Golden Shadows

by Sylif Daring Doo

Broken mind, broken past.

______*Ponyville, Star Shifter's house, 2:00 PM*______

The house was quiet, it was unusual, but it could happen, and this made Apache absolutely crazy.

Apache was sitting in her room, fidgeting and sporadically moving around trying to find something to do, but to no avail.

Spark was out with Star, working on a project that was supposed to be for brotherly bonding, Apache wasn't allowed to come along and Snowdrift wasn't in the mood for playing, leaving the energetic ball of energy that was also a Pegasus alone to her thought.

So when Apache looked out her window and saw a large flying object fly over the town, she blinked, believing that it was her imagination, but when the room shook and her lamp broke, she knew it wasn't, so she quickly threw the window open and fly out as fast as she could go.

Apache looked around and saw no sign of what she had seen, she rubbed her eyes and sighed, she flew back inside and closed the window.

Apache looked at a picture on the wall and chuckled, it was her and Spark completely soaked and looking away from an angry Star, she remembered the memory clearly, it was just her and Spark, the two decided to go out and have some fun, unfortunately for the town, the two had stumbled across some strangely placed fireworks, they lit them, and when they fired, the two were covered in so much dust and powder, that when Star found them, they had to get the hose and wash off completely just so they could open their eyes, and when Star began to scold them, a picture was taken by Pinkie Pie, who had a camera and was nearby for reasons unknown.

Apache sighed and laid back on the bed. "Nothing interesting happens anymore." She mumbled.

_____*Cloudsdale, the next week, 11:00 PM*______

It was a dark night in the city of clouds, Pegasi were fast asleep by now, and only the blaring alarms of the towns asylum interrupted these thoughts.

Why were the sirens going off?.....because a patient escaped of course, and not just any patient, the most volatile individual there, as the guards searched the city and flew around the neighboring areas searching the escapee, a dark figure approached an alleyway near the cloud production plant.

The figure was tall and stood on two legs, it was covered in a mask of shadows, as well as the cover of night, it walked calmly into the alleyway and approached a shivering figure. "These memories are not real, I am not real, I was made, not born, I exist only as a means to an end." A female voice muttered, it's voice broken and weak.

The figure examined the shivering Pegasus and removed its cover of darkness allowing itself to be seen, but only to the mare, it was very slender, it had sharp retractable claws, it had a long reptilian tail and had light green scales, it's head was similar to that of a raptor, and it's eyes were red and yellow. "Look at you." It said flatly.

The mare flinched and looked up, her fur was pink and her hair was blue, her eyes were blue as well. "Look at what you've become.....a cowering wretch, who doesn't even know which world is real." The figure stated calmly.

The figure knelt. "And now you have left the one place that kept you safe........and you have removed the bonds that held you back." It continued.

The mare shivered and shook with fear. "You made me.....i would never....." It started.

"You left because I gave you an offer.......assist me, and I will heal your mind, restoring it to how it should be, and as a sign of good faith, I will give you a portion of your mind back." The figure placed a claw on the mare's head and a soft light covered her.

The mare gasped as she recalled more of the fractured memories much more clearly. "I......I remember, my friend?" A tear went down the mares cheek as the memory replayed in her mind.

"You don't have to leave.....you can stay here." Her memory continued.

"You know, I had fun yesterday, but I need to go back, my mom, she does care about me, and I owe it to her to try and move on from my past." A male voice said.

"I just hope you learned something from our world." Her memory muttered.

A chuckle was heard, followed by a voice. "Yes I did, I learned that sometimes.......moving on might just be the best thing to do......and that someone out there doesn't think I'm a jerk." The voice replied.

A small necklace appeared around the mare's neck and she clutched it unconsciously, it was a small wolves claw, but it was slightly chipped. "Who.....were you?" She asked herself.

The figure then stood up. "Snap out of it." She said.

The mare looked up at the creature and gulped, she stood up shakily. "What......what do you need me to do?" She asked.

The creature blinked and the two were teleported to the edge of the city. "I need you to make your way to a town called Ponyville, you are to keep an eye on the town, and report anyone who displays unusual abilities." It said.

The mare looked at the creature. "How.....will we stay in touch?" She asked.

The creature held up three of its talons on its right claw. "I will arrive in three days, when I do, you will introduce me as an old friend that you met years ago when visiting the city called Manehatten, should anyone ask of course, if they ask for my name, you tell them that it is Estalli." It then blinked and the Mare had a pair of saddlebags on its back. "Inside those bags are what you need to survive, nothing more, find a hotel, ask for a two person room, and give my description to the clerk after telling them I'm coming." It then crosses its arms.

The Mare nodded and looked around. "How will I get away?.....the guards are looking for me." She asked.

The creature smirked. "Did you really think I would have this all ready, and NOT have a backup plan?"

Suddenly, a building could be heard collapsing in the distance, and the sirens were blaring more than ever. "I would get going, if I were you." The creature said.

The mare quickly flew off, taking care to not draw attention as she flew towards Ponyville, a mental map showing her where to go.

______*Ponyville, the next day, 3:13 PM*______

Star walked with Twilight through the town, they were discussing magical theories for a while, but now they were talking about the Elements Of Harmony. "I just don't understand how they work, I mean, if they work by us being true to our elements, then they would have to be sentient on some level, right?" Twilight asked.

Star shrugged. "Perhaps this is one of those things that cannot be explained by science or magical theory?" He offered.

Twilight groaned. "Oh I hope not, that would be so annoying!" She complained.

Star chuckled as he looked up at the sky. "So.....you heard the news right?" He asked.

Twilight looked at her friend. "About the disaster at Cloudsdale?" She wondered.

Star nodded. "Yea." He replied.

Twilight looked around and noticed Rainbow Dash hovering nearby, so she lowered her voice. "How bad was it?" She asked.

Star sighed. "Really bad, a ton of psychiatric patients escaped, some of them dangerous, five building were destroyed, and there were at least ten confirmed casualties." He replied.

"So you two heard too huh?" Rainbow Dash's voice said.

Twilight's ears dropped. "I'm sorry, I know you came from there." She said.

Rainbow Dash sighed. "It's alright, I'm fine, but it seems to be the talk of the town." She said.

Star pondered this as the three walked. "It is the only real disaster that happened lately, the guards and police are still trying to figure out what happened." He added.

Star then stopped walking suddenly and he looked behind him. "What the?" He muttered.

Twilight and Rainbow Dash looked back. "Star, you alright?" Twilight asked.

Star looked at the two mares and nodded. "Yea, I just feel like I'm being watched." He whispered when he caught up.

"Why would anypony watch you?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Star blinked and kept on walking. "I wish I knew." He replied.

______*meanwhile*______

Umbrea sighed as she examined the crime scene, for once, there was a serious crime, and it was a rare one, Armed robbery, the local jewelry store was held up as a masked pony robbed all of the bits and smashed tons of the glass.

The only witnesses were the cashier and manager, and neither of them could confirm the identity, they claimed that the thief was completely cloaked and masked, and had what they thought was a fake horn, but they weren't sure, the only thing that they were able to confirm, was that the thief was male.

Umbrea sighed as she stepped away from the crime scene for a moment. 'First the Cloudsdale asylum has an outbreak of escaped patients, now we have a robbery in town, I just hope these are isolated incidents.' She then looked at one of her officers who walked up. "Chief, we just got a report of an armed figure assaulting a general goods store by Barnyard bargains." He whispered.

"Right." Umbrea then looked at him. "Coal, go get the others." She ordered.

"Yes chief." Coal then ran off.

Umbrea sighed, they had gotten some new recruits lately, and things were pretty hectic right now.

Coal was one such recruit, he was good at his job, and he knew enough to go on his own.....at least to investigate a minor disturbance anyway.

As the other officers gathered around, Umbrea spoke. "We're moving out, Coal, stay with Ferrus and manage this scene, Koop, Grant, your coming with me, there's reports of another assault, and Larry." She looked at Larry. "Stay with Coal and Ferrus." She then started walking off.

As Umbrea, Koop and Grant headed off, Umbrea was dreading her life right now. "This is going to be a bad week." she thought.

______*elsewhere in town, a few hours later.*______

Near a small hotel, a pink furred Pegasus mare with a blue mane and tail walked up to the office building, she took a breath and stepped inside, attempting to keep it cool.

"Oh, hello!" A young voice greeted.

The mare looked in the direction of the voice and saw a brown furred Earth Pony with black hair tied into a ponytail, she walked up to the desk and waved her over. "Welcome to the Shady Wood hotel, I take it your looking for a room?" The mare asked.

The Pegasus nodded. "Yea, I am." She said as she walked up.

The mare opened a nearby book and flipped through it, she then looked up. "What kind of room are you looking for, a single, a double?" She asked.

"Double, I have a friend on the way, we agreed to share a room." The Pegasus replied.

The mare looked through and smiled. "Well, lucky for you, a room opened up just yesterday." She handed the Pegasus a paper. "Sign here please."

As the Pegasus signed the paper, she told herself that it would be alright, that nothing was going to happen.

The mare took the paper and put it down somewhere in the desk. "I hope you enjoy your stay miss Firefly, and your room number is seven." She then handed Firefly a key with the number seven.

Firefly nodded and started to walk out, she paused and looked back. "Hey, do you know somewhere I can get some food?" She asked.

The mare nodded. "There's a small deli called Marigolds in town, it's walls are light green with a blue overhang." She replied.

"Thanks." Firefly then left the office building and headed to find her room.

Once Firefly found her room, she went inside and locked the door, the walls were a soft green, the carpet was brown and soft, the ceiling was white, thankfully, there was a small bathroom, it wasn't anything special, but it would suffice.

After relieving herself and washing off, Firefly sat down on the bed and sighed, she could finally relax a little.

As Firefly laid back on the bed, she felt most of her headache go away, which was a plus, but her mind was wracked with questions, mostly about her memories, she still had trouble picking apart the true memories, or if any of them WERE real, or if they were all real and she was just going mad because of it.

She heard her stomach growl and she managed to get up, she then walked up to the door and unlocked it, thankfully, she had bits on her to pay for food and the hotel, strangely enough, she had accidentally tripped at some point while walking, and bits spilled out, what was weird however, was the fact that her bags had apparently infinite bits, but Firefly wasn't going to question it, but she also wasn't going to use the money selfishly, she was going to use it as was necessary, and not mention it to anyone.

_____*in town, forty minutes later.*______

Firefly slightly regretted entering town, for as soon as she neared a fountain in the center of town, her memory spikes went off, causing her to gain a massive headache, thankfully, she was able to control herself. 'Okay, this town is definitely where a bunch of these memories came from, but still.......why?....I never came here before, or did i?' She asked herself.

Firefly pondered this as she looked around the town, she remained casual, and didn't prod anyone for information on anything, unless she needed directions.

At some point however, when asking for directions to a food store or stand, a mare by the name of Bon Bon gave her directions for the library, and to ask the librarian Twilight Sparkle for a map of the town.

Firefly had to admit, that was much more appealing than asking everyone for directions.

So as Firefly neared the library which was also a tree, she spotted a black furred Unicorn stallion exit with a small orange baby dragon on his back.

Firefly didn't say anything nor react strangely, she just kept on walking towards the library, but when the dragon spotted her, it's eyes widened. "Hey!" It said suddenly before jumping off the unicorn's back.

Firefly stopped and looked at the dragon. "Uh......hi?" She said out of confusion.

"Do I know you?.....I swear I know you." The dragon asked curiously.

The unicorn stallion walked over and looked at Firefly. "I'm sorry about him, he's a little excitable around new people." He said.

Firefly raised an eyebrow. "How do you know I'm new?" She asked cautiously.

The stallion chuckled. "You have a look in your eye, you look as though you've seen strange things but have no way of processing it.....trust me, everyone new to town has that look." He said.

Firefly blinked, that was.....odd. "Uh.....ok, I uh, im Firefly, and yes, I am new in town, im just trying to get my bearings." She said.

The stallion nodded and pointed at the library. "Then this is the right place, Twilight can give you a map of town, their enchanted to constantly change if anything is removed or added, so don't worry about getting a new one, oh, I'm Star Shifter, just call me Star." He said before picking the dragon back up and placing it on his back. "And this is my little brother Spark." He said.

Spark blinked and continued to stare.

Firefly was creeped out by the dragon.....but her memories told her that she......knew, the dragon, but she wasn't sure how. "It was nice to meet you." She said simply.

Star nodded. "Maybe I'll see you around, never know, it's a small town." He said before heading off.

Firefly walked up to the library door and opened it. "Please tell me the librarian is normal." She prayed.

______*Golden Oaks Library*______

Firefly stepped inside and looked around, the books lined the many bookshelves built into the tree's interior, there was also another baby dragon with rounded green spines and purple scales, it was currently walking around the room, placing books on the shelves.

Then there was the purple unicorn mare walking around, randomly pulling out books and examining them, as if searching for something specific. "Uh.....hello?" Firefly said.

The mare looked over and saw Firefly, she walked over and spoke. "Oh, hi, sorry, cleaning up......I'm Twilight Sparkle, what can I do for you?" She asked.

"I'm looking for a map of town, I'm new, and i want to know the area a little better." Firefly said.

Twilight nodded and her horn lit up, soon, a map with black bindings floated over and Twilight handed it over. "I'm glad somepony is finally interested in using one of those, apparently your the first one to actually WANT a map in over fifty years." She then looked over at the baby dragon. "Spike! be careful with those, I don't want those times open again!" She called out.

"I know!" The young dragon replied.

Firefly blinked and looked at Twilight. "Thank you, I should get going." She said.

Twilight nodded. "Hey." She said.

Firefly looked back. "Hmm?"

"What's your name?" Twilight asked, making Firefly's heart skip a beat.

"Firefly, I'm Firefly." She replied, calming down slightly.

Twilight smiled. "It was nice to meet you Firefly, welcome to Ponyville." She said.

Firefly nodded and walked out.

______*on the way to the hotel.*______

Firefly was walking home from a mostly busy day of exploring the town, she had passed a nearby building when she heard a throat being cleared behind her, followed by a voice.

Firefly stopped and flipped around quickly and came face to face with a cyan furred mare with white hair and cyan streaks, her eyes were very intimidating yet alluring as they were bright red with cyan sclera and black pupils. "Uh......hi?" She said carefully.

"What made you think you could hide in my town?" The mare asked quietly.

Firefly gulped and shrugged, feigning innocence. "I don't know what you mean." She said.

The mare chuckled and gave Firefly an intimidating glare. "I know who you are....Firefly, escaped asylum patient, murderer of five weather factory workers, so tell me, why my town?" She asked again.

Firefly backed up slowly and clutched her talisman unknowingly. "I......I." She could not find her words, this mysterious mare just......knew, who she was.

The mare walked up. "Allow me to introduce myself, I am chief of Ponyville Police, Umbrea, and I have every right to place you under arrest for assault." Umbrea said calmly.

Firefly blinked at that last part. "......I, never hurt anyone......after, I escaped." She muttered.

Umbrea sighed. "Let me give you an offer, it's one time only, so I suggest you pay attention." She said.

Firefly shivered a little, but decided to listen.

"Come quietly, answer my questions, and harm no one, and I won't have to reveal your location to anyone, in other words, you cooperate, you get left alone." Umbrea said.

Firefly wasn't in a hurry to go back to the asylum, but she couldn't trust this mare at all, but then again, she didn't have a choice. "What do you want to know?" She asked.

Umbrea's horn lit and her eyes glowed for a brief second, and the two were teleported away.

_____*Umbrea's house*______

Firefly found her wings were bound but otherwise she was alright, she looked and saw that Umbrea was pulling something out of a drawer, and upon closer inspection it was a photograph. "First things first." Umbrea said.

Firefly watched as Umbrea pulled a chair out of nowhere and sat down, she looked right at Firefly. "Why did you come here?" She asked.

"I.....was told to come here." Firefly said.

"By who?" She asked.

Firefly gulped, praying that she wouldn't get punished for answering these questions. "My friend Estalli, she's a reptile of some kind with light green scales, red and yellow eyes." She answered.

"Why?" Umbrea asked.

"......We were coming to keep an eye on the townspeople." She immediately clamped her mouth shut, she did NOT mean to say that.

Umbrea's gaze hardened. "Do you know why?" She questioned.

"No." Firefly answered immediately.

Umbrea chuckled. "I see, you don't know." She then crossed her arms and looked at Firefly, she then used her magic and showed her the photo.

"I know that's you in the photo, you match that kid in every aspect, so tell me." She then pointed at the photo. "Who are they, and why did this show up at my doorstep!?" She questioned.

Firefly seemed to be in comeplete shock as she stared at the photo, she immediately recognized the little dragon, and the filly was most definitely her. "I......I recognize them, but I can't place the time, place, or the names of any of them." She answered, she then looked at Umbrea. "Except the dragon." She said.

Umbrea looked at the photo and noticed a small orange baby dragon. "That's Star's brother!......but why is he here without Star?" She asked herself quietly.

Firefly tried so hard to remember.....but try as she might, it as was as though something was.....interfering, with her memory once again. "I don't know.......what do you want from me already?" She asked, wanting to get out of there quickly.

Umbrea blinked and walked to the desk and locked the photo up. "I want you to introduce me to your friend, I need to know this, Estalli's, intentions." She said.

Umbrea then removed the rope on Firefly's wings. "You help me find out why she wants to keep an eye on the town, I get you a pardon, deal?" She said.

Firefly thought on this, on one hoof, Estalli was incredibly powerful, and going against her was probably a bad idea, as she could control her memory, on the other hoof, Umbrea was in a position to pardon her, which would be invaluable in getting her life back.

"I.....can't promise anything, but if possible, I can try to discreetly find it out, but I'm not placing myself in any more risk." Firefly answered.

Umbrea nodded. "Good enough." She said, her horn lit, and Firefly was teleported.

______*the hotel, Firefly's room, hours later.*______

Firefly sighed, she laid back on the bed as she got ready to sleep, she was still trying to wrap her head around what was happening to her.

In a matter of days, she escaped the asylum, she got recruited by a mysterious creature, she fled her home city, she became a fugitive, she recieved an offer from the local police chief, and now she was awaiting the arrival of Estalli.

"What the hell is going on?" She asked herself quietly.

And to make matters worse, Firefly still had trouble telling the worlds apart, she could barely remember which memory was most recent, let alone if it was real.

"Maybe things will be better in the morning." She whispered to herself.

______*Canterlot*______

Roxanne sighed as she breathed in the cool night air, she was on temporary leave right now, as her and Night Frenzy were requested in the capital, but they weren't sure why.

Right now Night Frenzy was annoying Roxanne to no end, and the mare just needed some air to clear her head slowly building anger.

Roxanne looked off at the city and raised an eyebrow at a peculiar sight, there was a strange creature standing on the roof of one of the buildings, and it seemed to be looking her way.

Rather than acknowledging its presence, Roxanne turned around and headed inside.

It was strange, but it was probably just coincidence or a trick of the mind, at least.....that was the hope.

_____*A short while ago.*______

"Female organisms detected, class S anomalies detected in both." A quiet mechanical voice said.

A tall wolf like creature stood in perfect invisibility on the roof of a structure, scanning the city. "Samples?" She asked mentally.

"Samples taken two days ago reveal that the subjects are of two different variants of equine, one is known as a 'Pegasus', with Fox like attributes, it also holds power that it known commonly as 'magic'......ninety percent S class anomaly contaminant, proceed with caution." The voice said.

The wolf creature moved to another roof silently and scanning around. "And the second sample?" She asked.

"Second sample shows that the other subject is a rare variant known as 'Thestral' possessing enormous phyiscal atributes, primarily in agility and speed, ninety nine point seven percent S class anomaly contaminant." The voice replied.

The wolf creature was honestly surprised at the numbers, but refused to let it show. "They could be decoys, either that or children of Lyaroa, computer, scan for DNA using the sample taken from Lyaroa." She

"Scanning, please stand by." The voice said.

The creature quickly jumped to another roof and spotted a mare looking outside from a balcony. "Scan complete.....no traces of subject, Lyaroa, in the DNA taken from subjects." The voice said.

The creature blinked. "Ok, so they must be decoys." She said.

Just after it spoke, the mare on the balcony looked in the creature's direction. "Warning, subject, Roxanne, alerted to presence, cloak, ineffective against subject." The voice said.

The creature froze in place, completely shocked that her cloaking failed, she watched as the mare headed inside, seemingly unfazed by this. "Computer, scan for Sentinel DNA in subjects, Night Frenzy and Roxanne." She said.

"Scanning.......scan complete, zero point two percent Sentinel DNA, subjects may have come into contact with another Sentinel, but they are not of your race." The computer stated clearly.

The creature moved a little closer and hid by a window that was cracked open. "Why did we stop our training to come here in the first place Frenzy?.....we had no reason whatsoever." Said a female voice.

"Voice identified as belonging to subject, Roxanne." The computer said.

"Look Roxanne, we came here because we were summoned, I don't know why, but I'm not about to piss anyone off, especially if they can screw us over." Another female voice said, much more confident sounding than Roxanne's.

"Voice identified as belonging to subject, Night Frenzy." The computer said.

"We were getting torn apart in our training, you just won't admit it, we never should have signed that contract." Roxanne said.

"Then we would be stuck in Ponyville doing absolutely nothing as we aged, at least this way we have something to do." Night Frenzy replied

The creature peaked into the room with its vizor, allowing her to see inside it clearly.

Roxanne then paused and looked at her sister. "Frenzy......are you avoiding something?" She asked.

Night Frenzy scoffed. "Me?....avoiding something? No way!" She snapped.

"Then are you avoiding SomeONE?" Roxanne asked.

Frenzy paused and then sighed, she paced irritably. "Yes." She responded, after a minute.

"It's Umbrea, isn't it? Ever since that incident with Trixie and the Ursa, you've been on edge, like you're looking over your shoulder for something, why?" Roxanne asked.

Night Frenzy grumbled and sat back down. "I'm not sure why, but being with her felt......wrong, like I shouldn't have done it, I felt guilty and disgusted with myself for some reason, but I can't understand why." She said.

The creature had heard enough, she teleported away and sat down on the roof. "Computer, scan for Estalli." She said.

"Scanning, madam, if I might ask.....do you not trust your daughter to be able to complete this task alone?" The computer asked.

"I have no doubts about her ability computer, but I would like to know her progress." She replied.

"Lady Estalli discovered, nearing the town called, Ponyville, will arrive in the morning at her current pace." The computer said.

The creature blinked. "I thought she would have arrived there by now.....open a channel." She said.

"Stand by for communication." The computer said.

Suddenly, an image of Estalli appeared before the wolf like creature. "Mother......why are you calling?" Estalli asked.

"Why are you not in Ponyville yet?.....you should have been there a week ago!" The creature asked.

Estalli rubbed her eye and sighed. "I told you, I have a plan, I needed time to get everything ready, I'm arriving at the town tomorrow, a little ahead of time, but it will be just fine." She replied.

"Would you care to share this plan?" The creature asked.

"I recruited the help of a local, she has the S class anomaly and has a broken memory, in exchange for healing her mind, she will report anything strange in the town." Estalli said.

"You recruited one those.......inferior creatures?" The creature said,

Estalli blinked. "I'm surprised that you haven't thought of the idea first, they can move around unnoticed, they can blend in perfectly, no one questions one of their kind moving in, they are the perfect spies." She replied,

The creature frowned. "They are also inferior beings, who we cannot trust." She countered.

Estalli shook her head. "I don't have the energy to argue with you mother, just let me carry out my plan, and you carry out your own." She said before the image disappear.

The wolf sighed and walked around a little. "Computer, scan Ponyville for S class Anomalies." She said.

"Scanning.......three S class Anomalies detected, one anomaly is thirteen percent, another is seventy percent, the last one is one hundred percent." The computer said.

The wolf looked in the direction of the building that Roxanne and Night Frenzy were at. "It would seem that these creatures might just have a use after all." She said to herself quietly.

The wolf creature teleported to the building's roof and looked inside with her special vision. "It's time for my own plan to take place, starting with these two." She muttered as she watched the two sisters go to sleep.

______*Ponyville, the next day, 11:00 AM*______

Firefly was walking back to the hotel from the town, she just had breakfast and had decided to simply sit around for a while, seeing as she had nothing to do.

As she walked, Firefly had a strange feeling, as though she were being watched, she looked around and saw nothing.

Firefly continued to walk, and eventually, when she entered the hotel room, she was greeted by a familiar reptilian face. "Estalli!?" She exclaimed in shock.

Estalli looked at Firelfy crossed her arms, and with a stern glare, spoke. "Do you have anything to report?"

Firefly just stood there in shock. "Wh.....what, why are you?" She asked.

"Early?" Estalli finished. "Because I feel like we're running out of time, so, anything to tell me?" She asked.

Firefly gulped and looked at Estalli. "Um.......y-y-yes, there's an......Alicorn, the chief of police, Umbrea, she has some very strange magic." She explained in shock.

Estalli walked up and chuckled. "Thank you, now then, as was our agreement, I will restore more of your mind." She placed a claw on Firefly's right shoulder and she glowed softly.

Almost immediately, Firefly saw a vision of the past. "Mom, are you angry at Fang?" The memory of Firefly said.

In her minds eye, Firefly saw the tall white furred fox smiling as she kneeled down to look at a filly version of Firefly. "No, I'm not, it's just complicated, I'm angry at someone else." She said quietly, yet truthfully.

"Who?" The memory continued.

"Both myself and Lyaroa." The fox answered as she picked up Firefly and placed her on her head. "Like I said, it's complicated, for now, just let it be, and enjoy yourself, it's a celebration after all." The fox said with a smile.

The filly had one last thing to ask however. "The nice wolf lady?.....why are you mad at her?" The young Firefly asked curiously.

The fox frowned and continued walking, leaving the question unanswered.

Estalli looked at Firelfy curiously as the mare recovered from the visions. 'How much did this girl witness? In the other world?' She wondered.

______*Elsewhere in Ponyville*______

Apache ran home as quickly as she could, she had found something very interesting at school, and couldn't wait to show Star.

As she got closer to the house, she felt her saddlebags grow heavy, she slowed down and stopped to rest by a tree, she collected her breath, looked around to make sure no one was watching, and opened her saddlebag, she then pulled out a small translucent crystal that glowed red and black, she quickly stuffed it into her bags and ran off again, but the crystal seemed to get heavier with each step, as though it did not want to go that way.

'I can't wait to see the look on his face when he sees this!' She thought with excitement, as she continued to run.

______*Ponyville, Umbrea's house, the next day, 3:00 PM.*______

Umbrea sighed to herself as she worked, she appeared to be busy, but in truth, she was conflicted, on one hoof, it was her duty to arrest Firefly, on the other, she was the only lead she had to discover who the people in the photograph were.

"The world truly hates me, I know it." She muttered.

She was only brought away from her work when the doorbell rang, she sighed in relief as she stood up to get the door.

As Umbrea left the room and headed for the door, she sensed a strange power in the air, getting stronger the closer that she got to it.

Umbrea unlocked and opened the door, and saw Apache standing at the door with Star behind her.

"Oh hey Star, what's up?" Umbrea asked.

"I was called away on business." Star started. "I was wondering if you could watch Spark and Apache?" He asked.

Umbrea took a breath, she then chuckled a little. "Sure, I could use a break from work anyway, come on in." She said.

"I can't, I need to get going." Star looked back, revealing Spark next to Firefly. "Go on inside you two." He said.

Apache and Spark walked up to the door and entered the house, Umbrea then shut the door after seeing Star off.

Umbrea was actually glad to have a distraction from everything, and the kids provided that easily.

"Hey Umbrea, wanna see something cool?" Apache asked.

Umbrea chuckled, knowing it would probably be another drawing of some kind. "Sure kid, what is it?" She asked.

Apache reached into her saddles bags and pulled out.......a crystal?

Umbrea blinked as she stared at the crystal. "That's......weird." She said as the crystal glowed red and black.

Perhaps the strangest thing about the crystal, was that it obviously has power inside of it, but there was just a void where it should be, almost as if it shouldn't exist.

Another ring of the doorbell a few minutes later made Umbrea get up and go to the door.

As Umbrea, opened it, she was greeted by familiar faces. "Sapphire?" She asked curiously.

Sapphire was with Gem and they looked very tired. "Are you two alright?" Umbrea asked out of concern.

Sapphire nodded. "Yea, I just haven't slept much these last few days." She answered.

"So uh......what can I do for you?" Umbrea asked.

"I'm here to apologize Umbrea." Sapphire said as Gem looked around, for all the good that did. "The way I treated you.......it was unfair, your right, you couldn't make it to the wedding, and I overreacted, I'm sorry." She said.

Umbrea smiled. "Apology accepted, I was tired of the stupid arguments anyway." She said.

Gem scoffed. "You!? Tired of arguing? please, when Twilight burns a book, I'll believe you." She commented.

Umbrea laughed a little at that. "Oh.....if only you weren't blind." She muttered.

"I heard that." Gem stated.

"Fuck off Gem, stop eavesdropping." Umbrea retorted.

After that, the two sisters left, leaving Umbrea with the kids once again. "Umbrea, do you still have snakes and ladders?" Spark asked.

"Yea, why wouldn't i?" She wondered.

______*Unknown, 5:00 PM, a few days later.*______

The wolf creature crossed her arms as she walked around the room, she looked to her left and sighed. "How long Computer?" She asked.

"One week, three days, and four hours remain for recovery." The computer said.

The wolf creature looked into the small containment cells and saw her captives, the immobile bodies of Roxanne and Night Frenzy, they were being suspended by an invisible force, and being kept conscious by a strange device on their heads, it was metallic and golden, it was shaped like a helmet, but it had a thick black wire in the back.

The wolf walked up to them and looked at Roxanne. "I can tell that you are beginning to remember the past, tell me, what is it you remember?" She asked calmly, as though a scientist were asking.

Roxanne struggled, but managed to look at her captor. ".........Pain." She said weakly.

The wolf then walked up to Night Frenzy. "And you?....what is it you remember?" She asked.

".......fuck off." Night Frenzy said defiantly, refusing to look at the creature.

The wolf pushed a button on the nearby wall, suddenly, Night Frenzy felt her body being electrocuted so much, that she almost passed out, were it not for the device. "Show some respect for your elders girl, if I wanted to, I could easily turn you into dust, so you may as well start to listen." The wolf said threateningly.

Night Frenzy laughed quietly, though she was in excruciating pain, she struggled and looked at the wolf creature with a grin. "If your so mighty.......why do you need two misfits like us huh?" She taunted.

The wolf smirked and turned around. "Do you think that old trick will work on me?....I invented it after all, so I would know, but if you must know.....it isn't YOU I need, it's who you WERE that I need." She walked up and twisted a valve on Night Frenzy's cell. "For now however, I need silence." She said.

Soon after, both Night Frenzy and Roxanne fell unconscious, as the wolf continued to work.

"If this doesn't work, Estalli and myself will finish the job." The creature said to herself with a confident smirk.