The strange elation that comes with being saved from death and seeing a family member long thought dead had long since worn off. The foals were now a crying, sobbing, heartbroken mess. Sunset Shimmer had left them in the care of Fever Cure, Mask, and Bucky, although she was certain that Bucky would slip off to keep looking.
Sunset Shimmer strolled along the bermed earth path, the walk both wonderful and horrible. She felt miserable, sick, the heat wasn’t helping, but the walk was clearing her head. She needed a clearer head if she was going to talk to Hibiscus. No doubt, the residents of Granther’s Polder were probably reeling from the shock of the house upon the hill burning down to the ground.
All Sunset could think about was leaving this place. She hated it. She hated everything about it. She hated the heat, she hated the humidity, she hated the smell, she hated the taste the air left in her mouth, and she hated what this place was doing to her; she could feel it, it was bringing out the worst in her. This was a place trapped in time, rooted in the traditions of an age that had long since past.
“Hullo.”
Horn glowing, Sunset Shimmer came to a stop. A strange looking earth pony was standing in front of her. He was a light, muddy looking brown, but sort of looked like a zebra. Long curling, looping, intricate black lines had been dyed into his pelt. His face was a maze of fine lines. He had gold earrings, three nostrils, two on the left, one on the right, and a cluster of tumours growing out of his head just behind his right ear.
“Hi.” Sunset stayed her magic, focusing on being polite and non threatening.
“My name is Root. I am a messenger for Mother Malady. She would like to see you.”
“Who is Mother Malady and why does she want to see me?”
“Mother Malady walks between the veil of worlds, this one and the next, and she sees all. She has seen you already and now, she would speak to you.”
Cryptic. “I see.” Sunset shook her head.
“Not yet you don’t, and it is unlikely that you ever will.” Root grinned. “Mother Malady wishes to help you. She does not wish to invite disaster. Your safety is assured.”
Nodding, Sunset acquiesced to the strange, cryptic messenger. “Very well, take me to this Mother Malady of yours. I will speak to her.”
The settlement, if it could be called that, was a collection of shacks built upon stilts, treehouses, platforms, and a crude stone tower that rose up out of the filthy muck. Looking at the tower, Sunset had serious doubts that the current ponies living here had built it, it looked far more like some unicorn’s abode, perhaps a lone alchemist living out in the swamp.
Large sheets of waxed canvas were stretched from tree to tree to collect rainwater for drinking. Gardens grew in barrels secured to tree trunks. There was a lot of ingenuity here. And every single pony was like Root; they all had strange looping lines dyed into their pelts. Many were disfigured, deformed, tumours and growths were common sights.
As Sunset stood on a half rotten wooden platform in front of the old stone tower, the door to the tower opened. Much to Sunset’s surprise, a zebra came out. A zebra stallion. She had expected something else, perhaps something a bit more… motherish. The stallion was old, ancient even, wrinkled, and his stripes were faded grey on yellowed white. He was missing one eye, an eyepatch covered in strange symbols covered the right side of his face, and the other eye had a milky white cataract.
“I am Mother Malady,” the zebra said to Sunset, bowing his head, his neck popping. “And you… you are… you are an Emissary of the Greater Light.” The zebra coughed, then wheezed, then laughed. “You call the servant of the Lesser Light your Master.”
Sunset Shimmer, holding her head high, wished that everypony would be less cryptic and get to the point. She didn’t feel well and she just wasn’t in the mood for this sort of thing.
“Mother Malady,” Sunset said, addressing the zebra stallion by his prefered title. “I am Sunset Shimmer. You wanted to speak to me?”
“Yes I did. I wanted to give you a gift, actually. You have come to a nexus of disease, Golden One. Even now, the sickness courses through your veins, sapping your strength, reducing your vitality, and making you feel poorly.” The zebra’s head drooped. “You have seen the sickness here. Not just the physical disease… but you have felt the diseases of the mind. You have seen Blackwater and looked upon his incestous offspring.”
“I have.” Sunset gave the zebra a curt nod.
Something in the swamp below the wooden platform made a flatulent sound and a wretched smell filled the air, the scent of rot, of decay, of death. Sunset fought back the urge to gag. Her eyes watered and she felt her knees tremble.
“That smell you smell… those gasses help me to peer between the veils, between this world and the next. They are a gift, a blessing from the earth,” Mother Malady explained in a raspy, somewhat wheezing voice. “I saw your arrival. I saw you coming, just like I saw the Black Death. I knew where to send Root to meet you. And when I had this vision, I knew you would need a gift.”
All Sunset could do was cough, the foul miasma filling her lungs and making her feel lightheaded. Her vision fuzzed over and for a moment, she could see bursts of multicoloured light in the corners of her vision. Something dark loomed in her vision, near the edge. A bright shining light, something as bright as the sun filled her eyes, but the darkness persisted.
“Sol causat umbrum,” the zebra murmured to Sunset. “All things serve Her immortal will, even your Master. Her light makes his shadow grow long and dark. You see them, don’t you… you got a glimpse of the veil… this place is full of shadows, but they are not Her shadows, but the shadows of ponies. They are shadows of memories, memories of things that wish to be forgotten. Ghosts of old words spoken. Phantoms of old promises. These shadows have gone bad and these old ghosts now consume the flesh of the living.”
Mother Malady began coughing, a wet, wheezing, racking cough, and Sunset Shimmer’s vision began to clear. She blinked, startled, not knowing what had just happened, but it was something she couldn’t just dismiss. She had felt something. Seen something.
“This was made for you,” a pegasus mare said, coming forwards and holding something in the primaries of her wing out towards Sunset Shimmer.
Using her telekinesis, Sunset Shimmer took the item. It was a small orange pony made of wood. It looked a lot like her. There was a long cord that the small wooden figurine could hang from. The level of detail was unbelievable. Her crimson mane and sunny yellow stripes stood out in bold, bright contrast.
Mother Malady ceased coughing and peered up at Sunset. “I have placed much magic into that talisman. It will protect you. Your time here is done, Golden One. Go and bring your light to others. Bring light to others and drive away these shadows that plague us. We are haunted by old words and false promises.”
“Thank you,” Sunset said in a sincere voice as she hung the small wooden pony around her neck. It was warm and she could feel a faint, strange vibration from within it. She looked down and noticed that it was glowing.
“I must rest.” Mother Malady gave Sunset Shimmer a smile, revealing blood flecked yellow teeth. “As you continue your quest… look for what does not belong. There are many secrets hidden in plain sight.”
“Wait…” Sunset Shimmer lifted her hoof. “Tell me, before I go… you… you’re a bocor… is there necromancy here?”
Mother Malady’s ears pivoted sideways and then drooped down. “There is much that is here. The foulest of shadows came to this place once a long time ago, and its decaying touch has never left. Golden One, if you go looking, you may find things that are far worse.”
“Thank you, Mother Malady. It has been a privilege to speak to you.”
It was odd—Sunset really did feel better. She neared the tall house where Hibiscus lived, feeling quite good. Her headache was gone. It felt as though she had been rejuvenated after a big sleep. The fatigue was gone.
Ponies watched as she passed, their eyes fearful, some of them worried. Up on top of the hill, the ruins of the mansion smouldered. Pegasi flew over the town, moving clouds, trying to get a bit more water to sprinkle down upon the charred remains of the old house.
As Sunset approached the rose coloured stone house, she saw Hibiscus speaking to a group of ponies, all of them looking serious and subdued. As she drew nearer, Hibiscus stopped speaking, lifted her head, and stared at Sunset. The ponies around her vanished.
“Miss Shimmer.”
“Hello, Hibiscus,” Sunset said in greeting. “Did I interrupt something?”
“As mayor, I am responsible for keeping order and managing the town. The fire has left many in quite a dreadful state,” Hibiscus replied. The earth pony shuffled her hooves, let out a sniff, and then tossed her head back to get her mane out of her face. “I understand some foals were rescued—”
“Yes they were and I do not plan to discuss it.”
“But I am the mayor… there are things I need to know.”
“I would venture a guess that you are also a busybody and a gossip. Those foals are now in protective custody and that is all that you need to know.” Sunset Shimmer watched Hibiscus’ nostrils flaring as her ears flicked back and forth. The earth pony seemed perturbed, annoyed, and even a little angry. Sunset was beyond caring. “Think about Laurel and Lavender. Would you want them paraded around and ponies talking trash about them?”
For a moment, Hibiscus gritted her teeth, her eyes narrowed, and then she replied, “No. No, I would not.”
“Then why are you in such a hurry to do that to somepony else’s foals?” Sunset asked.
“I wasn’t.” Hibiscus’ teeth clamped together once more, this time making an audible grinding sound.
“You know, when you lie, it casts a shadow of doubt on everything else you’ve told me.” Sunset’s eyes narrowed and she took a step forward. “I am here to help you. I am here to try and make things better. Since coming here, I’ve found nothing but unpleasantness, small town squabbling, and a bunch of petty, horrible ponies fighting each other just because they can.”
Hibiscus’ withering stare focused upon Sunset, but the earth pony matron said nothing.
“While I am dragging everything out into the open, I need to speak to Graham.”
“Graham Cracker?” Hibiscus’ anger turned to confusion.
“Yep. Him.” Sunset gave Hibiscus a pleasant smile.
“But… but why would you want to talk to him? He has nothing to do with any of this. You don’t need to talk to him… I ask that you leave my family members out of your little crusade of righteousness and that you respect their privacy.”
Sunset’s smile vanished and her eyes narrowed. “My reasons are my own. I don’t owe you an explanation. Hibiscus, let us get one thing straight between us. I am in charge here. I am conducting an investigation. If I ask you to do something, you do it.”
“You’re no better than those bigots on the hill,” Hibiscus spat.
For a moment, Sunset was certain that she was going to lose her temper. She felt the heat rising up inside of her. For one second, she was certain that she was going to burst into flames. She wanted to scream and shout. She wanted to grab Hibiscus and start shaking her, shaking some sense into her. But then she felt a soothing, calming sensation spreading through her chest. She looked down as she felt the fetish dangling from her neck vibrating.
It glowed with a pleasant, sunny glow, and as she looked at the smiling, cheerful looking little unicorn figure of herself, she felt better. Sunset paused. A while ago, the wooden figure hadn’t been smiling. It had looked serene, calm, but also kind of blank. Now, there was no mistaking it, she could see little white teeth and a merry twinkle in the figure's eyes.
“The bigots on the hill were no better and no worse than the bigots living down here,” Sunset Shimmer said in a calm, cheerful voice. “Now, I wish to speak to Graham and after he and I spend some time speaking, you and I are going to have ourselves a little heart to heart.”