Fear of A Child

by Bluecatcinema

Nightmare Unbound

"YAAARRGH!" Sterling charged at his comrades like a maniac, suffering under the effects of the miasma. "Die!!"

"Yikes!" Caboose yelped, dodging out of the way.

"Oh, buck!" Survival ran behind a crate.

"Sterling, stop!" Fletcher begged, holding up his hooves defensively.

"Not until you're put down for good, Crystal!" Sterling spat, elbowing Fletcher.

"He's not Crystal!" Caboose grabbed him from behind. "And I'm not Spartacob!"

"Get off me, Crystal!" Sterling roared, throwing Caboose off him. He then charged at Fletcher again. "You're next, Crystal!"

"What is wrong with you?!" Fletcher desperately dodged Sterling's attacks, “Why do you keep calling us Crystal?!”

"...Wait." Survival said suddenly from his hiding place. "Didn't Triage mention something about how that miasma makes the awake afflicted act crazy from hallucinations?"

"Yeah, so?" Caboose shrugged.

"I think I see what he's getting at." Fletcher realised. "Maybe Sterling got hit by that miasma stuff while trying to rescue Nabudis and Nyx. He must think he’s in a nightmare!”

“Well, that's good, isn't it?" Caboose asked. "Means all he needs is a good slap in the face, and he'll be right as rain! Watch this!"

Without skipping a beat, Caboose tackled the raging Sterling.

"Snap out of it!" He yelled, slapping Sterling.

"Gah!" Sterling recoiled.

Sterling's expression faltered. For a moment, it looked like it had worked. Then...

"Rrah!" Sterling snarled at Caboose.

"So much for that idea..." Fletcher frowned.

“Hold on, maybe I didn’t slap him hard enough.” Caboose surmised a bit nervously, as he slapped him again “Wakey-wakey!” And again. “Early worm gets the bird!” And again. "A stitch in time saves nine!" And again. "Measure twice, cut once!" And again. "There's no business like show business!"

"Graaagh!" Sterling roared, madder than ever from the repeated assault.

"Caboose, stop!" Fletcher urged. "It's only making Sterling angrier!"

"Wait!" Caboose insisted. "I’m gonna get it! I’m gonna get-”

Suddenly, Sterling threw Caboose off him.

"Whoa!" Caboose yelped.

As Caboose hit the ground, he dropped Sterling's sword, which clattered noisily at Sterling's hooves.

"Oh, no." Fletcher cringed.

His expression madder than ever, Sterling picked up the sword, and pointed it at his imagined attackers.

“You stupid buck. You think you can slap me several times in the face and make one-lines like some fourth-wall breaking joke, Crystal?! Think again!” Sterling roared.

"Really great work, Caboose..." Survival seethed with annoyance.

Meanwhile, back in the warehouse, Constell watched on in fear as Dysley approached Nabudis.

"Our time together is coming to a close." Dysley taunted Nabudis. "Sterling isn't going to keep your friends busy forever. But by the time he's done, I'll be long gone... And so will you."

"You monster." Nabudis snapped at him. "How could you do that to Sterling? He has done nothing to you!"

"He betrayed the Forefathers." Dysley sneered contemptuously. "You should be grateful that I didn't just outright kill him."

"You should have..." Silas growled bitterly.

"Honestly, I have to confess to being a little disappointed." Dysley continued, ignoring Silas. "I heard stories among the Forefathers about the high and mighty Sterling Cross. How 'great' of an agent he was, the best of the best... but then he got himself thrown in prison because he grew too attached to that bat pony and the chick that he got knocked up, and then suddenly decided he was ‘too good’ for us.” He added in disgust, “I can only imagine where he got that from… that legless, bleeding heart…”

“Sterling and Loveless are several times the pony you'll ever be!" Nabudis spat.

"I doubt that very much." Dysley sneered. "Neither of them ever came close to achieving what I did. My project is going to be the one that finally does what the others couldn't: take over Equestria!"

"Oh, is that it?" Nabudis said mockingly. "You're going to take over Equestria by using Nyx to kill ponies indiscriminately? Some plan. Ignoring the asinine thought process that a couple of random murders are going to change anything, a crossbow or a poison-laced weapon of any kind could get the job done easier."

"Hmph, as usual, you fail to see the big picture, Nabudis." Dysley shook his head.

"What big picture?" Nabudis scoffed. "What could possibly be your endgame? And why does Nyx need to be a part of any of it?! Explain that to me!"

"Well, considering you're going to die soon, I see no reason to not explain my grand designs..." Dysley smirked.

"I see one!" Silas interrupted. "The RDL, remember?!"

"Silence!" Dysley yelled.

Silas obeyed, but glared petulantly as Dysley faced Nabudis.

"Well, Nabudis, you were partially right." Dysley admitted. "A part of my goals for Project: Bad Dreams does require dropping bodies. Much more, actually."

"How much more?" Nabudis demanded.

"Who can say?" Dysley shrugged. "But that isn't the point. Tell me, Nabudis, did you read the news when Cirrus has passed? Or for any of the others?" Nabudis glared at him. "That's what I thought. 'Unexplained deaths', 'Pony dies mysteriously in his sleep', 'No signs of foul play or illness detected', 'Concerns mount as death toll rises'... Even as we speak, rumors are starting to go around, about how ponies are randomly dying in their sleep. Some say it is some undiscovered virus. Others say that Freddy Kanter has somehow become real. The crazies say it's magic mirror waves. All thanks to our own personal Nightmare Moon and her miasma."

"So, you're fear mongering." Nabudis deadpanned. "Hate to break it to you, but politicians and radio stations already do that enough as it is. A few deaths, while tragic, isn't going to create that much panic. Especially at your current rate. Nyx is only one child, and there are millions of creatures in the world. It'll take you forever, and that's if you or Nyx don't get caught in the interim."

Dysley chuckled darkly.

"Oh, you naive old fool." He snickered. "You really think I need a little filly to kill ponies for me?"

"What are you talking about?" Nabudis frowned. "How else are you going to do it?"

"You forget, Nyx technically isn't the one killing those ponies." Dysley pointed out. "It is the miasma she produces that causes the death, you see? Cut the little freak out and leave the miasma, and ponies will still die all the same."

For a moment Nabudis was confused... then he was hit by a dark realization.

"Wait, you don't mean..." He gasped.

"Observe." Dysley clicked the remote again.

Nyx was shocked once more (much to Nabudis and the hidden Constell’s displeasure), the filly only letting out a weak squeak as miasma flowed out... then some of it was strangely drawn away from her, as Dysley pulled out a little orb from his jacket that sucked all the miasma into it.

"You like?" He held up the still-glowing orb. "Our pals in the labs next door designed it for me. Able to contain enough miasma to gas a room, yet small and portable enough to plant in vents or other hiding spots. Before your little stunt, I already had a case of these filled."

"A case?" Nabudis asked, his voice filled with growing dread. "But why then-"

"Like I said, I needed to work out the kinks." Dysley grinned. "See what could generate enough miasma out of her and how the miasma reacts in a normal environment. But now that I know, I no longer need the brat to do my dirty work for me." He held up the orb. "With these, I can have the best infiltrators plants these in houses and buildings across the world. With the miasma being virtually untraceable, nopony would suspect foul play or think to look for the orbs after the fact. And for those insomniacs or those getting a midnight snack, they'd simply go crazy and won’t be taken seriously."

"And what is the point of that?!" Nabudis demanded. "How does this help Father with his goals?"

"Well, sooner or later, ponies are going to come to the logical conclusion: when they go to sleep, they run a high risk of dying." Dysley summarised. "If they don't sleep, they won't die."

"...But no creature can go on without sleep." Nabudis pointed out.

"Exactly." Dysely nodded. "At the rate we use the miasma bombs, ponies will be too frightened to close their eyes, even for a few seconds. Without sleep, they will lose focus, become lethargic and unbalanced... It won't be long before there are widespread accidents, ponies sleeping on the job, even eventually going mad from sleep deprivation. It will set society into chaos. And naturally, blame regarding why this unfortunate series of events is happening will go around, squarely landing on the royals, like our Princess of the Dreams, Luna."

"No... Luna... Gothic..." Nabudis shook his head.

"With discontent at its highest, and opinions of the rulers at its lowest, in will come Father himself, and by his side, yours truly." Dysley continued. "With Father dealing with the rulers, and the rest of civilization too tired to fight back against his followers, the Forefathers will claim Equestria and eventually the world. Game. Set. Match."

"This can't be..." Constell whispered, aghast.

"...What of Nyx?" Nabudis asked. "You never said what your plan is for her."

"Well, I can't simply take over the world with just one case of these miasma bombs." Dysley pointed out. "I'm probably going to need hundreds, maybe thousands. It would require mass-production... and Nyx here happens to be a unlimited source of miasma... it'll be like having my own prize-winning cow."

"Cow?!" Nabudis gaped.

"Yes, I'm already having our techs build a contraption that will allow us to harvest the miasma, and work it into a production line." Dysley grinned. "Of course, due to what happened this week, I'll have to take precautions to make sure Nyx never escapes again." He glared at the shivering filly. "Maybe starting with those wings..."

“Oh Faust…” Constell gaped.

Nabudis fell silent.

"So much to do, so little time..." Dysley said smugly. "What's the matter, Nabudis? Has the brilliance of my plan left you speechless?" He got up in Nabudis' face. "Or are you just jealous that I'm about to succeed, when you never could?"

Nabudis headbutted him in the face.

"GAH!" Dysley reeled backwards, clutching his bloody snout. "Motherf-"

"What in the buckin' hell is with you ponies and wanton murder?!" Nabudis demanded, panting with rage. "First, the virus, next, world-wide genocide by deity, then the spider, then the damn virus again! Why is it that so many ponies have to die so that one stupid dream can be realized?!"

Dysley took a moment to wipe his nose, confirming that it wasn't broken. But he was still pissed.

"You're really asking that now?" He growled. "You didn't give two bucks about those projects when they were happening. Not once have you ever spoken up. Hell, the only reason you went rogue now is because of this thing!"

"That is not the point!” Nabudis snapped, “Secret… for once, listen to me! Stop this madness!"

"And why should I do that?!" Dysley sneered. "I'm within the finishing stretch. Once production starts, it will probably be a few months' time before Equestria is the Forefathers, and the rest of the world will be ours before the year is out!"

"But all those innocent ponies..." Nabudis urged.

"Hey, it's not like the others who just wanted one particular group of ponies gone." Dysley retorted. "It'd be all up to chance. That's how the fear spreads. It's not really murder if you don't really know who's gonna die. Just ponies meeting sudden, unfortunate demises. No more, no less."

"My Faust... what has happened to you?" Nabudis shook his head. "How could you be like this?! Do you not give a damn about all the lives you're going to take?!"

"My conscience is clear." Dysley said resolutely. "Life's too short to worry about those who do not matter in the grand schemes of things."

"But this isn't you!" Nabudis insisted. "For Faust's sake, Secret, think of your father, what would he-"

Dysley grasped Nabudis by the throat, leaning him back, much to the others' shock... Save one.

"Finally." Silas smirked.

"There you go again, mentioning my father..." Dysley said coldly. "I have news for you, Somnus..." He sneered. "I give zero bucks as to what my damn fool of a father wants. This is all happening because of him!"

"What?!" Nabudis gaped. "What do you mean?!"

Dysley let out a small chuckle, as he pulled Nabudis forth, slamming the chair down, much to Silas' growing annoyance.

"Are you kiddin' me?" Silas muttered.

"All my life, I've been forced to walk in my father's shadow." Dysley scowled. "All I ever heard was ‘Your father was so great’, 'Your father would never do it this way', ‘This would never happen if your father was around’, ‘You did good, but your father did it better’... day in, day out, it was always the same. Tell me, Somnus, can you imagine having your words, all your actions, every single moment of your life, being scrutinized and compared to a dead stallion? It's like being in your own personal hell!"

"Oh my Faust, will you shut up?!" Silas yelled, at the end of his tether. "We have no time for your daddy is-"

Dysley pulled out a crossbow and fired it at Silas.

"Whoa!" Silas yelled, barely dodging the bolt.

"Speak again, and I will kill you!" Dysley threatened.

Nabudis was disconcerted by the manic hatred in Dysley's eyes as he turned back to him.

"I don't even understand why they worship him!" Dysley spat. "What has he actually accomplished, really?"

"What are you talking about?" Nabudis scowled. "Your father was a great stallion! He has donated to and founded many charities! Helped hundreds of ponies! Created pioneering medical treatments!"

"Really?" Dysley sneered. "Last I checked, Wheathiopia is still full of starving foals, the twin-horned salamander has gone extinct, homelessness and unemployment is still rather high, crime rates are through the roof, and ponies are still dying. Yeah, my father accomplished a lot, alright, a whole lot of nothing!"

"Nothing?!" Nabudis spluttered. "Sacred spent his whole life helping ponies and making the world a better place, and you call it nothing?!"

"That's right!" Dysely retorted. "A whole life of 'helping ponies', and what does he have to show for it? The world is still the crapshoot it still is before he came along. But to be fair, he didn't really get to live a full life..."

Nabudis fell silent.

"I still remember the day I was approached by Father." Dysley recalled. "He told me his whole spiel about making Equestria better and how my father's last wish was for me to carry on where he left off when he suddenly died. He told me about Project: Bad Dreams, and how dear it was to him. I never really had a chance to really know my dad, but when I heard about it, it gave me hope that my father had some grand plan, something would change the world forever... and if I were to finish what he started, I could finally stand apart from my father… and what did I end up with?”

Dysley glared at Nyx darkly, his rage visible.

“A damn little freak.” Dysley snarled. “The Forefathers allowed my father to do whatever he wanted. He could had used their resources to do absolutely anything in the world. Solve world hunger, clean the streets of crimes, hell, find a cure for arthritis or something… but no… my dad’s so-called ‘greatest work’, the thing he died for… was this little brat who's Nightmare Moon! And then there’s you!” He pointed at Nabudis. “His 'friend'... the goddamn whacko who used to go on and on about Nightmare Moon... instead of doing something that would've made a difference... he wasted his life, helping you!"

"Secret..." Nabudis said quietly.

"Mom used to tell me all about how close you two were." Dysley growled. "How my asshole grandparents had you run out because they didn't like you poisoning my dad with that Nightmare Moon crap. And how you looked after the both of us after dad passed away. Deep down, I knew there was something off about you... and once I assumed my father's role in the company, that is when I learned how you two weren't just friends... you were lovers."

"Lovers?" Constell repeated.

Silas lit up in shock. He turned to one of his thugs.

"He's gay?" He asked. The thug shrugged.

"...Yes, your father and I... we were in love..." Nabudis admitted. "Sacred… he was good to me. Better than most of the ponies I’ve met in my life. From the day we met, I always felt a kinship with him… it wasn’t till we were in the Forefathers that I’ve found he felt the same way. It just sort of… sort of... happened."

“So what? My dad pretty much passed up the chance to change the world because he had a thing for stallions?” Dysley said dismissively.

“To be honest, I never understood why either.” Nabudis admitted, “Even as kids, Sacred never showed much interest in Nightmare Moon. More like, he wasn’t an asshole about it like the others were. But your father cared about making ponies happy, and he knew how much I cared about giving Nightmare Moon a chance at a proper life… I like to think he helped me because…”

“Because he loved you?” Dysley asked.

"Well, ye-" Nabudis began.

Dysley suddenly slugged him in the stomach.

“Ugh!” Nabudis grimaced, “...What the-”

"Love?!" He snarled. "You really think my father loved you?! Don't make me laugh!"

Nabudis silently stared at him in confusion.

"Let me set you straight, he didn't love you... he PITIED you." Dysley said coldly.

"Pity?" Nabudis wheezed.

"That's right." Dysley smirked savagely. "My so-called perfect dad's greatest flaw: the constant need to pity everypony around him. Why else would he go to extreme lengths to help all those worthless unfortunates and waste thousands of bits on charities and trying to give everyone jobs? It wasn't his problem that they were unlucky, it's not like he knew any of them. But he pitied them. He pitied all of them. Day in, day out, he'd try and make the world a better place, only for it to remain the same every time, either naive or ignorant of just how utterly pointless it was. All that, just so he would feel better about himself."

He stared at Nabudis, hate in his eyes.

"But you... you were the one he pitied most of all. I can imagine you were like a little puppy, wanting somepony to look at you with love, rather than disgust for the worthless nothing of a freak you are. For some asinine reason, my father did, and look where that got him. Out of everypony he pitied, it was his pity for you that got him killed..."

Nabudis once again fell silent, as if letting the words sink in. Dysley raised his crossbow.

"That ends tonight, though." Dysley spat. "I am going to do what should've been done a long time ago, and rid the world of your tainted existence. This is how it will be so: as far as the world will be concerned, Dr. Somnus Nabudis was broken out by his Forefather flunkies, and went into hiding in this warehouse… but the Forefathers, having been displeased with his reckless actions and near-loss of their subject, ordered his execution, leaving his bolt-ridden corpse to be found by authorities.”

Dysley then turned to Nyx.

“As for Nyx… she will just cease to be.” Dysley smirked evilly, “The world will never see her again, as she spends the rest of her life as a self-sustainable source of miasma that will pave the way for mine and the Forefathers' triumph, and I will be the Dysley everypony remembers.”

Dysley glared back at Nabudis, who silently glared back.

“You and my father will be nothing more than memories… as it should be.”

Meanwhile, Sterling was still frantically trying to kill his comrades with his sword.

"What can we do?" Caboose yelped, dodging a swing. "If slapping won't stop him, what will?"

“I don’t know!” Fletcher dodge-rolled through another strike. “I don’t understand. Why did it work for Triage, but not for Sterling?!”

“It could be possible that Sterling inhaled a bigger dose than Triage.” Survival deduced. “I mean, Triage only breathed in what was left of what killed Weasel. It’s likely that Sterling is in a much deeper hallucination!”

"GRAHH!" Sterling slashed at Fletcher, who just barely blocked the attack with his bow.

"Sterling, stop!" He pleaded. "We're your friends!"

"Talking won't help you, Crystal!" Sterling snarled. "Not after the years of torture you inflicted on me and Gold. Not after you tried to kill Big Red and the others. And especially not after all the nightmares you’ve given me, you asshole!"

"Dreams?" Fletcher glanced at Caboose. "You don't think...?"

"Not usually." Caboose shrugged. "But I am starting to understand what all of Sterling's bad dreams are all about."

"Crystal." Fletcher declared, “As in Crystal Cross.”

"And who's Crystal?" Survival asked, confused.

"Sterling's brother." Caboose said quickly. "Treated him like dirt, made him hurt their little brother, then he killed the little guy. Then Sterling tried to kill him, got sent to juvie, got busted out, became a Forefather. Years later, Sterling dropped him in a well, Crystal tried to kill him, but had the bad timing to do it while Lunard, a bad guy from another story, came after Sterling, and Crystal wounded up getting killed by that other guy..."

“...Oh.” Survival grimaced.

"Bottom line, Sterling must be struggling with guilt over Crystal's death." Fletcher surmised. "That's what led to his bad dreams, which in turn provided fertile ground for the miasma's delusions. He thinks we’re Crystal."

"I see..." Survival absorbed all the information, and came to a solution. "I think I know what to do!"

Unexpectedly, Survival leapt out of his hiding place, and charged into the fray.

"Over here!" He yelled, drawing Sterling's attention.

"Die!" Sterling swung his sword.

Survival dodged the swing, and several others. Once he moved in close enough, he grabbed Sterling's hooves.

"Gotcha!" Survival smirked.

"Grrrr!" Sterling snarled, trying to break free.

Despite Sterling's efforts, Survival slowly forced his hooves downwards, and by proxy, his sword.

"Sterling! Sterling!" Survival yelled, his face right next to his. "Can you hear me?!"

Sterling grunted, his eyes still manic as he saw Crystal holding his hooves down.

"We know what's wrong with you." Survival declared. "You think we're your dead brother, Crystal, right?"

"Stop playing games with me, Crystal!" Sterling yelled.

"But I'm not Crystal!" Survival protested. "None of us are! Crystal is dead!"

"But you're right here! Right now!" Sterling insisted.

"No... it's the miasma, Sterling." Survival countered. "It's making your nightmare seem real, but it isn't!"

Sterling's grunting faded a little, his eyes narrowing, trying to comprehend Survival's words.

"No... Crystal... he's... he's..." He groaned.

"This nightmare you're having... is it because of Crystal and his attempt on yours and this Big Red's family's life?" Survival asked.

Sterling looked at Survival, the Crystal hallucination flickering, guilt creeping on his face.

"Y-yes..." He admitted. "I...I lied... lied about having blackmail on him... I only wanted him... I wanted to be left alone..."

"But he didn't." Survival pointed out. "The way I hear it, Crystal was a textbook psychopath. He destroyed your childhood, took away someone you loved, and now was trying to kill you..."

"He... he was out there for me... then... then..." Sterling mumbled. The Crystal in his eyes flickered and bled further. "Lunard..." Sterling closed his eyes, on the verge of tears. "I... I got him killed. He's dead because of me... I murdered him!"

"Listen to me." Survival urged. "You did not murder him."

"But I did!" Sterling insisted. "He's dead because I lured him there!"

"No! Listen to me!" Survival yelled. "I know what kind of stallion you are. I read you. Yes, you have murdered ponies, but it was because you did what you were told to, or the other party was of a greater evil. But you didn't murder Crystal... Lunard murdered him. Crystal being there was his mistake. He got between you and him. His demise was his own fault."

Sterling slowly shook his head, as Survival was starting to take Crystal's place in his eyes.

"But if I hadn't..." Sterling groaned.

"It was by no choice of yours, Sterling." Survival pointed out. "Your brother chose his own path."

"He's right." Fletcher agreed. "You can't blame yourself for the actions of others."

"Yeah." Caboose agreed. "Your bro was the one who got in the middle of things. You couldn't have done a thing to stop it."

"You need to stop blaming yourself." Survival urged.

Sterling's eyes dilated, returning to normal, as the miasma’s effects began to fade. He shook his head, pulling one hoof for Survival’s grip, rubbing his temple, groaning.

"...Sterling?" Fletcher said hesitantly.

"Ugh... guys?" Sterling groaned, facing the three. It took him a few seconds to remember what had happened. "Oh, guys... I'm sorry. I didn't-"

"Hey, it's okay, best buddy." Caboose smiled. "We know you didn't mean to try and kill us."

"What happened?" Fletcher asked. "How did you get exposed to the miasma?"

“It was Dysley." Sterling growled. "I went into the warehouse they were shacked up at. I know I shouldn't have but they were beating Nabudis. I thought I had a hoof on the situation, but then Silas got a cheap shot-"

"Silas?" Fletcher frowned. "As in Silas Necross?"

"You mean that guy from the Order of Darkness?" Survival mused. "Isn't he the one who was after all those pages before that incident with Synchro Alchemy?"

"Yeah." Sterling nodded. "He was there, along with some other thugs. Dysley got this bright idea and used a shock collar on Nyx and forced her to expel that miasma. The moment I breathed it in, I was having that same nightmare all over again..."

"Hmm, it's just as you predicted, Survival." Fletcher nodded grimly. "We need to find them again, and fast. Sterling, you think you can trace your steps back to the warehouse?"

"Yeah, I think so." Sterling confirmed. "Where's Black and Fury?"

"Who?" Survival frowned.

"I mean, Dreadnaught and Fury." Sterling said quickly, cursing his mistake. "Sorry, still woozy from the miasma."

"They're on the other side of the warehouses, looking for Dysley." Fletcher stated. "We'll call them once we find the right warehouse again."

"Then let's do this!" Caboose cheered. "Lead the way, Sterling!"

As the group headed out, Survival was still looming on Sterling’s mention of ‘Black’.

'Black… wait, he doesn’t mean...' He thought, before shaking his head. 'No, no, it's not important right now...'

Back in the warehouse, Dysley still had Nabudis in his crosshairs.

"...Goodbye, Nabudis." He smirked sadistically. He pulled the trigger...

*SHINK* *THUD*

All was silent... until a gasp of pain filled the air. Standing behind Nabudis and to the left was another thug, who now had a bolt in his shoulder. He was gaping, clutching his shoulder, as he slumped to the ground in pain.

"Mr. Dysley... the buck?!" He whimpered.

Dysley's smirk faded to confusion, as he looked at the thug, and down to his bow hoof, seeing it had veered away from Nabudis' head.

"What?!" He looked at Nabudis, who was still glaring at him. "I-I didn't aim-"

"Correct." Nabudis smiled. "You didn't. Your shadow did."

"My... shadow?" Dysley glanced down, and to his shock, his shadow remained the same, but Nabudis's shadow, rather than being seated like he was, was actually gripping his shadow's hoof. "What the living hell-"

Nabudis' shadow then tossed his shadow back, and as a result, tossed Dysley back.

“Gah!” Dysley landed on the ground with a hard thud.

"What the-" Silas gaped stupefied along with the others at seeing Nabudis' shadow, which looked like a normal pony shadow on the floor, swaying back and forth in front of Nabudis, like a shark eyeing its next meal. "What kind of bullcrap is this?!"

Nabudis smirked as Dysley slowly got up, freaked out.

"This is certainly hilarious." He chuckled. "Did you really think I would have come all this way, turning my back on everything I knew, going up against RDL and Forefathers alike, and all the danger that came with it with nothing but my own four hooves?! I said I would protect Nyx, and protect her, I WILL!"

"Don't just stand there!" Dysley yelled. "KILL HIM!"

The thugs snapped out of their stupor and charged at Nabudis. Nabudis, still strapped in, looked at his shadow, who looked back at him, and nodded.

"You gonna get it now!" One of the thugs snarled, charging in first.

Nabudis' shadow slid across the floor, tackling the thug's shadow.

"Whoa!" The thug yelped, flying across the room and smashing headfirst into a crate.

"You freak!" Another of the thugs roared, trying to get to Nabudis from the side opposite his shadow.

Moving like lightning, Nabudis' shadow grabbed the second thug's shadow by the hoof and used it to throw him across the room.

"Urgh!" The thug grunted as he slammed into the wall.

The third thug had a sudden brainwave.

"Let's see you try that with me!" He leapt into the air, banking on the idea that he couldn't be affected by Nabudis' shadow if his shadow wasn't connected to his body.

He turned out to be wrong, as he found himself stopping in midair, Nabudis' shadow grabbing his own.

"Oh, no..." He cringed.

The thug was going upwards, slamming into a walkway above, then crashing back on the ground.

Another thug was frozen with fear, unable to move… only for Nabudis' shadow to drag his across the wall, bringing him along for the ride.

“Ow, ow, ow!” The thug cried, his back scraping against the wall, only for the shadow to then flung him out of a high nearby window. “Ahhh!”

"You see, I did not study only Nightmare Moon." Nabudis revealed. "Truth be told, when I was a colt, I've dabbled in the occult, having always been fascinated by the supernatural and the eldritch. It was through these studies that I've learned about shadow-based magic." He angled himself so his flank was uncovered from his coat, showing a cutie mark of a pony and a shadow, their right hoof connected.

"I came to discover that my talents lie in being able to use my shadow in ways ponies would not believe.” Nabudis continued, “At first, it was being able to change my shadow into any shape, like a shadow puppet. Then, I was able to merge with my shadow and shadow-walk, which I taught to Prince Gothic and the others back in my younger days. But what you are paying witness to now is what I call 'Shadow Sentience'. By channeling my inner magic, I was able to turn my shadow into a Daeva."

"Diva?" A random thug asked, before being uppercutted into the air and landing on a pile of crates.

"Daeva." Nabudis corrected. "A living shadow. It's a technique I seldom used, but it serves me well. As you see right now, my shadow serves as my guardian, able to manipulate the environment around me by interacting with the shades cast by other creatures or objects."

"Wait, did he say objects-" Silas began, just before his cane was ripped from his hoof. "What the- HEY!"He tried to snatch it back, but the shadow was keeping his shadow at hoof length. "Give that back!"

"Gladly." Nabudis smirked.

His shadow then swung the shadow of the cane, causing the actual cane to swing into Silas' groin.

"Eeee...." Silas squeaked, keeling over.

"Aw, crap!" One of the remaining thugs yelped. "You'll pay for that!" He drew a crossbow, and tried to shoot the shadow itself... but all that did was embedded the bolts in the ground, “Ah, crap!” The shadow sweeped his shadow’s legs, knocking him down.

"You can't hurt a shadow, you know." Nabudis smirked.

"But we can hurt you!" Another thug spat.

The thug went after Nabudis… but Nabudis’ shadow, with a hoist of the chair’s shadow, flipped him over, causing him to land right on top of the thug, breaking said chair and knocking him out.

The instant his body was free, Nabudis quickly raced over to Nyx, who watched the whole carnage in shock and amazement.

“Nyx!” Nabudis hugged her, “Are you alright?!”

“I feel better… now you’re here.” Nyx gave him a weak, teary-eyed smile, hugging him back.

“Always.” Nabudis said warmly.

"NO! You will not have her!" Dysley roared, incensed at how things had turned for the worse. He yelled to the remaining thugs. "FOR THE LOVE OF FAUST, KILL THAT BASTARD!"

Another thug charged at Nabudis from behind, a knife in hoof... but his knife hoof was caught by the shadow.

"Keep your head down, baby." Nabudis told Nyx. "Papa has to finish what he started."

“O-okay… be careful.” Nyx did as such, not interested in seeing what her father was going to do.

Nabudis got up, turning and glaring at the thug.

"No, no, no!" The thug panicked as he tried to pull his hoof free.

Nabudis punched the thug in the throat, knocking him down, and taking the knife for his own. He then stared at Dysley and the remainder of the baddies, who looked on in horror.

"Come on, old friend, let's do this." Nabudis smiled at his shadow.

Nabudis marched slowly, still a bit sore from his beatings. The thugs, despite their fears, charged at Nabudis. But they were easily thrown aside, Nabudis and his shadow, batting them away like they were nothing.

"You know, Dysley... there is a lot of things I am willing to take." He admitted, punching one thug. "Being bullied relentlessly all my childhood. Having my family being run out of town because two rich and powerful ponies were disgusted by my hobbies. Being eventually disowned by my father because he was an abusive gaslighting prick.”

His shadow threw another thug into a crate.

“Being bullied and ostracized by colleagues and other ponies alike because of said hobbies. Getting shot at and nearly killed in the years as a Forefather... watching someone you loved so much died because he wanted to help your dream come true..."

He headbutted another thug. Nabudis’s expression saddened greatly.

"...The Faust-damn loneliness I felt following his death... the guilt of being the reason he's long alive..." He lowered his head, almost overcome by the misery of a lifetime... before looking up in anger. "...But the one thing I will not tolerate, is having an egotistical, nihilistic, hate-filled piece of crap spitting on everything his father stand for because he can't handle being compared to his old man!"

Nabudis punctuated the statement with a huge slug to the last remaining agent, knocking him flat out, leaving only him and Dysely left.

Dysley glanced around, knowing there was nothing between him and Nabudis.

"Oh, crap..." He cringed.

"Just you and me, Secret." Nabudis pointed out. "Let's have it out..."

"No! You stay back!" Dysley drew his crossbow and opened fire.

Nabudis sighed as the bolts were either deflected by the shadow or just stopped mid flight and dropped, getting closer and closer to him. Dysley's crossbow ran out, and the stallion silently cursed in panic. Nabudis was now in front of him, knife in hoof, looking at him in anger.

"Uh... uh..." Dysley looked around desperately, seeking a way out... and saw in interest that Nabudis' shadow was acting sluggishly as it returned to him. He also noticed that Nabudis was visibly tired, panting slightly.

It has seemed that the sentient shadow had taken a bit out of his owner.

Dysley only smirked, seeing an opportunity, “Hmph, looks like your 'invincible' shadow has a limit! You tired yourself out!”

He swung his left hoof at Nabudis… only for Nabudis to catch the hoof with his right in a speed that betrayed his exhaustion.

Dysley's smirk faded again to panic. Nabudis slammed him against the wall, and quickly pinned him up against it by the neck. Nabudis held the knife in his other hoof.

"Gah!" Dysley struggled in his grip. "Let me go! Let me go, damn you!"

"Hmph, not so tough now that you're all alone, are you?" Nabudis taunted. "You were clever enough to catch my Shadow Sentience's only flaw, but your ego blinded you to the fact that even without my shadow, I would beat you, every time."

"BUCK YOU!" Dysley struggled further.

"...Why did it come to this, Secret?" Nabudis asked. "You could have talked to me. You were important to me as much as Sacred was. I could have helped you through this ‘personal’ hell… maybe none of this would have to happen..."

"Yeah, right." Dysley said dismissively. "Like I'd ever give you the time of day. Like I said, you were nothing to my father, so why would you matter to me?"

Angered by Dysley disparaging his father, Nabudis tightened his grip.

“This is just sad, at this point.” Nabudis grimaced, “It was wrong of others to try and hold you up to standards like Sacred’s. No one should have been dealt that much stress and pressure. But that doesn’t excuse your actions. And it does not excuse the hell you put me and Nyx through.”

“So what? You’re gonna kill me?” Dysley glared, “Because that’s the only way you’re going to be free of me. Because even if you and Nyx managed to escape here tonight, I will only find you two again. I’m never going to stop till you’re gone out of my life and take back what’s mine.”

“Nyx will never be yours.” Nabudis growled, “I won’t allow it.”

"You don't have a say in the matter." Dysley retorted. "Just like I didn't have a say in losing my father. He died because of you. Because of your weakness!"

Nabudis tightened his grip once more... then eased it.

"You are right..." He lowered his head. "If I'd never met your father, he would probably still be alive..." He glanced back up. "But you are wrong about your father's flaw... It wasn't because he pity the world around him... it was because he cared too much. He believed in a world and a future that everypony could be happy. No matter what obstacle came his way, he never stopped believing in that. I don't know why he wasted any effort on me... but I am forever grateful for the time we had shared together because of it. I won't apologize for that..." He dropped the knife. "And I won't kill you."

Nabudis dropped Dysley, letting him slump to the ground in shock.

"There's been enough killing for a lifetime, and as reprehensible you have become, you are Sacred's son, and a part of me still cares about you." Nabudis sighed. "That said, I will tell you how it will be so..."

Meanwhile, Nyx was watching on as Nabudis talked to Dysley... only to feel a hoof on her shoulder. She turned around and saw Constell.

"Constell?!-" Nyx gasped.

"Shh... I'm gonna get you out of here." Constell whispered.

"I'm going to take Nyx as far away from here as possible." Nabudis announced. "She and I will start a new life somewhere where we can finally live in peace. I do not care what you do with your life, although I reckon you're going to have a hard time explaining to Father why yet another one of the Ouroboros had defected, and why Project: Bad Dreams ultimately failed. And let's not forget the RDL already had their sights on you during this whole mess. With Sterling on their side, I can only assume it's a matter of time before they will get you and haul you away for your crimes."

"You... you..." Dysley spluttered, as Constell helped Nyx to her hooves.

"This is where we say goodbye, Dysley... for all it's worth, I hope you will find peace with yourself..." Nabudis said sincerely. He turned around. "Come on, N-"

Nabudis's eyes lit up as he saw Nyx and Constell. Constell silently cursed.

"Nyx?! Constell?!" He gaped. "What the-"

In the blink of an eye, Dysley grabbed the dropped knife and shanked Nabudis in the abdomen.

"GAH!" Nabudis grunted.

"NOOOO!" Nyx screamed.

Constell was terrified by what she saw, but the rational part of her saw an opportunity.

"We have to go now!" She scooped up Nyx and ran up the nearby stairs.

"But my papa!" Nyx wailed, reaching for him.

"N-Nyx..." Nabudis groaned.

Dysley pulled out the knife, leaving Nabudis to slump to his knees, clutching his wound. Meanwhile, Dysley turned to Silas and kicked him awake.

"Get up!" He spat. "Everypony who is still conscious, get up and get after them! Do not let them escape!"

Silas let out a growl as he and the others (who had just barely started to recover) quickly followed their quarry up the stairs.

Dysley glared hatefully at the wounded Nabudis.

"Secret..." Nabudis wheezed.

"I'll be back to take care of you..." Dysley scowled, as he too headed for the stairs.

"N-no..." Nabudis slumped all the way to the ground. "Nyx..."

Not too far away, Sterling's group arrived at the warehouse the action was happening at.

“There it is, the detainment carriage.” Sterling pointed to the said carriage, “This is the place.”

“Alright.” Fletcher activated his mirror, contacting Black. “Dreadnaught." He announced, keeping up the cover identity. "We just found Dysley's hideout. You and Fury home in on our beacon."

"Will do." Black replied. "Try not to have too much fun without us."

"No promises." Sterling smirked.

Turning off the mirror, Fletcher set the beacon.

"You think we should wait for them?" Caboose asked. "You know, in case we need the backup?"

"We can't afford to wait." Sterling retorted.

"He's right." Survival agreed. "We have to get to Somnus before the worst happens."

"That is a good point." Fletcher acknowledged. "But I think Caboose and I should take point. Sterling is still recovering from miasma exposure, and you, Survival are a civilian."

"Very well." Survival shrugged. "As long as we hurry."

They went in, Caboose and Fletcher keeping a keen eye out. When they finally reached the main section, they were shocked to find most of the ponies unconscious.

"Whoa... what happened-" Fletcher gaped.

"Somnus!" Survival yelled, spotting Nabudis lying in a pool of his own blood.

"Doc! Oh, Faust!" Sterling gasped.

Sterling and Survival rushed over to him, as Fletcher and Caboose following. Sterling rolled him over.

"Somnus! Somnus!" Survival shook him. "Open your eyes!"

Nabudis groaned, weakly opening his eyes.

"F-Fievel?" He groaned. He took notice of Sterling. "Sterling... you're okay."

"Nabudis, what happened?" Sterling asked. "Where's Dysley? Where's Nyx?"

"Nyx!" Nabudis yelled. He struggled to get up, but couldn't. "Nyx- Princess Constell-"

"Constell?" Caboose glanced at Fletcher. "As in Gothic and Luna's girl?"

"Why was Constell here?" Fletcher asked.

"I don't know- she was helping Nyx- they ran off up the stairs- Dysley and the others- they're gonna..." Nabudis let out a gasp of pain.

"Oh, crap. You're in bad shape." Survival frowned. He tore at his vest, making a few strips. "I need to fix you up..."

"No..." Nabudis protested. "Nyx, she's-"

"Don't worry, Caboose and I will get after them." Fletcher pledged. "Sterling, you should wait here and guard Survival in case these thugs wake up."

"Got it." Sterling drew his sword. "Be careful, guys."

Fletcher and Caboose rushed up stairs, while Survival tended to Nabudis.

Meanwhile, Constell was pulling Nyx along, the filly still crying as they made their way along the upper walkways.

"It'll be okay, Nyx." Constell tried to console her.

"But my papa..." Nyx sniffed.

"I'll get him help." Constell told her. "I just have to get you to safety first. Okay?"

"...Okay." Nyx gulped.

As they kept moving, they eventually reached a dead end, with some windows up high.

"Okay, Nyx, I'm gonna need you to climb on my back." Constell declared. "We'll fly out of here!"

"Ain't nopony flying out of here tonight!"

Constell turns around, finding Silas standing behind her, with several bruised crossbowponies behind him.

"Stay back, all of you!" Constell growled, her horn glowing.

"I wouldn't try that, you little witch." Silas sneered. "You may be an alicorn, but unless your middle name is Neo, you can't dodge or get a shot off without either of you getting shot to shreds."

Constell glanced at the crossbows in their hooves, and knew he was right.

"Dammit..." She seethed.

"Now then... how about we call it a night and you hand over the brat?" Silas grinned.

"Not a chance in Tartarus!" Constell shouted. "I won't let you use her for your twisted gains!"

"Let me rephrase that: hand over the brat, or we will buckin' murder you." Silas summarised. "Don't think for a moment we're above committing regicide."

"No." Constell retorted, her resolve overcoming her nerves. "You will take her over my dead body..."

"Constell, no..." Nyx begged.

"Very well, regicide it is then." Silas sneered. "Guys, at the ready!"

"Wait, who put you in charge?" One of the thugs grunted.

"Do you want to be stick around here and be arrested by RDL agents?" Silas pointed out.

"...Fair point." The thug capitulated.

"Right." Silas smirked. "As I was saying... ready!" The thugs held up their crossbows. "Aim!" As they took aim, Constell started sweating, while Nyx whimpered in fear. "F-"

"HOLD YOUR FIRE!"

"Oh, Lauren Faust!" Silas snarled.

Dysley arrived on the scene in a panic. He got between them and Constell and Nyx, and held up his hooves.

"Hold your fire!" He ordered. "Nopony fire anything!"

"What is it now?!" Silas groaned.

"Seriously?" One of the thugs groaned.

"Why can't we just kill her already!" Another demanded.

"Shut up!" Dysley yelled. "Let me handle this!" He turned to Constell and Nyx, trying to put up a smile. "Princess Constell... what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be back at the-"

"You stay the hell away from us!" Constell spat.

"W-wha, Constell, what's wrong?" Dysley frowned, taken aback. "I'm here to help you!"

"Help?!" Constell scoffed. "Like you helped Nabudis just now by stabbing him in the guts, or helped the hospital staff by having them all killed?!"

"Oh... you heard all that?" Dysley cringed.

"I've heard enough." Constell said coldly. "How can you do this, Secret?! How could you have murdered all those innocent ponies?!"

"You got the wrong idea, I didn't murder them... the Forefather agents did." Dysley said weakly.

"Yeah, because you told them to." Silas scoffed.

"Silas, I swear to Faust!" Dysley roared.

"Why?!" Constell demanded. "Why are you doing this?! How can you associate yourself with these ponies, after the things they did?!"

"I know things look bad, but the Forefathers are seeking to make the world a better place." Nabudis declared. "It was a dream my father always wanted, and I want to see that dream come true... but in order for that to happen, I need that filly."

Nyx shrank behind Constell.

"Oh, bullcrap!" Constell scoffed. "I heard your whole spiel about your father to Nabudis as well. And I know what twisted things you have planned for Nyx. I didn't think you'd be capable of such depravity!"

"Listen, Constell." Dysley said, getting annoyed. "I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm the only thing standing between you and a wall of razor-sharp bolts. I am trying to help you out so that I don't have to explain to my best friend why his wife was found dead in a warehouse! So for the love of Faust, work with me!"

"So, is that how it's going to be?" Constell scowled. "Either I walk away and abandon Nyx, or you'll kill me?!"

"I'd rather not." Dysley admitted. "Besides, you're really going to go to bat for this thing?! If you've heard everything, then you know-"

"That Nyx's Nightmare Moon." Constell cut him off. "Yeah, I've heard."

Nyx lowered her head in shame.

"Then you surely know the hell she brought upon your mother." Dysley pointed out. "That little monster got her trapped in the moon for a thousand years. And who can forget what happened at the lunar eclipse not long after Luna's freedom?"

"And what about what she did to that Rarity chick-" The thug added.

"Eh-eh, let's not go into that." Dysley held up a hoof. He turned to face Constell. "Think of your mom. How'd she feel if she knew you were helping the thing that caused her so much pain?"

"I don't know... and honestly, I don't care." Constell answered, causing Nyx to look up at her. "Even if Nyx is Nightmare Moon, she isn't anything like the one who took over my mother. She is a scared, sweet little filly who needs help, and regardless of her origins, I'm not going to abandon her, especially not to the likes of you."

"Well, that works fine for us!" Silas smirked. "Guys..."

Several crossbows were aimed.

"NO!" Dysley yelled.

The crossbows were lowered.

"Faust dammit, why are you dragging this out?!" Silas snarled.

"Yeah, come on!" One thug growled.

"Unless we're getting overtime, let's get on with it already!" Another urged.

"Shut up!" Dysley yelled. "We can't kill her! She's my friend's wife!"

"Are you kidding me?" Silas screeched. "The RDL is probably closing in on us as we speak! We should've been long gone by now!"

"Be quiet! I can fix this!" Dysley yelled back. He faced Constell. "This is your last chance, Constell. Walk away, and forget you saw any of this... or else I'll have to do this..."

Dysley held up the remote, causing Nyx to whimper in fear.

"You wouldn't..." Constell growled.

"I will not have my plans foiled." Dysley said resolutely. ”I promise you, the miasma will not kill you if you're awake... but chances are, you will probably go mad from the volume you'll breath in. Please, if you value your sanity, leave!"

"You're seriously going to let her go?!" Silas asked incredulously. "She's gonna blow the whistle on this whole thing! Let's just kill the witch and-"

"I said no!" Dysley insisted. "Come on, Constell, don't be stupid!"

"Constell, don't..." Nyx begged.

"I'm not going anywhere." Constell pledged. "The only way I'm leaving is with Nyx."

"I'm afraid I can't let that happen." Dysley shook his head.

"And I'm afraid it's not up to you." Constell said defiantly.

"Don't push me on this, Constell." Dysley held up the remote. "Luxury is my best friend. Think of him for a moment. How would he feel if something happened to you?!”

“And just how would Luxury feel if he knew about any of this?!” Constell shot back, “You had all those doctors and patients killed, and then had the audacity to feign sadness over their deaths. If Luxury knew-”

“What Luxury doesn’t know, won’t hurt him.” Dysley cut her off coldly. “This is your last chance…”

"I'm not leaving without Nyx." Constell insisted.

"Is that so?" Dysley growled, his hoof shaking.

Despite Dysley's threats, Constell stood her ground. Yet Dysley didn't respond in kind.

"You mind hurrying this up?" Silas growled. "We don't have all day, you know."

The thugs voiced their agreement.

"Yeah!"

"Just do it already!"

"What he said!"

"I'm going to!" Dysley said, flustered. "But only if I have to. We're still in a standoff here, you know. And I won't be the one to break first..."

"Oh to hell with this-" Silas snatched the remote out of Dysley's hoof.

"Hey!" Dysley yelled. "Give that back!"

Silas pressed the button.

"AAAAAHHHH!" Nyx screamed.

"Nyx!" Constell tried to help her, but was repelled by the electricity.

"Silas, what are you doing?!" Dysley demanded.

"I'm gonna gas this witch so we can finally get the hell out of here!" Silas boasted.

"AHHHH!" Nyx screamed in pain as the miasma flowed out of her once more.

"Nyx!" Constell yelled. "Stop it!"

"Give that back!" Dysley tried to reclaim the remote back.

"Buck off!" Silas slammed his cane into Dysley's face.

"UGH!" Dysley recoiled in pain. "You damn bastard! How dare you strike an Ouroboros!"

"How dare I?" Silas scoffed. "How dare you drag us to this damn warehouse, just so you could beat up some fruit and go on and on about how everyone loves your daddy over you! We could've been back at Infinity, knocking back beers with that dumbass Ricochet, and Doc or whatever his name would have been shot dead and left in a ditch. But no! No, no, no, you had to go into this big edgy speech about how you're going to outdo your daddy and how you hate everything!"

"You son of a-" Dysley tried to charge Silas again, only to be shoved back once more, and pinned down by his cane.

"Unbelievable... you call yourself an Ouroboros?!" Silas scowled. "My Order may have been dismantled twice, but at least it was because I was thwarted by other ponies! This whole plan of yours is going up in smokes because of you and you alone! Well, I ain't having it!"

"What are you saying?!" Dysley asked.

"It's obvious, jackass... I'm taking over." Silas cackled.

"You can't do that!" Dysely protested.

"Well, it looks like I am right now!" Silas crowed. He couldn't help but notice that Nyx's miasma wasn't coming out. "Hmm, this is kinda taking a while..."

"Do you have any idea what you are doing?" Dysely yelled. "You are defying a superior! That's punishable by death!"

"Peh, not like I have anything to lose." Silas sneered. "I'm done being pushed around by assholes who think they can order me around, use me for their own damn plans, and suffer indignities after indignities! But this time... this time, Silas Necross is going to have the last laugh, and be the one who brings Project: Bad Dreams to completion!"

"But you don't even know anything about the project!" Dysely protested.

"Nightmare Moon. Miasma. Kill you in your sleep. Gas bombs. Fear of sleep. Collapsed society. Profit. Really not that hard to grasp." Silas shrugged. "And since you already just about killed the guy with the diva or whatever he called it, there's nothing to stop me."

"But-" Dysley spluttered.

"Nothing that isn’t a trust-fund kid." Silas said scornfully.

"Are you seriously going to let him talk to me like that?!" Dysley turned to the other thugs. "Seize him!"

"Nope." One of the thugs refused.

"You got our pals beat up." Another scowled.

"Besides, it's kinda impressive how Silas has finally grown some balls." A third smirked.

"I just wanna get outta here!" A fourth declared.

"Me too!" A fifth agreed.

"See, even they agree with me!" Silas smirked.

"...You are going to regret this..." Dysley snarled.

"Yeah, we'll see how you’re feeling once this brat coughs up-" Silas suddenly turned to Nyx, seeing no miasma emerging. "Okay, seriously, what the hell is taking so long?!"

"No..." Nyx was visibly struggling, as if trying to hold something in.

"Nyx, what are you-" Constell gasped.

"I... won't... hurt... you..." Nyx stuttered.

"Oh, Faust dammit..." Silas looked antsily at the remote, and pressed harder on the shock button.

"Arrgh!" Nyx cried out, clutching her body, holding in the misma.

"Dammit, how do you crank up the juice on this thing!?" Silas growled.

"Silas, you need to stop this!" Dysley pleaded. "Nyx isn't meant to suffer prolonged shocks!"

"Well, if she would just unleash that miasma already!" Silas spat.

"Stop it, you're going to kill her!" Constell screamed.

"I'm with her, Bad Dreams is going to be nothing if our source is dead!" Dysley declared.

"I know what I'm doing!" Silas yelled. "Unlike you, Dysley!"

"You don't know anything about her!" Dysley retorted.

"Neither do you!" Constell spat. "She's a filly, not a project!"

"Stay out of this, Constell!" Dysley demanded.

"Somepony do something!" One of the thugs yelled. "I wanna get outta here already!"

"Me too!" Another added.

"Finish this, already!" A third urged.

"Ahh!" Nyx screamed some more. As her resolve weakened, her body became enshrouded with miasma, the dark substance slowly rising up to her head...

"Shut up! Shut up!" Silas yelled at everyone. He turned to Nyx, too blinded by rage to realise what was happening to her. "Conjure the miasma already, ya little f-!"

Nyx let out a skyward scream, as her pupils turned to slits…

Suddenly, a big shadowy shockwave erupted out of Nyx, knocking them all to the ground.

A short distance away, Fletcher and Caboose were on the upper walkway, and found themselves also being pushed back by the shockwave.

"Whoa!" Fletcher yelped, falling toward the edge.

"I gotcha, pal!" Caboose caught him.

"Thanks." Fletcher smiled.

"Anytime." Caboose grinned.

Back at the end, Constell, Silas, and Dysley got up.

"What just happened?" Silas groaned.

"Nothing good, I'd wager..." Dysley frowned.

"Nyx, are you o-" Constell glanced at Nyx, only to see something that made her blood run cold. "N-nyx?" She gasped.

Standing in the place of the little filly was a full-grown mare. Her purple mane was a wispy long tangled mess and her wings are twitching like crazy, and through her mop of a mane... two hate-filled turquoise eyes opened.

"RAAARRRGH!" A dark snarl roared out of the mare's mouth.