his outburst, he cringed and lightly touched his head. If his yelling didn't silence them, this did and everypony froze. Dusk even caught a brief glimpse of Ray's necklace, glowing ever-so-faintly for just a moment before returning to normal, like nothing was wrong at all.
Silence hung thick like a blinding fog for several, very long moments. The music continued to play awkwardly in the background.
Dusk ventured an attempt to break it. "Ray…"
"I'm sorry," Ray interrupted at once. "I'm sorry, but… I just can't do this."
"Do what?" Twilight asked.
"THIS!" he responded almost angrily, gesturing around the room. "All of this I… I just can't, I can't!"
"What, the party?" Applejack forwarded.
"Yes, the party!" he snapped. "Why… why did you have to do this?"
"Ray, darling, what's the matter?" asked Rarity. "Why does this upset you so?"
"You wouldn't get it," he muttered. "None of you would, none of you…"
"We can try," offered Fluttershy. "Please, talk to us and tell us what it is."
"No," he said shortly. "It wouldn't make any difference…"
"But why?" demanded Rainbow. "Don't you do a Dusk and clam up on us!"
"Forget it, just… forget it!" He shook his head. "I'm not doing this anymore. See you, guys. Thanks for the party."
Before any of them could stop him, he vanished in a burst of magical light. The silence that remained in his wake was deafening. At some point somepony, Dusk couldn't tell who, had the sense to turn off the music and it became even more prevalent.
They all just stared at the spot where he was standing. Dusk was wondering where he could have gone. Twilight was frowning, clearly trying to figure out why. Spike was still stunned. Rainbow looked like she was trying not to lose her temper. Applejack shook her head sadly. Rarity looked rather annoyed. Fluttershy was close to tears. But she wasn't the only one who was sniffling.
Looking at the source of the noise, they saw Pinkie. Her mane was deflated and an utterly dejected expression was painted across her face.
"He didn't even open his presents," she whimpered quietly. Then, she broke down and sobbed.
Spike stayed to comfort her while everypony else flocked to Twilight and Dusk.
Rainbow was first to speak. "Okay, anypony else wanna say what the hay just happened here?"
"Ah can't say," murmured Applejack. "He jus'… flipped. Ah couldn't even begin ta tell ya why."
"Neither can I…" Fluttershy sniffed. "This… this isn't like him. Why would he be like this? On his birthday? After we…" She couldn't continue.
"Seconded!" barked Rarity. "I know he's a ruffian, but that was downright rude, even by his standards!"
"It has to be for some reason," pondered Twilight. "Maybe something that happened? Recently or something on this day that upsets him? Dusk?"
"I don't really know," he confessed. "The latter case sounds rather likely…"
"Looks like it to me!" agreed Rainbow. "He sounded like he was mad at us for throwing him a birthday party! Come on, who wouldn't want to celebrate their own birthday?"
That question triggered a memory for Dusk. Something he remembers from just over two months ago, when they'd all been in the infirmary after their battle with Wrath. When they'd all learned about the monster Ray had sealed inside of him, and when he'd been explaining it to all of them. Some things he'd said back then…
'I've had him ever since I was born. From the second I started breathing, me and Wrath have been best friends for life…'
Another memory flashed…
'You know that time when all kids go through changes? It was the same for me, because it was when my buddy decided to make himself known, on my birthday…'
He voiced his thought out loud. "Maybe somepony whose birthday marks the same day his whole life became ruined by something he couldn't control?"
They were all quiet, apart from Pinkie's sobs and Spike's comforting murmurs. One by one, Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow, Rarity and Fluttershy came to the same realization.
"That would make a lot of sense. That would have had a profound psychological impact, to say the least."
"Like a pony bein' scared-a water 'cause they almost drowned at some point…"
"Except a lot worse than being drowned, especially for a kid."
"One wouldn't expect something like that to be cause for any celebration."
"Poor Ray… we should have known… should have noticed something, remembered what he said…"
"It doesn't matter now," Twilight said urgently. "I really hate to interrupt, but there's a bigger issue we need to address."
Applejack cocked her head. "What's that?"
"I know this seems like a bad time, but…" She pointed to the spot where Ray had been. "Wherever Ray is right now, he's clearly upset. And if somepony doesn't find him and get him to calm down, well… we know what might happen."
Dusk stared at her in shock, along with the others at what she was suggesting. It was much of a surprise for who voiced their protest at this.
"No!" Fluttershy blinked furiously away at her tears. "Ray would never let that… that monster out inside Ponyville. Not him, not to his home… not to us!"
"Fluttershy's right," agreed Rainbow. "There's no way he'd be that upset over something like this."
"But there's no way to be sure that he isn't," Twilight countered. "You all saw the look on his face before he left. We can't afford to ignore the possibility."
"What about the necklace?" Spike spoke up. "The one Celestia gave him, I mean. Doesn't that stop him from going all monster mash on us?"
"Based on what the princess told us, the necklace is there to help Ray to keep from being influenced by Wrath, not to prevent it altogether," she answered. "We don't know if it has any kind of limitation on how much its magic can do that."
"I guess." The dragon touched his scarred chest briefly and shuddered.
"Exactly," Twilight said. "I don't like it either, but we still need to try and find him, make sure he's okay. As his friends."
"Tw-Twilight's r-right…" Pinkie sniffed loudly and wiped away her tears. "Nopony should be sad. Especially on their birthday…"
They all nodded in agreement.
"Then it's settled. We'll all spread out around town and look for him. Look everywhere he might or might not be, don't leave any stone unturned," she ordered. "You know what might happen if we don't find him and we don't want a repeat of a few months ago to surface here. You know the stakes here." She let that hang in the air. "Now, let's move out."